#but I’m like. well it exists at least relatively and it’s been happening to me

[itspileofgoodthings]

I saw a friend the other day and she was like “have you read the great divorce” and I said no “and she said well it’s very hard to explain but basically the souls in heaven are more solid than the souls in hell and I just wanna tell you that you’re getting more and more solid every time I see you” and when I say that’s one of the most personal things anyone has ever said to me

[kunikame]

# PURPLE LILACS !

[11] - the embrace of home (rediscovered) | prev. | m. list | next

ace trappola x fem!reader smau

! warning(s) : readers first attemp at using magic, meowing, ace trappola is literally the sun, cussing, floyd leech, the curse of ra be upon yee

! w/c : 1087

you find yourself sitting on the wooden floor of the living room, back pressed against the old, dusty couch, hands fiddling awkwardly with the thing crowley gave you.

it’s odd, really. despite having seen countless of these things since you arrived in twisted wonderland, you have never once thought you’d be holding, much less possessing one of them.

lost in thought, you missed the 3 knocks that rapped against the entrance, as well as the heavy creaking of the door.

“dude, you will never guess what i just saw–” startling at the sudden voice, you whipped your head to the side only to see the ginger you called over staring intently at your hands, eyes wider than you’ve ever seen them be, “is that a magic pen?”

“um, yeah. that’s- that’s what happened with crowley, haha. turns out i have magic, or something. yay!” you performed the most awkward jazz hands humanity has ever had the misfortune to witness and ace dropped all the candy packets in his hands.

“huh?!” he rushed over to you, shaking you by the shoulders, “dude, what?! tell me everything!”

“okay- but stop shaking me, damn. um, so he called me in and he went on about having some research and tests done or whatever, and he was all ‘yeah so you basically have a magical affinity haha, the carriage wouldn’t have brought you here otherwise’ and how it was through ‘unfortunate means’ and stuff. he said we would have to run further tests to fully unlock it so he gave me a magestone for now and called it a day, said it would at least power weaker spells and the like,” a moment of silence passes as you look away from him, thinking your next words through carefully, “i didn’t have to accept it– didn’t want to, initially. but then i remembered, and, yeah. i felt compelled to.”

“remembered?”

“my parents. surely they would feel better knowing i can.. protect myself? and live a relatively ‘normal’ life here, if i went through with it. .. they would, right?”

you looked back up at him, your eyes sparkling a little more than they did before, and despite it being further from the truth than the usual blunt, no bullshit ace trappola would have liked, he found himself agreeing.

“.. yeah. yeah, i’m sure they would. i think they’re proud of you for taking that step towards ensuring your safety.”

ace trappola has never been much of a hugger.

but, then again, he’s never been much of a liar, either.

in the warm embrace of your newfound friend, you rediscovered something you missed so dearly, and you sobbed.

not purely over the circumstances you found yourself in, but also because ace was warm.

one hand rubbing soothing circles on your back while the other found itself in your hair, ace was gentle. somehow barely there yet completely enveloping you at the same time, his presence ghosting over you, like a soft blanket on cold winter nights. like the gentle caress of your mothers hand, and your fathers warmth as he sat next to you on the couch. ace trappola felt as warm as the sun, almost like the everlight orb shone purely on him, illuminating his existence– and ace sucked it all up like it was nothing, readily sharing the light and heat with his peers– with you.

ace trappola embodied not only the warmth of the sun, but also the comfort of home.

amidst your sobbing, the loud thumping of a heartbeat went unnoticed.

a short while after your breakdown, you find yourself completing the finishing touches on floyds clay figurine– or ‘floyd jr’, as he likes to call it– with ace by your side, scrolling on his phone while also keeping a steady eye on you.

eventually he discarded his phone completely, his attention now on the creature in your hands. this version of floyd looks far less terrifying than the real one, at least it can’t tackle him at basketball practice, he thinks.

“don’t you want to try it out?”

you hum a questioning tune, eyes flickering up to him for a mere moment, then immediately shooting back to mini floyds hat.

“your magic. it might make it easier to make these. and it’d be a good way to see if it works.”

he did have a point, but you’re almost done with this one and you don’t really want to risk ruining it.

then you remembered some left over fabric from a previous project, and rushed to your room to grab it– you just hoped it would be enough for what you have in mind.

once you returned to your position on the living room floor and cleaned off the table to not break anything that was on it, you grabbed the magic pen and envisioned your creation. ace sat with bated breath (which he will not be caught alive admitting) and as he watched you flick the pen, the fabrics were sent flying all over the room.

“oh.”

“.. maybe it was too complicated a vision for a first time spell.”

you retrieved the fabrics to try again, with a less taxing version of the project in mind.

this time, after a gentle flick of your wrist, the fabrics floated up slowly. they began to weave together with matching colors of threads, the scarlet and whites forming the pattern of the heartslabyul uniforms, while the vermillion floated up to the top of the doll, settling on its head in a messy mop of ginger hair.

once it was finished, the plush doll fell on the desk with a loud plop, conveniently standing up and staring you directly in the eyes.

a short silence settled upon the room then– you didn’t think you could actually do that!

ace reached out for the plushie with shaky hands, slowly lifting it to his face, studying it intently.

“is.. is that me?”

“yeah! i tried my best to make it look like you, at least, haha. i wanted to thank you for, y’know, keeping my secret, and being there for me, or whatever. so, yeah, thanks. you’re not as much of an ass as i initially thought you were, so you get your own merch, like all the people precious to me here.”

‘like all the people precious to me here.’

he’s precious to you? all he’s doing is lying to your face.

but instead of saying that, he smiles, “you’re precious to me, too.”

## ❝ after the events of the phantom bride wedding, ace started wondering whether he still had the ability to charm girls. he hasn’t thought about anyone romantically in years, hasn’t really flirted with anyone either, what if he’s gone out of it? perhaps it’s time to put his talents to the test; with the person who hates him most, no less. if he can charm her, he can charm anyone. ❞

#TAGLIST ! : @solxima @gabirii @lunavixia @y2unagiz @the-ghost-0f-t0m0 @borlining @verity-moon @myunghology @doughnuts-eater @lifeless-bug @babygurlenthusiast @shirishere @xopeach @stormyovent0aster @bontensbabygirl @ars-tral @wrathy-mcwrathface @sinofthesloth @skeet-2 @everettelz @sakuram1nt @shatiyuh @ambigrueity @junebunny06 @norylight @dyedracoonhair @persm1net @meowbuscompany @sugarrush-blush @oopsie-daisy-doo @yuumei-strawberry-shortcake @jaiistg @erigaur // ask/comment or fill form to be added/removed! (if you’re in bold i can’t tag you)

[athetos]

I don’t really know what to say anymore. There’s an active genocide happening right now and everybody with the power to stop it is ignoring it. They’re airing what are essentially fucking snuff films on Israeli tv. The media treats this like it’s “complicated” when it has never been complicated, it’s genocide, nothing could ever justify it, nothing ever will. It makes me sick that all I can do is protest and donate money and SIM cards and boycott, but it still hasn’t stopped. Everyone is fucking complicit. It’s sickening and I hate feeling powerless, everyone I know feels powerless, I’m hoping and fighting and I refuse to treat Palestine in the past tense because I do believe Palestine will be free but why does it have to take this long? Why isn’t anyone DOING anything?

I can’t go a single day without learning of what vile transphobic shit is happening here in my home. On virtually every website I use. Hate crimes in my own area. I am a mail clerk and today we received a request for donations from a charity run by a terf to keep trans women out of sports with grossly violent language. I ripped it up and threw it out even though I’d get in trouble over it, even though I knew my company wouldn’t donate anyway. This morning I learned about a non-binary teen who was beaten to death by 3 girls in a school bathroom. The teacher who found them and sent the girls away didn’t take them to the nurse or call an ambulance or do anything. Trying so hard to keep it together and not break down at work. It’s heartbreaking. I feel so powerless. There’s so much suffering, so many innocent people dying every day, just for existing.

I’m so lucky that I live in a city where I’m (relatively) safe. I may get called slurs on my commute, or misgendered regularly, but I don’t feel like my life could be stolen from me. Most people don’t have that luxury. Palestinians don’t have that luxury, many of my trans siblings don’t have that luxury. I want to use my privileges to DO something! I only have so much money. I only have my own voice, even if I scream until my throat is raw and bloody.

I don’t really know what else to say. Keep fighting, keep hoping. Fuck, man. I won’t let this make me a defeatist, I will never give up. As long as at least a single person on this planet is suffering, I will always keep fighting for them. It’s just sickening. Is there no compassion or empathy left in others? I am a well that will never be tapped dry. Keep fucking going, that’s all we can do. Free Palestine, protect trans kids, Black Lives Matter, we are all in solidarity forever.

[celestiall0tus]

Miraculous AU - Chapter 50 - Ripper

Beginning || Previous || Next

            Viperion ran along the rooftops. He found Chat at the rendezvous point, leaning on the railing. Chat’s ears twitched and he turned as Viperion joined him.

            “Hey,” Viperion said.

            “Hey. How’s it been since, you know?”

            “Quiet, for the most part. Nathalie has been playing mom. Rose and Juleka seem to love it. I haven’t minded, only because she leaves me alone.”

            “She’s doing well?”

            “Yeah. Except for her kwami. Duusu doesn’t like his new accommodations and is always prowling around the house, ready to fight. However, the past few days he’s been perched on Nathalie’s shoulder, refusing to move. I’ve wondered what happened, but I don’t pry so long as fancy bird isn’t out to kill us.”

            “Has Nathalie been any different?”

            “You’d know better than I.”

            “I wish I could see her more often.”

            “How’s it been without her?”

            “There’s a shift in the atmosphere and everyone seems to be in foul moods all the time. My cousin is always angry, throwing tantrums and breaking whatever he can. My aunt just badmouths my cousin when she isn’t yelling at him, which then makes him angrier. And Father seems like he’s unraveling with them around. Probably not helping that I slip out whenever I can. Not just to be rebellious, but I just can’t stand being in that house right now.”

            “I’m sorry to hear that. I can’t even imagine what that’d be like.”

            “It is what it is, I suppose, right?”

            “I suppose. It should get better once the relatives leave right? When are they supposed to?”

            “I don’t know. However, I think that Father will send them back to London right after tomorrow.”

            “Why after tomorrow?”

            “Cause it’s my birthday and that’s the whole reason that Father let them come in the first place. At least tomorrow I can leave the house without sneaking out. Though I’ll have to spend the day with my cousin.”

            “Is that why you invited me along?”

            “Kinda? I also just wanted to hang out with you some more. I had fun when we hung out several nights ago. And I feel like I could learn a lot from you as well.”

            “From me?”

            “Yeah. It’s painfully obvious how sheltered I am. A lot of what I’ve experienced has been from Ladybug and her friends, but I can’t help and feel I’m missing out on something. Not to say that I’m ungrateful to Ladybug, but it just feels like there’s something else I could be experiencing. And when I’m with you, I don’t feel that.”

            “But, why me? I’m no one special. There’s nothing to me at all. And if there is, it’s just a reflection of Souris.”

            “You know we talked about this before, Viperion.”

            “I know, but it doesn’t change the fact of how I feel about myself. Who I am, what I am, it doesn’t matter because it doesn’t exist. I’m just a shell of a person, a mirror that reflects how other people act around me. I mean, look how I treat those close to me. Juleka and I are direct mirrors to each other, always reflecting and bouncing off the other. Marinette I’m nice to because she’s nice to me. Everyone else pretty much ignores me, so I just ignore them.”

            “What about with Alix?”

            “She’s… a unique case. I’m not a reflection with her, but I don’t know what I am.”

            “And what about with me?”

            “I don’t know. It’s a lot like with Alix. I don’t feel like a reflection of you, but I don’t know what I am.”

            “Maybe that’s the real you?”

            “And what is the real me?”

            Chat smiled and brushed Viperion’s cheek with the tip of his tail. “You’re a grumpy, standoffish guy who is kind and loving to those close to him. Who is also very passionate about music. You’re also a great listener and easy to talk and open up to.”

