#don't know beryllium's name

[chazz-is-a-zelda-fan]

(mmnmmm right now...? non.... not yet...... but!! if you want.... i can cook up some ideas for that.... sometime!)

our destination.... would be ilex forest... a comfort place of mine and my celebi's c:

we arrive there.... right next to the shrine.... i get off of latios..... it seems like my celebi joins in shortly after.... with no sign of the unown king behind it......... -🖤

(oooh yes please!! but only if you'd really wanna, i dont wanna pressure you into a story you might not enjoy)

when Beryllium comes to, all he sees is soft green. the trees of Ilex Forest rise up around them, shading them in darkness, but it's nothing like the pitch-black of the void. this is softer, more alive. kyan immediately thinks they're dead. what else could it be? their last memory was getting ready to face the Unown King with Groudon, already succumbing to the effects of their corruption. this place seemed like heaven, so calm and serene. he didn't think there was a heaven for code like kyan. slowly, Beryllium sits up. their back is to a tree, and kyan takes a second to register a shrine just to his right.

the soft patter of footsteps on grass are enough to return their gaze in front of them, and Beryllium finally realizes that he's alive. Latias rests next to her trainer, head laying by their knee. you walk over to Beryllium, unsure if he’s stable enough to talk. luckily, kyan answers that question for you.

“…Gold? is that you?” Bery gently raises his head to look at you, eye returned back to normal. you nod in response, Unowns around you asking "ARE YOU OKAY?" kyan takes a second to answer, still taking a minute to process that you're in front of them, before weakly saying "yeah... yeah, i'm fine." your face is still full of concern, and Beryllium's gaze lowers back down to the grass again. this is the second time kyan's passed out in front of you, and this time he could've died. they wish they could apologize, but Beryllium can't find the words.

you don't know what to say either, so the both of you are there in an awkward silence. but a light flash behind you catches your attention, and you hesitantly turn away from Beryllium. it's Celebi, and luckily, there doesn't seem to be any sign of the Unown King behind them. you two have a quick conversation, but you hear the sound of a Pokeball opening behind you and Blaziken's cry. turning back to kyan and the fire type, you and Celebi see Blaziken shaking his trainer back and forth, with Latias trying to intervene. you can hear them from where you are, next to the shrine.

"BERYLLIUM, BERYLLIUM! DON'T YOU EVER DARE DO THAT AGAIN YOU SCARED ME SO BAD!!" "Blaziken, it's okay, we're fine now-" "YEAH, NOW!! BUT YOU COULD'VE GOTTEN REALLY HURT! LET ME HELP NEXT TIME!!" "uhm, guys, they're staring..." "Blaziken, please, we're okay now! we have someone to thank for that..." Beryllium turned to face you, Blaziken following suit. the Pokemon lowered their head, before pulling kyan into a tight hug. Bery simply tried his best to comfort the Pokemon back, with Latias nudging them both.

Beryllium's eye never left yours, mouthing a quiet "thank you." before returning to calming their Pokemon.

[riveramorylunar]

Pairings: Zeus's Daughter Yelena Belova x Aphrodite's Daughter Reader

Warnings: Forbidden Love, Sneaking Around, Height Difference, Slight Age Difference (Yelena is 27 in human years and Reader is 21 in human years), Alcohol Consumption, Fighting & Fluff

Pet Names/Nicknames: Принцесса(Princess), детка(baby) & Lena

Word Count: 2,879

In the majestic kingdom of Mount Olympus, two powerful and mighty gods reigned supreme. Zeus, the god of thunder and ruler of all gods, was known for his fierce and commanding demeanor. On the other hand, Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty, was adored by all for her kindness and captivating charm.

Zeus had a daughter with Hera and her name was Yelena Belova. She was the goddess of Lighting and Thunder just like her father. She had her mother's beauty and her father's personality. She was due to take over Mt. Olympus but only if she had someone to rule with her and she hated that. She knew she was capable of ruling over Olympus without a wife. Her and her father always got into fights because of it. Her father wanted her to marry someone who was capable of ruling beside her. On the other hand her mother Hera didn't really care if she ruled alone or ruled with someone.

Y/N daughter of Aphrodite and Hephaestus. She was the next goddess of Love and Fire. She was the personification of beauty. She looked like both her mother and father. She had the personality of her father making her kind and hardworking unlike her mother who had left for another man. Y/N hated the fact that she was related to Aphrodite after finding out what she had done but her father always told her that she was only half like her mother. Although Y/N was the goddess of Love she never used that power and instead only used her father's.

The two had met for the first time when Yelena snuck away from her father without him even knowing a year ago. Yelena had snuck into a cave and heard the most beautiful voice she had ever heard in her entire life. She had wandered deeper into the cave and peaked around the corner when she saw a girl with dark brown hair and blue-green eyes that sometimes turned a reddish orange color when she used her fire powers. “You know you're not really good at hiding” the girl had said, causing Yelena's eyes to widen in shock. She broke out of her shock before stepping out from around the corner and walked towards the girl slowly. “You're the daughter of Zeus and Hera right” the girl said and Yelena nodded her head before blushing slightly. “Um yeah” Yelena says, chuckling nervously before the girl looks at her. “Well it's nice to meet you, I'm Y/N the daughter of Aphrodite and Hephaestus” Y/N said and Yelena's eyes widened in shock again. “Wow” Yelena managed to get out causing Y/N to chuckle before going back to what she was doing.

“What are you doing?” Yelena asks as she tilts her head. “Organizing the different types of metal” Y/N said as she picked up a piece of tungsten and dropped it in a bin labeled Tungsten next to the table. Yelena walked closer and looked at all the bins that had all different types of metal in them. “I never knew that there was this many different types of metal” Yelena said as she picked up a piece of metal off the table. “What's this one?” she asked and Y/N looked up. “That's cobalt” Y/N answered and Yelena looked at it more before looking for the bin that had cobalt on it before dropping it into the bin. “Is this what you do everyday” Yelena asks as she starts helping Y/N out. Y/N let out a chuckle before shaking her head. “No but I wish I did, I have to take on my mother's responsibilities though which I hate” Y/N said as she dropped a piece of Beryllium in the Beryllium bin. “Oh do you hate love” Yelena asked as she stopped and just watched Y/N. “Well I wouldn't say hate but I don't really like it but that's because of my mother” Y/N said as she sighed out. “Oh right, I heard about that. I didn't even know she had a daughter until now” Yelena said as she furrowed her eyes before shaking her head and smiling. “And might I say I think you're even more beautiful than your mother” Yelena continued causing Y/N’s face to flush slightly.

“Oh um thank you” Y/N muttered out and Yelena smiled. “No problem Принцесса” Yelena said before standing up. Y/N looked up when she heard Yelena get up. “Where are you going?” Y/N asked curiously and Yelena chuckled. “I have to go back before my father sends out a search party for me” Yelena sighed out and Y/N smiled slightly. “It was nice to me you I hope we get to see each other again soon Принцесса” Yelena said before she waved and left the cave leaving Y/N there with her heart pounding out of her chest and her face flushed.

