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blahandwhatever · 3 months ago

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Medical News Today

Long-Term Care

My prime preoccupation for the past month or so has been my health and, specifically, once again, my supplements and chemical balance. Once again, I got some of the weird feelings and symptoms I had for a while earlier this year, before experimenting with my calcium, magnesium, and iron and concluding I should keep taking all of them; once again, these were my prime suspects. But this time, I was extra-heavy on numbness and tingling and coordination issues. And I scoured the internet anew, overwhelmed by possibilities and underwhelmed by the extremely limited, incomplete information on every website, thinking I should someday make a big spreadsheet of all the possible symptoms of every possible nutrient deficiency or excess. Of course, there’s also always the possibility that I actually have A Disease, but I have to get the more likely basics covered before I consider that.

And I experimented, and I felt various types of bad, and I felt various types of better. This time, some of my worst-feeling days were the ones when I took magnesium - generally a safe supplement, and one I don’t take huge doses of, but it is probably the thing I’ve been supplementing the longest (since the Age of Anxiety) and also something I probably get enough of from my diet; it’s possible that, no longer living in anxious times, I no longer need the extra dose (there was, however, one time it helped when I got agitated. maybe its use should be as-needed). Some of my best-feeling days were ones when I took none of the three suspects - but then, there were random ones that differed. Another suspect I considered was my zinc and copper supplement, and zinc in particular, as I also took separate zinc gummies sometimes. The results on that one were pretty inconclusive, but I erred on the side of caution, reduced its frequency, and skipped the gummies altogether. I also upped my B12, as I’d somewhat neglected that one lately, and considered the additional possibility of too much vitamin D but thus far have done no experimenting on it (bit inconvenient, as it’s part of my fish oil supplement, and also I think the main negative effects of excess vitamin D are due to resulting excess calcium absorption, so a) might as well focus on testing calcium directly and b) I’m honestly skeptical I’d have too much calcium even with the supplements because, given what I tend to get from my diet, it just doesn’t add up. ALSO I’ve paid close attention to how I’ve felt before and after taking different supplements each day and never felt a difference after the fish oil/vitamin D supplement).

Overall, I’ve come to feel and look and function better over time, for the most part, with a lot of ups and downs and no firm conclusions yet. It’s always a good idea to be cautious and conservative with supplementation. However, I still feel I benefit from some of my supplements, and some, I’m trying to figure out whether I should eliminate completely or just reduce. Currently, I’m feeling the most negative about the iron. I’ve mostly been skipping it and felt markedly worse the last couple of times I took it. The last time I took it, I had cold hands and orthostatic hypotension. It helped with those but made me feel worse overall. Questions continue to arise.

Urgent Care

A few days ago, I scratched myself by the neck with a long, jagged nail. Just barely - I thought nothing of it. Sometimes I’ll scratch myself when my nails get too long. Things got a little red, but I figured it’d go away soon.

The next day, the redness spread wider. Weird. A little concerning. But I trusted my body to do its thing. Took my zinc & copper supplement and felt better after a somewhat lethargic day.

By today, there were long streaks up my neck and down my chest. Bad. Very bad. The internet urged me to see a doctor ASAP.

And so I spent half this day trying to figure out, and go about, the best way to get treated. I searched around for high-rated urgent care clinics, explored their services and prices. I drove up to one in Northbrook, but it was about to close, and I didn’t go. Found the next best thing, open later, in Mount Prospect. Made an appointment, came back home, charged my dying phone, squeezed in a few quick tasks, and drove to the clinic.

I was a bit nervous - it had been almost a decade since I had seen a doctor. Wondered if they’d find me a mess just like the dentist did.

But it went pretty quickly and painlessly. My blood pressure was high, but they didn’t comment on it - maybe it was normal under the circumstances. No concerns about my lungs or heart. I got prescribed an antibiotic and told to use Neosporin.

By this point, it was 8 PM, and all the nearby pharmacies were closed. I found an open one in Palatine - at the Walgreens with the same address as my local one, where once upon a time GPS had brought me by mistake. So I drove way up there from Mount Prospect, and I dropped off my prescription, and it wouldn’t be ready for an hour and a half, so there wasn’t much to do but go home and come back.

And finally, by 10 PM, I had it all wrapped up, and I took my scary bright-red antibiotic, cringing at the thought of wiping out my microbiome, but oh well - it happens to the best of us.

Honestly kinda disappointed in my immune system for not having handled this better. I’ve had so many worse scratches and sores over the years that didn’t develop any issues. This was really such an odd one. Did I have some particularly bad bacteria on my hands, or was I particularly weak. Did reducing my zinc and vitamin C (which I only really take together with iron) supplements weaken my immunity? Today I took a zinc gummy and felt better after that one too. I’m thinking that isn’t something I need to limit supplementing.

But I also didn’t do anything about the scratch to begin with - again, because it seemed negligible. So, lesson learned there - I probably should have been alarmed by the redness much sooner. I bet some prompt disinfection could have stopped this in its tracks. Kinda mad I don’t get to see the alternate universe where one of my trusty gentle natural solutions - manuka honey, tamanu oil, coconut oil - prevents this whole thing. I’ve literally not had to use anything else to prevent skin infections in like 7+ years. I mean, I do keep rubbing alcohol, and sometimes antibiotic ointment, in stock in case any of those ever fail to work, but that has never happened.

Thankfully, this urgent healthcare need didn’t devastate my poor, uninsured ass (I sure wish I’d known the massive difference between ERs and urgent care clinics when I was younger). And the antibiotic somehow only cost me… $5? Rare win for the US healthcare system.

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gay-victorian-astronomer · 11 months ago

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so, answering this ask about my fanfiction made me think that I needed a spreadsheet. so I made a spreadsheet! look at her!

set it all up with nice dropdown boxes to choose the skill check I wanna make, what chapter of the work I'm working on (because I'm actually having Kim level up across chapters), what clothes he's wearing, and what journal entries (his equivalent to the Thought Cabinet) are currently in progress. I didn't think far ahead enough to handling bonuses while researching vs bonuses once it's internalized, but I'll cross that bridge when it comes up while I'm writing lmao

but yeah I can just select all the settings and a couple of hidden sheets will handle the work of calculating the total bonus to the dice roll, and for a given DC whether or not it succeeds as a passive check, what the minimum dice roll needed to succeed is, and the probability of success.

if I want to add more clothes (unlikely) or journal entries (definitely), it's as simple as adding a new option in the drop down or a new entry in the journal list and giving it a column for bonuses in the appropriate sheet

honestly, I'd consider putting together one of these for Harry- this was designed with my own fic in mind, but now that the framework is in place it shouldn't be too bad to extend it to all 24 skills. the worst part would just be manually putting in the bonuses for all the clothes and all the the thoughts. perhaps I'll save that as a project for when I'm really craving some data entry or something

but yeah the hope is that this will really simplify the process of writing in the game style & take some of the mental load of keeping track of all of this off so I can just focus on the writing. which I should get back to. tonight (or perhaps tomorrow)

#compression fracture #writing process #(kinda)#call it a stereo-process

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hephaestuscrew · 3 years ago

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Muppet Wolf 359 Survey Highlights Part 1

In no particular order, here are some of the responses I particularly enjoyed from my survey about which character would be the only one played by a human in a muppet adaptation of Wolf 359. I’ve put people’s answers before their explanations and then given some of my thoughts. I am probably going to do at least one more of these posts because I was copying my favourite answers into a document and it ended up being 4 pages long.

The rest of the responses can be viewed here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1ai7N_MI69bkgLoJG2Mnnf5MW0AfvTlEoYXi8sok5Ir8/edit?usp=sharing

Blessie - i'd love to see blessie as just Some Guy™ in a bright green body suit and a pink little fake flower on his head but everyone else is still as scared of it..

This might be my favourite answer. The wonderfully stupid chaos energy of this concept makes me extremely glad I put an 'Other' option on the survey.

Cutter - honestly just visualizing how fucking funny the harpoon scene would be,,,,,,,,, also adds to the inhuman aspects of him if he's the Only One

A few people described the comedic potential of a human man being harpooned by a muppet and all of you are right. That scene would be hilarious. (more below the cut)

Kepler - human kepler being be ejected into space by muppet rachel is a need

Kepler - I just want Kepler to get a gun pointed at him by a muppet

These two represent a whole genre of answer and it's valid.

Hera - She deserves legs more than anyone else.

To me, this is the most compelling argument for Hera as the only human.

Kepler - Muppets are the only beings that are willing to listen to all of Kepler's Whiskey monologue

This would make every Wolf 359 listener a muppet, which.. Yeah.

Lovelace - what if pryce and cutter were. like. statler and waldorf. it wouldn't make sense but i think it would be funny NO WAIT dear listeners are statler and waldorf and instead of loving our music they fucking hate it and want to find us so they can tell us to shut the fuck up

Lol first contact after the star goes blue is just the Dear Listeners heckling (something like “Call that a space station? I’ve seen more convincing space stations in my garbage bin! Ha ha ha!”)

Kepler - changed my mind and decided it should be kepler HOWEVER this is not a muppet AU, it is a goddard training simulation. with kepler and the muppets.

Cutter would do this. Forget Box 953, Box 952 was full of muppets.

Cutter - i have never watched wolf 359 but i feel like cutter has the most muppet-esque name so it would be funny if they weren't the muppet

Why is this person doing the survey?? I almost respect them for giving actual reasoning despite not even knowing that Wolf 359 is a podcast. If this was a deciding vote I'd disqualify it, but it isn't. Another person admitted to not knowing who the characters were but they were kinda rude about it.

Eiffel because the reveal of everyone else being muppets would be like soooo funny. Imagine, if you will, Doug in the first episode making his log. He is the only character we see so we assume everything is normal. He is then talking to the disembodied voice of Hera (as she is an ai program with no need for a body) AND THEN Minkowski shows up and is a literal muppet cue laughter

This is even better if Minkowski calls Eiffel a muppet (as in the insult) over the Comms and then she walks in and she is a literal muppet.

Jacobi - :3 it was a tough choice, but i decided Hilbert's sister wouldnt get enough screen time for it to be funny

On the contrary, this is hilarious. I can’t get over the idea that the entire show is muppets apart from a tragic two-minute flashback in which Olga Volodin is a human and her brother is a muppet and there is no explanation.

Hilbert - I for one cannot conceive of a muppet calculating which of their crew members to infect with a deadly engineered virus. Also I think it would be funny

Minkowski - well otherwise you have to have a Muppet run armed thru the station after a semisentient plant monster and that just doesn't seem okay :P

These two people both decided they needed to draw the line about what muppets can do, but they drew different lines.

Eiffel - PURELY because of him not being as down for murder as the others. Everyone's so bonkers that that is the only threshold I can see to separate Muppet from human

This is the exact opposite of the responses above. Muppet equals down for murder, I guess.

Eiffel - going to work through the reasoning first. ok so my initial instinct would be to say minkowski. but then i thought to myself no--pupper minkowski would be really cute, a puppet ordering people about would be badass, plus idk i want there to be homoerotic tension between her n lovelace and i think that altho theres technically nothing wrong w muppet/human homoerotic tension it just isnt the same as muppet/muppet homoerotic tension u know??? so that rules out lovelace and minkowski.

next on the no list is hera. she doesnt have a body. it would be funny if she just showed up in like. in memoria as a human but no. also i think that characters who arent in it that much shouldnt be the one human

that rules out pryce, bob, and probably cutter as well

hilbert should be a muppet and also he should be played by both the grumpy old muppets. but theres not two of him they just take it turns to play him. they wear different clothes and sometimes argue about who has to go on or something. idk im freestyling now.

now. eiffel as the human

this is spicy

i like it bcos it means that literal muppets are all more competant than him.

literal muppets

the term used when someone is being a fool

unless thats just something my dad says. i doubt it but also u never know w dads

bcos. kepler as the human would work but i think that honestly. wolf being all muppetsand then a human shows up is. ehhhh

but then again. contradicting myself. it would be nice to have human lovelace or minkowski bcos. i am gay and i do not want to be thirsting after a fucking muppet you get me???? this is a hard decision and i am leaning towards eiffel you know i am. but minkowskiiiii........ arms..............

ok no. no i am not going to throw away the homoerotic muppet tension for the sake of a nice pair of arms. god i love arms. when women have muscular arms >>>>>>>>>> sorry what was i saying? oh yeah eiffel. he should be the one human

There's just a lot going on with this answer. I feel like I've gained a profound insight into this person's psyche. I love the hilarious stream of consciousness vibe but also I will be forever haunted by the phrase "homoerotic muppet tension" and even more so by the concept of "muppet/human homoerotic tension" (God are there muppetfuckers out there?? I didn't want that idea in my head…)

#I loved so many of the answers but this is just a selection of some of the very many extremely entertaining ones #Muppet Hephaestus #The empty man posteth

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leviiattacks · 4 years ago

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hi hi hi i really really really loved your jealous headcanon of levi and your teacher levi!!! i was wondering if i could maybe request something where you kinda mix the two(?) so like theres this event going on in school and the reader is very occupied and busy because shes paying attention to her students and then maybe she talks to some teachers about the event and then levi is just there secretly sulking cause he wants her attention too?? or idk you do you because your works are always soooooooo good thank you<3333

author note :: i did not stick to the prompt which was honestly an accident?/£/):7 but there is jealous levi and reader so i hope it workssss, it’s not that great and isn’t edited...but i hope you enjoy it :-( also thank you for the request you were very kind <3

for this to make more sense you’ll probably have to read my first ever teacher levi post which you can find here !!!!!

requests are always open :-)

word count :: 4.3k ???? longer than i expected ????

levi groans at the mention of sports day before turning to look at you dead in the eyes

he knows this is your doing, you’ve always been big on getting the children into sport and other extracurriculars

now see, he has no actual issue with sports day?? he’s pretty fit if he says so himself!!!

it’s just that he frankly does not have the effort to participate.

another part of him also feels frustrated seeing mike flock around you like an annoying bee

he’s asking all sorts of questions

“are we doing the three legged race again this year?”

“how about javelin?”

