#i think they are an incredibly healthy couple in how they both actually put in the work for the relationship

[oaxleaf]

jmart's relationship dynamic is actually so interesting because it takes a situation that could so easily be unhealthy - in fact, it's pretty much impossible to have a completely normal relationship under these circumstances - and does the very best it can with it. there is so so much that could go wrong in a relationship where you're both traumatized as hell, have been together for three weeks tops when the literal apocalypse starts, that apocalypse brings an incredible power dynamic to your relationship, and one of you seems determined to fulfill his martyr complex. i think it's a little bit silly to expect them not to argue. aside from the fact that a little bit of conflict is probably healthy, you cannot seriously think none of it would come up? you cannot seriously say you would be happy for none of it to be discussed?

and yet, i feel like they, for the most part, do an incredible job of communicating. it takes a bit of coaxing, but they talk about a lot of their issues, set up boundaries that they then follow, and when things do boil over they actively search each out to apologize. season five makes a really strong case for how good of a couple they could have been if only the stakes had been lesser and they'd gone through less trauma - the tragic irony of course being that that trauma is precisely what made them grow so close in the first place - and it think it's overall some really good relationship writing. a good balance between their individual characters, how those two interact, and how they interect with their current circumstances both as individuals and as a duo

[fictionaire]

I got this prompt idea from Tiktok. You are pregnant and Bucky isn't very trusting in touching your bump with his metal arm.

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

You were in your eighth month of pregnancy and everything had been going very smoothly. The baby was healthy and so were you up to this point.

The past couple of days had been pretty rough since you developed a pretty nasty cold. You visited your doctor who said you didn't have anything to worry about since you hadn't contracted a fever. But if you did and it was above 100 you needed to go to the hospital.

Bucky had been taking great care of you throughout your entire pregnancy but now with the cold he wouldn't even let you stand on your own. He actually made F.R.I.D.A.Y notify him when they detected you had stood up. It was ridiculous but also incredibly sweet.

It was now day three of your battle with the cold and you had been going through hot and cold flashes. Bucky had to go on a mission yesterday but promised to be back today and made sure Nat was watching over you.

You kicked off the comforter that had comforted you in what felt like an arctic room five minutes ago but that had now changed into death valley.

"How you doing?" Natasha asked, tapping lightly at the door that was ajar.

"I feel so hot" You complained, putting a cool rag over your belly. "And the baby adds fifteen degrees to whatever temperature i'm already feeling."

Natasha giggled at your dramatics and held the thermometer up to your forehead.

"98.6" She said, hitting the power button. "You're normal"

"Tell that to the desert I am laying in."

You heard heavy footsteps heading down quickly towards the hallway

"They're back" Nat said, getting off the edge of the bed and walking out the door as Bucky walked in.

"Hi, doll." He said, walking to your bedside out of breath. "How ya doin?"

"Burning up."

"Are you feeling any better?" He asks, taking a seat on the side of the bed.

"Other than these hot/cold flashes I feel okay."

He reaches his metal arm up to your shoulder, rubbing it and you can feel the cold through your shirt sleeve. You grab his hand and lower it to your belly, the cool relaxing you until he yanks his arm away, replacing it with his real hand.

"The cold felt nice." You whined, jutting out your bottom lip.

"Yeah, but - uh I need to take this off, it' probably gross from the combat."

"It's okay, Buck." You say, reaching out to grab his hand again, to which he stands off the bed and takes a step away.

"No, (y/n)." He says, sternly.

You look at him, shocked. In all the time you have been with Bucky he's only ever talked to you in that tone twice, both while on a mission and you had done something a little more reckless than you should have been doing and he was worried for your safety.

"I-I'm sorry, Doll." He said after taking a breath. "I'm just scared to touch you like that with this arm. What if something happens like it glitches or - "

"Buck, the Winter Soldier is gone. It's been five years." You say, sitting up in bed. "I trust you completely. I think you need to trust yourself a little more than you do."

He makes his way back to the bed and sits where he was before, not taking his eyes off the ground.

"I just worry and I wouldn't want to ever do anything to hurt you or our daughter."

"It's all okay, I trust you." You lay your hand gently on his metal one and look into his eyes, asking if it's okay without actually saying any words. He nods and you place his hand back on your belly, humming gratefully at the feeling.

"Just tell me if you start feeling uncomfortable." You say to Bucky.

"I trust us."

[lovingseventeen]

Heyyy! If you’re open for requests, I saw this tiktok where a pregnant lady had her husband lift her heavy belly for a few minutes and it gave her some relief. I somehow could see Mingyu do that. His wife having a hard time getting used to her growth and him trying his best to help her 🫠🫠🫠

mingyu helping out his pregnant s/o

a/n: HI I LOVE THIS ,, he really would be so sweet as a dad though :’)

several months into your pregnancy, you really began to feel the changes in your body. one of the more obvious changes being your belly growing rounder and heavier.

mingyu adored your belly knowing that your baby was healthy and ready to meet the both of you in enough time. he couldn’t walk past you without a hand coming to hold your tummy to give you and the baby a little rub. or a lot of the time, he liked to have you seated between his legs on the couch so he could absentmindedly rub your belly.

he was also incredibly thankful for you. as much as he knows that the both of you contributed to conceiving your baby, he knew that you were doing the true heavy lifting: the dietary restrictions, the physical changes to your body, carrying your baby for nine months, and of course giving birth. so he wanted to make things easier for you whenever he could.

he noticed how sometimes your steps around the house got slower. or maybe one of your hands was coming up to the small of your back to support yourself while you brewed yourself some tea. he knew you were starting to feel the toll of pregnancy (it couldn’t all be swell).

“babe?” he asks, walking over to you, “you okay? his fingers make their way to your shoulders to give you a little massage too.

you placed a hand over one of his. “yeah, baby’s just getting so big that my back isn’t used to supporting this kind of weight up front.”

his hands instinctively move to caress your belly as he hums. then he remembers.

“i saw this video online, do you want me to try lifting your belly for a couple moments?”

“what do you mean?” you ask, neck turning to look at him.

“here, let me show you,” he explains, hands gently coming to the underside of your belly. “i think the guy in the video just gently lifted from here, do you want me to try it?”

“oh okay, sure” you agree, hoping for any kind of relief at that point.

“okay, here i go” he tells you, quickly placing a kiss to your cheek. ever so controlled, he lifted your belly slowly. mingyu worked out regularly and this was a light weight for him, but he couldn’t imagine how your back felt feeling this weight all day. he smiled as he heard you sigh in relief.

as he was holding your belly he also kind of figured that this was a way for him to hold your baby before you even gave birth and this made him happy.

“you know i almost didn’t believe that this would actually do something” you laughed. for the first time in a while, you almost felt like your pre-pregnancy self.

“it’s helping?” he checked, causing you hum in response.

after a moment you knew that your tea would be done steeping so you told him, “you can put my belly down now, ‘gyu.”

“you sure?” he was more than ready to keep lifting for you.

“yeah, i’ll go sit down with my tea too.”

“okay,” he agreed, but not without telling you, “just remember, let me know whenever your back hurts, okay? i can always lift our baby so mommy can have some relief, yeah?” he’s gently easing your belly back to it’s original position too.

you turn to face him and place a hand on his cheek. “thank you ‘gyu,” you smiled, “i really will.”

