#i keep clicking on them from new channels hoping to find something interesting but its the same. thing. every time

[pixpirs]

honestly think the only types of youtube videos worse than summaries or skimming wikipedia are the ones where they talk about "tiktok drama"or something similar and they play a whole 2-5 minute video with like 30 seconds of commentary & repeat that over and over and theyre always like 2 hours long

[smallblip]

You asked, I deliver! Part II of Accidental baby acquisition💖 I lost one of the asks 😩 but anon who asked about baby Udo, I named the baby in your honour! Saddle up cowboys! I’m not good with sequels but here we are-

Babygate:

the scandal that implies that a certain boy band member cheated on his partner (another band member) and had a kid even when the mom was never pregnant.

- urban dictionary

—

Reiner thinks things are alright. Life is definitely picking up. Pieck still sends him excerpts of her dirty fanfiction to proofread, Bertholdt is still doing all he can to “retire at 30”, Annie might have eloped with said boyfriend. But he’s seeing Porco on the regular now, he’s really cute, he’s got a nice ass. Reiner can’t complain.

He’s also recently donated his Levi Ackerman standee. Only because it’s getting increasingly hard to reconcile the fact that he has a life sized cutout of his colleague’s boyfriend in his room.

What he can complain about is said colleague (and friend) dropping bombs on him. He’s one of the moderators of one of the bigger No Name servers. Sometimes he wonders if that’s a conflict of interest because, well, he knows the guy on a first name basis. But today he has other concerns. He sees his notifications blowing up and decides to go on the No Name server. And lo and behold. There’s a paparazzi shot of Levi and Hanji with a stroller taking a walk in a new channel called “MYSTERY FAMILY?”.

He cancels his plans with Porco. “Don’t text me for the next few hours, got a fire to fight.” He clicks send, and feels kinda bad, so he sends Porco really dank meme to appease him. (That doesn’t stop Porco from doing exactly what Reiner told him not to do and demanding an explanation every five minutes).

He forces himself to take a deep breath before texting Hanji-

“Hanji… I don’t mean to be rude but…

WHAT THE FUCK?”

—

So here begins babygate. A conspiracy theory that took the Internet by storm.

“Levi Ackerman had a secret marriage! He was keeping this from us from the start!”

“It’s a publicity stunt to keep No Name relevant during their hiatus!”

“It’s an elaborate scheme by the company to punish Levi for announcing the hiatus without their knowledge!”

“Levi’s mystery partner was sent by the lizard people to take control of his mind and produce half-lizard, half-human hybrid babies to take over the world! What a bitch!” (This is Hanji’s favourite).

And the internet’s favourite- this is all an elaborate scheme to cover up the scandalous love affair between Levi and Eren- the band’s guitarist.

“What the fuck?” Levi had said during dinner once, to which Reiner had to swallow his food and pretend he never read or actively looked up ereri content. Yes. Reiner knows the name of their ship.

Levi hadn’t been too worried before, but when pictures of them shopping for baby stuff leaked online, something snaps. Something snaps and Erwin tells him he needs more time to figure out the biggest PR crisis in No Name history.

It’s Levi. Levi is the PR crisis.

So in the meantime, no shock reveals, no more social media, (if possible) no more leaving the house with pregnant girlfriend in tow. “Don’t do ANYTHING.” Erwin had said, “especially not you!” Erwin had directed that at Eren, who suggested he makes an announcement. Erwin shudders. He remembers all the past scandals they got themselves into just because Eren, bless him, didn’t know when to shut up.

“I’m sorry…” Levi says to Hanji when they’re cuddled up on the couch watching a documentary on whale migration.

“Huh?” Hanji says, voice muffled through her incessant sniffling because “whales are delivered tail first, Levi! They wear their mothers like hats!”

He apologises for putting her through the mess that is him and his job. And Hanji smiles at him. He wonders if their kid will look like her. He’s hoping they would.

“Levi…” Hanji sighs, taking his face in her hands, “that night at the bar I thought to myself ‘this man has a face I would risk it all for’… I think this counts within the realms of ‘all’”

Levi scoffs, but a smile is threatening the corners of his lips. Erwin’s nagging over the phone fades a little and he sinks a little lower into the couch. He sighs one more time for good measure before saying-

“So… you wanna know which my favourite babygate theory is?”

—

“And you’re really not bothered by all this?” Reiner asks, in an emergency meeting that he had scheduled into her calendar. He hates that he’s packing things into her already busy schedule when she’s about to pop but, he figures it’s better now than when the baby’s actually out. He had booked a meeting room and everything, figuring if he projected some of the crazy shit they’re saying on the fan boards up on screen, Hanji would start taking this seriously. Because if Reiner knows anything, it’s that the fans will do anything to keep their ship afloat.

He scrolls past another post on the lizard people and Hanji gets him to pause.

“I mean… A little?” Hanji pinches her fingers together.

“Hanji…” Reiner sighs, “you and Levi discuss and rate babygate conspiracy theories you find online I don’t think you’re taking this seriously at all…”

Hanji looks at Reiner- an absolute state of panic. And she considers panicking for a moment. She’s read articles dissecting babygate and although they’re absolutely batshit, Hanji appreciates how well-researched they are. Which is a little scary. To be fair to Levi, he’s been trying to get her to worry. “I can’t keep you safe all the time, you have to be careful” like he’s going off to war somewhere. But it’s not in Hanji nature to worry about things like this. She’s a researcher at a lab who lived an ordinary life up until the point the universe hit her with a-

Sike! Levi Ackerman is your baby daddy! What are you gonna do about it?

And now she knows what headcanons and lemons are, and she really doesn’t know what to do with that knowledge. So Hanji decides, she’ll do nothing. She’ll go on indulgently long walks Levi in tow, she’ll talk his ear off about work. And like a good girlfriend, she’ll listen to his demos (and enjoy them) and tell him “are you sure anger rhymes with danger?”.

“I don’t really know how to worry about anything beyond our samples getting contaminated…” Hanji says, sheepish. Reiner sighs. He doesn’t want to be a wet blanket on Hanji’s life. He wants to be fun Reiner. Cool as a cucumber. Reiner who manages to make it through dinner at Hanji’s without having to excuse himself to hyperventilate in her bathroom because Levi is right there. And he’s so afraid that he might just be able to read his mind and find out he had looked up Levi Ackerman x y/n fanfiction once in his foolish youth (youth being approximately four months back)

Reiner shudders.

“Yeah okay… That’s um… That’s cool… Right?” He says.

Hanji shrugs.

—

So Levi Ackerman is your baby daddy. Now what?

You go into labour of course, with a matter of fact- “oh. Look Levi. The water broke.” All while refusing to leave the house until you demolish that amazing sandwich he made for you. You go into labour and you yell and grunt like a beast as you squeeze the life out of your baby daddy because he kinda deserves it. You both kinda deserve this pain. Take it as heavenly punishment for being horny and stupid if you will.

And in the middle of it Hanji thinks huh, this feels like a mix of a reality TV show from MTV and a badly written fanfiction. Except Hanji isn’t a teen mom and she’s too old for self-insert fiction that involves a lead singer of a popular band.

But Levi is here, and he doesn’t complain one bit even though he looks like he’s about to pass out. So as far as drunken one night stands go- this is pretty damn aspirational.

The baby enters the world with a huge cry.

“Kid’s got a huge set of lungs…” Levi says, but his own voice is quivering.

“Just like her dad…” Hanji smiles.

As he watches Hanji fall asleep with their baby on her chest, Levi thinks fuck it. Fuck keeping this under wraps. Fuck the fans and them enjoying how Eren gets on his nerves. Fuck Erwin and his “Levi. You’re giving me a headache. You are the cause of this headache.” Because the baby has Hanji’s nose and his eyes and he loves them more than anything in the world.

He snaps a picture of them and tags bigdaddyzoë-

“Welcome to the world, my love.”

—

Reiner can’t help the tears that well in his eyes after seeing the picture Hanji had sent him of the baby-

“He says hi to his favourite uncle!” Was the caption, and Reiner could only reply with a crying cat meme and an incoherent text that Hanji favourites.

He’s on the bus on the way to the hospital when his phone buzzes incessantly. It’s Porco.

“REINER WHAT THE FUCK.”

“LEVI ACKERMAN IS HANJI ZOË’S BABY DADDY?”

“HANJI ZOË MY PHD SUPERVISOR?”

“LEVI ACKERMAN OF NO NAME?”

“REINER WHAT THE FUCK?”

He sends a reply at the entrance of the hospital-

“Welcome to my world”

—

Reiner thinks things are alright. He’s one of the moderator of one of the bigger No Name servers, so he can block and remove people at his discretion. Some days he lets it get to his head. It makes him feel like a king. But today, he’s putting out fires.

Erwin decided their PR strategy was absolutely no strategy, because “they’re zooming in on the pixels Levi. Once they doubt the pixels, they won’t believe anything we’re saying”. With that. Babygate has officially taken on a life of its own. Eren still sends Levi babygate articles to annoy him, and to Hanji because she asked very nicely. Hanji thinks Erwin’s strategy makes sense, Levi thinks it’s just lazy. But Erwin framed a certificate that says “survived a PR crisis (sort of)” that Hanji had insisted be hung up on their wall, so that closes one chapter. Besides, Eren has been spotted going out on dates with a mystery girl. Which has the double effect of diverting attention away from Levi and exacerbating babygate because “see? Told you the company’s doing all they can to prove they’re not together!”

“Can’t you keep it in your pants?” Levi had thrown at Eren, to which he had responded cleverly with a-

“Could’ve said the same for you!”

Touché…

“See? That can’t be Levi! Look at how he’s smiling!”

“That can’t be a baby! Looks like an animatronic to me!”

“Do they even make animatronics that realistic?”

Reiner pins his “no slander” rule- one day they’ll get it. Or at least he would’ve gotten rid of all the people that don’t.

“Who’s this bigdaddyzoë anyway?”

“Maybe she isn’t real? Company probably invented her…”

“Heard she’s a crazy groupie who got knocked up…”

“Heard she’s hot…”

… several people are typing

—

“So… I heard from Reiner you were defending my honour in the server?” Hanji quirks an eyebrow.

Levi shrugs. Whatever goes down in the server stays between Leviackerman173810 (leviackerman and all 173809 permutations of said username had already been taken) and the hundreds of people who haven’t quite figured out he’s the real deal. Besides, Erwin has issued him three warnings so it’s best to lay low for now.

“My hero…” Hanji chuckles, pressing a kiss on Levi’s head. Below them, baby Udo wriggles and yawns against the fabric of Levi’s shirt. Cute.

So Levi Ackerman is your baby daddy. Now what? You look at your son and know he’s going to break hearts like his father of course. And if you’re Levi, you pray to god he never asks about babygate because Hanji has read up enough about it to be considered a connoisseur.

One day the internet will break when they find out the identity of bigdaddyzöe. But for now baby Udo has his parents wrapped around his tiny fingers and he doesn’t quite understand the concept of him being the spawn of every typical band member x y/n fanfiction. Or the centre of a very popular, very absurd, yet strangely believable internet conspiracy theory. Or the canon plot that has sunk one of the biggest No Name ships. And that’s okay.

[anythingandeverything1d]

The Tape (Conclusion)

Life with Harry seemed to settle down. You focused on recovery, he focused on work. You both spent the evenings cuddled up in bed watching episodes of the Bachelor and you fell asleep to the pounding of his heart beat every night. Life with Harry was exactly the way it had been before the tape leaked. You laughed as he danced around the kitchen in the evenings while making dinner and swooned in the taste of his lips as he pushed your back into the counter waiting for the ding on the oven timer. You were happy, he was happy, but there was still something missing... something just didn't seem right. Harry was still slightly distant about parts of his day, where he was going, what he was doing, why he would leave the room for phone calls. You had originally talked it up as stress with tour planning, but it wasn't that. He was keeping secrets...and you didn't like that.

You were lounging on the couch in one of Harry's shirts, scrolling through Netflix and hoping to find something that captured your attention. "Hey love, I'm heading to the studio for a bit." Harry walked in, phone to his ear and eyebrows furrowed together.

"I thought you were done recording?" you questioned, sitting up to meet his eyes.

His gaze dropped to the floor before he turned towards the kitchen. "Yeah...I uh.. I have some final cuts to run through."

You jumped up to follow him, "I thought we were going to spend the day together? You know since you have been working so much lately?"

"Ahh, well yes we will but once I'm done with this one thing."

"Harry." You crossed your arms and stared into the green eyes you loved so much.

"I'm sorry babe. We will spend the rest of the day together when I get home and I have a surprise planned too." He winked before pulling the door to the garage open.

"What kind of surprise?" You questioned, following him out of the house.

"If I told you it wouldn't be a surprise now would it?"

"Harry..." you whined, stomping your foot as if you were a toddler pouting about not getting a cookie before dinner.

Harry smiled, walked over and placed a warm kiss on your forehead, forcing you to meet his gaze with a gentle lift of the chin. "Now now love, don't be dramatic. You're going to love it. I think. I hope." He kissed your lips softly and smiled. "Now I'd love to stay and kiss you some more....but the later I leave, the later I return."

You kissed him and pulled him into a hug with a sigh. "Fine."

Harry chuckled and kissed you once more before climbing in the car. "I love you."

"I love you too." You watched as he pulled out of the driveway before sprinting back inside to where Harry kept his laptop. Something was going on and you wanted in on the action. Harry's laptop sprung to life as you anxiously tapped the space bar 100 times. You typed his password and clicked enter only to get the incorrect notification. You sighed. Why had he changed the password. You pulled out the desk drawers and sighed, there was nothing even remotely interesting in them. You looked through his planner and calendar and still nothing. You were out of luck. You leaned back in his office chair and spun around, chewing the bottom of your lip. There has to be something... You grabbed your phone and called the first person who came to mind. "Louis."

"Goodness love, what do you need now." Louis' voice called from the other end.

"What's Harry's laptop password?"

"Why do you need that?" Louis chuckled more interested in the conversation now.

"I uh...I need to do some work."

"What's wrong with yours?" Louis teased.

"Its broken." you lied.

"Sure it is." Louis laughed again and you knew he was rolling his eyes.

"Please Lou, what's the password?"

"Why do you think I know?"

"Because you know Harry. You know what hes doing and what he thinks about."

"Sorry girlie, but I dont have anything for ya."

"Ugh Louis...."

"What are you really trying to figure out?"

"Nothing...." you lied.

"Okay then I've got to go-"

"No wait. Fine." You sighed and leaned your head back. "I want to know what hes planning. Wheres hes at right now."

"You dont trust him?" Louis teased again.

"He's hiding something Louis. I know he is."

"Maybe. But still, that's not the way to find out."

"You know. You know what hes been up to."

"Now now love, no I don't."

"Louis."

"Ive got to go love, just be patient."

"Patient? What does that mean? Louis what-" The phone went dead and you groaned in frustration. Something was for sure going on. You contemplated your options. You could follow Harry. You could go confront Louis. You could try a couple more passwords before locking Harry out of his computer. None really pleased you though. Instead you called another lifeline.

The phone rang, and rang, and rang before the voice finally breathed a hello on the other end. "Liam!"

"(y/n)... what uh what can I do for you?"

"You mean I can't just call my friend?"

"No..well yeah, of course you can. But you normally don't so what do I owe the pleasure?"

"I need your help."

"Is something wrong?"

"Kind of...."

"I'll be there in 5." You smiled and jumped up from the chair.

"I love you Liam."

"Yeah, yeah. See you soon."

You ran downstairs and waited anxiously by the door until Liams car pulled in the driveway. You met him at the door with a smile and a big hug. "Thank you for coming!"

"So what's the problem? Are you okay? Is Harry okay?" Liam looked anxiously around.

"Yeah we are both okay."

Liam breathed a sigh of relief before turning his attention back to you. "Then what's the problem?"

"Well....." you dove into the story of Harry's behavior and the surprise, the change in his computer password, and your uncertain feeling about him hiding something.

"(y/n)...You know Harry loves you-"

"I know but with everything that happened I just feel like something is off." Liam bit his lip and looked away. "You know." you poked him in the chest. "you know what he's hiding."

"What? No I-"

"Liam Payne. Tell me now."

Liam sighed, running his hand through his hair. "I can't."

"Why not?"

"Just trust me okay? Hes not hiding anything, I mean he is but its nothing bad." Liam turned back towards the car. "I have to go."

"LIAM!" you screamed. "What do you think youre doing?"

"Leaving."

"Seriously?"

"Trust him."

"I do trust him but-"

"No buts. Trust him and let it all play out. I can't be involved in this."

"That's what Louis told me." You crossed your arms and glared. "Youre supposed to be the good one."

Liam laughed and waved before climbing in the car. "Love you."

"Yeah yeah, love you too." You turned back to the house as he pulled away. Left with your endless thoughts and questions about everything.

You were sprawled out on the couch lost in thought when the door opened. "Hello?"

You sat up confused until Niall walked into view. "Niall?"

Niall smiled and ran to you for a hug, tackling you back to the couch. "Ive missed you." His arms closed around you and breathed in the cologne he always wore.

"What are you doing here?" You asked slightly confused.

"Well I just wanted to come and check in. We haven't really talked much lately. How are things with Harry?"

You dove into your explanation and watched Niall take it all in. He didn't seem to have as much info as the other boys. When you had finished explaining your feelings and concerns he smiled and shook his head with a small chuckle escaping his lips. "What?" you asked smiling and pushing his shoulder back. "Why are you laughing?"

"(y/n) Harry loves you more than anything else in this world. You shouldn't be worried."

"I'm not worried....I just feel like hes keeping something from me."

"He is."

"What?"

"Harry is keeping something from you." Niall repeated again, scrolling through the channels looking for golf.

"And you know that because?"

"I talk to him pretty frequently."

"So then what is it?"

"Oh I can't tell you."

Anger flared and you took the remote out of his hands. "Why not?"

"Because its not my thing to share. It's Harry's."

"Okay but-"

"Trust him."

"But-"

"(y/n) seriously its a good thing."

"Niall."

"(y/n)."

"Pleaseeeeeeeee" you grabbed his hands and gave your best sad face.

