#Bunsen burner series

[ms-demeanor]

Generally speaking I try not to be annoyed at tumblr features experiments but also removing avatars in certain contexts is so funny I'm sorry it has been ten years and I don't know anyone's handle, I love you, approximate shapes and colors with a series of letters after.

Like most feature updates, there's a post about this on @changes and this is something that is in the lab, not being rolled out for everyone. But my good sir, this is the website for Jared, 19, and if you take our pictures away we will have no choice but to piss on the poor (our dear friends whose tone we read wrong because that's not blue swirly on a black background or still from an anime I'm not familiar with or geometric orange owl; that's some rando whose name I have never read and retained once in my life and what right do they have to call me a corndog stabbing bitch, that level of insult is reserved for my bosom mutuals, trans pride mandelbrot and dual bunsen burners).

I'm not worried that this will become widespread, but I do think it's very funny.

[fraugwinska]

Part 2 of the Alchemist series - No smut today,but I had this idea in my head and couldn't continue NOT writing it. And don't worry - those two will have time enough in Part 3 for some biological studies! :> TW: Emotional turmoils, Graphic depictions of torture and violence Read at your own discretion. As always minors - please exit to the right, DNI, this is an 18+ space

Your assistant flinched when you threw another rack of test tubes against the walls, the black, polished tiles to your feet covered in shards of glass and bubbling, oil-like liquids.

"M-Ma'am, please, ", she pleaded, kneading the pink, naked tail that peeked out of her lab coat nervously in her hands while she backed away as your grabbed the big Erlenmeyer flask still sitting over the bunsen burner, fizzing as if in mockery. "i-it's better than number 52. Isn't that progress...?"

Failed. Again, you had failed.

"Idiots call it progress...", You held the flask up, cold flames of renewed anger licking down your spine. "I call it A FUCKING DISGRACE!"

The rat demon squeaked when the glass crashed on the floor as you howled in frustration, the black gas that evaporated with a hiss and the dark purple flames the substance evoked enough to make her run out the door and out of the laboratory with a sob, the sound of her heels clicking in the hallway a grim farewell and final goodbye to a fairly good assistant.

You slumped back against a work bench and put your hands in the pockets of your coat, struggling with your breathing to calm down. The painful hunger in you scratched at your insides, this insatiable need that appeared ever since...

Ever since you returned to your laboratory that day, ever since your last encounter with the Radio Demon. The image of Alastor and his shadow flashing up in front of you. How you were deceived and subdued by him, outsmarted by him and most humiliating, how you had liked it. It should've left nothing but disdain and anger inside you, instead it left an aching want, a restless desire for filling the gaping hole of knowledge you had been faced with as well as your paradox craving for another fight ending inevitably into your submission. Defiant to do something about the latter, you had begun to at least try to satisfy the first.

You were usually okay with failure as part of the scientific progress. A failed experiment only meant an additional tool in your hand on your surefire way to success. But never did success seem so impossible to you. Every new try of recreating the shadows that had so efficiently overpowered you felt like a rerun of your previous one. You had exhausted your knowledge, rewritten the same hypotheses over and over and burned through five assistants since. These angry outbursts were so unlike you - but as the number of failed experiments rose so did your temper, and the higher your anger, the harder it became to concentrate.

Alastor haunted your mind, infiltrated your rationale with images of a teasing smile, flesh threatening to burst beneath black and sharp claws, burning red eyes staring at you from the wet heat of your core. You hadn't eaten in two weeks, hadn't slept in nearly as long, had spent all your waking hours locked away in here in a futile attempt of fleeing these emotions that were so obstructive to your work. You were obsessively reading your books, furiously rereading your notes, desperately starting test after test, trial after trial to try and satiate this thirst only to be left even more parched. You knew it wouldn't be long before you inevitably would have to drink, even if you knew it waould be poison.

"I can't go on like this..." you sighed into the deafening silence of your laboratory.

There was a certain pep in the Radio Demon's step as he walked through the streets of the Pentagram, humming to himself as sinners parted and hid away wherever he went. Alastor reached into the inside breast pocket of his overcoat, unfolding the little note that had sent him in high spirits and rereading it with impish glee.

'To: The Radio DemonRegarding: Our most recent encounter

Alastor, I hope this note will find you well. I'd like to discuss the possibility of a mutually beneficial arrangement regarding our personal and professional feud. If you agree to a meeting, a table at RAUM in the Entertainment District will be reserved tomorrow at 9 p.m. PST (Pride Standard Time)

Best Regards,The Alchemist'

He laughed to himself at the forced choice of words, the tenseness evident in every neatly drawn letter and the obvious refusal of showing even one hint of familiarity. He had known he'd just have to give the proverbial ball a little nudge - his little note so easily snuck into her lab coat by his shadow companion - and let it roll, patiently waiting long enough to see it finally crush the prideful, stubborn resistance of the little sinner known as The Alchemist in the end. Although, he had to admit it took longer than he had expected.

His spies had been useful in keeping track of her ego crumbling - the chimp, roach and gerbil sinners that she hired as assistants all painted him the same picture - that the poor woman descended more and more into restless obsession by trying day and night to solve the mystery of his shadowy companion. The last one of her henchmen, a meek little rat girl, added a curious detail to the usual report that had Alastor's self-confidence booming: That, on the rare occasion that she fell asleep on her workbench, the Alchemist seemed to writhe and whimper - calling out a name.

His name.

He could hear it, her voice, the usual dismissive contempt replaced with poorly repressed desire and urgency, breathing his name while rendered helpless and at the mercy of his hands and tongue. What a rush it had been, to see his rival and latest person of interest fall apart under his doing, breaking her stoic and methodical facade to reveal the raw and weak creature she was deep down. What a divine image, seeing the haughty, refractory Alchemist beneath him, squirming and gasping and panting beneath his touch that she begged for, seeing and feeling her whole body turn against her, reduced to a groaning heap. How delicious it had tasted, not just her, but the satisfaction in knowing he'd forever carry the taste of her and his victory.

But when the moment approached to end her, to finally wipe her off the face of hell, it spoiled in his mouth, turning from sweet into bitter. He had planned it to be his grand finale: To kill her after showing her blatant inadequacy compared to him, bound by his shadow and thoroughly humiliated - But he found himself unable to.

Rosie was the only one he told about that day, and her reply to his retelling had him brooding ever since.

"You know, Alastor - The only difference between hate and love is that hatred doesn't fear the death of the one at our mercy."

He had almost cursed at his oldest friend. The ridiculous idea alone was unsettling. Alastor never had interest in the concept of loving something or someone - he had felt no need to either. The methods he used were chosen due to this wretched urge he felt every time she had crossed his path. He hadn't been unfamiliar with these emotions stirring in him - but the intensity of them had him struggle, had him furious at the effect she had on everything that made him the powerful, ruthless overlord that he had become. To think this unhealthy fascination with her powers, how riled up and agitated he got just seeing her in her resulote disinterest in power or status, the joy he felt sparring with her as she held her fort against him had been anything other than feelings of rivalry. But hell had a habit of twists like this - that what he thought was hatred turned out just the opposite. He still wasn't certain how he'd handle this predicament, but her note had been the perfect catalyst to explore the potential this little change held for him.

Just as the clock tower of Pride's main city began to strike nine, his destination so close - Something wrapped around his ankles and wrists, and hadn't Alastor been so lost in his thoughts he would've had enough time and mind to dodge the cables that had slithered towards him. A second too late he realized just what building he was in front of, before he was violently dragged by the electrified strings, out of the street and into the darkness behind the blue sliding doors of 'VoxTech Enterprises'.

"I thought" he heard a familiar, suave voice resounding in the pitch black darkness around him as the doors slid close, dripping of malicious glee that had Alastor furious behind his smiling mask "that with old age comes wisdom, Al. Seems you've skipped that phase and went straight to senile."

Alastor heard Vox's laugh, amplified from every direction. His hands and feet were spread apart, leaving him hanging with no sense of direction or solid ground beneath him. Without light, summoning his shadow was a useless endeavor - one of the only things Alastor regrettably shared with what was once a trusted partner not too long ago. And the only light was the laughably negligible red glow of his eyes, losing the battle against the black void around him. His best bet was to be buying time, so he decided to humor the fool until chance would show itself.

"Ah, no, I do quite remember your lack of imagination when it comes to these sorts of affairs." Alastor chuckled, a slight static distortion lacing his voice as the anger within him grew. "Glad to see that's at least one thing that hasn't changed."

Electricity burst from the wires that pulled him even further apart, sending shockwaves through him as Alastor's smile widened at Vox's inability to hide his rage.

"Mighty cocky for someone who's got his ass on the line, eh, old pal?" in the distance, a screen turned on, dim and flickering, showing the face of the smirking tv demon. "Tell me, Al, was it just stupidity that brought you right to my doorstep? Or did you already miss me that much?"

Alastor laughed mockingly, concentrating enough to at least create a shadow in the weak light around Vox's screen to smash it in before it dsappeared. "If I recall correctly, you were the one begging me not to leave, Voxxy. How is your face these days, by the way?"

The screen flickered as Vox's eyes went wild. "You motherf-"

"As to what brought me to these parts of our illustrious city," Alastor continued, gritting his teeth as another surge of electricity shot down his spine, making his shoulders jerk painfully in the tight cable's grip. "I was on my way to meet someone who is actually worth my while."

"Oh yeah? Well, they can send me a Thank-You-Note for saving them the disappointment your 'while' would've brought them." Vox sneered, a mocking smile appearing on the broken screen as he bared his teeth in a snarl. "Face it - You're done, Al. Finished. You can't do shit in here. I created this room specifically for you to die in - thanks for the intel, by the way. And believe me - I could kill you here and now, get rid of a fucking nuisance for everybody, and be called a hero for it. But for old time's sake, I'll offer you my deal once more." His joints cracked under the pressure of the pulling cables, and Alastor yanked in cold fury at them. Vox's voice was saturated with sadistic glee. "Join my team, be my second in command, my real partner this time and not a fucking uptight coward, and I'll spare you the humiliation of a slow, torturous and publicly viewed dea..."

A sudden boom had the cables and the screen shake and flicker, the image of Vox's face breaking up in pixels. Alastor felt his chest filling with a sudden eager anticipation of what - or who - the source of that explosion might've been. With a hiss, Vox's screen was restored to full resolution again, but his eyes were wide in confusion. "What the fuck was that?"

Alastor's laughter echoed across the room as another, louder explosion followed, along with panicked screams of pain and horror and he smiled over to the shocked overlord, heart beating with feverish euphoria. If the intensity of the detonations were any indicator, he was about to see a marvelous show of what true power looked like.

"It seems, old pal, that my date has arrived."

Vox didn't get to say anything else before one of the walls burst into its components and the room filled with the bright light of the neon signs illuminating the district, and amidst the clouds of dust settling, stood his darling alchemist. Her lab coat was stained in every beautiful shade of red, face and skin smeared with soot and the remnants of blood that wasn't hers, a look in her eyes that was so unhinged it made him shudder with all kinds of arousal, the aura around her glowing in a dangerous toxic green. Although her chest was heaving, there was no trace of exhaustion to her, only pure, cold rage.

"What the hell is going on? And who the fuck are you?!"

She didn't pay Vox any attention, walking up to Alastor as he ripped the remaining bits and pieces of cords and cables from his arms, her heels clacking loudly on the polished concrete floor.

"You are right on time, darling."

"And you were not - our table was canceled." Alastor had to refrain himself from giggling in feverish excitement as she walked past him, towards the stunned television demon that had been thrown into the back of the room by the force of the explosion and now leaned with his back against the wall, his expression mortified behind the cracked, flickering screen.

“Polyethylene, glass, sauter, copper, lead, platinum, silicone." Her voice was cold and calculating, each word a step closer and Vox shrunk away further into the wall behind him. Her face was neutral, a mask devoid of emotion and any trace of empathy or emotion, but her eyes sparkled full of life and fire. "But even though there are so many valuable building blocks in your electronic equipment - I can't say I appreciate the use."

She put her palm over Vox's monitor in an almost comforting gesture, her lips curling into a cruel smile as his casing started to melt and Vox screamed.

"Especially when it leaves me hungry and waiting for my dinner partner."

Alastor marveled at the beauty and precision of her strength and the effortless way she wielded it, her mind calculating every atom of Vox's technology, rendering the presumptous perfection of hell's television and phone industry to a wailing mess, his limbs and body twitching helplessly at the mercy of her touch, screen flickering with increasing speed the more damage she did. His pulse quickened, blood rushed deafeningly loud through his ears - She was dangerous and cruel and she was perfect, she was everything and so, so much more of anything he imagined and hoped her to be.

She let off Vox, his face half gone, his remaining speakers whimpering in agony and body trembling as she stood upright, looking down at the demon in disgust.

"Repeat this mistake and I will make sure I'll be there to slowly and painfully disintegrate you every time you start to respawn anew, Television Demon."

Alastor appeared beside her, making use of his shadows now that the requirement of light was covered, looking at the beaten form of his unfortunate rival with an amused laugh before taking his little alchemist's hand, breathing a kiss onto it with a smile.

"I apologize for the missed reservation, darling, but we can't have you left starving, can we? How about we relocate to my townhouse - I'll whip up a nice Pain Perdu while we discuss your... proposal, yes?"

When her face turned to him, her features slightly softened around the edges - barely noticeable to the untrained eye, but all too obvious to him, who had thought, dreamt and obsessed over her likeness enough times to see every tiny shift in her expression, even those one could interpret as her rare, discreet show of joy.

"I suppose that's an acceptable compromise."

It made the gnawing hunger inside him become all the more insatiable when she let him pull her closer, her hand still in his - warm and stained with remnants of Vox's fluids. He gave her the brightest of smiles as the destroyed room filled with radio static and his shadows swirled and wrapped themselves around them, shooting his wounded, rancorous ex-companion a sneering smile.