            Viperion blushed and looked away.

            Chat looked back out to the city. “It’s why I want to make amends. I know you’ve forgiven me for what I did, but I hadn’t forgiven myself at the time. It actually took Duusu to make me realize I needed to move on and let things go. That I can’t really afford to hold onto things like that. It was cemented more when Mayura killed someone. I wanted to be more disappointed in her, to reprimand her, but I couldn’t. She did what she had to, just as I did.”

            “So, what now?”

            “I would like to start over. To be your friend, if that’s ok. I enjoy your company just as much as Ladybug’s. In a lot of ways, you two are similar. You’re both incredibly compassionate people, extremely passionate about your work, and enjoyable to be around.”

            Viperions’s blush deepened. “You think so?”

            “I do, for what it’s worth. I know I’m not that great a judge of character. Not in the way that Souris and Louve, but I can make my own conclusions, right?”

            “You can, though don’t set the bar that high. Louve and Souris are in leagues all their own. They can pick you apart before you have a chance to blink.”

            “Isn’t that the truth. Both figured out who I was off the smallest of things. It’s quite terrifying how analytical they are.”

            “It is. Though it does make them both a little pushy, in their own ways.”

            “I don’t think Souris is pushy.”

            “That’s because you don’t live with her or are her brother.”

            Chat smiled, then it faded. He stood up as his ears twitched, then straightened. His pupils narrowed into slits as he grabbed his staff. He held it at the ready as he turned. Viperion looked behind and saw a hooded figure dressed in black. Viperion stepped back against the railing when he saw a red forelock from the hood, gold claw armor on the shoes, dark blue tail feathers, and a gold chain at his hip.

            “I hope I’m not… interrupting, am I?” Rooster asked. His voice low and deep with a growl added to it.

            “What do you want?” Viperion asked.

            Rooster smiled. He held up his hands to reveal yellow gloves with golden claw armor that was stained red. “Oh, you know, don’t you? Looking for some… entertainment. And it looks like I found it.”

            Rooster took a step towards Viperion, but Chat stood in the way.

            “Does the kitty want to play?”

            Chat hissed. He charged at Rooster and threw them both from the roof.

            Viperion ran to the edge as the pair sparred in the street. He searched for this phone, but it wasn’t on him like this. He backed away and knelt. He de-transformed and pulled out his phone.

            “What are you doing?” Sass demanded.

            “We need to let Alix and Carapace know. Mayura too.”

            Luka got a message out to Alix when he heard Chat yowl, then a loud crash.

            “Sass, scales-.”

            Luka was cut off when Rooster pinned him down by his throat. He fought to stay calm as the smell of fresh blood made him sick.

            “Look what I have here. You’re Adrien’s new boy toy, aren’t you? I’ll give it to Adrien, he knows how to pick the pretty ones. Though I don’t feel you quite fit the bad boy look without a few scars. What do you think?”

            Luka tried to transform, but Rooster tightened his grip on Luka. Luka clawed at Rooster’s hand as he fought for air.

            Rooster ran a clawed hand over Luka’s chest. “What can I do? What can I do? I don’t want to cause too much damage. It’d be no fun if I just killed you after all.”

            Luka gasped and struggled against Rooster. Sass hissed and transformed into a snake. He bit onto Rooster’s sleeve.

            “Do you mind? Actually, I have an idea. Why don’t we test how much your kwami can heal you, snake?”

            Rooster moved his hand as he raked the shoe claw armor across Luka’s chest, from the throat to the stomach. Luka screamed and Sass gawked at Rooster in horror.

            Luka tried again to transform, but Rooster slashed at Luka’s face. He winced and cried in pain.

            “Not just yet.” Rooster slashed at Luka’s left arm as deep as Chat cut his right.

            Sass removed himself from Rooster and transformed into a larger snake. He sank his fangs into Rooster’s leg. Rooster sneered and swiped at Sass, but his claws couldn’t harm Sass. Rooster stepped back from Luka’s throat as he wrestled to get Sass off him.

            “Sass, scales slither.”

            Sass released Rooster as he vanished into the bracelet and transformed Luka.

            Viperion ran for the edge, but Rooster grabbed his tail. Rooster pulled and smashed Viperion into the ground. Viperion moved to stand when Rooster pinned him down again.

            “You’ll need to be faster than that.”

            “Let me go.”

            “If I do, you’ll run to the kitten and heal him. Unfortunately, I can’t let that happen.”

            “Why? What do you have against us? Why do this at all?”

            “Because its fun watching you all squirm and suffer. Especially the pretty ones like you.”

            Viperion grimaced as Rooster’s claws settled on his face. A green flash from behind Rooster caught his eye. Rooster turned as a pink whip wrapped around his waist and pulled him back. Viperion gasped with relief and made a break for the edge. Viperion scanned the area and saw a large hole in a building. Viperion jumped over and moved away the rubble. Under it was Chat.

            Viperion felt sick at the sight of Rooster’s quick work. Blood stained Chat’s hair as it trailed from his head in rivers. Long, deep lacerations marred Chat’s face and chest as Rooster cut through his suit. He reached out and touched Chat’s pale skin. He shuttered when it was lukewarm. He pulled Chat into his arms.

            “Rejuvenate.”

            Golden light enveloped Chat, then faded away. Chat gasped and woke with a startle, like Alix had. He looked around frantically before he stared at Viperion.

            “What happened? Where is he?”

            “He’s-.”

            A loud crash interrupted Viperion. He shielded Chat from the debris that fell around them. A moment later, Souris fell onto the rubble pile.

            “Souris!”

            Souris coughed and hauled herself to her feet. There was a long cut on her arm and a nick on her cheek. Tears fell from her eyes as she rushed to Viperion. “Are you ok? I saw Rooster had you. He was hurting you and… and… I’m so sorry!”

            Souris wailed as she hugged Viperion.

            Viperion patted Souris back. “I appreciate the concern, but now’s not the time.”

            Souris ignored Viperion as she clung to him.

            “Chat, can you fight?”

            Chat looked up at the rooftops. “I don’t think I should get in the way.”

            Viperion turned and saw Liberte and Rooster. Rooster’s hooded disguise was torn off to reveal himself. He wore an orange dress vest with a yellow collared shirt with the sleeves rolled up and brown pants. His skin was a yellow-ish orange and his hair red, spike up in a mohawk. In his fight against Liberte, he wielded dual hand scythes connected by a golden chain. Viperion grimaced with each blow Rooster landed on her until he put her in a type of headlock with a blade at Liberte’s throat.

            Liberte craned her neck back. “You’re a son of a bitch.”

            Rooster grinned. He raised the second blade to Liberte’s face. “Thank you, love.”

            “I’m waiting.”

            “Waiting for what?”

            “Fuck, you’re stupid.”

            “Now, where would the fun be in that? After all, you’re the most fun I’ve had in a long time, love.”

            “Oh, the fun isn’t over yet, love. Defiance.”

            Rooster’s eyes widened as Liberte landed a swift jab to his gut. He fell back. His blade ran across her throat, but it went unnoticed. He attempted to stand, but she knocked him down. She kept him down with each blow. She launched him in the air, then threw him back down. She stood in the air before she fell. She increased her mass and landed on his gut as they fell through the roof to the ground floor. She held him down by his throat.

            “You have two choices, love. Renounce your jewel or die.”

            “Is that all? You seem to be missing a few options.”

            “What makes you so sure?”

            Rooster grinned. He tapped his throat. Liberte felt her own throat and discovered the large gash.

            “How did you…? I didn’t feel anything.”

            “Quite the power you have, love. The ability to defy almost anything must be quite intoxicating, but it can’t last forever. And if I’m a betting man, which I am, you don’t have much longer.”

            Liberte sneered. “Damn you.”

            “I know, love. It’s unfortunate we must part like this, but this must be how we leave each other. For now.”

            Liberte spat in Rooster’s face before she leapt from the building. She stopped beside Viperion and knelt. She craned her neck so he could see the cut.

            “How aren’t you dead?”

            “Just fucking heal me before you grill me.”

            Viperion moved his free hand up to Liberte’s neck. “Mend.”

            Gold light stitched together that wound and the others Liberte had sustained. Viperion looked at his bracelet and saw the final segment had dimmed.

            "Liberte, is it safe to leave?”

            “Safe enough.”

            “Please get us out of here.”

            Liberte put her hand on Viperion’s head. She teleported all of them back to the Couffaine residence. Souris released Viperion as he scooped up Chat and sat him on the couch.

            “Sass, scales rest.”

            “Kaalki, dismount.”

            Their kwamis popped out from the jewels and fell towards the floor. They caught their respective kwami and headed to the kitchen. Luka grabbed an apple and cut it up for Sass and Kaalki to share. Souris approached Luka.

            “Are you ok?”

            “Why ask me? I’m not the one that was almost killed.”

            “No, just tortured!”

            “Hey, can we hold off on fighting until we assess what happened? Take note of damages and all that fucking shit?” Alix suggested.

            Luka nodded and pushed past Souris. He took a seat beside Chat. “How are you feeling?”

            Chat shook his head.

            “Do want to talk?”

            Chat shook his head.

            Luka nodded and moved to Alix. “Can I see your neck?”

            Alix craned her head up. Luka grimaced at the small scar where the cut was deepest. Her other wounds healed without any scarring.

            “He got us both good, didn’t he?” Alix pointed to Luka.

            Luka looked down. His jacket’s sleeve and shirt were shredded where Rooster struck him. Long scars remained of the wounds.

            “Fucking hell,” Luka breathed.

            “He truly is a monster, isn’t he?” Chat whispered.

            “He certainly doesn’t need butterflies to make him one,” Alix agreed.

            “So, what now?” Luka asked.

            “Answers. Chat, what happened with you?”

            There was a long silence. “Rooster was stronger and faster than me. I got him away from Viperion, but he quickly took me down. He slashed my back and chest through my suit. Then he threw me into a building, and everything went dark.”

            “So, you were transformed? Why did you de-transform?” Souris asked.

            “Because I needed to tell someone. And I wasn’t expecting to come across the bastard when I headed out, so it was on Luka, not Viperion.”

            “That is fair. Even Carapace and I were starting to have our doubts that Rooster would show up. However, now that he has shown up, we can come up with a plan. Namely, who should be the ones to handle him.”

            “Who else besides you?” Luka asked.

            “If he’s stronger and faster, then his bond with his kwami must be superior to ours. So, we need people who stand on equal footing. However, there’s not a lot of us with those bonds yet.”

            “I agree, but it’s not all bonds,” Luka said.

            “What do you mean?” Alix asked.

            “Our natural skills are enhanced when we transform. So, for example, the more athletic and in shape a person is, the stronger they are.”

            “Wait, really?”

            Luka nodded.

            “So, if that’s the case what the fuck was the point of the training we had in our hero forms? Shouldn’t you all have been training yourselves?”

            “It was to train our powers further too, Alix. We’ve all gotten stronger with them. We all also learned to fight through people like you. After all, not all our kwamis give us access to such knowledge,” Souris pointed out.

            “Fair enough. Still begs the question, doesn’t it?”

            “Maybe we should start exercising more, no?”

            Luka grimaced.

            “What’s the matter, Luka? Afraid to get all hot and sweaty?” Alix teased.

            Luka glared at Alix.

            “Hey, a thought. Maybe we should let Ladybug know that Chat is here?” Souris asked.

            Alix nodded and took out her phone.

            Souris moved from the kitchen to the stairs.

            “Where are you going?” Luka asked.

            “I’m going to scout things out. And get your phone.”

            Luka felt his pockets and didn’t feel his phone.

            “I appreciate it. Thank you.”

            Souris nodded and left. They sat in silence until they heard a thud and the click of heels. Luka and Alix turned as Ladybug ran downstairs. Luka’s jaw dropped when he saw her new outfit. It was a long, short-sleeved red cheongsam with black spots. The skirt had splits up to her hip on both sides that allowed her to move with complete freedom. She had black shorts, long gloves, and thigh-high, high heeled boots on. Platinum armor guarded her ankles, wrists, and rimmed the top of the boots and gloves. She still had her mask, but her hair was half up in twin tops buns with the rest of her hair down.