Since then the two had met in the cave every other day. Yelena snuck out of her house at night and would meet Y/N and help her sort out the metal before they talked about the world below them. Yelena would occasionally flirt with Y/N which caused her to blush every time.

Yelena had snuck out of her house again and jumped from her window landing on the ground. She stood up and looked around before sneaking away and to the cave. Yelena made her way through the cave and stopped when she saw Y/N focused on something that wasn't metal. She snuck up on Y/N before leaning over her and kissing her cheek causing Y/N to blush before shoving her away. “LENA” Y/N shouted as she covered her cheek and Yelena let out a laugh before smirking. “Hello детка” Yelena said before wrapping her arms around Y/N’s neck and hugging her. “”Lena” Y/N said as she looked up at her lover. “Yes Принцесса” Yelena said as she stroked Y/N’s jaw. “My father found out about us and he wants to meet you” Y/N said and Yelena froze as she stopped stroking Y/N’s jaw. “W-what how” Yelena stuttered out and Y/N sighed. “He saw you leaving the cave one time when he came to see me” Y/N said and Yelena stayed quiet. Y/N stood up and cupped Yelena's face. “Don't worry Lena he won't be telling anyone” Y/N said and Lena closed her eyes before sighing. “Alright” Yelena muttered out before opening her eyes and looking down at Y/N who was a a couple inches shorter than her. Y/N smiled up at her before kissing her cheek and pulling away.

Yelena let Y/N drag her to her house. “Will your mother be there” Yelena asked and Y/N shook her head no. “No which is a good thing” Y/N said and Yelena let out a breath of relief. Y/N stopped in front of a beautiful house with pink, white and red roses. “Wow” Yelena said as she looked at the roses. Y/N pulled Yelena towards the house and looked around making sure none of the other gods or goddesses were watching. “Come on hurry up” Y/N said as she opened the door and pulled Yelena in before shutting the door behind her. Yelena looks around and her eyes lighten up at the furniture and interior of the huge house.

“Is that you my sweet child” a man's voice echoed through the house. Y/N grabbed Yelena's hand again and pulled her towards the kitchen where her father was cooking dinner. “Hi Papa” Y/N said and Hephaestus turned around and smiled when he saw his daughter and a blonde woman behind her. “So this is Yelena” he asked and Y/N nodded. He walked over and pulled Yelena into a tight hug causing Yelena's eyes to widen in shock as Y/N just giggled. Hephaestus pulled away and put his hands on her shoulders. “She's beautiful just like you said Y/N dear” he said and the two blushed. “Papa stop it” Y/N muttered out and Hephaestus looked at his daughter before letting out a laugh before pulling away from Yelena. “Alright alright I won't embarrass you too much” he said before ruffling her hair up. Y/N blushes more and Yelena just looks at her with a soft smile.

Y/N had set the table up and grabbed some vodka for Yelena and a beer for her dad while she grabbed wine for herself. Hephaestus set down a huge dish of Shawarma Chicken & Orzo Skillet and a Greek salad onto the middle of the table. “Wow this looks delicious Papa” Y/N said as she sat down at the table and Yelena took the seat beside her. “It really does” Yelena said as she breathed in the scent of the food. “Have as much as you want dear” Hephaestus said as he sat down across from the two.

As the three were eating the door slams open causing Y/N to jump up from her seat. The three looked over to see a beautiful woman walk in before freezing as she looked at Yelena. “Mother” Y/N said and Aphrodite looked over at Y/N before looking back at Yelena. “Who the hell is this?” Aphrodite asks and Y/N looks at her father before looking back at her mother. “What are you doing here mother” Y/N asks and Aphrodite scowls before grabbing the bottle of wine from off the table and pouring herself a glass. “This is still my home Y/N” Aphrodite said and Y/N scoffed. Aphrodite looks at Yelena now and tilts her head. “Now who are you?” she asks and Yelena looks up at her. Yelena stands up and holds her hand out. “I'm Yelena Belova” Yelena said and Aphrodite looked down at her. “And who are your parents?” Aphrodite questioned and Yelena was about to speak when Y/N cut in. “Mother can you just stop” Y/N said and Aphrodite glared at her.

“Y/N sit your ass down now” Aphrodite said and Y/N clenched her jaw. “No you don't get to tell me what to do you're not my mother anymore” Y/N shouted and Aphrodite's eyes narrowed before she landed a harsh slap across Y/N’s face causing her to yelp out. Yelena rushed over and knelt down beside Y/N as she cupped Y/N’s face while Hephaestus stood up. “Aphrodite leave now” he growled out and Aphrodite looked at him before looking at her daughter who had tears rolling down her face as she looked at her mother in horror. She then looked at Yelena who was trying to calm Y/N down. “Whatever, I'm not going to stay here when you bring the daughter of Zeus and Hera into our home” Aphrodite said before slamming her glass of wine down onto the table causing it to shatter. She left slamming the door shut and after Hephaestus rushed over and kneeled down next to his daughter. “You need to leave” Hephaestus said as he looked up at Yelena.

Yelena looked at Y/N and then back at Hephaestus. “Go home” he said and Yelena sighed before standing up and leaving after saying bye to Y/N. Y/N sat up while rubbing her cheek. “I thought you said mother wasn't supposed to be back tonight” Y/N said not looking at her father. “Things can change Y/N they're not always certain” he said before standing up and pulling Y/N up as well.

Meanwhile, Yelena snuck back to her house and climbed back through her bedroom window when the lights turned on. She froze before looking towards the doorway to see her father standing there with a glare. “And where were you young lady” Zeus asked and Yelena rolled her eyes. “I don't have to tell you where I was” Yelena said and Zeus clenched his jaw before walking up to Yelena and grabbing her by her jaw. “I am your father now tell me” Zeus growled out and Yelena glared up at him. “I'm not a child anymore I don't have to tell you shit” Yelena spat out and Zeus's grip tightened against Yelena's jaw before Hera's voice was heard. “Zeus let go of her now” Hera said and Zeus let out a scoff before letting go and shoving Yelena's face to the side.

Zeus left Yelena's room and Hera looked at her daughter before sighing. “So who's the girl?” Hera asked her daughter and Yelena kept quiet. “Come on, tell your dear mother” Hera said as she shut the bedroom door behind her. Yelena sighs as she sits on her bed before hiding her face in her hands. Hera walks over and sits down next to Yelena before putting a hand on her shoulder. Yelena looks up and looks at her mother. “It's Aphrodite’s and Hephaestus daughter Y/N” Yelena muttered out and Hera's eyes widened in shock. “Yelena” Hera sighed out as she rubbed her forehead. “I know Mama but I love her I really do” Yelena said as she fell back onto her bed and looked up at the ceiling. Hera put her hand on her daughter's knee before squeezing it. “You can never let your father kno-” before Hera could finish, Yelena's bedroom door slams open causing Yelena to jolt up and ftlook over to see her father. “Why the hell did Aphrodite just come to our house and say you're seeing her daughter” Zeus shouted and Yelena gulped. “Fath-” Yelena was cut off when he grabbed her by the shirt and lifted her up off her bed. “Zeus let her go now” Hera said as she stood up and Zeus glared at her. He looked back at his daughter. “Do you really want to put shame onto this family” Zeus growled out and Yelena clenched her jaw. “I don't care if I put shame on the family name, I love her and why do you care I found someone to rule Mount Olympus with me” Yelena said as she glared back up at her father. “Isn't that what you wanted” Yelena asked and Zeus was about to speak before shutting his mouth and scoffing.

