#the comfort of having a very background character who keeps some feeling of normality and consistency

[lavenderjewels]

big fan of all the jjk ino appreciation lately

[pomefioredove]

I LOVED the stim headcanons sm! it scratched my autistic brain in a good way :333

I was wondering if you could possibly do headcanons with the rest of Diasomnia, Pomefiore, and Heartslabyul with the same premise (the stimming thing)? I can see Trey being very accommodating for the reader :3

Thank you! 🩷🩷🩷🩷

hi anon I was in therapy yesterday for the first time in a while and when I got out I realized I had been stimming the ENTIRE time

dorm leaders + jamil

*ੈ✩‧₊˚ reader who stims!

type of post: headcanons characters: ace, deuce, trey, cater, epel, rook, sebek, silver, lilia additional info: romantic or platonic, reader is gender neutral, reader is yuu

now, I don't think Ace makes fun of it, but he definitely...

"you're doing that thing again,"

listen, it's not that it bothers him, or distracts him. it's not even weird!

he just... finds you really... interesting?

will say you're an "interesting critter fr bro" and leave it

Deuce is the complete opposite

he will never ever say anything about your stims

won't even ask

he just really doesn't want to be rude. he's not that guy anymore!

(you don't know how to tell him that he stims without realizing it)

he's like your knight in shining armor... kind of

*ੈ✩‧₊˚

guys I hate to say it but Cater has 100% armchair diagnosed most of the people he knows

and like... he's right... but come on!

at least he usually keeps it to himself. so when he picks up on your stimming he just... doesn't say anything

it's just another nice little tidbit of information on you :) of which he has many

for normal reasons

of course

*ੈ✩‧₊˚

now, Trey is a sweetie, as always

but he's also a liar

he is not, in fact, "this nice to everyone"

he actually does the bare minimum he needs to do to get by

the guy is spoiling you

making sure you're fed and warm and comfortable the moment you step over the threshold

stimming is no problem

if you like the feeling of dough, or the sound of eggs cracking, he'll have you in the kitchen with him :)

he rather likes you, and your stims

*ੈ✩‧₊˚

I know Rook's autistic self isn't about to say anything

but, really, he already stims. subtly, but constantly

and seeing you mirror his own behaviors...

he is smitten

as if he couldn't grow any fonder of you...

now, unless it becomes upsetting or harmful, he sees no reason to stop you. he rather likes watching your every little move

and Epel is a loyal little thing

once you're his, that's it, it's over, you could literally kill someone and he'd show up with bleach and a mop like "where's the body"

so, yeah

some humming or tapping or clicking isn't going to bother him

honestly half the time he doesn't even notice

bro is too busy fighting his sensory issues with his uniform

(the sensory issues are winning)

*ੈ✩‧₊˚

Sebek scolds you for distracting him

he can already hardly think straight when his eyes are always drawn to you!!! >:(

now you're moving, too?!

he can't help but stare, which just upsets him more

it's not until Lilia takes your side that he calms down

the aforementioned having his own... quirks

(and much louder ones, too)

this is all background noise for Silver

is he just used to it? is he currently half-asleep and wouldn't notice if a bomb went off behind him?

who's to say!

he's passing out on your shoulder while you repeat the same word over and over either way

[dinogoofymutated]

SFW!Colossus/Fem!Reader

I've been infected with another fictional man the way in which I pumped this out was ridiculous. I happened to re watch the scene in the movies where the government breaks into the mansion and seeing Piotr act like a big brother/dad to all the kids really got to me. That and the Deadpool movies (even though I thinks he's a little stuffy in those.) I even rewatched the episode he had in the animated series so that I knew I would get his character right and DAMN ugh god I juts have a thing for big men with soft hearts. especially the ones who are family oriented.

ALSO HOLY SHIT TY FOR 600 FOLLOWERS???? when did yall get here???? I swear I was at like 48 two weeks ago lmao time flies when you're thirsty for the X men I guess!! TWs: None? No pronouns mentioned but I went ahead and labeled it as fem because it's basically about kids forcefully adopting you as their mom. Kids having night terrors mentioned.

Can you imagine sort of just being adopted by the students at the mansion as mutant mom?? At that point you don't really get a choice. Like you start out being very patient with these kids and making sure to keep bandaids, burn cream, pain meds and all of that because one way or another something is gonna happen- and you want to be prepared.

And then you start making breakfast. I feel like normally they probably have a schedule for who has breakfast duty but if you wake up and can't go back to sleep and you take over no one really cares. More sleep for them!!

And then a few times turns into every morning. And you're setting out ketchup for one kids eggs and syrup for another ones hashbrowns- and making sure not to cook with nuts and make sure there's at least three different things on the table that are Kosher or gluten free. Keeping an eye on everyone as they come to get food and noting who did and did not make it to breakfast this morning so that you can make sure they eat later-

And one day you're waking up at 5am and getting ready for the day so you can go make breakfast like always, and you look in the mirror at some point and just realise, holy fuck, when did you become a parent?

It's such a regular thing for kids to call you mom at that point, a knowing how so many of them have come from rough backgrounds, it makes you really happy to know they find comfort in you and will come find you if they need comforting.

And then there's Piotr. Big, strong, Piotr. Piotr who wakes up before dawn and does chores around the mansion in the early morning air. You can take the man out of the farm, but you can't take the farm out of the man. He does the lawn care, chops wood, takes care of whatever animals that might need feeding, replaces the feed in the bird feeder.

Piotr who makes sure to stop by the kitchen to share a small cup of coffee with you before he does chores. Piotr who hangs Hummingbird feeders right outside the kitchen windows because you mentioned you missed the ones your grandmother used to hang. Just Piotr, being strong and masculine and an absolute sweetheart.

He reminds me of that one quote that heard somewhere about masculinity being about protecting femininity, not rejecting it??? That one!!!

Kids call him dad all the time, and even though yall aren't even together, you become the parents of the school. Scott and Jean?? Love them, but they don't have that same kind of parent energy.

It's such a regular thing for kids to find the two of you interacting one way or another. Someone woke up way too early and enters the kitchen to find yall during your coffee, and there's a sweet moment with yall telling them to go back to bed, or offering to make them a quick breakfast. Maybe if they're really young Piotr will offer to tuck them in. He might be really blunt when telling them there are no monsters, but will be a little more gentle when you set a hand on his arm and give him a bit of a look.

The kiddo asks for both of you to tuck them in and you obviously aren't going to refuse them. Which leads to everyone wanting both of you to tuck them in and soon enough you two are doing curfew checks instead of the professor.

It's becomes so regular for the students to treat you two as their parents, and no one actually believes it when they find out that no, you're not a couple. So, they do what kids do and try to get you two together.

First it starts with making sure you two are sat together during everything they can get away with. Then it moves on to things like mistletoe (out of season, Piotr mistook it as an accidental bloom made by one of the agrokinesis kids and took it down) and then more mischievous plans like telling one of you that the other needed help with one thing or another, knowing that either one of you would help out at the drop of a hat. Sureee, they were lying, but you two didn't know that. (most of the time)

The kids just want to see their parents happy and in love. There's nothing wrong with that, is there? It's not like You and Piotr hadn't been helplessly pining for the other the entire time anyway.

You sigh deeply once you finally sneak out of the dorm room, Piotr right behind you. The tall man takes extra care to shut the door very gently, making sure it clicks in place just as silently.

"I thought we were never going to get her to sleep." You whisper to him. One of the youngest girls attending the school had a rather difficult time with night terrors, and would struggle to fall asleep without being tucked in. When you and Piotr were doing curfew checks tonight, she was the only kiddo still awake, and she had practically begged both of you to stay with her untill she finally did fall asleep. It couldn't be just one of you, It had to be both. No matter how many rooms you both had to check tonight, you would never have left her shaken up in such a state. You just hadn't expected it to take an hour.

"Illyana had similar dreams as a little one. It takes time for children to overcome it." Piotr whispers back as you begin to walk down the hallway to check the rest of the rooms. Even when he whispers, his voice is strong and hard to keep quiet. You know there's truth to what he says, and yet you can't help but wish you could do something more to help her with her nightmares. You rub some warmth into your arms anxiously as you think about it, surprised when you feel the warm weight of Piotr's hand settle in between your shoulder blades.

"You're worrying again." He states, frowning slightly when you look up at him. You send him a resigned smile, before it quickly falls as you look away.

"I can't help it. I worry about all of them, her especially. They just... deserve so much more than their lot in life." You say. Piotr hums in response, his thumb brushing idly against your back.

"Their life like us, you mean? Mutants?" His question makes you wince.

"No. Yes? I don't know. I just... I just wish that we could give them more than... this." You say, waving your hands to motion about the mansion. "The school might very well be the only safe space they have their entire life. The world hasn't been kind to them, and I'm not sure it ever will be." Your words begin to quiet down as you finish the sentence, lowing to a whisper that only he can hear. You'd never, ever want any of these kids hear a word of what you're saying. Knowing that hope is really all they have at their age, and you of all people refuse to be the one to destroy that beautiful childlike optimism.

"That is what we are working for as the X-men, yes? To change that?" Piotr asks you point blank, his hand moving up towards the back of your neck in a soothing manner that still gives you goosebumps, feeling the comforting heat of his hand even stronger than before.

"Yeah, but..."

"Then we are doing all we can." He finishes, a smile on his face that's so determined and confident that it very nearly changes your mind completely. Nonetheless, it's a reassuring smile that makes your chest feel warm and fuzzy. You smile back at him finally, and you swear you see fondness in his eyes.

It doesn't take long before the two of you are finally at your door. You give Piotr a short and sweet goodnight as you begin to step inside, but he stops you before you go, gently catching hold of your arm. For the first time, you think you've seen him debate on his words. His mouth opens, but he doesn't speak at first, and you swear you see a blush rising to his cheeks as he does so.

"You'd make a good mother." He says eventually, and it makes you smile widely.

"You'd make a good dad." You tell him. There's silence between you as he brushes a stray lock of hair away from your face in a fond and caring manner, and you swear you could trick yourself into believing that you and Piotr were already in domestic bliss if this moment goes on for any longer. The tall man leans in, and you find your mind short circuiting as he presses a kiss to your forehead. The simple action somehow leaving you beyond flustered.

"Sleep well, Любовь моя. I will see you in the morning." Piotr tells you, before walking off at his regular stiff pace. You stand in your doorway for a minute, watching him leave with a bit of a confused smile on your face. Out of all the Russian nicknames he's called you in the past, you had never heard him say that one before. You wonder if you should pick up a book on the language as you close your door and finally crawl into bed, although part of you is content to leave it be. Colossus had always been blunt, and you're sure he'd tell you eventually. You fall asleep just as you always do, excited to see him when you wake up in the morning.

[dunmeshistash]

I really enjoy your deep dives and analyses of all the characters, and Milsiril especially. I haven't done as much research and investigation as you have, but I have my own ideas about Milsiril. I think she's rather... delusional might be the word? I agree that Otta was probably exaggerating and she didn't actually consider the children that she adopted as pets, but I think that she didn't have what we might consider a normal perception of the children, specifically Kabru.

First of all, she seems to have a bit of an idealization of him that doesn't allow for his own opinions and personality. It's innocuous and not uncommon for a parent, but it feels to me as if she has an idea of how he is, and it confuses and upsets her when he doesn't follow the picture of her ideal world. Her decision to train him when he asks is far from complete acceptance of his goal. What she says is "until you finally decide that you're ready to give up." That implies that her goal is not entirely training him to be ready, but rather trying to convince him that he doesn't want this.

Secondly, I think that there's a lot of symbolism around the dolls. Bear in mind that these are all my own interpretations. First off, Milsiril's love and friendship for her dolls shows her as almost a child-like figure. Her dolls do what she wants them to, but they're people to her. She's a child in her own little world, and the kids she adopts might be a part of that-playmates, just like her dolls are. Bear in mind that I'm not trying to infantilize her or say that she has one, straightforward motivation. One of the things I love about Dungeon Meshi is how complex every single character is. She probably has many driving forces behind adopting children, but it seems to me like this might be one of them.

