#yeah that's often a problem with me lemme explain

[rorydrawsandwrites]

When you wanna comment something on an artist's post but they are so intimidating....... grahh

[joyful-soul-collector]

wassup

i am not actually in arcane, can you explain to me what happened to the person who like turned into a cosmic mummy? who died and is still alive??? who the author/producer (?) cannoned as asexual in an attempt to make people stop shipping them with another guy but it failed?

that is my understanding of whats going on

love the fanart thats coming out of it tho

Pfft haha so his name is Viktor, and he's shipped with Jayce!

What happened to him is A Lot. He was born in a place called The Undercity/Zaun, and there was a ton of pollution and disease there, so he got real sick along with being born with a bad leg (they never explain exactly what disabilities he has but he's got em). He and Jayce worked together to try and help people with their invention of Hextech.

A VERY long story short, Viktor got Really Powerful with the hextech and became The Machine Herald (mummy guy). He almost destroyed the world. Until Jayce talked to him, and showed him what would happen if he did, and they stopped the end of the world together. This resulted in the both of them dying, but MANY people headcanon that they ended up in an alternate universe (as the show explored such a thing) and are living happily ever after there together. The death of the characters felt "right" in a way for the show, it ended in a thematic, good way for them overall.

That ending was very sweet and beautiful, and felt romantic watching it. Jayce decided he would die with Viktor, even though he had the choice to leave. If you want the full effect I highly recommend watching the show, it's quite amazing.

As for the guy who doesn't want them together, his name is Christian Linke, and he was a co-creator. He doesn't see their relationship as romantic, and did say that he sees Viktor as asexual. It does seem like he strongly disliked that they were shipped together.

Now, a couple problems with that:

Making Viktor asexual does not make him unable to be shipped with Jayce. Ace people can feel romantic feelings, they can even enjoy and have sex, this doesn't change that the feelings between Jayce and Viktor LOOKED to be rather romantic. Whether you see Viktor as ace or not is up to you. I personally don't but it really doesn't matter

A lot of shows and movies and Stories In General have a bad habit of making their disabled characters Non-Sexual. Especially in that they don't often get romantic partners, unless the story is ENTIRELY about a disabled person getting a romantic partner Despite It All. Disabled characters often are shown to never even feel the need for a partner, they're just there to Be Disabled in the story. There's a high chance Christian Linke is using "asexual rep" as a kind of excuse for why they kinda perpetuated this stereotype in the show. Viktor wasn't really there to Be Disabled, but he was very non-sexual, he didn't even have chemistry with the woman who apparently had a crush on him

This feels a lot like when JK Rowling decided Dumbledore was gay but never talked about it in the books. "Oh we have this rep, we just never showed it or talked about until after the story was over"

So yeah that's mostly it, lemme know if ya got any other questions haha

[littlehypnone]

if youre up to it could you maybe write little rain struggling to use her crutches? maybes shes mentally struggling because shes afraid shes going to get judge for using them but she gets comforted by the others explaining to her that its okay and actually really good for her to use them

hi, absolutely! in general i think that both big and small rain can use crutches well and has no physical or mental issues with this but there must've been a start, right? so here it is, i hope you like it!

670 words, she/her little rain, anxiety and bad feelings about mobility aids, a few tears, comfort from cg swiss, everything ends well <3

The package got here not even 15 minutes ago but Rain has already slipped. She did while opening the big box, anxiety sending her down. It took months to even bring the ghoul to make the purchase and now that it got here��� it was not going too well.

The crutches weren’t ugly, or anything. Quite the opposite, actually, Swiss and Zephyr, the latter being an expert in the field, helped Rain find some that didn’t look so… medical. He ordered two pairs, black and purple, and now they laid there on Rain’s desk as she stared at them with tears in her big eyes.

She was so scared. What if she became even clumsier with them? What if she’d need even more help from others? She’d certainly end up being a huge burden. What if they’d judge her? Maybe she was pretending? Yeah, she definitely didn’t need them, it wasn’t that bad, really, it–

“Rainbow?” Rain flinched hearing Swiss’ voice as he entered her room. She forgot to lock the door again, and now he would laugh at her and– “Hey, hey, Guppy, what’s wrong?”

“Swissy, ‘s ogay, go away,” she mumbled, now fully sobbing, as she curled in on herself.”

“Guppy, I can see it’s not okay,” Swiss sighed. “Can I sit next to you?”

Rain nodded shakily.

“What’s the- ah.” The multi ghoul noticed the crutches when he sat down, linking Rain’s little breakdown to them. “Overwhelmed you a bit, didn’t they?”

Another whimper, followed by a nod, “Scawry.”

“Oh, I bet it is,” Swiss chuckled. “Would you like a hug?”

Instead of answering verbally Rain threw herself at Swiss, hiding her teary face in the multi ghoul’s chest. He kicked up his body temperature a notch and wrapped his arms around her, whispering quiet reassurances. After a while, Rain’s breathing calmed down and her tears slowed. Only then Swiss spoke again, “Do you wanna tell me what’s so scary about them, Guppy?”

“‘s… ‘s jus’ dat I don’ wanna need helb,” Rain muttered into Swiss’ chest.

“You don’t wanna need help from those things or from us?”

“You, b’casue i’s annoyin’ and ‘m already a lot an–” she babbled, tears returning now that she voiced her bad thoughts.

“Hey, hey, none of that, baby!” Swiss chuckled, squeezing Rain a bit more. “You are not annoying and not a burden, never. We love you, all of us, always, and we love taking care of you. Do you think Ifrit minds having to warm up Zeph so often? Or that Mountain has a problem with having to create his weird special teas for them?”

“N– no… they love Zepf,” Rain admitted.

“Exactly! And we love you, so I don’t see anyyy problems.”

“B- but–”

“No buts, Guppy,” Swiss stopped her again. It was overwhelming, he understood that, but this was a topic for a conversation with big Rain. This little creature, that Swiss had currently a lapful of, needed to just be taken out of her head. “Anyway, I’ve got an idea.”

Rain hummed in question. “You’ve got those purple ones for when you’re little—I love that color by the way—but I still think it’s a bit too boring for you. What do you say about stickers?”

“Stickers?” she perked up. She loved stickers!

“Yeah! We can get you some fishy stickers, wouldn’t you like that?”

“Yes, Swissy, please! Can we… c’n we get a shark?” Rain brightened up now, her eyes still wet but not as sad as moments before.

“Of course we can! Lemme get my phone, we’ll look for some right away,” Swiss giggled, patting around for the device. Once he got it he settled by the headboard with Rain in his lap and they looked up different online stores with a variety of stickers of all kinds. Rain was excited now, wanted to get her hand on them and stick them on her new crutches, even if they still scared her a bit. But they would definitely be less scary all covered in fish.

[nyxnightshade1332]

Expectations When Expecting (Book 1)

Chapter 15

Chapter 16:

Yuu allowed herself to be led away from the group, mind racing with all of the possibilities that could be the conversation that Cater wanted to have with her. Yuu shook away any of the fears that involved her most precious secret, praying that it would be something less terrifying to explain.

She wanted to reveal the secret in her own time. Yuu tried to silence her thoughts when Cater had finally brought them both to a stop behind a secluded bush.

Oh shit oh shit... he knows, doesn't he? Why wouldn't he know? Am I seriously THAT bad at keeping secrets? What if Rook let it slip on accident! Yuu's mind went into a panicked, screaming state that left her frozen before Cater.

"So... What's up?" Yuu asked, forcing her voice to come out normally. Her voice cracked, making her nerves apparent to the ginger, who simply backed up a bit.

"Oh! Sorry!" He scrambled back a bit, noticing this. "I didn't wanna make you uncomfy, hehe." He laughed a bit. Yuu examined his movements.

"No. You're fine. What did you wanna talk about, Cater?" She asked, tugging at the sleeves of her oversized uniform and averting eye contact.

"Yeah. Uh... I didn't wanna bring this up in front of the guys in case this was a touchy subject, but..." Cater began, turning Yuu just a bit more anxious, averting her eyes so she could watch the others struggle with their roses.

"You're... biologically female, right?" Cater asked, awkwardly.

Yuu jumped, turning to him in surprise. "Woah, okay. Where'd that come from?" She stared with her eyes wide.

"I kinda figured it out when I hugged ya, but I really didn't mean it maliciously!" He explained, grabbing two boxes from under a bush. "Anyway! I got you an apology outfit for the unbirthday party. Low-key, hope you like it!" The ginger rambled, forcing Yuu to stop him by placing her hands over his mouth.

Yuu blinked, still tense. "Ok, hold on! Lemme get this straight." She said, allowing Cater to calm down and listen. "You somehow deduced that I am female from a single hug... and you thought to tell me this while the others were distracted so I wouldn't be uncomfortable?"

Cater nodded, not removing her hands from over his mouth.

"Wow... that is perhaps one of the nicest things that's happened to me ever since I got here." She said, removing her hands. Yuu examined the ginger, who was still somewhat in shock from the confirmation of her femininity.

Should I tell him about the second half?... Nah. I'd probably break the poor fella.

Yuu stepped back, allowing Cater a bit of room to breathe. "Thanks, I guess." She said, offering Cater a crooked smile.

"Yeah!" Cater smiled. "No problem!" He smiled back with a laugh before a sudden explosion of screams echoed from the garden, interrupting the two.

"Oh shit! Put it out!" Yuu's eyes widened, turning to the sound of the commotion as she realized that it was exactly as she'd assumed.

"Oh damn-" Cater said, brushing himself off, gesturing for Yuu to follow after him. She did, grateful.

.

.

.

Unsurprisingly, the boys had reacted to Grim setting a good portion of the rose bush on fire rather poorly. Cater arrived, summoning a small shower that was enough to delicately put the roses out without damaging the salvageable ones.

"... Well, this is going better than before." Deuce remarked, sitting down to calm down from the commotion.

It took the group a minute to calm down from the insanity that had just ensued. Yuu had immediately slipped into the maternal mode that would often come and go, inspecting the boys for any injured before dubbing them to be okay.

Cater examined the other roses carefully before smiling slightly. "Y'know... aside from the extra crispy roses, it's looking good!" He pulled out his phone to check the time before cheering slightly. "Ooh, it's almost time! Okay, all you sexy body doubles, that's a wrap!" He recalled all of the other Caters, who disappeared with a happy nod.

"Aye-aye, Cay-Cay!" Before disappearing in a poof, dropping three four of diamond cards.

The group stood for a moment before Cater clapped his hands. "Alrighty! Since today's occasion calls for formal wear..." Cater smiled, twirling his magic pen in his hands. "Your kind upperclassman'll doll you up!"

Yuu closed her eyes, feeling a warmth spread over her before opening her eyes once more. She looked around to see all of the boys dressed in charming, red, black, white, and gold suits. Even Grim's bow seemed to have changed to the Heartslabyul signature color scheme.

Yuu nodded, examining the boys. "You guys look pretty cool, actually." She smiled, allowing herself to praise the boys.

"Ya don't look too bad yourself." Ace smirked, gesturing for her to look down.

Yuu stood, currently in a frilly-ish sky-blue suit, a tailcoat elegantly acting as a sort of dress. She noticed how she was wearing shorts with white stockings, and was pleased with the blue and white combat boots that adorned her feet. She felt the weight atop her head, removing a matching mini-top hat, decorated in hearts with a pretty black bow.

Granted, she assumed that her appearance resembled one of a person who'd fallen into a pool of blue dye, but she quite liked the cutesy style of the clothing.

"Damn, okay! I see you, Cater." She said, surprised at how well the outfit was able to keep her chest hidden (which was impressive, considering that her breasts had begun to grow).

"Ha! I told ya that Cay-Cay's got you." He smirked before gesturing for the first-years to follow. The time for Heartslabyul's unbirthday party to begin was upon them at last.

.

.

.

A horn sounded, signaling for all of the boys to stand along the sides, forming a path from the gate and leading into the party.

"All hail our leader, the red sovereign himself... Housewarden Riddle!" A boy with Rabbit ears announced, joining the ranks.

"We salute you, Housewarden Riddle!" The others recited, Yuu simply standing awkwardly, mouthing along, yet unsure of what she was supposed to do.

She kept her hands over her stomach, nervously watching as the Crimson-haired boy walked in, holding his head high and impressively balancing on heels.