“Bring her to me” Zeus said and Yelena's eyes widened in shock. “What” Yelena asked and Zeus rolled his eyes. “I want to meet this girl so bring her to me” Zeus said and Yelena nodded before rushing towards the door. “I meant tomorrow not right now” Zeus said and Yelena blushed in embarrassment. “Right um yeah okay” Yelena muttered out.

The next day Yelena had brought Y/N to her home. “Yelena are you sure about this” Y/N mumbled out and Yelena pulled Y/N close to her and kissed the side of her head. “I'm sure I promise you if anything bad does happen I'll protect you” Yelena said as she headed to the throne room. Yelena and Y/N made their way into the throne room before stopping in front of the steps that led up to the throne. “Welcome back my daughter, I'm assuming this is the girl then” Zeus said as he stood up causing Y/N to gulp. “Her names Y/N and yeah she's the one” Yelena said as she tightened her grip around Y/N. Zeus walked down the steps before stopping right in front of the two. Zeus was about to reach for Y/N’s jaw but Yelena stopped him. “Don't even think about it father” Yelena spat out and Zeus yanked his hand free from his daughter’s grip. “Do you love her” Zeus asked as he stared at Y/N. Y/N looked at Yelena who was already looking down at her before looking back over at Zeus. “Yes” Y/N mumbled out and Zeus narrowed his eyes a bit before looking at Yelena again. “Alright I guess if you love her I'll let you guys see each other” Zeus said and Yelena's eyes widened in shock. “Really” Yelena asked and Zeus nodded his head. Yelena hugged her father tightly before picking Y/N up and hugging her tightly before spinning her around.

Yelena set Y/N down before kissing her on the lips. She pulled away before looking deep into Y/N’s eyes. “Marry me and become the other ruler of Olympus” Yelena asked and Y/N’s eyes widened in shock. “W-what “ Y/N stuttered out and Yelena smiled. “Marry me and rule Olympus with me” Yelena asked again and Y/N blushed hard. “A-are to being serious?” Y/N asked and Yelena nodded. “Yes I'm being serious Y/N” Yelena said and Y/N pulled her into another kiss before pulling away. “Yes yes I will” Y/N said and Yelena smiled widely before hugging Y/N tightly and burying her face in Y/N’s neck. “You have no idea how much you made me happy Принцесса, I love you so much” Yelena said and Y/N giggles before pecking Yelena's forehead. “I love you too Lena always and forever” Y/N said as she continued to hold Yelena.

Taglist: @yelenasdiary, @red1culous, @i-lov3-w0men, @marvelfan98, @Whoreforblackhill, @emmytaysversion, @livin4theeradicator, @music-4ever, @lizzieolsenswifey

[suratan-zir]

Hiya, I don't know if you're aware, but the links you give to the meshes in your lisen dining and beryllium living recolours (both by thepixelry) are now broken, and, as far as I can tell, not archived by Wayback machine. I've made a good faith attempt to find them elsewhere online, but no luck. Would you be able to include those meshes in your downloads, or update the link? If so, many thanks, if not, np!

Hi. I'm sorry :( Pixelry deleted their old blog and started a new one under the name Thimblesims. All their old downloads, including the sets you've mentioned, are avaliable here.

I can't update my posts now because I currently don't use my simming PC. One of these days I'll get to it. Or I will forget. Who knows.

[defensivelee]

ptable oc lore plox :000

oh my that's quite a hefty question, it took me a while to answer! i've not fully developed the world but here's what i know:

The 'periodic table' concept is a sort of second realm that has existed since the very early beginnings of the universe. The elements live among humans in their distribution of themselves throughout the world and universe, but it is outlawed in their kingdom to reveal their living forms to humans for their king believes that the appreciation of humans by way of science and not dogma is the way to go. While the elements are amused by the love they receive, they will not hesitate to harm humanity if they think it's necessary, or even just for fun.

Their forms were originally much more animalistic and abstract, but with the development of humanity over history, they began to copy human qualities such as wearing clothes, walking upright, and even learning a few human languages here and there. The original language of the elements, however, is called Atomic, and for many of them, it is still the only language they can speak.

The elements are divided into a strict hierarchy, in this order:

His Majesty Hydrogen, king of the universe.

The non-metals, members of the royal family and close advisors of hydrogen.

The noble gases, aristocrats of the periodic table and headed by the princess helium.

The alkali metals, military leaders of the periodic table and headed by the general lithium.

The alkaline earth metals, some working with the alkali metals and others more with the transition metals; headed by beryllium.

The transition metals, messengers between humanity and the periodic table, working closely and in secret with the IUPAC; headed by gold.

The post-transition metals, same as the transition metals but due to their comparative weakness are harder to employ by the kingdom; headed by aluminum.

The halogens, vigilantes and assassins both for humanity and the throne; headed by fluorine.

The actinides, powerful allies as well as occasional enemies/traitors to the throne; headed by uranium.

The lanthanides, unrecognized servants of humanity and headed by lanthanum.

The metalloids, generally doing whatever and de jure headed by silicon.

I don't know the details of every element yet, so here's just the rulers of the table:

As hydrogen was born first, he named himself king and protector of the universe. He models his appearance off of Louis XIV, as he greatly envies the title of the 'Sun King'-- he did, after all, have a huge role in creating the sun. He can be sweet once you get to know him, but usually he's very stern and says very little. He is omnipotent. He is married to helium and is very in love with her.

Helium was born soon after hydrogen was, but as she wasn't born quite at the exact same time, he made her a princess rather than a queen. Her clothes is usually taking inspiration from Mary II in terms of colors and sometimes style, but it looks more fantastical and cloud-esque. She's hard to befriend as she can come off as very standoffish, but she cares deeply for her subjects and does well in keeping the nobles in check. She has a rather high-pitched voice that makes her sound younger than she really is.

[musing-and-music]

Royai week 2023 fic recs

In honor of Royai week in the Fruits & Roots server, I chose to highlight some of my favorite Royai fics I gathered these past years (not many years, since I've been on AO3 for 2 years and a half only). Each day, I'll recommend a few fics in a particular setting

Day 7: Happy Royai Day! Free for all - On-going fics

To end this series of fanfic recs, here is a list of a few on-going fanfictions that I love and think about sometimes. Go give them some love, because they all deserve it! And don't hesitate to comment, because you know what? Comments are the writer's fuel

Another point: this post is not here for you to pressure the authors to update their fics, but to give you things to give love to!

one single thread of gold tied me to you by fullmetallizard

Roy is a single father who is carrying a torch (terrible pun for the flame alchemist, I know) for his best friend, Riza Hawkeye. Is she carrying a torch of her own? Yes. Will they get together as a cute little modge podge family? Proabably.