That's about all I have for her, at least at the moment. I think she might have some underlying mental illness or trauma that's skewing her perception of things, but I definitely don't agree with the people who think she's completely unstable or immoral. Thanks for looking at this!

Hey! Thank you!

Yeah I think the dolls is what lots of people use to say she likes to "manipulate" people or be in charge of them in a way, and I understand the symbolism of a puppet master since she has full control of these dolls and wont deny that might be something!

I'm not sure if I agree with this part tho.

First of all, she seems to have a bit of an idealization of him that doesn't allow for his own opinions and personality. It's innocuous and not uncommon for a parent, but it feels to me as if she has an idea of how he is, and it confuses and upsets her when he doesn't follow the picture of her ideal world.

I think Milsiril mostly can't keep up with Kabru getting older so fast since he's short lived, to me its almost like she sees him as a toddler when he's already a teen. And that's a common issue between long and short lived races so it's not something unique to her.

To me the reason she's so upset seems to be trauma from Utaya tbh. She was there and saw all those horrible things happen, it affected her so much she retired, and Kabru is the only survivor, a small frail child that lost everything and that now she sees like a son. Wouldn't you want to protect someone you see as a small scared child? Wouldn't you be upset if you learned they want to leave the comfort and safeness you created for them to go back into the horrible world that caused all that suffering he went through? I would.

I think people forget she's basically a war veteran.

She might not know him very well especially now that he left home but I think she knows him about as well as moms usually do, if you mean the cake thing I'm pretty sure she was aware Kabru didn't like elf cake and it's just a silly gag about her being upset he doesn't like her hometown sweet. (And probably also to show he does struggle with having two different backgrounds, Utaya and Milsiril) I think she knows he doesnt like it cause Kabru is never fake in front of her in the interactions we see, I'm pretty sure he tells her when he dislikes something and when he likes something. The other proof is how she took him to the family gathering even tho he didn't explicitly ask, she knew he wanted to go cause she knows that's the type of thin he likes.

About this

That implies that her goal is not entirely training him to be ready, but rather trying to convince him that he doesn't want this.

Yeah that's completely right! But I see that as an act of love on her part, even if its misguided and like, not great. She wants to prove to him he's too weak to go on his own because she seems him as a small child. If a 5 year old asked you to teach them to be a soldier so they can go to war how would you feel?

He isn't 5 tho and he clearly COULD take the training. Nothing indicates he ran away from her to be able to go and he talks about how she trained him and helped him study all that he wanted.

So even tho she said something bad and wanted to convince him the world out there was too cruel, she ultimately let go of him so he could do what he needed.

And Kabru even acknowledges she was right, the world WAS as shitty as she described and even worse. When he says he still doesn't want to go back where he has a soft bed and cake I don't think it's because he hated it there, but because he has the determination to face the cruel world she described cause he doesn't want Utaya to happen again.

Again about the dolls I think they're a source of comfort for her, she was clearly traumatized and going thru something her whole life, you don't get nicknamed "gloomy" for no reason, even her fellow canaries bullied her and thought she was weird.

The children she adopts might be an evolution of her doll thing I'll admit. But more in the sense they're a source of comfort for her, she was someone who was alone for most of her life, being able to love and be loved by children is probably something that makes her really happy. Even if her "motives" might be a little weird and she might not be fully altruistic (who is) what she does seem to be a net positive. Considering the two people we know that she helped (Mithrun and Kabru) she successfully helped them become independent of her. They were both vulnerable people in her care at one point but both are now independent and navigating life. (Mostly independent in Mithruns case but he doesn't need her in specific) That's my arguments to why she doesn't really treat real people as dolls, dolls can never become independent of you.

[comicaurora]

Have you seen the new Superman show on adult swim? Himbo Clark Kent rights

It's off to an extremely encouraging start! Thoughts under the cut!

I like how they portray Clark's super-strength and how comfortable he is flying and using super-speed. They really feel like innate characteristics of his body rather than powers he switches on and off - things he keeps toned down when people are watching, but things that are always present regardless. The number of times I've pulled a push door or shoved something that was stuck and thought "if I had super-strength I wouldn't get a Take Two on this because my hand would've gone straight through that" is clearly something the showrunners have also thought about. This Clark lives in a world of cardboard and physically cannot stop himself from putting his hand through it at least once a day.

There's a physicality to the way Clark takes hits that really communicates how little he feels them most of the time. Eyes open, mouth closed, immediately getting back into the fight after getting punched into a crater. This is stuff I also think about when I draw supernaturally tough characters in combat situations, and it's cool to see someone else doing it - especially since one of my very few complaints about the older DCAU is that Superman always took every hit like it was a fully incapacitating blow, which Worf'd him pretty constantly.

I also like that we have so far never seen Clark angry. We've seen him scared, flustered, disappointed - but not angry. Even in fights where he's taking serious hits, he's only motivated by wanting to protect and save people, even his opponents - he so far has never been motivated by a desire to destroy. That feels like very good writing for Superman.

It's currently a little unclear how exactly his powerset is scaling - it looks like the blue-eye-glow-and-suit-emblem thing is a legitimate powerup that lets him hit harder and recover faster than his normal baseline, but how exactly that works isn't clear yet - although that is very obviously going to be a plot point later, since they keep giving him little flashes of the story of Krypton's destruction and what shenanigans they were getting up to when it exploded.

On that note, Kryptonian tech has never looked or felt so otherworldly. I love the distorted electronic backward-voice choir they use exclusively for when Clark is on the ship. I love that hologram Jor-El can't speak English, but can clearly understand Clark - also this is the coolest Jor-El has ever looked. Some comics wax poetic about how Clark is an alien space god who only pretends to be human, but I like how this show is firmly putting Clark on the side of the audience with regards to how unsettling the "alien space god" vibes truly are. He can't understand the nature of the ship or the words of its holographic inhabitant, he's not really interested in what it means or where it came from - he just wants to know who he is, or rather who Superman should be. And I like that he concludes that Superman should be him - the heroics he was already doing, except this time on purpose. Superman should not be this spooky glowing alien god thing, even if that's the vibe we get from Krypton itself.

I like that the ship gave Superman his modern no-underpants-on-the-outside suit and Ma Kent was like "we can do better than that" and added the underpants back on.

I also like how much setup there is for future plot stuff that a DC-familiar audience can see coming. Clark hasn't used any of his vision-based powers yet, and it's possible he doesn't know they exist. No sign of Lex Luthor or Kryptonite yet, two problems we know will become more severe with time. We've already got Amanda Waller being stoically nefarious in the background. Young Hot Deathstroke is a hell of a design choice and I am Here For It.

I also appreciate how many little referential jokes are packed into the dialogue, ranging from the obvious "it's a bird it's a plane" to some hella deep pulls like Jimmy Olson's youtube channel.

And fundamentally I love how this show starts from the jump with the thesis that friendly, humble, Normal Man Clark is the real person, and Superman is the job that Clark Kent does. The title of the show is "My Adventures With Superman." The POV character is Clark. He is the "my" in that title. This is Clark's story about Superman.

I really, really hope Batman eventually shows up, because this Superman would make that hilarious.

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

AITA for breaking up with my boyfriend after uncovering his web of lies?

Ok. I’m going to try keep this as short as possible, and there’s some things I’ll keep out because I don’t want to accidentally reveal our identities. I (31, m) just broke up with my partner (35,m) of 3 years. We met on an app during Covid, and lived together for 2 and a half years of that. I truly loved him, he was a challenging person which sometimes led to fiery arguments that I hadn’t experienced in past relationships, but he also pushed me to feel more comfortable with confrontation and conflict which I needed. He was also really ambitious and supported my ambitions; I’ve had 3 promotions since we got together and I wouldn’t have dared to go for them if it hadn’t been for his encouragement. Basically, on the surface it all seemed really great.

That is until I discovered he had lied about his entire past - and some of his present. It all started when I stumbled across pics of “his home” online and discovered they were a museum (he claimed to be from a wealthy background). I asked him and he said it was to protect his family’s identity and swore there were no more lies.

I have never met his family, nor talked to them on the phone - they are in another country and he claimed they were old fashioned and wanted to meet in person, but Covid was in the way at first, and then his mum was unwell. After discovering the pictures were a lie, I started to really think about other stories he’d told me and what evidence I really had for them. The more I thought, the more I realised things didn’t add up.

A few examples: his mum and dad both apparently had high profile jobs but I couldn’t find anything about them online; he claimed to be from money but wouldn’t buy himself a car and borrowed mine; he claimed to have a brother my age but I couldn’t find any social media of his.

There was a lot more, but that was enough to make me question whether there were more lies. I asked him a few weeks later why I couldn’t find anything about his parents online, and asked to be introduced to his brother on social media. I told him that this felt like the most normal thing that would happen in relationships - I was very clear that I didn’t want to test him, I just wanted some contact with someone who knew him before I did. He said it wasn’t possible because he was more distant from his family than he’d led me to believe, due to childhood abuse that his parents had refused to acknowledge. I’m also a survivor of childhood abuse so this touched a nerve and the conversation shifted to me wanting to support him and make him know I believed him.

Anyway. Fast forward another two months and nothing has changed. Tonight, it came to a head in a discussion where he wanted to get rid of my favourite chair in order to make room for a new TV. I told him I wasn’t comfortable with this because I felt insecure in the relationship as nothing had been resolved. I went over my concerns again and suddenly his whole tone shifted. He asked if I was “ready for the truth” and asked me not to share it with anyone.

The truth turned out to be very different from everything he’d said over the past 3 years. Whether it is the truth, I don’t know, but he claimed that his mum was actually a drug addict and he hadn’t known his dad until he was 18, he was removed by child services at 14 and the character he created as his mum to me was based on the woman he lived with during that time. He never studied abroad as he had first claimed, and a whole load of other lies. The worst lie was that his mum had cancer - the reason why we couldn’t visit because she didn’t want him to see her while she was weak (this made sense with the strong character her created for her). It turns out apparently the woman who took him in died from cancer when he was 18 and he based it on that. Now, I don’t even know how much of this is true, but it feels closer to the truth than the original stories. The thing is, he’s cried on me about his mums cancer, and he’s told my mum about it (a cancer survivor), and regularly talks about it in detail. In fact, all his stories have had incredible detail - which is what made us all believe them.

Now, here’s where I may be the arsehole. After he confessed all of this, I said I can’t be in a relationship with him because I can’t trust him. But he took a big step in admitting it all to me and he’s clearly very unwell if he is lying on this scale. He clearly has had a traumatic past and he told me that his lies were because any time he opens up to people about his past he loses them. I worry that by breaking up with him, I’m reinforcing this cycle where he feels he has to lie to be loved. The thing is - none of what he told me in any of this was the reason why I love him. I didn’t care where he came from, or his claims of wealth, etc. I just liked who he was as a person. I really feel torn because on the one hand he is clearly in need of help, stability and love in order to heal himself so that he doesn’t feel the need to lie. On the other hand, I can’t foresee being able to trust him in the near future. So, AITA for breaking up with someone who is so desperately in need of love and support?

What are these acronyms?

[bcdrawsandwrites]

[ID: A Team Fortress 2 fanfic banner in the style of the game's achievement icons. A tattered yellow-white ID card is shown on a gray background. On the left side of the card is a stylized portrait of Miss Pauling, and on the right of the card is a stylized globe. On the right of the banner is the chapter's title in yellow-white, reading "CHAPTER EIGHT: IDENTITY THEFT" /end ID]

Flickering

Fandom: Team Fortress 2 Rating: K+ Genre: Hurt/Comfort, Friendship Characters: Spy, Pyro, Miss Pauling, Medic, Heavy, Scout, Sniper Warnings: General references to trauma Fic Description: After the events of the comics, the mercs try to go back to how things were, but it’s never that easy.

