#instead of doing any of the many urgent things I need to do before leaving the UK

[laundrybiscuits]

Cover design for my fic palm split with a flower with a flame (13.6k, T, Steddie hanahaki road trip AU)

[whoskimii]

Hiiiii hope you're doing well! I'd like to req a Megumi x reader fic with a scenario pls. So like reader is a student and also Shoko's helper when they're not busy so they usually help Shoko with patients in the infirmary. One day while reader was on a mission they got severely hurt and knocked out for a while and Megumi decided he should take care of them, seeing that they're always helping the others during times of need and that it's time that someone did the same for them. I'll leave the rest to you THXXXX ^^

ahh it's sooo cute i'm barking <33 he would def take care of his baby

⋆౨ৎ˚ notes > megumi x you. comfort - fluff <3 you got badly on a mission but 'gumi keeps his eyes on you. tell me if i missed anything!! ^^ ౨ৎ warning : you may have butterflies in your belly while reading this!! 𓂃 ࣪˖ ִֶָ𐀔

you were honestly tired. being a student and a half-time nurse wasn't that easy, despite what many people thought.

of course you weren't alone. shoko was there and she handled mostly everything. but when she wasn't there, it was strangely when you had the most patients to take care of. and usually, they didn't only have a little scratch on their knee. it was like the universe was laughing freely right in front of your nose.

you were grateful for shoko because she accepted your help. it permitted you to gain the basics of medical aids.

but when satoru announced that you'd have to go on a mission with nobara, you almost passed out. huh ? as if you weren't already tired and stressed enough. but you kept your mouth shut as you knew that you didn't have a say in it.

the day arrived and you left with nobara for the mission. "it'll be easy," satoru said. "you'll come back without any scratches." satoru said.

what an idiot.

that's why you eventually came back barely breathing. nobara was carrying you on her back, limping herself. satoru quickly realized that he had been underestimating that mission. but it was too late.

shoko immediately took you in and performed the first medical help on you. when your state steadied, she gave you some alone time. you were still sleeping.

after a few hours, you woke up with a throbbing headache and painful sides. it was awful. your teacher would definitely have to apologize with your favorite chocolates.

your eyes settled on a blurry form. when your vision stabilized, you noticed megumi sitting beside your bed, staring at the ground silently. he only lifted his head when he heard you sitting up, although with some difficulty.

he instantly stood up. "hey," he placed a hand on your shoulder. "easy." your pretty eyes narrowed as you finally registered the sunlight entering by the window. "how long have i been sleeping for...?" you mumbled. "a day. you came back pretty banged up. nobara was carrying you on her back."

at the mention of her name, your eyes widened slightly. "where is she ? is she okay ?" you asked urgently. megumi clicked his tongue. "she's fine. you should be worrying about yourself rather than putting others first."

a sigh left your scarred lips. "sorry..." megumi shrugged. "s'okay. i'm just upset you always care about other people instead of caring for your own well-being. s'all."

as you attempted to recall what happened during the mission, you frowned softly. you couldn't remember a thing. "i can't remember anything. the only thing i know is that our dumbass teacher said this would be an easy mission..." megumi scoffed. "oh, yeah. about him. i took care of gojo-sensei."

you giggled softly. "you took care of him ? what do you mean ? he's literally gojo satoru, you can't do anything." you were right, which caused megumi to roll his eyes. "yeah. i just... told him he was dumb to send you alone with nobara. i should've been there. or yuuji."

you smiled. "don't blame yourself. it just happened. it's nobody's fault. not even gojo-sensei's fault. i'm not mad." megumi's eyes flickered to your hand as you pulled on his uniform. you made him lean down before planting a kiss on his lips. "i love you." megumi tried to hide a smile. "love you too. don't scare me like that again, please."

maybe you were feeling better but satoru wasn't about to see the end of it. not yet.

here you go, baby <33 hope u like it!

⋆˚࿔ kimi 𝜗𝜚˚⋆

[i-am-hungry-24-7]

Unexpected Encounter - Simon “Ghost” Riley*Fem!Reader

Summary: Simon wants to leave the meetup as soon as possible, until he sees you, the pianist of the bistro.

Word Count: 991

Simon wasn’t willing to attend this meetup.

He came just because Johnny insisted that he needed some “fun” besides just staying at home, drinking his vodka, and maybe lit some cigarette until he passed out on his sofa.

Of course, he had rejected him, telling him he didn’t have any interest in sitting with a bunch of strangers, and maybe getting importuned by someone who kept asking him some private questions.

But he refused Johnny’s invitation too many times, and he couldn’t find a convincible reason to decline him this time, so now he sat in a bistro, staring at the steak in front of him, totally no appetite, and simply grunts when the woman sitting next to him continues her never-ending rambling even though he didn’t reply anything besides some absentminded nods.

He watched Johnny sitting across him, busy having conversations with others, he sighed imperceptibly, maybe he should just tell him he had some urgent things to fix and leave right now.

but then, he saw you.

Wearing an elegant black evening gown that hugged your curves well, you walked passed him, and he couldn’t help but stare at you stopped by the piano not far from him.

He took a quick glimpse at his watch, 8 p.m., so you must be the pianist playing for the bistro.

Simon took in every detail he saw, the way your hands caressed the keys softly, how you adjusted your hips on the chair, and the foot engulfed in black heels stepped on the pedal.

When you started your performance, he was unable to pay any mind to what the woman beside him was talking about, he was fascinated by your delicate hands dancing across the key, the graceful smile you have when you indulged in playing, and his eyes widened a bit when you tilted your head during your performance, accidentally meeting his gaze.

The smile you gave him before going back to concentrate on playing made his heart pound fast against his chest, his hands balled into fists, the world felt like there was only you and him, and the music floated in the background softly.

He snapped out of a trance when he saw you stopped playing, stood up from the chair, and noticed that you were walking towards his side.

“Hello.” oh, your voice was just as euphonious as your music, ringing in his ears while all he could do was give you a nod as acknowledgment.

“You seemed like enjoying the music very much, you haven’t eaten your food since I started playing.” He heard you say, and he wanted to tell you that it was because of you, not the piano itself.

but of course, there’s no way he would say this to you, he didn’t want to scare you off, so he just said something more decent.

“You played quite well.” He mumbled.

“Thank you.” you chuckled, and he wondered how he could make you entertained, just to hear the beautiful laughter again. “You got any song you want me to play?”

“I’m not familiar with these things,” he admitted.

“Well, there’s only ten minutes left before I'm off for today, but I still have time to play a song after I drink some water.” He watched you narrow your eyes, and a glint in your eyes made him swallow unconsciously.

“I think there’s a song that suits you and tonight a lot, so please listen to it, yeah?”

You didn’t give him a chance to answer, turned around, and headed to take a glass of water, the only thing left for him was the sweet scent of your perfume.

He waited at his seat for you to return, picking up the fork and knife to finish his steak, the woman who was speaking before seeing no chance to approach him, already stopped minutes ago and chatted with another man instead.

The light click when your heels met the floor attracted his attention again, and there you are, passing beside him and returning to the seat.

Taking a deep breath, your hands began to move once again.

Simon listened attentively to the song you played, he wasn’t familiar with music, nor was he a romantic person, but even he could sense the vibes in your music.

Slow, mysterious, like a wine with several layers, unable to know what it would taste like when it comes next, tempting others to discover more.

Tempting him to discover you more.

He never moved his eyes from your figure until the song ended, and you took your purse from the table, walking with a spring in your step, and left the bistro.

Simon didn’t think another second before he chased behind you, and called out at you when he came outside and saw you just a few steps from him.

“Hey.” He greeted.

“Hey.” The charming smile returned to your face. “You heard the song I played?”

“Yeah, it’s-“ Simon opened his mouth, he wanted to say it’s beautiful, it made him want to get close to you even though you two just met today, but those words stuck at his throat when he was contemplating if they were appropriate.

but then, you step closer to him, close enough for him to smell your perfume.

“It’s called ‘unexpected encounter’, suits the night pretty well, doesn’t it?” He didn’t miss the mischievous sparks in your eyes.

He kept repeating your name in his mind when you told him, chewing every letter in case he would forget, but he knew your name was already engraved in his mind.

“I'm Simon.” He told you, and your smile deepened to his response.

“Simon, nice to meet you.” You tilted your head, and he watched you reach out your hand. “I’m going to a quiet and nice bar before I go home, wanna come with me?”

Well, he guessed he didn’t need to fake a reason to Johnny for leaving early now.

[omar-rudeberg]

Hi Lili! I just wanted to say that I love your fics and I've re-read them multiple times each and they still feel just as special in a re-read as they do the first time around. Inside is no exception. It was so beautiful, loving, but heartbreaking and devastating at the same time (I even shed a tear – or five). It really feels like you just get Wilmon, you know?

And it got me wondering how you think their first time having sex once they're back together (for good now) would happen post episode 6. Like in terms of their feelings and would it be rushed or slow, etc. I'm just really curious about your thoughts on the matter :)

Thank you for sharing your beautiful words and thoughts (even in tags) with us 💜

hello my beautiful beautiful human bean what a love letter you've left me ?! hearing you like and are moved by and go back to my silly little words? wild. astounding. unbelievable. thank you for reading & thank you for coming here to tell me. ahhh 'get' wilmon !! is there any greater accomplishment !! i sure hope you keep feeling this way !!

i've been pondering your second question for so long and i've landed somewhere i hope you agree with...

(fuck me this got more detailed than i bargained for, here have a read more whoopsie daisy)

i have this gut feeling that the first time they have sex post-canon (wild that we can now call it that !!) is ... weird. different. i don't know i can't really explain it, but why i think so is that their intimacy has always been this like, almost homing beacon for their relationship you know? it's been a northern star, a sturdy monolith of everything they feel and need from the other that they can't put into words, a balm that soothes any rough edges that arise from the many many incompatibilities of their individual existences.

it's been tender and exploratory, sweet and gripping, urgent and learnèd and all-encompassing, but it's never been ... slow? it's never been particuarly awkward. they've never had time, really, because with the exception of maybe the fish scene, every time they've had sex has been either a hello or a desperate goodbye.

all this to say that i think the first time they find to have sex post-s6 - and for some reason i picture them in simon's room when they finally get there? can't explain it - i think they fall back into this pattern of urgency and desperation and desire, but then something stops this in it's tracks. honestly i have this vision so clear of like... one of them unable to get it up the first time they want to fuck post-canon hahaha and again i can't explain it but it's true !! in my head it's wille, maybe, and it's something akin to the way - have you ever had that thing happen where you get sick right as you take leave from work to go on a holiday or something? like your body realises you don't have to be switched on for weeks and decides to give you a head cold? something akin to that. wilhelm's adrenaline has run its course and his body's not working the way it did before, it's taking a break, now. finally.

