#in that I haven't seen them and am not really interested in changing that

[eviemonroeer]

The Monroe Effect: Chapter 16

Set during Season 5, Episode 22 of ER. Spoilers if you haven't seen the show.

Warnings: mentions of blood, pregnancy symptoms, multiple POVs

WC: 6.0 k

ER story belongs to original creators, just adding on my own original charter.

Taglist: @pleasecallmeunhinged, @rainmg, @arigoldsblog, @queenslandlover-93, @hagarsays, and @antisocialfiore

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Carter lightly closed the door to Dr. Weaver’s house. He had left Evie’s apartment to get back here in time to change and get to work. He didn’t feel right leaving her alone, especially after everything that happened yesterday, but he didn’t have much of a choice. It was too late to call in and he was going to need every shift he could get now that they were having a baby. So, he wrote her a note and made his way back to his place. 

“Getting in a little late, I see.” 

Carter jumped away from the basement door and turned to see Kerry standing in the living room. “Uh, yeah. I was over at Evie’s.”

“Is she doing okay? Mark told me what happened when he was fixing her schedule.” 

Carter sighed. Of course, Kerry knew. She was an attending; she needed to know. “She’s okay. No more bleeding once we got back to her place.” 

“That’s good. Bed rest should help with that. I’m glad she’s okay.” 

“Yeah, me too.” 

“Am I allowed to say congratulations?” 

This caused him to pause as he reached into his pocket, feeling the ultrasound photo he had torn off from the strip that remained on her fridge. Kerry was the first person outside of the two of them to even suggest verbally that this was a good thing. They both had agreed not to tell anyone else officially until after her follow up, so a part of it still felt like they weren’t allowed to celebrate. But now here Kerry was, offering it to him. 

And he wanted it. He wanted it badly. 

“Uh, yeah. We decided to keep the baby.” 

“Well, congratulations. I know everyone will be very happy for you both.” 

“Thanks.”

And with that, he opened the doors and headed down the stairs. 

Carter felt the eyes boring into him as soon as he got to the admit desk. He tried to shake it off, ignore it, but it was hard. It made him tingle all over in a way that felt like ants were crawling under his skin. He didn’t like it. So finally, he turned around just to see who the hell it was that had such a keen interest on him. 

It didn’t shock him that it was Haleh. 

“Good morning, Haleh.” He said calmly before turning back to the charts. 

“Carter.” She said and walked up to him. “You wouldn’t happen to know why Evie was admitted last night, would you?” 

“Uh, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Or why the other nurses saw Carol take her out in a wheelchair to your car?” 

He closed his eyes and clenched his jaw. She got him there. “Or why she’s now on medical leave for two weeks?” 

“You looked at her schedule?” 

“I have access to everyone’s.”

“Well, it’s not really my place to give out someone else’s medical information.” 

“But w—” 

“Carter.” Thank God for Dr. Greene. “Dr. Romano and I are about to start rounds. Do you know where Lucy is?”

“Uh, no. I haven’t see her yet today. Hey Jerry, could you page Lucy?”

“No problem.” 

“Let’s get this show on the road, gentlemen.” Romano exclaimed. “I don’t have all day.”

The two other men nodded and began leading Romano to the first room. “How’s Evie?” Mark said, his voice low. 

“Um, she’s okay.”

“Any......”

“No, no. No more bleeding since we left last night. She was still asleep when I had to leave this morning. I was going to call her later and check in.”

“Good. Good. Just tell her don’t hesitate to come in if something happens. And keep us updated. We can help out where we can.”

“Thanks, Dr.  Greene.” 

They went into Exam 2, and since Lucy wasn’t there, Carter began to present the patient. “Second EKG was normal, so we’ll hold for another hour, then release.” The sound of running feet stopped him as Lucy entered the room, disheveled and out of breath.  

“Thank you, Dr. Carter.” Romano said, taking a sip of his coffee. “Ms. Knight. Would you be catching your breath from running to get here because you're 20 minutes late?” 

“Sorry.”

“Let's proceed.” Mark warned, walking over to the other patient. 

“With presenting Mr. David Chameides.” Carter finished as Romano handed him the chart before he handed it to Lucy. “Complains of back pain.” 

“Yep. Uh, this is a -year-old man. He complains, um, he presents with back pain, and he said it started two days ago when he helped his daughter move into her new apartment.” She scrambled for her notecards, still out of breath. “He was lifting heavy boxes, and she was living in Dubuque... ...but got divorced, so she moved to Chicago... Did I mention the pain was constant?”

“Not yet.” Romano sighed. 

“Well, it is. And upon physical examination...”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa! What about pertinent negatives?” 

“No fever, no trauma...no abdominal pain, no...” She began to just keep repeating no, messing with her hair as she scrambled more. “He's a heavy smoker... And the BP is one... Sorry.” She dropped her card and struggled trying to find the one with his BP written down. “BP is 170/95. No. No, no. His BP is 170/100. Pulse, 95. 

“Neuro exam normal?”

“Yes.”

“And could you appreciate a pulsatile abdominal mass?”

“No.”

“But the ultrasound revealed an abdominal aortic aneurysm.”

“How did you know that?”

“Dr. Carter?”

“Patient has all the risk factors.” Carter said, his leg fidgeting as he felt the secondhand embarrassment. 

“Miss Knight, presenting a case is like telling a good story. Succinct, focused, to the point. You lost me around Dubuque. Dr. Carter, Ms. Knight is a student of yours, is that right?”

“Yes.” He sighed, crossing his arms. 

“Work harder. Thank God I have a small bowel obstruction waiting for me upstairs. Gentlemen, Ms. Knight.” And he left through the trauma room door. 

“I think we can all thank God for that small bowel.” Mark said, a disappointed look on his face.

Carter shoved his hands into his lab coat and looked at Lucy. “If you're gonna be late, at least be prepared.” He said, before leaving the room. 

My eyes slowly opened as my body finally allowed me out of sleep. The sun was shining in through the crack in the curtain, the beam of light resting on the bed. As I stretched, I turned over, finding that Carter was on longer beside me, but there was a piece of paper in his place. 

Headed to work. Please call me if anything happens and please rest. You need it.                                           -Carter

I sighed and laid on my back, folding the note back up. I could already feel that this bedrest was going to be the bane of my existence. But I put a hand on my lower abdomen, knowing it would be worth it. I couldn’t believe I was having a baby, and with Carter of all people. If the Evie from five years ago could see me now, she’d be shocked. 

Thankfully, it was my bladder that got me out of bed this morning and not my stomach, something very rare these days. I slowly got out of bed and made my way down the hall to the bathroom. I took care of my business quickly, but once I was finished, I looked down and my heart squeezed.

“Oh, God, please, no.”

There was blood. Not as much as yesterday, but I could still clearly tell there was spotting. I got up and hurried out to the living room, finding my purse beside the phone. I dug around until I found the business card with Dr. Coburn’s office number on it. After a couple of rings and a panicked plea to the receptionist, I was able to get through.

“Dr. Coburn speaking.”

“Hi, Dr. Coburn. This is Genevieve Monroe. I’m the ER nurse you saw last night for the hematoma. You said to call if something happened and I’m bleeding again.”

“Okay. Before we get too worked up, let’s take a couple deep breaths.” I followed her instructions for a few seconds. “Good. Now, are you actually bleeding, or is it spotting?”

“Uh, I would probably say spotting. It’s not heavy like yesterday.”

“Is the blood bright red?”

“No.”

“Are you cramping at all?”

“Not that I’ve felt.”

“Well, that sounds like good news to me. It’s probably just residual bleeding, but we are still going to take it seriously. If you have a pad, I want you to put it on and keep track of anymore bleeding. If it soaks through in under two hours, you need to come back to the ER right away. Otherwise, just monitor it, especially for cramping, we don’t want cramping. And you can always call me back if you are unsure.”

“Thank you.” I said, my voice cracking. “God, I’m a nurse, but I well so helpless.”

“OB/GYN isn’t your specialty. It’s trauma and emergency, you treat the in the moment. It’s okay to not know and to ask questions. It is your first baby after all.” 

“Thank you, Dr. Coburn.” 

“No problem. Why don’t you stay on the line, and I will transfer back to my receptionist so we can get your follow up scheduled.”

“I’d appreciate that.”

“Get some rest and try not to worry.” 

After getting my appointment scheduled to two weeks from yesterday, I felt a whole lot better. I did what she said and got the pad, hoping I wouldn’t have any more scares the rest of the day. I grabbed a sleeve of crackers and a water, before parking myself on the couch with a pillow and blanket. I must have passed out, because the next thing I knew, the phone was ringing.

“Hello?” I asked, sleep still in my voice.

“Hey, Evie!” Chuny’s cheerful voice came from the other end. “What’s going on? Kerry called and asked me to cover for you. Are you okay?” 

I swallowed. “Uh, yeah. I’m okay. Just not feeling too great.”

“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that. Do you want me to bring you anything? Medicine? Oh, my mom has a great soup recipe for wiping out a cold.”

I scoffed and ran a hand through my hair. “Thanks, Chuny, I appreciate it. But I’m okay. Just really need to rest.”

“Alright, but if you change your mind, let me know. The soup’s pretty good either way.” 

My stomach swirled. “I will, I promise. Talk to you later.”

I didn’t let her respond before I hung up and I was up and off to the bathroom, preemptively finding a spot on the tile floor. You know, just in case. 

 “Jerry, have you seen my palmtop computer?” Lucy asked as she searched through admit. 

Carter scoffed. “That's why you're so scattered this morning? You lost your electronic cheat sheet?” He picked up the next chart in the holder and furrowed his brow. “Hey, Jerry, when did Antoine Bell come in?”

“Oh, yeah, uh, he asked for you.” Jerry sighed, just as scattered as Lucy. “I’m sorry. I put him in Trauma One.”

“Look, just give me a break, alright.” Lucy snapped as she followed the young doctor. “I didn’t get much sleep. I was late and I got my cards all messed up.”

“I've done a hundred presentations without notes, without computers or definitely without sleep. So why don’t you get yourself a cup of coffee and pull yourself together?”

“I am together. I went off the Ritalin.”

“When?”

“Two days ago.”

“That's great. Look, I got a patient. Maybe we can talk more later.”

“Sure.” Lucy scoffed and turned to probably find her missing item. Carter sighed and walked into Trauma One, finding Antoine sitting on the gurney.

“Antoine.” He started, pulling out a pair of gloves. “I expected to see you today. Just not like this.” 

“Antoine does not associate with any of those gangs.” A woman standing behind the boy said as he pulled the stool up. 

“He knows that, Mom.” Antoine cringed, embarrassed. 

“This was one of those bad boys from the neighborhood. And I hate that you go to school with them too.”

“Can we just let Dr. Carter do his job?” Antoine groaned. 

“Dr. Carter?” The woman’s face lit up. “I am so happy to meet you. Antoine has so enjoyed all you've been teaching him.” She praised as Carter began checking over the kid. “And thank you for setting up this interview for him to go to.” 

“Oh, yeah. That's this afternoon, right?” Carter asked, checking his eyes. “Summer science lab.”

“Maybe I won't go now.”

“Of course you’re going.” His mother jumped in. 

“Looking like this? What are they gonna think?” 

“Hey, let's worry about that later, huh?” Carter mussed, trying to calm the situation. “Why don’t you tell me what happened?”

“Got mugged, took my wallet.”

“Follow my finger with your eyes.”

“You want an orbital series?” Lily asked. Normally it would be Evie asking him, which made him a little sad.

“Yeah, let's check for a rim fracture.” He confirmed, pressing on Antoine’s face. “Does that hurt?”

“No.”

“No septal hematoma and no broken nose.” He informed as he stripped off his gloves. “But you may have an orbital fracture.”

“What do we do about that?” His mother asked.  

“Just apply ice, keep his head elevated when he sleeps.” Lily handed the boy an ice pack before going to order the tests. “We'll wait on the X-ray to see if he needs antibiotics.”

“Can he go to the interview?”

“Mom!”

“Come on, Antoine. It's not that bad. You've worked hard for this. We've worked hard for this. I think your mom's right. Hey, you'll be the candidate they'll remember.” He pat Antoine’s arm, trying to reassure him. 

“Where’s Evie?” The teenager asked. “I thought she would be in here.”

