#see you with an induction this weekend!

[reallunargift]

dedicated to @sisididis, who showed me some pretty sweet comments about the lost western balkan nation 🤧🥺

but ofc... there's more 8) No welcome would be complete without a party!

"First he steals my language for eurovision, now he steals my neighbour???" Unforgivable!

ε=ᕕ(●❛ö❛)ᕗ

run Toni run, you don't wanna miss that brief window of time when tipsy Port is suuuper touchy-feely before he falls asleep!

So the party's over for Port, but that's for the best because they all have a 9am meeting in the morning. So during breakfast at the hotel...

toni pls let bul eat his tripe soup in peace, he already had his neighbour crisis in the manga

[fingertipsmp3]

Also just checking but like….. I am justified in no-call no-showing to a job interview I was 1) given ONE working day of notice for, 2) have already expressed my disinterest in, and 3) don’t need to go to since I already have a job, right?

[christopher-bangnaldoskzz]

Soft Dom Bangchan x Female Reader Sub!

Genre: 🌶️🌶️🌶️

Word count: 2.7k

Warnings: Passionate kissing, fluffy goodness. sexual content included I am going to say this is strictly 18+ MDNI fan fiction.

Summary: A sub needs a dom, a dom wants a sub but what happens when feelings overlap with contracts and love creeps in? Will a contract remain only a contract? Or are emotions like love too hard to keep in check?

A/N: would also like to dedicate this story to @daceydeath​ , thank you for always putting up with my deluluness, also thank you for putting up with my drama fill life honestly. I wouldn’t be still writing if it wasn’t for you encouraging me. Also thank you so much for writing my summary xx

“Master?” You say waking up with his arms still tight around you. 

“Mmmmm” he goes. You try to escape his grip however he pulls you closer to his body. You can feel his breath on the back of your neck. 

“Sir I….I really need to pee” you can barely hold it anymore. 

“Come back to me” he mumbles as his arms realise their grip. 

Returning from the bathroom, Chan rolls over to face you as you walk over to get dressed for the day. ��baby girl….did I say get dressed?” 

You stop as you take the jeans off the hanger. "But work” you say looking over at him. 

He raises his body “fine” pulling the sheets back he hops out walking over to you “I’ll bring you back myself” he growls as he picks you up, you squeal as he throws you down on the bed. 

“You’re being a brat….you know that right?" He smiles placing kisses behind your ears.

“I am?” You question him playfully.

“Keep it up and I’ll have to start punishing you” 

“Is that a promise?" you smile playing with him. 

He leans in his nose touching yours “keep it up and find out….now you get ready for work”

CHAN POV

The weekends are not long enough, not when I’m with her. 

“Sir?” I heard coming from the cupboard.

“Yeah baby” I said not looking up from my phone. 

“Does this look okay?” 

I look up for a moment and my heart starts to pound. The dress rests just above her knees and her hair is curled and rests just above her collarbone. I gulp down the lump in my throat. “Wow” was all I could get out as she walked towards me. 

“Is it appropriate for my induction into JYPE today?” 

Breathe Channie BREATHE. I forgot she was coming in this morning to be shown around. 

“Yeah that’s appropriate for sure." I couldn’t control my hands as they brushed up and down her thighs as she stood in front of me. I could feel goosebumps forming under my touch.  

“God how did I get so lucky?" I thought to myself.

“Okay thank you” she said leaning down to kiss me. I grab the back of her thighs and pull her onto my lap. 

She wraps her arms around my neck as she deepens the kiss, my arms wrapping around her waist pulling her closer. 

“Sir….you really need to get ready….you said you’d drive me in” she smiled pulling away. 

Shit she was right….I can't have her late for her induction. “Okay…. Give me just a second” I said as she got off my lap. 

Shit what should I wear? I pull out my jeans white shirt and a cap. 

“Now I feel overdressed" she said as I walked out. 

“Don’t worry about it you look perfect” I said lifting her chin.

“Now let’s go or you will be late” I placed a kiss on her forehead. 

…..

“I’ll have to drop you off here…we can’t be seen together” we stopped about a block away from the JYPE building down a small alley way hidden from the world.

“Okay….thank you for the ride in…I’ll see you soon I guess” she giggled while taking her seatbelt off. 

“Hey….missing something?” I said raising my eyebrows. 

“Nope….I have everything” she said. Before she could open the fort I locked it. 

“Sir what are you doing?” She continued to try and open the car door. 

“You are not leaving until I get what I want” I smirked.

She turned her body to face me. “I don't have time for games,” she responded. “What do you want?” 

I grab the back of her neck as I bring her closer for a kiss. My lips press against hers.

“If you need me…text me….I’ll come find you okay?” 

Y/N POV 

Those words were the sweetest words you’ve heard to date come out of his mouth. 

Walking into JYPE that day was going to be a new start, a new you! 

“Well good morning y/n" Hana smiled “you look absolutely gorgeous” her compliment made you blush. 

“Come this way….I’ll start with a walk around” she said leading the way over to the elevator. 

As you walk past the elevator door opens and out walks Chris. "Oh morning Hana” he grins.

“Morning Mr Bang" 

His eyes check you out before he smiles at you as well “morning” 

“Oh morning” you smile back before Hana leads you down the corridor. 

You walk down the corridor while you hear a 

ting ting 

Glancing down at your watch you can read his message “My house Wednesday….7pm sharp….we are going to have our second play session” 

You gulp before your attention shoots back to Hana, following her closely down the hall. 

…….

“Guys can I have your attention….I’d like to introduce Y/N….she will be starting with us in a couple of weeks so please make her feel at home” Hana smiles as the girls turn around. 

“You are very beautiful” one of them said.

“Oh haha thank you” you said shyly. 

“We were actually about to go out for lunch….did you want to come?” the other girl said.

“Oh uhhh sure” you smile as they all get up and walk towards you. 

“We will go to the cafeteria” the last girl grinded. 

Chan POV 

There she is. My thoughts had been racing all day. Was she okay? Is she getting along with everyone? I haven’t been able to focus properly so to walk into the lunch room and find her eating with the crew has really settled my mind. 

“Who’s the new girl?” Minho asks from behind me. 

“What new girl?” I said pretending not to notice her. 

“Jesus….earth to Chris….. you really are out of it today aren’t you….the new girl over at the division 2 table….she’s pretty right?” God I wish Minho didn’t say that, I don’t want to get jealous right now. 

“Sure….whatever you say Minho… let’s just go eat” I say as we start to walk past their table to get to the counter. 

“Afternoon ladies” Minho smiles.

“Oh hi” Krissy smiles softly.

Minho totally had a crush on Krissy but he’d never admit it to anyone. I’m not sure why though because if he asked her out she would definitely say yes. 

“Channie…..this is y/n she’s new” Jennie smiled my eyes widened, fuck what do I do….act cool chan. 

“Oh hey nice to meet you….sorry y/n was it?” I said smiling softly hoping I hadn't upset her by pretending like I don’t know who she is. 

“Oh haha nice to meet you too" she nervously smiled.

“Minho we should get going." I didn’t want to bother her anymore than I already had.

Minho nods and excuses himself. "See you ladies” he waves as we walk away. 

Ting ting 

Y/N

“You look so sexy in your white shirt." 

I blush as I look back over to the table. She is having fun with the girls. Admiring her for a split second before Jennie caught me. 

Y/N pov 

“I think Chan likes you” Jennie whispers into my ear. 

“What!…no he barely even looked at me” you laughed trying to play it off. 

“When he walked away he glanced back” she said pointing to him and Minho ordering at the desk. “That’s not like Chan....he never glances back” 

“He wasn't looking at me” you worry about creating gossip by working here with him. 

ting ting 

You had recently changed chans name on your phone to M🥰 short for master.

M🥰

“Having fun I see”

Y/N 

“Stop looking back….Jennie saw….she thinks you like me” 

M🥰

“I do like you” 

Gosh why is he so cute 

Y/n 

“I’m being serious sir” 

M🥰

“I don’t see the problem….who cares if Jennie knows I like you?" 

Y/n 

“I care…I don’t want anything to happen to your career” 

M🥰

“I see…well then I’ll make sure not to engage with you while at work” 

Great, you’ve made him upset.

Y/n 

“It’s not like that I promise." 

M🥰

“K 😑” 

Y/N 

“Sir….is there a place we can meet…I want to talk this out” 

M🥰 

“Excuse yourself from the table…. Down the hall and to the left there is a supply closet…. I’ll meet you there." 

….

“Everything okay?” Jennie said grabbing your shoulder. 

“Oh yeah.. I just want to call my mum” you smile sweetly “she wants to know how everything is going” you excuse yourself from the table and follow master Chan's instructions. 

As you approach the closet you suddenly feel a hand grab your wrist pulling you into the closet. Before you could open your mouth to speak you felt Chan press you against the door. 

“I don’t want you to worry about me” he says cupping your face. 

“I’ve only been here a couple hours and already someone is sus” he leans in for a kiss. You push his chest away. 

“Channie we need work boundaries” 

He clicks his tongue "fine....you're really bossy you know that right?” 

“Channie” you whine. 

“Okay….okay we can talk about it tonight….but on one condition” he grins. 

"What?" You roll your eyes.

“Kiss me” he whispers inches away from your lips. 

Your heart skipped as he closed the gap. It was like his lips were made for you. His fingers caressed your cheek, making you feel bad for the way you spoke to him just moments before. 

Maybe you were too hard on him. He was just being a good dom right? He was only checking to see how you were going and you yelled at him. All of that washes away as he pulls back only to readjust his lips, pulling his body closer to yours. His kiss is soft yet passionate as he slides his tongue along your lips, waiting for you to let him in. 