“HAHA...mike...”

levi takes one look at you and knows you’re trying to let him down softly, it is his favourite event after all.

“since last year’s fiasco and the way you nearly hit one of the sixth graders i think not.” you awkwardly chuckle patting his shoulder as if it’s any consolation

mike loves sports day, he’s competitive in all of the teacher only events and last year he even tripped you and levi up ON PURPOSE might you add

either way he still lost the teacher’s three legged race last year and ever since he’s been out to gain his title back.

levi remembers, he’s unsure if you do but he remembers vividly having to carry you on his back because you had sprained your ankle pretty badly after your collision with mike.

back then you and levi were still in the middle of your little math vs english debate meaning the whole walk to the infirmary was filled with bickering.

and when levi had placed you onto one of the beds you insisted you could treat yourself when you really couldn’t

the way that scenario ended had been with levi forcing you to place your foot onto his knee as he iced and tended to it

this year levi is not having any repeats of that. yes, he quite liked having some alone time with you, in fact it was one of the first times he stopped to wonder if he liked you.

BUT!!!! having you limp around the corridors wasn’t the best either and you were highly irritable until you were fully healed

“why don’t you actually try this year?” hange stifles a laugh, they’re stood to levi’s left and upon hearing their voice his shoulders sag. he knows he’s in for one hell of an earful

“i do try–”

“yeah whatever. anyway, you want a cupcake?” hange’s gesturing to the haphazardly iced buns in the four plastic containers in their hands

“these are for the bake sale!!” they add in enthusiastically.

levi’s about to shake his head, he’s already donated to the bake sale’s charity fund without paying for any of the baked goods. yes it is purely because he doesn’t trust hange to feed him anything edible

“they’re y/n’s batch :-)” hange’s wickedly grinning knowing they’ve hit their colleagues weakness

without another thought levi’s right hand dives into one of his pockets, fishing his wallet out. he places a few spare coins into hange’s palm

“wOAH, you’re pretty eager aren’t ya??”

their remark flies over levi’s head as he tries to pick out two of the most presentable cupcakes

“you’re so fond of y/n, why not try a little harder like i said?” hange’s thrown the bait in the river and levi completely falls for it. he turns ninety degrees completely forgetting about the cupcakes.

“i’m talking about sport’s day if it isn’t obvious.”

he faces hange directly. he scowls twisted in fake disgust and confusion all at once

“and why would i care about that?” he shoots back

“after walking in on the both of you touching each other up in the janitor’s closet i’m really surprised you’re — mMMPH—” levi’s shoved one of the cupcakes into hange’s mouth

“you’re gonna have to pay for that–”

levi smacks some more money into their palm to appease the issue

“when did you see that and have you told anyone else?” he’s seething right now, there’s no way he or you were unable to notice someone as loud as hange prance into the storage cupboard accidentally

“i haven’t told anyone but it has only been three days since i saw so who knowsss...”

“i’ll do anything for you to keep your mouth shut.” levi’s practically begging at this point

“i think you should buy a whole box of cupcakes as compensation. my eyes will never be the same again.”

levi hands over more than enough money, he’s probably handed over enough for two boxes just for extra measure

it’s not that he’s embarrassed of you or anything no, no, not at all. he just, this sounds so stupid but he isn’t sure what the two of you are????

you’ve kissed, A LOT but the only problem is that there’s never actually been confirmation of... something more? than that?

he’s simply horrible at asking, and seeing the way you’re talking to mike it’s almost getting to the stage of borderline flirting

he’s currently flexing one of his muscles and levi’s unsure if you’re actually gawking at them or feigning interest so mike can get bored and leave sooner

his bets are on you pretending for the sake of mike leaving until you reach out to squeeze his arm appreciatively

...

what is this feeling??

insecurity?? a low self esteem??? levi isn’t entirely sure what the emotion that surges through him at that moment is

but hange sure does, grinning at the scene playing out they shove moblit with their elbow

well, well, well levi getting jealous is certainly something new.

when levi knocks on the door of your classroom you assume he’s come to bother you and ask for the spreadsheet with grade averages and all that technical stuff

english and math grades need to be compared side by side and even though it’s your job to help with the data analysis you’re pretty bad at it so levi’s the one who USUALLY picks up the pieces and does it for the two of you

occasionally mike steps in and helps when levi’s got other stuff in the way

“oh levi!! mike told me he’d be doing this month’s spreadsheet?” you’ve poked your head out of the door to talk to him

levi’s eyes narrow at that because he hasn’t asked mike for help at all.

“i didn’t come here for the spreadsheet but i haven’t even told mike to assist me this month... i wonder why he’s so passionate.” he mumbles the last part under his breath

opening the door up you wave for him to come inside “what you here for then?” you ask, oOoh maybe he’s finished reading an inspector calls?? finally you can talk to someone about the twist at the end

“i’m taking part in sports day properly.” the statement is unexpected and ?? levi ?? take anything other than math seriously ??

“woah... i’m proud of you?? i’m glad you’re seeing it’s important to show the children physical activity is fun.” your smile brightens up the entire room and he begins to feel a little more confident

peering up at him your curiosity doesn’t go unnoticed and he clears his throat, he knows you’re expecting him to say something else

ok, ok, ok. he thinks he’s built enough courage up to ask you

“i’ve never got the chance to ask but would you like to go on a date?” on reflex levi screws his eyes shut, suddenly he’s convinced you’ll say no and reject him. why would you accept??

“sure!”

his eyes flutter open and he feels you grip at the sleeve of his shirt.

well? that went better than he expected?

“where do you want to go?” you ask

“doesn’t matter, but let’s go somewhere after sports day finishes up.”

“are you barely going to try like last year?” you’re munching away at a granola bar - it’s rather bland and makes your throat feel kinda scratchy

you’re midway through drinking some water to deal with the dryness but you nearly spit it out when levi responds

“no. i plan on winning every single teacher event.”

HE WANTS TO??? beat???? everyone???

“you’re planning on beating mike too?” you tilt your head to the side incredulously

levi purses his lips at the mention of his name

“why does that sound so absurd to you?”

“he’s um, very good at sport that’s all.”

“i am too.” levi’s adamant to prove his point to you

“fine, here’s a deal. win at least one teacher event and i’ll try and solve one of your funny math problems or whatever.”

“what kind of deal is that??”

“you’ll be able to see me struggle with numbers, for free!!”

“no. i have something better in mind.” levi bites his smile back, he can’t let you know the idea makes him feel

“and that would be?”

he takes a step forward decreasing the space between the two of you.

“how about you kiss me in front of everyone?”

your mouth falls open because oh wow....? you have no actual problem with the task you’re simply surprised that levi is willing to put the both of you out there like that. the spectacle is bound to raise some eyebrows

“deal?” he holds his hand out for you to shake

you nod your head. “it’s a pleasure doing business with you.”

and so your deal is sealed with a firm handshake.

the big day has ARRIVED!!!

all of the students are flooding in through the gates. some carry footballs, other basketballs. you’ve been here for less than ten minutes and had to save a ball from crashing right into an expensive window.

everyone’s wearing active gear, udo walks in with a ski mask on?? which is peculiar but it’s humorous so you don’t tell him off for it

you’ve chosen a comfortable olive green tracksuit, you don’t think you’re in the mood for ski masks like udo is

coincidentally levi happens to show up in the EXACT same type of tracksuit?? everything’s the same to the colour. you both stare at each other for a moment trying to figure out how exactly you managed that but give up, you guess you have similar tastes

the accidental coordinated outfits have a few of your students pointing and chuckling together

gabi and falco are laughing heartily and whispering god knows what about the two of you

“three legged race partner?” levi asks as he fills up some water bottles for the water stand

“oh? mike asked me to be his partner.”

levi doesn’t make it obvious that he’s jealous about it because what adult would be jealous over a three legged race??

but even if you can’t tell levi is pissed mike sure can

he’s walking past the two of you, hands shoved into his pockets when he spots you a few meters away. his eyes sparkle when he sees you. it’s at that moment he senses the dark piercing glare coming from your right.

you’ve yet to notice mike but levi’s seen him approaching from a mile away and he isn’t particularly happy about it.

the good thing about mike is that he knows not to mess with levi.

the two have known each other for years and by now mike knows messing with levi is a death wish in itself.

so when the poor physical ed teacher notices the way levi glowers at him he calls out your name to get your attention - he’s much too afraid to get anywhere near you

“Y/N!!”

whipping your head around you wave at your race partner, why does it look like he’s seen a ghost?? you shove that thought to the back of your mind, he’s probably just tired

“petra doesn’t have a partner and uhh... i think levi’s free. could you work with him instead?”

levi turns away to smile to himself. ah how the tables have turned!!!

“but i want to work with you? it’s always y/n and levi do this. y/n and levi do that!! i wanna try with someone else.”

what you’ve said is a lie. honestly you’d just like to see levi get worked up again

but levi doesn’t get the memo at all. it flies over his head and he huffs thinking if that’s what you want he doesn’t mind. he’ll just show you how he feels.

“it’s okay. i’ll go with petra.” levi nonchalantly salutes at both you and mike as he walks backwards before turning around to locate the ginger in question

WHY DID HE GIVE IN SO EASILY???? YOU WERE JOKING?????

with your mouth open wide mike looks at you once and puts the pieces together

“guessing you wanted him to stick around?” you suddenly hear and god, you feel kinda bad

“oh no!!! i would love to be your partner.” looping your arm with his you smile up at him

whether or not mike believes you isn’t clear but he does return your smile.

there’s a few minutes till the three legged race starts, everyone’s running around. erwin’s knelt down to tie yours and mike’s legs together

as he’s doing so you can’t help but hear a high pitched windshieldy giggle leave petra and you visibly seem annoyed. that’s if your arms crossed over your chest and clenched jaw are anything to go by

levi hasn’t even said anything notably funny ???? what is she laughing at ????

he’s quite literally just standing there making awkward small talk with her

it goes something like this

“have you marked your exams yet?”

levi doesn’t realise she’s said anything till she taps his shoulder and he asks for her to repeat her question

“oh.” he thinks for a while. “no not yet. i’ve got better shit to do. i don’t see them till next week either way.”

and then she just starts laughing so hard that she has to hold her knees and when that isn’t enough she holds onto a nearby pole for support

you see where this is going

when her breathing gets even more uneven she reaches out to grab levi’s upper arm

YUP. you knew it. you can’t be mad at her really. no one knows you and levi are sort of a thing.

a thing? is that the term? well, whatever late night calls discussing books and a few heated kisses in private mean that’s what you are

levi stares at the hold she has on his arm and you expect him to shrug her off. instead he sees you look, smirks a little and waves all the while letting her hand stay there

and the icing on the cake is petra waving at you too and her eyes are much more expressive than she thinks they are

she’s internally laughing at you for sure.

ok, not a big deal, NOT a big deal!!!

this is just him getting back at you for before.

flipping your head back your sad expression probably catches mike’s attention because he seems to cave in

“want to make him jealous back?”

his suggestion is interesting but you catch yourself second guessing

“he’s doing that because he’s jealous.” you mumble shaking your leg to test the strength of erwin’s knot

“and? don’t let him win.” he glances at his shoulder gesturing for you to make the next move

nodding your head vigorously you throw your arm over mike’s shoulder but find he’s too tall to make that work so instead you settle on holding him by the side

it takes you a little to adjust to the close proximity but in the time it takes you to do that mike informs you of levi glaring at the two of you

“mind if i hold onto you here? we can coordinate our moves faster!!!” petra doesn’t even wait for levi to agree to what she says. she just flings one of her arms around his torso

again, he lets her just as last time.

this game of cat and mouse is getting tiring, maybe you should have kept your mouth shut when mike approached you.

“ON YOUR MARKS.”

your senses snap back to where you are. your grip on mike’s torso firms and he turns to nod at you.

you nod back.

you’ll win this.

“GET SET.”

“AND GO!”

okay, SO.

something in your game plan must have gone wrong but mike’s strength is something you’ve clearly underestimated. his first step is so powerful you don’t even have the time to start moving

you assume that’s how you collapse to the ground behind him and scrape your hands onto the cement of the track

so much for winning. all you’re doing is bleeding and hissing trying to cope with the stinging sensation

“mike?!?? not again??” hange groans and jogs over to the two of you untying the ropes at your legs.

“do we have to ban you from another event??? you’re too reckless sometimes.” hange smacks his chest and then hurriedly whispers “levi’s coming this way if you value your life you better bolt and use the first aid kit as an excuse.”

mike doesn’t even debate with himself, that’s his best bet at staying alive and so he dashes away as if he’s left the shower on at home for five hours unattended

some students are murmuring under their breaths and luckily for you the forever reliable gabi and falco have come to your rescue with bandages

“show me your hands.” levi’s hard voice interrupts all discussion. petra’s stood peering over his shoulder and you swear you catch her muffling a laugh

levi frowns. “you good?” he asks. you assume this answer will be the deciding factor regarding whether or not he makes this an issue with mike

“i’m great – trust me!! just a few scrapes.”

levi doesn’t look convinced but he let’s it go.

he helps you get up and takes the bandages from gabi thanking her.

“i’ll patch y/n up.” he tells hange pointedly and they agree. moblit at that moment happens to run over with a megaphone in hand.

“SHOWS OVER FOLKS!! WE’LL MOVE ON TO THE JUMP ROPE EVENT FOR NOW!!!”