Carter chuckled. “Uh, Evie isn’t here today. She’s not feeling too great so she’s at home, resting.” Or at least he hoped she was. 

A few minutes later, transport came to grab Antoine for his X-ray. As he was being wheeled off, his mother stayed behind for a moment. “Thank you again, Dr. Carter. I know Antoine appreciates your mentorship. You’re very good with him. Do you have kids of your own?”

Carter put his hands in his pocket and smiled. No one else was around, so he might as well tell her the truth. “Uh, soon. My, uh, my girlfriend and I are expecting.”

“Oh, congratulations.” She said, smiling. He nodded and returned it. 

“Let’s go catch up with Antoine.” He said, gesturing forward. 

His chest was warm. He really liked calling Evie his girlfriend. 

Once again, I was awakened by the sound of the phone ringing. Damn, they really meant it when they said growing a whole human being was tiring. And now that I was forced to rest, my body sure was taking advantage. I fully sat up and pushed the blanket off me before I grabbed the receiver and put it to my ear.

“Hello?”

“Evie, hey.” It was Carol. I chuckled and shook my head. “What?”

“Oh, nothing. This is just the second call I’ve received from the ER today checking in on me.”

“Who was it earlier?”

“Chuny. Asked if I was sick with a cold. I almost laughed and told her I wasn’t that kind of sick and her mom’s soup couldn’t fix things this time.”

“I think they might know.”

“Really? I didn’t think anyone really saw me last night.”

“Well, if it’s not you, it’s defiantly me. There’s some weird medically psychic lady in here that basically spilled the beans in front of Lydia. Asked me about my due date and everything.”

“Weird.” I shrugged. “But my mom used to say some women just know when someone else is pregnant. Especially if they have also had kids.”

“Well, if they’re focused on me, maybe they won’t bother you. How are you by the way?”

“Exhausted. I think I’ve slept the majority of the day.”

“That sounds about right.” Carol chuckled. 

“I woke up bleeding a light bit, that did freak me out.”

“Do you need to come back in? I can go find Carter.”

“No, don’t worry him. I called Dr. Coburn and she said everything should be okay and gave me some things to look out for. I think it might have just been a false alarm.”

“Good. We don’t want anything to happen to my little nephew.”

Now this time I actually laughed. “Nephew, huh? This kid is barely the size of a blueberry and you’re already making claims on the gender.”

“Absolutely. You might have John Truman Carter IV growing in there.”

I groaned. “Oh, good lord. That sounds so ridiculous.” 

“Tell that to your baby daddy, not me.” 

“Don’t say that to loud.” I warned. “The gossip hounds will hear you and go crazy.” 

“Yeah, yeah. Well, I’m glad you and blueberry are doing okay. Make sure you eat and drink something. I’ll call you later.”

“Same goes for you and your pear.” 

Haleh always knew when Carter was keeping something from her. He had the worst poker face in the world, especially when it came to anything having to do with Evie. She knew something was up from the minute she saw she was off on medical leave for the next two weeks. And the fact it was signed off by Dr. Coburn got her maternal senses tingling. She would know by the end of the day. Getting stuff out of people was her specialty.

As she walked up to admit, she saw Chuny, Lydia, Yosh, and Jerry huddled together. And she could have sworn she heard them mention someone being knocked up. So, it was true, and it was obvious to others. She knew she was right. 

“Are you all talking about Evie?” Haleh asked, stepping into their group. 

“What about Evie?” Lydia asked.

“She’s pregnant. Or at least I’m sure she is. Got wheeled out of here last night into Carter’s car and she’s now on medical leave for the next two weeks, ordered by Dr. Coburn.”

“I did catch her and Carter in the drug lock up a few weeks ago.” Chuny admitted.

“And you didn’t tell us?”

“I forgot. It was the night of that big storm.”

“I knew they would always get together.” Yosh added.

“Well then that means Evie and Carol are both pregnant.” Lydia scoffed.

“Carol’s pregnant?” Haleh asked. “Is she happy about it?”

“She hasn’t told anyone.” Yosh said. 

“She must have told someone.”

“Well, what about Evie? Who worked her up yesterday?” 

That’s when Mark passed through them, trying to get to the other side of admit. Haleh pointed at him with her pen while his back was turned. All eyes went to him and stared. He must have felt it because he looked back. 

“What?” The doctor asked, before leaving as quickly as he came.

“I’m calling her.” Haleh announced and pushed through to the phone. She dialed Evie’s home number and waited as it rang. It went on for a while before the other line clicked.

“Hello?” Evie’s voice was raspy, and she coughed.

“Hi sweetie, it’s Haleh. I just wanted to call and check up on you.”

“Uh, yeah. I’m okay. Just hurling my guts out is all.”

“You’re throwing up?” Haleh asked, the other people around her grinning and looking at each other with wide eyes. “That’s not good. Has that been happening a lot.”

“Uh, yeah. That’s what happens with you have the flu.” She stuttered on the other end.

“The flu?” 

Chuny’s eyebrows furrowed. “She told me it was a cold.” She whispered.

Haleh smirked. “Are you sure it’s the flu?” 

“Pretty sure.” Evie said, her voice raising in pitch. Haleh rolled her eyes. She was definitely lying. 

“Well, make sure you get plenty of rest and drink lots of fluids. And call us if you need any help.”

“Yeah. I promise I will. Thanks for checking in.”

“No problem. Talk to you later.” Haleh hung up the phone and looked around at the others. “Oh, that girl is definitely pregnant.”

Let the gossip mill begin. 

Carter was getting frustrated. He had been going nonstop from the moment he got to the ER this morning, and now into the afternoon it was still the same. He had yet to find a moment to call Evie. He wanted to check and make sure she was okay and that she was doing what Dr. Coburn asked. He hated to think something could happen and he wasn’t there to help. Was quick phone call to reassure him really that hard to ask for? 

He stepped back into the hallway after his talk with Dr. Green about Lucy, another problem he’d have to find time to address. He looked down at his watch as he heard the familiar click of Kerry’s crutch. “Hey, Carter, you busy? I need you to look at that patient.” She said pointing to the gurney getting wheeled into trauma.

“Yeah, okay.” He sighed, putting the phone call in the back of his mind. 

“Thank you.” Kerry said before hurrying away. Carter took his time to walk down the hall and round the corner. And when he finally got to the room, he was shocked to see Antoine lying on the bed, far worse than he had been mere hours ago. 

“Antoine?” He exclaimed, putting on his gloves and quickening his pace. “That same kid jump you again?” 

“No.” The boy said in a low groan.

“Was it somebody else from school?” Carter asked as he put on his stethoscope. 

“No, it was the same dude. I jumped him.”

“What? The kid from this morning? You went after him?” 

“He took my wallet, man. I can't be letting that go down.”

Carter shook his head as disappointment coursed through his body. “Why not? What did you lose? Ten, fifteen bucks?”

“He sounds like my mom.” Antoine chuckled, looking at Chuny. 

“BP's 128/74. Pulse 96.” Chuny said, looking from the boy to the doctor. 

“You got any pain in your belly? Did you get kicked or punched in the stomach?”

“No, he only got me in the face.” 

Carter sighed and put his stethoscope back around his neck. He looked down and gently pressed on the boy’s hands, which were bandaged and splinted. “Looks like a Colles with dorsal angulation.” He told Chuny as Antoine whined in pain. “It’s gonna need a closed reduction.” He moved to the other side. 

“What's that?”

“It means you broke your left wrist. Can you feel this?” He asked as he palpated the other hand. 

“Yeah.” He whined, wincing in pain again. 

“What kind of sutures do you want?” Chuny asked. 

“5-O Vicryl, 6-O nylon.”

“I gotta have stitches?” 

“Fifth metacarpal fracture with rotational deformity. You broke both your hands.” He sighed again. “Let's get an orbital series. Left hand, right wrist. Call Ortho. That one’s gonna have to be pinned in the O.R.” He grabbed his pen light and checked his pupils. 

“I gotta have an operation?”

“That's right. Well, you wanted to blow off your interview.”

“I can go in a few days.”

Carter scoffed and returned the light to his pocket. “You're not getting into any summer science lab. Not now.” He grabbed the chart from Chuny. “You have to go to surgery, have a pin put into your right hand. Then you'll get a cast that goes from your elbow all the way to your fingers.”

“I can still go to class.” 

“It's a hands-on program, Antoine. You not gonna have use of your hands. You not gonna be able to dress yourself. You’re not gonna be able to tie your own shoe or blow your own nose for the next six weeks.”

“Well, it's not your problem.”

“No?!” Carter exclaimed, fully angry now. “I’m the one that’s been spending time with you and showing you around for the last month. Just trying to teach you something, you know?  So you can go and screw it up by having to go beat down some punk in the neighborhood.”

“Carter.” Chuny warned. 

“You don't know about it!”  “I know it just dragged you away from the best opportunity you've ever been given.  

“No one gave me anything. I earned that chance myself!”

“You just blew it, all by yourself.”

“Dr. Carter!” 

“Yes, Chuny?” He looked up and removed his gloves before turning to leave the room.

“Carter, you were pretty hard on that kid.” Chuny said, having followed him to the hall.

He sighed, running his fingers through his hair. “I know. I just expected better of him.”

“If I didn’t know any better, I would have thought you were his dad.”

Carter turned. “What?”

Chuny bit her lip. “I was just saying that you were being very paternal with him.” 

“Uh, yeah. Whatever. Don’t forget to call Ortho.” He shook his head and walked away.

He really needed to make a phone call. 

The shrill ring of the phone, once again, caused me to let out an exasperated groan. I paused my tape and reached over the arm of the couch and brought the phone to my ear. “If someone else from that ER calls me today, I swear I’m going to come down there and give them something to call about.” 

“Hello to you too.” 

I closed my eyes and sighed. “Hi Carter.” 

“Everything okay?” 

“I have received calls from Chuny and Haleh, all trying to get me to confirm, without actually asking, my pregnancy.” 

“Yeah, they’ve been bothering me too. But I haven’t said anything, I swear.” 

“It’s alright. They all know. They would just rather get confirmation for the gossip mill from the source.” 

“How are you feeling?” 

“Your kid’s trying to kill me.” I said, gently stroking my stomach. 

“My kid? So, it’s just my kid now?” 

“Yes, it’s your kid when they are making me expel my guts.” 

“Do you want me to bring you something when I get off? Craving anything?” 

“Drugs. All the drugs to keep me from throwing up.” 

“I’m not an OB so I really would rather not prescribe you meds.” 

“Whatever.” I sighed and rubbed my stomach. “Maybe some more crackers. Ooh, or maybe some peaches? But not the whole fruit kind. Like the kind that comes in the little cups.” Carter laughed on the other end of the phone. “What’s so funny?” 

“I used to be obsessed with those when I was a kid.”

“See I told you, your kid. If you don’t bring them, they will get angry.” 

“Noted.” He paused. “Any bleeding today?” 

“I had some really light spotting when I woke up. But I called Coburn’s office and she said that was normal. As long as it’s doesn’t get like it was and I’m not in pain, it should be okay. And I’ve been fine the rest of the day.” 

Carter hummed on the other end. “Well take it easy. Watch your soaps and get some rest. I’ll see you after my shift.” 

“Don’t let the nurses hound you too much.” 

“I won’t. See you later.” 

“Bye.”

 

For once, Carter was glad Evie wasn’t at work. He’d lost his cool, more than once on Antoine and Lucy. He knew she would be on their side; tell him he was being too harsh and to actually listen to them and what they were saying. And the more he thought about her, the more he knew she would be right. God, she had hold of him even while she was gone. He was done for. 

Mark told him they all had a big surprise planned for Carol, who surprise, was also pregnant. He wondered if Evie knew. It was going to be at the end of her shift, but before the celebration, he wanted to go upstairs and check on Antoine before his surgery. When he got there, the kid was laying on a gurney with an IV and in a hospital gown, ready to be wheeled in. 

“So, is your mom more or less pissed off than I imagine she is?” Carter asked as he sat beside the bed. 

“That’d be more or less than you?”

“That's fair.” Carter sighed. 

“She’s acting like I'll never play the violin again.” He joked.

Carter chuckled. “That's pretty funny.”

“I heard it in a stupid TV movie.”

“Why are you doing watching TV when you got homework?”

“Oh, man! You are my mom.” Antoine laughed. 