            Alix cat called. “Looking sexy, gorgeous!”

            Ladybug staggered and growled. “Shut up, Alix!”

            Chat looked up and gawked at Ladybug. “Ladybug?

            Ladybug chuckled nervously as she sat beside Chat. “Pay me no mind. I was just trying something a little… different.”

            Chat blushed. “You look stunning.”

            Ladybug blushed, then shook her head. “Thank you, but this isn’t about me. Are you ok? Alix told me what happened.”

            Chat looked away and shook his head. He pulled Ladybug into a hug as he rested his head on her shoulder. Alix rolled her eyes and moved to the kitchen. She grabbed a bottle of water before she sat beside Luka.

            Alix grinned.

            Luka’s eye twitched. “Fuck off, Alix.”

            “But I didn’t say anything, yet.”

            Luka hummed. He looked away when he heard Rose and Nathalie’s voices. They walked in as Lapine and Mayura, carrying groceries. They paused when they saw everyone.

            “What happened?” Mayura asked.

            “Rooster,” Alix said.

            “Rooster? Why didn’t you tell me?”

            “I didn’t have time. I was only able to get a message out to Alix before he came back after me,” Luka explained.

            “And Souris wouldn’t let me contact you with Luka in trouble,” Alix added.

            “Can you tell me what happened?”

            Luka explained what happened with Rooster, then Alix finished the story with her part.

            Mayura exhaled. “This is… troubling. From this point, be more cautious. Avoid combat with Rooster. If you have to engage Rooster, don’t do it alone. If you are able, reach out to me or Alix immediately. Understand?”

            They all nodded.

            “Good. Now, I’m going to keep an eye out for Souris. Lapine, would you get started on what we discussed?”

            Lapine nodded. She de-transformed and moved to the kitchen.

            “Can I join you, Mayura?” Chat asked.

            “Of course. Would you like to join us, Ladybug?”

            “I would, but I should get back home. I’ve got a lot of work to do still.”

            “We’ll see you out. Come along you two.”

            Mayura left with Ladybug and Chat. They saw Ladybug off before they strolled along the Seine.

            “How are you feeling, Chat?”

            “I don’t know. There’s a lot of everything that I don’t quite know. It’s making everything feel different. Like, really different.”

            “Different how?”

            “I feel a lot more in just the past few minutes than what feels like my entire life. I’m pissed that Rooster hurt Luka the way he did. I’m ashamed that I let him beat me so easily. I’m loathing having to return to the hell that home has become. And that’s not even mentioning Ladybug. Whatever I’ve felt around her feels so much stronger. And with those feelings come new thoughts that I’ve never had before. Why am I feeling so much like this?”

            “That’s the power of Rejuvenate. It heals the body and purifies the mind and soul. Gets rid of barriers that allow for healing to take effect. It’s like taking medication and going through years of therapy in a matter of seconds. So long as you capitalize on it. Just look at Liberte and Carapace for examples of Rejuvenate’s effect.”

            “So, what I’m feeling is because of Viperion’s power? I don’t like this. Everything feels stronger and scarier. And there’s so much of it too. Is this normal?”

            “At your age, yes. You should have been experiencing these kind of things for a while, but due to your upbringing, you were stifled and stunted. Now, not so much.”

            “What do I do then?”

            “Just let yourself feel. Don’t try to stuff away how you feel. Allow yourself the luxury to feel and shout it to the world.”

            “Ok, but what about with Ladybug? The feelings are so much stronger, and they come with thoughts I never had before. Thoughts that make me feel weird. And I don’t know why.”

            “That’s love for you.”

            “Including the weird feelings?”

            “Weird how?”

            Chat blushed and looked away. “I’m not sure. Just… weird.”

            Mayura sighed and rubbed her forehead. “Chat, did your father ever have that talk with you?”

            “Which talk?”

            “The sex talk?”

            “Uh, no. He said he’d have that talk once I was dating, at eighteen. With a girl of his choosing.”

            “I hate that man. Alright then. Let’s head to a rooftop while we wait for Souris to return home. We’re going to talk.”

            In the back of Mayura’s head, she heard Duusu snicker.

            ‘I told you so, Precious. But you never believed me. Tsk tsk.’

            Mayura’s eyebrow twitched.

            “Are you ok?”

            “I’m fine. Just a small headache. Come along now.”

~~

            Felix slipped in through the window of his room and leaned against the wall.

            “Orikko, sundown.”

            Orikko appeared from the twin chained rings and fell onto Felix’s shoulder.

            “Ugh! I forgot the horse packs a punch.”

            “Quit your whining. We need to come up with a plan.”

            “Why? It’s clear we can easily take these heroes.”

            “We took on a small sample of them. Yes, their cat is weak and the snake an idiot, but the horse is a threat. We got lucky with her that I slit her throat. Next time we may not be so lucky. And that’s not accounting for the other heroes that didn’t show up tonight.”

            “No thoughts on the mouse?”

            “How could I? The horse removed her from the fight after I landed just one blow.”

            “I suppose. So, what is this plan you insist upon?”

            “Chat Noir. He may be able to fool his fellow heroes, all of Paris even, but I can see him for who he is.”

            “Are you sure? He doesn’t seem the type to be the cat.”

            “I wouldn’t have thought so either. But I see Adrien in Chat Noir, only because I see myself. And I hate it. Not to mention that Adrien’s clearly changed. Or at least starting to.”

            “Oh, that’s nothing. You’ll see massive changes after tonight.”

            “Why’s that?”

            “Rejuvenate, the snake’s greater power. It’s needed to heal us kwamis, purge the effects of our powers, and so much more. Especially with your kind. It’s like if you actually were sent to therapy for years and received the help you needed to become a better person, condensed into seconds.”

            “And how will that affect Adrien in any great way? What trauma could that perfect bastard fucking have?”

            “Beats me. I just know whenever Rejuvenate is used, the holder tends to change. Typically for the better, though not always.”

            “I see. We’ll have to see if we can use it to our advantage. Regardless, we’ll need to use him to lure out the peacock.”

            “Why?”

            Felix scoffed. “Because Nathalie raised both of us. And I don’t think she’d leave Adrien to die.”

            “Then why didn’t she show up tonight?”

            “I don’t know. I hope she was just busy with something else. At any rate, we will be trying again tomorrow night.”

            Orikko cooed. “She’d have to show up tomorrow. Can’t let anything bad happen on his special little day.”

            “Exactly. We’ll follow Adrien once he leaves as Chat. We’ll strike before more of his companions show up. If more heroes do show up, then we show them the power of the rooster. Sound good?”

            “I have no complaints.”

            “Good. Eat up. We’re going to need to be at full strength for tomorrow.”

Patreon || Discord || Ko-Fi

[auroral-melody]

I've been thinking of something for a while and I'd like your opinion on it... what if instead of the universe expanding from a single point with the big bang, the speed of light was infinite until the big bang at which point it became a finite number and has been decreasing since.

So this ask is fully from May 2018. I wrote up a whole thing about it, and then ended up never posting it because I wasn’t very confident in my answer.

4 years later I had done a research project in particle cosmology and more or less concluded that no one actually knows anything ever, physicists should be taught more group theory, and that spinors are evil.

Anyway, 2 years after that, here we are. I doubt you even remember sending this. This ask is honestly still out of my area of expertise. Yes, I’m an astrophysicist, but I focus on stars which means my problems are so different 😂 If any cosmologists follow me then I welcome corrections.

Anyway, I skimmed my answer I wrote 6 years ago and edited it. Shoutout to younger me to doing their research alright – I mostly hit the main points lmao.

Firstly, to clarify, the Big Bang is difficult to discuss in terms of space because it’s fundamentally the expansion of space. We don’t have any other reference point, so as far as we’re concerned, there’s no single point that the universe expanded from, because it expanded everywhere.

Anyway, in general, we consider the speed of light to be constant because that’s been our base assumption for the Entirety Of Physics Really.

But if we dismiss all of modern physics and reinvent it, there is some interesting speculation to be had regarding the speed of light.

Essentially, when we look at all our maps of the universe, we see quite a bit of “isotropy” – that is, generally, it’s about even in density. (I’m talking on a scale much bigger than galaxies – think galaxy clouds, local groups, etc.) In order for this to happen, light/energy has to have traveled to all these places. But with the current speed of light, that’s simply not really possible given the age of the universe!

So there’s two theories to explain this:

1) Inflation. This is the most common one. The theory is that the universe kinda evened out when it was little, and then expanded.

2) Variable Light Speed. This is closer to your suggestion, and also something posited by João Magueijo, of Imperial College London, and Niayesh Afshordi, of the University of Waterloo in Canada, as well as Jean-Pierre Petit and John Moffat. In this theory, the speed of light was infinite, or at least much higher, at the Big Bang, so that light could propagate fast enough to get everywhere in the universe.

In general, VLS (or Variable Light Speed, or VSL Variable Speed of Light) isn’t widely accepted in physics. It’s not like it’s been disproven or anything; we just don’t have evidence for it.

If we do find evidence for VSL, we need to totally rework physics. G.Ellis, according to Wikipedia, explained that in order for VSL to work, we

must redefine distance measurements (the meter is the distance light travels in 1/299792458 seconds, by definition)

must provide an alternative expression for the metric tensor in general relativity (i.e., “we have to try to redefine what space is”)

might contradict Lorentz invariance (the laws of physics are the same no matter where in the universe you are. it’s a fundamental assumption, and changing it will break pretty much everything in physics)

must modify Maxwell’s equations (explain why electromagnetism is a thing. which is hard. light is by definition an electromagnetic (EM) wave, so if we mess with light is screws things up)

must consistently explain other physical theories too. (gravity still has to exist and make sense with your math)

The theory proposed by João Magueijo and Niayesh Afshordi is, tldr, really complicated, and poorly understood. If it is right, we’d kind of have to try again with the whole physics thing and redefine a bunch of stuff and do some serious math.

People who like VSL as an idea are waiting to see what super sensitive experiments (about the ~spectral index~ of the universe) have to say about their predictions.

Thanks for the ask!

[astra-galaxie]

★☆☠♡☯ for zara tien? 🥺👉👈

I confess, Travel in Time is actually my least favourite season… However, despite not being the season’s #1 fan, I LOVE the team, and Zara is no exception!

So, let me refresh myself with Zara’s character and see what headcanons I can come up with for her!

★ - sad headcanon

When Theo started fading away while the team was stuck in Medieval Asia, Zara barely left his side, fearing that he would disappear when no one was around. If they couldn't save him, she didn’t want Theo to be alone when the time came for him to be erased from existence. Zara also took photos and videos with him to document his memory. She didn’t know if any of them would still exist after he faded from the timeline, but she had to do something to try and preserve her memory of Theo if the team couldn't save him.

☆ - happy headcanon

Zara’s grandmother was her closest relative and biggest supporter growing up. Her house was a safe space for Zara whenever she needed an escape from her life. There would always be freshly baked treats waiting for her, and her grandmother would always have her favourite snacks and drinks stocked up for Zara’s visits. Zara’s grandmother tried to help her granddaughter in any way she could and wanted the best for Zara. When Zara told her that she had been accepted into T.I.M.E., her grandmother was overjoyed and so proud of how far Zara had come from the little girl she had basically raised to a bright, confident, strong woman.

(Zara’s grandmother also really likes Kai and Theo. The two treat her granddaughter well, and she knows Zara is in good hands with them.)

☠ - angry/violent headcanon

Zara struggled with anger issues as a child. She often got into fights in school, which led to her earning a long list of detentions. As she got older, she tried to calm down, but it was hard given the violence she grew up surrounded by. When she was a teenager, she was arrested several times for fighting. Sometimes, she would spend the night in jail until her grandmother could bail her out in the morning.

