#nevermind that this took me almost two months to upload

[you-will-return]

Hey :D Chapter 2 of Hot Mess is up! Where Aleksi finds an ally and plans get made.

Hope you guys enjoy it :)

[wavesmp3]

[ksw] clouds

sunwoo x reader

wc. 5k warnings: medical inaccuracies, death, illness, hospitals, overall just a pretty heavy piece genre can only be described as an absolute mess inspired mainly by san junipero but also slightly by charlie kaufman and wong kar wai

a/n: this is supposed to be told nonlinearly but like the creation of it was very messy so i have no clue if it actually worked, so good luck trying to make this piece make sense of this :) 

act iii. scene iii.

Sunwoo sits and watches the sun shift from pink and blue to an impossible shade of green. And it’s then he knows that without a doubt Clara has ruined the color green for him. Because instead of marveling at the color of the sky, Sunwoo is reminded of the doors in her apartment building.

“Thought I might find you here.” The voice of a stranger who Sunwoo loved once upon a time says behind him. He tries like hell not to turn around. Not to lean back towards the voice and wait for your hand on his shoulder or your shin knocking familiarly against his back. He focuses on the waves crashing below instead. The roar of the water beneath him is deafening, but only if you let it be. He does, and he almost forgets that you’re behind him.

“Where’d you go?” You ask, now sitting next to him, tugging at the long grass. 

“I’m right here.”

“And what about in there?” You bring a finger up and poke at the side of his forehead. 

He turns to you, facing you in full. He takes in your features like it’s the first time all over again. And, oh, he wishes he knew before how many firsts you already had together. This is just another. This is just the first time he’s seen you in the past six months and remembered the thousands of times he’s seen your face before. 

He studied your cheeks. The one he now recalls running the back of his palm over after you left for the Cloud. 

He memorizes, for the millionth time, your eyes. He used to swear they were darker than they are, but then he saw them in the sun. He was dying back then; then he saw your eyes and you saved him. Just like that. 

Mr. Choi was right of course. As he always must be. You and him are like an old married couple. Not like. You are. Almost were. 

“I had lunch with Mr. Choi today.” He tells you. 

You squint at him. “I know. It’s Thursday.” You pull out a piece of the grass. “What’d he make?”

“Ramen.”

“Was it good?”

“It was okay.”

“Too spicy?”

Suwnoo answers with a sigh, looking away from you and back towards the water. The deafening waves crash against the cliffside. “I know you looked at your file.” He finally says. You stop pulling at the grass. You still. “Mr. Choi told me.”

After he says it, there’s a silence that isn���t actually silent at all. The waves rage below his feet. The seagulls are there too, beneath, above, somewhere, everywhere. And then, of course, there’s you and Sunwoo, trying to be silent over the static in your heads and the machines you’re hooked up to in a universe far far away. 

“Did he tell you about my file?”

He looks at you again. “No.”

“Oh.” You look away, brows furrowed, lick your lips, and then turn back to him. “So why are you upset?”

“After he told me, I went and I…”

“You didn’t.”

“I looked at mine.”

There’s another silence, except that this time it really is quiet. Sunwoo read once whilst in a rabbit hole of medical research that true silence only happens in a vacuum, where there is no medium for sound waves to travel through. This must be that. This place, the files, Mr. Choi and Mr. Chan, Clara and her apartment building full of green doors--it’s a vacuum. And they stick people in it then call it the Cloud. They call it extra time. But it isn’t. It’s nothing and he’s stuck in the middle of it. So Sunwo stares at you, straight through the vacuum of time and space you’re both lost in, waits for you to say something, and then waits for himself to hear it. 

“You looked?” You finally say, voice folding in on itself. 

“Yes.” Sunwoo’s own voice is barely there. You must be reading his lips which you’ve always been good at anyways. 

“So you know now?” 

“I always knew, and now, I remember.”

act i. scene iv.

There’s been an accident. 

That’s what they say when the sun falls out of the sky and the world starts spinning in the wrong direction. It’s how they show up at Sunwoo’s door painted in shades of blue and red, with authority in their arms and hands on their hips. How they prepare him for the looming moment where they rip past his skin, blood, bone to shoot a gun straight at his heart. I’m so sorry for your loss, they say leaving him with a bullet lodged somewhere between his left and right atrium. 

And those are the four words that play over and over and over in Sunwoo’s head as he gets to the hospital. Those are the words that crawl inside his open chest and turn him blue and black with infection. There’s been an accident, he remembers, staring at the extraordinary measures taken to keep your heart beating and lungs beating. This is it. Except that the accident isn’t that you’re dying, but that you’re dying. It’s always supposed to have been him. He’s supposed to be the one stuffed with tubes and hooked up to monitors, the one whose life is hanging on by a thread, and you’re supposed to be the one that saves him. It all feels like a play that’s gone horribly wrong because everyone switched parts after intermission without telling him. At what point did you steal the role of dying protagonist from him? 

We did everything we could, a stranger in a white coat says. Except that it’s not some stranger, it’s your colleague and co-worker because this is the hospital you work at and the hospital Sunwoo met you in. There was too much damage to the brain, they explain as the image of their tear-stricken face goes from your friend during intern year to the doctor who operated on you as your brain went dead. 

“We have two options, right?” Sunwoo is far too familiar with surgery and all this. He knows from his hospital days what’s supposed to happen next. But apparently, things have changed since then. 

“Actually, there’s a third option.”

Sunwoo doesn’t waste a second. He jumps out of the chair stained red from his bleeding heart and asks: “What is it?”

“We can upload them.”

act iii. scene ii.

In fifty days of living in the cloud, Sunwoo has learned all about the people that he shares a building with. There’s Mr. Chan who lives behind a vomit green on the same floor as him and who hasn’t left his room since last January. There’s also Mr. Choi, who lives behind the emerald door and invites Suwoo over for lunch every Thursday. Clara lives upstairs, where the walls are painted in various shades of green--olive, seaweed, moss, hunter, shamrock, sage, and others that Sunwoo tries not to think too deeply about. He’s only met Clara once in the past fifty days and has no particular wish to see her again. He hadn’t expected her to be a kid. Cancer, you told him after their introduction in the lobby, poor girl was only seven. As said before, Sunwoo tries not to think about it. 

And then of course there’s you behind the forest green door who has been slowly showing him all the good places. There’s the beach where you spent the day making seashell necklaces. The  cafe which serves its tea too sweet for him, but sweet enough to be considered your favorite. Sunwoo just gets the chocolate bread. You took him downtown. To a club. The tallest building. And to midtown where the amusement park is. 

But his favorite place you’ve taken him so far is the cliffside above the beach, where the waves crash against the rocks in a way that can only be described as violent. That day you and him laid in the grass and stared at the clouds with your heads dangling just over the edge and water spraying the backs of your necks. That day you turned to him and told him you’re sorry. For what, he asked. I’m so sorry you’re sick, you said, but it’s nice to have you around here. I think in a sense, we’ve both been waiting for this. Then, you smiled and stole all of the blood from his body. So yeah, that day, that place--it’s his favorite. 

Today, you take him on a hike up a mountain. 

“Do you believe in an afterlife?” You ask him after having spent thirty minutes silently staring at the view from the best peak. 

“One after this?”

“Yeah. I guess. Although, I’m not so convinced this counts.”

“I don’t know.” Sunwoo shrugs. “Maybe.”

“Do you think we’d be able to be with our loved ones in it?”

His chest lurches. “If there is one, yes.”

“Do you think it’ll be different than this?”

Sunwoo turns to you finally. “Why are you asking about this?”

You shake your head. “Nevermind. It’s a stupid question.”

He turns back towards the view. From here, he can make out Clara’s building. He thinks about her, about Mr. Choi and Mr. Chan, who he recently found out were once married but who haven’t spoken since Mr. Chan read his file in January, and he thinks about you and about him. 

“I think,” Sunwoo says, loud enough so that you can hear after wandering a little bit away from him, “that whatever the afterlife is, if it does exist, it’ll be worth it.”

You turn to him, but don’t make any move to come near him again. “And if it doesn’t exist?”

“Then life will have been worth it.”

The corner of your lip lifts. “I like that.”

Sunwoo only nods at the sentiment, and after a long while, he builds enough courage to ask, “you’ve been here a really long time, haven’t you?”

“Time doesn't work as linearly in the cloud as it does in the real world. Sometimes it feels like I got here and then you arrived the very next day.” You turn back towards the view and exhale heavily. 

“But yes. I’ve been here for an eternity.”

act ii. scene i.

Before he actually sees you, Sunwoo feels you. Not you, in particular, but something in the distance, a presence in the corner of the room and a pair of eyes watching him from somewhere far away. 

The scariest part is how much the feeling doesn’t actually scare him. 

--

Two days after that, he starts to see you in the flesh. He tells himself that his mind is playing tricks on him, that the person he saw in the produce aisle wasn’t actually you at all and was just a stranger with the same hair. 

He doesn’t go straight home from the store that day. Instead, he stops by the hospital and checks in on you, but even that doesn’t do anything about the fact that he sees a shadow of you behind the bed.

--

The day after that, you speak to him. Standing in the middle of his kitchen in broad daylight, you speak, you say hello, and the first thing Sunwoo thinks is that he’s dead. 

You aren’t, you reply. You’re a zombie, he reasons, here for my brain. I’m not. A ghost. No. Are you, here Sunwoo falters, fear flooding out of his body to make room for the briefest blotch of hope that’s crushed almost immediately by you saying: I’m not alive, Sunwoo. You saw me in the hospital yesterday. 

“So then,” he swallows, “what are you?”

I’m here. You look at him, stare at his face and without a sliver of doubt say, I’m here for you. 

Sunwoo knows it’s impossible. You can’t be here. You can’t. And yet, you are. 

Three years ago Sunwoo was told he had three months left to live, and he still remembers how impossibly you saved him from the brink of death. He remembers how impossible things happen all the time, and how impossibly possible it is that this is one of them. He steps towards you, touches your face, and feels the real, impossible thing against his hand. 

“You’re here.”

--

On the fifth day of your haunting, Sunwoo finally has the sense to ask why. 

Why what?

“Why are you here?”

I’m here for you.

“Stop saying that.”

But I am, you tell him. You asked, and that’s the answer. I’m a doctor, Sunwoo. I’m here for you. 

Then, finally, he hears what you’ve been saying for the past five days. You’re here for him. 

And the thing about doctors is that they’re there for you when you need them. 

“I’m sick.” 

Yes, you answer quietly, although it wasn’t a question. 

“Again.” 

I’m so sorry. 

“You’re a hallucination, aren’t you?” Sunwoo’s shocked by how sad that makes him, how disappointing it is. “I’ve been hallucinating.”

Find me in the Cloud, Sunwoo. There’s something I want to say. 

You’re gone by the time he gets to the hospital. 

act iii. scene i.

Sunwoo stares at the hall of green doors, eyes darting from door to door in an attempt to stare down the shades until they confess which one of them is tea green.

“Clara, the landlord, likes colors.” A voice says from behind him. “Every couple of months she repaints all of the doors in different shades of the same one. Before the green, it was yellow.” 

Sunwoo turns around to face you. When your eyes find him, they go blank for the smallest of moments. You give him a look that goes right through him, turning him inside out like you’ve seen the underside of his skin. It irks him. 

“I’m Sunwoo. I’m new.”