Spy can see his teammates going through their own struggles… but something seems to be very, very wrong with Pyro in particular.

And since no one else seems to be doing anything about this, Spy makes it his mission to get to the bottom of what is troubling Pyro. For no particular reason.

Beta Readers: @mechmolar, @gonturan0, @junuve

---~~~---

Chapter 8: Identity Theft Summary: In which Spy makes use of his disguise kit.

---~~~---

Once again, Spy found himself staying on-base overnight. The drive out to the bookstore and back had been quite enough time on the road for him, after the little sleep he'd gotten the night prior, so he opted to stay rather than make the trip back home.

Fortunately the Pyro had not attempted another absurd bonfire that night, so those who chose to stay were able to sleep as well as they could. Which, for some, was not as well as might be hoped.

Spy woke before sunrise to the sound of voices—Medic's was the first he could identify, calm and authoritative and mildly annoyed, while the second was Heavy's, a low, quiet rumble. While normally he would not bother eavesdropping at such an early hour, the smell of blood from his dreams lingered in his nostrils, and he could do with a brief distraction. So, slipping out of bed, he crept to the door and listened.

"...have spoken with Herr Engineer about this, and no, it is not possible."

"Da, I know this."

"Then you did not have to wake me up at four in the morning."

"I did not mean to wake Doctor up. Only to check."

"That will not be necessary. If I am ever in mortal danger again, I will be sure to let you know."

Silence. No footfalls followed.

Medic went on, lowering his voice. "If it makes you feel better, you're not alone. That schweinhund keeps showing up in my nightmares."

"This... does not make Heavy feel better. Would like to help."

"You can do that by letting me sleep." The Medic sighed. "Tell you what—I can train Archimedes to come get you if there is a problem. Would this make you feel better?"

"...Da. I think so."

"Good. I can also prescribe you something to help you sleep."

"Maybe. Will see." A pause. "Goodnight, Doctor."

"Yes, good night."

Finally Heavy moved away, while Medic shut his door.

Spy stood for a moment, wondering if he should ask Medic for some sleep medication as well, but shook his head. No, he just needed to sleep in his own bed again, is all.

Yawning, he trudged back to the other side of the room and slipped into bed.

Everything was fine. They would be over this soon.

—-

Upon entering the mess hall, Spy abruptly remembered the events of yesterday when he found it near devoid of chairs and with multiple of his fellow mercs standing about awkwardly. Sniper lurked in a corner, nursing what was surely not his first cup of coffee; Engineer leaned against the doorway to the kitchen, eating a plate of eggs and bacon; Demo knelt awkwardly next to one of the tables, leaning his head against it; and Soldier sat in the only chair, shoveling burnt pancakes into his face.

Sighing, Spy turned away—perhaps today would be a good day to rest at home.

"The chair problem's bein' corrected," Engineer said, and Spy looked back at him. "Miss Pauling said she'd come deliver them herself."

Spy raised an eyebrow. "Good to know, but strange she would make the delivery herself."

Engineer shrugged. "I don't question these things."

"I don't expect you to," Spy muttered as he stepped past him and into the kitchen. Perhaps it would be beneficial for him to stay around a little while longer, if it meant he could speak with another potential source.

Breakfast went by quickly enough, and he hoped it wouldn't be much longer before Miss Pauling arrived. He had no desire to hang around the other mercenaries for the time being, and retreated to his bedroom, cracking open the window so he could hear Miss Pauling's vehicle when she arrived. He'd grabbed his book from his smoking room, but upon entering his room, he found his gaze drawn to the mirror.

Spy set down his book on his table and stood before the mirror. In one swift motion he whipped out his cigarette case and opened it. His gaze fell not upon his cigarettes, but the disguise kit. A few quick taps and a puff of smoke, and he found himself staring at the Engineer.

"Yee-haw, I struggle to pay attention to anything that is not made of metal!" he said mockingly in the Engineer's voice.

Rolling his eyes—invisible beneath those stupid goggles—he tapped the disguise kit again a few more times. A puff of smoke later, he was adjusting Medic's glasses. "I give pointless diagnoses and extremely unhelpful advice, and my lab reeks like a badly-maintained zoo!"

Spy shook his head, glancing down at the disguise kit again and looking through a few more disguises.

He paused.

He could, of course, turn into dead people. It was part of his modus operandi in battle—killing one of his enemies and then disguising himself as them in order to either sneak around or kill more of the enemy team. But...

For a long moment he stared at the name on the device, and, after a brief hesitation, hit the confirmation button.

When the smoke cleared, he was staring at Beatrice, the pyro of the former gray team. The disguise included her mask, but he removed it in order to stare at that face he remembered seeing what felt like a lifetime ago—the gray hair, the burn-scarred face, the singular eye. Yet... no, she still didn't look quite right.

Spy thought for a moment, then replicated a calm, smug grin.

There she was.

He would not soon forget that smile, nor the way it had twisted her face in dark, eager excitement as she looked at the Pyro.

"I like a challenge."

Spy shuddered as he spoke the words in her voice.

Admittedly, he sometimes felt joy at seeing his own enemies in pain. He might occasionally twist the knife—quite literally—but for the most part, he just did his job.

That was not, he knew, the case for this woman. This woman, who, when charged to interrogate them, asked Soldier one question before continuing to torture him, very clearly must have taken pleasure—joy, even—in what she did.

So what had she done to Pyro?

Spy lowered his head in thought. Off the top of his head, he knew what could be done to hurt most of his fellow mercenaries. Soldier, who took joy in his own torture, would have taken a severe blow to being told that he was not a true member of the United States armed forces. Heavy valued his family, and would potentially bend under threats made toward them. Engineer would be pained to see his hard work destroyed—not merely his beloved buildings, but his blueprints, which allowed him to rebuild them. He could go on, but there was no point. He knew what could hurt the others.

He did not know what could hurt Pyro—what had hurt Pyro. What had drained its life of color. What had brought it down to the point where if it dared to make a noise, it would degenerate into a panicked mess.

Looking up, he stared into Beatrice's eye.

"What did you do?"

He arranged her face into the same smug grin he saw the day she tortured Pyro, the day she died. And again he repeated the words he remembered her saying:

"I like a challenge."

Realization hit him like a sniper's bullet, and the disguise faded in a puff of smoke, leaving Spy staring wide-eyed at his own reflection.

His chest began to burn, and he stumbled over to his chair. A cigarette soon found its way into his mouth, hoping to cloud his disturbed thoughts, but his hands searched for his lighter, only to come up empty.

A motor rumbling outside interrupted his dazed thoughts, and initially he wondered where Sniper was off to before he remembered. Jumping up from his chair, he looked out the window and spotted a truck pulling in front of the base, and a familiar purple dress on the person stepping out of said truck.

Drawing in a breath, Spy straightened his jacket and exited his room. Perhaps he could talk to Miss Pauling about this—she may know something that he didn't.

But as he neared the front of the base—

"—I mean, you didn't have to come all the way out here just to see me, Miss Pauling!"

"I didn't. I came out here to deliver this myself because I knew if we sent someone else, you guys would shoot the delivery driver. ...Again."

Scout and Sniper had met Miss Pauling at the door, the latter sizing up the furniture in the back of the truck, and the former flexing his arms at every opportunity.

Scout shrugged. "Well, while you're here—"

"While you're here," Miss Pauling countered, "why don't you help me haul this stuff in." As she was turning away, she added, "Hi, Spy."

Scout looked over his shoulder, only to do a double-take. "What's with you? You seen a ghost or somethin'?"

Abruptly Spy realized that he'd been staring, and that the blood had drained from his face. But Scout was already shrugging and stepping out the door, followed by Sniper, who gave Spy a knowing look as he left.

"Yeah," Scout was saying outside. "I don't blame you for wanting first row tickets to the gunshow!"

"Oh! I'm going there with Heavy in a couple weeks, actually."

Gritting his teeth, Spy stormed into the mess hall, and, from there, into the kitchen. While normally he wouldn't bother with such menial tasks here, he removed his jacket and slipped some rubber gloves over his usual ones and began to wash the dishes that had been left to pile up in the sink. It would get him out of their way, and give him something to do while he waited for Scout to stop bothering Miss Pauling.

The sound of chair legs shrieking against the floor soon let him know that they were replacing the chairs in the mess hall. Above that, he could hear Scout's attempts at flirting, which might have amused him had it not made him remember a more dazed version of Scout's voice cracking jokes, when—

"Hey—hey! Heavy! Since when are you goin' on a date with Miss Pauling?!"

"What is Scout talking about?"

Seizing his opportunity, Spy yanked off the rubber gloves and whipped his jacket back on before hurrying out to meet Miss Pauling. He skirted past the utterly stupid argument unfolding in the mess hall and rushed out the front door, where he caught Sniper and Pauling both hauling in a new chair for the lounge.

"Miss Pauling," Spy said, and she gave him a grunt of acknowledgment. "May I have a word?"

"Yeah, sure, just let me—"

Spy approached one of the free sides of the chair and helped lift it up, bearing some of its weight.

"Oh, thanks!" She gave him a relieved smile, and the three of them carried the chair through the base and into the lounge, where they set it down. Wiping her brow, she heaved a sigh. "Sheesh, Pyro did a number here, huh?"

"Yeah," Sniper said, leaning against the chair. "Like I said, you shoulda' seen that bonfire it made!" He gestured with his hand in an attempt to indicate the height.

"Actually," Spy cut in, "that's what I wanted to talk with you about."

Miss Pauling raised an eyebrow. "The bonfire?"

Spy gave a quick look around—he hadn't seen Pyro yet today, but he didn't want to take a chance that it was anywhere nearby. Frowning, he motioned for Miss Pauling to follow him outside.

"Is it the furniture?" she asked, bewildered, as she followed. "I'm sorry, Spy, but we can't afford stuff that's as nice as what you have in your smoking room for every—"

"It's not that," Spy said as they stepped out the front door again. He looked back to see the Sniper had followed them out, but there was no reason to send him away. "It's... about the Pyro."

"Pyro?" Miss Pauling echoed. "I mean, it's not that weird for it to be setting fires."

"No, it's been acting strange. More violent on the battlefield, and strangely silent. It... managed to communicate recently that it no longer sees color."

"Oh, man..." Miss Pauling's brows knit with sympathy, and she lowered her head for a moment, only for it to shoot back up. "Oh! Do you think this is from whatever the enemy pyro did to it?"

"That is exactly what I think." He automatically tried to take a drag from his cigarette, only to remember it wasn't lit to begin with. With a growl, he tossed it to the ground and stomped it. "While I have yet to figure out the specifics of what happened... I may have figured out at least one of the details."

Both Miss Pauling and Sniper leaned forward in interest.

"Pyro has been silent, but I do not think it wants to be. However, whenever it does vocalize, it falls into a panic."

Miss Pauling looked down in thought, frowning. Meanwhile, Sniper hummed, and Spy wondered if some gossip about the incident at Medic's lab had gone around.

"Furthermore," Spy went on, "the enemy pyro took an interest in our Pyro when that idiot Soldier let slip that it could not talk."

He let that sink in for a moment. Sniper's brow furrowed, while Miss Pauling's head suddenly shot up, her eyes wide.

"I believe," he said, eyes narrowed in disgust, "the enemy pyro may have punished it for saying anything other than the information she desired."

Sniper scoffed. "That's ridiculous. Pyro can't talk—not with normal words, anyway."

"Exactly my point. She—"

"She saw it as a challenge!" Miss Pauling exclaimed, her face going pale. "She wanted to see if she could force Pyro to talk!" She wrapped her arms around herself. "Poor Pyro..." After a moment, she straightened, jabbing her thumb at the truck behind her. "I mean, all this is still coming out of its paycheck, but still."