Niall smiled and tapped his finger to your nose. "I can't tell you. Harry would kill me." Niall stood up and laughed, and you would be really upset if I ruined the surprise.

"I would not."

"Yes you would." Niall grabbed his jacket.

"Where are you going?" you whined.

"I'm going home to watch golf and work on the new album. You have a date to get ready for anyways." You looked at the time on the tv. Niall was right, Harry would be home in an hour and you were still in the pjs you had worn the night before. "Let me know how it goes." Niall wrapped you in a hug and smiled softly, lost in another thought.

Once Niall had left you ran upstairs, jumping in a hot shower and pulling out outfits. You landed on a cute sundress, sandals, and left your hair down with gentle curls. You fixed your make up and smiled at the appearance in the mirror. You heard the door downstairs open and headed towards the stairs. "Harry?"

"Hey love." His deep voice called up. "Ready to go?" You met him in the kitchen, a gasp escaping your lips. Harry was in a suit, his hair slicked back, and a bouquet of roses in his hands. His shirt was unbuttoned, leaving the slightest view of the tattoos on his chest. Harry was biting his lip, looking you up and down with a smile. The blush in your cheeks got darker as he approached and placed a kiss on your nose. "You look stunning."

"Uh... you... thanks...I mean so do you." Sometimes you forgot the effects the boy had on you.

Harry laughed and tilted your chin up, his lips meeting yours. "Thank you my love."

Harry handed you the flowers and took your other hand pulling you towards the garage. "Where are we going?"

"Its a surprise."

"Really?"

"Really. Now come on." He opened the door for you and you climbed in, nervously twirling a piece of hair.

Harry smiled and leaned in for a kiss and you met his with a soft sigh. "Ready to tell me?" He just laughed and started driving.

After a decent drive, you arrived at a small park. It looked oddly familiar, but yet something was still a little different. Harry grinned, knowing you still weren't sure what was happening. He jumped out, opened the door, helped you out and smiled. "Know where we are?"

You looked around, a small pond down the trail catching your eyes. You nodded and grinned. "This is the park we went to that night. The night that you first told me you loved me." Harry nodded, pulling your hand and leading you down the path, away from the public and somewhere that seemed more remote. You laughed, thinking of the night. "I thought you were going to kill me that night."

"Kill you?" Harry scoffed, a laugh forming in his smile.

"It's not everyday a guy takes you into the woods, away from people, and out of reach of like anything."

"I like remote places. Theres only one thing to focus on when im there. You." He tapped your nose and you smiled. Harry placed his hands around your eyes and you grinned at the anticipation.

"I can't see."

"That's the point. Cant ruin the surprise quite yet." You walked a little farther and Harry stopped. "Okay love close your eyes."

"But I already can't see."

"Just do it." You closed your eyes and Harry removed his hands, stepping away. "Open them."

Your eyes fluttered open and your mouth dropped. Lights were strung throughout the trees leading to the creek. Harry was leaning nervously against the tree, the one where everything had began. The one that had a carved out heart with your initials. The one where he had pushed you back into and kissed you, telling you that you were his one and only love. You walked forward in awe, and Harry reached for your hand. You grabbed it and opened your mouth, "Haz..."

"(Y/n), you were my first real love, the person I wanted to spend forever with. You stood by me at my worst. You made me better. I know the past has been rocky, and I know theres a lot that we are still figuring out, but theres one thing that I know for sure will never change. You. You are the sunshine on a dark day. You are the best thing to ever happen to me. My rock, my cuddle bug, my best friend." Harry took a step back and nervously dropped to one knee, pulling out a box.

"What-"

"(Y/N) I want to marry you. Will you please be in my life forever and make me the happiest man? Please marry me love."

You nodded and Harry smiled but kept going. "I'm going to need an actual answer dear. (Y/n) be my forever. Will you please marry me?"

"Yes" you nodded through the tears. Harry smiled, slipped the ring on your finger and tackled you in the biggest bear hug. He spun you around, your back hitting the tree and his lips landing on yours. Your fingers tangled in the curls and his teeth lightly tugged on your lip.

"I want you." Harry growled, his fingers slipping into the shirt you were wearing.

"You already have me." You giggled.

"That's not what I meant." You could feel him growing in his pants.

"Take me." You whispered in his ear.

"Oh I will, Mrs. Styles." Harry tugged the shirt off and you laughed pushing him lightly away for a minute.

"Sure you dont want to record this as a sex tape?" You teased.

Harry rolled his eyes and tugged his clothes off. "Good one." He snorted pulling your body back to his. "I dont need a tape." He kissed you softly. "Im never going to lose this, forget this, or need anything else. The other guys would kill me anyways."

"Were they all in on this?"

"Oh yes. They are in the parking lot waiting with champagne."

"Harry!"

"Shhh....They can wait, I need you now."

----

Finally Done! What did you think?

[olivia-anderson-fanfic]

A Miraculous TikTok Account

Part 11

First

Previous

Next

Rena was running out of time.

(To make TikToks. She wasn’t dying for anything except content.)

She’d figured that she would do Q&A type things, it was close enough to the content she’d used to make but far enough away that no one would suspect anything about her identity. It was perfect!

But the other heroes were… let’s say ‘less than eager’ to divulge much information to her. Especially not when they were being filmed.

Ladybug had pulled her aside one day to explain why.

“Rena…” She reached out and gently rested a hand on her shoulder.

Rena knew what that meant, she’d gotten it enough back when she was just a civilian. For just a second, she was thrown back to the first time one of her family members had died, to the way she had promised that she wouldn’t come back until she had her sister safely in her arms...

But she knew that it couldn’t be like that. Ladybug didn’t know who she was just like Rena didn’t know her identity. It was nothing that serious.

“We can’t give much information to the public. Hawkmoth could be watching.”

A fair point. It hurt, though.

She crossed her arms over her chest. “So we don’t show him our weaknesses, it’s not that hard.”

“We have to assume any information could be used against us.”

Rena frowned. “By that logic we can’t upload any content…?”

“We can’t upload any content of substance, no. Messing around in a store is fine. Videos of animals are fine. Anything beyond that is… potentially problematic.”

The idea of style over substance was foreign to the hero. Her whole brand used to be substance over style, done with a phone camera but close enough to fights for people to actually get a glimpse of the heroes in action. What was she supposed to do?

“What’s your niche, then?” Said Rena, hoping to get an idea.

“I was going to do some videos on mental and physical wellness.”

Yeah, no. That was a very ‘Ladybug’ thing to do, Rena probably couldn’t encroach on that in any way. But… what else was there?

Ladybug opened her mouth like she was about to say something, and then she shook her head and disappeared to her room.

Rena watched her leave in silence, and then fell back on the couch. She rested her hands over her eyes, something that was very uncomfortable due to the weird fabric of the mask on her face, and tried to think.

Ladybug had been fair. They already had enough of a gap between the information Hawkmoth had versus the amount they did, they shouldn’t make that worse… but then what was the point of them doing social media accounts?

And, she mused, why hadn’t Ladybug just told Master Fu her concerns?

Something wasn’t adding up, but she didn’t exactly know what.

The reporter in her was itching to find out. She didn’t want to invade Ladybug’s privacy, especially not when the other already seemed wary enough around her, but it was hard to just let go…

So, what could she do?

~

She grumbled as she went to Carapace’s room, not even bothering to knock as she walked in. It wouldn’t matter if she did, her miraculous made it so that most people’s eyes and ears slid right over her unless she actively worked to get them to notice her.

He was in his hero costume, though that wasn’t surprising considering he’d gotten back from patrols only a few minutes ago.

Carapace jumped a little in surprise when she came to a stop by his desk and looked up from where he was booting up his computer.

“Salut?” He said slowly.

“Salut! I need help.”

He raised his eyebrows a little and then shrugged. With a tiny wave of his hand, a second chair made of a bunch of different plates appeared behind her.

She took a seat and crossed her legs. “Everyone talks to you, right?”

“I guess…?”

“So do you know what everyone’s doing for their TikTok accounts?”

“I’m going to get footage of us acting friendly, Chat is filming animals he sees on patrols, Ladybug is ‘promoting mental and physical wellness’, and Chloe…” He sucked in a breath. “I don’t know what Chloe’s doing, but she started laughing maniacally when I asked so I’m not eager to find out.”

Rena pouted a little bit. Great, so everyone’s taken all the good and easy ideas. What else was there?

“I don’t know what to do with my account. Ladybug says I can’t do interviews and stuff because Hawkmoth could use stuff against us.”

Carapace briefly looked confused, and then understanding crossed his face. “Well, I can tell you that no one here would disagree with that.”

“I know, I know, it makes sense,” she sulked, resting her head on her hand. “But then what do I do?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know. Being the ‘smart one’ is kind of your thing.”

She frowned at that, but brushed past it. “I don’t really care about my image, it’s not that important to me --.”

“It should be.”

Her gaze shot up to see his expression was uncharacteristically serious.

He seemed to realize this, too, because he cleared his throat and brought a smile to his face again.

“I know you’re new, so let me give you some advice: keep your life as a hero and a civilian as far apart as you possibly can. Since we’re everyone’s therapists and all, it’s kind of depressing when you start thinking about everything the civvies tell you when you’re off the job.”

Carapace reached out slowly, giving her time to draw back, and rested a hand on top of her head.

“So, lean into your image. Lean into it so hard you become a parody of yourself. It’s better for everyone that way. Trust me.”

She reached up and pulled his hand off, frowning deeply. “If you think that then why did you agree to live with us? Why are you taking videos of us all being friends?”

“Well, I live with everyone because it was a good solution for some concerns I had about college… not that we really had a choice. Master Fu wasn’t going to give it up.” He leaned back in his chair and stretched. “And I’m taking videos of everyone because it’ll help when we need to do our whole therapy thing. People talk more when they feel close to you.”

Rena stared at him in shock. That was… surprisingly cold and calculated for the supposed ‘nice’ hero. Then again, by his own admission, he didn’t even see himself as that nice of a person.

Were all the other heroes like that? Lying about their personalities for the sake of the public or their mental health? And, if they were, were they keeping up the act while there too or did they consider living in the house their new ‘civilian’ life?

She pushed herself to her feet abruptly, startling Carapace a second time. She crossed her arms.

“I’ve got an idea for what to do. Thanks.”

“Huh? But I didn’t --?”

She was already gone.

~

Despite the temptation to disobey that she was pretty sure wasn’t entirely her fault, Rena had gone to Ladybug a few days later with a proposal:

“I still want to be an informant to the people.” She saw Ladybug begin to protest, so she rushed to finish the rest of her sentence: “Obviously, I won’t be giving them anything of substance, but it could help to make them feel closer to us as heroes.”

Ladybug couldn’t turn down the reasoning. It was what Carapace had listed as his own.

And, to her delight, Ladybug seemed to agree because she clicked her tongue and nodded.

“Fine. What’re you planning to do?”

“Simple stuff. A house tour -- making sure to blur and hide anything that could give Hawkmoth our location -- and then after that keep them updated on the news.”

There was a silence as she considered this. Then her head tipped to the side. “What do you mean by ‘news’?”

“Nothing major. Have you ever seen a drama channel on YouTube? Stuff like that.”

“... fine, but you should run your videos by everyone involved before uploading.”

Rena nodded her understanding.

~

She started with the house tour. If she was going to do this, she needed to gain their trust. A few normal videos, and then she’d start trying to slip the public information about the heroes’ true personalities.

Rena didn’t want to expose them to Hawkmoth, and especially didn’t want to expose their families, so she really was going to try to respect most of their privacy. For this reason, she did tell them all when she was going to do the house tour so they could hide anything that could be used to figure out their identities.

She started with the shared rooms like the kitchen and living room, but she brushed past all of that quickly since she knew that wasn’t what they’d be interested in.

Her room was first. It was the same size as every other bedroom in the house, but it felt tiny and cramped. There was a dresser, a desk, a bed, three different bookshelves, an end table… well, let’s just say that she’d brought more stuff than necessary. The room wasn’t exactly neat, it seemed that it would buckle under the weight of Rena’s knickknacks if she wasn’t careful, but it wasn’t necessarily dirty either; everything had its place.

She decided to put the more boring rooms in the middle for the good old watchtime. Ladybug’s room was fine but her personality was a bit dull when it came to this kind of thing, and Carapace’s personality was fine but his room was boring, so...

She was off to Ladybug’s room. She climbed up to the attic and finally figured out exactly what Ladybug had been working on since they’d moved in. Apparently she was trying to make an indoor jungle gym using the support beams on the ceiling. It actually looked like a pretty good workout, though maybe a little unsafe. Beyond that, the room was rather full. Random pieces of furniture (mostly chairs) were strewn about, loaded with a precarious amount of fabrics.

She found Ladybug hunched over a sketchbook on her bed, swaddled in blankets despite the fact that the attic was actually pretty warm.

She looked up at her and blinked. “Oh. Now? Okay.” She escaped her blanket prison with minimal struggling and then gave a short tour of her room.

Rena pointed to a divider on the other side of the room. “What’s behind there?”

Ladybug looked over and a blush spread across her face. “I don’t have a closet, so that’s where I put the secret identity stuff for now. Don’t go back there.”

For some reason, Rena thought she was being lied to. However, she couldn’t just go back there when Ladybug had just said that it would reveal her identity, so she just nodded and said: “Gotcha. Thanks for the tour.”

She moved on to Carapace’s room next. She pushed the door to his room open and sent a smile and a wave. All his textbooks were safely stashed out of sight and he’d cleaned up the normal mess of old snacks for the video, which somehow made his room feel even emptier than usual.

“Here we have a wild Carapace in his natural habitat. Though, why this is what he chose as his natural habitat is beyond me.”

He laughed good-naturedly. “I don’t need much.”

“I can see that.”

He smiled. “Ridiculous! Utterly Ridiculous!” He said, doing his best impression of Chloe.

Rena cleared her throat, and then did a perfect impression of her voice.

Carapace’s eyes widened. “Chloe?”

She tried not to laugh, and instead nodded and continued her impression: “Yes. I’m secretly Chloe. Rena asked me to take her place for this because she was tired.”

He didn’t seem sure whether or not to take this as a joke, and she gleefully left the room.

She moved on to Chloe’s room. It was… somehow both bright and dark in there and this threw Rena off more than she’d like to admit. While most people would take Rena for the hoarder (and they’d probably be right to), Chloe also seemed to have some hoarding problems; the walls were taken up with different luxury items from jewelry to handbags; the floor was littered with different plants at seemingly random intervals.

Chloe looked up from where she was tending to some plants with the help of a few bees (wait, was there an actual BEEHIVE in there?).

“I like your… bees…?”

Chloe snickered. “Thanks. They don’t like you, though, so I’d suggest you leave.”

Rena was a little offended that the bees didn’t like her, but she didn’t need to be told twice.

She headed to Chat’s room next.

When she opened the door she had thought that he wasn’t there. The lights were off outside of a TV which, upon closer inspection, she realized someone was playing a video game. Huh. She turned on the light.

Once she was actually able to see, she was taken aback by how dirty it was. Clothes littered the ground; the bed looked like it hadn’t been made since they moved in; there was a grand piano but it was currently being used as a trash can for old snack bags.

“Did you forget that I was doing a house tour today?”

“Nope,” said Chat from somewhere in the filth.

“Oh… okay…”

