#let's install a rabbit instead

[ask-the-virtual-council]

Things I've done during the Coronation:

Written 5 paragraphs of the fanfic in which Springtrap murders this man's mother and takes over the monarchy(and does a better job than any of them ever will)

Laughed maniacally at every moment I thought they looked a bit silly

Explained to my mother why it's not really weird that Camilla is still allowed to be Queen Consort(even though I disapprove)

Re-read Frightfully Intriguing by @glitchysquidd

Listened to NateWantsToBattle

I'd say it's been a success!

[pruesgaultier]

a declaration of feelings

desc: singer agatha x actress rio. rio is away filming a movie and agatha writes a song (it’s totally not a love song.)

song used: forever, in this moment.

a/n: welcome to the first installment of my agathario song fic series where I write one shots based on songs from my agathario playlist ! i won't be taking reqs bc i get busy with work and i don't want the pressure of trying to give myself deadlines or trying to feel for songs I don't know, maybe in the future. for now, this is just low stakes fun.

Agatha Harkness sighed as she sat in her home studio surrounded by papers, sheet music and half-written verses alike. She had already tried her usual methods of focusing which included but were not limited to brain-dumping on a white board, petting Senor Scratchy like a Bond villain, writing bad lyrics to good music and good lyrics to bad music, but her mind was too preoccupied. Instead of writing a new song for her band Coven of Chaos’s new album, all she could think of was her girlfriend. Almost 3 years ago, Rio Vidal swept into Agatha’s life like a hurricane and she hated it. 

Well, not really. She hated how Rio not only made her feel other emotions, but she made her want to show them. It wasn’t a super drastic change, but she was much nicer than she used to be…sometimes and she smiled more, a lot more. Rio made her smile, made her laugh, and more often than not, made her think about settling down. 

To put it simply, Agatha Harkness was in love and she hated it, except she really didn’t.

(She just hated that none of this helped her write this fucking song.)

── ⟢ ・⸝⸝

After deciding to take yet another break, the singer went to make herself something to eat, she couldn’t cook as well as Rio, but she could make something decent enough. As she moved throughout the kitchen, she found herself mindlessly humming some of the lyrics she had written earlier. 

“My heart’s gone. She no longer lies by my side. She left at dawn and once again I lie alone.” The singer sang quietly to herself. Three weeks ago, Rio left to go to London and even though Agatha spoke to her in every spare moment of their free time, it just wasn’t the same. She missed Rio’s cooking, god did she miss her cooking, but she also missed just being with Rio. No work, fans, or press – just them in their bubble, forever. 

“It’s been three weeks. Your voice is all I have. Awaiting my love’s return.” Agatha continued singing, putting more of the song together. At this point, it felt like the lyrics were pouring out of her and she stopped in her tracks. “Scratchy, I think I finally figured this song out and of course it’s about Rio.” she said, turning to the rabbit with glee. Her food forgotten, she ran back to her home studio, Senor Scratchy hopping behind her. 

── ⟢ ・⸝⸝

“You wrote a love song?” her band members exclaimed in unison. Alice Wu-Gulliver, Jennifer Kale, and Billy (just Billy. He didn’t like to use his last name, either one of them because he didn’t want to make his parents, all 4 of them, feel bad.) Agatha resisted the urge to blush. It wasn’t a love song per se, it was more of an expression of her feelings for Rio in song form, but NOT a love song. “It’s not a love song, it’s more of a declaration. I don’t do love songs.” Agatha denied. “The same way how you didn’t do relationships before Rio?” Jen shot back. Agatha let out an exasperated sigh “Look, is it good or not?” she asked. “It’s amazing and I have the perfect music for it.” Alice said, excitedly turning toward her laptop. “This might be one of your best yet.” That did cause Agatha to blush. She’d written one of her best songs and it was about her girlfriend. 

(But it still wasn’t a love song !)

── ⟢ ・⸝⸝

“I’m sorry I won’t be there to hear it live, my love.” Rio’s voice came through Agatha’s headphones as she sat in hair and makeup. Tonight, Coven of Chaos were performing Forever – Agatha’s not love song – for the first time. Rio was usually always there during the first live performance, but work kept her away this time.”

“It’s fine. Besides, you’ll be home soon and that’s more important.” Agatha replied, more than understanding about Rio’s absence. “Somebody misses me.” Rio teased, just to see Agatha’s face turn red but honestly she was in the same boat. “Well if these flowers are any sign, I’d say you miss me too.” Agatha gestured to the line of flowers that were delivered to her dressing room, all from Rio. “You bring out the romantic in me.” Rio replied. 

Before Agatha could respond, the door burst open and her manager walked in. “Agatha, it's 5 minutes until showtime, you’re already performing a love song about her, your phone call can wait.” Lilia Calderu, said frantically. 

“It’s not a love song, it's –” “A declaration of feelings.” Lilia, the hairstylist, the makeup artists, and even Rio replied in unison. Agatha scoffed to cover up her flustered state. “You’re a traitor, Vidal.” Rio rolled her eyes affectionately. “Yeah, yeah. I love you too baby. Good luck.” The singer softened “I love you more, my love.” she told her before hanging up.

“I love you too Lilia.” Lilia murmured mockingly. Icy blue eyes glared at her but the older woman ignored her, she was used to Agatha and her moodiness. “Let’s go lover girl. You have to perform your love song for your fans.” 

(Okay, so being in love does wonders for Agatha and she might have written a love song.)

── ⟢ ・⸝⸝

The next day, Agatha was in her home studio on live. She doesn’t go live often, but she really wanted to interact and talk with her fans after their support of Forever. She was telling them about her very chaotic time writing the song when a voice sounded behind her. 

“You know if this were a horror movie, you’d be the perfect target.” Rio said, leaning against the wall. Agatha turned around, startled. “Jesus Christ! Rio, what the hell is wrong with you?” The actress smirked, waiting for Agatha’s brain to catch up. “Oh my god, you’re home.” Agatha jumped up making her way over to her girlfriend. “Surprise, m’lady.” Rio held out a flower which Agatha grabbed before kissing her passionately. Rio’s arms instantly went to the taller woman’s waist, pulling her closer. 

When they pulled away for air, Rio glanced at the phone, remembering that they technically weren’t alone. “Baby, the phone.” Rio pointed out when Agatha tried to kiss her again. “Right. Them.” the blue-eyed brunette turned her attention back to the phone where her fans were freaking out. 

“Well that was a lovely surprise.” Agatha said, setting the flower down next to her book. Rio came and sat on Agatha’s lap, the latter wrapping her arms around Rio’s waist. “What were you talking about anyway?” the shorter woman asked. “I was telling them how I wrote Forever.” that made Rio smile. “You mean the song you wrote for me that’s definitely a love song but you refuse to call it one?” Rio asked, raising an eyebrow.

(Agatha hated how attractive she looked when she did that.)

That made Agatha scoff. “Who says I wrote it about you? It could’ve been about Senor Scratchy.” she retorted. Rio laughed loudly before replying. “Scratchy wishes he could inspire such greatness.” she said cockily. “Just admit, you wrote me a love song. It’s really good, but I expected nothing less.”

“Of course it’s good, I wrote it.” Agatha remarked. “She’s so humble.” Rio muttered causing Agatha to pinch her side. “I don’t write love songs, they’re so cliche. The song is a declaration that you and I will be together forever.” Agatha declared. “So it’s a proposal?” Rio asked. “No, that’s also cliche. When I propose, it’ll be a proper one, down on a knee and everything.” 

Blue eyes met brown, “When you propose?” Rio whispered, as if she never considered it. “Sweetheart, I wrote you a love song and performed it on live television, of course I’m going to marry you one day.” Agatha stated as if it was the most obvious reveal. The singer was confused when Rio laughed suddenly. “You called it a love song.” she said, a huge smile on her face. “No I didn’t.” Agatha denied. “Yes you did.” Rio argued. “I know one of you recorded her saying that.” she said addressing the fans, who were going crazy over this whole interaction. 

“It’s already trending on twitter.” Rio laughed reading a comment. Agatha groaned dramatically. “Why do I put up with you? Any of you, you’re supposed to be on my side.” she pouted. “Because you love me and them and you write songs about me that they love.” Rio smiled happily. “Yeah, yeah. Well, this has been fun, but now I’m going to have hot, sweaty fun with my surprise, bye guys!” Agatha announced, ending the live. “You’re shameless.” Rio chuckled, shaking her head amused. “And you love me.” Agatha said matter of factly. “I do, very much.” Rio turned to straddle the woman beneath her. “Now, I believe you said something about hot sweaty fun?” she inquired before pulling Agatha into a passionate kiss.

Okay, so Agatha doesn’t hate being in love and maybe she did write a love song like a cliche popstar, but she couldn’t bring herself to care when the woman she loved more than anyone in the world kissed her like that. 

[nephilimeq]

A Little Bit More

@bucktommyfluffebruary

A03: https://archiveofourown.org/works/62721625/chapters/161031922

Tommy Kinard stared at the new item he had bought…and felt a flicker of nerves.

But what if Evan didn’t like it?

He stepped back from it and stared even harder, trying to figure out if it was too much, and if he had spent too much money on it. Hell, he knew for a fact that his boyfriend would be pissed if he knew just how much he had spent on it.

…but still.

Teeling himself that it didn’t matter, so long as he got to see him smile, Tommy turned away from the new stove and burners and instead grabbed the broom to clean up the leftover dust and dirt from where the men had installed it for him. He had wanted to install it himself—but then after reading far too many horror stories online of ‘installations gone wrong’ and ending up down a reddit rabbit hole of nightmare fuel, he had decided to let the experts do it, instead.

“No broken fingers or missing limbs for me,” he muttered to himself as he finished cleaning up. Evan wasn’t supposed to be home for another hour, so he had some time to really put together a proper greeting for him. He wanted the unveiling to be a surprise (of course) but he didn’t want it to be completely out of left field.

He had shot him off a text about an hour and a half before saying, hey, wanna cook something new tonight? maybe that chicken piccata you’ve been wanting to try? we have all the ingredients…

Evan had answered him a couple minutes later, mmm, sounds good. be at yours right after shift ;)

Sometimes the airman felt a bit insecure about the fact that Evan cooked far more often than he did—but to be fair, between the two of them Evan was the better cook, and he also loved to cook, so it worked out rather well for them. Still, on occasion he wondered if he should take the initiative and cook more. He enjoyed making Evan smile, and it was obvious to everyone who knew his boyfriend that the way to the man’s heart was definitely through his stomach.

Which was why he had piked out this particular gift for him—it was perfect. If anyone could appreciate it, it would be him.

Tommy was still nervous.

He kept himself occupied as best he could for the next hour, trying to keep his mind and hands busy, constantly reassuring himself that he had made the right decision and that Evan would love this gift. He would love it. He would love it.

Tommy stopped in the middle of dusting a random bookshelf.

…but would he?

But before he could stress any longer, he heard the front door opening and moved to greet his boyfriend, pressing a kiss to his cheek as he said, “Missed you, babe. Long shift?” and Evan shook his head and said, “No, not really. We had a few calls, but nothing crazy. Now, you want me to get started on that chicken piccata?” he asked, trying to move past him into the kitchen…but Tommy stopped him by moving in front of him, using his wide bulk to his advantage, saying, “Hey, uh…why not go upstairs and take a shower? Change your clothes and get comfy first?”

Evan immediately shot him a look, his eyebrow shooting up towards his hairline as he gave him a once over and commented, “Okay, you’re acting weird. Soo…what’s in the kitchen and why don’t you want me to see it?” he astutely asked.

Tommy froze.

“Uh…I, uh…I have a surprise for you,” he managed to say and was proud that he didn’t stutter and got it out. “It’s in the kitchen, and it’s sort of a big deal…but also not a big deal, because I was planning on getting it anyway, and so…yeah.”

As he spoke, he backed into the kitchen and showed his boyfriend the new stove with the awkward pink bow that he had tied resting on top of it.

“..ta da!” the airman said, feeling slightly ridiculous as he gave the most pathetic excuse for jazz hands in his life, praying that Evan would like it…but the silence stretched on longer than he was expecting, and his stomach dropped. Oh god. He didn’t like it.

“Is…Is this a Kucht 30-inch gas range?” Evan asked, taking a slow step towards it, and Tommy nodded, still holding his breath. “This is…my god, this is expensive! How-how-how the hell did you afford this?” His boyfriend swiveled his head back over to him. “This sucker is, like, almost three thousand dollars! How did you buy this? Oh, please…please don’t tell me that this was just for me, Tommy, because I don’t want you wasting all your money on something only to not really like and regret it later—I just—”

He cut him off with a kiss.

Evan made a confused noise against his lips…and then as they pulled back, he said, “Wait…were you just trying to shut me up or…?”

“Evan. Do you like it?”

He nodded.

“Yeah, I-I love it, Tommy! But—”

“No! No buts,” he interrupted him a second time, drawing him into his arms until his back was pressed up against Tommy’s front, forcing him to stare at the newly installed stovetop. “Now, since you seem to have the memory of a goldfish, I did say before I showed this to you that I was planning on getting it anyway, soo…want to be the first person to use it?”

At that, Evan’s eyes lit up, making Tommy’s stomach flip in the best way, and he nodded and said, “Oh, hell yeah! Chicken piccata on this? Oh, you’re in for a treat, babe,” and turned in his arms and pressed a kiss to his cheek before slipping out of his grasp and heading straight for the fridge to pull out all of the necessary ingredients, and he smiled at his enthusiasm—and then he laughed when Evan was suddenly ushering him out of the kitchen with two hands on his lower back, saying, “I love you, but I need you out of my kitchen for the next hour…”

“Your kitchen…?”

“Yep.”

Evan pressed a quick kiss to his temple and then shouted at him as he went back to cooking, “Next hour, babe!” and the airman chuckled under his breath and decided to head upstairs and clean himself up before dinner.

He would have forced Evan to do the same before cooking, but he knew that he would at least wash his hands—which was all the was really needed—and he also knew that once his boyfriend had his mind set on something, there was no changing it. Tommy showered and changed, keeping an ear out for anything downstairs…and then smiled when he heard that Evan had put on one his cooking playlists, a series of French pop songs that always put him in a good mood.

Feeling a wave of emotion wash over him, the airman stopped before heading down and simply sat on the top step of the stairs and listened to the sounds of his boyfriend cooking and singing under his breath in French, the mouthwatering scent of the food cooking wafting up to him…

…and that was when he realized that he would be having this all the time, and not just once or twice a week.

