#and his wheels r testing my patience

[chris-evans-indian-fanfic]

Love

One-Shot

Description: Asexual!Bucky thinks he is broken beyond repair, until you show him that he has been complete all this while.

Warnings: Angst, bad language, mention of sex toys, romance and fluff

@jtargaryen18 organised a writing challenge for reaching 4k followers and of course I have to participate multiple times! 😍 I am sorry this entry is a little late 🙈

My Main Masterlist

A/N: This is the first time I am writing an asexual character. Whatever I have written is based upon my knowledge that I have gathered by reading various articles and posts on asexuality. The reason I am writing this is because I want to have an equal amount of straight and LGBTQ+ stories in my masterlist, so that there's something for everyone to enjoy. Hence, if you are an asexual person or know someone who is, and you realise that anything in my story is incorrectly represented, then please let me know. I will immediately correct it, issue an apology and accept my mistake publicly. 

I don’t consent to have any of my work published or featured on any third party app, website or translated. If you are seeing this fanfiction anywhere but Tumblr and AO3, it has been reposted without my permission. In that case, please do share the link and let me know.

…

"I cannot fucking believe this!" Karen shouted, "What are you like gay or something?"

Bucky winced at her venomous words. "You need to leave," he said in a quiet, respectful tone.

"Like hell I am going to leave. I want answers!" she placed her hands on her hips and stomped her foot. "What is it? Am I not sexy enough for you? Are you not attracted by this?!" she gestured towards the skimpy lingerie currently hugging her body.

Bucky met her eyes as he responded, "I do not want to have sex with you." 

She huffed, clearly not convinced, "Why not? We have been going out for what, 3 months now? And you still don't want to have sex with me? What is the issue here? Is it-" she paused suddenly, her eyes traveling down his torso to his crotch, "You can't get it up can you?" she sneered.

Bucky shook his head, too exhausted to deal with her, "Karen, it's nothing like that. I just do not want to get physical with you. That's all."

"Oh! Ooooohh!" she bent backwards a bit, "So it was fine to hug me, cuddle with me and hold my hands. But when it comes to sex, you suddenly become a pious celibate saint! What the fuck Bucky?"

Bucky sighed, and handed Karen back her coat, "We are done. Please leave."

She laughed dryly, "Oh abso-fucking-lutely we are done. You know what I think?" she asked while wearing the coat, "I think that you are too old grandpa and that your tiny ass tortured gay dick cannot salute on its own. Because no man in his right mind would deny this," she again pointed to herself. "Super-soldier my ass," she muttered as she left.

The door to his apartment closed with a loud bang, leaving an echo in its wake. Bucky stood still, rooted to his spot. If it were not for the silent tears rolling down his cheeks, anybody could have mistaken him for a statue. 

Slowly, he sat on the floor, his gentle sobs rocking his body as he hugged his knees. 

Decades of torture by the hands of Hydra had left him crippled, physically, mentally and emotionally. When he had been saved by Steve, he had started to piece his life back together, bit by bit. Things such as books, movies, music became tiny jigsaw pieces that slowly filled the void in his life. 

After the final galactic battle with Thanos, Bucky had been officially initiated to the Avengers team, or rather what was left of it. The team soon became an extended family, a family that Bucky was still getting used to. It was especially irksome when Sam and Scott decided to set him up on a date with Karen from Research & Development (R&D), despite his protests.

It wasn't that Bucky didn't desire a relationship. He wanted to be close to someone, experience romance, feel their heartbeat in a close embrace and place light kisses on their forehead. 

But he didn't want to have sex.

At first, he thought he might not have met the right woman. So he searched for porn online, which did little to sway his feelings. He put the issue on a backburner, the safety of the people and the urgency of his missions steering the wheel of his life for a while. 

But when Sam and Scott proudly announced their grand plans for Bucky's date, he remembered his "issue" again. He looked at Karen closely whenever they went on dates together. She looked perfect. Beautiful hair, soft glowing skin, curves in all the right places, all packed in a graceful, slender body.

Bucky liked being close to her, but he was still not getting aroused. Hence, he stopped her advancements everytime she tried to get physical. Karen tolerated it for a while, before her patience wore out tonight.

As the sun rose in the sky, Bucky was still seated on the floor, his cheeks now stained with tears that had stopped sometime in the night, though a sniff escaped from him every few minutes. He looked at the sunlight pouring in from the window, broken by the window-panes, landing at his feet in two rays with a comforting warmth. It was in that moment that Bucky realised, Hydra had truly broken him.

🏳️‍🌈

"We have various types of dildos available. There's The Classic, Textured, Long and Thin, Short and Thick, Vibrators, Transparent Plexiglass Dildos, Strap-Ons, G-Spot Dildos, Double-Ended, Squirting Dildos and ones that also come with a suction grip. Are you looking for yourself or are you looking for something to enjoy with your partner?" the helpful saleswoman asked you.

You stroked your chin in thought, "It's only for me. I already have a vibrator that I bought about a year back. The G-Spot ones have never really worked for me. I am looking to try something new. What is the suction grip one?" 

The attendant handed you the dildo and showed you the suction grip at the end of it, "You can use this to place and stick it on any flat surface you want, whether it's the floor or the wall or the side of your desk. It guarantees a completely hands-free pleasurable experience."

You stuck it on the wall besides the showcase to test the theory. It worked. "Neat! I will take this one," you smiled as the attendant went to fetch a fresh piece.

You paid for your new sex toy and walked back to the Avengers compound with your small white shopping bag in tow.

When you reached your desk, you heard Karen bitching as usual about something to Jessica. At first, you blocked them out like you did almost everyday, but then a name in their conversation caught your attention.

"He's the Winter Soldier alright. He's completely frozen down there," Karen whispered loudly with disgust. 

"Even that red sexy lingerie didn't do anything for him?" Jessica gasped dramatically.

"No!"

"That's crazy! That hot-red piece will convert even the most gayest of the guys! And it didn't do anything for him? Wow," Jessica responded.

Karen added, "You know something? I have always thought he was extremely weird. Like, dude, I know you were tortured by Hydra or whatever, but get over it man! It's been years since he was free. He should enjoy life and stop being such a wimp. I am 100% sure he is impotent."

"You know I was digging into him the other night," Jessica said in a hushed whisper, "and I saw a message board online which suggested that his penis has been completely cut by Hydra. This person knows all such secrets about these alleged superheros. You should follow him."

"What is his username?"

"Proud-Flat-Earther-MotherFuckers. Wait, I will send you the link," Jessica offered. 

Having heard enough of their nonsense, you made your way towards the HR department. Maybe both Karen and Jessica had forgotten, but talking about the personal lives of Avengers was strictly against the rules and was considered as reason enough to fire employees. 

You filed a complaint with the HR and within a few hours, both the women were fired on the spot. You savored the moment with relish, as their faces turned aghast at the realisation that their actions had consequences. You went up to them, watching the pair clean their desks, with unabashed glee. 

"You know something Karen?" you asked her, "Just because a man refuses to have sex, it didn't mean that he's a wimp, or gay or an impotent. But if you do choose to think of him that way, then it surely makes you a sexiest and a homophobic person."

Karen looked at you furiously, "You bitch! I lost my job because you went and blabbed in front of the HR!"

You chuckled at her outburst, "Oh my dearest Karen. Yes I did go and rat you out to the HR. But that's not what got the two of you fired."

"Then what did?" Jessica asked as she joined the conversation. 

You folded your hands for effect, "Your hateful comments and toxic views cost you your jobs. People like you think that just by using the latest iPhone or following the latest trends, you are a modern, 21st century person. But in reality, it is your open mindset which makes you a member of the modern society. If you would open your mind just as much as you open your legs, trust me, the two of you will be much better off."

You turned to leave, but stopped yourself, "Just a suggestion. Stop using words like gay and impotent as insults. It will help you retain your next job for a longer time." You winked at their speechless faces, and happily returned to your desk. 

Your job in R&D was taxing and so, you always found yourself working late. Today was no exception either. As you left your office at around 8pm, you saw Bucky heading towards the elevator which led to his apartment. You always had a soft spot for the brunette super-soldier. For starters, you couldn't even begin to comprehend the tortures he must have endured in his past. And the fact that he was trying to piece his life back together again? It was truly commendable.

He always kept to himself, his eyes downcast and his body language unsure. And after what you had heard today, you felt even more sorry for the guy. Turning towards the cafeteria, you picked up a box of vanilla-strawberry French macarons for him, thanking the heavens above for the free food available at the Avengers compound. You held the white bag with macarons in your left hand, being mindful of not confusing it with the similar white bag in your right which contained your new sex toy. 

A few moments later, you found yourself in front of his apartment. You had visited him twice before to adjust his vibranium arm or to sort out a few tweaks, but never before had you visited him so late in the evening. 

You knocked, feeling a little hesitant as you did so. He was surprised to find you standing on the opposite of the door, however, he still greeted you courteously nonetheless. 

Before you could state your reason for the visit, he said sincerely, "I heard what you did today. Thank you. I really appreciated it."

Now it was your turn to be surprised, "Oh. Ummm. It's okay really Mr Barnes. It was nothing. You don't need to-"

"No. It wasn't just nothing. You could have turned a deaf ear and ignored them. Yet you chose to stand-up for me. Thank you," a small smile laced his face and you melted on the spot.

You had a crush on Bucky. A BIG one. Could anyone blame you? This guy was a hot, sexy mess of an ice-cream sundae that left you hungry for more even on the coldest nights of the year. 

You realised you were staring into his steel-blue eyes like a creep, and immediately cleared your throat. "What-what they did was wrong. Karen had no right to demean you for your desires or lack of them. I-," you sighed, "I am sorry for what she said. It was disrespectful and hurtful. So I brought you something that I hope will cheer you up."

You awkwardly raised your right hand, "I got you some vanilla-strawberry macarons from the cafeteria."

Bucky did cheer up a bit at the mention of his favourite food. He eagerly took the bag with a huge smile, "Thank you," he said once again as you shook your head. "Thank you for everything you do to keep us safe Mr Barnes. I must be on my way now. Goodnight," and with that you left, grinning like an idiot.

🏳️‍🌈

You took a bath, ate your dinner and slipped into comfortable pyjamas. Excited to try your new sex toy tonight, you unpacked the bag expecting to see the nondescript box of the dildo. Instead, 5 delicious macarons stared back at you with innocence. 

You stumbled backwards in shock, the impact of your action settling like a dull, heavy weight in your stomach. "Oh no no no no," you whispered, horrified.

You immediately rushed to your window and pulled aside the curtain to look at Bucky's building, as if expecting to see him staring daggers at you. One of the privileges of working with the Avengers? You got to stay in a nice apartment within the compound itself. Your residential complex was a little further away from the main building, covered easily by 15 minutes of walking. 

Feeling hyper, you frantically searched for a coat and almost ran out of your house. You rushed back in to keep the box in the bag and again, dashed towards the elevator. 

Hoping that Bucky would have yet to open the box, you sent a silent prayer to all the gods and goddesses in the skies above, even Thor. Meh, you never know when an ex-Avenger could be of help.

You sprinted towards the other building, a multitude of thoughts clouding your mind- What if he was offended by it? Would he file a complaint against me? It would be sorta ironic if I was fired for this! Shit he would think my apology was false and I am probably mocking him.

You reached his apartment, a panting, huffing mess of a person. You knocked frantically, his door shaking with force at your desperation. However, you jumped as Bucky whispered your name from behind you, "Are you okay? What's going on?" he asked with concern as you turned around to face him.

"Did-did you op-open the bo-ox?" you questioned him while panting like a dog. 

He furrowed his brows in response, "No I was planning to open it in a few minutes. Please tell me what's going on. Why do you look so scared?"

You bent over double, your stomach cramping thanks to your impromptu running, "Thi-this is your bag," you held up the package, "That ba-bag is mine."

"Okay," Bucky said slowly, still unsure of your behaviour, "Should I open the door to retrieve your bag?"

You nodded as he stepped aside, "Why are you not wearing any shoes?"

You looked down at your feet at his query, small blades of grass had stuck to your naked feet along with dirt. "I was in a hur-hurry to get to you," you managed to say between your breaths.

Bucky just nodded in response. It was then that you noticed the pack of paper tissues in his hand. He opened the door and stepped inside, beckoning you to follow him. He pointed to the white bag kept on the table while he looked at it with worry. "Will it explode?" he solicited.

"Uhh no," you replied awkwardly.

"Is it dangerous?" curiosity etched on Bucky's face as you swapped the bags.

"No, it's nothing like that," you looked down at your feet, feeling the heat rush to your cheeks with embarrassment.

He narrowed his eyes, "Then what is it?"

"I can't tell you," you quietly admitted, "but here are your macarons. I am really sorry for this. Didn't mean to disturb you from whatever you had planned," you pointed to the box of tissues still in his hand. 

Bucky noticed the underlying question in your statement, "I was about to watch a movie. So needed these to clear the mess."

Your eyes went wide at his sincerity. While you had a crush on him, you definitely did not want to know about Bucky's late night masturbation adventures. Shaking your head, you raised your hands and started walking backwards, "I am sorry I disturbed your nightly… activities. I get out of your hair."

"Actually, would you like to join me for the movie?" Bucky asked hopefully, "We have the macarons and you seem like you need to calm your nerves."

You were surprised for the third time that day. Did Bucky just ask you to masturbate with him? Or have sex while eating the macarons? Or did he want to eat them after you guys have had sex? A flurry of questions swirled in your mind as you stared at him with a slightly open mouth. 

Bucky interpreted your gaze and stumbled to clarify himself, "As friends! Would you like to watch a movie with me as a friend?"

You slowly nodded your affirmation, "Yeah okay. Which movie are we watching?" 

"The Notebook," he revealed with a smile, "It's an extremely emotional movie. Ummm what's the term? Tear-jerker? Uhh yeah, it's a real tear-jerker of a movie."

"Oh so that's why…" you pointed at the tissues. "Yeah," he confirmed, "I tend to cry a lot while watching that movie. And… ummm… I am the kind of person who cries ugly. You know, all tears and snot. So yeah… I need the whole box."

"That's… that's actually sweet," you smiled, "Trust me you are not alone. I start crying as soon as the titles appear on the screen."

He got excited at your confession, "Yes! Exactly! It's because you know what's going to come and you are just mentally preparing yourself."

You chuckled with him in affirmation as he led you further into his apartment.

You freshened up a bit in his washroom, making sure to clean your feet and the residue on your face from the sweat.

Bucky was standing besides your bag when you entered the living room, "Now that we are friends," he intoned, "will you please tell me what's inside of this?"

You sighed, "Mr Barnes-." 

"Bucky," he corrected you and you smiled. 

"Will you promise me you will not take any offense or be insulted by it? I really did not mean to swap the bags."

"I trust you," Bucky said with assurance.

"It's…it is a sex toy," you mumbled quietly. Any normal human wouldn't have heard you, but Bucky's enhanced hearing caught your words flawlessly. 

He took a moment to process your words, and finally, to your amazement, burst out laughing. 

You sheepishly smiled at his reaction as your heart felt a little lighter. "That is embarrassing," he agreed with a wide grin. 

The two of you settled on the couch as Bucky's chuckles lessened. He kept the box of macarons between you two, but hesitated to begin the movie.

You sensed his curiosity, and clarified, "I haven't been in a relationship in a very long time. It's been… 2 years I guess… since my last breakup." You took a deep breath, "And my job doesn't exactly leave a lot of time on my hands for dating or one-night-stands."

Bucky seemed to consider your words for what felt like a long time. Finally, he asked quietly, "What does it feel like? To… to want another person… sexually?"

You blinked your eyes, thinking you must have misheard him. But then, his gaze met yours, and you knew his question was sincere.

"It feels like…," you raked your mind in search for the appropriate words, "...like your entire body is on fire, and you need the touch of the other person to quench your thirst. Like, just for a few moments, you want to shut your mind, and let your body think for you."

Bucky nodded slowly as you finished, "But what if you feel that in your heart? And not for your body?"

You squint your eyes at his question, "What do you mean Bucky?"

He placed his head in his hands, "I just… I don't feel like that with anyone. I mean, I don't want to have sex. Trust me I have tried everything. Literally everything. Still I don't feel aroused… I am broken, aren't I? Because this is abnormal, right? No matter how hard I try I will never be normal."

Your heart shattered at his words. You had heard about his horrid nightmares, but to think that he was struggling to accept himself, thinking that he was broken, even when he had so much love to give, was depressing. You could not just stand by and watch.

Gently, you placed a hand on his shoulder, "Bucky, look at me." When he didn't comply, you urged him, "Bucky, you are not broken. It is completely normal to not have any sexual desires."

"No it's not," he scoffed.

"Yes it is," you coerced him, "Do you know what is asexuality? It is the complete absence of sexual desires. Many people-"

He interrupted you, "There is no such thing. You are making this up."

"I am not," you replied indignantly, "Research indicates that more than 1% of the American population is asexual. Also, experts believe that more people might be asexuals because they think that they "haven't found the right person yet"," you ended with air quotes.

With no reaction from him, you sighed and got up, "Do yourself a favour. Use the internet and learn about asexuality. It will help put your mind at ease." You left after giving that piece of advice.

Bucky stayed in the same position for a few moments after your departure. He nibbled on a macaron as he considered the movie playing in front of him. Unable to focus, he promptly shut it all and carried the box to his bed. The macarons disappeared into his mouth as he tossed and turned, feeling restless. 

There was no way asexuality was a thing. If it was, then how come there were no movies, tv shows or even advertisements on asexuality? That's because it wasn't normal, right? Maybe you had just lied to him to make him feel better? Maybe you took pity on him?

He looked at his phone on the table near the tv set, your final words repeating in his head in a loop. The combination of tiredness and laziness encouraged him to take your advice in the morning.

🏳️‍🌈

You didn't see Bucky for 3 days after your fateful encounter with him. The fact that you still had your job at the Avengers Tower meant that he hadn't filed a complaint yet with the HR. And for that you were grateful. Friday came and you found yourself working late, again. It was around 10pm and you were still in your lab, almost done with the work. That's when you heard the small swoosh of the lab doors opening and closing.

You looked up from your table, and found Bucky staring intently at you with his blue eyes. He cleared his throat and tentatively took a step towards you. "You were right," he said slowly, "I researched online, read a few articles and spoke with the in-house therapist. I am an," he took a deep breath, "an asexual."

You closed your laptop and smiled at his confession, "How are you feeling now?"

"Honestly? A little bit better. I feel somewhat free," he admitted while gripping the white bag in his hand a little bit tighter.

"That's great! I am so proud of the progress you have made," you beamed at him, but sensed his hesitance as you neared him.

"What's wrong?" you gently inquired.

"You are… not… I mean… by any chance… asexual?" he winced at his own question.

You chuckled lightly, "No I am not."

"Ahh, then it's okay," he murmured and turned as if to leave.

You stopped him by placing a hand on his firm bicep, "What's going on?"

He shifted on his feet, visibly uncomfortable and anxious, "I was just… no nevermind it's stupid."

"Bucky," you said his name in a stern voice.

He sighed again, "I thought… I mean I owe you a movie because… of that night… and so… you know… would you like to watch it? The movie? But why would you? You deserve better… you are not an asexual. You are normal. Why would you want to go on a date with me?" he finally ended his mumbling.

You looked at him with squinted eyes, trying to decipher what he had muttered. "Did you just say you would like to go on a date with me? But it was stupid because you are an asexual and I am normal?" you blinked as he nodded.

"Who told you that you are not normal?" you asked him, a little irritated, "Bucky look at me." This time he complied, "You. Are. Normal. As normal as me, as the other Avengers or as anybody else in the world. Do not, for even one goddamn second, think that there's something wrong with you because there isn't. Are you listening to me? Am I clear?" you wagged your forefinger at him.

Amused at your outburst, he nodded with a sheepish grin. Clearing his throat, he asked you again, "Would you like to watch a movie with me tomorrow? As a date?"

You placed your hands on your waist, "Yes."

His grin widened as he asked you the next question, "Still mad at me?"

"Uh-huh."

"Maybe these cupcakes will help," he shyly held up the white bag in front of you, "I made sure they were cupcakes," he added with a smirk.

You graciously accepted the bag, "Cupcakes will always help."

