#people thankfully thought it was funny haha

[peachpitss]

gay ass heart shaped pitcher i attempted to make on a lesbian pottery date the other day!

thankful to my gf for listening to me talk about video games for a whole calendar year already! happy to have gotten to introduce them to toby fox and nier. or sorry that happened. 💞 bc now they’re ensnared in The Lore alongside me.

[b0nten]

HOW ARE BABIES MADE?

[SYNOPSIS] ˚⁀➷｡ ran, rindou, sanzu, takeomi, kakucho, mikey and izana being asked by their children how babies are made.

[NOTES] ˚⁀➷｡ reader is implied to be fem, reader is called “mother”, “mommy” etc. this was so fun to write!!! thank you anon for requesting <3 also, i used tenjiku&bonten characters but everything’s taking place in the final timeline.

RAN is definitely the type to try to explain the entire thing, without any second thoughts whatsoever. He’d definitely hear the question, and open his mouth but before gets to say ‘sex’ he feels a book flat against his head. “what do you think you’re doing?” you whisper-yell from the kitchen, curry udon long forgotten on the stove. “explaining to your daughter how she spawned into the world?” he answers, dodging another decor item that you aimed toward him. upon asking, dramatically and over-exaggeratedly of course, so offended because he just doesn’t know what he was doing wrong, you just stare at him. “we agreed to tell her when she’s 14. she doesn’t even know boys have dicks and you want to explain the entirety of sex and how it goes to her? do you even know how it works?” he sighs, defeated, “let’s go eat, sweetheart, i think i made mommy a lil mad.” he says, picking up his daughter, “that last part was uncalled for, by the way.” “suck it up, mr. club owner. ”

meanwhile, RINDOU simply freezes: “daddy, how are babies made?” what? excuse him? oh my lord, he did not expect this to happen this early. why the hell is his five year old son asking him about coital activity, right when you’re not around? fuck him (himself), fuck this situation, fuck you for not being around right now (both figuratively and literally). “you see! when… uhm.. when two people love each other and they kiss, they make a baby!” he mentally face-palms for what the fuck he just said. “so you can’t kiss girls until you’re twenty-one, yeah?” finally, thankfully, his phone rings, and thank the heavens it’s you. “oh my god, y/n—” “rindou, what did i just hear on the baby cam?” “haha, my love! funny story!!!!”

SANZU just goes feral. he’s having a fucking anxiety attack or whatever so he just texts you while your daughter asks her daddy about how babies are made.

TAKEOMI plays it safe, using the infamous stork. “and it just comes flying?” “yeah, it carries a little basket with its beak and gives it to us!” he smiles, playing into his baby girl’s fantasy. “you sound just like my parents.” you smile and his gaze averts to yours, from his seat on the living room carpet. “well, your own stories inspired me, because, to be honest, i was about to shit myself.” “daddy!” the little one yells, stretching out her palm, “1000 yen!” and her father exasperates “god put me out of this misery of only being an atm, you’re just like your mother. ow! what’d i deserve that punch for?”

KAKUCHO handles it like a pro. “papa.” one of his little girls walks up to him, younger twin following her right behind. “yes, pretty girl?” he straightens his back and crouches down, still sitting on the couch. “how are babies made, papa?” the shyer one asks and his face drops for a split second. “i promise to tell you when you’re older, right now it’s classified information!” he jokes, and the girls giggle. “now… who wants to watch doraemon!!” he does the jazz hands and the twins jump into his lap. not long after, you sit down next to them. “if i didn’t know any better, i would have said you rehearsed those lines from the moment you were born.” you laugh, resting your head on his shoulder. he wraps an arm around you, chuckling, and kisses the crown of your head.

if there’s someone (who thinks they’re) escaping this question, it’s MIKEY. “ ‘tou-chan, how are babies made?” blond locks spin toward him, and the big eyes of his daughter look him up and down. “ ‘tou-chan?” she says again, a bit annoyed. mikey sacrifices the motorbike races he’s watching and looks back at her. “ask ‘kaa-chan, i’m not really good at biology.” he smiles when she jumps from her place and runs into your bedroom, where you’re blow-drying your hair. confident that he’s just dodged a bullet, manjiro returns to his priority — the tv. moments later you storm in, hair half wet, still in your bath robe with the kid in your arms, visibly furious. he knows he’s dodged a bullet but is about to get hit by a cannon.

IZANA is at the dining table doing some paper-work for tenjiku and you’re watching tv when your oldest marches into the kitchen, determined. “daddy.” the blond looks up, eyeing back at the spitting image of himself. “yes?” he answers, and you also look back to see what’s going on. slamming a big book on the table, the toddler points to the cover “how are babies made?” you burst out laughing and your husband snatches the book away, making you laugh hysterically. “where’d you find this?!” he questions, and his forehead is already soaked with sweat and he wants to bury himself into the ground. “your office.” he can’t believe his five year old son walked in there and just so happened to find this book: effective positions for baby-making. his cheeks redden and he scans the room to find you and request your help, but he’s greeted with the sight of you rolling around on the living room floor, trying to calm your laughter down. yay.

[muffinsin]

Greetings. I know thyeth awaiteds of trial, aka, thoueths inbox, is full of requests, so, if thou doth perchance chooseth to bless thy anon, by choosing to grant myith humble pleads, take your time.

I sincerely ask of thou to consider thy dumb lil giggleshits by writing about the dimitrescu sisters (seperate, not as a polycule) reactions to their s/o (thats us!!! Thats you!!!) outright demanding to be 'bitten better' after getting a large wound/scar/scab or something, because, like, if im correct, thats just like, alot of ur bloodcells rising to reform damaged skin??? or something?? Idk. I failed science. I just think it would be funny to be like '(BELA/CASSANDRA/DANIELA), GIT OVER HERE AND BITE ME,, I HAVE PLACES TO BE AND I DO NOT NEED TO EXPLAIN TO PEOPLE HOW I TRIPPED AND FELL ONTO THE HANDLE (?? Do they have handles?) OF UR DUMB (friggen) SICKLE!!!"

I thanketh thee for thoueth time.

with utmost respect, thoueths truely,

Corvina, aka, stupid, medieval-talking dork.

-⚔️🧷

Haha I love this!! XD That’s some fancy talk right there🧐🎩! (Cassandra likes to insist on your point, biting to make her lover feel better. She’s just helping, really!)

Now, let’s get into this!🙌 :)

Masterlists

Bela

You’re bored, waiting for your girlfriend to finish up her work

Really, you doubt it will ever be finished, but at the very least Bela promised to set limits for herself as it comes to work, to avoid overworking herself, and to allow her to spend more time with you

Now, she probably would be more motivated to wrap things up immediately if she knew what you’re up to

Bored as you are, you desperately need something to do

And really, the castle- or village in general- doesn’t offer too much that doesn’t include murder

And even that isn’t your thing, at the very least not without Bela

As such you find yourself sitting at the unoccupied desk in her room, lazily playing with the sickle she left there for her nightly hunt

You’re sure she wouldn’t mind! After all, it’s not like you’re breaking it!

You’re merely playing with it!

What could go-

You flinch when it slips from you, then yelp when it’s sharp blade slices through your inner thigh, then falls from the chair and to the ground, at last laying bloodied between your shaking legs

Oh oh…

You whine a little as you look down at the cut, deep, but hardly lethal

The sight of the bloodied flesh and the feeling of the painful ache surrounding it is enough to have you run off to find Bela

Which is precisely why you find yourself the way you do now, sat down in her office chair, your face flushed and cheeks burning up as you look down at her

Her lips and tongue tending to your cut, her body below you as she kneels between your legs

Needless to say, it’s an explicit looking image, one that has your entire body tingle

Yet, the glare she shoots you over and over again has your thoughts stay in the gutter

You pat her hair apologetically, scratching softly at her scalp just the way she likes it

Soon enough, thankfully, your cut stops bleeding and no longer aches this much

Still, you know her work is not yet done

As such, you send her a shy smile, apologizing for foolishly playing with her weapon yet again

You don’t think it wise to point out that you only did so because you were bored. Her glare is deadly enough as is

Though, it’s adorable how her eyes soften when you scratch her scalp just right

And, admittedly, she looks adorable with her lips and chin stained in your blood

You gasp when she bites down beside the cut, then at the other side

Again and again, and again and again does she tend to the gentle bites

Soon, your entire thigh is throbbing, but experience tells you the sensation will pass soon and the skin will heal fast

You lean back against the chair as she rises and reaches into her drawer

You throw her a weak smile when she bandages you up, and can’t help but grin when she kisses your forehead

Your cheeks heat up again when she grabs your face, raising an eyebrow at you

Still, you can’t help but smile at her

“Don’t touch my things again”, she warns, her tone playful

You nod, happily taking the kiss you receive in return

Cassandra

You love Cassandra

You love every part of her, treasure her sadism and need to cause trouble as much as her rare, softer sides

You love her creativity, her love for the crafts

You love her weapons, and love that she builds and collects them

What you love less, however, is that she has a habit of leaving them out

And not only in the armory, out of their assigned spots

Not even only in her room, which is more like a battlefield with sickles and swords, axes and daggers scattered across the ground and the desks

No, your girlfriend instead leaves her weapons all around the castle for everyone to stumble into

Such as today

Admittedly, you were a little careless today, a little spaced out, not very conscious of your actions…admittedly, she told you not to be that at the castle

But, your little hypocrite of a girlfriend is just that, too!

Only has she never had an accident like this…

If she did, you’d regret not having it on camera

You open the closet, half humming to yourself, half zoned out

That is, until one of the weapons she stupidly forgot in there falls

She’s likely shut the closet with the weapon leaning against its door, careless as usual, or perhaps waiting for a maid to open her little death trap next

Instead, it’s you

You hiss and flinch away, yelling in all; surprise, anger, shock, fear and pain as your arm is sliced open

Blood drips from it and you immediately slap your palm across the cut, gritting your teeth at the searing pain

Not lethal, but likely to leave a scar

And still, your scream and the scent of your blood immediately attracts attention

When Cassandra swarms inside, you briefly allow yourself to think of grabbing the damn sickle and whacking it across her head, before grasping her shoulders and shaking her until your little troublemaker of a girlfriend begins to clean up her things

Countless times have you told her to be more careful!

To stop leaving her sharp tools everywhere!

By the look in your eye, the open closet and the sickle on the ground she immediately figures out what must have happened

In her eyes, you find worry, mixed with guilt and embarrassment

She knows, she’s about to get an earful and you aren’t likely to let her off the hook for that one anytime soon

She attempts to shoot you a smile, and while normally you’d return it, the pain has you only scowl at her in a mix of annoyance, love, and anger

You decide, she caused this

And she will fix it

Naturally

“Down”, you groan, clutching the bleeding cut on your arm

With surprising submission, she falls to her knees, her eyes wide and a surprised gasp falling from her lips when you press your arm to her face

It doesn’t even take a second for her to latch on

Gently, she pries your skin away to lick at the blood, her tongue slow and steady, her movements careful rather than bloodthirsty and wild

She knows, she isn’t really allowed to feed from you now

She’s meant to fix her mistake, so long as she doesn’t want to sleep on the cold side of the bed, something she detests, when her favorite spot is on top of you

Nonetheless, your girlfriend is moaning at your taste immediately, rolling her eyes subtly when you ramble on and scold her

You roll your eyes back at her playfully

You can’t truly be angry at her, not when her tongue and teeth are already working wonders at numbing the throbbing pain in your arm

You allow her to work on the wound for what feels like half an hour, sending flies onto the skin here and there

You aren’t entirely willing to think about their spit on you, but appreciate it when you feel your skin first tingle, then pull together slightly again

At the very least, your loving sadist knows how to treat wounds

Daniela

Some might call you clumsy

“Some” including your girlfriend and her sisters, and perhaps even yourself, if you swallow down your pride

And really, it doesn’t take all that much for you to get into trouble

Especially with your girlfriend, trouble is pretty much on the menu each day

What clumsiness you have, your girlfriend often adds to with her carelessness

As such, there have been countless incidents of running through the castle and slipping on some of the blood she carelessly spilled in the halls

Or the times she left her weapons out

Now that, is disaster waiting to happen

Often, more often than you’d like to admit, you end up injuring yourself with them somehow

Such as today

You’re racing past the halls again, eager to find your girlfriend

You know just where, too

The library, her favorite spot on a cool day like this

You giggle at the thought of her curled up by the fire, cuddled up among countless pillows and such

As you daydream, you begin to pay less and less attention to where you’re going

Or rather, what’s in your way

As such, you don’t see the sharp blade of her favourite sword sticking out of the vase in your way until the last second

And as such, your happiness is quickly interrupted when you catch a glimpse of it and quickly try to dodge it

Only does “dodging it” mean stumbling over your legs, failing to catch yourself on the railing of the stairs and tumbling down

The worst?

This isn’t the first time you accidentally fell down the stairs to the main hall

As you clutch your hip in pain, you can’t help but think:

You can’t let Cassandra and Bela know of this. Their teasing would never end!

Daniela though…surely she can keep her mouth shut if you confide in her

Besides, the ugly bruise on your hip should be treated

And who better to treat it than your lover?

When you find her, she’s over the moon to see you

She immediately abandons her blankets and pillows, books and snacks to wrap her arms around you

Still, worry, then humor glistens in her eyes when you wince a little once her hand connects with your hip

It seems, it only takes her a few moments to figure out what must have happened

Or at the very least that you got yourself into trouble again

You roll your eyes as she giggles, allowing her to lead you to her spot among the books

Below you is a thick, fluffy blanket, surrounding you and supporting your head are perfect pillows

You feel yourself starting to relax already, slowly lifting your shirt to expose the forming bruise at your hip

She coos a little at it

Then, a kiss is placed to it, and you can’t help but smile again

You will always take your girlfriend kissing your wounds better

Stroking her hair and relaxing against the pillows, you feel her teeth gently sink into the skin around the bruise

Never too much, nor too deep

Just right

Just enough for your skin to tingle and throb a little

You whisper a little, speaking of what happened

And she listens, only occasionally hums against your skin or presses kisses to it

Soon, you feel your hip calm again, instead she moves on top of you

“Want me to kiss it better some more?”, she asks, a sly grin forming at her lips

How could you refuse?