[thranduel]

the big difference between these two relationships

*these are my own personal opinions based on what i’ve observed in the show!! obviously all of these characters love each other so much but i just don't think mike and el work together romantically, while mike and will do (and there are so many reasons why!)

as we all know, mike and will completely understand each other and relate to each other, they feel like equals, they're honest with each other, they have many deep and meaningful heart-to-heart conversations and they can actually be themselves when they’re together. mike and el don't fully understand each other or relate to each other, they feel completely different from one another (mike admitted he feels inferior to el and el admitted she feels like she doesn't belong anywhere), they lie to each other, they don't have any deep and meaningful heart-to-heart conversations and they can’t even be themselves when they’re together (they literally prove this in the show).

el believes that mike has been scared of her several times and sees her as a monster (obviously we know he doesn’t actually think she is one), but the point is that she still feels like a monster, and there are several scenes where mike unintentionally triggers traumatic memories of brenner right after he gets angry at el when she does something that scares him (like when she accidentally hurt lucas and and when she hit angela with the rollerskate). obviously mike and brenner are NOT the same at all, they are completely different people, but there are some parallels between them when it comes to how they view el as a superhero and how they put pressure on her to always save the day (“you��re MY superhero!”, “you can fly!”) and how they praise her for her powers more than who she actually is as a person. they’ve both called her “incredible” several times but it’s always about her abilities. but with will on the other hand, mike has always made him feel safe and comfortable for who he is and he doesn’t feel like a mistake at all because of mike. he has always been extremely protective, observant and caring towards will and he knows how to make him feel loved and accepted. the only time mike upsets will is when he excludes him, but the only reason he excludes him is because he forces himself to pay attention to el and then he pretends to be someone he’s not when he’s with her… see, it just shows how it’s not healthy or fair to anyone and mike can only be himself when he’s with will.

mike and el

season 4 episode 3: during their fight scene, el tells mike that she’s different from everyone else. he tries explaining that he understands what she’s going through because he’s been bullied his whole life but she says he never will. this already shows us that they don’t feel equal to each other in the relationship and they’re never on the same page, because unfortunately, they are very different and have experienced different things in their life, and no matter how long they date, they always will be different. obviously relationships can work like this in some cases, but the thing is with mike and el, they don’t have any sort of character growth or development at all. they don’t become stronger as a couple. in fact, i think they’ve only gotten worse. they can’t even communicate honestly or be themselves around each other. they’ve never had a meaningful heart-to-heart conversation or resolved their conflicts properly. they constantly lie and pretend to be people they’re not (el literally lied to mike the entire time they were sending letters and acted like her life was good when it wasn’t) and mike acts so different around el and forces himself to focus on her which results in him excluding all his friends. this isn’t healthy or fair to anyone, and continuing to force two teenagers in a relationship where they don’t understand each other and can’t even be themselves with each other is really weird. anyways, el says “you think i’m a monster too” and mike doesn’t really try hard to deny it, he just lies and makes her feel like she’s being ridiculous like he’s done to her this entire scene. we know that mike obviously doesn’t think el is a bad person at all, but there have been several times where he has been scared of her and she knows that too.

in season 1 when they find will’s body, mike slaps el’s hand away and yells at her because he feels betrayed. he realises that el is just a stranger that he’s been trusting and following around even though he barely knows her, and when he sees the body and believes it’s will, it absolutely breaks him and he thinks she’s been lying to him. a few episodes later, el freaks out and sends lucas flying across the junkyard with her powers, and it knocks him unconscious. mike is understandably terrified and angry because his friend got hurt. he yells at her again and this triggers a traumatic memory from the lab. this shows that mike’s reaction reminded her of brenner (there are actually many parallels between mike and brenner, and even in mike’s monologue to el in season 4 episode 9, he says the same things brenner said to el. they both go on about how she’s a superhero that can fly and she obviously doesn’t want to hear that all the time since she’s her own person as well, but they never seem to mention her actual personality or what she does outside of being a superhero). in season 4 episode 2, el hits angela in the face with a rollerskate. mike looks terrified and it parallels to brenner again because mike's words triggered a traumatic memory. even at the dinner table, mike is still annoyed and makes a sarcastic comment which upsets el. in episode 9 during his monologue, he lies and says he’s never been scared of her which we know isn’t true. that entire monologue was pretty much filled with lies that contradict things we’ve already seen and it just felt like an insult to el. i also didn’t like how mike said “you’re my superhero” and listed what she can do with her powers but he couldn’t even mention anything about her personality, because he doesn’t even truly know her since they can’t even be themselves with each other. they don’t even share any similar interests and hobbies. the only thing mike knows about her outside of being a superhero is that she likes eggos and that’s about it.

you can argue that he tried making her feel good about who she is in his monologue but he was lying during so much of it that it doesn’t feel genuine at all. people also need to realise that it’s unhealthy that mike has an inferiority complex. he literally admitted that he feels inferior to el because she’s a superhero with powers. he said it wasn't fate or destiny but dumb luck that superman landed on his doorstep. he saw that el was vulnerable and needed help and he just happened to be there. he also probably feels better about himself for being able to get a girl with powers because no girls have ever shown any interest in him before (and it doesn't seem like he had any interest in girls either). but the entire time he was talking in the car, he was talking about himself and how he wants to be "needed" by el because it boosts his confidence but he never mentioned what el actually needs, especially at that time in her life when he met her. she just got out of a lab and needed to grow rather than being pushed into romance before knowing what romance was. mike had a crush on her but she didn’t have a crush on him. she thought he would be like her brother and she only saw him as a friend that cared for her. obviously mike didn’t have any bad intentions when he kissed her, he was just a kid and it was supposed to be cute and wholesome, but the point is that he did what he wanted when she didn’t even understand the concept of romance and crushes. she didn’t really have a say and she didn't have any time to learn about this stuff. mike is the one that decided what their relationship was going to be without giving her a chance to discover herself first. it was also harder for el because she couldn’t communicate the same way mike could, so everything happened so quickly for her and it just doesn’t feel right that she couldn’t decide on her own. their relationship would've been so much better if it developed slowly and el had time to decide if she liked mike romantically HERSELF, without mike being the one to put things in her head. i think it's also important to mention that there was a literally an entire plot in season 3 that focused on how mike has prevented el from discovering herself and what she likes. max literally encouraged her to break up with him, and when she did, she looked the happiest she had ever been. max actually allowed her to find her own style and think for herself instead of letting the men in her life tell her what to do.

mike and will

season 4 episode 8: during the car scene, will confesses his love to mike using eleven’s name. he mentions how he feels like a mistake sometimes because he’s different but mike is the only person that doesn’t make him feel like a mistake. they were each other’s first friend, they’ve known each other for most of their lives, they have always felt like equals in the relationship, they’ve experienced the same struggles as they’ve been outcasts their whole lives and got bullied at school, they both understand each other better than anyone else and they can be themselves with each other. neither feels superior or inferior to the other (unlike mike and el, where mike literally admitted he feels inferior to el because she’s a superhero with powers and he wants to be “needed” by her… the whole thing isn’t healthy or fair to anyone at all). mike and will have only had two fights and both times it was because will felt excluded by mike because he was too busy with el. in season 3 episode 3, will felt called out when mike said “it’s not my fault you don’t like girls”. he was obviously already hurt for many reasons here, but hearing this would’ve made it even harder for him. but we know that mike didn’t mean it that way and he immediately regretted it because he just said it without thinking (it also sounded like he was actually projecting because of internalised homophobia). the other time they argued was at the roller rink and it sounds like mike is projecting here too when he says “we’re friends” twice and gets defensive about it. after both of these fights, mike immediately goes to apologise to will because he can’t stand seeing him upset and he had to make sure he was okay and knew that he was genuinely sorry for hurting him. it’s important to note that mike is stubborn when it comes to apologising but he always apologises to will without question. in season 4 episode 4, he doesn't let will try to blame himself either. mike takes full responsibility for the way he treated will and admits that things have felt weird because hawkins wasn't the same without him and he was afraid of losing him. this is a parallel to the scene in season 4 episode 8 where will also admits that if he was mean to mike or seemed like he was pushing him away, it's because he was scared to lose him too.