"Great! It's a date then. Tomorrow… at 4pm? My apartment?" Bucky suggested.

You agreed, and he left with a goodbye. As soon as he was out of sight, you opened the box, expecting to see the usual cupcakes inside. Instead, you found that the sweet treats were decorated with cute messages such as "U R Cute" , "Be Mine?" , "So Sweet" and so on. Feeling mushy at his adorable gesture, you bit into the sweet treat as you headed back to your apartment.

The next day, you made sure to wear a purple dress, complete with black, grey and white accessories - the colours of the asexual flag. Bucky beamed at you as he welcomed you into his apartment. He had made a snack mix from popcorn, crispy pretzels, chips and nachos, the perfect accompaniment to any movie according to him, and you couldn't agree more.

The pair of you watched The Notebook in silence, except for a few sobs and sniffs here and there and the straight up bawling during the emotional parts of the movie.

After a while, the film ended but your date continued. The two of you talked about everything, right from the meaningful discussions about the government policies to random questions like "which mythical creature would you be and why?"

Soon, it was time for you to head back to your apartment. Bucky offered to walk you and you happily agreed. But before you left, he asked you nervously, "Would you like to have a second date?"

"I would love to," you beamed, "Which movie should we watch the next time?"

He ran his hand in his somewhat disheveled hair, "Uhh… I actually made a date jar. Wait, I will get it."

He brought over a glass jar, filled with tiny bits of folded paper, "I thought we could have dates that start from each English alphabet. We can pick and choose at random from the jar."

Tears pricked the corner of your eyes again at his thoughtful and romantic gesture. You gingerly picked one note from the jar, excited for the adventure that awaited the two of you.

🏳️‍🌈

It took more than 2 years for the pair of you to finish every date in the date jar, except for one. Whether it was jet-skiing in the ocean, taking classes for flamenco dance, him teaching you self-defense or going on a wildlife safari together, you and Bucky finally got through it all. Only the letter "P" was now left.

In these 2 years, any distance between the two of you had practically vanished. Bucky was comfortable in removing his bionic arm in front of you. Moreover, he had started sharing everything with you. Right from his darkest and disturbing nightmares to a pretty butterfly that he may have seen during his missions, Bucky made it a point to ensure that you were a part of his life, and you had absolutely no complaints.

The two of you had also discussed about your sexual desires, and Bucky had been comfortable with you using your sex toys as and when you wished.

Bucky was the perfect boyfriend anybody could ask for. He was considerate, thoughtful, a hardcore feminist and gave the best foot-rubs in the world. And so you were nervous. Nervous because the two of you had never actually sat down to talk about the nature of your relationship. And as the day of the last date loomed nearer, your anxiety increased. At first, you thought of making a second date jar, but he had quickly dismissed the idea, stating that he would be caught up with multiple things after the last date ended.

As you sat in the car that Bucky had sent for you, your apprehension grew. Bucky always picked you up, however this time, he had asked you to come alone in the car. Maybe he wanted to break up with you?

By the time you reached the park it was pitch black. You were sure Bucky had paid the guards to keep the gates of the park open just for you.

As soon as you entered, you saw the pathway lined with 25 lamp posts, leading you towards a breathtaking archway decorated with fairy lights and your favourite flowers.

On every lamp post, a photograph of the two of you - which were taken on your dates - was stuck along with a note. The notes described how he fell in love with you over and over again on every single date. Your progress was slow, as read each of his meticulously written words with tears in your eyes. You collected all of his notes and the photographs, and finally headed towards the lit archway.

When you entered it, the instrumental notes of the song "All of Me" by John Legend reached your ears.

You walked ahead and reached a bend. Upon crossing it, you were showered with rose petals as the live music grew louder. And at the end of the archway, your boyfriend, James Buchanan Barnes, was standing in a tuxedo, looking as sinfully good as the forbidden fruit. The entire area around him was lit with soft fairy lights that cascaded gracefully between tall lamp posts. Even on the ground, small wooden lamps illuminated the grass across the area. A live band was playing the music and your Bucky was standing with the most gorgeous bouquet of red roses that you had ever seen.

Your vision turned blurry as you started crying, and looking at your tears, he started sobbing as well. "No no no I can't cry now," he managed to say between his sobs while giving you his handkerchief, "I have to do this."

He got down on one knee and took your hand in his. You both laughed as you started crying harder. He took a deep breath and said your name, "These 2 years have been the most magical years of my life. You have accepted me as who I am, what I am, and never once tried to change me or make fun of me for it. I never thought I would be treated with the amount of respect that-" he started crying, unable to finish his sentence.

You sat beside him and handed him your kerchief. "Yes," you said with a tear-stained smile.

"Let me ask you first!" he exclaimed between his sobs.

You laughed and wiped your snot as he cleared his throat, "I love you so much. You are the only one I want to-" he started crying again.

"Yes!" you answered his unsaid question.

"I haven't asked you yet!" he exclaimed again as the two of you giggled between your sobs.

"Okay c'mon Bucky you can do this," he muttered to himself as you beamed at him. "Okay," he looked into your eyes and whispered your name, "Will you do me the honour of marrying me and becoming my wife?"

You choked up at finally hearing the words. Rendered speechless, you could only nod as fresh tears escaped your eyes.

"You have to say yes!" he almost shouted with excitement.

"Yes! Yes! Yes!!" you matched his enthusiasm as he slipped a ring onto your finger. His large arms then engulfed you in a bear hug, wrapping you in a safe and secure space for eternity to come.

Permanent tag: @donutloverxo @notyourtypicalrose @just-one-ordinary-fangirl

Bucky taglist: @loustan90

Taglist open! Just comment, send an ask or message!

[worfs-glorious-hair]

Puzzle Pieces: Interlude-What is a soulmate?(RK-800 Connor x Reader; Deroit: Become Human) Part 4

Greeeeeetings!

I am glad to be back (finally) after a whole year. I am sorry. 

A lot happened and I hope that you are in a safe space. I am sending you a social-distanced and corona-free hug! <3

Also, big shoutout to all the old and new readers and peeps who found their way to this fanfiction in the last year. Reading the notifications of likes and retweets and even asks to be tagged in the next part never failed to make me feel so happy and giggly inside. This chapter was actually posted already a few weeks ago on AO3 but only now I finally got around to update on here as well. So extra-kudos for your extra-patience! :D <3

We’re doing some world-building in this chapter and our boi Connor feels things and is overall confused by the answers he finds. A lot to look forward to for you. :D

And one more thing until I finally let you go to reading, I decided to specify the reader's pronouns and settled with female pronouns. But otherwise than that I still try to write the reader as open as possible that you have more room to find yourself in the story. If you would prefer different pronouns, tho, please message me and we'll figure something out for you. I am there for you and I want to respect your pronouns and want you to have a good reading experience.

Spoilers for the game in the following chapter, btw. 

I think I’ve kept you from the chapter now long enough. Enjoy reading. <3

Message me if you want to be tagged in the next chapter.

Stay safe and please be responsible and wear a mask over nose and mouth. 

All my love, lady-spacy

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 

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Interlude- What is a soulmate?

"Lieutenant", Connor asked, "what is a soulmate? I noticed that the subject of 'soulmates' appears in two out of three conversations and it caused always a measurable change in one's body chemistry. For example, I detected an increased level of serotonin and..."

"Do you stop talking if I answer your question?", a very tired Lieutenant Anderson interrupted Connor's analysis. Hank knew that if he wouldn't be stopped soon, Connor would continue to talk about hormones and blushes and cheesy giggles and all that exhausting stuff that came with the topic of soulmates. The only way to shut that noisy android up was to answer his questions and they would be in the car to Kamski’s estate for another twenty minutes. And twenty minutes could be long next to someone who wants to talk so badly when all you want to do is to drive in peace.

"Of course, Lieutenant."

Hank rolled his eyes and fought the urge to sigh, of fucking course would that shut Connor up. He was predictable after all, very – curious but predictable.

“A soulmate is your, uh, uhm, your lifelong partner. I mean, not your partner, I don’t think Androids have soulmates…”, Hank eyed Connor from the side and wondered what his LED ring on his temple looked like. He had realized that whenever Connor was thinking about something his LED would spin around, sometimes slow, sometimes even faster. Sometimes it would even change the color and would go from blue to yellow.

And now Hank found himself wondering what that Android did to him, that he cared about what Connor thought.

Connor had watched Hank closely and attentive. He wanted to know, he wanted to understand.

“No, Lieutenant, Androids do not have soulmates. But I still don’t understand what a soulmate differs from a good friend? What is it that makes you have the names written on your bodies, who decides on what name, which person, will appear on your body, why are your destinies supposed to be connected by something, apparently without your consent. Did you ever choose to have a soulmate?”

‘Yeah’, Hank thought by himself, ‘good questions.’

“Soulmates are a difficult topic”, he finally spoke out loud. Trying to find words to explain a concept that no one really understood.

”Even scientists didn’t’t found all answers”, continued Hank, “as far as I know, they aren’t even close. We don’t know what bonds us to another human being. Soulmates are said to be ‘tied together from the universe itself’”, Hank drew quotation marks in the air with his right hand that wasn’t on the wheel, “but whatever it is that decided about that, we’re having to deal with that shit now. And for your question, soulmates are supposed to be partners, lovers even, a team that belongs together. People who give each other security and safety. It’s a nice idea but in reality it doesn’t play out. We don’t choose our soulmates and don’t get a say with it. There is no ‘consent’ in that soulmate shit, as you put it in words.”

“Have you found your soulmate, Lieutenant? Was your heart broken and this is why you now doubt the idea of soulmates? I can detect patterns of emotional distress in your voice.”

“Jeez, do you try to be fucking psychiatrist now?”

„No“, came Connor‘s immediate answer.

„I am just trying to understand human nature better.”

“Well, there is a name on my wrist, if that’s what you want to know. But at the end it was only a name. Just because you have a name there doesn’t mean that you will live happily ever after. Life can still happen…”

For Hank this was it, he had already said enough. He glanced over to Connor who still looked at him, Hank, with this never ending gleam of curiosity and analyzing that always surrounded him.

Android? Hank wondered if this was truly the nature of that boy, sure his body was artificial but what about his heart?

‘Androids don’t have hearts’ would have said the Hank from just four days ago and now he just wasn’t sure about that anymore. He had seen so much, he had seen two girls, who were so deeply in love that they were willing to do anything to be together, he had seen Connor deciding not to shoot these girls and let them get away, obviously going against his programming as a hunter.

And then Connor’s answers two nights ago on that playground, Hank had seen trouble in his eyes, he had heard the poorly covered confusion in his voice, which left him confused as well.

Hank started to wonder if they were wrong, what if Androids could be more than the illusion of a human?

“Mr Kamski?“, Hank called, when he and Connor were finally let in to meet Elijah Kamski.

“Just a moment, please”, came the immediate answer from the other side of the room, where the former CEO of Cyberlife was currently swimming in a pool with red tiles that made it look like it was filled with blood instead of water.

While they waited for him to come out of the pool, Connor took the time to look around in the large room with big art pieces on the walls and a glass window that filled the whole outer wall and showed the view towards the frozen Detroit River.

He turned around again when he heard water splashing, signaling a body that was lifted out of it and he saw Kamski climbing up the pool ladder.

Acting on a sudden impulse Connor tried to catch a glimpse of Kamski’s wrist hoping to see his soulmark as the RT-600 Chloe, who had opened the door for them, helped Kamski put on a bath robe but before he came close enough to see, Kamski turned around to the window and fixed his hair.

When he turned back to him and Hank he smirked at Connor, just as he had read his mind, and crossed his hands loosely over is lower abdomen, completely blocking the view to his wrists.

And kept his hands like this for the rest of the conversation.

„I always leave an emergency exit in my programs…“, Kamski looked at Connor with his sly, sparkling eyes, full with endless smugness and the touch of a smirk on the corners of his mouth.

As if this whole exchange has not been confusing and frightening enough for Connor, he had to deal with this mysterious comment now, too. What does that mean? What does he want to say with it?

Connor would like to ask but he would probably just get another riddle as an answer.

“Connor, wait!”

A voice called him back as he was about to head outside.

He stopped and turned around to the original RT-600 model, her eyes burning with an intensity and significance that Connor had never seen before, at least not in an Android’s eyes. He could not look away.

Again, as he locked eyes with the very first Android, who was able to pass the Turing test, he saw more there. For the same reason that he hasn’t been able to shoot not even seven minutes ago, for the same reason did he now stop in his tracks and waited patiently for what she had to say.

She...

That word lingered in his mind for a very long moment.

‘What is happening?’ screamed his mind, unable to cope. His mind was drowning in too many illogical new information and sensations.

This is too much!

‘I can’t look away’, Connor realized as he stared into her burning eyes, his mind being filled with just one thought: ‘Whatever is happening here right now is important! Don’t blink!’

“The truth is beneath your skin”, she said hastily, softly tipping on his right wrist with her index finger, right where the sleeves of his jacket ended.

He followed the movement of her finger with his eyes and stared at his wrist. What could be there, hiding, waiting?

“The truth is there, everything you need to know!” Connor did not know what to say or do, he just kept staring at his wrist, trying to see, to understand, what she could possibly be talking about.

He continued staring at his wrist and her finger until he finally came back to his senses, after too many seconds that are an eternity for Androids.

Blinking away once again the warning for the never ending, wildly spinning software instability that had appeared when that Chloe had stopped him.

Connor practically sprinted outside to Hank and his car.

^^ Software Instability ^^

      R#aN%9I=97&°

Connor took a step back in surprise, Androids could have soulmates!

Ortiz’ Android had a soulmark! Written in blue CyberLife fond stood a name on the Android’s wrist, Melanie.

Maybe the soulmarks came with deviancy, Connor thought, maybe their soulmate was only revealed when they became deviant. Meaning that there had always been someone who was meant to be- waiting, sleeping under the skin. Meaning that deviancy was a lot more than a virus or a software error. Deviancy could be a revelation of life in all of it’s aspects.

But deviancy was just an irregularity in the programming, Connor thought, seeking comfort in programmed truths that he wanted to believe so badly. Truths that did not feel true anymore. But if he didn’t believe in them, he had nothing left to believe in. Connor was lost. Lost between the destroyed bodies of Androids who had only wanted peace, justice or a home.

Connor stood on an edge, every time a software instability appeared he could see the abyss, he did not want to fall!

So he clung onto the only truths he ever knew. Otherwise he would become like them, just another broken machine.

He continued examining the Androids’ bodies and finds from his missions for a clue for Jericho in the evidence room of the Detroit Police Department. While he scanned and analyzed, he tried to find comfort in the tasks that he was created for–the software instabilities that occurred even more regularly now in the past days confused and scared him, Connor couldn’t comprehend what was happening to him- he needed to be uninterrupted if he wanted to find the deviant leader and finally bring back order into this chaos.

Connor craved peace, he craved the monotone calmness of executing programs and tasks, no emotions, no insecurities, no confusion.

But his thoughts came always back to soulmates- how could this be possible?

Deviancy was maybe caused by a computer virus and soulmates were supposed to be a real lifelong connection between two human beings, that were alive and had a soul. Soulmates for Androids just couldn’t work, Androids just don’t have souls!

They are only machines, programmed to think, they have no real mind of their own and yet all of the Androids in the evidence room had their soulmarks on their wrists.

Daniel even had a name written in red by a human’s hand as his soulmark.

A human had been Daniel’s soulmate… But what about his soulmate now, do they search now forever for someone who is not alive anymore?

Alive…

And again, another warning for a software instability appeared in Connor‘s periphery. He blinked it away.

How could this be that he had actually thought of Daniel as ‘once alive’?

He, Connor, the currently on duty RK- 800 model, the android sent by CyberLife to hunt down deviants, who was faster, better and more advanced than any Android before him, who was programmed to follow orders, that were given to him, with precision and no room for doubts, second thoughts or even a mind of his own, he, Connor, had thought about an Android who he had hunted down with that precision, executing his advanced negotiating programs and earning the Android‘s trust in the end, as dead.

Alive means that something can die, not to be destroyed, not to be deactivated, not to be shut down. Life and death are terms to describe flesh and blood, red blood. Not blue blood.

But maybe, Connor thought and the LED on his temple went yellow for yet another time on this day, maybe, just maybe, was there another truth for Androids and for him. Maybe there was life and death and love and emotions, maybe there was a soul.

It was as time had slowed down for a moment as he jumped, no, as he was flying...

He saw snowflakes passing him in slow motion, he was seeing all their details, all their individuality, despite their outer uniformity of one shared build.

It was mesmerizing–and odd.

Odd because he saw their beauty, he did not just made an analysis of their geometrical structures or chemical composition, he saw them glittering and dancing in the lights of the pier.

This was new and wonderful, it was as he would be seeing for the first time, as he had been blindfolded all this time...

The moment passed as Connor hit through the surface of the Detroit River, dulled from the water around him he could hear the explosion of Jericho behind him.

‘I hope everyone made it out’, he thought as he resurfaced.

His head was spinning, not from the explosion or the jump in the freezing cold water, physically he was in perfect condition, but mentally it did feel like he just jumped out of a 20 meter freighter that exploded right behind him. He was feeling– something. Emotions were still so new to him that naming them was difficult for Connor.

He was deviant now! He had broken down the red wall that had kept him in place for so long, he had pushed and pulled against the order to stop Markus until the wall crumbled down, fell around him. Connor had lowered the gun and did the only thing that he could in that moment to show his gratitude. He warned Markus. The FBI would come and attack Jericho. He knew about the plans and in another world, a lifetime ago, did he plan to help the soldiers and to hunt Markus down, to drive him into a corner and to end the uprising, there and now. But now, everything was different. The hunter had become the prey in just a blink of an eye. Everything was different now.

‘What will Markus do now?’ Connor wondered. ‘He knows just as well as I do, who it was, who had led the FBI, the humans, to Jericho. Can he ever trust me? Can I trust myself? I fell, now it happened, the abyss caught me…’

Connor set course for the pier and swam towards a short stone staircase that was normally used to board the smaller boats that landed there.

“Here, let me help you”, an Android, whom Connor did not know, smiled kindly down to him from the pier and offered him a hand, which Connor took after a short moment of doubt, how could that Android be kind to him, he was the deviant hunter after all. The unfamiliar Android held Connor’s hand firmly and quickly helped him out of the water, while Connor climbed up the steps, slick and slippery from the water and several kinds of algae and seaweed.

The Android made a sound of satisfaction and nodded as Connor finally stood next to him, dripping wet and his beanie and hair sticking to his forehead. That he had not lost the beanie surprised him, but it was a pleasant surprise, finding a way through the city under curfew would be much easier with the beanie now that would hide his LED.

“Ah, there we go. How are you?”, the Android asked him and smiled again, warm, kind and honest.

There was no hostility in his eyes, smile or posture, Connor came to the conclusion that he just simply did not know who he was.

And he enjoyed his friendliness, never before had he been treated with such kindness.

“I am good, thank you. I should dry up. Otherwise I am afraid that my servos will freeze and cause severe damage to my system.”

A human would have probably not survived a jump like that and if they would have survived the jump itself, the freezing water would have quickly led to a fatal hypothermia, if they would have not be gotten out of the water very quickly and put out of their wet clothes and into a warm place with new clothes, but Connor was not human and it helped him survive now.

Being able to carefully heat up his inner systems he was able to dry himself up from the inside and to even dry his hair and clothes.

Feeling better now, as he was dried up again and could move all of his joints without any hindrance, he tried to smile at the gentle Android, to show him his gratitude.

He smiled back at him, again, warm, welcoming and sincere.

„I am Malcolm by the way, who are you?“

And for the second time this evening the Android, Malcolm, offered Connor his hand.

Malcolm, radiated such warmth and love, he was more human than many humans were and it was easy to take his outstretched hand and shake it. Connor felt safe with him and his heavy heart got a little lighter from his friendliness.

„It is good to meet you, Malcolm, my name-“, Connor stopped mid-sentence, he was about to use his programmed introduction, just stating his given name and origin in CyberLife but the name they had given him had become his identity he was now more than the Android sent by CyberLife…

With a short nod he decided to be Connor and closed his still open introduction with a, hopefully, friendly look on his face: „I am Connor!“

A human wouldn’t have noticed, but Connor did, how Malcolm’s brows just slightly rose and a look of, was it surprise or even delightment, took over Malcolm’s face for a brief moment until he started smiling ever so slightly again and even seemed to be satisfied.

