#i planned this wayyyy before they actually met

[gros-chat-fait]

Wind Walkers

---

Blue Healers | Fire Keepers

[nathallly]

Spoilers For HSR and TWST!!

Sunday! Yuu. People have made the connection between him and Malleus sending everyone to a dream so not to experience the injustices and harsh realities of the real world.

And I havent seen the 2.7 story yet but I know that Sunday is now a fugitive and is going to join the astral express but what if he somehow gets isekaied into twisted wonderland.

And so I have some headcanons ( Sorry if somethings are inaccurate this is my first post like this )

Housewardans with Sunday! Yuu :

Riddle

He appreciates Sunday! Yuu’s Leadership and Knowledge and respects Sunday Yuu for mostly following the rules

Sunday! Yuu disargees with a decent amount of the rules due to how strict the punishment is for the most mundane things and dislikes the lack of freedom and authority that comes along but still follows the rules nonetheless

They understand it’s hypocritical of them to say the part about freedom and authority

Sunday! Yuu also respects Riddle for his leadership and dedication but disargees with the strictness of it all.

During book one, Sunday! Yuu has to confront their own childhood along with Riddle’s.

They both were manipulated and raised by parental figures in thier lives that forced down a harmful philosophy into them for their own gain

Like when Trey tells them about riddles mom Sunday! Yuu can picture Mr Gopher Wood.

And during the overbolt section with the flashbacks,Sunday! Yuu is fighting every urge for tears not to fall out of their eyes when seeing riddle’s childhood and seeing their’s and robin’s childhood along with it

Sunday! Yuu ends up sobbing with riddle while hugging him. They miss robin so much

After all that,Sunday! Yuu would try to help riddle be less strict on his dormmates and help him lead heartslabyul

Leona

Leona thought Sunday! Yuu was a stuck up before book 2

Leona also could tell something was off with Sunday ! Yuu so he was a bit wary of them

Sunday! Yuu saw him as a lazy and unfit leader before book 2 as well

With Sunday! Yuu kinda reminding him of Malleus yea they did not like each other

During book 2,Leona kinda respected Sunday! Yuu’s intelligence to come up with that plan but that also came with a scoopful of jealousy

When Sunday! Yuu saw the flashback sequence,They did sympathize leona but also saw it as leona giving up an already high position because he couldn’t get a higher one.

So in comparison to riddles heartfelt comfort,Sunday! Yuu actually had a debate (more like lecture) with leona about how being in second place is still in the leaderboard and how leona could actually make a difference if he tried

After all that,Leona respects Sunday! Yuu more but they still don’t really like each other.

Azul

Nuh uh, Sunday! Yuu doesnt like him from the start. Being the head of the oak family in penacony,they have met plenty of shady business people most from the ipc

On that note, Azul reminds Sunday! Yuu wayyyy too much of ipc Stoneheart Jade.Granting wishes for a price of equal value that ends up the price being way worse than the wish? Sunday! Yuu knows what azul wants and will refuse to give it under all circumstances.

Doesnt help that one of the tweels is named Jade too Sunday! Yuu almost had a heart attack after hearing his name lol

Azul is immensely curious about Sunday! Yuu and their halovain nature and their power of the harmony.Always sending the tweels to spy on Sunday! Yuu,but due to Sunday! Yuu’s experience with this kind of stuff they will always find their way out.

During book 3,Sunday! Yuu was scolding the firstyears nonstop about signing a contract with him. And was also pretty shocked about the merpeople and their forms.

During the flashback sequence, Sunday! Yuu would sympathize with azul but still would not forgive him for his actions and same with leona would have a lecture with him about how if others hurt you that doesnt justify you hurting others for your gain.

After all that, Sunday! Yuu still doesnt like azul but azul still respects and admires Sunday! Yuu’s power and ability.

Kalim

Kalim really likes Sunday! Yuu.Coming from the land of festivities, Sunday! Yuu’s sure knows how to organize a spectacular party.

Sunday! Yuu helps organize Kalims many partys and keeps him in check to the relief of Jamil

Sunday! Yuu finds Kalim quite enjoyable and sweet though pretty careless.

They also regularly checks out the Light Music Club and helps them with songs as they have experience with music due to working with robin

They sometimes sing there with the power of harmony but it took a long time to convince them to even try singing It brought back too many memories

I dont really have a lot for kalim Sorry! Because the overbolt was mainly for Jamil

Overall, Kailm and Sunday! Yuu like eachother pleasantly.

Vil

Vil likes Sunday! Yuu a fair bit. Sunday! Yuu has experience in the showbiz world from robin and understands alot of celebrity culture, beauty, social media etc so Vil sees Sunday! Yuu as a knowledgeable individual and respects them for that.

Sunday! Yuu respects Vil for his effort,determination and drive and often help him with management issues and other stuff of the like

During book 5,The first years begged for Sunday! Yuu to join VDC and eventually they caved.They actually got in as a performer due to their voice and experience with the field but they also became the producer of the competition on their own request.

Vil commitment to routine with his skincare, food, makeup reminded him much of himself and robin’s routine. Almost everything reminded them of robin, they miss her more than anything else

And when Sunday! Yuu saw Neige Le Blanc,they felt the urge to protect and hug him.The soft angelic glow and the sweet melodic voice was too much for Sunday! Yuu to handle.They were already having mental issues with everything reminding them of robin and with neige being very similar to robin Sunday! Yuu was having a mental breakdown ngl

And instead of Rook saving neige, Sunday! Yuu was the one to smack the apple juice out of neiges hand.The brotherly urge to protect was too strong even though it didnt really matter to Sunday! Yuu if Neige died or not.

During the flashback sequence ,Sunday! Yuu was dead slient,they were emotional but not as emotional with riddle’s.It still hit too close to home with all the acting and celebrity world.

This time Sunday! Yuu just had a mature conversation with vil about his jealousy and pride.

Idia

Idia thought Sunday! Yuu was an SSR morally grey villain ikemen in a video game.

Sunday! Yuu didnt even know who he was other than housewarden of Ignihyde and a social recluse.Though they’d often use Ignihyde technology due to that being the closest to the technology back in their world

But during Book 6, ooooh boy was it depressing,horrifying and dangerous all in a mechanical package.

The overbolt was insanly tough They almost exhausted all their energy to support the other housewardens.

And the flashback was chilling, The incident of ortho’s death, young idia’s wails and crys left Sunday! Yuu feeling horribly terrified,sortowful and empty.

They has experienced the loss of a family member since a young age too, and almost lost robin in penacony. What if like ortho, Robin had died when they were young? Would they be like idia today the thought was too horrible.

Sunday! Yuu didnt even say anything to idia afterwards but tears did fall from their face.

Malleus

Malleus is horribly down bad for Sunday! Yuu (platonic or romantic you decide).He is utterly curious about their halovain background, Malleus had actually thought Sunday! Yuu was a fae or an angel when he first met them.

Sunday! Yuu is also pretty interested in malleus and the mystery of who he is.As I said in the beginning they have some large similarities and they’d definitely get along.

They’d both rant to eachother about alot and theyd both listen to eachother and argee with eachother.

Malleus felt a real friend to Sunday! Yuu someone who understood them and their similarities often made them both seem seen by the other

Sunday! Yuu probably wouldn’t call Malleus tsunotarou, I’d imagine it’d be something like Mr draco/drago or something of the like

Book 7, Idk much about but Sunday! Yuu would essentially fight against a slightly different penacony and I’d think they’d have a different outlook on life to say the least.

[gravyhoney]

YOOOO WHATS UP W THIS SILLY I'M SO CURIOUS

EHEHEEHEEHEH I LOVE HER THANKS FOR ASKING‼️‼️ Quickkkkkk warning for VERY brief mentions of underage drinking/weed smoking.

So she’s half dragon half shapeshifter. Specifically Geathal shapeshifter (the world my best friend and I have worked on since we were 13 n 12 respectively)

Dragon mom (Farrah) on the left, shifter mom (Asha) on the right.

She’s got two wayyyy older brothers (Juno, 11 years old than her, and C.J., 9 years older than her)

She’s the oldest of her friend group and dating Inky.

Fae and Inky started dating in Inky’s Junior year and faer own senior year, bc Inky was DOWN BAD the moment they met but never said anything bc Pastel had this awful boyfriend (insert obligatory joke about bisexual women dating homophobic men bc. That’s what happened.) but Pastel ALSO liked Inky, was just fucking awful at picking up cues n shit and didn’t know until they were doing ✨underage drinking and smoking weed✨ at a party none of them were supposed to be at and Inky and Pastel kiss, which leads to Pastel breaking up with luns shitty bf (who was also cheating on lun) and they talk about feelings and shit and take it way slow and. They’re the healthiest relationship in Golden Dandelions.

I’m planning on writing GD I PROMISE but for timeline shit, Pastel ends up out of the picture near-ish the beginning bc faer going off to college out of state. It’s gonna be a whole plot point about Inky needing to learn to let go and accept change and stuff, but yeah. Pastel goes to college and wayyyyy in the future after she graduates, she and Inky get happily married after Inky successfully doesn’t die. And then Pastel uses her psychology degree to become a therapist.

ALSO fun thing about her, she spent literal YEARS having to pretend to be human do to the ✨illegal nature of being not human in the city they all live✨ (this is remedied long before Golden Dandelions takes place) so her ref sheet reflects how she looked and presented when she was 19. Even after inhumans were allowed to exist as they were, the human beauty standards had been SO drilled into faer by then, that fae didn’t fully transition back to looking like faer true self. So in real actual canon, and way after Golden Dandelions ends her skin is a v light pinkish-purple instead of human person white.

She’s very fun to draw and I consider her one of my first ocs, only bc I created her after I knew what the term oc meant. Also she used to be an Undertale oc. Undertale AU oc if u wanna get specific. Shoutout Inktale.

[reigndrop1ets]

Okay, I started watching more of The Bear S2 today and I have THOUGHTS.

First, I wanna talk about Claire. It's so obvious she was added into the season to be a love interest. Sure, she's got a personality which some love interests might not have but compared to other characters in the show, hers is basic. Maybe that's the point though? Other characters in The Bear have a plethora of issues and Claire can easily be set apart from the rest of them, hence Carmy's interest in her (aside from knowing her from before). I'M GONNA ADD ONTO THIS IN THE NEXT ONE!!