"Hm. The garden roses are red, the tablecloths are white... This seems a proper unbirthday indeed." He announced before turning to face Trey, who stood at attention beside him.

"Is there a dormouse asleep in the teapot, as there should be?" The red-head asked, his regal tone bringing fear into her heart.

"Of course. And should it become necessary, we've also prepared the jam to spread on his nose." Trey informed, earning himself a nod from the housewarden.

For a brief moment, Yuu caught a glimpse of the red-haired boy examining her gifted formal wear, nodding as if accepting her.

"Very good."

"Myah! Those are some fancy duds!" Grim whispered from Yuu's shoulder. Yuu mumbled her agreements, fearing that a single movement may attract the boy's attention.

"These are Heartslabyul dorm clothes. Aren't they fierce? At the forefront of fashion, and they look great on Magicam." Cater whispered back, smirking at the group. "One of the Queen's rules mandates formal dress on party days."

Yuu nodded, "As they say, clothes maketh the man." She stated in a posh tone, making her friend group smile.

"Now, let's tear this party up! And don't forget to give Riddle the tart." Cater reminded before making his way over to Trey.

"Before we begin the croquet tournament, let us make a toast. Does everyone have their teacup?" Riddle asked, raising one out, all others following suit. "On this most significantly unauspicious of days, I bid all in attendance... a very merry unbirthday!"

"To a very merry unbirthday!" Those in attendance called, raising their cups before taking a sip.

Cater gave a nod to Ace. "Now's your chance!" He mouthed as Ace scrambled to pick up the box containing the tart.

"Right... Uh, housewarden, sir..." Ace stood awkwardly, keeping his eyes averted as he offered the box to The red-haired housewarden.

Riddle sat upon a throne, his face unimpressed as he raised an eyebrow at Ace. "Ah, it's you. The tart thief." He said, voice calm.

"Yeah, so, I wanted to apologize for eating that tart. We made you a new tart to replace it." Ace gestured toward the group as Riddle accepted the box.

"Hmm? And what kind of tart is it?" The housewarden asked, beginning to untie the box to examine the gift.

"I'm so glad you asked! It's a chestnut tart, and I swear, we weren't stingy with the chestnuts." Ace chirped, taking the housewarden's acceptance of the gift as an acceptance of the apology.

Instead of praise, however, the people involved jumped at the cry of horror that escaped the shorter housewarden.

"A CHESTNUT tart?!" Riddle placed the box on the table, pushing it away from him as if it had somehow offended him.

"What?!" Ace sputtered, noticing how Riddle's face seemed to be turning a bright, angry red. Yuu pulled Ace's jacket, attempting to pull him away from Riddle.

"The Queen of Hearts's rule 562: 'One must never bring a chestnut tart to an unbirthday tea party.'" Riddle recited. Yuu could have sworn that she'd seen smoke billowing out of his ears. "This is an utterly flagrant rule violation! Do you understand what you've done?! You've ruined an otherwise perfect unbirthday!" He hissed, accusation clear in his tone.

Yuu watched as Trey and Cater seemed to pale at this revelation.

"R-rule 562...?!" Deuce stuttered, nervous.

Yuu felt a strangely cold sensation wash over her, one that she'd felt in the dwarf's mine as she watched the scene escalate.

"You have all of these memorized?!" She yelped, fighting back a whimper.

"There are 810 rules in all, and as a housewarden, I can of course recite each and every one of them." Riddle scoffed, turning his attention back to Ace.

Yuu noticed how Cater leaned over to Trey, both seemingly whispering among themselves, shock clear in their eyes.

"As housewarden of a dorm established to honor the Queen of Hearts's rigor, I cannot ignore this." Riddle said, face turning red with rage. "Destroy the offending tart immediately! Then throw these rulebreakers out of the dorm!" He commanded, making Yuu's heart drop. 

Chapter 17

[snow-and-saltea]

mhmm!! i've talked w reo about this in the milfs gc (ignore the name), lemme reiterate my thoughts about it here:

it's less about "he would not fucking do that" and more about "what would it take for him to fucking do that, and how do i build a reasonable case and situation in which he WOULD do that?"

this is going to be a bit tangential, so please bear with me for a bit:

i have a problem with people stereotyping or leaning too hard on archetypal depictions of the characters, because 1) it feels superficial and surface level, i am not learning anything new from your point of view 2) sometimes the point of the text or media is that we are in a convenient vantage point where we are able to see multiple facets of the same character. for example, the way one character interacts with a stranger is different than how they interact with their friend, or loved one, or enemy or rival, and so we are given the opportunity to have a clearer and fuller picture of that character looks like as a whole.

my problem with stereotyping in writing is that it is often oversimplified and also not contextual. sure, someone is commonly known as the asshole of the fandom, but are they doing it for no reason? a character's asshole-ishness is still an EXPRESSION of their personality, which means they have certain ways of thinking, judging, feeling, and perceiving the world that comes out in asshole-y ways. this is what i mean by stereotyping. when we stereotype, we often take out the part of the equation where we have to ask ourselves: wait, why did they do this? what was their thought process? did they have a goal in doing this? and instead we fall back on common known traits of the character (perhaps their fanon interpretation) and as a result the character doesn't come across as "alive" as they could've been.

(this doesn't mean that the writer still can't make them an asshole though; as long as you show your work in explaining their thought processes in a believable, convincing and human way [ie. prone to cognitive biases and errors in judgement], you can take that and use it as plot hooks in your story!)

people are still people no matter their personalities, which means EVERY person has the capacity and opportunity to experience ANY emotion. so when you lean too hard on either spectrum of temperament or trait, you risk writing the character in a way that isn't contextual (too generic and broad), too flat (scripted and impersonal) or too boring (predictable and not the point of transformative works like fanfic for me***). they can experience different feelings and no one is above feeling any sort of emotion!! we are not so infallible!! but they ARE limited to the confines of their personality, psychological maturity and reasoning ability in which they are able to express and process that emotion.

***this is a personal opinion only, my word means nothing in the grand scheme of things, people write for their own reasons. i'm just explaining what would be most compelling for me to read and write, and why, as it's inline with the spirit of this post talking about the complexity of writing characters that seemingly "betray" their fundamental traits.

taking op's point further, yes, i agree! i much more like the question of "what would it take / how would it be done" in order to verify if a character is acting inline with their characterization.

something i talked to reo for a bit in the milfs gc (again, ignore the name) is a comparison between two genshin characters, alhaitham and kaveh. i used them as comparison because they are, in my opinion, characters that are most widely misunderstood and misinterpreted. (although it's not always in a bad way, sometimes the misinterpretations are funny as hell or it's for a Bit so i'm like, hell yeah man!!)

specifically, i talked about their attitudes towards interpersonal problems. to illustrate it better for people who don't play genshin (good for your health honestly <33), i'm going to list a few traits in these characters so that you can see my point more clearly, and show how they might** manifest as both flaws and strengths.

**keep in mind the 'might'. it doesn't mean that all listed qualities are present or happened in canon, i'm just taking things further and listing all the possibilities. these may vary from character to character, because some characters do have these traits but the narrative or story forces them to confront it earlier on, and as a result they appear more balanced as a person.

alhaitham

- intellectual rigor / critical / independent > strengths: impervious to appeals to emotion such as emotional blackmailing and guilt-tripping. can only be persuaded with sound and logical arguments, and if someone is speaking through reasonable practical experience. prioritizes personal judgment rather than thinking or acting on behalf of other people (in most cases except kaveh), not as likely to be roped into mob mentality attitudes because he doesn't take others' opinion of him to judge his own character. reluctant leader; he is good at making plans and placing the right people at the right place, but dislikes the workload that comes with being competent, which means he prefers to do important but in-the-background work, where he is most effective with the least amount of unnecessary attention. principled and consistent in actions and belief. > weaknesses: insensitivity in a "it is what it is" way, private about his true feelings (that are not just logical judgements of right and wrong; true or false) that obstructs in making healthy and intimate relationships of expressing vulnerabilities. individualistic approach that makes one prone to selfishness or self-centered thinking. doesn't rely on others but himself and therefore doesn't ever truly allow people the opportunity to understand him better by seeing him when he's vulnerable.

kaveh

- selfless / moral / optimistic > strengths: warm and open attitude that enables easier access to making connections and relationships with other people. fearlessness in standing by other people and loyal. makes people feel welcome and have their presence affirmed. sees the "point" in other people's words, even if they are badly presented, and takes initiative in giving people courtesy and grace with his good faith an unconditional acceptance. a good listener and skillful at perspective-taking. feels for other people's pain. principled at all costs. > weaknesses: fuzzy emotional boundaries; not knowing what problems and feelings are yours and what problems and feelings are others that you've chosen to undertake to "solve" or help with. susceptible to getting carried away by other people's emotional intensity, rendering his own standing difficult. inflexible ideals and stubbornness (due to him placing specific importance over a select morals and virtues, judges other people who don't share the same virtues). messy personal life due to carrying out impractical ideals. narrow understanding of how to live a good and moral life that doesn't account for people of various personalities and temperaments. chronic guilt.

for a thought exercise, i asked myself this: what situation would make alhaitham, someone so impervious to other people's petty interpersonal conflicts that he does not usually involve himself in, be emotionally invested in making efforts to rebuild harmony and be the one to take the leap of faith (instead of deciding that someone else's life and happiness is not his responsibility)? what situation would make kaveh, someone so empathetic to people's grievances, be closed off to someone's ask for help and make him say no and walk away?

that's where context comes in! you can look back at the character's history and relationships and see the outliers in their pattern of open and trusting/closed off and energy-saving distance. maybe you remember that alhaitham, despite not wanting to trouble himself with interpersonal relationships and is staunchly against "coddling" someone for their own mistakes, extends a hand to kaveh to become his roommate. maybe you remember that kaveh, someone who is usually patient and optimistic with people to see the best in them, blows up at alhaitham for his perceived egotistical faults.

those "anomalies" seemingly look like they contradict each other to the outside, but the way the characters make it make "sense" in their head is also something interesting to note. although kaveh is tolerant and idealistic, it also means that he is judgemental of critical people and so-called "realists" who dim his light. although alhaitham is lukewarm and analytical, his calm demeanour and distance from strong emotions allows him to see through emotional outbursts and still not give up on them, rather than doing the sensible thing and leaving someone who wants to be left alone (ironically making him skilled at reading the people he cares for).

by asking why, why do they do that, why do they think that way, why do they have that belief and where does it come from, we can come to investigate the small contradictions and biases in the character's personalities, and in turn start to build a context or basis for the character who would usually not do that, do that!

i'm sorry if this is very rambly!! these are just my 2 cents on the things i've observed and figure out my own solution to. as always, you're free to disregard what works and doesn't in order to find your Own way to write. good luck to everyone trying to get over the "would he fucking do that" obstacle!!!

Expanding a thought from a conversation this morning:

In general, I think "Is X out-of-character?" is not a terribly useful question for a writer. It shuts down possibility, and interesting directions you could take a character.

A better question, I believe, is "What would it take for Character to do X?" What extremity would she find herself in, where X starts to look like a good idea? What loyalties or fears leave him with X as his only option? THAT'S where a potentially interesting story lies.

In practice, I find that you can often justify much more from a character than you initially dreamed you could: some of my best stories come from "What might drive Character to do [thing he would never do]?" As long as you make it clear to the reader what the hell pushed your character to this point, you've got the seed of a compelling story on your hands.

[sk8termikey]

CHAPTER 30 OF 21 QUESTIONS

Better interface on wattpad and updated. till chap 41

“Heyy!” A voice shouted while entering the house. “How's it going?”

“Gimme a sec Matt wait,” Lily said as she turned to face Alex.

“Matt?” Alex repeated, first confused then happy to see her friends spending time together.

“Yeah Matt,” Lily stressed the name they were saying for the third time.

“Which is me,” Matt himself called out to the girls.

Alex went to stand behind Lily who was on the couch and waved at Matt when she was in frame.

“Hey Matt, you’re good?”

“Yeah, pretty good. What about you? How was work?”

“It was nice,” Alex replied as she started hugging Lily while talking. “Human beings were not as annoying as usual, I was surprised.”

“I get you, it's like a reward when working directly with customers who are well-educated.”

Alex agreed before she and Matt started comparing their job experiences. Having forgotten, Lily was reminded that Matt once had another job with Nick and Chris before YouTube, as they had worked at a supermarket.

