#but he’s also a very popular doctor at the clinic so it may be a couple months before I can actually see him :’-)

[phasianoidea]

finally planning on going on t soon 💖 just have to set up a doctor appointment….

[simpy-reader-inserts]

Blood in the Water (Part 2)

Pairing: Plus size, Fem!Reader x Multi

Wordcount: ???

Summary: A story about hitting rock bottom, in a world that only ever wanted you when you let them walk all over you, and then clawing your way back up out of pure spite.

Warnings: 18+ (Minors DNI), Unreliable narrator, AFAB!Reader, Fem pronouns for reader, hints to past abuse, reader being an absolute pushover and not standing up for herself. Reader has a quirk!

Notes: This is for all the people out there who get nervous about answering the phone, ordering food in person and for those who dread having others disappointed in them. Don't worry though, while it may get worse for the reader at first, it does, and absolutely will, get better.

--

The room was quiet, having an almost homey vibe to it as you looked ahead blankly, unable to do anything other than stare at the coffee stains scattered around the large table between you and your…interviewer.

“A…a job offer?”

As if being back here while missing an interview for a job you actually wanted wasn’t bad enough to begin with.

“Yes, we’re in need of competent medical staff as the number of incidents this year has far exceeded what we’re currently capable of managing without outside assistance.” The…Mouse….thing, Nezu…continued from his seat across from you, the tea sitting before you already cooling as you sat there, unable to find a response. “We’ve been keeping an eye out for trained doctors, nurses and healing quirks, and fortunately for us, you’ve recently become available. I must say, your work on All Might was very impressive, we’d love to have your talents with us here and we’re fully prepared to offer relocation closer to the school, any benefits you may want and a full time salary as compensation.”

This was….

“o-oh. Oh wow I-”

…too good to be true.

“Thank you for the offer, I really a-appreciate it…” You started softly, your shoulders slumping as you hunched over slightly, your hands nervously clenching in your lap. “I’ll definitely consider it- I will! I have another interview planned though, sorry, I don’t want to leave them hanging and not…that’d be so rude.”

“Ah, at the family clinic across town correct?” At your nod, his small, black eyes seemed to shine with an emotion you couldn’t name. “That’s a shame, you’d be sure to secure work at any of the agencies in the city, and your potential to help others would be utilized to the maximum. A family clinic however… ”

“I’ll keep that in mind, I’m very sorry for wasting your time…if this interview doesn’t work out, I’ll most certainly come by to see if you still need help, I promise!” You nearly rushed the words out, eager to be out of the office and off school grounds. “Thank you very much for having me in mind…”

“That’s most alright, we’ll have a position waiting when you need it.”

‘When.’

He smiled.

‘When, not if.’

You nodded happily, perhaps a bit too fast as you tried to hide the subtle shaking of your hands

“I’ll have our information emailed to you, please feel free to contact us if you ever need anything.”

“Okay.”

--

You’d learned not to trust heroes blindly at a young age.

Well before starting your training to be a nurse, you’d been offered many positions with various heroes in the city you grew up in. Small time heroes looking for anything or anyone to help boost their ratings, healing quirks always helping to draw attention as they can just help the hero keep going and going and going until it wasn’t the hero who was worn and too tired to move.

Larger, more popular heroes also contacted your family, promises of safety, of training and the opportunity to help others. To help them and make a name for yourself.

You didn’t want to make a name for yourself though, just the thought of having all that attention on you was enough to send you into hiding, not leaving your room for weeks at a time- your parents eventually having to put their foot down and cut all the offers off before they got to you.

Well, the offers they knew about at least.

More than once an injured hero just ‘happened’ to stumble across you on your way home from school- promising that you wouldn’t get in trouble, but could you please help them? They needed to get back out there to help others.

You were a pushover, how could you say no to someone who looked at you with such pleading eyes?

“Okay.”

It happened again and again and again and again and-

It became too much.

Way too much.

People were starting to look at you, and the day a reporter showed up at your family home asking for an interview with ‘the towns very own Recovery Girl’ was the day you told your parents you were moving out.

To study somewhere else, to get away from this attention and help people in a way that made you feel comfortable.

You’d always wanted to help people- or learned to want to anyway. And no matter how badly the negative side of your quirk sometimes was, it was satisfying in a quiet, subtle way to see people walk away from seeing you with their heads held high and a smile on their face.

One day, you wanted to smile like that too.

--

Sometimes, you felt like a coward, weak and more than ready to topple over at the slightest breeze.

“What do you mean, they said they’d send a message-an…an email or something? I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to be a no show…” You pleaded, your face flushed from nerves and pure embarrassment as the woman at the front desk glared down at you, and the fact that she was the wife of the man that owned the clinic didn’t speak highly of his opinion of you either. “I’m so sorry, I swear I’ll contact them and get-”

“’All Might’ to come and tell us that he whisked you away for a meeting? And that you didn’t just throw our very generous offer of full time employment back in our faces?” The lady scoffed, the cold room around you seeming to get smaller and smaller as she sneered at you, various people watching in curiosity, or for some vague sense of amusement to fill the time.

You hated people watching you.

“You were recommended to us very highly and we went out of our way to help you- to offer you a position we can barely even afford to consider. We cleared a day to run you through everything, to get a feel for your character and you just- Spat in our faces. The poor doctor that recommended you will likely never hear the end of this, I hope you know that. Get out.”

“I’m so sorry…”

“Get out. We had so much hinged on you and it’s ruined- you walk in here lying out of your teeth about meeting with heroes and ‘All Might’ giving us his word that you’ve been with him of all people? You can’t even look me in the eye, and you’re expecting me to just believe you? What, are you on something? Are you high? Was that why you were fired from the general hospital? Get. OUT.”

“…okay.”

So, like a coward, you ran.

Ran from all the whispers and the eyes watching you, judging you for what they’d heard.

--

It’d been three weeks since then and you were fast burning through your savings.

Rent, Food, Bills- your brick of a phone was all but abandoned with no hope of having enough credit to call anyone. You’d applied to various clinics around the city and hadn’t heard back from even one yet (You knew why, what with how fast gossip travelled around between businesses here), you’d resorted to applying to even the smallest ad you saw in the paper.

No word back from any of them.

Not even for dog walking or paper deliveries.

Sighing, you lay across your sofa, the late night movies playing softly in the background as a hope for distraction from your thoughts, the cool air blowing in through your open window carrying the faint sounds of the city with it.

An email sat mockingly in your inbox with U.A’s logo blaring loudly across the top, and Nezu had even been kind enough to include a list of all agencies in the city looking for a healer.

You didn’t want to.

You’d rather bite your own tongue off than go back and be talked into something you couldn’t turn down- especially when they just had to know that they were your only option left. Here on your own, you were more than willing to admit that they’d drag you in and never let you go free again. You’d be healing hero after hero, and be pulled into the spotlight when that was everything you wanted to avoid and more.

But in person?

Well, you were a pushover.

A coward.

So you did what you did best and hid away in your home, avoiding even the thought of having to go and sign your life away just to be able to eat.

‘When was the last time I actually at? Damn quirk, I’d kill for a snack right now…’

*BANG BANG*

Startled, you sat up sharply, almost falling from your sofa as you waited for your door to fly off its hinges again- to be dragged away to that hell of a school and-

*BANG BANG BANG BANG*

“OI! OI (Y/N) ARE YOU HOME??!” A shaky voice called from outside, not even minding that it was nearing midnight.

That…wasn’t All Might.

Or any hero you’d met so far…

Whoever they were, you could already see the tell-tale fog of an injury seeping in from the cracks of your door.

*BANG*

“PLEASE TELL ME YOU’RE HOME! PLEASE!?” The voice was distressed, that was for sure, so without giving it much though, you replied, already getting up and making your way over.

“C-Coming!”

“Thank fuck! Hurry up!”

Rushing over to the door, you hesitated only for a moment before unlocking the various chains and locks you’d installed in hopes of…well keeping your door.

And the second it was opened, you took one look at the dark haired man before you (a neighbour from downstairs, he always said hello when you met to collect your mail. Asked how you were. Smiled at you- he had a strange smile.) and fell back into years of detached practice.

The fog you were all too familiar with hang heavily around you both, seeping between you like you’d just taken an overly hot shower on a freezing day.

“You’re a nurse, right (Y/N)?”

Oh god.

“I’ll call an ambulance! Just stay there!”

“NO! NO hospitals, Just- Just move. Let me in and shut the door. Please?”

His hand was clenched tightly to his side as he pushed past you and into your home, a faint trail of blood dropping to your floor behind him- you closed the door quickly, taking your eyes off him for a moment as he braced himself against your wall, likely staining that as well.

“Please go to the kitchen then, I’ll get some towels!”

And with that you acted on auto pilot, your body moving through the well-practiced movements of helping him sit down (which was hard considering how much taller he was than you, how did he even fit through your door?), of putting pressure on the now obvious knife wound in his side, of telling him to give you his arm.

You couldn’t just patch this up normally, it was a jagged, bleeding mess.

Hell, even calling an ambulance at this point seemed like it wouldn’t be fast enough.

…fuck, you were so weak sometimes.

“Alright, please just relax…” With that you ran your tongue across your teeth, inwardly cringing at how unsanitary this was.

“What are you- AHH! YOU CRAZY BITCH!”

Then you bit down.

Eyes clenched tightly shut, you focused on the rush you felt, on the sharp biting taste of blood- on the harsh buzz of the pain running through his body.

Running through your body, as if it were your own.

Slowly, you bit down harder, the mans struggles and the hand threading into your hair not registering as you focused on your work.

You hadn’t used your quirk like this in so long, it was almost a relief, almost like stretching your legs after a 15 hour flight

(Aside from that one, brief moment of weakness you had with All Might not too long ago)

Your mouth slowly filled with blood, and you did your best to just let it run out and onto the floor, to not swallow any as you fought back a gag at the feel of it.

“GET OFF ME!”

That sharp irritating feel in your side was quickly abating, and as your eyes squinted open at a harsh shake from the man in your hold, you could see how fast the fog around you was lifting.

More blood, and more pained yells from the man trying to pull you off.

‘This must have really hurt when it happened’ You thought silently to yourself, cringing as he cursed at you before scolding yourself for not having any numbing creams handy, already knowing how badly the bloody, soon to be inflamed, bite mark you’d leave would hurt for the following days.

And then, almost as soon as it started,

you were done.

The man abruptly stopped yelling, his hand going slack in your hair as he gaped in disbelief- his once injured side now perfectly fine aside from being covered in blood. You quickly unclenched your jaw, pulling away from his slowly bleeding arm and having just enough time to untangle his hand from your hair before rushing to the sink and dry heaving.

You hated the feeling of blood in your mouth.

But at least you could see around clearly again.

“…Well Shit, that’s new.” You heard the man mumble to himself as he wiped at his side, marvelling at the unmarked area as you rinsed your mouth out and turned to look at him, already regretting not just calling an ambulance for him and risking it. “Fuck, you’re good. Real good, I’m not even aching. Thanks a ton babe, I don’t know what I would have done without you…”

“What….what happened?” You managed to whisper out, pushing your hair out of your face as you took in his appearance properly for the first time- ignoring the obvious blood stains left over from your efforts.

And upon glimpsing the gun he had tucked into his belt, your face went white.

“Look, nothing personal, let’s just say I was mugged and call it that. I remembered you talking about your job one time so I gambled on it- good thing I always come out on top thanks to my quirk, huh? I just thought you knew how to stitch me up, but I really lucked out today!” He smiled.

It wasn’t a friendly smile, but not unkind either.

It was a warning- subtle, but still there.

“I’m going home to try to sleep this entire day off. Here, keep your mouth shut about this and I’ll make it worth your while- you’re a smart woman (Y/N)…” And with that he pushed a bloodied hand into his pocket, rummaging around for a moment before pulling out a rather large stack of notes…

You shouldn’t.

You should run and call for help.

You should call the police, call Nezu and have him send someone to help you.

But you were…weak, weak of will, of conviction. One push and you’d more than willingly move in whatever direction people wanted you to go.

But you were also a coward, and you were scared of going to Nezu and asking for a job, scared of being used and used and used and used-

You’d die if you were pushed into a life like that, you knew it. Used by hero after hero until you were old and grey like Recovery girl, not able to retire even if you wanted too.

“O-Okay. Thank you so much…Have a nice n-night?”

And you were left alone in your apartment just as quickly as your company showed up, your clothing almost as crimson stained as your floor and towels. Silently panicking as you shook in place, your knees falling weak beneath you as you dropped to the floor and cried- all the events of the past few weeks bursting over in desperation.

You were a coward, but the thing about cowards?

They ran, they hid, they survived.

You wanted to survive.

[magnuficent76]

Pokémon the Curatellas would have and why [part 2 of this because I'm. Insane]

MEREDITH [their mom] (She's probably just a doctor, I can't see her battling much... anyway here's her very normal medicine type team)

- Absol [This Pokémon's whole premise is that it tries to save people from disaster but gets unfairly labeled as a bad omen, so I think Ms. MALPRACTICE would love that kind of premise. Also, it'd be helpful to have in hospital situations in case someone contaminated enters a room or if something could go wrong during survery.]

- Chansey [Literally THE doctor Pokémon. Also stall is so annoyingly effective Meredith would love it]

- Gliscor [It can heal itself with poison and I like to think it can do the same with people by sucking out the poisons in their body. Which is something you'd probably not want to hear your doctor say as she puts a scorpion bat near your wounds]

DONATELLO [their dad] (he's another doctor but he's not actively committing medical malpractice like a certain someone, so here's his actually normal 'mon)

- Miltank [Associated with some... very difficult battles in the OG games, but also just a great little healing Pokémon. I think it'd be popular with the kids he works with simply because its very round and gentle looking. Her name is moomoo or something and shes his 5th spoiled baby]

MELAINE (If you guessed Bug, you are correct. She absolutely is bug. This woman hasn't thought about anything other than bugs, science and her husband in like years.)

- Fomantis -> Lurantis [This was probably her starter to be honest ! It's mantis and she's hyperfixated on them, so no surprise there. The only one out of her siblings not to have an orthodox professor-given starter, she actually just befriended this little guy when she was a kid and it has been with her since !!]

- Scolipede [TANKY fellow, but also just a fast bug boy. Melaine is the type of person to be completely unafraid of bugs and scolipede is absolutely no different. Sure, it may be poisonous, giant and mean looking, but Mel loves it to death and you can redirect your complaints to the box if you dislike it. Probably has an unfittingly cute name too, like Fifi or Viola.]

Shedninja/Ninjask [Now these guys, they're technically the same Pokémon, but Mel couldn't possibly keep the FASTEST Pokémon that isn't a legendary out of her team ok. Its a delightfully weird little critter with bizarre properties and she fucking adores it. Also it can shoot lasers. That is fucking cool]

- Yanmega [FAST guy !!! WEIRD fellow !! Its everything a girl could want in a bug. Its also incredibly violent so it adds onto Melaine's bizarre courage and unyielding determination. Like, seriously, look at its desc- "Extremely violent. When hunting, it wastes none of its energy, aiming only for prey’s most vulnerable spots. Any who manage to tame this Pokémon must be of incredible bravery". Mel is so cool and normal you guys.]

