#the ableism is coming from inside the house

[rjalker]

Ableboded, sometimes shortened to "abled" in conversation specifically about physical disabilities to avoid having to type it out so much, is not a synonym for "not disabled".

You can be autistic and be ablebodied. You can have ADHD and be ablebodied. You can have chronic depression and be ablebodied. You can have any number of mental illnesses and developmental disorders and still be ablebodied.

Being ablebodied does not mean you're not disabled. It just means you're able of body.

You can be disabled and ablebodied.

Ablebodied neurodivergent is not an oxymoron.

Being neurodivergent is not the same thing as being physically disabled.

I could add more to this post but I'm tired. Someone else can elaborate if they want.

[turtle-paced]

OP commented on yesterday's post:

Still pretty entitled of him. Sansa was forced to marry Tyrion with a knife at her back. Tyrion is actively a part of the House/regime that has made Sansa's life hell. Plus he at one point outright threatened Sansa ''How well they are treated depends of them''. So even within Westeros society Tyrion has a lot of gall to consider Sansa to be false and be angry at her for escaping.

Perhaps it is entitled. But I personally think that a simple word is not enough to capture the intersection of patriarchy, ableism, the particularly toxic class privilege, and abuse Tyrion grew up with. What created that entitlement?

Tyrion has spent his life learning that women are passed into the ownership of men on marriage and thenceforth owe their new legal family their allegiances. He saw his own uncle benefit from exactly this sort of arrangement. Tyrion has spent his life hearing that Lannisters deserve all sorts of good things because they are Lannisters.

Tyrion's got neither of these things due to his disability. So he incorrectly attributes Sansa's unwillingness to be a full participant in their forced marriage as due to his disability.

Nor do I think analysis of this situation that ignores the fact that Tyrion's a victim of both emotional and sexual abuse can ever be sufficient.

It's also telling that these are Tyrion's feelings only. They're not coming from great places. But they stay inside his head. When Tyrion is asked to act, to denounce Sansa:

Yet wherever Sansa was and whatever her part in this might have been, she remained his wife. He had wrapped the cloak of protection around her shoulders, though he'd had to stand on a fool's back to do it. "The gods killed Joffrey. He choked on his pigeon pie." Tyrion IX, ASoS

Sansa herself will think later that Tyrion tried to be kind to her, in a situation that heavily incentivised him not to be kind. More than Sansa ever knew, because she didn't have that abuse context and she's not thinking systemically about patriarchy and ableism.

GRRM wants us to approach both characters here with compassion. What are the barriers to Tyrion fully understanding Sansa's position? What are the ultimate sources of his darker thoughts? Without knowing these, they can't be treated. "Entitled" just doesn't pass muster as analysis.

[steviewashere]

Dream Come True

Rating: General CW: Minor internalized ableism on Steve's end Tags: Established Relationship, Married Steve Harrington/Eddie Munson, Future Fic, Adopting a Child, Parenthood, Steve Harrington is a Sweetheart, Eddie Munson is a Sweetheart, Fluff, Domestic Fluff, Let Them Live a Quiet Life God Damn It, Mild Hurt/Comfort

For the @steddielovemonth prompt: "Love is about healing each other's wounds."

💕—————💕

They haven’t discussed children since the second month they were together. Was that probably a little too early in their relationship? Probably—Eddie will be brave enough to admit that right now. But, considering where they’re at now: Steve is forty-seven and Eddie’s forty-eight, their wedding bands are simple and gold (something easily spotted amongst the silver ones that Eddie still wears), the house they took a loan out for is painted yellow with white shutters installed (well, they paid Dustin and Will to do it. They were happy to help), they live in Massachusetts away from public eye, and though they don’t have a dog—not yet, the service dog process has been a long and weary one on Steve’s end—they have their little brown tabby cat. They’ve got a well furnished home. And years of love between them.

Nearly twenty-eight years in total. Nineteen years wedded. Six years of that are legally recognized. But that doesn’t matter. What matters is they stopped talking about the prospect of having kids.

Eddie’s initial answer at the beginning was, “Maybe. I think it would be neat. But, I’m gay, Steve. That isn’t really a possibility.” He chuckled a little bit. “I meant like adopting, but in a technical sense—Considering what’s in my pants, the possibility is still out the window.”

Steve’s was changed from what he told Nancy in that Winnebago. “I still want children. Or, just one. I want a quiet life. Even if you make it as some big rock star, I want a quiet private life.”

It was doable. What Steve had whispered on Eddie’s shoulder, that was doable. The question for years though was, When does he want that? And also, When will he leave to pursue that?

The answer was clear. Steve was never going to pursue that. That, sure, they’d have the quiet life. But never have children. And Eddie saw him wilt a little further and further. When they passed by the playground at the park. The daycare up the street from their home. After the seizure diagnosis, Steve stopped looking and thinking about it all together. It hurt Eddie’s heart.

He may have got the quiet life. And Eddie may have lived out his simple dream. He’d been a rockstar for a little bit in the late nineties and early two-thousands, retiring before they got married. But…Steve hasn’t lived his dream. Eddie hates that he thinks it’s being held back from him. Eddie’s determined to heal that hurt inside him.

——— Steve comes home from his Wednesday teaching shift around four in the evening. Eddie’s already on the couch, combing Poncho’s fur, watching the local news. He’s got a very important print out laid neatly on the coffee table. He hears Steve set down his briefcase on the dining table, his footsteps retreating to their kitchen to rinse out his thermos, coming back to the front door and placing his loafers on the shoe rack, and he hangs up his coat. Then, he enters the living room, hands scrambling to undo his tie, body leaning over the arm of the couch to press a kiss against Eddie’s mouth.

But then he pulls away, turning his whole body to watch the news. And that’s when he spots it. The flyer. He shuffles over on his mismatched socked feet, hands falling away from the collar of his dress shirt. He swipes up the paper. Behind his glasses, he squints.

It’s advertisement for the adoption agency some forty minutes out. Eddie hopes, by everything, that this will heal the pain in his own chest, and the emotional line of thinking in Steve’s brain. Hopes with everything that his body can physically give.

“What’s this about?” Steve asks. His voice is neutral. Almost…dare Eddie say, steely. Okay, maybe he made the wrong move. “We haven’t even—“

“I know,” Eddie immediately says. “I know we haven’t talked about it. But, sweetheart, just listen to me, alright?” At Steve’s confused and hesitant nod, Eddie tries to arrange his words. “This is something you’ve been wanting since forever ago. And I know that I haven’t really voiced my wants on it. But I also thought that it would never happen.

“That it would never be something people like me—“ He raises his eyebrows and points to the keyring attached to Steve’s belt loop. The short rainbow garland that sits discreetly among his keys. “—Would ever get the chance to do. But I—Steve, god, I want it so bad. I want to be able to be a dad and chase around a kiddo of our own while you’re busy at work. I want to see one off for school for their first day and cry like I’ll never see them again. Wanna make them a lunch they can bring to school, the same time that I make your lunch for your school. I want to watch them grow up with your goofy dancing skills and our combined love for music. And I—I want to be a better parent that I could’ve ever imagined.

“I want it with you,” Eddie breathes. “I want all of that with you. And I know that you still want it. Your forlorn looks at couples with babies. Every time you see Lucas and Max and their spitfire teenager, your eyes get this brightness to them that I—I have to be honest, I don’t think I’ve seen you happy like that since we got married.” He swallows at some of the implications there. And it’s not meant to be accusatory, but gosh does Eddie notice. The way his sunflower wilts. “This is just something for you to think about, okay? I know my decision on it. But think about it.”

Steve’s grip on the paper trembles. And his eyes are searing Eddie in a way that melts him. Blazing with adoration and love. “You want that?” He shakily asks. “You want to raise a kid with me?”

Eddie nods. “Yeah, baby. I really, really, really do.”

“Even though…Even though I have seizures that could scare them shitless? And I get so angry some days that all I can do is hide in our bedroom and cry? And I—You want that with somebody like me?” He hesitates to ask again. Eddie doesn’t answer, but his arms open in comfort and his eyes soften with earnest. Steve doesn’t move from his spot, though. He looks back at the paper. “What’s the—Our first step?”

“We apply. And they determine if we’re worthy and that it’ll be safe,” Eddie answers. “If they see us fit, they’ll look at our house and things like that. We’ll come back to that later on. If that’s something you still want.”

“Okay,” Steve states with fervor. “Let’s do this.”

——— After a tedious process, Eddie realizes how correct he was.

It’s a Saturday. The curtains are open. Dinner is simmering on the stovetop. And Eddie stirs the soup while he listens in on Steve’s activity in the living room.

“There you go, sweetheart,” Steve is cooing. “Good job, Carmen. Look at you.” He’s been supervising her tummy time everyday he’s able to. Loves being able to lay on his back on the floor, eyes watching their daughter, his fingers combing through her hair as she uses her wide brown eyes to wonder about the world around her.

Eddie bites back a smile.

“That’s Poncho,” Steve is saying. He’s introducing them like they’re all acquaintances around a water cooler. Eddie, maybe, snickers a little bit behind his hand. “He’s gonna be your buddy. He likes the space between his shoulder blades scratched. Just like you, huh?” And hears the moment that Steve dully traces his fingernails on Carmen’s back. She gurgles a little excited babbling. “That feels good, doesn’t it?” Steve murmurs. “Daddy likes that, too.” He’s talking about himself. Because he practically fought tooth and nail for that title. Eddie wouldn’t have it any other way.

From the kitchen archway, Eddie surveys the display on the living room floor. And Steve’s on his back in his pajamas. Glasses smooshed awkwardly up his face as his cheek is pressed against the carpet, eyes gone soft and glistening while Carmen is on her belly. Her hands are sprawled in front of her, squeezing at the soft toys they had gotten. He’s brushing his fingers through her short, curly wisps of brown hair. Then, his hand travels back down to massage and scratch at her back again. She’s wearing a pink striped onesie and a pair of white socks on her little feet.