After joining T.I.M.E., Zara still has some anger issues, but Marina helped her take control of them. Zara’s always the first to jump to her teammates' defences in a fight and never backs down, regardless of her opponent. But she’s learned not to instigate fights, at least not as often. However, if someone antagonizes her enough… Well, she can't be considered at fault for teaching an asshole a lesson!

♡ - romantic headcanon

Even though they got together while the team was trapped in the past, Zara, Kai, and Theo’s first official date happened when they returned to their fixed timeline in 2029. The date involved something each had picked. Theo chose the restaurant they went to for dinner. Kai then took them to a live performance of one of his favourite telenovelas. Lastly, Zara brought her boys to her favourite street food vendor, which makes the best desserts.

☯ - likes/dislikes headcanon

While we already know that Zara is a fan of extreme sports and dangerous activities, her favourites are skydiving, motocross, and bungee jumping. Kai is also teaching her how to surf.

In relation to this obsession, Zara hates it when people try to tell her that extreme sports aren't safe and that she should be doing something “safer.” Just because a sport is classified as extreme does not mean it’s unsafe. These sports have safety measures to protect people, and Zara ensured she learned everything she needed before attempting a new sport.

Hopefully, I did a good job with these headcanons. It's been a while since I played Travel in Time, so I’m a little fuzzy on the details of the characters…😅

Thanks for the request!

[maplegracefour]

where i've been

TW// Miscarriage, blood, generally gross imagery

I want to preface this by saying that I am okay! I’ve been taking a lot of time to process everything and honestly, I am doing much better. Very much a word-vomit. And considering this blog is relatively anonymous, it feels like the best place to do it.

My language is a tad vulgar in places during this. And please know these are just my feelings on these matters at the time as they were occurring.

That being said, please read this with caution. Contact a professional if you need help and take care of yourself <3

—

I had my first miscarriage September 2023. I remember not quite processing it first, I didn’t want to even say the word ‘miscarriage’, it felt dirty, it felt wrong.

“At least it was early.”

I don’t care if it was early, I don’t care. It still hurts just the same if it was 6 days or 6 months. The fact that my body can’t do the one thing it’s meant to just sucks.

“You can try again.”

Well, we’ll get to that later.

When I realised, I was working. I went to the bathroom and realised something was majorly wrong. I called my doctor and they told me I just had to let it run its course. He spoke about it like it was a fucking cold. He spoke about it like he hadn’t just confirmed that I had a life decaying inside of me.

I had at least another week or so of bleeding to deal with, everytime I went to the bathroom I was reminded by the sick image of my own failures.

“I’m sorry.”

Are you though? It’s not like it’s your fault that my body is blueprinted to do one thing predominantly and yet, it can’t.

Then I had to tell my boyfriend. How do you tell someone that their future was dying inside your body? I really struggled. I still couldn’t say the word, I danced around it for a long time before I actually explained what was going on.

Then weeks of physical pain. Lethargy and aches, stomach cramps and headaches. It faded eventually but the reminder of what I lost was just constantly etched into the back of my head. I hadn’t really considered having kids until I realised that maybe I wouldn’t get a chance like this again. I thought about names. Frankie. Oscar. Heather. I thought about first words, first steps, first day at school, first birthday, first Christmas. I wasn’t getting any of that.

The strangest thing about all of this is that I just couldn’t get over the fact that I felt ridiculous for feeling this way. They were right, I was early. At least I hadn’t bought nappies, or food, or toys. Why was I mourning someone who never existed?

Then I was angry, angry at myself. Angry at doctors for never picking up that something was wrong with me (strangely enough, they still don’t know).

Two months after my miscarriage, my sister told me she was pregnant. Thankfully, she carried to full term and gave birth to a gorgeous baby girl. (I actually started this blog whilst staying in the hospital with her!) But I couldn’t help the resentment, bubbling underneath my skin. The anger that she got everything I lost. I had to watch her have all the firsts that I wanted, the ones I deserved.

But I didn’t. And slowly I’ve come to terms with that fact. I’ve come to terms with the fact that my baby is gone and that I won’t be experiencing parenthood any time soon. Maybe one day, but not now.

I had my second miscarriage December 2024.

This one was harder. I didn’t take any time off work, I didn’t call the doctors. I knew what was happening. I knew how to handle it physically. Mentally, I had clocked out. I couldn’t face it this time. Facing the true reality that this isn’t a one off incident anymore, there is something wrong with me.

I didn’t tell my boyfriend for three weeks, I gave myself more time to process on my own. It was worth it, he understood. He lost something too but it wasn’t his body. I deserved that time.

I’m going back to the doctors for more scans, more blood tests. But the reality of my future seems much clearer to me than to anyone else.

[randomfoggytiger]

X-Files Collector's Edition: Fight the Future Fics (Part II)

No intro needed part 2, I suppose.

Loose chronological order below~!

**Note**: I will edit later-- got to get this out now.

David Hearne's Nine

""13:12

Of course, could you say that time really exists in this world as well? I mean, time is a form of measurement, not a tangible element. How we use it changes from era to era. Five hundred years from now, people might employ a twelve-hour day instead of a twenty-four-hour one. And there's the theory of relativity to factor in. Time is really a face we paint over the universe in the hopes it might tell us something.

12:37

Right now, it's saying that me and everyone else in this building has less than thirteen minutes to live. It's telling me that I'm helpless to do anything except watch it happen.

12:05

All I wanted was a soda....""

Mulder stares down the bomb.

@unremarkablehouse/Surajtare's Pizza

""Earlier that afternoon they had stood among the smoldering debris and settling ash, amid the scream of fire trucks and ambulances and pedestrians, as those least concussed from the blast attempted to sort of the kind of error that causes a building to explode in downtown Dallas. The SAC was dead, that much was clear, and the advisory agents who helped lead the search in the misidentified building took no time at all to decide that Agents Mulder and Scully could be chargeable scapegoats.

It was almost fifty minutes after the explosion that Mulder was able to press a bottle of water into her dusty hand and nearly two hours after that that they were finally dismissed.""

Scully is concerned over the bombing; and all of Mulder's joking and teasing can't pull that anxiety from her.

Suzanne Schramm's Falling

""Only in my nightmares do I fall. Mulder has spent over twenty years in a free fall. I've always realized that I was his life line but tonight it no longer seems like such a burden. I acknowledge to myself, at last, that I need him just as desperately. He, too, makes me whole. Tonight he is the one who's grounded and I am falling. My eyes fill with tears and I cannot find the words to express my overwhelming love for him.""

Scully has lived with 'falling' nightmares all her life; but she and Mulder live it for real after the bee stings.

goodgriff's 15 Minutes

""Mulder!”

His eyes flew open and he inhaled a gust of wind. “Cold,” he echoed her words from earlier.

“Don’t sleep.” She kissed his brow, his eyes. He had never felt so loved. He had never been so cold. “Don’t sleep. Look at me—I need you to open your eyes and look at me.”

“Scully,” he whispered hoarsely, and forced his lids to rise.

“Hi,” she smiled, her eyes filling with frozen tears. “Hi,” she whispered again, reverently.""

On a timer for survival, Scully power drags Mulder to the Snocat, soothing him along the way and CPR-ing him back to life.

@jewish-mulders/@anders-hawke/@iwtbscully/BananaChef‘

We Always Reveled in the Pain - Chapter 6

""Come on, Scully,” he insists, desperation wrapping its fingers around his throat. “Please. We can make it back.” He pulls her with him for a few steps, but every time she moves her legs, white-hot pain shoots up from her foot and she whimpers. “Scully.”

He acquiesces and sits down again, pulling her back onto his lap and wrapping his arms around her as she presses her forehead against his. “I’m sorry,” she breathes into the warm, stinging air between them.""

Mulder tries to rescue Scully after he wakes; but the two collapse poetically in the snow, together even in death.

A First (Ao3)

""They’re both weary even a week after Antarctica—him from being shot in the head, her from the bizarre effects of the Africanized honey bee, and both of them from the beginnings of frostbite. Still, Mulder sneaks out of bed one night and knocks gently on her door three times to announce his presence. Scully opens the door and ushers him inside with a furtive glance into the hallway....""

AU--Post FTF Mulder sneaks to visit his under wraps gf Scully to celebrate having survived their newest adventure.

Girlie_girl7's and FoxfireX's

Reflections in the Reflecting Pool

""Can you get out of the pool Mulder? I can't carry you."

Mulder looks at Scully dejectedly, "I carried you the length of a buried space craft. The least you can do is carry me to the car."

"Come on Mulder." <grunt> "And it was NOT a buried spacecraft."

"Ouch, ouch, careful. Was too."

Post FTF Mulder trips right into the reflecting pool, sprains his ankle, and drags Scully in with him.

Susanne Barringer's Awakening

""I've never seen you sleep," he says gently, once again reaching out to brush away that same strand of hair that has dropped onto my cheek with my movement toward sitting up. I look at him curiously.

"What are you talking about, Mulder? Of course you have." He nods his head in the negative.

"No," he responds.""

Post FTF Scully wakes from an impromptu nap; and is surprised that Mulder had-- despite his own burdens-- enjoyed watching her blissfully sleep.

GingerAlchemy's Static Codes

""Trying not to look. Looking anyway. This is mostly what they do these days, if she’s being honest with herself. Scully sometimes feels like her whole life is spent trying not to see things for what they are.

But today, she’s in the driver’s seat and he’s reclining in the passenger seat with his lanky limbs all stretched out and a tabloid magazine in his hands.

...From where she sits, there’s not a thing wrong in the world.

“Scully, you’d never believe this. This woman claims she’s the reincarnation of Elvis.""

Post FTF Scully ruminates on purposefully not seeing as she and Mulder bump along companionably on a dead-end Kersh detail.

marasmus's (Xanadu) Life During Wartime 06 - Stand by the Window (Or, Things to Do in Dulwich When You're Dead)

""Once they had tracked him down, only his threatened cascade of disclosure kept them at a distance, growling and snapping.

A few years ago he might have fought them, might have tried to disappear for good, or else oust Strughold. Now he was simply tired of it all.

And so he was finally forced to live the life he had pretended to have all along.""

Post FTF Well-Manicured Man didn't die in the car bomb, living in retirement until the events of Two Fathers/One Son.

FabulousMonster's Hair Wars

""Despite my dislike, I thought the Hair served its purpose over the past year. It provided some levity, albeit to the wrong people. I knew The Gunmen--mavens of style--had been merciless in their critique.

But I think the Hair was Mulder's way of taking control of our roller-coaster existence last year. It wasn't lost on me that the Hair underwent renovations during high moments of stress. While we were off the X-Files, the Hair stayed consistently shorn. It was spiked to the heavens everytime we met with Kersh. When the ghost told Mulder that he was prone to paramasturbatory illusions, the Hair's sideburns virtually disappeared. I could almost hear the Flowbee being fired up after his drug-induced declaration of love in Bermuda.

I looked over at him again.... The Hair stuck its tongue out at me.""

Finally: an explanation for post FTF Mulder's horrendous buzzcuts and Scully's tragic S7 hair-- and TLG celebrating their friends' liberation. (I adore this fic with everything in me.)

Ten's (The Salvation Archive)

Laid Bare (Alt.)

""I knew he wasn't THAT far gone.

"Okay, here's the deal. Every few feet you manage, you rack up another kiss, to be delivered when we're settled in the snowcat. Reaching the snowcat will give you the bonus prize of some heavy necking, and a guarantee that when we get home, you'll get much, much more."

He blinks and gapes....

We make it to the snowcat. Now I know how to keep him from ditching me in the future... I should have worked out long ago that incentives are much more effective than threats...""

Scully threatens then wheedles Mulder back to the Snocat, helping to insulate him with alien goo, bring down his temperature, and reassure him he rescued her necklace as well. And after their release, she refuses to let her partner distance himself.

Sliding Doors

""Doors were opening along the hallway, neighbours sticking their heads out....

Mulder suddenly let out a strained choking noise. It abruptly ceased.

