#THEM AS INDIVIDUALS ONLY BEING VISIBLE THROUGH THE PHONE

[natsmagi]

my thoughts on the new event by the way If u even care

text ID below

"hi is this where i go for when i need to let my insane ramblings out of my system. Well anyway im starting to think the point of the lost ballade shuffle is moreso these characters exorcising their past traumas. i dont know alot about yuzuru or niki so i cant really speak on them but for tsumugi rei and madara itd make sense since the lyrics of the song seems to imply that They are the lost children. they are the lost children who have endured all this hardships. rei, tsumugi, madara and yuzuru had rather abusive and dehumanizing upbringings (again idk niki lore</3). theyre lost children robbed off their lives. i wonder if their scenes when the spirits came loose showcases how they coped about it in a way too? like mama is seen interacting with many of the members, which is fitting considering his whole deal being related to "having connections," since his family followed the shinkai cult and made the wishes come true. tsumugi seems alot more lonely, carrying his weight by himself to the point where it seems his body is beginning to give out. which is consistent with tsumugis character and how he often self-sacrifices and doesnt let others in much. rei seems alot more grand, focusing on the bigger picture and not himself, analyzing the situation to better know how to approach. such as him looking at the tomb thing with a more calculative gaze, and then giving that same look to the radio tower, implying that maybe thats whats been causing all of this. this is also consistent with reis character in how hes viewed by many as a savior. a prodigy that can fix everyones struggles, without stopping to view rei as his own individual the song itself feels very much like. People who are clinging to bad habits. wandering around aimlessly because with how they were raised this is all they know. never telling anyone of their hardships. never letting anyone in. completely isolating themselves, because the people who were meant to raise them never taught them how to live, so all they know is "watching over the world" and then in the end they exorcised themselves of their pasts, not letting that define them anymore. u can see it esp w tsumugi in how, minus the hush towards the camera, he never once smiled during the mv until the purified spirits were floating around him like hes finally at peace im so normal about this i swear"

[tanglepelt]

A bats eye view

AO3  Master next

why Tm was following Ellie and Danny and his perspective of the events of umm Im an ambassador.

***

The government can’t be trusted. All the bats know this.

Always dipping their hands into things. Taking kids such as Ace to test and study. Then the whole start of Project Cadmus. Cloning supers as a fallback plan is a bit much.  Granted he did get one of his closest friends from it.

Three days ago, a new act was proposed. The anti-ecto acts. Passing an hour after an explosion in a small town. The act included a new agency. One that had to have been active for a while. They were too set up and organized to only be a few hours old.

Tim can’t even find it hard to believe there was another secret branch of the government.  There would be no surprise if there were more. It's just how the government played the game. One that must have been formed recently. A whole gimmick of pure white. Not practical at all.

Here he was dealing with these agents, ensuring to take them down in secret. Knocking them out from behind the blame would go to the two the agents were chasing. Those in white saw the girl grab a cane to knock one out. It wouldn’t be too farfetched. He Just needed to buy time for two without anyone realizing. Neither the government nor the other party needed to know.

Laws are just a suggestion anyways.

Where would they be if some never got broken? Especially when it’s directed at an entire species. A species with only biased papers by some quack job so-called scientists. Anyone with a brain could see that research had no backing. All theoretical and hadn't been updated in years.

An entire act dedicated to claiming “ghosts” otherwise known as ecto-entities were non sapient and ripe for the picking. Lab rats had more rights than them. A whole entire species was allowed to be picked off and taken. No repercussions to experimenting on them with the approval for the government to simply eradicate them when no longer in use. The same was true of ecto-contaminated individuals. Just an excuse to “study” a new group.

The act was only introduced three days ago. The bats and league knew for two, it hadn’t been enough time to even release a statement.

In just three days the act passed through. Just in time for the hunt, he interrupted. The explosion had to be the reason they were pushed through so suddenly. It had to do with the two who just vacated. Both were prime adoption bait, the boy was only 15 and the girl looked to be around Damian’s age.

The same one Cass saw melting all those months ago.

The same one who had started to melt? Turn into goo? Into the floor of some alleyway.

Cass ignored her mission that day when she first spotted the girl. She had her eyes on the girl since that morning, apparently, she was reckless and had no tact. At one point that day, she had seen the girl transform from white hair green eyes otherworldly being into a human. Black hair and blue eyes. Their first thought was some alien or meta. He saw some of her body cam footage, only what Cass let them see.  How her eyes had glowed Lazarus green, and her foot slowly started to liquefy. Even from the distance with Cass on a roof, you could see the fear her face held. Whatever melting that was going on was not meant to be happening. Cass fully intended to go and help the girl. Following her from the shadows only for a phone call. They couldn’t hear the conversation from the cam. The distance to great and if Cass did hear it, she wasn’t saying.

While the girl was on the phone the alley exploded into light. Green-tinted light. So much like the pits but so different. It was a pure green glow. A swirling portal right before the girl. One where a white-haired teen bearing a crown of ice stepped out. Not much of the face was visible covered by a green glow from his eyes and the portal. Wearing what could only be described as medieval royal attire. A full cloak one that seemed to hold galaxies underneath. Otherworldly.

A powerful being according to Cass.

The portal closed behind him the minute he rushed back through.

If this was an ecto-entity the government was after. The footage from the cam alone would prove the biased nature of the acts.  

They only got around the meta-human protection acts with a loophole. The “human” in the act was always a wider range of beings. Often covering more than just humans. Claiming the ghost did not count as they were only an embodiment of emotions. No pain and no sentience. Only fueled by past experiences from their prior life. These ecto-entities could not care for anyone but themselves leaving destruction in their wake.

A single video could prove it wrong. There is no faking the way he rushed to the girl. Add in the fact that the girl clearly called for help and then received the help.

That girl at the very least had unique thoughts. There is even evidence of her traveling around the globe, with completely different activities wherever she was. The girl clearly called for help to get it in a rush. If they were only remnants of the past, why would he help the girl?

The same girl who was ejected from the vehicle fleeing fled the scene. She and the boy both go invisible starting with the girl. The girl was likely the culprit for that power set. They knew the boy was Daniel Fenton, an article about the purple humpback gorilla being female had his name and photo. The girl just didn’t exist. She looked nearly identical to the boy from the camera footage Barbara commandeered. Danny’s only sibling a Jasmine Fenton who was attending Gotham U for a degree in Psychology.

It had to be connected. FentonWorks went up taking out three full blocks. Whatever had been in that building was toxic and radioactive. Enough contamination to set off the league's system. That whole town should have been evacuated. Whatever substance had leaked out couldn’t be good for them. The townsfolk based on their social media that suddenly blew up hadn’t even seemed surprised. Just talking about how FentonWorks blew up this time. Not just the basement but the house itself. This town just full-on accepted mad scientists blowing things up in their town. Not a single person in that town even seemed to bat an eye. The league had offered to help in evacuating the civilians. Even without the sensors, the explosion was trending. The explosion was well-known at this point and a whole bunch of old posts from this town were exploding. Including one about a hot dog revolution. Something big was up in Amity Park.

The government said the league had no business in Amity. The site was contained, and no help was necessary.  The building was one working with the government under some weapons contract. For some anti-ecto weapons a contract that was only signed three hours prior.

Despite the reading, and the explosion there was no contamination in the air. The three blocks around the building didn’t have any residents. So there was no need for any evacuation. There had been no signs of life prior to the explosion.  The town was just fine.

Yea. They didn’t buy that for one second. Giant red flag if he’s ever seen one.

With the acts looming then pushed through within hours of the explosions. The government was trying to keep quiet and get what it wanted done. The acts passed with not a peep. No politician had spoken for or against it online.

The league had directly been told not to intervene so it couldn’t be visibly seen going against government orders. They weren’t lawmakers and couldn’t just declare something illegal. The league would have to play by the rules and laws officially.

A carefully planned statement would be pushed out far sooner than anticipated. When the acts were first out on the floor the league did its homework. Bruce spends time going through the acts and the biased papers supporting them. Carefully worded address being made.

The league had wanted both sides. To supply evidence to the public of why it was wrong. Even if all did was bring attention to the morally wrong acts. Tim doubted any average person in America knew the acts even existed. He’d even bet most had not a clue of them. If they were to be released to the public, it had to be done right. Evidence and support against it. The plan had been to put pressure on the politicians to ensure they would vote against it. Election season was coming up. That didn't happen Well, now they would just make them regret their votes.

How often had aliens attacked? Would the public really be okay with declaring essentially a war on a species? Would other countries? The actions of the United States were theirs alone. No other country had anything like it even pending. These acts could… would put America into the spotlight.

These entities seemed capable of opening portals into their world with no issues. The invisibility and capacity of flight were known powers of at least the girl. You could see the power even just the one had.

Even the JLD was planning to speak out against the acts.

Now since the league couldn’t just act on the explosions or investigate the unknown threat and the odd town. No visible member could be seen working the case.

The bats, however. Well, they wouldn’t be caught or seen. They worked from the shadows.

Dick and the demon got sent off to Illinois. To try and get a sample of whatever set of the league's radar. It was radioactive but didn’t pop up on any database they had access to. Of course, also to scope of this Amity Park as well. Even with the government around they shouldn’t have any issues gathering any necessary information. See what the town that stemmed the act's narrative was. It only took them 10 minutes in that town to give their first message. One that set off a ticking time bomb with no known detonation.

Agents had been discussing retrieving their specimens. A humanoid specimen one clarifying to the other that it wasn’t an animal ghost. Indicating they already had touched these ecto-entities despite the act only just passing. That they had bought a child ghost from the Fenton’s. That they wouldn’t let this one escape as all the previous specimens had.  As soon as they retrieved it, they could study it. The word dissection popping up.

Barbara was already in the servers. The group apparently had little security in the database. The agency had been split into two main groups. Both to hunt for the ecto entity. One via tracker and the other following whatever an ecto signature was. One was headed by an Agent O the other by Agent K. Tim got sent after one of the groups to follow Steph a separate group.

Tim was the one who was heading towards Ohio, following the agent's signal to the exploded vehicle. The agents had been tracking them, and one of the devices had been left behind. Hence how he ended up at the truck stop.

Steph ended up heading toward Wisconsin.

The two in amity remained to continue the investigation and make sure the group didn’t have any other specimens. Who knows who they may grab? Bruce and Cass were staying in Gotham. Bruce was in contact with the league figuring out how to rush a statement out with the out loading any necessary information. Cass was on standby for patrol that night 

It was thanks to Cass they immediately got an alert when the girl became a wanted criminal.

Cass had been looking into the mystery child since the alleyway. Just to make sure she had been okay. Even going as far as to set up her face in the database. If she popped up anywhere on social media or a police database she’d know.

Only within the last three months, she had reappeared, being seen by members of the league. She had never stopped to talk to them only ever taking a second look. According to reports she seemed to debate talking to Martian manhunter earlier this week before disappearing into the ground. He had wondered if Cass was going to pull a Bruce.

Then the GIW sent out an official notice to local agencies as soon as the acts passed. One with the girl's face and an order to call them immediately if she is seen. To police stations a missing child report on both. To government agencies, one claimed the girl is mind-controlling Daniel Fenton and caused the explosion. The warrant wasn’t released to the public.

This girl was the one picked up by a being in a crown. The one who looked like a royal. It could have just been a fashion statement. He wasn’t one to rely on luck. She was likely to contact another entity for help as soon as they weren’t being chased down.

The “mind-controlled” boy may very well be with a friend or family member of the ghost's equivalent or royalty. Daniel who pushed down a display rack and seemed to lead the escape. The one who planned the escape in the aisle of a truck stop.No obvious signs of mind control. No glowing eyes or any type of resistance in his body. It all seemed natural and genuine. They couldn’t rule it out. Of course, they couldn’t. Mind control was all too common always causing problems. Tim didn’t think it was the case.

His bet is Daniel is helping her escape from the GIW and his own parents.

Now he was sure Bruce was going to pull a Bruce.

Two back haired blue eyes prime adoption bait seemingly running from the government. One doing his best to help the younger. Going against his own parents and willingly against the government. Jack and Maddie Fenton were the ones who wrote the biased reports. The girl was a confirmed ecto-entity from the warrant. Daniel had to know it as well, there had been no inclination of surprise with any of the powers used so far. Actively disagreeing considering he had been driving the stolen craft in the footage retrieved from Agent O’s vehicle. It had been uploaded into the database Barbara was currently inside.

With all the agents now knocked out it was time to move on. Get rid of the footage in the truck stop, de-arm the agents, and proceed to follow the two escapes. Now the acts only applied inside of the United States so it's possible they would just leave the country. That would at least buy them time to deal with the acts. That would make it harder to protect either of them. Extradition could still occur depending on which country they hid in. Add in that Daniel Fenton was a minor who would have a missing persons report, which could cause additional problems.

It was also possible that they were heading to Gotham University, where his sister attended.

The direction they were heading made him think that was where the duo was heading. The first part of the journey was quick only to then be moved to a snail’s pace. At that point, Steph had warned her group split up into two, one heading toward him.

When they got into Gotham all hell broke loose.

He met up with Bruce and Cass before heading back toward the duo. For them to be surrounded by men in white and the Fenton’s in their blue and orange suits. The girl was in fact royalty. Cass confirmed he hadn’t been lying when warning that they were messing with the afterlife. The government bought and was planning to study and experiment on the princess of those entities. The same one currently on the ground flower petals glowing around her the cause of the problem.

Yea. No.

All it took was some hand signals to jump into action. Bruce those behind, Cass to grab the girl and then he’d start with the front. The agents were under-trained and easy to take down. Only Maddie Fenton put up a fight before going down. This leads to the next problem.

They were complete unknowns. No recognition of their hero names when Cass spoke to them, and he had to explain what the justice league even was. Was that town in Amity so remote news of them just didn’t exist? The alien invasions or attacks on the world. Did it all really go unnoticed by them?

They were unknowns and the kid was panicking, trying to keep the princess, apparently his sister, away from them as much as possible. The alleyway had dropped in temperature as soon as he grabbed her, and his speech only grew more panicky and angrier. His eyes started to glow just a tad too bright and tinted green. A meta, contaminated, or even an ecto-entity, one of those had to apply to him.

 Cass had already started collecting petals and containing them. Without anyone even saying a word. Even with the girl out of range them being taken away in full hopefully could drop some of the tension.

Something had to happen. The conversation only managed to get worse.

my sister. The princess of the infinite realms was strapped down in a basement. Having had blood taken from her then sold off like an animal to the US government.

Yea, that tracks. The government would do it, obviously, it had. They saw the proof in the database. All this did was make it worse, it wasn’t just an entity. She was a princess and had already been picked up by one in a crown before. Which made it very plausible he was protective of her. Even before she was smuggled away from the building tests had been done.