Second, I understand why he and Claire's relationship is progressing so quickly. Carmy admits that he doesn't really have fun and never had friends either. Before Claire, there was Mikey helping Carmen socialize, but even then it was more for Micheal than it was him. Mikey acted as a sort of social lubricant (hate that word but it's true) for Carmen as they grew up. Michael died and Carmy receded into himself (yk what I mean), focusing on work instead of his social life or mental health. When Claire, someone he was close with back in the day, comes back into his life, he clings to her. Now, this is because she actually has a life outside of her career. She's got friends, she's fun to be around, and she can help people have fun. She's the embodiment of who Carmy never got to be, what he never got to experience. He gravitates towards Claire because she's been living her life to the fullest and Carmen didn't get a chance to do the same.

Third, I know a lot of Bear fans want Sydney and Carmen to be together. I'm still not sure how I feel abt SydCarm but we all see the chemistry between them!! If not romantic soulmates, they are 100% platonic ones. However, I can see why Carmen wouldn't be interested in being close to Sydney romantically or being closer to her than he currently is. Sydney met Carmen through his work as a Sous Chef and they bond over their love of cooking, their hopes for the restaurant. The foundation of their relationship is all work related. I admit, they have their moments were they get on a personal level with each other but mostly, they talk about work. Carmy used to work in a toxic environment and it traumatized him. The Original Beef is a much more positive place to be, but still, a contribution to his stress. So, I can imagine he'd want to be closer with his coworkers but not AS close as they could be. He's seen Syd outside of the kitchen, but it's only been to talk about work. Claire is someone from outside of work, from wayyyy back, and a nice change of pace.

Fourth, Carmen's priorities are ALLLL the way messed up. As soon as he reconnects with Claire, it was like Sydney didn't much matter. He made promise after promise to Syd, yet he never came through. I don't think I'll be able to get over how he COMPLETELY forgot about his plans to go tasting with her to help Claire move FURNITURE bro. In that exact same episode, he neglects to tell Syd, his literal business partner, that they were taking out the walls. Then, he ditches Syd again to deliver the wine license (?). Sugar was fully capable of doing this, but he probably felt bad for making her work sm, so I get it. What I don't like is how he made more plans with Claire instead of helping Sydney out?? Sug and Syd are literally carrying the restaurant on their BACKS.

Fifth, LET'S 👏🏼 TALK 👏🏼 SYD 👏🏼. My KIN, my GIRL, MY BESTIE IS STRESSINGGGG. She's supposed to be Carmen's whole business partner but she's handling most of the responsibilities that are meant to be shared between the two. It's becoming a real challenge for her because she's struggling to cook. Syd's overthinking everything and NEEDS CARMY TO DO HIS FREAKING PART. I wish I had more to say about her in that aspect but I don't 😔. However, I will say I love her relationship with food and how it's shown. The visuals during her menu tasting sequence were CHEF'S KISS 🤌🏻!!

[xerith-42]

Hi Xerith!! I saw you wanted someone to ask about your DSMP opinions, I am here to listen to the yapping (and secretly sneak lore out of it) :D

Oh my god I didn't realize you understood my yapping that's incredible!

I can actually tell you how I managed to make my MCD rewrite canon to my DSMP rewrite that you'll never read. Because while I have some... Issues, with later parts of the story, I LOVE the time loop idea. I have had so much fun coming up with different ways the loop and go, figuring out how people enter and exit it (there is no exit), and when the loop eventually breaks.

The reason this is relevant to MCD is because of its existence outside of this loop, but close enough to the pantheon of gods I've created that are also intertwined with the DSMP as a metaphysical experiment that they were going to cross paths eventually. In fact, before there was ever a time loop, there was a being who needed a vessel. And they needed this vessel to be strong, smart, and able to protect itself. But this needed to come from experience in a world harsh enough to kill them, but one they had the capability to thrive in.

Well, there's this little fantasy story going on over here. I'm sure Irene wouldn't mind if this being slipped their vessel into her world for its training. And y'know, that guy who was mentioned in one episode of Minecraft Diaries and then I turned into Technoblade? Well, he ends up becoming Menphia's champion and thriving in Tu'la, until this vessel appears and challenges the champion. And the champion barely wins. The vessel has almost bested the champion. But the most important part is that the vessel and the champion became friends here.

It is in the Tu'la gladiatorial ring that Dream first met Techno. And once their rounds of fighting were over, Dream was taken by their diety, now a properly trained vessel in the ways of fighting, and was instead trained on how to be their vessel. Thus started the first few timeloops, just a "chaos god" and its vessel learning how to operate a world and body together. And even if other friends came to fill in the void, even if a new story all its own that spanned dimensions happened before him, the vessel always thought back to that world.

To the man he met in the gladiator ring, more pig than human, yet more human than anyone he'd met, someone who showed him sincerity and compassion and recognition. And sometimes Dream wondered about that world, why his memories of it were so fuzzy, why it feels like his life started when he entered the ring, why Sapnap tells him they've been friends since they were kids but his earliest memory is of Techno. He'll never get the answers to these questions, or if he does, it'll be wayyyy later in the timeline.

But that's where it all started. A champion and a vessel fighting in a world that had largely rejected them, a world they didn't belong to, only to be ripped out of it by their own cruel divinities with other plans for them beyond this "meager realm".

[1rakus]

Here’s a little Id indicator so if anyone has further questions I can answer: 🐈

OK so I just finished studying abroad in China and hopefully I will never have to worry about this story ever again lolllllll.

I’m studying/was studying w a bunch of other USAmericans (all straight guys except for me (neither of those things) and another guy (only 1 of those things) A lot of them got really into the Shanghai clubbing scene and made friends w some other Chinese college students. ONE of them the most whitest guy in our group w blonde hair blue eyes and big pointy nose hooked up with a girl at the club and started dating her ~2 months before we left, which is fine except for the fact that she was SEVENTEEN. (ILLEGAL IN CHINA TOO BTW NOT JUST THE US (he’s 22 or 23 BTWWWW)) I really don’t know what her deal was very much but later in this story I interrogated the guy w my roommates and apparently she’s taking a gap semester (FROM **HIGH SCHOOL**) because her parents are getting a divorce. Also, she’s not even from Shanghai, she’s from Shenyang (WAYYYY north an 19 hour drive away from Shanghai) so she was fucking. Living in his apartment room for like 2 months and they did not ask his roommates if that was ok.

This is all bad enough, but apparently about a month into dating together and living in his apparartment she started getting bored when he had classes and was out. So, instead of going out by herself, or getting a hobby, she decided to adopt a kitten! She tells the guy hey let’s adopt a kitten, he considers it for less than 15 mins and they fucking go to a cat store and adopt a kitten. When he’s about to go back to the us in 3 weeks. They post the kitten on their wechats and dress him in little clothes and stuff and do a kind of ohhh isn’t it cute that we have a kitten now bit for about 1 week (they adopted the kitten on Sunday may 19). On Tuesday may 21st, the guy decides to go traveling around southern China and leaves the kitten w the girl. On Thursday may 23rd, my roommates go to help give the kitten medicine because he had ear mites and the girl is like heyyy I actually want to go to Suzhou for like. A night. Actually scratch that like 2-3 nights. Can you take care of the kitten? She had not met my roommates previously neither had the USguy but they sure were willing to leave the kitten in our dorm room! I was out of town at the time, but when I got back on Sunday the 26th, the kitten was still in our dorm room, the girl was back, but posting herself getting cocktails and coffee on her WeChat moments having never asked once about how her kitten was doing at a strangers house. At this point my roommates and I were very worried that with how irresponsible these two had acted when it came down to it and they couldn’t take care of the kitten anymore they would just abandon him on the streets and basically leave him to die, so we staged an intervention first w the guy and then w the two of them.

When we confronted the guy, he literally blamed her for everything, saying “oh it’s his first pet” and “she has a cat at home, so I figured she knew what she was doing.” SCUMMY, but unfortunately I was not surprised because at this point to me he was the scum of the earth. When we confronted the two of them it seemed like she had actually come up with a plan on her own, to take the kitten back to her hometown w her and give him to her aunt! My roommates and I were very relieved because 1) there was finally an adult involved in this situation and 2) we definitely couldn’t take the kitten w us because of import laws and how the flight would be so long it would actually be dangerous for the kitten’s health. So the kitten was guaranteed a future with someone who seemed to actually have experience caring for animals and also care for their well-being! We ended up keeping the kitten for one more night because the 2 of them wanted to go to Disneyland, and then, on Thursday the 30th, we returned the kitten. My roommates went traveling that day for the weekend, so I had the apartment to myself. That Friday I was a bit sick so took time to recover rather than checking on the kitten. That Saturday, I went to go see how the kitten was settling in, and apply his medicine. I hung out in their apartment for like 10-15 minutes and then they were like, “oh, we have to leave to ship him to shenyang!” I was like HUH? They had somehow gotten some pet transport service to get him on a train ride to Shenyang. In retrospect, this was a pretty good thing and probably set up by the aunt (cause those 2 definitely didn’t know what they were doing) but at the time holllyyyy shit did it freak me out!!!! I was following them around their apartment as they packed asking questions like, “you’re gonna give him water for the trip, right?! Right???!!!?!!?!” And making sure they gave him more than a days worth of food so he would have food on arrival and making sure that he had a cloth in his carrier and then they were off! It was actually a good service, not the thrown into a pile of luggage and left in a dark room w no food and water that I was catastrophising about at the time but wow! Did that freak me out!!

The kitten did arrive safely in Shenyang and the two of them also went there to introduce the USguy to her family I guess??? I mean. I don’t think that the relationship will last with him going back to the US (today, Jun 8) but we’ll see! I’m still on her WeChat moments and she literally posts when she gets her period so I will keep you posted on if/when they break up!

Anyway I need to tell as many people this fucking crazy story as possible because it was stressing me out soooo bad while it happened!

i can't describe my feeling right now

[gaybd1]

Please explain this crush situation, it sounds like good drama!

lmao I don’t think?? I’ve posted about it before but it’s not THAT interesting I promise

also SO sorry but Due To The Autusm I don’t know how NOT to make this a Long Story

let’s see…

so the thing about communities of expats/immigrants/foreigners is that there are ALWAYS people coming and going but for a while here I had a really tight group of friends I met through work and we did EVERYTHING together. We’ll call them J, N, and B. All around my age. J was a guy from Canada, N an American guy, and B a South African girl.

N, bless his soul, has always been the most OBVIOUSLY gay guy but has wayyyyy too much internalized homophobia to deal with it so compensated by being wayyyy too into women, you know? But also he had a collection of 300 perfumes and reviewed them on YouTube lol so

ANYway he was in one really weird relationship with some girl we never even got to meet for a while and then he met Z, who started hanging out with all of us. She was always so great and they were so cute together.