He clears his throat to make himself known. Steve looks up at him, softly smiling. “I reckon things are going good in here?” Steve only nods, too enamored with petting at Carmen’s back. Eddie finally smiles at him. “Good,” he whispers. He leans his weight on the doorway. A dish rag thrown over his shoulder, arms crossed low over his belly, hair thrown up in a loose bun on his head. Domestic life has really begun to suit him, if he’s honest. He finds himself at ease about it now.

As he turns back to the kitchen, to serve up their bowls of soup, Steve calls his name. He immediately turns back around. Greeted with his husband’s soft face, his deepened smile lines, his messy hair spread on the carpet. He’s more youthful than ever, fatherhood has changed him for the better, at least Eddie thinks so. He hums to see what Steve needs, because by god, he’ll do anything for him.

“Thank you,” Steve whispers.

“For what?”

“Making my hurt go away,” Steve says. But Eddie’s eyebrows furrow in confusion. And Steve clarifies, “Allowing me to accomplish my final dream. I’m really happy that it’s with you.”

Eddie crosses into the living room, crouching down to kiss Steve’s forehead, pecking Carmen’s soft head, too. He combs his own fingers through Steve’s hair. Smiling at the way he keens. “You made me believe that I could be a good dad,” he admits. “I can’t wait to do this right.”

Steve brings a hand to Eddie’s cheek. His index finger softly tracing down the side of his face. “Love you,” he murmurs.

Turning his face, Eddie kisses the tip of Steve’s finger. “Love you, too,” Eddie easily says in return.

Sure, he got to be a rockstar, but he thinks that this life—Steve soft and middle aged and smiling at him, petting down their daughter’s back, cooing soft as if he’s not almost fifty—is much better than anything he could’ve ever dreamed. Maybe filling the hole in Steve’s soul, the remedy that their daughter brings—Maybe that heals something for Eddie, too.

💕—————💕

[prying-pandora666]

Look at this for a moment.

Notice how Azula, a 14 year old child at her oldest in the show, is now somehow a “woman” and not a girl.

Notice how Ozai isn’t her father and only remaining parent. He’s just “a man”.

Notice how the emphasis is on Ozai’s power as something Azula desires, as if she’s the power-hungry equivalent of a gold digger rather than an abused child who can’t defy her father who also happens to be the unquestionable ruler of their highly-militarized nation.

Notice how Azula being motivated by wanting her father’s love and approval—a normal desire for any child but especially one who hasn’t received love—is somehow “reductive”.

And yet Zuko having the exact same motivation despite being two years older somehow isn’t?

This is misogyny. And it’s been so internalized that they can’t even recognize it’s coming from inside the house.

Fandom is a mess. Can we please talk about the sexism and ableism surrounding Azula discourse?

You don’t have to like her or agree with her redemption to recognize this is not okay.

[deblklesb]

Maybe reader goes into a full autistic/neurodivergent shutdown and Abby helps reader?

(disclaimer: I'll describe it based on my personal experience with shutdowns and also on what I've seen some people sharing. not all autistic people have the same experience, please keep that in mind)

i just KNOW abby would be so so supportive and caring with you!

like depending on the au she could have more or less knowledge about autism, i think doctor!abby could have more experience after appointments with autistic patients and etc. (she went out of her way to learn more in order to create a better experience to them), but either way would first and foremost ask you in simple questions about what you need, as in presenting options for you that doesn't need too much to think about.

"Want me to stay with you?"

"Hey, I brought water for you, babe. I'll leave the bottle in the bedside table"

"You need to eat, bun. I'll bring something for you okay?"

She'll get your favorite food. And if there's none in the house (most of the times you don't run out of your comfort food, but anything can happen) she calls for some delivery - she's not leaving you the first times because she doesn't know what you might need.

The lights bother you even more in shutdowns, so she'll have just one light on in the house, maybe the bathroom because it's central, or the kitchen because it's farther from your room. Sometimes you like to watch your favorite show or favorite movie on and on, so she tries not to interrupt.

There are times when you specifically ask her to stay with you, and so she does. If working next to you it's okay, she can lay down by your side and do some, just the very necessary, before giving you her undivided attention. At this point she also knows some lines of the movies, and so she repeats them along and laughs with you.

Abby is a-okay with being your personal weight blanket. Sometimes you just need her to lay on top of you, between your legs, and she stays there happily. You love how warm she is, and that she lets you stim caressing her skin and making braids on her hair over and over.

Once you got months without a shutdown, so when it came it made you so frustrated and nervous. Abby got home to find you laying on the floor due to the very hot day, face swollen with tear trails, only panties on your body; your skin was directly in contact with the cold ground as you looked at the TV.

"Hey, babe", she said, putting the keys on the table. When you didn't answer, she left her bag at the corridor and took out the shoes, coming closer. She crouched next to you, noticing how you weren't looking at her. "Bun? Are you okay?"

You just shook your head, still looking at the TV. Silent, you pulled your phone closer and wrote on the notes app.

The day was shit. it's too hot so i was sweating all the time and I'm already feeling like crap. my boss was so fucking stupid, he doesn't know how to maintain a good work place and just acts like all ableism is just jokes between co-workers when i distinctively told him it's affecting my job. I can't punch that motherfucker of coworker in the face because i would be fired and i need the job. and on top of all of that, traffic was hell, people kept honking all the time up and down, the chatting in the bus sounded louder than usual and i think my body doesn't want to stay together anymore because of this godforsaken heat.

Her blue eyes, bathed by the cool LED of the TV, wandered around the screen as she read you rant. And then she was seating there, not too close but enough for you to feel her presence.

"I'm so so sorry, bun", she whispered, not touching you. Your feet were brushing against each other, since the sensation soothed you, and the open window let the smallest wind come inside the apartment. "Have you eaten?"

I haven't been able to get up after i showered

"Okay. I'll go take a shower myself and then I'll make us something to eat, alright?"

She was next to you all the time that night. She didn't ask you nothing the whole time, just putting the food for you and then sitting there on the floor so you could eat together. Abby didn't come too close because she knew the temperature wasn't ideal and you both didn't had the money to get an air-conditioning yet, she just stated that you could come to her when you felt comfortable to do so and offered her hand to be held in the mean time.

After an impossible to count amount of time, you rested your head on her thigh, still quiet and watching the cartoon.

"Oh my God, Dooffenschmirtz' building looks so much like Ferb. Like, the shape... I never noticed that before", she muttered more to herself, but the fact brought a chuckle out of you. And as simple as it was, it made her chest a little bit warmer; to see you slowly relaxing and regulating.

"Do you want to sleep on our bed or here on the living room, babe?" She asked after a long time, because it was getting late and soon you'd have to sleep.

The living room was cooler than your room, and the mattress could be so hot during the night you'd wake up all sweaty and sticky - if the heat during the day was painful, waking up on drenched sheets would make you so so much worst. And you had that traveling mattress, you could put it on the floor and stay there for the rest of the night, next to the living room window.

"I can stay on the couch so you won't be alone", she added.

I guess I'll sleep here. We can fix the area to be more comfortable. I'll help you.

You stood slowly and the place was soon being organized to better accommodate you both. She got some pillows and thin sheets, you padded the simple mattress and covered the couch with a duvet to make it more comfortable for Abby.

That night she slept with her hand between yours, and you felt so grateful for having someone that would be with you through those times. You kept caressing her hand with your thumb because the stim was soothing you, untill you fell asleep with some cool wind coming from the restless city night.

[800-dick-pics]

Yeah....so we have to move again.

My partner and I are both in a physically unsafe situation but before i even get into the very long why my partner and I have to move again, and the violence we have endured in this place, imma just put our pay links bc this is actually very urgent.

Cashapp: $sleepyhen or $grumblybear

Venmo: wildwotko or XochiRose

TW: Anti Black Violence/Misogynoir, Sexual Harassment, Ableism, Threats of Violence, C@rt*l Violence.

(I ask you to please not trigger tag this so our post doesnt get hidden by an algorythm)

If you follow me and even if you dont you may have seen my donation posts about leaving my abusers house, and I am very greatful for that help but it seems that we have gone from one bad situation to a worse one.

Due to our housing situation with my toxic parent, my partners parents offered up their village home for us to live in, them acting as landlords.

In late Jan we moved to my partners home village, My partners family is all from here and the house we are currently leaving is under construction. We initially stayed at a different family members home, due to the unfinished remodeling. My partner and I were staying with a family member who is affiliated with the c@rt*l and we had no choice about this. Durring the 5 days out of the 3 weeks we were susposed to stay, I was sexually harassed, objectified and called anti black slurs, both of us were screamed and belittle for being disabled, we were threatened with physical violence from basically c@rt*l paid off police, among many other things that ended up having us having to barricade ourselves inside the room we were staying in. That night that happened we basically had to take all of our bags and go to the house under construction because we felt so unsafe.

Once we were here in the house we are currently planned to leave from, We tried to settle in for the night but still feared for the violence their family member threatened. The next morning we has realized that this house was WAYYY more under construction than our landlords (my partners parents) had made it out to seem. We were very uncomfortable and exposed with no windows, doors, limited power and no gas for cooking. My partner explained these problems to their family and they werent taken seriously because "atleast we werent on the street or dead". As dismissive as they were we tried to make lemonade out of lemons and have this house become our home.

Things were fine for a few weeks, but the house was still barely liveable, and we had expressed frustration by this but were understanding. My partners parents made it seem like they didnt have enough funds to finish some aspects of the house so I stupidly gave them $$$ from our own food/bill money to help install windows. It took another month for that to happen, and after the window bases without glass were installed we were told by my partners father that he was coming in a week to this house.

We were confused and stressed because they made it sound like they dont have enough funds but book a same week ticket? We got the house clean and mostly void of construction materials, and the first thing out of my partners fathers mouth was straight up belittling my partners ability and arguing that we dont deserve a house we cant clean.

Over the course of the 10 days my partners father was here they were verbally and physically abused and had felt like they had to endure for the affordable housing. Their father was also being very anti black and abusive to me, expecting me to basically be a "woman in their place", which did not sit with me, and on one of the last days he was here my partner and him were arguing because he was trying to talk shit about me but in spanish to skirt around me from understanding.