You gulp. “You’re here.” He doesn’t know what to make of the statement. Do all people in the cloud act like this? “Why?”

Sunwoo nods, maybe you’re not so weird as much as you just have a weird way of posing questions. “I was told I’m sick.”

“I’m sorry.” You say, frowning like you actually might feel back for him. 

“Have you been here a while then?” You nod. “Can I ask how long?” You shake your head. Sunwoo doesn’t think too much about it. Instead, he returns your earlier question “Why are you here?”

“Brain dead.”

“I’m sorry.”

You ignore it and point to a door down the hall. “I’m forest green. You?”

“Tea green. But I can’t find-” 

You tap the door in front of him. “This one, genius.”

“Oh.” He laughs awkwardly. “Thanks.”

Your mouth parts as if to say something, and your face goes blank again. He feels his skin turning itself inside out because of it. “Have you read your file yet?”

He shakes his head. “I just got here.”

You inhale, softening, and mutter an ‘okay’. You continue down the hall towards your door. Sunwoo is stuck in place. “I can show you around here, if you like. Take you to all the cool places.”

Sunwoo takes you up on it.

A forest green door slams shut down the hallway. 

act i. scene ii.

“Thank you for taking me out of the hospital.” Sunwoo says, exhaling. “I can’t remember the last time I’ve been to a park like this.” 

And it’s true, he really can’t. He’s been sick for so long now, and has been through a multitude of treatment plans and too many surgeries. When you’re sick and have 9 surgeons turn you down after asking them to save your life, you forget the joy of being outside and feeling the sun on your skin. You were the first doctor to agree to the surgery. You’re the only doctor to have ever treated Sunwoo like he wasn’t dying, like he was actually going to live.

“You don’t have to thank me. This is good for me too.” You say, head resting against the park bench and eyes closed. 

Sunwoo inhales, taking in the park with all his senses. A visceral sort of thing you learn to do as often as possible when you’ve been as close to death as frequently as he has. He feels the wood beneath his body and the grass beneath his feet. He feels the light on his skin and the wind pushing against his arms and nose. He listens to the kids screaming at the playground at the bottom of the hill and to the dogs barking within the dog park beside it. He takes all this in, relishes in it for the last time as a dying person. 

You sigh. “One more surgery.” 

“And then I’ll be done with this sickness.” 

You smile. He pretends not to see. “And then you’ll be done.” 

“Thank you for saving my life.”

“Don’t do that.”

“No. Seriously.” 

You smile again, this time at him. Sunwoo doesn’t have to pretend not to see. “I haven’t finished saving it yet.”

He leans back against the bench and closes his eyes. “But you will.” 

You tap on your coffee cup. “Honestly though, you did more work than me.” Sunwoo frowns while you take a sip. “The other nine doctors you called are good doctors, and they made the same judgement call I would have made for any other patient. No sane doctor would have agreed to treat you. But you were the reason I said yes. You had such faith that you were going to live and so much faith that I could do it that I believed you. I might be the one doing the technical saving, but you, Sunwoo, you’re the one who convinced me to do it. You saved yourself.”

He stares at you. The light hits your eyes like it’s finding a way to break through them. In truth, before Sunwoo got sick, he didn’t think he was scared of death, but he is. He’s terrified of it. Sunwoo realized it two weeks after his diagnosis and the day after he was wrongly told he only had three more months left to live. But now, for the first time since he was diagnosed, he doesn't feel so afraid of it. Despite how far he’s come and how close he is to beating this fucking illness, while staring at the light woven through your eyes, Sunwoo thinks he could live with himself if he dropped dead tonight. 

That thought alone, is almost as terrifying as death used to be. 

act iii. scene v.

“I saw your ghost, you know.” It’s the first thing Sunwoo has said to you in over two weeks. “It wasn’t actually you though, was it?” You don’t even bother looking up from your cup of tea. Through the silence, Sunwoo orders a coffee. 

“I didn’t know that.” The coffee turns lukewarm. “It wasn’t me.” You push an uneaten half of chocolate bread towards him. “It’s in your brain this time. Symptoms can include hallucinations.”

“Think you can still save me?” You can’t. If you know that much, you know he’s out of medical miracles, and that this time, he really won’t survive it. But it’s a joke. And you laugh at it.

“Definitely not. I never really liked neurosurgery.”

And all at once, he’s painfully aware of your friend somewhere in the real world that does like it but watched anyways as your brain died before her, split wide open. 

“Anyways, how do you know all of this?” But what Sunwoo really wants to say is brains are killer. Literally. Figuratively. 

“I’ve known since we...“ you hesitate, mouth stuck halfway through a word he can’t place. “After last time, I read your chart and looked at your scans.” Sunwoo nods. He expected as much. He doesn’t ask how you got them. “I’m sorry you're sick again.” You say to him quietly. “I’m sorry you’re dying.”

“I’m sorry you’re dead.” As soon as the words have left his mouth, he regrets them. Because you aren’t. And he knows you too well to think you’d look past the technicality. 

You scoff, shake your head slightly, and with a spiteful smile say, “Can I say it?”

Sunwoo only sighs. “Let’s start over instead.” 

You nod. He pushes the chocolate bread back. 

act iii. scene iv.

Mr. Choi was the one to recommend that Sunwoo give you and himself space. It’s been a month since you and him last spoke, since that moment hovering above the waves after he read his file and after he found out you read yours. He misses you, and has been for so long now. Mr. Choi was wrong. Sunwoo’s standing outside your forest green door to prove it. 

You open the door before he can knock. There’s no shock in your voice when you say his name, like you’ve been waiting for this day, expecting it. 

He looks behind you, at your apartment in Clara’s building that looks just like your apartment in the real world. The same one he cleaned out after you died, still filled with things he gave to your family or donated or took back to his place. He wants to crumble just looking at it again. “Can I come in?”

“It’s only been a month.”

And he knows what you mean by it. Three months is the recommended time off after reading one’s file. To reacclimate, they say, to process. But the insinuation that Sunwoo was supposed to go three months without seeing you makes him feel sick. The insinuation that after a year of being without you in the real world he was supposed to be without you here too, enrages him. Then he remembers how long you’ve been here, and how long you’ve been doing this and feels slightly murderous.

All he says is: “It’s been a lot longer than that for you.”

Your lip twitches. You lock and unlock the open forest green door five times before saying, “Are you sure?”

He nods. You let him in. 

Sunwoo used to imagine what it would be like to meet you again in the Cloud one day. He imagined tears and hugs and kisses. He imagined i love you’s and i hate you’s and i miss you. He imagined the scenario more times than can possibly be considered healthy. But he imagined something. He was waiting for the day. Waiting for this day. But this moment, sitting at your round wood table while you boil water for tea, is nothing like the million different ways he imagined seeing you again. 

And as you set down two mismatched mugs and take the seat across from him, he doesn’t even try to create one of them. “How long has it been since you read your file?”

You watch the steam rise from your tea for a long moment, then stand, grab the sugar and pour a spoonful of it into your tea. You take another spoonful and look at him expectantly. “Want some?” He nods, and you pour the sugar into his. You stir the tea then taste, then cringe, then add more sugar and then ask if he wants it. He refuses. You stir again. Sunwoo watches the whirlpool and waits the eternity it takes you to say: “I read it on my first day.”  

You put the sugar away, satisfied with the tea’s sweetness while Sunwoo marvels at how long you’ve known and how silently you’ve been carrying the knowledge of you and him since he came. And that knowledge is what makes him finally remember one of the reasons he came. “Is there something you want to tell me?” You look up at him when he asks it, exhaling like you’ve been wanting to bring it up for so long now, which Sunwoo guesses isn’t as much of a simile as he thinks it is. 

“Yes, actually. I…” you hesitate, flicking the mug as if the right words will come hopping out of the tea. Sunwoo watches for it. “I’ve just been here for a long time now, Sunwoo.”

“Two years isn’t that long.”

“Time doesn’t work the same here as it does down there.” You tell him tiredly. “It’s been decades.”

He doesn’t say anything.

“In the beginning, I didn’t mind the waiting. I knew you were on your way, but I just,” you hesitate, “I didn’t think it’d take so long for you to come back to me.” 

Sunwoo covers your hand with his. “I’m sorry.” You twist your palm into it, squeeze, then pull your hand away. Sunwoo swallows. “I came as fast as I could.”

“I know. I waited.”

“Do you regret it?” Sunwoo’s terrified of what the answer might be.

You don’t give it. “That’s not what I meant.” 

“Then?”

“I’ve been here for so long, and,” your head drops, voice breaking under the weight it carries, “it’s been so lonely.”

“But I’m here now.” Sunwoo says, leaning forward against the table. “You aren’t alone anymore.”

“I know you’re here. I know, and I thought that would fix it, but it didn’t. Seeing you in the hall that day was so bittersweet, because you were here but that also meant you were somewhere else dying. Because you were here and I still felt lonely.” You stop, chugg the remaining bits of your tea, and then wipe your cheeks. “Do you get what I’m saying?”

“No.” But it’s a lie. He does get it. He knows all about loneliness and the way it creeps inside, so slyly. The way it starts small and then grows, feeding on negligence, until it's too big for your body. He knows how it sits inside you, for all its enormity, and spills into everything. He knows how it lingers. How it has nothing to do with people or lack of them and everything to do with grief. Sunwoo knows all about loneliness. The day he read his file he felt a dam of it burst open within him. 

“I’m saying that in the real world I saved you, and now it’s your turn to save me.” You gulp. “I’m saying that I want you to unplug me.”

It takes a moment for Sunwoo to even register what you’ve said, but when he does remember the life support that’s keeping your body alive somewhere in a universe far away, he doesn’t say anything. He just stands and walks out of your apartment. 

act i. scene iii.

“Doctor, please present.” The attending announces, stepping into Sunwoo’s room for rounds. 

“Mr. Kim,” a resident starts, flipping open his chart, “was diagnosed 14 months ago and has gone through several different treatment plans. When he came to us, the illness had spread and was deemed inoperable and untreatable by several other physicians. Our treatment plan was aggressive and grueling but ultimately, effective. Sunwoo is 20 days post op from his third and final surgery. The surgery went extremely well with no complications and his vitals were excellent. He has been a model patient all throughout recovery, and according to our latest scans, he is also now illness free…”

Sunwoo doesn’t even bother listening to the rest. 

--

“So, now that I’m no longer a patient, if I ask you out on a date, will you actually say yes?” 

“Well,” you say, signing his discharge papers, “only one way to know.”

“What is it?”

You look up at him, smiling. “Ask me again.”

He does. 

You say yes. 

act iii. scene v. take ii. 

“I saw your ghost.” The first thing Sunwoo says after the last failed attempt.

You look up from your tea. “It wasn’t me.” 

“I know.” Sunwoo orders another coffee. “But the hallucination was how I knew I was sick again. It made me feel like you were trying to warn me, like you were up here somewhere caring from a distance. Right after I pieced it all together you told me to find you here and that there was something you wanted to say.” The coffee turns lukewarm again. Sunwoo can’t bring himself to say it. You sigh and push the same piece of chocolate bread back towards him. This time, he takes a bite from it. And with a mouthful of chocolate bread, he cries, “I just got you back, and now you want to leave all over again.”

You frown. “I didn’t want to leave the first time, and it’s different now.”

“How?”

