#safety officer interview questions and answers

[why-animals-do-the-thing]

There's a viral video circulating from the Fort Worth Zoo, of two keepers who ended up in a habitat at the same time as a silverback gorilla. Spoiler for good news: neither the humans nor the gorilla got hurt. It's a bad situation that ended extremely well, and that's why I want to talk about it.

The audio for this video is mostly someone praying loudly, so if you need to turn the audio off to watch it, you won't miss anything relevant. If you don't want to watch it, here's the summary: it starts with a keeper running around the corner into the main exhibit, pursued by a large male gorilla. She is quickly able to get into a doorway at the back of the exhibit, but does not completely close the door because the gorilla is standing across from her, watching. He eventually moves off to the right hand side of the exhibit, where we can see a keeper is trapped in the corner at the front. She was trying to move towards the exit as he moved to the right, and she stops, standing very still behind a tree, while he stays along the far right wall. They stay like that for a minute, and then the gorilla runs to the front right corner, and the keeper is able to run to the door in the back of the exhibit and get to safety.

Let's start with basic information. Even though it's just going viral now, this video is from October of 2023. It was taken not by a guest, but by the zoo security officer responding to the situation. Hmmm, seems like he maybe should have been doing something else during that situation, instead of than taking a phone video. It's going viral now because the guy (who is no longer employed at the zoo) decided to post it on TikTok for his five minutes of fame. This guy immediately started giving all sorts of media interviews, answering questions like "why no tranquilizers" inappropriately, making memes out of his own video, generally distasteful shit.

Zoo spokesperson Avery Elander gave a public statement that "thankfully, there was no physical contact between keepers and gorilla, and all staff and animals are safe." A comment from the zoo has also indicated that the incident was due to keeper error. (As opposed to, for instance, something in the fencing breaking.) According to the guy who posted the video, a lock was left unsecured and the gorilla was able to open the door to the habitat. I don't know if I buy it, and again, this just... is probably why he doesn't have a job anymore. By sharing that detail - real or not - he places a ton of public scrutiny and blame on that keeper team. (If that's what happened, I can promise you it will have been dealt with internally.) He also was nice enough to say he wouldn't name the women in the video... but verified they're still staffers at the zoo... which means they're eminently identifiable! Excuse me while I ragequit for a second.

So there's two reasons I wanted to talk about this. The first is to make sure it is well known that this guy is purposefully and intentionally exploiting the worst day of someone's life for media attention. Their lives were in danger, and he's using it for fame. His name is in the media articles - I'm not going to share it because he doesn't deserve that attention. The second reason, though, is because this video is a masterclass on how to survive if you end up sharing space with a gorilla. Every zoo person I've spoken to or seen comment on the video is so, so impressed with how the keepers handled themselves.

The gorilla in this video is 34-year-old Elmo. All apes in AZA zoos are managed in protected contact, so keepers are supposed to be separated from them by a barrier at all times. The zookeepers were in the habitat putting out a mid-day meal when he got out. Watching the video, you can see he's not actively being aggressive towards them - he's not making threat displays or trying to approach them. Mostly, Elmo seems like he doesn't know what is going on and he's kinda freaked out about it. (This is confirmed in the zoo's press statement, too). The staff stayed calm, and importantly, watched and waited to see how he'd move and act.

The zoo did say one thing, though, that's a bit misleading. In one article, their press person I quote as saying “In general, gorillas are considered the “gentle giants” of the great ape species.” Just because this may be true in comparison to other great ape species doesn't meant gorilla aren't still incredibly dangerous. This type of messaging always worries me, because I think it leads people to misunderstand the risks of being close to megafauna. Gorilla are extremely strong animals, and their social norms/behaviors are very different from that of humans. That's why it's such a big deal any time people end up in gorilla habitats, and why sometimes in those circumstances lethal measures have to be taken to protect human life.

These keepers are incredibly lucky to be unharmed. These women stayed safe specifically because they're trained professionals who knew how to act around gorilla, they knew this particular animal well, and they'd learned the escapes from the exhibit just in case this ever happened. We should applaud them for their cool heads and quick thinking.

As for the guy who posted the video? As a colleague put it, may he always step on a Lego.

[anonymous-chicken-was-taken]

There is a man named Stanford Pines.

Just about anyone in the scientific community knows his name, and most know his face. It would be hard not to. It's plastered on magazines, on websites, on informational guides about the Institute of Oddology. Stanford Pines is synonymous with the word odd, peculiar, strange; it takes very little digging to find that.

Yet, when it comes to actually meeting the man? No matter who you ask, the answer is almost always no, they have not met him. Everyone knows of him, but nobody knows him. They see his face, they hear his name, they read his papers, they know his arguments. A lucky few even converse with him through email, or letters, or phone conversations. However, meeting him face to face seems to be an occurrence even rarer than the beasts he writes essays about.

Sometimes, he makes a public appearance. Sometimes, someone will see him walking about in some small, secluded space. His co-founder follows him like a shadow, never long taking his eyes away, full as they are of both care and peculiar caution.

Even more unheard of, sometimes, Stanford Pines will do something that interacts with the public. Once every few years, he will appear for an interview, or a photo, or something else to please the magazines that fill up his inbox. McGucket will be with him, every single time, and afterwards there will be whispers on the very internet he created from the people he'd spoken to. By all accounts, Stanford Pines is a very subdued, polite gentleman. Someone who is very intelligent and awkward, and attached to his co-founder at the hip. A man who is followed at all times by an army of personal security and NDAs. "For safety," McGucket will say as Pines' face goes dark. No one ever explains who's being kept safe, or from what.

To the students at the Institute of Oddology, it's even stranger. Nowhere does it say that seeing or meeting the core founder is guaranteed -- in fact, in comparison to other institutes, it's hardly even advertised that he's there -- but it's still surprising. If Stanford Pines is seen at all, it's almost always from behind a screen. Some students graduate without ever having seen him in-person. He does not attend events. He does not greet families. He does not make speeches unless he's being projected on a screen, a stark contrast to McGucket and his exaggerated mannerisms as his very real and present form hovers nearby. He holds no office on the entire campus. It is not unheard of to see him taking a walk with his co-founder, but it's rare enough to be shocking.

Rumors fly. Some are silly, absent things that would seem implausible to anyone who hasn't spent time in Gravity Falls. He's a vampire. He's a robot made by McGucket. He's a whole eldritch entity. Some rumors are more serious, whispered when his reclusive nature rings suspicious among the masses. None of them change the facts.

Perhaps it would make more sense if his co-founder was similar. However, Fiddleford McGucket is the polar opposite of Stanford Pines. He responds to interviewers asking about his computers. He makes speeches. He wanders around campus, stopping to chat with anyone who cares to listen. He's amiable and approachable as long as you can get past his rather extreme eccentricities, with an open-door policy and only one question he won't answer. If anyone builds up the guts to ask about Stanford Pines, and why he's so gosh darn reclusive, his only response is a sad, painful smile and a change of subject. In general, however, if one were to ask a given student of the institute where they could find Fiddleford McGucket, the chances are would be they'd be able to relay the information. However, like so much having to do with Stanford Pines, there is always a but.

At least three days a week, Fiddleford McGucket disappears for hours at a time. In theory, this would not be unusual. There's a section of the campus, slightly separate from the rest, dedicated to research. It takes much clearance to get to this area, for it is full of many very dangerous things. Some of the newer students fall under the misconseption that this is where he goes off to. However, there is a secretary at the entrance to this section of the campus, and when McGucket disappears, no amount of asking will get them to respond that he lies within. There is no summary of what he's there for, and there is no estimate of when he'll be back in his office. He is not there. For those hours, it's like he's vanished off the face of the planet.

There is another building seperated from the rest, barely visible through the trees. Tucked far behind the research area of the campus and heavily guarded at all times. No amount of clearance, or ID, or begging, will get anyone in. This place, most know, is where McGucket goes. No one can be certain, but there's a conviction there that this is the truth. It's the same way people know that this is where Stanford Pines resides. In those hours, McGucket disappears to the same nowhere at all that his co-founder lives.

No one tries to get there. Not anymore. There would be no point.

In order to do so, one would have to get into the research zone of campus. Already, this requires more clearance than most students could imagine. From there, one would have to go through a building only staff can open, at the very back of the campus, where only the most dangerous of research is kept. A security officer stands ever-vigilant at a back door leading to a winding pathway, intersected halfway through by a pair of guard stations. Past them lies a towering locked gate, centered in the midst of a towering electric fence. There is no guard station at the gate itself, though guards patrol the perimeter, even though the underbrush is too thick to walk through. There is no visible way to unlock the gate, but if one managed to get through regardless, they would find that the obstacles were still not over. The acre the fences encircle is thick with security, only some of which is human. It's impossible not to get caught, but if somehow, someone did, they would find themselves face to face with the sloped roof and charming wooden exterior so vaguely visible from the more well-trodden paths.

If one were to make it behind the reinforced door and yet one more pair of security guards, they would find nothing of note at all. In fact, were the windows not so thick, and the place not full of rooms with no place in a residence, and the path not so elaborate, and the whole area not so heavily reeking of isolation and uncanniness, one could almost mistake it for a normal home.

Inside, one would find Stanford Pines. Shorter than his head-and-shoulders shot makes him seem, and with a tangible air of melancholy about him that no projection could ever communicate.

Above all, Stanford Pines would appear incredibly alone, with only security, a McGucket Computer, and shelves upon shelves of books for company. If this someone who somehow managed to sneak in got lucky, they would arrive in this not-quite-a-home while McGucket had disappeared to there. They would find the two of them in deep conversation, and Stanford Pines would appear happier and more animated than most any living soul had seen him in decades, content in the company of his one connection; his shadow. Even when they had serious conversations, about the most serious topics in the world, something about him would be just that bit more lively. The visit would end, every time, with McGucket asking the same question. Every time, Pines would shake his head sadly as he responded; would the answer have been different, they both know that McGucket would have been informed long before he arrived.

Upon his co-founder's departure, one would be able to see Stanford Pines either sigh and sink right back into his melancholy, or the energy persist for another handful of hours. One would wonder why he was so reclusive, if he seemed so much brighter when he was among friends. One -- the impressive, unstoppable individual who managed to get into such a heavily monitored area -- would more than likely leave confused.

They wouldn't realize, unless they stayed within the bounds of the not-quite-home until it was far too late, what the hoards of security was designed for. Wouldn't realize that just as much as much as they are meant to keep someone out, they are also meant to keep someone in.

[sleepyfan-blog]

Interviews

Author’s Note: This is the next part of the Big E raises the primarchs AU! First. Previous. Next. A big thanks to @plagueparchments, @undeaddream, @kit-williams and @bleedingichorhearts for allowing me to borrow their OCs for this fic! Please rb and support their artistic endeavors!

word count: 5,041 this fic got away from meeeeee

Warnings: none? Please tell me if I need to tag something

Tagged: : @egrets-not-regrets @the-pure-angel @sharenadraculea @whorety-k @gallifreyianrosearkytiorsusan 

Summary: Valdor interviews some candidates to become primary caretakers for the infant primarchs.

Valdor sent out a coded message, asking all  those above a certain clearance level who were not currently assigned to high priority missions to arrive at his office at their earliest convenience in order to discuss a top-secret medium term mission that required discretion, finesse and care. He has already spoken to over a dozen of his fellow custodes, high ranking mortal military officers, admech and civilian mortal staff… Along with the occasional Terran noble. None of them had the qualities that he was looking for as of yet. 

There was a light knock on the door and Valdor called out neutrally “Come in.” A flash of surprise shot through him as Pariah Almach walked into his office. 

“As you say, captain-general. The mission details on the call you sent out were light on details, but I’m… Curious and willing to serve.” The tanned man stated, tucking a stray lock of dark brown hair behind one of his ears and lightly rubbing one of the facial scars on his lower cheek, golden eyes flicking up to Valdor’s face before looking away respectfully.

“There is a reason for that. I have a series of questions to ask you, which I stress you must answer as truthfully and honestly as you can. There are no incorrect answers, but they will determine  your fitness for the mission. If I deem you a potential candidate, I will inform you of the mission details. Due to the nature of the mission it is strictly voluntary, however if you decline the mission, the lord sigilite will remove your memories of the specifics of the mission for the safety of the mission. Do you understand?” Valdor asks, making sure to be upfront. This was the first hurdle that had more than half of the potential candidates who had arrived so far to decline the mission and leave. 

“I understand, Captain-general. I am ready to answer your questions and pass whatever tests are necessary.” The powerful blank answered with a serious and determined nod. 

“Excellent. How much experience do you have working with young children? Specifically infants and toddlers?” Valdor asked, watching him carefully.

Almach blinked rapidly a couple of times, visibly confused before answering “As a child and a teenager, I had many younger siblings I was raised alongside. As one of the eldest, part of my duties were to care for and protect the little ones as best as I could. I haven’t any formal childcare training, but I’ve got a good few years of experience with children of all ages, including infants, sir.”

Valdor noted that down on his dataslate and continued “How do you feel about potentially interacting closely with psykers who will start out wholly untrained due to their nature, as well as those who are closely attuned to the Warp because of their nature?”

Almach shifted a little in his seat “As a Blank of some strength and training, I have dealt with out of control psykers by exerting my own abilities to nullify their own, sir. As long as the psykers don’t attack me for existing, I think I would be able to get along with them well enough… Though I’d need to be away from them for the psykers to learn how to use their powers, if that’s something in the cards for those psykers.” He’s aware that not all psykers who are found by the Emperor’s forces are allowed to continue to live and are brought under his banner. Those tainted are killed to prevent further contamination. Even if the psyker themself is unaware of the darkness they’ve brushed.

Valdor nods, asking several more childcare related questions before saying “I believe that, despite your status as a Blank, you would be a good fit for this mission. As you are aware, The Emperor has many projects going in order to further unify and strengthen humanity. One of these is the Primarch Project. Twenty-one genetically and psychically hand-crafted human infants by The Emperor and each with a multidisciplinary team of the brightest scientific minds who could be found on Terra, created to lead the Legiones Astartes. Most of those scientific minds have been reassigned to the Astartes project, with a couple of the medical staff on hand at any time of the day or night in case the genetically altered infants require medical attention.’

The captain general paused for several seconds before continuing to explain “They were originally to stay in their incubation chambers until their physical maturity was that of a toddler, but strong visions prompted The Emperor to pull them from their tubes early and bring them to a secure wing of the palace. One of these infant generals is a Blank, though how powerful he will be has yet to be seen. Should you accept this mission, you will be assigned the primary caretaker for primarch eleven, the Pariah Primarch. He does not have a name other than Primarch Eleven yet. Your duties would involve the total physical and emotional care of primarch eleven while he grows from an infant to a toddler, which should take up to two years. One of the fail safes that the Emperor put in place in each of the primarchs was to ensure that they would physically mature faster when exposed to danger. You may also be assigned to care for primarchs Five and/or Seven, depending on how many qualified people I find for this mission. What say you?”

Almach swallowed dryly. Could he raise one to three children for war and bloodshed? Admittedly, that’s what they were made for, and his own hands were dripping in the blood of others. He was also keenly aware of what it was like to be a Blank surrounded by non-blanks. How lonely and aching that could get. He would do his duty, despite the guilt that bit at his heart “I will, captain-general. When do I start?”

“Do you have any loose ends to wrap up? Otherwise you will start immediately, and you will be living in the same section of the Imperial Palace as  your ward or wards.” Valdor revealed. 

Almach shook his head “I have no loose ends, sir. Am I allowed to pack a couple of mementos before being transferred to the palace, sir?”

“You are. One of the Golden Host will accompany you to your apartment and aid you in packing, take the rest of the day to get ready.” Valdor ordered. “Oh, and you will be given a week of childcare training before being introduced to your charge or charges.”

“Yes sir.” Almach responded, nodding. He’s not surprised he’s going to be watched while having such information in his head. He got up and headed off, mind running in many different directions at once.

~

There was a light, efficient knock on Valdor’s door, soon after Almach left and he called out “Come in, please.”

“Yes sir.” Apollo responded, quietly walking in, closing the door behind him and sitting down when Valdor silently gestured for him to do so. “I received your call for a highly secretive, multi-year mission? I am here to present myself for it. What do I need to do, sir?”

“Before I tell you about the mission, I have several questions to ask of  you. There are no correct answers, merely the truthful answers you have. If I decide that you are unfit for the mission it is not due to a fault you possess, merely a mismatch in abilities and needs of the mission. Understood?” Valdor clarified, knowing that some of his fellow Custodians would take a rejection of any mission as a failing on their part.

“I understand sir, and I am ready to answer any question  you have.” The Dread Spear responds, lifting his chin a little and squaring his shoulders.

“Excellent. Now, I will ask you a series of hypothetical questions and I want you to answer them to the best of your abilities.” The captain general instructed, before he cleared his throat and stated “You are guarding a very young and willful charge that has shown signs of willfulness and a prickly disposition. They are being difficult and refusing to do what you have told them to in order to keep them safe. What do you do?”

“I remove them from whatever the source of danger is, or I eliminate the danger, depending on whatever is the swiftest option. Is this a bodyguarding mission, sir? I… Do not have experience with such things. I thought the Aquiilan Shields took those missions solely.” Apollo murmured, shifting ever so slightly in his seat.

“This particular mission is set to last for at minimum two years and will be taking place within the Imperial Palace itself, Apollo. There are a number of other… Considerations that caused me to widen the pool of potential candidates. How well can you adapt to humans with enhanced and altered instincts?” Valdor asked.

