#September 17th for those curious

[bisexual-horror-fan]

Have officially finished planning my birthday meal and what kind of cake I am gonna have, so here is your reminder my birthday, (you know a national horror fandom holiday jk jk jk-) is creeping up!

[cheritzteam]

[MM] You Who Make Me Dream of a Shared Future💙 Announcement for V’s Birthday and Chuseok Commemorative Event in September 2024

Hello, it’s Cheritz​.

Everyone seems to be struggling to return to daily life after a cool and enjoyable summer vacation 😅

This year's summer felt particularly tough, perhaps due to the prolonged humid weather. I'm sure we’re not the only ones who, despite the difficulties of the summer heat, look back on it fondly as time passes 🤭

Around this time, we start to feel the cool breezes in the morning and evening, realizing that summer is ending and fall is approaching.

As always, heralding the start of autumn with the cooler winds, September's protagonist returns 

It’s time for V’s birthday! 

If you're curious about what events are prepared for V's birthday, Please check the details in the announcement below ~ 😉

< ① V’s Birthday Event >

V says his feelings about birthdays are a bit different now compared to when he was younger. He feels like he's really becoming an adult, spending more time thinking about his future. He mostly thinks about the family he dreams of or his ideal life.

No matter what future V imagines, you know that when V dreams of his future , he's always together with you, Coordinator, right? 😆

There’s a repost event on X for  V’s birthday.

Among those who repost through a raffle we will be giving out 50 hourglasses​⌛♥ (15 people)

Also, there's a bonus event to celebrate V's birthday!

Use the hashtag #Happy_Bday_V to congratulate him, and don't miss the chance to win 50 hourglasses⌛♥ through a drawing.

Lastly, there will be a discount event on some V-related goods to celebrate his birthday.

For those who have been hesitating to buy, make sure to grab★ this opportunity!

Cheritz Market Discount Period : September 5th(Thurs) 2pm ~ September 12th(Thurs) 2pm 

< ② In-Game Login Event >

During the event period below, you can check out V’s Birthday Commemorative Title Image by logging into the game! Enjoy the game with the title image and celebrate his birthday. 🥳

(The full version of this illustration and bonus image will be available on the fourth Thursday of this month!)

Also, don't miss out on the Chuseok login rewards! 

Title Image Period : September 4th(Wed) ~ September 17th(Tues)

Chuseok Login Reward : September 15th(Sun) ~ September 18th(Wed)

Did you receive our September event news well?

We'd like to express our gratitude in advance to all managers who will participate in V’s Birthday Event and Chuseok Commemorative Event. 

We hope your upcoming September will be filled with joyful and happy moments, dear Coordinator!

Thank you!

Sincerely, Cheritz

[finnlongman]

Guess what! It's The Butterfly Assassin season!

Book 1 takes place in the autumn, starting on 17th September (yesterday! Or in 5 years' time, technically, within the timeline of the book), and runs through to December. It contains lots of relatable Back To School experiences, like trying to hide the fact that you were raised to be an assassin and also, whoops, might've killed someone last night...

This makes it a very seasonally appropriate time to read, reread, review, and/or otherwise post about the book. And last year, I did an epic series of readalong posts on my main blog, with loads of behind-the-scenes info, extra worldbuilding detail, deleted scenes, etc, each one matched up to the date events in the book took place. Those posts are all still up, so you can do the readalong this year, if you missed it last year. You're also welcome to binge-read the whole lot, or dip in and out if there are particular chapters you're curious about.

You can find all the posts in the category "TBA Readalong" on my blog, or go straight to the first post (17/09, 'Eraro').

[asaka-lucy-dr-rc]

Thoughts, as to the reputed DR-Tokyo Tower collaboration?

Thank you for asking, this is actually what I wanted to talk about.

For those who don’t know the collaboration, you can find the details here:

—-

Okay, so first of all, I think the chibi illustrations for this collaboration are super cute! 😊 It's really fun to see how different each one is and what they do.

But...

Isn't their announcement too late? 😭😭😭

Announcing the event on the 17th of September and starting on the 24th? That's way too fast! And it ends on the 14th of October? That's too short! Why couldn't they announce it earlier? 😭😭😭

I actually have a trip planned from the 12th to the 14th of October (since it's a long weekend in Japan), and unfortunately I am busy with a lot of things for a while, so even though I really want to go to this event, it looks like my schedule won't work out... I'm so sad. 😞

Anyway, perhaps this is not what you wanted to ask, so here are some thoughts on the chibi illustrations:

I'm curious about the similarity between the book (perhaps a magazine?)Makoto dropped and the one Maki is reading. What kind of book is it? 🤔

And the magazine Hajime reading looks like a magazine for women to me… (The covers look like women's fashion magazines.) I wonder what articles he is reading.

I have a slight feeling that Nagito reading would have been better than Hajime reading in the first place. It's cute to see him fishing, though. (Maybe they wanted it to have something to do with his luck?)(I know there are conversations about fishing in Island mode, but I don't really think he actively fishes... lol)

It is a bit funny that Mahiru is trying so hard to photograph food. I don't think she would never photograph food, but I'm a bit worried that the artist who drew this might not have known that she was basically taking pictures of people smiling… Leon's happy face and playing baseball also make me wonder if the artist dared to draw him that way. (His happy face is adorable, though.)

Speaking of which, Ryoma also seems to be playing tennis normally, so maybe that's OK?

I love this picture where Peko is just swinging her shinai (bamboo katana) but the bamboo is cut. If I was asked which of characters I want the most, I would want this one, Hiyoko or Gundham the most.

It is always fun to see new merchandise announcements! 💖

Again, thank you for asking! 🫶🏻🥰

[realmackross]

PARTIES: @realmackross TIME: Evening, September 17th SUMMARY: Mackenzie gives Taylor a little phone call over some social media issues. WARNINGS: None! PREVIOUS THREADS:1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10 - Current.

“Social media is not a media. The key is to listen, engage, and build relationships.” - David Alston

Taylor. Mackenzie was going to murder her. Not literally, but still. The warning Winter had given Mackenzie right before she left had sat stewing in her brain for a day or so, before she had finally decided to look into things. And low-and-behold, what did she find? Someone had indeed been posting for her. Just another headache to worry about with the slew of other things she had been dealing with.

The phone rang and it rang again, until, "Hey Mack. What's going on? Everything still okay?"

Mackenzie was fuming. But yet, she had still understood why her assistant had done it. Mack had a persona to keep up to the world and not just to Wicked's Rest, which she had sometimes forgotten, especially when things had seemed like they were finally going right for a brief minute or so. But there were delicate things happening with people like Cass, who now thought that Mackenzie didn't want to be her friend. Of course, Taylor didn't know that Mackenzie had fallen over a balcony and went splat in front of a room full of people. But Mack had figured she was doing the already overly stressed woman a favor.

"Hey, so, just curious...Have you been posting stuff on my social media accounts?" Her jaw was clenched as she held back the urge to yell. Mackenzie didn't yell at Taylor. She never really had, except for the night they were cleaning up the Brody incident. But that was out of fear, stress, and so much more.

"What?" Taylor paused knowing that Mackenzie wasn't happy. She had been her assistant for nearly a decade now. A friendship and partnership longer then Mack had known Winter.

"Taylor, don't act dumb. I know you have. Winter told me." Mackenzie knew how much the pair didn't get along, so double checking first had been as much of a service to her assistant as it had been anything else. "Look, I'm not...okay, I'm mad. Those are my private accounts. You have control over the public ones. And I'm fine with that, but I have friends on there who now think I don't like them, and you know how hard it is for me to find genuine friendships with my status." Mackenzie took in a deep breath holding for nearly a minute, before letting it out very slowly, "I know you're just trying to do damage control, and I appreciate that. I do. But those people I can handle, okay? So just, stop. I'll be home in a few days. I'm feeling much better. The public socials look great. And I'm so sorry you've had to get wrapped up in all of this with me again. I'm honestly surprised you've still stuck with me through all of this, and I don't know how I can ever repay you for that. But I'm okay. Alright. Just don't worry about the follow-up to any conversations. I'll handle it when I get home."

Taylor had stayed quiet. She had felt bad, but had also felt somewhat frustrated. All she had done, ever since the zombie fiasco had started, was take care of Mackenzie. Make sure her secret had been kept safe, and that's all she had been trying to do this past week, considering her boss and so-called friend had kept her in the dark more and more since coming to Wicked's Rest. There had almost been a part of her that wanted to say 'fuck it'. Out Mackenzie for what she was and what she had done, but she couldn't. Partly because she would probably go down with the zombie, but also, because they had just been through so much together and Mackenzie had still meant something to her. Whether or not that held true on the other side of the friendship, she wasn't sure anymore. But Taylor reluctantly replied back, "Yeah, got it Boss. Glad to know you're doing okay. Just let me know when you're back, and I'll catch a flight out to see you."

Hearing the click, Mackenzie's eyes dropped. She could tell that Taylor was upset. The defeat in her voice had made the zombie feel even worse than she already was, and she would now be adding Taylor to Apology Tour 2023.

Laying the phone down on the nightstand, she slid down in the bed and pulled one of the pillows over her face. Letting out a loud scream as hard as she could into the fabric pressed tightly to her face, Mackenzie had wanted to disappear. The talk with Alex from the day before going out the window and into the abyss, at least until Mackenzie could find the courage to go back home to Harborside and face the absolute nightmare her life continued to become.

[esotericfaery]

Pluto back in Capricorn - Sept. 1st to Nov. 19th, 2024

While Pluto in Capricorn brings in massive changes regarding ambition in government & other institutions, Pluto in Aquarius is more focused on long-lasting, if eccentric-seeming social change.

Capricorn is grounded and can be more pragmatic within established mainstream narratives. Aquarius brings innovation into large-scale social occurrences, and will for about the next twenty years as Pluto transits there.

First, Pluto goes back into Capricorn from September 1st to November 19th.

(It’s interesting to note that in Draconic Astrology, Pluto has been in Capricorn since August 4th, 2023 and remains there until moving into Aquarius on January 7th, 2025. Draconic is an esoteric form of Astrology which has more focus on karma and other lifetimes. If doing ancestor work or other work with guides, this can be a good time to be focused on proper grounding within your transformative experiences, as Pluto rules transmutation.)

Let’s take a look at the aspects Pluto is forming with other planets during this time period (in Tropical Astrology).

This is an opportunity to transmute long held and stagnant beliefs into real potential. This process is less difficult at this time, as it would be without this transit. Truth vs. Illusion can be integrated in practical, grounded ways. [Sept. 3rd - sextile with Neptune in Pisces]

This constant yet subtle pressure causes longing for passionate desires to be achieved. Be careful to not become too competitive through rushing ahead in too many directions, as this reduces your chance of success. Avoid manipulation & rash actions. Become well informed by focusing on a single goal, to build willpower [Sept. 4th - inconjunct with Mars in Gemini]

Watch out for impulsive thoughts and coercive behaviours. Turn this energy inward for psychological forces which help you gain greater awareness and harmonic control. This is a good transit for occult studies. [Oct. 13th - square with Mercury in Libra]

This is a good time to come to an understanding about how your emotions effect your relationships. Friendships and other loving relationships intensify. Impulses towards confrontation can dig deep so that truth is uncovered. This can involve a powerful “fated” type of feeling in a relationship, which is sometimes an illusion. [Oct. 17th - sextile with Venus in Scorpio]

Powerful pressure surfaces so that old patterns of behaviour are exposed, ready to be let go of. Careful of confrontation with those in authority. [Oct. 22nd - square with the Sun in Libra]

This is a good time for study of deeper knowledge into something, as you feel deeply curious, and ask a lot of questions. If you can avoid becoming stubborn and overly concerned with being correct, you can learn something deep and valuable, and teach others valuable truths. [Nov. 2nd - sextile with Mercury in Scorpio]

Those sensitive to this transit experience ruthless power struggles, or at least someone who wants to engage in such. Secure your position by finding the aid of as many people as possible. Being alone can bring out major difficulties with this transit. Avoid any urges to try and control others or to suppress this energy, lest you find yourself alone. These high energies allow you to make conscious creative positive changes. [Nov. 3rd - opposition with Mars in Cancer]

[itsreaditandwow2]

My Thoughts On... #42 - Curious George 🐵

A whole lot of you are familiar with Curious George, who is an inquisitive and mischievous young ape who started out from a children's book series written by H.A. Rey, then had a stop-motion series in the '80s, then had a feature film in 2006, as well as a TV series on PBS Kids. Well, I'd like to share my thoughts on the TV series. Now, Curious George premiered on PBS Kids on September 4th, 2006, and originally ended its run on April 1st, 2015 until it was renewed for a 10th season which premiered on the streaming site Peacock on September 8th, 2018 and then last premiered its 15th season on March 17th, 2022. Here lies the issue. It's been said on multiple websites that Curious George would return for a 16th season and it would premiere in August of 2023. However, by that time, there was no sign of a 16th season. And the confusing part is, while some websites state that the series is still ongoing, other sites, including iMDb and Wikipedia, state that the series has in fact ended. Plus there haven't been any recent updates regarding the supposed 16th season of Curious George. It's like they want to act as if a 16th season was never going to happen in the first place. If that's truly the case, then why would they say on several websites that Curious George would return for a 16th season, as well as say they'd premiere it in August of the previous year if it wasn't true? I would assume that there were some kids who are fans of Curious George possibly excited to see a new season of the show only to find out that they've been scammed by heartless sickos on the Internet. Doesn't that make your blood boil big time? Who would've thought that when A-holes lie online, they effing lie online? Well, those are my thoughts on Curious George and how we were supposed to get a season 16, but got screwed over instead. I hope you enjoy this post, and be sure to favorite, re-blog, and/or reply. Only if you're interested, that is.