“I want to go. Isn’t that worth something?”

“And what about what I want?”

“Oh, Sunwoo,” you say, “I’m sorry you’re sick. The hallucination was you and your head, but for what it’s worth, I have been up here caring from a distance. I still…” you don’t need to say the words. He knows. He never had to doubt it. “I never stopped.”

“I’ve been thinking about what you asked of me.” Sunwoo tells you. He made the decision last week but today, right now, with your confession still falling through the air, is the first time he’s had the stomach to swallow it. “And I’ll do it. I will. I just need some time. You’ve had so long and in comparison I’ve had nothing.”

“Okay.” You say simply.

“How long can you give me?”

You smile. “You know I’d give you an eternity if you asked for it.”

“I’m scared.” Sunwoo confesses then. “I know it’s what you want, but selfishly, I don’t want to let you again. I don’t know if I’m a big enough person to do it.”

“I do.” You say to him, leaning forward against the table and looking straight through him. “I know because I was your doctor. I have cut inside your body, seen all your organs, and during surgery two, I held your heart in my hands. I felt it beating. So I know exactly how big it is, and I know it’s big enough for this”

Sunwoo feels the heart you worked so hard to repair bursting inside of him. 

“God. Why’d you have to read your file so soon?”

You laugh. “I missed you. I couldn’t help it.”

And just like that, you’ve stolen the entire concept of fear from him. 

“I’m ready.”

“What?”

He looks at you and feels the loneliness slither away.

“Ask me again.”

[darkestwolfx]

Colony - Re-Review #31

Note: due to CITV changing the time of their reruns (hooray - not), the Re-Review series will be moving from 6:30pm to 6:45pm for uploads.

Wow... it’s difficult to find screenshots for this episode online, that’s for sure!

“You’re a hard man to find, Captain Taylor. I wish you’d find less dangerous ways to spend your retirement.”

“Just trying to keep busy now that I’m back on Earth. Taking it easy’s never been my style.”

“Then this may interest you. Can retirement wait a little bit longer, Captain?”

The answer is yes, of course it’s a yes! It makes complete sense since Lee used to help Jeff with IR.

“The Helios is a transport ship, designed to reach Mars, and send landing pods to the life support systems on the surface. Dozens of families are on board, and would be the first to actually live on the planet.”

“Unless you count all the aliens!”

“Ignore him.”

Let’s remember Alan did see alien life only two episodes ago... I get the feeling he’s been going on about it in those scenes we don’t see. A lot. I want to say that John is talking to EOS in this scene (where has she gone again, writers? I will eternally ask this question), because there is no other imaginary figure in the room.

Anyone else getting ‘The Martian’ (2015) vibes?

I really loved having this man back! It’s been a while since we last saw him and I was so pleased that they had him return. 1. because he is a great character, but 2. because he is one of the last surviving links to Jeff, and so you can be sure hints are going to drop when he’s around. It’s nice that Alan gets to spend more time with him in this ep as well, considering it’s Alan who always has the gap in memories on his father which his brother’s don’t.

This seems like the perfect way to fill that gap to me.

“Plus you were second person in history to ever set foot on Mars.”

“Just behind the great Jeff Tray himself, those were the days.”

Look at that - I told you, didn’t I tell you? - and it only took three and half minutes! And that’s only the first reference, there’s bound to be more.

“Like you boys say - Thunderbirds are off! Wait, that’s not it. Thunderbirds have left the building! Thunderbirds are...”

“Go?”

“That’s the one.”

Mars. There’s a Mars launch mission. Now, we’ve seen a story a little like this before in ‘Thunderbirds Are Go’ (1966 film) with the crew of the Zero-X (who okay, made it to Mars), but with a few problems on the way. Similar story here. Sort of.

I love how Scott was relegated to the backseat for the launch as well!

“Captain, there’s even a handy chart that lists all our names and vehicles. Just in case”

“Thanks Brian.”

“It’s Brains.”

Yeah.. no “just in case” about it. Let’s pull up the chart.

“Are we there yet?”

Um, did anyone else kinda feel like Scott sounded a little like someone else in that moment? I’ll even give you a hint.

“You and Dad were the first team to ever land there.”

“Nearly didn’t. Dust storm almost made us call off the descent, but we took the risk and went anyway. Jeff said ‘humanity never got anywhere taking it easy’. I’ve always remembered that. Gordon here should take it to heart every time he pilots Thunderbird Three.”

“Um... I’m Alan, Sir.”

Let’s pull the chart back up... At least he got a name correct, if not the right brother.

“Will do, Virgil!”

“It’s Scott, Sir! Nevermind.”

I spoke too soon. My apologies everyone.

“Captain Taylor, do you read me?”

“FAD, uh B. Whatever that means.”

You were there with Jeff when he set IR up! We were relying on you to know Lee! Right, we’re all doomed to never know the full truth.

“She may still be trying to fix the engines.”

Yeah, she probably could have done with Lee there sooner.

“Why are you reconnecting the power feed coils? That could take the systems offline.”

“Exactly! The proton storm didn’t damage your systems, it put them on hold. We need to manually re-jump each connection to get things running again.”

Captain Taylor really is the expert in fixing things, isn’t he? Can he come and fix my WI-FI? Seriously, I still need to choose who I’m swapping to after all this is over.

“Remind me to thank Brains for this.”

“Ok. Hey, Scott, remember to thank Brains.”

“Very funny, Thunderbird Three.”

Look at Alan thinking on the spot and doing his little commentaries.

“Impressive Thunderbird Three. Remind me to thank you later.”

“Ok, Scott-”

“Later, Thunderbird Three.”

“We got a big rocky problem ahead.”

Yeah you do, Scott...

“We just lost the landing pods.”

“I can’t keep this up Captain.”

Breathe, everyone. They all survive.

“Glad to have you back Pod Explorer. Remind me to thank you sometime.”

“Ok, Alan?”

“Later, Scott.”

I’m liking these little thrown-in bits of humour.

“It’s never too late to start again.”

Very true Captain Taylor.

“The chances of the Helius landing without breaking apart are very slim.”

“But it’s the only option we have.”

And so that translates to Scott as ‘let’s get on board the floating ship of possible death, even though Alan’s idea might get me killed’. Yeah... I wouldn’t have done that personally but hey, there we go.

That landing still makes me nervous, don’t know about annyone else.

“Alan! You’re back!”

“Sorry, Scott, couldn’t let you have all the fun.”

Meaning ‘couldn’t let you get yourself killed on my watch’.

“Scott? Captain Taylor? Does anyone read me?”

“Loud and clear, Alan.”

“Captain! You’re alive! And you got my name right!”

And because I’ve only just realised I forgot all about keeping count, here is the updated rescue score.

Rescue count: 38

Are we nearing anyone’s bet for the whole series yet? I still need to work out a suitable prize for the person who guesses the closest...

This was a moment I loved to the death - the amount of times I must have watched just this scene alone when this episode first came out... I’ve lost count. 

“This is the same site your dad and I landed on all these years ago. Actually, Scott, if it’s all the same to you I think I’ll stay a while. It’s never too late to start again. I can’t think of a better place than Mars to spend my Golden Years.”

“Should we get back to you in a month?”

“Better make it two.”

Yeah... we’ll get around to that at some point.

[zachsreaderinserts]

Taking a Stand

ship: platonic!bbs x male!reader

dialogue prompt: "No! I'm tired of doing what you tell me!"

warnings: abusive relationship, high school au, i poured my heart and soul into this, it felt really nice to write something like this

"Good morning, gamers," I mumbled, walking to our table in the cafeteria. My friends simply said their greetings back or just nodded at me, looking just as tired as I was.

Mondays were always hard on us, especially since we all were trying to keep up with our channels on the weekends. We all probably had a few hours of decent rest.

"Is everyone gonna be ready to upload our Prop Hunt video tonight?" Craig asked, pulling out the Uno cards. It was a tradition for us to play before school started.

"Yeah," Tyler muttered.

"Yup," Evan replied.

"I think so. I haven't had the chance to edit it yet." Brock gave me a look, that was between concerned and confused.

"You're usually the first one to finish editing out of all of us." I yawned, tears pricking my eyes.

"Angel called me last night. She was ranting and told me not to hang up, so I couldn't get to it." I missed the eye rolls and the silent scoffs that were passed around the group.

"You could've told her you had something to do." Marcel pointed out as the game had begun.

"She wouldn't be happy about it. I don't like upsetting her." I placed down the first card, nudging Brian to place his next. "I'll try to get it done before dinner."

"There's no pressure, L/n. Take your time." Jonathan reassured me, giving me a soft smile. His smile quickly melted away and before I could ask why tan arms wrapped around my shoulders.

"Y/n!" Angel, my girlfriend of one month, exclaimed. She pecked my lips, smiling happily. "Good morning, baby."

"Mornin', Ang." Looking back down at the table, I noticed it was my turn again and a plus two was laid before me. "Oh, you motherfuckers!" Everyone laughed as I pulled two cards from the deck.

"Don't curse, Y/n." Angel lightly patted my shoulder, giving me an admonishing frown. "It's just a game."

"Sorry, babe. It's just that my friends," I threw out a mock glare, "are little shits."

"I was wondering if you could walk me to my locker." I glanced over at my friends before looking at her. "Please, Y/n!"

"I really want to finish this game." I tried to reason, looking in the green eyes of my lover. "Can you wait until the second bell?"

"Y/n, I want to get there before Samantha and April do so we can catch up on some stuff." Seeing that I was still hesitating, she frowned again. "I bet Raymond would walk me to my locker." I turned back around, trying to hide my hurt expression.

"Yeah, I'll walk you." She clapped in excitement as I set my cards down. "See y'all at lunch." I tried to put on a smile, but it felt forced more than anything. Angel wrapped her hand around mine, leading me away from my friends.

Lately, I've been becoming less happy with Angel. She would give me little bits of an insult, leaving me to wonder if she meant it or not. And whenever I wouldn't let her have her way, she would just grow cold and serious.

But, I still liked her. She meant a lot to me. So, I took everything with stride.

My friends, on the other hand, didn't. Back at the table, all of them grew frustrated and angry with our relationship.

"I fucking hate her," Tyler growled, slamming down a blue card onto the deck.

"Join the club." Marcel sneered, glaring as Angel and I disappeared around the corner. "What does he see in her?"

"Maybe he's just staying for the sex." David pointed out, cursing quietly as a plus four was placed down.

"Y/n's too insecure for sex." Brian countered, crossing his arms. "Remember what happened when he had his fall out with Kyle? The whole reason it started was because Y/n refused to fuck him."

"Whatever it is, I hope it's good enough to justify her shitty behavior." Lui cut in, leaning against Evan. "Though, I doubt there's anything that really can justify it."

"We just gotta trust Y/n for now, guys." Brock sent everyone a reassuring glance. "I'm sure he knows what's best for him."

---

"Happy Valentine's Day!" I cheered, carrying an assortment of flowers and chocolates to my friends.

"Whoa!"

"Chocolate!"

"Holy shit!"

"Oh my God!" Various noises of surprise came from them as I placed the stash on the table, grinning proudly.

"Let me hand them out first, children." They went quiet as I started passing around gift cards with a gift attached.

For Evan, I stayed true to his simplistic nature and got him a bouquet of various red flowers. Jonathan received a chocolate box full of bear shaped candies. I got Lui and Brock assorted flowers, which were in almost every shade of the rainbow. Brian and Craig got Starbucks gift cards while I got David and Marcel Visa gift cards.

