#I shall keep you updated on the potential house

[virescent-v]

About buying a house:

You plan on staying near that area for +5 years?

Would rent be more than paying a loan every month?

Are you some what good position at work?

Would that work keep paying the loan?

Would you be able to get another job if your current lets you go?

Do you have enough saved to get a loan?

Do you have enough saved to be able to pay if something were to break or need fixing in the home? (Dishwasher, laundry machine, radiator/ac, faucet)

Bonus:

Do you or someone you know know how to fix basic things? (So you save money on not calling someone who you have to pay)

Just some basics to think about before buying. If you find a home that you like and it is reasonably priced then go for it! I bought an apartment this summer and I'm loving it!

Good luck! 😘

I keep not getting notifs for things in my ask box and this is why tumblr sucks sometimes.

Hi anon. Rambling under the cut for those that aren’t interested (or are 🫣🤔).

I do plan on staying where I’m at, I guess. There was a glimmer of light for a little bit that had me itching to move, but that light was blown out unfortunately. Just one of those life moments that you pass by, even though I look back at it with longing. So that made me consider myself and the fact that I love the east coast (…I like the water lol) and that I need to focus on myself for a little bit.

My rent is currently $1960 and I’m anticipating it going up if I were to re-sign my lease (because it has the previous two years). Unfortunately, I don’t really think my apartment is worth over $2k/mo. I like it but I don’t think I like it that much. I make good money at work and I’m in good standing. I’m a night shift nurse, so… and it wouldn’t be hard to get another job if something were to happen to my current one. I could afford a mortgage and utilities (esp if I just paid off my car a year early, which I have the funds to do now if I wanted).

I have money set aside in an IRA and investment account, which I contribute to monthly, and that I’m very privileged to be able to do at my age and by myself. I’m also very privileged to have my parents nearby who would be able to help me with anything. My dad is a very handy guy (licensed electrician, though that wasn’t his primary career), and he’d be the first one I’d call for any issues.

Honestly, the only hang up of buying a house I really have is the added responsibilities that come with homeownership. Renting is easy because I can just call the maintenance man and he takes care of everything for me (quite quickly because I’ve been here since the opening of this apartment building). But logistically it’s kind of stupid to be continuously paying this amount for 650 sq. ft. 🤷🏻‍♀️

Idk, anon. I’m just a 30 year old teenager living through a shitty political/housing/mental/physical/emotional climate staring at house listings with gumbled thoughts.

I appreciate you looking out, though. Congrats on your apartment!

[saltedcodes]

· · · Everything Must Be Separated | Article · · ·

Good day. So I made this for a house event that I'm running but I suppose you could potentially also use it for lessons. Might make a lesson code that's similar?

Anyhow, it has three different tabs for three separate types of information. I had it for updates, information and resources but you could use it for anything really.

As always, if you break anything or anything came packaged faulty just send me a message here or on discord and I shall be with you shortly.

Anyways, here's to the housekeeping section.

Find the code here or here.

❀ Keep Creds please <3

❀ Tell me if you use the code! Would especially love to know for this one x

~ Al ♡

[lunareiitic]

Limbus Orientation #6: Match Made In Hell

[The One Who Grips] Faust || [The One Who Shall Grip] Sinclair

The post you've all been waiting for. Welcome back to Limbus Orientation, the series where I, your host, talk about Limbus Company units, what they do, and how you might use them.

Today, we're talking about the N-Corp duo that takes Toxic Relationship and gives new and horrific meaning: Kromer and N-Sinclair. Two powerful but quirky units on their own, one of which gets exponentially better in the presence of the other. Let's dig into it.

To see why they're so good together, we're gonna structure this analysis a little differently: let's look at both of their deck compositions first.

Faust has a deck of 3 Envy, 2 Lust, 1 Pride. Sinclair has a deck of 3 Gloom, 2 Lust, 1 Wrath. Now, why are these good? Sinclair enables Faust to slam her best EGO: Fluid Sac with impunity. When fielding N-Faust, her largest flaw is the only Ego she can charge on her own is the (admittedly amazing) single target Hex Nail. With no Gloom in her kit, she needs teammates who can provide that resource to her, which is a pretty hefty cost. Sinclair's most recent Ego, Lifetime Stew, unfortunately can't be full charged by just him and Faust (which is where N-Don would come in). We'll talk more about why Lifetime Stew was made for this Sinclair specifically a bit later.

Let's look at how these combined decks play with the other N-Corp Passives, shall we?

With all of this Lust, we have a pretty solid way of procing Faust's Whistles, which restores SP to two units and grants them Fanatic if they're N-Corp, already a solid power on its own. N-Heathcliff's Support passive Cantillation makes units inflict more Nails, a key feature of the N-IDs. Both of Don's passives are Lust, Hammer of Zealotry in particular being useful for any N-Corp team comp. With Sinclair's one Wrath card there's the potential for Meursault's Highest Honor and Rodya's Rising Faith in the right team comps.

Now, we move into Sinclair's kit, which is a doozy. (Thank you Prydwen for having all this up so I don't have to take in game screenshots.)

Note how both of his passives are Wrath Owned, not Wrath Resonance. You can easily use his Wrath card twice and have Mad Flame active the entire time. And I'm sure you're wondering: "Why in the name of god does Sinclair lose SP for everything? Didn't we just get an update to make having high SP important?" and the answer is yes, yes we did. But therein lies the beauty of this design. Sinclair needs to be low on SP for his various skills to work. This is doubly important if running Lifetime Stew on Sinclair, which has this as its passive:

His Lust skill will inflict eleven burn and +1 Burn Count if every coin hits tails. It'll do a flat 10% damage more if he's Fanatic, which he can give himself from his Gloom card, or the plethora of sources in other N-Corp units. Like N-Faust, who will guaranteed proc Whistles on him as his SP drops constantly, and he gets less SP from doing well.

Between Papa Bongy and N-Sinclair and N-Faust's kits, this signals to me that moving forward we are going to be getting content that has SP manipulation as a feature, and Sinclair will thrive in those environments. Faust's Whistles, Representation Emitter and Fluid Sac all act essentially as panic buttons to keep your Sinclair from Corroding, as to use him effectively you need to keep him on the verge of losing it. So if you have him, you might want to invest in him now in case he ends up being broken later.

But, how do we use these two together?

Now, there are the easy option: Full N-Corp squad. Give Sinclair and Faust N-Don, N-Rodya and N-Heathcliff as on-field teammates, and then N-Meursault off-field for Highest Honor support and watch the sparks fly. Spam Lifetime Stew on Don and Heathcliff and clean house with Fluid Sac and Representation emitter if things look die. Easy, easy, easy.

But what if I told you there's a funnier team comp that makes incredible use of these two... in Mirror Dungeons? I present to you: Burn Boys (Gender Neutral)! All three Liu identities: L-Meursault, L-Gregor, and L-Hong Lu all have burn effects in their kits. They even have complementary decks with these two, with plentiful Wrath and Lust, and even Sloth and Gloom to round things out. While there is not a single Gluttony card between them, if one gets Blue Zippo Lighter or Coffee And Cranes, this could be alleviated instantly. However, we don't care about any of that. We care about four Gifts in particular.

Pinpoint Logic Circuit and Fiery Down not only make the four boys with burn even better, they give Faust free burn on two of her three cards (which make up 5/6 of her deck). Hellterfly's Dream then passes that burn onto other units, and within a turn most of the time you have met the conditions for Ashes to Ashes, creating a Burning Positive Feedback Loop. Hong Lu inflicts more burn at high SP, which Faust's passive and two EGOs enable, making this synergy even more viable. Given that everyone in this team does Blunt and/or Pierce damage, the Blunt/Pierce Vulnerability granted by Faust's Gaze debuff is appreciated and sometimes necessary depending on the enemies the Mirror Dungeon lays out. Given that L-Gregor and L-Meursault were in the game at launch, and L-Hong Lu was a featured 2 star on a different, very meta banner (and is literally rate up on a banner right now next to N-Sinclair), there's a good chance you already have these three.

So if you managed to pull these two (or did what I did and had to horde like 200 boxes each for them) congratulations, you have one of the most dynamic and insane duos in Limbus Company at the moment. Happy theorycrafting and teambuilding!

[ebelal56-blog]

Protect Your Family's Future with ESTATE PLANNING Essentials!

Have you ever thought about what happens to your stuff when you’re no longer around? I mean, it’s a topic that many of us tend to brush aside, thinking it’s too morbid or complicated. But let me tell you, estate planning is not just for the wealthy or the elderly. It’s for everyone, and it’s about ensuring that your hard work and assets are managed and distributed according to your wishes after you’re gone. So, let’s break it down step by step, shall we? First up, assess your assets. This is where you take stock of everything you own. Think about your real estate, bank accounts, investments, retirement accounts, life insurance policies, and even personal items like jewelry or that vintage car you love. Make a list, and then estimate the value of each item. It might feel a bit daunting, but trust me, it’s crucial. Knowing what you have gives you a clearer picture of what you’re working with. Next, consider your family’s needs. Who do you want to inherit your assets? This could be family, friends, or even charitable organizations that hold a special place in your heart. Think about the ongoing needs of your dependents—education, healthcare, housing. If you have minor children, appointing a guardian is a must. You want to ensure they’re cared for by someone you trust, someone who shares your values. Now, let’s talk about the documents you’ll need. A will is essential; it’s the legal document that outlines how your assets will be distributed after you pass. You’ll also name an executor, the person responsible for carrying out your wishes. Some people opt for a living trust, which can help avoid the lengthy and often costly probate process. It’s a great way to keep things private and provide quicker access to your assets. And don’t forget about a durable power of attorney and a healthcare proxy. These documents allow someone to manage your affairs if you become incapacitated, ensuring your medical and financial decisions are in trusted hands. Tax implications can be a bit of a headache, but understanding them is essential. Familiarize yourself with federal and state estate tax thresholds. There are strategies to minimize your tax exposure, like gifting assets during your lifetime or designating charitable contributions. Trusts can also be beneficial for tax planning and asset protection. Designating an executor or trustee is another vital step. This person will be tasked with carrying out your wishes, so choose someone responsible and trustworthy. It’s a big job, and they’ll need to handle probate if you have a will or manage the trust if you’ve set one up. Communication is key. Once you’ve crafted your plan, talk to your loved ones about it. Make sure they understand your decisions, especially regarding guardianship for your children. This can help avoid potential disputes down the line and ensures everyone is on the same page. And here’s a tip: review and update your estate plan regularly. Life is unpredictable, and major events like marriage, divorce, or the birth of a child can change everything. Keep your beneficiary designations current, too; you don’t want outdated information causing confusion. Now, where do you keep all these important documents? Store your will, trust documents, and power of attorney in a safe place—perhaps a fireproof safe. Make sure your executor or trustee knows where to find them. It’s all about accessibility when the time comes. Lastly, don’t hesitate to seek professional help. Consult with an estate planning attorney to ensure your documents are legally sound. A financial advisor can help you assess your overall situation, and a tax professional can guide you through the complex tax landscape.

[3rddimension]

Hey so I've been following this blog and interacting w you a lot lately. I wanted to propose you consider the idea of turning the post into a separate tumblr blog where you'll be able to password protect it or at least implement a "no sharing the link on public platforms" rule somehow.

I understand the idea of keeping it public and how it's still relatively underground but I've seen the link for it posted on yt, reddit and ig just this past week. It seems everytime someone comments that they're not dating, a user will tell them to visit the Tumblr post and I don't think there's any way to be sure S or C won't find it somewhere in video comments. The link as it is now is basically compromised and very easily accessible.

I've heard c and s on separate occasions talk about funny smosh compilations ending up on their yt homepages, there's a chance they could stumble upon the link in the comments ANYWHERE at this point. If not s and c then possibly any other member of Smosh cast or crew, that's terrifying.

I genuinely think that if c found it, it'll look like the detective shartney discord all over again to her. And she'll never trust us or see us the same way again. There's a difference between us compiling things and feeling like it's all from public stuff so it's not that invasive, and her seeing a post like that about her own life/relationship. It could potentially drive her to be as private as S is since fans keep publicly discussing her dating life when she's said she wants it to be private time and time again. I'm pretty sure when she references cyberstalking she doesn't just mean that discord triangulating their locations/finding s's brother's house and shit but also fans doing these very specific posts dissecting everything single thing they or others around them post. Especially when we're basically inviting others to view these details so freely.

Any pics, videos and compilations you've posted here separately to point out something cute are no problem but the detailed timeline post and the discussion posts should be private or at least somewhat protected. I've been here since the beginning basically and I thought this would stay relatively underground but seeing poeple sharing this link so freely gives me the ick and makes it very hard to to even avoid the negative comments you've been getting on the post. It shouldn't be this easily accessible considering the circumstances.

I think how it could be instead is, any user who wants to access the timeline post is sent the link to your blog and you could post the password somewhere (without directly tagging sh*urtney or sm*sh). Or an alternative would be that they DM you to get the link/password to the private blog. I know password protected seems like a lot, the other option would be to move the post and discussion to a new blog and pin a post that discourages poeple from sharing the link on public platforms and encouraging them to DM it to each other instead but I don't think it would be easy to get people to follow that rule idk.

Lastly, a private blog obv doesn't mean we start getting more invasive and obsessive. The practices of this blog remain the same, the info shared and detailed discussions shall not cross a certain line regardless of the status of the blog, public or private.

That's something I have been noticed too is that there are spike of follower recently. Looks like it start to caught some wind.

What I was doing parallel with tumblr is that I posted the same thread on imgur with same description there and set it as unlisted. Which means it required the link to post but that also too easy to repost and share.

Let me figure out an easy way to do. I do have some more options. In the mean time I will removed the tag from the post. Also need to update imgur for now since I might decided to remove that tumblr post. imgur will be the backup.

Thanks anon for the head up! We need to figure this out before it catch even more attention.

[archivallyfound09]

Entering the Villain Era pt. 3

Pairing: Jake "Hangman" Seresin x Reader (f)

Summary: The one where she can dish more than he can handle. And, oh, does he deserve it.

Warnings: Swearing (as per usual), drinking (reader is of age), potentially some suggestive situations in the future (none here). SO much angst.

Part One. Part Two

You sat in your Jeep, tongue running along your teeth as you sucked in a tight breath. Storms this time of year weren't unusual, but with the tenacity of these winds, you knew they weren't going to be flying today. You sneered and got out of your car, jogging to the hangar. Maverick gave you an acknowledgement nod as he continued a conversation with Rooster and Phoenix. Neither of the two pilots moved, fully aware you were stalking in behind them.

You placed each step definitively as you stood behind the podium. You checked your watch for show- you were fully aware it was start time for today's briefings. You steeled your glare to the metal on the wall in front of you, hands gripping the sides of the podium.

"Since some of you think I should fucking say something," you began, all heads snapping towards you and mouths slamming shut as the few standing aviators made their way to their seats, "Then I'll start fucking talking." You glared directly at Hangman and saw his head drop to the pencil in his hand. You lifted your head and started pacing behind the podium.