Souls of doomed universe serving under the previous tyrant. Turned to skeletons as death was cut off from them. Death is mercy.

That... That was knowledge to handle later.

Pariah was dethroned and a new king took the throne.

Likely the tyrant who doomed entire universes. How did he get dethroned? Was it passed down by lineage? A trial? Death? Too many possibilities.

I’ve been playing peacekeeper for the last year. It’s gone too far. This was a direct attack. With those acts now passed there isn’t much I can do

If Cass hadn’t nodded at them, he doesn’t think he’d believe what he heard. A 15-year-old had been preventing the end of this universe. For the last year and no one noticed. It had to have been contained to Amity Park. A full year…

Year?  Wait a second.

The acts were only introduced three days ago. If he has been playing peacekeeper for the last year, why were they only introduced? Was them finally getting a citizen of that realm that set it off? But they didn’t have her when it was introduced. Did they have intentions of nabbing a different one after they passed? If the acts hadn’t passed when they had her technically the government went against the meta-human acts. There was no loophole saying ecto-entities didn’t pass. By all rights the last year they should have been protected. If the beings were attacking and the agents protecting civilians, then it wouldn’t matter. If the agents were doing it without cause, no warrants, and no acts then they were in the wrong.

Admits his thoughts Tim didn’t fail to miss the way Daniel rubbed the ground. The same motion. Nothing was happening.

If a person in any universe messes with the realm they have every right to cut it off. What’s one universe in the name of all the other infinite ones?

This insinuates the earth meddled first. That they messed with the infinite realm. Somehow disturbing it within the last year. Was it the government poking and prodding around to start. Or was this why the Fenton’s suddenly had a weapons contract? They were the ones to sell off the girl. Is that why their son got so directly involved in the mess?

He was still rubbing a circle on the ground. He knew they were all on guard just in case something came out at them.

Was he trying to summon one of the ecto-entities? He must be missing a component. The talking could just be a way to “distract” the three. To ensure he could finish the potential summoning. He claimed to be able to summon at least three. The circle he kept drawing on the ground was the same one. No attempts at any other. Even if it was just a distraction, they were getting useful information.

Cass had already finished gathering the flowers. Handing them off to Bruce. Letting him rant and rave may be the best bet to getting him calmer. Still, they needed form some way to get any bit of trust. Even the smallest amount would do. Something that could open the lines of communication. Cass had already gone to her utility belt. She must have come up with something.

The last thing they needed was for Maddie Fenton to wake up. Then immediately accuse the main reason nothing has happened. Of lying. Cass was already about to re-knock her out. Not before getting something that connected a few of the dots.

He’s a Fenton we don’t associate with ghosts, we hunt them.

That must be how he got tangled up.  Maybe getting caught up in a hunt and running into a ghost. Maddie claimed we hunt them. Could it be he started out hunting the ghosts and then realized they weren’t that bad? Or did his too-bright eyes and how the alleyway got colder come into play first? Something changed him forcing him to think away from his parents’ biased beliefs. She implies they fully believed their child held the same beliefs. This also implies everyone in the family hunted ghosts. The sister Jasmine left for Gotham. Nowhere near the ghosts.

He didn’t think either child agreed with them.

The anger and scoff let out with his response made it clear that was the case at least for him.

I’ve been the one actively sabotaging your weapons for over a year, not to mention the so-called specimen that have escaped.

Jack and Maddie had to have started this mess. Capturing specimens and making weapons. Both being sabotaged by their son. The girl his supposed sister didn’t come from Jack and Maddie. She had a known transformation; she was a confirmed ecto entity. Did he rescue her? Is that how he knows her? Afterward just deciding that she was family now. It would explain why she was traveling. Her first confirmed location was with Cass in Hong Kong. Then she popped up in several states and countries within the last three months. She wouldn’t have been able to stay in amity.

It was only as Maddie’s face had gone up in rage did Cass knock her out. Restraining her this Time. Cass then rolled the chalk at the duo. Telling them to summon his friend.

And he did.

The same green glow from the portal in Hong Kong. This time turning blue. The already fridged air plummeted even farther. A yeti? Materialized. Ice horns, a blue cape, and an ice arm. Barley looking the three of them until he simply flicked a wrist.

An ice wall formed around the duo. Blocking them from sight.  

He’d wager this was Frostbite.

Cass took this moment to relay a message.

“He doesn’t want to make the call, any way out he’ll take it.”

Bruce was no doubt informing the league and the others of the mess they were in. An attack on an apparent princess, beings who could open portals, and the fact if what they say is true there wouldn’t even be a fight. Any weapons wouldn’t even matter. Just no more afterlife.

Then a yeti showed up.

Proof that at least something he said was a fact. Cass had been softly indicating he was telling the truth for the bulk of the conversation. That or he had just believed it to be true. Still, an actual event happening in front of them to prove at least one aspect was of great help.

The ice wall lowered. For the yeti to address the duo.

too risky for her in the realm... forged through ectoplasm, she is still human even if only half. Recovery would be best suited for this realm.

Half human? Forged through ectoplasm. Both Daniel and who he believes is Frostbite has confirmed she is his sister. All official documents only had Jasmine as an older sister. No other children are mentioned anywhere for either Fenton’s. Forging implies something being made. Was this girl made from a test tube? A clone situation?

Either way, they had some time to figure something out. It was best for her to recover in this realm. Not back in the infinite realms. Everything said and done here just leads to more questions. More things added to his ever-growing list of future research projects. There wasn’t time to dwell. The three of them were being addressed by the yeti.

Should the problems for them continue, expect it tenfold in this realm. The sun does not shine brightly on those against us. Listen to the boy.

That statement backs the talks of the previous doomed universes. Not to mention the whole royalty aspect. Listen to the boy, sounds like he’s going to have some political power. Maybe a prince, he did claim his sister was the princess.

With that, a mark was made on the circle used to summon the yeti and he was gone.

The minute Bruce mentioned a way to start to fix the mess he had jumped on it. None of them even seemed unreasonable. No demands for the world to bow down to the infinite realm. No immediate demands of execution. No being forced to live as Skeletons either.

Just consequences for people’s own actions. Given the very little he has heard about the infinite realm, really it was a problem for Jack and Maddie Fenton. They decided to catch and then sell a full-on person. That’s on them.  The acts getting abolished were already set in motion so that was nice. It did appear that Bruce couldn’t pull his typical adoption stunt. They already had a preselected guardian in mind.

Those four things would at least ensure the afterlife didn’t get cut off. Plus, they now knew the realm had a council and royalty. He just had to probe just a little. Try and see where Daniel stands in the hierarchy.

Umm… I’m.. an Ambassador?

He stumbled for that answer. He didn’t even need to ask Cass. This kid was absolutely lying.

No one was going to acknowledge it. Better just to let him hold the belief the lie was bought. No need to make him any more nervous or scared. As it was, he was still holding his sister against the wall pushed back as much as he could be. Just eyeing them nervously.

Three was a crowd when you’ve just been chased by a government agency.

Cass had already started to ensure the agents were still knocked out and restrained.

Bruce then approached the duo as Damian did with stray cats. Slowly and keeping an easy way out. Then broke down two options. Carefully crafted, leaving the country, or going into space into the watchtower. Definitely not pushing the conversation toward the watchtower after seeing the slight look of awe when space had been brought up. The only argument was that he wanted to go to his sister.

That only got him, and Cass sent off to find Jazz Fenton at Gotham U. While Bruce was going to stay behind until Danielle woke up. Then Bruce would escort Danny and his sister to the tower and arrange talks.

Even if Bruce couldn’t adopt the two on paper, he and Cass should give a heads-up to the others. It was only a matter of time until they were at a family dinner.

Tagging ppl:

if people who wanted to be updated on all future ones don't want to anymore let me know.

@kisatamao @lizz-blizt

@ivymala07 @perfectwastelandcreation @imgonnaeatthatglitter

[mindl3sssoul]

Fluttering Love

“I don't feel lonely when I see her

Even my sad emotions disappear far away, She's my fairy of shampoo

I will love you now.”

་༘࿐Summary: where Yuuta unexpectedly falls in love with you, who illuminates his world and transforms his life with your presence.

✧this is based from the song fairy of shampoo by dosii!

Word count: 788 words

Reader's gender is unspecified!

Prologue

School year just started 4 months ago, you've made some friends along the way, most of your friends are popular among the students, although you were not that much fond of it.

Fame was never your problem, you disliked it. You want to maintain yourself as a normal student, not a famous one nor an unrelevant individual.

You sat at your chair like as always, your friends kept pestering you about your love life. You never had any interest on someone, most of your friends already has their significant other. You can't help but just stare at them being sweet to each other, finding yourself making a weirded out expression, despite the stirring heavy feeling down your heart.

The other day, rumors scattered all over the school about a new transferee, you didn't mind it. You just ignored it, but your mind can't help but wonder about it, you thought again, that it's best to not let your curiosity get to it.

Just as usual, you went to your classroom, met with the warm atmosphere and the laughter of your classmates with their banters. You sighed, used to the noise as months passes by.

You head to your desk and chair, placing down your school bag on the side, fixing your uniform before sitting down comfortably. You took out your phone, putting your headphones on to distract and reduce the noises around you. Playing fairy of shampoo by dosii. It is always a classic, a song you adored, that you can never get tired of.

Mindlessly scrolling to social media, giggling to yourself everytime you pass by a meme, about a toilet with head. You could only wish you had someone to share them to, but oh well you were akward as hell, you stutter at your own words sometimes which makes you wanna rip your hair off your head.

Time passed by and the class is about to begin, stuffing your phone back to your uniform's pocket. You sighed, preparing to listen to another hour of your teacher's yapping session.

You never really paid attention when your teacher entered the room, but your head rose up, the word transferee ringing through your ears. You averted your gaze from your teacher to the boy standing infront, noticing his every movement, fiddling with the hem of his shirt nervously, dark circles visible on his undereye, it almost looked like he was blushing because of how it almost reached his cheeks.

Your teacher finally spoke which brought you back into your senses, you haven't realized you've been staring at him for a whole minute, analyzing him like you're a professional detective.

"Alright class, before we start an another lesson, let your new classmate introduce himself first."

The guy infront a little when he heard the loud voice, staying quiet for awhile, trying to ease his anxiety. He sighed shakily before hesitating to speak and introduce himself.

"I.. I'm Okkotsu Yuta, It's nice to meet you all and.. ehh.. I hope.. we get all along..?"

He sounded like he was on the verge of breaking down infront, averting his eyes immediately from the audience, back to staring in the floor again. You can't help but click your tounge on the roof of your mouth, looking outside the window to distract yourself a little bit, but you can't help but wander back to think about the guy. Then, your teacher spoke once again.

"Then, you may take a sit Okkotsu, beside that student."

Your own teacher pointed at your direction, feeling betrayed when he didn't call you by your own name. Cursing him on your mind

"Yeah this is why your hair is almost looking like a crater of a volcano."

"And for your information you can still say my name and point at me! Its [name]! I'm definitely gonna sue you."

You mumbled all to yourself, frustration etched on for features a little, you didn't even realized that the boy was already sitting beside you, keeping a comfortable distance between you two. You eye him from the side, not wanting to turn your gaze directly at him. You have his gaze, but turned away immediately when he sensed you staring at him from the side, his cheeks flushing a light red hue.

A bead of sweat rolled down your cheeks, both from the akwardness and the warm weather, even though it's still spring. You gather the courage to speak, to introduce yourself, to at least lessen the akwardness.

Clearing your throat, which definitely caught his attention, you hoped you won't stutter or embarass yourself randomly this time, if you did, for sure you're definitely going to rip all of your hair out.

a/n: This is the first fic I wrote, English is not my first language so please bear with me! I'll try to update this as soon as possible!

[gracev0609]

Giving & Receiving

A Josh X Danny X Reader story.

Warnings: MINORS DNI 18+ ONLY, Polyamorous couple, m/m, f/m, explicit sexual material, possessiveness, angst, pregnancy, breeding, asshole Danny, angelbaby Josh.

You'll laugh, you'll cry, and you'll get horny 😉

This can be read individually, but some things mentioned are referencing previous fics. The timeline is in order on my pinned post if you want to catch up.

Word Count: 7K+

You sat in the middle seat of the back of the rental truck conversing with Danny behind the wheel and Josh in the passenger seat. The three of you were on a trek from the airport to their hometown of Frankenmuth Michigan, travel had made you weary in the pre holiday bustle, but you were excited to meet your boys families. You knew the Kiszka's and the Wagner's were accepting of your relationship and that helped to calm your nerves.

Danny made the final turn off the highway and into the eccentric little Bavarian town of Frankenmuth. You stared in awe out the window as you saw snow covered shops adorned with Christmas lights, fully ready for the season as we were just a few days away from Thanksgiving. 

A series of text messages came up on the screen that is connected to Danny's phone interrupting the playlist you had been listening to.

"Oh, it looks like my sister is demanding that I get dinner with her tonight. She says it's urgent that we catch up." Danny said with a chuckle," Is that okay with you guys?" He asked, peering over his shoulder between you and Josh.

"Of course it's okay babe, go hang out with her. Don't worry about us. Just have a fun time." You said reaching out and touching his shoulder. Nodding your head towards Josh," I'm sure his family will keep us plenty entertained."

Danny let out a curt laugh, knowing all too well that you were correct, before tapping the message reply button on the screen," Sounds great! We're just getting into town now. Be at Mom and Dad's in about 30. "

Danny pulled the truck into a gravel driveway a little ways out of town. White string lights were wrapped around the wooden porch, along with a lit garland hung above the red front door. A light blanket of snow covering the rooftop visible in the dwindling light. Josh's childhood home looked like something out of a Hallmark movie. 

Josh turned around to face you in his seat, " Welcome to the Kiszka household." A goofy grin spread on his face.

Quickly he jumped out of the truck and opened the door for you as Danny went to the bed and started unloading your suitcases. The three of you followed the pathway up to the front door, snow crunching under your shoes. Josh found the correct key on his keychain and unlocked the front door, " Mom! We're here!" He called into the foyer. Josh slid his vans off and disappeared down the hallway leaving you not knowing where to go and Danny with the suitcases. 

You heard a woman's voice call out," All of my boys under one roof again!"

You turned to Danny and gave him a timid smile, your nerves amping up. 

You heard the same voice ask," Where's Danny and Y/N?"

You followed Danny further into the house, holding onto the hem of his sweater.

