#i don't love this one but it is also [looks at clock] 3:11 am as im finishing this so. could be that too

[becauseimanicequeen]

Clocks, Watches, and Time in 4 Minutes

We're halfway into 4 Minutes and I thought I would write a bit about the different ways they use clocks, watches, and time in the show (so far).

I've already written about time a lot in my timelines post, but I just can't seem to stop thinking about this, so here I am... Again.

We all know time matters in this show. What I love about it, though, is the attention to detail. Because the details matter. They're being super intentional with them.

Don't believe me? Then let me show you.

When Great picks up Korn's phone at the bar and tries to open it (in ep 4), it says 09:10 pm:

But, the small clock at the top left on Korn's phone says 11:02 when Great snoops through it:

That's just Great continuing to see this anomaly when he's alone (it also tells us he's still at his 11:02 stage in this episode).

But then, when he sends the text about Nan's location to his own phone, Korn's phone still says 11:02 at the top:

But the text Great just sent to his own phone was sent at 09:12 pm because the phone knows what time it is even if Great can't see it:

See?

It's about the details of this show!

All the clocks and watches matter in 4 Minutes, not just the obvious or big ass ones they focus on to capture our attention. All the clocks/watches matter because they're intentionally set by the crew (I'm a thousand percent sure about this).

Now, let's look at some different ways they use time in the show.

So far (in chronological order), we've seen time used for showing:

Cold openings

Great's time anomaly (11:00-11:02 so far)

Great's 4-minute phenomenon (which Den calls it in his research)

Different timelines/realities in scenes that follow each other chronologically

Digital vs analog clocks/watches

Differences in 24-hour and 12-hour settings on digital clocks

The 4-minute time limit

Different timelines/realities in the same scene

Let's go through these one by one and hope that I can work within the image limit (seriously tumblr, I need more than 30 images per post, lol).

Cold Openings

The first two episodes open with events that happen outside the events of the rest of their episodes.

The first episode starts with Tyme getting shot and a patient in the ICU having a cardiac arrest (whom I, and many others, believe to be Great).

The second episode opens with Tonkla beating the shit out of someone with a rock.

Both these openings are isolated events that aren't connected to any of the bigger timelines or other events, yet.

Great's Time Anomaly

This is every time he sees 11:00-11:02 (which is as far as the clock has come at this point).

It started at 11:00 in the 1st episode:

Then it turned to 11:01 in the 2nd episode:

And 11:02 as Great was watching the clock in the 3rd episode:

So far, he's still at his 11:02 stage (which we saw on Korn's phone in the 4th episode). But I think the ominous ticking will continue in the next episode (or the 6th episode at the very latest).

Great's 4-Minute Phenomenon

Great has had 6 4-minute phenomenons (4MP) so far:

Hitting Manee (ep 1)

Bumping into Tyme at the hospital (ep 1)

Seeing Title beat the shit out of Dome (ep 2)

When he had a conversation with Tyme at Uni (ep 3)

His and Tyme's argument at the hospital (ep 4)

Seeing Samarn shoot Nan (ep 4)

The first 4 in the list above include clocks to show that Great is jumping back 4 minutes (I will only show 2 of them because I need to save images, lol).

When he arrives at the hospital in the 1st episode:

After he's bumped into Tyme:

After he's sent back:

When he walks away from Tyme after their conversation at Uni:

After he's been sent back:

The last two in the list above don't include clocks at all, probably because Great (and we as viewers) know what's going on when he has his 4MPs in the 4th episode. We don't need it explained again.

Different Timelines/Realities in Scenes that Follow Each Other Chronologically

I've written about this already in my timelines post, but I will summarize it here.

Chronologically, the scene where Korn is with Tonkla in the 1st episode is followed by the family dinner, which is followed by Korn dropping Great off at home.

Interestingly enough, Korn arrives at Tonkla's place at 07:15-ish pm:

Tonkla wants a second round at 08:55 pm, just as Korn's dad calls and wants Korn home for dinner:

Then, when Korn drops Great off at his condo after dinner, Korn's watch says 07:15-ish:

While the clock on Great's phone says 07:13:

This is all meant to be the same day Great hit Manee. Everyone (Great, Korn, their dad, and Great's mom) is wearing the same clothes throughout these scenes that happen on the same day. Yet, the times are different.

(Technically, Korn drops Great off at the same time as he arrives at Tonkla's place, which is super interesting.)

Digital vs Analog Clocks/Watches

I've already gathered the digital and analog clocks/watches from the first 2 episodes in a separate post (including the ones we've seen in the teaser and trailer).

I won't add images of them here (since I need to save images for the rest of the post, lol), but you can see them throughout this post.

Both digital and analog clocks/watches have a prominent place in the show, even though the digital clocks are more obvious and attention-grabbing.

I haven't yet figured out if there's a pattern behind the use of either in certain scenes or situations. Analog watches can obviously be a luxury item, so Great and Korn's watches are more than likely used for that reason as well. But other than that...

Great use and is surrounded by both digital and analog clocks and watches. Korn always wears analog clocks, but his times are shown on his phone as well. I'm pretty sure Tyme's watch is a digital one. The clocks at the hospital are digital (I can't remember if I've seen an analog clock there). Yet, the staff at the hospital have a mix of digital and analog watches.

So... I don't know. But at least they show a variety of clocks so it doesn't get boring, lol.

Differences in 24-hour and 12-Hour Settings on Digital Clocks

I've written about this already in my timelines post, but I will summarize it here.

The hospital seems to have a 24-hour setting in some cases, as we saw from the image of the clock on the front desk saying 13:10 when Great arrived (image above), but not in other cases even though this is in the evening:

Since it's the same hospital, I would find it strange if the clocks had different settings (or perhaps that's just me, lol). Perhaps, then, this is a way to show different timelines/realities (since Manee is, more than likely, dead in the real timeline/reality).

Interestingly, Great seems to have both settings on his phone as well (or, the phone is showing the time as 12 hours wrong).

The clock on his phone, when Korn drops him off after their family dinner (image above), says 07:13 while his phone at the hospital shows 13:14 (image above) and 16:33 and 16:29 when having his conversation with Tyme at Uni (images above).

His phone is clearly set on a 24-hour setting, yet, it says 07:13 at night? Obviously, he could've changed the setting after that night. But it could also indicate that different timelines/realities are present.

The 4-Minute Time Limit

This showed up in the 3rd episode in a vision Great had of himself and a mystery woman (who we now know is Lukwa) in a gallery:

It also shows up in the 4th episode as Lukwa talks to Den about this gallery and the mystery man (who we know is Great):

And we learned (even though most of us knew it already) that this is the limit of time a brain can survive without oxygen.

Different Timelines/Realities in the Same Scene

The clocks/watches were screaming at me in the 4th episode, to a point where I couldn't ignore them even if I wanted to (which I didn't). I've written about this in my timelines post already, but I'll summarize my thoughts about it here.

Korn and Great were in different times in the scene are the bar. Korn started the scene at 06:50 pm:

While Great's watch showed 03:20-ish when he arrived at the bar (after my ramble in my timelines post about this, I thought it was most logical if this was am for Great considering the scenes that follow):

Great's time is consistent to him as it turns to 03:50-ish while they're still in the middle of drinking:

While Korn's time stays consistent with him, which could be seen when Great grabbed Korns phone and it showed 09:10 pm when he tried to open it (image above).

It's also interesting to note that, if we follow Great's time from the bar, then he's kissing Tyme in the tent at 02:00 pm:

This would mean that Korn's time, at this point, is 05:40 am, which (according to my calculations in my timelines post) is the same time Great ditches Korn at the bar to go save Nan.

(This could mean that everything that happened in Great's timeline/reality after he left the bar didn't happen in Korn's.)

Anyway...

Korn and Great exist in completely different times/realities even though they're in the same scene together. And I absolutely loved that detail with those clocks/watches. That whole bar scene was heaven for my brain.

Things are definitely changing when it comes to timelines/realities in the show, and I'm on the edge of my seat with every new episode.

I can't wait to see what time-fuckery we'll get in the next one.

Is it Friday, yet?

[tnsophiaonly]

"I refuse to be controlled, I am the controller not the controlled!"

Said the Creator whom is stuck in strings of their devotees love.

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3

Nothing really to be worried of~

Ignore the amount of italics and bold here.... I just rlly felt like placing it I dunno, for a dramatic effect?

Cursing and Well ig uh? Death?? I dunno.

—l—o—r—t—n—o—C—

"No!" You screamed out, exploring your body with your own hands to see any difference as you felt your body shifting away from reality once again.

Ah. Your head hurts.

It feels like Dendro cores exploding in your mind.

You felt your vision getting dizzy.

Your hand reaches out for the floor but it only zapped you in the process.

Snapping you from the dizziness. Why is the floor zapping?

Oh. The floor was embodied by electro.

The whole room is.

What the hell?

You stood up but stumbled upon doing so. Aghk! It zapped you again when you fell flat on the floor.

You stood up, reaching out your hand for supports.

Ugh, your head hurts.

Was this a trap? Fuck.

Your mask fell off. Well, your ¼ mask fell off.

And the dizziness disappeared.

But you were left with less electro resistance, and the electro hurts.

You try your best to put the mask on again.

And successfully wore it. Covering your left/right eye (which you prefer)

Whatever happened earlier, you have to get out of here first. You ripped the shoji in the middle to get out easily and ran as fast as you can, sliding left right, you don't even know where you are now.

Your foot hurts from the electro zapping. And also the fact that you're so dizzy, just makes it so hard to run. Your whole body aches and you fail to see the wall you're running to. It zapped you.

You ended up falling down and you lost consciousness.

—y—t—i—l—a—e—R—

"Wake up!!!"

You shoot your eyes open. And looked around.

A family member/guardian had a nasty scowl. They've been waking you up for 15 minutes straight already.

As you try your best to engulf the reality around you, ehem, you're surroundings, which you are failing miserably as you can't even tell if it's real or not.

You look for a clock, and you see your phone, which your guardian/family member stopped you from doing so.

"You have school you know? You're gonna be late if you don't stand up!" They said, your eyes widen, YOU HAVE SCHOOL!!! omg you forgot for real.

"Well- I just need to check the time." You reasoned out to your guardian/family member. They nodded but they still have their eyes on you, still with a scowl in their face. You opened your phone and there was time. This wasn't enough. You look for a watch.

You found one and it says 5:30 AM, oh. You're class starts at 6! You stood up quickly in panic but it was wobbly and you almost fell, if it weren't for your guardian/family member supporting you. Their scowl turns into a worried look.

"Are you alright?" They asked, "You know if you're not feeling well, you can stay home right? Unless you're pretending of course.." They murmured the last part. You shook your head.

"I'm fine I swear. Probably just because of what happened in a dream of mine that felt so real. But I'm okay." You stood up, still wobbly but better than earlier. You tried your best to sound unconcerned and okay.

They looked at you at first looking at you suspiciously. But soon, let it slide. They inform you that breakfast is downstairs.

Then they walk out of your room.

You sat on your bed. Sighing.

What was that about? What just happened? You sighed again.

You prepared for school, then attended school. It was Friday...!!

The last day. It finally ended and you went home! Not a scratch! Then you have 11 homeworks due on Monday.

Sighing loudly and frustrated.

You decided to do homeworks first, while, checking Genshin out.

You see a notification in the inventory. And Sara is actually at constellation 6? And not only that you have a ¼ mask and the magical bag in your inventory which had a description of;

Charming Fate of Gems.

★★★★★

The creator's, which descended in Teyvat to bless its land and flowers, with a mask and identity as the initial K. A. Upon landing in the Electro Archon's Nation of Eternity, meeting the The Almighty Shogun, Narukami Ogosho and Kujou Sara and an individual titled as an oracle "(S/M)". Dropping such a treasure and being worshipped and prayed on in the main temple or shrine of the creator. It's worth Teyvat itself.

Treasure Inventory of Infinity.

★★★★★

A storage kind of from Your Grace themselves. Such thing has kept many of the creator's belongings. Inazuman and Plain Attire that has a scent of superiority and cinnamon, Dishes that are otherworldly and confirmed to be the creator's food from the other world, Clear Water that contains otherworldly minerals that is meant for the creator themselves, Healing Kit that had everything you need for healing any kind of sickness and injury, it even can heal Eleazer. And 1000 mora that has been blessed by the creator's delicate hands. The storage is being worshipped and prayed on in the main temple or shrine of the creator. Anyone who touches or damages the treasure shall be executed under the name of the creator.

What the hell. So was your dream not a dream at all? You don't even wanna come back. Not only that, when you explored the places, so many things were so weird, ex. The Barbatos statue in Mondstadt isn't as big and clean as the statue of YOU.

There's also Statues around Teyvat of YOU.

Not only that, everyone worships you. And every character's voicelines changed when you added them to the team, a lot of their voice lines changed, and when you asked someone else to play, it was back to normal?

And you swear, you could see the blushes in their faces when you zoom on them.

Not only that, when you play Genshin, every enemy doesn't even fight you, even if you attack them, in fact they even give you more drops than usual except for the treasure hoarders! Even the Fatui doesn't fight you, and when you fight Childe, Childe just, gives up and gives you the drops, giving you 8 dream solvents, 5 star artifacts with great main stat and subs stats ex. 8.9% crit rate main stat and 10.1% crit damage, 17 atk, 6.7% energy recharge in level 1. And when you enhance it to 20 it doesn't give you any defense or hp or atk. Unless you want that ofc. And like 5 boss drops, Childe swears that he'll give you more but it's the game files stopping him from doing so.

The same goes for every weekly boss. And after talking to Raiden? Her drops are literally the best out of all, and the other boss really envies her as you praise her through the screen. But when other people play, they get the normal ones or like the bad ones. You're the only one with good ones.

And you're primogems, yeah. Primogems. You currently have 39,673 fates both acquaint and intertwined fates. And your primogems are currently at 112,345,678. Yeah, very abnormal, at this point you could C6 and R5 every character in the game, and make them all DPS because of your artifacts... They're all too good.

But when it's other people playing, the primogems turns to 1677 and the intertwined fates is 16 and the acquaint fates is 5.