- Genesect [A Pokémon given to her by her husband, Jonah, who figured the double steel/bug typing would be cute since it matches both of them ! She loved it...nowadays, its a nice reminder of him.]

ANTON (Water/Psychic, because those are both things you use when you're a dentist)

- Primarina [He loves this dramatic mermaid seal so fucking much. It is his right hand arm. His silly seal. The greatest joy of his many joys. It grew from a small silly guy and it became a gorgeous princess and Anton couldn't be prouder. It can't exactly help with dentistry, but its still his most amazingest pokimen ever]

- Slowking [This is the most helpful 'mon in the clinic simply because it is able to move things around with its mind. Caught it as a slowpoke not sure of what to do with it, but eventually decided he was determined to teach it about dentistry. And it worked. Sort of.]

- Alakazam [Another Pokémon I think could be pretty useful in a clinic. It's smart as hell and it has hands ok ? Anton is a licensed doctor and he says you can trust the Alakazam.]

PHIL (Fire. Because he is. So mad. Constantly. (Half joke))

- Blaziken [The only fire starter who isn't a hazard to have in a pharmacy simply because it doesn't have fire on it constantly. Originally only got Torchic because his parents said he had to get a Pokémon, but since then got really attached.]

- Fletchinder [Loves birds so much, so this one was just a no brainer. Can't evolve it because of the space it'd take up however... its okay, they're both happy as it is <3]

THEO (Grass/Psychic, because you use it when you're a therapist. Also, it just follows their general aesthetic)

- Meganium [Studied this line carefully before ever deciding to actually get one for herself, but it was worth it because they're now bffs. Spoils this walking fern like its his only purpose in life, and in return gets a pretty chill room buddy who patients can pet while they vent !]

- Victreebel [Sir, that's my emotional support fucked up plant. Not really much of a reasoning I just think Theo would love murder plants]

- Leavenny [It was originally supposed to be their sister's, but unluckily for her, Theo was faster with the pokeball throwing. Mel isn't over it but its okay, they can share custody of the little lady.]

[puppyexpressions]

10 Tips To A Healthier Dog

We all want our pups to live a long, happy, healthy life and there are things every dog parent can do to help make that happen. Here are 10 tips to help any dog feel happier and healthier.

1. Spay Or Neuter

Spaying stops a female dog from going into heat and can help prevent breast cancer and pyometra, or infection of the uterus. Neutering a male dog can mellow out aggressive behavior and help prevent testicular cancer, prostate disease, and hernias.

2. Vaccinate

By three months of age, the protective antibodies naturally passed along through a mother’s milk have been used up and your puppy needs to be vaccinated to help protect him or her against many common infectious diseases, including leptospirosis, distemper and parvovirus, as well as a rabies vaccination. Your vet may also recommend vaccinations for kennel cough and Lyme disease. Vaccinations will save your dog’s life.

3. Visit Your Vet

Like you, dogs need regular visits to the doctor to ensure good health. An annual health check gives your vet the chance to nip any illness or health concerns in the bud before they can cause big problems and bills. The vet will ask about your pet’s behavior, eating, and exercise habits, while checking your dog’s vital stats. Check at your local pet store for low-cost pet clinics that can help keep costs down.

4. Declare War On Fleas And Ticks

Fleas can cause health problems beyond itchy skin. They can be the source of allergies, anemia, and tapeworms. Fortunately there are a myriad of flea control products available, including Advantage and Frontline, two of the most popular. Monthly applications should be given based on the weight of your dog. Keep in mind when you are gearing up for your flea wars you must treat all your pets, not just the ones where fleas are obvious.

You especially have to be vigilant in warmer months and with global warming those warmer months seem to last longer and longer, which means you may need to extend those summer treatments.

5. Treat Heartworm By Preventing It

Heartworm is very difficult to treat and can be fatal for your dog so prevention is the key. Giving your dog one dose monthly of a tablet, like Heartguard, can stop heartworm before it starts.

6. Exercise Your Dog Every Day

And not just a quick jaunt around the block. Exercise through walking and playing with your dog will keep your little buddy physically fit, mentally healthy, and reduce the chance of belligerent and destructive behavior as well. Regular exercise also helps your dog maintain a healthy weight and heart, while increasing muscle mass. Your dog’s exercise requirements will be different depending on breed, sex, age, and health.

7. Watch Your Dog’s Weight

Lack of exercise and overfeeding is as much a problem in pets as it is in people. Your dog cannot decide how much exercise he or she needs or what kind of food is best to eat; only you can do that. Arthritis, liver disease, and coronary disease are just a few of the health issues facing an overweight dog. To help your dog lose weight, your vet may recommend a mix of exercise and switching to a low-calorie brand of food, or gradually reducing the amount of regular food you feed your dog. If your pup is overweight talk to your vet to figure out the best course of action.

8. Weekly Health Checks

One of the best ways to prevent health issues is to check up on your dog weekly. First, inspect your dog’s coat and skin for swelling, flakes or scabs. Then look into your dog’s ears and eyes for any signs of redness or discharge. Finally watch for any changes in eating or drinking habits. If anything differs from what’s normal for your dog, consult your vet.

9. Stay Away From Dangerous Foods

The ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center compiled a list of foods that could be dangerous, even poisonous for your dog: alcoholic beverages, chocolate, avocado, coffee, fatty foods, macadamia nuts, spoiled or moldy foods, onions and onion powder, grapes and raisins, salt, garlic, yeast dough, and products sweetened with xylitol. Post this list and be sure your family and any caregivers are aware of it.

10. Brush Those Teeth!

Bad breath can be a sign of teeth or gum problems. Particles of food, saliva, and bacteria known as plaque can build up on the gums and teeth and cause infection. If you don’t treat this, infection can result in tooth decay and even move into the bloodstream and affect your pet’s heart, lungs, liver, kidneys, bones, and joints. Inspect teeth and gums weekly, and check with your vet for instructions on regular brushing with canine toothpaste.

[reincarnatedonthefirst]

Y'all get ready for a smear campaign piece...

Has anyone heard of Dr. Eric Berg from YouTube? He's all about holistic wellness. Normally, I don't check on someone's credentials when seeking advice (although, maybe I should). But when I came across one of this YouTube videos, I knew something wasn't right. And his credentials, or lack thereof, back up my suspicions about him.

I listened to one of his videos on healing from autoimmune disease. He seemed to talk bout all the correct things you need to address except...

He oversimplified the healing process. His message was very misleading because each facet of the healing process he made seem very straightforward.

If there's one thing I've learned about auto immune issues, it's that everyone's disease is individualistic on some level. There absolutely is no one-size-fits-all solution to stopping/reversing auto immune diseases.

All the information he gathered can easily be found and compiled by anyone with who uses Reddit. Nothing he explained in the video was new to me.

His explanation came across as info that was compiled by a layman. And it was very much, "jack of all trades, master of none".

I'd come across his videos in the past but visually, they were very gimmicky-looking. He's excellent at marketing. His thumbnail videos draw in the user. For me, that's usually a sign that there may not be any real substance in the actual content.

My mother is always singing the praises of Dr. Berg. His scripts are well-written and easy to understand. But the first and most important reason this man's videos are so popular on YouTube? He is a WHITE... MALE. And of course, this is a huge part of the reason my mother worships him.

As a white male, you have instant credibility. Shit can literally be spewing out of your mouth yet, if you're a white male, people are more willing to believe in you than a black female doctor with several degrees and a strong background in lab research and clinics.

Did I also mention that his only medical accreditation shown on his website is a chiropractic degree? Chiropractors are notorious for getting into the lucrative market of holistic wellness.

Also, according to his website bio, HE HAS NO CLINICAL EXPERIENCE!

Oh, my God...

Okay, Imma stop here...

[livglam06]

Which clinic is best for Breast Augmentation Surgery in Bangalore?

Are you looking to enhance your breasts size? Livglam aesthetic clinic is one of the most popular cosmetic procedures. Also known as a ‘breast job’, the procedure involves inserting silicone implants into your chest.

It is a highly customizable treatment, depending on your goals and desires. The results from this treatment can look very natural when performed by a board-certified plastic surgeon at an accredited cosmetic centre .

1. Natural Appearance

Breast augmentation surgery is performed using silicone implants, which can be inserted into a pocket either under the pectoral muscle or behind it (called subfascial or subglandular). Your surgeon will choose the type of implant and size that best suits your body frame.

You will be under general anaesthesia during your breast augmentation or boob job surgery, so you won’t feel any pain or discomfort. After your procedure, you will need to rest in a recovery room for an hour or two until the swelling subsides. We will provide a supportive bra for you to wear during this time.

Before the surgery, we will take your medical history to check if you have any recent illness, UTI or other infections, and any allergies or medication you are taking. Your doctor will also advise you to stop smoking before the procedure, as it increases your risk of complications. A full set of X-rays is required before the surgery as well.

2. Increased Self-Confidence

Breast augmentation surgery, which is also known as augmentation mammoplasty, can help you feel more confident about your appearance. Women of all ages and backgrounds can benefit from this procedure, which is why it’s so popular. If you’re not comfortable with the size of your breasts, breast augmentation can improve your self-image and boost your confidence.

Many women are disappointed with the size of their breasts. They may be self-conscious about wearing certain clothes or may not find it easy to fit into a bra. Getting breast implants can change all of that and give you the confidence that you’ve always wanted.

In addition to the boosted confidence, you’ll notice that your breasts feel more natural to the touch than they did before the surgery. This is due to the swelling of the tissues and tightening of the chest muscles. This process can take a few weeks to dissipate. Your doctor will advise you to avoid certain foods and drinks to prevent complications.

3. Improved Self-Esteem

Women with small or saggy breasts often feel less confident about their looks. Breast surgery is a popular cosmetic procedure that helps to boost self-esteem and appearance. It’s also a good idea for those who have lost weight and are struggling with breast drooping or loss of volume as a result.

There are many plastic surgeons who specialise in breast augmentation, so you can choose one with the right experience and expertise. It’s important to find a surgeon who will listen to your concerns and provide a customised treatment plan. The surgeon will discuss whether saline or cohesive silicone gel implants will work best for you.

Before the surgery, the surgeon will take a general examination to check for health issues such as a UTI or common cold. He will also check for underlying health conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and thyroid disease. This will ensure that you are healthy enough for the procedure.

4. Improved Body Image

Breast augmentation surgery is a popular procedure that can improve your self-image and make you feel more positive about your body. This is especially true if you are unhappy with your size or the way your breasts look. It is important to talk to your doctor if you are considering this surgery so that you can understand the benefits and risks.

During this procedure, the surgeon creates a pocket in your breast tissue or chest muscle by separating the tissues and muscles around the breasts to make room for an implant. The implants can be placed either below or above the chest muscle, depending on the type of breast augmentation you are getting and your own anatomy.

For a natural-looking result, many doctors use cohesive gel silicone implants rather than saline ones. This is because the cohesive gel doesn’t seep, run or shift the way saline implants sometimes do. Cohesive implants also feel more like natural breast tissue.

[thefloralhouses]

Orthodontist Services Coimbatore

Arasu Dental care aims to provide best clear aligners treatment by certified Orthodontist with more than 10 years of experience in Dentistry.

WHY ARASU DENTAL CARE?

Arasu Dental Care is one of the best dental clinic in Coimbatore managed by team of specialist viz. Orthodontist (Braces specialist), Prosthodontist (artificial teeth specialist), Endodontist (Root Canal specialist), Periodontist (Gum specialist), Pedodontist  

(Kids Dentist) and Oral Surgeon.

With state of art equipment and recently introduced materials we deliver quality dental treatment at affordable cost. Few of the treatments done at the Centre would include full mouth rehabilitation, Dental implants, Fixed Orthodontic braces treatment and smile designing. All treatment are done by respective specialists which makes the clinic one of the best dental clinic in Coimbatore

INDIVIDUALIZED DENTAL CARE

We work as a team, dedicated to improving and maintaining your oral health. Whatever your dental needs, you will be in great hands.

EXPERIENCED DENTAL PROFESSIONALS

Our team has the professional experience to realize that there is no such thing as one-size-fits-all approach to treatment. 

THE LATEST TREATMENTS

By using the cutting edge research and tools, we make sure your time with us is as comfortable and stress-free as possible.

ABOUT THE DOCTOR

Dr.Sree Cumar has completed his MDS from AB Shetty Memorial Institute of Dental Sciences, Mangalore. He is a recipient of various National level awards like Best PG Student Award and Best Interdisciplinary Dentist

He is a fellow of the Prestigious Pierre Fauchard Academy (USA) and World Federation of Orthodontists (USA

ORTHODONTIA

Orthodontia or Orthodontic treatment, in simple terms, refers to Braces.

Many people have crowded or crooked teeth or forwardly placed teeth (malaligned teeth) and is one thing that can completely alter a person’s appearance and aesthetics. Orthodontic treatment will straighten the teeth or move them into a better position. This can improve their appearance and the way the teeth bite together, while also making them easier to clean.

When is the best time to get Orthodontic correction?

The best time is generally during childhood or adolescence, but adults can get orthodontic treatment too - and more and more are doing so. Age is less important than having the right number of teeth and sound bone health. In younger children it may be necessary to wait for enough teeth to come through before starting treatment.

Adults and children are becoming increasingly particular about how they look and we are here to accommodate their every request.

At Arasu Dental Care, we offer the best solutions for malaligned teeth ranging from traditional metal braces, Ceramic braces, Metal Self Ligating, Ceramic Self Ligating braces as well as Clear Aligners (invisible braces).

METAL BRACES

Metal or traditional braces are the most common type of braces world-wide and have been around for over 100 years now. In the past, braces were very bulky and noticeable. Luckily, braces today are nothing like what they were 100 years ago. Advances in innovation and technology have made braces:

Smaller

Faster

More Comfortable

More Effective

Metal braces are most popular among children and adolescent patients. They work by applying the braces to the teeth and connecting them with a wire. The wire is tied to the braces using elastic ties, which come in an array colors to choose from. To move the teeth, the orthodontist makes adjustments to the wire at your appointments every 4-6 weeks.

Visit for click: https://arasudentalcare.com/

[mpmcorner]

Who is Stella Lilly? family pay tribute to their 'princess', 5, who died from Strep A

Who is Stella Lilly? family pay tribute to their 'princess', 5, who died from Strep A Who is Stella Lilly?  family pay tribute to their 'princess', 5, who died from Strep A, explained.Stella-LillyMcCorkindale, a five-year-old from Northern Ireland, died of a strep A infection.

Who is Stella Lilly?

