#Mechanical Assignment Help services

[mulloey]

the shop

your car has broken down for the nth time, but yunho’s there to save the day. just your luck you don’t have enough money to pay him.

mechanic!yunho x fem!reader

words: 2.7k

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warnings: dom!yunho, sub!reader, paying with your body trope, you already wanted to fuck him though, probably inaccurate pricing for car repair services cus i can’t drive tbh, unprotected sex, degrading, choking, slapping, creampie etc. not proofread

—

You’re dizzy and delirious, putty in his hands as he holds you firmly in place, right where he wants you.

“Y-Yunho!” You squeal. You writhe in his grip a little but it’s far too strong to resist.

He’s got you bent over the hood of the car—your car—while he pounds into you like a desperate, starving man. His overalls are hanging around his waist, just low enough for him to pull his cock out; his white t-shirt is soaked in sweat and the oil-covered gloves on his hands rub painfully against the skin of your hips.

“F-fuck,” he grunts. Your hips collide painfully with the hood every time he thrusts into you and your ass bounces and reddens each time your bodies collide. “What a fucking cock whore. You do this every time you can’t pay the bill? Huh?”

“N-no,” you sob. “Just you, Yunho. Just… hngh… just you.”

“I don’t believe you,” he snarls. His hand comes down on your ass again, raw and painful over the marks he left earlier and you find yourself looking back on everything that lead you here—lead you to being bent over your broken down car while the hottest man you’ve ever fucking seen is slamming his dick into you like his life depends on it.

You suppose the first part—ending up at the auto shop—was inevitable. The car was fucked when you bought it, honestly, but there weren’t many other options for a broke college student. You lived in another district where rent is cheaper, so needed a car to get to class. Didn’t matter how good it was, it just needed to run.

Trust your luck that that seemed to be the only thing it wouldn’t do.

For a period you managed to get by fixing it yourself; Youtube tutorials and favours from friends were enough to deal with all the minor issues that came up, but as minor issues tend to do, they quickly piled up on top of each other until, the morning your presentation was due, you put the keys in the ignition, started the car and—nothing. It did nothing. You were the unluckiest person in the fucking world.

You’d called your best friend immediately, hoping he’d be able to find and fix the problem, but really, you knew it was past that point now—and if you didn’t before, the shock on Hongjoong’s face when he’d popped the hood was evidence enough.

“Jesus, woman,” he said. “You gotta get this thing to a repair shop.”

“You know I can’t afford that,” you snapped back. Instantly you felt guilty for your tone, he was just trying to help after all, so you tried to soften up a bit. “Joong, can you really not fix it?”

“No, I’m sorry. But I know a guy who owns an auto shop. He’ll probably let me use my friends and family discount on you. I’ll give him a call.”

Relief flooded your chest and you hugged him tightly, thanking him profusely even as he walked away chuckling to make the call. In the meantime you called your professor; you thanked God you were such a good student, never missing class or assignments—you doubt she’d have been so forgiving otherwise. “Come by during office hours tonight and you can present it then,” she’d said, and you thanked her with a smile.

Okay, you thought. You just needed to deal with this, do your presentation and the nightmare would be over.

How wrong you were.

—

The auto shop was, well, pretty much how you pictured it. Cars in various states of completion sat in the spacious garage, walls piled with wheels and various other parts, the uses of which you probably would never have been able to guess. The only thing that took you by surprise was the tall, young looking guy who came up and introduced you as the owner.

“Hey, darling,” he smiled. “I’m Yunho. Let’s get you all fixed up, yeah?”

You blushed at his words, and the deep, sultry voice that spoke them. You imagined that was his intention; the way his eyes flickered up and down suggested the attraction was mutual. Or maybe that was just his personality; maybe the flirtatious tone, the innuendo of his words and his intense, intimidating gaze just came naturally to him.

He walked you over to where he had your car laid out and ready to go. Popping the hood, he surveyed the condition with a serious, focused expression. In the heat of the garage, his face was sweating slightly, and he swallowed thickly as he looked everything over. It made the vein in his neck bulge, tension obvious. When he stood back up again he seemed cool and assured; the opposite of you. You felt… confused. Hot. Tense.

“It’s not a huge problem,” he smiled. “Shouldn’t take more than an hour to fix it.”

You didn’t expect that. “Really?” You lit up, overjoyed and he chuckled.

“Yeah,” he said. “We’ve got a staff room if you wanna wait around. May as well, since I should be done pretty quick.”

“Oh, yeah.” That made sense; there didn't seem to be many cafes or places around here for you to wait in anyway—and even if there were, none of them offered the view that the staff room he led you to had; the large glass window looking directly into the garage. You’d be able to keep an eye on your car as he worked—and on Yunho.

He got to work straight away and though you knew next to nothing about cars, save for the Youtube tutorials on greasing brakes and whatever else, but his skill was obvious. His large hands, covered by thick, dirtied gloves, worked quickly and efficiently.

He clearly knew you were watching him, and he clearly enjoyed it; every now and then he would look up from the car, meeting your eyes and tilting his head with a small, smug smirk. When he stood up to unzip his overalls, revealing a thin white t-shirt clinging to his broad chest, you found yourself inching closer and closer to the window without realising. Only when your face was practically pressed up against the glass did you back away, blushing furiously as you sunk into your seat. What the hell was wrong with you?

You’d never been like this about a man. Not even close. No one had ever made you so needy, so hot, so desperate. You didn’t even know you could be affected by someone in this way, yet here you were; thighs clenched together, breathing heavily and your face so hot you were practically feverish. He’d catch your gaze now and then still, and the expression on his face told you he knew everything that was going on in your head—and your body.

The sight of him putting the hood back down was a mercy and a curse; your car was fixed, you could leave, and you could get away from this man; three things you’d been waiting desperately for all this time.

But…did you even want to leave? It would be the smart thing to do, and the sooner you could get him out of your head, the better. But everything in your body screamed at you not to go, to stay and see what happens—if nothing did, at least you’d know. At least you wouldn’t have to wonder for the rest of your life.

He gestured for you to come out of the staff room, proudly showing you your fixed car. Your attraction to him aside, Yunho’s skill surprised you; the old, battered vehicle almost looked new, and when he started the engine to check it worked it sounded clearer and healthier than ever. “Holy shit,” you muttered.

Yunho laughed. “Yeah, I’m pretty good. How do you wanna pay?”

You sighed. You never liked this part; who did? It was always painful to part ways with the little cash you earned at your god awful waitressing job, but you had to do what you had to do. “Card,” you mumbled.

“Alright,” he smiled. “It’s 250,000won. I’ll get the machine.”

He disappeared into what you guessed was another staff room and you stood awkwardly for a moment. Even with him gone the air was thick, sweaty; tense. He returned with the card machine, holding it out for you to take and you put your card in with shaking hands, pressing down the familiar numbers. Well, there goes the last of your mone—

The machine made a high-pitched, displeased noise that you knew all too well. Declined. You made a noise of shock, shaking your head in disbelief. It can’t have declined. You knew you had enough for this. You had to have enough. What the hell is—

Oh. Fuck. When they towed your car here this morning and you followed in a taxi with Hongjoong. When you insisted on paying the fare to thank him for his help. Fuck. You need to be a worse friend.

You didn’t realise you were crying until you felt hands on yours; he grasped your shaking hands carefully, holding them steadily. His face was blank, but he seemed thoughtful.

“Fuck,” you groaned. “Fuck, what do I– I swear I–”

“Hey, hey.” His voice was calm and soft but a little lower than before. “Relax, doll. We’ll work something out, yeah?”

“Work something out?” You echoed his words, voice shaking.

“Of course,” he smiled. He tilted his head and you saw his eyes raking over you again; but this time it felt less like leering and more like… an inspection. You knew exactly what he was thinking.

“Tell me.” His voice seemed to have dropped an octave, thick with tension. “Are you really out of money?”

You blinked. “What?”

“Are you really out of money?” He repeated it, slower this time as though he was trying to dumb it down for you. “Or did you do this on purpose?”

You shook your head fervently, your body heating up with embarrassment and desperation and shame and, well, pretty much everything honestly. “No, Yunho, I—”

“I think you did.” He was grinning now, eyes piercing as he stared you down. He was still for a moment, seeming to consider something before he grabbed your chin, yanking your head up to meet his eyes. The material of the gloves was rough against your soft skin and the tightness of his grip was even more painful. “I bet you put the wrong numbers in on purpose, huh? Didn’t you?”

“I…” You didn’t know what to say. You knew what he was saying wasn’t true, but fuck, you could already feel wetness pooling at the thought of what he’d do to you if it was. But he seemed to have made his mind up either way, so you decided to play his game—you widened your eyes fearfully, lip shaking as you said “I promise, I didn’t” in the most pathetic voice you could muster.

He knew what you were doing, and he fucking loved it. His smile widened as he leaned in closer to you. From this distance you could see his pupils were blown, eyes flashing with arousal. “I think you’re lying to me,” he whispers. “And you know what’s more, little girl?”

Your breath hitched. “What?”

He tightened his grip, yanking your head upwards again to expose your neck. His other hand wrapped itself around your throat like it belonged there. “I hate liars.”

—

You don’t even know how long he’s been fucking you now; your sense of time has blurred and muddied and it could have been minutes just as much as it could have been hours. All you can feel or think about is the feeling of his dick fucking you open, hitting your cervix over and over; and the strong arms that move and manipulate your body to increase his own pleasure.

He grabs your hair, yanking it back painfully and forcing you to look at him. “That’s it,” he grunts. “You’re gonna look at me while I’m fucking you, yeah?”

“Yes,” you cry. “Yes, Yunho.”

“Good fucking girl.” His other hand wraps around your throat again, choking you just this side of too much. The head rush it gives you only sends you further into delirium, amplifying the other sensations. His deep, strained voice is fire in your ears. “Fucking stupid whore, aren’t you?”

He punctuates it with an extra hard thrust and you cry out again, voice strangled. “Yes, Yunho!” You scream. “Yes!”

“Say it,” he growls. “Tell me you’re a fucking whore.”

“I’m a fucking whore,” you repeat. To hear the words from your own mouth, to taste them on your tongue as he forces you to degrade yourself sends another wave of pleasure through you that pushes you closer to the edge. Yunho makes a pleased sound, rewarding you by loosening his grip on your neck ever so slightly.

“You’re my fucking whore,” he whispers. “Yunho’s whore.”

“Yunho’s whore.” You repeat it without thinking and you feel him throb again inside you at your natural submission. “I’m Yunho’s whore.

“That you fucking are. Bending over for me over 250,000 fucking won. You’re a cheap little slut,” he spits. “But only for me, yeah?”

“Yes!” You feel yourself about to come undone and just as you finally reach breaking point he pulls out, cock hard and leaking; before you can protest he picks you up without a word, flipping you onto your back before shoving his cock back inside. “Wanna see you properly when I come in you,” he grunts. “Wanna see those eyes go fucking dumb for me.”

He lifts your legs and pushes them back towards you. The stretch is painful and uncomfortable but it’s hard to care about any of that when he’s fucking you so deep and hard. The weight of his hands pressing down on the backs of your thighs will surely leave bruises but you don’t mind—you’d probably love it, actually.

Now that you’re facing him you can see all the small details of his face while he fucks you; the beads of sweat pooling on his forehead, the black hair soaked through with it, the narrowed eyes and clenched jaw as his grip on your thighs tightens even further. He’s practically pressing all his weight against you now and it’s a delicious, painful pleasure. You reach out to him desperately—though desperate for what you’re not quite sure—and he grabs your hands, bending down to pin your arms against the car as he takes you in a hot, wet, messy kiss.

“Pretty girl,” he chokes. “So fucking pretty.”

“Yunho.” You feel tears pouring down your cheeks, overwhelmed with sensation, with the feeling of Yunho on every inch of your body. He pulls his mouth away from yours to press sloppy kisses across your jaw and neck, teasing the skin with his teeth. “Think you can come for me?” He murmurs. “Just from being used like this?”

“Yes, Yunho,” you whisper. “I’m gonna—”

“Do it,” he growls. He moves a hand down to press his thumb against your swollen clit, making you buck against him. “Come on my fat fucking cock like a good little girl. Earn your keep, baby.”

The heat in his words and the pressure of his thumb on your clit are enough to send you barrelling over the edge; you come with a noise you didn’t even know you made and he follows quickly, releasing inside of you with a strangled cry.

It’s silent for a moment and time seems to still while you process what’s just happened. You whine when you feel him pull out of you and he chuckles, gently slapping your pussy. “What a good girl,” he muses. “Come on, let’s get you cleaned up.”

He sends you on your way with his business card in your pocket and his number in your phone. It takes you two weeks to find the nerve to call him, and that’s only because your car’s been making a weird noise that you can’t figure out. To be honest, it’s probably something Hongjoong or one of your other friends would be able to solve, but it’s too late now; you’ve already pulled up his contact and pressed call.

“Well hello, sweetheart.” Yunho’s voice is as deep as ever, his tone teasing. “Was starting to think I wouldn’t hear from you.”

“Yeah, um.” You clear your throat awkwardly, feeling yourself heat up again. “My car— it’s making a weird noise. Can you take a look at it?”

“Of course,” he says, and you hear the leering smile in his voice. “Why don’t you come down now? It’s a slow day at the shop anyway.”

“Oh, yeah. Sure.”

“Great. Oh, and baby?”

“Yeah?”

“Don’t bring your credit card.”

—

requests open! comments and feedback appreciated. love🖤🖤🖤

tags: @pixie0627 @hon3ysun @bbdeongi @hwaromi

[fear-is-truth]

THE 5 LOVE LANGUAGES 𝔵 JASON TODD

ⓘ love language : a person's characteristic means of expressing and experiencing love. note. got covid so i wrote the majority of this in bed lol

❝ ACTS OF SERVICE ❞ ⸻⸻⸻⸻ ⸻ ﹒

jason’s dominant expression of attachment is through action, often coded as protection. now he doesn’t articulate affection directly, but his decisions (frequently violent, morally ambiguous, or self-endangering) reveal an ingrained instinct to shield others. from early adolescence, he understood that love, if it meant anything, had to be proven with action.

under bruce, he learned to channel this drive into something more structured: protect the innocent, follow through, serve justice. jason internalised that, but filtered it through his own experiences. his ethic of care was shaped by loss, abandonment, and death. to jason, if you care about someone, you fucking do something about it. after the lazarus pit, this trait only intensified; he became more militant about protecting people he saw as his responsibility. this goes without saying that he’ll kill for you—has, and will again. notably, he may reject help from others, perceiving self-reliance as a survival mechanism. when he allows others to assist him, it signifies a very deep trust.

❝ PHYSICAL TOUCH ❞ ⸻⸻⸻⸻ ⸻

complicated. pre-trauma (pre-death), anecdotal evidence suggests jason was physically affectionate. post-resurrection though, physical touch may trigger hypervigilance or dissociation. he’s not exactly avoidant. on some deeper level, he wants it, craves it, even. but only on his terms and without surprise. if he’s letting you touch him, he’s already made a conscious choice. contact tends to trigger fight-or-flight unless it’s from someone he’s mentally filed as “safe.” even then, it takes time because he needs to assess the intent and pattern first. you’ve learned not to startle jason. when you do reach for him, he won’t always meet you halfway, but he won’t stop you either. sometimes, he’ll even lean into it, let your hand cradle his jaw or your knee press lightly against his under the table. when initiated by him, physical touch is always intentional and super rare.

❝ WORDS OF AFFIRMATION ❞ ⸻ ⸻⸻⸻

he generally distrusts verbal assurances. years of emotional inconsistency, perceived abandonment, and betrayal have rendered language hollow in his worldview. when someone tries to express affection verbally, his first instinct is suspicion. compliments may be deflected or mocked. and when he does offer verbal affection, it’s often oblique—dry humor, begrudging respect, dark jokes. moments of direct affirmation are intensely vulnerable and often framed through anger or defiance (e.g., “i never stopped caring, that’s the problem”). receiving affirmation may cause him visible discomfort, though it still registers.