But if you want the boss to fight you, they will fight you, and so do the enemies.

Whatever what, you're still grateful but worried, concerned, and afraid.

Because, whoever said no one could follow you here must be lying.

Hmm I wonder what that means. Well either way, don't mind me reading other SAGAU stories for motivation 🤩🥰

Might switch to modernish *wiggly eyebrows 🤭*

Anyways, school starts on Monday so I might not post for a while but I'll try my best!!!

Taglist(???)

@khalhaimdad

@yourlocalstranger123

@undecidingfate

@urog1

@mmeatt

[disappointmentofthefam]

Love? Love. (part 3)

Andy barber x reader

author's note:im so tired only death can fix me

.....................

Andy woke up early the next morning.

6:00 a.m.

She smells so good

6:04 a.m.

God the way she looks away when she's all shy and cute

6:10 a.m.

you wore those shorts on purpose yesterday, didnt you?

6:45 a.m.

His hand is stroking his morning wood over the sheet.

it's wrong its wrong it's so so wrong

but it's her.

her. her on her knees.

"look at daddy, sweetheart,look at me while i ruin you," she looks up at me, mascara running down her bambi eyes as she drools around my cock.

"feel good,baby? you like being daddy's little cumslut? like it when he uses your mouth? I bet your little pussy is dripping just by sucking on daddy's big cock"

she. fucking. moans. around. it. FUCK!

Andy's hands speed up, vigorously rubbing his fat, hard cock, beads of precum spilling from the pink head of his cock.

i pull myself from her mouth, "youre such a filthy little girl," I take ahold of my cock and slap the sticky head on her cheeks "no,no baby, tch tch,"

"open your eyes, look at daddy"

FUCK! the image of you looking up at him with those teary eyes while he slaps your cockdrunk face with his meaty head is too much for him. With a few more strokes,he cums all over his hands, stomach and sheets, a blissed out smile on his face as he turns to the bedside clock- 7:25 a.m.

less than 12 hours till he gets to fuck see you.

AND LESS THAN AN HOUR TO HIS COURT HEARING!

He rushes to get ready and leaves the house, thankfully reaching just in time.

........................

y/n wakes up and immediately wishes she hadn't.

as if it wasn't bad enough to try to kiss the man who lived literally opposite to you, but she also had to go to his house 5 days a week.

"you're a big girl, y/n" her friend's voice comes through the phone, "so what? you misread the situation and tried to kiss him, no big deal."

"NO BIG DEAL?" y/n screeches into her pillow, "the first time I come onto a man and HE LIVES LITERALLY NEXT DOOR WHAT WAS I THINKING"

The rest of her day, she is plagued by the thoughts of Andy.

9 a.m. Physics class

wait, what if he was trying to kiss me back

11 a.m. Math class

No,he wouldn't.

1 p.m. Lunch

but would he?

........................................

6 p.m.

All day Andy has been in an unfamiliarly pleasant mood, he even brought flowers as he left his office unusually early.

lillies? no, I think she's more of a tulips girl. But what about sunflowers. And now that I'm already at trader joe's how about condo-

CALM DOWN! fuck fuck fuck! you'll only creep her out.

7:30 p.m.

Andy is fuming.

his gritting teeth, his fingers tapping impatiently on the steering, the low murmurs from his lips, all can be heard despite the clatter of the traffic.

Y/n ,on one hand is relieved

well, one less awkward rejection

on the other hand, her mind is working over time.

what if he is intentionally ignoring me?

what if he thinks I'm a loser-college-freak who kisses and becomes obsessed with any guy who is nice to her.

what if, her breath hitches, what if he has a girlfriend

Jacob notices the sudden stiffness in Y/n's body, "Are you okay y/n?", He asks with his eyebrows pinched with concern.

"Oh! yes, yes I'm alright, all fine".Y/n smiles.

After a few more minutes of studying, Jake suddenly speaks up, "You know, dad was really happy when you came over yesterday,"

y/n's heartbeat quickens,"What do you mean, jake?"

"Well, I don't know,but I've never seen him smile like that."

"Like what?"

"Like...." he pauses for a moment, "Like you know how sometimes as a little kid, you get lost in the grocery store. You can't find your mom and you get scared. But then you see her and she was over there the whole time, picking out your favorite chocolates, and you run upto her,your smile is the biggest ever"

y/n giggles at Jacob's absurd metaphor but then again, he was quite mature for his age.

"so am I the cashier of the grocery store in your little metaphoric world?"

"no ,y/n, I guess what I'm trying to say is that you were the smile on my dad's face"

"Jacob....."

The sound of Andy's car pulling into the driveway catches their attention.

Andy enters the house, 3 bouquets in his hand.

"Dad," Jacob smiles knowingly "who are those for?"

Andy's eyes try to find y/n's but she is looking at the floor, her breath obviously a little heavy, her cheeks flushed.

Andy ushers Jacob out of the room,"Come on, young man,take a break from all that studying."

y/n still isn't looking at him.

Andy settles down on his haunches before y/n and holds her chin between his thumb and he forces her to look him in the eyes.

"hi, angel"

"hey, Andy" The way she slightly shifts in her place on the sofa doesn't go unnoticed by Andy.

He picks up the flowers, "didn't know which ones you liked,so i tried my best three guesses."

The contrast of his dominant presence and the tenderness of his actions makes y/n melt into a puddle as she sheepishly plays with the collar of Andy's crisp white shirt.

"The sunflowers, Andy. I love them."

Andy picks the yellow bouquet and places it on her lap.

"I was correct,sweets," he rasps out, their lips mere inches away.

"well,technically, you were only 33% correct", she laughs.

"Well, I have got to shut your smart little mouth up"

With that Andy pulls her into a fierce kiss.

He rises onto his feet, pulling her with him.

The kiss is a perfect mix of y/n and Andy, teeth and tongue and smiles and small licks.

Their bodies were as close as they could be and it still wasn't close enough.

y/n pulls away first, out of breath and dizzy from being drunk on Andy's lips, only for Andy to chase her lips again.

"If it wasn't for the flowers, I would think you were trying to kill me, hogging practically all of my oxygen", she pants but smiles nevertheless.

"well if it wasn't for tutoring, I would think you came here just for me. did you sweetheart? did you wear this cute little dress just for me? "Andy tuts her again as she tries to hide her face into his chest, "look at me while I'm talking to you, baby."

y/n looks up at him and fuck is it a sight to behold.

Pupils blows out, her lips pouty and her lipstick slightly smudged, her flustered gaze as a small smirk forms on her lips, "are you accusing me of trying to seduce you Mr. Barber?"

"yes"

"well, maybe you're right, I wore this dress just fir you," she pauses as she feels his hands pawing at her tits.

"go on," Andy says with a smug smile.

nuh uh Mr. Barber, I will not go down with out a fight,

"In fact, i did everything for you today. I put on makeup, wore my pretty heels, painted my nails, didn't wear any panties....."

The look on Andy's face is pained and he looks almost on the brink of losing control, "really?

y/n gingerly pulls one of his hands from her chest and slowly traces it up her thigh, "see Andy? why don't you check it yourself."

Andy slowly inches his hands towards her pussy when the sudden sound of the doorbell makes them jump from their places.

Andy pecks and bites y/n's lips, "Give me a sec."

"No,you cant answer the door like that"

"like what?"

y/n shyly eyes the bulge in his pants,"like that."

"shit! sweetheart, could you do it?"

y/n opens the door to a woman.

she looks around her early thirties, aroundAndy's age, she's thin and her brown hair are tied into a ponytail.

The woman gives y/n a pointed look.

"Hi, I'm Laurie, Andy's wife."

[gaiathemexicanbeauty]

it only takes a taste | mike schmidt x reader

word count: 1.6k

warnings: none! this is just pure fluff and maybe kind of slowburnish lol

this was loosely based off of it only takes a taste from the waitress musical! :3

idk i just really like the idea of late nights with mike even if he's too tired to even think straight lmao

also don't ask what time period this takes place in, i was born in 2004 and know like 2 things about the 70s-90s or whenever the movie takes place bc its never explicitly mentioned

i also do not regularly bake or cook so do not be afraid to go to my comment section and tell me if something sounds off

i love this man ok, i have said it 1000 times already but i've been in love with him ever since i first saw him when i was like 12 or 13 and was even more so obsessed with rebornica's mike design for YEARS. 12 year old me would have an aneurism if she knew about the fnaf movie

you let out a long yawn, one hand reaching up cover your mouth so as not to potentially ruin the mood of any customers around; granted, there was only two and they were graveyard shifters from somewhere outside of town but customers are customers. you'd been working at sparky's for a couple of months now, figuring it was an easy way to make some cash and keep food on the table. of course, you hadn't accounted for the very long hours that passed where you half debated trying to sneak away since no was around from 2-4:00 am: your boss would kill you, though, and you wanted to stay employed.

soft oldies music plays in the background as you glance over at the clock ticking away on the wall. just as you move to grab a rag to clean the counters for the 5th time during your shift, you hear the bell above the entrance jingle and don't even have to look up to know who it is.

mike wasn't a regular at first, just someone who popped in at random and very quietly asked for a coffee. after a while of starting a new job, he started coming in at almost 11:00 pm everyday and always asking for the same thing: just a plain, black coffee. "seriously?" you had said with a smirk the first time he said his order to you, your eyes widening at the attitude you had just given a customer. fortunately, mike was quick to respond with a tired but good natured laugh, his hands folded in front of him. "i'm all ears if you have other recommendations." he mumbled with a smile tugging at the corner of his lips, giving you instant relief.

now, it was just clockwork. "hey." mike sighs with a soft sigh, rubbing a hand over his eyes as he takes a seat at a chair by the counter you were standing behind. "coffee machine is kind of acting up tonight, you're gonna have to give it a minute. want anything else while you wait?" you say as you approach the counter, giving him a quick smile. mike is about to decline your offer, his lips parting to say something before his eyes land on something on the farther end of the counter. "what about that? still good?" "you're just in time. i was going to take the rest of it home." you say with a smile, walking over to the cake stand holding an apple pie with only 3 slices left of it. you take the lid off to plate it, handing it over to mike with a hum before bringing him utensils. you don't even get the chance to bring up to him that the slices have been sitting there for a couple of hours, blinking in shock at the way he's quick to start eating.

you turn your back to start taking down the chalkboard advertising the special from the day before, giving mike his one moment of quiet you were sure he needed. you start to think about what your day will consist of once you're done with your shift, dreading having to clean your room before you can actually sleep. "did you make this?" "yeah. why, is it bad?" you say with a chuckle, turning to look at mike again; your eyes widen a bit at the way mike is looking at you, his own eyes looking at you like he can't believe what he just put it in his mouth. "no, no, it's..it's really good, like. really good." your cheeks redden a bit at the sudden compliment, pushing a piece of hair behind your ear as you occasionally glance at him enjoying the pie you'd made; you wouldn't say you were amazing at cooking but you definitely knew enough to make a meal that would do more than just feed you.

it also didn't help that you'd been harboring a crush on mike for the past month. that you were aware of, he didn't have a partner of any kind but that might have been more to do with the fact he didn't have time for one than anything else. you at first brushed it off as just not having contact with anyone your age that late at night, just enjoying his company when nights got lonely. but you couldn't deny the way you would style your hair a bit differently or try a new perfume in the hopes of getting a compliment from mike; to your absolute pleasure, he almost always pointed it out. now to hear this sudden praise for your cooking took you out of your element.

"thanks, really, but i make it all the time. i can make thousands like it and they'll all be the same." you say with a light chuckle, crossing your arms against your chest as you look over at the cake stand sheepishly. "then maybe you should consider getting a day job making these instead." mike says between bites, giving you a playful smile. you can't help but scoff despite the smile on your face, looking over at mike again. "well, if it's that easy, maybe YOU should quit your job and come and join me. keep me company." the two of you have a quiet laugh, your cheeks reddening at the indirect compliment you had paid him. once his plate is empty, you take it away from him just to have an excuse to do something with your hands (also to get away from the almost fond look that mike was giving you right now, definitely not on par for him). there's a tense silence between the two of you before mike speaks up, clearing his throat when he speaks. "uh, i tried making that at home. the pie, i mean. i don't remember what kind it was right now, but it definitely didn't end as well as that." he says with a nervous laugh, hands folded in front of him again as you hear the coffee machine start to pour out his drink.

"well, what exactly did you do wrong?" with surprisingly no hesitance, mike goes on to tell the story of how sure he was about this recipe he'd seen in a catalogue, going above and beyond to make sure this "stupid thing" (his words) came out right. little did he know leaving his creation unattended for even a second would result in smoke pouring out of the oven and having to throw out a charred-black pastry; "and then abby went and acted like we could just go and do it all over again and.." mike starts, hands waving around uncharacteristically as he finished off his story. he caught the way you were trying to hold back a laugh, fingers pressed to your lips that were etched into a small smile. "it's ok, you can laugh all you want. i never tried doing it again." you can't help the laugh that leaves you once he gives you his full permission, still trying to keep your voice down. "i-i'm sorry, really.." you giggle once you've calmed down, rubbing your hands over your face before you start to walk around the counter to where mike is sitting. "but that's not how making a pie works. you can't just leave it like that or give up on the process that easily."

mike makes a face that says 'i'm listening', shrugging his shoulders when you sit on the stool next to him. "making a pie is like.." you start with a sigh, hands propping up your chin in thought as you look up at the clock. "you just know when some things feel right. if something is too much or too little, whether you need to start again or not. lord knows i've had to redo entire pies because the crust wasn't flaky enough or the filling didn't taste like apples enough." you say, chuckling a bit as you remember all the times you'd slaved away for almost entire days trying to nail down the perfect home recipe. you take a minute to think again, sitting back a bit as you smooth down your apron tied around your waist. "and it also doesn't help if you make something just to make something. when you bake or just cook a plain old steak, you have to make it like you're crafting a story or making a song. all of my best meals were made with someone or something in mind."

your cheeks go red again when you realize the very unprompted ramble you went on, a nervous laugh leaving you as you look down at your lap. "sorry, you totally don't have to-" "no, no, i-" the two of you jump a bit at the way you both try to speak first, sheepish smiles tugging at your lips before you go quiet again. the bell above the door jingles and you don't have to look up to know the two of you are alone now. "i like hearing about that sort of stuff. i really only hear about it when i'm here with you and it's..nice. different." your heart soars and you can only hope that mike can't somehow feel or hear it, trying to give him a warm smile without saying something you'll regret. you get up from your seat with a when he checks his watch, knowing that's code for 'i need to go' even before he stands. you're almost sure he'll leave without saying anything which you are simultaneously grateful for and hoped he wouldn't do, already busying yourself with some other menial task. "hey."

you look up almost as soon as he speaks, seeing the smile tugging at his lips and not able to contain your own. "save those leftovers for me. i hope it still tastes like you were trying to make it for me when i get back." he says, a smug look in his eyes as your lips part a bit in shock. you try to call out to him before he jogs out to his car, taking off accordingly.