Stella-Lily McCorkindale is a five-year-old girl from west Belfast. He is the love child of Colette and Robert. Lily is a pupil at Belfast's Black Mountain Primary School. The school described Stella as a "bright and intelligent little girl". Springmart woman Stella was reportedly diagnosed with a Strep A infection on Monday and was treated in the intensive care unit at RVH-Royal Victoria Hospital before she tragically died. Cheryl McCorkindale, Stella's aunt, praised Lily on Facebook as her "beautiful, amazing, loving and funny" niece. In a post, she wrote: “It gave me absolute pleasure to call Stella-Lily McCorkindale my niece and my children not only their cousin but their friend. She was a beautiful, sweet, loving and funny little girl who fought so hard to be with us, she was too good for this world…our family will never be the same again. "Can't believe I'll never see her smile again or hear her dad - her best mate - shout at me love you loads, we're girls."

How did Stella-Lily McCorkindale die?

The child became very ill last week and was admitted to the hospital; However, despite the best efforts of medical professionals, the child died on Monday. The child, who attends Black Mountain Primary School in Belfast, Northern Ireland, is the ninth child in the UK to be linked to strep A. The child was taken to the Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children for treatment. He died today. On Tuesday afternoon, the school released a statement on its Facebook page about the five-year-old girl's death. Black Mountain Primary School posted, “Sadly, the governors, staff and pupils of Black Mountain Primary School have been informed of the untimely death of one of our P2 pupils, Stella-Lily McCorkindale. This is a sad loss for the Black Mountain Primary School family and our school community and the whole school's thoughts are with Stella-Lilly's family and friends at this sad and difficult time. "Stella-Lilly was a very bright and talented little girl and very popular with both staff and children and will be greatly missed by everyone at the school. To support our students and staff at this sad time, extra trained staff from the Education Authority's Critical Incident Response Team have been engaged and will be providing support to the school. "We know this news may cause concern in our school community and we want to reassure parents that we are continuing to work closely with the Public Health Agency during this time."

Stella-Lily is the cause of death

The cause of Stella-Lilly's death was a strep A infection. The Public Health Agency (PHA) wrote to parents of P1 to P3 students at the school on Friday. Children were asked to visit a clinic to be evaluated by a doctor and take a course of antibiotics as a prophylactic measure. It also sought to reassure parents that it would work closely with the PHA. The school is still open but undergoing a thorough clean-up, and qualified staff from the Education Authority's Critical Incident Response Team are on hand to help. Funeral: The funeral will take place on Wednesday, April 14, at 12.30pm at his grandmother's home, 3 Bromley Street, before proceeding to Roselawn Crematorium at 2pm.

What is Group A Streptococcus?

Group A Streptococcus, the name given to a type of bacterium occasionally found in the throat or skin, is Stellateth. Infections often cause mild illness, but they can progress to invasive group A strep, commonly known as iGAS, which can be very dangerous. The World Health Organization estimates that IGAS kills 500,000 people annually. According to official UKHSA data, 3.1 people experience iGAS for every 100,000 cases of scarlet fever. For children under one year of age, the rate is approximately nine per 100,000, whereas for children between one and four years of age, it is eight per 100,000. The term "group A streptococcus" refers to a type of bacteria that can occasionally be found on the skin or in the throat. Group A Streptococcus usually causes minor illnesses such as sore throats and skin infections. In rare cases, these bacteria can cause invasive group A streptococcal disease, which can be fatal. How does one get Group A Streptococci? - Many people carry group A strep bacteria without getting sick. - It is spread through close contact with an infected person. Also, it spreads through coughing and sneezing or through an injury. - Close physical contact, such as kissing or skin-to-skin contact, can spread from one person to another. - Most people exposed to group A strep are healthy and asymptomatic. However, some people develop minor skin or throat infections. - Transmission of invasive disease by a relative or household member is exceptionally rare. - By washing your hands thoroughly regularly, you can reduce your risk of contracting group A strep. - Pregnant women and those receiving gynecological treatment are recommended to wash their hands before and after using the restroom. - When you have a cough or cold, washing your hands after using tissues is especially important. And dispose of them properly. What are the symptoms? - Skin diseases caused by group A strep include scarlet fever, cellulitis, and impetigo. Antibiotics are commonly used to treat these infections. - Rarely, when the germs enter areas of the body where bacteria are not present, such as the lungs, blood, or muscles, it can cause serious illness. This is called invasive group A streptococcal disease. - Invasive disease occurs when bacteria overcome your body's immune defenses. This can happen if you already have an illness or are receiving immune-suppressing drugs, such as certain cancer treatments. - The more severe invasive disease subtypes are toxic shock syndrome and necrotizing fasciitis. - Fever-like symptoms such as a high temperature, sore throat and swollen glands in the neck can be early signs of scarlet fever (a large lump on the side of your neck). - After 12 to 48 hours, a rash develops. It appears as small, raised lumps in the chest and abdomen before spreading. - The rash makes your skin feel as rough as sandpaper. On darker skin, the rash will be less noticeable, but still hard.

What should parents be aware of?

- This is always a concern when a child is sick. - GAS infections can cause sore throat, fever, chills and muscle aches. - If you believe your child is seriously ill, as a parent, you should trust your own judgment. Call NHS 111 or contact your doctor. - If your child develops poorly - If your child is eating or drinking less than usual. If they haven't used a wet diaper in at least 12 hours or are exhibiting other indicators of dehydration. - When you touch your baby's back or chest, they feel warmer than usual - When your baby is under 3 months and has a temperature of 38C - When your baby feels sweaty - When your child is very tired or irritable. Call 999 or go to A&E - - If your child has difficulty breathing. You may hear their crunches or see their stomachs suck against their ribs. - If your child has pauses in breathing - If your baby is lethargic, not awake or awake. How to prevent the spread of infections? Practice good hand and respiratory hygiene to prevent the spread of many bugs. It can reduce your child's risk of infection or transmission. This can be done by learning how to properly wash your hands with soap and warm water for 20 seconds. Use a tissue for sneezing and coughing, and stay away from others when they are sick. Also read: How did Kirstie Alley die? Cause of death revealed Follow us Facebook For more updates. Read the full article

[hermesmoly]

tysm for the tag unni!!

The Rules: Tag People you want to know better and catch up with and answer the following!!!

Four Ships:

1. Wangxian (Lan Wangji/Wei Wuxian from MDZS) - greek mythology was one of my passions, still kind of is, but lately I've been venturing out to danmeis and man what can I tell you, Wangxian's love story is beautiful and worthy of the countless retellings (a 5 book series, a 50 episode LA/ the cql, a donghua, a manhua, a chibi anime, YOU NAME IT!!) The way they portray selfless love got my heart all melting up into so many happy pieces (Wangji carrying the 300 strikes on his back, raising WWX's kid, okay i'll shut up now). I may not retweet/reblog them as often as other MDZS content but that's only because if i think about them too long I go clinically insane (j). Shoutout to SangCheng being my favorite MDZS secondary pair tho, Jiang Cheng & Jin Ling as my fav platonic pair and 3ZUN for my favorite poly ship.

2. Sukka (Suki/Sokka from ATLA) - Migrating to twitter to join the ATLA fandom in 2021 was... an experience. But if there was one thing that kept me going through every drama popping out, it's them 💚💙 god i love mutual respect and rivals to lovers and the way they look so simple yet their love is so strong like they found each other in the war EVERY. DAMN. TIME!! Also I'm weak for the goofy guy and the cool girl dynamic, and they nailed that dynamic to the ground. It's a very important pair to me, at least enough to make half of my edits on twitter about them and a dedicated account to daily pictures of them that I don't really update that much anymore.

2. Arenos (Ares/Hypnos from Hades Supergiant / Greek Mythology) - I've had lots of greek myth ships, Zeus/Hera once occupied my mind a lot. Now, maybe it's because both these gods are hardcore favorites, but i love this ship a lot. It's about the war/dream dynamic, the guys struggling through parent issues and finding healing with each other, Ares only being soft around Hypnos and Hypnos letting his guard down for once and allowing himself to be angry and sad towards the one person who understands it (at least Hades!Hypnos would, as he is the reason I love Myth!Hypnos a lot more now). I just think they're neat :>

4. Ninglan (Ningguang/Yelan from Genshin Impact) - One of the first pairings someone would mention when talking about Genshin is Beigguang, the really really popular ship between Beidou and Ningguang. I, however, chose pain. Ninglan excites me because it's a lady in a high position and her operative who does her dirty work,,, but it's more than that. Yelan also helped Ningguang get that position (thru legal but errr still sus means). Yelan is someone who thrives off of danger and pain, Ningguang gives her a job that makes her feel fulfilled, but when Yelan was at her lowest point, when her colleagues died and left her emotionally drained and scarred you know who was with her? Ningguang. It's about the mutual understanding and trust they place in each other, to look at each other and understand what the other is saying by just a glance. They're the embodiment of Phoebe Bridger's "Graceland Too." I love them a normal amount.

Last Song: Funeral by Phoebe Bridgers. I relate to it, after my cousin died. Everytime I feel sad I listen to it and think of my tita (aunt). It makes me feel less alone, and the song is relateable ("I don't need you to tell me what that means, I don't believe in that stuff anymore.") A worthwhile listen when feeling melancholic.

Currently Reading: Mo Dao Zu Shi Vol. 1!! Already finding the donghua and cql, I need a doctorate in this story because I love love love it.

Last Movie: Do series count? If so, my last series was with my mom, In the Name of God: A Holy Betrayal, which is basically a netflix documentary of fucked up Korean Cult Leaders cases. It's quite respectful about its topic and uses real life testimonies. I'm throroughly disgusted by their actions but the marites in me wants to know more.

Craving: for my little cough and cold to end ;) and maybe cheese popcorn. I miss popcorn.

TAGGING!!! hmm whoever wants to!! also @lifeofroos @pocketsizedfish @greekschist @yngwiemalmsteens @venomorphs @maikasaa @crashthemode @bellatrixobsessed1

<3 thank you @papillon82fluttersby :D

The Rules: Tag (9) people you want to know better and/or catch up with, then answer the following:

Four ships:

Zeus/Ganymede: feel like it'd be a crime not to start here, haha. I've always been into mythology, but randomly thinking about Ganymede's myth a couple years ago now (that long!!) got me wanting to read Greek myth stuff, and I started with the Iliad (for the Trojan-related angle) and the Bibliotheke, and so. I might currently be more focused elsewhere but this is still my beloved ship <3 You can do so much with them, and, especially, I'd say, by interpreting them as mutually in love. There's obviously other m/m couples in Greek myth and even one of those that at first looks tragic doesn't need to end that way (Apollo/Hyacinthus) but there are so many reasons Zeus/Ganymede is the one that has me by the throat.

Menelaos/Paris: Honestly, looking back I'm not quite sure how I didn't zero in on this one from reading the Iliad itself the first time, because this is definitely one of the flavours of ships I love. This ship is also what led to, first, Helen/Menelaos/Paris for me and then Helen/Paris, because 99% of the time I just don't care at all about het ships. This ship is also why I currently am like I am about Paris! Make no mistake, I didn't hate or dislike him before that, either, like the majority of Tumblr (and elsewhere) seem to do; reading the Iliad I mostly thought him kinda hapless and inoffensive, so going from there and liking him wasn't that big of a step. The possibility of them having bonded during those nine days in Sparta (or in Troy!), going from friends (or more) to enemies with complicated feelings still in the background is just so damn juicy to me.

Carmilla/Laura: original novella flavour! One day I hope to do a rewrite/retelling of my own, that would definitely end with Laura going or otherwise together with Carmilla, one way or another. The way Carmilla talks to/about Laura and what they feel for each other is just. so great. The caterpillar quote. The one about Laura loving her or hating her, and especially "love will have its sacrifices; no sacrifice without blood". And you know. The boob-biting to feed is extremely inspired and very hot, even if Le Fanu undoubtedly didn't mean it that way. I don't care. They're mine now. :)

Darth Vader & Luke Skywalker: Since I am so deeply into gen&family ships aside from romantic/sexual shipping, it feels, again, like a crime not to mention these two. The ST might have broken the back of my fannish engagement in SW currently, but these two? I love them. I love Luke's impossible and earnest belief in his father's inherent goodness, I love that fucking scene at the end of ESB where Vader reaches out and Luke reflexively, despite everything, says 'father?' HOW CAN YOU NOT LOVE IT???

Last song: Oh, uhh... I don't remember, but it's possible it was Teeth by 5 Seconds of Summer (happens to be one of my Helen/Paris songs for late war lol). I end up listening to a row of songs while drawing, sometimes (which is the only time I can listen to music and actually do something else at the same time), but it could have been another one, just as well.

Currently reading: Iliaden - en cover, by Dimitrios Iordanoglou, which is a (pretty heavily, sometimes) abridged and modernized version of the Iliad where the language is extremely slangy sometimes and the setting has been moved into "present day". Everyone uses guns and stuff. Apollo's main epithet is now "the Bomber" lol and he uses bombs and grenades. It's both extremely fun(ny) and really interesting, even if the language used sometimes make me wince even when I get why he's chosen it. But it's exactly because I know the changes he's made etc. that makes it extra interesting. When he keeps lines word-for-word from the Iliad they both stick out and fit in very well and it's interesting to see that, too. Also, and much longer than the above, is Paris in the Epic Tradition : a Study in Homeric Techniques of Characterization by Roberto Nickel, his thesis from 1997! I've mentioned it before; Nickel is exploring the possibility of the Iliad having changed/presented Paris (a lot) differently from how he might have been in traditional oral epic material. It's really interesting!

Last movie: Dungeon and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves! Loved it, a lot of fun, and despite how long it was, it all moved along at a good clip, nothing dragged.

Craving: Uh... :C Fics/art for my rare pairs? lol

Tagging: @a-gnosis @battlinghurricanes @crowlilies @my-name-is-apollo @scribeprotra @kebriones

[boombox-fuckboy]

Hello, I wanted to ask if you know any unpopular podcasts with robots/AI characters that are important to the plot. Sorry if my english is bad.

I'm late to answer, here's 10 less popular audio drama with plot-important AI:

Erraticus*: Three people, one who's not a bomber, and one who's not an AI, who find themself on the same ship headed for the outer rim and directly into a conspiracy. Erraticus features an AI-like entity, though how they differ from one remains to be seen. The podcast is on hiatus and releases at the creator's own whims.

InCo: An interstellar information trader and her peppy bot find a mysterious boy floating in the middle of space and are drawn into more trouble than usual. I recommend this one a lot but for good reason.

Marsfall: A colony set to settle Mars wakes up mid-disaster to a very different situation than expected. This has one of my favourite AI but he has such a rough time of it you may want to get up and pace. Crisp sound design. Possibly too popular to be on this list but it doesn't get talked about much so who knows.

Lost Terminal: Hopepunk podcast following a lonely AI in a space station orbiting above a post-climate catastrophe Earth who just wants to make some friends. It takes a thoughtful and respectful look into mental health surrounding loneliness, anxiety, depression, DID, OCD, etc, and discusses many other interesting topics, such as D&D, radio, orbital mechanics, and plants.