[hotcat37]

Gig report for Brussels 🇧🇪🔥

-just.....wow

-okay so first, the queue really wasn't as stressful as I thought it'd be. I arrived like an hour before the doors opened but it wasn't busy enough to be overwhelming!! At some point there were armed policemen walking around so that was a bit scary lol but it went smoothly so :P

-what also made the queuing so amazing was actually meeting people this time. Last year I was completely by myself both in the queue and during the concert but tonight I didn't just accidentally meet random people that I stumbled upon (who were absolutely lovely and who I vibed with so much) but also people from within the fandom <33 It was surreal to actually put a face to the usernames and to hear my own username be used lmao but it was such an amazing experience and I loooved trading gifts it was so satisfying!!

-also random but I just loved how diverse the crowd was. Older, younger, male, female, neither.....I just loved how many different kinds of people were present!!

-a bit frustrating but something I weirdly enough predicted beforehand was the show starting about 45 minutes late. The excitement was rapidly dwindling with every new song that kept playing without sight of Kä anywhere 🥲🥲 But he did apologize and as it turned out there was some kind of communication issue regarding the performing time

-that being said I completely forgot about the waiting as soon as the gig started wtf it was just so damn good!! I want to give a special thanks to everyone who was here tonight because the atmosphere was simply amazing and so comfortable!! And at least from where I was standing people were respecting personal space and going crazy during songs without constantly elbowing others haha

-Jere seemed so happy and energetic tonight :] There wasn't a lot of banter but when he did talk he said a lot of cute and funny things <3

-WE GOT URHEILUJÄTKÄ 🗣🗣🗣🔥🔥 I wasn't expecting that at all and it seemed spontaneous (?) but I'm so happy I got to hear the song live <33

-Dalton and Häärijä shenanigans were very endearing as always (Jaakko in particular looked majestic btw)

-WE GOT YHTÄ VAILLA MY FAVORITE SONG I WAS TWEAKINGGGGG 🗣🗣🗣☺☺☺☺💥💥💥

-the TRAFIK moshpit was kind of scary for me cuz I got kinda dragged into it but even though it was horrifying to have people jumping around so close to me I thankfully didn't get elbowed and everything seemed pretty safe :)

-it was boiling hot in there btw ugh I was fucking melting and sweating my metaphorical nuts off 😩

-shout-out to the person in front of me with the sign "I'm Tommy Cash" lmao I wish Kä would've noticed it was very cute 😂❤

Yeah, I dunno, it was just such a fantastic night. I didn't think it'd be that great queuing since it was in Brussels (no offense to folks that live in Brussels lmao but I find it a deeply unpleasant city) but this concert to me was honestly even better than the one in Antwerpen last year :"D And that one was already excellent too. Also shout out to everyone that brought party poppers and glowsticks and stickers and balloons to play with ❤❤ It really helped contribute to the great atmosphere 🥰💚

[minustwofingers]

exoplanet p. 4.5

second half of exoplanet part 4!

pairing: ellie williams x reader

summary: you’ve won the life lottery as one of the few people on earth with parents who gained admittance to the most prestigous safezone in the world after the outbreak. but after a lab accident sends you out to jackson, wyoming, real life hits you fast. it’s a good thing that a hot lesbian finds u. (lol). mean ellie at first, slowburn, enemies to friends to lovers, fem reader asf

warnings: PLEASE READ! mentions of nsfw content (read at your own risk), violence, explicit language. also a lot of angst. ellie is still kind of a dick but not quite as much. 

a/n: haha. isn’t it sooo funny how i said this would come out almost 12 hours later and then i posted it? i need to hit the hay early asf today if im to be frank w you guys so here it is now. i want to thank you all for the sweet and kind messages and comments i’ve been getting—they’ve been fuel for my writing!! also, i’ve got a better idea of how i want to end it now, so i’ve got a pretty good outline for what’s going to happen. expect around 3 more parts (one of which may or may not be an epilogue from ellie’s pov). as always thanks for reading!

part 1

part 2

part 3

part 4.0 (first half of this part) 

playlist inspired by exoplanet!!

wc: 6.5k

tags: @prettyplant0 @666findgod @sawaagyapong @rystarkov @buzzybuzzsposts @addisonnie @galacticstxrdust @parkersmyth @pinkazelma @ariianelle @lu002 @blairfox04 @sparkleswonderland @elliesflower​ 

enjoy x 

Dina’s sudden reappearance in your life was turning into one of the best things you had going on. When you were done with work, instead of loitering about Joel’s home and hoping to run into Ellie, you’d knock on Dina’s front door and spend your afternoons gossiping and trading stories. 

She never asked so explicitly about Ellie again, but you could tell that occasionally she wanted to.

“Guess whose birthday it is this weekend?” asked Dina one day in late April. The Wyoming sun was hung high in the sky, and the weather was steadily becoming warmer. The temperature was stuck at a breezy 60, and a part of you wondered just how hot it would get over the summer. 

Terranova rarely ever got over 70 degrees. Would it be hotter than that? Would you even be here to see it?

“Yours?” you guessed casually, pushing away the ever-present question of how long you’d really be in Jackson.

Dina snorted. “No. Not quite. You just missed mine, actually. I’m a December baby.” 

“Jesse?”

“No.”

“Joel?”

“Nope.” Her mouth popped on the p. 

Your heart thudded. “Uh—Ellie?” 

Her face split into a wide grin. “Yes! It’s her 20th. Isn’t that crazy? She’s ancient.” 

“Wow!” you said, coaxing faux enthusiasm into your voice. 

You and her had kept seeing each other at night, long after Joel had turned in. It always proceeded like clockwork—she’d come knock at your door, you’d fall into her bed, and then you’d leave.

You’d thankfully avoided any of the embarrassing stuff that you’d done the second night—no more unnecessary sensual face touching and whispers of her being a good person. You wanted to, though. There was so much that you ached to tell her, so many words that threatened to spill from your lips that you just barely managed to keep at bay. 

The worst part was the way that nothing had really changed between you two beyond what transpired every few evenings in her room. Each morning, you’d wake up knowing that you were in for another day of pretending like she didn’t know what it sounded like when you whined and begged and told her where to touch you. Like you didn’t know how her mouth tasted.

“I want to get her a present,” Dina was saying. “I do something for her every year, but I want this birthday to be a little different—given that she’s made it two decades and all, you know.” 

“That’s really thoughtful of you.”

Dina’s eyes sparkled. “I know! Do you want to help? If you do, I’ll tell her it’s from you, too.”

“Actually,” you said, wheels in your head turning, “That would be amazing. I have no idea what I’d get her otherwise.”

“Great.” Dina leaned back, nabbing her backpack from the ground and fishing through it until she produced a map. She unfolded it and began gesturing over the marks. “I found an abandoned bookstore in this area outside of the wall.” She tapped on a dot that she’d made, situated a fair ways away from the wall and on the opposite side of the town as the dam. 

“So we’re going shopping?”

Dina laughed. “Yeah. 5 finger discount, too. The only problem is that we might need to kill some baddies to qualify, but once we clear our way, it’s home free.”

“Right,” you said, fear creeping into your bones at the thought of having to fight off the infected. You’d only been on a few patrols since you’d been shot, and each had been totally unnoteworthy. You’d yet to actually shoot your gun at anything. “You—you do know that I’m not actually that good of a patrol partner, right?”

“Don’t worry about it,” said Dina, waving her hand dismissively. “I can take care of us. Plus, we haven’t seen infected in this area for a while. This is a pretty remote area—tough to reach unless you know what you’re looking for.”

“So, when are we going?”

A glimmer appeared in her eye. “Now?”

~

“Where are you going?” 

Ellie stood, her arms crossed as she leaned against the opposite wall. You were grabbing your patrol things, slinging your backpack over your shoulders and pulling on the gray sweatshirt she’d given you.

“Out with Dina,” you said, slightly breathless from moving so quickly. You hadn’t been expecting Ellie to be home—normally she was keeping herself busy picking up extra patrol shifts and helping Joel. It had been an unwelcome surprise to run into her, sour faced and serious while you were trying to get ready. 

“Out where?”

You shrugged, trying your best to look nonchalant. “Dina said she wanted to show me something.”

She was silent as you finished lacing up your shoes, but you could see her watching you from the corner of your eyes.

“I’ll be back in time for tonight, if that’s what you’re worried about,” you offered snidely, hardly realizing what you’d said until it had left your lips. It had been a low blow. It had been nasty. You weren’t sure why you’d said it. 

“That’s not—” She rubbed the bridge of her nose with her fingers. “I didn’t mean it like that.” 

“I know.” You stood up, feeling deflated. “Sorry. I don’t know why I said that.” 

Ellie sent you a tight smile. “It’s fine.”  

You walked back to Dina’s feeling heavy. That was how most of your interactions with Ellie seemed to go nowadays—awkward, stiff, and remarkably unfriendly. You weren’t sure what changed. And she was still fucking you, which didn’t make much sense.

Sometimes it felt like she was distancing herself on purpose. But that had to be wrong, because why would she do that? You obviously liked her. She wasn’t the one at risk of being hurt. 

You and Dina took off by foot as the sun began to set, well-armed with both weapons and navigational equipment. Well—Dina was, at least. All you had was the small gun Ellie had given you. Dina was doing all of the heavy lifting.

The forest was quiet, interrupted only occasionally by songbirds and the sound of wind rustling through the leaves. Spring had hit Jackson suddenly, the underbrush exploding in volume and flowers blooming everywhere.

As you two walked through the woods, chattering mindlessly and generally enjoying each other’s company, you made a mental reminder to return to the forest to pick up a makeshift bouquet of flowers. Ellie didn’t seem like the type to swoon over things like that, but even the most unromantic people could recognize the gesture of flowers. You were sure she’d at least put them in a vase. 

Eventually the path Dina was leading you on opened up to a heavily overgrown street, a small decrepit strip mall hidden away in the shrubbery.

“Here!” said Dina cheerily. She jogged forward, scrubbing the moss off of the door to show a book icon on the filthy glass.

“And you said that there’s no infected here?” you asked, your fingers wrapped nervously around your gun.

“Of course I did,” said Dina. “Do you think I’d take you somewhere that was infested?”

The glass shattered as a body came crashing through the door, thrashing and clicking in a mass of bloody limbs as it took Dina to the ground.

Your finger squeezed the trigger before you could think, sending a spray of gore into the air as Dina forced the thing off of her and stood, panting. 

There wasn’t even a chance to breathe. A piercing shriek cut through the air before three more followed the first, not paying any mind to the jagged edges of the broken door that grabbed at their mutilated skin. 

“Fuck!” Dina’s knife went swinging through the air, slicing and jabbing at the creatures in front of you. They fell in quick succession, but there was more rustling and screaming from inside. Far too much rustling. “Run!”

She didn’t have to tell you twice. Despite the fact that you’d never been a track star in school, you bolted quicker than you’d even known possible. Your backpack banged against your back as you sprinted down the road, ducking into the brush and making a break for it with Dina right on your tail. 

The walk there had taken close to 30 minutes. Your sprint cut that in over half. You and Dina ran in stride, with her lagging behind to send off a few shots to ground the runners that were quick enough to keep up. The clearing you appeared in all the way back in the winter flashed by you in a second, and within another few moments, you were both resting against the wall, chests heaving as you both picked off the stragglers that had come out of the forest to investigate.

By the time the last gunshot rang out and the final infected slumped to the ground, you were shaking uncontrollably, your gun vibrating in your hand. 

“Shit, I’m so sorry,” said Dina, equally breathless though significantly more composed as you two walked through the entrance, getting concerned looks from the people who were manning the gate. “I’ve never seen so many in that store before. I don’t understand. It was clear the last time I went.” 

Before you could respond, someone stepped into your eye line.

“What the fuck did you do,” seethed Ellie. Her eyes were wild, her lip curled in a manner so derisive you began to wonder if you’d ever actually seen her angry before this. 

“Chill, Ellie,” said Dina. “Y/N and I were just going to try and pick something up for your birthday. There were…a few more than what I was expecting. But it’s fine. We handled them. She did great.”

Ellie looked at you then, and you could feel her taking you in. Her eyes rested with accusation at the way that your hands were trembling. “You’re so fucking stupid, Dina. You knew that she’s never done this before. What the fuck is wrong with you, taking her out like that?”

“It was clear the last time I was there!” Dina spoke with her hands, waving them through the air in emphasis.“There wasn’t supposed to be any. I don’t know what to tell you. I didn’t purposefully try to get us killed.” 

Ellie sent her another scathing look before turning her attention to you. “And don’t even get me started with you.”

You blinked. “What?”

“What the fuck were you thinking?!” she snapped. 

Dina sent you a wink and disappeared down the street in the direction of her house. 

“I was thinking of your birthday, actually,” you said delicately. “We were going to get you something from the bookstore.”

“That is not an excuse to go get yourself killed!”

You held up your hands in mock surrender, which looked really stupid considering how hard you were still trembling. “I’m sorry. That wasn’t the original plan. Can we not do this right now? I’m still trying to, uh, process what happened.” 

As if to punctuate your point, the next step you took nearly sent you to the ground, your knees wobbling. 

Ellie’s hands were at your sides in an instant, solid and steadying against you as you regained your balance.

“Sorry,” you said again, lower this time. 

“How many?” Ellie asked. Her voice was softer now, almost resigned. She hadn’t let go yet.

“I don’t know,” you admitted. “After the first three or four, I lost count. They just kept—” You winced at the memory of the wet sound that they made hitting the ground. “They just kept coming.” 

“You did them a favor,” said Ellie, stepping back and to your side as you began to walk forward. Her hand stayed posed on your forearm. “It gets easier.” 

“I don’t know if I want it to get easier,” you confessed. 

“Well, how about you start by never doing something that fucking stupid again.” Her words lacked any venom. “Don’t you ever go out without me again, okay? Do you have any idea what could’ve happened to you?”

You gave your trembling hands a look. “I can take a guess.”

Ellie walked you back to Joel’s house, helping you out of your jacket and unsubtly checking your skin for bites. Or at least that’s what she said she was doing. She couldn’t seem to stop touching you. 

You headed back up to your room to get changed as Ellie shut the front door and was off to finish her work with Tommy. As you leisurely made your way down the hallway, you noticed that something was off—the hallway closet was slightly ajar.

The memories of your first night there came floating back to you, images of Ellie shutting the door before you could see inside emerging to the forefront.

It wouldn’t hurt to look, would it? It was probably nothing. 

Your hand wrapped tentatively around the handle, pulling the door open so slowly that the old, rusty hinge fell silent.