But i understand more spanish than he knew and i confronted him and said "Sir if you have anything to say about or to me you can say it to my face, and you are not my father or my grandfather, you do not and cannot control me, I am not going to have a man tell me what i can and cannot do, what i can and cannot say and how i can and cannot act" And he was taken aback that a black "woman" put him in his place, so not only does he flip out he basically tells my partner that they need to control me better and left. The day before he leaves he makes an excuse to get something from our room and he decides to go through my purse and steal my copy of the house keys out of spite. There is quite a bunch more smaller things that I could talk about but what is most important is what has been happening this past two months In early July durring the height of the rainy season here, there were intense rain/thunder storms that exposed a leaking roof and structural issues to us. Our ceiling began to crack and leak, the stone base around the old windows were crumbling. My partner told their parents about this, and how the structural issues should be the newest focus for the construction, they were told "Not everthing can be done when you want it to" and they basically ignored the problem

In late July we were giving a very vauge "men are gonna come paint the house" with no more detail, and later were called to be told painters would be here on the last sunday of July, we waited and they never came.

Then Tuesday August 2nd my partners cousin (the contractor working on the house) showed up with their family cleaning lady, and It was odd for us but she cleaned the house and whilst leaving we were told "oh your (my partners) parents said that this house has to be perfectly clean and the painters could either come later today or tomorrow". After he left my partner called their parents asking not only why are they not telling us whats going on with the house but also why are they going to paint over structural damnage, they initially took it ok and agreed to halt the painting until the house was structurally sound.

The next day my partner had a telehealth therapy appt and I had a digital lecture for school, and before either of us were able to do those things my partners cousin and the same cleaning lady came back without warning. They basically tell us that theyre cleaning to paint the house, and contradicting what my partners parents agreed too the night before. On the phone with their parents my partner tried to get them to see how paint is unimportant to the house and for them to care about the structural issues but they didnt care and blamed both of us for "not wanting things to be done". Also that day the painters did not come, so at this point we are being given vauge times for these workers to come over and we ask to be kept in the loop, and given a proper date and time for these things so we can be out of the house. They also refused this request.

Thursday they come again in the morning to prep for these mystery painters, and when the contractor and cleaning lady leave we have only 3 hours of peace to ourselves when my partners cousin comes back with a strange dude. They tell us that they are here to rip up all the plants in the yard, and I explain that its fine to pull the plants around the house but not in the back which is my garden. When they were done pulling plants around the house they tried to "help" me by pulling up the plants in my garden. Both my partner and I explained that growing plants and tending to them is very important to me, and that im more than capable of doing the "weed pulling" by myself. My partners cousin agreed a then left, but later that night he called my partner telling a different story. A translated/shortened version of what was

said "Im not just mad im fucking pissed that a (black) woman told me what to do and how to do my job, Youre (my partner) the man of the house (theyre not a man) you need to do better at controlling them, because this isnt their place to be making choices about the house"

At this point we are both highly considering leaving because of the horrible treatment of me and my partner, We try to calm down and sit with our feelings to see if we can work things out here but we decide that If we cant get their parents/family to respect us and esp me then we cant stay. Friday the 5th is fine for the start of the day and we are left alone until late afternoon. We get a call from my partners cousin who tells u that at 5 the painters are going to be there. We move the couches and large home pieces and wait for them for over an hour, and when they come back over my partner sees that they did not come over with paint and the painting supplies but gardening tools to rip up my garden.

At this point i am LIVID because not only did he lie to us he did this all out of spite for me being an "out of control woman who needs to be put in their place". I start screaming and calling him a liar because he lied to us. When he is in the yard where we cant see he cuts HALF OF OUR HOMES POWER which powers the AC which i NEED to control my POTS in the subtropics. Again he did this to get back at me knowing i would suffer because of this. After he leaves we basically agree that we will not be staying here because of all the abuse and violence both of us have gone through. I personally feel safer with my black abusive parent than staying where we are now, I now had to reconnect back and talk to my family again and ask for a place to stay again. Thankfully we wont be on the street but we are going right back to my abusers home. I am still mentally numb from this but It quiet frankly physically safer than staying around my partners very violent anti black family.

Durring the time right after that series of events we start planning our leave, get some help from a close family member so we can fly back, and start re-packing basically everything we own. We disconnect the home phone, we dont open the door and we are very frim with everyone telling my partners various family members that until we are gone this house is not gonna be available to be worked on because we have to pack. They continually fight this almost everyday since we have told them. They keep telling us that we cant just not let the workers in, and we explained that we will be doing that so we have enough time and space to pack literally everything we own.

Yesterday our landlords, my partners abusive parents sent their cousin to BREAK IN to our house and threaten us, because we werent letting workers in. Again they sent someone to break in our house because we had boundaries and needed to pack. We were both hella shocked that they would go to such lengths to manipulate n scare us into doing what they want. After my partner confronted their cousin who literally just broke in, they argued and he eventually left, so after he left i had to barricade the door/gate and use 12 gauge wire to wrap around the locks so even if theyre broken open they cant be moved. Quite frankly im very triggered because this is not the 1st time ive experienced people breaking into my space to be violent and threaten me. My partner and I are/were still in shock and later that night, their mother gets my partners oldest very physically and verbally abusive brother to threaten them.

The blacked out name is their second oldest brother who is a cop, They are threatening to basically come to this house and beat my partner which they have a history of doing.

My partners family has been abusive, violent, anti black, and with the recent escalation we are pretty scared for our safety. We had to sleep in turns last night because the paranoia of them breaking back in to hurt us was so great. We are planned to leave late on the 25th which leaves us one more week to endure.

This is only the highlights of the horrible shit we had to endure here, because we know my partners family can and will do anything to hurt us, I will be sharing the legal names of the several different people who have threatened violence against me and my partner to close friends/family if we go "missing". I genuinely hope yall understand why we need to leave and get funds for re-re-starting our lives. I genuinely ask you not to dm me questions abt this because I am rather traumatized and paranoid at this time.

[thescarletwitchsapprentice]

Yandere Mom!Wanda trying to kidnap Reader from another universe, because she misses her baby pleaseeee

I love that!

Baby Mine (Yandere Mom!Wanda Maximoff x Reader) (Potential MoM spoilers ahead! Read at your own discretion!)

*Not my GIF

Summary: Wanda had long accepted that she wouldn't be able to get her children back, yet she refused to accept having no one to love.

You had long accepted that you would always be the outcast of your family, yet you refused to accept that there was no hope.

What happens when she spies you whilst viewing other universes?

(CW: Potential ableism, (I'd like to make it autistic and non-autistic inclusive if I can. It could be read as the reader being autistic, having severe trauma, or both because quite a few trauma symptoms overlap with some autism symptoms) self-harm, abuse, yelling, angst, hurt/comfort, mentions of death, MoM spoilers, (sorry, I forgot to put this as a content warning, please don’t hate me am fragile nugget)

Author's Note: Someone wrote a reply to my "Wanda's your next door neighbor" imagine that they "totally haven't reread it a concerning amount of times." And it makes me realize just how many of us use fanfics to fill the voids in our lives....(fuck, now I'm tearing up) So while yandere fics aren't usually supposed to be a good thing, I think taking the reader from an abusive family to give them the love they deserve may be the exception.

I'm also bringing in another character or two.

“Baby mine, don't you cry Baby mine, dry your eyes Rest your head close to my heart Never to part, baby of mine.”

Wanda wakes up in her little cabin, alone as always. Her face is stained with tear tracks. Billy and Tommy had appeared in her dreams again, and while she missed them terribly, she'd given up her search.

"Know that they'll be loved..."

She knows.....yet it doesn't fill the hole in her heart.

After spending some more time in bed, she gets up and gets dressed before making herself some tea with her breakfast. Everyday just seems to drag on now that she's resigned herself to this fate. And yet, there's still this little spark of hope that she may find something or someone to love, someone that she won't lose.

With that little spark of hope, she goes about her day until she decides to use some magic to view other universes. It's not necessarily dream-walking, it's more like just being an observer without leaving the universe you're in.

For some time, she comes up empty-handed. But suddenly, she spies....someone.

===========

"Ah!"

You cry out as your mother confronts you with your report card.

"What is this?" she snaps, practically punching it with her finger.

You look to see that B+ in Science, sticking out of the sea of As like a sore thumb.

"It's....it's a B+," you say.

"Yeah, a B+."

"It's.....it's still passing...." you defend weakly.

"It's barely passing!" she snaps. "You're not applying yourself. You need to stop being so lazy and actually try for once in your life!"

"But....but I--"

"SHUT UP!"

You wince as her voice punches your ear drums.

"I didn't raise you to be a lazy brat! Are you even studying?"

"I-I am....but I still don't understand--"

"I don't want to hear your excuses."

She huffs.

"I give you a roof over your head, clothes to wear, food to eat, and all I ask is for you to do well in school and help out around the house. I don't think that's too much to ask, but how do you repay me? By sitting on your ass all day doing fuck-all! Do you know how hard I work to raise you all by myself?! And where were you?! You didn't come home on the normal bus!"

"I-I was staying back to get help for Science," you reply meekly.

"Liar!" Your mother snaps. "You were out with some punks, weren't you?"

"No! I wasn't, I promise."

"Likely story."

Suddenly your mother pinches down on your ear and yanks you up to your room.

"Ungrateful, useless brat! Stop that whimpering or else I'll give you something to cry about."

She drags you to your bedroom and pushes you inside to the ground before throwing your backpack at you as well, hitting you in the back. The textbook corner in your backpack hammers on your spine and you wince.

"Stay in here and study, you stupid bitch."

She loudly slams the door shut before you hear a click. She's locked you in. After a few minutes, you sit up weakly and sit on your floor. The tears fall silently as you bite down on your arm.

"Every day...." you squeak as you rock on the floor. "Every day I hope for someone to take me away from this hell hole....I don't know how much longer I can take this....someone....please help me...."