so to finally finally answer your question i think they'll want it to be fast, and suave, and smooth and sexy and dirty and similar to like ep3, but they'll be forced instead into awkward. into slow. into soothing. i picture like, lots of kissing, slow deep kissing, and nuzzling, and grinding (lord, so much grinding), and breaths fanning hot over goose-pimpled skin. i picture them slowly talking, whispering, realising they have it now - t i m e - they have time, now. they don't even have to fuck (the whole shebang) tonight if they don't want to (they do, oh they do want to but they talk about how they don't have to). they spend a lot of time not fucking anyway, just being close and naked and together. i picture them both working wille over so slowly - so gently - finding out together what places on his body react to being kissed, what has his belly pulling tight and having his dick interested, finally. i picture simon being brought to the edge once - twice, maybe - before wilhelm's finally in any state to fuck him, and then god save simon when wilhelm actually does enter him he's so hard and so sensitive and so just as;dkfjas;ldkfj;lsad

okay fuck literally everything i'm so sorry and/or you're welcome? is this what you bargained for? asd;lfj;lsadkjf

(if you made it this far go to my request for prompts next please i think i've put you in the right mindset)

[mammalsofaction]

Don't Leave Me Here Alone

Rating: E

Relationship: Heinz Doofenshmirtz/Perry the Platypus

Tags: incredibly emotional smut, fuck or die, human Perry, talking Perry, bath sex which is incredibly inadvisable considering Heinz's age specifically, a Perry that is so so whipped for his nemesis

Summary:

I need you, he thinks. Loudly, loudly, never loud enough. "Heinz," he says instead, and Perry realizes he has said short of nothing else since he has arrived, as if he scantly remembers any other words. The heat has travelled; flushing and concentrating in his system into points beneath his breastbone, his throat, and most urgently, his groin, and he refuses to look up for fear of Heinz seeing him bleeding tears as hot as magma. When he presses his face into the pudge of Heinz belly, lips brushing the small scant of skin along the line of his belly, Perry does not mistake the sharp intake of his breath.  I need you, Perry thinks again. "If-you need me to leave, I-," The hand on his nape fists, tight-but-not-quite pulling, and Perry shuts his mouth with a click, for fear of moaning. Another hand brushes down the side of his face, and the sweat that sticks up the front of his temple. And Heinz says, equally quietly; "Come on." 

He's burning.

Doofenshmirtz Evil Incorporated is dark when Perry lands on the balcony of Heinz's laboratory, and Perry shucks off the straps of his jet pack from his shoulders with a vengeance. Distantly, he notes that it must be the hours right before dawn; Heinz's sleep disorders and insomnia often translate into working well into the witching hour, and he wakes by 7 or 8 to begin his schemes. 

Perry had left for his mission on Tuesday, right before Sundown. How many hours would that make before he could crawl his way here? 8? 12? 

Perry itches to tear his own skin off. 

He gets to the kitchen, lights left unlit which leaves him scrabbling the drying rack for a cup, a mug, a bowl, anything. He could not tell if he was making a ruckus, and he is not entirely sure he cares. The sound of running water from the desperate twist of the tap was akin to the angel's choir, and the first gulp to drink was nirvana. Tap water spills down the front of his shirt, mixing into various chemicals, sweat and blood, and he is abruptly overcome by the need to take them off, off, off. 

He refuses to stop drinking while he does it, no doubt tearing the garment into rags as he pops all of his buttons with his head dunked down beneath the running water of the sink. Perry feels irrational. He feels mad. Like a snarling, sick thing. 

"Who is that?" Demands a voice from beyond the kitchen. "If you're here for my money I'll have you know I have this place armed to the teeth. I'm an evil scientist, you know, I've got this umbrella and I am not afraid to use it. For violence reasons, and not the weather." 

The familiar, nasally tone--one that does not sound as sleepy as it should be--makes him smile, despite himself. His insides churn with a nauseating rush of emotions; warmth, bliss, heat, relief, hunger, need. Perry clenches every muscle in restraint, his jaw, his biceps, his muscles. The joints of his fingers dig painfully into the stonework surrounding the sink, and it creaks in alarmed protest. Perry does not answer. The light flicker on with a soft click, and Perry does not turn around from the sound of Heinz's disbelieving gasp. 

"Perry the Platypus ?" Heinz demands, as if it isn't obvious. Who else could it be? "What did they do to you?" 

What did they do, he asks, and not what are you doing here? How did you get in? Do you even know what time it is? 

Heaven, Earth and every listening God, Perry has missed him. 

He feel a gentle touch to the back of his shoulders. Perry stiffens, before he unclenches, all at once, and he slumps into the flooding sink. Heinz swears, and Perry lets the man manhandle him as he'd like, pulling and tugging and pushing and sitting him down into the straight backed wooden chair of the dining table. He leans into the headrest as Heinz fusses, muttering to himself as he pats Perry down, clinically checking for wounds. 

He knows how Perry made his way in. He knows why, too. Perry's told him months ago, when he demands an explanation for having found him beaten and bleeding into his love seat by the fireplace. I don't have anywhere else to go. 

Heinz knows who did this to him. Or rather, he knows who let them do it. Knows there is no talking Perry out of his career choices. 

Heinz was, first and foremost, a scientist, and for all his fondness of talking and mumbling and asking, it is so that when time comes he knows all the right questions to ask. 

What did they do? 

"Heinz," Perry mumbles, when he feels the man checking over his cranium for injuries, and investigating for concussions no doubt.  Heinz doesn't answer. "Heinz," he calls again, louder. and finally the man stops, eyes wide and alarmed and blue as a baby's bassinet. 

Perry doesn't quite know what to say, now that he's gotten the man's attention. He had unconsciously grabbed for his wrist, and he makes his grip gentle. "I'm fine," he tells him, and Heinz scoffs, straightening. 

"You are very clearly not fine, Perry the Platypus." He argues, fuck, and Perry loves that, loves his stubborn fire, how much he cares, the way his codename rolls straight off of his tongue like butter on a hot pan. "You're burning up for one." The penchant for stating the obvious is less attractive, he won't lie, but it's an impressively accurate deduction to make without tools and bionic arms, Perry thinks. "Sheiße, and your pupils are huge, Perry the Platypus, were you drugged? Are you high right now?"  

High? Is he high? Was he drugged? When was he drugged? Was it the food his captors had fed him? Something in the bullets they used when they captured him? A gas released in the air when Perry had trashed their laboratories? 

Had something spread through contact of the girls he had been sent to save, feverish and shivering in cuffs and manacles strapped to dirty beds and locked rooms? A residue from the skin rubbed off as he carried each one of them to safety? 

He doesn't know. It had not felt so important to think about, at the time. He had just felt so angry. He had thought of the burning heat in his chest as rage, but here he was now, leaning into his nemesis' touch in the man's kitchen at dead o'clock in the morning hours later, fantasizing about sucking the man's kind soul through his cock. 

Read the rest on ao3

[sillysootyboi]

i like to hope there's an other side to this situation (like an end point), and when it happens, I do hope we can be kind. This is unfortunately some people's first brush with these kind of accusations and these kind of situations, and when you're introduced to situations like abuse in your comfort media, I know it can feel so...so horrifying, so it feels easier to go the other way, to be so angry to feel like you have control.

I don't really think people who joined hate mobs or spread vitriolic messages or acted how they acted are inherently bad people (even if some are still acting that way). I feel like for many they feel ike the 'message' justifys their angry actions.

I do hope we can instead help people understand why approaching any situation that demands you form an opinion 'RIGHT NOW' and demands biiiig emotions urgently should always be met with skepticism and a willingness to discuss it and ask questions without immediately attacking or labeling others who disagree with you as abusive/harmful.

More below for a rambly essay on misinformation/persuasive content 😵😶‍🌫️🫣

Misinformation is always a concern, but with short form video content and short form media like tweets, I really feel like it's the same as headline reading in the before-decade. You're seeing parts and parts and parts of a story, and due to time constraints, you're going to only be able to process those parts. ANY story, even if it's about stuff you agree with, that wants you to be upset and angry from the get go needs to be handled with more skepticism than standard.

It's okay to decide 'i don't know enough about this topic to form a strong opinion.' it's necessary to realize 'this tiktok made me hate this thing...should I? Who made the tiktok? Why did they make this tiktok? What did they leave out?'

I know there's been some posts circulating about the actions of Wilbur's mods/discord mods, and I do think they did more harm themselves to the community than Shu(b)ble did alone. People forget it isn't outsiders that ruin fandoms; it's the people in it. Their initial behavior regarding it was downright deplorable and continues to be something I am bothered by, but not surprised.

But it was their initial posts. Their initial condemnation without any evidence, without waiting for a reply or anything from Wilbur, that started this in my eyes. It was the update accounts. It was the mods. That was how I first heard of it.

I can't say it was like theyre evil masterminds, obviously, it wasn't their intention, but being able to say 'hang on, this is really upsetting, but I need time and space and more information before doing anything' is a skill people must learn.

When we enter the other side, I want people to look at what moment they made up their minds (whether it was in DMs, tweets, posts, etc.) and ask "what thing did I see before this?" For most people it'll be a friend or a mutual or some big account they follow that's opinion sealed the deal.

For most it won't be that Sh(e)lby stream at all.

And if you realize you looked to others, you looked to 'group leaders' in the fandom to seal your opinion, then I really, really, really need you to learn to validate your emotions and allow yourself to feel 'I don't know what to make of this. I need time.' Because most misinformation campaigns that will affect your life extremely won't be as detached as fandom, they'll be much, much more subtle and play a bigger role in your life

For example if you Google something for information and the results are pages trying to sell a product or service EVEN if they frame it as a simple information page, if it ends in trying to sell a service...it's not. Their purpose isnt to inform you, it's to persuade you. Know their language and information are going to try to make you feel a certain way they think will make you buy their product (whether it be anger/fear/shame/envy/happy)

And unfortunately that happened here. And suceeded. And it's going to happen again.

so kill me for the essay, but unfortunately that's what I studied :').

[hyunnows]

WHO YOU GONNA CALL? | TAPE #1

A series of tapes describing Namjoon's life since joining the Supernatural Investigation Unit.

PAIRING(S) | Namjoon x reader

THEMES | cop!au, x-files!au, ghostbusters!au, cop!Namjoon, cop!reader, youtuber!Seokjin, youtuber!Taehyung, ghosts, conspiracies, cryptids, the paranormal, and the supernatural are main subjects

WORD COUNT | 1.1k+

RATING | pg

NOTE | im so excited for this series im ngl--not sure how frequently i will be updating yet but i think once every two or three weeks? I dont want to take it too seriously (especially since it will probably flop) but oh well... also i know i should have posted this before halloween but it would be too close to the release of 'a love so beautiful' and i want to try to release fics consistently again so i have to keep these a bit spaced out. any this was a new style of writing for me, so i really hope you all enjoy this <3 if you would like to join the taglist, feel free to rb, or reply letting me know--or you can check out my taglist form as well <3333 have a great day/night!

Series M.list | Navigation | Taglist

“So how did it all begin?” A man in a dark suit looms over the metal table, his words echoing off the brick walls and two-way mirror as he adjusts the large camera.

A more timid man sweats under his stare, looking into the camera’s lens awkwardly. “Well, it was the day of my promotion,”

“You’re going to kill this interview,” the brunet mumbles to himself, fixing his tie for the third time. “You’re going to do great and get promoted. Then you’ll finally be a detective.”