"Mulder?" Scully froze, then checked his vitals. His pulse was beating...

He wasn't breathing.""

AU-- Mulder accidentally squashes the bee on Scully and gets stung on his palm. getting stung on his palm. Between calling for help and trying to keep him alive in the hallway, Scully doesn't see danger until it-- literally-- smacks her in the face. But, of course, she's NOT letting her partner perish in Antarctica, stealing her mother's clothes and chastising herself all the forlorn way.

Beneath the Surface

""I couldn't hear the voices anymore. Whoever it was had probably gone to get help or security or something. Mulder would probably keep moving the car forward at the same pace, just enough to force me inexorably backwards until he had enough room to get the car out of the space. I couldn't let that happen. So I took a deep breath and pushed myself sideways, falling so that I lay directly in front of the left wheel. Leaving no room for him to manoeuvre except over me.

I'd left a metre between me and the bumper bar, but it was still scary to see the tread of the tire before me and hear the engine running.""

AU-- Scully thought Mulder had died in FTF, and vowed to make a confession once and more all. But he starts shoving her away, making rash decisions in The Beginning, and becoming shorter tempered and angrier at her. She realizes his hard-headedness has more to do with his actual head than their relationship.

@scullysexual/PostApocolypticAlien’s

Safe Now (Ao3)

""You were in the middle of nowhere, miles away from Bureaucracy and rules. Out here you were just Mulder and Scully- two people who witnessed and survived the impossible.""

Mulder wakes, holding Scully while a kind, random stranger hauls them back to safety.

100 days of 100 word dialogue prompts - Chapter 20

""Did you think I wouldn’t?” Mulder asks.

Unconscious, Scully hadn’t thought anything. In that tube, seeing him there, she thought she had died.

“It was irrational,” she says shaking her head.

Mulder smiles. “Would you expected anything different?""

Mulder brushes off Scully's shock that he'd followed her.

50 Days of Prompts - Chapter 19

""Why did you do it?”

Why did he go all the way to Antarctica.

“To save you,” he answers almost bewildered himself that she was really asking her that. “Because they shouldn’t have taken you, it’s not fair.” He shakes his head. “None of it’s fair.” All the pain he’s caused her; the abduction, death of her sister, the cancer, this. It all just keeps adding and adding and he can’t anymore, he won’t.

Scully sighs once more, looks to be defeated, and sits down beside him.

“Is that all you did it for?” she asks quietly.""

Mulder reiterates his dedication to and love for Scully over Diana.

Karen Rasch's

Fate, Chance, Kings and Desperate Men

""Oh well, that's what you get for visiting Antarctica out of season, he now silently mused as he padded stiffly across the tiled floor towards his partner, treading as quietly as he was able. Way too much unwanted attention. As far as he could tell, Scully and he were the only two full-time patients the facility had. So, together, they bore the brunt of the staff's zeal. Much to Mulder's dismay. He had repeatedly assured the medical personnel attending to his wellbeing. I'm fine, he told them. A little tired. A little crispy around the edges. But once you got past that and the assorted aches and pains throbbing along the length of his battered form, he really didn't have much to complain about. Nothing that a few hundred ibuprofen couldn't cure.

He wished he could say the same about Scully.""

Scully slowly recovers after being rescued.

Erin M. Blair's (Ao3)

Leaving My Love

""I can't let them divide us. I won't let it happen. If I leave him, who will protect him? Who will help him find the truth? Who will....? Don't go there, Dana. You know he loves you; you could see it his eyes.

I can't leave him.""

Scully leaves OPR determined not to let Them break the partnership; but she is unresolved on confessing her feelings or clinging to Mulder under the guise of professionalism. She knows he loves her; but....

As I Wait

""None of this make any sense to me at all. How could it make any sense? If it made any sense, Scully and I wouldn't have to appear at the Office of Professional Review.""

Mulder, excused from OPR, wallows in his confusion over being blamed for the tragedy... and almost dying without telling Scully he'd loved her.

The Conversation of Love

""Mulder and I were at the reflecting pool after my meeting with the Office of Professional Review. He wanted me to quit and to become a doctor. I know why. He didn't want anything to happen to me. He was scared of losing me. He was scared that I might die.

I would never leave you, Mulder. How could I leave you after everything that we had been through? It's impossible for me to leave. "If I quit now, they win." I gazed into his hazel eyes with a smile on my face. I love him. I know I love him.""

AU-- Post FTF Scully purposefully picks up the threads of their hallway conversation back at her apartment.

The Reunion

""I hope the bee doesn't sting me again," Scully murmured as she watched Mulder turning the key to open his door to his apartment....

"Ha. Ha. Very funny, Scully.""

AU-- Post FTF Scully and Mulder pick up where they left off.

If the Bee Hadn't Stung Scully

""When Scully and I got back from Antartica, I was wondering what would happen if the bee hadn't stung her.""

AU-- Post FTF Mulder is oddly grateful that the bee stung Scully, since it did help them validify the reinstatement of the X-Files and brought to light their unspoken feelings.

Returning the Cross

""The cross necklace symbolized many things for both Mulder and I. For me, it symbolized my faith. My faith in God. My faith in Mulder.

As for Mulder, my necklace symbolized me. When I was missing, he finally told me that he wore the necklace to be close to me. He told me while I was in the coma that I had the strength of my own beliefs to pull through. I think that he wore it to feel my strength to pull him through.""

AU-- Post FTF Scully mourns the loss of her cross. Mulder drops in, gifts it back to her, and picks up where they left off in his hallway.

Discovery Of A New Hope

""Why are you calling?"

"This has something to do with that bomb," Erin answered, in a professional manner.

Scully saw her husband's impatient expression and decided to end the conversation. "Erin, we'll talk later.""

AU-- Mulder and Scully are married and expecting their third baby; but that, of course, doesn't prevent him from almost dying trapped with a bomb. Despite Scully's fears that their partnership will be broken up, her cousin (of all people) help the duo pull through.

Pattie's

Then, Let's Go Home

""Penny for your thoughts, Scully?"

"Hmm? Oh, I was just wondering where we go from here. You do know, of course, they'll destroy, cleanse, sanitize each and every thing we've said and written, everything we knew as evidence, and think they've broken us. But they haven't. I think you know that as well as I do." She patted his arm and smiled slightly, weariness showing around her eyes.""

Post FTF Mulder is shocked that Scully is staying by his side-- she even admits the spaceship, for his sake.

And Then He Kissed Me

""For our efforts to expose something dangerous and frightening, I was kidnapped. experimented upon twice, and now everything we accomplished has been for nothing. We have to pick up the pieces, pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off and get on with things. Things? THINGS will never be the same.""

AU-- Post FTF Scully sticks by Mulder more than ever; and is deliciously happy that he slowly picks up where they left off.

jordan's Alligator Moon

""Edgar Ray Terran was dead. The wet parts of him seemed to have ended up on Scully, or splattered among the leaves, or in a long furrow filled with blackish blood and gore. There were patches of skin and hair on the tree trunks on the path, and fragments of clothing torn in pieces on the ground. The scene looked like the aftermath of an airplane crash with only one passenger and no plane....

Then almost without any thought at all, she had the Sig in her hands and Mulder was holding his automatic in a two handed grip and they were facing away from each other, turning in a slow circle. Whoever or whatever had done this was still out there. Scully felt her back come up warm and solid against his. They stopped for a moment, their breathing exactly in synch.""

Trapped in a cabin surrounded by either cocaine or sugar, Mulder and Scully are forced to pause long enough to address some of the frustrations of their stalemate after FTF-- and hopefully survive a particularly vicious wendigo.

EllieL/Ellie's Between Two Truths

""Mulder's words struck a chord with me. I was raised to believe that there was no greater democracy that American, but my work on the X-Files has challenged this belief. I now know this government keeps secrets from their people. And they do not do it alone. These secrets are the truth we seek.""

Post FTF Scully sits in the dark on a stakeout, thinking over the Antarctica adventure, Mulder's truth, and her new faith.

Canon-Divergence/AUs

Taverl's Arlington

""As the cab pulled away from the curb, he tried to calm his thoughts, to focus on the night ahead and the anticipation of seeing her again. Even though it had been a while since he had shown up on her doorstep he knew she wouldn't turn him away. But he also knew her acceptance would change nothing. 

Mulder mulls over Kurtzweil's hints, slowly coming around to investigating them with Scully (who he'd often dropped in for "late night" visits before.)

insouuuuf’s this is not going to end well.

““Her heart is racing ; a sudden feeling of uneasiness is settling into her.

Not because she doesn’t know who it is.

Oh no.

She knows.

That’s what’s making her feel that way. Him. At her place.

Three loud poundings in the middle of the night ? After what happened this afternoon ? : this is not going to end well.””

Mulder is not tipped off by Kurtzweil but winds his way to Scully’s anyway. She finally addresses their relationship, as well as her thoughts, goals, and fears. 

RebeccaRusnak/Anonymous‘s (mulderscreek) Small Blessings

""I didn't realize you were that big of a Sox Fan."

"It's not that. It's the principal of the thing."

"There's principal in a ballgame?"

"Normalcy, then. Think about it. It's about as far from here as you can get. The quintessential American moment.""

Mulder and Scully fantasize about warm summers and tropical vacations while waiting in the Snocat; but she doesn't let them brush off another genuine moment, leading up to an "I love you."

Jennifer Stoy's Somebody's Goodnight Kiss

""I remember the hallway very well. Her eyes ringed with tears, and a flicker that I swore was desire. My very own corner of beauty in the world, and she was gone. So long, Mulder. I'm leaving and that's that. I couldn't let it go.

"You were gonna kiss me," she murmurs. "But I was gonna kiss you right back at the same time."

My mind slips away from that and to the ice. Always the ice.""

Post FTF Mulder, hazy and discouraged in DC summer sun, asks Scully how she can keep going. A little tune and words of love help restore his spirits.

Anne Haynes's (Gossamer)

Package Deal (Alt.)

" She blinked, as if finally realizing that he was confused. "You haven't listened to ANY messages today?"

He shook his head.

A slow smile spread across her face, lighting it up from within. "Mulder, there's a message on your machine from Skinner. The FBI is reopening the X-Files."

Mulder felt something curl into a hot, tight little knot inside him. He sank to the coffee table in front of where she sat.

"Skinner said that Cassidy couldn't dispute the need to look into the possibility of a terrorist plot to spread a virus for which we currently have no cure. Based on our findings in the Dallas bombing case, they had no choice but to arrange for the reactivation of the only unit in the FBI qualified to pursue such investigations." Scully's ended her explanation with another mega-watt smile.

He couldn't help but smile back. "You did it, Scully."

AU-- Mulder and Scully are overjoyed: their trip to Antarctica bolstered their case, earning them an expansion for their office. They both start to solidify their own personal relationship as well.

(Follow up to this might be Chin Music/chinmusi.txt... I think.)

@im-a-goddamn-cat/Owlfrost1's (FFN) One Man Not Alone

""She begins walking down the hall, looking at all the containers and realizes that they're cropods of some kind. She goes over to one and wipes the snow off it so she can see inside. Inside is a man.... She wipes more of the snow away towards the bottom and sees something else in the cryopod with him. It isn't human and it isn't an animal of any kind.

It can only be described as alien.""

Mulder is stung instead of Scully; and she moves heaven and earth with fury to get him back.

stellar_dust's (Ao3) Heaven's Ashes (Ao3)

""Mulder turned the knobs wildly on the remaining oxygen tanks, praying he was turning them the right way, breathing with relief when he heard the telltale hiss, shoved Scully inside the transport bed and climbed in after her, pulled the top closed just seconds before something that was all claws and teeth and eyes and slime slammed into the side -

Mulder held his breath. The seal held.

Two more crashes - three - the vessel still held, and the thing slunk away after easier prey. He breathed again.

Outside the tiny capsule of sanity, he could hear raucous screams and cries, loud, cloying wails as though a soul was torn asunder from its body, muted through the walls of the isolation chamber. Mulder shivered, and the entire huge structure shuddered almost in perverted empathy.""