=======================

Wanda's heart breaks and the tears fall down her face at the sight of you. A poor, sweet child who wants to love and be loved only for that wretched woman to degrade and abuse you. She doesn't deserve you. In that moment, Wanda's mind is made up. But unfortunately you're in another universe.

She'll need to call in some back-up. And she knows just who to summon.

=======================

America Chavez has her eyes on a fellow sorceress in Kamar Taj, distracting her from her studies. Her heart flutters at the girl's smile, her stomach fills with butterflies at the song that is her laugh. And this is the first time she's actually felt a bit shy, something completely new to her. She's never been shy.

But today's the day she's gonna talk to her.

"Okay, America," she whispers to herself. "You can do this. Just go up to her and start a conversation. It's not that complicated."

She takes a deep breath before approaching her.

"Um, hey," she says, trying her damnedest to push down her nerves. "I....I've seen you in lessons before and, uh, I'm-I'm America Chavez."

The girl smiles at America.

"Oh yeah, I've seen you too. I'm Titania Phillips, like the fairy queen in A Midsummer Night's Dream."

The two of them just stand there for a bit in silence.

"Say something, America!" her mind snaps at her. "You can do this."

"So, uh," she begins. "Do you like.....stuff?"

Titania giggles.

"Yes, I do in fact like stuff. What sort of stuff are you referring to?"

"Girls?"

It just....bursts out of America's mouth, causing her cheeks to turn scarlet.

"Oh, you're lesbian too?" Titania asks. "I thought it was just me."

"Score!" America squeals internally as she nods. "Okay, now just ask her if she wants to eat lunch or something."

"Umm...." Titania says. "You can stop nodding."

America realizes that she's become a human bobble head and grasps the sides of her head to stop herself.

"Sorry," she chuckles. "So, um, you maybe wanna get lunch or some--?"

Her words are cut off by a grip on her mind. A few seconds later, she finds herself in an unfamiliar house. Something closes behind her and she turns around just in time to see a star-shaped portal close completely.

"Seriously?!" she exclaims.

"America."

A voice hits her ears, one she hasn't heard in a while. She turns to see the last person she'd expect to see.

"W-Wanda?!" she exclaims. "I-I thought you---."

The Scarlet Witch chuckles bitterly.

"You really think it’d happen so easily?"

America blinks a bit.

"What even happened?" she asks. "I was trying to talk to a girl in Kamar Taj."

"And how was that going for you?" Wanda asks, almost knowingly.

"....I was dorky as hell," the teen lesbian mumbles under her breath, glancing down at the floor.

Hearing this Wanda giggles.

"Don’t worry, you’ll get more confident around her. Maybe she'll even be your first kiss."

"Okay, pushing my love life aside, how and why did you bring me here?"

"I had to take control of you for a moment, make you summon a portal to me."

"You...you're not gonna....are you?" America begins to panic.

"No, I'm not," Wanda assures her. "I brought you here in desperate need of your assistance."

"With....what?"

Wanda takes a deep breath.

"Follow me."

She takes America to her universe-viewing room and conjures up what she saw earlier.

"I found a child."

"I thought you gave up on finding the twins."

"I have," she confirms. "But this one's different. Take a look."

She replays the footage and America feels her heart break.

"Holy shit...." she gasps. "What kind of monster treats a kid like that?!"

"Apparently that child's mother. They're in another universe, though. That's where you come in. I need you to make a portal to their universe."

"You're taking them from their family?!"

Wanda nods.

"It's for the best. No child deserves that sort of barbaric and cruel treatment."

Hearing this, the teen is torn. On one hand, she saw how you were being treated, but on the other hand, that's your family. And yet she heard you say how it's an every day occurrence. She can only imagine how little you have to hang onto.

With this thought in mind, she nods.

"Okay, I'll help you. When should we go get them?"

"When it's nighttime in their universe," Wanda answers. "I'll need for you to just wait around a few hours."

"But...Titania..." she whimpers.

"You can talk to her all you like when this is over. Now would you like me to make you some tea?"

"Um....I'm good, thanks." America shivers at the memory.

"I'm really gonna need therapy for that."

=========

It's now 12 am in your universe and your eyes are stinging from all of the studying, but you're so scared that your mother is gonna burst into the room and yell at you some more. And yet....you feel like that's what you deserve.

You hear your stomach grumble and feel the immense ache. You didn't get dinner that evening. How could you when your momster locked you in your own bedroom?

"What's the point?" you sigh as you throw down your textbook, not realizing how loud it is. "I'm never gonna be good enough....I should just sleep on it."

You put on some worn and scratchy PJs and get ready to tuck yourself in your uncomfortable bed when you hear the click of the lock. You begin to panic as the door slams open loudly.

"What are you doing?!" Your mother snaps. "I didn't tell you you could stop studying."

"I need sleep," you tell her.

"Don't you dare talk back to me!"

"But--"

"I said don't talk back!"

You put your hands over your ears and begin rocking, scrunching your eyes shut. Not a moment later, your hands are yanked away from your ears and pinned down.

"Don't you dare ignore me! Look me in the eyes when I'm talking to you, you worthless mistake!"

Pinning down both hands with one, she raises her free hand, ready to smack you. You can't take this anymore and at that moment, you scream out in agony.

"SOMEBODY SAVE ME PLEASE!"

All of a sudden, your mom lets go of your hand and you hear her cry out before a loud bang reaches your ears. You open your eyes to see your mom on the floor with her back against the wall.

"Get your hands off of that child." A voice you don't recognize, one with an accent, growls at her.

Your mother is too stunned to speak. You look over to see a woman with red hair in a red and black outfit. Next to her is a girl with black hair wearing a denim jacket. The red-haired woman nods to the girl and the girl approaches you while the red-haired woman goes over to your mom.

"C'mon," she tells you. "We're here to get you out of here."

You're extremely hesitant, but the girl insists.

"We're not gonna hurt you, we promise."

All of a sudden, you hear your mother scream in fear. Looking over, you only just see her eyes glow red before she curls up in the fetal position in fear. The red-haired woman approaches you.

"It’s going to be alright, sweetie," she tells you. "We promise we won't hurt you."

You're still very hesitant and the red-haired woman sighs, as if she knew this was how you would react, but it's not in an impatient way. All of a sudden, a red wisp seems to emerge from her hand and enters through your ear. You see a brief flash of red before you fall asleep.

==============================

The first thing you notice when you come to is softness. Softness all around you.

Opening your eyes, you find yourself somewhere unfamiliar and you get a bit anxious.

"Hey, it's okay, sweetie."

You hear a gentle voice near you. Looking up, you see the red-haired woman sitting on the edge of the bed next to you. She’s now in casual clothes. You panic a bit.

"Please...don't hurt me..." you whimper.

"I would never hurt you," she assures you. "Never."

She reaches out her hand to you and you flinch.

“You don’t have to, if you don’t want to,” she says to you softly.

“Are....are you gonna hit me?” you stammer.

“Never,” she tells you. “I promise I will never hit you.”

You’re silent for a bit, tentatively taking ahold of her hand after several minutes. She gently rubs the back of yours with her thumb.

“Where....where am I?” you ask.

“You’re in my house,” she tells you.

“How did I get here?”

“It’s a long story.”

“And why am I here?”

You hear her sigh again. 

“I-I’m sorry,” you whimper.

“You have nothing to apologize for, sweetie,” she assures you. “It’s just, it’s difficult to explain without startling you. The important thing is that I brought you here because I heard your pleas to be taken away from that place. No child should ever be treated like that. You deserve love and kindness.”

“N-no I don’t.”

“....I know it’s difficult to believe considering how long the abuse has been happening for, but I promise it’s true. You deserve to be loved, and that’s why you’re here. I want to be your mother.”

You hear this and you’re in disbelief.

“H-huh? Is...is this a dream?” you ask.

She smiles softly.

“No, it’s not a dream. It’s very real, sweetie. I truly want to be your mother. I want to love you and take care of you.”

Your eyes begin to water.

“I....I don’t have to go back there, right?”

She shakes her head.

“No, never. This is your home now, you’ll always be loved here.”

You let a small squeak escape your throat and your lip quivers before you weep. You lean forward and hug your new mother.

“Thank you....” you cry, feeling a wave of relief. “Thank you....mom...”

It feels odd, and yet comforting, to say that.

She hugs you in return and rubs your back gently.

“It’s okay, sweetie. Just let it out. It’s okay to cry,” she assures you. “I’m here. Mommy’s here.”

Her love for you grows the longer you two hug. It’s been so long since she’s had someone to care for, and now she has you. You’ve given her a reason to keep going, just by being with her. You truly are a sweet child, now her sweet child; so loving and kind and hopeful.

And Wanda wants nothing more than for you to stay that way.

See....what you don’t know is that you aren’t the only person/thing Wanda had America help retrieve. Unbeknownst to her, Wanda had her retrieve an extremely-powerful elixir; a single dose stops aging, assures complete immortality, and fully protects from all deadly diseases and injuries. She injected a dose into you while you were asleep before injecting herself with a dose. 

Not only that, but she’s also placed a barrier around the island. Just enough for you to explore, but not stray so far from her. On top of that, she’s placed an enchantment on America and made sure to disguise it, in case Strange and Wong notice something’s up; it’s to summon her back in case she needs something for you. She’s not going to take her powers, no, but she still wants to make sure that she has what she needs to take care of you.

Yes, you; her precious child.

She won’t let anything or anyone hurt you.

All you’ll know is love from now on.

And no one will ever take you away from her.

She’s made certain of that....

“From your head to your toes (Baby mine) You're so sweet, goodness knows (Baby mine) You are so precious to me Cute as can be Baby of mine Baby mine Baby mine.”

[batsarebetterthanpeople]

Genuinely if I was an amputee and a canyonite I would leave tumblr right now. I just saw someone say that Izzy should have been buried with his prosthetic because he's incomplete without it and it's like do you even hear yourselves. The ableism is coming from inside the house.