"I, again, have to disrespectfully decline your offer, my dear Vox. I'd rather invest my time into more..." He looked back at her, giving her an intense, heated gaze he refused to hide anymore, and the smile lingering on her lips growing into one that was just as sharp as his, and yet so much more endearing given its rarity. "...innovative propositions, I think is the right word."

Within a moment, the black swirls faded into the night, leaving nothing but the echo of his laughter and the shuddering, crying mess of the tv overlord behind.

Tagging for scientific purposes (based on comments/reblogs): @minkdelovely @macabr3-barbi3 @depressinglyobsessed @tywrites @mydickisjuicy

@littlebluefishtail @catticora @cosmiccandydreamer @anngray1369 @angeldustharmony

@jurijyuu @liz776 @selenezq

[beemynumberone]

Pictures are from Pinterest.

Sparks Fly

(You light up my world)

-> pairing: HS Akaashi Keiji x Female Reader

-> Soulmate AU (literal sparks fly when you touch)

-> genre: fluff, the tug-at-your-heartstrings-kind?

-> format: oneshot

~ Part 2 of A Haikyuu Soulmate Series (Ushijima)

my haikyuu masterlist

You’re in the chemistry laboratory when it happens. You reach across the table for the sodium hydroxide at the same time Akaashi does.

“Oh sorry, you go first.” Akaashi, ever the gentleman, gestures for you to take the bottle.

And so you spurt the solution into your wellplate, according to the strategically-placed instruction sheet between you two.

You hand the bottle to Akaashi on your right without looking, feeling his slender fingers ghost over yours. Next thing you know, you hear a sizzle.

You swivel to the source of the noise.

Oh sparks shucks

Sparks fly from where your hands touch, jumping down onto the unfortunate instruction paper below. The paper is set ablaze.

Your heart drops to your stomach.

“Everyone out!” Your chemistry teacher commands.

The class scurries out, murmuring about the sudden evacuation. You stand next to Akaashi, whose gunmetal blue eyes look as confused as you are.

“What just happened?” Akaashi whispers to you.

“I don’t know,” you whisper back. “I handed you the bottle and then sparks started flying out of our hands. You saw it too right?” Akaashi nods in response.

The next few days are a series of awkward manoeuvring.

During physical education lesson (aka. supervised playing), you opt to play table tennis with him instead of your usual recreational two-men basketball.

In the cafeteria, you sit diagonally opposite each other. You keep your legs bent away from him and Akaashi does the same.

And the next week, Akaashi is seated firmly across the laboratory from you.

You suggested these changes to Akaashi after the last lab incident. He agreed, worried that another touch may lead to more accidental fires.

But now, seated across the room, Akaashi felt…empty. He couldn’t quite put his finger on it. He just knew that his heart ached when he saw you being so distant from him.

When he saw your genuine smile given to another classmate.

And when you helped that same classmate to light up their Bunsen burner. (He used to ask you to help him light his burner, claiming that his lighter wouldn’t work. You knew it was a fib - he could always ask to use yours, but you helped him anyway.)

He tried to shake off the feeling.

Get it together Keiji. You know why she’s treating you this way.

And so days went by with you two spending less time together, with Akaashi suppressing his feelings. The volleyball season was also approaching, giving him something to think about.

It is at a match that Akaashi truly sees you again.

Fukurodani is up against Nohebi. Both teams are at a stalemate in their second set, 30 for Nohebi and 31 for Fukurodani. Akaashi is panting. They’ve been going at this last set for close to an hour now.

He sets. The spiker hits. The ball bounces past the Nohebi players. Akaashi rejoices. Finally.

“Sir, the spiker touched the net! That’s a foul, it’s our point!” A Nohebi player, with the most annoying voice Akaashi’s ever heard, calls out.

The referee dares to even look convinced. Akaashi cannot believe the guy. He’s tired, his team is exhausted and he can’t blame them. He knows he won’t be able to draw out their potential like this.

Then, he hears a voice from the Fukurodani spectator section. Your voice.

“No, it’s not! The spiker touched the net after the ball made contact with the floor. Read the rules dude!”

Akaashi watches, dazed. You pluck the phone out of the hands of a spectator who was recording (with their consent of course) and stomp down to the referee, demanding that they rewatch the moment.

Akaashi is so grateful. You care, and you still have his back like the old times.

The referee (probably tired of the game), counts the point as Fukurodani’s. So they win! You cheer in elation with the supporters.

After the match, Akaashi offers to walk you home. You accept. And somehow, you end up next to the school pond. Somewhere you guys used to meet up when Akaashi was overthinking and needed a listening ear.

Maybe due to the adrenaline from winning or that he now knew that you cared, Akaashi decides that it’s the perfect time.

He begins by asking so politely for permission to give you a letter.

And you accept, knowing the potential consequences.

He hands you a brown envelope then gingerly brushes his fingertips against the back of your hand. You two hold your breaths, ready to dunk yourselves in the water (you hoped it was clean) if need be.

And sparks fly

Again, but they don’t destroy.

You shove the envelope haphazardly into your pocket. Akaashi wraps his fingers around yours more firmly this time, and you slide both hands securely into his in affirmation.

So you two stand there holding hands, wisps of sparkly smoke cascade from your intertwined hands and swirl into the air around you.

Akaashi feels at peace. Standing with you, all his doubts and worries simply evaporate.

And at that moment, he realises - you’re his soulmate. His spark, here to burn those meddlesome thoughts and to create something beautiful with him.

Looking into your eyes full of curiosity and wonder and love, he knows that you think so too.

Here’s Bokuaka with sparklers!

[parkjayist]

ESSENCE OF ROMANCE: FLOUR(sour) START - CHPT. 1

sum park jongseong is in denial, but the truth is undeniable: he's hit a dead end. how can he maintain his title as a world renowned chemist if he can't even advance his own research? meanwhile, you, an aspiring chemist, have faced constant belittlement from your male colleagues as you pursue your own groundbreaking research in isolation. when jongseong finds you conducting experiments in HIS own lab, he's enraged. he's enveloped in fury when he realizes that you two are trying to research the same topic. yet, buried beneath his rage lies a deep sense of desperation, and he's willing to do anything to finally finish his research he's been putting off for so many years. perhaps you're the missing piece in his research (and life).

pairing chemist!park jongseong x female chemist!reader

genre written series, slowburn, angst, fluff, " enemies " to lovers, coworkers au, 1960s au, smarty pants x smarty pants

warnings misogyny, stereotypes, awkwardness, some basic chemistry explanations in dialogue, irrational behavior, arguing

an hii! first chapter and they're already fighting!! i'm planning to make the 2nd chapter a little longer. tysm for all the support on this series so far!! i hope to hear your feedback/thoughts on it throughout the process of this series :D

wc 1.8k SERIES MASTERLIST

park jongseong always despised when people barged into his lab. the quiet whispers of his name and the staring of his coworkers burned into his chest. his lab was a sanctuary, a haven where he could indulge in his experiments without the intrusion of others. so when he discovered a stranger trespassing amidst his equipment, his irritation surged like an overheated bunsen burner.

“what the hell do you think you’re doing in my lab?” 

"um, it's not what you think," you stuttered, your nerves evident as you spoke in shaky voice.

jongseong's brow furrowed in annoyance. "then what, pray tell, is it?" he snapped, his impatience seeping through. “the one day i accidentally leave my lab open, a random secretary comes in. who knows, what if you blew something up?” he sighed, throwing his hands up in exasperation. 

inconceivable hypocrisy, you thought. what’s truly unsafe is his negligence, leaving random items around in his lab …

"look, i'm not a secretary," you retorted, frustration evident in your tone. "my name is (___  ___), i'm a chemist, just like you. and i certainly didn't come in here to blow anything up. i needed materials for my own research."

jongseong's brow furrowed further, skepticism etched across his features. "sure you are," he scoffed, his impatience palpable. "trying to save face now, are we? well, regardless of who you are, you shouldn't be in here. you could have put yourself and this entire laboratory in danger!"

with that, jongseong turned on his heel and stormed out of the lab, leaving you to fume in his wake. you let out an exasperated huff. men nowadays, you mused to yourself. so ignorant and unwilling to listen to anyone but themselves.

as you cleaned up your lab space, you couldn't help but feel a twinge of resentment towards jongseong. after all, it wasn't your fault that he had left his lab unlocked, nor was it fair for him to place the blame squarely on your shoulders. nevermind that – you’d have to deal with him another day.

the following day, park jongseong was sought out to the main secretary yu jimin, determined to rectify the intrusion which had thrown a wrench into his research. as soon as jimin saw jongseong walk over – she immediately got up, opening her mouth to greet him when he interrupted her. 

“you need to keep your secretaries out of my lab,” he demanded, his tone tinged with irritation. “one of them, miss … miss (___), was in there last night without my permission.”

jimin arched an eyebrow, seemingly unimpressed with jongseong’s sudden burst of anger. “oh, miss (___) isn’t a secretary, she’s a lab technician. although she likes to call herself a chemist…” she trailed off with a shrug. 

jongseong stood there in silence for a few seconds as his cheeks burned with embarrassment. “oh .... well, um … that’s good to know,” he mumbled, his pride wounded by his rash actions.

at lunchtime, you quickly got out your lunch and your notebook. today’s lunch was a freshly baked croissant with two egg tarts. you took a bite out of the egg tart– crispy yet soft in the inside, you noted. you quickly wrote your thoughts down into your notebooks, taking another bite of the tart. you hummed happily, satisfied with the hard work you put into baking these yesterday. suddenly, you hear a chair in front of you being pulled back, the noise of someone dragging it grating your ears. any remnants of contentment from your meal dissipated instantly, replaced by a surge of tension. he looked at you sheepishly as you tilted your head sideways as if to ask for him to speak. 

his expression suddenly turned contrite, and he took a deep breath before saying, “i think i owe you an apology. i’m sorry for the way i snapped at you last night – i was just stressed and caught off guard. if you couldn’t tell from everyone whispering around, i haven’t been able to do much in the lab,” he looked down at his arms, ashamed of his past actions. 

you glanced at him, your gaze meeting his before you felt the need to quickly remove your eyes from him. “oh, okay,” you replied nonchalantly, your tone betraying little emotion.

jongseong blinked at you, unsure of how to proceed. finally taking a seat, he couldn’t help but notice the tantalizing aroma wafting from your lunch. he felt his stomach grumble, a reminder of his own neglected meal. 

“wow, that looks really good,” he remarked, his eyes lingering on the croissant. 

you looked up, a faint smile playing on your lips. “thanks,” your tone softening slightly. “i made it myself.”

you pulled off a small chunk of the croissant, holding it out on your palm for jongseong to take. he stared at it before waving his hands telling you to eat it yourself. 

“i possibly couldn’t,” he said, “you should eat your own lunch.”

however, you were not convinced and continued to hold it out for him. "i insist," you replied, holding it out to him once more.

eventually, he gave into the aroma of the food, taking it and quickly shoving it into his mouth. his eyebrows shot up in surprise as he nodded furiously, unspoken approval of your baking. you noticed how his eyes sparkled with satisfaction, almost letting out a chuckle at his childlike behavior. 

“this is– this is amazing,” he exclaimed, his words slightly muffled. 

“well, it’s all thanks to chemistry,” you explained, a spark of enthusiasm igniting within you. “the role of chemicals and molecules in baking is extremely important,” you leaned in closer, eager to share your knowledge. “take flour, for instance. it's not just a simple ingredient; the complex network of proteins and starches interact in fascinating ways during the baking process. that’s how you can create this croissant right here.” 

jongseong leaned forward, intrigued. "proteins and starches? how do they affect the final product?"

"well," you began, "the proteins in flour, specifically gluten, provide structure to baked goods. when you mix flour with water and knead it, you activate the gluten strands, forming a strong, elastic dough. this elasticity gives bread its chewy texture and allows it to rise during baking." 

as you spoke, you couldn't help but notice jongseong's genuine interest, his eyes alight with curiosity. no one has ever been this interested in listening to you – other than your brother. encouraged by his engagement, you continued to talk more about your dishes, even handing him your egg tart to prove the science of cooking. 

jongseong nodded along, his curiosity piqued. "i never realized there was so much science behind baking," he admitted, a hint of awe in his voice.

"it's fascinating, isn't it?" you replied, a smile gracing your lips. "the chemistry of cooking is just as intricate as any lab experiment. it's about understanding the underlying principles and applying them in creative ways."

amidst the lingering silence, jongseong's unexpected question caught you off guard. "so, i was wondering…  what were you trying to research?" he asked, his tone sincere but tinged with careful curiosity. 

you arched an eyebrow, wary of his sudden interest. "what's it to you?" you replied, a hint of defensiveness creeping into your voice.

jongseong's expression became more timid as he explained, "well, i believe you're a capable chemist, and i could use some help with my own research."

a suddenly surge of anger welled up within you, hot and fierce. had your lively discussion with jongseong been nothing more than a calculated maneuver to lower your defenses? was he merely seeking to extract valuable research information from you, only to claim it as his own? you should’ve known, from all your experiences trying to make friends, that everyone was bound to try to use you. they never saw you as a companion. 

“miss (___)....?” he waved a hand in front of you, eyebrows furrowed with worry. 

"you've never even seen me in the lab," you pointed out, a touch of frustration coloring your words. "you thought i was just a secretary, not a scientist. how do i know you're not just trying to take advantage of me?"

jongseong's brow furrowed, his confusion evident. "no, why would i do that?" he protested, genuine surprise in his voice.