He huffs as his tie becomes undone, reaching for one of his clip-ons instead before putting it back down. “You have plenty of time Namjoon, you can correctly fix your tie. A real detective wears real ties.”

He stares in the mirror, continuing to prepare himself. “I’m going to ace this interview. They’re going to like me, I’m going to be likable. Calm, put together, and ambitious—but not too ambitious, I’m going to be grateful for the opportunity. I’m going to get the position, and make mom and dad proud.”

“At least, I thought it was a promotion,” Namjoon almost sulks, arms crossing at the memory. 

“This isn’t a promotion interview, Officer Kim. You’re being transferred to the Supernatural Investigation Unit,” Chief Yoon sighs, leaning forward. “I’m sorry to have misled you.”

“The Supernatural Investigation Unit?” The suited man repeats, leaning toward Namjoon.

“Yeah, everyone called it the X-Files though, like the show.”

“Continue.”

“The thing is, we don’t really have the budget to keep the X-files up, but we don’t have enough to take them down either. I need you to debunk the work going on in there, so we can submit a legit request to get the unit removed.” Mr. Yoon’s voice rumbles out, the crinkles by his eyes appearing as he looks at Namjoon with a serious look. “Listen, if you get our evidence, and I’ll get you a promotion, deal?”

“Obviously I wanted the promotion, so I agreed.”

“Is that the only reason you were chosen to fulfill this job?” the interviewer asks, the same monotone voice filling the room.

“I wish, but it was because of my past,” Namjoon sighs, “I used to be really into ghosts. I wrote reports on it, took video evidence, documented everything so that I could find proof about them. Back then, I also had a YouTube channel with my friend–we were pretty popular at the time. Anyway, I ended up writing a book on it before deciding to leave it all behind to become a serious detective.”

“And are you a detective now?”

“No, look at me,” he gestures to the modified hazmat suit draped across his figure. “How many detectives do you know that wear ghost gear and thermal goggles?”

The interviewer looks at him, unamused and urgent for him to continue his retelling.

“I look up our old stuff and see that new copies of my book are for sale, and that the channel is still up and running–both with my name still on them. So I decided to track down my friend and have a chat with him.”

“Yah! I’m getting the door, stop nagging at me!” Namjoon taps his foot impatiently, hearing the all too familiar voice approach the door. “How can I help–Namjoon? What are you doing here?”

“Hey Jin, I was hoping I could talk to you about the book and the old channel.”

The older man nods his head in recognition, opening the door to allow the taller male in. “Have you seen how well they’re doing? The book is selling pretty well and the channel is blowing up pretty quickly these days,” he says, too enthusiastic for Namjoon’s liking.

“That’s actually my problem,” Namjoon starts, dodging all the odd equipment and supplies scattered around Seokjin’s floor. “I’m sorry, what is going on here?”

Seokjin motions for Namjoon to follow, walking into the nearest door to the left. Upon entering, the cop is met with a makeshift lab filled with beakers, random devices, steam, and many other chemicals Namjoon can’t imagine to be safe. Not to mention one slightly tidier corner of the room with a camera facing a small desk, a corkboard up behind him. Namjoon immediately recognizes the set-up. “This is where we’ve been operating from recently.”

“We?”

“Oh, right. I have a new partner, give me one second,” Jin sticks his head out of the room, inhaling a large breath and bellowing, “Taehyung!”

“Stop yelling!” A younger guy grunts as he enters the messy room.

Seokjin grins, “This is Taehyung, mechanical genius, and my partner.” Taehyung gives a small smile and wave, removing Jin’s arm from his shoulder with a shrug. “Back on track though, what’s going on, why are you here?”

“I need you to erase me from those videos–take them down, even. If you really need to keep them, private them. The book too, I want my name off of it. They’re ruining my life, they’re–”

“Haunting you?”

“Really?” Namjoon groans, a dour expression on his face at the attempt to joke. 

“We argued for a bit, and he refused and pried until he found out about my transfer. That didn’t make anything better for me.”

“How so?”

“Instead of understanding where I was coming from, he just kept telling me how ‘this was my chance to live my dream’.” He deflates a bit. “When we were kids, everyone made fun of us for being the ‘ghost kids’. Even our teachers, parents, and everyone thought we were crazy. I remember my mom telling me how she wanted me to be normal so bad.”

“I take it you come from a not-very-accepting neighborhood?”

“Not at all. Those people didn’t like anything abnormal in the slightest. You should have seen how happy everyone was when we left for college,” Namjoon laughs dryly. “It was really messed up for some dorks like us growing up.”

Namjoon straightens himself in the uncomfortable metal chair. “We both wound up going to college together, I took criminology, profiling, and forensics. He took a medical path, with a few courses in human behavior and psych, I think. We were in a robotics club in high school and took engineering for a bit before dropping the class.”

“During college, we still made our videos and stuff. We made the book then too, 300 pages of paranormal bullcrap we put together over a few years. Because of our educations, we considered ourselves to be a pretty credible source for the paranormal.”

“Why did you stop?”

“I got tired of being seen as a joke. I wanted to be important,” his face is void of any emotion as he recalls the day he told Seokjin he would be leaving for the police academy and packed up his things. “So, I joined the police force. I did a few years as a mall cop, then started getting assigned more important cases and assignments slowly. Then one day, I was getting ready to be Scully to somebody’s Mulder.”

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[ramblingsfromthytruly]

getting shit together~

day 1/50 productivity challenge

26/august/2024 - monday

no school today so yay! i don't really have anything urgent to "catch up" on but i've fallen severely behind on my own study plan. considering i don't go to any extra tuition/coaching, i need to be disciplined in my time management and hold myself accountable to the reasonable plans i made for myself. i'm not in too deep though so all i need to do now is get back on track.

🕒 10:00 a.m.

morning skincare

extended duolingo streak

cleaned out email + photo gallery

practiced playing keyboard

enough is enough with my procrastination towards studying. i mean i even watch study motivation videos on youtube instead of studying! so i just made a cup of coffee and dived straight into work.

studied psychology ch-1: what is psychology?

something to say: the ncert psychology textbook is actual nonsense. thank god for my teacher, he actually explains each concept mentioned in the textbook and so much more. if it wasn't for his classes, i don't think i would have understood literally anything in the textbook. the fact that he's most probably leaving next year is kinda making me anxious because what if the next teacher is absolute shit. this is a subject that involves lots of theory and long lectures. my current teacher is very animated in his discussions and he also involves us students too. it's never a boring class. but if the next teacher is boring i will literally start hating the class, and i don't want that to happen considering i love this subject and am actually planning on pursuing it in the future.

also akjsdfhkjashgdjkg sigmund freud, that man, istg, is gonna haunt me for the rest of my life.

it really grates on my skin if my room is dusty. and that easy annoyance combined with being a maximalist who loves trinkets is not a good combination. the universe decided to make me a walking contradiction, in many areas of my life. i make it a thing to clean my room at least once every week.

cleaned my room

did a workout video (when the workout leaves you sore>>>)

i like to do the dusty and sweaty work before taking bath so that i feel clean for the rest of the day. also thank fuck my periods ended yesterday, i hate them so much ugh i never even want to be pregnant.

took bath

prepared for seminar for psychology

basically us students have to learn the 6th chapter and "teach" it to the teacher. since we're only 3 students, our teacher told us to divide the topics amongst ourselves. we're supposed to start tomorrow but my topic is probably not tomorrow since i'm doing the second part of three. i still want to start preparing. presentations always make me nervous but i know that if i'm prepared i don't do bad at all.

night skincare

🕒 12:30 a.m.

will probably get around 6 hours of sleep.

also, random warning/tip but don't trust the ai generated summary of answers that comes up first when you search anything on google. it just uses whatever phrases it can to make a coherent set of statements. but a lot of the time, it doesn't summarize correctly at all. click on the results of a legit website to at least quickly cross-check. do not take info solely from the ai tool.

[noisilyscreechingsong]

DP x HP Crossover Prompt

Okay so I don’t know why I need this but I do and have been thinking about it a lot.

There aren’t that many fics where Draco and Danny are brothers but I am so here for it. Hear me out. Not twins per say , a couple years apart and Danny is most likely younger. Listen…

Danny stolen as a baby, hired by someone who lost much in the war and wanted to give the Malfoy’s what they ‘deserved’. As a way to teach then a lesson the hired kidnapper decides to leave them with muggles, but not just any muggles, witch hunters. That’s right, the Fentons continue their ancestors work of hunting the supernatural, specifically witches.

Due to some spell or artifact, Danny is unable to be tracked and the Malfoy’s are forced to believe their second son is dead. It isn’t until their son’s name is written on the envelope for his Hogwarts letter because magic. Danny is eleven and Draco is in his fourth year.

The Malfoy parents, Severus Snape who is also the boy’s godfather, and a Ministry official all go to the address on the letter and find the Fenton’s. As a whole they are not impressed with the Fenton parents or their eccentricities.

They establish they are there to talk about the boy that lives there and the Fentons are confused but sure “oh you mean our son Danny!” Both of the Malfoy’s and Snape sneer at the plebeian name which of course the Fentons don’t notice.

They call him down and Danny slows to a stop as soon as he looks over the ‘guests’. Because yes he’s made friends with the local clockmaker who is kind of a grandfather to him and is a squib. He confined in the older man about the weird things that happen around him sometimes and Clocky has answers and explains about magic. Danny knows that these people are wizards and witches. Was this about his Hogwarts letter Clocky told him he should be getting? Do they know what his parents do for a living?

Narcissa and Lucius on the other hand are staring at this boy in recognition. The coal colored hair and jawline were unmistakably from the Black side of the family. The straight nose and body shape however came from the Malfoy side. A perfect mix of both parents.

Introductions are made and they can see the understanding in the boy’s eyes when Snape says he’s the potions master at Hogwarts. The Fentons don’t catch it, but they were studying the boy with hawk-like attention.

“Potions?” The large Fenton asks suspiciously.

Before they can start explaining why they were really here, the boy, their boy speaks up nervously.

“He means chemistry! They call it differently because Hogwarts is a special school,” he lies without remorse.

Yes, this was their son.

“Special school? Like for gifted students?” The woman Fenton clarifies.

Danny glances at them anxiously.

“Yea! Like that.”

The parents don’t ask him how he knows about Hogwarts even though this should be his first time hearing of it. Instead the woman turns to them in confusion.

“Then why did you ask for Danny? Did you mean our daughter?”

“Oh! Jazzy-pants is super smart, already reading college books I tell ya!”

They don’t notice Danny’s face crumble and his confidence wither right in front of them. Narcissa wanted to tear these people apart for being responsible for the bright light in his gorgeous crystal blue eyes dimming in self-doubt.

“Actually, it is different than you are thinking, we are wi-“

“Mom, Dad, did you tell them what you do?” Danny interrupts urgently.

“Young man-“ the Ministry official continues.

“That’s a great idea, Dann-o!”

Which leads to explaining they are witch hunters and they all just stand there processing what they were just told and figuring out how to go about this. And they look at Danny who gives them a ‘see?’ look that explains the interruptions. He was protecting them.

Oh he was definitely their son.

Danny eventually goes with them because duh and he finds out the name he was born with.