“Wait, lemme get comfy then I come back to y'all two if you don't mind me intruding in your time”.

Both Lily and Matt quickly confirmed that it was fine for them – they had already spent almost an hour talking so it wasn't a problem to have Alex with them now.

The blonde came back a dozen minutes later, after having changed from her work attire.

“So, how's the LA life?” Alex asked Matt while Lily was trying to switch their facetime from her phone to her laptop now that there were more of them to fit in frame. “How are your clones?”

“All good, we're back to Boston soon so it'll be a nice and deserved break. We'll make an announcement for everyone in the next few days so keep that quiet for now, thanks.”

“No problem,” Lily reassured as neither she or Alex would ever disclose information on the triplets.

“And yeah, Nick and Chris are good too. I mean, the groupchat is never quiet for long.”

“True”, Alex agreed. “Are they here or are you alone?”

“Well I'm in my room right now but I can go get them so we can talk all together,” Matt suggested as he started standing up from his bed. “It could be nice.”

“Bro, was that the lights you turned off?” Alex gasped as she was realising that Matt wasn’t even using sunlight in his room. “This is bad for you, you should open your curtains.”

“Yeah”, Lily said as she was on the same wavelength. “You have to do photosynthesis from time to time.”

“Why are you – whoever suggested that – treating my brother like a plant?” Nick asked as Matt entered the living-room. He walked towards the phone where the voice could be heard and let out a smile as the people on the screen. “Lily, Alex, hi!”

“Hi Nick”, the two girls replied in sync.

“If I’d known you were with Matt, we would’ve come to bother him sooner”, Nick said as he was implying that he was with Chris.

“I’ve only been there recently,” Alex explained. “But they apparently started talking wayyy before I came home.”

Due to the smirk Alex had on her face, it was obvious that she wanted to tease her friends for often being on call. Chris heard her sentence from the couch and he motioned for his two brothers to join him. 

“Is that so?” The youngest triplet snickered as he looked up at Matt.

“Don’t make me regret leaving my room”, Matt sighed. “I’m only doing so because I’ve been requested.”

“Matthew!” Alex called, as she faked being offended. “I know you’d rather keep Lily to yourself, but don’t act like it’s the worst thing in the world.”

Matt was about to retort something to the blonde; but when he saw that it was making Lily laugh, decided otherwise and simply sat down next to Chris. Like Lily had done not long ago, Nick was connecting his laptop to Matt’s phone so that it would be more practical to fit the triplets in frame.

After both groups were successfully seeing everyone on their respective screens, the conversation easily flowed into giving each other news about what they were up to. As Matt had already told Alex and Lily about going to Boston for Christmas, Nick and Chris were therefore happily talking about the plans they had made with their family. It was obvious that the triplets were excited to be home and the girls couldn’t contain their smiles at the sight on the other side of the screen.

“We should try and maybe hang out while we’re in Boston,” Nick suggested. “We’ll have the whole month so it shouldn’t be that hard to find time.”

“About that,” Alex started. “We won’t be here…”

“Really? Why?” Chris wondered.

“We’re visiting Lily’s family for Christmas and we plan on staying for like three weeks I guess,” she explained.

“Oh...” Matt was the first to acknowledge the news. He was looking at Lily with a frown on his face as if he was only talking to her. “Okay, and where are you going? Is it truly that far from umm– us?”

“Montréal”, Lily replied as she was also keeping her eyes on Matt through the screen. “It’s actually closer but it’s a whole different country so…”

“Oh…” Matt said once again.

Truth be told, Matt would have been happy to be able to see his friend as they had last seen each other a month ago. He wasn’t expecting himself to feel conflicted at the news but he remembered how he and his brothers had briefly talked about visiting the girls once they’d be back on the East Coast. Now, those plans were over before even being started. Nick and Chris exchanged a glance at each other behind Matt as they wondered how Matt was truly feeling.

“Don’t look so down y’all”, Alex chimed in as she was mostly addressing Lily and Matt who seemed to have become tense. “We’re on the same continent still and we’ll keep calling each other. We’re perfectly surviving right now, even with a three-hour difference.”

“Yeah, you’re right.” Nick smiled at Alex’s comment and tried to slightly shift the subject. “Any particular reason that it’s Montréal?”

“Ooh, this is a nice story. Care to tell, Lily?” Alex nudged her best friend in the side to get her to talk about something she cared about.

“Okay, so the thing is since Alex and I got our own place we made a deal with our families: because we both wanted to spend Christmas together but also with our families, we decided that each year we would switch at whose house we would spend it. And given that last year was with Alex’s, this year we’re going to visit mine!” Lily kept ranting about her and Alex’s holiday system with a smile on her face. “I haven’t seen them in so long, I’m so excited!”

“What’s long?” Chris asked, not thinking that it would be that much.

“Last January”, Lily answered. “For my mum’s birthday, so I also haven’t seen them in ages. It’s hard when the family is scattered like that, but we don’t do that bad.”

“So you lived in Canada before the US or?” Nick was trying to get everything clear.

“I don’t think she did,” Matt replied as he was remembering that Lily and Alex had met in Spring Hill in middle school.

“Correct”, Lily confirmed. “It’s my parents who went to live there after I started living with Alex. One of the reasons why we have this ‘Christmas arrangement’ – they have their own lives, but we all know we have fixed moments when we all see each other.”

“Same for me,” Alex said. “My family is closer to us so it’s easier to see them more often, but at least it helps us instead of being all like ‘oh when are you free? I have an availability in two business months!’”

The triplets laughed at Alex’s poor imitation of busy people who rarely have time for others even though they do their best to hang out. They then asked Alex about her family now that they knew the basics about Lily’s.

“Wel, my parents live in Tennessee, not so far from Nashville, and my brother–”

“YOU HAVE A BROTHER??” The triplets all exclaimed in sync.

“Yeah, like you three have a brother too.” Alex was confused as to why her friends seemed shocked until she slightly faced Lily. “I never told them?”

“Wait wait wait”, Chris interrupted. “Why do I feel like we knew nothing about y’all until today?”

“Tell us more”, Nick inquired.

“We don’t talk that much if I’m being honest like– we have different interests and we live a bit far away, but whenever we call or see each other, I know it’s always like we weren’t apart for so long.”

It was obvious due to Alex’s soft tone that she valued her relationship with her brother, although they didn’t seem like the closest ever. Alex had looked up to her brother a lot in her younger years, so she had unknowingly taken his example when graduating high school and moving out of her parents’ house. Matt questioned Alex more about her brother as he could see that she enjoyed talking about him.

“He’s only a couple of years older than me so it’s nice that we don’t have a huge age gap”, the blonde explained. “We bickered a lot when living together but it got better since we both got our own place. Though I remember him moving back to my parents’ house during Covid so that he wouldn’t be alone and it was so much fun.”

“Oh my god yes!” Lily jumped in. “I have this memory of him always being in our facetimes and helping us do homework that was due during quarantine, I loved him for that. He’s my brother as well at this point, I’ve legally adopted him as such in my head.”

“Y’all dynamic sounds nice”, Chris commented. “You got a best friend and a brother all in one.”

“Yeah, it’s great.” Alex tried to put the thought of her brother liking her best friend at the back of her head as she knew she would end up laughing because of that. She knew that Lily had never noticed and she would never tell her unless her brother stopped liking her. “I don’t know if I could stand being an only child, but I’m glad I got Lily to stop being one.”

“That’s sweet”, Matt said as he was thinking of his brothers and how he would never be able to live without them.

“Damn, we all got sappy now.” Nick was being dramatic as he wasn’t always the biggest fan of explicitly conveying love to people, although he was expressing it inside.

“No but for real,” Chris agreed. “It’s nice but we need to get back on track.”

For the next hour or so, the triplets and the two girls kept talking about everything they could think of until it was time for Alex and Lily to have dinner. They were all often forgetting that they lived in different timezones and therefore didn’t have the same schedules. They soon ended the call, with the promise that the next time they’d be on one again, Alex and Lily would give them a tour of Montréal.

Although they had all enjoyed facetiming as a group, it had been easy to notice – although the changes of attitude had been minor when it happened – that one person on each side of the screen was not being their usual self. It was something that could certainly be fixed, but there was a need to discuss it with others that might have noticed it as well according to a blonde girl.

co written w @littlegrapejuice <3

[windlassfyslet]

If there's one thing I appreciate about this manhwa is the fact that they developed the eldest child and the other children really well, since their stepmother literally came into their lives when she was 14 and the relationship between all of them was kinda weird and like really hard to understand. Like her husband and her have this mentor and protege relationship because he needed to train someone who can care for his kids after he dies

But fuck that guy though he legit took a kids childhood. Anyways the FL she is really fucking strong and mature and I wished that she could have been more childish in her first life, she's got pretty bad trauma tbh her deceased husband like mentally abused her and she forgot what he had done (lock her in a dark room and yell at her saying mean shit) to protect her mind :(

Okay, back to the eldest son. I like how they went about how he felt about her, he APPRECIATED what she has done for them and this manhwa really goes into depth about the difference between platonic and romantic relationships and how love is confusing and often mistaken for one or the other. She's like 2 years older than her eldest stepson. And though i found it SO FUCKING WEIRD when a person in the comments explained that he had small amount of feelings for her (not in the typical way i dont know how to explain it)

They did it pretty good so if i didn't read that comment, that wouldn't be in my brain and I'd see it only more as his appreciation for what shes done then whatever the fuck they were saying because he doesn't act like your typical Sis-con or mom-con thing idfk oedipus ass, he knows that he loves her but would never allow his feelings to go more then platonic, i may need to reread what he said but, he wants to be the sword that protects her because of all she had sacrificed and done for their family, he doesn't view her much as a mom since they are close in age but he does view her as family and he wants to make sure she always has a place with them.

Did that make sense idk but lemme go onto the ml

HE IS SOO COOL I FWW WITH HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH THE FL, He loved her in the first timeline despite not talking to her at all??? He quietly observed and appreciated and longed for her. And second timeline he got sooo close to her god they were made for eachother, they talk about their problems, she advocates for him to his parents. He listens to her and promises to be her shield. He even helps her second son with getting him out of that gambling problem. (Me too bro i suffer, but i have self control) all around ML awesome hes doing good even if that stupid crown prince took his parents affections away from him bc hes deprived of parental affection and has mommy issues.

Anyways yeah, i should have written this when i finished the latest chapter earlier, but I was busy.

[simpingforcreamsoda]

Reminds me of the agonizing Disney advertising sequence in Ralph Breaks the Internet where Venelope or whatever the hell her name was spelled meets the Disney princesses and it starts with a cute bit about her being a Disney Princess technically so the others start asking stuff like “we’re you poisoned?/Were you kidnapped and enslaved?/Do you have magic powers? (For some reason she says no to this one despite absolutely having the glitch power but whatever) and since most of these seem very extreme and don’t apply Venelope is like “what the fuck oh god no” and that’s funny! …And then they have one of the princesses give the fuckin dreamworks smirk and go “Wait lemme guess… do people assume all of your problems got solved because a big strong man showed up?” And Venelope is immediately like “OMG YES, what is UP with that???” like it was something she had on her chest for a while and the rest of them go “she IS a princess!!!” and cheer.

and like. huh??? In the first movie, she and Ralph were friends, man! Yeah he’s literally a big strong man but the two of them solved each other’s problems. Is Disney trying to… pretend that they were sexist so that they can look self aware about a problem that doesn’t exist? Why??? And as the OP explained, most if not all of the other princesses had their problems solved via their own actions, or yes, from the help of supporting characters that sometimes include a strong masculine character, but often many others as well.

Wreck it Ralph 2 was a fully shite movie but that particular scene is one of a few that haunts me. Such a baffling punchline.

Rant incoming

I feel like the problem with a lot of Disney's live action remakes (and arguably Wish) is they're trying to appeal to a crowd that no longer exists, namely the people who used to claim that the Disney Princesses were sexist.

All the interviews tend to include, "Well she's not chasing a MAN anymore" which...almost no one sees the princesses like that, anymore. Virtually NO ONE still believes the princesses are man-chasing sexist caricatures of women.

Cinderella is now hailed as an abuse victim who stayed strong long enough to get help to get out of her situation. Anyone who says she should have saved herself is basically regarded as a victim blamer. And it's very clear in the film she wasn't looking to marry the prince, she just wanted a night off. She was the only one who wasn't in line to meet him. She didn't find out she met the prince until he went looking for her!