“i’ll make him lose the one hundred meter sprint so badly he won’t know what hit him.” levi’s been grumbling the entire time he’s sat down to bandage your hands.

now that you’re both sat close to each other again murmurs of “matching tracksuits??” are back

“you don’t have to it was a mistake levi.”

levi shrugs eyes scanning his handiwork. “i want to. i’ve got to earn my kiss in front of a crowd anyway.”

gently letting go of your hand he looks out onto the track waiting to be called.

you’ve never seen levi give his full effort into sports day but even then you’re unsure if he’ll ever be able to beat mike.

honestly mike sure is fast and you recall one of the children referring to him with the nickname lightening bolt

and speak of the devil. a group of children walk past and are talking about the teacher’s race

“mr bolt’s gonna win for sure. you seen him run?? he could be an olympian!!!!” zofia’s gushing about him, she happens to be a big fan

the only nickname you’ve ever heard for levi is ursula – “ursula sure is evil for giving us that much work >:(” you had heard udo say once during class but after the earful he got from gabi he never used the name again, neither did anyone else

a few more minutes pass in a comfortable silence and levi’s called over to his lane. you’ve accepted the fact that there’s no changing his mind and he’s bound to compete now

“wait for me by the finish line.” he instructs and so you do. you go your separate paths. he to his lane (he’s in the lane two) and you to the finish line

petra’s already standing there waiting. her elbows are propped onto the railing peering out towards the contestants.

making your way to stand with her you see her sigh dreamily at levi in the distance

“hey, i know you don’t like levi a whole lot. you know your fued and all but do you think he’d say yes if i asked him out?”

well.

that sure is unexpected.

you fight the urge to scoff because you know you and levi are starting to drop more hints. is this her way of finding out the truth?

“me and levi don’t hate each other actually.”

“oh, well dislike.”

“we don’t dislike each other.”

“tolerate?” she takes her bottom lip in between her teeth trying to control her frustration

“petra. i like levi.” your confession knocks the wind out of her. you both silently exchange looks. she’s very clearly in disbelief.

the next time she speaks the previous playful lilt in her voice is long gone

“as soon as you noticed i liked him you just had to decide you liked him too. people like you make my skin crawl.”

?????????

why is she so bitter?.)/&£:

you can’t help liking levi and he likes you too,, so what now??

“he likes me back petra. can we be civil about this? i don’t like workplace drama. i had no idea you were into him.” you’re hoping that this will happen to shut her up but NO!!! it doesn’t she’s only more mouthy now

“prove it.” she points one of her manicured fingers into your chest and demands evidence she doesn’t even deserve to see

“what???”

“if he likes you back so much he should be able to show it.”

you know, if it were any day, any other time or any other person asking you this you would have out right refused, but given the circumstances and levi already waiting on you to kiss him in front of the entirety of the school you see no issue with having the last laugh in this argument

“fair enough.” you mutter and lean over to see hange announce the countdown

“ON YOUR MARKS.”

“GET SET.”

“AND GO!!!”

you swear you blink because GOD what on EARTH????? you don’t understand why previous to this levi balked at the thought of participating because he’s made it look so easy.

he’s not bolted he may as well have TELEPORTED to the finish line. mike is breaking out in a sweat far behind him and the boyish grin on levi’s face is enough to tell how he feels

gasps and applause can be heard from the children. zofia and udo are passionately arguing about some bet they’ve made - you make a mental note to tell them that making deals is fun as long as they don’t bet large amounts of money

levi’s jogging up to you completely ignoring petra’s presence

“told you i’d do it. i avenged you didn’t i?” you don’t think you’ve ever seen him smile so confidently in public

you acknowledge what he’s said with a cartoon like thumbs up and then you’re staring at him unable to locate your courage

oh fuck it

you lean in hurriedly and steal a peck from him. he blinks and then scowls much to petra’s amusement. she has to think he’s about to curse you out but unbeknownst to her she’s read the situation wrong

“is that your idea of a kiss??”

and then he takes matters into his own hands – no literally into his own hands. he cups your face in his palms and captures your lips with his own. as you reciprocate petra can be heard choking on her saliva.

“OH well who would’ve guessed the english and math department had an alliance????? not me???” next is hange, they’re feigning shock even though they’ve known what the two of you have been up to this entire time

the whispers have now become full on shouts

“i KNEW it they were dating?!?!”

“MAN??? I HAD A CRUSH ON MR ACKERMAN WHAT NOW???”

gabi and falco are audibly cheering, you’re quite sure they realised what was up long ago

“DON’T BE UPSET BUT I THINK THIS IS WAYYY BETTER THAN PRIDE AND PREJUDICE!!!!” falco’s comment makes your heart rise in your chest

and you know what? you think so too.

as levi’s hand travels to the back of your neck pressing you further into him you come to the conclusion that maybe just maybe this is far better than pride and prejudice ever will be :-)

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lilyclawthorne · 3 years ago

Note

Back to the kidnap AU cause I somehow completely forgot about it for a bit.

But like I am loving that one persons idea of the scientific experiments!!! Like sure they want the magic for themselves. But their going to have to figure out how they use them, and how It works hencforth.

so like. For Julieta. They make her make countless things for them, and analyze it to see what she adds, one guy thinks it might be her blood or something, so they cut her just to see if it would finally heal them. (Of course it doesn’t. Cause I think we said that it doesn’t heal them cause their residents of encanto?)

And Bruno! they probably just make him have a lot of visions, but like. it’s complicated cause he does a lot of rituals before he has a vision. So how would they treat that? He needs his hands to do the vision. Would they put him on longer shackles? Idk. He’s complicated.

Pepa is complicated too! They don’t fully understand her emotions are tied to the weather in the beginning, so they just demand she makes a bunch of weather and like punish her when she doesn’t. Until they finally realize ‘huh her emotions cause the weather, who knew?’

Then they become interested in her cloud a bit. Cause honestly. It literally hangs over her head and follows her everywhere so thier probably considering a sentient being at this point.

Cue a bunch of antics where their like trying to touch and capture the cloud only for Pepa to sit their and watch utterly baffled at their stupidity.

like “I ALMOST GOT IT! GAURD NUMBER ONE YOU HOLD IT CLOSE!

”GOT IT BOSS!”

”DAMN IT! MY HANDS KEEP GOING THROUGH IT!”

Pepa : “It’s a cloud…. You can’t hold a cloud…. What are you even trying to do at this point?”

”uhh I’m-… s-SHUT UP!”

I high key meant for this to be angsty but then it turned comical.

Uhh quick! Angst!

They have Pepa strike a lightening reader attatched to herself so they can see how high her voltage can get. Regardless if it burns her

I think one of the things that maybe is throwing me off about the idea of scientific experiments might just be because I was a research assistant, I worked with human participants, I had to do ethics training, so much time spent reading other research, coding data into spreadsheets, projects had to go through an IRB first, and like scientific experiments makes me think of that stuff, and these people in my fic are just NOT that, but some of those things you suggest are still things I imagine they’d try.

I am fucking around with the idea of one mastermind behind this whole plan who they definitely don’t meet right away, who knows exactly what they want to find out and how they should go about figuring it out. She’d be the one with the ideas, coming up with plans etc. Some of the others help with that a bit and some of the others are more there to carry out the work.

I’m screaming at the fucking cloud thing though. That’s hilarious and I love it. Necessary comic relief in the middle of all the pain.

#ask #mr-walkingrainbow #kidnapping tw #torture tw #I feel like there should be other tws for this one #blood mention tw

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jaime-brienne-fic-exchange · 3 years ago

Text

Exchange Posting Guide

Hello, friends and frenemies! We are less than three days away from the collection opening, which means I have a tension headache every morning I wake up and remember that I have to finish my exchange fic. The no-fault defaulting deadline has passed, but if you realise you will not be able to finish on time please, please let us know ASAP anyway so we can get a knight writer to write your recipient a gift.

On the other hand, if you have completed your exchange fic draft, please remember to tell us before the 1st! About a third of the participants already confirmed they’ve finished their fic, and we say:

Okay, now with the collection opening soon, here’s some FAQ on posting!

First off, how dare you?

Honestly, I ask myself that all the time, and the answer is there is no answer. We knew what an exchange would be like. Chances are, you did too when you signed up because many of you were here last year. We have no one else to blame but ourselves.

How does posting work?

The exchange portal will open on August 1st at 12pm AEST. Once it opens, use AO3 to upload your fic as usual:

Most of the upload process will be exactly the same as usual, but you need to fill in the following two fields:

Fill in the first with “JaimeBrienneFicExchange2021” (It should autofill, but please be careful to select the right collection! This one is the one we're using. Alternatively, you can go straight to that collection and click the “Post to Collection” button on the top right under the banner once the collection is open.)

Type in your recipient’s AO3 name in the second field. Double check your original prompt to ensure you have the correct name. A few people have different tumblr/AO3 names and we don’t want any fics to go awry.

If you've already made an AO3 draft before the 1st, make sure you add it to the collection and put in your recipient's username in the fields we mentioned above, and make sure you change the date when posting (or your fic will be buried). Be aware it can cause some shenanigans where the fic may not appear at the top of the page.

After that, it’s as simple as clicking post! Your fic will be submitted to the exchange and automatically be made anonymous. As the author, when you open your own fic, it will say ‘YourUsername (Anonymous)’, but to other users it will simply say ‘Anonymous’. Author’s names will not be revealed until August 21st, when we click the button to reveal them.

Feel free to reply to comments during that week. As long as you are logged into the account that posted the fic, all of your comments will also be anonymised.

If any of this process is confusing to you, PLEASE reach out to one of the organisers (nire-the-mithridatist/slipsthrufingers/firesign23/samirant/im-auntie-social)! We’re happy to hold your hand through the process 🤗

What about Lil’ Oathkeepers?

I’m glad you asked, imaginary exchange participant that’s totally not me talking to myself! A Lil’ Oathkeeper is a gift that can be any size and shape. It can be art! A video edit! A moodboard! A fic shorter than 1000 words! Or… a fic longer than a 1000 words, but you probably know that. Anyone (you don’t even have to be signed up to the exchange) can make and gift a Lil’ Oathkeeper. We’ll be releasing the prompt spreadsheet and posting instructions on the 1st!

Why is the exchange opening a day earlier than you said?

Because Slips has set the time on the exchange to suit her own timezone. She has to stay up till after midnight to watch F1 cars go vroom vroom and had to deal with being spoiled for every single episode of Game of Thrones on Tumblr and Twitter because it aired in the US while she was at work. This is her own petty little vengeance and she will not apologise for that.

Also it’s easier for her to keep everything straight in her head this way. Mathematics is not her strength. We’re kindly moderators though, so here’s a handy timezone conversion for you.

Why do I need to let you know by the 1st that I’ve finished my fic if I can post it anytime during the following week?

So we can find a knight writer ASAP. The sooner we know that you won’t be able to complete your fic, the sooner we can find someone to fill in for you. We don’t want anyone to be disappointed.

Do I have to post ON the 1st of August? I’ll be AFK for the day because my cat has a piano recital!

No, you can post it anytime between the 1st and the 7th. If you can’t or don’t want to post it on Sunday, then you can absolutely wait until later. We anticipate that the bulk of fics will be posted over the weekend, but if you want to post it on the 6th, then that’s absolutely your choice. Just be mindful that your recipient may be worrying why they haven’t received one.

Also tell your cat we’re rooting for them!

I really overshot the 1k limit and need to post multiple chapters. Should I post them together and drop my 40k prompt fill in the tag all at once, or can I stagger it throughout the week?

You must have a complete posted story by the 7th of August, unless you have reached out to us to make alternate arrangements. If you want to post your story over the week, you can. If you want to post it all at once, you can. As long as your prompter gets a completed fic in the posting window, we don’t mind.

(Also, look at your life, look at your choices! It was a 1k minimum!!! Buncha overachievers in this fandom, I swear 😂😂😂)

Can I thank my beta in the notes of my story?

Absolutely you can! The betas of the fandom be working HARD this week, they definitely deserve recognition. Just be mindful of including anything in your notes that might reveal who you are. You could choose to name your beta, or just thank them generally and add their name after authors have been revealed.

What if I don’t receive a story?

It might be because your author hasn’t posted it yet - they have the full week from the 1st to the 7th to post their story. It also might be because your fic needed a knight writer to write it. If this is the case, know that your knight is probably working very diligently to complete it, but might not be able to complete it within the window. If it looks like your fic will be significantly delayed (like until after authors are revealed) we will contact you directly to let you know what’s up.

What’s the etiquette around thanking my author?

A kudos and a comment is pretty standard. It’s up to you how long your comment is; we don’t write comments with our heads, we write them with our hearts. Just keep in mind that a person out there spent time working on something just for you and make sure you show your appreciation, even if the story isn’t exactly what you expected!

Can I promote my story?

Please don’t do this until authors have been revealed through the collection.

Can I rec my gift story?

Absolutely! Share the love! You can choose to rec it while it’s still anonymous, or wait until the authors are revealed. It’s up to you.

I’m not participating in the exchange, but I want to get into the spirit of the week. What can I do?!

Well firstly, read any of the 102 fics we expect to be posted that week! Read them and enjoy them! Leave a kudos! Leave a comment! Leave ten comments! Write rec lists and share them on Tumblr or Discord or TikTok, wherever it is that the cool kids hang these days!

What’s for dinner, nire?

Chicken, seasoned with my own tears.

I have another question that hasn’t been answered in the FAQs

Either send us a message through tumblr, or get in touch with one of the organisers privately. We’ll get back to you ASAP!

#jaime x brienne fic exchange #jaime lannister #brienne of tarth #asoiaf #game of thrones #posting guide #jaime x brienne #braime #102 fics in a week!#are you prepared for the deluge?