-> ta da its done! :D <-

this was honestly less romantic than i wanted it to be but i promise that my brain is racked with thoughts of him literally EVERY DAY so mayhaps i can write something else that's more up to par one of these days

but thank yall for reading! :D i haven't been able to pump out a oneshot like this for a while and it felt good to write something longer than a couple of paragraphs, i have missed this account sm 🐺💗 love yall and i hope that you all are having a fantastic day!

[taki118]

IruClarAzz Master Post Part 12

Just collecting all of the cuteness of the Love Trio and adding my commentary. Spoilers ahead very current with the manga. (Also warning I may make jabs at the IruAmeri ship here and there just small comparisons showing why I don’t like it as much, no hate but if you don’t like your ship being talked about even slightly negatively probably look away.)

If you didn’t see it Part 1 is here, Part 2 is here, Part 3 here Part 4 here  Part 5 here Part 6 here Part 7 here Part 8 here Bonus here Part 9 here Part 10 here Part 11 here

Getting ready

Clara making sure the pair take care of themselves during the event

They are so proud of themselves

Look he has dolls of Azz and Clara and patches of Opera and Sullivan (The closest you can get of ameri imagery are the other designs if you squint)

So the haunted house was a success and Iruma gets the prize but theres an issue and Azz and Clara are so upset for Iruma

But as it turns out this rank can't be given by the teaching staff and will have to leave and work with one of the 13 crowns as a test, which Iruma has mixed feelings about. Again the focus is how he does not want to be separated from those he cares about again, but the focus is Azz and Clara followed by Sullivan and Opera, this could have easily been a group shot but its not, these are the people most important to Iruma

Soooooooo I didn't take a shot of the gag (curse you tumblr photo limits) but the Crown Iruma is working with gives him a bell that he can use once during the test to get him something important he needs and Iruma rings it immediately and its followed by this and when I tell you I DIED at this moment of my god haha.

The crown is undeniably confused but sir you don't understand you cannot separate them, and I am so happy it's been so long since these three got to do a thing together and oddly they are incredibly helpful.

So the test is establishing a kingdom for the many eared demons and they gotta wear these cute ears to blend in

I just love how delighted Clara is and if you'll notice Azz took out his phone to get a pic of her and Iruma before getting annoyed by what is very likely a scam

I just love Azz stopping Clara

The crown is talking up Iruma and the pair are so delighted

A rather unfriendly boy of the many ears is brought on to be a guide and he's not happy about it I love that this is basically the "He asked for no pickles" meme

Its just cute

Again just cute, but this was kinda the perfect test for Iruma theres no way he'd want to rule over these demons

I love that Azz is now fluent in Clara ..... to a degree.

Haha the rare moments they share a braincell

They see the boys room is full of books and I just like Iruma and Clara sharing a book

So Iruma comes up with an interesting plan and again ask for the pairs help and god Azz's face

We get a rare chapter from Clara's POV where we see just how miserable she was at school before Iruma and Azz came into her life

And we get to see the important people to Clara and I think its nice how much she cares about her teachers

I like that the center focus of Clara's Luck montage is her laughing with Iruma and Azz

SO part of the plan is to teach the many ears magic while Iruma and Azz are having poor luck but suprisingly Clara's weird explaination works

I love how Iruma is just delighted while Azz and Clara are being smug and teasing the kid

Iruma is lucky he's with them as again he can't really cook but I love how they immedietly after hearing the growl clock it as Iruma but for once its not

Again surprisingly (not really) Clara is the best for the situation they are in, currently taking care of kids to teach them.

Clara goes full in on the school giving them looks that resemble their teachers and slight uniforms for kids, and again it actually helps to settle them down and focus.

These outfits are so great though you can kinda see influences from the Bablys teaching staff in their designs but it's still undeniably them and I love the little like titles they have.

[wondersinwaynemanor]

Batfamily New Year shenanigans

The Wayne family decided to have their New Year's celebration at one of Paris' finest hotels. Fireworks begin to erupt on the Paris skies as people start to gather outside their hotels and homes to check the view.

Alfred prepares the dining table so they can have The New Year's meal after a few minutes when the clock strikes twelve.

Bruce glances at the time on his watch - Ten minutes to go.

He calls from the balcony as he admires the Eiffel Tower which is perfectly situated right across their suite. The tower doesn't fail to illuminate beauty even when Bruce has seen it hundreds of times.

He hears his sons and daughter response in unison behind him and a few of clicking of the doors.

Cass joins him by the balcony, including Alfred.

A few minutes, people below start to count from 20.

Bruce - Boys, hurry up. You're gonna miss the fireworks.

20!

19!

18!

17! (the main door of their suite opens and closes)

16!

15!

14!

13!

12! KABOOOOOOOOM!!!

Bruce - What the fu-

The loud kaboom comes from the rooftop of their suite and fireworks of rainbow colors erupt above them.

11!

10! Another KABOOOOOOM!!!!

Alfred - Oh my goodness.

Bruce turns around and his three sons are not to be seen. Only Jason, who hurriedly places his book down on the bed to join the rest of his family by the balcony.

9! Another KABOOOOOOM!!!!

Bruce - PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT IS HOLY (he shouts as more fireworks explode above them) PLEASE DONT TELL ME THOSE AREN'T YOUR BROTHERS!

8!

7! Jason - I TRIED TO TELL THEM IT'S A BAD IDEA!

6! Bruce - WHOSE IDEA WAS THIS?

5! Dick, who just pops out of nowhere beside Bruce - DEFINITELY NOT MINE!

4! Bruce looks at Dick and Jason in horror - ARE YOU TELLING ME?

3!

2!

1!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!! The crowd on the streets shout as Bruce, Dick and Jason leave the room in a hurry to go up the rooftop of their suite.

When the three reach the rooftop, there is no one on sight, only a few remains of the fireworks on the ground.

Bruce doesn't even look at the beautiful display of lights on the skies, but turns his head slowly to his two eldest - Care to explain where your brothers are?

Before they can answer, Alfred gives a call saying that Tim and Damian are in the room. The three go back to the room to find the two boys by the balcony, looking up at the display of fireworks.

Bruce - Boys, where have you been? (he tries to keep his cool)

Tim says calmly, shrugging - To get more coffee, Bruce.

Bruce - And you're telling me there's no room service for that? (he crosses his arms and focuses on his youngest this time).

Damian - Don't look at me, Father. I was merely going with Drake's shenanigans.

Bruce pinches the bridge of his nose with a sigh, but before he can question them if they had something to do with the fireworks...

Alfred speaks and claps cheerfully - Time for New Year's Meal! Happy New Year, Waynes! <3

Cass - Finally! :D Happy New Year, Bruce! (she kisses Bruce's cheek and the rest of the family greet each other).

Later that night when Bruce is already in the other side of the suite on his bedroom (starts to hack on the hotel's camera to see if his children did have something to do with the fireworks) and when Alfred is also resting in his room, the rest of children began to talk.

Jason - So, who lit the fireworks first?

Tim - Me. My firework machine was better than our baby brat here (he pats Damian's head).

Damian - Tt. Drake was cheating. He said there was a kitten on the street, so I had to look down to be certain and I lost my momentum. He used my weakness against me.

Tim smirks proudly - There was a kitten!

Dick - Aw you lost, Dami. That's okay.

Cass brings Damian closer to her so she can give him a side hug - We all know you're still the best, Dami.

Jason - Athough, I am impressed. You both managed to get here before me, Dick and Bruce can get back to the room. You outran the Batman!

Dick - Where did you hide your firework machines?

Damian - Janitor's closet.

Cass - Oh no. What if Bruce sees you on the security cameras?

Tim holds his tablet - Already on it. Easy peasy.

Dick - So Timmy won, which means.... I won the bet.

Jason - I voted for Damian and he said Tim was cheating, so I won.

Damian - Todd wins the bet cus I won and I didn't have to use anybody's weakness against them!! >:(

Tim - It's a skill you wished you had, Dami ;)

Cass - Shush now, you both are winners. Why don't we all head out to the Tower and enjoy some family time?

Everyone agrees and they all enjoy some dawn strolling in Paris. It's nice being normal humans for once ; no vigilante work and just family bonding. And if Damian picks up a stray kitten and thinks maybe Drake was telling the truth, it makes him love his brother even more.

Happy New Year to the batfamily and to everyoneeee!! <333

[twig-tea]

2023 BL/GL/QL Round-Up Post

I thought for posterity I'd post a reflection on everything I watched that completed in 2023. For me, that means anything that started in 2022 but the last episode was in 2023 is on this list, but anything that will still be airing after 31 December 2023 11:59 my time (EST) is not on this list, even if the bulk of the show did air in 2023.

A few stats:

110 discrete pieces of content (series/films)

clocking in at est. 600 hours of NEW BL/GL content only

from 9 different countries (Cambodia [1], Philippines [3], Hong Kong [1], Japan [18], Korea [19], Myanmar [1], Taiwan [6], Thailand [56], Vietnam [7])

~50% of the content I watched on this list is from Thailand

~85% of my content was on YouTube [40%], GaGaOoLaLa [23%] and iQIYI [21%].

[Note that this year a lot of older GMMTV shows moved off of YouTube and onto Viki so if you're looking at these stats to decide what to pay for, this won't account for that.]

This doesn't include re-watches or catching up on old shows [e.g. I re-watched Love Sick, My Ride the Series, Semantic Error, ITSAY/IPYTM, Our Dating Sim at least 3 times lol, and anything with a s2 I re-watched s1 to prep, among others, watched Fujoshi Ukkari Gei no Kokuru (2019) for the first time] or non-QL [e.g. Heartstopper s2, Our Flag Means Death s2, Taskmaster s. 15 & 16, Uncanny Counter s2, One Piece s1, etc.] but does include films as well as shows, though I don't count special episodes separately (so Wedding Plan counts once, though I watched both the show and the special).

I hope you all appreciate that with this much content, and with my general brand of being unable to make decisions, I really struggled to narrow down a top 10 list. What follows is the best I could do lol

Top 20 Shows I'd Recommend From This Year:

Moonlight Chicken

Our Dating Sim

Bed Friend

The Eighth Sense

La Pluie

Sing My Crush

Tokyo in April Is...

Wedding Plan

Laws of Attraction

I Cannot Reach You

I Feel You Linger in the Air

What Did You Eat Yesterday S2

I Became the Lead in a BL Drama

If It's With You

Love in Translation

Our Dining Table

My Personal Weatherman

My Beautiful Man: Eternal

My School President

Be My Favorite

+10 I liked but I would only recommend with caveats:

Love Class 2

The New Employee [for the Rainbow Rice Cakes]

Let's Eat Together Aki and Haru

Never Let Me Go

Kiseki: Dear to Me

Unintentional Love Story

The Day I Loved You

End of the World with You

A Breeze of Love

Jack O'Frost

Bonus: Not a BL but worth calling out:

One Room Angel

Midnight Museum

Grand Guignol

The Warp Effect

Sadly, of the GLs that aired this year, I wouldn't recommend any of them. The best one was Show Me Love, which was not actually good but had very gorgeous women and a LOT of flirting.

The other huge thing that happened this year was that I stopped lurking! Thanks specifically to @lurkingshan and @bengiyo demanding everyone start talking about La Pluie, because they got me to post my first meta post. And because I started actually talking to people, I started making actual friends, and participated in organizing things like the Be My Favorite clown checkpoint for ep 11. I also disappeared a month because of life, and am still catching up on everything I intended to write this year. But it's been really rewarding finding this corner of tumblr with likeminded people who like good shows, like to think about these shows, and who are interested in talking about them in a way that's insightful and respectful.

It's been a long time since I felt comfortable enough participating actively in a fandom, and I just want to say to everyone I've interacted with this year: Thank you!

Full list under the cut for anyone curious! [Mostly in order it aired but may be slightly off].

Love Bill

Director Who Buys Me Dinner, The

Star Always Follow You, The

Cutie Pie 2 You

Between Us the Series (Hemp Rope)

Reason Why He Fell in Love with Me Special & S2 [international release]

New Employee, The

I Will Hit You/I Will Knock You

Individual Circumstances

609 Bedtime Story

GAPYuri / GAP the series

My School President

HitBiteLove the Series

Never Let Me Go

Moonlight Chicken

History 5: Love in the Future

Oh My God (ToDo) the Series

Warp Effect, The

End of the World, With You

My Blessing the Series

Our Winter (miniseries)

All the Liquors

Once in Memory: Let Me Be Yours

Shoulder to Cry On, A

Jack O'Frost

Our Dating Sim

Midnight Museum

Me, My Husband, and My Husband's Boyfriend

My Colleague at BL Shop might be My Meant-to-Be

Unintentional Love Story

Chains of Heart

Bed Friend the series

Bad Brother the Series

Stormy Honeymoon

Eighth Sense, the

Bad Brother the Series

Future Series

Tin Tam Jai the series

Crush on You

House of Stars the Series

Happy Merry Ending

Boss and a Babe, A

Pastsenger the Series

Love Mate

Love Syndrome the Series

Promise the Series, The

Day I Loved You, The

Our Dining Table (Bokura no Shokutaku)

Our Skyy 2

My Story the Series

Starstruck

Love Tractor

Naked Dining

Luminous Solution, The

Omai Series / Is My Roommate A Foreigner

Stupid Genius

Step By Step

La Pluie the series

Tie the Not

Sing My Crush / Follow the Wind

Tokyo in April Is .../ Shigatsu no Tokyo wa

Senior Love Me?

