#they are a mess but they're working on it

[hellenhighwater]

my folks are bringing home kittens this week, and it's been about twenty years since they last had a kitten in the house; as a more recent wrangler, any advice on kitten rearing? they're two eight week old males, part of a litter of six, raised by their mama in a household with two dogs and an 11-year-old, so they should be well socialised!

Set ground rules for your humans! Discuss rules for the kittens as a group and make sure everyone understands them and will follow them consistently.

1. No playing with hands. This is a big one, because it's the only way to keep your cat from learning it's okay to bite and claw people. Play with toys, not hands. It's SOOOO tempting to just get in there and do belly rubs but you have to teach manners at this age. If there is biting and clawing, disengage; exaggeratedly ignore the kitten for a little bit, refusing to play, and then resume play with a toy. But do play with them a lot! They have a lot of energy to work off.

2. Do introductions slowly; it's overwhelming and you don't want to rush it. It's a good idea to keep them in just one room for a while to start. (It also really sucks to let a cat loose in a whole house and then discover you can no longer locate the cat in the house.)

3. Decide now where the cats aren't going to be allowed. If you don't want them on the kitchen counters, then start by not allowing them into the kitchen unsupervised. Keep an eye on them and set the boundary, and make sure they're not left unattended to break the rule behind your back. I did this with my cats, and Mal and Vice still follow it with zero reinforcement--I can leave loose cat treats all over the kitchen table and they'll still be there when I come home from work.

4. Handle them! Not forcefully--if they're freaking out, don't force things unnecessarily, but handle their paws, legs, etc. Eventually you may need to trim claws or help them with messes and it's a lot easier if your cats are cool with being handled all over.

5. Introduce the carrier, collar, harness, whatever you want to use, early on, as normal parts of inside life. The carrier can stay out as a bed/play space, and you can introduce collars and harnesses pretty young, if you're going to do that at all.

6. Take lots of pictures and post them on the internet.

[yawnderu]

CW: mentions of kidnapping and stolen body autonomy.

Find a way in, kill the enemy, retrieve the hostages, leave. A routine of sorts that gave his life some sense of purpose to avoid going insane for the past two decades. Simon liked to believe he got over what happened in his past... truly, he did; and yet Manuel Roba’s horrors seem to haunt him no matter where how many years pass.

“C’mere.” Simon’s voice held no hostility, he made sure of it, yet your stiff position never changed. Legs angled to the right, hands folded on your lap, and eyes looking forward, refusing to meet anyone’s gaze even if it’s been hours since your rescue. Garrick, Price and Johnny have already tried to get you to talk multiple times, all of them with different approaches. 

Garrick was friendly, trying his best to seem approachable, a bright smile on his lips that you didn’t seem to notice, too busy staring at a wall no matter how much he tried to hold a conversation.

Price seemed fatherly, never once laying a hand on you even if it was itching to comfort you, and so he settled with telling you you’re safe now, how no one will ever get you again now that they're here. His words didn’t seem to do much, either. 

Johnny was… something else. His first attempt was a shitty pick up line, getting a reaction out of you for the first time— a nose scrunched up in disgust, but a reaction nonetheless.  

And Simon… Simon’s approach was different. The man was used to barking out orders and obeying them himself, not to deal with an unresponsive hostage. His behemoth frame was nestled next to you, putting a tray on the table and observing your reactions. From the way you swallowed thickly the moment the meal was presented to you, to the sound of your stomach growling. 

“Go on, then.” Your gaze follows his movements for the first time, the feeling of your stomach rumbling makes you more aware of your hunger, so many years being fed nothing but what was necessary to keep you alive by Manuel and his associates, so many years of being trained like a dog to obey to their very order. 

Simon can see the hesitation in your body language, too tense to allow yourself to dig in the way you wanted, yet no longer as stiff as before. There was a sense of relief at the fact that they didn’t seem to want to hurt you —unlike Roba—, yet years of non-stop brutal training can’t be erased within hours.

Roba’s training was engraved into your brain, and while the sense of security the SAS blokes gave you is something you’re thankful for, nothing guarantees they’re not working for him. You’ve seen other military men come and go throughout the years, always Roba’s friends, and always sharing the same disgusting, sadistic desires.

“Eat up.” The rest of the men watch the way you move, curiosity and amusement mixing at how strange your movements seem, almost robotic. Your forearms rest on the table, elbows away from the cheap wood as you attempt to hold your own cutlery— attempt, because it looks fully foreign to you, trying out different angles to make it work, and yet it's the first time in years you've been allowed to try and feed yourself.

Simon is the first one to catch on, having lived under Roba’s rules for long enough to know he enjoys taking people’s autonomy, to reduce them to nothing but a pathetic mess that depends on him. His gloved fingers are gentle as he takes the spoon from your hand, scooping up some food before holding it up to your lips. His full attention is on you, relief starting to make its way into his body as sees your rather soft lips wrap around the spoon, eating whatever he was feeding you. Lucky for you, this time it wasn’t an MRE… or beans on toast.

His gloved thumb wipes the corners of your lips every time you’re done chewing, and he’s quick to pick up more food from the plate, nothing but patience and kindness shown in his actions, so unlike the brooding soldier he's known to be.

“... two goldfish are in a tank…?” Johnny’s loud groan gets your attention for a second, yet you quickly glance back at Simon, curious eyes looking up at him, almost as if asking him to go on. 

“One turns to the other and says… ‘you know how to drive this thing?’” You can see the corners of his eyes crinkle before he even finishes his joke, clearly trying his best not to laugh at just how awful it was. A small smile hides in the corners of your lips, and Simon takes that as a victory, ignoring the questioning looks he’s getting from his team, for now.

[dxxtruction]

"Louis acting like a pimp to Armand" And what is a pimp exactly? Quickly. And, oh so sexual trauma survivors can't engage in kink now without it being all about that? Pet names? They can't be submissive anymore? Consensually? Sexually healthy? Be serious. I'd hardly say there's much power difference between them during all this anyway, except that Louis is freer than Armand and it's been putting a strain on their relationship. Louis wants more from Armand, and less of this 'being his past' for them both, and so helping Armand with this could fix that. It's healthy to want to help your partners get out of a rough patch?