The Mistholme Museum of Mystery, Morbidity, and Mortality: The only podcast on this list that isn't true sci-fi (new weird/weird fiction, supernatural). Friendly tour guide AI leads you through the Mistholme museum, showing you each item and telling you the stories behind them. It takes a while for the plot to start up, but I doubt you'll be bored in the meantime.

Tartarus: Sci-fi horror about an insecure astrobiologist who joins the the staff of a secret Antarctic monster containment facility, which consists of her, the tearse manager, and the ever-creative station AI. Only a few episodes out so far, but part 2 isn't far off.

Trial and Error: Scientist researching spontaneous sentience conducts interviews with various AI about their previous existence and functions. While the only AI who's there consistantly is Qwerty (who's anyway endearing), there are AI every episode (interesting mix of human and computer-generated voices), and some are more plot relevant than they initially seem. Currently on hiatus without a return date.

Under the Electric Stars: Desperate to secure the parts they need to fix their AI companion, a delivery driver's attempt at a heist finds them swept into a world of shady medical experts, aspiring gangs, and the occasional treasure hunt.

ROGUEMAKER: After a commercial space-flight experiences a major disaster, the survivors are left floating alone in the escape pods in a quiet part of space, with only the AI (who can't hear them), intermittent radio connections to the other pods, and snippets of stray broadcast for company. One of two podcasts that started airing since you sent this (the other being The Vesta Clinic (below), ROGUEMAKER is exceptionally well made.

The Vesta Clinic: As mentioned above, The Vesta Clinic is also very new, and very enjoyable. The Vesta Clinic consists of audio clips as the newest doctor and the clinic AI write and edit patient reports to send off. it showcases delicious chunks of alien design in a medical clinic setting, comfortable yet interesting, a combination I personally am very fond of.

[girlmeetsliv3]

Cruel Liaisons

~~ Previously Lingerlust ~~

A/B/O!MiniMoni x Reader; Poly BTS

“When one strikes the heart of another they seldom miss, and the wound is invariably fatal.”

Release Date: May 7th, 2021 @ 12:15 p.m. (GMT-5)

Apologies for the late update. Hope you enjoy it.

Trigger Warnings: blood and gore.

February 2nd, 2022

           “Please state your name for the record.”

           “Jeon YN.” YN stared at the recording machine in front of her, it looked antiquated like the type that wasn’t automatically connected to a cloud or storage system. “Those types have to be manually saved. Which can come in handy.” The officer’s cleared their throats, drawing back YN’s attention. What were their names again? “We need you to state your sub-gender as well.” The one on the left spoke lowly, his voice coming out a bit tense and nervous. “Beta.” When YN tried to smell them, she noticed both were wearing scent blockers, though her sense of smell was never her strong suit.

           “This is officer Park Sooyoung and officer Kim Jisoo.” The taller one stated, her tone dull, as if she rather be anywhere else. Judging by the bags under her eyes and the large cup of coffee in front of her – a bed seemed to be her choice. Officer Kim reached to the ground and placed a file on the desk, she opened it to reveal a series of photographs; five to be precise. Males and females from around a same age group are placed with one female in the center, she looks strangely familiar to YN. The rounded tip of her nose and arched brows but she can’t quite place the face. There is someone YN does recognize though, a face she saw just a few days ago.

           “Anyone you recognize?” Officer Kim asks, her tone is serious but airy. The smile on her face after every sentence lets YN know that she’s the ‘good cop.’

           YN points at the second photo from the left, “Him. I saw him in a missing persons ad on the news, but he didn’t look this old.” They had likely picked a picture from when he was younger, the man on the news held a bright smile. His jawline sharp and his cheekbones high but not defined. The man in the photograph in front of her had a pronounced jawline, hollow cheeks, and an ugly scowl that did nothing to mar his features. ‘K.T’ read the bottom.

           “What news channel and around what time?”

           “KBS, maybe late evening. I watch it before I go to sleep.”

Both officers nod, as Park shifts around on her seat. Now facing directly at YN, resting both elbows on the metal table. “Are you aware of the reason you were brought into the station today?” Officer Kim jumps in before YN can answer, “Just so you know you aren’t being charged with anything.”

Yes. “No, I don’t know.” She shrugged, keeping her eyes level and gaze neither too intense nor too bored.

“You’re here due to your affiliation with Alpha’s Kim Namjoon and Park Jimin,” Park spoke, “They’re your employers, correct?” There was an edge to her voice that YN recognized. Many people weren’t fond of them – many had a reason not to be.

“Yes.” YN nods.

“How long have you worked for them?” Kim asks.

YN notes how neither women are writing anything down, nor looking towards the one-sided mirror behind them. Are they perhaps recording this with a second device? If that’s the case it's not just her voice YN must be cautious of, but her expressions as well. “Around nine months, I’m their housekeeper and take care of Hyunwoo.” After a bit of silence from the police, she elaborates more, “I cook, clean, and help the child with his homework.”

“That’s quite a lot for just one person. Especially considering you have little background in those areas before you were hired, correct?”

They’re trying to bait me. “I’m used to doing those things at home.” YN shrugs, she can see the growing frown on Park’s features.

“How exactly did you hear about the job?” Kim leans forward, but one of her hands drops below the table. Park’s eyes dart over to her partner for a second, but YN catches it. Kim likely gave her a signal or something like a reassuring squeeze, YN hopes it’s the latter. “What was the hiring process like?”

“From an acquaintance Dr. Sihyuk.” Both officers nod along, they don’t seem to recognize the name. “Bang’s dead. Unlikely anyone will find something there.” They always knew to cover their bases. “Um, normal, I guess. I sent in an application and then had an interview.”

“You made a lot of money as the Kim’s housekeeper. Did you never ask yourself where that money was coming from?” It seemed the officers were done trying to be subtle.

“No, it wasn’t my place. Plus, most of the money I earned went into paying family debts.”

“Do you know Kim Namjoon’s or Park Jimin’s source of income?”

“Again no. I just did what I was supposed to do.”

“You never thought to ask?”

“No.”

Sooyoung smirks, “Interesting how everyone around the Kim’s just accepts things at face value. Their co-workers, drivers, bodyguards, even their housekeeper just does what their told. You weren’t even a little bit curious as to how they could possibly afford the lifestyle they have?”

“Curiosity killed the cat.” YN’s arms were clenching around the chair, trying to hold herself back from reacting negatively to the hassling.

“But we aren’t cats.” Sooyoung remarks and for a second YN feels like she’s lost a battle. Jisoo points to the picture in the center, it's a beautiful young woman with flowy hair and a bright smile. Her delicate features give away her omega nature. Though the closer YN inspects the picture, they’re bags under her eyes, permanent frown lines etched onto her face, a hollowness to her eyes. She looks somewhere between life and death. “Do you recognize this woman? You lingered on her a bit longer than the rest of them.”

The longer YN stares at her the more she starts to piece things together, but it still feels like she’s missing something. So she gives a generic answer. “She looks kind of familiar. Has that kind of face.”

“What kind of face?” Jisoo questions.

“Like…pretty, popular, all over billboards kind of face.”

It's enough to satisfy them for now. They slowly start removing all the pictures while leaving only the woman’s, the longer YN sees it the more unnerved she becomes. Her head begins to hurt as another migraine begins to pound at her temples. Creating a sort of hazy fog over YN’s mind. Both officers’ then hold up the picture and flip it revealing a picture of the same woman holding a young child wrapped in blankets. She looks so much happier, so full of life. Instantly YN places her, recognizing the toddler wrapped in blue velvet.

“This is Hyunwoo’s mother. The last time anyone saw her alive was three weeks ago when she just so happened to be having dinner with your employers.” Fuck.

Present

           YN’s phone dings as another text from Mark appears on her screen: ‘boss wants to know when you’ll start paying?’ She groans exhaustedly, responding with ‘I have been paying. He gets half my salary every week.’ Which hasn’t made living very comfortable for YN, but she makes do with what she can.

           Mark: It’s not enough princess, not with the way daddy’s been spending money.

           Me: What am I supposed to do if you keep giving him money?!

           Mark: That’s not up to me. So, the money?

           Me: I’m looking for a second job. One that pays better.

           Mark: Just go sell your eggs or something. Not like you have any use for them.

           “Asshole.” YN muttered, muting her notifications. She looked up to the entrance of the fertility clinic debating whether or not to go in. It wasn’t like she had much of an option; she needed the money and fertility clinics were the only ones willing to provide big sums of money fast. Not to mention she had missed a day of work to make the appointment, which meant less money to give to Mark. I hate this. I hate this so much. YN was about to walk away, leave everything when she spotted a black BMW parked on the curve. Its driver observing her intensely. She knew what it meant.

           Mark was getting pushy. Meaning his boss was getting pushy and YN didn’t need to be on the bad side of some loan shark – not again. So, she mustered up the courage and opened the glass doors, being hit with the smell of lavender and pheromones. It reeks. Nonetheless, she forced a smile on her face and walked towards the front desk. “Hello, I have an appointment with Dr. Sihyuk.”

 “Unfortunately, there is a limit to how many eggs we can safely remove from you. Betas aren’t like omegas, you have a set number of eggs. Removing the majority of them would leave you infertile. We’d also be unsure of whether the eggs are useful or not without running the proper examinations which can take weeks.” Dr. Sihyuk explained as he went over YN’s medical file, each sentence uttered destroying her hope little by little.

“I understand but I am quite fertile. I carry a recessive gene from my father who is an omega. Not to mention I’m not interested in having children so I would have no use for my eggs,” she could sense the doctor’s hesitation, “unlike someone who might benefit from them.” I just really need the money.

“Oh, I know, you betas are lucky in that sense. Don’t have to worry about population growth.” Though it was said jokingly it still made YN uncomfortable, let her know he wasn’t buying her bullshit. The doctor closed the file, “Why exactly are you interested in donating your eggs? Is it for the money?” He saw right through her.  At her silence the doctor sighs, “We get one of you every once in a while. Always wrapped up in some business started by a family member or mistakes you’ve made.” Sihyuk opens a file cabinet beside him and shoves her file in there, “Unfortunately for you there’s no market for beta eggs.”

YN sags exhaustion and fear taking over her, “I –” Sihyuk takes a small white business card out of the cabinet holding it out towards her. “Fortunately for you, I happen to know someone hiring. They specified only betas applied.” Hesitantly YN takes the card, “What kind of job?” Though she knows one should never look a gift horse in the mouth it feels to good to be true. “A housekeeper for an alpha couple. They’re long-time associates of mine. Give them a call you won’t regret it.”

 Evening of June 20th, 2021

           Hyunwoo wouldn’t stop crying. YN truly regretted feeding him chocolate before bed, he had nightmares that had not let the three-year-old rest. Though YN had time and time again reassured them there were no monsters under his bed or strange men coming to take him at night, he wouldn’t hear of it. Insisted she had stayed in bed with him and when that didn’t work cried out for his daddies. The issue being his daddies were currently busy, in the middle of their ruts with their weekly guests. Thankfully, their bedroom was across the apartment from Hyunwoo’s, or else she’d have to explain to the child that the screams being heard didn’t belong to ghost.

           “I want papa! I want daddy!” Hyunwoo shrieked, snot and tears dribbling down his face. At this rate, he’d get himself sick if he didn’t permanently injure his vocal cords – or her hearing.

           “I know. I know, but they’re busy right now. I can go get them later.” When their guests are gone and they’ve cleaned their bedroom. YN never quite knew how they manage to sneak them out and clean up so fast, but she didn’t question it. Less work for me.

           “NO! I want them now!” Hyunwoo bolted towards the door, his little legs running as fast as they could. Though they couldn’t compare to YN’s.

           She hugged the toddler, “Alright. I’ll go get your daddies but you have to promise me you’ll wait in bed.” Hyunwoo began to shake his head, “Come on Woowoo, imagine what they’ll say if they hear you threw a tantrum. What would daddies say?”

           That seemed to sober him up a bit, “They would be disappointed.”

           “Exactly,” YN led him back to bed, gently tucking him in. “I’ll be right back with them soon, okay?”

             The hallway felt eerily long as YN struggled with how to politely interrupt without being subjected to the alpha’s rages. Ruts were an especially tricky time and there would be very little she could do to protect herself if it took a turn for the worse. Not to mention she was breaking one of the very few rules set by them: no bothering us after nine pm. YN glanced at her watch, it was currently 11:43 pm. I am so going to lose my job. But Hyunwoo needed his parents, and she didn’t want to risk the toddler running into their bedroom and being witness to something that would certainly cause trauma. Not to mention I might get sent his therapy bills. More debt. YN reached their bedroom doors. A light red hue leaking from the bottom, she willed all her courage and knocked.

           “Come in, darling.” Jimin spoke, his dulcet tone sounding a little rougher than normal. Surprisingly the door was unlocked, so YN opened it. At first, she saw nothing out of the ordinary, just Kim Namjoon and Park Jimin laying in their bed. The red silk sheets, she so often had to wash, concealing their more intimate parts. It wasn’t until YN noticed the stains covering their bodies and the walls. It caused her eyes to dance around the room until she landed on what had caused such a mess: the two dismembered bodies lying on the floor. The red lighting of the room serving to conceal what the stains truly were: blood.

           Namjoon beckoned her inside with a wave of his hand and YN felt obliged to obey. She could still smell the pheromones in their air, still feel their rut. Not to mention, Hyunwoo might have been following her. She locked the door behind her.

           “To what do we owe the pleasure?” Namjoon spoke, smirking and showing off his blood-stained pearly teeth.

[maniacwatchestheworld]

So... Uh... Does anyone else think that Moreau may have been in the military...? I know that it's a popular headcanon that he used to be a doctor since a sign to 'Moreau's Clinic' can be seen in-game. But this may also just be a cheeky reference to The Island of Doctor Moreau, which the character very obviously takes inspiration from.

In any case, I think that this may be the case namely for 2 reasons:

Moreau has tattoos. To me this suggests that he had a life and was actually out on the open ocean at some point before he was infected with his cadou. I find it a little hard to believe that our boy Salvatore would actually stroll down to a tattoo parlor in his current mutated state, and I also think that it would be difficult to convince anyone to go out to give him a tattoo because he might just eat any tattoo artist that fucks up! It just sounds more likely to me that he got them before he became the sad fishman that we know and love today. As for the tattoo designs themselves, one is a jellyfish with 'Mother' written across it, and while the possible meanings and implications of it are interesting, for now I'm going to gloss over that one. Because more pressingly, the other tattoo of his that we see is that of an anchor. Anchor tattoos are obviously pretty popular among sailors and anyone who lives or works by the sea. But apparently anchor tattoos adorned with rope, like you can see with Salvatore's sick tats, are especially popular among members of the Navy.