"are you serious right now?" you snapped, your frustration bubbling to the surface. "why would you suddenly want my help in the lab? just to swoop in and take credit for my work?"

jongseong's eyes widened in genuine surprise. "no, that's not it at all," he protested, his tone pleading. "i genuinely believe we could work well together, and i want to give you the credit you deserve."

you paused, considering his words for a moment before relenting. "okay, fine," you sighed, "i’'m studying abiogenesis."

jongseong's eyes narrowed as a spark of suspicion ignited within him. "abiogenesis? that's what i'm researching too," he stated, his voice tinged with accusation. "did you go into my lab trying to steal my research? is that why you were in there?"

his words hit you like a slap in the face, igniting a firestorm of anger within you. he was so kind a few seconds ago, and now he's accusing you of trying to steal research from him. how dare he insinuate such a thing? the audacity of his accusation sent a surge of indignation coursing through your veins.

with a mixture of disbelief and frustration, you shot back, "are you serious right now? do you honestly believe i would stoop so low as to steal your research? that's absurd and insulting!"

your voice rose with each word, echoing off the sterile walls of the lunch room. everyone around you turned their heads, curious at the sudden burst of sound. you felt eyes burning at the back of your head, yet you could care less. all you could think about was beating park jongseong up.

"but you just admitted you're studying abiogenesis," jongseong countered, his tone defensive yet tinged with uncertainty.

you scoffed, shaking your head in disbelief. "so what? just because we're both studying the same thing doesn't mean i'm out to steal your work. if anything, i could help you with your research, but clearly, that's not what you want."

your frustration boiled over, your words laced with an edge of sarcasm. "congratulations, jongseong, you've managed to push away the one person who could have helped you."

as you packed up your lunch, you pushed your chair back with a sharp screech, shooting him a glare before briskly walking away.

jongseong slumped in his seat, weariness etched into every line of his features. his brow furrowed in frustration, annoyance simmering beneath the surface as he replayed the confrontation with you in his mind. the weight of his desperation hung heavy in the air as he realized just how close he had come to securing someone to assist with his research.

next.

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

tagged: @sophiko22 @minseongsworld @enha-stars

[exhausted-archivist]

Thedas: Not a Middle Ages Fantasy But an Ahistorical, Pre-Industrial, Mega Fauna Fantasy

Part 1: Mega Fauna

The long and the short of it? Thedas is an ahistorical world with magic, two moons, giant fauna - giants, dragons, giant bears, giant arachnids, and has some "ancient" and recent technology that would reach as late as the 1800-1900s in our timeline - such as bunsen burners, smokeless coal, table saw, thresher, heliography, and theodolite. Nothing about Thedas is a 1:1 equivalent for Earth and never has been, we know from the devs that it wasn't the intention either. From a fantasy perspective it is a blend of your typical fantasy stories with adventure, dragons, magic, elves and dwarves, varying mythology, and culture ending events; mixed with a venture into a "what if" ahistorical history.

In the case of Dragon Age, Gaider mentions it was a "what if our own history had magic and elves and dwarves?" and "how might Christianity be different if, instead of Jesus, it had been founded by Joan of Ark?" and subverting tropes of fantasy while still being recognizable: elves being brought low vs aloof and immortal; dwarves bring political schemers vs stouthearted Scotsmen; mages who were feared for good reason.

These were the basic foundations going into Dragon Age, and the spirit of those things is evident through out the series. While there are clear moments of parallels, allegories, and themes of the modern world, our world; I think that, for better or worse, the series has kept to the spirit of those foundations. Keeping things recognizable while exploring the world they've crafted, that grows as the team grows.

Its the spirit of that foundation that really lends to the idea of Thedas being a mega flora and fauna world.

Disclaimer and Considerations:

Take all of this with a grain of salt, whether you take it or leave it. Aside from the actual lore mentioned (with sources next to it) all of this is estimations and based off of known art standards or "canon" as the term is called.

Size is a hard thing to nail down in Dragon Age, the scaling and modeling between the games - main and all additional third party installment - are inconsistent at best largely due to limitations and scope of the game. Such limitations we see reflected in Bull not being 8' and instead is 6'9, the fact that the nightmare demon was scaled down because of scope. Then there are the cinematic scenes, they aren't reliable as they often have models float, sunk into the ground, or given camera angles that force perspectives.

ALT Concept art is a touch more reliable in the idea of the intention but isn't any more hard fact due to the question of if the intention was carried through or not due to tech limitations or design choices.

In consideration of concept art I want to clarify a principal used in art that I will be referencing. Traditionally when drawing characters, artists will use proportional canons. Which is when one uses the height of the character’s head as a unit, to have the proportions of the body match natural ratios. A good write up of this concept is linked here and here.

Content warning for everyone, there will be mentions and/or depictions of the following:

Multi-eyed creatures

Scorpions

Spiders

This post also includes images from the following:

The Missing comic

Dragon Age Absolution

Part 1a: Does Thedas Actually Have Mega Fauna?

Yes, they do. Now the first thought might be the obvious dragons, giants, wyverns, titans, and some magical creatures. But there are some creatures of which we have actual measurable sizes for.

I have the more "concrete" fauna separated into two categories: known sizes and comparable sizes. Known is as stated in lore, if we're given fixed numbers at any point, while comparable sizes are for creatures who we either have vague descriptions or equated to something we know the sizes for.

Comparable sizes are also separated from known sizes as they either have variations, or I am unsure of the lore for them still holds; as with anything dao, game guides, and ttrpg on this blog, these are treated and considered as canon unless clear contradictions are available.

Known Sizes

Giant spiders:

Their scale isn't measured by how high they stand on the ground or by body length but from leg to leg. Or rather that is what you would expect for them to be measured by, but it is hard to say for sure. I run with the leg to leg measurement for the provided size in canon; where they are/can be 12' / 3.65m. [Codex]

Looking at extracted game models (which aren't reliable for in-game models) the giant spider stands at 3' 11.28" / 1.2m and measures 5' 4.2" / 1.63m leg to leg.

Griffons:

Their length is 12' / 3.65m or larger with even larger wingspans. Males can weigh over 1,000 lbs / 453.59kg while females are a little less. [Last Flight ch. 2 p. 31]

For context of how big both of these are length wise, on average: Javan rhinos are 12'5 / 3.8m in length, Indian rhinos are between 10.8’-12.5’ / 3.3-3.8m in length, African forest elephants are between 7.22’-12.13’ / 2.2-3.7m in length, African Bush elephants are 10’-16.5’ / 3-5m in length, thresher sharks can be 10.5’-20’ / 3.2-6.1m long, female great white sharks have an overall length of 15’-21’ / 4.57-6.4 m; males 11’-13’ / 3.35-3.96 m. Most crocodiles exceed that with an average of 13-14' / 3.96-4.26m.

If you're like me and that just is a jumble of words, below are the size comparison to a 6' / 1.83m male figure, the scuba diver is roughly the same length as well. I had to edit the horizontal figures to compare lengths but scale wise they are still 6' / 1.83m. I also spliced together multiple images so they would be easier to see (and tumblr has a 30 image limit).

ALT [Image Sources from left to right, top to bottom: Rhinos: Javan Rhino, Indian Rhino Elephants: African Bush Elephant, African Forest Elephant Crocodiles: American Crocodile, Mugger Crocodile Sharks: Thresher Shark, Great White Shark]

Comparable Sizes

Mabari:

Stated as being as tall and as wide as dwarves*; going off the dwarf heights from Inquisition game models would put them at a range of 4'9-5'3 / 144.78-160.02cm.** This is unclear if they mean from the head or shoulder, which typically you would measure quadrupeds from the shoulder. Something to note however, the mabari extracted models from Inquisition measure at 3' 4.6" / 1.03m at the shoulder but 4' 2" / 1.27m at the head.

ALT

This is also roughly echoed in the concept art, where the shoulder height lines up with the shoulder height of the extracted model from Inquisition, however is closer to the dwarf height range when measuring from the top of the head.

Either way mabari are considered giant breeds when looking at dogs. Regardless of if they are the height of a dwarf 4'9-5'3 / 144.78-160.02cm or the height shown in the extracted model or concept art of 3' 4.6" / 1.03m at the shoulder but 4' 2" / 1.27m at the head. The largest dog in the real world was a great dane at 3' 5.18" / 1.046m.***

*[Dragon Age Tabletop (da ttrpg), Blood in Ferelden] **[Source] ***[Source]

Deepstalkers:

There is a bit of a variant with their sizing scale across all entries. From being able to curl up to be the size of boulders or large rocks.* To The Calling describes them as follows

The “stalagmite” unfolded, revealing a serpentine creature with a long and wormlike neck that ended in a maw full of sharp teeth. Its mottled skin was almost perfectly camouflaged to match the stone around it.

He noticed where the creature’s limbs folded up under its carapace, where it tucked its long neck under its body. Hidden in plain sight, the disguise was almost perfect.

Meanwhile the Missing comic shows them as being much larger than Harding, a dwarf. The ttrpg also describes them as "small reptilian creatures". There also seems to be sizes difference noted between each type of deepstalker: deepstalker, leader, and matriarch.

ALT [Image Sources: BioWare Promo Material, Dragon Age Wiki, and The Missing Comic #1]

Additional measurements include the odd 2' 6.3" / .77m from the extracted model from Inquisition which doesn't line up with the in-game sizing as they're proportionally much larger when next to a dwarf. Then when looking at the concept art scaling from the red dev book shared by Mark Darrah, they stand nearly 6' / 1.83m.

ALT

So there is a stark range of size difference as well as really any consistency when it comes to the bipedal, raptor-like, predators.

*Note the range for what is a large rock and what is a boulder is pretty vague. **This is based on various screenshots as pictured above. Comparing them to Shale, a human character, dwarves, and an elf. *** [World of Thedas (WoT) vol. 1 p. 163, Origins game guide, da ttrpg, The Calling novel, and The Missing Comic]

Dragonlings:

Specifically when they are newly hatched are the size of a deer. At the shoulder they'd be 2'8 - 3' / 81 - 91cm. Their length could be from 3'1 - 7'2 / 95 - 220cm. [Dragonling Codex] *Note the ttrpg does denote that they are the size of a young deer, which would be about 1 1/2 years old. This is distinctly different from a fawn and they are the same size height wise as a mature deer. It is simply a difference in muscle mass.

Here is a helpful comparison of a white tail deer, one of the more common deer:

ALT [Image Source]

Below is concept art from Tom Rhodes that I have cropped for a much clearer view. The shoulder height of the dragonling reaches roughly the same height as deer above.

ALT [Image Source]

Part 1b Sizing from Concept art and Development

Here, I want to look at the concept art of creatures, while acknowledging that they don't always end up on the same scale in game - due to a variety of technical reasons. As we see with the fact that spiders are not 12' / 3.65m in game nor are they close to that.

But with that in mind, we can at least glean the intention if not what might be more reflective of the lore. As we know, not all of da lore is game engine/mechanic friendly and thus there is merit in seeing if we can measure through comparison of in dev work. Especially thanks to the human comparison in some of them.

One piece of such concept art that suggests mega fauna is the design guide for da4 that was teased to us by Mark Darrah in 2016 and in the BioWare: Secrets and Stories From 25 Years of Game Development (B25) p. 274.

ALT

Using this, we can tell what might have been the intended -- again if it is not reflected in game -- size for the animals in Thedas. However, I will note for the sake of clarity that this isn't perfect reference; as some of the scaling seems to be questionable/warping. This is after all, an image of a picture in a book. I would be thrilled to see if we ever get to see a flat image of this.

But what we can see when we clean it up, and line up everything while cross referencing other concept art; the scaling seems to work out something like this with the human figure in the center being the "hero" proportions/ideals that would make his height 6'2 / 1.88m.

ALT

Great Bear

Some of the concept art that we can use for comparisons are pieces such as the concept art for the Great Bear and Quillback (development name dragon bear and vulture hyena):

ALT

Going off the stock hero height for female it is 5'6 - 5'7.5 / 1.67 - 1.71m and for males it is 6' - 6'2 / 1.83 - 1.88m. That would make a great bear roughly 10'11 - 11'2 / 3.34 - 3.42m in this concept art. However in the red book, the scaling suggest it is around 14' / 4.26m. Which is an example of how the book as reference might either be unreliable or the new updated intention for the scaling/design.

Regardless of which numbers you favor, when you look at those scales in contrast to our two largest modern bears:

Kodiak Bear: 3'4 - 5' / 1.02 - 1.52m at the shoulder, 6'5 - 9' / 1.96 - 2.74m in length, and 9' - 10' / 2.75 - 3.05m standing upright

Polar Bear: 3'7 - 5'3 / 1.09 - 1.6 m (male) or 2’8 - 3’11 / .81-1.19 m (female) at the shoulder, 7’10 - 9’10 / 2.4-3 m length, and 8’ - 10’ / 2.5 - 3.05 m standing upright Note: I have edited together the sourced images for clearer scaling.

ALT [Image Sources: Bears: Kodiak Bear, Polar Bear]

Additionally when looking at the tarot cards, which also tend to echo concept art more than the final game we see this massive and dramatic height difference for great bears.

ALT

Another varying size reference we have from concept art is this piece by Tom Rhodes comparing the great bear to the normal bear/brown bear. This is in direct conflict with the scale illustrated in the dev book, though this could simply be due to the stage of development this was created in as it looks to be a draw over of a game model when looking at the great bear.

ALT [Image Source]

Nightmare Demon

The Nightmare demon, or "Blinky" as fans call it, or "Smilely" as Varric calls it. This is however a demon so it's appearance and size can change due to influences outside of its control, I want to acknowledge that. This one was something I wasn't expecting to make a comparison with, as we know that not only was the final version of this demon scaled well as it seems that part of it was cut off in the dev book. But I found this concept art from Heroes of Dragon Age (HoDA) and I believe it roughly matches up with the dev book in terms of scale. It might be scaling larger however, I cannot say with any certainty. And when comparing it to the game model in DAI, this is actually a little smaller in comparison. The extracted game model of the Nightmare demon is 93.47' / 28.49m, while in comparison this concept art implies that it is 54.5' / 16.61m when you measure the silhouette which we can estimate to be 6'2.

ALT [Image Source]

ALT You can see how much they sized down the nightmare demon for HoDA (which is understandable given the constraints of a mobile game), especially when you scale them down to show the actual difference. Which is funny considering the nightmare demon is greatly scaled down from the original concept.

