#some of them might be a little out of order but w/e

[waywardsalt]

playing albw world and boy. did i miss the maiamais

[kisses-for-you]

sick - e. diaz

eddie diaz x fem!reader

summary: eddie waits for your lunch together at the firehouse, only to be confronted with you collapsing from illness and exhaustion.

w/c: 1.5k

requested ✔️

You and Eddie had planned a quiet lunch at the firehouse today — he had been looking forward to seeing you, especially after the long shifts that had kept him away for most of the week.

He checked his phone one more time, making sure you hadn't texted to cancel. You hadn't, though lately, Eddie had sensed something was off with you. You'd been quieter, your responses slower, and there was a tiredness in your voice he couldn't ignore.

Maybe you're just stressed, he reasoned. Work, life, everything could pile up sometimes. But he couldn't shake the nagging feeling that it was more than just that. Eddie paced back and forth in the firehouse, glancing out the windows, waiting to see your car pull up.

You'd been feeling awful for the past couple of days, but you were determined not to let it show. A tickle in your throat started innocently enough, but it had quickly evolved into something worse. Your head throbbed, your body ached, and every breath felt a little heavier than the last. It was probably just a cold, you told yourself. Nothing serious. You could power through it.

You hadn't mentioned it to Eddie. He was always so worried, and you didn't want to burden him with something as simple as a cold. Plus, you didn't want him to cancel his plans or take a day off just to take care of you. You were sure that you could handle this on your own.

But as you drove towards the station, you realised you were feeling a lot worse than you had originally thought. Your vision blurred slightly and your hands trembled on the steering wheel. You hadn't eaten much that morning — honestly, you couldn't remember if you had eaten at all. Drinking water may have also slipped your mind.

'Just a few more minutes', you thought, turning into the fire station's parking lot. You would see Eddie soon and maybe some food would help you shake this off. But as you stepped out of the car, a wave of dizziness hit you so hard that you had to grip the door for balance. Taking a deep breath, you pushed through, not wanting to alarm anyone. You walked into the station, your legs shaky beneath you.

Eddie spotted you the moment you stepped inside. His heart leaped in his chest, a familiar warmth spreading through him at the sight of you. But something was off. You looked pale, your movements slow and careful. His gut instinct kicked in immediately.

"Mi amor?" he called, closing the distance between you quickly. "Are you okay?"

You flashed him a weak smile, hoping to play it off. "Yeah, just a little tired. It's been a long week."

Eddie wasn't convinced. He studied your face, the slight flush in your cheeks, the way you swayed on her feet. He could tell you weren't being entirely truthful but before he could say anything, your legs buckled beneath you, sending you collapsing to the ground.

"Y/N!"

Eddie caught you just before you hit the ground. Panic surged through him as he cradled you in his arms, your body limp and unresponsive. His training kicked in, but this wasn't just any person — this was you.

"Hey, hey, talk to me," he said, gently tapping your cheek, trying to bring you back. Your eyelids fluttered open, and you groaned softly, your voice barely above a whisper. "Baby- I'm fine…"

"You collapsed," he said firmly, his worry laced with frustration. "That's not fine."

A few of his colleagues had noticed the commotion and rushed over but Eddie waved them off. "I've got her," he said, his voice steadier than he felt.

Carefully, he carried you to the couch in the lounge and set you down, grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge. "Drink this," he ordered, holding it to your lips.

You sipped the water, your throat dry and scratchy. "I think I might be a little sick," you admitted reluctantly, your head leaning back against the cushion.

"A little sick?" Eddie frowned, sitting beside you and brushing a hand over your forehead. "You're burning up. Why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't want to worry you," you whispered, your eyes closing again.

Eddie shook his head, disbelief and concern flooding him. "Worry me? Y/N, I'd rather be worried than have you collapse right in front of me. Have you even had anything to eat today?"

You shook your head slightly, feeling too exhausted to respond properly. Eddie sighed, running a hand through his hair, trying to keep his emotions in check. He hated seeing you like this — vulnerable, fragile, and in pain.

"You can't do this to yourself," he murmured softly, taking one of your hands in his. "You've got to take care of yourself, mi amor. You're not invincible."

"I know," you replied weakly, your voice hoarse. "I just… I didn't want to bother you."

Eddie's grip tightened ever so slightly, as if anchoring himself to you. "You're never a bother. Never. Do you hear me?"

You looked up at him with a faint smile, giving him a small nod.

"Good. Now I'm going to call Buck to bring over some medical supplies from the truck."

He pulled out his phone to call Buck and while he waited, he gently held your hand, his thumb rubbing soothing circles over your skin. You looked so much smaller and more fragile than normal.

Buck arrived with a first aid kit and a glucose monitor. "What happened?" he asked, his brow furrowing as he looked at you.

"She collapsed from low blood sugar and dehydration, I think," Eddie explained. "She's been sick and hasn't told anyone."

Buck gave Eddie a sympathetic look and handed over the monitor. "Let's check her sugar levels and get her hydrated."

Eddie worked quickly, pricking your finger and testing your blood sugar. It was low, as he suspected. He immediately offered you some juice and sat by your side, making sure you drank it all.

"I'm sorry," you murmured, your voice still weak.

Eddie sighed, his worry melting into something softer. "You don't have to apologize. I just wish you'd told me. I hate seeing you like this."

You leaned your head against his shoulder, feeling the weight of your exhaustion settle in. "I didn't want to bother you.”

"I know that, and I already told you, you're never a bother, Y/N," he said, kissing the top of your head. "I'm here for you, no matter what."

As you rested your head on Eddie's shoulder, his arm wrapped protectively around you. The juice helped a little, but you still felt shaky and weak. Eddie's voice broke the silence. "We're not leaving until you eat something. No arguments." He said it firmly, but there was a softness in his tone that made it clear how much he cared.

You opened your mouth to protest, but the look on his face stopped you. He wasn't going to budge.

"Buck, can you grab something from the kitchen?" Eddie asked over his shoulder. "Maybe a sandwich, something light?"

Buck nodded and quickly went to get food, while Eddie turned back to you. "I know you don't feel great, but you need to eat, even if it's just a little."

A few minutes later, Buck returned with a sandwich and some crackers. Eddie took the plate from him, thanking him, and set it in front of you, his eyes never leaving your face. "Just a few bites, okay?"

You hesitated, but Eddie's hand was gentle as it guided yours to pick up the sandwich. You nibbled at the edge, feeling too weak to do more, but Eddie's encouraging smile kept you going.

"That's it," he praised softly, his hand resting on your back. "You'll feel better once you get something in your system."

As you slowly ate, Eddie stayed close, quietly urging you to take another bite or another sip of water, all while watching you with concern etched across his face. You didn't have the energy to argue and truthfully, the more you ate, the more the exhaustion began to lift.

When you were finished, Eddie brushed a strand of hair away from your face and pressed a kiss to your forehead. "There. Now we're getting somewhere," he said, his voice lighter, though the worry in his eyes hadn’t fully faded.

"We're going to take it easy for the rest of the day," Eddie continued. "No more pushing yourself. I'm not letting you out of my sight until you're better."

You leaned into him, feeling comfort in his warmth. Eddie had a way of making you feel safe, and even though you hadn't wanted to worry him, you were grateful he was here.

911 masterlist

[aishangotome]

[Ring Schwartz] I Can't Return to a Time Before You Premium Ending

Ring ran alongside me as I chased after the kidnapper.

Kate: Ring!? Shouldn't you be getting Dari's judgment...?

Ring: That's what I thought at first. But... I can't just leave my g-g-girlfriend when she's about to jump into danger.

Ring: I'll go with you. ...Is that okay?

Kate: That's reassuring!

-

We arrived at an old clinic.

The man was nowhere to be seen; he must have gone to another room.

Ring: There are some documents over there. I can't understand difficult English, would you mind reading them for me?

Kate: Understood. ...The cover says "Research Report."

––It was a document that gave us a glimpse into why the man had committed the kidnappings.

The man had a daughter, but she suffered from heart disease.

The only way for his daughter to survive was to have a heart transplant.

It seems the man had been kidnapping children of similar ages with the intention of replacing his daughter's heart with theirs.

(This is a record of that...research...)

Ring: Human experimentation on children was being conducted here too...?

Kate: The child who was just kidnapped can still be saved. Let's search!

-

The clinic had several rooms, and we decided to split up to search for the girl.

A little while after I parted ways with Ring, I discovered the tied-up girl in a storage room.

Kidnapped Girl: Who...?

Kate: I've come to help you. You're safe now...!

I desperately tried to untie the tightly bound ropes.

However, while I was doing that, the kidnapper found me.

Kidnapper: What are you doing!?

Kate: ...W-wait, please listen!

I stood protectively in front of the girl and faced the man.

Kidnapper: What is there to discuss? Hand over the heart of the girl!

It seemed like the man's mind was so broken that he no longer saw the kidnapped child as a person, but just a heart.

Kate: I know about your daughter's illness. It must have been very difficult for you.

Kate: But...this child is also someone's family, a precious person they don't want to lose.

Kidnapper: That's...

The man's eyes wavered. The remaining conscience in his heart was trying to stop him from committing any further crimes.

But at that moment.

Kidnapper: Ah...gh!

The man groaned and vomited blood from his mouth.

Kate: Huh...?

I saw a sharp sword piercing the man's body from behind.

As the sword was pulled from his body, the man collapsed.

Ring: That was close.

It was Ring who had approached from behind and stabbed the man with his sword.

The man lay motionless in a pool of blood. I could tell at a glance that he was dead.

Kate: Why...did you kill him...?

Ring: "Why?" you ask... Isn't it obvious?

Ring: If Dari orders me to, I'll kill anyone.

His cheeks, wet with blood splatter, showed no trace of doubt about his heinous act.

It was then that I finally realized.

He, too, was––pure evil.

Ring: Dari told me before we went on our date today...

Ring: That if you were in any danger, I should eliminate the obstacle without hesitation...

If something were to happen to me while we were out, it would cause a rift between Crown and Vogel.

What Darius said was extreme, but not wrong.

(But...)

Kate: He was trying to change his mind. There was no need to kill him...

Ring: I can't make that judgment. Dari's orders are absolute.

I was questioning Ring when he made that firm declaration, and then...

Kidnapped Girl: Waaahhhh!!

