#makes it easier that i tend to forget about things as soon as they leave my line of sight

[medi-bee]

[e-vay]

SONIC’S MOM (in my AU)

I’ve spent a really long time working on Sonic’s mom for my AU but I’m finally ready to share her with you!

I wrote this out in text form below the cut for those of you who need to translate it:

Domino was a free-spirited, independent hedgehog. Despite being dealt some rough cards in life, she always had an upbeat attitude and could find the silver lining to almost any situation. Domino had to get by with just the clothes on her back, so she quickly learned to be very resourceful. She was adamantly against material things, except for her one gold earring that she treasured. Her lack of funds led to a nomadic lifestyle, but this gave her a greater appreciation for the planet and she ended up loving her minimalist way of life.

A one-time tryst led to Domino being pregnant with Sonic at a relatively young age. Though she knew nothing about being a mom, she loved him instantly. She couldn’t offer him much, so she did her best to teach him how to make the most out of what little they had and to appreciate all the wonderful things the planet has to offer. Sonic was able to crawl, walk and soon run faster than most babies, so he was very quick to fend for himself. This made Domino’s life easier and more challenging at the same time!

PHLOX: Sonic’s biological father. He and Domino met while they were both passing through the same village and had instant chemistry. She wasn’t one to stay in one place for long, so she took off after one night together. He never knew about Sonic.

Being a young, single mom is tough enough. When your baby has the ability to run at super speeds, it gets even more complicated. Domino was constantly repairing Sonic’s baby shoes when he repeatedly wore the rubber off, but eventually even her trusty roll of duct tape wasn’t enough to cut it. She ended up giving up her solid gold earring to buy him a pair of durable shoes that could withstand his speed.

Domino had a bad habit of telling tall tales. She didn’t do this to be malicious; she just liked to make her life sound more interesting than it was. This tended to get her into trouble, but made for excellent bedtime stories!

One unfortunate night, a terrible storm rolled in and caused a flash flood in the forest where Domino and Sonic were occupying. Domino knew Sonic would be able to outrun it, so she urged him to get away and leave her behind. Domino did not survive.

This traumatic event had a huge impact on toddler Sonic and is not only the reason he’s afraid of water, but why he stopped talking for several years when he was little. With time, he forgets this event and even forgets Domino, and he finds his voice again.

[pomplalamoose]

Ooohhh how about different eras of luke (ROTJ is my fav if doing one is easier) and maybe some modern dilf!luke 👀 reacting to you laying your head on his shoulder when you’re tired or have a headache pre-relationship?

Anonnn, you don't understand, I'm obsessed with this ask. I just HAD to do every single Luke era plus the Dilf AU as the cherry on top because it's been so long since I last wrote something wholesome😩

also it reminds me of the posts I used to do when I first started writing and ngl I'm feeling a little nostalgic

• sweet ANH Luke with his open smile and honest eyes is so easy to approach and befriend, resting your head on his shoulder comes almost naturally

• though unbeknownst to you he'd immediately be on the brink to loose his mind

• already he tends to be a little jittery with nerves whenever you randomly appear in the same room he is in

• even more so now that he's finally admitted his major crush on you to himself

• so just imagine his excitement the moment you decide to sit next to him

• as soon as your head touches his shoulder he goes bright red and doesn't dare to move in fear of accidentally shooing you away, his heart beating wildly in his chest

• for a slight moment he forgets how to breathe, though it's not like he minds

• this is the best day of his life

• not only does he finally get to feel the warmth of having you so close by his side, but also your soft hair aginst his cheek if he dares to tilt his head just a little bit

• when eventually he manages to somewhat normalize his breathing, his thoughts will start to wander

• he's SO proud you're clearly comfortable and feeling safe with him

• but should he strike up a conversation? Ask how you're doing? If everything's okay?

• maybe he could make you laugh

• your hands look so soft; what if he were to reach out and just take them in his?

• would you mind?

• he's not sure, his aren't as pretty and smooth as yours

• you smell very nice

• wouldn't your current position make you look like a couple to an outsider passing by?

• what if, and he feels very bold just considering, but, what if you...like him?

• quickly enough he has a very hard time remaining calm

• and how could he? He needs to tell someone about this RIGHT NOW

• good luck trying to catch ESB Luke sitting still for even once

• though should you be as lucky to catch him during a moment of rest and manage to lean on him, he'll feel similarly as ANH Luke; excited, a little nervous even, though not as much as his younger self would have been

• still he has to fight off the blush rising into his cheeks and will absolutely deny ever changing colors should someone (especially Leia, Han or even R2) point it out

• at the same time he wishes for as many as possible to witness this very monumental moment, hoping everyone will see that you're leaning on HIS shoulder

• HIS!

• yeah that's right! In your face, (add in name of random rebellion member that also takes an interest in you)!!!

• if he's feeling extra bold, he may use the chance to put an arm around your shoulder

• but very carefully so; he's afraid to overstep any of your boundaries

• after all he's not sure if you'd even like to be held

• there's only one problem: how is he supposed to do anything now?

• he has places to be, things to do, an Empire to fight!

�� he's getting kind of warm too

• more than that actually

• Force, are you hiding a heater under all of your layers of clothing?

• also he just remembered; isn't there a meeting he has to attend?

• shouldn't he be working to improve his x-wing?

• he'll check on you out of the corner of his eye, trying to get a feeling for how long you plan to stay like this

• he needs to come up with a way to notify the others of his delay

• because there's no way he's moving even a single muscle

• he's not leaving you behind

• he simply can't!

• not when he was just chosen as your designated spot to rest your pretty but, admittedly, very heavy head

• but not to worry, of course he can handle it!

• he'll be here as long as you need him to be

• RotJ and post RotJ Luke is hard to keep tabs on and thus hard to find

• all you can hope for is to encounter him by pure chance, as he seems to simply have evaporated whenever you wander around searching for him

• though despite his withdrawn ways he's always welcoming and inviting should you happen upon him

• he, above anyone else, understands the importance of rest during a busy day

• he smiles mildly to himself as soon as you settle down and scoot close enough for your arms to touch

• the emotions you are unconsciously emitting, may it be nervousness, excitement or shyness, amuse him a great deal and he's keen to see whether you'll overcome them this time or not

• I don't think he'd tell you outright that he enjoys your presence, that it tends to calm him down and to ease his mind, until much later

• but despite what he is or isn't saying he can't help but feel a little warm inside whenever you come across him during the day

• despite that he can never not worry at least a little bit about your well-being and immediately feels the need to check in on you either with words or a gentle probe with the Force to make sure you're okay

• if he has the time to stay with you for a while he asks if you'd like to lay down

• see, he can shuffle to the side a little and then you could rest your head on his thigh instead of on his shoulder

• wouldn't that be more comfortable?

• he doesn't have a blanket in case you're cold, but maybe you could use his cloak?

• it's not the best, maybe a little rough and still a little dirty from his last trip as he didn't have the time to wash it yet, but it does a good job of keeping a person warm

• he doesn't show how happy he is should you follow his invite and agree to rest beside him, though maybe Leia would notice

• and possibly so would you by how he'd start to absentmindedly stroke your head and play with your hair whenever others are around to keep him properly distracted

• I think Dilf!Luke's reaction would really depend on the current situation/ on how far your relationship has already developed at that point

• here it's important to note though that he'd never tell you off or send you away for initiating contact, not even after just recently getting to know you

• yes he's standoffish and withdrawn, cold in demeanor, seemingly displeased with your presence in his house

• but when it comes down to it he is kind, always has been, even if he hides it away to protect himself

• his behavior towards you is nothing personal; the emotions you call forth are his to deal with

• he may try to at first but ultimately knows deep down that he can't hold you accountable for how his past still troubles him

• he's a father, deeply caring in nature

• no matter what, he could never bring himself to deny anyone his child's age comfort

• though he might be a little confused about why you chose him, of all people, to rest your head on

• after all it's not like he's been going out of his way to be peculiarly inviting or nice - quite the contrary actually

• he'll remain very still for the duration of your vicinity, involuntarily stiffening not only out of surprise but because it's been so long that anyone outside of his immediate family initiated intimacy

• he's so touch starved, so used to rarely feeling a person's warmth, that your simple act catches him off guard

• suddenly he has no idea what to do, how to continue on after

• for your own good and his child's sake he wants to keep you at an arm's length and yet...