[rocketship-on-my-way-to-mars]

Hello tumblr. I think I'll start using this as a place to collect my disparate and oft-depressing thoughts. For any future anthropologist who comes across this blog, I am deeply sorry for the inane rambling that shall ensue.

With the preface complete, I shall begin to detail the manifold odds and ends that call my head home. I've been seeing this young woman for a couple weeks now. Since September of 2023 to be precise. Writing now, in November of 2023, I wish to construct a brief timeline of our courtship. We started talking in early September, having met through an application designed to connect people. In mid-September(the 17th), she expressed to me that she was, in fact, going through it and was unable to dedicate time and energy to a connection. I, in the throes of such a malaise at the time of writing, deeply understand the necessity of one to focus on oneself first before trying to build new connections.

A bridge cannot be built with just one bank.

Respecting her wishes, I endeavored to convey that sympathy as much as I could, and thus ended our until-then lively conversations. In the period during which we had suspended our interlocution, I found myself longing for her ear, though I then could not say whether it was rooted in a desire for any companionship or it was from a specific connection with her. Approximately a week-and-a-half thence, I messaged her again, making a lighthearted reference to something that had happened to her whilst we were speaking initially. I must now admit my shame in this respect. For my heart longed so badly for companionship at that time, I resorted to fabricating the reference that became my ostensible reason for speaking to her anon.

Upon the grounds of this falsification, we started talking regularly again, and I recognize that I found myself falling for my interlocutor. An important context for this particular fact is that I, in past, have fallen most gracelessly for persons who show even the slightest morsel of affection, and it seemed likely that precisely such a lapsus was destined to repeat.

Despite the shaky reason to speak again, she expressed that she was in a much better place and was glad that I had reached out, as she thought she could dedicate again her bandwidth to the pursuit of what may be. With our conversations rejuvenated, we carried through the "talking stage" quickly, beginning to see each other in person on October 2nd, whenst we met first at a nearby café so we could speak over coffee. I had a caffé mocha and she had a seasonal lavender latte. I recall distinctly she wore a long skirt, a denim jacket, and a cute brown top. We hit it off, and stayed there for hours before I had to recuse myself and go thence to work.

I shan't now go into excessive detail regarding what has transpired between then and now, for I think this chapter has reached a fine stopping point. The lengthy context which has predecessed this present stave gives little useful information apropos the gripes which this entire bloody soliloquy was for.

What ultimately I wish to express is a frustration with the fairer's communication. I, a creature of deep emotional necessity - which I have expressed in past, am oft left hours without reply, from the middle of what had until then been a rapid back-and-forth. For some curious reason though, these lapses occur most frequently immediately following my making of such bold statements as expressing longing and such. The frequency of such lapses immediately following those statements which expose myself most emotionally has wrought a bottomless hole in my heart which I find most distracting. There is aplenty more which I could, and will say on the topic, but I have exhausted my inkwell for this session.

The final section I wish to make today is a preemption of those arguments which I anticipate - namely a charge that I have no reason to have such deep emotional attachment to the other person given the time spent together. Yes, I recognize that the depth of my feeling and investment is disproportionate to the duration of our relationship, but as I attempted to express earlier, I am prone to falling quite quickly for a person at even the slimmest kindness shown. I am one who desires greatly emotional intimacy, and I throw myself whole-heartedly into opportunities for such, often with reckless abandon. The need I feel for such a connection is impossible to sum, but it is weighed against my heart every day. I know it is unwise and premature to place such great value on what may be as opposed to what is or what has been, but unfortunately I am simply predisposed to this most pitiful and wretched state of longing and necessity.

[funtimespringscare101]

EX1LE.CHR Part 3

Date: September 17th 2010

WHAT’S UP MY DUDES? Your girl Maya here with an update on this Sonic ROM Hack my buddy Keith has been talking about the last couple days.

Ok, at first, I was curious to find out more about this “entity” that Sega definitely was trying to find, I went to Keith’s after a phone call from him and he explained how there was a weird character in the game that appeared, named Xenatia and how she was able to know he was there, talking to him. I was… skeptical at first, I said “Dude, you look like you haven’t slept in a while, maybe you are hallucinating” or something like that. To prove it to me, he fired up the ROM Hack and to be honest, even I felt a little uneasy, the title screen had changed, Sonic wasn’t the only one in the ring anymore… Tails was there too, along with a shadow with purple outlines lurking in the back. it looked like Sonic.

Keith was like “See?” and I started to believe him, we pressed the key to start and we get a cutscene with Sonic and Tails in his workshop. “So she just appeared in the middle of a dead body pile, not knowing where she was?” “Yeah, Sonic. It was really bizarre, and the fact I mentioned that she looks a lot like you is just making me nervous.” “Let me meet the little stinker then, you said she was a fan, right, well, She can meet everyone’s favorite hero!” Sonic struck a pose, I chuckled.

They went to a room upstairs and there she was. Xenatia. Keith was right. She was very excited to meet Sonic. “Oh my god, Sonic! I’m such a big fan!” “So I heard from Tails. He told what happened, and I’m here to find out how you ended up in those Flaming Hills.” “Oh… I don’t really know, I was… doing nothing really important, then I ended up there, and I don’t know what to do.” Weird, “Nothing Important”? That’s a bit…suspicious. For me and Keith, anyway. “Don’t Worry,” Sonic replied, “Tails and me will absolutely help you get home!” Xena seemed happy and smiles.

As Sonic left the bedroom, Xena suddenly looks towards…the screen? Text appeared on screen, “Oh. Looks like you got help after all, Keith…” I literally gasped you guys! The text continued,“Hello There. What’s your name, Stranger?” With this, a text box appeared where Keith typed in MAYA. Xena seemed to turn towards us and smile, greeting me. This is…This is… amazing, whatever Xena is, this entity she supposed to be, changes everything about this ROM Hack. “I can’t wait to get to know you better, Maya,” the text continued, “but for now, lets just get back to this world. Shall we?” Xena turned back to the normal sprite angle and Keith controlled her and lead her to the stairs where we could see Tails and Sonic chatting.

“I don’t know what to do here, Sonic. What if she’s actually a threat? I could make a counter weapon or something-”

“Tails! Chill! She looks harmless! Come on, how dangerous can a mobian like her be?”

Tails looked at Sonic for a moment before sighing, “You’re probably right… But I’m still on edge about her. I don’t know why…”

Xena looked at us, “I think we’re going to get a little bit of trouble here, guys. And I don't even know how I ended up here... Look, I need your help. I promise I will explain everything in due time, but right now, we need to find a way to show them i'm not a threat."

Keith and I glanced at each other, this is going to be a very interesting experience...

Signed

Maya Robinson

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

In the void between dimensions, sat a small civilization of Void born beings born from anti matter. They all take their form or vessel inspired by the Sonic the Hedgehog video game franchise made by human mortals in countless dimensions and universes. In the centre of this town sat the Castle of King Xillian and Queen Zeplis, where the king was sitting in the throne room in a particularly bad mood, then one of the counsellors came in, "Your Majesty, I have come with news."

"Well then. What is it?" Xillian asked in a mighty tone.

"Word is that the Princess has been sighted entering a portal to the Earth Dimension, She might not be gone like we thought, sir."

"Very Well... I will look into it, thank you," Xillian thanked the counsellor and called his son, Zelydious, into the room. "It seems that that brat survived our little sabotage of her experiment. Find her. and be sure to finish the job. It's almost time for our war against all EXEs"

[words-after-midnight]

For STS: do you know your OCs' astrological signs? If so, how well do they fit the characters' personalities?

Thanks anon and sorry for the delay!! I'll do the main gang from Life in Black and White because they're mostly the ones I know full birthdays for.

ETA: putting this under a cut bc it got long as hell, lol.

Gabriel (protagonist) - DOB: August 4th, 1983 - Leo

Some key traits, according to the Internet: Confident, comfortable being the center of attention, drama-adoring, ambitious, loyal, fiercely protective, generous, luxury-loving, sunny, big-hearted, can be self-centered.

Verdict: Not a very good fit. 🤣 He can be ambitious, but has very fluctuating - and often fleeting - motivation for most things. He's very loyal and protective if he's attached to you (those folks are a special few, and I'd say "fiercely protective" has only ever applied to him wrt one person). Can be generous, can be self-centered. I'd say the other traits don't apply AT ALL.

Jeff (antagonist) - DOB: February 19th, 1983 - Pisces

Some key traits, according to the Internet: Compassionate, creative/artistic, deeply emotional, especially empathic, perceptive, and often inclined to throw themselves into caring for others at all costs.

Verdict: LMFAO NO. This could literally not be further from his personality. He's actually the polar opposite of some of these. "Especially empathetic?" "Deeply emotional?" The... this man has never met empathy (saying that neutrally, not in a derogatory or negative way) and has the emotional capacity of a fucking toothpick. It's actually a whole thing. It gets him into a lot of trouble. Frequently. I'll definitely give him "creative," but more in an imaginative/thinking outside the box way than an artistic way. Caring? No. He's often inconsiderate of others - not always purposefully, and he can be pretty good at making you think he's being considerate, but 100% if he's doing that it's a performance and there's an agenda. I'd say he's perceptive for sure. He can pick up on emotional cues from other people pretty easily.

Jenna (confidant) - DOB: May 30th, 1981 - Gemini

Some key traits, according to the Internet: Flexible, extroverted, playful, intellectual, curious, fun to be around, clever, can be impulsive and nosy.

Verdict: Overall solid fit! These mostly fit with her personality. She's a very social person, a good conversationalist, and is typically well-liked in her circles. The only one I'd say doesn't fit her so much is "intellectual" - not because she isn't smart, she's very clever and picks up on things quickly. She's just more of a hands-on learner than "book smart," per se, and prefers work and hobbies that involve more direct engagement. She can definitely be nosy, and impulsivity is a big issue for her.

Daphne (major supporting character) - DOB: September 17th, 1980 - Virgo

Some key traits, according to the Internet: Perfectionist, logical/pragmatic, practical, loyal, good friend and partner, can have a one-track mind.

Verdict: Actually a pretty good fit. She has a temper and can react emotionally depending on the situation, but as far as her general approach to life, she's definitely more on the pragmatic/practical side. She has by far the best head on her shoulders and the best problem-solving skills in this group. She's a good person to have on your side in a crisis. Really devoted friend and kind person, but not someone who will bullshit you or tell you what you want to hear. Perfectionist is also accurate - as a child, she was a top student, and she was in competitive dance for many years. As a young adult, self-improvement and actualization are important to her.

Thanks again for the ask, this was fun! Also, if any of my followers/anyone who sees this want(s) to reblog this and share how Zodiac signs relate to their OCs' personalities, I'm super curious. 👀

[blueskyscribe]

I'm sooo excited to finally be watching Earthspark! Rando observations ahead and SPOILERS for Episode 1 and Episode 2!

(Also, please don't give me spoilers for future episodes! Thank you! <3 )

My rando thoughts / observations:

It's funny how Dot is like "Nah Optimus, I'm not interested in G.H.O.S.T." and then when Megatron brings it up five seconds later she's like "Oh, YOU'RE in G.H.O.S.T., bestie? Let's goooo! :)"

Also funny how Megatron was like "Dot please don't be mean to Optimus, I love him now."

ALSO extremely funny how Megatron framed it as "Sure, Optimus and I have had our disagreements--". YOU FOUGHT A WAR. ON OPPOSITE SIDES. omg no wonder Soundwave is pissed, I can't wait for him to show up, I can't waaaaait--

Speaking of the war, I'm so curious about what caused it. Was it based in social inequity, like IDW? Did the Decepticons predate Megatron (which was the case in G1 when he was just the latest in a long line of 'Con leaders)? Maybe it will go back to the "some bots built for war, some built for the service industry" thing from G1? Megatron doesn't seem megalomaniacal, I have to believe that he had some idealistic motivation, not just "I wanna rule the universe."

I'm so happy Hardtop didn't die, I really expected him to be killed immediately (since I knew from the trailer that Mandroid harvests his arm. I hope Swindle rescues his bro.

Speaking of which, it looked like Hardtop pushed Swindle out of the way when the thing(?) was falling, thus saving him from being captured. Awww!

Initially I thought that Mandroid had turned the brainwashed Decepticons into those little arachnomechs, but on watching again I realized I was just confused by the Insecticons also having bug modes.

