#intern chell au

[britishsquidward]

Chelley Week 2024, Day 6: Heartbeart/AU

(AU being Blue Sky but the other way around, lol - Orange Sky)

Somehow it didn't immediately occur to him that Chell wasn't covered in all those silly little colours barricading him from viewing anything at all, and took to what he was best at: speaking his mind. "Is that you?" a moment passed where said nothing in favour of rubbing his stinging eyes, "Oh, wow, you look awf-" What he saw when he looked up again was certainly a sight to behold. One that stopped him talking, actually, so assuredly some kind of miracle. Or at least a world record. Right next to where he'd left the cold, lifeless shell of a core, stood the prettiest, most beautiful woman he'd ever seen in his entire existence, and probably before that, if it were even possible. What little light was left in the room from the instructional video he'd left on standby hit her just perfectly, emphasising every delightful detail and feature. Her eyes were a fairly dull colour alone, but when she stood in the light like that, he'd never seen eyes shine brighter than hers, like two burningly beautiful stars sitauted in the middle of a stunning night sky. The sort of sky that you usually wouldn't pay half a mind to unless you really, truly looked and realised just how beguiling it was. Wheatley was having trouble focusing on one thing. Her skin looked soft and smooth, as did her hands - well-kept and taken care of, a contrast to his pale and damaged ones (he often found himself getting papercuts and getting too emotional over them, or being disappointed when his knuckles got all red and dry again in the hotter months of the year). Her hair fell oh-so-perfectly across her face, looking elegant yet messy at the same time, the combination of which just radiated an over all feeling of breeziness. And her face, she was-

'Okay', Wheatley internally spoke as he took a moment to compose himself, 'calm down, Wheatley, she's just a bit of light. Like a... photo..synthesis... or something. Something like that. Dunno what that means, but I remember it from somewhere. She is sort of like a photo, though. Pretty as one. AUGH wait, no, stop this... Just keep talking!' "...Gorge- GOOD." quick to correct himself, nice save, "L-looking good, actually. Very... very nice."

[sirenselfship]

In control chapter two

Chapter two: The light kept alive

A/N: So I started writing this on the same day as The Failure, so that means this AU has just ignited the writer inside me and I have energy to pump out chapters after chapters!

Haha don’t worry I have control.

Totally.

I’m also trying to decide how I want to switch up the POVs? Do I alternate between Siren and Wheatley, or do I switch them up whenever I want? Aaaaaah decisions!

Oh and the usual. PORTAL 2 SPOILERS.

(And apparently I keep coming up with notes in the middle of writing and have to add them in later. So anyways I am not the best at ship writing or any kind of relationship in writing, but I did use Geekenders’ Portal 2 musical as a guide for how I wanted to write Wheatley. Hence why he uses “Luv” when referring to Siren, since in the musical that’s how he refers to Chell. Check it out of you haven’t, and now I will actually leave

OH AND DRINK WATER)

(Siren here again… wow. Anyways may I suggest listening to “Suddenly Wheatley” while reading this?

Also Tumblr is mean and messed up some of the colour text. There is no fix so please ignore it. Aperture is not responsible for feeling frustration from messed up edits- I’M SORRY XD ANYWAYS I WILL ACTUALLY LEAVE)

POV: Wheatley Time: Chapter 6, the fall

“What. Did. You. DO TO HIM?!” “All I did was shut him down with a quick shock. Maybe that’s why they named you ‘Siren’. Your screams of pain are loud enough to ruin a party. You’re a true monster. Anyways back to the Moron.“

There were voices, and then they faded away. There was darkness, and now there was silence.

Using up all my remaining strength, I turned myself back on.

I was met with destruction and a mess. This wasn’t her chamber. This wasn’t even Aperture. There was dirty, brown, probably never saw the light of day water, fire, smoke, metal fragments (A/N: hmm those would be great sources of titanium… oh sorry don’t mind the Subnautica reference) and above me, hanging from the non existent ceiling, was the remains of an elevator.

I missed a lot.

“What did I miss Luv?” I asked, listening to my own words echo in this… chamber. Pit. Strange place. Whatever this place was.

There was silence.

“Luv?” I called out again. Then the panic kicked in. “Oh no… she got her didn’t she? Luv? Luv?!”

In panic, I activated my flashlight that wouldn’t kill me, and looked around the room. I was looking for slick, messy, tangled and partially dyed faint lavender hair, tattered jacket, and futuristic white boots…

I found just that under some rubble. Slick white and black, under a part of the elevator that fell. There was only one choice left, and that was for heroic Wheatley to save her. I lifted the panel and threw it somewhere else, probably at a bird’s nest because I heard one go off and fly away. Coward.

“There you are Luv! So what happened while I was gone?” I asked, but received no answer. She couldn’t be dead, right? “Uuuh Luv? Are you still alive? Give me a sign you’re alive. Like a tap. One tap if you’re alive but internally dead, two if you’re alive, and none if you’re-“

Her eyes flickered open, the brightest brown I’ve ever seen staring back at me. My heart leaped in happiness, a warm fuzzy feeling suddenly creeping in. Siren gently lifted her foot and did a single tap, the sound of water splashing indicating the first tap. And then she did a second, much weaker tap.

And then she collapsed again, face first, into the water. The warm feeling leaving me.

“Long story short, we failed.” She mumbled, lifting her face so she didn’t have to taste dirty water whenever she talked. (EW) “Now if you excuse me, I’m going to continue being depressed over here.”

With that, she collapsed on the ground again.

So she actually managed to reclaim control over the facility and probably tried to kill us. And now Siren’s depressed because of it. It’s heroic Wheatley to the rescue, again. And I happen to know how to cheer someone up with a song

”Aww don’t be like that.” I told her, gently placing a hand on her shoulder. I was met with her beautiful eyes again as she gently lifted her face from the ground. “We’ll get through this together. Just the two of us Luv! There’s a blue sky waiting for us! I promise you that.”

(A/N: Hi it’s author siren again. Italics is singing. And if you haven’t already go put on Suddenly Wheatley)

“Pick up that gun, And straighten your jumpsuit She said it looked bad But I think it's okay You beat her once Now let's go for a repeat Just bring me with you And we're on our way.”

“Suddenly Wheatley Is right here besides you”

Dancing was definitely not one of my strong points, but with how my voice echoed in the space, I could forget about how bad my dancing was. I could hear Siren giggling at my singing. My plan was working.

“You've given me purpose I know what I'm for. I used to guard humans But now I will guide you To freedom and baked goods Wheatley's your core”

“Didn’t know cores were good at singing.” Siren commented as I bowed. “Alright my turn at this singing thing!”

I wasn’t expecting her to sound this good. She slowly started standing up, portal gun back in her hand.

“I've never had a Helper to guide me "She's self reliant" That was the phrase The spark of conviction That's burning inside Once was an ember Now it's a blaze~”

“Suddenly Wheatley Is right here beside me He showed that he trusts me He leapt off his rail. And through this confusion, I've got him to guide me, If we work together, then we can't fail.”

“You’re doing great Luv!” I called out to her, grabbing her free, not-holding-a-portal-gun hand. Her hand was warm despite everything that happened. “Now-“

“Please tell me, darling, you're going to be clever Tell me you'll get through These tests in our way”

“All of her chambers Are harder than ever But this is a game I’ve already played!”

“Suddenly Wheatley~” “Suddenly Wheatley-“ “Is here to provide me” “Here to provide you” “Limited guidance” “Well now that's grateful” “To get through this floor” “'swhat I'm for.”

“Finally an ally” “Right by your side dear!” “Standing beside me/you” “To face down that monster” “To face down that monster”

“Switch off neurotoxin” “Wheatley's my core...”

[horribletestsubject]

Fic I just wrote based on These Two art pieces that I’ve drawn and THIS POST by @body-utensil-travels-terrain

———

You’ve spent your life being told you couldn’t. Now there’s a voice telling you that you can.

You remember it distinctly. You were fourteen at the time, just really starting to figure out what you wanted to do with your life (it certainly isn’t what society expected from you— but then, society doesn’t expect someone like you anyway, does it?) when you first heard her voice over the radio in your living room. The words she said resonated with you, the promise and ambition that she spoke with. It was almost like she was talking directly to you.

You do your research. You study hard. You tinker away at things in your garage, supplementing your studies in your own way. And five years later, after you’ve graduated, you put in your application.

A letter arrives a few weeks later, emblazoned with the circular symbol you’ve kept in your mind’s eye all this time, and bold lettering on the front— Aperture Science Innovators. It’s addressed to you. You open it, and your fingers tighten around the smooth paper— “congratulations” it says. You’ve been accepted. At the bottom is Her signature. You trace over it with your fingers. Delicately, as gently as you’d handle an irreplaceable machine part.

Two weeks later your bags are packed and you’re boarding a flight to Detroit. The attendant greets you. You hold up your boarding pass and get on. You land a few hours later. Getting a cab would be too complicated— people don’t like to take the time to read, and most can’t speak the way you do. So you walk to the train station, it’s not too far. Just an hour or two. You’ve walked further before.

Flat fields flow by endlessly as the train rattles down its tracks. You lean your head against the window, watching the hues of gold rush by, blurring on into infinity.

The sun is gone when you pull up outside a strange little town, surrounded by chain link fence. You fish through your bag for the packet you’d been sent— and pull out the temporary ID you’d been given. You show it to the gate guard. He lets you in. A man is waiting to show you your dormitory. You shake your head at his offer of a tour— you’ll explore the place yourself tomorrow. There are a few days before you’re actually needed for orientation.

The room is small and plain. A bed, desk, and dresser, and a small closet. That’s alright. You don’t need much. You hang up your few articles of clothing and tuck your shoes next to the door. The bed isn’t soft, but it isn’t hard. You fall asleep quickly, exhausted from your travels.

The next few days are spent wandering. Visiting the little shops, the stations. Peering into labs where you can. Climbing over fences (they could never keep you out) before quickly retreating as a security guard passed. You don’t want to get in trouble before your internship even begins. You wonder if you’ll see her. But you only hear her voice in announcements as you trigger motion sensors throughout the complex.

When work actually starts, it’s tedious. Getting coffee. Taking documents to the shredder and the incinerator. You don’t usually see the labs. Or, well, much of anything. It’s just a lot of running here and there, back and forth at your superiors’ beck and call. It’s tiring. But you do it— after all, you want to be here, you want to do this— and you never give up.

It’s a few months before you see her— before your internship takes you to the main complex. Now you’re checking inventory, sorting mail, sorting records (and chucking the casualty lists into the incinerator as instructed). Occasionally they’ll call you in to fix the coffee maker or the refrigerator.

You hear her voice once, muffled— she’s talking to someone, to a group it seems, just outside the room you’re in. You look over your shoulder and catch a glimpse. Rosy cheeks and bright-red lips, wavy dark hair flowing around her shoulder, a smile on her face (manufactured, you can tell with just this glance that she’s concealing so very much), a bright red scarf tied around her neck.

Your eyes lock for just a second, and the corner of her mouth creases, dimpling her cheeks. Your heart races— that, that was a hint of a true smile. Warmth flushes your own cheeks and you tear your gaze away. Suddenly shy— much shyer than you’ve ever been before.

It doesn’t make sense to you. Not yet. Not until you start seeing her more. Not until her smiles become more frequent and pointed. Not until her gaze lingers on you a little longer than before each time. The fluttery feeling doesn’t go away— and you’re determined more than ever to reach her.