The last gift was for Tyler, but it was hidden in a plain, black box.

"Okay, open that one under the table." He did as I said and once he opened it, he started laughing loudly. I started laughing at his reaction, slapping the table.

"Y/n, you didn't!" He pulled out a blue dildo, about the size of his forearm. Brock quickly rushed to hide it, laughing along with the rest of us.

After the short laughing fit, they began to read the cards I gave them, either tearing up or smiling at my genuine messages.

"Happy Valentine's Day, Y/n!" Angel gave me a kiss on the mouth, which made me flustered.

"Ah, Angel! Not in front of the guys!" She pulled back, looking dejected. "Sorry, but you know I don't like kissing in front of other people."

"But it's Valentine's Day!" She pressed, slowly getting visibly angry with me. "Shouldn't we be making out all day?"

"I'm just not comfortable with it." She gave me a glare and I sighed, getting sad. "Sorry, Angel."

"No... Don't be. Just-- Did you get me anything?" I lit up, seeing the opportunity to cheer her up.

"Actually, yeah! It's at my house right now, so if you wanna come over later--"

"You mean to tell me that you don't have a gift to give me during the school day?" I shut my mouth, looking at her in confusion. The table around us went silent.

"Is that 'boyfriend protocol' or something?" She huffed frustratedly, taking a step back and crossing her arms.

"Uh, yes! How am I gonna show everyone how good of a boyfriend you are if you don't have a gift during school hours?"

"I don't think you'd need to flaunt around how good of a boyfriend I am if you already know it." I shrugged, trying to keep the tears at bay. "I'm no genius or anything, but I think I'm a very good boyfriend."

"Nevermind, Y/n. I'm going to class." She hissed, storming off. I clenched my fists, trying not to cry in front of my friends.

"Don't listen to her, Y/n." Lui comforted, leading me back to the table. "She's probably on her period or something."

"I made her a painting of us. I worked hard on it and everything." My voice cracked as I folded my arms and laid my head down on them. "I thought she would appreciate it."

"I don't think you guys should keep dating." Evan rubbed my back while talking to me. "You both clearly aren't happy in this situation."

"No, no. I'll figure it out. I really want to keep dating her." I looked at him with a teary face. "I'm sorry for crying."

"Hey, don't be." David came over, sitting next to me. "Why are you saying sorry?"

"Are you fucking crying right now? That's for babies, Y/n! I'm not gonna date a man who cries like a damn baby after an argument." Angel ranted, pointing at my face.

"I have no clue." I lied, rubbing my eyes harshly.

---

y/ntheactualgod has logged onto: what's jon's sexuality??

y/ntheactualgod: DHSJSK WHO CHANGED THE GROUPCHAT NAME

miniladd: IT WAS ME

h20delirious:

FUCK ALL OF YOU

h20delirious changed the chat name to: craig has a micropenis

y/ntheactualgod: and i oop

iamwildcat: y/n if you say "and i oop" one more time i'm going to freak the fuck out

y/ntheactualgod: A N D I OOP

moosnuckel: now you gotta beat them up tyler you said it yourself

iamwildcat: i'm gonna kick your ass as soon as we get to school tomorrow

y/ntheactualgod: do it pussy

vanossgaming: can i record it for my channel?

basicallyidowrk: they're gonna be the next logan paul and ksi

thegamingterroriser: but who's who?

y/ntheactualgod: call dibs on being ksi

iamwildcat: call dibs on being ksi F U CK I DON'T WANNA BE LOGAN PAUL

daithidenogla: sucks to suck

y/ntheactualgod: hold on, angel's messaging me

---

angelbabycakes: Y/N Y/N Y/N

y/ntheactualgod: what's up sugar

angelbabycakes: can i come over?

y/ntheactualgod: to hang out at like 2 AM?

angelbabycakes: not to hang out silly i wanna take our relationship to the next level

---

I felt my heart stop in my chest as I read over what she sent me.

---

y/ntheactualgod: oh. um, hold on

---

y/ntheactualgod: ANGEL WANTS TO HAVE SEX WITH ME WHAT DO I DO?????

basicallyidowrk: SEND US A SCREENSHOT

y/ntheactualgod: unknown.png

h20delirious: oh my god

luicalibre: do u wanna have sex with her?

y/ntheactualgod: uhhhhh not really if i'm being honest ITS NOT THAT I DONT LIKE HER I LOVE ANGEL BUT IM NOT READY FOR SEX

miniladd: that's fine y/n! nothing to be worried about. just tell her how you feel

---

y/ntheactualgod: im sorry angel, but im not ready for that yet

angelbabycakes: look out ur window :)

---

"She didn't," I whispered in horror, rushing to go peek out the window. In my backyard stood my girlfriend of three months, who smiled up at me. I saw her put her phone to her ear and my phone lit up with a call from her. Answering it with shaky hands, I looked down at her through the window.

"Hey, baby! Can you let me in?"

"Angel, I love you a lot, but I can't do this." My voice trembled with anxiety as I saw her face be pulled into a frown. "I'm so sorry, honey, but I just can't have sex with anyone right now."

"Why not! I've been dating your sorry ass for three months! The least you could do is make it worth my while!"

"Angel, I--" She let out an enraged yell, picking up one of my lawn chairs and throwing it across my backyard. I watched in horror as she practically messed up my backyard. "Angel, please stop!"

"I'm tired of dating your wimpy ass! I don't deserve to be with such an ungrateful boyfriend." And she hung up on me, storming out of my yard. My hands were shaking so hard, I dropped my phone. Sinking to the floor, I stuck my head into my knees and started sobbing.

Was I crying of fear or heartbreak? I couldn't even tell.

---

"Good morning, Y/n!" I yelped loudly as David clapped his hand on my shoulder. He pulled his hand away, looking at me concerned.

"Oh, hey David." My voice was scratchy from a lack of sleep, but I didn't let it stop me from talking. "Sorry, you just scared me."

"I'm sorry. You look like you just saw a ghost." As we walked over to the lunch table, I kept my eyes open for Angel, becoming more paranoid the further in we walked. "Where were you this morning?"

This morning was really rough for me. I decided to skip out on sitting with my friends to hide in the bathroom, out of fear that Angel would confront me about last night.

"I had a long night. Woke up late." I lied, weakly smiling up at my friend. "Hope you guys were worried about me."

"We kinda were. Especially after what happened earlier this morning." I looked away from David, seeing that we were nearing the lunch table.

"I'm fine," I reassured to him, rushing to go sit down. I missed the unconvinced look on his face as he walked after me. "Hey, guys."

"Y/n! Where've you been?" Evan called out, grinning as I sat between him and Craig.

"Late morning," I responded, pulling out a cup of jello from my lunchbox. "Who won Uno today?"

"Lui did. He was totally cheating, though." Tyler complained, making me smile genuinely. I felt myself relax a little around them as I opened up the cup.

"You're a winner in my heart, Ty--"

"Y/n!" I couldn't help but jump harshly as Angel called out my name. I managed to squeeze all the jello out of the cup and all over my hand. Angel's tan arms wrapped around my shoulders and she moved to peck my cheek. "I didn't see you this morning."

Was she choosing to forget about what had happened?

"Uh... I woke up late." I stuttered, looking at my now ruined jello. "Sorry."

"You should really be more responsible, Y/n." As she picked her hand up to move a piece of my hair, I couldn't help the tiny flinch. Luckily she didn't notice. "You wanna come over later to watch some Netflix?" She gave me a look similar to the one she wore last night when she first stood in my backyard, letting me know what she was implying.

"I'm sorry, Angel, but I got--"

"Let me guess. Homework? A recording session? Friends coming over?" She took her arms away from my shoulders, giving me a harsh glare. "You never have time for me."

"Angel, not here," I whispered, looking at the eyes of my friends watching us talk.

"Don't give me that BS, L/n! You don't care about me anymore!" She stood up to her full height, putting her hands on her hips. "Don't talk to me unless you wanna apologize." And she stomped away again, leaving me behind with an empty cup of jello and a hand covered in it.

"I'll be right back," I muttered, scared that I was going to start crying in front of the whole cafeteria. I speed-walked to the nearest bathroom and locked myself in a stall. I let the tears slip down my cheeks and silently cried my heart out. My jello covered hand stained my shirt, but at the time, I didn't really care.

"Y/n? Are you in here?" I went silent, hoping that Brock would go away. "Y/n, I can see you sitting in there."

"Go away." My voice broke midsentence as Brock's footsteps came closer to my stall.

"Y/n, we just wanna help you." Jonathan came over as well. "Please come out."

"I-- I can't!" I yelled, feeling broken. "I'm trying so hard to make her happy and she just can't accept it! I've been letting her do as she pleases and it feels like she doesn't even listen to me. I don't want to cuddle with her and then she stops talking to me! I don't give her a gift during Valentine's Day at school and she yells at me! I say I don't want to have sex with her and she proceeds to trash my backyard! I'm so tired of not being enough!" I was gasping for air near the end, recognizing that I was starting to have another anxiety attack. I quickly unlocked the door and smashed into the nearest person's chest, sobbing heavily. They wrapped their arms around me, swaying back and forth as I let out month's worth of tears.

"We're here, Y/n. We've got you." Brian whispered. I felt another pair of arms wrap around us and soon, everyone joined in on the hug.

And for the first time in months, I felt safe and secure.

Once my crying had dialed down, we all separated. I wiped my face with my sleeve, trying to remove any remnants of tears.

"I'm sorry."

"Stop saying you're sorry for crying. There's no reason for you to say sorry when you're this mentally torn about something." Craig gave me a stern glare, holding me by the shoulders. "Why do you say sorry every time you cry?"

"I... I've been told that crying is considered being babyish." Evan huffed, rolling his eyes at me.

"So what? Showing emotions isn't being a baby. It's being genuine. If you hide your emotions, then you're just equivalent to a robot. You should be happy that you can express yourself so well. As cool as it would be to be a robot, I think it would get pretty boring." I smiled a little, sniffing.

"You think?"

"He's right, Y/n. Craig's expressive, but he lifts like a damn champion. And Tyler screams like a preteen, but he's just as strong as anyone else."

"Hey!" We all laughed at that.

"The point is is that you shouldn't feel bad for being emotional. It's a part of who you are." I nodded, feeling confident in myself. "Now, if I were to guess correctly, I'm assuming Angel told you that." My smile quickly changed to a frown.

"How'd you know?" I asked Marcel, to which Jonathan snorted at me.

"Your girlfriend's a douchebag, Y/n. I'm sorry, but it's the Gospel Truth." I just sighed, leaning against the wall.

"I know. But I love her." Brock grabbed my face gently, making me look in his eyes.

"Think of every moment you had with her that was happy." I looked up, trying to recall every moment.

When I asked her out. Our first date. The day we went on a road trip. Her aunt's wedding. My birthday.

"Now think of every moment that you weren't happy with her."

Our first fight. Meeting my parents. Valentine's Day. LAST NIGHT. NOT EVEN TWO MINUTES AGO--

"I have to go," I muttered, a sense of urgency and determination running through me. I slinked past everyone, rushing out of the bathroom and to the lunch room. They all followed me as I walked over to Angel's lunch table, where she turned to face me.

