Prompt #40

Prompt #40

The villain had been gone for a whole month and the henchman was glad to say that they'd held down the fort successfully. The supervillain's request for their superior's help had come as a shock for sure - and on such short notice too - but it was hardly an opportunity they could turn down. Hardly an opportunity that the villain would want to turn down: they'd dreamt of working with the supervillain for years...

In a selfish way, the henchman was afraid. They loved working for the villain. If this became something permanent - if the villain's new work excursions changed from a month of hands-on scheming to a fulltime employment then where would that leave them? The business the supervillain ran was different. There was no room in it for the henchman, or any of the other small criminals that the villain had roped together under their own small company. If the villain left, then they supposed that would leave them in charge but the henchman didn't want that.

After all, they'd never entered the business of villainy for their own gain.

They liked playing the role of assistant. They liked being able to support the only person they had ever truly cared about.

The henchman shook themself a little as the doors to the office opened, quickly brushing down the villain's seat and standing to the side of it - eyes roaming over every little detail even though they already knew everything to be perfectly in place.

"Villain, welcome b--"

They cut off almost instantly. The shadow of their superior that stood before them so uncharacteristically small.

The villain was pale. Their shoulders hunched inwards and their eyes stayed focused down - the skin of their left cheek mottled with purple and black, the narrow cut there barely a few days old.

"Villain?" the henchman asked, and their voice had never been softer. They drifted forwards slightly, hands itching to reach out. "Are you okay?"

A breath.

The villain's eyes turned up ever so slowly, the corners shining with unshed tears.

"Henchman, I...I think I made a mistake."

need to see more relationships where it’s like. i’d let you destroy the world but i’d never let you destroy yourself. oh, you want to run rampant through villages? build kingdoms from the ground up just to destroy them? play god so well that the earth and the heavens shake in fear? sure! have fun. not on an empty stomach though, i’ll go make you some sandwhiches. if you think you’re going out to conquer the material plane WITHOUT taking your vitamins first than you really did go crazy from all the bloodshed on your hands. have fun out there sweetie <3 remember to drink water.

helluo....would u write a henchman who Really likes cats and villain who has cat based power (which technically means they also have the habits of a cat (i.e loaf, etc etc.)) . wirh the ears n tails n stuff

HENCHMAN X VILLAIN? SAY NO MORE!

Love this prompt, was a really fun write :3

Got fuckin sappy with this one (I mean tbf I have for most of them but you know)

Snippet #6

Henchman peeked up from their work again for maybe the thousandth time so far- they couldn't keep themself focused on the paperwork on their desk with that view constantly at the side of the room!

Villain was laying prone across one of the couches in the room. They were usually meant for people waiting on Henchman for meetings and whatnot but about an hour ago Villain just sat down and got comfy, idly batting around a small pet toy in front of them.

Henchman couldn't take their eyes off- they'd barely completed half a page of the stack in front of them since Villain settled there.

They just looked so goddamn cute!! Their fluffy little cat ears flicking around playfully, their genuine enjoyment of and intent focus on the toy in front of them despite their typical seriousness, their generally adorable face looking so content right now-

"Do you need something, Henchman?"

They snapped out of their daydream at Villain's firm voice calling them out for losing focus, still just as stern and precise as ever despite their adorably tonally unfitting current activity.

"N-Not at all, Villain!" Henchman hastily lied, directing their attention back at their paperwork.

"Then don't lose focus."

Henchman looked down at their paper, trying their hardest to keep their attention on it... but god, they couldn't take their mind off Villain. They so badly wanted to just... pet them, feel that soft fur, hear lil sounds of contentment from them...

After about a minute of failing to keep their mind on anything but their adorable feline boss, they sighed and looked back up.

They weren't sure if asking this was a good idea, but they figured it was either this or disobey Villain by continuing to get nothing done, and they'd rather do absolutely anything than disobey Villain.

"V-Villain?"

They looked up from the toy again to see Henchman... blushing. They weren't sure why, but it was honestly kind of adorable to see. "Yes?"

"I'm, uh... well- uh, I'm getting a little too... d-distracted to focus? Can I take a small break-?"

They hastily whispered something after 'break' that Villain couldn't quite make out. They cocked their head to the side in a way that made Henchman melt just a little more.