Moreau is packing heat! Why don't I see people discussing this more often? Two of the most powerful guns that you can find in the entire game are found in his area, and the magnum is specifically referred to in-game as being Moreau's Hidden Weapon. Moreau has a fucking gun! WHY!? And not only does he have a gun, but it's beautiful. Out of anyone in the game you would expect to have a gun, wouldn't it be Heisenberg? But nah. Sure, he may be hanging around in close proximity to tanks, but we never directly see him with a gun. Closest we get is seeing him playing with that knife. But to be fair to him, I don't think he needs to bother with using guns anyway. I don't think that any of the lords do. And yet here our buddy Salvatore is with a gun. I'm not even certain that he can use it (webbed fingers and all), and yet it's clearly kept in good condition. To me it seems that it's likely that he has no intentions to use it, but rather just keeps it around for sentimental or aesthetic reasons. And why would MOREAU of all people in this game be a gun fan!?

Now on their own I wouldn't think much of these two facts. But together they may just possibly paint pattern. And it's certainly an idea. One that I think has some interesting potential! >.>

[naesarangyunho]

Gumiho- Lee Minho (Lee Know of Stray Kids)

SYNOPSIS: Lee Know has a secret and when he gets trapped in the back room with a co-worker from the veterinary clinic, exhaustion has that secret slipping out. TAGS: Gen. Neutral reader, fluff, supernatural elements, magic, Gumiho!Lee Know, Veterinarian!Lee Know A/N: According to real Korean folklore, Gumihos are nine-tailed foxes who take the form of beautiful women in order to seduce men and well... Consume their flesh. For the sake of this fanfiction we will do what most popular shows involving Gumihos have done and dabble in canon-divergence. [2.8 words]

Their heart jumped as they heard the lock click into place behind them, shutting them in the dimly lit backroom. They had stayed behind to catch up on paperwork and it seemed that when they went to search for documents in the backroom, a colleague must have thought the building to be empty and locked up.

"Shit!" They cursed, banging on the door with their fists, "I'm still in here!"

They got no response and even after trying several more times and rattling on the door handle, the result remained the same. It was probably Jisung again, wasn't it? That man always had his earphones in.

They groaned- this was no good. They didn't have their cellphone on them and the windows in this room were small and high up- impossible to escape through.

They slumped down against the door in defeat, head in their hands. Was this karma? Was this their punishment for being behind on work? Regardless, they were going to annihilate both Jisung and his headphones the next time they saw him.

"What's happening?" Someone suddenly called out and they nearly jumped out of their skin- they could've sworn they were in here alone.

They bit back a surprised yelp as the head veterinarian emerged from behind one of the tall shelves, looking slightly disoriented and running his hands through his messy dark hair.

"Oh, Dr Lee!" they pressed a hand to their chest, "You startled me."

"Sorry about that." He scratched the back of his neck.

They frowned, "What are you doing here, doctor?"

He looked sheepish and pointed behind him, "I may or may not have been napping behind there."

They gave him a once-over, "Oh, you do look pretty exhausted."

"No offence!" They tacked on apologetically but he just waved it off.

"None taken, I am exhausted. I worked all of yesterday and then through the night as well. Two emergency surgeries- not one, but two cats were attacked by dogs."

They grimaced, "That's awful..." They eyed his dark circles, "Did you work all of today as well? I don't recall you going home, doc."

He nodded and sighed deeply, "Yeah. I had no choice. Dr Kim was off sick."

He walked up to her, "Also, I remember asking you and the staff to just call me Minho."

They looked up at him from their seat on the floor, "Oh, yes, sorry, Minho."

He shook his head, "It's alright," then surveyed the room, "How are we getting out of here?"

They surveyed the room again along with him, "My initial thought had been the windows but they're too high and small. I don't think I'd fit no matter how hard I tried."

He nodded along to her words, "I agree." He sighed deeply, hands on his hips.

"I'd normally just use magic but..." He mumbled under his breath, still surveying the room as if to find exits they already knew didn't exist.

"Magic?" They sputtered, not quite sure they'd heard him right.

His eyes widened for a moment and he laughed awkwardly, "Did I say magic? Sorry, I don't know what I'm talking about."

He waved his hands dismissively, "I'm so exhausted, don't listen to me."

They nodded slowly, giving him a sceptical look. He was acting strange, that was safe to say. Maybe it really just was exhaustion.

He paced around the room a few times before huffing and sinking to the floor a little ways away from them. They eyed the substantial amount of space between but didn't take it personally; he wasn't very big on skinship of any kind and liked his space. At least, that was what they'd gathered after having worked with him for over a year now.

"Hyunjin is going to kill me," He muttered darkly, leaning his head back against the wall.

"Hyunjin?" They repeated. It didn't sound like a very feminine name but they couldn't help but wonder if that was perhaps his girlfriend. Or boyfriend.

He tilted his head in their direction, "Yeah, my roommate. He's out for the day and I was supposed to feed his dog tonight but I haven't yet."

"Oh no."

"Exactly," He responded with a dejected sigh.

He shifted around a little in a vain attempt to get comfortable but winced suddenly, fingers shooting up to his temple. They scooted closer to him and eyed him with concern, "Are you alright?"

He winced again and leaned away from them, "Yeah. Just a headache."

"Doesn't look like 'just a headache' to me, Minho."

"I swear, I'm fine."

His eyes fell shut and leaned his head back again, massaging his temple with a slight grimace. They frowned at him, still concerned but chose to let it go for now. They mirrored his action and leaned their head back against the door. How long would they be stuck here?

After a silence that seemed to stretch on for hours, there was a sudden movement in their peripheral vision. Their gaze jumped to Minho. They gasped audibly; seven soft, snow-white tails had sprung out from Minho and were all slumped down over each other on the worn linoleum floor.

They must be losing their mind, they thought.

Their eyes shifted from his tails to his face in absolute shock. They were further convinced of their loss of sanity when they saw a set of soft, white ears to match his tails.

They jumped back, eyes wide as saucers, "Minho?!"

He groaned, his ears flattening against his scalp and covered his face with his hands.

Despite their shock, concern washed over them at the look of barely disguised fear in Minho's eyes. He looked like an animal trapped in a corner but looked too exhausted to even think of fighting back and defending himself.

"Hey, don't worry," They murmured gently, carefully scooting toward the male. They tentatively reached a hand out and when Minho didn't dodge it, they ran their fingers gently over one of his soft ears. They noticed his wary gaze and retracted their hand.

"What-" They gulped, "What are you?"

They didn't know what they were supposed to feel at that moment. Fear? One look into Minho's deep brown eyes would tell them otherwise.

There was a pause as he scanned their face. They were not sure what he was looking for but he must have found it when after a moment he finally responded, "Gumiho."

He averted his gaze. He looked absolutely exhausted and annoyed. With them or himself?

They cleared their throat, "Gumiho? Like a nine-tailed fox?"

This felt utterly surreal. Were they actually trapped in the backroom with him or had they simply fallen asleep at their desk again? That seemed like a reasonable explanation. They pinched themselves. Minho's gaze shot back to them as he heard them let out a little pained hiss.

He eyed them and realised what they had done. He rolled his eyes, "You are unfortunately not dreaming."

They rubbed the spot they had pinched and just looked at him, awaiting some kind of explanation.

"Yeah, a nine-tailed fox. Usually, I hide all of this," he gestured to himself and his blatantly supernatural features, "but I'm too hungry and tired right now. No energy means no magic."

Their head was still reeling, "Gumiho. Magic. I-" Their gaze snapped to his tails then back up, "Wait, you only have seven tails."

Minho raised his eyebrows and an almost inaudible chuckle left him, "Of all things to worry about in this situation?"

They just stared at him wordlessly. He continued talking after a moment with a shake of his head like he also couldn't quite believe the situation either.

"You get a tail every century. I'm only seven hundred years old."

" 'Only' seven hundred years old? Minho-"

They blanched as they realised he was not only their senior by a few years but by a few hundred years. This was all kinds of crazy.

"I... I'm sorry, I haven't been using the politest of Korean with you. The honorifics-"

He shook his head and dismissed their sentence with a wave of his hand, "That doesn't matter. Besides, I should be the one apologising. You shouldn't have seen this."

"It's okay. I feel like I'm dreaming but this seems to be real. It must be- I don't have the imagination to think this up."

They eyed his tails; they were twitching nervously.

"Relax, Minho."

His tails stilled and he gave them a small smile.

After a few more minutes of silence, he spoke up again, "I'm surprised that you're not scared of me."

"Well, I don't have any reason to be. Unless you really do eat livers like in the stories?"

He groaned, "Why does everyone think that? That's kind of gross."

He pouted, his tails flicking again.

They couldn't help but smile softly at them, "They're beautiful."

He gave them a questioning look, "What?"

"Your tails. Your fur," They clarified, meeting his eye again.

His cheeks flushed and their smile broadened. Who knew Dr Lee could blush like this?

"Can I touch them?" They asked without thinking.

His cheeks were still pink as he responded, "I...If you'd like to."

They reached a careful hand out and ran their fingers through the soft fur, smiling. It really was pretty. He clearly took good care of his fur. ( What a strange thing to be saying about a person, they mused) He was clearly very real. He shuddered and flicked his tail out of her hand suddenly and they looked up at him, both confused and slightly disappointed.

"What's wrong?"

He shook his head, "It's not a good idea for you to be this close to me."

They frowned, "What? Why?"

He closed his eyes and leaned away from me. He looked so very exhausted and their heart ached for him.

"Because I'm hungry."

Their frown deepened, "And? You said you don't eat livers."

He gave them a look, "No, but I do consume human energy."

That caught them off guard.

He grimaced and clutched his temple again and once more they looked at him in concern, "Are you okay?"

"I'll be fine."

He looked so pale.

"You don't look okay. Can I help somehow?" They really wanted to reach out and comfort him but didn't want to make him uncomfortable.

"No."

"Can't you take some of my energy? Will that help? We're going to be here a long time."

He gave them a frustrated look, "It would help, yes, but no- it will drain you of energy. You'll be exhausted."

They huffed, "I want to help. Besides, you said you need energy to do magic, right? Well if you have magic you could get us out of here, right?"

"I-"

They scooted up next to him and he eyed them wearily, "Technically speaking, yes, but I still don't think it's a good idea."

"Please. I want to help you and I also really want to get out of here."

He hesitated for a moment and they could see him weigh out the situation in his head.

"Okay. Fine," He relented finally.

They gave him a small smile. They were nervous, they would admit, but they truly did want to help him out.

"How do I give you energy?"

He blushed all of a sudden, scratching the back of his neck and they frowned, "What?"

"I'm not saying this as a come-on, but the fastest way right now would be for me to, um, to kiss you."

It was their turn to blush.

Their heart may or may not have skipped a beat. They might have had thoughts and daydreams about kissing him before. Could you blame them though? He was an attractive man and so good with animals. They didn't think that, if it were to ever happen, it would happen under circumstances such as these. How could they?

"You don't have to do this if you don't want to," He said hurriedly as he noticed their hesitation but they were quick to shake their head.

"It's okay. Just do it, I don't mind."

They watched as his cheeks flushed a light pink once more as he leaned in and brought a hand up to cup their jaw. They matched his blush and their eyes fell shut quickly, unable to maintain eye contact with him.

For a moment, nothing happened and no sounds could be heard apart from their breathing until finally, he pressed his lips to theirs. Their heart did a cartwheel and their breath caught in their throat at the contact. They had no idea how long this was meant to last or if it was only meant to be a close-mouthed peck and so they simply let him take the lead.

He moved his lips against theirs and they followed his lead, reaching a hand forward to grip the fabric of his pants to steady themselves. He urged them into an open-mouthed kiss and they were taken by surprise by the movement but we were quick to reciprocate. They melted into the kiss helplessly. He was a fantastic kisser and they just chalked it up to nearly seven hundred years of experience.

They could feel themselves slowly grow sleepy but didn't dare take their lips off his. This may just be out of necessity but they didn't know if they were ever going to get another chance like this and they were not about to squander it. Eventually, however, they started slumping forwards and gripped his thighs in an attempt to stay upright as their kisses became sloppy.

He must have realised, pulling back to give them a concerned look. Their eyes remained shut as he held their face in both his hands to keep their head up.

"I'm so sorry, I think I got a little carried away. Are you okay?"

"I'm moreeee than okay," They mumbled dopily without thinking.

He raised his eyebrows a little, "What do you mean?"

"Kissing you s'nice. Wanted to for a while now," their words were slurred by approaching slumber and their filter had fallen away.

Minho smiled shyly at their words.

"Likewise," He murmured but his words fell on deaf ears as they slumped into his arms, fast asleep.

"Aishh," He cursed, holding them against him.

He should have been more careful; he did admittedly get carried away like he had said.

With renewed energy, he stood up, cradling them in his arms. With a click of his fingers, his tails and fluffy ears disappeared with a pop. With another click, the door was unlocked and creaking open.

He carried them to his car and tucked them away in his backseat, supporting their head with a spare jacket that he had laying back there. Having no clue as to where they lived, he had no choice but to take them home with him. When they finally arrived at his home, his coworker was still out cold so all that he could do was carry them inside, magic them into some comfortable clothing and tuck them into his guest bed.

He watched their sleeping form for a moment, fingers on the light switch. They looked so peaceful. He felt terrible for draining them like this and knew they would probably sleep well into the next day. He would have to call in sick for them. He pushed back his growing guilt with a reminder that they had consented to this and would probably kick his ass for angsting over it.

He flicked off the light and made his way to his own room (After feeding the dog, of course) As he lay awake in bed, staring at the ceiling he held a silent debate with himself. He was deciding whether or not he should simply erase their memory of tonight and after a good long moment he decided against it. They had taken so well to him being a mythical creature and after that kiss and the way they had been so gentle with him, and the way they'd stroked over his fur so carefully, he decided to be selfish. He wanted to be free like that with someone again and he also just really wanted to kiss them again, for real and because they wanted to and not because they needed to.

Seven hundred years he'd lived and it had been a long time since he had felt this way.

He liked it.

A/N: Remember that requests are open. Just comment or send me a DM with the idols' names and what you would like to have included as well as whether you want smut or fluff.

[jonsa101]

Max Goodwin and Randall Pearson: The Well-Meaning, Incredibly Self-Centered Leading Men We’ve Grown to Love.

Hey fam! Like I said, I’ve been writing a ton of meta lately and this is another one that’s just been sitting in my drafts. It’s basically a This Is Us and a New Amsterdam meta which is something I haven’t done before but something I want do more of. In my Game of Thrones days I used to write a lot of meta about shows and characters that had similarities so this is fun for me. I hope y’all enjoy this. ALSO THIS HAS SPOILERS FOR BOTH SHOWS!!!!!!!

Without a doubt the two most popular shows on NBC is This is Us and New Amsterdam. And what’s not to love? They’re both emotionally driven, heartfelt, shows that focus on incredibly deep and complex topics. Though one show focuses on family dynamics and the other focuses on the healthcare system, these shows are very similar in more ways than one. Case in point, Max Goodwin and Randall Pearson. The more I watch these two shows, the more I realize how these two characters are so alike!!! These two men are kind-hearted, well intentioned, individuals who genuinely want to make some sort of positive difference. They are incredibly ambitious and always have “bright ideas” and “goals” they want to accomplish and somehow they’re able to meet those goals without ever having to sacrifice their wants and needs. By every definition these men are the “main characters” or the ultimate “protagonists.” These are the folks that we are supposed to root for. At the same time, though these men have many traits to be admired, when you truly look at it both of them can be incredibly self centered and selfish especially when it pertains to their romantic partners and love interests. No matter how appealing you make these characters out to be these men clearly fall under the Behind Every Great Man trope.