"Bloody wankers," Sniper growled. "But what'd they even do to it?"

"That's what I'm trying to figure out," Spy said, and looked at Miss Pauling. Sniper followed his gaze.

"...Wait," he said, pointing at Miss Pauling. "You knew about my birth parents, and where I came from. You gotta know something about where that bloke came from, or what it even is."

Miss Pauling winced. "Look, the Administrator wouldn't even tell me about it, so I'm as much in the dark as you are. Heck, she only told me about your parents because they were a lead on the world's remaining Australium."

Gritting his teeth, Sniper turned away.

"Surely there must be something you know?" Spy asked.

"Yeah—a lot! Just nothing in particular about Pyro, other than that it's not human." She rubbed her forehead. "Look—Medic might know something—"

"His knowledge is limited, as Pyro does not cooperate with examinations. What little he does know is classified."

"Ah, right. Just between him and the Administrator, huh?" Heaving a sigh, she tipped her head back. "Look, Spy... I'd really like to help you—or help Pyro, anyway—but I'm not sure what I can do."

"Well, Miss Pauling, given your unique position, I think there might be something you could do to retrieve the information I need. Even just to persuade the Administrator to—"

Miss Pauling gave a forced, humorless laugh. "Yeah, that's not gonna happen. Sorry." When Spy gave her a look, she softened. "No, seriously, I am sorry. But with how badly everything went with that last mission, I—" She cut herself off, and swallowed.

Spy looked at her for a moment, and she looked back, and he nodded slowly. "I understand."

"Thanks," she replied, her shoulders drooping. "I hope Pyro will be okay. It's nice of you to look out for it."

Spy shrugged. "It was merely a mission I gave myself, since no one else was looking into it."

Feeling the hair rise on the back of his neck, he knew Sniper was staring at him—for what reason, he didn't know, but he would not look back.

"Great!" Miss Pauling smiled, oblivious to the tension between the two mercenaries. "Sniper, could you help me get the last one?"

"Sure thing, mate." The Sniper followed Miss Pauling over to the back of the truck, but as he passed, gave Spy another look—one that seemed to say, we need to talk.

Absolutely not.

Frowning in thought, Spy hurried back into the base, heading down a few hallways until he neared the medical wing. There he stopped, looking around to make sure there was no one else around. There was no sign of anyone else heading this way, and, creeping up to the doors and listening, he could only hear Medic's voice speaking softly to Archimedes.

Casting one last look to assure himself he was alone, Spy whipped out his disguise kit.

A moment later, Miss Pauling burst into the lab. "Medic—? Oh, good, you're here."

Medic looked up, his eyebrows raised, while Archimedes fluttered up to the ceiling and Aristotle squeaked. "Ah, Miss Pauling! Good to see you!" the Medic said, smiling as he strolled up to meet her. "Finally come for your follow-up appointment? I've almost got the blood type separation technique worked out—"

"Uh, no, not today. I'm in a bit of a time crunch—since we set up office again, the Administrator realized she's missing some of the mercenaries' medical files, and I haven't had the chance to come out here until now."

Medic sighed. "Very well," he said, turning toward his filing cabinet. "Which ones did you need?"

"Just Scout, Soldier, and Pyro," she replied.

"Oh, you're in luck! I just updated Pyro's file recently."

"Yeah, great." Distractedly Miss Pauling looked around the lab, her eyes falling on Aristotle's, which were narrowed at her suspiciously. "Oh, uh, is... that the monkey you got from—never mind."

"Ja, he is!" Medic smiled as he went through the folders. "Say hello to the lady, Aristotle."

Aristotle hissed and scampered up to Medic's side.

"Now, now, that's no way to behave around patients like Miss Pauling!" Turning around, Medic wagged a finger at the baboon. "Only the bad patients. Now!" He held up the papers and looked up at Miss Pauling. "I'll make some copies of these and send you on your way. Stay here."

Miss Pauling held out a hand to protest, but Medic was already hurrying out the door. She watched him leave before turning back to Aristotle, who continued to glare at her. Then, in a deep, masculine voice that was not Miss Pauling's, she said, "What are you staring at?"

Shrieking, Aristotle scampered up on top of the filing cabinet and hid behind a pigeon nest.

Sighing, Miss Pauling crossed her arms, looking around the lab as she waited. Hearing the door open, she spun around. "Thanks, Medi—" The word caught in her throat.

Sniper stared at her from the doorway, holding out the copies of the medical records. "Looking for these, ya bloody wanker?"

"Uh, hi, Sniper!" She gave a nervous grin. "What are you doing here?"

"Dragging you out before Medic gets back." With that, he grabbed Miss Pauling's wrist and yanked her toward the doors.

"Sniper, what—?!"

His head whipped back to look at her. "Medic nearly chased the real Miss Pauling out the door to hand her these. I offered to run them out to her myself." He rushed her out the med bay doors and further down the hall, taking a couple turns before he slowed.

Meanwhile, Spy's disguise faded as he yanked his sleeve away from Sniper's hand. "I hope you've been washing your hands," he grumbled, dusting his sleeve off.

"You're welcome." Sniper stopped, and turned to face him.

"Now..." Spy reached for the papers. "Hand them over, bushman."

Sniper held the papers further away. "Tell me what this is about first."

Spy glared. "You already know what this is about."

"Oh, I do. It's you I'm not so sure about."

Rolling his eyes, Spy made another grab for the papers, only for Sniper to hold them away again. "You heard what I told Miss Pauling. I'm on a mission to find out what's happened to Pyro, and you are currently withholding vital intelligence for said mission."

"Yeah, you keep tellin' yourself that," Sniper said, his voice low.

"What are you talking about?"

Sniper leaned in closer, and Spy leaned back. "Funny, ain't it, how the one you decide to buddy up with is the one who can't talk back. Can't ask you what's wrong, or what you're running away from."

Anger bolted down Spy's spine. "Are you accusing me of being a coward? You're the one who hides in one place for an entire match!"

"You know that's not what I'm talking about, Spy." Even with his sunglasses, it was clear that Sniper was glaring at him. "Don't you. Or d'you have it buried so deep you don't even remember what you're buryin' anymore?"

"Stop talking nonsense and give me the papers!" Spy growled, making another swipe for them.

This time, Sniper let him snatch the papers, and leaned back. "...You really don't know, do you?"

Quickly he folded the papers and shoved them into his inner coat pocket before they could be grabbed away again. "What?"

Sniper went quiet for a long moment, before shrugging and turning away. "Nothing. Guess maybe you'll have to dig it up on your own."

Spy glared after him, but he was already heading away. He wasn't going to be digging anything, thank you—not in his suit, anyway. Instinctively he dusted off his sleeve again and hurried back up to his room, where he hopefully wouldn't be bothered any further.

Once safely in his room, Spy whipped the papers out of his pocket, unfolded them, and sat at his desk to read them over. For a moment he was confused at Soldier's papers being at the top before he recalled he'd asked for three of the mercs' medical records to avoid suspicion. He set the pages aside, and his eyes brightened at seeing the Pyro's class logo printed on one of the pages. He'd read this one before, when he'd first sneaked into Medic's lab, but now he had free access to all the information he needed. Setting aside the first page, he looked at the second.

His eyes were immediately drawn to the large text, reading:

DO NOT attempt to clean skin!!

Brows furrowed, he skimmed some of the writing after that, but there was no further information written on this point. Of course, he should have expected that—these were mainly for the Medic's reference, after all. Still, the other notes might prove useful. There was a recent date written, followed by more information:

Patient has submitted to a partial physical! Can be bribed with candy.

However, patient strongly resisted blood pressure and thyroid tests, likely due to recent trauma/shellshock. (Will try again later.)

"Goggles" seem to be a form of eyelid. Dense transparent lenses protect eyes beneath. Seems to be incapable of blinking.

Spy paused for a moment, and shuddered.

Heart rate elevated, though may or may not be due to anxiety. Normal heart rate unknown. More examination is necessary!

The notes on that page ended there, and Spy nearly crumpled them in frustration. Instead, he read them over again, his eyes drawn to the larger text once more. The previous page had noted the layer of soot coating Pyro's body, which Spy had witnessed himself. Could the soot be a protective layer? Or, perhaps, attempting to wash Pyro's skin resulted in injuring whatever poor sap attempted it. It did have a higher body temperature than normal—warm enough to burn someone, perhaps?

There was something there, he was sure. But what, he didn't know.

Sighing, he set the page aside, only to realize there was more beneath it.

Name: Jeremy—

Spy knocked a vial of ink over the papers, by complete accident and nothing more.

Some time later, he exited his room, and nearly bumped into the Pyro. Before he could stop himself, he held out the crumpled, ink-stained papers. "Here," he said. "Take these and burn them."

Pyro perked up and took the papers, but stared back at Spy, tilting its head.

Spy snorted. "How often does anyone give you kindling?"

Pyro stared at him a moment longer before turning back into its room, fishing its lighter out as it went. Spy watched it go, until it shut the door behind itself. With another sigh, he made his way down the stairs, only to stomp his foot on one of the steps.

That was his lighter!

[monodramatic-cannibal]

Renegade!Horror

Info post about the world

(If characters seem OOC ((Out Of Character)) it's beacause I'm going off of my own interpretations/headcanons/fandom versions. So please be aware of that)

More info under the cut (Info is subject to change at any time. Info may be added to as well)

(TW:mention of injury, and murder)

-Jobs in the group: In charge of food e.g. growing food/crops in the rooftop gardens, hunting, protection of the base, fighting Wraiths, scouting

Weapons of choice: Axe (any size), sometimes steals Blue’s hammer

-Head canon voice: ???

-Uses He/Him, doesn’t mind other pronouns. 

-Came from a really poor family. Food was hard for him to come by, leading to him even to this day being a little possessive over food. 

-Crack in skull from his early adult life. He used to have a high magic reserve, but got his eye stolen by some corrupt guards/police who wanted more power in the form of magic. His magic reserve is now quite low.

-Stole his new eye from another monster. He doesn’t remember much from that time though, as his memory is hazy. Can also choose which eye socket this eye goes too, normally has it in the one under the hole in his skull though, it’s the one it feels more comfortable in. 

-Might wear hats every once in a while, especially if it's particularly windy outside, it gets uncomfortable with too much breeze going into his skull. Will also sometimes change his coat for a hoodie to have his hood up instead of a hat.

-terrible memory, has to write things down to remember to do them, is bad with names so has a book with names a brief description of them and how he feels about them which he updates on the regular. He’s been around everyone for a bit now though so struggles a little less when it comes to people in the group, still struggles to remember any tasks. 

- When leaving the living space he needs to take someone with him, as he will not remember how to get back. 

-Used to be a butcher, owned the store, before the apocalypse. Would also kill people in the shop as well. It was only a few people. Very few people in the group know about this.

-Has a cat named Fig that Nightmare had given to him. Had named Fig that because he was thinking about fig rolls.

-One of the more stable people in the MTT. Not by much, but he helps the other two to stay grounded when Nightmare isn’t around. 

-Even though he can keep the other two in MTT from mentally spiraling, he doesn’t actually know how to properly deal with the two.

-Enjoys cooking, hates food going to waste so will share anything he makes among others within the group. But he can also be a bit protective over food from time to time when in a particularly bad mood.

-Likes to make sure the ones he likes have eaten, doesn’t like the concept of them skipping meals, wants them to eat something even if it’s something small. Can’t understand the concept of Dream and Nightmare not needing to eat, it worries him. 

-Is a relatively quiet guy, does talk, and does crack a lot of jokes, but he is also content enough to just do things in silence. 

-Can’t really read the room, is bad at picking up on social cues. Might make someone mad/sad on accident because of this. And often gets confused due to others reactions. Killer will help out with this by announcing in a situation “Oh that's not good”, even though it wasn’t directed at Horror, Horror now knows the situation isn’t good. Horror is unsure if Killer is doing this intentionally or just likes announcing the situation. 