You found them in the kitchen, a woman with grey hair embraced Danny first, squeezing her arms around him and swaying him back and forth despite being almost half his height. After welcoming Daniel she turned to you," And you must be Y/N. I'm Karen, it's so nice to finally meet you. I'm so happy that you make my baby happy." She turns her head towards Danny," I'm happy that you both do."

Danny told her that he was just dropping off his things and that he'll be back later this evening, he gave you and Josh a quick kiss goodbye before making his way back through the house.

Jake and Sam make their way down the steps as Karen puts a hot mug of coffee in front of you and Josh. Jake dramatically flops down on the kitchen chair next to Josh, obviously comfortable in his mother's home. 

"Just so you know, I've already claimed our room so you guys can stay on the pull out couch in the basement." 

Sam chimes in," Yeah, keep you far away from the rest of us so we don't have to hear-"

" Samuel, for the love of God, and your mother's sanity, don't finish that sentence." Karen interrupts while adding cream to her cup of coffee.

" Okay! Okay. But Joshisloud!" Sam rushed out, eager to embarrass his older brother.

"Jesus Christ Sam!" Josh exclaims cheeks reddening.

Karen takes a sip of her coffee," That's definitely something I didn't need to know."

Josh gets up from the kitchen table," On that note, I'm going to take our suitcases downstairs."

You stand to join him, grabbing your bags and following him to the doorway near the steps. He opens the basement door and clicks on the light as you follow him down the carpeted stairs. Thankfully the basement is finished and warm. You look around the room noting the posters of musicians, bands, and Greta Van Fleet. There are a few instruments in stands in one corner and amplifiers in the other. Across from a big thick flat screen TV, clearly the latest technology from the 2000s, sat a large comfortable looking sofa. Josh set the suitcases down near the amps and went over to the couch easily and successfully flipping it out into a pull out bed. He must have done it thousands of times over the years. Your eyes followed him over to a closet you hadn't yet noticed and he pulled out pillows and blankets and a large comforter. He plopped the linens onto the bed and you grabbed the sheets helping him make up the bed. 

"You know sweetie, I'm not the only one who has a set of lungs," Josh said, fluffing the pillow in his hands," you're not so good at being quiet either."

He set the pillow down grabbing the next one to fluff. " You're probably going to need to bite down on something, aren't you baby?"

A blush crept onto your face," Oh? So you think we're having sex in your parents house? What makes you so sure?"

Josh comes around to your side of the bed and wraps his arms around your waist, his hands sliding down to grip your ass," We'll, for one I find you absolutely irresistible." He nuzzled into the crook of your neck, his plush lips leaving wet kisses making your heart beat faster and a pulse form in between your legs. 

A choked moan slips out between your lips," And for two?"

He drags his tongue across the sensitive skin right below your ear lobe. 

He rasps in your ear," I can't think of another reason right now baby. Please just let me have you. I haven't had you to myself in so long. Please?"

Nodding your head, your hands find the button on his pants. He lets you fumble for a moment in your haste before he pops the button open for you. Eagerly you slide the zipper down and push the fabric down his hips revealing his already hard cock. He quickly steps out of his clothes and grabs at the spandex fabric of your leggings at your hips, fluidly pulling them from your body. Keeping your tops on to accentuate the haste of your quickie. 

"Gonna have to be quick baby, lay down on the edge of the bed, on your back. I need to taste you." He tells you, guiding you back onto the springy mattress. It creaks under your weight, and your eyes widen knowing that even if the both of you keep quiet, the mattress will surely give you away. 

Josh drops to his knees and pushes your legs wide, spreading you out for him to feast upon. 

You watch his eyes darken as they study your dripping core. 

"All for me lover?" A smirk adorns his mouth. Knowing his words have a double meaning tonight.

"Yeah Joshy, all for you- oh!" You suck in a breath as his warm tongue laps through your folds. You lean back further down onto your elbows and you groan. Josh disconnects from your heat and sits up. His hair is a little wild, and his eyes glassy. He simply raises a single finger in front of his mouth that's glistening from your arousal in the low light as if to shush you. You mutter a soft sorry and he dives back down in between your legs. Taking a grounding deep breath as you lay the rest of the way back onto the mattress and he continues to devour you. The knot in your stomach is quickly getting ready to snap, Josh continues to moan into your heat sending vibrations through your clit. In your haze you notice his arm moving and you realize that he can't help but touch himself as his face is buried in your pussy. You knot your fingers in his curls and yank his head up, and he lets out a pitchy whine," Josh, please, just fuck me already. I need it."

" Okay. Yeah, uh. Here stand up and lean down onto the bed to brace yourself. Hopefully it won't squeak too much." He says as you stand in front of him, he pushes you roughly in between the shoulder blades down towards the mattress. Josh grips his painfully hard cock in his hand and runs the velvety head through your wetness. Simultaneously you both groan at the feeling. After a bit of teasing he finds your entrance and slowly eases in, inch by inch letting you feel all of him. 

A sigh erupts from his chest.

" Pussy's so tight." Josh mutters through gritted teeth.

His hips find a pace just brutal enough to make you squirm, and the knot in your stomach tightens.

"Josh, I'm close." You pant. 

He runs the palm of his hand down your spine," I know baby, I can feel it. Let it go, I've got you. I promise I've got you."

"Josh!" You cry into the pillow at your face.

"Cum Y/N."

Your eyes roll back into your skull as the waves of pleasure crash upon your body. 

" There you go baby, such a good girl. So beautiful. So perfect." He whispers, continuing to fuck you through it. 

As you recover from your orgasm Josh begins to chase his own, his hands find purchase on your hips. His dull nails digging into the sensitive flesh. 

" Your pussys so perfect Y/N. Fuck, let me make it mine baby." He weaves his hand into your hair and pulls you up against his chest. He growls into your ear," Who's pussy is it baby?"

" Yours"

"That's right. Mine. Take it baby, let me fill you up. Fuck, fuck here you go."

You wail loudly and his hand flies to your mouth, successfully shutting you up. You bite down on the fleshy part of his hand in between his thumb and pointer finger, screaming into his palm. 

His hips stutter and you feel his warmth coat your insides. You stand there for a moment enjoying the sensation.

Exhausted you flop onto the mattress in front of you. Your legs turned to jelly. 

Catching his breath he leans down and grabs his underwear out of his pants and runs the soft fabric between your legs cleaning up the mess he made there. 

" I'm going to be honest, I'm not really sure how quiet we were." He chuckles heading over to his suitcase to grab out clothes to change into after a shower. 

"Come on baby, let's gather your things so we can shower and then relax." Josh says kissing your hair. 

You muster enough energy to slowly wander to your suitcase and open it up reaching for your sweats. You also open up your toiletry bag to grab your shampoo and body wash. That's when you notice something. A handful of tampons sit inside next to your travel size deodorant. You should be nearing the end of your period, and you haven't even started it yet. 

"Josh" you whisper.

"Yeah?" He asks rifling through his own toiletry bag hands full of hair products.

"I'm late. My period. It's late." 

Your hands start to shake as your mind runs a mile a minute.

Josh drops the things in his hands back into his suitcase and pulls you into his lap," Hey, hey. It's okay. You're okay. We're okay. There could be many reasons why it's late." His hand runs soothing circles over your back. 

Tears threaten to spill over," But what if I am pregnant. Then what? I've been fucking two different men for months."

He holds you a bit tighter," Then you are. I've got you Y/N. I love you so much, and whatever you decide, if you need to decide anything, I'll be here. I'm not going anywhere okay?"

In a quiet voice you weren't sure he could even hear," but what if it isn't yours."

He takes a deep breath that sways you in his lap," Then it's my lovers. I think either outcome is a beautiful thing. I could biologically be a father, or I could be a father figure to the baby made by a person I have loved for most of my life. If you're even pregnant of course. Either way sweetie, you're stuck with me."

The tears that were threatening to spill finally run down your cheeks. A bit of relief floods your chest," Joshua, I love you so much."

He presses his lips to yours in a needy emotion filled kiss. He leans his forehead against yours," Let's go upstairs and get cleaned up."

You both quietly gather your things and make your way upstairs up both flights of stairs to the Kiszka kids childhood bathroom. You set your things on the countertop as Josh turns the shower on. He abruptly squats down and rummages through the cabinet underneath the sink, way in the back.

He leans back out with a rectangular pink box in his hand, he inspects the package for the expiration date and finds it still good.

"Here. I thought I might find one in here." He hands you the target brand pregnancy test. You look at him with confusion on your face. "Lilly had a scare sometime last year when we were visiting. She asked me to take her to Target so she could get a test and not alarm Jake, and I remembered she bought a ton of them to be sure."

You read the print on the package, the words early detection jumping out at you. 

" I should just take it shouldn't I."

Josh offers you a soft smile in response, letting you make the decision. 

You sigh and start opening the package, careful not to rip the instructions on the box.

"Do you want me to stay in here with you?" He asks from his spot on the floor. You nod, reading the instructions and uncapping the test, mentally preparing yourself to pee on a stick. 

After doing the deed so to speak you set the test down on the countertop and finish stripping your clothes getting ready to get into the shower knowing that the last thing you can do is sit and just wait for the results. Wordlessly Josh follows you into the hot stream of water. He grabs your body wash and squeezes some into his hand, lathering your body. He runs his hands down your arms and across your chest cupping your breasts, before sliding his soapy hands down your stomach. With his front pressed against your back, his hands caress your stomach.

Softly he murmurs," You know you'd look stunning pregnant. A goddess really. I'd worship you."

You bring your hand to intertwine your fingers with his, still pressed against your stomach.

He finishes washing your bodies and he turns the water off before wrapping you in a towel. 

"Are you ready to find out?" He walks over to where you put the test on the counter.

"As ready as I'll ever be."

You lean into his side as he flips the test over so you both can see the results at the same time.

Pregnant.

You realize that this is a happy thing. You are in the most healthy relationship you've ever been in with two amazing men who love so fiercely. 

" I can't wait to tell Danny."

Visions of Danny circling you in his arms and kissing both you and Josh, with joy radiating off of him fill your head. 

Josh wraps you up in his arms kissing you with so much passion and love it steals your breath away.

"Fuck, I'm so happy Y/N. So happy."

"A baby." You breathe.

"A baby."

You can't help the smile on your face as you grab your sweats and put them on, Josh eyeing you carefully as he gets dressed himself. He lowers himself to his knees in front of you for the second time tonight. This time for a very different reason, he pushes up the oversized sweatshirt you have on to expose your stomach before laying light kisses on your skin. He murmurs, I'm your Daddy in between kisses and you feel your heart swell. You slide your fingers against his scalp scratching softly as he continues talking to your stomach. 

After a moment your empty stomach growls interrupting him, he turns his attention to your face," Let's get you two something to eat, huh?" He asks, rising to his feet again before turning towards the door.

"Babe? Can we tell Danny first before the rest of your family? He deserves to know next. "

" My thoughts exactly."

You pack your stuff, including the test and the packaging, back into your toiletry bag and take it with you back downstairs. Once you descend the stairs and wind your way into the living room you spot Jake snuggled on the couch watching a movie by himself. He lifts his arm up, out from under the blanket and wiggles around the weed cart he has in his hand," Welcome to the party."

Josh grabs it from his hand and sits down next to him taking a long pull from the vape. He pulls you down onto his lap, his hands circling your waist and resting on your lower stomach as you get comfortable nestling in halfway on his legs and halfway on the couch in between the two men. He slowly exhales the pale grey smoke waving it away from your face to no avail. 

"Sorry! Sorry!" He apologized in between coughs. 

"Blow it upwards you dick! Smokin her out" Jake laughs, plucking the pen from his brother's hand before taking another hit, " Do you want?" He asks extending it to you. 

"Oh no, I'm okay right now. Thank you."

"Okay, just grab it if you want it." Jake says, making Josh snort and laugh.

"You fucker, I didn't mean it like that!" Jake giggling in between his words. 

You roll your eyes getting up off of Josh's lap," I'm going to go raid your kitchen."

"Ah! Mom plated up leftovers for you guys, she said it's on the middle shelf in the fridge." Jake tells you as you wander into the kitchen. 

After taking the first plate of food out of the microwave you begin to heat up the second one, when you hear bare feet pad into the kitchen. You turn your head to find Jake wrapped in his blanket from the couch heading towards the pantry.

"I'm fuckin starving," he says in an awful British accent reaching for the tub of cheese balls.

You laugh as he struggles to pour them into a bowl without spilling them on the counter," How high are you?"

He looks up a you with a grin and droopy eyes," I'm pretty fuckin high babe"

You then hear the front door open and the shuffling of a coat and shoes being discarded. Danny comes traipsing into the kitchen " Hi baby! Hi Jakey!" He says with a slur coming over to envelope both of you into a hug and you can smell the alcohol on his breath. You can't help the feeling of disappointment as you realize that he isn't sober enough to hear the news you can't wait to tell him. 

"Did you have a good time with your sister?" You ask him muffled by the fabric of his sweater. 

He releases both of you from his hug," We had such a great time! I told her all about you and Josh of course, but she knows him already. She needed to see me because she wanted to tell me first, she got engaged last night!" Danny has a proud smile on his face, happy for his sister.

"Oh that's amazing! I'm excited to meet her." You tell him genuinely.

Danny occupies himself with getting a glass of water. You make your way back to Josh on the couch, you softly say," He's too drunk to tell him tonight." 

"It's okay love, we can tell him tomorrow."

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You stir awake, back aching from the shitty mattress, you go to sit up but you realize you are pinned there by Josh. His arm is draped over your body with his hand splayed over your stomach, his subconscious protecting you and the little clump of cells from the outside world. Slowly you pry his arm off of your body causing him to rise from his slumber. You take the opportunity to sit up in bed as he groggily utters a " Good morning baby." 

Danny wakes too, greeting you with," Good morning loves." As he leans down to kiss your lips before reaching over your lap to brush his lips with Josh's. 

" Did you have a nice time last night?" Danny asks alert and ready to go without a drop of caffeine in his system. 

You grasp his large hand in your own before opening your mouth ready to start telling him the news, when you hear the basement door open.

"Knock knock! Are you guys decent?" Karen asks slowly descending down the steps.

The three of you reply yes in unison. 

She peeks her head around the banister and tells you that we need to get ready because breakfast is almost done. Once she goes back upstairs you all put on comfy clothes ready to eat some homemade cooking. Danny reaches his hand out to open the door when you speak up," Danny, I have a surprise for you after we're done with breakfast. Maybe we can all head out to the porch?"

He throws a crooked smile your way," Ooh a surprise? Sure babe. Can't wait."

The three of you work your way into the kitchen and you're incredibly impressed with the spread of food on the table that Josh's mom has prepared. There's pancakes and eggs, sausage links and fresh cut fruit. It looks like something out of a movie. 