Pretty soon Evan would be moved in, and he would be cooking for him…and Tommy would be cooking for him, and he would have the life that he thought he could only dream of.

His heart clenched and he felt a few tears sneak their way out of the corner of his eyes, and he quickly wiped them off as he heard one of their favorite songs begin to play and he heard Evan try and sing along with parts of it, only coming in as the chorus hit—which was all the motivation he needed to stand and head down to join him in the kitchen…where he saw him bobbing his head along with the beat as he cooked on two burners at the same time on the new stove, a dish towel thrown over his shoulder, the steam from the pans in front of him, making his hair curl even more than before, one rogue curl resting just over his birthmark, highlighting it in the soft light of the kitchen.

God, he was fucking beautiful.

Smiling, he stepped up to him and curled an arm around his waist from behind and said into his ear, “God, you look gorgeous like this,” and Evan chuckled and said, “What? Sweaty and still disgusting from my shift at work?” and Tommy shook his head and nuzzled his nose into the back of his neck.

“No…looking gorgeous because you’re happy,” he whispered…and his boyfriend shivered in his grasp.

“Oh…”

Proud that he had rendered him speechless (which was no easy feat, he knew), he smiled and pressed a kiss just below his ear and added, “I can’t wait to see you like this almost every day. In our home,” he emphasized, noting the way Evan leaned back into his touch, head practically resting on his shoulder.

“Yeah, well…I can’t wait until then, either,” he said, turning his head slightly, just enough so that they could press their lips together softly in a sweet, close mouthed kiss.

They stayed like that for a moment—and then his boyfriend pulled away and said, “But right now I’ve got to keep this from burning, so lemme get back to this, okay, babe?”

Tommy nodded and slipped his arm from around his waist and moved to the other side of the kitchen island, deciding to simply watch him cook. As much as Evan claimed that being a firefighter is the only thing he could ever think of being, whenever he watched him in the kitchen, he knew that his boyfriend would make one hell of a chef. God, he was so good at it—and he was humble, too, and didn’t get upset when a recipe didn’t turn out the way that he wanted it to.

The music continued to play in the background and Tommy continued to admire the way Evan moved around his kitchen—their kitchen, he mentally corrected himself. Just because Evan hadn’t officially changed his address, yet, didn’t mean that he didn’t live there.

“Okay, looks like we’re just about ready,” his boyfriend said, and the airman arched an eyebrow at him.

“We? Who’s we? This was all you, babe.”

He gestured to the food that was already simmering and looking done, and Evan chuckled and wiped his hands on the dishtowel and said, “Yeah, well, you’re the one who bought the tool. Which, by the way, I wanted to ask…how long have you been planning on this setup?”

Tommy ducked his eyes and reluctantly admitted, “For almost a year, actually. A little bit before you and I met, I was thinking about getting a new range—and then we met, and I started taking my research more seriously. Before, I was gonna get just any old thing, but then I saw how passionate you and Bobby were about cooking, so I decided to take my time and make sure it was something that was good and would last for a long time.”

Evan gave him one of those soft, slow smiles of his that made him feel special every time he saw them…

…and then he said, “You picked a good one.”

Tommy smiled right back at him.

“Yeah, I think so.”

He knew full well that they were no longer talking about the cooking range, the two of them with their eyes locked on each other…and then steam started to spill out of the edge of one of the pans and Evan tore his eyes away, and Tommy smirked as he scrambled to save the food.

The food survived and a few minutes later they were sitting on the couch, each with a plate of chicken piccata and freshly cooked vegetables on the side, having popped on a nature documentary that they were both enjoying and wanted to finish. The narrator spoke in the background about arctic terns as Tommy stared at his boyfriend’s face in profile, marveling at how damn lucky he’d gotten, barely even tasting the amazing dinner his boyfriend had made.

After a moment, however, Evan suddenly said, “You’re staring at me,” and he nodded, unashamed.

“Yeah, I am.”

He didn’t turn his head, but he did mutter under his breath, “God, you’re such a weirdo,” and he smirked and said, “Damn right. I’m your weirdo,” and he nudged his leg against his, and was thrilled when he was able to get Evan to smile that toothy smile that made his eyes crinkle up in the corners.

Feeling slightly insecure, still, Tommy carefully asked, “So…you really like the stove?” and his boyfriend nodded.

“I really do, babe.”

Once more settled, he nodded and turned his attention back to the show, where he heard the narrator say, “And after almost a year apart…they’re together again,” and he couldn’t help but think about even though he and Evan had only been apart for about four months, it might have been a year as far as he was concerned. He had never been happier that were together, and now he had to make plans to make it even more permanent.

He grinned.

[edwardcaprifolium]

Having just watched Malybadasshero's Death Mark 2 let's plays, I have decided to compile all of his Spirit Hunter let's plays, as well as the official Death Mark audio dramas with Eng subs, in one gigantic playlist sorted in canon chronological order.

Here's the list (please, do tell me if I missed something):

1-5: "Death Mark - Chapter 0" (prequel audio drama)

6-21: Death Mark - Manlybadasshero let's play (1st installment of the Spirit Hunter series, set in the 90's)

22-27: "Everyday Life in Kujou Mansion" ("sequel" audio drama)

28-52: "Blue Demise" (audio drama, set in an alternate timeline)

53: "The Seven Mysteries of Kujou Mansion" (audio drama, set in another alternate timeline)

54-60: Death Mark 2 - Manlybadasshero let's play (3rd installment of the Spirit Hunter series, set 4 months after the events of Death Mark)

61: Death Mark 2 extra chapter fan translation (no official English release)

62-79: Spirit Hunter: NG - Manlybadasshero let's play (2nd installment of the Spirit Hunter series, set in 1999, about 5 years after Death Mark)

80: "The Black Demon's End" (audio drama, expands on NG's bad end)

81-82: Interview of the voice actors

If you're a nostalgic fan looking for chronologically organized lore, there you go. Otherwise, I wouldn't recommend getting into this series with the prequel audio drama. Instead, start with the 1st game to avoid spoilers.

And here is a playlist of the games' ost (+ a mashup of Hazuki & Amanome singing Wander Rabbit) - for who wouldn't like to study to the sound of their favorite horror game?

[dbgdbw]

331.As For The Third,

셋째는

A large, pink stuffed rabbit with soft, curly fur lay nestled in Han Yoojin’s arms. Beside him, a sky-blue pony plushie, mane long and flowing, lay propped against Han Yoohyun. Squeezed between the two people was a fairly sizable spotted dog, as well.

Bak Yerim pushed her phone forward, angling it towards the two that were half-buried beneath the dolls. Taking great care to change the perspective this way and that, flipping through various filters, she went on to snap several pictures. But even as the sound of the shutter rang out(1), neither of the two showed any signs of waking.

“Chirpie-yah, go sit on top of Han Yoohyun’s head, would you.”

- 삐약.

“No–I didn’t mean ahjussi.” 

Chirpie, who had plopped down on top of Han Yoojin’s head, gently fluttered down to land on the remote control. Expertly manipulating its tiny feet, it stomped down on the power button with what appeared to be practiced ease. But as it began to flip through the channels, it was interrupted by Bak Yerim snatching the remote away, before promptly turning the TV back off. 삑, Chirpie let out a reproachful sound, turning to squint up at Bak Yerim.

“Nuh-uh. Ahjussi’s been telling you to reduce your TV screen time, hasn’t he.”

- 삐약!

“Go play with Velare instead, with your toys.”

- 삐약삐약!

The baby chick, who had been attempting to stage a protest, gave up and flew away. Peace was still quietly curled up at Han Yoojin’s feet, as he had been all this time. Bak Yerim, after spending a while simply looking at the two brothers laying next to each other in silence, got up at length and headed towards her personal bathroom. Atop of the sink adjacent to the shower room(2), a few cosmetic items–pristine, having only been taken out of their outer packaging–lay untouched. They had been from a batch of gifts that had been sent to her, likely in the hopes of generating PR, that she had elected to keep because the cases had appealed to her. 

Collecting two of the lipsticks, Bak Yerim picked up a few doll hair accessories and hair ties as well.

“I’d wanted to try something like this once~”

After the Dungeons had appeared, school field trips had become a relic of the past. After all–if a Dungeon Break were to occur while the children were off grounds, it would be difficult to be able to guarantee their safety, it was reasoned.(3) And though the climate had vastly improved as of late, there were many who still balked at the prospect of sending their children to commute to school at all, even under close supervision. Countless hakwons(4) had been forced to shutter their doors one after the other, lacking students to populate them. Though there were a few who had managed to emerge more successful than ever, too; through the installation of emergency shelters and the hiring on of low-ranked Hunters, by advertising ‘greater safety than leaving them on their lonesome at home.’

Bak Yerim gently floated up in the air, and headed back towards the living room. The brothers were still fast asleep, completely dead to the world around them. Their expressions held a great familiarity. Initially, it had been remarked upon that the two hardly seemed to resemble each other. There were a few inherited characteristics here and there that were pointed out as a reason blood doesn’t lie, but the atmosphere they exuded were too different.

A dispassionate S-rank Hunter of unmatched strength, who stood out above all others despite his young age, and the seemingly troubled, anxiety-ridden un-Awakened who brimmed over with malaise. When, on occasion, these two would happen to appear juxtaposed in the news cycles or on broadcasts, the general consensus was so even if you come from the same family, being an S-rank made you different, after all. 

But, nowadays–it was said more often, that the two resembled one another. Han Yoojin had found security, and Han Yoohyun had softened around the edges. The similar expression they donned as they smiled seemed truly reflective of brothers, after all.

So then, what about me. Unconsciously, Bak Yerim squished her own cheeks together with the palm of her hands. It was said that, once you lived together long enough, familiar traits would rub off on each other–even if you had begun as a complete ‘outsider’. She thought back to the Chuseok broadcast that had aired. Had she borne similarities to them, there? There had been a multitude of comments left that said they had resembled a family. That they ‘looked good together,’ that they ‘seemed to blend together seamlessly.’

Lightly shrugging her shoulders, Bak Yerim summoned a small droplet of water at the tip of her finger. Made to follow the movements of her extended finger, 휙, the water droplet swished through the air to splash against the side of Han Yoohyun’s face. Normally, even if he had been asleep, he would have woken to dismiss the drop of water before it could even reach his cheek; but right now, there hadn’t been so much as a twitch in response.

“Right, then–no chance of reprisal this time, eh.”

A bright grin on her face, Bak Yerim placed a frilly hairpin–layered with multiple ribbons, held together by a red cubic gem in the center–on lightly curled dark locks. Slanting it slightly to the right, she regarded her handiwork with a satisfied smile. 

All she had done was pin a hair clip on a sleeping person’s head. But that very person in question was Han Yoohyun. The only ones capable of placing a ribbon in his hair unscathed was either herself, or Ahjussi. That in itself was a great point of pride.

“Will he throw a hissy fit when he’s up, I wonder?”

Maybe she should prepare a reservoir of water in advance, just in case. He’d definitely detest it. But that would be it. The hair pin might go up in flames, but Bak Yerim would remain unharmed. Even if she were to play mischief like so, it wouldn’t result in their falling out, or going their separate ways. There wasn’t any pressure to walk on eggshells(5). Most likely, they would sit at the sofa and watch TV while eating dinner, as though nothing had happened. 

This time, taking off the cap to the lipstick, Bak Yerim set her sights on Han Yoojin. The base amount of affection she held for Han Yoojin greatly eclipsed the regard she held for Han Yoohyun, of course. It was to the point where there was hardly a reason to draw comparison. As much affection she had received, she returned in all in kind.

Only–within her relationship with Han Yoojin, there lurked an inevitable note of uncertainty. A love that had abruptly fallen into her lap from the skies one day, out of the blue. Because you’re an S-rank Awakened; such an explanation was hardly sufficient. Not to mention, Han Yoojin found himself constantly surrounded by exceptional individuals. Han Yoojin’s affections for Bak Yerim were unquestionable, true–but it hardly served as proof that he considered Bak Yerim to be an irreplaceable entity in his life.

And what had appeared so suddenly, might disappear as unceremoniously as well.

The one who had been able to put to rest that anxiety she had so resolutely tried to push away, had been none other than Han Yoohyun. 

Han Yoohyun had disliked Bak Yerim. Since his Hyung held affection for her. And yet, Han Yoohyun had accepted Bak Yerim. Because she held affection his Hyung. Han Yoohyun had come acknowledge Bak Yerim. As she had proved herself to hold the ability to protect his Hyung.

It may have been a relationship wrought entirely with Han Yoojin as its core, but such a thing only instilled in Bak Yerim a greater measure of security and comfort. Han Yoohyun, who had devoted his entire being to Han Yoojin, was scrupulous about everything relating to him as a result. And someone who was so punctilious as he was, had permitted Bak Yerim to stand by his Hyung’s side.

“Would this color be a better choice?”

Bak Yerim carefully considered the lipstick colors in turn. Even if it was simply for a prank, she wanted to choose the color that suited him best while she was at it, after all.

Han Yoohyun would most definitely fixate on his Hyung’s lips before he would even notice the clip in his own hair, besides. And he might gripe about it, but he wouldn’t push Bak Yerim away as a result of it. Since his trust in her was great enough that he would entrust not only Han Yoojin’s safety to her, but his own as well.

As for Bak Yerim, when it came to Han Yoohyun–she, too. She would be able to say as much, without any hesitation. That they were comrades who held the greatest amount of faith in the other. Including Peace, the three of them held the same objective, and so moved with their hearts as one. 

To protect Han Yoojin; to preserve the life they shared together at present. If Han Yoojin were at stake, if it were in order to keep him safe, all three of them would readily leave the other two behind without a single glance back, if necessary. And thus, they three were compatriots united in that aspect. 

With a solidarity that surpassed even that of biological family, Bak Yerim was able to find peace. She knew very well that no one would ever come between the brothers, or to hold precedence above the other to them. On occasion, she would even wonder if it was alright for her to intrude in their space the way she had done, so entwined were they with each other.

But Bak Yerim’s place, her position, was assured–and her world was rapidly widening further. Because there was a steadfast home to which she could return, she was able to venture out without fear. Part of the reason she had been so keen to go on the trip to Japan, without a host of worries holding her back, was because she’d had that sense of security reassuring her.

“I think it turned out well! Don’t you think, Peace-yah.”

Peace, peering up at Han Yoojin’s face with a questioning air, cocked his head to the side. After a brief deliberation, Bak Yerim left and returned with a bottle of nail polish, once more. Uncurling Han Yoojin’s right hand, using a translucent pastel pink that held a slight pearlescent sheen, she painted his nails with great care and concentration. 