„Ever heard of soulmates, Connor?“, Malcolm asked with a sly grin tugging on the left corner of his mouth and Connor was confused.

“Hey, would you show me your arm, please?”

Even more confused now Connor looked over to Malcolm who had anticipation written all over his face.

“Why do you want to see my arm?” asked Connor back and Malcolm’s face got soft.

“I have a debt to pay and if you are, who I think you are, you can help me do that. I have a friend, who was always there for me, even long before I became deviant, was I treated with kindness and humanity by her and she also helped me to come to Detroit, so I can stand, march, fight with my people. Without her help, I wouldn’t be here now. When I was lost, scared and afraid did she catch me in her arms. I owe her my life. She never asked for anything in return, she only said that it is what friends do for each other. But I was always very sad, that I would never be able to do for her what she had done for me. But that I’ve met you right now, right here, was a sign that I can make her biggest dream come true.”

“Her biggest dream?”, Connor asked, his wrist tingling.

Malcolm nodded and smiled brightly. “Yes. Because I think that I’ve found her soulmate.”

Malcolm stopped walking and turned to Connor, grabbing him by the shoulders, smiled softly and looked him straight in the eyes.

“Connor, I think you are my friend’s soulmate, who she had prayed for, for her entire life!”

Soulmate…

Something inside of Connor was spinning, soulmate, he had a soulmate?

Of course, of course he had a soulmate, he was deviant now! How could he not? He had seen the prove of the possibility in the evidence room on each of the Androids’ bodies. On their wrists…

Excitement was rushing through him as he quickly pushed up the sleeves of his jacket and shirt and found a name on his right wrist. He stared at the red letters, sweepingly written, all of the bows and every line and dot written by his soulmate’s hand.

His soulmate!

Connor whispered your name, tasting it on his tongue.

Oh, he would never get enough of it!

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Part 5

Tags: @sthorkronstrangy @tropfenlady @plaidamoosette @kazuha159 @clussysposts @peterhollandd

[rucbarthatbowtiesarecooldw]

Sunday Afternoon Session

Oh Say What is Truth

Softly and Tenderly

 Henry B. Eyring

“Of course it’s hard! It’s supposed to be! Life is a test!”

We are being proved to see if we will do what God has commanded

They love you..Your success is Their success

God has the power to make our way easier

He knows that we must grow in spiritual cleanliness and stature to be able to return to Him

In all things the Saviors example will be our guide

When you remember how much pain you can endure well, Remember Him. He suffered what you suffered so that He would know how to lift you up.

1 way will be to invite you always to Remember Him and Come unto Him

Feast upon His words

Faith unto repentance

Baptized and then keep covenants with God

D&C 58:4

When we lift another’s burden even a little our burdens are lightened

We must notice the suffering of others and try to help

Jeremy R. Jaggi – seventy

The day dawn is breaking, the world is awaking, the clouds of nights darkness are fleeing away

Count it all joy (James 1:2-4)

Let your trials work for your good

Of all the zealous social, religious, and political endeavors of our day, let ‘disciple of Jesus Christ’ be our most pronounced and affirming affiliation.

When we exercise patience our faith increases. When our faith increases, we have joy.

Where we make sacred covenants, the temple, is closed. Where we keep sacred covenants, our homes, are open.

“Be of good cheer” is the commandment from the Lord, not be of good fear

Hear, hearken, and heed the voice of the Prophet

Gary E. Stevenson

is something the Lord gives us to help us grow

God wants us to know that He will never abandon us, he will always be with us

We can help each other know that we can be blessed during adversity

Temple ordinances we have missed seem sweeter than previously imagined

Go forward and not backward and on, on to the victory

Acknowledge the afflictions in the course of our days, while also acknowledging that we are God’s children

I believe that one day, each of you will look back at the canceled events, the sadness, disappointments and loneliness attendant to the challenging times we are passing through to see it overshadowed by choice blessings and increased faith and testimonies.

He is my Savior, my redeemer, my hope, and consolation

Milton da Rocha Camargo – Sunday School 1st counselor

His impressions are really

He who seeks will find

We seek because we trust the Lord’s promises

Communication with our Father in Heaven enables us to sort through what is true and what is false, what is relevant to the Lord’s plan for us and what is not

To knock is to act in faith. When we actively follow Him, the Lord takes notice

I am here. I love you. Go on, do your best. I’ll support you.

He may not answer all of our questions or solve all of our problems right away; rather, He encourages us to keep trying. If we align our plan with His, He will guide us

 Guide Us O Thou Great Jehovah

 Dale G. Renlund

Salvation is not earned

We can never do enough or be enough by ourselves. The good news though, is that because of Jesus Christ and His atonement we can become enough

We can be redeemed and stand pure and clean before God

Do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly before God (Micah 6:8)

Do justly is a practical application of the two greatest commandments

Broken heart and contrite spirit entice us to joyfully repent

God delights in mercy and does not begrudge its use

 Leviticus 19:18

Always dealing well with others is part of loving mercy

When you become a physician you work to heal people, if you do otherwise you do not deserve to be here

Loving mercy means that we do not just love the mercy God extends to us, but also the mercy He extends to others

You shall not esteem one flesh above another Mosiah 23:7

Treat everyone with love and understanding regardless of characteristics such as race, sexual orientation, religious affiliation etc (I missed the rest ahh)

When ye do these things, you are on the covenant path

Kelly R. Johnson – seventy

What power and knowledge are you endowed with and will yet be endowed with?

Power of God is the power to do more than we can do by ourselves

Burning microwave ahahahahaha

Those who have faith and the word of God deep in their hearts will be able to absorb and overcome the fiery darts which the adversary will surely send to destroy us. Otherwise, our faith, hope and conviction may not endure, and like [an] empty microwave oven, we could become a casualty.

His power diminishes in our lives only if we fail to keep our sacred covenants

et a clear unchanging course in your life

There is no expiration date associated with the power God bestows upon those who make and keep temple covenants, or a restriction from accessing that power during a pandemic

Jeffrey R. Holland

Why the delay of help to come?

while we work and wait together for the answers to some of our prayers I offer you my Apostolic promise that they are heard and they are answered though perhaps not at the time or in the way that we want it but they are always answered at the time and in the way an eternally compassionate parent should answer them

he who never sleeps nor slumbers cares for the happiness of his children above all else that a divine being has to do

He is pure love gloriously personified and Merciful Father is His name

yes God can provide miracles instantaneously but sooner or later we learn that the times and seasons of our mortal journey are his alone to direct

for every infirm man healed instantly as he waits to enter the pool of Bethesda someone else will spend 40 years in the desert waiting to enter the promised land; for every nephi and Lehi divinely protected by an encircling flame of fire for their faith we have an abinadi burned at the stake of flaming fire for his; and we remember that the same Elijah though in an instant called down fire from heaven to bear witness against the priests of baal is the same Elijah  who went through a season when there was no rain for years and who for a time was found only by the skimpy sustenance that could be carried in a raven's claw -  by my estimation that can't have been anything we would call a happy meal

he point is that faith means trusting God in good times and bad even if that includes some suffering until we see his arm revealed in our behalf

one’s life cannot be both faith filled and stress free it simply will not work

Christianity is comforting but it is often not comfortable. the path to holiness and happiness here and hereafter is a long and sometimes rocky one it takes time and tenacity to walk it but of course the reward for doing so is monumental (taught in Alma 32)

a call for diligence and patience in nurturing the word of God in our hearts, waiting as He says with longsuffering, for the tree to bring forth fruit unto you

when will these burdens be lifted? well the answer is by and by and whether that be a short period or a long one – it is not always hours

by the grace of God the blessings will come to those who hold fast to the gospel of Jesus Christ

those who wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength and shall Mount up with wings of Eagles they shall run and not be weary they shall walk and not faint

Russelll M. Nelson

the Lord wants you to feel we live in a glorious age foreseen by prophets for centuries. this is the dispensation when no spiritual blessing will be

the Lord would have us look forward to the future with joyful anticipation

let us not spin our wheels in the memories of yesterday the gathering of Israel moves forward

The Lord Jesus Christ directs the affairs of His church and it will achieve its divine objectives.

the challenge is to make certain that each of us will achieve his or her divine potential

turn your heart mind and soul increasingly to our Heavenly Father and His son Jesus Christ, let that be your new normal

daily seek to be increasingly pure in thought, word, and deed; minister to others; keep an eternal perspective; magnify your callings

whatever your challenges live each day so that you are more prepared to meet your maker

Tarawa, Kiribati; Port Vila Vanatu; Lindon, Utah; Greater Guatemala City, Guatemala; Sao Paulo East, Brazil; Santa Cruz Bolivia

as we build and maintain these temples we pray that each of you will build and maintain yourself so you can be worthy to enter the holy temple

I bless you to be filled with the peace of the Lord Jesus Christ. His peace is beyond all mortal understanding. I bless you with an increased desire and ability to obey the laws of God. I promise that as you do you will be showered with blessings including greater courage, increased personal revelation, sweet harmony in your homes

 God Be With You till We Meet Again

[moodysnowflake]

Let’s rant about - Fugou Keiji

This is the most disorganized post I could possibly write. Nice. Spoiler alert guys, if you’re not caught up to episode 5 of Fugou Keiji Balance: Unlimited.

I did warn you.

When I recognized the armored limo, I thought ‘It makes sort of sense, ‘cause since he’s not driving the Cadillac, and he’s traveling with the President, he’s automatically in a life-threatening situation as well.’ We can all argue that his car might not be armored, but come on… I bet my tonsil (they are extremely useful organs if you have still functioning ones)that the Cadillac has to; you just don’t stroll around in a vehicle equipped with military level stuff in it and don’t have it disaster-proofed. And speaking about military…we might finally have some clue, or it is better to say a clearer lead, on the Kambe family business: security and/or military related. He provided the president with freakin HMMWV - High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle, a.k.a. Humvee - vehicles and other special protection equipment. That might explain why there doesn’t seem to be a damn bottom in his wallet, nor limits his power can’t overcome. Well, until now, but I’m gonna rant about it later. It makes sense, ‘cause this area is way more lucrative than any other. Stark Industries and the Yard division of Wayne Enterprises showed us as much, right? I scrunched up my face when Daisuke said “I’m simply here as proxy for my grandmother.” I connected the dot ‘Oh, so that’s why he was looking so cold/pensive (laughing fit because my stupid brain made the connection between pensive and Purple Hyacinth [if you don’t know this webcomic, please check it out on Webtoon, it’s a good story]) with the news at the beginning of the episode. Granny Kambe was sick or something, so she might have persuaded him into going.’ I still don’t get why Haru didn’t know, but I’m sure Daisuke had his reasons… I also thought that Daisuke is not the only one available, right? What about best girl Suzue? Daisuke is not exactly a people person, but what do we know, maybe she was going to go and Daisuke got in the way to not have her have to deal with nasty issues.

What I was definitely not see coming was Daisuke’s “No. There will not be a day where I succeed as head of the family.”

My plot bunny had a seizure right then and there. Daisuke? Sir? I replayed it again and again, and I was struck by a new idea every time I did, and his cold-blooded tone, robotic aseptic expression didn’t help in the least. He’s impassive while he speaks, he’s emotionless. And that’s terrifying. It’s a horrible display, at least for me, because episode 4 showed us he cares, he’s capable of feeling emotions, and pretty strong ones too.

I need to focus on this because I think it’s important; everybody saw episode 4 as it was the most randomic, epic fujo-bait episode ever. Welp, sorry for disrupting the rose-tinted dream, but no. I mean, yes it was, but it wasn’t as well. I’ll try to elaborate, because I think that episode shouldn’t be discarded as just another episode. I think Fugou Keiji is very similar to Id:Invaded in this respect: nothing is thrown there by chance, nothing happens without a purpose, everything has a meaning. This is an one core show, with 11 episodes scheduled, which a pretty odd number, and if the story is meant to end in 11 episode (which I think it is), that means you can’t fuck around with filler episodes. [If you haven’t seen Id:Invaded, you should give it a chance. It’s rated R-17, so please proceed with caution. I mean it; it’s not just a very physically violent show. There are shades of ‘Dead Dove: Do Not Eat’ level shit in there.]

The progression might feel a bit fast to an old school, at least 2 core, 25+ episodes trained anime watcher like me, but as long as it’s organic, that’s totally fine. Episode 1 introduced our MC, said us ‘look, there’s this angry fluff boi, which is called Katou Haru, ad there’s this dripping ice-cold asshole boi called Kambe Daisuke: Shenanigans ensures.’ From episode 2, evolution started, as it should have. We needed to reach the end of the episode to see it, but we got it; when Haru roughs Daisuke up, we expected for him to have no reaction, and many may think that’s what happened, but I think that’s not the case. I think Daisuke was seriously ruminating about Haru’s overreaction, and his look was a deep thinking one. He’s not an impassive robot anymore. Episode 3 cemented it, showing us am astounding variety of emotions effectively coming out: he’s annoyed (glare shoot while Haru’s running him mouth, blabbering about being a good senpai), angry (Haru snitching him, then having to formally thank and ask for guidance), tired (sighing at Haru, stuck  dangling by the pole), salty (”Are you working hard, Inspector Katou?” [Can we blame him? Haru snitched him out, then the next day he had to hear from Kamei that he needed backup. I still think that he might have been waiting for him outside the station from the beginning, and just got confirmation from Kamei. Which made him, obviously, even saltier.], “This is precisely the moment I would like some coaching.”). Also, incredibly trusting and perceptive; he’s watching Haru like a hawk, giving him access to HEUSC (which he didn’t have to, but he thought he had to give him a chance), helping getting into the Shinkansen (he gave his mask to Haru, either because he knew the smoke used was not really harmful, or because he trained to hold his breath long enough to get himself out of its range), giving him his gun and - last but not least - getting himself between Haru and a gun. Granted, all of his suits have to be bulletproof - you cannot make me think otherwise -, but if you get shot, it still hurts as fuck, and you can get bruised, or even slightly crack a rib if the shot is close enough. So yeah, it wouldn’t have been pleasant. What’s the purpose of episode 4 then, except for fangirls to drool over it? Hands out, I’m not insulting the category, I’m gonna speak about it later, so put that on hold and don’t chew me for the time being. Like everybody perceived, episode 4 served other various purposes. Like the metaphors of dog: Daisuke is kind of a 27-years old puppy, because he can’t survive in the outside world without help. He can use rocket grapples, breach police communications, erase data from the internet, use a torch to melt a windshield, fire a rocket launched and Karma only knows what else, but he can’t do groceries to save his life, nor cut a potato without almost chopping his fingers off [insert Cloud’s pouting “I’m doing my best…” icon here]. He’s snarky, but soft (to Haru, the kids (ep3 and ep4 ones), and Suzue). He’s spoiled, but open-minded (he appreciate convenience store ramen, he values Haru’s cooking over pre-packed food). He’s cautious, but yields if he feels (reasonably) reassured (You think the kid is good? Fine by me, I’m gonna help. You think he’s not gonna shoot? Fair enough, I believe you. You need HEUSC to snoop up something to prove he’s okay? Just ask it. You think I don’t need a band-aid and lick the cut? Bit weird, but okay.). Like a dog, he can behead you with a bite, but if he trusts you, you can belly rub him to death. Episode 3 was Daisuke’s “I’ve got your back.” as well as episode 4 was Haru’s “I’ve got yours too.” This is what episode 4 is too: it’s Haru having Daisuke’s back. It’s Haru having patience and understanding, after Daisuke giving him his absolute trust and resources. Unlimited. They started sensing each other out from episode 1. With not really good results at the beginning, but it’s an understandable situation. Think from each other’s perspective: Haru’s a experienced police officer, who has Daisuke crashing into his life with very unorthodox methods and no chills, throwing money around without a second thought, pretentious and disrespectful. It’s almost physiological for him to try to deck him down at first glance. From Daisuke’s point of view, he might not know better, he’s socially awkward, civilian life interaction none existent. But most of all, we don’t know why he chose MCPD, nor how was he trained. Heck we have come clues, but not guarantees until we hear it from his mouth.

Yeah, I’m talking about you, Nakamura Chosuke, from that weird-ass look you gave each other in episode 2 coming out of the interrogation rooms, from the fact that in the OP you’re standing still while the rest of the team is moving forward and only Daisuke is going the opposite way towards you, from the fact that you might know way more than we may be comfortable with. You and Daisuke know each other, or at least know what’s up, and we’re gonna find out. Preferably soon, without having one of you dying. Please.

Daisuke needs to test the waters, to see who can be trusted and who can’t; it is very likely that he’s a pretty serious issue, something which he need someone to trust his life with. That, and also that his ‘training’ might have made him ‘somewhat selfish’, sometimes too cold, too unresponsive for his own good. But watch my words, he might be like this sometimes, because reasons, but he’s always on his toes, and he’s always listening. He listened to Haru while he ranted at him in episode 2, he listened to Haru while he asked him for help in episode 3, he listened to Haru while he herded him around in episode 4. Episode 4 served to provide Daisuke an alternative. It was not just about a tantrum. Story-wise, it gives Daisuke a space in which he feels safe, a zone his Kambe life can’t break into, as long as he doesn’t want it to reach him. Or at least, this is what he perceives.

Like someone said, when he’s saying that he’s not gonna inherit the Kambe Group, he’s talking with an indifferent, apathetic look. Mechanical, stolid, like when he talks with Kikuko. It’s the exact same face. Precisely. He doesn’t feel, he doesn’t react, if not prodded. Either because: 1. He really doesn’t want: he’s not a violent person, he doesn’t enjoy hurting others. He could just pay his way out of a murder, if he wanted to. He never acts to kill or harm. It makes sense that he wouldn’t want to be the heir of such a vicious empire. At least from what we know until now… 2. He’s been prevented or not supposed to: he might want to do it, but it might not be possible, because he might not be the designed one (OP’s women?), or be who we think he is. Maybe he really is ‘Shiro’s brother’, a replacement for someone else.

In both cases, it makes sense that he’s not granted access to weaponry/military information. It would also make sense to keep them from him in order to kill him. This leads into episode 5. He might have been trapped in Kikuko’s place, and grandma Kambe might not have anything to do with it, but at this moment everything could be possible. That being said, HEUSC confirmed Daisuke - and revealed us - that he’s disposable, a spare paw that can be disposed of at any given time, without concern nor regrets; he very well might have known this all along. He looks (really) slightly troubled to have to prod HEUSC for information about the bomb, because the AI butler is actually not interacting that much. And…Daisuke is like…going to die in the next 4 minutes? And Suzue is not coming? And that SHOULD be a problem, right? Daisuke dying SHOULD be in the ‘NO GOOD’ list in HEUSC programming. HEUSC SHOULD be trying its hardest to help him. Right? Daisuke is of course maintaining his collected cool, but surely the other two doofuses yapping around aren’t helping him. Put it with HEUSC not being helpful, it’s understandable for him to snap at it, asking for blueprints and directions. Because he was expecting them from the very beginning… When HEUSC answers come, he’s not shocked. We saw him alarmed, that’s not how his scared face looks like. He just seems disappointed, a hopeless realization, borderline frustrated, like he’s thinking “Is it? This is really the truth, they’re letting me die here”. Then he morphs into some sort of cold resolution, like “Bitch no, I’m not gonna kick the bucket without trying.” When I heard we were dealing with VX gas I said ‘Welp, someone really wants to be sure you dead, Mr. President.’

As some of you might be wondering, what is Daisuke doing? Why is he flooding the bathroom? Why is he drowning his jacket? The bomb is a gas one, and VX, also known as sarin gas, is one the deadliest chemical ever created. Basically what it does is shutting down your neurotransmissions, which means no impulse flowing, which stops every brain function and muscle in your body. Heart and diaphramm included, so no blood circulating and no oxigen.Not good. 10mg can kill a man. So, what they said in the episode is not fantasy, guys. That’s really bad juju. If it gets onto your skin (but for the love of Karma, I hope you’ll never have to experience it), you have to get it off as fast as you can washing and with a binding powder. In the meantime, you have two(three actually) guys to keep working: heart and lungs. As long as they run, there’s hope. Therefore, inject atropin every 10-15 minutes until resolution (to keep your heart galloping as fast as it can), pralidoxime (to actively compete with the substrate the gas attacks and help your diaphram and lungs not to stop) and diazepam (for the rest of your muscles not to tear themselves apart because of the other two compounds trying to save your life but not doing a really great job at keeping everything else in check). If you inhale that shit without atropin within arm’s reach, you have less than 2/3 minutes.