Perhaps overwhelmed by what had happened before her eyes, the girl started crying as if a fire had been lit.

Kate: I-I'm sorry. You must have been so scared...!

I desperately tried to soothe her by stroking her back, but she wouldn't stop crying.

Ring: ...Let me hold her hand. I might be able to calm her down.

Ring timidly offered and took the girl's hand, connecting it with his own.

Then, the girl stopped crying in an instant and relaxed her expression as if relieved.

-

Soon after the girl stopped crying, the Crown members arrived at the scene.

Liam had noticed that Ring and I hadn't arrived at the Scala Theater even though we said we were going, and he had been searching for us, thinking we might have been involved in an incident.

Leaving the aftermath to them, we started on our way back.

On the way, he explained what had happened.

Ring: I can turn the emotions of the person I'm holding hands with into joy.

Kate: That's why she stopped crying so quickly.

Ring: Yes. ...Since I killed the culprit, this incident had to be handled internally.

Ring: If she had continued crying, there was a possibility that ordinary people who heard the commotion would come running...

Ring: I'm glad I was able to make her stop crying with my power and settle things peacefully.

Kate: It's not just that things were settled peacefully that's good.

Ring: ......?

Kate: Being kidnapped, seeing someone killed in front of her... The girl was panicking.

Kate: But I think you calmed her down, Ring, and made her feel safe.

Kate: Your ability is a wonderful one that can make people smile.

Ring: ...

Ring: I had completely forgotten...that my ability could make people smile.

(Come to think of it, whenever Ring acts without hesitation, it always involves Darius's orders.)

The reason for acting like a lover, the reason for following me when I chased after the kidnapper, the reason for killing the kidnapper...

Everything is based on Darius's orders.

(Complimenting my clothes, calming the girl down...)

(Whenever it's Ring's own judgment, he always seems unsure of himself.)

––Ring is like Darius's puppet.

(It's fine now because Ring's will and Darius's will seem to align.)

(But if there comes a time when Darius and Ring's opinions clash...)

(...I'm worried that Ring might suppress his own will.)

Ring is a kind and warm person who cares about others, so it would be a shame if he killed his own will.

Ring: That reminds me... There was something I wanted to ask you.

Kate: ...? Please, ask me anything!

Ring: Did you chase after the kidnapper because it's Crown's duty?

Ring: You're not strong, and I don't think you're used to violence.

Ring: If you're being forced into danger... Maybe you should quit Crown.

(Ring really is a kind person. He's worried about me like this.)

Ring: If you want to quit, I could ask Dari to pull some strings...

Kate: ...No, I chased after the culprit of my own free will.

Kate: It wasn't because of a sense of justice or anything grand like that... I just didn't want to have any regrets.

Kate: I didn't want to be the kind of person who turns a blind eye to someone in need of help.

Ring: ...I see. You're different from me.

Ring murmured, looking at me with dazzling eyes.

-

A few days after that date... I was once again summoned by Darius.

Darius: Now then, Ring. Try asking the Fairytale Keeper.

(Ask...? )

As I tilted my head in confusion, Ring stepped forward with a nervous look.

Ring: I request a date with you!

His enthusiasm, as if he were challenging me to a duel, made my eyes widen.

FIN

.

.

.

If you’d like to support my translations, feel free to buy me a coffee here! :)

Notes: OMG Ring is so freaking adorable. I love him so much and didn't expect to because I thought Nica would have my heart. Now I can't wait for Ring's route T_T

[jymwahuwu]

I'm SO ADDICTED to your yan!jing yuan fic, And I was wondering if u can write more. Maybe like he come back from work(idk) and unexpectedly he bought her fav dessert, but little did she know he put a little special 'icing' on the dessert (+along w/sleep dru#) but she refused to eat Infront of him and screaming asking to go away. And he did surprisingly, but then she eat the desser because no way in hell she can resist those.At the night she fell asleep, he takes the opportunity to broke into her house and fck her lmao 🏃🏻‍♀️🏃🏻‍♀️🕴🏻

sorry if this made u feel uncomfortable :(

CW: yandere, non-con, somnophilia, sleeping pills, mating press

Don't worry, you didn't make me uncomfortable! I can totally see Jing Yuan taking advantage of this! He knows what your favorite dessert is and has checked which dessert shop in the entire galaxy has the highest rating for this dessert ☺️😚 He ordered his assistant to buy this dessert, and he brought the dessert to meet you after work.

You've grown numb to finding the general standing at your door. Once, you tried to ignore him, but the door lock was smashed. You insist on not opening the door, "What are you doing here?" On the electronic monitor screen, Jing Yuan is waving the dessert box in his hand, explaining that he just wants to give you dessert. After getting your rejection, Jing Yuan sighed regretfully. He pointed out that this dessert brand has the highest score in the galaxy, and customers usually need to make an appointment, which is rare and precious. You really don't want it? Isn't it such a pity? It's hard not to be tempted by these rhetoric.

"Then- then you put it in front of the door, I don't want to taste it in front of you." You replied in a low voice.

Unexpectedly, Jing Yuan agreed and did not break into your home as usual. He nodded, put the dessert box on the ground, and left. In the eyes of the General, you act like a vigilant stray cat, waiting carefully for the humans to leave before swallowing the food left behind.

After waiting for ten minutes, you quietly opened the door, picked up the dessert and put it on the table. You open the box, terrified of what a trap it might be, and what you get instead is fragrant that fills your living room. That is a delicate dessert with decorations on it… Um, it seems that there is still a little icing? As you savor, that heavenly sweetness melts on your tongue.

The night is… poured serenity - A wave of drowsiness washes over you… your eyelids can't support the weight, and aimless thoughts beckon you to the soft bed.

"Hey baby, are you asleep?"

Tall shadows loom over you in dim light. There is no response, your chest rises and falls peacefully with your breath. "Today we can have some new fun. It's okay, I'll be gentle." Jing Yuan removed your quilt, and put his palms into your panties, pulled them up to your ankles, and placed them next to your bed. Depending on the type of pajamas you're wearing, the general unbuttons your pajamas, or adjusts your posture slightly, strips you of all your clothes, and leaves you naked on the bed. Without the protection and cover of quilts and clothes, the body appears fragile and can be manipulated. He admires you in awe and snaps some pictures, leaning down to massage your areolas and rubbing and attacking your breasts. His lips and tongue kiss and adore your chest, muttering about how the body you have was wasted. No one can treat you like him.

Jing Yuan checks your private parts and finds that it is already covered with crystal liquid, glistening and waiting for attention. "ah…um…m…" you whimpered so faintly that few could be heard in sleep. He grinned and knew you were aroused. He prides himself on all the sweet reactions he brings to you. His thumb is stroking your clit as he pushes the head of his cock into your needy, tight wall. Every inch his cock advances, the faster he circles your little pearl, until your waist bounces and your inner walls tighten to cum on his cock. This is not the end but just the beginning. Jing Yuan slaps slowly in your twitching, orgasmed walls, with loud liquid churning. Under the influence of the drug, your eyes move restlessly under the eyelids. Determined to go one step further, he holds your face and kisses you affectionately, and lifts your legs up and presses them against your chest, pressing his fat, wet cock into your deepest part, squirting thick seeds.

Jing Yuan doesn't mind you knowing this. Lovers don't hide secrets. He yawned, took you into his strong arms, and fell asleep together. As the morning light shines into your house, you wake up, naked and sore with a startling realization of what he's done to you. "You- why are you here…!! "

He rubbed his eyes and greeted. "Wake up? Baby. Morning."

[shinestarhwaa]

SAN NSFW ALPHABET

A - Aftercare (how is he after sex)

San is super sweet and gentle to his lover after sex, he'll ask a thousand times if they need anything and hold them in his big, strong arms.

B- Bodypart (his favourite bodypart on you)

I think we all know it can only be one thing and that is the 🍑. San loves your ass, and will touch it the entire day long, sexually or just out of love (or if he wants to be annoying).

C - Cum (anything to do with cum)

Sannie loves to cum inside you and breed you like the good pet that you are-

D - Dirty secret (his dirty secret)

He loves your ass and wants to fuck it (even if he knows you won't let him, he'll still think about it cuz he be obsessed)

E - Experience (how experienced is he?)

I think San has some experience. I don't know if his bodycount is necissarily high but with the ones he did have sex with he's done a lot with soooo

F - Favourite position

Doggy style/reverse cowgirl🍑

G - Goofy (how he acts in the moment?)

This depends on the mood cuz he can be a little silly sometimes but more often than not he's serious about sexytime.

H - Hair (how groomed is he?)

He's either completely bare or he trims it for you. I cannot decide.

I - Intimacy (how passionate is he?)

San is super intimate, even if it's not about sex. He's very loving and will initiate gentle touches, naked cuddling, bathing together etc.

J - Jack off (how often does he masturbate?)

Bit more than average? 4/5 times a week? 6? 7? I don't know, it might depend on how his mood is but I think he's fairly horny most of the time lmao and he might go twice in a row-

K - Kink

San loves spanking, he wants his hands on you all the time but he won't mind a spanking if he's subby himself either👀

L - Location (what's his favourite place to have sex?)

The bedroom allows him to be most comfortable so probably that but he enjoys fooling around in the shower a lot.

M - Motivation (what keeps him going?)

Nothing's as good as the feeling of you getting more aroused.

N - NO (what is a no-go for him/turn-offs?)

He will NOT have sex with his family in the house. His family is holy and he will not stand the chance he'd get caught.

O - Oral (giving or receiving, skill etc.)

He's fairly skilled in oral and loves to give but I would say it's 50/50 because he wants his mouth on himself everyday.

P - Pace (fast and rough? slow and sensual?)

He's usually more on the fast and rough side, he'll grope you everywhere to hold you in place and ruin you.

Q - Quickie (their opinion on quickies)

He's more a fan of long sessions but once in a while he doesn't mind it.

R - Risk (experiments, taking risks etc.)

Is a bit shy about trying new things so you might have to lead a little in that, but he's open minded.

S - Stamina (how long does he last?)

Lasts quite long, at least 3 rounds I'd say. Even if he gets tired he'll still wanna prove his strength to you.

T - Toys (do they own toys? does he use them with his partner or himself?)