It wasn’t what you were expecting. It wasn’t what you were expecting at all. 

It wasn’t really a closet—there were a few shelves, but no hangers. In their place, there were stacks of textbooks with old, dated covers of the stars, planets, and physics. The back wall was plastered with drawings of constellations and calculations in Ellie’s messy scrawl, reminiscent of the leftover scrap paper from when you sat your physics exams and did your problem sets.

The memory of Ellie staring at your textbook re-emerged to hit you with full force. No wonder she was interested in it. THIS is what she was going to say that she wanted to study when you’d asked her. 

A slow smile crept onto your face as you thought about her upcoming birthday.

You knew what you were getting her now. 

~

Preparing for Ellie’s surprise party was a full day’s worth of work. You and Dina had convinced Maria to give Ellie enough things to do that she’d stay out of the house for the majority of the afternoon. You felt kind of guilty that Ellie was being put to work on her birthday of all days, but Dina just shook her head.

“It’s Ellie,” she said. “She lives to act all macho and patrol and shit. This is probably an extra present to her.” 

You two had located some flour, sugar, eggs, and butter and were hard at work baking a cake. It was tough going without a real recipe, but you’d grown up with a mother who loved baking, so you tried to do it from memory.

The result was a rather lopsided looking monstrosity that you and Dina had attempted to salvage through the liberal application of the thin icing you’d managed to whip up using milk and powdered sugar. It didn’t work, and you two didn’t wait long enough for the cake to cool before frosting it, so it melted in puddles and made the cake soggy.

“Fantastic work,” said Dina, wiping her hands on her front as you two surveyed the final product. “Really incredible, Y/N. You should really consider a career change.”

“Shut up,” you said, snorting. “Ellie’s gonna hate this.”

“She’s going to think it’s hilarious,” Dina corrected. “I’m sure it can’t taste too bad, right?”

You shivered. “Don’t say that.”

The decorations and gathering of presents were thankfully an easier challenge, and before you knew it Joel’s living room was fixed up to look obnoxious as possible, with a tacky “HAPP BIRTHDAE ELLIE” strung up in blood red reflective plastic (you two couldn’t find any Ys) above the fireplace. “Happy 5th Birthday!” balloons filled the ceiling, their gaudy purple color clashing horrifically with the red of the lettering. 

“This is just awful, Dina,” you said. “Ellie’s never going to speak to us again.”

“You need to chill,” Dina responded. “She might act grumpy all of the time, but I know her, and I know she’ll secretly like this.”

7 rolled around quickly, and with it came the guests.

First was the unsurprising Jesse, grinning and carrying a satchel that had a makeshift card attached to the top labeled “Ellie”. 

Next came Astrid, Bonnie, and Greg—all of the patrolmen that were roughly around your age. You hadn’t spent all that much time with them, but they’d always been fun.

Last came a girl you’d never seen before.

“Hi!” she said, extending a hand and looking at you through a fringe of choppy black hair. 

“Hi!” you said, taking her hand and shaking it once. “I’m Y/N.”

“I know,” she said, her eyes crinkling. “I’m Cat.”

“I can’t believe you two haven’t met before,” said Dina, swooping in to stand beside you. There was something written on her face—something that looked kind of like worry.

“I can’t either!” you said good-naturedly. “How do you know Ellie?”

Dina cringed.

Cat just smiled wider. “Oh. Ellie and I go way back.”

“Cat, why don’t you go help me in the kitchen? I need to finish plating some stuff,” said Dina. 

“Sure!” Cat sent you one more winning smile, following Dina with a bounce in her step.

Something felt deeply off about that interaction, but you couldn’t quite put a finger on what it was. You’d never seen Dina so eager to get you away from someone. Maybe it’d just been a coincidence?

You didn’t get a chance to dwell on it further, because Ellie was opening the door. 

“Surprise!” Everyone in the living room yelled upon seeing her. 

Ellie blanched, her eyes landing on you for a moment before she cast her gaze to the rest of the room. “What’s this?”

“Your birthday party,” said Dina, appearing from the kitchen with a plate of crackers and other appetizers, Cat in tow. “You didn’t think we were just going to let you turn 20 without embarrassing you just a little bit?”

“Those are the most hideous balloons I’ve ever seen,” said Ellie, crossing her arms.

“Thanks,” you said, beaming. “I picked them out myself.” 

Much to your surprise, her lips lifted until she was smiling back. “You’re such a loser.”

“Okay!” said Dina, clearing her throat and stepping in between you two. “You two can flirt later. I’ve been slaving away in the kitchen for an entire day. Let’s eat.”

You shut your mouth, blushing uncontrollably as your eyes lifted. Ellie’s cheeks looked uncharacteristically pink and her eyes were fixed on your shoes.

Dinner went by quickly, with everyone trading odd stories about patrolling and their life before Jackson. You learned that Dina had actually been born in New Mexico and that Astrid was from Oregon. You heard all about how Jesse and Greg came across an old mall a few miles out of Jackson that was so full of infected that they could hear them scratching at the doors and clicking even before they were within eyesight of the building. You told some stories about your life in Terranova, about studying and your family. 

“What the fuck is this?” asked Ellie once Dina had reappeared, carrying your sorry excuse of a birthday cake. Time had not treated it well. The first layer was almost entirely slid off, and the cake looked damp from the melted icing.

“It’s your birthday cake,” you said. “We, uh, tried. I don’t have a cake recipe memorized, and it was harder than I expected.”

The candles Dina attempted to stick into the cake kept falling out, the structural integrity so weakened from the melted frosting that chunks were coming off.

“Let’s just pretend that there’s 20 candles,” said Dina finally once the top layer of the cake finally split in half. 

“Right,” said Ellie, snorting. 

Dina led a very enthusiastic rendition of the Happy Birthday song that ended in cheers and hollers as Ellie dramatically lowered her head to the cake and pretended to blow the “candles” out. 

No one touched the cake, but you couldn’t blame them. 

Next came presents. Jesse went first, giving Ellie a satchel that held a bunch of cleaning equipment for her patrol rifles. Dina had found a t-shirt that said “Enemy of the State” in goofy comic sans lettering, and Ellie was unsuccessful in holding back her giggles at seeing it. 

“Dina, this is so stupid,” she said, but there was no venom in her tone, just amusement. 

It was your turn next, so you leaned across the table to place the small box in front of her. 

“Please tell me you didn’t almost die getting this one,” said Ellie, giving you a suspicious look.

“Not at all,” you said. “I accidentally brought it from Terranova.” 

Her nimble fingers untied the flimsy ribbon you’d haphazardly wrapped around the tiny brown box, lifting the lid off and peering inside.

“It’s a…rock?” Ellie frowned, pulling it out and holding it in her hand.

“You got her a rock for her birthday?” Cat asked you from her position to your right, her eyebrows raised.

“It’s not just a rock,” you said. “It’s a moon rock. Like, from the moon.”

Ellie froze, her eyes saucers as she stared at the rock balanced in her palm. “What?”

“I told you I studied astrophysics,” you said casually. “One of my professors let me borrow it because my research supervisor wanted to take a look at it, so it was in my bag. And I never had the chance to give it to him, obviously. So it’s yours now.” 

“Holy fuck.” She turned in over, her fingers running across the surface. “This is…wow. Oh my god.”

“That’s so cool, dude,” Jesse said. “Like, insane. I didn’t even know that those were a thing.”

“There’s only a couple in the world,” you added. “And even fewer that are still reachable. The rest are…well, out here somewhere. Terranova only has a few from our own expeditions and the professors who managed to grab what they had when they moved.”

“This one’s from me,” said Cat, leaning forward and placing an envelope in front of Ellie. “It’s not as cool as a moon rock, but I thought you’d like it.” 

Her fingers slid under the tongue of the envelope, ripping it open and pulling a piece of paper out. 

“Good for one more free tattoo,” Ellie read out.

Cat sat back, looking awfully pleased with herself. 

“Cat was the one who gave Ellie the one on her arm,” Dina explained to you.

 A memory pricked at your consciousness, dating back to your first patrol with Ellie.

An ex had given her the tattoo on her arm.

The girl who had given her tattoo was Cat.

Cat was her ex.

That makes so much sense you realized with horror as you remembered how Cat had told you so confidently that she and Ellie went way back. Of course they did. They used to date.

“Where’d you go?” asked Dina, bumping your shoulder.

“Sorry,” you said, rubbing the bridge of your nose. “Just, uh, tired.”

When you looked up, Ellie’s eyes were on you, her lips slightly quirked.

You looked away, instead focusing on the placemats that Dina had set out. Cat was so different from you—so peppy, so confident, so loud. No wonder Ellie didn’t want anything more than what you had now. Whatever Ellie had seen in Cat had nothing to do with you. 

The night ended with you all sitting on the couches in the living room with Dina mixing drinks so strong that you were wondering if she was trying to kill you. 

“Jesus Christ, Dina,” you said as you watched her pour. “What is that? 90 percent vodka?” 

“I prefer to call it efficient,” Dina corrected. 

It burned going down your throat and you fought back a cough as you placed your glass back on the coffee table. Ellie was right next to you, her thigh barely brushing against yours as you moved.

Cat was on the other side of the room, seated next to Jesse and Astrid. You were internally very proud that Ellie had chosen to sit next to you instead. Her arm rested on the back of the couch behind you, and even though it couldn’t have meant all that much, you couldn’t help but wonder if it at least meant something. 

You were just halfway through your cup by the time you started to feel really and properly sloshed. Your voice sounded tinny in your ears, and from the way that Ellie was laughing at anything anyone said, you had a sneaking suspicion that she was somewhere around where you were.

It wasn’t long before everyone had excused themselves and wished Ellie a final happy birthday—it was getting late and quite a few had early shifts the next day.

Dina was the last to go, saying goodbye and sending you another look as she pointedly stared at the arm rested behind you.

For a few minutes, you and Ellie just sat in silence, hearing the fire crackle and the sound of her softly breathing.

Then she spoke.

“How did you know that I’d like the moon rock?”

“Oh.” You blushed. “Don’t be mad. You left the closet door open the other day—you know, the one with all your space textbooks and everything. It was an educated guess.” 

“So nosy,” she tutted. 

“But you do like the rock?” 

She smiled. “Yes. Thank you.”

You reached forward and polished off the rest of the drink that Dina had made you, feeling the liquid fire slide down your throat and settle in your stomach. 

When you turned back, you could see Ellie staring at you, her auburn hair glowing in the firelight, her pupils blown wide, and her eyes slightly unfocused. She’d had more than one of the drinks that Dina had made, and it was really showing. 

“You’re so pretty.”

You froze. Out of all the things you expected her to say, that was nowhere on the list. The words had left Ellie’s lips like a compulsion, raw and honest. 

She hadn’t stopped looking at you, but her eyes were wider, her cheeks red. She hadn’t meant to say it, you realized. Now she was embarrassed and flustered, and it was all because of you. 

It was the boldness of being tipsy that made you move towards her, pulling your legs up until you were seated on your knees in front of her.

Ellie didn’t move apart from wetting her lips, her eyes darting from your eyes to your mouth. 

When you kissed her, she melted into you. The arm that had been draped over the couch behind you dropped to your back, your own hands sliding into her hair and tightening at the back of her neck.

She gasped as she felt your nails scrape against her, and you took the opportunity to lick into her open mouth, tasting the vodka on her tongue as it slid against yours.

To your surprise, her hands didn’t creep up your shirt or dip below the waist of your pants. They stayed static, one glommed onto your back while the other clutched your jaw as she let you kiss her, over and over again. 

You couldn’t quite put your finger on it, but there was something about it that felt different than your usual nighttime meetups. It felt more—vulnerable, almost, that Ellie was kissing you just to kiss you, not with some other agenda. 

The grandfather clock chimed, indicating that it was almost midnight. You pulled away from her for a second, panting as you caught your breath. A string of saliva suspended between your lips, snapping as you waved a hand through it and flushed.

“Sorry,” you whispered.

She just smiled.

“Is Joel going to be back soon?”

As if to punctuate your point, the front door banged open, the man in question pulling his jacket off and turning to see you both. You’d thankfully managed to get off her lap before he saw. 

“Oh!” he said, his eyebrows nearly touching his hairline. “I wasn’t expecting you two to still be awake.”

“Uh, yeah,” said Ellie, scratching the back of her neck. “We’ve just been…talking.”

“Good party?”

“Yeah.” 

“I’m glad. Tommy and Maria wish you a happy birthday, by the way. Though I’m sure you knew that.” 

“Yeah. Thanks.”

“Well,” said Joel, giving a sigh that only old men could recreate, “I’m off to bed. You two don’t stay up too late, huh? You’ve still got work tomorrow.” 

“Goodnight,” you two chorused. 

Once Joel had disappeared into his room, you turned to look at her.

“That was close.” 

“Yeah.” Ellie laughed nervously, picking at her cuticles. “Um—do you want to move somewhere else?”

Something deep in your chest ached. Sure, you’d be okay with spending another hour or so feeling her hands on you as she made you finish, but a part of you had really liked just touching her for the sake of touching her—kissing her just because you could.

“Sure,” you said. “Just give me a chance to change.”

When you knocked after switching into more comfortable clothes, the door swung open to reveal a significantly more nervous looking Ellie than you’d seen in a while.

“Hi,” you said shyly.

“Hi.” 

You stepped into her, pressing a tentative kiss to the corner of her mouth. When she didn’t react, you pulled back.

“Is everything okay?”

“Do you want to stay over?” Ellie blurted out, her eyes wide and afraid. 

You balked. “Uh, what?”

“You don’t have to,” she said, her eyes dropping to the ground. “I’m sorry. I know we’re not like that. I just thought that—maybe, I dunno, just this once—”

“Yes,” you interrupted. “Please. I’d really like that.” 

“Right. Good. Okay.” She took a deep breath, then laced her fingers through yours to lead you to her bed.

When your mouth found hers again, it was just like on the couch—no intentionally rough or overtly sexual touches, just gentle brushes against your skin and the weight of fingers tangled in your hair as she pulled you further into her.

For the first time since you confessed, you didn’t sleep together. When you two finally tired out, you flopping down on the pillow first, Ellie’s head came to rest on the expanse of skin between your shoulder and your neck, your arms coming around her.

It was strange. For someone so deadly and tough, Ellie suddenly looked so small and fragile curled against you, the rise and fall of her chest synchronized with your breathing. 

