#dr ratio’s leggings look. weird. i don’t like them

[polarisbear]

i’ve been in a mood.

[image id 1: a sketch of dr. radio, aventurine, and ruan mei. the men have had slight redesigns while ruan mei has a whole new outfit.

image id 2: a sketch of sparkle from honkai star rail. she’s been slightly redesigned.

image id 2: a sketch of two redesign ideas for the vivid bad squad version of hatsune miku. one has an asymmetric button up while the other is an adjustment of the 2nd anniversary design.]

[sentoooo]

ᴘᴇʀɪᴏᴅ ꜱᴇx? ⨟ ʜꜱʀ ᴍᴇɴ

✭ pairing(s): aventurine, dr ratio, boothill, gallagher, sunday, sampo, jing yuan, blade, luocha, dan heng, gepard, caelus, welt (seperate) x reader

✩ inspo: im feeling sick in the head and also Fuck Me by Vernon Jane

✧ a/n: uhhmmmm i deserve to be a little freaky and weird and perverse ALSO IDK WHY THE X LOOKS LIKE THAT AND ITS ANNOYING ME TOO. LETS IGNORE IT, TOGETHER

🗒 cw: SMUT, gn! afab reader (for the bad bitches with uteruses), period sex (spoiler: theyre ALL into it.), fingering, face sitting, use of toys, dry humping (?), thigh riding, cunnilingus, thigh job, mutual masturbation, cowgirl/boy position, mating press, not proofread

✎ wc: 4.1k

MINORS DNI, 18+ ONLY

⎯ Aventurine

AVENTURINE is all for it, if it means it’ll make you feel better. He prefers to use toys, if anything. He doesn’t mind getting his hands dirty, but he’s more worried about hurting you. So he’s got a set of vibrators specifically that he likes to use while you’re on your period. And if you ask, he’ll probably buy a couple new ones, as well.

You do your best to stay still underneath Aventurine, eyes shut tight as you buck your hips up against the wand between your legs. Aventurine looks down smugly at you, mirth glimmering in those beautiful eyes of his. The beneath your stomach had long since turned into a delicious feeling of wholeness and warmth, and you couldn’t help but chase after it. Aventurine, for once, cannot bring himself to tease about how desperate you are to cum.

He had amped up the wand to its max intensity, just to make sure you had felt it through your clothes. Not that you hadn’t, you were practically pushing your pussy up against it the minute he had brought out the vibrator, doing anything to get yourself off. You feel the pleasure mounting all too quickly, yet chase after it nonetheless. You grab Aventurine’s wrist and whined, legs tensing and closing as if to ward off the vibrator. And like that, the pressure releases, giving way to a blissful feeling, the last of your cramps fading away so… easily.

“That good, huh?” Aventurine chides, a sultry grin plastered on his features as he lowers the intensity of the vibrator, yet still presses it up against your clothed clit to let you ride out your high. You don’t respond, basking in the sensation (and the fact that your cramps are gone).

⎯ Dr. Ratio

VERITAS may act hesitant when you bring up the idea, but he doesn’t say no. He’s more worried about how he should go about it than anything, and while it isn’t unfamiliar territory to him, he’s just… unsure of himself. Ultimately, he settles on toys, normally vibes, but dildos will do as well.

It was rather late by the time you had come complaining to him, and he was already behind on grading his student’s papers. Normally, he’d tell you to give him a couple more minutes to finish up his work and you give him that time, but with how much you're groaning and talking about the pain, he’s quite quick to put his pen down. He adjusts himself and slides open his legs, patting his thigh for you to sit down on, with barely another word.

And of course you sit down, your cramps had been killing you all day and you were desperate to find any way to get rid of them because painkillers just… weren’t working. You start to weakly grind against his thigh, hands holding yourself up by his strong shoulders. His right arm wraps around your waist and guides you slow rocking movements, fishing through his desk and finding a vibrator wand. He felt a little embarrassed to have kept something so… lewd in his desk, but then again, there were moments like this that made him feel a little bit better about keeping it.

He sets it on a lower setting, pressing it against your clit and you grind against his thigh. He watches intently, his gaze soft as he does his best to coax you through it, small, soft praises that no one would expect from Veritas himself. But he’s worried, more than aroused. If this is what helps your cramps, then he doesn’t mind, he doesn’t even protest. He watches as your face goes from tensed to relaxed, moaning out his name and even small ‘thank you’s as your heat mounts.

⎯ Boothill

You don’t even have to ask BOOTHILL, the minute you complain about your cramps, he’s on his knees, tugging at the hem of your pants. He prefers to eat you out on your period, given his skilled tongue. Any ‘but’s you had when you first brought the idea up were quickly swept away, he’d eat you out every day of the week during your cycle, or even all day, if you needed it.

Boothill groans against your sex, head buried between your thighs as your hands tug at his hair, a silent praise for just how good he was doing. While he feels quite feverish, his pace is slow and languid, drawing out every little sound of yours he can. The metallic taste on his tongue is just another reward, really. His hands grip your thighs as he presses a series of kisses against your clit, before delving his tongue back into your heat.

Soft sighs escape you as he continues his ministrations, unbothered by the way you squirm every so often or tug at his hair. He’s drunk off the taste of you, really. He laps up the blood as if it was his last meal, groaning every now and then when he had to take a breath. Sometimes he murmurs something in your flesh, too muffled for you to hear, but the vibrations of his gravelly voice provide an exquisite feeling. If you could do this all day, you would.

Heat curls beneath your stomach as Boothill suckles on your clit, thighs pressing against either side of his face as you grind your hips further into his mouth like he wasn’t close enough. Your head spins as you finally let go, letting out a low moan and cumming into his mouth. He licks it all up, letting out a low, guttural sound of approval, his mouth pressed against your folds for a second longer. He withdraws with a gentle kiss pressed to your clit, and a cocky grin sent your way. He quite enjoys the mess.

⎯ Gallagher

The minute you brought the idea up, GALLAGHER is down. He’d do anything you asked him to, from simply fingering you to full on penetration, whatever you want, he does. He wants you to feel better, and by Aeons, he’ll do just that. Would period cramps even exist in a dream? Doesn’t matter. If he knows it’ll help you, he’s on it.

His fingers sink deep within your pussy, a satisfied smile gracing his lips as you roll your hips against his fingers, moaning softly. His thumb presses against your clit, rubbing circles against it. Lewd squelching sounds fill your ears and you desperately chase after his fingers every time the pull back slightly, head leaning back against Gallagher’s shoulder, splayed out in his lap.

“That’s it,” He coos, his free hand wrapped around your waist, squeezing at your hip. He presses a quick kiss to the crook of your neck, pulling you impossibly closer as he picks up the pace of his fingers. Heat spreads throughout your body, your eyes rolling back as you surrender to the feeling. “Doesn’t that feel better, sweetheart?”

Before you can catch it, your orgasm sneaks up on you all too quickly. You barely felt it build up, and now you’ve cum on Gallagher’s fingers. He lets out a throaty chuckle as you do so, tilting your head and moaning into his ear. With a few more pumps of his rough fingers, he pulls them out slowly, admiring his work. You breathe heavily, doing what you can to catch your breath. Your eyes follow his hand as he brings it up to his mouth, sucking off the rest of your blood and cum from his fingers with a satisfied, sultry look.

⎯ Sunday

SUNDAY would feel quite… down, knowing that period cramps still exist within Penacony. Knowing you can’t even escape them in the Dreamscape, he can’t help but wallow a little. But, with that, he will do anything to take away the pain. And when you suggest period sex, he’s practically scrambling for a condom.

Water sloshes around you as Sunday’s hands curl up at your sides, nails digging into flesh. He presses his nose to the crook of your neck, moaning against your skin as he bucks his hips up into you. Your back is pressed flush against his chest, his cock buried within you as he does his best to guide you by your hips. He lets out soft groans here and there, evidently enjoying this more than you are.

He does his best to minimize splashing, yet he is eager to please, and to make you feel better. He isn’t rough or fast, taking you at a rather languid pace, but with how feverish his groans are, how his hips stutter every now and then, he’s rather close himself. He can’t help himself, simply being this close to you has him hard. You roll your head back, moaning against his ear, and he just can’t help but cum.

You follow soon after as Sunday peppers kisses against your neck, sloppily at first, but becoming more refined as he shakes off that needy headspace. The pressure in your stomach gives way to blissful heaven then nothingness, the pain that spread to your stomach and legs, gone, just like that. When you turn your head to look at Sunday, he was a gentle smile plastered to his lips, eyelashes fluttering as if he himself had felt your pain go away.

⎯ Argenti

ARGENTI does everything that he can for you when you start your period. No questions asked. In fact, he’s the one that brings up the idea of sex. He’ll eat you out as you wish, finger you, or simply fuck you as gently or as hard as you wish. He doesn’t mind a mess, he actually quite likes it.

He indulges in his desires so easily when it’s you. When his eyes flutter open, he looks up at you with the utmost devotion, head buried between your thighs as you ride his face. Your moans only spur him on, and when you look behind you, you can see his painfully hard erection that has gone untouched. He planned on delighting you in every single way you asked him to, but insisted on starting with his favorite.

Argenti whimpers against your flesh, too caught up in his own selfish desires as his normally profound and rather elegant tongue-fucking turns feverish and sloppy, as if this was something he had always wanted. It was hard for him to break his normally so composed character, and yet here he was, so messy for his lover above him, he himself was desperate to quell the cramps you had been dealing with. His mouth works at a head-spinning pace for once, licking a fat stripe up your folds, kissing your clit, then practically making out with whatever he could put his mouth on.

Just as you orgasm, he lets out a guttural groan, something that came from deep within his throat, lapping up what he can and more. Yet, when you look behind you, Argenti’s cock is drooling, flushed, with sticky white tendrils coating his abdomen. His face flushes when you notice, but he doesn’t hide it. “Apologies…” He mutters against your flesh, giving it another kiss before raising your hips and helping you get off.

⎯Sampo Koski

Whatever you need, SAMPO has for you. He prefers to finger you while on your period, but he doesn’t mind full on sex, or even using toys. If he can’t be there when you’re on your period, he’ll make sure you have plenty of toys to keep yourself… company.

Sampo groans softly behind you, his leg thrown over yours as you two spoon, his fingers gliding over your folds. He doesn’t dare push them in, not yet, anyways. As much as you begged him, he wanted to be as difficult as possible, no matter how much you complained how bad the cramps were getting. Despite that, you were shuddering at any long stroke, the way his pointer and middle finger caged your clit in between them, a satisfied hum coming from his throat.

“Mmm…” He moans, grinding against your ass. He still can’t help getting himself off, the sounds of your breath hitching and soft moans as you ask him for more, how can he not get off on that? How selfish of him, really, to abate your pleasure in favor for his… “Feels good, huh?”

The audacity of this man, it’s as if he’s taunting you. Before you can complain, he finally presses both fingers to your clit, rubbing agonizingly slow circles around it. His grinding borders on desperate as he does so, burying the face in the crook of your neck as his eyebrows furrow. The bastard had came before he even gave you the chance to build up… but he doesn’t leave you hanging. As if he felt bad that he had teased you. His fingers sink into your heat, thumb pressed against your clit. He pumps them at a leisurely pace, unhurried still. Sampo’s breath is heavy as he comes down from his high, head still spun up in the need to please. He’ll apologize correctly, he swears, after you cum AT LEAST twice…

⎯ Jing Yuan

JING YUAN is actually quite delighted to have any hand in making you feel better. From making sure you have you painkillers and enough snacks, to making sure your need is sated. He’s quite happy when you ask for sex, and his go to is NORMALLY fingering, but tonight, he’s feeling a little different…

Warm water runs down your back as you press your lips to Jing Yuan’s shoulder, the scent his cologne filling your senses. After a long day of work, he had proposed a shower with you, but now, it had long been forgotten, his large hands placed on your hips as he rolled his own slowly. His cock is pressed between your thighs, dragging against your folds, the head notching against your clit every few seconds. The push and pull makes your head spin, leaning in to him to keep yourself up.

He had been craving you all day, almost too distracted to finish his work. He didn’t know exactly what brought on the sudden bout of clinginess, you were always on his mind, yes, but nothing quite like this. So, when he came home to you, complaining about your cramps, it felt like every aligned, clicked into place. He was quick to comfort you… and more.

He chuckles softly above you as your nails dig into his arms, which was quickly replaced with a low, content moan. He leans his head down, picking up the pace of his thrusts ever so slightly, causing you to gasp. Your thighs tense as pressure rises beneath your stomach, Jing Yuan kept up with the steady pace. Slowly, drag after drag, the pressure builds, and then releases as you shudder, pressed up against him. He guides you through your orgasm, his thrusts slow as he allowed you to come down from your high. He held off his own orgasm, pulling away from you with a soft smiler, an even softer gaze.

⎯ Blade

BLADE may sound reluctant but he’s quite thrilled with the idea. He doesn’t mind fingering you, but he actually quite enjoys giving you head. To have his mouth pressed against you, a towel beneath you, while he works his magic… he could ask for nothing more.

He’s feeling especially ravenous tonight, and has you perched up on the couch, over his face, while he strokes his cock. The other hand holds you by your thigh, letting out low grunts and groans in between sloppy kisses and licks to your pussy. He’s greedy, but unhurried, making sure to let his contentment be known through lewd noises.

He doesn’t say much, as he normally does, simply feasting on whatever he can. Moans escaped him as he continued to stroke himself, hips bucking impatiently. His teeth scrape against your folds every now and then, taking what he wants. He draws out any sounds he can from you, his pace bordering on desperation. His grip tightens on your thigh, watching as you tense every now and then.

Ultimately, your moans become more frequent, Blade’s sloppy eating getting to you as heat surges through your body, your hands gripping the back of the couch. You look down between your legs and meet Blade’s gaze, fiery and passionate. You can’t help but lose yourself in those eyes, even with such a lewd action. He laps up every drop of your essence, letting out a satisfied hum before shifting his attentions to his own cock, desperate to get himself off, as if he was finished. Which, he wasn’t, really. It was the first of many orgasms that night, he’d make sure it was.

⎯ Luocha

Far be it for LUOCHA to deny you pleasure. Especially when you come to him glassy eyed, hands over your stomach, muttering about how you’d do anything to make the cramps go away. He’d do anything to see you smiling again. And when your eyes light up at the suggestion, he’s more than happy to go through with it.

You had asked him for help, and by Aeons, Luocha would make sure you would feel better. He cages you in via a mating press, his hair falling around you like a veil. His eyes are closed and eyebrows furrowed as he moans, pressing as deep into you as he can. His voice was groggy and heavy, only to have just woken up. Yet he was lucid enough to lose himself within you.

He leans in and presses a feverish kiss to your lips, his strokes slow and measured, pausing every time his cock was fully seated in you. At this moment he could care less about the blood on his dick, too tired to control his desires and submitting to some sort of primal urge that welled within him. Luocha, so normally controlled, yet still a slave to desire.

It was early morning, you yourself didn’t know what time exactly. You had just woken up, and for whatever reason you just couldn’t sleep. Unfortunately, your cramps had caught up to you before you could fall asleep, and aside from moaning and groaning in bed, you had woken up Luocha to help, at least not wanting to be alone while it felt like your cramps were eating you alive. He seemed so eager to help, and now that you were beneath him, you understood why.

⎯ Dan Heng

DAN HENG is not adverse to the idea at all, the first time you had asked, he was quick to suggest toys. Any time your cycle comes around and you suggest period sex, he’s got a towel at the ready and a vibrator of your choice picked out.

He sits behind you, eyes transfixed on your sex as he presses a wand up to your clit. His hand rests on your thigh as you buck your hips against the toy, whining softly. You do your best to keep quiet, Dan Heng’s lack of noise making you feel slightly awkward. Yet, he spurs you on in his own quiet way, pressing the wand a little harder against your clit.

His fingers trail from your thigh to your hip, now resting his chin on your shoulder. He listens intently to all the little sounds you make, before whispering silent praises to you. You had already cum twice, your cramps a distant thought by now. But you had asked for more, and Dan Heng would deliver, as always.

Before your orgasm can creep up on you, he pulls the vibrator away from you and shuffles out from behind you. You complain, but he urges you to lay down, rifling through one of your drawers for a box of condoms. He looks back at you with a barely noticeable smirk. Something that told you to hush up and wait…

⎯ Gepard

While GEPARD is hesitant when the suggestion of period sex is proposed, when you tell him that it could help lessen your cramps, he’s rather eager to get started. He finds that his fingers work best, if you two can’t find a condom.

Gepard is quite antsy when you come home, you had texted him that you had had a bad day, and that your cramps were kicking your ass, and he wanted to make it allll better. He had bought you all sorts of treats, flowers, ordered takeout, the list goes on. And when the door opened he had showered you with all sorts of questions, what else he could do to make your day better, how he can help, whatever he could do. One question makes you shake off your bad mood so quickly, though: “Do you want me to get you your vibrator?”

So there you are, sitting across from Gepard, legs open as you press the want to your clit, while he strokes himself slowly. His eyes drop to your folds, his face practically red. He feels… perverted, but he just can’t help himself. Your soft breaths guiding his arousal, eyes darting nervously between your face and to your pussy, then back to your face.