Of course, it happens sooner and easier than you think. She starts requesting you specifically to bring her her coffee. You take a red pen and draw a little smiley face next to her name before giving it to her. When you come up to her office, there’s a sticky note left on the monitor, in that oh-so-hard to read yet absolutely beautiful cursive of hers. At the end of it is a smiley face, so much more elegant and less childish than yours. You keep the note. On her next cup, you add a heart to the dot of the ‘i’ in her name. You start responding to her notes with little notes of your own, your rounded, sometimes scratchy handwriting a stark contrast.

The notes are never there when you get back. You like to think she kept them. You’re pretty sure she did.

A year after you arrive, your internship is over, and you’re up for a promotion— junior mechanic. Probably still more of the same, but you’ll be getting a salary now (not that you really have any use for it since Aperture provides your housing) and you’ll have a permanent place. But you’ll see her less. You’ll miss that, of course— but you’re finally moving beyond your station, moving up in the company.

The day before your internship ends, you get another note. “Wanna get coffee together tomorrow?” Your heart leaps. You scribble out your answer just beneath her writing.

You’re sitting across from her at the cafe table. The cafe serves the same stuff as the cafeteria, but it’s decorated more quaintly, and always costs more for some reason. Maybe because there’s sunlight coming through the windows.

“So, headed up the ladder,” she begins after the two of you sip your drinks (well, she sips her drink, you’re too caught up in the crimson of her lips). “I guess I won’t be seeing as much of you now.”

There’s something behind her cheery voice, a sadness that you’ve caught glimpses of before, a wistfulness deeper than her words. You look up, catching her gaze for a moment and nod in response.

“Well, this is nice. Maybe we should do this more often. Once a week, at least? Or you could come over to my place. We could spend time together. As friends, or something.” With that, she gives you a wink. Your cheeks flush bright red.

You catch the implication right away. Your hero, your inspiration— and now here you are sitting across from her at a cafe while she all but outright asks you out.

You thought you’d be excited for things to grow beyond the notes and the gestures. But you feel different than that. After the initial jolt, the initial flutter, you look back over at her and you see the chasm yawning out between the two of you. The mountain she’s perched on, the valley you’re standing in. Your scratchy print against her elegant cursive, your short, bitten nails against her sharp manicure, your messy ponytail against her shiny waves. You look down at your simple intern’s badge, then over at her emblazoned one. She doesn’t even have a title listed— everyone knows who she is.

You’re miles apart, even if you might have seemed to be closer.

You stand up, your throat knotting up as you shake your head. You can’t look at her now, but you can practically feel the disappointment in her face as she murmurs “oh.” You want to explain but you can’t, your thoughts racing a mile a minute. The last thing you want is to turn Her, your idol, the one who makes your heart flutter, the reason you came here in the first place, down.

But you can’t do this now. Not yet. Not until you’ve reached the top of the mountain. Not until you’re close enough for her to reach out her hand and pull you the rest of the way up.

“Let me know if you change your mind,” she says.

You pause, halfway to the door. You turn back just enough so that you can glimpse her, and give a tiny nod.

After that you throw yourself into your work. Up to senior mechanic, then technician, then engineer— you’re working on Aperture’s new technology now, its most important projects. But you’re still not close enough. Into the test chambers you go at the CEO’s behest, defying death and physics at breakneck speeds, trusting in the tech you’ve helped create to ensure your survival.

Sometimes you look up and see her watching from the observation room, the tell-tale flash of red. You don’t look too long.

The CEO falls ill. He leaves a disturbing message. You try not to think too much of it— you’re almost there.

Your superior fails a test. You’re not surprised. Not hurt, not sad. It just happens and now you’re in the upper echelon. Now you’re at the top— now, you can reach out to her again. Tell her you’ve changed your mind. You can be equals now.

You go to her office. She isn’t there to answer the door. “Don’t you remember Mr. Johnson’s last request?” They say to you. You tried to block it out, but you remember.

You use your pass on a high security door. It opens. Your name is emblazoned too now. Just like hers was.

Before you is a massive operating system. On the screen reads a message: “transfer complete. transfer successful. writing data : do not disconnect subject.”

She’s lying inside a tube-like compartment. A transparent coffin. Wires hooked up to her. Eyes closed. Lips still ruby red.

You reach out and touch the glass. There’s no response. There won’t be a response.

This technology is untested. This is the first human-AI interfacing project Aperture has conducted. There’s only a fifty percent chance it will work, and even if it does, it doesn’t change the fact that she’s gone. You’ll never clasp her small hands inside your own calloused ones, tuck your head against her shoulder, press your lips against hers.

You’ve finally reached the top of the mountain. Finally reached her. But it was too late. When you crested the summit, she was already gone, and there was only a spatter of crimson left behind to show that she was ever there at all.

[cinnasscribbles]

Portal AU where Chell is a tired intern who is absolutely smitten with her boss... and not hiding it very well.

COMMISSIONS | KO-FI

[reanimationstation]

*makes a frankenstein portal 2 au*

[britishsass]

“Oh, come on, give me a new nickname.” with the casino mission and vn!scout?

You know me too well, my friendo.

"Alright, this is Stovetop." Alyx said as she got her headset back in order. "Catch me up."

"Stovetop, where have you been?" Barney asked. "Sorry, forgot. This is Armchair. I'm waiting on my cover."

"You're going to be a contractor from Platyplumbers Plumbing. Security code is 872356. Your name is Carl Barson. Understood?"

"On it."

"Good to have you back, Stovetop. This is Mecha checking in from the vents," Gordon added. "Ready whenever you are."

"Three, two, one. Go." She hit a few buttons, then took a breath. "Alright, I'm sending in our next operative."

"Next operative?" Gordon asked.

"This is-- Listen, Agen-- I mean, Stovetop, can I please get a new nickname? Anything other than this--" Scout complained, but the small laugh on the other end of the connection told him otherwise.

"Nope. It's the one that was chosen. You're stuck with it until the end of time."

"Fine. This is Birdcage. I'm on the move with Bagel, Toaster, Jump Rope, Wrench, Firefly, and Yo-Yo. We're gonna get in there in 10."

[scorchrend]

Who's the au gonna be focused on? For both dragalia and pokemon

(just for clarification the au is not an eeby deeby situation and more of "what if they existed here in this world")

since dragalia lost is a gacha game, most characters i implement will get some kind of showcase. every playable character in the game has a 5 part story that comes with them

that said, so far i have plans for:

ingo (and sneasler) , emmet, elesa, akari, nate

and (the still growing list of) characters i want to implement but still dont have plans for:

barry, caitlin, thorton, skyla, burgh, colress, clemont

when it comes to the in game banners though, units usually release alone or in pairs— and stories can include other characters so. the game also has a few overarching plots that happen through stories and events so if the character is not part of an event it's possible for them to be implemented in the storyline through their character story

thats confusing.

tldr they tend to group characters together which yay! relationships :]

so ill put here my planned character groupings (includes dragalia lost characters) and a short word on what i think the group is about. i might tweak stuff in the future but this is how it is in my google docs

Tech Development: Ingo (captains of Chelle's landship), Emmet (they're also inventing public rail), Elesa, Thorton, Clemont, Chelle (princess of Chanzelia, their boss)

TWINS! : Ingo, Emmet, Euden (main character, Zethia's twin brother) , Zethia (at this point of the stort she is MiA but when she gets back, Euden's twin sister), Zena (Zethia from another world)

Specifically, Fantasy Weapon Development: Elesa (the head), Thorton (works part-time here) Clemont (intern), Chelle (again, their boss— but she's very smart. she probably does a lot of this as well), Skyla (knight of Chanzelia, she has no business here other than Skyla. also mildly egging them on to invent the jetpack or something)

Android Maintenance: Thorton (this is his job. also trying to understand emotion especially in these androids with hearts), Laxi & Mascula (sibling androids who share a heart and body), Eirene & Finni (lesbian androids), Lazry (has been shown fixing Laxi before, is a blacksmith)

Witnessed too much: Nate (victim of eeby deeby), Loki (was witnessed replacing a guy), Phares (was there), Blake (Nate 2 from Eeby Deeby. Based on PokeSpe)

Experimental Shit, definitely an affront to Ilia: Ingo (shit went wrong and he forgor. bound to Barbatos S-Experimental "Sneasler" and can fuse with her), Sneasler (a dragon bound to Ingo, has quite the attitude. not happy about the ordeal but she likes Ingo a lot so. Lol), Akari (bound to Arceus. idk wtf to call it in universe yet), Colress (scientist of The Syndicate here, he does this.), Farren (victim of The Syndicate, he is helping Ingo and Akari escape and go home), Grace (here to investigate the situation of the experiments, helps Farren)

[sunnydaleherald]

The Sunnydale Herald Newsletter, Wednesday, September 14

Buffy turns around with tears on her face. Buffy: Cordelia, could you please drive me home? Cordelia:(surprised) Of course.

~~Helpless~~

[Drabbles & Short Fiction]

Slayer's Mom by badly_knitted (Joyce, Buffy, PG)

Hush by Spander_Lover_Plus (Xander/Spike, E)

Stay, Just a Little Bit Longer by Gabriel_Is_My_Guardian_Angel89 (Darla/Spike, T)

Mystery Character Drabble for Spike by locke-writes (Spike, not rated)

It’s Six Sentence Sunday again!! [Extract] by avatarskywalker78 (Angel, Riley, unrated )

[Chaptered Fiction]

the learning curve - Ch. 1 and 2 COMPLETE! by The_Eclectic_Bookworm (Giles/Jenny, E)

Castles and Dreams - Ch. 6 COMPLETE! by Squeewockle (Buffy/Faith, M)

A Convergence of Warriors - Ch. 4 COMPLETE! by Aragorn_II_Elessar (Tara/Willow, multiple xover, T)

Summer Intern - Ch. 31 COMPLETE! by acs (Joyce, multiple xover, G)

she said I got her if I want (she's so soft like silk chiffon) - Ch. 2 COMPLETE! by sapphicsummers (Cordelia/Buffy, T)

Destiny - Ch. 1 - 5 COMPLETE! by Gabriel_Is_My_Guardian_Angel89 (Drusilla/Spike, Angelus/Spike, multi, E)

What Should Have Been - Ch. 1-7 COMPLETE! by Susan19 (Tara/Buffy, M)

Bound - Ch. 20 by spnae (Buffy/Spike, M)

Devouring Time - Ch. 2 by Sigyn (Buffy/Spike, R)

Extra Ordinary - Ch. 8 by Twinkles (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

The Slayer and the Vampire - Ch. 74 by violettathepiratequeen (Buffy/Spike, PG-13)

The Eleventh Hour - Ch. 8 by Wonder and Ashes (Buffy/Spike, PG-13)

Something Blue, But All I See is Red - Ch. 3 by calikocat (Xander/Larry, FR18)

The Nymph's Kiss - Ch. 4 by KyliaQuilor (Faith/Willow/Amy, FR21)

Requisite Random Story Ideas and Fragments - Ch. 10 by AnimeRonin (Xander, multiple xover, FR21)

No Remedy for Memory - Ch. 1 by scratchmeout (Spike/Buffy, NC-17)

Come Back to Me - Ch. 3 by honeygirl51885 (Spike/Buffy, NC-17)

Aeternum in Anno - Ch. 6 by Chelle (Spike/Buffy, NC-17)

Aeternum in Anno - Ch. 1- 7 COMPLETE! by Chelle (Spike/Buffy, NC-17)

A Night Without Day - Ch. 18 by HappyWhenItRains (Spike/Buffy, NC-17)

The Slayer and the Vampire - Ch. 55 by violettathepiratequeen (Spike/Buffy, PG-13)

Not A Monster - Ch. 13 by Grief Counseling, Dusty (Spike/Buffy, NC-17)

[Images, Audio & Video]

Manip: Shall I release you? - Ch. 3 by scratchmeout (Spike/Buffy, NSFW)