“I don't know about that.”

“You are. I feel bad for your kid.”

Carter raised an eyebrow. “How do you know about that?” 

“My mom told me. I’m guessing Nurse Monroe is the mom?”

Carter nodded. “You know Antoine, I think I want the best for you. But I suspect that she does a better job of appreciating you for who you are.”

“As long as I grow up to be just like her.”

“I know that routine. My family wanted me to grow up to be a rich, white guy.”

“Damn, they must be dancing!” The doors to the room opened and the surgical team were ready to go. 

“You don't make that kind of money in emergency medicine. I think they figured they'd settle on two out of three.”

“I wish I hadn’t blown that summer thing, Dr. Carter.” Antoine said as the team began wheeling him towards the operating room. 

“You'll get another chance.”

“I mean now I'll be spending my time bagging groceries.”

“Actually, I'm not even sure you’re gonna be doing that.” He scoffed. “I’ll come check on you in the morning, okay?”

“Sounds good.” Antoine said, before disappearing into the operating room. 

Carter nodded, rubbing a hand over his face, before turning and going for the elevator. By the time he got back downstairs, everyone was already gathering in the ambulance bay. He quickly grabbed his coat and bag before headed to join everyone, a plastic cup of what he only assumed was champagne thrust into his hand. A few minutes later, Carol walked out.

“Surprise!” They all yelled. 

“Oh, man.” Carol groaned. “What are you doing?”

“We know you haven’t officially told us about the baby.” Haleh began. 

“But we couldn’t sit on it another darn minute.” Connie finished. 

“We just wanted you to know how happy we are.” 

“And we’re gonna get you something better—” This time it was Lydia.

“But for now.” Chuny finished, bringing out two large boxes of diapers and handing them to Carol. 

“Oh man! God!” Carol exclaimed, smiling. 

“Hey Carol, need a Lamaze coach?” Malik asked.

“You’re it, Malik. Oh, this is amazing. I, uh, I’ve just been overwhelmed with this news myself. And uh, today I found out I’m-I’m having twins. So, um, I didn’t know when or how to tell people and I’m, I’m really glad that I can share this with you now. So, thank you.” 

“Congratulations, Carol.” Carter said and walked over to hug her.

“Hold on!” Haleh exclaimed. He turned from Carol and raised an eyebrow. “You didn’t think we forgot about you.” Chuny came back with another stack of diapers and placed them in front of him. Most everyone else in the group was confused, but Haleh had her eyebrow raised to him, daring him not to come clean. Carter sighed and shook his head. Evie was going to kill him. 

“Uh, yeah. Uh, Evie and I are having a baby.” The crowd of ER workers began buzzing around them. “But, hey, look. It’s really early and there’s been a complication. That’s why she’s not going to be working for the next couple of weeks. But we’re hoping everything is going to be okay and she can come back soon.” 

And as members of the group came up and congratulated them both, he really did hope it would be soon. But right now, he just wanted to go home to her. 

Carter opened the door to Evie’s apartment, sliding the stacked boxes inside, before closing the door behind him. She hadn’t called after their last conversation, so he hoped she had taken it easy the rest of the day and was okay. He looked around the apartment and his eyes fell on the figure on the couch, curled up into the cushions and barely covered by a blanket. He smiled at how peaceful and sweet she looked. 

Walking over to the couch, he placed the carton of fruit on the table and grabbed the blanket. He pulled it up to her neck, just like she liked it, so she could be cozy. He grabbed the remote, chuckling at the movie on screen, something about skating, and flipped through the channels, settling on some random game before he sat down beside her. If the sleeve of crackers, half eaten toast, and ginger ale on the coffee table was any indication, her nausea hadn’t settled. He stroked her face, glad that she had at least been able to sleep. 

“Hi.” A small voice mumbled. Her eyes were still closed, but Evie grabbed her blanket and pulled it tighter around her. 

“Hi. How are you?” 

“I’m okay. Haven’t thrown up in a while, so I guess that’s good.” 

“You should have told me. I could have brought a banana bag home.” 

“Maybe tomorrow.” Evie’s eyes slowly opened, and she looked up at him, smiling. “How was work?” 

“Remember that student I was mentoring? Antoine?” She nodded her head. “He got jumped today. And then he thought it was smart to go beat up the kid who did it to him, breaking his hands and missing the interview I set up for him in the process.” Carter shook his head and looked around the room. “I can’t believe he did that. And then Lucy told me she’s back on her Ritalin, even though it’s a drug used for children.” Evie chuckled and snuggled under the blanket again. Carter raised an eyebrow. “What?” 

“You already sound like a disappointed dad.” 

Carter rolled his eyes. “Chuny said the same thing. The only thing I’m disappointed in with our kid is that they are making you not eat. Maybe we can remedy that.” He leaned forward and grabbed the carton off the table, handing it to her. Her sleepy smile widened as she held the fruit cups like they were the most precious thing ever. 

“God, this is the first thing to seem even remotely appetizing today.”

“I’ll get you a spoon.” Carter stood and went over to the kitchen, easily finding the utensil drawer.  

“What is that?” 

Carter’s eyes fell on the giant diaper box by the door. “From the ER. Congratulations on our new addition. The news is officially out. They even got one for Carol too.” He handed the spoon to her as she opened the carton. “Did you know she was pregnant?” 

Evie peeled the plastic cover off and dove in, a pleased moan escaping her lips. “That was nice of them. And of course, she’s my mentor.” 

“Did you know it was twins?” 

“Better her than me.” 

“You never know. Severe nausea could mean higher hCG. Higher levels mean twins.” 

“Bite your tongue, John Truman Carter.” She said, pointing her spoon at him. “If I end up having twins, I’m castrating you myself.” She took another bite. 

“Not to be controlling, but maybe slow down. I’d rather not see you throw up the first time you’ve had something other than crackers today.”

She rolled her eyes at him but took what he said to heart and slowed down. She turned her attention to the TV. “Who’s playing?” 

“Uh, not sure. I just turned it on.” 

Evie sighed and put her head on Carter’s shoulder. “Want a bite?” 

Carter chuckled. “Sure.” Evie feed him a spoonful of peaches. “It’s okay.” He shrugged. “Not as good as I remember.” 

“Well, it’s heaven to me. Thank for bringing it by.” 

“Where else would I be?” 

[somestorythoughts]

Eldritch Echo

So. I haven't seen the Bad Batch and don't really intend to, but I have read some fics (please do not take that as me saying that's the same as understanding the story) and between that and my thoughts of eldritch stuff in Star Wars and a cool art piece I came across that I think was referencing something I don't have the context for, I started wondering what it'd look like if of the Bad Batch, Echo was the only eldritch/cryptid/vampire/otherwise not human one. NOT because of the Techno Union, but because of something that happened sooner OR he'd always been like that. And I might put a bit of that in my vampire clones thing but I was thinking eldritch and I ended up writing a thing. So. Enjoy:

Edit: Masterpost

***********

Crosshair’s willing to admit he doesn’t dislike Echo. He respects the guy’s resilience and his willingness to go with the flow, which is necessary for someone working with their team, even as he rolls his eyes at Echo’s tendency to twitch at the state of their ship and his reluctance to drop the “sir” when talking to Hunter. More than that Echo has zero qualms about sassing him if Crosshair picks a fight and it’s a lot of fun to rile him up.

That said. Echo is also really freaking weird.

Crosshair is very observant, between his eyesight, his role on the team, and his training he had to be and either something’s very off about Echo or he’s started hallucinating because he keeps seeing things that don’t make sense. Not for a reg and not for a cyborg.

He explains this the Hunter once, trying to see if he’s noticed anything, and Hunter frowns. “Can you give me an example?”

“His eyes for one.”

Hunter blinked. “What?”

“We all know what most trooper’s eyes look like. And we’ve seen some variations. But they don’t change color. I’ve seen his eyes go golden or violet, and it wasn’t the lighting.”

“You’re sure?”

“Yes I’m sure what do you take me for?” Crosshair snapped. “Look. Next time we’re on a sunny planet. Take a look at his shadow. It doesn’t match him at all. I’ve seen it prowling around him like a tooka without him or a light source moving. It doesn’t look like him either. And remember that time we were sparring and he panicked and bit me? I asked Tech, the Techno Union didn’t do anything to his teeth, but I know what bitemarks look like and that was not it.”

Hunter sighed. “I’ll pay attention but-” He paused. “Huh.”

“What?”

“It might not be anything.” He replies and only knowing that he’s getting to the point keeps Crosshair from interrupting. “But remember how I told you guys that people smell like animals? They’re distinct from each other, and you know I can’t describe it cause I tried to describe you guys, but it’s not like they smell like flowers or old books or whatever people like to think they’d smell like unless they’re wearing a scent. Echo, he doesn’t smell like a trooper. I just never thought about it for some reason.”

“And what does he smell like?”

Hunter frowned as he tried to find the words. “Well. He does smell a bit like a trooper and a bit metallic. But he also smells like, what’s was the spice in that cake you liked so much? The one we found on that mission with the weird vultures?”

Crosshair hummed. That had been a really freaking good cake. “The lady said it was a cardamon cream cake. So he smells like cardamon?”

“Cardamon and lilies and wet dirt is the best way I can describe it and I know it’s not his soap cause he uses the same stuff as the rest of us. So yeah. I guess I’ll pay attention.”

Two days later Crosshair gets confirmation that something’s up in a way he did not expect.

Because walking around in the dark in the middle of the night is his job so it’s already odd to find Echo leaning against the cabinet in their ship’s tiny kitchen in the pitch dark. “You’re going to trip reg.” Crosshair says and leans over to get the lights when Echo looks up.

And twelve pairs of golden violet eyes meet Crosshair’s.

He staggers back, trips over something, falls. “Crosshair!” Echo grabs his hand, pulling him up, then scrambles for the lights as if he forgot they might be necessary and Crosshair yelps as the light hits his eyes.

He blames that and the shock for blurting out; “What the hell are you Echo?”

Echo blinks, looking hurt. “I’m a trooper. Like you all.”

“Troopers don’t have twenty-four freaking eyes.” Crosshair hissed. They aren’t there now, he’s got 2 brown eyes in the exact same shade of brown nearly every trooper has, but Crosshair knows what he saw. He knows what he’s been seeing.

Echo tilts his head. And he grins. It’s a smile Crosshair’s seen before, whenever Echo’s about to respond to his taunts with something cutting and clever, part “take that” and part inviting him to share the joke. There’s nothing off about that smile save for that it’s mirrored in Echo’s shadow, splayed against the cabinets behind him too dark for their lights.

“The Bad Batch.” Echo muses, like there’s a joke Crosshair hasn’t caught yet, and he’s never had a reason to call Echo dangerous even when he didn’t trust him, but he’s starting to feel cornered even though Echo hasn’t moved. “You think you’re the only strange ones. ‘Don’t worry Rex, we know how to handle a reg.’ Never mind that Torrent was always a little crazy, or it used to be. Never mind that I was an ARC and a damn good one, and we’re all more than competent. And I appreciate what you all did, in welcoming me into the squad, I appreciate it more than I can say, and I do really like you guys, but you are so freaking cocky. So certain you can handle anything. And to be fair you’re damn good at your job, but sometimes it’s annoying. So.” He grins that taunting grin again. “You want to know what the reg’s deal is? Figure it out.”

He leaves. His grinning shadow lingers a moment before following. Crosshair stares.

And then decides that a glass of water isn’t gonna cut it and goes for the stash of moonshine.

