#as well as exhausted (also true. i got home at 10:30 its currently 11 and im wound up so i definitely wont be getting to sleep for a while

[ambersky0319]

Store managers said even a few minutes overtime will be a write up

I'm calling bullshit

[marveloussupernerd]

Ohhh Jumin with 1 for the Christmas prompts please? This local channel has a Hallmark Christmas movies marathon for the entire of December, I watched it when I can to get in the mood (and because I look for Jumin's alike in the love interest 👀). Thanks!

I wasn’t going to write this tonight but then I realized it was the exact brainless thing I needed rn. Everyday at 12 pm my mom gets excited and turns on Hallmark. It is on until 7 pm at least. So I know my hallmark

ALSO did you find Jumin’s alike ? Literally tell me what movie if so

Hallmark Movies - Jumin Han

This is from my Christmas / winter prompts !

Prompt: If you watch one more hallmark movie I’m pulling the plug on the TV

Warnings: this is a dumb warning but i talk abt the plot of some hallmark movies lol

Summary: you have to find some sort of pastime for when your husband is working. So it’s Hallmark. Glued to the couch all holiday season. Jumin hates when you swoon over those fictional men

You had December down like clockwork.

In the end of the year swing, C&R was constantly busy. They had to meet and surpass their yearly quotas. Your husband was always in meetings. This was the first time since getting married early that year that you had regretted your decision to become a stay-at-home housewife.

Jumin got ready for work at 6 am. His alarm went off at 5:50 so that he could wake up and get a few cuddles with you in bed before actually getting up. You woke up with him, planting kisses on his cheeks and asking for his daily itinerary and when you could expect him home for more cuddles. When he got up, you’d message the chef to start making him food. Jumin would tell you to stay in bed.

Jumin liked bringing you tea in bed in the mornings. Made him feel like the perfect husband. He’d get a kettle going as he got dressed and checked for any messages he may have gotten during the night. He’d deliver the tea to you, on a tray. You’d pour him a cup. He’d sit on the end of the bed and drink it. Talk about silly things.

He’d finish his cup, messaging Driver Kim he was ready for him. You’d tie his tie for him. He’d give you a goodbye kiss or two. He left by 6:45 am. You fell back asleep by 7 am, after Jumin messages you that he got to work safely.

You wake back up around 9. This time the chef brings up your breakfast. You’d lounge around in bed, answering emails for party guests, talking to the RFA, going on social media.

You were out of bed by 10:15, getting dressed, doing hair and/or makeup as you saw fit for the day. Jumin liked to lay out two outfits for you. If you didn’t want to wear either of them, that was fine. But if you did, it made him glow with pride.

You’d meet Jumin in his office for lunch together at 11. He’d tell you about the meeting he went to and Jaehee would sometimes come in and chat (which Jumin glared at her for doing). But primarily it was couples’ time. You liked to sit in silence, just enjoying each others’ company. At 11:30 you would head back to the penthouse.

And finally it was noon. Hallmark time. Since your husband worked long hours, you relied on the sexy Hallmark men to fill the void in your household. You laughed, you cried, you watched the same story over and over again but it was so special every time. As soon as Jumin got home, you’d turn off the movie and spend time with him, whether that be reading, cuddling, having dinner, going out somewhere; you let him choose. You didn’t feel the need to have a say. You already got to choose what you’d do throughout the day: Hallmark.

But one day Jumin got sick. Runny nose turned red from all the tissues he had been using, cups of tea gone through to help his sore throat. He was sick and absolutely unfit to go to the office. The schedule was messed up. He insisted he could take at least a half day, going in late and leaving early, and work from his home office. Okay. It was already 11. You’d just watch Hallmark when it came on.

Once the time came, Elizabeth the III sat on your lap (you were convinced she liked the movies too) and you cuddled up to watch the show.

Your phone rang. It was Jumin. You couldn’t pause the show.

You picked up regardless. “Hi Love. How are you feeling?” You asked.

He sniffled. “Bad. But I’m on my lunch break,” his tone brightened.

“...oh.” You hadn’t intended to say that aloud.

“Oh?”

“I’m watching a Hallmark movie with Elizabeth the III in the living room. Why don’t you come out here and eat with me?” Compromise. Elizabeth the III being on your lap meant you couldn’t possibly move.

“Okay! I’ll be right there.” He sounded cheery.

He came out of his office, a few tissues in hand, but a smile on his face. He had dark circles under his eyes. “You two look so cute,” he commented, walking over and taking a spot to sit next to you, wrapping his arms tight around you. He was always more clingy when he was sick.

“You’re so sweet Jumin. What do you say we ask the chef for some soup?” You kissed his cheek. He chuckled, which led to a coughing fit, then nodded.

“What’s happening in this Hallmark movie?”

“Oh!” You were only a half hour in, but you were excited to share the plot. “I’m so glad you asked. So this news reporter lady says she hates Christmas. And the ratings are bad because everyone thinks she sucks because of it. So the news station is sending her to a Christmas town to bring back her holiday cheer. She just got to the town,” you summarized. Kind of strange they were airing a movie from 2016, and one with Lori Loughlin at that (they had pretty much stopped showing her movies), but this was indeed a classic.

“Christmas town? Do those really exist?” Jumin asked curiously.

“I don’t know. Shh- this is the love interest!”

“He isn’t all that handsome,” Jumin commented. You glared at him. “What!? I’m just surprised they didn’t cater to their female audience more.”

“Jumin, my love. These stories are not just about the hot guys. They’re about the romance! The Christmas spirit! The holiday magic! If I just wanted one about hot guys I would watch the one with the firefighters.”

He seemed confused by your intense knowledge of hallmark movies. But! They were so good. You were so invested. And how dare he insult the love interest!

There was a knock on the door. The soup was brought over to the two of you on the couch. You thanked the staff and sent them off.

“I’m just confused about-“

“Shut up and eat your soup Jumin,” you teased. “Get ready to experience true romance.”

He didn’t experience much true romance in the half hour lunch break. But you had a great time with that movie.

Next up: A Christmas Detour. You loved Candace Cameron Bure! This time she was trying to get a flight to meet her fiancé’s parents before the wedding. But of course, her fiancée worked way too much for her to actually end out with him. This was Hallmark after all.

Jumin interrupted halfway through this one. His tie was off, his top button undone. “Baby?” He called to you, standing in the doorway of his office.

You rushed by his side. “What’s wrong?” You placed your hand to his forehead to feel his temperature. He was kind of warm. “Are you okay?”

“Will you make me some tea?” His voice was hoarse. You felt so bad that he was overworking himself even when he was sick. It was 3 by now; how long was he planning to work?

“Of course I will.” You kissed his cheek. “Why don’t you rest for a few minutes while I make it?”

He groaned, agreeing, and plopped down on the couch while you went off to the kitchen to make the tea.

“Why are the people different?” He called to you. He must be watching the Hallmark movie.

“Oh! It’s another one.” You got to work putting the kettle on and taking out the cream and sugar. You walked back to stand by him as you waited.

She finally made it to meet the parents! What an exhausting journey. Ew... they seemed kind of... stuck up. Rich. Filthy rich. Did they really ask her to go to the bathroom and make herself more presentable before they did introductions? How terrible.

“They always make the rich people seem like bad guys,” Jumin grumbled.

You sat down on the arm of the sofa, leaning into him, running a hand through his hair. “Actually, there are some where the girl ends up with the CEO.”

“Her current boyfriend that she leaves is usually the CEO though.” Had he been paying attention to these movies? How did he know this?

“Well... that’s only the ones who work way too much and are like zero fun at all. Then she falls for the local guy,” you explained.

He turned to look at you, eyes all red and watery. “Do I work way too much?”

“No.” You gently placed a kiss to his lips. “You are nothing like those jerks.” The tea kettle whistled; you got up to go get it. “If local homebody was my type, I would have gone for Zen, not you,” you called over your shoulder.

You hadn’t realized he had followed you until his arms wrapped around you as you took the tea off. “Zen’s not your type,” he whispered, his voice a bit deeper than usual. Was he... jealous? You were literally his wife.

“I know,” you turned to face him. “You’re my type. I’m quite literally married to you.” You broke out into a smile, reminding yourself of that fact. Your smile was apparently contagious, because he did the same.

“You never considered dating him though... right?”

“Zen?” You poured the tea in the cup.

“Zen.” His voice was steely.

You giggled. “Of course not. Zen is literally dating himself all the time. I was attracted to you because of how different you are from the others in fact.”

That had convinced him. His face softened. You handed him his tea. “Exactly to your liking,” you smiled.

“I love you. I’ve got two more meetings then I’m all done.” He kissed your cheek then made his way back to the office. Time for more Hallmark.

( YALL MY UPDATE FINALLY HAPPENED ITS SO HARD TO FINISH WRITING THIS AND NOT RUN TO BE 2 JUMIN HAn )

That movie had ended. “A Christmas Love Story” was now on. These two meetings must have been long.

And finally. Finally. He came out. Collapsed onto the couch. You glanced at him and smiled. Then back at the tv. Things were getting tense in the movie!!

“I’m done,” he whispered, a lazy smile on his face as he looked at you.

You glanced at him again. “Yay. I’m so proud of you Honey.”

“Another Hallmark movie?” He sighed.

“This is what I do all day when you’re at work,” you informed him, giggling.

“But I’m not at work. I’m home now.” He scooted closer to you.

“But! I’m in the middle of it. The guest choir director just found out the kid who is getting a solo is her son that she put up for adoption! That’s insane.”

His arms wrapped around you, one hand lingering towards the remote.

“Jumin don’t turn it off!” You whined. He snatched the remote and moved away from you. “Nooooo!”

“Can’t we just cuddle and take a nap? I still don’t feel good.” His finger was hovering over the off button. NO

“Jumin, Baby, please, please, no.” You inched closer to him. “I’m begging you. Please. I need to know what happens.”

“She gets with the love interest and everything ends happily,” he stated simply.

“I need the details! Please!!! I’ll do anything!”

That got his attention.

He quirked an eyebrow. “Anything?”

“Oh get your mind out of the gutter. You’re sick.” You rolled your eyes. Still, you were planning how to get the remote back.

“What about when I’m not sick? Can I cash it in then?” He had the widest smirk on his face. Sometimes you just hated your husband.

“Yes! God, yes Jumin fine. Please! Be quiet and let me watch this in peace!”

He set down the remote. You were safe.

“Fine. But if you watch one more hallmark movie I’m pulling the plug on the TV.”

You laughed at that. Of course you wouldn’t. You just wanted to watch this one, then he’d have your attention.

“Cuddles?” He asked. He was pitiful. You loved your sick husband oh so much though.

You sighed, pretending like it was an impossible hassle, but your smile gave it away. “Yes. Cuddles are okay.”

He triumphantly laid down, resting his head on your lap, grabbing onto your hand. You might’ve watched Hallmark for the rest of the night, but he was watching something much better: you.

[stephiebutton]

So on Thursday before Coachella, my friend (who bows at the Altar of Ariana) sent me Ari’s posts on IG — one of the *NSYNC pay per view concert in which baby Ari was in the audience; and the new video of her lip syncing to Tearin’ Up My Heart. I thought maybe he was trying to convert me to an Arianator, but I honestly didn’t think much of it, nor did he, so I was just like ok, that’s cute!

On Friday, I had several people text me over a two hour timeframe when the rumors started spreading that *NSYNC may be playing Coachella—all while I was at work and couldn’t really wrap my head around it or even take the time to research it myself. At first I was like REALLY? Then I was like REALLY! By Friday evening, I knew something was going to go down, I just didn’t know what. I had convinced myself that they were going to perform, and that I had to be there, and I even researched flights and tickets; but then, I convinced myself that they were only going to introduce her, and I didn’t need to go. I was scheduled to close at work Sunday night, so I basically threw my hands in the air and was like “Oh well, I can’t go.”

Saturday rolled around, and I had a nagging feeling that I needed to try harder to make it happen, because whatever was going down was something that I needed to see. I knew that if I didn’t try everything I could, I would regret it. I had to close at work Saturday night, which means I had to be there around 3pm and work until 11:30pm. The gal that was scheduled to open on Sunday was still there when I arrived, so as she was getting ready to leave, I said “I need a favor...” and for some reason, I hesitated in asking her, like I didn’t really know what to say or how to say it, like the answer could actually change my life, so I just looked at her with a weird sideways smile, then finally asked if she could switch with me, so I come back and open Sunday morning instead of closing. She said she had to check with her family and see if they had plans, and she would get back to me. Thirty minutes after she left, she texted and said it was all good, that we could switch! From that point on, everything just snowballed. I had the biggest obstacle out of my way, so now to make the rest happen...

I went back and fourth about a ticket to the event. At first, I was like, “I’ll figure it out when I get down there,” like I usually do for most concerts I attend. I checked Stub Hub first, and was willing to pay whatever I needed to, but the only problem with that was because Coachella uses wristbands, not tickets, all bands had to be picked up in person. I called them to see what the latest pick up time was, and if anyone could pick up for me, and all other options I could think to exhaust, but it ended up not working out since I wasn’t going to get down there until much later. At that point, I was like “YOLO, I’ll find someone selling one outside!” But then I realized how late I was going to get there, and was like, “dude, if I don’t have a ticket by time I get there, no one is going to be hawking them; so I’m screwed!”

Then finally, I turned to the one place that scares me the most, Craigslist! I went through the posts, most were wristbands for Weekend 2, but I found one for Weekend 1, advertised for the cheapest I had seen any advertised, anywhere! I replied via text immediately, really not thinking I’d get a reply since the event was well underway and the wristband had probably already been sold. To my surprise, within minutes, the postee replied. I asked if it was still available, and he (I didn’t know if it was a he, she or other at the time) replied that yes, it was, but someone was supposed to pick it up later. But he also said that so many people had flaked already, that he wasn’t counting on it. After confirming it was a Weekend 1 wristband, I told him that I wanted it, 100%, guaranteed! The only problem was that he had advertised it from San Francisco and I was across the Bay, and I wouldn’t be able to pick it up until after midnight. He then replied that he was actually in Oakland, which happened to be the city right next to me! I couldn’t believe it! Aaaaand, it was only $200, which happened to be the EXACT amount of money I had in my wallet, and usually I don’t carry any cash at all! I let the mid shift manager know that I had to step out to make a miracle happen!

I’m not going to lie, I was like, “what if it’s a serial killer?!” “What if it’s a ploy to rob me?!” “Am I going to die?!” So I shared the address with the other manager in case the cops needed to know where to find my body. Two associates hugged me in case they never saw me again, and I was on my way. I texted the other manager when I got to the pick up spot, but I didn’t see her reply immediately, so I didn’t reply right away. She was worried that the “Craigslist murderer” kidnapped me and had been the one to text her that I was there safely, even though he had probably already cut me into pieces, just to throw off suspicion. 😂😂 😂 (we may or may not have seen too many SVUs or CSIs). All in all, it took less than 10 minutes to get there, less than 5 minutes for the exchange, and less than 10 minutes back. The course of my life changed in less than a lunch break! Now the second hurdle had been cleared.

I texted a few friends a picture of the Coachella box and they were all in semi-disbelief/not really surprised/kinda amazed/planning my *NSYNC junkie intervention. But they knew, if anyone was going on this adventure, it was me!