[rjalker]

"sometimes accomodations for wheelchair users make things more difficult for other people" cool why are you only talking about this when wheelchair users are asking to be let into the fucking buildings in the first fucking place. Letting wheelchair users in does not mean removing all fucking stairs.

Stop fucking acting like physically disabled people demanding the bare minimum means that, actually, they want other disabled people to suffer.

[stark---contrast]

Take a Chance on Me

@stevetonygames team Future | Total blackout (24 prompts) | MCU (Endgame fix-it) | 4.2k words | Rated T | Tw: internalized ableism

After wielding the Infinity Stones, time seemed to move differently for Tony.

Maybe it was because of the snap that nearly killed him. Maybe it was a residue of time warping to different decades. Maybe it was elation due to the fact that they'd actually succeeded.

Or maybe Tony was just getting old.

The world was safe again and he could finally rest. And so time ticked away, seasons came and went, and before Tony knew it, Morgan was already seven and three years had passed in what felt only like months.

During that time, Pepper had moved back to the city: first merely for weekdays and then one day permanently. At least the divorce was a smooth, relatively painless process—not that Tony had expected anything else where Pepper was concerned.

Tony had debated on leaving the lakehouse but found he couldn't. Morgan deserved to keep her childhood home during the weeks that she was his, and Tony liked being near the rebuilt Avengers compound. The occasional winged figure soaring in the skies or the muted explosions of a new superhero generation being trained were tangible proof that he'd actually made a difference.

It was a somewhat solitary life. Even with Morgan, the bots and the damn alpaca scurrying about, Tony's social circle had been drastically reduced in the last decade. Conferences and extravagant parties had given way for a workshop in the garage and falling asleep to cartoons at 8 PM. Tony didn't even have to wear a disguise in public anymore: he'd simply fallen out of the general population's perception. 

It was a blessing and a curse. On one hand, Morgan wouldn't have to grow up in Tony's shadow like he had in Howard's. In fact, most of Morgan's classmates were much more awestruck over Pepper, the renowned CEO of Stark Industries, than Morgan's dad with the weird arm who picked her up from soccer practice and sometimes built robots.

On the other hand, Tony was alone a lot of the time. And after years of first living with the Avengers and then with his wife and child, he didn't do so well with loneliness anymore.

Sometimes when it got particularly bad, he'd put on the armor's helmet and play a 360 degree recording of the latest Avengers meeting at the Compound and, yes, he knew full well how sad that was. Tony had retired of his own free will and had a new family now, a daughter who required his full attention and who he loved more than anything else in the world.

But if Tony's eyes still started misting inside the helmet whenever he saw Natasha's empty chair in the meetings, that was nobody's business but his own.

Still, it wasn't like the house was empty even on the weeks Morgan was with Pepper. Rhodey visited almost every weekend, marathoning LotR with Morgan or having beers with Tony on the porch, reminiscing about the good old days like the two old geezers that they were. Happy didn't come by as often now that he no longer had to drive Tony places, but when he did, he usually brought very welcome cheeseburgers and wholly unwelcome dating advice with him.

"You know, Pepper works fifty hours a week and still has time to date," Happy said.

"Well, anyone would fall for Pepper," Tony said around a bite of beef patty and cheddar cheese. "She just has to show up on a date and say one sentence and bam, boyfriend acquired. Not very time-consuming."

"At least she's putting herself out there," Happy insisted. "But if you want to keep being a hermit, there are a bunch of apps—"

"Yeah, because surely I'd be a hit on those," Tony huffed. "Not so much genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist these days; more like single dad, amputee in chronic pain, lost half of my assets in the divorce and spent the remainder rebuilding the Compound. What a catch!"

"The right person won't care about any of that," Happy said. "You just have to take the plunge. Don't you wish you had someone to share your life with?"

"I have Morgan," Tony simply replied, though that wasn't the entire truth.

Because there was also Steve.

Steve was the reason Tony had only lost an arm instead of his life, leaping across what felt like half of the battlefield and flinging himself at Tony to share the burden of the stones. Realistically, probably most of the burden; they knew from the Guardians that even just one stone could give five enhanced individuals a nasty zap when using its power. And nanotech armor or not, Tony was only a baseline human.

After Thanos' army faded away, Steve was the last thing Tony saw before he passed out and the first thing he saw when he woke up. Tony had stared at Steve's dumbstruck face hovering near the hospital bed, rasped "Please tell me nobody kissed me," and Steve had laughed. Just like back in New York.

Except this time, Steve didn't go on a fuck-you-all roadtrip after and leave Tony to deal with the collateral (and emotional) damage. Instead, he'd decided he was personally responsible for the upkeep of Tony and Pepper's lakehouse, and also picking up Morgan from kindergarten when Pepper was busy and going grocery shopping as long as Tony couldn't drive and feeding Gerald the moody alpaca that had already kicked him in the shin—twice. Steve would show up every few days and Tony would pretend to be annoyed even as Morgan squealed and ran out into the driveway to greet him. Clearly, Steve was bored after passing on the shield to Sam, and helping Tony "Designated Charity Case" Stark was either his way of feeling useful or apologizing to Pepper for crippling her husband.

Probably both.

To his credit, Tony did try to fight Steve on it the first few months, but he really should have learned by then that there was no out-stubborning Steve Rogers when it came to doing the right thing. Tony had fully expected Steve's wellness checks to stop as soon as he received his prosthetic arm and finished his physical therapy, but that was almost two years ago and Tony still had leftovers in the fridge from when Steve cooked dinner for him and Morgan last weekend.

If anything, Steve's visits had only become more frequent over the years, which had made some sense after the divorce, but not so much now that Tony had almost full mobility of his arm back. Still, Steve was a big help and Morgan obviously loved him, so Tony had grown kind of fond of their weird little routine and wasn't about to ruin it by demanding Steve's motivations.

Of course, other people weren't as willing to ignore the subject.

"So… you and Steve," Bruce said when he was visiting for his semi-regular science talks with Tony—which more often than not ended in tea and Avengers gossip and raiding Morgan's cookie stash. The Hulk's personality might lie dormant, but his appetite did not.

"There is no me and Steve," Tony huffed. "There's just Steve and Steve's guilt complex. He likes collecting sad people missing an arm; it's kind of his thing, if you hadn't noticed."

"Uh-huh," Bruce said.

"I'm telling you, that guy sees someone with a prosthetic and immediately whips out the adoption papers," Tony kept going. "But hey, if he wants to waste his life mowing my lawn and washing my dishes, I'm not about to complain. Having your personal supersoldier is a lot cheaper than paying for a gardener or cleaning service—and much more efficient when it comes to chopping firewood, too."

"Right," Bruce said. "So who are the flowers from, Tony?"

Tony kept his face carefully neutral and resisted the urge to glance at the bouquet he knew was sitting in a vase on the coffee table. Steve had brought the flowers a week ago and they were starting to wilt, but Tony kept "forgetting" to throw them away.

"Morgan likes flowers," Tony said in explanation.

"I doubt Steve would bring your kid flowers that mean 'Please give me a chance'," Bruce said, because of course he happened to be fluent in flower language. "Have you ever considered he might be sticking around for some other reason than guilt?"

"Jesus, Bruce, let the man bring some platonic flowers!" Tony exclaimed. "You know you're perpetuating toxic masculinity, right? I'll file a complaint to Avengers HR and sic Carol on you."

Bruce rolled his eyes so hard Tony thought he saw a flash of green in them. At least the Hulk would have laughed at the absurd notion of Steve trying to court Tony.

"Anyway, as I was saying about the particle collider…" Tony started, then went quiet as he heard the familiar sound of a motorcycle pulling up in the driveway.

"Oh look, Steve's home," Bruce deadpanned.

"Ha ha, very funny," Tony said. He checked the calendar on the fridge only to confirm what he already knew; it was indeed Tuesday, and Steve wasn't supposed to come by until Friday to help Tony unload the hay bales he'd ordered for his ungrateful alpaca. "He probably just broke his phone or something and wants me to fix it. Sit tight, I'll be right back."

Tony didn't wait for Bruce's reply before walking out on the porch. Steve was already getting off his bike, but rather than the dirt-stained jeans or a sinfully tight t-shirt Tony was used to seeing him in while he did his handiwork around the property, Steve was dressed in a leather jacket and had even styled his hair.

Oh, and on top of looking unfairly good he was also carrying a bouquet of red tulips.

"Tony!" Steve's face lit up and he practically jogged up to meet Tony. "How was your day?"

Tony blinked. "It's Tuesday."

"Yeah, uh…" Steve's smile turned sheepish. "I just thought I'd swing by to see if you wanted to grab dinner together? Oh, and I drove past a florist on the way—here, these are…I mean, you can have them. If you want."

Steve shoved the flowers at Tony and he grabbed them more out of reflex than anything else.

"...Thanks?" Tony said, regarding Steve skeptically. "I'll have to say no on the dinner, though."

"Oh," Steve said, his face falling like Tony had kicked a puppy instead of declining to eat with him.

"I have a week's worth of leftovers to get through because you made enough to feed a small army. Remember?"

Steve frowned. "You didn't throw them away?"

"Well, somebody who grew up during the great depression has taught me not to waste food." Tony smirked. "But hey, you guys have a good time."

"...What?"

"Oh come on, you're clearly dressed up," Tony said, gesturing to all of Steve. "It's obviously some kind of group outing that you wanted to invite the resident hermit to. No need to keep up the act."

Steve was quiet for a beat—probably embarrassed Tony had seen through his white lies—before he seemed to deflate.

"Yeah," Steve said. "Sorry. It was a dumb idea. Have a good night, Ton—Bruce!?"

Tony heard the doorframe creak as Bruce squeezed himself through it.

"Hiya, Steve!" Bruce chirped way too cheerfully. "Funny seeing you here."

Tony glared at Bruce. Bruce resolutely ignored it.

"Yeah, you too," Steve said and, geez, he even pulled out the fake Captain America smile. "Sorry for intruding, I didn't see your car. Weren't you two supposed to be meeting next week?"