❝ RECEIVING GIFTS❞ ⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻

selective, but significant. the paperback you tracked down (the out-of-print edition he’d mentioned only once, in passing.) the gloves you left folded on the counter after noticing the ones he wore were splitting at the seams. jason doesn’t view objects as inherently meaningful—he doesn’t assign value to things, only to the intent behind them. he’s not effusive in return. most of what he gives is pragmatic, given without ceremony or explanation. a stun gun mysteriously appears in your bag after he walked you home one night. a second helmet on his motorbike. his hoodie folded on your bed because he’s seen you shiver in the mornings and doesn’t want you to have to ask.

when it isn’t strictly practical, it still has function. a dog-eared copy of the latest novel he read—left on your nightstand, filled with underline passages and margin notes that read like he’s talking directly to you. his gifts are silent acknowledgments: i see you. you matter to me.

❝ QUALITY TIME ❞ ⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻

jason’s used to solitude. silence doesn’t unsettle him—it’s the baseline. you people either stick around or they don’t. most don’t. being around him isn’t easy, he’s aware of that too. if you choose to stay near him, you’re exposing yourself to his volatility, the sharp edge that never fully dulled. it’s not an easy choice to make.

he doesn’t require conversation. half the time, jason prefers the silence. he’s comfortable with proximity without pressure (e.g., watching crappy TV, eating takeout on a fire escape etc.)

the more time you spend with jason consistently, the more he lets down the armor. not all at once of course; but in increments. when he starts talking unprompted—thoughts he normally keeps to himself, tidbits of his past.

 𝐅𝐄𝐀𝐑-𝐈𝐒-𝐓𝐑𝐔𝐓𝐇 2025 — do not modify, repost, translate, or plagiarise my content. ꕀ

[siren-141]

unholy

summary: you get picked up by a mechanic shop owner after your car breaks down. the night turns into something that you both needed. pairing: mechanic shop owner Simon "Ghost" Riley x reader warnings: car sex, age gap (reader is at least mid-20s, simon is about 40 in this one), slight size kink if you squint, semi-public sex but not really (in reader's driveway but nobody's around), fingering, oral (m rec), justified cheating (not against reader; simon's married but his wife fucking sucks and is cheating on him already) word count: 2.8k a/n: so this actually took me two months to write lol but enjoy :)))

COD masterlist ☾ main masterlist

18+ only, minors DNI

This was honestly the last thing you needed.

Standing on the side of the road, you looked at your pathetic car, tire barely hanging onto the wheel after it was blown out. You hadn’t even realized that you were speeding down the old road, let alone that you were flying over a fairly deep pothole. You realized it though when you had to hit the brakes and saw the smoke from your front passenger side rising up.

It was just around midnight, and you had just left the bar where a local band had been playing. You needed a pick-me-up after the week you’d have – hell, after the month you’d had. Busy in school, assignments coming at you non-stop, dealing with being newly single and frustrated. Why did guys have to suck so much? Whatever – no time to think about that now.

Calling a few tow truck services, there was no luck. Either you were too far out or too expensive, taking advantage of the female voice they were talking to to jack up their prices. Family over an hour away and friends that were close enough to come get you, but you couldn’t leave your car here on the side of the road, who knew if it would still be there in the morning? All you could do was thank the gods that you had taken the back roads home, choosing the scenic route so you could blast your music and take your time getting home, instead of going on the interstate and having a blowout.

While you were tapping away at your phone trying to think of different options, you could see headlights in the distance. Squinting, you couldn’t decide if you wanted the person to stop or if you’d rather take your chances being out at night alone. Watching as they got closer, you breathed a sigh of relief as you watched the truck pull off to the side of the road just up ahead.

The door opened, and out came this hulking of a man. Easily 6’4”, shoulders broad as ever, sauntering over to you in a scuffed up pair of work pants, a white shirt that wasn’t so white with all the oil stains on it, and an unzipped black jacket. You couldn’t really see his face, a plain black mask covering from his nose down. From his look alone, you didn’t know if you should be turned on or afraid for your life – somehow, you chose the first.

“You okay?” he called out, voice deep and gruff.

“Yeah, I just-” you sighed, cutting yourself off. “Left the bar earlier. Tire blew out, I hit that pothole back there. Towing companies are either too far out or charging too much.”

He nodded his head, walking around to inspect your wheel. He squatted down and even as close to the ground as he was, he still came up to your stomach. Fuck, this guy was big.

“I can get a ride home but I don’t want to leave my car out overnight, probably wouldn’t be here by the time I came to get it tomorrow,” you explained, fidgeting with your phone. You could see the man’s shoulders and back move, almost like he had scoffed at your suggestion.

“Nonsense,” he stood back up, walking closer to you – taking in how you looked. Black lacy top with dramatic bell sleeves on it, a flowy black miniskirt. Platform boots that made you a few inches taller, but still much smaller than him. There was no way on earth that he’d have seen you and not pulled over to help. “I can call one of my guys to come pick up your car and bring it to my shop to stay overnight. I can bring you home if you wouldn’t mind, your friends wouldn’t have to wake up and drive out here.”

You weighed your options and somehow, that was the best one you had. “Okay, yeah. Thank you.”

About 10 minutes later, a man pulled up in a tow truck, having the man move his truck from in front of you so he could back the tow truck up to the front of your car. As the man got out of the car, you saw that he was attractive too – dark brown skin that looked as smooth as ever, sparkling eyes that smiled kindly at you even though it was half past midnight. Grey sweats and a black hoodie with a mechanic shop logo on the front – you guessed that they worked together. You stood back as you watched the two men hook up your car and load it up.

“Thanks Gaz, owe you one.”

“‘s no problem, Simon,” Gaz clapped him on the shoulder, giving you a quaint smile and wave before getting into the tow truck and hauling your car back the way he had just come from.

–

“So,” you said as you got into the truck with your savior for the night. “You just know a 24/7 road service guy, huh?”

“Mhm,” he said, driving down the road. “I own that mechanic shop a couple miles back that way. Opened it up whenever I retired. He works with me.”

You nodded your head, keeping the conversation light. You figured he wasn’t one for nonsensical small talk, considering he had been quiet so far, only really saying what was needed. You could appreciate that.

“So where’d you retire from?” You asked him, looking out the side window at the trees starting to disappear the more you got into town.

“Military,” was all he said, still keeping it short and light. You hummed, figuring he’d talk more about it if he wanted to.

“What do you do?”

Your eyes unfocused from the trees, and you shifted in your seat. “I’m in school, grad school. Work in one of the offices on campus during the week. Gets boring but it pays for my schooling, and I enjoy being there, so that’s what counts I guess.”

It was silent for a minute.

“Got out of the military couple of years back, whole squad actually retired together. Came back, married a nice girl. Two step-kids – teeangers, really. Boy and a girl.”

You almost deflated in your seat. Of course, you shouldn’t have expected much – your love life was filled with disappointments littered throughout. Maybe his friend Gaz was single. But this was still a kind stranger that thankfully was not a serial killer, and you were still grateful for all of his help tonight.

“Oh, that’s nice.” He grunted, rolling his eyes at the statement. Whoops.

“She’s busy at her office. Works at one of the law firm buildings downtown. Got her sister watching the kids at her house.”

“Thought they closed at 5..?” you asked, eyebrows creased in confusion.

“They do. The CEO stays late sometimes though. Think she just wanted an upgrade from a shop owner.”

Oh.

“Sorry,” you said quietly, focusing your attention back on the buildings going past you.

“So you went to the bar by yourself?” he asked, cutting the silence once again. You confirmed for him, telling him your friends either had work that night or just couldn’t make it for some other reason.

“Mm. Boyfriend didn’t come out with you then?” Now you snorted, rolling your eyes.

“No such thing. Actually just left him about a week ago. Too immature,” you started. “He could never keep up with anything…no job, no hobbies. Never any time for me either way.”

“Hm. Sounds like you need a real man in your life then, yeah?”

You could feel your face heat up. Shifting in your seat to press your thighs together without him noticing, you tried to keep your cool. You weren’t dumb – you could see that Simon was older than you at least by 15 years. Not only did he have a job, but he owned the damn place. Established. Smart. Married. But, married to a cheating wife in a loveless marriage. And here you were: had a job, in school. Established for your age. Frustrated. Sexually frustrated.

“Guess so,” you looked over at him, meeting his eyes briefly until you had to look away, face heating up. He focused back on the road.

It was silent after that. The radio played classic rock on its station, and you found yourself deep in thought about everything going on – about the man giving you a ride home. Your leg bounced up and down nervously, and didn’t stop when he pulled into the driveway of your apartment. Biting at the inside of your lip, you didn’t even realize that you had made it yet.

You could hear him sigh, and it snapped you out of your thoughts. Before you could even think about thanking him and going inside, he reached over and grabbed your thigh. “Stop the bouncing, love.”

Your lips parted, not expecting his actions. Your leg stopped bouncing, your heart taking its place, hammering in your chest. You watched his thumb run across your skin before you looked over at him, honey eyes meeting yours.

His hand crept up your thigh, squeezing at the plushness of it before continuing upwards. He gently nudged at your other leg, and you caught the hint, slightly spreading them – just enough room for his hand to fit in the middle. His finger lightly rubbed over your clothed clit, feeling the lace of your panties under the rough pad of his fingertip.

He looked down, taking off his mask and carefully putting it on his gear shift. When he looked up at you again, you scanned his face. He was easily one of the most attractive men you had seen – amber-colored eyes looking right back at you, a scar running through his eyebrow and one cutting into his top lip.

He pressed a little harder against your clit, a shiver going down your spine and a small gasp coming from you. You were sure that if you looked in a mirror, your pupils would have been completely dilated at that point.

“Tell me to stop,” he said, leaning in closer but continuing his movements. You could see his hardened cock straining against his pants.

“We shouldn’t be doing this,” you breathed against him, his lips just inches from yours.

“I know,” his fingers slipped past the lace and began to rub directly onto your clit, dipping down to bring your slick up for more lube. You held back a whimper at the feeling of his finger rubbing circles into your nub, legs opening wider. “So tell me to stop.”

His fingers pushed into you, going slow to let you adjust to the new feeling. You can’t remember the last time anything other than your toys or your own fingers was down there. Two fingers slid in and out of you, and you could hear the sound of your slick, very audible in the small cab of his truck. Crooking his fingers, he pressed against your sweet spot, and you couldn’t hold back the whine that came from your lips. “Answer.”

“I can’t,” his lips crashed against yours, your hand coming up to the back of his neck to pull him closer. His tongue slipped into your mouth, taking control – you let him. There was nothing more that you wanted in this moment than for him to take control. His lips fit perfectly against yours, slotted as you kissed for what seemed like forever before he pulled away.

“Take these off,” he snapped the waistband of your panties and you rushed to slide them off, leaving your skirt on. Your hands shook with anticipation as you kicked the fabric off from around your boots, leaving it on the floor of his truck. His large hand cupped the side of your face, leading you right back to him to kiss you again. You reached over to grab at his bulge, and he lifted his hips up just enough to slide his pants and briefs down to his thighs and free his hard cock. Wrapping your hand around it, he groaned and you broke the kiss to get a good look at him.

Eyes going wide, he was huge. You could have assumed, given the size of his body, but fuck. Your fingers could barely touch when wrapped around his cock, vein running on the underside of it, his tip growing red and leaking. “Shit,” you whispered, eyes fixated on him. You gave him a couple of strokes, thumb pressing on top of his tip, and his head tilted back until it hit the headrest of the seat, eyes closed. You couldn’t hold yourself back anymore, feeling like you were going to go into a frenzy.

Leaning down, you took him into your mouth slowly, moaning around him from the taste. “Up,” he said, tapping your back, and you popped off of him, repositioning yourself to kneel sideways in the passenger seat. Going back to your previous actions, you bent down and took him into your mouth again, lapping at his head while you stroked the rest of him with your hand. You could feel him shift, and then felt his hand gripping at your ass.

Even though you couldn’t see it, you could feel that his entire hand covered most of your ass, and you could only imagine what it looked like. His fingers ran through your cunt, feeling the slick that had gathered there and smeared on your thighs. He toyed at your clit before pushing two of his fingers back in, making you moan around his cock. The feeling of being filled pushed you, bobbing your head down further down his cock.

“Fuck, you feel so good, love,” he breathed out, squeezing his eyes shut before opening them again, taking in the sight in front of him. Pretty girl sucking his cock, hair pulled back out of your face with his large hand, back arched in the seat next to him as he fingered your tight hole.

You raised your head up, letting spit pool in your mouth before letting it drop onto his cock, adding more lubricant to suck him off easier. As you went back down, he picked up his pace. You arched your back even more, pushing back against his hand for more, and he pulled your hair a little tighter in his hand.

He could tell you were about to cum – you didn’t even have to say it. He could feel your walls tightening around his fingers, could see how you’d deepen the arch every time he hit that magic spot in you. He could feel you unintentionally slowing down.

Crooking his fingers just right, he pushed deeper into you and that was your undoing. Your voice was partially muffled as you came, moaning and whimpering around his cock as much as you could, stopping all movement with your tongue but unintentionally sinking down further on him as your whole body tightened from your orgasm washing over you. Goosebumps rose on your skin as you preened at the euphoric feeling running through your veins, head a little dizzy from the lack of oxygen and the blood pumping hard through you.

Seeing you come undone and your brain essentially melt from the orgasm was the last straw for Simon. Pressing his head back into the truck’s headrest, he groaned as he spilled down your throat, large hand squeezing at your ass enough to leave reddened skin behind. His hips pushed up just the tiniest bit each time more cum would spurt out, and you gladly swallowed it all.

Your mind was a haze as you pulled off of him, weakly sitting up and the both of you fixing your clothing. You adjusted back to normal in your seat, reaching down to grab your panties that had been tossed on the floor, and before you could even think of putting them back on or at the very least walking inside with them, the man beside you took them out of your hand. You watched as he pocketed them.

“Just something to remember you by, hm?” You looked down, hands fidgeting as a small smile crept on your face.

“Well…thanks for the ride,” you said awkwardly, avoiding eye contact as if your jaw wasn’t starting to ache from being stuffed full just minutes ago. Before you could grab for the door handle, Simon had cupped the back of your neck and kissed you again, this time gentler.

“Remember your car tomorrow,” he said, almost a whisper. From the look in his eyes, you knew that this was far from the last time you’d be meeting him under these circumstances. From the look in your eyes, he knew that you needed this just as much as he did.

Nodding your head, you gave him a small smile and left the truck, walking inside your apartment and shutting the door behind you. You listened to him drive off after he saw that you had made it in safely, and your head just spun. You don’t know what the hell just happened, but you’re glad it did.

[pagelets]

Soft spot (I wait for you)- L.H

synopsis: Heeseung has a soft spot for that girl from his uni for 3 years already. He tried almost everything to show her his feelings, but nothing seemed to work, she always kept him in the friendzone. Until the day he found himself being her shoulder to cry and her lips to kiss. 

Disclaimer: it contains smut!!

And the inspiration for this one was soft spot by keshi

3 damn year and fucking 40 days. That was the amount of time Heeseung had feelings for her. All of his friends asked him how that was possible. They told him to give up, that she didn’t deserve him, that if she didn’t value him, it was because she wasn’t the one. But he didn’t care. They didn’t know her like he did. They didn’t spend days and nights getting to know her like he did. Texting her, FaceTiming with her and hanging out with her even when he was tired or busy. “There are prettier girls out there”, they said to him, but they didn’t see how beautiful her soul was like he did. 

But in one thing they were right: either she was blind or stupid. Not that she wasn't nice to him or used him. But she didn’t seem to notice how much in love he was with her. Cause Heeseung did almost everything to show his feelings for her. He complimented her, he bought her gifts on special dates, he helped her with the uni assignments even though they attended different courses. Yes, Lee Heeseung, THE Lee Heeseung, who was the most respected guy among the english students, found himself studying bacterias’ names to help her with the Microbiology class. He also rejected all the tons of girls who threw themselves on him, stood his friends up to hang out with her during his free time, made acts of service for her, like tying her shoes, carrying her bag, opening doors, anything. He even got into the damn baking club!! It wasn’t the place for him, he only knew how to cook his precious ramyeon. 

Even so, nothing seemed to work. To make things even worse, she still had an on and off relationship with that piece of shit of Park Sunghoon. He was a hockey player. And he studied mechanical engineering. Ugh! Numbers and physics, only psychos liked that, right?  But that wasn’t the worst part of him. He insisted on never wanting to assume a serious relationship with her. And when she put too much pressure on him to do so, he kept flirting with all the girls who tried to hit on him, even when he was technically dating her. He didn’t deserve her. Heeseung would never put her through it. 