“if [i] was mean to you or [i] seemed like [i] was pushing you away, it’s probably because [i'm] scared of losing you just like you’re scared of losing [me]”

even though he used el to disguise his feelings, i think mike will eventually realise will was talking about himself here because it's the only thing that makes sense. el never pushed mike away and they stayed in contact by sending each other letters, but mike and will lost contact and pushed each other away because they love each other and they're scared of losing each other. that's why this line during the car monologue can only be applied to mike and will. also, when mike said his monologue to el, he copied a lot of what will said and he was basically responding to will's love confession for him without even realising it.

anyways, the scene where will told mike he doesn’t feel like a mistake because of him also reminded me of the one in season 2 where will and jonathan are talking and will gets upset. he says “mom, dustin, lucas, everyone. they all treat me like i’m gonna break, like i’m a baby, like i can’t handle things on my own”. notice how he doesn’t mention mike? that’s because mike has never made him feel that way. mike stayed by will’s side throughout all of season 2 to take care of him but he never treated him like he was a baby or made him feel bad about anything. he was just there by his side and provided support when he needed it. when will was explaining what he saw on halloween night, mike listened so carefully. he didn't make him feel like there was something wrong with him and he told him that they'll both go crazy together. in season 2 episode 5 when will is talking about the mindflayer spying on them, mike tries making the situation positive by saying how it would be cool for will to be like a super-spy. will almost let out a little laugh because of it even though he was terrified in the moment. it just shows that mike always makes him feel better. and when will was anxious and shaking, mike noticed and put his hand on top of his to calm him down. mike is also the only person that will opens up to when he's struggling which shows how comfortable he feels around him. in season 2 he told him about everything going on with the mindflayer, and in season 4 he's the first person that he spoke to when they arrived back in hawkins. mike also helped will snap out of his upside down trances in season 2 and he would always make sure he was okay and stayed by his side. even after will becomes "the spy", mike never takes his anger out on will or yells at him because he knows it's not his fault, and he stays by his side even though he knows it's risky to be around him. in the shed scene, he was so calm and gentle while telling will the story of how they first met. they were both crying during this scene and it was extremely emotional. it's also probably my favourite scene in the entire show.

there’s such a big difference between both of these relationships and i think it’s really important to discuss. it's obvious that all of them love each other so much, but the difference is that mike and el don't work together romantically at all, while mike and will could be one of the most well-written and genuine relationships because they understand each other better than anyone and they fit together so well. i think mike and el could have one of the strongest and most beautiful friendships too, but they just don't work together as a couple and we've seen why so many times. anyone that pays attention to the show would see that mike and el can’t even be themselves around each other and mike's character got worse the moment he started dating el. he was just reduced to her boyfriend, had no individual character growth and development AND it's just simply not healthy because he feels inferior to her and pretends to be someone he’s not when she's around. he sees her as an awesome superhero with powers but he can’t even name anything about who she is as a person or anything about her personality. el also hasn’t had the chance to grow on her own and make her own decisions. even when she’s starting to finally have her own character development, she always ends up back with mike, and the fact that he needed to say a monologue (that was literally filled with lies!) to “give her strength” while her best friend was suffering in front of her just feels really weird and the entire thing was cheesy. it’s just not healthy or fair to either of them. mike and will on the other hand have the closest relationship in the show and understand each other better than anyone else. it's also just been fully confirmed that will has been in love with mike from the very beginning and they have the most history and build up, even if we don't see all of it on screen. mike can only be himself when he’s with will and that says SO much too. they see each other as equals, they’re always on the same page and they love each other for exactly who they are. obviously mike and el love each other too, i just don't think they belong together romantically because their relationship just simply isn't healthy. i think they rushed into it way too quickly and mike got carried away because she's a superhero, as he's said over and over again. he couldn't even tell her he loved her when she was crying in front of him without her powers, but the moment she gets her powers back and will confesses his OWN feelings for mike and convinces him that el "needs" him, he can suddenly tell her he loves her? i don't know, the whole thing is just messy lol.

[story-weavr]

Transformers Ship:

One thing I noticed about the Transformers series and fandom is that sometimes the most randomly paired bots make the best couples, not just because they are gorgeous together but because they somehow FIT.

Like their dynamics match and differ in all the right places. For example: Soundwave x Cosmos, Starscream x Wheeljack, Drift | Deadlock x Ratchet, Brainstorm x Perceptor, etc.

I’ve come up with one pairing that might be a great fit:

Shockwave x Nautica

Let’s face it: Shockwave likes intelligent people and the Marvel version of him LIKED (platonic or romantic) Starscream.

If he is to have a healthy relationship, he needs someone who isn’t subservient obedience or weak. That type of person would just get used by him.

He also needs someone trustworthy (hence why it wouldn’t work with Starscream or most Decepticons).

And for his own sake, he needs someone both intellectual and compassionate enough to teach him the value and necessity of emotions and morals.

And someone who can bring out Shockwave’s already present softer side (in many iterations, Shockwave has a love for his pets / creations).

As for Nautica, she is dense when it comes to romance (just look at the number of femmes and mechs who have a crush on her). Part of it is her focus on projects, enjoying her friendships, etc. But I also think it’s her lack of confidence.

She is still very young and trying to find herself by exploring the worlds outside her birth city-state. She’s learning everyday and enjoying life, bringing sunshine wherever she goes.

In addition to her intelligence, her strength is her compassion and vulnerability. A vulnerability that is backed up by her ability to fight strategically. She also inspires others, friends or comrades.

I like to think of Shockwave becoming interested in her mind. And then her understanding of the world, her behaviors. Then it becomes an obsession. And he is confused because normally when he’s obsessed with something he takes it and puts it in his lab to figure out how it works and how he can use it.

Aside from the fact that the war is over and he can no longer do so without severe repercussions, he doesn’t actually… want to hurt the young femme.

On her part Nautica is a bit dense. She is interested in Shockwave as far as wanting to help him acclimate to the new reality of peace for their species. She also thinks he may be a potential lab buddy like she is with Brainstorm. But somehow, it’s … different.

She doesn’t understand why, and when she tries to ask her amica they get really uncomfortable and evasive.

All she knows is she likes being around Shockwave. He’s a much older tron than her but somehow he’s… childlike. Like a youngling freshly assigned to their mentor, curious and ignorant of the world but wanting to correct that. Sometimes to his own detriment.

He’s also incredibly honest. Shockwave was never one to play niceties when speaking. Many consider him rude or creepy but surprisingly to Nautica it’s… endearing. It makes her trust him and his words. (Which is incredibly strange as she knows he lied before & still does.)

The whole thing is incredibly confusing for the both of them. Thankfully they have projects to direct their focus. The fact that they work together on most of them is inconsequential.

What do you all think of the ship name “OceanWave”?

[capricioussun]

As always thinking lots abt uf but still on a little bit of a swap kick so I wanted to add a little more context for what I'd mentioned in the Stretch post abt his relationship w/ Blue

So, as per my usual baseline, the royal scientist made Sans first, and then Papyrus. Almost exactly the same. Sans came out well (alive), but unfortunately very frail with slightly unstable magic. Instead of pushing it too much (and what leads to how unswapped Sanses typically gaining the judgement ability), that focus shifted gears to Papyrus, as the corrections made "in utero" (very early days of test tube life) proved sufficient, providing a much more stable and sturdy test subject.

Hence, those experiments were then performed on Papyrus, while a much slower and more thought out approach was taken with Sans. Both became very healthy as they grew, gaining tremendous control over their magic and Papyrus seemingly following in his brother's footsteps of being an absolute powerhouse.

At the time, and even after they left the labs, Blue wasn't fully aware of the extent of experiments done on Stretch. Similar to classic Sans, Blue was incredibly smart from an early age, and took it upon himself to be his brother's caretaker and teacher after [REDACTED], but being a couple of homeless kids didn't exactly make that super easy in the beginning.

Still, with the help of a few kind strangers turned new friends, they slowly got back on their feet...and of course, that was when Stretch began presenting and complaining of strange and worrying symptoms.

Blue and Stretch were always very close from an early age, very similar to the Tale brothers. The prime difference was that Blue had significantly more energy and drive than Sans, which made him a better role model and caretaker to Stretch, and so Stretch never felt that pressure to grow up faster to be the caretaker of his brother the way Rus and Edge did.

So when things changed, and Stretch became more dependent on Blue rather than less, like most other kids going into teendom, even though Blue never really outwardly faltered and did his best to help Stretch through everything, there was a crack in the foundation.

Blue, being a caretaker, teacher, and older brother (along with the standard trait of tending towards secrecy), had that pressure to always be more okay than he actually felt. He had to remain strong for Papyrus, doubly so after he got sick. He couldn't slow down or show weakness or do anything that might make Stretch feel like a burden or a tax on him.

Especially not after Stretch had tried explaining symptoms of the judging ability, and the obvious toll that was starting to take on his mental health. Blue was really all Stretch had, and as Stretch's HP slowly ticked away with every downswing, and never ticked back up, he was terrified of how increasingly susceptible his brother was to Falling Down.

I need to clarify and emphasize that Blue was only around 13-15 when this all started, and 17-20 at its peak. He'd been the primary parent figure to his 5 year younger brother since around the time he was 10, so Blue's entirely life pretty much revolved around taking care of Stretch for his entire childhood. It stands to reason the thought of him Falling being beyond Blue's control was one of his biggest nightmares, because even though others didn't alienate him the way they did Stretch, Stretch was the only person who he really felt a strong connection to, especially after everything they went through together as kids.