The Behind Every Great Man trope has been used countless of times throughout Cinema and TV History that I’m sure that I don’t even have to explain it to you but for the sake of this meta this is how it’s defined.

“Behind Every Great Man...stands an even greater woman! Or in about a hundred variations is a Stock Phrase referring to how people rarely achieve greatness without support structures that go generally unappreciated, and said support structure is a traditionally female role via being the wife, mother, or sometimes another relation. This trope is specifically about a man who is credited with something important, but owes much of his success to the woman in his life.”

This trope usually has a negative connotation (and rightfully so) because the man who often benefits from this is an asshole and unworthy of this type of support!

For example:

Oliva and Fitz

Cristina Yang and Burke

Cookie and Lucious

Ghost and Tasha

There are countless others but these are a few of the couples that come to mind for me. Randall and Max aren’t comparable to any of these men that are listed above but they are still operating under the same trope. It just looks nicer because Max and Randall are inherently good and inspirational. They are the heroes of the story. I would even argue and say that both men fall under the Chronic Hero Syndrome trope which is defined as

“Chronic Hero Syndrome is an "affliction" of cleaner heroes where for them, every wrong within earshot must be righted, and everyone in need must be helped, preferably by Our Hero themself. While certainly admirable, this may have a few negative side-effects on the hero and those around them. Such heroes could wear themselves out in their attempts to help everyone or become distraught and blame themselves for the one time that they're unable to save the day. Spending so much time and effort saving everyone else can also put a strain on the hero's personal or dating life.”

Just because Max and Randall have these incredibly inspiring aspirations, is it fair that their wives and love interests are always expected to rise to the occasion and support them. Is it ok for their partners to continuously sacrifice their wants and needs because they love these men? 

Let’s dive into it. 

Truth be told, Beth Pearson, Helen Sharpe and Georgia Goodwin had to endure a GREAT DEAL to emotionally support the dreams and aspirations of these men while sacrificing so much of themselves in the process. In media we often see women sacrificing so much of their wants and needs out of love for these male leads and rarely do men do the same thing for their romantic partners and love interests. All three of these women clearly fall under the Act of True Love trope defined as

“The Act of True Love proves beyond doubt that you are ready to put your loved one's interests before your own, that you are truly loyal and devoted to them. Usually this involves a sacrifice on your part, at the very least a considerable effort and/or a great risk. The action must be motivated, not by morals or principle or expectation of future reward, but by sheer personal affection.When your beloved is in dire need of your help, or in great danger, and you do something, at great expense to yourself, for the sake of their safety, their welfare, or their happiness, thus proving beyond any doubt that you put their interest ahead of yours.”

Over the past few seasons we have seen all three of these women truly live up to this trope without any true consequences or accountability from the men they’re making all these sacrifices for. For example, in Beth and Randall’s marriage, how many times did Randall spring an idea on Beth without truly talking to her or considering her wants first? Everyone thinks these two are an ideal couple but she has endured A LOT for Randall.

Randall has spontaneously quit his job, moved his dying biological dad into their home, bought his biological dad’s old apartment building, fostered and adopted a child and also ran for city councilman outside of his district. In all of these decisions, Randall “consulted” Beth about it but at the same time didn’t really consult her. In a way there has always been this expectation of Beth to just go along for the ride with what Randall wants. Is anyone else exhausted from reading that list?! That’s a lot for partner to endure and lovingly support. But Beth has endured and has been Randall’s rock through it all!!! What worries me is that the one time Beth spoke out about her wants and needs of pursuing dance again, he couldn’t match the same energy she was giving him and eventually it led to world war three between them. Though things are looking up in their relationship  and he’s starting to support her more, has Randall nearly given to Beth as much as she’s given to him? Absolutely not!

Similar to Randall, Max also had a wife who was a dancer. in fact, she was a prima ballerina. Unlike Randall and Beth, Max relationship with Georgia was rocky from the start. When we were first introduced to them Max and Georgia were separated and rightfully so. Georgia was never Max’s first priority. The hospital always came first in their relationship. He couldn’t even dedicate a full night to her for their proposal. In order to “save” their marriage they decide to have a baby and they both committed to taking a step back in their careers in order to do so. The problem was Max didn’t keep his side of their commitment and took a job to become the medical director at the biggest public hospital in the U.S. She gave up her career to start a family and he totally and completely betrayed her trust. So throughout season one we see them trying to rebuild their marriage but even in the midst of trying to rebuild a marriage based on trust and mutual respect Max still keeps things from Georgia. For several episodes he didn’t tell her that he had advance stages of throat cancer. He only told her when Georgia asked him to move back home. That’s fucked up! Then throughout their pregnancy he was never fully there for Georgia because he was either to preoccupied with the hospital or himself. At the end of it all, Georgia died tragically at the beginning of season two and really had nothing to show for it in her relationship with Max other than her daughter Luna.

Now let’s bring Helen Sharpe into the fold. While all of this stuff was going on with Max and his wife in season one, Max was developing a deep friendship, borderline emotional affair with Helen. Their relationship started out with Helen being his oncologist. As the new Medical Director of New Amsterdam, he swore Helen to secrecy about his diagnosis so that he could still run the hospital. Through that secrecy they eventually formed a deep bond but as his cancer got worse his secret was let out of the bag. He realistically needed someone to step up and run the hospital when he was going through chemo and though Helen already had commitments she stepped up and became his deputy medical director. Somewhere along the lines Max and Helen started developing feelings for each other. As Helen becomes aware of those feelings, she made a choice and decides to remove herself as Max’s doctor. He BITCHES about it but eventually accepts the boundary she’s clearly trying to set. Mind you, as this is unfolding, like Max, Helen is also in a new relationship with her boyfriend Panthaki. As Max’s cancer seems to be getting worse with his new doctor, she goes back on her boundary and decides to be his doctor again. This pisses her boyfriend off because he could already peep the vibe between them and he breaks up with her. When we get into season two, Max’s wife died and Helen set him up in a clinical trail (with a doctor she previously fired) that’s helping his cancer.  Unbeknownst to Max, this doctor ends up holding his life saving treatment plan over Helen’s head and in order for his treatment to continue she gives this doctor half of her department!

Helen has sacrificed a lot for Max and now in season three she’s finally prioritizing her current wants and needs first! Like Randall, Max is starting to turn a page and is starting to support Helen and truly listen to the wants and needs that she has. All of this is good but my question is did any of these women have to sacrifice so much for the men in their lives to get a clue?

Why is it that this is a trope we see in media time and time and time again? Even if these men are good, why don’t we still keep these male characters accountable when they put their significant others in these situations that are clearly not fair? I’ve watched countless tv shows and I’ve seen a lot of tv couples but I think I have only come across one couple where the male counterpart has selflessly loved his significant other and has always put her needs above his own. 

That character my friend is none other than PACEY WITTER

I might be mistaken but I think Joey and Pacey are the most popular ship in tv history and honestly, rightfully so! This is only example I can think of where the male in the relationship so willingly puts the wants and needs of his partner first. It is a completely selfless and sacrificial love. He never wants to hold her back and he never asks her to compromise her wants or needs for him. That’s why I think so many women love Pacey because in a sea of TV relationships, Pacey Witter is a fucking unicorn.

So to wrap this up does this mean that I hate Randall Pearson or Max Goodwin? No! I adore them. I love both of their characters so much. I just think that when we see the media continuously play out the sacrificial wife/love interest for the sake of their male counterparts, it should be called out. I’m all about sacrificial and selfless love but it should come from both sides.❤️❤️❤️

Anyway I hope y’all enjoy this! As always my DMs are opening here or on Twitter @oyindaodewale

[juju-on-that-yeet]

At My Worst (Chapter 1)

Work Summary: Thanks to his enduring popularity in the fandom, The Author pops back into existence and the egos must suddenly contend with someone they thought was gone forever coming back from the dead. No one is more shocked than Dr. Iplier, who can't help but remember how things used to be - and slowly fall back into bad habits, despite his better judgement.

Warnings: Mild descriptions of past violence/discussions of death (more tags on AO3)

Read on AO3

Enjoy!

~

Last he knew, Dark was ripping his eyes out.

Then, he was nowhere and nothing.

Now, he suddenly is, where before he wasn’t, and the rush of sensation returning is terrifying and paralyzing. But he still knows who he is, he knows his name and that he’s a figment, and he remembers his life. Rather, his previous life, he suspects.

It doesn’t take long for The Author to get his thoughts back in order and regain the presence of mind to look around. He appeared standing, and somehow didn’t fall, but he doesn’t trust his legs enough to move just yet. He’s surprised by the fact that he can look around, that the eyes he viscerally recalls losing are back in his head, fully functional. The area he’s in looks familiar, reminds him of the forest his cabin sat in, but it becomes apparent that the place is different now. The trees are less wild, the ground more even. He’s standing on a path, perhaps a nature walk or hiking trail. Last he remembers, there were no such trails in his woods.

He finally walks, letting his instincts take him to where his cabin should be, though he already has a feeling it won’t be found. Sure enough, he goes as far as he can down the trail, leaves the path and goes onward, and eventually finds himself at the edge of a neighborhood. Where the cabin used to be is a two-floor house, probably built for a family with kids, and in the surrounding street are even more such houses.

Author doesn’t know how much time has passed, but clearly, it’s been a long time since his cabin stood. He has to wonder what became of his books, his life’s work. Were they saved by the other egos, or are they forever lost?

For a moment, he isn’t sure what to do. But he’s a clever man, so he thinks. If he exists, surely the other egos must be around somewhere, too. All he has to do is find them. But if they aren’t here, then where?

He walks back the way he came, back to the trail, passing the place he appeared in and continuing onward. By the time he makes it to the trail’s beginning, night has fallen, and the parking lot by the trail is empty. He walks past the parking lot, comes to a road, and walks. It’s not so late that no cars are driving, at least; it only takes a few whizzing by his upturned thumb before one decides to stop.

“Where you headed?” asks the driver, an ordinary-looking man with a moustache. Author wonders how entertaining he’d be in a story.

“LA,” Author says, settling into the passenger seat like he belongs. For having not existed at all twelve hours ago, his easy confidence returns quickly.

“Heh, aren’t we all?” the man chuckles, pulling off the roadside to start driving. “Anywhere in particular? I can put it in my GPS.”

“Not really,” Author says, “Just get me to the city and I’ll take it from there.”

The man shrugs, but doesn’t pry. Maybe he wouldn’t be a protagonist, but possibly a character just there to help the protagonist along, as he is now. Then again, his unquestioning nature would make him easy death fodder, too.

On the way to the city, Author tries to look around the car, just to see if he can figure out what day it is. The radio playing tells him the day of the week and the month before long, but he can’t figure out the year. It’s not a terribly long drive to the city (Author remembers how long it took to get to Dr. Iplier’s clinic, and the distance isn’t that different) (Oh, Dr. Iplier, he must be somewhere too, does he still hate Author for what he’s done?), and once he gets there, Author has but one favor to ask.

“Thanks for the ride, but quick question,” he begins as he unbuckles his seatbelt, “Any chance you have a pen and a notebook in your car I can have? Or even just a sheet of paper and something to write with?”

“Uh, sure,” the man answers, confused by the request but not so much that he won’t grant it. He rummages through the glove compartment until he pulls a notebook with some corporate logo, and a pen with the same branding. “Have these, got them from work a long time ago but I don’t need them.”

“Perfect!” Author exclaims, taking the notebook and pen. He flips through the notebook, taking in the sight of blank pages, empty canvases, ready for him to make his own. “Have a good one, man.”

The man nods, rolls up his window, and drives off, leaving Author standing on a random sidewalk just inside Los Angeles. But he’s not bothered, because he finally has his tools. He can do anything or get anywhere. He knows that Dr. Iplier’s clinic has likely gone the way of his own cabin if it’s been too long, but the egos must be somewhere in the city. Author doesn’t know why he feels that way, but he supposes his instincts have the right idea. He’s always been a creature of impulse, so he does exactly what he did when the sun was up and lets his legs carry him where they may.

When he gets hungry, he enters a fast food restaurant and opens his notebook again, this time to write. While in line, he reads the cashier’s nametag and puts pen to paper: When The Author reaches the front of the line and orders, Stella pays for his meal herself. And she does, without skipping a beat. Author stays in the building to eat, and internally snickers at the confused look he sees on Stella’s face when she realizes what she did, seemingly for no reason.

As far as Author can perceive, it hasn’t been very long at all since he last used his power. But his body can tell it’s been a long time, somewhere deep in his mind knows it’s been forever since he picked up a pen and changed reality to suit his needs. A part of him is glad he’s still got it, but how could he ever lose it in the first place?

Back to walking. It’s late at night, but his mind is too active to be tired. It wouldn’t be the first time he was up all night, whether pacing his cabin trying to untangle the next scene of a story, or painting LA red in search of inspiration, or tormenting a character in the woods, or staying up with Dr. Iplier until the sun came up and he had to return to his clinic in the early hours, yawning through a cup of coffee. Thinking of his doctor only makes Author’s mind buzz even more. How long has it been, truly? What must Dr. Iplier be like now? Can they start over again, now that Author’s been reset?

The more Author walks, the more he feels a pull to keep going. It’s as if there’s a GPS unit inside his brain, telling him which way to go. He has no clue where he’ll end up, but he follows anyway, not having anywhere else to go. Besides, perhaps he’s being led to the other egos, maybe some element of himself is being drawn to them. He still knows that he’s a figment, of course, and that being a figment makes him a little more magical than the average human, a little more special, even ignoring his reality-bending powers. Part of him wants to use his writing to get into a locked car and drive to where the magic inside him is leading, but even at this hour, he knows it’d be quicker to walk.

It’s morning by the time Author feels he’s gotten somewhere, nearly a day has passed since he found himself alive again. By now, the streets are once again full of people and cars, and the swelling sounds of conversation and car horns remind him of his trips into the city with Dr. Iplier. His feet finally come to a stop in front of a huge building. It doesn’t look very different from the other corporate skyscrapers standing along the street and stretching into the horizon, but it radiates magic. It’s a beacon, and Author can tell just by looking at it that this is where he’s meant to be, this is the place he’s meant to stay.

He’s startled out of his reverie by someone bumping into him, barking at him to watch it, and moving hurriedly along. Author is disgruntled, but has little time to get angry before yet another person does the same thing. He moves out of the way of traffic to stand under the magical building’s awning, away from the crowd. Amazingly, no one even seems to see him anymore. No one acknowledges him, or even looks at the building Author is standing in front of. Whatever magic it has, humans can’t see it. Perhaps that’s the point, perhaps the building’s magic is keeping it hidden. Author can’t help but be impressed. If he’s right, it must be Dark and Wilford’s doing; no one else would have enough power. Still, keeping a building shrouded constantly would take a lot of energy, and though Dark and Wilford are powerful, they aren’t powerful enough for something as big as this as far as Author remembers.