The video cut.

~~~

Taglist

@nathleigh @mialuvscats @sassakitty @th1s-1s-my-aesthet1c @blueslushgueen @woe-is-me0

[dustofbrokenheart]

The Lost Boys: Promised Prize

Dwayne x Reader

Word Count: 1,768

Summary: After final exams are over, Dwayne makes good on the reward that you guys worked out. 

A siren blared as a police car zoomed by your building, waking you from your impromptu sleep. Where the sun had previously forced its way through the gaps in the blinds, nocturnal darkness had completely taken over and doused everything in shadow. You stretched leisurely on top of the sheets, giving your eyes time to adjust as shapes blurred into focus.

Propping yourself up on your forearms you reached for your alarm clock, the glowing red numbers flashing 10:14 pm.

Well then.

It appeared that you had literally slept half of the day away and then some. You blamed it on your body’s post-finals bid to finally catch up on the sleep that you had been depriving yourself of for the past two weeks.

You also hadn’t seen much of your boyfriend during that period, although that wasn’t by your choice. When he found out how busy you were with finals prep he basically disappeared which was his way of giving you space so you could be productive. He didn’t even talk with you about it, he just straight up stopped coming to your apartment. 

It was a good thing you knew him as well as you did otherwise you might’ve taken his ghosting to mean something else entirely and you told him as much when you finally saw him over the weekend.  

You went down the hall, switching on lights as you walked by on your way to the kitchen. A cool glass of water from the fridge always hit the spot after waking up. The water was extremely refreshing and several large gulps followed the first.

You took the water bottle with you so you could continue sipping from it while you went outside to get your mail. The small metal door creaked open and you juggled everything in your hands you flipped through the stack of envelops and inserts.

Junk. Pizza coupon. Bill. Bill—oh! Something from the college!

Unable to wait until you were inside, you tore open the envelope with shaky fingers. The paper unfolded and you scanned over the typed font with nervous determination.

You lowered the grade report in shock. Did you read that correctly?

You held it up again and, sure enough, the verdict was the same—you aced all of your final exams! And in doing that, your semester grade point average was high enough to make the Dean’s list.

The whole apartment complex was treated to your victorious banshee yell as it echoed off the concrete and glass of the apartment complex. Even some of the wildlife scattered.

High with endorphins, you scurried back to your apartment, laying the paper smack dab on the center of the kitchen table. There was another person who needed to see it as well.

The sun had been set for a few hours, plenty of time to find a first meal of the night, which meant that he would be dropping by at any time.

You found it impossible to sit since you were still feeling the excitement so rather than sit around and wait for him, you decided to channel the energy into something productive.

Cabinet doors were opened and closed as you took out different ingredients that were all thrown into a mixing bowl and kneaded together with your bare hands. Some of the mix stuck under your fingernails but you were more than happy to suck it off your fingers.

Separating the tan dough into small balls you carefully placed them on a cookie sheet and stuck it into the oven. Ten minutes later and they were out, cooling on the counter.

Dwayne still hadn’t arrived even after your cookie quest. You blew a couple of strands of hair away from your face. Time to do some dishes.

You slipped a Ratt cassette into your boombox, cranked it, and got to scrubbing. In the middle of cleaning the tines on a fork, you heard him enter.

He was bent over, taking off his shoes when you met him by the door.

He stood up and leaned in for a sweet kiss, but you stopped him to wipe some stray blood droplets off of his lips before you allowed it.

“Come on, there’s something I wanna show you,” you insisted, pulling him to the kitchen.

He sniffed the air.

“Peanut butter?” he asked hopefully.

“Yep. Sit down and I’ll bring you some.”

He sat down obediently and you knew he wouldn’t be able to resist reading the only readable thing in front of him. While you took your time with the cookies, you watched him out of the corner of your eye and saw the exact moment he took the bait.

He slid the paper closer with his pointer finger and read it silently. Even when he faced you there was no discernable reaction that most people would’ve noticed, however, you weren’t most people. The warmth in his brown eyes and the slight softening of his mouth were very clear to you.

“I aced everything,” you boasted, setting the plate pile of cookies in front of him.

“And the Dean’s list,” he added.

You were touched that he remembered that bit and gently scratched his scalp which had him rolling his head in a feline manner. “That means I get my reward too.”

He reached out and stroked the outer rim of your ear. “A promise is a promise. Wanna do it now?”

Back when you were stressing out all the tests and essays, and before Dwayne ghosted, he promised to give you a gift to keep you motivated. Anything you wanted. You told him you wanted a piercing done midway up your ear after seeing some people at school with them and he promised to do it for you.

You swiftly nodded. You really wanted the piercing.

Without another word, he shoved two peanut butter cookies into his mouth for safekeeping and tugged his shoes on. For being as old as he was, his inner child was always near the surface and you loved that about him. Most of the time.

“Heathen,” you razzed as you playfully hip checked him out of the way so you could grab your silver boots.

Opting not to retaliate, he merely winked and ushered you out the door, cookies still in his mouth.

The drive to the cave was short and uneventful. A benefit to the apartment being closer to the bluffs than it was the pier or the boardwalk. Dwayne expertly guided you down the rickety, wooden stairs and to the mouth of the cave.

Earlier in the relationship he always offered to fly you down so you didn’t have to use the stairs, but he respected the decision to do it yourself unless you were too tired or tipsy, in which case he made the final decision.

He prowled around the cave, grabbing supplied from seemingly random spots. “Do you still want it on the cartilage?”

You told him yes and sat on the cool edge of the fountain, noting how quiet it was with just the two of you here.

“What’s the rest of the crew up to?”

“I left the boys on the beach and Star wanted some more stuff for her bed. It’s not even midnight so they’ll be gone for a while yet.”

“I need to hang out with her more now that classes are done for now,” you said resting your chin on the tops of your knees.

“She’d appreciate any company that isn’t us at this point.”

You remembered the blood he had on his lips earlier. And the crumbs he left on them after eating the cookies. “I can’t imagine why...”

He plopped down next to you on the fountain and spread everything out, handing you a box full of earrings so you could pick one out.

“Fingers crossed you guys didn’t rip these off of your meals.”

Dwayne chose not to say anything, preferring to watch your squirm at the thought.

You did have to admit that there was quite a nice selection to pick from, no matter the source. There were shiny studs, pieces with all manner of materials dangling from them, and delicate hoops both decorated and plain. But a small, snug silver hoop with a pearl-colored sphere attached caught your interest.

Dwayne noticed and started rubbing your ear with alcohol to disinfect the area. Then he held the piercing needle over a small candle flame to sterilize it. Star had taught them a lot about piercing procedure and etiquette; not wanting to jeopardize your mortal health, he put her words to use.

Needle ready, he swung around with one of his legs resting in your lap.

“For grabbing onto if it hurts,” he offered and you settled your hands onto his jean-clad thigh. The needle was poised against the cartilage midway up your ear and you couldn’t help it when your heartrate sped up. 

The last time you had your ears pierced you were a little kid and you couldn’t remember the pain. You hoped this new one wouldn’t be too unbearable.

He nudged you gently to see if you were good to continue.

“I’m good. And you’d better not hit a nerve and paralyze me cause then I’ll have to beat you up.”

Were there any nerves to hit in that part of your ear? You weren’t sure but it came out of your mouth last minute.

“Good luck punching if you’re paralyzed,” he smirked punching the needle through the flesh as he spoke. He had a bottle cork pressed on the back of your ear so that the needle didn’t stab into your neck when it came out on the other side.

Your lids slammed shut and your finger nails dug into his leg. It wasn’t the worst you could imagine but it was still a sharp, noticeable pain.

Dwayne was quick with it removing the needle and dropping the cork in order to work the earring through the freshly made hole. He clicked the earring closed and gave the area one last wipe down with a water soaked q-tip.

“Well? How do I look?” You were impatient and he wasn’t moving fast enough for you. 

He held up a mirror so you could see it. You weren’t sure how he conjured it since none of the vamps in the cave used them, but you were more interested in seeing at your ear at the moment.

You gasped as you turned this way and that to admire it.

“I love it, Dwayne!” You peppered him with kisses.

Dwayne looked at you with evident pride. Pride in your smartness, pride in how you handled the pain, pride in the way the piercing turned out.

Beautiful, he thought.

_______________

Congrats to everyone that’s finished with finals and good luck to those who are still working through exams. Thanks so much for reading! 

[jackdaniel69nice]

Walker’s Home Videos

Description: Jay’s powers go a little funky when he sleeps, Cole’s POV

~~~~~~~~~~~

The sound of the tv and faint breathing were the only things to be heard. Lloyd and Kai sat on the floor in front of it with Zane perched on the nearby chair. Jay was laying on the couch curled up, a blanket haphazardly thrown across him while Cole had managed to squeeze his way onto the the other end. The volume was low, for at some point Jay had fallen asleep as they were all tired. It was a lazy day, with low crime and sensei gone, they had the freedom to do as they pleased. Cole let out a yawn and leaned back, sinking further into the worn fabric. Unusually high stress had plagued the whole team as of late and it was important they take some time to themselves, FSM knows they needed it.

Lloyd muttered something to Kai about the show, a cartoon of Lloyd’s choosing, and he responded teasingly in kind earning himself a shove. They tousled a bit and laughed before being lightly reprimanded by Zane to keep their voices down. Lloyd stuck his young out and Kai simply roles his eyes. Cole chuckled a little at their antics then resumed watching, not his particular cup of tea but it soothes him nonetheless and he felt himself start to drift off as well.

After a moment the sound of chatter once again assaulted his ears pulling him from unconsciousness, he attempted to ignore it but sensed the movement of others and opened his eyes. The tv had glitched and multicolored greens and purples covered portions of the screen. Lloyd looked like he was trying to lightly smack it, as if though that would bring it back into working order.

“It’s probably just poor signal, give it a minute” Kai interjected. Lloyd sat back with a huff as the screen seemed to glitch and jump, the audio came and went with it. Cole glanced at the remote half tempted to just change the channel and switch to something more interesting and functional.  Jay was forbidden from touching it, the remote tended to do strange things when the master of lightning held it.

With a crackle the TV fell into static before giving a sharp pop and turning black. Shouts and groans of annoyance were quickly shushed by Zane before he made a move to inspect the seemingly broken piece of machinery. But just before he could reach the cable It flickered back to life.

The colors were muted with patches of glitched video feed jumping across the screen. It seemed to come in and out of focus with the edges fading to a black. Although the most obvious was the change in graphics, the film wasn’t a cartoon to start, it was in the middle of a jungle, with broad leaved plants being pushed to the side as someone ran through it. The faint sound of panting breath whispered through the speakers, there was a loud crack of a broken branch, and a screeching-hiss of some beast.

“Some first-person adventure movie?” Kai suggested. “The channel should not have changed on its own,” Zane reasoned. “Maybe it picked a new one ‘cause the old one glitched out,” He countered. “It is not programmed to-“ As Kai and Zane argued TV mechanics Cole was already moving for the remote and Lloyd sat watching the new show, ever curious, and never one to turn down something with action.

Cole attempted to change the channel, at least to something with better quality, but found the remote un-compliant. He tried adjusting the batteries, and when that proved futile, he tried to turn it off still to no avail.

Zane sighed giving into Kai’s stubbornness and returned his attention to the television reaching into the back to mess with some wires “Just unplug it and plug it back in,” Kai chimed in. “That’s what I am doing,” Zane huffed. There was a click and he poked his head back around glaring at the still playing TV before returning to the cables. The volume was increasing in a few decibels with each moment. 

“Cole, turn the volume down will ya?” “Can’t, he answered shortly, “remotes busted.” “Oh great, you probably broke the whole thing Lloyd.” He didn’t answer, to enraptured with the wild chase on screen. They all watched as the protagonist tripped sliding down an embankment with an indistinguishable yelp. They got up quickly grunting in pain making another sprint away from the beast chasing them.

“Bet it’s a Grundle,” Kai commented offhandedly. Lloyd sniffed, “Grundle don’t sound like that.” “Producers don’t know that” He countered.

Zane stepped away from the TV, a curious expression on his face. “I have already disconnected the power cable, but it still seems to be running.” “Can it do that?” Cole wondered. “No”

The adventurer skidded to a halt in front of a large ravine, the bridge had collapsed, they were trapped. The same echoing-scream, closer this time, made them snap their head around backing as far away from the forest as possible. Cole felt a pressure against his leg and looked down seeing Jay’s foot prodding into his side.

“Turn it off” Kai commanded. “How do you suggest I to do that, break it?” Zane asked, bewildered. “Sure, whatever, I just don’t feel like dealing with weird TV magic today,” He reasoned. Lloyd groaned, “You can’t, we already busted the TV earlier this month, Wu won’t let us get a new one.”

Cole blocked out their conversation and looked up at Jay’s face, half concealed by the blanket, and caught his rapid breath covered by the sound of the television. He slightly shuttered and twitched curling back in on himself. Cole, now concerned, moved closer and extended his arm attempting to examine him.

The TV screeched at high volume, demanding their attention, as a massive black figure burst through the underbrush. It skittered towards its cornered prey, only pausing a moment to extend its dripping fangs exposing its large spider form. It snapped, closing its jaws over top the hero in an instant.

The TV exploded with smoke the same time Jay sat bolt upright accidentally smacking Cole’s hand away in the process. Everyone reeled trying to process the scenario as Zane coated it in a layer of ice hoping to minimize the damage.

“Great, now we won’t be able to watch anything for a week” Lloyd smacked Kai for his insensitivity and moved over to check on Jay.

He let out a few more gasps trying to still his breathing before speaking. “W-what, happened?” Jay implored. “The TV exploded, nothing to worry about, sorry if we startled you,” Lloyd soothed. He looked at Lloyd then at the busted screen before settling down still looking slightly dazed. “Just the TV, yeah,” He agreed mindlessly. Cole glared at him with contemplation.

“Did you have a nightmare,” He pried. Jay stared at him with owl eyes. He chuckled nervously, “M-maybe a little one, nothing to worry about though.” They all gave doubtful looks, assessing his twitchy behavior. As much as Jay loved the spotlight, this sort of attention was not favorable. Jay smiled.

“Seriously guys I’m fine,” He said with the wave of his hand, “look, I’ll fix the TV and in the meantime you guys can make lunch, I’m craving a pastrami sandwich, and once it’s done we can all watch the recording. Sound good?” Everyone seemed skeptical still but after a moment muttered their agreement and moved to their designated locations.

Cole was obviously excluded from the lunch plan and settled back into the couch resolving to watch Jay work. The whole situation was strange to say the least. The TV going haywire and the strange movie it played left him with questions. Although he didn’t have much time to contemplate as he had to wrestle the vacuum away from Jay to keep him from dismantling it for parts…again. But before he walked out to find the missing pieces, Cole stopped him.

“Hey, for real man, what was your nightmare about?” Jay just shrugged. “I don’t know, something about spiders.” He pulled away then, leaving Cole stunned and unable to question him further. Obviously, he wasn’t going to say any more on the subject.

Cole struggled to come up with an answer but simply shook his head. There was nothing more he could do for the subject if Jay wasn’t willing to talk, which was ironic in itself. It was strange both the movie and his nightmare both had to do with spiders, but there was no way to say they correlated in any way. This was enough trouble for one day. He settled back into the couch trying to clear his mind. Eventually Jay returned and not long after everyone had finished. They ate their lunch and re-watched Lloyd’s cartoon from the beginning (so Jay could see the parts he had missed). The rest of the afternoon was as quiet as it could be in the Ninja household. Cole couldn’t help thinking about what Jay had said though. 

But it was just a coincidence…right?

[aqua-murphys-law]

i can feel it falling (timber)

Rating: G Warnings: None Summary: A look at what inspired Milo not to give up on the possibility of Zack becoming his friend, the day they first met.

A/N: When I fell back into the Dwampyverse fandom, I foolishly said that I didn’t know if I was gonna write anything for MML. I really should’ve known better. So here’s a little something inspired by @wiz-witch‘s post here!

I wish I’d had it done in time for MML’s 4th anniversary but such is life. Reblogs/comments would be greatly appreciated, and a good response will let me know whether I should write the other one-shot ideas I’ve got. Hope you enjoy! - Aqua

(Click here to read on A03 for extensive tags!)

~*~

Milo approaches the bus stop with a bounce in his step.

It’s been a relatively light morning so far. There was just one bird nesting in his hair when he woke up, and it relocated to the backyard without much fuss. He got through both of his showers without slipping, getting soap in his eyes, or breaking the water system (the second shower was because the garbage disposal spewed breakfast scraps back up at him, but still, that could’ve been worse).

He even gets to the bus stop before Melissa, only a few boys from school present. It takes a couple seconds before he hears shoes scuffling away from him, which isn’t surprising. It’s very rare for him to actually end up on the bus, but when he does, it makes for an… eventful ride. He can’t fault them for being cautious, since it’s looking more and more like it might actually be one of those days-

“What’s that all about?”

That’s an unfamiliar voice.

Milo turns to the speaker. It’s a boy around his age, dark-skinned with frizzy black hair. He’s dressed simply in a yellow shirt and jeans, a red backpack at his sneakers. He’s looking at Milo with confusion, and something akin to concern.

“Oh, you’re new here,” Milo realizes. It’s strange for someone to transfer schools after the start of the semester, but stranger things have happened. He sighs good-naturedly, going on to explain, “I’ve got a bit of a reputation.”

The boy blinks before amusement tugs at his mouth, and he quirks a brow. “So what are you, a tough guy?”

That might be teasing, Milo’s not sure. “Oh, I don’t think anyone’s ever called me tough,” he says. And this is really pressing his luck, but he can’t help being polite and offers his hand. “I’m Milo.”

The boy actually takes Milo’s hand, and smiles when he does it. “I’m Zack.”

Of course, the other boys at the stop immediately urge Zack against it, but Milo isn’t fully paying attention. He instantly commits Zack’s name to memory because if there’s one thing he’s learned, it’s that knowing his classmates’ names helps soften the blow when he accidentally lands them in the hospital for the first time.

Despite the warning, Zack doesn’t let go right away. His hand is warm, and a little bigger than Milo’s. Mostly softer than Milo’s too, but unexpectedly calloused in telltale places, like he plays a guitar of some sort. That’s interesting.

“So what exactly is this reputation?” Zack asks, seeming more curious than concerned now.

Milo tilts his head. “Well, people have used the J-word, but you know what they say. Sticks and stones can damage your vital organs, so always wear body armor.”

The original meaning of the phrase is still implied. As a Murphy, harsh words are extremely low on his list of things to worry about. At least, that’s how he tries to keep it. It’s not that words don’t affect him at all, he just has steps he takes to prepare himself for them, like he would for any other unpleasant event. Just as he wears body armor to protect against physical harm, he protects his feelings under his carefully crafted demeanor.

Lots of people think his cheeriness is default, but in reality, it’s a conscious choice. It’s his emotional armor. Words hurt him less if he chooses to be upbeat and optimistic, rather than let himself despair. That just creates a negative feedback loop, which doesn’t help anything.

Before Zack can inquire further, Melissa shows up to the stop. Milo gets preoccupied by their conversation and forgets that Zack’s still waiting on an explanation until he interjects. But right as Milo is about to elaborate, Murphy’s Law kicks in.

Milo has just enough time to slap his spare helmet onto Zack’s head before they turn and run. And it is both of them; Zack’s taken off without any prompting- he didn’t freeze like so many people do for their first disaster, that’s good. He’s screaming quite a bit, but that’s to be expected. And more surprising is that Zack’s keeping pace with Milo. Not many people can match his speed when he’s going full-tilt like this.

“-wait, why aren’t you screaming?!” Zack demands suddenly.

Milo’s intrigued. Most people who get caught up in his Murphy’s Law don’t have the presence of mind to question why he’s calm while being chased down the street by some devastatingly heavy object.

“I find it doesn’t help,” he answers simply. “Just hurts the larynx.” While he runs and talks, part of him is absentmindedly planning his next move, and he adds, “hand me that bungee, and you’d better hold onto my backpack.”

Milo winds up his throw. Even as Zack exclaims, “Wait, what?” he feels the other boy grab on as instructed, and then they’re up in the air.

Zack maintains his hold while they flip, and when the bungee snaps and drops them on top of the drainage pipe. He’s strong, Milo notes with pleasant surprise. More impressively, Zack doesn’t go careening off of the spinning cylinder- he manages to stay upright beside Milo. That’s a rare skill, for sure. Maybe he’s taken log-rolling classes, for whatever reason. Or, he’s just exceptionally quick on his feet. An athlete, maybe.

“That bungee was definitely defective,” Milo comments, if only to fill the space.

Zack offers no reply, even as Milo sends Diogee home. The pipe takes them through a road barrier, down a rocky incline, through a wooden fence, off of a thankfully low cliff, and into a shallow pit of mud. They barely have time to blink the mud from their eyes before the pipe falls down after them, and Milo tells Zack to scooch over- which he does with little hesitation.

They fit neatly through the center of the pipe, and a wave of mud sends them up to the top.