So eventually J (the coolest guy, we always watched hockey together) moved back to Canada and N and Z left to go work for the summer on a ranch in the US. The tentative plan was for N to stay there because he’d always been very vocal about hating Taiwan but Z was gonna kind of play it by ear. I figured they were gonna get married, they’d already been together a couple years and had a very strong relationship

Anyway idk what happened but the minute N stepped back on American soil, his inner asshole started to show. He just became this horrible annoying person I didn’t really want anything to do with, so I haven’t talked to him much since.

I kept in touch with Z who was having a terrible time with him. He all of a sudden broke up with her in a REALLY shitty way and she moved back here. Then he moved to like Bolivia or something idk.

So then Z, B, and I were still here. B is always busy or super depressed (no judgment) so I hardly ever see her, so Z and I started hanging out alone.

It was a LITTLE awkward at first bc I only ever hung out with her through N?? But actually we got along so great and hang out as much as we can now

That’s cool, that’s fine, but I started feeling this attraction to her and this chemistry between us that suggested it… could? be mutual?? Like there were definitely signals, especially the time we went through the haunted house together wow

We had a couple discussions that were like “okay so I guess we’re both technically pretty pansexual” so it would hypothetically work ((I DO strongly id as gay but my attitude is anything’s possible u know?))

A while after that I invited her to an open mic I was performing at and sang girl crush about her asfjljdzhk

Then we had a discussion where she was basically like “I don’t date friends” which is super fair but also we still weren’t talking about us specifically

Anyway that was several months ago and my feelings have def toned down since then (also her work schedule sucks so we don’t see each other that often) and like. idk I’ve done this once before about having a crush on someone I got in super well with and then missing my chance (that person ended up dating our other friend and they’ve been together like 5 years now rip) but this also isn’t something I’m super active or serious about right now????

[brick-a-doodle-do]

Brick gorgeous you want asks? Lemme give you asks!

Ok school floor board Au questions because that’s def one of my personal fav aus of yours.

So during the holidays and stuff, what does Ranboo do? Because surely he doesn’t stay at the school for 6 weeks summer vacation?

And I was re-reading a different ask about how Ranboos clothes shrink and grow with him and I had a thought. If this applies to everything he touches, then technically can Ranboo take a say real diamond or something of high value that’s tiny and grow it? Because money making scheme would be huge right here.

What would happen to Ranboo after he says Graduates? Would he continue to live at the school or look at going to College and live there?

Why does Ranboo choose to live at the school?

And last one, are there any other sizeshifters or unknown tinies in this world that Ranboo has met or has yet to meet👀 (also I feel like that question may of been asked already but no idea :D)

Okie thanks for answering and have some lollipops 🍭🍭🍭🍭

!!!! when do i not want asks lol

MMMM school floors beloved!! is it really your favorite? :0 you have NO idea how old this au is. i came up with it at LEAST in late 2021 MAYBE early 2022,,, there is so much doodles that have been deleted and buried too- i actually DREW for this au- SHSJSN (i did for crashed au too!

ANYWAYS

before he met beeduo, ranboo did usually just hang around the school. sometimes he'd go out in the sun if it was summer break or go out and see the city decorated if it was winter holidays, but ultimately he has a lot of fun alone. he's got a phone he sizes up to look like a big tv screen, he can go adventuring with the alley cat he befriended (there's also a dog be befriended :D and a mouse too. AHSJA he's making friends with all the animals that roam the/around the school). but there have been some summers where he just gets a job and randomly works for a bit to pass the time.

but, now that he's met tubbo and tommy, he'll hang out with them! he likes tubbo's house because there's less people, but his dad can be snoopy, so tommy's is pretty much equal— but over holidays he stays with tommy (tubbo is there like 24/7 anyways) and they usually hang out as humans and roam the city, they may even go wayyyy out in the forest to test his abilities (spoiler alert that entails a shit ton of tiny clingy)

(also you didn't hear this from me but tommy and tubbo's definitely have ranboo shoplift for them LMFAO)

2 ppl have said they reread asks and i am JAJAKKSKFNE about that like AAAAH it makes me so happy :DDDDDD

yep he can do that! when clingy finds out he can do that they do it to a LOT of things. they also get him to size up food just for the hell of it. but with more valuable things it's actually really helpful and he could totally do that to get money! i think i may make that his official way of getting money— he just pawns random portions of gems and jewels he sizes up SNDJS

his plan was to just find a place on a college campus, and that did not change! he goes to the same college as tubbo and tommy and just finds another floorboard in the library. their shenanigans still ensue! and when college is over the them of them get an apartment together :) but we don't talk bout the future AJSJ

ranboo ORIGINALLY started living there because it was easier than getting a job and he really just wanted to move out from his parents house at a young-ish age, sooo he KINDA ran away to...his high school! and after he started that pawning thing he just continued living there because a. it was convenient and b. he didn't want to pack ALL of it up and leave,,, plus he couldn't leave his pets

nope! not as of right now. sizeshifters are just as rare (or rarer) than they are in two way secrets au, so he's just a loner as of now :D

also i had a thought of tommy and tubbo just eyeing him in a class if they ever cover/talk about the history of sizeshifters/shifters in general,,,, >:)

if that has been answered before i don't remember answering it so let's just say that until that ever comes to the surface this reply is canon :D

you're making me want to doodle for this au againnn 👀

thank you for the lovely questions!!! mmmh ty for the lollipop :D for an equivalent exchange have a brick! 🧱

[umichenginabroad]

Week 5: Solo Trip Around China!

Hello hello! Something I was told over and over before coming here was that I needed to travel around China rather than staying in Shanghai so this week I took the advice of travel bloggers and went on a solo trip to Hangzhou and Nanjing! I am writing this post solo trip and to my parents’ surprise, both of my kidneys are in my possession—I think. Here is a brief summary!

I arrived at the train station 2 hours early because I was expecting airport security but I was through security in less than 20 minutes (oops) so I was left stewing in a pool of my own nerves for way too long. But my unease immediately went away when I took my seat on the train amongst the funniest and friendliest aunties (older ladies) I’ve ever met. My limited chinese lead me to do a lot of listening rather than participating in the gossip but it was fun regardless! One of the aunties actually lives quite close to my dorm so I have plans to play Mahjong(Chinese Poker) with her sometime!

Once I arrived, I walked to an ancient town to explore! This town seemed to be a bit less of a touristy spot than the places I’ve been too which was a fun new experience (except when a wild dog chased me)! Actually, a photographer asked to take some photos of me for free which was a really fun experience and really nice of him but I think he put a really strong filter on the final product.

Afterwards, I explored the night market in the downtown area which had so many stalls! The street food was so yummy and filling, I didn’t end up eating dinner and ate wayyyy too much sugar.

The next day in Hangzhou, I hiked around a mountain that grew Hangzhou’s famous Longjing Green Tea and visited a temple dedicated to an ancestor on my mom’s side King Qian where a fellow traveler helped me look for my mom’s family’s jaipu (massive family tree for a certain surname). We found it but was unable to flip through it :(.

In Nanjing I took a bullet train, wandered, met fellow foreign exchange students studying at Shanghai from Poland, Italy, and Germany. While sitting on the Nanjing City wall, I met some students visiting Nanjing from Wuhan where they helped me pick out good food and find cool places to take pictures. Afterwards, I met up with a friend from Michigan that also happened to be in China. We went to some crazy bathrooms and a beautiful temple before I took the train back home.

Overall, I felt this trip really pushed me out of my comfort zone as I had to communicate using Chinese all on my own since my bilingual friends weren’t there as a crutch. It also was really fun having the freedom to just explore China the way I wanted rather than having to consider a million and one opinions and needs. I also made lots of unexpected friends that I would have never talked to if I had stayed in my own bubble. If you do travel abroad, provided the country is safe, I 10/10 recommend solo traveling.

See ya next week!

Erin Xia

Mechanical Engineering

Shanghai Jiao Tong University Joint Institute

[dreamingsushi]

Eternal Love - Episode 48

It’s the final countdown. It’s coming. We’re there now. Let’s hang on and brace ourselves for the last peak of drama.

Even though Li Jing forbade her to go, Yanzhi still heads out to Kulunxu. She almost gets killed and only Zilan stops the fight between Li Jing and the second eldest disciple to even begin. He hears out what Yanzhi has to say and decides to agree to help her saving the child. He completes the elixir himself, but swears that after this treason and unpiety towards his master, he’ll spend the rest of his life protecting the world, without ever speaking to Yanzhi again.

Ali is back home. Bai Qian takes the opportunity to have Yehua draw her portrait with Ali. She also invites Chengyu to join the posing session, but once Yehua finished the painting, he only included Ali and Bai Qian. To comfort her, Bai Qian says that he’s being a little weak lately. So Ali suggests that he can’t lift his mom, so Yehua, a little prickled in his pride, grabs Bai Qian and takes her to his room. There she suggests that they get married, because since they get along well now, they shouldn’t break off the engagement. She’s worried that it was a little bit much to tell him that she loves him, but there’s nothing to worry about darling, he was waiting for those words all along. Plus see, he’s already thinking of having babies.

Li Jing reveals to Yanzhi that Siyin is actually Bai Qian. Then they receive the elixir to awaken the baby. And the baby girl is alive! Finally. Yanzhi’s sad because she kind of knows that she won’t ever see Zilan again, but she’s also happy because the child is healthy. Zilan spent half of his spiritual powers to fabricate the pill.

Sujin has spies everywhere. It’s crazy how such a mean and petty person receives so much love and how people still like her. One of the maids report to her and Lexu that she saw Bai Qian put something in Yehua’s tea. Sujin tries to manipulate Lexu, saying that the fox tribe are known for their charming spells and it’s weird that not long before Yehua met her in Donghai, Fengjiu stole the jiepo lamp and now he doesn’t want to recreate a Susu. Lexu is like... it makes sense, but this is just some suspicions right now, Bai Qian is pretty well respected, we can’t antagonize her. So they decide to pay a visit. They want Yehua to stop drinking the tea Bai Qian made for him, pretexting that it’s probably too cold, but he says that’s fine and that the tea was specially made for him by Bai Qian, and she added Zheyan’s medicine inside of it for him. Lexu is relieved and suggests that they push the wedding forward. So this is going to happen soon nooooow. Obviously, Sujin’s upset, but she hasn’t given up yet on becoming the mistress of the Xiwu Palace. In your dreams...