" Karen, I can't believe you made all of this for us. Especially since you're cooking Thanksgiving dinner tonight too. Thank you so much." You tell her genuinely, taking a seat down at the kitchen table. 

"Oh it was no problem, I made Jake help so I didn't do all of it myself." She said with a wink.

" Well, seriously, thank you."

Nerves invaded your stomach as you picked at the food on your plate. You were thrumming with excitement as you continued to picture the little family you had unexpectedly made. How there would be so much love in your house, how happy Josh's parents would be, and you were sure Danny's would be ecstatic as well to have a grandchild. 

Once you saw that they had stopped munching you decided to gather the plates and put them in the sink as Josh's father Kelly told you that guests don't wash dishes. 

You placed your hands on Danny's shoulders and leaned your face down next to his ear," Are you ready for the surprise?"

"Yeah! Let's go." Danny led the way to the porch grabbing your jackets on the way out. 

Zipping up his coat he asks," Josh, do you know what it is?"

" I do." He said pulling the sleeves down over his fingertips. 

You motioned for him to sit on the wicker chair, Danny clasped his hands in front of his body and smiled up at you eagerly. 

You let out a shaky breath, wringing your fingers together trying to settle your shaking hands,"Okay, Danny. Baby. While you were out last night with your sister I uh." Your voice faltered and you looked down at your hands," I discovered that I'm pregnant." 

You looked up from your palms and at Daniel's face. You were met with furrowed brows instead of the warmth and joy you were expecting.

"What?" He rises from the chair," What do you mean you're pregnant? Is this a joke?"

' I - It's not a joke Danny. I have the positive test in my suitcase if you need to see it."

" How did you let this happen? This is your fault. What the fuck!" Danny spits. 

"I-" the trembling in your hands increases tenfold.

Josh quickly comes to stand between you and Daniel," Excuse me?! Her fault? Are you fucking kidding me? You can't be serious Daniel. We haven't been careful and you know it."

" Of course it's her fault, she's the one taking the birth control pills. She probably missed one or something!" 

Josh clenches his jaw hard," No, no. You're not getting out of taking responsibility for this. You accepted the risks and consequences as soon as you stuck your dick in her! Jesus Christ,I can't believe we're having this discussion. We thought you would be as happy as I was Daniel!"  Josh's voice is rising in volume.

Danny tangles his fingers in his hair, pushing back from his face, he lets out a breath of air from his lungs," I can't do this right now, I've gotta go." And he quickly descends down the porch steps.

Josh calls after him, following him into the yard," Danny! Danny just wait. Daniel, hold on!"

You hear the front door open and Jake asks," What's happening? I heard Josh yelling."

You turn to look at him with tears threatening to spill over at any second.

Jake quickly pulls you into his chest and wraps his arms tightly around you," Babe, what happened? Talk to me."

You hear the rental truck start and peel out of the driveway, the sound telling you that Danny is in fact leaving.

The tears start flowing as you hiccup your words into Jake's chest," I - I found out that I- I'm pregnant. Josh is so happy, and- and Danny, well he reacted like that."

"Oh honey." He gently rubs your back.

Jake's genuine niceness and care for his twins partner makes you cry harder.

You hear Josh's footsteps creak up the wooden porch steps," I really thought he would have been happy." You can hear the hurt in his voice.

You try to calm down the best you can and you look Jake in the eyes, hoping he has an answer, " How do I know he's going to come back?"

" You don't, but we can hope he does."

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You spend the rest of the afternoon sandwiched on the couch in between the twins watching holiday movies. Karen wouldn't let you help her prepare the meal, so you laid around with them. Both boys kept your mug full of hot tea, Josh was careful to only give you the ones that were caffeine free as he read online that too much caffeine isn't good while pregnant. 

You snaked your hand into Josh's and squeezed it," I love you."

"I love you too, you know I am still really excited right?"

"I do."

Jake places his hand on your knee and gives a gentle squeeze in reassurance. 

Josh's mom comes over to the couch, her apron covered in various ingredients from slaving away over the meal she was making for her family.

" Honey, when's Daniel coming back? Dinner will be ready in an hour, we decided to do Thanksgiving dinner today so he could come here and you guys could go to Lori's tomorrow for their dinner. Us moms had it all planned out."

You clench your jaw at the mention of his name, not ready to spill your tears and your drama over the holiday cheer.

"Um I'm not-" the doorbell rings interrupting Josh's reply.

"Hold on baby." She extends her pointer finger out signaling him to wait while she checks the front door.

You hear the door open up and his mom greets whoever was there, and then you hear his voice," Sorry I was gone so long, I couldn't find this anywhere!"

Danny was back.

"Oh a pumpkin pie, perfect! Thank you sweetie." 

Danny wanders over to where you are sitting on the couch," Hey. Um. Can we go talk downstairs?" His eyes pleading with you both.

Wordlessly you get up from the couch, knocking into his shoulder with yours as you make your way down to the basement. As soon as his feet hit the landing apologies are spewing from his mouth.

" I'm so, so, fucking sorry. I totally freaked out. I'm embarrassed with how I reacted, I'm sorry I blamed you. You're not to blame Y/N, it's as much mine and Josh's doing as yours. I understand it wasn't on purpose." He turns to Josh, " I'm sorry I reacted so poorly. I'm sorry I wasn't as excited as you were. I'm sorry that I let you down and hurt your feelings as much as hers."

Tears start streaming down both Josh and your cheeks, " We were so excited Daniel. We were fully prepared to love this unconventional family, and be surrounded by love. And the way you acted comparatively makes me wish I knew it was Josh's baby."

Danny's face screws up in hurt," I can't believe you just said that to me Y/N. That fuckin hurts." He points to the center of his chest. 

"How do you think she felt when you told her you can't do this,and you got in the car and left. I ran after you, begging you to not go, and you did. Jake was basically supporting her whole weight as she cried into his chest while you ran away." Josh says pointedly. 

"I can't take it back. And I feel like shit about it. I feel like scum. But I did think about it, and I came back to you."

You sniffled,"Okay?!"

" I talked about it with my sister, and she pretty much yelled at me the way you guys are. And I deserve it. She made me really sit and think about it, about the future, about our end game, because I love the both of you so much. I think eventually our future would have babies in it, and maybe a dog or something. The three of us and the manifestations of our love. I just didn't realize that maybe the next chapter of our story happens so soon. But I want it. I want you, Y/N …Josh, and the little baby we made." Daniel explains. 

You nodded at him and agreed, the love you have for him is strong,but you can't help feeling the sting from this morning. He tarnished the memory, which should have been happy, something to revisit in your mind. But now it won't be. 

"Are we okay?" Danny asks.

" Yeah, we're okay, right Josh?"

"Yeah"

Danny scoops the both of you in his arms, and covers you with needy kisses. 

" I don't know what I'd do if I didn't have this." He croaks, tears finally falling. 

You give him a soft smile." I think that we should head upstairs, dinner should be just about ready."

You walk back into the kitchen to be met with an even more extravagant spread of food than what was presented earlier. Turkey and every side dish imaginable was laid out on the countertops.

You looked at Josh, mouth agape," Is it like this every year?"

He grins, tooth gap on full display," It is! I'm pretty sure cooking is her love language."

" This is incredible," you call to his mom and thank her yet again.

"Y/N honey, you really don't have to thank me every time! I love to do it. Okay, everyone grab a plate!"

Everyone started heaping food onto their plates, and Jake caught up to you at the roast potatoes. He softly asked," Everything okay?"

"Yeah I think it will be." You replied, scooping a helping onto his plate and yours.

You sat in between your loves at the family table, eating and conversing, having a wonderful time at the Kiszka house. As the evening went on you couldn't help but battle the internal feeling of wanting to build an invisible wall between you and Danny. Your instincts tell you to lean into Josh and his unwavering love, but you know that wouldn't be fair. Danny deserves a chance. 

After dinner and the pie that Daniel brought, everyone retired to the living room, and you were treated to Christmas carols Greta Van Fleet style. You loved seeing them play in such an intimate setting, lounging around in comfy clothes scattered on the floor and surrounding couches. All of them taking turns singing and switching instruments, you really started to feel the holiday magic. You realized your life was being weaved tightly into theirs. You once again let your imagination run wild and you thought about what next Thanksgiving could look like. Josh's parents cooing over their grandson, Uncle Jake and Uncle Sam holding their niece, showing her the Christmas tree lights that were already up. Your heart felt so full. You thought about your son having Danny's sharp jawline, or your daughter having an identical gap in her front teeth, just like Josh. You knew for sure your baby would have either man's deep brown eyes.

After a bit you found your eyes getting heavy.

" Getting sleepy babe?" Danny asked, running his hand down the length of your blanket covered leg.

"Actually I am. Had a long day."

 Him knowing about the emotional rollercoaster you've had," Let's head to bed then huh. Are you coming with us Joshy?"

Josh put the guitar he was messing with back in the case," Yeah I'm pretty beat. Night all."

A chorus of good nites came from the remaining of the Kiszka clan. 

The three of you descended the basement stairs to go to bed for the final time this trip.

You snuggled up under the comforter in the uncomfortable mattress with your arms out making grabby hands at your lovers. Josh slid into bed on your right and Danny on your left. Josh kissed your cheek and almost instinctively slid his hand down to your lower stomach resting it over your womb.

"Can I?" Danny asked, motioning to your stomach.

You smiled and nodded as Josh intertwined their fingers and rested them on your tummy once again. Danny tested his chin against your shoulder and murmured," I'm really so sorry. I want to be a good Dad."

You felt your heart squeeze in your chest at his confession. 

"You will be Danny " Josh said with his head propped up in his hand.

" We have a lot to live up to. Our dads are the best. I mean we wouldn't have gone anywhere without their support. We'd still be playing in shitty bars." 

Josh lets out a chuckle and unlaces his fingers from Danny's, and he runs his fingertips across your skin. Goosebumps form under his touch, he traces his fingers up and underneath your breasts that are hidden underneath your oversized t-shirt. 

" Feels nice."

" I know…. I can't wait to see your breasts heavy and your stomach swollen."

You inhaled shakily.

Danny speaks up, his voice low," He's right babydoll. You're going to look so fuckin sexy." He leans over and traps you under his upper body, his face hovering right above yours," Everyone's going to know that you belong to us."

Josh growls in your ear," Little girl always begging us to fill her up. Cum inside that pretty pussy. So much so that we knocked her up. Such a slut for it."

You let out a pathetic whine, you felt like you were prey under a predator's gaze. 

"Keep talking." You breathed. You could feel your body becoming more and more turned on. Your nipples were hardening and the slick between your legs was becoming noticeable.

Danny pulled your shirt off and flicked your nipple with his tongue," I can't wait to see your tits big and round and leaking milk."

Josh slid his hand between your legs, cupping your heat. Shamelessly you grinded up into his hand searching for friction.

" You know sweetie, I never realized how breedable you are."

Your eyes roll back in your head and your hips buck into his hand. They were scratching an itch in your brain that you didn't even realize needed to be scratched. 

Danny leaned down and nipped at your neck, surely leaving little marks,"Ooh, she liked that Josh."

Josh chuckles darkly," Yeah? I'm sure you did. Babydoll likes knowing that I'd pump her full and knock her up again and again because she looks like a fertility goddess."

"I need it."

"What do you need, pretty girl. Need our cocks?" Danny said, grinding his hard length against your stomach.

"Please"

You were a whiny mess and they hadn't even properly touched you yet.

"I think I should spoil your pretty pussy first. Lick up your sweetness."

Danny made his way down your body leaving burning hot kisses on your skin. Once he situated himself above your core he wrapped his lips around your clit, holding her safely in his mouth. He lapped up your juice like he was dying of thirst. His tongue licking and swirling and making a mess of you.

" Fuck honey, your dripping off of my chin." 

A single drop of arousal dripped from the tip of his chin back down to your folds.

Danny dove back in groaning as he made contact with your sopping wetness. Josh grabbed onto Danny's locks and yanked his head up and began licking his mouth and chin, eager to taste you on his lips. Danny rose to his knees and turned his body towards Josh's, needing to make contact with his lover's body. They pressed their chests together as their hands wandered, lips locked together.

"I love you, God let's demolish her." Danny panted in between needy kisses as he grinded his length against Josh's.

"I know you want to, but remember she's a little fragile now. Gotta be nice to her." Josh pushed his hips against Danny's sliding his aching cock against Danny's while anchoring himself to him by his palm on his cheek.

"I'll be nice to her, I promise. Be a good boy." He whispered while nuzzling into Josh's palm.

"Go spoil her baby." 

Danny came to rest in between your legs and Josh sat near your head. He leaned down to kiss your forehead as he grabbed his leaking cock in his hand loosely pumping it.

Danny grabbed his own cock and ran the head through your folds gathering your wetness. You spread your legs wider for him to entice him to nudge into your entrance. You were desperate to feel full of him. You whined and pouted as he circled his tip around your entrance, teasing you.

"What? Do you want it?" Danny pressed himself against you, dipping just the tip inside.

" Does my babydoll want Daddy's cock to stretch her out and fill her up?" He pushed in a little bit further before pulling out yet again.

"For fucks sake Danny just fuck me!"

"Sssshhshhshhh, can't be too loud." Josh reprimanded you. His hand working himself with a bit more purpose. Danny took the opportunity to slide himself deep within you, making you groan. Loudly.

"Looks like I've gotta shut you up." Josh rose to his knees and tapped the sticky head of his cock on your lips signaling you to open your mouth for him. He immediately started fucking your mouth unable to hold himself back anymore. You started moaning when Danny angled himself in such a way that had him grinding against your clit with every thrust. He was pushing you closer and closer to your orgasm. 

"Fuck your close, I can feel it. Your pussy keeps clenching around me." Danny mutters through clenched teeth.

You wailed around Josh's cock as you soaked Danny's. Pleasure coming in waves over you.

"Fuck, I'm cumming. I'm gonna fuck it in deep." Danny said into the crook of your neck and he gave you a few last powerful thrusts before feeling his hot cum spurt inside you.

Josh pulled himself from your mouth," Do you think you can take me too sweetie? Not too tired right?"

" No, not too tired, I need all of your love."

"Come ride me then, I want to watch your tits bounce."

You climbed into Josh's lap, gravity making Danny's cum drip from your entrance while you got into position to sit on Josh's cock. Slowly you lowered yourself down until you were fully seated and he was twitching against your cervix. Josh cups his hands around your breasts, thumbing your nipples. You clench around him at the sensation making him curse. 