Zack glances over at Milo, his sudden stillness probably due to shock. “… the J-word wouldn’t happen to be jinx, would it?” he ventures.

Even though he knows it wasn’t used maliciously, Milo can’t stop himself from flinching. He brushes it off with a laugh, though it comes out slightly apologetic. “Yeah, that’s the one.” He pulls himself up onto the rim of the pipe, offering Zack his hand.

Miraculously, Zack accepts his help, and they climb over the edge and drop into the mud below.

Milo wipes his face off with a towel from his backpack. “I have EHML,” he explains. “Extreme hereditary Murphy’s Law. You know, ‘anything that can go wrong, will go wrong.’ Around me.” He studies Zack with a hint of apprehension, the other boy doubled over to catch his breath. He doesn’t look angry or upset or scared, but Milo can’t always tell.

“Well,” is all Zack says. “Alright, then. How are we gonna catch the bus?”

Milo blinks, handing Zack the towel. “Whenever stuff like this happens, the driver usually gives me a few minutes to make it back in case it’s something light. If we hurry, we should be able to get there in time.”

Zack cleans his face and gives the towel back to Milo, brows raised. “Lead the way, I guess.”

Well, indeed. Milo leads the way, and Zack follows.

~*~

Naturally, they miss the bus.

Zack’s definitely in some kind of shock now. He doesn’t even scream when the oil spill in the rock quarry goes up in flames. Milo gently suggests that they go through the woods instead. And then the shock seems to wear off when they’re beset by a pack of hungry wolves.

Shock and panic can interchange remarkably quickly, in some people.

While Milo knows from experience that wolves do, in fact, love peanut butter, Murphy’s Law isn’t yielding anything today. One of the wolves lunges at the same time he tosses the sandwich, and it gets thrown right back, sticking to Zack’s shirt. That elicits a shrill scream from him, and Milo has to fight the urge to cringe. This is not a great first impression, even by Murphy’s Law standards.

At this point, Milo’s pretty sure that the presence of the sandwich has no bearing on the wolves’ desire to attack them, but he grabs a stick and peels it off anyways, if only to try and save Zack’s shirt from being stained too badly.

They escape by scrambling up a tree, but the situation is complicated by the presence of an irate beehive.

A wolf with a beehive stuck on its face is a new one. Luckily, Zack continues to demonstrate remarkable survival instincts, such as ‘dodging when a wolf with a beehive stuck on its face lunges at you’ and ‘running when a wolf with a beehive stuck on its face gives chase.’ He’s keeping up well enough, though he might be starting to fatigue because he lags slightly behind Milo. And he’s still screaming a little, but Milo isn’t holding that against him.

In the end, they don’t escape the wolf so much as they accidentally plunge through an open manhole. But it’s not a high fall, and Milo’s not one to look a gift horse in the mouth. Or, to look a sewer in the open manhole.

Milo lands on his feet in the middle channel, which is fortunately shallow. Zack crashes in right behind him.

“Here,” Milo hands Zack a headlamp from his backpack, “these will help us navigate in the dark.”

Zack’s voice follows him after a moment. “Dude… if and when we get out of here, I’m gonna have to go my own way. No offense, I just can’t handle all of… this.”

Milo’s heart trips inside his chest. He wants to protest that Zack has, in actuality, handled everything just fine. Truly, even Melissa would be impressed, and he’s sure she will be when he regales her with the story later today. But he knows that isn’t the crux of the matter.

“A- all of what?” he asks quietly, his voice wavering slightly despite his best efforts.

The answer is painfully obvious as a raccoon leaps out at him from a pipe, sailing over his ducked head and disappearing into murky sewer water. Milo grips his backpack tighter and keeps walking.

“This cyclone of calamity that follows you everywhere you go!” Zack exclaims in disbelief, his voice echoing in the tunnels. “How do you live like this?!”

Milo supposes this was inevitable. It’s not often that someone gives him a chance- usually it’s something like this, a new kid who doesn’t know any better- but it always ends the same way. He accepted long ago that Melissa would be his only school friend, and he’s okay with that.

Right now, they’ve reached the point where Milo will say he understands and apologize for putting Zack in danger. He’ll get him out of the sewer and part ways, only seeing Zack as much as school demands. Or less than that, if Zack decides to switch schools and get a restraining order. That’s happened before. But really, this is where Milo should ‘cut Zack loose,’ if he’s speaking metaphorically.

Except.

Except Milo doesn’t want to.

It’s a bizarre sensation. He’s never put up a fight before, whenever someone decided he wasn’t worth all the danger associated with Murphy’s Law. He almost lost Melissa that way, and was incredibly fortunate she decided to choose him. Typically, it’s easier for everyone if he just accepts it without complaint, and he doesn’t like making a scene. But this time, every part of him is rebelling against the idea.

He really, really doesn’t want to lose Zack. Zack, who’s fast and strong and quick on his feet. Zack, who has good instincts and knows how to trust them. Zack, who willingly followed Milo all this way despite knowing about his EHML. He doesn’t come across people like Zack every day.

Right now, it’s just him and Zack in a dark tunnel. There’s no one else around to worry about, no judgmental looks or scolding words. No one to tell Zack that he shouldn’t be around Milo. So maybe, this time, Zack can really decide for himself. Maybe, deep down beneath the knee-jerk fear reaction, he feels what Milo does, and knows that leaving would be the wrong choice.

Maybe Milo can fight for this.

So instead, Milo asks, “How do you live like that?”

Zack’s voice is hesitant. “What do you mean?”

“I mean,” Milo turns around, frustration nipping at him because it’s always so hard to put these things into words, “you wanna live like those other kids? They took a bus to school today. A bus! Does that seem like more fun to you?”

That really doesn’t say everything he means. It doesn’t say ‘I think you’re amazing and destined for so much more than an ordinary life’ or ‘I feel better with you by my side so please don’t go.’ But none of that comes easily to Milo, so it’ll have to do.

Zack stops and thinks about it. Really thinks about it. Milo holds his breath.

“Hm. Alright,” Zack says simply. He hops over the middle channel, landing next to Milo on the other side. Closer than most people are willing to get if they don’t have to. He shoves his hands in his pockets and looks at Milo expectantly. “Where to next?”

Milo is almost stunned by the sheer relief that washes over him, but he pushes through it. “Well, there’s a loose grate up over here to the left,” he says, turning around to resume walking. “I’ve been here before.”

“Of course you have,” Zack says, and it actually sounds fond.

Milo’s heart is running now, though he’s not sure why.

~*~

As they scramble their way through the construction site, Milo can’t help but think that they make a good team.

He knows he’s letting himself get too attached, too quickly. At the end of this, Zack could very well change his mind. Or maybe tomorrow, or after a week. Maybe his tolerance of Murphy’s Law has a limit. He wouldn’t be the first.

But they’re incredibly in-sync, for having just met not even a half-hour ago. They don’t even speak as they navigate the various hazards together. Zack seems to be relying on his instincts and cues from Milo, and they escape unscathed, floating down the river on the detached bed of a dump truck.

After they avoid the wolf (again) and Milo sends Diogee home (again), Zack climbs over to sit next to him, leaning back on his arms. His hand is close to Milo’s knee, close enough that their hands would be touching if Milo put his down. And the way Zack’s looking at him right now… his heart’s acting up again. Maybe he should get checked for arrhythmia.

“You know,” Zack starts, “I don’t know if it’s the adrenaline talking, but I’m starting to feel like we can handle anything that comes our way.”

If that’s how adrenaline makes Zack talk, Milo certainly doesn’t mind it. It’s not often that someone else is doing the reassuring, unless it’s Melissa or his family. And the confidence Zack says it with is an incredible thing. Even if it is just adrenaline.

Of course, now that Zack’s gone and said something like that, Murphy’s Law can’t resist the opportunity, and a massive tidal wave appears out of nowhere to carry them out of the river and straight off the edge of a cliff.

This time, Zack doesn’t scream. They plummet silently for a couple seconds before he turns his head towards Milo, almost casually, and says, “Well, maybe not anything…”

Milo would laugh at that, but then they faceplant onto the dome of an alien spacecraft and suddenly have other things to worry about.

~*~

Somehow, they end up at school on time and unscathed.

Zack thinks he might not have fully processed everything yet, because he feels… surprisingly okay. Considering what happened. But really, it seems silly to freak out and make a huge deal out of it when they’re both perfectly fine.

Aside from missing lunches, that is, but the redhead sitting in front of him- who he recalls as Melissa- has that covered. They don’t have time for formal introductions before the teacher comes in and begins class, but context clues tell Zack that she’s Milo’s only friend. And from what he can piece together, she orchestrated a betting pool to ensure they’d have something for lunch in the event theirs were destroyed.

So she’s either psychic, or stuff like this happens often.

That gets filed under ‘things to think about later,’ next to everything else that just happened. Right now, he has to focus on getting oriented to his new school. Which is… actually pretty boring, compared to this morning. Meeting his teachers, figuring out his schedule, finding his locker… it’s crazy to think he was stressing about this stuff just last night.

He gets strange looks here and there, and catches a few murmurs of, “Someone better warn the new kid” and “Wonder how long that’s gonna last” that make him… oddly indignant. He doesn’t like the feeling that his new classmates are judging his choice to stick by Milo.

He also doesn’t like the attention he’s attracted from Melissa. She’s nice enough, but he catches her staring at him sometimes, this intense look in her eyes, like she’s trying to puzzle something out, and it gives him the creeps.

Someone remind him not to get on her bad side…

If something’s up, Milo’s oblivious to it. He’s happy to help Zack around to their classes, and never falters under the stares or whispers or occasional small mishaps that occur. And they are small; nothing else that happens that day can compare to their crazy morning.

Which is perfectly fine by Zack. No complaining here.

The relative calm gives him a chance to actually get a good look at Milo- something that was neglected in all the terror. He’s deceptively average at a glance; pale, brown hair, brown eyes. An ever-present smile on his face. His outfit’s a little odd; shorts, sweater vest, loafers. And Zack quickly finds out that Milo’s backpack isn’t just a regular school backpack that happens to contain a random assortment of items.

Milo wears it nonstop throughout the day, never stashing it under his desk or in his locker. Not even during lunch. That also gets filed under ‘things to think about later.’

Along with the fact that Milo has a lot of scars. Like, a lot.

Zack remembers the conversation at the bus stop, but in the light of day it’d been easy to overlook. Milo’s so pale, the faint marks don’t show up that much until they’re under more contrasting light. And again, they aren’t running for their lives, so Zack can take the time to notice the dozens of scars on Milo’s arms, knees, and face.

Some are small pockmarks, some are lines of varying thickness, some are patchy blotches. Some of them look surgical in nature, while others Zack can’t even begin to speculate about. After their morning together, it’s not hard to imagine why Milo’s acquired so many scars in his short life, but it’s… sobering, to say the least.

Today wasn’t the rule. Milo gets hurt a lot. Like, a lot.

And so Zack’s starting to think this morning was actually really lucky, all things considered. Part of him wants to reconsider his decision. Not so much out of fear that he’ll get hurt, but because he’s not sure he can handle seeing Milo get hurt.

But then Milo catches him staring once. Their eyes meet briefly before Milo’s cheeks flush and Zack looks away, his stomach flipping like it did when they were freefalling together, and he already knows he’s in for the long haul.

~*~

Melissa doesn’t get a chance to speak to Milo alone until lunch, when Zack excuses himself to the bathroom and their little three-person table becomes its usual two-person table.

Milo, who had been excitedly recounting the morning’s events for her, suddenly falls silent as soon as Zack’s out of earshot. He looks up at her apprehensively, fidgeting with his hands, and Melissa already knows what’s on his mind before he says anything.

“So, uh, what- what do you think of him?” he asks quietly.

Melissa tilts her head, considering. She hadn’t thought much of the guy at the bus stop, simply recognizing that he was a new kid and thus didn’t know not to stand that close to Milo. She’d been surprised to see Zack stuck with Milo through all that happened, and seemed none the worse for wear.

“It sounds like he handled himself well,” she concedes.

Milo nods enthusiastically. “Yeah, he really did. I was very impressed.”

“I can tell,” Melissa says, amused.

Milo laughs sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. Is that a blush? “I just, I know we haven’t really hung out with other people in… forever. I didn’t mean to have this whole adventure with him, without you, it just happened.” His expression sobers. “And- and I like him, and I think he’d be a good fit for us, but if you don’t, then just say the word. I’ll understand.”

Then he gives her that little smile of his, the one that’s sad at the edges like he’s already expecting a certain answer and has resigned himself to it. The one he uses whenever he’s apologizing for some Murphy’s Law related incident. The one that makes her want to shake him and say, “It’s not your fault, you deserve better.”

Over the years, some people have tried to stick around Milo just for the spectacle of it. A chance to see what the deal with the ‘disaster kid’ was (particularly back when Diogee was allowed to accompany Milo to school as his service dog). They didn’t care about Milo as a person.

And worse, Milo never caught on. He really thought someone was giving his friendship a chance, and was crushed when they inevitably decided it wasn’t worth the risk.

It only happened a handful of times before Melissa established herself as “someone you do not want to cross” and people were too scared to try it anymore, but it took a toll on both of them. Milo’s convinced that he’s destined to go through life alone, with no one but Melissa at an arm’s length away.

And Melissa’s instantly suspicious of anyone who shows an interest in Milo. Admittedly, she might’ve jumped the gun a few times, and chased off potential friends who could’ve actually had good intentions. After all, some people genuinely did try to be his friend, and just couldn’t handle Murphy’s Law. Mostly new kids like Zack. But whenever someone who already knew them started getting closer, Melissa’s defensiveness quickly deterred any further advances, before she even knew whether they were sincere or not.

Those are acceptable loss margins in her opinion, if it meant Milo didn’t have to suffer another heartbreak.

But she knows he’s lonely. More than others would think, and probably more than he’s willing to admit to himself. The two of them are close, but one person can’t be someone’s whole world. He’s always wary of putting too much on her, so she knows there are holes she isn’t filling.

If she’s being honest, it might be nice to have someone else around to help handle the Murphy mayhem. From what she’s heard, Zack is plenty capable- and that’s without any prior experience. She could do worse for someone to take under her wing. Plus, she hasn’t gotten strange vibes from him yet, regarding Milo. He seems genuine.

And Milo really seems to like Zack. Probably more than he’s willing to admit to himself.

So much so, in fact, it speaks volumes that he’d break this budding friendship if she asked him to. It scares her, sometimes, how much of Milo’s heart she seems to hold. They’ve won each other’s trust and loyalty a thousand times over since they first became friends, but all she really did in the beginning was show him some basic kindness. That’s all it took for him to decide he was devoted.

The wrong person could really abuse that.

… Zack better not be the wrong person.

“He’s in,” Melissa decides.

The way Milo’s face lights up almost makes all her worries go away.

Almost.

Zack will have to watch himself around her. If she gets a single whiff of any funny business from him, he’s done, and she’ll make him regret ever switching schools.

But even Melissa has to admit, the soft way Zack looks at Milo when he returns to the lunchroom and Milo happily waves him over makes her think she probably doesn’t have anything to worry about.

Probably.

~*~

[omg-imagine]

⊱ Forget Me Not (2/15) ⊰

Pairing: Keanu Reeves x Reader

Summary: After you wake up from a coma and realize that your memories from the last five years have been erased, Keanu works to bring back what you have lost.

Words: 2.7k

Warning: Angst

A/N: Thank you all for the lovely feedback, I truly appreciate it! This series might turn out to be 15 chapters long unless I decide to tweak it. But anyways, I hope you enjoy this next part!

Part 1

There was a stillness in the air once you opened your eyes, a stream of daylight blinding you as it slipped past between parted curtains. Your head throbbed excruciatingly, but your body felt numb. When the bright light subsided, you glanced around the room but saw it as a blurry haze. Slowly, your vision settled, only then realizing where you were.

You were in the hospital.

You blinked once, then twice, trying to recall what had happened, but nothing was coming to mind. Deciding that your memory would return eventually, you took a moment to survey your surroundings. You couldn’t do much else, not when you have an IV needle hooked into your arm and were also attached to a monitor.

Fresh floral arrangements decorated your space, bringing some much-needed vibrancy inside the dull and gloomy room. In one corner, you caught sight of a sleeper chair with a white blanket folded neatly on top of a pillow. You wondered to yourself who would choose to stay the night, sleeping on that small uncomfortable recliner.

Other than those, there was nothing else remotely interesting about the room. As you laid in bed, you matched your breathing to the lulling sounds of the machine beeping at your side. You stared up at the cold white ceiling, counting each gray speckle that you could find on the panels above. You had reached fifty before you were startled by the door opening, a nurse then stepping inside the room.

“You’re awake,” the woman commented, quickly walking over to your bedside. She was around the same age as your mother, perhaps slightly older. Her graying hair was tied neatly into a bun with a few loose strands framing her face. Her kind eyes glanced over yours, and you felt calmness washing over you. “My name is Sam. I’ve been checking up on you for quite some time now.”

You opened your mouth to speak, but your throat was so dry that your voice came out as a rasp. The nurse took notice and immediately filled up a cup of water from a nearby dispenser then brought it over to you.

“Thank you,” you said once you finished drinking.

“You’re welcome, dear,” she responded, taking the empty cup from your hand and setting it to the side. “How are you feeling?”

“Tired,” you answered her after thinking the question over. Aside from that and the pounding headache, you were also confused. You still didn’t know why you were in the hospital.

“It’s the pain medication. The drowsiness is one of its nasty side effects, but it does the job,” she spoke, giving you a gentle smile.

“It’s a good thing I can’t feel anything else right now because my head alone is killing me.”

With a nod, Sam then went on to check your vitals. Judging by her relaxed attitude, everything seemed to be just fine. She jotted down a couple of notes on her clipboard before her attention returned to you. “I’ll let your doctor know that you’re awake, but it’s really a miracle that you’re up right now.”

“Why do you say that?” You asked her curiously. “How long have I been out?”

“Three weeks, dear,” she informed you, much to your surprise. “You got into a pretty bad car crash. Don’t you remember?”

You shook your head slowly, a puzzled expression appearing on your face. “No, I don’t.”

