#like an over sanitized hospital wing

[sing-me-under]

The Greater Kingdom smelled like concrete. It was a quickly growing nation, and new roads and building foundations were popping up everywhere. You couldn’t escape the smell of wet concrete.

L’Manberg smelled of blaze powder and mud. Well, to be more accurate, the camarvan smelled like blaze powder and mud, and the then-few citizens of L’Manberg carried that scent around with them. Even after L’Manberg grew to a proper size after the revolution, it smelt of wet dirt and dewy grass from the lakeside to the port, and their president’s fingers were always lightly dusted with blaze powder everywhere he went.

Manberg smelled like smoke and sewage. Industrialism, they called it. No one wanted to admit that they didn’t know how to navigate the ex-vice president’s sewer system, so they left it to rot. (It served as a great escape route.)

New L’Manberg had an ever present stench of gunpowder. It stuck to everything, old and new. Even as they lit scented oil and floated them across the sky, even as they used the strong-smelling spruce (the Vice President hated the smell of spruce—oak was far better), the capital city built over a crater never lost the smell of gunpowder. It seemed to stretch all the way to the borders of the Greater Kingdom.

[3am-dumbassery]

MC goes to hospital but it's for a specialist appointment

I had a specialist appointment today. Just thinking about how they would react to MC going to the hospital

Tw: GN!MC (no pronouns), hospital mention, healthcare,

this has been in my drafts for like a year

Lucifer

Probably took you to the appointment tbh

You would've had to explain that you needed to go if you were in the devildom at the time

Gets you a treat after. The longer/more invasive the appointment, the bigger the treat lol

Will take you to the chemist after if you need something there

10/10 the most gentlest man

Probably being harassed by his brothers about you the whole time

If you ask, he will probably let you touch his wings. He might wrap you in them if you're nervous and that helps

Mammon

Freaks out when you tell him you need to go to the hospital

Probably runs before you can explain. Goes to Satan or Lucifer to tell them you're dying and to help you

Once you explain, they call him an idiot and he gets very embarrassed, but relieved you aren't dying

Takes you in one of his cars "for comfort"

More anxious than you. Paces about outside and texts every few minutes to check up on you

Sends his crows to look through the windows

Make sure to tell him when you're going into the appointment so he doesn't breakdown when he doesn't get an answer

Buys you a piece of jewellery "for good luck" afterwards (he most likely enchanted it) as well as any medical supplies needed

He got spooked, so he doesn't leave your side for a while after getting home (please cuddle him. It's for your sake, he swears)

Leviathan

Doesn't know what to do with the information

He'll offer to help you talk to Lucifer, but unless you specifically ask him to come with you, he probably wont

If he does come with you, he's got one of those nappy bags but full of entertainment devices

Game consoles, novels, manga, chargers, headphones, everything! He's ready. There are even drawing supplies

No matter how long you wait you won't be bored

Takes you to buy a new game/manga afterwards and offers to hang out and/or have a sleepover when you get home

Asks one of his brothers to get you any medical supplies you need so you can chill

Constantly checking in on you if you decide to go to your room instead

Satan

Pretty standard. Similar to Lucifer

He offers to "talk" to Lucifer about you going to the human realm

Steals Borrows Lucifer's car

Has brought books and headphones for music/audiobooks

Waits patiently. Checks up every half hour on the dot unless you ask him not to

Takes you to your choice of (cat) cafe/bookstore/library after if you feel up to it

If not, he might buy you a book

Makes you tea of your choice when you get home and offers to read to you

Also sends someone else to get medical supplies

This man knows comfort. He will set you up in the comfiest little nest with blankets and books and snacks. And maybe himself if you ask nicely

Asmodeus

The most dramatic reaction ever

I'm talking draped over the furniture like one of those renaissance paintings

Honestly a little bit annoying, but kind of funny and endearing that he cares so much

You will probably have to get Satan or Lucifer to help calm him down and explain

He might also need to go to the hospital after the heart attack you gave him!

Makes you a little care package to take with you. sanitizers, hand cream, wipes, he even tried to give you an overnight pack with a soft dressing gown and slippers

He will come with you if you ask, but he might be a bit clingy and try to come in to the appointment with you (also hospitals are gross)

Makes Mammon or Lucifer chauffeur you

Treats you to one of his famous spa days afterwards

Fluffy cozy movie night in one of your rooms. Can't let that over night bag go to waste!

Beelzebub

Gets a little bit sad that he didn't realise his human was sick

Please explain the situation quickly, he might cry

Once he understands, he asks if you need anything. Very sensible about it all

Gets Belphie to protect/cuddle you while he helps organise things

Makes you some healthy snacks to munch on if you get nervous (makes himself a large amount too, he's very nervous)

Wants to come with you, to protect you

The bestest boi. You have to stop him from carrying you. Even so, he's always just barely touching you in one way or another.

Waits patiently like a puppy for the appointment to be finished

Once you're home, gets Belphie to keep you comfortable while he gets anything else you might need. (Snacks, medicine, etc.)

You're not leaving his side tonight. Prepare to be smothered in cuddles

Belphegor

Was only half awake beforehand, but not anymore. He's never felt more awake

Once he understands the situation, he calms down a bit and gets beel to help him help you

Curls around you like a cat. Tries to get you to take a nap before you go

Will only go if you really want him too. He doesn't want to accidentally fall asleep and become a burden.

Definitely gets Satan to help him "borrow" Lucifer's car

Sends other people to get things while he stays with you like a guard dog.

He stayed awake for a long time, so now you owe him (just thank him and give him cuddles)

Will make the most comfortable little nest for you (and him. And probably Beel too) to sleep in tonight

[onlyknownothing]

Okay, so you've waited WAY too late for this. You can no longer expect to defrost a full bird. At all. Time for the...

FINAL EMERGENCY THANKSGIVING PROTOCOL

There is not enough time for your turkey to thaw whole, you're going to have to serve a pre-parted turkey. It's either that or NO turkey, so decide if you're willing to go at a partly-frozen turkey with a meat cleaver NOW.

You will need a cleaver for this. I am NOT kidding. You may think a chef's knife will work, that's something dark and twisted whispering in your ear with the aim of sending you to the Emergency Room. CLEAVER.

Take all wrapping/packaging off the turkey. Put the turkey in the sink, in the largest pot you have that will fit. If no pots will fit both the turkey and the sink, get something to partly-block (not FULLY block - that will flood your kitchen) the drain.

Now run a thin stream of water into the pot/sink. Continuously. NOT HOT WATER. Cold water. Hot water will just partly-cook the outside of the turkey, which will fuck it up even more when it comes time to actually do cooking.

Do this for three hours. ONLY THREE HOURS. It won't be thawed by the time you're done with this. You will want to do more. Do NOT listen to that temptation, you may send someone to the hospital. Raw meat must only be at room temperature for a maximum of four hours to avoid potentially sickening people.

While the three hours are progressing, take another large pot and make brine. They sell brining blends, or just use this one from the Food Network. But use LESS WATER. You will need about a 2-to-1 ratio of water to salt.

This brine is stronger than the one I stated on my last post about this, because you'll need to cool it down quickly - you aren't going to be putting turkey in just-off-boiling brine unless you want what may be the worst turkey Thanksgiving has ever seen. So put ice in it until it's cool to the touch. If you need to get ice, go get ice - you have three hours.

Now, three hours is up and you have a partly-thawed turkey in your sink and a big pot of brine. Time to break down the bird.

Get out a cookie sheet. Put it on top of a slightly-dampened kitchen towel/hand towel on your counter. Now put a damp kitchen towel/hand towel IN it, spread out. Put a cutting board on that. This will keep the majority of the raw turkey juice off your countertops, and still keep the thing from moving around unexpectedly. Unexpectedly moving cutting board = hospital trip. Don't risk it.

Using your cleaver, break the turkey down at its joints. The turkey isn't fully-thawed, you will NEED the extra heft of the cleaver to get through the joints. Use a chef's knife to get down to the frozen parts cleanly, but then switch up. Don't hack - that's uncontrolled and dangerous. Put the palm of your non-gripping hand against the back of the cleaver, secure the meat against the solid cutting board, and use body-weight to push through. NEVER CUT TOWARDS YOUR BODY.

Bag up the parted bird with the brine IN SECTIONS and get it back in the fridge. Wings in one bag, leg in one bag, other leg in another bag, one breast in one bag and one in another. Use freezer bags, and put them apart from one-another on baking pans in case they leak. Clear out an entire shelf of your fridge for this if you have to - yes, it will be a pain, YOU WAITED TOO LONG.

Clean and sanitize your kitchen, you've scattered raw poultry juices all over the place. Sink, countertops, all the pots and cutting equipment.

By splitting up the parts, they should thaw fast enough that you will have functional turkey for Thanksgiving. It won't look like a centerpiece or whatever, but you'll be able to eat it without getting salmonella. Now, next year?

TAKE THE TURKEY OUT EARLIER.

[boldlyvoid]

No Longer Alone Together: Part 6

Part 6 | Masterlist

December 18th - Baby Prentiss 

The kids woke up to find the whole property covered in a thick layer of snow. The plows have been running all night, so there’s more at the end of their drive than anywhere else. All 3 of their own kids get all dressed up in their snowsuits, alongside their dad, helping him shovel the driveway so they could head out to the hospital later to meet their new cousin. 

Inside, Mom was making a special breakfast casserole for them to dig into when they came inside, and entertaining little PJ as he eats in his high chair. Smiling away as he babbles his half of the conversation, stuffing scrabbled eggs and yogurt drops into his mouth with one hand while he squeezes the life out of his slice of toast with the other. 

Her phone pings just as she goes to pick it up to take a photo of him for his moms… “and just like that you’re a big brother, little guy.” 

She tears up as she stares at the photo, the tiny little baby is almost as pink as the blanket she’s wrapped in. Her little hat has a sweet bow on it and she has Spencer’s nose… Y/N holds her hand over her heart with a smile, tears falling down her cheeks. She turns the phone around so PJ can see, “look, thats your baby sister…” 

He doesn’t talk much, he uses his words carefully when he does choose to talk. He just points at her, “baby may!” 

She swipes the photo back down into the chat to see what the message says, and sure enough. Her name is Mabel Valarie Prentiss, their little M.V.P.

“Yeah, that’s baby May,” she cries even harder. 

When the kids come back in, they all huddle around her phone with bright red cheeks and freezing-cold noses. She gives each of them a hug and a kiss and holds their faces in her hands trying to warm them up. 

They get very excited when they see what breakfast is and their special hot chocolate, it’s not often they get to have that in the morning, but today wasn’t like any other day. They do their tradition of holding hands and today they all agree that they’re grateful for baby May being born safe and healthy… it makes Y/N cry once again, reminding her that she is indeed, very pregnant. 

“Hey, now you and May are like me and PJ,” Noelle says into the lull in the conversation, it was quiet for mere seconds and she was filling it with an idea. Her statement pointed towards her brother, “cause his birthday is just before mine and now May’s is before yours.” 

“You’re right, Noa,” Spencer smiles over at her, “isn’t that cool?” 

“Are we going to see her soon?” Atlas wonders, “are we allowed in the hospital?” 

“Yeah, we’re allowed in, but we’re still going to wear masks and wash our hands okay?” She preps them, at least it’s not as strict as when PJ was born. They didn’t meet him until he was 2 months old and it felt like forever… now they see him every day it seems. “Aunty Laura is really tired from all the energy it takes to have a baby so we have to wait for Em to call us and say she’s feeling up for it okay?” 

“Okay,” they all agree in unison, continuing their breakfast and their little conversations right after. 

—

The call comes in right after PJ’s afternoon nap, they get him all dressed up in his "big brother" shirt and a nice sweater over it. Each kid is buckled up in the van, it’s completely full and it makes Spencer worry only slightly about how the heck they’d take the 4 of them plus May and their new baby next year… babysitting his niece and nephew was about to get a lot harder.

They’re on their best behaviour as they enter the maternity wing, they get visitor stickers to put on their coats and some hand sanitizer to rub in on their walk to the Prentiss room. PJ walks on his own, his big winter boots scuff on the floor while Atlas follows, trying to hold his hand but he wants to be a big boy today.  

“Mom, I’ll have to call you back,” they hear Laura talking before they see her, pulling back the curtain that hid her bed from the door, she’s holding her little girl in bed with Emily on her side and her phone in her hand. “PJ just got here.” 

“Oh, send me lots of photos, okay?” Her mom's voice comes barrelling down the phone, “I love you all.” 

“We love you too,” she smiles and then hangs up, tears forming in her eyes, “hey guys… ” 

PJ runs up to the bed, talking to them with his toddler babble while he tried to tug himself up onto the bed. 

“Hey there, yourself, mama,” Y/N teases her, squatting down to help PJ out of his coat and then up onto the hospital bed. “Here you go buddy, remember, be gentile.” 

“He’s going to be so good,” Emily says while she wipes his curly brown hair from his eyes and pulls him in for a sweet hug. “We missed you today, Peej.” 

“Mith you, mama,” he says while pushing back from her and out of the mess of gray hair in his face. “Baby May?” 

“Yeah, this is your baby sister,” Laura really starts to cry then as she sits up a bit more and shows him the baby in her arms. “You get to grow up with her and show her all your toys…” 

PJ leans over and rests his head on her swaddled chest, “tiny sissy,” he smiles, staring up at his mom's with glee. He’s so happy to finally have a sister. 

However, he touches Laura's slightly smaller tummy and wonders, “no baby?” 

“Nope, she’s out here now in the real world,” Emily explains. “Now you get to play with her and read to her, she’s going to love you.” 

It’s a very sweet moment to watch from the sidelines this time. Normally it’s Emily and Laura bringing in one of their own kids to meet their sibling. The first time they brought in Atlas to meet Noa, Y/N was a mess and then the second time both of them came in to meet Luna… it was the sweetest moment in her life and now Laura gets it too. 

Y/N stands close to the bed while Spencer is with their three kids at the end of the bed, watching on silently with wondrous eyes and happy smiles. Y/N brushes Laura’s hair back and smiles down at her, “how are you feeling? Do you need anything?” 

“No, I’m okay,” she smiles back. “We’re going to stop by Mcdonald's for a burger on the way home though… the food here sucks.” 

“Are you going home tonight?” Spencer asks, “you’re not staying the full 3 days?” 

They shake their heads, “no… it wasn’t worth it last time with PJ, we rather just be at home,” Emily explains. “We know what to do and we have you guys.” 

“Can I hold her?” Atlas asks from the end of the bed, arms out already, knowing what to do. 

“Sure,” Laura smiles, “why don’t you sit in that chair there,” she points over to the armchair in the corner of the room with a baby feeding pillow resting on top. 

Y/N helps him clean off the chair, take off his coat and sit down nicely. The baby is handed to Y/N first and it takes everything in her not to hog the sweetly wrapped infant and pass her along, but… she stares down at her cute little face and tears up right away. 

Atlas is holding his arms out, waiting, his feet kick happily as they dangle off the edge of the chair. He’s happy to just wait while his mom takes a few seconds to look at her newest niece. Her tears fall down her cheeks when she realizes that this is only her second niece, but Spencer’s 3rd daughter technically. And she looks like him… 

In order to not sob, she gives the baby to Atlas. She quits down to his level and lowers the baby carefully into his arms, she helps him get into the best position to support her head and then he’s good. He’s so good with her. 