Snow White is now hailed for her negotiation skills, ability to calm down after extreme stress (she had a moment of panic and had to cry for a bit, but who wouldn't after finding out The Queen hired someone to kill you?), and ability to take charge of a house of adult men. And again, she was an abuse victim, this time trying to escape ASSASSINATION ATTEMPTS. While she dreamed of her prince, it was secondary to her main goal of SURVIVAL. There are also entire video essays about how Snow White gave hope to people during The Great Depression.

Everyone acknowledges that Ariel wanted to be human BEFORE meeting Eric. We all know she was a nerd hyperfixating on humans, and also standing up to her prejudiced father.

We understand Sleeping Beauty wasn't the main character, the Three Good Fairies were, AND PHILLIP WOULD NEVER HAVE BEATEN MALEFICENT WITHOUT THEM! He literally depended on them! WOMEN SAVED THE DAY! But even then, is it really such a sin for a girl to fantasize about romance and fall for someone with corny pickup lines?

We all understand Jasmine just wanted someone to treat her LIKE A PERSON. She rejected every Prince before Aladdin because they treated her like a prize. So why did they need her to want to be Sultan? How did that make her more feminist when she already wanted to be treated like an equal and have a say in her future? Is it only empowering if you want a career in politics?

We admire that Belle, despite living in a judgemental village, was kind to everyone (even though she found the village life dull), and her story teaches girls that the guy everyone else loves isn't always a good guy. What's sexist about teaching girls about red flags? And she didn't start being nice to The Beast until he started treating her with respect and kindness.

Do I really NEED to defend Mulan or Tiana? I think they speak for themselves.

Rapunzel was yet another abuse victim who just needed a little help to get out of her bad situation. In this case, she also needed to learn that she was an abuse victim, and that what Mother Gothel did WASN'T normal, much like many victims of gaslighting.

And don't get me started on the non-princess animals.

Perdita had a healthy relationship with Pongo to the point she was open to express her pregnancy fears to him, and was ready to TEAR APART Cruella's goons for daring to touch her puppies as well as adopting the other puppies. Like, she was so ferocious the goons mistook her for a hyena! She's basically that "I AM THAT GIRL'S MOTHER!" scene from SpyXFamily if Yor were a dog. She and her husband were a TEAM.....but they made a Cruella live action to turn her into a girlboss?! The literal animal abuser!? THAT'S the woman you wanted to put on a pedestal when Perdita was RIGHT THERE!?

Duchess kept her kittens calm after they had been catnapped and was classy as heck. Nice to everyone regardless of social class during a time period where that was uncommon.

Lady stood up to Tramp when she believed he had abandoned her and didn't really care about her. She found out he was a heartbreaker and was like, "Nuh uh. No. You are not doing that to me! You put me through enough."

Miss Bianca from The Rescuers was IN CHARGE the whole movie, and was willing to risk life and limb to save an innocent child. THAT TINY MOUSE TOOK ON ALLIGATORS! And she picked Bernard to accompany her because he was the only one who wasn't ogling her. And then in the sequel SHE DID IT ALL AGAIN! I wish I were as brave as her.

Like, the public haven't accused these ladies of being sexist caricatures since 2014 (Actresses and actors don't count, they're out of touch like the rest of Hollywood) yet Disney is operating under the assumption that the public still thinks that way, hence all the "sHe'S nOt AfTeR a MaN iN ThIs VeRsIOn" talk.

The live action remakes are trying to attract an audience that doesn't really exist much, anymore, and back when it did exist, was comprised mainly of people who didn't actually watch the films. The Disney princesses are no longer seen as sexist, and feminine qualities are no longer seen as weak or undesirable.

[tamelee]

Oh! I wanted to ask you something about that! (Gaiden it is)

The moment Suigetsu made that test that showed that Sakura’s not the mom, but Karin, Naruto overheard it and said something like “Sasuke, you bastard” and then he was angry at him.

It was always so interesting to me. Because it’s obvious that it’s not about the cheat. I mean he’s not the woman in this marriage, if it wasn’t Sakura’s then she knew. So, what was Naruto angry about? Not telling him? Not telling Sarada? Like…??? Definitely not for Sakura’s sake.

Or is it just me not seeing something?

No you're 100% right. I already explained it in an ask, but I can't find it. Naruto's reaction had nothing to do with Sakura. In fact, we could make a whole other post about the change in their relationship from children going into adulthood. What a farce.

Intended, but still.

Naruto was angry because Suigetsu handled the situation very directly and in an insensitive way. That's how the story goes at least and tbh that's all there is to it at face value because afterwards the caption says that Sarada is in despair, Naruto tries to cheer her up.. again. He's fuming for her sake.

Suigetsu even admits it.

But.

I noticed something else and I haven't seen anyone talk about it yet, lemme know what you think..

This is interesting. (to me lol)

It doesn't help that all the circumstances were against Naruto. (Being in Orochimaru's hide-out, all the story conflicts, etc-) It's funny, kinda, that Sasuke didn't even bother to keep an eye on Sarada who wandered off in that place especially considering his history, but Naruto noticed. During the entire story he looked out for her and tried his best to cheer her up. But Naruto with Sage mode could easily have found Sarada right away and yet, between him noticing she's gone and the panel of him listening in there are 3 pages(!)

[[insert 3 Manga pages of them testing~~~~~]]

So the question is, why was Naruto just silently listening in? If he really just was angry for Sarada's sake as the story tells us.. (again, this has nothing to do with Sakura).. then why didn't he stop Suigetsu from talking before it got worse?

Does Kishimoto want me to believe that Naruto calmly came to stand behind that wall only at the end of the revelation? Yeah right- no. We know how fast Naruto is, how quickly he can find people with Sage-mode. Meaning... he heard everything, he listened in and he let it happen. So why didn't he stop them before the actual test?

He either really believed Sakura is the mother and so didn't see any problems ahead or was too stunned/curious to interfere.

I still believe he was angry for Sarada, but he was also angry for himself. I believe Sasuke hasn't told Naruto anything regarding Sarada. That he knows nothing because of this one panel only and why would he?

When it comes to their "wives" and "kids" they don't communicate which should tell you already a whole lot. Naruto didn't know Sarada had never seen her dad and Sasuke didn't even know 'Boruto's name at the beginning of the sequel..

But they still do talk and often meet up. He shouts at Sasuke that they're "gonna have words later"

.. and they continue to fight like a married couple.. lmaooo. So I just think it was a lot for Naruto to take in also and it has nothing to do with "cheating" or Sakura. And everything with Sarada in despair as the caption says, the way Suigetsu dealt with it and him feeling a certain way about it all.

[clanwarrior-tumbly]

Hmm can you do a licorice cookie x reader human au? Idk if this is an au but basically their humans and not cookiesbut maybe reader works at library and Licorice comes often but strictly so that he could see reader? Basically reader being oblivious to licorices obvious crush on them, sorry if this is not specific enough!!

"Hello, where can I find your most sinister--I-I mean most informative books on necromancy?"

As you were all done shelving the books, you turned around to meet the eyes of your customer.

You never knew what to expect when people entered the library, often coming from distant lands with their royal outfits and crazy hairstyles. From knights to bandits to actual werewolves...everyday was a surprise.

This man in particular might as well be the grim reaper, wearing a robe that looked hastily-sewn together and a skull necklace. His licorice-black hair fell over half his face, showing only one golden eye.

Intimidating for sure, but you simply smiled. "I don't know off the top of my head, but I can show you where our horror fantasy section is."

"That'll do." He grinned, not at all sounding as menacing as he did previously.

"I should let you know, though, that we have a policy against bringing large weapons in here." You politely explained, pointing out the bone scythe he was holding and a nearby sign. "We just don't want any books or displays falling over."

"Awh.." Grim Reaper Man pouted. "Guess one of my minions can hang onto it outside. Schwarzwälder!!"

Then he bolted away very suddenly, leaving you standing there alone. But you just waited for him to return, now scythe-less.

"I feel less evil without it.." He sulked a bit, though when he heard you chuckle he tensed up, feeling his chest fluttering.

'What was that? What happened just now..?'

"Even evil knows when to follow the rules. Now lemme show you where-"

"L-Legion."

"I'm sorry?"

"That's my name...n-not that I would tell you my real name anytime soon." He sneered, trying once more to keep his image up.

"Oh, that's a cool name." You chuckled once more as you both walked to the horror section. "I'm [y/n]."

'Th-They think my name is...cool????' Once again, Legion got that funny feeling in his chest.

A feeling that wasn't good nor bad, but simply foreign.

'Are they cursing me?? No, no..they're just being nice. It's their job, stupid.' While distracted by his own confusing thoughts, he didn't realize you both arrived and you were currently searching for a book similar to what he asked for.

Finally you found one and handed it to him. "Well you're in luck. This is only the first volume but.....Legion?"

"H-Huh?! Oh..right. Thanks." He took the book from you, looking at the title. "Ah yes..this shall serve me well. Is there a chance you'll get other volumes?"

"I'll look at our database, but until then you can check back over the next few days in case anyone returns them. I'm here all week so if you need any more help don't be shy."

"Shy? Me? Hah! I would never shy away from an opportunity for more power....o-or rather knowledge of how I can replicate this power, of course..."

God, why was he getting so tongue-tied over nothing?

The moment he turned to leave, he felt his face growing warm as he stared down at the book. Though when he overheard you helping another visitor he glanced over his shoulder, seeing Hero was asking you about some chemistry mumbo jumbo.

He scoffed, but then wondered why he instinctively scoffed.

Was he...catching feelings for someone he just met? Who was only doing their job and may not actually be this kind at home?

Legion knew he shouldn't let his emotions go astray. Not when he's trying to win the Dark Enchantress' favor. She comes before all else...

Or so he convinced himself until now.

After checking out the book, he exited the library with a huff, much to Brute's confusion "What wrong, master?" He handed the scythe back to him."

"N-Nothing."

"...you seem interrrested in-" Bat-Cat began.

"Silence."

No. He wasn't going to let any silly emotions or thoughts about you get in the way of his quest.

All he'll return to the library to do is research and find the books he needed. Nothing more.

............

As it turns out, you were the only reason Legion kept coming back to the library. He found himself wanting to spend more time with you.

If you were on break or not immediately available, he would browse around until Bat-Cat spotted you or used his echolocation to pinpoint your footsteps.

Yeah..that's a little creepy to anyone who knew, but being creepy was the dark sorcerer's specialty!

Despite denying it again and again, his two main minions weren't that dumb. They knew their master had a crush on you and came up with several plans to push him to confess, while still maintaining his villainous image. Perhaps you could be his evil sidekick!

The only problem?

You were oblivious to all their efforts.

It never occurred to you how flustered Legion got when he asked you to help him find something..only for you to jokingly remind him he asked you the same question just yesterday.

Even when Bat-Cat and Brute encouraged him to partake in the "ritual of exchanging phone numbers" and hang out at a nearby café, you just saw it as him wanting to be close friends. Nothing more.

But he, on the other hand, saw you as someone who could fill that gap in his cold and almost-empty heart. Unlike the enchantress he often complained about in his journals, you paid attention to him when nobody else did.

Not to mention...you were actually sweet to him even outside of work, once you got to know him better and learn why he turned to dark magic. Of course he fibbed some of his "tragic backstory" simply because he wasn't ready to tell you the truth.

All the while he fell for you more and more.

Part of him was scared that he's setting himself up for heartbreak. He was already alone enough and didn't know much about love. Heck, he refused to even ask others who were more knowledgeable about this because of his pride.

He wasn't sure if you realized yet...or if you even saw him that way, too.

Until then, though, he'll keep trying.

For once, he wanted this plan to work.

[havin-a-wee]

Doctor's Orders

pairing: gynecologist!harry x reader/doctor!harry x reader

word count: 2.3k+

warnings: smut, fingering

this is so long overdue i apologize but this is a request! i kinda love this piece so i hope you guys do too!

PLEASE REBLOG IF YOU ENJOY

You sucked in a harsh breath as you heard your name being called from the front desk, the smiley old lady gesturing for you to follow her. You timidly walked behind her, your feet shuffling on the obnoxiously patterned carpet that lined the hallways.