Eventually, he came prematurely, stuttering over his words and muttering apologies after he does, only to be met with a soft sigh from you. He can’t help but watch with rapt fascination, that same flush painting his face continuously. And when you cum, he practically cuddles up to you, peppering kisses across your face and neck, praising you.

⎯ Caelus

You don’t bring up the idea, CAELUS does. He practically begs before you even get the chance to say you’re down. He goes all in, really, depends on what you are feeling like. You want him to eat you out? He’s on his knees. Want him to fuck you? All good with him. He’ll use toys as well, if you aren’t comfortable with any part of him being in you.

He shudders beneath you as his hands guide your hips up and down his cock, groaning softly, eyes heavy-lidded and glassy, eyes darting everywhere like he doesn’t know exactly what to look at. You prop yourself up by your hands on his chest, head dipped as every thrust makes you forget all about your woes.

He does his best not to cum, simply the sight of you riding him like that, taking what you want, it feels like it’s too much. He always did his best to make your periods tolerable, if you weren’t down for sex, he’d grab any snack he could, make sure you had a heating pad, pain killers, and whatever else you wanted. But when you were down for sex, Aeons, he could go all night. That’s one perk of housing a stellaron inside of his body.

“F-Fudge, you’re good…” Caelus groans. You can’t help but chuckle softly at the word ‘fudge’, you know exactly where– who– he picked it up from, and he returns your chuckle in kind. He was never one to take sex seriously, and will never, even when it’s something like… fucking your cramps away.

⎯ Welt

Who better to take care of you than WELT YANG? He does not mind the mess at all, whichever way you want him to take you, he will do. He’s on top of everything, the painkillers you need, snacks you’d like, eating pads, the whole thing. And when it comes to you asking him about period sex? He gladly says yes.

“Feeling better?” Welt murmurs against your skin, his fingers sinking into your warm heat. He knew well enough that of course one little movement wouldn’t make your cramps go away. But with how reassuring he had been, and even how quick he was to comply with your request for sex. He had set a towel beneath you, and even brought out a myriad of toys to use if you so wished.

Slowly he pumped his fingers inside you, head resting on your shoulder as he watched his own movements. His gentle smile persists as you moan, melting at his touch. His free hand strokes your back, coaxing you through it with soft words as your walls clamp around his fingers. He draws out each motion for you, slow and deliberate, pressing a kiss to your shoulder with each moan you let out.

Even with his slow movements, you find that your orgasm sneaks up on you all too quickly. You press your legs together as if to keep him out, heat curling up beneath your stomach and down your legs. He doesn’t stop, simply nudging your legs open with his free hand, curling his fingers and hitting juuust the right spot. You whine and cum over his fingers, grinding your hips against them weakly. He allows you to ride out your high, that placant smile playing on his lips still.

© sentoooo, 2024 | masterlist | kofi | star header by roseschoices | sfw blog DO NOT REPOST AS YOUR OWN, REPOST ON ANY OTHER PLATFORM, OR USE FOR AI/AI CHATBOTS.

[annewritesfic]

Happy Endings Don't Exist

i've decided to just keep the same title for all the tlc au stuff sjwjwjwjwj

anyways! so this is based off the end of cress, and for context:

- farrah lost her vision in a satellite crash when she hit her head

- erland is the doctor who figured out kate is selene

- chess has been taken captive by a thaumaturge, one of the queen's lackeys, and cairo is terrified for her

- also i don't know if i mentioned it but kate's a cyborg, a 36.98% ratio, left leg is metal pretty much halfway up their thigh, left hand is metal, a bunch of ribs, vertebrae, and half their heart are synthetic, and her eyes are synthetic with a control panel in the back of their head

- eva was supposed to marry levana today, but kate, reese, cairo, mattie, and farrah kidnapped her right before the wedding could start

okay yeah i think that's it

word count: 1703

triggers: mentions of blood/violence/death, mentions of massacre, mentions of a gun, mentions of torture

"It's me, Eva." Kate clenched both hands into fists and stared at their boots. "I'm the lost princess."

"Oh," Eva said softly. "Oh."

"And, um, in case it wasn't obvious, I was being sarcastic about being great," Kate said, unable to take the silence. "I mean- obviously, you've got your own stuff to worry about, but, like, it- it kind of has been a rough few weeks with the ball and Levana and my sister and Erland is dead and Chess is missing and Farrah is blind and Cairo is- I don't know. She's so still and I'm worried about her, but- don't worry, I've got this under contr-"

"Please stop talking."

Kate stopped talking.

Eva leaned against the wall and slowly slid down until she was sitting. "You. You're Princess Selene?"

"Yeah…"

"The whole time, it was you."

"I mean, I didn't know for awhile, either," Kate said. "Dr Erland figured it out first, but he didn't think to tell me until I was in prison, so…"

"Levana knows, doesn't she?" Eva seemed oddly calm, considering the bombshell Kate just dropped on her head. "That's why she's so fucking determined to find you."

"Yeah."

"And it was you this entire goddamn time."

"You know, you're taking this way better than I thought you would."

Eva leaned her head back against the wall, eyes closed. "It-it makes sense, kind of. In a weird way." She was quiet for a moment, then cracked a smile. "Although I always kinda pictured the princess, like… in a dress."

Kate managed a laugh. "That's probably not happening anytime soon."

"And I thought that if I could just… find her, it would be so easy. We'd present her to the world as the true queen of Luna, and Levana would just crawl and hide in a hole. I didn't think…" Eva took a shaking breath. "I never thought she'd know. That she'd be fighting it."

"I don't think you know your fiancée very well."

Eva's eyes opened, and she stared at Kate with a steady, determined gaze that made Kate forget to breathe for a moment. "Okay, no more secrets. I'm done with big reveals from you, so if there's anything else you're keeping from me, I wanna hear it now."

Kate thought for a moment. Big secrets… cyborg. Lunar. Princess. Eva knew it all.

Well, maybe one more secret. They might be just… a tiny bit in love with her.

But obviously she couldn't tell her that.

"I can't cry," they whispered, sitting down against the opposite wall.

"I knew that," Eva said.

"Wha- how?"

"Your guardian said something about it." Eva ran a fingernail up and down a metal seam on the floor, almost nervously. "And, um… I looked at your files. Your medical records."

"You what?"

"I'm sorry, but-but you were a fugitive and I needed to know more." Eva paused. "I didn't want to, though. I felt- it was too much of an invasion on your privacy. I'm sorry, Kate."

Kate fought to breathe slowly and steadily. "No, it's- no more secrets."

"Are your eyes really…?"

"Synthetic," Kate confirmed.

Eva moved a little closer across the floor. "And that's why you can't cry?"

"It's not like I need the tear ducts for lubrication, and they got in the way of… I have a retina scanner and like, a really small netscreen in my eye." Kate tapped one metal finger against the side of her head. "So there's a lot of wiring… fuck, I can't believe I'm telling you this."

"I think it's pretty fucking awesome."

A laugh ripped from Kate's throat, oddly pleasant.

Eva reached for Kate's hands. "Can I see?"

Kate rolled their eyes, but sighed and nodded. Eva stared into her eyes, almost like she was trying to see right through to Kate's control panel, but then she shook her head with an expression of wonder. "You'd never know."

Embarrassed, Kate bit her lip. "Look at the bottom of my left iris." They pulled up a news feed they'd been watching before the ship had even landed in New Beijing, from the African Union. She didn't bother turning on the volume, letting the news anchor stay muted.

"Wait, is that-"

"Yeah, that's it."

"It's tiny. Just- really just a dot."

"It looks bigger to me." Kate dismissed the news feed, trying not to think about how close Eva was, or how she was still holding their hands.

Eva studied Kate's face - not the retina scanner or the synthetic eyes, just Kate. "I'm sorry I had you arrested. But I really am glad you're alright."

"Don't you hate me for, you know… shooting you?"

Eva's lips twitched up into a smile. She dropped Kate's human hand to pick up the metal one in both hands, studying the tips of the shiny grey fingers. "You know, none of the diagrams I looked at said anything about a gun."

"I like to maintain an air of mystery."

"Funnily enough, I've noticed."

Kate bit their lip again. "The hand is new. It's… plated with one hundred percent titanium. And that's yet another thing I can't believe I'm telling you."

Eva lifted Kate's hand to her lips and pressed a kiss against the cool metal. "Kate?"

"Y-yeah?"

"Just to be sure, you're not manipulating me right now, right?"

"Of course not."

"Good. Just checking." Then Eva slid her arms around Kate's waist and kissed her.

Immediately, Kate's retina display went crazy. INCREASED LEVELS OF DOPAMINE AND ENDORPHINS. REDUCED AMOUNTS OF CORTISOL. ERRATIC PULSE. RISING BLOOD PRESSURE-

Kate dismissed the retina display and kissed back.

Eva shifted to sit back and pull Kate closer without even once breaking the kiss, and both of them smiled into it, relaxing after weeks of stress piling on both of them. Kate broke the kiss and pressed her forehead against Eva's, breathing easier than they had in weeks. Eva gently rubbed circles against Kate's back, calming and soothing, and even though every person on Earth was probably freaking out over the missing empress and determined to find them, Kate had never been calmer.

But then the retina display, alone against the darkness of Kate's closed eyes, caught their attention.

FARAFRAH.

LUNARS.

MASSACRE.

Kate pulled away, huddling against the wall, every happy emotion from kissing Eva quickly being replaced by panic and fear.

"Kate-"

Kate shook her head frantically, and Eva stopped talking for a moment.

"I'm sorry," she said after a pause. "I shouldn't have- shit, Kate, I'm so sorry-"

"No, that's not- it wasn't-" Kate dug their hands into their hair. "Levana."

Eva inhaled sharply. "What did she…?"

"She- she retaliated," Kate managed to say, focusing on the news feed. "She attacked- she attacked Farafrah, the- fuck, that's the town that helped us." The air went cold, and Kate tried desperately to process this. Pictures flashed across the display with so much blood.

"Kate-"

Kate grabbed a wrench and hurled it against the wall in frustration, then slumped against the wall, shaking.

"Has Levana issued any demands?" Eva asked, infuriatingly calm.

"I don't know." Kate grit her teeth. "But they're all dead, and it's my fault. Because they helped me."

"It's not-"

"It is my fault, Eva!"

"Kate, listen to me." A hand settled on her shoulder. "You didn't kill them."

"I basically did."

"Did they know the risk when they let you stay?"

Kate didn't say anything.

"Maybe they thought it was a risk worth taking. Because they believed in you."

"If you're trying to help, you're doing a really shitty job," Kate spat.

"Kate-"

"You wanna know another secret? The biggest secret?" Kate swallowed down the familiar lump in their throat that said you should be crying. Would be, if you were human. "I'm scared, Eva."

Those words hung in the air for a moment.

"I'm scared of her army, and of what she can do, and I'm supposed to be strong and brave but I don't know what I'm doing, I don't know how I'm supposed to overthrow her, and even if I did, I don't know how to be a queen. People are relying on me and now they're dying because of a fantasy that I can maybe save them, but- what if I can't?"

Eva pulled her into her arms, and Kate buried their face in her soft shirt, a headache pounding behind her eyes. "I'm scared."

"I know how you feel."

"Not really."

"Close to it, at least."

"No, because-" Kate curled her human fingers into Eva's shirt. "What if I'm becoming like her?"

"You aren't."

"How can you be so sure?" Kate demanded. "Because I manipulated soldiers in France. And your advisor today. And Cairo, and I- I keep thinking sacrifices have to be made for the good of everyone, right? And then there are the mirrors- I think I'm starting to get why she hates them so much." They started shaking. "And… I tortured her thaumaturge today. I tortured her. And I almost enjoyed it."

"Katie, look at me." Eva sat back and cupped Kate's face with one hand, staring into their eyes. "I know you're scared, and believe me, you're allowed to be. You have every right to be scared. But you are not Queen Levana."

"You can't know that."

"Yeah? I do."

"She's my aunt, you know."

"And my grandfather signed the Cyborg Protection Act." She brushed Kate's hair out of her face. "But here we are."

Kate almost smiled at that.

"Now, how about we never talk about you being related to her again? Because I'm technically still engaged to her, and that's really weird on so many levels."

Kate managed a laugh as Eva pulled them back into her arms. Her headache started to fade, and the news feed drifted out of their gaze. Even with the shit show of Kate's life… Eva felt safe.

"You won't tell anyone, right?"

"'course not."

"And if I'm a shitty princess?"

"I don't think Luna needs a princess. I think they need a revolutionary."

Kate turned that word over in their mind. "I like that more than princess."

"And then, once this is over, I do have some experience in the ruling-a-country field," Eva pointed out. "So I'll help you."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

[hey-hamlet]

BNHA AU Ideas: Songbird, Part 2

Also on AO3! 

Link to Part 1 

TL;DR: 

Izuku has a powerful quirk: he can give powers to the people around him based on the different songs he sings. Unfortunately, everyone else really wants that quirk and are willing to kidnap him to get it. 

Songbirds sing even when the music stops.

Hello I’m redefining Izuku’s quirk for the sake of more dramatic powers: Most songs are general power-ups (everyone in auditory range), others are personal power-ups (only the person singing). Both only affect those who hear them, unless the effect is 100% intrinsic. Izuku uses a lot of general power-ups because he’s helpful like that. Each song can only be used once per day.

Examples: A song that creates a forcefield will only be a barrier to those who hear it, but a strength increase is a strength increase no matter which way you slice it.

anyway! day 1 of class is ok bc izuku and bakugo head to school together, and its honestly a miracle he didn't get kidnapped again

anyway, he meets iida and is fucking floored when he apologises for yelling at him. uraraka calls him the "boy with the singing quirk" and hes pretty happy. bakugo is grudgingly pleased izuku has friends and sits down, izuku following suit. shinsou is half asleep at his desk and seems to have been there the whole time

aizawa does his little spiel, quirk assessment happens yadda-yadda. izuku looks so chill on the outside but the kid is freaking the fuck out internally

he's coming second in the test, aizawa still erases his quirk, more of an example to the class because he assumed izuku wouldnt lose his shit. he didn't - at least externally

from this we also find out izuku has a kind of internal metronome because he suddenly has no internal 'beat' when his quirk is erased. his hearing gets substantially worse too.

which serves to freak him the fuck out because he feels off balance and like hes had cotton stuffed in his ears

anyway, yeets the ball, all is good, bakugo glares fucking daggers at aizawa for singling out izuku and izuku tries not to dissociate

battle trial is nothing special, but bakugo just fucking,,, turns his hearing aids off so izukus quirk doesnt work on him

its a blessing and a curse because it leaves izuku free to use most personal powerups, but honestly bakugo wants a nice fight more than he wants to win so thats fine with him

izuku wins, but only just, izuku gives uraraka a speed up through the comm link, iida who was Not ready for that, loses

USJ

Bakugo and Izuku sing Stronger than You and kick ass for a solid while before the song runs out and the nomu hits them into the lake. Izuku, with a broken leg and the beginnings of a concussion, has to drag a semi-conscious Bakugo to shore and let me tell you they both almost drown like 8 times. Izuku helps All Might by singing Anything (Hedly), which functions honestly like a big Ol’ Plus Ultra to anyone believing in what they are doing. (It starts working on Shigiraki after the Stain arc, but before then he was acting without purpose)

Sports festival!

All Might and Izuku are basically dad and son in this universe too, so, despite the dissimilar quirks, Todoroki still calls out Izuku to fight. Because Todoroki is the son of Endeavour and privy to a little more heroics insider info than he really should be, he also knows how often Izuku deals with villains. In an attempt to piss off the eternally nice and collected boy enough to give him a fight he can piss off Endeavour with, he calls him a damsel in distress.

Izuku is fuming and Bakugo has to basically hold onto his forearm to stop him from clocking Todoroki right in the jaw, but lord is Bakugo also pissed. Todoroki, for a second, realises he may have fucked up.

Todoroki wins the first event, Izuku is pretty middling. Like he's top 10? But he didn’t make a major impact. But the guy sees Monoma and gets an Idea

“HI SO – I know you hate class 1A, and really there is something to be said for the way our school is trying to pit 2 classes of children against each other like a bitter blood feud - BUT I have an idea that could be 100% ridiculous and if you want 1B to make an impact, please work with me. I need to shove something in Todoroki’s face.”

“… I’m listening.”

The general idea is Izuku’s songs have a different effect when sung in a duet, some are only practical in duet form: IE, stronger than you is a dodge boost alone, but in a duet is a massive power boost to the two singing it. So what if two people with Izuku’s quirk sung a duet? Chaos, probably.

Monoma agrees because one of the only things he likes more than 1 upping 1A is quirk based tomfoolery. The team ends up consisting of Izuku, Monoma, Kendo and Uraraka. Kendo and Uraraka, with the use of Uraraka’s quirk, carry both Izuku and Monoma – the better you sing, the better the quirk works.