"Oh, yeah, Tony just rescheduled a few days ago," Bruce said, the traitor. Thankfully, he didn't know that the reason for Tony's urgent change of plans was because the five days without both Morgan and Steve would have been miserable otherwise.

"And it's no biggie, I was just leaving anyway—Jen's picking me up from the main road," Bruce had the audacity to lie, because Tony was supposed to drop him off later in the evening. "There's a few cups of coffee left in the machine if you want it."

"Actually, I was just…" Steve nodded awkwardly at his bike.

"Yes, see, he's leaving," Tony said. "You both were, but somehow you're still right here—"

"Oh, speaking of Jen," Bruce interrupted, "she keeps bugging me for your number," Bruce told Steve, then grimaced. "In…not so child-friendly terms."

Tony bit the inside of his cheek to keep himself from commenting on that delightful bit of information. He'd only met Jennifer once, but she was an absolutely stunning woman, not to mention could match even Steve's strength. If Steve took her up on that offer, they'd make one hell of a couple. She'd be lucky—Steve would be lucky to be with her, of course.

"Sorry." Steve gave a little half-smile. "Not interested in some one-time thing."

"Yeah, I thought so," Bruce said, then looked at the bouquet Tony was now clutching a little too forcefully. "Nice flowers, by the way. Red for undying love, right?"

"Oh, here we go again," Tony groaned.

"Uh," Steve said, his face steadily approaching the color of the flowers. "I just thought they…looked nice."

"I'm sure," Bruce said. "I assume they were out of flowers that said 'Tony, you idiot, there is no group outing, I was asking you out on a date'?"

"Oh my god, Bruce, get in the damn car and I'll drive you—wait, what?" Tony said, the words only now registering.

"Have fun!" Bruce said and—Tony could only describe it as fled—the scene.

And so Tony stood there on his porch like an idiot, with the offending tulips in his hand and a dolled-up, fidgeting and completely silent Steve in front of him.

"That's the last time I let Bruce into the cookie stash," Tony finally said.

That seemed to snap Steve out of his stupor. "Yeah, I…didn't expect that. At least not from Bruce."

"Sorry about him," Tony said. He held out the bouquet. "You should probably take these back, huh? With the 'undying love' and whatnot."

Tony tried for a grin. If he just didn't think about Bruce's words, he might survive this conversation with his dignity intact. Steve would laugh and sheepishly take the flowers and leave, and Tony could back inside and casually scream into a pillow. As you do.

But because Tony's life was never easy, Steve didn't accept the flowers. He just stared at them, then at Tony, then flushed all the way up to his ears and cleared his throat.

"No," Steve said, stubbornly keeping eye contact even though he was clearly dying inside. "No, I don't think I will."

"O-kaaay," Tony drawled, slowly withdrawing the bouquet. What the hell was up with Steve today?

"Unless…unless you're actually rejecting me," Steve soldiered on through his visible discomfort. "And I've been too dense to notice it all this time."

Tony opened his mouth to ask if Steve was having a stroke and promptly closed it. There was clearly something going on here that went deeper than Tony saying no to getting pizza or whatever with Steve, but like so many times before, they were just talking past each other.

"Steve," Tony said levelly. "Why are you really here?"

Steve stood up a little straighter even though he was still ugly blushing.

"Because I thought you were free and wanted to take you out to dinner," Steve said.

Tony squinted at him. "And you…dressed up and brought flowers—"

"Clearly should've picked the 'I'm asking you out on a date, you goddamn idiot' flowers instead," Steve huffed.

Tony blinked. He stared. He tried to process the earth-shattering discovery that Steve actually wanted to court him.

It didn't make sense. Tony had questions. He also still wanted to scream into that pillow. There was so much to talk about.

Of course, what came out of Tony's mouth was, "Language, Cap."

Steve's face did something funny at that: like his body couldn't decide whether to laugh or cringe. Smooth, Tony.

Eventually, Steve did burst out laughing, though it had a hysteric edge to it. Tony could relate wholeheartedly.

Tony cleared his throat and Steve stopped laughing. "What I meant was: hi, my name is Tony Stark, single dad missing an arm and owning the world's rudest alpaca," Tony rambled. "And you're Steve Rogers, literal human perfection, standing on my porch and expecting me to believe that you being here is anything more than pity."

"What?" Steve said. "C'mon, Tony, you can't really believe that. It's been over three years." Tony shrugged, and Steve's eyes went wide. "You mean…all this time you thought—"

"Yes? No? In my defense, I tried not to think about it at all, because I liked having you around and the idea of being your good deed of the day kinda put a damper on that."

"How…" Steve said, then shook his head. "Doesn't matter. You're wrong. I started helping you because you're my friend, and then I stuck around because…well, I liked being here."

"And now you want to go on a date. With me. Romantically," Tony clarified.

Steve nodded. "Yes."

"Why?" Tony asked.

"Why do people usually go on dates?" Steve shrugged. "I wanna be with you, and I really think we could be good together."

"But you're…this," Tony, again, gestured to all of Steve. "And I'm…" He glanced down at his workshop tee and grease-stained sweatpants; a far cry from the suits and booty jeans he'd worn in his prime. "Well, I definitely put the 'dad' in 'dad bod'."

Steve just kept looking at him. "And?"

"And you don't want someone like me!" Tony exclaimed. "I'm irresponsible and frankly terrible at relationships, always have been, and I miss being Iron Man and don't know what to do with myself the weeks Morgan's at Pep's." Steve didn't seem phased, so Tony took a shallow breath and quickly continued, "Sometimes I spy on Avengers meetings and cry, and my shoulder still hurts from the stones and the burn scars look hideous and I have nightmares from the wormhole and—and, oh, okay, we're kissing now—"

Steve, apparently done with Tony's pity party, took the liberty of cupping Tony's cheek and leaning in to kiss him. Which, all things considered, was probably the most effective way he'd ever managed to shut Tony up.

Tony's brain was too fried for him to do much more than stand there and let himself be kissed. To be fair, this was the most action he'd gotten in almost three years and he'd never realized how much he'd missed it. The kiss was little more than a soft press of their lips but the simple intimacy of it was enough to flood Tony's body with happy chemicals.

Eventually, he did manage to kiss back, but Steve still pulled away much too soon.

"Are you done?" Steve asked, and it really was quite persuasive when murmured against Tony's lips.

"...With the self-loathing or the kissing?" Tony asked. "Because I was kinda just getting started with the latter."

Steve chuckled and pressed their lips together again and, okay, wow, it really was that easy.

They were both much more confident this time. Steve kissed with meaning, Tony pulled him closer by his stupidly sexy leather jacket, Steve rubbed his thumb over Tony's five o' clock shadow and Tony tilted his head to make the slide of their lips easier. He might not have kissed anyone in years, but he could totally do this—it was like riding a bike, right? He just had to play it cool.

And then Steve lapped at the seam of his lips, and, really, how was Tony supposed to not clutch his jacket and let out a pathetic moan?

That was apparently the cue for Steve to break the kiss, but luckily he didn't look weirded out by Tony's desperation; in fact, he was blushing again and even panting a little, which was a pretty nice ego boost considering how much it took for Steve to get winded.

"Sorry, I, uh." Steve cleared his throat and took a step back and Tony bravely resisted his body's urge to scream no, no, no, come back! "I got a little too into that," Steve said.

Tony raised an eyebrow. "Did it look like I was complaining?"

"Well, I still have some things I need to make clear," Steve said.

Oh, boy. Tony straightened his back and steeled himself for the good ol' "Tony, you're so great—except for those five hundred flaws of yours that mean we'll never work out" spiel.

Steve took a deep breath and started, "You're the bravest, most heroic man I've ever met and I'm sorry it took me over ten years to realize that."

Tony blinked. That was a weird start to friendzone someone.

"You have a brilliant mind but more than that, you have a big heart," Steve said. "You care so much about everyone around you, even if they hurt you—" 

Steve winced and Tony felt the phantom sensation of Siberian snow on his face and something heavy pressing down on the suit's arc reactor.

"When I came here three years ago, I expected you to scream in my face, and I wouldn't have blamed you," Steve said. "Instead, you helped me. You trusted me. You forgave me. And then you saved the world—again." Steve smiled, his eyes crinkling at the corners; Tony had never noticed the wrinkles before. "And after, you let me be a part of your new life. You let me be a part of Morgan's. And, god, Tony the way you are with her… How could I not fall in love with you?"

Okay, well, that was just unfair. Tony had been just about ready to accept that Steve wasn't about to dump him before they'd even gotten started, but now he had to process the fact that Steve apparently loved him too. Despite all of the bright red, painfully obvious warning signs.

Maybe Happy was right. Maybe the right person wouldn't care.

"I can't even describe how much the last three years have meant to me. How much you mean to me," Steve said, his pretty blue eyes staring deep into Tony's. "And if you'll have me, I promise I'll do my damndest to make you happy."

Tony still wasn't quite sure if this was real. Maybe he was dreaming or Bruce's tea had a little extra something.

But hallucination or not, there was no reality where he'd ever be able to resist Steve Rogers spilling his heart and asking to date Tony.

"Okay," Tony said.

Steve blinked, then gave him a hesitant smile. "Really?"

"Well, my kid already loves you, and that's like 90% of my dating criteria these days," Tony said. "I also might have been planning on exploding the workshop roof on purpose so I could get you to come back before Friday, because not having you around freaks me out and five days is way too long."

Steve's smile widened and he stepped closer again. "I know the feeling. I barely managed two before I needed to see you."

Tony's heart did funny things at that and since Steve was already right there, Tony figured he might as well steal another kiss.

Steve made a happy little sigh when their lips met and Tony felt like an absolute idiot for not pulling on this thread sooner. There had just been too much at stake, with their rocky history and Tony's injuries and the divorce and Morgan—

Shit. What if Steve didn't understand how important Morgan was in all this?

"Full disclosure," Tony said, pulling away. "Morgan still has complete veto rights. She says no, this ends right away."

Rather than nod grimly like Tony expected, Steve smiled sheepishly. "Well, actually…I don't think Morgan's opinion will be a problem."