Having proceeded to paint a set of Han Yoohyun’s nails as well, she looked at the hands laying side-by-side; and then, she painted the nails on one of her hands as well.

“Peace, d’you want your nails painted too? Here, put your paw up here.”

Peace, after a slight moment of hesitation, held out one of his front paws. A brush settled on one of the curved claws that extended outwards. She momentarily considered whether it was something that was alright to use on an animal–but well, since he was an S-rank monster with a far greater constitution than any human, it didn’t seem like it would harm him.

“It’s the same color as Ahjussi’s.”

- 크흥.

“Then–now, for the most important part.”

The marker-ing(6). Fighting to push down the instinctive tug of the corners her lips, Bak Yerim solemnly uncapped the lid of the thick felt-tip marker.

“What should I write for him. For starters, it should be ‘Hyungcon’ on his forehead. No, wait, he might like that too much.”

He might even go strolling around with it proudly displayed, actually. There was a fairly good chance of that happening, when it came to Han Yoohyun. Then, what should she write instead. What was something that might piss off Han Yoohyun. As she was contemplating, suddenly.

- Chirp! Bad lizard!

All of a sudden, a blue bird appeared in a flurry of angry squawking. And immediately after, Irin materialized on top of Han Yoojin’s shoulder and began to shout back.

- Go away!

- Chirp! Ch–irp!

Flapping furiously, Eunhae dive-bombed at the crimson lizard and bit down hard on his tail. Whipping his body around, Irin attempted to snap back at Eunhae, lunging at the other. In a tangle of limbs, the two tumbled down onto Han Yoojin’s lap.

“...and what’re the two of you doing?”

- It started things first!

- Ch–irp! Lizard bad!

“Don’t fight, don’t fight. Why’re these kids suddenly doing this?”

Bak Yerim attempted to calm the two down, despite being out of the loop. After a lengthy period of huffing and puffing, both Eunhae and Irin returned to their respective owners. And then, not long after.

“Hyung!”

Han Yoohyun’s eyes snapped open, and Han Yoojin woke, too. But unlike Han Yoohyun, who hastily pushed himself up, Han Yoojin lost consciousness once again, nearly as soon as he’d roused. Startled, Bak Yerim called out to Han Yoojin.

“Ahjussi? Ahjussi! What’s wrong!”

- 끄우응!

“Go and fetch the emergency kit. ..his lips–lipstick?”

Han Yoohyun spoke, quickly taking stock of Han Yoojin’s condition. Peace fretted from where he was, restless, and Chirpie and Velare drew closer as well. Bak Yerim, who had immediately jumped to retrieve the emergency kit even in her flustered state, began to question him. 

“What’s going on? What happened in there!”

“Overexertion.”

“Huh?”

“Aside from me–some entities stronger than ourselves broke in, and.. Hyung, hyung! Wake up for a bit, you need to disable your poison resistance.”

Opening the emergency kit to take out a syringe filled with an antipyretic shot, Han Yoohyun continued speaking.

“‘He’ mentioned that he might be weakened for about a day or so.”

“A day? Will ahjussi be alright?”

“For the time being. We were instructed to avoid potions or healers, and to admit him to an ordinary hospital for now.” 

Han Yoohyun administered the shot to Han Yoojin. It was a specialized antipyretic, that was formulated with ingredients that would be unaffected by poison resistance; but as a result, it possessed reduced efficacy as well. Bak Yerim, who had been dazedly observing the proceedings, suddenly snapped to attention and whipped out her cellphone.

“An ‘ordinary hospital’–well. But even then, wouldn’t a designated Hunter-use hospital be the better option? I’ll give the Seseung Guild Leader a call.”

“The Seseung Guild Leader?”

Preoccupied though he was with waking Han Yoojin, Han Yoohyun asked skeptically.

“Bak Yerim–you have his contact information?”

“For emergency use. He asked me to reach out, if something bad happened to ahjussi. In any case, Seseung General Hospital would be safe, right.”

I’m calling, then, said Bak Yerim, and pressed the call button. Soon after, the person on the other side of the line picked up.

“Seseung Guild Leader-nim, sir!”

[ What might the matter be, Little Miss. ] 

“What d’you think, sir. Ahjussi needs to be admitted to a hospital! But we’re not allowed to use healers or potions on him.”

After a brief period of silence, a long sigh faintly floated over from the receiver. 

[ I shall appoint a helicopter to serve as transport, so do ready yourselves to meet it from the rooftop garden. The details, I shall gather from the hospital. ]

“Yes sir, thank you kindly, sir. Han Yoohyun, let’s get a move-on!”

Han Yoohyun gathered his hyung into his arms. The fever reducer seemed to have taken effect; Han Yoojin’s eyes sluggishly opened.

“Yoohyun, -ah. Yerimie…….”

“Ahjussi! I’m here, sir!”

“Hyung, your poison resistance!”

“It’s nothing too bad, so don’t fret.”

“I think not worrying will be pretty hard, but I’ll try not to go overboard with it, sir. You’re the one who shouldn’t be fretting, ahjussi.”

Giving a small nod, Han Yoojin turned off his poison resistance and fell unconscious once more. Peace, Chirpie, and Velare all trailed behind as the two exited their home. Bak Yerim scooped up Chirpie and Velare into her arms.

“He wouldn’t actually be in dire straits, would he?”

“...don’t know.”

“What d’you mean you don’t know!”

“There was a Transcendent there I hadn’t met before. I’m not certain whether he can be trusted.”

Han Yoohyun’s expression soured faintly. The ‘Young Chaos.’ It seemed as though Han Yoojin had already come to trust in him a fair bit, but Han Yoohyun had his reservations. Were he in need of aid, he would take it if proffered; but it didn’t mean that he found him trustworthy. Rather, wariness took precedence.

Someone who was capable of snatching Hyung away with nary a moment’s notice. And in addition, Han Yoojin’s decision to forego the offer of safety only served to increase his own sense of guilt, and feelings of aversion towards the Young Chaos.

“...did something weird go and attach itself to ahjussi again?”

“...yeah.”

There wasn’t a need for further discussion. The two breathed a long sigh in unison. Arriving at the rooftop garden, the two waited for the promised helicopter to appear; Han Yoohyun turned to fix Bak Yerim with a faintly reproachful look.

“Bak Yerim, you being in possession of the Seseung Guild Leader's personal number.”

“I told you, it was just for emergency use, for ahjussi’s sake. Since ahjussi gets himself into hot water frequently, and you, Han Yoohyun, aren’t inclined to keep a line of communications open with people you don’t trust. Only official channels. I have Section Chief Song-nim’s, too. And Hyuna unnie’s as well, of course.”

Do you think I’m like you, Han Yoohyun, Bak Yerim said tartly, looking at her phone screen.

“Do I need to show you my contact list?”

“Unnecessary.”

“Honestly, who other than me would have the patience to deal with this obstinate Guild Leader-nim. Bak Yerim, you really are an angel among men.”

“All I need is hyung.”

“Yes sir, of course sir. I think it’s been permanently etched into my eardrums by now. Should I write it across your forehead for you? Frankly, you should just go ahead and get it tattooed. How’s ahjussi’s condition looking?”

“His fever’s gone down somewhat.”

Just then, the helicopter arrived. The crew that disembarked from the helicopter that landed on the rooftop took a look at Han Yoohyun and startled momentarily, taken aback. Upon realizing where their gazes had been drawn to–ah, Bak Yerim quickly shot out a hand to snatch away the hair pin that was clipped onto Han Yoohyun’s hair. Crack, the hair pin crumpled into an unrecognizable shape inside Bak Yerim’s fist. 

“...what was that.”

“Nothing, it’s nothing at all. Just something that was caught in your hair–did you not notice?”

Shooting her a knowing look that said he’d known very well, but had simply elected to ignore it, Han Yoohyun began to walk away. And soon, the helicopter took off into the air.

- - - - - (1) Phone shutter sound law

Travelers who are going to South Korea, Beaware of Illegal cameras on the floor of Loos at “Myeong-dong station”

(2) In Korea the entire bathroom is used for showering

(3) We had a 민방위 drill today.

(4) Seoul schools face closures, mergers as enrollment plummets / Korea's elementary to high school student number to drop below 5 mil. in 2026 / The subway is full of children, today / More than 160 schools have no new students amid record-low birthrate

(5) 눈치 볼 필요도 없다. 

(6) 매직 = ‘magic’ as in ‘magic marker’

yoojin -> yerimie | informal casual

yerimie -> yoojin | informal polite

yerimie ↔ yoohyunie | impolite casual

yerimie -> sung hyunjae | formal polite

sung hyunjae -> yerimie | formal casual

i have a footnote in some ch abt how bak yerim's choice of address for yoojin deliberately has a 'keeping at arm's length' sense of distance built into it because it typically indicates non-family members, reminiscent of how yoojin and shj choose to speak to each other (e.g. like son-in-law with father-in-law, hence the prevalence on age gap/sugar daddy tropes when you read kr hjyj fics). i'll link it if i ever come across it again ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

han yoohyun excerpts

+ (Q&A)

Q) does water have a ‘fate’ that follows with its attribute too? i became curious after reading in the afterword that yerimie had the potential to grow to become akin to ‘pure’ water A) as fire is not a ‘characteristic’ compatible with living beings, initially, there were no corresponding ‘races’(species) that ‘embodied’ it; and even when they had emerged, they were considered exceedingly rare. however, though they don’t present nearly to the extent that it does in ‘fire’, the other attributes have ‘traits’ characteristic of themselves as well. ‘water’, while capable of  being ‘vast(open)’(넓게 퍼지며) and ‘enveloping(enfolding)’ many within its embrace (감싸 안지만), simultaneously ‘crushes(pressurizes)’(내리누르기) as well. and the more powerful the water attribute, the greater the instinct to dominate(subjugate)(지배적인 성향) becomes. in addition, as they accumulate more strength, there are cases where they become agitated when confined to more enclosed spaces. there’s a high likelihood that a more grown bak yerim will look to move towards wider pastures^^

+ (Q&A)

Q) yerimie’s initial-stage optimized Skill, ‘White Corpse’–what aspect or characteristic of yerimie was the Skill a manifestation of? A) it was a combination of bak yerim’s own original attributes and the memories of the past that she clung onto–where her parents were still alive–instead of the present, that gave rise to the mentioned outcome. because the bak yerim who existed pre-regression had already made the decision to stand alone by the time she had Awakened at an older age, she never ended up manifesting a Skill similar to the ‘White Corpse’.

+ (Q&A)

Q) did yerimie want to be a Hunter even before awakening, or did she have a different future occupation in mind? A) most teenagers long to turn out to be an A-rank or higher Awakened^^ when bak yerim discussed Hunter-related matters with her peers, she would make mention of wanting to Awaken so I can become emancipated~. only, as becoming said A-rank or higher Hunter held odds equivalent to winning the lottery, it wasn’t ever a serious ‘future dream job’ in her mind. in bak yerim’s case, she was less concerned with a ‘dream job’, than she was preoccupied with her desire to escape from her living situation at home.

[alias-milamber]

This morning I was taking the dog out on his morning walk up on Rock Edge, a small nature reserve in North Oxford near where the quarry used to be. During the spring and summer it's a place of leaves and dappled sunlight, rabbits and squirrels up on tree-stumps, where a dip through a cleared hawthorn bush takes you into the den where some kids have been playing games over a glorious weekend. In the depths of a British winter, pressed in the gap between two storms like a sunlight sandwich, the dens contain only mud, the tree stumps look out over seas of mud, and mud dapples the leaves and even the sunlight. It is a place annually reclaimed by nature, and then claimed by mud for the cycle to repeat. The squirrels, however, remain.

Rylan has an affinity for squirrels that remains, alas, unshared. As much as he would like to make friends with these scampering creatures with bushy tails, they elude him with the cunning use of trees. Nobody will teach him how to climb trees, and it is a shame for a hound to be so denied friendship. Today's squirrel, however, did not avail themselves of height, but instead opted for depth, and leapt into a nearby large foxhole, after which my dog, his lead, my increasingly distressed shoulder, and it's decreasingly attached owner all followed in rapid succession. My thought process didn't have time to either thought nor process, save for a passing thought of how neat the ring of daisies had formed around whatever hole the animals had found.

Whatever option of depth the squirrel had decided, they had decided well, for remarkable was the depth (and indeed the width) once we'd passed the opening. We fell. The squirrel fell either faster or slower than us, for we didn't see it nearby; but the hole was dark and so it could have been a metre from my nose and I'd still not of noticed. Rylan's nose being keener, I suspect we'd have known that way, but his communication is somewhat limited. I did have my phone, and while signal was lacking, the torch function still worked, and I was eventually able to see that the earthen walls of the hole had dried out, and increasingly there were decorations and even shelves and small cabinets on the walls around us. I couldn't quite reach any of them - probably luckily, as the jolt would possibly have done some serious damage - but I did wonder how they got installed or even dusted. Possibly some abseiling dormouse with a feather duster was booked every third Tuesday. There didn't seem to be a lot of dust around, but I was falling quite fast and details aren't easy at that speed.

After a long time, the tube opened up a bit, and I didn't need my torch as it became quite well lit. A vista of blue and white tile opened up below, and I was quite convinced this was going to be the end for both of us, as parachutes for either man nor canine are part of my daily loadout for a dog walk, but the ground gave way like a trampoline and our fall was slowed, and then we were gently raised up. By the time the floor was flat again it seemed like solid stone, the hole above disappeared into bright light, and a vast field of tiled floor spread around us in all directions.

I let Rylan off the lead - there wasn't anywhere for him to run off to, really - and we walked home from there. I was late to work, but sometimes things like this happen.

(This is another "Down the Rabbit Hole" short story in honour of the birthday of creepy Victorian fantasist Lewis Carroll)

[darkmaga-returns]

Helen Petousis-Harris, the well-known NZ vaccinologist who continues to push the “safe and effective” mantra for the COVID jab, found herself in the middle of a social media storm after posting a tweet about Donald Trump’s historic election victory.

“Can’t belief [sic] USA have normalized authoritarianism and installed a fascist dictator. Watching a train wreck in slomo. I dread the fate of women and children. #handmadestale”

The tweet quickly went viral, attracting a slew of strongly-worded responses accusing her of extreme political bias and questioning her authority as a public health professional.

One of the more scathing replies read, “I can’t believe they give commie nut jobs like you any voice or authority instead of popping you into the nuthouse with the other demon puppets.”