"I'm not gonna last long." He whimpers, leaning his head back exposing his neck. Gently you start bouncing in his lap, grinding his cock deep inside you against the spots that make you see stars. After a little you feel a stronger full body orgasm take hold of you, your body shaking and writhing in Josh's lap. Your brain buzzes as your body tingles. Josh grasps onto your hips hard and starts thrusting up wildly into your oversensitive cunt. He whines as you feel his hot load flood into your already full cunt. His cum oozing out of where you two are connected with nowhere else for it to go.

Gingerly you get off of him and lay down next to him. You watch Danny give Josh a quick peck on the lips before he licks the cum off of Josh's spent cock. Josh's jaw hangs slack as he watches, if he could get hard he would.

"Fuck, that's hot."

"We all taste so good together." He quickly slides Josh's half hard member into his mouth slurping it clean.

" Let me clean you up too." Danny says crawling in between your legs.

"Wait! Leave her full and messy."

Danny nods and lays down in between you and Josh. Groggily you play with his curls, you feel whole. You were excited for the journey ahead, you knew you were in the most capable hands. Both men are so full of love, they just need to shower you in it. The baby in your belly is going to be born into the most beautiful amazing life full of music and art and most of all love. You run your fingers across both of their chests capturing their attention.

"I love you, doesn't even begin to express how I feel for you, the both of you. I'm so fucking lucky."

Fin.

Tagging my friend because you're gonna want to read it ❤️ @lipstickitty

Next Story

[diapercucklife]

A Diaper Lover Ruined

Mommy Sarah's eyes gleamed with sadistic pleasure as she snapped the last picture of her Diaper Boy, his face a mask of utter despair, the soiled diaper clearly visible through the transparent plastic. The room was a prison of pink and white, baby mobiles hanging over the crib that had become his cage. The digital camera in her hand clicked away, capturing each moment of his degradation for the world to see. He was sprawled out, his wrists bound to the crib bars with thick, babyish pink tape, legs kicking feebly in the air as he struggled to free himself. The smell of his mess filled the air, a potent reminder of his failure to control his most basic bodily functions. The crinkling of the wet plastic was the only sound in the otherwise silent room, save for his muffled sobs and the occasional whimper that escaped the pacifier lodged in his mouth.

"Look at you," she cooed, her voice thick with condescension. "So pathetic, so needy. You're nothing but a diaper cuck, aren't you?" He nodded, tears streaming down his cheeks, unable to form words through his sobs. The humiliation was too much. It didn't matter that he was a grown man, with a career and responsibilities outside these walls. In here, in the sanctum of their twisted game, he was her baby, her pet, her Diaper Boy. Mommy Sarah leaned over, her generous cleavage spilling from her low-cut blouse as she whispered sweet nothings in his ear. "You love it, don't you? Being my little dirty secret?" Another nod, more vigorous this time, a silent admission of his masochistic desires.

"Good," she purred, stroking his hair. "Because now the whole world is going to see what a mess you've made."

Her thumbs danced over the phone screen, posting the pictures to an online forum where like-minded individuals reveled in the misery of those like him. The thought of strangers ogling his predicament sent a fresh wave of embarrassment crashing through him, making him squirm in his soiled confines.

The phone buzzed with the sound of notifications.

Comments and reactions to his humiliation. He knew what they said without reading them: "What a disgusting diaper cuck," "Look at the baby's sad little face," "Mommy's got a messy little boy," and, perhaps the most damning of all, "He deserves it." Mommy Sarah picked up her device, her eyes scanning the screen. "Oh, they're going to love this," she giggled, reading aloud the cruel words of those who were now part of his torment. Each one stung like a whip lash, a stark reminder of his powerlessness. He wanted to beg for mercy, to apologize for his perversions, to promise that he would be a good boy. But the pacifier filled his mouth, turning his pleas into garbled, incoherent sounds that only served to amuse her further. With a click, she posted a video, his mortification now captured in living color. His blush deepened as he heard the sound of his own cries of protest echoing in the room. The camera panned down, focusing on the dark stain spreading through the diaper, the clear evidence of his failure to be an adult.

The doorbell rang, shattering the quiet. She leaned in, her breath hot against his cheek. "Now, now, baby boy. Remember your place."

He trembled, understanding what she meant. She had friends coming over, and they knew of his secret. They were eager to see him in his degradation, to join in the humiliation. The door opened and closed, followed by the sound of footsteps and feminine laughter. Mommy Sarah stepped aside, revealing the group of women who had entered. They were all dressed in variations of the same theme: short skirts, tight tops, and a smugness that spoke of their shared power over him. They circled the crib, pointing and laughing, their eyes greedy as they took in the sight of Diaper Boy's exposed humiliation.

One leaned in, her long, red nails tracing the line of his jaw.

"Hello, little cuck," she purred. "You're going to be the star of the show tonight." He whimpered, his eyes wide with terror. The women began to take turns, each one poking and prodding, whispering lewd suggestions to Mommy Sarah. His cheeks burned as they discussed his fate in front of him, as if he weren't even there.

The night stretched out before him, a marathon of degradation and exposure that would leave no part of his soul untouched. They had plans for him, oh, they had plans. And as they all took their phones out, ready to capture his every humiliation, he knew that his darkest secret would never be his alone again.

He was Diaper Boy, the pathetic diaper cuck, and he was about to learn the true cost of his desires.

[hanzajesthanza]

"controversial opinion" 👀 ? do say…

(the tag for context; the subject being parasocial relationships)

well. i just don’t think that parasocial relationships are that bad. i haven’t looked into the scientific publishings on it or anything, but…

contrary to the popular opinion of moral panic, sound the alarms, the children are thinking they’re friends with streamers, i knew twitch was the work of the devil…

it seems to me that people have always been attached to people they don’t know in close ways. even if you hear a story about someone, some mythical being, that draws you close to an individual that you’ve never know IRL, but whose “presence” gave you comfort. people have liked and felt familiar with the ideas of people without actually knowing them, from like, day one.

and then, when writing, and later, radio and television, became widespread, ideas and communication did too, with people being fond of and comfortable with the presences of radio personalities and actors in their homes.

i think we’re just seeing parasocial relationships more prominently now, because technology has advanced to the point where, to share your opinions, ideas, artistic expression, while also attaching your face and your voice to it, has become ubiquitous. and this was happening before the concept of the influencer existed, there were bloggers and internet personalities in the 2000s and early 2010s.

we (gen-Zers) were the first generation to have grown up with such technology—maybe not “with a phone or iPad in our hands” (as gen Alpha has) but certainly from a young age—so we grew up with these video platforms, and thus, communication with and absorption of various personalities. and all of this in a time of when our social development is the most intense, i.e., childhood, then teenhood, young adulthood.

and at the same time, we are experiencing a growth in loneliness (“an epidemic of loneliness”), and also an actual pandemic, and other shifts in social environment, such as dating moving online…

so i think it’s only natural that parasocial relationships have risen as a phenomenon, and are more visible and more prominent than, perhaps, what it was like pre-smartphone, pre-blog or vlog days.

my controversial take is this.

i think parasocial relationships only become a problem when it leads to harm: to either the person as the object of the relationship, as in (at the least) rudeness, like assuming you’re actually friends IRL and treating them as or demanding their attention as such, or (at the worst) obsessive or violent behavior like stalking. or, to the person having the parasocial relationship, in being detrimental to their social skills over time.

but i think that, if you’re just looking at your phone and watching a video from a youtuber you’ve watched videos from since you were eight years old, chilling and not being harmful to them or yourself in any way… i ask, what is the harm in not just feeling entertained, but feeling a certain familiarity on an advanced level, feeling like you’re friends—as long as you are cognizant and comfortable with that you’re not actually friends, and that the relationship is one-sided, what’s the harm? i think it’s even kind of normal amongst people who grew up with that kind of technology in their hands, which connected them to such personalities.

in the coverage of parasocial relationships, i feel like it has been a little blown out of proportion by the media, through conflating the (shall we say) “well-adjusted, normal” crowd, with sad and ugly stories of stalkers and worse—because “creepy stalker fan” is a well-known archetype by now in pop culture, so it drives more engagement and outrage.

(edit: stalking and harassment are really bad and scary—im not denying theyre not—my thought, rather, is that the amount of “normal” or even “positive” parasocial relationships probably outweigh the creepy, harassment ones, but the worst outcomes are whats reported on the most)

and i feel like this conflation also happens because the people writing these sensationalized articles did not grow up with such technology, so it’s absolutely weird and alien to them to have such a familiarity with someone they don’t know IRL (like youtubers, streamers, whom are often objects of parasocial relationships), because they basically just didn’t grow up with it—television being different than online video platforms because online video allows you to share a lot more unedited, casual moments (like playing a video game, going shopping, even eating breakfast—you can livestream anything, or vlog anything really, even the most mundane things). and these are (i’d guess) the same people that don’t understand how you can make friends via the internet, and (maybe) believe that all social interaction via the internet is sinister or insincere in some form.

they don’t understand how a parasocial connection could be a normal thing, because they’re unfamiliar with the normalcy of such content which forms the relationship, which makes it bizarre and creepy to them; however, such parasocial relationships are becoming more normal, and are hardly worth fascinating oneself over for people who grew up forming them—so much so, that they didn’t even have to think about it as being abnormal. they (we) were able to form them and at the same time rationalize them, so it never occurred to us as being something to morally concern ourselves with. this also explains why such coverage of it only occured years after such a phenomenon was even occurring.

tl;dr my take is that the concept of parasocial relationships itself is somewhat of a non-issue, and only becomes an issue when individuals conduct unhealthy or harmful behavior, or when we want to talk about parasocial relationships forming as a symptom of larger societal issues (like the loneliness epidemic). but the moral concern with parasocial relationships i think stems from a generational divide around technology and constantly evolving social norms and landscapes :p

[quaddmgd]

Ok, so here's how I see Hollowbody's ending and why I really liked it!

The game has only come out and it feels like there should be some documents added in later patches. I might be wrong for multiple reasons. Half of the time it felt like I'm stating the obvious, the other half it felt like I have no idea what I'm talking about.

spoilers ahead

Ok, so I think The Tree we see in the finale can influence minds. And I don't mean the disease it's spreading, but rather its ability to actually lure people to itself. It visibly luring Tax through Mica, seemingly controlling his mind as he willingly drops a flashlight after entering the cave, before falling to his knees to bathe in The Tree's bliss, is just one case.

Mica herself is constantly lured by it, through the phone calls. The first time she answers, she even remarks that the phone should be dead. I believe that all phones are actually dead. For Mica, they work whether or not there's electricity around. And it knows things about her, things that only she should know. The tree sure can send signals readable to technology like process termination commands to Mica's car, but when it says "Whilst my words may be limited by this device that binds me. That does not mean I can't be the one to help you.", I think it just compares the limitations of (human?) words to its true abilities.

Sasha is already dead when Mica finds her. The first time she's on-screen she looks alive, but after Mica answers the last phone call and sits next to her, her body looks dead, resembling Sasha's crewmate we find in the opening sequence. Now she's dead-pale, covered in blood and in visible state of decay. She still says one or two sentences but all of it is probably just a tree-induced hallucination, Mica rejecting the thought of losing her significant other... or both.

It's interesting that Sasha's true physical appearance gets revealed only after luring Tax to The Tree, under the pretense that Sasha can't walk by herself due to both of her legs being broken.

(still no idea how Mica was able to reach Tax from that cave, but the rest sticks ok)

Remember the guy Sasha was looking for in the opening sequence? They said he suddenly had to check something and ran away. I'm sure it was The Tree luring him as well.

For some reason The Tree needs to absorb life forms to regain strength, evolve and free itself of its shackles. And by luring them, it ensures its escape in the Reunion ending, 24 years later.

The Tree kinda reminds me of markers from Dead Space in the way it can affect minds. They put affected individuals into a delusional state, making them hallucinate their loved ones, all of it to ensure their compliance; make them do whatever they seemingly have to, if they want to see them once more, in reality working in favor of the entity controlling them.

All of that makes Hollowbody a psychological horror in my book and I couldn't be happier about it. It's a story of desperation; a woman delving into darkness to find her loved one, stopping at nothing to get to her, slowly driving herself into madness, believing she can save her, even when it's already too late.

Sigh... and I haven't even touched on whatever happens in the sewers. I think I'll need to replay the game for this one...

[lunarsilkscreen]

Breaking the Dark Web

After reading my opic on VPNs(virtual Private networks) and why they're not really private; I was asked if the same was true about TOR (The Onion Router; or the deep web browser).

In short; Yea.

The TOR protocol is effectively a bi-directional VPN. The entire point of the protocol is excepted security online, in full public view.

This is the important part; as long as the things you're doing online is visible in any regard; and that's kind of how the Internet works; whatever you do is inherently visible to all.

Encryption, Masking, and Obfuscation are told and tactics used in order to remove data in hopes that it cannot be tracked.

But if you're using effective communication; you can be tracked. And if can't be tracked; odds are the communication isn't effective enough.

Though; over the years different approaches that include "Communicating in Popular Culture Reference", "Call Signs," and "Masked Communication" has been implemented; it requires both parties to have some sort of direct contact, or share other offline information.

The data they share online is useless to anybody except the two messaging. And the two parties messaging aren't anonymous to each other. Just to prying eyes.

You, personally connecting to a website, of any kind, and providing PII(personally identifiable information) of any kind; EVEN A FAKE MAILING ADDRESS THAT YOU GET STUFF DELIVERED TO, can be tracked directly back to yourself.

Gotta be smarter than that...

Not just that; if you have a bug in your computer--like in the VPN scenario, then doesn't matter how anonymous your communications are. They see what you're doing full view.

On top of that; just because the other partyv is anonymous to you, doesn't mean *you're* anonymous to the other party.

Example; all users of a particular system are vetted and documented offline. Any new user connecting to the system sets off an alarm to the admins who then have to decide to let you use their system.

Which includes; finding where your messages are coming from, how they're going to get paid by you, theoretical location of assets (like your crypto wallet,) and a decision on whether or not you're a cop or other investigator who could bring their operation down.

If you're doing something *that* illegal; there's a whole operation working behind the scenes.

Now. Onto how TOR (not the fiction publisher) works;

Theoretically, your data is encrypted; along with the destination address and sent to the first portal. That portal then sends the data and destination to a second portal, who then sends it to a third portal who can then decrypt the destination address and send your data.

And the whole process works in reverse as well.

And. Well; there's at least three parties involved that you need to *trust* are doing exactly what they say they're doing. And that's only the first step.

Each protocol can be modified at each individual portal to still appear as if it's doing the thing asked of it; while also... Just not doing that at all and/or making a record of every data transaction sent through its gates.

Then the data that you sent; Must be completely stripped of ALL meta-data. Which modern devices tend to put on created images and audio by default.