That’s why Daisuke unceremoniously tackles Haru out of the way.

So, why the jacket? Simply enough, soaking it, he creates a sort of barrier, or to be more specific, a medium (water) in which the gas is going to be trapped into before being released into the air. In the first seconds,the molecules produced by the canisters will be dissolved into the water, effectively trapping the gas withing the fabric of the jacket, as long as the water saturates. After that, if the gas continues to go, there would be a point were there’s gonna be too much of it in the water, and some of it will start to escape into the air. It takes time, depending on the pressure applied and the amount of water that the fabric can hold. That’s why Daisuke is keeping the jacket under the sink until the very last moment; the more water clinging, the better chances to survive. Even if, like the guard said, it’s not gonna work for long. I’m still not really sure why he’s going for the punch tho. He loosens the bow and the shirt to likely be able to pull it over his face just in case, since he is the one IN FRONT of the fucking bomb. The only option I can think of is that he’s trying to break the pump (and possibly bend a tube); VX is liquid at room temperature, so as long as you don’t inflate the canister and vaporize it into the air, you’re not in immediate danger. He’s hoping so hard for this to work, because he doesn’t want to die, as opposed of what he might have been thinking up until now. Because now, contrarily to what he said us in the very first line of episode 1, the boredom is gone. Now he has something to fight for (a truth he’s looking for) and someone to care of.

Yes, he might have not-so-gently wacked Haru away, but he was also pretty sure not be able to see the Sun again. He lost his composure and almost yelled at Haru for help. We can see that Haru doesn’t argue further, he immediately gets that something’s dangerous is going on, because if it makes Daisuke worry, that’s definitely not good. How can we be sure it’s gonna work? As they were being lead into the room, the guard explained that that was a NBC proof room: Nuclear Biological Chemical proof room. Which means it can withstand a nuclear blast, radiations, biological agents (viruses, bacteria, molds, other nasty living beings, organically poisonous compounds) and chemical agents (inorganic gases, hazardous solutions like strong acids or bases, explosives, corrosives etc…) because it’s airtight and has its own air and water independent reservoirs and systems. NOTHING can get in. Which also means that NOTHING can get out. Therefore, even if the gas is released, it’s contained.

For all the previously said things, that’s the reason Daisuke looks sad, discouraged and tired when he’s standing outside the embassy, with his hands in his pocket, his shoulder almost sagging down, the circle under his eyes darker than they have ever been. Because yes, you might not have noticed it but he always had those, except from ONE time, specifically one morning. I’ll let you guess which one… Then he snaps out of it hearing Suzue’s voice, probably not to worry her. Yes, I think that Suzue might be a watchdog, to make sure Daisuke fulfill his role and gets him out of trouble when he can’t, help him when he needs, but I think that as soon as he will be marked as not useful anymore, she might meet the same fate. She grew attached, she cares. Best girl might not even know it, and if she knows, she’s definitely doing her best to help him as much as she can. We all love you so much Suzue. Please don’t die. Please please please.

Episode 5 is the catalyst. Now Daisuke can’t trust anything anymore. He might not have done it in the first place, but now everything got shattered. If HEUSC has not authorized him, it means the AI butler is also monitoring the access. Which means Daisuke is gonna be under surveillance (or at least, stricter than it already was).

If episode 4 didn’t happen, Daisuke will be dead, or almost drowning in desperation, because he would have no one to turn to, no safe place to go to. We know this is not the case. We know Haru can help. Daisuke might not be a fan of this, and it might take a bit for him to put himself back together and explain, but we know it’s gonna happen. We know Haru is gonna listen, and he’s very much gonna want to help him. Now Daisuke knows it too, because he experienced it. We also know that Daisuke listens to Haur’s words, so I’m sure he remembers even Haru’s druk rambling about being a hero and a civil servant, and he’s gonna pull that out at some point. He might get something mixed up, since he was a bit fazed, but not enough not to flinch at Haru’s questioning… even if he wormed into the bathtub to sleep XD Best of all, he’s not even fazed by it. He just open his eyes and wakes up. Also, he sits by the table SLOUCHING. Kambe Daisuke. Slouching. In the morning. I love him so much. Haru taking care of him all the freaking way, feeding him and teaching him the ways of the peasant’s world. I love him just as much. Daisuke listens and processes; when Haru says him that, even if there’s almost no chance to find Shiro, he says that he’s gonna try regardless. Daisuke responds with “I see.”. Which means ‘You’ll keep trying, so I should do that as well.’ This is Japan guys. Read the air. There’s as much stuff unsaid that said.

A question is Kikuko then: is she best grandma or are we dealing with another Aizen situation (I made you strong so I could have a decent challenge)?

Nakamura Chosuke, Sir, you need to start singing soon…

Now, I have a very strong fear: in the OP, there’s the same scene repeating itself: at the beginning with Haru, Daisuke and Shizue in a room, then Haru is not there anymore. I’m still recovering from Banana Fish, and I watched it while it was airing…

Last thing, before I forget. About fangirls. You might have guessed, by the amount of word vomit I garbled over, that I am one as well. Everybody can react to the story as they want. I squeaked like a hamster too when I saw Daisuke wearing the ‘boyfriend outfit’, when he winced when he cut himself and licked his cut, when he waited for Haru to start eating before doing it himself, when he praised him for the cooking, when he understood why he replaced Shiro, when he lent him the money to return home, when he smiled to Hattori and Suzue, and when he used Haru’s natto recipes. I’m here for the ride as much as you are. I’m here for the fluff we’re obviously not gonna get. I’m here for a whipped Daisuke, wrapped around Haru’s finger, screaming in pain because of the loss, pleading to save the detective and take him instead. I’m here for the fall from grace, I’m here for him realizing he’s been living a beautiful nightmare, that justice is more than meets the eyes, that there’s so much more that he can be. I’m here for him realizing all of this with Haru being taken away, triggerim him into madness.

The wind exists even if you can’t see it.

[suffering-and-happy-about-it]

The News (Sriracha, Part 41.)

Series description: A problematic college student gets the worst summer job of the ‘83 - Jim Hopper, the Chief of police in your hometown will have you as his secretary since his old lady Flo has two months lasting holiday. It was agreed so Hopper could let you far away from all the trouble.

Part Summary: The wedding came way sooner than you expected to, you could maybe say that you weren’t even prepared for a thing of such a caliber. Also, did El and Mike really told Mr. Clarke that they’re cousins?

A/N: This chapter is a complete and utter chaos and I love it so much. Inspired by all of the romantic songs from the 80s’. There is a lot of callbacks to the OG Stranger Things (like El and Mike being cousins) and into the origins of this series as well.

Warnings: THIS SHIT IS HEART-WARMING, IT WILL MAKE YOU FEEL GOOD, MF, BECAUSE I LOVE AND YOU MATTER TO ME AND NOTHING WILL CHANGE THIS. Also, a lot of fluff. ♥

Word count: 5K

Tagging: @nemodoren @missdictatorme @ysljordy @creedslove​ @hopperlover​

Series master list: H E R E

GIF SOURCE

Life can go completely crazy once you decide to something insane with it. Like having a wedding with a guy who you love without any judging, yet still being a college student. The big date was set on the first July of 1986, which meant that you had to study for that semester’s finals, take care of the new house you owned, having Eleven moving back and on top of that, you were doing preparations for the wedding. Now, that was what you called busy.

It was quite weird when you once took El to Hawkins High to sign the papers with her, meeting professor Clarke in the process. You let Max and El go to your car while he wanted to have small chit-chat with you.

"How are you and your Hopper doing? Everything fine?" - He started, putting his palms entwined on his chest. After a while, you nodded, being completely confused. After a small rant about your approaching wedding, he proceeded to the thing which was itching his curiosity.

"Have seen Eleven before here a couple of times before. First, if I'm correct, it was in 1983. Then she came to the Snow Ball of 1984... I thought she was Mike Wheeler’s cousin and now I get to know she's your and Hopper’s daughter?" - He asked curiously. What the hell was going on in the fall of 1983? You hadn't known much about that time from El’s perspective, yet Mike mentioned that was the year when they first met. Trying to hide the nervousness and confusion behind a smile, you nodded.

"You know kids, Mr. Clarke. They like to make things up and they don't exactly think about the consequences either. It was probably some joke or whatever." - You giggled, telling yourself that you have to talk to both of them about this. It wasn’t an issue that could bring some great consequences in the future, but it would be weird to see two teenagers who proclaimed being cousins... Well... Holding hands, kissing, and stuff. - "Especially these boys. You know Dustin and Lucas, Mike and Will. They love to make up stories and wild stuff. Sometimes even I don't know what should I believe when they're telling me something. Their imagination is just amazing."

"Right, haven't exactly thought about that. You have any information about Joyce, Will, and Jonathan?" - He asked and this time, he wasnt suspicious. You nodded with a happy smile, telling him all about their life in Maine. You wanted to visit them in there for a short vacation, taking Mike, Lucas, El, and Dustin with you - Steve Harrington told you that he and Nancy would gladly go with you to ride in the second car.

"Mr. Clarke, you're invited to my wedding!" - You yelled at him when you were leaving the corridor, pointing a finger at that slim, tall man with a mustache. - "I hope that you'll come. July the first, party starts at two p.m.!"

But when you sat behind the steering wheel, that was a different story. You looked at Eleven who was sitting at the passenger seat, having a hell of a confused face. - "Cousins? You and Mike told them that you're cousins? Where are we? In Texas or Alabama? For the love of God." - You asked unbelievably. Max on the backseat leaned in with a burst of laughter. She didn't know about that either since she wasnt around at that time.

"It was Mike's idea... And Mike’s a boy and boys are..." - Eleven wanted to defend herself, her brown eyes looking at you while you started the engine. You stopped her by pointing your index finger at her.

"Uh-uh, young lady. Only I can say that boys are stupid and that's because I'm living with your father. We clear?" - You asked with a giggle. They told them that they're cousins... Jesus Christ... You couldn't wait to tell Hopper. It was clear that he will lose it once you'll tell him what Mr. Clarke asked you that day. After taking the girls for some ice-cream, you picked up Hopper at the station, since his shift was just ending. While Eleven ran off with Max to look at the movies int he rent shop Harrington was working at, you entered the police station.

"Afternoon, Flo. Every time I see you, you look better than the last time. How do you do that?" - You asked, leaning your head to your shoulder. You loved that woman so much - you still remembered how much patience she had with you and Hopper at the start.

"You, honey, are going blind. Nice to see you too." - She got up with a giggle, hugging you and kissing both your cheeks. - "The big day.s on its way. How you're feeling? I was so nervous I couldn't sleep a month before it happened."  

"Oh, I'm more nervous about my finals than about my wedding. Jim will probably get drunk and he’ll cry in the corner with my father about me being a big girl and stuff. I hope he gave you the invitation card? If he didn't, I swear to God..." - You rolled your eyes, having Flo gently patting your shoulder. The old lady disappeared for a second to snatch you some coffee and a piece of cake. Callahan, Powell nor Hopper noticed you chatting with Flo yet, so you had the time to observe Jim.

He looked way more relaxed as a normal officer. It could be seen that he's happier than that before. He didn't have as much responsibility as he had when he worked on the position of the police chief, even though he was doing an excellent job being the head of Hawkins police. Yet now, he had more time to have fun with the two other men and there was something simple about listening to orders.

"Honey, don't worry about that. The Monday after you said yes, he came to the office yelling that he's about to marry you. For real this time. And the following week he gave the cards to at least half of the station." - Flo chuckled, watching the men as well. It took them a while to notice you standing there but when they did, Hopper immediately started to pack his stuff. Normally, Powell or Callahan drove him home, so it was a nice surprise seeing you standing there.

"How you're doing, girl?" - Powell gave you a tight fatherly hug, have you smiling from ear to ear in the process. - "You're looking tubular. That's how the young call it these days? Also, new haircut?" - The man asked when you gave a short hug to the younger policeman.  

"You're about two years late with tubular, dear Powell. But thanks for noticing since this grumpy bastard didn't." - You let Jim slide a hand on your waist, looking at him with your eyebrow risen.

"You know that I still can cancel the engagement?" - Hopper mumbled before stealing a kiss from you. For a short moment, you were just looking at that handsome man before calling him out with: - "It’s more probable that I would do that, baby. So don't try to piss me off."

"And that's the facts. See you around boys, we have a family night." - Hopper waved at them, leading you out of the station, telling you about his day. Max and Eleven were waiting for you outside, holding a few rented movies. You were taking them to the cinema that night, true, but you allowed them to watch some movies in the living room. It was Friday, so neither of them had to wake up for school.

The other few weeks were just crazy - you and Hopper had to choose the flavor of your wedding cake, you had to study for finals hard, there were the dress tests and even three weeks before the wedding, you hadn't found the right one. Steve Harrington, Robin, Nancy, and your mom became the party for each of the tests since Hopper wasnt allowed to see them. The location was paid, the menu was completed, the decorations were also set to go, but the dress...

And also the finals.

You'd swear that you hadn't sweat this hard at the previous exams you were taking. And writing the final essay wasn’t a walk in the park as well. It was the result of many things that happened in 1986: from Hopper being MIA to coming back, buying a home, finishing the reconstructions, having Eleven coming back to your life, the whole proposal, and marriage thing... You straightaway cried when you got the letter you passed and that by the start of the next semester, you'll start a whole year lasting practicum at the children's traumatology in the hospital of Hawkins. That was a miracle happing right there.  

After that, it was time to concentrate on the chaos you called "my life". And it was hard sometimes to stay mentally stable. Especially when the countdown to the wedding itself came. It was a week before the first of July when you stopped in the door leading from your bathroom, looking at Jim quietly reading in the bed. You looked like you're about to puke something, your eyes being widened and opened.

"Are you alrite? Somethin’ happened in there?" - Jim put the book down, quickly snatching his new reading glasses from the top of his nose. With the same face, you walked through the bedroom, shaking your head.

"This doesn't look like your nothin’ happened face. What's goin’ on?" - He asked once again when you were purring the pajamas on. Eleven was listening to the Romantics on the second floor, so you heard some parts of A Night Like This resonating through the house.

"Marriage is the scariest of all social constructs I've ever seen." - You started explaining, climbing into the bed next to Jim. Oh, so that was what this was about. - "I mean, two people can live together without having to marry, you know? All it takes is love and time and..."

"You're afraid of bein’ married is what you're tryin’ to say, am I rite?" - Jim chuckled, looking as you tried to figure out the most comfortable position. You settled on your belly, having a small pillow under your breasts, watching Jim sitting next to you. You made a dumb face before nodding.

"You’ll be just fine, trust me. You already have me under your thumb so there's nothin’ to worry about. Come ’ere." - The man chuckled, putting the book on his nightstand to snuggle you.

"It wasnt too hard to domesticate you, but... I'll be Mrs. Hopper next week. If you'd die, I would have the right to have the money from the police office and stuff. It's the legalities that make me anxious." - You mumbled horrified. Suddenly, you jumped when Hopper just started to laugh out loud.

"You haven't even got married and you're already thinkin’ about havin’ me dead? Well, that's nice." - He continued with the laughing, having you chuckling too. - "Trust me. It won't change a thing... Except for your surname."

But even if Hopper assured you a million times, just like your mom and Steve, you still couldn't sleep, couldn't eat and you were sure that as soon as you'll be walking down the aisle, you'll run away with Bon Jovi playing in the background. Steve even offered you that he can ’kidnap’ you so Hopper would have to find you, but you said no that offer, no matter how fun did that sound.

The first of July was the worst day you have ever endured since you had to get up pretty early and you didn't even have a bachelorette party. Hopper left to your parent's place while Robin, Joyce, Nancy, and your mom with Lena gathered at your place. You heard Robin asking your mom if you're fine when she saw you getting up from the bed - your mom had to explain to her that you had a problem with getting up since the day you started kindergarten.

You puked through the first hour they arrived, spending it on the toiled, bawling your eyes out. When they managed to get you out, robin made you do the basic things, like taking a shower, brushing your teeth, and drink at least a cup of coffee to raise your pressure. You were looking like you were about to faint for the last hour and a half.

"If you don't want to marry the man, you shouldn't accept the ring is what I'm saying." - Your mom told you while she and Jules were making a hairstyle on your head. You looked puffy, tired, and not well at all. Nancy was sitting on your bed, reading some girly magazine as well

"I do want to marry him, I just really don’t feel good." - You told them, clearing your nose with a tissue.

"I think it's the nerves that are fucking you up." - Robin got up and stood behind Nance so you could see her in the mirror too. She was speaking in the most boyish manner possible, she never fucked around with you or Steve and that was why you liked that girl so much. - "Read it in my mom's Cosmo." - She shrugged her shoulders, sending you a small smile. You nodded, earning a curse word from your mom who barely cursed.

As soon as everyone made sure they have everything, like dresses, jewelry, and stuff, everyone got into two cars - Eleven, Max, Nancy, and Lena were in one, while in the second one, there was you, your mom, Julia, and Robin. Mom told you that you're even prettier than she was on her big day. Robin knew how to crack you up with her jokes and how to bitch you down in case you had any side thoughts - that was why you chose her to ride with you. Both of your best friends didn't go exactly easy on you and that was why you adored them.

When you saw the church closer and closer, your hands started shaking and your forehead got wet like a helter-skelter. It all felt so right, yet so wrong at the same time. You knew Jim for three years almost and there were occasions when he proved to you that he’d go to hell for you. Not even that made you sure if it was all a good idea or not. Take on Me was playing in the background while girls were speaking about the flowers and decoration, so you decided that it was time for a little walk.

A little walk to Bloomington maybe? To run away from all that chaos inside of you? Or something like that? Just when your palm circled the door handle, Robin and Jules walked out of the preparation room. You leaned into the door innocently, having a smile on your face. Both of them knew what were you thinking about, so they walked to you from both sides, both of them entwining their elbow with yours. - "You are not running away. You are not going anywhere, milady. What you're going to do is that you'll dress up to the white dress, look like a princess and you'll make one old grumpy idiot very happy once you say yes." - Robin told you, dragging you back inside the room.

"And then, we'll have a party and you'll drink your ass off with us, understood?" - Julia asked sweetly too. They were two crazy sons of a bitch, so they made you exactly what they said you're going to do. Not even hour from that, you were marching in the back room dressed in white, having too long high-heels on with a veil over your face. You heard Jim coming - it was quite hard not to hear the men arriving. He had a few shots of Scotch or something your dad had at home since he was louder than usual.

As you heard more people, like Karen Wheeler who came in to wish you luck, coming in, you understood that it's happening. You will be a wedded woman in less than an hour. And that was... Surreal. The clapping of high heels intensified as you started to imagine all the horror scenarios again.

"Heard you're having some trouble here." - Jonathan and Joyce snuck into the room to say hi. Joyce was looking breath-taking in the lilac-colored dressed you've sent her to Maine. And that hairstyling? She was killing it. Jonathan was looking breath-taking too, yet his eyes were all over Nancy.

"It's just some slight turbulences." - You chuckled nervously, letting her hug you. After that, she stepped away, taking in the sight of you.

"My oh my, you're something." - Joyce chuckled, hugging everyone in the room as well. - "Hopper is really lucky these days, I mean, look at you. I know you're nervous and all, but as soon as you'll stand in front of him, you won't even remember that, trust me. I've done this too." - She chuckled, making you chuckle nervously as well. Jonathan then patted her shoulder, telling her that they have to get into the right order. She opened up her mouth and giggled excitedly, biting her lip after that. - "See you in ten, baby." - She hugged you for the last time and went outside. Everyone was going outside and you knew that the only person who will be waiting for you once you have to go there too will be your dad.

And he was smiling when you did so.

"You look just beautiful." - Was all he could say when you held the skirt up a bit so you wouldn't fall flat on your face. A smile was all you were capable of before you entwined your elbow with his, looking at the door leading outside for the last time.