Its lucky Monoma knows most of the songs Izuku brings up as ideas, and adds some suggestions of his own. If the other two know the song it's not a bad idea to join in, but its not the end of the world if they don’t.

The list of songs they have on standby and their effect when sung by two people with the Songbird Quirk

Two Player Game - Be More Chill: It forms both a connection between the people singing it, allowing them to anticipate the other's movements and creates a semi-translucent double of each singer that mimics their movements with a half second delay, aka: each punch you throw hits twice.

Family – Mother Mother: Creates a kinda forcefield that hovers just above the body. The stronger the bond between the singers, the stronger the shield – good thing Uraraka and Kendo know that one.

Hurry Hurry – Airtraffic Controllers: Slows down your perception of time, giving the appearance of superhuman reflexes. With the addition of a partner, it also grants superspeed.

We don’t get tired, we get even – Pat the Bunny: The more energy you’ve used up, the more energy you get back when singing this song + a proportional increase in general ability.

Doubt Comes In – Hadestown: Anyone who hears it quickly loses the ability to fight other people, including the singers.

The Greatest Show – The Greatest Showman: In addition to the normal effect of drawing attention to the point you can’t look away, singers get a ‘moon jump’ ability.

Turn the Lights Off – Tally Hall: Makes the area pitch black and gives the singers monstrous forms with plenty of claws and eyes.

How they use these is up to your imagination, but they end having taken the 10’000’000 point band from Todoroki. Bakugo, the only person with a decent understanding of Izuku’s quirk, just turned off his hearing aids and told his team to block their ears when weird shit started to happen. They came second, Todoroki third and Shinsou’s team fourth.

Uraraka gets to the second round bc Bakugo fights Monoma in the first round and jesus that fight is hilarious because its just Monoma – while using Bakugo’s quirk too – insisting that Izuku has abandoned class 1A for class 1B and Bakugo getting progressively more done with this boy’s shit.

Izuku and Bakugo + Todoroki and Iida are the semi finalists. Izuku and Bakugo are mostly just like “Thank fuck I’ve been talking to so many god damn weirdos today please can we just have a normal fight”. Izuku wins, j u u s t. (Izuku and Bakugo have a pretty 50/50 win loss ratio going on in this AU)

Todoroki vs Izuku is the final round of the whole thing, Todoroki told him about Endeavour, Izuku is pissed that no one looks at him and sees him, they only see his quirk (other than like, 6 people at this point). So he gets where Todoroki is coming from but holy shit hes doing literally just that. The main song Izuku uses for that round is Escapism – Steven Universe which makes him intangible (other than like his feet so he doesn’t go through the floor like Mirio). He’s trying to get the vibe across to Todoroki that he is free of his blood. He stops singing just to scream that at him, which is really what loses him the round. He's not intangible anymore, so he has no way to dodge the fire that comes at him. But he's pretty happy anyway.

Stain Arc!

Izuku’s hero name is Lyre!

Izuku doesn’t intern with Gran, but he does visit the guy with him. All Might hasn’t given his quirk to anyone else because the only suitable person he can see is Izuku, but Izuku basically can’t say no to him so he’s having a crisis. Izuku just thinks he’s there to visit All Mights old mentor and shoot the shit, which is really what they do.

Gran basically just ends up telling him “Kid aint a wallflower, he’ll tell you to fuck off if he doesn’t want it. All Might decides to ask Izuku about it after everything is over.

Izuku ends up interning with Endeavour, along with Todoroki. He never ended up yelling at endeavour, even though he hates the guy. Shouto encouraged him to take the offer bc, 1, Endeavour literally never gives out internship offers and 2, it’d be more fun because that way he doesn’t need to deal with his dad’s bullshit alone.

Endeavour is like “Oh it’s the kidnap kid, your quirk is neat.” And izuku is smiling through gritted teeth like “Th Anks SiRr”

So, starts pretty normal, then the winged Nomu steals Izuku right off the ground. Izuku just says “I’ll be fine! Just keep doing what you're doing, I’ll get myself down.” Endeavour just shrugs like “Ok, I give you permission to defend yourself.” While Todoroki is screaming internally because his new friend is literally being flown away

So the Nomu that was once a really good friend of Izuku’s (not that izuku is aware of that) literally just dumps him somewhere else and leaves. Izuku is confused, really confused, so he starts walking his way back to where he was before he hears a familiar voice.

Guess who it’s Iida, with a serial killer standing right over him. Izuku panics and goes straight into Turn the Lights Off. Without Monoma it only makes it dark, but it’ll have to do.

Thing is: he has a key problem. By virtue of the fact he’s singing, Stain can always hear him. Izuku’s only advantage is that he can see Stain but stain can’t see him, and the darkness means Stain moves more cautiously.

Anyway, in the artificial darkness, he can send a longer text anyway.

Midoriya [7:31PM] stain – [Location Pin Dropped]

So a lot of people, All Might and Aizawa included, f r e a k o u t. Todoroki goes running, Endeavour sends sidekicks with him because he saw his son, normally deadpan, almost chocking on panic as he mutters “Midoriya found Stain.”

Endeavour very much wants to also get Stain but the Nomu are Very Pressing Right Now, so there isn’t much he can do other than try and hurry the fuck up. Torino is kicking around because he could mostly, trying to get a glimpse of All Might’s kid in action, ends up having to kick villain ass. He's not that concerned until he remembers “OH SHIT TOSHI’S BOY”. When he finds Endeavour the man, a little panicked for Endeavour’s standards, yells at him to go to the address bc his son and intern are fighting the fucking hero killer.

Gran Doesn’t think he’s moved so fast since he kicked All for One in the face with Nana 25 odd years ago.

So Stain is kinda pissed bc suddenly he can’t see and someone is singing. He goes to stab Iida but,,, he ain't there anymore, and the singing is fading away. He figures “oh well, lemme get native” the singing changes to a different song. Very quickly he can see, but the singing boy, still singing is rocketing towards him and rapidly changing form.

Monster – dodie: Literally shifts Izuku into a monster. Stain suddenly realises that this is Songbird, talk of the underground, most wanted quirk by villains and quirk traffickers everywhere. This kid, target of villains everywhere, has put himself in their sights just to try and help people.

He thinks maybe Songbird might be one of the good ones.

Oh, an aside? People calling him Songbird sets off hella panic attacks because the only people who do that are people actively trying to kidnap him. And that’s what stain is calling him.

His monster form wavers and he tries to sing through tears and hitching breaths and Stain smiles because he's still curled around Native with his claws out.

Todoroki gets there first and helps defend Iida, Izuku is fighting to keep stain away from Native. The pros are on the way, Izuku is fading fast. Endeavour has been training them hard so he's exhausted and freaking the fuck out, while someone waves swords in his face.

Stain gets him, he loses the monster form. This doesn’t help Izuku’s panic, because now he can’t move and he’s felt this before along with grabbing hands, and dark vans and ropes around his wrists praying someone knew where he was going so someone might know to come for him when he doesn’t get home.

Todoroki sees that and he doesn’t know what to do. Izuku is panicking – the boy who seemed so put together and on top of things s falling apart at the seams. Iida feels horrible. He just wants to go to his friend he's never seen that distraught before.

Todoroki does the only thing he can think of. He sings.

He was never into music before, be after the sports festival he learnt Escapism -the song Izuku sang to him – and singing it back to him is the only thing he can think of doing.

It helps. It really helps, because if there was one thing that never happened when Izuku was taken – it was singing. He calms down just enough to breathe, which is all he needs to do.

The quirk wears off and Izuku throws himself at Stain, the words to Thunder by Imagine Dragons already pouring from his lips and electricity pouring from himself. If Stain touches him, he's toast, even if its via a sword. Izuku just has to avoid thrown weapons.

Izuku gets a hit, the quirk wears off Iida, who rushes in to stop Izuku from taking a throwing knife to the arm. The three of them knock out Stain just as the heroes skid into the alley. Izuku lets out a sob and crumples to the ground, Iida and Todoroki rushing over to him. They both honestly look like they’d bite anyone who got too close. Gran calls All Might who starts hightailing his way over there – Aizawa is also breaking a few traffic laws to reach his pack of injured kids.

They don’t get there in time. Shirigaki, furious that the hero killer went against him, orders Kurogiri to get Izuku. They take Iida and Todoroki for good measure. The heroes watch in horror as the children they were meant to protect vanish under their noses.

Headlines the next day: “UA sports festival finalists defeat Hero Killer – only to be taken by Villains seconds later.”

[aseriesofunfortunatejan]

(I don’t know how safe it is for me to post this but basically-- I mean no harm, take my word for it)

Here is my (very) quick attempt at understanding why I don’t like this sprite of Amami. Why-s and how-s (etc.) under the cut!

Having been doing Danganronpa sprite commissions for what? Three years now? And having been regularly looking at sprites for my useless analyses and useful translations, I’ve come to realize the official sprites are very flawed - as we all are - in a way I personally can’t overlook, which is why I simply don’t like them anymore.

When upset by the topic because I’m trying to use them as reference for a pose and find that it makes no sense and my animation teacher would destroy me if I tried to turn in a drawing like that (granted he’s not very nice), I usually bring up V3′s sprites as my arch-nemesis.

It’s extremely obvious they were rushed and most, to me, are simply displeasing to look at. Comparing them to UDG’s sprites, for instance, does them a huge disservice - UDG has my favourite sprites by far and I don’t think that’s a boiling hot take. They have different types of flaws that go from weird positions to weird proportions passing by awful hands and spots the artist forgot to colour in. Some are more obvious than others - some I could see immediately and some others I only understood after trying to remake the same pose properly for a while. When it comes to this specific sprite of Amami... Well, I always knew I hated it, but it was always hard to pinpoint why exactly.

Amami’s design is overall beautiful and most of his sprites manage, in spite of their flaws, to show off his bad-boy kind of beauty very well. His facing sprites, that is, because almost every other pose (3/4 or profile) he strikes looks genuinely disgusting to me. (Which is extremely disturbing to me because I may or may not have a crush on this fictional character.) This one sprite in particular is my least favourite and I was interested in understanding why, which is why I tried to edit it in a way that’d let me find out how it could look better.

Now keep in mind that writing all of this is taking me more time than I spent actually editing the sprites (because writing is fun). If I’d spent more time studying it, I would probably have changed a lot more details about it: most notably his trousers’ folds, which I think make no sense (I did think about editing them a little but I’m also a novice when it comes to folds, so it probably wouldn’t have been *that* much better in the end - I definitely don’t claim to be magically great at things a professional artist visibly struggled with) but I might also have played around the position of his arms and his hair, as they’re usually what I end up disliking about most DR sprites (that being said, I didn’t, so maybe they’re not that bad at all). On that note, you can probably see where exactly I cut some parts because I literaly edited them in a few seconds.

Now that this is all said and done, here’s what I found out:

- In terms of height, the proportions of this sprite are near perfect. Looking at his oddly small-looking legs, I assumed at first the upper-body to legs ratio would be off or something, but it’s actually really good. “Perfect” can rarely be applied to the proportions of a stylized drawing, but I can at least safely say there’s no ground for criticism regarding that part.

- My least favourite part of this sprite is the jaw. I’m judging by the amount of relief I felt when turning the “edit” layer on and off. I was very careful to use a reference of a man’s jaw and even though it’s quite the tiny edit, I find it reeeaaally satisfying. I really thought I was going to change his whole face and this sufficed to make me happy.

- I don’t know how I feel about his face. Sounds weird but okay. As I just said, I thought I would edit it a lot more, but as I tried, I found that nothing I did looked any better than the official one. I did sorta like the look of turning his eye a little bit but I’m guessing it’s subjective taste and cannot be identified as a “fix”-- but at the end of the day, I still think it looks a little off, but can’t put my finger on why or how it could be better. To be honest, profiles are hard to pull off and especially to stylize, and I can’t do it for shit, so... While I really like when my 60€ game has pretty drawings in it, I guess I can’t fault this sprite for having an awkward-looking profile?

- Legs too small lol. While I discovered they didn’t lack in length, I confirmed his legs could handle being a little t h i c k e r. It may look at first like I made his butt bigger (which is a very valid edit imo) but I actually made his pointy butt just a liiiiiittle bit thinner. The thighs are what really changed. I’m not saying Amami needs bigger thighs, but editing them this way made the whole drawing feel more stable to me, and his t-shirt look a little bit less like it was made out of solid plastic. I also think his feet could handle being a little bit bigger, assuming that he’s a cis man.

- I mean, Quasimodo is valid. But while I didn’t search for a reference that would correspond to this pose exactly, I’m pretty sure your arms... don’t... do that. In any case, I feel like my quick edit contributed to the sprite’s stability as well.

I also forgot that one of his rings isn’t closed off for whatever reason.

Anyway, that’s about it. I’m sorry about this long post and I don’t really assume anyone cares, I’m mostly writing this for myself because, again, editing this was pretty satisfying.

If anyone else is interested in the topic, though, I’d like to hear your opinions! What would you change about this sprite, or maybe another specific sprite you don’t like? What do you and don’t you like about my edit of this one? When it comes to stylized art, everyone draws the line of what’s part of the style and what’s too much in a different place. I’m always interested in hearing where that line is and what type of art someone likes!

(PS: I could most likely have edited his legs and butt a little less thick as this might give him a bit more of a feminine figure but uuuuuuuuuuuuuuh)

[starker-stories]

The Cold, Chapter 6 - The Messages Series

This chapter on AO3

By @thestarkerisobvious​ and @starker-stories​​

New chapters in the series post every Thursday.

All links are to AO3. You don’t need to be a creator to have an AO3 account. You can have one solely as a reader. But to read anything at all in this series, you can just be an anonymous reader and/or commenter.

The best way to keep up with The Cold is to subscribe to the story on AO3. And the best way to keep up with the Messages Series is also to subscribe to it as well as the individual stories. That way you’ll know when the next book is added.

Tags: Tony Stark Feels, Peter Parker Feels, College Student Peter Parker, Established Relationship, Anal Sex, Oral Sex, Tony Stark Still Has Arc Reactor, Arc Reactor Kink, Peter Parker is a Mess, Spider-Man powers, Communication, They Finally Communicate!, And Fuck Of Course Look at Who It’s Written By Of Course They Fuck, Avengers Compound

The entire Messages Series.  All links are to AO3.

Messages Unsent  (complete & posted)

Nothing More Than A Machine  (complete & posted)

Tomorrow  (complete & posted)

My Virgin (Revisited)  (completely & posted)

The Cold  (completely written) posts every Thursday  

The Opposite of Cold  ( in progress )

Untitled Book 7  ( in progress )

Chapter 6: Batman and Robin

In the shower afterwards they held each other, whispering endearments and words of affection, laying out their plans for the next day. Peter had been exhausted a half-hour before, but became more animated as he listed the equipment he wanted to utilize and why, talking about it even after they had snuggled into bed for the night.

“I need to know how much I can bench press, and I want to clock my speed on the track. I honestly have no idea how fast I run because it’s faster traveling in New York by web. And what was that laser-grid room that Nat and Clint trained in? I always heard stories about it but never saw it. And the training room course? With those weird short hurdles where all those turrets are trying to kill you? When Fury had me train there I got across in 3.57 minutes — and I’ve got to admit, I was fencing left-handed that day. Everyone was looking at me weird and it made me nervous. I know I could break records in there. Oh! Oh! And the Evaluation Room?! The one Cap called ‘The Grinder?’ I have got to have another go at that one. The first day they put me in there I tripped over my own two feet because Nat told me you were on the observation deck. Added a whole forty seconds to my time. You don’t make me nervous anymore.”

“Those things are all still here. There’s data for what others scored on them to provide a baseline for you. And then, Dr. Cho has instruments that can objectively test your physical abilities.” Tony settled Peter in close, the way they usually slept, big spoon little spoon. He kissed the soft curls at the back of Peter’s neck. “You’ll get your answers, Pete.”

They were both pretending to fall asleep. Eventually it would come, but they were both restless and worried. Peter about the increase of his abilities, Tony about keeping that increase secret. Other than Peter, he trusted no one. And while he did trust Peter, he also recognized the kid was still incredibly naive.

He was getting less so, but he was no match for the duplicitousness that lived within the Avengers and SHIELD and those adjacent. Protecting Peter was Tony’s first, and only, priority. And he was already planning the steps he would need to take to do that. In the morning, while Peter was in the shower, getting ready for the day’s trials, he would set his own surveillance and blocks to anyone else’s. Scrub the servers of anything they collected since the helicopter landed… Tony was still running possibilities when sleep finally came.

The next day Peter was up and dressed before Tony. He was too nervous for breakfast. While they waited for Dr. Cho to become available, Tony took him for a tour of the prismatic accelerator that he used to create his new element. Alone in the vast, long room Peter raced up and down the length of the accelerator on his hands.

Tony saw Peter nearly vibrating with nervous excitement. “Why don’t you take a run through the tunnel? It goes underneath the buildings, underneath the fields. Big circular thing. Like running a really long lap. I should time you.”

Peter insisted on running it once at an easy pace (he called it the I’m-late-for-the-bus speed) and then again while ‘pushing it’. The lap around the entirety of the accelerator was seventeen miles. After his second run, he was keen to know if he had matched the running speed of Captain America. And frustrated to know that Tony didn’t have the information.