I had posted on Facebook trying to get someone to ride down to So Cal with me, so that I wasn’t traveling alone (I would have anyways, but company is always appreciated on long journeys). I was trying to talk my friends and fellow fans into winging it and coming along, but no bites. Finally, at about 9pm, one of my cousins replied and said she, her husband, and their baby girl were considering going down to Disney to join some of their family, and if I was still looking for some road dogs, they were in.

Schedule, check; wristband, check; road dogs, check. Everything was coming together.

I was home from work at 11:30pm, picked a few outfits, packed, showered, and was in bed by 2am. I met with my mom at 6:30am to exchange cars since hers was a little bit more current with the maintenance, and then I was back at work at 7am to get the building open and operating. The morning is still a blur. My fellow manager arrived at 11am, and I was out the doors by 11:30. I met my cousin and family at noon, and we were on our way. We got an hour into the drive and then the gas light came on. I was so excited that I had freaking forgot to get gas before we left! Like it never even crossed my mind. I had one mission, and I forgot all the steps I still needed to take to get there 😂. Luckily we were still close to civilization, so filling up happened, then we proceeded on the adventure of a lifetime. I think we only stopped a couple times for gas and a baby break on that six hour journey to our first stop. Let me tell you, my baby cousin is a true hero! That 5 month old was so well behaved, didn’t need a whole lot, and was just a little trooper. My cousin-in-law did a lot of the driving on the way down and I am so grateful for that, because it had already been a long day leading up to the trip, and it was going to be an even longer night...

We arrived in Anaheim around 6:15pm. They got checked in their room, my cousin-in-law took the car to fill up, while I got ready and prepped for the last two hour stretch of the trip.

I was officially en route to Coachella by 6:45pm. I remember eating very little all day because I just couldn’t, and I remember snacking on an apple and some goldfish during those last two hours to Coachella. (This is irrelevant but I’m throwing in all the deets I can recall).

I had never been anywhere near Coachella or Palm Springs, so I was really disoriented when I finally made it to that last highway before the getting to my destination. Traffic wasn’t horrible, but it was still quite a trek, so I was slowly getting anxiety with each passing minute. I followed directions directly to the fairgrounds, however, it was about 8:45pm at that point, and the streets were blocked a mile in every direction. I circled the area looking for anywhere to park, feeling helpless, I finally pulled over to ask someone what to do, and they informed me that parking had JUST shut down (at this point it was about 9pm). They suggested that I park at a shopping center and Uber in. I found a shopping center 3 miles away and requested an Uber. I was throwing things in my fanny pack trying to get it together because my Uber was on its way. The guy was only able to get me a mile and a half closer because of the street blockages, so I sped walked a mile and a half in, and started the winding path through the gates of Coachella.

I knew Ariana was scheduled to play at 10:30pm, and at this point it was probably 9:30pm, I was close enough, and I knew I would make it. I was no longer worried about making it in, but now I was having major anxiety and freaking out, and semi-crying at what might be happening in the next hour. There was a lot of talking to myself on that walk, the main message to myself was “BITCH BE COOL!” I knew it wouldn’t be a long line, since it was so late and the night was almost over. People were actually leaving as I was walking in and I’m thinking to myself, “don’t you people understand that *NSYNC is about to be on that stage?! Y’all are going to regret leaving early! I wonder how you are going to feel knowing you missed this when everyone would be talking about this in the morning!” But ya know what, not my problem. Their loss!

The walk into the festival felt just as long as the walk to the fairgrounds. It felt like miles of a fenced off path, which was made of dirt, but not just any dirt. The chunks of dirt were so huge, it was like walking on rocks. I was certain I was about to sprain my ankle, but I reminded myself that it would be worth it and the hospital would be there when it was over.

I made it through the gated path, nothing sprained, just a little sweat. I made it through security, and I was IN. I had absolutely no idea where I was going. I threw this trip together so last minute that I had no time to prep. I walked over to a tent covered stage. It was a big stage and I was like is this it?! I was looking for some sign labeling the stage or some list of set times, and found nothing. I asked around, the first two security people I asked were no help! One was so rude, he was like, “I don’t know, did you look at your map!” I’m thinking “mother f-er, don’t you think if I had a map I would know where the F I’m going, why would I waste my precious breath speaking to you?! I was like “dude, I JUST got here and there is no map and I need to know where the main stage is.” So his rude ass referred me to someone else who was nicer, but said that he didn’t know where the main stage was. I’m thinking “are you people kidding me?! How are you working the most popular festival known to mankind and you can’t tell me where the main stage is?!” A little panic started to set in. It was dark, it was getting late, her set was rapidly approaching, and I had no idea where I was going. So finally, I was referred to another guy, who actually pointed me in the right direction. He’s like “its all the way on the other side, past that tent, past the beer garden and you’ll see it.” The act that was on the stage I had first seen upon entrance had just started, and some people were running towards me to get to it, so I was going against traffic, but my destination was clear now. Once I had the stage in my sight, I stopped for a water. The girl selling those very reasonably priced water bottles (only 2 bucks! That was practically free in festival land) was like “I like your shirt” (an *NSYNC crop tee simply styled with *NSYNC across the chest. [PS I DON’T wear crop tops, but I figured, cuando en Coachella right?!]). And I simply asked, “this is the place right?” And she just enthusiastically nodded Yes. It was about to go down. I tried to locate a restroom, because I mean, I had just spent 2+ hours driving and chugging an energy drink and water, making no stops, but there were no restrooms in sight, and I was not about to walk back to the entrance where they were. I had done way too much just to get within eye shot of that stage, I figured, what’s a little pee in my pants?! It was probably gonna happen upon seeing *NSYNC for the first time in 17 years anyways! (PSS I didn’t actually pee my pants. I think my whole body had shut down at the point because nothing more was going to get in my way).

I kinda of walked back and fourth across the field, I walked all the way down the right side. I had one friend there already, but trying to get in contact with anyone in that mass of people was impossible. It was hard to tell where a good spot would be, because a lot of people were sitting down, so getting an accurate read was not happening. I knew just being there was all I needed, regardless of what I could or couldn’t see, but I really did want to see SOMETHING. My brain was all over the place, I was like “I could just start pushing through people. I could go all the way up front but all the way to the side,” the options were limitless. I ultimately didn’t want to cause any drama by pushing through people, I didn’t want a harsh angle of the stage, so I figured if I was semi central I would at least catch a glimpse of whatever was going down, no matter how far back I was standing. I couldn’t actually get centered because the sound and lighting booth was to my left and the people were too packed in to get through any further, not to mention there was a fenced off area in the middle for VIPs. (In fact, that’s where Billie Eilish and Justin Bieber were meeting. I remember seeing the crowd directly around that spot all holding up their lights and phones. I heard rumblings that it was Bieber, but I could not possibly care less, I’m not a fan [again, another irrelevant point, but it’s part of my memory, so whatevs!]) I settled on my spot and reminded myself that being there was enough. I’ve also done enough GA shows to know that when the show starts, people push in and up, so that was going to be my game plan.

By this time, it was probably about 10pm, and I only had thirty minutes to go! I was calm and quiet, because the ONLY thing I wanted in life might actually be happening, and I was there, I was a part of it. Ariana might have been a few minutes behind schedule, and I had no clue when the song I was waiting for would be coming, so I stayed calm and waited for it. It was the fourth song in, and when I heard the first cords to “Break Up With Your Girlfriend, I’m Bored” I immediately started crying, and my camera went up in the air. If *NSYNC was actually going to be there, this was the song. This was my entire trip, the whole saga, coming to its peak, my dreams potentially coming true, 17 years of waiting. This was it!

I honestly couldn’t see much, and I didn’t even see them walk on the stage. This was either going to be the greatest moment of my life, or the biggest disappointment I’ve ever experienced. When the song came to a pause, and she looked over her shoulder, and then uttered the words I’d waited so long to hear again, I lost my whole ass mind. “Ladies and Gentlemen, *NSYNC!” I basically blacked out at that moment, and I only remember bits and pieces. I know I still couldn’t see, but what glimpse I did catch, I really only saw JC at first and I was like “is it just him?” And for a tenth of a second, I was thoroughly confused, but still getting my life and losing my ever loving mind! My eyes darted around, and I finally caught a glimpse of everyone else. (I also still didn’t know if Justin was there or not, because I knew it was physically possible that he be there, albeit, highly unlikely. Honestly, I’ll always love Justin, even though I can’t stand him much of the time, and I did secretly hope he would have made it to this, but I was perfectly fine with the fact that he ultimately wasn’t there). I didn’t know what my camera was recording, and I didn’t care, because this moment was everything. When the song ended, I stopped recording, because that was it...or so I thought. I had never even imagined that there would be more and I was so content with them just singing “It Makes Me Ill.” I didn’t have any time to process because immediately after that ended, “Tearin Up My Heart” started and my blackout went even darker. I managed to get my phone recording again, I still couldn’t see a thing, but it didn’t matter. What I do remember was the people right in front of me, looking back at me, and staring. I still have no idea why, because it could have been my screaming, it’s possible it was my singing, it might have been me sobbing, I may have even bumped them while jumping around. I was not aware of anything I was physically doing. I do remember Ari in the middle hitting that choreography so hard, and when Joey yelled “Let me see you jump!” I think that’s when I snapped back in to reality and I started processing things again. I went even harder with the dancing, singing and jumping, because it was one of those moments when I found myself actively living in the moment, and I wanted to live it the best I could. I’ve probably never smiled that huge in my life. As the song wound down, I stayed recording just in case more was coming (not that I needed anything else, because my life was complete in that moment), so I have them thanking the crowd and Ariana and that was a perfect way to wrap up that video.

Once they cleared the stage, I had to catch my breath, gather myself, and keep

from crumbling to the floor. I remember leaning over with my hands on my knees, trying to get my vision and hearing back. Attempting to process anything that had just happened. I had had a brief exchange with the guy next to me before Ari hit the stage and I was like “I’m here for *NSYNC” and I showed him my shirt. While I was trying to compose myself, he put his hands on my shoulders and was just like “OH MY GOD!” I think that was the general consensus of the crowd, because it was that epic. I stayed for her whole set, and appreciated everything she brought to the stage, but nothing would top *NSYNC. It was one of those show stopping, jaw dropping moments that could never be duplicated.

Because cell service had been so bad during the show, I just put my phone on airplane mode, as to not drain the battery, and I honestly, didn’t give a crap about the outside world. Not a lot of people knew I was going, and I didn’t want to jinx anything, so I kept the details of the trip very quiet, with the exception of a few friends I had texted or messaged directly. So once all was sang and done, I turned airplane off, only to be blasted with texts from friends who knew I was there, checking to see if I was still alive. Because I hadn’t replied immediately, a few of them thought I was dead in the dirt in the desert 😂😂😂😂.

The crowd was clearing out, and I was trying to coordinate a meet up with a friend of mine who scored a wristband earlier that same day. She was the only person I knew there, and I’m so glad I had someone to squeeze after the greatest moment of my life! We went to good ol’ Denny’s to hang out and further bask in the glory of the evening! We had mutual friends, and were pals on social media, but never had the chance to hang out together, so it was great to catch up and squeal about what we witnessed!

Finally, around 2am, I headed out of Indio, and I was on my way home. Yes, this trip was a down and back adventure. I knew it would be brutal, but I knew that it would be worth it. I drove about 3 hours up, and stopped to nap in the car, for what was supposed to be a 30 minute cat nap, but turned into a couple hours 😂. I was on a time crunch because I was due to be back at work at 11am. I got back on the road at 5am and the journey continued. I had exhausted so much energy at the show, that the last five hours of the drive home were harsh! I had to stop several times to stretch and keep my blood flowing, and at one point I knew I wasn’t going to make it to work on time, so I let my manager know. She knew I had gone, and knew I was insane, and was shocked I was still driving home, so she was cool with me coming in an hour or so late 🙏🏻. I made it home to shower and change, then made it to work for another nine hours. Although I was exhausted, I had the comfort of knowing that I had just experienced one of my top two moments in life (the other being the Star Ceremony) and the smile never left my face.

The entire adventure officially lasted less than 48 hours. I’m still amazed that everything went down the way that it did. I’m a strong believer in “if it’s meant to be, it will be.” And this was just another example of that being true for me, and especially when it comes to *NSYNC. I have experienced so many cool things and have countless memories thanks to those guys, and this moment will go down as one of the greatest!

[invisibletinkerer]

Fic: 30 Seconds Later (chapter 13)

Chapter 1 �� Chapter 2 – Chapter 3 – Chapter 4 – Chapter 5 – Chapter 6 – Chapter 7 – Chapter 8 – Chapter 9 - Chapter 10 - Chapter 11 - Chapter 12 - Chapter 13 - Chapter 14

Length: ~5700 words

AO3 Link

Stanford went into the car still reeling from Dipper’s game – and as irrational as it seemed, he found that he now looked forward to something other than Bill’s demise. Two days ago he would have called that impossible, the very idea unthinkable. But if the rift was secured and he himself stayed inside the warded room for the game—

The rift was the priority, though.

He didn’t even care that Stanley insisted on driving, even though Ford was the one who knew where they were going, and the likelihood of him falling unconscious while driving was close to zero at this point. He’d slept enough for a lifetime by now, even when accounting for a few unpleasantly panicked midnight awakenings. Bill had failed to reach him, and that gave him a better ground to stand on than he’d had since he’d first discovered the demon’s true intentions. Even the various aches seemed quite negligible this morning.

Of course, it was just like Stanley to still be possessive about his car – some things never changed. But they were going on small forest roads at relatively low speeds anyway, so the unnecessary hassle of giving directions was rather minor, all things considered. Besides, the passenger seat was comfortably familiar.

As he settled in, déjà vu struck him like a heat wave to the face. This car. The smell of leather and gasoline. A bumpy road. Stanley on his left.

It had been over a decade, and they had both been mere children, but the feeling was strong enough that he had to shake his head to dislodge it. He could practically taste the toffee peanuts.

Wait a second. He glanced at the old man in the driver’s seat – grey hair, shorts, and a printed shirt gaudy enough to be Fiddleford’s – presently looking nothing at all like the wide-eyed sixteen-year-old who had once been so proud of this very vehicle. It had been more than four decades.

“I can’t believe you still have the same car,” he said, running his fingers over the glove compartment.

Stanley grimaced. “Yeah, well. Don’t.”

“Don’t what?”

“Don’t believe it. It’s not the same car.”

Ford blinked, taking another look around. “It’s not?” Lacking photographic memory, he couldn’t be absolutely certain down to the details, but— “I do remember this car quite well from our childhood, Stanley. I know I saw the ‘Stanleymobile’ vanity plate outside, too.”

Stanley’s face might have looked pained for a moment, but then he chuckled. “That’s right. Confused the hell out of a buncha people when I got it.” He raised his voice in mock concern. “’But Stanford, why would you want the wrong name on your plate?’ Heh.”

Ford pursed his lips. The reminder that Stanley had been using Ford’s name for all these years stung, but it only made the present question more puzzling. “This is a replica, then. A copy.”

“I’ll take it as a compliment that you fell for it, Poindexter. It’s not like I’ve shown it to anyone else who remembers the original.”

“I didn’t ‘fall’ for anything,” Ford bristled. “I merely didn’t think you’d go to the trouble of making a replica of your first car, especially not when you were claiming to be me. I’m sure there has to be better cars on the market in the 21st century.”