[aromanticasterisms]

got most of the way through emilie's story quest before maintenance started and ough. it was made for me

[eulaties]

general thoughts about the 2025 小红书 boom

i feel like we're at a really interesting point in time right now, particularly in regards to the shift in american consciousness + changing world order, so i thought it would be fitting to document my thoughts about the xhs situation as a chinese american. however, please note this post is NOT speaking on behalf of any community, and i am only speaking to my own personal opinions.

the good

american propaganda is getting dismantled in real time. there's so much cross-cultural communication right now in relation to america's political issues, everyday life, and what china is really like

im already seeing people starting to learn the language, becoming interested in visiting china, etc. and i truly haven't seen this kind of mass interest in chinese culture in a long time

to be precise, the last time there was really "chinese soft power" in america was during the mid-to-late 2000s. notably this time period included the 2008 beijing olympics which was monumental for china on the global stage, as it showcased their prosperity, openness ("北京欢迎你"), and equal footing in the modern world. ive seen people compare the xhs phenomenon to this event and while both are drastically different, i do think this is an apt comparison (though obviously this xhs thing is on a muchhh smaller scale...)

so many new friendships and connections are being made!

the bad

to add on to what op said, theres definitely a difference between just generally understanding that as diaspora, most people around you will hold sinophobic views about china and chinese people VERSUS actually having empirical evidence that most normal people didn't see chinese people as human before. its jarring to say the least. like everyone is praising chinese people on xhs now, but just last week everyone was fearmongering about us?? really reminds you that in the eyes of the public, favor for any asian culture (and by extension, its people) is fleeting and will often change easily with the season

and yes, its definitely weird to see people talk about chinese people as if they've never seen a chinese person in america before. like obviously there's a HUGE difference between mainlanders and diaspora, but there's also international students that come to america to study so... ??

the memes are funny, and i like how the people on xhs are playing along with them, but something about the "chinese spy" memes rubs me the wrong way. tbh, most mainlanders actually have a positive view of westerners and america, and if they don't study abroad themselves or know anyone that went abroad, they will never truly understand what it's like to be discriminated against simply for being chinese (there's a difference between knowing and understanding ofc; not saying that they're ignorant & don't know anything lol). this is just the honest truth, just like how i'll never understand what it's like to live and grow up in mainland china since im diaspora. anyways, i kind of question if mainlanders are actually aware of the loaded context behind those words. while americans are using the "chinese spy" memes as jokes now in reference to why tiktok is getting banned, it doesn't change the fact that many other americans truly do believe that there is mass chinese surveilliance/planted chinese spies in america (i.e., see modern-day mccarthyism, like how chinese researchers are often stripped of their titles/reputations, interrogated, and then silently deported). like language and framing does matter, and it has actually affected chinese people in america, but now you guys are treating it like a joke?

anyways, even with all of the bad there's still overwhelming good that has come out of this, and i do feel like its better to be more positive than negative about these things in the long run! who knows where tomorrow will take us but at the very least i hope everyone actively continues pissing off the american government 💖 amen

[dunmeshistash]

Ryoko Kui Q&A (part of the Autograph event in Shanghai, China)

Here's the full Q&A copied from the post by Minute_Profession_34 on reddit

Original on weibo

About Ryoko Kui

Q: You have created a lot of interesting short manga in the past, do you have any favorite short manga by other artists?

A: A classic choice though, I think it's the collection of short stories by Fujiko F. Fujio. Other impressive works include "Hanshin: Half-God" by Moto Hagio, "Hanashippanashi " by Daisuke Igarashi, "茄子" by 黑田硫黄, "Skygrazer" by Ishiguro Masakazu, and "Tabi (The Journey of Life)" by Irie Aki. However, I haven't really read many short manga compilations.

Q: Do you prefer to create short manga or longer ones?

A: Long manga.

Q: Do you have a game that you highly recommend to fans?

A: Although not a game title, Steam Deck is the best thing I have bought in the last few years.

Q: What kind of music genre do you like?

A: I'm really not a music person and don't listen to music at all. Sometimes I listen to something like Tropical House.

About the creation & worldview of Dungeon Meshi

Q: Is the main storyline of the comics conceived at the beginning? Is the final ending adjusted during the serialization process?

A: I decided everything from the beginning. It may sound overly pretentious to say that, but I am the type of person who cannot move forward with each and every story unless I have decided on the main flow of the story. Of course, there are parts that I changed during the process because I thought, "I was going to do it this way, but it might not be natural," and there are parts that didn't work out the way I wanted them to. However, I think the story turned out to be roughly what I had in mind at the beginning.

Q: Will people outside of the dungeon incorporate the use of magic into their daily lives?

A: It would depend on the region. There are many sorcerers in elven and gnome cultures, but I don't think you will find many in dwarf and most short-lived cultures.

Q: What secrets of ancient magic are the elves hiding? Why would one be punished for doing anything related to ancient magic?

A: It is about the existence of Demon. They restricted that information because they didn't know what effect it would have on the world if the existence of Ddemon became known.

Q: How do adventurers know the time? Is there any dungeon having a different time flow from the normal world?

A: Some people bring things like clocks, but most only use their biological clock. There are also Dungeons where the flow of time is different from that on the ground.

Q: In the world of Dungeon Meshi, how do you deal with natural disasters, what would Laios or Marcille or Canaries do when there's a drought or a storm?

A: I don’t think it is so different from us.

About characters in Dungeon Meshi

Q: It’s about to give the new puppy a name again. Can Laos still beat Falin?

A: 7 out of 10, Laios will win. Or it may be decided by rock-paper-scissors or a raffle.

Q: Who will inherit the Golden Land after the passaway of Laios? The children and grandchildren of Yaad? Or the descendants of Laios? Or will there be a new Devourer?

A: Maybe the descendants of the Laios will inherit it, or maybe it will be passed on to someone with no blood ties at all. Or perhaps the monarchy will be abolished.

Q: Will Laios continue to eat monsters in the castle? And who will cook, maybe someone better than Senshi?

A: Many people in Merini are good cooks, but Senshi's cooking must be special to Laios. He may invite Senshi to cook from time to time.

Q: Where will Falin prefer to travel to?

A: She may prefer places where she can see landscapes and cultures she has never seen before.

Q: Would Marcille befriend a half-elf, such as Fionil? Since half-elves shouldn't think too much about longevity amongst themselves. Or would they not consider race as a factor to make friends but by fate?

A: Because mixed species in this world grow at very different rates and have very different abilities from person to person, there is often not much of a sense of sameness when you first meet them. They may or may not become friends as a result of interacting with each other as we would with any other human being.

Q: Is there any special meaning of Marcille and her mother's ribbons on the neck? And what about Cithis’s ribbon?

A: In elven culture, people with magic tattoos on their necks sometimes wear decorations covering their necks to hide the tattoos (mainly military personnel) This has spread to the general population, and many people wear decorations on their necks even if they do not have neck tattoos. Marcille and her mother's ribbons are just for fashion. While Cithis may have something special.

Q: Why wouldn’t Cithis wear a gorget? Or she’s not afraid of Dungeon Rabbits?

A: Maybe it’s suffocating or simply not liking it? The head-cutting Dungeon Rabbit is a fearsome monster, but it is not the first thing for the rear guard to be on the lookout for.

Q: How will Izutsumi and Falin get along with each other?

A: They may work together if necessary, but I doubt that Izutsumi will actively show interest in Falin (as she does with everyone).

Q: Itsuzumi has a beast soul mixed with a small amount of human soul, and does she shapeshift between a beast-man and a beast form like Lycion?

A: It can be done, but once transformed, she may no longer want to return to her human form.

*This Q&A seems to be strange

Q: What would Thistle do if he attended the former dungeon masters meetings?

A: Perhaps he would feel angry at the incompetence of other masters (their dependence on the devil).

Q: How did Milsiril accept Helki to stay by her side? After all, she hated elves and was bullied by her Canary teammates.

A: In the past, Helki was abandoned by his comrades for various reasons, and she could not leave him alone.

Q: Has Kabru ever had a real relationship with a girl? If so, what race or personality type of the girl was she?

A: I don’t think he cares about race, etc...

Q: What kind of soba will Mithrun make?

A: I hope he can make delicious soba.

Q: I would like to know the name of Mithrun’s brother or his brother’s crush!

A: His brother's name is Obrin (オブリン). I haven't thought of a particular name for his brother’s crush, so I'll name her appropriately now. Hmmm. Sultha (スルスハ).

Q: Since Mithrun used to assist Canary from behind, I wonder what kind of weapons he was good at using? Or was he good at using no weapons? (this is new info from the Korean Q&A)

A: He used a magic staff similar to that used by Pattadol. He was issued with the same one by the team. However, he no longer carried it because he lost it easily.

[harmoonix]

🤍 𝔇𝔯𝔢𝔞𝔪𝔢𝔯𝔰 🐎

𝓐𝓼𝓽𝓻𝓸𝓵𝓸𝓰𝔂 𝓞𝓫𝓼𝓮𝓻𝓿𝓪𝓽𝓲𝓸𝓷𝓼

🐎 I observed that Capricorn/Aquarius and Scorpio Venus tend not to fall that much in love relationships, definitely not as crazy about their love life rather more about their careers

🐎 Venus in the 11H or 11° 23° since the 11th house is related to the desires, these natives usually have a lot of desires/wishes towards their love life

🐎 Saturn in the 1H/6H/10H/12H are kinda anxious when starting something new because they are known to work and focus on the same thing for a long time, when it comes to starting something new it can be a challenge for them

🐎 Mars aspecting Saturn harshly, and if one of those planets is in the 7H, can indicate being patient in the couple - arguing/fight moments,

🐎 Chiron aspecting Venus or Moon can definitely go up for couple therapy when is needed because it can help

🐎 Cancers and Gemini placements can be good at crafting/creating. Cancers definitely for traditional crafting at home/homemade

🐎 Mars in Aries/in 1H or ar 1° 13° 25° is a known fact that these natives get irritated fast. They have an inner anger that comes out in random moments

🐎 Uranus in the 10H natives or Urnaus at 10° 22° probably have a desire/dream to end up successful at some point in their lives

🐎 Pisces/Gemini/Aquarius and Sagittarius Placements can be interested in space and physics/chemistry, I know so many of them who just love staying in a laboratory doing stuff

─────────────────────

Here I am, so young and strong

Right here in the place where we belong

─────────────────────

🐎 Cancer or Moon in your 7H can indicate a deep need for being nurtured or to nurture others in a relationship

🐎 Scorpio Placements are usually seen as the 'bad guys', but they were the ones to meet the most bad guys in their lives... like these people went through a lot

🐎 Aries/Scorpio/Sagittarius/Capricorn in the 3H can make a person bitter/colder in conversations and is usually when they are being verbally attacked by others

🐎 If we think about it Aquarius/Capricorn and Sagittarius Venus need a lot of freedom in their relationship, they love their relationship but also having some time for yourself is vital

🐎 Leo Venus/Moon/Rising really loves to get compliments. It is a nice thing to feel seen or appreciated by others

🐎 Aries and Pisces Venus needs a lot of trust in their relationship, don't be afraid to trust your partner, if they really love you, they wouldn't lie

🐎 Venus in Virgo/6H or at 6° and 18° is a really lovely placement because it talks about a devoted partner, probably someone picky as well

🐎 Juno aspecting Pluto can indicate a partner or relationship that will change you, so that means you won't be the same you after that relationship

🐎 North Node being less aspected can indicate confusion about what to do with your life next but also having it easier to go through your life stages

🐎 Capricorn Placements are wise since young and are a big indicator of an old soul. They will be more wise with their age

🐎 North Node aspecting Venus in both harsh and good aspects stands for finding a love for yourself, to appreciate yourself

🐎 Saturn aspecting the ascendant natives can isolate themselves from the world, it's like a coping mechanism to help them

🐎 If you have Mars in the 9H and you're in a relationship/marriage, you can have some sort of tension with your partner's parents or family

🐎 Pluto in your 8H/12H can indicate a good intuition but also a strong native because you'll have to go through hardships involving your own evolution

🐎 When you have 9H/12H placements and you haven't moved away from your homeland, you can end wish or crave that, you can crave for moving away

─────────────────────

I've been waiting for you

Here I am

─────────────────────

🐎 Mercury - Venus/Jupiter - Neptune/Mercury - Moon aspects in your chart bring creativity, you can have a creative mind

🐎 Saturn in the 1H/5H/8H helps with the self - improvement over the years, like you get better with the years/in the future

🐎 Most times, an earth Venus will look for stability in a love relationship. If they can't find it, they will just look for it

🐎 Jupiter aspecting Mars natives will get angry easily, and the fun thing is that.. you can see it on their faces..they cannot hide the anger

🐎 Harsh aspects between Sun and Moon can make you hate yourself at times and usually come from the imperfections of yourself. We are all imperfect and we should appreciate that

🐎 Spirit is such a childhood core, yet it feels like a fever dream. The emotional baggage of this movie is crazy. 🐎

[chatsukimi]

ᴘᴀɪɴᴛ & ᴘʀᴏᴍɪꜱᴇ

featuring: needy!gojosatoru, childhoodfriend!gojosatoru. precious. fluff!, minute jealousy synopsis: you put makeup on your childhood best friend. you learn that he is more than you anticipated. masterlist

you think you know everything about gojo satoru. you'd seen him as a child, two years younger than you, get scolded by his parents for sending a senile sorcerer to hospital. you were there when he first activated limitless and pummelled you accidentally in the face.

safe to say, nothing surprises you anymore. not even when he teleports into your room on the night of your date without even a knock and grabs you by the shoulders to turn you and your chair around.