And the cherry on top of all that was everytime she found out he was flirting, or even hooking up with other girls, she got angry with Sunghoon, broke up with him, went to Heeseung’s shoulder to cry, got drunk, almost kissed him until the asshole of her ex texted her some shit apology text he copied from internet and she end up naked on the back of his car, with their situationship reestablished. 

In fact, they were half way through this ritual. She just had surprised Sunghoon fucking a girl from the soccer team on his dorm. As usual, she got mad at him “You’re unbelievable!” “Hold on, babe” he followed her till the corridor, still naked, and grabbed her arm “No!’ she pulled her arm “We’re over!” Hoon leaned on the doorway, crossed his arms and chuckled “You always say it and here we are back together again” “No. This time's for real. Don’t ever talk to me again” she looked inside the dorm and said to the girl wrapped on his sheets “You can keep him. I’m done with this shit” then she walked away from him  “Babe, wait…” he shouted, but she ignored, Sunghon was dead to her. 

Caughting Sunghoon with another girl, check.

Getting mad at him, check.

Breaking up with him, check.

Now, of course, she had to text Heeseung and inform him she was coming over. This became such a routine that Hee already knew what have happened. Unfortunately, for her, he had a very long and tough day and passing through it was the last thing he wanted and needed. Although, it was too late for him to tell her that, cause he heard a knock on his door, and when he opened it, what he knew already was confirmed: he saw a girl with stained mascara, holding a paper bag full of different types of alcoholic drinks in there, and a broken heart. He couldn’t help but open his arms and force a gentle smile. “Come here” she entered his dorm and hugged her friend, leaving her tears on the fabric of his t-shirt.

…

For the past 2 hours Heeseung spent his night lying on the floor side by side with her, having to listen to the same old story about Sunghoon being with another girl, and how hurt she was because of it while they drank soju, bottle after bottle “But this time I told him there’s no coming back” “Did you?!” that was new “Yeah” she sipped the soju “I’m finally starting to accept I’m going to die alone” “What?” “I’m going to die alone” “No, you won’t” “Yes, I will. I mean, I have family and friends, yeah, but I mean romantically” “Why do you think like that?” “If I’m never enough for Hoon, who will ever think I’m enough?”. Hee’s blood started to boil “Excuse me, lady!?” he sat up “What?” “I can’t fucking believe on you!”

“Don’t make a big deal out of it, Heeseung. It’s the truth” “No, it’s not! You’re the most kind, smart and beautiful girl I’ve ever met. You are gentle and you care about your family and friends and even that asshole you called boyfriend! Every man should feel blessed to have you as his girl” “You don’t have to call Hoon an asshole” his jaw clenched and he felt the urge to stand up “Of course I have to! He is an asshole! I can’t believe that even after all the shit he put you through you’re still defending him. That man doesn’t deserve you. He never did and never will!” “Who deserves me, then, Hee!?” “Me” he paused, trying to figure out if the rage or the alcohol made him say it out loud. It didn’t matter, it passed the time for him to say  “I deserve you” he continued “I would never treat you the way he did” “I know you wouldn’t” “So why?” “Why what?” “Why did you never give me a chance? Why did you always run after him? Even cheating after cheating? Why?” “Do you…” she stood up too “Do you want a chance with me!?” “Of course I do! Isn't that obvious?” “I…” “Come on! Everyone saw it except from you. I even got into that damn baking club because you didn't want to join it by yourself!” “I thought… you were into making brownies and blondies for your lil sister” “I only know how to make ramyeon, you know that” her lips parted and she approached him “I’m sorry, Hee. I… I always thought you were just being my friend, I don't think I would ever deserve a guy like you” “How could youI not?! You're amazing! And you're the only one who doesn't see it” “Maybe I need to work on my self esteem, right?” “Yes, you do” “Yeah” she agreed “Hee” “Hum?” “Sorry for making you angry” “Nah, don't apologize” she placed her hands on his shoulders “There's any way I can make it up to you?” “You don't have to…” suddenly Heeseung got paralyzed cause her head was moving toward him, her lips were making their way to his lips. 

And the most unexpected thing was that he was stepping back, he tilted his head to the side so she wouldn't be able to kiss him “Look…” he took her hands out of his shoulders “I dream with the moment you would kiss me for 3 years already. But I don't want this to be like that. With you and me drunk, after you just broke up with your boyfriend, right after I just confessed to you. I don't want this to be an impulse mess, I want this to be perfect” “Well, I’m not perfect. I’m a mess! Do you still like me?” He smiled “I do like you, of course. But I am not taking advantage of you” “I want to do this!” “Right now you do, but I got the feeling you will regret it in the morning” she didn't say anything, he was right. The korean man sighed, then ran his fingers through his hair “I think you should go back to your dorm” she nodded “Ok” he walked with her to the door “Take care, ok?” “Yeah. Sorry for all the mess” “It's ok” he muttered with a small smile on his face “Alright” she muttered “Good night” “Night, Hee” he watched her leave, then shut the door behind him, leaning his head on it “Fuck”.

…

Days passed, weeks passed, a month and a few weeks passed and still no news from her. They bumped into each other at uni sometimes but he got nothing more than a polite smile and a rhetorical “‘Sup, Hee?”. On her socials, she wasn’t very active either, she just posted stories wishing happy birthday to some friends and photos of the sky with a poetic caption. She even quit the baking club. 

“Maybe she finally decided to take care of herself” Jake said to Hee while they were shooting hoops “Yeah, I think so” Heesehung threw another ball, hitting the basket “You know, Jake, I’ve been thinking a lot lately” “About what?” “If I should wait for her” “Aren’t you already doing that?” “Yeah, for the past 3 years” “Are you thinking about giving up?” Jake tossed the ball, failing “I don’t know, maybe. She’s taking care of herself, moving on, maybe I should do the same” “Yeah, man! I’ve been saying this to you for 2 and a half years, bro!” “I know, I know… But how?” “You should go on a date with another girl” “Who?” “Man, you have an ocean of options. Don’t you see them?” “Yeah, yeah, but I don’t know who I should ask out” “What about my cousin Danielle?” “Danielle?” “Yeah, she has had a crush on you since… always” “Isn’t she a kid?” “She was a kid when we’re on high school” “Really?” “Hold on, bro” Hee held the ball while Jake searched for something on his phone “Here” he showed a picture of her “Oh! She did grow up” “Yeah. So?” “I think I can give it a try” “Good, man! Look who’s growing now” Heeseung threw the ball to Jake “Just shut up and play”.

…

That same night, Heeseung texted Danielle and they agreed to go watch a movie at the end of the week. It was Saturday night, he took a shower, wore something casual , and of course, some perfume. He wasn’t going to lie, he was truly breedable. Put it wasn’t the point of the night, the point was to meet a new girl, to maybe see that she wasn’t in fact the one. Yeah, he could do it. Hee grabbed his phone and texted Danielle:

Lee Heeseung: ‘On my way ~’

Danielle Marsh: ‘Me too, see you there ~ ~’.

He took a deep breath, grabbed his phone, wallet and keys and opened the door, to find her standing there, holding a paper bag, radiating some kind of magnetic energy. When she saw Heeseung, she opened the brightest smile “‘Sup, Hee?” “Heya…” “Are you good?” “Yeah, I… Are you good?” “Yes! I’m feeling way better” “Good! I mean, that’s great! I’m happy for you” “Are you busy right now?” “I was about to go out…” “Oh, maybe I can come another time” “No, I am not in a rush” “Are you sure?” “Yeah, go ahead. What do you need?” “I… baked these for you” she gave him the paper bag, he took a look inside, taking a baby pink box from there “But… you can’t bake anything” she giggled “I improved a lot since I quit the baking club” “Really?” “Yes” “That’s ironic” he gave a sneak peak in the box, it had a brownie cut in heart shape and glazed butter cookies “It smells great, thank you” “There are more…” he looked at her “... in the bag” he took a red rose from there “A single red rose. What’s it all for” “The sweets are an apology and the rose, an invitation” “An apology for what?” “Being a burden to you when things got messy with Sunghoon” “You were not a burden, you don’t have…” “Just accept it” “Ok. What about the invitation?” “It’s an invitation for a date…” Hee widened his eyes “A date?!” “Yes” “With you?!” “Yeah. You and me” “But like a romantic date?!” “Yes, Hee” she laughed “Wow! That’s… wow!” “So? What do you say?” “I think… I’m going to say…” “C’mon, bro!” he giggled “Yes! I’d love to go on a date with you” “Really?” he nodded “Absolutely. When should I pick you up?” “I was thinking about tonight, maybe, but you said you were going out so…” “No! Tonight is fine” “But…” “I can cancel” “For real?” “Yes, for real” “Ok! Hum… shall we go, then?” “Yes” he offered his arm for her “Let’s go”.

…

They had ice cream at an ice cream shop near campus. Hee ordered a strawberry milkshake and they shared it with 2 straws. Very cliche, very cringe. But they didn’t care, they had fun, it was the important thing. Then, they decided to walk around the campus, to watch the moon and the stars and to talk. They were holding hands, sometimes someone’s fingers brushed the others hand, sending shivers through all of their bodies. “What have you done during this time?” Heeseung asked, “A lot of things. I thought about things a lot, mainly. Including you” “Me?” “Yes. And I realized you were right” “About what?” “Sunghoon being an asshole who didn’t deserve me. Also about me not deserving a guy like you” “A guy like me?” “Yeah. Caring, thoughtful, gentle, handsome…” he blushed “I reflected a lot and started to see my self worth, you know?” “Finally!” she poked his arm “And lately, I couldn’t  stop thinking about your lips” Hee smirked “What about my lips?” “I want to…” “Hey!” a masculine voice shouted “Hum?” she turned around to see Sunghoon approaching her “Sunghoon?!” “Haven’t you received my texts?” “I did” “So why didn’t you read them?” “I didn’t want to” “C’mon, babe, don’t be like that…” “Don’t call me babe. We’re nothing” Hoon looked at their hands attached “Hold on! Are you going out with this loser!?” Heeseungs jaw clenched “He’s not a loser! He’s everything you are not and will never be!” she held Hee’s hand even tighter “Oh, come one! Cut that shit” he grabbed her arm

“Let’’s go! I will make you forget about him in 2 seconds inside my car”  then he pulled her “No!” “Stop being a fucking brat!” he pulled again “Let me go!” Sunghoon tried to pull once more but Heeseung grabbed his wrist “Take your nasty hands off her” he threatened the younger one “Or what? Will you attack me with a verb to be?” Hoon closed his eyes and laughed at this dad joke about Heeseung’s course and when he opened his eyes all he could see was the other’s fist hitting on his left cheek with all its strength  “It’s more like a verb to punch, don't you think” Hoon massaged his cheek before chuckling “Did you lose your mind? Are you aware you just punched the main forward of the hockey team?” “Yes” “Are you into crackheads now?” he asked her “I will let this one pass cause I’m merciful today” “Come on, Hee. Let’s go, he’s not worthy” “I was worthy when I ate your pussy in between classes, wasn’t I?” “Shut up! You’re embarrassing me” “What?” he chuckled again “Don’t want your new boyfriend to know he will never be on the same level?” “Shut your mouth, asshole” “Call me that again” Sunghoon grabbed his collar “Back off, asshole” “You’re going to regret that” Sunghoon lifted his arm and closed his fist but before he could hit Heeseung’s face, the older man bend down and when he straightened his body again, he gave a hook on Hoon’s chin, making him take his hands off him. But Hoon was fast to fight back with a hook on Heeseung’s stomach. The pink haired man coughed “Did you like it?” Hoon teased “Is that all you get?” Hee teased back “I’m going to fucking kill you!” Hoon threatened “Come on! I’m waiting” “Heeseung! Don’t do it! He’ll really kill you!” she had already seen Sunghoon working out and playing hockey hundreds of times. “Relax, I can take care of myself” Hee winked at her. “Hee, watch out!” she pointed to the man behind him and when Heeseung turned around, he saw nothing but a bottle coming in his temple’s direction” Hee kneeled on the ground, a buzz echoing in his head “Oh, my God! Sunghoon! Stop it now!” but he didn’t care about what she was saying anymore “You can’t even play fair, huh?” Heeseung stood up, with a lot of effort, and grabbed Sunghoon’s hair, throwing him on the grass. Then, he straddled his waist and started to punch him like a pro “Your… fucking… piece of shit…” Hee unloaded all his anger on him “You never… even breath…. near her again… alright?” “Fuck” Hoon groaned “Alright!?” “Yeah” he screamed “Fuck, yes” “Hee!” she grabbed him by the shoulders “It’s fine. I think he understood already” he stopped  punching "Did you understand?” Hoon nodded “So what do you have to do?” “Never… breathe near her again” he said with difficulty “So why are you breathing now?” Hoon held his breath “Good” then Heeseung stood up and if it wasn’t her to hold him , he would have fallen on the grass right next to Sunghoon “Let’s go, Hee”. And they left, leaving a almost asphyxiated Hoon on the grass

…

She dragged Heeseung’s body back to his dorm, laying him on his bed as soon as he opened the door “Oh my God, Hee. I’m so sorry that fucking idiot ruined our date” “He didn’t. I had fun” “Bro, you’re bleeding” “I know but I’m feeling like a man” she rolled her eyes “Lemme take care of your wounds” “Ok” he said trying to muffle a groan of pain when he breathed deeply “I didn’t know you know how to fight” he grinned

“I can do anything. Now I can even have your heart” she giggled, coming back with a first-aid kit “That’s why they call you The Lee Heeseung around the english buildings” he chuckled, making a grimace of pain “I used to practice boxing when I was on high school” “It might hurt”, she warned while applied antiseptic. It hurted “Why did you stop?” “I got unconscious during a championship once, so I had to stop” “I’m glad you didn’t die” “Me too” they smiled at each other while she placed a band-aid on his forehead “There you go. Are you sure you don’t want to go to the hospital?” “Hundred percent” “I don’t like it” “If I don’t feel better within a few hours, you can take me to the E.R” “Do you promise?” “I promise” “Hee” “Hum?” “”I’m sorry” “It was not your fault” “You got into this fight because of me” “It’s not your fault” “Let me at least take care of you” “You already…” but she didn’t let him finish, she had glued her lips to his, tasting a bit of blood that lasted in his lips. Heeseung melted on her lips, she was everything that he ever imagined she was and more. He giggled, so she broke the kiss and looked  at him “What’s so funny, mr?” “It was not how I’ve fantasized this happening” she chuckled “Did you fantasize about me a lot?” “Oh, a lot. I had 3 years to fantasize about you” “I see…” she slid her hand down his abdomen, taking care to not press where Sunghoon punched, and palmed his penis  “Did you fantasize about it too?” she squeezed it lightly, causing Hee to bit his lip and nood, he only had energy for that. Then, she opened his pants slowly “Do you think you can lift your hips just a little?” “Yeah” he muttered, doing what she asked, already taking his pants and underwear off “You’re quick” she teased, kneeling in between his thighs “Do you think you can take all of me?” she smirked “Oh, babyboy…”

she bent, grabbing his member and giving it a few strokes to help him get full hard, then she licked him from the base to the tip, he moaned “...I can do everything” she quoted him before taking his cock into her mouth, slowly, part by part. First, the tip, then the length, till it hit her throat. Heeseung grabbed her hair, in a reflex, and let a slow, muttered moan out of his lips. “Damn”, he cursed half for the pain on his stomach, half for the pleasure she was giving to him. But he didn't feel anything yet. She was just starting. When she started to move her mouth and tongue, he started to see stars. When she sucked the tip of dick like it was a fucking lollipop, and looked at him with bright, sassy, eyes, he knew Sunghoon had killed him and sent him to Heaven. Soon, she started to feel his precum on her tongue “I…” he tried to speak, struggling “I’m almost…” she took his dick out of her mouth for a moment “I know” “Lemme…” he lifted his head but leaned it back on the pillow when her mouth wrapped around him again “Lemme finish on you” she nodded in disagreement “Bet you’re turn on too” she took the member out of her mouth again “No, Hee. I am taking care of you right now. So lay down, relax and fill my mouth with your release, ok?” he nodded, she couldn't have been more convincing. It didn’t take long for Heeseng to cum, she smirked when he did and swallowed everything, then she crawled the bed to lay on his side and planted a sweet kiss on his lips “Hope this was a good redemption” “Way too good, way too good” he hugged her and they laid in there for a while till his phone buzzed. It was a text from Jake:

Sim Jaeyun: ‘Bro, did you stand my cousin up???’