“Spence, can you—” she calls him over but he’s already right there beside her, ready to take over supervising. 

“Yeah, I got it, baby,” he assures her. 

She stands up and looks at Laura with sorry eyes but Laura just calls her over, she pats the bed and makes her come sit. She pulls her into a hug, and Y/N rests her head on Laura's shoulder, “she’s beautiful…” 

“Thank you,” Laura rubs her back, lowering her voice to a whisper so the kids don’t hear, “she’s his twin…” 

“I saw that,” she doesn’t mean to cry but she does. It’s not jealousy, it’s not regret… she’s just pregnant and emotional. “I’m so happy for you, I promise, I don’t know why I’m crying, I’m sorry.” 

“It’s okay,” Laura manages to laugh, “I love you, you know?” 

“I love you, too,” she pulls back with a smile and wipes her tears off her cheek. “And you, Em, really, congrats.” 

Emily reaches over and rubs her hand over Y/N’s arm with a knowing smile, “thank you… we wouldn’t have them if you didn’t help so much.” 

She manages to smile, “my part wasn’t difficult… but it was hard.” 

“Hey,” Spencer turns around, shocked that she would make a joke like that right now, “really?” 

Laura and Emily laugh too, the kids are oblivious as the huddle around Atlas in the chair, all wanting a turn holding the baby. One day they’d know they’re all actually siblings, till then, they’re really happy just sharing this moment as a group of tiny friends.

[youarejesting]

Hope in the sheets.10

[Masterlist]

Beta: N/A Pairing: Hoseok x Reader Genre: Friendship, Comedy, Soft boy, Fluff, SMUT, Friends2Lovers, Words: 5k

Summary: You held many titles: his neighbor, colleague, wing-man… well, more likely a wing-woman, yet most importantly, you were his best friend. You had been friends since you were born. Between the two of you, you were younger; barely, but he never let you forget it. He always seemed to ruffle your hair and tease you, which could get rather annoying but he made up for it by treating you to things.

What if a drunken one night stand between you and your best friend Hoseok leads to more complicated situations? Your reckless twenties are cut short as you find yourself suddenly responsible for something a little more.

Warning: Implied sex, pregnancy, implied reader has baby.

[First] [Previous] [Masterlist] [Next]

Hoseok and the others were eventually led into the birthing suite; the entire place had been cleaned and only the bare minimum of staff stayed behind. They were sorting out equipment and monitoring your current state. When his eyes landed on yours he felt emotions bloom in his chest. There you were laying in the bed, a small bundle of soft blankets nestled delicately in your arms. You had showered and dressed in a nightdress that had been packed in your hospital bag. 

Hoseok’s lip curled. He was trying to hold his expression, giving you a forced smile before he broke out into tears. Holding your free arm out to him, he stumbled into your embrace kissing your forehead and telling you how much he loved you. 

His words were broken by the force of each sob. “Are you going to hold her, or do we have to hold you?” Yoongi playfully teased. Hoseok wiped his eyes taking a few shakey deep breaths trying to calm his emotions. 

When you moved the blanket to show your daughter laying gently against your chest, he was a mess once more. “Hobi, you want to hold her?”

“I can hold her?” He hadn’t even thought that far ahead. He could hold this baby, his daughter, he could hold her in his arms and she was real. 

“Of course you can hold her.” You laughed, reaching up to wipe his tears away. Hoseok remembered everything he was taught from the birthing classes, practically reciting them out loud. You placed his daughter in his arms and his bottom lip fell. 

Tears were his automatic response. There was nothing else, this miracle, this symbol of his love for you, his best and longest friend. This was his child, his flesh and blood and he couldn’t thank you enough for giving him such a gift. 

“You have to stop crying Hobi, we need a nice picture for your family.” You smiled and he tilted his head back sniffing. 

“I love you so much, and I love her, I just can’t stop crying.” The words broke again Hoseok turned to show off his daughter to his friends. They were some of the people he was closest to and when he looked at them they were all crying. Jungkook’s wet cheeks and red nose, Jimin’s sweet puffy eyes bubbling with tears, even Yoongi let out a stray sniff. 

By far it was a sight to see big burly Namjoon openly weeping like Hoseok and cooing over how precious she was. 

“Look how little she is,” Namjoon whimpered

“Her hands are so tiny too,” Hoseok said back. The two were just making it worse for each other, a back and forth of doting comments of your newborn each statement causing a fresh cycle of tears. 

The nurse who had been checking your vitals waiting to take you back to the ward rolled her eyes. “I have seen some sappy fathers but you brought a whole troop.”

“Gentleman it’s time to let mum and her baby get some sleep, the father can come back tomorrow morning any other guests can come two at a time during visiting hours.” She ushered the other six males from the room, Hoseok kissed you his cheeks were wet. 

“I don’t want to go.”

“Get some sleep Hobi, get the house ready. If all goes well I will be out of the hospital soon.” The nurse took your daughter from Hoseok’s arms. 

“Wait, can I give her a kiss?” You whispered. The nurse nodded bringing your daughter over allowing you to kiss her goodnight before she was wheeled down to the nursery. 

“Are you ready to go back to the ward? You should get some sleep. Your body will be exhausted. We will bring the child in when she is hungry.”

“Okay Hobi, I have to go rest now you head home and make the house all ready for when we come home okay.” You waved goodbye to him and watched as Jimin took his hand leading him from the room. He seemed reluctant to take his eyes off of you, his hand coming to lay flat under his heart. 

You touched your collar bone watching him mouth the words 'baseline'. It was like everything you ever wanted but such a weird and obscure way you got there. You wanted to be with Hoseok and cherish him and be loved in return, but you never thought you would get there by completely derailing your relationship and almost ruining your life. 

It was like you had to destroy what you had to build something better. It seems counterproductive and a step in the wrong direction but somehow you were able to shape the rubble of your friendship into a relationship stronger than before. 

You love Hoseok with all your heart and he only has eyes for you. It seems you were both delusional to believe that you weren’t in love. Everyone could see it except the two of you and now it was painfully obvious. 

Being a mother was kind of a shock. Scared when you woke up to cramps, only to remember you had already given birth, you were also woken throughout the night to feed your daughter. A part of you worried about taking care of someone, the responsibility setting in as being a mother was a full-time job.

“You are doing wonderful.” The nurse gave you some pain killers for your cramps, your uterus was slowly shrinking back to its regular size and you were uncomfortable. “Would you like me to get you anything?”

“I would love something to drink.” Voice hoarse from sleep, she nodded before setting off for you. You sat up watching the sunrise, your daughter sleeping soundly on the bed in front of you. She was so precious. Even with closed eyes she still wiggled and stretched her hands out to the warm glowing orb.

“Seonhee, do you like that name?” You whispered, taking out a small outfit: a white onesie with sunflowers and bright yellow footed pants with soft yellow ruffles on the butt. “Jung Seonhee.”

“Ah, is that her name?” The nurse smiled, placing some apple juice and water on the small bedside table. She sanitized her hands and began helping you with the baby's clothes and diaper, bagging the old clothes and disposing of the soiled diaper. She smiled down at the little girl in her bright outfit. “I think it suits her, Seonhee”

The doctor came by on her round, her hair pulled into a tight bun and her scrubs pastel blue with stalks. “You are looking better, how are you feeling?” There was no messing around, she was straight to business, checking for any concerns or pain. Your stomach was being palpated while she brought up things to look out for. “Ultimately if anything happens that you are unsure about, even if it is something silly like, should I have coffee while breastfeeding, call this number here, they are a great service and they will help you.”

“Thank you so much.” Taking the card you were handed and a little care package from the hospital, the nurse placed the card into the baby book which had accompanied you throughout pregnancy and after. “Am I okay to go home today?”

“You are all clear. Let us know what time you want to leave and we can have all the paperwork ready.” Pausing in the doorway, a young nurse almost bumping into her, she spun around, her coat swishing with her. “After giving birth a lot of women become a little moody, fatigued, or cry. This is totally normal as your hormones will be dropping back to a normal level. It is perfectly normal to feel these things during this time.”

“Ah, that’s good to know.” You replied while searching through the care package, glancing at some of the booklets and information sheets. There was a number for a community service where mothers take their babies to be weighed and receive checkups. The nurses had few information sessions on feeding techniques and developmental leaps. 

Looking forward to being a part of a group of new mothers, you knew you would have a lot of questions eventually. It would be nice to know if other mothers have similar concerns or effective tips for any future problems.

Hoseok arrived with a big smile, kissing you sweetly before heading over to scoop up his daughter. “Wait Hobi,” you stopped him, “I need to talk to you before you get all teary-eyed again.”

“Okay,” serious expression on his face he gave you all his attention.

“We need to agree on her name and sign the birth certificate.” The smile returned to his face, the twinkle in his eyes never dwindling since the moment he stepped into the room. “I like the name 선희 (Seonhee) written as 善 meaning Good or nice and 希 as in Hope”

Hoseok watched you write an example on a scrap piece of paper, and began nodding enthusiastically. Hands shaking the two of you eyed one another passing secret smiles, the taste of giggles on the tip of your tongue. Once the document was completed Hoseok’s hand swooped up into your hair, cradling your nape as he kissed you.

Neither lazy nor heated, the kiss was full and romantic, his lips telling a story against yours. The world stopped and only Hoseok existed. Until a shrill cry broke through the silence and the two of you apart. The cry brought with it the sound of machines and nurses walking down the hall.

“You want to go home,” Hoseok raced around the hospital bed towards your daughter, wiggling in the tiny hospital portable bassinet. His style was honestly amusing. Strips of fabric hanging from a graffitied shirt with a cargo jacket and sneakers. Strange to see him holding a baby but you loved it so much. 

Just because you were parents didn’t mean you had to get rid of everything you love. Sure you had to grow up and it was extreme. The transition you made while pregnant felt like your life was ending. That you would live to serve a tiny being. But seeing Hoseok still smiling the same, still wearing the same street hip hop style reassured you that you still had a life outside of being a mother and that would never change.

Of course, the two of you probably wouldn’t club anymore. It would be unfair if either of you went out without the other and unfair on your daughter if you were not there for her. Not to mention the cost of babysitting and the trust you would need in order to leave Seonhee with someone who wasn’t you or Hoseok.

Hoseok helped you with your bags packing the car, he had borrowed Jin’s for a smoother drive. Always thoughtful even on the littlest details. Sitting by the baby's car seat while Hoseok drove you home apologizing for every speed bump and every turn.

“Hoseok, I would like to go home before it is dark. You don’t have to drive that slow.” You laughed, he was being so serious like a knight or warrior preparing for battle to protect those he loves. In the reflection of the rearview mirror, you saw his lips twitch in amusement, the sun shining on his shaggy hair. “I love you.”

“Babe,” He whined, “you can’t say that when I am driving, I want to kiss you and then we really won’t get home before dark.”

His eyes flickered up to meet yours in the mirror before concentrating diligently once more on the road. He was singing softly to the radio as he crossed town, you must have fallen asleep as you were woken by his sweet laugh and some kisses on your cheek.

“We are home Lil darling.”

Breathing deeply trying to clear your head from your nap, as the fog in your mind disappeared your hands were secured in Hoseok’s as he helped you out of the car. Standing patiently for your body to catch up, the tender sensations in your stomach leaving you stiff.

“Seonhee, time to see your new home.” Hoseok scooped up the infant holding her to his chest as if it was the most natural thing like he had several years of experience. As opposed to this child being his firstborn. He took the soft yellow muslin wrap and covered her protecting her eyes from the afternoon sun.

Opening the door, you weren’t surprised, (mostly because you had spotted their cars on the curb) to see the boys sitting on your couch equally as excited to see you as they had been the day before in the birthing suite. Hoseok was placing your bag on the table when Seonhee started crying.

“Hey, sweetheart what’s wrong?” Hoseok patted her bottom to a steady rhythm hoping it would lull her back to sleep. Her crying continued and you felt your shirt grow damp, taking a seat you held out your hands for your daughter and nursed her while the boys kept their eyes firm on one another to respect your privacy.

“Are you drinking or are you sleeping?” You giggled at your daughter who was milk drunk. Burping her gently she wiggled releasing a few loud burps and spitting up a little onto the back of your hand and the small burp cloth you had been holding to her clothes.

“Let me take her while you clean up.” Yoongi smiled, scooping up your daughter, holding her so her head was supported, her arms and legs draped over either side of his arm. His other hand rubbed and patted her back gently as he swayed.

“You look like a squashed pie.” He smiled cheekily talking to the baby in his arms. “Cute bow shape lip from your mum, and your nose is very cute like Hoseok’s.”

“How dare you call her a squashed pie.” Namjoon tried to defend but when Yoongi turned he showed the infant, her cheek squished up against his arm, her drool slowly seeping between parted lips. “Okay, maybe a little but she is also adorable.”

“All babies look like aliens when they are born,” you grinned.

“But do you love her, more than anything else in the world?” Jungkook giggled trying to make small talk while also projecting his newfound love for such a tiny being.

“We just met, I need some time to get to know her some more.” You joke playfully curled up on the couch Seokjin handing you some dinner and a cup of tea while the boys took turns meeting your daughter.

“It says in the paperwork she can have a bath tomorrow, and that her first poo might be really yucky.” Hoseok read the take-home leaflets from the hospital and constantly checked on his two girls making sure they were both safe and sound.

“Put her in outfits you don’t care if they get destroyed,” Yoongi was singing something to the child. It was low and rough. He was talking about dreams, freestyling about how your daughter didn’t need to go to university and that she didn’t have to know everything right at this moment.  

Placing the little girl into Jimin’s waiting arms. His eyes sparkled and his lip dropped as he turned soft for the little girl.

“Hello, I am Uncle Jimin and I am going to spoil you so much.” His sweet voice gasped. He practically wiggled on the spot when she brought her fists up to her closed eyes and yawned. Taehyung was quietly snapping photos, careful not to use the flash as he didn’t want to hurt the baby's sensitive eyes, even while they were closed. He assured you, that he would get photos of everyone holding Seonhee. He had already captured Yoongi and was taking a few extra of Jimin with the small bundle.

It was honestly nice to see them all so supportive and there for your daughter. Images in your mind blooming of her first Christmas and birthday and all that would follow. Namjoon would buy her a green bike with flowers and tassels on the handles and Yoongi, helping assemble it before she woke up, attaching the training wheels for her safety.

Learning how to wrap people around her finger from her Uncle Jimin and then using it against them. She would be a dancer like her father and would light up the room. You could see her performing on a stage with the eight of you waiting with flowers to throw on stage. Maybe she wouldn’t win the first prize at her first show but they would still take her out for pizza and celebrate. Her skills would improve and the day she wins the trophy she would be lifted onto Seokjin’s shoulders. 

Not noticing you had started crying until Namjoon pulled you into a hug.  “Hey what’s got you so upset.”

“No, I am not upset, I was told that as my hormones go back to normal, I might cry and be more tired and moody and upset and I just,” Sniffing Jungkook handed over some tissues and hugging your back. The newer of the group Taehyung and Jungkook had just fit perfectly into the group, it was like they were always meant to be.

“Hey love,” Hoseok said, coming over to kneel at your feet holding your knees softly. "Tell me what made you so upset."