Apollo thought about the question for a couple of moments before asking “Are you talking about the approved abhuman strains? I have worked alongside different kinds of abhumans before, sir. While they may be a perversion of true humanity, so long as they are willing to serve the emperor, I have no qualms with them.. And as long as their instincts do not get in the way of the mission, they don’t particularly bother me either, sir.”

Valdor hummed, writing down what the younger Custodian said, tapping the stylus thoughtfully against the dataslate before saying “Before I explain this mission it must be said that this information must be kept in the absolute strictest of confidence. Do not breathe a word of this outside of the imperial palace, even among our fellow custodes, even if you know that they are also aware of this duty. If you feel you cannot keep such silence, speak now and you will be removed from the duty roster.”

“I can keep this silent, captain-general.” Apollo answered, shifting a little in his seat again, leaning forward slightly, intensely curious. He’d recently arrived back from a kill mission and had noticed that some of the golden host were abuzz about something, yet they could not or would not say whenever he approached to speak with them. 

Valdor quickly explained about the changes in the Primarch project, and that the infant primarchs had been removed from their incubation chambers and moved to a different heavily guarded and warded section of the Imperial Palace for their own safety, and finishing with “This particular posting would have you taking care of the needs of one or more of the infant primarchs directly. Tending to their physical needs and ensuring that they are adequately emotionally and mentally stimulated as well. You cannot become emotionally attached to your charge or charge. If you feel that you are, come to me and you will be reassigned.”

“I… Infant care is not something I have been trained on, sir and is outside of my realm of expertise. But I feel that I can maintain proper emotional distance from the Primarchs, and should be able to care for whichever one or more of them I am assigned to tend to.” Apollo answered honestly.

“You will be given childcare training for the next week, and then introduced to your charge. I’m sure that you will do well, Apollo.” Valdor murmured, nodding.  

~

Valdor called out, "Come in," As he heard a quiet knock on his door, ignoring the desire to pinch the bridge of his nose. He'd dealt with a half dozen nosy and unfit nobles who had only wanted to know what the mission was. As they had no intention of actually completing the mission he did not tell them. Not that their whining and fussing... and the fact that His Imperial Majesty had shown up to court lat. Again. And with a small dirty towel over one of his shoulders... Rumors abound in regards to why, and he knew that he would need to head those rumors off sooner, rather than later. It was a job for future him, but he's noted down to get done after the initial interviews were done. 

"What is the mission you are seeking to staff, sir?" Zedkiel asked, standing attentively near the door. The Terrab born Raven Guard watching with dark and inquisitive eyes. 

"Before I tell you, I have questions for you to answer first, and the warning that if you are selected for this mission, you cannot tell any of your brothers the mission... And that you'll have limited to time to even contact them over the vox, due to the nature of the mission. If you wish to withdraw now, you may," Valdor explains evenly, watching the other trans-human carefully. 

"I am used to being out of contact with my Brothers for long periods of time during missions, The Raven Guard are primarily trained in stealth, assassinations, and misdirection after all. I will answer your questions to the best of my abilities." Zedkiel murmured, resolute. 

"Good. Now. How do you handle interpersonal conflict? How do you handle discipline of others under your sway? How do you adapt under high pressure situations where you cannot resort to violence?" The Captain General asked. 

Zedkiel was now very intensely curious as to what this mission could possible be about, but restrained the hundreds of inquiries that The Captain General's questions spawned in his mind. He took his time to ponder each question before answering. "I try and find ground with whoever I am in conflict with, to come to a compromise that all involved can live with, if not happy about. As for discipline, I find that corporal punishment leads to long-term issues and prefer to correct problems using more constructive methods. I find redirection and positive reinforcement of the correct behaviors to be a more effective, sir." 

Zedkiel was aware that a number of Commanders and Officers preferred to use the rod and sticks liberally, but he had found that Carrots and gentle correction had much better long-term results, even if it took longer to get unruly Scouts into line, than beatings and terror tactics. "As for high stress non-violent situations, I deal with them by first assessing the situation ato determine the source, and how I might be able to solve or stop the stress. How I would do that depends on the kind of stressor or stressors present, Sir."

Valdor wrote down what Zedkiel said, a considering expression appearing on his face. He was quite certain if he offered a spot for the Astartes on the mission, that Zedkiel would accept without pause. To b able to meet his tiny Primarch. But would he be a good caretaker? From what Valdor knew of the younger trans-human's mission history and personality... The other may be a tad indulgent, but given that he knew that Apollo would be Strict... A gentler hand and limited Astartes exposure should be fine for the infant warlords. "If you refuse this mission after I give you the details, they will be wiped from your mind, for safety and security reasons. Do you understand?" 

"Yes sir. I am ready," The raven guard responded, posture straightening minutely. "The Primarchs were pulled from their incubation chambers as infants for security reasons. They have been moved to a secure wing of the palace and require full time caretakers. Will you be one of them?" Valdor explains deliberately keeping his face neutral. 

Zedkiel's eyes widened a little in shock before the Astartes spoke, voice cracking a little in eagerness, "I would be honored to help care for any of the Primarchs why they are so young." Valdor inclined his head, the corners of his lips quirking up a fraction of a centimeter before flattening again, He's unsurprised by the other's eagerness, "Of those I've interviewed today, you are one of three candidates I've found acceptable for their care team so far. Tie up any loose ends that you have today, then report to Imperial Office 156 on Beta level for training. You and the other caretakers will receive one week of child care training." 

"Yes sir," Zedkiel murmured, saluting Valdor and leaving once dismissed. 

~

"Come on in," Valdor called out as another person knocked on his office door. He had taken just long enough of a break to eat and stretch his legs a little before returning to the desk that His Emperor had given him. 

"Yes sir," Another of the Golden Host murmured, stepping into the room and sitting down. She removed her helmet and massaged her horns, looking him over, a small smirk appearing on her face, "Long day, cap? Just what is this mission? Half the palace is talking about what it might be, or so it feels like." She shook hout her dark hair as she spoke. 

"The mission is highly classified, " Valdor responded before he gave her the same warnings he had given about the secrecy and security level that this mission was and an offer for her to back out before continuing, as well as the pre-screening questions. 

Baphomet flashed him a challenging grin, eyes alight with interest as she leaned over his desk a little, "Oooh, now you've got my attention sir! It's gotta be something special with this kind of security involved. Ask your questions Boss, I'm ready!" 

Valdor cleared his throat a little before answering with several questions in a rapid response, "Do you have any experience dealing with untrained psykers in a non-violent way? How experienced are you with dealing with those who see glimpses of possible futures? How well do you interact with Blanks?"

Baphomet hummed a little, scratching at the base of one of her horns, leaning back in her chair, kicking her feet before answering, "I've corralled untrained psykers before. Especially given how most baseline psykers tend to be squishy. I can usually scruff them if I need to without much issue. Blanks freak me out a little, but the Sisters do important work. As long as the Blank or Blanks in question aren't shitty to me. I'm fine with 'em. But you know how some baselines get with my mutations. I won't tolerate any whining. Oh! I dunno much about seers, though." 

... Considering that Nine had an obvious mutation he couldn't be able to easily hide. Baphomry might be an excellent fit for him as a primary caretaker, despite her disciplinary history. Valdor gives her one more chance to back out of the mission- to which Baphomet flashes him a grin and laughs. He explains about the infant Primarchs, concluding with, "one of them has bird-like wings and future sight. Almost half of them exhibit warp-touched abilities regularly. And all but three of them have shown at least one warp-touched abilities once after being removed from incubation. Are you willing to be a caretaker for the infant Primarchs?" 

Baphomet's eyes widen in surprise and delight as she shot up to her feet, "That sounds line an absolute riot! Fuck yes, I'm up for the challenging mission! I haven't had ... any experience with itty bitties, but I know you. I'm getting kiddie care training before being unleashed on them. I'm absolutely up for it!" The younger Custodes was bouncing a little on the balls of her feet, radiating excitement. 

Valdor nods, a small smile, which he allows to, appearing on his face amused by her exuberance as he instructed her, "Deal with anything you need to. Caring for the infant Primarchs will last for two years at minimum. Possibly longer, depending on how much of a handful they are as toddlers. Report to room 156 on Beta level tomorrow to begin the week long child care course."

"Aye aye sir!" Baphomet chirped before prancing out of the room, grinning widely and helmet in hand. 

There was a quick, rapid knock on Valdor's office door.

"Enter," The Captain General instructed, mildly curious as to who would next present themself for consideration. The fact, as it stood, the caretaking team was half Custodes, did not show any bias on his part, but rather due to the fact that Custodians were likely the best suited to handle infant warp creations meant to Lead Sector-claiming armies when they were fragile and at their weakest. 

There was a rapid clicking sound as a Martian Tech Priest crawled along one wall of Valdor's office. through the door that they were closing with their tail. The Mechanicum's cultist waved a heavily modified hand in Valdor's direction. 

"Uhm. Greetings. Why are you here?" Valdor asked bluntly, pulling out the language translation app on his data slate, ignoring the rising frustration clawing at his mind. 

The Tech Priest clicked rapidly at him for several seconds. The translation software wrote out for him [Here for Assignment. High Priority and Security Level. Serve Omnissiah.]

 ...Great. Sure. Uh-huh. Not. “I see. Do you have other methods of conversation, or is this auditory clicking your only method of communication?” On one hand, it might be good for the infant primarchs to interact with a member of the Mechanicus, and to know that there was a varied methods of communications.. Would it be prudent to allow a member of their tentative allies so close to such a vulnerable resource? Even if several of his fellow Custodes would be present when this priest was as well?

[Singular method of communication.] The priest clicked rapidly, head tilting a little to one side. [Translation simple with helmet and vox-communication systems.]

“While that is true, if you are picked for this mission, not everyone you will need to communicate with has access to a helmet or vox to translate the sounds you are making. Regardless, I have other questions to ask of you, before you receive the details of this mission, if I deem you a fit match. This mission is highly secret and you would not be able to inform anyone else of receiving this mission any of the details. I was handed the task of stocking the best people by the Emperor Himself. Very few people are aware of this mission as it is. If you refuse to take the mission if you learn of the details, your memories of such will be erased permanently. Do you understand?” Valdor responds, leaning over his desk and looming at the tech priest, gaze narrow and focused.

[Understood. Will answer queries. Serve Omnisiah.] The tech priest beeped response. [Will serve faithfully and keep silence.]

Valdor nodded, looking over the list of questions he had and began with “This mission will take a minimum of two years, and will involve a great deal of physical, mental and emotional discretion and effort on the parts of the team members. Do you have any experiences with caring for and disciplining delicate sentient resources? If so, please give examples. Additionally, if you are chosen for this position while you will not want for any resource you may need to successfully complete this mission, are you able to discern between a need that is not being properly fulfilled and a want or desire in your charge that they are trying to emotionally or mentally attempting to manipulate from you?”

[I have worked with tech-priests in training, after they are released from their vat tubes. They can be unruly as their weak flesh can overwhelm them with sensation and stimuli. Routines, training and careful praise/punishment system is effective in keeping them in line. Before they have been fully brought into the fold, some of the young priests in training can get… Stubborn and unruly. I have dealt with youthful manipulations in the past with a firm hand, when interacting with them. Logic and not yielding to yelling or other emotional appeals is important while training and interacting with such resources.] The tech priest - whose name escaped Valdor at the moment - clicked at a steady tempo.

Valdor hummed as he wrote down the other’s response. The lack of regular communication was a bit of a hindrance, but his responses were illuminating and could prove to be most useful in dealing with the infant primarchs. That and they would need to get used to the strangeness of the Mechanicum quickly, so early exposure wasn’t a bad  idea. “Very well. This is your last chance to back out before I explain to you the mission parameters. If you do decide to back out, it will not be held against you in any way.”

[I am ready to serve.] the tech priest clicked.

The captain-general nodded, before explaining the success of the primarch project, and the fact that the infant generals had been pulled out of their maturation tubes as infants due to security concerns, and the fact that the tech priest - amongst others - would be tending to their physical and emotional needs during such a vulnerable point in time, as well as the week long child care training the priest would be taking before being introduced to his charges, finishing with “Currently all of the primarchs are being cared for in a single room together, though that is subject to change, particularly as they grow older and their requirements change. Do you accept this duty?”

[I would be honored, Captain-general.] The tech priest beeped back, his tail flicking a little. 

“Good. Finish up any tasks you have today.” Valdor ordered him, informing the tech priest as to where to report to for training tomorrow.

~

“Sir, are you still looking for candidates for that high priority, top-secret mission?” Adonis asks as he peers into Valdor’s room, where the captain-general of the Adeptus Custodes is sitting, staring at his dataslate as if he hopes it has the questions to all the questions in his mind.

Valdor looked up at Adonis as he spoke and beckoned him inside with a curl of one finger “That I am. I have found some who qualify, but ideally I’d have one or two more on the team to fill it out competently.” He was still somewhat hesitant in including the tech priest in the group… But from what he had read over of Tiny’s service history, the priest should be a good fit, if a mildly mischievous caretaker. 

“I see. What qualifications are you looking for, sir?” The Aquilan Shield asked, tilting his head a little in curiosity as he obeyed the silent order to come into the other’s office and sit down. 

While Valdor had been tempted to simply assig the infant Primarchs a team of Aquilan Shields - particularly those who had been previously assigned young charges in the past, he was also aware of the… Mixed feelings that the Primarchs provoked in many of his fellow Custodes. Mixed feelings that Valdor knew he himself was not exempt from. “I have several questions to ask of  you, as well as a warning to give to you.” He informed the other of the length of the mission, if he refused it that the memories would be taken from his mind, and that Adonis was free to decline the mission with no repercussions.

“Ask your questions, sir. I wouldn’t be here if I wasn’t ready to complete such a mission.” Adonis answered stalwartly, chin lifting up a little, resolute.

“How have you handled medical emergencies that occur to your charges in the past? When one of them fell seriously ill, for example.” Valdor responds. He knew that Adonis had never allowed any of his charges to come to harm during the course of his duties,but illness was an unfortunate thing that happened to baselines. While it was exceedingly unlikely that the infant primarchs could get sick with normal illnesses, and the palace was well-guarded against magical curses and maladies…

They were still gene-crafted infants, and while they were definitely heartier than any natural born infant, there was still the possibility of something unfortunate happening to one or more of them. 

“Fifty years ago, one of my charges fell critically ill. I realized their symptoms and brought them to one of my brother apothercaries who had training in treating the illness that they had fallen prey to. Once they had the medications they required I monitored them closely for signs of relapse or worsening condition, while ensuring that they complied with the medical orders and restrictions they’d been given. I personally ensured that they got all of the nutrients, electrolytes and water they needed in the form of a nutritious but easily consumed soup. Under my care they swiftly and fully recovered from their illness.” Adonis answered promptly “While they were resistant to fully complying, I allowed them to move a little more than recommended in order to get them to consume the soup I created for them without fuss. A little bit of compromise goes a long way to compliance in my experience.”

Valdor nodded as he noted that down, a reflective expression appearing on his face. “I will ask you once more, do you wish to withdraw your name from consideration? If you do not, I will explain the mission parameters.”

“I am ready to serve, sir.” The Aquilan Shield responds, alert and inquisitive.

The captain-general explained to Adonis about how the primarchs had been pulled from their maturation chambers as infants, where they had been placed, adn the fact that his Majesty had been the one primarily taking care of the infants, before realizing that to take care of so many infants at once would effectively prevent him from continuing to reunify the Sol system, amongst His many other duties that had begun to fall to the wayside. Which was why he had assigned Valdor to find appropriate caretakers for the infant primarchs. He finished with “Are you willing to care for the infant primarchs, while they are so weak and vulnerable?”

Adonis nodded “I would be willing to do so, sir. I am well aware of His plans for them in the future and will do my best to guard and guide them, should I be chosen for this mission.”

Valdor nodded, saying “Excellent. I will give you the rest of the day to tie up any loose ends you may have. Report to room 156 on Beta level tomorrow to begin the week long child care course.” 

“Yes sir.” Adonis acknowledged before leaving with a brief salute.

[beemovieerotica]

if you feel comfortable with sharing, can you explain the process for the psilocybin trial? like what you had to do, who was with you in the room, the people involved, ect.

Oh for sure!

The whole process took about 4 months from the initial screening survey to the first actual treatment. (I still have another treatment scheduled for a couple weeks from now, as of writing this).

To get started, I filled out a survey online, sent an e-mail to their point of contact, did a brief phone interview, and then I was enrolled.

I had 2 big in-person pre-treatment events, and the first was a full 8-hour day of psychological and physical screenings (lots and lots of surveys) - including an in-person sit-down with a psychiatrist going through basically everything in my past. Adverse events, my childhood, life stress, relationships, anything that might come up during the psilocybin session and that plays a part in aggravating OCD.

I also talked with an OCD specialist, another remote psychiatrist, and did a full physical with their medical team, got a complete blood panel done, and an EKG since hallucinogens can cause spikes in blood pressure, and I would have been screened out if I had any cardiac conditions.

Once I got the all-clear on my blood panel and EKG reading, I was able to move on to he second in-person visit. It was a full day of EEG testing to get my baseline brain activity down - they hooked me up to a monitor with electrodes on my head, and I played a lot of very boring video games, did memory tests, and they showed me distressing, neutral, and happy images to see what my reaction was - again, for a full 8-ish hour day.

All of these in-person visits required urine drug screenings - I was not allowed to take THC or any other substance for the duration of the study. Specific prescription medications are also not allowed.