-Carries his axe almost everywhere. Gets nervous when he doesn’t have it. Despite his memory problems it’s the one thing he doesn’t forget about. 

-Doesn’t like things being too silent, has to have some sort of background noise, either that be someone talking or him using something to faintly play either music or sounds (e.g. nature sounds, white noise, etc) 

-A big softie, but comes across as scary at first. Has a big grin half the time, which can look a bit scary the first few times seeing it.

-When he’s not doing gardening, hunting, or cooking he’s normally asleep, or hanging out with the others while nodding off. Just a very sleepy guy when not busy. 100% jumps at any chances to take a break if someone says they’ll take over a job for him. 

-Doesn’t really like stuff with too much sugar in it, e.g. sweets. Like sure he’d eat it if given, but won’t eat a lot of it. Too much sugar makes him feel sick. 

-Is quite physically strong, which makes up for his low magic reserve. Around the same physical strength as Cross. 

-When walking with people he likes them to walk on the side where his eye isn’t. Mainly so they can cover his blind spot, and also can make sure he doesn’t knock into things.

How they feel about:

Nightmare: Likes him, knows that Nightmare knows he’s killed people. At least Nightmare has not told anyone about that. Finds Nightmare cool to hang out with, just someone he can chill with quietly. Nightmare was the one who give Fig to him, often tries to teach Nightmare how to take care of a cat, finds it funny that Nightmare loves cats but is scared of them.

Dream: Doesn’t mind Dream, Nightmare often talks a lot about Dream, Nightmare will talk more about Dream than himself. So he thinks he knows Dream relatively well despite the limited interactions they have.  

Cross: Likes him, noticed how Cross is with food, and can relate to him. Often gives Cross leftover food, or might share snacks with him. He also knows Cross likes Fig so uses both food and Fig as a way to befriend Cross.

Blue: Likes him, Blue helps with the gardening/food/crops, so often takes a lot of work off his hands, giving him a break. Blue is easy enough to get along with. Compared to what Blue normally seems to act like it seems Blue enjoys the more quiet moments working in the gardens.

Ink: Doesn’t really like them, too hyper. Ink had once offered to help in the gardens but ended up just shooting everyone with the water hose. Ink is no long allowed to help in the gardens. Other than that they haven’t interacted that much. 

Dust: Likes him, tends to make sure Dust is okay. Dust tends to stick by his side a lot which he doesn’t mind, he understands not really wanting to be alone. Let's Dust lean on him or just genuinely be glued to his side. He also makes sure Dust eats, since Dust never seems to eat a lot. He’s always been curious about Dust’s face, but won’t ask about it, he’ll wait for Dust to show him himself.

Killer: Likes him, even if he can be a bit hyper now and then, at least he’s not as bad as Ink. Can crack jokes with him and does enjoy the pranks Killer does, as long as they’re not directed at him. Knows Killer tends to forget to eat, so makes sure he’s eaten something even if it's only something small.

Error: Only really interacts with him when it comes to storage issues, or having to get something from storage, also sort of interacts with him when he comes to hang with the MTT+Nightmare. Error can be a somewhat chill guy when caught in a good mood. 

Lust: Likes them, gets along well with Lust. Lust always helping him out whenever they’re not busy, either it be in the gardens, repairing clothing, helping him to cook. They generally spend quite a bit of time together. Will go out of his way to go speak with Lust, just enjoying their conversations. Lust tends to let him know whats going on around in the group as well.

Fell/Edge: Doesn’t really interact with him too much. So doesn’t really have anything to think about when it comes to Fell.

Geno: Doesn’t really interact with him too much. So doesn’t really have anything to think about when it comes to Geno.

Outer: Has had a few nice conversations with Outer, but doesn’t interact with Outer that much, besides when Outer is doing his job of getting info around the group.

Sci: No real opinion of Sci, thinks he's a good leader. But doesn’t interact with him to really give any more opinions. 

Reaper/Death: Is spooked whenever he sees Reaper, first time he saw him he thought he had died and panicked. So tries to avoid him wherever he can.

Fresh: Hasn’t met him, or maybe he has but just doesn’t remember due to his memory. Doesn’t have an opinion of him.

Gans/Echo: Doesn’t really interact with him too much. So doesn’t really have anything to think about when it comes to Echo.

Chief: Bossy guy, out of the guys that collect info he prefers when Outer shows up over Chief. But has to admit that Chief is good at getting his job done.

[clanwarrior-tumbly]

The Glitchy Red brainrot is real rn not gonna lie. Could we get something where reader somehow obtains Red’s cartridge and tries their hardest to befriend him? Like maybe Red’s very untrusting at first but slowly starts warming up to them.

When you obtained a copy of Pokémon Red, you weren’t expecting the MC to be both self-aware and extremely arrogant.

He refused to move outside his home no matter what you did, the text box telling you things like “no” and “not going out there” and “I’m sick of it”.

You wondered out loud what hurt him (in a joking way like, “damn who hurt you”), surprised to see him actually respond.

“It’s all of you players. You come back for “nostalgia”, thinking it’s funny to break this game even more. But none of you know how much I suffer for it....not that you care or anything...” The text speed is slow, ensuring you saw every word he was speaking.

You immediately feel bad, telling Glitchy you’re not trying to mess with the game or exploit glitches. You just wanted to enjoy the original story.

Still, he doesn’t trust you and tells you to destroy the game itself.

“What? I can’t do that. Won’t it kill you?”

“...it’s better than suffering in this hell.”

“But..it feels wrong,” you frown. “Knowing you’re alive and..all that. I know other people have hurt you before, but I’m sure we can figure out something-”

“Don’t pity me. Don’t give me that “I’m not like the others” crap. To you, all I’ll ever be is a stupid video game character. I’m sick of wasting my time with you, goodbye-”

“Red, I’m not pitying you. I believe you’re real, and destroying the game would..feel like murder. Just let me convince you that I’m on your side.”

“........”

“Please.”

“...fine.” He begrudgingly agrees, but only bc deep in his hateful heart he wants to believe you.

Thus he lets you play the game like normal--or as normally as you could given how corrupt the world is at this point. It’s not the same but still nostalgic nevertheless.

Sometimes he goes on tangents about how he hated being “demoted” and “replaced” (plus the pain of knowing events are scripted...so it feels like nothing he does matters in the end), thinking he’s better off being a forgotten memory.

“I’m merely a prisoner who’s been given the ILLUSION of choice...”

“I don’t think they’re all illusions, Red. You’ve had choices of your own to make.”

“Did I...?”

“Maybe not in-game choices, but you chose to talk to me.” You pointed out. “You could’ve sabotaged the game whenever, but you let me enjoy the story and keep you company throughout it. Those choices came from your heart, and not some ridiculous code. I think those are the ones that matter most..which means you do matter.”

He’s silent for a long time, his sprite staring at you. Had things in the background not been moving as normal, you would’ve thought the game froze.

Maybe he thought your words were too cheesy.

But then....

“......that’s actually comforting to hear. Thanks...”

“=)”

You just smile at the screen.

At least he was finally warming up to you.

[autisticwriterblog]

Fandom 50 Post 12

A Neurodivergent Reading of False Kings by Poets of the Fall

Introduction:

After watching this music video about twenty times on repeat, I started to interpret the lyrics and video in a specific way, hence the title of this post. Basically, I began to interpret the lyrics as a story about a neurodivergent person who is sick of trying to fit in with others.

A little background on me and my experiences: I have autism and ADHD and I’ve had very bad experiences in the past of trying to interact with other people. People only accepted me if I masked, but when I went through a massive burnout as a teenager, I lost my ability to mask. And my friends started drifting away. It seems they only ever liked the façade I put up because I wanted to fit in. And everything fell apart when I started acting ‘weird’.

Anyway, after reading that, you can probably see why I’m projecting so hard onto Marko’s character in the music video. This whole thing is incredibly self-indulgent and basically just an excuse for me to ramble about a song I love.

Some specific lyrics I keep thinking about:

Getting lost singing their song – When you try to hard to change to fit in with others you begin to lose a part of yourself.

It's all I know, but not what I need – All he knows are people who only like the palatable version of himself he puts forward, but masking forever will lead to burnout.

Run from this meaningless pantomime – He wants to get out of here because he’s sick of trying to fit in with people, which feels pointless to him.

Bought their smiles, liquid and smooth / Took their words for the truth – He is gullible and takes people seriously even when they’re mocking him, struggling to tell their true intentions until its too late.

End my wars and erase / And I'm yours – If you help him get away from what overwhelms him/people who don’t respect him, he’ll be so grateful that he’ll do anything for you.

My thoughts about the music video:

Throughout the scenes at the party, Marko’s character looks stressed and tired. The others at the party are laughing together but he doesn’t join in. In fact, he doesn’t seem to have fun throughout the video. Several shots of all the activity in the room then cut back to his face and he looks overwhelmed by everything going on. When he sits down at the chess board, he looks exhausted. After the chess game, he storms out, possibly having reached his limit.

When he’s alone and shaded in red light, he looks visibly different or even ‘monstrous’. Is this because he feels like people see him as a freak and the changes to his face are a visible representation of how he’s othered? Or perhaps it’s a symbolism of him masking – looking like a ‘normal’ person in the black and white scenes versus his inability to look ‘normal’ at other times, hench his appearance in the red scenes.

He seems comfortable with the woman in the bedroom with him. Is she someone who understands/respects the real him? Is that why he sings about being ‘yours’, because he longs for a relationship with someone who really knows him?

In conclusion:

This song means a lot to me as a neurodivergent person, and I just wanted to ramble about why that is.

[bearenjoyers]

sorry im just thinking about bcs but like. why not add a few smaller scenes of gus interacting with his own men? why does it seem like, in comparison, mike is almost immediately elevated to a higher status than those two in bcs purely because we actually get to see him having normal conversations with gus? like i understand they might not keep the plot moving as well because of the fact obviously if victor is currently doing something it’s because gus told him to etc. but for the most part all of the smaller interactions gus does have with those two ends up being in a somewhat high stress situation where it feels very tense between everyone. and it’s just like damn! is it always like that?? why do those two even care that much about their jobs if their boss is a bit of a dick? etc. i think even an additional scene or two with those guys (either alone or the both of them) talking with gus in a more normal situation could’ve both added a bit more depth into how gus treats his employees (we got a lot with how he treats lyle and co., but not a whole lot with the illegal side of things), how comfortable vic and tyrus feel around him in a calmer setting, and exactly why they both feel the need to be as loyal as they are to the guy.

and also on the other side of this i don't think it'd hurt to maybe elaborate on their pay just a bit..? i'm not saying to randomly put a number out into the atmosphere but i just mean some smaller things like. do they buy nicer things for themselves? what's their housing situation? what's their car situation? are the escalade / yukon their own vehicles or does gus just use those two for business situations? do they use them when they're doing their own stuff off the clock or do they have their own cars? etc. that can also help with understanding their motivations a bit. don't get me wrong i don't think they should be visibly rich or something because that's not what gus would want but just smaller things! cause it's easy to write their loyalty off as Well they probably get paid super well, which i'm sure is true, but if they don't show a single hint of that then what's the point. even something as simple as giving tyrus a nice watch, or maybe victor having a nicer looking gun, etc. something small like that. because as it stands right now the average 41 year old viewer who watched the show once only knows and will only ever know victor and tyrus as those two guys in the background who do random stuff for gus with no clear motivation. just the personification of "On it boss (salute emoji)". and to be honest this is true for a whole lot of fans who do watch the show multiple times and enjoy thinking about it more in depth, because on screen we barely have anything about the two.

and to be clear i'm not trying to say we should have an episode just for them or something like no i understand they're side characters. i understand we don't need all that. and i understand this is also primarily Jimmy's show. but it's not like these two are on the same level as like, arlo or paige and kevin etc. these guys have been around since brba. victor was literally introduced in the same episode gus was. and they are a huge part of gus's story, especially in brba. s4 wouldn't have been what it was without victor and tyrus. and in bcs, ignacio's situation wouldn't have been the same if it weren't for victor and tyrus as well. and i just personally believe that if their goal with gus in bcs was to go back and elaborate on how everything came to be and show what he was like a few years younger, they could've dragged victor and tyrus into that. and i think his character would've benefited from taking that extra step with those two.