They were interrupted by an especially bumpy stretch of the road – it was even less well maintained than last time Ford had seen it – making the car jump and come dangerously close to going off-road. Ford rolled his eyes at Stanley’s reckless driving, but assumed he could handle it like he always had.

He took the moment to take a closer look at their surroundings, looking for landmarks in the forest. There was still a bit to go, and there were no people in sight, which was expected, but also a relief. Other people meant other possible pawns of Bill, especially now that Ford himself was somewhat less available to the demon. It was fortunate that nothing required them to go into town, at least not today.

“There’s never gonna be a better car on the market than the old El Diablo,” Stanley said eventually, bringing him back to the conversation. “Got my hands on one of the same model in workable condition a few years back, so I touched her up a bit.” He patted the wheel affectionately. “She’s a good car. Feels like home, ya know?”

Of course Stanley would bring something back just because he missed it. Ford wasn’t sure if he wanted to smile or scoff, so he did neither. “It is a good car,” he admitted. “And it certainly brings to mind late sixties New Jersey, if that’s what you’re going for.”

Stanley grinned. “Sixties New Jersey, the glory days.”

Ford closed his eyes briefly and tried to recall the strong sense of déjà vu he’d experienced. “I won’t argue that,” he said. “But that was a long time ago.”

“You don’t say.”

Fair enough, but Ford shrugged it off. A question danced on the tip of his tongue until he finally gave in and asked it. “What happened to the original?” It didn’t matter, especially not when Stanley had acquired such a decent facsimile, but somehow he still wanted to know. “Did you lose it when you—when you were on the road?”

Stanley smiled wryly. “No, I still had her when I got here. But, well – told ya Stanley Pines died, didn’t I? Car crash, horrible wreckage, almost nothing left of the body. The car was identifiable, though.”

“Oh.” Stanley had really destroyed his own identity thirty years ago. It was hard to wrap his mind around, to get a grip on as something that really happened. He should have been okay. He should have had twelve years not to get tangled in his own dreams and desires into dealing with demons, but instead he’d done that. As if Stanley Pines was nothing. As if Stanford Pines was nothing, as if they were interchangeable. It hurt, in more than one way, but mulling over it would only be detrimental to the current mission.

There were a few moments of awkward silence, but fortunately Ford found they were approaching their destination, or at least as close to it as they could get to it by car. They would have to hike the last few miles cross-country. He told Stanley to pull over and park where the road widened slightly.

“This is the magical part of the forest?” Stanley said doubtfully as they got out of the car and locked it. “Doesn’t seem very magical to me.”

“That’s right,” Ford replied, back in his element with navigating the Gravity Falls valley. “The most magical part of the forest is further to the west, where I sent Mabel and her friends yesterday. This part is in fact relatively mundane, but it’s got a few secrets of its own, the biggest of which is our destination.” He checked the compass that Stanley had found for him in the attic, then charged ahead through the pines.

He quickly fell into a walking rhythm. The clear forest air, the smell of pine needles and leaves, and the brisk walk towards a clear and obtainable goal was invigorating. For once since long before going through the portal, Stanford felt truly alive. Perhaps he shouldn’t be enjoying something so simple when so much was at stake, but the sunshine filtering through the trees seemed to warm him down to the marrow, and he’d been cold for so long.

Stanley grumbled a bit about his speed, but he kept up. In fact, Ford was sure he caught him smiling several times.

Somewhere in the back of his mind he registered that the hike was more tiring than it should have been. Brief spells of dizziness was nothing to worry about. The sensation of limbs trembling with exhaustion had been such a common occurrence for the last few weeks that it hardly seemed worth acknowledging. Stanford was used to walking and even running for far longer distances with little to no trouble. This was nothing.

When Stanley pointed out that he looked winded, it was just annoying.

“I’m fine!”

“Dammit Ford, slow down!” Stanley repeated. “You’re heaving like a bellow! Your face looks like a boiled lobster!”

“We’re almost there,” Ford panted, evading Stanley’s attempt to grab his arm. And, in doing so, unbalanced himself into putting his foot down wrong on the uneven ground, falling on his face.

He caught some of his weight on his arms, but still ended up with a faceful of pine needles and a hard root smashing into the wounds on his chest, scratching something open and knocking a groan of pain from him.

He rolled over on his back.

He really did need to catch his breath.

The sky above was blue, partly concealed behind foliage and tree trunks. Right in his line of sight was a large birch. On it was – fixing him in its gaze – a large, otherworldly eye.

He could have sworn it blinked.

Trying to run from me, smart guy?

No. Panic pushed him back on his feet in an instant. Every instinct screamed that he had to get away, that Bill was doing something to him, but as soon as he found his feet he stumbled backwards, almost falling again. Blood was pounding in his ears and black spots threatened to take away his vision.

He couldn’t see. He was going to black out.

“Stanford!”

“I’m fine,” he wheezed, blinking hard. A flailing hand found something to hold onto, keeping him from falling over. He was fine. There was air and he could breathe – too hard, too fast – and all he had to do was make his body catch up with him. He felt nauseous and could still hear Bill laughing in his ears, but he was fully awake and Bill couldn’t hurt him unless he fainted. Bill was watching, yes, but he couldn’t do anything. Ford was still in control. His hands were shaking independently of his struggling lungs, but he was alright.

Stanley. He’d grabbed onto Stanley, and somehow he was steadier than any tree. Ford leaned on his brother and finally the world stopped spinning.

“I’m fine,” he repeated after a moment. “It was just a headrush.”

Stanley made a non-committal noise and pushed him off so he could look at him. Meeting Ford’s eyes and confirming Bill’s absence, he relaxed visibly. “I did tell ya to rest another day,” he grumbled.

“It’s nothing to worry about,” Ford managed, still panting. “I also recall—recall that I told you we have no time to lose.”

Stanley produced a plastic water bottle from his bag and handed it to Ford, who took it and drank gratefully. His lungs were starting to get back to an acceptable level of labor, but his heart was still racing, and his limbs were trembling uncontrollably. Exhaustion, still, despite eating and sleeping. Ridiculous.

“So, what just happened?” Stanley asked, before taking the bottle back and taking a swig himself.

Ford bit his lip. What just happened was weakness. He had no more excuses to succumb to that. He’d stumbled, and Bill had taken advantage of the moment to startle him. “Bill is watching us,” he said simply.

“Well.” Stanley grimaced. “He would be. But he can’t do anything to ya unless you’re unconscious, right?”

“Right. He has no means of attack, no pawns, not here.” He had to believe it. Trees were just trees, even if Bill could see through them. “I suppose— I suppose I stumbled because I overexerted myself. I had no reason to believe this particular hike would be strenuous. Considering I’ve walked it many times in the past.”

“Except in the past you weren’t recovering from being a half-dead wreck. I figured as much when your face changed color.”

Ford let go of Stanley completely and crossed his arms. “I am not a half-dead wreck!”

“No, you’re only a quarter dead now.” Stanley smirked briefly. “Seriously, are you okay? Can you tell me honestly that you won’t fall over if a deer looks at you the wrong way?”

“Deer are rarely dangerous, Stanley. Unless perhaps it’s a peryton, in which case the wings would give ample warning of its true nature.”

“That wasn’t—” Stanley sighed. “Look, are we gonna turn around and go back to the Shack, or can I really trust that this won’t happen again?” He sounded sincerely worried. Perhaps even afraid.

Ford clenched and unclenched his hands. Carelessness and weakness could lead to disaster. He might have been a hair’s width from blacking out just now, and that thought made him tense up all over again. He couldn’t stop Bill from watching, but he could make sure he was unable to do anything else. All he had to do was to get a hold of himself. He wasn’t—

He wasn’t doing this alone.

He took a deep breath and ran a hand through his hair. “It won’t happen again,” he promised. “I’ll take it slower from here. And I’ll have one of those chocolate bars you packed.”

 * * *

It was almost midday when they finally reached their destination, which turned out to be a clearing on a hill. The opening in the trees gave the place a good view of the local landmark hanging cliffs, so if it hadn’t been so out of the way, Stan figured it would have been a nice spot for sightseeing tours. Other than that, he couldn’t see anything special about it.

Ford sat down on a convenient rock with a sigh, wiped his glasses on a sleeve and motioned for Stan to come closer. His face was still a bit darker than it should have been, but it probably looked worse than it was because he was so ghostly pale in general. Alive, though. He was very much alive and would very much stay that way if Stan had anything to say on the matter. He had taken it slower on the last bit of the hike, at least.

“Are you gonna tell me what we’re locking for yet?” Stan asked. “Still don’t see any metal to use those sci-fi weapons on.”

“They’re not weapons, they’re tools. And yes.” Ford raised his chin. “Perhaps you can make a guess if I tell you we’re looking for an adhesive stronger than anything on Earth?”

Stan grimaced. “I really hope it doesn’t mean you’re gonna break the rift open and pull something out of there, because then I have to tell you that’s crazy reckless.” Not that he was always opposed to crazy reckless, but that rubbed him the wrong way.

“What? No!” Ford shook his head and got back to his feet. “No, guess again.” He pointed at the landmark. “Take a look at the shape of those cliffs – doesn’t it remind you of something?”

Stan narrowed his eyes. He had seen those cliffs thousands of times, and the unnatural-looking indentations in them were hardly news. He had no idea what Ford was going for. “It looks like Paul Bunyan took an axe to them to open up the valley,” he said. “At least that’s what I tell the tourists.”

Ford pursed his lips. “That’s an explanation I never considered,” he mused. “It is, however, wrong. Behold.” He held out a closed hand above Stan’s eyes, then dropped a small keychain charm to dangle in his field of vision.

A plastic UFO.

“Wait a minute.” Stan snatched the charm out of Ford’s hand. “Where did you get that?” Sure enough, it was the same kind that he sold in the gift shop. No keys either, just the charm.

“Seriously, Stanley?” Ford threw both hands up in exasperation. “Does that really matter?”

Stan glanced from Ford to the charm and back, feeling more confused than anything else. “Look, Sixer, I appreciate that you still have it in you to shoplift! But you could have just asked.”

“I would have used my own if I had been able to find it,” Ford said stiffly.

Stan winced with guilt. That’s right. He’d taken everything from Ford. No legs to stand on getting stingy about a keychain charm. “Nevermind.” He handed the charm back to Ford and took a deep breath before he could say anything he’d regret. “Keep it if you want it. I promise we’ll get everything straightened out as soon as—”

“It’s unimportant!” Ford interrupted with some fire, though he still took it back. “You’re looking at the trinket and fail to see the big picture. Look again. Look at the cliffs.” He dangled the charm in front of Stan’s eyes again, and this time Stan actually looked.

The shape of the UFO fit the hole in the mountain pretty well.

Stan’s eyes widened. “You’re saying a freaking UFO crashed through that mountain?”

“Exactly!” his young twin exclaimed, looking awfully smug about it. Then again, smug shoplifting nerd Sixer was a whole lot more relatable than terrified wreck Sixer, so that was a win. “According to my research,” Ford continued, “the entire valley of Gravity Falls was formed when an extraterrestrial object crashlanded here millions of years ago.”

“Not Paul Bunyan, then.” Thinking about it, he should probably have known something like that was up. It did make a few things about the portal make more sense. “The wreck is still here, isn’t it.” It wasn’t a question. “You’ve been there before, and that’s where we’re going now.”

“Indeed.” Ford put the keychain away and bent down to push at the rock he’d been sitting on. It slid a few feet to the side surprisingly easily, revealing a dirty metal surface underneath. “Sometimes the strangest things in the world are hidden right under our feet. Stand back.” He took out his magnet gun and aimed it at the metal, and the next moment a square slab of the stuff flew out of the ground and attached itself to the gun’s muzzle. Below was a dark shaft into the underground.

Stan was fascinated in spite of himself. Somewhere inside him a little boy was screaming excitedly about treasure hunting. Together with Ford, even. He swallowed.

“I used to raid this place for parts for years,” Ford was saying. “Some of the more exotic materials for the portal came from here, too.”

“Yeah, that’s what I thought. Some of that shit just wasn’t in any literature I could get my hands on.” He was still staring down at the hole. “And your notes weren’t exactly complete, especially not when I only had that one journal.”

“You still figured it out, though. Frankly, Stanley, that’s amazing.”

The compliment caught him by surprise. “Meh,” he said, waving it away. “Took me long enough.”

There turned out to be a wire ladder made from perfectly normal aluminum already hanging from the edge of the shaft, making it possible to climb straight down into the darkness. Ford took the lead, claiming he’d been there countless times before, and besides, all the aliens had been dead for millions of years. He sounded a bit like he was trying to reassure himself, but it definitely made sense to Stan that there wouldn’t be any living aliens onboard a spaceship that crashed an eternity ago. Something else making their lair there, maybe – this was Gravity Falls – but probably not aliens.

Stan was glad he was more or less over his fear of heights, because as they climbed, the narrow shaft soon widened into a large chamber that made it extremely obvious how high above any kind of floor they were. The sunlight from the shaft caught the walls and pillars below and turned into an eerie glow, illuminating something that could almost have been a giant cavern. Stan only looked down once, then kept his eyes on the ladder until he could step out on the floor, but the sight that awaited him was more than worth it. Reflected pearlescent glow on gently curving walls and pillars faded into the distance. Cracks, rubble, stray roots and patches of half-dead moss littered the ruins between alien symbols and long-broken equipment. The air was chilly, but felt strangely clean. It was the kind of sight people would pay a fortune to see.

“Whoa.” Stan’s voice echoed slightly in the large space. He glanced at Ford, and said, straight-faced, “This is the greatest thing I ever saw, and I once saw a gnome bathing in squirrels.”

As he’d hoped, Ford cracked up. His face split into a grin that he was obviously trying to suppress, head bowed and shoulders shaking in muffled laughter. “What’s wrong with you?”

Stan couldn’t help himself. “Bad genes, I suppose.”

“You—” Ford took a deep breath and rubbed his temples. “This is serious, Stanley!”

“I know.” Stan shrugged. “Let’s go get your glue.”

“This way.”

Ford led the way through the big chamber, past piles of rubble and patches of pale grass – hard to tell if it was normal plants taken root down here or alien ones. The faint patch of sky from the shaft above gave a surprising amount of light, almost like the gleaming walls and pillars were made to reflect back as much light as possible. That had to be marketable.

“Fiddleford and I used to come down here all the time, studying their technology and language,” Ford said, an odd wistful tone in his voice. “I haven’t been here since before—before he left. A couple of months, give or take thirty years.” He sighed softly and rubbed his own arms like he was cold. “It’s the kind of place that time doesn’t seem to touch.”

“Fiddleford,” Stan repeated. “Fiddleford McGucket.” Dipper had mentioned it earlier, but it was still hard to imagine that the crazy old man had once been a genius on par with Ford. Weirder things had happened, though. “He was really your assistant?”

“Yes, and my friend. We met in collage.” Ford kept going for a few more steps, then stopped. “Did you know him at all? Did he ever talk to you?”

“Depends on what you mean by ‘talk’,” Stan dodged. It had very seldom been a coherent conversation, after all. Thinking back, though – “The first time I met him he ran from me screaming. That might have been a clue that you didn’t really part on the best of terms.”

“No, we didn’t.” Ford looked down at his feet. “Never mind. Of course he would have avoided you.” He kept walking, and Stan followed in silence.