I mean, the whole exchange was very clearly set up as a "I want to help you" after such a great moment of vulnerability Louis feels just how much Armand is desperate for it. Louis called Armand so they could work out a plan together.

And the bit with the umbrella was Louis' way of asking 'are you willing to listen to me?' and Armand said yes by unfolding it. Louis goes on and explains, Armand is allowed to argue against it, but Louis makes his point. And then he gives Armand a way to make his own choice in it too. Armand's already decided 'I want you, more than anything else in the world', but Louis still asks after if he's sure of his choice, and with a name, Arun, that is the one of his fullest agency, running the point home. Honoring the situation Armand calls Louis Maitre - as a way of being like 'I'll do as you've said then'. To make this work he's going to have to give Louis some of the control, yes. But it's the first time such a role is ever established, and it was his choice to do it. So so what if they do it in a very suggestive way? They can't like doing that? I think it's them having fun.

I struggle to find how Louis is being overly domineering here when really he's giving and offering Armand the most agency he's ever had. Same with finding it manipulative. The manipulation was more earlier in the episode I think, when he was stringing him along, giving mixed signals. He's no longer toying with him like that. Louis might be pushing Armand, leading him on to make a decision, but he doesn't mean bad by it.

But back to this pimp thing. I find it frankly offensive that this is where people are going with this. I get it, but to run with it being the case is, on many levels, wrong.

Louis told us episode 1 this was the only sustainable line of work to support his family and keep their standing, at the time. It was never his choice to be doing this either but his blackness allowed no other options. He did what he did so his family could stay in that house and maintain all their same comforts. It gave him privileges most black men didn't have at the time that he wanted to maintain and even have more of. Anyway, it doesn't and had never defined him the way 'being good at running things' had. And in that case he just likes having that kind of control where he can get it, which makes sense.

The world is what placed that kind of role onto him of what he was allowed to be able to run, not himself. And on that he actually treated the sex workers he employed well and respected them enough to give them more opportunity. He recognizes they don't have much in the way of options either.

Louis employed sex workers, yes, but he didn't subject them to abuse, (like how Armand was)*. He didn't oversee things in a way that would go against their consent (see; episode 1 again)**. Sometimes a job is just a job. And Sex work is work.

Armand's particular past with sexual abuses may strike a particular cord with Louis, given all that, but the very last thing either is thinking is that Louis' pimping Armand out here. This is merely their decision as companions, and had nothing to do with adding another line in a laundry list of selling Armands body out to people at the command of someone else. Armand rescinds some of his control to Louis' wishes, because he wants him, and he trusts him, that's all.

If you aren't allowing Armand that choice, and are doubtful it's fully his, you're putting him right back in the box of being defined by his abuses. Putting him back into that space where he isn't given any agency over what he does.

*: (edit) added for clarity.

**: (strike through) numerous people are saying I'm misremembering this point so disregard it. (Thought he was siding with Bricks, it was the other way around). I don't have a perfect memory, it happens. Let's not get mad about it. Please read my added notes in the tags, I put those in not long after uploading several hours ago as of typing this. It should address most concerns.

[dadbodbuck]

may i just add to your closeted! Tommy and Buck 1.0. having an affair scenario? confident tommy did not yet exist and buck going around messing around with a bunch of women at the same time would prolly fuck tommy up beyond repair. idk i think in this scenario buck would hold all the cards and tommy would have had no idea how to handle manwhore buck. someone needs to write that fic!

YOUR MIND......... OHHHHHHH MY GOD

i don't know that it would necessarily be infidelity, because i don't think buck 1.0/closeted tommy would have the ability to ask to be exclusive (either of them) but i think you're absolutely right about it DESTROYING tommy. tommy who's finally accepting the whole "not being into women" thing, tommy who's slowly learning all the ways buck is reckless, sweet, kind, self-sacrificing, tommy who's falling a little in love, maybe. buck who is too, but he can't ask tommy to stay - tommy's closeted, and buck gets the feeling it's because he's ashamed of them (he's not, but nobody's going to get buck 1.0 to believe that). buck who can't stand being someone's little secret, tommy who's scared to be anything but. so they're not exclusive.

and buck still sleeps with other people. tommy knows, and never says anything except asking buck to get tested regularly. and it slowly eats away at the both of them - until one day tommy gets an opportunity down at harbor. air support. and he'll miss his friends (he'll miss buck most of all) but he can't pass this up. he loves flying. he wants the chance to start over somewhere new. he wants a clean break from this pretty, lonely, incredible kid who's somehow stolen his heart. they don't promise to keep in touch. to everyone else, it looks like two good work friends saying goodbye.

and then, buck meets abby. and tommy comes out. and eddie happens, maddie happens, chris happens, and suddenly five years have passed, and chimney is leading them into harbor's aircraft hangar with a sly grin on his face. and he turns to buck, and says, "hey, you remember tommy? i called in a favor"

[soothsayerditty]

wasn't supossed to be a post but i really like those! therefore huzzah! lambs based on fleeces be upon ye

i was gonna ramble about their desings but i ended up wrtiting short descriptions instead. read below if you dare!

it is said that lord of fates' words are fate itself, unable to be changed.

they always have hounds of fate floating around them, even though they are skilled with a dagger. you never truly know what the future has in store for you,,,

their wool seems to always have red stains. their followers theorized that twas' their own blood.

but ichor isn't red.

(they were supossed to be more based on the jacob sheep but i only ended up using their horns for inspiration :P)

leader of blue hearts is a lover! not a fighter. at least with their followers. they seem to favour the rite of lust.

ever since the bishops' death, they mostly spend their time throwing rituals at every available moment,,,what a kind leader!

but whenever they think they're alone,,, they seem to mutter strange words to themselves,,, purgatory , god tears , some strange sellers?

i guess i'll have to ask them later about it, i'm about to go on a mission!

