#i cannot wait to walk around this in the world download

[lunarblazes]

also. hi. i’m losing my mind at pearl’s base. how is she so good at this. how . HOW.

[anim-ttrpgs]

Eureka: Investigative Urban Fantasy Playable Monster Popularity Contest

Alright the Kickstarter is launching on April 10th which at the time of writing this is in 2 days. The Kickstarter trailer for Eureka is going to be uploaded tonight or tomorrow, but it is still my job to do as much promotion as possible even though I am worried I might be running out of ideas. I still gotta post.

Let’s just have a Eureka playable monster popularity contest.

The vampire is not exactly your 20th and 21st century Hollywood vampire. They dont have super speed, don’t hypnotise people or make them thralls, and don’t instantly die when exposed to sunlight—though they are significantly weakened by it. The Vampire in Eureka is more of a 19th century and earlier folkloric vampire, with all the powers and weaknesses that come with that, including a compulsion to count things, an inability to enter homes uninvited, turning into a bat or other creatures, walking on sheer walls, etc. The vampire has almost no way of restoring their Composure except by drinking human blood, which means they will need to go on the prowl pretty often. Luckily, they never need to eat or sleep. They are also super strong, super stealthy, and resistant to all forms of physical damage—and they can only be killed permanently by ritual means.

The wolfman shares a lot of features with the vampire, such as super strength and resistance to all physical damage, and this is because they are a Hollywood wolfman. They can regain a little Composure through normal means, but if it ever runs out, they will transform involuntarily and go berserk. This is one of my favorite things about them honestly, and I can’t wait to see it actually happen in play. They’ll also involuntarily transform if they are exposed to the full moon, but that’s a lot more situational.

The witch is up next, and for all intents and purposes, they are pretty much a normal human, except for the ability to command curses and a variety of powerful spells. These curses can render victims violently ill, put them to sleep, turn them to stone, turn them into an animal, or reduce them in size. While witches can restore their Composure just as well as a mundane human, they can also do it by eating people, and the Composure drain of using their supernatural powers is much faster and harsher than any other monster. Oh, and one of my favorite things is that they can ride around on a broomstick or other flying vehicle.

The fairy is shares the ability to cast the same curses as the witch, and, optionally, the same spells, but they are also supernaturally charming, with a few other abilities unique to them. They cannot tell lies, but they can sure steal people’s names and other aspects of their identities, and/or spirit them away to the fairy world. Another interesting thing about them is that their Wealth skill gets a boost from being a fairy, and unlike anyone else, their Wealth skill can actually be capped by Composure just like any other skill.

Then finally the Thing from Beyond, which I will be abbreviating to TFB for the rest of this paragraph. The TFB is the most unique monster in the lineup, a large flat blanket of skin and teeth that can fold up into a human shape to interact with society. They can change the color, shape, and texture of their skin to mimic anyone they’ve studied long enough, right down to the outfit. Unlike other monsters, who get their Composure back one bit and victim at a time, TFBs engulf one person whole and slowly digest them over the course of a week, recovering 1 point of Composure each day. They can even have a body inside their human-shaped disguise and you wouldn’t even notice!

You can find out a lot more about these creatures and their powers by downloading the free Eureka: Investigative Urban Fantasy demo from our website and going to Chapter 8!

The vampire is really strong in combat and stealth, with a lot of powers to draw from, but is handicapped by far the most weaknesses.

The wolfman is a good combat powerhouse that isn’t quite a strong as the vampire in most cases, but doesn’t have to deal with as many weaknesses. Watch out though, if things get too intense, they could completely lose control of themselves and end up eating someone they weren’t supposed to!

The fairy is more a “face” character, with more tools at their disposal for convincing people to cooperate with them than ability to use force, though curses do definitely fall under “use of force”, I suppose.

The witch is just a good all-rounder, with something for every situation, though it might not always be the *best* something.

The TFB is very good for stealth as well, but a different kind of stealth. The vampire is good for a more Solid Snake or Sam Fisher kind of stealth, while the TFB is more Agent 47’s style of stealth.

There’s also two honorable mentions I’d like to include because they’re Kickstarter stretch goals and thus not really fully fleshed out yet.

The dullahan is a headless specter from Irish folklore that feeds on death. We haven’t really figured out exactly how to make this work mechanically yet, but that’s because we haven’t hit that stretch goal yet.

The gorgon is the last written stretch goal, and maybe the one I’m most excited for. They turn people to stone by looking them in the eye, and this is such an awesome blessing and curse to work around during gameplay that I really really want the excuse to implement it. They also may eat have snakes in their hair up to player choice, and eat people whole with mechanics sorta similar the way the TFB works, we aren’t quite sure because until we hit those stretch goals they just exist as a bunch of scattered notes and ideas. I gotta count on y’all to make sure we hit those stretch goals.

There is also a potential for the option to play a talking dog or a living doll, which will also be stretch goals if we can swing it.

Remember also, all of these will be playable as PCs, so they could be your enemy, or your ally.

Now that aaalllll that is out of the way..

Now, if you really want to support me and my team specifically Eureka: Investigative Urban Fantasy, our debut TTRPG, is going to launch on Kickstarter on April 10th and we need all the help we can get. Set a reminder from the Kickstarter page through this link.

If you’re interested in a more updated and improved version of Eureka: Investigative Urban Fantasy than the free demo you got from our website, there’s plenty of ways to get one!

Subscribe to our Patreon where we frequently roll our new updates for the prerelease version!

Donate to our ko-fi and send us an email with proof that you did, and we’ll email you back with the full Eureka prerelease package with the most updated version at the time of responding! (The email address can be found if you scroll down to the bottom of our website.)

We also have merchanise.

[noir-drabbles]

The Moon is But An Eye

Summary: Eternal night, where the big bloated moon watches you through the only window in this room of yours.

(Yeah trying out a new thing. Just random pieces that don’t connect to anything so I don’t have to come up with a universe.)

The little flecks of dust floating around your room reminded you of silver faeries. They fly, they dance, they celebrate in the light of the moon, oblivious to your presence. They care not for the silence outside, for the stench that carries from the untouched places of the world, nor do they care for the bumps and scratches that click just below your floor.

You have a clock, a classic one run on batteries. Quietly, it tick tick ticks before the longer hand shifts and strikes 3 PM.

Still dark, still night. And the moon has no intention of moving. It gazes upon you, reaching out with it’s embracing light, unable, unwilling to let you go.

You shifted on your bed, stretching the one leg that won’t bring you a cramp, prop up a pillow and wait.

Why don’t you go outside? Well, why bother? Why would anyone want to walk out the door, go down the steps and find your toes touching a coagulated mess of blood sinking into the floorboards? Why would you subject yourself to myriad of scents and images that would give your demons more fuel to use?

Why would you invite all the creatures who’s veins pulse with a hunger to make you their feast? You can hear them, still heaving, still knocking against your wooden walls as if confined rats.

The night and the darkness that came with it was their domain. All the stars have been blotted out but the moon still stays. And it’s gaze, it’s light still shines upon you.

Your savior, your prisoner.

You can’t take one step out of that light. You tried. And now you have a scar on your ankle to show for it, messily healed over. You can’t walk on that foot without a sharp string of pain pulling at your leg, bringing out memories of a toothy maw biting down upon it.

Stupidly, on that day when you were done sitting in bed, waiting for help, you lost your option of running. Sacrificed it, a sacred thing, right into the mouth of a creature that threw a tantrum when you wretched back.

It gurgled, it screamed. A monstrous parasite that was still just an infant. A hungry, ink-like creature, more a blob than anything, a pile of pulsing fake meat that spat out teeth and made more. It’ll learn. It’ll gain a form. But you don’t wish to see it.

Water, food, all the things that you need to keep you alive, you no longer need. Have you become a flower that can sustain itself on moonlight alone? That’s certainly what it feels like. The bed, familiar as it was, was your soil and all you can do is look out the window and take in the view that has become a still painting.

Silver lines overpower the once lit lamps, giving the neighborhood a glittery glow. The light held the weight of a sword, cleaving through the dark reaches of the night, leaving the streets and side walks clean of anything. A domain that only the moon influences. A place you cannot leave, for it has missed too many spots.

You look up to the sky and the moon never fails to almost blind you. Once it was a pebble, now it nearly consumes the sky, looming over you, over your house and the nonliving things within it. You once opened the window and reached up as far as you could, hoping beyond hope that you’d be able to touch it, to climb onto it and use it as a vessel for travel.

But you couldn’t jump. You can’t.

You almost pulled the curtains, to shut out this tyrant that watches and never helps. But you hate pain. You fear it more than anything, and a stupidly small part of yourself wants to believe that help can come.

And so you sit, closing your eyes, letting the moon have its fill of your image as it keeps monsters out of sight, but keeps you here.

The following music was used for this media project: Music: Stuff Of Nightmares by Tim Kulig Free download License (CC BY 4.0)

[lovromajers]

SHAM!!!!! if u could write a little paragraph titled 'shamcore' what would be in it 👀💖

to be honest, the shamcore of the past weeks has been unnecessarily stressing about exams and it being a 50/50 chance if I'm excellent or almost fail....but let me get the vibe let me check

i wrote so much i had to put it under a readmore :/

ive been listening to all i care about from Chicago for the past 2 hours, I've bought a potted coffea arabica plant and its in a coffee mug and sitting on my desk rn, i have been maladaptive daydreaming a lot lately, I've developed a new world (i cannot tell you about, cringe) ..... hm i think of stars but the like ✦ this one a lot like an unhealthy amount i sometimes plan on what i will have to think about a bit longer to understand (i recently spend a few minutes thinking about reflective surfaces and also i have been planning to think about fridges but i NEVER have the TIME ugh!!) i think about my house in Croatia that is cold and can be only heated by the aircon and I'm so exited because i have a double bed there i think about plants whose roots are visible because they are in glasses (because flies infect our neighbourhood and if i have plants in dirt they lay their eggs there ..) also i think about walks and walking and the cold and the sun and the wind and being shaped by everything around you...i think about pouring 30 hours into okami again and again I'm thinking about an overheated laptop running 4 illegally downloaded games i am always thinking about the endless ocean franchise and how i would design the perfect 3rd game I'm thinking about 40 nail polishes I'm thinking about stars again no wait I'm thinking about the deep ocean again also nihilism I've been thinking about the meaning of life a lot you know just in general.....those thoughts are also happening in my scheduled thinking time...you know I've recently found just thinking about stuff enjoyable, just figuring stuff out, it calms me a lot....I've begun hating a lot again but its all legitimate also I've been thinking about shapes not ✦ but simple dots and triangles and hearts and medieval fashion such as armour and dresses about indo european potterware about the simplicity of prehistoric life of humanity and our place in the world I've been hoping a lot lately but also not caring i think i sometimes still feel my brain developing and it makes me feel uneasy... i love comparing random items too (designated thinking time) I'm thinking about touching stone and dirt and smelling every flower i see i am very close to complimenting strangers but I'm still uneasy about that I've been deeply imprinted and now I feel paranoia constantly also all i want has been playing this entire time I'm supposed to be studying ethics rn i am so sorry but i truly believe this is what shamcore is in its core

in one picture? ✦ and yellow and blue and purple and ancient patterns and modern light and the ocean and the forests and rivers who are ancient and will never go away

wait theres also 10 fandoms on my mind all the time

[moohnshinescorner]

NEW RELEASE & BOOK REVIEW

Walk of Shame by Avery Flynn is now live! 

One night. No strings. And a really good puck.

Five years ago, Astrid O’Malley experienced the ultimate in public humiliation. Being dumped at the altar by her childhood sweetheart was horrifying enough. That fact that he was a professional hockey goalie and her dad was his coach? It was all anyone in sports could talk about.

Eff hockey. Eff goalies.

These days, Astrid lives a life (mostly) free of hockey and free to pursue whoever she wants with exactly zero shame in her game. Like tonight’s hook-up. This guy’s nailed the lumberjack aesthetic perfectly. Especially when he has the stamina and creativity to back it up.

Because the rule is: it’s one night only. Which is gonna be a problem because she’s just discovered he lives in the apartment upstairs.

And he’s joined her dad’s team. As the goalie coach. To train her ex.

Now Astrid is in some kind of hockey hell–filled with her ex, her family, and the best sex of her life. And somehow she’s been roped back onto the team.

Puck my life.

  Download today on Amazon, Apple Books, Audible, Barnes & Noble, Google Play, Kindle Unlimited, and Kobo!

Amazon: https://bit.ly/47to9Vm

Apple Books: https://bit.ly/3ROYL6N

Nook: https://bit.ly/48uIrPQ

Kobo: https://bit.ly/47v8Vz6

Google Play: https://bit.ly/47s2zAM

Audible:https://adbl.co/49oHmsI

Narrated by: Robert Hatchet & Savannah Peachwood

Add to Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3tQ2mth

WALK OF SHAME BY AVERY FLYNN

BOOK REVIEW

Wow Astrid is the pro at the "Walk of Shame", having done it a few times in this book. I felt sorry for her in the beginning of the book as her world crumbles around her. Giving up on everything that she loved to try and forget the past is a horrible way to deal with it. Giving Cal her last bag of Cheetos was the best thing she could have done, as this gave fate the opening she needed to change her life.