One of my earliest bookmarks, it's fluffy, it's so good!

to heal by priscilladm, vadeofspades / @priscilla-dm @mayfieldarc

In the aftermath of the Promised Day, Roy Mustang ponders two things: how to ensure the wellbeing of Riza Hawkeye, and how to follow through on an offer made to him by the Xingese princess who saved Riza's life.

I love this one a lot!

Humanity hangs on a blood-iron cross by blackinkpen / @blackinkpen

Berthold Hawkeye built the first jaeger, an uncontrollable nuclear heart meant to take out the seven Kaiju. Alone, brutal—the first and last of the pilots to try maneuvering the giants on their own. Sins, they were named, coming in waves... Lust and Envy, Gluttony, with its bulging stomach and Pride, faster than the rest of them. Sloth slumbered until near the end, taking down three Jaegers at once... but we're not here to talk about them. Not yet, anyways. Berthold's work is commandeered by the military. Iron Prophet, the first of the Jaegers to rise, and the first to fall. A monster slices right through his heart, sending nuclear clouds shattering across the sky. Berthold makes it through that day... but not many more, as he hides the cough and blood and pain from radiation poisoning. Years later, Roy Mustang and Riza Hawkeye pilot his final work.

FMAxPacRim? I say yes! Filled with angst but also hope, I keep this fic close to my heart

memento amare by firewoodfigs / @firewoodfigs

Riza pays a hefty price when she’s forced to open the Gate in Roy’s stead.

Actually, my first bookmark. Angst for Roy, hope for Riza, slow burn for both

a study in reformation by firewoodfigs / @firewoodfigs

She doesn’t like him, doesn’t like his hair, doesn’t like his face, doesn’t like his conceited attitude and the way he’s looking at her like she’s wasting his time (and not the other way round). Roy doesn’t care. - or the college au where Roy is still a pain in the ass, a thorn in the flesh and the bane of Riza's existence

Does it show that there's authors I love? And their fics as well?

The flicker by Beryllium_Astatine / @beryllium--astatine

I'll sing of the years you will spend getting sadder and older Oh love, and the cold, the oncoming cold Riza spends a few of her young years with someone she didn't want to.

Young Royai, depicted with rich and poetic writing

Unexpectedly by waddiwasiwitch / @waddiwasiwitch

Riza discovers she is pregnant and confides in her best friend, Roy, who has got some secrets of his own.

I want to lock those two idiots in the same room until they've confessed their feelings. It's so good to read this one!

Five Times (series) by 13IceAngel13

Five times Colonel Mustang didn't kiss Lieutenant Hawkeye. One time Roy kissed Riza.

&

Five times Hawkeye didn't kiss Mustang and one time Riza kissed Roy. Companion piece to Five Times Mustang didn't kiss Hawkeye and one time Roy kissed Riza.

Mutual pining at its best, and 5+1 things!

Voices of the Court by Quietshade / @qs63

A meeting gone south spirals into a full investigation of one of East Area's most powerful Generals.

I love how Royai work together here, and the way the themes are approached

Show me a hero by GelatoSushi / @gelatosushix

As the Ishvalan conflict still casts a shadow over Central even six years after the Promised Day, Mustang and Hawekey are violently separated hours before Mustang is meant to be finally named Fuhrer. Now, Hawkeye is desperately searching for a man she's not sure is still alive, while Mustang still waits for a woman he's been told is dead.

Heavy plot and angst!

~~

Thank you to all the people who reblogged and liked these fic rec lists for the past week! I hope I gave you good recommendations!

[freekymonstr]

Awesome! Can you tell me about the backrooms oc with the smiley face? (I don't know how to spell their name) or some fun facts about the droids?

That's Dr. Beryllium (bur-ill-ee-um). She's a humanoid creature with a big smiley face ball over the mass of meat and tissue that makes her head. She, Tube, and Spike get along very well but Anodyne isn't particularly fond of her due to her looking mostly human.

Beryllium is wary of humans but has occasionally been known to interact with and even help those who find themselves lost. She's particularly fond of scientists, however, and very eager to interact with them.

Dr. Beryllium does not speak any known language and even the other creatures seem to communicate with her in a way other than speaking, leading one to believe they also do not understand her. She was named by a group of scientists after she pointed excitedly to the element on a table of elements hanging on the wall.

Droid facts:

they all have a "tattoo" of their company logo on the back of their left arm.

Upsilon was misnamed, originally meant to be Gamma to keep the order of the Greek alphabet. Delta and Gamma were then named out of order as well to make it look intentional.

Bing, Beta, and Alpha's AI were all active at the same time and were put together to learn from each other.

Disregarding whatever the fuck is wrong with Alpha, which was caused by outside sources, Delta is the most malfunctioning droid of the group.

Bing and Delta have matching succulent tattoos.

Gamma goes by any pronouns but prefers feminine ones the most.

Despite Alpha's seeming hatred of everything living he is very very fond of the group's sphynx cat and can often be found with her laying across his shoulders. If you're extra lucky you can even catch him baby talking to her and calling her sweet nicknames such as "sweet baby girl", "princess", and "my itty bitty chicken breast"

[hell-ama-official]

is firedust just a different name for sulfur? is there naturally occurring gunpowder in hell? what is firedust

You've been severely misinformed. Firedust has no earthly analog to speak of.

Firedust is a name given to a mixture of Hell's soil with a flammable substance that, while commonly also called firedust, is properly called cassandrium-28.

Cassandrium is an element native to Hell's unstable space-time that, by properties, belongs to the beryllium group of elements. Its atomic mass is close to calcium, but physically impossible under consistent rules of physics, and it draws in magic to keep itself stable, making it act as a form of magical energy imbued into metal. Cassandrium-29 is a highly stable isotope of it used in the production of Gloom metal - one of the most valuable resources Hell has to offer, used in the production of gloom metal. It's Hell's main export. Unless you count sins and a general sense of dissatisfaction as an export. In which case that.

Firedust on its own, however, is incredibly dangerous and unstable. If you see a piece of land that is black and emitting greenish-white smoke, you should never approach it.

A long time ago, some demons had figured out that placing firedust inside of an inverted protective barrier while in the acceleration phase of the kata tilt, it becomes. We now know that it is caused by Cassandrium-28 becoming irradiated, capturing an additional electron, and becoming Cassandrium-29, and then stabilizing itself by drawing in magical energy instead of.

These days, specialists don't require severe kata tilt to reproduce this, since electron bombardment can be recreated in any tilt weather. Still. Do not approach firedust caches if you aren't a specialist.

[pageadaytale]

BOOK REVIEW - Periodic Tales by Hugh Aldersey-Williams

In secondary school, being the nerd I am, I attempted to memorise the entire Periodic Table in my GCSE year. I managed to get most of the first row (Hydrogen, Helium, Lithium, Beryllium, Boron, Carbon, nitrogen, Oxygen... uhhhhh, Neon?) before I gave up and contented myself with learning all the lyrics to songs by The Divine Comedy, which was surely a much better use of my time.

I was never accomplished at Chemistry, and in GCSE year especially - when it became about titration and maths, and I didn't and still don't entirely understand what moles are (the chemical unit, not the animal) - I was struggling, so knowing the elements felt like some aspect of the class that I could control. It didn't help, and as noted I didn't get far, but elemental discovery is still an aspect of chemistry and chemical history which fascinates me.