"I know what you're thinking about." - He chuckled, looking at the door as well. - "Are you sure about doing it, though? Do you realize what consequences would that have, honey? You'd leave him in there alone, standing in front of all of the people you and he would look like a fool. Jim would be... I wouldn't say angry but disappointed for sure. Maybe he wouldn't talk to you after that for all I know." - Your dad took a deep breath in, straightening himself, making sure he's looking good.

"Believe it or not, I thought about running away too, so that's some genes here. Your mom would never, but I was scared like a little boy. But we’re twenty-six years in and I have never regretted marrying that awesome lady." - He looked down on you. For the first time that day, you were smiling without having some other chaotic feelings inside your head.

"And I mean... I wasn’t the happiest with Hopper at the beginning, but as time went, you two showed everyone in this bloody town what love is supposed to look like. You separated here and there, yes, but you also gave home and love to a girl who needed it. He taught you patience and you taught him to love. That's how it is, baby. And as far as I can say, I think you're doing the right thing. There's no need for second thoughts, no need for looking for a chance to escape because you'll be fine this man no matter what." - Your dad finished and you both had tears in your eyes.

"You’ve been drinking, haven't you?" - You asked to stop yourself from crying, snickering your old man with a burst of honest laughter. He didn't answer, but you saw on his eyes that he had a few glasses with Jim. - "I love you." - You whispered just before the door opened up and the cannon started to play. Everyone was standing up for you and you could see your mom and Jules weeping in the first row. You, one of the craziest and toughest sons of bitches were getting marries. Who would d have thought that it would happen so soon?

It felt weird to walk there, looking everyone you knew in their eyes. Karen and Tim were smiling at you, having Mike by their side and when you were in the middle of the aisle, you heard Joyce started crying as well. She was telling everyone that she's sorry, but everyone was just smiling, having tears in their eyes themselves. No matter how happy everyone felt, you were numb. Completely numb. All you could concentrate on was not falling, on your pulse, and the rhythm of your breathing.

Jim was standing there with his palms entwined in front of him, giving you the warmest smile he ever had. It was there. The last stop where you could turn around and run away from everything. It wasn’t that you didn't love him, for the love of God, you just... You were scared. Even if it wouldn't change your day-to-day life, you knew that it will have an overall impact on everything. When your father gave your hand to James, tears in your eyes could be seen. And Jim knew that these weren’t happy tears.

He remembered the wedding he had with Diane. He felt like throwing up until the ceremony was over, he didn't know if he chose to do the right thing or not, he was fighting himself. And now you were doing the same thing. It was natural and James understood everything since he had gone through all of that once. Marriage was one big unknown. What happens once you'll walk out of the church like a wedded couple? That was a thing no-one, including you, couldn't be sure about. But Hopper knew that this time, he has chosen the right person to go through all of these shenanigans with.

You had endless patience with him - and when James said endless, he meant endless. Eleven, the Russians, the Demogorgons... You absorbed all of that. When he was at his lowest, drinking and taking too many drugs, you made him stand on his feet. When he was acting like a jackass, you acted like one too until he calmed down. When you met, you looked past his temper issues and impressive love life to see him for the man he was. When it came to the terms of having a partner, you were the best person for Hopper. The best one had ever met.

"How you're doin’?" - He asked with a boyish smile when the wedding register spoke to the guests. You nodded, gulping quietly, looking at his palms holding yours. Jesus, he was looking good. He was looking great. If you'd have the chance, you'd undress him as soon as could.

"Pretty good, you?" - You whispered back, finally starting to smile. You didn't know shit from what the man next to you was talking about, the only thing you could see was James just... Smiling. Something about vows woke you up from the trance, looking around to see Steve handing you the cards you have written. Neither of you wanted to have some normal-ass pathetic vows. With your sense of humor, it was clear that this will make a lot of people chuckle.

"James Hopper." - You started, already having a nasty grin on your face. - "We already know that we can make it at our worst and our best. We already tested that we can go through both healthier times and even the times when things aren’t... Exactly good. I promise to occasionally fold your clothes if you'll promise me to start my car in the winter. I promise that I’ll cook you a warm dinner every evening as long as you'll promise me that you'll even come home." - You finished, cracking your mom again. She had her eyes already completely red and Hopper didn't even start. No-one knew what you're talking about, but that was what made the vows even funnier.

"Miss Y/N Y/L/N, soon to be Hopper. I know that I already promised you a lot of things and there will be more things to come, for sure. I have promised you a bed and I delivered it to you. I now promise you in front of everyone that I will repair you the gramophone every time you manage to break it again, I will paint every room in the pomelo color if you ask me to, I will fold my clothes and maybe try to do the laundry sometimes and mostly, I won't ever let anyone hurt you." - He looked you in the eyes, having you on the edge of crying as well. - "And if they will, I will hurt them back."

You both were shaking when you were putting on the rings. Hopper had almost broken your ginger, having you burst out with laughter. When you finally had it on, he kissed it with a warm smile, looking you in the eyes. You’ve done the same thing once you managed to slip it onto his hand. And the sweetest part was when you were finally allowed to kiss him. It was a miracle that you didn't swoop him off his feet since you pulled him down hungrily. They were right. Once the formalities were over and once you signed the piece of paper with both your former surname and the new one, the stress faded away. Happiness overtook the ruddle, having you live your best life.

And when you finally took the dress off, changing into a pair of jeans, your old Converse shoes, and a nice shirt, you were finally feeling it - not until the first dance, of course. The golden ring was looking spectacular on your left hand, being put directly above the silver one you've accepted twice. It also felt heavy, but that was a thing that will go away.

The party started great with you and Hopper taking all of the traditions that came with weddings - cutting the cake, breaking a plate, throwing your flower into the crowd of women, eating from one plate, dancing with Jim and your dad, opening the presents and cards... And of course, there there were the speeches.

Hands down, your parents’ speech made you cry. Aiden made you chuckle. The kids had the most chaotic speech of the evening, six of them trying to talk at one time. Jules told you not to be dumb and to listen to James, at which you rolled your eyes. Joyce made herself cry and Jim’s eyes water, while Jonathan and Nancy’s speech was more about wishing you luck. But Steve Harrington, boy oh boy, wasn’t he something? His speech left you crying.

"So, good evening everyone, my name’s Steve and I’m living in Hawkins since... Ever. And the thing I'm notoriously famous here is the way I was trying to win Mrs. Hopper for years. For your information, I was the best friend of her dearest brother and she often reminds of the times when she saw me running naked around their pool, so, thanks for destroying my self-confidence because no-one is better at it than you." - Steve started on a comedic note, having you laugh into James’ shoulder. He was laughing as well, smoking. - "I won't tell you more about my romantic failures, since, this evening is supposed to be a happy one." - Steve smiled and made you a toast. Nancy was worried that maybe, since he wasnt the best at this type of activity, he’ll say something about the second world war or that he'll start talking about his grandpa, but Jonathan just chuckled at that.

"And I can fell that it is a happy evening for everyone here. The food was great, the ceremony was sweet and you guys are the most adorable couple I've seen ’till this day. Thank you for allowing me to be here with you." - Steve ended and drank a bit of his champagne and so did you. But as always, there was something off about the taste. You frowned, trying to figure out what is wrong with it.

"What's that face for?" - Hopper whispered, kissing the top of your head.

"The wine and the cake... I don't know, Jim, it tasted way better when we were picking it." - You said honestly, having Jim nodding at your remark.

"If you don't like the taste, don't eat it and drink it. What about dance now when we’re done with the speeches? It was lovely, but my ass hurts." - James whispered again, having you laugh and nod. You danced the whole night, not having a single alcoholic drink. But Jules was a different story. Steve from biology had to walk her home because she wouldn't make it on her own. Most you loved dancing with the kids - these lunatics had such dance moves that you didn't know where they got it from, especially Lucas and Dustin.

It was a long day, but once Hopper carried you inside the house, you made exactly what newly wedded couple is supported to do once they arrive home. Eleven was staying at Wheeler’s, which was kind of a gift they gave you. Without telling too many details, you fucked in almost every room in the house, which left Hopper destroyed, laying in the bed at four a.m.

Yet you couldn't fall asleep. Why? Because while your hubby slept in your bed, your face was inside the toilette the whole time. And something on the back of your head was telling you that maybe, it isn't the nerves as Robin told you.

[bloojayoolie]

Candy, Doctor, and Facepalm: 15 Dumbest Patients That Doctors Have Had To Deal With. Faith In Humanity Lost. 1. "I'm never going to have a baby because the hospitals don't wash them anymore." She's 30. 2. Ionce had a 20 year old female patient who didn't know that having sex would lead to pregnancy. She had no idea. 3. After looking at the patients chart and seeing she had diabetes- Me: Do you have any medical conditions? Me: Are you sure, you've never been told you have any diseases? Me: What medications do you take? Patient: my diabetes 4. A middle aged lady in the operating theatre once told us at the last minute (as she was being wheeled in) that she's allergic to latex Everyone freaks out cos so much of the stuff we use in theatre has latex in it, so we take her to the latex free theatre and do her there. When she's in recovery and awake I enquire as to what reaction she has to latex. "I just don't really like the sound the latex gloves make, dear". I just turned around and walked out. 5. "No, my fiancée and I don't want our daughter to have any of the vaccines, vitamin K shot, antibiotic eye ointment, or PKU testing. It's poison. Poking her with the needle is worse than the 'cold' she'd get He then drove his newborn daughter and fiancée home in a car that absolutely reeked of weed and cigarettes. 6. year old chief complaint on the board is "private." This should be good. Go in, he is visibly depressed and sad. Tells a story about how he slept with a woman, didn't use protection, and after he noticed she had a "plastic box on her." When she told him it s an insulin pump mortified. Came in immediately to be tested for diabetes he was 7. "I had asthma when I was a child, so stop to raise my daughter just because you think you're smarter than me". Leaves hospital. Back in hospital two hours later; six year old daughter in respiratory failure and admitted 8. "Don't eat or drink anything after midnight the While s 3 year old daughter's next his r the next morning, she vomited scrambled eggs, causing her to aspirate them into her lungs. Her heart stopped, and I did chest compressions orn her for 25 minutes. We got her back, aborted the surgery, and transferred her to pediatric icu on a ventilator. Her father's response..." She said she was hungry. I thought you were being too hard on her. It must have beern something you did to her." 9. Patient had to be told that the reason her son was getting sick at school every day was because she was packing him peanut butter sandwiches and he was allergic to peanuts. She honestly didn't know that was an ingredient, and he was in middle school and wasn't bright enough to realize it himself 10. Had a lady measure her baby's temperature oven and p hand in front of it while the other hand was on the baby's forehead. She told the nurse her baby's fever was about 250 degrees. 11. The best was the woman who was feeding her 3 month old dog every few days for no other reason than she thought a dog should only eat that often. Came in for The nurse who spoke with her has no patience for this kind of jacked ignorance, and actually shouted at her "DO YOU EAT EVERY THREE DAYS!?" 12. Once had a patient who was prescribed an inhaler for his cat allergy. He came back a week later saying he was none the better Turns out he was spraying the inhaler on his cat. 13. My favourite was when someone was prescribed estrogen patches and told to stick one patch on herself every other day. At the next follow-up she said she didn't like the patches because she'd been "running out of s I didn't think to clarify to her that she should have been placing a new patch and removing the one from yesterday each day. Very amusing. She indeed was covered in sticky 14. Mom brought her kids to the ER after they ate all of their Halloween candy because they had tummy aches. They were still eating Reese's peanutbutter cups when they were in the exam room. I had to explain to her that they need to cut back on the candy and she looked at me like I had three heads 15. There was this lady who had diabetes and her foot was necrotic. The doctor told her she was going to have to have it amputated, and she said "No, Jesus will heal it for me" (or The Doctor looked at her and said "Maam, you have maggots eating your foot. Jesus wants you to get it amputated."

[wannawrite]

The Royals - KD [ pt.2 ]

who?: Wanna One’s Kang Daniel 

genre: 🌺🌸

type: bullet point 

TW:  violence, guns - GUN! CONTROL!, profanity

blog navigator.

part two \ two 

one 

mafia! AU 

you’ve always known he could break bones, but you never thought Kang Daniel was capable of breaking your heart 

concludes daniel’s story! sorry this literally took a decade to upload, hope y’all ain’t starved 

- Admin L 

disclaimer: pictures used do not belong to me and credit goes to their original owners everything purely fictional DO NOT READ IF TRIGGERING 

time went on as usual 

eventually, you announced to your friends and family that you and Daniel were no longer a thing 

it was tragic sad

at least your friends never left your side through the thick and thin 

JooE even offered to throw away the painting she had painted but you insisted she keep it 

you avoided him as much as you could at school 

not much because he was literally EVERYWHERE 

last time, you appreciated the fact you too had so many clashing classes and lunch slots...

now they just were more opportunities for the dagger lodged in your chest to sink deeper 

• thankfully, Daniel didn’t shoot a sad puppy dog look or a cheery smile because you would hAVE CRACKED INTO PIECES AND GOTTEN BACK WITH HIM YEAH 

whipped 

whipped enough for you to still congratulate him on graduation day and made that a final goodbye to your ex-boyfriend 

okay maybe you were just a courteous person 

you wondered how his mafia was doing 

how was Jeon Somi? what was Ong Seongwoo up to? 

after a short two days of staying at Somi’s apartment - she got you out of the wrecked Kang mansion - you grew attached to her and considered her your friend 

however, you only managed to get her KakaoTalk and due to her busy schedule, she almost never replied to your messages 

in a sense, you missed out on the exciting mafia lifestyle 

but better safe than sorry right? especially when dealing with the law 

some people just weren’t cut out to be part of organised crime associations 

sometimes...whenever you let your mind wander, it would take you to an alternate universe where you had stayed with Daniel 

here Daniel had accepted your help and stuck with you 

a world where you too held the mark of a royal - a tattooed crown 

you would be one of them 

and it would be you and Daniel. Both of you missions together, going up against NCT, fighting side by side 

mundane school life thrown into the wind, caution tossed far away 

you could be travelling all over the globe with the love of your life, tracking down NCT members and claiming heists

that could’ve been your new life

but it wasn’t 

and Daniel wasn’t involved in your current...that bit kind of sucked the most if you were completely honest 

...you wanted him, and all of his dark secrets 

haha but you had neither 

strangely, life seemed well enough for you to forget the majority of the details, only remembering the important parts 

life goes on

people move on 

so why the hell was there a bitter aftertaste on the tip of your tongue when you saw a post on IG with Daniel in it 

he seemed to be posing with close friends, pulling candid faces 

who tf are they and why do I still follow them 

@kinghwan 

uhhh Kim Jaehwan from that one Christmas part from 3 years ago? 

it was more of your cousin’s party, which is why you only knew your family there

you think you only followed him because he followed you? 

how does he know Daniel? 

why is Daniel so important to him that he must appear in one of the three pictures on his feed 

+ Jaehwan has a lot of followers 14k...they’ll all be seeing Daniel 

WHAT THE HELL 

...those kinds of things happened occasionally 

look that dumb prick went drinking again and he spent money on a bitter Hite can 

stupid...I bet he couldn’t even walk into his house that night 

wait, why do I still care? 

graduation was the last incident you had seen him face to face 

surprisingly, he disappeared right after school had ended, as if he vanished from the face of the earth 

perhaps it was another Kang Daniel effect 

at least he was gone 

that part helped your brain to more or less erase a small chunk of your memories of him 

you just hoped he wasn’t gone for good 

anyway 

you drew out your own map, paved your own path, created an individual route in life 

did whatever the hell you wanted to do 

whatever deemed morally and lawfully correct that is 

be good children okay 

whenever you could, you worked as a flight attendant on one of the country’s top airlines to fund your college tuition 

the stack law school fees weren’t going to pay themselves 

not to be nsfw but here I am organising baguettes on a jet powered by dinosaur bones, flying through clouds  

‘WE HAVE 2 MINUTES BEFORE BOARDING STARTS. WHERE ARE THE BREAD TRAYS.’ 

keep :) calm :)) 

I’m sure everyone is familiar with how boarding a plane works 

you’re checking people’s boarding passes as they march into the aircraft 

some of the names start ringing bells into your head 

fire alarm bells 

Kim Jaehwan 

Kim Chungha 

Ong Seongwoo 

Kim Sohye 

WAIT 

 AS IN THE ONG SEONGWOO FROM FOUR YEARS AGO 

THE KIM JAEHWAN FROM THREE YEARS AGO 

they’re dressed like ordinary passengers, but black masks hide the bottom half of their face 

is Seongwoo wearing circle lenses? 

why the hell are they flying economy when they have 11 private jets? 

just what are The Royals up to now 

f o u r  years ago...it was about trying to salvage Daniel’s relationship with you, protecting you two from NCT 

what are they doing now? 

The Royals: Where are they now? not clickbait

a heist? an ambush attack? meeting with dealers? meeting with NCT? or had their enemy changed? 

dealers as in firearm and car dealers...not drugs 

don’t do drugs kids

and don’t buy illegal firearms or cars, you’ll end up in jail 

just don’t do illegal things 

a small fraction of your heart began to beat wildly once again 

this was the first time you had such a close encounter with people you thought had been left in your past 

a brief look of recognition crossed Seongwoo’s eyes when his gaze fell on you but he pressed his lips together and continued moving down the aisle 

great...just fantastic, the whole gang of them are sitting in the rows I’m in charge of in 

do! not! crack! now! 

Jaehwan couldn’t possibly remember me because he spent the whole party with my cousins and ended up drunk playing the piano 

Seongwoo would’ve shown some sort of response if he remembered 

so, I’m just another flight attendant 

good 

nothing’s gonna happen 

even with that phrase chanting in your head, your hands still shook and heat still scorched the back of your neck 

you simply could not stop yourself from observing them, your eyes rarely left the four faces 

so much so you almost dropped an entire tray of drinks on another passenger 

finally, after serving the passengers’ lunch, you got a chance to catch your breath

‘tired?’ your colleague asked you as she fanned her face, trying to stall the melting of her makeup 

‘definitely, work never stops,’ you replied with a chuckle 

you wondered why she was pulling a weird face and gesturing to ‘turn around’

when you did, you nearly smacked into a girl who bore a black mask 

• your co-worker stepped out of the pantry, closing the thick purple curtain behind her 

‘how can I he-‘ 

it all happened in one fluid motion 

the girl’s hand curled around your throat, your body slammed into the cabinet-lined walls, a gust of breath leaving your lungs 

‘who sent you to keep watching us?’ she snarled, ripping away her black mask 

‘I-I...’ well, what on earth were you going to say? she wouldn’t believe me anyway 

‘don’t test my patience. I won’t spare a second in stopping your air supply.’ There was a furious glint in her eyes, but you had seen this look before

it was the look Daniel gave you when he broke up with you 

it wasn’t out of pure aggression or force, she just wanted to protect her friends

he just wanted to protect you 

maybe himself too 

a bit too late to understand now....

oxygen was rapidly dwindling in your bloodstream and your head began to throb

the sound of metal scraping metal and the curtain being pulled open called you back to consciousness 

‘sohye! want the hell are you doing?’ 

Seongwoo? 

he yanked the girl - supposedly 

Sohye - off you, allowing you to heave deep breath 

Seongwoo restrained her from you, ignoring her attempts to break free. ‘Calm down! It’s them. They...they’re Daniel’s ex.’ 

she froze in her spot, like a deer caught in the headlights 

wow who knew being Daniel’s ex was such a big deal 

who knew it would get me killed? 

‘I-I t-thought NCT sent them. We have no clue who to trust nowadays; NCT has spies everywhere!’ Sohye hissed in a hushed tone 

Seongwoo nodded understandingly, his eyes darting around to ensure the three of you weren’t being watched 

he turned to face you

‘I need you to come with us.’ 

your brows knitted together, puzzled, not quite making sense of what he was trying to tell you 

I’m not a Royal? I haven’t seen one in 4 years 

‘This plane is headed to Dubai right now. There, a jet is waiting to take us to London,’ Sohye explained 

clog wheels began churning rapidly in your head, trying to understand what they were saying 

‘We’re going to see Daniel.’ 

blood coursing through your veins froze, your eyes went round like hard candy, everything around you seemed to stand still 

Kang Daniel, it’s been more than four years since I’ve seen you 

I never imagined that our first meeting would be like this

‘how the hell do you expect me to get out of my job?’ you retorted to the four gang members. ‘I’m due the next flight back to Seoul.’ 