They discuss the wedding plans with the Emperor, but Yehua’s dad is like: my son needs to go to the mortal realm to undergo a trial since he killed the four beasts and that was created by the first lord and destroying his creations should be punished. Lexu is like, nobody cares but you, can’t you let it go, but he still hangs onto it, so it is agreed that Yehua has to go. However, he won’t have to go through a trial and Siming should leave his fate empty. After two months, he should be back, so that’s barely enough time to get everything ready for the wedding.

And that is all for now! I can’t wait for Sujin’s downfall. She has been going unpunished for her dirty tricks wayyyy too long. It’s about time she gets a big slap in the face, except for that one time Yehua stabbed her on the day she was married to him.

[ithebookhoarder]

Hi! I was wondering if you could something where the reader is clint’s daughter and dating kate bishop? clint doesn’t know until kate takes him there to stay safe from the tracksuits. thanks!

Never meet your heroes (Kate Bishop x Barton!Reader)

A/N: Just so you know, I have changed the timeline a tiny bit for this episode (episode 2), so Kate doesn’t go back to the apartment straight away after the auction, but oh well… I'm sure you'll forgive me. ❤️ I loved writing this one so much!

Masterlist:

Y/N [8:45 PM]: Hey. So. Show was awful Calling it quits before 2nd act starts. Gonna grab dinner and head to yours after. Hope you have fun tonight… can’t wait to see you again. I’ll bring egg rolls!

Kate 🏹 [8:47 PM]: 😋 You’re amazing - did you know that? Have fun and wish me luck 🤞

Y/N [8:48 PM]: Good luck! And try not to start anything with Armaund. Not in the mood to bail you out tonight 😆

Kate 🏹 [8:49 PM]: … no promises …

Y/N [8:50 PM]: 🙄 You’re lucky you’re cute

Kate 🏹 [8:50 PM]: 😉

Y/N [10:14 PM]: Just got back - let myself in with the key. How’s party going? Hope you’re hungry btw. Brought wayyyy too many egg rolls, and some leftovers the owners gave us. 

You stared at your phone as you watched the message send. 

On one hand you knew it was probably pointless to text your girlfriend, given that she was due home any minute - or so the clock in the kitchen kept telling you. Still, part of you felt odd being in Kate’s apartment alone, with only leftover egg rolls for company. The place felt oddly empty without her in it, and sure… you were being sappy, but in all honesty you were missing her. 

It was your last night together, until after the holidays were over and you were back at school together. You couldn’t wait to sit by the weird looking Christmas tree you’d insisted she erect and open the presents you’d both brought. It was a mini Christmas before you both separated to spend the actual day with your families.  

Still, you couldn’t exactly be mad when you’d been the one to tell Kate to go to her mom’s company holiday party. You’d had plans of your own tonight, and were meant to be home later than you’d ended up being. It hadn’t made sense for Kate to simply sit around in the apartment waiting for you. Not when this party meant a lot to her mom - so you’d told her to go, that you could meet up after and spend the night together before you met up with your family in the morning. 

After all, you knew things were strained between Kate and her mom and tonight would be a good gesture to help make things better between them. Then again, most parents would be pretty pissed if their child destroyed a historic college relic, in the pursuit of a bet… It was only natural that her mom was mad - hell your parents would have been too, if they’d found out your part in the whole scheme that resulted in the collapse of the bell tower. 

Thankfully, Kate - the saint that she was - had insisted she take the fall for you and your other conspirators. As she put it: ‘she had enough money to get herself out of it’. Even if it was true it had felt a bit wrong to let her go ahead with her martyrdom, but that was your girlfriend; she was stubborn and loyal and there was no convincing her otherwise once she dug her heels in. 

Ah, Kate Bishop… you’d never met anyone like her. 

It had been a hectic whirlwind of a relationship since you’d met, back during your first few weeks at college.

In some ways, it had been fate drawing you two together, what with you both being the only two new students having signed up to the archery team’s trial day. It was rare enough that there were colleges that actually had the sport hosted, let alone that there would be new students as keen as you to try out… and that they’d be half as good too - and given the fact you’d been trained by Hawkeye himself, that was saying something. 

Speaking of your dad, however, you knew Kate admired him - scratch that, idolised him. However, you were used to giving people a false last name out of habit; it was your parent’s way of keeping you safe and distanced from everything, especially after the whole HYDRA incident had seen most of SHIELD’s intelligence splashed across the internet for anyone to see. All it took was one click and some decent wifi for people to figure out that the name Barton tied you to an Avenger. 

So, you couldn’t exactly be blamed for not being 100% honest with Kate about who you really were. 

As she’d stuck her hand out that first day and introduced herself, you’d taken it, and replied with your own name. 

“Y/N. Y/N L/N.”

So you’d used your Mom’s maiden name. It wasn’t a big deal at first, given that you were team mates, and then friends quickly after. But when you finally made the move into girlfriend territory… well, you’d be lying if you didn’t say you felt incredibly guilty. 

You kept meaning to tell her, but the longer things went on the weirder and more awkward the idea became. How did one tell their girlfriend that they’d lied about their identity? And that their childhood hero - who they raved about on a daily basis - was the same man who potty trained you? 

Like it or not, you’d dug yourself a hole - one you’d spent the last few weeks trying to plan a way out of. 

You were still digging when Kate used the bell tower incident as an excuse to ask you to come spend a week or so with her at her place - away from dorm mates, angry parents, and all the other distractions that came with college life. Here, in this apartment, you were in a safe bubble. 

At first, the idea of a week in New York seemed perfect given that your dad had talked about taking you and your siblings to the city for a couple days, so that you could finally use the tickets he’d been sent for the new broadway show - Rodgers: The Musical. You could meet up with them, see the show, and then fly home for the holidays as planned. 

On the other hand, it also meant you had a chance to finally come clean to Kate - especially given how honest she’d been about everything in her life at the moment. Being alone together, for a week, meant you didn’t have an excuse… well, you said that yet here you were, the night before you were meant to fly home, looking for a strong bottle of tequila to down before Kate got home and you decided to drop that little nugget of information. 

“Damn it.” 

You sighed. 

You reached into the cupboard to retrieve one of the two glasses that sat in Kate’s apartment, before making yourself comfy on the couch, your rapidly cooling egg rolls in hand. Pulling the cork from the top of the bottle, you helped yourself to a slightly generous shot of the only liquor you’d been able to find. 

The familiar burn was comforting as you downed it. 

“Could have used one of these earlier,” you muttered, reaching to pour another one. “Show seemed to last forever.” 

It really had - who knew a musical about the Avengers could be so painful to sit through? Then again, you knew it wasn’t entirely down the cheesy lyrics or irritatingly catchy tunes. No. Your dad’s sudden deterioration at the entrance of the actress portraying Natasha was indicative of the sudden nausea you had also felt at seeing your aunt’s likeness singing and dancing about… your palms had gone sweaty, and it took all the strength you had to make your shaking legs co-operate as you’d risen from your seat and hurried after him. 

To be honest, you’d been grateful to have an excuse to leave. 

You shot your brothers and sister a look as you ushered them out of the theatre, and after your dad. 

You didn’t even have to ask to know they weren’t ok… neither was your dad. After all, you felt the loss aching from within, and you’d known her a fraction of time compared to him. Hell, Aunt Nat had been family and there were some wounds time wouldn’t heal, or at least, not completely. 

Until then, you had egg rolls, tequila, and a girlfriend to help fill the void inside. 

Speaking of, your dad (and siblings) had naturally been curious about your relationship. They’d basically spent most of dinner badgering you about her, and even as you’d hailed a taxi to take you back to hers for the night. 

Standing on the street, the icy night air nipping at you all, you’d thought you’d be safe from the interrogation even for a moment. The fact you dad had chosen to stand there, rather than back inside the warm restaurant, said he was more than intrigued - and still as protective as he’d always been. There was no way in hell he’d let you stand outside on your own, even if you were now 22. 

“I’m just saying, if you don’t let us meet her soon, your brother and sisters are going to think she’s fake.”

“A fake girlfriend? Seriously?” 

Your dad shrugged, mischief clear in his eyes. “Can you blame them? Even your mom and I are starting to think you’ve gone a little loopy, in that dorm room, all by yourself, imaging a girlfriend to keep you company - ”

“Dad!”

“What?”

“You’re ridiculous.”

“And yet you love me,” he grinned, knowing it was all too true. 

Your smile gave it away, even if you were doing your best to look mock-angry at his line of questioning. At this rate, it was going to be a long couple of weeks. 

“I’m only asking. When do I get to meet this ‘very real’ girlfriend of yours, huh?” 

“Dad,” you whined, hating the fact that you were a fully grown adult that still blushed when her parents talked about your love life. “We’ve only been going out a little while and I don’t want to rush it, you know. Maybe next time? After Spring break?” 

And after I tell her who you are, you added mentally. 

“You said that before, honey,” he teased. “I just want to meet the girl you’ve spent your entire college experience raving about, that’s all. Shoot me. I’m your dad. It’s my job to be annoying and curious.” 

“Yeah, yeah.”

“Besides, we both know eventually your mom will just end up finding her on Facebook or something and have the poor kid over for dinner anyway. You know what she’s like.”

“I’ll tell her you said that.” 

“And after I brought you Chinese food?” He gasped theatrically, laughing as you rolled your eyes. “Such a traitor, jeez.” 

It was then that a cab finally noticed your hand sticking out in the road, and pulled up at the kerb. 

“Saved by the cab.” 

“You can run but you can’t hide for long, child of mine,” he teased, pulling you in to one last hug. It didn’t matter how old you got, he still would always see you as his baby, and you were honestly ok with that - as long as you got his hugs. They were pretty special. “So, we’ll meet you tomorrow morning? At the hotel?” 

“You got it.” 

He pressed a kiss to your forehead before reaching over to open the cab door. “Great. Love you.” 

“Love you too,” you echoed as you slid in and closed the door behind you. You shot him a final wave as you gave the driver the address and pulled away into the steady flow of traffic. 

And now you were here. Alone in Kate’s apartment. Waiting… watching the clock… 

Y/N [11:25 PM]: What time did you say you’d be back again? xx Thought you said 10:30? Is everything ok?

Y/N [11:27 PM]: OK. KATE. SAW NEWS. WTF. YOU OK?

Y/N [11:27 PM]: Ninjas? Really? At a holiday party?! I can’t even with this city anymore 

Y/N [11:28 PM]: Seriously Kate. You good? Call me, please. I’m worried about you.

It was probably an hour after your last text that you finally heard the door opening below. Worried sick, you’d curled yourself up in Kate’s bed, staring at your phone and waiting for some kind of signal that your girlfriend was alright. 

It was safe to say the tequila was mostly gone, as were the egg rolls - stupid stress eating, a trait you’d inherited from your father, of all people. 