"oi, stop that."

you strangle him off you. he only grins.

"sure thing." he shrugs, before bending down to inspect you more closely. "what have you got on your face?"

you put the bottle of setting spray down. "makeup."

he ruffles his tousled white hair, windblown. "ah? makeup. are you meeting someone?" he grins halfheartedly, scanning your room for any changes since you last met.

"i am."

"it's about time. i've already dated loads of people," he boasts, his eyes lingering on the powder and blush on the table.

you roll your eyes. "of course you have." you lay on the finishing touches to your face. you notice him watching.

rule one about gojo satoru, when he stares, he's interested. as you grew older, it became harder under those pitch black shades of his to detect where he's staring, but when he really wants something, it's obvious.

you lift a brush. "you want me to do makeup on you?"

he shakes his head.

rule two about satoru gojo, he never says what he's thinking.

you stand up, gesturing at the bed. "sit down." without a word, the boy listens to your command, ready to try something new.

you can't say you're unhappy to try doing makeup on him. you had some spare time left and that beautiful canvas of a face is nothing but to die for. putting makeup on him would be fun.

"i'll have to take off your glasses. may i?"

he sniffs.

rule three about gojo, he pretends to hate it when people ask to take his glasses off, but he secretly likes it. you know. it makes him feel seen, more human.

"do it yourself."

you nod.

taking his sunglasses off, you revel in the familiar ocean which faces you.

another two facts about satoru is that he can't keep still and he can't stop yapping. shaking his leg in tandem with the news from his mouth, the movement makes you shoot him a frustrated glare, distracted.

half to shut him up, the other half to make him pay attention, you grip his jaw in place. your eyes lock. soon enough, he'll probably look away to inspect some other object of interest; he's known you for years, after all. nothing new.

as you work, you think to yourself.

gojo... he's really grown up, hasn't he? in careful brushstrokes, you drag the eyeliner gently to form a wing with the tip of the pen. your eyes narrowed in concentration, you haven't noticed the shallow breath which tumbles from his mouth.

"pretty."

you blink.

gojo satoru scoots closer to you, so that his gorgeous azure eyes are inches from yours. they are widened in awe.

in all these years, you can count on one hand the number of times this genius has focused on anything longer than five-ten seconds. sure, going to jujutsu high has stretched that time out slightly, but it's nothing compared to this.

you know what rule one says about his behaviour, but you couldn't believe it.

he reaches up to brush the hair from your face. unblinking, unwavering, as though memorising everything, the outline of your nose to the singular dashes which form an eyelash, he stares at you.

it is the first step from a boy to a man.

"you are... really, really, pretty."

"says you," you say, almost pushing his hands away.

he sinks his fingers against yours, clasping them in a bone-tight grip.

"you are," he asserts. "how come i've never noticed?" he mutters, furious.

um. you turn to look the other way. the heat of his stare is scalding. nevertheless, the strongest refuses to back down.

"i should've noticed, shouldn't i? and now you're all dressed up with your make-up to meet some other guy." he pouts.

truth be told, you are silenced. this is not the gojo you recognise. in a swift move, he carries you from the vanity to the bed. the display of strength startles you.

"don't go," he whines into your shoulder, shifting you with his strong arms to nuzzle himself into your chest. you did so often when you were younger but-

"stay." he pauses, letting each syllable cascade from his beautiful lips like a bell, ringing crystal clear. "stay with me."

stay with him.

you think you know everything about gojo satoru. you remember the way he begged for a break amidst his pre-adolescent training sessions. you remember the empty hallways of the gojo estate and his silent footsteps, how they left him behind to carry the world on his shoulders.

awaiting your answer, gojo feels his heart beating out of his chest. what if you leave? what if you choose your date over him? what if-

"why?"

he stares up at you again. truly shameless.

"because i want you to." he turns stern. "or else, i'll tell your friend that you didn't actually have work that day you decided to ditch her little meet-up and i'll-"

out of nowhere, a laugh breaks out of you. he frowns.

but then, you press a soft kiss on his cheek, another one on the slope of his nose, which -truth be told- didn't need the contour you'd gracefully put on it, and the strongest sorcerer in the world relaxes to your touch.

moments like these, satoru still manages to surprise you.

"i'll stay."

"promise?" he holds up a pinkie.

"come on, satoru, we're not children anymore."

his eyebrows scrunch together so you finally relent.

"ok."

you link your pinkie to his.

"promise."

getting comfortable, you shoot a text at your friend to move the date to another day.

"i knew you'd stay. you can't stand when i throw a tantrum," he suddenly begins to mumble against your skin. your eyes widen. "i know you... better than anyone..." his eyelids are dragging under the weight of sleepiness.

perhaps you didn't know everything about satoru after all.

gojo opens his eyes, seeing you fully. "i know you can't stand me being alone."

perhaps he knew more about you than you had thought possible.

on second thoughts, you grab your phone from your bedside table, typing up a message you send without a second thought.

sorry. something came up. i might not be able to meet with you next week either. thank you for your patience, but i think i've found someone who i want to stick by forever.

[mcflymemes]

AS SAID BY ASTARION ANCUNÍN *  assorted dialogue from baldur's gate 3

you are mine. no one can change that.

i wish... to drink. and be drunk.

you haven't earned the right to stare at me like that.

you could scream bloody murder out here and no one would ever know.

we should find a tavern and celebrate.

do my eyes deceive me? the gang really is all here.

i'd rather be the only dark power inside your body, if it's all the same to you.

you're cute, you know. in another life we might have been friends.

i don't hate you. because this is not you.

we just have to be vigilant. keep our wits about us.

you can try, but i will stop you.

do what you like. it's none of my concern.

i simply do not care.

we could do it, you know. we could rule the world.

i... i don't know what to say. thank you.

well that's just disgusting.

listen to me, damn it! i'm trying to save you, even if you're too stupid to see it.

believe what you want. i'm done with you.

you have no idea what i can do.

sounds like a delightful dinner plan. perhaps i'll join you.

forgiveness? you've never forgiven anything.

i don't need anyone to speak for me.

i don't owe you a damn thing.

don't worry. i'll keep watch tonight.

just don't ask me again.

is there anything else? any new and interesting ways you can waste my time?

i'll come to you tonight, when you're snugly wrapped in your bedroll and we can have a little privacy.

this time i'll make sure i'm quiet.

you're lucky i'm such an open-minded person.

why send anyone after me? i'm hardly a threat out here.

what are you waiting for? help me!

"you can do whatever you want" sounds terrifying, and it is, but there's opportunity in it, too.

i am so much more than what you made me.

hold very, very still.

i'm sorry, but could you excuse us a moment?

get out of my way. i'm in no mood to talk.

you didn't think i could do it? i'm hurt.

i appreciate your loyalty, darling, but i don't think you understand.

fair? nothing about this is fair.

i don't know who they are, but i have plenty of questions.

i'm glad to hear it.

i do believe you. i know you only did what you thought was best for me.

i just need some time to let it sink in.

you're so good to me.

safe? how can i ever be safe now?

well, hello. looking for a cuddle?

now that you're back with us, we need to have a talk.

how flattering. and disturbing.

please tell me this is important.

there's also gold, sex, revenge... quite the list, really. but failing any of those, i will always settle for shallow praise.

now just tell me i'm beautiful and we can call it a day.

i want to thank you.

you're a vision. and you're so much more than that.

this is all a game to you, isn't it?

for as long as i can remember, i've been used by others.

of course i was attracted to you. look at you, for goodness' sake!

i will forever remember what you did for me today.

that's what you've been waiting to hear, isn't it? that's what you want?

i have been waiting so long for you.

come, give yourself to me.

i'll take care of everything.

it's time to try living again.

i feel safe with you. seen.

we don't have to rush into anything tonight.

would it kill you to dispense a compliment?

looking for something?

honestly, you have no sense of fun.

i do appreciate your enthusiasm, but let's try to restrain ourselves a little.

would you like a tour? we can start with my tent, if you like.

everything was taken from me, too.

well, that could have gone better.

i don't know what you mean.

were you actually worried i was angry?

so what was it like? tell me everything.

i hope i'm not interrupting.

some day that soft heart of yours is going to be torn out of your chest.

what a party. we should do this again.

there you are. i've been waiting. waiting since the moment i set eyes on you. waiting to have you.

you've seen enough already.

i didn't want to lose control.

oh, don't be like that. not every problem has to be beaten to death, my dear.

wait! don't interrupt them!

let's not make trouble for some stranger.

my, this place is fun.

my past isn't exactly a happy story.

that was amazing.

it won't happen again. you have my word.

so many people need killing.

remember who saved you.

don't worry. i'm here.

[starleska]

Here to talk about the little cricket (?) dude you've been talking about, Lux I think his name is? Anyway I haven't seen such a accurate rubber hose character since cuphead and little fella is really cute! (Since he's from Dr Who I assume he's malignant in some way? Idk I don't really plan on watching it, I just wanted to comment.) Anyways, he's super charming and expressive, I like having him all over my dash :]

hahaha YESSSS gosh i am so happy that folks are so excited about Mr. Ring-A-Ding | Lux Imperator, even if they aren't fans of the show!! i'm biased as a long-time Whovian, but the episode Lux really is the best one we've had in ages, so i'd recommend it wholeheartedly 😉 let me give you a little bit of lore re: our new toony cricket fellow!! massive spoilers for the episode Lux and an ongoing plot in Doctor Who, so only read if you're interested 🥰 i hope this'll be useful for any newcomers who are interested in starting Doctor Who as well!!

HUGE LORE DUMP BELOW:

so!!! the basic premise of Doctor Who is: the Doctor is an alien called a Time Lord from the planet Gallifrey. he travels the universe through time and space in his 'spaceship', the TARDIS (stands for Time and Relative Dimension in Space), and his almost always looks like a battered-up police box. he often travels with 'companions': usually human (though sometimes alien!) sidekicks who help him solve space/historical-related mysteries. when the Doctor dies, he can 'regenerate': his body changes, saving him from death and giving him an entirely new appearance. currently, we are on the Fifteenth Doctor, played by the brilliant Ncuti Gatwa 🥰

now back in 2023, we received three episodes for the show's 60th anniversary, and things changed hugely. as the Doctor regenerated into his Fourteenth version, he somehow came back with a familiar face: that of David Tennant's Tenth Doctor (perhaps one of the best-known iterations of the Doctor). this is because of the return of a character who hadn't been seen since the 60s: the Toymaker, a godlike entity who rules over games 👀

The Toymaker's introduction started a shift for the show, which was almost always strict sci-fi, into a more fantastical, rule-bending realm. the Toymaker turned out to be a member of The Pantheon of Discord: a collective of gods whose powers are beyond the laws of physics and nature. normally, The Doctor faces off against sci-fi monsters and antagonists, but the Pantheon are far more powerful, and not bound to typical rules (though they do have their own). there are a few members we know are in the Pantheon (The Toymaker, his child Maestro, the God of Death Sutekh) and some we speculate are in the Pantheon (the fourth-wall breaking Mrs. Flood), but the episode Lux finally confirmed our newest Pantheon member: Mr. Ring-A-Ding, AKA Lux Imperator, the God of Light 😱 in-universe, Mr. Ring-A-Ding is a character from a 1930s-era cartoon inspired by Fleischer Studios, Disney's then-competitor (and the inspiration for games like Cuphead!). however, Lux Imperator possessed and brought to life Mr. Ring-A-Ding's form by travelling on moonlight into a movie theatre set in 1950s Miami, where he climbed out of the screen and sealed the movie-watchers into celluloid film. when the Doctor and his current companion, Belinda Chandra, end up at the theatre, Mr. Ring-A-Ding (as he is calling himself) shows up as a smaller, physical manifestation of a living cartoon, and pretends to be innocent...but he quickly reveals his true form as Lux Imperator 🙈💖

after some completely crazy fourth-wall-breaking shenanigans wherein Mr. Ring-A-Ding | Lux animates the Doctor and Belinda, trapping them inside of celluloid film, he reveals his new desire: to use the Doctor's regeneration energy and build himself a body. this is because Lux craves light, but has always been trapped in the dark. having seen it on a film in the movie theatre, Lux wants to use the power of the atom bomb to unleash the most devastating light of all. it's pretty insane 😂

and the end of the episode is...the Doctor exposes Lux to sunlight, which causes him to grow infinitely large and...dissipate, into space? along with light itself? we have no idea. it's utterly mad, but SUCH a great watch!!! so to answer your question: yes, he definitely was malignant at first, but he kind of gets one of the nicest endings i've seen for a Doctor Who baddie in a while? he's just chilling up there in space now, twinkling along with the stars. that's wonderful 🙈💖 tldr; Mr. Ring-a-Ding is both the name of a 1930s Fleischer-esque cartoon-character in-universe, and the name adopted by Lux Imperator, the God of Light. if you're confused, don't worry: that's all part of the Doctor Who experience 😂💖

[sillyandsensibleheart]

I am a writer.