Cal's career is over and he will do anything to get back on the ice even as a coach. Jumping on the chance to have a shot at doing what he loves most, hockey. But when a one night stand turns into someone forbidden, the risk at losing everything is too great to take a chance.

This romantic comedy is full of whit and sarcasm that will have you laughing your butt off. But it also has a serious side that will make you feel for the characters and the troubles they encounter. It also has some really dirty scenes if you know what I mean. "wink, wink" Together all these things make for a truly amazing and fun read that is sure to provide you with hours of entertainment. The characters are amazing and strong and also includes cameos of past characters from other books the author has written. This adds an authenticity to her books, making them feel real and connected.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and loved the comedic way the story is told. I love Avery Flynn and have read about 90% of her books starting with Muffin Top. Each book has a heroine who suffers at some time or another in her life, then meets a wonderful guy who will bring her walls down and show her the true meaning of happiness. This book is no different and I cannot wait to read more.

[gertlushgaming]

Pikmin 1+2 Review (Nintendo Switch OLED)

For this Pikmin 1+2 Review, we survive a crash-landing, on an uncharted planet, and a strange but exciting discovery for Captain Olimar! Rebuild his spaceship with the help of tiny plant creatures called Pikmin and explore an overgrown world in this HD version of the Nintendo GameCube classic.

Pikmin 1+2 Review Pros:

- Decent graphics. - Download size - 2GB (1GB each). - Games are separate downloads. - Combination of both cutscenes and in-game interactions. - 3 save slots in each game. - Tutorial pop-ups as you play. - Motion control support. (optional) - Local leaderboards. - Fast loading times. - A full 3D world with 360-degree camera control. - You play as Olimar. - You can speed up the game text interactions. - Pikmin - little leaf-like creatures that you can throw around and command to collect, and break items within the game world. - Uses an incubator/onion to put flowers in and get Pikmin out of them. - Shows the amount of Pikmin needed and how many are doing it on the Interactive parts. - Different Pikmin colors represent different things they can do. - Clear Hud showing how many Pikmin you have etc like how many are busy or inactive. - Watch as the Pikmin grab items and walk over to the incubator without you needing to tell them. - The goal of the game is to get ship parts so you can leave the planet. - The ordering of the Pikmin is easier when using the right stick and bumper buttons as it's more precise than the old unwieldy way. - Zoom in and out button, you have three to use. - When you have a load of Pikmin waiting to be pulled up out of the ground you can hold the button down and Olimar goes faster and does all the Pikmin without you moving him. - The game plays out where you have a set amount of days to get all the parts. - At the end of the day you get a breakdown of how many Pikmin you have, Pikmin lost and any left behind. - The save game happens between days. - World map level select. - Rewatch cutscenes in bonuses in Pikmin 2. - You can replay levels. - When starting on a new planet/location you can choose how many Pikmin to take out of the onion/incubator. - At the top of the screen, you have a timer that shows when it gets dark. - Nighttime has a warning and you need to get all Pikmin near the onion so they can sleep and be safe. - The high score section in Pikmin 2 goes more in-depth detailing how many Pikmin and what colors were born, fought, saved etc. - Local two-player battle mode in Pikmin 2. - The menus in Pikmin 2 are a lot better and more in-depth including maps and icons. - I like that the first game is how Olimar and Pikmin met and the second game doesn't do that again and instead has the Pikmin remembering Olimar. - Pikmin 2 introduces Louie and you hotswap between the characters at will. - In Pikmin 2 you can have the characters go solo, change leader or have them combine to be one group. - Different sizes and weights of objects determine how fast the Pikmin will carry the item to the base. - The ship in Pikmin 2 communicates with you and gives out orders, tips, tricks, and tutorials. - Find and return hidden treasures and cash them in at the ship. - You still cannot play at night in Pikmin 2 and you get a different end-of-day report. - Mail is a new thing IN Pikmin 2 and has story tidbits. - The menu in Pikmin 2 in between levels lets you view the treasure hoard and Piklopedia where you can view details like treasure value, Pikmin list to an enemy type, and creatures defeated on encountered enemies and treasures found. - Fully animated clip of entries in the Piklopedia and treasure hoard. Pikmin 1+2 Review Cons: - Cannot rebind controls. - The camera is still not ideal and can make seeing objectives hard. - A lot to take in initially. - Takes some getting used to controlling the Pikmin. - Pikmin seem to die very easily and it's not always clear when it happened. - There is a slow pace to it especially in a new planet/location. - The cursor makes it really hard to be precise especially when using a controller. - It's not always clear what you can interact with or how to actually interact with items. - Some interaction points don't show the number of Pikmin needed until you put at least one Pikmin on them. - Looks a bit rough in places. - All the menus are not as smooth as you would like and it feels like they don't fit. Related Post: Skautfold: Usurper Review (PlayStation 5) Pikmin 1+2: Official website. Developer: Nintendo Publisher: Nintendo Store Links - Nintendo Read the full article

[doom-hack-fk]

Doomception Hack Runs a Copy of Doom in Your Copy of Doom - download

💾 ►►► DOWNLOAD FILE 🔥🔥🔥 DOOM Hack 2. First released in , DOOM introduced millions of gamers to the fast-paced, white-knuckle, demon-slaying action the franchise is known for. Relive the birth of the first-person shooter, wherever you go, and experience the classic demon-blasting fun that popularized the genre. Version history 2. We have also improved performance, and now support hz devices, which can be enabled in Video Options. The fast-paced FPS that changed gaming forever. Download for iOS. Request a Hack. Ratings 3. The old port of this actually had pretty good controls. This one is laughable. I end up basically walking around the whole time because moving my thumb halfway up the screen to move the proper speed is clunky and blocks the view. Automatic weapons are also not hold down to shoot like you might expect, you double tap for that as well. The old controls where there was a shoot button was awkward but made more sense. How unfortunate then with how bad these ports are. They may have fixed the issue with the slower music, but there is no reason for this game to run capped at 35 FPS with no option to change it. The aiming also feels terrible due to how your aim drifts whenever you swipe instead of just stopping. Thankfully, this can be bypassed by enabling a controller, but then you run into two more issues: non-rebindable controls, and more importantly, you cannot access the weapon wheel while using a controller, you can only cycle through weapons manually. Just let me hold down a bumper and use the analog stick to select a weapon instead of taking a millennium just to cycle through everything I have just for the weapon I want. What About Writing? I love doom, and when I saw it finally got an update for the most recent OS I was super excited to finally get to play on my iPhone again. Installation was fine, and the game looks pretty great although I wish it could take up more of the screen during gameplay but there is one glaring issue that removes all benefits and makes a download not worth it. The controls. The controls make this game almost completely unplayable, especially in the way that Doom is meant to be played: fast paced and frenetic action. With how poorly the controls were optimized for this release, it makes sustained fire for any gun difficult, and maneuvering extremely difficult because the aiming touch controls are very sluggish and non-responsive compared to how they should be. The old control style was fantastic. Bring that back and all will be well in the Doom mobile world because this update, as of now, honestly was a little insulting. I want to say I paid 7 or 8 dollars for the game but my memory is pretty bad, and after waiting years for it to be compatible again I would expect it not to have such a glaring oversight in playability. Please do consider fixing the controls. I remember playing this port and I refunded the game because of its terrible controls. However I heard the new update to Doom was out and this added better controls and widescreen. I bought the game and to my surprise it actually felt good ripping and tearing the demons. Widescreen made Doom SO much better. I will play Doom Mobile more now thanks to the update. The controls were good, and smooth. Fully customizable, including by size, and able to be moved around the screen. Unfortunately, there are a couple key things missing that hold this port back from greatness: 1 No controller or keyboard support. Doom was originally played using arrow keys and the space bar, no mouse required. Since iOS supports external keyboards, this would have been really cool. No side flipping got south paws, no movement joystick adjustment, to touch zone customization. If these were changed, this port would be 5 stars easy. I was watching a video on speedrun cheaters that has "DOOM" footage in it. That got me feeling nostalgic, thinking about the great fun playing it on the SNES: something thought to be a technological impossibilty. However, being the cautious consumer that I am, I read the bad ["Lowest Rated" in this case] reviews first to see what's what. Love the new opening screen. However, there are plenty of features from older versions for iOS that are missing, namely the option to switch your control scheme and the quick save feature. My gameplay is much more difficult without them. The advertisement also mentioned multiplayer but all I see is a single player option. I was expecting an updated version of this game, not a re-release as it seems that this is. One of my friends think Doom is [email protected] and Black Ops 2 is superior. He's dead wrong. This is the godfather of FPS games. Insulting this game is an extremely foolish thing to do. It's like insulting your parents because without them, you wouldn't be here; like if Doom wasn't here, we wouldn't have Call of Duty, Battlefield, Halo, etc. Anyways, few flaws which are very minor is the movement feels a bit sluggish. There are also some graphical bugs like enemies overlapping barrels when they're supposed to be behind them or whatever. Also, please change the music back to its original form. My favorite track, The Imp's Song, doesn't sound as good as the original. Still, fantastic game overall. If you love FPS games, definitely get this. That would complete me. I really appreciate this last update, especially bringing back the classic title screen! Overall, this is a fantastic port of a ln undisputed gaming classic and the latest update is certainly appreciated and most definitely a step in the right direction. Please keep up the great work devs! More By This Developer. You May Also Like. Request resources and features to be hacked The app will be hacked within three days of your request Select operating system Android iOS iPhone, iPad. Request has been sent.

[miekasa]

okay but what about airport!levi? he gives quiet businessman vibes sitting in his slacks and turtleneck

IN HIS TURTLENECK 😭😭 He would also be quiet and to himself, but not in the emo way. You got me thinking about all of them now, so here are my other thoughts about the boys at the airport.

Levi

He thinks the idea of separating classes on an airplane is beyond stupid, but if the flight is particularly long, or particularly packed, he’s not above paying for business class for a little extra personal space for the two of you.

When he doesn’t do that, tho, he never picks your guys’ seats ahead of time, so sometimes you’ll be separated. Good thing he’s also not above lying at the check-in desk, “I’m in Zone 1, could my wife be seated next to me so that we can board together?”

They respond with an “of course,” and move your seats together, and Levi walks back with a content nod of appreciation. You are not married, and marriage sucks about as much as class separation on a 30 foot long plane, but it has its benefits.

Masks on, regardless. No debates. Pandemic or not, the mask stays on. Do not perceive him, keep the pressurized air sharing to a minimum.

Doesn’t wander much in the airport. There’s nothing in there that he hasn’t seen already, except for the marked up prices on touristy t-shirts.

And if you wander, he’ll usually just sit in the waiting area to watch your bags while you window shop and do your thing. If you’re gone for more than 30 mins, he might call, under the pretenses of, “Making sure you didn’t get lost. You know that Starbucks was near gate 41 to the left, not the right, right?” Like he’s a comedian or something 🙄

He does encourage you to get snacks before you board, tho. Airplane food is gross, and he would much rather pay for a $13 sandwich that you can snack on later, than for you to have to eat mush.

He’s got a little portable mug he takes with him for when he’s wants to buy a hot drink before getting on his flight. It’s cute.

Doesn’t fall asleep on the plane ever. No matter how long the flight is—at most, he’ll take a quick power nap somewhere in the middle if it’s over 9 hours, but other than that, he’s good to go.

Doesn’t mind if you fall asleep, and he always adjusts your neck pillow to make sure you don’t get cramps.

Jean

Travel champion. This man loves being in the airport even though he’s convinced it’s a time capsule, he fucking loves it.

King of “your airport fashion matters, babe.” Not necessarily wearing a whole three piece suit, but he does put in a little effort; it’s not just the first pair of sweats he has laying around.

Swears coffee tastes better in the airport. It does not. That does not stop him from buying it. He should learn to quit tho, especially for someone who hates airplane bathrooms as much as he does.

Charming with all the security personnel and desk assistants. You could be checking in for a flight at 4am, and Jean’s got people smiling and cheery for their shifts.

Bitches about the selection of movies on the flight, and learns to just download his own ahead of time. Gets really startled when he’s watching something and the flight attendants try to grab his attention for food or drinks—the very loud, classic, Jean Kirstein “HUH?”

On that note, he also gets startled by the loudspeaker announcements in the airport. He doesn’t know why he has to hear about American Airlines flight 2170 to Cancun, when he is not on American Airlines flight 2170 to Cancun.

Not opposed to paying extra for better airplane food or drinks on the plane if it’s the right time of day. He always finds something to toast to, plus he likes to treat you whenever and wherever he can.

Takes care of your overhead luggage and helps out the people around him if he sees they’re struggling. Gets shy when you call him a gentleman for it, and he rubs his neck, grumbling, “I was just helping the line move a little faster.”

Great timing, generous, will pick up your checked bags for you, and already rented a car a week in advance: 10/10 travel buddy.

Porco

He doesn’t like planes and there’s no solid reason why—nothing bad happened to him as a kid, and it’s not even that rare unfortunate incidents freak him out or anything—something flying just makes him a bit uneasy.

He won’t say it though, and he tries to keep it together when you’re checking in, but you can tell he’s anxious once you’re sitting and waiting for your flight to board.

He’ll ask to switch seats if you have the window seat, because somehow the feeling of being boxed in between the plane wall/window and another person makes it feel more like a car than a plane and he’s okay with that.