“I was thinking about her first Christmas and her first birthday and how you would all be here and she would be loved and…” Taking a sniff and pushing the tears from your eyes you looked up at them seriously. “You can never leave now, we are going to be one big family. I hope you know you are now each my daughter's uncles and therefore responsible to attend events. If you didn’t want to be a part of the family, I am sorry you are now my family.”

More tears shook your form. “You're the only family I have, I wasn’t exactly disowned more than I left when my mother told me not to have my sweet daughter. My precious baby deserves a big happy family and so I am sorry you are stuck with me. 

“And don’t even think you are getting out of it.” You pointed at Taehyung and Jungkook, “You are my family now. Seonhee needs lots of uncles to protect her.”

“We aren’t leaving,” Seokjin grinned, taking a turn holding the wiggling bundle, smiling for a picture, and looking at her. “She will be a heartbreaker.”

~

The first couple of weeks were a learning curve filled with broken sleep, reheated meals courtesy of Seokjin, and constant fatigue looming over your head. Jimin appeared one-afternoon Taehyung, Namjoon and Yoongi apprehended your daughter. Settling her into a baby carrier strapped to Namjoon’s chest. The thick bodyguard looked a little silly with a tiny child nestled against his pecs.

Seonhee was wearing a new outfit from her uncle Jimin. It was a sweet-footed onesie with bear ears warm enough for a day out in the park. Kicked out of the house by Jimin who stressed how much you needed a break. Hoseok was at work while you were still on leave which meant you took the larger portion of the home and baby duties.

Mostly because you were at home all day, but also not wanting to interfere with his sleep schedule seeing as he was going to an actual job that needed proper attention. There wasn’t even a moment of hesitation from Jimin as he dragged you into the bathroom and started the bath filling it with a generous amount of bubble bath. It was the sleepy-time product you had chosen for your baby, emitting a soft lavender scent.

“You relax and I will wash your hair.” He smiled and he massaged your scalp to help relieve any tension, after washing out all your hair products he took your skincare products letting you lay in the bubbles as he pampered you. “You are such a good mum, you are doing amazing.”

“I hope so,” you yawned.

You stepped out of the tub, quickly wrapping yourself into the fluffy robe you hadn’t used in a while. Then sat down on your bed whilst Jimin dried and styled your hair. The others had returned, poking their heads into the room and smiling at your new refreshed look. You quickly fed your daughter while Jimin braided your hair securely.

“You rest okay, we will watch her until Hoseok comes home. Don’t worry we will come to you if we are unsure about anything and for food times.” Yoongi said playing some soft tranquil music on the small speaker by your bed. 

It seemed pointless. Laying there believing it impossible to fall asleep. As you walked past the clock reading half-past one, your stomach rumbled in a gentle protest. Before you could even think of the food you wanted to get dressed, pulling on a white crop top and a baggy overall dress. Something easy to breastfeed in. It was definitely time as your breasts were heavier with milk.

Walking out you poured yourself a glass of juice and scooped up your fussing daughter, stomach growling again. Yoongi stood up marching into the kitchen, rapidly chopping ingredients. Soon the house was filled with a savory aroma and the glorious sound of oil sizzling. 

~

Hoseok was having his first afternoon with Seonhee. You were going for a checkup. Jungkook was free and agreed to accompany you to your appointment, he almost paled when he saw the equipment on the table for your checkup. It made for a good laugh and endless teasing during your small coffee date afterward.

Jungkook’s phone buzzed and he grinned texting back quickly. “Ooh, what or who is making you smile so big?”

“Uh, I just got a funny text from Namjoon. Apparently, Hoseok asked for company so Namjoon and Yoongi stopped by the house after their errands.” He laughed, nose scrunching showing off his front teeth. “And well, your daughter may have accidentally had a poo explosion. So far from the pictures I have seen, Yoongi and Hoseok are covered in it. And while trying to help Namjoon dropped a whole bottle of baby powder and they are vacuuming the carpet.”

“Jimin and Taehyung agreed to pick up some more and I have been asked to keep you busy,” Your smile growing the more you heard, of course, they would make a mess on your first day out. Expecting something chaotic to happen but never something as funny as this. 

“I am just glad it is something like this and not that someone is sick or hurt,” You smiled while eating a strawberry cheesecake and sipping coffee. Not making any move of leaving early and relieving them of their duty. It was a right of passage and showed just how much you trusted them. Hearing that something happened and not jumping to take over.

“They said not to tell you, but how could I not?” Jungkook turned his phone showing you some photos worthy of scrapbooking, the kind you would take out for Seonhee’s twenty-first and a story she would get sick of hearing at every family gathering. “Look at them.”

“Well while they are busy, how about we go grocery shopping? I think perhaps we can make something delicious for dinner,” Standing and collecting your jacket from your chair, and leading the way. Jungkook followed listening to your concerns about your weight and figure, he assured you how good you were looking and even offered to personally train you at 21, the gym.

~

Seonhee was growing steadily. Each milestone leading into the next, she would roll over and had started to crawl. Finding herself putting things she shouldn’t in her mouth. Going back to work was hard for the first few days, leaving Seonhee at the daycare was easy but she became more clingy when she came home. It was her way of coping with the separation that came with daycare and full-time work but eventually, Seonhee got into a routine.

Understanding that her parents were always coming back made everything in the house run a lot smoother. She had a small handful of sounds, mostly eomma, appa. 

Work was a lot more tolerable and dare you to say fun. Jimin had quit his sugar baby gig and joined the company working alongside you. Sure he had broken a few hearts by canceling his service but he was happier. He never explicitly said it but you believed he was trying to be more independent and above everything else make himself more approachable to Taehyung.

Taehyung however left for a while, he had been away working with a few celebrities and luxury brands, photographing concepts, photos, and more. He had been pushing and working harder and harder as the days passed until he traveled away for his latest project. 

It was a little sad that they weren’t together but you could see the longing in Jimin’s eyes whenever he replayed Taehyung’s Instagram story. Dragging him from his desk to have lunch together and distract him from the thoughts spinning around in his head.

~

December marked eleven months since Seonhee was born. Cruising against the couch and cabinets opening things she shouldn’t. You had invested in baby locks and a small playpen. Neither really did much as she knew how to push the whole contraption across carpet and tiles to get into things. 

Mostly she would follow you to the kitchen hoping to get teething biscuits or any other treats her father would sneak her. He was never able to say no and you often found them sneaking snacks together where he would give you his big eyes and pouty lips claiming that she deserved a snack.

Christmas had your house filled to the brim with presents and boys, Seokjin was cooking in the kitchen with Yoongi’s help while Jimin and Jungkook were playing with Seonhee. Hoseok was helping Namjoon into a Santa costume in the backyard. No one had heard from Taehyung. You assumed he was busy with work and that he would be unable to make it.

There was a knock and Jungkook raced to answer it and laughed, “Finally, I thought you were skipping out on the family Christmas.”

“I wouldn’t skip out on the family Christmas, you are my favorite family,” Taehyung said handing over a suitcase to Jungkook and carrying in some bags of wrapped gifts, placing them under the tree. “Look at you, you have gotten so big!”

Namjoon Santa came in and delivered gifts and ran off getting changed only to come back and watch the gift unwrapping. Jungkook went to collect the two eldest from the kitchen, pushing Seokjin before dragging Yoongi out the two stopping in the archway.

“Hey, you are under the mistletoe!” Jimin giggled, proud that his trap had worked, he was hoping that some people would get stuck under it. “You are going to have to kiss.”

“We don’t have to, we are watching Seonhee open her gifts,” Jungkook said only to be grabbed by Yoongi who kissed the younger male and pulled away.

“Satisfied.” Yoongi turned back to the young girl opening her presents, Namjoon got her some picture books and a few educational toys. Seokjin had wrapped a small toy kitchen that was her size. Yoongi brought her to everyone’s surprise a little clam pool and some plastic toys to play with.

Jimin brought her a whole lot of princess dresses, tiaras, and fairy wings. Jungkook got her a cozy coupe red and yellow plastic car that she could push around with her legs. Taehyung handed her the small gift bag and inside was a night light that made the roof look like a galaxy and played soft music.

After Seonhee’s gifts from the boys, Hoseok brought out a box. He was struggling with it but when he opened it out popped a little dog who began licking her cheeks and wagging his tail intensely amongst the large group. “His name is Mickey.” Hoseok grinned watching Taehyung taking pictures and smiling fondly as she giggled.

Other gifts were exchanged, the most notable was Seokjin giving everyone matching sweaters with his face on it, and Taehyung’s gift to Jimin. It was a small bag and inside was the signature Tiffany blue colored box.

“You didn’t have to,” Jimin said softly and Taehyung smiled.

“I told myself I would support you, and I know you didn’t want to be treated like a sugar baby, I just told myself that I wouldn’t allow myself to date until I got you those earrings you really wanted. I wanted to give you something you could be proud of.” Taehyung explained, “And it was so hard to resist you when you kept inviting me over.”

Opening the box Jimin saw the earrings he had once mentioned ages back, the exact earrings Taehyung had handmade for him. “Now you can get rid of the ones I made you, they look horrible compared to these.

“I still love the ones you made and I will keep them forever.”

“I won’t treat you like a sugar baby anymore, I wanted to ask if maybe you wanted to go on a date.”

“Well, these earrings will get you about five dates.” Jimin giggled cheekily

“Five I thought for sure it would be five and a half?”

“Five and a free butt grab?”

“Deal!”

~

The nine of you were walking through the kid's attractions at the theme park seeing some familiar faces, you were having lunch when some music started playing. It was the theme park's dance parade and Hoseok was dragged into the dance by Taeyong.

You were giggling when WinWin dragged you up dancing with you and turned to see Hoseok on one knee, a ring box opened in his hands. You felt your chest about to explode as you tackled him to the ground sobbing in his chest. “Hoseok really, you mean it?”

“Of course, I mean it, I have loved you for years.”

“I love you so much, hell freaking yes put that ring on me, quick quick.” You kissed his face nonstop giggling between your tears. He was finally able to get the ring onto the designated finger standing and pulling you onto your feet. He kissed you passionately, you pulled back burying your face in his chest squealing.

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[starwarned]

@carryon-countdown 2021

Day 24, 18 December: Side Characters

rated T, 962 words, general tags: biting, shep being in love with everyone, simon being jealous <3, absolutely no plot just vibes

Finish reading under the cut!

SHEP

I can’t believe this is happening.

I’m shaking, vibrating with excitement. I wonder if Baz thinks it’s fear. I haven’t been afraid of him since I first saw him look at Simon with those sappy grey eyes and I knew he was a softie deep down.

Simon’s not here now, which is why I’m the next option for Baz. Penny’s not here either, but somehow I think Baz would rather bite me over Penny.

Baz and I got stuck — I’m still foggy on how — in the hospital wing of Watford. At least, I assume it’s the hospital wing. Baz isn’t really giving me a tour right now (he’s mostly dry-heaving in the corner, avoiding the inevitable of needing blood in his system immediately), but there are cots and the whole room smells like sanitizer.

“Baz,” I say, trying not to sound too hopeful. “Baz, it’s okay.”

He wheels on me from the corner. His eyes are wide and terrified, but his fangs are taking up his entire open mouth. The top half of his face looks like a scared puppy and the bottom half looks like, well, a vampire who’s about to bite and drain me. (I’ve had wet dreams about the bottom half of his face.)

“It’s not okay,” Baz insists. He’s got a bit of a lisp trying to speak past his teeth and it’s sort of cute. “I don’t want to hurt you, Shepard.”

A nice sentiment, for sure, but completely unnecessary. “You won’t!” I insist, taking a few cautious steps towards him. “I’ll tap out if it’s too much.”

“I’m almost—” he chokes on his breath and his entire body goes rigid like he’s trying to hold back his most basic animal instincts. “I’m almost gone,” he admits, quietly. Afraid. “It’s been days.”

“I know.”

Baz straightens up a bit, but his breathing is haggard. He’s got a line of saliva running from the corner of his mouth. His eyes are locked on my throat. He shudders. “You can’t tell Simon about this.”

“What—?”

And then he’s on me.

I feel the initial piercing of his teeth into my skin (which hurts like hell), but then something spreads through me like homemade lemonade on a hot summer day. I nearly collapse in Baz’s grasp; I have no doubt he’d hold me up, he’s so strong.

Baz has both of his hands gripping my shoulders as he drinks. I can feel the blood leaving my body, Baz taking it in large, long, desperate gulps.

I wonder how much I should let him take.

Reaching up, I pet a hand through his hair. I don’t think he’d let me do that on a normal day, but he’s a bit distracted. It’s just as soft as I thought it would be. He’s really a lovely man.

Oh.

Oh, maybe this is why he didn’t want to tell Simon.

I can feel myself getting hard, which is surprising, considering how much blood is being taken from my body.

It does feel awesome, though, so I let it happen.

After what feels like an hour (but is only maybe a few minutes), I’m starting to feel lightheaded. I pull my hand away from Baz’s hair and tap him on the shoulder.

“Baz,” I croak. “I think that’s enough.”

He doesn’t stop right away.

I shove at his shoulder a bit harder and it knocks him out of his blood-lust daze.

He stumbles back, panting and licking my blood off his lips. (Awesome.)

“Sorry,” he blurts, eyes still locked on my neck. He’s ten feet away now, his skin healthily flushed instead of the usual grey pallor.

“It’s fine! You stopped.”

He nods slowly. His breathing calms and his fangs retract back into his gums. I want to ask him to see where they go — maybe find an X-ray machine or something — but I doubt he’d let me, despite just having those fangs in my neck.

I reach up to touch where he bit me and find my fingers a bit damp with blood.

I clean myself off at the sink in the corner and eye the place where he bit me in the mirror. The marks aren’t lasting — they’ve already started to magically heal. Maybe I’ll have scars, but they’re not really noticeable. Damn.

By the time I’ve cleaned up, Baz is in one of the cots on his side, back turned towards me.

I slip in behind him, spooning him gently.

He starts to protest, but then lets it happen. I think he needs the comfort. And he misses Simon. (And it’s not like Simon, Baz, and I haven’t all cuddled before. It’s a weekly occurrence at this point.)

I’m not still hard anymore so I feel fine pressing up against him, holding him close for warmth. He falls asleep first, but then I follow behind soon after.

—

“Baz bit you?” Simon demands, mouth falling open in shock. He looks between me and Baz.

Baz glares at me, but I’m on cloud fucking nine right now. No way was I going to keep this to myself. I grin brightly and nudge Baz’s arm with my elbow. “He sure did!” I pull back the collar of my shirt and show Simon the faint scars.

Simon gapes at Baz. “You bit Shepard before you bit me?”

“You weren’t there,” Baz tries to explain, but Simon won’t have it (even though he knows we got magically trapped in that room and there was no way to get us out for days).

“Oh, so it was out of convenience!”

“Yes! No!” Baz groans and walks away from us, stomping into Simon’s bedroom and shutting the door.

Simon stares after him then looks back at me. “How was it?” he asks quietly.

I smile. “Fucking awesome.”

[kannra21]

Sniperhaul Hospital Shortfic

Takes place after ch315. Nagant woke up in the hospital and she has a hard time remembering the events of her fight against a green-haired broccoli boy. Fortunately for her, Hawks is here to enlighten her. Now everything she needs to do is find the yakuza boss and thank him for saving her ass.

characters: overhaul (chisaki kai) x lady nagant

word count: 1.5k

notes: I'd like to thank @clickbait-official for the proofreading, you were a big help. I have no idea how ch316 will unfold and it's questionable wherever Nagant will actually stay alive but in any case, this is a happy version of a rather depressing manga. Y'all know the drill- the story and the characters belong to Kohei Horikoshi, unfortunately.