Would’ve been nice if he’d known about McGucket sooner – if he’d worked on building the portal originally he might even have been able to help repair it. But hey, it would have been too much to ask for Ford to mention his friend’s name in his notes. He’d have to tell Ford at some point, but right now did not feel like the time to say ‘by the way, the guy’s completely insane, lives in the dump, and doesn’t remember you at all’.

Suddenly Ford halted by a precipice – the floor simply stopped with no warning and gave way to a pitch-black chasm. It didn’t seem like it was broken or anything either, more like the aliens just decided to have a hole there for some alien reason. It was empty except for a smooth round pillar, going straight down into the darkness some four or five feet from the edge.

“We’re going down there?” Stan asked, pretty sure he knew the answer.

“Yes,” Ford confirmed. He was standing on the edge, one moment of lost balance away from falling to his death, which was a bit unnerving. He also seemed to seriously consider jumping, too, at least if the way he looked at the pillar in the gaping hole meant anything. Stan resisted the urge to drag him away immediately, but stayed close just in case. “This used to be some form of elevator shaft to the next level of the alien craft,” Ford explained. “The mechanism is long defunct, but there is no staircase route, so this is where we’re descending.”

“How?”

Ford looked at the magnet gun in his hand, which seemed to be trembling very slightly. “Normally I would simply jump over to the pillar and attach the magnet gun to it, holding on and allowing gravity to pull me down at a convenient speed.” Stan shuddered – there was absolutely no way he himself was doing that, fear of heights mostly cured or not, and it sounded like it could go wrong in a thousand ways for Ford, too. He was not recovered from all the shit he’d put his body through.

For once, Ford seemed to have realized that on his own. “However,” he continued, “after the minor incident on the way here, I’m no longer certain I can trust my body to hold up to that kind of stress. An accident at this point would spell disaster.”

“Yeah, I’d say.” Stan paused, since Ford still didn’t move from the edge. “Look, I really hope you’re gonna say you have an alternative.”

“Yes! Of course!” Ford nodded, hesitation gone, and finally turned to walk along the edge to their right. “Fiddleford insisted on installing a ladder here as well, just like at the entrance,” he explained, pointing at the start of another wire ladder attached to the edge close to a solid block of ancient alien who-knows-what.

Stan slapped a hand on his face. “If you had a ladder here all along, why didn’t you just say so?”

“I just did.” Ford raised his chin. “It’s not my preferred method of descent, but it will have to do.” He hurried down the ladder before Stan could argue the point. “Come on.”

The light from above didn’t reach the lower level of the spaceship, but Ford brandished a flashlight that reflected on the walls in a similar way, giving more than enough light to see their surroundings. Ford seemed to know his way around, but Stan couldn’t help dragging his feet, trying to take it all in. The urge to go back here at some point and collect as much sellable loot as was humanly possible was only increasing. There was the skeletal remains of an actual alien still slumped near a control board. Anyone would have a field day with that.

Anyone except Ford, apparently.

“So,” Stan said slowly as they walked. “I’m pretty sure this place’d be a giant breakthrough in at least a dozen academic fields.  You never thought of releasing the news to the world? Becoming rich and famous?”

Ford looked back at him, a strange glint in his eyes. “No,” he said. “By the time I first found this, I was already working with Bill.” He turned away again. “The portal was the priority at that point. Nothing else seemed to—Everything else seemed insignificant compared to what he claimed the portal would do.”

“Hm. Infinite alternate universes, right?”

“Yes. Let me make this clear though – it did not lead to anything of the sort.”

Stan swallowed, feeling an accusation in those words. “Well,” he said, “the alien spaceship is still here, and no one has published it yet. It’s not too late, ya know. You could change the world with this.”

For some reason, Ford flinched visibly at that. “Perhaps,” was all he said, not sounding convinced at all.

There seemed to be nothing more to say, so for a couple of minutes the only sound to be heard was two sets of softly echoing footsteps. Eventually they reached a dead end.

“Is this a door of some kind?” Stan guessed.

“Yes, it is.” Ford pointed the magnet gun to a spot on the ceiling, causing a small lever to pull downward. At the same time, the wall before them split neatly in half, leaving a gap of less than an inch in the middle. Ford grabbed the left edge and pulled to the side, slowly widening the opening until Stan took the other side and pulled the whole thing open in one go. Muscles, he still had them.

Ford gave him a nod of acknowledgement, then carefully stepped inside. “This is the storage facility,” he explained. “Now all we have to do is find the adhesive. I believe I know where it is.” His eyes flicked nervously around the room as if half expecting an ambush, though Stan couldn’t make out either movements or sounds other than their own.

He wasn’t sure exactly what they were looking for in here, but there was a bunch of small, flat six-sided boxes scattered in heaps on the floor. All of them were the same size and shape, and any one of them could contain anything. Actually, any one of them would probably count as treasure if you looked a little closer. The thought was inspiring; pocketing a few random ones was more or less a reflex.

Ford had quickly found his way to a curved nook in the wall lined with some kind of control panels, whatever a cargo hold would use control panels for. He’d put the flashlight aside, relying on the reflected light from the walls, and was working on taking out even more of the six-sided boxes from an opening under the controls, frowning at them one at the time.

“Any idea what these are for?” Stan asked, tapping something that might have been a dead monitor screen.

Ford grunted, still going through the boxes. “I believe these compartments were meant to be a secure storage space for extra valuable or volatile substances, though many of them were broken and tossed around during the crash.” He scowled at a container as if the design on it had insulted him. “The rest are the security systems, of course.”

“Of course.” Stan idly flicked a switch back and forth. “Wait, security systems?”

“Yes, the cargo would have been heavily guarded back when the vessel was up and running.” Ford glanced at Stan and added: “Don’t worry, though. Everything’s defunct by now. Most of it has been busted for millions of years.”

“Geez, way to give me a heart attack.” Stan snickered and rummaged through a few more of the little boxes in the heap closest to the panel, not getting any wiser about what was in them. “Hey, wanna tell me exactly what it is I’m supposed to be looking for, here?”

“Oh. Yes, of course.” Ford showed him the nearest box. “They’re marked with these symbols, see. The symbol for the adhesive is two concentric circles flanked by two smaller circles on opposite sides, each connected to the larger circle with a straight line.” He sketched the design over the unrelated box with a finger. “It’s still unknown what the alien thought process behind the symbol was, but like a lot of their symbology, it’s easy to remember memetically! If you imagine the center as—”

Stan was viscerally reminded again that Ford was there. Not dead, not a fever dream, but right in front of him and nerding out about some alien weirdness. Still young, like the past thirty years had been nothing but a nightmare. It hadn’t sunk in yet, if it ever would. It was over, and Ford was there.

“I thought it would be right here, though,” Ford continued, a stressed edge to his voice. “The other one we found was in this very unit.” He made a frustrated grimace. “If it’s not here, this might take longer than I hoped. It could be anywhere.” He waved his arm around the room.

“You sure there’s more of it at all?” Stan couldn’t help asking. Could it be that they were down here for nothing?

“There has to be!” Ford slammed the container he was holding down on the control panel.

“What happened to the last one, anyway?”

“It was almost empty to begin with. We wasted it on useless experiments, and now that I need it, there isn’t any more?” He leaned on the panels, looking down at his hands with a frustrated grimace.

“Hey, I was just asking. Don’t give up yet. Like you said, it might take some time to look though this mess, but that’s why you brought backup, am I right?” He gave Ford a pat on the back, earning him an unreadable glare.

“You’re right. I’ll go through this pile, you start over there,” Ford directed with a gesture.

Stan sat down on the floor by the pile and started shuffling the boxes like bricks. All of the designs included circles, stupidly similar, but he’d find the one Ford had described if he put his mind to it. It couldn’t be harder than—

Ford must have heard something before Stan did. Stan’s first indication that something was wrong was Ford spinning around, back stiff and ramrod straight, staring into the darkness on the far end of the area.

For a moment there was nothing there, but then it was like a light switch was turned on. The walls didn’t just reflect the one flashlight any longer, but there was some kind of light source in the distance, bouncing off the walls and making the whole place look like the electricity bills had not been neglected for the past million years.

Two giant, floating bubbles were approaching.

In hindsight, Stan should probably not have been surprised. Then again, long-dead alien security systems had been pretty far down the list of credible threats. A stray dragon finding its way down here and hoarding the six-sided treasure boxes, or a herd of manotaurs picking the place for their man-cave – sure. But million-year-old automated systems? It was like someone who died before humanity was a thing was deliberately trying to call him out for being a burglar. He decided he hated those aliens.

“Damn,” Ford said quietly from a few feet away, clearly on the verge of hyperventilating. “It’s—it’s okay. Stay calm. They’re not with Bill. They’re just security droids. They won’t even touch us unless we—” He broke off, raising his magnet gun in a tightly clenched, trembling fist.

“You’ve met these before?” Stan got to his feet and took a protective step closer to Ford.

“Yes, once! I thought it was the last one! They work by detecting fear, so all we have to do is—all we have to do is not to—” He was struggling with himself, breathing too fast and shallow again. “Shit.”

One of the bubbles extended a small brick-like piece in Ford’s direction, and Stan had seen guns ready to fire before. He reacted on instinct, without thinking, throwing himself at Ford.

[ladyknight1512]

I’ve seen this 5SOS ask meme floating around a few times and I don’t do ask memes but I do love me a questionnaire so I decided to just fill it out, not that anyone else will care.

1. When did you first find out about 5sos?

The first time I remember hearing one of their songs was in 2016, but they didn’t properly come onto my radar until early 2018. I know, I know. I was super late to the party.

2. How did you find out about them?

In February/March of 2018 they were guests on the BBC Radio 1 Breakfast Show, which I listened to because I liked the host, even though I live on literally the other side of the world. I wasn’t familiar with the band at that point, beyond Want You Back, which had been on the radio pretty much every single day, and which I actually really liked. But hearing their interview made me want to look them up and find out more about them. And now I’m here, 8 months later, filling out a 50-question ask meme because apparently I have nothing better to do with my time.

3. What was the first song you heard by them?

She Looks So Perfect, in 2016.

4. Have you ever seen them live?

Yes, in Melbourne for the Meet You There tour. They were great and I would definitely see them again.

5. Have you ever met any of them?

Nope.

6. Who was your fave when you first started to like them? Are they still your fave now?

Ashton has been my fave from the beginning, and he still is now, but I like them all for their own reasons.

7. What is your favorite 5sos song?

Ghost of You.

8. What are your favorite lyrics?

I’ve got a jet black heart and there’s a hurricane underneath it – Jet Black Heart

9. What is your favorite music video?

I don’t really watch the videos much but I think Valentine is the most creative and visually interesting.

10. What is your favorite cover?

As in, song they’ve covered? No Roots, which they did in the BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge. I made it my ringtone I love it so much. Their cover of Stay for Spotify is fantastic too, though.

11. What is your favorite album/EP?

Youngblood.

12. What is your favorite bromance?

Probably Cashton.

13. What is your favorite livestream/twitcam/keek/interview /etc?

The Zach Sang interview they did in early 2018 is probably the one I’ve watched the most. It’s actually what turned my vague interest into proper obsession.

14. What is your favorite hair color on Michael?

Most of the colours were before my time but I am partial to his galaxy hair.

15. What is your favorite thing each of them has tweeted?

I don’t have fave tweets, but Ashton’s twitter in general is just a place of positivity and love, and I appreciate that.

16. How many of their albums/EPs do you own?

I own all three albums and various songs from the EPs, but none of the EPs in full.

17. Do you have any 5sos merch?

OMG, yes. Too much, considering I’ve only been a fan for 8 months. I think I’ve got 5 t-shirts, plus one more coming, a long-sleeve, a hoodie, the signed Youngblood litho (which I framed), three other posters (one signed – also framed) and the book. Yes, I bought the book, even though it precedes my time in the fandom by about 4 years. There might be other bits and pieces that I’ve forgotten about, but you get the gist.

18. Do you have any 5sos posters on your walls?

Yes, four. See above.

19. When they come on in the car/store/etc, what do you do?

I’ve never heard them in stores, but when they come on the radio I always cheer and get stupidly excited.

20. Who in the band do you think you’re most like and why?

Probably Michael. He likes cats, he’s a gamer, he seems more introverted than the others – all things that I definitely relate to.

21. Who do you think you’d get along with the most? What about the least?

I think Michael is either the one I’d get along with the best or the least. We’d either be too similar in a good way or a bad way.

22. If you could ask them each one question right now, what would you ask?

I’d like to ask Luke if he thinks he was too young when he got into all this. Personally I think he was, and I think we’ve seen the consequences of that, but I’d like to hear his thoughts on it.

I’d probably ask Ashton what his favourite cocktail is.

I’d probably ask Michael something gaming related.

I’m not sure what I’d ask Calum. He’s always been the one I relate to the least, so he’s a bit of an enigma to me.

23. What was you first impression of each of them?

I thought they were all generally pretty funny, but I actually thought at first that Ashton and Michael didn’t like each other. I think I just got a string of interviews and appearances where Ashton was particularly talkative and Michael was particularly quiet, and there seemed to be a lack of eye contact between them. I’ve since watched all these interviews again and I definitely see them differently and I pick up on more of the subtext now, but I was kind of confused initially.

24. How do you feel about the blonde in Calum’s hair?

Again, before my time, but I’m pretty indifferent.

25. How do you feel about the length of Ashton’s hair?

I prefer it short and I love the curls, but whatever he’s happy with is fine with me.

26. If you were trapped on a deserted island and could only bring one member with you, who would it be and why?

Probably Ashton. He seems like he’s got a good head on his shoulders, so he could potentially do something about getting us off the island, but he also likes to have a good time, so I think he could make our time there enjoyable, even as I was growing more and more dehydrated and sunburnt.

27. If you could switch everyone’s instruments, who would play what?

I love Ashton on guitar. It just does something to me. Also, that video of him on guitar when they did Teenage Dream? That was so cute? He was bouncing all over the stage, having the time of his life.

As for the others: Luke on bass, Michael on drums and I guess that leaves Calum with the other guitar.

28. Which Don’t Stop superhero would you prefer to be rescued by and why?

They all look pretty horrendous, but I think I’d laugh the least if I was in a bind and Mike-Ro-Wave showed up.

29. What is one song you really want the band to do a cover of?

I’d love them to do a country song with Ash on vocals, but that’s the most I’ve thought about it.

30. If you had 48 hours with your fave what would you guys do?

Oh god, I don’t know. It would definitely involve Ash and an acoustic guitar. I think I’d really just like him to take me to all his favourite places in LA and hang out with him and listen to him talk. I reckon 48 hours with Ashton would be the most fun and exhausting and exhilarating 48 hours of my life, but I’d be up for it.

31. If your fave were to propose to you right now, would you say yes? How would you want him to do it?

Well, it would depend on if this proposal were just out of the blue or if we’d been in some kind of serious relationship first. If the latter, then yes, probably. As for how: I feel like Ashton is the kind of person who would either go really big, super over the top with a proposal, or be really, really low key and just kind of ask at home while you’re doing something really normal and boring. Either would be fine with me.

32. If you could rename the band, what would you name them?

Luke and the Penguins? That’s literally the first thing I thought of. I’ve never thought about this before in my life. Seriously, though, I like that they seem to have embraced ‘5SOS’ as an identity, rather than just an abbreviation. ‘5 Seconds of Summer’ feels very much of its time and feels out of place in the current music world. ‘5SOS’ feels more true to who they are now.