Be My Favorite

Show Me Love

Dinosaur Love

Low Frequency

Stay Still

Stay By My Side

Jun & Jun

Wedding Plan the Series

Laws of Attraction, the

Love Class s2

Minato's Laundromat S2

Hidden Agenda

Bon Appetit

Why RU the Series [Korean adaptation]

Be Mine Superstar

Star, The Season 2

Love In Translation

My Beautiful Man: Eternal

My Personal Weatherman

Bump Up Business

Naughty Babe Series

Only Friends

Grand Guignol

Dangerous Romance

If It's With You / Kimi to Nara Koi wo Shite Mite Mo

Y Journey: Stay Like a Local

I Feel You Linger in the Air

Venus in the Sky

Kiseki: Dear to Me

I Cannot Reach You

You Are Mine

Breeze of Love / Weather Forecast of Love

Mr. Cinderella 2

Let's Eat Together Aki and Haru

One Room Angel

Marry My Dead Body

Lucky My Love the Series

Pure Vanilla: Recipe for Romance

Absolute Zero

Memories, The

My Dear Gangster Oppa

Shadow

What Did You Eat Yesterday? S2

Middleman Love

Beyond the Star

Bake Me Please

You and My Stars

I Became the Lead in a BL Drama

[therealv1]

Some ultrakill headcanons

Gabriel has a lichtenberg scar from a fight with a fellow angel or heavenly entity that he was not on good terms with. - - Also generally a lot of scars. A fuckton. Metric ton, even. Eleven donuts worth, if we're going American.

Mad levels of anxiety. He struggles with GAD + panic attacks on a regular basis but has been able to maintain it after a while especially with the help of his husbands / start of living with them and working out the past issues.

I really like the idea of Gabriel being deeply into gardening, knowing the meanings of SO many flowers and sketching various things, don't get me wrong (+ he DEF has impostor syndrome) but. But hear me out.

TEA ENTHUSIAST! (I love tea, so I'm def projecting some.) And I love the idea that he just has a stash of tea + books he has found lying around about herbalism, medicinal properties of herbs, etc. Definitely has a mortar and pestle, makes his own spice mixes, has various tea strainers (maybe he'd find or make some cute ones, IDK) and so on

I go back and forth on his appearance, if it is even visible at all, so on. I like the idea that he is half oriented around the whole "biblically accurate angel'' portrayals but also has the head of an animal, specifically slightly lamb-leaning. I have more reasoning that it just being for religious symbolism, but I also won't deny that plays a part in it.

I also based his appearance somewhat off of the black and white art of the gate guardian from the SCP universe / Dr. Clef's Proposal for SCP-001 <3

Gabriel is intersex in my au

(This totally has nothing to do with my love of lichtenberg scars + lightning and storms or anything... /s)

V1 (humanoid ish/prime soul adjacent, I ought to get into detail about the AU but... bla bla, brevity bla bla, I digress) has a deeply uncanny face / appearance on the reg. It can't fully control it but even in the few moments where it has more power over its body it just typically chooses not to. It does get hurt though when people immediately get startled by its appearance but it "got used to it after a while"

Because I'm evil and a massive faggot V1 is in a harem w/ like. 99% of the ULTRAKILL cast. (Ignoring filth, sentry's, maurice', drones, virtues, et cetera/anything similar) - - Like dude kisses Gabriel, Minos, V2, Sisyphus, Ferryman, MDK, etc. ALL GOODNIGHT! And not even with the lights off, either... what a homo!

Learned pottery / how to mess with clay and ceramic type making things from the Ferryman. Violently enthusiastic over the concept of using its hands, very into craftsmanship. Would likely be a carpenter and/or "tinkerer" in life.

Used to reconstruct and deconstruct its body regularly (both for healthy and unhealthy reasons) but had to stop at Minos behest after getting caught one too many times.

Dissociates heavily. Sue me, I love and know the lore, I reread the wiki a disgusting amount but damn it! I love my own fanon.

Very curious about weather patterns

I'll try to think of more HC's for the others, but this is it for now haha + omg I just saw 1:11 on my clock. (I am tired)

one random and final headcanon: I'm really clinical over the idea of transfem minos. I feel like we deserve some transfem rep in ultrakill ngl Like obviously I love my transmasc homies, (I'm.. somewhere in an entirely different area of transgenderism at this point, transmasc no longer fits me, but again, I digress), and maybe I'm not looking in the right places, but I really feel like I do not see a lot of transfem or slightly unspecific fem variations of ULTRAKILL characters. I am ALLL for various depictions and I crave MORE MORE MORE! Perhaps I just need to scour the internet more

[circusmania]

SIN Chapter 11

𖦹๋࣭⭑𖦹๋࣭⭑𖦹๋࣭⭑𖦹๋࣭⭑𖦹๋࣭⭑𖦹๋࣭⭑𖦹๋࣭⭑𖦹๋࣭⭑𖦹๋࣭⭑𖦹๋࣭⭑𖦹๋࣭⭑𖦹๋࣭⭑

Notes: Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10

⚠️ Death (are we surprised?) ⚠️

♡

𖦹๋࣭⭑𖦹๋࣭⭑𖦹๋࣭⭑𖦹๋࣭⭑𖦹๋࣭⭑𖦹๋࣭⭑𖦹๋࣭⭑𖦹๋࣭⭑𖦹๋࣭⭑𖦹๋࣭⭑𖦹๋࣭⭑𖦹๋࣭⭑

Though I am aware I am falling, I feel no wind blow in my face. It's almost as if there's no wind at all. As if I'm floating instead of falling. The only way I know I'm falling is because I'm getting closer and closer to a blue light. 

And then, I slammed on the ground. I looked up, Omar's body was nowhere, as if it had evaporated. 

In front of me was a large, light blue clock that gleamed. 

Tick Tick 

It sounded throughout the whole pocket dimension. 

I got up, approached the clock and reached for it, but my hand fazed right through it. Suddenly, I hear a soft thump behind me. I look back to see Marcus, he's normal again. 

“You've got quite a knack for getting away, should I cut off your arms and legs next rese-”

“What is this place?”

There's an awkward silence as Marcus stares.

“The in-between.” He says.

“The clock ticks for as long as this timeline is alive. After it collapses, the clock stops. Then, I come here, apply my changes and the clock restarts.” He continues.

I turn back toward the clock. “How long has it been going for?”

He looks at the clock. “This timeline? Roughly 36 hours.”

“WHAT!? But I've been here for weeks!”

“Have you? On certain, more important days, time slows. On others, time skips itself. I like to keep a fast pace, I don't like to wait.”

I stare in silence, and then I look away. “You said the clock stops after the timeline collapses… Why is it still going?”

“Because you're still alive, my dear. I misspoke, it stops after MY world 'collapses'.” He smirks and I grimace.

“You said you come here to also 'apply changes'?” I tried to change the subject.

His smirk widens. 

“Yes! Each of my timelines is different, and here is where I change 'em.”

He turns around and looks into the void. He waved his hand and up came an interactive light blue panel with a bunch of codes written on it. I walk up next to him and stare up at the panel. 

“Here,” He pointed to the codes. “These codes make up a timeline. Everything is made up of code. Well… almost everything. Our matter isn't... we are... We. I can't change how one feels. Though, I did implant my own codes.”

He waved his hand and suddenly, the green digits turned to a selected one. There, I saw pictures of... us. It looked like a game video where you select your character... He touched my photo, which opened to its own “code”. Though it was less complex and the code was shorter. 

The very first code caught my eye. Amongst the symbols, it was written: “Memory refresh: every reset.”

I hummed. “How do you write each code?”

He grinned as a keyboard came up from the panel. “It's just like typing on a computer.”

I looked down and then back up. “So, like this?” 

I took the mouse, clicked on the 'memory code' bar and added the caret to the end of the code. 

“Ah! Ah! Careful there, dear. You wouldn't want to erase anything important!” Marcus grabbed my hand and shoved me on the keyboard, moving the mouse away. 

“Marcus-” He released my hand and went down to caress my inner thighs. My left hand moved to press the delete button...

 “Oh, how I wish we could just stop this cat-and-mouse chase, hun. What good does it do us both?” His hands trailed up my body.

“I-”

“Doesn't it grow tiring? I know I'm tired. I could just force you to love me, but where's the romance in that?”

His hands moved to my neck, crushing it. 

“Agh! Marcu-!” I gasped.

He... he's crushing my neck! Not choking, CRUSHING.

I struggled, but as he said before, he wasn't a man of patience. My voice emitted a gurgling sound as the clock stopped ticking.

˖⁺‧₊˚🌃🌄🌅˚₊‧⁺˖

“Mmmm…” I groaned as I got up from my bed. 

My room felt smaller… I got up and looked down from my window, I was in an… apartment. 

Oh! Ah... yes, I remember!! 

Marcus must've changed the settings for this timeline. 

Hm. Deleting that memory code was a smart move, I'm disappointed I hadn't known about it sooner. Or maybe I had... just wasn't fast enough...

I sigh, pick up the clothing off my bed and put it on. 

Suddenly, I hear a throat being cleared behind me. I turn and see... Omar.

“You're up early.” He said, smiling, though I could hear a hint of coldness.

He must still be... mad about our last interaction. 

I wonder how Vanessa and... Judy feels.

“Ah, I'm not that tired,” I reply, just now noticing the other bed in the dorm room. Omar is my roommate... huh.

I flash him a smile and walk out. His eyes follow me until I exit. The hallway is empty... Though, by the look of this establishment, I must be in a university. 

I guess he had gotten bored with the usual high school. 

“Ahem.” A voice behind me clears her throat... again.

I turn around (again...) to see... Judy.

“You failed...”

My heart sank, I opened my mouth and-

“... The tryouts.”

“What?” I look at her dumbfounded. 

“You didn't get into the team. Better luck next time... If they'll be one.” She shows me a paper which has the team on it.

I looked at the paper she pulled up. Amongst the list, my name was indeed not on it.

Oh.

Although, I knew what Judy was hinting at. 

I wanted to say something, anything, an apology... But I couldn't. It's too early, I can't risk it. 

“Ah... well, better luck next time, ha ha!”

Judy nods.

...

“See you around...?” 

Judy raises her head.

“You're not coming to class?”

“Ah... no, not today. I'm not feeling it.”

“You're skipping? You never skip...-”

“Ah well, there's a first time for everything, eh?”

I wave her goodbye and run away. Okay, I need to find that panel without causing the world to collapse. 

Maybe if I delete or code it some way, I can put an end to this. 

I won't have any luck trying to find it myself... I need to ask someone.

Marcus is off the table.

Vanessa would be too suspicious.

Judy... I don't think she's even aware of it.

Omar... Marcus's “second in command”.

He obviously won't give it to me willingly... so I need to SOMEHOW get him to be on my side.

Which worked REALLY well last time... God, he saw it coming the moment Judy died...

I already made him suspicious of me waking up early... Hm. 

I also haven't seen Marcus yet... Where is he? 

And — like a moth to a flame — I hear chattering from around the corner. I turn and see... what the hell.

It's Marcus... but he's crowded by… fangirls…? 

...

You'd think that after my last stunt, he'd want to avoid as much distraction as possible. 

That he'd want to have all eyes on me... Not the opposite.

I quickly turn and walk outside the university. 

Outside was the same as it's always been, except the church, who was now just a magazine store dedicated to Marcus. 

Give me a break, who's he trying to impress?...

I arrived back at the university, I have fifty missed calls from Judy, but yet I can't bring myself to call back. 

I avoid Judy like the plague and make my way to my dorm. Omar is already there, getting ready for bed. 

It's strange... how it was morning, and now it's night.

“Oh. You're finally back.”

“Yeah.... uhm... did you see the new guy?” I try to play it off.

He lights up. “Marcus? The model?”

“Yeah. Must be quite obnoxious having a crowd follow you all day. Was trying to get a better look, but the crowd was too big.”

“Yeah... I guess? That's what you were doing all day?” He raises an eyebrow.

“Well, no, obviously not. I was checking out the new magazine store.”

“Ah yes, the one that I told you about? Have you checked out any of the myth magazines? They're pretty interesting.”

“Didn't find 'em... the place was littered with someone's face.”

He turned away, folding some clothes. I could tell he was smiling, though.

“Oh, when you get the chance, make sure to call Judy. She was freaking out all day.”

“Mm, will do.”

I smiled and went into the bathroom to change into my pyjamas. I came back soon, Omar was in bed. He was breathing softly, maybe not sound asleep, but I had to make my move now. 

I walk to Omar's bed, get on him and start to straddle him... and then I start to choke him.

He awakens quickly and tries to pry me off. He would've easily succeeded if he hadn't lost that much air while gasping. 

“W-what- Are you--”

“The panel. Where is it?”

“P--Panel??”

“You're Marcus's second in command, and you don't know about the panel??”

“GAH! W-wHAT!??”

“SHH. The clock! The-The codes! The Inbetween!”

He stopped wailing, hands still gripping mine. I let him inhale more air.

“The ... Inbetween?”

“Yes-”

Suddenly we switched positions, and I was the one being choked.

“HE TOOK YOU THERE?!”

“AH! Fuck! Let-GAH!” I gripped his arms. “OMAR SToP! Do you know what Marcus will do if HAH!” I gasp as Omar lets go of my neck.

“O-Oh... my god... hah... I wasn't actually going to choke you to death...” I gasp.

“How was I supposed to know? After what you did to Judy and Vanessa...”

I looked away, ashamed. “Do you know where it is...?”

“And I should tell you because...?”

“Well... you'd be helping us get one step closer to freedom...”

“Did you not listen to my last monologue? I have POWER here.”

“Power? Omar Marcus wiped the floor with you last time. You have no power here. In his eyes, you're just like Judy and Vanessa...”

He stayed silent.

“Don't you miss the real world? The taste of freedom? The feeling of being able to have a family? That one day, you'll pass?”

“...”

