#like that would be the hardest step but it would be super super cool

[syncrovoid-presents]

I have been researching Animatronics and it is oh so very very fascinating. The arduino boards vs something complex enough to use a raspberry pi, the types of servos, how you can build a servo without using an actual servo if the servo would be too big, etc etc etc.

The downside is now I look at fnaf animatronics and figure how they may mechanically work and you know what? The Daycare Attendant, if they were real, would be such a highly advanced machine. Not only is the programming and machine learning and large language models of all the animatronics of FNAF security breach super advanced, just the physical build is so technically advanced. Mostly because of how thin the Daycare Attendant is, but also with how fluid their movement is. One of the most top 10 advanced animatronics in the series. (I want to study them)

[dragon-ascent]

i feel like zhongli taking a bath in dragon form is something that takes a veryyyy long time.

Not only because he takes the time to make sure he’s thoroughly clean and well-groomed, but because his fur is super thick and fluffy! It takes quite a while for water to soak through it because of it, not to mention lathering it up with soap.

The easiest part of the whole process is the rinse off (and probably conditioning). Second hardest part? Drying. (Asking Barbatos to help him is out of the question.) I imagine he might shrink down to make it easier/quicker, but if he was in his full size dragon form (or this is just what he had to do before he learned how to shapeshift haha) he’d surge up into the sky and zip around as quick as he can in the air, and clouds unfortunate enough to be in his path are left looking like a drag of smoke. Maybe he’d even do a little (huge) shake to start his blowdry (try not to stand too close!), and after soaring around Liyue, he gracefully steps down onto plains, stretching out and curling up like a cat. He’s a bit tired after everything but watching his mane go from a dull yellow to brilliant gold makes all the work worth it. 😌

Brushing it all out is another story though.

Your vision omg!! This is so cute - Fluffy and shiny hair! Shimmering scales!! A pleasant, almost floral scent!!! And imagine his people seeing him zip around in the sky erratically as he dries off lmao. Little droplets of water would fall from the sky onto land and I bet people would literally consider his bath water as good fortune.

Such a long and tedious process for grooming himself, but he's definitely been a cleanliness freak since the beginning of time, not to mention his unending patience...

Though I bet he was RELIEVED once he started shapeshifting and found maintaining himself wayyy easier in human form.

Thank you for sharing!! Such a neat and cool headcanon!! ♡ 

[almondamaretto]

chris x volleyball!reader pleasepleasepleaseplease

or chris/matt fluff im good with either! Thank you so much!

honestly i think doing sports/hobbies!reader x matt and chris would be really cool!!

chris x volleyball!reader hcs

warnings: some sfw parts and some nsfw parts!! mentions of injury

i actually did volleyball once 😎 (it was 8th grade and i broke my arm in an unrelated activity 4 games in...)

— tries his hardest to come to every single game you have. he's a busy guy, always recording and planning out new ideas, he's always doing something different—but he refuses to miss your games.

— matt is actually so tired of him 'cause he is constantly driving chris to some random place.

— he has most def spent hundreds of dollars just on ubers to your games.

— we all know that chris is into sports, watching, playing, all that fun stuff. bro would 100% get too invested in the game.

"red card? for fucking what!?" his hands shoot up as he exclaimed to no one in particular, rolling his eyes and groaning as the other team was awarded a point.

— secretly cusses out refs when they give you penalty cards:

"what a fuckass ref"

"bro's never made a correct call in his entire career."

— doing a full 180 when the referee doesn't card you for something you fully deserved a card for

"best ref i've ever seen, hands down!"

— after winning a game he's congratulating you in every way possible. a tight hug as he kisses you all over your face, picking you up by your ass to hold you even closer.

— after losing a game he's pulling you into a long hug, burying your face in his chest as he comforts you, rocking you back n forth as he pets your hair.

— go to hand placement is directly on ur ass.

— will definitely smack your ass at every opportunity. walking a step in front of him? going up the stairs in front of him? oh fs

— will absolutely play with you/ help you practice (he's lowk terrible at it and spikes the ball way too much to actually help you but he's cute so does it really matter?)

— if you get an injury during a game my man is gonna be jumping over people to make sure you're okay. doesn't matter if its a sprained finger or a broken foot he is inconceivably concerned probably worse off than you lets be honest.

— will 100% try to take care off you if its a bad injury, going with you to the hospital, doctor's office, physical therapy—you name it, he is right by your side.

nsfw below !

— your uniform actually has him on his knees every game.

— those tight little spandex shorts never fail to create a tent in his pants !! he thinks he might actually go crazy every time you invite him to games, he knows what to look forward to after

— like yeah sure he's watching and enjoying the game your ass !!

— its js something about the way you look resting your hands on your knees, jersey riding up to show off your ass... all of a sudden he's tugging at the crotch of his pants and praying no one happens to glance down.

— god forbid he catch another man even looking in your general direction. bro is taking you home fucking you 2 inches from death. you’re his girl, no one else’s.

— either super sweet and loving sex after winning a game or rough sex filled with praise and teasing.

"y'did so good today ma, gonna make you feel so good."

"gonna fill you up, show you how proud i am of you."

— rough, angry sex whenever you lose esp if you get an attitude with him, either you or him on top—he wants you to do whatever you need to feel better, he hates seeing his baby upset ☹️

"take it out on me, ma."

"gonna fuck that attitude out of ya."

— chris is actually just horny 99% of the time

[blossomwritesthings]

𝐝𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥 𝐦𝐲 𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐝? 𝐢𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞. | 𝐝𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬

part one of do you feel my hand? it is there. | part two | part three | part four | part five | part six | part seven | part eight | part nine | part ten | part eleven | part twelve

pairing: minho x fem!reader (afab)

genre: veterinarian!minho (this includes a few of the skz members working in his clinic). client!reader. hurt/comfort. angst. fluff. smut - MDNI, 18+ only. reader pov. strangers to lovers au. slowburn romance. lots of pining.

content & warnings: explicit & strong language. very thematic elements. minho is reader's vet. reader's childhood cat suddenly gets diagnosed with cancer, and she has to make a big decision about what to do. this fanfic includes heavy topics like: pet euthanasia, extreme loss/grief, depression, the problems with pet healthcare, and more. there will be some humor/fluff placed throughout, and also smut somewhere along the way. :))

word count: 7.1k

summary: dr. lee minho is known throughout your area as the city's hottest veterinarian, and he's also the very man that's been taking good care of your two cats for the past three years. but one day, you're thrown down a dark path of heartache when the cat that you've grown up with - nyx - is diagnosed with an acute form of bone cancer. burdened with the hardest decision of your entire life, you come at a crossroads of what to do. and throughout it all, minho is the single most person who continually stays by your side.

a/n: i decided to split this fic up into like, 3-4 separate chapters, since i felt like having 20.k+ words for a single 'long oneshot' was kindaa excessive lmao 😂 anyways, i'm excited for the future of this little series and what it's gonna look like exploring the relationship between minho and y/n~ 😉 also, for anyone that noticed, YES- i changed my entire tumblr theme after like, 4 months of having it be rainbow haha, so you might not recognize me on your dash with my new look. but yeah, this is the 'new me' for the next few months... i was feeling super inspired to do a muted levanter theme, since it's one of my fav albums/songs from skz haha so here we are!! ☺️

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. . . ⇢ ˗ˏˋ skz fic recs [sfw ver]! ࿐ྂ

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ᴅᴏ ɴᴏᴛ ʀᴇᴘᴏsᴛ ᴛᴏ ᴏᴛʜᴇʀ sɪᴛᴇs (ᴛʜɪs ɪɴᴄʟᴜᴅᴇs ᴛʀᴀɴsʟᴀᴛɪᴏɴs). ©ʙʟᴏssᴏᴍᴡʀɪᴛᴇsᴛʜɪɴɢs ⤐ ᴀʟʟ ʀɪɢʜᴛs ʀᴇsᴇʀᴠᴇᴅ

The clinic was incredibly busy as you stepped through the front doors. Looking around the medium-sized waiting room, you noticed how almost every single seat was taken up by a patient. Because apparently, the hot place to be on a Thursday morning was Starry Skies Veterinary Clinic. 

 You clutched on a little tighter to the carrier at your side, which held your cat Nyx just inside the bassinet. She was an American Shorthair, with a coat as black as midnight and big, ocean-blue eyes. Your parents had gifted you Nyx as a surprise for your sixth birthday, since you had been begging them for a cat all year long. And instantly, the two of you were inseparable. Nyx had been with you for almost every stage of your life - including grade/middle school, high school, and all of university. She was so incredibly affectionate towards everyone, but especially you. She loved curling up alongside you after you’d spent a long, hard day at work and would just cuddle into your skin for hours. 

 Nyx was your stability in everything - she was one of your only friends, even when you were surrounded by other adults your same age at work. And at the ripe age of twenty-four, you couldn’t imagine what your life would be like if she ever left your side.

 But, you weren’t naive, or stupid. 

 And you knew that at some point, Nyx would have to move on from your world and onto a better, and brighter future. 

 Which is why you decided to adopt a female Bengal cat after you graduated from university. Taffy had a brilliant orange-and-brown coat with light green eyes. And because she was so much younger than Nyx, she had a lot more energy. But even still, the two cats got along quite well, despite their huge age gap. Taffy was the troublemaker out of the two and liked to get into mischief with all kinds of things. 

 You took great pride in both of them and the relationship that you had with your two kitties, which is why you regularly took them to the local veterinarian clinic for routine checkups. Usually, you visited every six months, just to make sure that Taffy and Nyx were in perfect health.

 And it’s not like you were complaining about the visits to Starry Skies Veterinary Clinic. It was a beautiful and spacious place, with a friendly bunch of staff and an even better doctor. 

 Doctor Lee Minho had been the continual talk of the town since he had moved into the area three years before, and soon after he set up his practice - which was just a short walk from your quaint apartment - you started going to him for your cat’s regular check-ups. Dr. Lee was incredibly professional with all of his clients, and he had a true knack for animals… but especially, cats. That’s what he prided himself on - knowing the ins and outs of the feisty little beings... since he had three of his own. Some even said that he was a cat himself since he had similar mannerisms to the felines. 

 It also helped that he was insanely handsome. 

 Like, drop-dead gorgeous. 

 You weren’t a fool - you noticed how, every time you visited the clinic, most of the clients were women. And almost every time that you sat in the waiting room, you’d overhear women talking amongst themselves… about how they had dressed up for the occasion, and how Dr. Lee was way too cute for his good. 

 For the most part, all of the comments passed over your head. 

 After all, he was just a veterinarian. He wasn’t anything special… 

 He just took amazing care of the animals that visited his clinic. 

 And he seemed to adore your two cats. 

 And- 

 Perhaps he was kind of, sort of, attractive. 

 If a woman liked the silent, brooding, brown-haired types of guys- then yeah, he was fucking really hot. 

 But, you always tried to push those thoughts out of your mind each time they started to bubble up to the forefront of your mind. You didn’t want to ruin the professional doctor-client relationship that the two of you had been cultivating for over three years. He was an amazing veterinarian with a lot of skill and expertise, and you had a feeling that you taking advantage of your closeness with him, by forcing yourself onto him, would just turn him away. 

 After all, he was always professional and polite with you. Even if he seemed to give you a lot of smiles and laughs each time you had an appointment at the clinic. And even if he seemed overly affectionate with Nyx and Taffy. He was just doing his job, as that’s what was to be expected from a doctor like him. 

 And besides, a guy like him would never go for you. For starters, you had just recently found out that he was five years older than you, landing him at the mature age of twenty-nine. And older guys of that many years never went for you - never stooped that low. Plus, he was a successful doctor and a businessman with his clinic. Whereas you were a struggling woman who was fighting to make ends meet at her low-ranking corporate job. You sat in a small cubicle all day, typing away at a bright computer screen, and Dr. Lee sat in front of patients and animals, actually making a difference in others’ lives. 

 There was also the fact that you were borderline poor- since your job barely paid anything compared to the way that the economy was so expensive. You struggled to pay your bills monthly and lived from paycheck to paycheck. Meanwhile, Dr. Lee rolled up to the clinic in his dark-blue sports car and was always donned in all different kinds of designer dress shirts and slacks. 