33. What is your favorite thing about each of them?

I love the tongue thing Luke does. You know what I’m talking about.

I love Ashton’s sense of humour and his passion.

I love how Calum thinks Ashton is the funniest person alive.

I love how excited Michael gets about really nerdy things.

34. If you could change one thing about each of them what would you change?

I’d change Calum’s smoking habit, because it’s unhealthy and I worry for him, but other than that I wouldn’t change anything. They are who they are because of the choices they’ve made, good and bad.

35. What 5 words would you use to describe each of them?

Ashton: funny, passionate, driven, focused, storyteller

Luke: rockstar, vulnerable, electric, dorky, angel

Michael: adorable, quiet, genuine, caring, sweet

Calum: underrated (musically), solid, reliable, thoughtful, dedicated

36. If you could be the lead role in any 5sos music video, existing or not, what song would it be for?

Maybe Talk Fast?

37. If you could steal one thing from each of them (clothes, hats, etc) what would you take?

Ashton’s leather jacket, Luke’s black boots, Calum’s green hoodie and Michael’s necklace (that really long one he always wears).

38. If you were sharing headphones with your fave what song would you put on first?

Worry ‘Bout Nothin’ by Keith Urban.

39. Would you rather meet 4/4 but never get to see them live or see them live but never get to meet any of them?

See them live but never meet them. I’ve only been to one of their shows, but it was amazing and so fun. Plus, if I met them they’d forget about me pretty quickly because they meet fans all the time. If I can’t be special enough to remember, I’d rather have the full experience of a show than a quick hug and photo.

40. Would you rather catch Luke’s guitar pick or Ashton’s drum stick?

I’m an Ashton girl so definitely the drum stick.

41. Would you rather never be able to sing one of their songs again or never watch any of their music videos again?

Never watch their music videos. I don’t watch them much anyway, and half the fun of loving a band is getting to sing along. Honestly, one of the moments I’ve ever felt most alive was singing along to Jet Black Heart with thousands of other people at the MYT show.

42. Would you rather be brought on stage for an entire song or meet only 2 of them in public?

Probably meet 2 of them in public? I think I’d feel super awkward being on stage for an entire song. Everyone would be staring! I wouldn’t know what to do with my hands! Plus Ash would be behind the drums on stage and, therefore, unreachable. At least in public I’ve got a chance for a hug.

43. Would you rather play video games with Michael or go on a road trip with Ashton?

That’s super hard, because I’m a gamer but Ash is my fave. Hmmm… Probably road trip with Ashton, because that’s not something I would normally do anyway, and there would be plenty of time for talking and rocking out to whatever playlist he loads up.

44. Would you rather have Calum give you a tattoo or Luke give you a haircut?

I have more faith in Calum’s tattooing skills than Luke’s haircutting skills, so let’s go with the tattoo.

45. Would you rather date your fave but have the others dislike you or be friends with all of them but not be able to date/hookup with/kiss any of them?

Be friends with all of them. Definitely. I’m not sure dating them would be much fun anyway, in reality. They’d always be gone or going away. And they just seem like the kind of people you would want to be friends with.

46. Would you rather sing a duet with Luke or write a song with Calum?

Sing with Luke. More fun. Plus I’m already getting that tattoo from Calum.

47. Would you rather go to the fair with Malum or go stargazing with Lashton?

Stargazing with Lashton.

48. Would you rather touch Calum’s butt or Ashton’s biceps?

Ashton’s biceps. I am a girl who loves a nice set of arms, and Ashton’s are very nice.

49. Would you rather get high with Michael or drunk with Calum?

Drunk with Calum, but only because I’m not into taking drugs.

50. Would you rather have Luke give you his 'You Complete Mess' shirt or have Michael give you his denim jacket?

Michael’s denim jacket.

[lindoig8]

Wednesday-Saturday, 22-25 September

We were up fairly early because it was hard to make the bedroom really dark and we always wake as soon as the light seeps in. About 9.30 am, they took 4 of us in one of the utes to the other end of the island so we could walk back along the beach. The mining company Chevron has a lease over part of the island and are in the late stages of decommissioning and dismantling their plant and returning their lease to its original state – so we were not allowed to walk across the island, just along the beach. We mainly walked south and east but first, we walked a little way west to allow the other couple to get well ahead of us before we followed them. I reckon we walked about 7 kilometres but it seemed a lot further in the heat and always trudging through heavy loose sand – very hard work! We saw quite a few turtles (just heads popping up and gone again) and a few shovelnosed sharks in the extreme shallows – up to 2 metres long in 30 centimetres of water. Many times, the tips of their fins skimmed the surface as they hunted small fish close to the shore. We saw quite a few birds too, including at least 5 that we hadn’t seen before on this trip.

There were quite a few Terns – Crested, Lesser Crested, Caspian and my favourite, the Little Terns. They are tiny and very elegant, beautifully clean black and white plumage, and very delicate – I love them! The whole walk was interesting, but very exhausting – by the time we got back to the cottage, we were well overdue for a long sit-down and rest. The Little Terns were also important for another reason – they were the 250th species I have identified so far this trip – our current count is 252.

We had also booked to go out to the other end of the island (where we had been dropped in the morning) to watch the sunset. The tide had gone out in the meantime so a lot of the reef was exposed and I walked out quite a long way looking at more little waders and some of the marine life in the pools and on the rocks. Heather sat in the sandhills and rested but I had just enough energy remaining to do a little more exploring. There was a group of 11 people who were also on the bus and they were celebrating a 50th birthday, but we just let them do their thing while we watched.

Thursday

We wanted to check out what was just around the point near our cottage so walked there during the morning. But then, we wanted to see what was around the next point – and then the next, and the next….. We ended up walking a few kilometres more than intended and our hips were agony by the time we got back to sit down with a cold drink or two. But it was an interesting walk for all that, with lots of shells and other beach detritus to explore (and collect) and lots more terns and other seabirds to look at and identify.

We really had overdone it, trying to fit 5 or 6 days’ exploration into 3 days. Nevertheless, in the afternoon, we went for a swim. Heather did some snorkelling but was a bit nervous going right out to the reef on her own – and I was worse. I don’t like the water much, but I hired a short board with a Perspex viewing panel and set out to join her. Unfortunately, as soon as it got over my depth, I felt unstable and chickened out so just used it in the shallows – and of course, that put a crimp on Heather’s enjoyment too. Nonetheless, we had given it a go. We had also intended trying a tandem kayak – but they didn’t have any tandem craft, only singles, and we were not so keen about that. Also, we had run out of time so we had an extended Happy Hour instead.

Friday

We had to be packed and ready to leave at 9.30 am and boarded (a wet boarding, same as our landing) at 10 am, for a fast trip back to Onslow. Back in the van, we had lots of unpacking, reorganising and restocking to do as well as washing shoes, reef shoes, salty swimmers and other clothes. That kept us busy for a couple of hours and we had a nice phone catch-up with some of the kids in the afternoon.

After enjoying lighter meals on the Island, we both felt like something more substantial for dinner so went off to the pub a block or so away for dinner. The meal was fine, albeit nothing outstanding, but the ambience was zero, crowded and noisy, so we left as soon as we had eaten. We hadn’t even finished our wine so took the rest of the bottle home – just a short walk beside the beach. The tide is important here because there is no beach at all at high tide with the waves breaking on the rock wall – whilst at low tide, you can walk out 3 or 4 hundred metres out on the exposed sandy rocks.

Saturday

I had a bad night with serious lower back pain, presumably from our unaccustomed trekking on the sandy beaches on the Island. Heather gave me painkillers and breakfast in bed and we both spent half the day in bed. We watched an interesting and intriguing film ‘Dot the I’ as well as the final episode of the series we have been watching for the past couple of months. It is a very good Canadian production called Flashpoint, based mainly in Vancouver and we recognised a few of the locations from when we were there in 2019. It is all about the dramas the Strategic Response Unit (special cops) has to cope with - as well as something of the human relations underlying the victims, team and their families. It is one of the better series we have watched and the characters are pretty believable if slightly too good to be true.

We have heard so much hype about the football Grand Final that we decided to join the frenzy and watch it on TV. We spent some time trying to get our TV working – we haven’t used it for quite a few years – but were unable to get it working. We have been using the screen to watch our DVDs so I think the problem must be the antenna. After 50,000-plus kilometres of atrocious roads, I suspect something may have frayed or shaken loose – so we ate our meat pies and footy franks for lunch instead of dinner. I am sure there will be something in the email news or on Facebook tomorrow to advise which team won. We have no interest in it at all, but just wanted to be able to say we saw it. Maybe next year? (For the record, Melbourne won easily.)

[rofics]

Hidden omega (part 31)

Fandom: Bts (Got7 + Big Bang + B.A.P + Monsta X + Seventeen + Block B+Vixx+TVXQ+Exo) Who doesn’t love a good ensemb Pairing:  Namjoon x Everybody Genre: Smut/Fluff/Angst Au: Canon / Omegaverse au Length: 3.4k

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, Part 11, Part 12, Part 13, Part 14, Part 15, Part 16, Part 17, Part 18, Part 19, Part 20, Part 21, Part 22, Part 23, Part 24, Part 25, Part 26, Part 27, Part 28, Part 29, Part 30, Part 31, Part 32

Summary: Jungkook confesses to what he has done, and Namjoon get’s to put his leader pants back on!

“And why do you want to leave again?” Hakyeon asked looking over the baby alpha in front of him. Jungkook was sitting on the couch looking at the ground. He wasn’t in a good shape. Nail formed marks were sitting over his cheek and over the scent gland free side of his neck. Tear marks had dried over his cheeks, and his hands were shaking where they were lying in his lap.

“I already told you, I am happy for how much you have tried to help me, but it turns out that there is no helping me.”

Hongbin was watching with a sad look at Jungkook. “Why don’t you tell us the full story before we judge anybody. I’m sure it isn’t as bad as you are saying it is.”

Jaehwan and Taekwoon exchanged a glance behind everybody’s back. A nod was exchanged as the omega got up and left to fetch something because both of them had a bad suspicion that they knew what really was going on. Jungkook started explaining what had happened at training.

It had been a hard training. Without Hoseok there the choreographer had more or less decided to make it hell for them, since apparently Hoseok was his favorite. For Jungkook it had been a pretty shitty day. He had a headache since he started taking his medicine and it refused to go away. Drenched in sweat he emptied the rest of his water bottle into his mouth, looking at it sadly when he noticed it was empty.

The thing was for some reason they didn’t drink tap water. It was a weird thing that Bang PD-nim had told them, Jungkook had never understood it, but he had followed the rule. The thing was that at that point to fill up his water bottle was across the building, and he couldn’t really imagine having to wonder all the way over there when there was a tap right outside the dance room.

He made sure that the choreographer was busy trying to make Seokjin’s body do the right moves, and then he sneaked out to fill up his bottle. Just because he was nice he grabbed both Jimin’s and Taehyung’s bottles as well since the rest of the maknae line looked just as thirsty as him. But none could really be fucked to walk all the way over to fill it up. Jungkook had almost felt like a jewel thief as he filled up the bottles and quickly went back into the room, throwing the bottles both to Jimin and Taehyung.

Jimin who was currently leaning against the mirror looked at Jungkook with a big smile. “You are a hero, did you run all the way to fill them? You were fast.”

Jungkook just shook his head unscrewing the lid on the bottle “Nah, I just filled them up from the tap, it’s a stupid rule as well.” Jimin just laughed patting him on the shoulder as the youngest brought the water bottle up to his mouth ready to take a big gulp and he was suddenly pushed by… Taehyung? This caused him to spill some of the precious water on his already sweat stained shirt.

“Taehyung what the fuck?” Jungkook couldn’t stop himself from half yelling out annoyed.

Taehyung’s eyes were almost wild and his words so hurried that they almost fell over each other. “We can’t drink water from there! You know we can’t drink from the tap!”

That confused Jungkook since Taehyung had never been the person to follow to rules that closely and Jungkook could feel his headache get worse and red to start squirming its way into his vision as he felt anger rise up inside him… No! That were supposed to be gone, the baby alpha shook his head focusing on the beta in front of him. “Other people drink from it! Just back off it’s fine! I’m dying here.”

Jungkook could feel the familiar tendrils of anger as he thought Taehyung would backoff now. He was wrong as he again brought up the bottle to his lips just to get pushed again by Taehyung, this time much harder causing Jungkook to spill more of the water on himself and almost fall on his ass. This time he couldn’t control the yelling. “TAEHYUNG WHAT THE FUCK?”

Normally Taehyung would back down when he felt Jungkook get angry, everyone other than Yoongi would back down from Jungkook’s anger. But this time he didn’t, his wild eyes weren’t focusing on Jungkook, but instead at the water bottle. With one precise strike he managed to knock Jungkook’s bottle out of his hand into the floor letting the tap water flow onto the floor. Jimin, Seokjin and their choreographer all held their breath looking at the two youngest members of BTS waiting for all hell to break out.

Which it did when Jungkook could no longer hold back the anger that was building inside him. The red of the alpha anger he thought he would never see again floated over his vision and took over his logic, and then he did something he never thought he would do. He took one step towards Taehyung and then hit him square in the jaw. Taehyung who hadn’t seem to have expected the hit at all, as he stumbled multiple steps back looking scared at Jungkook whose eyes had now gotten taken over completely by the alpha red.

Jungkook didn’t really know what was happening. He just knew that he was angry and Taehyung was the reason. Seokjin stood at the other end of the practice room and just froze. He couldn’t move or access his higher brain function, he was scared… No he were terrified of Jungkook, the snarl Jungkook’s face was put in didn’t fit his pretty features instead it looked like a distorted mask.

Luckily Jimin’s instincts kicked in when Jungkook took another step towards Taehyung who was now sitting on the ground looking up at Jungkook. The wild in his eyes gone and now just replaced with a look of true horror. Jimin just felt that Taehyung was in danger, and he needed to do something. While he normally would never stand up to an alpha like Jungkook and Yoongi when they were like this, but he had no choice. He half launched himself at Jungkook and did the first thing that came to mind, he scratched Jungkook right across the face, all thought of having to make sure not to hurt his face out.

Through the haze of alpha anger Jungkook felt the pain of the nail’s biting into his soft facial skin, but it wasn’t enough to rip him out of it. Then he felt another set of nails bite into the side of his neck and the pain was intense forcing him out of his alpha haze. He could feel how the nails had actually managed to draw blood and he let out a confused noise. Jimin had now stepped multiple steps away from him, blood still on his nails and Jungkook could feel how it was slowly gliding down his neck.

Then he focused on Taehyung who was still on the floor, looking at Jungkook like… like he was a monster. Jungkook reached out for Taehyung wanting to make it all better, wanting to explain that he hadn’t meant to hurt him! That he was just tired and exhausted, that he had to deal with a near constant headache and for some reason his alpha anger problems weren’t fixed by the medicine! He wanted to make it all up to Taehyung, but he didn’t succeed as the younger almost crap walked multiple steps backwards trying to get away from Jungkook with big confused and scared eyes.

And then suddenly he was up on his feet and he ran away?! He straight up ran away, out of the training room not even looking back on the members that he left behind. The glint in his eyes when he looked at Jungkook one last time showed that he was clearly still terrified of what had just happened.