“Shit!”, Heeseung thought.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Also when I called people who like math and physics psychos, I WAS JUST JOKING!!

[hayleymarriedjakurai]

mouthwashing x drdt

NOT a situation where im like "ok whit = daisuke" no. this is a different situation. their own scenario, trust. XF-Ture Express, despite its reputation for being one of the most reliable delivery services across the galaxy, has a terrible inside system. They have one of the lowest failure rates of the space freighters, being at a whopping 5% chance. Employees are paid a hefty amount, motivated by good working conditions on each ship with quality leisure activities and meal plans. But only the ones who earn it get such treatment. The hierarchy in which employees are forced to participate in never leaves the walls of the building. You do your job right and kill yourself working, you get assigned better ships with better shipments. It is as simple as that. So it is unfathomable when Captain Xander Matthews, considered one of the best, is assigned to a ship that is just barely allowed to launch. The "Fatebringer", is what it is called. It just scraped by inspection and is subpar for an XF-Ture ship, but supposedly it is necessary. Xander's job is not an easy one, but simple enough for someone of his caliber. He is to take this crappy ship, along with a shipment, to the exoplanet where the the better functioning ships are maintained and created. He and his crew will turn in this old junk ship for a sleek, modern one and move the shipment to it. Then on their way back, they will deliver it and return to Earth. Simple, they said. Child's play for a captain with so much experience. So it only makes sense for the best of the best to be assigned with him. Rose Lacroix. Her job is what is called 'the documenter'. She has no real purpose other than to keep track of supplies, as well as record daily minutes regarding every single thing that happens on board that is important to note. Due to her memory, she is considered the best to keep track of large quantities of items/the best to spot minor inconsistencies or things that are misplaced. She only needs to walk around a ship once to get it down properly. She has worked with Xander once before. Arturo Giles. The medic. He is apparently not new to this field despite being so young. He is usually quite unbearable and does not prefer to speak to his fellow employees, as most are deemed "too hideous". Despite his terrible personality, he is undeniably the best medic to have on a long assignment due to his quick efficiency. He claims that one day, the company will realize that he deserves better than what he has. (Despite being named the best medical employee.) He has worked with Rose twice, David once. J Moreno. The best mechanic for any ship, especially one as crap as the Fatebringer. When nothing needs to be fixed, she prefers to help out others if they need it (only if they deserve it, of course.) As much as she would prefer to stay on her own, she knows teamwork always comes first on long hauls. Her true identity is known to the company; they still put her actual name on all official documents and tech. She has to manually hide these things, as well as her ID card. Mariabella Rosales and XF-Ture collaborate a lot for financial purposes. She will advertise them with her existence/commercials/whatever, and they will pay her. And of course, never make J's employment public. If J weren't so good at what she does, they would not have cared. But they really like Mariabella's money so. As of now, Julia Rosales is considered MIA. David Chiem. Xander's co-pilot and good friend. David is usually the morale booster of his crews, always keeping spirits up and energy high despite the monotony of long hauls. He is usually who people will go to for advice or mental health discussions in place of the medic for two reasons: He cannot medically document anything, AND he is just such a fantastic listener! He always knows what to say! Xander and David have lost count of how many shipments they have done together. Teruko Tawaki. The stowaway of the Fatebringer who was not meant to be there. She was never meant to be there.

Teruko is usually assigned co-pilot. She has never worked with anyone else on the ship, so it is unclear whether or not her strange misfortune is known to any of them. Every ship she has ever been on has failed to bring their shipments on time- or at all. She has even seen crew members die in front of her. There have been near crashes, close calls...always when she is there. Nobody can terminate her. She has technically done nothing wrong, and firing her for no reason could mean a lawsuit or her spreading rumors about the company. So when Xander is given his assignment, he can only be dumbfounded when written in pen, he spots it. "Kill Teruko Tawaki. Find a way." And so Teruko is brought onto the ship, unconscious and hidden away. When she awakens, Xander will tell everyone that she is a surprise extra crew member. The excuse is that while she is usually co-piloting, XF-Ture is interested in having Teruko's skills expanded by having her shadowing the best of the best. Teruko, not remembering much, accepts this and trusts Xander. David's true personality is the same in canon: cold, cruel, manipulative. He feels threatened by Teruko's presence. After learning that her usual role is his, his theory is that she snuck onto the ship to prove she is better suited/to get him terminated. He treats her as normal UNTIL the crash. Xander is aware of Teruko's past jobs in vivid detail. He has been given reports, seen the documents...how much happens wherever she goes. He wants to get rid of her as soon as possible to keep the crew safe despite his guilt. Things go smoothly...until he receives word that XF-Ture is done for. It had only been two months, so what happened? The Rosales family suddenly stopped funding them, and everything crumbled after that. Nobody ever realized how much of their funding came from them. Xander felt mild relief. He truly does not want to kill a seemingly innocent woman for the company. After all, if she were truly responsible for any of those terrible things, they would have fired her with no hesitation. There must be a reason why she's still employed. But now they're all out of a job. What does that mean for them? Xander's mental health starts to plummet. Small things on board start to go wrong, and his first paranoid thought is to blame Teruko for being there. He becomes obsessed with reading over the reports from the crews that suffered in her presence. They were right; she's the cause. He confides in David, panicked and drained. Xander was a good man; far too good to kill anyone. Even if the people who told him to do so were technically no longer in charge of them...Teruko still needed to go. There's no reason to do the delivery, and there only thing they can really do is go to the exoplanet to swap out ships for a comfortable ride home. But with Teruko on board, there is no guarantee that they'll even get back to Earth. Xander tells him everything- too much. David decides that Teruko cannot make it back no matter what. Whatever field she gets to next will be riddled with destruction and possibly worse. Everyone here is at the top of XF-Ture, the best in a dead company. It is too late for any of them to climb to the top of another wage slave ladder. So he crashes the ship. Teruko Tawaki must die. If Xander cannot do it, he does not mind staining his filthy hands with more blood. What else happens? Who knows.

[avatar-legends-confessionblog]

I like Modern AU college gaang because there is just not enough college media content in the world even tho Sokka would make such a good college student.

Also he’s an engineering student, specifically mechanical engineering and I won’t hear any different. And he’s the worst kind of engineering student too. Especially in his first two years he doesn’t believe in “liberal arts” but falls in love with Fine Art even tho he’s objectively horrendous at it. He’s now a full on advocate for S.T.E.A.M.

He puts air quotes around “communication and business majors” even when he grows out of it he still does it around Zuko because it makes him, a communication and business major, furious.

A huge part of why he became a communications major was because he was indecisive and people always tell him he should learn to communicate better 🤷🏿‍♀️. And business is because he thought it was what his dad wanted him to do but even after they fall out he finds he only doesn’t mind it.

Katara is pre med and wants to go specifically into sports medicine. She’s on a water polo team. Like D1 team. She likes the aggressive camaraderie of the sport and she wants to keep playing competitively after college but not like major league. She doesn’t remember what the inside of her dorm room looks like being a student athelete and she’s definitely tried to drown Sokka because he said Biology isn’t a real hard science and because of this he always says Pre Med isn’t invited to be part of S.T.E.A.M with the rest of the sciences. Pakku’s coaches the girls waterpolo team because Katara beat him in a fight. She takes up environmental conservationism as a hobby because she can’t possibly have enough to do.

Toph is structural engineering and shares a lot of classes with Sokka which is the worst thing that has ever happened to him because Toph but also the best thing because Toph’s grasp of the mathematics of it all is immaculate. She has a natural almost psychic feel for structural integrity. She’s like a column whisperer just be touch she can identify loaf bearing structures. And how good the structural integrity of a building is there are many a building the gaang no longer go in on campus after Toph hauntingly said”this’ll be coming down soon” and laughs manically nobody knows if this means in 20 years or in 20 days Toph won’t elaborate. They don’t take chances. Toph is almost single handedly responsible for the school and campus being so accessible because she will not hesitate to call it out to their faces regardless of present company and the mock them excessively. She never officially joined the club (mostly because Toph is unaware of the existence of any clubs at this school and you couldn’t pay her to do school in her free time and clubs count as school) but she’s something of a mythical figure to the Disabled students union. Toph has one of those assigned helpers who help her take notes in class (I actually don’t know if this is a service offered to blind students I know it’s offered for deaf and sometimes autistic students so I’d imagine it is) and it’s smellerbee and they spend the whole class just absolutely devastating Sokka’s reputation. But her notes are immaculate.

Aang ofcourse is a religious studies/ philosophy/archeology major specializing in lost/endangered nomadic cultures. He’s very Adavwnced for his age group and is already like a TA in his first year to his professor Monk Gyatso. He’s already leading symposium discussions where he gets very serious and passionate and analytical which is very weird for his friends to see given he literally just raced Sokka here from the cafeteria and how he broke several of Zuko’s fathers expensive vases in a hula hoop contents. He’s a goofy dude who takes his responsibility of honoring the various cultures he studies very seriously. He is something of a child prodigy and has already published several papers. He and Zuko are archeological dig buddies because Zuko has to have hobbies and Aang brings him along because he is preternaturally good at finding lost artifacts and bartering for information. Zuko also has a tendency to chase down every single lead he finds with the same level of rigorous vigor and Aang absolutely loves accompanying him on these often wild goose chases. Because adventure! Aang ofcourse very into endangered species consternation but very against those scientific experiments to bring back extinct species. Is not a fan of zoos that he has not thoroughly vetted and are not essentially wildlife reserves. Will bust out an animal if he has to has done it before will do it again. Toph still calls him Twinkle Toes because he did ballet and martial arts and so is very light on his feet. He also takes art classes with Sokka cause it’s fun! He roles the whole gang into going to pottery barn regularly to paint mugs!

This got way longer than expected I swear I was just going to say how much I love engineering student sokka 😭😭😭. But I guess there’s been a lot of negativity so here I guess

Thank you for the headcanons 🥰

[otterdrawz]

STEX: Enterprise Electrics

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Starlight express oc’s

“Introducing the enterprise electrics! The new and improved next generation of electric engine; the new future!”

The Enterprise Electrics are a group of fan made characters based on the musical, Starlight Express. “Enterprise,” the futuristic electric engine, is inspired by the star trek star ship, Enterprise, embodying the futuristic theme and strive for new inventions and discovery. The rest of the components made as the original enterprise electrics include Enterprise’s repair truck, Pulse. The rest of the components have unique stories as to how they joined the electrics, including being reassigned to Enterprise from different electrics engines, being re-purposed as a component, or being invited to join.

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See Full Notion for OC Creator Credits

Full Notion Page: https://satisfying-comb-da9.notion.site/Enterprise-Electrics-19b5ade41a9b80a68923d40214118e82?pvs=4

“Introducing, our newest engine, ENTERPRISE! Sporting the latest and most advanced technology, setting them apart from the outdated electrics of our time. They will lead the next line of trains into the new future!”

Name: Enterprise Gender: Genderfluid Pronouns: They/She/He Role: Electric Engine

Backstory: Enterprise was made to be the next generation of electrical engines, sporting advanced hardware and mechanics that forced electrical advancements into competition. They immediately went into service as a high speed passenger train, but also as racing engine after discovering the racing scene. Much of their work is mostly racing to promote/advertise their advanced build. In their early life as an engine, they were often the target of other electrics wrath. Many didn’t like the fact they were considered the next generation, and saw them as a threat as new electrics would replace the old, so they were often picked on and harassed. Their repair truck, Pulse, was always there for them whenever they got into unwanted tussles, and helped fix them up after a majorly targeted crash during one of their first races. When things got out of hand, they were assigned a security truck so that they had extra protection whilst they were getting used to their shiny new life. The rest of the components were either recruited or reassigned to Enterprise in various ways.

Personality: Enterprise is an outgoing individual with a lot of self confidence, rarely to a self absorbent level but on occasion can be that way. They’re fairly approachable if not intimidating others with their masked appearance, which they often wear nearly all the time when outside the shed or with their components. They have a lot of fun with playful and antagonistic banter and teasing, antagonizing their enemies but being more playful to those they are close or friendly with. They often like to flaunt their new gen. Technology and advancements -> FULL BIO <-

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“Pulse online. Systems check: normal.”

Name: Pulse

Gender: unknown

Pronouns: he/they

Role: repair truck

Backstory: Pulse was made specifically to be Enterprise’s repair truck, as the engine’s right hand train, he is often cleaning up their fellow component’s messes along with offering his services to other trains in the yard.

Personality: stoic, blunt (bordering on rude honestly) but within the privacy of the electric shed, he is sweet and loving.

Quirks: his mask often betrays his feelings with a pixelated face, it also does “idle animations” when they stand still for too long, as much as their partners love his vitiligo and heterochromia, it’s a sore spot for the repair truck

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"Vidalia online! Ready for Showtime!”

Name: Vidalia

Gender: Female

Pronouns: They/She

Role: Entertainment Truck

Backstory

Vidalia grew and performed in a circus as their clown/jester making people laugh and doing tricks that could be deemed dangerous. When Enterprise came to the circus they took a liking to them and decided to ask Vidalia if they'd like to go back with them and the others which they happily agreed too, bringing Stripes along with them since they've been together always.

Personality

• Vidalia is happy go lucky closely compared to an excited puppy who loves to make people laugh

• They can be a bit forgetful when it comes to somethings often looking to the others when they get a bit confused

• They're also very artsy usually drawing little doodles of the others or things they notice when out and about

• With their years in the circus they are use showing off their goofy self becoming confident in who they are, though that also leads to them not really knowing how to settle down in slow moments

Quirks

• They tend to forget they're in the sun sometimes with how distracted they are causing them to overheat in those times

• When they were in the circus doing dangerous tricks they sometimes went wrong causing Vidalia to get hurt and needing to get fixed

• They have doodled on their arms sometimes, usually galaxy or nature themed things, when they get bored

• When it's time to have calm moments it gets hard for them since they've always known to be excitable and bouncy, they're not really use to calming down outside of sleeping

• Has a fascination with fennec foxes after seeing a video of them once

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“Zero online. Protocol: Cryogenics standing by.”

Name: Zero

Gender: Nonbinary

Pronouns: They/Them

Role: Freezer truck

Backstory:Zero is a prototype cryogenic freezer truck that uses liquid nitrogen for cooling. Originally, Zero was shipped off to another engine by their creators, but that engine deeply mistreated Zero. This eventually resulted in an incident where excess strain and unsafe conditions caused Zero’s nitrogen tank to explode. After this incident, Zero was taken back by their creators, who did extensive research before shipping Zero out to Enterprise, who they’ve been with ever since.

Personality: Very robotic. Comes off as very cold (heh), aloof, and stoic. Serious case of Resting Bitch Face. Very straightforward. Fiercely protective and eager to please, has a calm demeanor towards the rest of the components, really only soft towards any of them. Doesn’t show emotion outwardly and hard to read.

Quirks: Will let the other components and Enterprise do literally anything to them. Not a big fan of others touching them (touch them and you’ll probably get a cold burn), but gladly lets the other electrics pile all over them. Has a series of vents in their cheeks, torso, and back that sometimes release fog, cold or hot air, or nitrogen gas. Unusually computery even by component standards and speaks and acts in extremely robotic mannerisms. Makes their own ice cream. Assists Exodus with perimeter checks, and also has the added job of emergency cooling if Enterprise or a component overheats. Capable of standing completely still as if frozen, which the others usually take as an opportunity to try to stack objects on them.

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"Bellatrix online. Monetary goods secure!"

Name: Bellatrix

Gender: Genderqueer (AFAB)

Pronouns: She/They

Role: Bank Safe Car

Backstory:

Bellatrix was originally an old west car partnered to a Steam Train named Quick Draw. After a terrible accident takes place on the tracks, Quick Draw is deemed unrepairable, dying mere hours later with Bellatrix at his side. The locomotives death completely destroys her. Unable to cope with the loss, she hides herself away, letting herself fall into disrepair as she loses the joy in life she once had.

It isn't until years later they're able to see passed the grief and push themself to at least try again. After years of being out of commission, she finds it hard to find a willing engine to couple with her for race, easily overshadowed by shiny new coaches and components, until one day an electric engine needs a quick change out before a race; spotting Bellatrix on the sidelines, they call her over, shocked over such an impressive engine wanting to race with her, Bellatrix finds herself rambling in nervous excitement as she accepts the offer. The race reignites the love and passion they'd always had for racing, and upon seeing this and finding out Bellatrix no longer has racing partner or a place to belong, Enterprise offers for them to become a component, which is easily accepted.