Phoenix

Another piece we have, is concept art for the phoenix. Unlike with the hero figure from before, we are estimating Orisino's height based on the height of elven game models. This would put Orisinao at 5'9 - 6' / 1.75 - 1.83m for an elven male.

ALT [Image Source]

This height reference is echoed and reinforced when we look at the dev book from B25 and Mark Darrah. When you bring the phoenix over to line it up with the hero character in the center, it puts the shoulder a phoenix is roughly 6'2. Implying that, at least for this art, Oresino is within that 5'9-6' / 1.75-1.83m range as his height is lower than the shoulder.

ALT

As you can see the extracted game model is not comparable due to the fact it, like the bears are not at all the same size as their in-game models. They are being scaled up a great deal to what we see in game. The extracted model height for the phoenix is 2' 7.4" / 0.8m, which is much shorter than their in-game counter part that shows it to be around the height of the human/elf character if not a little taller.

Quillback

Shown in the concept art with the great bear, we do have scalable concept art with the quillback and we are able to see that it does line up with the scaling for the dev book. It is also roughly the same size as the extracted game model. It's shoulder height being 4' 10.6" / 1.49m. The quillback also seems to be one of the few creatures where their in game counter part matches up with their model and concept art.

ALT

Part 1 Conclusion

As we can see with all the comparable or confirmed sizing of these creatures in Thedas, most are predators and scavengers, fairly large ones at that. So much so, it would dictate a high oxygen content in the atmosphere, plenty of prey to fuel animals of this size, and plenty of land area to allow for the biodiversity that we see. Even down to the subterranean level as well.

We know that gravity also works differently in Thedas, to a degree it is requires as to allow creatures the size of dragons and griffons fly, and giants roam the surface. But also to allow dwarves ranging from 4'9-5'3 / 144.78-160.02 cm to live 2-4 miles / 3.21-6.43 km below sea level + the distance from the actual surface. To give context, the deepest cave we've explored on earth is the Veryovkia cave at 1.37 miles / 2.12 km deep and the entrance to the cave is 1.41 miles / 2.28 km above sea level. Meaning the deepest cave doesn't even go down to sea level.

But with all that said, I'm only wrapping up here as I'm running out of image allowance for this post. I'll continue this in the next part, and if you've read this far, thank you.

Wanna support this blog? You can check out my ko-fi.

[demxters]

—𝐖𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐑, 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐢𝐢

jake ‘hangman’ seresin x f!aviator!reader

series summary: “there’s no place like home for the holidays,” is a saying you loathe with a passion.  you didn’t hate the holidays. you just wished you had a place to call home when the winter days are lonely and the nights are long and cold. little did you know that home was a lot closer than you think, and came in the package of a charming green eyed pilot with a surprising amount of love for the holiday season.

wc: 9.1k (oops) 

warning(s): fem!reader, idiots in love, swearing, some self deprecating thoughts (from both jake and reader), mentions of anxiety, implications of bad family relationships, self esteem issues, angst/fluff/then more angst, a plethora of cliches from my favorite xmas romcom (iykyk)

part of the ‘through the seasons’ universe 

prev.

𝐅𝐄𝐄𝐃𝐁���𝐂𝐊, 𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐒, 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐑𝐄𝐁𝐋𝐎𝐆𝐒 𝐀𝐑𝐄 𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐎𝐔𝐑𝐀𝐆𝐄𝐃 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐀𝐏𝐏𝐑𝐄𝐂𝐈𝐀𝐓𝐄𝐃!

you wanting me, tonight feels impossible…but it's comin' down no sound, it's all around. like snow on the beach… –snow on the beach, taylor swift (ft. lana del rey) 

His brother was only older by one year, and yet the distance between the two has never been bigger. If you could believe it, growing up the two boys were inseparable. Two peas in a pod, partners in crime. Jake looked up to his older brother. He wanted to go where Luke went and do what Luke did. The Seresin brothers were each other’s best friend. Until high school. 

The changes hit him like a freight car. Luke being a year older set a precedent for what was expected of Jake going into his freshmen year. It was barely a month into the new school year that Jake noticed it. The second his teachers heard his last name it was always “Luke” this or “Luke” that. He tried so hard not to let it bother him, but he was so tired of being compared to his brother. 

Luke, who was captain of the lacrosse team. Luke, who was in student government. Luke, who was a straight A student. Funny, smart, charming, charismatic Luke. No one cared to give him a second glance. No one cared to notice that Jake Seresin could be funny. Jake Seresin was smart. Jake Seresin had good looks like his brother.

And while Jake was getting buried under his brother’s shadow, Luke was soaking up the spotlight. He loved the praise he received from teachers, from students, from girls. But most importantly, from his parents. He knew his parents meant well, but he couldn’t help but feel so small in comparison to his brother. 

You want to join the chess club? Why don’t you do lacrosse like Luke instead? 

You should ask Luke what he would do. 

Maybe you should try to be more like Luke. 

Luke let all that praise go to his head and he eventually thought he was better than his little brother. Too good for his little brother. Jake hated that he found himself believing it too. 

So he did the only thing that made sense to him at the time. He acted out. He distanced himself from his family. Jake stayed out late past curfew. He kissed random girls at parties. He landed himself in detention every week or so. If everyone wanted him to be more like Luke, there was no way he would give them what they wanted. Jake Seresin wanted to be his own and he would make a name for himself. 

As high school came to an end, so did Luke and Jake’s brotherhood. It was as if the two were barely family. Luke lived off of reminding Jake who the better Seresin was and his parents didn’t know better than to believe he was only trying to help Jake stay on track. He wished he could make them see that was far from the truth. 

His saving grace throughout those four years came in the form of Javy Machado. The two had met in sophomore chemistry class when they almost set the lab on fire during a bunsen burner experiment. They’ve been attached to the hip ever since. Javy never saw Jake as Luke Seresin’s younger brother. To him, he was “just Jake.” Javy became the brother Jake had lost. Even now, years later that still held true. 

He always felt like he had to compete with his brother for attention. Jake hated that he was beginning to feel it again right now. 

Jake’s blood was boiling. Hot, red bubbles of anger passed through him as he watched Luke converse with you. You looked uncomfortable and his brother clearly didn’t get the hint. 

“Javy, put that bag down.” Jake motions for him to leave the duffle bag on the floor. “Hey, Luke, you mind helping us out back here?”

Coyote snickers as he drops the bag down by his feet, sending Jake a smirk. “Smooth, man.” 

“Shut up,” he retorts, though a ghost of a smile appears on his lips. 

“Yeah, I’m coming.” His brother calls out, leaving you standing by the curb. But not before giving you one last look he liked to call, the ladies man. He misses the way your nose crinkles as he walks away. “Really, Jake? You two big Navy men couldn’t lift this one bag into the trunk?” Luke guffaws. 

“Luke, always a pleasure.” Coyote nods at the man in faux pleasantry. 

Jake resists the urge to scoff. “We could. I just wanted to tell you something about Thumper.” 

“Man, you weren’t kidding when you said she was a looker. Thumper’s hot man,” Luke smirks. 

“Woah!” Javy scolded with his hands out. 

Jake on the other hand, felt that hot, boiling anger start to bubble over. He clenches his fists and his nostrils flare as he jabs his finger into Luke’s chest. “You better watch it.” 

Luke shrugs his shoulders. He was loving the rise that the mere mention of your callsign got out of Jake. He knew his little brother was protective, but damn did this girl have a hold on him. One he hasn’t seen since Jake’s last girlfriend. “I’m just saying. Now is that all? Because the lady is waiting.” 

He narrows his eyes at Luke, not letting the pressure on Luke’s chest weaken. “Thumper’s off limits. You got it?” 

Luke looks back at him without an ounce of fear. He raises a challenging brow. “We’ll see about that, brother.” 

________________

You fell asleep somewhere along the way to the Seresin’s ranch. The drive was another two hours to get out of the suburbs and by the time you woke up the cityscape was gone, now replaced with vast land of various shades of brown and green. 

You smile in amusement to yourself, watching a tumbleweed pass by. You were almost pressed up against the window staring in awe as they rolled. In your defense you thought they only existed in cheesy, low budget Western movies and cartoons. Seeing one in real life made you feel like a child again. 

The car ride was uncomfortably silent due to the presence of Jake’s brother. You haven't heard much about him other than that he was a year older than Jake. You noticed he didn’t like to talk about his brother much. His mother and father, however, you have heard all good things about. The nerves started to creep back into you and your leg started to bounce in the quiet of the car. 

Coyote catches your eye and he gives you a soft smile, placing his hand on your knee like Jake had once before. You exhale deeply, silently thanking him with a nod as you continue to pace your breaths. Going off the rails now wouldn’t help you in the long run, you knew that. You take another deep breath and you find some clarity. You were feeling the same way you felt every time you took off in your plane. As you went higher, so did your anxiety. Once you reached the right altitude, you fell into autopilot and it was all smooth sailing from there. This wasn’t any different. Meeting Jake’s family was the incline. You just need to get past the climb and everything will be okay. 

Your jaw practically drops as Luke pulls up to the property. The ranch was beautiful. Despite the winter climate, the lawn was green for miles. There was a large tree in the front with an old tire swing tied to one of its thick branches. A red, rusted truck that reminded you of Bella Swan’s was parked to the side. 

As the SUV pulls into park, you exit the vehicle staring at the house in awe. Small and simple didn’t describe it at all. “Holy shit,” you exhale, never taking your eyes off it. 

Jake steps out of the car as well and grins at you with his hands on his hips. He glances between you and the house and chuckles at your expression. 

“You’ve been holding out on me, Seresin. This isn’t a house. This is a mansion.” Your eyes run across the stunning two story home. The entire estate was painted a shade of pearl, one that reminded you of the White House. The home was modern, yet had a rustic appeal that fit perfectly against the country backdrop. 

Jake blushes, lowering his head in embarrassment. Being in the Navy has exposed him to people of different backgrounds than him, yet he still wasn’t used to the shameful reminder that he came from a family that had better than most. “It’s really nothing special. Just wait ‘til you see the horses,” he drives your attention away from the structure. 

You squeal at that. “Horses?” 

He slings an arm around your shoulder and laughs as he brings you to the trunk so he can help Javy with the bags. Luke had already wandered off to the front door, alerting his parents that they had arrived. 

At the sound of your gleeful laughter, Coyote shakes his head. “I told you if you just led with the horses, she wouldn’t have fought against your invite.” 

Jake scoffs. “That’s not true, right?” He looks down at you with wide eyes. 

“Well…” you trail off as Jake takes full offense to that by pulling his arm off of you to place a hand on his chest. 

Javy leads the way to the front door and the small banter exchanged between you and Jake was enough to take your mind off your impending doom. However, that also meant getting to the door quicker than you anticipated, giving you little to no time to prepare for a meet and greet. 

Jake takes your hand as you walk through the doorway, giving it a reassuring squeeze. You feel your palms start to sweat and you hope he can’t feel your moistening flesh. You barely make it a foot into the home when you’re bombarded by a short older woman throwing her arms around you. 

“My goodness, you’re even prettier in person!” She pulls back, holding you by the shoulders. She gives you a quick lookover. You immediately recognize the woman as one you’ve seen in many of the pictures Jake had in his room back on base. She had the same crinkles by her eyes and that breathtaking smile. 

You waited for the agony of feeling out of place to hit you, but then she’s gathering you in her arms once more. You let out a squawk of surprise and look at Jake who has released your hand and is pinching the bridge of his nose. 

“Ma, lighten up there. She needs room to breathe,” he scolds. He mouths a sorry to you that you only dismiss with a subtle shake of the head. 

“Oh give me a minute to look at her, Jake.” She waves off her son before grabbing you gently once more. “It is so nice to finally meet you! Jake has told us so much about you.” 

“Mom–” He tries to interject but is cut off by his mother once more. 

“We’ve been hearing him go on and on about you for years. I mean, Thomas and I,” She pauses and hollers a loud, Thomas! behind her shoulder before turning back to you. “Thomas and I never thought we’d actually meet you in person, let alone in our own home! It is so good to have you here.” 

Her sweet words warm your heart. Though the bit about her knowing about you for years throws you off just a bit, you decide to keep it in the back of your mind to bring up later. “Well, thank you for letting me stay. I hope I’m not any trouble, I know this was all last minute and I’m sure you had other plans for the holiday.” 

“Nonsense, honey,” Mrs. Seresin coos. “We always love having company around here. Speaking of company, Javy Machado, I see you. Get over here!” 

You step out of the way with hot cheeks so Javy can take your place in Mrs. Seresin’s arms. You giggle as she squeezes Coyote’s cheeks. 

Luke comes back into the room with another man who you can only assume is Thomas Seresin. The man was intimidating, just as his sons were at first glance. You shrink into yourself, unknowingly stepping behind Jake’s broad shoulder. 

“As I live and breathe, if it ain’t my son finally back in town,” Mr. Seresin grins under his wide brimmed hat. 

Jake’s back straightens. He greets his father with a firm handshake and a small part of you is afraid of what his father is going to say next. But when the two break into similar smiles and gather one another in their arms, that fear turns into relief. Jake had told you his relationship with his father was complicated, so you didn’t know what to expect from him upon arrival. You were glad Mr. Seresin chose the more civil approach to your stay. 

Mr. Seresin sees your figure from behind his son and scoots over so he can have a better view of you. “Thomas Seresin,” he greets with an outstretched hand. “I’m assuming that makes you Thumper?” 

“That’s me sir,” you timidly reach out to shake his hand. 

He blows a raspberry with a hearty laugh. “Please, call me Thomas. Are you alright with us calling you Thumper or do you prefer us use a different name?” 

“Thumper’s alright with me,” you nod as he releases your hand and goes to greet Javy who was finally released from Mrs. Seresin’s clutches. 