✂-------------------------------------------------------

She woke up a little dazed, the whiteness of the hospital room making her eyes squint in irritation. Hospital? Lady wondered how she even got here. Why did she get here in the first place? Where were the others? What happened? She tried to gather her thoughts as she was recalling moments before she finally fell unconscious.

The day was beautiful outside. The sun's rays were passing through long, see-through curtains, illuminating the neat space in which she resided. The smell of antiseptic, which wasn't usually people's favorite, was greatly appreciated at the moment considering that she spent most of her time in not so sanitizing conditions in Tartarus. Everything looked so peaceful around her and yet she decided to stress herself out. Her head was pounding but she couldn't help the curiosity plaguing her mind. She needed answers, she needed to know what's going on.

To her right, in a chair brought next to her, sat Hawks. He was leaning over the bed and slept while holding her hand in his own. She looked at her arm and then the other, examining them and noticing that they were bandaged all the way up her shoulders. When she tried to shift it from Hawks' grip, it stung a little. God she hated this. She stirs him from his slumber and when he realized that she's woken up, Hawks instantly got to his feet and hugged her, a big smile covering his face.

"Ouchouchouch", Nagant tensed from her wounds still not being fully recovered.

"I'm sorry. I just now noticed that you're awake. Are you okay?" Hawks gently rubbed the sore spot he'd caused, trying to make her feel better.

She then looked at him and the more she kept her eyes on his kind frame the more the tears started welling up at the corners. She was the one who hugged him this time and he looked surprised but still held her carefully not to hurt her.

"I'm so sorry", she cried out quietly while burying her head in his neck.

He closed his eyes, relishing in the feeling of a dear person in his arms. "Hey there, everything's going to be okay. It's not your fault. You're safe now. We're safe."

She looked quizzically as she tried to make sense of what he just said. "Wait, what does that mean?"

"Commission is no more. It fell apart together with the HPSC president during the war against the villains. No one can hurt you now", he spoke in her hair and she smiled in relief. It felt so nice to finally be free, without any threats the commission has made upon them.

She looked over his shoulder and noticed his small wings fluttering enthusiastically.

"What happened to your wings?"

Hawks laughed in disbelief. "You really don't care about what happened to you, don't you? You've always been so selfless, senpa-AI!"

Nagant forced him under her arm and ruffled his hair, something he'd hated as a chick- it seems old habits die hard.

"I'm not being soft, it's just common sense! Stop jumping to stupid conclusions", she mocked. Hawks untangled himself from her grip and looked grumpy but then he gave her a disheartened smile. He was just glad that she was okay.

"It's also a consequence of the war. I almost lost them if it weren't for my awesome apprentice. Can't wait to introduce him to you one day."

"Look at you. Teaching the next generation. I thought you weren't into those kinds of things", she teased and Hawks just shrugged.

"Things change."

"You've grown up a lot."

"And you don't look a day older."

They shared a look of sympathy and understanding, but Hawks couldn't help but wonder if she was truly okay.

"Do you remember why you got here?"

"I remember getting out of Tartarus, AFO giving me a new Quirk and asking me to take care of some green kid- Wait. Is he doing okay?! Is he here?!" She tried to get off the bed but Hawks held her down to the mattress.

"Whoa, whoa relax. He's doing okay."

She calmed down. This heroic recklessness will backfire on her someday. "Wasn't I supposed to be dead or something? I'm pretty sure the bastard did something to my new power as we made the deal."

"Deku said that your body exploded because AFO made a countermeasure in case you changed sides."

"So..."

"And I caught you on time but your body was in a critical condition. We didn't know what to do until that yakuza guy showed up and offered to heal you with his Quirk. He looked a little concerned because he hadn't used his power for a while but he was still willing to help. He did a great job but it still left you with some bruises and he fell unconscious, probably from exhaustion."

"Is he also here?"

"Yes but in another room."

"Can you get me to him?"

"But you're-"

"Please."

Hawks sighed. There was no use arguing with her because in the end, whatever she wanted she'd get one way or another, so he seated her on the wheelchair and brought her where she asked him to.

When they entered the room, they saw the young yakuza boss lying in his hospital bed connected to the IV drip. He was still sleeping and Nagant whispered to Hawks that she'll take over from here and told him to see each other later. Hawks got the cue and quietly shut the door after himself.

She wheeled her way to his left side and watched his face. At first it looked like it softened into a peaceful expression, but his eyebrows furrowed and she wondered if he was dreaming of something bad. She lifted her right arm but then stopped herself because she didn't know if this was a good idea. She tried out her luck anyways. She cupped his cheek and he woke up somewhat shocked. So it really turned out her assumptions were correct.

"Hey, are you okay?"

"Hey...", he still tried to calm down and she waited patiently. She knew how it could be at times, she tried it out first-hand.

"A bad dream?"

"Yeah, something like that. What are you doing here?", he asked, his sight traveling to her bandaged hands. "Your arms-"

"They're okay. They could've looked much worse if it weren't for you."

"They told you?"

"Mhm. I wanted to thank you, you know."

"It's the least I could do."

"Really now?", she teased. "You just saved a life and you're acting as if it was nothing."

"What else could I do? You still need to keep your part of the promise and bring me to pops, remember?"

"So what? If I was dead then you could've just asked the heroes to bring you to him."

"I don't trust them. You're the only one I trust." Nagant blushed and Overhaul became nervous although he didn't know why.

"Don't take me wrong. You're the one who asked about the boy. You-", but as he was trying to make sense of it, the more he thought about it, it turned out he really couldn't find the right excuse. Why did he save her?

They were just looking at each other and Overhaul had the need to hide his face behind the covers. But since he was basically handless, he didn't have other choice but to look in front of himself, avoiding her gaze.

She used the opportunity to shift to his side and kiss his cheek but since her body hasn't fully recovered, her leg gave out and she fell on him from his left.

"Aw fuck I'm so sorry-", their faces were inches apart and just as one of them was about to break the silence, a young nurse entered the room to check on the patient. As she saw the couple in a rather compromising position, she squeaked and left the room in a hurry.

Overhaul looked so confused and Nagant laughed. She could just imagine the hospital staff's reactions when the girl tells them that one of their patients left their room to fuck the other. The scandal, the controversy, this was so hilarious.

"Should we be worried?", he asked unsure and Nagant just patted his chest. "Nah, I thought it was fun." And just as she tried to slide down to her wheelchair, he stopped her in her tracks by holding her closer and kissing her. His lips were cold but still bore the desired effect.

"Isn't this what you initially wanted to do, hm?" He smiled and in a moment he thought he saw a spark in her eyes.

"Screw you."

...

"What?"

"You make me want to devour your face when you know damn well that the nurse will come in to shoo me out."

"That's because you're a delinquent woman."

"You sound like you don't mind."

"And I don't."

They shared a longing look before she wheeled her way out of his room and turned one more time to face him, showing him the "I got my eyes on you" sign.

"This conversation is far from over, Mr. Yakuza. You better prepare for the next time we meet, capito?"

As soon as she said that, she left and Overhaul smiled softly. If he could define femme fatale in one word then she would be the ideal example. Fuck. They forgot to discuss the matters regarding pops.

"Wait, Nagant! Come back!"

[inpizzawecrust]

Minerva and Poppy Headcanons

cottage core lesbian vibes!!! i should just leave it off here, but y’all def want a full list

they started dating a few years after Minerva’s husband died. by the time the marauders arrived at Hogwarts, they had been dating for years

they never married, it seemed pointless by the time gay marriage was legalized as they had been together for so long, they already saw themselves as married and didn’t need a paper to tell them they were

Minnie would constantly turn into her cat form, hop up on Poppy’s lap, and immediately purr the moment a gentle hand was gently brought through the fine fur

and Poppy loved it—she especially loved it when she’d walk in a room and see the cat on a windowsill, basking in the sun. she was certain her heart at least doubled in size at the sight

Poppy was a terrible baker but a wonderful cook. the only time she’d bake would be a cake for Minnie’s birthday and though it never tasted the same as the year before, Minnie loved it all the same

each night, Minnie would braid Poppy’s long hair and each morning, she would gently take it out with a smile as the waves slowly fell

there was always something playing in the house, neither were too fond of the quiet

they would constantly make bets about the students, but the wager was never money, rather who would plan the next date or who would have to make dinner

they loved to gossip to each other

“Minnie, you won’t believe who I saw holding hands in the hospital wing!”

“Just like you won’t believe who I caught snogging in a broom closet—”

“We should snog in a broom closet—”

“Poppy!”

neither wanted children, but they saw a particular group of four boys as theirs and when they ever read the prophet on the 1st of November 1981, they cried in each other’s arms

Poppy always drank coffee, Minnie always drank tea

by the time the golden trio arrived at Hogwarts, they could have full conversations by just glancing at each other

when Sirius told Minnie about The Prank on Snape, the two women were tied for who was more angry. Poppy had spent years watching over Remus and had a soft spot for the boy, so it broke her heart to know that Sirius—who clearly was in love with the boy—would do something like that. Minnie had taken Sirius under her wing and knew how hard the boy’s home life was, but she was livid that he would ever act so carelessly

Minnie loved to embroider and sew

Poppy loved to knit and crochet

Sunday’s were always slow and the two would leisurely go about the day, occasionally craft or spend the afternoon in each other’s presence

Poppy hated vegetables, so Minerva always had to hide them in her food

she also wasn’t a fan of chocolate for some reason

Minnie was allergic to gluten and was lactose intolerant. Poppy would always tell her to stop eating dairy, but Minnie would anyway.

Poppy would always say “I told you so” when Minnie’s stomach would be upset for the rest of the day and Minnie would promptly glare and raise a finger, which would only ever fill the room with Poppy’s laughter

Minnie would get bad allergies for a single week each year. she’d carry tissues everywhere and Poppy would be the first one to sanitize every surface her wife even looked at, but would also be the first one to fuss over her wife and always insisted she take the week off

there was only one time they were ever both sick and it was because one of the marauders aka James gave the stomach to the entire school in the winter of 1973

Poppy got it first since she was taking care of all the kids, then Minnie naturally got it a day or so later

if it was up to Minerva, their house would be quite plain, but thankfully Poppy took control over interior design

each year on the 3rd of November from 1981 until 1993, Poppy has to hold Minnie back from going to Azkaban to see their son. the first year was the hardest and it broke her heart to see Minnie in such a state that she gave in and let her go, but when Minnie came home a few hours later, shaking and in tears, Poppy vowed to never let her go again

in 1994, both Minnie and Poppy were livid that their grandson would ever be forced to compete in such a dangerous tournament that they nearly wrote to the minister of magic until they remembered Fudge allowed it to happen

so they wrote to Sirius instead and when he immediately showed up at their house with fury in his eyes, they both knew they might have made a mistake in telling him and naturally Poppy slipped him a sleeping potion before Sirius could storm to Hogwarts

Poppy loved crosswords

Minnie loved sudoku

Poppy was weirdly good at muggle card games? like Minnie would only have to go over the rules once or twice and then Poppy would win every. single. time.

they both had nightmares after both wars and comforted each other after them each night

when they both made it out of the battle of hogwarts and after they mended everyone in the hospital wing, they cried in each other’s arms for hours

after that, they held each other close and spent the rest of their time together making the most of each day and just loving each other with everything they had

just Minnie and Poppy being in love for like a hundred years, okay

[gukyi]

remembered / forgotten | ksj

summary: you and kim seokjin were school sweethearts. fifteen years later, you wander the halls of hogwarts as a professor, and realize that you are not the only one seeing the memories that you shared. 

{hogwarts!au, (sort of) friends to lovers!au}

pairing: kim seokjin x reader genre: fluff word count: 1k warnings: allergic reaction to magical potion ingredient a/n: a huge thank you to @andshewasperfect for commissioning this piece and donating to blm!! oh, how i miss writing hogwarts aus. 

It takes something remarkable to be remembered. 

Simply walking the halls of this hallowed castle is not enough—you must do something extraordinary. 

The beauty of Hogwarts is that, with centuries of students and a rich, complex history, every corner that you turn is a memory of what has happened within these walls. From the golden plaques in the trophy room, names etched into gold, to the paintings lining the cinderblock walls, to the ghosts that stroll the corridors and sing Christmas carols in the winter, there are so many moments to be reminded of. 

The danger is that, with so many students, so many professors, and so many years, being forgotten is just as easy. 

You remember walking these halls when you were younger. Memories flash before your eyes of you and your friends chasing each other on the staircases, hiding out in the greenhouses, and studying in the library. But now, as a professor, it feels different. It feels like you’re looking back on a past life, on a past version of yourself that hasn’t translated to the present properly. The person in those memories doesn’t feel like you. 

Every year new students come and old students go. And they, too, will look back on their memories at Hogwarts fondly, as reminders of who they were when they were young. 

The past is, and always has been, haunting. 

Today, what bubbles in your students’ cauldrons is the beginnings of veritaserum, in the hopes that by the next lunar month, the potions will be ready for potential use. You don’t suppose many of your students will volunteer to drink it and reveal their deepest, darkest secrets, but at least one of them definitely has nothing to lose.  

Unfortunately, your students are still students, which means that flawlessness is but an empty dream. 

“Professor! Macdermot is having an allergic reaction to the figworms!”

You whip your head around to find Macdermot, a scruffy brown-haired boy with a beard the size of St. Nick’s, breaking out into hives, red patches decorating his skin as he scratches at his arms, wincing. You immediately head over to him, instructing his brewing partner to dispose of the extra figworms and sanitize the area immediately. The good thing about veritaserum is that it isn’t inherently harmful, and your students are in their last year, so you reckon that they can handle a few minutes of your absence as you deliver Macdermot to the Hospital Wing. 

“I’m terribly sorry for not knowing, Macdermot, but you must inform me if we are brewing a potion that requires ingredients you’re allergic to,” you instruct him firmly but sympathetically. “I can give you an alternate assignment, if necessary.”

“Sorry, Professor,” Macdermot says as you round the corner and walk into the Hospital Wing. “But I had no idea I was allergic to figworms.”

“Fair enough, I don’t suppose you encounter them very often.”

As you enter the Hospital Wing, you are immediately reminded as to why you typically have another student escort anyone who needs medical care. Standing by an empty patient bed, white coat sitting neatly atop his shoulders, is Kim Seokjin, the head of the hospital wing and an old schoolmate of yours. And he is as handsome and charming and terribly friendly now as he was back then, back when you would sit in the gardens together and gaze up at the clouds. Back when he would meet you outside after class to teach you how to throw around a Quaffle or two. 

Back when you were more than just schoolmates. 

His brown eyes widen when he sees you. “Professor, what can I do for you?”

“Macdermot’s got himself an allergic reaction to figworms from class,” you tell him starkly, doing your best to avoid eye contact. Luckily, Seokjin’s attention has largely been focused on the red patches on Macdermot’s skin, sparing yourself from meeting his gaze. 

“Ah, not a problem,” Seokjin says with a flourish, holding out Macdermot’s arm to inspect it. “Should be fixed with some good old itch cream and perhaps an ibuprofen or two. Thank you for bringing him to me, Professor. You know, we can’t do these things alone.”