You aren’t one to fear doctor’s appointments, in fact, you have never been apprehensive about going to one until right now. This appointment was something you’ve been avoiding for a while since you had moved to London, but there came a point where you couldn’t put it off for any longer. Back in the states, you were comfortable with your gynecologist, and you had no issue talking to her about problems you were having regarding your genitalia. But now that you were in a new city, you didn’t have the comfort that came with visiting a long-term doctor and faced new ones for the first time since you were a child. The rest of the doctor’s visits were pretty standard, but your private parts were something you struggled with understanding, Sure, you have seen porn and had sex, but it was never a fulfilling experience. In fact, you have never reached an orgasm. About a year ago you gave up on looking for men to help you and made it a mission to bring yourself to a climax. But alas, none of your efforts seemed to work. At this point, you were convinced that something was wrong with you, hence the gynecologist visit. Male gynecologist, that is.

Over the past month, you have spent a lot of time researching gynecologists in your area. The first one that came up was the one you are at now, but considering his gender you continued your hunt. But it kept leading you back to this one doctor, Dr. Styles, and that was why you are currently sitting in an exam room in his office.

You reassured yourself by looking up his name on your smartphone, scrolling through the 5-star reviews. The number of people who seemed to absolutely love this guy helped settle your nerves, so you read through them as you waited for a knock on the door.

That knock finally arrived a few minutes later, and you picked your head up and looked at the wooden door. “Come in!”

A head popped inside from behind the door as it was pushed open, and the doctor’s eyes found yours while he made his way into the small room. He’s tall, with a mop of chocolate brown curls on his head and bright green eyes accompanied by a friendly smile. He sat down, eyes never leaving yours until he placed his computer down and the screen lit up.

“‘Ello Darlin, m’Dr. Styles, but y’can call me Harry if you’d like.” He stuck out a hand, and your palm swiftly met his, the two of you looking at one another as you shook hands. His hands were enormous, and the rings placed on his fingers were cold to the touch. “Considering you’re a new patient, I took a peek at y’records and such, and I saw that y’ve always had a female gyno.”

You nodded your head slowly, opening your mouth to respond but getting cut off by Dr. Styles. “So I just wanted t’let y’know tha’ theres nothing t’be ashamed off, and I know what I’m doin’ so I promise you’re in expert hands.”

“Yeah, I was nervous, but I couldn’t ignore the amazing reviews people have given you, so I made an appointment.” You appreciated his reassurance a lot, and it really helped in the easing of your jitters. He turned back to his computer after nodding in response to you, clicking on a few keys before diverting his attention back to you.

“So what seems t’be the problem today Y/N?” An initial wave of shock hit you when he said your name, but it quickly dissolved when you remembered that he literally has access to all your medical information, so of course, he knows your name.

“This is a bit of an odd thing to come in for on my first appointment with you, but I think my vagina doesn’t work.” You let out a breathy chuckle at your own words. Dr. Styles seemed unphased by your forwardness, and you assumed he had heard a lot more abrasive things than that. “I’m a 22-year-old woman, but I’ve never had an orgasm. For the past year I’ve been focusing on doing it without a partner, but no matter how much time I spent or how many fancy toys I buy, I just end up feeling unsatisfied and disappointed.” He nodded along as you explained your issue, placing his chin in his hand while his elbow was placed on the desk.

“Have y’had any STD tests recently?”

“Yes, I had one last week, I’m clean and I’ve never had one in the past.”

“Is there any possibility tha’ you’re pregnant?”

“No, I haven’t slept with anyone in over a year.” You knew what questions he would ask, so to avoid wasting time you were giving him all the information he would need.

“When y’are sleeping with someone, do y’feel any sort of pleasure?”

“Yeah, but it’s just never enough, I guess.” His lips curled into an expression of concentration, and he pressed his tongue against the inside of his cheek. The room was silent for all of around 30 seconds, but soon enough Dr. Styles spoke up.

“Based on yeh’ history and what y’telling me, it seems that y’just haven’t found the right bloke.” Your eyebrows lifted in surprise at his simple answer. It couldn’t be that simple, could it? “M’guessing y’can’t get y’self off cause’ y’tense and not fully relaxed. And the guys y’ve been with ave’all been doin’ a rubbish job.” He chuckled along with you, and you couldn’t help but agree with him. There was no one you could think of that had actually made you feel good the entire time and had actually focused on your pleasure and theirs. Most of the hookups you took part in were with frat boys who would stick their dick into anything with a hole. “But just in case, lemme’ check y’out just to make sure.”

He stood up from his chair and you swung your legs up on the cot, laying down on it. While you had waited for the doctor, you changed into the gown you were provided with, so there was only a thin piece of fabric between you and the curly-headed man that had taken a seat at the end of the seat.

It was now that you were faced with a dilemma that your anxious brain hadn’t even thought of prior to the appointment.

Dr. Styles was attractive. Like, really, really attractive.

Dr. Styles was attractive. Like, really, really attractive. And probably because of the nature of your discussion (and the fact that your body is severely desperate for sexual release), your core had been heating up since he first stepped into the room. So now, he would lift the skirt of the gown and see a pool of velvety wetness coating the inside of your thighs.

The back of the seat was propped up, allowing you to see him. This was a good thing for him because he could talk to you while he does his job, but it means you will have to look at him after he sees the mess you’ve made.

“May I?” His fingers gripped onto the edges of the gown, and you swallowed hoarsely before nodding your approval. While you know that he probably has witnessed much more embarrassing situations than the one you were in right now, it didn’t make the predicament any better. As you suspected, he kept a straight face when he lifted the flimsy material from your legs. Without taking a second glance, he turned to a bottle on his desk and pumped a dollop of lube onto his glove-clad fingertips. He used his other gloved hand to spread the lubricant, only turning back to you when his two fingers were both well coated in the substance. “Y’alright?” Once again, you nodded at his question. “Tell me with words darlin’, wanna make sure y’comfortable.”

“Yeah, I’m fine. What kind of exam are you doing exactly?” That question popped into your mind right before it rolled off your tongue because you noticed he had never specified exactly what he was looking for.

“M’just gonna use m’finger,” he held his lube-covered fingers, “and feel around, just t’make sure everythins’ fine.”

“Ok, sounds good.”

“M’gonna start now, s’gonna be cold at first.”

You hissed when his fingers met your sopping hole, and you had to resist the urge to kick your legs while he slowly pushed his fingers inside of you. The feeling was strange, but definitely not unwelcome. The contrast from his icy fingers to your warm center was sending a tingling sensation down your spine. You could feel his fingers push around inside of you, caressing your walls. And you know you shouldn���t. But his fingers were hitting all the right nerves, and you couldn’t help but find the experience immensely pleasurable.

Despite your best efforts, a small moan of satisfaction escaped your lips. Immediately, you went stiff, and you could feel the heat rushing to your cheeks. You just moaned while your doctor had his fingers inside you. For a moment you thought he would ignore the sexual noise that you had just made. But he suddenly looked up at you, his eyes previously locked on his fingers.

“Well, if y’moanin’ just from that, y’more sexually deprived than I thought.” He chuckled, and you cracked a small smile, but that was before his words actually hit you.

Was he, hitting on you?

Maybe not flirting, but that definitely wasn’t something that doctors say to their patients very often. His smirk was also giving you the idea that he had certain intentions.

“Everything seem good down’ere, so I think tha’ problem is with the guys y’gettin with, not you. What type of people do y’usually sleep with.”

“When I was sexually active, it was usually frat boys, so I guess I should’ve known I wasn’t the problem.” You let out a small laugh, Dr. Styles seems to have found it much more amusing, as his chuckle came from deep within his chest. A small movement came with the laugh, which also reminded you that his fingers were still very much inside of you.

“It seems y’need someone who knows his way around,” he cleared his throat, and you smiled as you realized what he was hinting at. “and y’my last paitent of the day, so m’more than happy t’help y’out.” He looked down at his feet shyly, and you found it adorable how he was nervous about what he was proposing. But you were on the verge of tears from how hard it was to hold back your physical response to his touches. Your body relaxed when the words came out of his mouth, and you let out the whine that had been building up in your throat.

“Yes-Harry, god yes.” It was the first time you were using his first name, but the smirk on his face showed his approval.

He quickly removed his fingers from your heat, and you whined again, this time in frustration. Losing contact left you feeling cold, but that feeling only lasted a fleeting moment, as soon as he was pushing his fingers into you again, this time bare.

“Y’already so wet love, what got y’this worked up hmm?”

“Y-you, Harry, I want you.” You tripped over your words, but they came out clear enough for him to understand because he began moving his fingers at the encouragement. His fingers began to pump in and out of you, and you knew he must have been right about not being with the right guys before, because the simple movements left you as putty in his hands. You barely got any pleasure from fingering in your other sexual encounters, but you were already a moaning mess underneath the man. He lifted his other hand, which had also had the glove on it removed, and placed the pad of his finger on your puffy clit. You mewled loudly and his smirk widened.

“Any o’those boys ever make y’feel this good darlin’?” You shook your head furiously, and he smiled, rubbing circles on your sensitive bundle of nerves. You were already seeing stars, and you could feel an unfamiliar knot forming in your stomach. “Y’so pretty, did y’know tha’?”

You couldn’t muster up enough strength to respond to his second question, but the loud moan that you let out was enough of an answer for him. His movements sped up, fingers pumping in and out of you and his other thumb pressing circles on your button.

“Harry-”

“Think y’close darlin’? Ready t’come fo’ the first time?”

“Yes, yes..” Your voice trailed off when a guttural moan rumbled through your throat. Although you haven’t had one before, you were sure that he was about to bring you to an orgasm. There was a tight feeling in your stomach and you knew it was just about to burst.

“Fuck-”

The knot burst and your orgasm rolled through your body, reaching every nerve inside of you. The feeling was euphoric, and your senses were heightened as your body experienced this new feeling.

“Thas’ it, good girl,” he cooed, slowing his movements and removing his fingers from your now overly sensitive clit. He worked you through your orgasm until fully removing his fingers from you, and you let out a sigh as he did so. “Definitely not somethin’ wrong with ya’, I can tell y’that.”

He smiled up at you and you returned the gesture, your smile only faltering when he turned away to write something down. You took the opportunity to get up and change, quickly dressing while his back was turned.

He turned in his chair to face you once again, handing you a small piece of paper. You took it from between his fingers to see a phone number scribbled on it in black ink.

“Is Doctor Styles giving me his number?” You said it in a cheeky way, smirking back at him.

“Yes, and he’s telling you to text him when you get home. Doctor’s orders.”

[ltleflrt]

Hey Carrie! You talked a little the other day about writers' tendency to start a fic too early in the story, and how you see a lot of first scenes that could have been scrapped to improve the story. My question is if you have some tips to recognize while writing that first scene that you are starting too early in the story?

Hello friend!

That's a really good question, and I'll see if I can give an answer that makes sense. I am not a professional, and I'm not educated or trained in this stuff, it's just something that I recognize from years and years and years of voracious reading. And as with all writing advice, I encourage you to take what I'm going to say with a grain of salt and remember that no writing rule is a hard rule, only a guideline.

Also, my advice is going to be pertaining fanfiction, and specifically to AUs. Obviously a published book has an editor with a razor blade going through a manuscript for you, and the problems that bother me in fanfiction crop up in AUs more than Canonverse.

Oh, and every instance of "you" is general, not specific 😜

So I think the main problem that I see is that people are starting with an Info Dump. An Info Dump is not always a bad thing, sometimes it's completely necessary, but it is NOT where you want to start your story. If it absolutely has to be done, it's better to be somewhere in the middle or near the end. When it's something that your characters need to know.

That's an important bit: Do your characters need to know this?

And related to that: Does your audience need to know this for the story to make sense?

And very important follow up: If the answers to the above questions are yes, does the character/audience need to know this RIGHT NOW?

There's a lot of information about your story that YOU need to know. Heck, my notes files are full of sooooooo much stuff that I know about the characters and plot that never reaches the final product.

So when you're reading your first chapter (I say reading, not writing, because sometimes info dumping for your own benefit is good, and then you fix it before you share the story lol), ask yourself those two questions.