"For the past 144 hours, I have clocked every decision, every hesitation, every execution each of you have made in every simulation. My job, as someone so eloquently put it," you tossed a look to Maverick, "is to keep you all alive. I'm in the control seat and you will receive all orders and updates through me. I will" you emphasized the word, locking eyes with Rooster, then Phoenix, then Bob, "think faster than you and I will," this time you caught Coyote, Fanboy, and Hangman, "know your decision before you've even calculated it. Understood?"

The room was dead silent as heads barely nodded an affirmative. "Great," you mumbled, stepping back to the podium and pulling out your notes. "Then let's go over the collective decisions in the last 144 hours, shall we?" You looked up anticipating a groan or an eyeroll, but every head was down, eyes plastered to their hands in front of them. You looked over at Maverick with an eyebrow raised and he gave you the eyeroll you had anticipated as he mouthed 'enjoying too much.'

------

The storms had significantly picked up since the morning. Your briefing had been anything put, going through each decision as a collective and picking apart the thought process. If they could start to understand where you were coming from, they'd understand why you were so hard on them. You held their lives in your hands.

You squinted as you started out for your Jeep, sprinkles of water splashing in on you, immediately soaking your uniform. You walked to the vehicle, not seeing the point of running when you were wet to the bone. Once inside, you wiped your face and blinked, trying to get the water droplets off your eyelashes and out of your view. You pulled out and headed back to base, grateful for a shorter day overall.

----

Once back at the base housing you had barely stepped in from the rain, rolling your eyes at the lack of awning or porch at the front of your door. You had just bent down to untie your boots, socks starting to slide down in their heavy, soaked state, when a knock hit your door. You spun around, combat training kicking in, as you quietly stalked to the peephole. You weren't anticipating anyone and the fact that they waited until you were inside- chances were it wasn't good. You couldn't make out exactly who it was, but it was clearly a male. You bit the inside of your cheek and opened the door.

"What?"

"Can we talk?"

You looked at Jake Seresin standing in front of you, soaked completely through, his normally perfectly coiffed hair wet and sticking to his forehead, his eyes pleading with you. In that moment, you knew this was the time for the confrontation. You knew the wind was blowing in some rain through your front door, but you held firmly to the inner doorknob, hand braced against the doorframe. You looked at him completely expressionless, refusing to start the talking that he apparently had to do. You were not going to make any part of this easy on him.

"Okay, that's fair," your eyes locked onto his as they dropped to his feet. He knew you were going to keep freezing him out and he knew he deserved every second of it. He took a deep breath and you saw his shoulders slump.

"I'm sorry. I know you deserve more than that. Everything I've tried to think of to say is cliche and nothing hits the mark. I've been trying to find the words since-since I saw you there, in front of the door. If I could, I would give you anything you asked for. I will drop the program. I will leave the Navy. I will crash my car and-" he swallowed thickly, "I will go away if you never want to see me again." He knew he was rambling and he knew you weren't going to stop him.

And he was right. You stared at him blankly, afraid to look behind the wall that you had constructed. The wall that kept you safe from everyone, especially him. The wall that you swore would never allow anyone to get near. The lightning flash jolted you out of those thoughts.

The rain poured down and plastered your hair to your cheeks and shoulders as you started out towards your car, your keys slippery in your palm. You dared a look back and saw him standing in the window, watching you wordlessly. Your eyes begged him to run down the stairs, to wrap you in his arms, and hold you, to kiss you, to choose you. Your heart broke further as you saw him turn his back and leave the window.

A lone tear mixed with the wetness from the rain on your cheek as your consciousness clicked back into your lock on Jake's face. His eyes begged at you and you knew he was standing before you with his heart in his hands, fully giving you permission to smash it in the same way that he had done to you. You pulled your eyes skyward and you wrinkled your nose, the rain hitting you in the face, Jake's eyes still boring into you. You sighed and brought your gaze back to his.

Jake didn't know what he was thinking. He knew he had to talk to you. He knew he needed to do this, but as his eyes pleaded with you silently, he didn't know what he was pleading for. He prayed to every god he could think of that you would know and that you would tell him what he needed, just like you always had. Every memory with you hurt like a hot poker between his ribs. It made his chest heave and tighten.

You saw the pleading look. You felt the wall you had been clinging to for years fall in one fell swoop. Your knees buckled. The years of therapy completely ignored. You arms dropped from the door to your sides as you head tilted and looked, really looked, at the man in front of you. You inhaled harshly, forgetting how to breathe normally, your mouth no longer being controlled by your brain.

"You destroyed me."

The words hung thick in the air, your voice barely audible. Both of you knew that every word you said would be a barb, jabbed deeply into him, regardless of your intention. He bit his lip, brow furrowing with anguish starting to appear more obvious on his face. You took in a shaking breath, feeling your hands start to twitch, the anger of the situation flooding back into you.

You had dreamed about this moment- having Jake Seresin squirming in front of you while you had the power in this struggle. You quickly realized there was no joy, there was no winner. It was simply two broken people, soaking wet in the rain, who had completely dismantled each other.

"It destroyed me, too." Jake's hand hesitantly reached out to you, but you remained completely stoic, blinking as more drops ran down your nose and cheeks. His hand held out in the cavernous empty space between the two of you. Your eyes dropped to the ground behind and off to the side of him.

"Yes, but you chose to do it."

You accusation was nothing more than factual. He nodded and his hand dropped back down to his side. You knew your defenses were down. You knew you didn't have the willpower to withstand him if he kept standing here in the rain in front of you. The whole interaction felt like it had been hours of agony, but only a few minutes had passed.

"What do we do now?" Jake's voice caught in his throat, your arms aching to wrap around his neck and hold him tightly against you. You held out a hand in truce. He looked disbelievingly at you and then decided to grasp your hand in his, worried you would second guess him and pull back.

The electric shock you felt as his hand touched you was accentuated by the thunderclap that happened simultaneously. You went to drop his hand, but he held on tightly and, in one swift movement, he pulled you tightly against his chest, allowing the rain to fully soak you as you were encapsulated by his arms around you. His nose pressed into your now wet hair and you felt his chest heave under you. You stood frozen and too afraid to hug back.

"I'm sorry," came the whispered, broken sob. Your hands reached up and around his neck, tears fully falling from your tightly shut eyes as you held onto him like there was nothing left in the world. Your head was swimming with thoughts of what this meant and how this could hurt you again, but everything was drowned out by the overall, enraptured feeling of him.

"I am so. fucking. sorry."

-----

Part Four

———

Taglist (request if you'd like to be on it!): @alldaysdreamers @ponyboys-sunsets @hopefulinlove @wannabepoe @maverooster @rosiahills22 @ancabifi @multifandom-fangirl4 @dempy @luckyladycreator2 @chlo-feigh @sopheeg @kkrenae @blue-aconite @angirlofallthings22 @rln108 @pricklepearbloom @natasharomanoffisbaebby@loveforaugust @mizzy-pop @lizzie-rdj @mavswife @quackwackfawck @obiwankenobis-lap

[broodingboysimp]

Is It Really For the Best? - pt 4

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 5

Azriel x female!reader

Summary: The mating bond between the reader and Azriel clicks into place, but with the potential war with Hybern on the rise, the risk of having that bond fall into the enemy’s hands has the reader and Azriel questioning their partnership.

*takes place after the events of ACOTAR/ACOMAF*

Warnings: angst

Author’s Note: Hi guys! Thank you for all the kind words about this fic, it means the world! I just wanted to let you guys know that I am trying my best to update as much as I can, but I am a full time student and I work as well so obviously those things come first! Also, I will try my best to keep the story as accurate as I can to the actual books, but sometimes I get things messed up, so please forgive me lol

Weeks flew by in a blur of the same routine: wake up, ignore Az, train, ignore Az, attend meetings with Rhys, ignore Az, sleep, ignore Az…. 

After the events at Rita’s, you could feel remorse tingling down the bond, but you did your best to ignore it. In fact, a good bit of your energy these past weeks had been focused on keeping your end of the connection void of any feelings at all. It had been exhausting, not just the constant effort to keep up the mental shields, but also having to act like you enjoyed playing this stupid game with Azriel.

Truthfully, you didn’t know what you wanted. To keep everyone safe, yes, but at what cost. With increasing discussions of the potential war with Hybern, your anxiety about protecting your friends had skyrocketed. You did it to keep him safe, you had to remind yourself. 

Your mind was still racing as you headed towards Rhys’ study, hoping to rant to your best friend. You stepped through the door, opening your mouth as soon as your foot was inside. 

“I am so fucking over this dumbass bullshi-” You froze as you noticed that Rhys was not alone in the room. Feyre sat at the end of the long table opposite your best friend, pencil in hand.

She looked at you, stunned, as you returned the same shocked look. Her shock turned to a smile, as did yours, as she pushed her chair out and ran in your direction. You did the same, meeting in the middle in an intense hug. 

“At least there’s one good thing about this wretched deal,” She rolled her eyes in Rhys’ direction. Right, the deal that she had made Under the Mountain. Had it really been that long since you returned home?

“I didn’t realize you two were so well acquainted,” Rhys raised an eyebrow, holding his arms crossed in a loosely assertive stance. 

“You weren’t the only one paying visits to the jail during those months,” You looked in his direction, his expression blank. 

Please make her feel welcome here, she needs it, his expression remained solid, but the words seemed almost pleading, desperate. 

You squeezed Feyre’s hands, all remnants of her struggle Under the Mountain having been healed by her fae transformation. 

“Shall we take a tour?” You suggested. Feyre seemed hesitant as she looked from you to Rhys, who gave her a subtle nod. “Wonderful,” You beamed, excited to see your friend for once in a more pleasant setting, “I know where they hide all the fun weapons,” you winked. As you turned towards the door, elbow looped with Feyre’s, you could have sworn you heard a sigh of relief from behind you. 

✦✦✦

As you and Feyre wandered around the house, you realized just how little you knew of the building on top of the mountain. Your friend didn’t seem to mind, too busy chatting to you about her life in the recent months since you had last been together. 

“He interrupted your wedding?!?” You were shocked, knowing Rhys was bold, but that bold?

“Yeah…,” She held her gaze to the floor. Even in the short time you had known Feyre, you could tell something weighed heavily on her.

“You know if you ever need anything from me, all you have to do is ask,” You had stopped in a hallway leading towards the balcony, “You can trust me.” She simply glanced up from the floor and gave you a small smile. 

You continued towards the balcony, excited to share the view of Velaris from up above, when you stopped dead in your tracks. 

Azriel stood, leaning slightly over the balcony, facing out onto the city. His shadows were calm and cool, mimicking the breeze that brushed over your now heated face. You cleared your throat, and he turned.

“Azriel,” his name burned in your throat, and you realized it had been weeks since the two of you exchanged words, “This is Feyre, a friend of Rhysand and I.” She seemed to wince as you included your high lord’s name. 

He was staring at you, gaze unwavering, as he replied, “It’s nice to meet you, Feyre.” His husky voice floated in your direction, meeting you where you stood as still as a statue. 

“It’s polite to look a lady in the eyes when you address her,” I almost sneered in his direction. 

“You would know a thing or two about manners, wouldn’t you,” He turned back towards where he was looking out at the city, his shadows now whipping around him fiercely. 

Your face was hot with rage, clenching your hands tightly until your knuckles turned white. You let your mental shields drop for a fraction of a second, shooting anger down the bond so intensely that his shoulders tensed, before immediately throwing them back up. You didn’t want to hear his excuse, didn’t care what he had to say. How could he embarrass you not only in front of your friend, but someone his own brother cared about?

At that moment, as if sensing the radiating magic from the room, Rhysand entered. He noticed your stance, and how Feyre stood slightly behind you, almost frightened. He strode towards Azriel and placed a firm hand between his shoulders, causing his wings to adjust, and turned towards where you stood.

“Y/N, could you please take Feyre to her bedroom to prepare her things, I think it’s time for her to return to the Spring Court.” You noted how Rhys had neglected to use the word “home.”

You willed your anger to disperse as you turned with Feyre and led her out of the room, not looking back, not daring to think about what Rhys was about to say to his friend. 

✦✦✦

Once you had escorted Feyre to her bedroom, you returned to your own, which was conveniently placed on the opposite side of the hall. All you wanted to do was wash off the stress of the day. You were tired of all this anger, needed a new place to direct it. Playing mercenary for 500 years, then suddenly rerouting and being expected to stand at formal Court appearances, was messing with your head. You needed something to be mad at, which is what led you to make the decision that you would be returning to the Spring Court alongside Feyre.

“This is a dumb idea, Y/N,” Rhys pinched the bridge of his nose, clearly stressed after the intense argument that your demand had created. He seemed adamant that you stayed in Velaris, and you couldn’t understand why, “Tensions with the Spring Court are already high enough as it is, Tamlin definitely doesn’t want another one of his enemies relaxing on his estate.”

“Tamlin and I aren’t enemies, Rhys.” You were practically begging at this point, “We’ve known each other for centuries, I’ve stayed at his Court in the past. I promise I’ll be civil.” You remarked with a grin, trying to loosen the mood.

“I guess I just don’t understand why. What’s worth the potential risk?”

“Feyre is,” Rhys now met your eyes, “Something is weighing on her, Rhysand. Something is bothering her. I don’t know if Tamlin is a risk, but we already came close to losing our friend once, let’s not risk it again”

And that was the truth. You were worried for Feyre, as much of a warrior that she was. You knew she could hold her own, but you also knew she was still healing. She deserved a chance to rebuild her peace of mind without the burden of worrying about her life at the same time. 

Also the truth was that you needed a break for yourself. This house, this city, every inch of it reminded you of Azriel. It had been weeks, and the two of you had clearly not made any progress in resolving your lovers quarrel. You needed time to breathe, time to think for yourself. 

His shoulders seemed to tense at the revelation you just shared with him, as if confirming some suspicion he too held but was too afraid to admit, “If anything happens, anything goes wrong, you reach out to me. Understood?”

“Always,” You gave him a thankful grin, turning towards the door to gather your belongings.

He grasped your wrist firmly and turned you back towards himself, placing both of his hands on your shoulders. His eyes sparkled with beautiful darkness as they looked intently into your own. 

That applies to you too, Y/N. None of your ‘self sacrifice’ bullshit, you hear me? Be safe, you’re important to me. 

You gave him a gentle smile and a nod, I’ll bring us both back safely, no need to worry. I’ll see you in 3 weeks, and  I’ll be expecting a fancy meal to celebrate my return. 

✦✦✦

You expected reservations from your friend as you told her you were coming with, but Feyre seemed almost relieved by your presence.

 You said farewell to Rhysand, your friend not daring to even meet his eyes. He sent you off with one last pleading look.

Be safe.

You gave him a wink in return before grabbing Feyre’s hand, the darkness of winnowing enveloping you both. 

You stepped out just outside the gates of the manor, the bright spring sky an aggressive contrast to what you normally experienced back in your own court. You squinted as you looked ahead at the estate, seeing two figures coming in your direction. 