 So, yeah, he’d never fall for you. Not in a million years. 

 “Y/N! Good to see you again!” You heard a bright voice call out to you, bringing you out of your daydreams of expensive cars and fancy clothes. 

 Your eyes flitted up to the person sitting behind the front check-in desk of the clinic. Chan, one of the two receptionists of the place, was looking up at you with a soft smile adorning his face. 

 “Oh- hi, Chan… I’m here for Nyx’s check-up.” You mimicked his smile, motioning with a tilt of your head to the carrier where Nyx was situated in. 

 You were on a first-name basis with the entire staff line of the clinic, as you had been visiting it for so many years. Everyone at the clinic was extremely nice, and all of the staff were Dr. Lee’s friends. Soon after you first visited the clinic, he told you about the story of how he had recruited some of his best friends to open the shop with him, and how the rest was history. Even still, you called everyone by their first name except for Dr. Lee - since you decided to keep it professional with him and always address him by his official title well into the beginning of your appointments at the clinic. 

 “Sure thing,” Chan began, tearing his gaze away from you and typing away at his computer. “I see here that Jisung jotted down your concerns for this visit’s file. Has anything changed since you called in a month ago?” 

 You moved your focus onto the carrier at your side, where you saw Nyx resting peacefully just inside it. She had long since gotten used to the clinic and was normally very calm whenever you visited the place. “Yeah, she’s been sleepier than usual, and like- she doesn’t want to eat the food that I’ve been giving her, even though I’ve changed the brand two times already.” 

 Chan’s eyes darted up to you, studying your face silently before they flitted over to the carrier that you had placed atop the counter at your side. “Okay, I’ll add all of that to the notes so that the doctor can take a look,” you noticed how his lips were pressed together in a grim line- like he didn’t like what you had just told him. “You can take a seat, and Yongbok will call you back when they’re ready for you guys.” 

 “Thanks, Chan,” you said, offering him a tiny, weak smile before you headed off to find one of the only available seats left in the waiting room. As soon as you got situated, you gingerly took Nyx out of her crate. She was warm and downy in your hands and purred quietly at the feel of you pressing her furry body against your chest. “It’s gonna be okay, girl, you’ll be alright…” You whispered to her, mouth nuzzling into her silky coat as you placed a gentle kiss against her head. 

 After you placed Nyx back in her crate, you spent the waiting time studying the people around you. Once again, it was mainly women’s faces that your eyes met as you scanned over the entire room. And there were all different types of pets everywhere, from dogs to cats to birds. 

 “Oh, and apparently, Jungmi’s friend saw him out on the streets late at night last week… like, all alone and stuff.” You heard the woman say beside you. She was sitting close to another woman, and their heads were bent at an angle as they gossiped together. “Some girl came out of this one cafe and was hanging all over him, but it didn't seem like he knew her that well.” 

 The other woman snorted lowly, “Well that bitch doesn’t matter, because I’m going to be sure to seduce him this time around. I mean, c’mon- who can resist this shirt?” At her insinuation, you realized that they were talking about Dr. Lee. 

 Even still, you felt the urge to peek over to your side and look at her attire, and when you did, you swallowed down the dryness in your throat. Because holy fuck- she looked like she was about to go to the club. Her shirt had a scoop neckline and was so low, more than half of her tits were hanging out of the loose fabric. It was tight and stretched over her bosom in an alluring kind of way, leaving little to the imagination. 

 Meanwhile, you were dressed in one of your old, baggy hoodies and a pair of loose-fitting denim jeans. Even though it was the beginning of spring, it was still quite chilly out early in the morning. And besides, you weren’t planning on going anywhere else after you visited the clinic, since you had taken the rest of the day off from work, so there was no use in dressing up. Not like you had any nice, sexy clothes like that to begin with, though. 

 In all actuality, you really couldn’t afford to take a day off of work. But, you felt like it was needed after the long week that you had had. After the long year you had had. 

 Suddenly feeling self-conscious while you sat next to Aphrodite herself, your fingers scrambled to yank down the arms of your hoodie as best as you could, trying to let the fabric swallow you up in your seat. 

 Just then, your name was called over the hustle and bustle of the waiting room, and you peered up to see a smiling Yongbok standing in the doorway that lead to the rest of the clinic - where the examining rooms were. 

 In a hurry, you scrambled to pick up your tote bag and hoisted Nyx in her carrier with one arm, following right behind the young vet tech as he lead you through the back rooms of the clinic. The hallway was buzzing with movement, as the other Tech’s, Seungmin and Hyunjin, helped vet assistant Changbin calm down a barking German Shepherd so that they could usher him onto a weighing station that was positioned in a corner of the hallway. Dr. Lee was nowhere to be found… yet. 

 “I haven’t seen you in a while,” Yongbok started, as he motioned to an examining room just off to the right side for you to walk in. You took a seat in the chair that was positioned next to the desk - where the doctor always sat. “Since Hyunjin is almost always the one who first greets you.” The younger man with light blonde hair and big, expressive eyes sighed in an exaggerated kind of way, which forced a quiet giggle out of you. 

 “He’s a good tech though… Taffy especially likes him, I think.” You started, your mind already trailing off to what your younger cat might be doing while being left home alone in your apartment. No doubt tearing into the bag of chips that you had accidentally left atop the kitchen counter. 

 “Mhm- how is she, by the way? I feel like you haven’t brought her in in a while,” Yongbok said, as he slipped on a pair of blue latex gloves. You dragged your eyes away from his form and instead concentrated on unzipping the carrier in your arms, slowly drawing out a lethargic Nyx. 

 “Taffy is good, just being her usual rambunctious self,” you laughed softly, shaking your head as the affection for your other cat took over your thoughts. “She’s definitely very different from my Nyx here, that’s for sure…” 

 Yongok wheeled his chair over to you then, gently taking your old cat from your hands and hoisting her up onto the examination table that was nearby. “I saw in the files that she’s been having problems with eating?” He started, voice growing serious as he began his study of your cat. 

 You nodded slowly, swallowing over the nervous lump that had begun to form in your throat as soon as he placed Nyx on the paper-lined table. You felt your heart beating wildly against your ribcage, and you watched in silence as Yongbok turned Nyx around to thoroughly examine her. “Yeah, and she hasn’t been wanting to play with Taffy either, even though she used to love to.” 

 “How long has this been going on?” 

 “About… four months now?” 

 Yongbok turned to you then, leveling you with a deep frown, “And you’re only bringing her in now?” His tone wasn’t accusatory, but was more on the perplexed side of things, as all of the staff at Starry Skies Veterinary Clinic knew how much you loved your cats and how you adored taking care of them. 

 You shifted uncomfortably in your seat, hating the way that he seemed to question why you hadn’t taken care of Nyx’s symptoms earlier. “I-I didn’t have the money for this appointment until just recently, so that’s why I'm only bringing her in now.” 

 Your gaze snagged on Yongbok’s face, and the way that it instantly melted at your confession... brows furrowing and mouth pressing into a velvety line. The entire clinic must’ve known about your financial situation by now - about how you could barely afford food for yourself, let alone the bills from the clinic - since more oftentimes than not, you’d ask for a grace period from paying for the visits. 

 “I’m sorry, Y/N. I wasn’t trying to insinuate that you’re in the wrong here,” he began, but his slight frown only seemed to deepen as he spoke the words, “It’s just that- these symptoms shouldn’t be ignored for that long.” 

 At that, your heart started beating frantically inside your chest. Your focus landed on Nyx, who was now resting atop the table, with her eyes closed peacefully. “W-What? What do you mean by that? Is something wrong-”

 Yongbok reached over then, giving your shoulder a delicate pat. “I can’t confirm anything myself, but I’m going to take Nyx back to the X-Ray rooms to examine her better. Then, I’ll give the data to Dr. Lee and he can examine the diagnosis.” He gingerly scooped up Nyx into his arms, pressing her against his chest. 

 “O-Okay, but-” You began, but were soon cut off by the way that Yongbok gave you a slight, reassuring smile. 

 “Don’t worry about it, Y/N. I’m sure Nyx is just fine.” Is the last thing he said, before he was quickly filing out of the room with your cat in his hold, leaving you all alone. 

 And as soon as he shut the door closed, you were a nervous wreck. Your knees bounced up and down, hands turning clammy and breath falling out in shaky gasps as your mind raced a mile a minute with countless thoughts. 

 Would Nyx be okay? 

 Was she sick? 

 What was so wrong with her? 

 The wait time to see the doctor usually wasn’t that long, but this time - this time, it felt different. 

 It felt like each minute stretched out before you in an endless cycle, sending you down a deep and deeper spiral of anguish as you tried to wrack your brain around the entire situation.

 When finally, there was a gentle knock on the door. 

 You had been holding your head in either of your hands, but upon hearing footsteps against the linoleum floors, you peered up to see Dr. Lee closing the door behind him. He was dressed in his usual garb - dress slacks, a simple white button-down, and his white doctor's coat. 

 Dr. Lee was silent, as he wheeled his chair over to you. And only then did you notice that Nyx was missing. That he wasn’t carrying her in his arms- like he usually did when he brought her back from the closed examination room. 

 And you knew the moment that he sat down, that something was wrong. 

 Because usually, when his eyes caught yours as he walked through the examining room’s door, his entire face would light up with one of those brilliant smiles that women gushed over. Usually, he’d be the first one to crack a stupid joke - whether it was something lame about the weather outside, or about the crazy animal that he just had an encounter with before seeing you. 

 But this time? 

 No, this time it was very different. 

 His proud shoulders were slumped low, cheekbones dark with shadows, and plump, red lips pressed together in a firm line. 

 He clenched and unclenched his jaw once, 

 twice, 

 three times.

 Then, and only then, did his eyes meet yours. 

 And they said all you needed to know. 

 Just by the way that his dark, chestnut-brown pupils danced with a myriad of emotions; apprehension, fear, compassion, but most of all… sadness. 

 “What is it?” 

 The words flowed from your lips before you even knew what you were asking, and almost immediately, you were sitting up a little straighter in your chair. 

 Spine going rigid, fists growing tight at your sides. 

 Something swam, cool and deep, inside of you.

 Chilling you to the bone, with tense unease.  

 In the depths of your mind, you felt the pinprick of ominous heartache prodding at the fleshy part of your soul. 

 The part that was weak and emotional and so very tender all of the time. 

 “I’m so sorry.” 

 Was the first thing Dr. Lee said. 

 You already felt the tears flowing, unbidden and unchecked, warming your suddenly freezing cheeks, at the sound of ‘sorry’ leaving his mouth. Because he had never said such a thing to you before. And you never, ever, wanted to hear it come from him again. 

 “What’s wrong?” You prodded again, limbs growing a little shaky in your anxiety. Breath hitching in your chest agonizingly, you could physically feel your heart pushing against your ribs. 

 Aching, 

 Burning, 

 Already seeping with hurt, even though you didn’t quite know what was wrong just yet. 

 Dr. Lee ran a rough hand up and down his face, sighing into his palm, shaking his head once. Then, his fingers were running through his black locks, tugging at the roots just a tiny bit. 

 Almost like, this crushed him just as much as it was about to pain you. 

 “It’s about Nyx.” 

 Swallowing over the huge lump forming in your throat proved very difficult at that moment, but somehow - by some miracle - you did it. 

 Your tongue felt heavy inside of your mouth- like it was made of hard metal. 

 For a few beats, you couldn’t manage to form the right words, but when you did, you already felt the stability seeping out of you. Like you were a hot air balloon that had been poked with a sharp needle, with the scalding air and sanity flooding from you in a single breath. 

 “I’m sorry, Miss. Y/N, I-”

 “Just fucking say it, Dr. Lee!” You suddenly exclaimed, voice straining from your quiet sobs. The fat tears rolled down either of your cheeks, leaving angry wet trails in their wake. 

 He was silent after that, gaze running up and down the length of you slowly. Like you were one of his animals that he assessed daily - like he was testing out your strength and resolve. 