After this, she gets a remodel, keeping her originally purpose but with a shiny new look!

Personality: An excitable and boisterous car with a fierce loyalty to Enterprise and the other Electric components. She's quick to trust and to show love for others, almost unable to keep herself from trying to form bonds/connections wherever she goes. Full of untameable energy.

Quirks: Their excitable nature often leads them into rambling, one thought leading into the next until she has to pause in order to take a deep breath, which is often the only chance others get a word in before she's yapping some more, often needing a gentle reminder to quiet down or let others speak; though they don't do it to be rude.

She LOVES games, often calling any and every game her favourite, just depends on what they're currently playing.

Sometimes is afraid that they embaress the other electrics and tries to tone down their joy in public.

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Name: Voyager

Gender: Nonbinary

Pronouns: they/them

Role: supercapacitor (long-distance power source)

Backstory: Voyager came from a rich family of oil trucks and had been set up from when they were a trainlet to transport oil and get rich doing it. However Voyager was always super academic too and realised slowly that the purpose that they were being raised for was literally terrible for the environment and really wasn't their passion like their parents.

Because of this, they ran away the day before their first day on the tracks. They undertook a risky and experimental procedure to change their purpose from oil freight to *Supercapacitor*, the solution to efficient electric cross-country locomotion. They became enamoured with the missions and ideals of Electricity being the future!!! So when they met Enterprise they basically fell in love with them and what they stood for and begged to join them as a component.

Personality: Voyager is super energetic after becoming a supercapacitor - they can keep Enterprise and up to 4 other components going off-line for up to 6 days!!! However after long journeys they tend to be so overtired they seem drunk, and need to either plug in for a good sleep or lie in the sun for 3 days so that their solar panels can recharge their capacitor plates. They are solar powered for day-to-day activities as well.

They are INCREDIBLY trusting (which is why they agreed to the risky transformation proceedure) but they're also smart, however the trusting tends to win over any common sense or knowledge they have over a situation. This train would fall for "hey it says gullible on the ceiling" an EMBARRASSING amount of times if they trusted the person saying it.

[dystopicjumpsuit]

OC Sunday: Cerra Kilian, your friendly neighborhood traitor to the Empire

Whether you need to repair a hyperdrive, infiltrate an Imperial base, or get absolutely kriffed up in the entertainment district, Cerra is your girl. GAR supply officer, turned deserter, turned full-time rebel. With a seemingly endless array of unsavory contacts and absolutely no moral qualms about sourcing supplies via questionable means, Cerra can get whatever you need, from expired ration bars to decommissioned GAR medical equipment. All that, and the odds of her deciding to adopt you are only about 60%!

Look at me. I’m the captain big sister now. Art by me 🩵

More info below the cut! Content warning for non-descriptive violence and spoilers for Stars Beyond Number.

Overview

Name: Cerra Kilian

Birth year/age: born 48 BBY; 31-32 at time of Stars Beyond Number

Species: Human

Pronouns: she/her

Orientation: bi/pan

Home planet: Corellia

Current location: Coruscant

Occupation: military supply officer (deserted); full-time traitor

Affiliation: Corellian Military Defense Force; Grand Army of the Republic; Clone Underground

Alignment: Chaotic good

Family: CT-5555 “Fives” (husband; deceased); Admiral Shoan Kilian (uncle); Lorn and Vianne Kilian (parents, estranged)

Physical characteristics

Height: 5’10”/178 cm

Eyes: brown

Hair: black (shaved)

Skin: brown

Tattoos/piercings/identifying marks: full sleeve tattoo on left arm; multiple piercings in ears; large shrapnel scar on left thigh

Personal history 

Cerra was born on Corellia, the daughter of Lorn and Vianne Kilian. Vianne, her mother, had joined the Corellian Military Defense force as a mechanic, as it was one of the only avenues to escape the Corellian underworld slums where she was born. She eventually married Lorn, whose family had a longstanding tradition of service in the CMDF. 

Cerra joined the CMDF at the age of sixteen, serving as a supply officer for ten years before the outbreak of the Clone Wars. At that time, the CMDF was absorbed into the Grand Army of the Republic, and Cerra was assigned to the 501st Legion, serving under General Anakin Skywalker. While serving as supply officer on the Resolute, Cerra became friends with Captain Rex, Jesse, and Kix, along with many other clones in the 501st and beyond. 

It is also where she first met Fives, who visited the supply office weekly to submit requests for candy. Every single request was denied, and eventually, Cerra ordered a crate of sweets to be delivered with her personal supplies, then passed it on to Fives, who distributed it to the entire battalion. She never told Fives that she’d paid for it, but he figured it out (of course). After the Battle of Kamino, Fives stopped by the supply office one last time before he shipped out for ARC training. That was the first time Cerra kissed him.

When the Resolute was destroyed at the Battle of Sullust, Cerra was on the bridge. She helped as many wounded as she could into the escape pods, including Admiral Wullf Yularen as well as several clones. She was on her way to her own escape pod when she was caught in an explosion and hit in the leg by shrapnel. A shiny she’d helped into a different escape pod that was at maximum capacity jumped out and dragged her inside, then launched the pod, staying behind on the Resolute and sacrificing his life to save her. She never knew who he was, so she had a blank Phase 2 helmet added to the tattoo sleeve on her left arm when she’d recovered from her injuries.

After Sullust, Cerra was reassigned to a different unit, serving on the Ro-ti-Mundi until the Battle of Coruscant. She stayed in touch with her friends in the 501st, taking every opportunity to spend time with them whenever leave schedules permitted. In particular, she and Fives commed each other as frequently as possible, though his ARC duties prevented them from seeing each other again until just after his mission to Lola Sayu, where Echo was presumed dead. At that point, Fives and Cerra began a relationship.

The Battle of Umbara was the turning point for the pair. The treachery of Pong Krell shook Fives’s faith in the Jedi as well as the Republic, and he told Cerra that their lives were too short and too uncertain not to seize their chance at happiness while they could. He asked her to marry him, proposing with a ring he’d carved out of plastoid armor. Despite the ban on clone marriages, Cerra didn’t hesitate, and the two married in secret. When she met Tup after Umbara, she forged a close bond with him and quickly came to see him as a younger brother. He was the only witness to Fives and Cerra’s marriage, and the only person who ever knew about it.

And then came the Battle of Ringo Vinda. 

In the months following Fives and Tup’s deaths, Cerra threw herself into working with Kix to try to discover what had happened. They were close to a breakthrough when Kix disappeared. Utterly disillusioned, with her faith in the Republic and the GAR shattered, Cerra abandoned her post following the Battle of Coruscant.

Her family did not understand. Her parents felt that she had disgraced the family by deserting, and after a disastrous visit home to Corellia, Cerra returned to Coruscant and disappeared into the underworld.

Until one day, several weeks after the fall of the Republic, Rex knocked on her door.

Personality

Fiercely loyal, sarcastic, competent (with a healthy dose of imposter syndrome), protective to a fault. Once Cerra decides she likes someone, she adopts them. They’re hers now. She's keeping them. And she’ll make sure everybody else in the group is nice to them, too—or else. Despite being an only child, she has strong older sister energy, which occasionally causes her to clash with the people she cares about.

She is pathologically opposed to displaying negative emotions in a healthy way; if she’s feeling anger or grief, she’s likely to shut down or hide rather than talk about it. After Fives’s death, she became withdrawn and reticent, not even trusting her closest friends with all of her secrets. But underneath her durasteel-reinforced-with-beskar walls, the same fierce, loyal heart still beats.

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You can read about Cerra’s adventures in my Tup x Reader short fic “Do It Again” (NSFW), and you can find out what happened after Rex knocked on her door in my complete longfic Stars Beyond Number (sequel in progress but will not be posted until it is fully written). You can read her GAR Datafile here.

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Taglist:

@secondaryrealm @sev-on-kamino @523rdrebel @wings-and-beskar @merkitty49

@anxiouspineapple99 @sinfulsalutations @arcsimper5 @starrylothcat @clio3kantarella

@cloneloverrrrr @goblininawig @ladytano420 @arctrooper69 @sunshinesdaydream

@littlemissmanga @stunkbiggu @starqueensthings @marierg @idontgetanysleep

@moonlightwarriorqueen @dudewhynotthis @sleepycreativewriter @tcwmatchmakingau @littlemissbshine

@multi-fan-dom-madness @heavenseed76 @wizardofrozz @bobaprint @sweetcream-coldfoam

@skellymom @pickleprickle @trixie2023 @mythical-illustrator @dickarchivist

@cw80831 @kimiheartblade @flyiingsly @lightwise @swcowgal

@reader6898 @cdblake1565 @epicy0n @starstofillmydream @msmeredithrose

@totallyunidentified @eclec-tech @euphoriacafe @hipwell @yve-barr

@dangraccoon @transactivecybermemory @etod @ivyyyyy @somewhere-on-kamino

@burningnerdchild @saneabandoned @heidnspeak @maniacalbooper

[deathandnonexistentialdread]

THK Hallmark AU where Fadel and Bison are assigned by Lilly to go to the small town of SmallTownville where they are assigned to assassinate a small business owner because they hve been using their business as a front for money embezzlement which is negatively affecting te community.

Problem is they were never told the name of the business or the owner's name in the files

Fadel: how are we going to do this if we don't know the name? Why didn't Keen give the name??

Bison: it's a small town. How hard could it be to find a small business owner?

They go to the town and find out that every store/shop/service comes under 'small business'.

Fadel: you're right. It was not hard to find a small business.

Bison looking around: they don't even have a McDonald's? Also who names a burger place Heart Burger? Either they're selling feelings or it is a front for cannibalistic activities. Actually I think this is our mark.

Fadel: don't jump into conclusions.

Fadel does not think how he was going to name his dream burger diner as Heart Burger. No he does not.

The story goes with Fadel and Bison meeting Style and Kant. Kant runs a tattoo parlor and while Style officialy works as a mechanic in his dad's auto repair shop, he also does everything else. From part timing at every shop, to officiating marriages, Fadel cannot escape him. He even works as a batista! And runs the meat shop in the evenings!

Fadel thinks that someone working in every business would be able to embezzle money that way. And if he is working in his dad's garage that definitely counts as nepotism. And family businesses are full of money embezzlement.

Fadel: and that is why I'm going to investigate this guy

Bison: doesn't every business count as the family business over here?

Fasel: but this guy is very suspicious

Bison: are you sure it's not just because you're attracted to him?

Fadel: shut up. I'm not attracted to Style or his waist!

Bison: what

Fadel: what

Bison finds himself falling for Kant and wants to get married to him and support him in everyway. But first he has to investigate him before he completely falls for him, he does not want to kill his future fiance, it puts a damper on the whole 'happily ever after' part

Fadel: You cannot marry a man you just met

Bison: but Fadel im goingnto investigate him first! He is also sweet and kind, and takes care of his brother and he kills people too!

Fadel: what

Bison: I heard him on the phone with a client. He was talking about 'finishing him up'

Fadel: He is a tattooist

Bison: his baby brother is going to college

Fadel: ok he might be suspicious. College education is very expensive and he does not look like he gets customers anyway

Bison: Fadel!

At some point the couples get together, and Fadel and Bison reveal their identies. Kant and Style help them realize that Lilly set them up. Fadel and Bison go back to kill her, fake their own deaths and live in SmallTownville with their husbands rapidly ever after.

How many jobs does Style actually have? Is Kant a killer? What will be the theme of the KantBison wedding? Will Fadel ever tell Bison how he wanted to name his diner Heart Burger? What will Babe major in college?

All this and more will be answered if I ever write this

[mariacallous]

Trans-Atlantic relations as we know them are over. The Trump administration in the United States has made it clear that it prefers striking a deal with Russia or other autocrats over maintaining long-term commitments with its Western partners. These threats have united Europeans, who are ramping up their support for Ukraine, investing heavily in their own defense, and striving to build a stronger and more resilient economy. Meanwhile, U.S. institutions that once supported international cooperation and American soft power are getting dismantled.

These developments amount to a trans-Atlantic divorce—and also an opportunity to shape a new trans-Atlantic future by investing in the human capital that the Trump administration has made newly available. At the same time that Europe is trying to build its military capacity, stand on its own feet in intelligence, and make its data and energy infrastructure more resilient, the United States is bleeding talent across the board. U.S. human capital can help build Europe’s future and lay the foundation for a potential renewed trans-Atlantic partnership sometime in the future.

The Trump administration has frozen vast federal funds and announced the elimination of as many as 100,000 jobs, including senior military and security personnel. It has also threatened to push aside military officers who support diversity, equity, and inclusion. The treatment of U.S. intelligence agencies has been even harsher. The CIA has offered buyouts to numerous staff members and initiated the termination of an undisclosed number of contracts for junior officials and probationers.

While the exact numbers of those who have retired or resigned from U.S. intelligence agencies and the military are classified, it is evident that this action resembles a purge of thousands of competent employees. This has led to numerous debates within the United States, with the most prominent being about potential threats to U.S. security and the loss of top talent.

While this talent may potentially compromise U.S. security and military capabilities, it could also present unexpected opportunities for the European defense and intelligence sectors. Suddenly, thousands of competent military and security personnel are seeking new employment. While many would likely consider positions within the U.S. private defense and security sectors, the sheer number indicates that some may be interested in pursuing careers in other regions. Given the evident discontent with their dismissal, as well as their disagreement with U.S. President Donald Trump’s policies on basic human and political levels, it is conceivable that some would consider offering their services to another NATO army or agency in another Western country.

The transfer of personnel who have worked on highly sensitive matters or are trained in one military doctrine to another country is not a straightforward process. However, it is not impossible. Such a move would be more than opportunistic; it would also have practical and symbolic political benefits.

While direct transfers of officers between NATO members’ armed forces are rare, mechanisms like exchange programs and NATO assignments exist to promote interoperability. These arrangements, supplemented by targeted training and professional development, ensure that officers can effectively integrate and operate within different national military frameworks.

It is fair to assume that some of the U.S. military personnel who have been laid off, or are now dissatisfied and considering leaving, have participated in such exchange programs in the past, which would make it easy for them to engage again with those NATO member units in Europe. There should no obligation for U.S. military personnel to join regular European units in a standard service contact; they could be hired as advisors instead, which would be politically and administratively more palatable for the hiring militaries.

Clearly, for intelligence professionals, such a transition may be more challenging due to laws over nondisclosure and state secrecy. But by employing some creativity—within schemes championed by philanthropic foundations, for example—it could be possible. One could think of fellowship programs, for example, that would allow senior officials to maintain their income and independence, while providing consultation and support for European public administrations at the same time. Although not directly comparable, consider the effort that George Soros made after the end of the Cold War to sponsor scientists from the former Soviet Union in order to preserve nuclear and scientific expertise from falling into the hands of rogue states.

Such trans-Atlantic connections could also be a significant political statement. By welcoming competent and able U.S. personnel into their own agencies, Europeans would demonstrate that Euro-Atlantic ties extend beyond mere government relations—a message that resonates not only with the Democratic Party but also with the many Americans who disagree with Trump. It would also underscore Europe’s commitment to continue working together for mutual benefit, strengthening the trans-Atlantic relationship and demonstrating solidarity with those Americans who have been recently laid off.

This sort of hiring spree by Europe may not require extensive publicity, but it will certainly diverge from the Trump administration’s narrative and strategic approach. This could potentially cause some diplomatic friction, but it could also be of some broader diplomatic benefit. Europe can demonstrate its ability to act as an unpredictable and potentially influential independent entity, capable of identifying and acting on material opportunities that become available. It’s an ability that demands to be taken seriously.

What is possible in military and intelligence domains is even easier in the broader economy, where Europe can gain valuable insight from public officials who have experience in the oversight of sectors like energy and data, or other domains marked by integrated platforms and collaborative work such as public health and science.

It’s likely that European governments will be slow to provide the necessary support for hiring former U.S. officials, given various legal and bureaucratic obstacles. Legally, it may be much easier for personnel with U.S. security clearances to receive a fellowship or contract from a U.S.-based foundation rather than one from a foreign government. Therefore, philanthropists on both sides of the Atlantic, shocked by the dismantling of the institutions and tools of American soft power and geopolitical leadership, could act before governments step in by providing seed capital. Starting fellowships programs and imagining short-term affiliations or consultancy contracts would allow senior leadership from the United States to be included in Europe’s construction.