A flash. 

“Don’t tell me you’re going to eat that entire Honeydukes lemon meringue pie at once!” You say with a groan as Seokjin pulls the pastry out of the box it was packaged in. It looks positively delectable, light and airy and divine. 

“Me?” Seokjin says with a laugh. “No, of course not.”

“We came out here to study, Seokjin,” you say, motioning towards the textbooks and parchment spread out on the picnic blanket. At this hour, the garden is empty, all of the students choosing to spend their time in the Great Hall or their common rooms for dinner, leaving only the two of you. “Not so you can eat until you pop like a balloon.”

“Who said anything about me eating by myself?” He poses, digging a fork stolen from the Great Hall into the pan. 

“We have a Transfiguration exam at the end of the week,” you remind him. It’s on a topic you are terribly unfamiliar with and that he has mastered, and, call you naive, but you were genuinely hoping for him to teach you a thing or two. 

“And never fear, we will study for that as well,” Seokjin promises you. He holds out the pie-covered fork in front of you, imploring you to open your mouth. You do so obediently, the sweet frosting filling up your mouth, bursting with flavor. “But we can eat together, too.” There’s a bit of frosting on the side of your lips, and Seokjin leans in to kiss it away. “You know, we can’t do these things alone.”

You look up at Seokjin, pained and wistful, wondering if the memory has struck him like a lightning bolt, the same as you. Lit up a part of your heart like a firefly. But you don’t have to ask. You know it has. 

After all of these years. 

“I shall see you around then, Professor Kim,” you tell him curtly, turning on your heels the moment you are able to. 

“Yes, I suppose so, Professor,” his voice trails after you as you dart out of the Hospital Wing as quickly as you can, the rhythm of your footsteps along the empty stone corridors echoing the beating of your heart. 

After your final Potions class, you wander out into the garden, the sun slowly beginning to set over the distant forest horizon, painting the sky with pink and orange and purple. Sometimes, you wonder if memory is more of a curse than a blessing. 

“I had a feeling that I’d find you out here.”

You turn around to see Seokjin a few stones back, hands in the pockets of his white coat as he kicks a pebble along the pathway. He’s looking down at his feet, but he’s smiling. 

“Seokjin,” you say, wordless. How can you explain yourself to him?

“I wish we saw each other more often, Y/N,” he says, slowly making his way towards you. “I mean, we did go to the same school, did we not?”

“It’s different now,” you tell him. 

He reaches you, and it makes you look up at him. In the evening light, you can see yourself reflected in the deep black ink of his pupils. He is right there. 

Almost as if he never left. 

“It doesn’t have to be,” he tells you, yearning. “We can remember who we used to be without letting it affect who we are now.”

“We were just school children,” you say dismissively. School children that could never quite untangle themselves from each other. 

“We aren’t anymore,” he says, and, in a daring move, takes your hand in his own. You gasp at the feeling but almost immediately relax at his touch, at the warmth of his body, how it radiates onto yours. “What I felt then and what I feel now are no different.”

“You mean that?” A whisper. 

“I do. Do you?”

You look up at him, and you smile. Though the years have gone by and plenty has changed, what remains is as concrete, as solid as ever. It is simply time to take old memories, and turn them new again. 

“Always.”

It takes something remarkable to be remembered, but it takes something meaningful not to be forgotten. What you and Seokjin shared was not extraordinary nor groundbreaking. It did not change students’ lives, nor did it alter their futures. But it etched itself into the walls, and followed you along your paths, until all of the roads began to link up with each other, and everything began to make sense. 

After all, memory never forgets.

↳ links are broken, but don’t forget that i’m still taking commissions!

[random-imagines-blog]

Prescription (Viktor Krum x Reader Oneshot)

Requested by: Anonymous Wordcount: 2634 Summary: While in the hospital wing, you befriend the visiting celebrity Quidditch player.

Being the kid who was constantly sick was not fun at all. You missed out on fun experiences like Hogsmeade because you went outside without your warm hat on and caught a chill immediately. If you were to go out in an attempt to have fun in the winter, you had to wear the whole combination - hat, mittens, scarf, coat, long johns AND a heating spell or else you’d end up spending a week with the sniffles, missing class. It was only the beginning of your seventh year when you fell sick for the first time, only a month in. A first-year that you were showing around sneezed on you. Like snot, mouth open, uncovered, right onto your bare arm. No amount of hand sanitizer was enough for you to get the germs off, and the next day, here you were, in your pajamas, sitting at the Hospital Wing with a thermometer sticking out of your mouth. But you weren’t alone in the Hospital Wing - oh no. Madam Promfrey had sat someone beside you while she went and tended to a prank by the Weasley Twins gone wrong. Viktor Krum, famous Quidditch player with the face and body of a male model, was right next to you with a sprained ankle.

Madam Promfrey had given him a pain relieving position until she had an open minute to do the quick spell that would undo the sprain. He grimaced when he took it, and made a disgusted face as he set the empty bottle down on the counter. You chuckled, moving the thermometer around with your tongue, which caught his attention. Crap. Here you were in your button up pajamas, which were grey with pink bunnies on them. Why bunnies? You had no idea, but they were warm and they were the most comfortable items of clothing you owned and the best thing for these awful hospital visits.

“I had to take that one a couple of times, it’s awful, isn’t it?” You said, once he managed to catch your eye. His own lit up as he realized what you were saying, and he continued the conversation.

“It iz,” He said with a nod. “It taste like - rat piss.”

That made you laugh again, almost choking on the thermometer. That got Pomfrey’s attention and she walked over and took it out of your mouth. She checked the results with a sigh. “Another fever, y/l/n. I might as well get your name engraved in your usual bed.”

“No potion for me this time?” You said with your best pout, the one that usually worked on your friends and your parents. But the nurse had seen it time and time again.

“You cannot rely on magic all of the time, it’s not good for you, you’ll build up a tolerance.” She scolded. “You’ll just have to ride it out the natural way. Don’t look at me like that, you’ll be back in class in three days.”

“And spend my last year behind on school work, again.” You sighed. You looked over at Viktor, gave a weak smile, and got to your feet to be lead to your usual bed. She was right, you might as well put your name on it.

“Vait - you are staying?” Viktor followed, limping on one leg. Once you were situated on the bed, you looked at him with your head tilted.

“That’s what happens when you get sick a lot,” You said with a half-smile. “If you’re worried, I always turn out alright - eventually - and I don’t think that I’m contagious.”

It took Viktor a moment to translate what you said into his head. He opened his mouth to say something else, but Pomfrey noticed that he had gotten up from his chair. “Sit down, Mr Krum! I said that I would get to you in a moment!”

Swinging into action, Viktor hopped up onto the end of your bed, sitting down with his feet flat against the floor. His back was entirely straight, and he looked at Pomfrey like he was waiting for further instructions. You were amazed at how disciplined he was, though it made you giggle to see the nurse’s angry face, though he had done as she had asked. She sighed dramatically, in the way that she always did when the Weasley twins came in, and did a quick spell on Viktor’s leg. “There, you should be good as new now.” The look that she gave him very much showed that she was waiting for him to leave now.

He stood up slowly, lifted his once sprained ankle, and wiggled it in the air before deducing that it was indeed fixed. He gave Madam Pomphrey a curt bow of the head, which caught her by surprise. “When is - um-” He smacked his lips, thinking of what to say. “Visiting?”

“Visiting hours?” She asked. “Until seven o’clock - sharp.”

“Ahh, very good. I visit.” He sat back down on your bed and gave her a dazzling smile. The nurse didn’t seem very affected by it, just tutted in a ‘very well’ manner then went to check on the rest of her patients. He looked back at you, and his grin turned more shy. “I am Viktor Krum.” He introduced.

You said your name back to him and he repeated it to make sure that he got it right. You liked the way that your name sounded in his thick Bulgarian accent. It made it sound more ... tough, almost. “You don’t have to stay and visit me, I’ll be fine,” You assured him, in case he felt some sort of obligation.

“I want to,” He said, seriously. It seemed easier for him to be serious than to smile, but you didn’t mind. Even while straight-faced, he was incredibly handsome. It was just the prescription that you needed, though Madam Promfrey didn’t order it. “You get better faster with company, my mother says.”

“Smart woman,” You smiled. He kept you company until it was time for him to leave for dinner. He talked about Quidditch, slipping into his native every language every once in a while. Though you didn’t understand him when he spoke Bulgarian, you liked the way that he grew enthusiastic with hand motions and everything. You talked to him a bit about some of the Quidditch games that you had seen, though you weren’t much of a player. You liked the sport though, and the World Cup had made you change your favorite team to Bulgaria because you admired how they played together. “Thanks for staying with me,” You said, when he got up to leave.

“I come see you soon.” He gave you a more curteous bow than he had given to Madam Pomfrey, leaving you smiling as he departed. You couldn’t wait to tell your friends about how you had become friends with Viktor Krum while in the Hospital Wing! No longer could they complain about how you missed out on everything because you were always sick. The doors closed and you settled comfortably against the pillow, preparing yourself for the rest that the hopefully quiet night was going to bring you. Though hard to tell if it was going to be that peaceful, since the aged Weasley twins were still arguing only a couple of beds away.

-

True to his word, Viktor came to visit you each day that you were in the hospital. You were beginning to understand that it was an escape for him. Nobody in here stared at him or approached asking for an autograph. You did your best to treat him like a normal person, though it became difficult because you realized that you were increasingly falling for him. There was a constant flush upon your cheeks and you couldn’t fully blame your illness for that. You were feeling better at an increasing rate though, and perhaps it was like his mother said, the company was helping.

You were released shortly after Viktor left, when Madam Pomfrey did some tests and figured that the flu was entirely out of your system, and you were good to return back to your dormitory. You rushed back and greeted your friends with big hugs, and loved returning to your own four poster bed. As you laid there at night though, you wondered how things were going to work with Viktor. Was he still going to want to see you when you were healthy? Was he going to pretend that he didn’t know you outside of these visits? It was a bad idea to fall fast, you realized, and said to your friends. Half of them agreed with you while the other half told you that he wasn’t just going to stop seeing you now, not after visiting you every day.

You didn’t have a choice except to wait and see how things were going to go the next day.

In the morning, you put on your uniform for the first time in a while. The tie gave you problems as it normally did, but your friends were there to help with a quick tie spell. “Are you excited for a normal breakfast again?” One of your friend asked as you went down one of the moving staircases to head to the great hall.

“So excited,” You said, feeling your stomach growling. “All I’ve been able to eat was oatmeal and dry toast. Bring on the pancakes!” You rubbed your hands together, thinking of a high stack of food, doused in syrup.

“Good morning,” A heavy voice said, clearing his throat as you walked inside of the Great Hall. You looked over your shoulder to see Viktor standing just inside the large doors. In his hand was a single rose, though it was a rather large size, like magic had flowed through the stem rather than just water. You could feel eyes on you - not just from your friends next to you, but from the students sitting at the tables.

“Good morning,” You said, looking into his dark eyes. His jawline was to die for, and the facial hair that he had seemed to contour it to look even better. You remembered from when the other students came here that first night that the Drumstrang men sat with the Slytherins most of the time. You were not in that house, which was why the Hospital Wing was your first meeting with Viktor - it was a little shocking to see that he wasn’t there now. “Are you not going to have breakfast?”

“I am,” He said with an affirmative nod. So straight to the point, that was one of the things that you liked about him. “I vas vaiting for you.”

“Oh, that’s really very sweet,” You said, smiling widely. You couldn’t help but look back at the flower, then at his eyes. He held it out to you, and you took hold of the stem with your fingers. He didn’t let go. Your skin was brushing against his.

“This for you,” He said, finally letting go of the rose. “Good to see you feeling better.”

“It’s great to be out of that Hospital Wing,” You nodded. “Though I will miss our visits.”

“Can I join for breakfast?” He asked, looking past you to your friends who were waiting. They quickly grabbed onto each other’s arms.

“We forgot something-” One started.

“- at the dormitory!” Another finished.

“We’ll go get it now - see you in class!” The first one said again, and they dashed out of the Great Hall, shooting smiles over their shoulders at you. You shook your head at how obvious they were being, but they were still the greatest friends that you could have asked for.

“It looks like I’m free,” You said, chuckling. Viktor offered you his arm and you took it as he walked you towards your table. There was some free space close to the teachers, since most students didn’t like the idea of Snape or McGonagall eavesdropping on their conversations, so you two sat there. Well, rather, you sat down, then Viktor jogged around the table so he could sit across from you for easier conversations.

He first inquired about your health, making sure that you were okay. And even then, he didn’t seem to believe you until you made it through the meal without coughing or looking pale. “So why did you come to the hospital so many times?” You asked the question that had been on your mind for so long.

“I vanted to see you,” He looked surprised that you asked such a thing. Then he leaned in closer, saying something quietly so that no one else could hear. “Did you not vant me to see you?”

“No, no, I mean yes, I wanted to see you,” You stumbled over your words. “You came to see me more than my friends did. I was just asking because we didn’t know each other.”

“But we do now.” He smiled as he piled eggs onto his plate, as well as a handful of bacon. You supposed that looking like that required a lot of protein so you said nothing, only got your own breakfast together.

“You’re right, we do,” You said. It was hard not to think about the fact that you were friends with THE Viktor Krum, though when it was just the two of you, he didn’t seem like a Quidditch star. He was surprisingly down to Earth.

The two of you ate together in comfortable silence. You let the rose lay beside your plate so you could keep admiring it whenever you went to take another bite. It was one of the nicest gestures that you had ever received.

“So Viktor-” You started at the same time that he said your name and cleared his throat. “Go ahead,” You smiled, resting your hands on your lap once you have finished eating.

“You’ve heard about ball?” He questioned. Your heart started to beat faster as he had mentioned that. Word had even gotten to you in the Hospital Wing that there was going to be a grand ball to celebrate the tournament, despite the fact that the winners hadn’t even been chosen yet. There was no such thing as a secret in Hogwarts. Some girls had already started to order their dresses.

“A little,” You admitted.

“You - go with me?” His voice piqued at the end, as if he were nervous that you might reject him. You were glad you didn’t have food in your mouth when he asked that, for you surely would have choked. You picked up the rose and twirled it between your fingers, breathing in the hefty scent.

“I’d love to,” You smiled. “As long as I’m not in the Hospital Wing when it actually happens. I’m a bit clumsy and I get sick a lot so-”

“I be-” Viktor stopped you, putting his hand up as he thought about the word. You waited patiently as he thought hard for a moment, the word seeming to be on the tip of his tongue. When he finally got it, his whole face brightened up. “Prescription! Medicine!”

You were beaming so hard, you just hoped to Dumbledore that you didn’t have any food stuck between your teeth. You nodded enthusiastically, speechless for once. He reached over the table and took hold of your hand, rose and all, and squeezed it.

Perhaps being sneezed on was the best thing that could have happened. You’d have to send that first year flowers.

[starlitsolace]

And they were neighbors

This is basically a rehashing of episode 2 of the anime, only Shinji doesn’t meet Misato and go home with her. Also, I know that in canon Kaworu only has a room in NERV, but I felt like it would be marginally less depressing to give them apartments like Rei, so that’s what we’re going with! Just for clarification’s sake, the ‘flashbacks’ are roughly chronological, so the first batch would be Shinji before getting into the Eva and the last batch would be after the first battle. I also left it open-ended as to why Kaworu isn’t the one piloting here even though he’s already at NERV. I don’t mind you coming up with a reasoning there, or us coming up with one together! 