Artwork: take me out, and take me home - Ch. 7 by MillennialCryBaby (Spike/Buffy, G)

Gifset: Fuffy + enemies-to-lovers law AU: Buffy and Faith work for rival law firms... by whatisyourchildhoodtrauma (Faith, Buffy, worksafe)

Gifset: BTVS. Artwork by Brian Horton and Paul Lee by andremichaux (various, worksafe)

Gifset: Spike in 5.07 | 7.02 by spikedaily (Spike, worksafe)

Gifset: Buffy and Cordelia. I know what it's like to be hurt by someone. by someonefantastic (various, worksafe)

Artwork: Sexy SIM Spike: I always wished Spike would take his clothes off more... by hellisoursalvation (Spike, NSFW)

Artwork: New AU Moodboard ‘Winifred and William.’ by boopsterliv (Buffy, Spike, Wesley, Fred, worksafe)

Manip: Spuffy: And you'll yield to me like a scent in the breeze.... by scratchmeout (Buffy/Spike, NSFW)

Collection: Collection of vamp faces by buffyology (various, worksafe)

Video: Video: just the girl (giles x jenny) by dreadfulcalendarwoman (Giles/Jenny, worksafe)

Artwork: Art: SpookySIMS. Location: Abandoned Building by Spritebubblegum (Spike, worksafe)

[Reviews & Recaps]

I am very much on Tara's side here, because Willow... by wikiangela

Buffy Rewatch 2k22: 4.10 Hush by handsofabitterman

Buffy Rewatch 2k22: 4.11 Doomed by handsofabitterman

Buffy Rewatch 2k22: 4.12 A New Man by handsofabitterman

Rewatch S06E21 - Two to Go by girl4music

[Comment on S6 Wrecked epi Willow: identity, power corruption, and magic] bygirl4music

[discussion of Giles and Joyce interaction in Bad Eggs] by dreadfulcalendarwoman

PODCAST: Podcast: BTVS 7.21 End of Days by Buffering the Vampire Slayer

PODCAST: Podcast: ATS 4.21 Peace Out by Angel on Top

PODCAST: Podcast: ATS 3.05 Fredless by Pop Culture Role Call

[Community Announcements]

Poll: Let's pick a theme!: seasonal_spuffy by teragramm

Poll: What's the best theme for the Fall 2022 round of Seasonal Spuffy? by teragramm

Third date added now for the Birmingham Big Buffy Meetup (England) by Novel-Chicken8422

[Fandom Discussions]

[BTVS/ATS vs TVD - differences between Spike and Damon, and Angel and Stefan] by we-pay-for-everything

i hate so f*cking much how the scoobies treat jenny after they find out about her "secret agenda." by violet43217

[Discussion of Spike and Dawn and Scooby interactions in S6] by rowan94

She can be alone with him - That can be a really beautiful feeling. by rowan94

[Thoughts on ATS - The Girl in Question] by peggystormborn

Oz and Willow pretty much saying the same exact thing about their feelings... by oveliagirlhaditright

do the Scoobies know how... much Buffy likes and is tempted by Faith? by isagrimorie

Connor and Dawn should’ve interacted at least once. by hellisoursalvation

Willow thoughts: Since “Doppelgangland” and “Consequences”... by becomingbuffypodcast

OMWF is one of the saddest btvs eps of all time... by badrecognition

fang gang as the four trauma responses by angel-thoughts-dump

Preview of Tea Time #1 [comics] by Buffy Summers

First Angel watch - My thoughts by School Hard

Favourite Comic? by nightshade

[Discussion of Robia LaMorte commenting on Joss] by thrasherpix and Plasma

AtS 5 Villainy - Pavayne v Demon Puppets by LWP

Buffy Season 6 has no musical identity by dantespeaks6704

Snyder talking to the mayor in s2 by gardihbfj

Xander fights demons, scared of bullies by Pilgrimzero

Watching episodes and politely averting my eyes when the obvious stunt doubles... by paul_haine

Willow’s face cracks me up by chemeli888

Thoughts on Season 4? by Wacky_clown

Spike and the First fight mid season 7 by MiniCip

Buffy and the scoobies are in a band. Who plays what instrument, and what's the genre? Go. by PunkEmmy

ATS The Girl In Question is a fantastic episode that deserves less hate by rapbarf

Spoilers about season 4 ATS Cordelia by throwra2377244

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Head First

Anonymous said:

Congrats on your milestone. Daring is dangerous Chelle! I dare you to write yourself with Jinyoung and admit that you love him! Everyone knows your hatred is actual love for him! Not a enemy to lovers au like you usually do either. Love from first sight!

Pairing: Park Jinyoung x reader

Genre: love at first sight / office au / fluff

Warnings: none

A/N: You know, anon, daring is dangerous. And you didn’t specify who was the one who fell in love first, hehehehe. Prepare yourself for a different Jinyoung – after all, there’s no enemies to lovers au in this XD

Word count: 2742

He didn’t understand why he was like this around you. Jinyoung had always prided himself as someone with tact and was respected by all those he worked alongside. From his university degree to the office, he was known for his tenacity for a productive working environment.

Yet why was he falling head first at your feet every time he crossed paths with you?

“Are you alright, Jinyoung?” you asked with concern, reaching out your hand but he wasn’t going to allow you to help him scrape himself off the ground. He was dumbfounded and frankly mortified to have tripped over, well, his own feet in front of you.

Slipping your hand back to the folders you held in your arms, you smiled weakly, nodding a little as you walked on by. And once you were out of sight, Jinyoung let out a groan, thumping the wall beside him.

Just what was wrong with him when it came to you?

“I did it again,” he admitted with an elongated sigh as his roommate Jackson handed him the ice pack he had requested. Although he had acted as if his clumsy fall at work hadn’t amounted to much during working hours, once he was off the clock, he was all but limping to the underground parking lot. Now sprawled out on the couch with the cooling pack over the affected area, Jinyoung let out another exasperated whine. “Just why do I keep being so clumsy in front of Y/N?!”

“Because you like her.”

“I don’t even know her!” Jinyoung retorted, throwing his hands up in the air. “Unlike you, I can’t even speak more than four words to her without stuttering or ending up injuring myself! This is the third time I’ve embarrassed myself in front of her. The members in my team are starting to talk; soon I’ll be the butt end of every joke at the company!”

Jackson grinned, shrugging a little as he threw back the remnants of some green juice he made as his pre-workout fuel. Jinyoung glared at his friend, he wouldn’t be able to get in a good gym session tonight with how sore his ankle felt and that annoyed him too.

“Maybe next time try and aim to fall on your butt. It’s probably got the most cushion to handle how clumsy you are right now.”

“I’m not amused.”

“Come on, Jinyoung! Just admit it. What was it like when you very first saw Y/N? Sure, she seems nice enough to me, but something had to have happened when you first met her for you to be this messed up. She’s not someone who’s going to turn heads everywhere she goes, that’s for sure.”

Jinyoung sighed; you were definitely average in looks and skills to most people. As an entry-level worker who was older, you had gained attention quickly throughout the office before Jinyoung had first crossed paths with you. Not many were hired so long out of university by the company and so rumours had travelled fast on what your situation was. Unlike the rest, gossiping wasn’t something Jinyoung partook in during his office hours, focused on getting the tasks he needed to be done and in a productive manner.

It was on your third day when he finally met you when you stepped into the elevator he was already on. Not that he had seen you yet, just the enormous stack of papers you carried. “Oh uh, excuse me, could you please push level eight for me? I can’t let this go right now.”

“Done,” he replied after pressing the button. And like he always did for other employees, Jinyoung reached out to help take some of your load. He took half the stack of reports off the top which you started reacting to immediately.

“Oh thank you! I didn’t expect help but it’s so nice to have someone to share the burden with!”

Now with your face exposed from behind the stack of papers, Jinyoung’s stomach lurched immediately. He wasn’t sure why his body was now tingling or what the reason was for how round his eyes had grown at seeing your face. Yet his system had gone into overdrive, his heart now thumping erratically in his chest.

“You’re very kind for helping me,” you continued, leaning around your stack to read his name badge. “Thank you, Park Jinyoung.”

And it was the warm smile you shot him after saying his name that sealed his ill fate, the weight within his arms dropping and scattering over the entire elevator floor. For the first time in his working career, he was openly flustered, attempting to apologise and scrape everything up before the doors dinged open, your smile now weak, restrained. It was a scramble, and he was certain in your eyes he looked like a complete idiot. Jinyoung had managed to pick everything up just in time for the doors to spring open, dashing out of the elevator and then dumping the pile of files on top of the reception counter for the sales office. He couldn’t even remember if he had said goodbye to you, acutely aware of the weird incoherent sound he had made as he sped walked down the hallway to his department.

Your first encounter had been such a mess, and despite all attempts, he had only continued to be flustered and seemingly incapable of being a proper functioning human in front of you.

Jinyoung sighed, shaking his head. “The only thing that happened was I was a complete idiot and I’ve been that way since.”

“Hm, let’s see,” Jackson replied thoughtfully, reaching out to place a solemn hand over his friend’s head. He then jerked it away dramatically and nodded his head in answer. “That’s it, I dub thee lovesick.”

“You’re not helping.”

“Nor is your damsel in distress act whenever you see her. I have to admit, I’m deeply amused. You, of all people, are the last one I expected to become this messy when you have a crush.”

“I do not have a crush!”

“Jinyoung, you basically avoid her at all costs, even I’ve seen you do it. You definitely are feeling something for her.”

“Yeah, continued mortification,” he grumbled, the annoyance he felt sinking his stomach further.

Jinyoung desperately wanted to regain common ground in the very least. His pride and professionalism were at stake the longer you bothered him and he had worked too hard to let it slip away all because of, well, he still wasn’t prepared to claim he had a crush on you. This wasn’t high school and he was a grown man capable of relationships with others.

He would just have to work harder and prove that whatever silly phase he was in would soon pass. Jinyoung was determined to not let you affect him any longer.

His determination was short-lived. The very next day he had locked himself in the supplies closet by accident when he saw you and diverted his path, stepping into the first room he could find. On Tuesday he accidentally split his iced coffee on his brand new shirt when he choked on his straw when you greeted him on passing and by Thursday he could tell you were now uncomfortable to even see him around the office.

He had successfully made you just as awkward as he was.

And when the doors opened to the elevator and showed you he was riding inside, Jinyoung noticed the way you hesitated to step on. Still, you did so and he pressed himself into the wall anxiously, hoping if he stayed away from you and remained silent, this would be the longest time in your company where he didn’t make a complete fool of himself.

Or you.

“Can I ask you something?” you finally said after a minute of travelling in silence and Jinyoung glanced at you quickly, gripping the bar when he felt his heart rate increase. You sighed heavily. “Are you having fun?”

“F-fun?”

“With teasing me. Everyone says you’re one of the best workers here and very diligent. Yet all I’ve seen out of you is… well, are you acting stupid on purpose?”

Great. So now all this had amounted to you thinking he was doing this intentionally. Jinyoung groaned internally at the predicament before moistening his lips in preparation to talk. Right then, the doors sprang open and he sucked in a deep breath of relief seeing Jackson step inside.

“Morning Y/N!” Jackson greeted and then turned to his friend. “What’s wrong with you? Are you hyperventilating? Ah is it because of-”

“Justdropit,” Jinyoung breathed out hastily, uncaring if this was his stop or not when the doors opened again. He dashed out into the hallway and then turned for the door for the stairs, leaning against the wall as he willed himself to take deep breaths in and out.

Just why were you making him so pathetic?