• if he wasn't enamored with you before, he is so now

• he thinks back to those moments of doubt and insecurity frequently

• but where they once haunted him, they now serve as a reminder for how far he's come and what he was able to finally leave behind

• he's proud of himself too, yes, but most of all to call you his

• every little touch of yours, and may it be one as innocent as laying your head on his shoulder, fills him with joy

• never, in a thousand years, would he once have believed to be in a position to reciprocate your gentle displays of trust and affection

• but now that he can, now that everything feels a little less like a dream, it's all he wants to do

• (and he does)

• (forehead kisses are his favorite way to, he can't help it)

• (not when you placed yourself so conveniently)

[imtrashraccoon]

Dragon Au Headcanons?

if you have anything at the moment.

I wrote out bullet points days ago but kept forgetting to actually expand on them... Oh well, here's some little things I thought of, as well as, a few things you sent me. :3 (I should mention that this is all in regards to their dragon forms and not the gaster blaster/humanoid ones.)

The Dark Fortress: Dragon AU Headcanons

They're essentially immortal in the sense that they only grow stronger with age and they aren't affected by most physical ailments. It is technically possible to kill them but their scales make them nigh invulnerable to most weapons so anyone who tries will need the aid of magic. Fortunately for them, mages tend to be rather squishy.

All of them like being pet or groomed, but only by their mortal friend and they all react differently to the idea with some being more open to it than others.

Donovan will only let you touch him when no one else is around and even then, you better not make a big deal out of it. He's a big powerful dragon and you're a puny little mortal; he's letting you live so you better be grateful. Just don't stop halfway through or you'll have a grumpy dragon on your hands.

Dirk loves getting attention, nearly as much as he loves causing mayhem, and you'd be lucky to get him to sit still for ten minutes. He doesn't care if others are around, if anything he'll gloat that you're giving him attention instead, just don't be too affectionate or he might become more unpredictable than usual.

Maul seems like he could care less if you touch him or not and he'll often let you do whatever, so long as you don't approach him from the right side (his blind spot) first. Truthfully, he really likes your attention but as he's a dragon of few words, so you'll have to figure it out through body language.

Reven is in-between. He mostly keeps to himself so you'll have to go out of your way to give him attention. He definitely ignored you at first, hoping you'll get bored and leave, but when you don't, he realizes that he actually really likes the attention.

All dragons have the compulsion to create and protect hordes and these boys are no exception.

Naturally, Donovan has the largest horde although his is mostly books and gold. He's very particular about where everything goes and will get upset if anyone moves or destroys anything.

Dirk mostly collects sharp things, particularly if they're shiny. Although, this isn't limited to weapons as evident by all the cutlery littering his den.

Before being cursed, Maul already had a bit of a problem with the thought of food scarcity and he actively preserved any food he could. Now, his instincts have been magnified and he regularly goes out of his way to hunt and steal any food he can find.

Reven wasn't much of a hoarder before, unless you count him keeping track of all the murders he perpetuated. Now, he likes to collect soft things like scarves, blankets, flags, etc. It would actually be kind of sweet if these weren't collected from the victims of raids he regularly goes on.

You'd think that being a super powerful dragon is all that, right?

Well that's what Donovan thinks anyways, although sometimes he does find himself missing his tendrils or wishing he could read a book without accidentally tearing the pages.

Dirk loves his new form, however he can't exactly pull any partners with how large he is now.

Maul has possibly the hardest time adapting out of all of the boys since he's even more clumsy than before.

Surprisingly or unsurprisingly, Reven could care less, especially since he can kill things easier in this form.

They actually really like when you tag along for adventures, although don't get any ideas of becoming a dragon rider anytime soon.

Donovan will smack you over the head with his wing if you ever bring up the idea of saddling him.

Dirk may not mind too much as he's hard to keep up with even on the ground, but don't let the others know.

Maul welcomes the idea since you can watch out for threats and he knows exactly where you are at any given time.

Reven doesn't like the idea either but he'll give in after he realizes that it isn't very safe to ride him without a saddle.

Each of them have their own way of fighting although some of their techniques have been simplified now that they're massive creatures.

Donovan prefers to use his tails to send foes flying in close combat but otherwise uses his breath weapon or magic.

Dirk almost exclusively uses a special blade he fitted to the tip of his tail, although his bite packs a mean poison too.

Maul prefers the simple approach of throwing his weight around and he makes good use of his claws, teeth, horns, and even wings.

Reven actually switches up his fighting style, opting to use his breath weapon and magic rather than getting up close to enemies.

As dragons, they enjoy being worshipped or admired to some degree.

Donovan already desired to rule over the whole world and this desire was only heightened. He demands respect from everyone - be they human, monster, or beast alike.

Dirk revels in the idea of being revered. Unfortunately, he wouldn't be a good ruler at all as he has no experience and his ego would be his own downfall.

Maul can't deny that it's appealing when people admire and respect him. Although, the poor guy doesn't want to actually rule over anyone and his trauma would likely hinder his ability to do so.

Reven definitely gets a power trip whenever people fall on their face and beg him for mercy. He also has no interest in ruling as he'd sooner slaughter anyone stupid enough to stick around when he's raiding a village.

They each have scars; some that carried over from their old forms and some new ones.

Donovan has poc marks on his wings as the corruption didn't mesh well with his dragon form at first and his right eye is still covered by said corruption.

Dirk mostly has new scars from weapon strikes, thanks to him preferring to get up and close in a fight, but his warped soul is still the same.

Maul actually had his scars carry over, as evidenced by his right horn being broken and being blind in the same eye.

Reven hasn't sustained any obvious new scars but you wouldn't really be able to tell if he even has any in the first place since he tries to conceal them with his hood and wings.

[i-write-things]

Hey Pen, hope things are going good for you. An idea struck me today. Yan!Chrollo (not so sure about the regular one but, who knows, maybe it works) Takes darling to meet the Troupe and maybe get along with them and all that, they're his group after all. (and since darling's been confined and only seeing him, so it got tiresome/boring - for the darling, that is) BUT darling ends up falling in love with one of the members instead. Sounds like a recipe for disaster. What do you think? Sorry if it doesn't make sense or it's weirdly worded.

Oh, this...this would break my man's dead heart.

Chrollo is very patient. Yandere or not. It takes quite a bit to truly upset him. But this? Yes...this does it.

If it where anyone else, perhaps a friend of yours, a stranger, ect., then it's no problem for Yan!Chrollo. He'll just make sure you don't love them. For example, he'll spread false information about them that will make you hate them. Or, y'know, he could just kill them. A classic choice.

But a troupe member? He feels betrayed in two different ways. More so from you. He knows he shouldn't feel that way, because his darling hasn't fallen for him yet. And he especially knows he shouldn't feel that way towards his troupe member. It's not their fault, after all. Plus, he's quite confident that his members would never dare to try to steal you from him. But that doesn't take away from the fact he is upset.

Taking you to meet the troupe was supposed to be a nice thing for you. You've been cooped up in whatever place he has been keeping you in. So he decided to take you out somewhere to interact with others. He knows very well that humans are social creatures. So not only would it do you some good to interact with other humans other than him, but it would also serve another purpose. Anything you tell them, they tell him.

So you can imagine he doesn't care all that much when you first start requesting to go along with him when he sees the troupe. He thinks maybe you just want to interact with other humans, he understands. He also is pretty relieved. This could not only mean that they would tell him more about you, but it's also a good sign you're going to come around soon and maybe return his love.

However, what he isn't slow to notice, is how you spend most of your time with one member in particular. And while at first, that's just who he assumes you get along with best, he very quickly realizes otherwise. The way they make you smile much easier than he does, despite being 10x more charismatic. The way you tend to stand closer to them when talking to them, as opposed to how close in proximity you stand to him while talking.

The next time he mentions going to see his troupe, he denies your request to go along with him. If you keep pushing, he will eventually respond with "Why? So you can speak to your crush, [troupe member]?" Yes, he does call you out like that.

If you deny it, he just chuckles in a similar fashion to when he chuckled right before he revealed to Hisoka he couldn't use nen anymore. He then goes on to tell you about everything he notices about your behavior around them that points to having a crush. If you just act shocked, but never deny it, he just leaves about his business. Until you ask a question that makes him slowly turn around.

-"Why?" -"Why? Why won't I let you see them? Well, simply put, I find it unfair how I put all my patience towards you. How I care about you and think about you constantly, yet you fall for a person who would have likely killed you had they not known your association with me." Yes, he goes for a low blow like that. Of course he does, he wants you to forget all about them, and love him instead.

After that, he just leaves. He leaves you alone for quite a bit, actually. He wants you to reflect on what he said. Can't you see? They wouldn't care about you even a fraction of what he cares about you! They wouldn't keep you company, give you constant attention, give you gifts, and do all the things he does.