 Then, his eyes snapped back up to meet yours, and they melted into two puddles of grief. 

 “It seems as though Nyx is suffering from an acute form of bone cancer.” 

 And just like, your heart completely stopped. 

 Each breath you took felt garbled and all wrong. 

 Your shaky legs and arms wobbled all around you.  

 The floor crumbled underneath your feet, 

 Breaking, cracking, shattering irrevocably. 

 And in that moment, you wished for nothing more but for it to open up completely, and swallow you whole. 

 Please, 

 Oh, fuck, please- 

 Just swallow me already. 

 Because anything, 

Anything, 

 Would be better than this newfound hell. 

 “No- no, you’re lying.” You said in a low, gravelly voice. You were clutching onto the arms of your chair, holding on for dear life. Like if you squeezed hard enough, you would be able to wake up and all of this would just fade away into a bad dream. 

 “Miss. Y/N, I’m so sorry but-” Dr. Lee started in a calm tone, but his face read everything but calm - as his brows wrinkled with concern and his brown eyes were alight with a certain kind of sadness. 

 “This is a bad dream, it has to be a bad dream,” you cut him off, violently shaking your head from side to side in your disbelief. If you just pinched yourself, maybe then you’d wake up from such a hell. So that’s exactly what you did. 

 Grabbing one of your arms, you frantically pinched at the skin there. 

 Again, 

 And again, 

 And again. 

 The tears blurred your vision so much that it was hard to see what was in front of you - hard to notice the angry red mark that started to bloom out across your flesh at your abuse. 

 Just then, two warm hands took hold of either of yours, fingers sliding between fingers, calloused palms squeezing your own.

 The dark-haired figure was kneeling in front of you then, still holding onto your hands. Your heart felt like it was breaking over and over just beneath your ribcage. With each breath that you took, a new piece of it shattered off to swim in the blood flowing through your veins. 

 “Those symptoms that Nyx has been having are all signs of an acute form of bone cancer, Miss. Y/N. And, they will get worse,” the man said, his low, familiar voice running across your ears and nudging at a tender, warm spot deep inside of you. 

 “B-But she’ll get better, right? You can heal her, right, doctor?” You asked, throat straining from all of the tears. Through your hazy vision, you clutched a little harder at his hands. 

 There was a pause of silence on his end after that, which only made you feel worse. 

 When he finally spoke again, it felt like your world merely crumbled further and further. “Yongbok told me about your… situation, and why you didn’t bring her in earlier. But, because of the wait time, the cancer has developed into an acute case. The only options for helping her at this stage are- amputation and chemotherapy.” 

 It felt like someone took a bucket of ice-cold water and doused your entire form as soon as his words registered in your mind. 

 Because if you hadn’t waited so long to get it checked out, 

 If you hadn’t put it off because you didn’t have the money, 

 If you didn’t have such a low-paying, shitty job,

 Then Nyx never would’ve gotten the cancer in the first place. 

 Instinctually, you ripped your hands out of Dr. Lee’s grasp. It was the first time you had ever had physical contact with him - and the feeling left you feeling both sick to your stomach and also sent anxious butterflies to erupt throughout your system. 

 “Oh fuck- it’s my fault,” you said in an incredulous tone, fingers digging into your scalp and tearing at your roots there. “If I hadn’t waited so long, she never would’ve gotten this and she wouldn’t be-”

 You felt a heavy hand land atop one of your shoulders, nimble fingers pressing into your skin just slightly. Enough to help ground you back to reality. “I know it’s difficult right now, but I promise it’s going to be okay. You just have to take a few deep breaths and-”

 “Where is she?” You asked in a low voice, having the sudden urge to hold your baby in your arms. Maybe, if she just felt you, she’d be healed… “Where is my Nyx, Dr. Lee?” 

 But you didn’t even wait for him to reply, as you tore away from his hold and hurried to the door, grabbing Nyx’s carrier on the way out. Faintly, you registered Dr. Lee calling out to you from behind, but you paid no mind to it and instead ran through the hallway just outside of the examination room.

 “Nyx!” You called out, tone turning desperate. You raced down the hallway, sneakers hitting the concrete at your feet. “Nyx!” The tears clouded your vision, so it was hard to see where you going. But even still, you glimpsed Hyunjin coming out from a room in the back of the clinic, with a black mass of fur laying in his arms. 

 You cried out in relief at the sight of her, and in an instant, you were running forward and scooping her up and into your grasp. Pressing your face into her warm body, you cuddled her close. 

 “Y/N-” Hyunjin began, sympathy heavy in his tone. You felt his eyes travel across your face as you looked down at your sickly cat, with fat tears falling down your cheeks and a rapidly-beating heart. 

 “Let’s go home, my sweet girl…” You whispered so that only Nyx could hear you. And you couldn’t help but notice how light she felt in your arms - she hadn’t had much of an appetite in the last few months, and it pained you so much to know that you hadn’t realized it until it was too late. 

 Then you were turning away from Hyunjin, not even giving him any attention, as you rushed through the hallway and pressed onwards to the front desk area. Faintly, you could hear people calling out your name from somewhere in the back of the clinic. 

 But you couldn’t concentrate on any of that. All you could think of was your beautiful cat, who was peacefully sleeping in your arms. “Just a little bit longer, Nyx, we’re almost home…” 

 The rest of the week passed by in a blur of heartache and tears, as you battled with yourself and your mind to try and come to terms with what was happening. 

 With what you were going to lose. 

 It was hard to focus on anything else besides the impending doom that seemed to be right on your doorstep. You were slacking off at your work, which caused your boss to ream you out the next Monday morning. But you couldn’t help it - every time you tried to think about anything else besides Nyx, and losing her, the stormy feelings just came back tenfold. 

 You had found yourself holed up in your office’s bathroom stalls on more than one occasion already, and by the time it hit a week since you had visited the clinic, it felt like all of the tears had been completely drained from your body. 

 Every time you looked at her, you wanted to cry. You wanted to, but your body just wouldn't let you. So instead, you took to staying up late into the night and researching remedies to alleviate the pain of cancer - because truly, you hadn’t gotten a solid five hours of sleep since the diagnosis. 

 After two weeks, you had tried all of the solutions that you could find online - that ranged from implementing natural, whole foods into Nyx’s diet to rubbing lavender oil all over her limbs to try and soothe the pain from standing. Seeing her slowly start to deteriorate in front of your very eyes was possibly the worst part about it all - and how she’d whine and cry while walking around the house. Even Taffy could sense that something was wrong when her friend no longer had the energy to play with her anymore. 

 Throughout all of it, you avoided the phone calls. And they could be from only one ID - since you didn’t have any friends or family members who cared enough about you to call three times a day. Starry Skies Veterinary Clinic called you without fail, and they were adamant about getting in contact. No doubt Chan was on the other line the whole time, trying to talk some sense into you. 

 But you just couldn’t do it - couldn’t bring yourself to walk through those doors and face the dark road ahead that most-assuredly lead to death. Because you had already extensively researched the therapy for treating Nyx’s kind of cancer, and it was looking quite bleak. The procedures were so fucking expensive, it baffled you how anyone in their right mind could be able to afford such things. 

 Everything changed though, when on one Saturday night, you arrived home late from running errands and found Nyx sprawled out on your living room’s small, rickety couch. You scurried over to her side and shook her awake. But she wouldn’t open her eyes. And it seemed like she was hardly breathing. You called out to her again and again, startling Taffy of your presence. 

 When finally, Nyx awoke. After much pleading and crying, she opened her eyes lazily and stretched. 

 And so it was decided right then and there, that you’d go into the clinic that night. 

 You couldn’t afford to put it off any longer, and frankly, you had the feeling that Nyx couldn’t either. It was getting close to eight o’clock in the evening, and the clinic closed its doors for the weekend right at eight, so you made quick haste out of your dingy hell-hole-of-an-apartment. 

 When you arrived at Starry Skies Veterinary Clinic, the entire place was dark. You peeked through the windows and noticed the empty waiting room. “No, no- no…” You muttered to yourself, checking the time on your phone and reading that it was a little past eight. 

 You quickly looked around the street, noticing how most of the shops were already closed up for the weekend. Feeling the panic rising inside of you, you began to furiously knock on the glass door of the clinic. If someone was back there, maybe you could get ahold of Dr. Lee and- 

 “Miss. Y/N?” You heard a friendly, faint voice say from somewhere to your side. Turning around to the sound of it, you came face-to-face with Dr. Lee himself. He had his doctor’s coat off and was dressed in his usual work clothes of slacks and a dress shirt. “What are you-”

 You pressed your hands against your chest, trying to calm your heart that was painfully beating against your ribcage. “Dr. Lee- please, it’s… it’s Nyx.” 

 His brown eyes flashed across the length of your form, the fading sunset coloring his skin in an orange and pink kind of glow. “Come inside, it’s too cold out to be standing around like this.” He said, already moving to unlock the front door of the clinic. After all, it was early spring and the nights tended to grow on the cooler side of things once the sun dipped below the horizon.

 “Okay, thanks,” you whispered, following behind him as the two of you shifted through the clinic. Dr. Lee made his way over to a cluster of chairs in the corner of the waiting room.  

 “Please, sit.” He pointed to the nearest chair and waited for you to get situated before taking the seat just beside you. “So, tell me what’s going on.” 

 And suddenly, you realized the gravity of the situation. You realized that it was just the two of you - Dr. Lee and you - sitting inside the clinic, alone. There weren’t any other clients around, there wasn’t Chan or Jeongin, or Yongbok. And all at once, it felt rather… intimate. 

 You squirmed in your seat, your shaking hands beginning to play with the worn hemline of your oversized hoodie. Taking a deep breath, you gathered up all of your courage and leveled your gaze on the nearby front desk that was placed in the center of the large waiting room. “Well, I-I got home today from running some errands, and I found Nyx lying on my couch. But it didn’t seem like she was napping like she normally does… and she, she wouldn’t wake up. I kept trying and trying and-” Your words came out all rushed and garbled, as the tears began to crest over your eyes and you felt your cheeks heating with the flush of emotion. 

 “Hey- hey, it’s okay… don’t push yourself, yeah?” Dr. Lee’s smooth voice did something to the broken part inside of you - caused something to stir and yet settle at the same time. “That must’ve been a very scary experience for you, so it’s understandable that you would be shaken up about it.” 

 And just like that, the guilt piled on even higher. 

 Because Dr. Lee had always been incredibly nice to you and your cats. He had always been there for you guys, through the ups and downs of life, and you felt so horrible for ignoring the clinic’s calls. Because you knew that the team at Starry Skies Veterinary Clinic only wanted the very best for you and your cats… and especially, Dr. Lee. 

 “I’m so sorry for ignoring the clinic’s calls,” you suddenly blurted out, feeling the blush rise and pool in your ears at the feeling of Dr. Lee’s gaze landing on you - assessing your nervous state. Your thumbs continued to fiddle with the fabric at your waist, pulling and pulling. “I-I just didn’t know what to do, and I didn’t want to face the issue. But, I now realize how stupid that was- how stupid I’ve been about this whole thing-” 

 “Don’t ever say that again, Y/N. You’re not stupid, and Nyx having cancer isn’t your fault. This was something that was inevitable and nothing you could do was going to stop it.” Dr. Lee cut through your words. You tried to comprehend what he was saying, but instead, your brain was only repeating the same phrase over and over again. 

 Y/N, 

 Y/N- 

 Y/N. 

 He had used your name, without putting ‘miss’ before it. He had never done such a thing in the past. He had always kept things professional and addressed you by your proper title - just like you had done for him. 

 But all at once, you realized that perhaps you didn’t mind it at all. And perhaps, his dropping the honorifics wasn’t so bad. 

“Still, I’m sorry for not answering the calls,” you said, shaking your head slowly in defeat. You were desperately trying to battle the furious blush that was slinking up your neck at the way that he had said your name. It sounded so perfect and beautiful on his tongue, like- 

 “I was the one making all of those calls, and I can assure you that I didn’t take your silence to heart. I understand what you’re going through right now because I’ve experienced something similar in the past with one of my passed cats.” 