As if he needed more confirmation that it’s been a long time since he last existed.

Still, he’s made it to where he wants to be, and he’s not about to stop moving forward now. He walks to the door, pushes the double-doors open, and steps inside.

The doors open up into a wide lobby, high-ceilinged. Off to one side is another set of doors, wooden and old-looking. There’s quite a few other, more typical doors along the back wall, a couple labeled that lead to staircases and some without labels that likely lead to other rooms. There’s also an elevator in the center of the wall. The lobby is much bigger than the outside of the building would suggest, and Author has to assume it’s more magic at work. He has no more time to wonder, because one of the unlabeled doors opens.

Out steps another man, with hair swooped low and orange sunglasses and a tank top with the Bing logo on it, of all things. He stops mid-step at the sight of Author, and Author can’t help but pause, too. He doesn’t know who this person is, but he can tell he’s a figment. Not only that, there’s something too familiar in his hair, his face, his height. This figment is another one of Mark’s.

Author already felt like he’d found the right place, but now he knows for sure.

“Woah, how’d you get in here??” asks the figment, walking up to Author as his shock gives way to confusion. “Wait, are you a new ego?”

“You could say that,” Author replies with a shrug.

“Oh, sick!” the figment exclaims, now grinning with excitement. He reaches out to shake Author’s hand, and his grip is stronger than Author expects. “My name’s Bingiplier, but like, everyone calls me Bing. What’s your name, dude?”

“The Author,” Author answers, a little bewildered by Bing’s energy. Granted, he certainly seems like someone Mark would conjure up as a joke, but most of the true joke egos barely lasted a week.

“Oh cool, you write and stuff?” Bing asks. He frowns for a moment. “I gotta admit, though, I’m totally blanking on what video you’re from. I don’t watch all of Mark’s videos, but like, I don’t think anyone was expecting a newbie to show up soon.”

“I do write,” Author replies, though his mind is buzzing with the new information. No one’s expecting him? Then how is he here? “I can reality-bend with writing. I write it, and it happens.”

“Nice!” Bing says, “That’s, like, super-powerful. We haven’t had a real reality-bender show up in ages. Actually, your deal kinda reminds me of The–”

“Hey.”

A monotone voice, deeper than Bing’s, interrupts. Author and Bing both look to see someone else approaching. Author can’t help but grin, because this is an ego he recognizes. Googleplier’s hair is still long and shaggy, he still has his glasses, and even though figments don’t truly age, he looks older somehow, more mature. He’s not glitching the way he did when Author knew him, and his jaw is stronger, his stature more imposing. It takes a moment for Google to see Author past Bing, and it takes a moment more for him to register what he’s seeing. His eyes widen behind his glasses.

“Author? Seriously?” Google asks, incredulous.

“Wait, you know about him? Did I just miss the memo on a new ego coming or something?” Bing whines before glaring at Google. “Are you here for an actual reason, or just to butt into my conversation?”

“Ollie wants you, you won’t answer his pings, and the others are still charging,” Google answers, deadpan. Bing pauses a moment, face screwed up in confusion, before understanding slowly dawns.

“Oh, he did ping me. I was busy talking to the new guy.”

“Ping you?” Author interjects.

“Oh yeah, I’m an android!” Bing says brightly. “So’s Google, but he’s just the old default.”

“Leave already before you get dismantled,” Google growls at Bing, but his eyes don’t leave Author.

“Ugh, fine,” Bing sighs. He flashes Author a peace sign as he walks away. “See ya round, dude!”

Google waits until Bing is out of sight before approaching The Author.

“How are you here?” he asks, more bewildered than Author has ever seen him.

“You tell me,” Author scoffs, “You were always the know-it-all. All I know is that one second I didn’t exist, and the next second I did.”

“How long ago was that?”

“About a day? Popped into the woods where my cabin used to be.” Author stares hard at Google. “How long has it been? Since Dark tore my eyes out?”

Google hesitates for a long moment before responding.

“Six years,” he says.

Author’s jaw drops.

“Six years??” he gasps.

“Six years,” Google repeats. “It’s 2021, now.”

“When did Bing show up?”

“2017. Four years ago.” Google thinks for a moment. “Technically, that makes him older than you.”

Google’s right. Author was only a couple years old when Dark killed him. At this point, he’s been dead longer than he’s been alive.

“Jesus Christ,” Author mutters. He can hardly wrap his head around it.

“Jesus Christ is right,” Google growls, “How the hell did you get here? You died. You faded away.”

“I already told you I don’t know!” Author snaps. Google gives him a look like he doesn’t believe him. “Look, I appeared, I felt the urge to come here, and now here I am. So now what?”

“Now I have to take you to Dark.”

“Yeah, no. I remember how our last interaction went.”

“You have to,” Google sighs, clearly resisting the urge to roll his eyes. “Every new ego has to meet with him–”

“I’m not new.”

“–And besides, nothing in this building happens without him knowing. I don’t like dealing with him either, but I’m not about to get in trouble for not telling him about you.”

“No choice, huh?” Author sighs. “Alright, let’s get this over with, I guess.”

Google leads Author to the elevator in silence. He presses the button for the sixth floor – the highest one – as Author thinks.

Six years. He still can’t conceive of it. Even for a normal human that’s a decent chunk of time, but for a figment, it’s like a lifetime. Plenty of figments don’t even make it to six years old…though clearly, Google and Dark have, and Author has to wonder who else has. Six years and six floors of this building means a lot of new people.

“Figures you and Dark stuck around,” Author muses to Google, “The fans always do love the grumpy ones. And now there’s Bing, and that “Ollie” and the “others” you mentioned…”

“That would be Oliver, Chrome, and Plus,” Google says, “The three of them are androids, other Google units, in fact.” That fact makes Author bark out a laugh.

“You got clones, now??” he snorts, “That’s awesome. Think I could borrow one for a story?”

“No.” Google’s response is instant, paired with eyes glowing icy blue.

“Alright, alright,” Author sighs, “Six years and you still haven’t gotten a sense of humor.” He pauses for a moment. “How many of us are there now?”

Last Author recalls, there were eight, including himself. Google barely needs a moment to mentally calculate it before he has an answer.

“Twenty-one,” Google answers.

“Twenty-one??” Author exclaims, jaw dropping.

“Twenty-two, now, with you. There’d be even more, but some have faded away.”

“Is anyone I knew gone now?”

“No, the oldest ones are still here.”

That means Dr. Iplier is still here. Author can’t help but feel relieved. He’s not sure what he’d do if he found out Dr. Iplier had faded away sometime during his absence. He’s so cheered by the thought that he forgets why he’s in the elevator until it finally stops at the top floor.

Right. Dark’s still here, too.

“I’ve already sent Dark an internal ping,” Google says as he leads Author out of the elevator. “He’s expecting you now.”

“Snitch,” Author mutters under his breath. Google rolls his eyes, but he chooses not to respond verbally.

The pair pass several doors as they walk, and Author wonders how many of them lead into the bedrooms of egos he hasn’t met. He wonders what Dark is like now. After all, Google seems to have barely changed aside from no longer glitching constantly. But he remembers how the people outside couldn’t even see this building, remembers the sheer size of the place, and knows that Dark must be much more powerful than he used to be to be able to pull it off. Too soon, Google and Author arrive at a door that’s much nicer than the others so far. Google knocks, something that the Google Author remembers would hardly ever do.

“Come in,” says a deep voice from inside. An older voice, but the same one that Author remembers well.

Google opens the door, and The Author steps inside.

Dark is not like Google. He doesn’t look the same as he did before. His hair is longer, swooped to the side. His eyes are still deep brown, nearly black. He’s wearing a suit and tie now, his skin is gray. Most striking is his aura. Where it used to be minimal, only wisps of smoke that showed themselves occasionally, it is now a swarming mass of writhing black tendrils surrounding him. It shakes even as Dark stares evenly at Author from behind a large wooden desk. Dark’s expression is cool and calm, and his hands are folded on his desk, but there’s tension in his shoulders and a hardness in his eyes.

“You’re dismissed, Google,” Dark says to Google, “But do not mention this to anyone.”

Author glances at Google, who nods and leaves, closing the door behind him, leaving Author and Dark alone.

“So,” Author says breezily, pushing down and hiding his discomfort. He’s not scared, but he does feel awkward, and a little annoyed to have to see Dark at all. “Nice place you got here.” He flops into a chair in front of Dark’s desk. “I hear there’s twenty-two of us now, crazy how time flies.”

“Exactly how did you come back?” Dark asks, without a hint of humor.

“I told Google like three times, I don’t know!” Author says, his annoyance getting the better of him. He takes a breath and calms before continuing. “I don’t know. I woke up in a forest, the same one where my cabin is. Or used to be, it’s just houses there now. I hitched a ride to the city and walked until I got here. It’s been about a day since I woke up.”

“I see.” Dark sighs, leaning back slightly in his seat. “This has never happened before.”

“I’ve gathered that.” Author frowns at Dark. “I might as well address the elephant in the room. Are you gonna pull out my eyes again or what?”

“No,” Dark answers, voice tight and aura swarming faster, “I will not. Things have changed since then, that is no longer how I deal with unruliness.”

“Is that what you call it?” Author mutters, “‘Dealing with unruliness?’ Does that make you feel justified for killing me?”

“You’ve been gone for six years,” Dark snaps, “Don’t pretend you know anything!” All at once, Dark’s form cracks, a shadow of himself turns away to scream in frustration. The scream is cut short, the whole thing lasts only a moment. Despite himself, Author nearly jumps out of his skin.

“What the hell was that!?” he shouts.

Dark settles himself, chuckling quietly. His aura calms somewhat, but it continues to churn the air.

“As I said, things have changed.” Dark rolls his neck, it cracks like the vertebrae are clacking against each other. “To put it in a way you would understand, my story has been rewritten in recent years. There’s a lot for you to catch up on.”

“I’ll pass,” Author retorts, “I’m not about to stick around here with you.”

“I’m afraid you have no choice.” Dark’s eyes go steely. “You may have guessed from the large number of us that Mark is much more popular than he used to be, which means we need to be more careful. You recall my desire to unite us all in a single building.”

“The building I died in, right?” Author snaps.

“Yes,” Dark replies coldly, undeterred by Author’s attempt to fluster him. “This building, in fact. The more popular Mark gets, the more recognizable we become, and the more vital it is for us to avoid attention. This building is imbued with magic to prevent humans from seeing or entering, and there are rules about the ways in which we may interact with them.”

“If you’re gonna tell me I can’t write my stories–”

“You can write as many stories as you like,” Dark says smoothly, “And you may use humans as…protagonists, if you so choose. But your stories may not be published, and you may not develop close relationships with humans.”

“And if I break the rules?”

“You get to visit my void.” Dark grins. “A place made of pitch, so dark you cannot see your hand in front of your face, cold and just quiet enough to hear its voices. It only takes a few hours to break someone weak. For someone strong, maybe a week.” He tilts his head. “I suspect a day or two in there, with no one to control and nothing to do, will drive you mad. At the end of a week you’d be tearing off your own skin just to feel.”

Author wants to scoff at the dramatics, but there’s something in Dark’s eyes and posture that makes him believe it.

“What if I leave anyway?” Author asks, “Strike out far away and find my own place?”

“Then you’ll have all twenty-one of us looking for you, whether actively searching or keeping an eye out. Once you’re found, the punishment would be immense. We’ve had egos run off before. The longest one ever stayed lost was eighteen days. Perhaps you could last longer, but your punishment would be that much longer as well. And if my void does not deter you, there’s a holding cell in the basement that’s designed to cancel out magic and keep figments contained indefinitely, where you can stay until you come to your senses.”

Author glowers, considering. It’s clear that he has no choice but to go along with the arrangement, but he’s too stubborn to give in yet.

“Any other rules I should know about?” he asks derisively, “Is there a dress code? Do I have to ask you if I want dessert after dinner?”

Dark glares at Author for a long moment.

“My, not even death could change you.”

He lets his own words hang in the air before continuing.

“The other main rule here is that you cannot harm another ego. Self-defense or defense of another ego won’t be punished, but aggression and attacks will.”

“That’s rich, coming from the one who tore my eyes out,” Author growls.

“You can watch your attitude,” Dark snaps, voice dangerous and aura waving wildly. “I’m still the leader, and you still need to respect me. You may not have changed, but I have, and I am much stronger than you can imagine. If you continue to draw my ire, you will find out just how much stronger I’ve become.”

Dark wasn’t nearly this imposing back in Author’s heyday. He didn’t have this maturity, this intimidating tone of voice, this simmering rage that only shows itself in bursts. He used to be pettier, whiny, more mean than cruel. There was a reason Author didn’t fear him, and it was that he could tell, clear as day, that Dark was threatened by him. But the Dark that sits before Author now is not threatened. He’s angry, but not defensive. He means every word he’s said to Author, and Author knows that Dark will make him regret pushing his buttons if he persists.

So he stays silent for a long moment, and Dark’s aura gradually calms, and his expression smooths back out.

“Good, we understand each other,” he says, “Now, you need to meet the other egos. I’ll call a meeting for the others.”

“Google said the others I was around with are still here,” Author says, remembering, “Are they coming, too?”

“Yes,” Dark says, “But their meeting alerts will have…context. They’ll know it’s you before they arrive.” He sighs then, raises a hand to rub his forehead. “Speaking of context, there’s something you should know before this meeting occurs.”

“What’s that?” Author asks, curious. Perhaps a little nervous, given Dark’s behavior, but he’d never admit it.

“After you died, a new ego appeared, one who looked somewhat like you, who had no eyes. It came about that he had all your memories, but he wasn’t you, isn’t you. His name is The Host, and as far as we all knew…you became him, you were reborn as him.”

Author thought he was done being surprised, being shocked. But this revelation is the worst of all. He became someone else? There’s an ego here that has his same history, and the six years he missed on top of that? A clone like Google has, but one that has a different life, has a life at all. Someone who’s The Author, but isn’t. Someone The Author was supposed to be. The one who came from the ashes of Author’s death. While he spent six years in darkness, this other him, this Host, was living the life that should’ve been his. It only gets worse the more Dark explains. Author hardly perceives Dark’s words, but he perceives their meaning, especially when another name is mentioned. The shock builds and deepens.

It’s not enough that Host now has Author’s body, his memories, his life.

He has his love, too.

His doctor.

Dark explains that Dr. Iplier and Host have been in a relationship for years, and something inside Author crumbles.

This is the man he was so excited to see again, the man he’d hoped he could start over with once he found him. He’d dreamed of that on his long walk to the building, dreamed of Dr. Iplier lighting up at the sight of him, dreamed of them both apologizing to each other for how they ended things, dreamed of them reconnecting, rekindling, loving each other all over again. But the dream shatters further the more Dark speaks, and the more Dark speaks, the more Author’s vision tunnels and the louder the blood rushes in his ears. Dr. Iplier didn’t wait for him. He moved on. He moved on with this facsimile of Author, and did so a long time ago.