You've gone from having a least a little human interaction, coming from him, to none for a solid couple of days. While he spends this time away, he just thinks a lot about what it is you like about said member and not him? He would change a couple of things about him to be more similar to them, but at the same time, he wants you to fall for him, not them.

You're not the only one to hurt from being alone for so long. Chrollo is also missing you deeply. Don't worry, as he comes back, he has a gift for you that he stole got for you. Then he'll continue to give you some extra attention. Hopefully your time away from everyone have you enough time to think about how lucky you are to be with him.

Oh, and as for the troupe member, he doesn't say anything to them about it. After all, it's not their fault. And if they ask why he stopped bringing them, he straight up tells them, "Hm...They needed some time to themself, that's all."

...He trusts them, but it doesn't take away from they fact they still worried about you.

[schmergo]

I live in a village surrounded by wolves.

There weren't always wolves in the woods. For most of my lifetime, the village was a pretty safe place to be. Sure, you'd get the very occasional bear, perhaps a rabid raccoon, but they rarely ventured out of the woods and were usually quickly captured or driven away. The wolves were different.

The villagers say there haven't been wolves in these parts for over a hundred years. Who knows what environmental upheaval brought this pack to the outskirts of our village, or why these wolves behaved so differently from most. They weren't afraid of people. In fact, they seemed to have an unusual appetite for human flesh and soon began wandering into the village at night. Most wolf experts will tell you that they rarely harm people, but these were a different breed. And they bred rapidly.

When the wolves first arrived, we were terrified. Everyone stayed locked in their homes as much as we could, afraid a wolf might take us if we stepped outside. We thought traveling in groups would make us safer, but we were wrong. The smell of multiple people together would draw the wolves toward them. The larger the group, the faster the wolves showed up. There was a poor harvest that year as nobody felt safe enough to spend much time tending the fields. Those of us unscathed by the wolves went hungry.

The rest were even less fortunate. The wolves would attack every night, mauling citizens, leaving long claw marks along their faces and bodies. Some took limbs. And others took lives. My family was lucky to escape unharmed... except for my uncle. One night, he fell sick. It wasn't safe for the doctor to walk from the other end of the village to our house, not at night when the wolves were most active. We knew that medicine could have saved my uncle, but there would be nobody to save the doctor. Besides, there were more pressing things for him to do: he was busy tending to all of the wounds the wolves left behind. We burned my uncle's body in the morning to avoid drawing the wolves with the stench of his decomposing flesh.

Everything changed when the village leaders made a discovery. The wolves were afraid of fire. People who carried torches through the village were safe from wolf attacks. Soon we began leaving rings of lit torches around every business in town. It wasn't perfect. The fire carried risks of its own, and we had to appoint people to tend the flames at all hours of the day, ever on guard for wolves. Soon, life returned to something approaching normal.

That's not to say it was completely normal. Carrying torches everywhere meant you never had a free hand, you couldn't get too close to anyone else, and you always had to be aware of the fire. Your arm would get tired out quickly after a day of errands. Keeping torches lit around homes and businesses was time-consuming and our eyes and throats were irritated by the ever-present smoke. Still, I welcomed the newfound freedom from wolves. For the first time in over a year, I started to feel safe in the village again, and so did the rest of the villagers. Maybe a little too safe.

Because one day, the village leader announced that the wolves were gone. "There hasn't been a sighting in weeks," he said. "Not within the village itself. The only attacks lately have been isolated cases of people walking through the woods at night without torches. We believe the torches have scared the wolves away for good. Starting next week, you can stop carrying them within the village. The ring of torches around the homes and businesses will be enough to keep the wolves away. Portable torches are only necessary when walking through the woods themselves."

At first, I was as excited as the rest of the village. Not only did carrying around a torch get a little tiring, it also meant that I was also always thinking about wolves. Walking around without a torch made it so much easier to forget about them. Of course I still tended to the torches around my home, but I didn't worry when moving through the village.

Until I got the news about my sister.

Her injuries weren't serious, mostly just superficial wounds that healed quickly, but her head ached for months afterward from where the wolf jumped on her and slammed her head into the hard ground. She was sensitive to light and smells. My sister had just lit fresh torches around her home that morning, and she walked a safe and well-lit path through the center of the village to the market. Nobody could say why the wolf chose her. It was a freak accident, they said.

Still, from that day forward, I began carrying a torch again. If it could happen to my sister, so much taller and stronger than me, it could happen to me. And I wasn't the only one. As rumors of other isolated wolf attacks started to spread through the village, some of my other friends and family members began carrying torches again, too.

"There have been no deaths caused by wolves in the village since we began lighting communal torches. We believe the wolves' behavior has fundamentally changed over the course of this year and they now fear humans," the village leader reassured us. "Wolf attacks have always been a normal part of coexisting with nature. The village is close to the woods and animal attacks cannot be completely avoided. But although we may all be susceptible to wolf attacks, rest assured that they will be mild, nothing more than a few scrapes that will heal quickly. Don't be afraid to leave your homes."

But I was. Especially when I realized that the torches were starting to burn out around town. There were no longer villagers tending the torches night and day. Some homes and shops took them down entirely. Some left a single pathetic guttering torch by the front door, scarcely enough to keep away a squirrel, let alone a wolf. The schoolhouse only lit its torches once per week. They didn't have the budget to maintain them every day, the teacher said. The village leader used to provide free supplies to protect the schoolhouse, but those were all gone now.

I kept the torches lit around my house. I carried a torch whenever I walked through the village, though my trips became fewer and further between now that the wolf attacks had started to increase again. I no longer felt safe anywhere without torches, and this now included the homes of some of my dearest friends and family members.

"The wolf attacks really aren't that bad. I've had worse stubbed toes," said my sister, who seemed to have forgotten about her months-long ordeal entirely.

"They actually say that if you've been attacked by a wolf before, they'll leave you alone. They can smell it on you. It's best to get it over with before the winter when the nights are longer," said my neighbor, whose deep scarring went all the way to the muscle. His wife had already been attacked three times.

"I actually hear they haven't been wolf attacks at all these last couple months," said my brother, who had woken up one morning to find his right leg a mangled mess. "They say it's not the wolves but the fire. The torches outside people's houses are starting fires and burning people at night. They're more dangerous than the wolves. I won't have torches anywhere around me."

I heard those same sentiments from everyone around me. They seemed cheerful and unafraid... but many of them didn't seem the same as before, either. I could tell their injuries bothered them and work in the village went slowly with so many people still healing. There was scarcely a single lit torch to be seen in the village anymore, and I took to carrying two with me everywhere I went. It was frustrating to no longer have a free hand. Carrying two torches made life much more difficult, but I was sure it was easier than surviving wolf attack after wolf attack. If I could no longer depend on the rest of the village to keep me safe. I could only do it for myself.

"This makes no sense!" I told the village leader. "The only reason the wolves stopped attacking was the torches. Why would you remove torches from the village when that was what was keeping everyone safe? Everyone I know has been attacked by wolves except for me! This isn't sustainable!"

The village leader looked as healthy and strong as ever but I knew he'd been walking more slowly since his first wolf attack. "Bur hardly anyone has died," he said. "The wolves have changed. They've become more mild, more manageable. Minor injuries heal and people get back to work. We can't keep torches lit forever. That's expensive and dangerous, and counterintuitive to the way we work together here."

I missed the village harvest festival that year. I was too afraid to gather with so many people and not a single torch to be seen except for my own. Then I missed the spring festival. Everyone told me they missed me. They asked me to come over to their homes to drink tea and catch up. Their homes, surrounded by burned out torches that hadn't been lit in months. Their homes, where they pleasantly told me, "Oh, don't bring your torch in here. It's safe here! You don't need to worry about me!"

I did go to my nephew's naming ceremony. I knew it wasn't safe, but I also knew I'd never get this chance again. My mother assured me there would be protections against wolves. She said the priest had been preparing for weeks for this ceremony and every precaution possible would be put in place to keep us protected.

The door to the chapel was open when we arrived. The priest was nowhere to be seen, but there was a wolf standing the middle of the chapel.

We were lucky. Almost all of us made it out of the chapel unharmed. It only took the slowest member of the party: my grandfather.

"That was a freak accident," said the village leader. "The priest should have known not to leave the door open." Nobody ever saw the priest again, and though the village leader thought he'd fled the village, I knew differently.

"Wolves are nothing to be afraid of," said my father, who could no longer swallow solid food after the wolves had torn open his throat.