Still, you had never felt relief like it before when you heard the door open and voices echoing up from below. It was probably why you were too busy to notice the fact that there were voices - plural - and not just Kate’s. 

Instead, you were too busy tossing back the covers and running down the stairs to see for yourself whether she was in one piece or not. 

“Oh thank god!” 

“Y/N? That you?”

“Katherine Bishop! You asshole. You had me worried sick. I swear to god, the next time you go to a hijacked holiday party and don’t answer your god damned phone I’ll-”

However, you’d barely made it off the bottom step when you saw that she wasn’t alone. 

Oh no. 

Dressed in an outfit that was horrifyingly familiar, she had somehow managed to bring home two extra guests. One canine and the other the very last person you’d ever have expected to come through the door… 

“Dad?”

The word was off your lips before you could fully understand what was happening, or who exactly it was standing in front of you in your girlfriend’s apartment. 

How much tequila had you drunk again? You had to be hallucinating. 

“Dad?” Kate repeated blankly, dropping her rucksack in surprise. “What-? Did you-? Dad?”

“Y/n?” 

“Dad, what are you doing here?” 

“That was about to be my question, young lady.” 

“Oh my god.”

“I’m sorry. Can we circle back to the part where you just called him dad?” 

The whole thing was a tangled chorus of questions and pointed fingers as you all stared back and forth between the four of you. Well, the dog didn’t so much point as whine and tilt his head, but the meaning was pretty much the same. 

What was happening here?

“I’m at my girlfriend’s apartment - like I said I’d be,” you finally stammered, feeling oddly defensive. Then again, that was probably due to the fact you were wearing one of her oversized sweatshirts, and not much else. Thank god it came down to your knees. “This is Kate. Kate my girlfriend, so what the hell are you doing here? And where have you been?”

You skipped Kate’s shock, putting a pin in it for the more pressing matter at hand. Sure, you hurried over and pressed a hasty kiss against her cheek, relieved she was back and in one piece. However, there were bigger issues to handle first - including the dog who was currently licking at your hand. 

That and the fact Kate was wearing your dad’s Ronin suit - something you never thought you’d see again. 

“Wait. Kate? As in, your Kate?”

At that, Kate smirked, looking both amused and offended all at once. “Your Kate? Aw… that’s cute, but um, I’m me. Kate. My Kate. As in, me is Kate. I belong to myself.” 

“Getting that, Tarzan.”

“Dad!” you groaned. 

This night couldn’t get any more awkward. 

How had it gone from Kate spending the evening at a company Christmas holiday party, to this? 

No no no. This wasn’t happening. Not like this… You’d had this day planned out in your head. When you’d finally got around to introducing Kate to your parents you had pictured it involving dinner at your house, sunshine, beers, you wearing pants - and Kate already knowing the biggest secret you’d been keeping. 

Fuck. 

“Uh, ok. Wow. Can we just - rewind here,” Kate choked, a bewildered look on her face. “I - You - sorry. Y/N? You said your last name was L/N. Not Barton. As in Y/N L/N, not Y/N ‘my dad is an avenger Barton’.” 

Double fuck. 

“It’s uh… technically, it’s my my mom’s maiden name,” you stammered. “My legal name on paperwork at school is Barton, but I go by L/N most of the time so people don’t put two and two together, you know? It’s habit and I didn’t think anything of it when we first met but then things got complicated between us, and I didn’t know how to bring it up.” 

“Bring it up? That your dad is an avenger? You didn’t think of slipping that in a conversation?”

“I didn’t want people to treat me differently.”

“So, Instead, you just let me ramble on and on like an idiot about how much I admired him and about my parents-“

“I know,” you whined, feeling yourself turning an ungodly shade of red. “I was going to tell you Kate, tonight in fact. I would have told you this week but things were just so great between us and I didn’t want to mess it up by telling you I’d lied to you.” 

“Well, hate to break it to you, but the cat’s out of the bag now.” 

“Dog, actually,” your dad chimed, as the puppy woofed loudly - as if on cue. He clearly objected to being excluded from the conversation. “And I’m sorry, but this little domestic drama you two have got going on here is going to have to wait until Miss Bishop gives me what I came for and explains what the hell happened back there tonight.” 

So she was now Miss Bishop? Yikes. That sounded even more strange coming from his mouth than you’d expected, and that was saying something. 

Why did you feel like a five year old who’d been caught with her hand in the cookie jar? You hadn’t technically done anything wrong here - not to your dad, that was. Kate was a whole other issue, as was the secret that you knew she would be grilling you over for the rest of the night, if she didn’t kick you out and break up with your first, that was. 

Given how this was going so far, you couldn’t be sure that wouldn’t be the outcome. 

“What? The suit?” Kate finally managed to ask, staring down at the ninja-like attire she was wearing. “Oh… sure… right. One second.” 

She shot you a look before nodding. 

“I’ll be right back…” 

With that, she turned and began to disappear up the stairs, muttering all the while to herself about the fact Hawkeye was in her apartment. THE Hawkeye… and that you, her girlfriend, were Hawkeye’s daughter … 

You were never going to live this down. 

“Where did you get the suit?” your dad asked, somehow knowing it was best to break the ice and handle one issue at a time. The look he gave you was very much his ‘we’ll talk more about this later’ look. You knew it well from your more rebellious days a kid. 

“From a black market auction.” 

Kate’s answer stumped you. Screw your conversation with your dad, it seemed you and Kate had a lot to talk about later too. “Excuse me?”

“You bought it?” 

“Nah, not exactly,” Kate continued. 

“So what did you do in this suit?” 

“I beat some guys up. Saved the dog. A little light B&E.” 

Your dad groaned. “Jesus.” 

At least that explained the dog. That didn’t explain how Kate had found a black market auction, or got herself into so much trouble in the span of six hours. Then again, this was Kate, she often had a way of surprising you and sniffing out trouble. 

First the bell tower, now this… yeah, no wonder your dad looked rightly concerned by everything. “A 22 year old vigilante? Shouldn’t you be in school?” 

You winced. “Funny you should ask…”

Thankfully, your dad didn’t hear you. Instead, he was distracted by Kate scurrying back down the stairs, suit in one hand, bow in the other. She also had snagged you a pair of sweats, which you gratefully took and slid on, ignoring the way your dad’s eyes hastily focused on Kate and away from you changing. 

This felt like a conversation you needed pants for. 

“So, now that I’ve answered all of your questions, I have so many for you - both of you - starting with, can you sign this?”

You laughed. 

You couldn’t help it. Good lord. Of course she asked - no wonder you loved this goofball. After everything, this was what she chose to ask first. Not how you could keep this from her? Or how your dad happened to be in the city? Or what had happened tonight? But, could he sign her bow? 

“We’re not done yet.” 

“But when we are, can you sign my bow? You’re kind of my favourite avenger.”

Yep. She was adorable.  

You noticed the way your dad’s eyebrow raised, as if trying to separate the fact this was your girlfriend from whatever was going on here. Otherwise, you knew he’d be weirdly flattered, and would count it as a point in her favour - even if he hated the whole Avengers thing most of the time.

“Are you ok, by the way?” 

“That was about to be my next question,” you interjected, gesturing to the various cuts and bruises Kate seemed to be sporting on her face. “Jesus, Kate. You look like you went twenty rounds with a tiger. I know we have a first aid kit around here somewhere -” 

“Oh god, I’m fine,” Kate smiled hastily. She was quick to flash a smirk in your direction as she bragged, “You should’ve seen the other guys.” 

Your dad rolled his eyes. “I did. Tracksuit mafia.”

“That’s their name?” 

“Yes, Y/N,” he sighed, clearly uncomfortable with this whole situation. 

“That’s a little on the nose, don’t you think?”

“Do you think they’re the ones who killed my mom’s fiancé’s uncle?” 

“I’m sorry, what?” you choked. It was your turn to be the party in the dark here. Shit, who knew holiday parties in New York were so dangerous? - something your dad seemed to also be thinking. That, and that rich people were seriously weird. Who named all their kids Armaund?

“Your mom’s fiancé’s uncle?”

“Yeah, Armaund III… of at least seven.” 

“I… I do not know.” It looked like there was a lot he didn't know and he didn't have an idea how to start addressing it either. 

God, your mom was going to milk  this story for the entire winter break at this rate.

He sighed. “What I need to know is if anybody saw your face.”

“No. Kept the mask on like a pro.” 

“Ok, cause the person who wore this suit had a whole lot of enemies.” 

You felt your stomach drop. Whilst you didn’t know everything about the time during the snap, your parents had filled you in on enough. Enough that you knew to be careful and that there were still dangers out there for your family - hence your use of your mother’s maiden name. 

“-the tracksuits were just one of them.” 

“That doesn’t sound good.” 

“You told nobody about this suit?” 

“No, just you and now Y/N.” 

“There’s no way you’re connected to this suit whatsoever?”

“No.”

“I need you to be sure.”

“I am.”

“Certain?”

“I am.”

“Really? Because you now have my daughter involved here too, Miss Bishop, and I don’t take my family’s safety lightly. Do you understand what I’m saying here?” 

You gulped. “Jesus, Dad. The whole, you hurt my daughter, I hurt you speech? What am I? Twelve?” 

It seemed to have got through to Kate, however, given the sudden palour of her face. “Yes, Hawkeye, I mean, yes sir. I mean, yes. I… I do.” 

“Well, the tracksuits must have followed you from the auction, where I found you. Did you stop anywhere before that?” 

“No, I ran into you and we’ve come here. That’s it.” 

You stopped. 

Wait. If someone had been tracking her then, did that mean that they’d - 

“Hey! Kate Bishop!”

A gruff shout from the street below told you everything you needed to know. Yes, was the answer. Yes, they had been followed, and yes, the mafia were here. 

Kate paused. “Now is probably a bad time to mention that my name is also on the buzzer…” 

“Shit.” 

That was an understatement. 

Somehow, it seemed that your fears had been answered - this night had indeed, got worse. 