Tony stared. "Please say you didn't tell my kid you wanna bang me."

Steve took a moment to look at Tony like he was an idiot. "Your child," Steve started, "was the one who came up to me two weeks ago and said 'Daddy still doesn't know you love him. You should bring him flowers'."

Some kind of noise escaped Tony's throat; a quiet wheeze in the spirit of Holy shit my seven-year-old daughter tried to set me up with Captain America.

Steve chuckled. "Yeah, that was my reaction too."

"Why…what…how?" Tony managed.

"I've heard from multiple sources that I'm not as subtle with my feelings as I think I am," Steve said, then got a mischievous glint in his eye and added, "and Morgan's always been smarter than her old man, anyway."

Tony barked out a surprised laugh at the unexpected sass.

"Oh, really?" Tony said around a grin. "That's how it's gonna be with you, huh?"

Steve smirked. "Maybe."

"I can already tell you're going to be a menace," Tony teased. "You're lucky you're cute."

"I thought I was 'human perfection'."

Tony snorted a surprised—and extremely unattractive—laugh. Steve merely grinned, and, god, when was the last time anyone but Morgan had made Tony laugh like this?

"Well, mister Human Perfection," Tony said, brushing his hand against Steve's. "Still wanna have dinner with me? I've got cold coffee and leftover casserole."

Steve smiled and laced his fingers with Tony's. "Sounds like a plan."

That was when Steve pulled him close and kissed him again, and Tony decided he could definitely get used to this.

[crowpunkcognitivedecline]

oh let me know if there's already a term for it but i've started to use diagonal ableism to refer to the kind of ableism that's often incorrectly called lateral ableism--like, when level 1 autistics talk about/treat level 2&3 autists like shit, when non-ID ND folks 'reclaim' the r-slur, when abled ND people call themselves paralyzed or cripples, etc.

shit that is absolutely not lateral because it weaponizes a very real power imbalance, but that is arguably still coming from "inside the house"--ableism against people who are more severely disabled, who have a different class of disability entirely, who need more support, who are more visibly disabled, etc.

lateral ableism does exist to be clear, but it's not what LSN disableds will often do to MSN and HSN disabled people.

and like yeah diagonal ableism is also just ableism, but i think that having something to describe it is worthwhile because there's a specific context and often an extra vitriol applied to it, yknow? like the way an LSN autist treats me like shit is often different from how neurotypical ableds do.

[smolghostbot]

GT July: Intimidate (1)

Can We Stop And Rewind?

Decided to do two entries today, both snippets from Patchwork Melody: Spring, Patch and Melody's first meeting story. This is the lower-intensity one, the other (posting in a bit) is very whump.

Context: Melody has brought Patch inside to help them with a sprained arm, but they both have very different ideas of what's going on.

Word Count: 800

Character bios in my pinned post

CWs for accidental ableism (discussed and apologized for) and mentions of kidnapping (a genuine misunderstanding). Also some swearing on Mel's part but if that bothers you this is not the blog for you.

========

Suddenly, their giant captor stood up and walked away. The sprite instantly became terrified. Were they getting something to punish them for their silence? Were they finally dropping the nice facade?

Eventually, the human came back to the table with a large book. Placing it down gently, so as not to scare the tiny creature with a loud thump, they began to flip through the book.

"Okay… pointed ears say an elf, but your ears aren't really very… elven. Maybe you're a mousefolk? But you have no tail… or if you do, it's a tiny one hidden under that little robe of yours… I did find you outside of my house, and your outfit looks a bit ragged… uh, no offense, of course. Maybe you're a brownie? I have some milk in the fridge, would that get you to talk?"

They could only look at the human with a confused look. What was she going on about?

"... No wings, so you probably aren't a fairy… unless you lost your wings. Did you ever have wings, little thing?"

The confused sprite only shook their head in a slow "no".

"OK… well, I probably… uh… should have gone for something more professional than a D&D guidebook… I think I still have my old college textbooks around here somewhere… gods knows those things are way too expensive to chuck…"

The human left, and took several more books off the shelf after a few minutes of looking around. She flipped through each book, taking what felt like forever, muttering to herself as she went.

"We're miles from the nearest forest… you clearly aren't invisible… Definitely don't look human… Those clothes don't look at all suitable for living in water… it's… maybe technically nighttime? But you weren't leaving a gift… unless… you were actually planting seeds! Is this backpack full of seeds?"

The small sprite instantly went into a panic as the human looked over to their backpack, frantically shaking their head in a no, and praying that the human didn't try to dig into the bag. They already had to fix it up after… the last human they met. Luckily, this human seems to have had no plans on that and continued digging through the books, becoming more frustrated over time.

Eventually, they seem to have hit their limit, and threw their head back in agitation before speaking in a more aggressive tone than they had previously. "Ugh! Why won't you just say anything!?"

-

Melody noticed a knocking noise on the plastic container her little "guest" was in, and saw the mysterious little thing clearly trying to get her attention. As she looked over at him, she saw him frantically motioning with his hands over his neck, in an X shape. His mouth was moving, as if speaking in an exaggerated way, as if to make it easier for her to see that no sound was coming out of his mouth. He clearly looked scared, probably threatened by her voice raising. Her eyes lit up in both realization and embarrassment.

"Oh my gods. You aren't just being silent to be difficult… you can't actually speak, can you?" As he nodded a yes, Mel lowered her head into her hands in shame.

"Shit, I'm such a dick. That's what your little hand motions were, oh my gods you were signing! My dumb ass was sitting here thinking you were trying to cast spells or something, ugh, I'm such an idiot! Maybe not everything about this situation is silly and fantastical, Mel, maybe he's just mute and you're being insensitive like always."

Their head raised and their face shifted into a goofy expression as they began to cheer with a clearly sarcastic voice, "Yeah Mel, yeah, woo, get upset at a mute guy for not speaking, like a COMPLETE ASSHOLE, hell yeah, casual ableism, woo!!"

The human hung her head in embarrassment again before continuing to berate herself, putting her head in her hands.

"Ugh… I swear, I didn't know, if I had known I would never… I'm not some, like, prick, I swear. Oh my gods, I'm so stupid. Way to make a first impression, at least I know you can't hex me or whatever because I would be so cursed right now for sure."

If the sprite could communicate at the moment, and wasn't still terrified of this human, they'd have some strong words about how kidnapping is also not a good first impression. However, they have no intent on insulting their captor, despite the clear look of regret already on the human's face. They remain still, waiting for the human to compose themself.

[unfortunatelyself]

✨️ My autistic/adhd headcanons: ✨️

Dipper Pines

From Gravity Falls

Mabel being autistic and adhder is a popular headcanon I've seen several times, but I dont understand how no one seems to care about poor Mason guy. I mean, its clear for me that he is autistic as well. He struggles in social situations, has anxiety, wears the same outfit everyday to avoid wasting time thinking about what to wear, the diaries and the author are clearly his special interests to the point he doesn't sleep bc of it, he stims without even noticing by chewing pens when he's stressed plus he's probably trans.

Star Butterfly

From Star vs the forces of evil

This is a headcanon I've seen a little discussion on and I completely agree. Star behaves differently than those around her and although the show tried this to look like a cultural shock cause shes from another dimension, even in Mewni the only one who understands her is her father. She has echolalia, she happy stims by jumping and clapping, she hyperfocus/obsess, cant stand boredom, always find a way to have fun, she cant get the hint that someone dont like her; Marco was running away terrified of her while she was happily waving at him and saying goodbye and when Britney told her she would invite her to her party when pigs fly she took it literally. She's passionate, resolve things her way, can have strong emotional reactions, shes creative, very energetic and with a strong sense of justice.

Spongebob

I dont even know where to start, not only bc it is incredibly obvious hes autistic, but also it makes angry that his autistic traits are portrayed as annoying in the show and the ableist inside it.

His special interests are krabby patties. He loves his work, although its not even a work for him, its his life, he loves doing this with a passion, he don't want to stop doing it and gets depressed when Mr Crabs forces him to have some vacations.

He can became hyperfocus/obsessive, specially when it comes to krabby patties and the krusty crab in general.

He is very sensitive and experience his emotions very strongly, hes caring and get attached easily.

He doesn't get when people dont like him, although he is aware that he annoys Squidward and even have a day only to annoy him with Patrick, the rest of his interactions with him or anyone, he doesn't seems aware, something thats portrayed as "dumb" which I totaly hate btw.

He acts younger than he is, even some citizens of bikini bottom refer to him as a kid, when he's actually 20 something. More like an adult who does whatever he wants and makes him happy to me. It doesn't seem like he dislikes being called a kid by others but it stills annoy me a bit cause the ✨️ ableism ✨️ yk.

He has an "inappropriate" and "annoying" laugh and in general he is "annoying" and it piss me off that all that considered annoying are nd traits, and it personally annoys me more bc Spongebob has been my favorite cartoon since I'm like four and most of the think he does, I do them too.

Luz Noceda

From the owl house

Since episode one u can tell she has adhd and how the principal(? of her school and her mom, instead of trying to understand her, only want her to change and bahave like she should. Not like the spiders where the best idea but still, they also wanted her to stop engaging on her silly fantasy books. Very understandable she decided to stay at the boiling isles.

She lives in her own world. She's full of creativity, passion, new ideas, she wants not only to explore the world, she want to do it now, like, rn. Shes also very energetic, always ready for an adventure or a lecture as long as shes interested.

Oscar

From Summer Camp Island

He is so clearly autistic to me. He has difficulties with change and adapting, something we see the moment he arrives at the camp and his parents leave; he even tries to leave bc this new environment, all the changes, being away from the safety his parents represent its too much for him.

Hes anxious asf, hes clumsy and a little clingy. He get his confidence when he feels safe with his friends and in the moment theyre not around he starts getting worried.

He is a calm guy who likes doing things his way and prefer staying at his cabin, chill and cozy but who also likes and is willing to go on adventure as long as he feels comfortable and safe with his friends, from which he gets his strength.

Reassurance and a book are enough to make him happy.

I love him. Hes also the character i relate the most with from this list (I relate to all except from Dipper and Neddy).