"Remember when wolves were in the village in 2020? That was a crazy year," said my mother, the one who had led us to the chapel in the first place. "Thank heavens we don't have to worry about that anymore."

"When are you going to stop being afraid of wolves and live your life again?" said my friend, who could no longer stand at the stove to cook for longer than five minutes.

Sometimes I almost wondered if the bite of the wolf had changed something in my loved ones, something deeper than skin or bone. They almost seemed... eager for me to get attacked by wolves like the rest of them. Like they were all part of something that I was not. What was it about those wolves that made them so different from other wolves, and how did they breed so quickly? Why were people so eager to remove torches from their homes after getting attacked instead of becoming more cautious? And why did I see the flicker of fear in my friends' eyes when I carried a torch with me, backing away from me the same way I'd seen wolves do so many times?

Anyway, this is a story about living through four years of a global pandemic. I've kept the wolf away from my door this long, but I don't know if I'll be able to for much longer.

[jamneuromain]

In Heat Headcanon

with Steve, Andy, Ari, and Lloyd (Alpha) x You (Omega)

fluff and lil smut, some cheesy thoughts I had about them

Steve

He likes taking care of you. Maybe a little too much. Food and drinks are always stocked in the fridge when you are in heat. He will prepare electrolyte drinks because you sweat a lot, and you need sodium and calcium so that your legs won't cramp when you are riding him.

He will give you anything you want, whether it's his knot or his cum. He won't run a bath afterward. You have caught a cold doing so before. He would clean you with a wet towel.

Your nest is the utmost important thing to him, ranking No.2 in his list of protection. (No. 1 being you) He likes watching you fuss over your nest being not comfy enough and drag him to your nest. He would happily oblige, rubbing his scent over the blankets and comforters, making it easier to calm the omega inside you when he's in the kitchen preparing refreshments.

Andy

He will see it as his personal goal to make you pregnant with a pup. Does it turn you on that he has a breeding kink? Yes. He will continue to fuck you even if his knot has popped up. He will continue to fuck his cum deeper inside you.

He will be super protective during your heat, noticing his business partner that he will be taking care of his omega in the coming week, and no one comes to his house unless he says so.

He will mark you over and over again, never tired of it. He'd love it if you wear his mark to work after your heat. Hell, he'd love it if you mark him as well. (Though he is still working on it, because every time in heat you are too fucked out to do anything)

Ari

He purposefully put his clothes in your nest to have you more addicted to his scent. He loves to see you all whiny and begging when you are writhing in your nest, wanting him to soothe your pain. He will tease and rub your pussy, until you beg prettily, just the way he wants.

Ari is sensitive, and he feels everything through the bond that you two share. Hence, he tends to your needs just right, whether you want him caressing your thighs, or you want him to hold you close, Ari detects and fulfills your needs even before they are spoken.

Oh and he's not leaving this bed unless extremely necessary. Your body will be sore when the heat is over, that's for sure.

Lloyd

This bastard is the sole reason you are in heat cycles and small heat fever way more frequent than any omega else. He doesn't allow you to use a scent blocker on your neck because he wants to smell your sweet scent all the time. He will push you into heat whenever he likes it, and he only gives you an inflatable knot, which is far from enough. He will ask you to bounce yourself on his cock and warm him when his knot roots deep in you.

Despite being an asshole, Lloyd babies you when you have terrible cramps. He likes you to sit on his lap and rub your belly for you. He will pepper you with kisses, tickling your cheeks with his moustache (he's Lloyd after all), and tells you about one of his missions to distract you from the bad cramps. You soon giggle and forget about the pain.

[tetsunabouquet]

Basic Instinct (Akashi X F!Reader)

A/N: My Akashi drabble! I think. I never do word count so I never know if it’s actually too long or not... Warning: mentions of parentification, toxic parents, mentions of neglect and mental illness. I’m using some of my own experiences growing up with a mentally unstable mother, so the reader is female coded due to it.  Don’t worry, my Takao headcanon will be out soon! Masterpost Seijuro Akashi had not expected to be feel so exhausted after losing for the first time. His pleasure in basketball had returned to him, as well as his original personality, but it seemed like everything else was collapsing. His father was understandably pissed for having lost the Winter Cup and had doubled the extra tutoring he was given. Aside for the usual likes of eating, taking a shower, going to bed, he did nothing for himself. He didn’t even had time to sit down to read a book in the weekends anymore. But amidst the crumbling of his world, there seemed to be one person that noticed just how hard he was struggling to breathe. You. His other personality had dismissed you as nothing but an annoyance and as someone wasting their future, as you clearly were an intelligent student considering you never failed a class despite skipping often. Vivacious, playful and bright, everyone tended to dismiss your behavior. It was like you had everyone wrapped around your little finger. But after you had started annoyingly keeping an eye on him, he did some of his own. As in digging. It hadn’t been difficult to find your mother’s diagnosis. It had been easy to find a neighbor willing to admit that they spotted you bringing home your mom, who always seemed very drunk whenever the two of you had a family gathering, that your mother often seemed to behave like she was your younger sister instead of your mother and that they’d often heard the two of you fighting.  Even easier to watch you every day, and to notice the little things like the occasional reluctant tremble of your lip whenever school was over, like you did not wish to go home. His other self had grown uncomfortable under your gaze, like you could see into his soul. Something he certainly hadn’t given you the permission for. His original self, on the other hand, whilst still a tiny bit terrified, was mostly relieved at your knowing (e/c) eyes always looking out for him.

Two souls who didn’t had much of a childhood. Two souls forced to grow up early. Two souls carrying a burden they shouldn’t bear. Two souls who handled it with surprising grace and maturity. Two souls who had found each other. Akashi decided to approach you after school, one time when training was cancelled because of the flu going on and half of the team and their coach being sick. He wanted to open up to you, get to know the girl who smiled like the sun in spite of her heavy heart.  Seeing you during lunch break had basically convinced him to do it.  You had been talking to the girl in the seat next to him.  “But, don’t forget Mari-Chan, if Yamazaki does turn out to be cheating, I’ll sell my soul to the devil to have him killed and burn in hell for all eternity.” You swore, with a deadpan look that made your friend giggle. You flashed her a cheeky grin, because there was one thing you very much liked doing; making your friends smile. Brightening their moods.  That was why you were a friend he’d like to have. Your consistent lively, almost cheery attitude that held so much caring intent behind it, was infectious. He surprisingly found himself in need of it.  You were just about to put in your headphones, a heavy sigh leaving your lips until you noticed his approaching figure. “Akashi-san,” you greeted politely, and he smiled at you. “I noticed you didn’t ate that much at lunch today. How about I take you to Maji burger?” He asked, knowing the Maji Burger in Kyoto was on your way home. You eyed him suspiciously, and he admitted, it might have been a bit too much for a first conversation, but he didn’t like the idea your mother wasn’t ensuring you ate enough. “Fine, but you better not pull something on me.”  You noticed Akashi seemed a bit nervous at Maji Burger, so you asked him what was up. “If I am to be honest, I should be home by now and following my extra classes.” He admitted, and exhaled deeply as he decided to be honest with you. After all, he knew more about your homelife then you did with his. If he was going to be your friend, he should play open cards, he reasoned.  Instantly, your casual demeanor changed, becoming serious at the drop of a hat. “Akashi, you’re at the top of our class. You’re student council president, captain and pretty much the most competent person in our entire school despite you being a First Year. You don’t need extra classes,” your voice was kind but stern, “What you need, is to relax. To let yourself have fun, even if it means slacking. Otherwise you will never have a great life.”  “Do you seriously think being a slacker will bring you a great life?” Akashi asked, a brow raised at the notorious slacker. “Not slacking per se,” you retorted. “It’s about giving yourself some air and perhaps a laugh or two when you need it. Aristotle says a great life has known both great sadness and great joy. It’s about knowing both and the balance within it, kinda similar to Taoism in that aspect. It’s my life’s philosophy, and I’d rather listen to people who have been praised for millenia throughout history then to your father who most will have forgotten about in two hundred years, no offense.” You responded, and Akashi couldn’t stop one of the corners of his mouth from curling up at your remark. Nobody had ever put his father’s parenting down like that, whilst providing a rather solid argument. Akashi could feel cupid’s arrow passing through his heart as he replied, “None taken. Perhaps you could teach me a thing or two about having a great life.” Your cheeks flushed, but your eyes were glittering with excitement. “I’d be honoured.” Akashi was feeling bold, and as if he could breathe, as he smiled.  Defying his father felt good. Really good.