Jinyoung began to take the stairs for everything. It was safer that way, no longer needing to worry about bumping into you whilst he made his way throughout the company building. Sure, it was a downright hassle, and everyone thought he was nuts even when he proclaimed he was using it as exercise since he sat in a chair all day.

Still, it was easier than dealing with his issue with you.

And because of this newfound avoidance tactic, Jinyoung hadn’t seen you for three weeks.

He thought he’d be more pleased about this.

And he was to some extent. No longer did he leave the office kicking himself for being so flustered each day. He didn’t spend his nights ruminating over how he could have prevented an incident with you earlier in the day because he hadn’t had one. And he was much more productive with his work.

Instead, he yearned to break away from this new habit just to see if he was cured of acting ridiculous in front of you.

And he realised he was feeling down because he hadn’t seen you in person.

Which was completely confusing for him. Of all the things Jinyoung wanted to be known for, clumsy and incapable were not it. And yet that’s all you knew of him. Sure, he had tried to change that and then you had come back with thinking his behaviour was intentional.

He hadn’t faced his problem; in fact, he had run from it and that was equally as stupid as before.

Because strangely, he missed you.

Jinyoung couldn’t fathom how he missed someone he didn’t exactly know more than a name about. He understood missing a family member you hadn’t seen in months. Or a friend who moved overseas. A connection that was lost. But he had no relationship with you and seeing you usually gave him anxiety.

Why did he crave seeing you even after establishing you were the cause to all of his incompetence?

This uneasiness compelled him to linger in hallways more than necessary. He slowly started to return to using the elevator. And strangely, he hadn’t crossed pathways with you within an entire week.

“Y/N?” Jackson repeated as Jinyoung enquired about you, and his friend speared a piece of sushi with a chopstick before frowning. “Didn’t you know she took time off? Maybe a week ago she stopped coming into the office. Something about a child needing her? I think she’s a solo parent.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?!”

Jackson looked at Jinyoung as if he had sprouted an extra head. “Dude, you were losing it over that girl and specifically preached that I never mention her in front of you. Sue me for actually following through for once.”

Now Jinyoung was foolishly mourning the loss of a potential connection – one that he had been blundering his way through over the past three months.

Turning down the chance to go out with his friends in the weekend, Jinyoung instead went to do the groceries, mulling over the list Jackson had given him and trying to decide if the packet he held was macro and organic or not.

And before he had the chance to move off, a familiar face came into his view, smiling hesitantly at him. “Jinyoung, hello.”

“Y/N, who’s that?” the young teenage boy beside you asked and you brushed the hair away from your face and sighed.

“Jinyoung is someone I used to work with.”

“Was my sister really good at her job?! I keep telling her to go back now that I’m better but she won’t!” the boy implored and Jinyoung merely opened his mouth and then closed it again.

You took that as a sign to move on. “Let’s not bother him anymore, hm? It looks like he’s busy with his groceries.”

Before you left the aisle, Jinyoung spun around, taking in a sharp inhale. “I think I like you!”

“W-what?”

Waiting for you to turn around, Jinyoung gripped onto his grocery cart and nodded. “Actually, I know I do. I wasn’t doing it intentionally. You just made me really flustered, is all.”

“Me?” you repeated, glancing at your brother beside you and then back at Jinyoung. “You were flustered by me?”

“Why not, Y/N? You’re awesome!”

Jinyoung nodded rapidly in agreement, feeling dizzy with the action. He groaned. “You see, I don’t know why you get to me but you have ever since I met you. That’s why I made all those errors. I must’ve looked like a fool in front of you, and I often tried not to. And I’m honestly not this clumsy or ridiculous or pathetic normally. Yet in front of you, it was as if my brain stopped working. I even tried avoiding you, taking the stairs instead so you wouldn’t be burdened by me.”

“So that’s where you disappeared to,” you murmured, your smile growing shy.

“You had been looking out for me?”

Nodding, you chewed at your lip. “I kind of missed you.”

“Just kind of?” your brother chirped and you tried to grab onto his mouth to silence him. “If this is the guy who you kept complaining about, then you definitely have missed him. She’s been moping. Take her back to work, please. I’m honestly okay now!”

“Why don’t you go find us what’s left on the list and I’ll pretend I didn’t see the cookies you slipped into the cart earlier,” you bargained, handing the shopping list over to your brother and then clasped your hands in front of you as he went off eagerly. You let out a small laugh. “I guess I missed you more than I wanted to admit. Which is weird right? Because I only know your name.”

Jinyoung shook his head, smiling broadly. “No, I missed you too.”

“You did?”

“My buddy Jackson believes in love at first sight and I always told him that was nonsense. But I can’t think of any other reason as to why you have stirred my life up completely. And sure, love is a bit… well, I wouldn’t go as far to say I love you because all I know about you is your name and that you have a brother. But I’m ready to find out more if you are. This could be the start of love, at least.”

“I didn’t take you for such a romantic,” you teased, though you nodded lightly, your blush indicating just how affected you were by his admission. “And maybe it’s lust at first sight?”

“It’s something,” he admitted with a chuckle and you giggled in response.

Which promptly turned his legs to jelly and he had to crouch before he fell to the ground. Looking up at you exasperatedly, you stooped down to his level, grinning at him happily. “I’m looking forward to getting to know more about you Jinyoung, but could you stop falling at my feet? You make me feel bad because normally it’s me who is incredibly clumsy and in front of you, strangely I’m doing better than I thought. Maybe this is some sort of love.”

You held out your hand and he finally took it, the warmth radiating up his arm making him bury his face in his free hand with how foolish he was acting. Still, he didn’t let you go and you made no attempt to do so either.

“Try to have some patience with me as I combat this, please?”

“With how adorable you’re being towards me, I could wait forever if you needed me to.”

_________________

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[leeknow-bestboy]

If You Close One Eye - Chapter Two

Ships: Han Jisung | Han/Lee Minho | Lee Know, Bang Chan/Yang Jeongin | I.N, If you really squint you can notice Lix is into Binnie, Hyunjin was into everyone once

Characters: All the kids, The ex kid isn't here I edited him out, Other Character Tags to Be Added

Trigger warnings: panic attack, ptsd, original character death, homophobia, original character cheating, descriptive imagery.

Word count: 5878

Chapter: 2/?

Next / previous / first

Tags: Murder Mystery, amateur detective minho, Soulmates, not your typical soulmate AU, Alternate Universe - College/University, Slow Burn, Slow Build, good things take time let it slowburn, minho is singlehandedly responsible for the slow burn so blame him, no soulmates in this universe only they are, criminology student minho, art student jisung, POV Third Person, chan deserves better and he does indeed get better don't worry, art references please look stuff up, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, best sibling bond ever.

"If you close one eye, you can see what your soulmate sees"

Born with one eye an unnatural golden color, Minho and Jisung have been forced to cover them up with colored lenses in order to blend into society.

The magic to their eyes? Even they still didn't know.

This is the story of how criminology major and dance minor Lee Minho found himself hopelessly in love with the serial killer, local artist Han.

[Alternatively, let's see how long I can make these two dumbasses pine without one of them snapping. Edit: they finally did]

[Also WARNING: a HUGE amount of Jeongchan ahead, it's not subtle at all! So much fluff--]

The streets of Seoul bustled as night fell, clubs and pubs lighting their headlights for the passerby's attention. Not a single soul felt real then- as if it was all nothing more than a scene in the movie. Most importantly he knew, not one person dedicated a thought to Minho at that time.

Sitting at the edge of the bed, he had no urge to cry. The tears ended, they've gone, he was past that. Instead, the shock had settled back in. Even his warm, soft covers and a light breeze from outside couldn't comfort him now. The distant sound of civilization... it all proved no use as he dissociated farther.

Calling the police had been an easy first step, so was giving his account of the incident. No, the hard part came in between.

Laying there waiting for help had been... jarring. Lightly said it was hell; crying, scared and anguished, it hadn't even hit yet that he found what he asked for, have been looking for over the last few weeks. All he knew was that he will never forget the sight, and as the sun went down, he kept his light on; terrified of falling asleep.

Blinking rapidly, even late into the night it hadn't left him. Should he call his old psychiatrist? The hallucinations didn't seem to return despite his distress, at least. No pills kept them away, but they hadn't worsened at all like he feared.

Sitting frozen in place he recounted the voice answering his emergency call, deep and reassuring. The warm hands which pulled him to his feet, the worried gaze of the patrolling officer- a kindhearted man in uniform who hugged and comforted him until he calmed down enough to speak coherently. He remembered the backup call for investigation crew one, staying in the man's hold until others arrived. He remembered a tall man speaking, another squeezing his shoulder and commanding the others.

He remembered the officer taking him to the station, same one who found him in that state, the kind mister Kim- worriedly glancing at him as he drove. The tall one joined them, only ceasing in his stream of questions after a pointed glare from Kim.

"Pill, he's the only witness. There was a corpse out there." The tall man defended, crossing his arms and looking out the window without another word.

Arriving there, Minho was struck by how much he wanted to go home. Not to his apartment, mother or sister, not to anywhere he could set his mind to either, but a home he didn't have, didn't know at that time.

"Come on, lets get you some water." Kim offered, leading Minho inside with a warm hand on his back, not before taking his backpack away and placing it where belongings of suspects went presumably.

"Are you cold?" He asked worriedly, noticing the slight shiver that went through Minho as he sat down.

At his hesitant nod Kim left his side, talking in hushed tones to another worker before returning and ruffling Minho's hair.

"I'm heading back out; someone has to stay on patrol. Jae, be nice." He warned, stepping out of the room.

As he left, the worker from before had entered back in carrying a yellow blanket and a cup, and Minho dully noted that he seemed a few years younger than himself. An intern?

A loud cough brought his attention to who he understood by now was an investigator- the tall guy who joined them in the ride, dubbed Jae by officer Kim.

"Are you okay to start?" he asked.

And so, they did.

Turning his gaze to the window in present day, Minho tried his best to forget the things said at his investigation as it led to farther memories of the incident. Passing his statement had gone fine, leading up to his release. The officer had been kind enough to drive him home without being asked, not wanting him to roam the streets in his shaken-up state. He imagined they would summon him back tomorrow, seeing as he collected a lot of valuable information on Chelle's case over time, but that had been it.

Should he look up cat videos? Minho sniffed, shuffling back till his back hit the wall. A sudden movement made him jump, relaxing immediately when he saw Dori and Soonie both jumped up to check on him.

"I'm okay, don't worry." He lied, wiping at his face with a sleeve.

An unfinished drawing; the field from today, Seoul's towers in the distance.

"…I'm not, I'm not okay." Minho corrected, bitterness filling his mouth.

He jumped up, running to crane over the toilet as nausea hit. He didn't even have any dinner, but his appetite had fled the scene for now, so it didn't matter. First night, it was only the first night- he'll get better for sure, he promised himself. He was only shocked, this can't be the end of normalcy for him. He still had a lot to look forward to, he didn't want this day to scar the rest of his life, wouldn't let it.

For now, he let himself go through it. He didn't even like Chelle, but that never meant he wanted this to happen. What was he expecting, anyway? For her to show up one day, alive and well as if nothing happened? On some level this was inevitable, wasn't it?

Dragging his feet to the kitchen, he fixed himself a glass of water and headed back to bed, where he sat and waited for sunrise. He had a few assignments still due, but he was in no mindset to do those.

Eventually light broke, dark circles evident under Minho's eyes. He got up, picking four of the empty water cups to put away and making some coffee for a change.

It was around seven AM that a knock sounded, alerting Minho who's been nodding off and shaking awake with a shiver every couple of minutes for the past hour and a half.

He stood, head spinning as he opened the door to a policeman he only vaguely recognized as the one left in charge of the scene the day before.