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When Shinji wakes up under an unfamiliar ceiling, it’s to the realization that he’s alone again. It takes a moment, Shinji laying on his back and breathing sanitized air that smells of nothing, for Shinji to realize why that thought doesn't make sense. No one ever waits for him. Why should things be different now? And like always, the relief that he doesn't have to talk to anyone comes tinged with disappointment.

Light pours in from the window, bright enough that it bleaches out the view from outside, reflecting off white tile and white bedsheets. Slowly, Shinji pushes himself to sitting. There's no one in his hospital room, and he isn't connected to an IV or heart monitor, so there's nothing to stop him from slipping from his bed into the hall beyond.

Even after getting to his feet, Shinji's mind is hazy. His thoughts from before coming here feel distant, dreamlike, and Shinji allows himself to explore them, trying to put the pieces together. It was... father who brought him here. Hand drifting to his chest, Shinji remembers the feeling of betrayal and anger. ...Fear, too. But something protected him. A shadow? An image flashes through Shinji’s mind- Looking up through fingers of a large hand, there was the face of a boy standing far up in the metal rafters of the room he was in. Red-eyed and somber. Almost sad... Then the feeling of being cornered, of accepting a grim duty and-

Shinji’s feet stop in the middle of the hall, his hand laid limply against the window. He’s suddenly aware of the fact that he doesn’t know how big this place is or what happened to him while he was unconscious, a sudden fear gripping him. What did I do?

Walking with a purpose now, it takes Shinji the better part of another hour, navigating through the narrow metal halls of the NERV medical wing to find a medical staff, who leads Shinji back to his room to debrief him on what happened.

Large parts of Shinji’s memory are still missing even with the explanation, and the fractured images of what’s left doesn’t make sense to Shinji at all. The feeling of the world turning under him. A large green eye staring right through him, the sound of himself screaming. The comforting scent of his mother. Blood on his own hands- or no that’s not quite right…

As he thought before, this is something Father had asked him to do. Reluctantly, Shinji remembers the curt note he got from him. The word ‘come’ and the address where he was supposed to go. It hardly felt worth the letter it was written on. And yet, Shinji still obeyed. He was the one to pilot the Eva and to defeat the Angel. During his battle, Shinji was badly hurt and has been unconscious for the past few days. All of this is explained to Shinji by the medical staff reading it off of a clipboard, not meeting Shinji’s eyes. After she’s through examining Shinji and asking if he has any further questions, she dismisses Shinji, returns his school uniform to him and tells him to go up to the lobby once he’s done. The staff there will give Shinji his new NERV-issue ID and apartment key. With that, she leaves, and Shinji is alone again.

None of this feels like a victory, and Shinji is slow to change back into his own clothes.

His eyes linger on the bandages over his hands and up his arms. He doesn’t remember how he got these injuries, and for a moment, Shinji has to bite back tears. Why is he doing this? If it hurts him so much, and father won’t care about him, why is he piloting Eva? Shinji takes a moment to gather himself before making the walk up to the first layer of NERV.

As promised, there’s a staff member waiting for him. Shinji is made to sign forms that he doesn’t bother to read, and in exchange, they give him his new ID. Vaguely, as Shinji’s told about where his new apartment will be, he thinks that the Teacher will be relieved to know that Shinji no longer needs to live with him. He thanks the staff quietly and steps away to go find his new place.

The sound of a door whirring open stops him, and when he looks over his shoulder, he sees the slight figure of another boy. White hair falls softly to frame a handsome face, and- bright red eyes. Shinji realizes he must be staring.

“Oh, Nagisa-san, good timing. Do you mind showing the new pilot where the apartments are?” The NERV staff is smiling politely, gesturing with his chin in Shinji’s direction. “You two are assigned to the same complex.”

[wisdomrays]

TAFAKKUR: Part 386

HEALTH CARE FOR THE ELDERLY

The dramatic growth in the number of elderly people is one of the most remarkable features of industrial societies in this century. People are living longer and enjoying an increased expectation of life. In Britain since 1900 the percentage of the population over retirement age has gone up from around 6% to over 17%. This is mainly due to medical advances which have virtually eliminated infectious diseases as a cause of death. The general provision of secure food and water supplies and better sanitation, together with improved environmental conditions at home and at work, have also contributed a great deal.

Despite the improvements, increased age, in general, coincides with an increased incidence of both mental and physical illness. This is made worse by a weakening of social contacts and a reduction of income. Thus increasing age is also characterized by a dramatic increase in the use of health and social services. The older the person, the more likely he or she is to be admitted to hospital and the longer the stay.

The increasing demands on the hospital service have not been met by an increase in the total number of hospital beds. Medical and surgical treatments previously thought to require a three- or four-week stay in hospital are treated within a week or ten days. Also more work is now undertaken in the outpatient department on a day-care basis without overnight stay. Many medical cases previously requiring hospital care are now dealt with by the family doctor with the patient at home.

The whole concept of care has changed dramatically in recent years, and this has affected the caring approach in hospitals, residential homes and in the community. In the past, caring involved an active carer looking after a passive patient. Although it seemed quite natural to look after the sick and disabled in this way, the process produced too much dependence of the patient or client on the carer. The modern approach in health and social services is a process of enabling. Carers enable patients (or clients) to do as much as they can for themselves. This approach reduces dependence and keeps down the total level of care required.

The idea is that illness is best treated at home, if possible. The new legislation on community care, which took effect on the 1st April 1993, is based on this principle. Pain is a burden on oneself, and being removed from home and family to the strange environment of a hospital ward adds to the stress. This is especially so for the very young and the very old.

However, not all homes are the most satisfactory places in which to be ill. Many lack the basic amenities of hot and cold water, indoor lavatory, and satisfactory heating. Also there may be no relative or friend to do the caring,-to prepare food, ensure and maintain good standards of hygiene, and to offer companionship. Often the problems can be overcome to a certain extent by the use of voluntary help from religious groups and the agencies of the Health Service and local authority (e.g. community nurses, home helps, and ‘meals on wheels’).

At present only about 6% of all elderly people are in institutional care of some sort (hospitals, residential homes, and private nursing homes). Even this small percentage imposes very heavy burdens on these institutions; present resources are simply not enough to meet even a small increase in numbers. There are waiting lists for most institutions caring for the elderly.

A further 12% of the elderly are enabled to manage in their own homes, with the help of the care agencies already mentioned. The new community care programme strongly encourages such help in the home. Only a reduction in the proportion of very old people in the total population and a healthier elderly population would result in some easing of the problem.

Care on a self help / family / neighbourhood basis backed up by the provisions of the health and social services appears to deliver good results. When husbands, wives, brothers, sisters, friends and neighbours, are involved together in the process of caring for the elderly, a very good sense of community develops. Children in particular have a special responsibility towards their parents. God says in the Qur’an:

Your lord has decreed that you worship none but Him, and that you be kind to parents, whether one or both of them attain old age in your life, say not to them a word of contempt, nor repel them, but address them in terms of honour. And, out of kindness, lower to them the wing of humility and say: ‘My lord! bestow on them Your mercy even as they cherished me in childhood.’ (al-Isra,17.23-4)

26% of elderly people have no children at all and so are especially vulnerable in times of crisis. In other cases the children may exist but are so far away as to be unable to help. Regular help to the elderly is best given by relatives, neighbours, and friends-shopping, housework, house maintenance, gardening and social visits. However, statutory and voluntary services are still required to take over-or at least plug the gaps-if the task proves to be too great for the community. It is, of course, best for society if people learn to care for one another in their own homes.

[simonsrosebud]

Hand Sanitizer Prompt!

Carry On Quarantine Round Robin!

Here we goooo

SIMON

Penny won’t let me leave the flat.

I need to leave the flat. I think I’m going stir crazy, is what it is. I can’t tell just yet. It’s only been a week, but I’m so used to working and going to class and going around Baz’s that being cooped up is making me feel like I’m on house arrest.

I’m trying not to complain about it, though. I get that this is a serious thing, and that we have to be careful. Penny’s friends with some nursing students who have been working, so she’s been extra jittery and mother hen-like because she’s worried for them. She takes it out on me. I’ve lost count of how many times she’s made me put plastic gloves on just to take out the trash. Which has been a lot. I won’t admit that I’m doing my best to fill up the bin quicker so that I get the chance to go throw it out behind the building, but I most definitely am.

I’m only saying, going out on a walk once and a while wouldn’t kill me. London isn’t on shutdown, and people are still allowed out and all. It’s just Penny that’s keeping me in. I know it’s because I’m a Normal, now, that I’m not as protected from sickness as I once was, but I’m not worried. Baz can just Turn me if I get too sick.

He didn’t used to like me joking about that, but he’s grown tolerant of it.

That’s why I need to sneak out. I haven’t seen Baz in a week aside from video chats. He won’t help me, though. Goes on about I’m not getting involved with Bunce’s wrath. Whatever. I can handle it. I’ll just fly away when she inevitably gets mad at me.

I'd spent most of my life going by a plan all those years ago- The Humdrum, the vampire club, the vampire fight. It's no different that I have one this time around as well.

I've taken the liberty of getting to know Amazon.com very well and ordered more little hand sanitizers than I needed. They all came today, which means today's the day. I texted Baz as much, he wasn't amused.

I pop my head into Penny’s room. “I ordered a bunch of sanitizers. I’m going to go drop them off at the hospital and such. Saw somewhere on Facebook that people are doing that.”

She tilts her head. I hope she doesn’t see through me. “I could probably just spell them there, if you want-”

“No!” I shrug. “Um, I’d rather do it myself. See to it that they get there. Could use the trip.” I half expect her to shake her head and tell me she’ll do it, instead. That her protective spells would work better on her, anyway. But she doesn’t. She coats me in spells, but she doesn’t say anything more about it.

“Please be careful, Simon.” She spells my wings away and turns me to face her. “We can’t take you to the hospital if you get sick, you know. They’re not letting any guests with people over eighteen, so no one would be able to get in there and make sure your wings are hidden.”

I hadn’t thought about that before, but now it’s the only thing on my mind as I make my way to Baz’s flat. And when he opens the door I drop the bag and hug him.

BAZ

I can’t say I’m not worried. Simon said he was coming over, but he didn’t say anything about being in distress- or bringing a bag of (which I most definitely will be questioning). His quick heartbeat proves it.

“What’s wrong, Simon?” I pull away from him and close the door behind.

He shrugs and scratches his hair. “Thought Penny was worried about me getting this virus because I’m a Normal, not because I wouldn’t be able to go to the hospital if I needed to with my wings an’ all. Just feel bad I’ve been complaining so much about her hovering.”

“That’s why neither of us wanted you going outside and running errands. What’s with the hoarding?”

Simon looks behind him where I’ve jutted my chin towards. The tips of his ears go pink. “Takin’ em to the hospital. Needed an excuse to come see you.”

The logical side of me wants to flick his forehead for being so careless, but the emotional side wants to kiss him for sneaking out to see me. I do both.

“Aye!” Simon pushes my face from his cheek. “Can’t play both sides like that!”

“No, Snow, you deserved it and you know it. I hope you know I’m not letting you go near the hospital. I can drop them off in one of the donation boxes nearby.” He pouts and nods, and slides his hand around my waist.

I understand where he’s coming from, I think. At least with him wanting to be out and not cooped up in his flat. Not that I'm happy about it, either, but I can manage just fine. Simon always had, and still has, a hard time sitting still or staying in one spot. The only time he was fine with it was after The Humdrum. When he was depressed. I don't think I should ask, but I want to know if he's scared he'll get like that again. I don't think Penelope would let him get like that again. Not after everything before.

Simon taps his fingers against my hip. “What if you stayed with us? While we’re quarantining? Penny does all her work in her room, so you could have the table. Or my desk, or wherever. M’not getting much work to do, anyway.”

That’s the thing. I would much rather spend my time quarantining with them than alone. Could keep an eye on the two of them god forbid something were to happen.

I pull on the strings of Simon’s jumper and he steps flush against me. Crowley, how I love being able to do that. “Fine. But you have to be strict about washing up. If you so much as touch your face you wash your hands before doing anything else.” He nods. “I can’t take any more risks with you, yeah?”

“C’mon, this’ll be a breeze compared to what we’ve been through.” Simon says and kisses me. All softness and warmth. I can feel him starting to smile, but I don’t mind. I can’t say I get tired of seeing it.

He pulls away and slides his hands around my back. “Speaking of being a breeze, will it take long to drop off all those hand sanitizers because I haven’t seen you in a week and your trousers fit real nice today.”

[frostskader]

How Far I'll Go

Peri closes up PIXIE’s for the night and reminisces on her nearly four year in Swynlake.

The bell had rung out half an hour ago, the club was empty and the silence echoed. Everyone was beat from the night. Since the Vampire attack the club had been packed and Peri attributed it to all the students that were finishing up for break.

Just like every disaster, everyone in Swynlake came together. They worked together and they overcame everything together.

It was enough to bring a smile to Peri’s face. She had a day off tomorrow and she was going to sleep in. At least if no one woke her up which was more than possible considering how many people could end up needing her.

It was a good feeling thinking about it.

Waving off her bartenders, Peri offered to close up for the night letting them get some needed sleep before at classes they had the next day. The counts were already done and that was the hardest part of the night.

Bending down Peri locked each of the beer and wine coolers shoving the keep into her back pocket, trying to give herself at least some memory que to remember to put it back in the right place or Peri was going to have to come back and interrupt her day of no rest.

One she was going to need having taken on closing the bar herself. 

Personally though Peri found it soothing. With no one in the bar she could wipe down the counters, the beer taps and lock them without a second thought. Humming along with the songs that had long stopped playing.

Standing behind the bar she could look out to everything and see where she had made a small difference. She could see her boyfriend on stage or O’Malley grinning as they worked the crowd and their music played 24/7 in her head. Simple enough to sing along even when they weren’t playing.

Grabbing the mats Peri had rolled up her sleeves pulling them to the back. How many times she had walked this hallway both good and bad. With her hand in someone’s hair as they kissed until they made their way to her office. Or a quick run because they didn’t want to get caught.

But better memories of interviewing people that had become her family. So many people had walked this hall and the polaroid wall only spoke a snippet of the history that was in her club. 

Dropping the mats in the place Peri walked back up to the front to empty the garage through the same hallway. 

Peri could easily remember when she had done this because it was her job, when she had first started to spiral and just needed a job. When Tink had reached out her hand welcoming Peri into her club even though Peri had come in and completely thrown her for a loop.

Heading back to the front Peri set the ice to melt avoiding touching it as everything melted. It was a strange idea even now to her to have this product essentially go to waste. It’s just ice. But as a frost talent ice was just never ice. Everything had a purpose. Frost was only made when it was needed or when Peri wanted to make art.

Maybe that’s why she didn’t always get along with all the fairies. She didn’t exactly follow all the same ideas. She would just have fun. One for all, all for one but Peri had just wanted to enjoy life. Maybe that’s why it made sense she owned a club and had more than her fair share of fun within it. 

