#task 102

[kedreeva]

I have been procrastinating for weeks on sending an email to try to get some information related to upcoming travels. As of a couple minutes ago, the email has at last been written and sent!

You get to start chapter 6!! Congrats on sending your email!

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If it had been Huxley across the table, he would already have gotten fed up with Osker trailing off or staring silently at his clasped hands. He would have told Osker to quit picking at his nails, and called someone in to remove him when Osker drew blood worrying his thumbnail in particular. If it had been Huxley, Osker would already be back in his room, pressed into one of the corners, promising himself over and over and over that he would never tell anyone here anything about his pack.

But it wasn’t Huxley.

The recorder lay dead and silent between them, and still Brooke just sat there.

[transmutationisms]

half of Mohammed's family is still sleeping on the streets. this is an absolute worst-case scenario for him, after he's kept them all together and taken care of them through eight total displacements. he still needs medicine to properly treat his sister's bullet wound, and the scorching heat means even getting water every day is an exhausting task. he's worried sick about his family, and can't even keep in touch with them because of the spotty internet connection.

with the IOF forcing civilians into an ever-shrinking portion of the Gaza Strip, and bombs continuing to rain down around him, Mohammed is desperate to reunite his family and get them off the streets. even aside from his own suffering, it's fear for those he loves most in the world that has truly made this past week a living nightmare for him.

currently he is at 276,927 SEK. he needs to reach 320,000 SEK by next Tuesday, i.e. in 7 days.

help him reunite his family.

verified

kr276,927 / kr320,000

**10 USD = 102 SEK**

[hexitca]

102 notes on that Vash drawing! :O

thanks guys! I'm gonna be working on more (maybe less detailed lol) ones. I'm using refs so i can figure out how the hell to draw these losers lol might do some Wolfwood and the girls next

[i-like-media]

Some Black History In Classic Doctor Who

Something I've been itching to make a post about as I made my way through classic who! I hope you enjoy ^o^

In the 4th season of Doctor Who (1966), the missing serial "The Smugglers" featured the first black character with a speaking role. This character was named Jamaica and he was played by Elroy Josephs! He was tasked with guarding the captured 1st Doctor, and was later killed for failing to keep guard over him.

Elroy Josephs was born in Jamaica, and besides being an actor he was also a dancer. He became the first black dance lecturer at IM Marsh in Liverpool, which is part of Liverpool John Moores University.

Elroy Josephs is often overlooked for his influence on black British dance and on November 1997, a bench and plaque was unveiled in Elroy's memory at John Moores University.

More about his influence of black dance in Britain can be read here

★

The serial immediately after was called "The Tenth Planet" and this serial featured Earl Cameron as Glyn Williams, the first black astronaut in television (I've seen people say it's actually Nichelle Nichols in Star Trek, since she appeared on Star Trek JUST a month earlier in 1966, though I'd argue the portrayal in Doctor Who is more akin to what we know an astronaut to be. Still, a crazy close call!)

Glyn Williams, alongside another astronaut, discovers the Cyberman home planet Mondas in their rocket. This is the first serial to feature the cybermen, too! Their rocket gets pulled in by Mondas's gravitational pull and they die in an explosion.

Earl Cameron was born in Bermuda, and is well known as the first black actor to take a leading role in a British film! The movie was called "Pool of London" and was released in 1951. It was his performance in this movie that led to him becoming "Britain’s first home-grown, non-American black movie star"!

Earl Cameron passed away in 2020 at the age of 102, making him the 5th Doctor Who cast member to reach his 100th birthday!

★ - ★ - ★

"The Tomb Of The Cybermen (season 5)" and "Terror Of The Autons (season 8)" featured 2 characters, both played by Roy Stewart. Both characters have been criticised for their racist depiction of a black man. In TTOTC, Roy played the character of Toberman, who was a mute servant of an expeditioner and the strongest one of the team. He had no say in any matters and was supposed to be purely muscle. He was partially cyberconverted and sacrificed himself to save everyone.