(blue used to be the color associated with lust! it works. also they're based on the lincoln sheep. they;re cute.)

diseased beast is a simple creature. openly displaying their intentions with their looks alone.

they're known as the local hunter. dropping acid on their enemies when they're not looking,,,

some consider it a cheap and an off-putting method. but they're not around long enough to spread their word.

sometimes the sound of silence is payment enough,,,

seems like golden greed's fleece merged with their body. i don't think that's supossed to happen,,,

they tend to have their gauntlets on most of the time. always ready to strike anyone down!

afterall, everyone is just waiting to get the drop on them,,,right?

you can't trust anyone! these followers,,,those vendors,,,

even that damned seller! anyone,,,

(the gauntlets were supossed to be the godly kind, but there was too much yellow. so much yellow.)

(they were also supossed to have more jewelry on them buuuut i drew these in 1000x1000 squares and it would look like a mess from afar.)

ah? it seems like a critter of curses is near.

they wield their cleansing fire and flaming shots with careful grace.

but the moment you let your guard down, is the moment you burn!

their fleece is made of any leaves they find on their crusades.

they're not much interested in running their cult. but they do come around to share their spoils and talk about anything that might've crossed their path.

even if that happens to be things that shan't be discussed with mortal minds,,,

[rosesdrop]

Pick a pile

Messages from your parents

Pile 1:

If they could, they would give you the world. They say that their sacrifices for you will never cease and that they wish they could give you more at this time. 

Your well-being is their first priority, and they're always in need of feedback from you. They just love it when you get in contact with them and share with them your feelings or thoughts about something. They never get bored of hearing from you or from your company. You light up their world when you're around. 

They feel like no matter what, you're always in need of their support, even though they know that you're always the independent kind, not willing to bother them with your problems. But they can say that you're in need of something just by having a gut feeling; they can sense when you're not alright, and often they try to offer you help indirectly without letting you know that they know. And they wish that you could be more open to them about the heartbreaks and troubles you're facing. They mainly want there to be more transparency and truth between you. 

Pile 2:

You haven't seen them or been around them for a while. 

While you were growing up, you were deprived of their emotional support. They were mostly engaged in their work, so you grew up isolated. They always felt this barrier between you and them. They want to say that even though it appears this way and that they may have neglected you a bit emotionally, they've always cared for you. Even when they didn't have time, they made sure you were not lacking in the things they could afford, they cared for your comfort, and they made sure you were protected. For some, they aren't used to expressing their love to you directly; they keep it inside, but their love for you is huge. They're telling you that if you pay attention to the little things they do for you, then you will know how much they love you. Especially a mother here says that she hid a lot of distress from you and handled a lot to see you grow well, and when she sees what you've grown up into, all her pain fades away. 

Pile 3:

You are stubborn, I'm getting; they have always had struggles convincing you of the right decisions to make; you were always rebellious, and even though you sometimes did things behind their back where you regretted not hearing their advice, they want to tell you that you always taught them something new with your daringness. They want to tell you that they forgive you for the mess you have made and that whatever you do, you remain their dear child. But they do wish you would listen more often to them and that they wouldn't wish you harm if they acted a bit harshly towards you. They sometimes struggle to convey their message to you in a nice way, and they sometimes lose their nerves, but they always want to apologize. They only wish that you would hear from them. They always feel this responsibility to teach you. Even if you're all grown up, they still see you as a child, unable to differentiate between what's good and bad for you. They may also be harsh with their words, but they believe it's for your guidance.

[ozzgin]

With some of the most recent Monster author posts..I can just imagine having to teach them so many things about the human body, like having to teach them about how pregnancy works and etc..and while we’re just ranting they’re just staring at you and not registering a single word.

Man..idk, this just came to my mind :p

I feel like all these asks could be a mini-series on their own. A slice of life, romcom manga about an average human living with their average…monster partner.

And it’s really just that: a cozy story about navigating their differences and learning about each other (with the occasional cozy fucc).

Monster partner waking up and having a heart attack upon seeing the sheets stained with blood, because they're convinced they just killed you. They shouldn’t have trusted you when you begged for them to be rough. You were horny, they should’ve known better. As their mind spirals into despair, you shuffle underneath the sheets and groan. Huh? Maybe they didn’t quite end you yet.

You have to explain to a panicked beast that no, you have not been “ravaged to death”. They haven’t “crippled you” with their genitals. You begin to wonder, irritated, if they were secretly proud of such an accomplishment.

Or trying to plan your birthday together with your monstrous partner. What? They're certainly grateful you were born, but every single year? Isn't that a little too excessive-

Wait. You now have to comfort an enormous, inconsolable beast who has just been reminded of your much shorter lifespan. No, you do not wish to discuss potential ways of achieving immortality. You simply asked if they'd be okay with strawberry cake. How did you...how did you end up with a bawling mess?

Lastly, if we're referring strictly to the monster author, expect every chapter to end with him furiously scribbling at his desk. Everything has been dutifully documented in his little research journal. You haven't peeked into it ever since you discovered the ridiculously detailed charts of your intercourse, what turns you on, what gets you off. You shivered in horror, and promised to mind your business.

[tea-cat-arts]

Ranking mxtx couples by whether or not I think they'd be good parents

(I'm 90% sure I'm forgetting someone)

Yep, next question (S)-

Wangxian: tried and tested good dads. I wish them luck with the whole “trying to get wwx pregnant” thing 

They have some shit to work through, but after that I think they'd be fine (A)-

Ling Wen/ Bai Jin: if we're just going off the original publication, I would put them in a much lower tier, but since the revised edition added that thing about them raising orphans together and said orphans turning out alright before unfortunate circumstances, I'm putting them up here. I think they'll be alright once they work through the miscommunication

Xiao Xingchen/ Song Lan: They obviously have a lot of trauma they're working through, but I'd like to think they and A-Qing will be a loving family in the long run 

One of them would be a good parent, the other wouldn't be a bad parent (B)-

Jiang Yanli/ Jin Zixuan: there's no canon reason for me putting them this low. Jin Zixuan just gives off a mediocre parent vibe to me (and we all know Jiang Yanli is the best)

Yushipei: Yushi Huang has good mom energy, and Pei Ming has been shown to be a not terrible mentor. I'd want the misogyny fully beaten out of him with a mace before I'd think he should have kids of his own though 

Lang Qianqiu/ Little Guy: at the very least, they're making sure Guzi is fed, clothed, washed, vaccinated, and has access to education. Neither of them know what they're doing, but I think Little Guy is good at faking it. I wish them luck in their upcoming custody battle  