The license plate on the mini-van is BB5STING. Speaking of Bumblebee, it was cute how the dad started hyping up Bee in his description of the war, due to Bumblebee being his favorite.

^ This is fucking hilarious

He's just a little meow meow, he's just a little guy

Speaking of actual little guys, Twitch and Thrash are essentially mini-bots, they're so cute

Okay, this is actually Mandroid disguising himself as a G.H.O.S.T. driver but holy shit what an evil-looking uniform.

Above, a 2D animated segment from when Alex Malto tells his kids about the Transformers War. Below, a screencap from the 1984 opening theme song of G1 Transformers. This makes my collector brain go hee hee hee!

Even though the style is similar to G1, it's not the exact same continuity--as Elita One arrives on Earth, Grimlock is implied not to be 'born' on Earth, and of course the thing with Optimus destroying the space bridge, stranding a bunch of 'Bots and 'Cons on Earth permanently.

Love this in-universe comic with Soundwave and Ravage . . . and in big letters "BOOMBOX?"

Alex Malto says the Transformers arrived on Earth on September 17th, 1984 . . . which is the date the G1 Transformers cartoon first aired! :)

Twitch and Thrash are adorable, I especially liked Twitch "naming" birds.

The scientific name for regular Cybertronians is Cybertronian cybertroni, but Twitch and Thrash are "organic-energonic" beings and Mandroid dubs them Cybertronian terran.

[talkingharrystyles]

Just a few examples of the times he was papped around his neighborhood or literally right on his front doorstep!! If he had a restraining order against paps that would not have happened!! He clearly called them on most, of not all those instances! If he didn’t wanted them out there they would not have been published! I have been many times around London and Hampstead and paps don’t just hang around to take pics of celebs! Especially not to take pics of them doing mundane things!

London 2019

March 14th (Hampstead)

https://images.app.goo.gl/JfHZXxMEabWDbpcr5

April 5th

https://images.app.goo.gl/bQLsusCQFkrdE3kx6

June 5th

https://images.app.goo.gl/XYhsnSksXinHS2Qs8 (again, literally only metres away from his house!)

July 4th

https://images.app.goo.gl/yXxMnkWAhcfCyXcKA (The most obvious one as you can clearly even see his house /front gate in them in the back!!! Like, papped right at his front gate!! This was in July 2019 and yet he’s been papped many times afterwards right by his house!!)

July 28th (Hampstead)

https://images.app.goo.gl/sRGZWyixeQarnXzc7

August 23th

https://images.app.goo.gl/fLRmX4fveSS8y2mm9

https://images.app.goo.gl/6mzoaa7B2ZtHsNtr9

(AGAIN, only metres away from his front door! You can see the bus stop in the back that is literally right in front of his door!)

September 12th

https://images.app.goo.gl/mLifYLs7oPf4uWqZA (this one was literally like 20 metres max next to his house!)

September 28th

https://images.app.goo.gl/KDyHkWuCg7T1xeiMA

November 4th

https://images.app.goo.gl/Tm4YmPtVJ9XdeeEX7

2020 (Close to his house)

February 17th

https://images.app.goo.gl/NnTKeBk3Mw6YkGEF9

June 13th

https://images.app.goo.gl/NnZaKiLP8ThMZaEG7

June 29th (Hampstead)

https://images.app.goo.gl/nvCee85wGji9qFNNA

Funnily enough, he was NOT ONCE!! papped „randomly“ in 2021 in London (outside of work, like MP filming for example!) instead we got douzens of staged „Holivia“ walks, mostly pics taken from the back or other „fan pics“ and of course Cockburns many pap walks, where she did literally NOTHING, which compared to literal NONE Harry pap pics are even more hilarious and obvious! When a A-list star like Harry not ONCE got papped randomly in London during a whole ass year but girly did get papped like 15 times in one month, in some random part of London,… I mean… it’s OBVIOUS isn’t it?!

I‘m curious to know why he started getting papped „randomly“ in London this year again?

I love you!!!!

These last few days Olivia has come under a lot of fire! So in my opinion (and many other blogs on here I talk to) said that these solo photos could be distancing Harry from Olivia. It’s like he wants to be seen alone

[bettsfic]

Hey! are we getting your july writing stats? I feel like it was your most productive month ever and i'm curious to see how much you got done!

whewww it's been a wild time. in july i moved into an apartment and i've been juggling freelance work and putting issue #3 of oficmag together. so it has definitely been a busy month.

i'm not sure about stats for july specifically, but from june 17th (day i came out of a severe depressive episode) to today, i've written 154k words, which is not including the 17k words i've cut/reworked for the final draft of each fic.

that said, vandal revisions were due to my agent in may which i've just...not done. and i would really like to get those finished before my residency in september but that is rapidly approaching and i have a feeling i have one more long hellcheer fic in me before i force myself to concentrate on original work.

[godinvent]

My OC Stella Busana’s profile! Backstory will be in another post!

TW // mentions of death, knives, scars, kidnapping, stabbing/slicing

Full Name: Stella Erebus Busana

Name in Original Language: Στέλλα Eρεβος Μποσάνα, Stélla Érebos Bosána

Nicknames: Stelly, Auntie (by Roxy, her nephew), Star, Batman (by my friend Mythos)

Name Meaning:

Stella: means “star” in Latin

Erebus: means “darkness” in Greek, is the name of Stella’s father (a lot of ancient Greeks took the name of their father as part of their own name)

Busana: means “night girl of the moon” in Israeli (I just liked the name she’s not Israeli at all)

Sex: Female

Gender: Female

Pronouns: She/Her/Hers

Sexuality: Bisexual

Mental/Physical Disorders: ADHD, Anxiety and Autism. She also has anger issues.

Birthday: September 4th

Age: 14 (start of story ), 25 (end of story)

Zodiac: Virgo Sun, Cancer Moon, Gemini Rising, Taurus Venus

Species: Winged Goddess (she only sprouts her wings when she’s 16)

Mythology: Greek 🇬🇷

Race: White

Ethnicity: Greek 🇬🇷

Nationality: Greek (specifically, a citizen of Tartarus) 🇬🇷

Title: Protector of the night and darkness

Magic: Dark magic, charm magic

Weapon: Knife (she has a huge collection of them)

Fighting Stats

Physical Attack: ⚫️⚫️⚫️⚪️⚪️

Physical Defense: ⚫️⚫️⚫️⚫️⚪️

Health: ⚫️⚫️⚪️⚪️⚪️

Speed: ⚫️⚫️⚪️⚪️⚪️

Magic Attack: ⚫️⚫️⚫️⚫️⚫️

Magic Defense: ⚫️⚫️⚫️⚫️⚪️

Range: ⚫️⚫️⚪️⚪️⚪️

Other Stats

Intelligence: ⚫️⚫️⚫️⚫️⚪️

Charisma: ⚫️⚫️⚫️⚪️⚪️

Dexterity: ⚫️⚫️⚫️⚫️⚫️

Animal Form: Black wolf

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* 　Appearance　 *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

Height: 5 feet 6 inches (168 cm) (start of story), 5 feet 8 inches (173 cm) (end of story)

Weight: 223 pounds (101 kg) (start of story). She is plus sized throughout the entire story!

Skin tone: Pale white. She sunburns very easily!

Hair style and color: Long, voluminous dark blue hair, with yellow dots resembling stars in a night sky

Eye color: Yellow

Glasses or contacts?: None

Body modifications?: Has pierced ears. She would probably get a tattoo later in life, although it wouldn’t be that big.

Scars?: Large, star shaped scar between her eyebrows and eyes. She got this scar when her parents were kidnapped, and her assailant sliced her forehead. When she’s 17, she receives large burn scars on her left arm from saving a family from a fire. Obtains small scars on body from fighting.

Fashion: Dark academia, alternative, elegant dark wear. She wears jasmine scented perfume, and wears a golden locket around her neck, which has small pictures of her parents inside. For her 17th birthday, she gets a golden cross necklace from Solaris Kitrinos, which is blessed with light magic and can protect against beings such as gorgons.

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* 　Personality　 *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

Likes

•anime

•manga

•watching movies

•mythology and cultures

•pop, rock, alternative, and music in general

•video games

•muscles

•animals (especially cats and dogs)

•tonkotsu ramen

•chocolate chip cookies

•hot chocolate

•coffee, especially mochas!

•fried chicken

•pasta

•pita bread

•singing

•writing songs

•chocolate

•sightseeing

•fanfic and other works she shouldn’t be allowed to watch-

•art, and almost every form of art

•going to museums and arcades

•history

•perfume

•fashion

•interior design

•the color pink (but she won’t admit it because aesthetic reasons, she’s goth-)

•giving people gifts, helping people

Dislikes

•spoiled brats

•lazy people

•injustice

•sweet potatoes

•bananas

•the cold

•lightning

•crowds

•working in groups

•small talk, especially with adults

•burdening others

•people who mess with her family and friends

•those who prey on the weak

•people who underestimate her

•most fruits and vegetables

•lasagna

•nuts

•death (it’s her greatest fear)

Good Traits

honest, humorous, imaginative, independent, individualistic, intelligent, compassionate, laid-back, loyal, open-minded, passionate, creative, confident, mature, affectionate, nerdy, unique, curious, generous, responsible, dexterous, a quick learner, adventurous

Bad Traits

quick to anger , awkward, dirty minded, stubborn, can be very aloof and apathetic if she wants to be, indecisive, forgetful, lazy, impatient, insecure, violent, smug, judgmental, nervous, condescending, unpredictable

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* 　Relationships　 *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

Mother: Nyx, goddess of the night

Father: Erebus, god of darkness

Sibling(s): Aether, Hemera, Moros, Apate, Dolos, Nemesis, the Keres, the Moirai, the Hesperides, Oizys, Momus, the Oneiroi, Hypnos, Thanatos, Philotes, Geras, Eris and Charon. Roxy, Hypnos’ adopted child, is technically her nephew, but she and Roxy treat each other like sisters. Thelma Milas, the daughter of Eris, is another nephew of hers she treats like a sister, but they practically hate each other.

Crush/lover(s): She also has crushes on Siko Kikelomo and Omorfia Triantafyllo, as well as Kanagawa Arashino. Her biggest crush, and her longest lasting relationship however is Solaris Kitrinos. She develops a crush on him when she’s 17, and that’s the same age they started dating. They date for at least 3 years before they get married in their 20s.

Child(ren): Has at least one child, a son, with Solaris Kitrinos when they’re adults. His name is Luka!

Enemy(s): Elizabeth Vermillianos, Briar Moses Silver, Shardul, Lucifer and his lab, the other villains, and is at first rivals with Solaris Kitrinos. (Somewhat) friendly rivalry with Siko Kikelomo. Unfriendly rivalry with Nikita Borisova.

Friend(s): Best friends with Thana Mikka, Aiden Agnimukha, Agua Ambu, Solaris Kitrinos and Omorfia Triantafyllo. Very close friends with Malakai Hermalao, Arian Zaman, Red Asmodeus and Yukio Ueno. Friends with Triton Zale, Mila Wisteria, Robyn Bonnibelle, Alexander Kardia, Alphonso Jelani, and Issun Boshi as well. Stella also heavily looks up to and respects her teacher Martin Ambrosius. Her demon spirit servant, Azazel, is more like a father figure to her than a servant, and she loves him like family.

Pet(s): Owns a large Newfoundland hellhound named Orpheus, who she calls “Orphie”. She uses Orpheus’s magical drool to make potions, and likes to lay on him while watching tv.

[sharperthewriter]

Chapter 1 of the 16th Kim Possible Fannies Awards - Ceremony

From the desks of Sharper, BCBDrums and Gothicthundra.

(AN: Due to a change in scheduling with the upcoming football season coming up for me in August (I usually do the football stats for my local high school and juco teams here, in case if anyone new in the Kimmunity is curious) , I've decided that it would be best for me to upload the remaining chapters of the Prelude to the 16KPFA on the other story and upload the highlights of the Ceremony as a separate story to A) make the uploading go a lot faster, B) take a lot of pressure off of me of uploading chapters on a weekly basis because of the stress of doing football stats and C) allow me more time to do my own KP stories. -Sharper)

The story is still going to be rated T due to some strong language, some cartoon action violence, some suggestive comments, and brief use of alcohol.

Kim Possible, characters and settings, are created by Schooley and McCorkle and (c) by Disney. Any OC I create is my own. Any OC that I do not create is created by the owner of that OC.

So with that being said, here is the second half of the 16th KP Fannies: The Ceremony!

Chapter 1 - A (Socially-Distanced) Introduction

(7:04pm, March 11, 2021)

Ron's words echoed through the Colorado countryside.

Two weeks...two weeks...two weeks.

(Six Months Later, September 22, 2021, 4:19pm)

The world looks indeed different for the Possible-Stoppables than the one they left behind in early March. Automatic hand sanitizer dispensers, plastic barriers, social distancing markers, and sanitation crews were a common sight throughout Middleton. Quarantines and self-isolations if tested positive for the TEVID virus were also common as well. Furthermore, there was a mask mandate that had been in place since March. A vaccine for the TEVID virus was close to being developed.