The intensity of the response was echoed across numerous other tweets that criticised Petousis-Harris for allegedly letting personal biases colour her professional stance.

Another commenter wrote, “This is what happens when Trump Derangement Syndrome goes unchecked. People with supposed credibility in medicine start acting like political hacks.”

[icarusthelunarguard]

This Week’s Horrible-Scopes

It’s time for this week’s Horrible-Scopes! So for those of you that know your Astrological Signs, cool! If not, just pick one, roll a D12, or just make it up as you go along. It really doesn’t matter. Better yet! Check out “Heart of the Game, Fredonia” - they can sell you those D12’s with the symbols on them! Get in contact with them on Facebook, shipping to the U.S. only, and tell them “Shujin Tribble” sentcha. “Hail, Hail, Fredonia!” Home of the Blue Devil!

Do you remember what we did back in March for you all? That’s right we reminded you of the New Year’s Resolutions from December. With Santa’s last minute planning about to happen, let’s see if you were Naughty or Nice about these. SPOILERS… we’re not holding our breaths. Instead of Santa visiting, expect a fly-over from Doctor Phineas Waldolf Steel! 

Aries 

You were tasked with watching some old Buster Keaton films and learning how he was the ORIGINAL Jackie Chan for performing stunts. Right now you’re rated 5 out of 10. Yes, you looked up a couple of “Did You Know” videos on YouTube about Buster Keaton, and you watched two. But then you got all pedantic because we misspelled his name originally, taking you down a rabbit hole about how Michael Keaton chose his professional name from Buster and that was the end of that. So This Week… If you’re gunna go all Rabbit Holey at least learn something worthwhile… Like how he had a broken neck from a fall on a train track that he never got looked at. 

Taurus 

We expected big things out of you, and you almost didn’t disappoint us. You were tasked with, QUOTE… “just read a damned book for a change, would you?” Gotta hand it to you, Taurus. You actually remembered to do this. The reason we’re scoring you 6 out of 10 is because you decided to actually read instruction manuals. Yes, you now know things you didn’t know before, like how to properly change the oil and air filter on a 1967 Buick Skylark, but that’s really not that helpful. So This Week… Re-read “The Monster at the End of This Book: Starring Lovable, Furry Old Grover”. It’s got a 4.9 out of 5 on Amazon, you know… because SOMEONE didn’t rate it Five Stars. So now we know where the REAL monster is.

Gemini 

First off, we have to apologize. We told you to find your collection of old games and suggested you play “You Don’t Know Jack” again. Full Marks for finding a way of getting the Win95 installer to run on Windows 10, but we had NO idea that the Multimedia Installer would botch your computer as much as it did. On the bright side, you managed to get everything working again, so Go You! So This Week… We told you to buy the updated version on Steam since it was only about Three Bucks. Think about that as a gift for other people you know. 

Cancer Moon-Child 

You were told to admit that “DVD 3D is a Dead Format”, and boy, we didn’t have to do much pushing for that one. We’re still sorry that you’re continuing to pay off all those old purchases, but hey! It was a learning experience, right? So This Week… Stop looking for people selling NFTs of their BlueSky Invite Codes. They’re either all sold or just selling blank ThumbDrives they bought in bulk for $2 each. Don’t get scammed.  

Leo 

Look, we don’t know if this is a GOOD ‘Scope or a BAD one. You were told to “Keep up the good work, but don’t get caught”, and so far you haven’t been arrested. Normally that’d get you a 10 out of 10, but we’re demoting it to a 5 out of 10 instead. See, there’s a possibility that you got away with it, but it’s ALSO possible you’re just being surveilled in order to catch you AND your suppliers. So This Week… talk to your lawyer about turning yourself in to get a sweet plea deal for testifying against some bigger fish. Who knows, maybe you’ll only get minimum sentencing. Maybe.

Virgo 

You were told to “appreciate 40 Years of Active Duty for a supposedly Failed Format.” You’ve actually done well on this front; 8 out of 10 for you! You’ve learned how to make your own bread by grinding flour and capturing airborne yeast, and that’s quite the accomplishment, even if it sounds kinda disgusting out of context! So This Week… Kick back and take it easy for a while. You’ve earned a week off. OH, and remember - if your loaf of bread has ANY mold growing on it, the mold’s already colonized the whole loaf. Ditch it.  

Libra

Simple and to the point we told you to, “LOSE SOME WEIGHT!” We’re GRUDGINGLY giving you all 10 points on this one, but not because you succeeded. It’s because you played the system and beat us on a technicality. Yes, you DID lose weight - buy giving up your glasses to wear contact lenses does NOT fit the spirit of your task. So This Week… Lose Some BODY Weight. You fooled us ONCE - we’re not letting that happen again. 

Scorpio 

We told you to quote, “try replacing your mayonnaise with Caesar Salad Dressing for a new kick.” TECHNICALLY we have to fail you on this task, but we’re giving you an 8 out of 10 instead. Instead of replacing your store-bought mayonnaise, you learned how to make your own with an egg, some oil, vinegar, and a stick blender! It really is easy to do, and all the experimentation you did got you some interesting tastes. So This Week… Did you try making some with the oil from a can of tuna, and making a tuna sandwich with that? We tried it and you’re missing out if you haven’t.

Sagittarius 

You were told to learn how VHS and Laserdisc compared to each other, and weep at what we were denied. Yeah, we’re still annoyed at the industry too. So we’re giving you 9 out of 10 for becoming motivated to fix-up LaserDisc Players so they can come back. You both lost a point for blowing up a power supply because you didn’t check the polarity first, but you gained it back by cannibalizing a donor machine and putting it all together again functionally. So this Week… Did you turn your passion into a business? Did you come up with a smart company name? We’re still waiting!

Capricorn 

We told you to “make sure you don’t destroy everyone with your awesomeness.” Well, 10 out of 10 since we’re all still here. I mean, what more could we ask for? You far surpassed our expectations! So This Week… We told you to “Stop being an Achievement Hunter”. Nobody likes a Greedy Person. 

Aquarius 

Last time we told you to watch the movie “Contact”, and good on you for doing that! 9 out of 10. We’re only dinging you one point for not getting emotional with the dedication at the end of the movie: “For Carl.” So This Week… You were told that joining The Planetary Society was a simple $4 a month. Did you do it? Don’t lie to us. Santa knows all. 

Pisces  

There’s some special birthdays coming up this edition, so we’re adding one point to your score; you’re getting 2 out of 10. You had a simple task, “learn what the Sunk Cost Fallacy is” and did you? NO-O-O-o-o-O-O-O! Seriously, there are resources to learn about these logical fallacies! So This Week… Have you heard of the Ship of Theseus? The Horrible-Scopes are kinda like that: We keep the intro, outro, and star signs but change the message each week. So are they really the same Horrible-Scopes or are they something entirely new? Have fun losing sleep over this idea.

And THOSE are your Horrible-Scopes for this week! Remember if you liked what you got, we’re obviously not working hard enough at these. BUT! If you want a better or nastier one for your own sign or someone else’s, all you need to do to bribe me is just Let Me Know - or check out the Ko-Fi page ( https://ko-fi.com/icarusthelunarguard )! These will be posted online at the end of each week via Tumblr, Facebook, Discord, and BLUESKY.

[ollieofthebeholder]

And If Thou Wilt, Forget: a TMA fanfic

[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10]|| Also on AO3 and my personal website

Chapter 11: That all my past results in "if"

Gertrude grumbled to herself, more for show in case of observation than anything, as she painstakingly logged the bundles of statements that had come down from Research that morning. The care she was having to take with the data entry wasn’t really feigned. She was familiar enough with technology, at least modern technology, but this particular machine dated back to the early nineties—she was astonished it still turned on, let alone functioned—and her memory of how to use MS-DOS was a bit rusty. There, at least, she had an advantage over Tim, if the penciled notes all over the pages of the thirdhand operating manual next to it were any indication.

At least the wiring had finally been upgraded. It hadn’t occurred to her that there would be an issue, but evidently the machine, old as it was, had proved to be too much for the outlet it had been plugged into. Fortunately it hadn’t caught fire since she had returned, but it had shorted out twice more, only not costing her several hours’ worth of work because of a large black box Tim had installed that turned out to be a battery backup holding enough power to at least allow her to save her progress before the computer shut down completely. The electrician who’d come by had kindly explained to her that the Archives, unlike the rest of the Institute, were still on a fuse box, and had upgraded it to a circuit breaker. Which also meant the lights had stopped flickering ominously whenever the wind shifted.

It was, however, rather an expensive repair, and she was already betting with herself whether Elias would be willing to budget for an upgrade to the fire suppressant system too.

The computer—which, if the notebook sitting next to the manual was to be believed, Tim had named “Mister Megabytes”—was difficult to use, but Gertrude supposed she should just be thankful Elias hadn’t somehow found a punch card system. It was going to be hard enough to upload anything to it, let alone store it. Fortunately, Tim had thought of that, and had apparently cleaned out every antique store and charity shop in the greater London area in search of floppy disks that would fit the beast. (She’d smirked when she saw the neat stack of receipts locked in her desk drawer, and promptly submitted them to Elias. She had hoped the nosy bastard would have had a heart attack when he saw the total, but alas.) Unfortunately, he’d been unable to fit more than a single statement and associated research onto any given floppy disk.

Gertrude had fortunately found a source for them and ordered in a large quantity. Less expensive than the piecemeal way Tim had picked them up, sadly, but still hopefully a big enough bill to make Elias regret a few more of his life choices.

She sighed, stretched, saved her work. Waited until the spreadsheet had finally committed itself to the disk, then ejected it from the computer and tucked it into the case labeled ARCHIVES OPERATIONS in Tim’s neatest block print. Shut down the computer, ran her hand over the CRT monitor to wipe clean the static—whether it actually did anything or not, it made her feel better—and headed to the break room to make herself a nice cup of tea. That done, she locked herself in her office, set up her shields, and settled in to read Tim’s latest report.

It was…interesting. Most of his reports were. She couldn’t tell if it was just that he was interested in everything and liked to chase down rabbit holes until he either hit rock bottom or encountered a badger or if he was simply hoping to head off every single ritual at the pass, but he’d detailed his research into incidents linked to more than half of the Fears in just a few short months. She could see, of course, how all of them might have involved the Stranger, often because of circus connections, but instead they had been about the Hunt, the Slaughter, the Desolation, the Spiral. (The message I am staying away from the sculptor’s work so I don’t have to give you a statement had both intrigued and worried her in nearly equal measures.)

The most interesting part of Tim’s reports was that most of the incidents he had learned about—or at least most of the recent ones—involved the Dark. Frankly, Gertrude would have thought the Dark was the last of the Fourteen to have anything to do with the big cities Tim and Gerard were visiting. They even called New York the city that never sleeps. And yet, here it sat, lurking in alleyways, behind theaters, in the smallest of gaps between street lights. The latest report was at least from somewhere she might have expected; they were in western Virginia, in the shadow of the Appalachian Mountains, investigating several local myths, legends, and traditions that had been handed down by those whose roots were deep in the soil.

Gertrude perused the reports. There were three in particular highlighted as having been recent incidents. One, unsurprisingly, was a rather gruesome murder that bore the hallmarks of Skin’t Tom; Tim was planning to pay a visit to the girlfriend of the perpetrator, who’d sworn he was dead a whole week before the murder. The second was a house fire that apparently started because of too many candles, but according to Tim’s notes, the child who had had them all burning had been in a nearby long-abandoned coal mine with a friend, who hadn’t come out, and he’d been crying about the mouth of the night; he wasn’t sure he would be able to get to him, but he would try. The third had taken place in what Tim termed a “ghost town” a few miles from where they were staying, where the rumors were it had been abandoned not because the coal dried up but because of something that stalked the streets; he was vaguer on that incident, which had taken place slightly more than a year previously, but said it was probably real. In the code he was using underlying the reports, unless she was misinterpreting it, was a statement that gave her pause: I know it sounds like the End or the Hunt, but it’s the Dark.

Not I think it’s the Dark or it looks more like the Dark. Tim was one hundred percent certain of that. Gertrude didn’t know why, but if he was sure, she trusted him.

She thought about that for a long moment as she began composing a reply. Not that she trusted him. She had along ago accepted that she trusted Tim with everything she had in her to trust; it was why she had left him in Chicago without hesitation, why she hadn’t immediately recalled him when he’d finished in Pittsburgh, why she hadn’t felt the need to double-check that everything he was sending her as a reply to his emails was true, let alone helpful. It was helpful, but that was beside the point. The point was that she didn’t for a minute doubt that Tim knew what he was doing and was working in the best interest of the Archives, and in her best interest as well. The thing she had to think about was his conviction that it was the Dark.

She didn’t think the Dark was preparing anything in America. Activity was up all around the world—she’d had several statements her in the Institute, and a few more she’d gleaned from her travels that weren’t as prominent as Tim’s. But the simple fact that the Dark was rising—damn Tim for reminding her of that book, now she was going to have to hunt down a copy, she didn’t have time to read for pleasure these days—meant that perhaps she had misjudged. Perhaps the Dark’s ritual was going to begin more quickly than the Stranger’s after all.

She gave Tim a few instructions, sent him a copy of the statement form—he was no Archivist, compelling wasn’t his gift, and it likely wouldn’t produce much of a coherent narrative, even if he had them write it down, but she could at least let him try—and enjoined him to be careful, then closed her laptop thoughtfully. It was Tuesday. Elias was happily engaged with the budgeting—really, she’d thought when she first realized what was going on that he was putting on an act, but he wasn’t, he really did enjoy the mundane bureaucracy and administration necessary in running a place like the Magnus Institute—so she would be unobserved for at least the next several hours. Which meant that if she pulled a few statements and went downstairs to talk them over, he wouldn’t notice.

Thanks to the computer and Tim’s efforts, she knew exactly where to find the ones she was looking    for, even though all of them were in the wrong place compared to where they should be. She pulled a few out of various shelves and boxes, tucked her tape recorder into her pocket, and headed to the center of the Archives. There was a barely perceptible crack in the floor, and next to it a board that easily levered up when she pressed a certain spot. Beneath it was an iron ring. She pulled it, lifted, and descended into the belly of the beast.

As usual, there as a sticky, unpleasant sensation as she passed below the floor an closed the door behind herself. The Eye couldn’t reach down here, not easily, so she could pass unobserved, but it also meant cutting herself off from her…patron, she supposed. While she had remained human through dint of unceasing effort, she still relied on it a fair bit, and cutting off the contact didn’t help her mood much. She shook it off as best she could and progressed a bit further.