“This time ONLY. And you better hope that we don't get caught.” He said as he got up.

I sat up and slid off the bed.

“The panel is located in the inbetween, which only opens up with Marcus's scythe, which breaks the timeline or Marcus himself.”

“Marcus's scythe? The thing you had last time? What does it do?”

“Wreaks havoc, destroys everything in its path.”

“So... if I get my hands on it…”

“If you think you'd be able to stop Marcus with a scythe, you'd be dead wrong. Who would be dumb enough to create something that kills its own creator?”

None of us answered the question.

“Okay... well, where do you find it?”

“Well it used to be in the church, above the altar, then it was in Marcus's house and as of now — after the last timeline — he keeps it on himself.”

“Fuck… that makes it ten times harder…” I groan in defeat.

“Well, technically, if you got close enough to the panel, you COULD code the scythe to spawn somewhere else…” Omar hinted.

“... How do I get to the Inbetween?”

“Well, besides ending a whole timeline, there is another way down… You’ll need to go to the basement of the university, then take the thousand-step staircase down until you reach the bottom, aka the Inbetween.”

“Refreshing. You’re not coming with me?”

“No. I’ll lead you to where the basement is, but that’s it. I don’t want to be held accountable. If you get caught, that’s on you.”

I was going to say something… but he’s right. I wouldn’t want to meet Marcus wrath twice… And so I nod.

“Alright, well let’s go. I don’t want to waste any more time than I already have.”

He nods back, and so we start walking out the dorm and through the university. Omar doesn’t say anything to me as he leads me to the basement. 

I try to initiate a conversation.

“So, uhm… I haven’t seen Vanessa… Where is she?”

Omar scoffed. “She’s out there crying. Apparently, dying by your hands really took a toll on her. Guess she’s finally coming to terms with reality.”

I purse my lips. I forgot that Omar is not who I thought he was. Not my best friend anymore.

We soon reached two big doors, they looked like the doors that close during a fire in schools. Big metal doors. 

I step closer and try to open them, though they don’t budge. I open my mouth, but Omar pushes me aside, and he opens the door, though he’s visibly struggling. 

 “Ah… these doors aren’t really meant to be opened. That’s why they’re so heavy. Usually, if you were to touch it, you’d blindly turn away since these doors were designed to give you second thoughts. It takes a lot of want to open these doors.” 

I look inside, it’s pitch black inside, besides the faint glow of the stairs. I take a step forward, then another until I’m past the doors. 

I look back at Omar. 

“You’ve come far, it’s the farthest you’ve ever gotten.” He smiles before closing the doors. 

I look back down and start walking. It takes a long while to get down. It’s neither cold nor hot, neither lukewarm nor room temperature, it’s a weird feeling. 

Eventually, I came across a large crack between the stairs, separating them by 15 meters. I couldn’t make that jump even if I tried, no way. I would definitely fall. 

Should I just turn back? But if I fall and splat on the ground I’ll just reset… and then I’ll have to find everything all over again. Not to mention Marcus will find out. 

Omar was right, it’s a real sense of wanting. 

I jumped off.

My body reacts and I get chills running down my spine… but I don’t fall. Well, I am falling, just slowly, as if I was but a feather. 

I don’t know if this is faster than walking but… I guess it works. 

I soon reach the end, the faint glow of the clock welcomes me and so does its ticks. 

The clock has been going for roughly about two hours and 28 minutes… which seems impossible but… honestly I’m not even surprised. 

I walk over to the void and wave my hand for the control panel, and it appears. I quickly start browsing, searching for any code to stop the madness. 

Though, ultimately, I find nothing…

Well, maybe not nothing. My eyes land on a familiar scythe.

I reach for it, and it opens up its own panel. It has its name; Alter. Mm. 

There was a code as you looked lower, dedicated to where the scythe would spawn. It was put as Marcus’s spiked wristband… how does that work, don’t ask me. I wrote a new code, where it would spawn in my pocket instead. 

I would have to act quickly next reset, he’d surely realize. 

My hand leaves the keyboard and I move to turn around when a sharp pain punctures my stomach. 

I gag and choke, I turn back and see Vanessa standing there. 

Fuck. 

I curse as I kick her feet, making her stumble. 

I cry out as Vanessa continues to stab me wherever she can reach. 

I yell, whine… spots of black start to cloud my vision. 

Though, she doesn’t stop. 

The art of revenge.

𖦹๋࣭⭑𖦹๋࣭⭑𖦹๋࣭⭑𖦹๋࣭⭑𖦹๋࣭⭑𖦹๋࣭⭑𖦹๋࣭⭑𖦹๋࣭⭑𖦹๋࣭⭑𖦹๋࣭⭑𖦹๋࣭⭑𖦹๋࣭⭑

Want to read ahead? Click here!

[oatflatwhite]

twenty questions for fic writers

tagged by @redbelles @clusterbuck and @buckactuallys <3

1. how many works do you have on ao3?

119 lmao

2. what's your total ao3 word count?

523,497

3. what fandoms do you write for?

um like so many lol. lately it's been masters of the air but my other two big/consistent ones are band of brothers and 9-1-1

4. top five fics by kudos

no morning fears, no mountains to climb (911)

the handyman can ('cause he fixes it with love) (911)

'cause i like the sense of falling (she-ra)

how to peel oranges (911)

75 best knitting puns that will have you hooked (911)

5. do you respond to comments?

yes i try to!! the only ones i don't really respond to are where the comment is just like. an emoji lol.

6. what is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

well my ongoing series what took you so long? is all pretty fucking angsty right now lol

7. what's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

soooo many. love a happy ending. my cheesiest stuff is probably the fic i put together from a bunch of buddie kiss prompts a couple years ago, to keep still holy (your kiss upon my mouth)

8. do you get hate on fics?

no, but then again my fics are locked to registered users only, so

9. do you write smut?

occasionally! don't know how good i am at it but i try

10. craziest crossover:

nothing much really on my ao3 lmao. have some old stuff back in the ff.net days lol. actually i just looked the only crossover i really have published is a baberoe high school au (The Art of Perseverance) with band of brothers and the pacific characters. which isn't that crazy lol.

11. have you ever had a fic stolen?

um, kinda. there was a shadowhunters one that was really similar to one i had published but i worked it out with the author lol

12. have you ever had a fic translated?

yeah a couple! it's a very humbling feeling

13. have you ever co-written a fic before?

no. in high school i wrote a hunger games oc fic with my friend's oc and we planned out all the characters/deaths together but i wrote it solo after that lol. she clocked in at almost 40k woof

14. all time favorite ship?

i can't read suddenly.gif < stealing that from meg lmao!!!!! it's probably winnix though. baberoe and clegan my beloveds too. and god. theonsa. *drowns myself*

15. what's a wip you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

To the Harbormaster... girl i'm so sorry

16. what are your writing strengths?

description and characterisation 100%. i think my dialogue is pretty good too

17. what are your writing weaknesses?

lmao same meg, plot. i'm trying to write an original work for uni and it's goddamn struggle street let me tell

18. thoughts on dialogue in another language?

listen yeah i've done it. i would do it differently now than i did when i was 17 lol. i think yeah prev if you're a native speaker or know someone who is who can go over it for you... then sure. but also, you can just work around it by saying "he said in french" or whatever. nora sakavic does it all the time

19. first fandom you wrote in?

DELTORA QUEST! lief/jasmine babes <3

20. favorite fic you've written?

hm. i like a lot of the hbo war stuff i've written but i think this has to go to my heartstopper uni nick fic go ask for joy division. it took so much out of me. there is so much of me in that fic. fuck. also same kind of goes for my steddie/ronance future fic my future's in hand. i feel like i write best when it flays me open inside <3

i'm not sure who hasn't been tagged! but ping @ww2yaoi @raylangivins @anachilles @rosiethals and @newcathedrals if you guys want <3

[captain-aralias]

giving birth

idk, i'm pretty sure some people wouldn't write a post about going into labour on tumblr, but it's a thing i wanted to write about, so - it's here if you want it! if you'd rather avoid, don't click the read more.

things normal people might want to know outside the cut:

baby is now 11 days old <3 things are generally going well. i sleep between about 11pm and 3am, and then again 8am to 10am

it's been hard to get enough brain together to write a post like this, reply to comments, read fic, etc, as many of my most cogent hours have been visitor hours or hanging out with my partner. the night shift is not a good time to do things that aren't watching TV. i've managed to Read Half a Book (daisy jones and the six - easy going, i like it)

i was going to cosplay him as baby simon snow left at the orphanage, but he looks nothing like simon (much more like baz - currently: grey eyes, reddish-gold skin, dark hair), and also i don't want to write on my baby :o

surprise fourth entry: we think the terrace house next door has been turned into a brothel ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

ok - birth stuff after this. not too much gory detail, probs, but some.

the beginning part you already know!

waters broke on thursday 11th, just after i woke up. this was two days after the stitch was removed, and therefore almost certainly related, so hooray for stitch! kept the baby in until 37 weeks.

i'd been worried that i might not realise my waters had broken, as apparently this is totally possible. i am here to tell you - that YES, it is possible. i clocked what it probably was immediately, but also it wasn't a 4 cups of liquid is everywhere sort of deal, it was more like - about half a cup every hour or so. and so i thought - this is probably what is happening, but maybe it's not and i should have done more pelvic floor exercises.

went to hospital. got hooked up to the machine that monitors baby heartbeat and movement. nothing much happening, although heartbeat all ok. the midwife on duty was called 'merlyn' - true story.

she asked me to walk around for a bit and come back, so my partner and i walked to the costa coffee inside the hospital. i ordered one of the new 'bubble' drinks, because i thought - why not? it's sugary and cold, these are things that make babies move. the drink was...... not good. blueberry slushy with cream on top and bubbles that were a) too big to fit through the absolutely normal straw and b) apparently were a cross between blueberries and popping boba. i say apparently as i'd given up by then and my partner ate them.

anyway - this detail included just to show you how surreal and nothingy early labour was. we walked back, hooked back up to the machine. baby now kicking a bit, and merlyn asked me whether i just had a really high pain tolerance and therefore wasn't upset about the contractions. i said, 'i dont know - guess we're about to find out' 🤔

agreed i probably wasn't in labour yet, so i was sent home, but asked to come back at 4.30 for my pre-scheduled scan with the nice doctor who first realised my cervix was open, and who we've seen regularly since (because my partner rang to complain when we had no follow up, and because this doctor was the one who rang us back and then made sure we were seen afterwards. not brilliant work from NHS administrators).

was also told if i didn't go into labour before hand, to come back at 8.30am (24 hours after waters broken) to be induced. given leaflet about induction methods. key take away - could take up to 3 days. sounds terrible.

home for 2 hours, back to hospital for scan.

we were waiting around for about half an hour. shown in - doctor says, 'we've had some difficult patients today, sorry! but you should be easy'. my partner tells her my waters have broken - she's surprised! (but pleased) no one has managed to tell her or put it in any notes, which she just reviewed. again - great job. i do love you NHS, but what is going on? a student midwife is trying to scan me - and has had to deal with all these previous difficult cases. with little amniotic fluid left, her job is basically impossible. sorry :'(

but - waters breaking confirmed! honestly, until that point i was still not sure. doctor says, induction could be offered immediately, but we mostly don't do that as in almost all cases you go into labour before 24 hours. i said thank you again for spotting my cervix being open. weird to think we won't see her again!!

went home. watched the end of 'little dorrit' (overall - it's good. so many famous people. the ending is a bit all over the place, though). about 9pm started feeling period-pain type pain. figured: probably a contraction! definitely did not feel like i expected in that there was no real release. it was just - now you're having a painful period. i called maternity triage again to say there was blood in the water now, and they reminded me that was totally normal (mucus plug, i guess) and to come back when things were serious.

so - i went to sleep.

woke up at about 2am. contractions now serious business, but also still... not as serious as i'd expected. again: basically it felt like period pain, this time crossed with constipation. and then it would go away, and i'd feel totally normal again, which i was not expecting.

we'd been told to come in when the contractions were every 5 minutes for an hour. my contractions were coming about ever 2-3 minutes. after about 20 minutes, i told my partner that i wanted to go to the hospital now, even if we should really wait. this was the RIGHT decision.

i'm the only one who can drive our car. it was obviously not a good idea to drive the car. i called an uber. unfortunately the labour ward is on the other side of the hospital to the main entrance, and doesn't have an address you can give uber..... retrospectively i'd have done better just putting in the street, like i usually did, but i tried to use the labour ward post code. we ended up at the main entrance, which was shut.

erin (my partner) keeps telling people that the uber drive was annoyed i slammed the door of his car, but i honestly do not remember this. the drive was about 10 minutes, during which i alternated between feeling bad and feeling totally fine.

we didn't bother trying to direct the driver to the right part of the hospital, just got out. erin wanted to go and get a wheelchair, but i didn't want to just sit on the ground outside the hospital in the middle of the night while she did that, and i felt completely fine ... except when i didn't.

so we walked to the labour ward. it's about 5 minutes from the entrance. i sat on the floor when the contractions came. then walked again. cool times.

arrived at maternity triage. again, it felt like going there every other time we'd ever been there - my key take away is that most of being in labour was extremely underwhelming. pain was not great, to the extent that i was thinking 'i can see why people don't like labour, maybe this was a terrible idea', but i could still think things like that. they hooked me up to the same machine as they had in the morning, and this time it said - yes, definitely in labour (which i knew, but ho hum - it was doing its best!).

asked to confirm i was a low risk pregnancy. we were like - nope, don't think so. ivf, stitch, isnt that in the notes??

a midwife came over and was like - "WOW, you're 8cm dilated." (of the necessary 10cm) at which point they started to take everything a bit more seriously. but they also described a bunch of pain relief options - and i was like, whatever, give me whatever i can have. and then was told - oh no, you actually can't have pethadine, water birth, or epidural of these as you're too far along. (which i also knew, but then why offer?)

i'd sort of suspected this might be the case, given how my cervix tried to open at 21 weeks. so my birth plan was basically 'whatever'. v glad i hadn't had my heart set on anything in particular.

they wheeled me down the corridor to one of the birthing rooms. they wouldn't let me go to the toilet in case i had the baby in the toilet..... that's how quickly things were happening.

i managed to change into the hospital gown, then got onto the bed. 'this is such a comfortable bed' i told my partner, although later (post birth) i realised that it wasn't... but i appreciated it a lot at the time.

i WAS allowed gas and air, hurrah. i'm extremely keen on doing things that make my life easier, so i accepted, obvs. basically, you breathe in during the contractions, and breathe out of the mask normally when you're not contracting.