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dramarising-replacement · 4 years ago

Text

G1 Hoarder Revamp and the Mountain of Salt

Can we all just acknowledge how much of a total fuck up the new G1 ping system is? I feel bad because they obviously went through so much work and beta testing for this system but it’s absolutely garbage in practice. This isn’t meant as a huge roast (even though I do think the creators could do with getting knocked down a few pegs given how poorly they’ve treated people through this entire process, oops) but I hope they at least see this and see things that they can work on. Obviously, going to them and sharing this stuff in person isn’t possible since L from arcane is notorious for gossiping and overall not super trustworthy, so anon route we go. I’ll give credit where credit is due: they definitely tried to go on the right path and the coding is good in theory. The big issue here is that they tried to fix something that was not great but worked with something that is not great and barely works. Sure there are some good things about the new ping system: if it’s not busy it’s not longer than six or seven minutes to do all of it for a few dragons, which, compared to the previous method? Pretty good timing. Helps automatically tag some colorgroups without having people confused about if their dragon counts or not, and uh... probably something else. The cons far outweigh the pros though: -sheet can only be used one at a time: terrible in theory, terrible in practice, there’s no queue system either so you’re not even guaranteed to go next even if you’ve been waiting ages. This becomes a nightmare around any holiday, as we’ve seen around notn, since everyone flocks to the ping generator and then quickly abandons after seeing the mess there. This should have been something that they found a way to work with from the start, especially since the previous spreadsheet, despite how long it took to sift through if you were actually assed to do all the specifics, could still be used by multiple people. -userface issues: going into the spreadsheet and it may all just be blank, does this mean someone’s using it? Someone isn’t? If you go ahead and assume not you’re going to get warned that you overrode someone since they get the ID to your dragon, if you don’t assume then you end up waiting for ages like an idiot and someone else swoops up the opportunity. The loading bar on the side doesn’t help give that info either since it constantly reloads due to the poorly planned code. Where users have their cells selected also doesn’t help since that isn’t always accurate. There are many times where the loading bar isn’t seen going, there isn’t any visible text on the screen, no comment in the box, but it’s still in use. This isn’t viable for anyone, especially not people who don’t fully understand how the system works. If you’re going to make it for only one person’s use at a time, you need to ensure it’s easier to see what’s going on for everyone. -laggy as all get out: sure, I don’t have to go through 15 pages of different types of pings on the old G1 pinglist and shovel through all the duplicates and specifics list people, but having more than 13 dragons or even doing a bigger lair sale (or even just anything during notn) means you get to wait for the program to chug away for ages (as well as the easy chance for someone to just cut in halfway through a load and have you start all over again or wait) and hope that the three people behind you don’t get impatient or angry as you have to do three separate input sessions rather than massing them all together as you could with the previous spreadsheet. -poorly designed aesthetically: maybe this may sound petty to some, but the design of the system is pretty terrible in terms of layout and color choice. This isn’t to say it’s just ugly though; after speaking about it with people who aren’t neurotypical, have disordered thinking processes, and/or have generalized issues reading things (autism spectrum, dyslexia, semi-visually impaired, etc.) it’s pretty clear that the entire thing is not accessible whatsoever for anyone who can’t immediately decipher what anything is. Black text on bright red is not a good thing for most people beyond old MySpace edgies. If you, as someone without reading or comprehension difficulties, are having a difficult time focusing on it: maybe consider how difficult it’d be for anyone else. The way the rules or tutorial section is laid out also does not help in terms of accessibility! It’s clunky and hard to read, does not flow well, and doesn’t explain as thoroughly as you may think. If you’re someone who uses coded spreadsheets often? Yeah sure, it might be understood. If you’re not? Welp. Good luck kiddo. -very poor user help: this is on the mods or creators more than the spreadsheet itself. If someone has a problem, the first thing you should do is talk with them to find the difficulty and tackle it from there. I’ve seen, multiple times now, where either N (plague) or L (arcane) straight up tell people that they can’t help them and that they should just read the guide on the front page. Like sure, they read them, but something is tricky for them and they’re asking for help. They can read the rules and guide again but without outside help, guess what? Not gonna help them. If you just keep linking them the forum or telling them to read the first page it won’t actually help anyone! One of your jobs as the creators here is to help the community that you made it for, not just parrot that they need to read. Be better. Add that to a system which is not forgiving of any mistakes whatsoever and it becomes a terrible little cocktail. Also does not help that, despite their sugar attitude about having people test it in discord servers, the creators l and r/p (both arcane) don’t actually help people who need help using it. -wait times/queue: this ties in to an earlier point, but there’s no way to organize who goes next. Sure, it might sound strange, but when you have to wait ages to get access despite you being there ahead of anon llama/drama/dingdong/animal because they can all hop in ahead of you, it becomes frustrating. People don’t always type in that itty bitty box to say what they’re doing, and people easily erase it or write over it, or they just outright ignore it. Obviously not everyone is going to do that, but it’s way too easy for people who are greedy/entitled to step over those who are being polite and patient. -no quick ping options this is also kind of minor, but at least with the old spreadsheet you could just click in and say “okay, I just want to ping XXY general for this because I have a quick sale.” Guess what: nah. You have to go through the entire chugging process and queue and everything else just to get that snippet of information on who to ping. What once took maybe five clicks is now five minutes to thirty depending on how many people are using it. Wanna quick check if a dragon with XYZ colours you hatched is one that someone wants specifically? Nah, fuck you. You have to input all the data and wait instead of just doing what was once a super easy quick search. There is so much other shit wrong with this system and I’m honestly surprised N (plague) allowed them to do this. Sure, the old pinglist could have done with some updating, but that should have been done in the form of clearing redundant double pings, maybe a way to sort through specifics like ‘male only’ and mass copy names there. Quality of life things, not this just... total mess. I understand that L and R/P got it into their heads that they needed to fix it and that they wanted to take over the entire system themselves, but they should have kept their pride out of it for once. The sheet to input what dragons you want is also another entire nightmare. It’s frustrating to go through the google poll a dozen times to say exactly what colors/eyes/gender/pasta-shape/siesta-fiesta under the sun you want rather than have a quick way to input it by drop-downs or even just a text based option like the old one had. It’s so easy to forget what you put in or which one you want to put in this time, so easy to end up making mistakes that you don’t see, etc. It’s just not an effective system. It’s great in theory, and sure, it’s all sparkly and new, but it’s like admiring an aluminum trash can. Shiny and sparkly under the sun, still holding a whole lot of hot garbage though. I understand that some people may find it easier, and that’s great! I’ve used it for a few things and yeah, it’s okay, but I wish the old one was back given all the grief and frustration this one has caused. Obviously I’m not in the place to be like DO THIS OR DO THAT since I’m not the one making the sheet here, but I do feel like the people who use it have every right to give commentary and feedback where possible. Even moreso when the creators and team aren’t actually as welcoming as they try to appear to be. As much as it sucks, a lot of L and R/P’s (primarily L) false niceties have kind of come to the surface lately which makes this whole situation just that much more awkward. If people don’t feel like they can approach you because they know you’ll rip into them here or on the anon site immediately, maybe you shouldn’t be a main creator of something for the user base or a mod for a bigger group. Just some side-thought to all this other stuff. Big post, big rambles, I can’t bring myself to organise it though because I’m pretty fed up and tired. Take from this what you may, but basically fix your shit new G1 Hoarder peeps.

#Drama #Rant #Flight Rising #Long post #Shady #User #submission

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justjstuff · 4 years ago

Note

HI J!!!!!! hope you're doing well and having a great week! for the asks!!! :)))

5, 10, 14, 15, 18, 19, 20

Hiya, honey!! Hope you’re okay <3 Thanks for the asks!!! :D

5. What’s a crackship you love?

R: Oh boy, what even is a crackship in this day and age xD I guess I don’t have one? I think the idea of a crackship is honestly so old lmao Back in the day I think it used to mean like... funny, unlikely ships? But it was mostly used for rareships and... I dunno. I don’t like the connotations of it lol Basically I don’t have one bc I don’t like calling any ship a crackship xD

10. Mutual pining or enemies to friends to lovers?

R: Enemies to friends to lovers with a dash of mutual pining and maybe hold the friends? xD I love enemies to lovers and while I do find enemies-to-friends-to-lovers interesting, I always prefer when that friendship is more tentative or like a forced partnership? Mutual pining is great imo... in small doses. I absolutely HATE the going around that happens with fics that focus on that? Like, the endless miscommunications and the unnecessary angst... really not my thing.

14. (For authors) Post a line of dialogue from one of your WIPs without context.

R: “You smell a bit like whisky and smokes,” Kakashi said, completely surprising her.

“Genma’s a bad influence.”

15. Post the last line you wrote without context.

Sakura got it, really she did. And she even appreciated it to some degree that he was level headed enough about the situation to be able to take a step back and state out loud what they should be doing was actually resting up for the day. But a sudden wave of anger hit her so hard she was actually speechless. Not at him, not ever, but at the situation in general.

(this might not make it to the chapter tho lol)

18. Do you have a fic reading/writing routine?

R: I used to ;-; I was just making myself write a bit everyday to create the habit of it, and kept track of my word count. I managed to write over 71k in January this year and so far have written 114895 words in 2021 but I stopped keeping track of my word count after I started this break from DoF. Mainly bc I haven’t been writing at all (just a lot of outlines for different fics in a different fandom) but also because when things started to get hard and I started to see so many zeroes in my spreadsheet, it just made me feel worse and worse.

Mainly, the mentality I’m at right now is: Don’t treat your hobbies like a job. Yeah, it was great to be so productive and see those numbers and just feel accomplished in doing something I love. But I essentially don’t get “anything” back from it, and it was kinda completely dominating my life in a way that I’m not sure was all that healthy. Do what feels good and don’t compare yourself to others. I’m currently trying to find my love for writing again, my muse has completely left me lol burnout came for me and just fucking kicked me in the kneecap. BUT my knees have been bad for years and I still kick Life’s ass all the time so I’ll be back on my feet soon enough >:)

19. What’s your favorite character headcanon?

R: Oh yeah! This one I already answered but since I really can’t choose between all of the many headcanons I have, I’ll just give a different answer lmfao. Mokuton!Sakura ! ! ! ! ! I cannot stress enough how fucking badass Sakura is and I personally think it’s bullshit that Mokuton was portrayed as a kekkei genkai essentially even though NO ONE ELSE in the Senju clan got it??? Like. No. Uh-huh. I refuse. Sakura absolutely CAN do it, imo. In every fic I read, I just assume she just hasn’t gotten to that point yet if they don’t say it lmao

20. Do you have a favorite fanfic or author? If so, tag them/post a link and share the love!

R: I actually don’t have a favourite!! I have so many different moods when it comes to fanfiction, it would be impossible to pinpoint just a single fic or a single author. Since you’re from the KKSK fandom I’ll give you the fics I’m currently reading and LOVING! (please keep in mind that I haven’t really been keeping up with the fandom like I probably should have so these are not at all the only good ones out there lol)

running out of reasons by @pandorasbox014

Like the Eventual Descent by @umechaw

Unmasked which is the collection of afterthoughts to Masks by @ambivalens999

Turn Right by Orcana (It’s a KakaSaku x KisaSaku fic and it starts when Sakura is underage so beware of that)

Haruno Sakura: Psychopath and Saviour of the World by Jememe

Here’s to Us Series by @sleepyfoxfanworks is not strictly KakaSaku but it’s great!!!!!

There are, ofc, many others but again I’m not really keeping up with the fandom right now hehe anyone who sees this! Feel free to add on to it :)

#answered

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grailfinders · 4 years ago

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Fate and Phantasms #40: Hassan of the Cursed Arm

Today on Fate and Phantasms, we’re building one of the old men of the mountain and king of “he’s a really nice guy despite every aspect of his appearance”, Hassan of the Cursed Arm. Surprisingly, Hassan is not a rogue, but a monk/warlock mix thanks to the titular arm.

Originally, this build gave you a weapon with reach to act as your cursed arm, but that puts a lot of strain on a character that already needs multiple stats to work properly. I still think slapping someone from across the room is funny though, so I’m including both the original and variant build in the spreadsheet. I’ll also bring up the differences in the level-by-level breakdown below the cut when they come up.

(EDIT: This one required a bit of fixing up, but I’m too lazy to completely rewrite everything. This has less to do with Tasha’s and more to do with me suddenly remembering whips exist and don’t have the Special tag. Just focus on dexterity, and you’re good.)

Race and Background

Despite his looks, Hassan is a Human, giving him +1 to all abilities. He’s also an Acolyte, a much nicer and less accurate title than his real one “Cult Leader”. This gives him proficiency with Insight and Religion. He also gets the Shelter of the Faithful feature, meaning he can perform religious rites and receive free healing and care at temples related to his god. This makes sense, considering you’re the second highest rank in the cult, and the first highest only shows up to kill you.

Stats

Your Dexterity is your best stat, you’re nimble and really good with throwing daggers. Everyone you’ve met generally agrees you’re a pretty nice guy, probably because of your high Charisma. You’re a major religious figure, so your Wisdom is pretty high. You also lead a bunch of assassins, and if you couldn’t tell when they show up to meet with you that would be pretty embarrassing. We’re not dumping Constitution, because we’re not masochists, which means our last stat is Intelligence. You learned enough to summon and forcibly amputate a demon, and that’s all the schooling you needed. Finally, dump Strength. You’re pretty wiry, but we just don’t need it for this build.

Class Levels

1. Monk 1: As a monk, you get proficiency in Acrobatics, Stealth, and Strength and Dexterity Saves. For a religious figure, you lead a pretty active lifestyle.

First level monks get Unarmored Defense, meaning your AC is equal to 10 plus your dex mod plus your wis mod. You also learn Martial Arts, letting you use your martial arts die in place of your normal damage for unarmed attacks and attacks with monk weapons, as well as use dexterity for those attacks. You can also use your bonus action to make an unarmed attack if you use your action to attack with a monk weapon.

Also important to note, your monk weapons can scale their damage with your Martial Arts, which will improve your throwing knives and cursed arm a bit.

2. Monk 2: At second level, you get a number of Ki points equal to your monk level. You regain spent ki points on short rests, and can use them to add options to your bonus action. Flurry of Blows lets you attack twice, Patient Defense lets you dodge, and Step of the Wind doubles your jump distance and lets you disengage or dash. You also get Unarmored Movement, adding 10′ to your movement when you aren’t wearing armor.

You can also make a Dedicated Weapon at the end of a short rest, turning any one weapon you choose into a monk weapon pretty much indefinitely. Spend a little quality time with your arm, get to know it.

3. Monk 3: At this level you can Deflect Missiles, reacting to reduce ranged attack damage. If the damage is reduce to 0, you can also spend 1 ki point to throw it back at an enemy.

At this level, you also become a Way of the Shadow monk. At this level you can spend 2 ki points to cast Darkness, Darkvision, Pass without Trace, or Silence without material components. You also gain Minor Illusion as a cantrip. Smashing out the lights with some throwing daggers also works, but a lot of creatures have darkvision naturally, so you’ll need something to fall back on.