 At that, your eyes tore away from the front desk and landed on Dr. Lee. Your gazes locked, and inside his chestnut-brown eyes, you found so many different emotions there… compassion and gentleness. There was a certain kind of faded light there, as you stared at him. 

 “I… I didn’t know. I just assumed that it was Chan or Jisung…” 

 Dr. Lee shrugged his proud shoulders nonchalantly, like him calling you three times a day to try and work out a treatment plan for Nyx wasn’t that big of a deal. 

 When in actuality, 

 No one in your entire life had ever tried so frantically to get ahold of you. 

 And the fact that it was him- behind the phone, waiting for you to pick up, hearing your voicemail click on every time the dial failed… just made you feel even worse. 

“But that’s all in the past now, so don’t worry about it anymore,” Dr. Lee began, waving a hand in the air to seemingly try and clear your thoughts away. You watched in silence, then, as his hand slid away from his lap and hovered over yours. In a single beat, his fingers were threading through yours, palm against palm. And his hand was so incredibly warm and familiar. “Now, let’s instead focus on Nyx’s treatment, yeah? The sooner we can give her the help she needs, the better.” 

 For a few seconds, the thoughts of your dying childhood best friend had vanished from your mind and were instead replaced with the feeling of Dr. Lee’s hand holding yours and the way that his tongue formed your name, and the way he smelled - sitting so close to you - of warm chamomile and sweet cookies. 

 Immediately, at the mention of Nyx, you felt the tears prick at the corners of your eyes once more. “I-I don’t have the money.” 

 Silence filled the space around the two of you after that, and you felt Dr. Lee’s gaze studying your form, as you squeezed your eyes shut in embarrassment. “You mean for her treatment?” 

 “Y-Yeah… I, I don’t make that much. I can barely afford her and Taffy’s regular bills as it is. But, having to pay for the cancer treatment on top of everything else? I-I just don’t think I can manage that.” 

 You felt Dr. Lee shift in his seat beside you, making your eyes spring open as you watched the pained expression cast over his entire face. It darkened his cheekbones, shooting a look of pity through his eyes. 

 “The treatment is really expensive, I’m afraid.” 

 The hiccups started then, as the tears traced down your cheeks faster. Your entire body shook with the cries, “This is why I didn’t want to come here again… I didn’t want to hear the news that nothing else could be done except- except that.” 

 It was like the fucking jumbo-sized elephant in the room… 

 The fact that- the only other solution to Nyx’s cancer would be to put her down. 

 To euthanize her. 

 Gone, forever. 

 Just like that. 

 And even though you weren’t naïve enough to think that your cat would live forever, saying goodbye to her in such a way just felt downright… cruel, after everything that the two of you had been through together. But... what other choice did you have? It's not like anyone else was going to pay for the expensive treatment, and your insurance sure as hell didn't cover pet fees. And on top of all that, you couldn't expect Dr. Lee to drop his prices exponentially just for your specific case. That'd just be downright cruel to his other customers that paid the exact amount. 

“I’m afraid you’re right,” Dr. Lee’s words cut through your stormy thoughts. A sharp pain coursed through your broken heart, as you were forced to come to terms with the problem at hand. “If you can’t afford the treatment, then the only other alternative is… euthanasia.”

 You found yourself clutching onto his hand desperately, squeezing his fingers to death between yours, as you peered up at him through glassy eyes. “P-Please… just… just tell me you’ll do it. Because I-I don’t think I can handle it if-” Your voice seized in your chest at the thought of some stranger doing such a thing to your precious Nyx. It was already going to be extremely hard for you, but the thought of some other vet doing it just ripped your heart in two even more. 

 “We offer ethical euthanasia here, so, of course, I’ll do it,” Dr. Lee clutched a little harder on your hand, and the way that his warm, slender digits felt against yours did something to calm a rattling part inside of you. “Do you feel my hand? It is there, Y/N. And it will continue to be there throughout this entire process.” 

 The breath caught in your throat, forming a large lump there, as your eyes widened his way. Because there it was again, him calling you by your first name… with no ‘miss’ in front of it. 

 “T-Thank you… so much. I seriously don’t know what I’d do right now if it wasn’t for you and this wonderful clinic and all of the amazing staff here…” Your voice trailed off, as you felt the warmth of a flush creeping up into your cheeks. 

 “Yeah, well, that’s what we’re here for… to give as much support as we can to our clients.” Dr. Lee’s tone came out soft and quiet, it ghosted over the shell of your ear like an angel’s sweet whisper. 

 “I like it.” 

 You heard Dr. Lee take in a sharp breath at your disjointed words, but before he could ask the meaning behind them, you were talking again. 

 “You calling me by my first name, I mean… I like it, a lot, Dr. Lee.” Your eyes found him in the dim lighting of the room, and for a split second, you could’ve sworn that you saw… something flash deep in those chestnut-brown pupils. 

 But then all at once, it vanished, and he was giving you an easy smile, pearly white teeth on display. And pink, rosebud lips tugging up- wait, why were you thinking about his mouth? 

“Me too,” he said in that delicate way of his, just as he squeezed your palm once more, “I really like it… Y/N.” 

To be continued...

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©ʙʟᴏssᴏᴍᴡʀɪᴛᴇsᴛʜɪɴɢs⤐ ᴀʟʟ ʀɪɢʜᴛs ʀᴇsᴇʀᴠᴇᴅ

[queer-overwatch]

Omg hi! We need more venture! And im having major brainrot of Venture and how they might be with kids! What if Reader and Sloane went to one of those itty bitty play dig sight activities and just see little kids brushing sand away from (fake) fossils! Like how will they react seeing a little kid learning about dinosaurs from Venture?

OR!

Reader having to babysit their niece or nephew and Venture is there along the way. And the just their niece/nephew just absolutely love listening to Sloane’s stories!

Im sorry if this is too much! You dont have to do this! Or you can just do whatever! I love your work and finally we can get more Venture love!

Venture with readers Niece!

It's not to much at all! I really like the idea of Venture being a parent personally- decided to do a one-shot for this one, hope u like it anon! -Frisk

══════ஜ▲ஜ══════

"Heeey, Sloane-? Sooooo quick question, how do you feel about 5 year olds-?" You grin sheepishly, standing behind Venture who was at their desk, studying a rock from an ancient Roman burial sight they found.

"Oh I love kids! They're always so cute, even though they can be brats sometimes- why you askin?" They put down the rock as they talk, turning to look at you curiously.

"Well, my sibling asked me if I could babysit today, and I may have said yes without thinking of the fact that you'd have to deal with my niece too." You laugh nervously, really hoping they won't be upset. You knew they loved kids so you weren't too worried about it, but you also weren't sure if they'd planned to do something today.

"Aw really!? I've haven't gotten to meet your family before! That's so cool! Does your niece like history?! I really hope she does- I love telling people about my discoveries! Do you think she likes eating rocks too-?" Venture, just as enthusiastic as ever, bombards you with questions about your family. You let out a sigh of relief as you try your best to answer all of their many, many, many questions, trying your best to keep them contained as you wait for your sister to drop off your niece, "Venture you are not feeding my niece rocks."

"Aww, but these ones are so cool!"

"I will chip another one of your teeth if you convince her to eat a rock."

"GASP! Betrayal!"

══════ஜ▲ஜ══════

"Of course, see you later! Love you too!" You gently usher your niece inside as you part ways with your sibling, now stuck babysitting for the next five hours.

Venture stands just behind the door, a nervous feeling in the back of their head. Despite being slightly worried your niece wouldn't like them, they were still super excited! They really hoped she would like them so she would tell your sibling good things about them and your sibling would finally want to meet them! And, of course, they were also hoping your niece would like to hear the story's Venture had to share.

As soon as you're niece is five steps in the door, Venture makes themselves known, jumping in front of her with their hands on their hips, in a sort of superhero pose.

"Hey there, little miss! How'd you get in here, huh?" They kneel down, a light tone in their voice as they tease her. "Mi amor! I think we've got an intruder on our hands!"

You shut the front door as you laugh to yourself, moving to stand next to Venture and rest one hand on their shoulder, slightly leaning against them. "Yeah, I think we do! We've gotta send 'em to the interrogation room!"

You scoop up your niece, laughing as she squirm around in your arms, cleary enjoying all the attention.

You both bring her to Venture's work space, setting her down in their chair and trying your hardest to look serious as you "interrogate" her.

"Who might you be, hm? And why are you here?!" Venture starts, poking your niece's cheek as they question her.

Your niece, while giggling, manages to answer their questions pretty well in your opinion. "I'm Charlotte! I'm here 'cuz my momma wants me to be!" She huffs, hands on her hips with the most adorable, smug face you've ever seen.

Venture nods along as she answers, clearly taking this so, so very seriously. "Well then, I suppose you can stick around, as long as you like to learn about history!" They laugh, picking her up and tucking her under their arm, bringing them to a spare room where they keep a few of their favorite artifacts they've they've found to show off.

"This one is from Greece! I got to go there for a week last year! And this one if from a remote area in northern Canada! Found that during my first year with the Wayfinders!" They point out different rocks and other things you can't quite identify, easily answering any questions your niece throws their way.

You stand in the doorway, smiling to yourself and admiring just how sweet Venture can be, wondering how in the world you got lucky enough to be dating them.

Your mind wanders, wondering what Venture would be like if the two of you had a kid. It wasn't something you thought about too often, but seeing how sweet they were with your niece, you couldn't help but wonder if they'd ever want kids of their own.

Obviously it wouldn't be anytime soon, you were both far too busy for that, but one day, maybe.

"Amor! Come here! You gotta listen to this story too! This cool little coin is from the Renaissance Era!" Venture snaps you out of your thoughts, holding a little golden coin up for you to see.

You move to stand next to them, taking your niece out of their arms and holding her yourself, both of you listening intently to Ventures story. Clearly, you're niece and you had one thing in common, you both absolutely adored the wonderful nerd you were dating.

[halfmoondaze]

Jack is starting a serious relationship with y/n (only a couple months into their relationship) and knows very well she has trouble being in noisy, crowded places. She prefers spending time with only her and Jack no one else. She finally opens up and shows up to jacks house that’s filled with his friends. She gets super quiet and ends up in her own bubble not having the courage to speak to anyone. His friends end up saying mean things like “is she mute or something?” to Jack and starts pointing fingers at her, making fun of her thinking it’s a joke. Y/n at first tries to laugh along as well to try and get along with them but notices they’re taking about her. She feels bewildered and gets emotional. Jack tries to step in but y/n ends up going home without saying anything. Couple days have past Jack tries his hardest to reach out to reader about that night but she’s ignoring his calls, texts, etc. Maybe angst ending..? I’m sorry if this was too long I just want you to have something to work with😭

Sheltered

Y/N and Jack have been dating for a few months now, and their relationship was becoming serious. 

Despite being naturally shy and reserved, Y/N found it surprisingly easy to open up to Jack. She confided in him about her struggles with being in crowded and noisy places, which is something that always been challenging for her ever since she could remember. 

Jack was a perfect saint. He was incredibly understanding and supportive, and thanks to his patience and caring nature, he found a way to help her navigate her anxieties, while offering her a safe space in the midst of all the chaos, in little ways such as: having a movie night at least twice a week to be able to recharge, cooking or baking together, despite the fact that Jack was not the best cook. Or just cuddling while talking for hours while enjoying each other’s company. 

However, Jack being more extroverted, he would go out and have fun every now and then, but at the end of the day he would always go back home to Y/N. After all, she was his grounding force and he loved how he was able to find a balance through her. And given that they have a lot of mutual respect and love for one another, he would make sure that she never felt pressured to accompany him.

But one night, Jack was attending to this house party given that he was back home for a few days after promoting “White Men Can’t Jump” for the past months, and couldn’t wait to catch up with close friends. Y/N was happy for all of his achievements, and wanted to be there for him, which is why it came to a big surprise for Jack when she asked him if she could come along. 

“Really?” 

She just nodded. 

He smiled and sat with her in their living room couch. 

“Babe, you know you don’t have to go if you don’t feel comfortable, right?” 