“Feyre,” Tamlin practically gasped as he reached his betrothed, whose hand you had dropped upon exiting the darkness. His hands grasped every part of your friend, as if searching for an injury, “Are you okay? Are you hurt? What did he do to you?” You rolled your eyes at the insinuated accusations towards Rhysand. 

“No, no I’m fine. He didn’t touch me,” Tamlin sighed, “I did bring someone, hopefully a welcome surprise, as I heard you two had been friends in the past.” She gestured in your direction. 

You were excited to see your old friend, and you could tell by his expression that he was too. 

“Y/N,” he beamed, whisking you into a tight hug, “I-I haven’t talked to you in ages, I have so many questions, starting with how you two even know each other.” He looked between you and Feyre. You realized then that while Tamlin had seen you Under the Mountain, always at Rhysand’s side, he wasn’t aware of the assistance that you had given Feyre. She didn’t meet your eyes as you glanced her way. 

“I think that’s a story for the company of a lot of wine,” You laughed, as did Tamlin. Lucien, standing displaced behind his friend, laughed too. You gave him a smile, perhaps slightly more excited to see him than Tamlin… 

He walked over in your direction, extending an elbow which you happily looped your own around. 

“Shall we?” He gestured towards the manor.

For the first time in a long time,  you felt excited for the next few weeks. Your anxiety was starting to fade as you felt the tightness in your chest loosen.

The faint tug at the end of the bond seemed to pull a bit tighter. 

[moongoddesskiana]

Okay Talia pretending to care about Jason so he will do what the league asks cause his file says wants a mother figure and accidentally adopting him in her mind and that ending with her, Jason and Damian fleeing from the league cause she saw Jason nearly get murdered by the league and left for dead from treatable injuries.

Talia: A useful tool for the League, defiant but can be trained and tamed. All I need to do is pretend to soften around him. Calculated times of false vulnerability, a few well placed 'my son's should do the trick.

Talia, 6 months later in her head while on a mission seeing pretty daggers and lots of books from a dead target's house: Damian will like the daggers and I'm sure Jason will want something new to read, of course I'll check the quality of what I give them only the best for my sons. I should maybe some local spices as well Jason does enjoy cooking and Damian seems to enjoy the different foods. It would be nice to have a small family meal with my sons. *realizes she actually views Jason as her own now* oh this wasn't supposed to happen, time to make/update contingency plans.

First time Talia says my son and means it is after Jason returns badly injured from trying to protect a child which was most definitely NOT a part of his mission (something she's lectured him about before and confronts him about immediately every time, except this time she was looking at her son who was badly injured and not a person she was training who came back a little extra bloody but barely injured)

Taila: Rest my son, you'll need your energy in the morning. *runs her fingers through his hair and kisses his forehead*

Just Talia accidentally adopting Jason and loving and protecting Jason and Damian despite their protests that they can handle things (if she grew up normally she'd be a helicopter parent who fussed over a paper cut, the injuries she frets over in my mind are bad injuries but she tries to keep people focused on her in fights, her and Jason if she absolutely had to fight with someone and it was only the three of them). Damian had adopted Jason before he knew Jason's name because Damian used to go into Jason's room and read to Jason before he was sent off for training and before Jason was put in the pit. When Talia introduced him as his brother (before she actually loved him as her own) Damian was like no duh in his head as well as 'yes! this is my brother! and look he can function normally if a bit emotionally now!'

The first time Jason calls Talia mom was after she mentally adopted him and she teared up a little because he was half asleep and called her mom and asked about 'his little bat' (one of his nicknames for Damian) so he clearly knew it was her and he did think of her as his mom. Jason eventually realizes that Talia likes being called Mom (I was gonna use momma or ma but I feel like mom as a late teen would flow better for them both, so now Catherine Todd is Mama, Sheila is she-who-shall-not-be-named and Talia is Mom aka sometimes good mom, evil mom and morally ambiguous mom) and uses it a lot but if he needs to butter Talia up for something the words 'mom I love you' potentially mixed with 'can I please' or more often 'look I'm sorry for [insert thing done], can you please not be too mad'

Just Good Mom!Talia with her two sons Jason and Damian

If anyone has any fic recommendations please send me links possibly with a summary

[sakusasmolesryn]

KNY - Demon Slayer  Kyojuro Rengoku x gn!reader fluff one shot

• Welcome Home •

Summary: Kyojurou comes home from a mission, after being deprived of him, feelings start unfolding and relations go forward

Warnings: none

Word count: 1.4k

Pairing: Kyojurou Rengoku x gn!reader

It’s been 4 days ever since Kyojuro left for a mission. He mentioned it was quite a bit away, but you didn’t expect him to be gone for this long. You’ve been training under his wing for over a year now and you’ve made a lot of progress since then. You’ve been a demon slayer ever since you were 14, but it wasn’t till recently you started working with a hashira in hopes of becoming one. Rengoku saw a lot of potential in you, even if you two were close in age. “You still have plenty of time to become a hashira,” he tells you over and over. “Stay focused, concentrate on your breathing, and set your heart ablaze.”

You spend a lot of time during the day with Kyo. Whenever you’re not training, you, Kyojuro, and Senjuro will have fun together and hang out. You were very close to the Rengoku family, even Shinjuro somewhat enjoyed having you around. Senjuro likes to spy on your training, he likes to tease you about liking his brother.

Even though it’s only been 4 days, you missed him a lot. You couldn’t wait to see him come back home and spend every minute with him. He wasn’t battling an upper or lower moon demon, but 5 amateur demons in a small village north. Perhaps he got held up with another mission? Or maybe he was in a clinic residence? Surely his crow would’ve come and updated you by now. You started getting anxious about his whereabouts when suddenly Senjuro came running towards you screaming.

“[Reader]!! Kyo is home! He just got here!” upon those words, you jumped to your feet faster than lightning, sprinting to the front of the Rengoku manor. “Kyojuro!” You ran to him at full speed tackling him into a hug. “I’m so glad you’re home, big bro! [reader], and I was so worried!” Senjuro joined the tackle as you both laid on top of Kyojuro on the ground. “Well, you both must be happy to see me considering you tackled me to the ground,” Kyojuro stated.

“I’m so glad you’re safe,” you looked up at him into his eyes. He looked uninjured but he didn’t look as joyful as always. “How was your mission? And how are you feeling?” You helped both Kyo and Senjuro up and walked alongside them both inside. “My mission was successful. Unfortunately the demons I had to slaughter had pretty bad reasoning forever becoming a demon, I may have even been a little touched by their stories. But I assure you they died peacefully and free from the pain that has been thrown to them. As for me, I feel great. Left without any severe injuries.”

“What took you so long?” Senjuro looked up at his brother with concern. “Ah. After my mission, I was called to join Shinazugawa on his task. He ended up getting another slash so I stayed with him for two days while he was recovering at the Butterfly Mansion. I’m sorry I didn’t send a message. You both must’ve been so worried.”

You took his hand in yours, “Don’t worry about it, Kyo. We’re just glad you’re safe. Now come inside, I’m making dinner. And it’s your favorite! Sweet Potato salad.” You’ve never seen that man run faster into the house, him and his sweet potatoes.

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

“Tasty!” You sat next to him as Kyojuro finished off his 5th plate. You chuckled, “I’m so glad you enjoy it. I’ve missed you so much I made sure to make it extra special.” Senjuro finished his plate quite a bit ago and went out to do some garden work before sunset.

“Tasty! Thank you so much, [reader]. I thoroughly enjoyed it. The best meal I’ve had in a hot minute.” His smile was always so bright, and it never failed to make you smile in return. You stood up adjusting your attire and took your and Kyojuro’s bowls to be washed. “It’s starting to get late. The sun will be down soon. I should probably get going,” you said. “I’m really glad you’re home Kyo. Are we training tomorrow?”

“Actually, do you think you could stay here tonight?” he asked. “I want to stay up and have a conversation with you.” He sounded pretty serious, but who were you to decline. “Oh- alright. That shouldn’t be a problem then. Should I tell Shinjuro?” Kyo shook his head, implying his father probably wouldn’t even notice you spent the night, considering he spends most of his time in his room.

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

You and Kyojuro sat together in the garden looking up into the stars. “I missed you a lot, [reader] while I was on my mission.” His voice was softer than it normally is, also keeping a low tone since Senjuro and Shinjuro are sleeping. “When I listened to Sanemi talk about how much he missed his girlfriend back home, it made me think about how lucky I am to come home to you, my brother, and my father.” he cleared his throat turning his face towards yours. “Thank you so much, [reader]. For always being there for me and my family.”

You couldn’t help but get a little flush from his words. He always knew what to say to pull your heartstrings. His love and praise always sent butterflies to your stomach, and he cared about you more than anyone else. “I’m hoping that you feel the same,” he breaks the small silence. “I’m hoping that you feel the same way I do about you, [reader]. I realized I want to be with you more than just a friend.” His eyes were filled with love as he stared at you.

“Kyo, where is this coming from? I’m not complaining. But I’m curious.”

“While staying with Sanemi, and hearing about how much he loves his girlfriend, and why. It made me realize that everything he said was the same reason why I love you,” he grabs your hand and places a soft kiss on top of your knuckles. “Please tell me you love me too,”

“I do.”

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

You spent that night cuddling with Kyojuro and falling asleep in his arms. The next day, you planned to have a day with just him. You wanted to go to the city and visit shops together, and meet up with Tengen and Obanai for lunch. “Two bowls of udon please.” The four of you sat together enjoying the food and time together. You and Obanai have always been close too. When you first started training under Rengoku, he would visit to join the training as well. But after a while, he stopped coming. Kyojuro believes it’s because he spends his time with Mitsuri.

“We should get going,” Tengen said. “My wives are gonna pester me about not spending enough time with them. “Yeah. I should get going too. Mitsuri and I have plans,” Obanai left behind Tengen leaving you and Kyojuro alone. It was hard to believe that this was the first day of being Kyojuro’s significant other. You were both so open to each other, and nothing felt odd. He was even starting to look more handsome than before, but that may just be because you fall in love with him all over again every time you see him.

“What do you say, [reader]? Shall we head back? We can either go to my residence or yours.” It wasn’t often that he came home with you. He did once but you never invited him back over because your family was kind of loud. As if Rengoku wasn’t loud either. “Let’s go back to your place. My family might be home and I don’t want to deal with them right now.” as the two of you headed back, Kyojuro paused and picked up flowers from the ground, handing multiple to you. “They’re radiant, like you.” Again, his words never fail to swoon.

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

For the next two weeks, you and Rengoku spent every moment together. But of course, you had to include Senjuro here and there. You started growing closer and closer, thinking it was impossible since you were already so close. Being with Rengoku felt like time stopped. And that you two were the only ones alive. He showered you in love and appreciation, and he never once allowed you to feel incompetent. He never wants to let you go, and he couldn’t feel more blessed to be with you. “I love you, [reader].”

[deathbidean]

my destiel fic recs pt.3

no one asked for this but I am determined to force my favourite fics on y’all

And This, Your Living Kiss - opal_bullets : Only a very few people in the world know that the celebrated and reclusive poet Jack Allen is just Kansas mechanic Dean Winchester, a high school dropout with a few bucks to his name. Not that it matters anymore; life has left him so wrung out he never wants to pick up another pen.Until, that is, a string of coincidences leads Dean to auditing a poetry course with one Dr. Castiel Novak. The professor is wildly intelligent, devastatingly handsome...and just so happens to be academia's foremost expert on the poetry of Jack Allen. holy shit. this. THIS. it’s amazing. it’s so beautiful. your heart will break for poor Dean. this is definetly a favourite of mine!!

Andrew Lloyd Webber Gets a Pass - delicious-irony, opal_bullets : In which Castiel's manner is vague and aloof, Dean Winchester doesn't care for a cuddle, and there's no doing anything about it.Or, Dean and Castiel attempt to survive rehearsals for a new production of Cats, and each other. I’M TELLING YOU NOW. IF YOU FAINT FOR ENEMIES TO LOVERS,,, THIS WILL KILL YOU. y’all,, honestly this fic ended me it’s so goddamn good

15x14 coda : it’s a date - contemplativepancakes : “So… How was your date?” “Really, Dean? That’s what you're concerned about? After we all almost died?” Dean waggles his eyebrows. “Well, yeah. Just looking out for my little brother.” The bunker door clangs open, and Sam shoves Dean towards it. “Maybe worry about yourself.”Sam and Eileen had a date, so it's only fair that Dean and Cas do, too, right? so so sweet. just pure tooth-rotting fluff that will make your heart ache

Starstruck - peanutbutterjelly-pie (Aleakim) : From the outside Castiel Novak looks like a regular guy: a good job, two teenage kids, a nice house and a crappy car he’s way too attached to.But there’s one thing no one knows about him: that, over twenty years ago, he used to live next to none other than Dean Winchester – back then a brash and loud-mouthed boy and nowadays a huge movie star and Hollywood’s sweetheart.Castiel never bothered to tell anyone about his childhood friend because frankly, who would believe him? Probably even Dean himself already forgot about his former awkward and weird neighbor, so Castiel seriously doesn’t see any point in mentioning the whole thing ever.But then an interview on national TV happens where Dean reveals way more about his past than ever before … and Castiel - as well as the rest of the world - suddenly realizes that he left a much bigger impact on Dean’s life than he originally thought. y’all,,,,, this is still being updated and when I tell you i’m living for each one,,,,,,,, it’s so goddamn good!!! and sweet!!! and just ughhhhh!!! highly recommend!!

Shot Through The Heart - peanutbutterjelly-pie (Aleakim) : Dean is a hunter. Castiel is a Man of Letters. And even though they have to work together on a regular basis, there is not much sympathy between them. Castiel thinks Dean too brash and reckless while Dean in return sees nothing more in the other man than a rude asshole with an obsessive love for books and a truly terrible fashion sense. But fate clearly has a funny way of throwing those two together over and over again. And somewhere along the way feelings change into something neither of them would have expected.  nah nah, y’all don’t understand,,, this fic is amazing!! again; ENEMIES TO LOVERS!!!! it doesn’t get better than that, am i right?

ours is the fire, all the warmth we can find - xylodemon : Sam brings it up as they're driving back from the steakhouse in Mankato.Dean cuts him a sharp, sideways glance. "You think I should what?""I think you should try journaling.""Why the hell would I wanna do that?" very sad and very beautifully written grieving Dean. just exactly what i needed after the finale and very much patched up the hole in my heart

Be My Boyfriend : Dean and Cas keep having to pretend to be dating to discourage other potential suitors. Things get a little out of hand. i actually read this first on tumblr and loved it so much i had to find it on ao3!! it’s such sweet and silly fluff!!!!