4. Warlock 1: We’ve got the Hassan, but no Cursed Arm. It’s time we fixed that. We’re not sure why the demon you tore an arm from rewarded you with supernatural powers, but we’re not complaining. At first level, fiend warlocks get the Dark One’s Blessing, meaning you gain temporary hit points equal to your charisma modifier plus your warlock level when a hostile creature is reduced to 0 HP. You also learn some Pact Magic, limited spell slots you regain on short rests. You use charisma to cast spells. At this level that includes Mage Hand because you couldn’t reach far enough as is, Eldritch Blast as a magical stand-in for all those throwing knives, Hex to curse your enemies, and Expeditious Retreat to bolster your already impressive movement skills.

5: Warlock 2: Second level warlocks learn Eldritch Invocations, little ways your patron shows you they care. You get Devil’s Sight and Agonizing Blast, which grants you darkvision even in magical darkness and extra damage for your “throwing knives”. You can also cast Sense Emotion; assassination requires manipulation as much as murder.

6. Warlock 3: At third level you get your pact boon, specifically your Pact Weapon, any melee weapon that you want, though since this is supposed to be your arm you should keep it consistent. Whips are good, use that. You can unwrap your arm as an action, and counts as magical for resistance and immunity’s sake. You can also turn other magical weapons into your pact weapon if you really want, but again, this is supposed to be your arm. I know you’re already playing fast and loose with limb ownership, but there needs to be limits.

You also learn how to make a Shadow Blade, a finesse weapon that gives you advantage in the shade.

7. Warlock 4: Use your first ASI to become a Martial Adept, giving you one d6 to use two maneuvers from the battle master list. You regain the die on short rests. Your maneuvers are Evasive Footwork, which adds 1d6 to your AC while you’re moving, and Lunging Attack, which adds 1d6 and 5′ of reach to a single attack. Congrats, you can now slap someone from fifteen feet away.

At this level you learn the spell Cloud of Daggers, letting you set up very painful traps. You also learn how to cast the cantrip Poison Spray. Poison isn’t your gimmick, but it’s important to be flexible. Being flexible also isn’t your gimmick, but... you know what I mean.

8. Warlock 5: Fifth level warlocks don’t get any more features, but they do get another invocation: Improved Pact Weapon. When attacking with your pact weapon, add 1 to the attack and damage rolls. You can also use the weapon as a spellcasting focus. Honestly this invocation is so useful you may want to swap out an invocation for it at third level.

You can also cast the spell Gaseous Form, turning a willing creature into a cloud of smoke for up to an hour. The spell’s great for infiltration and is the closest thing you’ll have to a spirit form. You aren’t truly incorporeal, though: you only resist nonmagical damage.

9. Warlock 6: You have the Dark One’s Own Luck, and can add 1d10 to an ability check or save you make once per short rest. You can also cast Spider Climb at this level so you can sneak into a building without having to become a cloud.

10. Warlock 7: You get another invocation, Ghostly Gaze. This allows you to concentrate like you would a spell and see through objects up to 30′ away. This is especially powerful given a number of spells require line of sight to be used.

Shadow of Moil is not one of those spells, though. With this spell, you don a cloak of shadows, heavily obscuring yourself and dimming the light around you. You also retaliate to being attacked with tendrils of darkness.

11. Warlock 8: Use your next ASI to round out your Wisdom and Charisma for better spell saves and AC. If you’re using the variant build, round out your Constitution and Charisma instead.

Regardless, you also learn how to Summon Greater Demon. They’re still a bit miffed about the whole “ripping off their arm” thing, so you’ll have to convince it to work for you, otherwise it will turn on your party. You’ll need someone’s blood to do it, but that’s still much better than ripping off your own arm.

12. Monk 4: There’s still a couple things we want from the monk class, so lets take a break from demon summoning for a bit. At this level, you can Slow Fall, reducing falling damage by five times your monk level. Given the amount of climbing and flying you’ve been doing, you’ll definitely want this.

You also get another ASI. Bump up your Dexterity to improve the damage you can do with your pact weapon.

13. Monk 5: Fifth level monks get an Extra Attack, letting you make two attacks in a single attack action. You also have the ability to perform a Stunning Strike, spending 1 ki point to ruin your DM’s attempts at balancing encounters. Your martial arts die also become a d6, slightly increasing your power when you’re caught without a weapon. Which is never, so it’s not that useful.

14. Monk 6: Sixth level monks get Ki-empowered Strikes, making your unarmed strikes magical, just like your arm already is. You can also move an extra 5′ per round, and learn how to Shadow Step, spending an action to teleport from one area of dim or darker light to another, so long as it’s within 60′ and you can see it. (This is one of those things that’s a lot better with Ghostly Gaze.) After teleporting, you have advantage on your next melee attack, meaning you can pop into your target’s inner sanctum, snap their neck, and then pop out with any guards none the wiser.

15. Warlock 9: Your next invocation, Otherworldly Leap, lets you cast Jump at will for free. This is another good mobility option, as well as being a vital component to Posing Dramatically In The Moonlight, a mandatory part of being an assassin.

You can also cast Infernal Calling, which is kind of like Summon Greater Demon, but you don’t have to worry about the demon betraying you if you have its talisman. I’m pretty sure its arm counts for this purpose, but that’s up to your DM.

16. Warlock 10: Tenth level fiendlocks get Fiendish Resilience, giving you resistance to damage of one type from weapons that aren’t silvered or magical. You can swap your resistance types at the end of short rests. I’d recommend bludgeoning for a proper Protection from Wind.

17. Warlock 11: At eleventh level, warlocks get their first Mystic Arcanum. Your spell slots stay at fifth level, but you get a sixth level spell you can cast once per long rest.

This level, pick up Psychic Crush from Unearthed Arcana. There isn’t a spell that lets us grab a person’s heart, so we’ll have to settle for grabbing their brain.

18. Warlock 12: At this level you get your last ASI and last invocation. Bump up your Strength (or Charisma if you’re doing the variant build) and pick up the Eldritch Spear invocation to have a lot more range on your throwing knives.

19. Warlock 13: For your seventh level Mystic Arcanum, grab Finger of Death. You should have five of these already, but this lets you deal a lot of guaranteed damage to a creature. Just try not to get the final blow with this-explaining the zombie it makes would be a headache.

20. Warlock 14: Your final level gives you the ability to Hurl (creatures) Through Hell. After hitting a creature with an attack, you can send them on a guided tour through the lower planes until the end of your next turn. When they come back, they take 10d10 psychic damage if they’re not a native of those planes. You can only use this feature once per long rest. This and Psychic Crush are about as close to your Delusional Heartbeat as we can get. Neither can cause instant death, but let’s be honest it’s not like your NP does it that often either.

Pros: You’re very good at infiltration missions. You’re very fast, and have a bevy of mobility options available to you, from flight to climbing walls to straight up teleportation. You’re also tough to hit, with multiple ways of obscuring yourself from ranged fighters. You’re also able to perform hit and run tactics without using your bonus action thanks to your arm’s range, saving your disengaging actions for something else.

Cons: You have a low constitution, meaning that the rest of your build being melee focused isn’t the best idea. This also means you have bad concentration saves, which is bad if you’ve got a buff spell on you to escape, and worse if your concentration is keeping a demon in check. Like all warlocks, you also have the issue of limited spell slots, so most of the time you’ll be relying on just your throwing knives and invocations, without much of a safety net if things go wrong.

Your best abilities don’t have saves though, so if you stick to the shadows and avoid that guy whose arm you stole you should be fine.

Next up: MGS 3: Snake Eater

#fgo #fate grand order #hassan of the cursed arm #dnd 5e #Fate and Phantasms

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themissingmarvel · 5 years ago

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Kind Regards, Detective [Part 6]

(So, forgive me for this both: being long, and not having a lot of Loki in it. I understand if this chapter turns people off or doesn’t get a lot of love. I won’t be hurt by it. But it needed to be done. So hopefully I don’t lose readers but if I do, like I said, I understand.

Catch up: [Part 1] // [Part 2] // [Drabble] // [Part 3] // [Part 4] // [Drabble 2] // [Part 5]

Pairing: Detective Loki x fbi!Reader

Word Count: 3.7k [yikes]

Warnings: Language. Poor life choices. )

Back when Y/N was in undergrad, she remembered one of her classmates affectionately telling her she was afflicted with what was known as “resting bitch face”. She became known as the Queen of the RBF within her circles, and honestly it remained with her. But it was protective, and in times like this, when a precinct was staring at you, you had to protect yourself.

One of the things that would come up was a conflict of interest, she knew that immediately. Her supervising agent would be concerned about a package sent directly to her. No one would know the depth of it, though. They’d know it was in reference to her sister’s passing, but the song? The CD itself? She could lie. And she would. Even when her phone rang and she ignored it, she kept her face stoic and her eyes locked on the computer, scanning over the evidence collected from the scene still.

“Agent Y/N, there’s a call for you from the bureau-” a young officer, though not a rookie, popped his head in.

She didn’t even look up, “That’s cool.”

Loki glanced from her to the officer who looked more confused than anything. Clearly that was not the answer he was hoping for.

“I mean, they want to talk to you.” He suddenly got quieter. Meeker.

Again, she didn’t even pause, “Nice of them. I’ll send them a thank-you card later.”

Now the officer was confused, “Did you want to answer it out front or I can-”

“Tell them I’m dead. Or I’m in the bathroom. Whatever. I’m busy so please don’t come in again.” Her eyes glanced briefly from the screen to the man who got the hint, his mouth in a straight line as he backed out of the room, entirely missing David Loki’s very soft smirk.

But she was. Busy, that was. Not dead. She had found a few interesting leads, and was suddenly finding a rather disturbing pattern, “David, c’mere a sec. I need you to look at this and tell me I’m not crazy,” she looked across the table at the man who’d been poring over the papers and pictures, hating to look at bodies but knowing now was not the time to be squeemish. He thought his note was bad… hers was tenfold. Whatever it was. He didn’t know about her sister. Or any of her life, really. He knew what she had shared. He was vaguely terrified that this would stop all of it.

Standing, he walked over to where she was, a spreadsheet open, “So look,” she held up a finger, glancing back to the man who was leaning over, face by hers as he looked at the screen, the moment intense, though far from intimate, “if we follow the purchases, the television is old but beyond state-of-the-art, telling us it was pricy. And you don’t leave pricy things behind, especially if you think you can be traced. And when we tracked the generator down, it was from a different manufacturing company, so both were dismissed out of hand. But when we add in the piece about the phone company provider and the chemical weapon used… Look.”

She brought up a page of a very formal looking website, Safety in the palm of your hand was the caption under the large “West Company” logo in block letters at the top. David knew of them, but clearly Y/N knew more, “The company does a lot of work with technology and weapon engineering. The federal government has a contract with them, so we’ve worked with them before. David, they even have a lab on site…”

He stood back, looking down at her with focus and concern. Without the chemical agent to go off of, the connection might be a reach. But the fact that it all tied to one company, and one that would have direct links to technology to reach into… anything, meant it was a good chance that the person they needed would be there.

“So what do we do with this? I mean, that’s a huge company. And with a defense contract, they’re probably not gonna wanna talk to you,” David crossed his arms in front of his chest, concern on his features. She was a bloodhound who had finally picked up a scent and he had a sinking feeling she’d chase that scent, regardless of what came in her way.

Nodding, she closed the laptop, “Normally that’d be true, but I may have a way into the company records. I can’t divulge why. I just need you to trust me.” Her eyes were wide. And pleading. She had just been hit with a wrecking ball and already she was back on her feet, but David knew she was hurting. And pain made you do stupid things. But she was slowly becoming his weak spot.

Pushing back his hair he sighed, “Fine. What do we do next?”

Standing up and grabbing her phone that had more missed calls than she could reasonably get away with, she shrugged, “We don’t do anything. I make a call, and you keep going over evidence. I have to go back and grab something at the hotel. I left a file back there we’ll need to keep moving forward on this.”

There was something in her voice, her tone perhaps, or her body language. David would blame himself later, as he always did, for not noticing. He’d tell himself it was his fault. He should have known she wasn’t going to the hotel, or at least that wasn’t her final stop. And as she walked outside without her federal issued phone, only her keys and wallet in hand as she held her jacket tight, she understood what had to happen.

_____

She wasn’t lying. Not completely. She had gone to the hotel and grabbed her personal phone, the one she used for calling her parents, listening to music, listening to audiobooks when she was stuck on airplanes, or in this case, long car drives alone. But her first call had been, surprising to most, to Henry Best. The man was one of the top CEO and board members of West Company and one she knew better than most. It was the way she had into the company.

Henry had been surprised to hear her voice, though not disappointed. He had liked Y/N when he met her four years back, when she had just begun her profiling in the field. Back when she was still wet behind the ears, so to speak. And that she was calling on her personal phone made him even more curious, “Of course. Around when should I expect you?” His voice, smooth as silk with a ‘proper’ British accent, a voice that could melt a woman without effort, came forth.

Glancing at the dashboard of her car, Y/N shrugged, “GPS says it’s another hour. So around 3pm, if that’s all right? Honestly, I hate to barge in like this. And I know you’re doing more than a favor. Especially since the FBI doesn’t even know-”

There was a soft chuckle, the man on the other end smiling, “Please don’t apologize. It would be my pleasure to see you again. After all, it is you I have to thank for where I am now, is it not?” A genuine kind of thanks to his voice, though something else lingered. Perhaps not strong enough for the bluetooth in the car to detect.

Either way, she felt herself smiling as she eyed the guidance system, “That was all your own work, Henry. But we can talk more when I get there. Do I check in at the front desk?” She was adjusting herself in her seat, suddenly a little nervous. She really hadn’t thought this through. And she was still wearing… well, a sweater and jeans. And her hair wasn’t well done, either. Fuck, she really did not think this through.

“I’ll have someone waiting out front to valet the car, don’t worry about parking. Mark will bring you up. Take your time.” He was calm. Cool. Collected. More than he had been before. It was kind of nice.

She nodded, to no one in particular, “Will do. See you in an hour, Henry.” She clicked off the phone, continuing her drive.