The vaccine malfunctions the ship, killing all the alien lifeforms and skyrocketing Mulder and Scully to space before they can escape. There is no hope of return; and Scully wrestles with anger and fear before resigning herself, returning to Mulder determined to spend whatever life she has left with him.

@nowwhateinstein's (Ao3)

Seeking Warmth (Ao3)

""Aren’t we a pair of ragamuffin Eskimos.” Mulder says the words quietly, just loud enough for me to hear over the crunching cadence of our feet as we trudge across the ice towards the hulking mass of a C-130 aircraft. Despite the geographic faux paux, his words are oddly encouraging, and I do my best to ignore the curious stares of the well-insulated, hale and hearty passengers who stream by us. Compared to them, we do make for a shabby duo: Mulder’s parka is ripped in several places, and the duct tape he used for patching only draws attention to that fact. My jacket isn’t much better....

We’re far behind the rest of the group, now. I’m still weak from dehydration and exposure, and have difficulty maintaining my usual “brisk pace,” as Mulder describes it. The over-sized boots aren’t helping, either. I have to stop and catch my breath for a moment. Despite the thick layers I’m wearing, I can feel the pressure of Mulder’s hand against the small of my back. He hasn’t left my side since my release from the Station's sick bay, and he clearly won’t leave me now.""

Scully, though a little wear and tear, feels better the closer she gets to DC, giving back some of Mulder's mother-henning and hallway gesturing when he returns her necklace.

 Violetta_Valery's The bee in the room

""They spend the next couple of hours turning the office upside down, in search of the vial. The smell of the smoke hits and stirs the air with every cabinet opened, every drawer rummaged, and it dilutes the heavy fragrance of Diana. Suddenly neither remembers the woman had even been there, too involved in the task of digging the truth.

It feels just like their golden days, and as they steal gazes at each other, both can tell there’s almost a thrill to it, a joy only them can truly grasp. But the vial is nowhere in their office. There is no stone left to be turned there, there’s no sign of it, and the search ends like countless of their cases: with a sense of bitter frustration, closed, but with a loose end to it. Only this time, they feel it in their bones. This time, it is personal.""

Post FTF Mulder and Scully burrow their hallway frustrations into righteous anger over Diana Fowley's betrayal (a heavily redacted OPR report)... and then decide to avoid their unspoken no longer.

Amatia's One Man, But Not Alone

""I don't even get a thank you?" he asked, reaching out to wrap his long fingers around her arm as she turned to place the glass back on a card table to the left of his bed. Beside it was another cot, the blankets rumpled.

He may be only one man, but he was not alone.""

Scully confesses her own feelings when Mulder finally wakes.

Paper and Amber Liquid

""Mulder's cell phone rang. "Mulder."

"Well, well, if it isn't Fox Mulder," came an unmistakable voice.

Mulder immediately tensed. "Is it true?"

"Yes it's true, you idiot," Alex Krycek snapped.

"Why?" Mulder asked.

"Why what?"

"Why'd you give it to me?""

After Mulder and Scully scrabble back to the Snocat and are rescued, Krycek decides to do them a solid by mailing them a little more vaccine. Scully takes the cure, doses up Mulder, and starts working on making more.

Nascent's

MetaRomance

""I sigh, considering a sarcastic remark but instead seeking refuge in the enigmatic. "That 'Whoever reflects on four things, it were better he had never been born: that which is above, that which is below, that which is before, and that which is after.'"

A normal woman would've remarked on how depressing that is, or thought of some intellectual reply, but Scully just scrunches up her face for a moment and then says, "The Talmud, right?"

With Scully, never assume.""

AU-- Post FTF Mulder ruminates on the on-again/off-again relationship he had with Scully since S3; and the agonizingly slow climb to this moment where he can finally say "I love you." with Scully, their tender relationship and hard times that led them to this moment on the couch, waiting for her to wake.

Pillar of Salt

""The chanting stopped, and as Mulder's vision cleared, he identified its source--Arthur von Deer, eyes and mouth wide in a cartoonish mask as he gaped at the resurrected agent. In his hands were two defibrillator paddles, but Mulder could see the machine attached to them wasn't charging. The endless, electric wail was coming from the heart monitor near Scully's head.""

AU?--Post FTF Mulder and Scully investigate a casefile that brings them both to death and face-to-face with losses that refuse to leave. Dreams and visions and double realities help them confront the one that they've brushed under the rug.

Said the Spider to the Fly

""Skinner hadn't given her pictures of the bee sting, or what came after.

"I'm only urging you to be careful," her supervisor had told her fiercely.

As if on cue, Mulder spoke roughly, a catch in his throat. "Who gave you these?"

She wet her lips. "Skinner." The older man's voice still rang in her mind: _I'm on your side, Scully. I know how this looks, but you have to trust me.""

AU-- Post FTF Skinner brings surveillance photos to Scully, concerned about Mulder's mental state and warning her about stricter Consortium surveillance. She flees with Mulder to a motel, carefully prying him open about his wounds from his sister and ex-wife. Of course, not is all as it seems.

Shoshana's

Recovery 01

Recovery 02

Recovery 03

Recovery 04

""I open the door to his apartment and he's still sitting on the couch, looking as glum as can be. I shouldn't have abandoned him like that. I shouldn't have left him alone just because he asked about Diana....

Mulder has no memory of the way we've been teasing and romancing each other this summer. But I do. Nothing earth shattering. Just a lot of quiet dinners at nice little places. A lot of moonlit walks.... He probably suspects that the shooting is what crumbled my resistance, forced me to affirm my feelings for him. Yes, most definitely it shook me up, made me re-evaluate our relationship. But also there were the events of the past few months, when our caseload dwindled and we had time to relax with one another.

He can't remember those lazy summer days we spent together and I regret that, because I've never been courted like that by any man, especially a man like Mulder. I'm determined to give him some much better memories once he gets his health back.""

S7 Mulder is shot on a case, losing all of his memoires of their life post the events of Fight the Future. Scully is devastated; but finds his private journal so he can relive the past year and becomes his encouraging shadow.

Enjoy!

[adrift-in-thyme]

Day 11: Fever (Warriors & Time)

Ao3 link

Cw for illness

———————-

It’s been a while since he’s come down with something.

Honestly, Time can’t remember when he last did. He just doesn’t get sick as much as he used to. Apparently, traveling through time has done wonders for his fairy-boy immune system. At least, that’s the positive way of looking at it.

But it’s growing a bit difficult to remain positive, even more so to stay alert. With his head pounding, and his throat burning like he swallowed fire, and his surroundings tipping dizzily, just putting one foot in front of the other is nearly impossible. More than once he has to shake himself out of a daze to answer a question or regain his sense of direction, ensuring he isn’t leading the heroes blindly into danger.

Halfway through the day, the looks begin. He can feel them, even through the exhaustion dragging at his mind–the sideways glances between Twilight and Warriors; the furtive, questioning looks from Wind, Wild, and Hyrule. Even Legend quirks an eyebrow when Time replies to something Wind said in a less-than-coherent way.

“You okay, old man?” Twilight asks, after yet another instance where Time tries and fails to accurately articulate his intended meaning.

He’s more than happy to converse with his fellow heroes, but why they have to choose to talk to him more frequently today of all days is beyond him.

“I’m alright, pup,” he lies and keeps walking…if only to keep from collapsing.

From the look on Twilight’s face, he doesn’t buy it for one second. His attempts at cloaking his illness are failing miserably, Time knows, but at this point, he’s much too tired to care. Getting through the day is his sole priority now, preferably with himself and the others alive. That’s more than enough in and of itself.

Monsters attack around four, a small group that they dispose of with relative ease. And though he doesn’t have to fight overly much, the little he does leaves him winded and dizzy. By the time Warriors suggest they set up camp for the night, he’s stumbling.

Every step feels like he’s dragging himself through mud, every thought is fuzzy and incomprehensible. His body is stiff and uncooperative, aching joints reminding him of his age, and the slight shivers that have begun to run through it do little to help matters. Neither does the headache-turned-migraine pulsing behind his eyes, or the sickening burn in his throat.

Even Wild’s supper of meat skewers makes his stomach turn. And after a valiant attempt to eat that nearly results in disaster, Time sets down his plate, and announces that he’s going to turn in early.

Instantly, Twilight’s eyes narrow.

“But the fun’s just getting started,” Hyrule says. “Wild was gonna show us how to shield surf!”

“Don’t tell me that’s too strenuous for you, old man,” Legend smirks.

Time offers them all a small smile. “It’s been a long day.” He rises, steadying himself on a nearby tree trunk. “You boys have fun…and please don’t break anything.”

Legend snickers. “Sorry but the Champion’s involved. Something’s definitely gonna get broken.”

Time has to admit that he has a point.

“Well,” he says, mildly, “wake me up when it happens.”

He unrolls his bed mat, lays down, and is asleep seconds later.

Despite his exhaustion, he sleeps fitfully. Dreams tumble one upon another, strange and nauseating, tangling past and present, reality and fiction. And through them all, his pain features prominently. His mind has deigned it necessary to remind him of its existence, apparently, though he can’t for the life of him figure out why. It’s more than a little noticeable on its own.

He tosses and turns, wincing as every breath, every swallow ignites the fire in his lungs and throat. The night air only exacerbates it. More than once he startles awake in the throes of a coughing fit.

When the shivering becomes so bad his teeth begin to chatter, and he realizes getting any sleep tonight is hopeless.

Time pushes himself upright, then struggles to his feet, pausing a moment to let the world tip back into its rightful place. Stepping carefully over the slumbering heroes, he heads toward the forest. At the very least, maybe a walk will clear his head. And though he’s likely spread the virus all over the camp by now, maybe, just maybe, removing himself from the equation will help keep more people from becoming ill.

He doesn’t even make it to the first line of trees, however, before Warriors’ voice reaches him.

“Sprite? What’re you doing?”

Time freezes, feeling a bit like a child caught in an act of mischief, and looks back over his shoulder just in time to see the captain rise from his place keeping watch. He crosses the clearing to him, brows drawn in concerned confusion.

“You’re pale,” he says, regarding Time with a scrutinizing gaze. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.” The lie is a bit harder to get out this time, what with the fact that he can hardly speak. “Just felt like taking a walk.”

Warriors lets his gaze drift over him, the worry in his eyes growing stronger by the moment.

“You felt like taking a walk…in the middle of the night.” He shakes his head. “I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, you can’t lie to me, Sprite. Besides, you look sick as a dog.”

A small smile lifts his lips, which quickly dissolves into a grimace as another particularly violent shiver rips through him. “I thought your dog jokes were re-reserved for Twilight.”

“Nah, they’re multipurpose. Now, come on, back to bed with you.” Warriors puts a hand on his shoulder, keeping his grip firm even when Time tries to pull away.

“Captain–”

“No, excuses, Sprite,” he says, leading Time back towards his abandoned bed mat. The ground dips as he walks, and it’s only with Warriors’ support that Time remains upright. “You need to rest. And if I don’t drag you back, someone else will.”

Time half-sits, half-collapses back onto the mat, feeling even more exhausted than before.

“Don’t want you boys to get sick too,” he manages.

Warriors gives him a small, knowing smile. “We’ve been with you all day, Sprite. If we’re gonna get your germs, it’s already happened. Running away now isn’t gonna help anyone.”

He hands Time a flask of water, then scoots over to sit beside him as he drinks it. And he doesn’t even really mean to, but somewhere between downing the rest of the water and handing the flask back, Time ends up slumped against the captain’s shoulder, his scarf draped over his shoulders like a blanket.

For a moment, fear spikes within him, ingrained by the war, driven by the terrible knowledge that he’s likely gotten everyone here ill, and lead them into a whole other kind of danger. But then, exhaustion wins out, and he lets himself drift, safe beside his brother.

[timetopanic34]

My relationship with fan fiction is complicated. I'm relatively old (compared to most of you!) and so for the first half of my life fan fiction only existed in written form passed among those in the know. I was definitely not in the know!