Granting him access to his tongue now in the sink with yours. A small moan escapes his mouth pulling you back to reality. 

“Okay…I think you’ve had your fix” you grin patting his chest. 

Chan pov 

I could have stayed in that closet with her all afternoon. I just wanted to be with her. But I had to get back to Minho before he got suspicious.

“I’ll let you go first” I said glancing at her one more time. “Oh and we will talk about those boundaries tonight” I laughed. 

She nods and pecks my lips one more time “have a good rest of the day sir” she smiles opening the door and leaving me. 

It was hard the rest of the day not to think about her. Was she okay? Were they treating her okay? Did she need me? 

Ting ting

Y/N 

“Okay I’m finished for the day." 

“Oi hyung” jisung said.

“Yo” I replied 

“Changbin and I are done for the day....were you staying?” 

“Oh I’ll be like 2 minutes you go” the boys nodded knowing I'd probably be late. 

Y/N POV 

Ting ting

M🥰

“I’ll come and take you home….we can have that boundaries chat” 

Y/N 

“Where am I meeting you?” 

M🥰

“Same spot as this morning." 

Y/N

“I’ll walk there now." 

You walk down to the street sir dropped you off this morning, waiting for a moment you see his car pull up. 

Opening the door to get in you see him smiling “hi honey…how was your day?" 

You laugh as you close the door his hand reaching over to grab yours “did you enjoy it today?” He squeezed 

“Oh yeah I did…it was great” you smiled as he locked his finger in yours.

“Good….now have you thought about what work boundaries you want?” 

You roll your eyes

“Y/n your the one who brought them up….so don’t roll your eyes at me” 

“I don’t know the normal stuff” 

“What’s normal stuff?”

“I don’t know….just be your normal work self…treat me like one of the staff....you know” 

“Oh….sure I can do that….but it’s only when others are around right?” He let go of your hand and turned into your driveway.

“What do you mean?” 

“Remember the closet earlier?” 

You blush remembering how his lips felt. “I’ll have to think about it” 

You open the door to get out. “I’ll see you Wednesday Channie” you said leaning in for a kiss. 

He pecks your lips leaving his eyes shut while you pull away. "You sure you don’t want me to stay?” He breathes. 

“Go home Channie…. I’ll be fine." 

Taking note, he nods, "Okay, but give me a call and I will come over."

You giggle as you get out of the car. “Bye Channie” you smile. 

…….

Wednesday 

M🥰

“Don’t forget 7pm….make sure you hydrate today” 

Today felt like the longest day ever. The only thing getting you through it was knowing you were finishing in an hour and a half and got to go home to your dom. 

You hear the door bell ring. Turning around you see Chan smiling as he walks into your shop. "Oh my god…I wasn’t expecting you” you sound so excited.

“I was just stopping by…” you run up and wrap your arms around his neck. “What’s gotten into you today?" he said leaning in for a kiss. 

"I just missed you” you said pulling him down for another kiss. 

“Have you had plenty of water today?" It’s like he didn’t even hear what you said. He was walking toward the front counter. You followed him and decided to sit on the bench. 

“Sir” you said causing Chan to turn to you. “Did you not hear me? I missed you” he gulped a clear sign he was nervous. 

He nods slowly “I ah I did” he stumbles over his words. 

“Did sir not miss me?” You said pulling the bottom of his shirt.

“I’m here aren’t I” he gulps again. Your finger tips slide along his stomach. He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. 

You can feel his stomach tensing. "Oh so you did miss me” you giggle. Watching your master quiver at your touch was so empowering.

“I came to see if you were doing as I said. Have you stayed hydrated? It's important tonight" he said placing his hands on either side of you. 

“I’ve drunk three of these today” you said holding up your water bottle. 

“Excellent” he said pecking your lips. 

“I have to go set up” he said sadly like he didn’t want to leave you. 

“Okay” you said looking down. You didn’t want him to leave even if it was only for 45 minutes. 

Chan pov 

My heart was racing was this a good idea coming to see her today? I had been thinking about her for the entire day. This morning I felt strange waking up by myself. For the first time in a long time I missed someone. 

So when she said she missed me I froze completely. 

“Okay” she said so sadly. 

“I….uhhhh I missed you too today” I blurted out and her head shot up. 

“You did?” She smiled.

“I did” I said caressing her cheek so softly. 

I flick my eyes down to her soft plump lips. How could I not miss her? She smiled and I couldn't help but smile back. I brought my lips close to hers and we kissed passionately. I felt the warmth of her lips and tasted her sweet breath. We stayed there for what felt like an eternity, until we finally pulled away. I looked into her eyes and knew that she was the one for me.

“I really need to get going” I shake myself out of the daze she has me in. 

I’ve never been like this, gone out of my way to see someone. 

“Okay sir I’ll see you soon” she grinned looking up at me, my heart almost jumping out of my chest. 

…..

As I pulled into my apartment I felt excitement in the pit of my stomach. I walk into the play room and run my fingers along the whips. “what one to choose?" I say pondering my possibilities.

I stop at my favourite paddle, lifting it up and smacking my hand “perfect” collecting the rope and gag on my way back to the table as I begin to set the room up for tonight. 

My heart starts to race the closer it becomes to 7pm. I hear a knock on the door “good she is early.” I smile as I walk to open the door. 

Master Taglist : @bellamuerte1987 @nightrayseishina @9900z @armystay89 @dreamstarsandskz @raven-skz95 @fosfopirite @neyangi @princesspanda16 @krishastumblernow @agnes-king @bangtanmix73 @djeniryuu @calicanbeevil @khemrose @fawnpeaks @missrobyn81 @dreambelieveinme @umbreonwolfy @jisungiexx @scarletrosesposts @choisoorin @izzathequeen @binnies-minsung-fanclub @jetblackbelle @bunnyxoxodarling @berryberrytan @sky-outta @zerefdragn33l @shiningnono @tinys0ftie @zinnichong @tuggybug @nokacchan @amaranth-writing @seungbinis @jisunglover3409 @kimseungminsprincess @goblin-waifu @skzswife @uwuitsjungwoo @marrivmel

[concerningwolves]

god I'm reading Devon Price's latest substack essay on burnout, and it's.. it's confirming and crystallising something that I've suspected for a long time, actually.

See, all throughout school, I would have days – roughly every month or so, sometimes two months – where I became Unwell. The symptoms never really fit anything, but I'd be exhausted, irritable, headachey, sometimes feeling kind of feverish. Most importantly, i'd just Know that I couldn't cope with school that day. I can remember these starting in middle school and getting more frequent and pressing into high school. When I did take the day off, I'd watch TV or films and sleep a lot, and then by the evening – if it wasn't a weekend night – I'd be in this weird place of feeling rested but also crushingly anxious with the knowledge that i'd just be back at school tomorrow. Holidays weren't truly restful either, except for maybe the middle two weeks of the six-week summer break. The two week Christmas and Easter breaks? I'd start to feel a bit better towards the end of the first week, then the dread would build up again throughout the second week. By my GCSEs, I couldn't keep up my academic drive, so I picked the subjects I most wanted to do well in (English, German, Biology, and History + maths because I needed to pass it so I could be done with it), focused my revision on those, and coasted by with perfunctory revision on the other seven subjects. It's honestly shocking to me that I got a full 12 GCSEs. People tell me that my results were good, and I know that logically they're right, but it took me a long time to be proud of them because I always knew that I hadn't really tried. It took me even longer to accept that if I had given every subject my all, it probably would have broken me.

As it was, I made it into my first term of college before I hit breaking point. Three A Levels (English lang & lit, history, psychology), dreams of a career in psychology or psychiatry, writing in all my spare time. I'd been very mentally unwell all through high school, but I'd always imagined that college would be my escape. First I was going to study philosophy, history, and English literature – but then that college had to drop the philosophy course. My next chosen college was an incredibly competitive college that held students to very high standards. I had the grades to get in, and I was dithering between a selection from English literature, history, classical studies, sociology, philosophy, or psychology. But I never made it in, because I missed the induction day. Students who missed the induction day automatically forfeited their placement. In hindsight, that was the first warning, but instead I felt wretched for a few days, then decided, fuck it, I was going to my final last choice college instead.

And in less than six months, I had an absolute breakdown. Anyone who was following me circa 2018 may remember the fallout. Skill regression. Low mood. Weeks spent just watching Supernatural or sleeping. Panic attacks. I never truly got my feet back under me. I dropped down to one a level and abandoned all thoughts of university, and scraped by college until I could just get out of there.

And reading this article, looking back at the trajectory of my life since 2018, it's... Eye-opening, to say the least. I don't know if I'm recovered or still recovering, or adjusting to my new baseline, nearly seven years later. Sometimes I wonder if an autism diagnosis earlier might have helped – might have given me the language and the tools to understand what was happening to me on all of those Unwell Days. So I grieve for that potential. I don't hate my life now, it's just.... I have to wonder, you know? What might have been. Could I have caught the burnout sooner? Headed it off? I don't know. I can't know. all I've got is where I'm at now, which is certainly something to be proud of, because I made it, even if I'm not anywhere near what's "normal" or "expected" of a 23 year old. and I have my whole life ahead of me yet. 23 years is nothing, in the grand scheme of things. Remembering that is always a balm.

But still I wonder. I grieve. It's hard not to.