Once she had descended another level, she let out a low whistle. There was an answering whistle from further down the tunnel, or at least an attempt at a whistle. A moment later, an elderly man with a broad, florid face and rather dusty clothes appeared out of seemingly out of the wall. He gave her what he probably thought was a disapproving glare but actually looked rather like a walrus with indigestion. “Gertrude, what on earth are you doing down here et this time of night?”

“It’s one o’clock in the afternoon, Jurgen,” Gertrude said with a sigh. “You really ought to pay better attention to the passing of time. You’re going to end up doing something foolish one of these days.”

Jurgen Leitner limped closer. As usual, he clutched his copy of A Disappearance in one hand and a heavy torch in the other, although what he thought he was going to do with that was beyond her. He was a coward, and a rather frail man, and the most he could do was drop it and run, leaving the light to possibly distract whatever was following him. “If it’s the middle of the afternoon, what’s going on? Has your assistant returned?”

“No, Tim is still abroad.” Gertrude didn’t bother explaining beyond that. Leitner didn’t need to know what was going on in that level of detail, just that he was safe from being spotted by her assistant. “But he sent me a rather…interesting report. I need your input.”

Leitner snorted. “I very much doubt that. You just want someone to listen to you ramble and nod their head.”

“If I wanted that, I would speak to a mirror,” Gertrude shot back, stung. Leitner had ego, of course, she’d known that for years, but did he have to be so crass as to project it onto her? “I do actually need your input. You have expertise in this matter.”

And I have no one else I can discuss this with, she added to herself. She still wished she could discuss it with Adelard; she would have preferred, given her current options, to discuss it with Tim, and probably Gerard, since she was fairly certain at this point they came in a set these days. But with the boys in Esau County and Adelard reduced to ashes, she was left with an addled bookseller who had believed, like Mary Keay, that he could master the Fears. At least Mary had been honest about herself.

She followed Leitner to the room he had set up as his “study”. He kept precious few books on him anymore, and she had to admit she took a perverse bit of pleasure in knowing that his fear of what he had done meant that he was basically reduced to reading nothing but terrible mass-market romance novels of the sort her mother had once thrashed her for keeping under her mattress. Still, he had two chairs and a table, and he invited her to sit, then poured them each a measure of rather expensive wine.

“All right,” he said, settling down and lifting his glass. “What is it you wish to discuss with me?”

Gertrude laid out the folders containing the statements, and felt a bit of satisfaction at his flinch. To his credit, however, he rallied quickly and sat silently sipping as she tried to put them into some kind of coherent order. The very last one she placed was the most recent, the one she had missed by three days and that Tim had locked in her desk drawer under her instructions; she’d sensed the Dark on it right away and brought it down with her.

“What are these?” Leitner finally asked when she didn’t speak. He had to have known she was waiting for him.

“These are all statements involving the Dark,” Gertrude told him. “All from within the last five years. Take a look and tell me what you think.”

She sat down and sipped at her own wine as he began to read, hesitantly at first, then more intensely. She already knew what he was going to see, or at least she hoped he did. He could be quite obtuse at times. Still…this was obvious, even for him.

As she watched him struggle through the third one, she reached for the latest, more out of boredom than curiosity. The handwriting was neat enough, but bold, pressed deep into the paper. The writer had obviously been quite excited about what she had come to say. Likely it was yet another person who had had an encounter with the People’s Church of the Divine Host, or with Robert Montauk himself, or possibly with the bogeyman.

Then Gertrude’s eyes fell on the name Maxwell Raynor, and she began to pay attention.

Manuela Dominguez was not simply a victim of the Dark that had come to relieve her feelings. She was an acolyte, a relatively high up member in the People’s Church of the Divine Host if her statement was anything to go by, and she had a great deal to say about her actions. She had been on the Daedalus, the third astronaut and the only one to not be an unwitting victim of a Fear. Gertrude bristled slightly at her taunt about Jan—how did she know that, she wondered—but the rest of the statement was too fascinating, and filled her with too much dread.

So. She was right. They were ready, just about.

Across from her, Leitner laid the last statement he’d had to read down. “I can see that you’ve picked a good number of Dark statements, Gertrude, but surely you could just as easily have selected the Stranger or the Flesh, so—”

Gertrude handed him the statement she had just completed. Leitner read it, his eyebrows climbing steadily higher and his face growing steadily paler. At last, he looked up at her. “The Black Sun?” he whispered.

“Any day now, I would imagine,” she said, as calmly as possible. Something about that nagged at her, but she didn’t give it a chance to take root. Not then.

Once she had discussed with Leitner how much help he was willing to give—none—and returned to the Archives, though, she probed at it as she began re-shelving the statements. Manuela Dominguez had stated that the time was at hand, that they were giving her one last chance to capitulate and join them. She never would, of course, but…

But why had they waited?

She had returned to London in November. It had been three months since then. Surely they must have decided by now that she wasn’t answering. Why hadn’t they moved ahead with their plans? Were they waiting for her to come and try to stop them? Surely they hadn’t needed to wait.

Or did they?

Gertrude pursed her lips thoughtfully. Somewhere in the Archives, she ought to be able to find evidence of the Dark’s last attempt at a ritual. It had to have been at least a hundred years ago. Maybe that would give her some sort of hint. Obviously it wouldn’t look the same. Space travel hadn’t been possible and science wouldn’t have advanced far enough for them to even know what dark matter and neutron stars were, so whatever Raynor had done back then…whenever it was…would have involved something else. But she could at least get the shape of it, and get an idea of how to disrupt it.

She wasn’t even sure how to disrupt a dark star. Or, frankly, what they thought it would do to bring…what did they call him? Mister Pitch into the world. She was almost curious enough to let it play out, just to see what it would look like…

Wait.

Gertrude froze, one hand on the shelf. The Eye was pushing back at her, she could feel it, but there was something right on the edge of her attention that…

Abandoning all else, she hurried back to the trap door, lifted it, and took the steps down three at a time. The second she was cut off from the Ceaseless Watcher, she drew in a breath and stepped into the first room available. She suffered briefly from that loss of contact, but she could think.

How had previous rituals stopped? Tim’s research had shown that the last attempt at the Unknowing had been disrupted by the Slaughter…but then she thought of the statement she had recorded when it had finally arrived from Pu Songling. The one about the Nemesis, and the failure of the Risen War. She’d idly speculated about what could have possibly disrupted it before deciding it didn’t matter, that she would put it from her mind and go back to figuring out how to deal with the Unknowing. Now, though, she wondered.

What if…what if what they were waiting for wasn’t some moment that would finish the ritual? What if it wasn’t some grand outside gesture that would seal the fate of the men and fully bring the Slaughter into the world? What if, quite simply, the soldiers had been waiting for the Slaughter itself?

What if the Risen War had simply collapsed on its own?

If it had collapsed on its own, if it had needed no intervention to fail…then there were two possibilities. Either the ritual itself had been imperfect, incomplete, they had been missing some key component of it and simply hadn’t known, or…

Or the ritual could not have succeeded in the first place.

Gertrude put her fingers to her lips as the implications of that crashed down on her. If the Risen War could not have succeeded, did that mean the Sunken Sky, too, could not have succeeded? That the Last Feast could not have succeeded? That the Great Twisting could not have succeeded? That the Unknowing would not succeed? If the Unknowing was doomed to failure without intervention, she supposed that was all to the good, as it would mean she could keep Tim and Gerard away from that danger.

But—she stifled the moan that rose, unbidden, to her throat—but if the Great Twisting could not have succeeded either, if it had been doomed to fail from the beginning, then that meant that she could have left it alone and it would have collapsed under its own weight. It meant that her interference was not only unnecessary, but counterintuitive.

It meant that Michael Shelley need not have been sacrificed.

She couldn’t believe—no. She didn’t want to believe that. She didn’t want to believe she had been so short-sighted, so focused on what she thought was her calling, that she had wasted her life and the lives of her assistants.

Poor Michael. Poor Sarah. Poor Tim, because she was putting him at risk for no reason…

Well. No. With him and Gerard safely out of the country for the moment, they were at least out of Elias’s range. And if she was wrong…after all, she told herself, it was only a guess, a wild surmise. There was still every chance that one of the rituals would work.

So. She would allow Tim and Gerard to keep following their path, to keep researching the Unknowing and ways to stop it. Perhaps they would find something less dangerous and volatile than the C4 poor Adelard had obtained for her, something that would nevertheless do the trick. Meanwhile, the Dark’s ritual would likely happen sooner. She would come up with some kind of plan, figure out what she could do if it did work, and then attempt to find out when the ritual would happen. She could do what she did best—watch, and observe, and know. And then she could act, but only if absolutely necessary.

If she was right, then she would tell Tim and Gerard everything. And if she was wrong, she would tell them that, too, and then they would stop the Unknowing together.

But whatever the result, she vowed to herself, she would not sacrifice either of them. She’d grown fond of the boys, and she would never again be responsible for another assistant’s death. Not if she could prevent it.

[lilietsblog]

Stardew Valley mod rec compilation

this is a regular question asked on the discord so I wanted to put together my own constant pack to link.

These are NOT all mods I use. These are the mods I’m **completely confident **in recommending together, that definitely work well, combine well and won’t create any cognitive dissonance.

(Note that I’m not listing any prerequisites. Whichever mod you’re installing, you obviously need to install its prerequisites too)

(Most of these are on Nexus, but not all. MARGO is on GitHub, for example. Search on Nexus first, then duckduckgo or google it if it’s not there)

Utility if-you’re-modding: (mods that maybe won’t improve your game per se and you don’t want to install Just Them if you’re picking and choosing, but if you’re already using other mods, you want to look at these)

Advanced Save Backup (obvious function is obvious, don’t let mod fuckups permanently ruin your save)

Generic Mod Config Menu (absolutely mandatory if you’re installing like… >1 other mod)

CJB Cheats Menu + CJB Item Spawner (the more mods you have the more likely you’ll need this to recover after glitches. There are vanilla bugs you might want this to help you with too)

Jump Over (or noclip, in case you get stuck somewhere)

Mod Update Menu (fully optional, but might be nice)

Quality of Life (mods that I’m completely confident work well together and will improve your game withough particularly changing it. You do want to meddle in config for many of these though. Increase complexity at your own pace)

Action Sitting

After Midnight Speed Buff

Easy Coal

Balanced Quarry

Better Artisan Good Icons

Better Beehouses

Better Chests

Better Ranching (turn off “prevent failed harvesting” in config, add Fix Animal Tool Animations for that functionality instead)

Bigger Backpack

Collapse on Farm Fix

Destroyable Bushes

Gift Rejection

Grass Growth

Horse Overhaul - Immersive Scarecrows

Immersive Sprinklers

Lucky Rabbit’s Foot

Mail Services Mod

MARGO - Tweex, Tools and Ponds modules

Remember Birthdays

Robin Work Hours

Expanded Big Shed

Sturdier Saplings

Time Speed

Zoom Level

Friendship QoL: (I’m putting these into a separate category because they specifically make one thing easier and might be unbalanced together - but if you want lots of custom NPCs they might be necessary as a breath of air)

Part of the Community

Passive Friendship

Friend of a Friend

Visual (This is specifically the combination I use, that I know for a fact works well and looks good together. These are mods that don’t alter any mechanics or add any content and mostly don’t impact balance, they’re purely to make the game look better)

Custom Menu Background

Better Water

Cuter Coops and Better Barns or Coop and Barn Facelift

Darker Vanilla Crops

Darker Vanilla Forage

Dynamic Night Time

Dynamic Reflections

Happy Fish Jump

Iridium Sprinkler Desaturated or Burnished Bronze Iridium Sprinkler

Less Ugly Spouse Rooms

Medieval Buildings

Simple Foliage

Skell’s Flowery Tools

Starry Night Interface (deleted from Nexus)

Vintage Interface (and this if you’re using Bigger Backpack)

Vibrant Pastoral Recolor

Way Back Pelican Town

Wind Effects

Yri’s Modular Flowers

Eemie’s Dark Wood and Gold Craftables - Scarecrow and Rarecrow Recolors - Climates of Ferngill

Swimsuit Selection

Spritemaster, and you can turn off the smoothing just for faster rendering everywhere with no visual changes

Dialogue + NPCs (Thoroughly vetted - exclusively the mods that don’t create any contradictory lore, fit fully with vanilla, and might make you feel like vanilla was always intended to be this way)

Dusty Overhaul

Community Wednesdays and Community Center Reimagined

David the Hamster

Demetrius Visits Farm Cave Redux

Diverse Stardew Valley

the ethnic wedding outfit collection (Emily Ukrainian Wedding Dress and others with the same naming scheme, entering “wedding” into search is a good way to find these)

Haley Reads Magazines (plug of my own mod)

Immersive Spouses

Jean and Jorts

Social Haley

Unlikely Friends

Immersive Sandy

Make the game more fun (This is a fairly diverse category - these are the mods that will substantially alter the game and give it a decidedly non-vanilla feel and balance, but that I’m willing to vouch for as fun, non-conflicting, non-glitchy and not making your life harder. Some of them are smaller than others)

Walk to Desert Redux

Archery + Archery starter pack

Artista

Cape Stardew

Cat gifts

Deep Woods

Farmhouse visits

Festival of the Mundane

Hot Spring Farm Cave (or another farm cave mod)

If It Fits I Sits

Improved Cindersap Forest (plug of my own mod)

Like a Duck to Water

Lost in the Mountains (or another custom farm map mod) (plug of my own mod)

MARGO - Combat, Professions and Taxes modules

Stardew Druid

Swim Mod

Wren’s Expanded Greenhouse (or another greenhouse mod)

Animals Need Water

Even More Secret Woods

NPC Adventures (and content packs for it)

Map Editor Extended

Free Love pack (This is for the people who think SV is nice in allowing the player to date multiple people, but unnecessarily restrictive in allowing them to only marry one of them. I’m putting other romance/marriage/parenthood mods in this category also) necessary: (these are the mods you need to make a multi-spouse household function smoothly, period. Need extensive configuring, usually, so pay attention when you install them)

Bed Tweaks

Custom Spouse Patio Redux (this one can glitch, but Map Editor Extended has fixed it for me fine every time)

Custom Spouse Rooms

Free Love

Wedding Tweaks optional: (these are the mods that can substantially improve your personal life if you’re into them, but Free Love functions fine without them)

Platonic Partners and Friendships

Bachelors and Bachelorettes stay friends

Fourteen Heart Events for All

Gender Neutrality Mod

Not In Here By Yourself (plug of my own mod)

Hugs and Kisses

Multiple Spouse Dialogs (+Tia’s and Liliet’s packs for it) (plug of my own mod uwu)

Planned Parenthood

Swimsuit Selection

Unique Children

Unique Children Talk - T’s Spouse Room

[fogwitchoftheevermore]

i'm going on a VERY fun rabbit hole with this life series/hermitcraft/empires blaseball au thing, so have the next installment, the hermit blaseball au! this one is a lot easier to understand if you don't know anything about blaseball, because this is Much more "i've just put them into the plot of blaseball, they're just hanging out in there". my empires blaseball au can be found here, and the third life blaseball au will be linked here one i finish writing that up.

also, a few of my choices for teams i am not... particularly confident about (namely xisuma, bdubs, hypno, and tango) so if you have a better suggestion for them please pitch it.