Going to the airport is one of the few times he hair won’t be styled, and falls in his face a bit. He usually throws on a beanie to cover it up, but you think he looks pretty cute either way.

Can’t usually fall asleep and he hates it because he just sits there thinking about the worst for the entire duration of the flight. But when you travel with him for the first time and coax him into taking a nap it’s so much better.

It’s about the only time he’ll let himself be publicly babied by you; but it makes everything so much easier that he doesn’t even mind.

So now, whenever you get on flights, he just puts his hood up, lays his head on your shoulder and waits for the magic to happen.

Bonus: you’re traveling with his friends, and Pieck and Marcel past to your seats, surprised to see Porco fast asleep on your shoulder. Pieck squeals, going on about how you must be a wizard to have gotten him to nap, to which Marcel just shakes his head, “Nah, he’s just really in love with her. Look at his face, that’s the calmest he’s been since he was five.”

Connie

Loves the airport. Not an ounce of organization in his soul though. By that I mean, yeah, he’s probably forgotten his passport at home, or forgotten that a full size bottle of body wash cannot go into his carry-on luggage.

Forgets to wear shoes that easy to take off and is fumbling over himself after the security check trying to lace them back up or put them back on.

Likes for you guys to have coordinating sweatsuits, and even though you don’t travel super often, Connie’s got at least 3 pairs of them lined up for you guys.

Sweet enough to drop plans or rearrange his schedule to travel with you if you were originally gonna be alone. He knows you can handle yourself, but he doesn’t want for you to travel alone if you don’t have to, especially if you’re going someplace far and/or for an extended period of time.

He always finds breakfast food to eat before he gets on his flight (if you two even have time to spare for food that is). It could be 9pm, but Connie’s asking for a breakfast wrap.

Hates waiting in the little pre-flight area. Claims it’s boring as hell and that’s why there’s no reason to get there 3 hours early 🙄🙄

He always spends at least 30 minutes browsing all the movie and TV show options available on-board, loudly exclaiming in excitement when they have something cool to watch—only to fucking fall asleep 10 minutes later. Right on top of you when he was oh-so-excited to watch Madagascar 2.

Always steals the aisle seat, even if it’s yours. It’s probably for the best though, because he has to get up to pee at least twice, no matter how short your flight is.

Makes some cheeky remark about you meeting him in the bathroom. He doesn’t mean it... unless he does. Unfortunately, you’ve never... successfully been able to do that out of fear of being caught by the flight attendants, but there have been a few quickies in the “family” (“It’s ethical, because technically we’re participating in the act of making a family, babe”) bathroom before you boarded. It’s his fault, not yours.

Armin

He really likes planes, and traveling in general. I think trains would be his favorite mode of transportation, but airplanes are good too.

I hate to say it but he claps when the plane lands. I will not elaborate or defend my stance on this.

Prefers the window seat because he likes to look out at the clouds as he’s in the sky.

He took his passport photo a little before he cut his hair, so the security personnel always hold it up and flicker between his ID photo and his current appearance a few times before stamping it. It makes him a little embarrassed because he can’t tell if they think he looks better or worse and sometimes he’s really fighting for his life convincing them that that’s him in the picture 😭

Listens to music rather than downloading a movie or watching a show, and always brings wire headphones to the airport so that it’s easier to share and listen with you.

If you fall asleep on him first, he’ll likely fall asleep on you shortly after. If he’s tired enough, he’ll fall asleep first, though he’s somewhat embarrassed and disappointed because he wanted to see the descent and skyline outside.

When he’s not asleep or window-watching, he’s somewhat fidgety out of excitement, rather than nervousness. He’s excited to be traveling and looks forward to wherever you’re going, even if it is just a weekend long work trip.

Hates traveling alone, though. It just feels particularly lonely to him to be going someplace foreign without company by his side. So, he’ll call you at every checkpoint and send you updates.

He only ever buys two things in duty free: shot glasses with the name of the city/country you’re traveling to, and whatever variety of button down short-sleeves are available to him.

Erwin

You knew this was coming, but this man is absolutely at the airport 18 hours before your flight takes off, and he’s driving like a manic getting there, like you don’t have all the time in the world.

Fascinated by anything and everything in duty free. Definitely spends more money than necessary on your return flight on the grounds that he was getting a good deal.

Exchanges money in the airport and keeps cash in his fanny pack. There’s no traveling without the fanny pack.

Plays crossword puzzles on his phone on the plane, and it’s just about one of the only games he has. That and Candy Crush—I get the feeling he’d be on level 500+ of that game and he always knocks out at least 10 levels on a flight.

Always a little surprised when he feels his your head on his shoulder, but he says nothing, and acts like he didn’t even notice, but there’s a telling little smile on his face.

Takes the most foul selfies of him and your sleeping self. In his defense, he had the best intentions; but that angle was flattering nobody. It’s too bad he’d already paid for the in-flight wifi and sent it to Hange because now you’ll never live them down.

You could probably get him to put on a (skincare) face mask during your flight. He forgets to take it off tho, and if you don’t tell him, he’d fully walk through customs with it on his face.

Accidentally gets drunk because he doesn’t understand that just because he can handle several glasses of whiskey in his favorite bar on a Friday night, does not mean it will translate on a plane.

[colormeyondublue]

Chapter 5: The Data Drive

Chapter 4 Here - Chapter 6 Here

The next morning you awake with the sound of your alarm. You get ready and walk happily toward the mess dressed in your usual leathers. You see Yondu and Kraglin up front seated at the officer’s table. They have piles of holo pads surrounding them, meticulously studying their target and plans for their heist later that night. You grab something to eat and make your way over to your usual spot. The light from the moon drifts into the viewport and you enjoy your breakfast in peace. Just as you finish your last bite, you begin to stand and hear heavy footsteps approaching. You look over to see Yondu approaching you, holo pads in hand.

“Hey y/n, just wanted to run some info by ya before we head out tonight. Kraglin and I plan to take our team out around 21:00 hours. Here is some information I’ll need ya to log before we leave. There is a backup plan in there too just in case things get hairy.” “Sounds good. I can get started on this now. So, this job…is it…dangerous?” You ask. You know Yondu and the crew are extremely good at what they do, but you find yourself worrying more than usual. Yondu grins down at you, clearly understanding where you are going with this. “I’ll be safe darlin’, promise. This job is simple, but there’s a lotta details that need to be arranged. I’ll be back before ya know it.” “I know, I know. But I worry about you sometimes. What exactly will you be doing?” You ask. “Remember when we was walkin’ around during our date, and we was lookin’ at all those fancy shops?” “Yeah…why?” “Well, there’s a new jewelry store down there with really lax security and a lot of rare gems…loads of rare metals too. That’s where we’s headed. Kraglin was there last night scoping the place out. Figure if we can get a clean sweep, we can sell our take for about half a million units. It’ll be a nice score.” Yondu beams. “Wow. Well, sounds like it’s something you can handle no problem.” You smile at him. “But, still…you better get back here in one piece.” You playfully nudge him with your shoulder. Yondu chuckles a this, and you swear you see a slight blush come to his cheeks. “Promise ya I’ll be just fine. ‘Sides, I got more plans for you and me. Gotta come back all in one piece to take ya out again don’t I?” He finishes that last sentence with a wink and turns to head back toward Kraglin.

The evening drags on, but you find out pretty quickly that this heist goes perfectly, and the crew comes away with every single item out of that jewelry store. They boys are thrilled, and there’s cheers all around the ship that night. You are just finishing up with your work, having logged that information Yondu asked you to enter in the system earlier that morning. You close up your office and turn to walk back to your cabin. As you make your way there, you see Yondu waiting for you at your cabin door.

“Well, hello Captain.” You say in curious voice. “What brings you all the way down here?” You laugh. Yondu shifts on his heels for a moment before pushing his hand out toward you. “Here, I set this aside for ya. Didn’t want one of the boys to snatch it. I saw it at that store, and I thought ya might really like it.” You look down at his palm and see a stunning silver bracelet with intricate designs carved into the metal. There is small, round, sapphires set into the edges on both sides. The center is decorated with large, oval, white opals around the entire thing. With a small gasp, you slowly reach for it. “Yondu, this is gorgeous. I don’t know what to say!” You put the bracelet on your wrist. It fits perfectly, and it is very comfortable. You stare down at your wrist and your mind draws a complete blank as you marvel at the jewels. “Glad you like it. The stones, from what I saw on the sign at the store, are from Terra. Figured ya might like to have a little piece of home here with ya.” “Yes, oh my gosh, yes. This is just perfect. Thank you…thank you so much.” Without thinking twice, you step forward and wrap your arms around him in a quick, but close, embrace. You could feel him tense a little from your quick movement, but soon you feel his arms close around your back for a moment. You both let go at the same time and you blush. “Uh…sorry. I just, I can’t thank you enough. I doubt I’ll ever want to take it off.” You laugh sheepishly. He smiles at the comment. “Well, it’s been a long night. I think I’m gonna turn in.” “Yeah, of course! I should too…” “Kraglin is overseeing departure shortly. Wanna git outta here before anyone discovers that place we hit it totally empty.” He laughs. “Yeah, you’re probably right. Well, goodnight Yondu.” “Sweet dreams, darlin’.” ~~~~~~~~~~~~

About a week goes by, and the ship is headed for Knowhere so Yondu and Kraglin can meet up with the buyer for the jewelry heist the crew pulled off. You continue your work as usual; helping out Kraglin where needed, and keeping everything up to date. For some reason, a thought hit you. We have so much information logged in the ship’s system, should we have a backup drive? Data theft back home was a common issue, could it happen out here? With that thought, you decide to make a backup of all the vital information and you saved it to a separate drive. Feeling satisfied with yourself, you head out of your office and down to the mess for a quick bite. You just want to grab a snack and head back to your office. The peacefulness and privacy of your office was something you loved, so you grab something light to take back with you. As you headed back toward your office with food in hand, you heard your name called behind you. “Y/n!” Kraglin called. “Hey Kraglin, need any more help with anything?” “No, I’m good…thanks though. Here, I’ve got something for you.” He handed you a small chip, no bigger than your thumb. “What’s this?” You ask. “It’s some terran music. I was able to pull some from radio frequencies I caught when we passed near your solar system a few days ago. It was no biggie. Quill always was so obsessed with terran music. Thought you might like some of these songs.” He says happily. “Oh my gosh Kraglin, thank you so much! I miss music from back home. This is awesome! I’m gonna go download these now. I can’t wait to see what you picked up!” You say with a big smile. Kraglin nods politely, “Well, I’m gonna get back to it. See ya round.” With that, he heads out the door. You hastily head back to your office and get straight to checking out the chip Kraglin gave you. You find that there are a few songs that are from different countries, and you’ve never heard them before. A few from India, some Kpop, and a few hits you recognize from the UK. But then, comes something you remember from the United States. “No way!” You squeal. The song “Clearly” by Grace VanderWaal came blasting over the speakers. “I haven’t heard her in forever!” You say aloud. You remember every single word. I can see clearly now