“Corvus? Like the constellation? The crow?”

Narcissa is so proud of her son, he already knows the stars and the story to his name.

There are some bumps in the road with Draco and him getting along, and yelling at Lucius for mistreating the elves because they have feelings too, and adjusting to wizarding life in general.

Danny (Corvus) mets Tucker, a muggleborn who was kinda in the same boat as him with learning this whole world, and Sam, a pure blood witch who’s parents were both Hufflepuffs but her grandmother is a seer and she might have inherited that gift.

Danny on the other hand seems to have gotten a gift from his mother’s side as well. Necromancy. Thus starts their adventures of skirting around the professors to learn magic for each of them that are not encouraged. Danny with necromancy, Sam with her seer abilities, and Tucker finds an interest in runes and arithmacy.

Don’t know about an actual plot but I think the idea could have potential. It’d also be funny if all three of them get sorted together in either Slytherin or Hufflepuff. And Draco trying to be a good brother, has warned him about a bunch of things before going to Hogwarts, one of them being Harry Potter and the golden trio. The first time Danny and his friends meet the golden trio, Ron makes a comment about him whether it’s about him being another snake or another Malfoy. Danny just blinks and they just look at each other.

“My brother was right about you. You guys are bullies.” And walks passed them, Sam shoulder-checks him and Tucker gives them the stank eye.

“WHAT”

Draco just being fiercely protective of his little brother he thought was dead. Danny being the baby of the family and the parents actually trying to do better to make him happy.

I just really enjoy this for some reason.

[fantasyinallforms]

Okay this is a bit simple compared to some of the others, but I’d love if you would do:

“HA! Take that!”

Thank you for the prompt Sunny!! ❤️❤️ I had an absolute blast writing this! Bit of a long one! Prompt was given to me for the FotFics March Madness event!

Also on A03! https://archiveofourown.org/works/45878251

Bagginshield-Rating [T]

Title: Bet On A Kiss

It had been one thing after another. No time to rest, no time to recuperate. So when they finally learned they were safe in Beorn’s lands, it was like a stone had been lifted off Bilbo’s back. After the events of the goblin tunnels and their run-in with the pale Orc, the company needed time to rest. Thanks to the Eagles carrying them so far, they could afford to take a few weeks to lick their wounds. 

Beorn’s gardens felt like the closest thing to home since he left The Shire. Despite everything being twice his size, it was nice to lay among the flowers and just feel the sun on his face for a while. He had almost managed to drift off when two heavy-footed troublemakers lumbered through the grass. 

Bilbo decided not to open his eyes, hoping they would pass right along. Instead, he heard a body thump down next to him. 

“Kili, what are you doing!” Fili hissed 

“It looks comfortable! Better than all the rocks we’ve been forced to lay on so far this journey.” 

“Yes, but Uncle told us to find Bilbo!” 

“And find him we have Fee.” Kili sounded like he was already completely comfortable on his spot in the grass. The boy's conversation piqued Bilbo’s interest, but he still didn't open his eyes. What did Thorin need with him anyway? He would think saving the king's life would afford him some kind of reprieve. Then again, this was Thorin Oakenshied he was talking about. He heard Fili give an exasperated sigh as he laid down in the grass on the other side of Bilbo. 

“If Uncle asks, we can tell him that Bilbo was fast asleep, and we dared not wake him,” Fili whispered. Even if he didn't want to blow his cover by opening his eyes, Bilbo could envision the two armored lads lying among the wildflowers. It was nice that they were taking a moment for themselves. They were barely past their majority and had far too many struggles heaped onto their young shoulders. It made him wonder if Thorin had ever been as carefree and devious as his nephews. Sometimes, he could see that bit of Thorin in how Kili smiled or Fili’s eyes lit up. A smile really did illuminate all the features of the broody king's face. Bilbo dearly hoped it wouldn't be the last time he got to see it. He drifted off into a pleasant mid-day nap with the memory of Thorin smiling at him on Carrock dancing in his subconscious.  

Bilbo was woken up mid-dream about 30 minutes later by a pleasant sound saying some unpleasant things. 

“I sent you to find Bilbo, so imagine my disappointment when I see that instead of bringing him to me, you laid down next to him and took a nap!” Thorin’s voice was sharp and annoyed. Bilbo’s vision cleared from the fog of sleep to see him pacing in front of the boys giving them a thorough dressing down. He propped himself into a sitting position. He better at least try and step in before they got into any more trouble. 

“Leave them alone, Thorin. I refused to go with them and told them to lie down with me. So if you’re yelling at them, you might as well yell at me too.” Bilbo chirped from his spot in the grass. The boy's eyes went wide in shock and gratitude. 

“And what was the reason you refused to see me?” Thorin stalked over to where Bilbo was sitting, and he had to crane his neck to see him. Bilbo rolled his eyes and held his hands out, expectantly reaching toward Thorin. The dwarf king cocked an eye before taking his hands and pulling him effortlessly to his feet. Bilbo patted the loose grass and dirt off his pants before addressing Thorin again. 

“I didn't refuse to see you; I simply wanted a nap first. Now, what was so urgent that it couldn't have waited until lunch?” 

“I want you to start working with the princes to learn the basics of sword fighting.” Thorin crossed his arms and looked back at the boys, who looked equal parts excited and confused. 

“That’s what was so incredibly important that I couldn't be allowed to take a nap in the first safe place we’ve landed in since Rivendell!” Bilbo threw up his hands and walked off in the direction of the house, collecting Fili and Kili as he passed them. How was it that someone so incredibly clever and tactically minded could be so dense! The three of them spent most of the afternoon running through some combat basics and standard stances before Bilbo decided that that was enough for today and left to get some food. The boys stayed behind. 

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

Fili and Kili sat under a small cluster of trees, eating some small finger sandwiches that Bilbo had brought out to them. When they finished those, they started sharpening their blades and, in Kilis's case, fashioning new arrows. 

“Why do you think Uncle tasked us with teaching Bilbo instead of just doing it himself?” Kili wondered out loud. 

“I don't know, could be several things, I guess. We’re closer to Bilbo than anyone else in the company other than maybe Bofur or Ori. It could be we’re the youngest out of the group and remember our early schooling the best. Or maybe he thought that if he had to teach Bilbo, they would be at each other’s throats less than an hour in.”  Fili snickered

“The look Uncle gets on his face every time Bilbo points a wagging finger at him. Last person I’ve ever seen make him able to look like that was amad!” Kili threw his head back in a laugh. “You know, that would make a good wager Fee” Fili knit his brow together, 

“What would?” 

“Uncle will probably stop by and watch us train for at least a little while tomorrow. If he sees us messing it up too much or not quite to his liking, he’s likely to just take over. So the wager is once he takes over, how long till Uncle pushes Bilbo over the edge and they are in an all-out spat.” Kili’s mischievous smile was infectious, and the more Fili mulled over the idea, the more fun it sounded.

“That's a wager I could get in on.”  Neither of them noticed Bofur, Nori, and Dwalin had been listing in on their little wager idea, and when Nori spoke, it made both boys jump. 

“Aye, put me down for 15 minutes before Thorin stomps off in a rage,” Dwalin said, flipping a coin into Kili’s hands. 

“I’ll do 20 min, and it’ll be Bilbo who huffs off.” Nori wagered. They all looked at Bofur, who looked deep in thought. 

“You putting anything in the pot, Bofur?” Fili asked. Bofur’s face broke into a cheshire smile as he handed his coin over. 

“My bet is that it takes them 15 minutes, BUT it won't end in a spat.” His response gained him a volley of blank stairs. “I can't be the only one who sees it? I think it’ll end with them snogging,” Bofur said proudly. The eyebrows of all dwarves currently in attendance shot up. They hadn’t thought of that, then they all doubled over, trying to keep from bursting out laughing. 

“Feel free to tell the rest of the company, but don't let Thorin or Bilbo catch wind! As soon as Uncle shows up, we’ll see if we can get him to take over the training!” Kili pocketed the money he had been given so far and went back to making arrows and brainstorming about the day to come. 

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

Quiet and calm was not something that Thorin was typically very good at handling. They had been at Beorn’s for three days, and he was already restless. Thorin had enough downtime to find himself lost in his thoughts. Thoughts that he had, up until this point, tried not to focus on. Thoughts of Bilbo. What the hobbit had been willing to do for him caught him completely by surprise. It made the kindling that was his feelings for Bilbo up until this point catch fire. It also made him incredibly nervous. Yes, Bilbo had saved him, but he had charged into the battle completely unprepared and without any strategy. Without the quick thinking of his kin, it would have meant the death of both of them. If Bilbo was going to start throwing himself into potentially deadly situations, then he needed to learn how to fight, at the very least, the basics.

He had sent his nephews to find Bilbo for a reason. Beorn’s home and land weren't that extensive; it shouldn't have taken them more than 10 minutes to find him. Thorin had specifically sent them to look for him because he didn't want to find himself alone with the hobbit. He had already shown that his willpower was only so powerful with that hug on Carrock. He had meant only to press their foreheads together, but the overwhelming relief at seeing Bilbo whole and hale had hijacked his intentions. He hadn't expected Bilbo to fit so perfectly against him, like a puzzle piece clicking into place. 

He stalked through Beorn’s grounds until he finally saw what happened to his nephews. They had, in fact, found Bilbo. They flanked him, hands behind their heads, snoring lazily. Bilbo was lying on his side, curled in on himself. His features were soft, and he looked at peace. Thorin stood there momentarily, allowing himself to steal this moment of comfort they so infrequently got on the road before waking Fili and Kili. 

Thorin watched Bilbo walk away, practically dragging the boys behind him. Good, best, Bilbo thought he was a hard ass. It was safer for both of them that way. 

The next day after a few meetings on supplies with Beorn and Balin, Thorin found himself again with nothing to do. He sat on the front porch smoking a pipe and humming to himself until he got bored and decided to check in on how Bilbo’s training was coming along. 

The boys had set up around a clear space between 2 clusters of tall oak trees. They waved as he approved, then went back to their drills. Thorin sat on a stump nearby and relit his pipe to watch. At first, it looked like everything was going well. Bilbo had a good stance, and he was holding his sword correctly. He had divested himself of his jacket and blazer and was just wearing his thin linen shirt and trousers. Thorin stared a little too long at how Bilbo’s body was moving through the drills. He was paying close enough attention that he also noticed that his footwork was all over the place. He waited to hear the prince's corrections, but none came. In fact, Kili was patting Bilbo on the back and congratulating him!

“Make sure you’re watching his footwork!” Thorin shouted. Fili gave a thumbs up, and they went again. The same thing happened, and again, the same congratulations. Thorin grumbled under his breath as he tapped out the embers of his pipe before approaching. 

“You’re not watching his feet! If his footwork is that clumsy in battle, he’s as likely to trip and fall on his own sword as he is to kill an orc.” Thorin chastised. He turned to Bilbo. “Put down the sword and use this.” Thorin tossed a sparing stick at Bilbo’s feet. 

“Why can't we keep using a real blade?” Bilbo asked while picking up the stick. 