In these turbulent times, such links would create an alternative integration of the Western world that is focused on networked human capital. All this would have both short- and long-term positive effects. It would immediately speed up the improvement of European security and intelligence. In the long term, it would safeguard the basis for a future trans-Atlantic alliance through interpersonal connections and a shared culture.

However, it is urgent to think about how trans-Atlantic relations will look after the current divorce. It is not only because the investment in Europe’s defense and intelligence capacities needs to start immediately with full speed, but also because U.S. talent is already on the job market.

Time is of the essence. As with all good ideas, Europeans will not be the only ones pursuing an investment in U.S. human capital to strengthen their own interests. American employers will inevitably be among those competing for this talent. And U.S. intelligence has produced evidence that Russia and China are already scouting disgruntled federal workers. Europeans would be well advised to focus on helping the many competent officials currently in distress, if only for the sake of giving the West a chance to survive its current turmoil.

[universe-prime]

Are you in need of transport A.S.A.P?

Looking to deliver some goods across Cybertron faster than a turbo-fox chasing its own tail?

Tired of having to keep track of overbearing passports just for a single ride to the nearest colony??

Well look no further than Cybertron's finest—

The mighty Click-Clack and Co.~!!

I've been thrown back into my transformers love HARD and decided to revamp/create a bunch of ocs to cope with it lmao. Anyway, meet Click-Clack and(a small part) of his dandy crew~! Click-Clack(or just Clacker for short) specializes in delivering all manner of goods and services across the vast expanse of Cybertron in just a few days time. Whether it be weapons, medical supplies, building materials, or simply an independent company needing help traveling from point A to B, he doesn't really discriminate and just LOVES doing his duty as a gigantic mailman train

To really put Clacker into perspective, I put him beside a few iconic bots from tfa...👀💦

And as an added fun bonus, I even made a map of his internal layout when he's in train mode(which is pretty much his default tbh)

But what's a train without his helpful crew, ey? This is only a small part of it, my pal @simplych4i has ocs that cover a good majority, but I can at least give a quick overview on my own fellas!!

Needlepoint

The one and only medic! If there's an incident or injury, she'll take care of you with a patient servo and a caring spark

She was assigned to Clacker due to a recent scandal that ruined her career. Her patients mysteriously wound up dead or missing memories while under her care, and enough of these reports piled up to the point where her license was revoked and no respectful hospital would ever hire her again

Overall she's a doting maternal figure to the crew and, although a bit quiet and reserved, she's always happy to lend a shoulder to cry on or a listening audial fin

Rocket

Self proclaimed demolitions expert and part-time mechanic! Should the train ever be attacked by Decepticon's raiding it for it's cargo, or any other outside threat, she's there on the front lines ready to blast them back to the hole they crawled out of

Former Elite Guard, Rocket was quickly demoted and shunned from her station due to her "sudden" fatuation with explosives and anything that could cause them. After a near-death experience that nearly extinguished her spark, she went off on a personal mission to recreate the enlightening blast that started it all in the hopes of "seeing home" once again....whatever that means

Nowadays, Rocket is just as explosive as her passion. Loud-mouthed and unafraid to speak her mind, she's always ready to slam a fist into anyone who crosses her path while also gleefully spreading a few headaches across her fellow crewmates

Tag

And lastly, our head of navigation! Despite their age, Tag has a natural gift for plotting out routes, understanding complicated maps, and making sure that there's always a backup route should the current one ever be interrupted

(Former)delivery mailbot by day, graffiti street artist by night, Tag often explored the seediest parts of Cybertron along their route and saw injustice firsthand. Using their artistic talent and the access they had to private letters, they'd anonymously paint rebellious ideology and personal defamation against elites as a way of speaking out. Tag's artistic trail was eventually traced back to them, and they were swiftly demoted to a spot on the Click-Clack

Tag is overall what you might expect from a young bot who was practically raised in the underbelly of Cybertron. Cute and sweet one minute, then cutthroat and petty the next, Tag is just a bundle of energy constantly looking to prove themself alongside the much older "adult" bots of the crew they're with. They can't quite grasp why everyone insists on protecting them so much(they're a fully grown bot for crying out loud!), but slowly Tag has learned to accept this ragtag group of weirdos and ex-convicts as their true family

[lightsaber-dorphin]

Jedi Order Bureaucratic Structure

I’ve been working for a while on worldbuilding the inner workings of the Jedi Order. Below is a flowchart of the administrative bodies, their duties, and any other admin bodies they oversee. More details on each below the cut.

These are different groups involved in running the Jedi Order. For different roles within the Jedi, see my Jedi Order Corps and Subdivisions.

High Council: (Finance, bylaws, PR, major trials)

Determines the budget(s)

Relations with the Senate

Only body that can expel members

Librarian's Assembly: (Ensures knowledge is available to Jedi)

Fund academic researchers (many Jedi researchers work directly for the assembly)

Archives: (Run the Archives & research)

Host academic conferences

Protect important artifacts

Run basically directly by the Librarian's Assembly

Department of Classes: (Adult education)

Organize all classes that aren't geneds

Set criteria for certifications/ degrees

Help members get degrees from external organizations

Council of Reassignment: (Oversees transfers & is Jedi CPS)

New Initiate paperwork

Transfers between corps and/or branches

Helps members leave the Order

Checks the CoFK when necessary

Padawanship paperwork filed here (crèchemasters sign off, padawan signs off, check master for red flags/ not allowed to take apprentice, sometimes mind healer signs off)

Council of Justice: (Attourneys & internal justice system)

Try & punish cases committed by Jedi & internal to the Jedi Order

Mediate interpersonal disputes

Lawyers for the Order

Cannot expel members

Council of Outreach: (Manages outposts & patrols)

Assigns Jedi to satellite locations or watchfolk posts

Hires other outpost staff

Ships supplies to & from outposts

Tracks the locations of missions & sends Vanguards to areas that haven't been visited recently

Council of Temple Maintenance: (Oversees internal services and temple upkeep)

In charge of the cleaning droids

Coordinates trash & recycling with Coruscant government

Has the occasional member who can do specialized maintenance (ex. plumber, electrician)

Volunteers sign up to fix things

Hires outside contractors when there isn't a Jedi with the necessary skills

Assigns Jedi to living quarters

Interior decor

Delegates chores such as taking out the trash, mopping, dusting, etc.

Padawans and initiates are often assigned these chores as punishments

Kitchenmasters: (Mess halls)

Make & serve food in the mess halls

Label the food with which species can eat it

Order food supplies

Supervise initiate clans helping in the kitchens

Quartermasters: (Distribute supplies & manage finances)

Bulk-order supplies for the Order

Provide mission allotments

Desk operators help members pick up supplies

Accounting

Transport Office: (Run the hangar bay & speeder pool)

Responsible for the Order's vehicles

Mechanics

Vehicles are checked in & out like a library for cars & ships

Hire external staff when there aren't enough Jedi

Temple Guard: (Security & emergency response)

Guard against exterior threats to the temple

Security during criminal situations

Really good at sensing danger to temple inhabitants

First responders (fire & police-- MedCorp handles EMS)

Change lightbulbs and smoke detector batteries

Odd jobs on behalf of the CoTM

Uses the lore by Adsecula in "Nameless"

Council of Reconciliation: (Central hub of Jedi outreach & diplomacy)

All aid requests go through them

Sets mission objectives

Approve or deny aid/ mission requests

Reviews behavior of Jedi on missions when there are issues

Mission Consignment: (Assign Jedi to approved missions)

Desk jockeys

Not officially divided by type of mission/ Jedi role needed, but missions will be passed to people who are more familiar with the experts required

Organizes specifics for missions such as transportation and housing

Council of First Knowledge: (Runs Initiate & Padawan dorms, clans, & childhood education)

Initiate clans members live together with their crèchemasters rotating out night shifts

Padawans & Senior Initiates live in individual rooms in designated halls with some crèchemasters living in each hall

Department of Seekers: (Regulates conduct of Seekers)

Create regulates for what Seekers can & cannot do & how they should act

Investigate reported misconduct by Seekers

Crèche: (Organizes care for Initiates)

Sort Initiates into clans

Run events/ field trips/ etc.

Set educational standards

see my post about Living Quarters in the Jedi Temple

Department of Primary Classes: (Classroom education for younglings)

Standard elementary school operation stuff

Provides the general education classes all Jedi take as younglings

Circle of Healers: (Sets certification requirements)

Certified to train medical professionals for a variety of degrees

Determines when Jedi have fulfilled requirements for medical certifications

Sets the qualifications for Force-specific medical degrees

Halls of Healing: (Healthcare within the Order & internal outreach)

Like a local hospital but also has general practitioners

IRB: (Reviews research for ethical concerns)

Institutional Review Board

"Under FDA regulations, an Institutional Review Board is group that has been formally designated to review and monitor biomedical research involving human subjects. In accordance with FDA regulations, an IRB has the authority to approve, require modifications in (to secure approval), or disapprove research. This group review serves an important role in the protection of the rights and welfare of human research subjects."

IRB for the entire Order, not just the MedCorps

[dark-elf-writes]

Was thinking about eleven year old Fawn Spots Harry and made myself laugh because he would be so angry that technology doesn’t work at Hogwarts.

Full on “What do you mean Olympus has cell service and the middle of Scotland doesn’t?! It’s not even the same plane of fucking existence and calls aren’t even long distance!” Little man has not been more than a phone call away from his family since he was adopted and he is not coping well, but beyond that the lack of online databases, easy way to compile notes and write the eight million essays they’re assigned, and actual entertainment that isn’t ’dangerous flying dodgeball’ (which he does love tbh but still not everyone does) would drive him up the wall. Fuck the lack of things like highlighters and binders would piss him off. 

He would show up with a spiral notebook and a mechanical pencil and a pureblood child would pass out from shock. He writes his family constantly begging for any and all stationary they can send. He uses breaks to type up last term’s notes and introduces the first final study guide in Times New Roman into Hogwarts and makes a killing off of selling them. The older pureblood students beg on bended knee for help making their own and the muggleborns realize oh shit they can corner the market per year and subject. Harry will drag Hogwarts into the modern age if he has to do so kicking and screaming.

[keitheaverage]

I wanna know your thoughts on BBQ ENA as a character. Personally I think I like her better than OG ENA though I love both of them. I relate to her "meanie" side on a personal level. That woman is STRESSED.

Personally, I LOVE her, and I've really enjoyed her animations and lines of dialogue in the game so far.

That said, in regards to BBQ ENA, or "Barbie," herself, she's kind of a self-serving little turd.

But LET ME BE CLEAR that when I say that, I mean it in a strictly affectionate kinda way.To be more elaborate:

While Barbie's Salesperson side speaks an intoxicatingly charming timbre and behaves with a level of diplomatic professionalism that can be mistaken for genuine friendliness (esp in contrast to her Meanie's more blunt foulmouthedness), at the end of the day she's still a smooth-talking, Hey-Bestie-MLM-promoting (canonically), shrewd businesswoman, chomping at the bit to go to work and reach her business goals by any means necessary. She may also possibly be some sort of assassin or war criminal, but that's another tangent for another time.

Mind you, this is NOT me pegging her as some unfeeling misanthrope, or implying that she doesn't have any friends--she definitely has a rapport with Froggy, who seems to know her well enough to both accommodate for her "wacky language" during work assignments, and offers to hang out with her for chess and drinks off the clock during their secret phone call (and may have done so enough times before to peg her as a "disaster" who "[doesn't] understand what fun is")--but at least in regards to other NPCs, Barbie does as she pleases and/or for the sake of the grind, regardless of the consequences that appear outside of her line of vision, and usually only for some sort of self (or career)-serving goal or reward. While most of her deeds in CH1 were benevolent enough, they were all ultimately in service of getting to the Bathroom and clearing the smoke, not out of pure kindness or altruism.

(Also sidenote, you can outright refuse to revive Hoarder Alex and let him die in his opening cutscene if you want a faster way to the other side of his bridge to save the witch. IDK what that says abt her but. It says something. ...I think.)

I think she uses both of her sides to keep most entities she meets at arms' length. They're coworkers or potential customers to profit from at best, annoying hindrances to her job at worst. Not that any of those same NPCs apparently desire getting all that close with her to start with. In fact, Barbie's behavior--both her Salesperson's diplomacy and Meanie's brashness--could very well be coping mechanisms she's picked up to deal with how everyone seems to look down on her for being an ENA (or whatever tf she was alluding to during her "I'M NOT DOING WHAT YOU SAY I'M DOING!" bit). Maybe she's S1 ENA who had yet another severe mood switch after a hard life on the road or something. Maybe this game is a prequel and Barbie becomes S1 ENA over time. Or maybe she's just Like That Just Because. Who knows!

But honestly, either way, I love it! I find this unabashed, almost cunning nature of hers to be weirdly endearing (what can I say? I'm an avid supporter of Fictional Women's Wrongs 🤷‍♀️) and the more I hear and see of her, the more I want to know. I mean, the fact that I've typed all of this so far should say as such, right? Consider me fully pulled in by her tractor beam.

Her personalities also helps her stand out next to S1 ENA. I also find it super interesting how, in contrast to the latter, Barbie never appears to really "struggle" with her sides. They aren't fighting for dominance like S1 ENA's are, at least. The only time they seem to really be in conflict of each other is during the Purge Event (things seem to go belly-up for her pretty quick when Salesperson's absurd work ethic isn't being indulged, despite Meanie's clear distaste for it). Otherwise, they are both work-oriented and work in tandem with each other to get each of her little tasks done, switching from the brutish Meanie or charming Salesperson as the as the job demands.

Of course, there's no solid confirmation one way or the other if these ENAs are in fact the same entity at different points in time, or members of a larger species. Either way, to me at least, it feels a little too early in the game to rank Barbie against S1 ENA in terms of which one of the two I prefer (plus as of now there'd be a super-unfair bias in S1's favor considering how much fanart/comics I've made of her throughout the years). I guess I need more time to make that call. But till then, I can tell you that I adore both of them for their own unique reasons, and can't wait to see more of Barbie in the next chapters!

tl;dr she's rude and off-putting and cares abt her job maybe a little too much, and I love to see it

[llaberration]

I.S.M.I - Chapter Seven

The drive out towards their new investigation was... a little awkward. As it turned out, the only person who had not been fully briefed about their unique solution to Deacon's problem, was Kaplain. And Sayer, with all the delicacy and subtlety of a rhinoceros with ADHD had bounced up to Hal as he had approached them in the vehicle bay and demanded to know how it had gone, talking over himself about how he hadn't been allowed to say anything until after the meeting with Doc, and then promptly trying to talk to Blaine.

Hal had handled this as delicately as he had been able, by gently dragging the younger man behind the camper van that they had been assigned for their task, and demanding to know whether he'd told Kaplain.

A neutral-toned call of “Yes. he told me,” from the other side of the van had clarified things, and Hal had been forced to, as gently as he could, explain the situation to Kaplain, who looked at least a little displeased with the entire concept.

Help came from an unexpected quarter though, when Blaine spoke up for himself, briefly speaking with Kaplain to explain he was quite comfortable with the arrangement, consenting to it fully, even more so than Hal. This seemed to set the other man at least a little more at ease with things once he heard it straight from the individual most affected by it. Hal, eager to change the subject by that point, swiftly tried to turn them to the task at hand instead, and they climbed into their van to set off.

This time, with a view to the fact that there was no incident response camp in place at their next investigation, and that it might take several days, they had been provided a camper van designed to sleep four and accommodate a small, very basic laboratory facility as well. This was one of Hal's favourite vehicles to be assigned because it was comfortable, spacious, and carried everything they might need and then some. He liked being equipped for any situation, and the camper fleet were their best for that. The down side was the large and ungainly size of the vehicle, making it more difficult to drive and get to more out of the way places. He was in luck this time, however, because as it turned out, Kaplain was a confident driver in large vehicles as well as small, and volunteered his services at the wheel. This freed up Sayer and Hal to go over case details, reading aloud what had been reported. Sayer, while also concentrating on this, had been tasked with shrinking the headset, and was achieving his goal little by little, saying he had to go in phases to get it done without damaging the electronic elements of the device.