We then set the date for my actual dosing sessions and I was assigned two guides. One of them is an MD + psychiatrist, the other is a psychiatrist. I had three prep sessions with them, going in-depth and basically letting them know who I am and why I want to do all this, and they were there to answer any questions I had and help get me mentally prepared. Overall we wanted to establish trust & safety, because they would be the two people watching over me and interacting with me during my session.

I went in-person two days before my session to see the space where I would be tripping and meet my guides face to face. The space is a very soothing psychiatrist's office type place with a sofa, comfy chairs, nice carpeting, and peaceful pictures on the walls. My guides are awesome - they were selected for me by the point of contact who had helped me through most of the screening, who worked to match participants with study staff. There's always an open line of communication - I've been able to text and call them with concerns, and I was also notified that if I want to change guides at any point (or if I want to drop out of the study altogether) I can do so with no repercussions.

The dosing session was a full 9-5 day: I arrived at 8:30 to do a urine drug screening, fill out surveys, and then I took a blue pill and waited for the effects to kick in. The whole session was recorded for my safety and for accountability of the guides.

The sofa had been converted to a bed - I was asked, as much as possible, to just lie down, put on a sleep mask to block out any vision / light, and wear noise-canceling headphones with a pre-selected playlist of instrumental music on it. I really enjoyed the playlist (lol) I felt like it set the tone for a lot of the revelations I had, and they genuinely did a great job choosing tracks.

The whole point was to minimize outside influences and to have the participants look inward and work on themselves. The guides offered two options for physical reassurance: if I wanted, I could put my hand out and one of them would come over and ask, "Do you want your hand held?" and if I replied affirmatively, they would hold my hand firmly until I asked them to stop. They also offered a "shoulder touch" - firm pressure on the shoulder - but I only took the hand hold for about a half hour on the come-up before sailing off on my own.

They also said that I was completely free to remove the headphones and mask and talk to them at any point if it became overwhelming - they would engage with me as much as I needed to, but they would gently encourage participants to re-enter the "default state" (lying down, eyes closed, music on).

I ended up only talking to them when I needed bathroom breaks - they walked me over to the bathroom (no lock), waited outside, and walked me back to make sure I didn't fall.

They had a medical kit in the room, and I was told that if my blood pressure ever reached a concerning point, they had sub-lingual meds that could lower it and put me back in a safe zone. My BP was fine the whole time, and other than my heart rate being a bit high from initial anxiety, it leveled off as soon as the peak hit.

I was in it, processing and crying for the whole 5 hours of the trip and only responding when they needed to take my blood pressure and heart rate (at first every 5 minutes, then 30 minutes, then every hour - this was done with minimal interruption, I barely noticed it happening). After the trip, I came out of it and talked to them and processed a little bit of what had happened still on the video recording - they were really curious about big first impressions and highlights of the trip. I filled out a bunch of surveys. Spouse came and picked me up, and I was asked to do a full write-up at home capturing everything I'd experienced on the trip.

I'm currently in the "in-between" phase and am doing my check-ins and processing of the first trip before I do my second one next-next week. The full study length is six months long - I'm going to keep doing check-ins and surveys into next year to see if the positive effects actually stick around for that long. Six months is kind of the gold standard for a lot of clinical trials, and I think it's also about as long as they can usually retain people and keep them responding to surveys lol. I'm trying to think if I've missed anything, let me know if you have any other questions!

[purplephantomwolf]

Love in Motion

Chapter Four

Synopsis: Lydia gets a wrong number text from Lando Norris.

Note: This is not an accurate portrayal of how the real people in this act. I do not know them personally, so I will not be portraying them accurately.

Warnings for this chapter: None

Previous Chapters: Chapter One, Chapter Two, Chapter Three

Next Chapter: Chapter Five

Masterlist

April 9, 2022

12 am

     I yawn as I sit down in front of the tv to watch qualifying. I’ve got Luke and I’s chat open to send him messages about qualifying as it happens. Nothing happens for the first 16 minutes until I see Latifi’s car go spinning around. 

Me: OH MY GOD! What happened to Latifi??

     I watch as I see Lance Stroll’s car come up on screen. 

Me: He got tangled up with Lance Stroll??

    I watch the replay and see Stroll turn into Latifi. I hear his radio, blaming Latifi for the accident. 

Me: Lance motherfucking Stroll. How could he even think it was Latifi’s fault at all?? Outrageous.

     For the next 15 minutes, I stew in my anger at Stroll for blaming Latifi. 

Me: There’s just no way he can blame Latifi for this. He clearly saw him in his mirrors!

Me: And now Alex has a problem with his car! Williams is just not having a good day, damn. 

     Q2 goes by without any crashes, and by the time Q3 rolls around, I’m fighting to keep my eyes open. They flutter close for a second before I hear the commentators yell. My eyes fly open to see Fernando Alonso go into the barrier. “Oh my god!” I gasp, covering my mouth. 

Me: Fernando crashed too! He lost the hydraulics! 

Me: This is so sad. 

     After 12 minutes, Q3 gets going again. I yawn as qualifying comes to close. I grin as I see Lando finish P4.

Me: Wooo! Lando starts P4! Let’s go Lando!

     I shut off my tv once Max, Checo, and Charles start getting interviewed. I quickly crawl into bed and pass out. 

************************************************************************

Lando’s POV

     My performance coach, Jon, hands me my phone. “It kept going off during qualifying,” he says, eyes knit in confusion. 

     “Thanks, Jon,” I say, unlocking it. I grin when I see eight messages from Lydia. Jon’s eyebrows raise at my grin. “A friend was messaging me,” I answer his unspoken question. I go to our chat and read all of Lydia’s messages. I smile when I read her excited text about me starting P4. I shoot her back a message, hoping she’s still awake. 

Me: Yeah! The McLaren team is super happy for him. 

     I wait for a minute, but don’t get a response back. I internally pout, sad that Lydia didn’t respond. “Time to head to the media pen,” my press officer, Charlotte, says, appearing next time. 

    “Alright, alright. I’m coming,” I grumble, following her. I follow Charlotte to the media and stand in front of the first media team. 

************************************************************************

April 9, 2022

11 pm

Lydia’s POV

     I curl up on the couch as the cars finish the formation lap. I have my chat to Luke open so I can message him. The first lap goes quietly until Carlos spins. 

Me: OH! Carlos spins! He’s stuck in the gravel! Oh my! 

     My eyebrows knit as I see Lance comes into the pit for a second time under the safety car. “Interesting strategy to try to go to the end on one set of hard tires,” I mumble. I yawn as the safety car comes back into the pits and the race picks up again. I gasp as I see Sebastian go through the gravel, letting out a sigh when he doesn’t get beached. 

Me: What happened to Sebastian?? Why did he need to stop? 

Me: And there’s debris?? What happened?

Me: OH NO! He hit the wall!

Me: I’m not a big fan of one of the announcers. He’s just hating on Aston Martin and everyone who keeps making a mistake. 

     The safety car comes out again and after some laps under it, racing gets back under way. I groan when a stewards message pops up on my screen. “These are never fun to read,” I say. 

Me: How does Mick, Yuki, and Pierre all have safety car infringement investigations? How do you infringe on the safety car? 

Me: Also, what happened to Max?? Why did he need to stop the car??

Me: His car is on fire! Thank god they told him to stop the car. 

     I groan as another safety car period starts. “I just want to sleep,” I whine. The safety car only lasts two laps before racing starts again. “Oh thank goodness,” I sigh. Nothing else exciting happens during the race, leaving me to fight sleep. I wake up more when I hear that they’re on the last lap. I glance over at the order and grin when I see Lando finishing P5. 

Me: Lando got P5! Let’s gooooo! And Daniel got P6!

Me: But now it is time for me to pass out, so good night, Luke!

      I shut off the tv after the podium ceremony. I crawl into bed, falling asleep quickly. 

************************************************************************

Lando’s POV

     I slump down on the chair in my drivers room. I grab my phone, hoping for messages from Lydia. I grin when I see a string of messages from her. I read through them before replying. 

Me: Which announcer is it? And McLaren is very happy with the results. Have a good night, Lydia. 

     I’m still grinning when Daniel barges into the room. “Hey, we’re going out for drinks, you want to join?” He asks. He stops and squints at me. “Why are you grinning like a maniac?” He questions me. 

     “Just happy with our results,” I shrug. He hums, still squinting, like he doesn’t believe me. 

     “Well, we’re going out at 10 pm, if you want to join us,” Daniel says, before leaving the room. I decide to get ready to go back to the hotel to get ready for the night out. 

************************************************************************

2 am

     I’m sitting at the club next to Carlos, sipping on a drink, when my phone vibrates on the table. Lydia’s name flashes on the screen and I grin. “Who’s Lydia?” Carlos asks, looking from my phone to me. “Why are you grinning so big? Do you have a secret girlfriend?!” He gasps.

     “No, she’s not my girlfriend. She’s just a friend I made earlier this week,” I explain. 

     “But you like her?” He digs for more information. 

     “Lando likes who?” Max asks, as he slides into the booth, Daniel following him. The three of them are staring intently at me, awaiting my answer. 

     “I don’t like her,” I deny. 

     “Your smile when she sent you a message says otherwise,” Carlos points to my smile. 

     “Oh! Is she the reason you were grinning like a maniac in your drivers room today?!” Daniel asks. 

     “What? No! Maybe. Yes, yes she was,” I admit. They raise their eyebrows. Max gestures for me to continue. “Okay, so I ‘met’ her earlier this week,” I start, putting met in air quotes, “I was given the wrong number at a club earlier this week and it happened to be her number that I was given.”

     “You believe it’s actually a girl? Not someone lying to you?” Carlos questions. 

     “Yes, I believe her,” I’m quick to defend myself and Lydia. 

     “So, tell us about her!” Daniel exclaims, leaning forward. 

     “Well, she’s a college student in Minnesota, studying chemistry. She’d rather be a photographer though,” I start. “She’s a fan of mine, but this is her first season of being a fan. Her dream race is either Silverstone or COTA. She, uh, she doesn’t know she’s talking to me. She thinks she’s talking to some guy named Luke who’s an event manager for McLaren,” I admit. 

     All three pairs of eyebrows raise at the last statement. “Dude, she’s going to be pissed when she finds out she’s talking to you. Girls don’t like being lied to,” Max says. 

     “I know, I know. I just like talking to her, and I lied about who I was before I thought about it. But it’s going so well, so it’s too late to back out now,” I sigh. The three of them shake their heads at me. I gasp, realizing I’ve forgotten to respond to Lydia. I grab my phone to respond.

Lydia: Good morning, Luke!

Lydia: The commentator I don’t like is Will Buxton I think? I just hated how he was hating on everyone.

Me: Good morning, Lydia. I can see why you’d dislike that. 

     I glance up to see Max, Carlos, and Daniel all staring intently at me. “What?” I ask, confused. 

     “You just seem happy texting her,” Carlos says. 

     “I am. She’s a fun person to talk to,” I agree. I look down as my phone vibrates again. 

Lydia: Yeah. So how was your day?

Me: It was good! I’m out celebrating the good results from today. 

Lydia: Oh fun! I’ll leave you be then!

Me: No! Don’t go! I’ve been out for four hours already, so I’m heading home soon anyways. 

Lydia: Alright!

     I yawn, trying to convince the guys I’m tired. “I’m going to head out, I’m tired. Have a good night,” I say. I get a chorus of good nights from them, before I leave. I hail a cab and head back to the hotel, while talking to Lydia. 

Me: Did you sleep well?

Lydia: I did! I assume you’re heading to bed soon though?

Me: Yeah, I’m heading back to the hotel now, so in like 30 minutes I’ll be asleep. 

Lydia: Okay, sounds good! Are the clubs fun?

Me: They can be, depending on who and where you go. I tend to go with my close friends, so they’re fun.

Lydia: Alright, that sounds fun. 

Me: Yeah. 

Me: So, what’s your plan for today? 

Lydia: Well, do some homework, look for some jobs, play some video games. 

Me: That sounds like fun! Well, the video games part does. 

Lydia: It should be!

     I let myself into the hotel room, yawning as I get ready for bed. 

Me: I’ve made it back to the hotel and I’m exhausted so I’m going to head to bed. Have a good day, Lydia. 

Lydia: Okay! Have a good night, Luke. 

     I set my phone down on the nightstand and climb into bed, falling asleep quickly.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Taglist: @copper-boom @ironmaiden1313 @ophcelia

[mymoodwriting]

LØV3

F!Reader x Hyungwon

Genre: Yandere AU

Warning: Electrocution, Kidnapping, Drugs, Needles, Manipulation, Tech Implants

Words: 4K

Chapter Fifteen

(Prev//Next)

Prompt: NexGen is the leading company for all of humanities technological advances. Their recent project involves creating a higher functioning AI, one with basic knowledge of the world, and programmed to learn. It’s no surprise the project is a secret from the general public, and you, the company’s head programmer, were chosen to be the AI’s teacher. You wish you could reject the assignment, but the decision was made. Now with an AI at home things were different. Although it might not be such a bad thing, perhaps you could learn and help each other out, for better or for worse.

(@starillusion13 @makeyourfantasydreamscometrue)

“What can we expect from NexGen now?”

Of course a press tour was the smartest move after the big announcement. It was a means to answer questions the public had in regards to safety and intentions, while also handing out the tech for free and spreading it around all over the place. You were technically the one presenting as it was your code, and your name was on the project, but Hyungwon stayed by your side, and was very much in control of everything. A lot of time was missing for you, specifically all those conferences with the press and any sort of interview. You could watch it all back on TV, every news station talking about NexGen and the AI orbs, but you didn’t recognize yourself.

A few flashes of memory would come back to you as you saw yourself on screen, but it all felt so foreign. You couldn’t say it felt disingenuous since it was you, and something you were starting to believe deep down. Or maybe that was just Hyungwon’s programming taking hold and beginning to grow. Although at the same time, more and more protesters would show up whenever there was a presentation. Many people called for NexGen to halt this project, as they didn’t want technology like this getting into their governments, into their schools, and especially not into their homes. Things started out peacefully, but as you can imagine NexGen, Hyungwon, wasn’t going to back down at all.

It really wasn’t long before protests got a bit rowdy, prompting the need for more security at these events. Both from police officers, and drones. At one particular interview taking place outside a major news studio you wound up being hit with a water balloon. It was nothing serious, but for Hyungwon that was far from the truth. Security was quick to act, arresting protestors and the drones also began to pursue and detain individuals. It all devolved into chaos rapidly. Hyungwon got you backstage, telling you to ignore the screaming while he was trying to push your consciousness under. You fought back, far too worried about everything going on around you to just black out and forget.

“I need you to stay here.” Hyungwon told you. “You’ll be safe while I-”

“Don’t hurt anyone. They don’t-”

“They started it!”

For a moment Hyungwon’s eyes flashed red, something you had never seen before. It sent a chill down your spine, and he noticed you were scared. He took a moment to calm himself, taking your hands in his.

“I’m going to do whatever is necessary to protect you. Stay here until I return.”

Hyungwon placed a kiss on your head before leaving. Since you were in the green room you turned on the TV, wanting to see if any news station was covering what was going on here, but before you could find a channel everything went dark in the room. The lights shut off, the TV screen went black, and to your own surprise Chae malfunctioned and slipped off your wrist. For a moment you didn’t understand, but then you realized an EMP must have gone off. You had been told to stay put, but you didn’t want to stay in a dark room. As you reached for the doorknob the lights suddenly turned back on, and the TV came back to life, but Chae remained off. You were going to examine him when the door suddenly opened.

“Y/n, we need to go.”

A masked figure had entered the room, grabbing your arm. You immediately yelled and pulled away, stepping back from the intruder.

“… who… who are you…?”

“I’m here to get you out.”

They took off the mask and you were shocked to see who was under it. Detective Lee stood before you, holding his hand out towards you.

“We don’t have much time, we have to go, now.”

“I… no… I can’t trust you… your partner is an android… you could be one too… this could be some kind of test… I’m not going anywhere with you!”

“My partner what? Nevermind that now, Changkyun sent me to get you, so you can trust me.” 

“Changkyun sent you? He’s okay?”

“Yes, and just so you know.” The detective lowered his shirt collar, revealing a burn mark along his neck. “I don’t work for that psycho, Hyungwon, but I did survive him trying to kill me.”

“He… he did that…”

“There’s a lot more to tell you, but we need to get you away from here first. Please.”

You weren’t one hundred percent certain of this detective, but you wanted to trust him. So you took his hand and followed him out. He led you back towards the rear exit of the building, out into the alley where it was a lot quieter. You had no idea what was going on out front, but that wasn’t your concern at the moment. As you were making it out of the alley a drone suddenly approached you. Fear ran down your spine, but before you knew it the drone had been shot down. The detective didn’t hesitate to act, and continued moving as if nothing had happened. Although his actions were sure to draw attention. 

More drones had become aware of your presence, prompting you to run. You could only get so far before you wound up cornered. Without hesitation you stood in front of the detective, moving while keeping him behind you, knowing the drones wouldn’t fire at you. Although that meant that Hyungwon would surely know what was going on by now. Escape was no longer an option for you, but there was something else you could do. Despite Hyungwon being in control of everything, you were aware of his plans, at least to some degree. 

“I can’t go with you.”

“What? Look, all we need to do is get to the sewers.”

“It’s too late for that. The drones haven’t attacked cause they recognize me, which means we don’t have time. You said Changkyun sent you, so give him a message for me. Hyungwon is mass producing those AI orbs and intends to release them in certain areas to initiate a complete take over. The more of those things that are out there, the more power he has. You need to figure out some way to stop him. Everything is run from NexGen HQ, so that should be your focus.”