Together, the two souls will find great joy. 

[5and3nevermind]

I think this is an emotional time. We miss three of the members, and four more will be leaving soon. Even though we knew it was coming, it’s sad to think that very soon, all seven members will be gone and we’ll miss them all terribly.

This is also a quiet phase for yoonmin. Again, even though we knew it was coming, it doesn’t make it easier.

It’s just human nature that when things are quiet, we can fall victim to recency bias, meaning that we place more importance on recent events and tend to think less about the significance of previous events.

In the spirit of avoiding recency bias, I’d just like to offer a list. I find lists and facts really reassuring. Maybe you do too.

From Oct 2022-August 2023, Yoongi and Jimin worked together quite a bit!

💛 Tourism ads

💛 Art for Indigo with Joon

💛 Ddeun Ddeun

💛 Like Crazy and Haegeum dance challenges

💛 Two episodes of Suchwita

💛 Suga | Agust D “road to army” video

💛 Tony Montana

That’s a pretty nice list! We also know that they hung out in their free time:

💙 Sushi dinner

💙 Working out together

💙 Discussing Face Off and human relationships

💙 Getting a meal together after Ddeun Ddeun filming

💙 Jimin attending two D-Day concerts other than the one where he performed TM and LC.

💙 Drinks the day after the second Seoul concert

💙 Drinks prior to Yoongi’s enlistment

💙 Celebrating Jimin’s birthday

💙 Jimin watching Yoongi’s birthday live from home, taking a video of himself watching, and posting it on Weverse

💙 Yoongi attending Jimin’s music show recording

💙 Yoongi peeking in on Jimin’s dance practices at Hybe (this came up during Suchwita with Taeyang)

💙 Jimin telling Jimmy Fallon the two members he sees most often are Hobi and Yoongi

💙 Yoongi saying during a d-day event that the member he spoke to most recently was Jimin

I’ll also add a third category, which seems to be a mixture of work and free-time:

💚 Jimin and Yoongi’s live in Newark.

💚 Yoongi joining Jimin’s video call.

So…that’s a pretty good list right? Let’s not forget these things moving forward. It will be ok.

[rindemption]

If someone was impersonating them, what would friends / family ask or do to tell the difference?

What simple activity that most people do / can do scares your character?

What’s a secret they haven’t told serious romantic partners and don’t plan to tell?

What’s a simple daily activity / motion that they mess up often? For both Nathan and Vito mwah just some nice regular questions that anyone would ask :) <3333

Oh my god I'm sorry this took so long I couldn't figure out how to answer them 😭😅 You picked hard questions. But thank you, it gave me a lot to think about!

From these questions here:

11. If someone was impersonating them, what would friends / family ask or do to tell the difference?

I think with Nathan the easiest option would be just to wait and see if his behavior is off. Otherwise, Valen can simply ask him questions regarding the early days of their relationship and he'll know pretty quickly.

With Vito, honestly just ask him to shift. If the impersonator is human, they won't be able to, and if they're a werewolf they won't physically be able to shift the same way Vito does.

(Disregarding the fact that both Valen and Vesper would know because of the fact that they're vampires and Nathan and Vito are their bonded mates. The impersonator wouldn't feel or smell right.)

22. What simple activity that most people do / can do scares your character?

I'll be honest I've been wracking my brain since getting this question and cannot for the life of me think of an answer. Both Nathan and Vito have their fears and insecurities, but none of them fit into "simple activities others can easily do". They don't fear driving or social settings or even making phone calls, anything like that. So the honest answer is: nothing.

37. What’s a secret they haven’t told serious romantic partners and don’t plan to tell?

Nathan keeps to himself when someone tries to flirt with him when Valen isn't around. He shuts any advances down as soon as they happen, and he's not worried about Valen thinking he's cheating. But he knows if Valen was aware of it he'd potentially get aggressively possessive, and as much as Nathan likes that about Valen, sometimes it's easier to keep the peace by keeping things to himself. Unless it reaches an uncomfortable extreme, or Nathan doesn't feel safe, then he tells him immediately.

Vito, he'll likely never tell Vesper exactly how painful shifting can be. He's done it for so long and so often, he's gotten very good at getting it over with quickly and ignoring the pain. But tendons and muscles and bones shifting and changing will always hurt. It's a part of him, the wolf trapped under his skin, and giving that up isn't an option in his mind. So rather than worrying the man who cares about him, he just grits his teeth and keeps the aching to himself. Like how people who live with chronic pain have a different baseline for pain levels.

57. What’s a simple daily activity / motion that they mess up often?

Neither really have that problem, not long term at least. Nathan's issues lie in his memory, so messing something up tends to stem from forgetting, while Vito often just has to overcome usual learning curves. Both are in their own way adept at adjusting to their situation, and willing and able to make changes to their routines or how they do something to accommodate themselves if needed. At worst, Nathan might forget to grab something before leaving the house if it's not part of his routine, and Vito might accidentally skip lunch if he's busy. But they don't often mess up the simple things frequently.

[solarxpunk]

night-ingale.

PROMPT: [  NIGHT-INGALE  ]:     after being badly beaten, one muse shows up on the other muse’s doorstep, pleading for help. the other obliges, brings them in and gently cleans their wounds, bandaging them up, helping them as much as they can while quiet confessions and gentle pleas happen. basically, angst and emotion and hurt and comfort, and it’s DELICIOUS–

ft. @rctinamaze

❝ ━━ :

i found myself thinking about eli’s words from our first reunion. 

“…you’re always alone…” 

and here i was, alone, … again. it stings a little more now than it did then. yet it proved the same point i made just a year before—things were far easier this way. there was no fear of losing someone you loved.  no—i’d much prefer the solace of my thoughts over that. 

the memory repeats itself, as is usual when i find myself alone in my head. 

“I have to go back…”

I didn’t… and while it wasn’t truly my responsibility, it somehow still felt like it was. 

The radio frequency was clear that night, and it felt like my only opportunity ever to find them again; coordinates broadcasted in code calling for reinforcements were uncommon for underground militias. I panicked it’d be their last message ever. surely I needed to take this seriously…right? 

—GEN leader has been captured, operation safehouse is in action—

“they’re alone—eli. I have to go back. I can’t just forget them…

...come with me…” 

it would be a short-lived trip, one that resulted in the closure of a chapter, but opened the beginning of a new one: where would I go from here? who would I go with? would I return to those who once believed in me, but whose silence was equally as damning when I was cast out…or would I choose them, the crew of misfits that I was growing to love and of course him,  alongside them? 

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀☢️ ☢️ ☢️

small taps echoing near the entrance of my shelter rip me away from the scenarios replaying in my mind. it had been weeks since I came across anyone and I saw no traces of being followed in my travels. this abandoned wooden cottage, which had survived the war and all its environmental peril, served as a respite from the cooling temperature. while seasons were not as predictable as they once were, something told me the bone-settling chill of old man winter lingered outside the small camp I’ve settled into. The only source of light was behind me now, a strong roaring fire that i tended to for hours, entranced by its dancing flames and glowing embers.

 i grab my gun, ready it for action, and inch closer to the sound, clinking and clanking as if stumbling toward my location. quickly a sweaty palm extends towards the doorknob, shaking as it grips the door open. the warmth of the room dissipates and the sharp grip of frost greets me. 

“find your own camp—” i state with an air of authority, pointing my gun at the figure that soon collapsed onto their knees leaving me stunned. 

i hadn’t seen him in months, not since our fight. not since the night i left him, ignoring the pleas to stay behind, to be patient, and that we’d figure it out together. i can barely make out the words that slip from his mouth, but i know he needs help. battered, bruised, and bloody; his trembling body lets me know he’s accomplished a lot getting here in this winter freeze. my gun is reholstered and i fall onto my knees, pulling him towards my embrace instinctively. panic is settling inside of me as i take a thorough look at him. i stand hurriedly, knowing that the longer we stay out here, the quicker we’ll be frostbitten or at risk of attack. 