“Because we are not running drills. Footwork is the basis of all swordsmanship, and I intend to show you why. Ready yourself.” The moment he saw Bilbo take a stance with the sparing stick in hand, Thorin lunged. Bilbo held the stick out in front of him and parried the first attack but overcompensated. The second attack landed him on his back. 

“Dead. Again but this time, widen your feet.” Bilbo did, and Thorin lunged again, this time allowing Bilbo the opportunity to repost. Thorin stepped out of the way and thwacked Bilbo on the back of the leg sending him to the floor. 

“Dead. Again but this time, bend your knees. When you lunge for an attack, your feet should go with you. Don't overextend yourself, or you’re an easy target.” Bilbo picked himself off the floor and brushed the dust off his trousers. His face was now pulled back in a scowl. Bilbo didn't wait for him to attack first, but it made no difference. Thorin met the blow head-on, then tripped the small hobbit sending him to the floor once again. 

“Tripping me definitely felt like cheating. If I didn't know better, I would say you were just enjoying getting to toss me around.” Bilbo huffed as he picked himself off the ground again. Thorin tried not to blush at the double entendre. 

“There is no cheating in warfare if it keeps you alive.” Thorin said sternly, “Are you good to go again, or do you need to take a break?” 

“I bet you would love it if I wanted to take a break. The weak little hobbit couldn't go more than three short rounds in a spar with the king. Well, if beating on me makes you less of an ass for the next few days, then fine, let's give the audience a show.” Bilbo sounded more annoyed and pissed off than Thorin had heard him in a while. He also noticed they did indeed have more of an audience than he had realized. The entire company was standing around the perimeter of their sparing area watching with determination. 

“Fine, one more round.” Thorin lunged, and Bilbo parried the blow and backed up, waiting for Thorin to advance. When he did, Bilbo repeated the tactic. Curious where this was going, Thorin let Bilbo guide the match until finally, Bilbo had nowhere else to go, and Thorin had him backed into a tree.” 

“Always be aware of your surroundings, Burglar, Dea-!!!!” Bilbo balled his fist into the front of Thorin’s tunic and yanked him down as hard as he could, crashing their lips together. It was such an overwhelmingly lovely sensation that Thorin dropped his sparring sword and braced one hand on the tree behind them. The other hand was now firmly behind Bilbo’s head, pulling him into an even deeper kiss. He hadn't even fully registered what had happened. All he could think was how amazing Bilbo’s mouth felt, how he tasted like honey, and the pipeweed he liked so much. He was absolutely sure he never wanted to stop kissing this mouth ever again. When he was finally forced to come up for air, he was rewarded with Bilbo’s blushing kiss drunk face. 

“Dead,” Bilbo simpered. Thorin screwed up his face in confusion as he just barely registered the sparing stick Bilbo was holding to his side. Thorin pinned Bilbo’s hand above his head, causing him to squeak adorably and drop what he was holding. He brought his face as close to Bilbo’s as he could without their lips meeting. 

“Please tell me that kiss was not just a ploy to win the match,” Thorin whispered. He had not meant for it to come out as a plea. 

“No, but it helped.” Bilbo giggled. He closed the kiss once again, and Thorin dropped Bilbo’s hand so he could use it to run his fingers through his silky soft curls. Words of elation and disappointment could be heard from the crowd behind him. He heard Bofur shout. 

“HA! Take that! You shouldn't have doubted me! Put the money in the hat, boys!” and heard the unmistakable sound of coins being dropped on top of one another. Thorin didn't care; how could he with the feeling of a happily pliant Bilbo under him. Perhaps a few weeks of time to recuperate from their travels would be more pleasant than he thought.   

[alex51324]

GO2 reaction

OK, now that all that has had some time to settle...

I can definitely why Neil decided to leave the season on a (heartbreaking!) cliffhanger--it makes a certain amount of sense from a storytelling perspective, and a massive amount of sense from the perspective of a storyteller who has a third part of the story he wants to tell, but needs authorization/funding to do so. With that ending, Season 3 feels urgent in a way that wouldn't if we'd left Aziraphale and Crowley having a champagne breakfast at the Ritz and wondering what Heaven has up its ineffable sleeve next.

I can also see why Neil was hoping for an episodic release instead of all 6 at once. It would have been nice to have several weeks to squee over all of the fun things that happened in the first 5 and a half episodes, before having to reckon with That Ending.

Shifting now to the Watsonian level,

3. I see where Aziraphale is coming from, re: That Ending, but man is he infuriating in that last scene. How many times does he need to have it demonstrated to him that Heaven is always going to yank away the football before he can kick it?

I do think that he probably at least partially figured out what was going on when Metatron said Second Coming: Heaven wants him off Earth (and away from Crowley--Metatron tips his hand in the bookshop that he anticipated Crowley wouldn't take the deal) because he has a track record of foiling the Apocalypse. They probably have their doubts about getting him on-board with the New Plan (although I personally figure, with him being such a people-angel-pleaser, it's about 50/50 on him trying his best to go along and find some kind of compromise, at least until they go Way Too Far) but figure it's better to have him inside the tent pissing blessing out.

(And the whole Gabriel-going-missing thing has given Heaven some practice at working around having a big empty spot at the top of the Org chart; they can presumably similarly work around having a figurehead nobody has any intention of actually listening to about anything important.)

But anyway, in the Aziraphale-at-least-somewhat-knows-the-score hypothesis, one of the first things he's going to want to do is get back in touch with Crowley and tell him what's happening. Lots of opportunities there for Shenanigans to Ensue, as Crowley is probably not going to be super-keen on taking his calls for a bit. (Dare we hope for a reprise of the "I was wrong, you were right" dance?)

4. I'm digging the Nina/Maggie relationship as commentary on the Aziraphale/Crowley one. Just as Nina needs to process her breakup with...was it Lindsay? With her emotionally abusive partner before she's ready to enter into a new relationship with Maggie, Aziraphale hasn't processed--or really committed to, as we see in That Ending--his breakup with Heaven. He needs to do that before he can really be a partner to Crowley.

Which is cool--but it does circle us back around to Aziraphale being infuriating again, because this breakup arc has been going on for six thousand years.

[cravingsfromatwistedone]

Everyone skippin’ on Hikaru Midorikawa /j ANYWAYS I know how this man is always surrounded by bunnies. Now imagine one time Reader (could be either another Aurorian or a Caelestelite) just absolutely exhausted decided to visit Novio’s office and away from the noise of the bustling Collosus.

This man, Novio, filled with gentleness and ancient wisdom, gave reader a smile and offered a hug because YOU CANT TELL ME THIS MAN WONT OFFER ONE.

If you consider accepting this request you have my whole heart this game needs more FanFiction

A Sense of Comfort [ FIC / FLUFF ]

AUTHOR'S NOTE: HELLO THERE DARLING! I THINK I MIGHT HAVE GOTTEN CARRIED AWAY WHEN WRITING THIS SO I HOPE I DIDN'T DEVIATED FROM THE ORIGINAL REQUEST! ENJOY READING, SWEETIE!

TW : NONE!

[ HEALING FLAME, NOVIO ] X FEM! NAVIGATOR

It was a long and busy day on the Colossus, just like any other day but it seemed even busier than usual. Having to deal with the sudden delivery requested by the Courier Union, you had to fly all over the place. Thirteen deliveries to Umbraton, twenty to Illumina and so many more to the point, you couldn't keep count! However, you didn't blame nor hate Tweety for suddenly asking for your help with the deliveries; Poor girl had to deliver a hundred on her own before you came! Luckily, you were more than familiar with each faction so that saved you a lot of time rather than running about like headless chickens with the deliveries in your arms. It took from morning to evening to thoroughly send them all but you did it, with a few helping hands of course!

Though, you found yourself beyond exhaustion after finishing the work. You were so sure that people can see how with each step you take, you were practically dragging your feet behind you and that if you were to even sit or lay down, you'd be fast asleep in no time. That was how tired you were but as much as you wanted to tuck in and call it a day, there was one last thing you needed to do. After all, you hadn't gone to visit him at all in his new office and you wanted to at least say goodnight to him before returning to your room for the night

—

With a raised fist, you gently knocked on the door. It was already past everyone's bed time so you couldn't afford to be loud, if not they'd pester you endlessly on why you were still up so late. Much to your surprise, the door made a click before it parted open slightly, blue eyes peering from the space in between; it was almost frightening to say the least. "Oh, it's just you Navigator!" It was a voice that you were quite familiar with. And with a smile, Novio swung the door open as wide as he could; stepping aside so you could enter the office. "Come on in! You must be cold from how chilly it is tonight !" Beamed the Northlander priest. Striding into the room, the office was relatively clean and had some of Novio's touches as well; the wafting scent of burned jasmine incense, multiple candlelit lanterns strewn across the room and a desk that had a neatly placed paperwork stacked on top of it.

In the middle of it all, there was a couch that was akin to snow, pure and stainless as white. The priest had already seated himself on it, his gloved hand petting one of the few rabbits that was sleeping soundly next to him. His blue eyes gazed at the white furred animal in his lap with such affection before shifting his gaze towards you instead, an ever familiar and loving smile graced his lips. "Are you going to stand there as we converse, Navigator?" He teased. The dark blue haired man let out chuckle as you were quick to walk to him before taking a seat, a tinge of red coating your cheeks; you were obviously embarrassed by his words.

Eventually, his laugh died down, leaving only silence shrouding the entirety of both of you. After what seems to be like an eternity, he was the one to break the ice. "Well then, what brings you here to my office Navigator? It must be quite urgent since you came in right after visiting hours ended.." And like a child, Novio tilted his head to the side; his earrings swaying lightly. He even had that childlike curiosity swirling his eyes despite being a hundred years older than you and yet, it seemed to have charmed you even more. Maybe you were too head over heels for him you think.

"Ah! Well—" Just as you start to talk, you find yourself looking away from his gaze. You have always been composed but why did you have to fall apart in front of him now at all times? You were so sure that his eyes were piercing holes into the back of your head but you were too busy finding things to stare at rather than at him "—i-it's because I've been quite busy today and we haven't had a chance to meet each other so I wanted to—" And just when you gathered enough courage to turn your head to face him, you were right on the card on him staring at you with full focus; guilt starts to fill your guts as he was paying full attention to each and every word you've said yet you've deliberately avoided eye contact. "—Oh, nevermind! I'm sorry for bothering you this late at night, Novio!" 'This was a mistake' You thought to yourself. You decided to change your mind entirely to just bolt right out of the room

Though unluckily for you, Novio was always one step ahead of you. His gloved hand was quick to hold on to yours before pulling right into his embrace. He let out a soft chuckle before grasping your chin, making you look at him in the eye "Pretty rabbit....I can tell that you want something from me no?" He said quietly, his face leaning in closer as you closed your eyes to brace yourself, your cheeks already tinted red. Novio let out another chuckle before he engulfed you in a hug, his gloved hand petting your hair as he sat you in his lap, his grip firm yet gentle "There, there..." The male cooed as he caressed your cheeks, a warm smile on his lips "It's been a long day for you so come and rest in my embrace, pretty rabbit. Close your eyes and let yourself go to sleep" Novio added. His breathing was slow and steady, his head was rested on top of your head and it seemed like he was intent on keeping you there. It was getting hard to keep your eyes open from how warm and soft he was so eventually you fluttered your eyes close, burying your face in the crook of his neck as you soon drifted to sleep

[toomanywordsnllines]

Finally got a decent enough drawing to talk a little more about Many!