Her phone rang again, though this time the number came up as Delete This Later, “Madison is on a rampage. And now I have some podunk Detective Loki- Hey, what kind of name is that even? Whatever, anyway, this dude is calling me wanting to know where you are. I made some shit up about you needing to coordinate with another office. I still have Madison on a rampage, though. He’s your boss. Remember him?”

Rolling her eyes, she was already regretting giving Adrian her personal number, “Thank you for covering. I’m actually headed to see Henry Best. Over at West Company. Who knew my name was so memorable?” She smirked.

Adrian huffed, “Just don’t do anything stupid. Well, more stupid than you already have. Wits about, right?”

She cocked a sideways smirk, “Always. And you know the deal. Call David at 3pm, when I’m due in New York to meet with Henry. I’ll text you the address. And you can give him this number. Otherwise the guy will have a heart attack,” she sighed softly.

There was quiet for a moment before Adrian spoke again, “What did he send you, Ladybug? That guy. I haven’t seen you like this since the Boston case when you almost bumped into the dude we were after. I’m worried.”

But she was quiet. Too quiet.

“Nothing’s gonna happen. I just have a feeling Henry will be able to help.”

___

He had called her. He had called her twice before realizing the ringing was coming from inside her bag. He had thrown his own phone across the room, though one cased in an Otterbox after the officer manager was tired of him breaking phones. Instead, it bounced off and hit the ground. He had wanted to break something. Fucking anything.

It was a flurry of words after that, David having rolled his sleeves up, his hair repeatedly needing to be slicked back as his face looked vaguely similar to John Wick finding his dog dead. He kept telling himself he was angry because she was in harm’s way, and that was true, but there was something more. This woman he had felt vulnerable with, who had in turn shared her own vulnerabilities, was gone. And he knew that she was gone because she was chasing something that not even God himself could stop her from getting. She was on a mission.

David was a driven man just as much, however, and he had gotten through to Y/N’s unit by sheer force of will on the phone. He had kept it together enough that he was actually able to get through to someone named “Adrian Dent” who worked closely with her. The one who had texted her ‘ladybug’ and he didn’t like it. He didn’t like Adrian. No idea why, but when the smug asshole gave him a regurgitated message about her meeting with another agent in another city, he understood it was a lie.

But what else did he have? He was sitting by himself in the conference room they were using, staring at a laptop that had the company name on it. And he knew. He didn’t know exactly, but he knew. And fuck waiting. Fuck telling his chief. Fuck all of it. He was headed to New York City just the same as she was. ____

It had been strange, walking into the large, sleek office building. The floors were marble and the colors back and silver were clearly the aesthetic. She had trailed behind a young man who looked to be no older than twenty-two, probably scored this gig right out of a prestigious college, wanting to work his way into the defense industry. What a strange goal. No stranger, perhaps, than wanting to be an FBI Field Agent.

He was quiet as he lead her up, his earpiece wired in as they took a private elevator to the… damn, fiftieth floor? Last time she could have sworn it was forty. But that was four years ago.

Stepping off the elevator that looked like something out of Blade Runner, she followed the assistant carefully down the hall, carpeted in black with dark wood lining it. Far fewer people here. And it was clear, by the large double doors ahead, that this was where she was going, “Mr. Best is inside, you may enter.” He looked almost smug. She didn’t belong. He knew it. She knew it.

Shrugging off her winter jacket, she knocked on the door, heading the rather gentle, “Please, come in,” beckoning her forth.

It had been four years since she saw him, but Henry looked amazing. He had before but… there was something else now. His dark blonde hair was styled on his head, not slicked down but a certain casual and professional look to it. He had on a white business shirt, black tie tight around his neck though with his sleeves rolled up. And he, of course, was gorgeous. Blue eyes that felt like they could stop you in your tracks, angular features that made him all the more distinguished. He looked good.

And the office was amazing. An entire wall was purely windows, looking out at the impressive New York City skyline. It was like being in a movie. Her entire life she had never existed in a world like this, and now she was investigating a serial killer in an office that looked so extraordinary it hurt. Book shelves, a large desk by the back where he had been standing, oak, of course. He smiled, a sort of crooked smile that, were she paying attention, would have concerned her more. But he was smiling as he walked over, “Oh, please, let me take that. Shouldn’t have you lugging this around,” he smiled as he got close, taking the jacket from her hands, draping it over a chair nearby.

Nervous, suddenly, she pushed back her hair, “Thank you… and sorry about not being dressed for the occasion… Like I said, kind of a rush deal getting here,” she laughed nervously, fidgeting.

“Nonsense. You look wonderful, if I may say so. Would you care to take a seat? I wager you’ve just driven a bit of a ways, so I’ll understand if you’d like to stand.” There was care in his voice and tone, and suddenly she was struck by how strange it was. She tended to trust her gut, and suddenly it was telling her to be aware.

Smiling with her placating, plastic smile, she shook her head, “I’m happy to sit.”

He looked satisfied with the answer, gesturing to the table in the corner, two cups and a teapot on it, “Please, take a seat. May I offer you some tea?” He sat across from her, his movements graceful and purposeful, and perhaps almost serpent-like.

She held up a hand, “No thank you. Long drive back, don’t want to have to make pit stops,” she smiled at the man who looked… content. Relaxed. Hardly what she remembered before.

He was pouring himself a cup, Y/N looking around as she noticed a plant on his desk. Well, one. And flowers on his window. Gorgeous lilies. And orchids. Succulents were on two shelves of the book cases. She couldn’t help but smile, “Quite a lot of greenery around your office, Henry.”

Taking a sip of the tea, he smiled, “After we spoke those years ago, I took you up on your suggestion. I began gardening. Took a month off, worked on myself, and began gardening. Hobbies really are a lifesaver, aren’t they?” He was watching her now, able to see that brief moment of her eyes widening, ever so slightly, her breath catching in her throat. He could see her wheels turning. But she was no mere rabbit. Fear was not something that drove her.

And true, in her own mind she was rationalizing it, “I’m glad it seemed to work for you. Having a hobby like that can be therapeutic. And it seems like our meetings got you back on track. How have things been now?”

Of course, she was referring to the incident that had lead her to his office years ago. He had lost his wife in a rather tragic car accident. From what he had told the police, they had gotten into a fight, and before he could stop her, she had gotten her keys and driven off. She’d wound up running a red light at a major intersection and was killed on impact.

Something was clicking, now. His face changed every so slightly when she asked how things had been. Hobbies. Not just gardening. And now she was poking at the wound.

He nodded, quite like the gentleman he was, “Much better. Work has been consuming much of my time. I imagine you’re in a similar boat. I always sensed we were quite alike in that way,” he placed the tea back down and smiled at her.

There was a feeling of anger that came with the comment, though she was unsure why. It wasn't rude in any way, nor did it infer anything negative about her. But it felt personal.

“Speaking of work… I’m here because I think I have a lead on my case. And not to be an alarmist, I’m somewhat concerned they’re linked with your company somehow,” she eyed him carefully.

He looked out the window with a bit of a chuckle, “We have quite a few employees, you know. Do you have anything more to go off of? I’d love to help you, but that’s quite a broad brush to be painting with, Y/N,” his smile was daring this time. He was playing with her. What may not have been personal now was. But he was fishing, too. He wanted to see what she had. If she’d divulge.

She was many things in this world. Stupid was not on that list.

“If you could set me up with someone in human resources, I might be able to go over a filter given some of the profiles I have set up. Think you could make an exception for me?” She forced a smile, hoping, perhaps, she was wrong about that feeling in her gut. The feeling that was screaming at her, louder now, telling her to get out of the building. To find her car. But he had that, didn’t he? He had insisted he park it for her. Insisted he take her up through the private elevator. And she had complied.

Maybe she was wrong.

“Were I a different man, I might argue against it. But you’ve done quite a bit for me, Y/N, more than you know. You helped me realize my potential in those meetings. The kind of man I could be. And so of course, Agent Y/L/N, I would be more than honored to help. After what you’ve done for me. Truly, it stayed with me.” He smiled. And he was being honest. Sincere. She had made an impact in his life that had changed the entire course of his world. He had gone from a man on the brink of losing his life to drugs and alcohol over the loss of his true love, to a man who had channeled his grief into something else. He understood what it meant to lose.

A feeling of relief washed over her and she smiled, more sincere this time, “That’s really kind of you. And if it means anything, I always knew you’d come back from it. It’s why I recommended the board keep you on. We all have choices in life, I’m glad you made yours.”

A small ‘chirp’ came from the digital watch on the man’s wrist, looking down as he grimaced slightly, “Seems I’ve had an unfortunate emergency arise. I’ve got your number, so I’ll be sure to give you a call when I can locate someone in HR who can work remotely. Wouldn’t want you taking the trek back and forth from Conyers again, would we? You said over the phone the Detective you’re working with is stationed there as well,” He smiled as he stood, the agent doing the same.

He handed her the jacket she’d come in with, walking her to the door. And for a moment, she knew she could walk out and it would be the end of it. Her gut would stop screaming at her, now from the top of its lungs, and maybe she could get out unscathed. She could simply walk to the elevator and find a way to do things on her terms. She knew, deep down, that she could walk out the door confident in her own beliefs and he would be confident that she had only the brief terror that prey does when suspecting a predator nearby.

Instead, she turned as she walked out the door, her eyes locking onto his, “I meant to ask, you have so many different plants and flowers, do you have any favorites? I’m a lavender woman, myself,” she smiled strongly, forcing herself to speak now as she felt the rest of herself coming undone.

And he smiled. The smile that would seal in every fear she had, every terror that she would feel, every nightmare that would haunt her, and she knew that look in his eyes with that smile as he spoke, “Oh, my dear, it’s roses I love best. Give my kindest regards to Detective Loki, won’t you?”

It took every ounce of strength she had to stay standing as he closed the door with the look of a man she had seen once. The man who had fallen apart but was wearing the mask of something else. She understood his comment, now. Two sides of the same coin. Two people shaped by tragedy. Two lives changed in a moment. And a grin on his face that felt like a bullet to her chest.

Kind Regards indeed.

Fuck.

(Tagging: @escapingthoughtsandsecrets @is-it-madness @detecellie @doritosandavocados @oscarflysaac @peccobagnaia @fgtakbrjbdl @miss-missing-patd send me a message to be added/removed)

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chappedandfadedvds · 4 years ago

Text

Nov 17th, Tuesday 18:03

„Robbe, you don’t know how happy I am that you are here. I think the last time we actually saw each other, was maybe in August?“ His mother probably said it for the third time. It were one of her first words that Robbe heard entering the house. Jens was sure it would also be the last. He didn’t hold it against her though. As he feared, that she feared, she may not be able to see his best friend again.

„Well, doesn’t really matter, does it? So you are still living at the flatshare?“ She continued, as she cut half of the wild, colourful array of vegtables. While Robbe did the other half. Jens was on potato duty.

„Eh yeah, Lisa only planned to go for a semester abroad and now she is doing her degree there. But she will be back next year for her masters, so.. we’ll see I guess. Not sure yet where I’ll go to university either, so I anything can happen, really.“ Robbe said slightly uncomfortable to talk about it out loud. He knew it was a sore spot between the two best friends. Who had promised to study in the same city, preferably at the same university, and grow old together. Not that Jens would ever hold it against Robbe, or be cross with him, should he be accepted anywhere else.

„I see. What are you planning to study?“

„Uhm, so I don’t really have spoken about it a lot, but I may try to apply to study filmmaking.“

„Flimmaking?“ His mother’s eyes darted over towards Robbe, definitely not having expected that answer. Robbe always had shown more of an interest in sience.

„Yes, I found out that I really enjoy filming and directing. Camerawork in general, I think. And with Sander... he is already excited for me, so I’ll try and see if I’m any good to get in. Doubt it. Therefore I’m still going to apply for biochemistry like I had planned originally. It’s wierd isn’t it?“

„Not at all. I think it is a great idea to try as many things as you can. Jens, could you pass me the salt?“ His mother told Robbe, smiling proudly at him, like only a mother really could, Jens believed. It made Robbe blush slightly. Jens meanwhile fullfilled his mother’s request and handed her the little shaker.

„My mom and basically everyone else said the same thing.“

„That’s because it is true. How is she doing by the way?“

„Better.“ Robbe said it so genuine and joyful, that one couldn’t not be happy for him.

„Oh that’s nice to hear, we talked on the phone a little bit last month .She seemed to be doing alright.“ Jens looked up surprised. He hadn’t known about that. His mother had sent him a quick glance, something that unsettled him. Why were they talking? Perhaps a bit unfair of him to assume things. With Robbe and Jens being best friends, their parents obviously also had spent a lot of their time together.

„She is. I mean, there was another small episode when lockdown started, and she was a couple days at the hospital. But since then she is doing great. I visit her at home with Sander every week. They tall so much though. I usually just scroll through instagram there. But it helps both of them. And I love them, having someone to understand, that isn’t a therapist.“ Robbe explained away, definitely being so much more comfortable around the topic. His best friend had really grown up a lot over the last year. Jens was a bit jealous of him being that... Content? He wasn’t quite sure.

„Just throw them in.“ His mother quickly told Lotte, who was an absolute savage when it came to cutting onions. If Jens wouldn’t have seen his sister cry before, he may think she wasn’t able to.

„I can imagine them having a lot of experiences in common. So you two are still together?“ She continued her little interview, turning back her attention towards Robbe.

„Mhm, a year now.“ His best friend was smiling from ear to ear. A pure ball of pride and bliss whenever he was reminded of his boyfriend. It made his mother chuckle.

„And how is it going?“ She asked, definitely enjoying the boy’s face light up further. If that was even possible.

„I still can’t believe to have him. It still feels the same now. Still exciting and right and perfect. Yes, he drives me crazy sometimes. Does and says stupid stuff. And with his work for the academy right now, he is constantly busy, ignoring me for hours every other day. But we still fall asleep and wake up to each other every night, so I think, we are very lucky.“

„Well said. You are indeed lucky.“ She laughed lightly, nodding through all of it, before she saw Lotte trying to take out the heavy baking dish from the cupboard. „Oh Lotte, wait. I’ll take that.“ She was about to step over, when Jens was taking the bowl from Lotte, placing it onto the counter next to him, smiling at his mother.