So for example:

In an AU where Dean is a tattoo artist, and it's his POV. The story starts with Dean driving to work, and when he gets there he's going to find out that the empty shop next door has been purchased and is going to be a yoga studio. He meets Castiel out front, up on a ladder trying to hang a hand painted sign, and some teens go running buy and knock into the ladder and Dean has to catch Castiel from falling. (Anyone who wants to adopt this idea is welcome to it btw, I would love to read this lol)

The mistake I often see in a first chapter like this is that as Dean is walking to work, there's a whole Info Dump about why he's a tattoo artist instead of a hunter. He'll be ambling along, thinking about his nice little business, and there's info about how his mom died in a fire, and his dad was a jerk, and Dean didn't go to college because he saved his money for Sammy's college fund, and Dean's only passion was art, and Bobby Singer introduced him to a tattoo shop owner who took Dean under his wing, etc.

Question 1, does your character need to know this?: Why is Dean reflecting on his past? Does Castiel need to know this information in order to build a romance with Dean?

Question 2, does your audience need to know this?: Why does this information matter? If Dean's only reflecting on this because you want to make sure your audience knows where the timeline changed and this became an AU, then you're starting too early in your story. Dean doesn't need to know this, and honestly in a lot of cases the reader doesn't need to know this. This is information that should have been left in your notes file.

Question 3, does the character/audience need to know this NOW?: If this information is pertinent to the plot, like maybe there's some trauma there that Castiel might need to know about to develop their relationship, then you don't want to put it HERE, you want to put it in a conversation with Castiel LATER.

If I was writing this AU, I would just start with Dean sipping his coffee, he's kinda tired because reasons, he looks up to see an unusual commotion, and has to drop his coffee and sprint forward to catch Cas. If he's reflecting on anything in this scene, it's going to be whatever made him tired, or how good/bad the coffee is this morning. Since Cas is a new business owner, they can talk about the origins of Dean's business on their first date, because it'll be a relevant response to Castiel talking about the origins of his yoga studio.

And just in general, if Dean's origin story includes a lot of canon elements, like mom dying in a fire, dad being a deadbeat, Sammy being the adorable overachieving Stanford student.... try to hide that info for as long as you can so that the audience is actually curious about it by the time the info might pop up. It's the wild divergences that are more interesting earlier on.

Okay, and then I want to talk about my giant pet peeve for a starting chapter. It's a specific kind of info dump, that often includes the stuff from above, but then goes a step further.

My nemesis, The Daily Grind.

I haven't asked the authors, so I could be wrong about this, but I feel like most of the time when this type of chapter is included in a story it is because the author wants to show the reader that the character's life is boring and meaningless before the plot's inciting incident. I can absolutely see why that might be considered an important detail about the character, but keep in mind if it's boring and meaningless to the character, it's boring and meaningless to your audience.

You know how I said earlier that writing tips should never be hard and fast rules? Well this is in regards to that Show Don't Tell rule, and it's an example of TOO MUCH showing lol

It is possible to do a daily grind in an interesting way, but only if you include a Shake Up right away. And you have to look at the 3 questions a little bit differently.

So for example:

Castiel POV, and he works in an office. His daily routine is to always get up at the same time every day, he goes for his run, he grooms himself, he has his breakfast, he goes to work and talks to Kelly about how Jack's doing in kindergarten for a few minutes before going into his office. Adler comes in to be a prick, Castiel hates him for it, and then he does his reports, has lunch hiding in a corner of the lunch room so that his co-workers will leave him alone, he does more reporting, leaves an hour after his shift technically ends, goes home to a lonely apartment that maybe includes a pet who is the only being that shows him affection, has an unsatisfying dinner of leftover takeout while watching a mindless reality tv show, then he goes to bed.

Ugh.

BORING.

Which, yeah I get it, the point is that his life is boring. But now the story is too, and I've clicked the back button before I can see how exciting it's capable of getting.

Question 1, does your character need to know this?: No. He knows. Poor thing definitely already knows.

Question 2, does your audience need to know this?: Yes, but...

Question 3, does the character/audience need to know this NOW?: Yes, but new question for ya:

Optional Question 4, why does this need to be separate from your plot's inciting incident? The answer to this 4th question is usually that it doesn't.

Chapter 2 of this type of beginning usually shows the shake up of Castiel's day. My advice is to start with the shakeup, and sprinkle in the details of what you would have put into chapter 1 to show the contrast. It's far more interesting to learn how boring Castiel's day is by starting with the shake up.

So, same scenario:

Castiel's alarm doesn't go off for some reason, OH NO HIS ROUTINE IS SHAKEN UP! You're explaining his routine while also stressing him the fuck out because he has to rush, or skip something that he normally needs to do. Action! Interesting! He gets to work late, and has to miss his conversation with Kelly about Jack because she's telling him that Adler's already in his office being a prick because Castiel isn't there waiting for him like he always is. Oh shit, he's pissing off his asshole boss! Conflict! He's so flustered by the shakeups that he misses something on his report, and he gets a call from that new marketing guy Dean Winchester who asks if they can have a meeting about it when Castiel normally takes his lunch. BAM! MEET CUTE OPPORTUNITY! While Castiel is getting all flustered by how pretty Dean is while they talk about TPS reports, he can reflect on how this is both better and worse than hiding from his co-workers in the corner of the lunch room. The rest of the day after that meeting he's thinking about how weird this day is, he still goes home an hour late, he talks to his pet about his weird day when he gets home, and maybe he still eats leftover takeout, but he's not paying attention to the reality tv show because holy shit he wants to count Dean's freckles.

In this example, you're Telling the audience about Castiel's normal routine instead of Showing them. But since it's during a plot heavy chapter, it works!

Lemme see if I can TL:DR this...

As you're reading, ask yourself who needs to know this information, why do they need to know this information, and why is it important for this information to be included early instead of later?

If the answer to any of those questions boils down to "this is backstory" instead of "this kicks off the plot", then you've started too early.

I hope this helps? I'm always nervous about giving writing advice because so much of the time I have no idea what I'm doing, and I'm just feeling around in the dark. And I definitely do not ever want to hurt an author's feelings, because this hobby is so fucking hard, and we're all fragile. Even authors who welcome con-crit with open arms will have a weak point that they're unaware of that might get poked wrong and cause a crack, ya know?

I hope anyone who gets this far who might see their own works reflected in my examples understands that I have a lot of respect for their ability to put their work out into the world, and I want them to keep doing it. We're here to have fun, okay? Okay. I love y'all 💜

[darling-i-read-it]

Breakfast

Norman Bates x gn!reader

Word Count: 900

Warnings: brief mentions of normans mother and the trauma

Author’s Note: norman <3 I hope you enjoy love! I’m sorry it’s so short but I just wanted to make a short little thing that didn’t have much of a plot lol

Requested: by anon, hi maya!! i requested jason, herbert, jd, herbert & norman a while back and u did not disappoint :]] did i cry? a little, don’t tell anyone tho SJDJSJSJ i was wondering if u could do maybe a blurb about norman x gender neutral reader that’s just super domestic and cute like maybe them waking up together and making breakfast or something? thank u endlessly if u decide to, and i hope u have an immaculate day/afternoon/night :] <33

Summary: the request

Genre: fluff

I don’t own these characters. They belong to author/director/creator

(not my gif)

You very rarely woke up before Norman. When you wake up in the morning he was always gone, down at the motel or going out to get something before you woke up. You were used to it. He was an early bird and you were not. He would always make a pot of coffee beforehand for you when you woke up and decided to join him downstairs.

But this morning you woke up and he was right there beside you. You were surprised, pleasantly so. You smiled to yourself sleepy and gazed at his sleeping face. He had been out late the night before. Usually he was in bed before you. He was a lightweight. But you went to sleep together last night after dealing with some pretty annoying customers at the hotel.

He had his arm draped over your side. You lifted your hand slowly and brushed a piece of hair out of his head. He moved gently and you worried you had woken him up.

“I was already awake,” he promised very quietly. You smiled gently. He moved closer to you, putting his head on your chest, holding you closely to him. You brushed the back of his head, your lips on his forehead.

“Mornin Norman,” you breathed. “What are you still doing here?” He whined quietly. He felt so warm against your body. He liked to be held like this but only in small moments like this, moments that wouldn’t last forever.

“I must have slept in. Are those people gone?” You lifted your head gently and looked out the window. The cars were still there.

“No, still here.” He nodded.

“Do you want breakfast?” he questioned.

“I would love some. Do I get to help this time around?” you questioned. He lifted his head so that you were eye to eye.

“You can always help.” He paused. “With the coffee pot.” You giggled and put your head on his forehead.

“Yeah yeah, lemme put on some pants and I will race you to the eggs.”

“Jokes on you, I’m already wearing pants.”

“Your boxers do not count as pants Norman!”

===

You giggled as you sat down on the counter. Norman was trying very hard to make sure you weren’t doing anything. He didn’t care how much you begged, he was going to make you breakfast. You swung your legs back and forth, watching him flip the pancake dramatically.

“If you drop it then I get a go.” “When have I ever dropped a pancake?” he questioned. “My mother taught me how to make them when I was five years old and even then, I was a natural,” he explained with a kind look towards you. He didn’t talk about his mother often. You knew how much pain she had caused him and how much he was still affected by it. It was nice to hear him mention it casually, like it had no problem with it. You locked your foot around his leg and tugged him toward you.

He still got flustered when you did those kinds of things. No matter how long you had been together. He had the pan in his hand and the pancake that was in the air fell on the side of it. You smiled sweetly.

“Uh oh.”

“That isn’t fair!”

“What, are there rules now Bates?”

“There’s common courtesy,” he insisted. You kissed his forehead and dropped down off the

“Common courtesy goes out the window when you live with someone Norman,” you said and grabbed the pan. You turned the pancake over with a spatula.

“I see you’re not trying to flip it.”

“Yes because no matter how much of a lovely gentleman you are, you will try and get it out of my hands.” He laughed happily and you turned, kissing his cheek. He flushed and turned to the toaster to start the toast.

“Stop trying to read me.” “Never.”

Psycho Tag List: @michaelmyersthestabbyboi, @teenyfranchini, @alexxavicry

[kusagrasskusa]

Fell! Sans X Reader - "Boss is gonna kill me-"

Here at the Hamilcult, we support fluff fanfics in cringy fandoms that likely implement OOC cannon characters. That was sarcasm but even so, just know that this might be sorta OOC and this is fluff :3

Also, prepare for a Wattpad level written story and a shitty plot. I just got done writing a 7000 worded fanfic and frankly, I need a b r e a k.