I think he's the type to use toys on himself rather than on his partner (but he would occasionally! He just prefers to do the work himself). He might own a fleshlight or a dildo/vibrator if he is into that

U - Unfair (how much do they like to tease?)

He's a tease but he cannot last long. He gives in too easily.

V - Volume (how loud are they? what sounds do they make?)

Okay no cuz San can get pretty loud. Be it dirty talk or moans, groans, grunts and all the other animalistic noises escaping his mouth.

W - Wild Card (random headcanon)

San has you naked over his lap as he orders you to count the slaps he's giving your ass. It's slowly turning red and it's starting to hurt but the vibrator inside you and the willpower to make Sanie proud of you gets you going. "That's it baby? Number 10 already, aren't you such a good pet for me?"

X - X-Ray (what's going on in them pants?)

He's average to a bit bigger than average (I can't decide but this is based on a set of pics I've seen of him not wearing underwear under his sweats lol) but he's definitely thick and girthy.

Y - Yearning (how high is their sexdrive?)

Honestly, he probably has the highest sexdrive out of all the members. Even in regular videos or videos from tour theres a hint of sexual tension or arousal.

Z - ZZZ (how quickly they fall asleep afterwards?)

If he's done multiple rounds he'll fall asleep quite fast but he'll make sure that you're okay first, even if he's already half asleep.

Taglist: @anyamaris @a-soft-hornytiny @whatudowhennooneseesyou @wooyoungmybelovedhusband @pyeonghongrie-main @woosanbby @dreamlesswonder86 @changbinslovelylegs @jonghostie @lovjensoo @1-800-shedevil @mjyungi @bratty-tingz @sugarnspice630

[inevitably-johnlocked]

Hi Steph! Hope you're having a good day! I'm new to this platform and to your blog of course. Sorry if this has already been asked but do you know of any fanfics where the relationship dynamic between Sherlock and Rosie is explored? Would love it if you can recommend some!

Hey Nonny!!

Welcome to my blog! I'm happy to have you here, and I hope you're enjoying your time in the fandom!!

Oooo, this is a good question, because I haven't read a lot of Parentlock with Rosie in them; I just recently recced an Older Rosie Parentlock list, so you can start there. As for others, here's what I recall in my bookmarks as being Sherlock AND Rosie.

If anyone has a fic to suggest please do, because I've FOR SURE missed some! It's been a long time since I've even read these fics listed so I'm HOPING my recall on them is correct.

SHERLOCK AND ROSIE

Non-Toxic by NinjaNina2 (M, 1,713 w., 1 Ch. || Post S4, Parentlock with Rosie, Established Relationship, Oneshot, Stubborn Sherlock, Worried John, Doctor John, Fluff and Humour, Misunderstandings)  – Based on previous experiences, John has every right to be worried when gone for a medical conference, but what is the extent of damage This time…?!?

There's Always Three of Us by Itsallfine (T, 1,765 w., 1 Ch. || S4 Fix It Fic/Post TFP, Parentlock / Rosie, Angelo’s, First Kiss, January 29, Love Declarations) – Sherlock takes John and Rosie out to Angelo's and gets a chance to correct the biggest mistake of his life.

Made of Music Series by SosoHolmesWatson (T, 6,464+ w. across 2 works || Series WiP || Post S4, Parentlock with Rosie, First Kiss, Mutual Pining, Friends to Lovers, Cuddling, Love Confessions, Angst with Happy Ending) – For the past years, John and Sherlock have lived at Baker Street again, raising Rosie together--as friends and nothing more. Ever since the little girl has watched her first Disney movie, she is obsessed with princesses. When John comes home one day, he finds his friend and his daughter in the middle of a reenactment of her current favourite.

Permanent Fixture by vitruvianwatson (E, 18,836 w., 9 Ch || Post-S4, Parentlock, Slow Build, Friends to Lovers, They’re Good Parents, Blushing Sherlock, First Kiss/Time, Explicit Consent, Sexual Content, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Mutual Pining, Big Feelings, Crying, Fluff, Anxious Sherlock, Inexperienced Sherlock, Emotional Communication, Love Confessions) – Now, as Rosie sat curled up against Sherlock’s side, John watched and wondered exactly how he had ended up here. Domesticity had never suited him before, not at any point in his life. His disastrous marriage had been proof of that. But somehow, here in the warmth and safety of 221B Baker Street, here with Sherlock Holmes reading medical jargon to his daughter, Sherlock’s bony feet nudging against his leg, John couldn’t imagine anyplace that would make him happier. 

A Quiet Life by DiscordantWords (M, 25,176 w., 6 Ch. || Post S4, Retirement, POV Sherlock, Awkwardness, Established Relationship, Family Dynamics, Minor Character Death, Questionable Parenting Choices, Non-Linear Narrative, 20 Year Old Rosie, Meddling Mycroft, Pining Sherlock, First Kiss, Love Confessions, Angst, Sherlock Whump) – There had been three days of silence and a funeral. Sherlock had the terrible feeling that whatever happened next would depend, entirely, on him.

Dropping the Act by jadztone (T, 27,258 w., 10 Ch. || Post S4, Fake Relationship, First Kiss, Snuggles and Cuddles, Mary's Past, Morally-Grey Mary, Idiots in Love, Parentlock) – Sherlock and John are quite happy living together with Rosie in Baker St. They might be even happier if they didn’t act towards each other like their love is only platonic. Mycroft brings troubling news in the form of Mary’s parents wanting to know just what their grandchild’s home life is like. The boys decide to spend Christmas pretending like they are in love in order to seem more like a "normal" family. It's easy enough to pretend when all you're doing is dropping the act.

The Winter Garden by Callie4180 (T, 31,213 w., 13 Ch. || Post-S4, Retirement, Christmas, Slow Burn, Grown-Up Rosie, Parenthood, Rosie’s Cat, Angst with Happy Ending, Holidays, Beekeeping, Magical Realism, Sherlock POV, Sherlock’s Violin, Future Fic, Sussex, Honey, Magical Healing Honey, Love Confessions, Sherlock’s Scar, First Kiss, Touching, Mycroft is Dying) – As Sherlock nears the end of his career, he's given the gift of a cottage in Sussex. The honey from the beehives out back is amazing. Almost...magical. 

Chaperones by MissDavis (T, 34,114 w., 7 Ch. || 11 Years Post-S4, Fake Relationship, Parentlock, Disney World, Bed / Room Sharing, Friends to Lovers, Fluff, First Kiss, Obsessive Sherlock, Insecure John) – Right. Of course. Everyone assumed they were a couple and no one would question it. John put his elbows up on the table so he could rest his head in his hands. "You want to pretend to be a couple so we can chaperone a trip to Disney World with Rosie's class and you won't have to share a room with a stranger?" "Exactly." Sherlock beamed at him. "Don't worry about the cost. The Birmingham case last month paid more than enough to cover expenses for all three of us."

[grapenehifics]

I have the house to myself this weekend which means I get to have musicals on in the background (I am the only one in my family who appreciates this art form) and this morning I've had The Sound of Music running and...I'm having thoughts. Fascism thoughts.

Anakin is nearing the age (early 20s) when he should be taking the Trials and he *says* he's sure he wants to continue on the Jedi path (his mom sure always really wanted him to! He doesn't want to disappoint his Master!) but he's always been a little unorthodox, a little different, and Yoda and Mace and the Council and even Qui-Gon try to (gently) tell him that it's okay if he wants to or needs to take a different path and this life isn't for everyone and there's no shame in it; there's lots of ways to serve the light.

Obi-Wan meanwhile (Force sensitive but his parents said no thank you when the Order came calling when he was a kid?) is fairly recently widowed with seven (or maybe not seven, but some number of) children who he doesn't see all that much because he's...not *the* leader of Stewjon but definitely a higher-up in their government (maybe like a House of Lords/ruling council sort of situation?). And he - like the Republic - sees the writing on the wall about the encroaching threat of the Empire and the members of the Republic who are against this idea (Padmé, Bail, etc) are very interested in keeping Obi-Wan on their side - he's maybe trying to convince the rest of his government to join the Republic? and if they do have to go to war Obi-Wan is one of the few with actual military experience (I'm picturing some sort of Admiral Yularen/Republic Navy-ish) - so when Obi-Wan asks the Order to send a Jedi as a governess for his kids (some - or all? - of them are Force sensitive too, but Obi-Wan and his wife kept them home as kids rather than sending them to Coruscant), even though the answer would *usually* be no (you can't have it both ways Obi-Wan; there are no part-time Jedi) the Republic basically begs the Jedi Council to say yes.

They (reluctantly) agree that sending Anakin to Stewjon might be okay - they wouldn't send anyone else but he's on the fence anyway and this might give him some time to decide if he really wants to be a Jedi or if a home and a family might suit him better. Anakin has to be talked into it - "you're kicking me out??" "NO, Padawan Skywalker..." - but he goes. Of course he actually bonds really well with all the kids (I love Anakin with kids!) and his new boss is surprisingly hot, especially in his Stewjoni military uniform.

Obi-Wan got (quite quickly, after his wife died) engaged to the Duchess Satine of Mandalore, which both parties (and everyone in their respective governments) know is a political marriage but they do also genuinely like and respect each other, and enjoy debating politics with each other - if war breaks out, Satine is determined Mandalore will remain neutral, and Obi-Wan argues against, and that it's their moral obligation to fight - but whatever happens, Mandalore wants Stewjon on their side and vice versa. She's busy running her own system but comes for a visit, and meets Anakin, and picks up right away on the rampant UST between Obi-Wan and his new nanny. (She finds this hilarious.)

Obi-Wan throws a Mandalore/Stewjon unification-type ball at his house (mansion, palace, w/e) and Anakin has the kids show off the more impressive of the Force "tricks" he's taught them (floating rocks, etc). The kids tell Anakin that their dad can move things with the Force, too, and he used to all the time, but doesn't anymore. Anakin is intrigued by this new knowledge.

They get word from Coruscant that Palpatine did as threatened and has staged a coup (?? haven't really worked out the finer details yet) and despite Obi-Wan's best efforts Stewjon as a collective whole looks like it's going to fall on the side of the Empire. He's not the only one determined to fight but he's definitely the most vocal/highest-ranking of the dissenters and Satine warns him that he at least needs to get his family out of harm's way, and if he can get them to Mandalore she can protect them and they can join the Rebellion from there. (Form the Rebellion? This part is still a little muddy).