The rain has gone

I accept all the things that I cannot change

Gone are the dark clouds

The dawn has come

It's gonna be a bright, bright sunshiny day ~ There's a world outside my door I forced my feet down to the floor I'm gonna make it out I'm gonna make it out Take a breath and say a prayer Find the strength in my despair It's not gonna take me down It's not gonna take me down As you whole heartedly sing the words at your desk, you hear a knock at your door. You turn down your music and open the door to see Yondu. “Hi!” You say, a little more chipper than usual. Not only was the most handsome man alive at your door, but your mood was uplifted by some of your favorite music from back home. Yondu was a little surprised at your greeting. “Well, hey there darlin’.” He smiles. “What’s got you in such a good mood?” “Kraglin got me some music from back home, and I found some songs I remember. Not only that, but I found a song from one of my favorite artists!” “Well, that was awful nice of him…but we got a problem.” His tone changes pretty quickly. “What? What’s going on?” You say, concerned. “Kraglin just found that someone, we don’t know who, but someone managed to get into our files remotely and steal information on some of our most lucrative clients. Contact information, frequencies, ‘n stuff like that. Now, I have no idea what we’s gonna do, because the buyer in Knowhere is a new client! I can’t remember their frequency off the top of my head!” He huffed as he dropped down onto the couch against the wall, his large hand rubbing his temple. “Remind me to get new security software.” “Well, I don’t know who might have done it, but I do have some good news on that.” You smiled proudly. He glanced up at you from under his hand, his face clearly painted with a stressful expression. “Whassat?” You go over to your desk drawer, and pull out a small black drive. You walk over to Yondu and drop it into his hand. “What’s this?” He asks with one eyebrow raised. “That, is a data drive.” You point to his hand. “It contains every bit of info on every client we have. Including their contact information, frequencies, and our mission and heist details. Oh, and all of our crew’s personal info too. I backed up our all of our data and files onto a separate drive for just such an incident. Did it this morning actually!” You feel a prideful grin come across your face. Oh yeah, you were definitely the hero this time. It didn’t happen often, and you were feeling great about yourself for once. “See, on Earth, uh – Terra, data theft is a pretty common occurrence. Backup drives are a total necessity. So, naturally, I figured I should have one for us too. I planned on making it a part of my daily routine around here – backing up our files and data onto separate drives every day. I'd like to get a couple more. Gotta cover all the bases, ya know?” Yondu is speechless for a moment. He just sits there and stares at you. He breaks out of his trance and jumps to his feet. You feel his strong arms wrap around you and he spins you both around, his laughter echoing around the small room. “Y/n, yer incredible! I could just kiss you!” As he sets you back down on your feet, he continues to hold you close. The realization of his words hits him like tidal wave. He looks down at you and sees your nervous expression. “Can I?” He asks quietly, inching closer to you. This is so strange for him. Anytime he’s wanted something from a woman before, he would just take it. Coercion was the typical occurrence. He is basically a pirate after all. He rarely cared how the woman felt about it – which is why he usually stuck with love bots. They didn’t say no, they didn’t reject him, they didn’t care about his past or what he looked like. This, however, was different. It was way outside his comfort zone. You looked up at him, and nod ever so slightly. Your body erupts with goosebumps as he moves a warm, large, hand up your back and toward the back of your head. You move closer as he guides you toward him. Your eyes begin to close, and you can feel his lips barely brush against yours. His breath is warm and inviting. Your heart is pounding against your sternum, and the feeling of his hands on your body causes your mind to go blank. Suddenly, a rapid knock at your door causes you to gasp and jump back a little. Yondu pulls away with a sigh and reaches toward the door, letting go of you. He rips the door open in frustration, and see’s Kraglin’s face. “What?!” Yondu snaps. Kraglin, surprised at how quickly the door opens, stands there with his fingers still curled into a fist from where he was knocking. “Uh – apologies cap’n. We’re nearing Yuna’s atmosphere. Thought you’d wanna know.” Yondu’s expression changes from annoyed, to a little excited. He turns to you and says “Hey, remember that planet was tellin’ ya about a few weeks ago? Well, we’re almost there.” “What?! Are you serious?” You beam at him. “This is so exciting! I didn’t think we would go so soon!” “Yeah, it’s nothin’ really.” He smiles at you. “It’s kinda on the way to Knowhere, and we’ve got time to stop anyhow. Figured now would be a great time to show you around down there. Plus, I hear there’s some rare minerals on that planet we can get a few units fer. I’ll send some of the boys after ‘em.” “How long until we can take some M-ships down?” You ask. “About a half hour.” Kraglin chimes in. “Great! Yondu, I’ll meet you down at the docking bay when we get close enough to head down there!” You laugh and jump past the two aliens, darting down the hall to your quarters. You could not wait to see what the planet was like.

[rhube]

Sometimes I think about Moffatt (I try not to, but he's left a deep scar over Who) and the way that I grew up in a world where every adult programme was sexist (most of them extremely so) and though cartoon usually did better (often in surprising ways) they at least supported gender norms, even if they tried to position girls as being as important as boys. And because the cartoons were better than the adult tv it took me a while to realise, but I reckon around the age of 8 I had figured it out. But you told yourself, because the teachers told you and the cartoons told you, that these were 'outdated views' and things were 'getting better'.

But then it was the 90s, and there was, of all things, a backlash against the feminism of the 70s and 80s. Women had gone 'too far' or women *could* have power, as long as it was feminine and sexy. Spice Girls and girl power and Buffy whose strength was magical (but lol, actual girls and women cannot be strong) but Ellen Ripley and Sarah Connor must go back in this box - let us never speak of 'strong women' again without a million caveats about how you don't *really* mean women who are strong, because if you mean women who are strong you ONLY mean women who are physically strong, right? (Doesn't matter if you never did, that phrase is poisoned now and you can't take it back.)

And for a moment - a MOMENT - we saw a shift. Battlestar Galactica and the novel concept of a RANGE of powerful women. Feminine, not-feminine, older, younger, some of them not even white... Women who were capable of being sexy, but not bound by sex. There was something burgeoning there...

And New Who picked it up. For all the faults towards the end of RTD's era, his vision was bold and uncompromising progressive. Rose and Martha and Donna and Harriet Jones Flydale-North - all of them bold and powerful and very different from each other.

And then... and then a companion who's a kiss-a-gram. A doctor who will exclaim 'Women!' And that's the ENTIRE joke. Women who are love interests and mothers and whose lives revolve around breathless gasps of the Doctor's name. A show runner who unabashedly states that all women - all of us - have the end goal of trapping men in marriage. (As a woman who thought marriage is antithetical to love and a patriarchal construct, you can imagine my confusion and rage*. It's bad enough that all the romcoms end with the 'I don't believe in marriage' person getting cornered into it - yes, I identify with the men in those films, and yes, the denial of happy ending for a long-term relationship without marriage spoils it for me.)

And the worst thing was not simply that for the first time I could no longer watch all the Doctor Who episodes there were to watch, it was all the fans who were saying 'Well, these things take time. He's a bit old-fashioned but he writes good stories. You have to allow the older generation...'

No I fucking do not.

Because I received that message loud and clear when I was 8, and now I know it's a lie.

Those old ideals don't go away if you give them time, they put down roots.

And I'm just so fucking sad because if you talked about sexism in Doctor Who at conventions people would try to hush you up around the big names: 'They're friends with Moffatt! It distresses them to hear people knocking their friend.' And...

This is not walking around saying 'Moffatt can't write.' Or 'Moffatt isn't true enough to Who canon' or 'It's not like it is in the old days' or 'Why doesn't this kids show fit my adult preferences'.

I get when people are put out by criticisms like that.

This is: this person is writing hurtful things about people of my sex - he's writing hurtful things about me and people like me - and he's putting them in a kids show from which kids will come to understand how they view the world. It might not be nice to hear about it, but you don't get a free pass to never hear your friend get calling out if he's walking around hurting people.

But now you can't say you're really into Doctor Who if you didn't watch all of the Moffatt years. The people who get invited to talk on panels and podcasts are the ones who can't just talk your ear off about the show, but are the people who will say the RIGHT things about the show. The mainstream acceptable things.

And I am left wondering how, in this day and age, the mainstream acceptable thing for a family TV show is a patriarchal figure making jokes where the punchline is simply 'Women!'

And I know we've moved past that now, and Jodie was great. But you still couldn't mention her without 5 hundred million men piping up to say 'I'm not sexist, BUT'. And... it's left a scar.

There are episodes I can't watch, and ones that make me feel sick because I did. And that portion of fandom that's accepted as 'BNFs' is still like 'I can't believe people who say Doctor Who wasn't just as sexist in the past!' And I want to SCREAM. Because, firstly, it really wasn't. Ace and Teagan and Nyssa as the companions of my childhood, out there representing a range of ways to be cool and interesting (and yes, fucking strong) as women and the Doctor never once making jokes about them being women. Each of them having their own reasons to travel with the doctor that didn't boil down to 'He's just so cool and my life revolves around HIM'.

But also, EVEN IF IT WAS sexist 30 years ago, guess what? TIME PASSED. People told us back then to be patient and just wait and to just tell ourselves things would get better.

And yet there we were again.

So now, when I just see a gif set from better times... it's still tarnished with sadness. That things went so wrong, and people made the exact same excuses for ot that they had when I was a child.

It's heartbreaking. And I loved Doctor Who SO MUCH. As soon as the internet made them available I was downloading missing episodes and listening just to the audio. I was gonna have consumed every episode of Doctor Who that ever existed.

That won't happen now. That can't be me. It's too painful. And I resent that.

There's no happy ending to this post. Just an enduring sadness.

Never be satisfied with saying it's OK because someone is from a different generation. It isn't true that you just have to put up with a certain amount of abuse just to consume escapist content.

You're right to be mad. You have a right to your anger. Things SHOULD be better.

*I also think you should do what makes you and your partner happy, though. I'm not preaching to anyone.

[srbachchan]

DAY 4691

Jalsa, Mumbai                    Jan 2,  2021                   Sat 11:42 PM

Birthday - EF - Nandkeshor Dattatreya Paatil ..  Omnia Ef Egypt Wednesday, February 3 .. love and wishes on this special day .. from the entire Ef 

Rest and you realise the intense needs of the body .. it refuses to be in any state of compliance with time .. and just lingers on .. unconditionally and without any regret .. 

And the compliance with it is deemed necessary and essential .. so one submits .. languishing in the depth of slumber yet awake .. awake to the connect of the wishes of the hundreds that show affection and grace to personally greet the new year and bring in design creatives that each excel one another, in temperament and style and language .. all leading to the same objective ..

Happy 2021 .. ! 

A dichotomy .. 

One still has no definition of the ‘happy’ .. the ‘21 is fine .. numbers change every year at this time .. its just what precedes the numbers that is in limbo .. one never knows how happy it shall be .. there is hope and prayer for it to be of value and different and enjoyable .. but then how many remember wishing any better for the ‘20 , 365 days back .. 

.. and look what happened .. !!

so we wait .. till the download is done and then decipher, the good the happy from the indifferent ..

.. and we wait for the news of others to arrive .. of the campaign messages to be done .. of gratitude for the yearly good wishes .. for the special for some near and dear .. all in one stretch of concentrated work ethic ..

.. a few corrections here and there .. the flow to be improved and the rendition be in consonance with the temper of the delivery .. that matters a great deal .. if the delivery is wrong or miscalculated or not in the dictate of the ‘CC’ .. err .. cannot possibly mention its expansion here on this public platform .. no no no .. its not what you are thinking it to be .. its a little self generated adage at the times of the work .. the work which gets conducted by this team that sits on judgement whether the conveyance of the message has been delivered in the manner advocated .. its an important and a certified job .. and there is a great amount of post shot discussions .. 

“.. that lamp shade at the back .. its needs to be turned a little to the left .. no the leaf on the planter behind the glass window .. no no not that .. the one behind .. the one some 40′ away .. yaaa .. that one .. and while you are at it , just shift that spoon lying on the table to the right a bit .. yes .. thank you ..” 

I mean .. what ..??!!

Your ambassador the one who is conveying the script , so assiduously written and contemplated through years of professional practice , is a mere 2′ away from the lens of the camera .. beyond 6′ its all out of focus .. so .. what ? .. is the leaf really the bone of contention in the shot .. 🤣 

But no .. the CC has to have a say in the matter .. else be ready to bring your sleeping bags along .. it is going to be a long night .. !!

That done the mind and body travels to the ‘giveaways’ .. slowly but surely they are being doled out to the near and dear .. and in time , to the Ef as well .. they have been most deserving and must have privilege of pride and presence when the past is encountered ..

So be in the patient drone then and wait it out .. it shall occur , but in time ..

The yawns continue and this in the middle of the day .. so time for the ‘elixir of life’ .. and a devoured quick 3′s shakes up the vibrations all around .. some are dealt with virtually .. the sounds being and playing the most important tunes , of the yesteryears .. 

.. and then the talent of talents on the Indian Idols and the extreme joy of the listening pleasure to some of the youngest vocalists in the Country .. simply incredible talent .. ! 

What a thrill and a joy to see and hear them all ..

AND now the wait for all the pen drives to arrive so they can be despatched to their final destinations .. around the world .. 

BAD rubbish needs to be thrown out .. needs riddance .. the space clears up .. the congestion eases both in the mind and the locale .. its been kept alive with some disdain and hopeful need .. but the need is irrelevant .. and hope is lost .. 

SO out it should go .. 

some of it has an emotional connect .. time and place and circumstances .. but eventually it is a burden .. used unused , but a burden .. so off with the head .. as most of the lingo of the times and years of the centuries gone by .. of the Royalty and power .. of the politics of survival .. and on, would express .. 

.. and there are the strollers walking about to catch the left overs .. haha .. they shall get of course , but with dignity and respect and order .. and the condition of its use and proper destination .. 

.. Indeed .. indeedi .. a vocabulary from the days of Calcutta in the 60′s at work there ..

But the work of the present day has arrived and this is what it says ..

.. masked you may be .. but the eyes smile at you .. all of you .. in deliberate fashion .. 

.. and the thumbs up for the success of the advertise of the essentials of the mask ..

but .. that is not all ..

.. and that done snd written .. ‘tis time to say the traditional ..

Namaskaar .. 🙏🙏

Amitabh Bachchan

[honey-dewey]

Take me Home, Country Roads

A Writer Wednesday Story

Pairing: Jack ‘Whiskey’ Daniels/GN! Reader

Word Count: 2,313

Warnings: Mentions of Jack’s late wife, but this is entirely fluff

Permanent Taglist: @phoenixhalliwell @star-wars-hell

You and Jack had never had an easy relationship, but it all seems to be coming together now. Especially after you and him decided to have a kid via surrogate. The only issue? Your daughter is nine hours away. I guess this calls for a road trip. 

The prompt for this week’s Writer Wednesday was given, as always, by the lovely @autumnleaves1991-blog. 

“Baby,” Jack shook your shoulder, making you groan and roll over in bed. “Baby.” 

“What?” You said slowly, sufficiently cranky after having been woken up before the sun rose. The clock over Jack’s shoulder read 2:37, and you really wanted to hit him. Why the hell were you awake?

Jack kissed you, and you had half a mind to bite him for waking you up so damn early. “Daniels,” you said against his lips. “You aren’t winning yourself any points with me right now.” 

“Mhm,” Jack hummed. “C’mon. We have to go.” 

“Go?” You sat up, rubbing your eyes. “Go where?” 