Full stop.

I knew a lot about myself already, but until about a year ago, I did not know this critical aspect of my self. The most wonderful thing about being a writer, is that it needs no further qualification. I write, and therefore I AM a writer. A hard concept to grasp for someone who feels like an imposter in nearly everything they do.

Let me tell you how I got here:

Postpartum depression.

It is a strange thing. Hard to put into words if you haven't lived it, but so much changes when you have children. Even when you love them with all your heart, there is a part of you that has to be put aside for your children. I would do it a thousand times over , but it doesn't take away the grief and loneliness that comes along with it.

Those long, sleepless nights blended together as my son grew strong and happy, but still felt like such a shadow of who I was—active, adventurous and always on the move.

If you haven't had children, I can tell you that parenthood is slow. And I mean-- very slow. And most especially in the beginning.

Those first months, I felt so trapped. Bored and stale. I was colorless entity, slave to the wonderful sunbeam I had created.

Just a big, fat, bland mom.

Then, out of the blue a story hit me. A fan fiction idea, to be exact.

But I told the idea that I wasn't the right person. I wasn't a writer after all and I didn't know the first thing about how to craft a story.

But, the idea was persistent.

This stupid little thing didn't care that I was in shambles. It just kept showing up, and telling me about itself—as if I had the time, energy or patience to hear it.

"you're the only person who knows me." it whispered, as I rocked my baby in the middle of those long sleepless nights.

So at last, tired and messy as I was, I began to write.

Here and there, and on my phone at first as I was holding my fussing baby with my other hand-- but I wrote, nonetheless.

Some nine months later, Ive just crossed 100k words, and this idea is now 80% complete. I am prouder than I can even express because even if it is terrible, it is mine.

And I realized that In the end it was more than just an idea. It was that lost piece of me,trying desperately, to be seen.

To be me.

So, I'm just here to say-- you are always the right person to tell your story. And it really isn’t about how good it is, because the truth is, we write for us because—writing is us.

Anyway-- if you’re interested, here's a summary of that story:

After accidentally overhearing a conversation between Elizabeth Bennet and Charolette Lucas at the Netherfield ball, Darcy is forced to admit that he has made an embarrassing misjudgment. Elizabeth Bennet detests him. The trouble is, she might be the very person he needs most to help his sister out of her depression. Darcy must overcome his pride to ask a woman who does not even LIKE him to befriend his lonely sister, while Elizabeth must open her heart to a young woman in need.

Darcy and Elizabeth learn to know each other in broken pieces through letters sent to a mutually beloved girl.

Elizabeth Bennett and Georgiana Darcy become 'pen pals'.

Link to that story:

PC: Kilmit Sonian

[freeuselandonorris]

honestly would kill to see your take on any kink ever, but I must admit I haven't been able to get your thoughts on electrostim out of my mind since you shared them so. that one. (+camshow if you're feeling it 👀)

ps.: I did have a good festive season, and I hope you did too!! 🫶🫶

glad to hear it! 🫰 mine has been. mixed. but mostly good thank u!

obviously could not resist this one. enjoy oscar being the stone cold freak for once!

Lando had asked to see it, mainly because he didn’t entirely believe Oscar was telling the truth. 

Oscar was cool and everything. Funny, with a saucy mouth on him once you got to know him. But you had to admit the guy came off as — well. Vanilla. 

So when they’d gotten pissed together on leftover Moët in Lando’s suite and Oscar had picked up the TENS machine Jon had left in there, turned it over in his hands and said, “are you into electrostim?” in tones of nervous delight, Lando hadn’t even considered it might be some sort of weird sex thing.

What the fuck is electrostim? he’d asked, tipping the remnants of his glass down his throat, which meant he didn’t notice Oscar’s horrified expression for a few seconds. 

“Nothing,” Oscar said quickly, but by that point Lando had clocked the blush spreading rapidly across his cheeks and perked right up. Even then, he’d figured it was something embarrassing, but not — that. 

He’d not believed it, when Oscar explained it. How you could wire up the same kind of machine Jon used to zap the cramps out of his aching thighs and stick it round your cock. Not that Oscar said it so brazenly. There was a lot of umm-ing and err-ing, a lot of vague hand gestures and stuttering, before Lando got the picture. 

“Fuck off,” Lando said when Oscar finished stammering out the barest of explanations. “Really? You?”

”Jesus, Lando,” Oscar said, somewhere between exasperated and indignant.

“I bet you a hundred quid you can’t,” Lando said. 

Oscar shrugged. “Believe what you like.”

Lando, whose impulse control was bad at the best of times and even worse combined with half a bottle of champagne and a burgeoning stiffy, picked the machine up from where Oscar had dropped it onto the coffee table and held it out. “Show me?”

Oscar gaped at him. He was redder than Lando had ever seen him, but he didn’t look mad or anything. Just — blindsided, maybe. 

“Not now,” Oscar said eventually. His voice came out in a kind of croak, and he cleared his throat before he spoke again. “Maybe — maybe some other time.”

Lando knew a brush-off when he saw one, so he shrugged and changed the subject and tried not to feel too mortified about it. Oscar made his excuses after another glass, sloped off to his own bedroom, and Lando put the whole embarrassing affair out of his mind. 

When his phone buzzed a week later with a text from Oscar, he had to read it twice before he understood it.

Osc 19:48 Hey. I took a video if you’re still interested. No worries if not, don’t want to pressure 🙂

Lando breathed out hard through his nose, blinking at his phone.

lando 19:50 thats the politest sext i’ve ever had yeh i am pls

Osc 19:51 🙄 it was hardly a sext [video attached]

The thumbnail was blurry, a flash of maroon and some squiggles that might be wires. Lando swallowed hard, thumb hovering over the play button. He tapped it.

”Okay,” Oscar’s voice came from the phone’s speaker, quiet. Lando kicked the volume up a couple of notches, watching a confusion of movement. Oscar’s torso, clad in his usual plain t-shirt, and a pair of khaki knee-length shorts, open at the waist. The wires Lando had spotted led out to a hand-held control box, similar to the one Jon used but a different model. 

On-screen, Oscar cleared his throat. “Had it on for five minutes or so already,” he said. His voice was a little shaky, like he was nervous. He swallowed audibly before he spoke again. “So I’m a little — I’m already, you know.” A soft laugh. “Sorry, don’t know how well I’ll be able to, um, talk you through it. Let me just — I’ll just show you.”

He exhaled, audibly steeling himself, and Lando felt himself mirror the action unconsciously. His hands were sweating enough to worry he might drop his phone. He swore under his breath and hit pause on Oscar, heading through to his bedroom and flopping back onto the bed. After a moment’s deliberation, he shoved his own shorts down to mid-thigh. He wasn’t hard yet, but — well. Better to have the option. 

He hit play. Oscar-on-the-screen hummed thoughtfully and then the screen blurred again. Some scuffling sounds that made Lando wince, the screen going briefly dark and then bleaching light again until Oscar came back into focus from the neck down to mid-thigh, standing in what looked like his bathroom with the camera, presumably, propped on the sink. 

“Right, that’s better,” Oscar said, and breathed out again, a short sharp exhalation. “Okay, here goes.” 

He put the control box down, out of shot, and visibly straightened his spine before he pushed his shorts down. No boxers. Oscar, Lando thought admiringly. I wouldn’t have thought you had it in you.

It took the camera a few moments to focus, but when it did, Lando bit back a groan. Oscar’s cock was thick, semi-hard, and covered in wires. A thick black loop of it cinched tight around the base, and another snug beneath the head of his cock, trailing a black wire. 

“Had it on low,” Oscar said. “I’ll turn it up a bit.”

His hand reached out of frame and adjusted something, and he gasped. His cock jerked, filling out in front of Lando’s wide eyes. Oscar made a soft noise, the muscles in his forearm flexing as he adjusted something else that made his cock jump again, a tiny rhythmic pulse. 

“Ah,” Oscar said. “That’s — about halfway now. Feels pretty intense.”

He adjusted himself with one hand, pulling the top loop of wire a little tighter with the plastic toggle tucked up tight beneath the head. His long fingers hovered for a second, like he was struggling not to jack himself off, help things along. 

Lando let out a string of curses beneath his breath and grabbed himself. He thumbed at the bottom of the screen to bring up the playback bar. Jesus, the video wasn’t even a quarter of the way through yet. 

He watched Oscar’s cock get harder, bobbing in midair. Lando tuned himself into it after a minute or so. He could tell when Oscar adjusted the intensity of the current by the way Oscar’s cock flushed red, jolting against his belly, the veins on the underside pulsing beneath his foreskin. 

Still, it made him gasp when Oscar’s cock blurted thin clear liquid. It trickled down the side of his cock and dropped out of sight. 

“Yep,” Oscar said tightly. “Yeah, it’s. Getting good now.”

“Oh my God, Oscar,” Lando said to his empty room, voice shocked and shaking. 

Oscar hummed again, a low rumble in his chest. When he spoke again, it sounded like an effort. “Sometimes it makes me, uh. I think it stimulates my bladder or something, so — just to warn you.”

Lando let out a shuddering breath, blinking hard at the screen. This was insane. Both of them had clearly lost their minds. He wondered, for a brief paranoid second, whether this was some sort of sophisticated deepfake scam and he was going to have his bank account emptied or his DMs leaked yet again. But no, Oscar had said it to his face. 

“Right,” Oscar’s voice came over the speaker. “Gonna take it up another notch. It’s getting — it’s strong now.” 

Lando could hear it now. A faint ticking sound, barely there, pulsing in time to the jerk of Oscar’s swollen cock. Oscar pulled up the hem of his t-shirt with one hand and clenched his abs, gasping. 

“Ah, jeez,” Oscar gritted out, and on the screen, his cock jumped and let out a spurt of liquid. It spattered wet against his stomach, dripping down. Too far away from the camera to be able to see what it was. 

Lando curled his toes into the bedding. He was wanking furiously now, skin slapping against skin sounding overly loud in the room compared to the processed sound of Oscar’s heavy breaths. On the screen, Oscar’s cock was pulsing rhythmically, drooling clear liquid with every movement. Little droplets ran down the shaft, dripping to the floor. The hem of Oscar’s t-shirt had fallen down again when he’d let go of it, and it was dark and damp. Lando found himself wanting to suck it clean.

”Not—” Oscar’s breath hitched on a moan. “Not long now.” 

You’re telling me, Lando thought wildly, squeezing himself around the base to try to calm himself down. He was panting, thighs flexing with the need to come, but Oscar hadn’t yet, and he wanted to see it. 

“Okay,” Oscar was saying on the screen, more to himself than the camera. “Gonna — gonna turn it up to max now, and that’ll probably do it.”

He reached out then and picked up the phone, bringing it closer to his straining cock. As the camera moved, Lando caught a glimpse of his face, red and shining with sweat. 

“Ready?” Oscar’s voice came over the speakers, and Lando moaned at the shock of being directly addressed. 

Oscar reached his other hand out to the control unit, and Lando saw his thighs clench, his cock lurch violently. 