Once it hit the internet I discovered it and slowly started devouring it. But I felt it was a dirty little secret. I mean what would people think if they knew I read fan fiction? Some of which is basically just porn?

But slowly I've learned - plenty of people would just be meh if they new and if not - then that's their problem. Nothing wrong with me enjoying what I enjoy and what many others enjoy too.

Even so I remained hesitant to interact and truly involved beyond just reading. I stayed an anon on AO3 for a long time and never commented, even when I loved a fic.

There were copious reasons mostly mixed up in my anxieties and fears. What if it's taken the wrong way? What if I'm having a bad day and many people disagree and pile on? Why would anyone even remotely care about what I think of their work?

A few years ago I commented a couple of times and nothing bad happened.

I got a bit braver and at some point I made an AO3 account and then made a new Tumblr with the same handle.

I struggled posting to Tumblr as well since I couldn't quite free myself from the hold my anxiety had on me.

But at some point I started leaving kudos and giving the odd comment. I also started reblogging things on here.

Then I boldly started adding to my reblog. A couple of times I very boldly state things I feel that I know are controversial ideas to some. I can’t tell you how hard that was.

Instead of some sort of mental health decline I’m finding that being more involved in fandom has been incredibly positive.

So many cool things have happened. I've had discussions about fics and characters. I have had beautiful replies from writers.

But most importantly I feel I am becoming a part of a community and finding my people. Nobody in my real life reads fan fics or have favourite ships so feeling at home here and on AO3 is such a beautiful feeling.

Now I know there is some real toxic corners of fandom out there. There are people who leave terrible comments and feel somehow entitled to do this (if I don't like a fic I will never leave a comment. Ever. I will stop reading and click away - it's that simple!) and there are people who will attack others for having a different opinion.

I am lucky in that so far all my interactions have been positive. I daresay that if I had experienced something negative as I was slowly moving my way forward into participation it may have halted my progress.

But now I think I know enough to be able to deal if it ever happens to me.

So I'm posting more here. I've also set myself a goal to comment at least once (no matter how small - though lets face it - brevity is not my strong suit!) on fics I enjoy.

I also have a goal to write a fic and post it before the end of the year. That's gonna take a lot of work convincing myself that yes some people might like to read it and if not then I can write it for the one person who wants it - me!

Huge shout out to @hesitantsorrows who actually wrote a fic based on an idea I had for a Stucky fic. In my wildest dreams I never expected someone to do something like that. It still makes me smile every time I think about it. It’s a fab fic too!

[holdingforexo]

Hello. I have a question and hope it's not too controversial. If it is, you can ignore this. Twitter never talks about the former members, but I was going through your blog and saw you actually found EXO through Tao. Do you still stan him? I'm a relatively new EXOL so I don't know too much about how it all went down. Is there bad blood? Like, does EXO still keep in touch with them? I'm most curious about Lay since he was in EXO-M with them and also in China now. I wonder if they ever talk.

I think this came weeks ago... I haven’t gotten around to replying, not because I think it’s a controversial topic, but because it’s one that requires some time to think through and type out. This is going to be lengthy, but hopefully, I address all that you’re curious about :)

Disclaimer: I’m only going to mention Luhan and Zitao. The other one does not exist.

I think it’s normal for the fandom to not talk about the former members... at least, in relation to EXO, anyways. I know some people who still follow and support the former members, but they do so separately, as individual artists outside of EXO. I see nothing wrong with that. I do it, too, actually.

I didn’t actually stan Zitao. Flashback to 2018—I was watching Negotiator, which Zitao was the male lead. I found his character enduring, so naturally, I looked up the actor. Found out Zitao started in Kpop, which led me to EXO, and I’ve been in this “We are one! EXO saranghaja!” nonsense ever since. Of course, with my luck, it was around the time Minseok enlisted.

I don’t stan Luhan either. But I like his music, so I pay attention to his discography. And because of that, I’m also somewhat updated on his other projects. I don’t follow Zitao’s projects, but both he and Luhan are doing great for themselves. They each have over 60 million followers on Weibo, and are considered top of their field. They’ve also stayed close friends since their EXO days. They’ve collaborated on music. They hang out together. Luhan is currently on his China tour, and Zitao was at one of the shows recently. They’re doing good.

As for their relationship with EXO—truthfully, I think it’s nonexistent. I obviously wasn’t around during both of their exits, but from what I gathered, everyone knew they were leaving. It wasn’t sudden, and I’m hopeful conversations were had among the members. But, while there might not be bad blood, I think it happened so early in their careers and lives, maintaining relationships afterward probably didn’t happen. It’s like when you’re in high school... those years were great, but keeping those friends in your life gets harder after you graduate. It probably also didn’t help much if SMent was actively prohibiting communication. I’m not saying they did, but I wouldn’t be surprised.

The only public interaction I remember was Luhan liking Minseok’s IG post before he enlisted. Luhan still follows five of them on IG, and Yixing follows him back. Zitao doesn’t follow any of the EXO members, and none of them follow him.

Yixing has been true and loyal to EXO. He talks about EXO normally and casually and have always referred to them as his brothers. But I don’t remember him ever mentioning the former members. It’s actually quite funny because the three of them (Yixing, Luhan, and Zitao) are arguably three of the most well-established young singers in China, but there’s a known awkwardness whenever Yixing is at the same function as the other two. A couple years back, Yixing and Luhan were on the same stage for an event, and Yixing avoided Luhan’s eyesight the entire time. I think I’ve seen Yixing and Luhan interact in public all of two times—both very casual, short, awkward greetings.

For the record, I do not think there are any negative feelings between Yixing, Luhan, and Zitao. I think Luhan and Zitao grew closer over their similar experiences, while Yixing chose EXO. I’m sure no one regrets their decisions, it’s just the way it is. I also don’t think being in the same country impacts or affects their relationships. Yixing and the rest of EXO aren’t in the same country, but Yixing consistently talks about keeping in touch with them despite the distance. At the end of the day, I think it’s the effort you put into maintaining the relationships you choose to keep in your life.

[mskinkyafro]

THTH/LITG VENT…if I want to even call it that. Mostly about THTH. With LITG it’s whatever.

(Please don’t come at me with some bullshit, this is me just getting shit off my chest. If you don’t agree, just scroll pass. Pls and thank you).

There’s this strange sentiment that I’ve seen from the audience on mainly the subreddit (the cesspool I know 🥴🤷🏾‍♀️😭) and what why say about certain characters and how they perceive them. And I find the logic flawed and weird.

For some reason 👀 they pretty much “uplift” for lack of a better or almost excuse one characters more consistent and horrible treatment as “well they are upfront and you know who they are” vs “this other character is pretending or fake, and that’s the worst kind of person”.

But not the person who has been harmful….or insulting…since day one? Okay…

And I take it as the latter are not allowed to exist and can’t possibly be as multi dimensional vs their counterparts. Instead, nope they HAVE to be a liar and fake and that’s worst.

Which is…just strange.

I can at least scream this in a void and not be harassed or gaslit as if I’m always making this a race issues. Bc believe me as long as I’ve been playing, I realize it will always happen but damn it just hits harder this time around bc I feel like the black characters can relatively do minimal damage and they still find a way to twist it to them being public enemy number one.

And all it is, is “moving the goalposts” or just the upholding black characters to different higher standards.

And I’m sorry, I’m a black woman, I’m gonna always look at media with my own lens and is not always about intention. It’s still a matter of there’s bias that some have subconsciously that make it easier for you to perceive these characters a certain way.

Like with THTH, I have no problem being upset with Julian bc of his hypocrisy with spending the fund. That’s fine, I get.

But even before that, the something about him I can’t stand or his just so annoying (given) but it’s like, they latch onto one like thing and just salivate at the chance to pounce of the character when they do something “inherently” wrong. And then that’s all the are. Or they aren’t allowed to be more than just that.

But before Sean’s small moments of backstory are revealed if you even earn it, you got people talking about, “clearly he has Been through something, I can /want to fix him”.

But Julian has been adhering to Sean’s relentless attacks and bullying and when he gives it just as bad back. (Whether it’s right or wrong, that’s a consequence Julian should have to pay for. Just like Sean, however Sean hasn’t been held accountable for.) Or for his incessant spending, there’s no curiosity to his own trauma or why he is this way. No he isn’t afforded that empathy. And it’s literally just crazy.

And now we are seeing them slowly shift their sites for Gigi. And blame this black woman for the actions of two GROWN ASS men.

Why didn’t she get in between two grown ass men? Why didn’t she do more? Why is she not sticking up for Sean during this moment of vulnerability? Why is she not coddling Sean’s irrational insecurities or taking iniatice and controlling Julian’s crush on her. Why hasn’t she spoke up for her said, friend.

Like with her not telling Sean not to speak or treat Julian a certain way, at first I fell into a trap of, damn she ain’t being that great of a friend to let your man talk to your friend any kind of way but then I realize, she’s in the middle of her journey. She will get to that realization. But at this time in her plot or arc, she doesn’t see it.

And that’s the gag, we allow characters like Sean to maneuver their arcs and journeys and give boosters and understanding to their redemptions. (Which I’m firmly believe he is written to not have one. Just like Justin or even non romanced Antoine in S2. The realize too little too late)

But Gigi and Julian, nope. No grace, no wiggle room, and they are no dimension. And it’s just funny to watch over and over.

Idk I’m just over it.

[uncracked-case]

I... Wait, what exactly are we here? What gives you our questions?... Curious. Are we, askers. At least the anons. A bunch of faceless, blank toons that only exist momentarily to ask a question? Or are we something else that only gains awareness to be curious of what is happening in your world... Curious...

h-Huh? Oh right! Question! Ahem. Got any particular thoughts or insight on the... Dangers... In each floor?

What is the living situation of you and your crew like? I apologize, I am a very curious being. I am just gonna assign myself a little name here.

-Sunny Anon

Ah, yes… I knew I was bound to receive an inquiry like this sometime.

Well, generally, whenever I receive an ask, a file appears in the elevator.

This file contains the question, a designation [if the asker hasn’t chosen to stay anonymous, of course], and a time and date of when it was sent.

[(OOC) 🌙: Time runs differently for Rodger and his crew compared to real life, of course. He interprets things differently than you guys do.)

However, for special asks…

I’m certain you can work it out yourselves.

[You guys are worthy of being detectives - so why not have a go at solving the mystery of how I receive those kind of asks?)

Anyhow, to answer your second question; there’s a great abundance of danger in each floor.

Personally, I do have a lot of thoughts about it… I’m simply hesitant to share it.

Additionally, we have Goob to divert the Twisteds away from us. (It’s been difficult for him, however, considering we have Brightney with us… she might be a liability to both this case - and to our safety. I should do something about that.)

…Ah, our living situation…?

To be frank, it’s not the best.

Ever since Gardenview was abandoned, we’ve had to make due with what we have, and we’ve been doing relatively okay.

We could be doing better, but I’m rather glad that I still get to undertake my investigations like I used to.

(…It feels rather strange, to be able to conduct investigations at a time like this… I thought they would’ve told me to stop by now.)

[supermarine-silvally]

relationship asks: 40 to 50 for Portada?? emphasis on 48 bc potential Law interaction 👀👀 I’m sorry to hear that you’ve been down lovely :(( sending good vibes your way and there’s no way you can dodge them <33 -🍂

Aww thank you so much Alvita!!! I appreciate it a lot!! <33

40) What's a secret one would never tell the other?

Well, they know each other’s MAJOR secret (i.e. their parentage) and Yara also told Ace about what really went down on Phestris Island with Cipher Pol (when she acquired her Devil Fruit) so I feel like the secrets that they end up keeping from each other are really petty. Like, “I accidentally broke your favourite mug but you assumed Thatch did it and I never bothered to correct you because I didn’t want you to be mad at me”

41) If they had to spend a month apart, how would they fare?