Yep. Your pictures from your phone? They have location data, the time the photo was taken, information about the device it was taken on, and that's all without AI being able to compare with multiple other photos to get approximate location data.

Including windowless building construction blueprints.

Again, your data mustn't have any other PII in it, so if you order something illegal; well you have them a shipping address or payment info of some kind.

"But what if we're just reading stuff or watching DarkTube?"

I mean... Then that information is now on your device. You computer has to download it in order for you to read it. And even if it's encrypted all the way back to your machine; that doesn't negate the possibility of poor encryption, or your own device being bugged.

It's visible that some data went from the TOR protocol to your device. The question is "What's that information?"

And so the next question you need to ask yourself; do you have any enemies that may want to blackmail you? Do authorities or any other institutions have reason to inspect your data? Have you ever been late paying your Comcast bill?

Ye. Comcast counts as a source that can read your data as if it was bugged. That's how *gateways* work...

You know what they say about playing stupid games...

[the-consortium]

Mr. Saqqara? How's your lovelife with the Hound? What's the relationship dynamic? Does Mr. Bile know?

(OOC: Asks still don't work on desktop, but are now visible on mobile again. So I can "answer" with a placeholder and add the real text later. I won't type my texts on my phone, so this is an awkward workaround, but better than nothing! Give a big hand to returned ask posts!)

Saqqara snorts indignantly. Sets the datapad aside. „That‘s pretty personal!“

Arrian lowers the book he has just been reading with mediocre interest, slips in one of the dried leathery leaves of the large carnivorous vines from the arboretum as a bookmark, reaches across the table with the stacks of books and half-disassembled explosives and takes Saqqara‘s datapad.

The latter half-heartedly protests: „Hey! That‘s private correspondence!“ - „And this from the man who has made it a very fruitless hobby to steal the Chief Apothecary‘s ‚private correspondence‘?“ - „Only those which would upset him anyway and thus keep him from his work. I‘m practically doing him a favour.“ - „And to find out what of it would upset him, you read everything first?“ - „Yes, of course. How else am I supposed to make an informed decision?“ Saqqara‘s beaming smile as he says this leaves no questions. Arrian shakes his head. The nails rattle. Then he reads the message. His eyebrows move up, slightly distorted by his scars and ancient service studs. „Angron‘s spiky ass … that‘s really personal!“ - „Told you!“

The World Eater sighs and throws the datapad to Saqqara, who catches it with one hand and puts it back on the table. „I‘ve heard there are holo-shows in the Imperium that only deal with the love lives of some singers or actors. If you take that as a benchmark - we‘ve done it, we‘re apparently of public interest!“

Saqqara reaches for the datapad again, plays with the pen. Draws squiggles on the surface and wipes them away again. For Word Bearers, calligraphy and warm-up sketches are service to their Primarch and therefore an almost religious thing. Arrian has learned that the diabolist is then not really responsive until he emerges from this trance again. While he, like all Astartes, is aware of his surroundings and potential threats in a subliminal way, communication is then no longer desired.

Arrian doesn‘t really care what other people think about him or what he does or doesn‘t do. He doesn‘t have the Emperor‘s Children‘s craving for validation - which each of them vehemently denies - and doesn‘t have the Word Bearers‘ need for group affiliation. So this strange question to Saqqara doesn‘t bother him at all. He opens his book again, his mind halfway back to the torsion properties of the fibres of certain climbing plants. He glances sideways at Saqqara. The diabolist has begun to write. Arrian nods, adjusts the band that binds his nails at the nape of his neck and then sinks completely into botany.

Saqqara gnaws on his lower lip as his pen scurries across the pad and the little cogitor dutifully converts the elegant Colchisian runes into cold data.

„In the writings of the Primarch - may the gods steadily bless and preserve him - it is repeatedly pointed out that we do not exist as uninfluenced individuals in a selfish bubble, but only gain strength and resolve through our relationships with our brethren and the beings of the Immaterium.“

He pauses for a moment. Then adds, „And in light of this divine advice, I can say that I am aware of how the gods have blessed me. Arrian may view this more pragmatically, but he cannot deny the benefits and the positive impact our relationship has had on both our performance and abilities.“ He pauses. Crosses out the word „relationship“. Tries about five synonyms before returning to it after all.

Then he continues writing swiftly. „Which is probably something the Chief Apothecary is also aware of. He may in principle be absolutely uninterested in all things concerning the sparse private lives of his students and subordinates, but he punishes anything that leads to a deterioration of performance very mercilessly.

From this I can say with some certainty that Fabius is positively indifferent to our relationship. He wishes to know nothing of it - as little as he cares for the dance that Narvo Quin and Bellephus perform around Savona.

The Chief Apothecary regards any attachment with mild disgust. He is the most solitary being I have ever met. For an Astartes, positively unique. Quin suggests that he was no different before the Rebellion. Lord Fulgrim had to practically drag him out of his apothecarium by force once he needed him to work with other Emperor‘s Children.

To that extent, I can say with some authority that the Chief Apothecary is the last person in the galaxy who cares in the slightest about that relationship.“

He reads through everything again and nods with satisfaction. Taps „Send.“ Then looks over at Arrian, who is absently making notes in the form of chemical formulae. For a few heartbeats he allows himself a very gentle smile in the direction of the World Eater, who doesn‘t notice.

(Some Saqqara for purely decorative reasons)

And some additional observations: In my mind Astartes are not build to have too deep emotions. If you remove the fear-response, you have to get rid off a lot of other stuff, too - maybe unintentionally.

The Emperor's Children got all of it back and then some. Because of Slaanesh and their gene-seed reflecting Fulgrim. But the other Legions are very sparse in their emotions. Or, let's say: slow-burn.

And that's how I see Arrian and Saqqara. They don't talk much about anything concerning their feelings or their relationship. A bit like cats: "I don't love you. I'm just always in the same room you are purely on coincidence."

[newlyy]

I'm watching the ALR shitstorm unfold and my main takeaway is that all of these people are crazy and mean, and should not be trusted. ALR is a shitty person. but haydurs hitting on her for laughs is just so crule. yes she is unhinged stoker-adjacent lah. but what are YOU doing? also, I'm hearing T voice. it's like the 3rd one around ALR (after becky and casey who apparantly tried to pull a top surgery fund scam). whats up with that.

So ok. I had a long car ride today, so I caught up on a lot of the ALR shit that’s been going on. I agree, these women (Erica, Brittany, ALR) are all terrible people trying to “yeah but” their individual terrible actions by pointing to the others terrible actions. It’s hard to know what exactly everyone is motivated by. My working theory is that yes brittany and Erica decided that Erica should DM amberlynn as a joke, but then, I think, Brittany thought the joke was over, but Erica continued talking to ALR in private and legitimately started enjoying talking to her, either because of ALR herself (unlikely) or because Erica just likes the thrill of cheating on her wife (more likely). That Erica now is trying to make it seem like she was a victim of ALR’s manipulation is bs to me. Like first of all, Erica allegedly spent 2400 on ALR, with 400 just being legos, and sent ALR videos of her masturbating. That doesn’t seem like someone who just got caught in a joke she couldn’t extricate herself from. And she says like “I was giving ALR every excuse possible to stop talking to me and she just wouldn’t 😔” like girl, block her. You live across the country from amberlynn, you only contact each other by phone or online…just block her. But Erica didn’t block her. I’m guessing when Brittany found out that the joke of Erica texting ALR became an actual sexual/intimate thing between the two of them, is when Erica started saying ALR was insane and possessive and whatnot, as a way to retroactively clear her name with her wife. Her and her wife coming online to do interviews with reactors seems like trying to save their marriage, like presenting a unified front against the “villain” ALR. In reality, I think everything Erica did with ALR was by choice. But then….idk I have so many thoughts. Brittany and Erica were haters, like they knew who ALR was, they watched reaction channels, was that part of it? Did they want internet fame, or to at least be featured in gorl world on the reaction channels they watched? You find out your wife is cheating on you with another woman, and you call the woman, and…record the call? That’s a lot of foresight to have in an emotionally fraught moment. There’s a lot of weird behavior. I’m also hung up on ALR saying that in one of the sexual videos Erica sent her, Erica’s wife’s foot is visible in the screen. That opens up a whole new world of possibilities.

It’s fucked that they trolled amberlynn, but amberlynn is also fucked because she knowingly carried on with a married woman. (And she should know better than to assume people who find her from her YouTube—where she’s hated—would all have good intentions). And as much as I believe Erica enjoyed being with ALR until she didn’t, I do believe everything she said about how fucked ALR was in the “relationship,” like telling her she couldn’t have sex with her wife (!), demanding to see texts between Erica and Brittany, wanting access to Erica through life 360 (which id never heard of before this), so she knew where she was every moment of the day. I 100% believe ALR is bad news in relationships. I think she’s insecure, selfish, and callous. I don’t think she’s capable of selflessly loving anyone. Never mind her response video in which she claims to never want to rely on her bpd diagnosis, but then excuses nearly every insane behavior with “my bpd.” I’m probably stepping on toes with this, but telling ALR she has bpd was the worst thing a psych could do imo. She will absolutely never alter her behavior with others now. Everything will just get written off as “I have bpd, it is what it is.” And honestly you can see that manipulation in Erica’s stories, about how, when she would try to pull back from ALR’s control, ALR would say something like you’re triggering my bpd.

So, in conclusion, no victims in this scenario. I know foodie beauty also discussed this (I am feel uncomfortable when not about me) but I haven’t heard what she’s said yet. I’m only interested in that as far as I can relate it to FB’s own situation with salah/Kaibella. It’s very similar.

[profutured]

for the sake of keeping all this information in one place, here's a full list of AIdrés' abilities for as long as he remains within Area Zero. these are not public knowledge!

Locking or opening doors within Area Zero. This can be as simple as keeping the research stations open and accessible to outsiders, or a more complex process of creating/lowering the walls of security barriers in order to force people along a specific path. There is only one door he cannot unlock, and that is the single entrance into Zero Lab.

Manipulation of Zero Lab's facilities, such as lights, temperature, and the elevator that leads down into the time machine room. Should the lab ever become compromised by an unwanted presence, AIdrés is under instruction to make their descent as difficult as possible, and the easy first step is to plunge the whole building into darkness and shut off access to the elevator. The temperature control is to keep the technology working under optimal conditions, so is always being adjusted to account for the outside conditions and the body heat of those present.

Pokeball manipulation, mainly the 'locking' mechanism that prevents a pokemon from being summoned or recalled. He can lock the pokeballs of a specific individual (by targeting their unique Trainer ID), or simply do a blanket attack on every ball not registered to Turo's ID. This only works within Zero Lab, and is most effective in the time machine room.

Giving himself full access to an individual's phone or other digital device. This is an automatic process within Area Zero, usually just a surface-level monitoring of their GPS location, but it can be done outside of this area once he has the target's number or can find them via another's contacts list. It's the easiest way for AIdrés to keep tabs on a person and make sure that they are following any instructions he's given them, even once they've left the crater.

Scanning and investigating every person entering into Area Zero. What information he gains from this will be dependent on just how much of your muse is publicly known, but it's very, very likely that he's going to find something unless we have plotted otherwise. If they are/were a student at the Uva Academy, he'll already know their current grades, class attendances, registered pokemon, student ID number, full name, family address/es and contact information, etc.

Full, unrestricted access to any and all digital databases. There is nothing that can outsmart his AI, and no amount of protections can prevent him getting into those files if he really puts his mind to it. I go into more detail about this here. This isn't usually part of his initial introductory scans, but should you give him reason to become interested, concerned or suspicious, he'll be much more inclined to start delving through the supposedly 'secret' information hoards.

Supreme intelligence, just in general. Aldrés has the intellect of a supercomputer from a billion years in the future, the same time all of the paradoxes are being pulled from. His technology is impossible, it should not exist, but he does. It's fair to say that he goes far beyond the limits of organic intelligence, even when compared to powerful psychic pokemon like Mewtwo.

Pre- or during ScVi, he has control over the Iron Serpent, Miraidon. Not only will it obey his commands in battle, but he has possession of the Master Ball it's bound to and can call it back at any time. Miraidon is never used in the initial confrontation, and instead time machine will summon a team of Paradox pokemon once the phase one Battle Protocols have been activated.

The recognition of different gimmick items, such as Z-Crystals, Dynamax Bands or Mega/Key Stones. They all resonate at a slightly different frequency to Paldea's own Tera Crystals, and can easily be picked up by his sensors even if the item itself isn't visible. He's likely going to ask about these techniques, once he's confirmed someone is indeed capable of using them. He's curious.

On a similar note, he can detect all levels/types of radiation and the particles shed by people like Fallers. The latter will not be immediately identifiable as the influence of Ultra Space (not until he researches further or scans an Ultra Beast), but he will detect something is off.

[minniejo-fics]

hi! i love your works!! im not sure if you're currently taking requests but in the latest xdinary heroes rock the world (ep. 18 around 14 minutes in) o.de is said to get dizzy a lot. i was wondering if you can make a fic where o.de gets dizzy spells different times with each of the members and it shows how they worry and take care of him. its completely fine if you dont want to take this request but thank you so much for reading this <33

This is my first time writing this format and I hope you enjoy it

Five Times O.de got Dizzy and One Time he Didn't

Gunil

The members of Xdinary Heroes were still in the early stages of getting to know each other. Gunil had decided to spend some time one on one with each member so he could get a good feel for who they are as individuals. This would also help him in being a good leader. Today Gunil was getting lunch with Seungmin.

Gunil had asked the driver to take them to a restaurant that was located avout half an hour just outside the city. The route to the restaurant was mostly side streets that unfortunately were riddled with potholes and uneven paving. It was a fairly bumpy ride.

The duo was chatting lightly, each staring at their phones. The leader didn’t initially notice anything was wrong until he glanced up from his phone and saw Seungmin holding his head.

“Are you okay Min?” Gunil asked. Seungmin made a noise then said something that Gunil didn’t quite hear.

“What was that?” The leader leaned in a little closer.

“Dizzy, spinning.” Gunil became slightly alarmed upon hearing this. He would have asked the driver to pull over, but they were only a few blocks away from the restaurant, so he’d properly check in with his dongsaeng when they were parked.

Gunil knew that the manager kept a few bottles of water in the center console of the car, so as soon the car was parked, he asked the manager for one. He unscrewed the cap and offered it to Seungmin. Seungmin accepted the bottle, but it took a few moments before he actually started drinking. "Thanks hyung."

"Are you feeling better, or do you want to go back to the dorm and rest?" Gunil asked mainly because for all he knew Seungmin wasn't feeling well before they left and he was just hiding it.