Meanwhile, the Kimmunity Council were still holding meetings on where the 16th KP Fannies Awards were to be held since the Colorado governor has officially reopened theaters, opera houses and other places of entertainment, albeit only at 25% capacity. Due to the pandemic, all of the Council's meetings had to be held online.

Sharper was in the main media room titled "Council Rock" at Bonnie's opulent and extremely expensive mansion. He was talking with BCB, Split-n-splice, Eoraptor, Tennente, Whitem, CajunBear, Daccu, and MrDrP via video-conferencing.

"So what do you think we should do for the 16th Fannies if they are to remain on-schedule?" Whitem asked.

"Hold them at the North Memorial Theater?" came Daccu's reply.

"Yeah, I think we should do that." Sharper said, "But we need to limit the audience for this year's ceremony to just nominees, presenters, and members of the press. Twenty-five percent should be around 400 people."

Raptor agreed with Sharper.

"I think that would satisfy the governor's requirements for the seating capacity." he said.

"Plus, there should be testing for the audience for the virus as well." BCB added.

"Yes." agreed Sharper on the decision.

He then also laid out the other health protocols that will be in effect for the ceremony.

"We should also close off every other row as well, as well as adding those automatic hand sanitizers as well. Masks are going to be mandatory as well. The only time during the ceremony that we should take masks off is when we are speaking at the podiums, which will be 12 feet apart from each other."

"Are we all in agreement on these measures to protect ourselves against the virus?"

The other members of the Council agreed to these decision and decided, unanimously, that the date of the ceremony will be October 16 and the date of the 17th KP Fannies ceremony will be on June 7 of the next year in conjunction with the KP show's 20th anniversary.

The former day was also when the TEVID vaccine was to be released, first to the medical and those that were classified as essential workers.

(GJ Headquarters, October 13, 2021: three days before the ceremony, 9:06am)

Kim was working at her desk in her office. She, alongside with the rest of the Global Justice crew, had to wear masks that covered their mouth and nose, for they were still under the mask mandate of the state of Colorado.

She was wearing a black pantsuit with her GJ identification badge. She was combing through surveillance videos and photos.

Ron was outside her office. He had a professional-looking polo shirt and plaid khaki pants. Like his wife, he too had his GJ ID badge as well (though he had accidentally forgotten it on a couple of occasions). He also had a face mask as well as does Rufus.

"I'm trying to figure out these thefts!" Kim grunted, sifting through the paperwork "And it vexes me so!"

Ron tapped on the side of the steel door.

"May I come in, Agent K-P-S?" Ron grinned.

"Permission granted, Agent R-P-S!" Kim said, chuckling a little.

The steel doors to Kim's office whoosed opened as Ron came in.

"I totally like the doors that go whoosh." Ron said, "Remind me to get those doors for my office!"

"Can't." Kim smirked, "It's not in the budget!"

"Aww man!" Ron complained.

Then he got back to the task at hand.

"So how many thefts have we got going on?" he asked.

"It's been four jewel heists in June and July." Kim replied, pointing to the photos. "First, Starlet's jewelry collection worth $1.5 million was stolen in the dead of night. Then, the Holsten Twins were robbed of $4 million in jewels and diamonds. Next was MC Honey, who had $8 million in her jewels nabbed as well. And lastly, Britina, who had $14 million stolen of her jewelry as well."

"Wow! What are the connections to it?" Ron asked.

"Well, all involved celebrities and all involved multi-million dollar thefts." Kim explained as she shuffled through the surveillance photos. "And based of security camera footage, we do know that two thieves are involved. One man and one woman." She pointed to the figures of a man and woman, obviously covered in black.

"Man...they do move fast!"

"But as we move on into September..." Kim said, pointing to more surveillance photos, "...the thefts got bigger. Two in particular were of interest."

She continued on the details.

"About $31 million of jewels and expensive watches were stolen from a New York hotel three weeks ago for a promotional event on September 4th! And not more than two weeks later, on the 19th, $70 million in jewels and artwork were stolen from the daughter to an multi-multi-billionaire electric car company CEO. And those two robberies involved a team of at least 6-8 people, but two of the thieves have the same height and build from the celeb thefts."

"And from that electric car company CEO mansion's crime scene, they left behind these playing cards with letters on the back of them in permanent marker, but I can't figure it out."

Kim had 16 playing cards on them and the letters were written as follows CAWLRORKLEL and the numbers 126110.

"What could it mean?" she asked, being puzzled about it. Rufus jumped onto the table.

"I'm in the same position as you are, KPS." Ron said.

"Let's think about it first, Ron. They all involved high-profile events and people, they all target jewelry, sometime paintings, and the thefts keep on getting bigger and bigger." Kim said.

"Which means their next target would have to involve something big, something grander." Ron said.

Rufus tapped his paw against his face and figured it out. He arranged the letters and the numbers.

"But who would be wealthy enough to be such a target?" Kim questioned, tapping her head with her fingers.

Both Kim and Ron then heard Rufus chittering loudly.

"Rufus? What is it, buddy?"

Rufus chittered and repeatedly pointed with his paw on what he did with the playing cards.

Kim and Ron took one look and gasped.

"That's it! That is their next target!"

It said, ROCKWALLER 101621.

"It makes sense!" Kim exclaimed "She has the largest collection of jewelry known to mankind...The Rockwaller Family Jewels."

"We have to warn her!" Ron shouted.

(4 days earlier, October 9, 2021)

"Sharper, we got a big sitch here!"

BCB came running down one of the main hallways of Bonnie's mansion, which has now expanded to 300 bedrooms and 525 bathrooms with the completion of a recent addition.

She knocked on the door of Sharper's office.

"Come in!" came Sharper's reply.

BCB came running as fast as she could to his desk.

"Hey...BCB! Slow down!" Sharper insisted. "What's wrong!"

"The Timothy North Theater...was overwhelmed with a swarm of roaches and rats!" BCB exclaimed. She showed Sharper the pictures of the rats chewing on the seats of the chairs.

"Oh no! We're gonna have to get an exterminator...no, several exterminators...to get rid of these pests!" Sharper shuddered at the sight of the animals. "What about the Golden Rufuses?"

"They are safe in a truck in Denver and await your signal." BCB informed him.

"Since the North Theater has been infested with rats, I think we should move the 16th Fannies to the Rockwaller Opera House." Sharper said, "The date of the 16th will remain the same. I'm gonna have to probably send out a mass email, informing members of the Kimmunity about the change in venue."

(back to Oct. 13, 2021, 6:12pm)

"So what you're saying is that my family heirlooms are in danger of being stolen?" Bonnie asked.

She, Kim, Ron (and Rufus), Betty Director, Sharper and BCB were at Bonnie's main opulent mansion. Bonnie, of course, was not the same mean Bonnie as before after the three spirits of Christmas visited her last year.

"That's correct, Miss Rockwaller." Betty replied, "There were a couple of recent high-profile robberies with valuable stolen worth in the millions. We fear that your collection may be the next target."

"Well, my collection of Rockwaller valuables, including some really expensive Faberge eggs, are worth around $400 million." Bonnie said as she adjusted her engagement ring from Senor Senior Junior since they were engaged in January, prior to the pandemic. "And my uncles would really have a hissy-fit if any of the valuables ended up missing from Rockwaller property. Though it is protected by layers of security from the last time."

"Probably the reason why you would need the extra security with GJ, My Queen." Sharper said.

"And with the North Theater somehow being infested with vermin, the scene's gonna shift to your opera house." BCB added.

Bonnie agreed. "Yeah, Drums..."

"Uhh, Bonnie, please call me BCB." BCB corrected her.

"Right...right...BCB. Yeah, I gotta obey the guv's protocols of social distancing and health sanitizers and all that stuff." Bonnie said.

"Sharper, do you think these two events with the planned robbery and the infesting of the North Theater with animals are connected?" Kim asked Sharper.

"I don't know if it is...but if something weird does happen in the ceremony, we'll find out." Sharper said to Kim.

Bonnie replied with confidence, "Don't worry, Kim. Even with this pandemic, we're going to have a normal ceremony with nothing weird happening!"

"I sure do hope so, Bonnie." Kim said. _

(October 10, 2021, 1:55pm)

A brown sedan approached a nearby abandoned warehouse in downtown Middleton. The driver of the sedan scanned his ID badge in as the garage to the warehouse opened, giving him access. The sedan rolled in slowly before coming to a complete stop.

The two occupants got out of the sedan, one male and one female. The male thief was named Cody. He, in his mid 30s and with dark black hair and green eyes, had been an accomplice to several of the high-profile robberies of celebrities, including that of Starlet and MCHoney and has been wanted in four states. He was also an expert in creating tranquilizers to sedate any security guards and was also an expert in evidence cleanup.

The female thief, Amy, was considered to be the mastermind of the mentioned celeb thefts. She too was in her mid 30s, and had blonde hair and blue eyes and was wanted in seven states for the robberies.

They were part of a five-member team that often love to steal from houses of the wealthy and famous from around the globe. They were considered masters of disguise and often baffled police, which was the reason why the authorities contacted Global Justice for help. It was also because that they had help from HenchCo with a few henchmen serving as extra muscle to complement the group.

The other three members were a male and two females: Troy, Laura, and Emily. Troy handled the security detail, Laura and Emily were the most capable fighters of the group, for both had fifth-degree black belts. They were also all in their mid-30s. Troy also normally served as the getaway driver/pilot for the group.

Cody and Amy also got some Bueno Nacho to go as well. The Bueno Nacho #582 in Middleton had re-adjusted its dining room so that it roped off selected booths to maintain social distancing. It also annoyed Ron as well because their normal booth was roped off.

"What took you two so long?" Troy muttered.

"Don't blame me for their 6-feet social distancing bullshit." Cody replied while setting the food down.

"Did you also get extra Diablo sauce for my Naco?" Laura asked.

"Got some in the bag!" Cody added, pointing to the familiar packets.

"Let's set up the food first before we begin our biggest operation yet." Amy spoke, "Operation Mt. Rockwaller!"

The four other thieves agreed.

(30 minutes later)

While they were eating, Amy brought up the first instance of the planned Rockwaller theft.

"I think what we should do is to go in around 9pm, right when the 16th KP Fannies Ceremony is at the half-way point of the ceremony." she suggested, "We will go in four unmarked vans onto that access road that usually supplies her vendors and food to her servants, butlers, and maids. Three of the vans should contain the henchmen while the fourth will contain the four of us. Cody will be on the inside posing as a member of the press. Troy's MIT degree will serve us well in knocking out all the security cams at the Rockwaller mansion."

"So the next order of business is going to be that gate that leads directly into the mansion." Cody then said. "That area has two layers of automatic spike strips against any unauthorized vehicle and her mansion, I bet to you, is going to crawl with her personal security force."

"Right! We're going to knock out the security guards with this!" Amy said while she held up the standard-issue HenchCo knockout gas canister and HenchCo tranquilizer darts. "As for those spikes, Troy again will disable them."

"That is all well and good, but we will need a distraction." Emily suggested.

"Yeah, Global Justice will be on our asses even if we do steal the diamonds!" Laura added while chewing through her Naco.

"That is the reason why the Boss Lady who hired us for the job planned ahead!" Amy chuckled, mentioning her very rich benefactor, but not by name. "She has had this person broken out of jail not more than a week ago!"

Amy tossed a recent copy of the Middleton Examiner and saw that Glame Dover (aka Game Controller) had escaped from jail after a robbery a couple months ago that involved the stealing of the Z-Boy III technology from Japan that was, thankfully, foiled by GJ.

"The Boss Lady's army of superhackers blocked information of the escape from getting it out to local police departments and criminal agencies, including Global Justice." Amy explained while typing on her laptop, explaining their plan, "Like Cody, he will be posing as a member of the press. With the help of the Boss Lady, he had helped developed a new video game arcade machine that will be placed in the gaming arcade that is right next to the opera house. So that when they go into the lobby area for intermission, some of the nominees may try to play the game. But what they don't know is that it is a mind-controlling device! Once they play it, they will become mindless putty controlled by Game Controller! That will buy us some time in order for us to escape with as many of the Rockwaller diamonds as we can possibly hold...including the rarest one of all!"

She swiveled her laptop to a pink diamond.

"The Pink R! Worth around $18 million!" Amy exclaimed.

"Double that if we get it on the black market!" Cody added.

"Global Justice won't know what'll hit them!" Laura cackled.

"And we will become extremely rich!" Amy laughed evily.

The other thieves joined in on the evil laughter and continued plotting along.

(October 16, 2021, 6:59pm)

And so, the night of the ceremony of the 16th Annual Kim Possible Awards finally came. Unlike in years past, there was no red carpet ceremony. Furthermore, every other section of seats in the opera house was roped off and the 300 spectators (some select members of the Kimmunity, the nominees who could come, the awards presenters, and a few members of the press) were all spaced around the auditorium. They were all wearing masks, as per the requirement of the governor and the smell of hand sanitizer was still fresh. There was also no orchestra as well.