(Obi-Wan checks that this offer still stands even though he's breaking up with her. She's like a) I called that and b) "oh my god Obi-Wan I'm a pacifist not a monster. I'm not going to let your family *die* just because you're marrying Anakin instead of me, what do you take me for?")

Their escape plan - like in the movie - is to perform in some sort of National Stewjon Talent Show, except swap the Force for a cappella singing. The Jedi - let's say Palpatine hasn't gotten around to Order 66 in this AU - attend this Talent Show, and *obviously* it's a cover for getting Anakin and the Kenobis out (they have to have the same conversation - "you mean you'll still help me even if I'm getting married instead of becoming a Jedi Knight?" "yeah, we're not dicks, it's the right thing to do") but no one can actually call the Jedi out on it even though while they're blinking their eyes all innocently they totally have bolt cutters and stun guns hidden under their robes.

Also there's a subplot where Obi-Wan's oldest breaks up with her boyfriend because "I DON'T DATE STORMTROOPERS."

(Someday I will be able to watch a movie without having Obikin thoughts about it. But it is not this day!)

[gvtted-ratz]

BEFORE YOU READ:

- Read all tags/ratings if there are any. They are important and give you all you need to decide if you want to actually read. If you do not like the tags/rating, please do not read.

- We ask that anyone who is FEM aligning/identifying to not read our MLM fics. You can still send requests, however, we do not do FEM readers.

- You can find all our works on AO3. Only registered users can view/comment.

- Minors/ageless/blank blogs are not welcome, and you will be blocked. Respect our wishes or you will be blocked. We go through all our likes, followers, and reblogs.

Want to request? Find the rules: here!

Want to see all the fics? Find them: here!

Would You Like Some Help?

Norman Bates x M!Reader

Last Edited: April 1, 2021 5:40 PM

TW: past abuse, past manipulation

Requested: No.

Word Count: 1,192

AO3 LINK -> HERE

You park the car right next to the hotel and step out. You feel very nervous, afraid that he might somehow know who you are and why you’re running. Back home, you had a very nice girlfriend. Well, very nice to look at. Her personality was like a rotten apple. She ordered you around, threw things at you, but she mostly hurt you emotionally and mentally. You wanted out the moment you saw who she truly was. In the beginning, she was very sweet and kind. She had always been praising you for the work you did and how you always treated her right. Then, after she moved in, everything changed. She would scream and holler at you for doing the simplest things wrong. She would always beat down your confidence and just generally make you feel bad.

At the time, you didn’t know what to do so you endured it. As it got worse, you had finally had enough. When she was asleep, you packed all your necessities before throwing your suitcase in your car. After that, you just drove until you came to the Bates Motel. And here you are, standing right by the lobby door, unsure on whether or not to go in. “Oh! H-Hello!” You hear someone say. You look to where the voice came from, seeing a man approach you from a large home.

“Hello,” You say, trying to keep everything short and sweet.

“I’m, uh, sorry I-I wasn’t here. I was ten-tending to my mother,” He says, beckoning you to follow him into the lobby.

“It’s not a problem, Mr. Bates,” You tell him as you stand in front of the counter. He reaches underneath the counter and pulls out a book. He places it in front of you and opens it to a page with a few names on it.

“Just write down yo-your name and where you’re from,” He says, handing you a pen. You write down your name and hesitate one here your from before deciding to put Phoenix.

“How much for a few nights?” You ask, digging around your pockets for your wallet. 

“Oh! Ho-how long are you sta-staying?” He asks, his gaze holds warmth and nervousness.

“A few nights. Maybe four I guess? I’m not really sure, just a few nights is all,” You tell him, shrugging since you’re not sure how long you plan on staying.

“Oh, well, then is th-that cash or a check? What are you pa-paying with?” He asks. You take out your wallet and pull out a few bills. You hand him the bills, watching his reaction. He gives you a small smile and nods. “This is enough f-for a week’s stay.”

“That’s good enough,” You tell him, fidgeting with your hands and fingers.

“W-Well, I’m one for nu-numerical order so you get cabin one. There were twe-twelve vacancies and n-now we have e-el-eleven,” He tells you with a smile. The smile seems kind but also nervous. Maybe he’s just as awkward as you. He grabs one of the keys that’s hanging on the hooks; the key happens to be the one underneath the number one for cabin one.

He hands you your room key, his fingers barely touching your own. You give him a small smile as you take the key from him. “Do you need to show me where the room is?” You ask him, unsure if you can go find it yourself.

“I can show you!” He says quickly, his smile seeming to be a little less nervous. He moves in front of you and takes the lead. He still seems nervous, but not as nervous as he previously was. He leads you to cabin one and gestures for you to open the door. You place the key in the lock and turn it, opening the door. He goes into the room first, you tagging along right behind him.

“Looks comfy,” You say, looking around the room. On the wall, you see two pictures of some type of small bird hanging up. It honestly doesn’t look too bad with the small vanity, bed, closet, and drawers by the door.

“Yes, it is. Th-the bed is, um, pretty soft and the she-sheet are clean. I clean th-them every day. Ju-just a habit,” He tells you, fidgeting in his spot near the bathroom.

“Well… Thank you for showing me to my room, Mr. Bates,” You say, trying to be as kind as possible. You don’t want to be rude to him since it is his hotel and he doesn’t seem to be a bad guy.

“I should g-get back to work…” He says, trailing off.

“ Would You Like Some Help? ” You ask him, not really ready to be alone.

“You don’t have to. I-I’ve taken care of the motel f-for so long…” He seems hesitant about letting you help him, but not against the idea. “I…” He shakes his head. “N-no. Yo-your a customer and shouldn’t do my work.”

“I was just offering is all. If you want help, feel free to ask me, I don’t mind,” You tell him, ignoring his stuttering. You’ve noticed it but you really don’t mind it too much. He gives you a small smile as a thanks before leaving you to your room. You look around the room some more before Norman comes back with your items.

“I di-didn’t mean to forget your stuff,” He says, setting your suitcase down by your bed.

“It’s fine. I forgot about it until you brought it in so no worries,” You dismiss his worries, not really caring. You would have gotten it at some point but now that he brought it in, you didn’t have to worry about going out to get it and getting caught up in the rain. It has just started to rain, it isn’t raining very hard though, just a light sprinkle.

“We-Well, have a good night,” Norman bids you farewell and leaves you alone with yourself, the room, and your stuff. You let out a large sigh, ready to get some much-needed sleep. You start to go through your suitcase and unpack everything. You hang up your clothes and place your journal and a pen on the vanity. You didn’t have very much so unpacking it all didn’t take much time. You pull out a tank top and a pair of pajama pants and start to strip out of your clothes.

You feel eyes on you, making you look around the room, holding your shirt in one hand. When you see nothing out of the ordinary, you throw your dirty shirt into your suitcase and throw on the tank top. You finish putting on your pajama pants when the feeling of being watched returns. You ignore it for now and let your body fall onto the bed. Honestly, it felt better than your bad back at your old home. You wrap yourself in the soft blankets, happy to finally get a break. The feeling of being watched doesn’t leave, even as you fall asleep you can feel it. It didn’t bother you too much and with that, you let your conscious drift away into the dream world.

[thelargefrye]

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 with mingi please~~

[ A FAMILY MONTAGE ] — mingi invites you to spend time with him and his mom

pairing : mingi x f!reader genre : idol au, dad!ateez, hurt / comfort warnings : mentions of family issues, yn doesn’t talk with her family

mingi always wondered why you never talked about your family. he knew you were a very closed off person and have long ago accepted that about you, but to never mention your parents? siblings? he just wasn’t sure he could understand it.

or maybe he wasn’t meant to understand why you didn’t talk about your family. he wants to ask, but he knows that’s probably not something you’re comfortable talking about yet.

mingi accepts that he will just wait until you’re ready, and until then, he will just make sure you’re not lonely. even if that means he has to invite you over to his mom’s apartment to spend time with the both of them.

“oh y/n, i’m glad you could stop by!” mingi is brought out of his thought by his mom’s voice as she speaks to you. honestly, he didn’t think you would actually come over when he invited you to spend the evening with him and his mom.

mingi basically almost trips as he comes up behind his mom in order to greet you. mingi immediately takes in how you are not wearing your usual sweatpants and hoodie, but instead wearing jeans and a nice shirt. he’s surprised by your outfit despite there really being nothing out of the ordinary about it. it’s just something that didn’t seem… you.

his mother lets you in before she leave you and mingi alone at the entrance as she goes back to finishing up dinner.

“you came,” he says looking at you with wide eyes.

“i did, did you not want me too?” you ask with a raised eyebrow and mingi immediately tries to defend himself. “i’m just kidding mingi, calm down,” you say with a laugh as you walk past him and further into the apartment.

dinner goes by smoothly with you and mingi’s mother getting along well and the rapper is happy to see it. he’s happy to know that you and his mother get along well and he feels contempt with just sitting here and watching the two of you.

“so, y/n, what do your parents do?” his mom asks and mingi feels his stomach drop as he looks over at you.

“u-uh, eomma, let’s not—

“they’re both lawyers,” you answer cutting mingi off as you give his mother a small smile. “but i don’t really talk to them. we… have a complicated relationship and don’t really get along,” you tell them and mingi wants to reach over and hold your hand, but stops himself.

he’s still unsure of what your boundaries are with him or just in general.

“oh, i’m sorry, dear,” his mother says and probably feels the same way he does right now.

“it’s okay, it doesn’t bother me as much as some people might think. that’s often why i don’t talk about them… because there’s nothing too talk about.”

“well, just know that you are always welcomed here if you ever need any motherly help or advice. or even if you just need someone to hug. i know mingi also wouldn’t mind that last one,” she says with a laugh making you laugh as well while the rapper tries to fight the blush down.

“e-eomma!” mingi says with a pout that only makes you both laugh harder at him.

later when mingi walks you back to your apartment next door, you can tell he wants to say something, but is fighting against it.

“what’s wrong, mingi?” you finally ask as you lean against the wall next to your door.

“thank you,” he says catching you off guard.

“for what?”

“for opening up just a little bit to me and mom. i know you don’t necessarily like that, but just know that i really appreciate it,” he confesses making your heart beat stutter for a moment.