Periodic Tales, then! Of the two books I read last month, it's the heavyweight - nearly 400 pages of chemical elements, science experiments, and wild anecdotes from Hugh Aldersey-Williams, whose love of science extends to his early childhood. And yet it's an easier read, being less an academic text and more a pop-sci book examining the untold stories of the elements. Aldersey-Williams does a great job keeping it entertaining, and keeping it light, although this does have the effect of feeling like he skips over some of the darker tones surrounding, say, Radium, or Phosphorous (we'll hear about Radium more later this year, as I get into The Radium Girls). To his credit, the Radium Girls do get the best part of a paragraph, and Chlorine gets points for having its main story be devoted to the use of Chlorine Gas in the First World War.

So dark stories, not always well told. But his style is affable and readerly, and his focus on the brighter periods makes the early passages more compelling. He takes us on a journey, through the days of alchemy and philosophy as we start with gold and silver, before dipping into Mercury's strange properties and history in the movies; then we voyage into early chemistry as a science with sulphur, phosphorus, and Radium; onto the modern age with Zinc, Copper, and Lead; we detour to the history of gems and the fashion-turned-excess of chrome and neon; before finally stopping in Sweden, where Aldersey-Williams gives us a historical tour of the Rare Earth Metals through one particular mine in Ytterby.

I've left out a lot, naturally, and what I've mentioned is so much more detailed. There's a rich history to each element, and Hugh Aldersey-Williams takes us through each one in entertaining, if rather brisk, style. His sections on the elements are short enough each to be an easy read, though you may feel your eyes glazing over as you realise you're spending the final chapter in one small Swedish town, and for the most part the stories he picks to tell - and the experiments he carries out to secure his own copies of each element - are engaging and edifying. If I have any gripes, it's the length combined with some jumping around in history, which can make tracking names and places confusing. I might have preferred a timeline of elements, rather than the mostly-sensible grouping we get.

But all this is not to discourage you. I found it an excellent commuting book, taking it on the train. There were a couple of areas which were too long by a couple of pages for the journey, but overall it's an engaging read which works well when you can take breaks between chunks to digest what you've learned.

[magicalbuffalotransformerman]

[The soles of combat boots creak against the counter.]

[A deprecated soul makes itself known as the body it dwells within takes a seat against the oversized microwave.]

[groundrumbler had been drinking for the last few hours, watching as the human takes his seat.]

GR: ...so. you don't know what happened, but you can't return to either realm?

[Look to the large one.]

mafia soldier: That's... about right.

GR: and what happened to your buddies?

mafia soldier: Where do I even begin?

[groundrumbler doesn't respond, patiently waiting for Mafia Soldier to make his mind up.]

...

[Make a choice.]

mafia soldier: The first realm, the Mythos realm... wasn't that bad. There was this big bad that never spoke directly, but I didn't see much of him. Bunch of other fellas, I never really spoke to most of them aside from this bomb-headed fellow.

[Equip a picture from your breast pocket.]

mafia soldier: They were named Beryllium. Pretty chill, pretty quiet. Lived far from Vemvehad II, somewhere in a Mesa biome. I quite liked hanging out with them, 'til I visited their home a couple days back.

[A quiet huff. Put the picture back into your breast pocket.]

mafia soldier: It wasn't there. ...Just a crater left.

[Equip another image from your breast pocket. Show it to the large one.]

GR: ...that's a pretty rotten streak of luck. i'd say i feel bad about it, but... well, i barely talk to you either. hell, i don't remember the last time i saw you here. nonetheless, you have my sympathies.

mafia soldier: Thank you kindly.

[Put the second photo back into your breast pocket, and bring a third out.]

mafia soldier: I barely remember what else happened in the Mythos realm, if anything even did happen. It was there, then it wasn't. Guesses are the big bad won.

[Stare at the image for a couple moments.]

[Pocket the third image.]

mafia soldier: The other realm was the home of a desert-based town, where I lived with some gods. I was the god of war 'n' survival, there was a god of music, a god of nature, and some others. Tricky was the god of improbability.

[A gentle sigh.]

mafia soldier: You already know what happened to Tricky, of couse.

[groundrumbler nods.]

mafia soldier: I don't know what happened to the second realm, but I imagine the big bad from the first one got to it as well and had its way with it. Not a fan, personally, because I had some pretty cool stuff there, but... that's my cards. Been trying to get a better hand for the better part of 21 decades...

[Slump against the microwave.]

mafia soldier: Sometimes I think about killing myself.

GR: i can see how you'd start. run over by a train you were riding, betrayed twice by two previous friend groups? lose both of your new homes? that's a serious punch in the gut.

mafia soldier: ...Do you think anyone will miss me?

[oh. that's. a dark thought. groundrumbler, despite his buzz, does his best to think about the question unloaded to him by mafia soldier.] [first, there's the thought of mafia soldier not having any other friends aside from the ones in this very bunker. these guys may miss him, some may not. groundrumbler might.] [second, there's also the thought where mafia soldier could go... perhaps, find some new friends. write some new stories. perhaps, find a lore-satisfying death.] [...finally, groundrumbler tries his best to convey these thoughts to mafia soldier.]

GR: there's a chance you could go meet some new friends, if no one here misses you in the event of you killing yourself. i would prefer if you didn't, but... well, it's your choice.

mafia soldier: Not sure if I'd put it that way myself, but, thanks.

GR: cheers to wishful thinking?

mafia soldier: ...alright.

[lonelypseudoartist]

Yooo I forgot I have a Tumblr account lmao

Here have some more arts

The mushroom lookin one is a villain I made for the Trigun universe... Though I don't know which, cuz he's a bit too detailed for the new one, but also not really detailed enough for the manga and old anime one? Idk man, he's just a weird fungus dude obsessed with Knives. Don't ask. Actually no you can ask but I really don't know much about him lmao

The slimy guy with 6 eyes is Beryllium Djamme, or Blueberry Jam, a slime rogue I created for the Overlord universe. He used to be in an orchestra, cuz he's got this weird thing of being able to play any instrument after an hour or two of getting familiar with it, and who had a terrifyingly effective gut feeling of when bad things will happen and to who. Also a questionable feature I might remove later, but for now it stays. He likes carrying around an axe even as a rogue cuz I myself love the hand axe from DnD... Axes my beloved <3

The purple pony one is a MLP oc I made up not so long ago, a changeling who is oddly creative and can take on many forms as well as create his own appearances, as shown by the cutie mark. Don't know if that's actually possible according to MLP lore, but hey, I don't draw comics and animations, so there's no harm in just making up characters I won't ever use lol

And the last one, that blue slutty dude, he's my uh... Let's say main character. Pseudo. That is indeed also my name, and so that guy is my sort of avatar for interacting with my own creations. I don't see them as just pictures and ideas, they live rent free jn my brain and sometimes take over when I use them in roleplays with friends, so this guy is the closest to the irl artist as can be. Well, if you don't pay attention to his sluttiness, godlike powers and messed up backstory. Really the only common thing we have is hairstyle and glasses. BUT THATS NOT THE POINT.