Jungkook kinda just stood awkwardly in the middle of the room with his hand still reaching out for Taehyung who was no longer there, and then a lot of things happened at once. Seokjin fell to his knees and the choreographer was over him in the same second. Seokjin gasped out that he couldn’t breath and Jungkook had no idea what were happening. He took a step towards the beta on the ground, but then… Jimin hissed at him?

The omega looked just as surprised as Jungkook over what he had done. Like at first he didn’t really understand that the sound was actually really coming from him, but it did make Jungkook stop in his tracks ending in a staredown between the two dancers. Jimin’s eyes were hard and the normal friendly look in them were gone, and Jungkook knew what was happening. Jimin thought that he was going to hurt Seokjin! His instinct told him to protect, people always said that alphas were the protectors. But it was also very known to not cross an omega who were in protect mode. Jungkook was just confused and sad, he never wanted to hurt anybody! He just wanted to help!

They were ripped out of their staring contest when they heard a yell. “Call an ambulance now!”

That made Jimin move as he hissed out at Jungkook, “Go, now!” then quickly went for his phone to call the ambulance, while trying to calm Seokjin down the older man on the ground clutching at his throat and having panicked sporadic breaths and Jungkook did the only thing he could think of, he listened to Jimin and left the room.

“And that was what happened.” Jungkook explained back at the Vixx dorm, he had decided to walk home hood up ignoring the rain that was falling heavily at that point. When he had arrived at what he was currently calling home he was a mess. He had managed to keep his face mostly out the rain with the hood, but not dry as a mess of tears had decided to take over his features and the blood on his cheek and neck had stiffened. The rest of him was drenched in rain and when Hongbin had opened the door to let Jungkook in he had been scared out of his mind and it hadn’t been helped by Jungkook just saying. “I’m leaving… Turns out I can’t be helped.”

That was what led to where they were at that moment, Jungkook sitting on the couch retelling his tale refusing to look at any of them, currently flanked by the two betas both holding one of his hands helping him get over the periods of his tale where new tears took over him.

“You understand now, I can’t be helped, I was stupid for thinking it.”

That was when Jaehwan came back into the room with Jungkook’s pill bottle. “This is the ones you are taking right?” Jungkook just nodded as Jaehwan through the bottle to Taekwoon who looked it over. “We were right.” he mumbled not seeming to happy with it.

Jungkook just looked confused and sniffed on more, looking more like a little kid than an alpha capable of hitting anybody right at that moment. Hongbin gave his hand a soft squeeze feeling nothing but pure and almost violent sorrow for the alpha in that moment and Taekwoon started to explain. “At first we thought the medicine was just working really slowly, but you started getting mad at smaller and smaller things. While yes you were quick at trying to force the anger down again. It was a sign that the medicine wasn’t working and if anything it was making it worse. So we started googling around, and now that we look at the bottle… Jungkook they have given you the wrong bottle, this is for omegas… not alphas, that is why it has become worse.”

Jungkook for some reason didn’t feel relieved about this, he felt like he had gotten told that he had murdered a kindergarten class, but there were a logical reason to why he had done it. “I still hit Taehyung!”

Jaehwan tried to be the logical person. “I know you did, but it wasn’t really you. You are having issues, you just need to explain to him what happened. Get some new pills and then you are going to be okay. Jungkook it’s going to be okay, I promise you that when he know’s the truth he is going to forgive you, he could never be angry with you when he knows the truth.”

It still didn’t calm down Jungkook. “That doesn’t matter! I still hit him! I’m still a monster! I hit my own pack member!”

Sanghyuk tried to calm him down by lightly caressing his hand. “Nobody thinks of you like that.” But new tears streamed to the young alphas eyes as he couldn’t keep them in.

“I still hit him! We can never be square after that! I’m abusive.” Suddenly Jungkook felt himself getting hit right in jaw like he described how he hit Taehyung, and he looked confused at a very angry Wonshik who was now standing instead of sitting on the ground as he had when Jungkook got in.

“You want to be square! There! Now stop being a bitch and man up! What happened to being an ‘alpha’ as you told me about?” He clearly had enough of Jungkook’s pity party for himself and opened his mouth for another word vomit to exit it when Hakyeon took control.

“Take a walk Wonshik.” The younger omega looked like he wanted to argue, but the older just cut him off. “Now unless you want to sleep on the couch for an entire week.”

That didn’t seem to stop Wonshik to much, as the omega seemed to have more things he wanted to say, but now it was Taekwoon’s turn to speak up supporting their leader. “Go take a walk.” It was the closest Jungkook had ever heard to Taekwoon using an alpha voice, while it technically had no alpha order behind it and therefore had no effect on him it still made Wonshik stare at him almost insulted, before he seemed to decide that arguing with both his pack alpha and Vixx’s leader was a bad idea. So he just grabbed his running shoes and left.

Jungkook looked worried after him, since from his point of view Wonshik hadn’t really done something wrong. “It’s raining outside.” He mumbled sadly.

“Well that might help him calm down,” Hakyeon mumbled. “We apologize, but you have to understand that we like you, and it’s hard for us to hear a friend talk about himself like that.”

“I’m sorry but it’s the truth.” Jungkook understood what they were saying, but he also felt that they didn’t understand him.

Jaehwan bowed down in front of him, having gone to pick up a cold cloth in the kitchen lightly dabbing where Wonshik hit him. “But he has a point, if you wanted to be square that is it, you are square now. You need to focus on apologising and explaining what happened. You have made progress, I know you don’t see the progress because your own body is fighting against you, but you have to see it. This anger isn’t you and you have made good progress in seeing us as equals.”

Taekwoon and Hakyeon exchanged a conversation with only their eyes before Taekwoon spoke up. “I think you have learned your lesson, at this point we are doing more damage to you than good, by forcing you to stay alone. You can join us in the nest now, you understand what you did to Namjoon. Now it’s time for you to heal.”

Jungkook looked confused, and probably pretty pathetic as well. “But Wonshik said he didn’t trust me around omegas.”

Sanghyuk laughed lightly at that. “Wonshik likes to pretend that he is big and tough, he is really just a big sweetheart on the inside. Wonshik only has one sixth of the say in this pack, and the rest of us trust you. We just wanted you to see what it felt like being alone.”

The pack alpha still sat on the floor in the same position as he had when Jungkook had gotten here crying and bleeding his glance was soft as he looked at Jungkook. “Do you still want to leave? We won’t force you to stay if you really don’t want to, but we would like to keep you around until you feel you have reached what you want to learn from us.”

At that moment Jungkook felt like was he was, an 18 year old kid that had been an alpha for less than 6 months and had been forced to grow up way too fast. “I would like to stay please” and with that he was almost violently attacked by a hug from both of the betas next to him.

“Of course you can! You are our new puppy!”

On the other side of the city at the Got7 dorms Namjoon was staring at the phone Jinyoung gave to him and sighed. He should have expected this to happen, somehow the BTS pack alway had a way of collapsing on itself when he was relaxing the most. “Thank you Jinyoung, I am going to go and uhm… deal with this.”

Mark was the one to grab his arm before he could leave. “You don’t have to hide away to do it, we know you are still the leader of BTS, just because they are also courting you doesn’t mean you have to hide the fact that they exist. You can be BTS leader while still being here with us, Kim Namjoon and Rap Monster doesn’t have to lead different lives.”

Namjoon looked actually relieved at Mark, he was worried that he would have to separate the two from each other feeling that it was weird dealing with it in front of them, worried that he would hurt their feelings. So he ended up sitting on the floor leaning his head back against Jackson’s thigh as he laid on the couch more or less half dead to the world while running his hand absently through Namjoon’s hair with a soft touch, in Namjoon’s lap was BamBam head.

The younger Got7 member in his lap had playfully bit his thigh through his sweats, before Namjoon had lightly slapped him on the shoulder for him to behave while he made his calls, his first call was for Seventeen. The thing was as BTS leader, he knew a lot more about where his members and everybody around them were at all times. While Yoongi might not have cared that much where his betas spend their nights. Namjoon cared where his vocalist were. He knew that Taehyung spent a lot of time with Seventeen, feeling very at home with the members near his age plus Taehyung liked that there were so many members… Taehyung always loved being surrounded by people.

Doing a quick thought experiment, he tried to decide who were least likely to sit with Taehyung so he didn’t interrupt something. Seungkwan was the person he ended up calling and instead of answer with hello and a respectful ‘Namjoon-hyung’ as he normally got from the younger omega he got. “This has to stop, my heart is not meant for seeing him cry.”

Namjoon just sighed. “I wasn’t there when it happened,” then he thought over it and sighed of course… he was in the hospital and Taehyung were there… Of course how could he have been so forgetful. “How bad is it?”

“He won’t let any of the alphas near him, Namjoon-hyung he is terrified and at this point I think Jihoon is going to start crying himself he can’t help him. We can’t get out of him what happened? Did an alpha fan touch him or something? He had what looked to be a hit mark on his face.”

Of course the face Jungkook really classy. “It’s a long story and I don’t know all of it, but it was Jungkook who hit him, they had some kind of argument and fight.”

Seungkwan sighed. “We got him, and we are going to make sure that he is okay, do you want to text your manager or?”

Namjoon sighed just as heavily as Seungkwan. “I will do it, you think he will be okay for practice tomorrow?”

“If you keep him away from Jungkook yeah probably, his main issues seem to be alphas right now… You know about the omega issue right?”

“I don’t know the full story, but yes I know the issues. It’s Taehyung’s story to tell me, but I will move stuff around so he is mostly be in vocal where he can be alone with Minnie.”

Seungkwan made a weird noise not seeming to happy having Taehyung with another omega, but it was clear that his want for Taehyung to be safe and happy won over. “Okay, we will find a way to escort him there and pick him up again. He is staying with us, and with all the respect in the world… I don’t care what you think of it.”

Namjoon didn’t argue with him just agreed before hanging up. He knew that Seventeen was attached to Taehyung, but something told him it was a lot deeper than just friendship which made him sigh sadly. Nothing good would ever come out of this. The only way Taehyung would leave the BTS pack for them were if the pack dissolved, and that would never happen. Even if Taehyung was sad and no longer loved them anymore he would stay, because that was the kind of guy he was, he was faithful like a puppy.

Jaebum sat down next to him as Namjoon stared at his phone gently kissing his cheek. “Everything is going to be okay Joonie I promise, and if you need somebody to talk to… we are here for you.”

Authors note: So I tried something knew what my story telling method, hopefully you guys liked it!

Previous Chapter ! Next Chapter

[imagine-ikebukuro]

tagged in a few things

more under the cut!

92 truths meme

Tagged by: @glitzcake​ thank u!

LAST…

[1] Drink: orange juice

[2] Phone call: a friend of mine, annika

[3]Text message: my brother

[4] Song you listened to: this remix, i’m obsessed with it lately!

[5] Time you cried: aw shit, a few days ago? last weekend? idk man

HAVE YOU EVER…

[6] Dated someone twice: no

[7] Been cheated on: nope

[8] Kissed someone and regretted it: yup

[9] Lost someone special: kind of? but… more in a sense of drifting apart rather than someone passing away

[10] Been depressed: not diagnosed, but i’m pretty sure my mental health is not at its best at all

[11] Gotten drunk and thrown up: lmao yes and not only once either

LIST THREE FAVOURITE COLORS…

[12] grey!

[13] turquoise!

[14] burgundy!

IN THE LAST YEAR…

[15] IN THE LAST YEAR…

[16] fallen out of love: nah

[17] laughed until you cried: pretty sure

[18] found out someone was talking about you: people be talking shit 24/7 and all i gotta say about it: I DON’T CARE AS LONG AS IT’S ABOUT ME

[19] met someone who changed you: mhhhh, no not really

[20] found out who your true friends are: definitely!

[21] kissed someone on your facebook list: yeeeaaah? could’ve been in 2015, my sense of time is terrible Dx

GENERAL…

[22] how many of your facebook friends do you know in real life: 90% of people, 5% others are friends i’ve known for several months or years over the internet and 5% are random people or some “celebrities” i found lmao

[23] do you have any pets: no, sadly not ;;

[24] do you want to change your name: i’m fine with my name, tbh!

[25] what did you do for your last birthday: i went to the museum and ate sushi with my family and a few weeks later had a party with my friends

[26] what time did you wake up: today? 8am

[27] what were you doing at midnight last night: watching youtube videos

[28] name something you cannot wait for: to finally be accepted to college and not being nervous about applying for university and everything, but have it all sorted out

[29] when was the last time you saw your mother: she’s sitting in the same room as me right now

[30] what is one thing you wish you could change about your life: if i could go back in time, i would do anything to have my father and i get along properly today

[31] what are you listening to right now: a zelda remix playlist

[32] have you ever talked to a person named tom: actually, yes, i had a huge crush on someone named tom, he was two classes above me during middle school

[33] something that is getting you nervous: the thought of me getting my wisdom teeth removed tomorrow, ugh. also, general organization and planning shit, like applying for college, moving out of my hometown, living on my own very soon, being forced to meet new people, all that jazz.

[34] most visited website: i guess tumblr? even though, lately, it’s probably youtube

[35] elementary: 2004 - 2008

[36] high school: graduated last year

[37] college: i can apply for my first semester next week. if i’m accepted, i’ll start going there in fall this year.

[38] hair color: i’m a ginger, so red-brown

[39] long or short hair: short! i cut it into an undercut like almost 2 years ago

[40] do you have a crush on someone: no, i avoid that shit

[41] what do you like about yourself: my eye color?

[42] piercings: i literally got zero piercings, not even on my ears, but i wish i had an industrial piercing and i used to really want flesh tunnels, maybe i’ll get there eventually

[43] blood type: i actually don’t know :^)

[44] nickname: some people call me lilly, some call me li. the villagers in my animal crossing town call me ukeprince, wot

[45] relationship status: married to the neighbour’s cat which i saw from my window and went out for just to pet it about 500 times by now

[46] zodiac sign: virgo!

[47] pronouns: they/them, she/her, he/him

[48] fav tv show: at the moment i’m watching PLL (but i don’t like it at all so rip) my favorite’s gotta be buffy the vampire slayer!

[49] tattoos: none yet

[50] right or left hand: right handed

FIRST…

[51] surgery: i had surgery in my mouth last year and like mentioned above, i’m getting my wisdom teeth removed tomorrow, if that counts

[52] piercing: none

[53] best friend: she’s not even active on tumblr anymore, rip, her name’s lydia though IF YOU READ THIS, THEN HELLO MY BRO

[54] sport: i’m planning to swim regularly again after recovering and healing up from surgery

[55] vacation: if it counts, my first ever “vacation” was the music festival Rock im Park 2013 with my father and a good friend of mine

[56] pair of trainers: no clue

RIGHT NOW…

[57] eating: nothing

[58] drinking: orange juice

[59] i’m about to: maybe get to playing some loz: botw

[60] listening to: still the loz remix playlist

[61] waiting for: anxious feelings to pass

[62] want: a huge cup of coffee

[63] get married: nopedy nope, i don’t fixate myself on wishing to get married. if it happens, it happens and i’ll be happy about it, but if not, then that’s cool on my terms, too!

[64] career: i’m working on becoming a teacher (i want to teach german, english and ethics in high schools)

WHICH IS BETTER…

[65] hugs or kisses: honestly, it depends, but generally, i’d say hugs

[66] lips or eyes: eyessss

[67] shorter or taller: i don’t care, both is nice

[68] older or younger: as long as it’s pretty close to my age, i don’t mind

[69] romantic or spontaneous: neither LMAO if i had to chose, romantic, bc i’m as spontaneous as a potato, i gotta plan ahead, bruh

[70] nice arms or nice stomach: stomach! and by that i mean any kind of stomach! ripped af or soft, i’m weak.