“But… wasn’t he Stark Tech? Don’t you have ALL that information? Nevermind, I can google it on my phone. There’s sixteen Old-Cap wikis at least.”

“That was Howard’s work, not mine. And Cap was never allowed down here.” It came out with more heat than he’d intended. “No one was, except Bruce. He helped with the calibration.

“You need to stop comparing yourself to Rogers,” he said, annoyed. “Arm wrestling with him, running his laps… Barnes’ metal arm is stronger than Cap ever was, and you’ve already stopped his punch. Running? It’s not good to compare yourself, an enhanced person, with someone created out of a test tube.”

“My spider was created out of a test tube. It’s not fair anyway, I know Cap trained in running. He was famous for it. And I use my leg muscles like, never. I’m a webswinger.

“And Tony?

“Can we run Nat’s laser-course thingy without staff?

“Yeah, that’s doable. Clint’s kept it active. He’s been training someone,” Tony said with a shrug, not impressed with Legolas’ attempt to replace himself now that he’d retired.

Tony went with Peter as he worked through the training exercises that were still active. Monitors were shut off, no one else allowed into the rooms, much less the entire levels they were using. He didn’t want anyone to have records of the things Peter was tested. But he kept them. Noting times and success/error ratios on his secured-by-FRIDAY phone.

Just by the numbers, the kid was scarily agile. Easily put Clint’s and even Nat’s scores to shame. Fast, he was faster than the current (non-enhanced) hundred meter record holder, but Tony expected that. He was surprised that he didn’t hit the mark for Cap’s hundred meter time. But then Cap was always good at running away.

They spent the most time inside “Nat’s laser-course thingy” where Peter insisted on running the same course repeatedly.His time was good, but kept insisting on a chance to do it better. “Just one more time,” he asked after each completion. They kept ‘one more timing’ it until well past lunch. Peter only took a break because Dr. Cho had finally texted Tony that she was free from her lab. His endless suggestions dried up as he nervously followed Tony toward her office. She met them in the courtyard, accompanied by an assistant.

“Helen, this is Peter Parker,” Tony said once they’d arrived in Helen’s office. He put his arm around Peter’s shoulders. “Peter is also the Amazing Spider-Man,” he said, teasing Peter with the name the tabloids gave him. “We have some questions. Medical. Enhanced Individual medical.”

“Wait… the Spider-Man?” she said, her face lighting up. “Oh I’ve read so much about you. Oh, I have a million questions… but…” she said, changing course suddenly when Tony raised an eyebrow. “Peter, allow me to introduce my associate Mr. Nguyen. He just completed his Masters in Biomedical Science at Columbia. You probably have a lot in common…”

Peter took the hint and shook hands with the good looking Vietnamese man. Shooting a nervous look at Tony, he followed the man back to the courtyard, leaving Tony and Dr. Cho in her office to talk.

“Spider-Man?” she whispered the moment Peter left. “You didn’t warn me that this was about Spider-Man, Tony,” she hissed. “Why didn’t you tell me? I could have been free hours sooner.”

“Telling you would’ve been a risk. The reason we’re here, as opposed to elsewhere, is because Peter’s not the first enhanced individual you’ve worked with.

“Only I’m going to need assurance that what gets discussed goes no farther than you. No records can be kept. Otherwise this can’t happen. And Pete needs for this to happen. There’s a sizable grant in it for you if you can keep an even more stringent standard than your basic doctor/patient confidentiality.”

Helen’s smile disappeared. “There isn’t a ‘more stringent’ standard than the basic doctor/patient confidentiality, Tony. And SHIELD is already paying me handsomely to be the team doctor. You don’t have to bribe me to do my job.”

“SHIELD paying your salary is exactly what I am worried about. There can be no divided loyalties. This isn’t for SHIELD. It isn’t for the Avengers. This is for me. And for Peter. No one else.” Tony paused. “Not even you.”

He paced nervously. It was one thing to trust Helen with his life, which he had done absolutely after his ‘death’, but it was another entirely to trust her with Peter’s life.

“Lately, Peter’s abilities have been changing. That has him worried. What he brought me here for, what I suppose he’s looking for, is a metric for his abilities. He has other questions as well. That might require DNA samples, blood work, things like that. He’s mentioned having an objective analysis of what his enhancement is doing to him.

“Whatever samples or blood work you take to determine that, there can be no holding anything back for your own experimentation. Privacy. Absolute. Without that, I’ll figure out another way to get Peter the data he needs. But honestly, I’d rather trust you with this. If I can trust you.”

“Excuse me? Tony? I’m a doctor. The moment I take on Mr. Parker as my patient everything we talk about falls under doctor/patient privilege. Even if it wasn’t a legal issue, it’s my job. No one will have access to what Mr. Parker and I talk about,” she said firmly.

She turned away, looking into the courtyard through her office’s large window where Peter was talking to her assistant. “Including you.”

“Look, I know Fury doesn’t give a damn about what standards the world outside his own little kingdom has. Not telling me? I…”

He was taken aback. He hadn’t considered that he wouldn’t be informed about everything to do with Peter. He was used to having total access to Peter’s life. Okay, it was mostly non-consensual total access, but not knowing something so important about the most important person in his life?

“I’m sorry, was he made your legal ward, Batman?” she asked. Then she shrugged. “Even in that case, it doesn’t matter. Robin is an adult now. What you want to know you’ll have to ask him. As he’s your partner, I’ll certainly I’m prepared to discuss with both of you whatever he wants me to share. But understand, I’m going to be his doctor…”

Tony smiled at the ‘ward’ comment, but he was impressed. If she was willing to exclude him, she’d be willing to exclude any of the people he was worried about. “I can live with that,” he finally said.

“You’ll be pressured to break those standards. I don’t know who will apply the pressure, but it will come.” Tony knew he was sounding paranoid. But he also knew his paranoia had a firm basis in history. “Keeping these secrets? That’s not covered by any professional standards. That’s covered by your word.”

“Tony,” Helen said quietly, taking a step closer to him until they were face to face. “Your murder-bot tried to kill me, and memebers of my staff. That scared me. Fury? Fury doesn’t scare me.”

“Still haven’t heard your word.”

“Do billionaires carry folding money in their wallets?” she asked casually, moving toward the door. Peter and her assistant were chatting amiably, but Peter had begun heading toward her office again.

Tony laughed. “Not really. Billionaires use electronic transfers.”

She opened the door to her office. “Peter?” she called out cheerfully. He entered and gladly pulled out his wallet when she asked him if he had any cash. Reaching into the billfold she pulled out a five and pocketed it.

“Congratulations, as of this moment I am your personal doctor,” she said cheerfully, shaking his hand. “Because of my profession I am under oath…” She turned and looked at Tony pointedly, “to prioritize your needs, and privacy, over any and all outside parties. As long as you don’t directly describe any crimes to me that you plan on committing in the future, neither wild horses nor the Supreme Court could get a word out of me. Are you familiar with HIPAA?”

[dcarevu]

Batman TAS: Eternal Youth

“Everyone’s got a gimmick…”

Episode: 29 Robin: No Writer: Beth Bornstein Director: Kevin Altieri Animator: Dong Yang Airdate: September 23, 1992 Grade: B

This episode we get to see the one-timer Beth Bornstein’s work as writer, tackling the red-headed eco-terrorist Poison Ivy. She once again comes from a place of revenge, wanting to rid the world of all who dare take the life of innocent flora. But this time, rather than simply poisoning them (Pretty Poison), she aims to turn them all into plants themselves from the inside out, taking a more constructive approach. She is making plant-life out of human lives! We see a little bit of the process out of context during the first scene in the episode as Poison chases an older lady through a forest to the point where she (the lady) collapses from exhaustion. The chase sequence is pretty well animated when it comes to the running, and throughout most of it, Poison doesn't run at all. She walks…menacingly! The older lady’s distress is evident, and when Poison catches up to her, spraying her with this green, gaseous substance, it’s hard not to feel bad. The lady freezes in place, and then we shift scenes. For some reason Poison Ivy is kept in the shadows, hiding her identity for the most part. But the legs of her costume are easy to make out, and we have seen her a couple times on screen already. Maybe the mystery is for people who didn’t see that episode? But it doesn’t take away at all, so no fault there.

Next we tune in on Bruce and Alfred. Bruce is on a business call, getting real stern with somebody for not informing him that some type of operation his company is involved with had plans to harm rainforests for the sake of it. This is to set up Batman’s involvement with Poison Ivy, or more directly, Alfred’s involvement. We get some great acting from Conroy here, and we hear that his angry Bruce Wayne voice and his Batman voice are not at all the same. He speaks with a completely different register. The range he has is awesome. Alfred goes through Bruce’s mail after the call, and he notices a video tape for some type of spa. Alfred plays it on the giant weight-room tv…wait, a giant weight room tv? It’s hard for me to not picture Bruce working out while episodes of The Gray Ghost play… Anyway, the tape is played, and it’s for this place called the Eternal Youth Spa. Dedicated to relaxation and feeling young again. It’s hilariously cheesy, much like many of the old promotional VHS tapes used to be. It was a time… In the middle of the tape, Alfred’s girlfriend Maggie stops by to harass him. At least, I think she’s his girlfriend? I really can’t tell. Maybe she's simply someone who is interested in him, but he can’t quite shake her. Which is always an awkward situation to be in, especially if you’re like me or Alfred and you don’t seem to have the ability to be mean. Maggie seems interested in the spa, and Bruce, much to Alfred’s dismay, invites them to both go in his place since he’s generally a pretty busy man without any time for fun. Alfred attempts to escape from the situation, but they end up going regardless, in the scariest-looking car-ride of all time.

Alfred’s general attitude in so far sets up some juxtaposition for when they arrive at the spa, and he starts having a genuinely good time. But the haunting music as they first approached the gates ends up being a bad omen, and it starts to get a little bit concerning. Alfred gets a little…too relaxed, and Bruce notices it as they talk on the phone. At the same time, Commissioner Gordon has been working on some disappearances, one of them being the lady that we saw running away earlier. Apparently there are no clues at all about her disappearance, so Batman, knowing that the police force could use some work in this town, investigates himself. He, of course, finds a tape for the spa in her home. I loved going from the bright, sunny spa to a dark, noir atmosphere like we did. Also, this is the brightest episode we have seen. The Clock King was pretty much day all the way through, but it was kinda cloudy. Not as much here. We see Alfred and Maggie enjoying themselves in a pool, sipping on some refreshing drinks and snacks made with Poison Ivy’s (disguised so she isn’t recognized) “eternal youth” enzyme called demetrite. But going back to Batman, that spa tape seems like a red flag that the Gotham police force really should have noticed. It’s a free spa. That’s already a little bit fishy. But if the woman hadn’t been home since going, it seems like it would be pretty simple to figure out where she was. Especially since it was not just her to was never seen again after visiting this death-spa.

Later on, Alfred returns to the manor feeling better than ever. But he is still acting weird, putting all kinds of plants down into the Batcave (much to our gothic hero’s dismay), and drinking water like the last time he had any was 3 days ago. But after he takes a giant sip, with demetrite coloring it a slight-green, he passes out. This leads Batman to doing a little bit of research on the compound, figuring out that it does some whacky things to human plasma. When he pours some of it into a test tube of plasma (a 50/50 ratio), it very quickly sprouts leaves, telling us that Alfred is screwed. Batman rushes upstairs, still in-costume and everything, and discovers that Alfred is gone. He and Maggie are back at the spa, both feeling compelled to go back. But they are greeted with a nasty surprise. Just like at the beginning of the episode, Poison Ivy is there to spray them with the green gas, freezing them in place.

Batman visits the spa to look around, and is eventually attacked by Ivy, Violet, and Lily (her goons for the episode). It is revealed that everyone who has gone missing has been turned into a tree, including Alfred and Maggie. Although still reversible at this point, it’s pretty scary to see Alfred turned to bark, and Batman can hardly say anything about it at all. Violet and Lily are then told to spray Batman with a liquid form of Ivy’s enzyme, much more concentrated than what Alfred was drinking. Apparently strong enough to give Batman a bark exoskeleton in seconds. I’m not so sure why Ivy didn’t do this to begin with. She could have cleared out a room of people at once, gas-chamber style (not to be ridiculously offensive). Maybe it was to be a little bit more inconspicuous? Because of some chemical that Batman sprayed his costume with, though, he is immune, so he escapes, and we get what is basically a hunter/hunted sequence. It’s a lot of fun, and everywhere Batman seems to go he gets Ivy’s arrows shot at him. Eventually, Batman manages to knock over a container of the liquid that he was being sprayed with, which immediately soaks into the ground and grows an enormous tree, which reminds me a lot of My Neighbor Totoro. I noticed that has the tree grew, it pressed Ivy to the spa’ ceiling, and I would think that this amount of force could kill her. Especially since it breaks through the ceiling. At the end, though, everyone, including Ivy, seems to be fine.

Though the plot-holes can be a little bit distracting, this episode is enjoyable enough. It was the 4th episode of the show I ever saw, so it was a treat to watch it once again, seeing how it holds up. Plant-themed episodes of any show which have a sinister flavor to them always creep me out quite a bit too. The Goosebumps episodes Stay Out of the Basement used to scare me as a kid, and they also featured plant-people and aggressive flora. Batman was able to make that type of tone work too, but I did prefer Pretty Poison. It had more effective drama, and seemed a little bit more grounded (despite the plant that tried to eat Batman). Seeing a lot of character development for Alfred may have been the best thing about this episode, although I sadly don’t think we see Maggie again.

Picture time!

Like I said, pretty good running animation! She slowly fades into the distance over the hill.

Seeing someone walk so slowly, chasing someone with deadly gas makes me shudder. 

They did a great job at showing a woman worn down. The voice actress is uncredited, so sadly I can’t praise whoever portrayed her. 

Nice shadow work here. I think this is one of Dong Yang’s better-looking episodes, but they usually look pretty good anyway!

The creepiness is upped by this unnatural appearance as she freezes in place. It’s like her arms are becoming branches already. Also, Alfred’s later exhaustion helps explain why she got so tired. 

Wayne Manor is gorgeous sometimes. 

Maggie’s design is kinda cute, she looks like a nice old lady for Alfred.

Not sure if we actually ever got any promotional tapes in the mail.

Violet and Lily. God their voices are so fake, reminds me of the ads that play where I work. Overly cheery. That last still is where she says, “And invigorating nature hikes.” before twirling around.

Alfred, if you like this woman, stop being a Bruce Wayne and show her some kindness. Alfred blushing is sweet. 

Nice shot of them in the convertible. 

Oh wow! Who could this be? I think it’s Two-Face.

Ivy’s disguise, Dr. Daphne Demeter. Maybe this is more along the lines of how she looked when she was a legitimate scientist? 

Everyone else is soaking in the experience while Alfred sits there whacking at flies. 

These demetrite cookie-things actually look bomb, though!

A really creative shot on Kevin’s part. We go from paradise to this night shot. It shows the separation of Batman’s world. I also liked Gordon’s quote, “We put that place under a microscope, and all we got was eye-strain.”

We see Batman, but through a reflection. It’s another nice flourish. I bet Akom would have made it look mediocre as hell. 

The tape, lying out in the open. Really? No one noticed this??

“Everywhere I turn I see another sign of nature’s...

...beauty...”

Cool to see the Batcave looking a little different, even if I much prefer it without the greenery. Talk about raiding the plant-store, Alfred!

This screenshot is just funny. It looks like Batman is whistling a surprised whistle. But his actual reaction was more intense than that.

Great sunset, I like how the light bleeds onto the window-workings.

And this shimmer is really nice as well. So is the color of the sky. This whole scene is very pretty. But the undertones are very dark, and you know that Alfred and Maggie should not be going back to that spa.

Notice the shadows.

I wonder if that picture in this room is typically there? If not, it’s a great touch, seeming as how Alfred has been sprucing the place up (tree pun). 

Poison Ivy looks very off in this episode. She’s usually quite petite-looking, resembling some type of forest nymph. Here she’s built like Wonder Woman.

Look at their pain. Very effective. And considering that at this point the bark is an exoskeleton, considerate pain is probable. 

The music here upped the ante, and made it all the more triumphant-seeming for Batman.

Very strange-looking background work. When Batman leaves the shot it somehow gets even weirder-looking. 

Poison Ivy riding the tree toward the camera was very well-done. 

Char’s grade: B Next time: Perchance to Dream

Full episode list here!

[ezilyamuzed]

There’s no place like home - part three

Summary: The reader has had a unique gift all her life. While considering it a curse, she discovers the identity of her real father after her mothers passing. Journeying towards her new life, she finds herself thrown within the Winchester’s world. Is it her destiny?

Setting: End of season 13. This takes place between  13.17 and 13.18.

Warnings: Language. Drinking. Some angst? POV may switch after certain sections. 