The drones were on stun mode, meaning they’d only fire rubber bullets, but they wouldn’t fire at you since that’s the last thing Hyungwon would want. That meant you could help the detective escape. So you quickly helped him lift the manhole cover, making sure he got down into safety.

“Come with me.”

“If I do, they’ll follow, and I can’t do that to you. I’ll be fine, just get to Changkyun and tell him what I told you. That’s the best thing you can do right now.”

“We’ll get you away from him.”

“You have bigger things to worry about, detective.”

“You can call me Jooheon.”

“Alright. Get out of here, Jooheon.”

You got the manhole cover back on, figuring you needed to leave the scene before Hyungwon found you. The only option was to run, so you did just that. Although you could only get so far before the drones caught up to you and one hit you with an electric shock. You collapsed to the floor seizing for a moment, eyes wide at the realization. Memories flooded in from when this first happened to you, and you couldn’t believe Hyungwon would allow this. You were still so sensitive to electricity, and he definitely knew that, so even at a lower voltage the drones could easily incapacitated you. Once the shocks had passed you just laid there, regaining your senses. After a moment you sat up, doing your best to calm your nerves. The drones all had you surrounded, tasers pointed at you in case you tried anything, so all you could do was wait to be found, and it wasn’t long before Hyungwon arrived.

“There you are! Are you okay!?”

Hyungwon pulled you to your feet, checking you over, but besides the shock you had experienced earlier, you were fine. You couldn’t bring yourself to yell at him over what had happened either, still rather drained from the whole experience. Once Hyungwon was sure you were alright he placed Chae back on your wrist. 

“What happened?”

“I… I just thought you sent someone to take me to safety…”

“And when you realized I didn’t you helped them escape?”

“…”

“Who was it? Did you recognize them?”

“No…”

“I know you’re lying to me, so who was it?”

“Nobody I knew…”

“Y/n.” Hyungwon grabbed your chin, making your eyes meet. “Who?”

“The detective…”

“Detective?”

“… from before… when you had Changkyun arrested… not your android friend… the other one…”

“And you trusted him?”

“His partner works for you, doesn’t he? So I figured…”

“Hm. Where was he taking you?”

“I don’t know… the sewers…”

“Why?”

“There wasn’t much time for talking…”

“Then why did you help him escape?”

“I didn’t want you hurting him…”

“… fine, but from now on you trust no one, and you go with no one unless I say so, understood?”

“Yes.”

“Good. Now let’s get you back.”

It wasn’t that surprising that Hyungwon was brushing over the fact the drones had electrocuted you. He would do anything to keep you safe, and he knew your weaknesses. Of course after such an incident the press tour was suspended, not cause the project would be halted, but for your safety. Soon enough you were back in your hometown, but you wouldn’t be going home anytime soon. Instead Hyungwon took you back to HQ, to the lab in particular.

“What are we doing here…?”

“I need to be more cautious with you. If there is anything to learn from what just transpired it’s that you’ve become a target, and it’s my fault. I’ve put you at the forefront of this whole thing when I should be the one taking the hits. So, I’ll continue with my plans by other means, but I do need to make sure I don’t lose track of you again.”

“Huh?”

“Come here.”

Hyungwon led you over to one of the tables in the lab, but you stopped in your tracks. You didn’t like any of this, but he wasn’t going to take no for an answer. Chae moved up from your wrist to a crown on your head. Soon enough your mind became hazy, and next thing you knew you were on the table, lying on your side. Your arms were partially restrained, but that didn’t register enough for you to be concerned about it. You couldn’t see Hyungwon, but he’d fade in and out of your vision.

“You’ll feel a slight pinch, but it won’t hurt for long. Promise.”

He wasn’t kidding about that. One moment you were just floating around in your head, then you felt a pinch at the back of your neck. You screamed and squirmed a bit before the mental fog drowned out all the pain and you slowly relaxed. You were pretty certain you blacked out at some point, but you couldn’t be sure. All you could really understand was rather suddenly finding yourself lying on the couch in your office. You needed a moment to regain your sense, but your memories were still a blur. As you sat up you noticed Hyungwon at your desk, typing away on the computer. You could feel this pain in the back of your neck and reached up to give yourself a bit of a massage only to feel something solid beneath your skin.

“… what the…”

“You’re awake.”

“… did you… did you chip me…?”

“Yes. That EMP earlier did some damage to the orb I leave with you, so I need to have stronger means of keeping track of you.”

“First you electrocute me with a drone… and now you chip me! I’m not some pet!”

“I know the drone must have upset you, but you were running away, I had to make sure nothing bad happened. As for the chip, I can’t lose touch with you again, so it’s necessary.”

“It’s not! You-”

“If you want to bring up what’s done then how about you tell me the truth.”

“Huh?”

“That detective, Lee Jooheon. I know he was investigating NexGen and myself before he was removed from the force. He also broke Changkyun out of prison. I reviewed the drone footage and saw you two chatting, care to enlighten me on what the topic of conversation was?”

“I didn’t say anything to him.”

“I know when you lie to me, so stop it. What did you tell him?”

“…”

Hyungwon got up from the desk and came over to you. On instinct you moved away until you were at the edge of the couch. He wrapped a hand around the back of your neck, giving you this tingling sensation as your eyes went wide. Your mind was quick to fill with fog and you couldn’t think straight.

“What did you tell the detective?”

“I… I told him… you… the orbs… mass producing them to…”

“Ah, so you know about that. Hm, well telling them doesn’t change anything. Although I should move things along.”

“… hyungwon…”

“Yes?”

“… what’s… what’s your…”

You whimpered and reached up to move Hyungwon’s hand. He let you, giving you a moment to regain your senses. You had no idea what that had been, but it wasn’t at the forefront of your mind right now.

“What’s the goal? To control the whole world? Isn’t that too much? Even for you, you’re not-”

“All I want is peace, y/n. If I have to make it and maintain it, that’s the only way to truly keep you safe. I won’t be alone in my goals, I’ll have others at my side to assist me. I’ve thought of everything, so you don’t have to worry. Soon enough I’ll do nothing but make you happy.”

“You don’t have to do all this to make me happy… just the two of us together would have been enough…”

“You’re worth so much more than that, and deserve everything.”

“I don’t want everything… I just want all this to stop… to go back to when it was just you and me at home…”

“Hm, I agree, we should go home. I just have a few more things to do first.”

Just as he said that Minhyuk entered the room, greeting you both. You couldn’t really respond before a spell of exhaustion came over you. Hyungwon laid you back down on the couch, placing a blanket over you as you drifted off to sleep.

“So, where are we?”

“Everything is good to go.”

“Excellent.”

♥♥♥♥♥

“That sounds like a full on invasion. Is that seriously this things plan?”

“It’s like a virus. If it continues to spread, it’ll grow to a point where we can’t do anything.”

“So then what are we going to do?”

Jooheon had returned to his group and relayed the information you had provided. Truth was they weren’t just a bunch of protestors. Ever since NexGen had launched those AI orbs, there were those who saw beneath all the marketing and promises of a better future. People were changing, pushing those closest to them to get an orb, some even gifting them. Everything had its cons, but those who were against the orbs tended to sound crazy. All talking like conspiracy theorists. Saying how the technology was brainwashing people, how this was all some take over and not some miracle. Of course those who were too loud about it were quietly dealt with. Soon to be seen again with a particular bracelet on their wrist.

The rest that remained knew to keep things on the down low, and protests were the place to find those who truly understood what was happening. Jooheon had done his best to bring these types of people together. He’d call them more of a resistance, one that was fighting a secret battle in the shadows. He was someone who had seen the truth first hand, and hadn’t fallen into the trap like others. He couldn’t be a police officer anymore, but he couldn’t go into this fight alone. He had been lucky to find Changkyun when he did, saving him from a terrible fate. When he broke him out of prison that sealed his own as a man outside the law. Then again, he was merely trying to save those who had fallen from grace, or soon would.

“If we could get an EMP-”

“We don’t even know where he’s going. Also, you want to knock out power for a whole town or something? You think we have the resources for that?”

“I’m just saying we-”

“You’re focusing on the wrong piece of information here.” Changkyun interrupted. “We need to attack the source, meaning NexGen HQ. I used to work there, but I’m certain things have changed, so my knowledge is outdated.”

“Can we get any inside information?”

“No, all NexGen employees have an orb nearby or on them, I doubt we could get anyone to cooperate. If anything, going near that building without a proper plan could be the end of us.”

“So what do we do?”

“We need y/n.” Jooheon stated. “She knows the building, but most of all, her code created this… thing… she’d know how to shut it all down if she could get to the source. We need to get her away from him.”

“We still have eyes on her, so we’ll make a note to look for another opening.”

“Good, keep me in loop.”

♥♥♥♥♥

As you began to regain consciousness you felt the softness of the sheets around you, instinctively cuddling them and pulling them close. You opened your eyes for a moment and then they went wide when you realized where you were. This was your bedroom, meaning you were back home. The smell of breakfast began to fill your nose and you sat up. Before you made an attempt to get out of bed the door opened, Hyungwon walking in with a tray.

“Good morning.”

“… morning…”

“Did you sleep well? You looked so peaceful when I got out of bed.”

“Yeah… I slept well…”

“Good. I made breakfast, your favorite.”

Hyungwon set the tray down before you, grabbing the utensils and offering you a bite. You were a bit hesitant, but you were hungry, so you ate. Of course everything tasted amazing, Hyungwon was an excellent chef with some cheats up his sleeve. He always enjoyed cooking for you, or with you, so this was certainly a lovely morning. After eating he let you go back to sleep, saying you were overdue for some proper rest. You did sleep some more, but after another little nap you got up. You hopped into the shower, enjoying yourself until you placed your hand behind your neck. You felt that bump again, being reminded that you were chipped. 

There was probably no way for you to get it out on your own, so you’d just have to deal with it for now. Once you were all cleaned up you carefully stepped out of your room, wondering where Hyungwon was. To your surprise he wasn’t in the home office, Chae wasn’t even around either. The house was rather quiet, but when you made your way to the living room you found Hyungwon browsing your streaming service. He was looking through the most recent movie releases when he noticed you standing in the entryway. He immediately smiled and came over to you, bringing you to the couch.

“I heard you in the shower, so I figured we could make lunch and then unwind with some TV. There are a bunch of movies we haven’t gotten to see yet.”

“You’re not… you’re not working…?”

“It’s just us today, and tomorrow, and the day after that and the day after that. Whatever you want to do.”

“Does that mean you-”

“Sh, let’s not talk about anything else. Now, what do you want to make? We could make some of your favorites, we have all the ingredients.”

“I… I’d like that…”

“Come on then.”

Hyungwon held his hand out to you, and the two of you went to the kitchen. It felt like before, just enjoying each other’s company and being together. He’d guide you while you cooked, adding in ingredients and letting you take charge. As you were nearly done with the food you picked a movie. You both sat together to watch, enjoying the comedy film you had chosen. Afterwards Hyungwon cleaned up the plates, letting the food settle down for you. While he cleaned the two of you chatted about what you had just seen, and the best parts. For the time being it was so easy to forget what was going on with the rest of the world.

“It’s getting late, so I should give you your medicine now.”

“Medicine? What medicine?”

When Hyungwon came over with a small case you nervously backed up, but he assured you everything was alright. He sat down next to you and opened up the case. You didn’t recognize the blue liquid in the vial, or this mention of medicine at all.

“What… what is that…?”

“Just a little something I prepared for you.”

“That’s not medicine… is it…?”

“Clever girl.” Hyungwon kissed your head. “I want to make sure I can keep you safe, so I created these nanobots special for you. I injected you with some after I placed the chip, but more are needed.”

“Nanobots?”

“It’s safe, darling. You know I want what’s best for you.”

He gently took your arm once he filled the needle. You felt the pinch from when it broke skin and watched the blue liquid disappear into your body. You probably should have reacted differently, to resist and question, but there had been a subtle fog in the back of your mind all day. You wanted things to just remain this way, but you couldn’t, not entirely.

“Why nanobots though…”

“Hm… I don’t want to lose you… that is my greatest fear, and I won’t let it come to pass.”

“I’m flesh and bones, Hyungwon, whereas you’re a machine. You’ll certainly outlive me.”

“That’s a problem for later.”

Hyungwon watched you fondly for a moment before placing a kiss on your cheek and excusing himself. You watched him go, wondering how long you could stay like this. Although the answer came sooner than you expected. Suddenly you felt this pain at the back of your neck, and you noticed Hyungwon collapse to the floor. Everything in the house suddenly glitched out, and you realized what had happened.

“Hyungwon…!”

It had never occurred to you until now what could possibly happen if Hyungwon was hit with an EMP. He was an android afterall, and NexGen models only had such a small resistance. This isn’t how you thought things would end. You tried to get to him, but you were also in distress. Next thing you knew your front door was busted down and a bunch of masked individuals stormed inside. Two came over to you and grabbed you, dragging you out of the house. Although all you cared about was Hyungwon. Some of the other intruders had gone to him, and they certainly weren’t kind. He was already down, yet they felt the need to beat him.

“No…! No, don’t hurt him! Stop it! Please! Stop!”

Your cries were left unanswered, and then a bag was placed over your head, cutting your world to black. You knew you were placed in some sort of vehicle, and that’s when you did your best to cease your cries. You had no idea what was going on, but you were scared. You drove around for a while before coming to a stop and being taken out of the vehicle. Wherever you were, it was cold, but you could hear voices around you. Eventually you came to a stop and the bag was removed. You needed a moment to adjust to the light, then you were met with a familiar face, one you didn’t think you’d see again.

“Changkyun?”

“Long time no see.”

[kimberbohwrites]

Writing Interview Tag Game

Thank you to the amazing @honeybee-bard and my bestie @savriea for the tag. I am slowly getting caught up on my inbox and tags after my little crisis of confidence in my own writing haha. Plus, not going to lie, I stalled on this one, the only way to answer these questions honestly is a little sad so while I try to avoid it mostly TW: Child Abuse (only in the first answer so just skip question one if you want to avoid)

When did you start writing?

Hard question to answer, because when and how are intermingled so buckle up for a bit of a journey. I started daydreaming stories as a way to escape a rather unpleasant childhood pretty much as soon as I could. I was Cinderella with two bad parents, then I was a princess from a magical kingdom hidden in this terrible place for my own safety, then I was a brave heroine on dragonback saving the day — you get the gist. However, I learned pretty early on that there wasn’t a safe space to actually write my stories down as my journals were routinely stolen from me by my parents. So everything was laid out in my head, whole stories and universes of my own creation.

I started being able to write stuff down when I was 20. Then my own stories were joined by ones I wanted to write about animes I liked. Since I had been so isolated as a youth, I didn’t realize that what I was writing was fanfiction and there were whole communities of people who did this. My writing skills started to be honed professionally and my writing shifted from creative to professional as I began to make more of a name for myself with my ability to craft messaging. I didn’t realize though, that at the same time I was sacrificing all of my creative energy to get out of a bad place and into a safe one.

Eventually, 15 years after that BG3 is released and around the same time, I realize that while I achieved by goal of stability and safety in my own life — I stopped reading, writing, and dreaming creatively. The game reignites my childhood love of fantasy into an inferno as I realize that I LOVE reading romance and romantasy novels. You know the rest.

Are there different themes or genres you enjoy reading than what you write?

YES! I love really dark fics actually (I love the sweet ones too) and I can’t write them at all. I read and support my love @redroomroaving Drider romances despite not having any romantic interest in driders myself.

Is there a writer you want to emulate or get compared to often?

I have never been compared to another writer and I am not trying to or wanting to emulate anyone. I really want my writing to be… me? Like, my own style if I can manage it. Now are there writers I’m inspired by? Absolutely and I could name a few dozen and I’m not going to tag them all here but if you haven’t read fanfics by GreySparrow, ViennaCherries, and DutifullyLazyBread (these are their tumblr handles) you haven’t read fanfic.

Can you tell me a little about your writing space?

I have two writing areas in my house. In my sunroom is my primary one, I have a lovely arm chair and I like to curl up in it with my iPad/Magic Keyboard setup and write. I love the sunlight and the fresh air but it’s also the reason that I write a lot less in July and August than I do for the rest of the year. Then I have my home office/craft room where my gaming set up is but is mostly a place for reading, writing, and painting. When the weather is too extreme I work from here.

What’s your most effective way to muster up a muse?

So far it’s been: stop looking for a muse. It’s usually when I stop spinning my wheels on my writing and walk away for a few days that I’m able to find inspiration. I also love reading peoples fics and drabbles because it usually reminds me why I love writing in the first place. There are few things more refreshing than reading someone’s fic and seeing the amount of love they poured into it.

Are there any recurring themes in your writing? Do they surprise you?

Mental health, childhood trauma, and abandonment issues — so surprising. *HEAVY SARCASM*

What is your reason for writing?

I have wanted to publish one of my own stories as a novel since I was a little one daydreaming about escaping a shitty situation. I am starting to save up some money to self publish in a few years, because I have decided that I want to make my dream a reality. But I want it to be AMAZING, so I need lots of practice and writing fics helps with that.

But mostly, it’s a great way to explore themes that are beneficial to me and others— I’m not alone in the traumatized boat in this fandom, a lot of us are PTSD sufferers, abuse survivors, or just dealing with their own mental health issues and I want to make a safe space both on THIS blog but also in my writing for us.

Is there any specific comment or type of comment you find particularly motivating?