They probably spent at least a month or more apart during Ace’s Blackbeard hunt (before the battle on Banaro Island and its, shall we say, “aftermath”) and while neither of them was happy to be apart from the other that long, they managed to cope alright. They had a piece of each other’s vivre card (Ace had folded his into the shape of a heart before he gave it to her) and could see that the other was doing well through that, and they wrote letters back and forth the whole time. Ace sent Yara a bunch of goodies from his travels, too. Mostly stuff he stole for her.

42) If someone else assumes they are romantic partners, how do they react?

I’m assuming this is before they’re officially together, back in the pining stage lol but Yara handles it with a shrug and a “he’s not my boyfriend, actually” (which Ace has to pretend doesn’t sting nearly as bad as it does). She gets a bit flustered, but is overall pretty good at keeping her racing heart under control (or at least not letting it show on the outside). Ace gets a lot more noticeably flustered. If he’s alone, he probably wouldn’t bother to correct the person (like if a merchant assumed he was shopping for a girlfriend) but if Yara’s there he’ll more vigorously deny it because he doesn’t want to make her uncomfortable— for awhile he just couldn’t fathom the concept of her actually liking him back (poor boy thinks he’s unlovable)

43) If someone else assumes they are blood relatives, how do they react?

They’d think it’s more funny than anything. They look nothing alike. It’d probably become an inside joke about how they wouldn’t wish that fate (being the child of [Ace’s father] or Mihawk) on anyone.

44) If they had to squeeze together in a cramped space, what would happen?

Poor Ace lmao he’s trying his best not to think dirty thoughts (especially before they’re together). If they’re together at that point, though, he might take the opportunity to make a suggestive comment. Depending on the situation, he might even get his wish lol

45) If one of them was in trouble, what would the other do?

Well, Marineford lol — there’s a reason their otp tag is “I’d burn the world for you”— Ace in a more literal sense because of his Devil Fruit, but there’s no lengths Yara wouldn’t go to in order to protect the light of her life.

46) If they could each have one wish related to the other, what would it be?

Yara wishes Ace would be able to fully realize and accept just how loved he really is so he can start to love himself and understand that his life has worth, his existence isn’t a crime, and he deserved to be born.

Ace wishes that Yara and Mihawk would repair their broken relationship and by extension that Yara would accept and embrace who she is. He wants her to find that sense of belonging that she has been searching for her entire life.

47) If they had to solve a complex puzzle together, how would it go?

Yara solves it. Ace watches with his chin resting on her shoulder making unhelpful suggestions and getting shushed in return lol

48) If they swapped bodies, how would they handle it?

It’s too bad Ace and Law never met in canon cuz they’re both gunning for the competition of One Piece’s Most Traumatized, Mentally Unwell Man lmao (Law would probably win on the virtue of Ace at least having Luffy as a surviving family member whereas poor Law lost pretty much everyone, including Corazon ofc) but let’s just say they get hit with Law’s Room powers and that’s how it happens (for the sake of this question I’m also assuming they get full access to each other’s Devil Fruit powers lol)

Ace and Yara know each other’s bodies pretty well so it wouldn’t be completely traumatic for them. Ace is mostly amused by it and spends most of his time playing around with walking through walls and sticking his hand into solid objects. Yara also takes Ace’s powers out for a test drive— she’s always wanted to know just how powerful he really is, so she definitely goes to stand over by the ocean and lets out a few “HIKEN!!!!”s, just for the hell of it. They’re both relieved when they go back to normal, though.

49) If one of them wanted to split up, how would the other react?

If it was earlier in their relationship and they came to the realization that they worked better as friends, they would be able to go back to that state without too much grief. If it came after they’d been together awhile, though, neither of them would take it well at all lol if Ace initiated it, Yara would become petty and angry and vengeful and tbh would probably never speak to him again. If it was Yara splitting up with Ace, then he would get extremely depressed. It would make him hate himself infinitely more than he already does— just another confirmation that he doesn’t deserve to be alive.

50) If they had to write their future selves a note, what would it say?

“Dear future Ace and Yara,

Wherever you are, we hope that you’re happy together and that you both found the peace you have been searching for. We hope that you’re able to fully accept the love that the other person has to offer, and that everything turns out okay in the end. Sometimes it’s hard to see that either of us really will have a future, considering everything we’ve been through, but we hope it exists, and that you found it in good health and spirits. That’s a lot of hope, but times have been dark lately and hope is all we have that we’ll come out the other side alright. But maybe, as long as we have no regrets about the way we chose to live our lives, then that’s all we can ask for, even if one or neither of us makes it out alive.

Here’s to the future, and to hope.

Present Ace and Yara.”

ask game here!

One Piece nakama: @auxiliarydetective @daughter-of-melpomene @xoteajays

[thepunkmuppet]

so i have been writing my ideal version of season 14 in my head laying awake at night for weeks now and someone else needs to hear about it before i go insane. so.

concepts that would make miss ruby sunday ✨interesting and spicy✨ without going against the evidence we already have:

she is from the near future (2046 possibly?? i heard that year floating around in relation to robert ap gwillam)

she is from the further future, potentially WAY further, but was sent back in time by weeping angels hence her seemingly modern clothing. also this makes way for a weeping angels episode. you’re welcome.

she either has splinters like clara or there is a spatial genetic multiplicity thing going on (like with gwen cooper and gwyneth), and she exists in multiple time periods (eg, 60s and regency like we have seen in promo photos)

she is some kind of creation of jinkx monsoon’s character or “the duchess”. we don’t know anything about these characters but they are described as “the doctors most powerful enemy yet” and “beware the duchess”. i think creating a companion would be a pretty cool thing for a villain to do (and would probably end in utter tragedy, in the interest of fucking the doctor up, which is always fun)

she is a zygon, other alien or even a time lord who thinks she is human living on earth. i have thought about this and it’s my absolute favourite. there is potential for a queer / outsider allegory which is always great (i don’t belong here, i feel like i’m hiding, etc). she can still be from the modern era, but would have a unique perspective and presence on the show due to actually not being from earth. if a zygon, she would be able to shapeshift, a helpful and never-before-seen skill to have on adventures with loads of fun possibilities. and it would just make the whoniverse feel interconnected, not just retconning important world events with “time can be rewritten” but actually acknowledging that yeah, there are zygons living on earth! remember that? now that ive thought about it, i really want this option…

she is actually from the 1960s or the regency era, and we are seeing it out of sync and/or assuming based on promo stuff that her modern clothing is her everyday clothing and the historical stuff is just for funsies. i would love a 60s companion because a character from the time of the shows creation next to a black doctor?? what a fucking boss move it would be so awesome

she is mia tyler. im adding this because it’s popular, but people are really grasping at straws here in my opinion and i just… don’t like this idea? if mia tyler ever appears i want them to make it damn well clear, at least with foreshadowing and stuff. i’m going into season 14 wanting new and fresh and original. not supernatural nostalgia-bait soap opera shit. “I’M YOUR DAUGHTER FROM ANOTHER UNIVERSE” gimme a break i don’t like this one

she’s a unit or torchwood agent. this could actually be real! i like this one it’s fun, we know there’s gonna be a unit episode including kate stewart, why not have her be involved? love me a badass spy lady, plus it could open up martha jones and spin-off opportunities so….

she’s a secret villain. very broad and vague i know, but it’s never happened before and the shock horror twist of it all would just be so awesome, especially because millie has a background in soap operas lmao

her timeline is funky in some way. maybe she’s like river song, maybe she’s like clara, maybe she’s stuck in a time loop or is from an alternate universe or there’s something very wrong about the events of her life that means timey wimey stuff ensues

she’s a time lord / gallifreyan and possibly a relative of the doctor. possibly linked to susan in some way, or an otherwise relative of the doctor’s. a secret sibling (again, millie gibson’s soap opera background!!), his child / susan’s parent, someone linked to the doctors daughter jenny, etc etc

she’s a time agent. the idea of time agents is really cool but woefully unexplored, we only ever meet jack and john and sure you can’t beat the wives but i want to see the full potential of them, there’s so much you could do

if you can think of any more, please do share in tags and comments i wanna know other ways i can get my hopes up way too high!! :))

[crippled-punk-guy]

I want to talk about outbreaks, poverty, and medical oppression.

I’m sure most of you are aware of long covid, the phenomenon that people who were infected with covid are having health problems they didn’t before infection that are now following them through their life. A lot of these situations have been disabling; I myself now have an extra disability tacked onto the list as well as many of my once abled friends joining me. Even my grandpa has developed a disability because of his infection. And this is something our family is not new to.

For the purpose of this story I’m going to call her aunt M. Aunt M was my grandma’s aunt, so technically my great aunt I believe. When she was a little girl she was completely able bodied like most of her immediate family. They had no known health problems that would cause anything like what happened to her. By this time polio was very well known about, vaccines were starting to be rolled out and treatments had started to become available to more people according to my uncle (her older brother). One day aunt M and her siblings go outside and find that their neighbors yard had flooded, so like a group of five kids in a small town with nothing else to do they play in the water. They had no idea that something so small would completely change the course of their little sister’s life. She ended up contracting polio, the only source anyone could think of was the standing water. As far as I’m aware no one else got sick or at the very least as sick as she did. It completely destroyed her lungs and her ability to walk, the muscles in her legs contracted and got stuck in a bent position and could hardly handle any weight. Aunt M spent the rest of her life using an oxygen machine and a power wheelchair once her family was able to save enough for one, and while you will not give her any pity because she never wanted any, I will tell her story to remind everyone of her. She shouldn’t have been disabled. She wouldn’t have lived a life of pain if not for one reason: poverty. You see the rich neighborhood a couple miles away had the resources. Any kids there were properly vaccinated and given treatments like leg braces to help them. Their family didn’t have any of that. No access to medication. No way to help her. She was very lucky that her symptoms didn’t get worse, she could’ve very easily died.

Aunt M passed away during the covid pandemics first year, it was very sudden and unexpected, we were all devastated. But part of me thinks it was slightly a blessing, a blessing that she wouldn’t have to watch her nephew go through the same thing. I was already disabled when this whole thing started, I already used a wheelchair and she knew that, I always felt a closeness to her because of it even though I hardly got to see her. But I got sick, more sick than usual, and ended up developing severe POTS. I have much less energy than I did before and that’s saying a lot, I have trouble pushing my wheelchair now because of my lung capacity and overall weakness. Hopefully soon I will be getting a power chair. And I can’t help but think of Aunt M.

I can’t help but think of all of the people like her, just innocent people who were living and then suddenly now their life is changed forever. I feel like it was easier for me because I had already accepted being disabled, sure more to worry about isn’t ideal but at least I’m no stranger to it. But think about that and think about aunt M. How a little less than a hundred years ago the same fucking thing happened.

Post polio syndrome and post covid syndrome are one in the same in a lot of ways. The effects they cause are surprisingly similar, at least in my family and experience, and it took years for people to admit post polio existed like it will for post covid. This is why it’s called a mass disabling event, people go into it relatively healthy and come out with health problems and disabilities that will never go away. The wealthier people can try out the experimental treatments and possibly be helped or cured, while the rest of us have to live with the proof that our government doesn’t know how to take care of their own people.

While POTS does effect the body differently than how polio effected their lungs and chests we need to comprehend how serious this is. Some people live with POTS and can mitigate their symptoms to the point of it barely effecting them, and some of us need to use wheelchairs because we can’t breathe or think while standing for longer than three minutes. It’s a syndrome with a wide variety of presentations and effects on patients, and it is a nervous system disorder so it may have more lasting effects than we can even think of right now.

Honestly I don’t have a point to summarize into, but just remember how the government handled polio and how it’s handled covid so far, I predict that when those of us who are young adults now are my aunt M’s age we’ll see the same fucking thing happen all over again. And we’ll sit there, with our long covid impacts and know, we haven’t learned a god damn thing.

I’ll end you with reiterating, do not hold any pity for my Aunt M, she was a very strong willed person who wouldn’t accept any amount of other people feeling bad for her, direct your emotions to the government who did this to her and us. Aunt M was healthy, she should’ve stayed healthy. Government inaction decided her fate for her.