A/N: I am new at posting these online, so please be patient. Do not mistake my lack of experience for ignorance if I do not quite get it yet. Sorry for any grammatical errors. This is part three of a series that is honestly my favorite so far, that has been the hardest to write.  Thanks for taking the time to read! Comments are always appreciated. If you want tagged in future posts just ask! There is a lot more already planned! 

Series Masterlist 

The smell of booze and sawdust whiffed over Dean's nose as he led the three of you into the bar. No other scent like it in the world that gave Dean a sense of normalcy in his life. No matter what bar they would walk in, the smell was still the same. There were only three other people in the establishment all hanging around the corner of the bar. Probably just the staff, Dean had assumed since it was only just before 6 o'clock on a weekday. The after the workday crowd was sure to stop in soon enough.

Sam slid into a booth in a corner while Dean stood away to wait for Y/N to pick which side she wanted. She slipped into the opposite side of Sam, shifting herself to meet the middle of the bench. Dean sighed and sat next to Sam, his giant reach was sure to bump into him while he tried to eat. He gave a firm nod over to the three by the bar, and an older woman pulled out a pad and pencil from her back jeans pocket while walking towards the group.

“What can I get ya three? Food, drinks? Special is the BBQ chicken sandwich today,” she said keeping her eyes on the pad in her hand.

“I’ll have the BBQ chicken sandwich, hold the BBQ. Also a glass of water please,” Sam replied with a tight lipped smile.

“Do you have a double bacon cheeseburger?” Y/N asked while trying to look around for a menu on the walls.

“Yeah, you want double meat, double cheese, and double bacon sweetie?” she asked giving Y/N an exhausted sigh.

“Yup, the works. Also some fries,” Y/N said politely in return. “Oh, and can I have some ranch too please?”

Dean stared at her in confusion. “What the hell is the ranch for?” he questioned.

“The fries of course,” she replied nonchalantly. She shrugged while letting out a little sigh, “I guess its weird food habit around here, huh?”

Sam let out a chuckle. Dean said to the waitress that he would have the same as her, minus the ranch. He also ordered a pitcher of beer and glasses for the table which Y/N raised her eyebrow at.

“Getting me drunk won’t make me like you,” she said firmly towards Dean.

“Yeah well sweetheart, maybe it will at least cool ya down,” Dean said with a grin.

“I’ll need to see your ID honey,” the waitress said bringing everyone’s attention back to her. Sam looked nervous as Dean released a small chuckle at the situation. Y/N pulled out her ID from her wallet like she was used to always being asked.

“Well, you’re definitely not from around here. Sorry doctor about that, you must have some good genes in ya to be looking so young,” she said while looking it over and handing it back to Y/N. “Happy birthday to ya too.”

The brothers looked at each other out of the corners of their eyes. Crap it was her birthday. Sam gave a nervous cough as Dean turned his head away, not knowing what to say.

“It’s not today wonder twins,” Y/N said while leaning back on the bench while crossing her arms in front of her. She caught on that they felt like crap, but honestly how could they have known?

“So when is it?” Sam asked trying to break the tension while attempting to show friendly curiousness.

“It’s tomorrow, but honestly it’s another day that marks another year of getting older even if people don’t believe that you are actually an adult and not a little girl,” Y/N said with sarcasm while rolling her eyes towards Dean.

“Touché,” Dean said with a nod of approval.

Y/N rolled her eyes at his comment. The waitress had come back to you again with a pitcher of beer and three glasses. Dean poured everyone a drink, being careful of the beer/foam ratio. Y/N starred at it for a moment, grabbed it and paused before taking a long hard sip. Dean grinned at her, “working yet?”

She gave him a little side smirk. “It’s helping,” she replied.

“So Y/N, what exactly do you do for a living, cause I got to be honest here I am having a hard time imagining this life with anything normal,” Sam said as he leaned onto the table.

“Normal is subjective Sammy,” Y/N said with a little snicker. “Well, actually I am a professor. I’ve recently left where I was though to move to my grandfather’s home state, something new I guess?” she said with a little wave of her hand. “I am actually supposed to be there by the end of this week to get the full meet and greet experience I suppose.”

“So you teach psychology?” Sam inquired while hoping to learn more. Dean felt himself slowing leaning in to hear more, intrigued about how one balances normal with this life. It was almost unheard of, except for with the girls. The wayward pack that had each other to lean on when times got tough.

“Some of the general stuff, yeah,” Y/N replied while bringing the glass up to her lips for another swallow. “My main focus is in parapsychology though,” she said while wiping the foam from her lips.

“Parapsychology? Like paranormal shit?” Dean questioned with his eyebrows furrowed. “So let me get this straight. You are a psychologist, who studies the paranormal, who also hunts them in her spare time?” Y/N only nodded in reply as she took another sip from her glass. “So basically you are Dr. Venkman then?” Dean asked with a sly smirk.

Y/N snorted and almost choked on her drink. She gave a little laugh after calming herself down. “Yeah. I guess you are right, I’m just like Dr. Venkman,” she said with a smile to Dean. “Nice Ghostbuster reference there. A classic, the remake was alright I guess, not as good as the original.”

Dean nodded to her reply. She caught on to his pop culture reference pretty quick which surprised him, she wasn’t nearly as stuck up as the professors he had met before, or how she seemed to be yesterday when they met. Who was this girl? Her voice broke him out of his thoughts, wondering what else she is hiding about herself.

“What I mainly do is provide help for others that had experienced it first hand. Not many people can experience the supernatural without being a little fucked up about it after.” Dean could see Sam’s head nodding in agreement out of the corner of his eye. Of course he understood, he was hallucinating Lucifer for months, hell at one point he was Lucifer’s bitch. “ Anyways, I call it my research. I try to integrate different techniques and theories to figure out how to help them...get by I guess, with the new knowledge they have, while also giving them basically the hunter’ s guide to surviving. Salt. Silver. Ya know, the Batman utility belt.”

Dean gave a little smile at the Batman reference, imagining how cool it would be to have while on the hunt.  Sam gave a little surprise humph as he sat back to see the waitress bringing out your meals. Dean could smell the lingering scent of grilled meat and fried bacon that made his stomach grumble as the plates were sat down on the table. He picked up his burger, staring at it intensely as if he was meeting the love of his life for the first time. He let out a little moan as he took a big bite and savored all the juices that were meeting his taste buds. His eyes rolled back a little as he chewed thoroughly.

Sam shifted his glance from his brother to Y/N who was behaving similarly. The hamburger providing her with ecstasy like she had never had before.  “Do you two need to be left alone?”

Dean and Y/N both stopped themselves before taking another bite and looked back and forth to each other. Dean pursed his lips tight and shrugged to continue consuming his savory meal.

Y/N blushed shyly while setting hers back down on the plate. “Sorry I guess I am just famished. I honestly hadn’t had anything but some Doritos from the hotel vending machine.”

Sam gave her a little smile. “Hunter’s buffet huh?”

Y/N nodded in agreement and went back to eating her burger, but at a slower pace with smaller bites now. Dean couldn’t help but to watch her as he had already finished his in no time flat. Her pink lips wrapping themselves around the burger as her jaw clenched down to rip it apart and consume it slowly with a satisfied smile rising throughout her body. Little hums escaping her mouth between each bite. Slowly chewing, watching her mouth leisurely move the contents as she chewed and swallowed.

What the hell? Why was he getting flushed over someone eating a burger? Y/N was cute and everything, okay. Well, to be honest, she was gorgeous. That damn attitude though. It was almost like she didn’t want people to get to know her, and she wanted people to stay away. Dean allowed himself to survey over her for a moment as she continued eating. Long Y/H/C hair that laid gently against her frame. Beautiful, bright Y/E/C eyes with long feathery lashes surrounding them. Porcelain skin with the slightest hint of freckles along her cheeks. Slender neck and shoulders. Athletically toned arms displayed under her black cotton tank top, and legs that seemed to go on for days underneath her little jean shorts. Dean gave a small sigh as he bit the bottom of his lip.

“Ahem. You alright there Dean? Are the voices back again?” Y/N said with an eyebrow raised while moving to catch his stare with hers.

“All work and no play makes Dean dull boy,” Dean replied with a wink.

Y/N rolled her eyes. “Okay Jack.” She had already finished her burger and was swirling around a French fry in her ranch dressing cup, she stopped and bit the inside of her cheek before speaking.

“So earlier I happened to come across some interesting stories online about you two.”

Sam and Dean looked directly each other and sighed. Freaking Chuck.

______________________________________________________

After Sam had dropped you off earlier to your hotel you found yourself on edge. Who the heck would have done that to your baby? Why had they done it? The tiny bottles in the mini bar had not provided much comfort as you stewed in your own anger. The hot shower that you had thought would relieve your stress did not provide any liberation.

Sam had been so compassionate to you as you screamed like a lunatic about your baby, like he had understood that it was more than just a car to you. Sam Winchester, probably the only man that someone could hate one minute and find themselves comforted by the next.  You flung yourself into the bed not knowing what to do with yourself. No car, so really couldn’t go anywhere. Honestly didn’t want to go anywhere without her.

You pulled your phone up to your face. No calls or texts, but you knew there probably wouldn’t be any. Rarely were. You found yourself opening up the internet search bar and clicking in “Sam Winchester”. A bunch of pages popped up, like other Sam’s Facebook accounts, twitter, and various social media platforms. You pushed the back button to refine your search to “Sam and Dean Winchester, brothers”. Quite a few pages popped up with pictures in the thumbnails. It was them alright. You had somewhat expected for criminal charges to come up, since it frequently comes with the business if you’re not lucky, but you had not quite expected them to be on the FBI’s Most wanted list… twice? The online articles did not make any sense. Both deemed dead for one case, but yet pronounced dead again years later? Wait, how many times was Dean pronounced dead? At least three total from what you could see. How the heck are these guys still freely walking and breathing for that matter?

You start to scroll back through the search results, skimming through the mentions when you came across a series of books written by a Carver Edlund that had mention of a Sam and Dean Winchester. The premise was that they hunted monsters together across country in search of their father... in a black ’67 impala. This had to be them.  After a couple of hours you were lost within the pages when you heard the knock on the door. Both Winchesters, uneasy at your door asking you to join them in eating and perhaps starting over. After all that you had read you couldn’t shake the guilt of your harsh words of criticism last night. You felt that there was not really a choice in the matter, so you agreed. If anything, maybe you could see a glimpse of the real Winchester’s.

When you had brought up the books, both boys rolled their eyes that had hints of frustration in them. They both looked at each other like they were telekinetically discussing who should speak first. You furrowed your eyebrows at their lack of verbal acknowledgment to what you had said.

Sam cleared his throat as he prepared himself to speak. “We don’t like to talk about those. Chuck, or Carver as he goes by for the books, is not exactly our…,” Sam gave a deep sigh again and readjusted himself while contemplating how to phrase his words. “It’s a complicated relationship.”

“So there is truth behind them?” you asked while on the edge of your seat with widening eyes.

Dean rolled his eyes out of frustration. “Like he had said, we are not fans. Who wants their whole crappy lives written into cheap-ass paperbacks for others enjoyment? ”

“I think it’s pretty cool actually,” you said with a little shrug while leaning back into the seat. Dean and Sam's eyes darted at you in confusion mixed with annoyance. You sat up defensively to explain yourself further, once you had seen their reaction. “I don't mean... it sucks that the stories your lives are on full display for 14.95 a pop. What I meant to say that it is pretty fascinating the kind of lives that you guys have had, how you got through everything together, and how you are still standing and fighting. Saving people, hunting things.”

“The family business,” Dean said with a nod.

“Yeah. It’s like a case study of the worst possible situations happening to two people, but you are still able to keep going despite the world pushing you down,” you said while turning your attention to your surroundings. A couple more people had started to make their way into the bar. It must be happy hour now.

“Everyone in here human sweetheart?” Dean asked while also looking at his surroundings.

“So far so good,” you said with a smirk. You refilled your almost empty class as Dean gave a slight nod and smirk to Sam. You raised your glass and took a small sip while considering the question you were dying to ask. “So I have to know, why is it that you two are always in the midst of the impending doom of humanity?”

Dean raised his eyebrow at Sam as his brother gave a soft chuckle. “Wrong place, wrong time sweetheart,” Dean said nonchalantly.

“Uh, huh,” you said in disbelief. “So what is it with you guys? What makes you two so special that I should continue sitting here and consider you two the good guys instead of epic fuckups?”

Both the boys gave audible sighs. “First, how much have you read? Second, how much time do you have? Third, do you believe in angels and a higher power?” Sam questioned while leaning into the table.

You gave a nervous chuckle before realizing the seriousness in his voice. “Go ahead, I’m listening,” you said with intrigue. What world was he about to open up that you didn’t already know about?

You felt your psychologist bobble head nod as Sam spoke about the last 13 years of their lives. Archangels, regular asshole angels, The King of Hell, Demons, Knights of Hell, the Devil himself, Alphas, prophets, Death himself, along with God and his sister? That last one really threw you for a loop. You had heard about the incline in other cities of episodes of “psychotic breaks” as they called them, but no one knew what to do with them. Were they just victims of Amara? Could they had really lost their soul?

Sam continued on giving you the cliff notes to their adventures, while Dean would interrupt every so often to include his point of view on who was at fault or always found the trouble to begin with. Apparently an angel named “Cas” seems to find it quite a bit along with The King of Hell which they referred to as “Crowley”. Although you had never met any angels or demons that hadn’t been complete assbags, you got the sense that these ones they trusted. With their lives on multiple occasions apparently.

Your mind raced with all the information given to you that you hadn’t even noticed that the bar was now quite full. All still human at least, thank God...well Chuck actually you guess? Dean looked at you with concern as the lines in his forehead crinkled up. “ You good there doc?”

“Just...a lot,” you said with seriousness in your face. You gave yourself a minute to recompose yourself, taking another long sip of the beer that was now warm. “There is one thing that I don’t quite get though.”

Dean laughed at your words. “Only one? Really after all of that?”

“Yeah, I mean how are you, Sam, the true vessel of the devil and you, Dean, are the true vessel of Michael,” you said with a little chuckle. “I mean, I never really heard explicitly bad things about you, Sam, but Dean, come on, you are known for being a hothead who scares the living crap out of most other hunters.”

Dean scoffed and rolled his eyes away as he took a large gulp of his drink. Sam gave a small chuckle and shook his head. “We both have our fair share of mistakes we’ve made.”

You shrugged your shoulders, “Well, I can say from experience who is most likely the welcoming party and who is on guard,” you said while looking towards Sam and over to Dean. “I guess I’m really the asshole though.”

Dean’s eyes squeezed while his eyebrows pushed together in bafflement towards your words. You bite your top lip out of guilt in how you had acted last night when you found out who they were. Slowly you stumbled out your words.  “I should know better than to go by others perspectives of people, but honestly the only good things I ever heard with the name Winchester attached was that you two were badass, gorgeous hunters that they had admired.”

“Badass and gorgeous, huh?” Dean asked with a side-mouthed smirk.

“Their words, not mine Darlin,” you said with sarcasm in your voice. You felt your face starting to flush with redness as you grabbed your drink to take a sizeable hard sip, finishing it off.

“Uh huh,” Dean said skeptically.

You placed the glass down in front of you and gave a deep sigh. “I guess what I mean is I’m sorry.”

Sam nodded his head and mouthed, “its okay.” While Dean gave a little groan, “Okay, no chick flick moment here people.” He looked over at you giving you a straight face, “Sorry too, now let’s drink.”

____________________________________________________________

Dean had gone over to the bar to order what he called “bonding buddies.” Basically, it was just a bunch of double shots of whiskey, that Sam was all too familiar with. He sat back quietly watching Y/N as she watched Dean’s movements intently. Her eyes moving along with his movements as he stood patiently at the bar.

“My brother is a pretty decent guy,” Sam said making Y/N snap out of her trance.

“He doesn’t let a lot of people figure that out, huh?” she asked while playing with a strand of her hair.

“We both have our moments, but Dean is well… he cares a lot about people. Unfortunately, bad things follow us, and the ones we care about seem to be the ones who get hurt the most.” Sam whispered while looking over at Dean that was tapping on the bar along with a Led Zeppelin song while waiting for his drinks.

“I get it,” Y/N said softly. She repositioned herself in her seat as Dean came back with a tray full of shots.

“Bon appetite,” Dean said with a grin while placing the tray on the table. He handed both Y/N and Sam shots before he sat down and gave one to himself. He held his up to initiate cheers that Y/N and Sam followed.

“Nice tattoo there,” Dean said after gulping his down and motioning to Y/N’s wrist. Everyone looked down to it. The anti-possession symbol on display.

“You know if we had seen that, we could have been through all this who’s a hunter stuff a long time ago,” Dean said with a smirk. Dean and Sam both pulled down their shirt collars to display theirs on their chests. Y/N laughed before downing her shot.

“Any others hiding somewhere we should know about?” Dean said while wagging his eyebrows at her.

“Not that you will ever see Winchester,” laughed Y/N in reply. “I’ll be right back.”

Y/N got up and went towards the side of the bar where the restroom sign was lit. Dean’s eyes followed her the whole way. Moving along with her movements. As soon as she was out of sight, Sam punched his brother in the arm knocking him back to him.