Holiday Homies - tricia_16 : Best friends Dean and Cas are sick and tired of the stress the holidays put on anybody not already in a relationship. The endless plus one invitations to fill for New Year's Eve and Valentine's Day (and this year, Sam and Jess's wedding on top of everything else) never freaking stop. So on Halloween night, Dean and Cas come up with a plan to be each other's plus ones from Thanksgiving to the 4th Of July. They'll fake a relationship, get their parents off of their backs, actually enjoy the holidays for once... and maybe wring a few orgasms out of each other while they’re at it.What could go wrong? you want two dumbasses in love?? you want friends with benefits who are very much in love with each other?? you want to cry in frustration over their idiocy?? this is the fic for you

fifteen flares - microcomets : When Dean finally comes home, the knots in his shoulders aching and his skin still layered in dust, he finds Cas waiting up for him at the kitchen table. Without a word, Cas nudges the vacant chair out with his foot, sliding an unopened beer across the counter in a silent invitation. (post-13.06 coda.) y’all this is so sweet and cute and just wholesome. i absolutely adore confession pre-canon and this is no exceptiion

Wanna Bet? - bendingsignpost : “I bet you... that I can get laid tonight before you can get a single kiss. We pick each other’s targets.”Dean bites his lip in the vain attempt to not burst out laughing. “Uh-huh,” he says. “Sure, Sammy. Someone single and actually attractive, sure.”“Deal?” Sam says. “A kiss on the mouth, no cheating.”Still pushing down a laugh, Dean offers his hand across the table. They shake. “Deal. Okay, who am I going for?”Sam smiles wider than the devil that once possessed him, and answers: “Cas.”  pure Dean dumbassery and intervening Sam AND IT’S SO SO GOOD!! my heart aches

Four Letter Word for Intercourse - bendingsignpost : As a grease monkey turned college freshman, Dean's constantly three seconds away from being stressed out of his mind. It hardly helps that he's finally figuring out his sexuality in his thirties. What might help with that stress is a little phone number (and a big credit card bill). If he can't figure out how to be bisexual in person, he can at least give it a go over the phone, right? (It's probably a bad idea, but he really can't help himself.) okay,,, so,,, this fic may have awakened certain things in me,,,,,,, but GOD DAMN!!!! genuinely,,,, one of the best fics i’ve read; it’s just so goddamn good! i don’t think i can adequately express how much i love this fic!!

and on that note, i shall end your suffering for the time being. but seriously, these fics are genuinely well written, well thought out and executed!! they deserve to be read by everyone who will enjoy them!!

pt.1 , pt.2

[canyouhearthelight]

The Miys, Ch. 132

Yes, I know... it’s late again :(

I realized at about 1030a this morning, when I was 30 miles and a minimum of 7 hours from my computer. The guilt was real.

Also, I recently upgraded computers, so I apologize for any editing errors.  Honestly, I don’t have my preferred word processing program on here to check and make sure all my flavor editing is done correctly, so I’m probably going to come back and re-do it when that’s available.  However, I PRIDE myself on the fact that I may post a few hours late, but never the next day! (even though my deadline is technically Tues or Thurs each week?. I dunno)

Quick kudos to @baelpenrose, @the-raven-fae, @anotherusrname, and @charlylimph-blog for being my writing team!

The next morning, I staggered into work very much regretting the onions that I dared to put on the table the night before - I had only gotten a few hours sleep the night before thanks to two rather tall men who shared a tendency to snore like congested warthogs. Fortunately, Vati and Hannah were off today, so I didn’t have to hide the gargantuan yawns every few minutes.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t spared from the sarcastic wit of my assistant, who breezed in the door and simply arched an eyebrow at me. “Hmm, having a coffee day, I see.”

“I can’t look that tired,” I grumbled, shoving my hair out of my face and sulking into my cup - which unfortunately did contain coffee, as predicted.

“You do smell that tired, I am afraid.  And by you, I mean the deplorable muck you are drinking.”

Alistair wasn’t a fan of coffee, obviously, but I was admittedly drinking a really strong cup of it. “The guys had a terrifying amount of onions with dinner last night,” I confessed.

To my satisfaction, he wrinkled his nose. “Delightful.” He also despised onions, more so than he did coffee. “Fortunately, you have quite a sparse schedule this morning.”

Shaking my head, I broke the news to him. “Change of plans. Xio got the list of shelter locations back to me and Tyche yesterday, ironically after we had been complaining about not having them. Pretty sure she was listening in.”

The eyebrow arched again. “Another ‘sensor test’, I assume?”

“Don’t know, don’t care,” I shrugged. “We wanted the list, we got the list. And an ersatz apology in the form of which area can hold how many people, which makes our end much easier.  Bump it up against a map of who is closest to which location, and half our work is done.”

I flicked the list to the emitter on the conference table, and got started. Since Parvati and Hannah were up to their eyeballs in their plotting for the Food Festival, and our job had been significantly lightened in regards to deciding shelter locations, I made the executive decision to take the lead on this project and pull in Tyche for assistance if Alistair and I needed it.  Maybe Arthur if I got desperate for extra help, but working with him and Alistair at the same time was chancy at best - they spent so much time snarking at each other, it could be harder to get work done than if I did it alone sometimes.

Soon, Alistair and I had a map of the Ark, with all shelter locations highlighted and the data from Xiomara’s report overlaid. I had my head down, programming the shelter locations to change color when the capacity limits Xiomara provided were reached, when Alistair noticed something. “Why, pray tell, are the Archives on this map?”

I didn’t even look up. “Probably because it’s the furthest location on the ship from the real-space engines, so it’s the safest place if someone tries to blow those.”

“You are mistaken.” He tapped on the table to get my attention. “The Archives are right on top of the engines, which is why it was available for use: when it was empty, the room was so noisy it was difficult to be in there for more than a handful of minutes.”

Shaking my head, I tapped the ‘front’ of the ship to highlight it. “These are the real-space engines, apparently. When we drop out of relativistic space, these will fire to start slowing us down as we approach Von. These,” I tapped the ‘back’ of the ship, “Are the relativistic engines, which we are using now, which is why that room was so loud when you found it.  According to Noah, for safety purposes, they are housed at opposite ends of the ship.  Also, pretty sure no one is going to try to blow the relativistic engines.  Something quantum physics related that made sense but I would probably explain it wrong.  Big boom, big shrink, no survivors is the gist.”

The disgusted look he gave my explanation was glorious. “So people will be in the Archives, no doubt touching things.”

“They’re books, Alistair. They are meant to be touched and read.” Glancing at the map, I was actually impressed - I never realized how large the Archives were.  They made up nearly an entire deck, albeit the second-smallest on the Ark. “Hang on, someone is already assigned there? Did you do that?”

He scoffed. “I certainly did not, I assumed you had.”

“Nope.  Must have been Xiomara,” I trailed off before tapping the icon indicating an assignment to see who it was.

I started to smile, only to be scared out of my mind by Alistair suddenly shouting. “NO! Absolutely not, I will go tell Councillor Kalloe myself. I - I shall duel her if need be! I refuse to allow this to occur.”

“Alistair, if you duel Xiomara, you’ll probably wind up dead. You know that right?”

“It is only over my dead body that you will be sheltering the Archives. Absolutely not.”

“I’m not going to hurt your precious books, you know that. If anything, I’ll be able to make sure no one else does, either.”

“Not going to hurt the books!?” he nearly shrieked.  I was starting to worry about how hysterical he was getting before he pinched his nose and took a few breaths to calm down. “Madam Reid, I am aware that you will not, through deliberate action or mischance, directly harm a single item in that Archive. I am equally aware that there are certain things that you are distressingly oblivious to, one of which being your own poor luck, if events that take place after being rescued from a global infrastructure collapse can count as poor luck. I shall endeavor to clarify to you why I am so concerned with this.”

Uh oh. He was being very formal.  This was never a good thing.

Before I could object, however, he forged on. “This entire planning exercise is aimed at what, precisely?”

“Designating shelters for non-combatants,” I answered slowly, confused.

“Shelters in the event of what?”

“If we are forcefully boarded in the month after we drop out of relativistic space?”

“Correct.  Which is clearly a bad thing, true?”

“True…”

“And what, remind me, do you have a tendency to do when bad things happen?”

“Plow into the middle of them, which is probably why Xiomara wants me as far from potential combat as possible, so I can’t - “

“Dying, Madam Reid. You have a tendency of dying.”

“Almost dying,” I corrected meekly.  I could unfortunately see where this was going.

“Whenever bad things happen on the Ark, the bad things find you,” he almost hissed. “And I would rather that they not find you in the middle of the only books - potentially the only artifacts, period - that we have from Earth.”

“It may distract them from killing me?” I pointed out.

The glare he gave me rivalled Tyche at her worst.  I probably would have been flattened, had I not built up immunity to far more vicious gazes. “No, this won’t do at all. I must speak to Councillor Kalloe immediately.  And quite likely to Farro.  Let me update the less-endangered Reid that she shall need to arrive early to assist you…”

Any attempt I made to try to dissuade him from the abrupt shortening of his lifespan was ultimately ignored.  As he tried to breeze past my sister, I resorted to grabbing his sleeve and physically stopping him. “Alistair!  You cannot go fight Xiomara to make her put me somewhere else! It’s not worth it!”

He stopped in his tracks, confusion flooding his face. “Somewhere else?  Madam Reid - please unhand me, thank you - whatever gave you that impression?”

“You - the books - dying… I’m so confused. What are you going to fight Xio about, then?”

“I cannot argue the logic of keeping you as far from the engines as possible, nor the logic of placing you as close to something that would deter any invading parties from making rash or reckless decisions.  It is likely quite safer for the ship, in all honesty.”

“Then…?”

He sighed and shook his head. “I am going to speak to Xiomara about removing myself from the non-combatant list and instead being one of the persons assigned to the Archives to defend it from any hostile parties,” he admitted.  “Farro will need to help me brush up on defensive techniques, but I am certain it will be easier to keep the Archives from disaster if I protect it myself.”

“Hey!” Tyche objected. “I’m already assigned to the Archives! She’ll be safe!”

Turning on a heel, he waved a hand over his shoulder dismissively. “You protect your sister from invaders. I shall protect the Archives from her.”

As the door closed behind him, she gave me a baffled look. “Long story,” I sighed. “I’ll explain while we start allocating people.”

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[ordinaryschmuck]

What I Thought About "Escaping Expulsion" From The Owl House

Salutations random people on the internet who most likely won’t read this. I am an Ordinary Schmuck. I write stories and reviews and draw comics and cartoons.

Do you wanna know what I love the most about The Owl House? The writers waste no time getting to the good stuff.

Things like Willow working things out with Amity, Lumity, Lilith's redemption, and Luz's fight with Belos are stuff that most shows would drag out and wait upon using until several seasons down the line. Most of them for the final season. And yet, it all happens in the first! The writers somehow knew what the fans exactly wanted and gave them just that before they even had to ask.

Take "Escaping Expulsion," for example, as it has some great plot points and ideas I thought would happen later in the season and maybe even near the end. But it's only episode TWO of the new season, and I'm appreciative of it for that reason alone.

But explaining the good stuff this episode delivers requires spoilers, so if you haven't watched the episode yet (even though you definitely have at this point), I recommend that you do so. Now let's review, shall we?

WHAT I LIKED

Blight Industries: Huh. I'll be the first to admit: I would have never expected that the main reason why the Blights are rich is because of their technological advancements. Large in part of how the Boiling Isles is a fantasy world, and rarely do you see technology taking place in a setting such as that. Still, points for total expectation subversion added with some pretty cool tech, I might add.

Odalia Blight: It's nice to put a face to the name I've grown to hate with a fiery passion. Now I can update my dartboard!

But to tell you the truth, it feels weird saying I like someone so vile. I mean, the woman is a manipulative, smarmy b-word who nearly killed Luz. Anybody who does that last part deserves to go on my s**t list! I despise her with the same fiery passion I've had since "Understanding Willow" premiered...and it's that reason why I like her.

Because here's the thing: Characters and people are two different things. If Odalia existed in real life, she better hope that I never meet her. But as a character whose purpose is to have the audience hate her, she succeeds with flying colors. It's the same reason why I consider it unfair to hate an episode like "Something Ventured and Someone Framed" because Mattholomule exists. I get it but understand that hating him is his purpose. It's the same with Odalia. I love her, but only because I love to hate her.

Alador Blight: Wow. I guess Alador really is the lesser of two evils.

By the way, keep in mind that I said "lesser of two evils" and not "the nice one." I don't care how adorable it is to see him get distracted by a butterfly. He's still an abusive figure who stood aside as Luz fought for her life against the Abomitron and still goes along with Odalia's plans despite how heinous they are. And whenever I remember how he treated Amity in "Understanding Willow" as well--

Also, don't make him neurodivergent so he can seem redeemable. It is painfully obvious that he is just exhausted after hours of toiling away in his lab working on his inventions to the point that his brain is beyond fried.

Now, seeing that I've dismissed the argument about how Alador is the nice one, let's actually talk about his character. Because I can see what Dana Terrace meant when she said that he's interesting. He's not explicitly as awful as Odalia, as he mostly seems to be in his own little world half the time. Despite that, Alador still shows signs of being just as dismissive of Amity in general. You see this as he focuses on how her strength shows signs of Amity being a potential coven leader instead of noticing how his daughter nearly died to his own invention. Alador doesn't manipulate, but he doesn't love his daughter in a way a father should either. I'm very intrigued by this route for his character, and I can't wait to see what is done next with him.

Amity’s Amulet: My heart sank when I realized the true purpose behind Amity's amulet. The thought that Odalia found a way to literally be in Amity's head at all times...I hate that. I mean, I love it because it's A+ storytelling and symbolism, BUT I F**KING HATE IT!

Amity in General: And seeing how we're already talking about Amity, let's dive into the fact that "Escaping Expulsion" is easily her best outing so far in the series. I say this because it really puts to the test Amity's dedication to being a part of the group. You can tell by her expressions and Mae Whitman's performance that Amity so desperately wants to help her friends, but she can't due to being afraid of her mother's wrath. Which doesn't surprise me, given what we know about Odalia so far. But what does surprise me is that Amity stands up to Odalia in this very same episode. I expected it for sure, but most likely at the end of the season, due to most shows dragging out a similar concept for drama's sake. However, as I said, the writers don't waste time giving the fans what they want. So, yeah, Amity defies her mother in the very same episode we're officially introduced to her. And it's totally believable, as Amity has been fighting her parent's control ever since Luz literally showed her the light after "Covention" (click here if you don't believe me). It's yet another impressive showcase of Amity's character development and how she's leagues ahead of other redeemable characters who would go through five more episodes like this before getting to the point.

Luz in General: But enough about Amity. For now, let's talk about the actual best character of the series!

Just like Amity, Luz is on top form in "Escaping Expulsion." She is quick to call 'applesauce' about Odalia and Alador expelling the Hex-Squad and is smart enough to figure out the deal Odalia is worming her way into making. Several people classify Luz as stupid, and while she definitely leaps before she looks at times, this episode proves that Luz isn't going to fall for the sweet talk that someone like Odalia offers. As reckless as she can be, Luz is still intelligent enough to know what someone like Odalia wants and cuts to the chase despite knowing the woman can't be trusted. Still, Luz going through with the deal anyways is fantastic character work for her as it shows her dedication to the people she cares about. It hurts my heart to see Luz get all beat up from Alador's inventions, but her willingness to put up with it for her friends is an act of service I wouldn't have expected from anyone else. "Escaping Expulsion" may be more centered around Amity, but it still proves why Luz earns her spot for one of my favorite characters.