You know what, surprise me/ I'll hear you out (C)-

Bingqiu: My first instinct is “no, do not bring kids into this,” but then I remembered tharnShen Qingqiu has a surprisingly decent track record? Like, Ning Yingying and Ming Fan both turned out a lot more health than they did in the original novel, and though I wouldn't call him in a good place, Binghe is doing a lot better than Bingge. The wild card for me here is Luo Binghe because I have no idea how he'd be with kids

Quanyin: Yin Yu had a decent track record until he was pushed into snapping. I think rn, he needs a couple centuries of being a babygirl before he's ready to parent again. No idea how Quan Yizhen would do though 

Born to “dual income, no kids, rich uncles/aunts” (D)-

Fengqing: Feng Xin is canonically a bad dad. I know he's working on it, but it is what it is. Mu Qing has been shown to be decent with kids, but I think he’d have a melt down if he had to deal with the mess constantly. 

Hualian: I mean, Xie Lian has raised three kids at this point and one of them became a god, another became state preceptor and then sorta complicit in a genocide, and one became god AND committed genocide + he babysat a ghost king for months and didn't even realize that's what he was because it was a miracle if he remembered to feed him… so, a mixed bag. Hua Cheng may be schrodinger’s child hater, but I'm intrigued by the idea of him raising kids just because I want to know how his own childhood would influence his parenting abilities. They should probably just stick to babysitting for now though 

Mingling: Liu Mingyan is too busy writing gay porn to be dealing with kids, and I just can't imagine Sha Hualing as a mom

Please don't bring a kid into this mess (F)-

Beefleaf: Do I need to explain this one?

Mobeishang: Shang Qinghua should not be put in any position where he has to teach someone about consent (Binghe’s early attempts at flirting being a prime example of why that's a bad idea). I also think Mobei Jun is still working on the whole “why hitting people is not cool” thing. 

QiJiu: I think the original timeline is a prime example of how they're just not in a place to be raising kids 

Jun Wu/ Mei Nianqing: Xie Lian would like a refund on his adopted father figures. They had one kid and he only made it to age 20 because he was cursed to not die

[thatmexisaurusrex]

What if in the big first disaster mini-arc of season 8, Tommy's helicopter crashes close to where the 118 are. Gerrard decides that the helicopter, and everyone that is in it, is a lost cause and that they shouldn't be wasting resources or his team trying to help anyone out of the crash. What if the entire team mutinies to go find Tommy, his team, his helicopter, and the patients he was transporting?

What if the people in the helicopter crash are scattered - some in the helicopter, some flung out of it? What if Tommy was one of the people flung out of the helicopter; lost and out of range?

What if the 118 manages to find the helicopter, only to see that Tommy is missing? But they have to secure the scene, they have to call for back up, they have to make sure everyone still in the helicopter is okay. But maybe Hen takes over the scene and tells Chimney and Buck to keep searching the woods for other survivors.

And Buck feels guilty that he's relieved that Hen chose him to go sift through the woods of this mountain for other survivors, but there's really no time to think about that. There's no time at all.

Lives are on the line.

Tommy is out there.

And in the woods, Tommy is hurt. He's hurt, but he can hear someone calling for help. So, he moves despite knowing full well that might be bad for him. He moves because he's a first responder and will always try to help someone in need. And he finds one of his patients worse off than before. And he feels guilt that due to bad weather conditions and how the fire in the woods traveled (did I not say there was a fire? There's a fire and it's threatening to reach their side of the mountain at any moment), he lost control of the helicopter (and I would like to think there would be another twist too, like the 118 find something was already messed up with the helicopter to begin with, so it was a miracle that Tommy could even fly it at all).

But Tommy could do this.

He could save this one person.

So, Tommy's doing his best. He's working through his own pain as he puts a splint on this person's leg, as he pops this person's dislocated arm back in, as he makes the split decision to burn a cut closed because he doesn't have the supplies and that was the best he could do without the person bleeding out during a hike. And he makes a fucking board out of low branches he rips off trees. And, damn it, he knows his radio is basically busted, but he tries for help, only getting broken static back.

But he is going through.

He just can't hear the other end.

But his words are getting through the radio - they're reaching Buck. And Buck is desperately trying to answer back, he's trying to far longer than he should, he should have realized the first four tries that Tommy can't here him.

But he knows which direction Tommy is going. Because he and Tommy hiked up this mountain before. Buck knows which trail Tommy is trying to get to, so it's a race against time - will Buck and Chimney get to Tommy and the patient before the fire gets to them?

And the answer is that they get there just as the fire does. Nipping at Tommy's heels, but it ends up being stopped by a water drop just in time. Tommy is stunned when he sees Chimney and Evan, he's truly stunned.

He didn't think anyone heard him.

He didn't think they were going to be found in time.

And Buck calls it in, asks for backup, asks for help. Chimney checks on the person Tommy did first aid on.

And Tommy.

And Buck.

They run to each other.

They collapse into each other's arms. Exhausted and running on adrenaline alone. And they're checking if the other is okay - both are very worse for wear. And things seem okay as they wait for help to get to them. Things are going great for Hen too, she successfully saves everyone else in the helicopter crash with Eddie and Ravi's help.

But then.

A tree nearby is unstable.

Tommy sees it just in time.

And Tommy pushes Chimney out of the way, only to be caught under the tree.

And this is bad.

Back breaking bad.

Body crushing bad.

Buck tries not to panic, but it's clear this has shaken him. Chimney is doing his best and is calling for more help.

Help gets there, help finally gets there. And they manage to pull the tree off Tommy. Buck rides with Tommy to the hospital, holding his hand. He paces, distressed, as he waits for the longest surgery in his life.

And Tommy? Tommy should make it. But he's out, he's been put into a medically induced a coma as he heals. And at first, that's okay. Buck can be there. He can make sure Tommy's warm. He can hold Tommy's hand and read to him, and sleep in a rolled in bed.

Until that stops.

Mysteriously, he's not allowed into Tommy's room.

He's not allowed any information.

He's not Tommy's family.