"I'm good hyung. I'm just a little carsick. Give me another minute. This literally happens all the time." Gunil made a mental note to make sure to stock up on things for car sickness. Over lunch he asked the younger for more info so he would know what to look out for.

Jungsu

Jungsu and Seungmin had just finished filming/recording another episode of Youngjae's Close Friend, and were gathering their things. Youngjae had already left the room and Jungsu was already up and putting his jacket on. He watched as Seungmin stood up, only to seemingly fall back down into the chair. He became slightly concerned when he saw Seungmin grab his head.

“Min, are you okay?” He asked as he placed his hand on the younger’s shoulder. Seungmin nodded his head in response.

“I’m fine hyung. I just need a minute.” Jungsu wasn’t entirely convinced by the statement and quickly flagged down one of the staff that was still in the room, politely asking them to bring him a water bottle. While waiting for the water to arrive, Jungsu placed his hand on Seungmin’s forehead. However, Seungmin was quick to remove his hyung’s hand.

“Hyung, I’m fine. I just stood up too fast and got dizzy.” Sengmin said this as he began to sit up, only to have Jungsu press on his shoulder to keep him sitting. A moment later, the staff member returned with a water bottle and handed it to Jugnsu, who in turn uncapped it and handed it to Seungmin.

“Drink this first. Just in case you might be a tad dehydrated.” Seugmin visibly rolled his eyes in response, but drank the water anyway.

Jiseok

During a free day, Jiseok decided that he really wanted to go to the amusement park. A new ride had opened and he really wanted to check it out. However, he didn’t want to go by himself and the others all had plans. Seungmin’s plans wound up falling through at the last minute, so he decided to accompany his oldest same age bandmate to the park.

The duo decided to start off on some of the more low-key rides before going on the new roller coaster. One of the first rides they went on was the tea cup ride. Seungmin wasn’t too keen on spinning the cup a whole bunch, but Jiseok was very in favor of making the cup spin as fast as possible. Seungmin was going to tell Jiseok that he wanted to go slow, but the slightly older member was already spinning the cup around before he could get a word in.

When the ride stopped, Seungmin’s head was absolutely spinning, and he wasn’t entirely sure he’d be able to get out of the cup by himself. Jiseok had already gotten out and was excitedly chatting about the next ride he wanted to go on. I took him a moment before he realized Seungmin hadn’t gotten out, ane he looked back to see the younger still sitting in the cup.

“Seungminnie, let’s go.” He said somewhat impatiently.

“Hyung, can you help me get out?” Jiseok’s entire demeanor changed as Seungmin never calls him hyung. He quickly climbed back into the cup and helped Seungmin out, only to become even more concerned when he practically collapsed to the ground.

“Min, what’s wrong? Do I need to call a manager or somebody?” Jiseok was sounding kind of frantic. Seungmin shook his head.

‘No hyung. I just need a few minutes. The ride was going too fast, and now I’m insanely dizzy.

“Sorry. I didn’t think you’d get motion sick on the teacup ride.” Jiseok led him over to a bench before quickly running off and returning a couple minutes later with two bags of mini donuts.

“Let’s eat and then play some of the games. We can go on the roller coaster later, or I can go by myself while you wait.” Jiseok said. Seungmin agreed to the plan except for the roller coaster part. He told Jiseok that he’d be fine on the roller coaster and there was no way we was going to stay off the ride.

Hyeongjun

It had been a while since Seungmin and Hyeongjun had spent any one on one time together, so on their first free weekend, they decided to go to a nearby park. It was nice enough weather that there were people on the lake in swan paddle boats. Hyeongjun was looking towards the boats with an expression of longing, and since it did look fun and relaxing, Seungmin was quick to take the younger’s wrist and pull him toward the boats to buy a ticket.

The paddle boats were indeed quite relaxing, for the first few minutes. After that, Seungmin found it a bit hard to continue to paddle, as he began to get dizzy. Hyeongjun didn’t notice that the older had stopped paddling until they started going in circles instead of going straight. He looked over to Seungmin, who almost looked like he was in pain.

“Are you feeling okay?” He asked as he also stopped paddling. Seungmin shook his head in response.

“I feel sick. I think I might be getting sea sick.” Hyeongjun’s eyes widened a bit and he started to rub the slightly older’s back.

“Do you think you can help me paddle back to the dock?” He got a hesitant nod in return. The duo slowly made their way back to the dock, having to stop a few times because the boat moving forward plus the lake gently rocking the boat would occasionally make Seungmin’s dizziness worse.

When they finally got back to the dock, Hyeongjun wasn’t even surprised when Seungmin heavily leaned on him as they walked to the nearest available bench. “You didn’t have to agree to take me on the paddle boats if you get seasick.” Hyeonjun said as the duo waited for Seungmin’s dizziness to pass. Seungmin snorted at that

“I didn’t even know I was going to get seasick. It was my first time on a boat.” This made Hyeongjun feel a bit better, knowing that the elder hadn’t sacrificed his health for him. He still felt bad though, and insisted that Seungminpick the next thing to do and he’d go along with whatever he chose.

Jooyeon

Jooyeon had really wanted to go to the arcade, but didn’t want to go alone. Seugnmin was the first hyung he ran into at the dorm, and naturally was the first one he asked. Seungmin quickly agreed because arcades are always fun.

The duo spent some time playing DDR and ski ball. Jooyeon then caught sight of the VR game and immediately dragged Seungmin over to partake. Seungmin was a bit hesitant at first, so Jooyeon agreed to go first. Seungmin found Jooyeon’s reactions to the VR very funny, and before he knew it, it was his turn.

Seungmin found himself spinning around a lot in the game. To the extent that he didn’t fully realize he was spinning around just as much in real life. At least not until his but was on the ground and he was having trouble getting back up.

Of course, Jooyeon initially thought it was hilarious when Seungmin landed on the floor. Only to become concerned for his hyung when he was visibly struggling to get up. He quickly asked the attendant to stop the game and helped Seungmin take off the VR headset. Jooyeon immediately began asking Seungmin if he had gotten hurt, and Seungmin shook his head.

“Relax Yeonnie. I’m not hurt. The spinning I was doing just made me overly dizzy. I’ll be fine in like a minute.” Jooyeon visibly relaxed upon hearing this. The duo hung around the arcade for around another hour, before deciding to head back to the dorm.

Seungmin

It was the group's very first time having an international schedule, and they were currently at their gate waiting for boarding to start. Seungmin was confused because his members kept asking him if he was going to be okay flying. It wasn’t until Gunil brought up a sick bag, that he realized his members were concerned about his motion sickness.

“Guys. I’m fine with flying. I’ve been on dozens of planes and I haven’t gotten motion sick once. If something changes, I will be sure to alert someone.” The others clearly didn’t believe him because of Seungmin’s history of getting sick even on the short drive to the company building.

Much to the surprise of the other five members, Seungmin had zero problems on the plane. However Gunil didn’t want to chance anything, so he made Seungmin rest in the hotel room for a little bit after the very quick car ride to their hotel.

[christinaroseandrews]

So, speaking as a really weird migraine sufferer who has non-typical migraines with an aura from hell which often crash into one another so I'm constantly in a state of aura, Looking at screens while I'm having this going on is impossible. It has nothing to do with the brightness, it has nothing to do with the color scheme or being in dark mode--although some of these things help a little and some of them don't. It has everything to do with the fact that my brain is misfiring.

And when my brain is misfiring any kind of motion or looking at stuff that is variable causes issues. And the light does not help. And every screen is lit.

And we need to go back to the fact that every screen has some type of motion. Whether it be a blinking cursor, a moving mouse, scrolling text, moving gifs, what have you. Even talk to text functions on most phones have a little microphone that has a pulsing blinker to indicate that it's working. They may seem like little things but when my brain is misfiring and it is at its worst, I can't handle that. I can't handle leaves blowing in the breeze. Or the motion of fan blades. The only thing I can do is lie down and close my eyes and wait for the worst to pass.

Additionally every single screen has a flicker and I don't care what screen it is. The flicker is not registering to the conscious brain but it is present and it is being filtered through our eyes and optical nerves. One way to see this is to try to take a video of things and sometimes you'll see the flicker come through. So just because our conscious brain is not recognizing it doesn't mean that our subconscious or other parts of the brain is not aware of the motion. One example I can give is the self checkout scanners which do flicker visibly if you take a video of them. However to our conscious brain they look like they're a solid line.

So yeah, it does suck.

It took me three to four years to be able to tolerate looking at a computer screen again for any length of time. And even to this day I can't do certain things when I am having a full-on bad attack. Which means that my life as an author and editor be a little difficult sometimes. And audio processing disorder is a thing.

Migraines and their auras are debilitating. This isn't just a simple headache or a having tired eyes. This is a condition which can literally sometimes feel like you're having a stroke or are dying.

And Joy has comorbid conditions which all have competing access needs and are all screaming at her demanding to be her primary focus. It's going to take time for her to work out, in concert with her medical team, what works best for her. Because the other shitty thing about migraines is that they have to have very individualized plans. There is no one size fits all for how to deal with it.

And it's frustrating. Particularly for her.

And sometimes you just need to scream into the void about how much it sucks and not have the void scream back with "have you turned the brightness down".

Note: this was done with talk to text so there may be errors.

I’m going to need the people in my inbox asking me if I’ve tried turning down the brightness of my screen to take a moment and sit with why they felt the need to ask such a patronizing and obvious question to a disabled person.

I dunno. Maybe you’re used to people not helping themselves. Maybe you just truly want to help. Unfortunately that doesn’t make it any less annoying for me to be repeatedly asked have I done one of the most basic things a person with light sensitivity can do.

It’s not quite as on par with “you need to drink more water” but it’s up there.

Also to the “you need to drink more water” crowd— I have dysautonomia. That’s a failure of the autonomic nervous system. I drink a minimum of 3-4 liters of electrolyte water a day to keep from fainting. It’s not lack of water.

��Have you tried exercise?”

[guyhobbsart]

week 4: Tues - Fmp

This week, again, is more written development of our stories, the last few weeks have been gearing us for writing a script to base our animation on. this weeks was in the form of an outline, a brief description of each scene that allows us to understand what is going on. i enjoyed this as i sometimes have trouble with getting my ideas out of my head but this was actually very useful and quite a few changes had been made. it read as follows:

Scene 1: the bedroom

Setting: dark, organised but teenage bedroom, foreshadow hand puppet (crafty room?), wood pidgeons and the distant noise of a fan.

Action: Becky awakens to see clock is wrong, jumps up and falls out of bed, calling out to siblings

Emotion: daze turning into panic

Scene 2: the bathroom

Setting: close up in bathroom mirror, hallway slightly visible through door on wall opposite mirror, music starts

Action: 3 characters each taking turns in the bathroom brushing teeth with comedic character relationship dynamics being shown in the hallway behind.

Emotion: rush, playful, funny

Scene 3: quick shots

Setting: front door

Action: characters slinging bags on 1 by 1 in quick succession

Emotion: raising pace, joy

Scene 4: title card

Setting: outside on the road, passing by a large open field with the title across the sky

Action: 3 characters running, Becky in front, Olivia behind glued to her phone, Bailey at the back, slips and falls at the end of the scene in front of a road sign

Emotion: joy and whimsy

Scene 5: crossroad

Setting: on the same road under the road sign

Action: characters deliberate about how they wont make it to school at this pace, olivia uses her phone to find a quicker route and they run off, becky last as she is unsure

Emotion: stress, whimsy

Scene 6: construction site

Setting: characters descend to dangerous construction site, cranes constantly moving around them and cars driving past. Loud machinery and chatter heard all around

Action: characters run through site and get stopped by a site manager, bailey whispers he has an idea and sneaks out of frame, only to (A. use a digger to push the site manager really hard out the way. B. throw something nearby to create a distraction or C. have a ‘look over there its ‘…’ gag).

Emotion: stress then shock

Scene 7: construction site pt2

Setting: same construction site

Action, characters shortly biker along the lines of ‘THAT was your plan’ ‘thank me later’, eye rolls and continue running off frame

Emotion: humour, whimsy

Scene 8: map 1

Setting: cartoony map board

Action: map seen has character icons moving to their next destination, short graphic shows what just happened very simplified in a humorous way, fades out when reach ‘train station’

Emotion: cool down, humour

Scene 9: train station (removed)

Setting: hustle and bustle train station, lots of people walking and can hear announcer over Tannoy

Action: characters run through crowd, bump train (individual quick cuts?) and get on train

Emotion: rush, overwhelming business

Scene 10: on train

Setting: in seats on train, contrastingly quiet compared to station, low rumbling heard as train moves, music stops

Action: characters struggle to catch breath while sat in a 4 seater booth with a table between them. ‘that was a close one’ one of them says, they hear the sliding doors go and whip their heads

Emotion: relief

Scene 11: sliding doors

Setting: Other end of train carriage, can hear the noise of inter carriage doors opening

Action: ticket inspector pictured in the doors, strumming his oversized moustache

Emotion: rising tension

Scene 12: back to characters on train

Setting: back in the booth

Action, bailey is looking over the booth knelt on the chair, olivia is on her phone still, becky is stressed, she comments on the fact they have no tickets. ‘uh oh’ kind of expressions plaster the other 2’s faces. Becky says she might have a plan.

Emotion: stress, curiosity

Scene 13: characters on train 3

Setting: still in booth.

Action: ticket inspector is standing at the table without any of them noticing, ‘hello all, can I see your tickets please?’. A brief hesitance from becky before a nervous ‘yes of course!’. She rummages in her bag only to pull out a hand puppet. She talks in a put on voice ‘would you also like to see my ticket?’. The old ticket inspector is charmed and starts talking to it as if it’s a person.

‘now approaching pitch black tunnel before the station’ (something silly), then the lights go out, when they come back on the 3 characters have disappeared and the puppet is left on the table.

Emotion: tension then humour

Scene 14: map 2

Setting: same map as before

Action: character representations on top of a train travelling from first station to second, showing funny enactment of old man and the puppet (sad?)

Emotion: calm, humour

Scene 15: outside station

Setting: opposite station

Action: we see a policeman lent up against his car. He hears police radio going off about a puppet murder at the station and the suspects are 3 kids. The radio muffles as he sees our 3 main kids and he springs into action, jumping behind his car. We hear him imitating car noises only to ride out from behind the car on a tricycle.

Emotion: subversion, humour.