First I would like to introduce Many's world. Their jewel and their reason to live.

Their little potato - Mimi! (One day I'll make a comic with how the task came to know Mimi but all you have to know is that: The task did not know of her existence, only the captain) she's technically a little older then just a baby but I wanted to show... This side of Many.

So let's talk about Many!

As you can see, they're a parent of a very entusiastic 4 year old (Mimi is hard of hearing and has terrible eye sight since very young (Many calls her, their 'little bat'). Besides other health problems. Many goes far and beyond to make sure she has everything she needs and desires.)

Many had her before joining the task force and that period of time is erased from their file... for privacy reasons.

Child things aside-

There are four (more or less set to stone) rules about Many

1. Don't ask about what's under the mask (unless you want to get on their bad side, then congratulations, you already made half your way there, if not try to redeem your error (good luck)) and per consequence. Don't touch the mask;

2. Don't ask them to emote more (You think they should laugh more? Keep that to yourself unless you want a very hurtful/snappy/rude response);

3. Don't talk about their appearance or what you think they might look like (same thing as point 1, but this one is just Speedrun for them to hate you/avoid you like the plague (if it was a mistake… good luck trying to remedy it));

4. Never make a big deal about them forgetting something (unless it's very urgent or life threatening) (this is the hardest rule to come around and understand because instead of lashing out they just… stop and turn off. Shut down.)

This may make them sound a little like an asshole. But they live by the rule of "I wouldn't ask anyone something like that because it's weird and uncomfortable, so why would anyone ask me that??" (Don't do to others what you wouldn't like to be done to you)

As, I think I said in some other post, Many doesn't have a very tragic backstory.

They grew up with their mother and two siblings (one older, another younger) in a modest appartment. Their father was out working but was always extremly suportive and caring. Loving parents loving family.

Some problems making friends but... pretty alright-

Teenagehood was rough, complicated and ugly and that's where most of their problems started. Because of an incident that happen when they were small (which resulted in 'brain damage' but not like 'worrying' (that's what the doctors said- they were... so wrong)) Their control of their emotions was... almost non existent. Very emotional and empathetic. Very explosive and angry. Messy.

Teenage years didn't make that better... only worse.

Developed severe Athazagoraphobia (fear of forgetting someone or something, as well as a fear of being forgotten) which got worse after they got a concussion and got mild amnesia of the event.

They almost tore and entire room apart, from their panic.

And that's where the panic attacks and anxiety also started full swing.

The fear was born because of their Prosopagnosia (also known as face blindness, in which he is unable to recognize faces) caused by the incident and that... only got worse with age.

Their Prosopagnosia is so... bad to the point where they cannot remember their own face at all (only eye color and hair color) and the Athazagoraphobia was so severe that the two mixed and they developed a form of face dysmorphia (which as you can imagine... only made everything worse)

That's... almost all the story behind the mask

They could not control what other people say and do so... they took the control out of people for there to be any stray comments.

Also It makes it easier for them to describe their face (just a blank white mask) that's why you can only see their eyes and that's why they leave their hair mostly uncovered (things they can remember).

Now if you read the four rules... you can understand why they exist. It's self persevation mixed with self sabotage.

And it's because of that emotional sensitivity that they joined the military (no one wanted them to do it. Their mother begged them not to. But the feeling of being constatly lost and at the brink of exploding all at the same time? was too much and they just felt they needed to be put in line... By people who didn't care about their feelings).

As you can imagine- and seeing how I've drawn them so far- you can see that it suceded somehow. Though is a very negative side. Bottling everything up to the point of apathy and desinterest.

Thankfully it didn't kill them completly... And you can see that.

One mission was enough to make them see that... they didn't need to hide everything and so they didn't. They observe and they look out for others. They care so so much. It's painful. It's so painful but it's the last thing that makes them feel human so they lean into it.

Even though they don't share their name, it's not an actual secret. It's written on their dog tags- First and Last- people just take Many's, quite honestly, scary exterior and don't really get close. Many isn't really a secret, they just live by the rule of, ask if you want information, and if they trust you, they'll share.

They keep it a 'secret' mostly because they cherish the name imensly. It's really important for them.

Also they like the whole being a little anonymus (relief when no one knows who you are, also it helps them train their memory).

They keep a journal to note down things (a human mind can remember so much) and keep a photo of everyone they know there so they can also remember their faces.And although they have... everything more under control then they ever had since young

(And you could feel their relief when they meet the team and see a lot of them use things like masks or glasses or have painted hair or have prominent scars. Things easy to remember.)

And although they have... everything more under control then they ever had since young. There's still moments:

They still have nasty panic attacks. But especially when they forget things (small or big). Or when someone asks them to describe someone they saw/know, and don't take a 'I don't remember as an answer'. (Because it's out of their control-)

They do not look at mirrors or whatever. Avoid them like the plague.

And they still have... self destructive tendencies... (I'll talk more about it on another post but- yeah) BOY THAT GOT LONG MY BAD-

[slythepuffle]

The Mystery of Hollow's End, Chapter Two: Arrival

AO3 Link

Poll Results:

WHAT WILL YOU DO NOW? a. Leave the kids where they are and find a phone to call the cops - IIII (4) b. Take the kids into the hospital to check Will/Pump before calling the cops - IIII/III (8)

WHAT WILL YOU SAY? a. Okay - IIII/ (5) b. Hell no! - II (2)

WHAT WILL YOU DO? a. Agree to help out and save the town - IIII/ (5) b. Refuse to help - I (1)

~~~~

Susie and Simon rushed the kid, the two of them practically tackling him to the ground as they cried. The kid – Will? Pump? Whatever his name was – didn’t react, his expression still blank even as they hugged him. Kevin watched, bewildered at the sight, confused as to what the hell was going on.

“Wait wait wait!” he yelled, grabbing the attention of the two sobbing children. They looked at him, eyes still teary – Damnit, he wasn’t good at dealing with crying – and he asked, “Who the heck is this?”

Simon didn’t answer him, sniffling as he hugged the other boy tightly. Susie scowled at Kevin for his interruption. “I–It’s none of your business!”

He rolled his eyes. “Christ, I’m just asking.”

He thinks he could figure it out himself, anyway. Based on Simon’s reaction, and from what his uncle told him before, this was Simon’s missing best friend. He had no idea how Susie was connected to the kid, but that wasn’t important right now. 

He looked at the kid, meeting his eyes. A shiver ran down his spine – The kid looked dead. There was no spark, no sign of life in his eyes, completely dull and blank. He shook the feeling off, scanning him. Other than what looked like a few scrapes and dirt, the kid seemed fine. It was better to be safe than sorry though.

“We should take him to the hospital,” he muttered, glancing at the building behind him. Good thing it was literally just there. Susie, surprisingly, didn’t argue, rubbing her face as she looked at Simon. The boy was still holding onto his friend tightly, afraid to let go, peering at Kevin with wet eyes.

Kevin sighed. “We’re just gonna make sure he’s ok, alright? You’ll be able to see him as soon as he’s done, promise.”

Simon continued to stare, but slowly released his grip on Will – Pump sounded too ridiculous to be his name – and went to hold onto Kevin’s hand instead. The teen let him, frowning uncomfortably, and Susie grabbed onto Will’s hand, which the boy held limply.

“Alright, let’s go,” Kevin mumbled, leading the three of them through the hospital doors. He quickly scanned the lobby – Luckily, it didn’t seem like there were many people today. Maybe they could get this over with quickly.

The receptionist doesn’t look up from her computer as she continues typing at the keyboard. Her voice was bored as she droned out, “How can I help you?”

Kevin opened his mouth to speak, but Susie cut him off, blurting out, “One of the missing kids came back!”

That caught the receptionist’s attention, as she turned to look with wide eyes. She seemed a bit suspicious, eyes narrowing as she scanned the four of them. “Name, age, date of missing, and return?”

“Wilson Wonder, seven, October thirty-first, 2010, and July first, 2011!” Susie listed off, squeezing Will’s hand. The woman looked between the boy and her screen, checking the information that was given to her. Her eyes went wide again and she spoke into the intercom.

“I need someone to the lobby immediately!” she ordered, voice urgent. “One of the missing kids is back!”

She turned back to the group. “Are any of you his relatives? We want to try and keep him as calm as possible while we run examinations.”

Susie nodded. “I’m his older sister. Susie Wonder.”

The woman glanced at her computer to confirm that and nodded. More staff arrived, some of them wheeling in an empty gurney. When they got near, they placed Will up on it – Again, the boy never reacted, simply looking around at everything with the same lifeless, unchanging eyes. They wheeled him away, Susie following after.

Simon tried to follow too, but one of the nurses stopped him. “Sorry. Unless you’re family you have to stay here.”

“B–But–!” the kid whimpered, looking at the nurse with pleading eyes. Kevin winced as the nurse turned away from him without answering, quickly grabbing onto Simon’s wrist before the kid could run after them. He turned to look at the teen, sadness and anxiety mixed on his face. “K–Kevin!”

He frowned, trying to think of a way to calm his cousin down. “L–Look, we’ll just sit here in the lobby and wait for them to come out, okay? It shouldn’t take that long. You’ll see him again.”

The words sounded pathetic, even to him. However, they seemed to work, as Simon sniffed, rubbing his eyes. “Promise?”

“I promise,” Kevin replied, maybe a little too quickly. Simon sniffed again, slowly nodding as he dried his face. He clung to Kevin’s hand again – Clingy – and the two went to go sit in some seats in the now empty lobby.

It was quiet, the only sound being the repetitive clicking of the clock as they waited. What Kevin had originally thought was going to be a few minutes stretched out into an hour, then another. At first, Simon had been alert, anxious and waiting. But, as time went on, he began to nod off, eyes drooping. He had been slowly leaning towards Kevin, but the teen gently pushed him away.

Kevin took his phone out, opening up his texts. There were some from his mom and dad, which he ignored, instead going to his uncle’s contact. He sent him a quick text, letting him know where they were and why, before closing the app. He opened up one of the game apps he installed, starting up a game. Simon had fallen asleep next to him, curled up into a small ball on his seat.

The clock continued to tick by, accompanied now by some of the game’s music and sound effects. He played for what felt like another hour, before his eyes began to strain from looking at the screen. He shut his phone off, rubbing at his eyes as he glanced at the clock. Looked like it had been… Four hours?! Christ, how long did it take to make sure one kid was okay?!

He groaned, closing his eyes as he slumped against the seat. Maybe he should follow Simon’s example and take a nap. That sounded kinda nice now, given how tiring everything was. Plus, who knows how much longer they’d be…

His head drooped, breathing slowing as he drifted off to sleep.

Just a… small nap…

~~~~

Kevin groaned, his head pounding – What happened? The last thing he remembered was falling asleep in the lobby…

He opened his eyes.