“I’m sorry Cat was invited,” Ellie said, her voice muffled from where her face was pressed into your neck.

“What do you mean?”

“I should have told you what her name was. That must’ve been a nasty surprise.”

Her foresight and understanding made your heart ache, deeply. How was it that she could say all these things but not want anything more with you?

“It was alright,” you said. There was no conviction in your tone. “I wouldn’t have expected you to tell me.”

Ellie was silent for a few beats. You knew she was thinking, though; you could feel the flutter of her lashes against you as she blinked.

“How long do you think it’ll take for you to forget me?”

You paused. “What? What do you mean?”

Ellie shifted against you, one of her arms draped over your chest. “I mean, when you go back.”

“Ellie,” you chided, bringing your hand up so you could run your fingers through her hair. “Don’t be ridiculous. As if I’d ever just leave you behind. If I go back there, I’m finding some way to bring you with me. So, no. That’s not even a valid question. I’m never forgetting you.” 

In truth, you hadn’t even begun to consider what you’d do if—when—you were found. You’d been so focused on trying to fit into your new life here that your past had largely just faded into the back, shrinking in the horizon. What you did know, at least, was that even in some dystopian future without Ellie, she’d never be off of your mind.

“Don’t make promises you can’t keep.” 

“I’m not,” you replied, tapping her shoulder. “I mean it. You’re stuck with me.” 

Her diaphragm vibrated as she let out a short laugh. “Oh, the horrors.” 

She fell silent as you kept threading your fingers through her hair, letting your nails scrape against her scalp. The hand that wasn’t draped over your chest had crept up, her thumb rubbing back and forth as she traced the outline of your jaw.

“I’m sorry,” she said suddenly. “I can be such a sad drunk sometimes. It’s pathetic.”

“It’s okay,” you soothed, your other hand lightly dancing up and down her back. “I think it’s sweet.”

She snorted. “You would.” 

Then, after a few more seconds of silence: “You really weren’t jealous?”

“I never said that.” 

“So she did make you jealous?”

You flicked her shoulder. “Fuck off. Of course she did. Happy?”

“Thrilled.” 

A few moments later, she spoke up again. 

“Can you promise me something?” Her voice was deceptively casual.

“Anything.” You’d give her anything she wanted.

“Promise me that you’ll take the first opportunity to go home,” she said softly. “Promise you won’t do anything stupid.”

“I’ll take the first opportunity to go home as long as I get to have you around, too.” 

You couldn’t see it, but you knew she was rolling her eyes. “Not good enough.”

“You want me to leave that badly?” You weren’t sure if you should be hurt.

“Of course not,” she responded. “I just...I don’t expect you to wait around here for me. I don’t want you to. I want you to be safe.”

“I feel safe with you.”

“Will you just—fucking—say you’ll go?” Her voice sounded raw, tired. 

“Fine,” you said. “I promise.” 

Your words were empty. You couldn’t promise her that. She had to know that. But would it matter? If you never had to make that choice?

In retrospect, you weren’t sure when you drifted off. All you remembered was the warmth of Ellie gathered up in your arms, her measured breath blowing across your exposed neck as you felt the slow, marching rhythm of her heart.

~

When you awoke to the early morning sunbeams streaming in through the window and warming your face, Ellie was passed out cold on top of you. A few unruly strands of her auburn hair had ruffled upwards overnight, sticking to your cheek and threatening the seams of your lips. 

You’d never been happier.

As you thought, running your hand gently up and down the length of her spine, Ellie’s breath hitched.

You froze, thinking you must have woken her.

Then she made a quiet snort. She took another deep breath in, whistling as it went. Her next exhale was louder and caught in her nose. 

You did your best not to laugh enough to wake her.

Ellie snored, even though she wasn’t that loud. The part of you that was still intimidated by her was shrinking by the minute. If only you had known in the beginning that after a long day of bullying you she went back to her room to honk shoo the night away, you never would’ve let it bother you.

She jolted awake, blinking rapidly as she pulled away and looked up at you.

“What the fuck are you laughing about?” she said groggily. “It’s—” She twisted in your arms, squinting at her desk. “It’s 6 in the fucking morning. Shut up.” With that, she flopped back down on top of you, laying one arm over your torso so she could shove it the space under the pillow beside your head. 

“You shut up,” you heard yourself say. 

Ellie smacked your shoulder, not even bothering to lift her head. 

“You snore,” you said, quieter this time. 

“I don’t.”

“You literally do. I was there when it happened.” 

She was silent for a few moments. “Really?”

You pressed your lips to her forehead instead as you trembled from the laugh you were doing your best to rein in.

“Oh, god,” groaned Ellie. “That’s so embarrassing.” 

“I thought it was cute.”

“You think everything I do is cute.” 

“And what about it?”

You settled back in, wrapping your arms around Ellie as you tried to drift back off.

“Do you hear that?” 

Her voice was whispered.

“Hear what?”

“That sound.” 

You let go of her and sat up, your eyes unfocused as you tried your best to tune into whatever Ellie was talking about. Out of the corner of your vision you could see her staring at you with big, nervous eyes.

It took you a moment to notice it. No one could blame you, really. It was hardly a rarity to hear the sound of a plane when you grew up in Terranova. 

“That’s a plane, Ellie,” you said, reaching out to cup her face. “It’s fine.” 

“A plane?” She frowned, still blinking bleariness out of her eyes. “I’ve never heard one before. Joel told me that they stopped being used after the government officially fell.”

“That’s not true,” you corrected. “There’s some in—”

A puzzle piece clicked into place, and with it came a sense of underlying dread. But you shouldn’t be dreading it. It’s what you were hoping for after all, weren’t you? What you’d been praying for since you’d arrived?

“Let’s go outside and look,” you said, nudging her side. “I’m sure it’s nothing.” You were hoping it was nothing. 

Ellie followed you, pulling a throw blanket from her bed and draping it around her shoulders like a cape. She looked so cute like that. You wanted to bite her. Not, like, in a weird blood kink way. Just in a…you didn’t know how to describe it. Better leave it there. 

A lump formed in your throat.

Maybe you were wrong. Maybe this had nothing to do with you.

The air was tepid and pleasant against your bare skin as you two quietly opened the front door and crept onto the porch. The town was quiet. No one was awake at this hour, not unless they were down by the stables or doing night watch. 

There was a sliver of pink and orange hanging over the tops of the mountains, no doubt remnants of what had been a spectacular sunrise. There were still snowy caps on the highest peaks. You hadn’t known that mountains could stay so cold for so long until you’d come to Jackson.

The lump in your throat grew larger.

“Shit,” said Ellie, leaping down from the porch and onto the road. “Do you see this?”

The plane was no longer in sight, but the swirling papers that hadn’t been on the road the night before were left as evidence.

“They must’ve dropped them,” said Ellie excitedly, snatching one from the ground and bounding back up the steps so she was next to you. “What do you think this says?”

You smiled sadly. “Why don’t you read it?”

She unfolded the envelope, ripping open the top and dumping the contents out in her hand. 

“Oh.” 

It was a picture of you. It’d been taken months prior at your family’s Christmas party. You’d worn glittery silver eyeliner and curled your hair. The upper half of your body was in view, clad in a rich red fabric that landed right below your collarbones. A string of creamy white pearls were clasped around your neck, matching the teardrop pearls that hung delicately from your ears. 

HAVE YOU SEEN HER?

There was no other text, but you did notice a divet at the top right corner in the shape of a small oval. 

Terranovan security. Of course. 

Wordlessly, you pressed your thumb into the mold, holding it there for a second as the parchment recorded your print.

Then a paragraph formed at the bottom, ink slowly leaking into the paper.

COME TO THE COORDINATES LISTED BELOW AT EXACTLY NOON, MAY 15TH. A LIFT WILL BE WAITING TO ESCORT YOU.

You’d been found. 

final a/n: sorry not sorry this was the original cliffhanger that i was planning for part 4 all along. you guys are incredible for still sticking around and reading even though this is getting lengthy as hell. anyway i hope you guys enjoyed this sort of different side of ellie before we reach the final act. the plot is abt to reach its peak and i’m hellaaa excited to share it with you. okok let me know what you think! it might take me around the same time it took me to finish part 4 to get part 5 out considering how sick i am/how much i have on my plate, but i promise it’s coming :))

[margridarnauds]

Something that did get me unexpectedly emotional about Deadpool/Wolverine was seeing a Chinese Crested being so unabashedly loved on camera.

It isn't really that well publicized on here that much anymore, since I had to get more specific with how much personal info I share, but I'm a Chinese Crested owner -- I have three boys, all nine years old. I've had them since I was a teenager. Most of the time, when I tell people that, they have to ask me what a Chinese Crested is, to which I explain that they're the hairless dogs with the little bit of hair on their head.

If I'm lucky, they get enthusiastic at that point. If I'm not...I can see the faint look of disgust on people's faces, usually informed by seeing (usually incredibly elderly and/or abused) Chinese Cresteds winning "Ugliest Dog" contests. It doesn't happen as much these days, thankfully, but when I first got them...people were actually *frustrated* with me over getting them. "Friends" of mine at the time thought it was funny to call them rodents or rats, asking me why I got *Chinese Cresteds*, almost as if I owed them a conventionally "cute" dog. (My boys are cute, thank you very much.) It didn't matter that I loved them with my entire heart, that I'd wanted a dog for as long as I could remember and I had finally gotten one -- they were Chinese Cresteds, so it didn't count. The friend who first recommended me a hairless dog for my allergies, when I basically asked them what the big deal was, since it'd been their idea, said, "I recommended a Peruvian Inca Orchid, NOT a CHINESE CRESTED."

Everyone loves talking about their dogs, but you find out *really* soon that, if you have a dog who differs even slightly from an arbitrary norm...people think they have the right to remind you of it whenever you talk about your beloved pet.

Peggy the Chinese Crested, who plays Dogpool, HAS won Britain's Ugliest Dog, and conforms to a lot of visual stereotypes of what a Chinese Crested (in her case, she's a CC/pug mix) looks like -- she has bulging eyes, a long and loose tongue (Cresteds tend to lose their teeth later in life, the poor things can't help it). And, sure, when she's first introduced, there's a hint of humor about the whole thing -- look at Wade making over the "ugly" dog. To be honest, because of the way I've seen people talk about the Chinese Cresteds in *my* life, I kept dreading the moment when she'd be cynically killed off for a shock gag. Haha, look at the ugly dog being blown apart on screen. It's fine, it isn't like it's a real dog.

But then, as the movie unfolds, it becomes clear that this isn't a one-off joke - Dogpool's beloved, and has the sweetness that I've grown to associate with the breed. None of the Deadpools could bring it in them to shoot her, she survives, she's loved, and she's loved by everyone, not just Wade. She gets her happy ending, surrounded by people who love her.

After getting so much grief over the years for getting an "unconventional" dog breed, one which I've really, really grown attached to over the years, it really felt wonderful to see that breed being presented on the screen in such a loving way.

[dpr-stay]

Mandated Reporter Pt.1 | Y.T

All Might | Yagi Toshinori X Reader

Heyyy, guys remember me...? It's not like I haven't posted a fic since *checks history* January or anythign haha lol right? Anyways this was kinda a distraction from my magnum opus but it started getting too long to publish as a one-shot in good faith. So parts LOL. already on ao3, so yeh. sorry if you followed me for F1

WC: ~2700

Warnings: Swears probs, just fluff, soulmate au hehehheheh, idiots in love *sighs dreamily*

Charles Darwin, way back in the year 1859, published his book On the Origin of Species. He was laughed and jeered at when he presented his book, as the theory he had written on the pages differed significantly from the common ideas at the time. No one really wanted to look at the apes that they kept in zoos and find themselves reflected in their eyes. 

He presented many ideas in his writing, natural selection being one you may have heard. However, one you may not be so familiar with if you didn’t take biology in highschool would be the idea of variation (or speciation for you nerds) when faced with an extinction event. 

The two main types of variation that occurred in human beings as we know them in the modern day are the development of quirks and the recognition of soulmates. The extinction events that preceded these variations are still not known, perhaps Mr Darwin was wrong in these specific cases, but the reaches of these variations stretched across the world and revamped the meaning of normal.

In modern Japan, soulmates were almost a taboo topic. Not only did some people not have soulmate’s but the way that people found their soulmates varied, from timers to marks, or even visions. Asking a person how they would meet their soulmate, soon came to be seen as a flirting tactic instead of just genuine curiosity. Because asking if someone has a destined partner can easily be interpreted as wishing that the partner was yourself.

You, personally, had never asked anyone how they were going to meet their soulmate. You found no need to. You would 100% know who they were when you would meet your soulmate. You didn’t mean to sound egotistical or presumptuous, but you would definitely know.Your soulmate ‘marker’ came in the form of words inscribed upon your wrist, written out in mildly scratchy handwriting which was thankfully legible. 

And if you see this criminal or know anything about him, call 1800-XXX-XXX-XXX to give information into the anonymous tipline!

At first, when you read it, you were a bit confused. You knew to some degree it was your soulmate marking, but you didn’t know how it applied to a real life situation. Was it the first thing they heard on the radio? Would it be in the background the first time you’d meet?

Your parents were also confused. They first tried the number, but it hadn’t been registered to any tipline at the time they tried. So they took little 5-year-old you to a so-called ‘Soulmate Specialist.’

At first you had thought it would be like a stereotypical curtained tent, with a lady perched over a crystal ball. But when you arrived, it just looked like a normal hospital clinic. Your mother held your hand as you trailed behind her. 

In a small room down a hallway, you sat on a cushioned bench as a nice-looking lady walked in, exchanged a few words with your mother, and then touched your knee. You watched as she leaned back, her facial expression only able to be described as puzzled, before saying,

“First Words.” You had immediately looked at your wrist. You had read the words again and a slight feeling of disappointment panged in your heart. 

Later, sitting at a table in a small ice-cream store, licking lemon sorbet till you got a brain freeze, your parents tried to come up with scenarios where you would meet your soulmate. Your dad suggested you would meet him during a town meeting (which caused both you and your mum to look at him funny, because who went to town meetings?), whilst your mum suggested that maybe he would be a police officer on the street chasing down a baddie and yelling it out as he went (You giggled at that).

As you grew up, everyone else who you showed it to grew confused as well. It wasn’t exactly something that you’d expect to be the thing bonding two soulmates together. It wasn’t romantic, it didn’t imply any sort of attraction, and you began to get disheartened as you saw the ways your friends met their soulmates.