Grian: Batter for the LA Unlimited Tacos

Scar: Batter for the Miami Dale

Mumbo: Batter for the New York Millennials, Siphon

Cleo: Pitcher for the Kansas City Breath Mints

Ren: Batter and team captain for the San Fransisco Lovers, Charm

Bdubs: Batter for the Hawai’i Fridays

Impulse: Batter for the Hellmouth Sunbeams

Pearl: Pitcher for the Houston Spies, Precognition

Gem: Pitcher for the Kansas City Breath Mints

Xisuma: Pitcher for the Philly Pies

Evil X: Pitcher for the Hades Tigers

Wels: Batter for the San Fransisco Lovers

Hels: Batter for the Baltimore Crabs

Hypno: Batter for the Mexico City Wild Wings

XB: Batter for the Atlantis Georgias

Beef: Pitcher for the Dallas Steaks

Keralis: Batter for the Core Mechanics

Joe: Pitcher for the Kansas City Breath Mints, later batter for the Seattle Garages

TFC: Coach of the Ohio Worms

Doc: Pitcher for the Core Mechanics

Jevin: Batter for the Charleston Shoe Thieves, Flinch, later rerolled into Reverberating

False: Pitcher for the Tokyo Lift

Stress: Batter for the Tokyo Lift

Iskall: Batter for the Breckenridge Jazz Hands

Tango: Pitcher for the Chicago Firefighters, Fire Eater

Cub: Batter for the Charleston Shoe Thieves, got Flinch from fighting god and got it rerolled into Debt

Etho: Pitcher for the Canada Moist Talkers

Zedaph: Pitcher for the Yellowstone Magic

Wormman: Pitcher for the Ohio Worms

This AU is, even more so than the Empires part of this AU, just me shoving the Hermits into the Blaseball universe and letting it happen.

The only people who are even sort of replacing an actual Blaseball player are Cleo, Joe, and Gem.

Cleo is our Jaylen. She pitches for the Kansas City Breath Mints, and is the best pitcher in the league, and when the Forbidden Book opens, she dies. Her intended replacement is False Symmetry II, aka Empires!False, but when the Forbidden Book is opened in the Empires, Hermitcraft, and Life Series universes all at once, everything gets a little muddled, and everyone comes out of it a little muddled. The biggest change is that Cleo is instead replaced by Gemini Tay, the newly generated player from the Empires world who was meant to replace Xornoth. 

When she is resurrected at the end of season 6, Joe goes into the Shadows in exchange. Within a few seasons, he is able to leave the Shadows and bats for the Breath Mints for about a season, afterwards he is transferred to the Seattle Garages, where he stays. I am not putting him back in the Shadows because it makes me kind of sad.

Cub and Jevin are both players for the Thieves, so they get cursed as a result of the boss fight against the Shelled One. We will resolve that later. Hels, despite being on the Crabs, does not get cursed, because he doesn’t join the Crabs until after they return from ascension.

Other than that, the Hermits are just sort of Existing in the world of Blaseball. Evil X and Hels are both created in similar ways to Evil Twin and Bontgomery Mullock, which is to say, Blessings break and accidentally clone a guy, so we just slightly edit one of their names and keep going. Don’t worry about it. 

At one point during Expansion, while the Reroll Will is still in effect, fans of the Thieves attempt to reroll the Flinch modifier that Cub got as a side effect of fighting god and losing that one time. It gets rerolled into Debt, in a similar vein to what happened to Silvaire Roadhouse, but because he’s on the Thieves, he actually gets to kill people. Good for him. Jevin’s Flinch modifier also gets rerolled, but he gets Reverberating. Good for him, but in a different direction.

[taomyou]

The Romance of Reimbursements - Chapter 3

Pairing: Levi Ackerman x Reader Status: COMPLETED Summary: There’s a guy you see every Friday on bus 143, and you think he’s pretty hot. It wouldn’t hurt to tell your best friend about him, would it? or, you and Levi take the same bus home from work every Friday, and you fall in love slowly, clumsily, and with all the time in the world to fold as many paper stars as your heart desires. Word Count: 5.7k Tags: slow burn, friends to lovers, modern au, office au, fluff, romance, meet-cute, matchmaking

(A/N: this fic is entirely available on ao3 here if you would like to read it there instead! "www" is also shorthand for "haha" or laughing!)

Chapter Navigation Accompanying Playlist

dandelion root

After a good night’s rest, your regularly set alarm rings you awake at 6 AM.

Once you were home after dinner, you didn’t spend much time thinking about your night out. Against your worst judgment, you decided that going to bed and choosing to ignore whatever feelings you had about dinner was the best decision you could’ve made. You stripped down, hopped in the shower, and crashed on your bed with your plush rabbit. You fell easily into your slumber, the anticipation and fear that plagued you over the past 2 nights finally gone.

If there was anything for you to think about, though, it would’ve been Levi.

You stretch your arms above your head, letting a yawn escape. After you blink a couple times to get the sleep out of your eyes, you walk over to the bathroom to brush your teeth. After you finish brushing and flossing, you hum to yourself as you shuffle through your cabinets for an outfit for the day. It's routine by now: choosing your outfit, putting on your makeup, getting your briefcase ready.

As you walk out your door, you realize that seeing Erwin at the office is probably going to be a bit... awkward. Him dropping formalities at last night's dinner wasn't unlike how he was back when the two of you used to take your lunch breaks together so you didn't waste any energy questioning it, but you have no idea how he's going to act at work.

You're not opposed to the possibility of becoming closer—Erwin is a good work superior, a good friend—but even if he does start getting warmer, you still have to worry about him snitching on your client to upper management. There's already enough paperwork as is, and having even more of it is something you don't want to have to deal with right now.

You try not to worry about all of that as you hop on the bus after the short walk down from your apartment. After greeting the bus driver "good morning" and taking a seat at the back, you take out your phone and aimlessly scroll the various SNS you have installed.

In the middle of a random video you were watching, you get a notification from Hange. You tap on the little icon at the top of your screen, not being able to see the attached message, and to your confusion, it's a screenshot of a conversation between them and someone who's nicknamed 'Shorty' on their phone. You don't even bother reading the conversation, instead swiping down from the screenshot and quickly typing out a response to Hange themselves.

You - 7:32 AM

wtf why did you send me this???

You don't need to wait for even a moment before Hange replies, the dots on your screen appearing just seconds after you text them.

Hange - 7:33 AM

Just read it!!!! :D

You - 7:33 AM

no that's weird why would you send this to me www

Hange - 7:33 AM

BECAUSE I need you to read it B)

You - 7:34 AM

this is an invasion of privacy yk sharing private dms to a third party i can get you sent to prison

The three dots you expect to see don't appear, and so you quickly type out another message for them.

You - 7:35 AM

that was a joke hange i'm not gonna send you to prison

You sigh at the continued silence, taking a look outside at the window across from where you were sitting. You hear a faint beep and look back at your phone. Instead of a text, you see a play button and an accompanying audio bar. Rolling your eyes, you go for the side pocket of your briefcase to get your earbuds and connect them to your phone to hear the message without disturbing others on the bus.

Hange - 7:37 AM

"Well, since you're not going to read the screenshot I sent you, I'll just tell you what it says. Ok, ok, so last night, I drove Levi home, right? And when I got home after, I texted him, and I was all, like-oh, yeah, I know, you're too nice to send anyone to jail, that's kinda your thing-anyway! I asked him, like, 'is it cool if Astraea starts hanging out with us?' You know, because you're my best friend and I obviously want you to hang out with everyone, but also, I'm trying to set you up! And he was all like, 'why don't you ask the group chat, Four Eyes,' and I was like, 'just answer the question!' And guess what he said! Guess!"

The voice message ends there.

You probably would've cared more about what they had to say if you had spent some time thinking about Levi at all after dinner, but, again, it's a Monday, and you really can't care to be bothered about something like this right now. You bring your phone up closer towards your lips after holding on the voice recording button on your screen, speaking quietly into the microphone.

"Hange, I'm not going to guess. Please, I'm about to get to work, you're probably getting ready too. That's the end of it," you pause. "Also, I don't send people to jail because, for the millionth time, I'm a family attorney."

Hange - 7:42 AM

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, if that's how you wanna avoid this. I'm gonna tell you anyway! He said, and I quote, 'I-'"

Before you can hear what Hange has to tell you, you tap the play icon and pause the recording, not wanting to hear. At times like these, they tend have a (to be generous) distant relationship with the truth. It's not worth it to know, anyway, now that you're determined to just be friends with Levi; you don't need Hange getting you excited over things like this.

The bus announces your stop a stoplight away, so you tuck away your phone and earbuds into your pocket so you don't have to worry about having to do it while getting off the bus. Once it stops, you say a quick "thank you" to the driver and head over to the firm's building.

When you're through the doors and in the lobby, you spot Eren, Mikasa, and Armin, all of them coming from the entrance at the other end of the hall. They all greet you with big smiles and waves before meeting you halfway right in front of the elevator. When it opens for you and you all enter, Armin leans over to press the button for the 8th floor while you and Mikasa stand towards the back of the elevator.

"How was your weekend, Astraea?" She asks, looking over at you as the door closes. Eren and Armin don't turn towards the back to face you, but you're sure they're listening from where they are.

"It was a bit stressful, but it was alright," you answer, smiling to reassure her. She doesn't seem to want to press you on it, trusting that you'd tell her if you wanted to, but Eren doesn't quite get the memo.

"What happened? You accidentally used salted butter in your cupcakes or something?" He jokes with a chuckle.

"Eren, that's not nice," Armin says, lightly bumping his elbow against Eren's side. He turns to where you and Mikasa are, shooting you a sympathetic smile. "You don't have to tell us if you don't want to, we stress you out enough as is."

At that, you laugh and cover your mouth with your hand. The doors open again, the 8 button now flashing to tell you you're on the right floor, and you all step out before they close in on you.

"Armin, it's okay, it's my job to watch out for you guys. Well, just Mikasa, but you guys too," you start, looking around the office to try and find Erwin. You should probably talk to him before he can talk to someone higher up in the chain in command. "I'll tell you at lunch, yeah?"

They seem satisfied enough with that suggestion, and once you spot Erwin, you tell them to have a good start to their workday and go over to him. He spots you before you get the chance to greet him, and he nods at you, not able to wave with his briefcase in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other.

"Good morning, Erwin," you greet, looking up at him now that he's closer to you.

"Good morning to you too. Need me for something?" You nod, and he tilts his head towards his office. "We can talk in there, let me set my things down."

You walk with him over to his office, opening the door for the both of you.

"Close the door, would you?"

He silently puts down his coffee and briefcase, motioning for you to sit at the seat opposite of his own behind his desk. The little jar at the corner of the table brings a small smile to your face. He notices your eye on it and picks it up, rattling it a bit to see the little paper trinkets move around.

"I assume you want to talk about what was brought up yesterday," he starts, not meeting your gaze and instead keeping his eyes on the jar. You sigh and tense up in your chair, not wanting to accidentally say or do anything out of place.

"About that, could you not bring it up with anyone? I'd really appreciate if you just kept it between us."

Erwin moves to put the jar down, looking at you with steely eyes. You shrink back even further into the seat, fearful of what he has to say.

"Is that really what you want?"

You nod, breaking your gaze on him to look down at your lap.

"I know I should've came clean about it after it happened, but I handled it just fine. I don't want the higher-ups to think I can't-"

Erwin interrupts with a chuckle, taking a sip of his coffee. "Are we talking about the same thing?"

"You were pretty adamant about getting me to report that client to management. If you were thinking about something else, I wouldn't know."

"If that's what you're here to talk about, then you don't need to worry. I respect your decision not to report it. I shouldn't have pressed during dinner, so accept my apology."

You let out a sigh of relief, finally letting your shoulders drop.

"Thank you, Erwin. I promise I'll come to you if something else like that happens again."

Erwin hums in approval before opening his briefcase, a stack of papers in his hand now outstretched to you. You shoot him a look of confusion but get up from your seat to get a better look at what he's holding. When you don't move to take it from him, he nudges it forwards toward you.

"...What is this for?"

"Your paperwork for the day," he says. You hesitantly take it from him and flip through the pages with your thumb and pointer finger. It's a lot thicker than the stack you usually get, but it is indeed your paperwork. Usually, the interns around the office would hand papers out to everyone after their stint at the printer every morning. You remember Petra telling you, though, that Erwin, who was always the first one in the office, always printed out his own things to avoid his documents getting mixed up with someone else's. Why would he print yours for you?

"Why are you being so nice to me?" The question comes out before you can think. Realizing your mistake, you look to another part of the room to avoid making eye contact. "Sorry, that was out of line."

For another time, Erwin chuckles and takes out his own papers for the day now that his hands are free.

"I suppose dinner made me think of when I first started here, and I'm feeling nostalgic," he says. The look on your face reads as skeptical, so he continues with a smile. "And as much as you try telling me it's fine, I still feel guilty about giving away your parking space."

You shake your head, a quiet red making its way up to your face in embarrassment. Is he ever gonna let this whole parking situation go? You guess it's fine he hasn't. "It's okay, I really am fine taking the bus."

He laughs, shaking his head in response. "I'm sure you are. By the way, how are the interns doing? I've noticed that they tend to spend a lot of time with you, but I hadn't had the time to ask about their performance yet with you privately."

You smile at the thought of the three of them, a warm feeling settling into your chest. "They're doing well, getting stuff done. I know I'm only officially in charge of mentoring Mikasa, but I'd be glad to write all their performance reports once their internships are over." He nods in approval.

"That won't be necessary, but I appreciate your initiative."