[gxddessliving]

sorry if this was asked before, but how did you manifest exactly to "never worry about money again"? what affirmations did you use? and what kind of (if any) income(s) did you manifest? or did you just got a bunch of money without working etc. thanks in advance! <3

hey! so okay i felt a little shy at first about sharing details of my money based success stories because I know there are people who are like "wElL wHy DidN't YOu jUst MaNifESst a T0n oF EndlESs MoNey ???" but really, that is not my desire in this life. It all boils down to what you desire! My affirmation literally was "I never have to worry about money again" lol , idk if you came from the law of attraction and subliminal community like I did, but they were big big advocates on "DON'T USE NEGATIVE AFFIRMATIONS" and only when learning about the law of assumption I was like ??? um, chile anyways so.. 😂

Remember our affirmations are all about intention, so what that affirmation meant to me was firstly a lumpsum of money (I'm not from the US btw but in USD this value is around 7million) as well as always getting opportunities to make endless passive income through successful investments and business ventures. I've invested in a Social Media Marketing company owned by an old acquaintance of mine (she also believes in the loa as our governing way of life!) and will be opening a fast food outlet and beginning an event committee. I also believe money just comes to me unexpectedly and was gifted $500 USD as an early birthday gift by a great aunt of mine I NEVER EVEN MET IN PERSON. Money lasts wayyyy longer for me than the average person now and when I tell you, next to the millis- that has been my most fun experience so far because I remember before learning about the law, I used to say "money never lasts with me , it always finishes so quickly" and deadass see my money disappear in a matter of days in the 3D now I can see just how toxic that self concept was lol because though I've done A LOT- my money really miraculously seems untouched and that made me feel so powerful, actually seeing the old story transform into new life.

When it comes to my day jobs, I really love what I do and money is not my main reason for embarking on them but instead pure passion. My current salary in USD is around $1,300USD a month and the salary for the job I'll be starting after graduating with my first degree would be $2500USD (plus paid expenses such as phone bill, gas, travel, etc.). I plan on raising my salary amount in the future but for now I'm beyond happy! I'm able to do everything I want to and more.

[mrsmctominay]

fluff alphabet with judy bellingham ? <3

Fluff Alphabet- Jude Bellingham

A- Activities Jude has a soft spot for doing jigsaw puzzles with you, like the huge massive ones. They may sound boring but boy does Jude make them fun. You like to hide the last few pieces from him just to see him get frustrated about loosing them.

B- Beauty Your optimism and ability to see past his mistakes is beautiful.- He makes a mistake in a match? No problem, you didn't even notice. Besides, he will still succeed.- You always look forward no matter what and he really loves that.

C- Comfort He's a good listener, so he always lets you speak before he tries to give any sort of advice. If that doesn't work, he will put you in the car and you will go on a drive to clear your head.

D- Dreams Of course he wants you in his future, but he's still very young so he doesn't really want to think about it right now.

E- Equal At the beginning of the relationship he was way more dominant, but as he trusts your judgement more, he loosened off a tad.

F- Fight He can be tough when he's mad, he doesn't hold back. But soon after he will regret it and apologise right away. He never thinks about what he says in the moment. Even though you know he doesn't mean the nasty things he says at times but they still hurt.

G- Gratitude He appreciates the fact that he's met someone so amazing at such a young age. Everything you do for him, he is extremely grateful for. At times, he doesn't know how to show it but when he does he absolutely means it.

H- Honesty He either tells you everything, or nothing. There's times where he will be talking about something that he thought he already told you about but really he didn't. He was worse with that at the beginning of the relationship but he's slowly getting better at talking to you.

I- Inspiration Jude is wayyyy more open now. He's much better at talking. As I said, he's trying to get better at talking to you but you definitely see a difference in him. You helped him with this because of the way you talk to him, you're very confident in the way you talk and will tell him anything.

J- Jealous Jude? Jealous? Never. Well, maybe sometimes... Only when he's had a drink...

K- Kiss He was this little shy thing when it came to your first kiss, but now he kisses you like they kiss in the movies. He loves kissing you and he always does it like there's no tomorrow. A peck is never enough.

L- Love Well, you see, he's never actually said it. Numerous times he has tried to but the words don't come out. He does plan on saying it soon though...

M- Marriage As we know, Jude is still very young and hasn't thought about the future. It's a bit scary to him. But he definitely wants to marry you in the future.

N- Nickname He likes to call you butter cup, 'My little buttercup'. Or Sugar is another, Come on sugar lets go'. If it's a matchday and you're wearing your Dortmund kit he will call you his bumble bee.

O- On Cloud Nine He's quite shy when it comes to talking about your relationship. When Jadon was still at Dortmund, he would tease him about you or tell him that 'the young love is clear'.

P- PDA He's shy about showing love in public. Not many people know about the relationship anyway so you're both happy to keep the PDA to a minimum. Maybe he will chuck an arm over your shoulder every now and then or let you link arms with him but that's it.

Q- Quirk I've mentioned that he's not great at talking about things, but he translates a lot of emotion through touch. The way he squeezes his leg when he feels anxious or the way he rests his head on your chest when he's upset.

R- Romance He's a master at romance. Dates are always perfection. The most romantic always. Whether it's a big fancy restaurant, or if he's decorated the dining room. Either way, it will always be made special for you.

S- Support He always supports you, of course. But he doesn't try to get too involved. Of course if you need advice he will help as much as he can but he doesn't like to just in case he fucks up.

T- Thrill He doesn't want to be locked into one thing forever, so change isn't that scary for him. Although, he does need some aspect of routine for him to feel balanced. New places to eat, new adventures etc.

U- Understanding He's good at knowing what sends you in a mood. He try's to avoid it but if he's bored then why not make you grumpy and then go on the mission to make you happy again? He's always finding new things that tick you off and he makes mental notes whenever he finds a new one.

V- Value The relationship is so so important to Jude. He's unsure of how to show you this, but it certainly is important. You help him to live a somewhat 'normal' life. You're the only thing that he has away from football and the media.

W- Wild Card When he's stressed, he likes you to give him a massage. Afterwards you can always see a difference. He seems so much more relaxed and recharged.

X- XOXO He's more affectionate than he thinks. He doesn't realise how much he asks for kisses or cuddles, or how much he just does it. So yes, he is very affectionate.

Y- Yearning He doesn't like to dwell on your absence. He will always find something to distract himself with. That could be going to the gym, playing games with the boys or watching tv. Whatever it is, he will make it work.

Z- Zoo Deep down, he wants a bunny rabbit. I don't think he'd ever tell you but he definitely wants one.

[tkeyahwrotethis]

Six: If your Love was all I had in this Life, That Would Be Enough Until the End of Time

I’m a freelance journalist that works for customers that don’t pay me nearly close to my worth. I like to interview muses with potentially interesting stories when I noticed another freelancer interested in the same person’s story. I figured I could forestall the muse from making any hasty decisions and picking the other journalist if I sucked up to him, showing him I’m the best obvious choice.

When I tried to get the potential muse to see the story I’m pitching from my angle, he would always change the subject. It felt like talking to a brick wall and his indirect eye contact and roundabout conversation made me believe he’s already made up his mind to work with the other journalist. I didn’t let it dampen my spirits, it’s Friday! I just sent one last email wishing him all the best on his future endeavors.

I needed a nice hot steamy shower after the day I had, I felt a little disappointed the day didn’t go quite as planned. I strip down naked , light a stress relief eucalyptus candle, and hop in the shower. Afterwards, I laid in my towel on my bed aimlessly scrolling thru my phone. I received a text from a long distance friend from college , Chelsea. Chelsea was wayyyy more confident than I am and a lot more extroverted.

HEYYY BITCHH!!! I’m in town tonight!!! Let’s hit the club tonight I need to shake my ass! First round of shots on me !!

My bed, my apartment, the ice cream in the freezer, and the new episode of Love Island sounded like a much better evening to me, but she’s rarely in town so why not. Before I could respond with my half assed “ yeah I’ll go”, she double texted saying she wasn’t taking no for an answer regardless. She knows me well.

We met at the club around 11 and we are dressed to the absolute 9’s! Hair and makeup looking pageant ready. By 2 A.M. I’m breaking the seal while Chelsea is on the dance floor grinding on a guy that exactly her type. I stumbled to the bar to get some water in my system when a handsome guy pushed up behind my ass asking me what I’m drinking on tonight. I looked behind me, smiling at him, “just some water” I said while holding up my glass. “Actually I’m sober I don’t even drink!” I slurred my words lying blatantly. He offered to buy me a shot of anything I wanted to I told him I’d only drink 1942 tequila. To my surprise there was a shot of top shelf tequila in front of me in a matter or seconds. After I downed the shot, he led me to the dance floor where we danced all night.

When the night came to a natural conclusion, Chelsea and I split a cab and went our separate ways. “Text me when you get home! Love ya!” I tipsily told Chels. We pecked on the lips and I closed the cab door.

I woke up the next morning with a bit of a hangover. I check for my phone and it’s in my purse when I noticed a business card in my bag. It just had a Facebook profile with a name attached. I searched it on my FB app on my phone and the profile picture was just literally the number 4. Curiously, I added the number 4 profile and slide in their Dms.

Who you are and what gives you the right to slip something in my purse ?!?!

The profile answered me after about an hour or so later.

Hi!! I’m so happy you responded 3! I’m 4! The internet has become overrun by these robots with no real personality, we call them Echos. There are only 4 real people in the world influencing the internet. The echos take pieces of real people and post it on the internet. They are more famous so they always overshadow the truth.

4 further explained to me that they’ve made contact with me,3, and two, but has no idea who 1 might be. 4 told me a suspicion that 1 might be actually rich and famous because the job of an A list celebrity is to inspire and have fans imitate them. They’d be even harder to find.

The only celebrity coming to town was Justin Timberlake. He’s charismatic, sexy, he can sing and dance. He’s literally America’s golden child since his Disney days and soo unproblematic. We got our tickets and decided to meet at the concert, and figure out if Justin Timberlake is our number 1.

The days leading up to the concert my mental health was on the decline. I was seeing so many targeted ads that seemed like something I could have said or might have written but it was absolutely not my work. I felt like an imposter. I started questioning everything , wondering if maybe I’m the one who is an Echo. Am I an echo of something bigger than me? Am I an original truth? I’m not rich or famous. Am I enough? Despite all my doubt about being number 3, I made my way to the concert.

4 and I agreed to take the train to NYC together. I had a personal bottle of Henny in my bag because I was nervous as fuck about this whole ordeal: meeting a stranger, and going to a concert together to see if Justin Timberlake is a real person. This all sounds crazy!

When I met 4 she wasn’t what I expected at all . She was a bit Grunge and beyond talented musically she could sing beautifully and plays guitar. I told her I write and I’m a journalist. I shared some of my bottle with her and we got a bit more comfortable with each other. 2 was waiting for us on the train platform in NYC she was covered in body glitter, wore a skimpy little outfit, and was supper bubbly. 2 is a dancer! We all took a swig of liquor as a friendship initiation and got everyone on the same page. We assessed the scene and noticed our echos. They were better dressed , more expensive outfits and some just all together better looking . It was intimidating to be us and even though the Echos look like the real deal , we wanted to meet the one !!