 “what happened to you eli?” i say rhetorically as i shift the majority of his weight onto my own, practically dragging him behind me into the shelter. the fire greets us with its warmth again, and i place him beside it as gently as i can manage. in my usual frenzy-panic of energy, i run quickly around the room, looking for blankets and my medical supplies. i dump the contents of my canteen into a pot and place it beside the fire, letting the water boil as i gather the rest of the items. i’m avoiding looking at him as much as i can, feeling the familiar pang of hurt settling into the darkest parts of my mind, gripping at my heart and threatening to squeeze the life out of me. 

ripping a cloth in half, i pull aside the pot from the heat source, and dump the fabric into it, wincing as the boiled water particles sear my skin, gnawing to enter into bloodstream. it was easier to not meet his eyes by focusing on this instead. i am gentle with my touch, letting the warm and damp cloth glide over his skin. it absorbs the mixture of blood and sweat ravenously. how many wounds have we tended to collectively, i wonder. 

i don’t know how much time passes but the repetitive motion eases the thumping against my chest and the flush of blood that rose to my eardrums, matching the beat of the organ. his arm reaches for mine and he places it against his chest, against his heart. he knows what he’s doing, and i stop in my tracks, finally looking at the man in his entire state; weak and at the brink of collapse, but somehow filled with the familiar intensity i admired most about him. he opens his mouth to say something, but i quickly move my hand to cover his lips with my index finger. 

“preserve your energy,” i caution him, before replenishing the cloth with fresh water. i cleanse the wounds across his forehead and his cheeks, and i feel mine warming from the chocolate hues intensely watching me. the full of his lashes are as clear to me now as they were the first time we kissed. now there’s a sense of familiarity and it’s evident how much i missed him, even if i was too stubborn to admit it; a shared trait between the two of us. despite his state, i find it difficult to ignore how much he reminded me of home. 

“it was supposed to be us together…” i finally whisper, letting the flush of emotions wash over me. for once i let some of the droplets forming on my lids crash before i angrily wipe the rest away with my forearm, refocusing on the matter at hand. “now you come here, wounded and on the brink of death…” my voice cracks and my words sound angrier than i intend them to be. “why now?” i ask, letting my hands fall from his wounds and focus entirely on him. i don’t know what to expect, but i let time find a comfortable seat between us, uncertain if he’ll answer me or pass out before he can muster the strength. either way, my imagination is starting to get the best of me — running back to the memories of our last encounter…

i should have told him i loved him…he should’ve known what we both couldn’t say aloud. 

[scarletwritesshit]

📝 Ganyu x Neuvillette 📝Different Definitions of Relaxing

Ganyu had been residing in Fontaine for quite some time now. With Morax no longer holding divine authority over Liyue, and Keqing doing a relatively good job keeping the nation under control herself, Ganyu had little to no assignments left for herself to attend to. Knowing there could never be a shortage of things that needed done, she became rather anxious without having a way to keep herself occupied.

The time she was spending in Fontaine with Neuvillette was supposed to be relaxing, but unfortunately, Ganyu spent more time worrying about all of the piled-up work that followed from the nation’s flooding and Neuvillette’s takeover. Anxious to be doing something to pass the time, she took her concerns up with Neuvillette, and knowing how hard it would be to break her of her old habits in a matter of a short time, he decided that it wouldn’t hurt to give her some of his work, if it at least kept her worries at bay.

He only intended for her to attend to a small, easier portion of his backlog, in order to give her a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment.

Their definition of “small portion” seem to differ, however.

After leaving her to work in peace for an afternoon, Neuvillette walked into his office to check up on Ganyu, who he had not heard from since he left her to work. He thought that perhaps, she might’ve dozed off, as she did have a tendency to do so quite frequently. When he opened the door, he was greeted with the sight of his desk being stacked with towers and towers of papers.

To his surprise, the towers were all stacked and sorted rather neatly. Official documents, requests from the residents of Fontaine, court records, and anything else that one could possibly think of had its own stack. Even documents meant for Neuvillette himself had their own place separate from the others.

As he was admiring the sheer amount of work she had accomplished, Ganyu’s little horns and purple eyes peaked up from behind the immense stacks of papers. She reached up to add a few more pieces on top of a stack, and her eyes went wide when she caught sight of Neuvillette.

“Oh! N-Neuvillette! I didn’t expect you to be back so soon,” she said.

“I am merely visiting to check up on you as you had expressed your anxiety in the recent past. Though, while I am impressed with the scope of the work you have completed, I remain rather worried about your well-being.”

“W-worried? You shouldn’t be…I am doing all of this of my own free will.”

“And your free will tends to drive you to exhaustion,” Neuvillette said, walking around the table stacked full of paper and standing beside Ganyu.

“Exhaustion? I told you to not be worried about me; this is what I do for a living,” she said, returning to shuffle through paperwork.

“For a living doesn’t necessarily mean for as long as you may live,” Neuvillette said, gently grabbing one of her wrists to stop her from digging further into a stack. “I realize you claim to find great comfort in your activities, but you must take the steps necessary to prevent yourself from becoming overwhelmed.”

“But…don’t you have a great deal of work to worry about yourself, Neuvillette?”

“That is true, however, I pace myself making sure to attend to higher priority documents before any other spare work, rather than tending to it all at once, like you seem to be attempting.”

“Don’t you want more free time, without the worry of a high workload? More time for you to just…relax?”

“Relax coming from you certainly is not something I would expect,” he said with a gentle laugh. “Neither of us would ever have a chance relax if we kept working at the rate at which you are currently at. Currently, I’d advise for you to forget about the rest that needs to be done, and allow for me tend to them.”

“But I promised you that I would relieve you of some of your burden.”

“Which you did, plenty. I merely wanted put your mind at ease while with a small amount of work to keep you distracted, until you felt satisfied and perhaps a free of your self-imposed burden. A little goes a long way, Ganyu, and I believe you have done more than enough.”

“E-enough? But there’s still more! Plenty more!”

“And that plenty more can wait,” Neuvillette assured Ganyu. “I believe you have done enough to allow me a least a few days of relaxation.”

“Only a few days? I’m…sorry I couldn’t do more for you…” Ganyu said, looking down at the unfinished paperwork in shame.

Neuvillette released the gentle grasp that he held on her wrist, allowing for Ganyu to place the papers that she still held down on the table. He slid his hand up her arm and rested it on her shoulder, gently rubbing it in an attempt to soothe Ganyu. She looked up to see him softly smiling, towering over her greatly, but still looking down at her fondly.

“A few days is more than enough for me, and I believe you have proven yourself to be quite capable, if that soothes your worries. I do advise you to rest now, lest you risk suffering further burnout.”

“I swear, Neuvillette, if you give me a bit more time I can cut down on even more-”

“I insist, what I want is for you to rest up.”

“And I insist on aiding you further, Neuvillete, so I’m not a dead weight who isn’t even from around here!”

“You need not worry about the weight of your presence, as the people and I always welcome you to visit with open arms. What’s far more worrisome is how you have been treating yourself lately, and so I insist on you stepping away from the stacks of my documents.”

Defeated, Ganyu rested her head on top of a small stack of papers that she had yet to sort through. Though she wanted to continue doing as much as she possibly could for Neuvillette, his calm, yet demanding tone had convinced her that perhaps, she should indeed take a rest. Truthfully, she had no energy left to move, but refused to admit it, even to Neuvillette. Besides, despite the amount of scrambling she found herself doing in an attempt to tend to Neuvillette’s overflow of work, she found sitting in his chair to be strangely calming, something that was rather dangerous in her tired state.

“But Neuvillette…” she said, rather sleepy. “Are you sure that this is okay?”

“I assure you, Ganyu, that you have done more for me than I could ever ask for,” he said, gently stroking her puffy hair.

After a few moments of gently stroking her hair, he looked down to see that she had dozed off. Though Neuvillette needed his seat to properly attend to his work, he could ultimately take anything of high priority away from the desk and work on it elsewhere in order to not disturb Ganyu. He looked through what Ganyu left unfinished, and decided that perhaps a day or two of waiting to attend to these documents wouldn’t bring harm to his schedule.

Now, he had to figure out what to do with the sleeping adeptus at his desk. He couldn’t just leave her in his office all alone. What if she woke herself up and continued working herself to death right from under his nose? Or if someone walked into his office in need, leaving her panicked and unknowing how to proceed?

He ultimately made the decision to leave Ganyu to rest in his chair. With a subconscious fear of her growing too cold from the influence of Hydro and her Cryo vision, he slid his coat off and gently draped it over Ganyu. The sheer size and weight of it almost completely engulfed her body, and Neuvillette had a feeling that in this state, she would not wake for quite some time.

Neuvillette then slid a book off of one of the shelves and quietly sat down, careful as to not disturb Ganyu as he waited for her to awaken.

[lovclies]

[ halle bailey, cis woman , she/her ] - it looks like zuri morgan is late to class once again . how do they expect to get their degree in dance by skipping class ? it’s a wonder that the twenty year old made it to their sophomore year . then again , i heard that they were + reliable which may give them a pass with professors , but they are also - self centered so maybe not . i heard they were blasting lilith by halsey before class . all i know is that they remind me of muffled screams into a pillow, unread text messages, watching the sun rise through her window after an all nighter.