"What was that last part, Henchman?"

"O-OH, uh, well, it- uh, well, y'know, it's like- well, I mean-"

"Shh." Villain interrupted, causing Henchman to stop instantly. "Take your time."

It flustered Henchman even more, but they kept it together enough to take a few deep breaths and gather their thoughts.

"Okay... I also- well, I didn't mean to, but-"

"Focus."

"U-Understood. I... asked if I could maybe... pet you a little, too...?"

Henchman was both blushing like mad and was nervous as all hell. It was such a stupid thing to ask, especially to someone this powerful, notorious, and rather amoral. They braced for the reacti-

"Eh, sure. I've got nothing better to do."

Henchman blinked a few times in surprise, processing that they were actually just granted permission before being completely overtaken by excitement.

"REALLY?" They squealed embarrassingly loud, still trying to be careful just in case.

"Ow- Quiet! But... yes." They grumbled back.

"Q-Quiet! Got it!!" Henchman stuttered out, quickly and eagerly going around their desk to the couch. They kneeled next to the couch to be directly next to Villain's head laying on it instead of awkwardly sitting next to their sprawled form.

They took another quick deep breath when they got there to steady themself- they didn't want to be TOO overzealous and make Villain regret their decision. Keeping themself calm for Villain's sake, they gently reached a hand out to brush it across Villain's head... and they let out a gasp, almost melting on the spot.

It was so, so much better than they could've imagined.

It was soft. Not just Villain's precious cat ears, but their beautiful hair entirely! Villain's ears even twitched and they let out a small, adorable sigh on contact!

What got to Henchman the most, though was the temperature.

It was so... warm. Villain was so warm.

Henchman couldn't remember the last time they felt anything like it.

They reached their hand slightly forward to scratch behind Villain's ears. The little sigh that escaped, the visible release of tension as Villain felt the scratch... Henchman had never seen anything so precious in their life, they couldn't get enough of it!

They moved their other hand up as well to pet Villain with both, who let out a typical catlike drawn-out, squeaky yawn in response that almost brought Henchman to tears.

Still maintaining contact, they slowly went from kneeling by the couch to sitting on top of it just next to Villain... who pulled themself forward to rest their head on Henchman's lap.

So much built up serotonin flooded through Henchman, they felt like they could've died on the spot, but they were more than content with that happening by now. The feeling of Villain on their lap, accepting their affection like this... the immense, wonderful sensation of warmth wasn't just physically. They felt so, so comfortable. Safe. Content.

Minutes passed as Henchman cherished every passing second they got to spend like this. They didn't realize how much they'd been wanting... any kind of comforting touch at all, let alone from Villain.

Villain didn't expect to like it... but here they were, relaxed in Henchman's lap, feeling their touch, hearing their precious, flustered, loving, grateful little noises and reactions... they could get used to this. It felt amazing to make Henchman so happy.

As minutes passed, Villain slowly began to doze off. From another small yawn to precious little mumbles to the tiny, slow breaths of sleep, it was impossibly easy to drift off in an environment this comfortable.

It didn't take long for Henchman to follow.

The most peaceful, restful night of either of their lives followed... and even better ones were soon to follow.

Neither had felt so safe before.

vegans making honey a bee labour issue is the funniest thing imaginable because like, you picked the one animal that has already unionised

the elusive 7 act Structure

A lot of pop psychology gets thrown around and since I already have a headache, here's preventing you lot from making it worse.

Love-bombing: A manipulation tactic of increasing affection and grand gestures before or after doing something abusive, specifically to weasel one's way out of consequences.

What it is not: A streak of affection and generosity towards friends/loved ones.

Trauma-bonding: Knowingly traumatizing someone to take advantage of their vulnerable state, to then act like the "hero" or the one who cheers them up.

What it is not: Bonding over similar traumas.

Gaslighting: *Knowingly* convincing someone they cannot trust their own perception of a situation in pursuit of one's own narrative.

What it is not: Misaligned perception of events.

Narcissist: Someone afflicted with Narcissistic Personality Disorder, a traumagenic cluster B disorder, that struggles with self-obsession, paranoia, craving validity from the public, delusions of grandeur, and social disconnection.

It is not: Your rubbish ex that cheated on you.

Thank you for coming to my TED Talk.

-Xanthe