[fuzzydreamin]

I'm sorry but I CANNOT handwave cold fusion and I must scream about it.

You wanna know why? Because the Fallout universe barely even had regular nuclear fusion figured out before the bombs fell!

Doesn't make sense? Listen along for a bit while I explain...

Fusion power in the fallout world is a big fat lie. Almost nothing is actually powered by fusion - it's all fission, or something else entirely.

"Oh, but what about fusion cells and fusion cores? They're all over the place!"

They are a lie. Fusion cells and cores are made by Mass Fusion. They are named after their company! Not their technology!

You see, Mass Fusion marketed itself as attempting to bring forth cleaner and better power by way of nuclear fusion, starting out in the 2050's during the Resource Wars by placing 'fusion distribution boxes' around Massechusetts. In reality, these were just lead-lined plutonium (fission) wells that were not at all as safe as the company repeatedly claimed.

They started out with a lie. And they kept lying.

The next thing they brought out was the deceptively named Fusion Cells, about a decade later in 2066. Like the 'clean fusion box' before them, the Fusion cell was brought out during the Resource Wars, a time where America, and largely the rest of the world, was running out of basically everything. So they started making everything last to compensate - their food, their clothes, their power.

Now, in the first two Fallout games this item comes with this description: "A medium sized energy production unit. Self-contained fusion plant". But... that last part doesn't seem right to me. A nuclear core could be that small, maybe, but the smallest nuclear plants are still much larger than people. No, these are just batteries - Atomic Batteries.

Atomic batteries aren't plants, but rather use the heat from decaying radioactive materials to create electrical currents by way of the Seebeck effect. They have an extremely long shelf life and are able to work in harsh environments with no maintenance due to having no moving parts, which means they are commonly used for things like spacecrafts, remote scientific endeavours such as arctic lighthouses, and military purposes. Considering most pre-war fusion cells and cores are used by the military this makes a perfect fit.

So again, no fusion.

The Fallout world only got true fusion technology in 2077. The same year the bombs fell. Mass Fusion finally made good on their decades of promises and deceptions by creating the Beryllium Agitator - that thing the Brotherhood and Institute fight over to either power Liberty Prime or their future projects. Meaning that there were very limited sources of actual fusion energy both before the bombs fell and after! Its existence wasn't even common knowledge until the events of Fallout 4 over 200 years later!

And yet we are supposed to believe that Moldaver's completely unrelated company was not only able to recreate this technology on their own, but also excel it into cold fusion and miniaturise it to the size of a vitamin pill?! In less than a year?!!!

Sorry, but I don't buy it.

This is what happens when we get a show made by a group of people who don't know their own lore, and are openly proud of that fact...

sorry i wanna complain about the show's macguffin for a second but like. what a fuckin useless nonsensical item. i can handwave the existence of cold fusion because a lot of shit exists in the fallout universe; why not. the question remains: who the fuck is this for? power is useful, yeah, but only if you have the infrastructure to do anything with it. that shot of all the lights coming on at the end...even pretending that all that stuff would have survived the bombs dropping + over 200 years without maintenance, is there even anyone living in that area? hooray, the lights are on, we're still starving and drinking irradiated water. the water chip and the geck are both macguffins that have very immediate application to people's survival. the hoover dam is also about water, and is allowed to also be about power because there are very obviously large locations in the mojave in need of power. something has to keep all those neon lights on and casinos going. who's going to spearhead a huge civil engineering project with the ncr remnants to recreate a power grid for the area. if they hadn't destroyed the ncr this would be a much more feasible goal of theirs. you could even tie it in with new vegas - the ncr lost the dam and are scrambling for a separate power source. you can't establish a classic wasteland with everyone fighting over scraps and then declare electricity is going to save everyone. but none of that matters anyway because the brotherhood yoinked it i guess.

[wanou-dorm]

Chessy and odd Pick up lines Prompts

Cheesy Pick lines Prompts 

Odd and Cheesy Pickup lines I’ve found across the Web Mainly Joke4us and Pick up line.net. 

Put on in the Ask Box( specify characters saying it ) and ask  one muse of mine to React to it 

Hey, I’m writing an article on the finer things in life and I was hoping I could interview you.

Do you ever wear fishnets? Because you’re a real catch.

Are you a gardener? I like your tulips

Titanic. That’s my icebreaker. What’s up?

"Roses are red, Violets are blue, You can be my Cinderella, I'll even give you a shoe" 

So, it is a lie that fairies only appear in dreams.

Your voice is so a-do-re-ble to mi. 

I might not be Shawn Mendes, but your gonna love it when I call you "Senorita". 

Are you Stacy's mom? Cause you've got it going on. 

You must be the North Star, because the light around you guided me here 

Is your dad a thief? Why? Cause I saw him steal all the stars out of the sky and put them in your eyes. 

Would you touch me so I can tell my friends I've been touched by an angel? 

You must be (insert Famous Person here) twin sister/Brother ; the one they don't talk about because she/he's much more beautiful 

Are you an octopus? Because you octopi my thoughts.

So do you like stawberries or blueberries? [choose one] cause i need to know what kind of pancakes to order you in the morning

Are you an alien? because you just abducted my heart 

Are you a angel? cause I'm allergic to feathers * fake sneeze * 

With my IQ and your body we could begin a race of genetic superchildren to conquer the earth.

Do you have a Bandaid? Cos I just scraped my knee falling for you. 

Are you a mermaid?, cause your cute as shell.

My mom told me that life is like a deck of cards, so you must the be queen of hearts. 

Girl you must be made of Florine, Iodine, and Neon, because you are FINe 

You know why Men are so much sexier than women? Because you can't spell sexy without "xy". 

Are you coral reef? Because I'm in love with your beauty.

You must be a compound of beryllium and barium...because your a total BaBe. 

Hi does your body consist of Oxygen and Neon?, because you are the ONe. 

Are you full of Beryllium, Gold, and Titanium, because you are Be-Au-Ti-Ful 

Im attracted to you so strongly, scientists will have to develop a fifth fundamental force. 

Shiitake happens, our love doesn't.

Baby you're so cute you made my page 404. 

I'm not being obtuse, you are being acute girl 

Our love is like dividing by zero.... you cannot define it 

I less than three you..... (i < 3 you) 

At absolute zero, you would still move me. 

Your beauty defies real and complex analysis. 

Your hottness is the only reason we can't reach absolute zero. 

I wish I was your coronary artery, so that I could be wrapped around your heart. 

Roses are #FF0000, violets are #0000FF. All my base are belong to you. 

Do you want to see a picture of a beautiful person? (holds up mirror)

Are you a keyboard? Because you are my type.

Whether Jafar or Ja-Close I'll always be yours.

It's like Beauty and the Beast. I'm the Beauty you are the Beast.

I'm the eighth dwarf, Sexy.

Sha-la-la-la-la-la don't be scared, you got the moves prepared, you want to kiss me, girl.

I can take you to infinity and beyond.

Hey cutie, is that Cupid's arrow in your bow?

I'll be your Tramp, if you'll be my Lady.

Is your name David? Because I'm pretty sure you could have only be crafted at the hands of Michelangelo.