THIS made the whole experience very different from just 'intense period pain', in part probably because the pain was ramping up, but also because whenever i wasn't contracting i felt completely off my face from the gas. overall, i thought this was a decent pain relief option. i also liked how breathing in the gas gave me something to focus on while pain was happening and it was a clear signal to everyone else that it was happening.

i probably had about... 5 more before my body was like 'maybe time to push'. (it really did feel different/like an actual urge). midwife told me i couldn't have the gas and air anymore - boo - just focus on pushing when the urge came.

pushed...... but obviously it hurt, so even though they were like 'keep pushing!' i thought, i will just relax because that's less painful. (great job, brain.) but i only faked out twice.

they invited a doctor in, because i was bleeding, and baby's heartrate was dropping. i agreed to the episiotomy because even though i reeeally didn't want that, i obviously would do whatever to get the baby safe.

retrospectively, my partner and i think that probably i was bleeding because i'd just had the stitch out two days before and those wounds had opened. but neither of us thought of it at the time, and no one assisting with the birth had had time to read the notes. (this is a theme of the post, not to be too whingey - but it was a shame). but anyway, the cutting (boo) came with a side of local anaesthetic (HOORAY) so actually it felt like a very good decision at the time, even above baby's safety.

one more contraction, one more push - baby was born in one go.

he's premature-levels of small at 5lb 10oz (5th percentile), even though he's technically full term. this is why erin and i think the bleeding was from the stitch rather than the baby, although one of the midwives suggested perhaps he was holding his arm up next to his face and that made him seem bigger. the scan we got the day before estimated his weight as being more normal, but scans are super unreliable particularly late in pregnancy.

really a very easy birth, as far as i can tell. i had slept through a lot of the early stage. the fear of being at home at not with medical professionals was the worst bit (and we fixed that by just going in even when we weren't sure) and as soon as it was over, i felt immediately fine. the whole thing had taken 2 hours tops. baby born at 4.30am.

i thought i'd cry when they gave me the baby, but actually i was too surprised that he was actually there and alive. (my partner cried.) the umblical cord looks creepy and alien. we'd agreed a medical professional should cut the cord, rather than erin (who wants to do this? they just want dads to feel involved). i got to hold him baby while they gave me the shot to deliver the placenta. barely felt it.

then had to give baby to erin for 30 minutes while a fuck tonne of stitches were put in... the amount of sewing involved was definitely worrying. i'd assumed maybe like... two stitches, but... it was a lot. can't recommend (though could not feel it at the time.)

after that, we just got to hang out in the room. i showered, changed, they brought me (but not erin) some breakfast and lunch. they did tests on the baby, most of which he passed. didn't pass the hearing test but apparently this is normal, as lots of babies have fluid in their ears. we think he can hear as he has startled at loud noises since. all the clothes i'd brought were hilariously too big.

sent home about 12 hours after the birth. could have stayed if we'd wanted to, but definitely did not.

i felt totally fine the entire day of the birth, full of LOTS of adrenalin. second day was also ok. third day was my crash. i got a cold, which was NOT good for my pelvic floor (and which i still have, RIP). my stitches hurt, the sleep debt had kicked in and i was hobbling everywhere, and breastfeeding wasn't going well. before the birth i'd been very much of the opinion that i'd breastfeed if it was easy, but i found it kind of weird and knew the health benefits were exaggerated. (but not completely, obviously). deep in my hormones, i was not able to hold onto this previously rational view. instead, i was thinking - i have no connection to my baby anymore.

i also cried at the song 'making a man' from the musical operation mincemeat (which is NOT an emotional song - but is about someone with the same name as my baby, who i'd just made), the beginning of the movie 'in the heights' (it was just so good!), the ending of the movie 'pride', and i cried again while describing what had happened at the end of 'pride' and how i'd cried.....

bought several breast pumps, fed the baby formula, took a day off from trying to breastfeed, things pretty much fixed for me (except for the crying at movies) by day 5. going to continue with combination feeding (i.e. breastmilk+formula) though, because it just seems insane to have to wake up every time the baby is hungry. what am i, a sadist? and when people are over - how good not to have to get your breasts out... thank you makers of formula.

ANYWAY. we're now on day 11. feels like baby is pretty easy going for a baby, he only cries when he needs something - which i appreciate, as it helps me keep him alive \o/ he will sleep in his basket, but only if he's already asleep. he prefers to be held. he can sleep for 3 hours at a time, but only during the day - at night you're lucky to get 1 hour, and he has been awake for about 2 hours at a time, unlike about 15 minutes average in the day. he smells nice, he wasn't cute-cute when he first came out, but he is getting extremely cute now and i think he looks more like my partner than an unknown donor (although still all to play for, i think). because he's still super small and almost pre-term, his legs and arms are still all curled up like he's in the womb, even though he's been out 11 days. but he's gradually uncurling them and stretching out.

i like holding him. he makes funny faces. he has a LOT of hair - which means the heartburn was right about that one. (n.b. heartburn is linked to hair, this is an old wives tale that is now scientifically proven) think it's going well, overall <3

n.b. i had to pause at this point because baby woke up. what they say about baby boys peeing on you while you change their nappies is 100% accu-rat, but it's quite funny really. we haven't worked out how to stop it because putting a cloth over him makes him hold it in..... and then you remove the cloth....... fine comedy in action.

my bump was very small, so i was able to put my pre-pregnancy jeans back on after only a few days. hooray, i love jeans.

uterine contractions started about day 6 (this is a thing i feel i did not know about before being pregnant myself. 7 days worth of contractions post baby to bring your uterus back in line). wow, it's like MORE PERIOD PAIN. great. there's less blood than i expected, though. i also can't control my temperature well at night - so i'm super hot while asleep, then get out of bed and start shivvering. apparently this is what the menopause will be like. looking forward to that 😅

not much else to add except the brothel stuff. basically 2 nights ago, someone knocked on my front door at 4.30 (same time baby was born!) in the morning as i was sitting up with baby. rang the doorbell, walked round to peer through the window, and then knocked again. i would not have answered - just wanted him to go away, but erin came down and opened the door, which was (it turns out) the right thing to do, but i was not happy about it - as we live in a semi-dodgy neighbourhood, although i've always felt relatively safe as we're off the highstreet and there are often people outside the pub until 1-2am, which is annoying but also feels like they'd see and stop anything bad.

i was running through scenarios like 'and then he breaks in' or 'and then he stabs whoever opened the door' in my mind. instead he just said something like - 'do you know where the whorehouse is?' and erin said 'wtf, it's 3am' and closed the door.

this could have just been a random incident, and indeed i didn't hear him say 'whorehouse' so i thought it was just a drunk guy asking for directions. but once she told me what he'd said, we then realised that the house next door to us... probably is a brothel. it's been renovated by our ex-neighbours and rented out, all the windows are blacked out, including the skylight we can see out of our windows. there's a complex doorbell system, they refuse to take our packages in, they don't have any bins out the front (which is presumably because no one is using the house as a house), and we've definitely heard people having sex through the walls. though erin thinks they've put up sound insulation just in time to not have to hear the baby crying in retaliation.

she's american and leftie and very against cops, so i'm trying not to be a karen about it. i have not reported it to the police, but i have said to erin already that if anything else happens that makes me feel unsafe...... i probably will. the man knocking on the door makes me not want to be awake with the baby in the night, even though nothing happened. (he broke the first rule of secret brothel - you DONT talk about secret brothel). we don't have our ex-neighbours details, so reporting is all we could do. apart from i guess ask them to move.... (won't be doing that, obvs. confrontation? no thanks.)

hopefully it's fine, and they will just move on at some point. VERY weird, though. and not what i need while hopped up on hormones.

glad to have written this post! feels like a good turning point in baby land, being able to write some words even if it's just this stream of consciousness. i also logged back into work Teams to send some pictures. since he was born, have been out with baby to the midwife (in the car), marks and spencers (in the car with pram), boots (in the pram), and today to a hipster coffee shop (in car, baby slept in pram bassinet). might reply to some comments tomorrow. working back up to actually writing some fic or finishing my lego.

also - it's (almost) hitting me that i have 9 months off work. apart from the sleep, i feel like i could go back to work now.... but i WANT the time off. but usually i only take 2 weeks off, and i've done that now... so it's time to go back to work...

i did read a bunch of other messages on Teams/Slack when i was posting the pictures. v hard not to care. even with something much more important to do.

ok - going to eat some food, now. thank you to anyone who read this far! hope it was interesting as well as long.

not tagging this pregnancy as i was doing it so people could block the tag, but people who don't know me literally found my posts and read them. and ... that's not what this is for.

[erythromanc3r]

Annual writing self-evaluation

I was tagged by @pipergirl17 (and I'm so glad she did - thank you, friend!)

1. List of works published this year (in no particular order):

Better Living Through Chemistry

Among the Willows

It ain't fiction, just a natural fact

kiss me where you bruise me

2. Work you are most proud of (and why):

I'm proud of all my children but I'm most proud of myself for writing Among the Willows because it really did start as just vibes and it ended up being a lovely little vignette of a moment in time that I put a lot of research and love into. Honorable mention to Better Living Through Chemistry because it was my first PWP and I personally thought it was a unique and fun take on sex pollen.

3. Work you are least proud of (and why):

[buzzer noise] I am proud of ALL my children!!!!

4. A favorite excerpt of your writing:

I loved this exchange at the tail-end of kiss me where you bruise me because it was a good exercise in writing some post-coital awkwardness between two people who don't know each other all that well while still acknowledging that there's the potential for something more there. And I needed Eddie to take any opportunity to be a little softer and sillier bc he desperately wants Chrissy to not see him as mean and scary!

“I’m…good,” he says, throwing his palms up and flattening his lips into a tight, awkward smile. He’s looking for his right sock — she knows it’s on the other side of the mattress. Chrissy doesn’t know if it’s rude or not to grab it, worried Eddie might think she’s pushing him out when she’s not quite sure where she’d prefer he be. The red light of the alarm clock on the bedside table burns a bright 1:37 into the dark when she asks another question, maybe just to cut through the awkward silence. “Are you okay to drive home? It’s late.” (Where is home for Eddie Munson, anyway?) He smiles to himself a little before he answers her. “Nah. I’m a bit of a nocturnal creature, actually.” He throws two hands up, fingers curled out like he’s doing a vampire pose during a game of charades. “Still got a couple hours left in me.”

5. Share or describe a favorite comment you received:

I'm a big fan of the incoherent flailing but I also really love when people engage with the details of the fic and tell me something they really loved about a particular line or description! I just love and appreciate getting comments in general!

6. A time when writing was really, really hard:

November. Something about that month just zapped the energy out of me. This seemed to be a hard time for a lot of us for one reason or another…I propose we move NaNoWriMo to like…March or June or something because November is NOT it.

8. How did you grow as a writer this year:

I gained a lot of confidence. I stopped obsessing over every line being perfect because I would rather have a finished product that others can enjoy instead of a gorgeous, perfect wip that no one else can read. And now that I’m not chasing validation (both internal and external) the process is way less stressful!

9. How do you hope to grow next year:

I want to be more consistent! I want to explore more outlining methods, write more productively…and I want to be a beacon for other writers who are new to the process because the community aspect is so important.

10. Who was your greatest positive influence this year as a writer (could be another writer or beta or cheerleader or muse etc etc):

@staceymcgillicuddy is a rockstar of a writer whose work ethic amazes me. @pipergirl17 my angel in the comments your work is gorgeous and you’re so kind. Extra special shoutout to everyone who writes fearlessly and freakishly because we’re all better for it. And everyone who encourages writers to keep going!

11. Anything in your real life show up in your writing this year:

Wouldn’t you like to know? Ummm honestly though nothing super personal but it ain’t fiction came to me over nights of sitting on my couch watching old metal videos on MTV classic and wishing those two kids made it out of Indiana and got a shot at their dreams.

12. Any new wisdom you can share with other writers:

The time will pass! Writing is vulnerable and embarrassing but I am more embarrassed by the years I spent not pursuing this hobby and letting all those ideas never leave my brain than by ANYTHING I’ve published.

13. Any new projects you’re looking forward to starting (or finishing) in the new year:

I want to prioritize finishing all my multichapter wips…but I also want to explore more historical AUs.

14. Tag three writers/artists whose answers you’d like to read:

(But only if you want to 👉👈)

@justhere4thevibez, @toodivineforhumanmind, @0nemorestranger

[idgaff123]

"If you think i'm pretty lay your hands on me, know you can't stop thinkin' 'bout it" Part 2!!

pairing: bf!Matt x gf!Reader

warnings: makeouts, cursing, use of y/n, pet names,

a/n: i might be posting fics more often since i'm not that busy this week<3 + i proofread this oneee! i also forgot to link the song but yea!

Blue is Matt, Pink is Reader, Orange is Chris, Purple is Nick,

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"You can't say you didn't enjoy that.." Matt chuckles turning to face you, "It was nice" you laugh. "But your gonna wash my hair mister" "Deal. I'll go start the bath," Matt grabs his sweats off the floor, puts them on and walks to the bathroom. You reach over and grab your phone from the night-stand, the clock reads 11:43 PM, you get up off the bed putting your shirt and underwear back on, and lay back down. Matt walks back in, picking you up and carrying you bridal style to the bath.

"Matt!" You squeal cupping his cheeks. you Give him a small peck on the lips, as he sets you down in the bathroom, and you remove your shirt and underwear and hop into the warm bath, Matt gets in behind you and pulls your back closer to his front, "Love you sweetheart" Matt says kissing the top of your head, "Love you too." you guys finish in the shower. You lean over to grab yours and Matts towels, you hand Matt his and wrap yours around you.