“w-whatever, it doesn’t matter,” you stutter as you turn to try and open your apartment door. mingi cracks a small smile at your stuttering self and does his best to bite back a laugh.

“i’ll see you later,” he says giving you a small wave.

“whatever, see ya,” you say before closing your door quickly. you suddenly open it back up, “thanks for tonight,” you then close it making mingi’s smile grow more before he heads back next door where his mom was waiting for him.

“you need to hurry up and marry her.”

“eomma!”

send an emoji + a member for a walk down memory lane.

[phoebehalliwell]

oh holla i love complicated family dynamics which parental figure (whether it's theirs or an aunt/uncle w/e) do you think each of the next gen might have their respective problems with the Most

ooh ooh okay so let's start with the obvious

for chris it's leo. promo!

and, ipso facto, for wyatt, it's also leo. bc like. wyatt cannot deny that their father treats them differently and that it does create a kind of divide between wyatt and chris. i think wyatt still very much loves his father but he wishes his dad Wouldn't Do That bc wyatt would much rather just have a normal relationship with his brother

for melinda i'm sorrry i know leo's getting a lashing rn but it's just also gotta be leo bc leo is kind of the reason chris and wyatt's relationship is Like That and now she ends up having to play mediator or worse get caught up in some kind of dumb fight or even dumber plan and like. had her dad just been Normal about it this wouldn't be an issue she deals with. and i don't think she holds it against him per se, as an empath she understands that it comes from a place of love but like. wounded love, it festers like an infection, and it's just one of those Go To Therapy moments like this is just a nasty tender thing you have growing under your skin and i understand how the pain makes you act like that but dudeeee. dudeeee. please stop making Your Inability To Heal my problem please pleaseeee go to therapyyy.

kat is also easy because she kind of has mommy issues so it's gonna be paige. and again it's not a hate by any means she loves her mother but she just feels suffocated by her you know? and then paige also isn't her whitelighter, leo is, and like young kat who felt very disconnected from the craft kinda as a kid because her and Tamora were raised without powers and like she really hated the Charmed legacy that followed her around magic school but she loves being a witch and her mom love being a witch she knows she sees her mom guide so many witches and just the fact that her mom chose not to guide her. it burns her a little bit.

tamora is a little more tricky i don't know. tamora's deepest issue is just that she feels very like. dumb. inferior. like she has these major self confidence issues and she's a really good student but she's not like peyton who is naturally, effortlessly smart, who's starting high school in calc because this shit just clicks for her, tamora is a good student because she Needs to pour over this material and intensively study it in order to fucking understand it. she has a lot of trouble with it, but like, at this point, school's the only thing she's good at because she figured out how to do school she figured out how to make up for her "dumbness" deficit you know what i'm saying? but she feels like she hasn't hacked this for witchcraft or even like socializing, so she doesn't really. practice at it that much. because she believes herself to be dumb/bad at it. So. the answer is either paige, henry, or piper. paige because her momma is just so effortlessly confidently and funny and people like her and why why why couldn't she have gotten those genes Whyyy did she turn out like this. henry gets second place because the odds of the answer to that being your dad are just. always high. and should be acknowledged. but idk exactly What her issues with her father would be. piper gets a shout out here because piper is the one who trains tamora with her powers (because they share the same power) and tamora does struggle with control over her powers. and piper just seems to do it so effortlessly and is just so strong and confident and capable in her use of them it just. it makes tam feel dumb :(

henry jr has actually a kind of funny answer because i think it's actually phoebe. sorry pheebs!! because i think paige really does trust her son like she knows he's capable and can fend for himself and mostly understands his mortality and of course he is equipped with a couple solid enchanted items just in general to prevent too much damage. and you know. leo's not really henry's whitelighter but he still watches out for / over him you know that is family and um. both leo and paige watched chris die. so paige's vouching for henry that i think he's safe he's strong he's capable i think leo does really value that because he does feel like paige understands the risks she's staring down here. piper sides with her husband bc she trusts his judgement. but phoebe... phoebe is worried!! okay! sue her! so she's worried!! and lord knows when she worries she kind of makes it everyone else's problem. he's human he really Should Not be running around with witches i mean christ he's only in high school!! especially because when henry engages in magical shenanigans with the cupitches so frequently phoebe's concern is definitely a presence in his life. and like. here's the thing. phoebe doesn't mind henry getting involved with magic. like the parker's athame thing? that was cool that was fasicating but also. that was a perfect example of henry still being able to engage in the world of witches, their world, without endangering himself. she doesn't mind him helping out, but, god, went he goes out with the girls to fight demons, like christ no she cannot have that. and if he died??? if he died on a vanquish with her girls how would she ever tell paige?? you know? so basically phoebe is very suffocating to henry.

pj is gonna actually be with prue. it's hard being the eldest sister sharing the same name as thee eldest sister who died eldest sistering.

parker is going to be with. phoebe. but also coop. it's just they're such therapists and you know what i'm saying like okay let's talk it out lets not go to bed angry let's understand our emotions and where they're coming from and parker just wants to be angry sometimes!!! she does want to articulate her emotions and be receptive to others responses she wants to throw things and scream she just. she is an angry girl. she wants to be angry.

peyton is also gonna be phoebe. peyton wishes her mom insisted that they fight demons less and like phoebe's tried but pj and parker don't listen but like. they are too young to be doing this!! hello!! and she just. idk. i think honestly she probably wishes phoebe had bound their powers.

[our-transmasculine-experience]

It's been on and off for what feels like the last couple months but I think I might be trans. I kinda remember wanting to be a boy when I was a little kid and I remember I used to try to intentionally make my voice sound deeper when I was like 15(? or maybe 14, something around those ages?) because I hated how my voice sounded but I stopped because my sister and mum took the piss out of me for doing it one time. I want to try presenting more masculine than I already try to do but my parents feel like a massive fucking roadblock to this. There's nowhere I know of that sells binders in person and I don't want to deal with the issues that could come from ordering them online(mainly my parents asking me what I ordered and stuff like that), my mum doesn't want me to cut my hair shorter because she thinks it'll be a shock to me or w/e. I hate having boobs so fucking much(they feel horrible and sweaty and I want them gone so badly but a part of me feels like that specific part might just be sensory issues) and there's no fucking way my parents are gonna let me get rid of my tits and also I remember during a car ride with my mum, sister and grandmother my grandma went on a rant about people asking for pronouns or w/e and while I don't think it got explicitly transphobic(or maybe it did, I don't remember too well) I ultimately remember coming out of it thinking "I will only come out once I'm able to move out of my house and be financially independent :)". But my parents don't even fucking let me try to get a job and I feel like I can barely even get any form of independence and I just feel so goddamn pathetic and with all the shit going on in the UK about trans rights I don't think I'll ever be able to come out even if I am able to eventually move out and the fact that I have an autism diagnosis(which I also fucking hate having so much and I sometimes wish I was never diagnosed) is just a whole other can of worms that I know will also be a massive fucking roadblock to coming out and actually transitioning. I don't want to say that my parents are transphobic(my dad at least seems like the safest person to come out to out of everyone) but my mum still sometimes accidentally misgenders a childhood friend of mine even though she's kinda known him long after he came out as trans and for some reason, I don't know if I'm misremembering what she's said but when she told me that my friend came out as trans I remember her saying something along the lines of "Just because [ ] is a boy doesn't mean you are too"(he wasn't there for this when she said that fyi) so I guess there's a decent chance she's just not gonna accept me as trans and I'm also scared that both of my parents will just think it's a stage at best and decide that they've had enough of me and kick me out at worst and I just fucking hate that I'm like this though I could be massively overthinking all of this and I just feel like shit about it, I just fucking wish I was born a guy or even some genderless blob so that I'd never have to think about this shit ever again. It's all just so suffocating and I hate being like this.

Sorry for the wall of text I just needed to get this off my chest at the very least.

i’m so, so, sorry that you have to deal with that. that sounds absolutely awful, and if you ever need to vent again or ask for advice, my ask box is open! (most of the times)

[daisyvisions]

okay so that recent ask about primal kink mixed with just my general perception of changmin had me thinking... I feel like it's pretty commonly agreed upon to some extent within the nsfw space of the tbz fandom that changmin seems like he'd be into bdsm...

so, what stuff do you think he'd be into specifically? just for funsies.

like I deffo personally headcanon him being into handcuffs/restriction for sure, as well as predator/prey dynamics, cnc, impact, etc... what are your opinions? there's a ton of stuff under the bdsm label so deffo more he could probably be associated with just based off his vibe in general or w/e.

also, opinions on him being into shibari and/or kinbaku? I'm torn because I totally see him as someone who would treat sex almost as a performance of sorts at times? like he'd want to take his time to really set the stage in order to get the most out of it (if that makes sense?), but then also I think he can come across as a little impatient and easily frustrated at times so I think he may also get annoyed with it. idk.

okay in my opinion (and personally I think changmin and I are similar in many ways) he's the kind of guy that's into BDSM but not the hardcore shit.

Like he's aware of them but I think he's the type that would go as far as the restraints, the gags, the degradation, and if he's committed enough, having those sex swings set up somewhere so I totally agree with everything you just listed down! (though restraints and biting might be his thing)

so yes I do believe he'd be into shibari! I also head cannon him to treat sex like an art / performance if he has a lot of time on his hands, but if he's in a rush then shibari is a no-go.