Chungha let out a chuckle. ‘We’ve got connections. I bet someone is already filling your spot.’ 

The Royals were powerful enough to let your strict boss let you off so easily 

ridiculous 

you took a glance at your small overnight luggage and back at the Royalty 

deep breaths 

think about it...it’s now or never 

‘okay, let’s go.’ 

Seongwoo grinned, he grabbed the handle of your luggage. ‘Woojin is waiting in the jet for us.’ 

...hmm...don’t think my chances of escape were high anyway 

Kang Daniel is one rich prick 

I love him 

NO 

you just like his private jet 

who wouldn’t fall in love with the jet that had polished wood floors, plush calf leather seats and a seemingly unlimited supply of food and beverages 

there were even private bedrooms for night flights 

luxurious 

Jaehwan heaved a deep sigh of relief when the plane wheels left the tarmac runway 

he looked like he was just pale of fainting 

‘NCT was watching us. I could feel their eyes on me. Those young kids Jisung and Chenle are unbelievably sneaky.’ 

• is anyone else shook by how drastically nct dream has changed bc me 

‘wait, NCT was around this whole time?’ you asked, chewing the inside of your lips nervously 

‘yeah, they’ve gotten wind of you and more information. Some weird idea of Taeyong’s decided that you were a threat and needed to be eliminated too,’ Chungha spoke up 

‘our mission was to take you to HQ in London, where there are fewer NCT associates. Somi sent us.’ 

‘Daniel doesn’t know......’ 

oh 

wonderful, I’m going to give him the surprise of a lifetime 

‘And I had no idea what you looked like until today, sorry I tried to kill you just now.’ Sohye apologised, smiling sheepishly 

you wondered if it was a common saying among The Royals

‘how’s Daniel?’ you blurted out, unable to keep your curiosity at bay. A warm blush suffused into your cheeks 

the four members snickered with knowing smirks on their faces 

‘He’ll be pleasantly surprised to see you in person. I’m sick of him staring at polaroids in his wallet all day.’ 

it was safe to say that made your blush redder than a tomato and butterflies erupt in your stomach 

uh those butterflies morphed into blood sucking leeches by the time you found yourself packed away into a limousine and on the way to The Royals London HQ 

why London? did they expand so wide internationally? 

you just had too many questions 

Daniel...Daniel...Daniel...Daniel was the keyword that chanted in your brain 

the HQ was a very low-key building, unlike the lavish apartment complex in Korea 

till smack in the middle of the busiest centre of the city

it seemed like a classic office building, just extremely well-guarded

you figured there weren’t many Royals wandering around London 

‘c’mon, this way,’ Jaehwan whispered, leading the whole gang - now inclusive of Woojin, the pilot - through an entrance, easily passing by security. ‘Daniel isn’t around-‘ 

‘well, well,’ a voice called out 

h i m 

i miss him

i miss that voice so much, but I never thought anxiety would arise when he called out to us 

‘h-hyung...’ 

Daniel’s steely eyes bore into yours, his gaze had changed, his overall appearance had gone through a massive transformation 

though, you swear those liquid brown orbs softened when he recognised who you were 

‘you brought them here? who is responsible for this?’ Daniel growled out through clenched teeth 

before anyone could open their mouth to respond, you voiced out, ‘It was me.’ 

everyone’s eyes were on you, revealing their true shock 

‘I-I contacted Seongwoo after many years of searching...and then I begged him to intercept my Dubai flight to take me here because...because I knew you would be here,’ you fibbed, hoping it was believable at least for a second 

you answered all his unspoken questions. ‘I missed you, Daniel. Is that such a crime?’ 

a huff came from his devilish lips, he gestured for you to follow him as the others retreated

Daniel lead you into a study on the far side of the building, the pristine floor-length glass windows offered a fantastic view of the city below 

his expensive taste was evident from the fabulous art pieces that decorated the walls, the sparkling dark mahogany furniture and a knitted couch 

suddenly, you felt Daniel’s arms snake around your waist, his soft lips came onto yours, deepening the kiss with urgency 

‘I’ve been wanting to do that for forever,’ he muttered against your lips after pulling away to catch his breath 

he continued before you could say a word. ‘I was absolutely furious when I heard about Somi’s mission. All I wanted was to keep you safe, but here I was doing the exact opposite.’ 

huh? not a single NCT member could come to your mind just pondering about it? 

Daniel shot you an unamused yet worried look 

‘did you really think Lucas was a nice guy from church? he’s the biggest sinner I’ve ever encountered.’ The surety in Daniel’s voice was alarming 

‘...which is why you’re here now...and I kissed you...’ 

you want to yell at him, shred his expensive paintings and throw marble statues at him 

but you can’t 

‘you were a real bastard for leaving me four years ago,’ you spit, meaning every single word. ‘Don’t think I’m going to waltz right into your arms again.’ 

not that you want to hurt him, you just want him to realise what he’s done wrong 

okay yeah maybe you do want Daniel to regret leaving you in the dust 

‘I know. I’m sorry I was a such a coward, I was wrong.’ 

the very tips of his ears begin to go red as he takes a step away from you, backing straight into his desk 

only two picture frames sit on the tabletop, one of them of his elite unit and the other frame held a picture of him and you 

if NCT broke in, they would get every single bit of information without trying too hard 

I suppose that’s why there are guards patrolling EVERYWHERE 

Daniel’s shock towards your next words was clearly written all over him 

ah yes he knocked over his laptop 

‘it’s okay, I understand. I would’ve done the same if I was in that position. That doesn’t excuse the fact I’m still hurt and upset over that incident but we grow up and mature, I think we don’t have to be petty about it.’ 

internally, a conflict was stirring but being the mature person you are, you were willing to get Daniel back as a friend 

hopefully, you won’t be s w o o n i n g into his hold after 2 seconds 

Daniel perked up immediately, his eyes glazed over dreamily. ‘Serious?’ 

‘woah lover boy, I’m not going to be kissing your lips again!’ you hurl with a playful - almost flirty - chuckle. ‘I’m saying we can be friends.’ 

we all know what happens from here onwards 

‘reeeeaaallllyyyy?’ Daniel drawls out, flashing an enchanting smile. He sweeps you off your feet, planting you on the desk 

your heart begins to pound as he leans in, lips barely brushing your earlobes

‘you’re so certain about that, aren’t you?’ 

face is pink 

Daniel is too cheesy 

avoiding his alluring moves is hard work but you still try your best 

‘yes, of course, I am.’ 

he pouts sulkily like the young teenager you recall him to be 

‘fine then. want to grab dinner together?’ 

the offer is extremely tempting but you know you’ll fall in DEEP 

‘daniel...I really shouldn’t’ 

‘what? two friends can’t eat dinner together? that’s a tad bit unfair, don’t you think?’ Daniel points out, furrowing his brow. His eyes say he’s won it all 

how bad could this be? 

very 

how long am I going to live for? 

better, how long will Daniel stay with me? 

‘okay then,’ you agree, seemingly nonchalant while your heartbeat speeds up. ‘Pick a place and tell me the dress code. After, we have to talk about this whole NCT thing.’ 

he nods too excitedly, unable to contain his enthusiasm 

anticipation 

the WANT to go on a date with Daniel again arises after years of suppression 

a fresh start 

saving the story from the very end is the best beginning 

perhaps, Daniel was still the guy who held that special place in your heart 

even though he messed up a few years back, nothing could be worse than living unforgiven 

too merciful to leave him in misery 

I won’t live regretting my actions anymore 

I just hope that...Daniel was lying when he said he didn’t love me 

if not I’m calling Somi and we’re getting out of here lol 

I’ve  a l w a y s  loved them, I should never have pushed them away 

‘just wait and see, being in love gets you places.’

[carlatsukinamistolemyhamsandwich]

So I was doing a Diabolik Lovers click and drag game by @click-n-dragit and I got this result for one of them

The mental image was so amusing to me that I just had to try writing something based upon it. This is crack of course so it is not to be taken seriously and probably has many inaccuracies with canon along with some OOC moments, however it is simply for your amusement. Also I have no idea how being arrested works so yeah. Under the cut because it's longish. Enjoy~

It is a fact of life that there are some days where you feel you should simply have never left the security and warmth of your bed. Of course, since you had arrived at the Sakamaki household, your bed lacked the feeling of safety it might have otherwise held. One can never truly let down their guard when they are surrounded by sadistic vampires, who have absolutely no qualms about violating even the most sacred of places. Still, even with the danger of possible prowling blood suckers, you felt that you really should have stayed in bed this morning.

The day had started normally enough. You had awoken and dressed yourself for school. Shu had to be all but dragged to the limo while Reiji glared at him and made a number of remarks on his brother's uselessness. Laito had made a number of extremely inappropriate advances on the way to school, while Subaru cussed him out and Kanato barked at them to be quiet. Ayato attempted to suck your blood, only to be chastised by Reiji for his behaviour. 

Once you finally reached your destination, you separated from the brother's and attended your own classes. Your lessons had dragged on and by the time the final school bell rang you felt thoroughly exhausted.

Of course this was when your day started to rocket down hill faster than a greased pig. You met up with the brothers at the same location you did everyday. There was just one difference today, the smart shiny black limo, which was normally already there by the time you arrived, was mysteriously absent.

"How peculiar," Reiji remarked, checking the time.

"Maybe it's just stuck in traffic?" You suggested, though this seemed unlikely given how empty the roads between the mansion and the school usually were. The withering look Reiji gave you was enough to show that this was obviously untrue.

"We would know if that were the case, the vehicle is driven by a familiar after all."

"Hmmm... Seems we'll have to walk. Could end up being interesting, nfu," Laito mused.

"Tch, like hell am I walking back with you, you damn hentai!" Subaru said gruffly before storming away from the rest of you and down the street.

"Ne~ Ayato-kun, let's see if there are any interesting girls in town, on our way back," Laito said.

"Hah, if there are they'll be interested in me!" Ayato exclaimed. And with that, the two started walking, saying all manner of things that would have feminists surrounding them in angry mobs were they to hear them.

"I'm going to buy cake with Teddy," Kanato voiced before also walking off.

"Well then, let's walk back also," Reiji said, and so you started head to back to the mansion with the two eldest Sakamaki brothers.

Shu only lasted 5 minutes before deciding that going home was simply too much trouble and collapsing on the pavement. Reiji scowled.

"You can't even manage a simple walk, of course I should have expected nothing more from a good for nothing like you."

"Should we just leave him?" You asked, not that you particularly disliked the lethargic vampire, you just felt that if he really wanted to lie upon on the side of the road then it wasn't your responsibility to move him elsewhere. Something in Reiji's countenance made you pause for a moment. While someone who was not as familiar with the vampire may have simply brushed off his expression, there was something in his eyes that you didn't like the look of. 

The second eldest Sakamaki had experienced a particularly trying week. Ayato had wrecked the kitchen, again, when Reiji failed to immediately respond to his demand for Takoyaki, as he had been attending to a rather volatile chemical reaction at the time. Laito had stolen some of Reiji's potions, for what exactly you didn't know and nor did you want to find out, and had knocked over some others in the process. Kanato had destroyed the rest with a viscous tantrum upon finding out there was no cake or pudding in the house. Subaru had been more destructive than usual and there was evidence of it all over the building. Shu also seemed to be set on irritating him too, for whatever reason the blonde had seemed to be set on testing Reiji's patience, by napping in the most inopportune places possible and refusing to move. 

It became more obvious that Reiji's self control was close to breaking completely when rather than leaving Shu he snapped at him.

"Get up you worthless fool."

"Too troublesome..." Came the response.

At this, something inside Reiji snapped. He started walking briskly down the street. A strict glance your way indicated that things would not end well for you if you chose not to follow the vampire. You struggled to keep up with his pace for about 5 minutes before he stopped suddenly, his eyes trained on something in the distance. Following his gaze, you spotted a large 4 by 4 parked at the side of the road. It seemed a little out of place but you couldn't think a reason for the man to stop. After a minute of resting his calculating stare upon the vehicle, he started walking again, except this time he beelined towards the machine. 

"Um... Reiji-san?" You said hesitantly. He ignored you for a moment, as he reached the car. You couldn't quite see what he was doing as he stood by the door next to the driver's seat. Suddenly he opened the door, quite how he did it you had no idea, and proceeded to enter the vehicle. Then he turned to look at you.

"Get in the car at once," he ordered, gesturing to the passenger side door, and his expression told you that there would be a severe punishment in store if you disobeyed him. Swallowing nervously, you followed his instructions, wondering just how he had managed to unlock all the doors. Before you had even finished clipping in your seat belt, the engine roared to life. 

"Reiji-san, what are you doing?" You asked nervously, never before had you seen him act this way and the insanity dancing in his eyes did nothing to quell your fears. 

"I am commandeering this vehicle," he replied, "and I am going to run my brothers over with it, starting with that useless good for nothing." 

Uh oh.

The car leapt forwards as Reiji jammed his foot on the accelerator and soon the pair of you were speeding along the road. You had absolutely no idea what to do, half of you wanted to simply attempt leap out the window and flee from the mad situation unfolding, while the rest of you was against this in case Reiji decided to use your defiance as an excuse to add you to his list of people to run over. Vampires might survive being hit by a car but you sure as hell wouldn't. Too frightened to speak to him, you simply clung to the handle on the car door for dear life and prayed that Reiji still had enough sanity left to know how to drive without crashing the car. 

It was extremely fortunate that his particular road was rather quiet as you were quite certain with the speed Reiji was driving that the two of you would get into an extremely large amount of trouble were anyone to spot you, not to mention that you were already occupying a stolen vehicle.

As you observed your surroundings, you realised that you were almost at the point where you'd left Shu, yet you could see no sign of him. You hoped for his sake that he'd moved to somewhere Reiji would not think to look for him. However the disappearance of the blonde left you to worry more about your own situation; you sincerely doubted that Reiji would calm down upon realising that Shu was elsewhere.

Just then you heard an awful crunch from Reiji's direction and you shifted slightly in your seat. The vampire had just snapped part of the steering wheel off with his bare hands. You swallowed nervously and wondered if tonight might be the night you finally met your end at the hands of a vampire.

Five hours later and you were sitting in a police holding cell with Reiji after being arrested for car theft and dangerous driving. The aforementioned vampire was currently sitting with his head in his hands and hadn't so much as moved for the past three hours. Truth be told you were far too nervous to attempt any sort of conversation with him after his little... episode.

You were hungry, tired and full of regret. Reiji had always seemed to be the most sensible of his siblings and thus why you hadn't tried to walk home with anyone else. After this experience you were starting to think that you should perhaps spend time around another member of the household.

As you were musing your sorry circumstances, a police officer appeared outside of the cell.

"Someone's bailed you out so you're both free to go for now, though there are still heavy consequences for what the two of you have done," The man said as he unlocked the cell. 

Thank goodness, one of the other Sakamakis must have come to your rescue. While you were lead into the foyer of the police station, you looked around to see which brother had saved you from spending any more time with a half-mad Reiji in police custody. However you couldn't see a single one of them, instead you laid eyes on the last person you would have expected to see.

"Shin-kun," you said as you approached the first blood. "What are you doing here?" 

"I heard about what happened from one of the familiars who happened to be nearby. Hahaha, so Sakamaki Reiji, you finally snapped did you?" Shin spoke with a mocking grin.

"Are you the one who bailed us out?" Reiji finally seemed to have regained enough of his composure to be able to speak.

"Heh, don't think too much into it. I just need that girl but also... If I had to live with your brothers, I'd try to run them over too. Shame you got caught, road rage." Reiji's face soured with that comment. 

"Well," Shin looked straight at you "are you going to come with me then, or am I going to have to force you?" You wondered about just how much sense he had to make comments like that in a police station, then again it was currently quite early in the morning for normal humans and the people in the station looked as though they were running on a copious amount of caffeine alone. With a quick glance to Reiji you considered your options briefly.

"Nope, I'll come."

"Ehhh, finally realised how superior we are compared to those vampires."

"Something like that..."

"You will not be going anywhere," Reiji interrupted loudly "have you forgotten who exactly you belong to." Reiji's eyes seemed to be sparking again.

This was not going to end well.

[husheduphistory]

Book of the Dead: A Oujia Board, a Claim, and Mark Twain

It's a thrilling moment for any author, the first time they can look into their hands and see an officially published copy of their work, ready to be unleashed for mass public consumption. Arriving at this moment can be hard-fought and visions of the outcome can be grand. Will be a best seller? Could it become a blockbuster film? Will this be the title to make them a household name and enter their work into the hallowed halls of classics?

But, there is another way it can turn that is filled with potential nightmares. Financial failure? Bad reviews? Accusations of plagiarism? All of these have the power to ruin an author but when Emily Grant Hutchings was accused of publishing someone else's ideas she was not surprised. In fact, she fully acknowledged that the story was not hers. According to her it was the a brand new offering from beloved American author Mark Twain who, according to Hutchings, fully supported her publishing his work. This was because he was unable to, he had been dead for seven years.

Emily Grant Hutchings was born in Hannibal, Missouri, the youngest of six to her doctor mother and minister father. She attended the local high school and returned there after college to teach multiple languages including Latin, Greek, and German. While she taught foreign language to her students, she also was a proficient writer in her own tongue and in August 1896 Hutchings moved to St. Louis, Missouri to take a position as a writer for the St. Louis Republic. The position was for only six months but while traveling to Memphis to gather information for an upcoming story Emily met Charles Edwin Hutchings. Charles was an admirer of her work, having enjoyed a piece she authored in June 1897 focusing on an interest they both shared, another writer from Hannibal Missouri named Samuel Clemens, better known as Mark Twain. By the time Emily was due to move back to St. Louis, she and Edwin were married.

Emily Grant Hutchings.

The Hutchings pair had the opportunity to meet their mutual figure of admiration in June 1902 when Twain came to St. Louis to address the Art Student's Association at a luncheon held in his honor. Mr. Hutchings wrote down the speech given by Twain and proceeded to send the author a copy of the words he spoke that afternoon. On June 12th Twain wrote back to Mr. Hutchings thanking him for the record stating "I ought to be very grateful to you for making that verbatim report and printing it, and I am." It was this letter that began a string of correspondence between Twain and both the Hutchings, a connection that may not have been overly enjoyed by Twain given a note written on an envelope from Emily where he scrawled simply, "Idiot! Preserve this.”

Samuel Clemens AKA Mark Twain.

When Mark Twain died on April 21, 1910 most of the world was forced to resign itself to the fact that one of its great literary minds was gone. But, there was a large number of people that raised the question ".....is he though?"

Beginning in the 1840s Americans became deeply enveloped in the practice of Spiritualism, a belief system that the spirits of those departed were not only present among the living, but were fully capable of communicating with them and evolving far beyond what their earthly selves ever could have dreamed. After experiencing such mass tragedies like the Civil War, the practice exploded with people desperate to make contact with those departed. A common tool used by Spiritualists were talking boards engraved with the letters of the alphabet and numbers which were selected with a planchette to form messages from the dead. In 1890 the Spiritualism field gained it's signature tool with the invention of the Ouija board.

Ouija board circa 1915.

With death being so abundant and often unpredictable it only made sense to the believers in Spiritualism that all those departed would still have something to say, or in some cases, unfinished work to complete. According to Emily Hutchings it was March 1915 when she was asked to attend a meeting for a "small psychical research society.” The scheduled speaker failed to show so the hostess asked another  woman named Lola V. Hays to entertain everyone with her talking board. To their amazement the spirit introduced itself to the group as none other than "Samuel L. Clemens, lazy Sam.” Being from his hometown, Emily was asked to say something but she fell silent. She later asked for another meeting with Hays and when the two again sat together some rules were laid out. Hays would have her hands placed on the planchette with her eyes closed while Hutchings recorded the messages coming through. Almost immediately Twain came through and he had a odd request, "I tried to write a romance once, and the little wife laughed at it. I still think it is good stuff and I want it written..." After a few minutes of exchanges Hutchings claims it was revealed that after many attempts at fining a living human to bring his unfinished work to life "a twenty-minute test with me seemed to convince him that in me he had found the negative side of the mysterious human mechanism for which he had been waiting.”