He was on his knees, looking down at what seemed like a pitch-black floor that rippled like water underneath him. Chains snaked out of the floor, connecting to manacles on his wrists and neck. Panic overtook him and he tried to stand – The chains followed him, stopping him halfway with a loud clanking sound.

Kevin looked around, his panic growing – A dark void surrounded him, the same pitch-black color as the floor. No matter where he looked, it was all the same – Until he looked in front of him. He swore that it wasn’t there before, but it was there now.

A desk sat in front of him, fancy with a fine furnish. Sitting at the desk was a familiar-looking man, smiling down at him. A woman in a dress stood at his side, her features obscured by a veil. They were too far to see properly, but seemed to be growing… closer.

They were growing closer, slowly moving towards him – Until they stopped right in front of him. Kevin froze, staring at them, too scared to do anything but stare.

The man was really familiar, but he swore he’s never seen him before. He was tall, even when sitting down – Although that might have just been his kneeling perspective – with dark, shoulder-length hair. It was shaped strangely, the ends pointing out in two directions before curling upwards. His eyes were a bright cyan color, intense against his pale skin. He wore a black turtleneck underneath a dark purple blazer, as well as a wide, toothy grin.

Kevin glanced at the woman standing at the man’s side. She was tall too, with a slim and graceful figure. Her hair was long, half of the vibrant purple locks swept into a bun atop her head while the rest fell down to her shoulders. The dark veil she wore disguised any other features she had, falling just above her mouth. The dress she wore was equally as long and dark as her hair, with black accents and a see-through neckline.

“W–Where am I?! A–And who are you?!” Kevin asked, his voice squeaking slightly. The man’s grin grew wider and he pushed himself away from the desk, standing up. Kevin was right before – The man was really tall. He gave what might have been a friendly smile, if not for the unnerving glint in his eyes, and placed a hand on his chest.

“I am known as Carver!” he announced cheerfully – his voice was familiar too – before gesturing to the woman next to him. “This is my lovely assistant Lavender!”

“Hello,” she greeted, softly smiling. She seemed a lot less intimidating compared to her companion, though no less mysterious. Kevin turned back to Carver, as the man spread his arms out in a welcoming gesture. “And you, my friend, are in the Velvet Room!”

He dropped his arms, humming as he analyzed the area. “Well… I suppose the term in this case would be ‘Velvet Void.’ What a depressing view you have, Kevin…”

The teen jolted. “H–How do you know my name?”

Carver tapped the desk, leaning slightly against it as he answered. “To answer simply, we have been watching you.”

“W–Why?!” he spluttered, still confused and growing even more confused. Lavender gave him what he thought was a sympathetic smile. “It might be best to sit down for this.”

He really didn’t feel like sitting down – His mind was racing too much. But, he followed Lavender’s instructions, slowly sinking down onto his knees again. Carver and Lavender remained standing, practically towering above him.

“The town of Hollow’s End has been under distress for too long, and a breaking point is about to be reached,” Carver stated, voice dramatic as it boomed throughout the room. “The town will be faced with certain doom – And you, Kevin Barrow, are the catalyst to it all.”

Kevin was shaking, staring up at the two figures standing before him with wide, teary eyes. He was really glad he was down on his knees – If he wasn’t, he’d have fallen down then and there. So many things had happened in such little time and everything was just– This, this was too much for him– His mind was racing, headaches forming as he clutched his head. “I–I don’t– This is— It’s–”

Purple suddenly filled his vision, as Lavender kneeled down in front of him and placed her hands on his shoulders. She squeezed gently, trying to distract him as she gently spoke to him. “I know that this is very overwhelming for you, Kevin. You will have time to process this all later, but right now you need to hear us out. Can you do that for us?”

He looked at her, unsure on how to answer. 

Considering his options… He decided that, for now, he could trust them. Hopefully, they’d make everything a little clearer with more explanation. “O–Okay. B–But, you have to explain everything. Please.”

Lavender gave him a soft smile, nodding as she released him and stood. Returning to Carver’s side, where the man gave her a small, thankful nod. He was awkward when he saw Kevin’s panic, silent as Lavender offered comfort.

“Well…,” he coughed out, trying to reaffix the smile he had on his face. “As, I was saying. You, Kevin Barrow, are the catalyst to doom. However, you also have the chance to prevent this fate from happening. To save this town from its impending ruin.”

Kevin opened his mouth, but Lavender gently interrupted, speaking up. “We know you are probably wondering ‘Why you, of all people?’ After all, you have no ties to this town. You are neither a resident of Hollow’s End nor do you really care for anyone. There is nothing that motivates you to do this.”

Well, she just said exactly what he was thinking. Kevin nodded. Lavender gave him a reassuring smile, which was much more realistic compared to Carver’s eerie attempt at one. It was… definitely helping him and his sanity, that’s for sure. “We promise you, Kevin, there is a reason for this. You were not chosen at random.”

“So what is this reason?” Kevin asked, trying to keep the annoyance out of his voice. Lavender began to answer, but Carver cut her off, taking over again. “You have the power to change things, Kevin. To choose and shape the fate of this town, along with everyone in it. Your future is divided based on the choices you make, so divided that even we don’t know what you’ll do. That is the reason we chose you. For even though we don’t know your exact future, we can only hope for the best from you and believe that you will make the right choices.”

He twitched at those words. ‘We can only hope for the best from you. Make the right choices.’ He’s heard that a lot before.

It was starting to get annoying.

“And if I don’t?” he snarked.

Lavender seemed to wince, a soft frown on her face. Carver’s smile seemed to widen, as he made a gesture. “Well, if you don’t…”

One moment, he was upright, staring at the two in confusion. In the next moment, he was slamming into the rippling ground, arms disappearing into the surface. He choked in surprise, inwardly shivering at the sudden freezing temperatures his arms were in.

“Carver!” Lavender said sharply, her tone scolding. Carver seemed to ignore her, continuing on as he finished, “We do have chaperones that can nudge you in the right direction.”

Kevin tried to move, but the chains were pulled tight, threatening to choke him if he did. After a moment, he felt the chains go slack and slowly lifted himself, not wanting to risk moving faster. His arms were still freezing when he pulled them out of the floor and he absently rubbed them, looking back up at Lavender and Carver with mild terror.

Lavender appeared furious – Not at him, but at Carver. Carver appeared… slightly apologetic, a regretful expression on his face that acknowledged he had gone too far. But his smile had still not disappeared. He nodded to something behind Kevin. The teen turned to look, chains clanging noisily.

Behind him were two figures. One was a bit harder to see, seeing as they practically blended in with the void around them. Looking closely, they appeared almost like a shadow, their child-like frame outlined in dark blue. Two bright, white circles and a thin line made up their face, currently shaped to appear curious.

The other figure was much more menacing appearance-wise. They were tall and lanky, with a wide-brimmed hat casting shadows on their face. A… cloak, of sorts, covered up a majority of their body, the only thing visible being the arm that ended in a sharp, crooked hook. At the end of the hook… 

Chains. That extended all the way to the ground, similar to his.

Kevin looked back up at the figure’s face. Their eyes met.

“Meet Wisp and Candyman,” Carver introduced. ‘Wisp’, the shadow child, peeked out more from behind the ‘Candyman’.

“Hi,” they – she – whispered, shy. ‘Candyman’ didn’t even bother with a greeting, merely staring at Kevin with narrowed eyes. They held each other’s gazes for a moment. Then, he slowly turned back to face Lavender and Carver.

Carver looked down at him, his smile gone. Any trace of amusement gone, replaced with complete and utter seriousness. “Will you choose to work with us and save Hollow’s End, Kevin?”

He didn’t offer the other option, but it was very clear – ‘Or will you let it fall to ruin?’

“I don’t have much of a choice, do I?” Kevin retorted. “Fine. I’ll help.”

Carver’s smile returned in full force. “Good choice!”

“So what do I do exactly?”

Lavender hummed. “Well, you’re already on the right path. It might be of some help to look into the case your uncle is working on.”

He opened his mouth, confused and about to ask a question, but was suddenly cut off as the walls and floor shook, rippling violently. He looked at the two adults again, who were both grimacing.

“You are waking up,” Carver explained. “So, unfortunately, our time is cut short.”

“Wisp can explain more to you later,” Lavender said hurriedly, as everything began shaking further. “We will assist you when needed.”

“When is–”

His vision blurred and distorted, cutting him off as he clutched his head. Everything else was distorted too, voices blurring into one another. Despite it, Carver’s voice cut through and he could practically hear the smile in his voice.

“The children are waiting for you.”