"Are you here to apologize?" I didn't even get to open my mouth when she spoke. "Well, too bad. I'm still angry--"

"No! I'm tired of doing what you tell me!" I cut her off, balling up my fists. "Last night, you trashed my backyard because I wouldn't fuck you! And you just yelled at me for saying no to hanging out after school. I've been doing everything for you when you wouldn't even do half of it for me!" The cafeteria went silent as I was speaking, watching us argue. And for once, I didn't care who saw me.

"How dare you, Y/n! I fucking love you!" She started tearing up, fake tears to get sympathy from me. "You're going to break up with me?!"

"Uh, yeah? Was that not clear?!" She closed her mouth, shocked by my rage. "If you fucking loved me then you would've respected the fact that I didn't want sex! You would've accepted my gift during Valentine's Day and you would've respected my wishes throughout the year of me saying no! But you didn't. Instead, you manipulated me continuously with no hesitation and it's because you can't seem to get in your tiny brain that not everyone owes you anything!" Tears leaked from my eyes, but this time, I didn't care who saw. "I'm done, Angel. I want everything I ever gave you back."

"You can't do that!" She grabbed my wrist, looking into my eyes. "Y/n, I love you!"

I looked down at my now ex-girlfriend, ripping my hand away from her.

"No, you don't." And with that, I left her behind, once and for all.

As I exited the cafeteria, I watched Lui come up and clap me on the shoulder, smiling at me.

"You did good, Y/n." I smiled. And it felt really great as a whole new feeling blossomed in my chest.

"Yeah. I did, huh?" Freedom. That's what this was. Freedom from months of torture. I wiped away tears, not feeling ashamed for shedding them. "You guys wanna go ditch for some Hardee's?"

"Hell yeah!"

"Alright!"

"Yes!"

"Sure."

"Cool!"

"I'm down."

"I call shotgun!"

"I'm taking my car!" As the others rushed out, Craig stayed behind, turning to look at me.

"Are you okay?" Linking our arms together, I sighed happily.

"I'm feeling great."

[halloweennut]

Wonder (Part 2)

part two kids! featuring my other oc as well

Wonder gets an update. 

Even without the threat of becoming an app, and with the generally increased freedom of being in McDuck Labs, Wonder still felt closed off. There was nothing she wanted more than to go and actually experience what she saw videos and pictures of, and her questions and curiosity only increased as the days and weeks went by. She had learned and had grown more, but there were so many variables that couldn’t be accounted for, how much she still hadn’t been able to experience for herself. Having her questions answered was nice, but there’s only so much she could ask.  

“Dr. Gearloose?” Wonder asked quietly, not wanting to disturb him too much from his concentration, but it looked like he had spaced off in the middle of a schematic. She considered following up with asking him when he last slept, but he responded.

“Yes, Wonder? I’m a little busy right now,” he replied, tapping his pencil on the blue paper. Truthfully, he could use a distraction from the block he had.

“Oh, nevermind then. I can ask later,” she said, pulling up the queue of ocean videos she had. “Just another silly question, I guess.”

“Your questions are only occasionally silly,” Gyro turned to face her, tossing the pencil into a cup. “What do you want to know today?”

Wonder took down the queue, focusing her camera on Gyro. It was the only way she could establish eye contact. Well, not really. She activated her rudimentary hologram program. Wonder hadn’t used it since she was back at Waddle and desperate to move around. The avatar she had crafted herself was a greenfinch, but the light source made it blue and a little pixelated. She had told Gyro about the capabilities she had been programmed with, as well as ones she adopted from other Waddle programs and what she had developed herself, including the hologram application. But after weeks of only dealing with her as a computer, Gyro still looked a little taken aback to see her like that and almost physically there as the hologram settled in 3D space, sitting on a chair - not really sitting but projecting that they were.

“How would I...How would you - Do you know how to make a full, life-size body?” Wonder stuttered out. “It’s not that I’m ungrateful for the computing system and everything you’ve gone out of your way to do for me, but-”

“It’s starting to get small again, isn’t it?” Gyro interjected. The hologram nodded. “And you want to be able to actually learn things first hand so you don’t have to keep asking questions.”

The hologram nodded again. “I know it’s a selfish thing to ask. You have all your other projects for your job, only so much grant money, and I could always just get a RAM and processor upgrade instead - that might help.”

“You’ve been here for weeks now, and you underestimate me? I thought you knew better,” Gyro replied with a shrug. “We’ll start schematics for it soon. It’ll be a technological marvel, honestly, and if it works, who knows the other possibilities we’ll have with the tech that gets developed.”

“With what tech?” The hologram tilted its head. Gyro stared at her like it was the most obvious question in the world.

“That’s a silly question,” Gyro said, pulling out a blank sheet of blue panning paper from a drawer. “Your next upgrade, Wonder, obviously. A whole body with the specifications of your current computing system, but we’ll probably expand that too.”

“Really? You’ll do it?” Wonder exclaimed, the hologram leaping from the chair. “Oh thank you, thank you, thank you!”

The hologram lunged forward, arms outstretched to wrap around Gyro’s legs, but phased halfway through before pulling back sheepishly. The thank you hug would have to wait until she was corporeal.

---

It had taken months of research, tests, midnights and cups of coffee, but Wonder’s body was finished. Based completely off her hologram and real-life proportions and other biometrics on greenfinches in her age group, if Gyro and Fenton hadn’t compiled her hardware and made her feathers themselves, they wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between the android and a person. Well, the lack of breathing was a good sign, but it wasn’t on and Wonder hadn’t been uploaded to it. Everything had been taken into account to make her look as lifelike as possible, but now the only thing left was to start everything up.

“Okay, the last diagnostic has cleared, we’re all set you two,” Fenton said, looking over at Gyro and Wonder’s screen from his tablet. Gyro had just finished attaching the cables and wires between the body and computer and quickly made sure they were secure, as well as the old shirt they had put on the new body until they could get her proper clothing.

“Ready, Wonder?” Gyro asked. The response was a quickly chirped yes, and he nodded. “Initiate download and system start-up.”

“See you soon,” Fenton said and started the program to get the body running as Wonder’s screen went dim, her files leaving down and out through the cords. A few minutes later, there was a ping, and Wonder’s eyes fluttered open. She blinked a few times, calibrating her nervous system and senses, and then let her eyes focus on the lab, then on Gyro and Fenton, who stood apprehensively over her head.

“Hello,” she whispered, vocal cords not yet fully warmed up. Gyro grinned triumphantly that so far everything was working, masking relief that Fenton fully wore on his face. After she felt more confident in her limbs Wonder slowly sat up on the table. Gyro and Fenton quickly moved to support her, unsure of how stable she was just yet.

“Careful, Wonder,” Gyro warned. “Don’t move unless you’re completely sure. You took a while to make, so let’s not injure ourselves.”

Wonder nodded, and carefully swung her legs off the table, using the two as support as she dropped down to the cold floor of the lab. Her eyes went wide at the sensation - her first feeling of cold!

“The floor’s cold,” she said, excitement in her voice. Fenton laughed.

“Well, her nervous system is functioning,” he said. “Sorry the first thing you felt wasn’t the best.”

“She’ll have plenty of first things, Fenton,” Gyro said. Wonder held his forearm, taking a moment note the feeling of feathers, before trying her first step. She paused at the tug of cords at her neck, which Fenton quickly took care of. Once she was untethered, Wonder continued, latching onto Gyro’s arm as she slowly moved a few feet, stumbling once or twice before she felt confident enough to let go and walk on her own. Fenton excitedly tapped Gyro’s arm as they watched, grin wide as Gyro looked on in approval, monitoring her limb adaptation. Wonder turned to face them with a wide smile - a little goofy and ever so slightly lopsided - and ran to them, tripping at the new mode of movement as she launched into them in a hug.

“Oof!” was a conjoined sound of surprise as she either ran into stomach or knees, hands reaching to support and pat her back in return. Gyro let himself smile a little, knowing how long she’d wanted to do this.

“Well, how do you like it? Everything working well?” Gyro asked, kneeling down to check her ocular reflexes with a small light. She nodded - her pupils dilated normally, good - but shivered.

“Everything is great, still getting used to the cold though,” Wonder replied, wrapping her arms around her middle, but enjoying the feeling of old cotton and her very own feathers under her fingertips. “But it’s wonderful to feel real things!”  

“It is a little chilly down here, isn’t it?” Fenton responded. “Let’s look into getting you a coat until you’re used to things.”

“And probably real clothes too,” Gyro said, looking around. He saw Manny enter the room, luckily. “Manny, give me your lab coat.”

Manny looked over - he had been aware of everything happening that day, and had been put in charge of other lab duties - and tapped out a reply of ‘why?’ Gyro stared at him.

“Just give me your coat, Manny. It’s for Wonder,” Gyro explained. With a shrug, Manny took it off and draped it over her shoulders. She tucked her arms into the sleeves and found it comically huge on her. The sleeve dangled below her hands and the coat dragged behind her by at least a foot. Gyro started to roll up the sleeves to the wrist. “Well, it’ll do for now.”

“I know we want to hold off on introducing her to everyone,” Fenton said, “but maybe we should get Penelope involved.”

“Why? We’re perfectly capable of taking care of Wonder,” Gyro replied, looking at him incredulously. Wonder had meandered over to Manny to properly thank him for the coat and to shake his hoof. “I don’t see why we have to involve that know-it-all.”

“I mean obviously we’re capable, but Penelope knows clothing better than we do,” he explained. “Also, we’d look a little creepy shopping in a misses section of a store with no one with us.”

“That’s actually a good point,” Gyro conceded with a sigh. “You go get her, explain everything, and I’ll finish up the tests on Wonder to make sure everything is going well.”

Fenton nodded, and with a quick wave to Wonder, headed upstairs.

---

“So, you’re telling me that you and Gyro essentially adopted an AI, gave it a body, and now you want me to buy them clothing?” Penelope asked during the elevator ride down. Fenton nodded.

“Well, we haven’t adopted her exactly, if anything she’s almost like another intern that Gyro took on,” Fenton said. “But I know he definitely cares more than he lets on. Like with Lil Bulb. Also, I just helped with her, and while yes, I am concerned with her welfare, this isn’t exactly a joint thing. Besides, saying it like that makes it sound like Gyro and I are in a relationship, which we’re not.”

“Right,” the hen replied. “Well, I’m willing and able to buy them clothes. But on one condition.”

“What’s that?”

“I’m their aunt and/or godmother. No exceptions,” she stipulated. “None of my other friends have kids for me to spoil yet, and I have the need to be someone’s cool lesbian aunt.”

“Deal. You’ll have to clear it with Gyro, but I think he’ll be resistant,” Fenton agreed, running a hand through his hair. She shrugged.

“I’ll buy them clothing anyway, but even if he doesn’t agree I’m going to assume the role.”

The lift stopped and the doors opened to the lab. Wonder was fiddling with a puzzle cube while Gyro monitored her motor functions and visual processing. The two looked up at them - Gyro with defeated disdain and Wonder with curiosity. Penelope paused a second before walking forward. “Hello, Gyro.”

“Penelope,” he greeted, deadpan, placing his clipboard down as he turned to face her. “I assume Fenton told you everything?”

“You assume correctly,” she replied, stopping in front of Wonder, and crouched down so she was eye to eye with her, and extended out a hand. “Hello there. I’m Penelope.”