And Tommy's parents are, somehow, technically still Tommy's next of kin - they're in charge of his medical treatment. They're in charge of who sees him.

Buck tries to explain who he is.

They reject the very idea of it.

And it's devastating. Buck didn't think about this. He didn't know this could happen. Tommy hadn't spoken to his parents in over twenty years, yet they're just allowed to come and do this to him.

Buck doesn't know what to do. He can't eat. He can't sleep. People have to force him to do anything for himself as he wonders how Tommy's parents are treating him.

Are they reading to him? Are they spending time with him? Are they making sure he's warm? Are they doing anything at all? Is this all for spite?

Somehow, other people are allowed to visit.

Just not Buck.

Buck is blacklisted.

Eddie is allowed; Christopher too. Chimney, somehow; probably because Tommy had saved his life. Maddie, even. Hen isn't, they can tell something is queer about Hen. Ravi isn't either. Bobby was allowed at first, before he made a case to the Kinards to let Buck see Tommy and it went south.

But definitely not Buck.

And Buck? Buck is camped out in the waiting room. The waiting room he kissed Tommy in. He basically has grown a short beard in that waiting room, he hasn't been shaving.

And all Buck can ask when he sees Eddie or Chimney or Maddie is - how is he doing? Is he doing okay? Is his favorite blanket still on him? What did you talk to him about? What did you read him? How did he look?

And the nurses - they know Buck. They've known him for years. And some take pity on him one night, and let him at least near the room when the parents are gone.

And the parents file for a restraining order against Buck, but it was worth it just to see Tommy.

Tommy looked better than last time.

That was good.

That was what mattered.

And a few more days go by like that with Buck in the waiting room, unable to leave.

Until Tommy wakes up.

He wakes up.

He asks his parents to leave.

He asks for Evan.

And a band of nurses and maybe Chimney rush over and tell Buck the news.

And Buck is running.

Sprinting.

To get to Tommy's room.

He knows where it is.

He memorized where the room was.

And he sees Tommy awake.

And part of him hadn't realized that he wasn't sure if Tommy would wake up. That some little, horrible part of him thought that Tommy would never wake up and he would never see Tommy again.

Tommy makes a joke about how Evan looks like a caveman.

Buck laughs. And cries. And sobs as he rushes frantically over to Tommy and collapses into a hug.

Tommy holds Buck as best as he can in his state while mumbling fondly that Evan smells like a caveman too. Buck offers to go, get cleaned up, but Tommy holds onto him.

Asks Evan to stay.

Apologizes for his parents, that he hadn't expected them to come. That he is going to change his will as soon as he can.

And he just wants Evan there.

With him.

And Buck stays.

[slight-gaming-addict]

Can you do a housewardens x reader and the reader is a kind person who likes helping others to the point where it affects their sleep like someone who is constantly asking the reader for help or something in the middle of the night and the reader feels bad to say no (sorry I’m bad at explaining things)

sleepless nights

masterlist | request rules | ko-fi

how housewardens react to you not sleeping at night to do things for other people

characters: azul ashengrotto, kalim al-asim, idia shroud, malleus draconia

𝑨𝒛𝒖𝒍 𝑨𝒔𝒉𝒆𝒏𝒈𝒓𝒐𝒕𝒕𝒐

It's not uncommon for Azul to be up late working on his multiple business plans, and at first he was happy he could have some company when you started showing up to work next to him.

A week has passed and you're still, like clockwork joining him for his late night endeavors. He never asked what exactly you're working on, knowing that some things are better left not talked about, but he's been slowly noticing how you stay up later than him, and then are up early again the next day.

Now, he would normally be impressed by the work ethic you show, but he notices how your demeanor slowly changes over the couple days. The bags under your eyes seemed to just get bigger as the days go, and your usual happy, bouncing self is now dragging yourself everywhere. So he took it on himself that night when you're both working to finally ask what you were working on.

You're taken aback by the question, not thinking he would actually ask what you were working on; just thinking he was content with the company. You tell him your plans, with it not being a secret anyway.

You see his face go from curious to shock when you inform him that the work isn't even for you. "You're doing all this work for something that's not even going to benefit you?" You don't even know how to respond to him, knowing the entire thing sounds ridiculous.

You said yes to this project because the person really sounded like they needed help, and you felt bad for them, so you just decided to try to get it out of the way quickly. However, apparently the project was longer than you anticipated and with you wanting things to be perfect, it's been taking twice as long for you to finish.

Azul asks who the work is for, and you don't answer him, keeping your head down. You should have known when he doesn't ask any more questions that he was up to something, but you didn't know what until the next day when the person who asked you to do the project practically sprints up to you.

They're a stuttering mess when trying to tell you that you didn't have to finish the entire project, and the work you already have would be fine for them to finish. You didn't even get a chance to ask them why before they were gone from your vision completely.

That night you walk into Azul's office with a burning question in mind. "What did you tell them?" You know he's aware of what exactly you're talking about, but he acts dumb about it all anyway.

"Whatever do you mean?" He feigns innocence that you see right through. You're about to argue with him, but he doesn't give you the opportunity to. "It's late, you should go to bed." Even though it's a lot earlier than you stayed up during the week, you couldn't argue that you weren't tired.

That night you have the best sleep you've had in weeks, and you have Azul to thank for it.

𝑲𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒎 𝑨𝒍-𝑨𝒔𝒊𝒎

The thing with Kalim is, he's also someone who likes to help people. Usually, he'd be in the same predicament as you, if it weren't for Jamil managing his time.

When he finds out that you've been going around helping as many people as you can, he thinks it's nice that there's someone else who cares about people as much as he does.

He usually wouldn't bother you when you look as busy as you do, but he can see your body slowly deteriorating as the days go on. Eventually, Kalim finds himself approaching you to ask about the work you're doing.

You give him a smile, telling him about the people you've been helping lately, even though the smile doesn't quite reach your eyes. The lack of sleep is clearly shown on your face, and while Kalim is all about helping people, this just seems a little extreme to him.

He asks if you need any help with the tasks you have, so you can at least get some rest. You really don't want to bother him with the tasks you brought on yourself, but you don't have it in you to say no to the grinning man in front of you.

The two of you eventually get through the long task for that day, and you're able to finish early enough to get to sleep earlier that night.