Sam sighed, clicking her pen closed. Her smile suddenly fell, and it worried you. “I’ll fetch Dr. Henderson so that he could do a full evaluation on you.”

“Okay,” you told her as she fluffed the pillows behind your head and smoothed out your blanket. “Are my parents here?”

“Yes, they are,” she nodded her head. “Your father’s waiting right outside while your mother and your partner are downstairs at the canteen. Don’t worry, I’ll let them know that you’re awake. They could all probably use some good news right now.”

Sam’s smile returned, reassuring you one last time before she headed to the door. That’s when you realized what she had just said.

“Wait, excuse me,” you called out, and Sam stopped in her tracks. “I-I don’t have a partner. Not anymore, at least.”

She furrowed her brows as you stared at her quizzically. Maybe, she might have mistaken a family friend for one, but you weren’t sure. You had just broken up with your boyfriend a month ago, but for a good reason. He was an asshole who had made your life a living hell, and it wasn’t until recently did you find the courage to end the relationship. Because of that, you were fairly certain there was no way he would be here along with your parents.

“Sure, you do, honey. I mean, that’s who he introduced himself as,” Sam replied. “He never stops talking about you, and it’s very obvious that he loves you. Ever since you got here, he’s never left your side. You definitely got yourself a keeper.”

“But I don’t… that’s impossible,” you mumbled. Again your mind tried searching through your memories, but doing so only triggered a searing headache, making you groan out in pain.

“Darling, you need to relax,” Sam warned you. “You may be awake, but you’re still healing.”

Once the migraine passed, your eyes welled up in tears. It was frustrating to not know what was going on. It felt as though chaos was swirling inside of your head, and you couldn’t understand why it was happening.

“Shh, honey, it’s okay,” the nurse murmured softly, calming you down. “Do you want me to turn on the tv? Maybe you should watch something while I get the doctor in here. It can help ease your mind up a little.”

“Alright,” you muttered, and Sam plugged in the television, handing you the remote.

She excused herself shortly after as you surfed through the channels available, trying to find a show or a movie to distract yourself for the time being.

Coming across a live weather report, the broadcast had left you baffled. The reporter talked about the temperatures in Los Angeles this week, which was unusual since you were living on the other side of the country. Not to mention, the date shown on the graphic on the bottom of the screen was wrong.

July 11, 2020, it had read.

But wasn’t it the winter of 2015?

---

Keanu had gotten used to the stale taste of cafeteria food though he didn’t have that much of an appetite to begin with. He would usually order the day’s special, eat one or two bites of it before pushing it off to the side. He must have lost ten pounds already from skipping meals these past three weeks.

“Keanu, sweetheart,” your mother Nancy began, noticing that once again, he wasn’t eating. “Y/N needs you to be strong for her when she wakes up.”

Letting out a sigh, his eyes then flickered up to the woman sitting across from him, a slight frown on her lips. She was right, of course, but he just couldn’t help it. Every time he visited the hospital and saw your unconscious body, it was like a piece of him wilted away each day.

Truth be told, Keanu was much worse in the beginning than he was now. He had spent the first several nights sleeping in your room, or at least, he attempted to. It was difficult staying asleep when every night, he was forced to relive the night of your accident. Unfortunately, it would always end up the same way with you losing your life, and Keanu not being there at your side.

The media had caught wind of what had happened and made it much more stressful not only for Keanu but for your family as well. There would always be paparazzi waiting by the entrance of the hospital, ready to bombard him or your parents with invasive questions and take pictures of them. Security had done the best they could to keep them off the premises, and Keanu felt horrible for subjecting your parents to one of the downsides of fame.

But both your mother and father had been understanding, and they didn’t want Keanu to worry more than he needed to. If it weren’t for them, he would have never left the hospital for any reason. They had convinced him to go home each night, reassuring him the best they could that you would be there the next morning.

Keanu listened and did just that. He was able to get some sleep in as the nightmares started to die down. He would ride his motorcycle for hours on end to clear his mind, and it had been meditating. Slowly, he was getting much better dealing with the aftermath. Still, it was only the uncertainty of the situation that continued to perturb him.

“I know,” he whispered, rubbing his eyes. “It’s been hard, you know. For all us, I mean.”

Nancy nodded, setting down her fork on the tray and looking at Keanu sorrowfully. “I know my daughter, and she’s a fighter. I’m sure that she’ll get better, and it’s only a matter of time. But the last thing she would want is for you to get sick because of her. She wouldn’t like it if you stopped taking care of yourself, Keanu.”

“Yeah,” he agreed after pondering for a minute. “She wouldn’t like that.”

“Good,” Nancy smiled as she pushed her tray next to Keanu’s at the edge of the table. “The food here isn’t the best. Let’s go out and buy lunch somewhere else instead, hmm? My treat, and you can’t turn down free lunch.”

“No, ma’am. I can’t,” Keanu chuckled as he stacked the trays before getting out of his seat.

The two of them had reached the exit when your father Peter came running down the hall. His chest heaved heavily as if he had sprinted all the way from the fifth floor to the first.

“Peter, what on earth was that all about?” Nancy asked her husband as Keanu held him steady. “You know, there are elevators in this building.”

“It’s our baby girl. She’s awake,” Peter panted, his eyes filled with so much joy that Keanu could feel it radiating from him. “Y/N’s finally awake.”

---

“Are you sure, Keanu?” Peter questioned him as he stood in the middle of the doorway. “You’re practically family, I can tell the doctor that.”

“It’s okay, go,” Keanu waved him off with a smile before sitting down in one of the plastic chairs right outside of the room.

Dr. Henderson had just finished evaluating you but had asked to speak with your parents first. It seemed a bit of an unusual request, though he didn’t want to overthink it. He was okay with giving Nancy and Peter time with you first. They were your parents, after all.

As he sat there out in the hall, Keanu cracked a smile for the first time in weeks. The last three weeks had been hell for him, and he was ready to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Very soon, he would finally be able to see your open eyes and hear your sweet voice. Keanu was already coming up with what he was going to say once it’s his turn for him to see you, and he wanted the first words for you to hear from him was that he was sorry.

It took a while until Dr. Henderson stepped out of the room, leaving you with your parents. Keanu got up from his seat, a thank you ready to roll off his tongue until he noticed the solemn look on the doctor’s face.

Just before he could ask if something was wrong, Peter appeared from behind him, his hand coming to rest on Keanu’s shoulder, giving it a light squeeze.

“Son, we need to talk,” Peter spoke with a downcast gaze. “It’s about Y/N.”

Keanu eyed your father nervously as he gestured for the two of them to sit. “What is it? Is she okay?”

Peter released a deep breath before shaking his head. “She’s doing fine physically, but mentally, there’s something wrong.”

“What do you mean?”

“Retrograde amnesia,” Peter stated, glancing at the tile floors beneath his feet. “Dr. Henderson said that she needs to undergo tests to confirm it, but he thinks she’s likely suffering from it.”

“Amnesia?” Keanu’s voice faltered as the word fell from his lips. “What did she forget? The accident?”

“Yes,” he revealed, pausing for a brief second before continuing. “Y/N can’t recall the accident nor anything from the last five years. Not a single memory, Keanu.”

Five years? That meant… No, it couldn’t be.

“What’s the last thing she can remember?”

Peter looked at Keanu regretfully. “She remembers breaking up with her ex Eric and moving back with us. This was way back in—”

“February,” he finished, shutting his eyes as he felt his chest tightened. “That happened in February 2015.”

Keanu was at a loss for words. Here you were now, finally awake after spending weeks in a coma, only to have five years worth of your memories erased. He could only imagine how confused you must be not knowing what had happened. There had been a significant amount of changes in your life within that time frame—moving to LA, getting a new job, meeting Keanu.

The last part hurt him the most. You had forgotten him and all of the memories you had together. Right now, Keanu was nothing but a complete stranger to you, and thinking about it made his heart feel heavy. Of course, he wanted to be there to help, but at the same time, he didn’t want to overwhelm you. What if you didn’t want him around? What if you pushed him away?

Keanu glanced at Peter, the question slightly trembling out of his mouth. “Did the doctor say it was permanent?”

“He doesn’t know. There’s a chance that it could be temporary, and the memories would resurface later on. But, it could also end up being permanent.”

Leaning back against his seat, Keanu ran a hand over his face. The silence which followed gnawed at his insides as nausea churned in the pit of his empty stomach. “I’m a part of those memories she’s lost. She won’t remember the last five years we’ve spent together. Y/N won’t even recognize me if I walk in there.”

“Keanu?”

Nancy calling out his name caused him to glance up. She stood before him with red eyes, cheeks still stained with tears. “Do you want to see Y/N?”

The answer was obvious, but for some reason, he couldn’t bring himself to voice it out loud. “I-I don’t think it’s a good idea.”

“Nonsense, dear. Perhaps all Y/N needs is to see you, and she’ll remember everything again,” Nancy suggested with fervent hope flashing across her face.

“Maybe,” Peter shrugged, sharing a glance between Keanu and his wife. “It’s up to you, son.”

Keanu didn’t want to be disappointed, but he needed to at least try. He was reminded of the promise he made on the night of the accident, that no matter what, he would never give up on you. Pushing aside his fears, he stood by the foot of your door and opened it before stepping over the threshold.

Instantly, his gaze met yours as you sat up from your bed. Seeing you awake made him feel so relieved, and he had to fight back the tears that were threatening to fall. All he wanted to do was cross the room and gather you into his arms, hoping his touch would bring back the memories you’ve forgotten. But Keanu decided against it, choosing to linger closely by the door instead.

“Y/N?” He spoke your name in a soft tone, waiting for any reaction to come.

A pause. From the hospital bed, you looked at Keanu with merely a blank stare, not even the slightest flicker of recognition showing in your unwavering eyes.

“I’m sorry, but... do I know you?” Your voice was barely above a whisper, but the room was silent enough for him to hear your words.

You should know him, but you don’t.

You don’t remember him at all.

Part 3

Tags: @penwieldingdreamer​ @fanficsrusz​ @toomanystoriessolittletime​ @awessomness​ @meetmeinthematinee​

[petri808]

Hauntober prompt Ghost (sort of lol)

Bakudeku requested by @nona-inc Angst w/happy ending, AU modern times. Longer than I’d planned to write but stories go where they wanna lol.

Got the idea here

A Second Chance

In his adulthood, Izuku Midoriya did quite well for himself career-wise. He had a nice home and lived comfortably even though it was alone. Relationships had never really crossed his mind, which he chalked up to the turmoil of his childhood. It wasn’t a terribly horrible one but coming from divorced parents is never easy on young child minds. Why get close to anyone if they’ll probably leave eventually? That was a lesson bolstered by the end of primary school when his best friend ditched him for the popular kids.

It was Halloween night, and Izuku’s simply followed his normal routine after work consisting of dinner while watching a bit of television. Trick or treaters were a rarity in his neighborhood, so there was no sense in celebrating the holiday. As he waits for the news, he lets the current show drone on in the background while he scrolled mindlessly through his social media. He didn’t pay a lot of attention to what acquaintances posted and mostly looked for interesting or funny posts instead.

“Deku...”

Izuku’s brow furrows slightly at that ancient nickname. He looks at the television characters on the screen, had one of them said it? But instead of the tv show, he finds a fuzzy, staticky screen. He grabs his remote assuming something had gone wrong with the channel or service when...

“Deku, I’m sorry...”

“What the?” Izuku starts clicking the buttons and getting no response. The screen stays stuck, yet that voice... it was a familiar voice from long ago...

“...I’ve watched you from afar for all these years, because I could never admit how much I loved you and now it’s too late. I’m so sorry Deku. You’ll always be my only true love.”

Silence. Dead silence for a flash of a second when the television loudly blares back to life and startles Izuku out of his seat into a standing position. “What the fuck is going on?!”

The show had ended, and the news is now on in its regular-timed slot.

‘Breaking news, a major four car accident on the I10 highway has left 3 people dead and one in a critical condition. The victim identified as 37-year old K. Bakugou had been transported to the hospital for treatment. Police have closed off the highway in both directions, so anyone traveling in that area should use alternative routes...’

As he watches the footage of the accident story, Izuku’s hand unconscious covers his mouth and tears gather in his eyes. “Oh my gosh....” That was the voice he’d just heard! Of course, Katsuki was the only one who ever called him Deku.

He quickly calls one of the nurses at his hospital and they confirm that the man had in fact been transported there 15 minutes ago.

“Oh! Dr. Midoriya! We were just about to call you! Yes, patient Bakugou was brought in unconscious, lacerations to his arms and chest, broken leg, possible punctured lung, internal bleeding, concussion, and brain swelling which is why I was just about to call you in.”

“I’ll be right there.”

The entire way there, Izuku struggles to rationalize the message. If Katsuki was unconscious, how could that have been his voice? Then again that’s if you believed his television had somehow sent the message in the first place! Oh, this was entirely crazy! Izuku didn’t even know why his logical mind was allowing him to believe it had happened if not for the coincidence of the news coverage.

But as a neurosurgeon, he had to put all those questions aside and focus on the task at hand. The description the nurse had given him already indicated major problems, but it wasn’t until his own physical examination that determined the true extent of the damage. Primary surgical nurse Uraraka already had set up the operating room by the time Izuku arrived.

“The patient was revived once by EMTs in the ambulance and a second time in the ER after his heart stopped. Right now, the patient is intubated and prepped for emergency surgery.”

“Thank you, nurse Uraraka.”

Along with a fellow doctor, Izuku switched into a hyper focused mode. He works to repair the damage to the patient’s brain while the other doctor simultaneously focuses on internal chest injuries. Time was of the essence to stem the blood loss and mitigate further damage if they had any hope of saving the man, because even if he made it through the surgery, only a miracle would bring him back at this point.

It was now a waiting game. They keep Katsuki in a medically induced coma for the first three weeks as his body worked hard to repair itself. Once he was brought out of the induced coma, he still didn’t wake up, was breathing with the assistance of a machine, but at least the man’s heart was functioning normally. Surprisingly, Katsuki’s parents remembered Izuku and were grateful their son was in familiar hands. They’d initially flew in after the accident, but the cost to stay for such a long length of time would be too steep. So, after they returned home, he kept them up to date.

Each day that passed by, Izuku would check in on Katsuki’s progress like a normal doctor would, but at night he’d go home and ponder the ghostly message that had come through the television. He’d told no one about it because who would believe something so crazy? It just didn’t sound like the man, or rather child he remembered. Never once was there any indication Katsuki had romantic feelings for him, especially considering it was him not Izuku that ended their friendship. They saw each other in passing though middle, then high school and still nothing. So why is he now being told this?

Some say that when you die, any regrets you have must be released or your soul cannot ascend to the next plane. Izuku wasn’t religious or spiritual and before that Halloween trick he would have said he didn’t believe in anything beyond what he couldn’t see, touch, feel, and analyze. Ugh! Maybe that’s why this was all driving him so crazy. He wanted answers but the one person who could give it to him was stuck in a coma.

“Everything okay doctor?” One of the LPN’s asks Izuku. “I just need to check on the patients vitals.”

“Do what you need to nurse, I’m just visiting before I go home for the night.”

“Yes, doctor.” The woman makes her chart notations and leaves them alone again.

Because of Izuku’s standing at the hospital, he’d gotten Katsuki a private room. The man was taken off the breathing machine a week earlier and this way he could monitor the man without being pestered. There were times he would spend a few hours just watching the man sleep, trying to study what had become of his childhood friend. Through research, Izuku learned Katsuki had moved here around the same time that he’d started his internship at the hospital. Before that the man lived in the same town as the medical school he attended. It appeared Katsuki really was keeping track of Izuku, never married, and just worked in the marketing field.

Izuku squeezes the man’s hand with his eyes closed in a silent conversation. The only sounds being the beeps and noises of the machines to break the stillness. Lost in his own thoughts, he didn’t know what to think, what to feel, just that this man was dredging up long buried emotions that part of him was afraid to open up. Hadn’t he built up a good life, albeit a lonely one, it was still by his own wit and merits whereas Katsuki always had it so easy. The man was a smart, handsome jock, popular, and had been on track to do great things. While he was the geeky kid with freckles and wild green hair who the popular kids teased.

They were so close as little kids, all through preschool and the first years of primary. Katsuki was the extroverted one pulling him along on make believe adventures to emulate a shared love of a comic book character. In fact, it was with Katsuki’s help that he’d weathered his parent’s divorce. He idolized the stronger boy and wished he was Katsuki, not a weak like little nerd... perhaps having his child’s heart broken, really was the reason he swore off ever caring about anyone else again.

Did he just?! Izuku’s eyes pop open when his hand squeeze is returned by a weak one. Katsuki’s eyes are still closed and nothing else seemed unchanged. Perhaps it was just a nervous tremor, they happen sometimes. But no there it is again! Izuku stares down as the weak squeeze slowly turns into a grasp of his hand.

“Katsuki?”

A third squeeze. That meant the man was alert enough to hear and understand! Friend or not, it was the kind of thing to get a neurologist excited! Izuku quickly moved into doctor mode again and starts checking all the stats as well as alerting the nurse on shift.

“Welcome back Mister Bakugou.”

The man squeezes his hand.

“I’m your doctor, Midoriya. You might remember me...”

The man squeezes again and tries to talk, but after being intubated for a long time the throat tends to be dry, sore, and the muscles weakened. All that comes through is so faint it’s barely audible.

“Mister Bakugou, you’ve been unconscious for almost two months now, please try not to talk just yet, everything will be fine.”

But that only makes the man angrier. Furious red eyes flashing, Katsuki grips harder to Izuku’s hand using what little strength he has to try and pull him closer. So, Izuku leans in. “Calm down, it’s gonna...”

“Ma—y...” angry growling noises. “Mar...”

Obviously, the man wasn’t going to stop until he gave in, so Izuku leans in even more until his ear is practically next to Katsuki’s mouth. “I’m sorry?”

“Marry me damnit!!”

Izuku shoots straight up. “What?!” Is the guy serious?! The first words out of his mouth is that?! Wow... Katsuki really hasn’t changed, feisty as ever even after almost dying.

“Pa-pa—per pen!”