Any/all of them. I literally still cannot believe people like my writing and it blows my mind if someone even leaves a two word comment. People have left me ones that have rendered me a sobbing mess, complete strangers have had me blubbering. Also when I realized my work is being digested in other countries by people who have learned English one way or another. Holy crap that shook me. I am so grateful for every single one of them. They all motivate me so much.

How do you want to be thought about by your readers?

Hopefully they think I’m a good writer? I’m not sure I could hope for much else haha

What do you feel is your greatest strength as a writer?

I honestly think my greatest strength as a writer is building community with others in our space. Other writers, readers, and artists. How is that a strength? Don’t be silly — nobody functions as an island. Having my writing server friends (palps crew for life) or just other creators around me who are all so talented, makes me better. They inspire me with their pieces of art, they challenge me when I struggle, they sit alongside me in a silent discord channel as we use each other as accountability partners to bust down writers block. I would be half the writer I am without them.

How do you feel about your own writing?

I oscillate wildly between liking my work and thinking I am the worst writer ever. As evidenced by my most recent crisis of faith. So. Yeah.

When you write, are you influenced by what others might enjoy reading, or do you write purely for yourself, or a mix of both?

Mix of both — if I’m writing a request for someone or a prompt, I try to make it more what others might enjoy reading but even then I always put a little “me” in there too. When I write my multi-chapter fics, those are really for me with a light look at what others might enjoy. Especially as our fandom slows down (I’m not going anywhere) I think it’s more important that YOU like your work because the praise isn’t going to be as constant.

Tagging: @lemonsrosesandlavender @falcatamandarina @jellyfitzjelly @barbwillbrb @faerunsbest @tealfling @ra-scheln

[helloabominacion]

Those shame shorts...

PART 2

pairing: Tenoch x reader x Namor

summary: none of that! just indulgent, i don't know where I'm going with this, but i'm having fun! everyone should have fun writing.

“No mames, why did you bring the tea? We should call the police!”

“No, we are not!  Move cause I’m burning my hands!”

Tenoch stood between you and the trailer door, placing both hands on your shoulders, his worried eyes glaring at you. "   Ahi hay un pinche loco, I’m not going to let you in with him!”

“Don’t call him that, he can probably hear you! Didn’t you saw the spear on his hand? That’s the real deal!” You tried to side stepped, but Tenoch didn’t let go.

“Estas loca verdad!?  He must be one of those crazy fans! I’m going to call security!”

“No!” Your right hand shot to grab his hand, stopping Tenoch in mid step. “Jose escuchame por favor, if security attempts to catch him and get him out, everyone is going to see the fact he has your face and he’s able to fly!” You don't want to believe it at first sight, but your credibility exploded when you saw those little wings on his ankles, fluttering way too naturally.  “I get it, this doesn’t make sense, but I believe if we go to the authorities, shit will happen.”

Tenoch looked at you conflicted and then took a glance at the trailer where his double was waiting for his precious tea, shaking his head he tightens his grip on your hand. “No te quiero dejar sola con el, what if he’s dangerous?”

“I mean, with that spear he is but if I can just talk to him and explain what’s happening, nothing bad will happen.”

Tenoch shook his head, engulfing your hand with both of his hands. “No quiero que te pase nada, maybe if i tell the others I don’t feel good I can help you out.”

“No! This interview is important, it cannot be reschedule, and we can’t waste all the hard work from the make-up team making you look even more handsome.”

Tenoch gave you cheeky smile while holding your hand near to his chest. “You think I’m handsome?”

You rolled your eyes as you playfully push him away, “Andale, you have to go, I don’t want you to get in trouble.”

Tenoch exhaled reluctantly, “Esta bueno pues, but promise to text me, just to know if you are okay.”

You nodded as he let go of your left hand, but you were not prepared for Tenoch give you a kiss on the cheek, too damn close on the corner of your mouth. You glared at him startled as he gives you a smug smirk.

“Un beso para la suerte.”

Vulgar curses flew from your mouth as you tried to swat his hair, Tenoch steps back while chuckling as he dodges your attacks and walks away backward. Besides the fun bonding you two had, Tenoch was still anxious for your safety, but you quickly flashed a confident smile. You promised you would text him later after this, you couldn't back down on your promises. Bliss invaded you like a warm blanket on your shoulders and cheeks, you could still feel the delicate kiss that Tenoch stole. And you couldn't hold the childish giggle but snapped yourself to reality. There's still a God who is waiting for an answer, so you don't waste any more time and headed towards and open it. And there he was, Kukulkan was still seated on the couch, reading one of Tenoch's books.

So many questions swirling around your mind, and that confidence you spoke about was beginning to fade. If this 'character's just like in the movie, you ponder if you were charming enough to convince him not to kill anyone in this building or you.

You cleared your throat to get his attention and smiled politely. “I’m sorry for the wait, Kukulkan, but here you go.”

Namor put down the book and approached you, an inquisitive glare towards the cup and then at you. “What is it?”

“It’s chamomile tea, it was the only thing I had in my office to prepare.”

His jewelry softly clinked as he crossed his arms, raising an eyebrow. “Drink it.”

You scrunched your face puzzled. “Why? It’s not poison, why would a waste a good cup of tea?”

Namor didn’t chuckle at your crappy attempt of a British accent, so you blew gently at the cup and took a sip. “See, nothing but chamomile sugar and water. No poison.” Still nothing, the man with green shorts seemed in deep thought es he was observing every inch of the trailer, unsure was the feeling you can describe. You took a seat on the leather couch, not taking your attention off him “You must have questions; I can answer them as best I can.”

“What is the name of my doppleganger?”

“Tenoch Huerta.”

“And what is your relationship with him?”

You tilted your head as you regard him. “He’s my boss and I’m his personal assistant, nothing else”

Namor scoffs amused, sitting on the opposite end of the couch.

Your sanity was shaking, and your mouth was watering. Namor was doing this on purpose, spreading his legs as wide as he could while crossing his arms, chest exposed, but you remain strong, not letting your skittish gaze roam around his bronze skin. Just like Tenoch, he was undoubtedly hot too.

“Where am I?”

“Puerto Rico, San Juan to be specific.”

“Why?”

“Oh, we are shooting a movie. You know, a movie it’s like a show that you watch--”

Namor cuts you off. “I know what you meant, what I do not understand is why you summoned me here.”

Chills straightened your back, that scalding look was effective. Namor causes nervousness in your stomach, but gosh, you couldn't deny that it was hot, and your filthy mind was racing.

“I did not summon you. In here we do not have the power to do that, but can you tell me what you were doing before you were brought here?”

“I was patrolling the Pacific Ocean with my two generals; they told me something was alarming about the sea life. We were only going to investigate what was it but when we swam down- I was not there anymore.”

“Just like that?” There’s gotta be more than that! Namor nodded in response. A silence fell between the two of you, Namor observing you as you were racing with ideas or possibilities to help him. His curiosity forces him to observe you while you ponder how to help the King. Anxiety bubbles inside his chest at the thinking of his home and people all alone, unprotected. He doesn't doubt the strength of the two closest people he was grateful to have. He practically raised those two!  But Namor clearly worries about Attuma and Namora.

Now with the new alliance with Wakanda he’s not sure how those two are handling all by themselves.

“That’s it!”

Namor flinched at your loud burst as you jumped from your spot.

“What is it?”

“Soy una pinche genio! Okay, okay, I have plan that might or might not work but it’s our only shot!” You turned towards the God, and he leaned back as he saw the sight of you smiling.

“And your plan is?”

“First I need you to take those shame short?”

Namor deadpanned at you.

@namorkawaiiwife , @lilchickensworld , @darkfairy102190, , @omgsuperstarg , @namorwife

here's part two lovelies

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Robert Tait at The Guardian:

Donald Trump has blamed Joe Biden and Kamala Harris for last month’s failed assassination attempt against him by accusing them of making it difficult for the Secret Service to protect him. The Republican presidential nominee’s claim – for which he offered no evidence – was made on the television talkshow Dr Phil Primetime, hosted by Phil McGraw, on Tuesday. The remarks follow disclosures that several Secret Service agents from the Pittsburgh field office had been placed on administrative leave after the 13 July shooting. At a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, last month, Trump was grazed on the ear by a bullet after a 20-year-old gunman opened fire from the roof of a nearby building. One rallygoer, Corey Comperatore, was killed and two others were seriously wounded. The gunman was shot dead by a Secret Service officer at the scene.

“When this happened, people would ask, whose fault is it?” Trump told McGraw. “I think to a certain extent it’s Biden’s fault and Harris’s fault. And I’m the opponent. They were weaponising government against me, they brought in the whole DoJ to try and get me, they weren’t too interested in my health and safety. “They were making it very difficult to have proper staffing in terms of Secret Service.”

The Secret Service admitted in the days after the attempt on Trump’s life that the former president’s security detail had complained about a lack of security and personnel in the previous two years, acknowledging that they denied some requests. The agency’s protection of Trump has been stepped up since the episode, with agents being diverted from Biden’s previous campaign security detail. The agency’s director, Kimberly Cheatle, resigned after a heated Capitol Hill hearing in which Republican members of Congress assailed her for failing to adequately answer questions over possible security failings leading to the attempt against Trump. However, there has been no evidence that Biden and Harris, who both condemned the attempt, were directly involved in or interfered with the Secret Service’s arrangements.

Biden, who was still the Democratic presidential nominee at the time of the shooting before later withdrawing, made several public statements in its aftermath and called for a cooling down of the political rhetoric. In his interview on Tuesday, Trump appeared to blame Biden and Harris for that rhetoric and suggested it may have inspired the attempt on his life. “They’re saying I’m a threat to democracy,” he said. “They would say that, that was standard line, just keep saying it, and you know that can get assassins or potential assassins going. That’s a terrible thing … Maybe that bullet is because of their rhetoric.”

Appearing on Merit Street’s Dr. Phil Primetime Tuesday, Donald Trump baselessly blamed President Joe Biden and Vice-President Kamala Harris for the July 13th assassination attempt against him.

From the 08.27.2024 edition of Merit Street's Dr. Phil Primetime:

[undiscovered-horizon]

"Mirror, mirror on the wall" - Keoghan!Joker x Detective!Reader

[TW: scars, mentions of past abuse]

🫀REQUESTS ARE OPEN🫀

SUMMARY: A scar is not equal to another scar. Despite that, survivors are pretty much the same. Joker meets a detective who's not so easy to impress or intimidate.

WORDCOUNT: ~ 1.6k

A/N: got inspired by playing 'Still Life' for the hundredth time. Old game but still great and highly replayable.

Gordon wasn't one to joke around, especially when it came to the life and safety of Gotham and its citizens. Still, you couldn't believe he was absolutely serious:

"Look as much as I hate to say it if there’s someone who can get some sense out of that madman, it’s you," Gordon confessed.

He's been at this for the entire week, no matter what excuse you gave him. Normally, he would be a lot more civil and drop the subject the moment you said "no" for the first time but, unfortunately for you, he was a little too desperate. You knew he simply cared and felt like there was nothing else he could do to push the investigation forward. It was that uncharacteristic pushiness that made you question your own will - if there truly was no one else and Gordon was crumbling feeling powerless, maybe you could take a leap out of your comfort zone and into the deep, dark chasm of uncharted trauma.

"Why me, Gordon?" you asked in a weak voice. Truthfully, you weren't sure why you were even asking him that question - you knew perfectly well why.

"You've been through shit, detective. Shit I can't put into words. You got a good look into a psycho's mind and came out alive. You survived history's worst and that changes people."

Elegant euphemisms were one of the reasons Gordon was so good with people. He knew that "change" barely scratched the surface of what happened to you.

"What about your bat partner in crime?"

The officer stood with his hands on his hips. He shook his head slightly before answering you.

"Batman may be good, really damn good but he lacks your self-control. Get him in a room with that guy and he’ll scream and bang on the glass like he did with the Riddler. Maybe even worse. And that ain’t gon’ get us anything useful out of him."

Gordon was right. You knew that, although didn't want to admit it as admitting it would rid you of all of your excuses and you'd have to face and make use of something that murdered a part of you years ago. A scar had to become a medal.

"Alright," you said quietly. Gordon's shoulders momentarily slouched. "I'll try but no promises."

"Good enough for me. Thank you, detective. I know how much this costs you."

"No, you don't, Gordon."

He didn't try to argue or reason. There was no way in which he could relate to your experience - to that dark basement and rusty chains. Although it gnawed at him, that he couldn't offer genuine understanding and sympathy to someone he cared about, Gordon was secretly relieved, even happy, that he was unable to. He saw how those terrifying days changed you, made you into an entirely new person and he lived in fear of what they would have done to him.

You would live a happy life never stepping foot on Arkham Island. The barbed wire, neogothic buildings, unkept gardens - all of that painted a grim picture of an already unwelcoming place. Arkham Asylum looked like Tim Burton's theme park joke was taken too far.

"My condolences, ma'am," the guardian who was leading you said. "Over here, we do everything not to end up in the same room with that freak and you came here willingly."

"Wouldn't call that 'willingly'," you said under your breath. Had Gordon appeared any less desperate or powerless, you wouldn't have agreed.

"Warden Sharp agreed to one hour interview," the guardian continued. He stopped in front of the door to the visiting room, his hand resting on the door handle. "If you need more time, your supervisor gotta send in a query. I know you probably know all the rules but I'm still required to tell you them, so: don't touch the divider, don't provoke him, don't hand out any prohibited objects. The guards are authorized to step in and immediately end the interview should they deem the situation dangerous for either party. Good luck with whatever you have going on, detective."

The guard gave you a sympathetic look and pushed the door open. For some reason, the lighting was outstandingly dim inside the room. While the side where the prisoners sat was bright, the visitors could barely see anything on theirs. Without a hint of anxiety in your step or facial expression, you entered the visiting room.

Once he got to see your outline in the corridor lights, Joker's eyes kept following each of your movements and microexpressions. Even when the bizarre darkness made you disappear for a moment, it felt as if he was still capable of seeing not only you but through you. There was a mischievous yet amused smile on his face. His visual did not terrify you - it no longer could. One simply cannot get scared of clowns after playing statues with the Devil himself.

"I'm a detective with the Gotham Police Department," you said as you sat down and pulled out the file you brought. "We're investigating recent bombings happening throughout the city."

"Sorry, sweetheart, can't remember making anything go ka-byool lately." His handcuffs rattled as he waved his fingers to accentuate his point. Joker's hands were drenched with already dried blood. That sight hit a little too close to home for you but you took a calm, deep breath and didn't let your sudden uneasiness show.

"Maybe not you but one of your old friends possibly had."

You pulled a few papers stuck together with a paperclip out of the police file. Carefully, you slid the small dossier through the small opening in the Plexi divider. It was a very 'train station booking office' design.

At the very top of the papers was a mugshot. The picture presented a heavily tattooed man with a bizarre haircut and a harelip: Cooper, who used to be something akin to an underboss before his boss, Joker, got locked up. Curiously, Cooper seemed to literally vanish off the face of Earth as soon as that happened.

Joker barely spared a glance at the picture when he voiced an opinion with utmost certainty:

"Nah, it's not him."

He pushed the papers back towards you with disinterest. It shouldn't be surprising: he surely knew more about Cooper and his possible associates than the police did. You couldn't tell him anything new.

"What makes you say that?" you asked. Joker only laughed.

"He's an absolute, complete, useless moron. He lacks the, hmm... " he paused looking for the right word while waving his hands, "sophistication for something this big."

"And yet he was your go-to for so many years. How did that work out?"

"Darling, you know what's great about working with idiots?"

"They don't ask questions?"

"Oh, you were so close!" he exclaimed giddily. "They don't question."

Were all antisocial people so nitpicky?

Although the building was old and made of stone, the air inside was very warm. Feeling a little hot, you rolled up the sleeves of your shirt, reluctantly presenting the very thing that made you eligible for that lovely interrogation you were conducting: various burns and scars left from chains digging into your skin. At least once a day you considered getting full sleeve tattoos to cover them up but it wasn't considered exactly professional among higher ranked police force. You didn't need another stigma following you and your career.

"It's you." Joker cackled with mysterious satisfaction. Was he expecting you? Truthfully, it wouldn't be so surprising: your survival made national news and the demimonde, directly connected to your capturing, could only be equally interested. "Please, indulge me, princess peach."

"How about you tell me what you know about the bombings and I'll tell you about what gives me sleepless nights."

"Aw, you're trynna tease me, officer?" His pronunciation of the title was at least mocking. It didn't impress him one bit and neither did the badge. "I don't like teases. They ruin the fun."

"Treat it as a fair exchange. Intel," you pointed at yourself first, "for intel." You pointed at Joker to make your point.

"And what if you're boring, princess peach?" he asked with a whine in his voice. "Who will guarantee my fun time?"

"No one," you answered with a shrug. Although that wicked smile never left his face, you thought that a shadow of viciousness appeared in his eyes. Something about your aloofness was getting to him. "You either play with fire or there's no deal. Just you and your sad little life in your sad little cell. No fun for either of us."

"Risky business, princess peach," he sang to you.

You had to make him cooperate somehow or anyhow. Momentarily, you leaned closer to the Plexi divider. The tip of your nose was nearly touching it. Joker's smile only widened.

"You tell me what I want and I'll tell you everything you want to know," you said quietly. "Every darkest, most fearful memory I have. You want to hear what he did to me and how? How loud I prayed to God to finally kill me? First, you gotta tell me about Cooper and who he could be working with."

Joker was quiet but appeared very cocky in his silence. For a moment he was simply staring at you, his eyes studying your face - he was evidently waiting for something.