However, you didn't anticipate the person disrupting your sleep once again for a completely different task. You hesitate this time but end up saying yes to the person again.

When Kalim sees you working the next day, he goes to help you with it. From now on, it seems every time he sees you working on something, he's going to try to help you with it.

You're completely grateful for the kindness he's showing you, but you eventually feel bad for him working on things you decided to do. You can see him also losing sleep because of it, and you have to bring yourself to refuse the next time the person asks you for something.

You know that you're only refusing solely for Kalim and how he would feel, but you figure it's a step in the right direction when you're able to finally get some sleep at night.

𝑰𝒅𝒊𝒂 𝑺𝒉𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒅

Usually, Idia is up late anyway playing video games, so he hears your footsteps outside his room late into the night and chooses to just ignore it. It's when he hears you up late coming onto the fourth night in a row that he drags himself away from his desk to go see what the problem is.

He finds you with an armful of things, attempting to carry them back to your room, and you pause when you see him standing there. You immediately apologize for making so much noise and insist on him going back to his room.

Idia contemplates turning around and walking back to his room like you said, but he watches you take another step, and more things start to fall out of your arms. He finds himself going to help you pick the things up against his own will. Even though he desperately wants to go back into his room without a care in the world, he can't find it in himself to just leave you struggling.

He goes to grab the things falling the most from your arms and has no idea what you could possibly be doing with all this stuff. "What is this even for?" he finds himself asking you, glancing up to see your conflicted reaction.

"Uh, it's for…" You pause, trying to collect your thoughts, "um it's…" You can't come to a solid answer, not really knowing what it's all for yourself. There's been a different thing this person has needed every night, and the nights have blurred together, so you can't bring yourself to remember exactly what you're supposed to be doing tonight. You got all these things to try and jog your memory, but they don't seem to be working at all as you stare down at them with a blank expression.

Idia just stares at you before dropping everything in his arms on the table in the corner of the room and bringing you over to do the same. You think he's just trying to help you sort everything out, but he grabs your arm and starts to drag you away from the table.

You attempt to pull yourself away from him and back to the table your things were on, but Idia doesn't let up, not letting go of you until you both stand in his room. You're confused about why he brought you in here when you have the thing you have to do for the person and don't want to disappoint them.

Idia settles back down at his desk, unpausing his game but leaving his headset off. You turn around to leave his room, but he interrupts you before you can get to the door. "Bed's over there. You obvs need sleep if you can't even tell me what you were doing with that stuff." His eyes don't leave his computer screen when he speaks, but you can still hear the care in his voice.

Your eyes glance over at the bed that accompanies the room and can't lie to yourself that it looks really comfortable. You look back to Idia, whose attention is fully back on his game, even though his headset is still off, and then look at the door to exit the room. He doesn't look like he's going to force you to stay if you really don't want to, but you find yourself walking towards the bed anyway.

You climb in, and with the feel of blankets and pillows around you, you drift off to sleep in seconds. Idia flicks his gaze to your sleeping form, happy that you stayed and are actually getting the sleep you need.

𝑴𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒖𝒔 𝑫𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒊𝒂

Malleus is always up late into the night, not needing much, if any, sleep. It's how he first discovered you were also up at that hour. He's confused at first, not knowing why you weren't in bed yet, as everyone else would have gone to sleep hours ago.

He grows curious about where you are rushing off to and decides to silently follow you to see where you are heading. You're meeting up with this person for the second night in a row since they told you they needed help again. You don't mind helping them again since they seem distraught about it, even if you are a little behind on sleep at the moment.

This goes on for a couple more days, and Malleus can see you growing more and more tired as the nights progress. He's confused about why you keep meeting up with this person, as it just looks like they're pawning off a load of work on you every night.

When he sees you walking away from the person one night, he decides to intervene. You jump when Malleus suddenly appears in front of you, holding the binder you're carrying to your chest.

"You scared me, Mal," you breathe out with a slight laugh, but he's more interested in what you're holding than anything. He reaches out his hand towards the item in your arms as if to grab it from you, and you let him, not seeing the problem in him wanting to see it.

He starts flipping through the pages, his eyebrows knit in confusion the whole time. While fully engaged with the contents he's holding, he mumbles a quiet "What is this?" It takes you a second to realize that he even said it, with how quiet and sudden it was. You answer him, even though it sounds like he was talking more to himself than to you.

You tell him that it's various things you're working on at the moment, not finding the big deal in it all, even with the lack of sleep coursing through your veins.

"But it's not for yourself." He looks up at you from the binder, shutting it closed with a thud. With the way he says it, and the look flashing through his eyes, it doesn't seem like he's looking for a response.

Without another word, Malleus walks off in the other direction with your binder tucked under his arm. Even if you wanted to attempt to stop him, he's long gone before you even get the chance to understand what's happening.

With nothing to do for the evening, you decide to catch up on some sleep at least, not planning on seeing Malleus more that night to get your things back anyway.

The next morning, you wake up feeling more refreshed than you have in days. You run into Malleus fairly quickly, which you're thankful for because if he didn't want to be found, he wouldn't be.

You ask for your stuff back, but he claims that he has no idea what you're talking about. You're confused because you distinctly remember him taking it last night, but you start wondering if it was just a dream. You see the person you've been working on stuff for and start to walk over to them, but as soon as they see you, their eyes visibly widen and they practically start running in the other direction.

You look back at Malleus to see him looking around the room nonchalantly. He sees you looking at him and smiles, walking the few paces to get to you. "Breakfast?" He takes your hand, not even bothering to wait for your response before hauling you off to get breakfast. You have the feeling that you're done working for that person.

buy me a coffee ♡

[aceinthefreakinspace]

*hands you some aspec nygmobs memes because I haven't been able to get this out of my head all week*

[genericpuff]

wait wait wait, regarding that Minthe post, you're telling me that Rachel literally wrote the character as having BPD.....and portrayed her as an abusive mean piece of shit??? WOW. fucking WOW. sorry for being so angry, but even if she "retconned" that - it's still so god damn disrespective. as someone who has BPD it hurts so much to see my mental illness villanised :(

ugh I'm so sorry pal. and I don't blame you for being angry about it, like I don't even have BPD and I'M fucking pissed LOL like I can understand why Rachel might have wanted to backtrack from that knowing fully well that Minthe's story wasn't gonna have a happy ending, but writing her with BPD in the first place and then BACKTRACKING from it as soon as she likely got heat for it (or just realized it wasn't a good look) isn't much better because it means now all she's done is written the stigmatized negative effects of BPD into her character without showing the more positive outlooks of healing and managing. Maybe that was doomed to happen considering Minthe is someone who doesn't get a happy ending in the myths, but it begs the question of why she'd write her with BPD to begin with because in hindsight it really does seem like she just wanted to use it as a way to make her "evil".