You walk over to the night-stand to grab your phone, its 12:13 AM. Matt grabs your phone throwing it onto the bed, he holds you by your waist and pulls you toward him, "Nuh uh." he mumbles, "C'mon your phone can wait," you sigh slinging your arms around him, "I know, I know, just stressed about work and stuff, y'know." "Mhmm, but now you can relax and cuddle up with me all day." "M'kay" you nuzzle your head into his chest, "Lets change, and go to sleep. Kay?"

You nod grabbing a pair of pyjamas, you see a pair of Matts pyjama pants that look really similar to the ones you have, "MATT!! lets match!" you say jumping up and down excitedly, "Babyyy, really?" "Yup c'mon, put it onn" "Fine, fine." "Matt, i HAVE to take a pictureee pleaseee?" you beg "Okay, fine, but only one" "Yay!!"

~Time Skip~ (its morning now)

You wake up, to Matt laying kisses on your shoulder, "Matt.. g'morning" you say, your voice laced with sleep. "Morning, babe" you get up out of bed and walk to the bathroom, you brush your teeth, and walk out, "Morning.. are you wearing Matts pants??" Chris says, "Hah, no i have the same ones tho" "Hmm okay..." "Morning Nick," "Morning y/n!" Matt walks out of his room, "Morning," Matt comes up from behind you and wraps his hands around your waist.

Nick and Chris exchange looks, "Morning, baby" Matt whispers in your ear, "Morning" "Okay um, are you two matching??!" "And also Matt the way your holding y/n is not the way best friends hug.." you look at Matt and laugh, "Yes we are, Matching and also Chris, after last night, i don't think you can call us best friends..." Matt laughs, "Yup! No longer best friends if you know what i mean..." "UGH! IMAGES!!" You and Matt laugh, "I'm gonna make breakfast, want some?" you ask giving him a peck on the lips.

"Sure!" Matt responds, "Matt, what about me? I want a hug." Chris whines opening his arms and walking toward Matt, "Awhh give him a hug Matt" Everyone bursts out into laughter, "y/n honey, i'm starving so i cannot wait to eat!" Nick says, "Okay! I'm making eggs" "Best eggs ever" Matt says from the sofa, "Can't wait!" "BOYS! FOOD COME SIT DOWN!" i yell to them, they all come to the table and sit down, "Dig in" we all finish eating and go sit on the couch,

We decide to watch a movie to pass the time. We ended up ordering snacks and staying home all day,

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ENJOYYY ITS RLLY SHORT BUT I THINK THIS WAS MY BEST SERIESS LMK IF U WANT A PART 3!?

[theficpusher]

The Red String of Fate by fightthegiants | G | 407 ‘According to the myth, the gods tie an invisible red string around the little finger of people who are destined to be soul mates and will one day marry each other. It can get twisted and knotted..but it will never be broken.’

you and i. by nhstoran | T | 1329 they’re hanging on by a piece of string and maybe it’s the red string of fate.

Your Mouth Is Poison by thisonegoes | E | 1777 It's like a string connects them, in the middle of particular gazes, because Zayn swears he feels a tug around his navel, from an invisible red string looped around him. It's a belief Zayn's always found fascinating, and he never knew it could be possible. He still tries to say he doesn't understand it entirely, until Harry looks at him from across a crowded room, again.

(That’s the way it crumbles. Cookie-wise.) by softly | T | 1900 I don’t believe each person has just one true love, but sometimes we don’t have enough time to find another.

You Can Only Change Fate Once by TheForgottenSuperhero | T | 5257 The Red String of Fate exists, and only some people have the ability to see the strings, and these people can actually cut strings and knot other people’s strings in to alter the soulmate laws. Your best friend’s wedding is tomorrow and they know you can see the string. They ask you to help them defy the laws of the universe and help them be with the person they love even though they know that’s not their soulmate. Or, Niall can see the strings and his is tied to Liam, who is marrying Zayn.

you break me, you numb me, you still seem to stun me by ampere | G | 13314 Louis looks at him with tired eyes, there's bags under his eyelashes, hair a complete mess compared to how neat Niall is used to seeing it. “It's late,” Louis yawns, reaching for his cup of coffee, “you don't have school tomorrow, right?” Niall wrinkles his nose, “it's a Saturday tomorrow, Louis,” he picks up his fork, tries to cut off a piece of his pancakes, “I hope you haven't been out of school long enough that you don't remember that.” “You're so different when you aren't full of nerves,” Louis jams a piece of bacon to his mouth, “I also like this Niall, very...feisty.” Niall chews thoughtfully, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, “so what's new?” he asks. It's only the fourth time they've met, Louis had texted him, asked if he was home. The time on his clock had read 3:11 am, of course he was, he had said. I'll pick you up, I think I remember how to get to your house. or Niall and Louis meet at a diner and Niall has to figure out how they're meant to be.

Oh How I Hate This Red String Of Fate by BayouSexual | nr | 13799 Harry thought being able to see people’s strings die would be the worst thing about his gift, until at twenty-two he finally met the other end of his own. --------- Or that soulmate AU where Harry can see the red strings of fate that tie everyone together.

Tied Up Like Two Ships by mycroftpoppins | E | 58394 Louis has spent most of his life running away from the idea of soulmates. Lucky for him, his string has yet to connect him to the supposed love of his life. Harry's not his soulmate, but fate keeps throwing him in Louis' path anyway.

[toiletology]

The cats MEOW

The famous "M" on the tabby cat. Is it just a random m-ar-KING or was it placed there by GOD to give you a clue to the real nature of reality?

Luckily for you my name is MATT and I am the king of the cats so I already know answer.

M = 13th letter or 1+3 = 4. There are 4 lines in the letter M.

Why is that important? Well my dear Watson M represents TIME or ME/WE (turn the e = mm).

The M has 4 lines or 11:11 which can also be read as 77:77.

Like I've written in my previous blogs heaven and hell exist now ALL around you.

There are 49 degrees in HELL (TT/77/LL) and 49 degrees in heaven.

HELL on a calculator spells out 4377 or 777 (43 or 34 is also 17+17).

17 = GOD

G = 7 O = 6 D = 4 Add it up = 17

To escape hell you must dial "key" or "halo" on a phones keypad (not literally, its just a clue numbskull).

To get your CROW/N 🐦‍⬛ you must find the 73 or the 777 LUCK .

T (top) = 7 (luck) or L (low)

T > UR > KEY 🦃 (DUH!).

The t is a cross or two lines intersecting and X marks the spot! (jackass ;)

TT = Pi or a doorway/portal/wormhole out of the MATrix.

This universe (you <> aNd <> eye) that we all live in is GODS beaver dam. Gods creative power is always flowing like an endless river. This universe became Gods solution to slow their flow into a less chaotic random mess.

The 7 or T is your key to escape (1/7 to be exact). You gotta split the red sea/see (C light).

And the color GREEN = 49.

To pay your respects "F" you must plant your FLAG.

"grace" = 34 (Ordinal) or 17 + 17.

A ladybug is red 🐞which can mean luck or it can mean stop 🛑 or something bad.

The color "RED" can be both a sCARy color or a color that can be beautiful like a rose or painted lips.

"red" = 27 (Ordinal) or two sevens (49)

The first color of the light spectrum is RED and there are 7 colors to the rainbow. You need to FEEL the colors more so than see them.

The same goes true for LETTERS and NUMBERS they are all sentient and the way (way = mat) GOD will speak to you.

To unlock the secrets of the 11:11 (77:77) or the M box you must learn to SEE, HEAR, FEEL on an extremely DEEP level. The FORCE is real, but you can't FORCE it, you must allow GOD to FLOW through you naturally and AUTHENTICALLY.

M = A but how?

M = 4

A = 4 (A represents Apple, Compass, Illusion, Eye, AH)

FORMAT > 4 M@ (@ = AT/Compass, apple, AH, eye, illusion)

A, I, O are interchangeable. The MOT/HER can also be MAT.

HER/MIT ;)

M = IT (I = 1, T = 7) S/HE IS THE EVENING, S/HE IS EVE! The Porcelain Goddess, you must keep the queen clean!

This reality is a holo-fractal clock and works on time. You escape the MATrix by improving your TIMING. The apple is the illusion, the mirrors represent positive (love) or negative (fear).

🪞🍎🪞

Snake = Ground/Gravity/Pain/Fear/Devil

SNAKE or S is the SIX/6 🐍 the 6 is the BUG 🐞the devil is just a ladybug, but the bug grows stronger the more you feed IT.

The S can also be read as an M (flip it around) you must learn to transmute the chaos into order.

SNAKE PLISSKEN = SNAKE LISTEN or SNAKE IS IN, L is IN. (Combine the L with the I = LI = U now re-read it US IN, the P is just a tongue but can be a lower b p and the one true God is the QUEEN BEE 🐝)

The snake can be both good or bad and everything in-between. To interpret the SIX takes practice. It can be a sign you are getting SICK or more BUGGED. The 6 can be the HOOK of the devil bringing you down low. But don't forget JESUS was also a fisherman and that HOOK can also bring you up which can become a 9.

Nine = N (look at the letter it is two sevens/77).

So are you in (R-U-N) or are you Not? The seven can bring you UP or it can bring you 7/Low.

Don't get trapped by heLLs Ls you must increase your L/7/T/luck. The 7 is how you escape the CUBE (6 sides 8 corners its missing the 7).

What is 17+17? 34 What is 34+34? 68

What is 49+49? 98

There are 49 degrees to he77, and 49 degrees to heaven.

"heaven" = 107 (Reverse)

0 is the finally degree or the O or your way OUT (two/11). Read OUT backwards it is TOU/TWO or the 11 or 77. Are you starting to get it now?

37 (777), 77 (49) to escape the cube/chessboard you need the 77s.

The queen in chess is the strongest and luckiest piece and she moves 27 squares or two sevens and crosses seven 3 times. There are 64 squares on a chessboard or two 8s. (49/64). 8 = ate/eat/eight.

8 = 1 + 7, there are 17 chromosome pairs in the APPLE, @, A.

ATE = MAT (turn the E)

M can be read as a 3 or a 13 (1+3 = 4) or 3 & 4 (17+17). To escape the MATrix you must become a bee 🐝🍯and GOD is the Queen Bee.

"queen bee" = 34 (Chaldean) "queen" = 27 (Keypad) "queen" = 21 (Septenary) 7+7+7 "queen" = 73 (Reverse) "bee" = 8 (Keypad) "be" = 7 (Ordinal) "be" = 7 (Septenary) "be" = 7 (Chaldean) "heart" = 52 (Ordinal) "heart" = 17 (Chaldean) "hear" = 17 (Septenary) "feel" = 17 (Reverse Reduction) "sing" = 49 (Ordinal) "sing" = 21 (Keypad) "hymm" = 49 (Reverse) "humble" = 28 (Keypad) "God" = 17 (Reduction) "lord" = 49 (Ordinal) "lord" = 21 (Keypad) "goddess" = 73 (Ordinal) "goddess" = 34 (Septenary) "goddess" = 33 (Keypad) "goddess" = 28 (Reduction)

GEMATRIA = MATs AIR EGG, yep we are ALL (ATT) floating on MATTs EGG. You sleep on MATTress everynight, you get married in MATrimony, you give birth MATernity, we are all MATTer. To escape the MATrix you need to understand the MATh. I can only show you the door = MAT you must walk through it.

This reality functions on TIME (it me), time acts as the walls or prison bars to this reality.

The M is one of the keys out. You must learn to FEEL and move the letters and numbers around in your mind like a Rubik's cube to decode it on the fly. You can't take letters or numbers at face value because they can become distorted by your disharmony or interpretation of them. God speaks many layers deep, so you can't rely on your brain only the FEELING combined with your knowledge of Toiletology.

Like I said before a 6/six could be making you sick, or it can be making you SICK as in a bad ass.

Feeling confused yet? F = EEL or ILL which is a word that can mean sick or you're sick with it.

F can also mean RESPECT or represent a FLAG. It takes time to be able to interpret these "codes" or "errors" that's exactly what it is. GOD made us perfect in their image, except that we are ALL kind of BUGGY.

"buggy" = 27 (Keypad) "buggy" = 73 (Reverse) "bug" = 14 (Keypad)

To escape the MATrix or MOT you need to start noticing your "glitches", "bugs", "errors", "typos", "mistakes", and "accidents."

GOD speaks to US and gives us clues on how to FIND them through these error correcting codes. We aren't in a simulation but it does operate like a computer the way God designed it. Our glitchy programming is the backdoor to escape hell into heaven. I have discovered this (with my cosmic sisters help of course) this backdoor and the door = mat.

Not only is there programming in the underlying fabric of reality which is completely undetectable (until now). God designed reality like a video game. And just like a video game there are cheat codes.

It is possible to escape this holo-fractal MATrix through a backdoor and the door = 17

"backdoor" = 33 (Reduction) "backdoor" = 69 (Ordinal) "doormat" = 86 (Ordinal) or 98/68 half of 86 = 43, half of 68 = 34, half of 98 = 49. 86 = 8 + 6 = 14 (two seven), 9 + 8 = 17

M = 11:11 or 4 lines, 4 = A /@/apple or the WIZARD OF AHHHHHS.

THATS A TYPO, YEAH RIGHT MAN! Your name goes through like 17 computers a day.

"orwell" = 77 (Reverse)

T = UR = KEY

The "T" can be read as a 7 or an L or a T.

Getting confused yet? Like I keep saying it works on FEEL and to FEEL the FORCE takes practice.

You can't level up your skills or find GOD without LOCKing/LUCKing onto GODS signal and that signal = 17.

"frequency" = 37 (Septenary)or 777

You gotta find that LUCK/7UCK/TUCK to escape the MATrix to break your NPC/A.I programming.

There are a couple KEYS you must learn to use to escape the door TT 17 (77) that's the doorway and the door = mat and the way is (mat).

A double sided tuning fork is exactly what we humans are. There are 7 chakras in the human body.