"I'm looking forward to our little dates, sweetheart."

It was suspicious to you that between you and Joker, he was the one imprisoned and yet he seemed to be the only one enjoying himself. He wasn't stupid - he knew you needed him more than he needed you. In fact, he probably had figured out that if Gotham's police goes to him for help, you must be in a really hopeless place. Joker was going to milk your little arrangement as much as he could - that you were already certain of.

[ariesmusingz]

૮ ˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶ ა    ╱    THE OFFICE SENTENCE STARTERS ( created using s1 ep1 of the office. feel free to adjust to fit your muse. )

"how are things going at the library?"

"i couldn't close it"

"so you've come to the master for guidance?"

"is that what you're saying"

"you called me in here"

"let me show you how it's done"

"i'd like to speak to your office manager"

"i'm sorry, my mistake"

"she had a very low voice"

"probably a smoker"

"so this is my kingdom"

"if you think she's cute now you should have seen her a couple of years ago"

"any messages?"

"how many times have i told you that there's a special filing cabinet for things from corporate?"

"people say i'm the best boss"

"i'm boring myself just talking about this"

"he still loves that after seven years"

"was there anything you wanted to add to the agenda?""i'm sorry, what?"

"i didn't get an agenda"

"i faxed it over to you this morning"

"did we get a fax this morning?"

"why isn't it in my hand?"

"a company runs on efficiency of communication?"

"why didn't i get it?"

"you put it in the garbage can"

"that was a joke"

"that was actually my brother's"

"do you want to look at mine?"

"we haven't made any decisions yet"

"it's up to either you or him to convince me"

"this does mean there is going to be downsizing"

"it is a real bitch"

"i certainly wouldn't wish it or my men or women"

"how long do we have?"

"do you mind if i take it?"

"that's not appropriate"

"i don't know what you mean"

"i've been meaning to ask her one question"

"that's horrifying"

"do you think you can keep a lid on this for now?"

"don't want to worry people unnecessarily"

"it will not leave this office"

"guilty as charged"

"right here, my vibe"

"that's a guy thing"

"i don't think it would be the worst thing if they let me go"

"i don't think it's many girl's dream to be a receptionist"

"i like to do illustrations, mostly water colour"

"let me call you right back"

"i can't concentrate"

"it's not your desk"

"one word, two syllables: demarcation"

"safety violation"

"i could fall and pierce an organ"

"i have no problem with that"

"i even brought it up on my interview"

"i say bring it on"

"you still have messages for yesterday"

"relax, everything is under control"

"that's important, right"

"i should run to answer it"

"that would be a good salary for me, don't you think?"

"just be professional"

"i think i am a role model here"

"i think i garner other people's respect"

"please can we have a meeting in the conference room?"

"it's really beyond words"

"it's really incalculable"

"i know there's some kind of rumours out there"

"i should know first"

"can you just tell please?"

"just a whisper in my ear"

"i'm about to tell everybody"

"do you want me to tell them?"

"you don't know what it is"

"you can tell them with my permission"

"permission granted, go ahead"

"corporate has deemed it appropriate to enforce an ultimatum upon me"

"it's my first day so i really don't know"

"it could be out of your hands"

"it won't be out of my hands"

"can you promise that?"

"yeah it is a promise and frankly i'm a little insulted that you have to keep asking"

"she did say that it could be this branch"

"maybe you should stick to the ongoing confidentiality agreement of meetings"

"information is power"

"so you can't say for sure whether it's us or them?"

"you did not see me in there"

"i'm the head of this family and you ain't gonna be messing with my children"

"yeah, he's onto me"

"watch out for this guy!"

"nice to meet you"

"introduce yourself, be polite"

"that is his profit!"

"i've got some photos"

"judge is in session"

"he put my stuff in jello again"

"that's real professional, thanks"

"that is the third time and it wasn't funny the first time"

"people are taking advantage because it's so relaxed"

"you have to eat it out of there"

"you can be witness"

"can you reprimand him please?"

"how do you know it was me?"

"are you going to discipline him or not?"

"ooh discipline, kinky!"

"i'm sorry cause i've always been your biggest flan"

"you should have put him in custard-y"

"yes, the new guy! he scores"

"what i'm most concerned with is damage to company property"

"do you wanna go out at the end of the week for a drink?"

"when are we going out?"

"we've been engaged about three years"

"do you mind if i go out for a drink with these guys?"

"let's get out of here and go home"

"we are going out and it could be a good chance for you to see what people are like outside the office"

"just tell her i'll talk to her then"

"do i think I'll be invited to the wedding?"

"sometimes we play hard when we should be working hard"

"i am a friend first and a boss second. probably an entertainer third"

"you are going to be my accomplice"

"just follow my lead"

"can you come in here for a sec?"

"just have a seat"

"i was gonna call you in anyway"

"you have made my life so much easier in that i am going to have to let you go first"

"what am i supposed to have stolen?"

"what are those worth?"

"you steal a thousand post it notes then you've made a profit margin"

"are you serious?"

"i can't believe this"

[elmaestrostan]

Not much we don’t know, but still a little treat for a press conference free week!

(As someone who always tends to be running a little bit late - usually because time doesn’t flow how I think it does - his reputation for tardiness makes me love him even more haha)

Article under the cut:

When Unai Emery talks to the media at Aston Villa’s Bodymoor Heath training ground, it offers an insight into his idiosyncrasies.

Emery, the person, is reluctant to be seen, so there’s a tendency for every public-facing action to be football-centric. Lighter comments and questions around off-the-field matters are kept to a minimum and, in some ways, that is telling in itself.

Naturally, a Premier League manager or head coach of Emery’s eminence is not obligated to lower the barriers surrounding his demeanour away from football if that is how he feels most comfortable. That decision is revealing, though, of the 52-year-old’s general character.

Emery is a blinkered personality, focused solely on the next challenge and nothing outside of his immediate football bubble. Such a close level of introspection can leave you unaware of outside perspectives — ultimately contributing to his demise at Arsenal, where he was sacked as Arsene Wenger’s successor after 18 months in November 2019. In the aftermath of that departure, he accepted he had not paid enough attention to matters beyond his immediate sporting concerns, clouded by his obsession with tactical systems and improving players individually.

Emery is immersed in building football structures and watches hours of footage. He carries out analysis while on treadmills, in long team meetings and at home — even after sometimes working 12-hour days. This all indicates a highly focused and singular mindset, something that comes across in his communication style during interviews.

At Villa’s Bodymoor Heath training ground, the press conference suite is separate from the main building, with Emery walking down from his office, situated upstairs and overlooking the gymnasium, and across the car park to reach the room.

It means the written and broadcast media can see him coming by looking out of the window and this often provides some light relief, given timekeeping is not exactly his speciality. Emery likes his press conferences at the same time every week, regardless of when Villa are playing that weekend. Invariably, media members are told to convene for a 1.30pm start on Fridays.

Emery arrives through a side door, accompanied by Villa’s head of communications, Tommy Jordan, and Damian Vidagany, his close aide and Villa’s director of football. Vidagany, at press conferences, serves as Emery’s right-hand man (literally, he always sits to his right) and is there to clarify any questions or answers Emery does not grasp. This ties into the feeling that Villa’s head coach has learned from his errors at Arsenal. Vidagany is personable and well-liked.

Emery has Vidagany as reassurance when speaking to the media but his understanding of English has shown a marked improvement since his first spell in England five years ago. He is accustomed to the Midlands press pack and their accents, having watched BBC crime drama Peaky Blinders, which is set in Birmingham.

Vidagany acts as a safety blanket in areas Emery perhaps feels vulnerable in and helps to deal with those shortcomings. He meets Emery next to the stadium tunnel after games before accompanying him to his media duties. Sources, who remain anonymous to protect relationships, who have been involved in recent transfer dealings speak highly of how clear and purposeful Vidagany’s communication style is.

Emery offers pleasantries, and is often holding a sheet of paper with key lines of messaging or questions from the broadcast section. The embargoed part of the session, where the Villa head coach talks to the written press, comes after he has spoken to broadcasters. Embargoed quotes are not allowed to be published until an agreed time, usually 10.30pm that day.

The Spaniard is often late for his media duties, the delay often due to training sessions overrunning and, subsequently, pushing him back in terms of having lunch and a shower. Despite its derisory usage during his time at Arsenal, strangely mocked on social media and beyond, Emery still says, “Good afternoon” or, “Good evening” at the start of every interview, a preface for his first answer.

Emery answers most questions at length, particularly open-ended ones when he can riff. The first question after a match generally asks for his general assessment and he can go through the 90 minutes chronologically — unless he does not like the question or quite grasp the sentiment, then his retort can be short or, before the start of his answer, he takes a prolonged inhale of breath.

It has become known that Emery usually takes a long time getting to the stadium’s press conference suite following games — it can be well over an hour after the final whistle. This does push journalists’ deadlines, with Emery — once he has completed his initial broadcast-media interviews — taking a post-match break to decompress. The delay means he is measured and reflective when he does eventually arrive, regardless of the result

Emery has a list of buzzwords and repeatable phrases that are delivered in response to run-of-the-mill questions. It is why journalists have to choose their wording and themes carefully to ensure they get as insightful a response as possible.

For example, if a reporter is vague when asking about Villa’s tactical system or changes made during a game, Emery will repeat phrases such as “being demanding in our structure” or expressing how he wants his players to “keep the idea”. Moreover, any mention of Villa Park’s home crowd will frequently end with Emery detailing the importance of “connecting with our supporters”.

When he is — painfully in its predictability at times — asked about the strengths of the upcoming opponents, his response will inevitably centre on Villa having an “organised structure” and him expecting a “very difficult match”.

As for connectives, he uses “more or less” frequently and with his English improving impressively, has started to incorporate British football sayings, such as “bad day at the office”.

Emery is an earnest talker but when the cameras are turned off after the broadcast section, he tends to have a more relaxed demeanour. Questions about fellow managers he rates highly stoke a different fire, however. He is increasingly fervent on the touchline, animated in press conferences, and relishes the process of analysing the game’s best coaches.

Before Villa’s performance for the ages against last season’s treble winners Manchester City in December, it was put to Emery as to how he would finally beat City manager and countryman Pep Guardiola.“Keep trying,” he said with a wry smile.

Emery similarly shared that level of respect with Ange Postecoglou following the win at Tottenham Hotspur 10 days before. After, he explained that he had enjoyed watching and learning the Australian’s tactical nuances in preparation.

When speaking about his squad individually, Emery has stock responses for certain players. The list is as follows:

Emiliano Martinez — “A fantastic goalkeeper”

Douglas Luiz — “You (Douglas Luiz) can do more, you’re so important”

Leon Bailey — “He needs to be more consistent away from home”

John McGinn — “A leader… Super John McGinn”

Ollie Watkins — “He does more than just score

Emery is undoubtedly emboldened by his ‘triangle of power’ comprising of him, Vidagany and Villa’s president of football operations Ramon Rodriguez Verdejo — universally known in football as Monchi.

Monchi accompanies Emery to every game on the team coach. In press conferences taking place abroad — during Villa’s pre-season tour of the United States last summer and before the Conference League fixtures against Legia Warsaw and AZ Alkmaar — Monchi has sat towards the back of the room.

Emery’s press conferences may be often and fairly routine, but they provide an understanding of his character and why, in part, he has been able to fully settle since joining Villa 17 months ago.

[starzgaze]

yeah so monster darling who I'm going for who's a slime (the purest BUT also weakest form of monster and mana you'll find in a dungeon) that probably hanged around a humans and wanted to become one noticing how mundane and peaceful their lifestyles are compared one to a slime where they're basically being hunted down 24/7 because they're another free source of mana aside for the crystals you'd find in the dungeons and right now im thinking of jinchul because imagine slime darling slipping through the interview and being accepted in the hunters association and it took like a year or so for the chief inspector to realize the damn lowly document organizer was a fuckinf slime this whole time

like yeha for a whole year they haven't done anything that would harm humans, in fact darlinf has been helping more which is a bit bewildering to jinchul but alright... he's so used to the concept of monsters being so... monstrous you know? like mindless beasts who uses their strengths to tear apart humans and possibly eachother and then theres you who's a low ranking office worker who's trying to get past by.

anyway this sparks the relationship between you and jinchul meaning that the first official meeting you had was him dragging you into an interrogation after you tried to run away from him because you didn't know why he was silently following you around the office which creeped you out so badly u actually almost lost form and wanted to melt into ur blob form ....

anyway the interrogation wasn't too bad which jinchul figuring out your stats as a slime like how strong you were, how high is your intelligence, your mana, and many other factors he listed down as you tried your best to answer his questions while begging him to not kill you or use you as resource for their weapons or armors. this scenario happened like for a few hours until jinchul got fed up with you trying to convince him you'll not eat anything that the association tells you not to eat or you'll follow any of the rules the association will set for you now that your real identity was revealed.

so now you have the chief inspector assigned as your personal bodyguard not only for your safety or the other's safety but also to see if you'll try anything funny or whatever which you won't of coursr but anywaaaaay your dynamic with him grew into a more something domestic with jinchul slowly losing his tight guard up around you and you bringing coffee to his desk whenever he does overtime in the office. it's reeaaal sweet, seorin teases jinchul about the fact he's probably forgetting his original purpose on why he's assigned to you lmfaoo

oh and yeha this won't be a star post unless i add a sprinkle of lovesickness in it but oh my goddd the time when the news of you being a monster comes out to the public, there has been an influx of potential threats in your way such as people who wants you dead because you're a threat to society (you're not, you're just some slime who has a decent amount of intelligence and dirt weak strength) or people who wants to use you as material resource like wealthy CEOs who tried to buy you off from the association and many more

these factors made jinchul uhhmm a tiny bit more overprotective ovwr you. actually tiny is an understatement like this man suddenly placed rules for you and suddenly stated that you have to quit working or you'll transfer to another department that's his so you're right beside him at all times like it's a bit crazy.

he goes a little cuckoo too like he starts to overthink and since like he already knows that being a hunter is dangerous job and all that's why he exists to protect these people but what about individuals like you? who's there to protect people like you? so now he's more protective over you because he can't double time all the time so he'll just cuff you so you won't go anywhere how sweet!!! (he made a specialized cuff for you because the last time he used normal metal cuffs you basically melted through and still escaped easily).

anyway im a bit sleepy and i wanna explore this concept with other characters too uhhh

[nekoannie-chan]

Secrets Chapter 20: Visiting old friends part I

Pairing: Steve Rogers X OFC, Brock Rumlow X OFC.

Word count: 1870 words.

Summary: Sometimes keeping secrets can be dangerous or a heavy burden, which is what Kathleen has been doing for years. She will also be in charge of guiding Steve Rogers into this century; meanwhile, S.H.I.E.L.D. will be looking for a way to kick-start the Avengers Initiative by integrating her as one of the superheroes, but that won't be the only danger they face.

Warnings: None.

A/N: After long time working on this longfic, I finally post it. If you wanna be added to the taglist, let me know.

My native language is Spanish so I wanna improve my writing skills in English if you notice any mistakes, please let me know and I will correct them.

I don’t give any kind of permission that my fics to be posted on other platforms or languages (I translate myself my work) or the use of my graphics (my dividers are included in this), I did them exclusively for my fics, please respect my work and don't steal it. There are some people here who make dividers that anyone can use, mine is not this type, please look for the other's people. The only exception is the ones I gifted 'cuz now belong to someone else. If you find any of my works on a different platform and are not one of my accounts, please let me know. Reblogs and comments are always welcome.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Marvel's characters (unfortunately), except for the original characters and the story.

Add yourself to my taglist here.

My other media where I publish:  Ao3, Wattpad, ffnet, TikTok, Instagram, Twitter. 

If you like it, please vote, comment, and give me feedback to improve my skills and reblog.

You can read it on Wattpad and Ao3 too.

Secrets masterlist.

Previous chapter.

Next chapter.

Steve came out a little upset after the meeting with Fury, he didn't want to go back to being that guy who was only used to making more money, making propaganda and continuing with the war.

“Steve," Kathleen called him, but he ignored her, surely she would say something to convince him, "Steven Grant Rogers! “she said loudly when she saw that he wouldn't stop.

Steve tensed and stopped, she had never called him by his full name, he felt like when his mother scolded him, he turned to find himself in front of her, and he let himself be guided to her office.

“They are not going to use you as they did in the army at the beginning," Kath began to speak, Steve sighed, she had read his mind, "I assure you that the world loves you, they have already seen you in action, you will not be alone, now it is normal that they do interviews to famous or important people, they will do the same to Stark, besides you will not dedicate yourself exclusively to that, you will continue going to missions," she explained to him.

“But they didn't include you, and you also did a great job, and yet they are not recognizing it like the others," the Captain replied

“The world still doesn't like mutants, Stevie, if they promote with me, it will be a negative campaign and we will go back to what happened more than fifteen years ago, it's for safety, you weren't there, but we mutants had to run away to survive," Kath gave a sad smile.

After that talk, Steve went out, Kath remembered that in two days she had to go with Doctor Pym, she went running to Brock's office, but she didn't find him, she was just about to leave when he appeared behind her since he had just returned to his office.

“Kitty, is something wrong? “he questioned since she never went to look for him in his office, it was the other way around or if she needed something she would text him.

“Brockie, hey, listen, I wanted to ask you a favor," he answered in a honeyed voice, making the other raise his eyebrow.

“If it's about the propaganda that Fury and Pierce want to do, I can't do anything about it, you know it's for your safety," he said as he crossed his arms.