On the stage, two podiums were set about 15 feet apart from each other on the left and right. A table was also there as well with the 33 Golden Rufuses all polished (and sanitized) for everyone's convenience.

Backstage, Sharper broke with tradition from wearing his seersucker suit. Since it was in the cleaners, he opted for the black tuxedo instead. BCB was wearing (inserting what dress she was planning to wear here).

Both were wearing masks as well.

"BCB, I always worry about the ceremony going crazy at some point!" Sharper said as BCB adjusted his tie.

"Sharper, you worry too much about it." BCB laughed, "Nothing's gonna go wrong!"

"Sure do hope so!" Sharper replied before noticing the female stagehand tapping her watch on her hand.

"That's our cue!" BCB said. "Strike up the music."

Since there was no orchestra to play the KP Orchestral Theme, the stagehand had a CD Player that was attached to the opera house's sound system. She put the CD labeled "KIM POSSIBLE ORCHESTRAL THEME" into the player.

The theme began to play as the voiceover said:

Welcome to the 16th Annual Kim Possible Fannies Awards. Give it up for your hosts: BCBDrums and Sharper the Writer.

The ceremony carried a TV-14 rating for Dialogue, Language, Sex, and Violence.

Once the song died down, BCB and Sharper stood 8 feet apart from each other and the podiums were rolled over to them. The crowd stood on their feet and applauded the hosts. Both the hosts removed their masks.

"Good evening, and welcome everyone to the 16th Annual Kim Possible Fannies Awards!" BCB exclaimed. "I am your hostess for the evening, BCB Drums, and of course you know my co-host as Sharper the Writer!"

"Yep, I am here for the...is it fourth ceremony I hosted or co-hosted?" Sharper asked.

"That's correct! Me and GT hosted last year's ceremony before all the craziness happened." BCB replied. "Within the craziness that was 2020 with all the lockdowns, we as the Kimmunity were able to publish just about 500 stories last year.

"That is, if you can take BCB and GT's Little Ones and Lipsky Family Tales, respectively, into the totals." Sharper added.

"The number is, in of itself, impressive, considering that KP's been off the air for 13 years." BCB said.

"It serves as a testament to the dedication we, the members of the Kimmunity, have for our favorite redhead." Sharper replied.

"Or favorite brunette cheerleader, in your case." BCB snickered as the audience gave a light laugh.

BCB then continued.

"Anyways, we want to give thanks to the people out there in the medical field who put their lives on the line every day in the middle of this pandemic!"

The audience applauded what BCB said.

BCB then explained the layout of the ceremony.

"For tonight's ceremony, it is going to be 4 hours long divided into two 2-hour segments with a 20-minute intermission inbetween the Most Unlikely-Unique Story and Best OneShot (K-T)categories. We'll have a variety of awards presenters: some who are in the audience, and some who will be in virtual."

"And before we go to commercial..." Sharper added, "As per the tradition of the KP scribes and elders..."

BCB then finished his sentence, "...here are the winners from last year's..."

"Pre-Pandemic!" Sharper interrupted.

BCB glared at him before saying, "...ceremony."

One by one, the awards for last year's ceremony were presented with a picture of the recipient and what category they won with elevator music playing in the background.

The 15th KP Fannies Awards Winners (2019)

Best KP-Style Name - Mary Juana and Canna Abis - Stoppable Family Vacation - Sharper

Best KP OC - Anna Stoppable - This Is Our Year: college - F86Sabre53

Best Minor Character - Tara&Hope - TIOY: College - F86Sabre53

Best Villain - BattleF'yuri – All Things Possible 4 - Slyrr

Best AU - Never Be Normal - Maeph93

Best Crossover - A Possible Encounter For a Phantom (DP) - Neomark

Best Alt-Other Canon Pair - The Tweeb and the Queen Bee (Tim/Bonnie) - MD Michael

Best Kigo - An Unforgettable Sitch - iycewing

Best Drakgo - RTOD - Gothicthundra

Best Kim/Ron - What's the Alma Mater - MrDrP

Best Comedy - Adventures in Babysitting - Gothicthundra

Best Romance - KP: Sitch of Summer - Beatlestributeman

Best Friendship - The Greatest Man I Never Knew - Leon R. Patterson

Best Action Adventure - TIOY College - F86Sabre53

Best Drama - Forefit - BCBDrums

Most Unlikely-Unique Story - Ron's Groovy Sitch -Senaraft

Best One-Shot (K-T) - Scared of the Dentist - F86Sabre53

Best Novel-Sized Story (K-T) - United and Divided - Librana

Best Short Story (K-T) - A Most Unusual Gift - Mahler Avatar

Best Series - Things Change Series - Gothicthundra

Best M-Rated Novel-Sized Story - College Spring Break - Chris Palmer

Best M-Rated Short Story - Beyond Graduation – Aleego

Best M-Rated One Shot - Shattered - IcarusTheFoxkidd

Best Young Author - Iycewing

Best New Author - Gothicthundra

Best Single Line - United and Divided by Librana - "No, you were made for me. Literally." (Kim referring to Eric). -

Neb Award - Daccu65

Kimmunity Achievement - Sharper

Best Reviewer - CajunBear73

Best Story of 2019 - RTOD - Gothicthundra

Best Writer of 2019 - Gothicthundra

And as the final group picture of all the recipients of the 15th Fannies was shown, the screen faded to black. And with it came the traditional Kimmunicator beep.

"Ahh...the Kimmunicator beep!" Sharper remarked.

"Which means that we are coming up on our first commercial break of the evening!" BCB remarked, "But when we come back, we'll present the first two awards: Best KP-Style Name and Best KP Original Character! So stay tuned!"

"Before You Go" by Lewis Capaldi played in the background.

[pluto-art]

Softly - PatB Fan Fiction

Type: Hurt/Comfort Rating: PG Summary: Baby Brain has known little but pain and misery in an unloving world, but when he gets paired up with a new lab student things change in a way he didn’t expect.

This started out as a mini story in a Discord server and got... a little out of hand. What you see here is how much I typed out in the server.

He hadn't been there long. Two... maybe three weeks? The cold metal had finally become familiar beneath his feet, and the strange blocks, though generally tasteless, kept him alive. There wasn't much that made his new living quarters interesting; there was only so much one could do in a pile of aspen shavings day after day. Occasionally, they would hook up to his cage some sort of liquid that wasn't his usual watery fair. He could never decipher or make heads or tails of the words on the sides of the bottles, saying things like D-D-T or S-N-I-P-P-L-E. The only distinguishing feature to him was that sometimes they tasted terrible, sometimes quite flavorful, and sometimes they tasted like nothing at all. Almost all of them turned his stomach. Driven to thirst, however, he'd play their cruel game. Choice was not something that existed in this crisp, sterile world; at least, not from a personal standpoint. When it did exist it meant the difference between a shock and a treat; a yellow light or a red light; a warm room or a cold one. Choice was manufactured.

He still cried almost every night. He tried to quiet the tears, but they didn't always listen. The others heard him. One or two laughed cynically. Most said nothing; they'd shed their own fair share and would again sooner than later. A single kind soul, a mother rat some doors down from him, occasionally whispered to him a lullaby or two when everyone else but them were asleep. They were songs she sang to her own children to quiet their tears, and she had no less compassion for this unfortunate soul, who was even worse off than her own brood -- he didn't even have any parents to nuzzle up to. Had she her way, she would have mutilated every last living human being in the facility. It was bad enough that they were tested on mercilessly as adults. To do so to children was simply insidious. Alas, she was simply a rat, and so could only dream of days when she wasn't.

Not that BR-41N (that's what they called him; no one had real names here) hadn't tried to be friendly with his captures. Aside from a particularly nasty poke from some long, thin, prickly object inserted into his thigh the first day (it had stung; oh, it had stung...) the proceeding couple of days had consisted of simple maze runs and treadmill exercises. Nothing too elaborate. As a child, he'd been used to running around a lot in the field, and sifting through the labyrinths reminded him of the long grass he'd play hide-and-seek in back home, except at the end of them was a tasty prize: a piece of cheese. He liked cheese. In the wild, it was hard to come by, but here they gave it to him generously, provided he finished the courses, which he always did. The fourth day followed in much the same way, but the fifth day brought something different: a sudden shock and a broken tail. That had changed his view of things. Perhaps the harsh awakening wouldn't have been so terrible had it not been followed by other unspeakable things -- poisoned food; friends made that, the next day, would never be seen again; more shocks given as punishment for choosing an incorrect panel; injections that made him see things he'd never seen, monsters and strange colors and other scary things that kept him awake at night; loud noises that came out of nowhere; and often, quite often, the terrifying echo of squeaks, barks, and meows that made up the daily music of Acme Laboratories. He hated it. He hated all of it. More than anything, he wanted to go home. He missed the warmth; the love; the soft whisper of the wind that traveled through his ivory fur. He wanted all of it back. But life? She was a harsh mistress. And no amount of crying, screaming, or pleading, seemed to ever make her turn an ear.

As the days turned into weeks, and the weeks... months, more than just a tail was broken. Trust was broken. Hope was broken. Spirit... was broken. If there was any love, if there was any future, it wasn't here. Kindness had proved unfruitful, and patience had run its course. He didn't find reason to be willing, nor show charity, towards those who made his life a living hell. What reason was there? What profit was in it? Time had told him, quite bluntly, there wasn't. It had taken him a full month to admit defeat, but admit it he did, and cynical he became, 'til every hand that reached in to grab him was ripe to be bitten, every shot that punctured his stomach was the unwelcome norm, and every newcomer that tried to strike up a friendship was easily ignored. The latter-most was simply wasting their time. He could read the colors on the cages now. He knew that a red mark meant "death". He only wondered why he, as of yet, had never been given one himself. It was as if life itself was laughing at him -- keeping him as witness to the horrors that went on inside the dragon's cave, yet never giving him the satisfaction of death.

And so the third month dawned, chilly and barren, or so the scientists said. Autumn had come. Not that any of the residents within the thick, cemented walls could see it. But the laboratory personnel spoke of it -- gold and crimson leaves, hot chocolate, dried wheat fields. He could almost smell the corn; could almost feel the breeze.... Days passed. For the first time, they gave him a cage mate. E8-WN, they called him. He was kind, but BR-41N had little love left to give. Besides, he had the red tag. It seemed they had only placed him here temporarily due to a lack of space. The next day he was taken to the back. The tiniest shred of pity nipped at BR-41N as he watched the little peach-furred mouse be carried into the surgical room, a curious look on his face. Another emotion was also present within him: jealousy. On the 17th day of September, a new thing happened -- a thing that, for the first time in a while, made the little mouse turn his head.

The school year had started, and, as such, fresh meat was welcomed into the laboratory in the form of fourteen college students looking to continue pursuits in medical science. They were all very quiet during the tour, one or two of them occasionally lifting a hand to ask a question about course materials or contact information. They were each, it seemed, to be given a subject: an animal from the laboratory to study, train, and conduct experiments on. Rats, mice, and hamsters had already been picked out for them, and each was given a black-coated subject or a brown-furred captive to take charge of. Each student's rodent was to be kept in the lab at all times, and specific instructions were given them as to the proper handling of the creatures. At least two experiments were to be conducted on them daily, three if possible. They could spend as much time with their charge as they wished, so long as they got their homework done. Fourteen students. Fourteen rodents. Four months to finish their work. Simple.

As it stood, however, there had been a miscalculation. Fourteen students. Fourteen rodents.... No. Not fourteen. Only thirteen. There'd been an error. They'd forgotten to set aside an extra subject. The unfortunate student without a charge was a college girl named Rachel. All other rodents were going through tests conducted by various personnel in the lab, set aside specifically for said conductions that couldn't currently be tampered with. All except one....

"So, um, Rachel," their teacher said, checking his student list. "You may have to share with... Peterson.... You know what? We might... actually have an extra for you. Hold on. Let me ask...."

And he departed into another room, calling for a "Jackson".

"Jackson! Can she use BR-41N? I don't think he's going through any rigorous testing.... Yeah? Okay. Yeah, that would work out perfectly. Thanks."

He turned back to his brood, many of whom looked quite eager to jump in to these intriguing studies, others looking downright bored.

"Okay. We have one for you. His code name is BR-41N. He's not going through any major testing, and he's generally given the usual works -- labyrinths, shock treatment, all that. But, um... he bites. Really bad. So... you'll have to watch it, all right?"

"Okay," Rachel nodded, looking a little nervous.

"All right. Umm.... Good. Yes. So, let's head back to the main campus, and... we'll start your work tomorrow."

And they left.

BR-41N had only heard part of all this, and had understood none of it. He shivered in his cage, taking a moment to drink some water out of the bottle that hung there. While the arrival of such a large group intrigued him, especially since it consisted of a much younger set than normal, it also made him nervous. Was it a sign of good things to come... or bad? Or just more of the usual fair? One could only wonder. For now, he was simply grateful that the cheese they'd given him today was, for once, not laced with drugs.