But like, when you read the actual episode, you can SEE the potential there for character growth, you can SEE that she's aware of her actions - but doesn't understand why she's "like that" which is a VERY common feeling among people with undiagnosed mental illnesses - but it was never meant to be.

Like jfc not only is it HEAVILY IMPLIED, but again, the episode is literally called "Splitting". And we see exactly that with Minthe, who can't seem to rationalize with herself that she messed up.

But... that leads me to another point that I failed to mention in that first ask response: she DIDN'T mess up. Like, yes, she messed up by escalating it to the point of slapping Hades, but it wasn't her fault that she didn't make it to her date with Hades. Whose fault was it?

Continuously throughout the first season we see Thetis being an awful influence who manipulates and gaslights Minthe. They're "friends", but it's clear Thetis does not have Minthe's best interests in mind. In this very scene we see Thetis manipulate Minthe and even attempt to get her so drunk that she won't be able to show up to her date. And then of course when that plan works and Minthe freaks out, Thetis spins it around on Minthe in a very passive-aggressive way.

But of course, the narrative has to find a way to turn this whole thing on Minthe being the bad guy. Hence we get the slap which shifts the focus entirely away from what led up to it back onto Hades who has, in a lot of ways, put her in a situation that she can't control. And of course, being in those kinds of situations does not help with mental health.

Like, sorry, I'm really going off here now, but... the slap happens in Episode 76.

When is it finally addressed again? Episode 103.

It took Rachel nearly THIRTY EPISODES to finally bring it back to Minthe, and in that time the reader has spent SEVERAL EPISODES reading about how sad and lonely Hades is, and about how cute and lovey he is with Persephone. The reader has not had ANY time to reflect on Minthe's circumstances, because it completely pivots away from her to focus on H x P as a sort of distraction from the fact that Minthe is a victim in her own right.

And when it DOES return to Minthe in 103, we get this harrowing reminder that her entire life is dependent on Hades-

And once again, here comes Thetis to the "rescue", reinforcing the negative feedback loop that Minthe is trapped in where she's put in unhealthy situations. She drags her to a bar and the whole time Minthe is not having fun because she's understandably still reeling from what happened.

Now we DO get some character development here, where Minthe realizes exactly what I've just finished explaining, that Thetis isn't her friend, that she'd rather not have Thetis as a friend than continue being talked down to and manipulated.

But then, as we know, because Rachel still needs Minthe to be the "bad guy", the breakup between Hades and Minthe winds up being all about Persephone from a POV that attempts to villainize Minthe for being "jealous" (rather than focusing on how shitty Hades actually is for having an emotional affair with Persephone to begin with) and then Minthe goes right back to hanging out with Thetis anyways for the sake of having the "evil other girl" who wants to "ruin" H x P's relationship.

It's not until Season 3 that we finally see Minthe tell Thetis to fuck off for good, but by then it's too little too late, and Minthe has lost an entire character arc. Rachel tries to go "see! Minthe's life is so much better now that she's taking care of children!" but that's an entirely different solution to a problem Minthe never had. She never got treatment for her BPD. She just got away from H x P which, while is a good thing, isn't actually analyzed as such. It's treated more as a "good thing" for H x P and the readers, because now they don't have to be subjected to Minthe's evil scheming anymore, something something "the evil is defeated". And don't even get me started on this comic's problem with constantly resolving female characters' story arcs through motherhood.

It bums me out so fucking much. Minthe deserved so much better. She's one of the many characters in LO who make it so painfully ironic when they're done dirty, because despite Rachel's attempts to write a "feminist retelling" that focuses on "moving on from trauma", she's inadvertently done more damage to feminism and the stigmas around mental health and trauma through her assassination of grounded and realistic and relatable characters like Minthe and Demeter who are shown ZERO empathy or understanding for their actions (unless it can be done so by making Persephone and Hades into the heroes). It happens so often throughout the comic it almost feels like how the comic markets itself as a "progressive feminist retelling" is some sick joke that I'm just not getting.

[mayajadewrites]

imagine levi teaching his twins how to pour tea

✦ content warnings: none. this is fluff and cuteness :) we luv soft levi in this house

"Sweetheart, if you hold it like that it could fall and the cup will break." Levi is sat between the two children you share at the dining table. They're twins: a boy and a girl. They just turned 5.

The boy's name is Levi. Even though his father protested, you insisted on keeping the name Levi Ackerman going for generations.

The girl, Eden, which means paradise, is a spitting image of Levi inside and out. Both the kids resemble him more, but she is truly almost a clone of him.

Morning tea was a tradition in the Ackerman house, one that you all take very seriously. You and your family enjoy a cup of tea before starting your day.

"Daddy I can do it myself!" Eden swatted Levi's hand away as she carefully held the teacup the exact way her father does.

Little Levi had more trouble with pouring tea - his hands are shaky. Levi set his hands on his son's, assisting him in pouring you a cup of tea.

"See, you got it." Levi whispered as he kissed the top of his sons head. He glanced at Eden, who was copying the way her dad reads the newspaper every morning.

"It says this week the ice cream truck is gonna start driving around!! Is that true?!" Eden beamed.

"You can read that?" You raised your eyebrow.

"Duh mommy. Daddy taught me."

Of course he did.

You smiled at the sight. Your husband, and your two beautiful children enjoying a beautiful spring Sunday morning.

"Eden can you pour daddy a cup?" You sit down at the chair across from them. "He hasn't had his morning tea yet."