“What the hell Sam?” Dean yelled angrily while turning his head toward him.

“You got a thing for her,” Sam replied in seriousness with a grin spreading across his face.

“What are you talking about?”

“With Y/N, Bobby’s daughter. I see what you’ve been doing.”

“No idea what you are talking about Sam,” Dean said returning his gaze towards the restrooms while taking another shot.

“I’m just saying, don’t hurt her,” Sam replied as he saw Y/N coming back towards them from the corner of his eyes.

Y/N scooted back to her seat on the bench as the Sam was still smirking at his brother. Dean trying his hardest to look anywhere but in her direction.

“Everything alright guys?” Y/N asked in puzzlement over the tension.

“Yup, the last two shots are all you,” Dean said with a nod towards the drinks.

Y/N gave a soft humph while she rolled her eyes. She picked them up, one by one and shot them back. She then leaned back into her seat while playing with her hair.

“You okay Y/N,” Sam asked with concern.

“Yeah, I’m good. Just when I drink, I get a little antsy at times. I’ll fidget around with stuff a lot,” she replied while allowing her hair to fall down her shoulders.

“So your moving to a new town?” Sam questioned, feeling his brother’s attention shift back towards Y/N.

“Yeah, Kansa actually. Lawrence, Kansas...” Y/N stopped herself short upon realizing that was where their mother had died, where their journey began.

Sam could see by the look on her face that she didn’t know what to say next. Almost like she was scared that she would bring up traumatic memories that would scar them for life. Too late for that. Sam gave her a tight lipped smile, displaying his dimples within his cheeks. “What about family? Friends? Boyfriend?” The last word sparked a movement next to him as Dean sat up straighter.

“Oh God no,” Y/N laughed while shaking her head.

Dean looked at her with open-mouthed confusion. Suddenly his eyes widened, and he let out a soft, “oh.”

“Oh... Oh NO! Not that!” Y/N exclaimed when realizing what Dean must have thought. “Not that anything is wrong with that. Hell, there are some very gorgeous women in the world, but that isn’t really my preference. What I was referring to was the whole boyfriend thing, as in a relationship with someone else. And no Sam. No family left and no real friends to speak of.”

“Ohhh,” Dean nodded in understanding.

“So why is that? The whole relationship thing” Sam asked while glancing at his brother. He knew Dean was hanging on while waiting for her to respond as his inched in further to the table.

“A boyfriend? Really? How has the both of your love lives worked out, huh?” Y/N replied with a scoff.

Dean slowly shook his head downward while Sam gave an uncomfortable cough while he shifted in his seat. Dammit, she is right. Their love lives were more like tragedies.

“Anyways… it’s not in the cards. There aren’t too many people out there that open to their girlfriend seeing spirits and monsters all the time.” Y/N said while playing with her empty shot glass.“

“Need another there sweetheart?” Dean asked with a grin growing slowly across his face.

She stopped the glass and sat it down in front of her while staring at the crowd over on the dance floor. She looked back towards Sam and Dean while a little smirked raised from the corner of her mouth of her mouth. “No actually, I have energy I need to burn. Come on I want to dance.”

___________________________________________________________

“I don’t dance,” Dean said with a growl. “But Sammy here loves to.”

Sam gave his brother a revengeful look as he was dragged away by the girl almost a foot shorter then him. Dean just laughed it off and raised his hand to get the attention of the waitress for more beer. He was actually starting to enjoy himself. It had been such a long time where he was able to just relax for a second while talking about the life. His life. Although Y/N’s eyebrows would raise at times, she seemed to understand the life and the no win decisions they were constantly stuck with.

Dean watched intently as Sam twirled Y/N around to Molly Hatchet’s “Flirting with disaster.” That's what he was doing alright, flirting with disaster. Nothing good could come of all this. Not when Mom and Jack were still stuck. Not when Michael’s angel army was standing on the other side, waiting. Not to mention Lucifer running around somewhere.

Both of them were smiling and laughing about something obviously funny between them. Dean lifted up his glass like a toast to Y/N as she glanced over to him with a smile still across her face, while her cheeks reddened. “Wrong time and place sweetheart,” he said to himself as he felt the vibration of his phone in his pocket. He pulled it out too see a picture message from Claire. She stood proudly in a selfie while holding the head of what he presumed to be the other werewolf, like she had just opened a Christmas present. Alex looking annoyed in the background with the remains. Dean smiled while texting her back, -Good job kid-

Babysitting duty was over. Y/N was safe now. So why did he not want to leave? Both Sam and Y/N were walking back to the table out of breath while Dean watched and put his phone away.

”Your turn now,” Sam said right before taking a massive gulp of his beer.

“Yeah, no. I’m good. Thanks,” he said while rolling his eyes at Sam’s grin and quick wink.

“You too scared that it will hurt your reputation of a big strong hunter in front of a couple dozen people who have no idea who you are?” Y/N said with her arms crossed. She only paused for a second for his reply when she held up a finger to stop him and told him to hold on. She walked away to the bartender and came back with three shots. “Each of us gets one, but if I can make it in mine,” she said while holding up a quarter, “you get it and have to dance with me”.

Dean laughed and nodded. Boy was this girl confident. A quick bounce off the table and the quarter dropped right into her shot glass. “Drink up Deano.”

Dean shook his head and downed the shot while stopping the quarter with his teeth. “You want this back?” he said with a grin. Y/N rolled her eyes and grabbed at his arm, pulling all his weight up to her. For a small girl, she had some strength. Y/N walked over to the jukebox and picked out another song. One that Dean was very familiar with. He held out his hand and pulled her close to him, while starting to sway along to the music with her in his arms.

“Bob Seger huh? Turn the Page?” Dean softly asked. God she felt so right to be holding.

“Yeah, it was my mom’s favorite song,” Y/N replied quietly. Dean felt her body starting to tense up under his hands.

“Great taste,” was all he said softly in return noting Sam giving a half smile in his direction.

“So where did a big tough guy like you learn how to dance?” Y/N asked to change the subject.

“My mom when I was little,” Dean replied quietly.

“Where is…” Y/N started to ask. Y/N looked into his eyes with guilt that she had forgotten the major plot line to Sam and his hunting adventures. Dean gave her a tight reassuring squeeze around her hand. “It’s alright,” Dean whispered softly into her ear as she leaned in closer to his chest. The aroma of strawberries, orchids, and something else sweet radiating off of her, as they swayed in sync to the rhythm.

As soon as the song had ended Dean  quickly let go of his grasp on Y/N and immediately walked back to the table where Sam waited. Y/N following slowly behind him. Sam was typing frantically on his phone as they approached the table, barely shoving it in his pocket as soon as Dean reached him.

“Everything good Sammy?” Dean asked while picking up his original shot from the bet.

“Yeah everything is good. Jody and Donna are stopping by real quick,” Sam replied nervously.

“Uh huh,” Dean replied skeptically. His brother was up to something, but what? Who knows what was going on in that floppy hair covered head of his. What Dean did know was that he didn’t want the night to end yet. Not when he was just staring to get to know Y/N. Not when she had just started putting down her walls. Not when they had to deal with the end of the world tomorrow, again. He turned his head to Y/N that was swaying her hips slowly to another song, AC/DC this time. “What ya wanna do next Doc?”

Y/N pursed her lips to the side while she looked around thinking. “We play pool, Mr. Winchester,” she replied with a big grin.

“You sure you want to do that? I’m pretty good sweetheart” Dean said while looking over at the table. Damn, there goes Y/N with that confidence again. A smile growing on his lips thinking about how this small girl probably acts the same way when faced with danger. Just like Bobby.

“We will see about that,” goaded Y/N. “How about we even make a bet?”

“Like what?” Dean inquired tilting his head to the side, while looking at Sam holding back a laugh out of the corner of his eye.

“How much money you got on ya?”

___________________________________________________________

Twenty dollars riding on the game. Of course you really didn’t care about $20, you just found yourself wanting to continue spending time with Dean. Pool was the best option, because you definitely knew how to play. You’ve taken money from other guys plenty your lifetime when they thought that you were just a sweet and innocent girl at a bar. You loved to prove them wrong. You were going to prove him wrong.

As you and Sam had danced earlier, he whispered into your ear, “I think my brother has taken a liking to you.” You had given him a smile with a quick laugh while replying “good for him.” You couldn’t help but to look over at Dean, with your smile still present on your face. Dean Winchester. An enigma of a man, who presented himself as an intimidating brute that hid himself behind booze, women, and pop culture jokes. There was more to him. You felt the urge to know more as you had walked back to the table with Sam. You needed a minute alone with him that didn’t involve disposing of a corpse in the middle of the night. The idea to “leave it to fate” in regards to dancing with you came quickly in your mind. You knew how good you were that the quarter would jump right in. He didn’t. You wanted him to think that it happened by chance as he was suckered into a dance.

The jukebox hadn’t been updated in at least twenty years, and the only slow song you could think of was your mom’s song. Her favorite that she would hum to you as a child while you were sick or scared. The words flowed through your head as the two of you swayed. His muscles tightening around you when you mentioned your mother. You were scared when you had started to ask about his mom, but he was so calm as he eased your mind gently. Dean Winchester was a gentle man. He was not who you thought he was, he was definitely more then you could ever have imagined.

As the song had ended, you felt the urge to pull him back to you, but you followed his lead. What would you do now? The sight of the pool table in the other corner was like a gift from God. Sam had mentioned that Jody and another women by the name of Donna were stopping by, so you knew Dean was probably not going anywhere. That also meant that Sam and two other women would be around as you were still trying to get to know him. One on one in a game of pool was just going to provide you with a little more time that you desperately wanted. You had to make it count.

Dean had set up the rack and stated that ladies go first. You leaned down to the table and gave him a little wink right before breaking. Two stripes in, right off the bat. Dean pursed his lips and crossed his arms while studying the table for your next possible move. You leaned down to the table again while verbalizing “15 corner pocket.” Sunk it.

“I guess you do know what you are doing,” Dean said as he leaned up against the wall holding his cue.

“Told ya so,” you taunted while looking for your next move on the table, while still contemplating your next move with Dean. “10 side pocket.” It bounced next to your target. A miss.

“My turn now finally,” Dean announced while walking around the side of the table opposite of you.

“Good luck cowboy,” you smirked.

“Yee-haw” exclaimed Dean as he sunk in two in one shot. He gave you a quick wink as he repositioned himself for his next move.

“So who taught you how to play?” you asked while not coming up with anything better to say.

“My dad,” Dean replied as he continued to eye up the table for possible moves. “Also your dad too I guess.” He looked up to you for your reaction.

You gave him a slow nod in response before speaking up again. “He was kinda like your dad too huh?”

Dean shook his head and gave a quick laugh. “No, he was who I wished my dad was.”

“Yeah your dad kinda seemed like a hardass,” you replied while staring down at the table. Dean stood up quickly, causing you to startle back in your position. “I mean, like in the books he isn’t the friendliest character.”

Dean slowly shook his head in agreement. “He was a hardass, but he had good reason to be. Bobby though, he was tough but fair. He would actually stop and think about what was good for us. He would often watch us for weeks at a time while Dad was on a hunt. Those were the best weeks of my life.”

You gave him a tiny half smile towards his words. “I wish I had known him,” you said softly.

Dean leaned down to the table again, “Heck, you’ve never met him, and you’re almost just like him.”

“What do you mean?” you pleaded as Dean sunk in his ball in the corner pocket.

“Well, you're stubborn as shit for one thing. Short. Fowl-mouthed. Sarcastic,” Dean listed as you gave him an annoyed glare. “Intelligent. Brave. And you seem to care about people, even if you don’t know them, you care. You also seem to care the most about the ones closest to you, like you would protect them with your life if you could. That Y/N is how you are like Bobby.”

You took a big deep breath as Dean’s words echoed in your mind. Dean Winchester was just able to describe you after only one day of knowing you. You looked over towards Sam that was now being greeted by Jody and another blonde lady that had sheer excitement on her face as she sat with him. You directed Dean’s attention to them with a quick whistle. He gave a quick acknowledgment to them while missing his shot.

“Guess it’s back to me then,” you commented while moving to his side. The game was already half over, and while you didn’t care about the bet, you had a feeling Dean did. He loudly sighed as he backed away from you, waving towards Sam, Jody, and Donna.

The two of you flew through the rest of your shots, making and missing pretty equally when it all came down to the 8-ball, and it was your turn.

“Right corner pocket,” you stated as you leaned into the table. Strong hands grasped your waist tightly which gave you a quick startle, causing you to miss your shot. You quickly turned to hit whoever it was when you were met with those green eyes.

“You cheated,” you hissed.

“Just helping you with your balance Darlin” assured Dean.

He made his shot and gave you a widening grin that made his eyes light up. His surrounding light growing slowly. “That will be $20.”

“Yeah, yeah, cheater. I’m out of cash now, but I have some back at the hotel when you guys drop me off,” you replied while trying to ask annoyed by his remark. The truth was that although his touch had startled you, it also sent electricity through your body that you had never quite felt before. What was that feeling? Definitely new, and you kind of liked it.

After putting away the cues, Dean started back over to the table. You followed closely behind him as you could see the eyes of all the seated persons laying on you, making you feel a bit self-conscious.

“You must be Y/N,” asked Donna while displaying a wide grin and extending her hand.

“Yeah, that’s me,” you said reluctantly while offering your hand to hers in a welcoming shake.

“Heard so much about ya. Jody says here that you’re a doctor passing through here huh?”

Her accent was strong. Where was that from? Wisconsin? Iowa? Minnesota? Probably the latter since the border wasn’t too far from here.

“Yeah, just passing through. Was stranded a bit here, but I’ll be off again tomorrow.”

“Oh, Y/N that reminds me, Rick at the garage said everything would be done by 9 tomorrow for you to pick up your car,” Jody reiterated.

“Thank god,” you gasped. “Me and baby can get our butts back on the road at a decent time then.”

“Baby?” Dean questioned.

You rolled your eyes to him as you sat down next to Sam, across from Jody and Donna, leaving Dean to grab a chair and set it on the end.

“Obviously I don’t have a baby Dean, or I would be a really crappy parent right now. I was referring to my car,” you stated with slight sarcasm in your voice. Donna and Jody gave quick glances at each other while displaying little grins.

“Just never heard a girl call a car baby before,” he shrugged.

You turned your attention back to Jody. “So 9 am, and I’m free to go, officer?”

She gave a small chuckle in response. “Yeah, 9 am, and she is all yours.”

“We can give you…” Dean started to say but was cut off by Jody quickly telling you that she had already arranged for someone to pick you up at the hotel by 8:45 to take you to the garage. You thanked her while looking over to Dean that seemed a bit…disappointed? Is that what you were seeing in his light? Anxiety maybe? Ugh, reading humans was hard, just once you wished they only had 5 feelings: happy, sad, mad, scared, and hungry.

“So Dean,” Sam said while speaking over your head. Damn this guy was tall, he made you feel like a child when comparing sizes. “We have a busy day tomorrow. Stuff needs us back home, I was going to hitch a ride with them now to get some sleep to drive tomorrow. You good to take Y/N back?”

Dean gave his brother a confused look but then shook his head in agreement. It was already approaching well past midnight as you glanced toward a clock on the wall. Time had flown so fast as you were thrown into their world while also getting to know them, but you didn’t quite want to go back to the hotel. But you also didn’t really want to keep sitting here either.

Driving alone with Dean made your stomach flutter. Or was it the alcohol? You gave him a friendly smile when he asked if you were ready, sensing that he was beyond ready to leave the group. You said goodbye to Sam, Jody, and Donna quickly. The two girls each telling you to not be a stranger and to call if you ever needed anything or were in town. Sam had just said that it was great to have met you, and he hoped to see you again soon while smiling and glancing at his brother. The group of you all walked to the separate cars and you were seated back into the passenger seat of the Impala.

Dean turned over the ignition, bringing the car to life and the radio that was playing loud static. You leaned over to turn the tuner knob when Dean slapped your hand away.

“Driver picks the music,” he quipped.

You gave him your best pouty look, knowing that he has probably seen better from Sam. “But it’s my birthday now.”

Dean opened his mouth to speak but just waved his hand instead, allowing you to turn through the channels. You landed on a college radio station playing alternative rock. Dean curled his lips up in annoyance but started along the road as the next song started up. Singing along to the lyrics, you found yourself smiling at the coincidence of this song playing right now, right here, with him.

Visions of red I never thought that I could get here In the past the pain would blind me And at times I'd wish you dead Now I see a picture clearer than the morning To you I was a monster And you had to save yourself

For only one more night To hold you close To tell you you were right Oh-Oh And I'll take all the blame For only one more night To say what I was too stubborn to before Oh-Oh And I'll take all the blame

Stubborn I was stubborn Too stubborn before Too stubborn before

- New Found Glory, “Stubborn”.