Snapping all the lids shut on the limes and lemons Peri slipped them into the fridge where they belong glancing briefly at the fryers. It had been less than a year ago some of the boys created a grease fire and perhaps she should have been more mad. She could have lost this entire building. More than just a machine and wires that needed to be replaced.

But everyone had gotten out alright even if her date had been interrupted. It wasn’t like Lou and her were together. 

Stepping behind the bar Peri moved to cover all the mixers, juices, sweet and sour looking up to where Lou had sat every time he had come in. They had probably been horrible for one another. But Peri had held on, she wondered if she was the one that held on for too long.

Should she have set him free so long ago?

Had been being with her a trap?

Even now Peri doubted that she was worth love when people continued leaving her. But being behind this bar it was like she had all of her employees standing besides her. She could see where Minnie sat and knew she was worthy of the love that all of them gave her.

Even Ly in the shadows as she lit up the stages, the seat where Lou used to sit blurring into her past. Grabbing the clean glasses Peri stacked them up in their places moving everything back into their perfect space.

Wiping down all the Alcohol bottles Peri looked at her work with a grin. Even with their social media person leaving even Peri could tell that was a picture perfect moment and she took a picture saving it for later.

No one wanted a picture of a fully stocked bar at 2am. 

Or at least the bottle section. Peri still needed to unlock and refill the beer cooler. Grabbing all the napkins Peri shoved them into the correct holder. The name on the box bragging about how safe the for the environment everything was. But Peri couldn’t have it any way.

Peri knew it wasn’t just a fairy thing because you had people like Greg who cared just as much for the environment as Peri did. Climate change was real and threatening so many climates. So many Hollows and other animals. 

As a small business Peri had to make sure she did her part even at the added cost. She wouldn’t ever sacrifice the environment for a quick buck.

Grabbing Beer from the back, Peri started to restock the beer cooler counting each as they went in. A little silly thing to do but Peri did, every time.

FInishing by wiping down the soda guns and sanitizing the bar top and sink, Peri grinned at the shine. Clean enough you could eat on it. Which was truly the point considering Peri had to be able serve drinks off it.

Locking everything one more time Peri stepped back from a clean bar top. A little slice of perfection. 

Grabbing a rag, Peri moved onto her next challenge the rest of the club.

It wasn’t hard though a wet rag to wipe on all the table tops and the seats. Especially not when you could dust a thin coating of frost over it and just wipe it down with a soapy rag.

By the time the girl had travelled through the the whole club she could double back at put up all the chairs on top of the tables. 

Pulling out her phone to double check the time she sent a quick text to Minnie to let her know she would be home late yet it was Minnie’s late shift anyway. If they were lucky they would run into each other and just order in take out a chill.

With Minnie’s new boyfriend and the class she was taking at PrideU, Peri wasn’t sure how she was still standing. But she couldn’t be more proud of her best friend. How she was bettering herself. Even if part of the reason she was doing it was because she worried about Peri ending up in the hospital and no one knowing how to help.

It still felt good to make an impact, to know Minnie loved her enough to protect her as much as possible.

Scrolling down in her messages she clicked into Copper’s seeing another picture of Isabel, the girl was growing so big and Peri was going to have to make another trip out to see her friend.

Even as people moved on and left Peri did her best to remain in contact. You never know when the last time you could see them was. Her Mom was taken so suddenly and while Peri talked to her often then, she wished she had gone back more often. At least a couple times to see her.

Imagine if she had asked her to come, she could have watched Peri grown into a business owner. Watch her become a tattoo artist. She would have been able to read Peri’s father the riot act and shame him even more for abandoning Peri. 

She would have too, unlike Peri who just avoided the Hollow. It was to the point where she didn’t even know if she would be welcomed for a long period of time. Or they were just giving her the time of day because she was a fairy and that was the right thing to do.

Pixie’s was the place she belonged. 

Maybe Enchantra was meant for a different version of Peri. One that still had her Mom. One that hadn’t drunk herself into a stupor. One that hadn’t lost her wings to try and find her mom even though it would have been worth it, if she had been alive.

Maybe Enchantra could have been her home. But these tattoos, weren’t common. Peri’s business in a capitalist society wasn’t common. Peri’s lack of helping the Hollow wasn’t common.

Her home wasn’t there. Not when more winter fairies came in and they didn’t even need her as a frost talent.

Replaceable.

She was replaceable in the Hollow.

But here. Within Pixie’s four walls. She wasn’t. Not truly.

Of course Tink could take back over. But she liked to think she would be missed.

Would they miss the frost designs she made on mugs. The coffee runs. Would they miss her just popping in to say hi and chilling and enjoying the music.

Would they miss her?

Flipping off all the neons signs, Peri could only hope they would. That she was like a neon sign bringing light, at least a little bit, to everyone that worked here. To everyone that stepped in.

That would be nearly impossible though. People came into this bar to party not to see her. She was but a small wheel in consideration of the whole town.

But for everyone here. She was the wheel that helped hold everything together. Emptying the register Peri pulled it to the back tallying up the cash with the totals for the night.

For the girl who never decided to go back to school at least this much was easy. Compared to the first few days where she tried to do all of this and so much more before their actual money person took it back from Peri. Thankfully.

Peri couldn’t be more thankful for her. She could handle all the daily things but everything else that needed than monthly look over it was nice that someone had been here to look at it.

Creating her deposit slips Peri locked the cash up, just below a bottle of alcohol she had for herself. Something maybe she shouldn’t have but she did locked up with anything else she currently cared about. 

Unlike the drawer Peri left her office open in case anyone during the day needed it. It only ended up locked if a customer tried to use it but it was meant to be a space people could escape to if need her, if she was there or not. 

Just like the night Marlin had to rescue that young teen. Even if he had taken her back to the Hollow without permission. This office had momentarily been a safe haven.

Locking the till up, Peri left the keys in their spot in her office taking her copies with her as she locked up the doors stepping out to look up at the sign that read PIXIE.

This was her home. And Peri loved every second of it.

[mostlysignssomeportents]

Pluralistic: 27 Mar 2020 (Mar-a-Lago Virus, plutes cash in on stimulus, postal voting vs USPS collapse, "civility" and the Confederate playbook, Bojo has covid, reasonable covid food-safety advice, SF cocktail delivery, flu pandemic photos, free hi-rez covid stock art, Warren campaign frees its software)

Today's links

The US is now the epicenter of the pandemic: Trump has murdered millions.

Plutes cash in on stimulus: $170B for real-estate tycoons.

States prep for postal voting: But the GOP has all but murdered the USPS.

"Civility" and the Confederate playbook: The right's call for "civility" has a long, dishonorable history.

Boris Johnson has coronavirus: He greenlit national pox-parties, now he has it.

Reasonable covid food-safety advice: Sanitize your hands and your cart, practice social distancing, and…you're done.

San Francisco cocktail delivery: Courtesy of the DNA Lounge.

Flu pandemic photos: Mask-slackers beware!

Free hi-rez covid stock art: Make your pandemic more visually varied.

Warren campaign frees its software: Free, open and universal campaigning tools.

This day in history: 2005, 2010, 2015, 2019

Colophon: Recent publications, upcoming appearances, current writing projects, current reading

The US is now the epicenter of the pandemic (permalink)

The US is now the epicenter of the global coronavirus pandemic, henceforth known as the Mar-a-Lago Virus. It has the highest number of infections of any country in the world.

https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/map.html

There have "only" been 1,000 US deaths so far. The "only" is there because there are so many more to come, when the vast number of incubating cases start manifesting symptoms and begin to die.

Trump wants the country to go back to work by Easter, because in his version of the Trolley Problem, the most important thing is saving the trolley.

https://www.theverge.com/2020/3/25/21193670/trump-easter-coronavirus-isolation-relax-rules-economy-social-distancing

We had so much warning. But the president said it wasn't anything to worry about.

Now, a lot of people are going to die.

Most of the dead will be old – from the demographic most likely to have voted for Trump (which isn't to imply that only Trump voters will die, or that they deserve to die – only that Trump chose to put his base at risk).

https://pluralistic.net/2020/03/24/grandparents-optional-party/#turkey-shoot

Many will have contracted their infections by deliberately seeking out crowded public places as the pandemic started spreading, because Fox News told them that doing so was a way to own the libs.

Fox News viewers – who skew elderly, even by the standards of TV watchers – are also disproportionately at risk from coronavirus. Fox News is now a suicide cult.

https://pluralistic.net/2020/03/19/gb-whatsapp/#fox-cult

But so many people will die because of this. Old people. Young people. People with disabilities. People who just had very bad luck. Kids.

And that's before you get to all the people who have car wrecks or heart attacks or slip-and-falls and can't get treatment in overloaded hospitals.

When Hoover fucked up by giving in to plutes and crashed the economy, he got tent cities, or "Hoovervilles."

Trump's fuckup will end with mass graves. Trump Mausoleums? Mar-a-Plague-Pits?

We will get through this. But Trump will have murdered so many of us before it's over.

https://www.theverge.com/2020/3/26/21196267/coronavirus-usa-cases-covid-19-pandemic-china-number-positive-trump

Plutes cash in on stimulus (permalink)

The stimulus package that the GOP Senate passed has the largest-ever giveaway for real-estate plutes in US tax history: $170 billion in tax-cuts over 10 years for couples with more than $500K in annual capital gains.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/26/business/coronavirus-real-estate-investors-stimulus.html

The President who will sign the bill into law is a real-estate investor who stands to make a fortune from it. His inner circle is packed with similarly situated rentiers.

It's the second-biggest giveaway in the stimulus package, and it will also give windfalls to wealthy oil and gas investors.

The House is expected to vote on it today.

(Image: Rich Brooks, CC BY, modified)

States prep for postal voting (permalink)

States are scrambling to prepare for a postal ballot-based election next November.

https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/blogs/stateline/2020/03/23/states-begin-prep-for-mail-in-voting-in-presidential-election

Postal ballots tend to benefit Democrats, whose voters are disproportionately unable to get off work to vote, and who are more likely to live in regions where GOP statehouses have closed polling places, adding long drives and long queues for in-person voting.

That's why Red States often have state laws that prohibit unrestricted postal voting, insisting that voters must provide a "good reason" for their desire to exercise their franchise to a bureaucrat who gets to decide whether or not they can participate in elections.

Of course, if Trump throws hundreds of thousands – or millions – of (disproportionately GOP-voting) seniors into the coronavirus volcano to appease the market-gods, the survivors may be gunshy about voting in person, even if they continue as fully paid-up Trump cultists.

There are serious challenges to reorienting towards a largely postal election, including mobilizing printing resources during a lockdown.

But even more challenging is the post office itself, which is on the verge of collapse.

https://www.politico.com/news/2020/03/23/coronavirus-postal-service-june-145683

The USPS is a miracle of self-funding resilience, a universal, small-d democratic institution that serves the whole nation. But its existence is a thorn in the side of shareholders UPS and Fedex, who donate lavishly to Congressjerks who fuck with the post office.

Requiring the post office to fund pension liabilities for workers who aren't born yet is transparent fuckery. Combine that with a sharp decline in mail usage during the lockdown and the service is now on the brink.

That would be bad news, and not just for elections. The USPS is key to America's emergency preparedness, and has been since the Cold War, when it was projected to serve as a survivor-counting/corpse-hauling service after nuclear armageddon.

It's the only institution that could deliver covid meds to every household in America in a single day.

https://pluralistic.net/2020/03/25/national-emergency-library/#going-postal

"Civility" and the Confederate playbook (permalink)

You may have heard conservatives insist that the reason they stick up for eugenicists and other cryptofascists is that they're standing up for "civility" against the "social justice mobs."

This rhetoric isn't new: it's literally the same thing that slavery apologists said in the runup to, and aftermath of, the Civil War: "we're not in favor of slavery, we're just opposed to the shaming and social exclusion of slavery advocates.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2019/08/29/conservatives-say-weve-abandoned-reason-civility-old-south-said-that-too/

When we learn about the antebellum slavery debate, we hear about slavery's defenders – but the mainstream debate over slavery wasn't about its merits, it was about the incivility of abolitionists, and how that compromised the free speech of enslavers.

Slavery advocates were cast as a disfavored minority, shouted down by mobs who refused to hear them out. But discrimination against slavers was a funny kind of discrimination: half the millionaires in America were slavers in a single southern town.

Likewise, the right-wing figures who today claim that they are censored and cast out by the intolerant left are millionaires who fill arenas and appear regularly on Fox News, the most popular cable network in America.

They publish books with Big Five publishers and go on multicity tours. They're courted by "progressive" news outlets as paid on-air commentators to provide "balance." If that's discrimination, sign me up.

John Wilkes Booth, who assassinated Lincoln, professed love of Black people, and claimed he was animated by anger at the suppression of honest debate on racial politics, unable to share "my thoughts or sentiments" about slavery in polite society.

Slavers cast anti-slavery rhetoric as "orthodoxy" and cast themselves as realists who were willing to speak truth to power.

Does that sound familiar?

The abolition movement – including Lincoln – focused on these slavery apologists, understanding that they provided the cover for the continuation of slavery.

Lincoln insisted that Douglas go beyond lamenting the angry rhetoric of abolitionists and instead describe what he stood for – beyond his support of slavers' right to "choose how they wanted to live."

He demanded that Douglas go beyond his campaign speeches against "mob rule" and state plainly whether he wanted an America with or without slavery.

In her Washington Post op-ed, Eve Fairbanks suggests that we do the same for the "reasonable right" – pin them down. Sure, you don't like "cancel culture," but what do you stand for? What kind of world do you want?

(Image: Anthony Crider, CC BY)

Boris Johnson has coronavirus (permalink)

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has coronavirus.

https://twitter.com/borisjohnson/status/1243496858095411200

Under Johnson's leadership, the UK pursued a month-long plan to turn the nation into a giant pox-party, hoping to attain quick "herd immunity."

He was following a promising strategy devised for less-lethal, less-contagious flus, which was manifestly unsuited to coronavirus, as experts argued at the time. As a result, infections now rage out of control in the UK.

https://www.reddit.com/r/Coronavirus/comments/fnl0n6/im_a_critical_care_doctor_working_in_a_uk_high/#fla1iq6

During the planning of this "herd immunity" strategy, Johnson's chief advisor Dominic Cummings acknowledged that it would likely murder elderly people: "if that means some pensioners die, too bad."

https://pluralistic.net/2020/03/24/grandparents-optional-party/#death-panels

After Johnson tested positive for coronavirus, Cummings was seen fleeing Number 10 Downing Street at a dead run.

https://uk.news.yahoo.com/dominic-cummings-seen-running-no-114514496.html

(Image: Think London, CC-BY, modified)

Reasonable covid food-safety advice (permalink)

There's a viral (ugh) video going around in which an MD in scrubs (at home!) shows you what you should do when you come back from the grocery store. It's frankly terrifying. It's also wrong.

As Don Schaffner, a food microbiologist, notes in his thread, not only is this advice wrong, it could make you very sick — either because you ate the soap that you washed your food in, or because you left your groceries on your stoop for 3 days.

https://twitter.com/bugcounter/status/1243319180851580929

There's no evidence that washing your food with soap will kill coronavirus, and even less evidence that you can get the virus from eating. There is, however, millennias' worth of evidence that you can die from food poisoning.

Schaffner's advice for groceries boils down to: wash your hands before and after grocery shopping. Wipe down the cart handle. Shop efficiently. Keep your distance from other shoppers.