[epic-solemnity]

I finished Book III a few days ago, and it's so hard to return to daily reality after that. The plot points that were changed or expanded make the work even more perfect. Your writing is particularly enjoyable to read, even though the final cliffhanger is even more intense haha (and Ezra seems to be in an even more precarious situation). There are so many points I'd like to discuss, but what stands out most in the new version is the slight change in Agni's character. His relationship with Ezra is deeper, and even healthier to a certain extent of course, and his goals are clearer. The way he handles and addresses Ezra's insecurities, their discussion about his assault, his small gestures like changing the string on his bow... I really prefer this version of Agni. Their interactions are more playful and light-hearted, like they were in Part IV. And I especially love all the little new details that tie and enrich the story:

Sapta, of course, which humanizes Ezra even more

The development of certain characters like Cyrus and Svaha

The earlier appearance of Savitr, whose change in character intrigues me a lot

The public revelation of Ezra's parentage and the gods' reactions. I'm really curious to see how Agni and Indra will handle this situation, and I'm worried for Ezra, who has no idea of the true stakes in Svarga

Ezra's inner conflict between his true nature and the terrifying powers of the Reaper

There are obviously so many other things to comment on, but my message is already endless. Thank you so much for the work you've done and for the masterpiece you're giving us. I'll be anxiously awaiting Book IV, but it’s always well worth the wait. One last question: is there really no longer a time difference between Svarga and the mortal realm?

Bah! I was torn about waiting longer on responding to your message because of the potential spoilers (minor spoilers) for those who have yet to finish Imminent: Part III, but I also didn’t want you to think I was ignoring you. Because honestly, your message completely uplifted my spirits when I first read it this past weekend. There is something extremely heartening about attracting new readers for Triloka, but on the flip side, I am immensely curious to see how the revisions to Ezra’s story impacts existing readers. In the grand scheme of things, those changes in Part III *will* influence Part IV, and I’m glad to hear you not only enjoyed the changes but look forward to how it impacts the story going forward.

There are so many points I'd like to discuss, but what stands out most in the new version is the slight change in Agni's character.

Yes! I spoke to a couple other readers about this topic. Who benefited the most from the revisions? Agni. His character was elusive to me in the original until about Part III and was really fleshed out in Part IV.  I am so glad I had the opportunity to go back from the beginning and properly portray him and his core values. Consequently, those changes greatly impacted his relationship dynamic with Ezra.

Sapta, of course, which humanizes Ezra even more

As you said—“Sapta of course” 😂 His induction to the story was needed, not only for comedic relief but for Ezra. That boy needed someone to adore who had no ulterior motives other than some belly rubs.

Ezra's inner conflict between his true nature and the terrifying powers of the Reaper

Yes, that will be a big one 😌 As will his parentage revelation much earlier on!

One last question: is there really no longer a time difference between Svarga and the mortal realm?

You are correct! Good catch. No more time differences. The three realms are in the same time zones 😉

Thanks so very much for reading and sharing your thoughts. I’m so happy you enjoyed Part III 🤍����

[wetcatspellcaster]

There could be a million reasons why it took Rosalie more days to answer the second email, but as soon as I read it, what came to my mind was that she felt so mortified after answering the first one so quickly, that she was actually *this* close to phisically restrain herself in order to answer the second one after an amount of time that would indicate "Yes Mr Ancunin, I'm very profesional, not obsessed with you at all and I've been busy like the very social and very normal person that I am".

Could just be my imagination and some chaos actually ensued, but this was SO funny in my head

It took Rosalie more days to answer that email, because she is a very busy woman with a thriving social life and many people to see on her weekend, and this depressed, AU-version of Astarion currently only has one (1) friend.

...if only there was some way her having so many pals could also fortuitously benefit him. [squints at 'inducted into the found family' tab]

[cami-stuffs]

Pushing Towards You

Chapter 18: Increasing The Family

A/N: Merry Christmas, everyone!

Warnings: Hormone Therapy; Pregnancy; Egg retrieval procedure.

It had already been a few days since the weekend that Calista and Larissa spent together. In the meantime, an extra key to the apartment and space in the two wardrobes were provided. Calista expected Larissa only to visit her sometimes because she knew working late was the principal's favorite sport. But, she was surprised to realize that Larissa now spent more nights with her than in her room at the Academy.

For Calista, having company at home was not something new. First, it was Gaia with whom she shared the house when they started a relationship, and then they married. Then came Artemis and her lively and expansive manner. Even after the divorce, she was not alone. Her daughter spent many days of the week with her, and Gaia also appeared frequently.

So those months in Jericho were the first in the twenty-two years she had spent alone. Calista handled this loneliness well, but she didn't like it. She was used to sharing space with someone else. Talk, watch television, eat meals, or just be silent, but always be accompanied. Divorced from Gaia and with Artemis spending more time in Nevermore, Calista spent her afternoons alone after work.

When she and Larissa started dating, Calista realized that she would still spend many afternoons alone before Larissa could take a break from work. Calista knew the principal well enough to see the dedication with which she worked. Having been married and started a family, Calista knew that this dynamic was challenging, and as much as she wanted to, she never asked Larissa to meet her outside of the scheduled day. Eventually, she got used to it.

However, after meeting with Dr. Maina, Larissa seemed to change her stance. She moved closer to Calista. Then, she received the key to the apartment. It became a routine for Larissa to arrive early in the evening with dinner or in time to cook dinner. Automatically, a dynamic was established. Larissa cooked, and Calista washed the dishes.

Most nights, Larissa needed to work, which was inevitable, but she would settle on the couch with her laptop, and Calista would lie down next to her to watch television or read a book. When work went on longer than expected, Calista would nap on the sofa, and Larissa would take her to bed before returning to work.

On the Friday nights that Larissa couldn't sleep with Calista in the apartment, she would bring Artemis with her on Saturday after breakfast. The girl was now ultimately used to Larissa and even suggested to her mother that she transform her room in the apartment into an office so the principal could work. But Calista was still resistant to removing Artemis's space, and Larissa agreed; she said she could perfectly work on the couch.

The weeks quickly passed, and winter break approached in Nevermore. Calista expected to have Artemis and Larissa at home simultaneously, as school activities would be interrupted. Although the two were getting along well, it would be the first time they would spend time together as a family. Gaia had decided to stay in Nevermore, as her family didn’t celebrate Christmas and New Year since her father's death. That way, just like Thanksgiving, the four of them would spend Christmas together.

A week before Christmas, Calista received a visit from Dr. Maina in the hospital pharmacy where they worked. He would like to schedule the collection of biological material for the end of that week, and to do so, it was necessary to induce Calista's ovulation. The doctor wanted to take advantage of the break to take the samples to his laboratory in his homeland, so he would like the collection to be carried out as close to the holiday as possible.

The procedure would be relatively simple. Six days after induction, the doctor would collect the eggs using an ultrasound. However, Calista would need to be anesthetized and rest for twelve days. Dr. Sharma was aware of the events and promptly permitted Calista to leave for as long as necessary.

Larissa and Artemis's procedure would be even more straightforward as a collection of buccal swabs and blood samples. For both, it was enough to compare the genetic material between them. For Calista, it was necessary to verify that her eggs were indeed chimeras and contained Larissa's DNA.

As time was short, Dr. Maina wanted to perform the hormonal injection that same day in Calista so that the eggs would be available by the end of the week. He warned her of the likely adverse effects that appeared in the days after the injection, such as mood changes, sensitivity, and fatigue. For Calista, it wasn't very different from what she felt during Artemis's pregnancy; anyway, she told Larissa that the next few days could be more difficult when she got home.

----------

No sooner said than done. Calista's mood changed drastically in the days following hormone therapy. It was the first whole week that Larissa slept in the apartment. She didn't want to stay at Nevermore lest it seemed like she was running away from the bad times, so Larissa took advantage of it being the last week before winter break and finished work at the office early so she could be home to cook dinner.

She didn't regret the decision but was torn between comical and exasperation now that Calista was complaining about things she usually wouldn't do. No complaints were directed at Larissa, but she avoided giving Calista a reason to change her mood. Larissa almost managed to keep the peace between them until the night before the collection; anxiety and hormones won.

As always, Larissa sat on the sofa after dinner, with her laptop on her lap to finish some matters before the break. Calista lay down beside her, placed a pillow on Larissa's outer thigh, and lay down. Nothing different that could be a cause for warning. Out of nowhere, Calista got angry and sat down, looking at Larissa.

"You didn't pay attention to anything I said, did you?" She glared at Larissa.

Fact: Larissa was responding to an email and had not heard what was said. She would regularly apologize and give all the attention to a Calista who would patiently repeat herself. But that night, Larissa didn't have time to speak when Calista stood up, stomping her feet towards the bedroom.

"Just because I'm angry, you ignore me? Wait and see when I'm pregnant; you'll get tired of me." Calista passed through the hallway and entered the room.

It was the first time she mentioned a possible pregnancy. And Larissa was taken by surprise. Still, she wanted to take advantage of the cue. "I don't get tired easily, darling. You will be the most beautiful and spoiled pregnant woman in the world!" She shouted so Calista could hear from the bedroom.

"That's the spirit." Was the answer she heard. Seconds later, Calista reappeared. "And another thing, I won't be a single mother. I want marriage! The whole package! Again!" She had one hand on her hip, and one finger pointed at Larissa.

Larissa was startled when she heard the word marriage. Her eyes moved from the laptop screen to the face of an angry Calista; she nodded and said, "I took note of that, my love. The whole package."

Calista huffed a "very good" before returning to the bedroom, leaving a helpless Larissa sitting in the living room.

Larissa now had a furious partner, an unmade marriage proposal, the possibility of a child on her hands, and no idea what led to the whole argument. She decided to end the night early and went to bed. She knew Calista hadn't slept that quickly, but she was silent and sneakily got under the covers. Without saying anything, Calista adjusted her body so that Larissa could spoon her. With a giggle, Larissa wrapped her arms around Calista and kissed her shoulder. Before falling asleep, she made a mental note to look for wedding rings.

----------

Calista woke up with regret the next day. The guilt was not for what she said but for how she said it. She had been considering having children with Larissa since the weekend the two spent with Artemis in Nevermore. And marriage was the natural order of things as their relationship progressed and became more solid.

But Calista's intention was not to scream that in the middle of the night, driven by the flood of hormones washing over her body. She intended to talk to Larissa, perhaps between Christmas and New Year or, who knows, after the test results were released. However, it was already too late. She had already opened her heart in an explosive and unplanned way.

She was awake, making breakfast, when Larissa carefully exited the shower and went to the kitchen, sitting on the counter stool. Calista had heard all the movement and wasn't scared when a "good morning" broke the silence. She turned around and was met with Larissa's light but restrained smile. A whisper of good morning escaped her.

"Are you feeling better?" Larissa took a risk.

Calista sighed, walked around the counter, placed herself between Larissa's legs, and wrapped her arms around the other’s neck.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell at you last night. Out of nowhere, anger rose, and I exploded at you." Calista explained herself, looking Larissa in the eyes.

"It's okay, sweetheart." Larissa smoothed Calista's hair, afraid that everything said had been lip service. "Let's just forget about it and move on. Soon, the effect of the hormone will wear off."

"No. I don't want you to forget what I said. I want you to forget how I said it. It wasn't how I planned to tell you I'm considering marriage and possibly having a baby." Calista was smiling widely now, her initial embarrassment having passed.

Larissa hugged Calista's waist and brought her close to her body, kissing her all over her face while murmuring, "Thank you." Leaning her forehead against Calista's, Larissa whispered, "You can't imagine how happy I am, Lis. I love you so much."

Calista cupped Larissa's face with both hands and kissed her. "I love you too, Riss." She whispered back with a smile. "Besides, you were pretty brave this week, staying with me. I would have stayed at Nevermore if I were you." Calista returned to the kitchen to serve breakfast.

"Wow, I didn't know that was an option!" Larissa was in disbelief. "I figured you'd consider me a runaway for staying away when you needed it most." She confessed.

Calista laughed. “You did well. The way I was last night, I would have called and yelled at you anyway."

"The yelling was worth it. At least now I know you want to marry me." Larissa shrugged, laughing.

"Did you have any doubts about that?" Calista looked up from her plate.

"You were already married, right? I wasn't sure if you would like to get married again or just maintain a stable relationship." Larissa responded sincerely.

"My marriage with Gaia ended because there was simply no longer compatibility between us. I don't advocate against marriage because my experience was good for many years." Calista explained. "But yes, the mindset of many divorced women with a teenage daughter is that they don't want to get married again. Marriage is a challenge, in my opinion. Just like motherhood. So I want the whole package." Calista smiled, remembering the phrase from the previous night's argument.

"And so it shall be, my love." Larissa smiled, drinking her coffee.

Gaia and Artemis arrived a few minutes later and waited for Calista and Larissa to leave the building. As Calista would be anesthetized and Larissa would take care of her after the procedure, Gaia wanted to drive her and Artemis back to the Academy later that afternoon. About thirty minutes later, the four arrived at the hospital in Burlington.

----------

The egg retrieval procedure was successful, and Calista was soon asleep in the hospital room. Larissa, Artemis, and Gaia remained with her until she woke up. Dr. Maina would observe her until late afternoon and then discharge her to rest at home. With that in mind, Gaia and Artemis went for lunch, promising to bring something for Larissa to eat, as the latter didn't want to leave Calista's side.

Calista insisted that Larissa accompany the other two to the cafeteria, justifying that she was fine and that the nurses would aid her if needed. But nothing convinced Larissa, who dragged a chair to Calista's bedside and sat there, holding her hand and talking. Now and then, she would ask if Calista was okay, only to receive a smile and a nod.

When Dr. Maina entered the room, Larissa and Calista were still alone. He checked all of Calista's vital signs and prescribed medication in case she felt any gynecological pain or discomfort. She should rest for two days to avoid bleeding and gradually return to daily activities. Larissa paid attention to every word the doctor said, glancing at Calista as if to say she would ensure everything was done correctly.

According to the doctor, the results would only be ready after the holidays, and as soon as he had them, he would meet with the four women again. This way, none of them needed to be anxious to receive any news because nothing would come.

"Doc, Calista and I are thinking about having children." Larissa glanced at Calista. "I was wondering if you could give me the contact details of the couple where the shapeshifter woman used her abilities to get her partner pregnant."

"Congratulations to you both on your decision." The doctor said. "Unfortunately, doctor-patient confidentiality does not allow me to share personal data. However, I am committed to conveying the message to them, and if they are interested, they can contact you. What do you think, Ms. Weems? "

"Perfect, Doctor. I would appreciate it. Ah, before you leave." the doctor was about to leave when Larissa called him back. "The mood changes due to hormonal treatment; how long do they last?"

"Are you giving her trouble, Ms. Cos'Anto?" The doctor smiled.

"Let's just say these last few days haven't been easy." Calista smiled back, squeezing Larissa's hand.

"It shouldn't take long. In a few more days, the effect will wear off. Just a little more patience." The doctor said, nodding and leaving the two women alone.

"Do you think the female couple will get in touch?" Calista asked Larissa casually when she sat down next to her again.

"I have no idea. But I'll look for the information myself if they don't." Larissa took Calista's hand to her mouth and kissed her knuckles. "I learned how to be a shapeshifter independently; this is just another step further."

"I'll be by your side through this process, Riss," Calista assured Larissa.

"I know, darling." Larissa smiled and patted Calista's hand.

With Gaia and Artemis back from the cafeteria, Larissa allowed herself to leave Calista's side and let Artemis keep her company. The girl wanted to plan Christmas dinner and was excited to spend it as a family again, like Thanksgiving. She, Gaia, and Larissa would take care of the preparations for supper, while Calista would take care of lighter tasks following the doctor's orders not to exert herself.

----------

On Christmas morning, Calista's apartment was filled with the smell of food being cooked. The other three women were busy in the kitchen except for Calista. Sitting on the kitchen stool, Calista watched the movement and helped occasionally.

Larissa was wearing an apron she brought from Nevermore, as Calista's didn't fit her. She hummed and sipped her red wine as she busied herself with the turkey in the oven. Occasionally, she would cast tender glances at Calista. It had been a few years since Larissa had company for Christmas. Some years, she attended friends' parties; others, she traveled abroad.

In the days leading up to Christmas, while Larissa took care of Calista, they talked about how they wanted the holidays to be from now on. They had not yet told Gaia and Artemis about their plans to get married and have children, but Larissa said that if everyone agreed, she would like them to spend successive Christmases together.

Calista knew this need came from Larissa not getting along with her family, and her Christmases were always miserable. Now that she was about to start her own family with the woman he loved, she wanted to celebrate it yearly.

Artemis was delighted. She didn't know what spending Christmas away from her mothers was like. Even though they were divorced, Gaia and Calista were always together on these commemorative dates. And now, the girl had Larissa to complete the combo. The genetic test results would still take some time to be ready, but the young shapeshifter already considered Larissa part of the family, even if she didn't date her mother.

Calista watched the interaction between Larissa and Artemis and found it difficult to believe that she had not made the association between them for many years, even though they were physically highly similar. Artemis's personality was a mix of Calista's and Gaia's, but as she got closer to Larissa, the girl seemed to acquire some of the principal's traits.

Gaia, in turn, was, as she always was, at ease. She drank beer while cooking, teased Artemis, joked about Calista getting rid of cooking, and reminded Larissa that they were now family in addition to being boss and employee. Her relationship with Ms. Mitchell was not serious, but Calista noticed that from time to time, Gaia answered messages on her cell phone.

The Christmas decorations had been left to Artemis while Larissa and Gaia went shopping the day before. The girl set up the Christmas tree-hung garlands and lights while making Calista listen to an annoying Christmas playlist that made her dance around the room while decorating the apartment. Artemis always liked Christmas, a legacy very well inherited from Calista. Together, the two made Gaia start to like it too, and now their goal was to awaken the feeling in Larissa.

The four of them spent an enjoyable afternoon together. There was no lunch; they snacked throughout the day while cooking and drinking. As Calista couldn't make much effort, she set the dinner table, placing herself and Larissa beside Gaia and Artemis beside each other and facing the other two.

During dinner, Larissa and Calista revealed their intention to get married and have children. Artemis squealed with joy and got up to hug her mother. Without thinking, she grabbed Larissa and gave her a tight hug. The principal was surprised; despite showing affection for each other, they were always restrained in their demonstrations. When Artemis hugged her, Larissa took a few seconds to understand what was happening until she smiled and kissed the girl's head, thanking her for the well wishes.

Gaia, in turn, congratulated Calista and exchanged a smile with Larissa, raising the glass and nodding. Calista noticed the looks and felt an air of conspiracy between her ex-wife and future wife. There was no envy or jealousy between them. Gaia had long ago accepted that her relationship with Calista was friendship and that the love they once had for each other was personalized in Artemis. Larissa understood that Gaia would always be there because she was the girl's mother, and Calista had spent enough time married to her for the bond never to be broken.

The night ended with the four sitting on the couch, stuffing themselves with food and watching a cliché Christmas movie. Larissa and Artemis wanted hot chocolate, and Calista happily prepared their favorite drink. Gaia remained with her beer, and Calista with the wine.

On her wrist, Larissa sported a gold bracelet set in crystals and engraved with her and Calista's initials. Larissa knew that Calista loved watches, and on their first Christmas together, Larissa gave her a white gold Rolex and diamonds that matched what the blonde thought was appropriate.

----------

The next day, Calista was alone at home packing up leftover food from the night before and getting ready to wash what seemed like endless dishes. Gaia, Larissa, and Artemis left for Nevermore because the girl wanted to hike in the forest. It had been a while since Larissa had ventured onto the Academy's grounds, so she decided to accompany Gaia and Artemis.

Before leaving, she left orders for Calista to rest, and when they returned, they would tidy up everything. But Calista wasn't in pain or tired; she was bored of the limitations imposed on her. Deciding that if she used her telekinesis to bring everything that needed to be put away and cleaned close by, she would keep her promise not to move around too much, she set to work.

It was almost lunchtime, and the other three should have been close to getting home when the cell phone rang. It was Larissa. Calista answered, happy to hear her beloved's voice, but was greeted with a deep and urgent voice. An accident had happened. Artemis was admitted unconscious to the nearest hospital, and Larissa was on her way to the apartment to pick up Calista. At the same time, Gaia remained at the hospital, keeping the girl company.

Chapter 17 | Chapter 19

[iaus]

bc i saw u mention cgu in the darling one (which i think is so funny. yessss cinnamon girl universe let’s get into it) but ⭐️ for hold me <33

i will never not be giggling over cgu. while also feeling a little guilty for jace in that universe eheh. but okay the way i know already what i wanna talk about.

so. fun fact about me i've cut back on them recently but i used to use A LOT of parenthetical sections in my writing. i've cut back on them recently because i got self conscious of how wordy i was but. i indulged myself in hold me.

let's look at those.

so. as it was an ask fic, i did feel the need to speed up the timeline of hold me. like. i don't think porter would have been adverse to starting being physical with jace right off the back, but i think even 26 yr old jace would have some anxiety about appearing professional and as we know i have to justify everything in my writing to myself.

even the porn.

but right before our parenthetical sections (which are a way for us to see how jace reacts to getting less professional with porter and a little peek into how porter eggs him on) we do learn a little about porter.

Porter Cliffbreaker is recently forty-nine years old, owns a family house in Tillering, and has a bad habit of patronizing Jace so much that he swears he’s flirting.

i'm not gonna lie i really like this line just in general. i wanted to give a concrete number to their ages and these little details jace knows about porter. he doesn't know much, but it's enough to give us an idea of well. yea he's probably a creep. (fun (?) fact, i was doing the math for porter's family and jace in this universe is about the same age as porter's youngest sibling.)

now. for this section i couldn't really help myself so i set up a little pattern we start:

It took about a week for Cliffbreaker to turn into Porter.

porter and jace start moving away from professional pretty quick. this, though, is pretty normal. i had a few coworkers that i never called by their first name, but even with my mentor it took like a month for me to open up and call them by their first name. so it's a sign that they're at least "close."

but then we have jace's reaction:

(He hooked up with a goliath about Porter’s height the weekend after Porter had smiled at him, told him, unthinking, good boy—then he’d almost moaned the wrong name. Then there was the barbarian he met at an adventuring bar in Bastion City. He’d asked for him to fuck him on all fours, for him to tell him he was proud of him—that he was doing so well. He had moaned Porter’s name that night. His date hadn’t seemed to notice. Or care.)

porter gives this permission to use his first name and jace... goes and finds men that remind him of porter. he immediately takes calling porter by his first name into his fantasies and hookups. he's in deep already. we're also establishing jace's pattern. he likes older men. married men. men who are more occupied with getting off than anything about what jace is experiencing... already we're seeing how this is going to go.

Two weeks for Jace to say, a little nervously, that he thought meeting three times a week might be better. I need some help with management strategies, he’d simpered, eyes wide and lip trembling a little. The freshmen are difficult.

now. you see, with my induction at least you were really supposed to meet every day. i didn't so i put it into the structure of this. but here's jace two weeks into the school year deciding. no i need more time with porter. so he goes and bats his eyelashes and lies a little bit. also going from one meeting a week to three in a five day work week? i think he's crazy for that.

porter doesn't mind though. how kind.

(Porter had been indulgent, rolled his eyes, and said he could make it work. They had sat pressed together awkwardly in Porter’s office as they went over the data Jace had collected from his Common classes, went over different ways to get student’s attention—what strategies was he using to address disruptive behavior. Then Jace had bitched about how he’d denied a position at Mumple to avoid Common and working with freshmen. Porter had laughed, clapped his hand against Jace’s shoulder and said, I know you’ll make it work, you’re a smart kid. Jace had jerked off in the shower imagining Porter’s laugh pressed to his neck. Imagined the heavy clap of Porter’s hand on his thigh.)

and as is my usual motive... porter does a lot of touching. even in this universe he is getting into jace's space. putting them in his office which requires them to press in close. and then already adding some casual touch and starting with some "safe" nicknames. kid's neutral, right?

jace is soaking that up. and let's be real. porter's noticing that.

Then, a month in, they were having their meetings outside Aguefort.

now this. here's the first official red flag. i never met my mentor outside of our site. my coworker i started with had to meet their mentor outside of our site only because they went to different schools. and even then they did professional zoom calls.

not jace and porter. they go for coffee.

(Porter hadn’t been looking at him when they got coffee in a new bistro not far from Strongtower Luxury Apartments. He’d been focused instead on the notes Jace had from when he spent his prep period observing Tiberia. Jace had felt a little stupid, sitting there in his tight jeans and polyester blend shirt that almost looked like silk. He’d sipped his drink in silence as Porter made his own notes. Asked Jace questions on what he thought of Tiberia’s pedagogy, her engagement of students. He’d sulked on the way home, thinking he was a particular kind of stupid. He’d still texted later and asked if they could have another meeting the next day—after he observed Badgood. Porter had texted back, hours later, saying that sounded fine—did he have a date? Was that why he had been dressed so nice for their meeting? It fell through, Jace texted back—face flushed and heart hammering loud in his throat. Porter didn’t text back until midnight, He missed out then.)

they go to a bistro! they get their drinks. jace dresses up!

but porter is so professional. he doesn't comment on jace's clothes, he focuses on being jace's mentor. and jace is of course disappointed. yea it's what he needs, porter's doing his job. but. he dressed up. like he was going on a date. he gets his feelings hurt.

but then. later. after he goes home. when the "mentoring" is done, porter texts him.

did he have a date? was that why he was dressed so nice?

and just with that porter validates jace. porter noticed him. not in a professional way. in a way jace has been seeking.

and then... at midnight. late. way beyond the "professional" hours.

he missed out then.

makes you wonder what porter was doing that late. thinking about jace in his tight jeans.

and then we get that scene with goldenhoard.

“It’s good you have an attentive mentor."

(to say the least)

“You’re not the first person he’s mentored,” Goldenhoard says. He signs the page requiring an admin signature, slides that back to Jace as well. “His pedagogy… gets some complaints from parents. But his mentees are usually… satisfied.” Jace can feel his ears go red. He wonders, briefly, if he’s the first Porter has taken an interest in.

this is probably the most concerned jace has been about this whole thing. and it's not even anything about being worried about being professional. this is jace being jealous. he wants to be the first porter's done this deeply unprofessional unethical thing with. because he has to be special.

and this is something that never got mentioned because we never saw porter's pov but. this bright-eyed naive jace does have epilogue jace's past.

so he has his spell thief ability.

and porter knows about it from the get go. (it's why he volunteered.)

He’d been hired during his interview with Arthur Aguefort—with a hand-wave and an understanding laugh that his mentor could help him with the paperwork related to the… problems that had followed him out of college.

so, while it's not mentioned... the funny thing is that i personally do see this as the first time porter's taken an interest in a mentee like this.

porter in this universe wants jace's magic more than he wants jace.

it's just an added bonus that he clocked jace's interest in him. makes things a lot easier.

[blocksruinedme]

JIMMY FINALE SPOILERS (but i tagged it so)

If Jimmy can get there on his own, he can come back on his own. My brain is aggressively rejecting any idea that he's gone for good or impossible to reach. It's kinda of funny to see it happen, I'm well aware of it but I'm just going with it. I don't know how much i will even muse on emp s2 post canon.

But.

After Joel's finale, i was thinking through "Jimmy knows people can get Actual God Joel's attention but he refuses to cause Joel didn't say goodbye" and then Joel show up to demand Jimmy's attention (and kisses).

Now I'm thinking fWhip finds out Jimmy left and tracks him down like the insane goblin he is, and Jimmy knows about the shrine and that gives him what he needs to have an actual conversation. That and the emotional space of having left and reflected, and fWhip's panic at Jimmy being gone and seeing what his life is like both without his gobland obligations and without Jimmy - and friends gone too!

I gave up on writing real fWhimmy set during the season, maybe this is what i needed. (God I'm going to miss them)

And in my headcanon Joel can physically manifest wherever he wants. Like Weekend Town. It really seems very plausible, and Joel can be annoyed Jimmy ran off and then argue briefly before kissing. I have TWO late season emp2 smallidarity fics in actual progress, so maybe i should write those lol.

Also Jimmy could come back to visit and be surprised at who is gone! Feelings!!

Oh i haven't watched Scott's, but he went adventuring? Obvs he can show up in WT for feelings and kisses. (They had so much unresolved sexual tension lets be real) Everyone gets to have feelings about other people leaving empires, including "well it made sense for me to leave but you should have stayed (for my emotional reasons i don't understand)". I could do a series of NO NOT ANOTHER SERIES NO uh hey one could do a series of diff visitors to weekend town!

Here's what i said on discord immediately after watching (in a parked car)

"Well i shrieked and literally pounded the roof so ill call it a win

Did i get any resolution between Jimmy and anyone? No.

Did Jimmy fly over to Joel and call him attractive? Yes.

Did we see fWhip? No.

Did i have feelings about Jimmy talking about him and his self-esteem? Yes.

Had it been so long since the shrine that I had full on given up hope Jimmy would ever see it? Yes.

Did i lose my fucking shit? Yes.

Does it give me fic fodder? Absolutely, ideas churning.

Did I literally scream about Jimmy being inducted into a lineage with mandatory bisexuality? Yes

Do i want other people to write Jimmy/old sheriff? Yes."

-----

Now, asap, just give me a new long term smp with at least some lore and rp featuring (at minimum) Jimmy fwhip scott joel oli lizzie, and I'm good. It's not that i need it for fic, i just need boys crashing into Jimmy's streams.

(if you are inspired by any of my fic ideas, go ahead, just let me know if you are working on one so i don't write sometime too similar!)

Empires season 2. It's been real, y'all. (I will not stop talking about them ever. Just less after awhile)

[egirlkelly69]

paper trails『izuku midoriya x fem reader』

✎⟿chapter 1⟿

The late afternoon sun filtered lazily through the tall windows of 1A's classroom. Aizawa’s monotone droned on at the front of the room, his usual lecture about teamwork in combat scenarios blending with the hum of tired students. It was the end of the first week at UA, and the initial excitement had given way to the exhaustion of long school days, and repetitive induction speeches.

You sat at your desk, absently doodling in the corner of your notebook. At least the week hadn’t been entirely bad. You’d been sitting with Mina during lunch, and her bubbly energy had made settling in a little easier. Through her, you’d chatted a bit with Kirishima and Denki, though you wouldn't consider yourself as close with them yet.

A soft thwack snapped you from your thoughts. A small, folded piece of paper landed on your desk. You blinked at it, then glanced to the side in the direction it came from.

Midoriya, who sat at the desk next to you, was hunched over his notes, his green eyes fixed firmly on the blackboard, as though he hadn’t just thrown something at you. His cheeks were tinged pink, though, giving him away.

You hesitated, confused, then picked up the note and unfolded it.

"Is it just me, or does Mr. Aizawa's voice make you feel like you’re falling asleep standing up?"

A snort escaped you before you could stop it. Aizawa paused mid-sentence, his sharp gaze flicking in your direction. You quickly ducked your head, hiding your grin behind your notebook.

When you dared another glance at Midoriya, he was looking at you, his lips pressed tight as though holding back laughter.

You grabbed your pen and scribbled a response.

"Definitely not just you. Does this even count as hero training? 'Cause I don’t think villains are gonna bore us to death."

Folding the paper carefully, you slid it onto his desk when Aizawa turned to write on the board.

Midoriya unfolded it with a quiet rustle and read it, his shoulders shaking slightly in silent laughter. He quickly wrote something back and passed it to you.

"Hey, maybe that’s Aizawa’s secret plan. Outlast the enemy with endless lectures."

You covered your mouth to keep from laughing out loud. The two of you continued your back-and-forth for the rest of the lesson, passing the paper as soon as Aizawa turned his back.

"What do you think he’d do if someone actually fell asleep?"

"Probably tape them to the ceiling and make them stay there all class."

"He totally would. Do you think he even sleeps himself?"

"I bet he naps while standing. Like a horse."

By the time the lecture ended, your boredom had completely melted away.

Aizawa clapped his hands sharply to get the class moving. “Alright, you’re done for the day. Get out of here.”

The scrape of chairs and the shuffle of footsteps filled the room as everyone gathered their things and headed for the door. You glanced at Midoriya, catching his gaze again. He smiled at you—It was still the shy, hesitant one you’d seen before when passing each other in the hallway, but it seemed more warm, a genuine grin that made your chest feel a little lighter.

“See you later,” he said, slinging his bag over his shoulder.

“Yeah,” you replied, surprised at how easy it was to smile back.

As you stepped into the hallway, you spotted Mina waiting up ahead, her pink hair bouncing as she waved you over. You jogged to catch up with her, joining in the conversation when she started chattering about weekend plans. I'm

Meanwhile, Midoriya joined Iida and Ochako, who were deep in conversation about the lecture. He looked over his shoulder once, just in time to see you glance back at him before Mina pulled you into a story about something Denki had said at lunch.

➴➵➶➴➵➶➴➵➶

The afternoon sun hung low in the sky, casting a warm golden hue over the city streets as you and Mina walked home together, your school bags swinging at your sides. The sounds of cars passing by and the chatter of people heading home filled the air, but Mina's voice was louder, full of energy.

“...and then Denki totally thought he could mimic Kirishima’s hardening Quirk somehow,” she said, throwing her head back with laughter. “The guy just slammed his arm into a wall like, ‘I’ve got this!’ and then screamed like a baby when it hurt!”

You laughed, “That sounds exactly like something he’d do.”

“It was hilarious,” Mina said, wiping a tear from her eye. “Anyway, what about you? Anything interesting happen today? You’ve been all smiley since we left school.”

Your lips twitched into a smile at her observation. “Oh... You’ll never guess what happened during class today.”

Mina stopped mid-step and turned to face you, glowing with excitement. “What? What happened? Tell me everything!”

“Midoriya passed me a note,” you finally said, watching her eyes widen with disbelief.

“No way. Midoriya? Quiet, All Might-obsessed Midoriya?”

“Yep,” you said, grinning.

“What did it say? Did he confess his undying love for you?!” Mina clasped her hands dramatically over her heart.

You snorted. “Hardly. He was just complaining about Aizawa’s lecture at first. And then... well, we just kept going. Passed notes the entire lesson.”

“Wait, the entire lesson?!” Mina’s jaw dropped, and she grabbed your arm, practically vibrating with excitement. “Oh my God! What were you talking about? Was it flirty? Did he make a move? Details, now!”

“Relax!” You laughed, prying her hands off your arm. “It wasn’t anything serious. Just... jokes, random stuff. He’s actually really funny. And nice.”

Mina gasped, her eyes narrowing as a sly grin spread across her face. “You like him, don’t you?”

You stumbled slightly at her question, quickly shaking your head. “What? No! I’ve barely said two actual words to him, I don’t even know the guy.”

Mina raised an eyebrow, not convinced in the slightest. “Uh-huh. Sure.”

“I’m serious!” you insisted, “We just passed notes. That’s it.”

Mina didn’t stop grinning, though. “Uh-huh, and now you’re blushing. Classic sign of a crush.”

“No! I’m not!” you protested, beginning to get flustered by her persistent interrogation.

Mina looped her arm through yours with a playful laugh. “It’s okay, you can admit it. He’s sweet, and kind of adorable. I’d ship it.”

You groaned, face hidden in your hands. “I’m telling you, there’s nothing between us. He’s just a guy I sat next to in class.”

“Oh, sure,” Mina teased. “Just a guy you’re definitely not crushing on.”

You rolled your eyes knowing she would never let this go.

[hb-writes]

Tommy Shelby & Clara Shelby

✵ The Walk-In Appointment: May 1909. Clara learns to walk a bit later than her twin, but once she does there’s no stopping her from following her big brother around wherever he goes. 

✵ Tired of the Wait: 1912. When Tommy brings his sisters downtown with him to run an errand and Ada decides to run one of her own, Tommy and Clara both grow tired of waiting on their sister.

✵ Interminable Moonlight: Tommy meets Greta by the cut in the moonlight.

✵ Our Bloody Idiot: 1913. Tommy may very well be a bloody idiot, but Clara still thinks he deserves a piece of cake.

✵ The Horsewoman: 1913. Clara and Finn are ready to start school, but Clara is a bit hesitant. Thankfully, her older brother Tommy knows how to negotiate.

✵ The Devil’s Footsteps: 1913. Tommy’s taken on quite a bit of responsibility in caring for his younger siblings. He never expected that responsibility would require him explaining the inappropriateness of tossing erasers at people. 

✵ For Old and Young Alike: Set in 1913 and 1922. All Clara Shelby wants for Christmas is a little quality time with her favorite people. 

✵ The Road that Leads to Trouble: 1914. The Shelby dinner table is rarely a thing one would call quiet or calm, and it’s no different on the night the family learns their youngest has been kissing boys out on the lane.

✵ Like the Leaves: 1914. In the wake of Greta’s passing, Tommy’s little sister offers him some comfort.

✵ Things They Left Behind - Parts 1-3: 1918. John, Arthur, and Tommy have just returned from France to rediscover the things they’ve left behind: Ada, a set of twins, the business, and a few treasures their youngest sister has been keeping safe for them. *COMPLETED*

✵ The Shelby Inheritance: 1918. When Clara and Finn are being teased at school, Tommy helps them get things sorted.

✵ Thank you. I can take it from here: 1918. Clara Shelby wants to bake her brother a special treat for his birthday but needs a bit of assistance in gathering ingredients.  

✵ Little Lady Blinder Series: 1919. Clara Shelby is a kind girl, a smart girl, a well-behaved little sister in a town full of gangsters and ruffians. With the girl’s raising thus far being such a simple task, the Shelby family is left unprepared for all that accompanies a perfectly respectable little girl growing up and becoming a lady among Peaky Blinders.

✵ The Shelby Women’s Alliance: 1920. Clara navigates the first milestone of puberty on her own in a house full of clueless brothers, keeping it all to herself until Ada comes at the weekend and takes over, managing their brother and formally inducting her sister into the Shelby Woman’s Alliance.

✵ Warmth: 1920. It takes a special sort of person to fall asleep during a birthday party at the pub. Turns out it takes a special kind of person to wake them too.

✵ A Small Comfort: 1921. When Clara’s horse gets sick, Tommy tries to shield her from seeing the worst of it, but Clara has her own plans.

✵ Seeing Stars: 1921. When Finn, Isiah, and Clara get themselves in to trouble with Polly, they’re left in the church to wait on their comeuppance.

✵ Kind Eyes: 1922. Clara finds herself in Tommy’s office, studying a picture on his desk, searching for a resemblance to a mother who looks nothing like her.

✵ Something: 1922. Tommy has sensed a change in the way his youngest sister relates to the boys of Small Heath.

✵ Give Away: 1922. It’s a family day—Arthur and Linda’s wedding day—but rather than celebrating, Arthur’s got Tommy thinking about something he’d never consciously given much thought to—their Clara’s wedding and who would be giving her away.

✵ A Candle in the Darkness: 1923. Clara may be growing older, but she still needs her brother Tommy from time to time.

✵ The Council: 1923. The boy’s reaction to fifteen-year-old Clara Shelby being friends with the Watery Lane boys. 

✵ Close-knit: 1923. It’s Christmas 1923, otherwise known as the year of Clara’s Christmas sweaters.

✵ You’re Not Me: 1924. When Clara’s running herself ragged preparing for an exam, Tommy steps in to reassure her.

✵ You’ve always been naive: 1925. After an epic row, Tommy allows Clara to stay more regularly on Watery Lane with a few conditions, one of which is a mid-week meeting at the Midland Hotel to check in.

✵ My Person: 1925. Clara and Isiah haven’t talked in weeks but after a drunken night filled with a break up and scrapping in Small Heath, Isiah insists on going out to Arrow House to see her. 

✵ Bloody Rotten: 1925ish. Clara’s feeling bloody rotten, but thankfully her brother arrives home just in time to look after her.

✵ A Big, Beautiful Fellow: 1926. Tommy didn’t set out to bribe his sister and win back her good graces, but when the opportunity presents itself…

✵ They Waited for You: 1927. Tommy’s been away in London and Clara tries to bring him home to Arrow House, to be present for his son and daughter, and for her.

✵ Stars in the Sky: 1927. Clara Shelby is feeling overwhelmed with trying to balance university, family, and business responsibilities, but that doesn’t stop her from noticing something is off with her brother. When have her own problems ever stopped her from trying to fix someone else’s?

✵ Gestures of Fairness: 1927. Thomas Shelby isn’t ticklish, at least that’s what a few decades of Clara’s intel says. Charles and Clara test the theory of his god-like ability to remain stoic in the face of writhing fingers. 

✵ Five of Swords: 1929. An evening of tarot cards and forgiveness.

✵ A Little Raven: 1930ish (AU). Lizzie and Clara have a chat about Lizzie’s concerns, for the children she’s raising without much help from their father, the baby growing in her belly, the twins so eager to prove themselves, and the Shelby curse. Clara tries to offer a bit of comfort, but its Tommy coming home early on a Friday that assuages her concerns.

✵ Family Meeting - Modern AU Tommy, Isiah, and Clara

✵ LITTLE LADY BLINDER MASTERLIST ✵

[binaural-histolog]

Good evening!

I have a couple questions for you if you would be so willing.

First is dealing with imposter syndrome/not feeling ready. I've been very interested in hypnosis for over a decade now and have kept tabs/read books on/ even taken Wiseguy's class on the topic, but I never feel quite there. Have you/do you deal with this feeling as well, and if so what works for you in combating it?

Secondly, where can I find people interested in both topping and subbing? I've been on multiple discords/hypnohookup/fetlife, but I feel they are too overtly/explicitly sexual from where I want to start off. I feel like that is done after having had a session or two to figure each other out and having a healthy discussion, since trust is at the very core of hypnokink.

Thank you for your time!

Have you/do you deal with this feeling as well, and if so what works for you in combating it?

Imposter syndrome is a feeling. It won't go away because you work hard or work past it or try to think the right thoughts at it any more than the rain will go away because you're wearing a raincoat and rain pants. It's not about solving imposter syndrome. You just get to a point where you accept that sometimes that feeling will happen, and it's okay.

The reason it's okay, for me, is that hypnosis is play. Mistakes happen in play, but if you're having fun and finding joy in stupid shit, you're doing it right, even if you still have that imposter syndrome feeling all the way through.

It took me a year to tell my partner I had a hypnosis fetish. I had a full on panic attack when I told them I wanted to hypnotize them. I was terrified that all the fantasies I had about brainwashing and controlling people were going to inevitably corrode my ethics and turn me into the monster I always knew I was. I knew it was bullshit, but I'd had a lifetime of the shadow talking to me.

And yet... the first time I hypnotized my partner I felt like a five year old given five espressos and a new puppy. Did I screw up the induction? Yes. Did I lose track of my notes and forget half the suggestion? Yes. Was my voice trembling? Also yes. Did I feel like an imposter? Yes. Did it matter? No. Because we set up a schedule and we were going to do it again next weekend, and the goal wasn't to be perfect, it was to play and have fun.

My partner doesn't care about any of the authority or magic involved in hypnosis, so I didn't have to live up to any built-up images of hypnotism. What made a difference to my partner was that hypnosis helped with anxiety and rumination, and it gave us a chance to sit and be close and intimate together. One of the best things in the world is seeing my partner's face relaxed, stroking their cheeks, and tell them things that make them smile even if they don't remember them after the session. The actual experience of hypnosis was completely and utterly different from my fears.

The same goes for writing and presenting. I wrote An Alternate History of Hypnotism not because I want academic or community recognition. It'd be nice to have those things, but I did it because it was fun. Presenting the slides at Mindquake took all my social energy and left me unable to move for a good hour, but I got to show people the links between rhetoric and suggestion and work Mr Rogers into an erotic hypnosis conference. Did I fuck up bits? Yes. Did it matter? No. It was fun.

Your imposter syndrome is a feeling. That feeling may go away or it may not. But the feeling of having fun and enjoying yourself will still be around, and no-one is there to look at the bits that don't work, they are there to look at the bits that do.

Secondly, where can I find people interested in both topping and subbing?

I'm only barely part of the scene, so this is going to be mostly from what I've heard other people say.

Trust and a healthy discussion of kinks should be the first thing that happens. Starting from fetlife/discords/hypnohookup is going to get you people who are "horny on main" so they will most probably not hang back and talk.

Go outside. Go to fetlife munches and hang out and meet people. Look for general openminded kink people, hypnokink is still enough of a niche that the potential pool is much larger than the actual one.

Once you know roughly who people are, then go on a low-effort date to see if they're a top/bottom, how they got into kink, and what their interests are. Then they ask about you, and you explain your hypnosis kink, what you like about it. Depending on how the date is going, you might give some examples of hypnotic suggestions that just so happen to align with their interests and kinks.

If it works out, great! If not, you keep going. Dating is like interviewing, it's not personal and there will be ten or twenty dates that don't work for every one that does. As long as you treat people like people and also feel like you're being treated as a person, you're doing it right.

[phthalology]

I will be touching grass this weekend and I would rather be playing Crota's End badly. That said, happy Raid day!! If you would like some ancient fic about what was up with Eris and her fireteam and Crota, here they are:

Induction: How Eris lost her eyes. Written in February 2015 after the Raid had dropped with The Dark Below (the expansion where Eris first appears) in December. I haven't fully reread this fic. I skimmed enough to see that I'm still happy with the prose ("Before it was lost, her Ghost told her the strange traditions, the egos and resignations, of her new people.") Sorry about calling both Brya and a Wizard "it" quite a lot, though. And this fic was written before the canon said Rasputin was the only Warmind. There's a conversation about Toland's fear of Warminds that probably doesn't make as much sense now. Eris holding an Ahamkara bone also hadn't been confirmed in the lore at this time.

A Name for Far Cold Orbits: My take on Eris' fireteam. Eris/Toland, 14k, 2015.

The Shattering: My Toland backstory. Toland sacrifices one of his devotees to Savathûn. This was 2016, well before Savathûn started showing up in in-game lore iirc.

Nature Abhors a Vacancy: Also known as the first entry in Deathsingers AU. Eris' fireteam fails, Eriana becomes a Hive queen (sort of), and Eris and Toland lounge about in gross splendor until Eris gets sick of being on the dark side. There is a lot I would change about this now: both structurally and philosophically it's so slow and wallowing. What do the rest of the Hive characters think about what happened? We just don't know! But I love this AU enough to keep writing it to this day. The date on this fic is April 2016, meaning The Taken King had come out and I could steal the word "vacancy" from it, but this story has about nothing to do with Oryx.

[wessexroyalfamily]

{Location: Fogmorre Castle, Avon County, Kingdom of Wessex}

Head Mover: We should have everything moved into their proper rooms before your family arrives, ma'am.

Queen Anne II of Wessex: And Christian says that he couldn't find his back brace this morning. If you could have someone find the box that it's in and bring it into our dressing room. that would be most appreciated.

Head Mover: Not a problem, I'll get someone to check the list now to see where it is.

Anne II: I say. I’m impressed how quickly you’ve moved all of our belongings from Claremont House into Fogmorre Castle.

Head Mover: Thank you ma’am, my staff has been preparing for the move for awhile now. Though…

Head Mover: …(continued) and if I may ask ma'am, we were originally told to prepare two rooms for The Crown Prince and The Crown Princess. That is one for both of them and one for Prince Richard.

Anne II: (uncomfortable) Yes well.

Head Mover: But talking to the Crown Prince's team it sounds like their Royal Highnesses would prefer separate rooms.

Anne: … Yes, very well. Prepare the Tower Suite for William, it's already furnished nicely, and shouldn't need too much.

Staff: And Margaret, ma'am?

Anne II: Move any boxes or furniture from Claremont House marked B into the Double Suite for Margaret and Richard. We can move it after the weekend after All Saints Day.

Prince Arthur, The Earl of Falmouth: (off screen) There you are, your staff told me you were looking for me.

Anne II: Yes, its been a busy morning. I've been meaning to pop by.

Prince Arthur: No need for apologies, I can imagine everyone around here is keeping you on your toes (chuckles).

Anne II: I'm sure you heard about old Lord Poole.

Prince Arthur: It's such a shame having an old friend pass away. I figured you'd want someone from the family to represent you at the funeral? I'd of course be willing.

Anne II: That's very thoughtful. But I wanted to talk to you about the Order of the Royal Chrysanthemum. With his death a new spot has opened up, and since you are the Grand Master of the order, I'd figure I would talk to you first.

Prince Arthur: ...yes well. There are a few strong candidates in the National Council that are Peers. Though inducting someone involved in the sciences or Cancer research would be a way to honor Lord Poole.

Anne II: Well, actually I was thinking about nominating William to take Lord Poole's seat.

Prince Arthur: William, do you think he's ready?

Anne II: I'm not sure if ready is the word. He's seems so lost lately, it's as if he's lost his connection to the Crown. He needs something to reaffirm his sense of commit and purpose to the monarchy.

Prince Arthur: Well if he is meant to be Sovereign of the Order one day, I see no reason for government to deny his knighthood.

Anne II: Does that mean I have your support?

Prince Arthur: I think it's a wonderful idea. We can have a proper ceremony planned in about a month or two.

Anne II: What about sooner?

Prince Arthur: How soon?

Anne II: I'd want it done during the upcoming Devon Tour. We can convene the Order then. I can inform my staff to make all the necessary arrangements at Exeter Chapel.

Prince Arthur: All the same to me, if you're sure?

Anne II: More than anything.

Beginning | Start of Current Chapter | Previous | Next

[lovingpromise]

Sooooo I've been busy work-wise and socially this week. I've finally inducted @loyalpromise and @lastedpromise into playing BG3, mwahaha. I'm off for the weekend so in between game sessions I plan to get some replies done!! My pupper is also to blame. You can see the menace below the cut.

[torrentialmonsoon]

My Birth Story - Part 1

Last year at my 38th week appointment, I was diagnosed with high blood pressure. I was told to think about induction as high blood pressure is very dangerous for myself and the baby. The OB gave me the option of coming back 2 days later and having my BP checked again, and if it was normal, then we would go with the flow and wait for baby to arrive on his/her own (we didnt know the gender at the time even though we tried to find out). But if it was high again, it's recommended that I be induced.

I took the option of waiting the 2 days to see if it would become normal. Went to the clinic 2 days later, and low and behold, it was still high. I was already 1 cm dilated as well. My induction was booked at the hospital for April 15th.

I got my induction done. If you don't know about it, it's VERY painful. I cried. It isn't the worse pain I've felt though. The worse pain was when I was getting tests done at the fertility centre because I have fertility issues, and one of the procedures is to get your tubes flushed with water. That was something. I never want to do that again. Worst pain I have ever felt. Back to my story, after induction, they send me home and tell me that they will call me to come back the next morning. I went back the next morning, and they did some tests and said we will call you. Go home again. So I went. On the 16th, they called me back and said to come around 5 pm. We went. With all our bags that have been packed for many, many days. I wait 2 hours in the waiting room.

As I wait, I see woman after woman, coming in, visibly in strong active labour. As if they were about to pop a baby out any minute. They were sweating, breathing so hard, and in so much pain that they couldn't even speak. They all get priority before me, and rightfully so. A nurse comes towards the waiting area and calls my name. I was like, "finally!" She comes to me and says, the OB would like to speak to you in a few minutes. I said, "okay" and the nurse walks away. I sit back down and wait a few more minutes. I'm updating my husband as he isn't allowed in the hospital until I've been checked in completely. Covid rules. So annoying. He's waiting in the parking lot. It has almost been 2 hours. I can't imagine what he's thinking and going through. I'm sure time must have been like molasses for him.

The nurse calls my name again, and this time is accompanied by an OB. I walk behind them as they take me to a private room, which is actually a shared post partum area with tons of beds. They ask me to sit down and I'm now getting nervous.

"We wanted to ask you if you'd be willing to go to the Trillium hospital about 15 minutes away. Our hospital keeps getting pregnant woman after another in labour and babies keep getting born. Unfortunately, because it's the long Easter weekend, we are also under staff compared to the amount of babies that are being born. Would you be comfortable with going to Trillium instead? I don't want you to keep waiting as you're hitting the 24 hour mark with your induction already. I've already spoken to the OB there, Dr. Chu. She is absolutely amazing and they said that it's not that busy there. Because we are all under one system under Health Partners, they already have all your information. All you have to do is agree and I can make the phone call to let them know you are coming."

I call my husband and ask him what he thinks. He says, yes, we shouldn't wait any longer. Let's get going to the other hospital. We drive to Trillium, I enter the main entrance while Saqib parks the car. They ask me about any covid symptoms and the guy at the reception says, "You're the third pregnant patient they have sent in just the last few hours today." He was very nice and shared that the walk to the Labour and Assessment unit was very long. He offered a wheel chair for me to sit on. I decline politely, and regret this decision as soon as we start walking.

I get to the unit, they check me in, ask me a bunch of questions, I get changed into a gown. Dr. Chu pops in and says hello. She sounds super lovely and I feel a huge relief take over me, thinking I'll be in good hands. She says, "This baby has been through all of Mississauga today to just be born!" I smile and agree. And I tell her that the baby is ready to be born now. I'm finally checked in and go to a private room. I get attached to lots of wires that will monitor me and the baby. I'm finally allowed to call my husband in and I feel grateful to have him by my side.

The nurse is lovely and is pumping all the fluids and hormones in to me that are needed for me to continue the birthing process. The OB comes in again and says that they are going to break my water now, and she does. I thought it would be very painful, but it wasn't. But I did have to do lots of breathing while she removed the instruments from inside me to trigger the water breaking. She also checked my dilation and I was at a 2-3 cm.

The OB said to continue monitoring the contractions, that I'll start to feel them soon. And to let the nurse know if I would like the epidural. The nurse gives me a couple of juice boxes to drink to get the baby moving. And tells me I should eat some food that my husband brought. I eat it and I go to sleep.

At around 3 am, I really have to go to the washroom but I need help because I'm still attached to all the wires. I buzz the nurse, she comes in and helps me out. She then says that she will check my dilation. I'm at 5 cm now. But I feel no contractions. She offers that I take the epidural if I'm interested, so I can go to sleep after that. I decide to take it. It's not as painful as I thought. The OB steps in and says that her shift ends at 8 am and the other OB on duty will come in to check. If the baby doesn't arrive before 8 am, then the new OB will help deliver the baby in the morning.

The baby doesn't like the epidural that much. The heart rate starts to go up fast. Another nurse comes in to check. There are 2 nurses in now, trying to get the baby’s heart rate to go back to normal. They pump some more hormones in me and that does the trick. Baby's heart rate is back to normal, but that was scary. I sleep really well for the rest of the night.

I don't remember the exact time the morning OB comes in but she is accompanied by a few more nurses. She's very enthusiastic, wakes me up, and says she's going to check my dilation. If I'm at 10 cm, we are ready to start pushing. I'm at 10 cm now.

She teaches me how to push and I begin doing so. I don't remember how many times I did. But I kept trying. I can hear one of the nurses say that I'm almost there, she can see the top of the baby’s head. My body temperature starts declining fast. The baby's heart rate starts skyrocketing. This is not good. The OB says we may have to do an emergency C section so both mom and baby are safe. She says to my husband, I want to try forceps, I can see him and we can pull him out. My husband asks, what are the cons of it. She says, that it's very rare but there could be a spinal issue for the baby or there could be some coning of the head. But if we don't do it, it could not be good news. We agree to the forceps.

She uses the forceps and our beautiful baby is born. I can't see him but my husband watches. He's crying and says, it's a boy. More professionals rush in and take the baby. I'm on edge because I'm waiting for the cry. And I finally hear it. I say Alhumdullilah. He's all good. I am exhausted. And I see the OB pulling out the placenta. I think, oh good, I didn't have to push again for that. My husband is calling my sister. I see the OB doing some stitches. Nurses are asking if I want skin to skin. I say yes. They place baby on me and he stops crying. We look into each other's eyes and find perfection. I say salaam to him. We name him Aariz. I feel extremely nauseous. I hear the OB say okay, she won't stop bleeding. I say, can someone get the baby, I'm about to throw up. They pick him fast and one nurse says turn to your left. As soon as I do, I throw up twice. The OB keeps calling my husband, saying dad, dad. But he is too occupied on the phone and doesn't realize he's a dad now. I yell out Saqib, and he finally looks at the OB.

I pass out.