Forgive me for I have sinned writing this

~~~~~~~

Y/N yawned, rubbing her tired eyes before laying back on her chair. She sunk deep into her warm coat, the fluffy fur on the hood making her feel more relaxed. The coat was oversized black and red with big pockets, perfect for a human in a place like Snowdin. After all, at the post near the conveniently shaped lamp, Y/N was waiting in the blistering cold. Well, the scenery looked peaceful but it definitely was snowing and the air was terribly cold. The fur on the coat rubbed against her face, making her cheeks turn red from the contrast heat of it and the cold air.

She whined and pulled the coat over her head when a few snowflakes touched her face. "Cold," she mumbled tiredly. Y/N flipped her body to the side and whined again. This time, the problem was how uncomfortable her position was. So she tossed over to the other direction and laid her head against the chair. "...the chair is uncomfortable," she tiredly whined.

"If it's that bad then just fucking leave," a rough, annoyed voice spoke. It was Sans, the slightly taller skeleton with a red sweater on and without his coat. "I want my coat back anyway. You're getting ya' human scent in it and I don't want that kinda trouble," he continued. Y/N huffed and sat up straight. She was around his size to sat the least, but a bit thinner and shorter.

"But I thought you wanted me out here," she retorted. "You clearly get lonely here after a while so I wanted to stay with you."

"Yeah, well stayin' with me hasn't brought more customers, has it?" He replied, turning his head towards the younger girl. His red eyes seethe into her soul basically, but Y/N just giggled at his serious expression. The hood covered half her face so her eyes were widen, which they usually were. It's strange because even without the hoodie, something is always covering her eyes whether it's her hair or not. And without a barber in Snowdin and hundreds of people who want to murder her for being human, Y/N hair is bound to grow out anyway.

"You're so funny sometimes Sans," she complimented with a sweet smile on her face. "You have such a cute look when you're mad...well actually, I don't think I've ever seen you not mad before. I wonder what a genuine smile would look like..." she mumbled sleepily. Sans felt his cheeks light up a bit so he turned away from her, rolling his eyes. He wasn't used to such words at all.

"Huh?–" Sans jumped as he felt the girl's arms wrap around his body softly. She had slipped her arms out of the coat for Sans to out his arms in.

"Put the coat back on. It's big enough for me to fit back here," she giggled quietly as she rested her head on Sans's shoulder. Sans felt his fa e turn red and his body tense; he growled and turn his head towards her.

"I gave the damn thing to you, so wear it properly !"

"But you're cold and you're coat can fit us both."

"I don't care!" Sans hissed back, making Y/N giggled. The two friends often had times like this; wholesome and adorable with Sans getting all flustered. Sans barely even saw her a friend as he promised he would never let anyone get too close to him so he doesn't turn soft. But Y/N's persistent and sweet personality really struck him hard. Of course, he wouldn't go as far as to crush on her, right? No, their just good friends...

Y/N' cheeks puffed out and she pouted her lip like an upset toddler. "Sans, please? Just this once?" She asked as she squeezed him into a tighter hug. Sans scoffed and shook his head.

"No! What am I, some pueny pawn? I will not sink that fucking low," Sans seethed. Y/N was silent for a few moments before simply letting go of her tight grip and going lip against Sans's back. She head remained on his shoulder and luckily his sweater cushioned the feel of his bones, making this a comfortable position.

"I like this much better," she said tiredly with a warm smile on her face. Sans was sitting on a rather large chair that he got in order to find better sleeping situations without sliding off it, but because he was sitting on the edge of the chair, Y/N could easily slide behind him. She sat on her knees that were either side of him and yet it was so comfortable for her. "You're more comfortable than a chair." Her voice got lower and softer each time he spoke but it didn't lose its sweetness once.

"Yeah, well I ain't no damn pillow Y/N. Get the hell off me... Hello?" He asked when he didn't get a response. He turned his head to face the girl and saw her completely emersed into the dream world. It's true that he couldn't see her eyes, but he still could tell. He sighed heavily and turned his head in front of him.

"Huh‐ Ah!-" Y/N shrieked as she was pushed into the freezing snow.

"Ahahaha!" Sans laughed hard as he watched Y/N freak out. "I told you I wasn't no damn pillow!" He laughed as he put his hands on his knees. Y/N whined she stood straight up and glared at him. She walked over to him with a pout on her lip and lightly punched his arm.

"Hmph!" Sans chuckled at her adorable attempt at being angry and bopper her nose rough enough to push her away a bit.

"Was that supposed to make me feel bad, human? Well lemme tell ya', that just won't do," Sans spoke as his smile grew cockier.

"I wasn't even trying to hurt you, so don't start that," Y/N retorted. Sans rolled his eyes while he kept up his cocky smile. He shrugged and pu

"Yeah, sure. You fists are as strong as a fly's. You couldn't hurt me, even if you tried," he pushed. Y/N hmphed and shook her head. She pulled her arm back and punched him right in the shoulder as hard as her tired arm could. Sans just snickered and didn't even flinch.

"Wait, was that the best you got? I heard you humans are supposed to be strong." Sans shrugged his shoulders before pulling his hands out of his pockets and stretching. "Whatever, I guess it doesn't matter all that much. If you ever did decide to attack me, it's not like you'd live long enough to be able to lay a hit on me. And anyone else down here would have no problem given all they got to some little girl."

"I'm 20."

"Doesn't matter," Sans said as he put his hands back in his pockets. Y/N sighed and shook her head.

"You know I wouldn't hurt anyone down here as much as I know you wouldn't hurt me, Sans," her soft replied. To be honest, his name being spoken so sweetly had a good ring to Sans' ears.

"Yeah, well you can't blame me for being cautious. You humans put us down here, remember? You humans murdered so many monsters for no fucking reason then trapped the rest of us down here with your strong souls as aid. Then a few fallen human children came down here and either murdered a little, a large portion, or one of us. Still, you humans seem to be naturally turned to a genocide even though you have fucking everything you can possibly want on the surface. Us monsters have nothing, not even a real sun or moon, to make us happy, so our rage is justified." Sans finished his train of thought with a scowl; he turned his head towards the snow building up on the ground and glared at it. Y/N frowned, holding her arms to her chest.

"...Hey, Sans. It stopped snowing, so we don't have to worry about a blizzard keeping us from going to Grillby's," Y/N said as she looked out of the post, finally noticing the snow had stopped falling.

"Why would I worry about a blizzard? I got a shortcut that'll get us there in no time," he smirked and looked up at her. Y/N cocked her head questioning, humming. "Just follow me, aight," he spoke as he walked behind the post. Y/N caught up with him in no time while holding the sides of the coat close to together instead of zipping it. The sleeves just hung by her sides as she still wanted Sans to wear the coat with her cuddling up behind him, mostly because she could still use the hoode that way.

As they walked up to a tree, suddenly, Sans chuckled. The next moment, they were at the doorway of Grillby's and the absorbed by heat and warm light. Y/N looked around her frantically and confused, "how did you do that?"

"Ya humans got strong souls, us monsters have magic," he explained with a cocky smile. "Now let's go sit down at the bar instead of the booth this time. That drunk bunny annoys the shit outta me," he mumbled the last part as he walked over to the bar with Y/N following.

As she passed the dogs, one of them called out, "wait, is that a human? Isn't that the one we fought before?" It was Dogamy who spoke out, then causing her husband to talk back.

"I think so, yes, the one that turned into a puppy that liked to pet other dogs!"

Y/N giggled tiredly as she sat down at the bar besides Sans, listening on their conversation a few seconds longer before returning her focus to Sans alone. "I want a burger," she mumbled.

"Aight," Sans replied. He signaled for Grillby to walk over after he finished making a drink for another customer. The being of purple fire had what looked like a jagged white frown for a mouth, and he wore a skintight black vest with a white undershirt with rolled up sleeves and black jeans as his attire. He vest was also low cut, so an outline of his chest was visible. Although he had a serious tone, he definitely seemed like he could flirt successfully to any person he wanted.

"What," Grillby's echoy voice rung. The purple fire that made up his body flickered and cracked, making Y/N smile from the satisfying sound.

"Two burgers, put it on my tab," Sans replied, leaning on the counter with a mustard bottle in his hand. Grillby wrote down his order and walked towards the kitchen door with a "fire onlt" sign on it. He walked inside the kitchen and came out with a drink; it was F/D, something Y/N typically ordered when she came to the bar. He set the drink down in front of her.

"On the house," Grillby spoke. Y/N smiled softly at him, thanking him. "Tch," he responded before tending to other costumers. Grillby didn't really like Y/N, but he appreciated the little work and silence she brought him. She only spoke when spoken to, and she didn't order things that were hella hard to make and then complain about it. Sans growled, rolling his eyes.

"Fucking simp," he hissed. Y/N tilted her head, humming.

"Hmm? Why?" Y/N asked before taking a sip if her drink.

"He's losin' money by given out free drinks. And of anyone, to you."

"Well," Y/N smirked sweetly. "I come here a lot and that attracts monsters who want to see the human. So by being tourist attraction, he makes more money," she explained. Sans scoffed, his cheeks reddening.

"Whatever." Aww, our bebe skeleboi is jealous of the big, tall, muscular fire dude! Y/N giggled, patting him on the shoulder.

"I really appreciate you bringing me here with you. When you decide to pay your tab, remind me to contribute enough money to help." Sans shrugged, smirking.

"People like you are too nice down here, really."

"It feels nice to help someone."

"It's not so nice when people try to kill you over it," Sans retorted. Y/N frowned, nodding.

"I guess I didn't grow up down here so there isn't much for me to say, but I can't help but think everyone down here is kind but hurt. I mean, there's a lot about you I noticed that aren't so...pleasant, but you managed to treat me like a person with emotions and opinions. I doubt that of hundreds, you're the only one down here like that," she explained. Sans sighed again, rubbing his eyes.

"Like I said, people like you are too nice down here." Sans finished the conversation this way and then came a long moment of silence. In that time, Grillby came over with two plates with burgers on them. He set them in front of the two.

"Here."

"Thank you, Grillby," Y/N thanked with a warm smile on her face. Grillby silently nodded at her before walking away. She grabbed the ketchup and poured some on her burger, whereas Sans barely acknowledged what was happening around him. He was getting caught up in his thoughts right now, a bit overwhelmed with them actually. Finally, he stood up and walked away from the bar, heading out the front door. Y/N hummed and took a bite of her burger, watching Sans leave.

She set her food down and ran after him, leaving the restaurant right when he did. "Is everything alright?" She asked worriedly, making Sans scowl.

"God, y'know, you gotta stop assuming something's wrong. I'm fine. And either way, I wouldn't tell you some edgy shit no one cares about," Sans replied. Y/N was silent at first, then she took off the coat she still had on. Her hair brushed over her eyes as she did that, making them impossible to see. She put the hood on top of Sans' head before wrapping her arms together coldly. "Why do you're eyes always do that?"

"Do what?" She asked.

"If they ain't covered by a hood, it's covered by your hair. If not your hair, someone's or something's blocking your face. If it's not that, then you're head it turned away from view. It's weird," Sans explained. Y/N hummed, not noticing that until now.

"Well... Do you want to see my eyes?" She asked as she brought her hands up. She was wearing one of Sans's red shirts, which sorta made this moment more cliche but who cares. Sans slowly nodded, curious. Then Y/N pushed her hair out of her face, revealing her normal looking E/C eyes. Well, aside from the kindness and care that laid within them. And it was that feature that hit Sans first.

"Woah," he mumbled, tuning his full body towards her. "That's beautiful!" Y/N giggled, making Sans' face redden. He opened his mouth to form a quick insult to her in order to make him seem like he didn't mean it, but Y/N spoke first.

"Thank you. Your eyes are very pretty as well. It has a nice color to it, too," she replied softly. Sans huffed silently, looking to the side.

"I, uh...thanks," he mumbled as he put his hand in his pockets. He sighed and put coat on right, burying his face in the hood fur. It was obvious that he was pretty flustered right now and reddened, as he did truly feel his chest warm when he was around Y/N. It was strange for him to feel this way so he typically pushed his feelings away and told himself that he was just her guardian per say. But he knew deep down in his heart it wasn't true.

"Look, I got something to say to you," Sans pushed more harshly then intended. "And I don't wanna hear any of this being told or heard by other monsters, got it? This is us and us alone, ya understand? This shit is hard to say, so..." he drifted off. The snow was started to pick up again, making the scene look more aesthetic.

Y/N nodded, listening to him closely when began talking. "This shit isn't said very often down here; no, it's not said at all actually. But you're human, and you have a different heart so..." he trailed off again, scratching the back of his head. He looked Y/N in the eyes and gave her a flustered glare like if he was embarrassed, which she took no offense to. "I don't just give anyone the right to take my coat, waste my time, bother me, stop me from sleeping, and more. It's just you and Boss, and even he has less power than you."

He continued after a deep breath. "And its not because you're human or I pity you. In fact, I couldn't care less if you're soul is strong, since I could still break it; I couldn't care less if you fell down here, since we're trapped down here too. I let you do because... it's like a bandaid, just gotta say it... I care about you. Not even like a sister or close friend, no, I mean if you were about to be shot, I would jump in front of bullet so you could liev put your life happily. I love you."

Y/N was silent, sorta just staring. Her whole body was shook, frozen, and in shock. She didn't even know what she just heard or if she was dreaming. She even forgot that she was freezing due to being too caught up in her feelings. Sans stood there silently for about 10 seconds as well, before he face-palmed and grew red jn embarrassment. That's when a tear escaped the corner of Y/N's eye and a large smile grew on her features.