Scene 16 : on the run

Setting: dirt road

Action: the kids are running but notice theyre being trailed. They start to panic and run off in another direction to try and fake him out. Possible akira slide reference? (removed)

Emotion: rising tension

Scene 17: on the run pt 2

Setting: another dirt road

Action: kids panicking more, ‘we cant lose him!’ bailey starts thinking, he suddenly has an idea, he throws his astronaut helmet off (a lightbulb appears above bailey as he thinks, he jumps up and grabs the lightbulb and throws it at the policeman) and it causes the policeman to spin out and cartoony explode, they all celebrate

Emotion: tense then shock then funny

Scene 18: map 3

Setting: map

Action: simple events of last few scenes play out in funny style

Emotion: humour

Scene 19: school

Setting: school classroom

Action: all sit in their chairs in separate classrooms, (removed) the bell goes just as becky sits, she celebrates only to immediately hear the school speaker request their presence in the principles office.

Emotion: relief then suspicion

Scene 20: office

Setting: principles office, its dark and moody, the site manager, ticket inspector and policeman are stood behind the principle, all pissed and dirty

Action: the principle begins to berate them, his words muffle as the music picks up again as becky looks side to side, their chairs are kicked out and the scene fades to white

Emotion: fear then happiness

Scene 21: credits

Setting: dirt road

Action: mirrors the title scene, possibly have pissed characters running after them, fade to black

Emotion: joy, whimsy.

since it was another written based week i decided to develop my characters further, with more exploration of outfits and colours to really get a good feel of what i want them to look like. these are below.

and finally all of them together, i really like how they have come out and think they all show their personality very clearly in poses and certain design choices. one thing i want to keep consistent is each character having a distinct eye, this will help me differentiate them and also hopefully stop 'same face syndrome'.

[buildbrandbettter]

Nurturing Your Home Services Business: 10 Effective Reputation Management Strategies

Introduction:

In the competitive landscape of home services, where customer trust reigns supreme, reputation management is a cornerstone for success. In this blog, we will explore ten practical and easy-to-implement strategies to enhance your online reputation and bolster your business.

Encourage Customer Reviews:

Building a positive online presence starts with satisfied customers. Encourage them to share their experiences through online reviews. Simple strategies like requesting feedback post-service or offering small incentives can go a long way. Utilizing user-friendly review management tools,makes the process seamless, fostering stronger connections with your customers.

Respond to Reviews:

Engaging with customer feedback, both positive and negative, is crucial. Responding promptly shows that you value customer opinions. Consider employing AI response tools to efficiently manage reviews, especially when monitoring them individually might be challenging.

Serve Locally:

Demonstrate your commitment to the community by supporting local causes and events. This not only garners positive attention but also positions your business as an integral part of the community. Share your community involvement on your website and social media to showcase your business’s commitment to local initiatives.

Be Transparent:

Transparency builds trust. Openly sharing information about pricing, services, and policies helps manage expectations, reduce misunderstandings, and foster customer satisfaction. A transparent approach establishes your business as reliable and trustworthy.

Train Employees:

Investing in employee training is an investment in your business’s reputation. Equip your team with effective customer service skills to handle interactions gracefully. Well-trained employees contribute positively to your business’s image.

Enhance Your Online Presence:

A robust digital presence is essential for attracting customers. Implementing an effective SEO strategy boosts local search rankings, increasing visibility. Listing your business on popular directories and review sites further amplifies your online presence.

Leverage Social Media:

https://buildbrandbetter.io/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Leverage-Social-Media.png

Active engagement on social media platforms creates a space to connect with customers. Regularly share updates about your services, promotions, and community involvement to keep your audience engaged and informed.

Maintain Quality of Service:

Consistent, high-quality service is the bedrock of a positive reputation. Ensure your services not only meet but exceed customer expectations. This commitment is vital for encouraging positive reviews and discouraging negative ones.

Implement Customer Feedback:

Actively seek customer feedback and demonstrate a commitment to improvement. Encourage customers to voice concerns directly to you, preventing negative reviews from being posted online. This proactive approach shows that you value customer opinions and are committed to continuous improvement.

Utilize Text Marketing:

Text marketing is a direct and effective strategy to stay in touch with customers. Sending updates, reminders, or exclusive offers directly to customers’ phones guarantees visibility. Personalized text communications contribute positively to the overall customer experience, enhancing your business’s reputation.

Conclusion:

In the ever-evolving digital landscape, effective reputation management is not just a luxury but a necessity for home service businesses. By implementing these ten strategies, you can shape a positive online image, build trust, and ensure the long-term success of your business. At Build Brand Better, we are committed to helping businesses thrive in this digital era, offering innovative strategies and cutting-edge tools to shape and protect your brand’s reputation. Trust us to build and maintain a stellar reputation that attracts and retains customers.

FAQ

Q1: What is reputation management, and why is it important for home service businesses?

A1: Reputation management involves shaping the public perception of a business by influencing online information about the entity. For home service businesses, it is crucial as customer trust and satisfaction are non-negotiable. A positive online reputation can lead to increased sales and business success.

Q2: How can I encourage customers to leave online reviews for my home service business?

A2: Encourage reviews by asking customers for feedback after service completion. Consider offering small incentives for reviews. Utilize a reviews management tool, to streamline the process and connect with customers for testimonials.

Q3: Why is it important to respond to reviews, especially negative ones?

A3: Responding to reviews, including negative ones, shows customers that you value their feedback. A timely and empathetic response to negative reviews can turn dissatisfied customers into loyal ones. Using an AI response tool can help manage and respond to reviews effectively.

Q4: How can serving locally enhance my home service business’s reputation?

A4: Supporting community causes and sponsoring local events can significantly boost your business’s reputation. Beyond positive attention, it positions your business as an integral part of the local community, fostering a positive image.

Q5: Why is transparency important for home service businesses?

A5: Transparency establishes consumer trust. Openly sharing information about pricing, services, and policies helps build a positive business image, reduces misunderstandings, and leads to higher customer satisfaction.

[wdipl]

How Can Android Application Development Solutions Help Your Business?

The importance of having a mobile presence has increased over the period. People nowadays, spend most of their waking hours on their phones as a result of the emergence of a society in which social media and mobile phones are essential to every individual.

Businesses can interact with customers in-store once they have mastered it. People are attached to their smartphones, whether it is for socializing, buying, or just keeping in touch. This implies that in this mobile-first era, organizations must now create a mobile strategy that is not just functional but also efficient.

If you are asking yourself how an Android app can be a transformative process for your business, then you are in the right place. This aforementioned blog will enlighten you on the potential of Android application development in enhancing the customer experience.

Team WDI will point out the know-how of Android apps to upgrade your business with the current digital era. 

What is Android Application Development?

Android application development is the task through which a new application is created specifically for the Android operating environment. It combines design, coding, testing, and deployment of apps that are only required to operate on the devices that host Android as the operating OS. 

Since Android has an 80% market share of mobile devices worldwide, businesses need to understand and gain an advantage by infiltrating this OS through application technologies.

Why Android Application Development is Needed for Your Business?

Greater Reach to Your Customers

Android dominates the global share in mobile markets. That means an application will have the ability to get millions of users to billions across devices and regions. Its user base is huge across countries; therefore, making it a huge source of visibility for both local and international markets.

Open-source Nature

Android is an open-source platform, so developers can access and sometimes even modify the source code. This flexibility allows higher levels of customization and innovation in an application, free from the handcuffs of a proprietary system. Businesses can take advantage of the means provided to come up with tailored solutions to suit their every whim.

Cost-effectiveness

Android app development is mostly less expensive compared to the other platforms. Development tools and resources that are not heavily furnished are also available at low cost if not for free, and thus businesses can easily develop quality apps on a budget that will not bankrupt them.

AI and Machine Learning Integration

AI and ML are the two technologies that are transforming everything about the way applications work in conjunction with users. From personalized recommendations to advanced analytics, the integration of AI and ML in Android applications enhances functionality and user experience.

Cross-platform development

Flutter and React Native development tools also create an opportunity to develop applications across different operating systems in a single development process, without making it complex. This stream not only saves development time but also maintains the same experience for all users on each platform.

Improving User Experience

Today's emphasis regarding Android app development is majorly on churning out a sleek and user-friendly user experience. Designing for optimized performance, better navigation through applications, and improving the look with advanced UI/UX design principles to hold users in are some of the factors.

As the demand for security features increases, nowadays, developers even embed advanced security in the application. Features like biometric authentication and proper encryption during data storage are being made standard to allow privacy and data protection.

Android Application Development solutions

Android Application Development presents an incredible opportunity to reach a vast and diverse audience. Let’s explore how these solutions can significantly benefit your business.

Expanding Market Reach

Android, with an installed base larger by a mile than its closest competitors, around every part of the globe, is in the meantime. Several reasons contribute to this dominance, with the open-source nature, affordability, and large variety of devices being the leading ones. 

As for the present period, 2024, Android is popular, having the most significant number of users when compared to other smartphone markets in the world.

That has to be one of the biggest advantages of supporting Android in its massive demographic range, which provides businesses with an opportunity to connect with different diversified audiences. Android has the market, with devices that reach each category such as different ages, different genders, and different socio-economic classes. 

This variability provides businesses with varied stances on how to be able to customize apps according to their target markets in such a way that the messages can be able to resonate with a larger section of people.

Few successful Businesses in Expanding Market Reach through Android Apps

So, the fact remains that many businesses have gained success in expanding their market reach by creating Android apps. Let's cite some of them

Uber

This ride-sharing giant has brought a new era to the ride-hailing industry. Its Android app lets a user request a ride from one place to another. The vastness of this app in several regions, and millions of customers, is huge.

Netflix

Netflix has leveraged Android to the maximum by exploiting the huge user base of the OS for its streaming service. The Netflix app for Android proffers a sensational viewing experience, letting the user enjoy his favourite shows and movies on the fly.

WhatsApp

This is a widely used app for messaging, and being cross-platform, with great usability, can be assured to have a stupendous number of users across the globe. The WhatsApp Android application brings all the success to the app since a user stays connected with his circle of friends and relations, who are present far and wide in divergent geographic places.

 Increase user engagement

Android has a greater user base globally; hence, it leads in the market share, proving to be the perfect platform for a business to reach out to a highly diversified audience. This great reach does not stay confined to developed nations; Android has become so affordable and compatible with a wide range of even lower-end devices that, particularly in emerging markets, it serves as the gateway into the digital world for millions.

From wealthy businesspeople to aged citizens, from school students to illiterate individuals, Android has traversed all classes, economic categories, and cultural divisions. This presents businesses with the option to reach a wide variety of consumers. 

This wide demographic reach affords companies greater latitude to slice and dice their marketing strategies across various segments greater chance of successfully piercing into newer markets. Companies like Uber and Airbnb have leveraged the wide reach of Android to extend their operations across the world. 

The presence of its application in more than 900 metropolitan regions around the world contributed much to its growth in the different continents. Its growth has also taken place with Airbnb on Android, which connects the hosts with travellers from all over the world and helps tap into various regional markets.

Besides, the open-source nature of Android further empowers the enterprise to design applications that can be tailor-made according to regional needs and demands, therefore increasing user interaction and satisfaction. This is key for companies desirous of making a mark in many markets, thereby cementing the status of Android as a very vital tool needed in consolidating their reach of the market.

Boosting brand visibility

Custom applications allow the personalization of user experiences, something so crucial in today's competitive scenario of digital platforms. This allows businesses to embed app features and functionalities with unique user needs and preferences, hence assuring better relevance of interactions with the intent of driving better engagement. With push notifications, it shows users updates that are timely and relevant directly on their devices.

For instance, an e-commerce app may send notifications regarding items that are on special discounts and which the user is interested in, or restock alerts. In-app messaging allows for real-time communication through direct ways to get in touch with support teams, and personalized recommendations based on behavior inside the app.

Meanwhile, personalization ensures that the users get information, offers, and services that appeal to their preferences as an individuals and, therefore more relevant and interesting to them.

These personalized touches improve user engagement and help build loyalty, increasing retention rates. When users think an app is personalized to their needs and preferences, they are most likely to continue using the application, refer others, and ultimately become long-term customers. 

Such is the case with Starbucks, which utilized its application to offer personalized deals and rewards, driving customer loyalty and repetitive buys. Spotify applies personalized playlists and notifications about new music releases based on a user's preference for increased engagement and satisfaction from the users.

Improved customer experience 

Custom applications have become core in personalizing experiences, and this is something that has become very cardinal in enhancing engagement. Making the app functionalities more in line with user needs and preferences will assure businesses of more personal and well-connected communications.

These applications are powered with aggregated user data analysis for companies to create tailored content, recommendations, or services. Suggestions can range from products based on earlier purchases or surfing history, making the use of that specific application more intuitive and enjoyable.

Key Feature Impacts on User Engagement

Features such as push notifications, in-app messaging, and personalized content work wonders for user activity. If done right, the push notifications will remind users who have left items in their carts, offer them special deals, or notify them of every important piece of information.

In-app messaging enables real-time communication; hence, users are connected and cared for by customer service chats or timely information updates. From personalized news feeds to customized dashboards, personalization will retain returning users through repetitive delivery of information.

Boosting brand visibility

No brand is competitive enough in today's environment, considering that buyers increasingly rely on the digital method both for information and purchases. Brand visibility simply means your business is visible, recognizable, and remembered by your target audience. It builds trust, drives engagement, and finally leads to better customer loyalty and sales.

An Android mobile application is one of the strong channels for raising brand awareness and consistency across platforms. By giving space to your brand on the customer's device, it will be part of their daily life and will appear in their minds by default. With an app, you will be able to stick with the message of the brand, design, and experience that reassures your identity at every touch point with the customer. It will be further coined with push notifications, personalized content, and seamless integrations with other digital channels so they are all the more cognizant of your brand and build trust in it.

It includes the design of applications and makes a brand's identity strong by including UI. A properly designed application, considering your brand colours, fonts, and overalls, will ensure that the user's experience is not only cohesive but also memorable. By making the interface more user-friendly, one embeds their brand's image into their user's mind. Consistent design features in the app will help embed your brand identity and make recognition a lot easier.

Android application development is the key to unlocking every business opportunity in manifold directions. Starting with expanding your reach in the market and increasing the level of customer engagement for better customer support, to gaining an advantage over rivals, there are lots of ways an Android app can help in the growth and smooth functioning of a business. With the help of custom-designed Android apps, businesses can have a very smooth digital transformation, setting them up for long-term success in any fast-moving market.

Looking to develop an Android app to grow your business?

At WDIPL, our team of experts enjoys converting problems into prospects. We are expert providers of custom mobile app development solutions that will allow your business needs to grow and innovate. 

Be it enhancing user experience, smoothing operations, or increasing brand presence-reasons might be many, but one thing is for sure: we would help you bring your vision alive.

Contact us today to learn more about how expert mobile application development services can help reinvent your business and unlock new potential.