It seemed each time your friend group got together, another friend would bring in their soulmate, talking about shared marks, oh so lovingly placing the marks against each other right in your eye-line, or finally seeing colour, saying while staring directly at their pair. It started to get at you, the instant connection the pairs would feel, while you were left with a phone number, which only started to work when you turned 18.

(When you first rang the number and it went through, elation took over your body. You stood up and did a little dance as you immediately started speaking into the phone, hoping to find anybody that could help you in your search for your soulmate. You only stopped talking, and dancing, when you noticed that the call was automatic and that you were talking to a robot. The call ended when you realised that they had also recorded it.)

Whenever you felt yourself feeling particularly down, you’d look back to your arm, and see the words engraved. At least you did have a soulmate, you consoled yourself, and at least the words seemed neutral instead of belligerent.

One thing, though, your friends all seemed to agree on was that your mum was right: your soulmate was a police officer. Why else would the number send you to a police tip-line, and why else would he be promoting a tip-line. It made the most sense to you as well. When this solidified properly in your mind, you decided to do everything you possibly could to meet your soulmate. 

It seemed as though they were speaking out as a plea, perhaps outside a police station or on the news to spread awareness of whatever crime this criminal had perpetrated. And so, you began to become a news fanatic.

You’d always tune into the six o’clock news, holding out hope that maybe some sort of crime had been committed that warranted some sort of appeal to the public. It wasn’t that you wanted someone to suffer, you had to reason with yourself, it was just that you wanted to know who your pair was. 

Whenever a crime was committed, you always kept your eyes peeled to the news report, hoping for some sort of plea to the public. Alas, the words were always similar but never quite right. News anchors and police officers always recited from a consistent script about each different offender, never varying no matter how much you wanted to.

Soon, whenever you had a free day, sometimes you’d head to police press conferences. You had a nice camera, that your mum had given you under the pretense of photography and wanting you to expand on hobbies, that you used to justify being a member of the press in order to sneak into the conferences. You’d occasionally take photos while waiting for the police to discuss the details of whatever case they were dealing with, and you always looked right at the speaker whenever they’d come close to saying the lines, before leaving disappointed.

After asserting that your soulmate was most likely a police officer, you also took to walking past the station on your way back home from work every night. Not only was it safer, but it also gave you a chance to listen to the officers standing outside of the station, chatting amongst themselves. You’d often overhear some of their discussions about criminals, but there was never anyone out the front advocating for people to ring their tipline.

Tonight was almost the same as every other night. You’d gotten off work particularly late, rushing from the elevator of your office to the entrance. You pushed through the glass doors, turning to wave to the receptionist. The night air was chilly, but the streets were alive with office workers such as yourself. 

You eyed the takoyaki stall across the street, and reasoned that you were already late to go home, but you then saw the line of half-dead employees stretching from the stall down the corner of the block and quickly shrugged the notion off. You still wanted to try and catch the 9 o’clock news after all.

You weren’t allowed to check any sort of non-work related device or website during the day, so you had no way to see if any criminals were being searched for or if any press conferences were being held. As such you always tried to catch some iteration of the news on the TV at home, if only to remain informed. 

As soon as you turned, you started speed walking home. Living only a couple minutes from your job sometimes had its advantages, as it meant you didn’t have to walk a long way in the dark, only like a kilometer. If you kept up with your fast pace, you’d pass the police station in two minutes and reach your home in five.

You reached the station and slowed down a little, trying to peak inside. The place seemed relatively dead when you glanced at it, only seeing the glowing reflections of the lights within. Only a couple officers were in and you breathed in sympathy as you saw the stacks of paperwork they had before turning and continuing on.

In five minutes (you were right), you arrived at your apartment building. You quickly scampered up the stairs, taking almost three at a time, before jetting to your door and unlocking it. You had the TV on in twenty seconds, just in time for the evening reporter to begin rambling on about the events of the day.

As she spoke, you began to unwind. You changed into pyjamas from your business attire as she told a story about a bank robbery, you were cooking instant ramen as she recounted an announcement the governmental opposition made, and you had just sat down on the couch as she began a report about the newest criminal who was taken down by a team of pro-heros and All Might.

You slurped your noodles as you watched intently. Despite being quirkless yourself, you were not immune to the charms and draws of the luxurious pro-hero life. You weren’t stupid, you knew it wasn’t all glitz and glam, you’d seen plenty of videos surrounding the harsh conditions that heroes had to go through and the mental tax that it took on them. Even now, watching All Might beat the shit out of a guy while yelling “SMASH” and random US state names, you cringed whenever the other guy got a punch in. But still, the galas and large amounts of money coming in sure sweetened the deal a fair lot.

You looked around your meager apartment and snorted. If only you had a quirk as flashy as All Might’s, that way you might’ve been able to live a life that wasn’t just above the Japanese poverty line.

The TV flashed pictures of the guy the heroes had fought and you whistled under your breath. He looked tough, almost like a shark with the way his teeth were pointed but scarier with the way his hands were literal chainsaws. As you listened more, you realised that they hadn’t actually ‘taken him down’, they’d just secured the people he was holding hostage and All Might had beaten him so badly he wasn’t able to walk (yeesh). But apparently they’d put the cuffs on him but then he just faded away, which definitely didn’t seem like something a guy with chainsaws for hands could have attributed to his own quirk.

That was definitely something you’d be thinking about tomorrow as you walked home from work, the fact that chainsaw hands could pop out and saw any of your limbs off and then be teleported away before you could even see him. You shuddered at the thought.

The TV quickly changed to show a live news conference and you perked up in your seat, leaning forward to see who was in the line-up of speakers and see if you could identify any of them. The news channel had joined in towards the end of the conference, one police officer speaking about the dangers of the man and the crimes he had committed. 

He went on for a while, so you sort of zoned out, but your attention was quickly caught again when All Might stepped up to the podium to speak into the microphone, which was strange as you’d never seen him stick around for a conference.

In your attempts to be up-to-date and to make sure that you’d never miss a call-to-action anywhere, you’d encountered plenty of news stories about All Might. He was the symbol of peace, so it was only normal that he often was the one to round up the villains that the numerous press conferences were about.

You’d always admired him, it was hard not to, but you never really thought all too much about him. I mean yeah, he was always there to save the day, but you’d never been in a spot where you’d needed him. You knew he was exceptionally popular amongst, well, everyone, but honestly he was kind of just another hero to you. 

One thing that did make him stand out, and justified to you the cult-following he had, was his attitude. He took the symbol of peace schtick seriously, and was always smiling and ready to help people no matter the personal sacrifice he endured. He earned your respect through that. 

He was also kind of hot. He was definitely conventionally attractive, but you’d always kind of thought he was hot in the way that he was always someone to rely on. You don’t know, you’d always kind of liked the scrawny boys better, blame it on your issues.

When All Might finally spoke into the microphone, he essentially repeated what the police officer before him had. You sort of rolled your eyes in a ‘get on with it’ way. You could tell the news was about to cut back to their broadcasting from the live conference so you waited for him to finish his statement while mentally scrolling through your shopping list.

Leaning back into your sofa, you watched as he paused for a second before shooting his eyes up to the camera and lifting one commanding finger to point at the lens before speaking.

“And if you see this criminal or know anything about him, call 1800-XXX-XXX-XXX to give information into the anonymous tipline!”

You blinked. Then you promptly spilled your boiling ramen over your lap as you dropped the bowl. Pain immediately shot through your senses, causing you to curse and look down to your lap.

All Might released some sort of pained noise, causing you to look up and see him grab his wrist on the TV. Your jaw dropped. A female anchor’s face appeared on the screen and you cursed again, quickly looking back to the inflamed skin on your lap. You rushed to the shower, turning the tap onto cold water and sitting down as it rained onto your pyjama bottoms.

You titled your head back before it banged against the glass of your shower door. Had you just hallucinated that? No fucking way right? There was no literal way your soulmate was All Might? Like the actual All Might. Like always smiling, strong as fuck, number one hero All Might.

What the fuck. You had to have been wrong.

You looked down to your wrist, raising your sleeve up to read the words again. Something had changed. Instead of the words being outlined in a sort of dark purple that complimented your skin tone, they had changed to a light lilac. Your jaw dropped again.

What the hell? One of your fingers traced the writing as you groaned. There was no literal way your soulmate was All Might. It was impossible.

You opened your eyes to look up at the shower head, watching as the water poured down.

There was no literal way that he could be your soulmate because All Might, even since the early days of his career before he was known for being the number one hero, had been known to be one of the few public figures who was incredibly vocal about being soulmate-less. 

so how'd we feel? I do like a bit of crack, if you hadn't picked it up yet.

also she's unedited, but it's me, so it's no surprise.

[pinazee]

The Old and the Restless

The first episode to include another Spencer! Now, granted we don’t get much here other than henry doesn’t seem to get along with his dad and maybe doesn’t like the idea of his son being around him. Plus, I don’t think he’s ever mentioned again. I was hoping the introduction to grandpa spencer would give us some kind of reason for why henry is so controlling. We could possibly infer, strictly based on his personality, that grandpa spencer wasnt the most responsible and that henry, as elder brother, took on the brunt of taking care of the family. I mean, you could possibly even go as far as to say grandpa spencer had some run in’s with the law and thats how henry got interested in it- out of spite of his own father and thus leading to the idea that spencer sons resenting their fathers is like a family curse (i think thats actually a thing? I have a vague memory of someone saying it at least). But again, this is all speculation because we never see him again. Grandpas also act differently with their grandkids than their own kids too so who’s to say what it was like for henry growing up. Either way, this flashback really emphasizes how strict henry was, and the more flashbacks i see, the more saddened i get by how downtrodden little shawn is every time he shows up. Liam visibly shrinks when he sits next to him, its heartbreaking. But im glad his grandpa stuck up for him (which is probably why he never saw him again).

The way they pop up here makes me snicker

I love the fast one they played on henry! Shawn knew there was no way he would help unless he thought he could use it as an opportunity to show him up (because his dads a grade A asshole).

I also have no respect for men who call other men girls as an insult, especially when one of those men is his own fucking son. So you gotta imagine shawns heard that kind of bullshit his whole life, so i kind of give him a pass when he makes fun of gus for not being manly enough, though thankfully that seems to dissipate in later seasons so we can call it character growth (though i think it was just the writers, or maybe james, who decided it wasn’t very funny and just hurt the character). Henry has a lot of ground to cover before he can get redeemed in my book. He’s just the worst. im having a much harder time with henry during this rewatch.

Gus is being absolutely adorable here. This episode really made it seem like Gus was henrys kid too, not only because he’s completely comfortable sleeping on his shoulder (I’ve never felt that close to my friends parents at least) but also because he’s giving shit to henry as much as shawn is and i love it! It makes sense too considering how often gus was at his house, henry practically raised him as well.

This is a semi good shawn vs. henry episode. I wish they would have highlighted better how shawn and henry gather their information in different ways but it was more like Henry got some pieces and shawn got pieces but neither had the complete picture so they ended up just working together instead of against. I think i’d have preferred if henry was seeing all the same stuff but shawn actually came to the right conclusion, or that shawn showed kindness to the right person and got the key piece of info that way because ultimately its how he connects with people that separates him from henry (simply because henry is pretty good at seeing the same stuff shawn does a lot of the times is all).

“Just this time im going to teach you a lesson” just this time??? Thats literally all you do henry! Thats like your whole thing!

The way Henry says this makes it seem like he was struggling to call Gus his life partner haha

Shawn and gus both knew of african gambian pouch rats, so i can only assume they watched a nature documentary together haha Sidenote: i randomly looked up african gambian pouch rat to see what they looked like and they’re being used to sniff out tuberculosis apparently?!? Crazy stuff man.

Lassie just wanted to straight up incarcerate a child. Thank god karen became chief over him- could you imagine??? Shawn would definitely have been locked up in the pilot. Gus wouldve been killed next to mira or something, juliet would still be in miami. Buzz wouldve been fired or killed by that serial killer. So many crimes would���ve been unsolved and so many people would’ve been locked up and innocent. So again, thank god for chief vick.

The indian blood bit gets a pass simply because of the line “they were here first” and gus’ response “im not hating on indians im hating on you” I dont think its terribly offensive but it is a dumb stereotypical joke. It just kind of makes me sigh and shake my head.

Why is gus always trying to get shawn to taste blood?? Does that show up later? Is this a consistent thing? Its just kind of weird considering gus is really squeamish around it? I think its Gus’ way of trying to prank him but he’s like really bad at it haha Also i didn’t like gus’ face there. It made it seem vaguely… nevermind. Its just weird lol

I dont like the B story with juliet and lassie. I think i did at one point because juliet put the fear of god in him and inadvertently that same fear in the others which was fun, but this kids a fucking creep so i don’t think theres any combination of words that would cause this character to suddenly become respectful and it might be the most unrealistic thing to happen on psych, which is truly saying something. Its just one of those scenes you can’t overanalyze so I won’t! Its fun! (But like, thats what im doing here so jk). I did enjoy the “scared straight” subversion moment. Prisons great kids. Its like summer camp. Also his friends name is “white slavery” and idk what to do with that information except point at it with my mouth open in amusement.

I just like how lassie does his “strike two” and im doing that from now on.

Overall its not one of my fave episodes but heres some gifs of some of my fave moments

[wingzie]

Hi!

Do you have a favorite moment back from when you were baby army that stood out to you about Jungkook and Jimin?.

And bonus question: for the sake of going back in the day and how we used to say “I’m going into delulu mode right now”, was there a theory you or someone else might have posted that made you say “ok let me go get my tin hat too”.

Thanks for being with us for such a long time, and thank you for creating a safe space for us!.

Hellooo!!! Thank you for the ask. Hmm... this might be a somewhat long response haha. For me, there was a certain time period as baby army that stood out for me in showing what their bond is like: When Jimin was sick after New Jersey. Side note: The VLive after the concert is LEGENDARY

Anyways, it was obvious that Jimin was not well in Brazil from the reports we got at soundcheck. We know from the Behinds that Jimin asked Jungkook for help if his condition didn't get any better. During TTU, Jimin stopped singing and got emotional. Jungkook kept his promise and sang along in the background. (For both days.) He then thought about jumping over to Jimin's pillar to comfort him, but thought better of it and thankfully waited until they were down.