“I know. I just thought it would be nice to be with you and all your friends, because I’m very proud of you” 

He pulled her close and kissed the top of her head. 

“Ok, but if you’re not feeling it and want to leave at any moment, you say the word and we’ll go home, ok?” 

“Ok” 

He kissed her. 

“Good” 

You hurried and put on a nice-looking short sundress and did your makeup, and in no time, you found yourself in the foyer ready to head out. 

“What’s up man” Jack greeted Shloob.

“Hey, what’s good?” he said.

“Yuh yuh yuh Jack is here” 

“Jackman” Nemo greeted him.

“Hey man” 

“How you doing” 

“I’m chilling” 

“This your girl?” 

“Yeah, this is Y/N” 

“Hey” 

“Hi” Y/N said avoiding eye contact as all eyes were on her. 

“Is she cool?” Shloob asked. “She mute or something?” Nemo asked. 

“Dude what the fuck?” Urban called him out. 

“My bad” Nemo said. 

“She’s just a little shy. Hey remember that one time-“ Jack attempted to change the subject but the conversation went back to Y/N.

“A little?!” Nemo burst laughing. 

“I’ll be honest, I didn’t think she would come” Shloob said

“Yeah I was starting to think that girlfriend of yours was imaginary” Nemo added. 

Everyone started laughing. 

Y/N could feel her anxiety rising as unconsciously was scratching her arms, which nobody noticed but Jack did. 

At some point, their voices became like background noise as she felt her anxiety building up and it was becoming unbearable so she excused herself and walked to the hallway that lead to the bathroom to escape the commotion. 

Jack gave Nemo a look. 

“What did I do?” 

He just walked away. 

After looking for her everywhere in the house, she eventually find her in the hallway upstairs, absorbed in her own world as she scrolled through her phone. 

He quietly walked to her as to not to startle her and stood next to her.

Upon noticing his prescence, she pulled her phone away and looked down awkwardly. 

“Sorry about that”

She gave him a forced smile and looked away. 

“It’s ok. They were probably joking” 

“That still doesn’t make it ok” 

Y/N shrugged. 

Jack offered her his hand. Y/n paused for a few seconds before taking his hand, and he pulled her closer into an embrace. 

Then Y/N hugged him back and relaxed into his arms. 

After a few seconds, they pulled away. 

“Can we go home?” 

“Of course” he said kissing the top of her head.

[jester-lover]

Hobie with a Desi! S/O

cw/ fem! Reader, horrible attempt at writing British people, including multiple desi cultures bc my girlies need all the representation we can get (it’s slim pickings out here) all fluff, some cultural struggles, but everything is resolved, mentions of insecurities

(LONG POST- headcanons and a drabble)

I'm goth and I had a literary awakening when Hobie showed up

There are literally only two ways I see the two of you meeting

The first involves you being a friend/relative of Pavitir’s, who is exceptionally happy his two homies are getting along

In this situation, Hobie would know a little more about you from the get go, and you most likely would know about him (Pav thinks he’s so cool, he’ll talk about his friends to anyone who’ll listen)

Another; in my opinion, funnier, way for the two of you to meet is him accidentally crashing a desi wedding when he’s on Spidey business

You would be mildly peeved with him for disturbing the wedding, but his spunk and generally opinionated personality make you fall for him

Either way, congratulations! You have the world’s loveliest punk boyfriend

As a boyfriend, Hobie loves helping out in any activity you need help with

He’s the type of boy who tries his absolute hardest to be there for any event that is important to you

No matter if its a massive grad party or a late night pizza run, Hobie is there and having the time of his life

Now, moving onto the cultural aspect, Hobie adores learning about other cultures

Your family is weary of him at first, because of the way he dresses primarily

He manages to find a place in their hearts after they see the way he treats you (with respect and dignity!!!!)

Also the fact that he eats whatever your mom makes, entire plate, man will lick it clean

(I mean, have you seen how much British people love takeaway?)

“Is your mum home yet?” “She’s making something good I bet, she always is.”

He can HANDLE spice, and he’s good with kids (his interaction with Mayday proved that to me)

Your parents may end up, in a shocking event, liking him!

Hobie is your biggest hype man whenever you wear cultural clothes, especially if they’re a little on the edgy side, dark colors and all that

Lehengas, shalwar kameez, sarees, etc, he loves them all

“You're dressed up, aren’t you?”

He’ll explain it to you in this mysticised ‘stepping on eurocentric beauty standards’ type of way, but you know deep down he just thinks you're super pretty

He’s obsessed with your features, no matter what you look like, he thinks you have the most perfect face in the world

If you ever make Hobie Desi food, he’ll be in love with you forever

He loves pani puri, especially if the pani is a lil spicier

His love language is acts of service, and you making him something to eat is like, you are nourishing him?? With bomb Desi food?? he’s is seeing heaven rn

He most DEF asks Pav (who then asks Gayatri) for advice on how to impress you

This leads to him, hanging onto your windowsill, with a Mendhi tube in his hand, and a calm smile on his face

As Hobie slid off his mask, his gorgeous hair fell to the sides of his sharp face. Placing the spiky mask on your side table, he sauntered towards your bed, abruptly sitting down and motioning for you to follow him. 

You sighed, and smiled as you took your spot in front of him. He was alway so considerate, taking your interests into mind whenever he swung by.

“You know, I’m not a pro at this or anything.”

He grinned, almost wolfishly, and placed the small sharp tipped tube into your lap.

“I could care less, do anything on my hands.”

You gently took one of his hands into both of yours, spreading it out to see the flesh of his palm, his nails were painted red this week, courtesy of you, of course.

His long bony hand flexed as you gently took off each of his silverish rings, one by one. 

You were completely focused on this simple act, treating him with a gentleness only you could offer him, a complete contrast from his usual existence. 

“I don’t have a lot of time today, my cousin’s getting married, we have to go to some pre wedding events.”

Hobie perked up in interest, sliding his free hand to smooth out your gingham sheets.

“And what do you plan to wear?”

His mind flashed through all the traditional clothes he’s seen you in, each more ornate and beautiful than the last.

“The lehenga most likely, the peach-ish one, with the sparkles.”

You undid the little plastic pin at the top of the Mehendi tube, applying a slight pressure and making a small line on his palm to start out with.

Hobie looked at you closely, remembering the last time he saw that specific lehenga.

“That one’s cute.”

You laughed a little, looking down at your messy drawing.

“I was going for a flower but it sorta looks like a palm tree.”

He looked down at his hand, a messy smudgy, and less than finished flower was on his palm.

“Maybe, a couple more petals on the top, yeah?”

You squeezed the Mendhi tube again, carefully drawing three extra petals on the top.

“There! I think that's good.”

Hobie looked down at his palm and kept a laugh back, poorly albeit.

The flower wasn’t necessarily bad, just a little wonky.

“It's absolutely beautiful.”

You smiled.

“Hold your hand still until it dries, then peel off the crumbly bits, okay?”

Hobie mockingly saluted with his other hand, matching your smile.

“Anything you say.”

You giggled, taking his face in your hands gently, careful to avoid snagging one of his piercings.

“What am I ever gonna do without you?”

His expression turned a little soft, keeping his smile steady.

“Let's hope it never has to come to that.”

[nicoline1998enilocin]

Child's Play | Prologue

PAIRING | Dad!Bucky Barnes x Dad!Steve Rogers

WORD COUNT | 1.3K

SUMMARY | Both Steve and Bucky have been through hell and back throughout their lives, but their love for each other would always be a constant. Now they want to expand that love by starting the family they always dreamt of having, and the first step into their new family is going to be an important one.

WARNING(S) | This is your official trigger warning. Do not proceed if any of these topics upset you. Established relationship [ married couple ], talks about surrogacy and adoption, mentions about going through the adoption process, implied gay sex, mention of a car crash, mention of being an orphan,

A/N | This one shot is part of my Child's Play AU, but can be read as part of the story, or a standalone one shot! 🖤

Likes and reblogs will be very much appreciated 💜

Main Masterlist | Stucky Masterlist | AU Masterlist

Life hasn't exactly been easy for the two super soldiers, but throughout everything, they always were the best of friends and together they could handle just about anything. They didn't say ''I'm with you until the end of the line'' lightly, and each day they were showing each other that they are trying their hardest to keep that promise. Back in the 40s, their life was different, as it mostly consisted of stolen glances, secret kisses, and hidden touches. In the 21st century, however, they are completely accepted, and they are living their perfect life as a married couple, celebrating their 3rd wedding anniversary in a few months. Although, it's almost perfect.

''Steve, what do you think about expanding our little family?'' Bucky asked casually over dinner one evening, and Steve almost choked on his food when he heard the question come out of his husband's mouth. ''Excuse me?'' he said, not sure he heard Bucky correctly. ''Yeah, I think it would be amazing if we could expand our family by welcoming a child into our lives, we've always dreamt to have our little tribe one day so I don't see why not,'' Bucky said and he shrugged while he continued to eat. His husband's eyes were wide as saucers as he let the question sink in.

''Uh... Can I think about it?'' he said, still taken aback by the sudden question to which he most definitely did not have an answer. Sure, they talked about starting their family, but it had never been anything concrete since they're both still active as Avengers. ''Sure,'' Bucky said as he continued eating like nothing happened. The rest of the evening was laced with a bit of tension as Steve wasn't sure how to process this right now, it was a lot and it was all so sudden that his brain couldn't quite comprehend it. ''What's wrong, Hubs?'' Bucky asked as he saw the tension in Steve's body rise with every minute that went by.

''What if I won't be a good Dad? What if I drop them, or screw them up or something? What if they don't like me? What if-'' Steve spewed out all at once, tears coming to his eyes as he finally spoke out his anxiety. Bucky sat with his back against the headboard of their bed, and he pulled Steve in between his legs so he could calm him down a little bit. His arms snaked around his husband's waist, his Vibranium arm cool to the touch as his flesh hand was a big contrast, but the feeling always seemed to ground him. ''I know you'll be the best Daddy I have ever seen,'' he whispered in Steve's ear, and he immediately turned bright red from his face down his neck. He wasn't used to Bucky calling him that outside of their sex life, and even then it still caught him off guard sometimes.

''We don't have to decide right away, Hubs, don't worry,'' Bucky clarified. ''I just thought I'd ask since I've been thinking about it more and more lately,'' he said, a small smile appearing on his lips. ''You, me, a few kids, a few pets. Seems like the perfect life to me,'' he said and Steve slowly let the thought run around in his head. He always wanted to have a big family, mainly because he lost him at such a young age. ''It does sound nice,'' he said in a dreamy voice. ''We should look into it a little more, there are tons of options for couples like us to have children,'' he said with a sigh, not looking forward to the headache it would most likely cause when the time arrived.

''Sounds good to me. Can I relax you a little more with a massage right now?'' Bucky offered and Steve gladly accepted, he loved it when Bucky massaged the knots out of his back and shoulders because that's where he stored most of his stress. He laid down on his stomach on the bed and Bucky got the massage oil out of his bedside drawer - grabbing one with eucalyptus scent this time - and dripped a little bit on Steve before putting it aside and working through the tough knots in his husband's back one by one. Steve let out groans as he felt the stress leave his body, he hadn't felt this relaxed in a while. When he was done, the two men switched and Steve massaged Bucky, taking extra good care of the tissue where his flesh combined with the metal of his Vibranium arm as that is what mostly bothered him.

~ A few months and a lot of research later ~

''I think we should either go with surrogacy or adoption,'' Steve concluded after discussing everything the two found out about starting a family. ''The good thing about surrogacy is that they would be a part of us, seeing that they would share DNA with one of us. The super soldier serum might be a huge downside though...'' he sighed as he looked at the pros and cons list they made. ''What about adoption? Many kids need loving homes, so instead of crowding this country even more by producing one of our own, we could help a kid into a loving forever home,'' Bucky offered, and Steve knew he was right. However, he had always wanted a child that shared his DNA, Bucky expressed he didn't want his passed on, even though that would mean the end of his bloodline.