"tuning" = 77 (Reverse) "tuning" = 27 (Septenary) "tune" = 21 (Reverse Reduction) "chakras" = 17 (Chaldean) "chakras" = 128 (Reverse) half of which is 64. "chakra" = 14 (Chaldean)

Gematria can help with your belief, but you shouldn't rely on it for your all answers. Gematria can be pretty spammy and not that helpful, so I try to keep it to a minimal.

"answers" = 27 (Reduction) "answer" = 37 (Reverse Reduction) "answer" = 34 (Keypad)

Leonardo Da Vincis Vitruvian Man displays 4 arms and 4 legs or 8 (1+7).

An interesting aspect of the human body is when you raise your arms above your head it creates a U and your legs create an N (n) shape like the tuning fork.

Now I repeat the question r U n or are you out of tune?

A you (U) can be an UP or a C (see) or UNDER like a DUD.

Just like an N can mean in, or n (no), or a Z/N (snooze alert zzzz), the N can be many things some good, some bad and some in-between.

The answer = ans (a = 1, n = 5, s = 1) Whats that spell? 7 ANS = NAS N = nothing, A = anything, S = something

Good people get something, shitty people get nothing and ANGELS get anything. A = 4 N = 77 S = 6

7 x 11 = 77 or 49

ELEVEN <> ELVEN <> EVE

11 = 77

The N is another key you must learn to use to escape the black cube of Saturn's HEX/agon (6).

[hirik0]

Jealousy part 7

part 1 | part 2 | part 3 | part 4 | part 5 | part 6

Please ignore the unhige tags. 😌

09Soap/Ghost

Two grown man sharing a standart military bed, well thinks are geting very close. Soap tried several times to leave because General Shepard will chew his ass out if the paper work is not finished, but Simon had a death grip on him when ever Soap tryes to move just a inch to far or any inch. He also needed time to freak out about him fucking Ghost, he's so confused he needs to wrap his head around this. Eventually the steady breathing of Ghost lulled him in to sleep.

When Soap wakes up because of Simons alarm at 5 am, it's warm. Simon is still pressed against him looking peaceful. It feels terrifying domestic. Simon is slowly opening his eyes because of the alarm. He just deactivates the alarm and the burrys his face in to Soaps neck. A blush forming on his cheeks. "Morning", Soap just says to him with a smile on his face. "Morning." Simon answers, sounding like he's ready to just go back to sleep. "Go back to sleep, your off recruit duty today." Soap says while ready to leave the bed. "Stay?", Ghost ask unusual insecure. "Would like to, but General Shepard is calling in 2 hours and I still need to get some thinks done before, like reading the damm file." And Soap himself his shoked by the how much he wants to stay. Ghost makes some displeased sound but let's Soap get up. Ghost is watching him with one eye open ready to fall back to sleep at any moment. "See you later", Soap says before kissing Ghost on the cheek, who is making a pleased sound. A small smile is appearing on Ghost face before he closes his eye again returning to sleep, buring his face in the pillow and Soaps heart is trying to jump out of his ribcage. He's a Captain his time of sneacking out of others rooms back to his own should be over. When he is in his room he looks up at the wall over his bed the calander has today marked as heat have start. He's horrified remembering that he littered Ghosts neck and shoulders with bits and hickeys in the assumption nobody will see. And for the love of God, not even Ghost covers up in a British heat wave, and his shorts are short. Like really short as in just covering his ass. How is he gonna survive this now after he they had sex and him having these feelings? This is his punishment for sleeping with his subordinate and god he remebers telling Ghost about a next time. He would ask himself what he was thinking but he was not thinking in this moment. "The weather report can be wrong, the heat wave can just not start today or this weak or at all." He says to himself in a attempt to not freak out. He gets dressed in clean cloths and leaves to get a coffee before he wastes anymore time he don't have to finish this important file or atleast appear as if he did work on it. On the way from the barracks to the mess hall it's already disgusting warm, his shirt starting to syick to his back, this heat wave is hitting them with full force. He don't meet anybody while he grabs his coffee at 5:20 am and it's also nobody in the building with his office.

When Ghost wakes up the next time the first think he notices, he's sweating, its fucking hot and not in there is another body next to him way but in a heat wave is hitting Britain way. He looks at his alarm clock it being just 11 am and with the feeling if getting backed in his room slready this is the most sleep he will get. It's also not helping that he's blushing over the memory of Soap kissing his cheek he got because Soap needed to work and couldn't stay. And hes definitely feeling how Soap fucked him, sore in satisfying way. And he told Soap about a next time, god Soap really fucked his brain out. Why did he say that, he wants a next time but he didn't had to tell Soap that. Well he told Soap a lot of thinks he shouldn't had. He's burying his face in to the pillow that smells like Soap and breaths out heavily. When he pushes himself up on of his shoulders stinks and he rembers that, Soap bit him very hard. In general Soap did not hold back with marking him. He goes in the bathroom to see just how much Soap marked him. His mouth falls open, Soap tried to turn his neck and shoulders in to on giant bruise. Normally this would not be a problem, he's coverd like a victoriana lady 24/7 but in a heat wave? Everbody will see, everybody will know, everybody in the 141 will ask. A smirk is forming on Ghost face, oh will he get in trouble with MacTavish for this idea yes, will he likey get punished for this also yes. The question is just what the punishment will be and he thinks if he plays his cards right he will enjoy it. When he looks down he notice a hand print on his hip and he should not find this so hot. "Try to claim me Captain?", he ask his reflection. He goes back to his room searching his closet for the right clothes. He finds his favourite pair of shorts really easy, but he just can't find tank top he's looking for. He he finally finds it in the very back he smirks again. After a quick shower he puts both thinks on and is checking in the mirror if Soaps mark a perfectly seeable for everyone. The smirk gets even bigger when he sees that you can see the hand print when he has to lifts his arms up. Ghost looks at his smug smirking reflection and wispers a perfect to himself. He then covers up his outfit with a standart clean pair of military pants and jacket. Putting a medical face mask hin his jacket pocket before putting on his standart mask and sunglasses. Their is no way he will wear a full mask all day if it's already that warm.

Soap sees Ghost for the first time since the morning, while he's still in the meeting with Shepard, for 4 hours, and there is no way Ghost will survive wearing standart uniform in this heat wave. He already has his ventilator on because god today will be hot. He is just wearing a t-shirt but this already feels like to much and Ghost well don't really has a choice thanks to him. It also looks like he collected Riley, because the dog is following his owner dutifully. Riley walks up to Soap sniffing him acusetory, as if to ask why are you smelling like each other. Ghost comes in his office takes a bunch of his paper work and looking trough them. Making a pile of filles Soap assumes he will work on. Soap is thankful for this because he and Price try to do as less paperwork as they can get away with. Suplies forms and mission reports are probably the only think they file out on a regular bases. For some reason he has a suspicious feeling when he looks at Ghost outfit. He's beeing ridiculous Ghost would never parade hickys and marks, he's a very private person. Ghost gives him a not before leaving the office and for some reason Soap has the feeling he has a smug expression hidden under the mask.

Everything is working acordig to plan, Ghost thinks to himself while he puts the files on his empty desk. He not only is in a air conditioned building, but Soap now thinks he will try to be covered up. The first think he does in the office is replacing his face cover, revealing a good amount of Soaps marks. He also knows that the biggest administration gossip will walk in his office very soon. And she is spreading base gossip faster then light. Wich means that Gaz and Meat will be in his office before lunch, and they will hopefully make a comment about it to Soap. "Lieutenant Riley, I have some..", a female voice starts but then stops mid sentence. Ghost really needs to fight to keep a neutral face expression. "You have what?", he ask. "Some files for you to work on", Stacy Smiths, base gossip queen finishes her sentence. When she drops the files on his desk she can't keep a comment to herself. "Got lucky eh? Pretty wild think you got in the sheets." "Thanks." Ghost answers as uninterested as he can, while he really has to fight down a grin. Perfect, this is working absolutely perfect. "Well hope you enjoyed her", Stacy says before she leaves the office as fast as she can with out running. An evil grin is spreading a cross Ghost face. Phase 1 of his plan worked out perfectly.

Gaz nearly drops his phone after reading the text from Stacy. 'Lieutenant Riley god lucky with a lassy last night.' It states and this just can't be true. Ghost and Soap are dancing around each other for months now. He sends the recruits to an early lunch running in to Meat on the way to Ghost office. "You think it's true?", Gaz ask. "I gues he's not the kiss and tell person. Just said thanks for looking after Riley." Meat answers. "What are we using as cover?" "How Riley did on the mission." The two walk in to Ghost office and of course Stacy is right he got lucky last night. He's neck is littet with hickys. "Aren't you suppose to train the recruits?, Ghost ask them. "Sent them to an early lunch before the heat wave gets to much for out door training, Sir." Gaz answers. "And your going in to the admin building to get air conditioning or?" "We wanted to now how Riley did, Sir.", Meat spills out. "Perfectly, even when the smell of jungle was a bit much at first." They know that will likely the most information they get. So in an impulse desition Gaz ask: " will you help in hand to hand combat training, Sir?" And Ghost really has to think about it. He could, but he has enough paper work for most of the week on his desk. Also he's not sure how Soap will react if he pushes to far "Maybe later this week Sergeant Garrick." He just answers, letting the two pet ans spoil Riley with attention for a bit, before kicking them out of the office. "Let's see if the Captain will walk in here soon, Riley", he says to himself, getting rit of his jacket.

When Soaps sits down at the same table as Meat and Gaz, he has a very suspicious feeling. The two very suddenly stopped their conversation. "Spill.", Soaps nearly orders them. "Stacy told us that Ghost got lucky yesterday and he did.", Meat says carefully watching Soaps reaction. And only years of military training are keeping Soaps face from dropping. "Oh did he?" "Got fucking mauled by what Stacy assumes a woman", Gaz says. "Oh, good for him.", Soap trys to answer as neutral as possible. Meat and Gaz are looking at him like they are waiting for his jealousy to bubbel up. And it would if he didn't know 100% HE had sex with Ghost yesterday. While Soap take a bit out of his food Meat drops: "You think Ghost will shate her name if I ask?" Soap is choking on his food. Oh god, no, no Ghost will definitely not share a name. "You think Ghost is a kiss and tell type?", Soap conters, trying to act as normal as possible and hopeing they will think everything unusual is just his jealousy. "Well also never thought he would show of his sex life like this", Meat while shrugging his shoulders, Gaz is suspiciously silent watching every expression and move Soap makes. Gaz picks up some strange vibes from the Captain. A theory forming, but how to prove it? "Well not even Ghost wants to suffer in a heat wave other wise we would not know", Soap says off hand, like he don't care. "Mhm, so what if Stacy is wrong about the gender of the person slepped with?", Gaz ask out of the blue. "Who Ghost sleeps with in his of time free is non of our buisness, Gaz", Soap scolths him a bit more agressiv than needed. Gaz just raises his eye brow a knowing glint in his eyes. "Your right Captain", Gaz just says and starts eating again. When Meat is trying to say something again Gaz is kicking his leg. Soap has the feeling Gaz figured this mysterious sex partner of Ghost out. He can't say or do anything about it, just hoping nobody will believe him. The last think he needs now is Price lecturing about not having sex with subordinates. He's not sure who would be more embarrassed by it Price or him. After the three is leaving the mess, Gaz is dropping a bomb on Soap. "Can't wait for Ghost supervising the hand to hand combat training of the FNCs, they will learn a lot from him." He's fucked, thats it, he's done. He needs to talk with Ghost.

A littel bit later then expected Soap enters his office. He hastily closes the door. Ghost looks up from his papers. Forcing to not smirk at the Captain. Soaps jaw is dropped open a light blush creeping over his cheeks. The tanc top he's wearing is very skin tight showing of his muscular chest and showing his shoulders are in the same state as his neck. "So Gaz and Meat told the truth about you showing of", Soap simply states, when his brain is able to form words again. "Well somebody forgot that a heat wave is about to come, hardly a showing of if i don't want a heat stroke", Ghost just states. "Well didn't thought the first day would already be that hot, you would stop beeing a victoriana lady", Soap hisses stepping closer to Ghost desk. "You want me to show of? Then I can help with hand to hand combat training later", Ghost says with a smug expression on his face. "No", Soap growls jealousy running throw his veins, forcing Ghost to look him in his eyes by grabbing his chin. Nobody is allowed to see Ghost like this besides him. "I think they really would learn a lot from me", Ghost simply states a mischievous glint in his eyes. This should have told Soap that the bratty side of Ghost he saw yesterday is playing with him, trying to push his buttons to get what Ghost wants. "They will think your easy if you actually show of", Soap warns him. "They will learn its not that easy very fast", Ghost conters, knowing he won by the heated look in Soaps eyes he just needs to push a bit more. "Well I imagined you begging for my dick then." A blush is creeping over Ghost face but Soap will not silence him. "You say that like your sure I will do that again, Captain", he provoking Soap in to a impulsive desition. The grip on his chin is tightening. "Oh you will, Lieutenant. I fucked you so good you cried for me", Soap reminds him a proud and smug look on his face. "Well you will have to put more effort for the same results next time, just got lucky right after a mission", Ghost says to remove the look out of Soaps face. And this is when Soap catches on, what Ghost is doing. "Oh, I will, when Price is back we are taking a nice vacation together and I will make you cry in my sheets while fucking you." "Don't make claims you can't keep. Still not sure your even have the stamina to do this." "Oh I think you will strugel to keep up." "All talk no action again, Soap." But a very visible blush is covering all of Ghost face. "Don't think after yesterday you would be able to take my full stamina." Ghost eyes widen at this and his swallowing hard. "Try me", is the only think Ghost can come up with. Soap looks at him as if he's thinking about it before pulling Ghost out of his chair to wisper in his ear: "Yeah, want your desk fantasy finally come true, Simon?" Ghost is audible gasping at this having lose the control of the situation. "Answer me." "Yes, Sir." "My office 21:00. But don't whine when your can't sit tomorrow." With that Soap removes his hand from Ghost face and grabs his stupid balaclava from the desk before leaving the Office. Ghost just falls back in his chair face red as a tomato breathing heavily. A very confused Riley is resting his head on his legs looking with him his big brown eyes at him. Absently he is scratching Rileys ear, trying to figure out when he lost control over the situation.