“Ma, look at the poor thing, she’s overwhelmed.” Luke comes to your other side, a little too close for your liking and you hook your arm around Jake’s and press yourself up against him. “Maybe you should rest in the room.” 

Jake notices and brings you closer to his side by unraveling his arm from yours and wrapping his arm around your waist. He pulls you flush into his side and feels the tension in your body begin to fade. This time, he won’t deny the smile that tugs at his lips at you finding comfort in him. “I think Thumper can speak for herself,” Jake challenges his brother. His stern glare softens as he looks at you. 

All eyes land on you and you can’t help but avoid eye contact with everyone else. You pick at the cuticles of your nails and exhale shakily. As lovely as Jake’s parents were, you needed a second to recuperate after all the introductions. You also wanted to make sure Jake was doing okay. Despite all the attention you’ve been getting, your own has been concentrated solely on the blond. There was this nagging feeling in your chest that alerted you to Jake’s own unease, similar to the way you could feel his rare moments of uncertainty in the air. “I was actually wondering if it would be okay for Jake and Javy to take me out to the town for a little while. I heard it was beautiful out there this time of year and can’t wait to see for myself.” 

The proud smirk on Jake’s face is no longer hidden as he smugly looks at his brother. “That sounds like a great idea, darling.” 

Coyote nods in agreement and checks his watch. “We should probably head out now though, before the sun sets. That way we can also make it back for dinner. If that’s okay with you, Thumps.”

“Sounds good, Coyote,” you affirm. 

“Maybe I should go with you guys,” Luke interjects, eagerly. “It might be easier for you to settle in if you have a more reliable guide.” 

This guy just would not quit, you think to yourself. Stubbornness must be a Seresin trait. 

Jake opens his mouth to oppose, getting irritated at his brother’s constant persistence to steal his time with you away. It was so typical of him to force his way into Jake’s life, just like he did in high school. 

Mrs. Seresin sighs as she hands Jake the keys to their truck. “Oh, let them be, Lucas.” She glances between you and Jake with a gentle smile. “Besides, I have a feeling Thumper’s gonna settle in just fine. You three better get a move on. You’re losing daylight.” 

“Thanks, Ma,” Jake mouths to his mother, though she pretends not to know what he’s talking about. Thank goodness his mother was on his side this time. 

_______

The Seresin’s property was around a thirty minute drive away from the nearest town of Mt. Davina. You don’t remember passing by on the drive up and you figure it must’ve been because you were knocked out at the time. You found yourself caught between Jake and Javy in the truck’s bench seat. It was a bit of a tight squeeze and you were straddling the middle counsel with your thighs, but you didn’t mind. It was similar to flying in your F-18. 

The entire ride there, you took in every story and anecdote that fell from your friends’ lips. Hearing about how Jake and Javy were when they were younger had you seeing your friends in a new light. You loved how their eyes lit up and their cheeks would flush when one of them would recount an embarrassing moment about the other. It gave you a sense of connection to their brotherhood, one you now had a better understanding of.

It warmed your heart that they were letting you into this part of their lives. Compared to the rest of the squad, they were more reserved when it came to sharing tidbits of their life before the Navy. They would rather keep up the reputation they had now instead of tarnishing it with their “uncool” lives before then. 

You were currently laughing along with Javy about the time he caught Jake belting Taylor Swift’s Picture to Burn while he was cleaning the horse stables back in high school. 

“Who knew? Hangman Seresin is secretly a Swiftie,” you tease, proud of how pink the tips of his ears were getting. You rarely pulled this flustered type of behavior from him so it was definitely one you were going to take advantage of. 

“It’s a good song, alright?” Jake defends. He won’t admit however that he was secretly enjoying this back and forth storytelling thing him and Javy had going on. It was enough to diminish your apprehensiveness from when you were meeting his family. He was glad he was able to pull the real Thumper back out of your shell. The way you threw your head back in laughter and wiped at the tears that dared to escape your eyes was something he could only describe as angelic. 

“He’s not wrong about that one, Coyote.” You nudge Jake’s shoulder with yours and your heart flutters at the smile he sends you in return. “Although, don’t be surprised if I get Bradshaw to learn some Taylor Swift just for you.” 

He groans and Javy bursts into another round of laughs as the two of you continue to take jabs at Jake’s nonexistent obsession with Taylor Swift. As Jake listens to the jokes you and Javy make, he realizes that he would share every embarrassing fact about himself if it got that reaction out of you. He would recount every time he has accidentally tripped over a hay bale or show you how ridiculous he looked in his oversized cowboy boots and hat as a kid just to hear you laugh the way you did just now. In fact, he found himself wanting to share every aspect of his life with you. He desperately hoped you wanted to do the same. 

You were somewhat of a mystery to him. Yes, he could read you better than the others could and you’ve grown closer during the time you spent in Miramar. But you could also be closed off from him. He didn’t know much about your past or what your life was like growing up. Phoenix had told him you didn’t like sharing that part of yourself. Not because you didn’t trust the others with it, but rather because you were afraid of what they’d think of you after. He begged Phoenix to tell him so he could understand you better, but she told him it wasn’t her story to tell. Jake respected that and let you keep your boundaries. However, the time he spent with you made him realize that the past no longer mattered. Nothing could change the way he looked at you. 

The town of Mount Davina was beautiful. So used to the crowded suburbs of San Diego, this felt like a breath of fresh air. The walk through town felt like a Hallmark Christmas movie. The quaint small town shops were adorned with quirky and elegant holiday decorations. There was a Christmas tree in the middle of the main street that was impossible to miss. Children and teenagers alike run up and down the sidewalks as the adults chatter and warn their kids to stay out of the street. You imagine little Jake and Javy running down the cobblestone streets, causing havoc like the troublemakers they were. 

A brief tour of some of the shops gives you a feel of the little community. While some shop owners came and went, there were a few who had been there to see Mount Davina grow. The familiarity in their faces when Jake and Javy walked in told you that much. 

“I can’t believe Mr. Edison sold that place,” Jake lamented. 

Coyote agrees, holding the door open for you and Jake to enter through. “Me too. Man, I’m gonna miss that place.” 

The warmth of the cafe hits you when you cross the doorway. The smell of fresh coffee and pastries is welcomed, smelling absolutely delectable in the cold, gloomy weather. “You’re going to miss the bait and tackle place? Do you guys even fish?” You giggle. 

“It’s the thought that counts, sweetheart,” Jake remarks matter of factly. 

After a battle of credit cards with Jake over the hot chocolate and pastries—he insisted on paying but you wouldn’t let him, which ultimately resulted in Javy taking the bill— the three of you settled in one of the booths at the back of the cafe. 

The sip you take from your cup is absolute heaven. The rich, smooth chocolate and its warmth as it goes down your throat sends a shiver down your spine as it melts your insides. 

Jake catches the way your eyes close in content with a grin. “Told you, it’s good right?” 

“Good? This is heaven in a cup.” You put the cup down and hang your head back with a sigh. 

They ended the tour with this stop at their favorite cafe before the three of you headed back to Jake’s house. The rest of the night went by smoothly despite the absence of Luke who seemed to have turned in extremely early for the night. Javy parted ways with the rest of you, leaving with Mr. Seresin to head back home. Jake had insisted on taking him home, but Javy made it clear that he wanted Jake to help you settle in for the night. 

A soft knock to your door takes you away from your book as you mutter a soft, “come in,” to the person on the other side. 

Jake enters the guest room with his plaid pajama pants and plain black tee shirt. His hair is slightly disheveled and no longer fixed to perfection. To put it simply, he was the epitome of domesticity in this light. Your heart fluttered as you took him. Jake was good looking. There was no doubt about that, but for some reason seeing him in this way made him even more attractive. You almost turn a hideous shade of green at the thought of anyone else getting to see him like this. 

He settles beside you, sitting against the headboard of the bed. “I just wanted to say goodnight before you fell asleep.” 

You smile sweetly at him and bookmark the page you are on before putting your book on the bedside table. He’s twiddling with his thumbs and he won’t meet your eye, giving you the impression that there was something else going on in his mind. “Talk to me, Hangman. How are you doing?” 

The use of his callsign told him you were all business right now. “I don’t know. Everything is just so weird, you know? Being back here, seeing my family again. Having you meet them… it’s just weird.” 

Your smile drops slightly at his words and you grimace. Every doubt you had before coming here came flooding back to you all in one go. You should’ve known this was all a little too good to be true. You should have known that Jake was only being thoughtful by inviting you home with him. It didn’t mean he actually wanted you here. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, I can take the next flight out of Dallas and everything can go back to normal.” 

“Woah hey, Thumps, what are you talking about?” His brows furrowed in confusion and his hand shot out to catch yours. 

You pull away from him, shaking your head. “I’m sorry for making things weird. I can leave as soon as possible and we don’t have to talk about any of this ever again.” 

“No, no, sweetheart. That’s not at all what I meant. Hey,” he cups the side of your face, running his thumb across your cheekbone. “It’s not you making things weird. I want you here. I swear, I am so happy you’re here.” You see no hint of dishonesty in his form, making you relax just a bit. “You promise?” You ask, hesitantly. 

He nods, his grip on your hand tightening reassuringly. “It’s not you that’s making this weird, I think it’s me.” 

It’s your turn to be confused. “You?” 

“I’m not the same person I was the last time I was here. I mean, don’t be surprised, but I wasn’t always the confident hotshot of a pilot I am today,” he says in an attempt to lighten the mood. 

You laugh lightly, knocking your shoulder with his. “Really? You mean to say Jake Seresin hasn’t always been this cocky?” 

He musters a weak smile. “No, it’s true. You’d be surprised by the guy I used to be.” 

“Oh yeah? Humor me, Seresin,” you challenge. You turn to rest on your side, leaning on your arm to face him. 

“Where to start,” he pretends to contemplate. “I was quiet. Almost as timid as you, Thumps.” He reaches out to tap his finger lightly against the tip of your nose, eliciting a small giggle from your lips. “And I wasn’t an obnoxious attention seeker.” 

“You’re not obnoxious,” you interject. 

“I am! Ask anyone on the squad.” 

You see right through Jake’s facade of masking his insecurities with humor because you tend to do it yourself. But you thought the world of him, and hearing him belittle himself made you want to fight whoever made Jake think this way. “Why do you do that?” 

“Do what?” He questions, watching the way your forehead crinkles in thought. 

“Say that about yourself. You’re not obnoxious, Jake. No one thinks that.” 

You speak to him with such conviction in your eyes, such honesty, that it makes him want to kiss you right then and there. It takes every ounce of restraint for him not to. Instead, he plainly shrugs. 

“Jake,” you frown, scooting closer to him. “I don’t know what’s going on in your head, but whatever it is, you know that I’m here for you right? Just like you’re always here for me.” 

“Yeah I know, darling. Sorry for dumping this on you with no resolve—“ 

“Don’t apologize. You have nothing to be sorry for. Sometimes we feel things and we don’t know why. And that’s okay. Just know that I never thought of you that way.” You hold his gaze, hoping he can feel the sincerity of your words. 

There’s a warmth growing in his chest that Jake has only ever felt when he was with you. He just wished he could put it into words to let you know just how much he appreciated you. He was never good with words, but he was great at taking action. 

He wraps his arms around you, the weight of him pushing you into the mattress. But you don’t mind. You loved being close to him. The two of you lay in that comfortable silence as he eventually moves to rest his head on your chest. Your fingers find their way to his hair and you run them back and forth through the short hairs at his neckline. 

You find yourself drifting in and out of sleep when Jake begrudgingly untangles himself from your hold. He knows he won’t be able to find it in him to leave if he didn’t now. He gently moves away from your touch despite the disdain that stirs in his chest. “Goodnight darling,” he whispers into the night. 

You acknowledge him with a hum, rolling over. 

Kiss her you fool, the voice in his head screams at him. 

He clenches his fist, desperate to brush aside the stray hair on your forehead and plant the sweetest of kisses there. But he doesn’t. As much as it pains him, he can’t. 

Jake opted for one last soft goodnight before heading to bed himself. That night he drifts off into dreams of you and what could be.

____________

A few days passed of you staying at the Seresin’s and you were settling in much better than you expected. You spent the mornings making breakfast with his mother and eating with his family, the days exploring the ranch with Jake and Javy, and the evenings wrapping presents with Jake. 

You found yourself feeling much more comfortable with them than you thought you would. You would even go as close to saying they felt like family. (Yes, even Luke who seemed to ease up and leave you alone). 

This morning started the same as always. You were helping Mrs. Seresin with the dishes while Jake and Luke cleaned up the table. Mr. Seresin had left early this morning to help one of their family friends down in the city. 

You’re laughing with his mother in the kitchen causing Jake to almost drop the remainder of the plates that sat on the dining table. 

“Jesus, Jakey. All that Navy training, and yet you’re still a klutz?” Luke chortled. 

Jake rolls his eyes, ignoring the jab at his childhood nickname that Luke knows he loathes. He stacks the rest of the plates as his brother continues to lean back, letting his brother do all the work. 

Luke’s eyes drift to the kitchen, following Jake’s stare and he sees exactly what had Jake so distracted. He clicks his tongue with a knowing smirk. “What’s going on with you and Thumper?” 

“Nothing,” Jake grumbles. He was not falling for another one of Luke’s games. Jake has had enough of his brother butting into his business in high school. He wasn’t going to let him get away with it now. 

“Really? Because it looks like you have a little crush on her.” Luke eyes the way Jake’s jaw ticks and continues on. “Did I say little? I meant big. A big crush on her. How long has that been going on? A year? Two years?” 

Jake fires back. “That’s really none of your business.” 

“Touchy, touchy,” Luke goads. “You haven’t told her how you feel. Why not?” Jake stays silent, giving him the perfect opportunity to strike. He snaps his fingers in mocking realization and leans forward so he can be eye to eye with his brother. “Oh, that’s right. You haven’t told her how you feel because you know she won’t say she feels the same way.” 