[genericpuff]

in this week's episode of "sometimes life really goes for the balls"-

so last week was a nice little break from working on Rekindled, and my PLAN was to 1.) chill from working on comics for a lil' bit, and 2.) prep sketches for future episodes (I'm currently about 5 episodes ahead when it comes to storyboards)

but then i got sick ( : so the first half of my week off was wiped out by being stuck in bed

THANKFULLY it wasn't covid, just a nasty cold, but i've still got a bit of a cough that acts up 1-2 times a day

but w/e, i'm feeling better and it's time to work on the next batch of episodes-

and my tablet has stopped working.

the screen still functions fine, there isn't any problems when it comes to the display, it's just the tablet pen itself that isn't registering. I've tried uninstalling the driver and re-installing it, nothing. I've managed to jerry rig it back into working a couple times just by swapping the USB cable around but today i haven't been able to get it functioning at all, the device connection is just dead.

the irony is that banshriek was literally just dealing with tablet issues a few weeks ago that required them to replace the entire thing, so of course whatever force is at play here was gonna come for me next

i'm hoping it's just the USB part of the cable, i'm like 99% certain it's that because it doesn't work when i plug it into anthony's laptop and Windows keeps popping up the "a USB device has malfunctioned" prompt (and the few times i've been able to get it reconnected, the pen and screen have worked fine, it's literally just the USB portion of the cable).

unfortunately because it's a display tablet, i can't just use a different USB, it's a whole system of cables made up of a power cable, HDMI, and USB, so i ordered a new cable.

it's apparently not going to show up until the 8th/9th.

so this means no episode this week either, it'll be up September 16th instead. I'm really frustrated by that because I was really excited to get into the next few episodes and I really, REALLY don't like going back on my word. I'm really sorry if this is disappointing to hear. I'm incredibly annoyed by this whole situation, my tablet couldn't have chosen a worse time to shit itself (literally why couldn't it have malfunctioned last week when there wasn't gonna be an episode anyways ffs), but I know there's nothing really that can be done beyond replacing the cable and hoping that solves the issue. Shit just happens sometimes and I'm trying to be okay with that.

So I'm gonna be spending this week just getting back to asks in my inbox, writing up LO critical stuff, maybe I'll put out some pencil sketches. Might also try and script out the rest of S1 (hint hint).

I'm so sorry again for the inconvenience, thank you all so much for your patience. This has my brain firing in all directions right now and it's not being kind to me. Please send good luck my way, I'm desperately hoping it's just the cable and I don't need to replace my entire tablet. If you have any fun asks, send them and I'll get back to them ASAP !!

[danieldeepwebs]

misc. ashe hcs in no particular order

she/they transgirl but thats basically canon. started e post trickster

has had that same black beanie for like 10 years. its not fucked up or anything its just really old

keeps things FOREVER. if you look around her room theres toys from when she was a kid and books she finished ages ago that she holds on to

their ROOM. broke teens make do. only one or two posters are actual posters, the rest are just printed out. she puts pretty much anything on her wall like cute tags, stickers, etc. christmas lights up so she doesnt have to turn on the Big Light. not messy but very cluttered. will repurpose anything as a decoration

she doesnt like showing a lot of skin, only her arms if its hot out

warrior cats kid. at one point in her childhood she was reading about one book a day and took about 10 home from the library whenever they went. evolved into a creepypasta phase

selective mutism. has ok days (can talk comfortably with people they are familiar with) and very bad days (will not talk to anyone, might be able to write/type)

goth :) doesn’t wear a lot of makeup (overstimulating also attention grabbing) but she’s into the music and style

her basic outfit formula is big shirt + big skirt. usually solid colors but she likes plaid and stripes also. not big shoes (although heelys are kinda clunky) but big leg warmer. long sleeve under short sleeve if theyre getting a little crazy with it

absurd amount of blankets and pillows. a concerning amount. they dont even bother making the bed or anything bc there is nothing to make. diy padded cell for enrichment

trickster wing wingspan is about 6 feet across and goes down to their calves when theyre folded up. she doesnt have enough control to fly (i dont think she would want too anyway) but she can extend/fold them at will. they twitch a lot when around the wisps though

they got too stressed about picking a name for her dog, so her name is Dog

undiagnosed bpd and maladaptive daydreaming disorder

likes long/lore dense games liked red dead redemption, sdv, persona, etc etc. but will play anything if its with someone else (shooters w dakota, horror/puzzle w will, rpgs w vyncent). she likes animal jam too

would sneak out precanon when they knew mark wouldnt be home for at least a day. she never went too far out, but its how she knows her way around the surrounding area

pre trickster she had some mobility issues with not being able to stand for too long, but didn’t have aids because she wasn’t going anywhere anyways (also she didn’t want to say anything about the pain). post trickster they got a lot worse, so she uses either forearm crutches or a wheelchair

studying criminology and computer science

[umemiyan]

And if I said I wanted to hear about Jedi Megumi??? What then???

Lay it on me I’ve got all day!!!

SCREAMMMMMMM 😭 you are unlocking the beast rn ilysm and i am SO sorry in advance for this. my meds kicked in and i have SO MANY THOUGHTS

basically he’s very much giving order 66 survivor in my mind!!!! like he wasn’t even a padawan yet when it all happened, just a small youngling being raised at the temple after what i imagine to be a rather rough start to life

i’m thinking about toji actually selling him off to the order instead of letting him go so easily, because why not??? if they want a force-sensitive kid so bad then surely they’ll be willing to pay a pretty penny for one. his wife is dead and he’s a bounty hunter or w/e with no means to raise a kid… it’d be better to let him go, but he’s still going to try and get money out of it. because, well… maybe he thinks his kid is worth something after all. he might even bluff and threaten to kill megumi unless the jedi fork over some credits, but he’d never actually go through with it despite the convincing show (good luck getting him to admit that tho)

the jedi typically identify and obtain force-sensitive children really early on in life because it makes it easier to integrate them into the lifestyle, but i’m wondering…. what if megumi was just a liiiiitle bit older than usual?? to the point where he has some more solid memories of his father and tsumiki and whatnot. so it’s kind of a strange adjustment to start being raised by monks all of a sudden

he’s a little quieter and more gloomy than some of the other younglings, and sometimes struggles with being in the right headspace. he’s not really on anakin skywalker level of traumatized and turbulent, and he really tries his best, but sometimes it’s difficult for him y’know!!! he’s still trying to figure out his moral code and inner strength, but he’s just a baby!!! he doesn’t get a chance to hone his skills before the purge happens.

and when it does, he’s not really sure what to do. he’s doing his best to fall back on some basic survival skills, but i’m imagining him being found by gojo or something during all this—maybe even thanks to toji somehow!!!! god there could really be some amazing plot points to develop here but anyways!!!

i imagine satoru to be some sort of ex-jedi or something because he really does not play by the rules. whatever he is, he’s still insanely force-sensitive and is now intrigued by the opportunity to train this little runaway jedi survivior!!!

honestly idek the specifics of my own place in all this LOL tho i would very much love to also be jedi-adjacent where i teach megumi a little bit but have many things to learn myself. and we eventually become involved with the rebellion!!!! but tbh i wouldn’t be mad about just being some random chick too who has connections to gojo or something lmao

oh oh and i feel like megumi reunites with tsumiki at some point as well and she’s also potentially a big reason we’re roped into the rebellion. but something happens to her and it really motivates megumi to do better 🥲 she doesn’t have to die LOL but i’m envisioning something along the lines of being gravely injured to where her ass has to be kept in a bacta tank or smth long-term. similar to her canon comatose state pre-culling games arc y’know

TOJI NEEDS TO BE INVOLVED IN THIS TOO SOMEHOW i mean he could easily be dead like in canon but i think it would be cool if he was still out there slingin’ blasters and vibroblades and collecting credits thinking that his jedi kid got killed in the big purge. BUT HE DIDN’T 👀 and tsumiki could’ve still been in contact with him at some point so there’s like a ~connection~ idk the possibilities are endless!!!!

anyways i think megumi’s story as a little jedi survivor would be amazing ❤️ it’s giving a bit of kanan jarrus tbh ❤️ if i had the brain juice i would make this a whole Thing. but for now here are my crazy thoughts!!!!!

[purgatory-is-life]

Mechtober day 4/prompt 4, mechanization

ohhh boy this is a long one fkaldjkf

@mechtober-2024 - - - How They All Came To Be - Reality666Rift999 - The Mechanisms (Band) [Archive of Our Own]

tw roughly in order; heart issues, heart failure (i am no doctor so this might not be super accurate), gun mentions, blood, blood loss, memory issues, alcohol mentions, fire mentions, implied/mention death via fire, loss of autonomy, i just had a lot of thoughts abt brians morality switch ig, minor character death (bertie), unethical science(? doc turning tim into a mechanism at jonnys request but w/out tims permission), loss of limbs/loss of wings, infection, exhaustion, a bit more minor character death (mostly unnamed characters), impromptu amputation, probably more, feel free to ask to tag something

------

Jonny wasn’t sure how to feel. He was free, finally, from that hellscape that haunted him and dragged him down, kept him sunken and afraid and obedient. He was free.

All thanks to the Doc. (He didn’t even know vampires were real before meeting her.)

He was ecstatic, his shoulders felt lighter than they had in years, he was afraid, he didn’t know what he was doing and a part of him wished he had the familiarity and certainty of that damned place, and he was so confused as to why he missed that hellmouth.

But he was at least mostly happy, so he managed to push his fear and sadness and even maybe regret to the back of his mind. Focus on the present, focus on the overwhelming joy and excitement of being free.

He had to return the favor to her somehow, had to help her in some way like she did to him. To show her how much her provided escape meant to him.

So he helped her around her–their, because it was his home now too, because she insisted it was theirs and they were in this together (she actually wanted him around)–space shuttle, small and maybe a little cramped with the two of them living on it almost constantly, one of the three bedrooms converted to a lab that the Doctor never allowed him in. He cleaned, he did the repairs he could do with his little knowledge of mechanics, he sewed and patched up their clothes when they went long stretches between planets, he did whatever he could to show the Doctor how much the escape meant to him.

  Though he never truly outright said anything. Growing up in that hellhole, he knew any sign of weakness could make everything flip on a dime and he wasn’t risking the best thing he’d had in years. He was going to savor every moment, every moment and every drop of kindness from the Doctor, before it sours. The Doctor promised she’d never do anything to him that could hurt him, promised that she’d love him until eternity ran dry.

And for once, he believed her. He trusted her, he knew she wasn’t lying. But that didn’t change that he couldn’t show weakness, it didn’t change the beliefs and fears ingrained in him from years growing up in the hell house that was his childhood home and planet. But he still knew that she was being honest.

She was someone he could trust.

So he wasn’t exactly sure why he didn’t tell her before it got this bad.

His heart felt like it was going to explode, like he could barely breathe. Everything hurt but his chest hurt the most. He could feel his heart, beating fast-too-fast, and he needed help.

It happened sometimes, where if he walked around too much or ran around a lot, he had to lay down as the world spun and his heart tried to beat itself out of his chest. But it usually passed, he was usually back to running around like normal within a few hours–a day at most, and on bad days his heart being all weird made it so that he was bedridden for a few days even if he generally felt fine. But this time it wasn’t going away, something was wrong.