They knew things about each other they probably couldn't ever tell anyone else, and Blue had been Stretch's only real family since the day he was "born". Watching Stretch decline over his teen years was a special form a torture that he couldn't ever let Stretch know he was going through. He couldn't put that on him.

That didn't stop Stretch from being able to tell though. Brotherly intuition, knowing each other so well, and of course, the judge, the worst his health became, the more stressed Blue became, and the deeper that sinking pit in Stretch's soul sunk knowing he was the cause of it all.

That's why I'd mentioned Blue's joining the guard being the last straw. He joined when he was around 21, because it paid better than the most of the other meager jobs he’d been spreading himself way too thin to work keeping them afloat, which meant more time to take care of Papyrus.

The thought of his incredibly non-confrontational brother forcing himself into a position where he might have to kill capture a human, deal with rowdy drunks stumbling out of Muffet's at all hours, as well as regularly spar with the captain sent Stretch into a very intense guilt and resentment spiral.

Over the years, the more Blue worried the more Stretch tried to hide from him, but now this tipped the scales and Stretch became determined to do whatever it took to become less useless.

(Another aside, Toriel did not know how young Papyrus was when she offered him the Judge position, as the brothers routinely lied about their ages since they'd had to take care of themselves from such a young age. She suspects they're younger than they say certainly, but she didn't realize he was only 15 ish at the time).

The more Stretch pushed himself, the more practice he got, the better he was at lying and keeping up appearances. And now Blue's own schtick was biting him on the tailbone because even though he worried frequently that Stretch was pushing himself too hard (especially after learning he'd accepted the job from Toriel to act as the Judge), all he could do was try his best to be supportive and encouraging, lest Stretch realize just how stressed out and exhausted he really was all the time.

So, basically, both brothers know the other isn't okay, but they won't talk about it ever because Blue is stubborn as hell and Stretch learned from the best. And by that point, Stretch was becoming a young adult, he could certainly make decisions for himself, right?

Just like the vast majority of my skelebros, they locked themselves into this broken carousel dynamic of always interlocking, never actually meeting, and continuously dancing around the gaping hole in the middle of the room because they both know, if one falls in, the other with dive to catch him, and they may both very well be damned if they take that chance. (They're dumb but also this is what happens when incredibly smart children are forced to raise themselves. They have no idea how to function healthily, only to the best of their ability #sigh #childhoodtraumamoment)

Oh, and one more thing. I would like to add that part of the reason Stretch is so hard on himself is because, back during training at the labs, he was constantly compared to Blue, who exceeded at everything. He was scolded and reprimanded for falling short, and it was rarely ever accounted for that he was five years younger than Blue. This made Stretch feel inferior and frequently doubt his own ability, and gave Blue a strong resentment of [REDACTED], along with a fierce protective streak of Stretch.

Unfortunately the years of trying to unteach Stretch those mindsets were mostly undone by the damage the judge and health issues did (they just proved him right, he really was just a useless failure...)

[clotpolesonly]

Please please please tell me more about ace sterek exploration 🥺

one of my favorite WIPs that i still swear i'm gonna finish someday!!!!!

human college AU where Derek is ace and decides he wants to explore his sexuality a little to figure out if he's sex repulsed and what his boundaries are through experimentation, and he gets a recommendation from Erica for Stiles, an experienced and sex-loving classmate that she can vouch for as being a really good respectful guy who won't be a dick about it.

Derek Hale stood in the hallway, hands in the pockets of his standard leather jacket, looking a little out of place in a shitty apartment building when Stiles was used to only seeing him in class. His head was down, but he looked up when Stiles said his name. He did not, however, volunteer anything. Stiles slumped against his door jamb. “What are you, uh…what are you doing here?” It didn’t register until after he had said it that asking like that might be rude. It was also a fair question, though, so Stiles let it stand. He had been acquainted with Derek for the better part of three years, since they had always had a lot of classes in the same buildings, but they weren’t really pals. Definitely not close enough for Derek showing up at his apartment after dinner time to not be weird. He wouldn’t have thought Derek even knew where he lived. Derek shifted on his feet. “I wanted to ask you something.” “If it’s about the reading for Professor Ito, I can email it to you,” Stiles offered, scratching his head. “A lot of people were having trouble with the PDF download earlier, according to Kira. She thinks they got the problem fixed, but if it still isn’t working for you—” “I want you to have sex with me.” Stiles got halfway through his next word before that statement processed in his brain, and then his mouth stopped functioning properly. His ears too, possibly, because that could not be what Derek had actually said. After a few painful seconds, he managed a weak, “Pardon?” Derek’s face looked downright angry, what with the eyebrows and the manfully clenching jaw, but the tips of his ears were pink and his glare seemed to have settled somewhere around Stiles’ knees. “I said I—” He cut himself off with a shake of his head. “I heard that you have a lot of…” “...sex?” Stiles put in helpfully when it seemed like Derek had lost track of that particular word. Derek’s ears only got redder. “Yes, that. And I need to… Well, I want to…” “...to have sex,” Stiles filled in again. “With me?” Derek nodded. He still looked mad, but Stiles thought that might just be his incredibly uncomfortable face.

[...]

Stiles was going to have to wing it, which he could totally do. As Derek had pointed out, Stiles had had a lot of sex in the last couple of years. He had a very healthy appetite, and he had grown into himself enough to be reasonably attractive to many of his peers. A couple of hookups a week kept him satisfied and able to focus better on his studies, and it also meant that he had plenty of experience with partners of varying tastes and preferences. Derek would be just one more. Besides, Stiles couldn’t say that he wasn’t looking forward to the chance to get all up on that, even if it got cut short. Derek was a flawless specimen of manly beauty and Stiles was not immune to his surly charms. In fact, Stiles was pretty sure that he had made a pass at Derek a few years ago, back when they had both been in the same Rhetoric and Composition class. He’d been rejected, as he had anticipated—though apparently not for the reason he’d assumed at the time—but he’d had to at least try. And now, here he was, making plans to have sex with Derek Hale. Or to attempt sex with Derek Hale, more like. There was no guarantee of how this would go. It was entirely possible that they could get two minutes in and Derek would call the whole thing off. Which would be perfectly fine and a good thing, really, because it would mean that Derek had figured out what he had come to Stiles to figure out. But if Derek didn’t call it off, then Stiles was going to make damn sure he had the best introduction to sex that anyone could ever have. He was going to rock Derek’s world, if Derek was okay with that. He hoped Derek was okay with that. He also hoped that Derek didn’t care if his carpet was vacuumed or not, because he was pretty sure his vacuum had been broken for like four months and no amount of hitting it was making it work again. Stiles wasn’t intending to sex Derek up on the floor of his living room, so it would probably be fine, but he was stress cleaning, so sue him.

[...]

“Is this okay?” Stiles’ voice came out lower and softer than he’d intended, but that was just because they were so close together. It didn’t make sense to be loud, he told himself. Derek licked his lips, eyes flicking up to Stiles’ and then darting away again. “I already said green, didn’t I?” “Doesn’t mean I’m not going to ask again,” Stiles said. “I’m going to keep asking, Derek. And I’m always going to listen to your answer.” Derek’s eyes met his and held them. They only fluttered closed when they were close enough to bump noses. Stiles kept the kiss simple at first. Just a press of lips, then another. He lingered over it long enough for Derek to press back experimentally, like he was testing out how this all worked. It was strangely sweet. Stiles gave him a little more, leading him in the push and pull of it, and when Stiles pulled back a bit, he found Derek with an adorable look of concentration on his face. “How’s it going so far?” he asked. “It’s…” Derek’s eyelashes fanned out across his cheeks in an inky sweep. “…weird.” “Good weird or bad weird?” “Not bad.” Stiles huffed a laugh. “Does that mean you want to keep going? Hit me with a color, dude.” Derek pinched his leg and ignored Stiles’ yelp to say, “Don’t call me ‘dude’.” Stiles contemplated snatching the throw pillow from the floor and laying into him—the most surefire way to win a pillow fight, after all, was to be in possession of the only pillow in the room—but he was on a mission and he would not be distracted. “Color.” Derek rolled his eyes. “Green.” “Okay, then, so come back here and let me kiss you again!”

and of course they're gonna develop feelings along the way, and Stiles is gonna angst about it cuz this is a Business Arrangement obviously and this isn't what Derek came to him for and he's taking advantage and whatnot, cuz that's how these things work, we know how it goes XD

.

ask me about my wips!