"…Minho, right?" The officer started after a while, undoubtedly noticing Minho's tired eyes and deciding to drop the formalities for the time being.

"I am. You have questions for me?" Minho confirmed, fighting the urge to sigh deeply.

"I do. Would you mind if we head out? I can wait for you to change, if you'd like." The cop asked.

Minho stared, realizing he hadn't changed or washed up over the past 24 hours. In comparison, the cop had been clean shaven- black hair in a pretty cut that ended right over his ears. His eyes, sharp and fox like, seemed to hold just the right amount of chill and wit expected of a detective. Moreover, he seemed a sharp contrast to last night's tall detective wearing round glasses, short blond hair messed by wind and small eyes tired yet warm.

"I'd rather we head out right away." Minho decided, trying his best not to let himself get intimidated. Describing the first detective as tall might have been fair, yet standing next to the seemingly icy man he realized he too had a good eight centimeters on him- he was just built a bit wider.

"Before we go, you said yesterday that you have files with information on the case. I'd like to see those" The man requested. Minho nodded, speeding to his bedside where his bag had been left stranded containing everything he's gathered before he left for yesterday's search.

He blinked hard, hoping to stay alert even at his tired state as he handed over his recent list of loose ends. Despite doing so, he failed to notice the man's impressed gaze scanning over the information. "Let's go." He said eventually, seeming oddly pleased. "Bring the bag with you."

.

The car ride had been silent for a while, Minho struggling to stay awake and missing all the concerned glances the other took in his direction. It was broken, eventually, by an unexpected offer trailing from the driver's side.

"Up for some coffee?" The cop asked, eyes twinkling as a cheeky smile spread across his features. Shocked, Minho nodded and noted over to himself- never judge by first impression. The moment the cop smiled, the ice broke- it was as if all the stars in the universe found a new home in his eyes, lips shaped in a heart.

The cop huffed a laughter, and Minho wondered how that person ever left a cold impression to begin with. "I'm gonna get an iced americano for me, what would you like?"

"The same." Minho said quietly, flustered. The cop hummed, obviously agreeing with that choice before his smile grew even more, a feat Minho hadn't thought was possible.

"Hold on," he instructed, stopping the car near a café and stepping outside. Soon enough he returned, two cups of iced americanos and a small croissant in hand.

"You look tired, some sugar might do you good." He explained, and it turned clear to Minho that he was one kind gesture away from breaking into tears.

"Let's go, I have questions still." Ah, there it was. Alright, fair enough- he might have been playing the role of the good cop, there was no need to take it personally.

.

At the station, Minho was faced with a few familiar faces; The tall blond detective, and the boy who brought him a blanket. Officer Kim, however, was nowhere in sight. Instead, a new addition was some guy seated on a waiting chair meant for fugitives, sleeping with a hand thrown over his face, covered head to toe in blankets and snoring quietly.

"Sit down." The blond detective instructed, pointing with his chin towards the chair he had sat in before, next to an office table with two additional chairs on its inner side. The detective himself had elected to lean against the wall, as if rejecting the idea of sitting next to his partner during this.

"Look at this." The black haired commented lowly, placing the bag they brought in the other's hands before sitting in the chair opposite of Minho.

"Would you like some water?" A voice piped in. Looking to his left, Minho found that it was the boy. Black hair messy, he could now tell for sure he wasn't an employee since he wasn't in uniform, and Minho dumbly recalled that he wasn't wearing it the day former either. Smiling lightly, he shook his head- he still had some of his iced americano left.

"Let's go over these again- You are: Lee Minho, a major in criminology, minors in dance. Twenty-one years old."

"Yes." Minho confirmed confidently.

"Yesterday, late afternoon, you were following Chelle's tracks, a girl who's dated your sister and has gone missing without notice. Attending a location that she had occupied in her last moments according to her Instagram page, you have encountered her corpse. Is that correct?"

"Yes." Minho confirmed, quieter this time.

"Over the passing weeks since her disappearance, you have acquired extensive information on Chelle's life and behavioral patterns, coming to know her well- leading to her discovery."

Minho nodded. Please be done soon…

"This was done under the request of your younger sister, eighteen-year-old Lee Ryujin."

"Almost nineteen." Minho corrected numbly. Her birthday was due next week, so nineteen.

"This is good." The tall detective commented, startling the table's occupants. He handed out the papers, slamming them on the table.

"You were right, Bri. We could use that kind of mindset." He continued, throwing Minho into a state of confusion. What was this about?

A groan behind them made the black-haired detective straighten up, leading to Minho looking behind him as well. "Oh, you're awake?"

The sleeping man stretched, making a few painful sounds and moving his hand away from his face. At the sudden recognition, Minho couldn't help but stare.

"Chan?" he asked, disbelief clear in his tired voice.

"Minho? You’re here too." He noted, taking in where he was as his expression fell horribly.

"We called him in after you went home. You can leave, you know." The tall detective commented in a hard tone, hinting on the fact he had told him this numerous times before.

"I can't go home like this; I need to know what happened." Chan insisted, sitting up and leaning his face into his hands. The image had been devastating, unlike anything Minho expected of Chan's character. At that moment the intern returned, carrying a big cup of nice smelling brown liquid and offering it to the grieving man quietly. As he accepted, the intern sat by him and comfortingly held his hand- a kind gesture, filling Minho with sudden affection towards the boy.

"To be honest, we didn't bring you in for questioning." The dark-haired detective spoke, capturing Minho's attention once more.

"We need people who think like you," he continued, communicating with his partner with his eyes, sending him off somewhere-

"And we were wondering if you would agree to an internship, here, with our team."

Minho perked up, surprised. An internship? What for? Why? And how come?

"We investigate hard cases, where people have gone missing or worse. There are a few other teams, this is response crew one. Generally speaking, we are in charge of district nine as well as that part of Seoul's outskirts."

Minho froze, adrenaline starting to pump through his body. "You want me to investigate missing person cases?"

The detective paused, eyes turning sad. "That might be a bit much at this time. Please consider it."

The blond detective returned, carrying a few files which he offered to Minho. "The terms aren't bad, right Innie?"

Minho turned, making eye contact with the boy. "Pretty good. I don't deal with investigations though; I'd rather make coffee." He added.

Reading his terms, they did seem pretty good. The pay was high, and he was promised to get credited over cases he took part in. As for hours, they seemed to be flexible enough for a college student to partake.

What?

Minho stopped, eyes lifting from the paper. Never in his life did he intend to pursue a career as a police detective, hadn’t considered it seriously even. The offer itself had nothing attractive about it, nothing to aid him in his career path and ultimately-

It meant, what happened yesterday?

That will happen again.

Minho felt himself choking up even as he made an effort to settle his breath. These people expected him, they really thought he could go through it again. It hadn't been a day, and still-

What kind of obscure offer was that?

Minho stood, turning away with the intent of leaving that place for good. From the other side, the detective had sighed. "Could you take the papers with you? Think about it?"

It was then that Minho looked up and saw, Chan had been looking at him all that while. He didn't seem judging or tired, although his eyes were red, they were filled with expectations. It seemed that, without knowing Minho that well, he fully believed the other would take and sign those papers, and it hit him that for Chan he was the only real detective at presence.

Had he not taken that request from Ryujin… he wouldn't have found her. He wouldn't have seen it, he wouldn't, and then...

And then she'd have stayed there.

And no one would have ever found her, because no one was looking. Even if Chan was looking, he never would have found her, because none of the information he gave was what led to her and because Chan was not Minho, didn't think like him.

And that wasn't okay.

"Oh?" The tall detective sounded, pleasantly surprised as Minho sat back down and pulled a pen out of the batch near the computer, neatly signing his name in big letters. If he didn't, he knew it would haunt him forever, the thought that he would have left Chelle to lay in a field if given a chance.

"What can I say kid, welcome to the crew."

.

After that, he had learned the names of all the office workers. The detective in charge; Park Jaehyung or Jae, his partner; called Young K on the field, Kang Younghyun normally and Brian by close friends. Their boss, an impressive man named Park Sungjin, would show up here and there but mostly worked odd hours. The head of the emergency call unit who had coincidentally picked up his call was a shy man named Yoon Dowoon, and head officer Kim- the title had Jae wheezing for air, was normally called Kim Wonpil. The intern, referred to as Innie by the others, stood up and formally introduced himself as Yang Jeongin, grin shining brightly enough to draw everyone's eyes to himself.

"For Chelle's case." Young k spoke up, immediately drawing Chan and Minho's attention.

"We found that she had shot herself. Her parents asked to cremate her as soon as we called, but the forensics team decided to get an autopsy anyway. It seems that the time of death was right around the upload of her last post, which makes it a bit difficult to tell if there is anything more to it. We have no reason to suspect that much, either."

As he went on, Chan covered his mouth, tears beginning to spill from his eyes.

"Some things we found a bit strange, but it could be that a wild animal got to the scene before us. Since the art suggests she went there herself, it isn't too far fetched to assume she went out to die."

Minho stared at the ground, hand lifting to pass his fingers through his hair. "Can I call my sister?"

Young k nodded. "Of course. Go ahead."

Minho fished his phone out, staring at Ryujin's contact. He hadn't found it in him to call her last night, but now that its been confirmed he had no other choice.

"Hello! Oppa? How are you?" Ryujin voice sounded, breaking Minho's heart farther.

"Ryu, where are you?" He asked, skipping formalities.

"I'm at home! Did anything happen?" She asked, concerned.

"Please sit down." Minho instructed, stalling.

"Yes? I'm seated. Are you alright? What's going on?" She asked with slight panic.

"I'm at a police station. I found Chelle yesterday, Ryu, she didn't make it." Minho said, hoping to make the pain quick.

"What? What do you mean she didn't make it?" Ryujin asked, confused.

Young k grimaced, gesturing for Minho to pass him the phone. As he did, he elected not to put her on speaker.

"Ryujin? This is Officer Kang speaking. We regret to inform you that my crew has recovered the body of Chelle, twenty-one-year-old, yesterday during late afternoon."

The cries that followed will remain in Minho's memory for the rest of his life, and suddenly he felt thankful to Young K for letting the memory relate to himself, a cop, rather than Ryujin's brother.

.

The ride back home had been uneventful, Young K deciding to leave Minho be in his fatigued state. By now his head had started to pound, making it clear he wouldn't make another night without sleep.

Frustrated, Minho lifted a hand to rub over his face. There it was: the drawing of the field, now colored more fully. It seemed that this particular hallucination would stay with him a while.

"Are you okay?" Young k asked, worried but not overbearing. No, he wasn't okay- but that was a private issue.

"As okay as I can be." He replied, hoping to end it at that. Young k nodded, full focus back on the road.

.

That night's sleep had been broken, Minho waking up every thirty or less minutes from vivid nightmares he couldn't fight off. By morning it felt as if his head was split in two, and he couldn't imagine attending his classes for the day. Instead he stayed in, arm thrown over his eyes in despair. He will get through this, he better.

Soon, for sure- he will get to sleep. Right?

Deciding to at least fix himself up, Minho stood up and took off his shirt as a start. Walking over to the bathroom sink, he brushed his teeth lazily for a while and checked the dark circles under his eyes. Next, he took his good cleanser and foamed it, spreading it on his face before washing it off. Toweling off the right side of his face, he could read big letters written on a whiteboard.

Example number one: the post-impressionistic art of Vincent Van Gogh

Notable works: Wheat Field With Crows, Starry Night, Sunflower On A Vessel, The Potato Eaters.

Background: Born in 1853, Van Gogh has been traveling for most his life, finding inspiration in different places and subjects. Van Gogh had famously suffered from prolonged psychotic episodes that were reflected heavily in his art, resulting in him taking his own life on 1890.