“Leave it alone, Luke.” Jake’s breath hitches in the back of his throat and there’s a familiar sting that tickles the tip of his nose. 

“You know you won’t be enough for her. That’s why you haven’t said anything, right?” 

Jake wants to punch his brother’s perfect teeth out as he smugly grins, knowing he hit him right where it hurts. “Shut up,” he hisses. 

“Because deep down, you know that compared to someone like me, she will never settle for a man like you.” 

He spins on his heel, grabbing Luke by the collar. Nostrils flared and cheeks red, Jake clenches his fists. “You better choose your next words, or I’ll–” 

“Boys?” The sound of their mother’s voice breaks up what would have become a full fledged fist fight. “Are you done with those plates?” 

“Yeah, I’ve got ‘em, Ma,” Luke hollers, scooping up the stack at the corner of the table. He gives Jake a wink, not at all phased by his brother’s behavior and strides off to the kitchen. 

Luke knows damn well that Jake is watching his every move and he purposely puts his hand on your lower back, gently moving you aside as he places the rest of the dishes in the sink. You’re a  bit flustered by the contact and you bashfully stutter over your quick words of greeting toward the man. You tuck your chin to your sternum with a shy smile. 

The way you don’t shift away from his touch feels like a stab to Jake’s heart. 

_________

“You ready to go, cowboy?” Jake’s staring out at the yard in deep thought as you approach him. You come to a stop beside him and he still has yet to acknowledge your presence. “Jake?” You tap him lightly on the shoulder. 

He doesn’t even turn to look at you as he replies shortly, “Yeah. Let’s go.” 

You frown at his tone, but brush it off with the assumption that it had something to do with the conversation you had a few nights ago. Since then, you never dared to bring it up knowing that Jake would come to you on his own time. You observed the Seresin family closely during your stay at their estate after that night, noticing how the Seresins seemed to favor their oldest son. Whether they realized they were doing it or not, you couldn’t tell. However, the innocence in his mother’s voice told you that she didn’t mean any harm by the things she said. Mr. Seresin on the other hand, was too hot and cold for you to come to a conclusion about where he stood with Jake. 

Falling into step with him during your trek to the truck, you try to get him to look at you. One thing you knew about Jake Seresin was that he held all his weight on his shoulders. Today, they were touching his earlobes, a tell tale sign that he was not at all relaxed. “Are you okay?” You stop him in his tracks with a gentle touch to his elbow. 

“Fine,” is all he says before unlocking the truck and jumping into the driver’s side. 

The ride to Coyote’s place was quiet. It wasn’t the usual, comfortable silence that fell between you and Jake but rather a heavy silence that was suffocating. The only sounds that could be heard is the hum of the truck’s engine and the staticky Christmas music that played off the old radio. 

Javy felt the tension the second he got into the truck. He sent you a questioning look to which you only gave back a halfhearted shrug.  

The melancholy atmosphere continued to carry over once you reached the small shopping mall in town. Javy tried his best to lighten the mood, but even his normally enticing jokes didn’t seem to work. Jake had excused himself to the bathroom, giving you a moment alone with Coyote. 

“What happened this morning?” Javy questions. 

“I don’t know,” you admit. “I’m just as lost as you are. Everything was good, great even. And then all of a sudden… nothing. He’s just icing me out.” You don’t need to say that it hurt you for Javy to know that. “Was it something I did? If it is I need to know, Javy. I can’t bear the thought of not knowing if I did something to make him mad at me.” 

“Oh, Thumper, I doubt that it’s anything you did. But if it makes you feel better, I’ll try to find out for you.” He opens his arm up to you and pulls you into his side. 

“Thanks, Coyote,” you say against his shoulder. 

When Jake comes back, he still doesn’t say much, letting the silence do most of the talking for him. You decide to ask the boys if you could walk around by yourself for a bit and you could tell that Jake is hesitant to let you go off on your own. But he doesn’t stop you. He lets you go. For some reason, it tugs at your already weakened heartstrings a little more. 

“Hey, what’s the matter with you, man?” Coyote stops Jake, pulling him off to the side. 

He doesn’t dare make eye contact with his friend. “Nothing.” 

Javy scoffs, clearly not buying any of Jake’s bullshit. “So what, ignoring Thumper and acting like an asshole is nothing?” Hand it to Coyote to call it as it is. “She thinks she did something wrong, you know. And it’s killing her.” 

That breaks a bit of Jake’s resolve. “She didn’t do anything. I swear, it’s not her.” 

“Then what? Because she doesn’t deserve to be thrown off to the side, let alone by you of all people.” There’s an unspoken understanding that passes between the two of them by his words. 

Jake knew he was right. Him, who promised he’d never leave hanging despite what everyone said about him. By avoiding you, he was doing just that. He tried so hard not to let the conversation he had with his brother this morning get to him. Yet after seeing how you interacted with his brother, he was suddenly in high school again. Left to his own devices, watching as Luke took away every good thing that Jake had. He didn’t stop to think that he was driving you right into Luke’s arms by his actions. “You’re right.” Jake finally submits. “It’s fucking Luke again, you know? He called me out on my feelings for Thumper and said some things that made me see red.” 

“What things?” 

“Just something along the lines of him being a better guy than me. You know, the usual. Then he spewed some shit about Thumper not feeling the same towards me.”

Coyote raises a brow. “And you believe him?” 

Jake dryly laughs. “I was really trying not to until I saw how she was with him. God, thinking of them together is already enough to make me sick.” 

“You know Thumper. And Thumper knows you better than Luke. I highly doubt that she’d ever go for a guy like him. Not when she has you.” Javy places a confirming hand on Jake’s shoulder. “Don’t let him get to your head again. Use that brain of yours to take your control back instead of letting him control you.” 

Jake’s shoulders deflate. “I don’t want to lose her, Javy. Especially not to Luke.” 

“You won’t, alright? You won’t lose her. Not to Luke, not to anyone. That girl loves you as much as you love her, hell, maybe even more!” Javy lightly chuckles. 

He blushes red at his statement. “Who said that I love her?” 

“Jake, I knew you were attracted to Thumper but it was pretty much implied the second you jumped the gun and invited her to come home with us. You would never bring anyone home. You don’t trust anyone enough to do that. And yet…” 

It doesn’t hit him like some kind of epiphany. The realization that he loved you, that he was in love with you flowed through every inch of his body. Because deep down, he knew the feeling was always there. He knew from the moment he laid eyes on you at Top Gun the second time, that you were it for him. That this was fate giving him a second chance to get to know the aviator who blew him away the first time he was at Top Gun and to actually muster up the guts to make a move. Jake Seresin was in love with you. He didn’t feel surprised as it dawned on him. It was why he knew all the little details about you by heart. Why he needed to keep his eye on your drink the entire time whenever you guys were at the bar. How every touch the two of you shared felt like magic. How naturally his body just melted into you. He didn’t feel surprised that he loved you because his body already knew it from the start. Only now, was he able to put that tug, that aching feeling in his chest that he got whenever you were around, into words. It was love. This entire time, what he was feeling was love. 

“I love her,” he says, like a secret only to be shared between him and Coyote. “I love her,” he says again with more conviction in his tone. “I love her,” he states. It’s a truth. It’s a fact. He loves you. He loves you and he needs to tell you before his heart bursts. “Come on, we should go find her now.” 

Jake leads the way like a man on a mission, remembering the store you told them you would be at. A newfound fire burns in his chest as he repeats those three words in his head like a mantra. He’s buzzing with hope, anxious but eager to find you and say those three words that linger on the tip of his tongue. 

He enters the department store with Javy right on his tail. Jake makes a beeline to the women’s clothing section when he hears your melodic laugh. He follows it like a moth to a flame, incapable of wasting another second away from you. 

Coyote can barely keep up with his friend as he has to jog to keep up with him. However, Jake abruptly stops causing him to run straight into his back. “Dude!” he exclaims. 

Jake’s body goes rigid, his shoulders taut, making alarm bells go off in Javy’s head. He peers around his shoulder to see what had him floored when he sees you and Luke looking a little too close for a public setting. Luke’s hand is in yours and your mouth is slightly agape as he seems to lean into you. 

He looks from you, to Luke, to Jake, and if it weren’t for his brother’s boisterously loud greeting once he saw they were standing there, Javy was sure he would’ve been able to hear Jake’s heart shatter. 

____________

Luke showing up at the mall was the last thing any of you expected to happen on your outing today. You were caught by surprise when you heard your callsign being called in the store. There were only so many people who actually knew you in this town, and for a moment you were quite startled. That was until you turned around and saw Luke Seresin heading your way. 

The rest of the day took a weird turn from there. Jake and Javy had found the two of you and Javy, a little too enthusiastically, decided to join the two of you in your shopping. Well, you were shopping and Luke was being a bit of a bother. 

You had wanted to go to the ice skating rink after shopping today, but something about the way Jake and Luke were eyeing each other made you decide that it probably wasn’t the best day for that. 

Jake’s mood hadn’t changed since the last time you saw him, but at least he was talking to you a  little more now. It wasn’t completely better, but it was a start. You noticed the constant back and forth stares the brothers shared and the way they puffed their chests whenever one of them got a little too close to the other. 

You were getting tired of the two’s antics and decided to just head back to the ranch. At least there you could lock yourself up in the bedroom and have some peace. 

You dropped Javy back off at his house and went back for dinner at the Seresin’s yet the weird atmosphere between you and the two boys didn’t seem to waver. Luke had spent the entire meal talking your ears off about God knows what. You had zoned out, far too occupied with the other Seresin beside you who had barely spoken to you the entire day. After dinner, instead of sticking around to chat like you usually would, you excused yourself onto the back deck where Jake had disappeared not long ago. The deck had frozen over just a bit and you tried your best to wobble your way to Jake. 

He must have heard you because he turns around to meet you. You open your mouth to speak, taking another step forward when you slip. A yelp leaves you and you’re falling forward with your eyes closed, your reflexes far too slow to catch yourself. 

Jake, on the other hand, bolts forward to catch you in his arms. He almost slips as well but nearly regains his balance as you hold on to him tightly with your arms wound around his waist. 

“Sorry,” you breathe against his chest. 

His heart skips a beat and he continues to hold you close. You try to bring yourself back to a stand but your knees buckle and you end up slipping again. 

“Shit!” Jake lets out, shuffling to hold you up. He slides one arm around your lower back, pulling you flush against him, while the other wraps around your shoulders. You’re shaking from the cold and the adrenaline of the entire situation. Jake leans back on the wooden rail of the deck, but doesn’t let you go. He rubs a comforting hand up and down your back, relishing in your closeness as you bury your face into the crook of his neck. “You’re okay, I’ve got you,” he mutters. “It’s okay.” 

“I’m sorry,” you whimper this time, feeling the pain in your chest rise. You missed him. Jake had been here the entire time, yet all it took was one day of him barely talking to you and you missed him. 

“It’s okay.” Jake sighs into your hair. He doesn’t know what you’re apologizing for, but in his eyes, you can do no wrong. So to him, you were just spouting empty apologies. If anyone had something to be sorry for, it was him. 

You had finally stopped shaking. There was no reason for Jake to still be holding you and yet you didn’t want him to let you go. “I’m sorry,” you say once more, though you don’t really know what you’re apologizing for. 

He doesn’t answer you then. He just rests his chin on your shoulder. Jake’s touch felt different than the other times he has held you. You felt him everywhere. In your bones to the tips of your fingers, everything else beyond him ceased to exist. 

You don’t know how much time has passed before you’re finally letting go of him, remembering why you followed Jake out there in the first place. 

“Are you okay?” You peer up at him from under your lashes. 

“It’s nothing you need to worry about sweetheart.” He smooths his hands up and down your arms. “I promise.” He tilts your head up to face him so you can see the earnest look in his eyes. 

“Alright. But I still worry about you anyway.” 

He smiles softly. He knows you do. It makes him regret his reaction earlier even more. “I’m sorry about today. How I treated you wasn’t fair. I was just going through some stuff and–” 

“Hey, it’s okay. You don’t have to explain yourself. I know you don’t like doing the whole feelings and vulnerability thing,” you dismiss. 

Jake appreciates how you just seem to understand him without him having to explain himself. He didn’t, however, get how you didn’t notice that you were the only person he was openly vulnerable with. What more could he do to make you understand that he wanted you to have every part of him? 

You move to lean up against the rail beside him. The Texas night sky is much clearer than the one in San Diego, giving you the perfect view of the stars. It was cold enough that you could see your breath out there, but you didn’t mind. “It’s beautiful out here,” you direct your words to the stars. 

Jake stares at you with full blown adoration in his eyes. “It is, isn’t it?”

You lean your head on his shoulder, admiring the view. 

Now was perfect, Jake was sure of it. You under the pale moonlight pressed up against his side with that dreamy look in your eyes…

Seeing you with Luke earlier that day made him realize that he could lose at any minute. And he couldn’t lose you, not to his brother. Not to anyone. Jake Seresin was done living under his brother’s manipulation. He was done being a coward. 

“Thumper.” 

“Hangman,” you parrot. 

There’s no going back. Take a breath and take the shot. It’s as easy as flying. Almost. 

“Hey, you two! Get inside. It’s freezing out there!” Mrs. Seresin hollers from the open door of the back deck. 

Jake lets out a heavy sigh, hanging his head low as you pull away from him. 

“Your mother’s right. We should head in.” You nod towards the door. 

He follows you in, silently cursing at the night sky for having his perfect moment ruined. 

“Wait!” His mother exclaims, stopping the both of you. 

Jake places a gentle hand on your hip to avoid running into you. “What, Ma?” 

She points up at the door frame with a giddy smile and the two of you glance up to see a cluster of green above your heads. 

“Oh…” You rub the back of your neck, sheepishly. 

Luke and Mr. Seresin enter the room, curious to see what the commotion is about. Luke has a sour look on his face while Mr. Seresin watches on in amusement. 

“Well?” His father pushes while Luke snorts. 