[pacific-rimbaud]

Hi! I'm curious regarding Panville's dynamic on RoT. You write that they basically never argue and some of their disagreements get sorted out quickly (barring the one before the accident ofc). And that 5 years later, they're still deeply in love and shagging constantly. It's so beautiful but I guess I've become jaded with mainstream media (and some of the marriages/relationships i've been around) but do you think that's really possible? Not without hard work, but is it attainable and realistic?

I meant for Remember One Thing to be something lovely and beautiful and escapist to sink into. I write this ship because they're incredibly soft and fill me with so much warmth and happiness when I'm inhabiting their world in my imagination. All of our escapist outlets are so different, and I'm grateful to have the opportunity to put something out there that is maybe a little different or niche for people who enjoy it.

But also . . . extremely long-ass rant under the cut.

I can't find the source right now, but apparently when Terry Pratchett was a very young journalist he interviewed older married couples to ask their secrets to a long marriage. One of the couples straight up said they stayed happy because they had a ton of sex throughout their marriage and still did. There's also that kind of wild essay Ayelet Waldman wrote for the NYT about how much sex she and Michael Chabon were still having after four children, among other sentiments. People do experience a confluence of high libido and sustained admiration and attraction. It helps to partner with a sexy, kind, capable person who's a great communicator and does genuinely equitable domestic labor, which is what I've written.

And as far as fighting goes, that's down to a lot of things that I won't get into, but it's 100% possible. My three kids never fight. They have very rare arguments/hurt feelings over resources ("Who ate the last of the rice crackers?" kind of thing), but they resolve their conflicts quickly and respectfully and have never, ever sought to hurt one another physically or emotionally. This has nothing to do with my parenting, it's just them, for whatever reason. It's so marked and consistent that they're disturbed by sibling conflict in media, and don't understand why their friends hate their siblings.

It's a joke in my house to call me Spock because I live in my rational brain most of the time. It has drawbacks, but one perk is that I find it very easy to approach conflict with a cooperative problem-solving mentality vs. a win-lose mentality. I really cannot overstate how life-altering that is. And I actually do think that it's possible for almost anyone to become good enough at communication and secure enough in their sense of self to have a very low-friction partnership.

Tl;dr: it's absolutely possible to not fight with the people you live with, and it's possible to not hate your spouse. I will say that I see more genuine friendship, mutual regard and happiness in queer relationships than I do in straight ones.

So my answer to: is this possible? Attainable? Realistic? is yes and no. Remember One Thing is heterosexual monogamist escapism, meant to simply enjoy for those who are into it. I also absolutely think it's possible to sustain a super active sex life across the lifespan of a monogamous partnership. It's also possible to not fight (I don't mean not disagree or work though differing opinions, that's just life). Is it likely to find both of those things in a partnership? Plus whatever else we may want—successful careers, healthy, connected parenting, physical health and well-being, hobbies, extended family connections, travel? That's a ton of pressure and a BUNCH of separate social problems we shouldn't feel responsible for personally solving or attaining. Also kind of funny how under predatory capitalism security and satisfaction are not enough (are in fact antithetical to the pursuit of profit). Any aspect of our lives that isn't peak and ideal is framed as a problem with a market-based solution. There's an app to optimize all of this. Click to accept the unfettered use of your data in perpetuity.

The thing about the relationship in Remember One Thing isn't that it's ideal, it's that it's peaceful. It's marked by a high level of metta, or lovingkindness: connectedness; openness; mutual goodwill; benevolence. It's emotionally non-violent. One of my all-time favorite authors is E.M. Forster, a gay man who wrote about queer joy long before that was a term and whose existence was criminalized during his lifetime. There's this famous line in A Room with a View: " . . .  by the side of the everlasting Why there is a Yes—a transitory Yes if you like, but a Yes." Remember One Thing is about a Yes relationship. It's safe to be vulnerable. That vulnerability engenders trust, which makes it possible to stay open. It's a virtuous cycle.

Why don't we think we can have that? And for those who want sex, why do we feel like silly, secure, fun, connected sexual intimacy that we genuinely enjoy and regularly seek from a partner is unrealistic? So much of what we think is normal about partnership is actually centuries-worth of radioactive institutional abuse and exploitation. We covertly and overtly frame relationships in terms of power, performance, and extraction. What do I get from this relationship vs. I get to hang out with you. That's no way to live. I have to believe it's attainable to find that person or people who feel like a sweet, sexy Yes and treat them with grace and kindness. Otherwise what's the point?

[thebroccolination]

i need to know all of your thoughts on the dialogue in THAT last scene PLEASE 🥺

Hi, Anon! :D

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to talk abut this scene.

Essentially, I put all my thoughts into this fic.

Like………I've rewatched this scene so many times, and the part that keeps stabbing me in the heart is here:

To me, this just feels like Win's giving so much of himself to Team, and Team probably doesn't have a clue how significant all of this is. Win's breaking the rules, but only for Team. He's older and more experienced, but he's willing to give up control.

Arguably, he wants to.

He's the one everyone else depends on, the one who'll step in to take responsibility for running the resort business because his older brother has no interest.

It's no wonder he'd want someone else to lead for once, but it's incredible that that someone is a first-year he's only known for a few weeks at this point. He's a third-year, and in all that time he's never met someone who interested him so thoroughly he's starting to bend his life around him.

It's not just that they're vers that I love, it's why they are. (Why I think they are.)

Some vers couples just enjoy the physical sensations of being both top and bottom, and it doesn't get any more complicated than that. But with Win, I think part of why he's into it is psychological, too. I think he wants someone he can rely on, and it's beautiful that he chooses Team: someone younger who suffers from sleep problems and possibly anxiety and PTSD.

And it's not like Win's totally clueless about that, either.

He's seen hints of it already because he's been paying very close attention.

I just love how their relationship is set up in these first two episodes. In the first episode they had a hookup where Win made sure that Team knew what he was doing, where he was, and who he was with. In the second episode they established more concretely that this is something they both want to continue, at least for now, and that Team can stop whenever he wants.

And and and! I wanted to make a whole other post for this but I'll just do it now:

The sad string music, right? It plays over them making out initially, but y'know where it stops?

It stops right after Team asks Win if he's done this before: broken the rules and hooked up with people in the locker room after practice. Because Team already knows Win went into the club's files to find out Team's room number to check on him earlier.

Win just puts his forehead on Team's, and it's such a sweet and affectionate gesture when they really, really don't know each other that well yet, but Win's starving for someone to love whether he accepts it about himself or not.

And then my favorite music transfer yet!

It starts up again when Win kisses Team.

And then back to forehead stuff. :')

Usually I tend to see a piece of music in a scene as representing one character's emotional state, but I think here it feels more like the music represents their relationship's direction, if that makes sense?

Like, the sad violins are what could have been: if Team hadn't stopped Win and clarified what they're doing, where they stand with each other. If they'd just hooked up again the way they did that first night, without continuing the conversation of what they are to each other, they could have ended up in a much darker, less healthy place.

We get two music changes after we reach what I'm calling Team's song until I find out the official title (it's Prem singing from Team's POV, for anyone who hasn't heard yet). The first change is when Team asks Win directly if he does this a lot, and the second…

Is after Team asks what'll happen if he wants to end whatever they're doing. And I love that Win's staring into his eyes, because I think it shows that he's actually listening, no matter how out-of-it he seems.

It's only when Win effectively tells him there won't be larger consequences, they'll just stop, that they get the big escalation of the jubilant part of Team's song.

And I think this just cements Win's whole belief that he's never going to have someone who stays, something that lasts. But the music isn't sad, it's triumphant. Because, I think, they're doing what they should have: Team clarified what they were doing, and Win reassured him that he doesn't have anything to fear from Win himself if he wants to end it.

Almost like Team can be afraid of anyone else, but not him. /excessivecrying

[grayintogreen]

im abt to be so predictable but: director's commentary on the vox/lucifer/lilith dynamic during the months where alastor was away?

HEE HEE. Predictable, maybe, but I've wanted to talk about it.

And I shall do it in a bulleted list!

So Lucifer did not end up keeping Vox's soul contract very long, because there was absolutely no way that Vox was gonna be able to FIND Alastor in a place where very few people ever actually go in Pride and well out of range of technology. Vox absolutely tried though and when that failed, he came back to execute PHASE TWO. Take everything Alastor holds dear! My hotel now, loser.