When we got in the concert Justin’s performance was BEYOND amazing!! Although he wasn’t doing a meet and greet or anything, he did say a cryptic message saying he’s the one, and he WAVED in our direction. I literally almost fucking fainted ! We screamed and put out hands in the air with excitement because deep down we knew he was talking to us. 2,4 and I felt euphoric. After the concert we kept in touch to try and navigate how to be real and stay true to ourselves and our truth in a world full of echos.

The End !

[finleycannotdraw]

Guess what? I’m re-binge-reading Good Omens. And here are some Obervations that I forgot about and some things I might put in fics. Also things I found funny. Basically my dumb commentary on the book.

Crowley actually flees Sister Mary. He doesn’t saunter vaguely away. He flees.

Ligur is rather more thoughtful than he’s portrayed in the show

Anathema likes to read about herself, and her teachers are confused because she spells words like Agnes Nutter

Crowley apologizes

By page 41, it is mentioned at least twice that Aziraphale and Crowley Do Not choose each other’s company for any reason other than that they are constants, that they have an Arrangement, and that they are Friends because being Enemies got boring.

Aziraphale blushes!!!!!!

The Drunk Scene is fuckin hilarious and it’s actually a lot longer than it is in the show, and really you ought to read it. (Book pages 47-50)

My mom (who has a PhD in human development) would probably like to talk to Crowley about upbringing because they seem to agree on how important it is

War has always looked 25, and had a vulture that died of fatty degeneration

Pollution is very cleverly compared to actual pollution

Warlock has Kermit the frog overalls, and Nanny Ashtoreth is described as someone who “advertises unspecified but strangely explicit services in certain magazines”. The tutors are present for about four paragraphs. Warlock is good at math and likes banana flavored bubblegum.

Crowley has a slice of angel cake. Aziraphale eats it. Aziraphale also eats deviled eggs. Hm.

Crowley calls Aziraphale angel casually enough to suggest he’s been doing it for a long time

Some girl at Warlock’s party calls Aziraphale a f*ggot

Crowley glares suspiciously at a gerbil. It is suggested that Hell has, in the past, sent hell-gerbils in place of hellhounds.

“Oh dear,” muttered Aziraphale, not swearing with the practiced ease of one who has spent six thousand years not swearing, and who wasn’t going to start now.

Adam and his friends play in a place called The Pit, where shopping carts go to die, apparently

Crowley is the first one to mention sides in the book!??!? Also Crowley goes on about how humans are more evil than Hell (but he calls himself evil—is he calling himself human already?)

Aziraphale yells “get off the road, you clown!”

“What’s a velvet underground?” *love confession???* “you wouldn’t like it”

Aziraphale is a bit rude to Crowley in the “flashes of love” scene and Crowley is less panicked about it

Crowley glares at the Bentley and it fixes itself

Anathema’s bike is called Phaeton

COULD THEY ACT ANY MORE MARRIED OH MY GOD

Aziraphale speaks like. Like ugh. “FlOUndeR on tHe rOcKS of inEquiTY”

“Thirty seconds later someone shot both of them. With incredible accuracy.” *cuts to a random pleasant story about Mary Hodges* *cuts back to where Aziraphale has fallen into a rhododendron and Crowley licks the paint before he knows it’s paint* dumbasses

Crowley does not slam Aziraphale into the wall

Crowley is actually pretty impatient and doesn’t argue with Aziraphale when he’s worried

“Nothing but dust and fundamentalists” “that was nasty” “sorry, couldn’t help it”

When the radio sings “Beelzebub has a devil put aside for me,” Crowley sings “for me” and then screams

Crowley asks Aziraphale if he’ll keep in touch, and Aziraphale doesn’t say tickety-boo, and then Crowley says “right” and feels very alone

the international express man is small and has glasses, and wears green woolen socks

The sword, which turns out to be Aziraphale’s, is described as having an aura of hatred and menace, which makes me think of how it could’ve gotten that aura from Heaven or from humanity or from War...

In the book Pepper has red hair and freckles, which makes it a cool comparison to War’s appearance and the defeat of War

Adam is excellent at slouching, apparently

Occasionally, as Aziraphale reads the book, he would very nearly swear

“He wouldn’t have said ‘that’s weird’ if a flock of sheep had cycled past playing violins.”

“If you had told him there were children starving in Africa he would’ve been flattered that you’d noticed.”

“...that he was English, that he was intelligent, and that he was gayer than a tree full of monkeys on nitrous oxide.” (151)

Wensleydale watches David Attenborough programs

Shadwell’s voice is described as “the color of an old raincoat” and seems to fake smoking cigarettes

Aziraphales cocoa is moldy and solidified by the time he calls Arthur Young, and has a thin layer of dust on himself too

Newt says that the walls look like nicotine and the floor looks like cigarette ash, and he suspects both are, actually, coated with these substances

Newt looks a bit like Clark Kent, and people seem to like Shadwell for some reason, much to his annoyance.

Aziraphale calls Shadwell “dear boy” on the phone

Agnes Nutter called God a daft old fool #goals

Adam is wayyyy too good at video games

Smelling Anathema’s perfume makes Newt uncomfortable

Adam suggests that Pepper ought to have Russia cause of her red hair (huh)

Anathema and Newt actually have decent conversations?? Like?? Show??? C’mon, man. The show kinda butchered their relationship.

Trees, apparently, make a ‘vvrooooommm’ sound when they grow very fast

“He suspected that Crowley was from the Mafia, or the underworld, although he would have been surprised how right he nearly was.” Shadwell also thought Aziraphale was a Russian spy. Wow, Shadwell.

Aziraphale calls Crowley and actually says “shut up” to him, and then when the answering machine beeps, he tells Crowley to “stop making noises” and then he swears for the first time ever.

The fuckin’ footnote on page 227

“A sleek computer was the sort of thing Crowley felt that the sort of human he tried to be would have.” I like the word choice here. He’s not pretending to be a human, he’s trying to be one. That’s a really important distinction.

It never actually says what Crowley does to his plants.

Crowley’s flat is very white. Wow, Crowley. It just looks dark because of the lighting. Heaven imagery and symbolism out my ears, goddammit.

Why does Hell say Crowley’s name so much when talking to him?? Honestly, I think that’s an intentional dig at his chosen name, using it in their speech to scare him. Wow, Hell. (And wow, Finn, excellent sentence)

Whenever the book says something is shaped like something, it definitely isn’t that thing. “man-shaped” “dog-shaped” “car-shaped”... makes it pretty obvious they aren’t men, dogs, or cars, huh.

The code to Crowley’s safe is 4004. The year he “slithered onto this stupid, marvelous planet”... and the year he met Aziraphale, of course. Denial ain’t just a river in Egypt, Crowley, my dude.

Crowley consideres sticking Hastur into his car until he turns into Freddie Mercury but then decides even he isn’t that cruel

Actual text that I feel like nobody really agrees with: “Madame Tracy was by many yardsticks quite stupid”

“Do I look like I run a bookshop?” “...imagine me out of uniform, sir, and what kind of man would you see before you? Honestly?” “A prat.”

I’m crying. The fucking bookshop fire scene made me fucking cry. I’m literally crying.

“...on all fours in the blazing bookshop, Crowley cursed Aziraphale, and the ineffable plan, and Above, and Below.” “The police and firemen looked at him, saw the expression on his face, and stayed exactly where they were.” “...a crack of thunder so loud it hurt....” *the sound of Finley sobbing into their cat*

The shortest biker in the cafe thing is 6′2, what the fuck

War, Famine, Pollution, and Pop Trivia 1962-1979

“Pollution removed his helmet and shook out his long white hair. He had taken over when Pestilence, muttering about penicillin, had retired in 1936. If only the old boy had known what opportunities the future had held.” HMMMMMMMMMMM

“There were no bitches in Hell either.” I know it’s talking about female dogs, but I rather thought Hell was full of bitches.

“Why are you talking like a poofter?” “Ah. Australia.”

“gOsh, aM i on teLEviSiON?” (Basically Aziraphale gets passionate about stuff and likes to talk).

Crowley is actually an optimist and doesn’t dwell too much on how sucky the world is. He doesn’t go get smashed in a bar. He just finds Aziraphale’s notes in the book and heads to Tadfield. And also, his new pair of sunglasses just... materializes out of his eyes. And he likes to whistle.

“Death and Famine and War and Pollution continued biking to Tadfield. And Grievous Bodily Harm, Cruelty to Animals, Things Not Working Properly Even After You’ve Given Them A Good Thumping But Secretly No Alcohol Lager, and Really Cool People traveled with them.”

“on top of the pile a rather large octopus waved a languid tentacle at them. The sergeant resisted the temptation to wave back.” Honestly dude, if an octopus waved at me I’d wave back.

Wait Agnes was apparently talking to Shadwell and not God when she said yowe daft old foole. I dunno

Madame Tracy: You old silly. Shadwell: 

Aziraphale does not know how to get rid of demons. Canonically. “Had never done other to get rid of demons than to hint to them very strongly that he, Aziraphale, had some work to be getting on with, and wasn’t it getting late? And Crowley always got the hint.”

The road to Hell is paved with frozen door to door salesmen, apparently. The question is where it is, because the demons always seem to just stem out of the ground.

“Heigh ho,” said Anthony Crowley, and just drove anyway. I love this sentence during that scene. 

I bet Hastur gets really mad whenever he hears Aziraphale’s voice from now on

Crowley isn’t breathing the entire burning Bentley scene

ADAM. SAID. “But I reckon you can make your own side” AND WE FUCKIN IGNORED IT?

The temperature above the M25 was simultaneously 700ºC and -140ºC which makes me think of something I read about magenta not being real. The M25 is magenta.

I feel like “Agnes” is just going to become an inside joke between Anathema and Newt at this point, and it will drive Crowley insane because he knows who she is but somehow still doesn’t get the joke.

I’m six inches taller than R.P. Tyler, and apparently according to the back sleeve of the book jacket, I’m very similar in height to Neil Gaiman

R.P. Tyler thought Shadwell was a ventriloquist’s dummy, and then sees cows doing somersaults

“That’s terrific. Much obliged,” said Crowley. — “Funny weather we’re having, isn’t it?” “Is it? I hadn’t noticed.” “Probably because your car is on fire.” .... Also the fact that Crowley looks like a young man which I find interesting.

“The Four Button-Pressers of the Apocalypse”

“Where is Armageddon, anyway?” “I’ve always meant to look that up.” “There’s an Armageddon, Pennsylvania”

Famine is the one that says “that’s one big avocado”, and also, I find it interesting that War, more than once, talks about love. (All is fair in love and war much?)