“Okay,” began Hal, bringing up the casefile on his tablet and shifting a little in the front passenger seat, getting comfortable. “We know relatively little about this one. We will be the first ISMI on scene, so there's no guarantee that this is going to be anything at all. This might be entirely normal, or even a plumbing issue from the looks of it.”

“Okay, so how has it gotten escalated to the Institute?” asked Kaplain.

“Let me see here,” Hal skimmed the file before starting to read. “Over the last two years there have been a series of disappearances on this site. It's a factory site, long running too. It has been active industrially since about the 1900s in some capacity or another, so it has been here a long while. Recently it seems the disappearances have been amping up, happening more often. Multiple staff have reported hearing strange grinding and rumbling sounds underground at the site where there are no mechanical components that would explain it. They recently had a drain team on site doing routine maintenance, at which point, one of the workers fell through a drain cover and...” he squinted a little, just to ensure he was reading it right. “Disappeared completely with no trace, even when extensive searching was carried out of the pipe and adjoining area. They sent cameras down there and everything. No sign. Nowhere for a body to go either. By all accounts the guy just vanished. Anyhow, a few weeks back, someone on the site claims to have caught something really odd while monitoring the CCTV over the course of a few nights. A new drain cover appeared spontaneously. One night it was normal tarmac, the second, an outline had started to form, night three a metal cover that looked like it had been there for a decade had appeared. Then this guy, a night watchman from what I understand, started noting there was a lot of drain covers on the site. A LOT. And when he went to his managers with it, they found the drainage company's schematics, even when cross referenced with all of the water, power and sewage ones... just didn't add up. Fortunately, at that point, a local zoning specialist ands surveyor was brought in to explain this abundance of underground works. A guy who helped us handle a little, unrelated issue with brick fungus in his town a while back.”

“Brick fungus?” asked Sayer.

“ISMI-UK-L-0145,” replied Hal, “There's your homework. Read up on that one. It's a fascinating case and didn't actually result in any maiming. But anyway, yes, we left him our contact details for anything... unusual and he basically took one look at the site versus the schematics and called right away. He's going to meet us on site and show us exactly what the problem is. So, he's considered level 0.5 cleared.” He pointed at Sayer, “Pop quiz what information does that clearance level entitle him to?”

Sayer blinked, then almost automatically replied, “0.5 is the lowest clearance. Available only to non-institute personnel who have been exposed to low risk Ignotuscientific phenomena and been permitted to remain informed of the situation without a cover story. They know the institute exists to protect people and study the inexplicable but possess very limited knowledge about where we are, what we do, or how we operate. They are taken on only because they are considered useful and informative as a web of people likely to report things that crop up in their area. A detailed register is kept of their names and regular, close observation made of their online activities. The 0.5 clearance can be withdrawn at any time if the person is getting... mouthy.”

“Excellent,” said Hal, “Well, we have this surveyor meeting us at the site to show us around and talk about the problem. We're booked in as drain maintenance so we have to try and act like normal maintenance men. We have high-vis uniforms onboard and we'll try to keep most of our more high-tech stuff to ourselves where possible.” He glanced at Sayer, “And absolutely no magic unless your life depends on it, or you are given a command.”

“Do you have any ideas what this one might be?” asked Kaplain.

“I'm not sure,” said Hal, frowning as he looked back to the tablet, “People do make mistakes about these things... it's easy to spot patterns when you are looking for them, and a lot of the time those patterns are just a coincidence. Seeing too many drain covers could simply be a case of having never noticed there were that many before for example.”

“And the disappearing technician?” asked Kaplain.

“When there's pipes involved, there's always somewhere a body can go.”

“So you don't think this is something?”

“I didn't say that. What I am saying is that you always need to keep your mind open to the possibility that something is just... nothing. Your mind must be open to everything, and a part of that is the chance things might just be normal. Especially in these first-on-scene cases. You must investigate thoroughly, but sometimes, once you have gathered everything together and still come up with nothing, you have to accept that it might be nothing.”

“But what do you think,” persisted Sayer.

“I think I need more coffee, and more evidence, before I can make that kind of decision,” replied Hal, shifting a little in his chair as Deacon gave a sleepy little kick. The man had been asleep for some time now. They had quickly discovered that they could barely hear him over the sound of the engine, so they had agreed that if he wanted Hal's attention, two firm, pointed kicks were the best way to achieve that. Once they had gotten on the road proper, the gentle movement and lack of stimulus had clearly gotten to the small man, who had swiftly gone limp, dropping into a deep sleep. The only sign of life for Hal now was the calm, gentle chest movements, sleepy kicks, and the occasional, subtle little snuggle as the man adjusted himself on his soft, pliable bed. Honestly Deacon was handling it the best out of the two of them. Hal was still pretty freaked about the entire thing, but the small agent was rolling with it surprisingly well. Perhaps because his situation offered him little choice, but Hal had to admit he was impressed.

“Hal?”

“Hm? Wha?” the man realised that his focus had been so turned inwards that he hadn't noticed someone speaking to him.

“I think this should do it,” Sayer was gently holding a tiny headset in his palm. It did look perfectly scaled for Hal's little companion, so if it worked, it would definitely solve their problem.

“Wonderful,” grinned Hal, gently taking the tiny thing, “Next time we stop, I'll wake him up to test it.”

“He's sleeping?” exclaimed Kaplain, giving Hal a side-eye of visible surprise.

“Yeah I was shocked too,” admitted Hal, “But he seems to be more comfortable with this than I am,” he gave a helpless little shrug, resisting the urge to put his hands on his middle, not wanting to make a show of such things in front of the others, which was increasingly difficult.

When they stopped, Hal took himself off to the back of the van for some privacy to gently push and press at his middle until sleepy movements responded to him, a bit confused at first, but settling when the man remembered where he was. Hal informed him of the headset, and a little awkwardly swallowed the thing before activating the earpiece and fitting it as he waited. It seemed to take a long while until the thing in his ear beeped and informed him that it was pairing with another device. Then, after a few clicks and pops, Deacon's rough voice came over the line. “Hello?”

Hal, whose earpiece was equipped with a microphone, grinned as he heard it, gently pressing a hand to his stomach, “I hear you,” he sighed a little in relief.

“Great, and I hear you!”

Hal gave a genuine smile, gently pressing at the small man with his fingertips. “You doing okay?”

“Yeah... yeah,” the agent shifted a little in place, “It's a bit cramped for my legs but I'm just fine.”

“Well if you need to stretch them out for a minute you can but try to warn me first,” Hal smiled as he felt his companion move to gently push back at his hand.

“This is you right? When I feel that? That's your hand?”

“Yeah, that's me, just checking in on you.”

“Okay, just making sure. It's hard to really know direction in here and I didn't want to be poking some muscle for no reason, thinking that it's you.”

“No,” chuckled Hal, “That's definitely me. So. We know Sayer can shrink electronics, but it does take him a while so, tell me what you'd like next and I can have him work on it. Doc proposed the idea of getting you your own phone or tablet... so you had something to do.”

“Something with a torch would be nice,”

Hal blinked, he hadn't thought of that but it was true... being exposed to nothing but darkness would be unsettling over a very long period of time. “Okay, phone it is then,” he said, “It will probably take Sayer a while because it'll need a waterproof case as well but... we'll get to work on that. Anything else you need?”

“No... that'll be fine. Are you going to keep the earpiece on now?”

“Yeah. I don't think anyone will question it given how some folks wear bluetooth earpieces now. If anyone asks who I'm talking to I'll just point to my phone like they're an idiot. But if I am in a situation where I really really cannot respond to you I'll tense up around you to let you know. Like this...” he carefully tensed up his stomach muscles, not too hard, but clearly plenty to get the small man's attention because he wriggled a little, and Hal released the pressure.

“Got it. If you do that, I will go silent and still until you let me know it's safe again.”

“Okay.”

“Okay.”

Hal, still carefully resting a hand on his middle, gave a sigh, “Sure there's nothing you need? No requests for dinner?”

“Try not to salivate on it too much?”

“That's... gross. But not unreasonable.”

“Hal?”

“Hm?”

“I know this is still really uncomfortable for you.” Small, gentle hands sought out his palm again and pressed gently. “I want you to know that... as much as I don't enjoy this, I really appreciate you helping me out. I really didn't want to be left to the mercy of the scientists, and I really didn't want to end up as an ISMI casefile, locked away in the institute forever. You're giving me a safe place to wait this out. Thank you. If I can do anything to help out, I want you to tell me.”

“Well, Doc suggested getting you a tablet so you can be an out in the field researcher for us... and he wasn't wrong, that would be useful.”

“Yeah, that would be a good idea. But let's do the phone first shall we? That way I can make calls and start on basic admin using that. We can go from there.”

“Sounds like a good plan,” Hal replied, and the little man shifted a little bit, settling back in place comfortably, prompting a quiet gurgle from Hal's stomach. The investigator bit his lip a little, feeling a tingle of that strange, wonderful new sensation again, the one that silenced the god in his mind. “We'll just have to figure it out one day at a time,” he managed, battling to keep his focus.

“Every day not being cut up in a lab and studied in a good day for me,”

“I think Sayer will be our most useful ally against that. First because he dodged being cut up for years simply by co-operating, and secondly because he seems to be getting a grip on how your condition was achieved. Ultimately, I think he's our best chance of reversing it too.”

“Well, lucky he's on our side then,” chuckled the small man, indulging in a very gentle, cautious stretch of his legs, angling it carefully so that he wasn't stretching the stomach 'outwards' but to the side, where it was more elastic and had more room for its natural expansion.

Hal tipped his head back at this, fingers lightly playing over the area, analysing his feelings of how good that felt, and quickly deciding to file them under 'blame the god for this and pretend it's not happening.'

“Hal?” the call came from the front of the bus, where Kaplain was settled once more in the driver's seat after a much needed stroll around the service station car park. “We're good to go, you all set?”

Hal, giving the small man a gentle pat before standing up and heading back to his seat at the front, nodded. “All good here.”

“Headset working?” asked Sayer, looking curious.

“Working perfectly,” replied Hal, giving the young man a slap on the shoulder. “Given that it's going so well, I have good news and bad news?”

“What's the good news?”

“That your shrinking trick can work on technology and keep it functioning.”

“Aaaaand what's the bad news?”

“I'm gonna need a phone and a tablet next.”

Four hours later found the three (technically four) men standing on the front car park of the factory site looking up at the massive structure. It looked like a rusted behemoth that had only stood the test of time out of sheer spite and defiance of the natural order. With angry red lights marking the highest chimneys, and a perpetual whirring, grinding sound filling the air, it could almost have passed as an ISMI all to itself. It looked far more daunting than the fun mall had, and Hal said that to himself in the full knowledge that the fun mall ate people and turned them into macabre prizes. Fortunately, they weren't investigating the building. It was huge and ancient and there certainly might be some Ignotuscientific evidence that it was a miracle it still stood, but that was not what they were here for.

It was late in the day, almost evening, and massive floodlights lit the compound as workers filed out after a long day at the factory. Beneath their feet, the three men were all counting many, many drain covers. Far too many. There was no way on earth this much maintenance and groundwork had taken place even in the long time this place had stood. “Alright, so that's a lot of maintenance plates,” said Kaplain, tilting his head.

“A few too many,” agreed Hal, “Doesn't necessarily make it supernatural but it is definitely strange.”

Hal rubbed his chin, taking out his phone and punching in the number for the zoning specialist that was supposed to be meeting them. Security had been informed about their visit and they were now standing beside the camper van in high-vis gear and safety helmets, glancing around to get a first proper look at their investigation site.

“Hello, Mr Walsh? This is Hal O'Dwyer, we're on site now. Yeah. Yeah. Security knew all about us but we're not sure where to meet you. Mhmm. Mhmm. Yeah that traffic is killer isn't it? Alright, no problem. We're right out at the back of the car park, they asked us to set up as far out as possible. Alright, just come knock on the door when you get here.” He hung up the phone and shook his head, “He's stuck in traffic. He'll be here in a little while. We should wait in the van for safety until we know what's going on here. I'm just going to grab a couple of samples to take an initial peek at before we get started. He grabbed several small phials from the lab of the camper, and picked the three nearest visible maintenance covers, not picking based on type, just distance. He swiftly took a quick scraping from the corner of each one, then hopped back up into the camper and sealed the door after him.

“What are you going to test for?” asked Kaplain, curiously.

“We don't have time for any proper tests,” said Hal, pulling the carefully secured microscope from its compartment. “But we do have time for good old eyeball 1.0 to do an analysis.”

He dropped the contents of one phial onto a slide, rearranged it to allow a proper look, then slid it into place under the scope. He fiddled with the device and observed what came into focus, “Looks like pretty normal rusted metal,” he said thoughtfully. The second one he slid into place showed a similar story with some subtle differences. Perhaps the base metal for the alloy was different, but this one had a more rounded, less crumbled look to it, almost porous but not quite. He put the third sample on and found it to be more like the second than the first. This was odd because it put the one he thought was normal in a minority. “Interesting...” he murmured, connecting the tablet screen up to the microscope so he could show the others. “Look at this.” He displayed his findings. “This is odd to me. I would say that this first sample is the normal metal, but both of the others are different. We need more data to draw real conclusions from this but it is strange isn't it?”

“There's something unusual about both of the later ones,” Kaplain rubbed his chin, “I'm no scientist but metals don't work in soft patterns, and those look soft. Not like, texture soft but there's a roundness to them, looks almost organic.”

“My thoughts exactly,” agreed Hal, “It could just be an alloy I'm not familiar with, I'm no expert. I just wanted an initial glance, and already, this seems odd.” He saved several screenshots of the three samples and labelled them, storing the slides for further study.

“Should I get some more samples?” asked Sayer, looking eager to help.

“Not yet, we don't want to go doing too much before we get shown around,” Hal shook his head, then stood, “I'll put some coffee on. We should take things slowly and carefully since we don't know what we might be dealing with.” He turned from the others to hide his smile as a nasal little voice in his ear whispered. 'yeahhhh coffee bath...'

A short while later, they were settled quietly at the small table in the camper when there was a knock on the door, and Hal went to open it up for the specialist. It was drizzling with rain now so he invited the man in, knowing they had secured all sensitive data as per regulation so their guest wouldn't see anything he shouldn't. He shook the man's hand and seated him at the table with a fresh cup of coffee before returning to his seat. “Mr Walsh, these are agents Kaplain and Sayer,” he introduced them, “We're the initial investigation team for this potential case. So. For the sake of simplicity, why don't we start with where you came into this?”

Mr Walsh, a skinny young professional with sparkling brown eyes, dark skin, a smart but practical suit under his hi-vis vest and a winning smile, greeted them cheerfully with handshakes. He looked positively excited by the notion of working with the institute again. “Of course!” he said, opening up his briefcase and pulling out several zoning maps and area blueprints as he began to talk. “So this came onto my desk last week. Apparently the factory had been trying to do some routine sewer work and ran into a few problems, such as tunnels not adding up on their surveys, grates that didn't fit with the plans, and then worker disappeared, at which point the work was halted for safety. It did, however, make the management realise that, among other oddities, they had too many maintenance panels, plates and grids, as well as an apparent abundance of drainage grates that didn't make sense. That's when they called the city and it came to my office. So... I come out here a few days ago with all the plans... all the plans and there's a lot because parts of this site have been rebuilt a dozen times over the years.” He gestured out across the many reprints of paper scrolls and parchments from varying eras as he took a moment to sip his coffee. “So, we sit down and start comparing... and for the first two hours, I'm not going to lie to you, I walked around the site multiple times, trying to figure out whether the plans were upside down or something because nothing matched up. Nothing. We managed to pin down about seven grates out of dozens, onto plans. I had a pair of the drain maintenance guys with me at the time and all of us were completely stumped. We spent the afternoon opening up grates, trying to find identifying markers on them, or at least date them from the state of the concrete piping underneath. Nothing we found makes sense. No matter how old a grate looks, the tunnel beneath it looks the same age, with only a couple of exceptions. We brought out the GPR the next day, which we normally use when we're trying to locate a pipe collapse or find out whether a sinkhole is forming, but in this case... it turned up a nightmare,” he pulled an A3 sized glossy print of what looked like grey static, and it was covered in tiny little grey blips and ripples in apparent complete disorder. “This is just one screenshot, so you have to think of it as a 'slice' through the ground. To give you a scale, the range on our GPR is about seven metres, so we can look that far below the ground.”