"It's hardly initiative. They're all good kids," you praise. After the last couple of months you spent getting to know them, you hope that they all get offered positions after their designated time is over, just as you did after your own internship.

Unlike you, however, it'd be impossible for them to all stay here in your department.

You and the other seasoned attorneys on your floor were already told that there was only enough in the budget to allow for one more full-time member on the family floor by the time Eren, Mikasa, and Armin were finished with their internships (hence why nobody aside from you really made much of an effort to get attached to them).

Petra did tell you a month or so ago that someone on the financial law floor had quit very suddenly (which gave Oluo more work to complain about), so maybe one of them could go for that, but it pains you to know that they'd eventually be split apart.

"I'm sure they are. Productivity has been better since they started." Getting out his glasses, he yawns behind his hand before glancing over at you. "You're welcome to leave, if there's nothing else."

"No, that was all. And, uh, thank you for my papers."

He smiles, and it seems to reach his eyes. "It's not any inconvenience," he pauses. "Knowing Hange, they'll be bringing you along more often. I look forward to seeing you more outside of work, Astraea." After the two of you bid each other farewell and you put the papers into your briefcase, you turn to open the door and head back to your own office. To your surprise, however, Mikasa, Eren, and Armin are all there, seemingly waiting for you.

"What're you still doing here?" Ordinarily, the three of them would go straight for the printer once they got to the floor, so it's a bit strange that they wouldn't be there right now.

"Why'd you go into Erwin's office?" Eren asks, earning him a shove from Mikasa. "What? We all wanted to know!"

Armin sighs at Eren's comment. "It isn't our business, Eren. We're sorry, we were just waiting to ask if you wanted a drink from the breakroom since Mikasa needs to put her lunch in the fridge before we head to the printer."

"Okay, then, I wanted to know," Eren rephrases.

Looking around the office, you see that there's quite a few people here already—enough that you don't want to say anything about it until you're back at your office. The paperwork you have for today just from the regularly distributed items is already more than enough to keep you busy this morning, so you decide that waiting until lunch to tell them about everything is the better idea. You start heading to your office, the three of them following closely behind you.

"It's okay to be nosy, Eren. I'll just tell you during break—I have a lot to do this morning," you tell them, getting a small laugh from Mikasa. "Could you brew a pot of chrysanthemum tea for me?"

Eren groans at the mention of the drink, getting yet another shove from one of his friends.

"I tried some the last time you had me brew it. It tastes like shit! How could you like it?" You hurriedly shush Eren, looking to make sure none of your coworkers heard him.

"How many times have I told you not to cuss at work? You're lucky that it's a Monday and everyone in here is a zombie right now."

"That was rude, Eren. Apologize," Mikasa chastises.

"No."

You roll your eyes at him, going for the doorknob now that you're in front of your office.

"I'm gonna get you fired. Anyway, I'll see you during lunch, go be productive or something."

Before you exchange waves with them, you step inside and get your teapot and the small container of dried chrysanthemum petals to give to Mikasa. Once they're back en route to the breakroom, you head back inside, sighing as you move to sit at your chair, set down your briefcase, and get your laptop out.

You go through the same motions you have for the last 3 years: responding to emails, reviewing cases from the past week, looking at new cases sent from upper management and Erwin. In the middle of replying to someone inquiring about meeting times, Mikasa comes in with your teapot and sets it down at your table. You thank her, and she moves to sit at the desk adjacent to yours.

When she first started working here, you would try and force conversation, not sure if she was comfortable working on her own yet. It was... really awkward, but as the two of you spent more time together, it got easier. No longer did you need to try and fill the silence—it just became a comfortable quiet.

You like to think that she's gotten used to working, you assigning her tasks as you see fit for her and her occasionally asking you questions about anything related to working at the firm.

You keep your teacups in the bottom drawer of your desk, so you roll out with your chair to grab them. You pour yourself a cup of tea and wordlessly ask Mikasa if she'd like one, to which she shakes her head. After you take a sip, she speaks up.

"It said your documents for the day were already printed when we went to do it earlier. Did you start working over the weekend?" Mikasa asks you. You check the time at the corner of your screen; 8:49 AM.

"No, Erwin got them for me before I got here."

"Why? I know that you're friends with him, but I don't remember him ever doing that before."

You nod. You'll tell her about yesterday's dinner with Erwin, Hange, and Levi later, but, right now, you're both too busy to have any sort of girl talk. "Yeah, I used to be the one giving him his papers, ironically enough. He said something about still feeling bad about having me give up my parking spot."

"I thought he was over that. He stopped coming around here a while ago."

"I guess he isn't over it."

12:00 PM comes around soon enough, and you're grateful that it does because your hand cramps from all the typing and writing you had to do. You walk with Mikasa over to the breakroom for her to grab her lunch and for you to heat up some food you brought from home. You don't quite have the energy to make any small talk and Mikasa seems to be still unreeling from her work, so both of you are silent as you get your lunches ready. When you're back at your office, Armin and Eren are already inside, having rolled in their chairs from the main floor.

Once you and Mikasa are seated and the door is locked, the four of you eat in silence for a good ten-or-so minutes. Eren's the first to finish, and so after he throws away his trash, he comes back and starts the conversation.

"So, was I right about the salted butter?"

"Yes, I'm so stressed out about using the wrong butter that it ruined my entire weekend." You roll your eyes. "Hange invited me to dinner, and I went yesterday."

With Eren, Mikasa, and Armin, you were less careful with names, knowing that they were much less inclined to try and look them up online unlike Hange. They all nod, albeit looking a bit confused.

"Isn't Hange your best friend? What's so bad about going to dinner with them?" Armin asks. You groan and dramatically melt onto the table, making a scene.

"They wanted to introduce me to their friends, so I met them."

"Were they weird?" Mikasa inquires, looking at you from her seat.

"No, not really. But one of them was Erwin."

To that, all three of them freeze for a second. Armin's the first to speak.

"Is that why you were in his office this morning?"

You nod. "I made a joke about that client from last week. You know, the one that cursed out me and Mikasa?" They nod. "I just wanted to make sure he wouldn't file a report on my behalf. I really don't need the paperwork."

"Is he different outside of work? I don't think I could imagine him as anyone other than he is when we're in the office," says Mikasa. You shrug, taking another sip of your tea.

"Not really. A bit funnier, but he still acts the same, more or less."

"Who else was there?"

You opt to not tell them about Levi being someone you knew before yesterday, not wanting a (less intense) repeat of Friday's conversation with Hange.

"There was only one other guy, he said he's a professor over at Sina." Before any of them can ask other questions, you hear a knock at the door. "Who is it?"

"It's Erwin," the voice says back. You get up to unlock the door, looking back at the interns with your pointer finger over your lips to shush them. They all motion zipping their lips, and you smile back at them. When you open the door, it's still hiding the interns behind you, but you can hear them shifting around to get a better look at your interaction.

"Did you need anything?" He nods.

"Do you have any tea in your office? The breakroom's out." You look at the interns who look back at you in confusion, wondering why he's here instead of getting lunch somewhere else.

"I thought you didn't drink tea," you comment, opening the door further to let Erwin into the room. He follows you inside, staying near the doorframe while you go to your desk to get the basket of teas out of your cabinet and set it on your desk. He doesn't pay any attention to the other three in the room, instead looking directly at you.

"It's not for me, Levi's here to have lunch with me."

At the mention of Levi, you take a sharp breath in. You're past the initial overwhelming blush that normally overtakes your face when you're in Levi's presence, but you're sure that your ears are beginning to turn red, so you immediately move to hide them, feigning fixing your hair. The thought that he's here is a bit daunting, considering you might run into him, but you try to ignore that to save face in front of Eren, Mikasa, and Armin.

"Oh, well, um.. What kind of tea does he like?"

Erwin comes a bit closer to get a look at what variety you have. "He likes bitter things, but I'm not sure what exactly he likes. What would you suggest?"

You move around a few containers and riffle through packets before deciding on a yellow canister.

"How's dandelion root?"

You hold it out to Erwin, and he happily accepts it. "Sounds good to me. Thank you, I'll have him come by with me on his way out."

At the suggestion, you scratch the back of your neck before laughing anxiously.

"There's no need, I'll probably be busy."

"Nonsense, it'll take a minute. I can drop off the rest of your tea, too."

Just like with Hange, you know you can't keep Erwin from getting what he wants. You smile at him, bitterly giving him a thumbs-up. You can hear Eren snicker at the interaction, followed by a "please be quiet" from Mikasa. You're going to have so much fun getting grilled about this. Soon enough, Erwin's walking out of your office. You groan as you go over to close the door again, slumping into your chair afterwards.

"Are you okay?" Mikasa asks first, followed quickly with Armin asking the same thing. In a pathetic attempt to hide your face, you pour yourself another cup of tea and take a big sip, coughing afterwards from the aftertaste.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm good."

"Seriously, what was that? Is Erwin pulling the moves on you?" Eren sure is getting smacked around a lot today, but you suppose he deserves it.

"If I had to guess, it's that Levi person Erwin mentioned that gets Astraea all flustered," says Armin. Mikasa nods, agreeing with him.

God, there it is again. Your heart beats just that tiny bit faster, thinking about Levi.

"Is he the professor you were talking about? Hange's friend?" Mikasa asks. You nod slowly, an exaggerated tight-lipped smile on your face.

"Yep. I probably don't even need to say anything." You groan again in excess, putting your head down on the table. Mikasa gives you a good-natured pat on the back. "My heart isn't prepared."

"Is it so bad for you to like someone?" asks Armin. You lift your head a bit, looking at him briefly before slumping back down.

"Yeah, you've been single for a while, right?" says Eren.

"I don't like him. He's just really hot," you lament, voice slightly muffled. "And I've never had a boyfriend before, so you could say that." You don't look up to see their reactions, but you hope they're at least surprised someone as successful as you has never been in a relationship before.

Armin, seeing your obvious discomfort, shifts the conversation over to his own weekend and pokes fun at Eren for giving bad directions to their destination, and you four spend the rest of lunch talking about anything and everything that comes to mind. At 1:00 PM, you boot Eren and Armin from your office (lovingly) so you and Mikasa can go back to work. It takes a while for the two of you to get back in the groove, but after about half an hour, things are running as smoothly as they usually are.

"I'm going to the bathroom," says Mikasa, getting up from her seat.

"Don't fall in!" You tease, smiling up from your paperwork for a second. She rolls her eyes before going to open the door. You expect to hear it close shortly after, but instead you hear Erwin.

"Good afternoon, Mikasa," he greets cordially. You immediately forget about whatever papers you're in the process of reviewing and look up to see Mikasa awkwardly looking up at Erwin with her hand still on the doorknob.

"Good afternoon." Not wanting to entertain any chance of small talk, she opens the door wider and sneaks past Erwin for the bathroom.

Good grief, why is Levi even here? He's right there, standing next to Erwin with his hands in his pockets. Thank goodness Erwin is the one to speak first.

"Thanks again for the tea!" Erwin exclaims, positively beaming. He seems to be in a better mood than he was earlier, speaking more freely now. You nod at him, unsure if you're meant to get up and actually get the tea from where he's currently standing. He makes the decision for you, stepping in and coming up to your desk. He waves Levi over, and you try your best to avoid making eye contact with either of them by fiddling with your teapot.

"It's no problem, I have more than enough to share," you say, which isn't a lie. All of your coworkers prefer coffee, so the breakroom is mostly stocked with that instead. The person previously in Erwin's position liked tea well enough to keep some there, but after they moved up the ladder, nobody ever bothered to restock the supply. After you drank through the rest of what was left behind, you decided to just bring some from home to keep some in your personal office.

Erwin looks between you and Levi, and you assume he wants you to greet each other.

"It's good to see you, Levi."

"Yeah, you too." You look up from the teapot to see Erwin still expectantly looking at you.

"How'd you like the tea?" You ask.

"It was fine," Levi says, looking around your office. Erwin chuckles, the smile on his face getting bigger.

"He loved it! He even took a picture of the label," says Erwin. You blush a bit at that, feeling a bit flustered he liked the tea that much. "Oh, speaking of, I forgot it in my office. Let me go grab it." And with that, you and Levi are left alone for the first time. Well, maybe not the first time; Hange and Erwin aren't there when you're on the bus, but there's other people there too. Yeah, this is the first time you've ever been alone with him.

"I'm glad you liked it, the tea. It's one of my favorites." He hums in response, now settling to look at your teapot.

"What tea have you been drinking?"

"Chrysanthemum." He seems a bit awkward, standing in the middle of the room, so you decide to take out your basket of teas to show him. You motion him to come closer and take a look. "You can take a couple to try, if you'd like."

He doesn't seem to be in much of a mood to talk, but that's fine. Good for you, even, since you don't have to overthink everything that he says. He takes well to looking through your collection, stopping every couple of seconds to read the labels. There's quite a lot to get through, the basket being about the size of a briefcase, but he takes his time, seemingly looking at everything.

"Why are all of these caffeine-free?" He asks, stepping a step back, probably to tell you he's done looking. You're a bit disappointed he doesn't end up taking anything, but you try not to take it personally; he probably doesn't want to seem rude taking something from someone he hardly knows.

"My mom didn't want me getting addicted to it, so I wasn't allowed any when I lived at home. I think I just grew to be too cautious of it."

He scoffs, and, for a second, you think he's going to insult you.

"Can your mom go back in time and raise Hange too? They're always hopped up on caffeine, I don't know how their brain still functions."

You giggle at that, covering your face with your hand. He isn't wrong—Hange probably drinks more coffee than water.

"Even with all the coffee, somehow I still think that's just how they are."

Suddenly, Erwin comes back into the room a bit out of breath, the container of dandelion root tea in his hand.

"Sorry I took so long, I ran into someone on the way," he apologizes, putting it on your desk.

You look between him, Levi, and the canister. You realize that if Levi liked the tea enough to take a picture of it, surely he wanted to buy it for himself, right? You don't know what spirit, entity, whatever compels you to do this, but you pick up the container and hold it out towards Levi. He stares back at you, probably confused as all hell. You're also confused, honestly—an hour ago, you probably would've leapt at any chance to go across town just to avoid making eye contact with him, but right now, you feel a bit calmer than usual when you're near him. Though, like usual, your face and ears feel a bit hot.

"Are you giving it to me?" He asks.

You nod. "Yeah."

"You literally just said it was one of your favorites."

"That means I have other favorites!" You smile at him. "I'll feel better if someone else gets to enjoy it, anyway. Nobody else here appreciates tea."