Anathema threatens the guard with a stick, pretending it’s a gun

Aziraphale, of course, asks Crowley to sort it out because he, Aziraphale, is “the nice one” and then proceeds to sort it out himself. Because of course he does. Because what else could he possibly do.

I just ADORE THIS BOOK OKAY

I’M PROBABLY GOING TO READ IT AGAIN IN A MONTH

Aziraphale and Crowley are so fuckin married I can’t

[augment-techs]

I DON'T KNOW HOW THE WRITING PROMPT MEME WORKS REALLY

but it's WAYYYY too CUTE to not do. Sooooo how about I toss ya some numbers! ^^

Hand holding: 12 and 10! 33,

Hugs: 2, 18, 27

Hope it isn't too much!!! ^^

Kim was emotionally fluctuating between feeling sorry for Tommy, and trying not to go into shock whenever she walked into a room and found her older, alternate universe, badass-self kissing an older, Coinless General Bulk. Watching them seemed more perfect than she might have dared hope for whatever fate was allotted to the Ranger Slayer. When they'd first dropped into their Command Center and explanations had been given, Alpha had allowed Bulk to lead his Kimberly to the medical bay, and Kim had followed after them in case they got lost. Bulk was incredibly good with the damaged woman that could probably beat him into the ground at any moment. Kimberly hadn't even huffed when he'd offered her a piggy-back ride and then insisted on bandaging up her hand that'd been cut open when she'd gone after Tommy and he'd had to defend himself with Saba. He'd sterilized the wound, wrapped it tight but not without sympathy and hadn't bothered untangling their fingers or letting go when they'd wandered back into the room Zordon occupied so they could all talk and argue and occupy themselves with searching the data banks for ways out and locating their other friends for hours. The kissing was on the extreme end of their affections, though. In the days that followed, Kim didn't see them lock lips as often, as they usually found themselves training or cooking or reading with just one hand, as the other one was invariably found more often holding onto the other; like two magnets that would always find themselves connected if given enough time.  It was, admittedly, adorable as anything she could have imagined, but still a surprise she couldn't help but balk at. Tommy underwent the same amount of shock with the random displays of affection that he often stumbled into with Kim, but he had more pressing issues: when he left to walk into a room with one of the Coinless universe alters, he always had to keep his movements to a minimum, hands far away from his pockets, and eyes to the ground. With the older Trini, Zack, and Bulk, it wasn't so bad; with the Omega Rangers out in space and their history with this smaller Tommy helping them before Drakkon shattered the Morphin Grid, they were more willing to acknowledge that the evil despot and the teen weren't the same. With those Coinless who had never been Rangers--Rocky and Aisha in leather and combat armor with battle scars, had looked very shocked when they'd met their younger selves in Ranger gear, Adam being given the oddest looks from the elders--it was much harder, because they hadn't even spoken to Tommy. And they'd all been dumped through a hole in space and time that the Eltarians and Zedd had caused when Zelya had gotten away from the moon, so everyone was still reeling--especially with them being separated into three groups around Angel Grove. Perhaps they'd make up their minds when the stragglers from Drakkon's universe arrived at the Command Center... * * "He's very strong, and very sure, but he's no Drakkon." "No offense, Skull, but how--" "Could I know that?" The spy--spy, spy, actual double agent who had to relay messages and blend into the background and not die a horrible painful death at the slightest misstep, how the fucking hell--smiled with benevolent pragmatism. Rocky nodded, mouth tightening into a line as Aisha stood her own ground in their questioning. They would have loved not to have come to such an awkward position with having to use Skull to calm down their worries, put them to bed, and smother them to death, but they couldn't find solace and reassurance in Zack and Trini's words and it didn't seem fair to keep putting the kids in defense positions just because they could calm the fuck down. Skull flicked his hand open and made a motion for Tommy to come closer to him, which he did with only a slight hesitation. He wasn't wearing his suit, but Skull had been the only person so far from the other dimension who hadn't looked at him and gone fully rigid, so he had a good sporting chance of not being injured here. When he was only a

step or two from walking directly into Skull, the man offered up his open palm, harmless and dangerous at the same time, and Tommy blinked, unsure and afraid, before deciding it was better to get everything that was going to happen one way or another out of the way. He lifted up his own hand and laid it flat in Skull's. There was dirt under his pointer finger and he only had a single twitch of a moment to be embarrassed before the much bigger fingers circled his wrist and wound around his knuckles, brought his hand upwards, as if he was little more than an infant fresh from a tub, or a sun warmed kitten.  Tommy felt a coil behind his belly bunch up all of his nerves at once when Skull's fingers slotted between his own in a possessive kind of way that sparked familiar-unfamiliar thoughts--those all fading away when the man kept their palms together and brought his head down, breathing out like a gust of a train through a mountain pass, and inhaling at Tommy's wrist. Nose tip to his skin raising all the goosebumps Tommy thought he even had. He's pretty sure his ponytail sparked at the end when he jerked a little back. Which swiftly brought him to absolute internal humiliation that showed across his face like a goddamn Muppet. Just because he'd seen that Skull let the Coinless drink his blood right from his finger and they all ate it in bread and stuff after he'd let a tube from his arm pour into the batter of whatever he made them, didn't necessarily mean the man would bite him. ...He hoped. Then, as if that hadn't been the weirdest thing, Skull lifted his head to grin at him, but didn't let go of his hand as the man addressed Rocky, Aisha, and all the other adults--and Tommy was too confused to ask him to let go, so... there was that, "He doesn't smell like he's rotting from the inside; like he needs to be wearing five layers of Axe Body Spray. And he isn't getting all put-upon and squirrely with me holding onto him. And, if you'll humor me a moment?" He was looking at Tommy directly at the last bit, but didn't let the teen answer before he found himself being wrapped in arms that had way more muscle than Skull had any right to have in any universe holy hell--and Tommy was suddenly in a bear hug, feet off the ground and spun around twice as much as he had ever been even at five years old; three times around and around, before he was planted on the couch like a sack of flour right next to Kim (his Kim, who looked utterly stunned and far too amused). The giggle that left his mouth when he smiled at her smiling at him should not have come into existence, and if he hadn't been red before, he was practically blazing as he brought his hands up to cover his mouth.  Skull's hand patted him on the head as he ducked his head as much as possible at the sounds of snickering and the other adults choking on their own reactions. He definitely felt like a kitten. "See? Totally harmless to us. Now let them take us to the Juice Bar and feed us; I'm hungry and Ernie's alive here to make me that banana-marshmallow smoothie I haven't had in over a decade." * "I...played the right politics." It would have been so fucking nice if Billy would stop asking Skull questions about the past and present the Coinless had to live through. He didn't mean to make the adults with faces he knew and worried over angry or tired, but Adam was getting very, very annoyed with how he always seemed to find the core root of things that made Skull look... All the emotion left Skull's face at that word, every single time. Politics, like a euphemism for something else entirely.  (And it was.) Adam remembered, because he was there when Zack and Trini, Aisha and Bulk, Rocky and the others weren't; inside the fortress Drakkon ran and imbibed in terrorizing whenever he got especially bored. The monster loved to play games with his sentries, with his prisoners, but rarely with his staff, because it took time and effort to train up new ones. But the sentries were his favorite, because they had to prove their loyalty each and every day. Some in

little ways, some in big ways. And Drakkon remembered Skull. Zack and Trini hoped he wouldn't, and Skull, when he was giving help and clues and time that he could to them, made it seem as if he never even crossed Drakkon's mind from being a punk that wore a spiked collar back in high school to becoming one of the higher-functioning members of the red sentries. Oh, being a spy made him so good at pretending nothing was wrong, how to be cool under pressure, how to avoid danger on all sides with one way out or none at all; how to think ahead, think like his opponent, pull facts and plans out of instinct and thin air (because what other choice was there, after all). That was why he was the best; probably why, too, he was revived from death by the universe and multiverse reshaping itself with the Grid's renewal. Politics translated so well to Games in Drakkon's palace. (It was amazing how often the horrible bastard made the sentries fight or fuck each other in his presence; the threat of his being displeased getting them through most of the time, and out the door when he was finished with himself to go vomit or find a shower or smoke so many cigarettes. As far as Adam knew, Skull was one of the very rare few who were made to fight or pleasure Drakkon himself. Skull and Adam and one yellow sentry that died before Kim returned to their world. If Kim was ever made to do as they were, she didn't tell or didn't remember, and Adam was thankful for that. And thankful for Skull. When he fought other sentries, he injured with care to avoid it being permanent or knocked out the other in a show of force that Drakkon appreciated that didn't lead to brain damage but made a good show. When he was made to fuck the others, he carried necessary aids to protect them from hating themselves or leaving much of a trace behind--condoms made from animal skin by Finster-5 he bribed out of the little freak; lubricant so there wouldn't be blood or bruising; an aptitude for pleasing other people as thoroughly and as quickly as he could while being on top and leading them through it with hands calloused but still soft. When he had to use his mouth on Drakkon or submit to the tyrant--often in front of others and while being degraded with his real name being used like words from a djinn or an immortal snake--he did so efficiently and made it seem as though he wasn't being forced at all.  Adam hated Drakkon more than anyone those times he had to be there and watched Skull pull his armor back on and resume his place in line among the other sentries like nothing had happened. He hadn't known him before the world came crashing down, but before he'd traded his loyalty for the hope that his family might survive--what a stupid hope that had been--he'd heard that the man had cried over Billy Cranston's gave for a week after his death and been good.) But this small, wide-eyed Billy Crantson, alive and well and looking at Skull with so much awe and respect that Adam could spot it from a mile away if he was goddamn blind, didn't need to hear that. Did not need the thought in his head like a rotting wound festering with so many white little maggots. So Adam continued sipping his coffee (pumpkin spice; which was so fucking good after years of straight, bitter instant black) and remained in his usual place beside Skull in the daytime, watching him go through the motions in this time out of joint from their own. Gladder still to be in the Juice Bar, watching the teens enjoy themselves, play at their video games, ramble on about tests they had to take in school; watch the Coinless eat their food and drink their smoothies, enjoy watching their young reflections practice gymnastics or martial arts. When Billy excused himself to talk to the Stone Canyon Trio about some notes they'd asked for from Ms. Appleby's class, eyes still sparkling with information given and listening to Skull like he would have listened to him even if he knew everything out of his mouth could have been a lie; nobody saw Adam wrap an arm around Skull's waist and squeeze

him from the side. It was just as well.