“He’s not gonna do it, Dad,” Luke laughs. 

You snap your head towards him with distaste. You don’t miss the way Jake’s face falls at his words. 

Jake’s cheeks are pink and it’s not because of the cold. Hand it to Luke to make Jake feel like an idiot in front of the girl that he loved. 

You turn to face him with wide eyes. “It is tradition,” you say softly. 

He masks his surprise with a cough.“I guess it is.” He leans in, meeting you halfway. Jake stops with the tip of his nose barely brushing yours. His eyes ask you for permission and you subtly urge him ahead.

The second your lips touch his, Jake’s sure he never wants to kiss another woman ever again. You’re pressed to his chest with your hands reaching up to pull him closer by the neck. Your lips mold together like pieces of a puzzle. No other kiss has ever felt so real. So right. 

The wait was worth it. He would finally be able to confirm that you were just as incredible as the fantasies he painted in his head. 

Your lungs start to burn and to your dismay you untangle yourself from him, gasping for air. Your lips tingle as you pull away and you can still taste him faintly on your tongue. Jake had just given you the best kiss you’ve ever had. 

You stare into Jake’s eyes that are as dark a shade of green as the mistletoe on the door. The quickening pace of your heart terrifies you as your brain tells you to kiss him again. You want to. You’ve never wanted anything more than to kiss him again. To have his hands roam every inch of your body, your bare skin. You want him. But you can’t. You can’t ruin this. You can’t risk losing the one good thing you worked so hard to have. 

You take a large step back from Jake who had been eyeing you wearily upon noticing your apprehensive state. 

“Thumper,” he breathes. 

You swallow harshly, darting straight to the staircase startling Jake and the rest of his family who you forgot was still there. 

You turn on your heel, quickly glancing over his family before landing on Jake. There’s an unreadable expression on his face and you have to bite your tongue to stop yourself from crying. 

“Goodnight,” is all you say before rushing upstairs and locking yourself in the guest bedroom. 

Your emotions begin to bubble up to the surface the second the events of the night have a chance to sink in. 

You just kissed Jake Seresin, your best friend. And you liked it. You would do it over and over again if you could. 

But Jake would never go for someone like you. Not in a million years. You’ve seen the women he flirted with at the bar and went on dates with. You were definitely not his type. You could never compete with them. Not by a long shot. Jake saw you as a pal. A good buddy. A friend. Not someone he would be romantically attracted to. You were sure of it. Never, in a million years, would you be good enough for Jake Seresin. He deserved more. He deserved better. 

When you let Jake in all those years ago, you never thought that you would end up falling for him too. After tonight, there was no more denying how strong your feelings were for your best friend. All it took was one kiss to confirm that what you were feeling was real. But you wouldn’t let yourself get hurt again. You swore to keep your heart locked away in the confines of your brick walls after what happened last time. Those same walls that Jake had managed to break down within one month of knowing you. 

Jake Seresin was a shoulder to cry on when no one was around. He was an ear to listen to all your crazy rants and terrible dad jokes. He was a home when you didn’t have one. Little did you know that he was also the key to unlocking the chains you kept wrapped around your aching heart. That he was the key to finally setting yourself free. 

a/n: thank you so much for all the love you’ve given this series!! it really keeps me motivated to continue writing. i’m thinking of having another part of this specific chapter that goes more into thumper and her backstory, if that’s something anyone is interested in. anyways, as usual, the inbox is always open for any of your thoughts/questions you may have. happy holidays! i love you all <3 

taglist: @joaquinwhorres​ @bobfloydsbabe​ @t-nd-rfoot​​ @gretagerwigsmuse​​ @marantha​​ @mountainrooster​​ @gcidrvsh @smoothdogsgirl​​ @pr3ttyboysmakemecry​​ @steve--harrington--gal @marrianena​ @cdauni @gigisimsonmars​ @bookaholics-stuff​ @dempy​ @potato-girl99981​ @captain-beskar​ @novagreen04 @enigmalynne​ @teacupsandtopgun​ @rhirhikingston @harrycherrylove

[randomquadballpun]

DAY 42 (attempt no 8)

There was a ring at the door downstairs. John, who was working on his latest blog post looked over at Sherlock, who was tinkering with his experimental setup in the kitchen.

"Are we expecting someone or something?"

The other man looked up with somewhat of a dazed expression, looking like he had not even heard the doorbell. "Oh yes, I am, actually." He lifted his gloved hands. "Could you ...?"

John nodded and strode towards the stairs with a little roll of the eyes. "Of course."

During the last two days it had been virtually impossible to drag Sherlock away from his kitchen laboratory, to the point were even Rosie had grown a bit bored with The Experiment and John had to threaten that he would unplug Sherlocks bacteria incubator or hide his Bunsen Burner to get the other man to acquiesce to at least a few hours of sleep last night. Not that it appeared to have helped much.

John nodded at the delivery driver as he accepted the big cardboard box and hurried back upstairs.

Rosie, who had been working on some homework on the couch, glanced over curiously when John deposited the parcel on the table next to her.

"What's in it?"

"Just some new enzymes to try out", Sherlock explained distractedly from the kitchen. "You can unpack them if you like, just don't let them warm up."

Out of his own sense of curiosity John stayed by his daughters side as she opened the package and revealed a heavy polystyrene box inside. Lifting the lid was a bit of a disappointment though. Nestled between several disposable ice packs were a couple of tiny plastic tubes with minimal amounts of liquid inside. He leaned forward to get a better look.

"That's all?"

"Well, what did you expect?" Sherlock was still pottering about in the kitchen.

John shrugged. "Not sure ... just a bit anticlimactic, I suppose ..." He thought back to a quiet morning a couple of days ago. "Wait, is that what you paid over 200 pounds for? These tubes look almost empty!"

"200 POUNDS?" Rosie immediately joined her fathers example and began scrutinizing the sample tubes as well, her eyes wide. "You could buy like 4 Nintendo games for that."

"I would estimate that there is around 200 microliter in all of them." Sherlock had set his gloves aside for the moment and joined them by the couch table. "And I don't need a lot of it per experiment. I assure you the price is perfectly reasonable."

Despite having caught a few hours of sleep tonight he still looked decidedly rumpled. He was wearing a wrinkled bluish grey shirt underneath his dressing gown that had been turned into a somewhat unconventional lab coat at this point and his hair was an absolute mess. Still, John had seen him look much worse before. So he just pressed a quick peck against the stubbly cheek, knowing full well that soon the other man would be lost in the world of science again for hours to come.

"You alright?"

He got a distracted little smile and nod in return. "Of course I am." He turned back to Rosie. "Do you want to help me with setting up the next attempt, Watson?"

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

Troubleshooting, part 21/?

-> Sherlock is definitely rapidly escalating at this point, but no worries we are well past the halfway mark at this point ;) He won't have to suffer too long anymore.

-> Next chapter can be found over here.

-> Until then you can start reading this series at DAY 0 (tumblr/ao3) or read the previous snippet here.

[astroboots]

Hi Cici❤️ Okay so— I am tempted, so tempted to join the moon knight train. Your gorgeous fics (although I haven’t read it fully) got me going back to my hype for the series when it first came out and I thus I have rewatched Moon knight again recently.

This sparks the old flame, and uh…somehow I think I’ll be going crazy over the boys soon, just been very busy the past few weeks 🥹

TLDR; I need a lighter and your magnificent writing is my bunsen burner

OH MY GOD BABY! JOOOOOOIN US!

(one of us one of us one of us is chanting in my head right now)

Those boys are my everything, please do come join us, they are so damn beautiful!!!!

[storybycorey]

12 so I can gush and beg you to write again if you ever feel up to it. I’ve re-read almost all your fics multiple times. Phonetic alphabet is probably my favorite - the slow burn in that one is just *chef’s kiss*. The Today series, Something That’s Not Soup, and It’s Just Pretend…I’ve read them like a thousand times. Bunsen Burner series I think was my first college AU and I loved it. You’re so talented!

Awww, thank you so, so much, anon!! This just makes my day. Knowing people re-read my fic is such a nice feeling.

I have actually had a scene kicking around in my head for a few weeks, but I'm just trying to figure out a believable scenario to write around it. If I can figure that out, I will break out a Word document soon and see if I can still write!

[books-to-add-to-your-tbr]

Title: The Love Hypothesis

Author: Ali Hazelwood

Series or standalone: standalone

Publication year: 2021

Genres: fiction, romance, contemporary

Blurb: As a third-year Ph.D. candidate, Olive Smith doesn’t believe in lasting romantic relationships...but her best friend does, and that’s what got her into this situation. Convincing Anh that Olive is dating and well on her way to a happily-ever-after was always going to take more than hand-wavy Jedi mind tricks; scientists require proof. So, like any self-respecting biologist, Olive panics and kisses the first man she sees. That man is none other than Adam Carlsen, a young hotshot professor...and well-known ass, which is why Olive is positively floored when Stanford’s reigning lab tyrant agrees to keep her charade a secret and be her fake boyfriend. But when a big science conference goes haywire, putting Olive’s career on the Bunsen burner, Adam surprises her again with his unyielding support and even more unyielding six-pack abs. Suddenly, their little experiment feels dangerously close to combustion, and Olive discovers that the only thing more complicated than a hypothesis on love is putting her own heart under the microscope.

[local-idiotic-texan]

This series and its contents contain references to gore, psychological torment, torture, suicidal tendencies, and more. If these topics are triggering to you, please leave.

This episode, in specific, contains:

Gore, Threats of Violence for the purposes of coercion into silence

Thank you.

“...I’m bored.” Melatonin Gummies spoke.

“..bored??” Birdfeed scoffed. “Of what? Of safety?”

“..yeah.” Birdfeed scowled at Melatonin for a few moments, before sighing.

“...I get what he's saying, maybe…” Friendship Bracelet spoke.

“Bracelet… noo..” Flashlight sighed.

“No! No, I don't think he meant it, like ACTUALLY!” She clarified. “I mean, like, I think he's asking when Hostess will start the games?”

“Ohhh…” Flashlight nodded. “We’re running low on supplies… I hope soon.”

“Do you even hear yourselves? You’re HOPING we go back to the chambers of torture that… THING is putting us through?” Bunsen Burner said, infuriated.

“Calm down - and, besides, I… have to agree.” Boba Milk Tea sighs.

Before Bunsen Burner could scold the three, Birdfeed held him back. “Think about it this way. If we go through those chambers, sure, we might die a painful death,” He now turned Bunsen Burner around, to make eye contact. “but are you seriously suggesting staying here, starving to death is better than whatever is past that door?”

Bunsen Burner scowls. “...fine, but only for all of you. I’d rather not leave you to die to…”

“Meeee~?” Hostess asks. “Hiii~! I’m baaaackkk… did you guys misssss me? :3”

“Not really.” Burner replies.

“Awww, thank you!!” Hostess speaks over Burner, giving no breathing room. “Are you all ready for the next gammmeee~?”

Mostly everyone groans.

“Yayyy!!! Well, what are we waiting for?!” Hostess asks. “Come on in!”

The door to the next chamber opens.

“Of course, unless, you, oddly, DON’T wanna play anymore? I guess you COULD hold out in the Waiting Room, buuuuut you’ll run out of food… eventually, anyway. =)” Hostess speaks, almost hostile in tone, directing it to Bunsen, it seems.

Regardless, eventually everyone comes on in.

“ALRIGHT! EVERYONE! VOTE. =)”

Nobody does, they're far too scared.

“..vote.”

“N-no..?” Alarm Clock shys.

“Why not.”

“Last time we voted on something, the person voted for had a BEARTRAP crush their throat and jaw??” Ice Cube Tray retaliates.

“Well, if you don't VOTE for anyone this time, then I’ll—” A voice cuts her off.

“Allow me.” Bunsen had spoken up.

“Oh? A volunteer? Any opposition?” The Hostess asks.

“...what are you doing?” Birdfeed asked Bunsen. “Trust me on this. I’ll be fine.” Bunsen waves Birdfeed off.

“..I’m not hearing any “no”s! THEREFORE! BUNSEN BURNER WINS THIS TIME. =)”

The chair within the room now extends out some metallic arms, whipping Bunsen Burner into the chair, strapping him to it.

The screen in the room activated.

“LET’S PLAY A GAME! In-front of you, Bunsen Burner is being forced to wear an empty, unused terrarium!” Hostess announces, as the chair does as she says. “If you cannot find the key needed to release him within 60 seconds, the vat of acid above him will begin to leak, slowly killing him! Fun, right? :)”

The contestants groan. “START!”

Quickly, they do as they’re told. Committing to a process of elimination involving all 11 contestants trying all 100 possible keys… well… 10.

Birdfeed wasn't immediately helping.

“What are you doing?” Flashlight asked in-between turns.

“..hello?” Newspaper tries to get his attention, too.

It is only until 20 seconds to that Birdfeed makes a move. “Stop everything.” He ordered.

Quickly, he picked one of the 21 keys still available, then used it.

Click.

Bunsen Burner was immediately released from the trap. “..huh. Nice work.”

“Thanks. Learned it in ‘nam.” Birdfeed replied.

“..wait, how old are you t—” Alarm Clock was cut off by a groan.

“...congratulations… Bunsen Burner is STILL alive. Yay.” Hostess sighs as she opens the door to the next room over. “The games continue… yay.”

As the contestants are walking into the next room, Hostess starts giggling.

“..well, for a moment. You see, I wasn't expecting Bunsen Burner to survive…” Hostess shagrins in her voice.

“So?” The subject in question asks.

“So.. I’ll simply.. eliminate you anyways. :)”

Suddenly, a bucket of acid pours over Bunsen Burner, killing him instantly.

“WHAT THE FUCK?!” Birdfeed screamed.

“WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?!” Newspaper asked.

“NO! GENUINELY, ¡¿PÓR QUE TÚ HACES ESO?!” Heart added on.

“Well, I don't have spares!” Hostess argues back.