Neddy

From adventure time

Same thing as with Dipper and Mabel, Neddy is Princess Bubblegum brother, her being autistic is a well known headcanon but Neddy, oh man, hes pretty much too but since he has so little screen time I wouldn't be surprised if people dont even remember him.

He is non verbal and very very sensitive to noise and change, being Bonnies song the only thing that can calm him during a meltdown.

There's not much else to say, Bonnie and Neddy is the only episode hes part of, but i think thats enough. Since the very beginning, he seemed very overwhelmed by the different environments and noises him and Bonnie were facing after leaving the mother gum. He desseperatily cries and tries to run away from the danger or discomfort hes feeling.

I really wish he had at least another episode to see his relationship with his family and to understand and get to know him more, apart from the ending scene in which Bonnie and their aunt are singing to him.

(For the record, i dont like Bonnie but i do like this quote from Bonnie and Neddy. It also goes pretty well with this post.)

[catboyklug]

aghghghgg

Summary: sunrise vents. like, in among us. Characters: Sunrise (he/xe/they); Eternal Anomaly/'Ternal (it/its); various extras Word count: 1483 (1k!) Warnings: alcohol usage; drug mention; implied abuse or neglect (extremely vague); ableism (against self).

Well. He couldn't say he didn't expect this.

But that didn't stop it from sucking ass.

It was December the 20th, exactly eleven days before the godforsaken holiday known as "Christmas", and the exact day of Sunrise's birthday.

And Quiet's, of course.

By freak coincidence, the siblings had been born on the same day, five years apart.

And today, Sunrise couldn't forget that fact.

The noise from the other rooms was deafening, Quiet apparently having brought every single friend of eirs in the entire city to the tiny apartment the siblings had to live in.

Ey had been out all day, drinking or doing drugs or whatever it was that Sunrise's older sister had been doing, while he stayed here, cooped up and bored out of his mind thanks to a lucky cold he got.

If it were any better than it was, Sunrise probably would've forced himself outside. But he could barely see, his nose was utterly backed up, and he didn't really want to risk it on the icy roads with the brainfog he got to begin with.

However, with the party coming inside of his fucking house, xe was beginning to reconsider his earlier decision to stay at home for his safety.

Sunrise crawled out of bed once the party had reached its heights, determined to get out of her before everyone crashed. Dead on xyr feet, xe wrapped xyr blanket up and shoved it in a bag xe had sewed a few years back during some workshop event.

Headphones like a helmet on xyr head, it was time to exit this damned house and go elsewhere.

Pushing the door open, xe was met with a ridiculous amount of lights from god knows how many mini disco balls. Though the birthday girl was nowhere to be seen, the place was packed with some of the most annoying people Sunrise felt he would ever have the displeasure of coming across.

A couple sitting next to the fridge, blocking him as he tried to open it; someone making what was most likely the worst-looking meal Sunrise had ever seen right next to the microwave as xe put a cup of milk in; someone who ended up laughing after noticing Sunrise was microwaving a cup of milk, of all things.

...Which was deserved, but not any less annoying.

After pouring the milk into a thankfully-clean thermos, Sunrise secured it in his bag, put his boots on, and walked outside to the car, more than happy to get away from the mess that was once probably his apartment.

Outside was cold, but his car's old, homely leather interior was far more comforting than anywhere else he could think of.

He sat at the wheel, bag on the seat next to him, trying to think of where exactly he could run off to.

Though he was tempted to run off to his employer-turned-friends-with-benefits-turned-greatest-ally's house, Sunny was almost definitely asleep at this point.

There was only one person who would let him crash so late at night. Considering she didn't really sleep, it was his best bet.

So, off to 'Ternal's he went.

It was a long a drive as ever, but thankfully more than worth the time spent.

Though the exterior of the factory seemed cold and unwelcoming, Sunrise looked upon it as if he was a hiker lost in the snow and it was the first warm cabin he had seen in years. (lmao)

Xe grabbed xyr bag and xyr keys, zipped xyr bomber jacket up fully, and walked out into the snow, almost cheerful despite the cold wind blowing right through his already very ill bones.

The factory was massive, and that fact was somehow even more apparent inside, despite how messy and cluttered the area was. Tubes and wires and nozzles and beams that initially looked useless but disguised arteries and veins and *bio-wires* were littered around the ceilings, large "arms" near them to allow the resident mechanic access to these delicate systems whenever they needed repair.

As xe walked through the now very familiar halls, the various systems around him reacted in interest to his presence, clearly not expecting him this late after-hours.

"Sunrise?" called out the mechanical multitudes of the factory's collective voice, "Isn't it midnight in your human time? And you have some mortal illness."

"'S not mortal, if you wanna be technical with it. And hello t' you too, princess," xe replied, grinning.

"That doesn't answer my question," the machinery makes a sound similar to huffing, "Why did you come here so late?"

. . .

Logically, Sunrise knows that the world's most autistic computer would probably understand the concept of "extreme sensory overwhelm" and "deep, petty jealousy" (xe already knows it does), but, somehow, xe feels reluctant to tell it exactly what happened.

"What, you don't want me here, 's that it?" xe teases, getting xyr blanket out of xyr bag as xe makes it to the main control room, "Can always leave and head for Sunny's place..."

"NO-"

The factory exploded into a cacophony of flustered machinery, grating against itself in a state just below panic before it finally, and to its great embarrassment, realized the lighthearted intent of the statement and calmed down.

Sunrise giggles, now thankfully more than used to the once horrible noise, as the factory attempts to explain itself, trying in vain to play it cool.

"I want you here," it insists, truthfully, "But humans need sleep or something. Especially you, if you want to stop being sick all the time."

"Right..."

What else was there to say without completely revealing what had happened? Ruminating on this black-and-white, entirely internal scenario Sunrise had created for xyrself, xe gets the thermos with the milk out and pours enough bourbon in that it's an even split.

Despite the factory currently not having anything one could consider to be eyes, xe can feel it staring at him.

"Is that... 'alcohol'?" it asks, in a 'voice' indicating suspicion as much as intrigue.

"Yeah. Wanna try?" xe jokes, immediately putting the bottle away before the machine can respond, "'S not th' healthiest thing in the world, but... better than whatever Quiet was passing around at that stupid party."

At the mention of literally anything that could have been the source of Sunrise's troubles, the factory's figurative ears perked up.

"'Stupid party'?" it interrogated, "How... stupid are we talking?"

"....Really stupid," xe finally admitted.

And thus, the floodgates began to break.

"'S Quiet's birthday, I guess," xe said as if xe wasn't dreading this day for almost an entire month since it came, "So they've got every person in the city in *my* apartment making th' place smell like weed t' 'celebrate'."

"And you've-"

"Tried murdering them?" Sunrise interrupts, "Trust me, would love to. But I'd rather not get in trouble with th' law. Already skirting it just by being here, really..."

Recognizing that continuing to suggest what it views as the most logical thing would probably serve only to upset Sunrise, 'Ternal lets it go, and Sunrise takes a swig from his half-assed cocktail.

It's warm. Nice. Sunrise can feel his head loll to the side as xe drinks further, and xe nearly forgets how angry xe feels.

Until the memory of the gross, sweaty apartment comes back like a hunting boomerang, and xe feels his face get hot with rage.

"Fuckin' assholes," xe grumbles, "...Mean..."

Before 'Ternal can quiz him on exactly what that means, he sobs.

"Stupid, stupid, stupid, st-stupid," xe repeats, "Stupid, petty, idiot..."

Not having any idea of how to respond to his outburst, the factory tries, "...I was worse."

"N-no," he sniffles in response, "You're jus' hungry. 'M... stupid. Asshole. Awful. Stupid..."

Tugging at xyr hair, xe takes another swig from the thermos.

"Sunrise," the machine says, almost quietly, "You need to stop drinking that."

Simply shaking xyr head in response, xe closes xyr eyes, hitting xyr leg in overwhelm.

"Stupid, freak... should've jus-" xe hiccups, "Shoulda jus' accepted 'm a lowlife. Don't deserve friends. Stupid, fucking, r-"

Suddenly, before Sunrise can even begin forming the following word, several metallic "arms" surround him. Hug him.

Xe opens xyr eyes. Blinks. Despite being made of cold metal, the arms are the warmest thing he's felt in weeks. Warmer and kinder than the cocktail in his thermos, not to mention.

Even knowing 'Ternal, - actually, truly knowing it - xe was surprised with how utterly kind it was.

Burying xyr face in some of the metal, xe muttered a tiny "th'nk you", getting relieved, almost happy whirring in response.

The cold, the alcohol and finally his breakdown having exhausted him completely, Sunrise drifts off a bit, only vaguely aware of another few "arms" coming to gently lay a blanket on him to keep him warm as he slept.

And, though it was a bit embarrassing, the factory was very deeply glad it didn't have to talk him through anything.

[liquidstar]

I'm not aboutta sit here and let Tumblr get all "high and mighty" over the "impulsive thoughts v intrusive thoughts" argument because THE CALL IS COMING FROM INSIDE OF THE HOUSE. Tumblr was the originator of "non-violent intrusive thoughts" as a concept in modern web because you had a bunch of teenagers who'd never had access to proper terminology who said "Oh, intrusive thoughts are the ones that randomly pop into your head that you didn't think of, therefore there's ones that don't involve Problematic(tm) things"

Why are you acting like I'm some sorta representative for Tumblr and not just a person with a mental illness talking about the misuse of the term? Just because I did it on Tumblr??? Do you think I'm saying this shit to defend Tumblr and defame TikTok or something? Not because I'm sick of nt people being annoying? I don't care about the stupid website it's coming from, ableism is the same. Please get the fuck over yourself with this defensive bullshit because a post made you feel insecure for using a video app- it was never meant to call out the platform itself. You need to stop projecting your own anxieties about Which Content Is Problematic onto every post you read goddbless.

[rjalker]

"accessible bathroom stalls are great in theory, but then that means there's less stalls overall!"

I will fucking rip your heart out with my teeth.