Read part four here

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@jaylarkson​

[just-my-onion]

Goodnight Dr. Forceps – a Bughead One-shot

Written in response to @jokerscrown ‘s prompt on bughead-fanfic-wishlist  " A fic where Betty got injected with an anaesthetic because she broke her arm, and feels a little loopy after the operation. Jughead is the nurse in charge to take care of Betty, and loopy Betty kinda asks Jughead to marry her, and says she loves him. They both are strangers.”  Read it on AO3 here The world was a little different during night shift. It often ushered in intoxicated demons; shadows stretched their gnarled fingers across the little hospital garden; and on the worst nights, when sleep had failed him completely, strange shapes danced along the edges of Jughead’s vision making it hard to be sure what was real.

So, it didn’t worry him quite as it perhaps should when he saw an angel in the ER waiting reception. He was rushing through, a car accident to attend to, so an impression of white gown, blonde waves and radiance was all he had a chance to capture.

Still, it stayed with him throughout the night.

*****

A few hours later, Jughead was in the middle of trying to calm down a shrieking five-year-old with a very painful ear infection, when his best friend Archie walked over.

“Jug, would you mind swapping and taking over the aftercare for my patient? She keeps asking for you”, Archie asked in a surprisingly sulky tone for someone asking a favour.

Archie was a good nurse, but sometimes Jughead couldn’t help but feel there was more than a little truth in his friend’s jokes about going into the profession because of its high female to male ratio.

“Asking for me?” he asked suspiciously. “It’s not Mrs. Wyndham again, is it?” The elderly and somewhat hypochondriac librarian had taken a shine to Jughead and would barely allow anyone else to tell her that there was really nothing wrong.

“No, a cute blonde. Solid 8.5. She’s said I was cute but then started insisting on speaking to, and I quote, ‘the glarey dark haired boy’. No idea why she wants you, but I think the anaesthetic has messed with her head a bit.”

“Gee thanks Arch, when you sweet talk me like that, how can I possibly say no?”

Jughead handed Archie Timmy’s notes and headed over to the bed his friend had just come from, where an angel was sitting, waving at him.

The angel turned out to be Betty Cooper, a beautiful blonde girl, who looked about the same age as Jughead and Archie. Big green eyes looked up at him from a heart shaped face that wore ever so slightly smudged lipstick. She must have tried to tidy her hair one-handed – it had been flowing in gold waves over her shoulder earlier but now was in a very lopsided ponytail. She was wearing a white lacy dress, pale blue ballet shoes and a large cast on her left arm.

“Hooray, it’s you!” she beamed. She looked a little drunk, but any alcohol she’d consumed would surely have all but worn off by now.

“Hi Betty. Err, do we know each other?”

“Not yet, but we will. We’re meant to, I can tell”, she smiled up at him.

He wasn’t sure what to say to that, so he concentrated on her notes.

“So, you broke your arm huh?”

“Yes, my best friend insisted I join her at this stupid fancy nightclub that makes me feel like a total hick, so I drank a few too many glasses of the champagne she ordered ��� I don’t even really like Champagne! – but then Ronnie disappeared, I think with this very boring man she spent way too long talking to, while I just got to know the champagne.”

Throughout her ramble, Betty pulled a series of increasingly animated facial expressions – it was hard not to be charmed.

“But then I was a bit worried and I wanted to go home so I went to find her and I guess I tripped on the stairs and this happened”, she raised her arm, “ouch!”

Jughead quickly helped her resettle her broken limb into the best position for her to hold it.

“Theeeeeeeeeeeen”, she took a deep breath, “I looked a bit more but I still couldn’t find Ronnie, so I walked home but she wasn’t there either and my arm was still hurting so I figured I’d better come to hospital.”

“You did all that with a broken arm?” Jughead asked, concern mixing with admiration. Who was this adorable but formidable young woman?

She shrugged. “Owww. Yeah, I figured it’s an arm not a leg and I don’t usually walk on my hands too much, so I might as well just wander in.”

He double-checked the very decent job the doctor had done and gave her the usual fracture after-care spiel, combined with the finer points of her own case, though it was clear she was struggling to maintain attention. He’d look up from the notes to find her gazing at his lips, before suddenly whipping her head around to stare in seeming wonderment at some of the more mundane equipment, then looking up and giggling, inexplicably, at the fluorescent overhead lighting.

She had an air of innocence and preppiness that would usually make Jughead bored or sceptical, or both, but her open demeanour, obvious intelligence despite the adorable anaesthesia dizziness, and kind, classically pretty face were utterly disarming.

“You really care about my health don’t you – ” she squinted at the hateful name tag Dr. Masters insisted all the nursing team wore, “Dr. Forceps?”

He couldn’t help but laugh, “It’s my job to care about your health, plus you’ve not called me emo or goth as yet, not racially abused anyone or spat in my face, so you’re officially on my nice list. But I’m a nurse, not a doctor I’m afraid, and it’s Forsythe, not Forceps.”

For a moment ‘normal’ Betty – or what Jughead imagined she must be like – seemed to resurface. She shook her head and blushed. “Oh gosh, I’m sorry Forsythe – I can read, honest! I’m actually an English teacher, would you believe.” She buried her face in her hands, wincing as she lifted her left arm.

She was even cuter when she was embarrassed and Jughead had the sudden stupid urge to run away. Instead he gently corrected the position of her arm again.

“Short of risking my job by failing to wear it, I’ve done everything I can to ruin the integrity of this stupid badge – it’s been through the washing machine more times than my actual laundry, I’ve tried scratching the letters off, I even got Archie to run over it once – so it’s no wonder you found it hard to read. Anyway, Forsythe is not really my name. It’s Jughead.”

“Jughead. Juggie Jug Jug Jughead”, she mused. “Ooooh and Archie! Was he the cute ginger boy who was in here earlier?”

Of course she was attracted to Archie really. Jughead was ashamed by how deflated he felt.

“Yup, Archie is our resident hottie.”

“He was cute but you’re beauuuuuuuuuuuuuutiful”, she slurred, gazing at him lovingly. “And he kept staring. Stupid dress. Staring at me, then getting distracted by all the other girls around. And he says he’s a musician really. I don’t want a musician, I want a nurse. Like you. You want to make me better. And your eyes are the best, Juggie. And you look like you like books. Good books. Not Dan Brown and Marian Keyes like Polly reads. And I want to touch your hair, very badly.”

She grabbed his hand, “Jughead … er… Nurse, will you marry me?” Her earnest, slightly tearful face was the loveliest thing he’d seen. Her ‘proposal’ should have been funny, and he knew it was just the drugs talking, but his heart was pounding.

“Hey, of course I will”, he replied in what he hoped was a light & breezy tone. It was hard to tell as he’d never felt light and breezy in his life. “Let’s get you all better and clear away this anaesthesia fog and then we can start planning.”

“How do you feel about kilts?” she asked.

There was little left to do now, and, even on quiet nights like this, the hospital was stringent about maintaining bed availability. It was time to discharge Betty, but he hated the idea of turning her out while the weird effects of the anaesthesia clearly hadn’t lifted.

And there was something else. Jughead loved his job, loved feeling like he was doing some small measure of good in the world, but he didn’t always love spending so much time with other people. They exhausted him, sometimes depressed him, and almost always compounded his sense of not-quite belonging. Yet right now he desperately wanted the world to just stop for a while, so he could simply sit here with this strange and wonderful girl for the rest of the night, without responsibilities pressing in on them.

“How are you going to get home Betty? Do you have someone that can pick you up?

“Oh, I’ll walk. I walked here, I can walk back no problemo.” She began saying “o, o, o” repeatedly, mouth like a fish’s.

“No way I’m letting you walk home at this time of night with only one arm.”

“Do you think I might be attacked by wolves?”

“Wolves or worse. Archie could catch up with you and ask your opinion on his new songs. I’d love to offer you a ride, but I’m on my bike and I don’t think you could hold on with that arm. What about your friend – Ronnie was it? – could she come and pick you up?”

“Phone is –” she blew a raspberry.

“Ok, well my shift is almost over, so if you don’t mind waiting just a little while for me, I can call you a cab and then sit with you until it’s here.”

She was still quite wobbly when he walked her to the car park, so he let her lean on him with his arm wrapped around her waist. They were almost at the bench when she suddenly wheeled around and up into him and clumsily crashed her lips onto his. He tried not to notice the softness of her lips and the crush of her breasts against his chest, tried not to notice that she tasted like strawberries, tried to concentrate only on the fact that this was his patient and she was only marginally in control of her own body and mind right now.

“Hey there Betts, you don’t want to do yourself anymore harm”, he said, very gently nudging her away from him and sitting her down on the bench.

It wasn’t a cold night, but in her flimsy dress, Betty was soon shivering.

“Here, take my jacket”, Jughead helped her into the soft fuzzy-lined denim. He’d never lost his teenaged tendency to hide himself in over-sized clothes, and the coat swamped her. She still looked cold so he leaned over and retrieved his beloved crown beanie out of one of the denim pockets. He pulled it down over her scruffy golden ponytail, and stroked the hair out of her eyes.

The image of her cuddled into his over-sized jacket, beanie almost falling down over one of her eyes made his chest ache. He hoped, suspected, he’d never forget it.

She slipped her hand into his, their fingers interlaced. Holding her hand felt so right somehow, the perfect fit, but she still wasn’t in a fully lucid state and he had a duty of care to her. Her wellbeing and his dedication to his profession were a lot more important than any pathetic feelings he might be having over someone who likely wouldn’t remember his name in an hour.

Squeezing his hand tighter before he could pull it away, she gazed up at him.

“Jughead? I love you.”

His heart stopped; he knew she was still in the anaesthetic fog, but he’d never before had those words spoken to him by anyone but family or Archie, had almost given up on it ever happening. The world felt suddenly wide open and vast and yet simultaneously shrunk down to the size of a hospital car park. The stars pressed in around them and glittered from her beautiful angel’s eyes.

Her taxi was approaching. He squeezed her hand softly before gently disentangling their fingers, “I’m pretty sure I could love you too, Betty Cooper.”

[defunctblogtobedeleted]

8/28/19 8:09pm - Meanwhile, In Real Time (basically all of aug ‘19)

So today I only have one patient for the first time in like half a year. I guess it makes sense since it’s the end of august and insurance policies are starting to roll over. After so many busy weeks of work it’s really exciting though.

And it couldn’t have happened at a better time. For one I’m pretty excited to get writing and catching up on this past year. But for TWO, World of Warcraft Classic just launched this week. I wasn’t sure if I was going to like it. Yknow I never played it before because I was worried how it would eat my life like Runescape did. But Spencer and a bunch of NC Melee peeps wanted me to play so I’m in there. Looks like my obsessions really have cycled in order.

[continued at 11:04pm after putting pts to bed]  Pokemon (first grade), Magic (third grade), Runescape (fourth grade), Halo/Gears (7th-9th), Guitar Hero (8th-10th), Quiz Bowl (11th&12th) , Ultimate Frisbee (12th-soph), League of Legends (soph-senior), Melee (senior-last year). I have a kind of filthy habit of playing so much that it’s debilitating and then finally breaking out of it only to move on to doing the same thing with something else.

Since quitting melee I’ve gotten obsessed with Pokemon and Magic, so it looks like getting into WoW was inevitable. 

Just kidding, an unscheduled 2nd patient showed up and it turns out he’s actually supposed to be here so I’m not QUITE so free as all that, but it’s still not 3 patients, 2 is totally easy for me now.

Lol I took this screenshot when I got in to the office 

as of now I’m all caught up with work and I’ve still got 133 minutes to go, so looks like I have plenty of time to write for a second.

So what do I have to catch up on? well my days have been looking like weds-thurs-fri are always work, saturday I’ll stay up all day doing something, sunday I’m usually sleeping in, Monday I’m usually either playing DnD or chilling playing games, and Tuesday is a chill day until karaoke. 

The past two weekends have been kind of crazy though, so I just wanted to write about them for a minute before I got too far gone. 

Actually, let’s go back to 3 weekends ago. I visited Dars because I needed to, it’s been too long. I meant to write a lot more than I did, but instead I stayed up late into the night watching Andi draw shit on twitch. I’ve been thinking about her a lot lately, mostly trying to collect all my thoughts on what I want to write about, but I definitely miss her and hope she’s doing okay. I ‘accidentally’ responded to a question she asked when she was talking to herself on stream, I hadn’t meant to talk to her at all I just wanted to see her do her thing and reflect on her a little.  Really I wanted to watch her play breath of the wild. I miss us playing that together. Watching her enjoy something I enjoyed so much really made me happy. Anyway, I only bring that up because I tried to tune in again to actually watch her play BotW and found out she blocked me from her channel. I could still watch, which was nice, but I couldn’t say anything. Probably for the best. After watching her for a few hours I unfollowed her channel so I wouldn’t even try anymore.

Now you’re just somebody that I used to know.

I did that song at karaoke last night. I practiced in the bathroom and the car beforehand and was nailing it I thought. But I got up on stage and I was thinking of you and I bombed it. I haven’t bombed a song so hard since the time I tried to sing you I Don’t Wanna Miss A Thing when I was in drunk-screaming mode, or the first time I tried to do MakeDamnSure. And those were when I was drunk. This I like just tried to get to the high notes and on stage I just couldn’t. My voice kind of broke. I cleared the crowd. It was humiliating, to be honest. I don’t know if I was tired from playing 12 hours of WoW with spencer yesterday (amazing, btw. I had a ton of fun), or if I was thinking of you too much, or if I was actually just floundering from making the first mistake (which doesn’t quite make sense because I’ve made mistakes and then fixed them easily in plenty of songs before). But it was awful.  I got to hang out with some friends for a bit, sang The Hand That Feeds and did excellently at it, got some good cheers and shit, but I still felt like ass. Went home and played some melee and some more WoW and stayed up until 6am and slept 12 hours lmao.

So I had an avocado for dinner and now here I am. I’ve been doing more fasting days lately where I eat really light. They’re not true fasting days because usually I eat a bunch of nuts or something. But I don’t eat a big meal like I normally do once a day. Also I wanted to go back to Darlin’s because we watched zoolander, and at one point he says “bulimia is a great way to lose pounds before a shoot” and I was like “oh yeah, true.” lol so now if someone makes me eat a bunch of ice cream with them (darlin and jill), then I’ll do it and throw it up after -_-. Not the healthiest but I’ve only done it on like two or three occasions. I’m mostly being good. Only exercising once a week lately though, WoW kinda blew up everything this week and I’ve been hella busy lol. 

Okay so week after Darlin’s, I made some new friends at karaoke that my buddy Skyler introduced me to there. I drove up to Virginia on Saturday to do Quarry Fest that tessa and her boyfriend had planned out on his property. It was fucking phenomenal. Spent the day day drinking and swimming, it was gorgeous out, beautiful people in swimsuits everywhere, made a whole bunch of new friends who loved me because they already loved tessa, saw a handful of old high school friends. I really got strong attraction vibes from my friend Emily, but she was there with a new boyfriend so ah well such a shame for her lmao. Stayed up until like 4 in the morning talking with people around a big bonfire, it was just like a fun old rappahannock field party where everyone knew everyone at least by a removal factor of one. Such a beautiful time. I fucking drunkenly danced my ass off all night while these live musicians and djs were on. Just phish style sway jammed out in the sand, made my legs fucking exhausted lol. Moving in sand is so fucking hard! I’d get a drink, chug it down, spin around drunkenly jam around for a bit, sober up, get a new drink, rinse and repeat lmao. The Diet Dr Pepper and white rum idea later in the night was miserable though. FUCK diet drinks they’re not adequate mixers. holy blegh. plus the rum was hot as balls I need to find a new kind of liquor to keep in my trunk. The best idea I’ve heard from people so far is sake. I loved Tessa’s boyfriend’s family too. The one little brother had the same supreme cheetah print that I had on except he had the boxers, we really hit it off actually. After sleeping in my car for the night I woke up and went skinny dipping for like an hour or so, I spent a lot of the next morning talking to him and his girlfriend, mostly entertaining her with the weird stories that I tell on here. She said I was probably the craziest person she’d ever met, and wished that I lived closer so that she could hook me up with her sister. She said she needed to try someone fun like me out LMAO. Then their family made a huge breakfast at their house and I got to pig out on some lox and chit chat with tessa about shit before heading back to Raleigh.

That’s right, I went there and came back for just a day because I needed to be back the next night for Emo Karaoke LOL. There’s no way I was gonna miss it, it’s only once a month. 

It was the craziest thing though. My friends caitlin and gretchen came to emo karaoke but it hadn’t started yet because of an open mic poetry night, so they split to go to Ruby’s annual No Pants Party and told me to meet up with them if I wanted to. I was the first person to sing, I did The Used and it went fantastically. I met this guy morgan and his girlfriend elizabeth I think, and she emailed me a video of it lol I love it. I also sang backup vocals for him on MakeDamnSure, I was so happy that he asked me, I’ve literally practiced doing the backup singing just in case someone ever did hahaha. But after my song this girl walks up to me and says “did you go to chapel hill? Do you remember who I am?” I look at her and it’s none other than fucking LEXI. Like huge crush in college Lexi. Like written about her at least a handful of times at LEAST Lexi. Like I named my fucking CAR after you Lexi. So I was like “HOLY SHIT YES” oh my god and caught up with her and I’m 90% sure she was there with another guy, but I got to meet her friends and chit chat and I screamed my fucking throat out that night. My voice was already toasty from singing in the car all the way up and back from virginia but after that it was torched lmao. I also did The Used+MCR’s Under Pressure with my friend from there Kenny, got some chick’s number, and the list was full so I dipped after that.