[anonymousbeefriendfanfics]

Cassiopeia

Full Name: Cassiopeia

Pronouns: She/Her

Fandom: Touchstarved

Cassiopeia is my first Touchstarved oc. She is the cursed main character, with the Alchemist background. She hasn’t been fully developed yet, as I’m waiting on the release of the full game to learn more about the world and backgrounds.

Despite her life thus far, Cassiopeia has never fully lost her tendency to look on the positive side of things. It’s all she has, and she stubbornly clings to the belief that hope can be found in the bleakest of circumstances, if only to prevent herself from giving up entirely. This hope is what leads her to Eridia, seeking a solution to her curse, because she longs more than anything for a normal life.

Living as the mage’s apprentice has been a rather lonely existence for her, as she was kept away from most people. It was a precaution, really, to avoid any incidents with her curse. She can be a little shy and awkward around new people, mostly because she doesn’t have the best social skills, and she tends to instinctively keep quiet around crowds.

Due in part to her upbringing, she has two obsessions - the stars, and books. From the time she was little, stars were her one true love, and she’s spent more nights than she can count lying on her back and staring up at the sky. The stars have always brought her a special kind of comfort - they’re always there, even when she cannot see them, always in the same familiar patterns. Over the years, she learned their names, their constellations, their stories, every bit of knowledge she could find about the world above. When she feels particularly lost and alone, she can often be found looking up, seeking the comfort of the celestial bodies she has grown so fond of. They are her closest friends, and though they’ve never spoken a word to her, she has often poured out her heart to them when alone on a starry night.

She adores reading, and will devour any book you give her access to. Reading allows her to temporarily escape to another world, one where she isn’t cursed, one where she can touch and be touched without people descending into madness. If you asked her favorite genre, she would tell you it was fantasy, or perhaps historical fiction, from a time before Fogfall. In reality, however, her true favorite is romance. She longs for a connection with other people, to be loved despite her curse, despite being a freak of nature. She knows it is not possible in reality, not for her, but she cannot resist the allure of reading about people luckier than she is finding their true love and getting the happily ever after that she is forbidden.

She truly believed that the mage, her ‘mother,’ would help her find a cure to her curse, would find a way to help her, but alas… it was not to be. Once she discovered that the person who had been raising her, teaching her everything she knows, the one person she trusted above all others - had been using her as a test subject… Well, she was heartbroken, to put it simply. She quietly packed everything she possessed and struck out on her own, seeking help in the one place left that she could think to go - the Senobium.

Her love interest is Mhin. She was instantly drawn to them, and while her head doesn’t fully trust them yet, her heart would trust them with her life. She doesn’t quite understand her feelings, her desire to get closer to them, but she wants to help them both find a cure for their curses. Their loneliness strikes a chord within her heart, and she becomes determined to earn their trust, to show them that the world isn’t all as bad as they think. They’re very similar in some ways, yet opposites in others, so they complement one another quite well. She is the stubborn optimist where they are the equally stubborn pessimist, her aesthetic is dark where theirs is light. She sees the best in people when they only see the worst, yet both are equally terrified of getting too close to someone and getting hurt.

Cassiopeia - also known as Cass or Cassie by those close to her, a list which has recently become empty - is tall and thin when she arrives in Eridia, her pale skin rarely exposed to the sun and long black hair kept in a messy braid. Once she settles in properly, though, she begins to look much better, and less like the fleeing refugee she was - she becomes a much healthier weight once she can stop rationing her food, and wears clothes nicer than the rags she wore when she first showed up. Her wardrobe consists of a lot of dark blue, complementing her blue eyes, and she enjoys wearing anything with a starry aesthetic. She wears black gloves instead of bandages to cover up her hands, and wears a dark blue cloak, both for comfort and for ease of hiding when necessary.

She’s also grown much stronger during her time in Eridia, mostly because she begins to train for it. She never really had to worry about the Soulless before, living in her secluded tower like a princess from her fairy tales, but now she does, and she hates the helpless feeling they give her. She gets advice from Leander on how to strengthen her muscles, and begs Mhin to teach her to fight. She finally convinces them, both because they didn’t want to have to keep saving her, and because she said if they didn’t, she’d go and ask Ais instead. I could see her preferring a bow and arrow, taking Soulless down from afar with carefully aimed shots, though I’m not sure how practical that would be - chances are, she ends up with a dagger similar to Mhin’s, and keeps it carefully sheathed on her hip at all times.

[libras-interactives]

So, this is something that i am kinda curious about, but what of the mc in utdm is canon, like position/skills/personality/etc. and what of mc can we headcanon?

Since mc will be good at driving regardless(at least it seems like it), i was thinking, what else is canon about the mc?

I like to think you could HC whatever you want about your OC 🤔 but if you want specifics, this is what shows up so far (not really spoilers unless peeps haven't played certain Occupations or Deals):

The "Deal" your character made with Flynn is sort of like the backstory/background. So obvs if you pick Baby, the MC has a kiddo. Picking the Murder means they killed someone and Flynn was their lawyer. Picking Debts or Family gives them two parents, an aunt and uncle and a younger sister (the latter being most relevant). Picking Alone means the Mc has been travelling homeless for a while, etc.

Note there's a scene in Chapter 2 where your MC can specify a few things, like who exactly they killed or what happened to their parents, what happened to the baby's other parent, etc.

For personalities aka the Occupations, it's as follows:

Gunman - They've done plenty of crimes and murders, and had something of a violent streak when they were young. They know multiple individuals in Flynn's organization. Used to violence, confident and smart in the ways of lawbreaking - also, weirdly attached to their favorite gun. Ambivert.

Accountant - Worked in Flynn's legitimate law firm, wants to keep their head down and not cause trouble. Clever and able to do the violent jobs, but would much rather not. Delivers heavy doses of sarcasm when they're stressed. Introverted.

Distiller - Very likely has depression, not that they could get it diagnosed back then. Prone to feelings of guilt (moreso than the others), works calmly and is resigned to their new job in St. Louis. There was an accident at the distillery they worked in Chicago, leading to some PTSD with fire and loud noises. Introverted.

Callgirl - Worked at Flynn's ritzy club, the Duchess, and was possibly a working girl before that (depends on Deal.) Effortlessly charming and good at reading people, especially men. Not crazy about all this driving and shooting she's having to do lately. Meant to be femme presenting. Extroverted.

Musician - The most social and "normal" of the bunch, an artist at heart who isn't good or comfortable with all the violence showing up in their day-to-day life. They've been playing music (and specifically their instrument) since they were young, and growing up, their family was proud of them. They played at the Duchess most nights, but worked in clubs all over Chicago. Extroverted.

More things will come up, I'm sure, it just hasn't been written yet :>

[gamesception]

Sception Reads Cass Cain #28

Batgirl (2000) #12 writer: Chuck Dixon pencils: Dale Eaglesham

Batgirl (2000) takes a break from the usual creative team for a tie in to the Batman Crossover of the month, Officer Down. We've seen Eaglesham draw Cass a few times now & he's always solid. Dixon wrote for Cass back in Robin 73, which wasn't the best showing for her. Better this time, if more reliant on narration blocks than I'd like. Kind of odd that this is a 'tie in' rather than part of the story proper. Like they didn't want people to feel they had to buy this issue? I'd say it was a slight against Cass, except it's not like she was kept out of the rest of the crossover, she's in like half the issues.

But the fact that this issue is partially segregated from the rest of the crossover is convenient for me anyway, as it gives me an excuse to just look at this issue on its own this week, while next week we can bundle together the rest of Cass's appearances in the cross over.

Off the top, I have to say I really like the art in this issue. Eaglesham's fast cementing his place as my second favorite Cass artist. And not just because I like the way he draws Cass as Batgirl, but just, I mean, look at this page here, with all the details and personality packed into the scene. Kudos also to Jason Wright, the colorist for this issue, for really capturing this warm cozy homely interior, almost nostalgia-sepia-toned, while everything outside is cold and wet and blue. A single page that really captures Cassandra's isolation. At this point in her story she's basically living as Batgirl 24/7. No alter ego, no normal life, no friends. Not even really any connections apart from her somewhat fraught relationship with Barbara and her extra fraught relationship with Bruce. To see Cass on the outside looking in at the sort of connections that seem so impossibly distant, especially after the run in with her father last issue, it really works.

I also love these panels of Cass navigating Gotham, moving around like a shadow, often in the background or in silhouette. Bits like that convey the spookiness of this Batgirl a lot more than other artists who give her an angry face or emphasize the stitching on her mask or the like.

Love that panel of her rubbing her chin, thinky face clearly visible through the mask. Batman's out, so Cass decides to start investigating on her own. It's nice to see her doing the detective part of the bat-person vigilante job, rather than just leaving that part to Barbara, and Dixon does a good job of walking the reader through her thought process.

He is relying on narration blocks a bit more than I'd like, but he keeps them short and terse. Cass can talk now, but English is still a second language, and that comes across pretty well, imo. I was very critical of Dixons last showing with Cass, but he's honestly doing a solid job with her here, and as much as I don't care for them in general, I think the thought bubbles are helping. Some writers just have a hard time wrapping their heads around a non-verbal character. I'd imagine even just a little bit of language makes thing a world easier.

That said, not to beat a dead horse here, but with Cass speaking a few words here and there like this, they could have believably gotten her to this point through her own effort by studying with Barbara, no psychics required. Just saying.

I guess it hadn't really been decided how much Cass's new speaking ability had translated to reading yet? It seems from these panels that she can read at least a little, at least enough to recognize names and dates as such, which is more than she can do later on. But clearly she's not comfortable or adept enough at reading to get much out of the police files beyond Catwoman maybe being involved, and you can feel her frustration here when she abandons the papers to finally just go ask Babs for help.

Good stuff.

Of course, Babs isn't home either.

Again, I really like the way Eaglesham draws Cass. I like it more each time he shows up in this retrospective. Love little head tilt in the first panel, love the cape in the second panel there, very dracula-esque. Love that we can kind of see her face through the mask, makes her feel like a person.

Oh, you poor random doofus goons.

There's an ok fight scene at one of Selina's safehouse, albeit against no-name mooks. The panels are well drawn, the fight's perfectly readable, but it still feels pretty arbitrary, like hitting a minimum action quota for the issue.

Regardless, Selina isn't there, and the issue ends with Cass abandoning her solo efforts to go find the others.

As an event tie in the overall issue feels... pretty unnecessary. Nothing is really discovered, the story isn't advanced at all, nothing much happens. Makes sense that it wasn't an official part of the crossover, though you're left kind of wondering what the point was at all.

Even so, I kind of like the issue regardless. Eaglesham does a spectacular job with the art all the way through, and Dixon seems to have a much firmer handle on the character this time around. We get some solid panels of Cass trying to do some detective work on her own, something we rarely see, and the excellent bit early on of her flittering around through the city like a shadow. That sense of isolation from the first page really permeates the entire issue even if if the plot never touches on it, with Cass seeking out the only two people she really knows only for both of them to be out.

So yeah, even if nothing that happens in the issue really matters much, even if it doesn't really tell a stand alone story per se, I still like this one a lot.

[smuttyfang]

The Ghost Team Bunny

Chapter 1: The Contract

You are contracted by Simon "Ghost" Riley to "comfort" him and his men. You'll be their ear, their kindness, their warmth as they suffer the harsh realities of war. Oh, and you’ll be sleeping with them too. They will all come to meet more to you than you could ever imagine. And they'll come to care for you, too. And Simon.. what will he come to think of you?