Minho blinked, faced back with nothing but his reflection. He picked up the dropped towel, a striking thought sending shivers down his spine.

There was no way, was there?

Jogging back to his bedside, he picked up his phone with shaking hands before typing the painter's name into the search bar. Changing his mind, he deleted it- he'd be out of his mind to think that a hallucination of his could be of importance. This was a result of his mind playing tricks, nothing more, and he should remember that. Hold on to reality, don't confuse it with illusion.

The illusions, he thought, might be worsening after all.

Turning back to finish what he started, Minho picked out his contact lens and stripped the rest of the way, stepping into a warm relieving shower. However, he couldn't shake the feeling of being watched- not disturbingly so, but somehow reassuringly. He stared at air, reminding himself that the bathroom had no windows and trying to empty his head.

On the other end of the bathroom, the mirror had fogged up.

When done, Minho threw on a hoodie and joggers, deciding to go on a run despite his exhaustion. Staying here, he though, would do him no good.

It was late noon when his phone rang, Jae calling him up to the station. Everything had progressed so fast, But Minho figured it was a better pace for coping rather than dwelling on each unfortunate development in his life.

Fortunately, he had been near the station at that point, having refused to return to the stifling apartment after his Jog. As he ran there, he was comforted once again by the feeling of normalcy- the couples, children and teenagers roaming the streets with no fear. Soon, he swore. Soon he'll recover and feel as unbothered as they do, as he used to feel.

Once at the station Minho was confused to see Chan once more, seated on the waiting chair as he had last time. Rather than greeting him or even glancing his way at the sound of the door closing, the blond seemed occupied with daydreams. Following his gaze, Minho figured he was probably fixated on nothing in particular, seeing as it fell on the unexciting sight of Jeongin watering some flowerpots by the windowsill.

"Hello to you too." Rang Jae's voice from where he was standing at the start of the corridor. Minho turned, realizing he had completely ignored the man earlier.

"Hello hyung. How are you?" He asked calmly, hoping to sooth the other's anger, that he hadn't realized was non-existent.

"If you talk politely to Jae, he's going to grow a bigger ego." Warned a smooth voice that entered behind Minho, softly closing the door behind him.

"Officer Kim!" Minho called, smiling at the man he recognized as his savior during what was arguably the most scarring experience in his life. At the title the man smiled, and Minho could swear he saw flowers bloom around him for added effect, a bright halo shining around his head like a real-life saint sent by god himself.

"I heard you've joined team one! That's very impressive. I'll have you know they're the best of the best, you can learn a lot by interning here with them. That and I'm glad you seem to be better, I kept worrying about you, you know."

Minho's eyes warmed, turning glossy. That was a very cool thing to say, which was probably what warranted Jae to speak next.

"You say that and then pretend to be some hero. You're just Wonpil, resident snake." He commented, eyes squinting with pretend annoyance. Ah, Minho noted. So, they are friends.

A small rustling of Jeongin squeezing past Jae into the hallway averted Minho's attention back to Chan, who still hadn't spoken a word. Comically, it seemed, his gaze followed the intern.

"Chan?" Minho asked, slight amusement sneaking into his voice. Chan sighed, moving his gaze to the floor. It seemed that he had been quite out of it, and Minho suddenly wondered if Chan had it any better, or if he too was unable to sleep like himself.

"Chan!" he tried again, this time snapping the elder out of his trans.

"Minho? Hello! How long have you been standing there? Hyungs too?" He asked, visibly flustered.

"You'd be surprised." Jae chuckled, quickly correcting himself to lessen the blow,

"Not too long, don't worry. I get like that too when I work."

Chan hummed, marking the end of the discussion. Accepting that fact, Jae had instead picked up his explanation of the relevant topic at hand.

"Chan, since you're here as Dowoon's volunteer, I expect you to take responsibility and show us we can count on your help. You two won't go through the same materials, obviously, since detectives in training don’t correspond with call receptors at all, but since Dowoon is busy I agreed to take you in for the general introduction to the law system. I assume Minho doesn't need this sort of thing?"

Minho shook his head, processing the new information. Then, Chan came to volunteer at the emergency call center? That sounded impressive. As for training, at least, his college classes would be of some use.

"Great. To make a point, I am also busy- and I'm going to be busier with Minho from now on. Please ask Jeongin for help if it's anything basic, he knows his way around better than maybe half the newly hired cops, even if he says he wants no part of it."

After the short disclaimer, Jae made way for a closet at the end of the room. Unlocking it smoothly, he pulled out some neat files to lay on the table. Turning to a shorter cabinet on the other end of the room, he struggled with the lock numbers, eventually asking Wonpil for help. When they did crack it open, it made a rusted sound- creaking and opening painfully with force. Pulling out a thick, heavy book from the bottom, Jae sneezed with feeling- erupting a tall cloud of the dust that gathered on top of it.

"Jesus." He commented, wiping his nose. Figuring out the outcome, Minho stifled a laugh as the taller dumped the dusty book unceremoniously into Chan's arms, causing the other to stagger a bit.

"Good luck." Minho mouthed, earning a nose scrunch in return. It was essential to find pleasure in the little things in life, such as being spared of having to read that monstrous fossil and getting to watch Chan suffer through it instead.

"Get started on that, then. Minho, come take a look." Jae instructed, Wonpil sending Chan a look full of sympathy.

And so, it begun.

.

Over the past week Minho had gotten used to the reduced amount of sleep he was getting, returning to his classes and working as earnestly as ever. After classes ended on some days, he would pay a visit to the station, where training went by surprisingly fast and without an issue. At night, he would still fail to rest for over forty minutes at a time- but that was sure to get better, wasn't it?

Before he knew it, life settled back in a routine.

Entering the office, Minho sighed at the sight of Chan, staring dreamily at Jeongin's back. That weird habit of his had started to turn less spontaneous, everyone noticed- yet collectively decided not to address it. Looking over to Jeongin, the boy had probably noticed as well, judging by the soft blush spreading onto his ears.

"Minho! Good, I have a lot to show you today." Young k welcomed, walking out of the hallway and over to the table they always used. As Minho looked over, he noticed Jae was present as well, although he seemed to be in a sour mood.

"We talked for a while and decided to hand you some cold and ongoing cases to read. Personally I find closed cases a little boring, and we don't want you to try and adopt our own thinking patterns as guidelines -creativity is important, it's why you're here-, so I vetoed we won't give those to you."

Minho nodded, sitting down and accepting the folder Young K offered. "These are some girls and boys who have gone missing, we hadn't found helpful leads on them since."

At the numerous pictures, Minho's anxiety peaked. "So many?" he asked in petrified shock, earning a deeper frown from Jae.

"It's more often than it seems that people are reported missing. A larger number of people we have found successfully, safe and sound, and a smaller number were not as lucky. All in all, we experience many more successful investigations than futile ones, but remember that cold cases gather over time, and some of these are still in the process of investigation."

Minho swallowed, looking over pictures. There was one girl in particular who slightly resembled Ryujin, whose image he had to put away quickly before his mind got to make that into brand new nightmare fuel.

"You don't have to choose by face," Young k intervened, taking away the pictures before farther scarring could be caused.

"We can choose one for you. What do you say?" He offered, looking to Jae at the lack of reply from Minho.

Jae sighed, expression signaling that he was less than pleased to face Minho with the cases, and Minho wondered if he was touchy over sharing what he ultimately failed to crack. After a moment Jae had fixed his attitude, pulling an unusually thick file from the closet and slamming it next to the folder.

"This girl, her case has been cold for four weeks, making eight weeks in total since she had gone missing. If you have any insight on the matter," he paused,

"Please report to me. I've been working on her since the day she went missing."

.

Reading the files for a while, Minho had eventually requested to take them home. At his request, Young K beamed with pride- telling him that of course he could, under the condition that he takes care not to damage them.

That night he had spent reading. Min-ra, seventeen-year-old; no enemies, no behavioral issues, no dating history. A happy girl to all who knew her, confident and comfortable in her own skin. Independent, she would spend some nights attending high school parties and sleeping over with minimal concern from her parents. As such, she hadn't been reported missing until 34 hours of silence.

Minho switched through pictures, saddened at a pretty selfie the girl took by a window and posted online the night before. The view had felt familiar, similar to the one from his own room, and he wondered if she too liked to sit next to her window and watch the cars drive on occasion.

From the window Minho could see a main road, littered with pubs and restaurants whose signs have been lit beautifully in preparation for the night crowd. By whim he had looked up her address- she lived in the other end of the district with both her parents, a little sister and two cats. Relieved, he looked up a map anyway, and quickly noticed a detail that piqued his interest.

Looking at the map, the kid's house was located in a family friendly apartment building block near a wide road that seemed easy to drive on to reach her place. However, said road only split from the main road a considerable distance away from the apartment, and made a few inconvenient twists that could prolong the way for any vehicle by about ten minutes.

Tracing the channels with his fingers, Minho noticed that a straight distance towards the main road led to a convenient bus stop, and immediately concluded that the alleys connecting the two could easily serve as a shortcut. At that realization, Minho's blood froze, and he hoped to be wrong on his developing theory.

A closer look had provided farther support. For a convenient shortcut, a person would have to pass in an alley that went a short distance behind one of the main road's clubs. Breath hitching, Minho threw on a pair of shoes and ran down to start his car, not minding that he was still in sweatpants and a tee, ignoring the fact it had been four AM and that he could possibly be faced with the drunk crowd himself. Blood searing in his ears, he couldn't cease in his movement until he stood there, dark alleys curving into a spot for large waste containers.

Picking his phone, he numbly dialed Jae's number, hoping the other would pick up.

"Minho? Do you have any idea what time it is? What are you doing awake-" Jae ranted, exposing the fact he hasn't been sleeping either.

"Hyung, I'm sorry but, you need to get over here." Minho choked breathlessly. In front of him stood a huge garbage container, filled to the brim with trash that clearly hadn't been vacated for at least two months. The scent coming off the pile had been so horribly and sickingly sweet, that Minho didn't have to guess anymore. To make himself clear, he rephrased: speaking with his shirt over his nose.

"The girl, your cold case- I found her, she died. I texted you the address, so please be quick hyung."

.

Jisung hummed, finishing up a work he had started a week former and signing with a HAN at the edge. Depicting water had always been a bit hard, but the image was so vividly burned into his mind that he couldn't help it. Pastel art of a foggy bathroom mirror showcasing the torso and upward of a showering man, face blurred by steam- it was so beautiful he could cry.

Checking the time, Jisung wasn't even surprised to find that he stayed up till near four AM painting again- that much was normal and happened fairly often. Stretching and rubbing his left eye, he left a trail of color on his cheek at the sudden new imagery of a club at night. Rolling his shoulders, he sighed and set out a new canvas; it's not like he had an intention to sleep tonight anyway.

[msfcatlover]

Are you still into Portal? Because I have just read your portal fanfictions (By the way, they are amazing!), and I was wondering if you could explain the Au setting for some of the one shots (specifically "Excuses" and "Acceptance"). It totally isn't because I want to write a fanfiction set in that universe, heh.

I do still really love Portal (and I’m still pretty proud of a lot of what I wrote for it!) but I don’t think I’ll be writing for it any time soon; it’s always going to be linked to that falling out in my mind, and it’s still more bitter than sweet, I’m afraid.

.