Obviously this posed a problem when he sat there in the metaphorical door with metaphorical shaving cream on his hands for a MONTH waiting for Alastor to come back and meanwhile Charlie is standing beside him like "have you considered that maybe you put way more effort into hating Alastor and being obsessed with him than is healthy." Vox didn't appreciate this.

He does realize that Alastor might not be coming back and that, in that month, Lilith has been trying to soften him up because she's hotter than Charlie and also scarier and she's very, very persuasive, so he decides, eh for a lark, he'll indulge the "therapy."

Therapy kinda works?? But it's mostly working because he off-sets his psychosexual obsession with Alastor with a new psychosexual obsession: becoming the evil vizier to the royal family. (Not his words, my words.)

Lucifer doesn't trust him, but he appreciates Vox's incredible organizational skills and his ability to actually do interviews and press for the hotel without panicking. They work shockingly well together, which pisses them both off, but Vox is delighted because he's cemented himself as Lucifer's right hand and Lucifer is happy because he isn't forced to do public speaking anymore. Both of them also bond about Alastor sucking and how they kinda both secretly miss him. Lucifer does not tell Vox about the time he visits Alastor, because he knows he'll make it weird.

Lilith doesn't trust Vox either, but she has Charlie's unflappable faith in people coupled with the willingness to destroy you if you break what trust she places in you, so Vox's dick is so scared of Lilith in the worst and best possible way. If there was a way for him to watch Lucilith have sex (there's not- Lilith's wards are amazing), he would be doing it. Instead, he just kinda showers Lilith with compliments and kisses her ass to make Lucifer roll his eyes, because he doesn't really get jealous. At least not over people like Vox.

So to recap: Vox has kinda replaced Lilith and Lucifer as surrogate Vees, except Lucifer is more of a stand-in for Alastor than he is for Valentino. He is thriving in this trio and believes it fully to be because he has them wrapped around his finger because he makes himself EVER SO USEFUL TO THEM.

they know what he's doing. they're not stupid.

they both are kinda into him in that "he is so clearly desperate for attention and approval and we are both dealing with a lot and despite his clearly overinflated sense of importance and villainy, he is actually VERY competent at what he does, so like fine we have an evil vizier now whatever."

Vox is actually winning even if he is still not fucking them. Fuck you, Alastor.

Charlie, for her credit, only thinks about this situationship in terms of "yay progress" and refuses to indulge that Vox is either secretly still evil or fucking her parents. The other hotel guests/employees have actual money on whether or not they are fucking.

DIRECTOR'S COMMENTARY ASK GAME.

[rwby-imagines-and-headcanons]

Some SunnyBees fluff and NSFW headcanons? (I love this poly couple ship so much 😍)

OH MY GOD SUNNYBEES YEEEEEEEES

----------

Sunnybees Fluff Headcanons

Their relationship actually was formed really smoothly??

Blake found herself attracted to both of the blondies, and was torn up about it. In her heart she knew what she wanted, but was scared to approach them about it, fearing their anger and disgust. She sat on it for weeks rehearsing how to present the arrangement

But surprisingly to her, they pretty much agreed to it immedietly. Yang and Sun were already on great terms from the start, feeling the chemistry easily

It also helped they found each other both physically and emotionally attractive

Sun, Blake, and Yang's relationship started with little bumps. There are some minor arguments about time management and date ideas, but they all are able to usually make up quickly

Sun is DEFINITELY the mediator in the relationship. Yang can get angered easy and Blake tends to shut down and isolate herself, while Sun has a cool head most of the time. He's the voice of reason and it shows

Yang and Sun like to do strength contests to try and playfully impress Blake

They always sleep in the same bed together. It doesn't feel right when it's just two of them, they can't put a finger on why. They just like it that way, so that's how it's gonna be!

A favorite cuddling position of theirs is a three person spooning session, ordering from tallest to shortest. It's especially great when it's cold outside, so much warmth!

When they are too exhausted or hot to have a cuddle plan, they tend to just like... lay on eachother haphazardly

Blake has a bad habit of pushing people off the bed in her sleep and spreading out, taking up most of the bed. Their spooning thankfully helps with that

They like to take turns cooking dinner. Blake is definitely the best though. Yang tends to burn a lot of the food since she likes the taste (and also kinda forgets stuff is in the oven). Sun on the other hand is just... inept. The meal he makes are usually pre-packaged like Mac and Cheese and frozen dinners. He can make a mean fruit smoothie though!

People like to describe the relationship as Blake having two hands, but that totally disregards Sun and Yang's relationship! They all hold hands in a circle like a cheesy movie

Sunnybees NSFW Headcanons

You have the two firey strong blondes in the series together. Add in Blake, the secretly kinky cat girl? You know the sex is FANTASTIC

Pretty much all of them are Switches, but have preferences. Yang likes being on top, Sun likes being on bottom, and Blake alternates whenever she feels like it

Yang has a thing for strap-ons, and has a collection of them for the bedroom. She handpicked each one for both Blake and Sun, making sure they hit just right!

Sun has a minor cuckold fetish. He isn't into NTR or anything, but he does like to jack it while Yang and Blake fuck in front of him. Yeah he knows it doesn't technically count since they are all dating, but the idea of it still does it for him

Blake is open to different things and kinks. But there is one she is really into that embarrasses her. She is really into making clones of herself and having a gangbang

When they get into it, Blake and Yang like to pull Sun's tail. It gets a great reaction out of him

But don't think they are incredibly kinky all the time. Some of the time it is pretty wholesome honestly! There is a lot of kissing, both on the face and body. Yang is even pretty nervous and bashful during it

Most of their sex is incredibly playful and full of laughter. If something weird happens like a funny sound they all can't help but giggle. Yang also likes to mix in some sexy puns while they fuck

But Yang sometimes pushes it too far with the puns and gets pushed off the bed

The bottom line is they communicate and know what eachother like. It's very healthy

--------

{Like my work? Consider tipping me on Ko-fi! Every little bit counts~}

[herotome]

Hello Wudge!!! I know working on such a beautiful and ambitious project must be incredibly tiring. I also know how encouraging it can be to know that people enjoy what you put out there, so I'm here to express my appreciation for Herotome and all the work you have put into it already!

I've been into visual novels for a couple of years now, and while I enjoy my occassional short and sweet dose of cheesy romance, most visual novels could never really satisfy my desire for a good narrative and a lot of time to get to know the love interests (As someone who really needs to know a person in order to get romantically involved with them, I've always found some love stories kind of rushed. That's just my preference tho). I know it's hard to develop a fully-fledged game, especially when you're an independent developer and mostly work for free, so I'm definitely not trying to undermine anyone's work!!!

However, this is why I was so stunned by how much Herotome's DEMO captivated me. Not even just the extended demo!!! The first time I came across this game was before the extended demo got released, and even then, I was so enamoured with the universe, the artstyle, the characters, the writing. EVERYTHING. I'm a bit ashamed to say I can be quite picky with my taste in visual novels, but Herotome literally ticked every single box for me. Visually appealing designs (both with the characters and with the UI!), a great mix of humour and sobriety, clear and skilled writing and awesome world building. All of this in A DEMO??? GOD DAMN, DUDE!

A literal demo unironically managed to put this visual novel among my absolute favourites simply because of how much work and care was put into it. I really hope it gains more attention even before it gets fully released, because you truly deserve the same level of support that games like Our Life (my #1 fav VN, can't wait for OL2) have. I know it'll probably be a while before Herotome gets released, but I'll try my best to wait patiently because I can't wait to see more of everyone! (especially Dart and Jade, I love them.)

I'm really sorry for the whole essay over here, but I just wanted to make my support clear!!! Unfortunately I don't have the possibility of financially supporting (yet) but I'm over here awaiting every update of this game with so much excitement you have no idea (⁠ᗒ⩊ᗕ ྀི) Good luck and stay healthy!

ksbfjsdb how did you know.. 😭😭😭 Thank you, sweet anon! No apology necessary, I love essays!!

Worldbuilding is a area where I've felt particularly lacking -- like, I make a point avoid thinking about it most of the time, so in the rare instances I actually do put in effort it feels like it's coming up short? Maybe not so much in the demos, but nowadays I'll be standing around thinking about how things work in the society of Rhineway and trying to plan out ideas of what's gonna come up in the routes and my brain will inevitably feels like television static by the end.