One of Jack’s old shirts was tossed in your direction, and he smiled. “We’re picking Frankie up today.” 

Immediately, you felt giddiness fill your stomach as you jumped up, suddenly very eager. You passed Jack, the both of you going about your morning routines in a very rushed way. Today was the day you and Jack were going to drive from your house in Texas all the way out to the middle of New Mexico to pick up your newborn daughter, Marie Francesca Daniels. 

It was nearly three in the morning by the time you were ready to go. Jack yawned, filling a travel mug with coffee and handing you your own travel mug. “Do we have everything?” 

You nodded. “Car seat is in the car already,” you said, checking the items off your fingers as you went. “Diaper bag was packed yesterday, I have that audiobook downloaded, you have the address in your phone, and I just packed snacks.” 

Jack smiled, kissing your forehead. “Are you ready?” 

“No,” you admitted. “But at the same time, yes. I can’t wait to have her here.” 

“I can’t either,” Jack reassured. “C’mon, we have to hit the road.” 

Despite the early hour, you didn’t sleep at all in the car, opting to instead listen to the audiobook you had picked and relax, watching night darkened landmarks pass you by. Exhilaration kept your eyes as open as they’d get until breakfast, and you paid half attention to the book while Jack drove beside you. 

Nine and a half months ago, you and Jack had sat down to have a very serious discussion. Did you want kids or not? Jack had, obviously, said yes, but after the catastrophe that was his late wife, he was hesitant. You were in a similar boat. Kids would’ve been nice, especially considering your ranch house was built for a family, but the process of having kids was something you could never see yourself doing. So after much discussion and a few angry nights, you and Jack found a surrogate. She wasn’t that far away, and she was super sweet. The three of you had met once, to confirm the pregnancy, and all of you had cried. Since then, her health had been well and steady, and last week she’d given birth to your baby girl. She was named after two of Jack’s great grandmothers, one from his mom’s side and one from his dad’s. 

The sun rose earlier than you expected, peering over the hills as Jack continued westward. The hospital in New Mexico was nearly nine hours away, meaning you wouldn’t even reach it until a bit past noon, and you wouldn’t be returning home until well after nine pm. But you didn’t mind, not for this. 

Nearly four hours into the trip, at 7 in the morning, Jack found a relatively healthy place to stop for breakfast. He walked in and got two bagels while you sat in the car, texting the surrogate. She had just woken up, and was almost as excited as you and Jack were for today. 

“Whatcha doing?” Jack asked, getting back into the car and handing you a paper bag with your bagels in it. 

“Texting Jackie,” you said. “She says Frankie is doing a-ok, and is eager to come home with us.” 

Jack smiled. “Still can’t believe you let me name her Francesca.” He handed you your bagel, and you grinned. 

“We made a deal,” you said. “You could name her Francesa as long as it wasn’t her first name. No matter what, I knew we’d be calling her Frankie.” 

“We can call her Marie when she’s in trouble,” Jack said, leaning in close and giving you a kiss. “Thank you.” 

“For what?” You asked, laughing as Jack trailed his kisses down, tickling your skin with his facial hair. 

Jack smiled, humming against your skin. “For letting us have a baby.” 

“Oh Jack,” you murmured, abandoning your breakfast so you could turn your full attention to your cowboy husband. “I wasn’t ever going to stop you from raising a family. Ever.” 

“I know,” Jack reassured. “What do you think about having another one? That house has room for three or four.” 

That brought a huge smile to your face. “Jack,” you said seriously, humor tinting your voice. “Let’s focus on one for now. We can revisit this conversation in two years.” 

Jack pouted, but accepted, leaning back so he could eat his bagel and get back on the road. You ate slower than Jack, absorbing the audiobook you’d started playing again and enjoying seeing all the passing land outside the car. 

A few more hours into your trip, and you were bored out of your mind. The book was super good, and you kept trying to focus your attention on that, but nothing could kill the boredom that was building in your chest. 

“What time is it?” 

Jack sighed. “Ten minutes since the last time you asked,” he said, taking your hand and kissing your knuckles. “It’s about ten thirty.” 

You groaned. “Fuck,” you said, dragging the word out. “I’m so damn bored.” 

Jack chuckled. “My laptop is in the back if you want to screw around with that solitaire program.” 

It was better than doing a whole load of nothing, so you grabbed Jack’s laptop and set it up on top of your thighs. “Am I even allowed to use this?” 

“Why wouldn’t you be allowed to use it?” Jack asked. 

“What if I uncover some big Statesman secrets,” you said, logging in regardless. “What if I destroy the world?” 

Jack smiled. “You cannot destroy the world from my laptop,” he reassured. “Not that one, at least.” 

“This one?” You looked up, surprised. “You mean to tell me you can destroy the world from a laptop you own?” 

Now Jack was full on laughing. “Yeah!” He said. “My work laptop. It stays at work though.” 

You made a face. “Well that’s boring,” you decided, clicking on a solitaire game. “When do you want to grab lunch?” 

Jack shrugged. “According to the GPS, we’ll get there a little after noon, so what do you say to eleven thirty? That way we have time to eat and stuff, plus the car won’t smell.” 

It seemed reasonable to you, so you nodded. “Sounds good,” you said, sliding down in your seat and beginning a forty five minute long solitaire tournament with yourself. 

“Babe,” Jack said softly after you finished the tenth game, nudging you. “Take a look at this.” 

You shut the laptop off and looked up, immediately feeling yourself gasp. Outside the car was a sight you wished you could experience forever. The road stretched on as far as you could see, empty except for you and Jack. The sky was a beautiful picturesque blue with only the barest clouds, none of which dared block the sun. The earth was a gorgeous orange dirt, striped in various shades. Ahead of you stood a few mesas, breaking up the flat expanse of land. It was perfection, and you couldn’t help but pull out your phone to snap a picture. 

“It’s beautiful,” you breathed softly. “Absolutely beautiful.” 

Jack smiled. “There’s a small town ten minutes from here,” he said. “We can stop to grab lunch, and then it’s only another half hour until we’re there.” 

You looked at Jack, surprised. “Was I really playing solitaire for that long?” 

“Yes you were.” 

Lunch ended up being from a food truck, considering that was all you could find in the middle of nowhere, New Mexico. When you got out of the car, you immediately groaned, stretching your legs out and feeling your back pop. 

Jack smiled, grabbing his hat. “Feeling okay over there?” 

You shrugged. “I’ve been through worse,” you decided, looking around. “This place is so cool.” 

“Reminds me of where I grew up,” Jack said, putting his arm around you. “Although my hometown had more grass and less sand.” 

While you two ate at a small picnic table, you texted Jackie, telling her you were only half an hour away. She responded with enthusiasm, and you sent her the picture you took of the landscape. 

The final leg of your trip was very quiet. The audiobook had finished, and neither of you wanted to break the delicate silence in the car. Well, silence was relative, considering Jack was humming John Denver while he drove, but you didn’t mind. 

When you finally pulled into the hospital parking lot, you had trouble getting out of the car. Inside that building was your baby, your little girl. When you looked over at Jack, he looked just as nervous as you. “Ready cowboy?” 

“Ready,” Jack confirmed, taking your hand. “Let’s do this.” 

Finding the room wasn’t hard. A very sweet nurse led you to Jackie’s room, and you stared at the door for a solid minute before knocking. 

“You’re here!” Jackie said, smiling as Jack opened the door. “She’s been an angel for me all morning.” 

You nodded, unable to speak. Wrapped in a soft blanket in Jackie’s arms was your baby. You and Jack had both seen photos, but it seemed nothing would compare to the real thing. Jackie stood, still holding Frankie. “Do you want to hold her?” 

Jack stepped forward, and Jackie put Frankie down in his arms. Jack smiled, cradling Frankie close to his body. “Hey baby,” he said softly. “It’s me, your daddy.” 

Jackie stepped back, towards you. “He’s a natural,” she whispered to you. 

You nodded. “Thank you so much,” you said. “I don’t ever think I’ll be able to thank you enough for what you’ve given us.” 

Jackie smiled. “I’m just glad I was able to help you two.” 

After nearly half an hour of sitting and waiting, you and Jack both holding Frankie, a doctor came around to release her. He checked your daughter over and deemed her okay to leave, and the four of you all walked out together. Jackie waved and smiled from her car as she drove away, rolling her window down to give you one final goodbye. 

You got into the driver’s seat, looking back at Jack, who was settling Frankie into her car seat. “How goes it back there cowboy?” 

“Got it!” Jack said triumphantly, smiling and kissing Frankie’s head. “Sleep tight baby girl.” He closed the backseat door and got into the passenger seat. “Still can’t believe she’s ours.” 

You smiled, taking his hand. “We have a daughter.” 

Jack nodded, his eyes watering. “A daughter,” he said softly. 

By the time you were half an hour away from the hospital, it began to feel more real. Every so often, Jack would check the backseat, finding Frankie asleep every time. She slept soundly, and you almost recommended Jack do the same. He’d been up since really early, and you could tell he needed rest. 

Two hours towards home, you realized that would’ve been disastrous. 

Frankie started to cry, and almost immediately, Jack looked at you. “What’s going on?” He asked, eyes wide. “Is she okay?” 

You nodded. “She’s probably hungry,” you said, carefully pulling over and putting the car in park. “Her bottle is in the diaper bag.” 

Jack took a breath and nodded. “Okay,” he said. “I got this.” 

He got out of the car and picked Frankie up, carrying her to the front seat with him. “That’s it,” he said softly, grabbing the bottle and beginning to feed her. 

You smiled, grabbing your phone to take a picture and send it to every single one of Jack’s coworkers who you had contact with.

“What are you doing?” Jack asked, barely looking up at you. 

“Giving Tequila sufficient blackmail,” you said with a smile. “And showing Ginger her new niece.” 

Jack made a face, laughing when he looked back at Frankie and found her copying his scrunched up face. “Aren’t you just a little troublemaker?” He said. “I know my mama can’t wait to meet you, bumblebee. How’s that sound? Wanna get spoiled by your abuelita?” 

You couldn’t help but smile at that. “Jack,” you said. “Put Frankie back in her car seat, I have to keep driving.” 

“Can I hold her for a bit?” Jack asked, looking up at you with his pleading puppy eyes. “Please?” 

Taking a deep breath, you sighed. “Fine,” you said. “But only for a little bit.” 

Jack smiled, twisting a bit so he could get himself buckled back in. As he did so, you turned the radio on, dialing the volume down a bit. 

You drove like that for a bit, with Jack cradling Frankie in the front seat. He hummed along to the radio, rocking Frankie as he hummed. Finally, the cursed song began to play, and Jack lit up. 

“Almost heaven, West Virginia. Blue Ridge Mountains, Shenandoah River. Life is old there, older than the trees. Younger than the mountains, growin' like a breeze,” he sang along softly with John Denver, and you smiled, turning the radio up a bit. Jack continued to sing, putting a gentle lull over the car as you continued your drive home, your tiny family of three comfortable and together at last. 

“Country roads, take me home, to the place I belong. West Virginia, mountain mama. Take me home, country roads.”

[chews-erotically]

Waxing Gibbous 

Pairing: Ezra + femNurse! Reader

Rating: Hard M / 18+ ONLY

       * Warnings: Angst/ violence/ mention of blood/ SMUT/ PIV, fingering/ public sex/ slight exhibitionism

      * Summary: Ezra confronts his fears. A night out on Central does not go as planned.

      * Word Count: ~2600

*Part ONE* *Part TWO* *Part THREE* *Part FOUR* *Part FIVE*  *Part SIX*        *Part SEVEN*  *Part EIGHT*  *Part NINE*  *Part TEN*

PART ELEVEN

    You learned quickly that when Ezra told you he was going to try, he tried. The very next day, he asked you to take him down to the lobby. You’d attempted to protest, but a facet of his personality you were getting more acquainted with over time was the man’s stubbornness. 

    “Mama always told me I was more stubborn than a mule stuck in a mud puddle,” he’d rambled to you once.

    On this day, he said, “You know there’s no other way for me to do this except to get it done, Dove.”

    You moved to stand in front of him. You crossed your arms, head tilted to one side as you surveyed him before you. He looked determined, jaw working rhythmically. His hands hung loosely at his sides, but you noticed how he was clenching and unclenching his fists restlessly.

    “Ezra“, I don’t expect you to just waltz out of the apartment and seize the city like a lump of aurelac,” you reasoned. “I want to do this on your terms, and I don’t want you to feel in any way pressured. I feel like you think I’m expecting you to do this.”

    “Dove, you know that as decisive as I may be, one thing I am not is easily swayed or pressured. Trust that I feel no such thing from you, as it is my choice alone to foray out of this nest.”

    So, you had accompanied him cautiously onto the elevator, carefully watching and gauging his reactions to being confined within the claustrophobic reaches of the metal box you found yourselves encased in, ferrying you downward. Ezra’s tongue darted out to wet his lip nervously, you noticed his foot tapping against the carpet. You wondered if he noticed he was doing it.

    When the elevator reached its destination with a faint ping, you steeled yourself. You were ready for his impending meltdown, his shaking uncertainty, possibly his refusal to walk any further. Your eyes widened as you watched him stride determinedly out into the lobby. You trailed close behind, ready to reel him back in if he became overwhelmed. You thought that he’d pause a moment, reacquaint himself with the lobby itself before venturing further, but he strode bullishly toward where Brice was standing near the front doorway.