She came by on a Tuesday.

It was an hour after a cosmetics test that he heard a knock on the table. His skin still burned. He was cowering in a far corner, and looked back over his shoulder hesitantly.

Rachel stood there, smiling at him.

"Hello, little one." He stared at her, nonplussed. "I guess you're my charge. You gonna say hello?"

And she opened up the door of his cage.

He shuffled back further. He knew all too well by this point that the opening of a door meant one of two things: food or torture. Considering the fact that she didn't smell of food, he had to assume it was the latter.

"It's okay. I'm not gonna hurt you. Well, hopefully not...."

Although he didn't understand a word of what she said, her tone was calm; soothing. No one in the lab ever talked to him like this. He couldn't help but stare curiously.

She held her hand up to the entrance and made a soft, squeak-like sound with her mouth. He frowned at her. As if that was going to convince him. He turned away.

"No? I don't blame you," she replied, taking a look at his clipboard. "BR-41N. What kind of a freak name is that? Mind if I call you Brain? Or Brian?"

No response.

"We'll go with Brian. Brain sounds kinda weird."

Brian it was.

She kept the door open, and he braced himself. Any moment now, gloved hands would be protruding into his enclosure to wrap themselves firmly about him, not tight enough to choke him, but secure enough that he couldn't escape. But the hand didn't come. If anything, she pulled up a chair, sat down, and rested her arms upon the table on which his cage sat. She was... giving him a choice? He stared at her, unsure how to react.

"Come on, sweet heart," she cooed, rubbing her fingers together encouragingly.

But he wouldn't budge. If this was some new trick, it wasn't going to work. He wished she'd just grab him and get it over with. Sooner or later, she'd have to. It was only a matter of time. And so he waited....

She sat there for a full twenty minutes, trying her best to get him to come over, but he refused to budge, and so she gave up. As expected, she still ran him through a maze, but instead of reaching in to grab him, she found a clear tube and scooped him up in it, covering both ends before depositing him into the run as such. It was... odd, but less invasive than what he was used to. He rather wished the others would do it that way.

Via the same method she returned him to his cage at the end of the test. As usual, he took to the corner, assuming his usual cowardly pose, but he turned to look at her as she spoke.

"Sorry about that. Nice job, though. See you tomorrow."

And so went the next day... and the next, always with the same introduction: She'd open his door, pull up a chair, and offer her hand to him. After twenty minutes of nothing, she'd scoop him up in the tube, deposit him in the maze or whatever other test he was to perform that day, and return him in the same manner. This went on for four whole weeks, always with a kind word, never coupled with a harsh prod or poking of his skin. He came to somewhat look forward to her almost daily visits, not because he trusted her (the one time she had tried touching him [with gloves on, of course], he'd given her a fair warning in the form of a bite), but because it was the only two hours during the day in which he knew he wouldn't be fed poison, given a shot, or made to inhale cigarette smoke. The other students joked with her. By far, she had the unfriendliest mouse out of all of them, and they found her kind advances a waste of time.

"Just pick him up!" a tall boy said.

Most of them had no problem with handling their subjects by the tail; at least, the boys generally didn't. The girls were kinder, but even they didn't take the time to get to know their animals intimately. They also were given the harder tests to conduct on their critters and so tried not to get attached.

Whereas most of the rats, mice, and hamsters given to the students would eventually be killed in some way or other at the end of the semester, via through vivisection, gassing, cancer, or some other method, BR-41N, or... Brian, as Rachel now called him, was not scheduled to be offed anytime soon and so could not undergo such rigorous experiments. As such, she got both the easy job of conducting very simple tests on him, and also the hard job of trying to work with the most hostile mouse in the entire facility.

"He's never gonna warm up to you," one of the other students said.

Rachel took it as a challenge.

"Watch me," she said.

But Brian was proving to be a much tougher can than expected. By the sixth week, he still hadn't even bothered to venture near the cage entrance when she sat near it, even with tasty treats in hand. He simply didn't trust anyone. Not anymore....

October came and went, to be replaced with a frosty November. Whenever Brian saw Rachel now she had a cup of tea in hand, the better to ward off the coming winter chill. Still she tried; still he refused to relent. Until the 9th....

It was late. She hadn't been able to get to the lab until 8:00 PM due to unfortunate series of events that involved a fender bender, two appointments, and a last minute essay. When she got to the lab she was tired... and not at all in the mood to deal with Brian's B.S., and he knew it.

"'Sup?" she asked him wearily, setting down her things in a huff. Only a handful of other people were still in the facility at this hour, none of them students. Fine by her. She preferred the quiet anyway. "We're gonna do something a little different today, bud."

Indeed.... He perked his ears up at her exhausted tone and the fact that, for once, she didn't open the cage door. But she did still slide the chair up to his table.

On the opposite side of the room was a television on a rolling stand. Normally, this was used for surgeries and other experiments. Once in a blue moon, however, someone would use it for recreational purposes -- to watch the local news when there was time to kill. Most fortunately for Rachel, it also came with a VHS player. Into it she popped a tape, before sitting down in the chair and grabbing her hot cup of peppermint tea. Despite himself, Brian took a whiff of the tea, whose scent had wafted into his cage and tickled his nose. It smelled good.

The film began to play. Brian didn't know the name of it, but whatever it was it was made up of very pretty pictures and featured a lot of dogs... and snow (at least at the beginning). It was rather soothing. Still, he didn't move from his spot, save to grab a lab block at one point to munch on, more to pass the time than anything. His stomach was still a little unsettled from earlier. Privately, he was a bit ticked off at the girl. Had she been a bit earlier he might have avoided the shock treatments. Not that they would have withheld them regardless.

It wasn't until the second song that his attention was at last caught.

"La la lu, La la lu, Oh my little star sweeper, I'll sweep the star dust for you...."

Sweetly did the animated woman sing her little song, and Brian, captivated, perked his ears. He looked up at the television. She was still singing. He stepped forward, bit by bit, until he was right up to the closed door, two little paws coming up to grasp at the bars of his cage as he stared, entranced, at the screen.

"La la lu, La la lu, And may love be your keeper, La la lu, La la lu, La la luuuuu."

And so it ended, all within the span of a minute, if that, but something had stirred with him -- a remembrance of home, and warmth, and what it was like to be loved.

He was still clutching at the bars when he noticed that Rachel was smiling at him, and he promptly sped back to his corner, embarrassed.

"Atta boy," she whispered, still grinning softly at him.

He refused to look at her. He wasn't touched by it or anything. He wasn't....

"It's okay. Don't be embarrassed," said the girl. "I like that song, too."

Brian stayed in his corner the rest of the movie, but the song never left his mind. 

---

The next day proceeded as normal. Once again, Rachel sat by his cage. Once again, she had brought a treat, albeit one he'd never seen before, nor smelled, for that matter. It was small... and white... and fluffy, and it smelled sugary and sweet. He wanted it. Oh, he wanted it so very badly. But nothing that ever came from the fingers of a scientist, even a soft-spoken one, was innocent. And so he refused, his back turned to her.

"Stubborn butt," said Rachel, and by her tone alone Brian could tell that it was a snide comment. He ignored her.

"Here."

As had occurred many times before, she left the treat in his cage near the entrance, closed the door, and sat to watch him. His eyes shifted towards the treat. It sat there, staring at him, mocking him. Eat me, it said. No, he thought. Oh, but it smelled so good....

Rachel sighed. So did Brian. She rested her head in her arms, exasperated. Maybe it really wasn't worth it....

Brian licked his lips. Perhaps....

He took a step forward. Rachel remained where she was, head in her arms, not looking at him. He moved another step. She was still as a stone. Patter patter patter patter patter... GRAB. He swooped back to his corner as fast as possible, marshmallow in his mouth. Rachel looked up... and chuckled. Brian dug into the treat, enjoying every second of it as teeth sunk into the savory delight. He'd never tasted anything this good before. It was better than mother's milk; much better than lab pellets; better than cheese....

"Silly little thing," Rachel giggled, smiling as he filled his cheeks with pleasantness. "Wait 'til you see what I bring you tomorrow."

Tomorrow, he was to find out, brought a piece of a doughnut, and the day after that a waffle. He'd never been this darn spoiled before. On the fourth occasion, he was, for once, already at the door, waiting to see what she'd bring. Lady and the Tramp and sugar, it turned out, were the keys to his heart, although he still wouldn't let her touch him. If her hand so much as brushed his fur he was back to his corner in a rush, although, this time, he didn't try to bite her first.

Rachel laughed when she saw the two little paws clutching at the gated entrance.

"You like 'em that much, huh? Here ya' go."

He stepped back to allow her access to the gate, and watched carefully as she placed something savory and smelling of salt inside. He sniffed, investigating as she closed the door. He took a tentative bite. Mmmmm. Yes, this was acceptable. Grabbing it, he rushed back to his usual corner and chowed down.

"Good. A fellow bacon appreciator," Rachel nodded, satisfied.

He ate the entire piece, licking his lips and proceeding to clean himself afterwards. That had been a bit messy. Good, but messy. If there was something he still valued, it was cleanliness. He could at least retain some form of dignity. The state of his fur was one of the few things he still had control over. Unlike some of the other unfortunate chaps, he'd never had to endure surgery or a shaved stomach.

Two little pink ears perked up as his cage door was opened yet again. More treats? No. Just Rachel, hand offered to him once more. Brian sighed. She just wouldn't give up, would she?

A second glance made him aware that she did, in fact, have something in her hand -- another marshmallow. Hmph. Sneaky. And yet, he'd be lying if he said he didn't want it....

"It's okay, little one," Rachel cooed, hand still outstretched, that plump marshmallow beckoning ever so tantalizingly. "I'm not gonna hurt you. I promise."

Brian sighed. He looked down at the floor, then over at her hand.

Rachel's eyes widened a touch, but she otherwise didn't reveal her surprise as Brian moved forward, inch by inch, step by step, towards her hand....

He stopped at the entrance, debating. Dare he...? It was a risk. He'd never willing done this, not since he'd been captured. It was a stupid decision. Stupid. And yet....

Her hand shifted a touch, and Brian shifted nervously with it. Rachel waited with bated breath.

He stepped forward....

In a flash, he'd grabbed the 'mallow from her hand and retreated to the back of his cage, not daring to even think about what he'd just done. It was foolish. It was dangerous. And yet, she hadn't tried to grab him, or even pet him. She'd just... given him a choice. And he'd taken it. Somehow, for some reason, he'd taken it.

Rachel smiled.

"Atta boy."

---

Perhaps it was the mere fact, the tantalizing realization, that he had a choice in the first place, that drew him back, but over the course of the next few weeks, things changed.

It had started slow at first. A light brush of the whiskers here; a sniff of the hand there. But, eventually, Brian, of his own accord, stepped into her hand. And she didn't close her fingers about him harshly, or strangle him, or pick him up by the tail. She simply... let him be. It was kind. It was unobtrusive. It was respectful. And he appreciated it.

No longer did the other students make fun, or joke that she'd never gain his trust. If anything, they questioned her.

"How the heck did you do it?" they'd ask, curious.

Even more confused were the scientists themselves. Not that anyone had tried very hard to gain the little mouse's trust. He was, in their opinion, not worth the time.

But he was to Rachel.

December came, and with it a complete turn-around in Brian's behavior, albeit towards one particular individual.

He eagerly rushed into her hand now. No need for the transportation tube. She could carry him on her shoulder to the maze area and pick him up with her bare hands as she placed him in the labyrinth, although she still made sure to let him take the first step and would, more often than not, simply offer a hand instead of plucking him from her shoulder. He still appreciated this.

Every weekday was now a day to look forward to. Sure, he was still tormented by the main personnel, but for two or three hours, two or three sweet hours, he didn't have to worry about anything. On the days he suffered from a stomach-ache, she'd hold him close to her chest and do her best to rub the pain away, offering him tea to ease his suffering, and if he fell asleep on her shoulder and woke up, shaking, from a bad dream, she'd rock him back and forth, singing "La La Lu" to him until the nightmares went away. On those rare nights, when she could only work late and no one was around, she'd bottle feed him. He'd been hesitant (and a little embarrassed) at first, but any reminder of home was difficult to ignore, and so he ended up embracing each form of love and affection with open paws, clutching tightly to her chest some days, as if this hug would be his last. For all he knew, it could be. He'd gotten used to her visits, but what if she left and never came back? He didn't want that love to leave....

December 14th.

The end of the semester was approaching. Rachel had told him, time and again, that she was leaving soon; that she would miss him; that she'd try to come back for the next semester. Brian understood none of this. He was a mouse, after all. Human language was foreign to him. The most he could understand was the occasional word -- his name, Brian, and various names of foods and tests -- and basic inflections that he knew signified concern, happiness, or contentment. But he didn't understand "leave", or "semester", or "miss". He could tell something was wrong, that she was sad, but as to why, he did not know.

A week from the last day of the semester, she brought a surprise: a movie. It had something to do with a rat, and food. He liked it for those things. He wished he could understand the words. It seemed interesting. He sat on Rachel's shoulder the entire time, at least until the end of the film, during which Rachel offered her hand to him. He accepted. She brought him up to her chest, nuzzling him close.