SO to be praised for worldbuilding gives me a bizarre yet flattered feeling (sort of like "I'm not sure I deserve this but I guess I've done something right"), thank you, and I'm continually touched that people enjoy the humor! I really try to put in a lot of throwaway jokes where it's like -- if you don't laugh, it's totally fine cuz it goes by pretty quick -- but it is nice to know I've made people laugh. Or at least have an sensible inward chuckle :')

It sounds like you're demisexual btw which - lol me too. 🤝 Eyyyy!

I'm not sure how to end this post so I'll just put in some preview of what I've been working on -

Lots of eyebrow dances.

[the-travelling-witch]

Holllyyy!!!😭

God I missed you and Tumblr🥺

I'm finally out of the shackles of 'Summer Classes' at my university, and so I have time to myself again.

Plus! I saw that you have 5.7k words on a fic? I hope it is what I think it is😏

Ahhhhhh I'm so excited!!!

Anyways, lemme get my usual, a lovely Cinnamon Spice Milk Tea, and one lovely conversation to catch up☕

Question of the day: (You can even make it a small drabble/fic if you want )

I've recently really been in a whole Genshin guys as dad's kinda state...like some on, you cant tell me Diluc drinking grape juice with his daughter/son or even Thoma cooking with his kid strapped to his back WOULDN'T BE ADORABLE😭😭❤❤❤

So my question is, who do you think would make the best dads? Or like what would they be like as dads? Imagine Xiao making a small accessory out of leaves for his baby to protect them when he's away...lords...imma just cry😭💕

-Cookie Customer🍪

cookie!!! i’m sorry i’ve taken so long with this, there’s literally no excuse for that ㅠㅠ

i’ve missed you and tumblr too but somewhere between writing my last fic and my vacation i’ve adopted my irl “don’t talk unless spoken to” attitude, so the blog’s gone a little quiet; i’m working on new fics though and i’m hoping for the most productive flight ever >///<

5.7k… i was so naive… war flashbacks to proofreading it but i’m still really proud of myself for writing that, so thank you for requesting, couldn’t have done it without you <3 if you missed the 11.6k monster, here

while you’re tea is brewing, let me tell you something: i think i know why i procrastinated on this ask for so long and it’s because i do not like the thought of having kids; sure they’re cute and all but i like giving them back after a couple of hours, if a fluff fic has pregnancy in the tags or there’s a child involved, i’m out ㅠㅠ ironic isn’t it

but, for you, i’ll try my best (this is not in order or anything) ♡

childe: honestly one of the best, if not the best, dad on this list i’m biased okay, despite his job and being seldom home, he still grew up with three younger siblings and learned early how to take care of them; also, his love for his family knows no bounds, so if there’s something he doesn’t know he will do his research to best provide for all of your needs also spoils all of you ㅠㅠ; the type to have multiple children (maybe two or three?)

diluc: why can i see diluc’s son playing the violin perfectly at age seven and knowing like five languages by the age of ten? sure, diluc will definitely pay for higher education but i think his child would probably be a high-achiever/ gifted kid (we’re not diving into where that’s coming from or if that’s healthy here); he still has the stoic face but he loves you both very dearly and could not be prouder if his kid achieves literally anything; i imagine him having an only child? would absolutely spoil his daughter

thoma: perfect househusband, next—

thoma: somehow the vision of thoma with two equally bright blonde twin sisters just popped into my head and we’re rolling with it; i can absolutely see them cooking/baking together “we’re going to make a delicious meal for mommy/daddy when they come home”; pouts when they’re more excited to see auntie ayaka and auntie yoimiya (ayato just gently pays him on the back to console him while the girls are running around)

venti: oh no, pray that the child doesn’t take after him— i’m partly joking but can you imagine the chaos if his child inherited his anemo powers? with venti as the dad?? he’d be like the mean girls mom “you’re doing great sweetie” while you’re running around trying to get your child off the roof he’d never put them in any danger though and always looks out of them, sometimes when his child is asleep, he gently cradles them against his chest and and reflects on how he’d never thought he’d come to this point, feels incredibly lucky to have you both in his life; prettiest self-written lullabies!!

albedo: i’m not entirely sure if albedo actually could have a child of his own but regardless i think he’d be super up to the idea of adoption either way; does safe science experiments with them and softly smiles at their reactions even if they’re just fascinated by the pretty colours and not by the actual science; the dad with a fuck ton of parenting books; he’s taken care of klee for a long time, so he knows what he’s doing (no klee, a bomb is not an appropriate gift for a five year old)

kaeya: another one who did not see himself with a kid ever but he’s absolutely thriving, he’s the soccer mom “yes honey, go kick his ass!”, will do his daughter’s hair no questions asked, if someone ever rudely comments on his child’s skin tone he will throw more than just hands; his kid can fight and won’t take shit from anyone, don’t even try to convince me otherwise

xiao: when you tell him you’re pregnant/ want to adopt, he panics, how should he take care of a tiny child?? but after a bit of reassurance he calms down and swears to give it his all and give it his all he does, ngl he’s a bit overprotective at first but soon learns that his kid is a bit more capable and doesn’t need to be handled with satin gloves (almost had a heart attack when they fell down the stairs or hit their head under the table and just continued on, yk typical kid stuff), makes little adepti charms for them (also when they were still a baby, handmade a mobile for them, so cute >///<)

zhongli: sophisticated and more elegant than your average adult, flawless manners and eloquent vocabulary, everyone in liyue harbor takes one look at the child and they’re like “yeah, that’s zhongli’s alright”; they have daily tea times together and he tells them stories about liyue; would be proud of them whether they have his powers or not; gardening together!!

kazuha: calm, both he and the kid; let’s his kid express themselves as freely as they want; teaches them how to make music with leaves and stuff; thrilled when they’re showing interest in poems and books but won’t push it on them; his kid is very in tune with nature and super respectful to all living beings except for authorities, already accepted as a member of the crux, auntie beidou!!

ayato: rewrites all his schedules to have enough time for his child, does paperwork with them on his lap and pretends to not notice them chewing on the end of his pen; also manners!! in public they’re all proper posture and formal and stuff but as soon as they’re home, they just plop down on the couch and melt into the cushions and gossip over some of the stupid stuff the politicians or whoever said

aether: very much also a nature kid, climbing trees, picking up every type of bug they find and bleeding knees every day; personality takes after auntie lumine, goody two-shoes outside, sassy as hell on the inside, if it’s not forbidden, it’s allowed; i can’t decide whether i want him to have one child or twins bc i can see him having twins with like opposite dynamics kinda like him and lumine but is that uncreative?

okay, that’s it, i don’t have any more dad!shin thoughts at the moment, let me know what your personal headcanons are!! ♡ i had a concept at first and then threw it out the window after like three headcanons

[athetos]

I honestly have no fucking idea how I went to college for 4 straight years full time without dropping out. Undiagnosed narcolepsy and adhd, unmedicated, I spent multiple semesters not even on antidepressants, or worse, on ones that made me violently ill, had a month-long bout of a stomach disorder I didn’t even know I inherited from my dad, spent half that amount of time in an abusive relationship, plus a ton more of vastly complex and out of control interpersonal drama, like I barely survived at all tbh but I somehow managed to get a degree? And 3 fucking minors? By the time I was 22? I barely attended some of my classes, people were so used to me falling asleep in the hallways that they’d just step over me and put my coat on me like a blanket, I only passed a couple of classes because I cheated on exams and broke down in the professor’s office and they pitied me, but I fucking did it?

Like, if I went back and time and did it all over again, only this time properly medicated and with a real support group, I would probably have a fucking 4.0, be in 5 clubs, did that crazy double major I joked about, and my life would be so unrecognizable. I’d be in a PhD program right now at some prestigious university and… okay, let’s be real, I probably wouldn’t be making more money than I am right now because I’ve seen what they fucking pay grad students, but that’s just insane to me, how differently my life could have turned out. Or maybe it wouldn’t be different. Maybe it would be the same, or maybe it would even be worse. Like, I’m dating a milf who’s 9 inches taller than me, so maybe this is the best timeline.