    “If you’ll excuse me, my good man,” Ezra muttered through the grim set of his mouth. He did not pause, he did not hesitate. He gave Brice no opportunity to hold the door open for him. He grasped the handle himself and thrust himself out onto a bustling street.

    You were right behind him, your brows drawn with concern. You reached out to grasp his hand.

   “Ezra?”

    His shoulders squared, he turned to face you. He was breathing heavily, his eyes moving in disjointed stutters as if he was trying to download and process everything at once to a file in his brain.

    “Ezra, take a deep breath.”

    His eyes finally settled on you, dark pools of intensity. He did as you asked. His shoulders dropped to their natural position. Your other hand joined your first, clasping his large hands in yours. People continued past you on their way to their lovers and jobs and homes and they parted like a sea around the both of you as his gaze held you, hypnotic and deep. His hands pulled from your grasp and he crushed himself to you, his mouth finding yours in a dizzying kiss. Breathless, desperate, the rest of the world disappeared.

    “I did it, sweet love,” he whispered against your mouth. You did not heed the noise and push of the city thrumming around you, the entire street ceased and froze as if the universe was swallowing its own stars and they reappeared, rebirthed and glittering, in the encompassing weight of Ezra’s eyes upon you.

    “All manner of things in this world are limitless and surmountable, survivable, when I have you by my side.”

 ******

     One week later you found yourself in a dive bar that ended up being approximately twenty minutes from your loft. You had worked incrementally each day, walking with Ezra as he ventured further and then a bit further. You saw his confidence begin to return. You had sat one morning at a small table on the sidewalk of a cafe, reading Keats to one another as you sipped cappuccino. Ezra made sly remarks about the goings-on of passing strangers, weaving threads of supposition according to what he thought of what they wore, how quickly they were walking, who they were with. His eyes were lively. He reminded you of the person he’d been at his table in his tent on the Green: head thrown back, joyous.

    You were finally knowing him like this.

    And so, you sat in the crowded bar, smelling the cologne and sweat and smoke enveloping you and those around you. You had felt nervous entering, a sudden impulse to look for the nearest exit slammed into you. A patron sidled past you, bumping your shoulder. You jumped, your heart hammering. You tried desperately to quell what seemed to be an oncoming panic attack- there were too many people, it was so, so loud and anyone could just reach out and grab you, slam you into-

    “Dovie.”

    Your frenzied reverie was interrupted by Ezra’s warm hand on the small of your back as he guided you to a table in a corner. His breath tickled the hair that curled around your ear as he spoke close and low.

    “Sit here, see? Your back will be against the wall. You can see everyone this way. You are safe with me, sweet one.”

    With his voice close, grounding you, you took deep unsteady breaths until you felt your heart rate begin to slow. You reassured him as the bartender approached you. You decided that alcohol may not be a bad idea, for either of you, in helping you relax. You ordered a gin and tonic with lime, Ezra requested an extra dirty vodka martini. While you waited for your drinks you took in the humid press of bodies gyrating on a makeshift dance floor, you absorbed the loose, languid movements of the inebriated patrons before you. Could you do such a thing, would you ever be capable of such abandon again in a place like this?

    Your drinks were set in front of you. Ezra reached for his and took a long sip, his eyes closing with a soft groan.

    “I cannot begin to tell you how long it’s been since I’ve imbibed such high-brow spirits in what amounts to a dusty hovel.”

    You sipped your own drink, the burn sliding down your throat blooming into warmth when it hit your belly. Your brain quickly began to feel fuzzy, your limbs loose and warm. It had been stands since you’d had anything stronger than wine. You set your glass down and turned to see Ezra staring at you, his own cheeks pinking from the effects of his drink. He leaned his head to the side, one hand reaching for your bare knee, at the same time the sudden crack of a pool cue across the room made you jump, an arm shooting out in unconscious self-defense as your hand connected with your glass. Ezra’s own hand reflexively moved to catch the glass before it could topple and shatter, but not before the contents sloshed over the edge to soak down the front of your new dress.

    “Kevva-damned. Shit….This is the first time I’ve even worn this!”

    Ezra was unperturbed, smiling gently as he squeezed your knee.

    “I’m sure it will come out in the wash, love, I’ll leave you only briefly to procure you proper cleaning implements. Do not trouble yourself.”

    You sighed, nodding gratefully. You watched as Ezra stood up and made his way to the bar. It was crowded indeed tonight, and you noted that there were quite a few people in line ahead of him. You sighed again, looking down at your front. You wrinkled your nose; you smelled like a distillery.

    Klutz.

    Lost in your thoughts, it took you a moment in your blunted state to notice that another drink was slid in front of you as the chair beside you scraped back from the table. A man sat down next to you, grinning crookedly. He leaned forward before speaking.

    “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you in here before. Sorry about the drink, I thought maybe you could use a replacement.”

    His hair was flame-colored, unnaturally so. His nose, eyebrows and ears were heavily pierced, and his arms were covered in tattoos. In another lifetime, perhaps, you may have welcomed his advances. Tonight, however, you glanced around frantically for Ezra. You felt suddenly exposed, like a lame rabbit trapped in a dog pen.

    “I…..I’m not alone, you know. I’m here with someone. So, no thank you. On the drink.”

    The man’s brows shot up in surprise. “Oh! I didn’t mean….sorry. I saw you spill your drink, and then I saw your friend get up...I was getting my own drink, I figured you could use another one as well.”

    You swallowed down your panic, your hand twitching in your lap.

    If only I had a thrower.

    “You were watching me?”

    “Relax. I was just trying to be nice!”

    “What did you put in this drink, anyway? Sedative? Some kind of amatory agent?”

    “I don’t know what you-”

    The man choked on the rest of his words as he was yanked out of the chair roughly by the back of his shirt. He was slammed up against the wall, Ezra’s fingers wrapped around the man’s throat.

    “I do believe the lady would like to be left alone,” he hissed darkly, jaw clenched. His head was lowered, eyes blackened pools of rage. His voice wavered on a razor-thin edge of control. The interloping man’s eyes were wide, it appeared that he was gasping for breath as Ezra’s knuckles turned white. You noticed the knife in Ezra’s hand. You had the far away realization that he must have been keeping it in his boot, the same way he had on the Green.

     He had carried it all this time.

    Ezra brought the tip of his knife to a slot of pulsing skin between his fingertips. The blade pressed in, a bead of blood pricking forth as the man gasped. A dark spot spread on the front of the man’s pants.

    “Do you know how quickly a man bleeds out if cut in just the right way? I do, I know from experience. Do you also know how to make things last, how to prolong one’s mortal agony until they plead for the sweet embrace of oblivion? I know that too.” 

    You were monsters, you realized with a sudden, shocking clarity. You were not fit for civilization. Ezra was a hair's-breadth from murdering a stranger in a public place while you watched impassively. This is who you have become. This is what the moon had done to you.

    Without thinking, you jumped up from the table. Your hand grasped Ezra’s shoulder.

    “EZRA.” your voice was clear, sobered, authoritative. “Stop. Come back.”

    Ezra almost shook his head as he looked at his hand, holding the knife as if it belonged to someone else. He let the man go, and the man slid down the wall to crumple onto the ground.

You realized it was silent- everyone in the bar was staring.

    You grabbed onto his hand in a vise-like grip and moved to the door.

    “We’re leaving. NOW.”

    There was a sea of shocked silence that parted around you. You did not hesitate, you did not stop to take in the widened eyes, the slack jaws. You walked until you were both out in the cool air of the warm night.

    You kept your eyes forward with a tight grip on Ezra’s hand.

    Get away, you repeated in your mind like a mantra. Get away, get away, get away…

    You squeaked out a wordless exclamation when Ezra halted, pulling you backward into a narrow side alley. He spun you to face the cool brick wall, caging you with his hands and hips. He pressed up against you insistently, panting as if he’d been sprinting.

    “Ez-” your words were cut off as his lips crushed onto yours, rough and messy. His hands grasped at the hem of your dress, raking it up around your waist. He ripped your underwear down past the curve of your ass with trembling fingers. You gasped when his fingers entered you, rough and sudden.

    “Ezra, we’re in an alley, someone could walk byyyy…” your last words dissolved in a whine as he angled his fingers, expertly curled, and hit that spot inside- the place he knew you needed him most.

    Hot plosives of air against your ear, you felt fully enveloped by Ezra and completely exposed to everything else. He withdrew his fingers suddenly and frantically went to unfasten his pants.

    “I need you,” he rasped, his voice desperate and shuddering. “I need to come back to myself. Remind myself. Please. I need to know you are mine. Show me.”

    You felt the blunt head of him notched at your entrance. Grasping his cock in his fist, he spread your leaking arousal to mix with the precum dripping from his own slit before sliding into you with a single thrust. His hips met yours as you brought your fist to your mouth, biting down to keep from screaming. Ezra withdrew almost completely, still trembling, and slammed back into you. Your breasts were mashed against the rough wall, you had to use both hands to brace yourself against the onslaught of his thrusts. One of his hands went up to your mouth and covered it firmly; his other hand reached between your legs to circle your clit roughly.

    He fucked up into you with abandon, without regard for his surroundings and despite the possibility of being caught. He kept his voice low, gasping and whining as his punishing rhythm had you quickly hurtling toward your own release.

    “Mine….mine,” he groaned into your ear, slapping sounds from your desperate union echoing in the air of the alleyway. “Going to fuck you like this in every corner of Central, on every surface. Claim this pussy over and over again. Take you apart.”

    His words against your sweat-slicked skin, his hot breath, his fingers on your clit, his brutal thrusts all melded into the sin of him taking your like this, claiming you in the open. You release slammed into you, unexpected, overwhelming. You bit the inside of his hand, breaths harsh, ragged, keening. You sobbed wordlessly against him as he stilled, spilling into you as he cried out. The intensity and strength of his orgasm had rendered him incapable of remaining quiet. Your legs shook, Ezra’s arms wrapping firmly around your waist to keep you from collapsing to the dirty concrete.

    When your hammering heart had finally slowed and your breathing finally evened out, Ezra reverently helped you back to some semblance of presentability before you made your way back to your apartment, still shaky and somewhat lightheaded.

    Once back in the safety of your shared home you sighed deeply before wrapping your arms around Ezra’s waist. You knew you both had quite a bit more to work through than you’d originally thought, but Kevva knew there was no one else for you. You gazed up at him with a small, sad smile.

    “We can’t go back to that bar, Ezra.”

    “I know, Dove.”

Tags: @ifimayhaveaword @thedaysarenotfull @absurdthirst@cinewhore @hopelikethesun @yespolkadotkitty @lose-eels @lackofhonor @din-damn-djarin @mrpascals@theocatkov @thefineandnobleartofavoidance@hellojustheretolookatmeemees @cyaredindjarin @im-like-reallythirsty @mstgsmy @goldafterglow @sistahsarah-sallysaidso @givemethatgold @shaqbutt @sirianisrock@artemiseamoon @thatreclusewriter, @scribbledghost@f0rever15elf @opheliaelysia @qveenbvtch@hdlynnslibrary @ithinkhesgaybutwesavedmufasa@spacegayofficial @ezraslittlebirdie @ezrasarm@ezraslittleblondestreak @tintinwrites@kindablackenedsuperhero @darthadeline @alexisinorbit@knittingqueen13 @lueurnotes @xakilicious@keeper0fthestars @huliabitch @di-kut @zombieaurora@corrupt-fvcker @cryptkeepersoul @teaofpeach

[singledarkshade]

Life Lessons

Summary: “There are times when it will be required for you to work with your fellow Time Masters to complete your mission.” Rip's first experience of working in a team does not go well. Author’s Note: Day 4: “One person acting alone can’t save the world.” – This is all about the team and Rip’s relationship to it, maybe it’s the one Rip built, but it could be an entirely different one, or just the people he’s met along the way.                                ********************************************* It had been a long day, and the two-hour lecture Time Master Keegan was giving on the history of fabrics used during the Victorian era seemed endless. Rip squirmed, it felt like his back had been fused to his chair and could see Andreas beside him looking just as uncomfortable.

“Any questions?” Keegan asked suddenly, turning the lights up making them all blink.

No one raised a hand, and they were all poised to leave the lecture theatre when Time Master Hadden walked in.

“Stay in your seats,” she ordered sharply.

The entire class grimaced but remained seated waiting as Hadden and Keegan spoke for a few moments.

“Time Masters work alone,” Hadden stated as she stood in front of them, “But there are times when it will be required for you to work with your fellow Time Masters to complete your mission. You will be placed in teams for a training mission tomorrow, your teams will be released later this evening and you must all be ready to leave first thing. Dismissed.”

Finally released Rip grabbed his tablet and started towards his room. He wanted to do some work on his project before the evening meal, as afterwards he had time booked in the flight simulator.

“So,” Coburn appeared at his side as he left the lecture theatre, “What do you think about tomorrow’s sudden training mission?”

Rip grimaced as she looked at him with big brown eyes filled with amusement and stated coolly, “I think it’s a chance for us to all show what we’ve learned.”

She chuckled, “Wouldn’t it be fun if we were on the same team?”