''I think you're right, Bubs,'' Steve said, as he thought more and more about adoption. As much as he would love to pass on his DNA, it was likely, not viable unless the surrogate would also be a super soldier. ''I can't believe I'm going to say this, but we're hopefully going to adopt a child in the future,'' he said with a content sigh. ''They're going to be perfect, and spoiled rotten,'' Bucky laughed, already envisioning himself with his little family. ''I can't wait for that day to arrive,'' he said, before closing their laptop and pushing it aside so he could sit where the laptop just was. He pulled Steve to his full height before capturing his lips in a kiss. They would spend the rest of the night making each other fall apart on Steve's desk before they were completely tired out and fell asleep in each other's arms.

The two men did lots and lots of research into adopting a child, which wouldn't be easy. They ended up deciding to go for a domestic adoption, but they didn't mind what age, they would be happy with every kid that could come their way. They took weeks budgeting for their adoption, but since they were both paid very generously as Avengers, money would never become an issue, both before and after the adoption. Next up, they needed to decide on which adoption agency they wanted to work with, which proved harder than they initially thought.

Both men shared many a night discussing different agencies, each having their pros and cons, but eventually, they found one that is more of a private agency, meaning the prices are higher, but the quality of care that goes into their work is a lot higher too. After many meetings with their adoption professional and almost as many home studies, they were accepted into their adoption process, and the most stressful part would begin right about now. Would they get a baby or an older child? It turns out they were perfect candidates to adopt a little 2-year-old girl, who sadly was placed into foster care after losing both her parents in a car crash. The two of them knew all too well what it was like to be an orphan, so they happily accepted the offer to adopt the little girl.

And now, after many long years, hardships, and love, the moment has arrived when they finally welcomed their little girl into their life. Her name? Luna Barnes-Rogers.

[mushroompone]

Hello! I really love your writing and with all the hype going with the mlp infection/zombie I was wondering how do you approach writing horror/gore? I mostly like to write slice of life, romantic, fluffy stories, so whenever I try to write something darker, a zombie apocalypse for example, the violence feels juvenile and the horror falls flat. Your stuff is absolutely terrifying and amazing, so I'm just sitting here wondering how?? I know that's a broad question, but I would appreciate a peek into your thought process for writing horror. Thank you and have a good day!!

Oh my gosh you're so kind!! First off, thank you! I have really enjoyed writing horror for this community for many years now, and it's been sorry cool to see this massive interest during of of nowhere for MLP horror content!

Second, definitely a broad question, but I can offer some broad tips in response:

(1) Work with what scares you. Horror actually comes naturally to most of us, you just have to be willing to explore some of the darker corners of yourself. Consume horror as much as possible and try not to shy away from what scares you. Most importantly, though, understand why you find it scary. This leads to step 2...

(2) Drill down to the core fear. There's a lot of creatures and things that pop up in horror again and again: ghosts, vampires, werewolves, and certainly zombies. But to work with these effectively we have to understand why they scare us. The answer is different for everyone! Let's take zombies as an example: for me, zombies are scary because they are infectious. I find plagues and diseases to be really really scary, even pre-covid lol. For others, it's more about loss of control - becoming a zombie means becoming an animal, or something else inhuman. Dig until you find the why. Then...

(3) Give someone the worst day possible. Picking your protagonist is critical. The monster has to be difficult for them to face! So think about what will play well off your core fear. If you've found zombies as your monster and distilled that to loss of control .. well, Luna would be a great choice! She's all about loss of control. That's super scary and very real for her. If you're going in more of an infectious disease direction, Twilight would make more sense - she would make a very believable germaphobe, yet still be driven to help those around her and find a cure. If you do it right, all you have to do is...

(4) Sit back and let it happen. It helps to have a destination in mind (even if it's as simple as "happy ending" or "real downer"), but if you've set yourself up this way you've got a concept and you're ready to let it rip. Start writing. Be gross. Scare yourself. Look over your shoulder and wonder who might be watching you. If you get stuck, ask yourself this: how could this possibly get any worse? Then do that. With pizzazz.

The details of writing prose that is gooey, gory, and chilling come from reading. You'll start to get a feel for where to linger, where to hold back, where to describe, and what to leave up to your reader's imagination. The hardest part is the balancing act - keep some things obscured. Leave some mystery while making it clear what is scary and why. However, once your audience knows the precise size and shape of what they're dealing with, it becomes a lot less scary! My rule of thumb is that I never want my audience to be able to plan a way around the danger. They should never be able to devise their own means of escape - something should always be left uncertain or shrouded in darkness.

I hope this helps!! If you'd ever like someone to look at what you're working on, I love beta-reading pony horror :) actually, come to think of it, I love beta-reading all horror!

Again, thank you! Your an earned my heart ❤️ I love hearing that my sacred are still scaring!

[dragonsoftheeast]

Hi!

Could you write some content regarding the Valyrian post of Archon (I always took it be the equivalent of a Roman Consul), specifically the election, the rituals, etc.

This is a really interesting question! I've sort of thought about Valyrian governance for my Old Valyria AU, when we ruled the heavens, but not super in-depth. I'm also not a politics person, I try my hardest for story purposes but it's not got my greatest interest and there are many other bloggers who have talked at length about political systems in ASOIAF. But here's what I'm thinking. What we do know about archons is this:

"Archons were provisionally elected by the lords freeholder of Valyria. Often dragonriders, archons from Valyria oversaw colonial cities and towns of the Valyrian Freehold, with the exceptions of the self-ruling Free Cities." - A Wiki of Ice and Fire, Archons

The lords freeholder sometimes elected archons from their own number, to help lead Valyria for a limited time. -A Wiki of Ice and Fire, Lords freeholder

So to me it seems like, in the colonies, archons function like governors, while in the capital, the archon of Valyria functioned more like a Roman dictator. Because it's me, I'll bring up some High Valyrian roots, too- the word for archon, judlio, comes from judligon, to respond or answer, and the agent suffix. So literally, "responder" or "answerer". It makes me think of both "being answerable to" and "being answerable for". So, yes, there's absolute power, but also, that there is some accountability. At least that's the ideal. Obviously, etymology does not equal reality, but like the Romans, the Valyrians were probably very proud of their veneer of democracy, while still protecting their own elitism.

I'd imagine that for both, there would be a system of nomination and confirmation. Perhaps for nomination, there could be a Goblet of Fire situation, putting a name in through magical means- which would eliminate the people who do not have access to that sort of magic, though the Valyrians could point out that no one was blocking someone else from putting their name in. For term limits, let's say the colonial archons would rule for fourteen years, that's an important number to the Valyrians. But the Archon of Valyria would have their term limit set at their nomination, to address the particular situation.

Technically, any freeholder- a freeborn landowner- would be able to vote, but it's plainly obvious that the lords freeholders from the Forty Families were the ones actually in charge, and the dragonlords especially. I'm thinking that these votes were held publically, to prevent any fraud, with the individual voters attesting to their vote. Perhaps this would happen on top of one of those topless towers, so everyone can get a good view of those dragons as they're voting. There's also something of a flex to have all those regular freeholders climbing up all those steps- which is its own filtering system- and then at the top all those dragonlords can get dropped off now problem.

Now for the rituals. As with all Valyrian magic, they definitely involve some fire and blood. In my headcanon, magical rituals are best done with the perpetrator's own blood, and that letting the injury heal naturally is the way to make it bind. I got this idea from Daemyra's Valyrian marriage ceremony in the show cutting their hands and their lips, which, ouch. But a scar in the lip would seem like an obvious marker of marriage to me. In my own AU, the Hearthkeepers, priest-mages who hold back the Fourteen Flames, are cut on their wrists to bind their positions, and for a public position like archon, I think they would like the scar to also be in a very visible location, perhaps on the face like with marriage or even with something like a piercing. I've seen some pretty cool headcanons of what people think up for Valyrian jewelry that I think would fit here.

To prevent someone holding onto their position for longer than their allotted time, I would like to imagine that there was some form of investment ritual that would bind them to the oath to give up power. Yes, there was a lot of jockeying for power, but I can't think that they wouldn't have at least some checks and balances to assure that dragons aren't dancing every time there's some kind of transition of power. Thus, in the same vein, I would imagine that ritual would also add in some kind of protection against assassination, perhaps some sort of magical killing backlash against the attacker and the person responsible. That last bit would be important, though you know those Valyrians would be trying to dodge around it.

That's all I've got for now. Thanks for the ask!

[littlemissaddict]

Christmas Cookies - Bucky Barnes x Fem!Reader

Summary: Bucky notices Reader isn't feeling the Christmas spirit this year so he does everything he can think of to bring it back to her.

Word Count: 1297

A/n: Day 22 and my little writing challenge is almost over, I’m very surprised I made it this far tbh but I’m also ready for a little break from posting everyday haha anyway that’s enough of me rambling, I hope you enjoy.

Something was wrong, Bucky could tell although he was sure exactly what it was. Two weeks into December and she was still yet to put up her Christmas decorations or even attempt to do anything in the Christmas spirit. Now to others that may not seem like a problem but he knew his girlfriend. Like clockwork he’d come home on December 1st and you could guarantee that the tree would be up, there would be Christmas music playing throughout their apartment and he would find her in the kitchen baking up a storm. This year however there had been none of that.

Now Bucky had let it slide, figuring work was busier for her as it was with most people at this time of year. He had noticed that she seemed to be leaving for work earlier and coming home later than usual so he put it down to her being tired but with one week to go until Christmas, he was finding it harder not to say anything.

So he had a plan, he’d been out and bought all the necessary ingredients to bake the Christmas cookies she always made and more than enough candy to decorate them, he had also picked up some already baked cookies ready to decorate just in case his didn’t go to plan. The first step in his plan though, was to decorate the apartment while she was out at work in hopes that her first steps into the apartment brought back some of that Christmas cheer she seemed to be lacking this year.

“Have a good day doll, don’t miss me too much” Bucky smiles over his mug of coffee as she passes him on her way out of the door. She replies with a wave and a tired smile before the door closes behind her, leaving him alone in the apartment.

With a sigh, Bucky drains the rest of the coffee in the mug and prays that his plan was going to cheer her up as he deposits the mug in the sink and he sets to work pulling the decorations out of the storage cupboard which doesn’t take him long and then all that’s left to do was to get a tree. Hopefully there were still some left this close to Christmas.

An hour later, he’d arrived home with the tree that he considered to be the best of the bunch, it wasn’t perfect but it would have to do. Getting it up to the apartment had been easier than expected but he put that down to the super serum coursing through his veins giving him more strength than the average male, not that it was anything to brag about given things he’d done with said strength that he was only just coming to terms with that were not down to him but more the mind control of Hydra.

Focusing his mind on the more pressing matter of decorating the apartment, he sets about fixing the tree to the base until he’s satisfied that it’s stable enough to not fall over before he finds the boxes of baubles. He knows she has a certain way of how she likes to place them, usually going back to rearrange them a few times until she is happy with the result so Bucky tries his hardest to make sure it looks good. By the time he’s finished he’s sure that the tree is evenly covered with baubles and he has to admit he’s done a better job than he expected to so he moves on to the rest of the decorations, little Christmas trinkets that she always puts out around the apartment.

After he finishes he grabs a quick spot of lunch and then decides to make a start on the cookies so that by the time she gets home they should be cool enough for them to decorate.

Pulling her bag higher on her shoulder, she steps from the lift and out into the corridor leading to the apartment but the moment she nears the door her heart drops, inside she can hear the high pitched screeching of the fire alarm. Scrambling for her keys, she lets herself in and upon opening the door the noise only gets louder. She knows the smart thing to do would be to wait outside maybe call 911 but she doesn’t see any flames only the haze of smoke drifting from the kitchen which is where she runs to but the last thing she’s expecting to see is the window wide open and Bucky desperately trying to waft the smoke away from the smoke alarm in hopes of quieting it. Despite the panic coursing through her she can’t help the smile that lights up her face at the scene in front of her.

Turning to the doorway as if sensing her presence, Bucky’s heart drops. This was not how he had planned to surprise her but the smile on her face is one he’s not seen for a while, too impatient to wait for the alarm to stop, he pulls it from its holder and yanks the batteries from it before he drops it on the counter.