Learning How Glyphs Work: Another solid aspect of The Owl House is that the writers find brilliant ways for world-building and explaining the rules of the Boiling Isles. Take this episode's b-plot, for instance. Eda and Lilith need to learn how to do Luz's version of magic, so having an entire section of the episode dedicated to them figuring it out is a perfect outlet to explain how glyphs work in the first place. Although, I have some tribulations with this subplot that I'll get into with the dislikes. But I still consider this a brilliant workaround to explain glyphs, even if specific executions could be handled better.

The Fairy Pie: Not only is this well-crafted dark humor, and not only is it adorable as hell, but it also shows how Amity has calmed down with her feelings toward Luz. She still blushes when handing over the fairy pie, but it is certainly more subdued in comparison to "Wing it Like Witches." I like to think the time off from her (and our) favorite weirdo helped cool down those emotions a bit, but that doesn't mean she won't get slightly flustered every now and again. Because as much as I adore seeing cool and collective, I'm still very much a fan of Disaster Amity due to how cute it is.

Principle Bump: "This character is underappreciated!"

"That character doesn't get enough love!"

YOU WANNA KNOW WHO'S UNDERAPPRECIATED AND DOESN'T GET ENOUGH LOVE?! PRINCIPAL GOSH DANG BUMP, THAT'S WHO!

So many kids' shows focus on how educators are the bad guy who treats students poorly because they love seeing children suffer. But that's not Bump! Sure, he made a misstep in "The First Day," but for the most part, he really cares for his students and hopes that they work hard to be their better selves. So when he's forced to send Luz, Gus, and Willow away, he's genuinely saddened by it to the point where he breaks down crying! On top of being wholesome, Bump missing his students is another example that a character shouldn't be written as evil just because they run a school. Sure, there are scumbag teachers and principals out there, but for others, they're a lot like Bump: People who show admiration and respect to their students rather than ridicule because a principle "just doesn't get it." And I appreciate Bump all the more for it.

Gus and Willow: It feels weird that these two basically got sidelined, especially since they have a stake in the plot as well, but it's understandable. "Escaping Expulsion" is clearly more Amity-centered, and with Luz being the main character, it would also be odd if she didn't get more of the focus than her friends. Having them do more would have been great, but what they've already accomplished is pretty decent anyway. They show how much they're on the same page as Luz when trying to figure out a way to sneak back into Hexide, Willow is still the best voice of reason when saying no one will be killed through their plans, and Gus wins the comedic highlights in the episode. While I would have loved that they did more, I'm perfectly fine with what we got. Besides, this is only episode two of Season Two. We got nineteen more episodes to go to focus on these two.

King: Ok, now, this is the version of King I like to see. A character that mocks Eda as if they're equals and acts as a reluctant voice of reason. This episode shows King more at his best and is a major step above what we've seen in "Separate Tides."

Lilith: ...Yeah, f**k it. I like Lilith.

Personally, I would have preferred seeing her dragged through the coals at least a few episodes, but that's judging the show for what I want. Not what it is. And as is...It's fine. Lilith has a great dynamic with the rest of the Owl House, it's honestly adorable seeing her refer to Luz as a teacher, and that scene where she makes presents out of ice for Hooty is all kinds of wholesome. I'd say your enjoyment of Lilith highly depends on how forgiving you are, and if you think her splitting the curse is enough of a gesture, you probably won't mind her as much. The execution of her redemption really could have used more time in the oven, but Lilith is still a decent character regardless, so what's to complain about.

Luz Making the Abomination Have a Cat Face: ...Luz...I f**king missed you.

DON'T EVER LEAVE FOR THAT LONG AGAIN!

(Also, I just love that this is all Amity needed to know Luz was in trouble)

Hop Pop Cameo: He's on the cover of one of the books Willow's dad lifts up. Which is extra cute given how Dana Terrace and Matt Braley (creator of Amphibia) are close friends in real life.

Willow’s Dad Pretending Not to See Anything: One single action defines the type of man this guy is. He's the fun and understanding dad!

Gus, Willow, and Amity Arguing How to Break In: This little quarrel just shows how much these three need Luz. Without someone to keep the peace and bring up compromises, these idiots would have just kept arguing all night.

In addition to that, this clash over ideas acts as a showcase for who these characters are. Willow is careful and smart, so she's going for the option more unlikely to get them caught. Amity is brash and to the point, so she's going for the route that gets them inside as soon as possible. And then there's Gus, who's young and naive, so his plan sounds like something out of a cartoon. The odds of any of these plans working are highly debatable, but seeing these characters with clashing personalities and ideas is a ton of fun to watch regardless.

Edric and Emira Helping: There's not much to add here. It's just another sweet scene that makes me so glad that the writers decided to make Ed and Em more like supporting characters than minor antagonists like "Lost in Language" made fans think they would be.

(Amity throwing the "Hex me" signs back at Edric is just the cherry on top).

“Stay away from my Luz!”: ...What the f**k do you want me to say that? It's f**king perfect!

Luz Catching Feelings for Amity: ...Huh. Neat.

...

...Alright, let's move on.

Luz Wanting to Take a Nap After--Yeah, I can't do it. Not even for the joke.

WAH-HOO-HOO-HOO-HOO! MU! TU! AL! PINING! AH-HAHAHA!

THIS! This is more of that good s**t I'm talking about! Due to being so used to other shows going for the slow burn when writing the endgame romance, I was expecting Luz to catch feelings halfway through the season, even at the end of it. But near the beginning?! That is something I am more than ok with!

And much like Amity standing up to her parents in this episode, Luz catching feelings this early on is totally believable. Many fans have already analyzed how Luz's love language is "Acts of Service," which I'm somewhat sure is romantic gestures. Meaning that I f**king challenge you to find a grander gesture than holding back a literal killing machine while swooping down like a knight in shining armor! Oh, wait, you can't. BECAUSE THERE ISN'T ANY!

But by far, the best--the BEST--thing that can come from this is the dramatic irony! We, the audience, know that Luz and Amity like each other, but they don't. So the constant failings as these two fools try to work out their romantic feelings for one another is something I cannot wait to see in all its glory.

This is one of the best things that could have come out of the episode, and while it doesn't mean Lumity is canon, it is definitely closer than ever before. And I'm excited about all of it!

Luz Wanting to Take a Nap After Getting Home: I adore this because there's no one way that this can be interpreted. Either it's because Luz is exhausted after nearly getting killed for the fifteenth time that month, or it's because Luz is overwhelmed about having a crush on Amity...or both. Most likely both.

Belos Wanting The Abomatrons: Wow, what an ominous ending to the episode! I'm sure it won't come into play at all in the future...The season finale is going to hurt, isn't it?

WHAT I DISLIKED

Gus’ Growth Spurt: I mean...that's just weird. Gus suddenly being almost as tall as the others is a change so jarring that I feel like an explanation other than "witch puberty" is required. I get that they wanted to explain away why Issac Ryan Brown's voice got deep this season, 'cause puberty's a b**ch. But sometimes I feel like it's best to just ignore it, like with how Phineas and Ferb or Steven Universe just goes along with the fact that VAs tend to grow up when the characters themselves remain ageless.

Eda is Kinda Stupid in this One: It's not just me, right? Because I feel like Eda is more careful in the past than she is in this episode. She's been as reckless as Luz is at times, sure, but carelessly screwing around with magic when she has no idea how it works? I can maybe see King doing that, but not Eda. Just seeing her act dumber than usual is something that doesn't sit right with me.

Lilith Explaining Her Glyph Magic: I don't mind this. Glyph magic is pretty confusing, so having Lilith explain how it works to Eda and the audience is something I can understand. My issue, however, lies in how they did this.

Why, in the name of all that is holy, would Lilith explain her theory after the fact. It would be much more natural if she explained while saving King, but doing it after comes across as more forced than it should. Which is a shame because this series is usually on point when explaining how things work in the Boiling Isles.

And...That's about all the complaints I have with this episode. Which are nothing but nitpicks and possibly personal preferences.

IN CONCLUSION

If I'm willing to forgive and forget, I would give "Escaping Expulsion" a well-earned A+. But I'm not, so it's going to be another solid A. And, I mean, if you complain about that...there's something wrong with you.

"Escaping Expulsion" delivers on quite a bit of what fans want to see on top of giving these great character moments that show why we love these casts of oddballs and weirdos. I wouldn't say it reached perfection, but it still carries the winning streak that this new season has so far. Meaning there's no escaping the fact that Season Two is off to a better start than the first.

(Although, the fact that we got two solid As in a row means that we're in for a stinker real soon, doesn't it?)

[kamari333]

Got tagged by @starsgivemehp for this meme!

Rules: List the first lines of your last 20 stories (if you have less than 20, just list them all!). Then tag 10 of your favorite authors!

I'll go backwards from last update, if thats okay? First paragraph of each first chapter...

mind the tags and be responsible <3

iNVaDeR FeLL: The Nightmare Begins :: The Irken Empire (which had retained its name even after the shift in management brought about by the events of Operation Impending Doom I) was more alive than it had been in years. Signs replayed message after message redirecting convention-goers how and where to attend the Great Assigning in the Main Convention Hall on Conventia, one of the many planets conquered and repurposed for the good of the Empire. The teleporter ring was blazing almost as brightly as it once did before OID1, only this time, it brought to the surface not Irkens, but Monsters; creatures of every shape and size. They came not only from the 'kingdom' that had overtaken Irk (they called themselves 'Fell'), but those from the 'kingdoms' of conquered worlds as well, which had been expeditiously subjugated in a fashion worthy of the Irken Empire.

How Dance Got a Picture of Lust Covered in Kittens :: "there's sammaches in th' fridge," Red mumbled, feeling the lunchbox lid click shut under his claws. "'r if ya want some'n lighter, there's soup in th' freezer. just gotta nuke it..."

Burlesque Noir :: Lust peeked around the curtain to look out at the crowd, as he had done so many times before the last few days. The speakeasy was full and vibrant and alive as it was every night, as swanky a joint as Grillby could make it and still keep it safe. As packed as it was, however, Lust didn't see any sign of his favorite patron.

It Could be Worse :: Life... Could be worse.

An Anthology of Dreams :: Sans was at his desk, as always, analyzing his latest attempt at a synthetic soul compound. His last two-thousand-and-twenty trials had been devastating failures, but even Dr Gaster was intrigued by his steady progress.

The EMV Anthology :: Red had a love-hate relationship with the holiday season.

An Anthology of Nightmares :: Sans stumbled out of his room just in time to escape. He had no idea what was coming, he only knew his years of fighting for his life underground was screaming that he had to move his bony ass if he wanted to live. Just as he crossed the threshold of his bedroom into the hallway, there was a loud crash. When he looked back, his whole room was gone.

A Growing Future :: Red stumbled out of the house, squinting at the glare of sunrise peaking like a glinting knife over the neighbor's rooftops. The air had a crisp chill to it, made all the more shocking by his lack of a shirt, but he knew it would be overly warm in only a few hours, and there was a lot of work to do.

Kinktober 2020 : Kamari333 Edition :: HI FOLKS! Beyond this point you will find 72.5k words of pure, unadulterated, self indulgent, Undertail-themed SIN, ~57.7k of which was prewritten in September, the rest in October, all written and published for Kinktober2020. This year, due to conflicting schedules, the sin was written in September, to be published on time in October. Please note that there may be plenty of typos, although I will/have since gone back and fixed some of them since I'm garbage and read my own stuff, and this year I have been indulging in the use of my lovely betas!

A Night in the Woods :: Red bit back a curse as he once again had to detangle his phalanges from the flimsy tent material. Stupid-ass cheap plastic bullshit, so thin he could breathe on it wrong and watch it disintegrate, but the packaging said it somehow kept out wind and rain, and that was honestly all he could have asked for. That, and perhaps that the piece of shit stop snagging on his claws every five god damn mother fucking seconds, fuck-

Arum :: The room was pitch black, save for a nearly indiscernible ambiance that glowed low and dim like the twilight right before the true darkness of night. The walls and floor of the room oozed with a viscous substance that stank of fermentation and rubber. At the end of the room, upon a throne of black stone, sat a diminutive figure from whence the slime seemed to originate, itself drenched in it to the point of blackness save for the singular glow of one lavender eyelight, shining like poison in the darkness.

Poignance :: Sans Blueberry pulled on his modified gloves, rolling his shoulders to make sure his makeshift pauldrons were cinched tight enough. The scalemail he wore under his chestplate made a soft noise, not quite the clink of chainmail, but not quite the hiss of cloth or leather either. He fingered at the tiny plates over his torso before pulling his bandanna back on around his neck, grateful to Alphys again for donating her sheds, and Undyne for reinforcing them so they wouldn't turn to dust.

Those Feelings at the Bottom of a Bottle :: Ink carefully managed his supply of emotions, keeping his usual level of orange (excitement) and yellow (happiness) as he made his way back through the house. The crowd of people, with their ever-vivid colors and gold-glittered eyes, made it easy to blend in and keep himself inconspicuous to the ever watchful guardian. It was like a game of hide-and-seek: Ink hid, and Dream looked for anything potentially amiss.

A Skeleton Plague Doctor in Lord Dream's Court :: Falsi woke up from a restful sleep on his examination table, shifting under his thick black blanket (one of the few luxuries he was allowed, usually kept hidden away in his bedroom with all the other small luxuries he had managed to keep, like his collection of skulls, his beast fur pelt, his mask, and the tapes and videos of a more personal nature he had collected over the years). He slid down to the floor, thankful once again for the mercy of a windowless apartment, as he folded his blanket and stumbled into the adjacent room: his bedroom.

Bad Day :: Edge was used to getting ominous messages from Red at odd times. It was just the nature of any relationship Red was involved in.

Burlesque (Censored) & (Uncensored) :: Of all the bars Red frequented in Ebott City, this was his favorite.

Happily Ever Laughter :: It was almost midnight. Papyrus had been sitting at Muffet's bar, enjoying his third (or was it fourth? Fifth? Hard to say) glass of Spider Cider, when he got the call. He pulled out his phone, surprised. That was his brother's ringtone. He flipped it open. "heya, bro. wazzup?"

Egg on Arrival :: Slinky could feel it in his bones: the hum of his future, the tremble of his soul. Even if it was still cold as balls outside the nest, his internal clock said it was spring.

I think I'm Paranoid :: Red came back into the livingroom, popcorn in one hand and a six-pack of coke in the other. He lingered, taking in the scene in front of him.

Another Me :: Lust fiddled with the TV remote idly as he mentally went through the available channels in his head. He didn't dare cable surf, not when He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named was so prominent, and Pink's relentless job searching made his schedule so erratic that he could show up at any minute. The sight of the blackout curtain over the bookshelf (which served as the house's movie collection's honored display) reminded him of how understanding Papyrus had been of the need for temporary censorship.