“Oh, fuck,” Oscar rasped. “Fuck, fuck, fuck—” 

He came, untouched and messy, spraying across his t-shirt. Before he knew it, Lando was coming too, letting it get all over his own stomach as Oscar’s ragged gasps echoed in his ears. 

Lando stopped coming before Oscar did. Oscar’s cock was red and angry-looking, still spurting thin liquid every few seconds as his thighs shook visibly. Then the screen tilted dizzily, and the video stopped.

Lando stared at the screen, shell-shocked. His brain felt like it had been hollowed out. 

“Fucking hell,” he croaked to the phone. He wanted to laugh, slightly hysterical. Instead he wiped his sticky hand on his shirt and swiped out of the video, back to his message thread with Oscar.

lando 20:03 omfg wow

A second later, Lando’s phone vibrated, but there was no reply in his thread with Oscar. Instead, there was a notification from his bank. Lando opened it.

Oscar Piastri has requested funds! Oscar Piastri has requested £100.00 GBP.  Message from recipient: “Told you so.” Accept request to transfer funds?

[honeygrahambitch]

"Even Will Graham has a better sex life than I do." Jimmy said, as if he had been holding that sentence inside for too long.

Beverly and Brian abandoned the blood samples they were working on and looked at him in disbelief as if they were trying to make sure they got it right.

"One question would be how do you know that?" Brian asked. "I doubt Will is the type to talk about stuff like that."

"That's easy, haven't you seen Hannibal?" Beverly asked rolling her eyes.

"I am not particularly into men."

"You don't have to be in order to tell that someone must excel in bed. It's the attitude."

"Stop that." Jimmy interrupted their banter. "I overheard a discussion between the two of them."

"Do we really need to know?" Brian said as he looked at Beverly for support. However, her opinion was different.

"Share."

"Alright but this doesn't leave the lab. It stays between us." Jimmy said. After all, Will was his friend and he didn't have anything against Hannibal. He was usually not the one to gossip but this felt like something that needed to be debated. "They are having a threesome."

"No way." Beverly said as she elbowed Brian who remained dumb.

"Who's the lucky lady?" Brian asked.

"Why did you immediately assume it's a lady?"

"For more diversity? I don't know how these things work?"

"Can you shut up and listen?" Jimmy cut them off. "I overheard Will asking Hannibal whether their plans for the night have changed. Hannibal had said that they did not and then pulled out this business card and handed it to Will. Will was like- a sport trainer? He will be a handful."

"I told you it's a man!" Beverly told Brian then turned back to Jimmy. "That doesn't prove anything though."

"Maybe if you two listened I could get to the point. So, Will said that and Hannibal was amused and said "I am confident we can handle him. Cannot be worse than the one last week. I was not proud of the way we left his bedroom"."

"Shut up..." Brian whispered. Beverly didn't say anything, her lips parted in disbelief. "And then?"

"Then Will said...damn, I hate that I have to repeat his words but he said..."He was bigger than either of us expected. I mean, for a finance guy, he was quite a challenge. My back still hurts."" Jimmy went on. "And Hannibal was like "the one we are having tonight will definitely be in good shape. I will be there, I am not letting him touch you.""

"Christ." Beverly said. "And?"

"And Will said "As if I need you to take care of me. Remember how the one from two weeks ago surprised you from behind? You were lucky I was there." Then they noticed me because of the stupid coffee machine who started beeping. And I swear to God, their surprised expressions indicated exactly the fact that I was not supposed to hear that."

"Wow." Brian said thoughtfully. "Every week. Good for them. That's how you keep things interesting in a relationship."

"I wouldn't have believed Hannibal would share Will with anyone." Beverly commented.

"Will might have a say in that?" Jimmy suggested. "Anyway, I couldn't believe it. I was afraid I took things out of context maybe?"

"Definitely not." Beverly said. "What else could they have been talking about?"

***

"Do you think Jimmy overhead us earlier?" Will said as he looked for their knives in the trunk of the car.

"I doubt it. It doesn't prove anything. We were quite subtle." Hannibal replied as he put his scalpel in his left pocket. "Ready? He must be home by now."

"Let's go. I don't want to spend the whole night butchering this guy. By the way, what did he do?"

"Insinuated I do not take my physical health seriously."

"He just hasn't seen what's underneath that suit." Will replied, making Hannibal smile.

[sweetbunpura]

Rollo tries to propose to Yuu but everyone tries to sabotage him 😈

LMAO, Rollo has to get through so many people just to propose to Yuu!

Rollo vs NRC

The fourth year had come, gone, and they NRC students had returned to the school to graduate. Rollo had spent his apprentice in Fleur city, learning about all he could with his new found interest in volunteer work and planning for his future... in more ways than one. He had purchased a ring, intending to propose to the love of his life at the graduation. Him and Yuu had only grown closer in the time apart, which was a surprise to Rollo, for he had heard how many couples had struggled with long distance relationships.

Outside of phone calls, Rollo had not see her for a year, so had had no idea how much she had changed. Taking a deep breath, he stepped through the portal and into the Mirror Chamber. Other 4th years were in there and chatting among one another, most paid him no mind....but he halted as a call of his name sounded.

"Roll-kun!" Cater waved him over.

Rollo approached him and took in the ginger's new looks. Cater had stayed the same height but his hair was different, he had dyed red locks on top of his longer hair. He wrapped him up in a hug and smiled.

"Look at you! Your hair has really grown out! Yuu-chan's gonna love it."

Rollo gave a soft smile and dragged his fingers through his long gray hair. "Thank you, Cater."

"And a smile too? She really changed you~"

"Indeed." Rollo patted his pocket and felt the box against it. "Now if you'll excuse me-"

"Going to see Child of Man with that ring?"

Rollo jolted and sighed as he turned around to see a smiling Malleus. "Malleus...."

"Hello, Flamme." Malleus gave a small bow. "Am I right in assuming you plan on asking her to marry you?"

"Wait, no kidding!?"

Rollo sighed and nodded. "I am. Now, I'm off to go find her. Farewell."

He left, complete unaware of Malleus and Cater smiling at each other. From there, Rollo could not find Yuu anywhere, and everyone he had asked had pointed him in various opposite directions. Idia and Ortho had straight up lied to him, stating that Yuu wasn't even here to begin with. Silver and Sebek just shook their heads and said that she might be else where, just not on campus. And yet everywhere else had wielding the results of "I don't know"

He was getting frustrated at this point, but before he could even think of where else to go, the announcement for the graduation started. With a sigh, he went to the podium and waiting for eveything to start.

Once the ceremony ended, he departed the stage and was about to start looking for her again, he got tackled.

"Enough of this!" Rollo glared at Deuce, Ace, and Grim. "Why is everyone so hellbent on stopping me!"

"You can't ask her to marry you." Ace grumbled.

"Yeah!" Grim added in. "She's my henchhuman and I don't want you macking on her!"

"By the sevens... We're already dating!" Rollo growled and pried the three off of him. "This is getting absurd!"

"You can't blame us..." Deuce said. "She means the world to us."

"I understand that, but she means the same to me." He sighed. "And I haven't seen her all day. We've only been communicating through calls... And I miss her terribly."

"Aw."

Rollo jolted and turned around to see Yuu standing behind him with Cater and Malleus in a headlock. She smiled warmly at her and her hair had gotten longer, they were worked into brains with hair ornaments in them.

"Love."

"Heard you been looking for me and everyone sent you on a wild goose chase." She shook Cater ad Malleus. "Thanks to these two."

"Guilty as charged~" Cater laughed.

"It was all in good fun." Malleus huffed.

"Now." She dropped them as they landed on the ground face down. "What's up?"

"I wanted to ask you something." He reached into his pocket and before he could get down on one knee to begin, the others started gathering around.

"Aw~ Snapping Turtle's gonna propose~" Floyd.

"How beautiful!" Rook.

"I'll be the one designing the dress no doubt." Vil.

"About time." Leona.

Rollo sighed as the chatter started up around him, Yuu tugged him forward by his robes.

"I know you had this all planned out, but you know how these guys are." She kissed him. "Put the ring on, the answer's gonna be yes no matter what."

Rollo opened the box and slipped the ring on her before placing his forehead on her shoulder.

"I hate them."

"No, you don't.

[wlwsoccerfics]

Targeting her(IngridEngenXEngenReader)

A/N: Happy Birthday ingrid. 🎉🥳(Yes i know i am a day late)Blanca Sánchez is an OC. Couldn't get one of the Girls to Hurt Reader. Google translate used.

Warnings:blood and injury

Summary: you are Ingrids Baby sister and Play for Real Madrid. You are their top Goal Scooter and one of Ingrids teammates tries to Stop you from scoring.

You met up with Ingrid before the Game tomorrow. You haven't seen eachother in a while. Since you Play for Real Madrid and she plays for Barcelona. The Game was gonna be held in Barcelona. You were looking forward to playing against her. It was gonna be interesting. You Just got signed by Real Madrid as their new Star Girl and already top scorer, which meant alot. Given that you only have played 6 Games for them so far.

Ingrid met you at her favorite Café. She gave you a big hug and you hugged her back.

"hei lillesøster." She told you. You smiled at her. ( Hey little sister. )

"hei storesøster." You replied back and she chuckled softly. ( Hey big sister. )

"hvordan har du hatt det?" She asked you. ( how have you been? )

"Jeg har hatt det bra." You stated. ( i have been well. )

"Det er godt å høre. Jeg er glad på dine vegne." She told you. Smiling softly and walking inside. Sitting down. ( that's good to hear. i am happy for you. )

"hvordan har du hatt det?" You wanted to know. ( how have you been?)

"ganske flott." Ingrid replied. ( pretty great. )

The two of you ordered Coffee and some cake to share. Talking about your Family, your girlfriends. She loved talking about Mapi and you loved talking about your girlfriend Alessia. One of Arsenals Star Girls.

The next day you woke up in your hotelroom . getting ready for breakfast. It was 6am right now and the Game would start in 6 hours. You met up in the Lunch room with Melanie and Teresa.

"good morning. how did the two of you sleep?" You asked the two of them.

"morning y/n. I slept well. Thanks for asking." Melanie replied.

"so did i." Teresa told you. "How did you sleep?" She wanted to know.

"i slept really well. Looking forward to playing Barcelona today." You told your two teammates. Then your Phone let you know you have gotten a Message. So you checked and smiled to yourself. It was from Alessia and you quickly thanked her for wishing you good luck for today and telling you how proud she is. You told her how proud you are of her as well.

"aww you are so in Love. How cute!" Melanie stated and Teresa chuckled softly. They loved teasing you about how very much in love you were with Alessia and how much in love she is with you. You blushed and grinned sheepishly.

You sat in the changing rooms, listening to music with your Headphones on. Hyping yourself up. You really focused on the Task ahead. Which was Score Goals and Show your sister and her teammates what you got.

Of course you were starting. So was Ingrid. You smiled at eachother during the Handshakes. When the game started it took you not even 3 Minutes to Score your First Goal of the day . It wasn't your Last one though. In Minute five Alexia scroed after a long ball from your sister, it went in. 1-1 in the First five minutes was quite alot. It wasn't boring at all to say the least. You often came close to the goal. In Minute 16 you scored another banger. 1-2 for your Team. One of Barcelonas newest players Blanca Sánchez kept trying to Attack your ankles but always missed. You could tell Ingrid was upset with her teammates cause what she did was way above what she should be doing. Cause her Job sure wasn't to injure You in purpose. You scroed your Hattrick in Minute 34. Teresa scored after a Corner. Two minutes later Alexia assisted a Goal for Pina. 2-4 for you still. It was almost half time when you tried to Take the ball away from Blanca and she just elbowed you in the face hard and you go to the floor, holding your face.

"å herregud." Ingrid yelled out and ran over. Melanie was also by your side. ( Oh my god. )

"y/n stay down. There is blood. " Melanie answered. You had a Cut above your eyebrow. That's how hard she had hit you. You felt dizzy and for sure would have a black eye tomorrow.

"stay away from my sister!" Ingrid told Blanca. The medics ran over. Bandaging your head.

"Jeg føler meg svimmel." You groaned out. ( I feel dizzy. )

"du har sannsynligvis en hjernerystelse." She told you. ( You probably have a concussion. )

"føles som det." You admitted. ( feels like it. )

"she feels dizzy!" Ingrid told the medics.

"it's time to get Off the field and this needs stitches." The medics informs everyone that was surrounding you.