“Thank god” he sighs in relief and the quiet but his ears are still ringing from the sound, “You’re home early” he comments, now making his way towards her and opening his arms as she melts into his hug, feeling the best she’s felt all day.

"Yeah, finished all I had to for the week and boss said I could go early" she hums, pushing her body further into his hold and he tightens his arms around her, "what were you up to anyway" she asks a little while later, her head tilting up so that she could look at him.

Bucky let's out what sounds like a nervous chuckle, his non-metal hand coming up to rub at the back of his neck. "I was baking cookies as a surprise for you" he mumbles as her eyes soften from the curious look she was giving him to one that can only be described as lovestruck. 'Usually by now you're in such a festive mood and everything is fun and you're happy but this year it seemed like all the happiness had been sucked from you and I just wanted to do something to get you in the christmas spirit but I almost burnt the apartment down instead" he pouts, a look he doesn't often wear but she's seen enough times.

"You didn't have to do all that" she says softly, "though I do appreciate it but to me this year just doesn't feel like Christmas and I don't know why" she sighs, dropping her gaze and nuzzling her head into his chest.

"Well we have the rest of the afternoon and I have some perfectly good cookies that need decorating if you're not too tired" Bucky suggests, reaching out to pull her from his chest, his hand just underneath her chin as he tilts her face towards him. Leaning in he places a soft kiss to her lips and he pulls away to find her smiling brightly.

"Let me just get changed and I'll be right back" she nods, pulling free from him altogether as she heads back towards the living room, towards the bedroom but in the doorway she stops, just now noticing what she had been too distracted to see earlier, "You put up the decorations too" she gasps, her hands coming to rest on her chest and over her heart as she turns back to a smiling Bucky who nods at her words, "I love you" she smiles before rushing off to get changed out of her work clothes, so that she can get back to the man she loves.

[salsflore]

sat quietly to the side of the makeshift archery arena, mika watches intently as childe lands what was probably his fifth or sixth bullseye.

they’d been at it for about half an hour or so, and while she enjoyed the crisp, cooling breeze — she was beginning to get bored of merely watching him from a distance which, though it went unvoiced, became evident in her yawns and stretches.

childe takes notice of this, of course, and stops for a quick breather, setting the bow aside before going over to her. “you okay?” he asks, with a sheepish smile, reaching to pat her head. “i feel bad, making you sit here to do nothing. why don’t you join me?”

“err,” she hesitates but ultimately refuses, shaking her head to save herself the very much likely embarrassment, “nah — it’s fine, i’d probably be like, super bad at it anyways.”

“just a few rounds, please?” he’s intent on convincing her, and she loathed the idea of disappointing him, so its not like it took him much for her to sigh and say ‘okay, fine..’

his pitiful expression turns into one of excitement as he takes her by the arms and pulls her up and along to the practice area, just a few steps away. “it’ll be fun! trust me. and who knows.. you might even be a much better archer than i am!”

he lets go of her to pick his bow up, handing it to her. it was a sleek silver with gradient blue accents that almost appeared to glow; pristine, unusual in its design, and also much heavier than she expected.

thankfully though, its not enough for her to struggle with. mika positions herself on the spot he’d designated for himself, using a little flower on the ground. “n - now how do i do this..?”

“like this.” he takes a moment to help her out, minimally adjusting her stance and nocking the arrow for her. “there you go!”

feeling both nervous and excited, she readies herself for that perfect bullseye she was secretly hoping for. a little unrealistic, given it was her very first time – but she’d be lying if she said she wasn’t hoping a little.

though it was a bit difficult, she manages to pull the bowstring back, launching the arrow and watching in anticipation as it... flies right over the target.

oh.

her first instinct is to just crumple up into a ball on the ground, but she’s left standing there instead, immediately and absolutely dying from her unnecessarily exaggerated embarrassment.

she looks over at childe, who’s trying his absolute hardest to hold back a laugh [ not like he found her failure funny, more so her reaction ] upon noticing her visibly flustered expression as she begins to fret, stammering an apology, which he interrupts.

“it’s fine, it’s fine, i promise! it was your first time – so just, just calm down a little, okay?” he lets a small laugh slip, and takes a step behind her. “i’ll help you.”

now he’s closed whatever little distance they had between them, and it’s getting harder for her to maintain focus. its not like this was the first time, yet...

“like this.” a new arrow is nocked once more and, instead of simply guiding her this time, childe places his gloved hands over hers to correct her stance where necessary. “then... you let go.”

bulls— err, well, nevermind.. but at least with his guidance, the arrow was able to actually hit the target this time, instead of just avoiding it completely.

“close enough..” mika remarks, and sighs, lowering the bow once he lets go of her. “ah, whatever! i give up. here,” she offers it back to him, and he takes it.

“you give up too easily, and that won’t do ～ how about this: if you get a single bullseye, i’ll reward you with a kiss?” he teases, hoping for a reaction..

but she ends up directly rejecting him instead, shaking her head with a huff. “no way. that’s even more of a reason for me not to do it — i’d really rather just watch you.”

“but isn’t that way more boring?”

“well, i mean, you’re pretty good at it, so–”

“pause. is that a compliment i’m hearing?” he sets the bow down, “huh! i never thought i’d live to see the day.”

“would you rather i lie to you, or..?”

“c’mon, don’t be like that. i’m just saying, its rare of you to be so nice to me.” childe jokes, and throws his arms around her. she resists, to no avail. “makes it all the more sweeter to hear.”

“...you’re welcome, i guess.” she mutters, awkwardly hugging him back. not like she wanted to or anything, it’d just be rude if she didn’t, right? [ or at least, that’s what she tells herself. ]

“am i skilled enough for it to warrant a kiss, too?” there’s hope in his voice, though he already knew her answer. mika’d always been pretty predictable in that regard.

“maybe.” she says, but he manages to sneak a kiss off of her anyways. she whines in annoyance, but doesn’t do anything to stop him when he leans in for another, either.

he taps his foot, “i’m expecting more later, by the way.. like, a little reward for everytime i land a bullseye.”

“i hope you miss terribly, then.”

childe squeezes her. “how mean,” he lets go of her and picks the bow back up. “but its more satisfying this way, to prove you wrong.”

“so... be sure to watch me closely, ‘kay?”

TAGLIST ✧ @moonlitdeerr @byakuyasdarling @lovinglin @violetsareblue-selfships @gorouwife @pretty-shining-star @lost-in-azalea-forest @littlestpetship @yumelamb @pudding-shrine @sxaras @mellys-insectarium @ghostictreat

[growandrecover]

hello, i hope you're doing well !

i started recovery a few days ago because my parents noticed my low weight and told me i need to eat more/gain weight, which im very grateful for them stepping in and im ready to recover.

however, im still sorta paranoid about how much and what im eating, because a lot of my ED has been me being in denial that im "just being healthier" (which my parents used to believe until they realized)

so now that im eating unrestricted, i feel kinda bad that im allowing myself to eat the foods i didn't before and bigger portions. im worried that it means im letting myself be unhealthy, and im especially worried about potential comments from anyone about it.

any tips on how to challenge said thoughts or responses to comments people may make would be super appreciated ♡

(p.s. sorry this is so long, but also do you know of any other ed recovery blogs ? they're kinda hard to find here..)

Hey, anon! I'm so proud of you for listening to your parents and choosing recovery. That's one of the hardest steps, if not the hardest. Congratulations!

I felt the *exact* same way when I started recovery. I don't know about your experience, but I think I may have been orthorexic to a slight degree. You may want to look into that as well, if you haven't. I'm not saying you are, I'm not a licensed professional. Just the mention of being unhealthy spurred that thought in my mind.

Eating bigger portions and introducing our fear foods is a very difficult part of recovery, so I completely understand your worries. I'd advise you not to go too quickly, especially since you mentioned only being in recovery for a few days. Maybe you could try introducing your fear foods incrementally? Like maybe one a week, or something like that? That would probably help ease a little bit of the fear. I know when I tried to eat too many in a short amount of time, I only got more anxious and took a few steps back. Not implying that you will, just advising caution here.

It's great that you're eating more than you have been, and I'm really proud of you for that. You should be proud of yourself as well. Unfortunately, your ed is going to be very unhappy and go into overdrive trying to lie to you. Here's something I wish someone would have told me: You're not eating too much. It doesn't matter if you think you're eating a mukbang sized meal, if you're hungry/need to eat, whatever you consume is not too much. Also, this beginning period is not one in which you need to worry about eating "healthy". I know you will, and I did, too. But if you are willing to eat something, and if your ed is not fighting you on it, eat it. I don't care what it is. Eat it. Your body is extremely confused right now and just wants nutrients. It's trying to help you and keep you alive. I went through periods in the beginning of my recovery where I had ice cream all throughout the day because that's the one of the only things I could eat without extreme fear. (I know that probably doesn't make any sense, but I guess maybe it's because I liked ice cream so much I was able to override the ed? idk.) I went through another where I craved fat so much that I baked multiple cakes within a few week period. Now, there are definitely people out there who would disagree on that, and maybe you're one of them. That's cool. My number one piece of advice would be to listen to your body as best you can. You may not be able to, as I'm sure you've gotten pretty good at ignoring what it wants (as we all do), but whatever signals you get, listen to. If you want ice cream, eat it.

If you're able to, I'd also recommend that you find a therapist/treatment center/nutritionist if you haven't already. You definitely can recover on your own, but a professional would be very helpful.

You're not letting yourself be unhealthy. You're doing the opposite, actually. Having an ed is unhealthy, no matter which one it is. Choosing recovery is the option that will lead to a healthy relationship with food. And to choose recovery, you may feel unhealthy sometimes. That's okay. You may feel like you're making a mistake, gaining too much, or like you're worse off than you were before, but those are all eating disorder distortions. Try to keep that in mind if you can. If you're having trouble, maybe talk to your parents about it since they seem helpful and supportive of your recovery journey. My therapist always recommends sitting next to someone while I eat during my harder times. That might work for you as well.

As for what people say, at the end of the day, they don't know what's happened to you. Even if you're talking about your relatives or friends, they still most likely don't know the in-depth horrors that come along with having an ed. Lots of people don't know anything about what we struggle with, and that leads to the ignorant comments we all fear.

If someone says something to you, here are a few things you could say:

"I'm not comfortable talking about my food choices/body/ed right now."

"Can we change the subject?"

"It's a private matter, and I don't really feel ready to speak on it now."

"Please don't make comments about my body/food choices/ed."

Or if you're more shy, like I am, you could always ask a question or say something about something widely different or get them talking about something you know they love to talk about.

You could always just get up and leave. That one has worked for me countless times. Say you're getting a call, excuse yourself to the bathroom, say you're getting something and will be right back.

It's going to be hard to hear negative things about your recovery. If you can, try to remember that someone speaking negatively on someone else's body or food choices is caught up in diet culture themselves. It sucks, but the world places too much value in losing weight and being thin. If someone says something to you about your weight, you could tell them that you're actually doing the healthy thing. I think I've actually told someone who was talking about my body that I used to be anorexic, and that shut them up pretty quickly. You totally don't have to do this, I just thought I'd mention it lol.

Some of my personal favorite recovery blogs are:

@ed-recovery-affirmations

@recoverycat

@ana-recovery-positivity

@atinycupofpositivitea

if anyone has any other recs please leave a comment!

I wish you nothing but the best in your recovery journey, anon. You can do it, I promise. Again, I'm so happy for you and very proud you've chosen this journey. Sending you love <3

If you need to talk, please don't hesitate to send me a message or another ask!