[71] sensitive or loud: sensitive

[72] hook up or relationship: relationship

[73] troublemaker or hesitant: a nice balance between the two would be cool. let’s be real though, troublemakers always catch my eye, even though i’m quickly annoyed by them just as well wtf is wrong with me

HAVE YOU EVER…

[74] kissed a stranger?: no

[75] drank hard liquor?: yes

[76] lost glasses/contact lenses?: no wtf i’d be walking around half blind

[77] turned someone down: yes

[78] sex on first date?: no

[79] broken someone’s heart?: apparently so

[80] had your own heart broken?: at the time i think i would’ve called it that, but honestly, it wasn’t that horrible, so nah?

[81] been arrested?: no

[82] cried when someone died?: yeah

[83] fallen for a friend?: do lowkey crushes count in which you gush over how amazing someone is? platonic crushes? it’s a thing.

DO YOU BELIEVE IN…

[84] yourself?: i used not to, but lately i’m more confident i think!

[85] miracles?: not really

[86] love at first sight?: no

[87] Santa Claus?: no

[88] kiss on the first date?: sure

[89] angels?: no

OTHER…

[90] current best friend’s name: Lydia

[91] eye color: greyish-green (if i cry or sometimes late at night they’re really GREEN!)

[92] favorite movie: nightmare before christmas!

10 questions ask game.

tagged by @peacefuldesires​ thx!

What things make you smile and all warm-fuzzy inside? CATS no seriously, i can have the worst day, but when i walk home and get to pet a cat on the way, i instantly better. i remember coming home after my last final exam all upset and a cat meowing at me and purring and wanting to cuddle with me and i couldn’t help but smile!

What things make you feel a bit sad (don’t push yourself to answer this one)? my current family situation, there’s a bit of drama and fights going on.

What things inspire you to grow? anything and everything, to be honest. there’s new things you experience and learn every single day. things you conquer and master just fine and mistakes you make and all of them shape you into knowing what to do next time a bit more.

The last song(s) that you couldn’t stop listening to? i can’t really think of anything right now, uhhhh, i’ve been listening to the trust me durarara!! ending lately again haha

5. Are you an introvert/extrovert/ambivert? What kind (are you a shy extrovert, super confident introvert, or perhaps a really confused ambivert :0)?: i’m an introvert through and through. i wouldn’t say i’m exceptionally shy nor super confident. i’m somewhere in between. it really depends, around my friends i’m outgoing and cheering and with certain strangers, especially if i know i have to talk with them for literally no longer than 3 minutes right now (i.e. a cashier or someone you walk past) then i’m polite and rather talkative. i just feel exhausted even after spending a lot of time with friends, though the time was enjoyable, but i need my alone time for sure.

What calms you down? the triangle breath! it’s my favorite method to use whenever i feel anxious, upset, angry, or just need to stop and pause for a few minutes. you picture a triangle in your mind (you can even trace it with your finger, or if you can draw it on a piece of paper). you take a breath in through your nose, tracing one side of the triangle. then you breathe out through your mouth, tracing the second and third side of it. other than that, listening to music, taking a nap, petting a cat, watching videos of cats or other cute stuff, sometimes playing a video game.

A character that you really relate to (perhaps you have similar personalities, or maybe you came from similar backgrounds)?: this is gonna sound trashy, but saeyoung choi from mystic messenger and there’s a story behind it too. my friends were playing it way before me and told me “there’s this character that looks just like you, you know nerd glasses, messy red hair, always wearing a baggy black hoodie. he even acts like you, making puns and using memes ALL THE TIME!” and it’s true lmao. also, kaneki ken to some extent? like i really resonate with his personality, the choices he makes, his thoughts speak to me, he’s pretty harsh on himself and goes through ways that are self destructive if he can help others with it.

One thing you love learning? language, it’s just fascinating to me.

Angst or fluff? ANGST, I AM THE ANGST QUEEN, COME ON

If you punch yourself, does that mean you’re strong or does that mean you’re weak? neither and a little bit of both at the same time. let’s go deep in on this one and take the “punch” as emotional self loathing. bashing yourself down definitely doesn’t mean you’re strong, it doesn’t make you tough at all, it only means you’re harsh on yourself. it doesn’t make you weak either. you’re making yourself believe you are weak, but the fact that you endure that and still have the power to do so, means you’re tougher than you’re think.

MY QUESTIONS:

Now that spring’s here, what’s your favorite thing about this season and what do you not like about it?

What’s your spirit animal? Literally. Which animal do you think resembles your inner self and why? (maybe your Patronus, if you know it?

What’s your go-to order at a café?

Do you consider yourself to be creative?

If you could go back in time and change something, would you? If so, what? If not, why?

Where do you see yourself in 20 years from now?

Home sweet home, what makes you feel comfortable in your own home? What’s the overall aesthetic of your room, any colors, textures, an atmosphere, do you maybe keep many stuffed animals or posters or plants?

What do you think is most important when it comes to friendship?

What’s something you improved in since last year?

Werewolves or Vampires, which are cooler?

I tag: @imagine-your-party-hosts​ || @obsessivefujoshi​ || @dotaccino​ || @mollyxmousey​ || anyone who wants to do this

[icyada]

Chapeter 1: Visions

Echos across Time and Space Book One: "Something Wicked this way Comes"

An: Welcome =) I’m so excited for this story. This is the start of a Harry Potter fan fiction that I started on Fanfiction-dot-net that I am still in the process or writing. I hope you’ll enjoy! Aditional Note: the "Old English" being used is actually not Old per say, it is Shakespereian english and I am using a translator so dont get upset please. I will provide a translation (according to my translator) at the end of each chapter Disclaimer: As much as I hate admitting it I dont own Harry Potter (I think Mrs Rowling shoud rewrite the series though, its got so much she can add to it)

Chapter 1- Visions

'What WAS that!?'

Godric Gryffindor, age 21, had been wondering that all day. Thankfully, he had an expert Seer as a friend and was just awaiting his arrival. Speaking of which......

"Hello mine cater-cousin, how art thou?[1]" Godric greeted his long time friend Myrddin Emrys at the door of his home. 

"Godric mine corky cater-cousin, 'tis good to seeth thou again. I am well. How doth thou fair?[2]" Myriddin said cheerfully walking up to Godric

Godric sighed wearily as he embraced the man he saw as a close brother. “Not well, not well at all I feareth. I've been up nearly half the night pond'ring a dream that I had. [3]" Godric responded before leading Myrddin to the sitting room. After ensuring a house elf brought him and Myrddin some wine, Godric studied Myrddin for several minutes. Myrddin was silent the whole time for he knew his friend well. Godric usually got this way when he was in deep thought or trying to order his thoughts. Sure enough after staring for a bit Godric blinked and sighed. "This dream, I am sure 'tis a vision of the distant future. I was hoping thou couldst aid me towards und'rstanding it [4]," Godric said, his voice a picture of exhaustion. Myrddin nodded in understanding of the problem. While his brother in all but blood was not classified as a true Seer, Godric did get the odd vision every now and again. 

“Telleth me broth'r," Myrddin said "Speak to me some of this vision so that i may prop'rly parley with the Fates to break this with them[5]."

"I wouldst if I couldst broth'r, howev'r I Saw an entire life's time ov'r half the night, [6]" Godric said quietly. 

After a few moments of silence Godric continued "The most vivid of the vision howev'r was that of a young lad with hair as black as a raven, vivid bright green eyes that shin'd with pow'r as if they w're em'ralds and a fad'd lightning bolt scar 'pon his brow....[7]".

Here Godric paused and scrunched up his face while he focused on what he could recall of the next part. 

"He was fighting a. . . . . . . I doth not wot if I shouldst clepe that being a man," he said slowly, trying to keep focused on the memory. "He wilt hast been bef're as he walk'd on two forks and carri'd a wand of focus. But that one's humanity appear'd to hast left him long ago. An'yhow, this young man was fighting the beast in a castle's ruins and. . . . . well, and then I  awoke. [8]"

Myrddin sat back in his seat and nodded. 

"Giveth me but a moment mine cater-cousin. I will hast an answ'r from the Fates and let thou wot their answ'r in a while [9]," he said. Godric nodded and motioned for Myrddin to continue.

As Godric watched Myrddin quietly, his mind drifted back to the white bearded man in his vision. In Godric's opinion 'Albus too-many-names Dumbledore' was just as much a monster as this Voldemort character. Albeit a different and in some ways more dangerous monster than Voldemort, but still........

'If I was sent this vision f'r a reason. . . nay, I bett'r hold my thoughts until Myrddin confirms 'r denies this [10].' A few minutes later Myrddin's eyes blinked open before looking straight at Godric. 

"It seems that the Fates need us both to give our aid to the future. Thou to aid this raven hair'd young fellow and I to assist thou in this endev'r with mine en'rgy,[11]" he said after a few moments of gathering his thoughts. 

"I seeth, 'tis as I thought then. V'ry well, what doth we need to do to get started?[12]" Godric responded.

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

Several days later, Godric and Myrddin traveled to Stonehenge, the most magic saturated area in England. Godric was relieved, he had been worried that the local magical village wouldn’t allow them use of the site. But after having explained the situation to them, the locals-who were consequently Druids who believed in the balance of nature-agreed to allow them one time use of the site.

As Myrddin got the site set up for the ritual he was going to perform, Godric checked the supplies for the journey back to his house before checking the letter he was planning to send along with the charms on the parchment attached to the letter.  He also checked over the package he intended to send with both parchments before nodding while looking at the pure white phoenix perched on his shoulder.

The phoenix had found Myrddin and Godric's camp just the other day. According to the Druids, she told them her name was Hedwig and that her home had been the very time they were sending the letter too. She had been hit by the spell that Godric's own mentor had created. Her spirit had lingered for a time near where her body had lay. Fortunately, before she could decide to move on, a royal phoenix that she knew well had appeared to her.

Fawkes, the royal one's name, had asked her if she wanted to leave her boy. When Hedwig said no, Fawkes had given up his own life force to her, turning her into this phoenix. She said it took her a while to recover and when she did she had found herself in the current time period.

Since then she had been desperately searching for a way home and, after hearing from a few animals of 2 leg walkers who had been heard talking about time travel she had sought them out and had found them only a day's travel away from Stonehenge. After Godric heard that, he and Myrddin had worked on altering the ritual they had created to include sending a live creature through as well.

'Tis almost time lass, art thou ready to return to thy home?[13]" Godric asked her softly. 

The white one trilled a joyful note and then nuzzled Godric before letting out a lower more sorrowful note. She and Godric had become fast friends. They both also knew they would see each other again, even if that version of her might not remember him. 

''Tis alright lass, 'tis not farewell simply a temp'rary good bye. [14]"

"Godric, 'tis time," Myrddin said from by the ritual circle. 

Godric nodded and stroked Hedwig's head gently a bit before handing her the letter and shrunk the package tying it to her leg. 

"Happy fortune to you lass, safe travels," he mumbled. She took the letter in her beak before heading over to the middle of the circle and settling down on the ground.

Both men got on either side of the circle and started chanting in Welsh, neither noticing the glow of the circle lighting the area. Both were busy picturing a young man that had raven black hair that stuck out at all angles of his head, bright emerald green almond shaped eyes, what looked like funny double eye monicles and most vividly, a lightning bolt shaped scar resting on his forehead in the center.

It took 30 minutes and a lot out of them both of them, but when Godric opened his eyes Hedwig was gone with her package. 'Good Fortune to you Hedwig,’ Godric thought as he looked quietly up at the sky. -----------

115 miles and 992 years away, 17 year old Harry Potter was surprised as a white phoenix appeared, perching on his lap and clutching in her beak 2 pieces of parchment.

=======================

Translations:

[1] Hello my friend, how are you?

[2] Godric my old friend, It is good to see you again. I am well. How do you fair?

[3] Not well, not well at all I fear. I've been up nearly half the night pondering a dream that I had.

[4] This dream, I am sure it is a vision of the distant future. I was hoping you could help me to understand it

[5] Tell me brother, tell me some of this vision so that I may properly meet the Fates to discuss this with them

[6] I would if I could brother, however I Saw an entire life time over half the night

[7] The most vivid of the vision however was that of a young man with hair as black as a raven, vivid bright green eyes that shined with power as if they were emeralds and a faded lightning blot scar upon his brow.

[8] He was fighting a.......i do not know if I should call that being a man. He must have been before as he walked on two legs and carried a wand of focus. But that one's humanity appeared to have left him long ago. Anyways, the young man was fighting the beast in a castle's ruins and.....then I awoke  

[9] Give me but a moment my friend. I will have an answer from the fates and let you know their answer in a whille

[10] If I was sent this vision for a reason...no, I better wait untill Myrddin confirms or denies this

[11] It seems that the Fates need us both to give our aid to the future. You to help this raven haired young man and me to assist you in this endevor with my energy.  

[12] I see, it is as I thought then. Very well, what do we need to do to get started?

[13] It is almost time lass, are you ready to head home?

[14] it is alright lass, it is not farewell simply a temporary good by

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

An: Im soooooooooooo excited to be getting back to writing. I've been reading a lot of Harry Potter lately so I figured I wanted to make a tale of my own.

[ianmkeenan]

Fast Bud #2 Indoor Grow

Fast Bud #2 Indoor Grow

September

March

April

True to its name, Fast Bud #2 is one of the fastest autoflowering plants ideal for marijuana growers. Fast Bud #2 is ready to harvest in just 7 weeks after germination. They are the answer to people’s demands for larger autoflowers with heavier yields.

This grow journal started with the following supplies: Strain: Fast Bud #2 autoflower. Tent: Black orchid Indoor Grow Light Box tent from 50 x 50 x 100cm. Lights: 45W LED but will switch to 300W UFO LED after 2-3 weeks. Light cycle will be 20/4 for veg and 16/8 for flower. Soil: Verve Sowing and Cutting Compost for the first 2 weeks then will switch to 40% Plagron Bat Mix, 40% Varve one and 10% Perlite in 6: air pot. Fans: Exhaust has a 13W fan with 4-inch carbon filter. A 6-inch 15W fan will ventilate the tent. Fertilizer: Miracle-Gro Continuous Release Plant Food Fertilizer, and Fox Farm Tiger Bloom.

Grower: Oful33 Yield: 20.4g Location: NA

September 10th

Here’s the only girl germinating in wet paper towels.

September 11th

This is the equivalent of seeing your baby walk for the first time. She finally hit her shell and a small root is coming out. This root is very small but there is no reason to hold her between tissues anymore. She’s transferred to her temporary pot/

Also a little update regarding the lights. I have decided to go for Mars LED instead of UFO. Mars looks a little more reliable after doing some research. Also, I won’t be using 45W anymore and will go straight to 300W.

Below is a tiny root porn for your eyes. This tiny seed will grow into something massive soon! I plan to grow one because the tent is quite small. Might end up in an awkward situation if I had 2 or more young plants for this small tent.

September 12th

Just a short update today. It was a really good day, got back home and found 8 packages waiting for me – most of the stuff arrived. I put on some Marley in the background and put that setup in action.

For now, the 45W is used but I’ll get rid of it in a couple of days. It doesn’t look reliable. The MARS LED should arrive in the next 2-3 days.