“NO! YOU KNOW WHAT WE��RE ON ABOUT! AND YOU KNOW IT, TOO! WHY EVEN LET US SAVE HIM THEN?! SERIOUSLY, ALL I SEE NOW IS A RIGGED, UTTERLY USELESS—”

Flashlight’s collar beeps.

then Hearts.

then Birdfeed.

One by one, everyone’s collar begins to beep simultaneously.

“I have the ability to kill you.

Right.

This.

Second.

Don't make do that.”

Flashlight sighs.

“..very good, dears.” Hostess now clears her throat.

“NOW! Please, all of you, wear a mask!” She returned to her cheery demeanor.

The masks in question were smooth. White, they had nose holes, no expression in specific, and their eyes were simply ovual.

“Make sure it fits SNUG to your face! <3” She claps.

The contestants now tie the masks to their face with the strand in the back.

“Let me check..” there's rustling on her end, followed by cheering. “Oh, yay! Our first MINI game!”

“Mini?!” C4 asks.

“Yes, yes! This is a little bonus! You were all entertainment plenty, that, I just HAD to make an extra little game for you all!” Hostess whoops.

“god fucking damnit…” Friendship Bracelet whimpers.

“The game is STATUES! Inside this room are plenty of little friends, so cute, so adorable! They're so friendly, they’ll crawl allllll over you!” The Hostess giggles.

“So you're putting us into a room full of pests to see which one of us is bitten first and dies to rabies?” Newspaper asks.

“Not exactly! You see, it’d be really boring if you could just always KNOW what was touching you…” The Hostess now reveals the actual challenge of this contest. “...so, music will be playing from the masks! Every 15 seconds, you MUST close your eyes, or you’ll be eliminated!” She giggles. “The rules, therefore, are simple! Only keep your eyes open for 15 seconds, close them for 5, then progress! Simple, right?”

“NO?! WHAT THE FUCK?! I- I DON’T—” Alarm Clock started to ring, but she was silenced.

“GO! X3”

The doors open, and immediately, the room is pungent.

“HOLY FUCKING SHIT??” Friendship Bracelet almost immediately began to gag from the stench emitting from the room.

Immediately though, the music began playing through the masks. A hippy pop song, upbeat and obnoxious - just how The Hostess likes it.

“Come on, come on!” Flashlight begged for the other to follow behind her. To which they did, besides Alarm Clock, who Flashlight had to drag along. “OH!! Ohh.. sorry—” BEEP BEEP! “AH!”

Everyone shut their eyes tight. For 5 seconds, millions of tiny footsteps were heard. Crawling. Scurrying. Running.

BEEP BEEP! Flashlight immediately opened her eyes and started dragging along Alarm Clock.

Moth began her own strategy, though, she picked up some few people - Friendship Bracelet, Heart, and Boba Milk Tea. It was through her strength that she began to fly across the room.

BEEP BEEP! She had crashed into a wall. The others, however? They could now hear the second swarm - a buzz. Flies, bees, wasps, beetles all swarming angrily upon the roaches below them and the giants near them.

BEEP BEEP! Newspaper begins to groan. “There's too many, we’re gonna have to crush some of these!” Flashlight nods. “then that's what we have to do!”

“Hate to break it to you, but we can't CRUSH mice!” C4 winced as the masks beeped again.

Thousands of tiny hands, tiny creatures, little entities of curiosity, began to climb around and on the contestants.

Alarm Clock began to whimper. Flashlight held her tight. “Don't look. Don't look. You mustn't look. Just DON’T. LOOK.”

BEEP BEEP! Alarm Clock immediately began to scream, flinging mice away from her as she ran from Flashlight. “ALARM CLOCK!” Newspaper yelled out.

The others began to run towards her, rushing across a patch of poison ivy laced with rose thorns.

BEEP BEEP! ..nobody knew what was walking around now.

There was a growl. Moreover, a scitter.

then a bite. Ice Cube Tray whinced “FUCKK.. hhhhhnnnGGGGG.”

It was then that Alarm Clock broke the one rule of this contest - to never open your eyes when it isn't time. “WHAT THE FUCK?!” She screamed.

Her Masked buzzed, and immediately, she began to scream. During the entire process, however, nobody was not allowed to see what was happening to her.

“Alarm Clock? ALARM CLOCK??” Friendship Bracelet called out.

“ALARM CLOCK WHAT THE FUCK IS HAPPENING??????” Ice Cube Tray asked.

It would take until Alarm Clock’s screams turned into gargles for the Masks to beep again - signifying to the contestants that they’d be allowed to open their eyes.

Ice Cube Tray now winced and flailed as he found a Rabid Raccoon had been slowly eating into his leg, tearing apart skin from flesh and feasting on what it could. “FUCK FUCK FUCK OW FUCK NO NO NO FUCK OW SHIT OH GOD” Ice Cube Tray screamed, blood now running down his ankle.

“FUCK FUCK SHIT - WHAT HAPPENED??” Flashlight, after helping Ice Cube Tray up and handing him off to Birdfeed, picked up Alarm Clock’s corpse.

“COME ON!” Newspaper called out - Birdfeed, Flashlight, and Ice Cube Tray barely made it to the finishing room in time for the masks to beep one last time - this time, falling off their faces…

…all but Alarm Clock’s, that is.

In a moment of tension, Flashlight, lightly shaking, pulled on Alarm Clock’s mask.

but it did not budge.

“...what the fuck..?” Suddenly, though, as Flashlight pulled on the mask, it came ripped off - Alarm Clock’s face still melted onto it, revealing a bloodshow underneath.

“OHMYGOD, WHAT?!” Friendship Bracelet screamed with Flashlight. The other contestants, save Melatonin Gummy, Moth, and Birdfeed all panicked.

“Oh, hush yourselves! Shhhh..~!” The Hostess crackled over the intercom. “Alarm Clock failed the game! The Masks were installed with thermo-remote control systems up to 6500°F! Had any of you failed, like Alarm Clock here, I’d activate the systems - essentially, you’d immediately start gargling on your very own melted skin, flesh, bone, and more!” She jeered.

“OH MY GOD, WHAT??” Newspaper cried. “Erhm… ehh… Madame! Lady! Hello!!” Corazón called out. “The blue one was, ehm, bit!! By a Raccoon!”

The Hostess now hummed. “Oh, how sad! Those Raccoons had rabies - he’ll die.. :)”

“YOU’RE GONNA LET HIM DIE?! WHAT THE FUCK?!” Boba Milk Tea cried - before The Hostess had her laugh.

“Of course not, silly!” Some shelves now revealed themselves to the contestants - a collection of 210 canned foods, 140 water bottles, and a First Aid Kit and Wildlife Incident Kit slid down chutes and onto them. “I’m telling you people to heal him! If you're really THAT concerned, wouldn't you treat the injury, hm?”

“..what the fuck.” C4 shuddered. “Profanity! Anyhow, I’ll be on my way - you guys will stay there for the week! You deserve it! Toodles!” The Intercom now fizzled out as Birdfeed grabbed the Wildlife incident kit.

“...please make it quick.” Ice Cube Tray begged. “..can't promise anything.” Birdfeed replied, now treating the bite - the others, though? Just stared. Waiting for the day the next door would open.

END.

The Smileshow was written by TheWiseGuest.

.-.. --- -.-. -.- / - .... . / -.. --- --- .-. ... --..-- / -.-. .-.. --- ... . / - .... . / -... .-.. .. -. -.. ... --..-- / .-- . .----. .-. . / --. --- .. -. --. / ..-. --- .-. / .- / .-. .. -.. . -.-.--

[richardmurrayhumblr]

The 32nd edition of the 2024 Richard Murray Newsletter

topics

1) The sixty-fourth of the Cento series. A cento is a poem made by an author from the lines of another author's work. In the series I place my cento and a link to the other authors poem.

Dates : astrology , astronomy , hitchcock , bunsen burner , napoleon, the seventeenth witch and "cat nights"

IF YOU MADE IT THIS FAR : American Psycho , Russian fantasy cinema, - an overview , AI created and used , Real Martha and Richard Gadd , When Did I Turn Black , Lord of the rings unused footage , The Oppressed in Cinema

URL https://rmnewsletter.over-blog.com/2023/11/08/11/2024-rmnewsletter.html

#rmnewsletter

[augment-techs]

X5, Billy Cranston, either for the og or the comics, please?

......I am tempted to wave out into the audience at the mutuals I THINK asked this question, but will control myself...a little.

Now on to torturing one of my favorite boys who consistently makes terrible, terrible choices in the comics. Where to start...

-Emotional/Psychological torture. A monster attack having him reliving his worst mistakes, not as a Ranger, but as himself, but tweaking the incidents into something worse. He left the Bunsen burner on in his lab at home? The whole house is on fire and his parents haven't gotten home insurance yet. He went to space camp and never called Skull even once while he was there? He came back to find out his shitty father beat him to death. He became friends with Jason and Matt in middle school? Neither one of them ever got the karate counseling or sports to focus on and they turned into huge assholes that bullied him far worse than Bulk and Skull ever did.

-Sexual Assault. I could write this off as something that is a personal headcanon I've had, but...no. The truth of the matter is that Billy is HEAVILY type caste for this sort of thing to happen sometime between ages 15-19. He's muscled, sure, but he's also easily manipulated and seems the type that wouldn't notice if someone roofied him at a party.

-Repercussions for past actions. Sneaking behind the other Rangers' backs to work with Grace and Matt didn't get nearly enough stage time with the Eltarian War and it...kind of irritates me. Not only is this prime material to showcase both Zordon and Grace manipulating and condescending Billy, but it opens up his interpersonal relationships with the other Rangers to be put under a microscope. Tommy and Kim, the Stone Canyon Trio? All of them are relatively new in Billy's life. Matt has been around since grade school. Can you imagine how this would have played out if it wasn't an action series?

-Clone/Putty Billy. In the series, he had a clone that poofed out of existence and didn't even have a name. I am very much interested in a situation where the Putty! Matt Arc was swapped out with Rita eavesdropping on the Blue Ranger telling Skull the Rangers see everything and just fucking everything up with so much joy. I have done this once before, but it was short and for a different AU. Would be fun to play with it again.

-The Coinless Universe. How many versions of Billy lives and one of his friends dies in his stead could I possibly pull out of a hat? SO MANY. Preferably with his losing something other than someone he cares about. A limb, his sight, his brains, his self-esteem; so much to play with.

[alligator-dreaming]

06-23-2024

Dreamed last night that I was Kermit the Frog. I met up with all of my Muppet friends at a school and we were getting ready to re-enact the end of A Muppet Family Christmas when a giant brown full body Muppet as big and wide as a bus burst through the door and attacked the group. He grabbed and ate everyone in the room, but I made a dash for it and barely escaped alive. He was fast and a constant presence so I couldn't let my guard down.

I met up with another survivor, Muffet, and together we very carefully snuck out of the dark school building and got the big brown monster off our tail. We slept in a storm drain outside until the next morning. When we woke up, we could see from where we were (downhill of the school building) that the big brown monster was not alone: there were others of his kind searching the school (still thinking we were in there), and they were reporting to a mysterious woman. End of part 1.

We attempted to stealth past the school and continue on our way, but at the last second the monsters in the school saw us and we were forced to run for it.

We had a head start, but the monsters were fast, and outside in the open they were no longer held back by narrow halls and sharp turns. We pushed ourselves, but the monsters caught up with us and I was captured. One of the monsters dragged me away to a small, isolated room to be interrogated. He took off his full body Muppet costume to fit in the room and was revealed to be a voice actor on a web series I like. He then began to torture me for information with a bunsen burner. But I had no useful information to give except for my life's story; eventually, he stopped torturing me, and we started to have an actual conversation about our lives. I was able to convince him to abandon the other monsters and join me and Muffet in our quest to survive and free the other Muppets from the first monster's stomach. End of part 2.

We took a short break after this scene to break character and talk about how everything was going. Everyone was really enjoying the plot and playing the characters, and we all decided that this should become a regular thing and get to be an eight-part serial. I briefly woke up after this, but dozed off again, and we went on to part 3.

The VA monster and I met back up with Muffet and decided to venture west across the desert to escape the monsters that wanted to eat us. We had few supplies and were growing tired, but with the VA's help we had for the most part totally lost the monsters. However, there was a growing personality clash between me and the VA monster - he was the better survivalist, so we depended on him, but he became standoffish and wouldn't explain what he was doing. He once disappeared for a whole day to forage for supplies and came back with one egg when we already had a whole carton of eggs. Then he used every egg we had, and I freaked out because that was all of our eggs. It turns out he was using them to make sauce for pasta alla carbonara, and it was really good. End of part 3. And end of the dream.

[sheldoney]

wstfl asked:

🕯 for our muses to be in a blackout (I think this happened in the series before buttt yes— fr Queen Penelope lol I’ll forever address her as such)

The power had gone off in the building of 2311 North Los Robles Avenue and much to Sheldon's dismay he was busy playing World Of Warcraft when he was interrupted by the sudden blackout. He sighed, stretched and unfolded his legs, moving toward his bedroom where he fetched his three day emergency kit and Bunsen burner then set to boiling some water for his tea so he could relax. What he didn't account for was the familiar knock on his door and a blonde head peeking around the corner, finally making herself at home. With his back turned he greeted his neighbor from across the hall.

"Oh hello Penny, come on in. Would you like some tea?"

@wstfl / Queen Penelope

[ocean--grey]

[ID: fanart of Harmony de Gauthier and “Big Bang” Beryl from the series XI episode “Twentica”. Both of them are wearing white lab coats and black gloves, but Harmony is wearing a gold and black flapper dress underneath as well as a gold headband and shoes. Harmony is resting her head on her left hand, and has her elbow on a desk with a red top. She is smiling faintly. Beryl is waving joyfully at the viewer from over the top of a collection of scientific equipment, including an Erlenmeyer flask, test tubes, and a Bunsen burner. /End ID]