Something was wrong and he was terrified.

So he stumbled off to find the Doctor, collapsing as soon as he did.

“D-Doc,” he wheezed out, as the vampire rushed over to him, “D-Doc there’s s-something wr-wrong with my heart…”

Tears pricked at his eyes, even though he was trying really hard to be strong. The Doctor grabbed his shoulders, gently, bracing him up.

“S-somethin’s wrong…”

“Jonny-”

He tried to keep the tears at bay, but they started flowing the moment his name left her lips, her voice thick with gentle care and concern. “S-something’s w-wrong a-and I’m sc-scared… M-mom I-I’m scared,” Jonny struggled to get out a wheeze through his sobs, the difficulty breathing making him sob harder. With as much strength as he could he grabbed Doctor Carmilla’s arm and held on like she was his lifeline. “M-mom, I- I don’t- don’t want to- to die,” he sobbed. He was so tired. Darkness crept at the edges of his vision as his tears blurred the image of the Doctor in front of him, the Doc holding onto him just as tightly as he held onto her. Everything hurt and his chest hurt so much, like someone was ripping him open and squeezing the frail organ beating wildly. If he listened to it, he could hear it skipping more and more beats and with each beat missed the more afraid he grew and the faster his heart beat.

Something in her demeanor changed, though. The Doc squeezed him and pulled him in for a hug. “I’m not going to let you die, Jonny,” She said, words comforting and cutting through the fog of sobs and darkness lingering around Jonny. “Never, okay? You’ll be fine. I promise.”

And he believed her.

And he trusted her.

And he woke up who knows how long later without a heart, but a steady tick-tick-tick replacing it and a cold, metal plate over where his heart should be.

—--

The first few years were hard to get used to. To the ever present tick-tick-tick where his heart should be, to having to ask the Doctor to perform maintenance on it at least once a year when the ticking got too irregular and painful, to the knowledge that he couldn't die. But the Doctor was there for him, there with a warm drink and a shoulder to lean on when everything became too much.

And sometimes he needed to step away from her for a little while, hence why he volunteered to hijack them a bigger, better ship while they were passing through Cyberia. For some reason the Doc had her eyes set on a specific one, but Jonny wasn’t going to question her. And so he went and found the starship, earning the ship in probably the most unhinged game of roulette the soldiers had ever seen or experienced, while the Doc went off to do her own things.

He got to know the star ship he’d won from the Cyberian soldiers. She was the Aurora, and once upon a time she was not a starship. The Cyberians stripped her of her body and her life, but she was free now, with Jonny and the Doctor. Jonny was happy to be that freedom for her, like the Doc was to him. And so their little crew grew that day from two to three.

And soon they grew from three to four.

Jonny protested, at first. He didn’t wish this undying life on anyone, it was painful, it was long, and there were only a few people who could truly relate. But the Doctor insisted it was the only way to save her life, she was too far gone. And so she proceeded, and their crew grew again, from three to four.

Anastasia Nikolaevna Rasputina was not happy about being mechanized, at first. Jonny wasn’t happy either, so he really couldn’t blame her for that. She disappeared into one of the rooms of the Aurora. And she didn’t emerge for longer than a few minutes at a time for at least a year or two. That was fine, Jonny would give her all the space she needed. It was a rough adjustment, and everyone had different ways to cope.

But eventually she started coming out of her room more, opening up to Jonny and Aurora and the Doc. And their crew grew from two to three to four. Jonny’s family wasn’t perfect or normal, not by any means, but he wouldn’t trade it for the world.

—--

Ivy didn’t remember being mechanized. Ivy didn’t remember if she asked to or if she was brought into the Aurora without her permission.

She was scared to find out. She didn’t know if she’d like the answer.

But knowledge was power and power was valuable no matter where she was.

Ivy didn’t know anything about her past, just gasps as she woke up and rebooted for the day, just gasping and fear pulsing through her body as she tried to remember what her nightmare was about, tried to remember why she was so afraid.

She made up for it with the ability mechanization had given her, her ability to remember anything and everything even if she was detached from those memories. But still, she sought knowledge and information and anything she could about her past. Anything that she could grab on to, even if it wasn’t anything concrete or certain.

Ivy didn’t remember what caused her to be mechanized, didn’t remember if she asked or if the Doctor revived her against her will. She didn’t know if she wanted to know, didn’t know if she would like the answer.

There was a 22.1% chance that she wouldn’t like the answer. There was a 24.65% chance she would. And a 53.25% chance that she wouldn’t have a strong leaning either way, that she wouldn’t know how she felt.

When she asked Jonny, he didn’t want to tell her.

But she pushed and pushed until he agreed to tell her a bit.

They found her in a large library, a large library that was burning and burning quickly. She was dying, choking on the smoke and from injuries Jonny didn’t dare specify or describe. Jonny and Nastya protested, when the Doctor brought her unconscious body onto the Aurora. But the Doctor continued anyway. Aurora was the main aid to her the first few weeks as she was adjusting to her new mechanism, when she couldn’t retain anything for longer than a day and couldn’t recognize anyone. It wasn’t pretty.

“Knowing the Doc, your brain might be around here somewhere,” Jonny said, giving her a shit-eating grin, “might find it next time you go in for maintenance.”

Ivy rolled her eyes and left him to his whiskey and misery. She had an answer, mostly.

She didn’t know how she felt about the answer.

—--

Ashes O’Reilly was filled with a burning fire, that’s why the Doc picked them, Jonny guessed. She seemed drawn to people with an inner chaos, and inner violence. Jonny wasn’t fully sure what exactly it was that the Doctor looked for whenever she got the itch to take someone, but he guessed it was probably something similar to that fire Ashes was full of.

Out of everyone so far, Ashes had taken their mechanization the best. They rolled with it, finding joy and a new spark in a pile of dry kindling with their newfound immortality. Often literally, taking advantage in order to burn as much as they desired. They didn’t care too much if they got caught in the crosshairs of their own fires, so long as it got the job done and left whatever it was they were burning a charred pile of soot. They seemed to roll with the punches easily, keeping up with the chaos by not letting it smother their fire but instead letting their fire change directions with the wind.

Jonny wasn’t sure how he liked them. But he definitely didn’t hate them. They were fun, if confusing. They carried themself with a confidence, a gravity that seemed to draw everything around them into orbit. They were fascinating. Jonny thought himself lucky, being able to watch as their story unfurled. He supposed that’s what their gravitational pull tends to do. Makes you believe that you’re lucky to know them. Still.

Ashes was filled with a brilliant, burning fire, and Jonny couldn’t wait to watch it consume whatever they desired.

—--

Brian was the one everyone rioted against. There were a number of reasons why everyone didn’t want the Doctor to make him a Mechanism, but most of them agreed that it just seemed… Cruel. Whatever left him floating out in space was cruel, but not letting him rest seemed almost crueler, somehow. But she was insistent.

Brian wasn’t sure how he, personally, felt about his mechanization. It changed from day to day. From mode to mode.

He did hate his morality switch, he knew that for certain. No matter which mode he was on; what ends justified giving him something that could completely rewrite the way he approached things? Something that could completely rewrite how he viewed himself and how he viewed the world? It was wrong to try and control how another views the world, how another experiences the world and its many ups and downs, it does not justify any possible ends.

The switch was always jarring, too. Not that the others seemed to notice, switching it back and forth constantly like a game or just because they didn’t like how he approached a situation. Apparently he only ever stalled for a minute or two at most whenever his morality switch was flipped. It never felt that short, it always seemed to take hours and hours as his body screamed and his mind changed and everything about him was rewritten and recorded over and changed.

Sometimes he tried to justify the morality switch to himself.

He was a very complicated– thing. The technology needed to mechanize him was very complicated and the Doctor didn’t have everything, saying that she had to use some of the technology that they’d found with him to revive him, to keep his heart pumping. Brian didn’t truly remember making any of the machinery or technology that they’d shown him, that they had found with him, but somehow he knew that it was his before they told him. He wasn’t sure any of the machinery he’d made was any more complex than the beautiful works of art that the Doc had ever made, but she used it for his revival so it must’ve been something masterful. And because the mechanics of his brass body were so complicated, then maybe the morality switch was because the remaking of his brain was just as complicated, if not more so because of how confusing and finicky the mind can be. Maybe it was just a necessary evil.

Although Ivy had a similarly mechanical brain to him, and she didn’t have anything equivalent to his switch. She may not be able to emotionally connect to her memories, and she may have terrible nightmares, but she didn’t have a morality switch. Brian had horrible nightmares, too, he’s had them for his entire life (he thinks. He can’t be fully certain, but something in him knows that the nightmares that are always just a bit too real and a bit too close to events that happen or have happened have followed him since long before his second first death. That the nightmares and the songs that follow them are the one sure thing he has from the past he barely remembers).

But she had to have added it for a reason. Because there had to have been a reason she added the dreaded thing when she revived him, reconstructed his body with brass and iron and copper.

He had to believe she wasn’t just being cruel to him for cruelty's sake.

She gave him this new body of brass and iron and copper, this body that always felt just slightly off and slightly wrong and didn’t always register as his when he saw it; she saw whatever his mangled corpse looked like and decided to pity him and give him a third second chance. So she couldn’t have just been… It couldn’t have just been a decision on a whim. It had to have been for a reason.

Though, if he was being honest, as it’s wrong to lie, he was scared of the reason. He was scared that whatever her reason was cruel or to keep him in line–he saw how the other Mechanisms acted often, they didn’t respect authority half the time and they didn’t often like to listen to her. Compared to them, he was like an obedient little pet, because he often kept his issues with everything going on behind tightly closed lips. If asked, he would be honest about how he felt, but everyone very quickly learned not to ask. He hardly ever had any tact in his honesty, after all. At least on Means Justify Ends.

Of course, he truly didn’t think that was the reason for the switch. He truly didn’t believe that her reason for adding it was as malicious or as heartless as the reasons his own mind presented. But it didn’t mean that he wasn’t full of dread at the thought of asking her. And so he didn’t, because he simply didn’t want to know the answer. Perhaps he would, if someone asked and he was on the right mode, but he didn’t want to know. She gave him a gift, something that he should be grateful for. A new chance at life after whatever happened that led to him getting launched into space. He wasn’t going to ask about the caveat that came with it.