“Not really,” Rip replied without thinking.

“Hunter, I’m hurt,” Coburn laughed.

Rip sighed and turned to face her, “You never listen, you’re constantly ignoring the rules and I don’t trust you’d work with the rest of the group.”

She stared at him for a moment before she laughed, “You say the sweetest things.” With a smile she gave him a pat on the shoulder, “See you later.”

Confused and irritated, as was the norm when he had a conversation with Cadet Coburn, Rip headed to his room.

The room he had within the Time Master Academy was starkly different from the one he’d had at the Refuge and there were days he missed being there deeply. But, as Time Master Druce reminded him the day he’d arrived at the academy, not to mention every time Rip saw him before that day, Rip had been chosen for a higher purpose which meant he had to leave the safety of his childhood, and Mother, in order to fulfil that purpose.

Connecting his tablet to the main console to download all the work from the day, he changed out of his uniform before sitting at his desk and opened the message he kept easily accessible.

“Michael,” his mother said appearing on the screen before him, “I cannot tell you how proud I am of you. When you first came to me, that little boy who was wild and kept trying to run away, I always knew that one day I would have to say goodbye. I know that you are on your path to become a Time Master and I know that you will do wonderful things. I don’t get to see my children after they leave and I know that is for the best, but I want you to always remember that I am extremely proud of you, Michael.”

Freezing the picture to look at the woman who had taken him in and loved him, Rip wondered if any of the others missed their childhood homes and the mothers or fathers who had raised them.

Or if he was just broken because he did.

The door chime interrupted his musings and he quickly turned off the message before opening the door.

“Time Master Druce,” he snapped to attention.

Druce gave him a smile, “There is no need for that, Rip. This is not an official inspection.”

Stepping back Rip allowed his mentor into the room, “What can I do for you, sir?”

“Regarding tomorrow’s exercise.” Druce told him, “I want to remind you that I have high expectations. This exercise is very important for your future as a Time Master. Do you understand, Rip?”

Nodding Rip replied softly, “Yes sir.”

Standing Druce nodded, “Don’t let me down,” before he walked out leaving Rip alone again.

As his mentor left, Rip let out a sigh. He wanted to live up to Druce’s expectations, the man had saved his life and brought him to a place where he could be something so much more than the street trash he had once been. Druce had given him a mother who loved him and taught him that he was so much more than he’d ever thought he could be.

Rip couldn’t let him down.

Checking the time, Rip headed to the dining room to have his evening meal.

 The dining room was full when Rip stepped inside, he chose his meal and drink before looking for a place to sit. To his annoyance Coburn was sitting at the closest table and looked up, waving him over. As there was little other choice for sitting, Marcus or Cannon appeared to be the only others with a space beside them, Rip went with the lesser of the evils.

“The team lists are out,” Coburn smirked at him the moment he sat at her side, “And guess what?”

Glancing at the courier on his wrist, he saw the message and sighed when he scanned the list.

“We’re on the same team,” Rip grimaced.

Coburn smiled, “We work well together, Hunter you know that.”

Rip grimaced, annoyed because she wasn’t wrong. The last time they’d had to work together they received the highest marks within the class, but Rip found she distracted him constantly. When she twirled her glossy raven hair around her fingers, the way her deep brown eyes sparkled when she hit on an answer and the way her soft pink lips quirked in amused smiles that she threw at him, Rip watched unable to tear his eyes from her.

The weight of Druce’s expectations made it worse, he knew he couldn’t be distracted by her during the mission and Rip couldn’t ask to change teams, or he would have to explain why.

He couldn’t tell them the reason because he wasn’t supposed to feel like this.

Doing his best to ignore her, Rip ate his meal looking forward to getting to spend some time in the flight simulator.

 Rip loved to fly.

Even in the simulator he had the feeling of freedom he’d craved from childhood and looked forward to the day he had his own ship.

“You know at this angle you’ll probably get caught in the atmosphere,” Coburn’s amused voice made Rip grimace.

“What are you doing here?” he demanded, “I have this time booked.”

She slid into the seat at his side and shrugged.

“Then go away,” he snapped at her trying to focus again.

Coburn chuckled, “Why are you like this?”

“Like what?” he demanded confused.

“Wound so tight,” Coburn clarified, “We’re learning to travel in time, Hunter. To save people and the timeline. It’s an amazing thing but you’re always so serious. Do you ever have fun?”

Rip shifted uncomfortably in his seat at her demand, “When I was a child, of course. But we’re adults now and being a Time Master is not something to be taken lightly. It’s a serious duty we’ve been given, it’s not fun.”

She moved closer to him, and Rip was caught by her eyes, deep brown pools that were filled with amusement and something else.

“We’re not robots,” Coburn whispered softly, making Rip’s eyes drop briefly to her soft pink lips, “We’re allowed to have some fun every so often.”

Before Rip could retort she touched her lips to his in a soft kiss. Stunned Rip froze for a moment before closing his eyes and leaning into it, his hand moving to cup her cheek. Realising what they were doing, Rip pulled back finding Coburn smiling at him with sparkling eyes.

“Definitely not a robot,” she whispered, “I’ll see you in the morning, Rip.”

                                 *********************************************

 By the time his alarm sounded, Rip had already been up for over an hour. He ran around the track several times before grabbing a quick breakfast and was one of the first standing ready at the muster point.

His team consisted of himself, Coburn, Radley, and Johns. Rip didn’t know Radley or Johns well and would have preferred people whose abilities he knew to work with, but he also knew he had no choice.

“Good morning,” Time Master Hadden appeared at the front of the room, “You have all been assigned your teams and your missions have been sent to your couriers. Each team will be timed on how long it takes for you to complete your mission in addition to how well you work together as a team.”

Rip scanned the mission parameters as they waited their turn, doing his best to ignore Coburn at his side. His night had been filled with dreams of her and what had happened in the simulator, it was one of the reasons he’d been up so early.

“Team six,” Hadden called to them, “Follow me.”

Rip walked with his team to a Jump Ship that was waiting for them.

“Cadet Hunter,” Hadden said, “You are the best pilot of the group, so you will fly the ship to the co-ordinates given. Once there the ship will power off, you must complete your mission by ensuring the package in the hold reaches the final co-ordinates where you will be met and returned to the Academy for your grade.”

With that said she left.

 Rip slid into the pilot’s seat and activated the systems, “Everyone strap in.”

He frowned slightly when Coburn took the seat beside him but said nothing. Checking the coordinates, he activated the engines and took them into the time stream. A few seconds into their journey, an alarm began to sound.

“What’s wrong?” Johns demanded.

“The ship isn’t responding,” Rip frowned, as he tried to get the system back online.

Coburn unhooked herself and ran to the engine access, yanking open the panel, “We’re in trouble.”

“What’s wrong?” Rip yelled back.

“It’s shutting down early,” Coburn replied as she tried to fix then engines or at least keep them going until they reached their coordinates.

Rip grimaced, “Bollocks, can you do a bypass?”

“While we’re in flight,” Randel cried in horror, “A bypass is only done when the ship is stationary.”

“Well, we’ll be stationary when we crash,” Rip retorted before demanding, “Coburn, can you do it?”

“Give me two seconds,” she replied before calling, “Done.”

Hang on,” Rip yelled as he managed to activate the engines for a few seconds so he could get them out the time stream, the entire ship shuddered but exited and Rip let out a small sigh relieved that he brought them out at the right place. Unfortunately, the main engine began to fail as Rip started them down to land. Fighting with the controls, Rip did his best to keep them level as they headed towards the ground.

“We’re going to crash,” he yelled, “Hold on.”

A second later the ground rushed into the ship, they bounced three times before skidding to a halt.

 Rip groaned as he undid the restraint, falling onto the console in front of him. His ribs felt bruised, but he was sure they weren’t broken and although he was a little shaken Rip knew he wasn’t injured.

“Is everyone alright?” Rip called.

“Fine,” Randel and Johns replied.

One voice was missing, and Rip yelled, “Coburn?”

“I have a slight problem,” she replied, pain filling her voice.

Rip turned and swore seeing her laying on the floor, a piece of metal stuck into her side and blood pouring from the wound. Reaching for the medical kit, Rip swore again to discover it was missing. Yanking off his jacket, Rip dropped onto the ground beside Coburn and pressing it against the wound to try to stem the flow of blood.

“Where are we?” Randal asked dazed.

“We’re on the right planet,” Johns reported checking the instruments, “But miles away from the rendezvous point.”

Rip grimaced knowing that meant they were a long way from help, but if they packed the wound and made a stretcher then they could carry her to safety.

“Our cargo is intact,” Randel noted from the back, “But it is big.”

Rip leaned back to glance at what Randel had found, keeping pressure on Coburn’s wounds at the same time and winced. They couldn’t carry both her and their cargo.

“Leave it,” Rip told them, “We put together a stretcher for Coburn and get her to safety, then we can come back for it.”

Randel and Johns stared at him before Randel said, “No.”

Rip frowned at him, “We can’t carry both. That thing would take two of us to carry it at the very least and we need two of us to carry Coburn.”

“Then we leave her,” Randel stated.

Anger filled Rip, “She could die without help.”

“We’ll send someone back for her,” Johns told him, “But we have to get this to the coordinates.”

Rip glared at them, “Then you’re doing it without me.”

“We’ll manage,” Randel told him, “Once we reach the coordinates then we’ll send someone back for you.”

“They’re right,” Coburn murmured, “You should complete the mission and send help back to me.”

Rip shook his head, “No, I’m staying with you.”

Randel and Johns shrugged before they lifted their cargo, leaving Rip alone with their injured teammate.

 “You should have gone with them,” Coburn said softly while Rip checked the ship for emergency rations.

Rip frowned at her, “And leave you here to die?”

“I’d be fine until you sent someone for me,” she said, letting out a grunt of pain when she moved slightly.

“Stay still,” Rip snapped at her, “I’ve managed to stop the bleeding for now but if you move it could start again.”

She closed her eyes for a moment before smiling, “I knew you liked me.”

Sitting at her side, Rip gently placed the canteen he’d found to her lips, tipping it so she could drink.

“You’re delusional,” Rip shook his head.

Coburn chuckled again, “Was what happened last night a delusion?”

Rip dropped his eyes feeling warmth cover his neck.

“Hey,” she took his hand, “Rip, it’s okay to care what happens to me. And I’m grateful you stayed.”

Looking down at their adjoined hands, Rip smiled softly, “You can thank me by annoying me less.”

“Where would the fun be in that?” she chuckled.

“Coburn,” he sighed, frowning when she jerked his hand, “What?”

“You know my name, Rip,” she whispered.

Licking his lips, Rip said softly, “Miranda.”

“That wasn’t so hard,” Miranda smiled at him, “Was it?”

He shrugged and shook his head.

“I guess we’re working as a team,” Miranda noted amused.

Rip nodded, “We just have to hope the others make it to the coordinates fast.”

Miranda nodded, and he noticed that she was beginning to shiver. Since there was no emergency kit, there were no blankets he could use to keep her warm, and his jacket was being used to stop the bleeding, Rip wrapped his arm around her and hugged her close.

She cuddled into his shoulder murmuring, “You make a good pillow, Rip.”

Rip smiled, “I’ll add it to my list of skills.”

Miranda slipped into silence and Rip held her while they waited for help, relieved when the rescue team finally arrived.

                                 *********************************************

 Rip left the medical bay and as ordered, headed directly to Druce’s study. Taking a deep breath, he hit the chime and waited.

Time passed and finally after twenty minutes the door opened. Rip walked in seeing his mentor sitting looking distinctly unhappy.

“Cadet Hunter,” Druce stated, letting him know that this was an official meeting, “Your performance for today’s test has been evaluated and you have failed.”

“What?” Rip demanded surprised, slamming his mouth shut when Druce stood.

“You did not complete the mission you were given,” Druce reminded him, “And therefore did not pass the test.”

Rip stared at him, “But Cadet Coburn was badly injured? And the test was in regards to working as a team?”

Druce shook his head, “What is the one thing I have always told you? What have I impressed on you since day one?” When Rip hesitated, Druce finished, “Time Masters always complete their mission no matter what.”

“She could have died,” Rip whispered.

Druce shook his head, “It doesn’t matter. People die. Time Masters protect time above everything, and your mission must always be your priority.”

Rip stood in silence, not sure what to say.

“You’re dismissed, Rip,” Druce stated sharply before adding, “I am extremely disappointed in you, and I hope you have learned your lesson from this.”

Rip nodded, “I have.”

Druce motioned him to leave and as Rip walked out Druce stated, “I never want to be disappointed by you like this ever again, Rip. Ensure I’m not.”

The doors closed before Rip could reply and he headed back to his room feeling utterly demoralised.

 The chime on his door jolted Rip from his musing.

He had been sitting on his bed thinking, Mother would call it sulking, for several hours now. Even missing the evening meal because he didn’t want to face the rest of the class.

“It’s me,” Miranda’s voice came through the door, “Can I come in?”

With a sigh he hit the button to open the door before taking his seat again, Miranda walked in, and the door closed behind her. He quickly checked her over to make sure that she was healed, relieved to see she seemed fine.

“Can I..” she motioned to the spot on the bed beside him.

Rip sighed, “If you want.”

Miranda slid onto the bed, “I heard that you failed. Sorry.”