“H-hold on, just try to calm down please! I don’t want you to strain your heart!”

Midoriya grabs the chart, flips the paper over to the blank backside, and puts a pen in Katsuki’s hand. He holds it steady as the man scribbled shakily. ‘No waste 2nd chance marry me Deku.’

“Mister Bakugou, this is...”

The man pounds his fist on the bed then scribbles more. ‘Stop call me that! nickname!’

Izuku sighs and squeezes his eyes closed for a second. He hadn’t used that name since primary just like he’d hadn’t heard Deku all these years. “Kacchan. Happy now? I-I can’t just say okay. You—y-you ditched me remember and now you suddenly pop up and expect me to marry you?! Kacchan you almost died, I get it, that’s a scary thing to deal with, but you just need time to process...”

Katsuki writes, ‘Nothin 2 think bout. No more regrets,’ Then he mouths out the rest in a whisper, “I love you Deku.”

Izuku sighs, “I’m not saying yes or no Kacchan. Just get well first okay, then we’ll talk about everything.”

“Fine.” The man closes his eyes again seemingly satisfied with the answer.

He squeezes Katsuki’s hand. “I’ll see you in the morning Kacchan.”

When Izuku leaves that evening, he couldn’t help but walk out with a flutter in his chest and a pang in his heart. There really was a lot he still needed to get off his chest, but... he felt the honesty from Katsuki. If his dying regrets had been strong enough to reach him via spiritual mail, and the first thing he wanted to talk about was love, then... ‘take the second chance Izuku.’ Not everyone gets one.

[fire-the-headcanons]

Follow the Beacon Ozpin—Truth

[Link to Masterpost]

[A lot's changed since the first version of this story—for example, Summer and Tai's entire storyline was added in—so this part ended up a little different]

Ozpin watched on the monitor as Ms. Rose and Mr. Branwen stepped from the elevator into the waiting room on the floor below. Both of them looked ill—he was probably still recovering from the day before, and she was afraid of this meeting going badly.

Maybe we should have spoken to the twins sooner. Qrow sagged in his chair, face buried in his hands, pale and withdrawn. It looked like he'd slept in his clothes. If they were sent here as spies, it was clearly under duress.

We still don't know what his Semblance is, he countered. If it's anything like his sister's, the two of them could vanish at any moment. We'll have to be very, very careful.

Speaking of which— Ozpin sealed the balcony door with a thought and a wave of his hand. ... just in case.

Just in case, he agreed with a twinge of pain in his chest. The intercom clicked as he switched it on. "Thank you both for coming. May I speak to Mister Taupe first?"

Qrow didn't respond, but shuffled to his feet as the secure elevator slid open. Summer watched his back as he entered, arms folded tightly around her stomach, and only looking away when he turned to face the doors. He was preoccupied, however, staring at the controls.

It wasn't uncommon for the Vault button to catch a student's eye—there were only three, and it was mysteriously unmarked. Though, it was rare for anyone to reach out and deliberately press it. Nothing happened, of course, it only worked with the correct password entered into the emergency phone.

Was he told to do that?

He may just be looking for a way out…

He stepped carefully from the elevator, eyes darting around the room before returning to a spot somewhere over Ozpin's shoulder. Finding no one else there seemed to calm him slightly.

"Yes, quite the view, isn't it?" Ozpin stared out the window for a moment, allowing a longer search while his back was turned. "You'll notice I have my desk turned away from the window. Hot cocoa?"

"Uh…thanks," Qrow said, accepting the mug.

"There's no need to be nervous." Ozpin smiled. "I was looking over your course records earlier. I must say—for someone of your background, your marks have been exemplary. Your parents must be very proud."

"No parents, sir."

It was incredibly rare for bandits to claim their children. The misdirect did its job, and Qrow relaxed a tiny bit more. "Ah. My apologies. Have you enjoyed it here in Vale so far?"

"It's…" he glanced to the left, down at the hazy skyscrapers. "Different."

Ozpin chuckled. "Yes, I'd imagine it can be a bit much after growing up in pastoral Anima. I was born in the city, myself," he said wistfully, "though it didn't take me long to leave it." He leaned back in his chair, settled in, unthreatening. "Tell me, what made you want to become a Huntsman?"

Qrow buried his face in the mug, taking a long sip. "I…liked the comics," he stammered, turning ever so slightly pink. That was difficult to fake. "As a kid. What can I say, they made an impression on a dumb farmhand from Anima."

"That is why the kingdoms keep printing them. Though, it doesn't explain your current dedication."

He scowled into the cocoa, hands tightening on the mug. "...I wanted to do some good in the world."

"An admirable goal." Ozpin took a sip from his own cup. "And I must say, I've been impressed with your efforts with that scythe of yours. You seem to be making great strides despite your lack of a proper teacher."

"Professor Carmine's been a lot of help," Qrow said quickly. "Professor Mesánychta, too."

"And all of it on top of your normal coursework, and your practice with the broadsword form of your weapon. Even without taking your lack of prior education into account, you are one of the top students in your class." He leaned back, opening a drawer in his desk. "Which is why I was so surprised to hear that you had brought alcohol onto the school grounds."

Qrow sagged with relief as he set the flask on the desk.

"I'm aware the legal drinking age in Mistral is eighteen. And outside the kingdoms…well. But you understand, while you are in Vale you must abide by the kingdom's laws."

He tensed, eyes widening, with a half-glance at the elevator doors. "Summer didn't have anything to do with it. It-it's mine, I smuggled it from home, she didn't—"

"Please, Mister Taupe, it is all right," Ozpin said, holding up a hand. "Seeing as this is your first offence—and Miss Rose made me swear that you wouldn't get in any trouble—I see no reason to involve the police."

"...Summer… told you?" He sounded confused, but not hurt. A good sign.

"She confessed to me that she was concerned. That you've been isolating yourself, losing interest in your work. Have you been drinking more as well?"

He swallowed, averting his gaze. "Maybe…maybe a little."

"Please don't be angry with Miss Rose. She agonized over the decision to come to me for help, I assure you. But Beacon has a number of health services available to students if you are feeling stressed." He got to his feet, circling the desk to offer his hand. "My door is always open, as well."

Hesitantly, Qrow accepted it. "Um… thanks… I-I'm fine, really."

"Mister Tau—" Ozpin stopped himself. The boy needed to hear his own name. "Qrow. Please. I can help you."

A shadow fell over his face, and he remained silent.

"No matter what it is," he pressed, squeezing his hand lightly. It was shaking.

"...I'm fine."

Magic welled in his fingertips, ready to channel if Qrow ran or tried to open a portal.

Don't hurt him.

Of course not. But we can't allow a possible lead to slip away, and he needs help. Gently, they ran their thumb over Qrow's palm. "You have remarkably smooth hands for a farmer."

He jerked his arm back, shaking even harder than before. "I… I was kinda lazy." After a moment of hesitation he shoved his hands into his pockets.

"Mister Taupe, this is exactly the kind of behavior that has your team leader so worried."

Qrow sagged, his hands slipping down to hang limp at his sides, head bowed so low Ozpin couldn't see his face. "...Stop it."

"I beg your pardon?"

"Stop pretending."

Carefully, gently, Ozpin took his hand again. "Mister Branwen, why did you come to Beacon?"

He flinched at the sound of his name, and voice cracking as he answered. "I wanted to be a Huntsman."

It was not the answer they expected, but certainly a welcome surprise. "What is holding you back?"

"I— I— I couldn't—" He wiped at his face angrily, trying to hide the tears, and Ozpin quickly passed over his handkerchief. "I didn't want to keep hurting people and they all hated me but if I ran they'd beat me to death— R-Raven's Semblance— T-there— I— she—"

"Shh," he soothed, rubbing Qrow's back but staying an arm's length away, giving him space to escape. He still flinched. "Deep breaths."

He half-turned, trying to hide his face, wiping his eyes again. "I couldn't run away because Raven c-could bring them right to me."

"Do you really think she would have helped them find you?"

"I-if she didn't then they would have just killed her first."

"So you convinced her to run with you."

"Our—our l-leader just died and everyone was scared. He was the one who… who protected us."

Ah. Yes. Bones Branwen's death had been toasted at more than one gathering of Huntsmen in the past year, and that was only in Vale.

"I convinced Raven and V—the new leader we should sneak into an Academy so we could take his place and protect the tribe," he said dully. "I thought if we had four years away from home then maybe I could convince her to… that we didn't…" his voice petered off, and when he spoke again it was nearly too soft to hear. "It doesn't matter."

"Let me help with your sister," Ozpin said, and Qrow slowly raised his head to stare, open-mouthed. "I'm sure a little extra responsibility around the school and a few careful nudges in the right direction couldn't hurt, but it's important that you know this kind of healing takes time. It will—"

"You're not…throwing us out?" his voice rang with disbelieving hope.

"Good heavens, no. Banditry would be a terrible waste of your talents." Ozpin chuckled as if the idea were absurd and squeezed his hand again. "Why don't you get some rest. Tomorrow is Saturday—come back in the morning and we can discuss your sister with clearer heads. And I hope you will allow me to refer you to one of the campus counselors."

Qrow nodded absently, staring at one of the desk legs.

"Then I'll see you at ten o' clock." Ozpin smiled. "It's all right if you're a little late. Eat something and get some rest."

He hesitated. "...Are you going to tell Summer and Tai?"

Ah. That was a tricky question. Now that the air had been cleared—with one twin, at least—Ozpin wasn't sure if Claret would continue allowing Summer to remain ignorant of her teammates' past.

"Not at present," he said. "And I would certainly consult you before doing so. ...But I believe you should tell them, before too long."

Qrow's eyes widened in something approaching horror. "What?"

"The truth has a way of coming out eventually. And it would be better to hear it from you."

"...I don't…" he wiped at his face again. "...They'll hate me."

"I very much doubt it," Ozpin replied. They had left Anima at a young age and were unlikely to have inherited their parents' prejudices. "Though it will probably be something of a shock, and they may not understand immediately."

Qrow didn't seem very reassured by that answer. Slowly, his eyes wandered toward the flask still sitting in the center of the desk. "…I know you have to pour out the moonshine, but…can I have my flask back?"

Brothers above.

"I'll give it back as a twenty-first birthday present," he said firmly.

Should we?

They knew all too well where that road could lead, and bandits did not have good habits to begin with. "Though... Mister Branwen, I do wish to warn you…Hunting and drinking do not tend to mix well."

"Uh…Thank you, Professor Ozpin."

He squeezed Qrow's hand once more before letting go. "I'll see you tomorrow."

Qrow slumped against the elevator wall as soon as the doors were shut, almost ducking out of the camera's view. Well, it's reasonable to assume that she didn't send them.

Yes, he agreed, only slightly disappointed that this hadn't turned out to be a lead. Much better for the twins that she wasn't involved. Though I'm not sure that will entirely soothe anyone's fears.

"Qrow!" Summer squeaked, leaping to her feet as the doors slid open and hastily drying her eyes on her cape. He stepped out, back into the next camera's view, still slouching and withdrawn in posture. "Qrow, I'm so sorry, I— I didn't know what to do, I—"

"Thank you, Summer." The camera barely picked up his words.

She sobbed and yanked him into a hug. After a moment he reciprocated, leaning his cheek on the top of her head.

Despite their earlier concerns, it seemed nudging team STRQ together had been the right call. Ozpin shuddered to think what might have happened if Mister Branwen had a team leader less capable than the one Miss Rose was growing into.

Next Chapter: Taiyang—Fair Grounds

[gumnut-logic]

Three Things

So...this happened. It may happen again. No idea exactly what is happening. But it happened. So I hope you enjoy it.

Timeline: Post-series, minor spoilers for season three.

Thanks to @scribbles97​ and @i-am-chidorixblossom​ for reading and support.

-o-o-o-

Cool Things

“Hey, everyone! I’m Alan Tracy.” The blond young man in the middle of the screen waved. A green shirt with a faded guitar motif, a pair of cargo shorts that really needed a good yank in the northerly direction and a dash of freckles across a rather cute nose was enough to keep her interested. The name Tracy wasn’t a familiar one, but hey, she was bored.

“Aw, could you make it more boring?” Hmm, read a girl’s mind why don’t you, random voice.

Alan glared at someone beyond the field of the camera. “Hey, this is my vlog. I’m doing it my way. Just hold the camera still.”

“Pfft, world class aquanaut and rescue operative reduced to cameraman. If you renege on this, kid, you’re paying for this forever.”

“Shut up, you’ll get your flippers back.”

“Damn right I’ll get my flippers back.” The camera bounced up and down. “You had no right to borrow them in the first place!”

“Can you just hold the camera still?”

Apparently not, because the screen wriggled all over the place. Why the kid hadn’t bothered to buy a tripod, she had no idea.

“Can you just give me my flippers back?”

“No. You borrowed my tripod for underwater filming, so you can stand in for its rusted remains until I can get to the mainland to buy a new one.”

Well, that explained that.

“Why did you have to start the vlog today, then?”

“Because yesterday I was in space, tomorrow I’ve got college work. Today is free, so I’m taking it. Can you just be quiet, hold the camera still so we can do this?”

“Do what?” A deeper voice echoed off of the hardwood panel floor and a buff dude dressed in red flannel wandered into shot. Sharp eyebrows glared at the camera. “Alan, what are you doing?”

“Er…” Terror? Guilt? She wasn’t quite sure how to gauge blondie’s sudden drop in expression. “Uh, hey, Virg. Weren’t you supposed to be with Scott? You know, in Auckland?”

“Brains needed a hand last minute. Are you filming?”

The screen shuddered and went black.

Huh?

But suddenly it lit up again. This time it was in a completely different location. Blondie was huddled in some greenery. “Sorry about that, guys. The first thing you have to learn about living here is that there are far too many brothers around and most of them aren’t cool.” He blinked. “Okay, Gordon can be great when he isn’t being an ass. And, yeah, John is my space bro. He is totally cool. Did you know he can eat a bagel while hula-hooping upside down? Sure, he does it in space, but the coordination required…totally fab. Gordon dared him once, and John really isn’t one to let Gordon win anything. Not that we fight, really, but Gordon can be irritating at times.” He paused for a moment. “And yeah, Scott and Virg are cool in their own way. Just a little smothery at times. Even worse now Dad’s home.”

He stood up. Over his green t-shirt and shorts, he had some kind of harness. “But that is not what we are here for.” He shoved a helmet on his head. It was bright red and sported a bold white number three on the front of it. “This video is the first in what I hope to be many. Each will contain three things I think are cool. The camera shifted and an ocean came into view. She realised he was standing on the side of a mountain on a coastline.

“First up is the view.” He held out the camera. He must have on some kind of gimbal because all the wobbly movement was gone and the panning was smooth. A huge ocean started at the bottom of the cliff and disappeared into the blue haze of distance. “Not as high as I’m used to, but still totally cool. This is a spot we call Rocket’s Roost because Dad once landed one of his model rockets up here by accident. Took us three days to find it because its transponder was fried. It has a great view, but the down side is that it is a pain to get to. Vertical hike and all. The upside it that although there is miles of ocean in that direction. In this direction…” The camera moved around and a mountain appeared. “Is thrilldom itself.”

He bent over and grabbed a line and clicked it to what appeared to be a bearing on a taut cable stretching off into the hazy distance. Was he going to?

Yes, he was.

“This is the Tracy Train central line. A one-way zip-line home after the struggle to get up here. I love it. And I’m going to take you along for the ride.”

This time the camera did wiggle somewhat as he fastened it to something. She could no longer see him, but she could see the drop and the angle of that cable.

Wow.

“You ready? Here we go! 5, 4, 3, 2, 1…” He let off one hell of a yell and the view narrowed to one of speed and descent at an astonishing rate. She found her heart in her throat just staring at the screen. The cable led first to the opposing mountain side and then turned back on itself, giving her a great view of what was now clearly an Island for a few moments before it abruptly turned again. Alan let out a whoop at the turn and the camera rocked crazily. A glass roof came into view and the ground was coming up awfully fast.

“Yeeeeeah!” Something caught the literally falling man and the camera rocked like crazy. “Woo hoo!”

The image shuddered for a moment before steadying as shoes hit dirt and Blondie stood up. “Aww, man.”

Standing directly in front of the camera was that same red flannel dressed hunk from earlier. The frown on his face was set to split the planet in two and his beefy arms were folded across his considerable chest. “Alan?”

“It’s for fun, honest. I’m not exposing anything. I just wanna be cool.”

“You are cool, Alan. I thought we had covered that. I thought Brandon had covered that. You told me yourself.”

“Yeah, well, I want to be cooler.”

The frown relaxed and, to her surprise, Flannie rolled his eyes. “Alan, you do know you are pretty great, don’t you?”

“Pretty great?” So much scoff in those two words.

“I think so.”

“Thanks, Virg.” It dripped sarcasm. Yeah, thanks, Flannie, give the guy a break. He only wants to have some fun. “I just want to have some fun.” Yeah, you tell him.

Something shifted in flannel-draped man. His expression became more considered. “Can I see your footage?”

“Why?”

“I’m interested.”

“Why?”

“Do you want to do this or not?”

“Huh?”

And the camera cut off again.

She blinked a moment. What exactly was this supposed to be?

Then Blondie was back. The background was obviously somewhere inside. A guitar hung on the wall in the background, an odd echo of that same green t-shirt he was still wearing.

“Hey, there, everyone. Sorry about that again. As I said, brothers are everywhere.” His head tilted to one side. “But that isn’t a bad thing. In fact, family can be cool. I know that can be considered to be the least cool thing to say, but yeah, they’re great. So, for my third cool thing today, I’m going to say family is cool. Don’t care if you rat me in the comments. Cool view, cool zip line, cool family. They are my three things today.” A grin. “A thank you to Virgil for lending me his tripod. And a big thank you to Gordon for choosing a career in aquanautics rather than film. I hope you enjoyed. Be fab. Three out.”

The video ended and the streamer cued up the next in line, a video from that Bear vlogger. She hit cancel and poking at the screen, pulled up the Tracy channel. It only contained one video. The one she had just watched. Blondie’s grinning face shone out at her from the mostly empty screen.