Are you a fly guy? Because you sweep me off my feet.

I used to waste time chasing butterflies , but nowadays because of you, I have them in my stomach.

You're like a butterfly beautiful to see but hard to catch.

I always think BC stand for Before You Came Into My Life;

couldn’t help but notice that you’re not a B-rachiosaurus, but a DD-rachiosaurus.

When I kissed you, I saw fireworks. Or Jubilee. Either way.

You activated my heart!

Aye girl, you a Twix? Cause I want both sides of you.

You mint a lot to me.

You candy cane do it.

You look sad, let me sprinkle some of good vibes at you baby.   

Are you cake? Cause I want a piece of that.

Did you just fall from heaven's bakery? Because you look as tasty as an angel cake.

You are on my list of things I'd do for a Klondike bar.

You put the 'hot' in hot fudge sundae.

You make me melt like hot fudge on a sundae.

Are you a fruit, because Honeydew you know how fine you look right now?

Are you sure you're not an alien because you've just abducted my heart!

Can I borrow your cell phone? I need to call animal control, because I just saw a fox!

Did god take the thunder out the sky and put it in your thighs?!

Excuse me, could you please dial down your hotness, it's causing global warming

Hello, I'm a thief, and I'm here to steal your heart.

Hello. Cupid called. He says to tell you that he needs my heart back

[whumptimemain]

Uhhh hi!

So, I accidently took a break, and then came back to a lot of new people, so in honour of being back after not posting for a while, I thought I’d re-introduce myself.

If I followed you, and you aren't a whump account, scroll down to the section "Where Else Do I Post?"

Who Am I?

I’m Sulphur, I use they/them pronouns, and I really (really) like whump.

You will mostly find scenarios or prompts here, as well as reblogs of prompts and other whump meta. Original posts are tagged with “wftwl original” and reblogs are tagged with “wftwl reblog” for your filtering pleasure. 

This is my main, so I follow and like from here!

What Do I Write?

First and foremost, I adore environmental whump. Anything from getting stuck in the rain to large scale natural disasters is on the table.

Vaguely related to that is plane crashes. I've made it no secret that plane crashes are my favourite trope, and I will literally write a plane crash fic for any fandom that canonically has planes.

I don't know if there's another term for this, but I also really enjoy urban whump, as in anything that takes place in a city. This one's a bit broad, but anything from kidnappings to a building collapsing.

Finally, I really enjoy team whump, usually in a fantasy or dystopian setting. I adore having multiple whumpees, and blurring the line between whumpee and caretaker.

Those are just my favourites though, I'll read just about anything.

Furthermore, I have a couple recurring sets of OCs that are my shmooply dooplers.

Zombie Apocalypse Lesbians:

A five man band of lesbians surviving together in the zombie apocalypse. They are also all in love with each other. Yay polycule.

Joan: Reluctant leader (she/her)

Valerie: Gutsy lancer (she/her)

Clover: Beefy tank (she/her)

Julie: Versatile brain (she/her)

Claire: Medic heart (she/her)

They all can and will be both whumpees and caretakers depending on the situation.

Elements:

These guys are super special to me. I created them for Whumptober 2018, although that writing is now completely private haha. They live in a fantasy world with stone age era technology and an over complex reincarnation system, which brings in it's own politics.

The good people:

Hydrogen: Literally just trying to live his life (Whumpee) (he/him)

Helium: Mother figure with baggage (Caretaker) (she/her)

Lithium: I'm not gonna lie, he's pretty much just there to be stoic and look hot (Whumpee/Caretaker) (he/him)

Beryllium: Hydrogen's shmoopy boyfriend (Whumpee) (he/him)

Carbon: Doctor with nefarious connections (Caretaker/Whumpee) (she/her)

The bad people:

Radon: The biggest bad. Doesn't like getting her own hands dirty. Has some serious beef with a past incarnation with Hydrogen and will not let this incarnation escape her wrath (Whumper) (she/her)

Iodine: Radon's pathetic husband (Whumper) (he/him)

Cesium: Does most of Radon's work, but lord she treats him horribly (Whumper/Whumpee) (he/him)

A Valley of Letters (AVOL)

My first ever set of OC's and it shows. I started writing for them in middle school in a horrible Wattpad story, but they have since been repurposed to a resistance in a post-apocalyptic city. They've rejected the corrupt government by rejecting their names. Nobody was allowed to join AVOL after their inception for fear of corruption. The agents left are the only agents remaining from the original 26.

C: Vigilante who operates on high ranking individuals. Uses a scythe. (Whumpee) (he/him)

H: Takes out law enforcement. Wields dual revolvers. (Child) (she/her)

J: Stages getaways, performs rescues, handles high stakes thievery. (Whumpee/Caretaker) (she/they)

M: Handles public welfare interventions. Stays masked in public. (Whumpee) (he/him)

N: Leader and planner. Can't leave their base because so many people are after him. (Caretaker) (he/him/?)

S: Plunders for resources. She wields a sword. She's pretty much a pirate. (Whumpee/Caretaker) (she/her)

T: Literally nine years old. They blend in, so they spy and monitor public spaces. (Child) (they/them)

Z: Arsonist. They use fire to send political messages. (Whumpee) (they/them)

Where Else Do I Post?

I've got an AO3, though it's mostly separate from this blog. Not all the fics are whump, but they are mostly angst, so if you're curious, it's linked!

Please be wary of the tags!

I have two side blogs, Whumptimebaby and sulphurofftheclock.

Chances are, if you have no clue why I followed you, it's relevant to one of these two blogs!

Whumptimebaby is a fanblog that mirrors my AO3 account! It's pretty much a 4*Town blog at this point, and has versions of those fics, babblings about WIPs, and other things relevant to my fics!

sulphurofftheclock is a general, non-whump fandom side blog. It's mostly reblogs but there's some fun stuff over there too 👀 like Whumptimebaby, it's kinda just,,, a 4*Town fanblog, but generally speaking is where I'll reblog art and fics, and interact from!

That's All From Me!

I hope you all enjoy your stay on my blog! I’m really excited to be back and posting more regularly again. I love this community more than anything :-)

Thank you!

[that-crazy-five-foot-two-chick]

Rating: G

Word Count: 1.6k

Fake dating, love at first sight, and all that. The basic fluff palate.

A/N: I had no idea what the lyrics to "Hello Stranger" by Stray Kids were until after I wrote the fic, but the title and vibe made me daydream this whole idea up in the car. You're welcome. (Totally would recommend the official MV too, it just doesn't have English subs)

Another day, another heckling. And this time it had to be on a public subway, apparently.

"All I'm saying is, if you're so rich, why do you have to conveniently forget your credit card every single time we all go out for lunch?" Edward narrowed his eyes at Ling.

"Why bring it when I don't expect to be going out to eat?" Ling said airily. "And you're always so generous when it happens unexpectedly."

Edward grunted. "That's an absolute load of bull and you know it. You can't say that you 'just forgot' to bring money because you 'didn't expect it' when I text the group chat 'Who wants to go out for lunch tomorrow?' and you say 'Ooh! Ooh! Me!'" he squealed in a poor imitation of his friend.