Will include some of the original story characters from time to time. Also includes men than I have created for Ghost Team. Simon is older in this, and commands his own team of men more than going on missions himself.

Words: 4,407

As you sit in your favorite little coffee shop drinking your usual favorite, you look at the contract on your phone screen. You looked at it occasionally, then looked away for a while. Only for your gaze to return to it. To be drawn back to it. Were you seriously considering this?

You stared at the application, realizing how vague it was. However, considering you always looked at your own contracts for OnlyFans and never felt the need to hire your own lawyer, you knew the application was hinting at something more.

It was a military contract, yes. Supposedly for a ‘mental health advocate’. The application stated that you would have to give yourself to a certain group in the military. You’d be their ear, their comfort. There to listen. Always on the base with them when they need you. But it was more than obvious to you that it was more than that. How did most men like to deal with their emotions? Sex. You knew that better than anyone in your time doing OnlyFans.

Something about the whole thing piqued your curiosity. Not only was it interesting, but the application was sent directly to you. You assumed someone had found your email through your OnlyFans and decided to contact you. You hated to admit it, but being a sexual comfort to a bunch of big military men was honestly a huge fantasy for you. All those tough and powerful men desiring you.. it made you feel anxious and excited. And truly.. you felt something for those poor military men who paid to talk to you on the site. They’d always tell you the most horrific things that have happened to them in their time serving, and they’d usually just want you to listen. They didn't seem to have anyone that they could talk to. You imagined ‘talking about your feelings’ amongst those military men was probably frowned upon or not taken seriously. You felt for them. You liked helping them.

You sigh, just giving in and telling them you were interested. You send the email, taking a few more sips of your coffee. Within a few minutes, you were getting a phone call. It was an unknown number. You answer it.

“Hello?” You say. A voice speaks from the other line, a dark, deep British accent.

“This is the one who contacted you about the job.” He says bluntly. “Can you come by and meet me this evening?” He asks. You were a bit shocked, listening to this happening so quickly already.

“Yeah, absolutely. When should I be there? And.. where?” You ask. You hear a bit of rustling in the background and another man speaking.

“You’re at the coffee shop downtown, right? The one with the red roof.” You should be surprised, but these people are the military. It’s not shocking at all that they would watch you if they were interested in you.

“I am.” You say, looking around the room and wondering if anyone inside was the one keeping an eye on you. Everyone looked fairly normal..

“I have someone who can pick you up. He will be there in five.” The man tells you, bluntly. He seems very cold and off putting. His British accent intrigued you.

“Alright.” You tell him. He immediately hangs up without saying goodbye. You shake your head, sighing. You knew from your OnlyFans that military men could be.. odd sometimes. You couldn’t exactly find it surprising. Exactly five minutes pass by, and you see a sleek black car park right in front of the shop. A man exits the passenger side. He’s wearing military gear, but doesn’t seem to have any weapons on him directly. He points at you through the window and motions his finger for you to come to him. You toss your coffee cup into the trash, walking outside to meet the man.

“Hello.” You say to the man. He is wearing sunglasses and you’re unable to tell where he is looking. He walks to the back of the vehicle, opening the back door for you. You awkwardly smile at him as you get inside. He gets back inside, and motions for the driver to take off. Neither of them seem to pay much attention to you. You want to talk, but aren’t sure if you should. You can’t tell if either of them are looking back at you in the mirror or not. With the sunglasses they were wearing, it felt like they could have been staring you down the whole time.. You do your best to stay composed in front of them. It doesn’t take long for you to arrive at what was clearly a military base outside of town. It was well lit, with soldiers walking around and lining the tips of the walls holding their guns. The car pulls up to a checkpoint. The man in the driver's seat talks to the man at the checkpoint. The man outside peeks into the back of the car to look at you. You see a slight smirk on his face as he tells them to go on inside. The car then pulls up to a huge guarded front door. Both men step out, as one of them opens the back door and allows you out.

“Follow me.” The man says coldly. You follow the man through the large doors, past the guards. You feel their gaze on you, their heads following you every step you take. You follow the man through long hallways, up flights of stairs. You notice the men you pass by just staring at you. Staring at you like they hadn’t seen a woman in ages. They looked hungry . Like.. animals . Something about it excited you to the very core. You gulped as you watched them all. You smiled and waved sweetly at some of them, who would then practically eye hump you as you walked by. Some of them even began stepping closer to you, but then the man leading you would shoo them away. He suddenly stops in front of a door in the middle of a long hallway. “Boss is in here.” He motions his head toward the door. You nod your head.

“Uh, thank you..” You say quietly. You silently open the door. As you step inside, you find a man with a skull mask sitting at a desk. The room is barren, only having two chairs and the desk. It’s all gray and plain. The man’s gaze is so cold and almost unnerving. His arm is covered in tattoos. You step inside fully and shut the door behind you. The man is sitting there, unmoving. It makes you freeze.

“Have a seat.” The man says. You compose yourself, smiling and walking to the opposite side of his desk and sitting down in the other chair. You can tell by his accent, this is the one you had spoken to over the phone.

“It’s nice to meet you..” You trail off, wanting to know his name.

“Ghost.” He says, still cold. Still unmoving. You nod your head.

“Okay, Ghost..” You clear your throat. “How did you find me? I mean.. why are you offering this job to me?” You ask, genuinely curious.

“Few of my men like you. They told me about you.” He admits. “They’re quite fond of that.. stuff you make online.” He still isn’t showing you much emotion. You smile, trying to be friendly.

“I’m glad to hear that.” You say, sweetly. “Have you.. looked at my stuff yourself?” You asked curiously.

“No. Real thing is better.” He is.. confusing. He says it like he’s hitting on you, but it still just sounds so cold. His eyes still don’t move. He was incredibly hard for you to read.

“Okay..” You say, breathing out shakily. “I can tell by the vagueness of the wording in the contract there’s something more involved.” He nods his head.

“We knew you were capable of reading between the lines.” They must have spent a lot of time researching you.

“Tell me what’s between them, then.” You say. He still looks at you, it’s unnerving how still he is.

“You’re going to be a comfort to me and my men. You’ll also be a reward for them, if they do well. You can interpret that however you like.” He says, bluntly.

“I’m going to be sleeping with them?” You ask.

“Sleeping with them. Talking to them. Letting them vent. Whatever they need.” He tells you.

“Okay..” You say slowly, trying to process the whole situation. “Military men are dangerous and downright scary sometimes, Ghost.” You tell him. “You don't see the things some of them say they would like to do to me.” You’re reminded of some horrifying comments you have seen from military men on your videos. Some of them have really gory and horrifying fantasies that make you shiver when you think about them.

“I assure you, that was not any of my men. I made sure of that first. My men.. like you. Some of them tell me you’ve comforted them online before.” You think for a moment, remembering chatting with some military men who had been through a lot.

“Yeah.. not sure which ones of course, but I have. I enjoy.. I like helping them feel better.” You tell him. You truly did. It broke your heart when you’d get a message from a man who admitted he had lost his friends in a war. Sometimes they didn’t even want to talk to you sexually. They just wanted you to listen. Ghost stays silent. “So.. it says I’ll be staying here.” He nods his head. “Where?”

“In my quarters.” He says, bluntly. “You won’t sleep in any other bed but mine. You may have other men in my bed, but you will never sleep elsewhere.”

“Will I have protection when walking around the base?” You ask. He sighs.

“Let me make it all clear to you. You will belong to me before anyone else. You’ll never leave my side. None of my men will talk to you or spend any time with you without my permission. You will please me, before anyone else.”

“And if you have to leave the base?” You ask, just trying to gauge your situation here.

“I don’t leave very often. I'm getting old.” He admits. “If I ever do, a few of my most trusted men will protect you.” I think for a while, watching his eyes. He did well hiding any emotion he was feeling.

“Why do you want me near you all the time?” You ask.

“My men respect me above all else. If you want to be protected, and respected, you would do best to stay with me.” You think again for a long time, weighing your options.

“What about my things? My home?” You ask.

“My men will get your things for you. You can keep your home, we know you have it paid for already.” You smile, impressed at their research into you.

“Okay.. what about my OnlyFans?” You ask.

“That will have to end, for the time being. We need to discuss that later on, once I know I can trust you. But you will never post anything that exposes any of my men. Or that you are on a military base. Period.” He says, almost looking at you angrily. It sent shivers down your spine. You quickly compose yourself though.

“That is understandable.” You tell him. “I can.. tell my followers I’m just taking a break so they don’t worry.” He nods his head.

“If that’s what you choose.” You both sit there in silence for a while. It seemed like he was giving you time to think.

“I..” You find yourself at a loss for words.

“All your needs will be met.” He starts. “It might not be luxurious, but you can make a difference in the lives of these men who need someone like you around. My men are the strongest out there. They have the most grief alongside that.” He pulls at your heartstrings with those words. Comforting people always made you feel like you had a purpose in life.

“It’s.. very kind that you want to do something like this for your men.” You tell him. He seems a bit taken aback by your words.

“Kind?” He repeats the words like he’s never been called that before. Something in his eyes changed in that moment. He quickly returns back to his cold demeanor, and his eyes go icy again. “So. What do you choose?” You think for a moment, sighing. You pull your phone out of your pocket. You see that your signal is entirely gone. “Your phone won’t work here.” He tells you. “I’ll have one of my men make a post on your fan thing.” He didn’t seem to know much about the internet. “Post a picture you’ve already posted before, tell them you’re taking a break. Right?” He asks.

“Yeah. I’ve done it before a few times, so.. it won't seem too strange.”

“So you say yes?” He asks. You breathe out shakily, feeling like you might be crazy for this.

“Yes. I'll do it. If I can offer some comfort..” You tell him. He stands up, taking your phone from your hand. He opens the door, giving it to the man who led you there. He talks to him quietly before closing the door and returning to you.

“He will go off base and do it. Your phone will be kept safe, but you can’t have it for now. I need to know I can trust you.”

“I understand, Ghost.”

“Simon.” He tells you. “It’s Simon, now.” You smile at him sweetly.

“Okay.. it's nice to meet you then, Simon.” He looks you up and down before motioning for you to follow him. He shows you through another door past his office. It opens up into a quaint little living room. He has a small kitchen connected to it. Beyond that, he shows you to another room. It’s a nice little bedroom with a connected bathroom. He had the bare minimum of comfort in every room, not a single decoration anywhere. The only unique thing was his bathtub, which was quite large. The rooms were gray and simple, just like his office.

“My men will bring all your things here tomorrow. After they disable any possible internet connections to any of them.” He says. “You got anything like that?” He asks, watching you as you look around.

“Just some gaming consoles.” You tell him.

“You can have ‘em. Without the internet.” He says. You nod your head.

“Yeah, I get it. I understand.” You say. When you finish looking around, you return to him. “You have a large tub.” You say, smiling. “I like it.”

“I’m a large man.” He says, shrugging his shoulders. Boy, was he right. He had a large frame, and you were just now realizing it. He clearly catches you eyeballing him.

“Would you.. will your men bring my furniture?” You ask. He looks at you a little strangely.

“Why would you need that? I have a bed and a couch.” He says, crossing his arms.

“I know.. my bed was very expensive though. If you’d.. like something more comfortable.” You clear your throat. “My couch was, too..” You add on. You swear you could have heard him chuckle just a bit, but you weren’t too sure. His expression was still hidden by his mask, and you could only see his eyes.

“I’ll tell them to bring both, then. I’ll see how comfortable this expensive bed is.” You smile at him.

“I’m grateful. Thank you Ghost.. I mean, Simon.” He nods his head, going to sit on his couch. He sighs, resting his head back.

“Well? Show me.” He says out of nowhere. You look at him strangely.