His profile said next to nothing and other than an odd gif of slowly spinning dots and circles appearing on the screen in one corner, there was no further information.

A shrug and she wandered off into the net looking for something else to watch.

-o-o-o-

[thepriceofbeingaroseisloneliness]

The Freedom of Expression #2  6th March (Notes/Translation)

“The radio program with the concept of “ask for freedom of expression in the world” is back in YouTube! We will reveal the hot topics and the news related to the concept of Freedom of Expression.

 Appearance:

Kaoru (DIR EN GREY direngrey.co.jp/)

Joe Yokomizo (Writer / DJ)

Tasai Reporter (Tokyo Sports)

God ?

 You can watch this program here The Freedom of Expression #1  translation/notes here

Notes before reading: This is the second episode of The Freedom of expression in its new format as a YouTube weekly program. You can find the translation/notes for the first one in my Tumblr clicking in the tag. Today’s main topic is Carlos Ghosn’s case so I highly recommend you to read a bit about it even if I’m going to provide some context in case you know nothing at all about it. Then, the discussion will lead to the Japanese Justice System.

Be aware that at some parts, their talk is really random and there are edited cuts that sometimes lead to a sudden change of topic. Please don’t forget to subscribe to their channel and watch their actual video to support the program. 

Feel free to correct me if you spot any mistake or any confusing as they are talking so casually and relaxed that it’s hard to get some parts. Thanks to those who help me with some lines of this translation :) 

 ---

 (Intro The Freedom of Expression)

 Kaoru: Hello, it’s Kaoru from Dir en grey... it’s the second time…

Joe: Yes

Kaoru: Joe-san....

Joe: Yes

Kaoru: Tasai-san......

Tasai: Yes

*Kaoru laughs*

Joe: Why are you laughing?

Kaoru: Nonono…. nothing in particular… the introduction…. I just introduce you two but…the third person…no, the 4th one… I was thinking while saying your names if I should or not introduce him too.

Joe: I see I see.... Kaoru: I’m going to leave it like this…

Joe: That’s it.

God: No, don’t leave it like that!

Joe: As expected, if you ignore him, he will come out! (laughs)

Kaoru: But the first time he was fairly left alone too!

Joe: For sure!

God: No, I was silent!

Everyone: I see, I see *nods*

God:  Yes, I was waiting until the end to see if I would come or not for sure….it turned out just as I wanted*….(God uses “思うつぼ”, which can also be translated as “play into someone’s hands)

Everyone laughs.

Joe: As you wanted (laughs) God’s nature/character is bad (laughs) God said “as I wanted” right?

God: Because it is said that God’s nature/character is bad right? As expected, …

Joe: Surprisingly, God is not very forgiving/tolerant…

---

“A radio program in which Kaoru (Dir en grey) was the main host aired from 2015 to 2016 at InterFM.” (Top left on screen)

 Kaoru: Based on a radio program with the concept of freedom of expression now we are doing it in YouTube...last time, we did it for the first time… how do you think that it was? For the people who watched it…

Joe: I wonder how it was…

Tasai: True…. I’m curious about the response…

Joe: Yes, we are curious about the response, right? I want them to spread it through SNS…

Kaoru: I agree

Joe: I certainly hope that you all spread it!

Kaoru: Well, first topic of today....Tasai-san...

Tasai: Well, it’s from Tokyo Sports newspaper....

Joe: I feel like when it is news from Tokyo Sports is somehow about a Kappa or a UFO....

Tasai: That’s true but today’s is not about a Kappa...

Joe: Is it something different?

Tasai: It’s about Ghosn....

Joe: Is it about Ghosh being a Kappa?

“The defendant Ghosn escapes to Lebanon” (on top of the screen)

*Carlos Ghosn is a former Nissan boss arrested in November 2018 when he arrived to Japan. Ghosn has served as the CEO of Michelin North America, chairman and CEO of Renault, chairman of AvtoVAZ, chairman and CEO of Nissan, and chairman of Mitsubishi Motors. Ghosn was also chairman and CEO of the Renault–Nissan–Mitsubishi Alliance. He was initially accused of under-reporting his salary from 2010 and 2015. Nissan ceased him as president two days later of his arrest. Six days later of his arrest, he was also ceased by Mitsubishi Motors. Ghosn claims to be a victim of “victim of a complot” against him orchestrated by Nissan.

The thing is, during the 13 months from his arrest to escaping to Lebanon, Ghosn was going in and out from jail until the point that in April 2019, he had spent 108 days in jail. Japanese justice system allows to arrest someone and be in jail for 10-20 days each time charges are presented before having the option of  bailing. In Ghosn’s case, each time he was released, new charges were presented that allowed to arrest him again. He paid several bails until the end of April where he was confined to strict house arrest during four months with no contact with his wife. On December 2019, it was reported that Ghosn had escaped from Japan to Lebanon. *

Tasai: No, no, no (laughs) it’s not that, it’s not that....it was a big news last year’s summer... the defendant Ghosn escaped to Lebanon....what do you think about it?

Joe:  Me? I think that Japanese Justice System is harsh. I think as he is alone, it’s possible. Of course the choices you make can be illegal...but probably....well, he make the money go out too as well (laughs)

“Do the deterioration of the relations between Iran and USA disadvantages Ghosn?” (top screen)

*Now they start discussion about the relationship of Iran and The United States. Joe exclaims “wow how serious this is (the topic)”. Tasai recalls the killing of Qasem Soleimani, a major general from the Iranian forces in a bombing. He was considered to be the second most powerful person in the country. He adds that Iran’s act of retaliation could have lead to the Third World War. “Third World War outbreak?” appears on top of the screen. Tasai says the relationship between countries is tense. It seems that Soleimani was related to some armed Lebanon groups such as Hellbollah, which built a giant statue of the deceased general in a town closet o the Israel border. “Lebanon has the potential to become a battlefield” says Tasai and the line appears in the screen too. Going back to Ghosn talk, as he is now in Lebanon, Tasai comments he can’t go out of the country or he could be arrested (Japan doesn’t have an extradition agreement with Lebanon.*

Tasai: In this unexpected situation, Ghosn would be in a critical situation too. This talk was about that.

Joe: Tokyo sports went straight to it!

Tasai: It looks like a film plot right?

Kaoru: That’s true.

Tasai: Then the hiding in the instrument thing…

Joe: For sure!

Kaoru: A band that came right?

Joe: There was a party right?

*Carlos Ghosh allegedly escaped from Japan in a musical instrument case. A Gregorian music band played at his home where he was confined. It seems that when the performance ended, he hid himself in one of the larger instruments case, being take to the airport inside it and being boarded to a private jet which take him to Lebanon”

Kaoru: Going inside an instrument’s case and hiding….it’s really fascinating right?

They all laugh.

Tasai: It was inside a big instrument’s case. If you had such a case with nothing inside…. please be careful.

Joe: Nobody flees abroad….

Kaoru: It’s amusing right?... it really looks like a film.

Tasai: Moreover, a film adaption is going to be out…

Joe: Kaoru, are you especially worried after watching the news about Ghosn?

Kaoru: Well, as it is simple…to do this plan at this scale…it’s too amazing. How much could it cost?

Joe: You surely are spending a substantial amount of money….somewhat it is said that his fortune seems to have decreased but even with this, you could say it’s dauntless.

Tasai: On bail…..he paid 15 billion yens* as bail…that is being confiscated too but Ghosn doesn’t care a bit about it.

*Around 128 million EUR/140 million USD

Joe: He doesn’t right?

Kaoru: When he came out, he disguised himself right? That part is also interesting…

Tasai: It seems he did as a janitor….

(cut)

Joe: Japanese Justice system is said to be a “Hostage justice” (practice of keeping a suspect in police custody in an attempt to force a confession)

He keeps on commenting how in Japan, prosecutors have the exclusive right to indict. They also have the right to drop charges. Japanese prosecutors’ power is being highly discussed nowadays as court follows the prosecutor’s decisions. Joe says that in Japan’s conviction rate is 99.9%. Joe keeps on explaining the prosecutor’s role and how the “hostage justice” is a result of the power of them. Also mentions that lawyers restricted role in order to help the defendant. Japanese trials tend to regard confession as a strong evidence. Defendants are pressured to confess and are offered lesser sentences if they confess. So, escaping comes as a choice if the options are the ones previously given.

Kaoru: It would be better to stay quietly in Japan, right? (about Ghosn)

Joe: That is. Because the place he fled to, it’s going to become a front in battle…. maybe it would have been safer to stay in Japan.

Tasai: Which option would you choose? Being in place where a war is going to breakout but you are free, or a place where you are safe but they are going to take you to court.

Kaoru: It’s most likely to be a movie….

Joe: It’s going to be a movie right...

Joe talks about who would play the role of Ghosn in case that it becomes a movie or even a drama.

(cut)

Joe: Japan takes excessive measures in comparison with the rest of the world. If something happens in Japan, measures against it are taken. It becomes “too much”.

He talks about how when he discusses it with foreign people the impressions and thoughts about topics are different. He talks about France. He says that for example, there is an accident and someone dies. If this happens in Japan, they will take measures as doing a report put a traffic light and that’s not necessarily bad. If that happens overseas, that someone dies in an accident, the first thing that happens is that people is going to be more careful at that place and pay more attention, in Japan, the action relies in the measures taken. Kaoru says that if you put the blame on things or people, we lost our sense of being careful. Joe says something like if it is always blamed on that, the same things will keep happening again and again.

(Cut)

God: Well…. I wonder if being Ghosn’s ally would be bad…

Tasai: Would it be good?

Kaoru: That’s comes to you.

Tasai: It’s an opinion.

God: If I am Ghosn’s ally, he would give me money, like the so-called tips…

Everyone laughs.

Tasai: That’s an amazing way of view it…

Joe: After all, God works for money right?

God: No, but If  I were rich, it would be like “everyone, don’t  scape” kind of…

God: For example, Tasai san, if they say, “can’t you write a good article for me?” and they offer you some money for it…

Tasai: I’m shaking (grinning)

God: Something like “Ghosn is right!” that kind of article…depends of the mood….even, “the news from the media are a joke”, if they tell you “How about giving you a billion yen for writing that”,  I think that maybe it’s better that you quit your job....

Joe: For sure…

Tasai: 1 billion yen…. that’s so cool…

*1 billion yen is approx. 8,5 million euros or 9 million USD:

God: That’s what you think …. but God doesn’t think that way, because for God is better a small amount of money…

Joe: How much would  you ask for helping him to escape, God?

God: Maybe 10.000 yen…. *

*Around 80 euros/90 dollars

Tasai: Cheap!

Joe: That’s so cheap! (Laughs)

God: Because I have to know what can be done right?

Tasai:  Isn’t God omniscience and omnipotence?

God: I can’t do anything.

Joe: A god that can’t do anything is really amazing right?

God: Just for praying…

Joe: Ah, I see…. Just pray…

Kaoru: Isn’t he just a regular old man? (Laughs)

Joe: I thought about saying something deep…. but…. just a regular old man (laughs)

God: God knows one deep thing about this talk…. About Ghosn…in an interview....suddenly in an interview, the minister of Justice said during it “Ghosh must prove his innocence” *.

*This goes against the Presumption of Innocence principle (Innocent until proven guilty), a human right.

Joe: That’s wrong…

God: Once he said so, the international media criticized the statemen and say “Japan is awful” …

Joe: Moreover, because that person was originally a lawyer…I don’t know if people watching this know about this, but the defendant doesn’t have to prove anything…it’s the prosecutor who has to prove that you are guilty…so there is no need  to prove that they are innocent..

(cut)

Joe: Because the Minister of Justice said that Ghosn must prove that he is innocent, I think that this caused a scornful laughter around the world…

God: About what the Minister of Justice said?

Joe: Someone of that level, such as Minister of Justice saying that…. I think that for Global ideal idea of Justice, this country doesn’t pass for it. It’s a strange talk but…the press around the world was laughing (at those words)

Joe makes a question for God, but he seems to be gone.

Joe: Eh? God has disappeared.

God: I was listening attentively (laughs) I think that I listened to it but, having to escape from Japan is not a good thing…

Joe: Is that so?

Tasai: I see

God: Having to escape is really a bad thing….it seems that the consumption tax is going up…

They comment about having seen this new in the internet (?). Kaoru makes a comment about it.

God: God is packed with money….No, I really am running short of money…

Joe: Are you really a poor God?

They all burst into laugh.

God: Don’t say that!

Kaoru: At this point…. this second episode…

Tasai:….has finished.

Kaoru: Until the next time….

Everyone: Thanks for watching….

God: Thank you!

[dansnaturepictures]

11/10/2020-Phalarope paradise at Pennington: The 10 pictures in this photoset different to those I tweeted just now 

As you may have seen we went to Bushy Park yesterday on our big wildlife watching and photography trip which is a part of a day trip we do every year which I loved and was one of the best times of our year without a doubt. I always try to not do trips like that further afield with so many photos and sightings on a Sunday and have to go to work the next day (even when it’s working from home) it just makes me tired and hard to find motivation for the morning and fully cool down from the trip a bit so after the weather putting us off Bushy last Saturday Bushy was locked in for yesterday. On Friday we learned of the mega bird a Wilson’s Phalarope with Grey Phalaropes at Pennington in the Lymington-Keyhaven nature reserve at the foot of the New Forest. We instantly knew we’d go there today then we didn’t even have to decide. In hindsight I can say that phalaropes do stay around a few days it seems when they do turn up as they are always birds blown in by Atlantic storms on migration and that’s how they end up in Britain they stay a few days to feed up before flying off again. But I have got to say I did just have a little feeling of slight desperation last night as every tweet I clicked on seemed to be have a picture of the Wilson’s Phalarope! Which is remarkable in itself really. 

People from Hampshire and far and wide (as we observed in person here today for the latter) were coming to my beloved local and one of my favourite nature reserves and getting criminally close views of this very rare and stunning bird and the Grey Phalaropes that I needed to see for my year list too. I just had in my head that I’d feel maybe a bit bad if I missed it being at one of my spots but I had one of my best times of the year at Bushy so I would never have regretted going there and I would not have swapped it for the world yesterday. And finishing the weekend off at Pennington worked it’s a trip much more suited to a Sunday being half an hour to forty five minutes away from us. And I have a feeling yesterday in terms of social distancing many people would be there. Today it’s a Sunday so perhaps some people do other things and there were not hoards here today and it was easy to socially distance when here today. The feelings of “I want to go and see this” gave me interesting twitcher’s vibes. 

So with the strong memories of Bushy still engulfing me in amazement of the experience yesterday I was also so excited to get back to Pennington for the first time since last month on a very sunny afternoon today. I took the first three pictures in this photoset of nice views here today. As we walked down to fishtail lagoon the one that usually always hosts the rare birds interestingly here where the Wilson’s Phalarope had been seen we got binoculars views over the lagoon and noticed a phalarope fly and land by a bank. It was so tall compared the grey and red-necked we are familiar with which the Wilson’s is so we were sure this was the bird. 

We then got down to the lagoon on the pathway and walked towards some people. To our delight right beside the path in the channel south of the lagoon was one of the two Grey Phalaropes around! Like we had seen of one further down here in 2017 we got stunning views of it. It really was so close, it did not seem bothered by people at all. It was simply amazing views and I loved watching it swim down the channel. My first of the year. 

The Wilson’s Phalarope had flown out into the lagoon so we looked for it. Someone then spotted it by the fence of the lagoon coming into the channel further up. The channel is a flooded bit of ground outside of the fence really. We walked down and were astounded to see it right beside us in the water as it swam in and out of reeds. We got absolutely stunning and remarkable views of it. I took the fourth and fifth pictures in this photoset of this incredible bird. This one wasn’t bothered by people either and we just saw this smashing and beautiful bird so close. It was a dreamlike experience to see a bird like this so close. Special stuff. I was in my element watching it as phalaropes do swim up and back along the channel. It showed off its attractive yellow legs at certain points and got on with what it was doing without a care in the world. It even tried to get back through the fence onto the main lagoon at one point which was interesting to see. 

So this is a new bird for me, my sixth this year now only one behind how many I saw last year and level with how many I saw in 2017. It’s my 272nd bird in my life and with the Grey Phalarope my first of the year today takes my bird year list to 186. So my year list is still solidly my third highest ever for amount seen on this date behind last year and 2018, I am only four behind my 2017 total now. But this for seeing a new bird this was something else. The last time I got views this good for a new species I think was my first Crested Tits at RSPB Loch Garten in the Cairngorms in January 2018 and the Barred Warbler at Titchfield Haven weeks before it at the end of 2017. It was telling it was a good view of a new bird as for the pictures I took of it I didn’t use my bridge camera so long distance specialist once but used my DSLR and big lens the whole time it was that close which this camera and lens is so good for usually to see something new now it’s gotta be rare like this was so it’d be a long way away but that’s not always how it works with phalaropes. They are known to be approachable because they can be a bird of the wilderness in their natural range so are less used to humans so seeing them come and behave like this here is quite something. 

We walked on up to Keyhaven lagoon and back noting decent numbers of Wigeon and Shoveler which was really interesting to see some coming in for the winter now, we also got chatting to some lovely people as we did for the whole walk and twitch today who pointed out a Peregrine to us the first we had seen for a while. We also took in some great views as the sun came back after going in a bit including the sixth and seventh pictures in this photoset. When we walked back beside fishtail lagoon the Grey Phalarope was still parading up and down in the channel of water so close to us. We took in more stunning views of this beautiful bird that we missed seeing last year but was now my eighth occasion of seeing one, once in 2009 here, twice here in 2017 as well as at Blashford Lakes and Hayling Island oysterbeds that autumn, twice in 2018 on the River Itchen at Riverside Park and here the next day the same day we saw another new bird the Temminck’s Stint and now today. I took the eighth picture in this photoset of this lovely bird. It was so close I had the idea to take some phone videos of the bird. 

We walked up to the proper channel of water east of fishtail lagoon where followed by observers the Wilson’s Phalarope had moved to. We got more sensational views of it here coming so close to many of us swimming along and I took phone videos of this too all of which I shared posts of from my Instagram earlier and tweeted whilst out today many people were doing the phone videos it was an interesting quirk of this twitch symbolic as another person remarked of how incredibly close the bird was to us. It was so delightful to watch the Wilson’s Phalarope as the bird swam about in the later afternoon sunlight. A real fantastic autumnal moment and stunning birdwatching one. I took the ninth and tenth pictures in this photoset of the Wilson’s Phalarope. A great vibe and atmosphere we were all so in aw of the bird. 