Here’s what the tent looks like now.

September 13th

She got out of her shell completely, now stretching and reaching for the light. Currently 13 inches away from the 45W. I’ll put her on the bottom of the tent once the 300W is installed. We don’t want her to stretch too much.

September 14th

The new Mars 300W LED was delivered today. However, it’s quite loud for this stealth grow.

September 17th

It’s day 5 of veg. She stretched on the second day after hitting the ground. However, I moved her closer to the light but then she stopped.

I’ve forgotten to mention – I named her Elizabete.

September 18th

She hasn’t really changed but the upcoming week will be busy. I don’t want her to grow too much roots in this pot so I decided to transplant her.

I also decided to change her mix a little. She’s now in 30% Bat Mix, 10% Perlite and 60% Verve. All the Bat Mix were put in the bottom so she would reach it when she’s slightly bigger because that one is quite hot.

September 24th

She’s doing pretty well. I think she loves the new pot. I have measured runoff pH a couple days ago (6-7). I watered her pretty badly back then and haven’t watered her since.

Everything is pretty much the same. Still fighting to keep that heat off (30 degrees Celsius). I’m not using nutes for now because they seem unnecessary. The leaves are pretty dark but not too dark.

I might give her some nutes next week or perhaps this week I’ll see how she will react to them. Will probably feed ¼ of the required amount.

Here are some latest photos:

September 27th

Not sure what happened. Maybe the soil is too hot, maybe she didn’t like the slow-release nutrients I fed her yesterday.

All I did was put that slow-release tablet in water for about 10 minutes as instructed. It’s a tablet made of loads of tiny bubbles. Few of the bubbles disconnected from the tablet. I removed the tablet and the result was few nutrient rich bubbles in water.

After 2 days of waiting, I took 1 teaspoon of that mixture and mixed it with about 3L of water. I think it was very mild so I would find it hard to believe this is nute burn.

September 28th

On Day 16 of vegging. I’ve done some minor changes, tried to bend her down but her stem seems thick. I bent her down slightly using 2 strings. Here are some pictures to understand how she is bent down.

I’ll wait for the soil to dry and then I’ll water her with 1-2tbsp vinegar mixed with 1 gallon of water.

October 2nd

Quite a lot happened this week and it was pretty busy in general.

So I started the LST. She is now developing more tops. I watered her 3 days ago with vinegar mixture using 2.5 tablespoons of vinegar in 5L of water. The pH dropped to 6.3 for a day but raised to 6.8 after. Then it just got back to 7.3. Guess vinegar will be a part of her regimen now. Better a temporary pH drop than none at all.

I had some issues with the light. 3-4 days ago half of the LED’s stopped working and I had to bring the light closer. That helped reduce the temperature.

I won’t change anything yet. I won’t use flowering nutes just yet. I will feed veg once and will go for Tiger Bloom.

[itsworn]

Some Secrets and Dark Places of NHRA Pro Stock According to Chris McGaha

Chris McGaha doesn’t hold anything back. He speaks from the heart and tells it like it is, so when we delved into the intricacies of Pro Stock racing in 2016 for the first year of fuel injection, we got much more than we asked for. Chris has been racing in Pro Stock for four years, having come from a Competition Eliminator background with his dad’s car in the 1980s. As he says, “When I was nine, I thought everybody had a C/Econo dragster with a 750 on it.” Amazingly, in this age of super-sponsors, his family business pays for the majority of the racing expenses. Why? Because they’ve always wanted to be competitive in Pro Stock—and they are. For 2016, Chris and his Harlow Sammons Racing Camaro was seventh in NHRA Pro Stock points in a season completely dominated by Jason Line and Greg Anderson. He does all of his engine development and also builds engines for Mopar’s Deric Kramer, who came in 13th in 2016, so he’s deep into both GM and Dodge engine platforms. As a privateer, he wound up ahead of the entire Dodge-sponsored operation. He knows stuff and is willing to share just enough of his knowledge to make you understand that Pro Stock is an arcane, difficult pursuit. Says Chris, “Some of the things you do to chase one-one-hundredth of a second, you’ll go out on a limb and suffer a lot of defeat for that.” So we were curious. There are so many rumors and misunderstandings about the secret world of Pro Stock that we asked what we could, and Chris answered almost all of the questions posed to him. Almost.

If you don’t cheat, you have to learn to think like some people that cheat so you can at least call them out on it” — Chris McGaha

HRM] Have you been able to get past the firewall on the Holley ECU?

CM] [Sighs.] I know one team has the ability to do it because they have the guy that is the grandfather behind all of this; he wrote the book on aftermarket EFI, but most teams have too much to lose if they get caught.

HRM] Would you like to see the 10,500-rpm mandated cap raised?

CM] 10-5 was the number they got after all of the software and firmware was lined up, but it’s more realistically at 10,580 rpm. I’ve seen some 10,620 rpm myself, but I’ve also seen that with the same computer on the same weekend, it was at [10]590. Then on the next run, it jumps to [10]620. Sometimes you press it to see, and it will take it, and then the next time it won’t. I have the two-step turned off up there [in the high rpm ranges].

HRM] It seems some drivers hit the rev limiter before the lights. Is this some sort of strategy or advantage?

CM] The reason you do it is because of the gearing. You don’t make power at 11-3 or 11-4. It goes back to your fallback—what do you fall back on for a gear change? So you try to control that and hit as high an rpm as you can. That’s why the rpm got higher overall. The Dodges had to do that. They set the pace because they didn’t make the torque, yet 400 to 500 rpm above a Chevy they start to make the same power. So when you’ve done everything you can, do you go out on a limb? You have a gear in the back and it’s crossing at 10,520 rpm, but putting in a different ratio gear, you might cross at 10,620 rpm. Putting different tires on you see if it crosses 75 rpm higher. Change our transmission and then from the start to the eighth-mile it changes our splits and the fallback, so by half-track we get enough to pick the car up. Then at the lights, you’ll hear us on the chip. When we didn’t have the limiter, we knew we had enough room—we didn’t care if it crossed 100 rpm higher. It might hurt a couple of valvesprings, but it’s what you did to go an extra hundredth of a second faster. We were pressing the envelope, but nobody knew that because we would move the chip up.

HRM] The DRCE2 block used for more than a decade in Pro Stock seems to be the most popular basis for engines, but there’s an “improved” DRCE3 and now a 4. What’s your combo and why aren’t more teams running the 3s and 4s?

CM] Same bore and stroke combos, and for my program I’ve got 4.700 to 4.750 bores. They raised the camshaft on the 3, and that’s what got everybody flustered.

HRM] Isn’t raising the cam better due to shorter pushrods and increased cam bearings for more stability at high rpm?

CM] That’s what it seems like it would be, but in this game, it looks better on paper. In reality, it isn’t always true. When you build it and then run it, a lot of times it’s a different story.

HRM] So the 3 architecture is not conducive to power?

CM] They flipped the head patterns, too, so they traded some places with the lifters. You used to use an offset rocker and offset lifter to clear the port wall, and as time went on there was no more offset for the rocker arms. They traded places with the exhaust side so a straight lifter is used. It looks beautiful, but we just can’t make it run.

HRM] So you stopped developing your 3 program?

CM] We haven’t started a 3 program, and I’ve owned my 3 for three years. [Aaron] Stanfield and others use a 2 block with a 3 head with some success. I’ve always liked the 3 head. On carburetors, the 2 had the advantage because Elite, other teams, and myself were outrunning KB. Most of us that had 2 programs were doing better than the KB 3s until this year. They were always 0.0100th to 0.0200th back, or sometimes just even, but they overcame on FI. Is it because it’s the 3 platform? Don’t know.

HRM] So you’re sticking with the 2?

CM] No, I have two 4 blocks now. In 2015 before the FI switch, that was going to be my top priority. My 4 was going to be a clone of my 2 stuff. I was going to use a 2 top end on top of the 4 block; with the cam being higher on a 3 than a 2, but lower on a 4 than a 3, that allows us to use 2 heads. There’s an extra bolt on top of the lifter valley that doesn’t allow you to use 2 heads on a 3, so you would need all-new heads. But the 4 block was made to use a 2, 3, or 4 head.

HRM] You run 4s in competition?

CM] I was, and got the block about 70-percent machined and we progressed from our carbureted 2s. We’ve been doing so much FI development that it got pushed to the side of the shop. My goal for 2017 is to do a 3 head on our 2 block, and if Pro Stock continues on its current path, then we’d like to do a 3 head on a 4 block.

HRM] Did you start with a carburetor baseline fuel map when first developing your FI program?

CM] Yes. Typically, we have a set of dyno carbs and a set of race carbs, and the same with manifolds. You have one to race and one to dyno. So with that at the shop, if we were 2,000 miles away, we could still beat on stuff at the shop on Mondays through Wednesdays before a race, looking for things without having anything out of our trailer. We started with a manifold we dyno’d that had a little more torque, but didn’t run as well on the shorter stuff needing a higher rpm. Talk about a crude part—my first intake was crude. I heard that KB tested 30 intakes before the 2016 season started. I’ve built or modified 10 to 15 intakes, and within those, I’ve done other things like move the injector to different spots. If I did a new manifold for every mod I’ve made, I’d be up to 35 at this point. Since coming home from the 2016 Finals[December 2, 2016], we’re on our third new intake. We’ve changed the shape of the plenum, the size, length of runners, how much taper it has—everything we did for carbs, except now you add an injector location and everybody is hog-tied. Well, you’re only as hog-tied as much as your imagination.

We did some math, calculated, and found some nozzles we could use to make a controlled fuel leak inside of our manifold that was worth 3 to 5 hp” — Chris McGaha

HRM] So where is the optimal location for a Pro Stock FI injector?

CM] I can tell you it needs to be as close to the plenum as it can, but not be in the plenum, or it won’t even do a dyno pull.

HRM] How about the combined lack of inlet charge cooling you’ve lost that carburetors provided, and the air inlet being so close to the hot track?

CM] Where you lose from carbs to FI is the cooling effect. That’s where the biggest difference is between the two. You’re trying to rebalance that to make the engine feel like it has the carbs on it now with FI, and trying to do what Mother Nature used to do for you.

HRM] Is there a way to cool the intake or charge?

CM] For 2017, there was a rule amendment stating all fuel must pass through the Holley injectors. See, we knew we lost the cooling effect and I’ve messed with stocker stuff, and what you do to keep the intake cool, guys use bags of ice on the intake and stuff like that. You’ve lost the fuel spraying in the cylinders cooling the air. I told my guys the fix is to have a spray bar inside of your intake manifold, then come out from that with a fuel line going to your regulator. The problem is that it’s so big it can’t idle with the spray bar spraying, so you need a way to activate it. You use those regulators made for guys who use Prochargers and turbos. If you shoot manifold pressure into them, it raises fuel pressure. You put a check valve in and use an outside source like CO2—which we all have in our cars—or something else, and you shoot to that regulator when you go to WOT. It shoots pressure, opening the check valve, and the spray bar turns on.

HRM] So are you or other teams doing this?

CM] I don’t know if that’s what guys are doing, but that’s one way it can be done. Did I do it personally? No, because I thought it was too gray of an area. Did I pay the price for not running it? I think I did, that’s why I ended up in Seventh Place. Who in front of me has it? I don’t really know. I know of some that didn’t have it, but nobody in front of me is admitting having it. Look, I’m sure there’s somebody in front of me that had it.

HRM] Could you spray ambient nitrous into the engine compartment, like some teams from the 1980s have been accused of?

CM] It’s been talked about for years, and I’m sure it’s been done. I know there are teams that have too much to lose, but I also think there are some that wouldn’t bat an eye about doing it. This comes from the street and the drag-radial world—over there, we call it “water meth.” You spray window-washer fluid and it cools the intake down to make more power. That’s where it’s from. You have to be creative in Pro Stock. If you don’t cheat, you have to learn to think like some people that cheat so you can at least call them out on it.

HRM] If it’s not in the rulebook, then it’s legal?

CM] An injector to me is a solenoid, so the way you make the spray bar work is with a solenoid hooked to your CO2, and that shoots air to your regulator and that raises your fuel pressure, so it’s too gray an area. We were so desperate at the end of the year that between Vegas and Pomona we were ready to rig the system up, but we didn’t use a solenoid at all.

HRM] So how was it going to work?

CM] We did some math, calculated, and found some nozzles we could use to make a controlled fuel leak inside of our manifold that was worth 3 to 5 hp. So the idea exists, and I wasn’t talking about it, but when we showed up at Pomona, everyone knew about it. I had Comp Eliminator guys come over to me to tell me about it. I wondered who kicked over the bucket! Then on Sunday morning, we’re handed the 2017 rule amendment and it’s in dark, bold, blue letters saying, “All fuel must pass through the approved injectors.” Well, that solved that problem.

HRM] Do you ever remove the ends of the injectors?

CM] We have—we’ve built tips, tried different tips, then no tips, and other company’s injectors that are supposedly better. If you get the hole too small and can’t get enough fuel through it, then it won’t run. I’ve gotten the same power with both the ones we use and other aftermarket ones supposedly better. If you ask one aftermarket guy about the injector we use, he’ll say it’s junk, but if you ask another, then he’ll say the other is junk. So which one is it, guys?

HRM] Why do you think the Mopars are consistently behind the GM Pro Stock cars?

CM] The Hemi has issues, and I know that because I ran it in 2012. I’ve worked on the Hemi and run the Hemi. Those engines at 9,000 rpm are 30 hp back on their best day from a Chevrolet. I’ve done everything under the moon, and I know what’s wrong with it. We dusted off our flow bench that we never use anymore, and I showed my guys what’s wrong with the architecture of the Hemi: they can’t make the torque a Chevrolet does—in fact, they don’t even get close. When they lowered the rpm in Pro Stock, it was instant death to Dodge. I even talked to Elite about this when they were thinking of going over to Dodge. I said, “Have fun going straight to the bottom.” They thought with this new head that is not a mirror design it would fix the problem, but the problem is the intake-port location. If you take the same intake port and just go down the head with it, that’s not going to fix it. It’s where the intake valve is positioned in the cylinder head. Even though the port is short, you used to make it up on the manifold because Dodge intakes were always 3/8- to 1/2-inch longer than Chevrolet. When I was doing the engine for Kramer last year, I tried to make it as much like a Chevrolet as possible. To judge on the dyno, you have specific dyno carbs that you never mess with—you never change jets, you never do anything to them, you just make sure they don’t leak fuel. But you measure how much fuel is going through them, and that’s how you can tell if you’re improving anything—by measuring fuel flow. I was able to get the Dodge to make the same fuel flow as the Chevrolet, but the Chevy on my dyno will make 1,500 peak hp. Now the Dodge could make about 1,470 hp, but that was at 9,000 rpm. It was a night-and-day difference. You had the same fuel flow, but the Dodge could not make the power at those fuel points. Others may want to differ, but I have tested them and have the facts to back up what I’m saying.

HRM] Where’s the most room for improvement in Pro Stock engines today?

CM] Right now, the most room for development is in the intake manifolds, and there’s some room left with [valve]springs. We’re just trying to get back to how it was with carburetors [in 2015] because we felt we had a good package. Maybe the whole motor needs to change because it’s on FI now. No one can say for sure that this is what it is. Like with an LS1, you put a carb on it and it will make more power than with fuel injection, but that motor was designed to be fuel injected.

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