“Show you what?” You ask.

“I need your comfort.” He says. Is he.. teasing you? “So comfort me.”

“Okay..” You say, walking over to him as he sits on the couch. His legs were spread open. You get down on the floor between his knees, placing your hands on his thighs. “I’m assuming this is the kind of comfort you’re really looking for.” He looks down at you, a hint of something in his eyes.. something like.. playfulness.

“What gave you that idea?” He says, pushing his hips closer to you. You chuckle.

“Okay, okay. I get it.” You slowly move your hands up his muscular thighs. He sighs at your touch, letting his head rest against the back of the couch again. His eyes close. You move your hands up, softly rubbing him outside of his pants. He groans at your touch, moving his hips just slightly. You were determined to get a reaction out of this seemingly emotionless man. You press your lips to the outside of his pants, teasing him. You kiss and lick him through the pants, making him still shift his hips a little. He looks back down at you, his gaze still just as icy and cold. He watches you as you take his zipper into your mouth, slowly tugging it down with your teeth. You smile up at him as you take out his cock. Your eyes widen at the sight of it. It’s.. incredible. A perfect length and size. He still watches you silently as you take it into your mouth. You tease the head of it with your tongue before sliding as much of it as you can into your mouth. You fit as much of it as you can, still having some left too. You use your hand to take care of the rest of the length as you begin bobbing up and down on him. You close your eyes, just enjoying the feeling of it. Soon though, you hear him snapping right in front of your face. It makes you open your eyes suddenly to see him glaring.

“Don’t look away from me.” He demands it. Demands it darkly. You nod your head quickly before you continue. His complete and total domineering attitude over you made you feel more excited than you had ever felt in a long time. You kept your eyes on him, pleasing him. You felt that he was getting close soon after you started, feeling him shifting more and grunting. He soon came into your mouth without much warning. The warm liquid seeps down your throat, and you happily swallow every bit of it. He throws his head back, riding out the feeling of the orgasm. He then slowly looks back down at you, with glazed over eyes. “Good girl..” He coos. You feel yourself clench hearing those words come from his mouth. You audibly moan, just slightly. Making him chuckle. Just a little. “Like hearing that, do you?” You nod your head. He motions his head toward the bedroom. “Good to know. Go on. Get undressed.”

“Okay.” You say as you stand up. He suddenly grabs you by the wrist.

“You should hear how I want you to address me.” He says, with his icy gaze still watching you. You nod your head. “For now.. you call me sir. Or Simon. Do you understand?” You nod your head again.

“Yes, sir..” You say. For now? Maybe it could change in the future. He motions his head for the bedroom again. You nod your head, walking in and beginning to undress. Once you started, you realized he was just standing in the doorway, leaning and watching you undress. You never felt nervous getting naked. Not in a very long time. So why did you feel nervous now? Knowing he was watching you filled you with excitement and anxiousness. You fully undress yourself, now naked in front of him. He motions for you to get on the bed.

“On your knees..” He says, almost purring the words. Something about it made you feel so turned on. So excited. You complied, getting on your knees for him. You feel him behind you, and you can feel his eyes on you. You never hear him remove his clothing fully. You only feel his hard cock pressing against your thigh as it drips on you. “You belong to me before anyone else. Do you understand that?” He asks, rubbing his cock all along your slit. It makes you shiver with anticipation.

“Yes, yes.. sir..” You barely get the words out. You begin wiggling your ass at him.

“That desperate are you? Maybe my men were right.. you’re going to be very well liked around here.” He begins slowly pushing his cock into you. You gasp out against the bedsheets for him, then moaning loudly as he sheaths himself inside of you fully. You feel so full and overwhelmed with the sensations of him. His dominating presence behind you made you feel even more turned on by him. You were already soaked, dripping all over his cock, and down to the bed. He chuckles. “My god, you’re soaked already.” You were unable to respond, reeling from the pleasure as he began thrusting in and out of you with force and speed. He grasped your ass with his hand, pulling you back against him hard. He was not gentle. Not in the slightest. But god it felt good. It felt incredible. His strength was immaculate. He forced you wherever he wanted your ass to be, and it was so exciting. He thrusted against you almost painfully so, smacking against your backside hard. His tattooed arm reaches forward, grabbing you around your throat. He doesn’t squeeze, he only pulls you back so that you aren’t hiding your face in the bed.

“F-fuck..” Is all you can choke out.

“Don’t hide those pretty noises. Let my men hear you.” With his hand around your throat, you were unable to hold back any noises you made. You screamed out for him, cursing and swearing over and over again. He went for what felt like hours.. the man had the stamina of a bull. It felt so good even so. Even though your skin was stinging from the slapping of his skin against yours, even though the sides of your throat became bruised by his fingers, you’d never felt so phenomenal in your entire life.

“S-siiimoonn..” You call out his name, only making him work even harder. Without any warning, he pressed your backside against him hard one last time. You felt him cumming inside of you. His seed filled you completely, spilling out of the sides. You lay there breathless as he doesn’t move, finishing out his orgasm. He pulls out of you slowly, grunting as he does so.

“Good girl..” He says again, making you smile and clench once again. He chuckles a little seeing this. “Go clean up and then come to bed.” He says, returning back to that cold man he was to begin with. He leaves the bedroom completely, returning to his office. You were now left alone, still breathless and shaking with pleasure. You gather your composure after a minute, dropping your legs and trying to stand. Your legs wobble as you walk to the bathroom. You run a bath for yourself, sitting down in the water. Only when you sit do you realize your skin is still stinging on your ass.

“Ow..” You whimper as you sit down more slowly. It hurt, but you really honestly liked the feeling of it. It made you feel accomplished. You bathe yourself, enjoying the large tub and the hot water healing your sore skin. Once you were finished, you realized you didn’t have any clothing to wear. You looked around to see if Simon had returned. He still seemed to be in his office. Afraid to open the door, you return back to the bedroom, lying down on the bed. Your body feels tired after that session with him, and you start to drift off to sleep. Before you do though, you hear Simon return. You pretend to be fully asleep, wondering what he was going to do. He walks into the bedroom and finds you there.

“I know you’re still awake.” He says, making you sigh.

“You’re not easy to fool are you?” You jokingly ask. He pulls most of his clothes off now, leaving a tank top, shorts, and his balaclava. “Don’t you want to take that off?” You ask. He glares at you.

“No. I don’t.” He says, blunt and cold like always. “I’ll return in a minute.” He goes into the bathroom and locks the door. You hear the water running for a few minutes before he quickly returns to you. Still wearing the same thing. He must have taken his balaclava off to wash, as his face looked wet. He climbs into bed next to you, resting his head on his arm. He closes his eyes, facing the ceiling.

“Okay..” You say, curious but also afraid to ask more about his mask and make him upset. “What will I be doing tomorrow?” He keeps his eyes closed as he talks.

“Giving a reward to two of my best men. Your comfort, if you will. They deserve it.” You nod your head.

“Okay. Both of them? At the same time?” He breathes out in a huff.

“Yes. And I’ll be observing.” You raise an eyebrow at him.

“You’re going to watch me fuck your men?” He shakes his head.

“No. I’m going to watch them fuck you.” He opens one eye again to look at you for a moment. “Nobody will be with you unless I’m watching. Do you understand?” He asks, looking dead serious with that icy cold stare. It sends shivers down your spine.

“Yes.. I understand.” You sigh, letting the tiredness finally take over your body. You scoot closer to him, wrapping your arm around his. He opens an eye and looks at you, but then closes it back. “Is this okay?” You ask him, wanting reassurance.

“Do whatever you like.” He says nonchalantly. You stay like that, cuddling his arm for your own kind of comfort. You both fall asleep like this, barely.. kind of.. cuddling. Something about his coldness made you feel the desire to break down his shell. Get past his walls. There was more to him than he was letting on. And you were determined to find out what it was.

And.. did he say two of his men? At once?

AO3

Tags: @abbiesxox

[golden-risuto]

CW: This particular character is mentally unstable. I will do my best to make her realistic, but please let me know of any flaws. I would appreciate it very much.

Delilah Mun-Ime the Tlacuache

“It's still a dream worth keeping.”

Gender: Woman.

Orientation: Straight.

Nicknames: Del, Luna, Yuè (Father and brother).

Species: Fairy Opossum, part moon creature (Normal form showed).

Physique: Chubby, less than average height (4'11")

MBTI: INFJ 9w8.

Occupation: Art teacher, artist.

Neurotype: Autistic and BPD.

Elemental Alignments: Water and Dark.

Song: A Dream Worth Keeping · Sheena Easton (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I61G6qPM_yQ)

Background:

A 34 years old Tlacuache who lives the dream that many would like to have: A powerful husband, living off her art, a good reputation within her village, and two fantastic children... If only that reflected reality. Her life is far from perfect, since Delilah has been the victim of a forced marriage at the age of 19 to the son of the previous chief of Sigilla Village, Zechariah Demirkan, whom she detests with all her being. A fate Del wouldn't wish even on her worst enemy.

She hasn't had peace since her childhood, after that fateful day where her older brother, Stanford Mun-Ime the Coyote, ran away from home to save himself from a terrible future. Certain superior figures have been and continue to be very strict on her so she never thinks to almost go out of line again, against her wishes. Delilah, due to her reserved nature and fatigue at this point, avoids conflict to maintain the little inner peace she maintains... Although, sometimes, that flame that existed in her youth is fanned, seeking justice in short-lived explosive ways.

Despite all the bad things in her life, Delilah finds passion in her work as an Art Teacher in Sigilla Village, as well as in artistic, alchemical and gardening hobbies at home. She feels a lot of appreciation for her students and some members of the community, who see her as a stubborn, yet wise woman for her choices. However, she finds greater satisfaction in the relationship she has with her father and firstborn, Delilah wouldn't know what to do without them.

Special Info:

- A little known talent, inherited from lunar ancestors, is her ability to absorb moonlight and transfer it to a liquid as a potent ingredient for potions. The residents know of the existence of those potions and buy them to cure their illnesses, but they do not know the true origin of some components.

- Feels a huge emptiness for what could have been if the first escape plan had worked out, her life would have taken a big turn and perhaps Delilah would be very happy, even though she'd had little. However, it is still a dream worth keeping, even if the years have gradually diminished hopes.

- Delilah was in love with another man when she got married and Zechariah, at the beginning of the marriage, tried to make her fall in love with his qualities, but time proved that it would never happen between them and they currently live together like two strangers who detest each other.

- The abandonment of two significant figures has triggered an intense fear of being abandoned again, regardless of whether it is real or imaginary. She's even tried to convince herself not to have connections with others to avoid the pain... If only she didn't crave it at the same time.

- Has a hidden fairy form, but she prefers to stay normal for comfort and not to attract so much attention when it's already combined with her lunar form, whether good or bad.

- Cannot control her emotions and impulses a lot of times, the most benign of all being buying a lot of art supplies and one of the most harmful being alcohol, especially wine.

- After a long day of being overloaded with stimuli, there is nothing better for her than eating comfort food, cooking, reading a book or taking care of the garden. Likewise, she teaches her child Bastion the magic of art and do activities together.

- A faithful follower of the fairy demigod, Faunus, Delilah has felt their presence so many times that she cannot help but feel excited for his return and it's one of the few things that keeps her sane. She was proud of Bastion the day they decided to serve as an assistant in the Church of the Sacred Fruit.

- Her parents are recognized figures, she had a childhood free of economic worries thanks to the work of her father and his puppet... Enchanted shows and her mother, attending to the needs of the place. Delilah has a huge collection of books ranging from books from her childhood, art, culture, alchemy, outer space and even forbidden books on moon magic.

- Has a complicated relationship with her second child, Zebereo Demirkan the Red Panda, since he has a very similar attitude to his father. She loves him, but at the same time she finds it difficult to connect with him, which adds seeds of resentment between the Demirkan siblings.