—--

The Toy Soldier was odd.

The crew picked it up while Jonny was in jail for Crimes (thanks, Ashes), and it seemed to seek them out all solely to help them. To do things for them and please whoever was nearest.

Jonny thought it was annoying. It was so helpful, it changed its opinion at the drop of a hat, and it just wouldn’t leave. It was always around, even if he tossed it out of the air lock or into deep space.

Jonny thought it was so terribly annoying.

It’s voice, too, it’s voice was awful. It was haunting.

But the story attached to how a wooden thing got such a beautiful, haunting voice was alluring. It was the one reason he was allowing it to be aboard. Even though everyone would get it back if it didn’t come back on its own.

The Toy Soldier was annoying, and odd, and had a hauntingly beautiful voice that was not its own once upon a time. Perhaps that’s why it fit in so well with the Mechanisms and the Doctor.

—--

Tim was the best thing that ever happened to Jonny. In the tunnels, dark and muddy and reeking of blood constantly. He was having an amazing time, deep in the darkness and free to cause unthinkable violence and no one ever once questioned his ‘luck’ during the battles because there wasn’t really any way to see in the deep, vantablack dark of the moon tunnels. And Tim was his light in that darkness, kind to a fault and caring and stuck in a war he should not be in. He had a violent streak of his own, he could be ruthless and merciless and thoughtlessly reckless. And that’s why Jonny was–fascinated? Yes, fascinated–by Tim. Because he was kind and considerate despite everything, he tried so hard to take care of those he considered friends, and yet he could be bloodthirsty and vicious in battle. He showed Jonny unrelenting care and kindness between bouts of misery and bloodshed.

Tim was the best thing that ever happened to Jonny.

And really, Jonny could say the same to Bertie, too, because Bertie had that same endless well of kindness and compassion as Tim, because Bertie was Tim’s unmoving and unchanging anchor. Bertie was the anchor to Tim’s ship weathering the violent storm of war, and Jonny was just a passerby, a viewer. A stowaway, perhaps.

They were probably the best things that ever happened to Jonny.

But then Bertie died.

And something in Tim snapped, something changed. His reckless abandon became even more reckless, his bloodthirsty ways leaving no one spared when he went charging into battle.

It was the most horrific, beautiful scenes of violence and agony and grief Jonny had seen in a while. But it was going to get Tim killed, sooner or later. Tim would not be able to last like this. No mortal could ever last like that; Tim’s beautiful bonfire had turned into a raging forest fire, one that would smother itself out sooner or later.

And smother itself it did, when he was too busy maiming one soldier to notice another lenny lining up their plasma rifle. Of course, by this point Jonny himself had been captured, and had only heard about it second hand, but he could’ve seen something like that coming a mile away.

Of course, what happened next when Tim had been taken into the Kaiser’s throne room, forced to kneel before the man, Jonny admittedly did not foresee. It’s not like he’s Brian, with his weirdly accurate dreams (how does a robot even dream?), he just has a bit of a sense for how things tend to go. And besides, anyone with eyes or ears could tell how this story in particular would end. The set up wasn’t exactly one for that with a happy ending.

But that didn’t mean Jonny expected Tim to blow the moon up.

It reminded him of Ashes, funny enough. Being full of such rage and devastation that it had to go somewhere, and so they light something up and watch it burn. And watch it burn he did, for when Jonny went frantically searching he found Tim with his eyes melted from his skull.

Jonny couldn’t lose him, couldn’t lose the best thing that had happened to him.

He was going to hate him, Jonny knew, but he couldn’t lose him. So he made probably the most rash decision of his immortal life. And so he begged, he begged the Doctor to save him, despite everyone’s distaste at the idea. Despite everyone’s anger, despite Brian’s disappointment, despite Ashes’s ire, despite Ivy’s confusion and Nastya’s dismay. Even Aurora tried to protest against his request. The Toy Soldier didn’t care, it never seemed to have strong opinions. Everyone protested, everyone raged like they had with Brian.

But the Doctor never could pass up a chance to practice her science, could never pass up a chance to try and make her kids happy. Especially with how strained everything had gotten recently. With how the distance seemed to only continue growing no matter how much the Doctor tried to close the gap.

Jonny didn’t care if Tim hated him. He refused to lose the best thing that happened to him.

—--

Raphaella was bleeding, everything around her was covered in blood.

They had taken her wings.

They had taken her wings.

What crime did she commit to deserve that? She hadn’t– she hadn’t done anything, she thought. She was just curious. She just needed to know. That wasn’t a crime, was it?

Of course it was. Why else would they steal her wings.

Everything was covered in a thick layer of dark red blood. She didn’t have a lot of time. She’d bleed out sooner or later, with nothing and no one to properly help her patch up the gaping open wounds. But she could delay it, hopefully, just long enough. Just long enough. And so she did.

She wrapped bandages around her torso as tightly as she could, hoping to stop the bleeding as much as possible, and got to work. She had scattered notes, half finished tests, a stolen prototype and half finished prosthetics to work with, she could do this. She didn’t want to die. So… She wasn’t going to die. Hopefully.

She worked tirelessly, and quickly, because she could feel the blood loss catching up to her and infection setting in from her bound but not cleaned wounds. But she did manage to finish her work, nearly two days after her wings were stolen. She was sluggish and tired and everything was too hot-too cold and the world was spinning. She couldn’t tell if her fatigue was exhaustion or if she really was just her lack of sleep or if it was the infection. She could hear death’s crooning calls, telling her to close her eyes and rest. But she was always a coward.

And the prosthetics, the most advanced piece of technology she’d ever made, were finished, and hopefully they would stave off death for long enough for her to finish her work, would stave it off for her to live a long and fulfilling life.

But first she had to attach the metallic wings to her body before the infection took her.

She didn’t exactly have the right materials to graft the metal wings onto her body properly, but the infection wouldn’t wait for her to get them, and she wouldn’t wait. Couldn’t, she couldn’t wait. She didn’t want to die, and she refused to die.

The process was a blur, and probably took longer than she thought, but her vision was swimming and she was fading in and out of consciousness. When she was finished, she collapsed and everything went dark.

Eventually she woke up, to find the infection cleared from her body, and the wings on her back integrated into her spine a lot better than she was expecting. As she sat up, she tested her wings. She wanted them to move, to open and close, and they did. She could feel, though slightly delayed, but she could feel it and they did what she wanted them to do.

She managed to escape death. Death hasn’t taken her yet.

She grinned, watching as her new prosthetic wings followed the commands she sent through her brain.

She had some science to do, with these new wings of hers.

—--

Byron sobbed, choking as he cried. The rain poured, acid burning his skin as he tried to drag himself to somewhere more covered.

He wanted Thea. He wanted Zeze. Anyone. Anyone. Everything hurt and his skin burned to the touch and his arm– gods his arm… He didn’t want this. This wasn’t ever what he wanted. This wasn’t ever what was supposed to happen.

The Music was so loud.

The Music almost drowned out the pounding and hissing of the rain, drowning out his thoughts of pain and sadness and grief. But by now Byron was skilled at ignoring the Music, keeping it confined to the back of his head.

Dorothea was always so much better at drowning out the Music for him, though. She and Zeze would sing or play an instrument, and their songs were always so much easier to use to drown out the Sounds of the Music that always haunted him, ever since he was young and small. Sometimes he could drown it out himself but his arm was– but he couldn’t play his violin like this. How would he even get it here? In the middle of a battlefield, long since destroyed and abandoned because everyone was supposed to be dead.

Gods, everyone was dead.

Byron dry heaved, his stomach long since emptied of any of its minimal contents. Everyone’s dead and it was all his fault, everything was all his fault.

His arm was crushed and he was going to die just like everyone else and he’d deserve it because this was all his fault. He was the one who planned their attack, he was the one who led the charge despite what everyone else told him. Charging first– with the Music, his impulsivity grasping him in its claws yet again, his hubris guiding his actions.

But by the gods, was he selfish.

He had to cut off his arm, his mangled, infected, crushed arm. He’d die if he left it there. He’d die if he cut it off. He doesn’t know how to make a proper tourniquet. He doesn’t know how to perform an amputation. The Music would tell him, whisper sweet nothings in whistles and flutes and harps, but the Music lies. It has before. Either way, he’d die here, with his guilt and the memories of his family, and his hubris, and the consequences of his own actions.

It’s what he deserved.

But he was selfish. He was afraid and he didn’t want to die.

He didn’t want to die.

But the Music was loud, and it was playing a song he’d heard many times before. He heard it with Zeze, he heard it with Dorothea, he’d heard it before the battle shifted ties.

He was going to die here.

He didn’t want to die. The wind blew, and acid rain sprayed into the wounds of his horrid and dangling arm, causing him to screech in pain. Or, well, almost screech in pain. Nothing more than a wheezey gasp escaped his mouth as pain raced through his body. The Music was so, so loud.

Byron finally dragged himself under one of the trees that was resistant to the rain pouring from the sky. A smaller mech was damaged and destroyed, but safe from the corrosive nature of the rain, under the same tree as him.

The Music was so loud and Byron didn’t want to die.

He had a choice to make.

The mecha’s arm was about the right size, it wasn’t horribly damaged, and it would be able to respond to his nervous system. It would be good enough for now.

Byron’s vision swam as he crawled closer to the mecha, tugging its arm free from its own mutilated body. The Music was so loud. He wasn’t fully present as he grabbed one of the mechas weapons, a sword that was long and sharp and the best he could use in this instance. With the sword accessible, Byron tore up his uniform jacket, and used the tears to tie off his arm to hopefully prevent himself from bleeding out.

The Music swelled, screaming and overlapping as if rushing to be the first to witness his selfishness and stupidity.

Byron grabbed the sword and leveled it to where his damaged arm was less damaged, and as the Music screeched and yelled and shouted, and as his vision blurred and everything started blurring into nothing but emptiness, Byron cut off his arm.

He dropped the sword, biting his tongue so hard he could taste blood as he reached for the mech’s arm. He didn’t want to die. He didn’t want to die.

He wasn’t going to die today.

And the Music began to change.

And Byron collapsed as he grasped onto the arm of the mecha.

And Byron von Raum died there on that rainy, blood-spattered day.

And Marius von Raum awoke from the carnage of that rainy, blood-spattered day.