"I'm going away for a while, but... I'll try to be back next semester."

She petted him gently. He stared up at her, curious and concerned. Why was she so sad?

"I'm going to miss you...," she whispered. And, for the first time, she kissed him on his fuzzy white head. "I love you...."

He didn't understand the words, but he understood what they meant; how they felt.

Slowly, gently, he nuzzled close to her... and licked her fingers. It was the first time he'd shown genuine affection outside of nuzzling since he'd been captured. I love you, too....

He didn't understand it, but... there was something in the air that told him something big was coming. Something new. Something was going to be different....

December 18th came just like any other day. The semester was coming to a close. Many students had already finished their courses and gone home for the holidays. The occasional class still lingered on, including the medical science class. Most all had completed training and experimentation on their subjects for the season and were simply spending the next few days filing reports and filling out last minute essays. Some of the rodents wouldn't live to see the new year. Others had already been subjected to vivisection by their handlers and were far from the lab by this point. Subject BR-41N was one of the few who'd been given the same sheet on their clipboard day after day, week after week: a run of the mill of the usual, simple, non-invasive tests, along with an injection or two. But today was different.

As Rachel stepped up to Brian's cage, sipping at a hot cup of tea and smiling as her charge ran up to the bars to greet her, she frowned as she pulled up the clip board. His tag was yellow. Not the usual blue, but... yellow. She set down her cup, ignoring Brian's squeaky pleas to be let out as she looked over the sheet carefully.

Subject Reserved for Project B.R.A.I.N. // Invasive Study -- Cognitive Psychology, Neuroscience Psychology // 4:00 PM - Dec. 20

There was a pause, in which the dip in Rachel's brow furrowed ever deeper, her eyes roaming about the page scrutinizingly, before she slipped the paper out of its holder and headed back out the way she'd came, Brian looking curiously after her.

She marched all the way to a back office, in which sat one of the laboratory heads: Jackson. He looked up over his square-rimmed glasses as she knocked upon the exposed inner door frame.

"Yes?" he asked, sounding bored.

"Hey. Um.... I think you gave my subject the wrong paper."

"BR-41N?"

"Yeah. He got a yellow."

She stretched out her arm, offering the paper as proof, but he didn't take it. Instead, he looked up at her, fingers meeting at their tips, and said:

"No, I gave you the right paper. That's for BR-41N. His procedure is in two days."

His tone was flat and laced with a thin layer of poison, as if her daring to question him was a challenge.

"But... I thought he was just doing mainly labyrinth tests."

"Ms. Field, I thought you were told...?"

"Told what...?"

"He's been scheduled for this procedure for months. We wanted him fresh and so have eschewed more invasive tests until now. Frankly, you've been spending a little too much time with that mouse. He's gotten too friendly. We're not in the business of developing attachment here."

He said all this with a straight face, completely emotionless. Rachel swallowed thickly.

"Sir, I've... been going over this test. It's... very dangerous."

"Yes."

"It could kill him...."

"Yes?"

Rachel simply stared at him, uncertain of what to say next. He wasn't working with her here....

"Look.... What did you expect? You're studying medical science, correct?"

She nodded.

"Okay, well," he continued, a small chuckle of sarcasm escaping his lips as he said it. "Y-You have to realize that... this is a laboratory. We can't keep every subject. And these tests come with a lot of risks."

"Could you possibly do the test on another subject...?" Rachel asked, choosing her words carefully. "Brian is still kind of young, and..."

"Brian?"

Shoot.

"Sorry, I mean... BR-41N."

"You can't start... naming them, Miss Field. That's when you start getting attached. Understand?"

"I know...," Rachel mumbled, cheeks reddening as she looked down at her shoes.

"And the whole point of using him at this age is because his mind is younger. He's fresh."

"But he's just a baby..."

"Yes? And? A lot of the other students are working with infants."

"This one is...," Rachel began, than stopped. Already she'd said too much.

"Miss Field, if you don't prepare him for the procedure, someone else will. Now, you can either do your assignment or lose your credits. It's your choice."

Rachel sighed. Still holding the paper, she let her arm fall dramatically to her side.

"Fine...."

And she turned to walk off. But...

"Miss Field?"

She looked at him.

"Don't do anything stupid."

"Yes, Sir," Rachel replied, after a hefty pause, and headed back to her charge.

---

Brian didn't understand why Rachel was so quiet that day, nor why she cuddled him so much. She whispered to him something about "breaking out" and "night", but he didn't understand what those things meant, although he heard the urgency in her voice. As a result, he was a little more uptight the rest of the afternoon.

Before leaving, Rachel kissed the top of his head again, before setting him back down in the cage and hooking the door. Her good-byes were all but gibberish to him, although he recognized the word "tomorrow". So he'd be seeing her tomorrow. That was good. At least he had a time frame. He was naive to the rest....

---

December 19th 9:15 PM

BR-41N cleaned his whiskers, pondering.

She hadn't shown up today. Strange. "Tomorrow". She's said "tomorrow". Today was tomorrow. Why hadn't she come?

To his left, in a far corner of the room, someone sneezed in their cage. Brian frowned sadly. It was that hamster again. Whatever they'd given him had put him into a sneezing fit for an hour. Now and then he relapsed.

He yawned, stretched, and made for the food dispenser, when he suddenly heard a sharp click of a door being opened and abruptly snapped shut. He turned in the direction of the door. A light flicked on. Brian smiled.

Rachel's feet slid across the floor in haste. Instead of her usual student lab coat, she was decked out in her normal clothes, complete with backpack. Her hoodie was up, obscuring her hair, save for a few strands that stuck out here and there, as well as part of her face. She moved with purpose, albeit a little covertly, looking over her shoulder every now and then, as if expecting someone to grab her at any minute.

Set in a wall above the entrance to the room, a camera followed her. Rachel's eyes shifted at the sound as she moved towards Brian's cage. She knew she only had five, maybe ten, minutes at best.

Opening the cage door, she held her hand out for Brian to step onto. He hesitated. Something didn't smell right....

"Come on. We're busting you out of here, dude," Rachel whispered.

Brian cocked his head at her questioningly.

"Listen, they're going to put your through that splicer if we don't get you out of here, so come on."

There was an urgency in her voice that, despite his misgivings, compelled him to move forward. He trusted her too much by this point.

"Atta boy," she praised him, tucking him in her shirt pocket.

He peeked out, paws clutching at the edges of the pocket interestedly.

"Let's go," Rachel whispered, turning back to the door and stopping as she realized that someone was already standing there....

Framed in the metal doorway was a woman, thirty-five... maybe forty-something in age. Her arms were crossed, and the expression on her face seemed as taught and firm as the scrunchie tightening her poofy auburn hair. Her long lab coat was still settling; she must have only just gotten there. Rachel recognized this woman. Lana, her name was -- she was one of the head managers at the facility. Jackson had obviously tipped her off.

"Fancied a night stroll?" she asked, tone dripping with sarcasm.

Rachel remained frozen in place, a hand subconsciously cupping her shirt pocket. The gesture didn't go unnoticed.

"You know you're risking a lot for this. That's all your credits down the drain."

"He's worth it," Rachel answered, resolute.

"He's not. You take him and they'll just get another subject."

"At least I'll have saved this one."

"We'd still rather you not take an asset that's been reserved for months for this procedure," Lana nipped, taking a step forward.

Rachel took a step back. Her eyes shifted to a door to her left. It led to several other testing rooms and then back out into the main hallway. Some of the doors had security locks. It was the long way around, but if she was fast enough....

"Rachel...," Lana spoke, tone threatening as she advanced. "Put him down."

With each step Lana took towards her, Rachel moved two back. She could feel herself starting to perspire. Gosh, this was a stupid idea....

"Rachel...."

With a hand cupped over her shirt pocket, Rachel darted in the direction of the door, opening it up in a flash and slamming it shut behind her. Already she was racing for the opposite end of the room, where another door stood.

Brian jumped as an alarm went off, followed by red lights that flashed all throughout the facility. Rachel was already in the next room, her heart racing. She could hear the panicked footsteps behind her, mimicking her own, and hoped upon hope that she was faster than her pursuer.

Rachel picked up her pace as she entered the next room. This one, she knew, required an employee badge to open. All of the students had been given security badges, of course, primarily for general access to the entrance and main rooms. They worked on some doors in the facility. Some, but not all. She'd never been in these rooms. Privately, she prayed that they'd open for her.

Slamming her badge up against a wall panel, she bounced up and down on the balls of her feet nervously.

"Come on. Come oooon! Take it!!"

It did. The door unlocked, and she swung it open in haste to make for the next locked door, which also granted her entrance.

She was faster than Lana, but it didn't mean the woman wasn't hot on her heels. Brian shut his eyes tightly, huddling against Rachel's chest on the inside of her pocket as she darted about, her hand still cupping him securely. He knew, somehow, that this was about him. His ears rotated this way and that at the duo of clicking feet racing down the linoleum flooring. Who would win? Who was he most valuable to?

It wasn't until the fourth room that Rachel started to panic. Yet again, she'd reached a door asking for proof of access, except this time... her badge was not accepted. She shook the door handle feebly, knowing it wouldn't open; knowing this was the end of the line. Despite himself, Brian peeked out of the shirt pocket, just in time to see Lana as Rachel swiftly turned around to face the woman, who stood at the opposite end of the room, hair askew and chest heaving as she glared at Rachel and her tiny charge.

"You're persistent, I'll give you that," Lana huffed.

"Why do you need him?! Just let me take him and get another subject!" Rachel bit.

"We let you get away with it and you'll set a precedent! You know that!" Lana snapped right back. "And we don't want to waste any more time. We've spent too much money on this project."

"He's just a baby!"

"All of them are meant to be expendable! Hand him over!"

"No!"

Brian's ears flicked. Rachel held her breath. Was it just them, or did they hear... more footsteps?

"You won't have a choice," Lana said flatly, expressionless as she was joined by not one, not two, but five other lab hands, one of the them Jackson, all of them full-time personnel.

"Rachel.... Hand him over," Jackson said, holding out his hand expectantly.

Rachel glared daggers at him, even though she was fully aware of the impossibility of the situation. Like the mouse she was trying so hard to protect, she was trapped, her back against the wall, literally. They were going to take him. They were going to take him and there was nothing she could do about it....

"I told you not to do anything stupid," Jackson continued.

"Please...," Rachel pleaded, breathing heavily. "Please, let me take care of him. I'll train another in his place as compensation, I swear. Just... don't hurt him."

"And then you'll grow attached to that one and try and kidnap it. We've seen it before. You're not the first," Jackson reprimanded.

"Good," said Rachel. "I'm glad I'm not."

Privately, she wondered why she'd ever signed up for this in the first place. She wanted the degree. She wanted it badly. She also loved animals, and knew that following her passion came with sacrifices. What she hadn't counted on was how difficult it would be to accept that. It wasn't feasible, she realized. In fact, it was darn near impossible.

She looked down at the infant trembling in her pocket -- at this little creature that had captured her heart and locked it away, far away from any hopes and dreams of graduating in the medical field of her choosing. "He's not worth it," Lana had said. Was he not? Brian looked up at her, those glossy little eyes staring at her expectantly, trustingly. She smiled sadly at him and, for the last time, cuddled him close, before looking up at the troop across from her.

"If you want him, come and get him," she challenged. They weren't getting him without a fight.

And they rushed at her.

She tried to escape. Oh, she tried... and failed. They grabbed her by the arms as she wrestled against them, cheering Brian on as he somehow managed to escape from her pocket and slip underneath one of the shelving units in the room. But Lana caught him, Brian squeaking as his tail snagged between the beaker and the small metal panel she'd captured him with. He stared at Rachel, his desperate, panicked expression the last thing she saw before being knocked out.

-------

- Two Years Later -

The plan had failed. Rather spectacularly, he might add....

It was the first time in Brain's memory he could ever recall being caught red-handed by any of the personnel at Acme Labs. It was a miracle he and Pinky had managed to escape, but, despite his best attempts, they'd been separated in the process.

He made for a facility some yards away from the main laboratory, sweating as he squeezed under its front door and immediately hid under a cabinet to his right. Lights flashed now and again beyond the windows, desperate voices accompanying them as the scientists searched here and their for the escapees. Brain silently prayed that Pinky had somehow found a suitable hiding spot.

In his position under the cabinet, he backed up against the wall and slid down it, a paw clutching at his chest as he struggled to catch his breath. After a few seconds, he gulped, sniffed, and buried his face in his knees. Stupid. Stupid.... He'd jeopardized their whole mission. What if they'd captured Pinky? What would they do to him? And even if they did escape, where would they go? He'd ruined everything. Everything....

In his haste to remain undetected, he'd neglected to realize that this room... was not entirely devoid of life. It was a small area -- a security office, to be exact. Numerous monitors took up space on a desk, at which someone sat. They slid out of their chair and stepped over to Brain's hiding place. He noticed... and shivered.