Went to the no pants party and it wasn’t super crazy, but I got some beautiful pics lol. Caitlin helped me tie up my shirt super cute, I wore it as a blouse and as an ascot hahaha. But hanging with them at the no pants party mostly got me to this afterparty at a friend’s place downtown.  I had rum and bought some coke that we threw in the freezer, but instead of mixing the coke and rum me and Jacob had this great idea to mix the rum with freezie pops to see if it was any good. Did like 3 shots testing it out to see if the ratio could work. Mostly it tasted like a bad slushie lol. Went to the porch to smoke a cig and people started passing some coke around so I did a little of that, and started having this long ass conversation with this girl MJ. We hit it off for like literally an hour on the porch at 4 in the morning. We talked about pokemon and tons of nerdy video game shit, and it turns out she had been at karaoke that week, I had already listened to her singing! I got her number and have since tried to hit her up a few times to hang out. She’s always responded to all of my texts IMMEDIATELY. like within the minute fast. It’s weird. But unfortunately either because she’s not actually interested or because she’s truly been too busy, I haven’t been able to meet up with her to do anything. I guess we’ll see if that ever develops, but I think she was really cool. I really hope I at least get to make a pass at her.  After that I brought gretchen back to my place to hang out. Didn’t try to hook up with her or anything, but we just wanted to chill and do some blow that I had leftover and wanted to get rid of. Did some talking about some fucked up shit going on with some of her friends dying, but it was mostly in the context of her wanting to go back to the party to try to find an adderall on the ground when we ran out of shit. At like 8 in the morning we drove around to pick up some shit, but nobody was awake, she gave me half an adderall to try to help me stay up but after I popped it I still took a nap in the car while we waited so I was like yeah nah I’m tapping out. After driving to virginia and back and having two late party nights I was fucking spent and didn’t want to miss my appointment to drop my car off for repairs. Honestly though, I have no fucking idea what Brandon saw in her that made him so coocoo for her. She seems like your typical party hardy everything-sucks kind of girl. I don’t think I’ve heard her say a positive thing about...anything. She’s always shit talking or talking down about life or saying she wants to go somewhere else that’s cooler, or that older parties were more fun or some shit. Meh. Luckily I’m not the one tryna bang her, and Caitlin totally balances her out with how smiley and happy she is when I hang out with them. Her and Jacob are cute as fuck too. 

But I DID end up making it to my appointment. My car is almost done being fixed!!

Then I had a board game night that monday, me and Trent and Steven played some of this train game called snowdonia and I narrowly lost. Steven almost always beats me, that fucker lol. I really respect how smart he is about magic and game theory in general tbh.

Last week there was karaoke and work. At karaoke I found out this really cute smiley girl Hannah (a friend/coworker of my lesbian couple friends) is getting a divorce from her husband (she’s like 24), and so thattt’s pretty interesting. I don’t wanna make moves because she’s wonderful and I don’t want to be a douche, but she’s like... still the happiest person I’ve ever met even in the midst of changing her entire life. I kinda wish I could go on a date with her just to find out more about her lol. Saturday I didn’t sleep so that I could go to my friend Helena’s place for her to dye and cut my hair. I really followed through on wanting it to look like Brad Pitt from Once Upon A Time In Hollywood like I decided when we saw it darlin’s lol. I really wanted to change my hair, I’m kind of sick of having bangs in my face and need to symbolically move on to doing something new. Then saturday afternoon/evening I got drunk as fuckkkk with broscious and irene for their housewarming party. First time getting really drunk with them it was so much fun! We played a drinking game while watching a glassblowing show where we drank every time they said glass or blew, so it was pretttty good hahaha. I probably overdid it with the threesome and trap jokes later with their friends when we got to the bar lol, but they seemed so innocent I had to fuck with them a little hahaha. Fell asleep on the floor of their living room at like 3 in the morning because someone else had dibs on the couch. Woke up at like 7am blegh, found out I lost my house key lol, went back to sleep at my place til noon, then went to play board games with steven trent and reyad again.  After that I went to boxcar to meet up with Maya, and she had brought a bunch of her coworkers and Rianne as usual, so it was a great time. We bounced from boxcar to Rianne’s place, got to drink with Ollie and played this weird frog golf game and we discussed whether Blonde or Channel Orange was the better Frank Ocean album. They ALL were fighting me that Channel Orange was just better in every way, but I still think Blonde is incredible. I offered to take Jill home to her place since she lives nearby, we got some mcdonalds and watched some american dad and had some great sex. and again the next morning, and again in the afternoon. So luckily that’s still working out, I thought it had fallen apart, but I’ll explain more on that later on when I finish playing catchup. I took her back to her car and we got some good ass ramen downtown.

We made tentative plans to hang out again the next day and maybe go thrifting and I spent the rest of monday playing Melee for a couple hours. But I woke up at 9am and started playing WoW with spencer, so when she hit me up that she was getting off work at like 3pm I was in the middle of a 6 hour bingefest playing WoW for the first time in my life. He told me I should keep playing with him so I didn’t fall behind and so I thought about it... and then I did lmao. I said that I was nerding out with my roommate and asked if she wanted to hang out after karaoke. She said yeah definitely but she might go to bed earlier than normal (~3) because she had to work a double. I hit her up at midnight to leave karaoke early after that embarrassment of a performance, but she never responded. I think she said she wanted to hang out so that she could blow me off too, tbh. But jokes on her, I got to play more melee until I could get through the login queue for WoW and got to play for another 3 hours. Perfect.

Though more sex would’ve been nice, for sure. 

Anyway, things are going wonderfully. I’m going to a big concert in raleigh in two weeks. Probably just nerding out this weekend since I mixed up my weekends and didn’t make plans. Helena dyed my hair with highlights to look like brad pitt, but I’m changing it to be totally blonde like Maya and Rianne want instead. They miss my old yellow hair lol and Oliver and everyone I’ve asked did too so I’m gonna try it out again. 

Definitely ready to move forward and try some new things. 

I’ve been thinking about Andi way too much the past two weeks. It sucks. I really want to talk to her. And give her her chair back. So I want to see her. But I know I’m feeling good with everything so really things are better off just moving on I guess. Maybe once I finally write my catchup posts about her I can stop thinking about her. But it’s made me procrastinate a lot, I’m like literally doing anything I can to not write these last handful of catchup posts...

But I promise I will soon. I need to do it. Maybe that’s what I’ll do saturday while I wait for the queue for WoW to thin out lmao. It’s currently 12:06 and I still have an estimated time of 13 minutes after trying to log in at 7:45 lol.

Also tryna cop some supreme clothes tomorrow. Wish me luck, I Really hope I can get this tiger print jacket and hat. Boutta drop a mint lol. Clothes are kinda fun. It’s nice not dressing like a hobo all the time, I guess. Mostly because it’s hot. Once it’s the right temperature to wear pajama pants again you better believvvve I’m gonna just get fancy sweatpants lmfao.

Anyway, queue’s finally done! holy shit yeah it’s only 12:15 Kappa. Gonna go play some WoW love you guys bye <3

[drferox]

20 questions with Dr Ferox #2

 Greetings Vetlings! Ready for a second round of 20 questions (and answers) as I work through my inbox? If you’re not sitting comfortably, doing so now would be a good idea. these are in no particular order. If you’ve asked on anonymous, see if you’ve been answered below.

@sckoviaaccords​ asked: My cat had bladder stones, the dissolvable kind with medicine and proper food fortunately, but she got in the habit of peeing everywhere because it hurt her. The stones are gone, but she's still peeing inside, when she used to use the doggy door. My mom keeps saying that we'll have to get rid of her if she keeps peeing on the carpet. How do I stop her from doing this?             

First make sure the stones are actually gone, and that there are no crystals remaining, or residual pain. Contact your vet about this. Cats may avoid where they used to toilet if they have associated that place with pain. Then consider using litter trays inside, especially if there is a particular spot the cat is already frequently urinating. Different cats may prefer different styles of litter tray, or different types of litter, so use one she prefers (offer her two, then stick with the one she chooses). If she will use a litter tray inside, you can then slowly move it a foot or so each week closer to a more appropriate location. As a cheap trick you can also put down tin foil (aluminium foil) where she is urinating. You can also make decoy food plated by gluing some dry food to a paper plate, adding some loose food and leaving them where the cat is urinating. Most cats only urinate where they can get food, but this may only deflect her to another inappropriate location on its own.

@in-a-drought-lioness asked: What kind of bladder stones are there? I've heard there are up to 6 different types? I answered the last question tax but I think there was an old one about pokemon? I would say you remind me of Tauros, because in the latest game they seem to be protector pokemon and you are a protector of animals.

There can be several different types, and it’s not impossible to get a mix of two. the most common ones are struvite and calcium oxalate. Urate, cystine, calcium phosphate, sillicate or drug residue stones/crystals (looking at you trimethoprim sulphonamides!) can also occur, but are less common. 

@rarmeowz​ asked: Do lungworms cause any long term damage in cats? My cat was a stray, and when we took her in she had lungworms. She was quickly and successfully treated and has been worm free for over a year, but I'd like to know if there's anything I should look out for, or if her lungs could be potentially damaged somehow

Aelurostrongylus abstrusus is the species usually referred to as cat lungworm, though other parasitic worm species exist which live in the lung. They don’t seem to cause long term damage in my experience, though incompletely treated infections can predispose to chronic bronchitis. Affected cats often have an elevated eosinophil count on hematology. This parasite is not always detected with faecal flotation, you often need a Baermann technique.  

@thehollowedangel​ said: Hi! I love your blog and was wondering if you had any other veterinary blogs to recommend? Thank you, hope your doing well!

Confession. I don’t actually...follow...any...veterinary blogs. They are just too reminiscent of work and don’t let my brain switch off and relax. i pop in on some sometimes when I’m in the mood, but don’t want unexpected random rants or clinical pictures popping up on my feed and forcing me to think. I do try to relax in my downtime

One place I do recommend checking out though is Dean Scott’s FunnyVet.com as the cartoons are funny, but very accurate.

Anonymous asked: Do you find that any dog sports are more dangerous to dogs than others? Thank you for the wonderful blog, since I'm curious, do you play D&D currently?

Not particularly if you’re talking about endangering their life. Anything that involved jumping or sudden turns if you’re talking about injuries. But in perspective, more dogs tear their cruciate ligaments around the home than they do at an event. Racing greyhounds are an entirely different topic.

And unfortunately no, I’m not playing D&D at the moment. But I am being involved in a sci-fi podcast.

@mygearsarestartingtotremble​ asked: I started getting curious about heartworm in Australia and if you guys had it and you do! Which surprised me. How big is preventive care in your hospital?             

Why would it surprise you? Lots of things try to kill things down here, and we most certainly have the mosquitoes! Prevention is very big in more northern states, but down here it’s not as big. There is even one local clinic who actively claims other vets that push heartworm prevention are ripping you off! I always advise people that prevention is so easy, and while the risks may be low locally, the consequences of infection can be catastrophic. I suspect it will be more common here with climate change, the disease already seems to be moving south.

Understandably Anonymous asked: (cw: animal death, uh... taxidermy?) When my cat dies, I think I want to keep his pelt (in the least creepy way possible - of course I would get a professional to do it). Is this Too Weird to talk to a vet about, and I should make some vague noises about taking the body home to bury if we ever have to put him down, or are the odds high that my vet has Seen Everything and won't be fazed by That Weirdo Who Wants to Skin Their Cat? I don't anticipate this being relevant soon, he's only 11ish.            

That is certainly a weird one, but not that extra weird. I don’t know whether your vet would be fazed with this knowledge at all, but you are certainly within your rights to take a deceased pet home, usually for burial. Most vets will shave a patch of fur on a leg for catheter placement or intravenous access though, you might have to address this if you’re not okay with that.

@vantastrophe asked: Anything cool happen to you this week? :) Hope you have a good day!             

I had a public holiday last Monday and discovered red velvet ice cream. That’s pretty cool.

@lapras-defense-squad asked: Hello Dr. Ferox :) I was wondering if you could please provide some advice on how to approach vet clinics in order to get a volunteer position. I am an undergraduate with no clinic experience, so I am really nervous about calling. Would asking for a volunteer position immediately (after submitting a resume and cover letter though) be too ambitious? Should I ask to shadow first? Thank you!            

I suspect things work a little differently where you are, but generally in Australia we have students for work experience, which is unpaid. There’s a relevant post here. Asking to shadow before asking for a volunteer position is probably prudent.

Anonymous asked: Have you done anything on harpy or half-human/half-bird biology?

No I have not. I don’t know when I might either, that will depend on my Patreon supporters asking or voting for it.

@a-floral-ghost asked: Is it true that when a dog or cat has an upset stomach it'll eat grass? Or is that just a weird myth

It’s half true. Some dogs and cats will eat grass just because it’s there, at a chewable height, or because they investigate the world with their mouths. Some will chew grass when they feel nauseous. It’s not so much a matter of eating grass makes them vomit, but more they felt like vomiting anyway so ate grass.

Anonymous asked: Could I ask you about cats that have shorter limbs? More specifically, the issues that you commonly see in cat breeds that have shorter limbs (those munchkins cats) and those that "naturally" have a larger torso to limb length ratio". (Question tax: Came for animal facts. Stayed for Sass and "WTH does that happen in Aussie?!") Thanks for taking the time to answer~

I’m not sure what you mean by the ‘natural’ cats, but I’ve written about Munchkin cats here.

Anonymous asked: In your hospital (is a vet's office called a hospital) have you encountered any amazing dog rescues and recoveries? They're just so heartwarming to see

Not much from the dog rescues here, but I was involved with more in Tasmania. My favorite animal sanctuary is Big Ears, and I heartily recommend everyone check them out.

@gram-stained-paws asked: In what dilution do you use salty water for wound flushing?

In the clinic I use sterile saline. For at home I tell people to use a teaspoon of salt to a cup of water (ideally pre-boiled). It’s easy for them to remember that way.

@bi-furiosa said: Hi! I wanted to recommend, if you haven't already seen it, a channel on YouTube called VetRanch. They're a charity of sorts that pull unwanted dogs in need of medical attention from local shelters, help rehabilitate them, and then work to get then adopted. They video the full process, including surgeries. They also frequently feature animals with demodex, and since that's what you're favorite parasite is, I thought you might be interested. Love your blog, and your patience with asks!

I’m sure that will appeal to a lot of people, but it doesn’t appeal to me at all. It’s work, and I get enough of it at work. I don’t need to be watching more veterinary cases, exposed to the compassion fatigue that’s likely to generate, and assess or critique everything that’s done or said. It’s just not going to be relaxing, but that you for thinking of me.

Another Anonymous asked: Okay! You're a vet so you obviously talk about living animals a lot, but if you could chose one extinct species to bring back, which one would it be??

I would have to say thylacine. They’re pretty special to me, unlikely to be a threat to humans, and only went extinct recently so their habitat would probably still support them if they were to be released. It’s also entirely our fault they went extinct, so I feel it’s only fair if we were to bring them back.

Anonymous asked: Kind of a stupid question but is it possible for a lizard to be warm blooded? Also, what is the difference between red and blue blood and can a mammal evolve with blue blood?

Warm and cold blooded are a bit of a misnomer. Ectothermic animals, like reptiles, are dependent on external heat to maintain their body temperature. They can get quite warm! It’s certainly possible for a lizard to evolve endothermic capabilities, if that’s what you’re asking.

The difference between red or blue blood is the metal ion in the oxygen carrying molecule. Mammals have haemoglobin which contains iron, producing the red color. Some insects and molluscs have haemocyanin which contains copper, causing the blue-green color. Haemocyanin is not present in mammals, and if a mammal-like creature did evolve it, I would question whether it truly was a mammal.

Anonymous asked: One of my rats is rather fat, and also blind. This is a problem, because it seems she doesnt use the enrichment i have for the rats as much (especially the wheel) maybe because she is blind? All the rats get is a constantly full bowl of oxbow rat food and occasional treats of plain cheerios and very rarely (maybe once a month) chickpeas. I give two of my rats other, higher calorie treats because they are so active they have problems being too skinny. Is there anything i can do to help my fatrat?

I really don’t see a huge number of rats to be able to offer you advice. If she’s blind she may not be able to use enrichment objects that require movement, but may still be able to enjoy enrichment objects with different textures or smells to explore. There’s bound to be better ratty folks to ask than me though.

@und1ne-prince asked: What/which is your favorite dog and cat breeds?

There are lots of dogs I like, including greyhounds, JRTs, Dobermans, and Swedish Valhunds. For cats it’s the humble moggy.

The last Anonymous said: Wait, what? There are people who think vets should work free? Why? It should be obvious that you're practicing actual medicine, not just randomly pulling diagnoses and treatments out of your ass.

Ah, but they say that if we really cared about animals we’d treat them for free.