Before we left we saw the Ruff with a white head that we saw here our first of the year in February with another of its kind which was nice I tweeted a picture of that. This ended one of my best and happiest times of the year this weekend and ever. I saw sensational wildlife and views and took so many pictures. The two trips further afield and local complimented each other so well I think. It was two perfect high standard days to follow each other in great weather. Such joyful times I shall never forget this weekend! Thanks so much for sharing it with me and all your appreciation shown. I hope you are all keeping safe and well. Have a nice week.

Wildlife Sightings Summary: My first ever Wilson’s Phalarope, my first Grey Phalarope of the year, two of my favourite birds the Peregrine Falcon and Little Egret, Cormorant, Black-headed Gull, great view of an Oystercatcher and many more, Lapwing, lots of Curlews which was nice, Ringled Plover, Turnstone, Redshank, Wigeon, Shoveler, Pintail, Mallard, Coot, Meadow Pipit, Carrion Crow, Woodpigeon, lots of late Swallows today which was nice to see flying around, Pied Wagtail and Large White butterfly. 

[riverspatrick]

Click Baiting

Trends may be as old as the supply-and-demand principle in marketing, but are trends responsible for a lack of diversity in our culture? And are trends truly created by demand and is demand purely influenced by marketing?

Of course we had influencers back in our pre-internet days, they were called preppies and they wore Ralf Lauren exclusively. A thick Polo-scented cloud warned us of their presence, which was a blessing, a sort of olfactory tracking device for those like myself who wanted to stay out of their way. Many of my peers aspired to becoming a preppie one day. All they needed was money. I am willing to bet that their aspiration has changed. Preppies were to the eighties what those pesky browser cookies and pop-ups are today.

I’m going somewhere with this.

The iTunes store is another example. Its interface is designed around sponsors and trends, not discovery. Diversity, variety and alternatives to the mainstream are hard to access and never suggested. Essentially, although iTunes “offers” millions of songs, we can only find them if we know what to search for. Same principle applies to the internet in general; the web is filled with great knowledge, but how do people search for what is unknown to them? By googling ‘Something new’? Typing ‘Unknown’ gives me hundreds of results related the a Liam Neeson movie. I suppose I did not know about ‘Unknown’, a 2011 blockbuster...

My Youtube experience is in fact the reason why I am writing this. Because Youtube’s algorithm recommends videos partly based on the user’s history and subscriptions, I make a point of streamlining my usage of the service. More specifically, I keep my history focused on my favourite subjects, I either select ‘Not interested’ or ‘Don’t recommend channel’ from a video’s contextual menu, and I never, ever, ever click on a cute-pet-does-a-silly-thing video, ever, and whilst I go to great lengths to avoid them, Youtube always recommends ‘Kitty Farts Whilst Jumping’, ‘Cute Gerbil Bites Puppy Tail’, or ‘Horse LOL At Horny Pig’. Why? Because Youtube’s algorithm assumes, based on trends and statistics, that there’s a good chance I am one of the 87% Youtubers who love funny animal clips. It’s not enough that I keep clicking ‘Not interested’ to every ‘Cat Sings Like Beyoncé’ clip, Youtube knows me better than I know myself and will recommend another cute-cat clip again tomorrow.

Statistics are the deciding factor in what genre of music or literature reaches the shelves, but is it not a self-fulfilling prophecy? Ask a WHSmith employee for a recommendation, and they’ll most likely suggest the one book on the Top Sellers wall with a cute cat on the cover. Possibly just to get rid of you, mind you. I worked at Borders. We got asked the question all the time and we were told to suggest a book from the top ten, or else! I usually suggested the cookery book. These days, artists who want to make a living should film their pets all day hoping for a cute moment; trending people get good sponsorship revenue! Oh, I’m being humorous, because ironically and statistically, history favours the rebels. Ironically, trends get cancelled fast. Crazy Frog? What’s that? That anaphylactic-shock look (also known as trout-pout) popular with reality-TV stars and their viewers will come to an end. Some day, people will be asking what kind of sausage is a Kardashian!

I do hope so.

I digress. I often do. I only meant to ask if I was the only one fed up with bloody cute-cat videos. Am I not?

[txtniipped]

night and day

dragon quest builders 2 -- sunny/luna (male builder/singer npc)

(1,834 words)

ao3 version

“We match!” she grins, squeezing his hands tight enough for Sunny to be sure he’d lose his fingers.

“Uhm, I guess?”

The structures that Sunny came across on the shores are always, something. 

Sometimes, kind faces would greet him, offering him warm food and their best bed for his time there. Others, he’d come across absolutely inspiring builds, taking notes on new ways to use and place materials as he explores every inch, oohing and awing at all the detail. At the worst of times, he came across imposing metal structures with fire breathing statues threatening to singe his core, cells stacked with tortured plushies and people who very much did not want to be there.

A ‘gate to the underworld’ is, well, not his favorite, but the ladies of the shore made their home there anyway, hidden under the steps like rats. He sees no beds, no bonfires or cookware, no storage or decor. Just the burning metal and aggravated singers.

Mostly aggravated.

Luna, she introduces herself as, is practically bouncing in her excitement to meet the gunk-covered, poison-dripping visitor the moment he steps in. Her hands find his the second he introduces himself in return.

“We match!” she grins, squeezing his hands tight enough for Sunny to be sure he’d lose his fingers.

“Uhm, I guess?”

“Which meeeeaaaans! I’m coming with you!” He blinks dumbly at her as she continues. “This obviously means something! Destined to meet, for you to take me away from here, to see something other than grey!” Luna’s smile practically drips with innocence, which of itself is suspicious, but he knows they don’t have a singer on the Isle, and Luna’s pretty. Maybe Kyla would like her.

“S-sure.” His hands are released immediately, and instead of Luna hopping away to celebrate like he expects (hopes), she throws herself at him, somehow managing to get enough height to get her little body to hang off his shoulders.

“Thank you thank you thank you! I promise I’ll be helpful! I know how to sweep!” He furrows a brow in confusion at the statement, but doesn’t comment as Luna drops herself, landing gracefully on her heels.

The other singers seem none-too-bothered by him letting her come along, and he suspects maybe they’re happy to have her gone, if her energy runs this rampant all the time.

----

“You actually brought someone back?”

Sunny rolls his eyes at Anhi’s teasing, tossing him a slight smile as he helps Luna over the gap between the ship and the dock. She’s lucky Anhi had started their newest project here, because no way would she be able to stay upright in those shoes on the previous dock.

“You’re builders?” Luna asks as she takes her hand back, excitement written all over her face. Anhi glances between the two of them, questioning, and Sunny manages to read the look well enough, waving a dismissive hand in the other builder’s direction.

“Yeah,” Sunny answers for him. Luna’s attention moves from Anhi to Sunny, making her laugh as she quickly punches his arm. He genuinely recoils a bit from the force, hand coming up to guard the spot she hit.

“You coulda said something, you know!” She grins at him, then pats his arm twice and steps away from him to inspect Anhi’s work. “You’re really talented!” she beams, heels clicking on the rocks. “This looks great already!”

Anhi smiles at her and ducks his head a tad, laughter sprouting from her again at the movement. She’s cute, Sunny decides.

“So!” Luna smiles, again turning her attention to him. “Where am I staying?”

“The Gardens are nice?” Anhi provides, and Sunny has half a mind to escort her to the Steppe instead. Though, yeah, they are nice.

----

Luna’s adjusted well enough to the constant work Sunny has the Gardens running on. She doesn’t really do anything too practical, like weed or water or, you know, sweep, but she likes watching them. 

“Mostly you,” Rosie helpfully corrects when he asks about it, a sly smile spreading across her face. “I think she likes you the best.”

Maybe she does, he thinks as Luna leans over the fencing to chatter on about the newest ‘songs’ Haydin has been torturing her with whenever she visits the Steppe. He’s not interested in the topic, not really, but he can’t stop listening anyway. Her voice has a specific… something to it he likes, and her smile when he asks a question about whatever it is she’s talking about— it lights up her whole face, making her shine brighter than she already does.

Maybe he likes her the best too.

----

“Let me help.”

Sunny pulls his head from its careful spot between the leaves of the corn stalks, immediately suffering a leaf to the face for his insolence. The corn has decided to play rough once again. He will never win.

“What?” Sunny asks as he steps away from the crops, waving away the leaves trying to hold onto his hair. Luna huffs at his question, lifting the straw basket she has in her hands into the air like Sunny can’t see it already.

“Let me help!” she repeats as she tosses the gate open, playing up her annoyance. “You know I can’t understand a word Finn says, and he was the only one who wasn’t busy and willing to look for this with me!” She gestures to the basket as she approaches, and Sunny takes note of her attire.

She’s long switched out her original heels for flats instead, but still hasn’t swapped out her dress for something more practical for their work. He’s pretty sure she’s the only adult on this side of the island that wears a skirt, much less offers to do physical labor in a full dress, but. If she wants to help, Sunny won’t stop her.

“Okay.” He turns back to the corn with that, continuing the process of stripping the stalks of dead leaves. Luna, in the meantime, helps herself to the building pile around Sunny’s legs, tossing them into the basket.

“When will the corn be ready?” she asks after a moment of comfortable silence. Sunny doesn’t talk much and she knows it, so she doesn’t think it awkward anymore.

“Next week, hopefully. The pumpkins too.”

“Ooo!” Sunny pulls back from the crops enough to glance down at his company, catching Luna smiling to herself as she continues her task. “Do you guys carve pumpkins around here?” She lifts her head then, catching Sunny’s eye and pulling on an even bigger smile. “It’s almost that time of year, isn’t it?”

“Yeah,” he answers to both questions, suddenly distracted by her. She stands, slyly noticing he’s stopped working to stare at her instead.

“What about dressing up?” She brushes her dress off while maintaining eye contact, her smile turning coy as she steps towards him.

“Y-yeah.”

Luna giggles as she enters his personal space, amused by his focus on her. “Why don’t we dress up together? We can keep matching that way.” 

He was just going to be a scarecrow again this year. “Okay,” he answers with instead.

Luna laughs fully this time around, kneeling down behind him as she reaches for some dead leaves she couldn’t reach from her previous position. “Aren’t you supposed to be shucking, corn boy?”

Sunny blinks, acting like he just now realized he wasn’t working anymore, which, really, he did. “Oh.” His face colors a tad as he returns his attention to the crops, embarrassed.

Luna just smiles up at him again and returns to her basket with her conquest of dead leaves, dumping them unceremoniously with the rest.

Sunny’s always fun to hang around, so she really doesn’t mind the dirt sticking to the ends of her dress. She’ll probably have to take it over to Babs though, and have to explain to her why she decided it was a good idea to wear a completely white dress while tending to the crops. Let her play her game without judgement, okay? Not everyone is a cottontail.

Luna swats away her mind’s version of Babs and continues collecting the dead leaves Sunny’s dropped in her daydreaming, though with one wrong step, her foot slips down into the channel of water running through the field. In her panic to save herself, she grabs onto Sunny’s belt, but he isn’t ready to be her support, so all she manages to do with that is pull him down with her, forcing them both into the water.

They tumble in with a splash, Sunny a little dazed and confused by it all, but down in the ditch anyway. Alarm quickly replaces that when he hears what sounds like sobbing, making him rush to right himself just to instead see Luna doing her absolute damnedest to keep the giggles in.

Sunny’s urgency cracks whatever restraint she had though, and Luna loses it, practically howling in laughter at the two of them, and how Babs is absolutely gonna lay into her now. The laughter spreads to Sunny, and he starts chuckling right along with her, relieved she doesn’t seem bothered by any of this.

“Oops,” she tries once she’s calmed down some, her watery eyes clear enough to see the smile on her company’s face finally. The softness of it catches her off guard though, enough that when Sunny stands and offers her a hand, all she can do for a moment is stare.

She takes it though, and lets Sunny haul her up rather effortlessly.

“Maybe we can go as drowned rats,” Sunny jokes, that soft, soft smile still sitting on his face.

She manages to laugh anyway, playfully shoving the farmboy before stepping out of the ditch and back onto the dirt. “That’s princess drowned rat to you.”

He laughs, a touch louder than what’s normal for him. The sound makes her feel warm. “Oh,” he grins, stepping out after her. “Sorry, your majesty.” 

She tosses a bit of laughter over her shoulder at him as she heads for the gate, Sunny quickly gathering the forgotten basket before following. She holds it open for him like the true lady she is, and Sunny nods gratefully at her, happy to play along.

“Babs isn’t gonna be happy,” Sunny comments as they step onto the path, referencing the muddy state of Luna’s dress.

“Oh, I know.” Rip to her whole next few days. She’ll be waiting on Babs hand and foot as payment for her dress’s cleaning. 

Sunny seems to be able to read her mind though, because he smiles warmly at her, sunnily, she dares. “I can run it over there. I need to deliver our last batch of coffee beans anyway.”

Ooo, coffee. “Can I get some?”

“Yeah,” Sunny answers without hesitation, countering her obvious surprise with another smile. “For today. I don’t want to turn you off of farming forever.”

Luna laughs again, her heart fluttering happily in her chest. “It’s gonna take a lot more than a bit of water to turn me away from here.” 

From you, goes unspoken, but the way Sunny colors in response, she thinks he heard it anyway.

[nawaazishein]

(German show anon here) Hey, sorry it has taken me so long to reply. I did not see your answer to my question, sorry. I don't mind any genre, I like romance comedy and thrillers most. I am not very picky, so number of episodes and genre is not a problem. But some thing that is complete would be my choice. I don't mind other platforms than Netflix or Amazon. Thank you so much for replying ♥️

Hi anon, I’m sorry it took me a couple of days to answer this but I had a really hard time finding anything with subtitles - what is wrong with you, Germany? – which is why I have split this in different sections in hopes that it helps you some way or the other. Stuff with English subtitles (I hope these are on your Netflix as well):

1. Weissensee – Netflix – romance-ish The series is set in East Berlin between 1980 and 1990 and follows two families. Martin’s family is well-connected to the communist regime, while Julia’s family is openly against it. Martina and Julia fall in love but can’t be together because of their familys’ political differences…. 2. How to sell drugs online (fast) – on Netflix – teen comedy Moritz and his fellow friend Lenny Sander attempt to rekindle Moritz's love for ex-girlfriend Lisa Novak through selling ecstasy online. Starting off as a small time business, it quickly spirals out of control and Moritz and Lenny find themselves in a whole bunch of hilarious trouble. 3. Bad Banks – on Netflix – thriller Centers around an investment banker in Frankfurt, Germany’s finance capital, with lots of backstabbing, intrigues, sex... 4. The Heute Show - on Youtube - News/Comedy: The German equivalent to The Late Show with Stephen Colbert 5. Nico’s Weg - on Youtube - no genre specifically: A show specifically made for language learners. Every episode is roughly the length of a movie and focused on different levels, such as episode 1 focuses on A1 level, episode 2 on A2 and so on. 6. Die Sendung mit der Maus - on Youtube - children’s show (and one of my favorites I still watch to this day) As funny as it sounds, watching children’s show is one of the best ways to learn a language. They’re perfect for learning basic vocabulary and improving listening skills. For example, I’ve been watching a lot of Turkish Cartoon Network or Disney Channel (without subtitles) for that exact reason. The Mouse also has more newer episodes without or with German subtitles, which I will link below. Stuff with German subtitles You don’t necessarily only learn a language and words by watching something with English subtitles. Yes, it helps a lot not to lose interest in a ongoing show/plot but I sometimes find I focus on reading subtitles much more than listening and don’t concentrate enough on what is actually said. That’s why sometimes it can really help to watch something with subtitles in your target language. It forces you to listen and distinguish the spoken words a lot more actively while still providing some help by seeing the words written out. Keep in mind that you don’t have to understand anything, the goal here is just to slowly pick up words here and there in a fun way. Lots of German channels have different shows and clips in their online media centers with German subtitles, so there’s a whole varitey to choose from. 1. Die Heute Show (different link as above, with German subtitles, click the speech bubble icon and then click on “eingeschränktes Hörvermögen”) 2. Die Sendung mit der Haus (different link as above, with German subtitles, play the video and then click "UT” for subtitles, the German word for subtitles is Untertitel) 3. ARD, ZDF und WDR media centers of different German TV channels (different links each, with documentaries, news, soaps, etc. with German subtitles) No subtitles: If you want to go a step further, watch something without any subtitles at all. It’s not important to understand every word. If you get the jist, that’s more than enough. The goal here is just to really focus on your listening comprehension, you don’t need to understand the words but you should be able to “tell them apart”. When you learn a new language it’s all a whole bunch of gibberish and you don’t know where a word or a sentence begins or ends, especially since we Germans like our compound words, but just listening to the language without subtitles makes you get a feel for the sound and the intonation of it. I remember when I started learning Turkish I literally couldn’t even tell different words apart, it all sounded like nothing but endless keysmash to me. But I just watched a whole lot of random shows/vlogs in Turkish (or Hindi, for that matter), without understanding anything, just to get a feel for the way it is spoken. As I said, you could watch any kind of Vlog on Youtube for that, or if you did fancy a little bit of plot I’d highly recommend 1. Doctor’s Diary - romance/comedy It’s a bit like Bridget Jones means Grey’s Anatomy. One of my favorite shows. 2. Türkish for Beginners - comedy/sitcom with a bit of romance The show focuses on the German-Turkish stepfamily Schneider-Öztürk, their everyday lives and particularly on the eldest daughter, Lena, who narrates the show. During its run of 52 episodes, the show covered topics including typical problems of teenagers and cross-cultural experiences. It’s also one of my favorites. It started out as a show but they later turned it into two movies, that might be on your Netflix (with subs). Since I had a hard time finding stuff with subs there are a whole lot more show, but mostly movies I couldn’t mention. So if you’re feeling adventurous enough to watch more stuff without subs let me know!