This last story that Mark Twain reached across the veil to write was entitled Jap Herron, the tale of Jasper James Herron, a boy born to a Missouri family after the Civil War. Born into poverty, Jasper James, nicknamed "Jap", finds himself under the wings of a well-to-do newspaper family and through many trials and tribulations, is able to find success and help revive his struggling town. The story is filled with the unique flavors and mannerisms found in Twain's other classics like The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, but the method through which this tale allegedly came to light was anything but familiar. 

According to Hutchings, the transmission from Twain through Hays was not a smooth process with Hutchings and her husband needing to modify the board to add punctuation, numerous chapter revisions, Twain expressing disgust with the type of tobacco being smoked by Mr. Hutchings during one session, and Twain scolding them "...don't try to correct my grammar. I know what I want to say. And, dear ladies, when I say d-a-m-n, please don t write d-a-r-n. Don t try to smooth it out. This is not a smooth story."

The story of Jap Herron was published in the fall of 1917 by book dealer Mitchell Kennerley and while the authorship was granted to Hutchings the full title of the work read "Jap Herron: A Novel Written From The Ouija Board" with a sketch of Twain placed next to the title page. Also included in the volume was an introduction entitled "The Coming of Jap Herron" where Hutchings described in detail how this last story of Mark Twain came to her through the talking board. 

The title page for Jap Herron.

The claim of a book written from beyond the grave should have raised immediate questions, but this was not the only book to do so. Only a year earlier in 1916 national attention was given to the book "Patience Worth: A Psychic Mystery" which was allegedly the collected writings of a spirit named Patience Worth that were dictated via Ouija Board to a woman named Pearl Curran, who just happened to be friends with Emily Hutchings. In the October 14th 1916 edition of the magazine Literary Digest the rumor of the upcoming postmortem book by Twain was mentioned with the quip

"Nearly everybody in St. Louis is monkeying with "weejie-boards" and talking to dead novelists! The call for the little heart-shaped things on wheels, known as ouija-boards by the elect, has sent prices shooting skyward, and shipments of them are coming to St. Louis from all over the country. Mark Twain is the latest author said to speak to those on earth by this unearthly means, and it is whispered there is discord among those spooks who are seeking possession of the mental pipe-lines to the mystic pointers.”

Once released, Jap Herron was not the recipient of kind words and the book review from the September 9th 1917 edition of the New York Times reported "If this is the best that 'Mark Twain' can do by reaching across the barrier, the army of admirers that his works have won for him will all hope that he will hereafter respect that boundary.” But, the strongest blow to Hutchings's release did not come from a book reviewer, but from Twain's daughter, Clara Clemens.

Clara Clemens.

Clemens, the Mark Twain estate, and publishing house Harper & Brothers had the sole rights to all of Mark Twain's work and the publication by Hutchings and Kennerly threw various wrenches into established copyright law. Could a dead person be recognized as an active author? If so, what about the copyright on Samuel Clemen's pen name "Mark Twain" which was also held by Harper & Brothers? Would it be legal if it was under the Clemens name? Twain was not listed as an author but having his picture alongside the title page and the detailed description of him communicating through Hutchings and Hays clearly pointed at his authorship of the work. Hutchings was backed into a difficult corner. The book's claim to fame (and sales) was that it was written by well-known author Mark Twain and not the relatively unknown Emily Hutchings. But, the more Hutchings and Kennerly stuck to the story that this was an original story by Mark Twain the stronger they made the case against themselves putting legal victory firmly in the hands of Clemens and Harper & Brothers. The Ouija board wielding authors simply had nowhere to turn.

Twain's publishers and Clemens, who in a February 1918 interview with the New York Times called the publication "silly, foolish, stupid, and crazy", filed a lawsuit with the Supreme Court on June 8th 1918 and requested that all copies of the book be prohibited from being sold and subsequently destroyed. The lawsuit became the talk of major newspapers with articles teeming with speculation. Would Hutchings be required to use the Ouija board in court? Could the spirit of Mark Twain be made a witness? Is spirit testimony valid in a court of law, especially the highest court in the land? While there were eagerly awaited answers for these questions, they would never get to be formerly asked. Before the case could ever get to a courtroom Hutchings and Kennerly agreed to quietly pull the book from further publication and most copies were destroyed.

One surviving copy of Jap Herron with missing dust cover.

The disappearance of Jap Herron from further publication accompanied the name Emily Grant Hutchings which quickly faded into obscurity. She never retracted her claims of having the work dictated to her by Mark Twain.

Today, physical copies of the book are rare and sell for large sums of money.

The text of Jap Herron can be read here 

[ledenews]

COVID-19 Diary: Local Reaction to Governor’s Orders

(Publisher’s Note: The COVID Diary will be a daily addition to the coronavirus coverage offered by LEDE News in order to ensure all of the latest information is made available to our readers. The included information has been collected from local, state, and federal officials who have communicated with media outlets, including The Watchdog (98.1 FM WKKX and 97.7 FM WVLY). This resource will publish each evening.) Stay. At. Home. That was one of the orders issued by W.Va. Gov. Jim Justice earlier today, and it is in effect at this time. The governor, during a press conference this afternoon that was delayed twice before he started his address around 1:20 p.m., informed the public the state’s number of confirmed COVID-19 cases increased to 16 over the weekend, including one that was discovered in a rest home. Justice said he immediately dispatched four members of the state’s National Guard to test all residents and employees at the facility. Justice also order non-essential businesses to close and mandated that state parks cancel all reservations for rental cabins and to cease accepting the new customers. The governor also proclaimed this Wednesday as, “Day of State Prayer.” “I know there are a lot of people who are being critical of Gov. Justice right now, but I have to ask people to give him more patience,” Del. Lisa Zukoff (D-4th) said this afternoon on The Watchdog (98.1 FM WKKX and 97.7 FM WVLY). “The governor tired today, and I’m sure that’s because he’s been working very hard to keep us safe. “No governor during our lifetimes has every done what he’s doing right now, so I think we need to cut him some breaks sometimes,” she said. “He’s a made a lot of decisions, so I am hopeful that the closings and today's ‘stay at home’ order works to keep the spread down to as minimal as possible. In the end, that’s what we’re all hoping, and I am sure that’s his goal.” Prior to today, Gov. Justice had closed schools, bars, restaurants, fitness clubs and gyms, and state parks. This past Saturday evening, the governor urged state residents to take heed to the warnings in an effort to limit the spread in West Virginia. “What I was trying to tell you Saturday night,” Gov. Justice said this afternoon, “was to do better.”

Instead of duties like this one, Del. Erikka Storch has spent the most of here time at work or at home.

A Cruise of OK

The governor added that he has instructed his staff to begin an inventory of hospital beds in the state, and to contact the state’s medical schools to see if students and staff could be available to assist, and to check on the availability of dorm rooms now that the remainder of the spring semester has been canceled. Justice repeated several times, though, for the state's residents to remain in their homes. “You see people at the stores, but other than that I think we are just staying at home for the most part,” said Del. Erikka Storch (R-3rd). “But I am glad that he said it because I’m sure folks needed to hear it from him instead of from someone else, so hopefully now they are safe, too. “And, if you see some cars out, just realize that there are people who are just driving around to see something other than the inside of their homes,” the lawmaker said. “My own mother asked me if I thought it was a safe thing to do, and it is and that’s why I’ll go over and make sure her tank is full and things like that.”

This is all too common site here in the Upper Ohio Valley.

Notes:

Ohio County Schools Superintendent Dr. Miller announced this afternoon that meal distribution at 10 locations was suspended immediately for safety reasons. The district will now develop a program with local agencies, and possibly with the National Guard to resume to distribution as soon as possible. The city of Wheeling has closed all parks and playgrounds, and has suspended sweeping and ticketing for parking violations.John Lynch from WTRF TV-7 reported this morning that Wheeling Hospital CEO Doug Harrison stated that 40 NR95 masks have been stolen from the facility’s Corporate Health Department. Harrison said officers with the Wheeling Police Department are now investigating.The Marshall County Commission voted to declare of State of Emergency, a move that will allow the county to take protective measures as needed.WVU Medicine has implemented a “no visitation” policy at its medical facilities, including locations in Wheeling, Glen Dale, and Barnesville.West Liberty University has suspended its search for its next president, and Dr. Stephen Greiner has agreed to remain in his position until September instead of retiring in May.On Sunday, Ohio Gov. Mike Dewine issued a “stay at home” order for all non-essential workers in the Buckeye State. Despite that order, many residents are permitted to report to work, including those employed in the media, energy, transportation, healthcare, food and agriculture, gas stations, restaurants for off-site consumption, funeral services, and several more. Ohio is one of eight states where “stay at home” orders have been issued.Pres. Trump said during a briefing this evening that the deadline for registration for the Real ID, a federal requirement that was implemented in West Virginia more than five years. The deadline was set for Oct. 1.According to the federal Center for Disease Control, this evening there are 43,449 confirmed COVID-19 cases in the United States with 545 deaths. In West Virginia, there are 16 cases and no deaths; in Ohio, 442 cases and six deaths, and 644 positives in Pennsylvania with four fatalities. The United States now ranks third in the world. Read the full article

[stopsubstanceabuse1-blog]

Latest Version 1Z0-216 Brain Dumps Practise Questions

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General’s G-Max RS May Change The Way UHP Tires Are Made!

The promise is real—better grip, better life, and lower cost all in one incredible UHP tire.

Earlier this year, we got wind of a new tire from General called the G-Max RS, which seemed to have some spectacular claims attached to it. General claimed for its new Ultra High Performance (UHP) tire that its dry handling would be light years ahead of its B-segment competitors, have up to 35 percent better tread life, a class-leading 50,000-mile warranty, a segment-busting 360 UTGQ treadwear rating, and an unprecedented 45-day free trial period.

We got to test General’s new G-Max RS UHP tire at NOLA Motorsports Park. The new tire line offers impressive grip and tread life at an affordable price.

What’s more, the G-Max RS just looks the part. Arguably, it’s the best-looking UHP tire in the hotly contested B-market UHP segment, with an aggressive tread pattern, a rounded shoulder, and a smooth, unadorned sidewall. When it hits dealerships in late February of 2018, it will be available in 50 SKUs, many of them in late-model domestic rear-drive performance sizes, such as those for Mustang, Camaro, Challenger, and Charger. Moreover, because of its high grip, owners of pro touring, auto cross, and road-course track rats will be taking a keen interest in the G-Max RS as a safer alternative to higher-priced R-compound race tires. General Tire clearly has HOT ROD readers in their crosshairs, and with such boastful claims, we were eager to experience the G-Max RS for ourselves.

The G-Max RS looks great, but it’s “goldielocks” combination of construction, compounding, tread design, sizing, and price will push this tire onto the radar of enthusiasts in the coming months.

Our chance came sooner than we expected when General invited us to NOLA Motorsports Park in Louisiana to dig deep into their new UHP tire behind the wheel of Saleen’s new 715hp Mustang and General’s own Petty-built 650hp supercharged 392 Shaker-edition Challenger. It’s worth noting here that Steve Saleen was so impressed with the G-Max RS that he made it original equipment on his Mustangs, an arrangement that has its roots more than 30 years ago when Saleen first stormed onto the SCCA scene with his trademark package cars and General XP-2000 tires.

We’ll cut to the chase and tell you that General’s performance claims are right on the money, and with the exception of the treadwear (they wanted their cars back at day’s end!), we found it all to be true, and then some. General also had an array of vehicles on hand besides the Saleen and Challenger, and we took spells in all of them. This encompassed high-speed on-track dry handling, a lower-speed safety course (Miatas), and a longer wet/dry course with both front-wheel drive Mini Coopers and rear-wheel drive BMWs.

The author rides shotgun around NOLA with Chip Ganassi LeMan racer, Billy Johnson, in a 715hp Saleen Mustang shod with G-Max RS tires. The G-Max RS is standard equipment on the Saleen.

First, some background. The “B segment” in tire lingo refers to the replacement tire market as opposed to the original-equipment market. General Tire’s parent company, Continental, is a major world supplier for the OE market, so unlike some B-segment players, has the know-how, resources, and manufacturing volume to develop technically sophisticated products at a competitive price, which is exactly what has been done with the G-Max RS.

No evaluation would be worth its salt without competitive tires on hand. As a reference, General supplied us with identical cars shod with what are widely recognized as some of the best competitive B-segment UHP tires in the marketplace today. On tap was the BFGoodrich g-Force Sport COMP-2, the Firestone Firehawk Indy 500, and the Hankook Ventus V12 evo2. All three competitors (all of whom either are OEM manufacturers outright or who are owned by OEM tire builders) stand heads above in a field of dozens of competitors that compete tooth and nail for the aftermarket performance dollar.

Perhaps the biggest litmus test of the G-Max RS was seeing how well it worked on the heaviest car in our group: the 650hp supercharged Petty’s Garage 392 Challenger. The better grip and faster transient response of the G-Max RS have the effect of making the car feel far lighter under cornering and braking.

To be clear, an ultra-high-performance summer tire like the G-Max RS is not the same as a DOT-legal race tire. If you demand take-no-prisoners dry grip at all costs, you’ll want to look at R-compound tires along the lines of the Yokohama Advan A048, Toyo Proxes R888, BF Goodrich g-Force Rival S, Nitto NT01, or Falken Azenis RT615K. R-compound tires will give you more dry grip than a three-season UHP, but all of them come with warnings against highway use, not to mention a higher price and typically no mileage warranty. That said, let’s look at what we found.

The dry grip limit of the G-Max RS was tenacious on NOLA’s high-speed road course. When driven at 10/10ths in cars with ludicrous amounts of power (the supercharged 715hp Saleen and supercharged Petty 392 Challenger), the RS tolerates hard late braking and takes the throttle confidently early after the apex. What’s more is how linear and progressive the G-Max RS is at the limit, transmitting its audible warnings well in advance of, and in proportion to, loss of grip. In this category, only the Hankook Ventus V12 evo2 came close.

Our experience was not unique. Also on hand was NASCAR driver, Greg Biffle, who drove a number of G-Max RS-equipped cars on NOLA’s high-speed track. Riding shotgun with Biffle—and also with Chip Ganassi Le Mans racer Billy Johnson—we got to see, feel, and hear every nuance of the G-Max RS at full tilt. We spent some time with Biffle after our laps and got his take: “The car is braking like you would not believe down through the corner. I’m super impressed with it. The tires stayed pretty consistent for me. You could tell they weren’t giving up significant grip as we were sliding them and drifting them a little bit. Two corners later, the tires would come right back.

“To come out and do that with a 50,000-mile tire really in my opinion is unheard of. They wanted to do some drifting shots and they were filming out of the minivan. I was drifting about 50, 60 mph not far off their door and it was difficult to get them to drift to start with. They’ve got so much grip. I had to yank the wheel and really pin it. And if that car didn’t have 700 hp I really couldn’t get this car into a drift like that. I was surprised and impressed with the amount of grip it had.”

Grip, however, isn’t the whole story. Transient performance—how quickly the tire reacts to steering input—is impressive as well. A solid center rib with a silica-rich summer compound reacts lightning quick to turning. Faster handling is also accomplished with solid shoulder blocks in what General calls “Smart Grip” technology. The overall tread pattern and stiffness is optimized for a larger effective footprint that besides providing quicker turning also adds significantly to tread life—up to 35 percent more compared to the Hankook Ventus V12 evo2 we mentioned previously. (Note: This is obviously a claim we have yet to prove, so take it on face value. That said, we have no reason to disbelieve it based on the UTQG treadwear rating of 360.)

Driving a front-wheel drive car on a tight course is a lesson in both understeer and patience. Adding water to the equation only makes matters worse. This is where we saw the biggest differences in all four tires, with the G-Max RS coming out on top.

The surprise of the day actually came not in the dry, but on the wet handling course. Here, tires that are maximized for dry performance show their Achilles’ heel—a lack of grip due to less tread void compared with all-season performance tires. Here, the G-Max RS was our favorite over the Hankook, BFG, and Firestone. And while it was possible to break the Generals loose in the wet, it happened with a much higher degree of predictability. In the case of the BFG g-Force Sport COMP-2, wet grip was decent as well, but loss of traction was sudden—like flipping a switch. Not fun. The Firestone Indy 500 was somewhere in between the BFG and Hankook.

To prove the point about wet traction, Biffle—ever the showman—jumped in the RS-shod Miata on our safety handling course, put it in reverse, and ran the course backwards at high speed through the emergency lane change, slalom, and high-speed wet sweeper—without spinning or knocking over any cones. Once we stopped howling with laughter, we realized what had just transpired. If you’ve ever driven fast in reverse, you know how unstable steering from the “rear” is, yet the G-Max RS delivered the traction. (Oh, and please don’t do this at home folks.)

We give a lot of credit to General for letting us beat their cars hard on track; it takes confidence in your product to let a merry band of journalists pound on your expensive iron all day long on a race track, and even more guts to lay it on the line with your top competitors in the segment. (That can go really wrong if you haven’t done your homework!) The Firestone, Hankook, and BFGoodrich tires we tested are some of the best in the marketplace—that’s why General selected them as benchmarks. The performance of the G-Max RS alone is enough to recommend it, but if what we’re told is true, the low pricing will be the knock-out punch. Add to that the highest treadwear rating and mileage warranty in the UHP class, a 45-day trial period, and the fact that the G-Max RS is made right here in the U.S.A., and you get a tire that’s hard to walk away from.

Source:

General Tire www.GeneralTire.com

The post General’s G-Max RS May Change The Way UHP Tires Are Made! appeared first on Hot Rod Network.

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[topicprinter]

In this post, I’ll be sharing a few things that are working for this guy and helping him touch 4-5 Figure revenues every single day, consistently, with a decent profit margin. He’s currently doing Print on demand and a bit of AliExpress.Here is his original Facebook post with screenshot proof: https://gyazo.com/d5f5abb41c0487d9da8408daf18ed119 https://gyazo.com/8411f62369cc929feb1028c4dc5ec78f Here is video proof of his sales: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TTPC8psU6zcAnd this is an EXTREMELY long post, and I’ve actually created a YouTube video breaking down the information in a more digestible way, and literally showing you step-by-step what to do in the research phase, so instead of just reading what to do you can physically see me doing everything he mentions.Here is the link to my video explanation and tutorial on his method: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mfm7LuDwyz8Hope this helps some of you guys, oh and massive credit to Nishkarsh for allowing me to share this awesome information1: Research"I test multiple designs across different niches. The average number of designs that we test everyday range from 3 to 5.We always reverse engineer.So, instead of deciding on the niches we want to go for, we focus on finding winning designs(on FB) and testing them.We simply search for keywords like ‘get yours here’, ‘teespring.com’ and ’t-shirt’ to see what’s working on Facebook.Money is where the engagement is. So whenever we find a good engaging post, we know that people are loving that particular design and it’s niche is worth tapping into.We usually see the engagement a post has got. So, if a post has good engagement, it’s worth testing and taking design-inspiration from.Now, we take inspiration from that design and ask our designer to create something better and different. Along with this, we also search for 3-4 more designs in this niche that either have great engagement [on Facebook] or look really good to us.We find good engaging designs on FB itself by searching for that ‘niche’ + ‘get yours here’.Example: 1. First I search for a good engaging design on Facebook by searching for keywords like ‘teespring.com’Then I find more designs in the same niche. So, lets say I found a design in the Dad niche, I’ll search for ‘Dad shirt get yours here’ or ‘Dad teespring.com’ or ‘Dad shirt buy here’ in Facebook searchFrom here I’ll pick 3-4 more designs.I ask my designer to create something better and different than the designs that I share with him. I pay him around $10 per design.Ready to test2: TestingWe keep a total testing budget of $20-30 per product/campaign. We know that the experts say that we should have a 3-5 day testing window for products, but trust me, it has never worked for us.We usually test our products for 1 day or 2 days max. We usually get an idea about how well the product is going to work, in the first 24 hours itself.We create 3-4 adsets per campaign. Every adset is run with a budget of $5. We distribute the targeting in the following way:Adset#1: Magazines or websites | We usually intersect 3-4 magazines or websites in that niche.Adset#2: We target the ‘I love’ keywords for that product. So lets say if we are to target dads, we’ll target interests like ‘love being dad’ ‘love my children’ ‘love being daddy’ ‘love my son’ etc.Adset#3: We select males and parents from the demographics. So, all fathers would be seeing our ad.We usually try to keep our adset audience size to 300k-1 million. So either we add more interests or we intersect them, to reach our target audience size while testing.If we don’t get a sale within 24 hours, we let the adsets run only if they have a good CPC [Cost per link click]. Anything less than a dollar is okay.48 hours is the maximum we wait before killing an adset or the entire campaign.We’ve seen from experience that if a product works for us on day#1, it works when we scale it too. If it doesn’t work for us on day#1 and works on day#2, it gives us a hard time while scaling it.3: ScalingWe test multiple things one-by-one. Let me break it down step-by-step:$5/adset, testing phase, 1-2 daysWorks? Yes - Let’s scale!Duplicate the adset to $25/dayIf it works, we duplicate the same adset to $50/day. And carry on with the same process[50-100-200] until the adsets are profitable. 1 day window.If daily budgets don’t work when we scale, we run them on life time budgets. So if $25/day doesn’t work, we run them at $350 lifetime for 14 days [which is $25/day too].If lifetime works, we duplicate the adset and keep doubling the budget [350-700-1400-2800 and so on]. 1 day window.If none of these work, we increase the budget of the test adset slowly. So from $5, we make it 15-25-35-50 and so on. 1 day window.We’ve come a long way since we started with ecom.It’s been one interesting journey for us. The best thing about ecom is that it’s a proven process and anyone can make it work.It took us 8 days to see our first sale and 30 days to finally have a profitable day.Today, we are grossing consistent revenues of $7k-$10k/day. It’s all about being patient and testing.You know what the secret sauce is? Let me tell you: NONE It’s simple. There’s no point complicating the process or re-inventing the wheel. Just keep it simple. Acquiring new information and learning is great, but it’s going to be of no use if you don’t take action.There’s no point seeing 1000s of videos on scaling or research if you don’t implement them. Learn from YouTube videos and implement what you learn.Don’t try to focus on complex concepts or strategies if you’re starting out. It’s simple. All it takes is patience, persistence and of course, hard work."