"Sans," she replied sweetly as she walked over to him. She fell forwards on him and wrapped her arms around the inside of the coat, around his sweater. The embraced him tightly and said, "I love you too!" Sans felt his heart move a little and a new feeling wash over him. Without being able to control it, he felt a genuine smile grow on his face as he hugged her back tightly.

"I'm so...glad," he breathed out heavily, his nerves relaxing. The two stayed in that position for a while before eventually breaking off. Y/N pecked him on the cheek before grabbing his hand.

"We should go back inside, hehe. The food'll get cold," she said as she motioned to the door. Sans nodded nervously, chuckling.

"Yeah, and Grillby will be pissed if we wasted food. I don't wanna deal with that again." The two fo them walked inside the restaurant/bar, they started their way back to the bar. Yet when they got in, the bar was silent. I mean, the restaurant was pitch silent; not only that, but many eyes were on them as they walked in. Y/N completely ignored their exists' and sat down on the barstool, picked up her burger and ate it. Luckily was still warm. Sans on the other hand was hella nervous. No, he was fucking terrified.

Grillby walked over to the two and leaned forward, so than when he whispered, only they could hear. "The bunny chick saw you two hug and kiss. Just play it cool, and they'll forget all about it in a few days." Well shit, Sans thought. Boss is gonna kill me when he finds out.

Y/N just ate her burger in peace, not really caring if other people knew about them. After all, it's their choice to laugh about like a boy kindergartener complaining about holding hands with a girl because it means their "dating," or to hear about it and mind their own business.

[ironmandeficiency]

pedro boys + spending habits

word count: fuck if i know, wrote it thru the app

characters: din, marcus m, dave, pero, marcus p, oberyn, max, frankie, whiskey, maxwell, javier, ezra

a/n: idk what caused this to happen but it works i guess. hope they make sense

✨support my ko-fi✨

trust him with your money, your drink, your social security number, everything:

din. this man is barely scraping by on his own when you first meet him. when he adds the kid to the mix, he gets even more frugal than he already is with an old as sin ship that many people are surprised to see fly. he will have a policy of “you earn it, you choose what to do with it” and since he goes after most of (if not all) the bounties to keep you all alive, he has the final say in how most of the credits are spent. he does want you to have nice things though, so he makes sure to configure the budget to where you don’t have to pour your credits into the group’s survival money very often. it’s the least he can do. he’s very big on taking care of his people and will show that in small ways.

marcus m. he’s a single dad for a significant amount of time, he has no choice but to be responsible with his money. he has to take care of missy, keep them both fed and housed and healthy, and that’s not even touching on how expensive all of high school graduation and college will be once she gets there. he teaches missy very early in life how important money is bc he doesn’t want her to ever know how it feels to not have enough. he makes a considerable amount of money w the heroics tho so he can afford to responsibly splurge on you both, but not constantly. is very cautious abt the splurging becoming a habit

dave. yeah he may be a murderer, but he’s scary great at managing his money (to continue being able to murder). he’s got his ex wife’s alimony (that still pisses him off but that’s another story) and two girls he takes care of, there’s no other choice for him either. there’s never a worry about dave having a midlife crisis and spending money on some stupid dad thing (like a motorcycle or assless chaps or a country club membership) because he murders to keep his mind off that sort of stuff. files his taxes diligently every year the day tax season starts and will pass this wisdom to the girls.

pero. he’s very good at judging if you need something or not. if it can’t feed you, keep you healthy, kill someone, or protect you, you don’t need to buy it. definitely not a man who indulges in trinkets and frivolous things that do nothing but weigh down his horse and his person. will encourage this way of thinking with whoever travels with him to whatever extent he can, but won’t be a dick about it if you have something sentimental on your person. if it’s a necessity, he will splurge on a bed and bath at an inn but not much else for a while. cheap because he has to be

marcus p. i don’t think i have to explain this one so i won’t. no i’m not being lazy who said that?

maybe you’ll be fine if he’s in charge. maybe:

oberyn. being a prince (and himself), there are different ways this could go. he spends his money frivolously at brothels & on his daughters + other loved ones (as well as other luxuries) and doesn’t really seem to be the type to keep tabs on it all as he goes. but... he’s a prince in a prosperous kingdom and so there isn’t really a worry for money. he’s known as the red viper for many reasons, including his clever nature and the ease with which he can get what he wants thru whatever means necessary. if you want for something that he can’t buy, you know he will find a way to get it for you (which can be a problem sometimes).

max. he’s good with money in the sense of perpetuating capitalism — that’s the red flag here. hell, he’s gonna be investing into bitcoin and who knows what stock market bs & bc it’s max, of course you trust him. max can’t control the stock market tho, so sometimes things are a little iffy. it always evens itself out though, and you make sure in the future that he invests his money instead of your joint money. he’s still gonna share anyways, it just helps you have a little more peace of mind.

frankie. he just wants to take care of you, okay? you can’t fault him for that 🥺 he maneuvers his budget around to make sure he can do all these nice things for you while leaving his own needs unchecked, which isn’t okay. he just wants to provide for the ppl he loves the best he can, but the problem begins when he starts to think he isn’t doing enough. his insecurity & lack of self-worth (fueled by his guilt for “not being everything you deserve”) is what makes him agree to the Trip™️ in the first place. once he comes back & sees you frantic, only wanting him home and not giving a flying fuck about the money, does he realize that you’re devoted to him and not what he can do for you.

whiskey. working for statesman made him forget what things really cost bc he suddenly never had to worry again about not having enough money. being with someone that isn’t practically made of money will snap him back into reality. he looks at his bank statements and his balance occasionally, but our big spender cowboy hasn’t really counted money as something he worries about for a while. when he constantly showers you in expensive gifts (only the best for his baby, that’s his motto) and you tell him that he has to not do that bc he’ll go broke, he plays it off because he doesn’t remember having to worry. separate bank accounts are only because you want to make sure your money is being spent smartly (even though jack has offered constantly to pay for literally anything you need).

don’t give him anything you want to see again:

maxwell. as much as i love this dork, he’s absolute shit with money. when his business is falling apart (bc he made the stupid ass decision to buy the oil rigs no one wanted bc they weren’t producing oil), he throws it all into saving face and trying to make investors buy into something that isn’t there. what a smart business man would’ve done was liquidate his assets and possibly try to get into a business that will yield at least some profit. he does learn his lesson tho and eventually can be trusted with money, but even he is hesitant to do anything with the household finances. he’s a dreamer, and dreams and money are the same as oil and water.

javier. i know you’re possibly surprised but hear me out. he’ll go all in to get info, whether he’s spending american taxpayer money or his own money or anyone else’s, if it’s valuable info that can be bought, it’s gonna be bought even if he goes without groceries for the next two weeks. before being with you, it was booze and prostitutes and cigarettes that ate away at his checks outside of buying information. the only thing that really changed once you got together was the prostitutes and slightly less cigarettes and booze. however, when he goes back to laredo permanently, he’s perfectly capable of keeping his shit in line. he’ll balance every checkbook in sight and run a tight af ship.

ezra. this man is a scavenger by necessity, a con man by choice. he has a silver tongue and a roguish charm and pretty questionable morals; he’s not gonna have any issue with getting his hands dirty. he’s probably gonna use your joint money to try and pull a fast one on some unsuspecting stranger (“it’ll double our money,” he says, “it’ll be fine,” he says), but then said stranger will end up turning the tables and leave you both absolutely broke. yeah he will feel guilty, no doubt. the only problem is that he won’t take it as a “hey don’t do it again” lesson, it’ll be a “this is how i can improve for next time.” eventually you have to put your foot down and take control of the money and when he realizes that you’re improving your lives much better than he is, he will thank you for it.

all pedro character taglists: @likeshootingstarsinthenightsky @obirain @leias-left-hair-bun @themarcusmoreno @catsnkooks @captainrexstan @mackstrut @torradoza @simping-for-fives @stardustsunrisekisses @darthadeline @artemis61003 @majorshiraharu @getdookuedon @capricornrabies @max--phillips @darklingveracruz @book-of-anarchy @andysficrecs @purelypascal @whovianwar @lv7867 @hornystarwarsbisexual @kaermorons @princess76179 @pedropasscals @greeneyedblondie44 @seasonschange-butpeopledont @qhbr2013 if you don’t want to be tagged, lemme know!! the link to join is in my bio

[ibis-gt]

42 for the writing prompts?

goin with mercenary au cam n luther for this one... they have a fight and cam is kind of an asshole unu

*************

“Cam, can I talk to you?” Luther scuffed his shoe against the dirt road. His arms were crossed over his chest, trying to keep the spiky hot ball of anxiety inside locked down. Cam glanced down at him and nodded.

“What’s up?”

Luther chewed his lip for a moment, trying to figure out how to open the conversation. The thing was, Cam was huge. Luther barely came up to his knee. Cam could pick him up easily with one hand, and did, often without warning. That was the problem.

“I… wanted to talk about what happened back there. At the wedding.”

Cam raised an impressive eyebrow. “Sure. What about it?”

“You kind of, um… picked me up.” Why was it so hard to get the words out? “Uh, and, you didn’t, um… tell me that you were going to.”

Cam stared at him, waiting for him to go on. That seemed to be the end of it. “Okay, I’ve done that a million times. And?”

“Right, but, I don’t, uh… want you to.”

“I don’t really think that matters.” Cam’s voice was as infuriatingly cool and level as ever.

Luther’s eyes widened. “What?”

“Okay, yeah, that sounded bad. Lemme explain. So, do you remember the part where guys with weapons were trying to kill you?” 

Luther bit the inside of his cheek to keep from snapping at Cam. What an infuriating, infantilizing question. “I - yes, I remember, it was like a week ago.” One of Luther’s hands slipped down to his stomach, feeling the bandage wrapped around the nasty wound he’d received before they managed to get out of there.

“Right. I was getting you away from them as quickly as possible. I didn’t really have time to confer with you about that. It’s my job to keep you safe, so I kept you safe.”

“Okay, fine, but I don’t want you to do that again.”

“You don’t want me to keep you safe?” Cam’s perfectly cool and calm expression was starting to fade, replaced by a look of annoyance.

“No, I don’t want you to pick me up without my permission.” Luther was pretty frustrated himself. It was like Cam was willfully ignoring his point. How was he not getting it?

Cam rolled his eyes. “Look, what else am I supposed to do? Heat of the moment, you’re in danger - ”

“You could ask?!” Luther shouted, finally reaching the end of his patience.

Cam threw up his hands in exasperation. “Of course! Why didn’t I think of that! While they’re swinging swords at your neck, I’ll just be like ‘excuse me, my lord, I’m terribly sorry to bother you, but could I perhaps carry you away from this horribly dangerous situation before - oh too late there goes your head!’”

Luther glared up at him in furious silence, hot tears threatening to spill down his cheeks. When he spoke again, his voice was disconcertingly soft. 

“Why do you always have to do that?”

It was practically a whisper. It threw Cam off his rhythm. He’d been prepared to sling another barbed comment, but the incongruity of it unbalanced him. He couldn’t think of how to respond, just stared down at Luther in bemusement.

“Why do you always have to blow things out of proportion?” Luther continued, rubbing at his eyes with the heel of his hand. “I’m not asking that much of you. Just… ask before you pick me up. Say something instead of just doing whatever you want. You leave me out of your decision-making all the time. You never tell me anything, you just act like you know best and I couldn’t possibly understand. It’s my life. You get that, don’t you? It’s my life that’s on the line. Why don’t I get a say in what happens to me?”

“Luther...” Cam started to reach a hand out to him, but Luther backed away.

“No. Don’t touch me. Not right now.” He sniffled. “This is how it’s been my whole life, too. I don’t get a say in anything. I’m moved around from place to place, always under someone else’s control, someone who thinks they know what’s best for me and my feelings don’t matter. You’re acting just like my father.”

Cam felt like he’d been punched in the gut. All the air and all the fight left him in an instant. He knew exactly how Luther felt about his father. They’d spent hours together during the wedding planning, with Luther ranting about how awful he’d been and how glad he was to be away from the guy. Cam sagged, slumping to his knees and dropping his hands and his gaze to the ground. “Oh,” he said. It was all he could say right then, despite the whirlwind of words spinning around his head. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it, I never wanted that, I should’ve listened to you. But it wouldn’t matter if I said any of that, he thought. Luther doesn’t want to hear it.

A long moment passed. Cam had assumed Luther would walk off and leave him there, so when Luther spoke again he started and looked up in shock.

“Is that all you have to say?” Luther asked, staring at him. “Not even an apology?”

“I - no, I’m sorry, I… I thought you were… leaving?”

“Why would I leave?”

“You just… you’re mad at me. You yelled at me. I thought… I don’t know. That you don’t like me anymore. You were so angry at me. So you’d just go.”

“I do like you, Cam. That’s why I’m telling you this. I want us to fix this.” Luther took a step closer, his face more concerned than angry now. “We can fix this. You know that, right?” He closed the distance between them and reached up to touch a tiny, delicate hand to Cam’s cheek. Cam lifted his own massive hand and placed it gently over Luther’s. He fought a sob that threatened to rise in his throat and choke him.

“Yeah,” he managed to say at last. “We can. I’m sorry. Can I, uh… hug you?”

Luther smiled. “Go ahead, big guy.”