This showed the upmost trust that they have for each other, on and off stage. There of other examples that shows this, of course. But it's the way they put the others' needs first over their own that hits me each time. They know when the other needs them and they'll do their best to be "There For You" no matter what. That connection is something that continues to beat stronger every single day.

One of my other faovurite moments is from "This moment right here is happiness" from KBS. Funny story: Quite a lot of Army had turned off KBS as soon as BTS had finished. I kept it on and continued to watch the ending collab. I think I confused both my own friends and people on my Timeline by screaming something along the lines of "AHH JIKOOK WERE SINGING TOGETHER CUTELY IN CONFETTI!!" Not many had kept watching like I had, so they had absolutely NO IDEA what the hell I was talking about...And then of course after that finished, Jungkook uploaded GCFH.

Another funny story is related to your delulu quesiton. I am not sure how I feel about the math theories. I somewhat believe in them, but those who know me will know that I absolutely suck at math. I actually failed it three times and never passed. It never stopped me in life though, apart from my inability to count to 13 apparently lol. Just before the release of Who, a GC of mine were talking about the 123 theories. I said that some seemed deliberate, but I couldn't tell overall. Queue Who being released, with Jikook singing at 1:23 and the song being track 13... It's still something the same GC jokes about with me today whenever numbers with Jikook happen. Thank you again for the ask and for the kind words. I'll always do my best. Happy to answer anything that I can! Much love, Becca/Wingzie.

[saffronstoats]

please read!

pinning this until i get info on if people would read it because I actually want to make it so bad... my profile will be back later

gang i have a rw au idea [ shocker ]

inv infection thang. inv starts appearing everywhere and eventually starts basically weirdmageddon. all the guys have to team up to beat it [ umm during the great migration because i want gourm and crew to have to like. have a cool scene idk i have a really cool thing planned in my head

all the scugs will be in it. yes, truly all of them: even both nightcat and inv. yes even survivor and monk's unnamed sibling. yes even monk and survivor's parents. yes literally every scug featured in gourmand's outro scene. and more

what do yall think and what should i call it

it may be invenot based but it's not a crappost

past the keep reading is more details. i lot more. i rambled whoops

inv is less "haha dating sim" and more "im gonna ruin your life :) in the funkiest way possible! *does a skateboard trick and opens a pocket dimension*" "*puts on shades and suddenly reality is distorted* heheha!"

inv closes off the void sea ( probably pre story events or hunter would have already ascended ) so hunter surv and monk all are just like having to team up. surv monk happy family scene and hunter saving them from an inv clone or domething. yk the cool one in zombie apocalypse movies

monk and survivor are basically kids. again this is migration. so hunter is like their stepdad [ genderneutral ]

hunter cycles ending ( trying to avoid spoilers ) is probably inevitable. they might be able to meet pebbles to get it extended but I still don't think hunter will make the entire thing because there's no way this thing is >25 cycles long. sorry hunter ( you will be missed dearly /gen )

thought it would be sick if arti appeared too so i had to. extend her lifespan. also shes huge like. 2x normal scug size

spearmaster is genetically modified to be a messenger for who knows how long suns intended it to be so thankfully i dont think it's as much as a stretch that they're alive

saint is an eldritch being so they could probably mess some stuff up too

dont really. see how in the world rivulet could fit timeline wise ill be honest. they are literally the only one left out. ill have inv bring them in through a pocket dimension or something because otherwise there would be no ruffles and that would be sad

forgot to mention this but having so many attack oriented slugs just being the main cast without being together doesnt make much sense. so spear and arti are a team but they dont really get along or talk to each other much and also theres no firecracker sorry guys

ill probably be generally avoiding ships in this comic besides maybe some like enot shenanigans?? but i don't think ill really do much of that either because this isnt romance this is a bunch of rodents fighting a choatic rodent glitch god

the iterators exist too. tell me whether you want them off the strings or not. ill give you examples of what happens on either side starring suns

off strings: spearmaster and suns are the duo of all time and artificier is there too. she dragged pebbles along but he doesnt want to be any part of this

on strings: suns videocalls spearmaster a lot and cheers whenever they make a slight achievement

nightcat/watcher is probably gonna be part of the colony. theyre the scout

moon and sig will also definely be there, potentially innocence and wind too if yall want them. also maybe more itties idk. we'll see

rip sliver. because its your average timeline mostly sliver is dead ( rip )

all of the iterators if off the strings are actually terrible at combat and they cannot parkour so that would allow some funny moments. funny pebbles cannot jump to save his life or encouraging wholesome suns which do yall prefer

i find it funny how half the scugs are the cool one and then theres survivor monk riv and watcher. and then theres the iterators who are even more pathetic [ silly ]

sofanthiel's nickname will constantly change highlighting their chaotic nature. one panel they're enot then they're inv then they're paincat then they're sofanthiel then they're gorbo then they're blueberrycat- you get it

actually ill use a random number generator every time their name pops up. this is minimal priority but suggest enot nicknames.

current ones are: enot, inv, sofanthiel, paincat, thanksandrew, thanks andrew ( with a space ), gorbo, blueberrycat, ???, invenot ( one word )

if i make it i'll turn on scheduled posting for it and make sure to actually like. link throughout on like next previous first. if I have anything to say or elaborate ill post it in the comments

it would also be in a genuine artstyle instead of my little 10 minute lineless thangs. id line it and give backgrounds and stuff except maybe on April fools day

anyways yeah, what do yall think?

again what do i name it because i want to call it something cooler than enotpocalypse

[bekaroth-reads]

Brynjolf x reader pt .2

[Decided to make a sequel, though I guess you don't have to had read the first part to understand this. Once again I write gender neutral reader in general, so instead of Brynjolf saying lad or lass, I have him saying bairn like how you might call someone kid. Proof read but quickly so there's probably a lot still wrong, haha]

It doesn’t seem like it would be possible for someone to startle awake while also not moving an inch, but that was exactly what Brynjolf did. There was enough of his mind conscious to know he needed to check his surroundings, however the rest of it as well as his body protested. Once he was finally able force his eyes open, there wasn’t much he could see aside from a blur… and a piercing light of some kind.

Wanting to shield himself from the bright onslaught he went to turn. This action was cut short as the second he started to move Brynjolf felt like his was going to explode.

“Look who’s still alive!” A familiar voice teased in a thankfully soft voice.

“Bairn?” He questioned horsely, “By the Eight! What in Oblivion happened?”

You walked over to him, poured some water into a cup, and stared to mix something into it. Brynjolf was only minutely aware of any of this.

“It seems that you had a rather eventful night.” You laughed as you tried to get him to drink the concoctions you had made.

He was aware enough now to grunt and pull his head away, not wanting to risk upsetting his churning stomach further. As you came more into focus he pressed drudgingly with his interrogation. “Did I get in a fight?”

Brynjolf gave a sour look and a glower as even not knowing what the answer was, you thought is was funny and that it was certainly at his expense.

“Oh, yes. You had a valiant fight against some mead, and sadly lost.” You postulated before finally catching him at an angle that let you actually get the cup up to his mouth, “Now, drink this.”

He obliged you, but wasn’t afraid to let you know how he felt about the drink.

“Shor’s Stone! That’s vile!” He spat mostly figuratively, but somewhat literally.

“Got it from the apothecary. Supposed to help with the hangover.”

“Ya, know what’ll help that bairn? Put out that bloody light!” He groaned.

This made you actually laugh, which made him winch.

“Sorry.” You apologized as you tried to quiet back down. “But, I can’t put that light out, Bryn. That’s the sun.”

After this, you started prattling on about something along the lines of how there was rumored to be a way to actually black out the sun, but he wasn’t even to the point of comprehending any of that.

“Bairn, I’m not in the mood.” Brynjolf warned as he finally managed to move an arm and rest it over his eyes.

“For what?” You questioned.

“For games!” He grumbled, “Hardly a place in the cistern that the sun gets to.”

Based on the fact that you had to hod back another laugh, it seemed that something else caught you funny. You moved some of his fiery hair behind his ear as best you could with his arm in the way.

“Bryn, we aren’t in the cistern.”

This made him bolt up, suddenly aware that this bed was much too comfortable to be one of the ones they were able to sneak into the hideout. A few moments after his pounding temples stopped protesting the quick movement, he noted that he was in a rather nice, if slightly under decorated house.

It must have been yours. In recent times you had started to do favors for the Jarl, as a sort of means to have an insider in on her plans (as well as a way to make up to the people of Riften for the things you were told to do during your initiation), and the house was an opportunity you weren’t going to pass up.

Something else that he was more aware of now that he was more awake was that he was at the very least bare-chested. Not being one to miss out on a chance to fluster you, he decided to better his morning by doing just that.

“It seems that I lost a bit more than my wits last night. That your doing, bairn?” Brynjolf hummed as he leaned closer to you.

“Well, yes- but not for the reason you think!” You were quick to add. It was pouring last night and I figured there was no point in you getting pneumonia on top of the hang over.”

Your tone changed to a playfully, parental one, “You were on this side of the town square, stumbling around and about to fall into the lake. When I went to see what was wrong with you, you practically passed out on top of me. There was no way I'd be able to sneak you down to the hideout."

"Could have let me fall." He chuckled almost bitterly. While he was trying to play the comment off as a joke, you felt a shift in his demeanor. Maybe there was a more serious reason he was black-out drunk last night.

Not sure if what else to do, you sat next to him on the edge of the bed. Resting your hand on his you quietly assured, "I like you too much to risk you drowning."

Again your comment was continuing the façade of teasing, but there was a more serious intent to it you both knew was under the surface.

To your surprise Brynjolf leaned forward, reached a hand around to rest on the side of your head and move it closer so that he could place a gentle kiss on your hairline.

"Gods bless you! You're too sweet for this line of work." He sighed almost longingly, but in a way you couldn't quite work out why.

Looking over to him there definitely was a much more somber tone than he wore much of the time. Whatever was causing it, it seems the wrong time to try and talk about it. So, you simply moved on by placing your index and middle fingers on varying points on his brow to see if the tension was starting to let up.

"How are you feeling?" You asked.

"Now that I can see that bonny face of yours clearly, lovelier than anything my tonics ever promised to do." He was back to his flirting, and looked happy to be so.

Brynjolf wrapped you in his arms and held you close as he could, resting and nesting his head on the crook of your neck, relishing in the way you both squirmed and sought his attention.

"I do need to ask one more favor of you, bairn. Be sure not to tell anyone I was so pissed last night." There was another hint of somberness to Brynjolf's voice for another moment, before it abruptly changed back to playful. "If word got out that a Nord couldn't hold his drink, I'd never live it down!"

You matched his tone. "Oh? And, what can you bribe me with to not tell?"

There was something of a dark chuckle from him, like he knew something you weren't catching on to.

"Bairn, I'm sitting here in naught but a sheet and my small clothes, and you're asking how I plan to bribe you?" Brynjolf let said sheet fall a bit lower than was considered descent.

He leaned forward once again and kissed you. You were so dazed by the suddenness of the situation that you were basically along for the metaphorical ride.

Just as you were gaining your footing in this situation and things were starting to heat up, there was a pounding on the front door.

Seeing as you were clothed, you were the one to go answer it. To your surprise it was none other than Mercer.

"I'm doing a neighborly call to see if you've seen a certain red head around." He pointedly explained.

Your face must have heated up or possibly still been heated from before as all you said was, "Well," before he cut back in.

"I'll take that as a yes. Look, just have him come down as soon as possible." He sounded more exasperated than upset, though still upset nonetheless. Mercer didn't even wait for you to reply before he walked away, grumbling something to him.

"Sometimes I swear he's trying to ruin my life on purpose." Brynjolf huffed as he came up behind you, watched Mercer walk away for a moment before pulling you back into the house and shutting the door.

"I see you found your pants." You snicker as you note that he was now at least half dressed.

"Aye, they're dry enough to wear. Little smokey from being by the fire." He replied as he pulled you close to him once more.

While you were rather attracted to Brynjolf and more so actually cared for him, there was still some doubt in your mind about how he felt about you. So, you played off trying to back out of his hold by teasing, "I might think you're still a bit drunk with how handsy you are."

While he did laugh at the joke, he was also quick to ease your worries. "Hey, look at me." He placed his hand under your chin to help with the action. "I would never hurt you; not in any way, bairn."

Rather than something teasing or extravagantly passionate like many would expect from him, Brynjolf once again placed the gentlest of kisses to your forehead. There was something that finally made it's way through to you with this action. It wasn't just his way of showing gentle affection.

It was his way of saying, "I love you."

[themaskofreason]

you're the local pokemon guy so would you say this is accurate https://www.youtube.com/shorts/5sxnid4DJiM

yes except not leon he's definitely not straight (hes bi). i am now doing to evaluate more pokemon characters from games i am too invested in and decide if they can say the funny haha word:

birch: yeah. he doesnt say it but yeah.

"that guy is not heterosexual. like i saw him and immediately thought egg but also im predisposed to that" - mutual from internet and real life

roxanne: no but she's trans (confirmed by me and mutual from internet and real life)

brawly: definitely not. hes an ally but sometimes it slips out "by accident". he's like that guy from that one japanese street interview who's tried the gay thing and it wasnt his thing but he respects it.

wattson: canonically has a wife so no (but he has gay friends)

flannery: lesbian icon. she can say it.

norman: he's dabbled (with birch) before he got with his wife. cannot say it (he broke birch's heart)

winona: pansexual trans icon (imo she's down bad for roxanne (previously established straight woman)); she can and does say it

wallace: of course. is this even a question. (he's gay for steven stone (i can and will argue that this is somewhat canon)) (he's actually pan but like. he can still say it) (also we have decided he is a man who is "on estrogen for fun")

sidney: no, but he still says it. "he says slurs but if u call him out he gets SO INTENSELY defensive. he is a terf" - mutual from internet and real life

phoebe: oh aye yeah totally

glacia: no she cannot and no she does not she is a respectful ally

drake: gay trans sailor. of course he can say it

steven: yeah. yeah he's wallace's bf.

milo: yeah totally fr

nessa: 100%

kabu: ally king he would never say it (he suffers with depression. unrelated but i thought i would mention it)

bea: we debated this one for a bit. conclusion is she is a bisexual woman with an extremely boring bf. "she can [say it] but she doesnt bc it makes her boyfriend think he can" - mutual from internet and real life (we then fell into a discussion of our irls (not the same group of people thankfully) who are like this)

"like bea is constantly joking about being w like, nessa or smth but it is so obvious it is barely a joke" - mutual from internet and real life

opal: cannot say it. used to, though. she begins as an insane crazy bigot ("literal pokemon jkr" - mutual from internet and real life) but then meets bede (transmasc king) and realises shes a terrible person and changes her ways <3

gordie: either a he/him lesbian (mutual from internet and real life's opinion) or a straight man who says it after a few drinks much to his mother's disappointment (my opinion). please give feedback we cannot decide

melony: got married before she discovered gay people exist. experiences lesbian yearning (mutual from internet and real life has said she is the song good luck babe). raised her kids to be good allies, does NOt say the word.

piers: yeah and he says it daily.

raihan: totally. he doesnt say it often but he can and will when necessary

leon: he's a bi trans king. he can say it but he gets scared of being cancelled (because he's very much in the public eye) so he doesnt

sonia: bisexual trans queen! she can but doesnt!

chairman rose my beloathed: he can but he should not because i hate him

oleana: she can and she does ("she's The mean lesbian" - mutual from internet and real life). i hate her.