"Yes! I'm the best tea pourer there is!" She enthusiastically grabs the kettle, then pouring a cup for Levi effortlessly.

"I only showed her how to do it once." Levi placed his hand on her head, messing up her hair.

Levi moved his seat next to yours, grabbing his tea cup from the top like his daughter just was. He kissed your cheek before taking a sip. "It's perfect, Eden. Did you help mommy make the tea today?"

"I did! Mommy did most of the work though. She knows exactly how you like it!"

Levi glanced at you, his steel-grey eyes glistening in the morning sun. "She knows daddy the best." He kissed your lips softly.

"Ewwwwwwwwww." The children said in unison.

"You don't like it when I kiss mommy?" Levi smiled as he set the teacup down.

"No! She's our mommy!" Your children ran to you to hop onto your lap.

"She was mine first, brats." Levi tickled Little Levi, his giggle infectious.

You held your kids close to you, their heartbeats pressing against their little bodies.

They are a piece of you and a piece of Levi.

As the kids ran off to start playing for the day, you put your hand on your stomach, smiling at your husband. "Can't believe we'll have another little one running around."

"They will be just as perfect as the other two." Levi pressed his lips to yours gently, cradling your face in his large, calloused hand.

"If this one also looks just like you I'm done being the Ackerman baby machine." You and Levi laughed together, holding each other as the clock struck 10 AM.

[angelsdean]

Another thing I love abt Dean fixing up Baby (and trashing again) is that the episode establishes that Dean's pretty much fixed up what was, in Bobby's words, a completely totaled and barely salvageable better-off-as-parts wreck in just ONE WEEK. They burn John's body, presumably right after his death, and then it's suddenly ONE WEEK LATER and Dean's pretty much got the entire frame looking new and is working on the internal stuff (which HELLO METAPHOR. the exterior of the Impala is looking good = Dean putting on a good front of being okay, while the interior of the Impala still needs work = Dean still (quietly) working through his own internal emotions)

Anyways the amount of work done on the car itself in such a short span of time is incredible (also gotta think some of that time was spent driving from where john died to Bobby's). And all that time Dean's working on the car he's alone with his thoughts. He's processing. Sam accuses Dean in this opening scene of "not doing anything" and not "bringing up dad once" and not being "angry" enough and not wanting to look for "revenge." He says Dean just spends all day "buried underneath this damn car" and acting like "nothing happened" but he doesn't seem to understand that working on a car and getting as much as he got done in just a week is 1.) being incredibly productive, and 2.) a deeply meditative task. Like just because Dean is not going to Sam with his grief and not outwardly expressing his feelings or showing himself actively working through them doesn't mean he's Not processing and dealing with things the entire time he's working on that car. The wreckage itself is a constant reminder of everything that happened, the crash, the hospital, John's deal. Dean IS thinking about it all, the entire time. But he's not grieving in the way Sam expects and that bothers Sam, so Sam feels the need to push and needle Dean into talking about it, which isn't Dean's style of processing things. He needs time and space.

And then at the end of the episode, after Sam admits that yeah, Dean was right about him, Sam is feeling guilty and avoiding his own grief, but Dean's been putting up a front about it too, it's then that we see Dean break, again with the Impala metaphor. Dean's been trying to put on a brave face for Sam in some ways, while also wishing to quietly process his grief on his own, because in part he's still being the protector older brother. He's still thinking take care of Sammy first and foremost, especially in the aftermath of John's parting words to Dean. But in that last scene we finally see the facade break, we see the fixed up exterior of the Impala break. We see Dean take a crowbar to the "I'm okay" facade and say, look! I am grieving! I am hurting! Here's me making visible what's been going on inside! Just like the guts of the Impala are still a mess, the interior still in the process of being repaired, while the exterior looked brand new, well now the exterior once again matches the car's internal state, and Dean's internal state.

Him and Baby are not okay yet, but they're getting there, they're working on it. And just like healing is a non-linear process, Dean (and Baby) looked okay for a while, now they're not okay, but Dean'll fix 'em up again.

[casualavocados]

Gemini and Fourth are nothing like Atom and Kongthap. When they're together, it's chaotic. They're always messing around with each other. If I had a friend who's been working with me for a long time, I believe the vibes would be similar.

MY LOVE MIX-UP! THAILAND (2024) BTS & Special Ep

[archangelsarchway]

if you're still taking requests—how about slasher venture being completely smitten with the reader?

slasher ventur... like that one fanart?

I have GOT you homie. you're reading loud and clear.

(If it wasn't about that one fanart. Then erm. Send me another ask fr)

Sloan's eyes were on you, like always. Cooking a meal? They were looking at you. Just working? A glance here and there wasn't missed by you.

They came back from an expedition one night, very late. You had been calling them and it was almost 1 am when heavy knocks rang on the door.

Their coat was soaked with blood. Their face still marred with bruises and the smell of iron filled the air.

They held a hammer in one hand and loosely holding their drill in the other, they're panting heavily—

"Hey... mi tesoro.."

"What... happened?"

"Well— these guys were messing up my excavation site and they were about to take this artifact here.."

They drop the drill with a loud clank. You flinch but they don't as they pull out a statuette of Anubis.

"I ran them off but as you can see... they put up a fight.."

They sway on their feet. But their eyes never leave you.

They lean in, finally coming through the doorway still stinking of iron and blood as they kiss you hungrily, dropping the hammer and artifact on the floor.

They almost rip your clothes off you, hands finding any purchase on your body as you're still processing everything.

"I'm sorry but you're so... incredible mi tesoro, beautiful in every way.."

Their hands trace your body softly, some blood is rubbing off on you but it doesn't matter now because Sloan's hands are on your waist, heated and warm and sticky but still so comforting as they lay kisses on your neck, chest and face.

They relent for a moment to get cleaned up and you get a fresh change of clothes and wipe the blood off as well as you wait for them to get out of the shower.

They walk out, in just shorts as they lock onto you immediately as they lay cuddles and kisses into you.

"I'm sorry for scaring you I was just— I needed that artifact. Talon couldn't get it but I never want to scare you like that again."

"apologize by kissing me more."

They flash a goofy grin, "Duly noted."

-+-

If I got it wrong pls send me another ask but I think I did it justice..