Yet, it’s kind of… both funny and depressing to know how fucked I get right now if I don’t have my meds, even if I’m not in a depressive episode. I can barely function without them. I’m asleep more than I am awake, I can’t focus, I have no energy, and if I go more than just a few days without my antidepressants I have full-on mental breakdowns and am borderline-suicidal. So, this of course means 1 of 2 things must be true. Either I wasn’t this fucked up in college, and my disorders must have worsened over time, or I was this fucked up and still forced myself through a degree. The second is probably the most likely, to be honest. And you might be thinking, “Ash, can’t you just remember and compare your symptoms?” You have to understand that I was so unbelievably stressed at some points that huge chunks of time spanning weeks is permanently locked away in my Repressed Memory Vault, and I was also a victim of gaslighting from someone who very much wanted me to believe I was crazy, but also was incredibly adamant I did not receive help (hence partially why I was undiagnosed and unmedicated). My memories aren’t really all that reliable, and the other thing is, I thought the narcolepsy part of it was normal. Or, well, that I was just lazy. I didn’t know what narcolepsy was beyond dramatizations in tv shows. I didn’t see my symptoms as symptoms, and therefore, I didn’t really keep track of them, if that makes sense.

All this to say, I think wishing my life turned out differently isn’t healthy and leads nowhere. I still ruminate on it from time to time, but it’s less from a depressive angle and more because I’m angry as hell that a lot of people failed me in my life during that time period. I should have been diagnosed and medicated, god knows I’ve seen enough therapists and doctors. I should have had a friend that would have helped me get the fuck out of that relationship sooner. I should have had more people supporting me and taking me seriously. But things turned out this way, and I gotta make my peace with that. I might be in a “better” place if things went differently from a certain viewpoint, at least career-wise, but it could be worse in other ways I’d never know. I need to put my energy into making sure the life I’m actually living is the best possible one for me. That’s all that matters.

[transgenderoliverritz]

not to start posting Hot Takes but low-key i do not think oliver was the sole or even main reason mark/oliver as a couple did not and could not happen in the timeline of tct.

oliver is obviously not ready for anything, which is not (believe it or not) his own fault. arguably, he has started working on himself and recovery, but he was sidetracked by the whole. blackwell manipulated him into joining a cult and fucked up his feelings (because he KNEW the book would) so bad that oliver could barely think for himself until later in the series. and this is addressed, actually!! oliver knows what he needs to at least some extent and he's at least gone through the work of building up some support system and recognizing his trauma and needs. we know this.

mark, though. mark, in tct, presents himself as a healthier person. he's allowed to be closed off to oliver about the trauma they don't share because he's getting outside help for it (this is said while he is yelling at oliver for being closed off about the trauma they don't share).

mark's issue is that he views recovery as linear. he's not recovered, nor is he entirely emotionally healthy. he freaks out when he realizes he doesn't know everything about oliver despite trusting him immensely. instead of recognizing the manipulation and abuse oliver is going through, he blames oliver for getting himself into it and not telling anyone. i think this is a direct result of his trauma with damien, because he recognizes himself and he still blames himself for what happened.

i think that, yes, oliver at least needs to have some support established outside of mark before they can do anything. but i think he knows that, and i think the thing no one considers is how much more difficult it is for oliver to find that.

tct was oliver finding help and support. his ability is so far ingrained into his issues that he can't pull off what mark is trying with therapy. and while oliver would benefit from therapy and i think he should at least try to find someone atypical, what he needs more than that is other people. and tct is him finding those people (which is also why beck should apologize for being a dick to him).

but mark is so incredibly close to making the same mistake with oliver that he made with sam. and i don't think he realizes that, except maybe subconsciously, and he pushes oliver away. but i think the reason that this matters a little more is that mark is pushing all the weight on oliver. he thinks he's at a place where he's not the one who needs to put in more work before they do anything.

and because oliver is very likely aware, and mark isn't, mark ends up having to put more work in.

and quite honestly, i think if they both apologized (mark more, because oliver already did) and both just acknowledged the things holding them back. it won't take as long as fans tend to project.

you can in fact be in a relationship while you're still working to heal. which is ultimately why mark is the key piece here.

i don't know if all of this made sense, it's super early. but have a little ship analysis.

[cordrazine-official]

Take your pick: Sisko/Kira, B'Elanna/Seska, Winn/Opaka

Thank you for these suggestions! I pick “doing all of them”.

Sisko/Kira: I don’t ship it

Why don't you ship it?

It’s the spiritual element that breaks it for me. Captain/First Officer is the classic trek ship but there is the whole Emissary thing that’s missing with the other treks, & I think that, because Kira is religious, Ben wouldn’t let a relationship happen. No-strings-attached sex I don’t think he’d necessarily be opposed to? But given what we see of Kira’s image of him (the way she reacts when he’s injured, or the episode where he “steps down” as Emissary, are good examples imo) I don’t know that Ben would be thrilled with the idea of a relationship.

What would have made you like it?

Ah, this question is really hard. I’m not sure. Again, I totally see Ben Sisko & Kira Nerys hooking up - & that’s interesting, from both POVs! - but for me to be into Siskira it would take a wholly different characterisation/arc for both, & at that point it’s not really Siskira anymore, is it?

Despite not shipping it, do you have anything positive to say about it?

Yes - I think that together they’d be the kind of power couple you really dread encountering on your travels because they’re just too well-synchronised. See: all the scenes where there’s someone sitting in Sisko’s office & both he & Kira are behind the desk & take turns bullying that person into giving up on whatever it is they were trying to achieve. Those scenes are a treat & I think that, were they to date, they’d be an unstoppable force well-known across the entire quadrant.

B'Elanna/Seska: I ship it

What made you ship it?

I’ll be honest, I don’t remember a whole lot about Seska pre-[everything that happened with the Kazon] but I do think that identity-wise, there’s something really interesting here. B’Elanna struggling to reconcile what she perceives to be different parts of herself (because that’s what she’s been told, & it’s what the crew is still telling her), Seska being one self to everybody else & hiding a whole different self from everybody - there’s something here, something I’d love to see put in contrast. B’Elanna finding something to confide in, someone who understands what she’s saying when she’s talking about the way she conceptualises herself, & Seska can’t tell her anything, & what if that connection somehow derailed her plans?

What are your favorite things about the ship?

I think they’re very similar in a lot of ways & there’s a lot of interesting themes one could explore with them. Identity, difficulties with gathering all parts of yourself into one, having to get used to new circumstances & to a group that sees you as an outsider (& how does B’Elanna feel once she’s confided into a woman who turned out to be an actual outsider; & was she an outsider, in the end? But I digress). Hours-long conversations in Seska’s quarters about their pasts, real or made up, & B’Elanna relaxing around her, B’Elanna trusting her, & at which point does this begin to affect Seska too, despite the real reason she’s here? & then, once the reveal has happened, B’Elanna grapples with what that means - with the fact that she’s told Seska things that were incredibly intimate; & then Seven comes on board & how does her past relationship with Seska influence her new relationship with Seven? This isn’t super related anymore, I’m just spitballing - but there’s a lot of interesting things here.

Is there an unpopular opinion you have on your ship?

I’m not very informed about what the mainstream opinions are about Seska/B’Elanna so I’m not really sure what to say here, sorry!

Winn/Opaka: I ship it

What made you ship it?

Once I became obsessed with Winn it only made sense that she would’ve had a very complicated, very subtextual lesbian affair with Opaka. It’s a very fraught thing & it stopped when Opaka became Kai but Winn is still torn about it & about Opaka, & she still thinks about her all the time. It’s not healthy & it’s not happy but it’s something she needs to hold on to, because she can’t bear to forget about Opaka - & she knows that Bajor remembers Opaka, but not like she does - & she’ll never see the rescue efforts that Bajor organises after the end of the war, which breaks my heart also!

What are your favorite things about the ship?

It’s about faith. It’s about finding connection & love in a context that makes this really difficult; about finding hope, too, in a place where hope is this very fragile, fraught thing, & about staying alive. It’s about admiring each other’s work too, & about academic debate as a love language, & it’s about realising that despite your differences (which are sometimes so great that it’s hard to see how you might bridge them - & sometimes you can’t, & that’s okay!) you can still find comfort & understanding in each other. I like both “they got together” Winn/Opaka & “they never got together” Winn/Opaka, because they both allow me to explore different things; both options are so rich that I don’t think I’ll ever get bored of them.

Is there an unpopular opinion you have on your ship?

I haven’t seen enough opinions about this ship to know what’s popular or not, but I guess shipping Winn with anyone unironically is already unpopular enough.