He ran a finger down the depth of the scan to show what he meant.” The ripples show irregularities. In this case, pipes. Pipes of varying sizes that should not be there. And this place is riddled. We tested sample areas of the car park, the factory ground floor and even the loading bay, anywhere with a concrete or tarmac surfacing, and all of them were like this. At first, before these scans, I thought I was dealing with a reckless, careless in-house maintenance team who had been drilling in surface level drainage all willy-nilly and capping it with whatever they had lying around, which would explain the new pipe-old grating conundrum. I was getting set to have them investigated and slapped with multiple fines for all this reckless and unlicensed work but... when I looked again, and considered it... I realised I had to be dealing with something else.” He tapped at the blips at the very bottom of the scan, the deepest point that their equipment had been able to detect. “These run through far lower than even a well equipped drainage specialist would be able to install. Some of this would take major works to get to, and specialised piping designed not to collapse from being under all that way.” He shook his head, “Not to mention that one security guy they have who swears he saw a new maintenance cover appear over the course of three days. He has screenshots but... they're kinda out of focus and it could be images of three different places. The CCTV system is... old, and has been locked out for months because someone forgot the password, so getting playback is all but impossible. Apparently security are 'working on it' but that's not my business or area. I just know what people have told me in the cafeteria. I won't lie to you, the workers consider all this to be very exciting by the factory's standards, so getting them to talk about it isn't hard. All the gossip, and the deep piping? I knew I had to give your institute a call.”

“What about worker disappearances? Have you heard anything about that?” asked Hal, curious if the surveyor's gossip hunt had given him anything in that area.

“There's plenty of rumours for sure. Once this all started to get spicy and interesting I started to go by the worker cafeteria on purpose at lunch time, and in exchange for paying for a few lunches, I had a queue of workers lining up to tell me all about how 'Sleepy Larry' disappeared one night after a shift, or how 'Shaky Pete the forklift guy' was left alone on the dock to finish moving a load and when the rest of the crew came back, there was nothing but his forklift, still running, up against one of the walls. Apparently the seat was covered in slime. But also apparently that might just have been Pete's 'natural emissions' whatever that means. I got about five stories in total of people who'd gone missing, embellished with theories about what happened.”

“Five people... in how long?” asked Kaplain.

“Well, that's the interesting part. That's this year alone. But, you must remember, this hasn't been verified, this is all talk among the workers, there's a chance they were pulling my leg to get a free sandwich.”

Hal chewed his lip at this, sipping his coffee, letting it trickle down his throat slowly so Deacon didn't get a faceful. “It's November,” he said thoughtfully. “That means it's roughly one every other month, which is actually a pretty damn high number of people going missing for a workforce this size.”

“It's possible they just quit?” suggested Kaplain.

“In some cases I agree,” Walsh spoke up, “But allegedly, several of them had been here decades. Never missed work. Maybe a little bit of napping on the job but... we're talking regulars. Shaky Pete was three months off a decent retirement they said. Why would he quit?”

“That is a very good question,” Hal agreed.

“So what do you think? Is it aliens? I bet it's aliens!” exclaimed Walsh.

Hal blinked, raising an eyebrow. “Why would aliens be fitting underground tunnels?”

“Well think about it. They can't really go wandering about above ground can they?”

“And... the disappearances?” Hal's eyebrow migrated even further up his forehead.

“Abductions. For study.”

“If I recall, you thought the brick fungus was aliens too,”

“What can I say, I love the thought of aliens... so, if I keep guessing aliens for long enough, one day, I'll be right!” Walsh grinned at them, and Hal had to give a friendly shrug.

“I suppose the odds are that someday you will be correct,” Hal said nothing about the fact that they were already well aware of several species that were strongly suspected to have come to earth on asteroids or from space in general. None of them were the big brained, bug eyed, sentient aliens of Hollywood cinema... most of them were bacteria. One amoeboid and one insectoid. But he was definitely not cleared to share that information with the surveyor. “But for now, I think we need to do some more investigating. Kaplain, take Sayer, go see management, see how their worker turnover looks. If you have to, lean on them a little about safety concerns and rumours of missing persons investigations, they should be willing to turn over numbers to you even if they're unwilling to give you specific details, which honestly, we don't need. We can get a warrant to claim the information if we have to but paperwork takes time, and management hate dealing with it, so see if you can schmooze it out of them instead. They thought we were here for maintenance, but you can tell them that's a cover to keep the workers calm and that we're actually looking into the dissapearence of that drain worker, and now rumours of missing staff. Don't tell them who we actually are, but use your own discretion to make it sound credible. Then, if you can, spend a while wandering around the plant, look for actual safety concerns that might cause a risk of sudden unexplained disappearences. Do a little chatting with workers on break as well. See if you can't get the stories that Walsh got, to see if they've evolved over the last few days, which might add a bit more doubt to them.”

Kaplain grinned at being given a task within his comfort zone and nodded, standing up. “What about you?”

“We're going to play with some gratings. I want to get a look under a few of them, and see if I can find some of this slime, or some samples of the concrete that's not the age it should be.”

“Oh this is exciting!” Walsh grinned, looking as though his birthday had come early. “We're hunting aliens!”

“We are absolutely not hunting aliens,” chuckled Hal, “but if that's what motivates you wanting to help us, then I'm willing to accept it.”

“I'm getting paid too though right?”

“Of course, the institute values your input, and will be reimbursing you for all trouble, plus your hourly rate.”

“Wonderful,”

“Okay. Kaplain, give me a call if they get difficult, and I'll go higher up the ladder if we have to. Sayer, follow his lead.” The ex-policeman and the youngster headed out of the van, and Hal gathered up a full sample kit, and clipped a bodycam to the front of his jacket. “Alright, you're the expert, lead the way. Show me where I will find things to be the most suspicious.”

The specialist, looking pleased to be given the lead, stood, finished his coffee and hurried out of the van, talking animatedly about the random placements of some of the drain covers as he led Hal across the car park.

The two of them patrolled around the entire site, the whole time, Hal was making notes on his tablet, documenting how many of the panels there were, categorising them under 'types' and making a rough dot on a copy of the map for each one. He just wanted a basic idea of what they were looking at. He took samples from some of the covers, marking where each sample came from, and picking one particularly suspiciously placed cover, the two men opened it, and he swabbed around the inside, and took a small scraping of the cement. They repeated this with two other very eccentrically placed gratings, and then several well placed ones that were marked on the maps. He meticulously documented exactly what they were doing and where, and labelling each sample. He didn't want to muddle them up at all. Getting his reports perfect was one of the things that the bosses most liked about him and the way he operated the investigations team. He lead by example. The investigators knew how to do their jobs because they saw how he did his, therefore the admins were able to document and file everything correctly, assign tasks to the right people, and the high ups had all the information they needed to take actions and make decisions based on the documentation from their investigators. Hal, as a marine biologist in origin, was used to tiny details and samples, so this did not bother him at all. And he was pleased to find Walsh was an eager and helpful assistant in this. Clearly this was the most exciting thing that had happened to him since the brick fungus incident. No wonder he had been so eager to call it in.

If anything, the only one of them really not enjoying themselves was Deacon, who was being shifted and sloshed around a lot with all the bending down Hal was doing, no matter how he tried to minimise the movement. He took it in good humour, complaining to Hal over the headset that he was 'disturbing his peace' and had no desire to be an 'agent and coffee milkshake' but it was clear he was finding it difficult to remain comfortable with things sloshing like this. Hal made a note of this, a firm idea in his head on how to help, but knowing they would just have to be patient for now.

Fortunately, they were soon done with their initial survey, and they returned to the camper. Hal stashed their samples for examination later, took a minute to text Doc that his call would be late due to work and witnesses, then went out with a case of camera equipment, explaining to the specialist as they went what his initial plan was. Without having any idea at all what was going on, they needed to gain some insight into what was happening at night and when nobody was looking. It was reasonable to assume at this point that something strange was going on but he wasn't confident what it was yet. So they went around the site, fitted multiple trailcams to fences and trees. Then, they lifted several maintenance plates and fitted cameras to the bottoms of them. He even set one on a wire dangling into the tunnel, knowing that as long as there were no flood level rainstorms, it would remain hanging above the water level. Then, he set up several subtly different cameras around the camper, ones that would alert his phone to movement, and allow him to stream video directly from them. It was coming close to nine at night by the time they were done with this escapade, and Hal was finally satisfied. Walsh expressed a wish to help them with their stakeout overnight, but Hal insisted the enthusiastic man go home and get some sleep. After all, he needed to balance the man's enthusiasm against him finding out about things he wouldn't be allowed to know. The man regretfully admitted that he was tired, and reluctantly headed off home, leaving them alone in the car park with the night shift's cars and very little else. Kaplain and Sayer had returned to the camper by now, and Hal suggested they order food to be delivered to the front gate rather than trying to heat up any of the provided food packs. This immediately cheered Sayer up, who took charge of the task, and Hal went out to the front gate to wait for the delivery, and make his required call to Doc.

The werewolf answered, sounding pleased that he had called at last. “Hal! I was getting worried you'd forgotten about me...”

“Of course not. I just had to make sure I was clear to talk freely. We had a 0.5 helping out you see, and a lot of setting up to do.”

“I understand. How is it going? Is he okay?”

“Not too badly, he's adjusting. He likes the coffee baths but doesn't like it when I move around to get equipment set up. Apparently he's 'gaining increasing sympathy for smoothies.'”

“I take it the headset works then?”

“Yeah that worked well. I've got Sayer working on a phone for him, but I might sidetrack that onto something else briefly. I have a thought on making his life a little easier.”

“Well don't get too creative. He's not moving in permanently.”

“I know. I'm just trying to make sure he's comfortable.”

“I'm glad you're getting onboard with this.”

“I was never not onboard with it. But you asked me to eat a guy. I needed time to process that, so if my reactions seemed at all negative... you should probably assume I had a lot on my mind.”

“That's fair. I know it was a lot. I'm sorry we had to put this on you, especially when you're already handling such a... complex problem.”

“I'm alright. Don't worry.”

“Good. Well, I just needed to check in and make sure all was well. 7Pm tomorrow for another check-in if you're not back by then?”

“Can I have Deacon do it for me if he's got a phone by then?”

“I don't see why not. Why, are you avoiding me?”

“No, but I do have an investigation to do... and it might do him good to have someone other than my uninteresting ass to talk to.”

“You sell yourself short Hal.”

“Yeah well, I'm just a recycled fish nerd. I don't pretend otherwise. Now, I can see our food delivery guy is coming down the road, so I need to go.”

“Is he bringing you something from my meal plan?”

“Given that Sayer ordered, probably not. But in fairness, freeze dried rehydrated five year old tuna casserole from a foil pack probably isn't on your meal plan either, and that's what we have otherwise, so don't be too upset.”

“Don't forget your vitamins.”

“Yes mom.”

“I'll speak to you tomorrow.”

“And I'll remember to brush my teeth and fold my socks,” Hal was grinning as he ran with this joke, “Love you too mom,” he teased, as he hung up the phone.

He collected the food delivery and carried it back across the car park, removing his earpiece for just a moment to rub at his sore ear and take in the peace and quiet of the night beneath the rumbling of the factory and the scraping taunts of the god in his head. He could swear that somewhere on the car park, he heard a heavy clank that sounded like metal being moved. But not a soul stood among the cars. Surely it was just the factory equipment in the distance.

He returned his earpiece to its place and went back to the camper, surprisingly ready for some food.

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So, we finally join our lads in a full scale investigation for the first time, from being the first man on site. Is it a graboid? giant spiders? aliens? or just a really unreliable workforce? I guess we'll find out!

[anothermiddlechild]

Dragon Age Fanfiction WIP

After he begins to question Knight-Commander Meredith’s harsh treatment of the mages in Kirkwall, Knight-Captain Cullen Rutherford is transferred to Hasmal, a city-state in the Free Marches on the edge of the Silent Plains. Cullen learns he will be the leader of the Templar forces in the city and will have very little reason to enter Hasmal’s unique and mysterious circle tower. Angry and confused, Cullen is forced to put duty and honor before himself and serve the Chantry as required. In the back of his mind, however, Cullen is motivated by the hope that his new assignment will be short-lived.

While stationed in Hasmal, Cullen is introduced to members of the local chantry, city, alienage, and refugee camp. As time goes by, Cullen is alerted to an unknown illness spreading through Hasmal. The symptoms seem to change and vary but there are few constants in pathology, including odd rashes and hardened veins. Cullen, with the help of his new friends and allies, must determine the cause of the mystery illness and save Hasmal from what appears to be an isolated threat. But what they learn is only a small piece of a very large puzzle, one that’s image will take years to complete.

This is a story of identity; of faith, service, struggle, family, friendship, and love. 

A few notes on the world state I have constructed:

Hasmal’s circle has a large population of aging mages; pregnant mages are also transferred to Hasmal until childbirth. After, the mother is sent away to a circle different from the father and the child is raised within Hasmal’s circle until it is determined they are not, or are likely to not, be mages. The children who are not mages are absorbed into the Chantry by other means or are otherwise abandoned in orphanages. 

Located South of the Tevinter and east of Nevarra, Hasmal is home to Free-Marchers and refugees, many of whom were once slaves to the Imperium. 

After 9:34 but before 9:37.

Other characters (major and minor) include…

Sister Felicity. Fereldan. Born to a noble family in Denerim. Witnessed the Fifth Blight first-hand. Other family members are Templars but Felicity’s family is angry she is a sister, as there were plans for her to marry. Using her name, and part of a fortune left by her mother, Felicity circumvented the marriage and joined the Chantry. Felicity is determined to work her way through the hierarchy of the Chantry and can be described as being by-the-book. She often appears over-zealous and worries having “bought” her way in makes her sacrifice to the Maker less meaningful. Felicity is a trained nurse and midwife who works in the human district of Hasmal. 

Sister Evelyn/Evie. Nevarran father, Free-Marcher mother. Primarily raised in the Free-Marches (Hasmal) but often travels to Nevarra to visit her father, a mortalitasi. Evie is trained in end-of-life care and funerary rights. She primarily works in the alienage and refugee camp as a hospice nurse. Evie performs funerary rights on all departed (where everyone is truly equal). Her desire to fulfill funerary rights according to customs and culture of the deceased often puts Evie at odds with her fellow Chantry sisters.

Lay-Sister “Mary” Violet/Vi/Bo. Elven. Born to mage parents in a circle. Separated from family at birth and raised within a circle until the chantry was comfortable Violet was not a mage. She fought hard to be a lay-sister and is a trained nurse and midwife. She works in the alienage and refugee camp. Violet struggles with how the Chantry acknowledges her as a lay-sister; either with contempt, confusion, or far too much enthusiasm. The Chantry allowed Violet the status of lay-sister because her work places her in the community of elves and proximity allows for conversion. She is uncomfortable with how her faith is often used by the Chantry. Violet uses humor as a coping mechanism and is painfully realistic at times, despite her sunny disposition. When necessary, Violet uses less-than-legitimate connections to achieve her goals.

Lucille/Lou Abadie. Orlesian. Lou was originally slated for the Knight-Captain position and is blind-sided by Cullen’s presence. She remains the Knight-Lieutenant, despite her reluctance to work beneath the Kirkwall Transfer (as she affectionately refers to Cullen).

Unnamed Pregnant Mage who arrives at Hasmal's circle the same day as Cullen. The mage’s story parallels the main storyline as a subplot, reflecting on the conditions and policies of the Chantry in regards to intimacy, childbirth, and family within circles. Her story is how villains are born; not with physical violence but significant, unresolved trauma.

Currently Unnamed Family. Wife continues to have miscarriages and is unable to “give her husband the son/family he deserves/is required of her”. How infertility impacts a family for whom money can often solve any problem.

Currently Unnamed Family. Eldest daughter is in charge of the entire brood. The complications of a large family in poverty and parents with substance use issues.

---

Notes from the Echo Chamber: A fanfic to setup a fanfic for Inquisition. Fun, right? Good times! I can't finish Dragon Age II and feel like this is my way of coping with that fact.

Also, I am aware this has few canon characters in the mix and nearly all are original roles. That is simply how this story is being told. When I move to the fanfic that takes places during Inquisition, the reverse will be true. Few OC's will be main characters there. This gives me a chance to build the world I want, explore a few themes that interest me, develop my brilliant little Violet, and gain confidence in writing different canon voices. Cullen just happens to be a character I have confidence writing and someone who's growth I enjoy.