[tearsasmascara]

omg quinn this is so cute.. can i req something 😭😭😭 no pressure to do it ok!!!! i think this is a rly sweet idea thank u for doing this for others :,)

i’d love a thoma x sick!reader with fluff if thats okay 😭 am currently feeling super under the weather bc its my that time of the month so anything to do with sick characters and fluff would be greatly appreciated huhuhu 🥲

as always no pressure to get this done okay!! i hope i did this right :,)

YING!! i’m so glad to see you requesting ahhh <3 so here’s the thing i don’t know thoma well so i tried my hardest to write him in character i hope he is!! this one took a while bc just as i started I GOT SICK WGDKDHS so i just got to writing it a bit ago. i’m really not proud of this at all so if you have any feedback i would love it so much !! thank you <33 and take care of yourself :3 also tell me if there’s any mistakes ahhh

btw!! this is a small thing but i think it could be a trigger warning, it’s mentioned the reader has tears in their eyes after taking pills, so if you have trouble with pills it can be taken that way but if that’s personal and you don’t like it, think of it as you coughed wayyyy too much shdkhd it’s up to your imagination!! again i hope you like this ying !!

a groan left your lips as you shifted in your seat, the words in front of you dancing and twirling. the burning in your chest built up and you lifted your arm to cough into it for the nth time.

crap. you were definitely sick.

you also had to finish this last piece of work up, and a part of your mind itched at you to finish it before you rest. your fingers typed frantically as your eyes squinted at the glaring screen, a pathetic attempt to shield yourself.

a soft click sounded from the front of your room, the sound blending in with the symphony of your keys clacking. light footsteps pulled a creak out of the tired floorboards, the sound snapping you out of your funk.

“thoma?” hope stumbled out of your lips in the form of your lovers name, and it was satiated as thoma stepped into the room, a small smile gracing his face.

“hello dear.” a pause followed as thoma’s eyes searched your face, his smile slowly giving way to a frown saturated in worry.

“you look,, unwell.”

fuzziness creeped out from the corners of your eyes as you peeked up at him, the temperature of your fever affecting you in ways you didn’t think was possible.

“stay here darling.” thoma said before he left, as if your muscles would listen to you if you even attempted to move. not even a minute later, thoma returns, a small thermometer dangling from his fingers. his fingers tapped at your chin, a smile painted with sympathy forming.

“open up, let me check your temperature.” your tongue pressed down on the cool plastic, and a small whimper left your throat at the unwanted intrusion. thomas’s hand moved to your cheek, his fingers slightly rubbing your cheekbone as he waited, his actions showing more love then any words could at this moment.

a loud beep interrupted the momentary silence, and the device was fished out of your mouth gently. thomas eyes squinted as he peered at the numbers on the screen, the corners of his mouth turning down slightly.

“you’re running a bad fever. have you eaten?” his question was answered as your stomach made a noise pitifully in response.

“i guess not. let’s get some food and meds in you, and then you can rest. i don’t want you feeling worse.” thoma set the thermometer gently aside, and you could see his brain mentally making a small list containing all the things to clean and tidy.

you shook your head groggily, your body saying thing and your words another.

“i have to finish. this one um.” you pointed vaguely at your work, hoping he’d get the picture.

his eyebrow raised, the action speaking a question his lips didn’t. a deep sigh left your chest as you just weakly shook your head.

“i can’t.”

thoma looked down at you, a small smile spreading over his face as he moved closer.

“i’ll just have to,” he paused, his arms wrapping around you as he lifted you, your hands immediately flying to his neck for support, “aid you in your decision making.”

a complaining whine left your body as you rested your face in the crook of his neck.

“my decision making process is perfectly fine.” you mumbled into him. his laugh vibrated throughout your body’s as he shifted you in his hold.

“right, and i have black hair darling.” a small chuckle left him at his own joke and your own frown was replaced by a giggle.

gentle hands eased you onto the bed, thoma’s embrace being replaced by the embrace of the soft bed. your eyes closed automatically, you just realized how utterly exhausted you were. soft shuffling was picked up by your ears, and you reluctantly opened your eyes to see thoma leaving the room gracefully, his actions quick and smooth. you rested your head against the headboard, but was promptly picked it up again as another coughing fit overtook your body. you sighed, your eyes closing again as you let sleep overtake you, a time pass as you waited for your lover.

“love.” a thumb brushed over your cheek as your eyes opened slightly, trying to register what was happening.

thoma stood in front of you, a bowl of hot soup and a small container of pills sitting on your beside table. time passed slowly as thoma helped you eat, soft praises filling the air as the bowl slowly emptied. shapes were rubbed into your back as you choked down your pills, gentle hands wiping the tears from your eyes.

“you did so well dear.” thomas eyes crinkled he looked at you, a soft kiss being placed to your forehead, as he sat in a chair beside your bed, one of his hands smoothing your hair, the other resting on top of your hand.

“now my love. you work so hard. i’m so proud of you, and that won’t lessen just because you’re resting. in fact i’ll be even more proud.” he winked at you, sending your heart into a flurry.

a kiss was pressed into your temple, another to your cheek.

“sleep well darling.”

and with that, you drifted off into a world created by your imagination.

hi !! thank you for reading this! if you did please rb (tags make me so happy but no pressure) and i hope you liked it!

taglist; @calyxcore, @ireallylikehamsters (send an ask to be removed or added)

[gaviicreates]

Journeys in Amigurumi (Bingo Roll 1)

Spoiler: This was a challenge!

For my first roll of the bingo card, I got "make an amigurumi" - and as someone who is most comfortable with flat 2D projects with little sewing, I knew this one would really be taking me out of my comfort zone. I'm not happy when I have to sew, and I am incredibly not happy when I have to attempt embroidery.

I may not do a full blog post for each bingo roll, but as this is so completely new to me and a large part of this bingo is the journey, here we go!

For full disclosure, I've made ONE amigurumi project before this, and I haven't picked up the technique once since. So before we dive in - have a quick picture of where I started 12 years ago.

I had to dig some really old photo archives for this one.

This lil' guy was made to be a warbler for my fandom at the time. I am sure he was based off a pattern, but it's unlikely I'll be able to find it now. I also don't think I know where this lil birb is anymore; he's gotten lost in the shuffle of moving a few times since.

Step 1: Research

Research - Before even choosing a pattern to begin this challenge, I wanted to first understand more about amigurumi, so I took to Youtube, which is my usual place to learn all things.

For my intro to amigurumi, I started with a few channels:

LePetitSaint Crochet, especially this Amigurumi fundamentals playlist; olliehollycrochet, especially this beginner tutorial video; For inspiration, I've also found Skein Spider

There are quite a few amigurumi channels out there - these are just a few that I enjoyed across my youtube dashboard.

The next step of research was finding a pattern, and I feel as though this is the part of the rabbit hole I am going to ADORE continuing to explore.

Step 2: Practice

Before I started "the" project, I wanted to first get a sense of the tension and play around with a project. Just something small. In effort to avoid buying more materials, I took to stash busting some of my scrap cotton. For the test piece, I found the pattern Octobuddy by the blog, Sweet Softies.

As someone with already pretty tight tension, working with a smaller hook took some getting used to, but I liked the way this pattern was written - he's an adorable little Octopus, but it also helped me get used to the shaping and stuffing process. I used household cotton balls since poly-fil isn't the type of thing I just have on hand. I did end up buying some for the final project.

This was a good exercise for me, as I started to feel comfortable with the actual crochet and using a tighter gauge. As I was sewing the eyes, I ended up pulling the cotton up or not being able to push the needle through. He was a bit overstuffed, or maybe I tried to assemble out of order, or maybe it's just my lack of sewing experience striking again.

Beyond that, the hardest part was in fact the the embroidery of the eyes, and his are quite... something. I was not originally going for the wink, but as the two sides became less uniform, I decided to lean into it. They still turned out pretty shoddy, and I can NOT stand doing this. I told myself never again, but for another spoiler... I did it again.

My Octobuddy might still be a bit overstuffed, but he's super squishy and relaxing to squeeze, just like a stress ball, the perfect size for my palm. So he's been hanging with me at my work desk.

Step 3: Do the thing

I won't say I was ready for the next thing, per se, but I also wasn't getting anywhere just looking at the cool things that could be made with this technique. So why not jump right in?

For my actual pattern selection, I chose "Hubble" by Projectarian, available on ravelry. I love me an aquatic creature, and it called to me that not only was this pattern free, it also came with a beginner friendly pdf, quick reference, and an entire selection of written tips for the new-to-amigurumi crafter.

Squid time!

Again, I wanted to use up scraps, so my first challenge with this pattern was adjusting it for the yarn weight I had on hand to use. As a result, the eyes were made with a way too tight tension. The pattern called for some crochet for the sleeping pupil lines, but there was no way I was going to get my hook in there. For the second time, I took up a sewing needle and attempted embroidery. This time turned out a bit better than the Octopus. I adore how soft he looks with the brown cotton yarn I decided to use when I couldn't find black.

At some point in attaching the legs and tentacles, I did lose track of where I was - but that was on me since I got lazy with the stitch markers. It was so close to the end, I was able to wing it to decrease the final row and stitch up the center. Before then, I added a bit more poly-fil.

I chose not to add pom-poms at the end of the legs for the same reason as I didn't add tassels to the blanket I made. Being a mom of three dogs makes you super aware of the types of things the furbabies will get into. You should've seen their faces when I brought home the poly-fil.

But I'm ranting away and you haven't even seen him yet!!

Step 4: Finished Object!

Body: Hobbii Rainbow Cotton 8/4 - Rosewood, 3.5mm Eyes: Hobbii Rainbow Glitter Gold 8/4 - Natural White, Hobbii Rainbow Cotton 8/4 - Light Brown, 2.00mm Legs and Tentacles: Hobbii Rainbow Cotton 8/4 - Rosewood, 3.25mm Pattern: Hubble the Squid by Projectarian I call him Hubblet since I made him so small. Sleeeepy squid baby.

Make an Amigurumi✔️

[checkoutmybookshelf]

Chapter 27 of ACOWAR is a goddamn masterclass in Rhys fucking up, but the most absolutely unhinged, uncalled for, and uncool moment of his entire attempt to get Mor to be cool with him invalidating her trauma and the betrayal of him *springing goddamn Eris Vanserra on her in the Hewn City* is this one:

This exceeds the bounds of usefulness and leaps like a fucking traumatized gazelle into trauma Olympics. And alpha male Rhys over here is like, "I have the biggest, hardest trauma dick you have ever fucking seen, and I will stick in BACK IN THE VAGINA DENTATA if I have to in order to protect you all."

In case the sarcasm above didn't make it abundantly clear, this is peak toxic masculinity. It's also inherently invalidating Mor's trauma and her desire to not be further traumatized for the good of the group, which is also a SUPER TOXIC GROUP DYNAMIC. There's taking one for the team and then there's "Why can't you just be cool already and let us hurt you more?" There's also "I would take unlimited hits for all of you and I can't believe you're being so ungrateful and unwilling to do the same," which...FOR FUCKS SAKE RHYSAND, SEE A THERAPIST.

Mor might have worded her example a little poorly, but she is genuinely asking for Rhys to take a second, empathize, and acknowledge her feelings. And if he'd taken a second and DONE THAT, instead of going off on her for not being willing to take trauma points she didn't consent to or get warned about in advance, they might have been able to come to "I did a shitty thing and I'd feel awful too, but here's why I did it and I'm sorry" instead of insensitive, reactionary bullshit that damaged that relationship further because Rhys refused to admit that he was wrong.

And I'm not letting his ass off the hook just because Amren shamed it into apologizing. "I'm sorry" doesn't cut it here. This reflects expectations that are clearly not shared by the group--and shouldn't be, because again, TAKING ALL THE BULLETS IS A BAD EXPECTATION--and the mismatched expectations need to be addressed. Also, Mor needs some goddamn support right now. So does Rhys, if I'm being fair and generous (I do not want to be, because he was a dick about it). This needs to be addressed in more depth than Amren shaming Rhys into apologizing right before he then drops the "Oh hey, I also hid crucial info from you too" speech that has Azriel and Cassian getting ready to evacuate the house.

The kicker here? This did not need to devolve into trauma Olympics. Rhys has more than enough experience to understand that he made a dick move and handled it badly, and the fact that he went full-on reactionary when called on it? Like, this was starting to read like a Feyre/Tamlin scene. Rhys has the experience and knowledge to FUCKING KNOW BETTER. The fact that it got to this point is on him and he needs to step back and reassess. He's not going to, but he needs to, and I am falling off the Feysand train HARD here.