Whatever, whomever, it was got down on their knees to peer at him from just outside the dresser.

"Hello...," they said.

It was a woman. Her voice was soft, and kind, but Brain turned his head away from her prying eyes. Typical. In an effort to not get caught he'd inevitably been ratted out. He immediately considered making a run for it, but, for some reason he couldn't explain, he didn't.

"Hey.... Shh. Shh. It's okay, little one. It's okay," cooed the woman. "You wanna come on out...?"

And she held out a hand to him. She didn't try to grab him, or scare him out. She simply... gave him a choice.

But it had been too long. He didn't recognize her, neither she him... until she noticed the tail. Then she knew.

"Brian...?" she breathed, eyes growing wide.

He stared at her, nonplussed, still shivering.

"Brian, it's me. Rachel," she beckoned, her hand still in place. But he didn't move. If anything, he frowned at her. "Brian"?

And she tried everything -- talking to him soothingly; offering him a treat from her pocket. Nothing worked. Brain simply hid his face once more, willing her to go away; to leave him be; to, hopefully, not report him to the authorities if they came to call.

Rachel sighed. She sat up for a moment, thinking, and blinked. Struck with a sudden idea, she rested her hands on her lap... and began to sing....

“La la lu, La la lu, Oh my little star sweeper, I'll sweep the star dust for you...“

Brain blinked... and lifted his head, ever so slowly....

“La la lu, La la lu, Little soft fluffy sleeper, Here comes a pink cloud for you...“

He stood up... and walked forward, right to the edge of the cabinet. She was still singing.

“La la lu, La la lu, Little wandering angel, Fold up your wings, Close your eyes...”

His mouth was fully open now, his round eyes glossy and getting ever shinier. He couldn't pull his gaze away from her face.

“La la lu, La la lu, And may love be your keeper...

La la lu, La la lu, La la lu....”

Rachel stared at him, smiling. He had completely stepped out from under the cabinet by now, his little body trembling slightly.

"Hello, little star sweeper," Rachel whispered to him.

Breath hitching, Brain ran onto her lap, up her shirt, and clutched tightly to her chest, only a second or two going by before he felt those familiar hands hold him gently, securely.

"Oh, Brian...," she choked, kissing his head. He didn't even flinch.

"Why didn't you come back?" he asked, unable to hold back his tears.

"I couldn't," she answered honestly. "But I was able to keep an eye on you from here."

He sniffed and pulled back a little to look around the room. It was, indeed, a security office, and a fairly high end one at that, decked out with all the works.

"I'm an artist now, but in my part time I take the night shift. They at least let me come back for that, probably 'cause Jackson and Lana are gone now," she chuckled softly. "I'm sorry I couldn't protect you this time...."

Brain looked up at her, suddenly understanding. All that time they'd never been caught; never been reported. All those months and years that the camera had simply turned a blind eye to their antics. He thought it was simply negligence. Now he knew why.

"Thank you...," Brain whispered. "And it's... Brain now."

"I know," she smiled. “I still watch tv, ya' know. I just still remember you as my 'Brian'. I'm sorry, Brain."

He couldn't help but smile. All this time....

"Come with me?" Rachel asked him.

"Where?"

"Back to my place. I'll hide you. You can have the guest room, if you'd like."

A sharp knock at the door startled them both, and she quickly ran to her desk, Brain in her hands. She lifted him up and under the desk.

"There's a hidden panel in the roof! Get in it!" she whispered to him urgently.

He found it, albeit with a little difficulty. He pushed at a little area that looked as if it had been cut into... and down shifted a small cubby in which she kept an assortment of odd bits and bobs that were probably not supposed to be in her possession -- special looking keys and badges, among other things. He slipped into it, and Rachel pushed it closed before walking over to answer the door....

Another barrage of bangs thundered at the entrance as Rachel opened it, a hand on her hip as she held the door ajar, doing her best to look as ticked off as possible.

"Sheesh! Gimme a minute to finish pouring my tea! Gosh...."

Outside stood two gentlemen, both in lab coats, looking frantic.

"Have you seen a mouse?" one of them said. He was taller and appeared to be the leader. "White. Large cranium. He was with a companion."

Rachel shrugged.

"Is that what you guys have been looking for?"

"You haven't seen them on your cameras?" the second man asked, panting a little.

Rachel shook her head.

"No, I haven't seen anything."

The men exchanged glances.

"We'd better search the place, just to make sure," the leader said, and without further ado they barged in and began searching every nook, cranny, drawer, and trash can they could. They failed to find the hidden cubby, however. "Can we ask you to roll back the footage?"

"Sure, but you're not gonna find anything," Rachel shrugged again.

They did as permitted, scrutinizing every bit of film captured within the last ten minutes. Although they managed to catch one or two glimpses of the mice leaving the lab, as expected, they couldn't find hair no hide of them on any other roll. Behind their backs, Rachel smirked. Smart little guy. Even on the run, he'd purposely made sure not to walk in the path of the cameras.

After several more minutes of scrutiny, they finally gave up, heading for the door in a huff.

"Sorry for your time. Report to us if you find anything," said the leader.

"No problem," Rachel said, shutting the door with a snap behind them and sighing deeply. Yeah, right..., she thought.

Going back to her desk, she pushed open the hidden cubby. It lowered down and Brain immediately jumped into her hand, breathing rather heavily.

"Sorry, little one," Rachel apologized. I can imagine it's pretty stuffy in there...."

He gave her a look, albeit not a very harsh one. He had no reason to complain.

She raised her hand, allowing him to jump up onto her shoulder.

"They'll be back later to go over more footage," Rachel warned, sitting down at her desk and leaning back in her chair.

"I know," Brain said, licking at his paws and smoothing out his frazzled fur.

Rachel jumped a little and stared at him.

"Heh. I forgot you guys talk now...."

"Is that a problem...?" Brain asked, a little nervously.

Rachel smiled.

"Not at all."

She reached out a hand to scratch at a spot behind his ears.

"What are you...? Ohhhh-ho-ho-ho...," Brain melted, reeling a little at first before giving way to a goofy smile and a thumping foot as he pressed into the touch.

"Still got that little sensitive spot, huh?" Rachel chuckled, her scratches evolving into a head massage.

Brain practically fell off her shoulder, Rachel catching him in her hands and raising him up to eye level, the better to get a good look at him. He cleared his throat, embarrassed. How demoralizing.... But Rachel simply beamed at him.

"You know... I really missed you."

"I... wish I could say the same...," Brain confessed, shuffling a foot. He imagined he had thought of her often, as an infant, but over time the memories simply... faded.

Rachel didn't look upset, though.

"I understand. It's okay. I still love you."

"I...," Brain began, then stopped. No. He couldn't bring himself to say it. Even with Pinky he couldn't ever admit such a thing, and he loved Pinky most of all.

"You don't have to say it. I know you do in your heart," Rachel said, and she kissed him tenderly on the top of his head.

His ears flattened as she did it, and he almost immediately smoothed out the area where she'd kissed him, but he couldn't hide the blush tickling his cheeks and ears. Her behavior was cheesy as all get out, but privately he knew she was right. He did care, even if he'd never admit it.

Just then, something, or... someone, slipped underneath the door. A white-furred, lanky somebody.

"Pinky!!" Brain yelped.

Brain leapt off of Rachel in a flash, landing hard on the floor and limping a little as he ran into Pinky's outstretched arms.

"Brain!!" Pinky shouted right back. "Oh, I thought I'd never see you again!!"

He twirled him around in a circle or two before Brain became aware of what he was doing and promptly pushed himself out of Pinky's grasp, clearing his throat, once again embarrassed.

"Y-Yes, well.... I'm... glad you're safe, Pinky," Brain replied awkwardly, patting his companion on the head.

"Ohhh! Who's this, Brain?" Pinky asked, pointing up at Rachel, who still sat in her computer chair, smiling down at them both.

"Umm.... Pinky, this is Rachel. She's... an old friend."

"Nice to meet you, Pinky! I've heard a lot about you. Well, maybe not heard, but... I've seen you guys on the tv a lot!" Rachel said, beaming.

"You have?!" Pinky gasped, clasping two paws to his face in surprise. "Did you hear that, Brain? We're famous!!"

"Pinky, we've been famous many times, all of them never lasting as long as I'd like...," Brain recollected.

"Well, yes, Brain, but never to a friend!"

Rachel smiled and leaned forward a little.

"I have a proposition for you guys."

"For both of us? Is that legal, Brain?" Pinky whispered to his cage mate, looking concerned, to which Brain facepalmed.

"Proposition, Pinky, not proposal."

"Ohhhhhhhhh. Well, that's different then, isn't it?" Pinky said, nodding eagerly to Rachel.

"How would you guys like to come room at my place? Just for as long as you need until you can get off your feet."

Once again, Pinky gasped excitedly.

"Can we, Brain?!"

"Well...," Brain pondered, hesitating. The offer, though generous, made him feel rather... helpless and awkward, as if he was intruding.

"You're welcome to any of the food and stuff. I've got havarti," she smirked.

Pinky gasped again.

"Oh, please, please, please, please, pleeeeaaaaase, Brain?!?" Pinky pleaded again.

"You're... sure you wouldn't mind?" Brain asked. "I'd hate to intrude...."

"My house is yours," Rachel said genuinely. "And it comes with a pool table," she added, winking at Pinky.

Pinky was doing his utmost to contain a squeal, biting his lip and practically bouncing up and down on the balls of his feet. Brain rolled his eyes.

"Oh, all right...," he relented.

"YAAAAAY!!" exclaimed Pinky, jumping into Rachel's outstretched hand, followed by Brain, as she lifted them up onto her shoulder.

"You'll have to hide in my backpack on the way to the car," she said. "The next guy is about to swap out with me."

And she pulled her backpack up from off the floor and plopped it onto the desk, opening it up. Pinky sprung off her shoulder as if it was a diving board, plunging into the depths of the backpack, which, by all accounts, wasn't very deep. Pinky didn't seem to mind, though. He had fun "swimming" around amongst the snacks, car keys, pencils, wallet, and little sketchpad all the same. Brain simply shook his head, unable to keep a smile off his face. What an idiot.

Rachel was as good as her word. They were given the guest bedroom, along with access to the rest of the house, food included. Provided they didn't draw too much attention to themselves, they were allowed to tinker and plan all they liked within the safety of the back room, and lie low they did, for Acme Labs was on the hunt for a good number of weeks before they gave up on finding them entirely.

Pinky was quite fond of the seemingly unlimited amount of cheese available in the fridge, along with the plethora of movies Rachel had at her disposal. He was often to be found in front of the television, and if he wasn't there he was by Brain's side almost constantly. Brain was most grateful for the space in which to concoct experiments and conjure up plans for world domination, although he had to improvise more often than not, seeing as he didn't have all of the lab's equipment at his beck and call anymore. It was something he sorely missed, but he couldn't say he minded the warm bed and good food that came with their new living quarters either. It was... nice.

Once in a blue moon (which ended up being once a month), Pinky would request Lady and the Tramp for movie night, not just because he liked it, but because of Brain's unusual reaction to it. He liked to watch him subconsciously lean up against Rachel as they sat next to her, eventually breaking down into a fit of silent tears as "La La Lu" danced around the room. Sometimes Rachel would pick him up, holding him close and massaging his head as he calmed against her chest. Oftentimes, Pinky would join them, cuddling up next to Brain as they nuzzled together in Rachel's warm hands.

"I love you, Brain," Pinky would mumble sweetly, giving him an extra squeeze.

"I love you, little one," whispered Rachel, petting him softly.

I love you, too, said Brain in his own little way, holding them both just a tiny bit tighter, a smile creeping its way up onto his face. It was nice, being loved....

~ I love you, too. ~

The End

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

The ending of this is meant to be sort of an alternate to Pinky, Elmyra, and the Brain. What if they'd ended up there after running away from Acme instead of at Elmyra's?

I didn’t realize until after writing this that it makes no sense for Rachel to be cool with Brain talking one minute, only to be surprised by it the next. It’s a glaring error on my part, but I left it in as a reminder to myself that I need to be more careful. Lol.

Technically, this whole thing is a self-insert, although the name of the girl is not my real name. It’s actually the cognomen of my very first rat. Ha-ha. But the personality of the character is me -- how I talk; act around animals; and most likely what I’d do if put into this situation. The exception is the chase scene. I don’t think I’d act that... panicked? Who knows, though....

This is kind of a way I show compassion for Brain, seeing as I cannot, of course, give him an actual hug. I love Brain more than any other fictional character I’ve ever had the pleasure of watching on screen. It’s not a romantic love or anything. Certainly not. It’s more... maternal. The desire to love and protect is strong. That combination of: individual with a tragic backstory + laboratory setting + main character who happens to be a mouse = the perfect concoction to turn my heart to mush. I owned rats for many years and have a great love for animals, and tend to get attached to certain fictional characters, so here you have the result. He’d be as averse as ever to physical affection, but if I could hold Brain in my hands, plant a kiss on his head, and tell him he’s loved. I would. Thank God for Pinky.