„How is your work? Jens never talks about you, other than you are still doing home-office.“

Here we go. He had read the messages in chat last night. He knew Robbe would want to bring it up at some point. He had already wondered all afternoon, why his best friend had decided to stay silent about it.

Jens continued to cut his potatoes, and tried his best not to look over every other second.

„Is that so? Well, it is stressful to say the least. We are nearing the end of a very eventful year, and my department has to get everything ready to plan next year’s budgets, so you can imagine the chaos.“

„Not really, no.“ Robbe answered his mother honestly, trying for a charming smile as she nudged his shoulder.

„Let’s just say, I stare at spreadsheets, over spreadsheets of numbers every day, trying to figure out, what department and project deserve what kind of funds for next year.“ She continued to explain, very aware that it bore most people. Jens included. But his mother always had enjoyed working with numbers, she had told him. It was easier than words apparently. Jens would disagree.

„Sounds exhausting.“ Was all that Robbe said in response.

„It is.“ His mother agreed, not loosing the smile, but definitely seeing where Robbe came from.

„I guess, that’s why Jens has to help out so much, huh?“

And there it was. The one question Jens hoped to avoid in front of his mother. She was not to blame. She was sick and it was on Jens, that his friends didn’t know. It was his fault that his friends thought he ignored them, when he only tried to accommodate for everything in his live. And apparently failing miserably at it.

„Does he? I try to still do as much as possible actually.“

„And you do, mom, it’s fine.“ Jens said to try to not have her upset or feel inadequate. Like she should do more, help more. Wich wouldn’t help them. She needed a lot of rest. That’s what the doctor always told them.

„It’s just that, we never really get to see or talk to Jens, other than maybe at the weekend. So we are a bit worried about him.“ Robbe continued blissfully unaware of the things he was asking of her. Jens wanted him to stop. He just couldn’t bring himself to say something. His mother also didn’t need to feel guilty of shutting Jens out of his friend group. He did that just weel enough by himself.

„Oh really? But isn’t it also because of L...“

Noooooooo. Jens let the knife slip from his hands, watching it fall to the ground, before he threw his mother a glance, one that hopefully conveyed that she should not bring Lucas up.

„Mom!“ Thank god, for Lotte! He should write her songs of praise, as his sister called for attention, leaving Jens to pick up the knife.

„I think the potatos are ready to be put in the oven.“ Lotte continued happily on, making Jens realise that indeed he had stopped cutting them minutes ago and that the baking dish was filled.

„Right! One sec, just gonna add some, oil, herbs and the vegetables and we are good to go.“ Her mother said, starting to pile everything into it, Robbe finishing the carrots just in time.

„So what were you trying to say?“ His best friend reminded of the previous conversation. Damn him.

„Ehm, Lotte and Jens are spending a lot of time together lately, maybe that adds to it?“ Well, maybe his mom had understood somehow. Jens felt so much lighter, the topic being somewhat brought to an end. Or maybe not...

„I guess.“ Robbe looked like he was about to ask something else, when his brilliant little sister’s voice interrupted his best friend, like she had done with their mother. Jens wasn’t sure if she understood and tried to help, or simply had perfect timing. He wouldn’t question it. „Also why didn’t Sander come too?“

Robbe snorted at that, just like Jens did. Of course his sister would be sad about Robbe’s boyfriend being absent.

„He is actually working on his concept for the photo shoot next month and I’m basically always with him so I am very glad to be able to see Jens on my own for once. You know talking and stuff. Sander knows that too.“

„You sat on the sofa for two hours and played Super Smash Bros.“ His little sister stated puzzled, almost accusatory.

„Just like old times.“ Jens said, grinning at Robbe over his shoulder. Who simply nodded in silent agreement.

It honestly felt like they had been 15 all over again this afternoon. Fighting over unfair game mechanics, cheating, and trying to divert the other boys attention away in order to win.

Playing rock-paper-scissors to see who had to get up to get more snacks and drinks.

And just to be them alone again.

Since Jana, there was somehow always another person around. Be it Moyo, or Aaron, or Sander, or another girl Jens dated. Not that it was a bad thing, it just meant that being with Robbe alone felt nice.

Though they also felt closer and Jens wasn’t sure if it was true or just a figment of his imagination. But he believed that Robbe was more... Physical? Maybe his best friend always had been. Perhaps being out and accepted, just made him more comfortable around Jens.

He didn’t mind, he liked cuddling up on the sofa with Robbe.

„Boys.“ Lotte shook her head dramatically with a deep sigh. Much to everyone’s amusement. Ripping Jens out of his thoughts, he almost had forgotten that they all stood in the kitchen. Lotte sighed once more in a grand gesture. Certainly very dissapointed that she wasn’t able to spend her afternoon with a certain artistic boy, before she went back to the table to draw.

„So , I guess that’s it for dinner preperation. Now we wait.“ His mother said, clapping her hands, before she took her phone out to set a timer and join Lotte.

Robbe was already looking at him, when Jens turned his head.

„Super Smash Bros?“

„Super Smash Bros!“

__ __ __

tagged: @odi-et-amo85, @tayspots

#week 4 #wtfock #skam #vds #jens stoffels #lucas van der heijden #chapped and faded #robbe #yay #also robbe and jens #one more clip today

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loudgothbf · 4 years ago

Text

Come in early

That was all the text from his manager said. Not how early, not why, just to come in early with no questions asked. And based on how things had been going recently, he didn’t feel like he had the option to be asking questions.

So he took the orders, showing up a half-hour early to his shift and immediately going back to his office instead of to the lounge room for the dancers. He was there, fingers clacking away at the computer keyboard, when Hibiki opened the door, only glancing up before returning his focus to the document at hand. After a few moments, he pauses, eyes scanning the screen, and then settles back into his seat, looking up at Hibiki now with full attention.

It was honestly somewhat striking, especially in the softer lights of his office, how much he looked like his sister. The club lights hid it very well, but they had the same face shape, the same full, pink cheeks, the same high eyebrows and thin lips. It was hidden behind his every-present stubble, but even the shape of their jaw was the same, which his only being slightly wider, propped up on a stouter, more visibly muscular frame. HIs voice was what snapped Hibiki out of his small trance-- there was nothing similar between those two voices. He always put on a show of being more gruff and intimidating, and over the years it must’ve worn on the ever-strained muscles of his vocal cords, leaving it tight and sharp, crackling as he spoke. Though perhaps the incessant smoking had something to do with the difference as well. “Shiryo. Good to see you,” he says unenthusiastically. “Sit.”

Hibiki gives a small smile, taking a seat across the desk from him. “Thanks. What’s up? You kinda texted out of nowhere.” The nervousness in his chest was difficult to mask in his voice, a stiffness to his tone that was easy to pick out against the casual wording.

“I didn’t mean to worry you too bad, but it is pretty important. Just figured I should talk to you about it in person.”

That was... never a good sign. His stomach sank, the blood rushing out of his cheeks, leaving his skin tingling and cold. “Okay. So, what’s up?”

He sighs, turning to his computer for a moment, still talking calmly to Hibiki as his eyes scan the screen. “I was doing tally for drink profits and dancer cuts.” He gives a small laugh. “I know it might seem a little weird for me to do performance reviews and shit-- you’re contractors here, though, after all, and I gotta know if I’m contracting to the right people.” The computer squeaks against the glass of the desk top as he spins the screen to face Hibiki, a few highlighted columns visible on a spreadsheet. He taps the screen with the pad of his pointer finger, leaving a small smudge over the number. “These are your drink sales each day. Column next to it is your percentage, the amount you get to take. These are probably pretty familiar numbers, yeah?”

Hibiki nods, looking at the screen but unable to really focus on what he was trying to read with the growing unease the swarmed his body.

“You’ve been consistently lower since here.” Again, he taps the screen, a few inches below on one of the data lines. “That’s when you got back from rehab. You’ve been lower than your average for a while now. I was expecting that, since I know you’ve been... dealing with a lot.” There’s a hint of an apology in his voice, but it’s gone almost immediately the next time he speaks. “But I haven’t seen any improvements. You’re not getting worse, but you’re not getting better. And your client numbers have dipped--” he adds, clicking a tab at the bottom of the screen and flipping to a different spreadsheet entirely, quickly highlighting a row that features his name. “Probably a correlation between the two, if I had to venture a guess, y’know?” Hibiki nods slowly, saying nothing.

He pauses, looking at Hibiki, cocking an eyebrow at him as if awaiting a response. After a moment, he lets out a sigh, leaning forward a bit and resting an elbow on the desk, laying the other flat across its surface and fidgeting with a pen. “Look. I know you’ve been through hell recently. I’m not heartless, and I can’t say I don’t feel a little more responsible for you ‘cause of my sister. But that’s part of why I’m bringing this up. You’re still making money for the club, you bring in publicity, that’s for sure. But the attention makes it harder for the other dancers, harder for the bouncers, and harder for you. I’ve gotta demand a lot from everyone to keep you on the staff, and I don’t wanna end up doing all of that if it’s gonna end up with you just getting less money. Especially because I know this kinda place isn’t the best for recovering addicts, even if it’s pills and not alcohol. Do you really wanna be here?”

Hibiki hesitates, giving a nod. It’s met with a dissatisfied look, and he waves his hand, commanding him to speak, actually open his mouth and say something. “I... yeah, I mean, this place isn’t heaven but it’s the best job I can get and I... need the money. It’s-- it’s not just about the money or anything, but it’s--”

“Don’t defend yourself about that, Shiryo, most people here don’t do it for the love of the game.”

He gives a small laugh, a temporary moment of relief through amusement before he nods and continues. “Fair enough. But I really do like some parts of it at least. It’s exhausting and loud and uncomfortable sometimes, but where the hell else am I gonna get so many devoted fans.” Even his boss gives a chuckle in response, rolling his eyes and clicking the pen against the tabletop. Something in the back of his mind even seems to be egged on by that, and before he can think, out tumbles something he didn’t know he was going to say. “And I mean, so what if sucks sometimes, being an object is better than being nothing.”

There’s an awkward pause between the two of them as they exchange looks, the horror registering on Hibiki’s face and the stunned unease wiping clean the smile on his boss’s.

“I... I just mean I’ll work harder. I’m sorry about all this, I guess I’ve been distracted, but I’ll fix it.”

He hesitates, glancing down and giving a small shrug, raising and eyebrow and staring at the desk as he considers whether or not to be swayed by his reassurances. “Alright. Whatever. Just needed to let you know so you got the chance.” Hibiki gives a small nod and starts to stand when he finally looks up at him again. “And Shiryo.”

He freezes. “Huh?”

“I really am sorry about my sister. And if you need me to, I’ll tell the bar to make your drinks non-alcoholic and just charge it like regular.”

A forced, uneasy smile crosses his face. It’s a nice gesture, really, and Hibiki knows he’s being honest-- he can’t control what Riku did, and he can’t undo it, and now he has to look at Hibiki and feel guilty for all of those years he spent idolizing his older sibling, an Ultimate, before he turned to resenting her, and then outright hating her because of this. But... the drinks take the edge off. Make it itch less. “I’ll talk to them if I need them to cut the alcohol. Thanks, though. I’ll try to do better.”

Again, he nods, and waves his hand to finally dismiss Hibiki.

He almost feels better for a moment. Before, of course, he has to actually work.

#update

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graciebirdie · 5 years ago

Text

blame all this on @twothumbsandnostakeincanon who keeps inspiring ridiculous fic ideas in me...

inspired by this...thing

IMPORTANT: the sheriff’s name is JOHN.

***

Stiles doesn't mean to summon a demon from the mirror verse, he really doesn't. Although in hindsight, trying to make a magic mirror ala the evil queen from Snow White should have been a give away that he could end up with something evil.

It's incredibly disconcerting to see himself in 3D. He wonders if this is what celebrities who get wax figures of themselves feel.

He blinks and his copy blinks back. He waves his hand...and his copy doesn't wave back.

Well, that's probably not good.

He reaches out and pokes at his? own shoulder?

His copy looks down at where they're touching.

"Huh." his copy says.

He's not sure if he likes knowing what his own voice sounds like.

"So how much of me are you?" he asks.

His copy blinks for a long moment and then shrugs. "All of you I think."

"Great!" Stiles says excitedly. He's always thought that his life would be easier if there were two of him. He might have actually thought about it more than a normal person...

He might even have a hypothetical division of labor spreadsheet he wrote at some point...

He prints it out and hands it to his copy who takes it and looks it over with a nod. He gets it.

Stiles hands over his keys and waves as his copy drives off to school, flicking on the 'find my keys' app on his phone as he closes the door because everything is going well and he's sure with the way his life goes that something will go wrong sooner or later.

For the time being he as research that's not on magic mirrors to do. He might even do laundry while he's at it...

***

School is...not very fun Not Stiles decides.

It's actually really boring. For some reason he already knows everything they're talking about in class.

"Am I boring you Mr. Stilinski?" the teacher asks with a sigh.

"Yes." Not Stiles says staring at her intently.

She just sighs and waves her hand at the door.

...that wasn't what he'd been expecting.

He gets up and packs away the things that aren't his. No one in class is looking at him. Nobody seems very interested in anything that was going on so he's not sure why he got called on specifically.

He walks out the door and although he knows he's supposed to go to the principle or maybe his counselor's office he wonders around the halls instead.

A couple people pass him but only a few give him exasperated looks. Nobody asks where he's supposed to be.

He ends up in the library, which is...good. Stiles likes to read.

The woman behind the front desk barely looks at him before she gives a half-hearted hand flip in his direction.

He wonders around the stacks until the bell rings. He doesn't leave.

Eventually the bell rings again and the woman appears to kick him out with a scowl on her face.

He wanders the halls again until he ends up at the door for the classroom he's supposed to be in.

He walks inside and the teacher glares at him and points aggressively at an empty desk.

He sits down and pulls out a pen.

He clicks the pen, over and over until someone behind him throws something at him.

He turns to glare at the person.