"Your girlfriend would love you for it, you know—paying for dates," Ling continued, ignoring Ed's accusations. He gasped. "Oh, that's right! You don't have a girlfriend! Perhaps if you weren't so quarrelsome, you could manage to win the heart of a lady."

"Who are you calling so puny that he's gonna die alone and have weeds all over his grave that no one will bother to pull?" Ed screeched.

Russell finally spoke up from his seat at the end of the row. "Ed, he didn't say anything about your height. He may be a cheapskate, but he didn't make a dig at your height. For once."

"Yeah, that's right! No fair changing the subject, Ling. This discussion was about how you're a little rich boy who always makes his friends pay for his own food," Ed huffed.

"Why quibble over such a minor expense? How expensive could a burger be? Twenty dollars?" The other two boys gaped at Ling, but he only kept going. "Besides, I'm far more interested in the current topic. Edward, you know I care for you deeply—"

"Fat chance."

"—but with your disposition, I doubt you could get a girlfriend if you tried!"

"Now, you wait just a second! You don't know squat about my love life! In fact, I could—"

Out of nowhere, a blonde girl knelt on the seat next to Ed's and slipped an arm around his shoulders.

"Hello, stranger." She winked. "Why didn't you tell me you were coming this way today? I know you're shy about our relationship, but you could have just told them, you know. You don't have to give into their teasing just for me, Eddie-boo."

All three boys gawked at her—Russell and Ling because of the fact that Ed actually had a girlfriend and Ed because of the fact that he didn't. Except now he had to pretend that this strange, hot blonde girl was his girlfriend.

So he choked. Then he recovered just enough to say, "Babe, no. I was just about to tell them. These pea-brains," he glared at them, "barely let me get a word in edgewise. Please believe me, babe."

"Of course I believe you, pretty boy." Her gaze made all coherent thoughts fly from his head. "But even if they are pea-brains, I should probably introduce myself." She tapped his nose. The buzzing feeling lingered long after the tip of her finger left it. "I'm Winry." She beamed at the other two boys. Ed's stomach twisted. He wasn't jealous, was he? He probably just ate something bad at lunch. Maybe Ling slipped something in his burger…

Ling grinned wickedly. "Lovely to meet you, Winry. How did you two meet? It must have been quite a job getting this one to agree to go out with you, what with his charming personality and all."

"Hm, how did we meet, babe? It all happened very gradually—knowing each other's faces, then knowing each other's names, then small talk here and there. Then before you know it, we were having deeper conversations as close friends, and then suddenly, we were dating! He's a real softie once you get him to open up," she said, ruffling his bangs.

"Winry!" He cleared his throat. "Babe, you don't have to tell them everything."

"Oh, man!" Russell guffawed, wiping away a tear. "This girl must have you whipped, Ed."

"Something like that," Ed muttered.

Suddenly, the train lurched and threw Winry forward, her arm around Ed's shoulders directing her course straight for his lap. They stared at each other in panic for a few moments. Then Winry laughed nervously. "Looks like I fell for you, huh, babe?"

Edward slapped his forehead. "Really? Fell for me? That's so terrible, I might break up with you just for that."

"Nah, you like me too much," Winry said, planting a kiss on his forehead.

Edward's face turned a violent shade of red. Pretty girl. Flirting. At him. Dream. It was a dream. Dreams don't have lips with that much detail. Can't look at friends. They'll laugh. Different topic. Periodic table. Periodic tables are simple. Hydrogen, helium, lithium, beryllium…

"Like I said," Russell smirked. "Whipped."

The subway car lurched again as the intercom announced their arrival at the stop, and Ed's arms flew to keep Winry from being thrown again. Just as quickly as he had held her close, he loosened his grip. For a moment, her eyes widened and a faint blush rose on her cheeks. She shifted on his lap.

"This is my stop. Nice meeting you guys!" Winry leaned in to whisper into Ed's ear. "I probably caused you more trouble than I solved. I'm so sorry." She offered him a half smile and slid off his lap.

His legs somehow felt bare without her weight, his arms cold without her warmth. How could he just let her walk away? But how could he just stalk a stranger? Fortunately, all intelligent thought had left him long ago.

"See you guys later! Better priorities have come up than messing around with you losers!"

Edward heard silence, then laughter behind him, but he kept his eyes forward as he followed Winry out into the station. Crap, what had he gotten himself into? He was such an idiot. His idiot mouth and his idiot legs had been faster than his idiot brain and he was about to be in big, big trouble with this really beautiful, really nice stranger. The doors closed behind them.

"Look, I'm really, really sorry. I don't know what got into me. I don't know why I went along with it. I don't just do this sort of thing, it just happened. If there's—" Winry cut Ed off.

"You went along with it because I started it. What were you supposed to do? If anything, it's my fault for putting you in an awkward position. It was gutsy and presumptuous and I should have just let your conversation happen. I don't exactly go around pretending to be random people's girlfriends either. Some weird gut reaction in me just...did it. I...I don't even know what to say for myself. I made you lie to your friends and now you're going to have to tell them that and...I'm. I'm so sorry." She raked her hand into her ponytail and avoided his gaze.

"Can we consider ourselves forgiven, then?"

She met his eyes with a slight laugh. "Yeah, I guess so."

"Good, so...um…are you actually single?" He sighed and mumbled, "man, I don't normally do this," and continued, "Because I'd love to take you out for real if you are." His pulse thundered through every blood vessel in his body while she opened and closed her mouth and blushed. It would be cute if his entire being wasn't vibrating waiting for her response.

"Y–yeah," she breathed.

"Gah," Ed rubbed the back of his neck. "Of course you're not single, why would you be? I mean, look at you—"

"No! No. I'm. I'm not single. I mean! I'm not in a—I don't have a boyfriend."

"Oh."

"I'd...I'd love to go out with you, Edward."

"Wow," he finally managed.

"What?" Winry smiled at him in confusion.

"I really scored big today and I don't even know how." He grinned crookedly. "Was something about my complete lack of competent speech attractive or something? Nobody just agrees to going on a date with a complete stranger. Your name is actually Winry, right?"

She laughed. "Yes, my name is actually Winry. I didn't really have a lot of time to come up with a fake name or anything. As for going out with a complete stranger… I don't know. I just know I can trust you. I figure, why not go for it? And, um. I wasn't entirely joking when I called you 'pretty boy.'" She bit her lip and smiled at her shoes.

Ed's mind blanked for what seemed the billionth time that day. "You're the—you're the pretty one!" he squawked.

"Well, then...if I'm the pretty one, can I be the one to ask you for your number?"

"What?" He wasn't sure whether he'd been shaken out of his mental fog or pushed further into it. "I mean, yes! Um, here it is." He fumbled with his phone and showed her his contact information.

"Thanks." She smiled with all the light the universe could give her. "I'll...see you soon then?"

"Are you busy right now?" Ed blurted out. "Or is taking you out to dinner too soon?"

"Oh! No, not at all. I'm kind of craving Chinese takeout, actually, if that's okay."

"Yeah. Yeah, it's totally okay. Just. One thing." Winry raised her eyebrows in accession. "Never call me 'Eddie-boo' again."