[hippo-pot]

There's a post floating around about how bad the ace discourse was like 10 years ago and it's really making me think. Like

I started ID'ing as ace in like... 2012. I immediately like, hated myself for it. I felt like I was a robot, fundamentally missing out on the human experience, would never find love, etc. It fucked up my self esteem so bad that I later entered poly relationships purely because I thought, who would ever be satisfied with *just* me? (Nothing against polyamory but it is NOT for me and I had some miserable times.) At this point I've thankfully worked thru a lot of that and actually I barely ID as ace anymore, it's like, technically the label fits but it's never brought me anything but grief so I don't have to claim it

Anyway, the discourse didn't cause any of that, but it did encourage me to stop talking about it? There was an idea that was like, why are you discussing your sex life? That's too personal. Which is so funny because like.... Ppl constantly discuss their sex life on this site, as they should!!!! Like it was so repressive to think otherwise 😭 like it's Too Personal to say you're ace (when that encompasses tons of different experiences anyway.... Like it's not THAT personal, it doesn't tell you anything about my day to day...)

Like I've just been cringing at myself (and others; sorry!) for years haha

I wonder if, like the current post seems to be saying, maybe if the subject hadn't become so taboo, maybe there would be more of a coherent community now. I've also spent years thinking ace people don't really have much in common so what's the point of a community, and I probably need to unlearn that too. I've met some ace people irl and didn't click with any of them, and I'm afraid that's probably had a bigger impact on my thoughts than it should have

[fuck-customers]

Idk if I ever told the story here but given as I’m thankfully not working rn to focus on school, I remembered an incident that happened at my old job (it’s not sad or enraging don’t worry all y’all)

I used to work at Moss Lress For Dess and my coworkers and managers were all cool there and the customers were mildly infuriating at most (for me who was a stockroom/fitting room attendant so I didn’t deal with register Karens)

One time we had a lot of stock come in so we were all rushing and one of our shortest and sternest managers (love her to death honestly she’s like the mom you don’t wanna disappoint) jumped in to help load the tall carts yknow, those metal shelved 4 shelf thing on wheels? Yeah, our policy safety thing with those is don’t stack anything on the top of it that could fall and hurt your head, like pillows and blankets and towels are fine cause they’re soft and stuff but sometimes we get so swamped with product we’d break the rule and put whatever on top but usually tried to make sure it was smth that wouldn’t fall easy or get pushed by the stockroom door off the top.

Well I was running carts with some others and the manager that hopped in to help was doing the fast stocking of some of the carts in our little conveyer belt type system we got back there, and she threw a stack of like 3 medium sized whiteboards on the top of the cart and I grabbed that one, called out I was running that section cart, then hurried out the double doors like everyone else, except this time the doors pushed the whiteboards off the top and they came crashing down on the top right above my forehead and one slid down on the way to the floor and cut/scraped the bridge of my nose a little and those were kinda heavy and I just braced myself cause it happened so suddenly

And this was obviously an accident cause everyone saw me cause it was right at the entrance of the stockroom so someone pushed my cart aside as my manager stopped what she was doing to help me to the bathroom to assess the damage and I was like ow haha wow my nose is scraped, and then we went to the office and she immediately started on an incident report and stuff she pulled the footage showing the accident and did all that for me as I sat there waiting and I told the people on the phone what happened and I ended up leaving early and had to call my brother to pick me up cause I didn’t know if I got a concussion so I didn’t wanna drive myself, I got a bit of a headache and was a little dizzy but to be fair I have a coconut head so it wasn’t that bad (I grew up basically being a basketball to the head magnet no matter where I was)

Anyways I could have gotten a big payout or smth cause it was clearly my managers fault for stacking the shelf like that on the cart but also we all loved her and we were all stacking them not correct because our smaller store gets too much product and told to rush it out every time by people above the managers so we kinda stick together like that??? I didn’t need medical attention luckily but I thought it was a funny story and tbh I’ve been hit worse in the head in the past as a kid so 🤷‍♂️

Anyways yeah that was prob like 2 years ago now??? That manager was a real one tho she was strict but understanding about stuff

Posted by admin Rodney.

[singeart]

20 Writer Questions

Thank you @mytardisisparked for tagging me!

1. How many works do you have on Ao3?

An astounding 20! I never thought I'd write this many haha

2. What’s your total Ao3 word count?

79,836

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Mostly Star Trek Voyager and The X Files! I always thought about writing for Once Upon A Time but never felt a strong enough calling- I'm pretty happy with how Captain Swan played out ;)

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

+ A Flower for Everytime I Think of You (chlonath from Miraculous Ladybug, I miss how popular this ship was ;-; I feel like I can't find anything new for it on here)

(the rest are from Voyager~)

+ Two Shorten the Road

+ Suspension

+ Compote

+ Gold Rush

5. Do you respond to comments?

Yeah for the most part! Especially if people point out a certain part they liked I live for that!!

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

I am a happy ending girlie, all the angst happens in the middle of my fics lol. That being said, I think For That Which Ails You could be considered a little angsty at the end because Scully is still terminally ill, nothing has actually changed, and Mulder wasn't there when she woke up. There's a bit of melancholy to it!

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Probably Compote! Fluffy throughout and then they share a laugh and a Moment tm at the end of it

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Thankfully no!

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Writing kisses is hard enough lmao. I also just don't want to

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written?

No I've never even thought about doing that! Voyager x X Files would be so fun though

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not to my knowledge, though yeah AI has probably scanned some of my works

12. Have you ever had a fic translated? 

Nay

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

I have not, technically, but brainstorming with the bestie and mutuals is always great for inspiration!!

14. What’s your all time favorite ship?

I can't choose, Janeway x Chakotay and Mulder x Scully are both profound to meee

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

Well...I had this idea for a Admiral Janeway centered fic but I don't think it's going to happen. Also a couple of AU ideas for J/C but eh they don't feel original enough u_u

16. What are your writing strengths?

Dialogue babey, I think!! And the little meaningful exchanges that come with? I also think I can write subtle funny stuff pretty well though maybe it's only noticeable to me haha

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Describing a scene, I never do I am relying on the reader's imagination LOL

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

Never had a reason to, not that I'm fluent in anything else :/

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Miraculous Ladybug ^_^

20. Favorite fic you’ve written?

I think it's still Kathryn Janeway, PI because I loove the idea of her playing detective and writing from Chakotay's pov was a nice challenge for me, but Hastilude is coming in at a close second... I really enjoyed coming up with a case that Mulder and Scully had to solve and figuring out how all the pieces fit together, plus I got to put them in silly little outfits, what's not to like?

Tagging: the user reading this!! seriously I want to know :3c

[judjira]

subway shenanigans

AN: this one's pretty funny HAHA i think i did a pretty good job with this one, also it kinda tempted me to make like an smau-style drabble?? idk how to do that but hey it sounds cool HAHA

pairing: dahyun/samotzu apartment au wc: 3871

One bright and beautiful sunny afternoon, when the birds were chirping at their brightest, when there was naught but a cloud in the sky, when the autumn breeze blew wonderfully, Dahyun woke up on the subway.

It wasn’t an odd occurrence, usually she dozed off on the subway anyway, thankfully for only a couple of minutes. It shouldn’t have been any different today.

In fact, there wasn’t anything different about today, except for the fact that maybe Dahyun just got a little less sleep than intended last night, too busy studying for an exam she had in the morning.

But, the exam was over, class was done for the day, and Dahyun could go home and surrender herself to sweet slumber.

Yawning as the train doors opened, she shuffled through the entering passengers, not unlike a zombie.

She swiped her card on the turnstile, muffling another yawn. Around her, the commuting hour had well and truly begun, with droves of people scrambling to get on the train.

With a sigh, she walked up the stairs that exited the subway.

And promptly froze in place.

This…was not the exit by her neighborhood.

Dahyun looked left. An unfamiliar road with cars zooming past her.

Dahyun looked right. A strange skyscraper she’d never even seen before.

Quickly opening her phone and scrolling through, Dahyun let out a thoughtful hum.

She was in a completely different city.

Checking the balance on her metrocard was a bit of a sobering experience, considering she had literally used up all of her credits to get to where she was.

And she couldn’t load up on any credits because she’d left her debit card at home, thinking she wouldn’t spend today.

That meant no spare change or bills either, all of them used for her lunch at the university.

“Well.” Dahyun muttered.

She was well and truly stranded.

-----

Me: hey jeong?

angelbaby 😇💙: yeah?

Me: uh im stuck in another city

angelbaby 😇💙: wat

-----

“Hm…my Lady is later than usual today.”

Sana tapped her foot on the subway floor. The resounding clack of her heels drew attention to her, but not moreso than her clothing.

Indeed, Sana dressed as she used to, in a velveteen black dress, with red lacing, edges, and bodice. A black bonnet adorned her head, similarly with red highlights. A red purse hung from her elbow, and to top it off, she held a black and crimson parasol in her hand, above her head. Even though she was underground, she could never be too safe.

Her ensemble drew looks from the surrounding commuters, a rather outdated but lovely look. But that wasn’t the only thing out of the ordinary.

“Lady Hirai…has she ever been this late before?”

By her side, a large black wolf whined, expressing uncertainty. A wide berth surrounded Momo, but not out of fear. The clicks of cameras going off was quite audible, but Momo paid no mind to it, instead shaking her head.

“Oh dear. I thought not.”

Suddenly, a ringing erupted from her purse, causing Sana to yelp slightly. Momo could only yip in return.

“…my word.”

Reaching into her purse, Sana took out a slim, piece of metal, her manicured fingers trembling slightly with every ring the metal made.

Her finger swiped, rather hesitantly, on the side of the metal that lit up.

“G-Greetings…this is Lady Minatozaki Sana. How do you do?”

“Sana, that’s cute every single time, but you know you don’t have to do that, right? You can just say hello.”

Until now, the wonders of the modern world never ceased to amaze. Sana’s cheeks colored as she spoke into the phone at an odd angle.

“My Lady…I just…it seems odd to be using this…cellular phone. I cannot see who I’m talking to.”

“Open your camera, silly.”

“M-my what?”

Sana yelped once more as the phone’s screen lit up, Momo cocking her head in confusion.

In the next instant, Dahyun’s face shone on the phone, wide but sleepy smile on her face.

“M-My Lady?”

“It’s the camera feature, Satang! If you press the camera button, I can see you too!”

Eyes squinting like an elderly person trying to configure a smartphone (which she one hundred percent was), Sana eventually managed to press the button, her eyes widening in delight.

“Oh! Hello, my Lady!”

Momo barked, tail wagging as Sana awkwardly lowered the camera to Momo’s level.

“Oh, you’re both there! Hi! Aw, you two look so cute.”

Panting excitedly, Momo licked the screen, causing a number of things to flash on the phone.

“Ack! Lady Hirai! Please don’t do that, the device is sensitive to water!”

Pulling the phone away from Momo’s disappointed whine, Sana cleared her throat.

“Ahem. My Lady, where might you be? It is past your usual hour of arrival.”

“Ah yeah, about that…I’m kind of…stranded.”

Sana blinked.

“Stranded?”

“Yeah, I’m about…two cities over. The one day our subway system’s on time, huh?”

“But…can you not just take the rail going back?”

“Yeeaaaah…I used up all my credits going here, and my debit card’s at home. Got no money on me either. How unlucky.”

“Oh dear.”

“No worries, though! You can just head back home, get some money from Jeong, then get over to me!”

Sana was forced to process all this in a few seconds.

“O-oh, um…I see."

“Yep! No worries! Oh, but um…try not to let the other girls know, alright? Especially Tzu, I’d hate to see what she’d do to the trains if she found out what happened.”

“I…um, my Lady?”

“Just keep a low profile! I’ve already texted Jeong, she’ll know how much to give you! Then, you just gotta buy a ticket going here, then we can buy a ticket for both of us, going back home!”

“Uh…alright, I—”

“You got all that?”

Sana glanced towards Momo, eyes flitting rather uncertainly. Momo could only yip in reassurance.

“I…yes. I understand, my Lady.”

“Alright, cool! Uh…not that I’m afraid or anything, but do you think you can come before it’s dark? College girl alone after dark…not so reassuring, haha.”

Sana’s eyes widened, only realizing now the importance of her task. Her Lady was in danger, in a foreign city with no one around to help. And only Sana (and Momo) could help her.

Sana could not fail.

“I will not let you down, my Lady.”

“Great! I’m counting on you, Satang! See you soon! I love you!”

The phone’s screen turned dark, indicating the call had ended.

Sana stuffed the phone into her purse, a visage of determination dawning on her face. She would not let her Lady down.

“Come, Lady Hirai. We must rescue our Lady posthaste.”

“Arf!”

-----

angelbaby 😇💙: got the money! gave it to the dahyun protection squad™

angelbaby 😇💙: minus jihyo cus she’s out rn

Me: nice!! thank u very much jeong

angelbaby 😇💙: yep! they left already, you’ll be home in no time

Me: wait

Me: did u tell tzu too?

angelbaby 😇💙: uh yeah? she’s part of the squad™

Me: fuck

angelbaby 😇💙: what’s wrong?

Me: jeong, its tzuyu

Me: remember the last time i got lost?

angelbaby 😇💙: oh

angelbaby 😇💙: oh fuck

Me: oh fuck indeed

angelbaby 😇💙: well, it can’t be that bad, can it?

-----

Where did things go wrong?

“I’m sorry, ma’am, but if you’d like to order a ticket, you can do so by the ticket machine. This stall’s for customer service.”