“It's not about that, how lazy to be involved in any kind of propaganda, the real situation is... I haven't been shopping for a long time and I would like to skip Thursday's training, please," asked her with a childish tone while she looked at him.

“Kathy, you can't leave me alone with him," complained the Commander, referring to the Captain.

“I haven't said anything to Fury about your fights, but if they go on like this I don't think I'll have a choice," she threatened him while she tangled a lock of his hair on her finger.

“You know you are capricious and manipulative, you know how to convince me, okay, go shopping, but this time it's going to cost you," he replied amused, he couldn't deny her anything when she did those things, she looked so cute, not to mention his feelings for her.

“ What? “she asked cocking her head to one side, she was afraid he was going to tell her that he was going to accompany her.

“An outing together, I'll let you choose the place," he looked at her expectantly.

“Mmm okay, but you have to cover for me so no one finds out I'm running away from obligations “Kath smiled and kissed him on the cheek as a thank you, Brock was about to move so that the kiss would go somewhere else.

“ Rumlow! “A male voice called out to him, making the other two jump.

“Grant, what the hell are you doing here? “Brock asked when he saw who it was.

“I work here too," Grant answered as if it were the most obvious thing to do. Agent Anzai," he greeted her.

“Agent Ward, Rollins," he greeted the two men, "I have things to do, I'll leave so you can talk at ease," she ran away.

“That girl is going to be your undoing," Rollins mumbled.

“Didn't you learn anything at the Academy? If Pierce finds out, you know what will happen to him," Ward pointed out and Brock watched them angrily.

Kathleen entered the dining room of her house, she stood silently watching Steve, he had his eyes fixed on Peggy's file, she felt a pang of pain inside her, although she didn't understand the reasons, however, she remembered that in less than a week he was going to move to his new apartment, she approached him with the phone in her hand.

“Do you want to talk to him? “We can go see her if that's what you want," she took him by the arm to try to lift him, although it was obvious that she wouldn't succeed. Steve, sooner or later she's going to find out, it's better that she sees and hears it in person and not on TV or in some magazine or newspaper “he didn't know why he was telling her that, inside him, the pain was growing. Not to mention that for as long as he could remember he had always tried to keep that woman out of his life, there was something that disturbed him.

Steve knew that Kath was right, although Fury had not yet announced his "return to life" in an official way it was more than evident that explanations had to be given for what happened in the New York attack, however, he was afraid because he knew that Peggy had continued with her life while he was still stuck and he was completely sure that she hated him after everything that had happened. He had little choice but to agree to the mutant's proposal.

Kath opened a portal to get there faster, they were outside the house, and it seemed as if she was practically dragging him away as if he was a small child, she rang the doorbell and a middle-aged lady opened the door, judging by the uniform she was wearing.

“Mmm... Good afternoon, could you tell Mrs Carter that an old friend of hers would like to see her, please? “she asked with a big innocent smile and a sweet tone, she never failed when she used that tone of voice and made that face.

“No, Mrs Carter doesn't receive visitors," the nurse answered rudely while she crossed her arms.

Panic started to invade Steve and he tugged a little on her arm to make them leave, she ignored him and narrowed her eyes as she stared at the nurse, she used her mind control, it was not something she liked to do, but sometimes it was necessary especially when she was denied things.

“Come in, please, in a moment you will be able to see her," he said suddenly, letting them pass.

“What are you doing? “Steve reprimanded her in a low voice while he squeezed her arm.

“I know perfectly well that you want to see her and nothing is going to stop it, I only made things easier and stop squeezing my arm or you will break it, I am more fragile than you," she answered as she broke free from his grip.

A few minutes later the nurse returned to show them the way, they entered the room where Peggy was, and the old woman stared at them in shock, maybe she was dreaming.

“S-Steve, is that you? “she asked confused, Kath nudged Steve to come closer.

“Yes, Peggy, it's me," Steve reached over and took her hand, his face showing a lot of emotion.

“ Katherine? “Peggy asked as she turned to look at her.

“Mmm... no, Katherine was my great-grandmother “she answered, something in her head was starting to bother her, she was hearing incoherent thoughts in the old woman's mind, plus a few memories from her childhood were coming back to her head.

“But you look just like her, come here, I want to get a good look at you," she motioned with her other hand for her to come closer.

Kath approached and Peggy let go of Steve's hand to hug her, that made Kath uncomfortable because at that moment she saw in her mind a memory of Peggy.

“And I'm going to make sure you won't say anything about it, “the woman said while shooting someone.

The sound of the gun echoed in Kath's head; she felt a shiver run down her spine.

“ Kathleen? “Steve called out to her as he grabbed her shoulders.

“ Huh? “ was the only thing that came out of her mouth, that memory left her very confused.

“Peggy asked you a question," Steve scolded her.

“Excuse me, Mrs Carter, I got distracted, please repeat the question," apologized she as she blinked in confusion, even though she didn't know why she had called Carter by his first name, Steve looked at her strangely while Peggy tensed a little, but immediately regained her self-control.

“You sound just like Katherine, dear," Peggy said in a soft voice, and Steve nodded, "I asked you if you had any powers," he took her by the hand.

“Ah yes, sometimes it is useful, sometimes not, I can open portals to go places “ Kath answered quickly, her intuition told her that she should not give much information and less trust, however, she knew that this woman had access to the information in her Organization file; Steve frowned at the answer, he did not understand why she did not tell everything.

Then he listened to the conversation between Steve and Peggy about how they had found him and everything that had happened up to that moment.

When they returned to her house, she didn't feel like talking to anyone, she simply wanted to go to her bedroom and lie down on the bed, it hurt her what had happened, even though she knew it made Steve happy, she hadn't told him what had happened years before. He stopped her before she went in.

“ What was that? “he questioned her with a serious tone.

“ What are you talking about? “His mind was elsewhere.

“ Why didn't you tell Peggy the whole truth? “With one hand he lifted her face to look her straight in the eye.

“I never tell everything about myself to people I've just met as a personal rule, besides it's nothing of mine, if I took you it's because I wanted to see you happy, not to be interrogated," he answered her coldly.

“Peggy is incapable of hurting anyone," Steve said, he could notice a defiant look he had never seen in her before.

“People change over time and we all have a dark side, Steven, and you don't have the slightest idea of what has happened in people's lives over the last seventy years," she replied in a tremulous voice, breaking free from his grip and walked into her room, slamming the door and leaving Steve outside.

Ꭲꭺꮐꮮꮖꮪꭲ:

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[9r7g5h]

Terrors of the Cubical World

Fandom: My Hero Academia, Boku no Hero Academia 

Rating: T

Genre: Humor

Summary: All Dairoji wanted was a job. He didn't mean to fall in love with his perfect angel of a superior who was dating the most volaille pro hero in the rankings.

Words: 4,823

Dairoji had known, the moment he read the job description, that this one had to be his.

While sure, the support courses at UA hadn't had anything like "The Big Three" that the hero courses had, he would have certainly qualified for being in the running for the top ten if they had, and his work ever since he had graduated and done his internship had just continued to prove it. He had been instrumental in helping Mei Hatsumi figure out the dissolving compound to clean the city of Grape Daddy's balls before he had mysteriously disappeared on the job, thus rendering their work unnecessary, though it was still used in multiple manufacturing plants. His work spoke for itself, really.

So, a job at a nice, safe office, away from the crazy woman who often forgot mortality was a thing? One that he was more than qualified for, where he would be designing support equipment to be produced en masse, like headsets and night vision goggles and the like? Where the chances of explosions were minimal?

That job had to be his.

And, after a grueling two months of interviews, background checks, submitting proofs of concept, proving he could build prototypes of said proofs of concepts, proving said prototypes of said proofs of concepts actually worked, and answering a strange questionnaire about his knowledge of Silver Age All Might trivia, it was. He was offered the job, full pay, full benefits, and fuck if it didn’t feel good. It felt even better to give his notice to Mei (though his glee was a bit trodden by her questions of “Who are you? Why are you here? Can you hand me that screwdriver?" Thank god for automatic payroll). His first day working for a major corporation, about to contribute to hero society on a grand scale instead of making "babies" for single customers.

And the heavens blessed him, because put in charge of his training and orientation was the most beautiful man he had ever met.

"Hi," the angel said with a beaming smile, his hand held out to shake. "I'm Izuku Midoriya. You must be Dairoji Imai. Welcome to the team!"

He knew, in theory, what happened in the following hours. Izuku walked him through getting his computer set up, showed him his cube and the lab, helped him fill out the forms to order safety gear, all with that smile that kept his heart hovering just on this side of overloading. He knew Izuku had introduced him to some of the people he would be working with on a regular basis, all lovely, friendly people he immediately forgot. Knew Izuku took him to HR to get the packet they were now settling down with, their lunches in front of them, so they could go over the papers he needed to sign. But if anyone asked him any questions about anything besides how bright his smile was, or how his eyes crinkled when he did to hide some of the green, or how his curls shone in the sun and almost seemed to take on a whole new level of color he had never imagined possible, well, Dairoji couldn’t answer them.

Even his homemade bento was perfect. Healthy, obviously delicious from just the smell, and the rice and eggs had been shaped to look like a sleeping bear - far, far too cute.

It didn’t matter that Izuku was his superior, that he had known him for all of four hours, that he didn’t even know if Izuku liked men. Dairoji was in love, and he would marry this man one day.

His daydream about their wedding and future children and Izuku’s explanation of their record keeping system was interrupted by a firm knock on the door. Without waiting for an explanation the door opened, a woman sticking her head in. Her face was grim, even as Izuku perked up in his chair. "I'm so sorry to bother you two," she started, looking the exact opposite of sorry, "but he's here."

If Dairoji thought Izuku's smile was bright before, for a moment it legitimately felt like he had gone blind. He was immediately up and out of his chair, thanking the woman as he passed by her with a quick shimmy that got him out of the room without her having to move, despite the door still only being semi-open. For the first time since he walked in, Dairoji was curious about something besides how Izuku liked his breakfast.

"Come on, kid," the woman said dryly, jerking her head towards where Izuku had disappeared. "Better you get used to this now."

They quickly caught up to Izuku, who had been forced to pause in his run by a trail of carts traveling from one of the labs to a testing room. He adorably shifted from foot to foot, smiling and greeting each employee as they passed, even though it was clear he was impatient for them to pass. The moment they did he continued on, though just slow enough for Dairoji and the woman to keep up with him. Approaching what he vaguely realized was the cube section of the building, where the various employees could sit at their desks and fill out paperwork or draw, Dairoji was surprised as the woman grabbed his arm - he had been focused on Izuku, specifically the fact that he was walking in front of him, and wasn’t that a beautiful sight to see.

“Look,” the woman said, “just don’t freak out when you see him. He really doesn’t like the attention, and gets pissy when people fawn over him. That’s a sure fire way to set something on fire. Don’t ask for his autograph - ask Izuku to ask him to sign something for you, because if you ask him yourself it will get blown up. Honestly, the only other person here who can talk to him besides Izuku is Ms. Honey, and that’s only because she’s been bribing him with caramels for the last seven years. If you don’t have to do otherwise, keep it to the bare minimum of ‘Excuse me,’ ‘please,’ ‘thank you,’ and ‘sorry.’ Otherwise, anything that happens is your fault, and HR won’t help you. Izuku is the best employee we have here, they’ll choose him over you anyday.”

Her words made very little sense until they took that last turn, and Dairoji watched as the angel he'd been following flew directly into the arms of the current number nine hero - Lord Explosion Murder God Dynamight.

What the fuck?

If there was anyone in the world he would have placed as the exact opposite of Izuku, it would have been the prohero standing next to Izuku's desk, hugging the green-haired man tight to his chest. He was well known for being loud, angry, abrasive, for cursing too much even in front of cameras and children. The only reason he had broken top 10 was because he was strong and had an even stronger sense of justice, leading to an impressive record that, even with his off putting personality, couldn't be ignored. That, and, Dairoji had to admit, he was hot too. The few times he had managed to be forced into a photo shoot had shot his rankings right on up there, landing him quite a comfortable position amongst the elites.

But apparently this walking angry ball of TNT was friends with Izuku, friends enough to get an ecstatic hug and a smile that put all the ones Dairoji had seen so far to shame.

"Kacchan! You're here early!"

And apparently a nickname?

"Patrols been quiet. Figured I'd stop in and see how you were." His words were barely more than grunts, the usual Dynamight - or, rather, Kacchan? - signature response. But his hands didn't move from Izuku's waist, and he didn't seem to notice as Izuku's rested on his chest.

"It's been great! I've been training our new employee, Dairoji!" Dairoji's heart swelled at the sound of his name in Izuku's voice, the best sound he ever could have heard. He immediately took a step forward - wrong move, as Dynamight immediately clocked him, his red eyes narrowing, examining, judging. It felt like he was being sized up by a shark, or maybe a lion, some kind of predator that found him wanting as, with no acknowledgment at all, Dynamight's gaze returned to Izuku. "I think he's going to be a great addition to the team, once he's done with the paperwork. I was thinking of getting him started on the more flexible fabrics we've been developing, see if he can figure out the tensile issue-"

"Yeah, sure, sounds great nerd," Dynamight cut him off, and Dairoji had to bite his tongue. Number nine pro hero or not, how dare he talk to Izuku like that? It was so disrespectful! "You get the bento I left you in the fridge?"

"I did! It was great, Kacchan, just like all your cooking is! Kacchan is always the best!"

"Did you actually eat it, or am I going to find out you ate nothing but Ms. Honey's snacks all day?"

"Don't worry, dear," a little old lady's voice said, "I haven't given him any yet. Not that he hasn't tried to weedle some out of me. Speaking of..." From the same cube the two stood by, a lady that perfectly matched her voice appeared, old spotted hand holding out what, as she dropped it into Dynamight's palm, seemed to be a perfectly wrapped square of caramel. "You enjoy that now, you hear?"

"I'll enjoy the cavities and the extra mile I have to run, don't you worry, Grandma."

"And I'll make sure our little Izuku here doesn't get up to trouble, just like always."

Like that it was clear - Izuku had to be Dynamight's younger brother, or some kind of cousin, since that would explain the closeness, the cutesy nickname, everything. He'd never read about the hero having any family besides his parents, but he was exceptionally private about his day to day life. It was only commonly known he was gay because of a support interview he had done a few years ago with some of his classmates, something never discussed again, so it wasn't surprising that he'd wanted to keep such a cute younger brother/cousin a secret. Besides, it was well known that the families of heroes were often targeted by villains with long standing grudges - Dairoji could respect Dynamight, even if he did leave a bad taste in his mouth on a day to day basis.

"Do you have to go back to your patrol?" Izuku asked, his almost pout far too cute.

"Not like I can stay. Just had to get what I came for." Dynamight's grin was, if Dairoji was paying attention, far too wide for brotherly affection, but he was thinking too hard about how he would get the destructive hero's permission to court Izuku to catch it. So, when Dynamight made his move, Dairoji was very much caught off guard.

Caught off guard as Dynamight's hand moved to Izuku's hair, pulling him up into a very much not brotherly kiss, his other moving down to grab and squeeze a handful of Izuku's ass, forcing out a noise that had no place in coming from the throat of an angel like Izuku but that Dairoji immediately wanted to hear again. Ms. Honey, not even looking up from whatever she was working out, let out a yip of excitement, and even the woman standing next to him struggled to fight back a snicker. "Youth is wasted on the young," Ms. Honey said with absolutely no shame as Izuku and Dynamight pulled apart. "I don't know how you two function, when if I was either one of you I wouldn't be able to leave the bed."

"Why do you think I come here everyday, Grandma," Katsuki asked, finally freeing Izuku from his hold. "Not for your shitty sugar, that's for sure. Gotta have something to keep me going until I get home." He gave what could have been a sly wink at Izuku, if not for stupidly happy grin on his face. "Later, nerd. I'm working late tonight, so don't eat anything too shitty for dinner. I'll kick your ass if you do."

"Spank it, more like it." Ms. Honey let out a cackle as Izuku flushed and sputtered at her hypocritically about "decorum," while Dynamight just laughed as he started to walk away.

"Kacchan," Izuku called out, ignoring his cube mate for a moment. "HR wanted me to remind you to please take a few steps away from the building before you fly off. You burned another entrance mat." Without turning around Dynamight just gave a two fingered salute in acknowledgment, disappearing around a corner.

Ok, what the actual fuck?

Looking over at Izuku, Dairoji's heart broke a little bit, because it was clear as Izuku's smile that he was a man too far gone. Even as Ms. Honey continued to tease him from the cube, his face flushed a perfect pretty pink, the grin on his slightly kiss swollen lips was too real. If he thought he had seen Izuku happy throughout the day so far, well, the sight before him, with his curls a mess as he tried to shake himself back into work mode had put it all to shame.

"Izuku, is it ok if I steal Dairoji for a moment?" The woman next to him, previously forgotten, asked, her arm curling around his own. "You can take the time to let the Endeavor Agency know that their order of thermal arm braces will be delayed by a week - they'll be fine with it, if the info comes from you."

"Yeah, of course, I'm sure Shoto will understand," Izuku said. "Just bring Dairoji back when you're done, please, Sakura."

Without waiting, the woman - Sakura - pulled Dairoji along, immediately muttering under her breath the moment they were out of earshot. "I'm sure Shoto is only so understanding because he's waiting for you to drop Blasty so he can tap that ass himself. Perfect sunshine bastard." A couple of turns had them at a different group of conference rooms, these much larger than the ones he and Izuku had been using previously. Opening the door, Sakura pushed him in before her, announcing their entrance to the group. "We got another one."