Hesitantly, Levi takes it from you. Erwin looks a bit surprised at your exchange, but otherwise, he looks just as he normally does. He checks his watch before looking back at you.

"Levi's got an appointment soon, so we better get going now. Again, Astraea, sorry for taking so long!"

You nod in understanding, waving at them from where you're sitting. Erwin's the first to leave the room, as Levi lingers a bit, looking back and forth between you and the door.

"How much is it? I can pay you back," he says, deciding to keep his eyes on you. How ironic—you were the same way last night with him, except now you're not ready to faint just thinking about his face.

"Don't worry about it. I'm a lawyer, you think I can't pay for some tea?" He sarcastically laughs at you, his face staying completely deadpan throughout. You smile again and motion towards your office door. "Enjoy it for me, yeah?"

He nods. "Thank you, I will."

Without saying any "goodbyes," he's soon out the door, and you're finally able get back to your paperwork.

You don't question why Mikasa takes nearly 30 minutes to come back from the bathroom, but you suspect that she was talking to Eren and Armin for some part of that time. She doesn't question the smile that's stuck on your face either, but she knows it has something to do with the short professor that's holding a yellow canister in his hand as he walks with Erwin to the elevator.

✰

Next Chapter

[curator-on-ao3]

agree with you about picard! same goes with strange new worlds.

i see some people being pissed that "snw spock doesn't feel like tos spock, he is too human", "snw chapel is too different from tos chapel, she is too cool", and so on.

but i prefer to think of it all this way: these series are the realities existing in the different continuity.

this way we can stop policing how canon accurate these new stories are, we can stop being afraid that the new installments are going to ruin our beloved established canon for us, and this way we can be more open-minded in allowing the new series about old characters to be flexible.

I totally agree with you, anon! 💕

I think there are a few points to unpack here:

First, fanon has compressed some characters and sometimes people expect canon to accommodate fanon. (Or vice-versa in the case of the AOS films.)

Second, not all canon is good. I have big issues with the 1960s vision of Pike getting sent away to a life of fantasy as a happy ending for him. Let disabled people contribute to society or, at minimum, be included and respected in reality (the way Pike was and did when he voted Spock guilty of mutiny for trying to send Pike away). So some canon can go fuck itself and I’m fine with it being overwritten (see also Janice Lester).

Third, I do think this is somewhat of a problem of Trek bringing back legacy characters instead of creating new ones. Established characterizations are valid. But, on the flip side, to gain more context (and modernized standards) for underutilized characters is a joy.

Fourth and finally, as you said, looking at each series as its own reality within a multiverse of possibility is just easier. Trek canon has gotten too big and sprawling (and, at times, outdated or offensive) to be constrained into a coherent whole. So many writers and so many episodes and even little things like whether Klingons can cry even though they don’t have tear ducts can become rabbit holes unless we remember that these stories are about people and people have always been open to interpretation and renewal and rebirth.

So, yes, anon, so, so, so much yes to what you said. 💕

[etes-secrecy-post]

Hi, before I explain my post, I want to say something important.

• What you see my blog has become a major overhaul. And despite the changes, I decided that my 2nd account will be now my artwork blog with a secret twist.

⚠️NEW RULE! (W/ BIGGER TEXT!)⚠️

⚠️ SO PLEASE DO NOT SHARE MY 2nd ACCOUNT TO EVERYONE! THIS SECRECY BLOG OF MINE IS FOR CLOSES FRIENDS ONLY!⚠️

• AND FOR MY CLOSES FRIENDS, DON’T REBLOG IT. INSTEAD, JUST COPY MY LINK AND PASTE IT ON YOUR TUMBLR POST! JUST BE SURE THE IMAGE WILL BE REMOVED AND THE ONLY LEFT WAS THE TEXT.

⚠️ SHARING LINKS, LIKE POSTS, REBLOG POSTS, STEALING MY SNAPSHOT PHOTOS/RECORDED VIDEOS/ARTWORKS (a.k.a. ART THIEVES) OR PLAGIARIZING FROM UNKNOWN TUMBLR STRANGERS WILL IMMEDIATELY BE BLOCKED, RIGHT AWAY!⚠️

😡 WHATEVER YOU DO, DO NOT EVER LIKED & REBLOG MY SECRET POST! THIS IS FOR MY SECRET FRIENDS ONLY, NOT YOU! 😡

Okay? Capiche? Make sense? Good, now back to the post…↓

IMPORTANT NOTE: ⚠️Some my artworks we're locked, and there are only exclusive to my super secret blog, including one from October.⚠️

Title: My Yearend Summary Artwork - 2023

Hello! So ummm... 2023 was a semi-disaster, in my opinion. As if 2022 wasn't good enough my mood, though. 📅😟 At first glance, I was slightly smooth ride in the beginning of 2023, but with bad sightings and throwing toxics at me (not really, IRL), I went into downward spiral... 😞😭 But, I could always get up, dust myself, and once again moved on my life to see what my future install in 2024. 💪 #KeepMovingForward

Nonetheless, let’s go to my “yearend artworks” 2023, and…

BTW: All of these artworks I made are not submitted via my deviantART account without a single one, despite I’m completely changed since 2019.

If you haven’t seen my 2022 version, then please [CLICK ME!].

Anyways, let’s recap of my artwork choice:↓

• JAN: Year of the Rabbit - 2023 [Jan 22nd, 2023] (LOCKED 🔒, and its now exclusive to my super secret blog)

• FEB: Cude & Mayu's Anniversaries [Feb 19th, 2023]

• MAR: The Women's Shield (feat. Windy, Rita, Debby, Riya, Tory & Lisa) [Mar 8th, 2023]

• APR: Hoppy Easter 2023 [Apr 9th, 2023] (LOCKED 🔒, and its now exclusive to my super secret blog)

• MAY: HAPPY 30TH BIRTHDAY TO THE CREATOR (ME) [May 6th, 2023]

• JUN: Big Cloud Clothing Cuddle with Miya & Sammir [Jun 1st, 2023]

• JUL: HBD Carmenramcat & Cuteness Member - Shadow Ramcat [Jul 17th, 2023]

• AUG: Speedsters in Racesuits (with GT Movie fan license card [per character]) [Aug 20th, 2023]

• SEPT: ○ My Chowder OC - Aace Speedster [Sept 1st, 2023] and ○ Happy Riya Day - 10th Anniversary [Sept 20th, 2023]

• OCT: ⛔ [The image is blurred, its completely exclusive to my super secret blog] ⛔

• NOV: My Kirby OC - PopiKir (Popii Kirby) [Nov 11th, 2023]

• DEC: Christmas Spaghetti Share [Dec 24th, 2023]

Well, that’s all for now. 🎄Merry Christmas☃️ to all & 🥂Happy New Year 🎆!

[thehistorynut19]

💌🎀🎡 from the sleepover ask game for Rau and Sento!

💌 How did you/your F/O confess your feelings to one another?

....u...uh

Am I going to die here?

It's a single thought that she has as she's laying in that lab, poison in her veins and carcinogenic materials stinging her heart.

I'm going to die here.

The gas makes it difficult to breath, even as Evolt gently caresses her cheek, gives her life.

Sento finds her by tearing down the lab with his own two hands, breaking the capsule and bringing her into his arms. He's warm, the sun to the moon and it's the warmest thing she's ever felt.

"Rau..." he whispers, nuzzling her cheek as a rabbit would, praying he could breathe life back into her dyinng veins.

"I'm here..."

Don't go where I can't follow, to that garden beyond

It's a few days after Rau became a Rider, going through the experiments hurt her yes but she refuses to let herself wilt away

A flower growing in the concrete despite all adversity.

She normally wakes up and cooks for everyone but since she had come back, the others have been cooking instead of her. She's kept trying to cook but Sento keot dragging her back to bed.

They've installed a "guard" in the kitchen and Sento's next. He fell asleep and woke up to see Rau cooking again and he's beginning to scold her but she places his fave breakfast in front of him, a tired smile to her lips "You need to go back to bed, Rau" its a gentle murmur from him as he stands and tries to usher her back to her room

"I refuse, actually" The poison in her veins made her own body work against her, when they found her the gas had made her comatose for a long while.

He's lost her once thanks to that snake and losing her again?

Terrifying.

"I can finally fight with you guys. I can protect you instead of just staying on the sidelines." Raus a fighter and he knows this, after all she had managed to poison evolt for a good while

"You're still recovering!"

"I'm fine!"

He catches her as she stumbled, dropping her knife and deathly hot frying pan.

"Rau please..."

I cant lose you

"...huh?" And they stare at one another because he had ushered those words unknowingly. "What...did you say?"

"I cant lose you!" He's shaking and almost close to a sense of tears, hugging her ou so close. "Wheb you were kidnaoped the world stopped and...I thought you were going to die while you were in the coma and I just...I love you too much to let you die because of this damn war"

And she presses her lips to his-

🎀 What’s your favorite thing about your F/O’s appearance?

His wil smile that he makes, his eyes turning into crescent moons~

🎡 What’s your dream date to go on with your F/O?

For SenRau its probably a botanical garden but also just hanging out together. They finally have all of the time in the world now, without war breathing down their backs and braying at their heels for food, scraps thrown out by them.

dare i say their ideal date is also their bed

[how-to-train-your-pomni]

And Now, Introducing... An Excerpt From a Fic I'm Writing Instead of the Third Installment of the AU I Should be Writing!

Kinger waved goodbye to Ragatha, offering a reassuring smile (or, at least the closest he could get to a smile) to her that stayed plastered on his face until she finally disappeared into her room. After that, the hallway was officially empty, and Kinger let out a heavy sigh of both relief and annoyance. It was rare for the eldest of the cast to feel such a way, but one couldn't really blame him after everything he'd just been through.

Speaking of...

Kinger stepped into his own room, shutting his door quietly and reveling in the darkness. The bitty nightlight plugged in next to his bed made Kinger chuckle; it was a gift from Pomni, a sort of "Thank you for being there when I need you."

And no, he hadn't cried for about an hour later that day because he felt so grateful, thank you very much!

Or, maybe he had? Honestly, he didn't really remember.

Regardless, Kinger loved the gift with every bit of his digital heart. Every time he looked at it, he found that it had become yet another way to stabilize his brain and stay lucid for hours on end. Some of that time had been spent with Pomni herself, the two sharing stories and delighting in each other's presence until Caine called for Lights Out.

"Kinger? Is everyone gone?" A small voice asked, startling the man and making him yelp in response. "Shh! Shh! I'm sorry!" A pair of fluffy paws popped out from the small blanket bundle on Kinger’s bed (was that a nest of some sort? It certainly looked like it) in an obvious attempt to soothe Kinger. "I thought you were lucid."

Kinger looked at the bundle and blinked slowly, one eye at a time as he processed what was just said to him. The voice sounded familiar; high-pitched and sweet, even through the very apparent anxiety of its owner.

Where had he heard that voice before?

"Um... Kinger?" The voice asked, followed by the nest (and yes, Kinger decided, that's what it was) shuffling around until a head popped out to look at him. A small head with wide, almost cartoonish eyes and a pout that was less upset and more confused. It was s bunny, an innocent creature whose nose wiggled and ears twitched every so often; the wide eyes locked onto Kinger in questioning, their pinwheel pupils large and nearly taking up every bit of space available.

Huh, that's funny. Those eyes kind of looked like Po-

Wait.

Oh.

Oh.

"Pomni!" Kinger whisper-shouted, rushing over to the girl and feeling immensely guilty for forgetting what had happened earlier. The poor jester-turned-rabbit squeaked and reeled back slightly, alerting Kinger that sudden movements weren't necessarily the greatest idea. Pomni had already been skittish in her first avatar; being turned into a small prey animal must have heightened the feeling beyond comprehension. "Oh! Forgive me, dear. I forgot about your... nervousness."

"It's okay." Pomni replied, her voice a mere whisper. "Is... is everyone gone?"

"Ah, yes! I managed to convince everyone that you simply wanted to spend time in here! A friendly sleepover!" Kinger stood straighter as he spoke, obviously proud of his accomplishment. It had not been easy, especially when trying to convince people like Zooble, who was always skeptical, alongside-

"Even Jax? Wow, that's impressive." Pomni hummed, giggling at Kinger’s preening. He did deserve it, she supposed. Throwing Jax off even the slightest of suspicious trails was... well, difficult would likely be the easiest (and nicest) word to use. "So... what now? Caine likely won't be back until morning. And even then, who knows if he'll have figured out how to fix me."

"That's true, but I don't think it's right to say he'd be 'fixing you' per se. There's nothing broken about you; you're perfect as is." Kinger slowly made his way to his bed and sat next to Pomni’s next, laying a hand down and mentally cheering as she placed a (slightly trembling) paw atop it. "Why not, instead of worrying ourselves half to Abstraction, we try..."

"Not thinking about it?" Pomni asked, already familiar with the wise and kind words that had helped soothe her after more than one nightmare and panic attack.

"Not thinking about it." Kinger agreed, his eyes closing and robe fur puffing up with unbridled joy as Pomni gently pressed her forehead against his.

"Aww, ain't this just the cutest sight?" Jax’s voice suddenly echoing through the room made both Kinger and Pomni jump. He watched as Pomni disappeared into her nest and Kinger stood in front of it, trying (and failing) to distract Jax from the situation. "Y'know, I've always wondered what it would be like to have another rabbit around here. Never thought I'd get an answer like this."

Kinger forced out a laugh, swinging a hand in a playful manner. "Oh, Jax! You certainly are funny! Say, I think I noticed Gangle walking around earlier!" It was a horrible move, trying to use Gangle as some sort of safety net, but Kinger didn’t really have much of a choice here, did he? He couldn't yell for Caine, that would just alert everyone else to the situation, and Kinger didn’t trust himself to stay lucid enough to shoo Jax away if the rabbit even so much as stepped to the side and revealed the slightest bit of light.

"Yeah? I'll have to pay her a visit." Jax swung the key to Kinger’s room around with feigned disinterest, eyes fixed on the man in front of him, and ears focused solely on the nervous squeaking coming from the nest behind him. "Say, I think I'll take that little bundle ya got over there. Give it a new home and whatnot."

"You will do no. Such. Thing." Kinger stiffened and glared at Jax, the fur on his robe now puffing up for a different reason. "Go to your room, Jax. I don't want to hurt you."

"Oh, Kinger," Jax chuckled, stopping the key's swinging and twisting his hand, watching calmly as it seemingly disappeared into thin air. His own fur puffed up slightly, making him look just this side of intimidating. "I'd love to see you try..."