Author doesn’t hear what else Dark says, he’s too busy thinking. But no matter how much he thinks the situation over, he can’t accept it. He won’t allow this ache in his chest, this burning in the back of his eyes. Dr. Iplier may have moved on, but some part of him must still love Author, if he moved on with the newer version of him. The way they loved each other was like nothing else, even six years later there’s no way Dr. Iplier has forgotten Author, has forgotten what their love felt like, has stopped missing it. Author will find his way back to him somehow, fix their relationship and fix his own breaking heart.

There has to be a reason Author came back to life. There’s no possible way him and Dr. Iplier could end like this. And Author may be a lot of things, but he’s not a quitter.

He can’t give up on Dr. Iplier, his heart won’t let him.

[vanderlindemangofarm]

The Van der Linde Gang - Jobs in a Modern AU

I’ve been really inspired to write about this lately and I’d love to hear your takes! These are the occupations that I think each gang member would have in a modern AU. Some were more challenging than others, but hopefully you guys can see where I’m coming from with each! 

Arthur: Film location scout. His natural eye for photography and framing makes Arthur the perfect member of a pre-production team. His no-bullshit approach to everything means he keeps to deadlines, although he’s known to go wandering off into the wilderness for unknown amounts of time. He enjoys the lone working side of his job and finding exactly the right spots that would make the film come to life. He doesn’t always like the films once they’re finished (in fact he’s often bought cinema tickets and walked out half way through, grumbling that it wasn’t worth the popcorn) but he can’t deny the excited buzz he gets every time he gets hired. In his early years as an assistant he met Bertie Mason, a nervous but talented photography intern. Despite an ill-advised hookup after a week joined at the hip they have remained close friends and still go out on shoots together. 

John: landscape gardener. John? Flowers? Yes, alright, I found it hard to believe too. But look, it’s not about the flowers, even if he does get misty-eyed at the sight of a sunflower in the early morning light. It’s about the challenge, the outdoors, and solving problems. After all the renovations he did to his house and garden (some more successful than others) John found how much satisfaction he got from digging and reshaping and planting. Don’t get me wrong, he’s often without a shirt, even in the colder months, much to the delight of some and the horror of others. He always makes friends with the household pets and is wonderful with the kids, always dropping his task to throw a frisbee around for a bit or cheekily accept an ice cold glass of lemonade from their mothers. Whenever he drives past one of his projects he feels himself glowing with pride - “I did that!”. 

Dutch: philosophy lecturer. As always, late with Starbucks. Will he actually grade your essay? Will it mysteriously disappear? Keeps you on your toes, doesn’t it? Sitting precariously on the very edge of his desk, leather jacket hanging off his shoulders and losing his balance every 15 minutes, Dr Van der Linde is nothing short of a wonder. For the love of all that is holy, do not get him started on Kant. Kant has no place here. You want to talk about your precious Kant? Get your butt down to Dr O’Driscoll’s class, he has plenty to say about Kant. Perhaps a little too fond of Socrates. Plato who? Completely illegible handwriting and definitely sleeping with several members of the faculty. But somehow his students always walk away with excellent grades. At the end of each term Dutch takes everyone out to a local bar for drinks, insists on buying tequila which no one really fancies at 11am. Claims to ride a motorcycle called The Count which no one has actually seen. Impossible to hate, and he writes everyone great references for their summer internships. 

Hosea: social worker. In a crisis, there’s no one better to knock on your door. Hosea has seen it all and he’ll see it all again, but that doesn’t stop him from treating every single case he gets with the upmost respect and care. His no-nonsense approach to his work means he gets things done, but he never sacrifices his compassion. He mostly works with teenagers and has a way of being able to connect to each individual without coming across as patronising. He’s been in the field for over two decades and is an invaluable mentor for any newcomers, always willing to share a word or two of advice or be a shoulder to cry on. 

Javier: guitar teacher and music therapist. During his worst years, Javier’s guitar was his lifeline. And he wants to help others find their lifeline, too. He works on a freelance basis, mainly going into mental health hospitals, schools and prisons. He runs workshops focusing on guitar playing, but brings other instruments (mainly percussion) to try too. He’s a gentle teacher, always with a joke in his back pocket for when you need it most. He has nicknames for everyone and remembers everything they’ve ever told him. He’s patient and never lets anyone feel bad for making a mistake. Javier also runs an after-school guitar club at the local middle school alongside playing his own music at gigs whenever he can. No, he doesn’t reply to DMs no matter how thirsty they are. 

Sadie: self-defense instructor. After surviving an attack several years ago, Sadie used her ferocity to get her qualification in self-defense to teach other women how to fight back should they need to. Her husband Jake helps out in her classes, happily allowing himself to be thrown around and slammed onto the mat as many times as required. Her students are terrified of her in the best and nicest way. Sadie also volunteers at a women’s refuge, providing emergency care and taking phone calls. 

Charles: environmental campaign manager. Charles has always been drawn to charities and started doing voluntary work for Greenpeace when he was at university, securing an internship with them in Canada which led to a full time job. Whilst Charles mainly hosts meetings and organises events, he also works closely with elementary schools and runs workshops with outdoor activities, crafts and music. Last week they made bird feeders! It was awesome. He’s also a keen activist and regularly meets up with Javier to go to protests and community events, most recently for BLM. 

Micah: motorcycle mechanic. Micah is massively invested in motorcycle culture and treats his beloved bike better than his own mother, if he still spoke to her. Although he pretends not to care, fixing bikes is his greatest passion and almost looks...happy when he’s doing it? Maybe? He likes knowing more than the people who stop by his shop and makes sure they know it. Occasionally he leaves his number on a scrap of paper inside women’s handbags when they’re not looking but for some reason none of them call. Like it or not, he’s incredibly skilled and will have your motorcycle singing a tune if that’s what you want. Euphemism? Of course not. 

Abigail: nurse. She was so shy when she realised she wanted to pursue nursing - would people laugh at her? Was she too impatient, too nagging, too shrill? Her dyslexia always put her off going into further education and she was always discouraged by her parents. But with lots of encouragement from Hosea (who helped her to fill out her applications and other forms) and her friends, Abigail went to university in her 30′s to get her degree. She graduated top of her class and now works full time in her local hospital, based mostly in the emergency room. From drunken brawlers to tearful children and grumpy old men with lumbago, Abigail has learnt to keep her cool and to have faith in her own ability. 

Molly: holistic therapist and masseuse. It took years to get that bastard of a philosopher out of her head (and out of her bed - damn those happy hour drinks “for old times’ sake”), but she’s finally free. Molly radiates a kindness that few took to the time to see, and she wanted to take strength from her past struggles to help others who may need someone to listen, just as she did. Molly took a bunch of online courses in various holistic therapies, including aromatherapy and massage, as this was something she had always been interested in. She runs a tiny clinic on a quiet street, the rooms filled with sunshine and the scent of geraniums. She also has a quite popular ASMR YouTube channel, Emerald Eyes ASMR, which she shyly admits just reached 500k subscribers. Her most popular video, ‘Irish Girl Helps You Fall Asleep (soft spoken, tapping, mouth sounds)’ just reached over a million hits. 

Kieran: veterinarian specialising in equine care. Much like Abigail, Kieran didn’t like the idea of going back into education. He’d had a rough time of it as a teenager, dropping out of high school early and working a string of menial jobs for the next decade. They paid his rent, but he still felt poor. His favourite job, however, was working at a stable. The horses made him feel calm and he found that he could read them better than most people. He went to the library and read as much as he could about them. From there, he got himself an apprenticeship which paved the way for him to earn his degree in veterinary science. He smiled so hard in his graduation photo his eyes disappeared into his cheeks. He travels all over the local countryside, visiting farms and ranches to care for the horses. His confidence picked up after the first few blunders, and little by little he’s saving up to buy his own ranch one day. 

Lenny: political science student. You know that kid who always looks amazing, even in 9am lectures? Yeah, that’s not Lenny, but he’s sat just behind. See him? Yep, the one rubbing sleep from his eyes as he pushes through the effects of another all-nighter. It’s not due to procrastination, but from perfectionism. He spends hour agonising over references, appendixes and even titles. One time he was so tired he signed his work “Ynnel”. He’s completely in love with his course and relishes every class he takes. Oh, he’s taking Dutch’s ‘History of Western Philosophy’ module by the way. Sitting in the front row, middle seat, directly in front of Dutch, his eyes glinting wickedly. Poor Dutch. Lenny has a counterpoint for absolutely everything and can barely stifle his laughter as Dutch gets more and more flustered. He’s been dating Jenny Kirk, an English Lit student, for the past few months and it’s going well. So well in fact, that he might stop hiding his Doctor Who merchandise every time she comes to his dorm room. 

Tilly: business student. Tilly started university at the same time as Lenny and they still always go to the library together, rolling their eyes at each other over their morning peppermint lattes. Tilly is at the forefront of any and all on-campus activism. Think of Sam from Dear White People - that’s our Tilly. She wears her Ravenclaw scarf all autumn and winter long and posts scathing Instagram stories about the cafeteria food. But she’s powerfully kind and very ambitious, taking on a part time job tutoring kids with dyslexia in their reading and writing. 

Susan: midwife. Think having a baby is scary? Try crossing Nurse Grimshaw. She’s here now, and that baby is coming out of you one way or another. She’ll hold your hand through thick and thin but if you dare say “I can’t do it” one more time she’ll unleash hell. Susan will make sure everyone has a job to do. Partner just standing there like a lemon? Not on her watch. She’s harsh but kind to her trainees and will always offer a cup of coffee and a shoulder to cry on, but there’s a time and place for slacking and it’s not on her labour ward. 

Trelawny: talent agent. Our Josiah is cunning, infuriatingly charismatic and with an eye for the best of the best - what else could he do so effortlessly? He’ll wrangle you a 10 second role as a latrine cleaner in a non-profit film and he’ll still make you feel like the next DiCaprio. You’re a diamond, don’t you know? Of course you could nab Elphaba, we’ll worry about the singing later. How do you feel about cat food commercials? No no, it’s not pornography, it really is cat food this time - he double checked. On top of this, he knows everyone in the business. No, really. He can’t move 3 feet down Broadway without someone booming his name. The tone of said boom depends, of course, but who hasn’t been caught with his bottom out in that director’s wife’s en-suite? 

Sean: outdoor activity centre instructor. You mean you can actually get paid to swim in lakes, ride ziplines through the forest and eat roasted marshmallows?! Sean couldn’t believe his ears. But it was true, and he’s living his best life. He may be on his penultimate warning for unruly behaviour, but he knows he could never really get fired. How could they? Everyone loves him. And to his credit, he’s a fantastic instructor, especially with kids. Everything from canoeing to caving, wild swimming to climbing, Sean has mastered it all and he always makes it fun. No one is allowed to feel left out or silly for not being able to do something. Sean has a way of making everyone feel included, even if you can only make it up the first few rungs of the ladder. Hey, that’s still off the ground! He once knew this feller Bill who cried because a moth flew into his face. You’re doing fine. 

Mary-Beth: librarian and YA author. Sweet Mary-Beth, how could she be anywhere else but surrounded by books? She adores her job at her small, local library and is always looking for ways to make it even better. She often gets tangled up in the stories she reads whilst organising shelves, but it’s quiet enough most days that she’s rarely caught. She loves helping people find their books or recommending her favourites. She also runs the toddler storytime groups and a writing club for older kids. Of course, she’s also writing her own books. The first of her ‘Valentine Mysteries’ books made a modest profit and she’s excited to write more about the adventures of Leslie Dupont. 

Karen: actress. Realising that she had a knack for accents and even after an especially successful high school lead role as Roxy Hart, Karen didn’t really acknowledge her would-be passion for acting for a long time. But she used her talents to get herself and her friends into X-rated films, dive bars and successfully pull off dozens of prank calls. It wasn’t until one of her friends was going to an open-call audition for a short film and wanted someone to go with her that Karen had her epithany. She was cast on the spot, much to the dismay of her friend. Since then, she’s been in a handful of arthouse films, a commercial here and there, and recently enjoyed a short run as Hermia in A Midsummer Night’s Dream at a small theatre downtown. Does she want fame and fortune? Honestly, she hasn’t really thought about it. Right now, she’s just enjoying the ride. And the phone numbers left for her at front of house from many admirers. 

Strauss: financial loan adviser. Oh boy, perhaps you saw this one coming. Then again, maybe not. Old Leopold isn’t quite the two-pronged-tongued eldritch horror people often mistake him for. In fact, he actually advises people against loan sharks. He had his fair share of debts y’see and he genuinely doesn’t want anyone else to go through the same thing. He’s not exactly sweet and cuddly, but he might let you have a free pen if you call by his office. I mean, technically they’re not free but...never mind, just take it. 

Bill: plumber. It was purely accidental that Bill bashed his way into his career. No, really. His sink was blocked and after an hour of poking and prodding the pipes he started hitting the poor thing with a spanner out of pure frustration, cursing all the way. To his shock, it worked, and he suddenly had running water again. What shocked him more is that he realised he wanted to know how. So, he bought a book. And he read the book. And one thing led to another, and now he’s the proud owner of Williamson Plumbing Inc. The money is very good, but for Bill that’s not it. You have to understand that for him, it’s the act itself of fixing something that brings Bill immense satisfaction. And Bill isn’t used to knowing more about something - anything - than those around him. For the first time perhaps in his life, he can sit down, solve a problem, and know that he’s done a good job. 

Swanson: AA group leader. After getting completely sober almost a decade ago and staying that way, Orville wanted to give something back to the people who had helped him out so greatly. Becoming a volunteer to help those who were trapped where he was seemed like the only path, and it felt so right. Orville is there in meetings, making coffee, handing out donuts and training new volunteers. If anyone wants to talk about their faith he’s all ears, but he never pushes it as a cure-all in any situation. Orville’s sobriety has also meant that he’s learnt to make the most phenomenal mocktails. 

Pearson: grocery shop manager and cooking teacher. Simon has his small grocery shop on the edge of town which has a wide range of regular customers. But he wanted to do more, so he set up a small class to teach fellow veterans how to cook. His wife helps out, and they grow the ingredients together in their garden and down at the allotment. It’s just an therapeutic for him as it is for his students, as he’s only just realising how much he wants to talk about his time in the navy. 

Uncle: unknown. For the longest time, everyone thought Uncle worked at one of the worst dive bars in town, as whenever they stumbled in for a nightcap he was there, behind the bar, happy as a pig in shit. Turns out that he just started going there one night and no one could get him to leave. And so every evening he’ll appear like a phantom, sit himself in the half-broken chair behind the bar (clearly labelled “not for customer use”), order the cheapest beer on the menu and sit there until midnight. No one can understand how he gets the means to live as he ragingly denies receiving any government handouts despite his lumbago. Claims to be a veteran but hasn’t fought in any wars anyone has heard of.