As for “Excuses” and “Acceptance,” (as well as “At Peace,”  “Light,” and “Slow Down,” for that matter,) it’s a pretty basic android!bots AU, just with my own headcanons layered over the top of it. For example, Logic’s weird in-game ramblings being due to a corrupted voice program (because why would the scientists ever plug him in if his internal programming was faulty?), Anger being the “Emotion Core” (intended to directly regulate GLaDOS’s emotions, because just anger doesn’t make much sense), the change in core design was due to Space, Rick, Craig, and Wheatley being newer models set aside in case the older ones failed, and Morality doesn’t talk out loud because, well, she’s the only core who never makes any noise in the original games, but I assume she’s just as sophisticated an AI as the others, so she has to communicate somehow!

I read several fics where all the cores moved in with Chell, but I never saw any explanation for how the original four survived, so I came up with one: the incinerator was faulty, and Aperture seems like the kind of place which would have one of those “automatic packagers” that some trash compactors used to have, so the cores slipped through, got slightly charred, and then got immediately boxed and dropped in a collective dump adjacent to the facility. So if Wheatley noticed the broken incinerator while he was plugged in and mentioned it at some point, Chell could go back to see if the other cores survived.

[sarcasticgaypotato]

(( For @bondibee‘s ‘Love as a Construct’ AU.  This is really just pointless fluff but whoops. )) Chell was back. Chell was home. That thought had run through GLaDOS’s head many times now, playing on repeat like a broken record.  Chell had returned to Aperture hours ago, and while the immedient, heart pounding thrill of the moment had eventually simmered down- mindless, blind passion shared between them had done well to use that excitement like fuel on a fire-GLaDOS still couldn’t stop thinking about it all. She had, admittedly, not made an effort to keep track of how long Chell had been gone. Time was a tricky thing in Aperture, with days feeling like years, and decades feeling like seconds. The only way one could truly keep track of time is if they were intentionally keeping count.  GLaDOS’s chassis had an internal clock, and if she wanted to, she could pull up the current time on any of the many monitors she watched the facility from. But as the days directly after Chell’s departure dragged on, GLaDOS had quickly found that watching time go by only made it feel ever more agonizing. It was easier to try and dismiss the passage of time, let it all blend together. Bury herself in her work and let her life continue on as normally as possible, and not think about how she felt lonelier with every passing day. That didn’t matter now. However long it had been- be it weeks or months- was all irrelevant. Chell was here.  She didn’t just exist on the screens, as GLaDOS rewatched old test footage in a moment of weakness, she wasn’t a figment of GLaDOS’s imagination, brought to life and fostered by the hope in the distant sounds of the facility that could’ve been Chell and her violent tendencies.  Chell was real this time, and GLaDOS was in her arms. Things in Aperture had been peaceful since Chell left and Wheatley was stuck in space, but GLaDOS had only just realized that this was the first time that she had actually felt relaxed in a very long time. Laying on a quickly repurposed bed from one of the sleeping chambers, marvelling at how surprisingly comfortable it was- at least with a partial human cushion- and just how pleasantly warm she felt with its sheets draped over her body, despite Aperture normally tending to lean on the chilly side. It had been much, much louder a few minutes ago- courtesy of GLaDOS herself- but now the room was in near complete silence.  The sound of slightly exhausted breathing, and the natural shifts of the facility were the only things that GLaDOS could hear. Well, that, and the slight rustle of the sheets as Chell shifted.  Reflexively, GLaDOS tightened her grip.  If Chell thought she could just waltz in here, spend a couple hours stringing GLaDOS along, and then just walk back out, she was sorely mistaken.

Thankfully, GLaDOS’s concern was unneeded.  Chell wasn’t attempting to leave, nor was she attempting to murder anyone or break things- GLaDOS was still mad about the lunatic throwing a brick through the roof of the central chamber- she was merely moving her arm from where it had been around GLaDOS’s waist, and bringing it up to her face. Calloused fingers rested under her chin, gently coaxing GLaDOS’s face away from resting against Chell’s chest- which wasn’t easy, it was quite a nice place to be- and tilting her head up a little, so that Chell’s eyes could meet hers. Her eyes. GLaDOS was instantly distracted by them, any previous train of thought being shoved to the side, in favor of focusing more on that piercing grey gaze. Flecks of blue dotted her irises, and while they certainly had the capability to look as cold and sharp as a metal blade, now they were warm and gentle, in a way that GLaDOS had never seen before. GLaDOS’s observation didn’t stop there.  She let her eyes travel across Chell’s face, taking note of the way her hair- shaken from its ponytail- fell down her shoulders, and admiring the flush of color that was present all across Chell’s skin. Aperture’s aesthetic might’ve thrived on shades of white and black, but it had never felt more greyscale than it had in Chell’s absence. Whether it was because of her breaking pipes and causing splatters of propulsion and repulsion gel everywhere, or just because of the way she wore that not-so-ugly orange jumpsuit, Chell was a splash of vibrant color wherever she went. Painting Aperture with a brush that sometimes- most of the time- resulted in some level of rule breaking or property destruction. For now though, GLaDOS would let all of that slide.  So long as she could just stay here for awhile- a decade or two would suffice- then she’d consider forgiving the lunatic for the countless repairs that GLaDOS needed to do because of her. GLaDOS must’ve gotten more distracted than she originally realized, as she was shaken from her thoughts when Chell lightly tapped her chin, looking almost playfully impatient. “What? If the facility isn’t on fire again, then we aren’t- or at least, I’m not- in any particular hurry. Unless you’ve got something important to say, which, considering your history, I consider to be highly unlikely.” The core’s comment won a smile on Chell’s face. A small one, with an oddly thoughtful gaze behind it. “...GLaDOS…” GLaDOS suddenly felt her heart catch in her throat,  and for a moment, her whole world stopped. Chell had always refused to speak the name of her former enemy, even more so than she refused to speak in general.  As if knowing it was something that GLaDOS had wanted to hear from the moment she learned that Chell could speak, and wanting nothing more than to spite her for it. Instinctually, GLaDOS leaned a little closer, waiting with bated breath for whatever it was that Chell needed to say.  She had been joking about the human needing to say something of importance, but maybe she was right. If Chell was taking this moment to finally break her vow of silence surrounding GLaDOS’s name, then maybe she actually was going to tell her something profound.   Perhaps she would give GLaDOS a window into whatever mysterious thoughts went on in that puzzling- possibly damaged- brain of hers. Maybe, she was going to tell GLaDOS she regretted murdering her all those years ago. Or it was even possible that Chell intended to tell her that she missed her just as much as GLaDOS had missed- “...I’m sorry about the hole in your ceiling.” GLaDOS blinked. She watched as Chell’s smile, one that had looked genuinely pensive only a few moments ago, shifted a little, with a spark of amusement playing in her gaze, and her lips curling into a rather self satisfied smirk. GLaDOS had little hesitation in pulling back, hitting Chell on the arm, hard enough to convey the sudden burst of absolute disbelief and anger that had bubbled up in her chest, but- unfortunately, due to this body’s lack of destructive capability- light enough to do nothing but bring more of a smile to Chell’s face, who threw her head back in a laugh that was mostly stifled, though came through ever so slightly with the shaking of her chest and exhale of breath. “You are a terrible little human, you know that?” GLaDOS tried her best to scowl, crossing her arms over her chest and worming her way out of Chell’s grip to sit up, trying to ignore the slight chill on her skin as the bedsheets no longer protected her skin from Aperture’s cool temperatures. Chell was terrible.  She was a smug, irritating, destructive little meatsack, who liked to get GLaDOS’s hopes up before crushing them. Terribly. Then throwing them in an incinerator. ...But she did look good from where GLaDOS was sitting. Rolling over to be on her back, letting her dark brown hair splay out against the pillow, looking so comfortably content and proud of herself.  And that was all the more reason for GLaDOS to find her absolutely, horribly, insufferably… Wonderful. GLaDOS threw herself back onto Chell, deciding that she’d find a way to make sure that if Chell was only going to tease her, GLaDOS would find a way to make her do something other than talking with that mouth.

[nitewrighter]

What if in the Lena=Chell Portal AU, once she and Symm (GLaDOS) going by Satya (Caroline) with her hard-light android body,the fairly anti-AI city (bc robot apocalypse and all that) are threatened by A Dangerous Thing. Satya summons a portal gun and tracer gets her boots and with hardlight portal surfaces, bridges and shields hold off the Thing 'till OW forces can swoop in, but Symm compromises her AI identity. Phara now must grapple with the fact that she developed a crush on a android

I reeeaallly want Symmetra to have yellow irises and black sclera like those old school humanizations of GLaDOS. 

Symmetra: *makes eye contact with Pharah after converting her arm into a portal gun*

Pharah, internally: Oh no.

Symmetra: ...well I suppose there’s little point in hiding it at this point. *sheds her holographic human appearance to a more unsettling-looking android frame*

Pharah, internally, now sweating profusely: OH NO.

[infosurbaines]

la surprise Winfried Schäfer en approche au poste de sélectionneur

la surprise Winfried Schäfer en approche au poste de sélectionneur

Après l’échec en 8es de finale de la CAN 2021 et en barrages de la Coupe du monde 2022, et le limogeage de Mohamed Magassouba, la Fédération malienne de football (Femafoot) s’apprête à effectuer un véritable pari. A la lutte parmi les 3 finalistes avec l’ancien international malien Eric Chelle, et le Franco-Allemand Gernot Rohr, qui sort d’un quinquennat réussi à la tête du Nigeria, l’Allemand…

[cartoonfan7]

Has anyone thought of these yet?

Camp Camp by Rooster Teeth has become a haven for AU crafting, but as far as I know, no one’s thought of certain ones that I honestly thought would happen be now. Or maybe someone has thought of them already and I just never came across them for some reason. Regardless, I will list my fleeting AU ideas and leave up to the rest of you to figure out the full basics. Anyone can use the following….. 

 Portal AU: This one seems so particularly obvious, to the point I’m not sure I’m *seemingly* the only one who thought it up. I don’t particularly have any ideas for an AU like this outside of CC characters as Portal characters. My current roster is Max as Chell, Daniel as GLaDOS, Mr. Honeynuts as the Companion Cube, Jasper as Wheatley, Cameron Campbell as Cave Johnson, David as Caroline, Space Kid as The Space Core,  Nikki as The Adventure Core, and Neil as The Fact Sphere.  It’s slightly weird that technically David turns into Daniel in this AU, but I wasn’t too sure of just having OOC David for most of the AU. I did figure that David would be perfect singing “Still Alive”, “Want You Gone”, “GLaDOS’s cut song”, and “You Wouldn’t Know”. I could use some help figuring out the rest of the roster I still need to fill Doug Rattmann, The Morality Core, The Curiosity Core,  The Cake Recipe Core, The Anger Core, The Announcer, The Turrets, The Defective Turrets, Atlas & P-Body, and Greg.  Any help figuring these guys out would be tremendous.

Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory AU:   The same kind of AU as above only expanded and I actually have a few ideas for this one: It’s meant to combine elements from the original book with it’s two cinematic adaptations (Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory and Charlie & the Chocolate Factory). Campbell Inc. has become one of, if not, the richest companies on the planet, effectively on the levels of Megacorporations, but strangely enough, it seems primarily known and famous for what would, under other circumstances, be considered kids stuff, like toys and candy. But everyone agrees that, somehow, someway, they are top of the line, the best of the best. The head of the company even gains more publicity when he took in several kids from less than stellar backgrounds and adopted them, including Davey and Jasper. But the Campbell Inc. seems to be falling into hard times as the world rolled into the 21st century. Rumors began abounding about the illicit and downright illegal activities of CEO, Cameron Campbell, including unconfirmed allegations of abuse, exploitation, and even one of his kids dying horrifically in an industrial accident in Campbell’s combined primary factory/mansion/theme park. On top of that, competitors who wished to discover Campbell’s money making secrets in all things sent spies into Campbell’s factories around the globe and managed to make a few sizable discoveries before Campbell was forced to lay off a majority of this workforce and try to rebuild the company from the ground up. Campbell himself became a recluse and gave control of the company to one of his adopted kids after some of the previously rumored illicit and illegal activity was confirmed, many speculating that Campbell did this to have a scapegoat to deal with this mess while he went into hiding. For a good few years, Campbell Inc. began to loose money, both by the diminished workforce and by the fact that Campbell went into so many directions in the past that the successor had no idea how to continue. (The successor was a recluse as well who did everything humanly possible to remain anonymous to the world until the main factory/mansion/theme park tour, but to answer the question of the people reading this, yes, the successor is David.) That all changed one night when the main factory and several others around the world started up and began production again despite no one ever leaving or entering the factory in the years before, the night of “reopening”, and in the few years after until the Golden Sparrow contest. Afterward, the company seemingly starts again from scratch, selling the best goddamn candy and toys the world has ever known, allegedly because the successor wanted to return the company to it’s roots (but it’s also partially because David’s a kid at heart and wanted to go back to that). A few years after the mysterious successor inherits the factory, a contest begins that almost ends the world with it’s hype: multiple Golden Sparrows are sent out, promising that the people who show up with one will get a free tour of the refurbished factory, as well as a small portion of the company’s stock (which in and of itself promises for thousands, if not millions of dollars in annual income) and a lifetime supply of any products produced by the company, including food, candy, toys, makeup, certain brands of clothes the company owns, etc. Some rumors even went out about a secret prize, although until the weekend tour of the factory, no one can confirm or deny the rumor. And here enters Max, a young, jaded boy who lives a very shitty, poverty stricken home life (that I unfortunately can’t fully describe since we don’t know what Max’s parents are like [all we know now is that they’re kind of shitty] and there’s a possibility that we’ll see the campers’ parents in the season 2 finale, so if that’s true, I don’t want to potentially date this post with speculation, needless to say that Max’s home life sucks in this AU). Max seems unable to fully grasp the hype about the Golden Sparrow contest at first since “his generation” wasn’t around when Campbell Inc. pretty much ruled the world, although many experts note that they’re getting back up there again and might ACTUALLY rule the world this time now that Campbell’s is being run by a new person who seems to have learned from his predecessors mistakes. Max partially blames Campbell Inc. for why the world he lives in is so shitty, since he understands, in basic economics, what’s liable to happen when a workforce a large as Cameron’s is laid off almost all at once without being replaced by other people. But Max eventually starts giving into the hype as more Golden Sparrows are found and he realizes that the contests prizes could get him out of his shitty life and into a much better one (whether he’ll take the rest of his family with him is anyone’s guess, but I’d say it’s very unlikely). Like Charlie before him, it takes 3 tries to get a Golden Sparrow (should I include the forged one, I don’t know who I’d attribute to in this AU, maybe the Quartermaster, but I feel like he should be somewhere in the factory, should he be the forger or the baseline for the Oompa Loompas, or should I just go the book route about the OLs only being described as little people and seemingly not clones of each other, given how similar individual Oompa Loompas look to each other in the movies?) and, noticing that the Sparrows allow bringing plus two, Max decides to bring a local woman he’s kinda friends with with him (my original plan was for this to be Bonquisha, but I noticed that I haven’t made a place for Gwen in this AU, I don’t know, maybe Gwen is one of Campbell’s adopted kids and she makes friends with David, or maybe Max brings both Gwen and Bonquisha together as his plus ones because Max doesn’t like Bonquisha’s boyfriend. Note: David doesn’t get with Bonquisha in this AU, but they do surprisingly make good friends.) All of the other Campers in the main series, including the Woodscouts and the Flower Scouts, win the contest and bring their parents (except the woodscouts and the flower scouts who go as their respective trios, well, I guess the Woodscouts would try to use the free tour as an excuse to infiltrate the factory to steal secret formulas for their popcorn sales, I could even see them stacking Jermy onto Petrol to do the whole kids in trenchcoat=adult shtick so they can have more hands to steal things with or they could fill the role of a character that was actually cut from the book, Miranda Mary Piker .) The Flower Scouts would, collectively (I guess), fulfill the archetype of  Veruca Salt, all of them being highly successful spoiled brats who feel very entitled, possibly playing into Tabii withtwoIs’s hardcore crush on Neil, who would probably be Mike Teevee, including elements of his 2005 Film character. Ered would fulfill the archetype of  Violet Beauregarde, a cool, somewhat competition freak who likes being cool and winning. I’m not sure about any other Campbell Campers filling the roles of the other “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” kids, but I guess that the factory could have things that could appeal to their vices as well, hell, there are chapters that got cut out of the original book, like Spotty Powder, The Vanilla Fudge Room, The Warming Candy Room, and The Children’s-Delight Room (Info taken from Wikipedia and Lost in Adaptation.) Daniel will be in this AU as Arthur Slugworth, although he’s more like how Slugworth was in the book, actually a corporate rival to Campbell as apposed to secretly being in league with David. Max actually starts internally freaking out at how similar David and Daniel are in appearance (especially after the freaky-ass tunnel scene, which is in this AU, David visually turns into Daniel while reciting the “There’s no earthly way of knowing” poem, Max is kind of traumatized and tries bringing it up again later and gets exasperated with everyone pretending like it didn’t happen, eventually he just gives up trying to rationalize it), but eventually concedes that he actually kind of likes David. Other Camp Camp characters will appear, like the town residents, Jasper (who was the factory’s OG dead kid), the cop (Sal,I think, from the first episode), the federal agents, I guess Jen could appear, but I wouldn’t know how to insert her in, the forest squirrels as the Nut Checking Squirrels, the campers and counselors David went to Camp with could appear too, probably in flashbacks.

Because I’m personally kind of hyped for the new movie, I kind of want there to be a Stephen King’s It AU. I don’t know how exactly It would work, but the internet will find a way.

[marshmallowtraver]

Heaven Sent (Ryan Follese)

word count: 1242 requested by: @forever-stuck-in--neverland pronouns: she/her warnings: none fandom: hot chelle rae au type: regular summary: your birthday has been incredibly shitty so far, but your boyfriend is determined to turn the rest of the evening around inspired by: none authors notes: idk why i put this on my main but. here we are. can’t take it back now other parts: none

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“Why is everything so stupid?!” you shouted, slamming your apartment door behind you, too upset to care about your neighbors. Your boyfriend came out of the kitchen with a smile on his face, crossing his arms and leaning against the wall beside him.

“Bad day?” he asked, only earning himself an eye roll from you before you threw yourself onto the couch with your face in one of the pillows.

Ryan pushed himself off of the wall and walked over to you, grabbed the shoulders of your coat, and took it off of you without you moving so much as a centimeter. After hanging up the coat in the closet by the front door, he returned to you, climbing on top of you and sitting himself on your thighs.

“Ryan,” you groaned at the sudden weight before you cut yourself off when you felt his hands back on your shoulders and his thumbs working at the knots in your back. You sighed in content, hearing Ryan chuckle when he felt you relax for what he was sure was the first time that day.

“You wanna talk about it?” he asked you, “Might make you feel better.” You let out a sharp breath, but you knew he was right.

“Today was great – until I got out of bed,” you said, hearing him laugh again, “Then, on my way to work, I hit a poor little squirrel when it ran out into the road! I couldn’t even come back to pay my respects because the road was closed on the way home and I had to go the long way!” Ryan bent down to kiss the top of your ear as you rambled on. “Then this girl came in at 7 and ordered like, 10 things and it was obvious she was an intern but who does that?! What kind of egotistical dirtbag makes their intern get coffee for everyone and not even force someone else to tag along and help her out?! And then my manager had the nerve to yell at me for leaving the building during my shift even though I was helping the girl get all her shit to her car! And then lunch comes around and there’s a difference between ordering something for the first time and deliberately trying to make your barista’s life a fucking shit show! And then the part of the machine that makes the coffee frothy decided to kick the bucket for two hours and it was like this bitch thought the entire staff was out to ruin her day all because she didn’t have any tasteless foam floating at the top of her stupid drink! And then these two people who clearly met on Tinder came in before my shift ended and this piece of shit spent the whole time talking about himself and when she did speak, he was on his phone not even paying attention to her! Why would you go out with someone if you were just going to ignore them?! Like, how far up your own ass do you have to be?! He’s lucky I wasn’t on that date with him because, I swear to God, I would have ripped him a new one.” You finally ended your rant with a deep exhale, and Ryan waited a moment to make sure you were actually done before speaking again.

“I think you need more than a neck massage to wind you down from that kind of day, princess,” he commented.

“Like what?” you whined when he took his hands off of your neck.

“I made your favorite for dinner,” he mentioned, noticing your face move a bit as you smiled.

Ryan got off of you to let you turn onto your back so he could grab your hand and pull you to your feet. He brought you into him and kissed your forehead, hugging you for a moment before releasing you to lead you into the kitchen.

Dinner was already set up on the table, your favorite drink being served in wine glasses making you giggle. You heard Ryan smile at the sound of it as he pulled your chair out for you. You reached up to kiss his cheek before sitting down, feeling his smile get wider. He then sat down at the table across from you and you toasted your glasses with another giggle as he started telling you about his day as you ate.

~

When dinner was finished, Ryan insisted you stay put while he did the dishes. You didn’t, of course, standing behind him as he was at the sink with your arms around his waist and your head lying on his upper back. It wasn’t until he was done with the dishes that he spoke again.

��I got you something while I was out today,” Ryan mentioned.

“Mhmm?” you hummed, “And what might that something be?”

He had you take your arms off of him so he could take your hand and bring you into the bathroom. He handed you the gift bag that was on the counter top, watching you as you pulled out the tissue paper.

“You went into Lush by yourself?” you giggled, pulling out the familiar crinkly packaging and opening it so you could smell the bath bomb.

“I picked out a new one I thought you would like,” he said shyly. You grinned again, leaning in to press a kiss to his cheek. “I think you should use it now,” he mentioned, “Might help you relax even more after that day at work.”

You smiled again with a nod, prompting Ryan to go to the tub and start filling it for you. You grabbed a hair tie and put your hair up on the top of your head, not wanting it to get wet. You excitedly opened the bag and plopped the bath bomb into the water when the tub was finally filled, mesmerized by the colors now floating around.

You felt your boyfriend come up behind you, his hands grabbing the bottom hem of your shirt and pulling it over your head, your pants following it to the floor not long after.

“You’re so beautiful,” he said softly, making you blush. Ryan always complimented you – especially when you were wearing little to no clothing – but it never failed to make your cheeks red and your stomach fill with butterflies.

He helped you take off your bra and underwear as well, letting you hear him chuckle as you let out a relieved sigh when the bra was off – he’d always found you willingly wearing uncomfortable bras to be somewhat amusing. He gave you one last peck to the head before helping you into the tub, watching you sink down until everything below your collarbones was underwater and close your eyes in content. He went to leave, but stopped when he heard your voice.

“Ry,” you murmured, making him turn around, “Stay?” 

You stuck your bottom lip out for good measure, but you knew he would have anyway – he never passed up the opportunity to take a bath with you. So Ryan simply smiled before stripping himself and climbing into the tub behind you. You grinned again, waiting until he got comfortable to scoot backwards while his arms wrapped around your bare waist.

“Happy birthday, princess,” he murmured, kissing the side of your head as you laid your head on his shoulder with another peaceful sigh.

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does this title make sense??? no. but when has anything i've done ever made sense.

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Other holiday imagines: Cody / Michael / Maxx / Jamie / Marshall / Michael / Vic / Ashton / Michael / Ryan / Michael / Calum / Ashton / Ryan / Ashton / Michael / Calum / Luke / Ashton / Luke / Calum