Rip sighed before realising, “Sorry you did too.”

“Actually,” she winced, “Because I told you to leave me, I passed.”

Rip laughed bitterly, “Of course you did.”

They sat in silence for several minutes, Rip was wondering why she was still there, surprised when Miranda slipped her hand into his.

“Thank you for staying with me,” Miranda whispered, “I was terrified.”

Turning to her, Rip asked, “Really?”

“Oh, I would never let anyone else know that,” Miranda told him, “But…” she paused and squeezed his hand, “I trust you.”

Swallowing hard at how close she was to him, Rip breathed, “I trust you too.”

Miranda rested her forehead against his, Rip lost himself in her deep brown eyes and found himself moving closer. Without thought, Rip rested his hand on her cheek as their lips met. Rip felt Miranda smile against his lips and wrapped his arms around her pulling her close, not caring about anything else for now as they fell back onto his bed lost in one another.

[playername-player-of-games]

Hermitcraft asks!! 1, 3, 18, 32?? :0? -Riser

hi riser!! :D

1. first hermit you watched?

Grian! I jumped over to Hermitcraft after he left Evo

3. favorite/a few favorite hermits?

absolute favorite is currently Mumbo!! his episodes are always some new brand of chaotic and we love to see it lololol. other favorites are Grian, Scar and Iskall :)) (this list will hopefully expand in the future - thanks to last life i wanna watch cleo and etho so we’ll see if i ever get around to it :eyes:)

18. favorite base from this season or previous seasons?

ooooh how to pick aaaaaaa uhm Scar’s jungle base (and larry! :D) in season 7 was very swag!!!! as well as whatever Etho had going on lol. Cub is a madman his bases are always super impressive. this season I really love Grian’s builds?? his starter base was very cute and i would love to live there and i cannot wait for the season 8 world download so i can walk through his alleyway in person asjdkfjkasf

32. are you having a good day?

i’d say so yeah!! :D i had to babysit my little cousins for a bit and my social battery kinda died about an hour ago but all around it was very fun :))

from this

[ofstarsandfireflies]

Alrighty! I got the inspiration for this au last night while looking through my list of movies so to calm my brain down we’re gonna do this one tonight!

Coraline

Finding no love in her own family, Coraline finds a doorway to another family. A family that looks exactly like hers but with buttons for eyes.

Tony is feeling lonely.

He has for weeks now.

Stephen hasn’t had much time for him, popping in and out every few days or so to sleep before heading out again doing whatever wizards do.

He wouldn’t mind it so much if he could just stop and talk to him or ask him how he’s feeling because Tony misses him and wants some time alone with his idiot.

He’s thinking of telling Stephen this when he can eventually corner him, but then he hears a portal open and Stephen...

No. Not Stephen.

I mean...it is...everything about him is anotomically correct except for one thing.

Where Stephen’s eyes should be, is a pair of buttons instead.

Tony is instantly hostile toward this ‘Other Stephen’ but he warms up pretty quickly when he hears that voice asking him all the questions he wants to hear from his own Stephen.

So when he’s pulled into this Other Stephen’s dimension and they fall in bed together, Tony thinks nothing of it.

He needs this, and this Other Stephen apparently needs this too.

Other Stephen asks him to stay and Tony says he can’t.

It’s only when he wakes up alone back in his own reality and he feels disappointed that he wonders if it was a dream or not.

He goes to Wong to talk about what Stephen is doing and when he’ll be done and Wong can’t tell him. But when Tony mentions the full pun intended ‘Strange dream’, Wong sees how this separation is affecting Tony and gives him an old relic which is said to protect its wearer from evil.

With Stephen not there to protect Tony, Tony is vulnerable to magical manipulation.

Tony asks how it works and Wong tells him when he’s in the presence of evil, the relic will become warm. He knows it’s meant to do something else but he’s forgotten and after Tony leaves, wonders if he gave him the right relic at all.

That night a portal opens again, except this time Tony walks through it on his own, almost relieved it wasn’t a dream after all.

It’s bizarre how this Other Stephen lives in the exact same house as they do but somehow nicer, more vibrant and full of life than his own home feels.

They barely get a greeting in before they’re shredding each other’s clothes.

And again, as they lay in bed together, Other Stephen asks Tony to stay.

And Tony wants to, but when he looks at Other Stephen to give his reply and sees those buttons staring back at him...he can’t.

So he wakes up alone again.

Tony is frustrated and angry for the rest of the day.

When night comes once again his own Stephen walks in to their room looking exhausted and Tony tries to talk to him, tries to tell him he’s worried about him, but only gets snapped at.

And then they’re fighting, hurtful words getting thrown around from the both of them before Tony storms out of their bedroom with a “Other Stephen would listen to me.” and goes to sleep on the couch with Cloaky, who has decided he’d rather be with Tony in this moment.

And then he hears a portal open.

He goes to walk through it but the cloak pulls him back.

Tony pulls it off of him and tells it he has to leave, before stepping through.

The house is empty but there’s a note from Other Stephen in the kitchen telling him he won’t be long, which is more than what his Stephen has ever done.

He doesn’t realise the cloak has followed him until he feels it drape over his shoulders.

At first he thinks it belongs to Other Stephen, but this cloak can talk.

While Tony is wearing it, he asks it where it came from and he hears the answer in his head, not so much a voice, just an answer that pops into his mind as soon as he’s asked it.

It tells him it is from their reality which they have to get back to.

It tells him this Other Stephen doesn’t have a cloak of Levitation because this is not another version of Stephen Strange, but a very old evil entity which the cloak has been a part of many battles with.

And it tells him this thing has a weakness and that is itself. If it’s not perfect, it immediately begins to correct that imperfection.

Tony is starting to panic.

He doesn’t know how to use magic to get himself out of here but the cloak knows a secret way.

There’s a door in this dimension that is in what would be Tony’s living room and it will take the one who opens it anywhere they wish to go, making its partner in their reality appear anywhere in the world.

The only catch is only humans can use it, meaning Other Stephen and the cloak cannot pass through it.

Tony can escape through there, but he has to do something about the sling ring Other Stephen has in his possession. If he doesn’t do anything about that, he’ll never escape him.

If he can get back home and get Stephen, they can work together to defeat this thing.

Tony is about to go search for this door when he hears the front door shut and the cloak flies off in a hurry as Other Stephen enters the kitchen.

And Tony feels sick.

This, whatever it is, is using Stephen’s skin to appeal to him.

But he can’t let it know that he knows this.

So he acts like he usually would, being the first to go in for a kiss and holding it a little longer than necessary, and Tony tells it about the fight he and Stephen had.

But he makes sure to tell it he still loves Stephen, and hopes they can sort this out, a far cry from what he was originally going to tell it.

And Other Stephen doesn’t say a word during all of it.

Honestly, his own Stephen should take some pointers from this thing and how well it listens.

Other Stephen begins to tell Tony he could be happy here.

They’d never fight, he would always be around to keep him company, and Tony wants that, he really does, but with his own Stephen.

He’s about to say this when Other Stephen hands him a box, and inside is a pair of big, black, shiny buttons.

And Other Stephen asks him to stay.

Tony immediately pushes away from the table, startling Other Stephen to his feet.

Other Stephen goes to hold him like he usually does, kiss him like he usually does, but Tony says he should sleep on things, that it’s late and he’s not really in the mood after the fight and Other Stephen doesn’t push him, just nods and wishes him goodnight, watching him walk past the living room and up the stairs to their bedroom.

Tony thinks that if he falls asleep like the last two times, he’ll wake up in his own reality, but it doesn’t happen this time.

He has to sneak out through that door.

Quietly, he makes his way downstairs, taking each step slowly.

He gets to the living room and finds Other Stephen there, waiting for him.

And he asks again for Tony to stay and Tony won’t give him an answer. Choosing to ignore the question and demanding to be taken back to his own reality instead.

And Other Stephen is not at all amused by this behaviour.

He grows taller, thinner, towering over Tony who is not liking this transformation one bit, especially since he has nothing to protect himself with.

Grabbing Tony and dragging him out of the living room, it tosses him through a mirror and leaves him there.

Its ethereal in this mirror dimension, and it’s here Tony meets Other Stephen’s other victims.

All three of them are exes of Stephen Strange and they all have buttons for eyes.

They fell for Other Stephen too and were killed and eaten by this thing when they agreed to stay with it.

They want to get out of here but are trapped and Tony tells them he’ll help them if he can.

It’s then Tony is pulled out of the mirror dimension by the cloak, who flies him to the living room and helps him push over a huge cabinet filled with chinaware against the wall.

The cloak wishes him luck and pushes him through the door just as Other Stephen runs into the room.

And Tony finds himself standing in his own living room.

Ecstatic, Tony runs to the bedroom and flings the door open, ready to apologise and tell Stephen everything, when he sees the bed is empty.

That wouldn’t be an issue if Stephen’s sling ring was still resting on the bedside table.

And Tony knows.

He knows Other Stephen has taken his Stephen.

It would take too long to get one of his full suits here, so he grabs his nano watch and clips it on his wrist before opening it and watching the nanobots form a partial glove he can use should he find himself in need of defending himself.

Then he grabs Stephen’s sling ring and pockets it and slips the relic Wong gave him over his head and hides it under his shirt before going back through the doorway to the dimension where Other Stephen is waiting for him.

Tony asks where Stephen is and Other Stephen won’t tell him.

Instead he tries once again to get Tony to stay with him by telling Tony how he is better at everything Tony’s broken human could ever do.

He’s better at listening to Tony when he needs him.

No Sorcerer to date has ever bested him in a battle of mind or magic, which means he’s better at the two characteristics which make up Stephen Strange.

And let’s not forget that he is far more better in bed than Stephen Strange will ever be.

And Tony, while listening to this thing be better at Stephen in talking about himself as well, realises the relic under his shirt has lifted and become warm.

Evil.

It’s becoming warmer and warmer and he knows it’s gearing up to do something, but it’s apparently downloading something on dial up because it’s not as instantaneous as he hoped it would be.

Whatever, it’s old and needs Tony to buy it some time.

He can do that.

He remembers the cloak’s words about this thing’s weakness and wonders if he can exploit it.

So Tony, instead of demanding Stephen back, agrees with what it is saying about itself and Other Stephen smiles and continues talking.

Then Tony stops him, because his Stephen doesn’t talk about himself this much.

While the Other Stephen immediately tries to back track, the relic feels a little warmer.

Tony wonders if he is fueling this thing and puts his theory to the test, diving on Other Stephen’s words because why would he say those things if he didn’t mean them? His Stephen always said things he meant.

The relic is almost white hot and it’s a wonder it hasn’t burned through his shirt yet.

Other Stephen is back tracking even further now, stuttering over himself as he’s saying something or other but Tony is having none of it.

Because Stephen never lies.

And if he ever has, he’s never EVER lied to Tony.

And Other Stephen just did.

And the relic around Tony’s neck lights up, a red flash revealing the reality of this dimension and of the thing that was Other Stephen.

The house is dark and structurally unsound, all warm homey lighting gone in an instant, paint pealing off the walls and the smell of mould and rot turning Tony’s stomach.

And Other Stephen has no human features to him anymore, but it’s voice still sounds like Stephen.

It’s pleading with him to stay, telling him he loves him and will always listen to him as it slowly stalks toward him, buttons and threaded needle shining ominously.

Tony lifts his armoured hand and blasts those bloody buttons off where its face apparently is.

The creature screams as the buttons fall to the floor and Tony makes a run for it, almost colliding into Stephen.

His Stephen.

He’s saying something about a mirror dimension and ghosts and Tony wants to kiss him, but they need to get out and they need to get that sling ring away from this creature so it can’t do this to anyone else ever again.

Stephen is about to take his sling ring from Tony when the thing that used to look like him comes racing out of the living room, searching for them.

They don’t move.

They don’t breathe.

Frozen with their escape dangling between their fingers, afraid this monster will feel the shift in the air should either of them so much as blink.

It comes closer.

And closer.

And as it’s reaching out to Tony, the front door suddenly slams shut and the thing feels around behind it.

Stephen makes the move for the ring, slipping it over his fingers and opening the portal back to their home.

And as the cloak flies over the monster and through the portal, the thing turns towards them and charges.

Stephen pulls Tony through with him and manages to seal the portal as the thing reaches a hand through, cutting it off as they land back in their reality.

They destroy the hand and the sling ring attached to it and the door which is still in their living room, and sit down to have a long talk.

Quotes -

“Your not my mother. My mother doesn’t have...”

“Buttons?”

Buttons for eyes are really creepy. Enough said.

“Gosh, I have no idea where your old parents could be. Perhaps they’ve grown bored of you and run away to France?”

Other Stephen’s reply to Tony demanding to know what he’s done to his Stephen.

“You think winning game is good thing? You’ll just go home and be bored and neglected, same as always. Stay here with us. We will listen to you and laugh with you. If you stay here you can have whatever you want.”

Other Stephen when he tries one final time to convince Tony to stay with it.

Another You

Tony’s loneliness attracts another Stephen, a better Stephen, and Tony soon finds out just how imperfect he really is.

What oh what shall we watch tomorrow?

Maybe an actual fairytale, I do have one in mind.

Missed a day? Catch up here!

Day 1 Day 2 Day 3