           STATISTCS   |   WANTED  CONNECTIONS   |   PINTEREST

background  :

     tw  death   the  youngest  of  two , zuri  was  born  as  the  second  child  of  a  loving  and  hardworking  couple  who didn’t  have  much  money  but  still  tried  their  hardest  to  provide  for  their  children  the  best  life  they  could  get . the  father , however , suffered  an  accident  during  his  job  as  a  fireman  that  he  didn’t  survive . zuri  was  a  young  kid  when  this  very  unfortunate  event  happened  to  the  morgan’s , leaving  her  with  only  a  few  memories  of  times  when  her  family  was  complete , due  to  her  young  age .

     their  mother  was  left  to  raise  the  children  on  her  own , it  wasn’t  an  easy  job , to  be  working  as  nurse  and  give  a  good  life  to  her  kids . she  did  it  anyway , being  the  strong  woman  she  was . it  wasn’t  a  secret  for  zuri  and  her  brother  how  much  their  mother  had  to  handle , it  doesn’t  need  a  lot  to realize  that  conciliate  grief , work , motherhood , bills , etc , requires  too  much  from  one  person  to  handle  on  her  own . zuri  understood  that  from  an  early  age , which  helped  to  build  the  good  relationship  she  always  had  with  the  family .

personality  :

     basically , zuri  is  very  straightforward  and  blunt , can’t  keep  her  mouth  shut  even  when  she  should . taking  one  second  to  think  before  speaking  ?   not  possible  for  her . she’s  that  person  that  once  you  know  her , will  try  to  have  an  impact  in  your  life  unconsciously . she  has  a  big  personality , is  very  stubborn , opinionated  and  fiery , but  also  a  humble  person , spontaneous , vivacious  and  free - spirited . and  when  someone  gets  in  her  life ,  won’t  ever  want  to  let  them  go .      owns  an  explosive  temper  but  her  outbursts  never  last  long . unless  something  severe  happened , she’ll  soon  forget  it  and  won’t  hold  a  grudge .      zuri  doesn’t  have  any  patience  for  when  people  make  situations  unnecessarily  complicated , she’s  direct  and  practical , every  time  the  girl  has  something  on  her  mind  she’ll  just  spill  it  out , if  there’s  something  bothering  her  with  someone , she’ll  go  to  the  person  and  deal  with  it . hates  games , overly  dramatic  situations , manipulation , etc .      very  independent , likes  to  think  she  doesn’t  need  anyone  for  anything . and  absolutely  hates  to  be  restricted  in  any  way .      tends  to  avoid  anything  that  seems  like  a  waste  of  time  for  her , which  can  go  from  simple  things  such  as  a  night  out  to  relationships . spending  time  and  energy  with  meaningless  things  is  an  actual  fear  of  her .       the  type  of  person  that  will  be  down  for  whatever ! you  wanna  go  to  a  party ? that’s  your  girl . you  wanna  skinny  dip  3am  in  the  winter ? call  her . wanna  go  to  a  road  trip  in  the  middle  of  the  night  having  work  in  the  morning ? she’ll  do  it . generally  a  fun  person  to  be  around .       zuri’s  bad  with  serious  talks  especially  if  they’re  difficult  and  involve  feelings / emotions , she  prefers  to  just  avoid  it .

      she’s  a  pretty  trustworthy  person , would  never  go  around  spilling  secrets  or  talking  behind  someone’s  back , but  since  she’s  someone  who , most  of  the  time , doesn’t  really  think  before  doing  something , she  can  hurt  people  around  her  without  realizing  it .  and  she’ll  only  later  see  that  her  actions  may  have  caused  harm  to  someone , because  that’s  genuinely  not  her  intention .      also  tends  to  avoid  thinking  about  the  consequences  of  her  actions  because  it’s  just  easier  to  not  deal  with  it  at  the moment  and  leave  the  problems  for  her  future  self , in  fact , most   problems  she  gets  herself  into , could  probably  be  avoided  if  she  started  to  think  before  taking  actions .

[trials-of-a-spirit-worker]

Yet Another Lesson on Grief

Because it seems like the universe is hellbent on kicking the shit out of me right now...we get another lesson on grief.

Grief doesn't have to come after your loved one dies. Sometimes, you're in a position where it's hopeless and you have to watch the one you love, slowly go.

It can be a long and painful process and there's a whole new uniqueness in grief in this case.

Fortunately and Unfortunately, I'm no stranger to this feeling too. Fortunate for you, because I know how to help you in this case. Unfortunate because I'm literally bracing for the loss of my grandfather, working through tears and forcing myself to stay sober through it.

In these situations, it's better to prepare and accept what's to come. Denial and Grief are not anywhere close to similar despite them often coming together, but denial can act as grief.

What I mean by that is, many people tend to try and convince themselves terminally ill loved ones will get better by some miracle, almost as if they forget what a miracle is.

How rare they are. How it only prolongs suffering and the inevitable. To deny is to forget.

And it's only temporary. Painfully temporary.

But it's so damn easy, which is why so many do it. It's easier to have foolish ideas of hoping for a miracle that everything will undo, or they'll be here longer, rather than to weigh themselves into reality. And I'm talking about where it's at the point of no return inevitable. If there's a chance—a damn good one of your loved one or friend coming back from whatever is ailing them, I truly hope they do recover. But it's still a good idea to brace for it getting worse, because that's always a possibility. Reality is hard. Dealing with the fact someone you love or are close with is dying right in front of you is fucking agony.

Preparing and Accepting is so ridiculously hard. And it's much better to start as soon as you can. Because it's a long process, a long, long, process to even make progress on it and you will find yourself backtracking on it.

You'll call it negative, cruel, stupid to even try and understand the fact that they are going to die. You'll find yourself believing you're harping on the fact and that it's doing nothing but hurting yourself.

It's not. You're just hurting because you care. And that's nothing to be ashamed of. You're preparing because you don't want to lose yourself to sorrow. You're accepting it so you can grieve in a healthier way. Both you and the person leaving you deserve your healthy grieving.

I'm not saying it's going to stop you from bawling your eyes out. Absolutely not. I've had to type this out in parts purely because I was breaking down in-between paragraphs. Although this will help you, it won't make you "stronger" in the sense a lot people think. I doubt you'll be the rock to keep everyone together when it happens, or even have it completely keep you from falling into possible bad habits out of grief. It's not a fix-all in the slightest.

Think of this like a seatbelt in a car crash. You still might be hurt in the end, but you didn't fly out the windshield.

I'm trying to tell you to prepare and accept it because nothing you do, will stop death from coming. Honor the life, honor the time you have left. Honor them. Embrace them. Cherish them.

Do it before you have to let them go. Kill the blow as much as you can. Then when the time does come, and eventually it will.

Let go.

Letting go doesn't mean you don't care. Not in the slightest. Letting go means accepting reality. Letting go means you've acknowledged the impact they had on your life.

Letting go is key to moving forward. For both of you.

Like I said in my previous grief post, the pain never goes away, it just hurts a little less over time. You never stop caring. You never stop loving them. And you shouldn't.

Death can't take your love you had for them. It can only take the body. That is another thing to accept and I found it's far easier to belief that and accept that than anything else.

Grief will come when it wants. But...I truly hope you can work with it and keep moving forward.

And hopefully, in the end....you'll be able to see them again, when your time is said and done.

Also, one last thing. And it's incredibly important:

You don't have to do this alone. In fact, you shouldn't go through this alone. Friends, other loved ones, hell a fucking therapist. Anyone can help you work through this. A lot of the preparing and acceptance is a mental battle and a struggle yes. But I can't tell you how beneficial it is to have someone to hold you through it. To have others talk about fun memories that dying person and all of you shared. To laugh recalling the life you had wit that person. To acknowledge the pain of that coming to an end.

In these cases, the person dying is also grieving too. If you both can handle it, work on healing and accepting together. Never deal with this alone if you can help it.

Be held, scream. Sob, work it out with those you trust. Just don't hold it in and don't suffer alone.

Call HOPE - tel:833-317-4673

Mental Health Hotlines:

It's UP to Us- Hotline tel:8887247240

Crisis Text Line - Text HOME to 741-741 in the U.S.

Pet Loss and Bereavement Resource Line (855) 352-5683

[amor-immortalem]

Forgetful

Summary: Mammon and Arella’s anniversary is coming up but with as busy as life in the Devildom can get, Arella forgets. Can she make it up to her favorite demon?