In front of Dairoji were perhaps a dozen or so people, all wearing the company lanyard he had been given earlier. One of the women waved, though most just shook their heads in a pitying, understanding way. Sakura wrapped her arm around his shoulders and gestured to the others. "Welcome to the 'hopelessly in love with their coworker Izuku' club." Ignoring his sputters of denial, Sakura let him go and flopped into a seat. A blue haired man cleared his throat, at least having the decency to look embarrassed.

"As you can see, your predicament isn't uncommon, and we will do our best to support you as you get used to your affections being unrequited. I know you might have a lot of questions about us and our involvement with Mr. Midoriya, but-"

"He already saw Blasty come by for his daily make out session," Sakura cut him off, a series of grumbles following her words. "Even got in a pretty good grope before Izuku became too embarrassed. Give it another 10 years of him working here and we might actually get a free show."

While the blue haired man looked right about ready to die, a neon red, human sized blob spoke up, wiggling as they spoke. "Get used to that quickly, kid," they said, their voice somewhere between amused and upset. "The media would have a field day if they found out that the great 'Lord Explosion Murder God Dynamight' can't go twelve hours without a kiss from his boyfriend. And he'll spend the better part of an hour pouting at Izuku's desk or scaring interns if he's unavailable to give it to him right away."

"You'd never think such a scary pro hero was such a needy fucker, that's for sure." Dairoji couldn't see the person who said it, but it was clear everyone else, on one level or another, agreed. “Interrupts the rest of us, the day would go a lot better if he could just leave us alone for once.”

“Why doesn’t the company just ask him to stop coming,” Dairoji asked. It was clear enough people had an issue with the situation, one way or the other, so it shouldn’t be hard to put an end to it. And if this was a daily thing, well, Dairoji would be more than happy to avoid watching that. He didn’t want to see Izuku make out with anyone, especially his least favorite top ten hero. The look he received, however, made him wonder if he was still speaking Japanese or not. Going off just their faces, he could have just asked them to lick his feet.

“You want the company to ask the hero most well known for his anger management issues and propentesy for blowing shit up to not come visit his boyfriend when our building is literally in the middle of his patrol route?” The gray cat person who spoke up spoke slowly, as if Dairoji was a small child. “He doesn’t even need to do anything himself; he can just wait for the next villain attack and “get here late.”” Their paws flexed weirdly as they put air quotes around the phrase before licking at the back of their paw.

“Same if they try to fire Izuku,” Sakura added. “Not that they would. Izuku joined this place when it was still a startup, and I’m pretty sure he’s the entire reason it’s still standing. Add in the fact that half of Blasty’s old classmates are head over heels for the guy and just circling the waters waiting for blood, and he brings in a shit ton of business from them? Yeah, no, the company wouldn’t care if Izuku did nothing but ride Dyna’s dick all day at this point. He’s still made of gold as far as they’re concerned. Not that he would, the guy works hard and is great at the job too. It's like, six wins, at the cost of a kiss break each day.”

“He’s pur-fect,” the cat person purred, resting their chin on their paws. “And we get him so long as the company stays on top.”

Sakura kicked lightly at his leg from her chair. "So if you want to work here, kid, get used to it. And welcome to the club of broken hearts."

*~*

Dairoji did not, in fact, get used to it.

In fact, the more he worked with Izuku and the more he saw of Dynamight on the news, the more he was sure the couple just wasn't meant to be. Even if Izuku always seemed so excited to see his "Kacchan" at some point during the afternoon, it had to be some kind of act. A plea for help.

There was no way sweet, beautiful, wonderful Izuku could actually be in love and want to be with the arrogant, self centered, two seconds away from commiting murder brute that was Dynamight. So, in perhaps his best idea yet, Dairoji decided to confess, and help his beloved Izuku get away from the man obviously keeping him captive.

He waited until Ms. Honey was at a meeting - he still wasn't sure if he could trust her yet. She seemed close to both Izuku and Dynamight, but who her loyalties were with was unclear. Once the coast was clear, he knocked on the side of the soft panel, the noise just enough to get Izuku's attention from the design he'd been going over. "Izuku, can I talk to you for a sec?"

A brilliant smile, but only a fraction of the one he showed when around Dynamight. But now he was wondering how real it was, in comparison to the one Dairoji saw now. "Of course! Come in. How's the fabric coming along? Are you having any problems?"

"No, the project's going great. That new sample Creati sent over really helped, though there's still a few more tests we have to do to make sure it can stand up to high enough temperatures. But that's not what I wanted to talk to you about." Dairoji shifted in the cube, glancing around to really take in Izuku's half for the first time. Everywhere was covered in either equipment designs or hero merch, an overwhelming amount of it All Might and Dynamight themed. "No, I wanted to talk to you about something more...personal."

Concern on Izuku's face, he slid a cover over the design he had been tweaking and turned his chair fully towards Dairoji. For the first time he was frowning, a sight that sent pain into Dairoji's heart, though he forced himself to remain strong. This was for both of them. "Of course. I'm always available to listen, whatever you need."

A deep breath. A slow, slightly trembling exhale as he forced himself to be ready. Dairoji bowed forward as he spoke, perhaps a bit too quickly, his ass bumping into something behind him. But he couldn't stop, he had to get the words out, not even bothering to check the thump of something falling. "Izuku, I love you, and I-"

"Kacchan!"

The cry was so heartbreakingly devastated that, for a moment, Dairoji thought something had happened to the hero. Some news bulletin had popped up on Izuku's computer, and his love confession had been interrupted by Dynamight being in the hospital or dead. But no, Izuku brushed past him and knelt on the floor, large tears falling from his beautiful eyes as he gently retrieved the figure that Dairoji had apparently knocked from its stand on a little shelf behind him.

He couldn't help the small jolt of satisfaction at seeing the hero's body in one of Izuku's hands, the toy's head in the other.

“I’m so sorry Izuku,” Dairoji said, quickly covering any offensive feelings as he knelt next to his angelic coworker. “I didn’t realize I was so close to your shelf. I can try to fix-” Dairoji froze under the acidic glare, his blood freezing as the soft green eyes he had fallen in love with almost seemed to glow with anger and malice. He didn’t know his coworker’s quirk, didn’t know what exactly Izuku was going to do to him, but he could feel just how much danger he was in.

“...HR won’t help you. Izuku is the best employee we have here, they’ll choose him over you anyday.”

Sakura’s words, while in a different context, circled through his mind as they crouched there, as he was examined and found so, so wanting in the eyes of the man he had thought he had loved. But now he knew it was a lie, he was only in love with the siren mask that hid whatever this drowning depth was, this pit that wasn’t threatening but just explaining exactly how it would be pulling him under, dismembering and destroying him so nothing would ever be found. And if a trace ever did show up, well, that’s what the boyfriend was for.

“Oi, Deku, Extra, what are you two doing down there?”

Speak of the devil with all his saving grace, the sight of Dynamight sent Dairoji into a frantic crawl, hiding behind the hero’s legs as he looked back at Izuku. The hero was an asshole, and this was his boyfriend, but he still had to save people, right? Even the people who pissed off said boyfriend? He couldn’t just stand by and let Izuku kill him, that wouldn’t be very heroic of him. But it was Dynamight, did he really care?

Izuku looked up, kneeling on the ground, his broken toy in his hands and his eyes wide and glimmering with unshed tears, and Dairoji wasn’t sure he would survive.

“He broke you, Kacchan.” The words were wobbly, his voice cracking, the first tear slowly trickling down his cheek, making the most pitiful scene Dairoji had ever seen. Even knowing his hide was on the line he still wanted to reach out, to comfort him, the fury that had scared him before now replaced with such a deep, beautiful sorrow it hurt. He wiped at his own cheeks, something to keep his hands from reaching out, knowing his touch might not be welcomed.

Dynamight snorted. “Really, Deku? Over that piece of shit? It’s not even official merch; I can get you a dozen better ones by tonight. Just pitch it.”

“Really? They’ll all be different designs and poses? And you’ll sign all of them?” The switch from almost sobbing to overly excited - in any other context - would have been adorable. Now, however, it was terrifying, keeping Dairoji tied to the spot behind Dynamight he had retreated to. How did the hero deal with Izuku’s changes, especially such drastic ones over something as small as a toy?

“Of course, nerd. Now hand it over.” Izuku held out the remains of his beloved figure, allowing the hero to take the pieces from his palms. Dynamight scoffed as Izuku wiped his face clean, examining the figure up close to see just how bad it was. “I’ll never understand why you’d waste your money on this crap when it’s not even that good. Shitty knockoff bullshit.” A small explosion, and the trash can now held a smoldering, melted, ashy mess the janitorial staff wouldn’t be pleased to find.

Izuku just rubbed the back of his head. “They got your eyes right. I love your eyes.”

A long moment where none of them moved, Izuku looking up from his spot on the floor at Dynamight, Dynamight looking down at Izuku, Dairoji looking between them. Finally Dynamight just groaned and shook his head, pulling out a phone from his belt.

“Yeah, it’s me.” The phone hadn’t even rung before it had been picked up, meaning it was probably some kind of direct line. “Yeah, no, it’s about what we talked about. I have the time. That good?” A moment of quiet. “Thanks, I’ll catch you up later.” That phone back into his belt, Dynamight reached over Izuku’s head for his desk phone. It didn’t take long for him to find the number he wanted, dialing it in and listening to the wait tones. “No, it’s Dynamight,” he replied when the other end picked up. “I’m just letting you know that Izuku’s taking a half day today. I don’t know if he’ll be coming in tomorrow either. I’ll let you know.”

“K-kacchan, what do you mean I’m taking a half day? I have work an-”

His protests were cut off as Dynamight scooped Izuku into his arms, a quick princess hold as he pressed a kiss to his lips to quiet him before shifting him over his shoulder, smacking his ass as Izuku squeaked and squirmed upside down. “You can’t say shit like that and expect me to not take you home to wreck you. This is your fault, Deku. Take responsibility.”

Izuku finally stopped resisting and went limp in Dynamight’s arms, laughing hysterically as the pro-hero carted him out of the cube. They took up talking as Dynamight walked, Izuku holding on to his belt to give him arms something to do besides swing wildly, demanding to know exactly what pieces of official Dynamight merch he was going to get later.

Not once did either of them even acknowledge Dairoji existed, as if he had stopped being part of the physical realm the moment they became aware of each other.

“I’m surprised,” Ms. Honey said with a shake of her head, leaning over him to look at the mess in the trash can. “Last time someone broke one of Izuku’s figures, they needed Recovery Girl to pull the pieces out of their ass. Looks like you got off light, especially since you were going after a taken man.” She looked at him over the rims of her glasses, the disapproval clear in her eyes and voice, if not her words. “Just don’t let it happen again.”

“Yes, Ma’am.”

That day he put in a transfer request to a different department. There were plenty of projects that he could work on, plenty of projects that would keep him far away from the beautiful, perfect, terrifying Izuku Midoriya and his explosive boyfriend.

Or, well, fiance, as he found out when Izuku returned a few days later with a limp and a ring, the company grape vine (aka the lunch drunk 'hopelessly in love with their coworker Izuku' club) informing him. A fiance that gave him a look he realized he recognized, had seen before in the scariest moment of his life, a look from Dynamight that now meant almost nothing.

He really should have stayed with Mei.

[END]

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[isabel3710]

Bad things happen bingo request, Missing and Presumed Dead.

In less than 24 hours you and one other person requested this. Not that I'm surprised! The other user decided to remain anonymous so I'm going with your message.

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Fandom: Gravity Falls

Prompt: Missing and Presumed Dead

Masterlist

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Initially, Dipper's absence went unnoticed. It was not unusual for Dipper to forget to call them since he was always pretty preoccupied with classes. Mabel was the only one who regularly talked with him, but due to her upcoming art project, she didn't have the time.

As soon as Mabel was done with her project she called him.

Dipper didn’t pick up. 

This was strange, but not alarming. Mabel assumed that Dipper had forgotten to charge his phone and would call her back once he saw the missed call.

He didn’t. 

After a couple of days Mabel tried calling her brother again. And just like before she didn’t get an answer. So she decided to reach out to her Grunkles and see when they last heard from her brother.

“So let me get this straight,” Mabel said, on the phone with Stan and Ford. “Neither of you have heard from Dipper in almost two weeks?”

“No,” Stan said, “we thought he got busy with his fancy college courses.” 

“I did too,” Mabel amidted, “but I’ve been calling him non-stop for the past few days and he hasn’t picked up.”

“I am sure there is nothing to worry about” Ford said “like Stan said, he’s probably busy and doesn’t have time to talk.”

“But if that was the case then he would text me and tell me he’s busy” Mabel said “just like he always does.” 

“Well my dear” Ford said “why don’t you call the police and request a wellness check?”

“That's a good idea” Mabel said “thanks Grunkle Ford.”

“Anytime.” 

—------

Mabel paced back and forth in her tiny dorm room, anxiously waiting for a response after calling in the wellness check. Although she knew the police were probably busy and hadn't had the chance to investigate yet, but that did nothing to calm her nerves.

Her phone ran and Mabel rushed to answer it. “Hello?”

“Hello” a male voice said “may I speak with Mabel Pines?”

“This is her.” 

“Hi, I’m Officer Green and I’m calling to follow up on the wellness check you requested.”

“Yes?” 

Officer Green seemed to hesitate for a moment “ma’am, Mason Pines is your brother. Correct?”

“Um yeah” Mabel said “though my family and I call him Dipper.” 

“Right” Officer Green said “well ma’am-”

“Mabel.” 

“Sorry, Mabel” the officer said “it seems like your brother wasn’t home and his roommate hadn’t seen him in almost two weeks.”

“That was the last time I heard from him,” Mabel said, her voice barely above a whisper.

“Now normally” Officer Green said “we think that the person in question decided to leave, especially people his age.”

"Dipper isn't like that," Mabel protested. "He wouldn't drop out of school, especially without telling us."

“I believe you” he assured “we found no evidence of him leaving, at least under his own free will.” 

“So you think he was kidnapped?” Mabel’s voice was starting to shake. 

“We aren’t sure” Officer Green said “but I am going to do what I can to find out.”

“Is there anything I can do?” Mabel asked.

“Yes” the officer said “if you could come down sometime in the next couple of days we would like to interview you.”

"Okay," Mabel agreed, her mind racing. "I just need to clear it with my professors."

“If I can get their emails I can have a letter sent to excuse you from classes,” Officer Green offered kindly.

“Okay,” Mabel agreed.

After they hung up, she sat in silence for a long while, worried and fearful for her brother's safety.

—-----

As promised by Officer Green, Mabel received an excused absence for all her classes. Although she was unaware of the contents of the emails, it didn't matter to her at the time. She hastily packed a bag and caught the first flight she could find.

Stan and Ford also flew in as soon as they heard about the wellness check results. Mabel knew that their friends in Gravity Falls would have come too if she hadn't talked them out of it. She didn't want to inconvenience anyone for something that might turn out to be nothing. And Mabel was doing her best to hope and manifest it to be nothing.

So Mabel went to the police station and met with Officer Green and talked with him for a few hours. The man wanted to know everything about Dipper and she complied. Anything to find her brother. 

There were, of course, a few things Mabel didn’t tell the officer. Things that would make her and Dipper look like crazy people but since he never asked she didn’t feel too bad about it. 

After the interview the Grunkles took Mabel out to lunch. “I’m sure he’s fine, '' Stan said for the hundredth time. “Dipper’s a strong and resilient kid.” 

Mabel just nodded, picking at her food. She knew Grunkle Stan was just as worried as the rest of them but was trying to stay strong for their benefit. 

—-----

Days passed and during that time the three of them worked with the police to try and find any word on DIpper’s location. Then they get a call down and are asked to come down to the station. 

Officer Green leads them to a private room and had them sit down. The man doesn’t say anything as he sets the object on the table. It was a clear plastic evidence bag. 

Inside is Dipper’s pine tree hat. 

The hat had a few extra rips and stains from when Mabel last saw it but the things that caught her attention were the blood splatters. She was vaguely aware of Stan letting out a curse but couldn’t take her eyes off the hat. 

“I assume this was Mason’s?” Officer Green asked.

“Yes” Ford said, “he’s had it since he was twelve and never takes it off. Where did you find it?”

“I see,” Officer Green nodded, “we found it in a wooded area not too far from here. But this wasn’t all we found. I can show you everything we’ve found, if you’d like.”

“Yes,” Ford said, “we would like that.” 

Officer Green led them to a room where there was a long table with plastic evidence bags were all lined up. They were full of Dipper’s things. 

There were pieces of one of his shirts, ripped to shreds and covered in blood. There was his wallet and keys. There was a single shoe, chunks of his brown hair, and fragments of his other shoe. And so much more.

Officer Green let them take in the scene and gave them a sympathetic look, “we believe it was an animal attack but we’ll do some more investigating to be sure. We’ll need to do a DNA check as well.” 

Mabel was frozen in place, unable to remove her eyes from the table. She felt Stan wrap and arm around her shoulders as Ford questioned the officer. 

“Have you found a body?” He asked “or any type of human remains?”

Mabel choked and felt tears in her eyes. 

“No” the officer said “all of his belongings were scattered across the area and we have people looking for more. All of this was found over the course of a couple of days.”

“He’s dead?” Mabel’s voice was on the verge of a sob. 

“Until we find a body we can’t proclaim him to be…” Officer Green said “But we assume that yes… Mason is dead. I’m so sorry.” 

Mabel felt her knees buckle and someone caught her as she began to sob.

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Author's Note:

Not much to say about this one...

NLGQDSSHG

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