...oh my some of these are terrible for catching the readers attention XD (why are all my hooks like 3 paragraphs in gdi).

EDIT: i forgot to tag folks! um... @deku-lily @silverryu25 @bonerpuns @msmkcreates @jellyficsnfucks @jellyfish-swims-through-gold @tkwolf45 @nanenna @dana-chan325 @skerbaderbadoo @keelywolfe ...im terrible with names and can't remember anyone else's handles ;-;

[dalamjisung]

messing with my head ❀ im jaebeom

word count: 6515

genre: hospital!au, fluff

pairing: neurosurgeon!jaebeom x baker!reader

description: he always care for everyone, but no once cares for him. until you show up. 

It’s a condition in which there is an over-accumulation of fluid in the brain… surgery for a shunt… potential brain damage… some complications can occur… if not, he’ll live a normal, happy life… timely surgery… fatal. 

                                                                ————————

The day your little brother was born was the happiest day of your life. Eight years ago, little Taehyung gave you a sense of purpose. You were now a big sister– you had someone to love and protect. You had someone to teach, and someone to learn from. As a daughter, you might not have been the best; you rebelled and partied for a while; insisted on bad decision; hung out with the wrong people. But that all changed once you turned 16, and Taehyung turned one. You still remember the moment that the change happened. It was his birthday, and he looked as tiny as ever in his little overalls and fuzzy socks. Just as you were about to blow out the candles for him, he giggles and points his chubby finger at you.

“Y/N!” He screeches, laughter following. “Y/N! Y/N!”

Your mother looks at you, eyes wide and tearful. “That’s right, Taehyung-ie, that’s your noona, Y/N.”

“Y/N!” He screams again and wiggles out of your father’s grasp, crawling to you. 

You pick him up, hugging your little brother close. Tears fall on his head and you let out a gurgled laugh, allowing your parents to hug their children. After that day– the day that Taehyung’s first word was you,– you promised to be better. For your parents, for Taehyung, for yourself. It was time for improvement. You started looking for part-time jobs, stopped hanging out with those bad people, and only attended parties every once in a while. You were lucky your grades never slipped, so you kept up with your studies easily. 

One day, after school, you were walking back home with a friend when you passed by a small, white bakery. No name, no advertisement, nothing but a small we sell delicious baked goods! on the window.

“You go ahead,” You tell your friend as you walk to the bakery. “I’m gonna check this out.”

“I’ll go with you,” Hyejin says, smiling. “Moral support and all.”

Out of all your friends, Hyejin is the only one you knew to be real– she was unforgivingly herself, and you admired that a lot. She’s always been by your side, supporting you and calling you out on your shit. Her friendship is one you’ll never give up on. 

You two walk in, arm in arm, and initially you see no one, but then you hear a pained grunting from behind the counter and you lean over, looking at an elderly woman trying to carry a box that was visibly too have for her. 

“Let me help you, ma’am,” You smile, walking around the counter and easily picking the box up. “Where shall I put this?”

“Ah, thank you so much,” She says smiling, and once you notice how her eyes almost disappear under such bright and wide smile, you feel something inside of you telling that you belong in that place. “I’m getting too old for this…”

“Not at all,” You joke. “I just eat a lot, so I’m freakishly strong.”

She laughs at that and you already feel oddly fond of that woman. 

“You remind me a lot of my grandson, young lady,” She says and start moving around, grabbing things; first a plate, then a cup. “Sit over there, sweetie, I’ll get you and your friend something to eat.”

“Oh, you don’t have to,” Hyejin says, smiling kindly. 

“Please, let me do at least that,” She says, and you two sit down, keeping an eye in case she needed any more help. She brings you two pieces of cake and iced tea, and you are sure you saw stars when you took the first bite, humming in appreciation. “Ah, I’m going to miss this– the look on your faces just made my day…”

“Are you leaving, ma’am?” You ask frowning in disappointment. You had just found out about this place…

“Unfortunately, I might have to close the bakery,” She sighs, looking down at her feet. “I’ve been running this place for almost forty years, with some help here and there, but now I’m old, and I can’t do the things as fast and efficiently as I used to.”

“Have you been working here by yourself, ma’am?” Hyejin frowns.

“My grandson used to help me when he was in high school,” She smiles proudly. “I had to practically kick him out of here so that he’d go to college… but ever since, it’s been just me.” “Let me work here.”

The request comes out fast and strong and you think that’s what makes the owner consider, looking you up and down.

“And why would a young, beautiful girl like you want to work with an old woman like me?” She laughs, dusting her hands in her dress. “You should be enjoying your youth, little girl.”

“Done that already,” You smile, following after her with your used plates and cups. “I want to help my parents. I want to be a good daughter. And I want to be happy while doing so. Let me work here… please.”

“What makes you think you’ll be happy here? Look around you, sweetheart; this place is run down. Customers barely come, anymore, and all I have left are my recipes and good memories. I can’t pay you much, and it’s a very time consuming job, I don’t thi–”

“I don’t care about the pay,” You smile, leaning over the counter. “Ma’am, this place is incredible. My mother’s been backing ever since I was born, so I know a thing or two. I see how happy she is when she’s baking and I see how happy you look in here… I’m sorry if I sound crazy, but please. Let me work here. I can come everyday after school, and even before if you need help prepping ingredients and–”

She raises her hand, silencing you in the process. She has a stern face, observing you. Your smile falters.

“I’m sorry,” You mumble, suddenly embarrassed. “I didn’t mean to press you or disrespect you.”

“Crazy,” She says, squinting. “Might just be what I need… can you start tomorrow?”

And that’s how it all begun. 

                                                               ————————

Seven years after that, you now manage Sweet Dreams alongside Ms. Im. At first, your parents were a little unsure about you working at the bakery, afraid that you’d not handle the weight of school and work very well, but you proved them wrong with each day that passed, improving not only your grades, but also helping out at the house. They refuse to let you help with expanses and told you to put all your paychecks in a saving account, so that you could go to college comfortably. You are now 23 and although you have plans for college one day, you just can’t seem to leave Ms. Im and the bakery behind. The amount of work you put into the place made it your home; you named it, painted it, fixed some of it. Ms. Im has been your mentor ever since you were sixteen and leaving her behind would be like leaving family– and you’d never leave your family. 

Especially not right now.

“How’s the little guy?” Ms. Im asks as you arrive, the sky outside still dark. You had to start prepping the ingredients and baked goods early in the morning, waking up before the sun and observing as it rises along with your cakes. 

“Sleeping a lot still,” You mumble, sounding as worried as you feel. “He complains about headaches all the time and he’s always sick… I’m really worried about him.”

“Are your parents working today?” Ms. Im asks just as you are about to put your apron on. 

“Yeah,” You sigh, suddenly getting a headache yourself. “He’s with grandpa right now, and we think that Advil has been helping, but we can’t keep pushing it much further… it’s been four days already.”

“Take that apron off,” Ms. Im demands and you do it without questioning. “We’re not opening the shop today.”

“What?” You shriek. “But Friday is one of our busiest days!”

“And one of the mellow days at the hospital,” She winks. “Let’s go, I’m driving you.”

“Ms. Im,” You follow her outside, shivering as you haven’t had the time to even put your jacket on. “I can take Taehyung myself, you don’t have to bother, really!”

“You walked into my shop seven years ago begging for a job,” Ms. Im says as she starts driving to your house. “Not only I gained a reliable worker, but I gained a daughter. Now stop complaining; Taehyung can’t see his sister freaking out like that.”

“Thank you,” You smile, wiping a few stray tears away. “Thank you so much.”

“No problem, dear,” She chuckles. “I promise it will be quick– if I’m not wrong, he’s still at the hospital doing an early shift.”

“Who?” You ask.

“My grandson.”

In seven years of working for Ms. Im, you are pretty sure you’ve heard about her grandson at least twice a day. She is incredibly proud of him; he went from a trouble maker to a very successful doctor, it’s all you remember. You are not sure what he does exactly, but you always noticed the tinge of sadness in her voice when she talked about him. In seven year, you heard about him everyday; but in seven years, you’ve never seen him at the shop. 

“Go get the kid,” Ms. Im says pulling up to your house. “I’ll wait here.”

You manage to not wake up you grandfather in the process, but you make sure to leave a note in the fridge telling him that you’re taking your brother to the hospital. 

“Where are we going?” Taehyung asks, groaning as you pick him up from his bed.

“Where going to the hospital, baby,” You say soothingly. “Remember how I went to see a nice doctor when I was in pain and then I felt good? I’m going to take you to see a nice doctor, too.”

“Okay,” Taehyung says and lays his head on your shoulder, drifting back to sleep. 

You text your parents from the car and you promise to keep them updated in case they have to go to the hospital too. Ms. Im parks the car and guides you through the maze that is the hospital, walking as if she owned the place. Some doctors stopped to say hello but she’d keep walking, marching with a purpose, almost. 

“Ms. Im,” You plead, looking around nervously. “We have to get in line, or maybe talk to a nurse, I don’t think we–“

“Ya!” She shouts, waving her small arms above her head and getting everyone’s attention. “Yugyeom!”

If you could hide, you would; but at the same time, you’d never been more thankful towards her, who’s done so much for you as it is. A tall doctor looks around, looking for the source of the ruckus, and he smiles widely when he sees her, jogging his way over. 

“Halmoni!” He shouts and hugs her tightly.

So this is him?, you think to yourself, holding Taehyung tightly against yourself. Is this the famous grandson?

“Y/N,” Ms. Im calls. “This is Yugyeom. Or Dr. Kim, as he is known around here. He is one of the best pediatricians in the city, so I am sure he can help. He’s friends with my boy.”

“Hello, it’s nice to meet you,” He smiles gently. “Who’s that little guy?”

“Oh!” As if you have just awaken from a trance, you bow to him as best as you can while holding your brother. “It’s nice to meet you too; I’m sorry for the sudden visit, Doctor, but–“

“Will the nice doctor help me?” Taehyung asks, looking at the tall man. 

“Yes, I will,” Yugyeom smiles. “What’s your name?”

“Taehyung,” He yawns, and then raises both his hands, putting down both his thumbs. “And I’m eight.”

“Ah, you’re a big guy already,” Dr. Kim says. “Follow me, please. We can talk better in my office.”

While Taehyung played with an alien stuffed doll, you explained the situation to Dr. Kim Yugyeom; your brother has been sleeping a lot these days, and complaining of headaches and dizziness. He’s been sick and crying and you are desperate. 

“Ah,” Dr. Kim’s face changes and he looks almost in pain. His brows are furrowed and he looks at Taehyung with worry. “Would you mind if I called a colleague here? I want a second opinion on something and he might have a better understanding of it than me…”

“Oh, yes, of course,” You mumble, hands fidgeting. 

Ms. Im stands by your side, and she puts a hand on top of yours, silently promising support. She’s been there for your first heartbreak; she’s been by your side through arguments, and fights, and birthdays, and celebrations. The fact that she is with you in that moment made things less hard; it made you believe that everything would be okay. 

“Excuse me,” Someone calls from the door. “Hello, I’m Dr. I–“

“Ya, Im Jaebeom, you ungrateful child!” Ms. Im shouts and you jump from your seat a little, surprised with the outburst. “Do I have to come all the way over here and bother your friends to finally see you?”

Ah, you think, holding a chuckle back. This is him. 

The man blinks, lost and confused, before smiling wide. That was the confirmation you needed– the way his eyes disappear under his wide smile was exactly the same as Ms. Im.

“Grandma!” He hugs her tight. “I’m sorry, halmoni, things have been crazy here in the hospital…”

“You could’ve called,” She pouts and hugs him back. “But we’ll talk about that another time. Dr. Kim called you here for another reason.”

“Is everything okay?” He asks, looking at his grandmother. “Are you eating properly? Do you have any joint pain? Backache?”

“I’m strong as a bull, child,” She laughs. “It’s Y/N that needs your help.”

You respectfully bow to him. “Nice to meet you, Dr. Im. I’m Y/N, and this is Taehyung.”

He looks at you and bows back. Dr. Im Jaebeom looks a little taken aback and you move uncomfortably under his gaze, bringing your brother closer. 

“So you are the crazy girl that my grandmother talks so much about,” He says, and there is a certain something in his voice that you just can’t seem to grasp– an edge that made you shiver. “What can I help you with?”

“It’s the boy,” Dr. Kim says in a soft voice. “He’s only eight and he’s been experiencing strong headaches. He sleeps a lot and is always dizzy and sick… all symptoms seem to add to hydrocephalus, but I wanted to consult with you before diagnosing him. Can you take a look?”

“Of course,” Dr. Im moves quickly and efficiently, crouching in front of Taehyung. “Hi there, buddy– would you mind if I touched your head really quick?”

The consultation goes by quick and you don’t understand any of it; they talk in medical terms and when they finally take the time to talk to you, your brother is already being admitted to the hospital. You numbly sign all the necessary paperwork and when you come back to your senses, you are standing outside of Taehyung’s room, and Dr. Im is moving his lips, but you can’t hear a thing.

“I’m sorry,” You sigh, frustrated. “Can you repeat that? I don’t know what happened, I just– I don’t know. I’m sorry.”

He frowns and you feel like hiding again. His gaze is burning on your skin and can only wonder how dumb he must think you are.

“Sure,” He clears hi throat. “Taehyung-ie has a condition called hydrocephalus, in which the over-accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid inside the skull causes pressure on the brain. This is why he is having headaches and dizziness. When did this start?”

“Around four days ago,” You choke on your words. “Is it dangerous? Can you treat him?”

“All conditions have potential to be dangerous, but you did good in bringing him here as early as you could,” Dr. Im says, nodding to himself. “Unfortunately, this is not something that just goes away with time, nor something that can be medicated. The only solution is surgery.”

“Surgery?” You whimper, letting your shoulders fall in defeat. “What is the success rates of this surgery, Doctor?”

“The shunt surgery has a higher success rate for children,” He explain carefully. “But that doesn’t mean it doesn’t have risks. Because we will insert a shunt inside of him to help with the circulation of the fluid accumulated in his head, things like shunt failure or infection can happen, but that’s why we’ll keep him in the hospital for an observation period.”

You nod, processing everything he’s telling you. 

“Alright,” You whisper. “Okay. What are the next steps?”

“You’ll have to go to the Financial office to talk about the expenses,” As he talked, you could only fixate your eyes on the embroidery of his coat. Im Jaebeom. “We’ll schedule the surgery for tomorrow. The sooner we do this, the better. We only need his mother to sign the consent form.”

He extends some papers and a pen towards you and you look back at him, suddenly at a loss of words. 

“I… uh, I-I’m not his mother,” You smile tightly. “I’m him older sister.”

“Oh, I apologize, I assumed that–“

“Haven’t I raised you right, Im Jaebeom?” Ms. Im asks, coming with two cups of coffee in hand, and you frown alongside her grandson. “Never assume… tsk, for a doctor he is really stupid, isn’t he, Y/N?”