Genre: A lil bit of fluff, lil bit of angst

A/N: I wanted to write something about their anniversary but I severely underestimated the amount of time I had to write this before the 28th came about so it’s gonna be a 2 parter.

Life these days is kind of hectic for Arella. Between balancing her tole as human world ambassador, being a member of RAD’s student council, keeping up with friends from the human world, trying to make enough time in the day to spend with her boyfriend, keeping up her grades at RAD, and being a good mother all at the same time, the human finds it hard to even keep her head on straight. She feels like she’s drowning- like she’s bitten off more than she can chew. She needs a break from at least one of those things. Maybe if she could just get a week to herself, then things would go back to normal… hopefully.

So why does she feel so nervous- like she’s forgetting something important? There were no exams coming up at school. Midterms were a couple months out at most. The only birthday coming up within the next week was Cyrus’ but she was planning to take the toddler with her anyway and just have the birthday celebration up there. What else was she missing? Looking at her phone’s calendar, nothing of note really stands out. She’d just have to figure it out later when she has access to her planner.

・・・〆・・・

“I think that’s a great idea.” Thirteen says as she and Arella discuss the human’s plan about Arella leaving for the human realm for a short break. “I’ll be up there too from time to time so maybe we can spend some quality time together without Mammon trying to invite himself along.”

“If you don’t mind Cyrus tagging along then I don’t mind meeting you out somewhere.”

“Why can’t I just come to your place? It can’t be a date if you’re toting a little one around with you all night. Plus its easier than having to worry about finding child frendly places for us to hang out.”

“I just… I’d prefer it if we met up somewhere. If Cyrus is a concern for you, ten I’m sure Aubrie wouldn’t mind babysitting for a night.”

“The munchkin isn’t a concern for me. He’s a part of the package deal you come with- one adorable kid and his insufferable father.”

“Thirteen,” Arella scolds her half-heartedly. “Mammon’s not insufferable, you just have to get past that hot-and-cold attitude he has and then he’s really quite sweet...”

Its silent between them for a moment before:

”You’re not hiding anything from me are you?” There’s an accusatory tone to the reaper’s voice. “You trust me right?”

“Of course I do,” Arella takes a moment to consider the rest of her answer. “And I’m not hiding anything from you I just… I don’t know, its silly… I barely even let the boys into my human world home- even Mammon’s only ever been there twice. I guess you could say I just want that to be the one part of my past that isn’t touched by all the day to day nonsense that I go through here in the Devildom…”

“Yeah that makes sense- magic does tend to linger longer in the human world than it does here…” Thirteen hums, ”I just think it would be easier on you in the long run.”

“I’ll think about it, alright? If I decide that it’s just easier to stay in then I’ll text you my address.”

“Alright, my candles are done forming so I’ll let you go so I can get back to work. Love you. See you soon.”

“I love you too,” Is all the human answers as she hangs up. She places her phone on the desk before getting up to stretch.

“You’re goin’ up to the human world?” Mammon’s voice startles her.

“I was planning on it yes. I need a bit of a break. I was going to take Cyrus with me too.” She takes a couple steps and wraps her arms around his neck and balances on her tiptoes to place a kiss on the demon’s cheek. “Or do you not want me to take him.”

“I mean if you say you need a break then I don’t think ya should..” Mammon hums, wrapping his arms around her. “But you’ll miss his birthday depending on when you go and he hasn’t been up to the human world since he was an infant…”

“It’s really all up to you,” she smiles, “because I’m fine either way. I’m leaving in a couple days.”

“A couple days?” It gives the white-haired man pause, “Why am I only just hearing about this now?”

“I mean I did text you about it last week and our chat log shows you read my message. I just figured I caught you at a bad time and you forgot to reply.”

Mammon fishes his phone from his pocket and looks at his messages. “Huh… I’ll be damned, I did… damn…I even had a surprise planned for the 28th but I guess it can wait until you get back.”

“Oh… I’m sorry I ruined your plans. I’ll find a way to make it up to you. Promise.”

“Ya better.” The demon huffs as he leans in for a kiss, “You can start right now.”

“Dinner!”

Mammon and Arella break apart at the sound of Asmo’s voice. The human chuckles softly at the white-haired demon’s grumbles of disappointment.

“We can continue this later, Dear. After Cyrus goes down for bed.” She takes his hand and laces their fingers together. “Let’s get down to dinner before everything gets taken.”

・・・〆・・・

Its been four days since Arella started her small break in the human world and she still can’t help but feel like she’s forgetting something. She didn’t have anything marked down on her calendar for this entire week except for Cyrus’ birthday.

“Whatever it is, I must’ve figured I wouldn’t need to write it down to remember it… not the brightest move on my part… I should call Mammon and see if he might know.”

Without thinking too much on it, Arella is dialing her boyfriend’s number. With the amount of times that it rings. She’s almost afraid he won’t answer but eventually he does.

“Yeah?” He answers quickly. It almost sounds like he’s trying to hide the way it sounds like he’s been crying.

“Are you okay?” Forget asking whether or not he knew of anything important was coming up for her, this takes precedence. “You sound like you’ve been crying?”

“I wasn’t cryin’,” Mammon’s defense was almost too quick. “It’s just been a rough day- didn’t sleep well last night.”

“I’m sorry, Honey, is there anything I can do for you to make you feel better right now?” Its quiet for a bit and Arella worries the line may have been disconnected. “Mammon?”

“Hm?”

“I asked if there was anything I could do for you.”

“Nah, there’s nothin’. How’s your vacation goin’? The baby bein’ good for ya?”

“Of course he is,” she chuckles, “he’s always good for me. He’s down for his nap right now.”

“That’s good at least. You can get a couple minutes to yourself… Well I gotta go. Hafta get ready for a photoshoot. Is there anything you wanna say to me before I hang up?”

“Mmm…” Arella thinks for a moment, “Only that I love you and I miss you and I’ll see you when I get back.”

There’s a pause at the other end of the line almost as if he’s waiting for her to say more.

“That’s it?” Mammon tries to hide it, but there’s a slight hint of hurt behind his words. “Nothin’ else?”

“Was I supposed to say something else?” There’s genuine confusion in the human’s voice.

“Nah… nevermind. Love you too. See ya when you guys get back.” The line clicks off leaving Arella with more confusion at the abruptness of it all.

・・・〆・・・

To be continued

[romanoffsbish]

As someone who’s turning 20 soon, do you have any advices on what to expect or not to expect in your 20’s? Just the thought of turning 20 is already making me mad lmao

Ooh, Happy Early Birthday angel. 🎁❤️

Also, thank you for thinking me worthy of such a question, I’m a bit of a basket case myself, but I also have lived many a life in my 26 years so I feel I have some thoughts worth listening to.

I might be resistant to aging myself, but I promise the fear shouldn’t hit you until you’re 21 going into 22, that’s when everything felt weird to me 😂. Aging is beautiful, and with every new year the world becomes a little easier to understand.

* Youth(20-23😉) has a tendency to leave you vulnerable, and the world is full of people ready to take advantage of that. Trust your gut; if something feels wrong then get yourself out of the situation.

* Not everyone is your friend, even the ones you’ve known for a lifetime. Be wary of other’s intentions, but don’t be so wary that you forget to live/laugh. Just be forewarned that friendships will come and go, and from experience they’re some of the worst breakups to be made to process.

* Make a five year plan, (maybe this is the Virgo in me), and do your best to keep up with it, but also don’t beat yourself up if you don’t. It’s more like a guideline to keep you as on track as possible, it’s likely 5 years from now everything you wanted now will be different anyways.

* Travel the world when/if you’re able. Even if you can only drive a couple of towns over, it’s all about those new experiences, and making memories outside of your norm. Some of my best moments were spent outside of my hometown.

* I pray you don’t rush into things, take your time, get a feel for the world on your own time and no one else’s. The best of things comes to those who wait, and I know it sucks, but rushing will only ever tend to get you into trouble/hurt.

*Be careful with your heart, it has to last you a lifetime ❤️

* That being said, keep yourself open to all the world wants to offer you. Love—if you’re looking for it, is out there, and it can be one of the most liberating, albeit painful experiences. Embrace it whenever it’s there for you, be prepared for the potential downsides, but do not dwell on them. Nothing will go far if you keep yourself rooted in the fear/potential pains. Basically, opening yourself up to love is also opening yourself up to pain, and I’m saying don’t close yourself off to any of it. Life’s all about learning honey, so a failed relationship is really just a lesson learned.

* Have fun 💋