Wonder took her hand and gave it a gentle shake. “I’m Wonder. It’s very nice to meet you.”

“It’s nice to meet you too, Wonder,” Penelope smiled. “Now, Fenton asked me to go and get you a wardrobe so you’re not running around in some old lab coat. Any preferences?”

“Not that I can think of. But I love the color blue!” Wonder answered. Penelope nodded, stepping back to get a better look at her in terms of sizing and what color range of blue would match her feathers best.

“I can work with that,” the hen said, very self-assured before turning back to Gyro and Fenton. “I’ll be back in two hours. Also, Gyro, whether you like it or not, I’m her aunt now. I was going to have you agree to that, but now you don’t have a choice. Sorry. Ta-ta now.”

While Gyro sputtered in frustration at her assumption of kinship, Penelope patted Wonder on the head and made her way back up.

---

Two hours later, Penelope arrived back in the lab. While Gyro and Fenton expected maybe two bags at most, she arrived with at least several, most of them being from Toulouse’s boutique. Fenton’s eyes went wide at the bags as she set them on a worktable, looking very triumphant.

“How much did you-”

“Well, I said I would get her a wardrobe and I did,” Penelope said. “She’s covered until next season, then we’ll look into fall and winter clothing.”

“Isn’t this excessive?” Gyro asked, Wonder grabbing a bag and peering into the contents. There was a mix of different clothing articles, in different shades of blue and just as many fabrics. Penelope looked at him confused.

“That sounds impossible. Like I wasn’t going to get her a whole closet worth of things. Besides, I don’t trust your or Fenton’s fashion sense,” Penelope replied. “But if it makes you feel better, one of the bags is a full outfit for today, plus accessories and pyjamas.”

She plucked a bag from the pile and handed it to Wonder, who gasped in excitement, grabbing it with a thank you and running to the bathroom to change.

“I hate to say it, but thank you, Penelope,” Gyro said. “I know Wonder appreciates it.”

“Not a problem.” Penelope picked up a folder she had slipped into one of the bags. “I also arranged for a birth certificate and adoption papers to be made for her. The paperwork is all here. Please fill it out and have it on my desk no later than Friday. I’d rather have her in the system sooner than later so we can get a paper trail of her existence going, albeit falsified.”

Gyro flipped open the folder - there was a blank birth certificate and other state-related paperwork concerning Wonder and her life. He decided he didn’t want to know how Penelope got a hand on these or how she planned on falsifying the records to prove Wonder’s existence.

“I’m a good secretary,” she said, unprompted but as though she read his thoughts, but before he could answer she turned towards the bathroom. “Wonder? You ready?”

A second later, Wonder came out, shirt and lab coat folded in her arms. Instead, she was wearing a robin’s egg blue pleated skirt and a light blue short-sleeved button-up, a necklace with a little strawberry charm, and a pair of dark blue high-top sneakers. Penelope cooed, gently clapping her hands together.

“Aw, Wonder you look great, kiddo!” Fenton encouraged, taking the coat and shirt from her. She smiled, ducking her head shyly. “Someone get a camera, we need to document Wonder’s first day!”

Manny tapped out a quick response, grabbing his phone from the counter and motioning for the two of them to pose. Penelope pushed Gyro over. “Go on, you’re her guardian too. You should be in there.”

“I was heading over, Glider,” he snipped, forcefully adjusting his vest as he made his way to Wonder’s side, Lil Bulb following close behind, hopping up onto her shoulder. Wonder looked at Gyro and Fenton and smiled. Gyro, strangely gentle, smiled back, and in a fatherly way ruffled the feathers on her head, just as Manny snapped the picture.

---

Meeting Scrooge happened earlier than either of them planned, only a few hours after Penelope had met Wonder. They hadn’t expected him to come down to the labs anytime soon, but apparently, he had been curious as to why Gyro hadn’t interrupted any board meetings with a new invention recently. Of course, Wonder was the first thing he noticed when he came down to the lab to question them.

“Gyro, Fenton, why is there a child in your very dangerous labs? And where are her parents?” Scrooge asked, flatly, immediately going to one of the few obvious solutions. “Gyro, I thought we agreed on no necromancy.”

“She’s not a reanimated corpse,” Gyro quickly explained. “While I certainly could reanimate reconnected tissue, this isn’t the case.”

“Technically she is animated though! But not how you think?” Fenton added, nervous.

“Can you two stop with the riddles, please? What does that even mean?” Scrooge ordered. The two looked at each other and then back at Wonder. She walked over to him.

“I’m Wonder,” she introduced herself, extending a hand. “I’m an Artificial Intelligence program that Dr. Gearloose and Mr. Crackshell-Cabrera gave a physical form to. It’s very nice to meet you, Mr. McDuck.”

It was a blunt explanation, and it still left Scrooge confused. Blankly, he shook her hand. “It’s nice to meet you as well. Can I have a word with those two privately for a moment?”

Wonder nodded, grabbing Manny with a plea to come play chess in another section of the lab with her, and Scrooge turned to the two in confusion and irritation.

“Further explanation, now. And spare me the science talk - layman’s terms. I’m not even sure what an “artificial intelligence program” is.”

The explanation of what artificial intelligence was, then the full, nothing withheld explanation about Wonder took twenty minutes. Gyro and Fenton pulled up their research and her tests results: 

“Wonder is essentially a 14-year-old finch in every way except she’s made of carbon steel and synthetic feathers.” 

“See? She’s just like a human person, but smarter.” 

“Mr. McDuck, imagine the biotechnical possibilities we have access to with the progress we made making her a body.”

“She’s so much safer here than at Waddle. Her program is far too advanced to be in that mess of a company.”

Pinching the bridge of his beak, Scrooge held up a hand to stop the two of them from continuing. Fenton’s worry was clear on his face, but Gyro was unreadable, save for a hard stare. “I get it, you two. Waddle doesn’t know she’s here?”

“No. We made sure of that and we monitor Waddle’s search attempts,” Gyro said. Waddle Tech had made a big to-do about the Wonder Assistant program going missing from their labs, with a full, large-scale search and questioning. But in the past month, it had died down since there had been no leads. Fenton had made sure that the company firewalls were at the highest level of protection to assure no probing attempts were made. Scrooge sighed.

“And where is Wonder going to live now? Do either of you have an idea about how to raise a child? She can’t stay here in the lab,” Scrooge asked. “And what about records with the state for her?”

“Penelope gave us paperwork to fill out. Birth certificate, adoption papers, everything,” Fenton replied, but then lowered his head, resting it on his hand. “Where is she going to stay? I don’t have any room in my house.”

“Obviously with me. I have the financial means and the spare room in my apartment,” Gyro said. Scrooge raised an eyebrow. “Besides, I’ve already filled out most of the adoption papers.  And while, yes, my experience with children is...limited... it's not rocket science, and Fenton is good with kids. He can help if I need it.”

“Which I am more than capable of doing!”

“Not to mention, I’m one of the few people who can take care of her machinery and knows how,” Gyro continued over Fenton. “It’s the only option that makes sense. She’d be safe in my care.”

“Gyro, it’s not that I don’t think you’re capable but -” Scrooge paused, looking at the hardset, determined gaze of Gyro and the half-pleading look on Fenton’s, and sighed. “Fine. But one of us who knows about Wonder will check in on her and you whenever we please. She’s a child, and needs to be treated and raised as such, understand?”

“Fair enough,” Gyro agreed with a nod.

“And Fenton, make sure he does that,” Scrooge said. Fenton nodded wholeheartedly. Scrooge smiled lightly. “Don’t let me down, you two. Now I think I should like a proper introduction to your ward.”

[eddiespagheds]

reddie youtuber au!

okay i know its been forever since ive posted my writing but i have a lot instore including a little prequal too this oneshot! i wrote this based off of a headcanon by @billdenbroughsponytail !! you should go check it out and show jenn lots of love!! i really hope yall like this!!

word count: 1348   

ships: reddie

fluff cause im a sucker for it

Richie Tozier and Eddie Kaspbrak were both well known internet sensations, and have been for about 6 years now. Surprisingly enough their strong relationship of of 5 years began because of it. They now live together with their teams in a huge house where they film their Youtube videos.

Richie has a reaction channel that he uploads to every Monday and Wednesday while Eddie is an MUA that uploads every Tuesday and Thursday, and they upload daily vlogs everyday except for Sunday on a conjoined vlog channel they have. The happy couple wouldn’t be able to do any of this without their amazing crew that just so happens to be their best friends. Richie’s crew consists of Stan his editor, and Ben his writer while Eddie’s crew consists of Mike his editor, and Bill his writer, and Beverly films for both of them.

One day, all seven of them sat in their large office discussing video ideas for this week.

“I don’t know of a look I haven’t done yet Ben, it’s easy to run out of ideas rather quickly after doing this for six fucking years.”

Everyone just sat there staring at Eddie because it wasn’t like him to snap at someone like that, especially not Ben.

“Eds, maybe we should take a break for a bit, you’re starting to get really stressed” Richie began massaging Eddie’s shoulders almost instantly calming him down.

Eddie apologized to Ben before leading everyone to the living room where they ordered take out, and watched an old Friends rerun while simultaneously being on their phones.

“Have you guys seen James’ Twitter poll about shaving his eyebrows?” Bev laughed not even looking up from her phone.

“That’s it! I could tweet out asking what I should do for my next video!” Eddie practically jumped from his spot on the couch to go get his laptop, and he opened up Twitter when he returned.

“Okay, how does this sound? ‘Hey guys, tweet me some ideas for things you want to see in my video for Thursday!’” Eddie looked around the room, and saw approving faces reassuring him that his tweet was good.

About two hours later Bev grabbed the camera and began filming Eddie and Richie for the end of their vlog of the day.

“So, Eds here is about to reveal what you guys want his video to be about.” Richie said doing finger guns to the camera. “Okay drumroll please” He continued, switching to an impression of  a ring leader. Bev turned the camera around, catching everyone stomping their feet and patting their laps.

“Well the majority of the people that responded are saying that they want to see the ‘Boyfriend does my voiceover challenge!’” Eddie said letting out a small giggle.

“Cute, cute, cute!” Richie was pinching Eddie’s checks as he spoke. “Hope you guys are ready to see the best damn voiceover in Youtube history” Richie sloppily kissed Eddie;s cheek, both of them laughing the whole time.

“Okay, that’s a wrap from us! See you guys tomorrow, please like and subscribe down below. We’re Reddie’s vlogs and we’re out!”The two said at exactly the same time since they had memorized their outro ages ago.

The following day they began to film Eddie’s video that was featuring Richie. The two sat in Eddie’s office that he always filmed his videos in. It had a pastel pink background, and a bright white table with a few mirrors on it. On both sides there were shelves filled with wigs, brushes, palettes, and so much more. There wasn’t a script for the video because Eddie could handle his intro, and the rest was going to be Richie saying whatever dumb shit came out of his mouth. Since Richie was going to be doing his voiceover Eddie just had fun doing his makeup while talking to Richie and Bev as she filmed the whole thing. It took Eddie about an hour to complete the look, and then he filmed his intro afterwards.

“Wanna film my intro with me?” Obviously Richie said yes because he was practically incapable of saying no to Eddie.

“Hello everyone, it is me Eddie K your favorite MUA, and with me I have Richie the trashmouth Tozier” Eddie spoke at a rather fast pace that made Richie let out a small laugh which only made Eddie laugh.