Off the pitch you were packed into the ambulance and brought to the hospital. To get a CT scan of your head. And to get stitches for the cut in your eyebrows.

Thankfully there was no brain bleed or anything. Your sister showed up at the hospital after the game.

"Takk Gud, du har det bra." Ingrid said as she walked over to you. Carefully kissing your head. ( thank God, you're okay. )

"Det eneste som sårer er egoet mitt!" You replied with a soft chuckle. ( only thing that hurts is my ego! )

Your sister took you Home tonight to watch over you cause of the concussion. Then she would make sure you get back Home to Madrid in a few days.

Blanca got a red Card for what she did and the Game ended with a win for you Guys. Thanks to you.

[bengiyo]

Hello 👋

All of your favorite horniest sex scenes?

Hello! I've been busy, so this has taken forever to get to!

I don't always need the guys to bounce around on each other and gyrate enthusiastically for it to out as horny. Oftentimes, I find myself more drawn in by the building desire between the characters, and the explicit acknowledgement of release. I like when the sex feels like it's also revealing something to us about the characters. I've highlighted many of these before, but it's fun to revisit.

Ghost Host, Ghost House Episode 4 Couch Scene

I will never get over this scene, and especially the director's cut of it. These guys knew they liked each other almost instantly, and it was so rewarding to see them reach a place where they could express that. Bonus points for discussing the logistics of gay sex.

This show has been on Gaga and YouTube for a while, but it's also now available on Viki!

La Pluie Episode 6 Floor Scene and Episode 7 Bed Scene

I liked this scene so much that I wrote about it. Again, there's a lot of anticipation between these two, and you can tell how far it's built up because Patts has to dial it back down when Saengtai wants to stop. It's especially important to me because Saengtai does blow Patts in the next episode. If you're on iQIYI, there's an extended cut of that at the end of the video lists.

Mood Indigo: The Post-Funeral Scene

These two are so horrible for each other, but damn are their sex scenes compelling. Theirs are the kinds of scenes only possible between two people you know can never work long term. I was so glad that we got back to Haruhiko in Playback, and the first thing he did was blow Rio in a car. If you haven't seen the Novelist, and you're itching for hornier BL, it's right there.

The End of the World With You "You're Soaked"

From the same team as The Novelsit, we got to experience baby's first fuckboy in this incredible show. Again, I love when we get scenes with couples who aren't ready to work, because they're allowed to have raunchier sex. They get to amp the intensity of the physicality because they need to give a reason why someone was so caught up and missed the warning signs. I actually love the car scene later as a more romantic intimacy scene, but we're focusing on horny here.

Jack o' Frost Birthday Sex

A common theme here with the Japanese offerings is that people are allowed to have more interesting sex scenes right before they split. This is true even in Jack o' Frost. We get a really great oner from the leads that precedes their breakup and Ritsu's accident. I think this might be my favorite of this list because the actors have to build the entire scene together since there aren't any cuts.

Gameboys 2 Bed Scene

Cairo and Gav are one of my favorite pandemic couples we got on screen, and I was quite relieved for them when they finally got to have this moment. We also confirmed they switch, and I love that.

Wedding Plan: Namnuea Showing Off His Stamina

No list for me would be complete without including them. I really loved seeing two gay men go at it after clearing out all of their misunderstandings. They had already had sad goodbye sex. It was thrilling to see them having enthusiastic, athletic sex. This also leads directly to one of my favorite emotional payoffs for a closeted character of all time.

Kiseki: Dear to Me Reunion

The second couple stole this show, but damn if I didn't love the way these two played out sex across multiple years between their characters. These two really suffered, and I really love the way Taro Lin and Hsu Kai captured the changes between these two as Bai Zong Yi grew and matured. This really was a solid sex scene.

Love Class 2: Sungmin and Joo Hyuk

I just really wanna thank them for reassuring me that if Korea wanted to, they could deliver.

Sleep With Me Jeans Scene

I am not a lesbian, but I share their beliefs. This scene was so good. I loved that these two, who have different kinds of disabilities, were able to have a very fun sex scene. I really like when it's clear both characters want to be there.

Only Friends: Boston and Top in the Car

Despite my eventual disdain for this show, I was impressed with Neo and Force for giving this incredibly selfish sex scene between their characters. This entire scene is about injured egos, and it's a standout scene from this show. We won't discuss the rest of the show here.

Thanks for the ask!

[a-kind-of-merry-war]

will you please give us examples of resources to look at if we want to learn more about the concept of gender and maybe even transness in Medieval Europe? thanks!

whooooo boy right, there's a lot! I wanna start this by saying that I am very much not an expert, and I only have access to stuff I can find for free and the handful of books I can afford to buy second hand. Most of my research has been around gender as it relates to transness and GNC people. I am absolutely missing stuff, or have forgotten stuff, or simply lack the know-how to find stuff.

There's a few bits I've got on a TBR but haven't read yet - some I've included and some I haven't, depending on the source and how established it is.

Also: this is medieval Europe. The way pronouns are used to describe people don't really align with modern views of sex and gender. Also be aware of old-fashioned language use (for example, some texts talk about "hermaphrodites"). Remember that the way we talk about gender and trans identities is far different to how we even spoke about it 20 years ago.

So with that out of the way... I am chucking this under a read more, because it's long:

---

GENDER

Medieval ideas around gender were different to how we now think about it. The Hippocratic view of gender saw gender as a sort of wet/dry, cold/hot spectrum upon which men were at one end and women the other (and in the middle were intersex people). The male body was seen as hot and dry, and the female as cold and wet. The cold, wetness is what made women try to seek out heat from guys. A lot comes down to humors rather than genitals - if you're hot and dry, that innately means you grow a penis, because the heat sorta forces it out. So the marker is that penis = man, but you only have that penis in the first place because of your hot, dry humor.

Some people believed the vagina was an inverted penis - as in, the penis turned outside in. Some schools of thought believed that both men and women produced "seed", and that both were needed for conception. These thoughts and ideas shifted around a lot.

The Hippocratic view shifted towards Aristotelian ideas around the 12th Century, where the male/female divide was a lot stronger. There were also surgeons throughout all these periods who sought to "correct" intersex genitalia with surgery (how little things change).

This podcast (I've linked to a transcript, because I have more time to read than listen to things) with Dr Eleanor Janega is super interesting. In fact, I'd recommend reading her whole blog, which is fascinating. She also has a book out (but I've not read it so I can't give a yay or nay on that one)

The Meanings of Sex Difference in the Middle Ages by Joan Cadden seems to be a good source on this, but I've not read it so I can't vouch for it 100%.

I've listed below some real people who could fit into our modern interpretation of transness, and the fact that all of these people were only "outed" when arrested or at their death makes me think that there were probably a lot more people at the time who would also fit into this category. It does feel (to me, a layman) that you could rock up in a new town and go "hello I'm Jeff the Man" and people would just accept that.

It's also important to note that the majority of sources I've found are about people we could define as trans men (FTM). I've only found one person who could be described as a trans woman. If anyone out there has more sources for trans women, I'd love to hear them - specifically in medieval Europe/England.

There's also a big discussion to be had around the idea of women dressing as men to achieve a goal. People love getting into arguments about it. My general rule is that if someone lived as X gender, and was forcibly outed against their will or at death, then I feel we can more safely assume that their experience maps more closely onto a trans narrative than it does one of a woman taking on the "disguise" of a man.

---

TRANS & GNC ACADEMIA

Here's some of the sources I've been using that examine medievalism through a trans or trans-adjacent lens.

Trans and Genderqueer Subjects in Medieval Hagiography, Alicia Spencer-Hall & Blake Gutt - a deep dive/collection of essays about medieval religious figures/saints through a trans lens, specifically about cross-dressing figures. Really fascinating, and available on open access.

How to be a Man, Though Female: Changing Sex in Medieval Romance, Angela Jane Weisl - goes into detail about medieval texts in which characters change their sex.

Transgender Genealogy in Tristan de Nanteuil, Blake Gutt - trans theory in the story Tristan de Nanteuil.

Trans Historical: Gender Plurality before the Modern, edited by Greta LaFleur, Masha Raskolnikov & Anna Kłosowska - A great big examination into trans history/gender. I desperately want this book.

Clothes Make the Man, Female Cross Dressing in Medieval Europe, Valerie R. Hotchkiss (book, no online source available) - Another look into women dressing as men and gender inversion.

The Shape of Sex, Leah DeVun (book) - A history of nonbinary sex, 200 - 1400BC. Not read this one yet but it's on my TBR.

In fact, I'd recommend all of Leah DeVun's work, which I'm currently making my way through. I'm currently reading Mapping the Borders of Sex.

The Third Gender and Aelfric's Lives of Saints, Rhonda L. McDaniel - An examination into the idea of a "third gender" in monastic life based around chastity and spiritualism

Erecting Sex: Hermaphrodites and the Medieval Science of Surgery, Leah DeVun - an essay about "corrective" surgery on intersex individuals in the 13th/14th centuries. (I've not fully read this one yet but the topic is relevant)

----

TRANS FIGURES

Joseph/Hildegund (died 1188) - A monk who, upon his death, was discovered to have a vagina/breasts.

Eleanor Rykener (1394) - A (likely) trans sex worker arrested in 1394 (and another source that isn't wiki)

Katherina Hetzeldorfer (killed 1477) - An early record of a "woman" being executed for female sodomy. Katherina dressed and presented as a man, and some scholars read them as a trans man.

Marinos/Marina the Monk (5th Cent) - A monk who was born a woman and lived as a man in a monastery. Marinos was accused of getting a local innkeeper's daughter pregnant. Their "true sex" was discovered upon their death.

-----

ROMANCES* & GENDER

If you're interested in the idea of gender presentation and trans-adjacent stories, I very much recommend taking a look at some contemporary sources. I've tried to take a sort of neutral approach to pronouns for these descriptions, but it's hard to marry the medieval and modern ideas of sex and gender! The titles are all links.

*Romances here means Chivalric Romances: prose/verse narratives about chivalry, often with fantastic elements. Not, like, falling in love Romances.

Le Roman de Silence (13th Cent) - in order to ensure inheritance, a couple raise their daughter as a boy. The baby is called Silence/Silentius/Silentia. The poem features the forces of Nature and Nurture, who argue about Silence's "true" gender - Nature claims they're a girl, and Nurture claims they're a boy. Silence has a variety of adventures, largely referred to in the text as a man with he/him pronouns, and at the end their "true gender" is discovered and, as a woman, they marry the king.

Yde et Olive (15th Cent) - to avoid being married to their own father, Yde, a woman, disguises themselves as a man and becomes a knight. They end up in Rome, where the king marries them to their daughter, Olive. After a couple of weeks, Yde tells Olive about their "true gender", but the conversation is overheard. The King demands Yde bathe with him to prove they are a man. An angel intervenes and transforms Yde's body into that of a man.

Iphis and Ianthe (Greek/Roman myth, but also in Ovid's Metamorphois, which first came to England in the 15th Cent) - Telethusa is due to give birth, but her husband tells her that if the baby is a girl he'll have it killed. When she gives birth to a girl, she disguises the baby as a boy. Eventually, Iphis is engaged to Ianthe. (Incidentally, this is also a really early example of same-sex romance, as Iphis struggles with their love for Ianthe "as a woman"). Before the wedding, Iphis and Telethusa pray at the temple of Isis, who transforms Iphis into a man.

Tristan de Nanteuil (11th/12th Cent) - from the Chanson de geste, after his alleged death, Tristan's wife, Blanchandin/e, disguises themselves as a Knight. Clarinde, a sultan's daughter, falls in love with them. Blanchandin manages to hide their "true sex", but when Clarinde demands they bathe with her to prove they are a man they flee into the woods. There, they meet an angel who asks if they want to be transformed into a man. Blanchandin accepts and he is turned into a man for the rest of the poem. (Incidentally the angel gives him a giant cock. Yes, the text specifies this).

Le Livre de la mutation de fortune (1403) - written in the first person by Christine de Pizan, the poem describes how the narrator is transformed by Fortune into a man after the death of their husband during a storm at sea. They maintain that 13 years after the event, they are still living as a man. (They also mention Tiresias, a Greek mythological figure who was a man transformed into a woman for seven years).

Okay, for now - that's about all I can think of. Happy reading!