The guy glares right back and bares his teeth, hissing "Knock it off before I strangle you."

Not Stiles does not knock it off. If anything the clicking just gets louder.

The teacher shouts "Stilinski!" and he gets kicked out again.

He's trying to decide what he should do now when three people he recognizes walk up to him.

Erica slings her arm around his neck and grins at him "You coming with us?"

He doesn't know where they're going but he agrees.

They end up at Derek's loft. He gets home a few hours after they get there and he gives them a mildly disappointed glare but doesn't tell them they should be at school.

Eventually he figures he should go home.

The front door's unlocked and he walks right in.

Stiles is vacuuming the living room with an intense look of concentration on his face.

He jumps when he sees him and quickly turns the vacuum off. "Did you have a good day?" Stiles asks with a pleasant smile.

He shrugs.

Stiles just nods understandingly and hands him a duster.

They tidy up the living room together.

Eventually they make dinner and sit at the table and he tells Stiles all about his day.

Stiles just nods along and doesn't look surprised or upset.

It's... weird. Technically he didn't do what he was supposed to do but Stiles doesn't seem to care.

After dinner they hunt around the house for blankets and clean sheets for the guest room before they move the boxes that are usually in it down to the basement.

They both know what's in the boxes and why they were in the guest room just gathering dust but neither of them say anything about it.

He thinks it's kind of... nice that he gets his own bed.

***

The next day it's Stiles' turn to go to school and the day is pretty boring except for the waves Erica, Boyd, and Isaac give him.

That might be a small flaw in his plan but he can't exactly say 'don't talk to other people' because he's sure that would just mess everything up.

He's sure the spell isn't going to last much longer anyway so he can deal with having to pretend around his maybe friends.

***

After Stiles goes to school he's only alone for about an hour when Stiles' dad walks into the kitchen and stops in his tracks at the sight of him.

He looks him up and down for one long moment before he sighs very deeply and pulls out his phone.

Stiles must answer it because he sighs again, even deeper, and rubs a hand over his face.

He talks to Stiles for a minute before he hangs up and looks very pointedly at Not Stiles.

"Don't... murder me in my sleep or anything." he says sternly.

Not Stiles nods in agreement and goes back to doing the dishes.

***

Stiles tries not to wince as his phone goes off with his dad's ringtone. He might have... forgotten... one thing.

Shockingly his dad doesn't yell at him but does sigh a lot.

Disappointed sighing is so much worse than yelling.

He knows he's in for it when he gets home.

He slips back into English and apologizes to Mrs. Smith, who obviously continues to hate him.

School's okay after that, even lunch when Erica bodily walks him outside to sit with her, Boyd, and Isaac.

It's shockingly easy to act totally normal around them. They don't seem to think it's weird that he's not always sure exactly what they're talking about. They probably just caulk it up to Stiles being Stiles.

Maybe this is going to be an enlightening experience..

***

Stiles, his dad, and his copy all have dinner together before his dad's night shift.

It's slightly strained but his dad tries, and really when faced with there suddenly being two Stiles' in existence that's really all Stiles can ask of him.

When he leaves he doesn't even hesitate to give them both a shoulder squeeze of goodbye.

Stiles and his copy share dual smiles of understanding.

***

Things go on for a week. It's...weird.

Not Stiles feels weird.

He feels like he's... unfulfilled in a way that doesn't quite make sense.

He's acting even worse in school and Stiles keeps giving him mildly annoyed looks.

"We have to work together in this man." he says, worrying his lip. "Is there anything...I can do to help?"

And that's... not what he was expecting. He feels strangely warm.

***

On Saturday they both climb into the jeep and go a few towns over to try their hand at shoplifting at the mall.

They of course make an excellent tag team, one of them distracting the sales clicks while the other swipes little trinkets that won't be missed for awhile, a tiny bit of magic might have helped them here and there...

Eventually they got bored of that and escaped back to the jeep with their hauls. They emptied their pockets out into the center consual and giggled over the cheap little rings, plastic barrettes, and pins that stores kept in jars next to the cash register. That was what made it worth it for them, the challenge of getting away with it.

They split their loot up, arguing playfully over who got what until everything is evenly divided.

They get fast food and huge milkshakes and even feel charitable enough to bring one back for thei- Stiles' dad then just... drive around and eat and talk about nothing.

They get home late enough that the milkshake is mostly melted but Stiles' dad got home about a minute after they did. He eyed them distrustfully.

"What did you two get up to today?" he asked as he picked up the milkshake and took a sip. Stiles and Not Stiles smiled innocently at him. He shook his head and looked amused. "Never mind! I'm sure I don't want to know." he sends them a pointed look and adds "Nobody better call me about you two."

Stiles and Not Stiles share a grin.

***

Stiles knew it couldn't last forever, that the pack was bound to figure it out eventually.

He just hadn't expected them to think he was possessed.

Getting cornered in Derek's loft with the whole pack around him, Scott looking mulish and holding a cross was... a bit much, even for him.

"Uh, are you guys serious?" Stiles asked, trying to figure out a convincing way to get out of the situation he'd made for himself.

"Stiles..." Scott said, lip actually wobbling a little in emotion. "We're just worried about you."

Stiles wanted to make a break for it but then the pack would all just think that they were right. And Peter was standing in front of the door. Of course Peter was smirking at, leaning against the closed door and arms crossed.

Stiles is half sure that if he looked desperate enough Peter would let him out but then he'd probably owe Peter a favor and no one ever wanted to owe Peter a favor.

He sighs and flops out onto the couch and thinks about pulling his phone out so he can text Not him and ask him to come over so they can finally let the car out of the bag...or the twin out of the closet.

And honestly he's kind of interested in what they have to say. It's been two months and honestly he was expecting them to have figured out something was going on sooner than this.

"Alright." he says, spreading his arms out invitingly. "Lay it on me!"

He can see Peter smirking in amusement at him while the pack exchange wide eyed glances. Obviously they weren't expecting him to agree so easily.

Scott carefully shuffles over and picks up a water bottle off the coffee table. "Okay... first thing's first... I guess..." he says, uncapping the bottle. "Can I have your hand?"

Stiles rolls his eyes so hard it hurts but holds his hand out so Scott can pour some of the water on him. He has no doubt that the bottle has 'holy water' in it and he wonders how Scott got it. He'd probably chased down Father Brian for it. He was honestly sad he'd missed that. Father Brian was always going out of his way to sadly ask if Stiles was doing okay. He figured it was a pretty nice gesture considering Stiles and Scott are the only two kids he ever banned from Sunday school.

The water just makes his hand wet and leaves a puddle on the floor.

Scott looks relieved but he determinedly puts the cross he's still holding onto Stiles' palm. Stiles holds onto it reflectively and Scott's shoulders relax when the cross doesn't instantly catch fire or anything.

Stiles can see Peter out of the corner of his eye and it looks like he's trying to burst out laughing. Weirdly it kind of makes him feel better.

After Scott's failed attempt to prove that Stiles is possessed the pack all take turns laying out their proof that Stiles is losing time and Stiles tries not wince too much. He's starting to feel a little guilty...

And then he sees Peter suddenly straighten up and turn to pull the front door open. Everyone else wipes around to look at what's going on.

And... in walks Stiles' dad with Not right behind him.

Peter, of course, looks fascinated while everyone else is just confused.

His dad sighs and shakes his head at everyone. He pulls out his phone and reads off what is no doubt a text from Scott. "Please come over we need to talk about Stiles." he shoots Scott a mildly disappointed look. "Thank you for asking me if I knew anything about what's going on with my own son, Scott, very courteous of you."

Scott has the decency to look ashamed.

Everything turns into chaos after that.

The pack is shouting and pointing and asking questions over each other while Peter ushers Not over to sit on the couch next to Stiles.

Stiles and Not share a knowing look.

Peter is watching them through narrowed eyes, very obviously sniffing the both of them.

Not has met Peter a couple of times and Stiles knows he finds Peter... interesting. Is as interested in him as Stiles is. It's something that now that Peter knows, or will at least figure out, Stiles and Not can finally...play with.

"Everyone stop talking!"

Stiles and Not both jump in surprise at the- Stiles' dad shouting.

Everyone else looks shocked but they instantly fall silent.

"Stiles, why don't you tell them the story." he suggests with a barely suppressed eye roll that Stiles knows means he's judging them for taking so long to figure out that something had been going on.

Stiles and Not, because they're both assholes, take turns telling the story, making up some parts as they go because they can and by then it's practically expected of them.

The pack looks resigned and exasperated by the end. It's obvious to Stiles that they've all given up trying to deal with the situation before it's even really started.

Only Peter and their dad look amused.

Their dad had come over to sit on Not's other side, phone out and texting, probably with Malissa, and acting like he isn't paying attention at all but he's got a little smile so Stiles knows everything is fine there.

Peter had sat down on the coffee table right in front of them, arms on his knees and leaning closer and closer to watch them intently, each knee very conveniently bumping against one of theirs.

Half the pack leaves after Stiles says 'The End' while Not says 'For Now'.

The other half wonder off, having lost interest completely.

"So, two months, huh." Peter says, looking calculatingly at them. They smile sweetly at him. "So you're planning to stick around then?" he asks, looking Not right in the eye, which doesn't surprise anyone at all.

Not shrugs but he's smiling so that's probably enough of an answer for Peter who nods and says he knows a guy who knows a guy who can get a legit birth certificate, all Peter would need is name.

Stiles and their dad both look at Not questioningly. Not is very quiet for a few long seconds before he glanced shyly at their dad. "Grandpa's name was Noah, that would work, wouldn't it?"

Their dad wraps his arm around No- Noah's shoulders and smiles at him. "Being named after the good grandfather is probably a sign." he sends Stiles a wink and Stiles doesn't even try to stop himself from giggling.

He might have started this whole thing because he was thinking of the evil queen in Snow White but their dad was right, his twin was anything but evil. He might, dare Stiles say it, be pretty okay most of the time.

#my shit #my fics

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kimabutch · 5 years ago

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Jam Like Critical Role FAQ

Since this project has been going on for eight months now and I get a fair number of questions about it, I thought I’d make an FAQ! I’m going to also try to make this a page on my blog, so it’s always accessible. If you have any questions you think I should add, let me know!

What is “Jam Like Critical Role”?

Short answer: it’s a collaborative playlist of songs that remind people of Critical Role, organized by @disasterhumans and me.

Long answer: in February 2019, people started sending me songs that reminded them of Critical Role. They didn’t stop. I offered a little bit of my own commentary on each song, or sometimes just my excitement. Eventually I made a Spotify playlist titled “Jam Like Critical Role” (or JLCR for short) so that I could listen to all the songs together. Then @disasterhumans divided the songs up into smaller playlists, organized by character. And then ze made a masterlist. And then a spreadsheet. At about the 1000 song mark, I commissioned the fantabulous @diamancris to make a Spotify icon for the playlist.

Jam Like Critical Role is almost entirely made up of songs that people have sent into this blog, but has a few songs that other people have posted about on their blogs and that I’ve reblogged. I generally only do that when I’m absolutely certain that the person won’t mind the song being on JLCR.

Are you still taking song asks?

Yes, and I don’t plan on stopping! If I ever do have to stop for whatever reason (knock on wood), I’ll indicate it clearly on my blog and at the bottom of each answered ask.

How do I send in a song ask? / Can I send in a song ask through DMs?

Pretty much any way you want! Just send me an ask with the song, the artist, and who/what you’re sending it for. You can give me any amount of commentary that you’d like — I love reading what you have to say! But it’s also okay if you don’t have much to say about it.

Sure! I will say that I’m a little worse about realizing that someone’s DM’d me, but if you want to DM me the songs, I will always try my best.

I’m so sorry for sending in so many songs! / Can I send in multiple songs?

Don’t be sorry! I appreciate every song that gets sent in, and I love it when people send multiple songs. I just ask that you put them each in separate asks, because it makes them a little easier for me to answer!

Can I send in an entire playlist?

Of course! With playlists, I’ll usually just pick out my favourite lyrics from each song, as opposed to analyzing them, but I love hearing other people’s playlists and would love for them to be part of JLCR.

How many song asks do you have in your inbox? / How many songs do you get every day? / How long will it take you to answer my song ask?

As of mid-September, I have about 450-500 song asks in my inbox — it’s a little hard to count. The number of songs I get per day varies wildly depending on how many songs I’ve answered that day and what day of the week it is. There have been rare occasions where I get 50+ song asks in a day, but there are also some days where I get none at all.

To answer all the ones that I currently have in my inbox will probably take me 3-4 months, but I can’t say for certain. It really depends on how busy my life is at any given moment — sometimes I don’t answer asks for a week or two at a time. Sometimes I get through 100+ asks in a week. It’s hard to predict.

I’m not sure whether this has been sent in, but...

You can check if a song’s been sent in by looking at the spreadsheet or the masterlist that @disasterhumans lovingly and wondrously maintains. Ze’s indicated that the spreadsheet is more reliable for searching and is more often updated, but the masterlist does contain links to the posts, if you want to find those.

I don’t mind when I get a song that’s already been sent in, but I always feel a little bad when someone has to wait 3 months for me to answer your ask only for me to tell you that it’s already been sent in.

Did you get my song ask? / Do you answer every song ask that’s sent in? / Do you ever reject songs because you don’t like them?

I answer and appreciate every song ask, and won’t ignore yours if it’s in my inbox (although, again, sometimes tumblr eats asks.) Sometimes I won’t put it on the actual playlist if it contains a slur, but I’ll still answer the ask. I can honestly say I’ve enjoyed something out of every song I’ve received.

If you’re ever unsure whether I’ve received your ask, you can send me another ask or a PM, and I’ll tell you! Tumblr has been known to occasionally eat your asks.

Can I send in instrumental tracks? Classical music? Songs about places or events?

Yes, yes, yes, and yes!

Something’s up with the spreadsheet/masterlist/breakout playlists!

Please direct questions about any of those to @disasterhumans — I don’t have the skill nor the time to maintain them! If you have a question about the playlist itself (“Jam Like Critical Role”), you can direct those to me!

#critical role #cr music #jlcr faq

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