“I asked you guys on Twitter what you wanted to see for this week’s video, and surprisingly enough, you all wanted to see this idiot do my voiceover.”

Richie smirked to the camera before speaking.”And who am I to disappoint?” Richie winked to the camera, and Eddie only laughed the whole time.

“So, without further ado, let’s get into the video!” Eddie smiled as he watched Bev turn the camera off. Richie and Bev then made their way to Richie’s office where they would film the actual voice over portion of the video while Eddie waited in the living room.

* * * * * * * * * *

“Look at my Eds waving at the camera, looking all cute and shit. So, first he’s putting on lotion to keep his skin nice and soft and all that shit. Wait a minute...that’s my lotion! I used it with his mom last night.” Richie paused the video to wink at the camera before continuing the video. “He’s pouring some tan shit on the back of his hand, uhh i think it’s foundation or something like that. Now he’s fucking pounding it into his face with this marshmallow looking thing.” He stopped the video again and turned to the camera putting on his best Australian accent. “Aye, here we have one of the rarest of makeup marshmallows, completely edible, but hard to swallow.” Both him and Bev started laughing before Richie played the video and continued. “Now he’s putting some lighter tan shit under his eyes, probably to cover up the eye bags he gets from fucking me all night long. Now he’s putting on dome powder that’s whiter than Stan the man! I bet you could snort that shit. Holy shit look at my boy kill the game! Look at that contour. Y’all bitches can’t even spell contour. Is he putting shimmery eyeshadow on his cheeks??? What the fuck Eds.” He put on a bad British accent before speaking again. “Look at the lad, bringin’ out his eyes!” He chuckled a bit before averting his attention back to Eddie. “Oh my God, my Eds looks so fucking good with shimmery eyeshadow, it brings out his beautiful chestnut eyes quite nicely. Now he’s putting some black shit on his eyes. Ooh, look at the flicka da wrist, aye, look at the flicka da wrist. Yes look at my spaghetti man! Ohh I know what this is, it’s mascara. W-what is that orange thing? Why is he putting it up to his eye? Eds on’t do it, it’s an orange clockwork torture device! Oh, wait...nevermind, he just made his eyelashes look better. Look at all of those lipsticks he has. Ahh yes, he is choosing the red lipstick to symbolize spaghetti sauce because he is my Eddie spaghetti...I love him so much. And now he is spraying some shit that looks like water on his face. Wow he is gorgeous, look at his cute smile while he’s waving with his little hands aww.” Richie finished gushing over Eddie, and turned off all of the equipment before exiting the room, and Bev followed him out.

“Thanks again for doing this Rich.” Eddie said from where he sat on the sofa when he saw Richie appear in the living room.

Richie walked up to where Eddie was, placing a soft kiss on his lips before speaking. “Anything for you spaghetti.”

That Thursday the video was released, and it was a huge success. People have always loved seeing Eddie and Richie together, and that was very obvious based on the amount of likes, view, and positive comments that the video got. Bev and Bill had been telling them to do more videos together for months now, and maybe they’ll do just that.

let me know if you wanna be added to my tag list!

@trashmouths-love-to-cuddle @wlwrichie @eddiehoney @lovely-eddie-it @lovely-kaspbrak @kingsteve-more-like-dadsteve

[cherryblossomcheesecake]

God & His Priests & His Kings V2: Chapter 1 - A FFXV OC Fanfic

I’m rewriting this fic almost 3 years after I finished it since new ideas and plot bunnies have hit so here’s hoping I can stick with the series and see it through this time around. Sequel to How Rare & Beautiful.

Master list Word Count: 2,350 Upload: 05/23/21

Vale of Eternal Blossoms - Neal Acree

I knelt quietly in the palace gardens, praying to any gods who would listen. I was sending off my daily pleas to the astrals and anyone else listening; I prayed for the health of the three princess elects, and their consorts and children. I prayed for the health of my mother, and for the health of the royal families of Lucis and Tenebrae.

Littered around me were piles of flowers and herbs that I had begun bundling either to be put on display throughout the various rooms in the palace or to be dried in the apothecary. The afternoon sun kissed my pale skin, offering some colour to my cheeks. I twirled a blue flower between my fingers, thinking of the little boy I had left behind in Lucis seven years ago, with those big sapphire blue eyes and messy black hair.

Seeing the prince grow through the dreamscape was hard. As Noctis grew older, he began to seek me out less, making our visits few and far between. I hadn't seen him since he started high school this year, his hair trimmed to a short length to adhere to school rules. He had slowly begun to shoot up in height, easily passing my five foot two and continuing to grow.

Communicating in the waking world wasn't any better though. Letters between Goryeo and Insomnia took weeks to get from the sender to the destination, nevermind how difficult it was to find the time to sit down and write a letter. I had sent a response off to Noctis a month ago, but with the exam season just around the corner, it was hard to say when I'd get a reply.

I sighed heavily, turning back to the flowers and herbs I had yet to sort through. Blades of cut grass clung to the dark green fabric of my skirt as I picked through the stocks and bound them together with twine.

I had become so immersed in my task that I let out a small scream when a pair of hands wrapped around my waist, pulling me back against a firm chest.

"You need to be more alert when you're alone, jagiya." a husky voice whispered into my ear, making me fight to turn around and hit my assailant on the arm.

Orion gave me a toothy grin, chuckling as I huffed at him before replying.

"And you shouldn't go around scaring court ladies when they're working. You're lucky I didn't have a knife," I said, poking his chest as I glared at his tanned face.

"You wouldn't stab me, you value my company too much." he stated cockily, pushing a strand of hair away from my face.

"I may value your company and friendship, however I do not appreciate when you disrupt my work." I said as I turned away to continue bundling up the herbs.

I had met Orion when I was thirteen, and he was fifteen. I had been in the market that day running errands for my mother and he had been working at a fish stall that my family frequently purchased from. The older boy had talked my ear off the entire time I was at the stall, and asked after me in the following weeks.

Myung-Hee got it into her head about making a match between me and the half-galahdian boy, sending me down to the market for errands more often, usually to his father's fish stall for random things. Orion and I eventually became friends, spending the afternoons on the coast when we could both get away from our respective jobs.

In the three years that I had known him, Orion had swiftly changed from a boy into a man. As he inched closed to adulthood, his features began to appear sharper as baby fat melted away, and stubble covered his strong jaw. His long dark hair was adorned with braids and some strands bound together with leather strips, pulled back from his tanned face with the sides shaven. It was an attractive look for him, a beautiful blend of his mixed heritage involving both Galahdian and Goryean undertones.

And of course Orion wasn't the only one blooming into adulthood. I was experiencing puberty all over again, dealing with the rushes of forgotten hormones and rapid body changes. My body in this world wasn't too different from that of the one I had on Earth, save for minor differences in the finer details.

My skin was more golden despite how little time I spent in the sun, with my long dark hair falling to my lower back in a sea of black. My eyes were more upturned at the outer corners, my face fuller. My petite frame carried little to no curves, my breasts smaller than before, but I remained at my old height of five foot two.

In comparison, Orion towered over me even when sitting, his palm against the grass as he leaned towards me.

"When is the third princess planning on relieving you of your duties, court lady Han-Farron?" the man asked, smiling roguishly as he came closer.

My brown gaze flicked up to meet his own, taking in the mischievous glimmer that lurked within them, sending my chest aflutter.

"Princess Eun-Byeol usually dismisses me shortly after nightfall, unless she requires me further." I replied, tucking herbs and flowers into a basket for travel from the gardens to the palace.

"I'll wait for you then…" Orion whispered, leaning in even closer as he tucked a blossom behind my ear before swiftly departing.

A small smile graced my lips as I watched him go, my fingers delicately touching the blossom. I gathered up what remained of the flowers before lifting the basket as I rose and hurried off in the opposite direction, my dark green skirt fluttering in the wind.

The stone pathway wound through the massive garden, intersecting with other paths and branching off at various points as it led up towards the palace. The green of the garden soon gave way to the red pillars of the palace, the high walls and soldiers separating the garden from the courtyard beyond.

As soon as I entered, I was surrounded by the people of the palace. Court ladies and servants milled about, no part of the palace was silent as they carried out their duties. I walked among them, heading for the kitchen to drop off the various herbs and flowers so the could be delivered to the appropriate heads of staff.

Upon entering the kitchen, I was directed by court lady Oh to place the basket on the long wooden table that stretched across the kitchen. After words, I approached the older woman, head bowed respectfully as she handed me a tray of tea and rice cakes.

"Deliver this to third princess Eun-Byeol's chambers, she is taking her evening tea with the first princess Gyeong-Hui. Do not return until you are dismissed." court lady Oh ordered in a stern tone, no different from usual.

I accepted the tray with a small nod and a quiet, "Yes, lady Oh," before departing from the kitchens and making my way across the palace. The chambers of my lady, third princess Eun-Byeol, was farthest from the kitchens, prompting me to stride quickly as the air chilled with the slow onset of evening.

The guards posted outside my lady's chambers opened the doors at my approach, allowing me entry to the receiving room where the two princesses sat talking.

"Ah, lady Han-Farron. You've returned from the gardens I see, and with tea and cakes." came princess Eun-Byeol's bell-like voice as I placed the tray on the table, setting the tea pot and rice cakes between the royals.

"Yes, your highness. Court lady Oh believed that rice cakes would be suitable for the first and third princesses." I answered respectfully, my eyes directed towards the floor as my hands pressed against my abdomen as I withdrew from the table.

"A good decision on her part." Princess Gyeong-Hui confirmed as she selected a cake from the plate, "Now, my dear, how are you adjusting to being a personal court lady to princess Eun-Byeol? I know this must be rather different for you." the elder princess inquired, her voice weathered by age.

"The third princess has been nothing but kind to me, your highness. She doesn't ask too much of me and is fair in her orders." came my response as the two princesses continued with their evening tea.

"Good. You may be a lower station than her, but you are still a member of the Han clan and my grand-daughter. It's is an honour for princess Eun-Byeol to have a personal court lady of your standing." the first princess continued, taking a sip of her tea as she spoke.

"Of course, your highness." I answered simply, standing still against the wall behind the older woman.

The two princesses continued to speak with each other, allowing me time to let my mind wander. I thought back on when I became Eun-Byeol's personal lady, when I had just turned sixteen in this new life.

I had been a regular court lady before then, starting when I turned thirteen, learning etiquette and the skills that were necessary to serve and provide for a family. But as my features became more mature and my figure went from girl to woman, I gained the attention of the other two princesses and their court ladies.

I was approached by my grandmother and her court lady following my sixteenth birthday, the pair explaining the role of personal court ladies to me in great detail. We were to be the unseen double of our princess, so that if our charge was in danger or needed to wander anonymously, the court lady would stand in her place with nobody suspecting a thing. The makeup the princesses wore to disguise certain parts of their features made it much easier to pull off the switching of identities; the flowing silks of the ruqun hiding the differences in body shape, and education on politics and mannerisms assisting in the deception. I had only stood in as Eun-Byeol's double a few times, but it was amazing how much we did look like each other when I was dressed as her.

I was brought out of my thoughts at the sound of Gyeong-Hui's chair scraping against the wood floor as she stood to take her leave.