You know, common sense.

(Image: Lyza, CC BY-SA, modified)

San Francisco cocktail delivery (permalink)

Hey, San Francisco! Craving a cocktail? The DNA Lounge will deliver a mason jar's worth (~3 servings) of Black Manhattan (w/Slow and Low honey & orange infused rye), Sazerac, brown sugar margarita (w/a little orange) or lavender lemonade gin cooler.

https://www.dnalounge.com/backstage/log/2020/03/26.html

The DNA is a San Francisco institution, one that runs on a shoestring and is continuing to pay its employees, even as other SF venues (snapped up by predatory corporate behemoths) shut down.

https://pluralistic.net/2020/03/22/preppers-are-larpers/#help-dna

They've also got a bunch of livestream events coming up, including a benefit for the Gay Gaming Professionals, a Death Guild set, and Hubba Hubba Revue's Burlesquerpiece Theatre.

Flu pandemic photos (permalink)

During the 1918 flu pandemic, California went on lockdown. The governor ordered statewide shutdowns, and "mask slackers" who refused to wear masks faced arrest.

https://quod.lib.umich.edu/f/flu/0030flu.0009.300/1

The California Sun has rounded up an amazing set of images of California life during the 1918 flu from libraries, museums, and other sources," in gorgeous hi-rez.

Free hi-rez covid stock art (permalink)

If this image seems familiar, that's because it's one of the only open-licensed images of the novel coronavirus, courtesy of the CDC. It's been used millions of times in just a few weeks.

https://tinyurl.com/u457y2d

An effects house called Covert has stepped in to fill the visual gap with a collection of gorgeous,crazy hi-rez covid renders: "No licensing, royalties or any credit is required for their use."

https://wearecovert.com/free-covid-19-animations-renders-images/

Warren campaign frees its software (permalink)

Elizabeth Warren's campaign has released seven of its sophisticated campaigning tools as free/open software.

https://medium.com/@teamwarren/open-source-tools-from-the-warren-for-president-tech-team-f1f27d2c7551

The Warren campaign had a large cohort of software developers and created a suite of outstanding tools, as well as making improvements to standard tools, including improvements to the texting tool Spoke that reduces the cost of using it by ~97%!

https://www.wired.com/story/elizabeth-warren-campaign-open-source-tech/

The projects are hosted on Github:

https://github.com/Elizabeth-Warren/

This isn't just an opportunity for campaigns, but also for small shops that provide integration and support to them. Obviously election campaigning is in a mess at the moment, but this is seismic.

This day in history (permalink)

#15yrsago Nepali media crackdown thwarted by bloggers https://web.archive.org/web/20050328204722/http://insn.org/

#10yrsago LibDem MPs won't fight for debate on Digital Economy Bill https://www.openrightsgroup.org/blog/2010/lib-dems-tories-and-labour-pledge-to-ram-disconnection-through

#5yrsago Top homeland security Congressjerk only just heard about crypto, and he doesn't like it https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20150327/07312030462/congressional-rep-john-carter-discovers-encryption-worries-it-may-one-day-be-used-computers-to-protect-your-data.shtml

#5yrsago NSA-proof passwords https://theintercept.com/2015/03/26/passphrases-can-memorize-attackers-cant-guess/

#5yrsago Welfare encourages entrepreneurship https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2015/03/welfare-makes-america-more-entrepreneurial/388598/

#5yrsago Here's the TSA's stupid, secret list of behavioral terrorism tells https://theintercept.com/2015/03/27/revealed-tsas-closely-held-behavior-checklist-spot-terrorists/

#5yrsago San Francisco Sheriff's Deputy ring accused of pit-fighting inmates https://www.sfgate.com/crime/article/S-F-jail-inmates-forced-to-fight-Adachi-says-6161221.php

#1yrago Elizabeth Warren's latest campaign plank is a national Right-to-Repair law for farm equipment https://medium.com/@teamwarren/leveling-the-playing-field-for-americas-family-farmers-823d1994f067

#1yrago Mystery solved: why has a beach in France been blighted by washed-up parts for toy Garfield phones for more than 30 years? https://www.lemonde.fr/big-browser/article/2019/03/27/l-affaire-des-echouages-de-telephones-garfield-en-bretagne-enfin-resolue_5442290_4832693.html

#1yrago McDonald's will drop opposition to increases in the federal minimum wage https://www.politico.com/story/2019/03/26/mcdonalds-lobbying-minimum-wage-1238284

#1yrago Front-line programmers default to insecure practices unless they are instructed to do otherwise https://net.cs.uni-bonn.de/fileadmin/user_upload/naiakshi/Naiakshina_Password_Study.pdf

#1yrago Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez schools Republicans on the true costs and beneficiaries of the Green New Deal https://twitter.com/briantylercohen/status/1110700996282343424?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

Colophon (permalink)

Today's top sources: Naked Capitalism (https://nakedcapitalism.com/), Slate Star Codex (https://slatestarcodex.com/), Kottke (https://kottke.org), Advertising Pics (https://advertisingpics.tumblr.com/), Fipi Lele.

Currently writing: I'm getting geared up to start work my next novel, "The Lost Cause," a post-GND novel about truth and reconciliation.

Currently reading: Just started Lauren Beukes's forthcoming Afterland: it's Y the Last Man plus plus, and two chapters in, it's amazeballs. Last month, I finished Andrea Bernstein's "American Oligarchs"; it's a magnificent history of the Kushner and Trump families, showing how they cheated, stole and lied their way into power. I'm getting really into Anna Weiner's memoir about tech, "Uncanny Valley." I just loaded Matt Stoller's "Goliath" onto my underwater MP3 player and I'm listening to it as I swim laps.

Latest podcast: Data – the new oil, or potential for a toxic oil spill? https://craphound.com/podcast/2020/03/23/data-the-new-oil-or-potential-for-a-toxic-oil-spill/

Upcoming appearances:

Quarantine Book Club, April 1, 3PM Pacific https://www.eventbrite.com/e/quarantine-book-club-cory-doctorow-tickets-100931360416

Museums and the Web, April 2, 12PM-3PM Pacific https://mw20.museweb.net/

Upcoming books: "Poesy the Monster Slayer" (Jul 2020), a picture book about monsters, bedtime, gender, and kicking ass. Pre-order here: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781626723627?utm_source=socialmedia&utm_medium=socialpost&utm_term=na-poesycorypreorder&utm_content=na-preorder-buynow&utm_campaign=9781626723627

(we're having a launch for it in Burbank on July 11 at Dark Delicacies and you can get me AND Poesy to sign it and Dark Del will ship it to the monster kids in your life in time for the release date).

"Attack Surface": The third Little Brother book, Oct 20, 2020. https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250757531

"Little Brother/Homeland": A reissue omnibus edition with a new introduction by Edward Snowden: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250774583

This work licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. That means you can use it any way you like, including commerically, provided that you attribute it to me, Cory Doctorow, and include a link to pluralistic.net.

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Quotations and images are not included in this license; they are included either under a limitation or exception to copyright, or on the basis of a separate license. Please exercise caution.

How to get Pluralistic:

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When live gives you SARS, you make sarsaparilla -Joey "Accordion Guy" DeVilla

[wennjunhui]

seventeen hospital au

im back at it again with another random seventeen post bc nurse!jun is ruining me :)))))

disclaimer: the most i know about hospitals and how they work is from chicago med so dont expect this to be accurate 

seungcheol

attending physician in the ed

kinda intimidating but is really a huge softie

but don’t make him angry bc that is not a good idea at all

always seen with a protein shake

tends to hover over the new med students a lot

partially because it’s important to evaluate them and their knowledge

but most because he thinks its funny when they freak out around him

always asks for a psych consult even when he knows its not necessary

bc its totally in the best interest in the patient and not because hes bored and wants to talk with his bff nahhh

has a long term girlfriend that works as a software developer

everyone in the ed tryna get him to propose bc ITS BEEN 9 YEARS DAMMIT WIFE HER ALREADY

jeonghan

psychiatry fellow

usually works night shifts because hes sleeps schedule is fucked 

functions on coffee and coffee alone

is constantly Tired

catch him napping in the break rooms whenever he has time

originally wanted to go into psychology, but he gets too invested and thought it would be better to maintain short term relationships

bffs with seungcheol, but bffls with joshua

by the off chance he’s not tried, he’ll go around the ed and tease the doctors and nurses

hes in the ed a lot tho bc someone keeps calling him even tho “he literally just sprained his ankle seungcheol why am i here”

joshua

plastics fellow

fucking loaded

pulls up to the ed in a fucking gold ferrari and just shrugs when people ask about

‘yeah i got it as a birthday gift, treat yourself ya know?’

born and raised in the us, but went to south korea to further his studies

bffls with jeonghan

by GOD the chance theyre in the same room, its game over for everyone

his surgery playlist is fucking wild 

did a heartbreaking ballad just finish playing? oh thats sad but move over its britney bitch 

always brings a guitar to work parties

‘if you sing sunday morning one more fucking time-’ proceeds to sing sunday morning ‘GODDAMMIT JOSHUA’

is seeing the cute hotel concierge that works a few blocks away 

junhui

the Hot Nurse

literally all the patients fucking swoon 

kinda makes patients nervous bc of how handsome he is

ok i’ll stop now

occasionally scrubs in as a surgical nurse for minghao

he pretends to be all cool and hot shit in front of patients, but when hes around staff he turns into a giant bright ball of excitable fluff 

will always be asked to be assigned to kid patients bc he loves kids

studied abroad in korea and decided he loved it there so he stayed

may or may not have a crush on someone in the hospital but shh no one knows except jeonghan and minghao

has no problem calculating correct dosages but cant do basic math for the life of him

‘no junhui, 7+8 does not equal 17′

soonyoung

senior resident in the ed

HYPEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!111!!!!111

works night shifts bc otherwise the ed would be dead without him

probably drinks too much redbull for his own health

his favorite treatment room is treatment room five because “that’s where a patient peed on me on my first day here”

“ok soonyoung good to kno”

“no problem”

not very tech savvy 

always manages to fuck up the tablets somehow every shift

for the love of GOD dont let him near an xray machine

also never assign him and seungkwan on the same patient they will accomplish nothing 

has taken chan under his wing

wonwoo

neurology resident

blind as fuck

harry potter glasses for days

looks really cold on the outside but is really just a huge fucking dork

like actually he laughs and jokes about anything and everything

neurology can be dark sometimes yo and humor is a great way to cope with it

that and gaming

half the reason why he cant see is bc he spent too much time playing video games growing up

still kinda does but he gets away with it

accompanies soonyoung on the night shift bc he knows soonyoung gets lonely sometimes

plays ballads in the surgery rooms because it helps him keep calm

jihoon

pathology resident

‘forget working with humans hAVE YOU SEEN THIS BLOOD CULTURE ITS COOL AS FUCK’

that being said, he hangs around the break rooms a lot because being cooped up in pathology is just tiring sometimes and he needs actual people to talk to

but mostly its so he can draw on jeonghans sleeping face

shares a flat with soonyoung bc rent is expensive yo

usually has the best tunes down in pathology 

originally wanted to go into music, but school kinda killed his enjoyment of it for a long time

is slowly getting back into and finding his joy in it again

he knows too many stories about the ed that hes forced to listen to

“for the last fucking time soonyoung i dont care about how your patient threw up on seungkwan”

“okokok but`”

“no”

seokmin

ed resident wanting to specialize in pediatrics

SUNSHINE AND HAPPINESS AND SMILES EVERYWHERE

wow literally everyone in the ed is in love with him a teeny tiny bit

because he has such a bright and positive aura around him that its hard not to feel happy 

sings to the smol children if they get scared 

everyone always asks him to sing at work parties and he kills it every time despite being initially shy

“wait wait wait you were in a rock band in high school???”

has a crush on the ed secretary out front

its so fucking cute the rest of the ed ships them so much

sometimes he doubts himself and his skills and that makes his day very sad

but everyone in the ed is in love with him and will constantly be there to remind seokmin about how amazing his is and how much he deserves to be here

and thatll make his day better c:

mingyu

ed resident

the Hot Doctor

wow everyone has a crush on him even if you dont you do

pray for the patients that get assigned to both mingyu and jun your in for a visual attack

tho the facade for mingyu usually breaks after a minute of meeting him

clumsy af yo

once knocked over the patients entire tray of food because his limbs were longer than he remembered

sometimes forgets to put on hand sanitizer and seungcheol always yells at him about

from the other side of the ed “MINGYU, HANDS”

“THANKS HYUNG”

always brings his own lunch bc hospital foods shit and he makes better food at home 

sometimes brings in cookies for the staff in the break room

theyre usually gone within an hour

minghao

trauma and emergency medicine fellow

TALENTED

was personally scouted by hospital officials in china

really young to be such an expert in his field

also his hands are really sensitive to abnormalities in the human body so he feels out the situation and catches the situation really early

is kinda intimidating because of his rbf and takes no shit approach

but is really super soft and fluffy once not in a work environment

relied on jun a lot in terms of adjustment here in korea, and he’s probably closest to him in the ed 

has jun scrub in with him for surgeries sometimes

objectively has the best surgery playlists

from pink floyd, to an obscure japanese indie rock

bickers with mingyu a lot of proper treatment of patients

usually theyre both right tho they just cant communicate effectively

is secretly seeing another chinese surgeon from plastics, but they hide it really well except from jun ofc

seungkwan

nurse

a really loud and mouthy one at that

nags everyone in the ed a lot despite not being the charge nurse

tho hes getting there and everyone knows it 

despite that, hes really sweet and caring towards patients 

is also really weak for kids, but he cant ever be assigned to them because he’ll freak out if something happens to them

always earns high marks on nurse feedback forms because he does his job AND is entertaining 

even tho he nags everyone else, sometimes hes too selfless and forgets to take care of himself

“did you forget your lunch? aiii how could you do that? here take mine”

“seungkwan you need to eat to”

“i said take it, now eat and make your mom proud”

cries and often laments how much he loves his staff when hes had a little too much to drink at work parties

hansol

a new nurse

really chill, vibin through life

is really a much appreciated presence to have around the ed, especially when things can become hectic really quickly

often acts as a translator between english and korean 

will laugh at pretty much anything (which wonwoo appreciates alot because at least someone likes his jokes)

one thing that always gets his blood boiling is the blatant ignorance some patients have

like the offhanded racism against him or his coworkers, or comments about lgbtq+ people 

and there have been times when he hasnt been able to control how he responds because wow he Dislikes ignorant people

so whenever he gets a patient like that, he often asks to switch with another nurse because “if i have to listen to karen say something racist about jun or minghao again im gonna lose my fucking mind”

med students usually hang around him bc of how approachable he is

shower thoughts

“do you ever wonder this would taste like”

“hansol dont-”

chan

med student in his final year

is really eager to learn and get started on things!

ed is his first choice for match day

soonyoung has taken him under his wing so he mainly just shadows him

and its always a fun and great time chan has learned so much from him 

the entire ed staff has adopted him and will riot if he doesnt get accepted on match day

“chan, whos baby are you?”

“for the last time hyung IM TWENTY SEVEN”

if hes not shadowing soonyoung, hes probably studying in the break rooms with hansol throwing popcorn at him

“hyung stop im tryna study”

“ok but catch this in your mouth first”

still has a lot to learn, but hes out there conquering the world of medicine yall better watch out