You chuckle. “You must think we’re all idiots here if you intend on drinking that coffee, Ms. Im. You know it’s not good for you!”

She laughs. “This is for you two,” She gives one to Jaebeom and the other to you. “To keep up the energy.”

“When my parents arrive I’ll ask my mother to sign the papers,” You turn to the doctor, still too intimidated to look him in the eyes. “They should be here soon, so you can schedule the surgery for tomorrow.”

You don’t even see him leaving, allowing your body to fall on a waiting chair. You are not sure if you fell asleep or simply gave up, but when you open your eyes again, you are on the couch inside your brother’s room.

                                                               ————————

Taehyung was prepped for surgery and you couldn’t even look. You held his tiny hand, but your eyes were fixated on Dr. Im Jaebeom’s. He looked at you as intensely as you looked at him, and although you had a weird feeling that this man hated you, his piercing eyes on yours were the only thing holding you together. You couldn’t cry in front of Taehyung, and you couldn’t cry in front of Dr. Im. Simple as that. 

“We’ll take him now,” One of the nurses tell you and you nod, walking behind them and behind Ms. Im and her grandson. You feel alone at that moment, with your parents supporting each other, with the Im’s chatting together, and with your little man going into surgery. He’s the one that walks with you, and you feel as if you failed him. 

Dr. Im turns around and looks at you. “The surgery will last from about an hour to two hours. If it takes a bit longer, don’t worry, it just means that we’re doing our best to make everything right. I prefer to take my time and have a successful surgery than to rush things. A nurse will keep you updated so that you are aware of everything that’s happening in there.”

“Take care of him,” You say, voice strong, surprising everyone. “Or I will kill you.”

And for the first time, you’ve seen Im Jaebeom smile at you. You mother slaps your shoulder, but you ignore the sting, maintaining eye contact.

“We’ll do our best,” He says chuckling. “That is all I can promise you.”

“That’s all I need,” You say and nod at him. “Thank you, Doctor.”

You are not sure what happens in between, but Dr. Im comes out through the doors and in your head only thirty minutes passed; instantly you are washed with dread. You try to stand up but your legs give out and you’d be on the floor if not for his reflexes.

“My brother,” You breath out, frantically looking into his eyes as he tries to talk to you. “Taehyung-ie– is he okay? That was too fast, it was too quick– what happened? Dr. Im–“

“The surgery took two hours and he’s perfectly fine,” Dr. Im says, frowning deeply. Is he always frowning?, you wonder as he drags you to the nearest chair. “Taehyung is doing fine; he’s still asleep because of the anesthesia, but he’s under observation and he’s safe.”

“Thank you,” You whisper, starting to cry. You slouch your shoulders forward and burry your face on your hands. “Thank you so much, oh my god, thank you Dr. Im.”

“Y/N,” He calls, pulling your face up. He looks at your eyes, puts a hand on your forehead, and frowns even more. “Are you feeling okay? You look like you’ve been in and out of reality for the past two days… you feel warm.”

“I’m good,” You smile. “Just haven’t eaten in a while. I’ll do it as soon as I see my brother.”

“No, stay here for a second,” He says and leaves with long strides.

He’s okay, you think to yourself, trying to stop the tears. Taehyung is okay. Pull yourself together, Y/N.

“Drink this,” Dr. Im puts a cup on your hand and gives you an energy bar. “And eat this.”

“What about you?” 

His eyes widened. “I-I’ll eat something later…”

Is he embarrassed?

“You have to eat, too, Doctor, you look worn out,” You smile. “You care about everyone, but yourself, huh?”

“Yah,” He laughs, and you chuckle with him, suddenly feeling your energy coming back although you didn’t eat yet. “You sound just like my grandmother.”

“Well, she did mentor me for seven years,” You shrug your shoulders, with a fond look on your face. “Your grandmother means a lot to me…”

“The fact that you took care of her all these years means a lot to me,” He admits, looking slightly guilty. “After I left to go to medical school, I couldn’t come back and check on her as often as I wanted. Then one day she called me, and she told me about this crazy, beautiful girl, who begged her for a job in her run down bakery and… well, I worried for a while, because she did say the girl was crazy, but then she tells me how good this girl is, how kind, and I know I can stop worrying all the time. I know she’s not alone… I might have been jealous, sometimes, I’ll admit, but thank you, Y/N. For everything you’ve done for my halmoni.”

You are at a loss of words. For someone who looks so cold and collected to sound so emotional and true was a shock. 

“I am the one that should be thanking you,” You chuckle incredulously. “You saved my brother’s live.”

“But that’s my job,” He smiles, looking to the floor and then looking back at you. It is almost as if all the air in your lungs disappeared, and you suddenly don’t know how to breath. “Taking care of my grandmother is not your job.”

Before you can say something his phone beeps and he gets up.

“Taehyung is awake,” He smiles and did he always have those moles under his eyebrow? “Let’s go.”

You let him guide you through the halls and you wonder if anyone cares for this doctor that cares for everyone else but him. 

                                                               ————————

“You should go home,” Dr. Im says. It’s been two days since the surgery and you were the only one that hasn’t left the hospital yet. One of the nurses was kind enough to let you shower in their bathroom, but had to admit, just showering wasn’t doing much. You’ve been wearing the same clothes and even your parents went home to sleep, but you refused to leave once they got back to the hospital. 

“I don’t want to leave without him,” You mumble, caressing Taehyung’s hand as he sleeps. “I promised I wouldn’t.”

He nods. “Follow me, then,” And leaves.

You have to jog a bit to catch up to him, but soon enough you are in his office, and from behind his desk, he produces a duffle bag. Grabbing a few things, he gives them to you and tells you to go take a long, relaxing shower. Doing as he says, you take your time, asking a few nurses if it’s okay to take a shower since they are only starting their shifts and won’t need the shower for a while. You’ve become acquainted with a few of them and they all give you the okay. The sweatpants and t-shirt he gave you are obviously too large for you, but you like the way it looks anyways. Smiling at yourself, and at how stupid you must look, you stop by the vending machine to get a snack. You get two energy bars, knowing that Dr. Im will be with Taehyung when you get back. Said and done; Jaebeom is laughing at something that your brother is doing and you wonder if one day you’ll get to call him Jaebeom out loud. 

“Hello there,” You say lightly, blushing a little at the way Jaebeom looks at you in his clothes. “Thank you for the clothes, doctor.”

“No problem, Y/N,” He smiles, and you don’t fail to notice the redness in his cheeks. 

“I got you this,” You say giving him one of the energy bars, and putting the other in his pocket. “You need to eat to take care of other people.”

He laughs and one of his hands fly to push his hair back and grab at the back of his neck, a habit you notice he does whenever he’s embarrassed. “Thank you.”

“Eat it,” You squint at him playfully. “Right now.”

“I have to check on a patient,” He says taking a huge bite, finishing it almost in one go. “I’ll be back to check on you, okay?”

“Alright,” You smile, and you don’t call attention to the fact that he said he’d be checking on you. You like it. “See you later."

You don’t– see him later, that is. You are not sure what happens but Dr. Im doesn’t come around anymore; another day goes by and even Taehyung notices the change, asking for his doctor to the nurses. She all just say he’s busy taking care of other people, but there’s something off about them, too. One of them, Nurse Lee, asks you to follow her to the counter where you can sign the discharge papers so that you can finally take your brother home, and you hear a couple of other doctors talking.

“…yeah, they died,” A shiver runs through your spine with those words and you take a deep breath and focus on reading the papers in your hand. “Jaebeom did his best, but not everyone can be saved.”

“You know how he is though,” The other doctor sighs. “Is he alright?”

“No,” They shake their heads. “Definitely not.”

Signing everything, you tell the nurses you’ll be right back, and you run to the office you’ve gotten to know so well. During your brother’s recovery, Dr. Im has been you friend, you dare to say. You’ve silently eaten with him in his office as he did some work and you read a book; you’ve talked to him about his grandmother; you’ve taken snacks to his office late at night. It was your way to repay him, after everything he’s done for you and your family. You went from thinking he hated you, to understanding how hard his job is on him. And right now, it was exactly one of those moments, in which the harshness of his reality is laid upon him, and you can’t do anything but knock on his door and pray that he’ll open. 

“Yes?” 

His voice sounds harsh and used out. His eyes find yours instantly and they turn back into those scrutinizing eyes you first met.

“Hi,” You say, suddenly uncomfortable. “You didn’t come by yesterday and today and I–“

“I am too busy to attend just to you and your brother,” He snaps. “I have a whole lot of people needing me, too, you know?”

The coldness from his voice reminds you of the first time you met him, when you stood under his scrutinizing gaze. 

“Or do you think I have nothing better to do than to have to waste all of my time–“

“With me?” You interrupt him. “Just so you know, you didn’t have to spend your time with me, but I guess I should thank you, since you did, right?”

“Wha-“

“You don’t have to worry anymore, doctor,” You sneer. “We leave tonight. Here, this is a small thank you gift for wasting time with me.”

You give him the plastic bag with all snacks from the vending machine– literally all of them. It wasn’t much, but it would last him a few shifts, at least. All you wanted was for him to get better too; you weren’t dumb, you could easily see the suffering in his eyes, even at that moment– specially at that moment,– but you couldn’t just let him walk all over you like that. You had to stand your ground, like you did ever since you met him. 

“Whatever happened,” You say through gritted teeth. “It’s not your fault. Nor mine. Remember that.”

You leave him and you go back to Taehyung. 

Fuck Dr. Im, you think, furiously wiping a tear. It seems as if all you do is cry, and you are tired of it. I have Taehyung, alive and well. That should be enough.

                                                               ————————

Your days are back to normal– you wake up, check on Taehyung, and go to work, where you’ll spend hours and hours until you don’t have to spend any more time in there but you do still, baking a fresh batch of a different good every night, before calling the delivery man to take it away. 

Today, you make chocolate scones, using Ms. Im’s recipe just how she taught you years ago.

“Still baking?” She asks. “Is something wrong?”

“Not at all,” You smile, and put a scone in a take away box. “Here, for the trip.”

“Thank you, dear,” She smiles. “These used to be Jaebeom’s favorite.”

You smile and wave her goodbye, promising to close the store and go home soon. You do whatever task you have to keep you busy– cleaning the tables, wiping the floor, washing the dishes, freezing the dough. Anything to keep you from thinking about him. But it’s impossible. You think about him even more now, having a face to the name. Im Jaebeom. Ms. Im still talks about him every day and there’s nothing you can say or do that would justify the reason you want her to stop. 

He saved my brother’s life, and in the process he saved mine, too. He is kind and selfless and honest, but he is also tired and confused and overwhelmed. I want to care for him like he cared for me. Is this love?

No, you couldn’t say that to her. Much less to him.

“Excuse me, are you still open? I heard you guys had chocolate scones and I just had to come get one.” 

You freeze, body already stiff from work now barely being able to move.

“We’re closed,” You mumble, not looking at him. “But I can get you some scones to go.”

“If I take them to go,” He asks and you can see his feet, clad in black sneakers and tapping nervously on the floor. “Will you come with me?”

“Is this a pick up line?” You scoff.

“No, I just want to have these with you,” He chuckles and you can’t help yourself, you look at him, craving to see his eyes disappear when he smiles. “A thank you for all the food you’ve been sending to the hospital every night…”

“I’m glad,” You smile tightly, taking the apron off and hanging it on the wall. You push the cardboard box towards him. “Here you go. Have a goodnight.”

His smile is gone in a second. “Y/N…”

“You were very clear, Jaebeom,” You say sternly. “I’ll call you Jaebeom now, since we’re not in the hospital– you were very clear, Jaebeom. You are wasting your time with me; patients are waiting for you, families, friends. I’m just the girl that works with your grandmother… You have nothing to worry about, I won’t tell her anything, but it’s best if we stop this here.”

“Stop?” He asks, eyes wide. “I don’t think it’s that easy, Y/N. I missed you– did you know that? Of course you didn’t, but I’m here telling you: I missed you, goddammit. I’m a doctor, and I’m always frustrated about something, and stressed, and tired, but for the week you spent there, I felt completely okay, because I knew that in the end of the day, I’d have a constant thing in my life; Taehyung-ie and you, waiting for me with snacks. Asking me about my day. Asking me if I’m okay. People don’t do that, in the hospital– they have their own problems, and every day is a different surprise, but it felt good to have a constant, even for a little while.”

You say nothing, taking your time to process everything he’s saying.

“I’m sorry for being an asshole,” He chuckle. “I had just lost a patient; there were complications with his condition before surgery but we couldn’t wait and I lost him… But you were right, it’s not my fault, and it’s not yours. You shouldn’t have to put up with my anger, but I really, really hope you chose to put up with me despite my anger. I won’t lie, this happens a lot– the angry part. It comes with the job, even though we try our hardest to hide, but I promise to try my best to never let it all out on you ever again… please forgive me.”

You sigh, walking to him. He was wearing casual clothes and he finally looked his age, the gray hoodie and blue jeans bringing out the youth in him.

“You haven’t been eating regularly, have you?” You frown, hands holding his face. Your thumb brushes his cheekbones and his eyes are shining with something unknown to you– want, maybe. “I send you freshly baked goods everyday and you still look like you’ve lost weight…”

“What are you doing to me?” He mumbles, nuzzling his face in your hand and pulling you closer by the waist, resting his forehead on yours. “You’re messing with my head, Y/N…”

“Nah,” You chuckle, kissing his nose. “That’s your job.”

“That is possibly the lamest joke someone ever made about my job,” He laughs, and ah! there it is– cute little slits. The reason you love that so much is that it makes you all warm inside to know you can make him smile so hard that his eyes disappear. “But I love it anyways.”

“Does that mean I can make more of those?” You ask animatedly, pulling away slightly. “Cause I have a bunch of neurosurgery jokes I can ma–“

He shuts you up with a kiss and you instantly know he ate your scones before coming over, tasting the sugar and the chocolate in his mouth. It lasts long, and you prefer it that way– you want to take your timing discovering everything about Jaebeom. From the way his mouth drags over yours, chapped lips kissing you softly, to the way his hands find their way to your hair, your jawline, your waist. He pulls you closer, hugging you to him, and just as he is pressing you against the counter, you feel a vibration coming from his pocket. 

“Please tell me that your phone,” You snort a little, trying to hold your laughter in.

“Hilarious,” He says, rolling his eyes but smiling nonetheless.

“Do you have to go back?”

He nods. “Yeah, one of the patients needs surgery sooner than we thought… I’m sorry.”

“Don’t ever apologize for saving lives,” You frown, pecking his lips. “Text me when you get home?”

“Absolutely,” He kisses you deeply. “I’ll see you soon.”

He sees you sooner than he thought he would. The next day, when he texts you his shift is over in thirty, you go over to the hospital, with croissants and tea. When he sees you waiting by the main entrance, he can’t help but laugh out loud.

“You said that having a constant was nice,” You shrug as he kisses your face allover. “I’ll be your constant from now on.”

“I’d love that,” He says. “Love you.”

“Love you, too,” You smile. “I think.”

“You think?” He shrieks, pulling you to his car by the hand. 