“Kevin?”

~~~~

“Kevin? Kevin, can you hear me?” 

Kevin groaned and mumbled, “Five more minutes…”

“Wha– Kid, wake up!”

He groaned again, blinking as he slowly opened his eyes. “Hmm?”

The lights glared brightly above him, forced him to squint his eyes as he looked at the figure in front of him. “Uncle…? What’s going on…?”

Jack gave him an incredulous look. “What do you mean, ‘what’s going on’? That’s my question! You just texted me saying you and Simon were in the hospital, then all of a sudden I get called here because of a missing kid coming back!”

That helped wake him up and he sat up, staring up at his uncle with wide eyes. He quickly looked around, finding Simon gone and more police officers walking around the lobby. “I– How long was I asleep?”

“I don’t know. But kid, don’t avoid the subject. What happened?”

Kevin hesitated, mind racing. That dream– Was it a dream? The darkness, the people, the chains– It all felt so real and yet so fake at the same time. His wrists and neck ached as he remembered, cool metal strangling him–

“Kevin,” Jack stressed, drawing him out of his thoughts. He refocused on his uncle, shoving away the memories. “S–Sorry. Sorry. Simon was showing me around town and we, uh, ran into this group of kids. Three of them, all wearing hats, and then two of them left. One stayed to argue with Simon and then all of a sudden this kid comes out of the woods.”

He looks at his uncle, who nodded, encouraging him to continue. “So, all of a sudden, Simon and the hat girl start crying. Since he looked kinda injured, I took them to the hospital and the hat girl said it was her brother who went missing a year ago. Nurses wouldn’t let me or Simon go, so we’ve just been waiting here.”

Jack silently digested all of that, looking tired as he rubbed his forehead. “Alright. Simon’s gone to visit his friend, so he might… be a while. I’m needed here until the end of my shift, so I’ll just bring him home then. You can head on home by yourself if you’d like, unless you want to wait here more?”

Kevin immediately shook his head – He’d like to digest everything that just happened without any distractions. “I– It’s fine, I can walk home.”

His uncle nodded, stepping back as Kevin got to his feet, shoving his hands into his pockets. “I’ll see you later uncle.”

“Be careful, okay?”

“Yeah, of course,” he answered, maybe a little too quickly. Jack seemed to want to say something else, but Kevin was already pushing past him, heading out of the hospital and into the cool night air.

It had gotten late – Almost every other building was dark, lights completely out and streets empty. He walked back in the direction that he remembered his uncle’s house being in, letting out a sigh as he looked up at the sky. A lot happened in the span of a few minutes, making his head spin.

He was so distracted by his thoughts, that he didn’t notice that someone had begun to follow him. A slowly growing shadow that trailed after him, growing closer and closer. 

They reached out a hand, about to grab him by the shoulder–

‘Kevin, look out!’

[jayteacups]

I can't wait to read your AckerZheng fic. This makes me even more curious.

I have a few questions.

When Nuwa left before the ACWR events, did she leave without saying anything to Levi? I wonder how Levi feels about that.

How did she arrange the money to leave and did she leave without telling them?

How did Farlan and Isabel react when she found out about their deaths?

Besides Levi, is there a canon character that Nüwa interacts with the most or has a close relationship with?

Will Nüwa have an important role in canon? For example, would she be an important character on the level of Levi, Mikasa, Historia? Sorry if this question sounds weird 😭. I have a LevixOc and I'm trying to make my character important without breaking canon.

Aw thank you sm dear! <33 (Are you the same anon that sent in the last ask? hehe) I'll happily answer your questions, and they're helping me get some more confidence in indulging in canon x oc stuff :)) This is long though, so again, more under the cut! (I tend to ramble a;lkdsfjfskdjl sorry)

Nüwa's departure from the Underground several years before ACWNR wasn't a secret. Before this, she was very close with the thug trio and worked closely beside them. Though she wasn't officially a part of their established gang; she was more of an important contact and close business partner for the gang instead, if that makes sense? (Let me know if any of my explanations don't make sense because I'm not always the most coherent person lol.) Her departure was sudden and urgent - a new disease was sweeping across the Underground, a nasty respiratory infection that Nüwa was extra susceptible to, because she's asthmatic. Despite everything she does to prevent it, she catches it (cue internal Levi panic because he's lost his mother to disease already and refuses to have this happen again). There aren't really many doctors down Underground, and Furlan's first-aid knowledge wasn't enough to help her, and her health was getting worse and worse, so the only solution was to get her to the surface before things went past the point of no return.

Soooo Nüwa took everything she had saved from her bartender job, what she earned as an information broker/smuggler, and the few times she'd joined Levi and co on their heists. Levi, Furlan and Isabel (and some of the other gang members) also pooled together what money they could to help her get aboveground and get citizenship. She feels incredibly guilty about the entire thing, but they're very insistent on helping her. The trio went on many more heists as well in a short time span, as a final, desperate push to reach the goal. They do this knowing that she might never return Underground (as her asthma is triggered by all the pollution and mould and stuff in the air, and after recovering from this disease, it is strongly advised she stay aboveground). She knows this, so she's determined to recover and to one day earn enough to get them surface citizenship and other resources they'll need (like housing).

(Also would it be too contrived to have Grisha show up and be the one to treat her?? I feel like with his Marleyan medical knowledge he'd be the one with techniques advanced enough to tackle this illness and would be called into Sina when the illness inevitably leaves the Underground - because merchants are probably still coming and going. So yeah early Grisha cameo ig!!).

In the first year or so after Nüwa's on the surface, has recovered and is beginning to work for the noble family that she'll eventually marry into, Nüwa tries to stay in contact with Levi, Furlan and Isabel. With her new job and growing influence, she bribes an MP into becoming her contact, and gets him to deliver her coded messages to them Underground. I don't really think that Levi was illiterate, I headcanon that Kuchel would have at least taught him the basics of reading and writing, and Furlan would've helped him strengthen his literacy as a young adult. So both Furlan and Levi would be able to decode and read her messages. She also has a few other friends outside of the gang who work for her, and would send them updates too. But things get complicated and their letters slow down. After Nüwa's final letter - which was her informing Levi about her engagement to the son of the family (remember the lavender marriage I talked about in the last ask?) - the letters eventually stop reaching each other 👀 (for reasons I will not yet reveal). So even though Nüwa gets connections with a noble family and has the income to get her friends aboveground, the lack of communication and the severe health risks of returning down there in person makes it very hard to find them and get in touch. Very sad but it is AOT, so it should be expected 🥲

That was kinda long winded sorry 😂 but I hope that answers your question. She doesn't leave in secret and abandon them. Her departure was sudden, urgent and necessary, and Levi did everything he could to get their combined savings to a high enough amount to pay for the tolls, citizenship and treatment. She feels indebted to them as she wouldn't have made it without them, and feels guilty because now, they have to work extra hard to get aboveground as their progress is lost.

You can imagine that when she finds out what happened in ACWNR, she's incredibly upset and distraught. She feels as though if they hadn't used all their savings on her etc, they might've been able to buy their citizenships and get aboveground earlier. She thinks that if it weren't for her, they wouldn't have been in the position they were in when they were approached by Lovof. Obviously, Levi, Furlan and Isabel all chose to do all of that for her because they cared for her wellbeing, it isn't her fault, but it's going to take a long time before she really comes to terms with that.

Other than my other OCs and Levi, Furlan and Isabel, Nüwa does have interesting friendships and relationships with several other canon characters!! I immediately first thought of her and Erwin's tense alliance. Out of all the other canon characters I think she interacts with him the most, begrudgingly. She holds a grudge for his role in Furlan and Isabel's deaths and of course she struggles to understand the appeal of the military, but she also understands that she and Erwin have a common goal in uncovering the real truths about the Walls and working against the government for both selfless and selfish reasons. It would be in both of their interests to work together until their goals are achieved.

During the canon era, I also see her taking a liking to Armin, as she is also someone whose strengths lie in intelligence rather than physical strength, and his optimism and dreamer's heart reminds her a little of her younger self. I also think she and Historia form a friendship as well, as Historia will need a guiding hand when it comes to governing the Walls. And I think she and Mikasa have a fair bit to bond over, seeing as there are very few people of Asian descent in the Walls. I think this particular dynamic only really develops after Season 3. Also, considering that she becomes Odelia's aunt, (Odelia is another OC of mine, pls refer to the last ask if you need to), she ends up seeing Jean more often than the other recruits, and she approves of him as a potential nephew in law, lol. (And by extension she gets to know Jean's mum as well and oh my god that friendship would be very wholesome. And also because Nüwa's parents have long since passed at this point, she'd find a bit of comfort in a motherly figure like Jean's mum 🥹)

As for her being a canon-breaking character... well, I don't plan on doing any major canon-divergences in the first half of the story because she's not a soldier and isn't that involved in human-titan conflicts, so she instead causes smaller changes instead of breaking canon all together. But, I think these changes will compound over time. I haven't quite finished fleshing out the time-skip and Season 4 stuff - I don't want to make it an entirely different arc, but I think there will be some more significant changes as she's more involved in human-human conflicts, which is the main focus on Season 4 anyway. Also there is nothing wrong with breaking canon so don't be afraid of it!! Canon-divergence AUs are fun and an equally valid type of fic. But, of course, if you want to remain strictly canon-compliant, it's a little trickier to do and I commend you for it! I don't know your OC so I can't give any specific advice (am I even qualified to give advice???). But if it's okay I would like to remind you that small tweaks to canon are perfectly fine, because all fanfictions are transformative works, this is an inherent part of writing fic. So even if you want to remain as canon compliant as possible, please allow yourself some leeway! There are inevitably going to be changes because of your OC's involvement, no matter if they are minuscule changes or changes that completely shift the direction of the story. No matter what, it's perfectly okay to bend the rules. So don't stress yourself out over being strict with canon compliance, the more important thing is to have fun! I hope all of that made sense. I hope you enjoy working on your Levi x OC project and if you share more about it in the future, I look forward to hearing from you again! Once again thank you so much for your ask <3 have a lovely day!

[thessalian]

Thess vs The Placenta Guy

It says something about my life that while I do know all the names of the Undesirables I type for (because no one else wants to), the only nickname I really have for any of them is the one for who I can only call The Placenta Guy.

Look, the man does absolutely nothing but placenta cut-ups. Now, the thing about placenta cut-ups is that while they're booked under the mother's name, obviously you need to know a lot about the child (or children, if twins or something) when you're doing these, because you're generally trying to identify a placental cause for any issues that took place during the birth. Thus you have a triage form, which is mostly handwritten and generally fiddly and needs to be done every single time. Now, I used to be able to just copy from the form, but the new iteration of the system we're using is a mess - think badly designed website with large banner boxes that will not go away and get in the way of everything - and it's even worse on a small screen - say, a laptop screen. I'm contemplating asking for a USB-connective screen because the whole thing is a disaster on legs for me most of the time. But I've been coping as best I can because things are enough of a mess right now and I honestly don't want to make any kind of request this close to the holidays anyway.

Anyway. Point is that while placenta cut-ups are fiddly and annoying, they generally aren't urgent. So they sit in a pile until someone gets to them, and that someone kind of dumps them in all at once. But with the workload we've been having lately, there doesn't seem to have been time set aside to just sit down and do them. Instead, we have The Placenta Guy, staying after hours to dump whole bunches of them in the queue at once. First was Thursday night between 6-7pm. So I log in today, because more fucking overtime because there really is too much mess right now, and guess what? He was in for a couple of hours in the late morning / early afternoon, dumping another nearly dozen placenta reports into the queue. [EDIT: I tell a lie. He's still there, and the number of placenta cut-ups in the queue for today is now up to 15. He hasn't dropped one into the queue for about 15 minutes but these take awhile to do so that means nothing.] So they've got this guy pulling overtime to get the placenta cut-ups done, and me pulling overtime to get the reports for them typed. Because honestly, he's stayed late on other days and the other secretaries have just skipped them en masse to leave me to deal with them. Because gods forbid they make my life even the tiniest bit easier.

Right. I'll probably be stuck with at least Thursday night's offerings from The Placenta Guy, but the ones he put on the system today are problems for the rest of the girls on Monday. I am so fed up with being left with the annoyances, especially when I'm working overtime while still ill because they can't pick up the pace and our managers can't hire the help we clearly desperately need or even give this one secretary more hours, even though she's been begging for more hours. Why will they not give her the hours she obviously wants while making the disabled staffer pull overtime? I guess my work from home set-up works against me.

I'm stalling and avoiding, I know. But I'm looking down the barrel of a whole lot of work from The Placenta Guy because I'm basically at Thursday night's mess, and I don't want to. And of course they're all in a clump so unless I type them out of order, I'm stuck with the whole bunch of them one after the other. I swear, if they're going to have junior doctors dump this many longish reports into the queue well after hours on top of having all the junior doctors come in an hour before the secretaries do and leave one hour after the secretaries do, no fucking wonder we're always behind, even without the "unexpected absences". Which means this is going to be a cycle of me getting tortured with hours I should not be doing. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA.

Oh, and to top it all off, turns out that the electrician my stepfather has coming in to replace the fuse boxes in here is coming at 8am, not 8:30 as previously stated. Apparently the electrician wants to come in earlier because "there's at least some light" (not the way this flat is located, there isn't; not at 8am in late November, but eh) and my stepfather will not tell him, "No, you said 8:30 so it's 8:30". Which is bullshit but never mind. Still means a half-hour less sleep. Though my stepfather did say I could crash in their spare room on Sunday night so I don't get disturbed, but ... no. I want my own bed. Besides, with this cold/flu thing I'm still suffering with, I'd probably snore like a fucking buzzsaw and I won't disturb anyone else that way if I can avoid it. Besides, it's yet more time without my computer.

Everything about this entire weekend blows dead goats for nickels.