“I should smite you where you stand, mortal.”

Her Lady had only asked a few things from her, and Sana couldn’t even follow up on that.

“Ma’am, that is a threat, and I could call security on you for that.”

“Oh, it is indeed a threat. Father shall have you judged most vindictively.”

Don’t let Tzuyu know, she said. Keep a low profile, she said.

“Security? There’s another crazy lady here.”

“Crazy? You foolish, insignificant, worthless—”

“Ma’am, please follow us.”

“Unhand me! I should destroy this whole subway for misleading Kim Dahyun into—”

“Ma’am, please don’t force us. Just come quietly, and we’ll talk about this in a—”

“No! I am a Seraph! I demand to be treated as such!”

Oh dear.

“Lady Chou, I think it best if you were to just follow as these folks would wish you to.”

A stunned silence hung over this area of the subway, everyone’s attention turned to the beautiful, nobly dressed, and dazzling lady in heels.

And the wolf by her side.

“Bark!”

Tzuyu, eyes still somewhat angry, glanced at Sana.

“Minatozaki Sana, these men—”

“—are only trying to do their job. As are we, yes?”

Sana smiled, pleasantly, at the angel who had now halted in her place, looking around at the guards who were now sweating trying to pull at the seemingly young lady who refused to move.

Tzuyu finally relaxed, drawing a sigh of relief from Sana.

“…very well.”

That was the last Sana saw of Tzuyu (for now) as she was begrudgingly ushered off by a herd of guards that kept a five-foot distance away from her.

“I’m terribly sorry for that inconvenience, my friend can be rather…excitable.”

The subway worker at the counter sighed.

“Not to worry, ma’am. We get people like that every now and then. Now, what can I help you with?”

Sana inwardly shuddered. Now came the hard part.

“I would like a ticket to this city, please.”

The worker raised an eyebrow.

“That’s pretty far for this time of day.”

Sana stiffened, posturing up and holding her parasol at an angle.

“My business is my own.”

“Alright, alright. It’s my job to check these kinds of things, you understand. Especially with what happened with your friend.”

Sana chose not to answer that, instead keeping quiet. Inside, she was shuddering quite so. What was it with humans nowadays and their pervasive questions and nature?

“Here are your tickets, ma’am. Oh, and um…we don’t allow dogs that big on the train.”

The worker gestured to Momo, who was sniffing at some newspaper that was left on the ground.

“O-Oh?”

“Yeah, it might bother some other commuters. Even if your dog is pretty cute.”

At that, Momo’s head tilted up to the counter, tilting in confusion. The worker gushed.

“Aw.”

“I assure you, sir, she is very well domesticated, and she would not hurt a fly.”

Momo let out a yip of offense at the description.

“Regardless, ma’am, I have to insist.”

Sana inwardly cursed. She couldn’t just leave Momo here, who knows what could happen to her?

(In truth, Sana’s legs just shook at the thought of being alone in a train and having to suffer small talk with other commuters.)

“B-but, sir…”

In the next instant, all Sana heard was a deep growling that dropped her stomach to the floor.

Turning to Momo, Sana clenched up, as Momo’s silver eyes gleamed dangerously at the worker, deep and gritty growl raising the goosebumps on her neck.

And the worker’s, too.

“Ack…um, I meant…sure! Y-yeah, you can take your dog with you!”

And the next moment, Momo was back to panting excitedly, silver eyes gleaming with a rather apt satisfaction.

“…my thanks, then.”

Sana’s fingers snatched at the ticket, rushing off to the trains before anyone could say another word.

So much for low profile.

-----

Me: so

Me: why am i receiving a call from subway security

Me: saying that i need to come get a distressed young woman of whom i am listed as an emergency contact

angelbaby 😇💙: wow that’s pretty weird

angelbaby 😇💙: haha

Me: jeong pls

angelbaby 😇💙: okay okay, i’m sorry

angelbaby 😇💙: but at least the worst has passed, right?

Me: they just texted

Me: she’s disappeared

angelbaby 😇💙: …

angelbaby 😇💙: i swear to father i am going to murder that angel

-----

Yes, it was true.

Sana was guilty.

Of the most heinous crime imaginable.

“I am sorry, Lady Hirai.”

She spoke with such sorrow, one could only imagine that it was necessary, what she did.

But no, it was only out of self-preservation.

Sana was a selfish, cruel being.

And she deserved every bit of punishment for it.

With one last mournful glance towards Momo, she covered her face.

Momo let out a devastating howl at the treachery.

Never. Never would she forgive Sana for this slight against her.

And as a hand descended towards her face, Momo accepted her fate.

“Puppy!”

“She’s so big!”

“Her fur is so fluffy!”

“Now, now, children. One at a time.”

Momo let out another sorrowful whine as a child pressed their face against her fur.

“Big doggie!”

Holding tightly onto a metal rod affixed to the floor, Sana swallowed another gulp as the train hit another bumpy rail.

These confounded things were too bumpy, and every shake of the rail cabin had Sana fearing for her life, her skin turning shades paler than it already was.

These things were a deathtrap. And her Lady rode these everyday?

No wonder humans were so sturdy.

She winced at another of Momo’s whines, as another child grasped at her tail.

“Fluffy!”

Guilt wracked at her heart for giving Momo up to the children that occupied the train car before them.

She had to, otherwise, she would be forced to entertain their questions about her, and children were…

Well, they were a different beast entirely.

“Forgive me, Lady Hirai.”

With one last glance towards Momo’s silent suffering, Sana squeezed her eyes shut, praying that the train ride would soon end.

-----

Me: woah

angelbaby 😇💙: what’s up?

Me: there’s a lady talking to me

angelbaby 😇💙: really?

Me: yeah shes super pretty

angelbaby 😇💙: why not ask her out?

Me: bc im sleepy and i wanna go home jeong

Me: and im already dating like eight of u

Me: thats already a lot of effort

Me: and u guys r a handful

angelbaby 😇💙: 😔

Me: i dont mind

Me: u know i love taking care of yall

angelbaby 😇💙: 🥰

Me: also i think this woman isnt human so i would rly appreciate it if samotzu got here faster

angelbaby 😇💙: ???

-----

They finally made it. The same subway station their Lady had gotten off on.

Now, all they had to do was find her.

“Lady Hirai, do you think you could…”

Momo turned her head away, sniffing haughtily. Sana slumped.

“I already apologized, Lady Hirai. I had no other choice.”

Sana could only frown at the way Momo stayed at least 5 feet away from her. She sighed. Guess she expected this, anyhow.

“Even if you are mad at me, Lady Hirai, our Lady needs our help. And we can find her much faster if you use your sense of smell.”

Sana could use her abilities, yes, but she detested using them. Especially since she would have to use them to smell her Lady’s blood. And she wouldn’t want to lose control.

Momo, thankfully, acquiesced. She sniffed, rather reluctantly.

Her Lady had to be close by. It was getting close to dark, and who knew what horrors in the dark could get to her, without any of her tenants by her side.

Momo padded up the stairs that left the subway, and Sana followed in turn, being careful to prop up the parasol she had in hand.

As they rose the steps, the sunset gleamed over the skyscrapers of the foreign city, casting shadows over the street they exited onto.

Sana couldn’t help but gasp in amazement.

Human structures and cities in this age were so advanced, it was hard not to look on in wonder as Sana did, her eyes following the gleam of every window of every building on every street she saw. Towering over her, they were magnificent in their stature.

“Arf!”

Sana blinked out of her reverie, to see Momo rounding the corner of an alley by the subway exit. She quickly made haste to join her.

Only to feel her blood chill as her eyes laid on the scene.

“Oh, you go to this university? That’s crazy, me too!”

“Really? Wow, it’s a small world. What course did you graduate from?”

“Applied Physics and Material Sciences!”

The Lady of the Sanctuary was being harassed by a strange lady.

Sana tensed at the same time Momo started growling, but it seemed that the Lady didn’t notice.

“Oh, sheesh, that’s a quota course, isn’t it?”

The woman, tall in high heels and dressed in a blazer and slacks, pressed glasses up the bridge of her nose, chuckling.

“Yeah, I got in on a director’s list scholarship.”

“Wow, you must be really smart.”

How dare this woman take advantage of the Lady’s socially acceptable people skills?

Sana felt her fangs bare, restricting herself from snarling out loud. Instead, she cleared her throat, and the Lady finally turned to her, eyes brightening.

“Oh, Satang, Momoring! You’re here!”

Momo, ever the more relaxed, immediately stopped snarling, instead trotting over to the Lady with a bright gleam in her eyes and tail wagging.

“Oh, a dog! How cute!”

The strange woman crouched down, beckoning Momo over, but to no avail, as the wolf’s attention was solely on the Lady.

“We came…as soon as we could, my Lady.”

Eyes still glancing distrustfully at the woman, Sana allowed a smile to grace her features. The visage of her Lady smiling at her would never fail to bring her joy.

“Cool. I’m pretty tired already. Oh, thanks for keeping me company!”

The Lady smiled towards the woman, only to have the woman politely bow in return.

“It was my pleasure. It’s not every day I get a conversation as enlightening as this.”

“Thanks anyway, Ms. Kang.”

“Just Seulgi, please. Ms. Kang makes me fee old.

The aforementioned ‘Seulgi’ turned her smile to Sana, lips only mysteriously curving up further.

“Is this your friend?”

Sana took that opportunity to step forward, eyes narrowing at the stranger.

“Indeed. My name is Minatozaki Sana.”

The woman’s eyes widened immeasurably, and for some reason, so did her smile. Briskly walking over to her, she grabbed Sana’s hand.

If it were any other moment, Sana would have lashed out, fangs bared and hands ready to kill.

But this woman simply shook her hand. With quite the amount of force.

“What an honor it is to meet you, Lady Minatozaki. I’ve heard many things!”

Momo simply tilted her head, mirroring Sana’s confusion.

“Then this must be Lady Hirai! Oh, what a wonderful coincidence!”

Seulgi grinned with no small amount of amusement, turning to the Lady with vigor.

“These are your tenants, then? Oh, how wonderful!”

The confusion seemed to be apparent on Sana’s face, turning from the Lady to Seulgi interchangably, since Seulgi could only grin at Sana reassuredly.

“Not to worry, Lady Minatozaki. I have been watching over Dahyun ever since I felt her exit the subway. You have my word she is unharmed!”

The Lady took that time to step forward and put a hand on Seulgi’s shoulder gently.

“Thank you, Ms. Kang, but Sana here’s a little…jittery with strangers.”

Sana couldn’t help but agree, as Seulgi’s grip on her hand was now beginning to ache.

“Oh, where are my manners?”

Seulgi let go of Sana’s hand to bow, once towards Sana, once towards Momo. As she finished, she flashed both of them a great big smile.

“My true name is Callisto. I watch over this area of the city, along with a few of my own.”

The name sounded Greek, yet it rang no bells in Sana’s mind. Until the Lady decided to help her.

“She’s a shapeshifter, like Chaeng. Also a constellation, somehow, but what matters is I’m safe.”

Looking between Seulgi’s everglowing grin and the Lady’s weary smile, Sana could not be more confused.

But then, this was the Lady. And nothing ever normal happened to her.

With Momo’s best attempt at a shrug in wolf form, Sana resigned herself to her confusion. Her fangs receded, instead gracing Seulgi with an uncertain smile.

“…you have my thanks then, Lady Kang.”

Seulgi nodded, her head shaking so fast it could have popped off.

“Of course! Anything for the Sanctuary. Perhaps, you might like to visit our own? It’s not as safe, and our wards aren’t as specialized, but—”

Oh dear. This was what Sana feared this whole time on this journey.

Conversation.

Thankfully, the Lady decided to intervene.

“Thank you, Ms. Kang, but maybe another time? We’re quite tired from today.”

Seulgi did not seem deterred by the rebuttal.

“Of course! Let me know when you do want to pass by, though! Our haven’s always welcome to the Lady of the Sanctuary and her tenants!”

Finally, comfort flooded back into Sana’s system as she felt the Lady’s hand slip into her own, fingers interlacing naturally with hers.

“Thanks again, Ms. Kang. We’ll see you around.”

The shapeshifter waved her hand excitedly, glasses on the verge of falling off of her face.

Momo padded to their side as they turned to leave.

“Whew. Extroverts. Can’t stand them.”

Sana could not help but agree.

“How was the subway?”

Terrible. Disastrous. Horrid. Never again.

Momo didn’t need to hear Sana say anything to shudder terribly, still glaring at Sana out of the side of her eye.

“It was…fine, my Lady.”

Thankfully, Dahyun didn’t seem to catch on, instead smiling and squeezing Sana’s hand, to which Sana let out a quick sigh of relief.

“That’s great. Let’s go home?”

This was quite the adventure. Not to say that Sana would have ever liked to experience it again, but knowing that she had done her job, braved the subway system, talked to strangers, and rescued her Lady from darkness was enough for her to be satisfied.

“We shall.”

Yet, there was still something she couldn’t help but feel like she forgot—

The flapping of wings.

“Kim Dahyun!”

“Oh, hello there!”

“Who are you?!”

“Oh, my name’s Kang Seulgi, I’m an IT specialist in—”

“Are you the one who kept Kim Dahyun here against her will?!”

“Me? Oh, I don’t think so, I was merely keeping her company as your companions were—”

“This is unacceptable! This city is far too large to navigate!”

“Oh, well, if you look at the subway maps, then I’m sure you can find—”

“Curse the blasted subway!”

“Oh my, you’re getting quite bright, that hurts my eyes a little bit—”

Sana sighed.

No, there was no such thing as a normal day as a tenant of the apartment.

-----

Me: otw home now

angelbaby 😇💙: yaaaay

Me: whats the account for the apartment again

angelbaby 😇💙: why?

Me: tzu kind of blew up a subway station

Me: no one got hurt thankfully

Me: but we kind of have to pay for damages

angelbaby 😇💙: …

angelbaby 😇💙: how much

Me: uh

Me: i think its better if i tell you in person

angelbaby 😇💙: …

angelbaby 😇💙: tell tzuyu she’s not getting any hugs or kisses tonight

Me: okay yeah that did it shes quiet and rly sad now

angelbaby 😇💙: good

Me: do i get hugs and kisses

angelbaby 😇💙: normally i’d say yes, but i told you to go to sleep early last night and you didn’t, so no

Me: ):

angelbaby 😇💙: maybe just one

Me: (: