#so hopefully it'll be out of my system soon

[cakemagemaeve]

Oh, Prednisone my beloathed.

[goldpilot22]

My dad is very nearsighted and is legally blind without his glasses but can see just fine with them - he is the type of person who has to use touch to feel around for his glasses if he loses them. (He also has something going on where his pupils are always slightly too dilated? Which means he has to wear sunglasses while driving in the day, and dislikes driving at night because of the glare from lights, but really enjoys astronomy since he can see the stars very well.) Meanwhile I'm slightly nearsighted, worse in one eye than the other, but it's mild enough that I spent my entire time at college without wearing glasses and only started wearing them again last year when I realized the lack of depth perception was affecting my art. (I'd thought my good eye was slightly farsighted, but it was actually slightly nearsighted, and that mixup meant that my glasses gave me headaches so I didn't like wearing them.)

My mom is hard of hearing because her birth father would hit her on the ears when she was a kid (Grandma divorced that man for her kids' safety, and he's not in the picture no more.) and she sometimes has to ask people to repeat things. I'm technically not HoH afaik, but I have tinnitus and auditory hypersensitivity (the sound of a door shutting just normally is enough to hurt a little, for example) so I wear headphones constantly to muffle all sounds and make things bearable. Because of the headphones and my other auditory processing struggles, it's functionally like I'm hard of hearing, as I often have to ask people to repeat things they said, and especially in loud situations I can't just remove the headphones to hear better.

My grandpa (who I live with and help care for) is hard of hearing and wears hearing aids. Sometimes we have a "conflicting access needs" moment when his hearing aids feedback and produce sounds that are painful to me even through my headphones, but the feedbacking bothers him too so he finds a way to get it to stop pretty soon. We frequently have to ask each other to repeat things or get closer and then repeat things, which can be a bit annoying but we're used to it.

also sometimes we have funny moments such as when I asked "You don't have your hearing aids in, do you?" and he said "I can't hear you! I don't have my hearing aids in!"

For any creatives out there who may need it, this is a fairly important thing to note. Bc shockingly I still see genuine mainstream media still be really sloppy about this topic:

In people who are classified as blind or deaf, there's actually very few cases where it's this, all engulfing complete sensory deprivation. What I mean by this is, that someone can be considered blind if they for example lack peripheral vision so severely that they have to actively focus something on the very center of their field to really make out what it is. Or the other way around. Or that their vision is really blurry. Or their eyes can't focus on the same thing, or dozens of other ways people Can't See Well. Same for deafness: someone's hearing can just be so poor that they can't function the same way that non HOH people can. It can mean that one ear is deaf and the other is normal, it can be just hearing if something is really loud or only being able to hear when there's no background noise. The list goes on.

The way blindness and deafness manifests is extremely diverse but I only ever see media do the "Literally complete darkness" for blind characters and "Wouldn't hear a fucking car coming at them until they see the headlights" type of shit for deaf characters. It's so boring and idiotic. Like duh sensory disabled people can rely on other senses or methods to navigate the world but it also doesn't automatically mean blind people have amazing hearing or whatever else played out archetypes writers like to give disabled characters to make them ~more capable~. Like please don't have the range be either "Pathetically helpless" or "Superhero with one sense missing but that makes them More Special".

Deaf people feel soundwaves and vibrations just like hearing people do, blind people can detect the difference between light and dark, and also feel vibrations and air passage to know when someone or something is there. Now I'm not blind nor HOH but even I know that in most cases it's not that black and white. Blind and deaf characters can be perceptive without being supernaturally talented in other ways ffs. Just realise that it's A Spectrum.

[day6source]

hello my loves 💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕

it's been.....honestly a bit since i made a big post! october, right before my birthday! i've been super busy with offline (and sometimes even other online) stuff since, so i apologize for neglecting you guys for a bit without notice, even if i was still getting things up! i intended to make more posts like this much more often and ended up not being able to, i'm so sorry y'all!

but! it's almost christmas and the new year! which feels sort of insane! i hope you're all staying cozy (or cool, for southern hemisphere friends), and have some fun plans for the upcoming holidays depending on what you celebrate, but especially the new year! 💕✨

admittedly there aren't tons of updates, the calendar isn't up to date actually on the desktop theme (and the month is almost over so 😬 january's will be, i promise!), but! as i said earlier today, the christmas concert from last night is up here, sungjin's solo concert stream is here, and if you wanna find a little bit of everything, you can find that here. i'm gonna try and actually upload sungjin's songs to the blog here again, the copyright system was really finicky when he released it and prevented it a bit, but i'm determined! so! hopefully it'll be up! but as a reminder if you ever wanna throw the songs on your phone via not a streaming service, you can find things right here! remember you're free to request any unreleased or unofficial songs as well to throw in there and up on here! not sure which ones you guys really want, so just let me know and i'm happy to do it as well as any video content you wanna see, i'm always down to at least hunt.mp3 for it 😉

with the incoming new year, i'm hoping to be able to do more with you guys! i had so many plans i wasn't able to follow through on this year for you all because of offline things, which really sucks, because you guys are so so so important to me! like, we're almost at 500 followers?? which is so crazy to me!! what!!!! i definitely want to do something for all of you coming soon, so keep an eye out (which i've been saying, i know, i'm so so sorry y'all)! i'm also hoping to keep up with you guys via posts like this again more often, i really missed it! i love you all and i'm always so thankful, and i hope to find ways to show that more in 2025!

speaking of, i hope i'll be seeing you next year on tour! i'll be at night two in los angeles, so if you happen to see me, come say hi! i'm pretty stoked considering it's my first time seeing the boys and going to la, so i imagine it's bound to be memorable and so so special 💕 i'll also be seeing stray kids in atlanta (my first time there!), so if you're there, make sure to come say hi!

it's been a super long year, but i hope it treated you with the kindness and love you deserve, and i hope the things that were troubling weren't too damaging 💕 the new year is always a bright, clean start, so if things didn't quite go your way before, i hope you're able to achieve that this coming year and that it's filled with so much happiness and good health and laughter and good music, although i think the boys have that under control 💕

happy holidays and happy new year, i love you guys so so so so much, and thank you for sticking around and not teasing me too much when i definitely reblog the wrong things here (that happened so often this year. oh my god.), and if you're new, thank you for finding this little corner 💕 take care of yourselves and stay happy and healthy, my loves.

love love love,

tay 💕💕💕💕

[genericpuff]

welp, this kinda sucks

I'm currently at odds with the PC that I got a couple months ago, it's started freezing and soft-resetting randomly for seemingly no reason. It would usually be after hours of use that I could chalk up to the memory overloading, but now it's happening as soon as I boot up the frigging thing. And just to make it clear how much I've done on my own to diagnose the problem, our attempts to fix it have included the following:

Limiting startup applications

Running virus / malware scans

Swapping out display monitors

Updating the GPU drivers

Setting a lower overclock profile in the BIOS settings

Swapping out power cables and outlets to check for power surges

So far none of these things have worked and if anything, the issue has just gotten worse in the last two days. Like, it can barely make it to the startup screen sometimes, despite the memory and CPU usage being >20%, there is zero reason it would be the PC overclocking itself just from startup.

(and no, it doesn't even compel me, i'm just annoyed to shit LOL)

So I dropped it off with the guy who built it (he runs an electronics / pawn shop downtown that's very reputable and well-known so it's not like I don't trust him or anything, he's been building PC's for people in the area for years) and it's now in his care for the next day or two while he tries to isolate the problem. Right now the only thing I can imagine being the problem is the power supply or my display monitor, which is my old Huion Kamvas 22 Plus that still works as a monitor, just not a drawing tablet - but if something's still fucking around in the tablet, it could be causing problems through the PC, maybe.

When I dropped it off with the guy, he went and set it up in his office and came out and told me that so far it seemed to be running just fine, when he asked me if I was doing anything specific I told him it was crashing even after startup so I gave him permission to overclock the shit out of it, run 53879205893 browser tabs, run my games, software, anything he needed to do to push it to its limits and see if he could replicate the problem.

I am terrified if it has to do with the motherboard, because that will be an expensive replacement that will also potentially lead to losing files / installations / etc. depending on how big an issue it is. It could also potentially be Windows 11 having a hissy fit especially seeing as how it's freezing up on startup, but doesn't freeze on the BIOS screen when it loads up in safe-mode after hard resets, so something is clearly happening between the hard boot-up and the startup of Windows 11 itself.

Thankfully I do have Google Drive sync support and plenty of external HDD's that I can back my stuff up to, but with the freezing and restarting getting as bad as it's been, I haven't been able to back anything up, and I don't want to risk doing it manually if it'll just freeze and potentially corrupt my files in the process. So I told the guy to call me if he needed to mess with anything concerning the system storage so that, if he could at least keep it running stable in the shop, then I could swing by and get everything I needed synced up safely before he messes around with anything.

It could also very well have something to do with the power supply itself, the house that I occupy the main floor of isn't exactly built with electric optimization in mind, we've had fuses blow on us before just from running the hair dryer at the same time as the TV, so if it's something to do with the PC drawing too much power for the electrical system here to keep up with, either (hopefully) the guy will be able to instruct me on how to lower and manage that power intake through the PC's BIOS (I believe you can but I'm still a massive noob on custom builds and I don't want to go tinkering with it myself) or, idk, maybe I'll have to get my landlord to drop by again with his electrician and check out the fuses to make sure they're all operating properly. I'm not an electrician either, so fuck if I know at this point what could be going on. I feel like it can't be the house itself because everything else is running fine and it's just become a recent issue, but our city's power grid is also not exactly praised for being good at its job, especially not in the winter.

So yeah, I'm a little - well, a lot - stressed right now, but all I can really do at this point is wait. Fortunately, I have my iPad and also remembered that I still have my old PC, so I've hooked it up, at best if the problem repeats itself on this PC then I'll know it has to do with the display monitor, at worst I'll just be stuck working with my clunky old hardware for a couple days, which is annoying, but it'll get the job done. Fortunately I had the newest episode of Rekindled uploaded to the cloud in Clip Studio so I can still download it and work on it, which was my biggest worry when everything started to go belly-up (next to just, like, having a working PC).

Sooooo yeah. It's annoying, but I'm hoping for the best. Send good vibes y'all, I really could use it rn, between this and slow traffic at work and some other personal shit that's been going on, it's been a shitty few days (╥﹏╥)

And yeah, I'll keep y'all updated on if it affects this week's update, it really shouldn't honestly as most of the work left is doable from both my iPad and PC, but obviously at this point anything can happen so if anything has to be postponed or changed to accommodate the current situation, I'll update y'all as soon as I can! Thanks everyone, y'all are the best, wish me luck <3

[copperbadge]

I am so close to being done with Royals/Ramblers I can taste it, and it's one of those frustrating situations where the last remaining work to be done is just annoying. I have to write one damn scene, which of course is the most emotionally fraught and difficult one, and then pick from the *counts on fingers* three separate versions of the epilogue I wrote, none of which are very satisfying. I'll probably slam them all together and then sort it out somehow.

And then I definitely have to give the whole thing one more pass before I think about posting, because it's going to clock in at right around 150K words, and I already have notes on continuity issues that need fixing.

Anyway, please enjoy this scene, in which I realized at the same time Gregory and Eddie did what a great joke their names make. (Some brief context -- Joan uses she/her but doesn't like the word "princess", so she chose the gender neutral Princeps as her title.)

Friday evening, when Gregory came on the air for the address, Eddie was sitting next to him, and Joan was leaning on Eddie's shoulder. Her excitement was almost a visible thing; she'd been fussed over that afternoon, Gregory helping her pick out clothing followed by Jerry doing her makeup for camera and Eddie doing a slightly less clumsy job of braiding her hair than she generally did. 

"Good evening, Fons-Askaz, Askazer-Shivadlakia, our neighbors, and our viewers abroad," Gregory said. Behind the camera, Jerry mouthed the words along with him absently. "I'm pleased to greet you all this Friday evening and I hope you're well. I find myself, for the second time in a year, setting aside the usual issues of the day and questions from citizens to talk to you about family...."

His idea had been to talk about Joan's history just a little, then introduce her as the newest Royal, their daughter the Princeps. He could use that as a platform to present to the country his new funding package for adoptive families, meant to encourage adoption and support children coming out of the foster system. Each half of that would hopefully make the other half seem less random.

It went pretty smoothly; Eddie chimed in at all the right moments, and Joan got to say a few words of introduction at the end. After he signed off, he gave her a hug and a forehead-kiss and told her she'd done a great job. 

And then Noah, standing with Monday and Jerry behind the camera in the little studio, said, "Well, you crashed the internet again."

Gregory sighed. "Can't blame Eddie this time, can we?" 

"It was only the tourism website, and it wasn't on purpose," Eddie said. 

"He was always breaking my stuff when we were kids," Monday said.

"Nope, this one's all Joan," Noah replied. "As soon as you introduced her as your daughter, traffic started spiking -- palace website, tourism website, and every royals' Photogram."

"Katie in Communications says told you so," Jerry said, already on the phone with her.

"Joan's Photogram is down, looks like bandwidth-suck. And there goes mine, and yours," Noah said, nodding at Gregory. "There's two hashtags trending, PrincessJoan and PrincepsJoan." 

"Let me call my guy at Photogram," Eddie said, taking his phone out. 

"You have a guy just like, at Photogram?" Monday asked.

"Yeah, he handles my requests, I send him sausages," Eddie answered. 

"How is it you simultaneously live in the 22nd century and the 14th?" Monday asked. 

"Have him kill the Princess hashtag," Noah suggested.

"It's fine," Joan said. "They can use it for now, it'll keep things, um." She narrowed her eyes, searching for the word. "Segmented. Spread out the discussion a little."

"Someone's been reading my data analytics memos," Gregory said. 

"You leave 'em out," she pointed out. 

"Good news is people seem excited," Noah continued. "The hashtag's glitching, it's moving so fast, but overall pretty positive," he added.

"Well, we knew this would be intense," Gregory said. Joan, studying her own phone, squeaked. "Joan?" 

"Mas Corbin tagged me," she said, with possibly the most excitement they'd seen from her, at least since her first trip in the Jaguar. 

"The footballer?" Gregory asked, confused.

"Who?" Noah and Eddie chorused. 

"He's a Shivadh footballer, I think he's playing in Ireland right now," Gregory said, and his voice took on a slight edge as he considered some of the reasons a football player might mention his daughter. "What did he say?" 

"Dedicating my next game to my new Princeps JoanMac, long may she reign," Joan read, and Gregory relaxed. "Congrats to Gin&Tonic, she's cute as a button. Mas Corbin thinks I'm cute!"

"Gin and Tonic?" Gregory asked, and then said, "Gregory and Theophile," right as Eddie and Monday both began to laugh. "How did neither of us think of that before?"

"You get used to it," Noah said to Joan. "All kinds of famous people are going to have opinions on you."

"What do I do?!"

"Gram him back," Noah said. "Comment and say thanks and that you're a fan and you'll be watching the game."

"I'm gonna have to do a video with some gin and tonic recipes," Eddie said, as Noah and Joan debated the best wording for her response. Gregory leaned back in his chair, exhaling, and let the chaos happen around him for a minute. 

[compassionatereminders]

Hey Kat!! How are you?

I've been doing an IOP program for 10 hours a week, which has been seriously stressful on top of work but I've found I've already started practicing mindfulness/other DBT even with just 1.5 weeks of it and I'm hoping it will help me in the long term. There's a chance I'll have to drop out due to the pricing of group if my insurance won't cover everything and then I'd have to restart the program later when they do cover it... I hate how much mental health care is blocked by money issues, so many issues stem from societal barriers. I also think my antipsychotic is finally working a little bit which is good! It has less side effects than other ones I've been on and it's been a long time since there's been any hope of meds working for me. I'm still struggling a lottt but I'm working on it at least

(a fancy lad with bow tie)

I'm proud of you for working on your mental health, fingers crossed that it'll all work out in your favor! Next week I have a meeting where I'll attempt to start the process of leaving the group home system for good after having been institutionalized for a decade, and it's really important to me to be able to put this chapter behind me soon due to all the trauma this system has caused me, so I'm quite anxious. I really need to move out this year. That's my ultimate goal, and hopefully no one will challenge it.

[howdy-folks-its-showtime]

It's Showtime! - October 2024 Devlog

Howdy Cobalt here! This is really late I know, that's my bad. Again. I want to say right away this dev log isn't particularly exciting. Mostly because almost everything I did this month was in preparation for future things to be added so while I may not have a lot to show… Hopefully everything I did this month will mean soon I will!

Got Cutscenes mostly working! There is a placeholder cutscene that's an intro and another that activates upon opening a door! You can skip cutscenes by holding E for a bit but I have not yet implemented the code that keeps track of which cutscenes you've seen before to activate it. [I want there to be a system that keeps track of if you have ever seen a given cutscene. Since this game is story-heavy I wouldn't want people accidentally skipping cutscenes that may have been vital. This system will hopefully be able to keep track of this even through save files. So if you decide to replay the game after fully beating it all the cutscenes will be able to be skipped since you already know what's happening and such. Also for speedrunners]

Okay I know there's not a lot here but the cutscene system took. A while and that was cause I wanted it to be as optimized as possible [we'll be having quite a few cutscenes after all~] And that always makes coding take a lot longer. If I coded it in a super messy complicated way it probably would've been done in a way but I wanted the code to be mostly clean and most of all not tank the performance. So it took a lot longer than I thought it would.

Been doing some loose writing here and there. Honestly haven't done any major writing this month, I wanted a break from it. I have since taken that break however and I'm sure I'll come back swinging!

Haven't done much art myself, been doing some tweaks to the props I showed off in the last dev log but nothing more than that. However I have been working relentlessly on Henry's first model [I say first cause I'm sure with time, I will want to update and change it] and I can say confidently it is fairly close to completion.

In terms of 2D art, I've done a few textures and Roddy has been working hard on character designs! We got one of the major characters in their cycle form done and that'll help a lot for establishing the style for the others ones as well. We don't have much that wouldn't be considered spoilers though so for now, you'll just have to trust us.

HUGE progress has been made on figuring out rigging. I have a rig that works really swell, [one that was created by that very person I talked abt helping me in last month's devlog] now I just have to learn how to modify it for my own purposes which shouldn't be too hard since I now know all the little mechanics that make it work. With that I can hopefully start on making a good generic rig for humans and toons alike to act as a base for all of them but still be able to customize for any deviations they have in design. This took. Days. But I think it'll be worth it when you guys get to see these characters start to come to life in their first few animations and such. I think next month, I'll have at least something swell to show off! Thanks for your patience as always!

[crystalsnow95z]

hi love, i missed your fics❤️i had a request for you!

jimin & hoseok go live together after a concert and jimin can’t stop sneezing bc of his allergies. (add your little bless you commentary pls it’s so cute😔)

Thank you so much! I'm so happy you like them, I'm sorry I disappeared for a bit but I think I fixed my mental state enough to write again 😅 for the first time in a month and a half I'm actually decently happy with this one.

In case you missed it in the request..

Warning: sneeze content

"I love you! I'll see you tomorrow!" Namjoon calls ad the seven boys slowly disappeared underneath the stage.

Jimin tried to speak, but the itch in his nose he's been trying to ignore all concert was building up, so he opted to make a heart above his head instead, scrunching his nose to try to hold the sneeze in for a few seconds longer.

"Eh..heh'tichi!" Jimin sneezes as soon as the lift drops him out of sight of Army sniffling to stop his nose from dripping. "Heh'hehitchi!" The sneezes he was holding back hit him all at once, Hoseok wrapping an arm around him to keep him from falling while the lift drops to the floor. "He..heheigh!"

"Aiigo..Bless you..are you sure you aren't sick, Jiminie?" Hoseok asks Jimin, rubbing the back of his neck. "You don't feel warm.."

"I'm fine, hyung. Staff already checked..che..sh..tich!" Jimin sneezes again, rubbing his finger across his nose. "I saw a doctor this morning before the concert. There's something about the air here that's setting off my allergies.."

"Did you take any medicine?" Hoseok asks, searching for a tissue for Jimin's runny nose, bringing him the box.

"Thanks hyung.. I don't understand..I'm usually not allergic to pollens.." Jimin blows his nose, sniffling again. "Yeah. I did before the show, but it really started wearing off during dope. I almost sneezed during my part..it was awful.. my nose itched so much.." he complains, his breath hitching for another sneeze that doesn't come. "Ugh.. I promised Army I would do a live tonight because I didn't join you guys for the live in Amsterdam."

"Army will understand if you aren't feeling well and skip it until you feel better." Hoseok reassures him, rubbing his dongsaeng's neck.

Jimin doesn't answer right away, trying to tickle the painful sneeze out of him, his breath hitching once more. "Heh..heiycvh!"

"Bless you.. Jiminie you don't need to force.." Hoseok starts, but Jimin interrupts him.

"No, no they'll only worry if they noticed I was sneezing a lot on stage then don't keep my promise. I want to at least expl..ah..heh'tichiu!" Jimin sneezes into the tissue, trying to clean up the mess that dripped from him.

"Are you sure you're okay Jiminie?" Namjoon asks, offering Jimin some water. "You've been sneezing quite a bit today.."

"Jiminies having issues with his allergies..I noticed there's a lot of plants I've never seen before by the hotel and stadium. Maybe one of those are setting them off." Hoseok explains for Jimin when he notices Jimin's face contorting as another sneeze builds.

"Heh'heh..ktchitxh!" Jimin stops fighting the sneeze when Hoseok finished talking, taking the water Namjoon offered. "Thanks Hyung.. all this sneezing is starting to hurt my throat..I'm surprised Taehyung-ah doesn't lose his voice when he sneezes.."

"Bless you.. make sure you wear a mask when you aren't singing to try to reduce the pollen that you breathe in.." Namjoon tells him with concern. "I'll ask staff to get you one with a filtering system."

"Thanks hyung.." Jimin takes a drink of water, trying to soothe his scratchy throat."Jungkookie seemed pretty sniffly today too. You should get..h..hey..iyfxh!' Another sneeze erupts from Jimin.

"I'll make sure he gets checked, too. Hopefully, it's just allergies for him too." Namjoon leaves to check on Jungkook.

"Go get changed so you can go home. I'll join you for a quick live session, okay, Jiminie. It'll be easier to do a live with another person with you." Hoseok offers.

"Thanks, hyungie. That'd be great."

Jimin followed Namjoon's advice, pulling up his mask as soon as they pulled up to the hotel, but he swore that whatever was setting off his allergies were still penetrating through the mask, causing an unbearable itch at the bridge of his nose.

Hoseok leads him inside, quickly using his key card to open the door to the hotel keeping his arm around Jimin's shoulder.

"He..he'hitch.." Jimin sneezes, grimacing when he feels the liquid drip down his nose and soak into the mask. "Eugh.." Jimin sniffles unhappily, not wanting to remove it until he was safely in the hotel room.

"Bless you Jimin-ah.. the medicine will kick in soon.. we can stay live until the sneezes settle down, but you should sleep after." Hoseok leads him to his room, fighting back a yawn.

"It's okay if you get tired, hyung. You can leave whenever you..he..geychi!"

"Bless you.." Hoseok says sympathetically.

"I can do it on my own or ask Jungkookie or Taehyungie to do it if you're tired.." Jimin digs out his key to his room.

"I'm not tired, Jiminie. I'm hungry..don't worry about me. Let Taehyungie and jaykay sleep. Those two were already falling asleep on the ride home." Hoseok reassures him, going into Jimin's bathroom to get a washcloth, wetting it and returning to Jimin, wiping his face clean. "Your nose is still so red, baby."

"Hyung that tick..eh..heh'tichi! Heyh..hitdhu!" Jimin sneezes, quickly backing up to avoid sneezing on Hoseok.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make it worse.." Hoseok apologizes, giving Jimin the wet cloth.

"Heh'itchiiugh...it's okay.." Jimin sniffles, wiping his face.

"Bless you.." Hoseok goes to the humidifier at the side of Jimin's bed, hoping it would help. "I'm going to make food, do you want anything?"

"I'd like some ramen.. something a little spicy to help clear my nose." Jimin starts setting up for the live, adjusting his phone so both him and Hoseok could be in frame.

"Alright, coming right up. You can start without me while I cook."Hoseok starts boiling water for them.

Jimin goes to speak, but ends up sneezing instead. "Heh..heditxxchu!"

"Bless you Jimin-ah. I'll make you some tea too." Hoseok searches for teabags in the kitchen.

"I'm going to fix up my make up first.." Jimin goes into the bathroom, blowing his nose once more before trying to use some concealer to lessen the redness. "Ugh..my eyes are a bit puffy..and I look like Rudolph..!"

Hoseok giggles when he hears Jimin whining at his reflection. "You still look cute." He calls to him, reassuring the younger boy about his insecurities. "Army will still think you're adorable too."

You're just saying that..I'll just do what i can to cover it up, maybe if i dont sit too close to the camera no one will notice. Jimin finishes up his face just as Hoseok gets the noodles into the living room. "Foods done?"

"Yeah, but it's still super hot. I burnt my mouth trying it.." Hoseok warns, sipping some water to try to soothe his tongue.

"I'll be sure to..to..hyh..heh'tichi!" Jimin sneezes, sighing irritably. "That one hurt..:

"Bless you.. Are you okay?" Hoseok asks, concern etched on his face.

"Yeah.. I'm okay.. are you ready for the live?" Jimin checks the angle once more before sitting down next to Hoseok.

"Ready when you are." Hoseok confirms, blowing on his noodles to try to get a not so painful bite.

Jimin hits play, picking up his noodles, surprised that within seconds there were already people in the chat. "Hello army.."

"Hi Army." Hoseok greets the small handful of people who already entered, then slurps his noodles. "Aiish, I shouldn't be eating noodles before the show tomorrow, my face is going to be so puffy.."

"You look cute with chub..ch.." Jimin puts up a finger thinking he had to sneeze, but nothing comes. "Chubby looking cheeks." He finishes his sentence, taking a bite of noodles.

The two eat chatting with each each other while they wait for more army to join, watching the comment section.

LovePJM13: hi Jimin oppa, I saw the show tonight and it was amazing, but in one of the photos I took it looks like you were crying. Are you okay?

"Ah, no. No i wasn't crying at all tonight. I was really..ah..Heh'hehitchi!" Jimin sneezes before he could put the noodles down to cover his face, choking on the noodles.

"Bless you baby..Are you okay? Drink some of your tea.. " Hoseok quickly takes the bowl from him and moves the camera so Jimin is out of frame, rubbing his back to try to ease his cough.

Jimin takes a drink of the tea, trying to wash down the noodles. "Yeah,yeah, I'm okay now..but that was awful.."

"Here.. you got broth on your face." J-hope uses his sleeve to wipe Jimin's chin. "Ah, the chat is worried.."

Jimin looks over, noticing the comment section flooding with concern. "Don't worry. I'm fine. It didn't really hurt it scared me more than anything.."

Tannie13: Do you have a cold?

Jungshookie9: Are you sick? I saw you sneezing during spring day..

Hoseok readjusted the camera so they could sit on the floor, looking through the comments. "Jiminie isn't sick. It's just allergies. Him and Jungkookie are both having issues, but it's worse for Jiminie."

"We'll only be here for another two days. I'll be fine. It's more annoying than anything." Jimin tries to reassure army, but his body has other plans. "Heh'itcgih! Heh..itcvxhyu!" Jimin covers his face with his arms, sniffling miserably.

"Bless you Jiminie.. they really aren't going away.." Hoseok frowns, rubbing Jimin's back. "You poor thing.."

"I'm doing better than earlier.. my eyes were more puffy when I was in the bathroom.." Jimin looks at himself through the camera lens. I wish it was my sneezes improving though..

"Are you guys healthy army? I know a lot of people get sick when the seasons change. Jinnie-hyung was just getting over a cold when we left Korea for our tour.." Jimin asks, but when he tries to watch the comments, his eyes start to water, another round of sneezes building covering his face.

"Hey'Itfgih! Heh'hehitchi! Ah..ah..hitcxhi!" Jimin sneezes, quickly standing up. "I'm sorry.. I got to blow my nose.." his voice comes out congested and soft, leaving Hoseok in charge of the chat.

"Bless you.. take your time Jimin-ah, I'll keep army company." Hoseok tries to calm Jimin's concerns about having to get up so suddenly.

"Army if you saw the show tonight what was your favorite part and if you didn't go what did you do today?" Hoseok asks, watching Jimin leave with concern. "Jiminie Army says bless you!" He calls to Jimin when he finds that he can't catch any of the comments except for the bless yous and I love you Jimin that flooded the chat. "We love you Jiminie!"

Jimin was glad for Hoseok's shouting, helping to conceal the sound of him blowing his nose, the clear gooey liquid soaking through the toliet paper. Maybe I should ask Hobi-hyung to take over the live.. I'm such a mess..Army want to see me when I'm handsome and smiling..

Jimin takes out his phone to text Hoseok, hoping he'd check it, but after retouching up his make up and still not getting a response he returned to the livingroom, bowing to the stream. "Sorry everyone.. I know this isn't what you had in mind when I said I'd go live in the next city.."

"Jimin-ah, you don't need to apologize. No one's upset that you aren't feeling your best.. we're just worried about you." Hoseok pulls him into a hug.

"Hobi-hyung.. I'm so ugly and gross right now.. I think we should turn off the live and you can do one on your own for army in my place." Jimin whispers so only Hoseok hears, only earning him a tighter hug.

"Don't say stuff like that Jimin-ah, you're being too hard on yourself. You look fine.. it's just a little redness to your face, it's no big deal. Okay?" Hoseok whispers back to him, gently ruffling Jimin's hair and letting him go, turning to talk to the camera. "Army! Isn't Jimin so handsome today? I don't think a stuffy nose is enough to ruin it."

Jimin watches the comment section flood his jaw clenched with nerves. They're just going to say Hyung always thinks I'm cute or lie just to make me feel better..

DaddyJoon9:You have the cutest little sneezes I just wish they didn't make you miserable 😔

HEYStobit77:You think the sniffles are enough to ruin your pretty face? You're crazy oppa. You're still handsome!

Ot7borababy:You're still my beautiful angel. Sick or not. Just feel better soon.

Tannie13: we don't care about your looks. You're very handsome but I'm here for your sweetness, Mochi. Please smile.

Jimin tried to catch every comment that rushes by, his eyes filling with tears when he sees all the supportive comments flooding into his heart, sniffling once more.

"Jimin-ah are you crying?" Hoseok asks in concern when Jimin lays his head in his palms, letting out a shaky breath. Hoseok leans forward to read the comment section, relaxing when he sees nothing but positivity, a mix of compliments and concern. "Jimin-ah tell Army why you're crying.."

"I-i'm just happy.. Thank you Army.. I love you guys so m-much.." Jimin lifts his head to speak to them, smiling through his tears.

Hoseok uses his thumbs to dry Jimin's eyes. "Hey, hey Jimin-ah? Guess what?"

"Huh?" Jimin sniffles, looking at Hoseok's bright smile.

"You haven't sneezed since you sat back down. They're starting to stop." Hoseok announces relieved for his stressed out dongsaeng.

"Hyung..don't jinx it.." Jimin smiles, wiping his face with his sleeve. "Let's finish our noodles and get to bed.. I think I've had enough excitement for one day.."

[askquarantinedredheart]

Artist/Author/Mod here. Here's a fun thing from life that's come up. I had to get a tuberculosis skin test done for clinical rotations earlier today! Here's what it looked like a couple of minutes after the injection:

And a pic that I took just now:

In 48 hours, I go back to the clinic to get it read to determine if I have been exposed to TB or not. I've had a couple done before at an old job and I've never tested positive so I don't foresee a positive result. Just thought it'd be a cool segway into how the test works!

Basically, the healthcare provider uses a needle with tuberculin, a protein from Mycobacterium tuberculosis, and injects it into the top layer of the skin. It'll look like the first pic for a little bit but that goes away after a few minutes. What's most important is whether or not a red bump develops over the course of 48-72 hours. The red bump is due to the immune system, specifically T-cells, launching a response against an invader that it recognizes. Depending on certain criteria for size (for example, if the patient is HIV+, whether they've had contact with a known case of active TB or not, recent travel to areas with lots of TB cases, working in a high risk occupation, etc.), the red bump would mean a positive result. No reaction to the test means that the patient has not been exposed to TB.

A couple of situations can cause positive results in the test when there has been no infection. The Bacillus Calmette–Guérin (BCG) vaccine, which is a vaccine for tuberculosis that some countries use, can result in false positives since the patient has antibodies to the bacteria already. In cases like this, a chest x-ray would be needed to rule out TB infection. Someone who has been previously infected with TB can also have a false positive occur with the test.

Anyway, just a fun little thing that's happening in my life that related to the blog/story. Hopefully, I'll be able to get the next entry out soon!

[starlitangels]

Good Boy Audios Incorrect Quotes (Part 2)

Faithful: Don't bottle up negative emotions. It's bad for your health

Albus: I know, that's why I bottle up all my emotions, both negative and positive. So it all cancels out!

Faithful: *exchanges concerned look with Devlin* T-that's... not how it works.

•••

Odin: You know, when I first met you, I did not like you

Ulysses: I'm aware of that

Odin: But then we spent more time together

Ulysses: Uh-huh.......?

Odin: It did not get better

•••

The Guardian: You know, one of the reasons I live 914 miles from civilization is that I’m kind of allergic to other people’s drama

•••

Albus, after getting a hold of the cursed sword: Due to personal reasons I will be going completely off the f^&*ing rails

•••

Just a Head!Pandora: Can't you try and see things from my perspective?

Odin: Okay *sits on the floor*

Pandora: Listen here, you little sh!+—

•••

Albus: I've slept so little I can now officially smell colors

Devlin: How are you still alive?

Albus: That's a question I ask myself every day

•••

Odin: I have the right to remain silent!

Pandora: Yes, you have the right to remain silent

Pandora: What you Lack is the Capacity

Odin:

Odin:

Odin:

•••

Albus: Love is a weakness and an evolutionary mistake

Devlin: You're... literally making a Valentine's Day card for the sister right now

Albus: *points hot glue gun at him threateningly* You're on thin f*^&ing ice, Vinny

•••

Ulysses: You're stupid

Odin: That's it?

Ulysses: Give it time. It'll eat at you

*Later*

Odin: Am I stupid?

Pandora: Yeah, a little

Odin: Damn him

•••

The Guardian: I've never been in a snowball fight before. I don't know the rules

Zed: What?

The Guardian: Like, is there a point system or is it to the death?

Zed: WHAT?!

(also Albus and Faithful)

•••

Devlin: I am telling you, go to a healer!

Albus: I'm sorry, is this OUR stab wound? Stay out of it

Devlin: Fine. I'm calling the sister

Albus: Wait no—

•••

Fenrir: What do you think Odin will do for a distraction?

Pandora: I dunno. Probably, like, make a noise. Throw a rock. That's what I would do.

Ulysses: Probably

*building explodes, triggering several alarms*

Pandora: ... ... ... Or he could... do that...

•••

Albus: Dating tip! Hold the door for your date. Rip the door off its hinges. Then use the door as a weapon to fight off other suitors. Establish your dominance—

Devlin: I’m beginning to see why you’re still single

Faithful: No, no. Let him finish

•••

Yargwynn: I need you

Paradise: For?

Yargwynn: Ever

•••

Albus: Is four a lot?

Devlin: Depends on the context

Devlin: Dollars? No

Devlin: Murders? Yes

•••

Paradise: I am at a loss for words!

Yargwynn, narrating: Despite being at a loss for words, my paradise continued to lecture me for 25 minutes

•••

Devlin: Albus, did you do something stupid?

Albus, covered in blood: I think we both know the answer to that

•••

Paradise: I made you a friendship bracelet!

Kalamos: I'm not really a jewelry person...

Paradise: You don't have to wear it if you don't wa--

Kalamos: No. I'm wearing it forever. Back off!

•••

Odin: Ulysses sent me a Get Better Soon card

Tyr: That's nice

Odin: I'm not sick. He just thinks I can do better

•••

Yargwynn: I win

Paradise: I have you pinned to the ground

Yargwynn: I know

Paradise:

(also Albus and Faithful hopefully)

•••

Albus: I may not be your cup of tea but I am your tenth shot of tequila

•••

Yargwynn: Do you think when butterflies are in love they get humans in their stomach?

Paradise: Yargwynn. Darling. Honey. Love of my life. What the F^&* ?!

•••

Makkaro, provoking the Guardian: This is either the best idea I've ever had, or the worst. Stay tuned!

•••

Yargwynn: Alright now, everyone, pay attention. I have an announcement to make and I only have a minute

Paradise: Why, are you in a hurry?

Yargwynn: No. I was referring to all of your relatively short attention spans

•••

Pandora: How long are we gonna stand here and just let him do that?

Odin: Just... give me a minute. This is the most fun I've had in years

Ulysses: *pushing a door that clearly says 'Pull'*

[mihai-florescu]

season just started so our boss is trying to figure out schedules so uhm. hopefully we'll get more consistent schedules soon. he said in 2-3 weeks they should be ironed out once we get the rest of the employees for the season we'll have a consistent schedule. just gotta get there. well even after 5 days thinking about how i have 2 more days really did not give me the best day at work today and i fought with a coworker (its. hopefully fine. not gonna get into the details here but we'll hope and pray it'll be fine) but i did also read the northern rhapsody afterwards for owen my friend owen and i'm glad i did. oh man the deep loneliness entrenched in him as a character. i do need to squeeze him like a stress ball though. and yes i am hoping to be at anni 2 soon :) also do you know where to find the sonatinas and obbligatos (i know only two of them have released and one was fairly recently)? the spreadsheet hasn't updated since 2023 and i'm going to hit that wall sooner rather than later it seems since i'll be doing anni 2 and the fantasias soonish. i'd assume quite a few of them are on tumblr somewhere but i've noticed a number of miscellaneous dreamwidth links too -📖

Did you see the owen figure, i thought you might like to know it exists. As for the tls, usually i find stuff looking up #mhyktl on twt with the specific name of the event! Twitter is a horrible app and the search system has become soo bad but i think this is still the best way to keep up with new tls...

Im very sorry about your unfortunate day at work, but i believe in the power of memory easing pain. I think your coworker will get over the grudge as time passes, at least i hope so

[starlightshore]

What projects are you currently working on? Both Undertale/Deltarune related and not related.

i got my hands in a lot of things always LOL

lots of stuff under the cut

Undertale / Deltarune

Fangames I Co-direct

- Fallen Fates - Undertale Prequel Full Fangame (?)

Fallen Fates is an Undertale Prequel that aims to follow the "What if you got to play as Chara when they originally fell into the Underground?"

Status: LONG Hiatus. Stuck on concept development as the lead project head is busy with his career. Hopefully, we can jump-start development soon! But we're not fully sure WHAT type of game it'll be. So despite being an old project, it's been rebooted and on hold. That said the team really does want to make this game regardless of how long it takes.

- Sensational Studio's Underswap - Undertale AU Full Fangame

An Underswap fangame that isn't what it seems... it aims to be an exciting re-imagining of Undertale with some Deltarune inspiration.

Status: VERY active development. While not publically discussed, the game has been in stead development this whole time.

- Alteration - Undertale AU (I'm a writer, NOT co-director)

On hold as the project lead is writing a draft. I help with the world-building and concept art. Not much I can say on this one as it's been rebooted.

My Projects

- Angel's Lullaby - Undertale Prequel Full Fangame

An ambitious Prequel that aims to be a "next console (DS) style prequel" that covers the Human and Monster War. Following a new protagonist, a Zombie, who is stuck between both sides of the conflict. Use your unique abilities to form a party and decide which side you'll join. Explore the Island of Monsters and uncover their past and secrets. Can you stop the war?

Status: MESSY. Ok so like. This is my fault 100%. We've switched engines MULTIPLE times and that meant re-coding things every time. Outside the battle system, the game's systems are 90% done. Cutscenes, dialogue, menus, save system, etc. So it's CLOSE to becoming a demo but I simply have been burnt out + don't have much time in the day to work on this. However, I DO think I'll keep working on this as the gameplay is fresh and exciting, and my love for the characters are coming back.

- NightFell - Underfell AU Full Fangame

Jackie is just a regular human teenager who stumbles upon a gateway into hell. There, they'll face the monsters who live on Mt.Crown and are stuck here. There's only one rule in this place: Kill or Be Killed!

A very different take on Underfell, that aims to place the Undertale cast and push them into an Underfell society instead of them having always been in one.

This is honestly my favorite project. It's built on the ideas I developed from a canceled fangame called Spookytale, with permission from Jevil to continue the concepts. My most favorite OC ever, Pumpkin, is in this game. While I am waiting for the DR engine my friend Lasers and I are working on to be made first, Nightfell is honestly the least ambitious and most fun game to make. While the story is a rough draft, it's the most complete. I ADORE this game. I'm so excited to make it.

- Fallen Royalty / New Royals - A webcomic / Video game Combo

An Everybody Lives AU that aims to take a hard look to what it'd be like to actually be resurrected. Deals with the themes of growing up, moving past trauma and accepting a second chance at life.

Originally an askblog from 5 years ago, Fallen Royalty is a rebooted comic that I work on. It has a video game adaption, New Royals, as well as video-game segments for the sidestories. Kinda stuck in development at the moment, as I got [redacted] to work on. But the newest Sidestory, DOWN, is in development and should be out soon-ish.

This is my magnum opus, my love letter to Undertale. I have to make a version of this story that's complete and to my best of writing. The tumblr askblog version, while finished, is missing chunks of the story. Follow me at @askfallenroyalty to see it's development

Danny Phantom

- Electrical Undead - my default AU full of headcanons.

In short here are the main ones: Danny has an electrical/light core + full inverted colorscheme + No clones, Ellie is an AU counterpart instead + Nonbinary Sam and trans Danny + sentient portal

- Lingering Spirits - Farmboy!Danny + Nobody Knows AU

When the weird new kid, Danny, moves into town, strange incidents begin to occur. Ghostly sightings, unexplained phenomena, danger around every corner... Can Sam and Tucker get to the bottom of it before the whole town breaks into chaos?

A Horror AU with an angsty, bitter Danny. When his parents are taken during the portal accident, Danny and Jazz move in with Aunt Alicea. After an incident, the family moves to Amity.

So basically: Fallen Royatly is my main thing. SS will require me every few weeks to work on things. FF and NF are on hold. Angel's is in development, typically worked on every Monday but has been on hold since I moved. When I'm burnt out on working on Undertale stuff, I'll work on Danny Phantom stuff. I always have something going on so I keep myself active.

[sugiwa]

hii ao3 is glitching out sooo much and it frustrates me when i try to comment so im leaving this here instead fjjwjf i just binged all of “dont let this darkness fool you” and omg its so good!! i loved your other bnha series so i was super excited to see you had another one posted!! i love ume’s character soo much!! i think her quirk and personality are so unique and fun to explore!! and i was so beyond excited when you had her and shoji become friends!! he is so slept on so im really happy hes getting some recognition in this fic hehe<3 im really looking forward to more of the exploration of social issues in hero society bc that aspect interests me the most in canon (&& super disappointed that hori didnt do it justiceee). im really loving the fic so much thank you so much for sharing it with us!! also the ending of chapter 11 has me 🧍‍♀️fjjwjfjr i was not expecting that at ??? all???? omg. poor ume i hope thats a glitch in the matrix bc of their quirks interacting wrong or something whgjwkmg ahfkrntbwjfkwkmg eeeeee!!! /pos

anyways!! sorry for the long ramble i just wanted to leave my thoughts and encouragement and extreme gratitude for sharing the wonderful story you have come up with!!:D 🫶

Oh, lol, I thought it was just me, but I guess it was the whole site glitching. I'm happy to hear you're enjoying the new story!! I always feel a little guilty when posting a new story cause of my other works in progress, but I really am having a good time writing this, so I'll continue to do so. Shouji is totally slept on!! He'll have a bigger role in this story by nature of his friendship with Ume and I really can't wait for those chapters. I really want to explore the justice system here and what it actually means once a villain is caught, so that will play a big role later on. Ume's going to have a hard summer, but I promise after it, it'll be way better for her once everything is revealed.

I've got to apologize for the long delay too. Real life is dragging me down, but hopefully it'll ease up soon 😊

[aluminescent]

Illuminate Book 2 Status + Fic Recs

Hi All! I know it's been pretty quiet on my end, and we're getting to the end of 2023 to soon traverse into 2024. That begs the question: Where are does Part 2 of Illuminate stand?

Well to reassure you, this is a positive post to say that there is definitely a continuation in the works. I'm more desirous than ever to post book two (title still undecided!), and every time I'm listening to a podcast or podfic/fic via TTS, these give me more ideas and continue to spur me on.

Alas, the spirit is eager, but the flesh . . . you know the rest. I have a heavily fleshed-out outline that—despite its heftiness—still needs a lot of cleaning, and I'm currently in the works of writing some scenes out. There's clear direction of pivotal events that occur in this next book—but with some significant gaps that still need filling.

However.

Between owning my own business and also having additional employment (because times are tough!), and also having had a daunting/exceedingly busy summer filled with multiple personal issues, my timeline has been pushed back significantly. I also severely underestimated how much time I'd need to write this second installment, thinking it'd be easier than the first time around since I had more background material to build upon. How foolish of me to think that; Book 1 took me—no lie—more than a decade to outline/re-plot/re-outline and write—on and off—as the show series progressed and I was given more and more canon material to work with, although the bulk of it was written in 2020/2021.

While I'm not saying that you guys won't see me for another 10 years, I am saying that more time will be needed for me to finish writing this next installment and then cleaning it up (hopefully more neatly than the first book so that there aren't massive gaps between updates). I honestly don't anticipate this taking more than another year and some months to write and spruce up. Hopefully.

I'll definitely keep you all posted on progress, and I know that I still owe some fic recs! As I type, I'm actively downloading/organizing my faves in a Google Drive folder and trying to select the crème de la crème of these for you all, but it's a huge undertaking (much like everything these days, it seems).

Also, I have a new CM fic in the works that I might need to get out of my system in the meantime, or that I might write up after the Illuminate series is done. Preferably in between so that my sanity is kept in tact. It will definitely have all the warnings needed, and I'm still debating if it'll be a complete DD:DNE or if I'll have some 'healing' or an open-ended 'bright horizon' thrown in the end. Debating on if its limited third person POV scene or if I take a stab at omniscient POV.

I hope that I can update you soon on progress, with recs, or other tidbits, but thank you for now!

[dawnthefluffyduck]

Hello :D small blog update (I've been doing a lot of these lately). I created a Ko-fi account quite a long time ago but never got around to finishing it, mostly due to my class workload. At the time, I just wanted to share a brush set I made and found that I can share documents on Ko-fi without giving out my name. However, with Tumblr tips going away soon, I figured now was a good a time as ever to finish setting up that page.

I was able to get it wrapped up this evening finally, so it's available to take a peek at now! (I linked it in my bio, but idk anything about html so I hope it works). It's a little empty atm, but I'll hopefully have that brush set I mentioned before uploaded soon! It'll be free, I'm mainly just using the feature that lets me share files without attaching my real name to them.

That being said, this is really only meant to be a tip system, so while any donations would be massively appreciated, please don't feel obliged to tip just because the option exists now! All of my art is free to look at, and I have no plans to put any of my work behind a paywall in the future. This isn't for commissions just yet either; the page is only there just in case you see a drawing you like and want to help support me in making more drawings in the future :)

I'm bad at wrapping posts up so, that's all I really had to say; thank you guys for reading this and sticking around on my blog so long! Goodnight, sleep tight, and I'm bad at rhyming so drink some water💧💧

[misterewrites]

Year Two and a Halfish (Threads of Fate)

Hi! E here still alive. Been. a while. Sorry if you were expecting updates sooner my laptop was having some serious black screen issues and every attempt at sending it to get repaired is getting stonewalled and honestly it's infuriating and yeah. That happened. Hopefully this time it gets properly fixed and i can go back to writing consistently. I'm just using my mom's laptop to write in the meantime.

So it's super late but Merry Christmas @hains-mae! WOO! this is her gift that she requested at the time (I was pretty surprised when she wanted me to write this story but then i was promptly told she wanted her Solider Poet King for her birthday so that explained everything haha.

I started working on this a few days ago and unfortunately something happened here in America relates in a small part to the story. Honestly maybe I'm overreacting or overthinking it but I also know a lot of people read this story and i rather be overly prepped than accidentally not doing enough

Mae wanted a situation where Jason loses it after you, the reader, is injured. She gave me little requests like Robin's line and has to end in all warm feel goodness (cuz i am not legally allowed to write angst haha) so I have chosen that the reader is shot in the shoulder.

Yeah my little thing makes sense now.

It gets a bit intense, maybe? I can never tell cuz I'm writing it. Like i said I could be overthinking this but heads up. It also does end very sweet and homely and all that goodness so no worries. If you don't feel like reading it I understand.

Stay safe everyone. Lose yourself in a story whether it be mine or someone else's and just relax. breath. It'll be okay. Even if it seems like a lot right now.

So yeah hopefully I'll have my laptop fixed and we're all good but at least for now i have an alternate means of writing! Next is probably Mirror's Edge, Mae's birthday gift, Mirror's edge, another gift i owe but that's a personal one that won't be posted.

Be safe, take care of yourself and your loved ones. Wear masks (i know i know but remember you can pass them on to people with compromised immune systems.) remember to get the vaccine or booster cuz it'll help make it bearable. It's okay to just exist and be and let the world pass you by. One step at a time together. Also vaccine worldwide push for it cuz it's important and frankly whatever you feel is important. The issues that matter to you and remember. It'll be okay.

That's it for me! E is out have a great week and i'll see you really soon!

If you want to read this from the start you can find the whole story on this really awesome site right here! https://archiveofourown.org/works/29955270/chapters/73737858

For the rest of my work that includes some awesome original work (so i am told haha) Arcane Legend of Zelda and Soul Eater you can find that over here https://archiveofourown.org/users/MrE42/pseuds/MrE42

Summary: A few months later, you are trying to get to work when a very unfortune thing happens. For better or worse Red Hood is saving the day.

-----

It’s pretty cold right now. I…I don’t recall ever feeling this cold before.

Wait. That’s not…true. I think. I’m pretty sure I’ve been this cold before.

Have I?

Whenever Mister Freeze has a snow day it gets really cold.

I feel for him, I do but...

God it’s cold. Or is it warm? My head is warm. Hands not so much. Feet freezing too.

Am I cold? I can’t tell. Everything is a lot right now. The floor is damp I know that much. I can see my breath frozen midair for a moment.

Someone is yelling, waving something towards me from overhead but I can’t focus. Everything’s a bit blurry.

Why does my side hurt? Fuck did I pull something again? I really hope not. I have work tomorrow. Eww wet too. Did I spill something?

Wait, no. Today. I have work today. Right now I think. What time is it?

Shit why do I feel weak? Arm’s shaking too. I didn’t forget to eat again did I? Ugh Jason’s going to kill me.

Hee, Jason. He’s soooo handsome. I have no idea why he wants out hang with me though. He is way out of my league. Like he’s fucking Batman’s son! HOW THE HELL AM I SUPPOSED TO IMPRESS THE ACTUAL SON OF BATMAN!?

Mister Wayne? Bruce? Bruce. No not Bruce. I’ve never met him, I don’t think I can be on a first name basis with freaking Batman if I’ve never met him. Well him him. I’ve been saved by the bats before. Few times actually.

I should really thank him for Jason. He’s just amazing.

Okay so maybe I drank a lot. Why am I thinking of Jason?

Ugh, this asshat is yelling at me still. What the hell does he want? He’s talking to me right? Ugh my head’s pounding, I can’t hear anything.

The guy seems frantic, keeps looking back expecting something but I have no idea what. He just keeps gesturing to his open hand. What the fuck does he…

FUCK! That’s right this asshole shot me!

I wince as the sound turns back on all at once: The angry honking of impatient drivers, the numbing chatter of a thousand people living in a concrete jungle as one. The adrenaline is making my senses so sharp I can hear the dripping water splatting against the cold floor of the alley.

I must’ve gone into shock without realizing it. I mean I was just shot so can you blame me?

My shoulder is burning with a white hot pain I only felt twice in my life: Once when Bane slammed a mailbox into me and when I was 12 and I was really trying to…

You know what? Not important. More pressing matters right now.

I remember now that my flight or fight kicked in: I was late to work and I tried cutting through an alley for a shortcut.

Terrible idea in Gotham I know but this one was brightly lit. I didn’t think anyone was stupid enough to try anything.

So naturally the universe decides to give me the one stupidest person who would try.

He waves his gun at me again (it was a gun. Duh.) but honestly I’m too wired to care. Plus he shot a hole in my favorite jacket! AND IT’S GOT BLOOD RUNNING DOWN IT! DO YOU KNOW HOW HARD IT IS TO GET BLOOD OUT OF CLOTHING?! Really fucking hard.

Oh. Shit. I’m bleeding out. That’s probably important too.

I try to pick myself off the floor but he takes a step forward, threatening me with the gun again.

“I’ll shoot!” he yells.

Even now, with the last possible moments of my life slipping away, I can’t help but be a smartass.

“You already did you asshat! Shooting me again isn’t gonna make me want to give you my money anymore than the first time!”

Gonna die as I lived: Sassy.

He clicks the hammer on the gun, prepping it to fire again.

I…I feel numb. The adrenaline lessens the pain but it’s still mind dumbing. I just want to scream and fight and yell and go down swinging.

But that’s not who I am. I’m not some superhero or even a regular hero. I’m just a person trying to make my way through this chaotic journey called life. I couldn’t even get up and now because some idiot wants the 10 bucks and a very, very old video rental card to a place that doesn’t exist anymore in my wallet, it was about to end.

I could feel fear bite at my resolve, a dreadful overwhelming sense of finality wash over me. Goosebumps crawled down my skin, the air felt stuffy and too cold all at once as time slowed to a crawl.

I….

I can’t even think.

I’m just scared. I don’t want to go out this way.

I took a deep breath and close my eyes.

I think of my mom, waiting for my phone call later.

I think about Jason Jr, a cat I adopted by accident cuz he had streak of white that was way too familiar. Feed them once and every Jason refuses to leave you.

I do my best to not think of him but Jason Jr leads to Jason the human: His piercing blue eyes that feel like he’s seeing deep into my soul. His messy black hair with that one streak of white that made him so iconic, so distinct from his brothers. The various knicks, tiny bruises, cuts and scars from years being Robin then the Red Hood. Invisible from afar but so, so clear up close.

I can hear his laugh, mostly teasing but with a hint of warmth when I do something dumb. The way shows off his prowess with a knife and how proud he beams when I clap excitedly. Wide smirks when we get into one of our playful chats and jabs. The small smile that graces his lips when he thinks I’m not looking. The quiet thoughtful look when something troubles him. A distance gaze only someone who has experienced for too much has.

I see Jason in my mind but I don’t want that. I want to look him in eye when he tries to be all broody and cool. I want to mess with his hair and tease him about his terrible tastes in books. I want to see him again!

Not like this. No fucking way. I have no idea how I’m going to go but I refuse to let it be like this.

I snap out of my stupor, time seemingly unmoved by whatever deeply reflective crap I just did.

He still has his hand on the gun. I’m still on the floor and this still sucks.

I prep my body, tensing and wincing from my aching shoulder but I try not to be distracted. One shot and whether it works or not, I’m not going to go quietly.

“JUST GIVE ME YOUR MONEY!” the man screams hysterically.

“Fuck you.” I spit out as I’m ready to make my move.

The red string tied around my finger slackens, distracting me at a really bad time but suddenly goes taut like someone is pulling at it.

A thud is all I hear and suddenly the guy is gone. Just vanished into thin air.

I weakly try to stand but my legs turn to jelly and honestly I’m not in fight or flight anymore. I’m in “the floor is nice and solid and I’m just gonna lay here” mode.

So I do just that and fall back on the floor and decide to exist for like the next ten minutes.

I mean I would’ve if something didn’t pick me up.

“Are you okay?” A voice asks, young. Younger than me at least.

“Umm.” I smartly reply.

The young man hums thoughtfully “You’ve been shot.”

“Yeah. That thing.”

“Shock.” He concludes before slipping my good arm over his neck and helps me over to a wall. I take this sec to look and am unsurprised to find Red Robin at my side.

“JA.…” Someone else from above calls out, nearly saying a full name before realizing his mistakes “HOOD!”

Hood? Jason. Jason is the Hood. Jason is here. God I’m tired.

He doesn’t respond if he is here.

A figure elegantly sails through the air, tucking into an impossible swan dive only a skilled master of acrobatics whose trained his entire life could manage so effortlessly.

Plus that’s Nightwing’s ass. It doesn’t matter where you land on orientation, everyone in Gotham and Bludhaven knows that ass.

“HOOD!” Nightwing shouts, less cheery goofyball as per his usual self and more firm. More worried.

Red Robin looks now and his practiced, measured posture drops. He doesn’t even bother to hide his brother’s name.

“Jason. Jason stop! JASON!”

Nightwing has already broken into a full sprint towards where I assume Jason is but Red Robin take a second to make sure I’m comfortable. He places me against the wall and hands me a thick cloth to press over my shoulder. A second later and he’s off. My eyes follow and land on Jason.

Except he’s not Jason right now. He’s Red hood and the difference is….staggering to be honest.

I…forget who he is, the brand of justice he deals out with harsh sentences. Somehow, despite how we first met, I managed to split Jay and Hood into two different entities. Two different people who never happened to be in the same room at the same time.

But now, seeing Jason rain blow and blow upon my attacker, I see it.

Jason favors his right side. He’s amberidext-something but that’s from years of training. He says it feels more natural to him, easier for him to focus on other things.

Red likes using the right too. He’s just a fraction faster using his favored side and it’s clear even with his build that he is quick and there’s power in each punch.

Jason is light on his feet but has a solid stance. He loves to boast how it takes all his siblings to hold back him even if he’s not really trying to break free.

Nightwing can’t stop him neither can Red Robin. They’ve all had the same training from the same teacher but they’re not the same. They all have their strengths: Nightwing was blessed with an inhuman grace (and ass). RR is as smart as Batman and just as capable as a detective.

But Jason? Just a force of nature. Pure muscle and strength only equaled by his mentor and with a will to match.

They could barely slow the battle crazed Hood. It took all they had to pull him back but I could see by the sweat on their brows that it was only a matter of time before he broke free from their grasp. He was like a shark that smelled blood in the water and he wasn’t going to stop until he felt the price of injustice had been paid.

Another figure descended from the roof, smaller in stature and wearing an all too iconic yellow and black outfit: Robin. Well the newest Robin since everyone here minus me was Robin at some point.

You know when you’re drained of adrenaline you get reeeeeeally out of it.

Robin cautiously approached the trashing Red Hood, well aware of how dangerous his brother could be.

“Todd.” Robin spoke firmly “This is wrong. You know this is wrong.”

“Yeah Jay!” Nightwing pitched in quickly “And that’s coming from the kid. Imagine how you’re acting if he’s saying that.”

Robin openly glared “Watch your tongue Grayson.”

“Guys, could we deal with the rampaging Jason before we start snipping at each other?” Red Robin pleaded with immense strain.

Nightwing tightened his grip “Jay please. They’re watching.”

Jason’s shoulders slump as realization dawned on him. I could physically note when the exact moment the fight left him.

And me as I promptly passed out.

-----

I wish I could tell you after such a harrowing ordeal that I reflected with a deep and newly acquired profound understanding of my existence, the importance of living each day to the fullest and my place in the universe for really I am the instrument in which the universe….

Yeah no. I woke up on a cloud and instantly hated existing cuz pain is not fun.

I’m not exaggerating by the way. I found myself on the most comfortable bed I have ever been. It was like it was molded for me, shaping around my body in a way that didn’t aggravate my aches. I mean it didn’t stop them but I’ll take anything I could get.

“I see you are awake.”

I couldn’t even flail so I settled for screaming at the top of my lungs.

The most British older gentleman I have ever seen regarded me with a stony face of indifference though I swore I saw a twinkle of amusement in his eyes.

“I must admit I have never illicit that particular response before.” He said dryly complete with stiff upper lip “But I can see why it is Master Bruce’s favorite.”

I could feel my cheeks burn “Ah yes. Sorry I….sorry. Umm good morning mister…?”

The man gave a bow “Pennyworth. Normally I would ask you to refer to me as such but seeing as young Master Jason has spoken about you at great length and detail it seems only fair we are on a more familiar basis. Alfred is my name.”

I chuckled nervously as realization dawns on me “Yes. Please forgive me…Alfred? Sir? I…Long night.”

“I should say so what with that bullet lodged in your shoulder.”

I could feel my shoulder ache dully at the reminder.

“Ugh I gotta get to a hospital huh? Don’t want to get lead poisoning. Umm Alfred, sir, do you know if Gotham Blue covers gunshot wounds? My brain is still a bit scrambled.” I speak honestly.

Even his laugh is dry “Do not worry. I have taken the liberty of removing the round as you were sleeping. It made the process simpler and more efficient. A refreshing change of pace I will admit. My usual patients like to insist very serious gunshot wounds fall under the category of merely a ‘scratch’.”

I opened my mouth to reply but someone else answered for me “We’re bats Alfred. Comes with the territory that we get shot at.”

Jason sauntered into the room lazily but I knew he’d been worried: His hair was extra messy and matted, his shoulders slumped as his posture hunched over. His hands were stuffed into his pockets, probably fiddling with whatever he had inside. His gaze was intensely focused on Alfred but I could see him struggling not to look at me.

Alfred’s gave a slight smile “Ah yes. Forgive me Master Todd but I do recall there is quite the difference between being shot at and being shot in general. One many of you seem to have difficulty grasping.”

Jason shrugged, unsure what to say.

“Beg your pardon” Alfred turned to me “I must prepare breakfast. I shall be back shortly with some French toast and fresh bandages for your wound.”

With a polite bow Alfred briskly left the room and sent a scurrying of hurried feet racing from the door.

Silence, not awkward but still tense. The lingering sense of shame filled the air.

Jason wouldn’t look at me.

“Your siblings will be back soon.” I nudged him helpfully “If you want a private conversation I’d say we got like 5 minutes.”

“Twenty.” Jason mumbled uneasily “They really like to scatter to make sure no one is suspicious but Alfred and Bruce know us too well to fall for it. Alfred will suddenly find tiny and convenient issues around the house to prevent them from circling back and Bruce will track one or two down to have a quick chat.”

“Neat.” I said honestly.

Silence fell over us again but I knew it was because Jason was gathering his thoughts into words. When things really mattered he always took his time.

“I’m sorry.” He said, still refusing to meet my gaze.

I scoffed loudly “I wasn’t aware you shot me.”

“This isn’t the time for being a smartass!”

“It isn’t the time for being a dumbass either but here you are.”

“I know you saw me.”

I sighed deeply “Of course I saw you. What, do you think I never wanna see you again?”

Jason remained quiet.

“Look.” I tried to sit up “I’m not gonna pretend like I know what your life’s been like and what you did last night was…a lot.”

“Don’t move, you’ll make it worse.” He said but I ignored him.

“Make me Jay.”

Jason whirled around so quick I nearly didn’t see him gently push me onto back.

“Oww.” I wheezed but Jason held a firm yet careful hold on me “Cheater.”

“How? How did I cheat?” Jason gave a cutely offended look.

I snort “Alphabetically or chronologically?”

Jason glared “If you say Batman trained me one more time…”

“Am I lying?” I smirked “The most training I got was little league and I sucked at it.”

“You hit a homerun once” He offered helpfully.

I rolled my eyes playfully “I hit home, not a homerun. Big diff Jay.”

“True. Only you could hit the homebase and send it flying 5 feet.”

“Hey! It was 20 feet. Minimum.”

“Mhm sure. My bad.” Jason finally grinned “I suppose you also managed to get 5 points for doing that too.”

“Don’t forget the scholarship too! You always forget the scholarship.”

“Do not!”

“Do too!”

“No!”

“Duh!”

We stared at each other deeply for a moment before breaking out into laughter.

Well Jason did. I took one breath and suddenly I was violently coughing.

“Oww oww oww.”

“Idiot.” He mumbled as he tucked me into the sheets.

I gave a cheesy grin “Worth it.”

Jason raised a quizzical eyebrow.

“Okay no, not really” I admitted “That hurt way more than I was expecting.”

“Rest.” Jason threatened me with arms crossed.

I was too tired to care the words “Only if you’re here to keep an eye on me.” Tumbled out of my mouth before I thought better.

Jason shifted guiltily “Look I…”

In for a pound. I gently placed on my hand over his “We’ll talk about it later. For now it’s over and honestly I really don’t wanna think about it this second. I am just….really happy to see you Jay.”

He took my hand in his.

“You really need to stop taking shortcuts.” He scolded lightly.

“Hey!” I raised my free hand defensively “There were lights! What kind of idiot tries to rob someone in a well lit alley?!”

“The one that shot you yesterday.”

“No shit Jay.” I glared openly at him but all he did was smirk in response.

As beautiful as this moment was, I had to ruin it. A thought began to bother me and Jason noticed.

Jason motioned with his head “Don’t think too hard. Your body can’t handle the strain right now.”

“Oh shut it. You said Bruce was gonna intercept your siblings, right?”

“Umm yeah.” Jason was unsure where I was going with this “He pretends to be emotionally constipated but he’s very good at bed side manner and respectful with privacy.”

I nodded in agreement “Have you ever brought anyone to here?”

Jason’s face fell “Oh no.”

“Emotionally constipated? You’re being unusually kind today Jason.”

The doors flung open and in strode the one, the only, the myth, the legend and Jay’s father: Bruceman.

Shit I mean Batwayne. Brucebat.

Bruce motherfreaking Wayne gave me a million dollar smile “Hello I’m Bruce Wayne. It is so nice to meet you. Jason never brings any of his friends over.”

I could feel myself pale as I stared dumbfounded at his outstretched hand.

Then I promptly passed out.