"It was a pleasure to speak with you, princess Eun-Byeol. We don't often converse outside of court," she said, giving a slight nod of her head.

The younger girl rose as well, bowing her head in respect as she replied, "It was an honour to host you. I hope we can enjoy each others company more often."

Gyeong-Hui nodded once more before turning and sweeping out the door with a guard and handmaiden behind her. Eun-Byeol headed towards her bronze mirror that rested on her dressing table, as I quickly placed the empty plate, teapot and cups on my tray before following her further into her living space.

I began to assist her in removing various hair pins and ornaments, watching as sections of her hair began to fall from her formal updo. Once all her hair was released from the various pins and twists, I gently began combing the tangled strands, working through the knotted sections with care. It was a long process due to the length of the princess' hair, but thankfully the knots were easily untangled, and I began to help Eun-Byeol remove her ruqun and redress in her night clothes. The white silk nightdress was simpler for the princess to handle on her own, so I began disposing of the dirty ruqun so that it could be washed.

"Is there anything else you need, your highness?" I asked politely as the older woman stood across the room.

"No, that'll be all for the evening, thank you." Eun-Byeol replied, her cool gaze landing on me briefly before turning towards her bed. I bowed respectfully despite her back being turned to me, and I departed from her living space.

The evening guard had begun their watch as I closed the door behind me, the night's chill touching my cheeks. I sighed and quickly made my way to the small room located not too far from the princess' chambers that had been appointed to me. They were located in a secluded courtyard that was near the walls separating the palace from the gardens, the area free of trees and washed in moonlight.

I slipped into my room, quietly closing the door behind me. The rice paper door that led to the courtyard was open, letting the moonlight into the small room and illuminating Orion's large figure as he laid on the bedding. I smiled silently before unpinning my hair for the night, listening to the shuffling of fabric as the older man shucked his tunic across the room before padding over to where I kneeled in front of my small dressing table.

Kneeling behind me, Orion brushed my hair away from the side of my neck before slowly brushing his lips over sensitive skin. I shivered lightly, allowing him to have his fun as I slowly wiggled out of my outer clothes, letting the silk of my hanbok drop to the floor.

I giggled when his lips brushed over a particularly ticklish spot on my neck, slipping out of his arms and walking over to the bedding, smiling as dark, hungry eyes followed me. Orion slowly followed, the beads in his hair clacking as his lips sought out mine once he stood in front of me.

His kiss was hungry and lustful, large hands roaming my torso as he attempted to remove my under clothes and cotton underskirt. The skin-to-skin contact was heavenly after spending a few nights without him, warmth radiating from his body as we both lost what remained of our clothing. I wrapped my arms around his neck as we lay entwined on the bedding, his lips mouthing a path of fire down my neck and chest, drawing small gasps from me as we slowly succumbed to our lust and passion.

Next Chapter

[gethealthy18-blog]

Trying to Get Into Fitness & Health

New Post has been published on http://healingawerness.com/getting-healthy/trying-to-get-into-fitness-health/

Trying to Get Into Fitness & Health

A month is already passed of 2018 and you know what that means!(what?) People have already started giving up on their new year's resolutions(oh) Google claims that only 8% of people actually keep their resolutions

Which is like, the ultimate "I'm not mad just disappointed" Well I'm happy to tell YOU that I haven't dropped any of my resolutions I don't write any My family never really did resolutions Once, my dad was like "let's all write resolutions this year!" and we still didn't and then I didn't accomplish anything

For me when I want to change something I start trying to integrate it into my life right away, rather than waiting until next week, or next year, or next LIFETIME for that fresh start EVERY day is a Jaiden new year! *party horn, kazoo, as well as that annoying spinny thing* Whew! As someone who doesn't write them, and probably isn't qualified to critique the art of new year's resolutions I'm gonna toss my opinion that no one asked for into the ring! I think the main contributors to those 92% failing goals are they're too unrealistic and they're too vauge Let's stop beating around the bush and talk about the most common resolution people make Losing weight, eating healthier you know- that rabbit-hole "Lose 20 pounds by drinking this tea from a weird plant you've never heard of!" "Lose 10 pounds in 30 minutes or your pizzas free!" "Lose

your money" It's all basically just: Spongebob: -ALL RIGHT! GIVE ME THE MONEY! All those quick-fix weight-loss scams that make too good to be true claims are, just people who want your money Sure, the scale says "Hey! great job you lost seven pounds in a week!" but your body says "Yeah, but that was all just water weight, and also I don't feel very good" or AAyuasytdyafwtsfetwsfewdwtdrecwrthdrfewchtewscwszxechzewRTHJQqcfawsh3fawsqcehtgwdcerhnscfqHNSYTZRSEHNT2QD2DCTX NJYCV6FREUWQVF6ET,KDUHCQ If you want change you've got to earn it through work

There isn't an easy way out making changes in your lifestyle need to be sustainable for, life That's why they're called "Lifestyle Changes" Not "I'm gonna pay $200 for this diet shake, feel good for two weeks, lose 10 pounds! start feeling bad and give up in a month" Changes "I'm gonna start working out more" "I'm gonna start going to the gym," let's be honest with ourselves here, that's a weak excuse for a resolution "I will go on a run every other morning," "I'll lift weights 3 to 5 days a week" those are much easier to follow than, "I'll exercise more" *pSHH* get out of here with that vague crap You don't even know what you mean by that

And don't be flaky and say "oh, I missed a week, oh I'm hopeless" *sad moan of grief* NOMNOMNOMNOMNOM You're not gonna be perfect for a whole year Take a breath, chill and keep going I'm saying that to myself just as much as I am to you I've been trying to be more self-aware about when my brain just wants to turn one little mess-up into an excuse to stop something entirely I'm getting better at slowly ending that habit

I grew up doing a lot of sports Soccer, Martial Arts, Tennis, Competitive Pokémon I know my way around the gym But I dropped it all my last year of high school to focus on Youtube and art I didn't care about what I ate and combined with not moving around much I started feeling pretty crummy

So I ended up turning to what most people do when they reach a similar problem *sighs* All right, here we go *upbeat hip-hop gym music plays* Let's talk about home exercise videos Why are so many of them so fake? The weird hip-hop music and the smiles that are a bit too wide it might just be the plastic surgery, but it all makes me feel uncomfortable I get that instructors want to make exercise seem fun and all that but, ehhhhhh it feels super condescending to me How the FRIG do they do entire workouts smiling and talking and making cheesy eating pizza jokes? "All right now hold that squat -ooooh feel that burn in those quads!" "I'm smiling and articulating everything perfectly and I totally know you're panting like a dying animal over there! Don't think about that leftover pizza in the fridge!" *giggles* -"Looking at YOU Brittany!" If you're looking for good home exercise programs, I'm gonna recommend this blog I've been following for a super long time called 'Fitness Blender' Woah is that the sellout alarm?!?!? is Jaiden finally selling out?? No, turn that thing off I've never talked to Fitness Blender, they're not paying me to say this, They don't even know I exist

*groans of sadness* It's run by this nice couple (Daniel and Kelly) they're super down-to-earth and have a really healthy view on fitness and wellness You can tell they know their stuff All their exercise videos and tips are completely free, and if you want to use one of their written programs or meal plans, they're like 15 bucks *GYM HIP-HOP INTENSIFIES* and they don't have that dumb music IN THE BACKGROUND OF THE VIDEO! If you're just starting out exercise it's gonna hurt and/or suck for a bit If it doesn't you aren't gonna see changes Well okay, don't murder yourself

Be smart about it But your body is gonna complain for a while and that's good There's plenty of activities you can do! playing a sport with friends, walking your dog, a casual battle to the death -squats And respect your starting point When I first started trying to get back into working out, I was just, *gasps of exhaustion* okay, alright, got through it

TV: -"Alright, we're done with our warm up grab a quick drink of water, and we'll get right into the workout!" But just stick through the beginning, because that's literally the hardest part Raise your hand if you're sore! AHA trick question! you can't raise your arms They're jello Don't forget that exercise is only a quarter of the health journey What you eat is the biggest variable to all this life changing athlete hippy mumbo-jumbo

Eating right is like straight-up magic You feel amazing It's the closest thing to drugs that isn't drugs There's a difference between being thin, versus fit versus healthy kind of like Venn diagram style Someone could be thin, but that doesn't mean they're at all healthy

Someone could be super swollen, buff, but eat junk 24/7 and someone could be eating super healthy but not have the body of a supermodel There's a healthy range of everything I used to have a really bad relationship with eating I've talked about it before

In college I developed an eating disorder and a fear of eating food and I would go like, an entire day eating almost nothing "No Jadien!" *Slap* "you think that eating 600 calories a day is just gonna float you to all your hopes and dreams?" *M-hmm* "Nope it's just gonna give you headaches and emotional breakdowns you can trust me- I'm from the future~~~" "ALSO learn what bitcoin is and invest everything you can into it while you still can" I wish there was more information being taught on the dangers of eating disorders, Because if I knew about that whole mess 3 years ago, I would have been like "whoa!" okay? Nevermind Let's do a 180 here This ship is wack

I'm getting out of here before it controls everything in my life" You can't abuse your body and expect anything good to come from it Body: "Man I feel great! I could totally run a marathon and write an essay right now I'm so energized and my brain is so clear!" "Thanks for feeding me LITERALLY ONE GRAPE" You don't go to the gas station, pour a cup of gas into your car, and then try to drive to China

Eating less than your body needs to physically survive accomplishes nothing It might seem like it's working in the moment but honey, you've got a big storm coming Please try to end it as soon as you can I'm not at all trying to shame anyone going through rough times with their self-image I know it's a really hard thing to fight against

I was pretty far gone when I was struggling And even though I'm in a much better place now, I do still have bad days What helps me is trying to separate logical thoughts from the bad ones that fueled the irrational fears They're not here to see you succeed They're just the dumb brain versions of those tv and email scams where they're like "Hey! Give me your credit card info, social security number, and mother's maiden name and I'll give you a million dollars!" "I won't literally destroy your life, I'm just your friendly neighborhood Nigerian prince!" It's all more simple than you think

Eat healthy when you can, fresh fruit, vegetables, whole foods, and it's okay to treat yourself every once in a while Don't say: "I'm never eating sugar for the rest of my life!" You're setting yourself up for failure there And end up pulling a James Exercise as much as little as you're ready for, and be mindful and respectful about how your body feels Little changes go a long way

Remember you're doing this for you And don't play that dumb hip-hop music while you work out (music intensifies) or I SWEAR TO HERCULES I'm gonna RUN someone over with an exercise bike! Hey! It's been a while! Sorry Anyway I don't know if you've seen yet, but the finebros made a reaction video on me I've already seen it and had a reaction, but I don't think i'll be making a I react To people react to me thing I know a lot of people wanted me to do that

I enjoyed the video They said some nice things I hope you see it, and thanks to the finebros for thinking I'm someone worth reacting to *pshhh* This video took a bit longer to get done, this year's actually gonna be pretty busy, and we got some special things in the works for you in the future I'm really trying to up the quality of videos, and not die in the process I used to be super strict on uploading every two weeks, but it's really not sustainable for my mental health, or my health in general

So the videos will just be done when they're done but I care more about the quality of videos than a certain schedule, so yeah Also I hope you liked the video stick to your resolutions, keep working towards the person you want to become, and take care of yourself I'm working on all of that stuff too

okay bye!