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Fernando Alonso showing he’s no Indianapolis 500 rookie

Two-time Formula One champion Fernando Alonso is surprisingly skipping the Monaco Grand Prix to race in the Indianapolis 500.

The notation seems like a typo. Like a mistake that someone initially made, then forgot to amend so it just became an afterthought.

It is there in every official practice report and qualifying recap pertaining to Sunday’s Indianapolis 500 (noon ET, ABC). An unmistakable “R” alongside Fernando Alonso’s name signifying that he is a rookie, despite the Spaniard being a two-time Formula One world champion and universally recognized as one of motor racing’s premier talents.

Technically, though, Alonso is a rookie. Instead of competing in the Monaco Grand Prix on Sunday as he normally would as a driver for McLaren-Honda, the 35-year-old elected to skip Formula One’s signature race and attempt the Indianapolis 500.

“You need to win the best races in the world and the most prestigious races in the world. And how to achieve that is Formula One, Indy 500, and 24 Hour Le Mans.” — Fernando Alonso

The idea of racing at Indianapolis was largely conceived by McLaren team principle Zak Brown, an American with an extensive background in motor sports on multiple fronts. Sensing his driver’s growing frustration with an uncompetitive and unreliable Honda engine (Alonso’s only finished one of five races), Brown appealed to Alonso’s desire to become just the second driver to win Monaco, the Indianapolis 500, and the 24 Hours of Le Mans — racing’s Triple Crown. Only Graham Hill is a member of that exclusive club, and a win Sunday would put Alonso two-thirds of the way there. (He’s a two-time Monaco winner.)

“Let's say that four or five years ago, I start thinking about how to grow up as a driver and become a little bit more complete driver,” Alonso said. “To do so, I think you need to win the best races in the world and the most prestigious races in the world. And how to achieve that is Formula One, Indy 500, and 24 Hour Le Mans.

“But I didn't think that it was possible to attempt another race apart from Formula One until I was retired from Formula One. So to make it happen now in this year is something that is making me very, very proud from my team and makes me very happy, as well.”

Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

Alonso (29) leads a pack of cars down the front straightaway into Turn 1 during Indianapolis 500 practice.

Brown initially pitched Alonso on the idea jokingly, as an aside to a regular conversation the two were having before the start of the Formula One season. Alonso didn’t dismiss what his boss was saying, however. He actually reacted favorably, saying it was a race he wanted to run in the future. But after the topic got brought up during a dinner they were attending with Honda executives prior to the Australian Grand Prix in early April, Brown told Alonso to think seriously about running Indianapolis this year.

Alonso then took some time to consider the proposal. As he did, Brown began putting the pieces together behind the scenes to make the seemingly far-fetched notion a reality. Then came another dinner the two shared.

“Fernando and I had dinner the Friday of the Chinese Grand Prix, and I laid it out there and told him I thought this was something we could pull off if he wanted,” Brown told SB Nation. “The conversation got very serious, he said he was going to sleep on it. He woke the next morning and said, ‘Let’s do it.’”

Alonso’s decision sent shock waves across the motor sports landscape. His Indianapolis foray has become an international story with more than 2 million watching the stream of his initial laps around the 2.5-mile oval on May 3.

“The fans, they welcomed the idea. It was unexpected,” Alonso said. “This is quite a unique thing. I'm aware of it. I'm aware of the difficulty. All the fans I think are aware of it this, but I think if you love motorsports, this is a good news.”

Before this month he had never driven an Indy car, nor turned a competitive lap on an oval. There are no such tracks in Formula One. And while the cars may look similar at first glance, an Indy car and a Formula One car have little in common. It would be like comparing a Yugo to, well, a Ferrari.

Because of the considerable differences between the two series, McLaren partnered with Andretti Autosport, one of IndyCar’s topflight organizations and also backed by Honda, to lead the venture. That union has placed Alonso in an ideal position with a team well suited to helping drivers with limited seat time in an Indy car get up to speed quickly.

In 2014, full-time NASCAR driver Kurt Busch decided to become the fourth driver to attempt “The Double” — running both the Indianapolis 500 and Coca-Cola 600 on the same day. On the Indy car side, the 2012 Cup Series champion joined Andretti Autosport, owned by former IndyCar Series champion Michael Andretti, son of Mario Andretti. Although he had never raced open-wheel cars previously, Busch finished sixth.

“Michael Andretti is prepared as well as you possibly can be,” Busch told SB Nation. “He’s brings five cars to Indianapolis and he uses that fifth seat to bring in drivers like myself, (Alexander) Rossi, and Alonso a chance to have a world-class ride at the Indy 500. It really works well in so many different ways.”

Last year, Rossi, who tired of struggling to land a competitive Formula One ride, signed with Andretti Autosport to run the entire IndyCar schedule. Like Alonso, Rossi’s had never raced an open-wheel car on an oval before the transition. Unlike Alonso, Rossi did gain some experience when he raced on the one-mile Phoenix International Raceway a month prior to Indianapolis.

“I think this is the one race you go into where you actually don't have a plan.” — Alexander Rossi

But largely Rossi had a lot to learn when he showed up at the historic track constructed in 1909. Yet just as it did with Busch, the Andretti group worked with the American to get him acclimated. On race day, Rossi exercised patience and smarts while his team devised a strategy that climaxed with a surprising victory, Andretti’s fourth Indianapolis 500 win overall.

“I think this is the one race you go into where you actually don't have a plan, you kind of just roll with it,” Rossi said. “It's just about taking it one lap at a time and executing each of those laps. And then your plan kind of comes into play in the last 20, 25 laps if you're in the front, and then you start to have a process that you go through.”

By any measure, Alonso’s abilities supersede those of Busch and Rossi.

Not surprising considering his skill level, nothing about Alonso’s performance thus far suggests that of a rookie. There have been no bobbles on the track where he appeared out of his element. Not a single instance to cause one to think maybe jumping into the deep end of the Indy car pool may have been impetuous.

The only blemish, if you even want to call it that, came during the final laps of his Rookie Orientation Program where Alonso struck not one, but two birds while at speed. Otherwise, he’s exceeded all expectations.

Throughout practice, Alonso’s been a fixture near the top of the leaderboard. In qualifying his four-lap average speed of 231.300 mph places him fifth on the grid Sunday. Ahead of such stalwarts like Tony Kanaan (qualified seventh), Juan Pablo Montoya (18th), and Helio Castroneves (19th), all of whom are former race winners.

“At the end of the day, the big thing is just the race itself and the competition remains very similar,” Alonso said. “We are all here to race hard and to compete and try to be faster than any other guy out there.”

Now, a whole new set of challenges awaits. Whereas Busch had familiarity on the Indianapolis oval — albeit in a stock car — and Rossi had raced at Phoenix, Alonso’s first oval test in race conditions will be Sunday.

From his own experience, Busch says there will be various moments during the 500-miler where Alonso will feel quite comfortable — especially in the early stages when the field tends to sort out with drivers more apt to race conservatively.

“We are all here to race hard and to compete and try to be faster than any other guy out there.” — Fernando Alonso

“I got to halfway in that race, Lap 100, and I said to myself, ‘This is all the experience I’m going to be able to gain. I’m going to have to cash it in now. Let’s go,’” Busch said. “I continued to keep learning and feeling out the draft. I was making a few passes at that point. Then it just seemed to click when I was in a long green-flag run.”

There is also the matter of traffic and how Alonso handles maneuvering around others cars. Indianapolis is a narrow track, which accompanied with the high speeds, doesn’t leave a lot of room for forgiveness.

“Learning how the car reacts in the draft and in dirty air is tough, and that will be a tough spot for Fernando to learn as well,” Busch said. “How stable and unstable [the cars] are in certain situations.”

Every indication is Alonso will adapt similarly like Busch and Rossi — if not even better.

“Obviously, he’s very accomplished,” said pole-sitter Scott Dixon, himself a former race winner. “We’ve seen many rookies win here in the first go and he’s with one hell of a team. I think he’s got a fantastic shot.”

[itsworn]

This 1970 Dodge Challenger—And 3 Friends—Saved A Life!

Whether we’re talking about an old girlfriend, a big fish, or a car, everyone has the story of something that they thought was in their grasp and then got away. Typically, these stories don’t result in the thing that escaped later being possessed by the person that lost out on it. In the case of John Howard and this 1970 Challenger, it does and boy is this one a doozy. The best part is that both Howard and the Challenger have served to rescue each other at differing points in their respective lives. Better than any fish story, this is a big-block four-speed tale and instead of some tasty fillets on the grill there’s a machine with looks for days and the ability to fry tires for a fortnight.

The story begins with a chance encounter in 1976. While hanging out and bench racing at a friend’s speed shop, a guy pulled in with a 1970 Challenger he was looking to sell. Always out for a good deal, John Howard and his pal Tim Butler hopped in for a test drive. After some spirited cruising in the car a deal was struck and John would pay $1,200 for the 440-powered, four-speed machine as soon as he could get the money out of the bank the next morning.

The next morning did not bring a new car, however. The next morning brought a phone call informing John that the car had been sold out from under him to another guy. If that was not painful enough, John discovered that about two weeks after the new owner got hold of the car he completely disassembled it with the intention of rebuilding the Challenger from the ground up. As happens so often in the muscle car world the now-disassembled car sat, and sat, and sat. The mass of Challenger parts was kept in a garage for 30 years! Over the course of those 30 years John attempted to buy the car multiple times but the owner refused and the project went nowhere.

“I was thoroughly annoyed when the guy sold the car after I committed to it,” John said. “Back then we did not have an ATM and I probably had $50 in my pocket. It was even worse when I found out that the guy drove it for about a month before he took the whole thing apart. The one good thing is that if I had gotten the car in 1976 I would have turned it into a race car and it certainly would not be as nice as it is today.”

Finally in 2005, there was a breakthrough. The Mopar “collector” was informed by his then wife that he had two choices: Sell all the Mopar stuff or sign the divorce papers. After off-loading the entire collection to a friend of John’s, the coast was now clear for him to score the Challenger that had been eluding him for two decades to that point. By the time all the stuff gets back to John’s home, it is 2006 and it is officially 30 years since the Challenger has been a whole, running and driving car.

“I knew the guy who bought all the stuff,” John said. “When he called me and I went over there to look at everything, the guy went into his sales pitch. I told him just to show me the car and all the stuff that went with it. This was probably the easiest sales job he ever had.”

The first step in the process was to take stock of what they had and bag/document it all. From that point forward the plan was simple. Rebuild the car! The stripped body, which had been well-kept in a garage for decades was sent to the body shop after John’s son Colby had the fine duty of torching and scraping the undercoating off of the car.

While at the body shop the car had the little rust that was on it repaired and it was shot with color. The first shop was working with what they thought was a pretty good surface, so they turned the job around reasonably quick. After a few months back at John’s garage rust began to bubble through the paint and things quickly got worse from there. As it turns out, the first shop was a little too trusting of a 30-year-old body and did not prep the surface as well as they should have.

The result was the car heading to another shop to be completely stripped bare and painted again. John is nothing if not persistent, and while this car was fighting him hard in this part of the process, he was in for a much larger fight shortly. After taking the car home from the paint shop the second time, John was gung-ho to finish the job. He attacked assembly immediately, installing the suspension, rear axle, and the engine/trans from below the car to avoid scratching his awesome new Top Banana paint job. In went the dash and the steering column along with the wiring to get the car fired up. Unfortunately, there was a problem.

No, not with the car. That was going fine. With John. He had been diagnosed with Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia and was undergoing chemotherapy to battle the cancer. With the chemo came the fatigue and strain that those rough treatments bring. Through all that he trooped on, making slow progress until his body decided to fight him again. This time the news was more ominous: his cancer had undergone something called Richter’s Transformation where it was no longer the leukemia but now Large B-Cell Lymphoma—a cancer that is known to spread aggressively and is very hard to treat.

“I went from having a fairly moderate type of cancer to having one of the most aggressive forms that can actually kill you pretty quickly,” John said. “When that started we all kind of knew what would be ahead and it was a tough road. I did my best to do what I could but eventually I didn’t have the strength to do the work.”

This is where John’s will to live took over. Despite the sickness and the tough treatments, he was adamant that he would get the car done by the time the Mopar Nationals rolled around. He dreamed about the day he would drive his car onto the grounds at Columbus and show it off. He dreamed about a day that he knew might not ever come and he did that to keep himself positive and motivated. Reality set in very quickly for John. He was not going to be physically able to do this job himself. The aggressive treatments left him too weak and too preoccupied with his health to continue on. This is where things get awesome.

John’s friends heard of his plight and jumped into action. Terry Moyer, Mike Salter, and Matt Roops were the three point men and they took it upon themselves to finish the car for John when he was not physically able to do it. It was a classic mad gearhead thrash to get the Challenger done in time, but they did, and John was supposed to ride to the show with Terry.

“I was really sick there for a while and when these guys jumped in I was really thankful,” John said. “They did most of the interior work, got the bumpers on, and did the finish things that I could not do. My job was simply to get them the parts. They are all great friends.”

There was another catch. John had to spend more time than he expected at the cancer center to get stem cells harvested for a transplant and he could not ride down. Mustering his strength, he flew down at the last minute, making the show in time to experience the thrill of piloting this Top Banana Challenger R/T in front of the assembled throngs of Mopar lovers.

The cherry on top of this awesomeness was the fact that after about an hour inside the show, John was approached by the people at Mopar and asked to bring his car to their tent to display. If there is a higher honor at the Mopar Nationals we’re not entirely sure what that is.

The feel-good part of the story is handled by John’s friends and how they took care of him in his time of need, but the look-good and drive-good portions of the story come from the decisions made when putting this car back together. One of the themes to this car that we see is subtlety. The engine looks like a factory stocker, but it is 500ci. “I was not going to stroke the engine at first but we decided to go that route,” John said. “I was actually going to go more aggressive with the engine than we did but I am happy how it turned out. This is a real V-code car but the original engine was blown up back in the early 1970s. It is not the original block in the car.”

The wheels look like factory Rallye examples but they are a 17-inch diameter. The paint looks OEM quality but it is relatively fresh and it is very beautiful. This is a car that takes a great thing in the form of the 1970 Challenger R/T and makes it just a little bit better in a lot of places, allowing the overall package to frequently stand out from the rest on the streets or in car shows.

“I really love driving the car,” John said. “It has great power, it drives well, and the paint gets plenty of looks as you cruise down the road. We have done well with it as shows, too.”

In many ways the story of John and his Challenger are the ultimate in perseverance and love. Not just the love of the car but the love between buddies who saw a friend in need and stepped up to help him live a dream when time was tight. It may have taken John Howard 30 years to complete his dream Challenger, but we know that every step along the way was worth it. The one that didn’t get away won’t be leaving his hands any time soon.

Top Banana is an interesting color. It is not for the faint of heart, but it looks great. The black hood and tail stripe help to balance out the yellow paint. You’ll never lose this one in a parking lot.

It is amazing to think about how this car was stripped and sat in a barn for 30 years as a pile of parts. It took some time, patience, and perseverance, but John has one of the nicest E-Bodies we have seen in some time.

Bucket seats, a pistol grip, and a woodgrain steering wheel are three things that every Mopar fan sees in their sweet dreams. This car is cool and the fact that John kept the interior largely stock means that drivers and passengers get the authentic 1970s experience.

Just shy of 500ci, this stroker RB engine has more than enough power to roast those rear tires off for lengths you could measure from space. A wolf in stock-appearing clothing, this car is a rocket ship.

While some thing it is sacrilege to tweak iconic designs like the Mopar Rallye wheel, we think John’s Challenger looks even better with the 17-inch Year One versions. A touch of modern class is always cool.

For any gearhead who grew up near the water, you know the sheer coolness of cruising the beach at night. This Challenger was certainly a bruiser when it was new, but when you take the freshened looks and combine them with the big motor, you have a true street king!

FAST FACTS

1970 Dodge Challenger R/T | John Howard – Sarasota, Florida

ENGINE Type: 498ci Chrysler RB big-block Bore x stroke: 4.380 x 4.150 Block: 1970 factory Chrysler Rotating assembly: 440 Source stroker crankshaft, 440 Source Platinum Series pistons, 440 Source Platinum series 6.760-inch connecting rods, Total Seal piston rings, balanced by Bad Iron Machine Shop; Bradenton, Florida Cylinder heads: Chrysler 906 iron cylinder heads, 10.67:1 compression Camshaft: COMP Cams Valvetrain: Cloyes timing chain, factory valves, COMP valve springs, pushrods, and rocker arms Induction: Edelbrock Six Pack style intake manifold, three Holley 2bbl carbs on top of intake Fuel system: factory-style mechanical pump Exhaust: TTI long-tube headers, Magnaflow mufflers, custom bent pipe Ignition: Mopar Performance Orange box Oiling system: Hemi 6-quart style pan, factory mechanical wet-sump oil pump Cooling: factory-style cooling system with mechanical fan and water pump Output: unknown Engine built by: Diamond Racing Engines; Sarasota Florida Best ET: has not been raced yet

DRIVETRAIN Transmission: 1970 A833 four-speed manual transmission, McLeod clutch Driveshaft: Mopar Performance Rearend: Super Track Pack Dana 60 with 4.10 gears

CHASSIS Front suspension: stock front suspension with factory swaybar and Koni shocks Rear suspension: stock-style leaf spring rear suspension with Koni shocks Steering: factory OEM steering Brakes: factory OE Bendix brakes Chassis: OE torque boxes are still in the car

PAINT & INTERIOR Color: Top Banana Yellow Painter: B&B Auto Body Sarasota, Florida; Bob Bennett Interior: factory-style interior with Ultimate Ride dash upgrade and woodgrain wheel from WoodGrainWheels.com

WHEELS & TIRES Wheels: Year One Ralley; 17×8 Year One (front), 17×9 (rear) Tires: BFGoodrich 245/45R17 (front), 275/40R17 (rear)

Special thanks: John wants to extend a huge personal thanks to Terry Moyer, Mike Salter, Matt Koops, Steve Mason, and Mike Amo for their help in getting the car done. That’s one awesome group of friends.

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