“Yeah… can you take a look inside and find out for me?” You say tapping your head. 

He just looks at you, no emotion.

“If I ever get a song stuck in my mind,” You say, buckling up when Jaebeom starts the car. “Can you get it out for me?”

“Oh my god,” He lets his head fall on the wheel. “Is this what I signed up for?”

“Absolutely,” You giggle, and he turns to look at you. “Regret it yet?”

“No, but I’m sure you’ll get me there by the end of the night.”

“Yah!”

“I told you,” He grabs your hand, laughing. “You mess with my head. Crazy girl… tsk, gonna me crazy too.”

“By the way,” You start. “How will we break it to your grandmother?”

“What do you mean,” Jaebeom laughs. “She knows. She’s known for about seven years, now.”

“What?” You shout, head turning to look at him. “What do you mean?”

“I don’t know about you,” He shrugs. “But she’d talk about you a lot. Good things only– such a pretty girl, so kind, so nice. Ah, Jaebeom-ah, you remind me of Y/N… you two would get along so well. I’m pretty sure I fell in love with you before even knowing you.”

“Oh my god,” You gasp. “Ms. Im is a love genius.”

“I had to take after someone, you know?” Jaebeom brags.

For the rest of the night, you two bicker, laughing and kissing in between, and even though you promised to be his constant, barely did he know he’d be yours. 

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

hello lovelies! I decided that I will now post a new part of the General Hospital series every weekend, so here it is Jaebeom’s story! He is my ult bias and I love him so much so i really hope you all enjoy it ❤️ please leave a comment and share it if you like the story! It really means the world for us writers when we get feedback :P Love you all and thank you for your endless support💕

[patelmansii]

5 Pro Tips for Crafting a Profitable Virtual Tour

The first impression customers get of your company will always be visual. And even though you can help them better understand your brand through brochures and videos, I can guarantee the impact of a superior quality 360° virtual tour is nowhere close to that of ordinary images.

Almost anyone who has ever heard of Virtual Tours knows they’re most popular in the Real Estate Business. People think the concept of virtual property visits and virtual open house tours came into picture just so that real estate agencies can finally make use of their staged photos and 3D renders for their listings in more ways than one.

That’s not unusual. Just unfortunate. Because a virtual tour is way more than just a 360° view of an apartment.

It’s Immersion, Interaction, and Indulgence all in a single experience.

But here’s the thing right. Since its introduction in 1994, Virtual Tours have come a long way.

In today’s age, all businesses - old or new, are using virtual tours to establish their brand.

Here’s the breakdown.

1. Property Developers

Property developers were primarily the first to adopt virtual tours. From architects and  interior designers to real estate brokers, this industry relies on 3D Virtual Tours to attract, market, and sell - Online or Offline. Offering a real-time virtual visit of your properties to clients works wonders, specially in the post covid era, since one does not have to leave their house in order to close deals.

And you can see the results first hand. According to a Profile of Home Staging report by the National Association of Realtors, 77% of real estate agents say staging a virtual tour helps buyers associate a property with their future home.

2. Business Owners

For business owners, virtual tours are a great way to offer real-life training to employees before they start on the field. Whether it’s manufacturing, retail, or other industries, a fully interactive 3D tour is useful for giving the new recruits an immersive insight into the company’s past and present, as well as the workflow especially while working from home.

By digitally simulating the production processes, it’s possible to identify dangerous maneuvers in advance. Automotive giant Ford, for example, has already reduced employees’ injuries by 70 percent thanks to VR.

3. Tourism agencies

For Tourism agencies, it’s pretty straightforward. What better way is there to promote a destination than to take your potential clients to the place virtually?

A 360° virtual tour does just that. It offers a virtual preview of a trip that audiences just can’t ignore. Since it’s the ultimate try before you buy experience for customers, they’re more likely to book a future vacation to a location.

4. Educational Institutes

When it comes to virtual learning, nothing gets more real than Virtual Walkthroughs that bring subjects to life and lets students ‘be there and be them’ in real-time.

Immersive Virtual Tours are a great way to help learn subjects like geography, history, and science.

5. Hotels & Restaurants

Rather than reading advertising descriptions and 2D images, virtual tours offer customers a chance to experience things for themselves before deciding which places they should visit. With an Interactive 360° Walkthrough of a suite, a particular room, or the hotel as a whole, you can increase your online bookings.

Now that you know the possibilities of a virtual tour, the question is - How do you create virtual tours that can deliver a killer impact?

Well, Here’s some pro tips on creating the best 360° Virtual Tour:

1. Use 3D renders & 360° panoramas that put your brand in the best light, literally.

One thing’s obvious - if you want to recreate tours that can eliminate the need to visit your property physically, you would want to use visuals that justify the real-life scenario.

Your renders have to be superior-quality if you want to convert your clients. Here are a few examples of remarkable 3D renders that will inspire you for your next project:

Here the design happens to set a darker tone of lighting for the dining area, so we used reflective surfaces and furniture touches to reflect the light within the room and give an illuminating effect to compliment the design.

Opposite to the first example, this one had a different approach. This render incorporated different textures for various objects that compliment the pastel feels of the design.

You can also use the same render for day and night views or with white and yellow light settings like this.

You should adjust bump, transparency, ambient color, diffuse color, specular color, glossiness, self-illumination, opacity, reflection and more - depending on your design. Since every material requires different adjustment, every imported and adjusted texture contributes to how realistic the rendering can be.

This one uses Corona renderer to provide natural lighting effects to the design.

2. Put your theme in the center.

For a truly customized experience, use your company theme and branding guidelines to craft your virtual tour. You can add logos, brochures, and your brand vision and mission to support your business goals.

3. One size does not fit all.

Make sure you use equirectangular images with dimensions of 4000x8000 or 3000x6000 for creating a smooth experience. Or putting it this way, use images with an aspect ratio of 2:1 (that is, the width must be exactly twice the height).

Another key point is to remember this - make sure your panoramas are less than 25 Mb in size. Larger than that and your virtual tour may take forever to upload.

4. Don’t overdo it.

The devil’s in the details. Editing a virtual tour with a lot of information, gifs, videos, images, etc. can also ruin the experience. So you want to make sure that your 3D tour is informative while also having immersive visuals, high-quality media, captivating descriptions, and even guided navigation elements that can keep your viewers engaged.

5. When adding images or videos, make sure they’re Goldilock Potential.

While embedding images and videos, adjust the depth according to the angle of your renders/panoramas.

This is especially important when you want to experience the tour in VR mode, using a VR headset. Since you’re in a virtual space, real-time, you want to make sure all images and videos are in ‘perspective’.

Do it too much, and important parts of your content will get cropped out. Too little, and your images will look stretched and pixelated. You need to have adjustments with Goldilocks potential, something that’s just right.

And that’s pretty much it. But, before we leave, the biggest pro-tip shall be this - Instead of outsourcing, use a DIY Virtual Tour Software to Create, Edit and Share your virtual tour so you don’t need to be dependent on anyone for customizing and designing it your way.

And just your luck, melzo.com has a free tool to help you do just that! kalaa.melzo.com lets you create a fully interactive 360° virtual tour in minutes, use it for free to create your own virtual tour on the go. You can also use udyog.melzo.com to visualize and collaborate on 3D models of your designs to embed it in your virtual tours.

Also check out noor.melzo.com for Jewellery Manufacturers, Wholesalers, retailers to create and offer AR Try-ons and udyog.melzo.com for 3D Model Collaboration in AR, VR and Hologram and finally mela.melzo.com for hosting all kinds of Virtual/Online events.

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This blog was originally published on melzo.com

[toorunawaybouquet]

PEACE ON EARTH THROUGH LOVE Turning the World Right-Side In By Tod Howard Hawks PREAMBLE:  All we have is our little planet, Earth. For the vast majority of my life, I have thought, “What would it be like to have Peace on Earth?” But for only two, maybe three, weeks every year, usually around Christmas, I would see the phrase “Peace on Earth," usually on Christmas cards. But after Christmas, I would not hear or see that sanguine notion for 11 more months. The longer I lived, the more this  annual ritual bothered me. At Andover, I had studied European history. At Columbia, I had majored in American history. Over time, I increasingly came to the realization that in both prep school and college, I had essentially been studying about wars on top of wars and their aftermaths:  millions and millions and millions of human beings being killed. Then, when I got curious, I used my computer to find out that, according to many scholars, only a little over 200, out of roughly 3,400 years of recorded history, were deemed “peaceful.” Humanity, I concluded, had a horrible track record when it came to effectuating “Peace on Earth.” And during my lifetime things have not gotten any better.   SPIRITUAL ECOLOGY:  There is one land, one sky, one sea, one people. The boundaries that divide us are not on maps, but in our minds and hearts. John Donne was prescient. Earth is as impoverished as its poorest Citizen, as healthy as her sickest, as educated as her most ignorant. If we pollute the upper waters of the Mississippi, then ineluctably we shall pollute the Indian Ocean. If we continue to pollute our air, the current 7,500,000,000 Citizens on Earth will die. All species will be accorded the same concern and care as Citizens. The imminent threats of nuclear holocaust and catastrophic climate change we need urgently to prevent. This is the truth of Spiritual Ecology.   CAMPAIGN FOR EARTH:  If we can wage war, why should we not wage peace? Nations are anachronistic;  therefore, there will be none. There will only be Earth and Citizens of Earth. Each Citizen will devote a sizable number of years of her/his life to the betterment of humankind and Earth. All military weapons--from handguns to hydrogen bombs--will be destroyed, and any future weapons will be prohibited. All jails and prisons will be closed, replaced by Love Centers (see below). Automation and other technological advances will enhance the opportunity for all Citizens exponentially to realize their potential, personally and spiritually. There will be no money. All precious resources and assets of Earth will be distributed equally among all Citizens. The only things Citizens will own are the right to be treated well and the responsibility to treat Earth and all its Citizens well. All Citizens will be free to travel anywhere, at any time, on Earth. All Citizens will be free to choose their own personal and professional goals, but will do no harm to Earth or other Citizens. All Citizens will be afforded the same resources to live a full, safe, and satisfying life, including the best education, health care, housing, food, and other necessities throughout Earth. LOVE:  The only way to change anything for the good, for good, is through love. Love is what every living creation on Earth needs. Love Centers are for those Citizens who were not loved enough, or at all, especially at their earliest of ages. Concomitantly, they act out their pain hurtfully, sometimes lethally, often against other Citizens. Citizens who are emotionally ill will be separated from those who are not. Jails and prisons only abet this deleterious situation. Some Citizens in pain may need to be constrained in Love Centers humanely while they recover, through being loved, so they do not hurt themselves or others. In some extreme cases, Citizens may be in so much pain that they remain violent for a long time.  Thus, they may need to be constrained for the rest of their lives, but always loved, never punished. In time, Citizens, when loved enough, will only have love to give, and the need for Love Centers will commensurately decline. EARTH:  In 1948, Eleanor Roosevelt chaired the commission that wrote the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. UDHR, with some updates and revisions, will serve as the moral and legal guidepost for Earth. GENERAL ASSEMBLY:  To honor and remember the former nations on Earth, one member will be elected by Citizens from each of these former nations to serve a one five-year term as a member of the General Assembly. In succeeding elections, Citizens currently residing at that time in areas that were formerly nations, will again, in perpetuity, vote for one Citizen also residing in that area, for a one five-year term as a member of the General Assembly.   FIRST VOTE:  The first vote of all Citizens will be to establish CAMPAIGN FOR EARTH. Majority rules. All Citizens will have access to  Internet voting, as well as access to cell phones and other types of computers. Citizens will have her/his own secured ID codes. Citizens will have to be 18 or older to vote. Citizens will be encouraged to bring before the General Assembly all ideas and recommendations, as well as any concerns or complaints, which will be considered and responded to promptly. Citizens’ ideas and recommendations will be formed into proposals drafted by members of the General Assembly. Citizens will vote on these proposals of each month during the days of the following month. Citizens of Earth will be Earth’s government. Members of the General Assembly will be facilitators who will work with millions of volunteers. There will be no president of Earth. ALLCOTT MOVEMENT:  If the multinational corporations that now rule Earth do not abide by the outcome of a majority vote in favor of CAMPAIGN FOR EARTH, Citizens of Earth will instigate the Allcott Movement, a one-at-a-time mancott, womancott, girlcott, boycott--hence, Allcott--against each multinational corporation unwilling to relinquish control of its global business and give it, and all its assets, to Citizens of Earth. Citizens will continue the Allcott Movement until all multinational corporations have done the same. All personal and smaller-business wealth will be converted into resources to be distributed equally to all Citizens. All proceeds in excess of what’s needed reasonably by each Citizen will be saved for future generations. No violence of any kind will occur during the transfer of these resources. Citizens will take these steps because they are the moral, the right, steps to take to save all living creations on Earth, and Earth itself. CELEBRATE AND SHARE: If you were to take a photograph of humanity and gaze at it, you would see a beautiful mosaic of mankind of different, beautiful colors. If you could step into the photograph, you would hear a melody of languages and dialects. You could have a worldwide picnic with all your sisters and brothers and experience different customs and taste different, delicious foods. And in moments of silence, all of you could pray in your different religions, separate but together at the same time. You would also share the same human laughter and joys and feel the same sorrows and cry the same tears, all in Peace on Earth eternal. All of you would come to delight in these differences, not dread them. You would look forward to celebrating and sharing with your family, not killing them. The spiritual whole would be larger than the sum of its sacred parts. A QUANTUM LEAP:  The world, over millennia, keeps evolving. Over 3,400 years of recorded history, powers, nations keep shifting, sometimes seismically. Now is the time for not only the grandest seismic shift ever, but also the one that will save Earth and all living creations upon it. It is time for Earth to become Earth--not a scattering of over 200 nations with artificial borders. Technology, with its innumerable advances, has made us into a world when all can become one. We are free to be our real selves, to spend our variegated lives not aggrandizing, but sharing and giving. Rather than dreading our superficial differences--our different skin colors, our different cultures, our different religions, our different languages--we can explore and enjoy them. Let us finally be what we truly have been forever, one big, worldwide family of humanity. No more wars, no more weapons, no more killing. No more hunger, no more homelessness, no more hopelessness. No more ignorance, no more illnesses, no more social classes. This is the quantum leap of which I speak. PEACE ON EARTH:  Wealth is not worth. The mansuetude of loving, and being loved, are. When love is your currency, all else is counterfeit. Citizens will be able to go about creating their own happiness that is built on love-based personal relationships and professional activities. No longer will human beings be able to profit from another’s pain. With love at the center of being and living, there will be no more wars, no more dictators, no more corruption. Finally, there will only be Peace on Earth forever. Copyright 2021 Tod Howard Hawks A graduate of Phillips Andover Academy and Columbia College, Columbia University, Tod Howard Hawks has been a poet and a human-rights advocate his entire adult life. todh21376@gmail.com (Please share this commentary with others and email me if you wish to join all the other Citizens of Earth around the world in helping to save Earth through LOVE.)