In TOTA, Roy played the character Tony, a strongman with animal furs also tasked to be brute force. He helped keep the 3rd doctor captive, but was knocked out by Jo Grant.

Born in Jamaica, Roy Stewart came to the UK with the idea to become a doctor, though he ended up changing his mind to start acting. There weren't many black stuntmen out there (they would have white people "black up"). He ended up doing a lot of stunt work and became one of Britain's top black actors/stuntmen! Though, a lot of his earlier work went uncredited.

Roy Stewart also ran a gymnasium in 1954 with a policy allowing people of all races to train together. He also opened a Caribbean restaurant and bar called The Globe in 1960, which he ran until the day he died (2008). The Globe is now one of longest-running nightclubs in London, still with a Caribbean restaurant upstairs.

"Frequented by Jimi Hendrix, The Rolling Stones, Van Morrison, The Clash and Bob Marley, The Globe became the place to be. Its notoriety was such, that even Mick Jones of The Clash named his album after it and wrote the title song about the nightclub." - The Globe Website

★ - ★ - ★

In season 5 the serial "The Enemy Of The World", Carmen Munroe played the role of Fariah Neguib, a food taster for the powerful politician, Ramón Salamander. She was a food taster by force, and rebelled against Salamander by giving the 2nd Doctor's allies important documents, revealing a black mailing side to the politician. She was shot and died in the arms of the enemy, pridefully refusing to give them information. Though sources are a bit muddy on this (1 sketchy source and the rest is my memory of classic who), Carmen Munroe could very well be the first black woman in Doctor Who. And if not, She is most certainly the first with a prominent speaking role.

Born in Guyana, Carmen Munroe played an instrumental role in the development of black British theatre and representation on tv. She played a good number of leading roles, but is best known for the role of Shirley in British TV sitcom Desmond's. Carmen is also one of the founders of Talawa, the UK's leading black theatre company, which was created in response to the lack of creative opportunities for Black actors and the marginalisation of Black peoples from cultural processes.

Today, Talawa is the primary Black theatre company in the UK, with more than 50 award-winning touring productions from African classics to Oscar Wilde behind it. In total the company has produced more than 80 productions. Our name, Talawa, comes from a Jamaican patois term and means gutsy and strong - Talawa.com

Carmen was also appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE), which is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organizations, and public service outside the civil service.

★ - ★ - ★

Hope you enjoyed reading this bit of Doctor Who/Black History! Please feel free to add to this post with more black history in Doctor Who!

[pfatter-university]

Our Chemistry 102 students are tasked with creating a compound that slows the human metabolism, and must demonstrate its effectiveness on themselves. Professor Wyden tells us the most talented students are the ones who outgrow their lab coats by the end of the course. Here’s Ryan, a sophomore. How’d he do? Would you like to see more Chem 102 students?

[annabelle--cane]

mag 102 is good for many reasons but especially because at this point jon has mostly reigned in his breathtaking talents for bitching and his occasional scenes with elias are the only places where the clouds part and he finally turns it on again, just trying to verbally kill this man with his every sentence, and he's so so unconvincing when he's tasked with trying to talk melanie down. standing there clearly off balance and nervous and the best reason he can come up with is "...if you don't kill him now you get to do something equally awful to him later?" iconic.

[girlactionfigure]

onthisdayinjewishistory

July 4, 1976: Entebbe Rescue ⚡️🇮🇱 On 26.6.76, the terror groups, Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and the Red Army Faction (a West German radical leftist group) hijacked an Air France plane flying from Israel to France. They took 248 passengers hostage and released 148 non-Israeli or Jewish hostages after stopping in Athens. After, they flew to Uganda and demanded the release of 47 terrorists or they would shoot the hostages. Lt. Colonel Joshua Shani was tasked in leading the rescue with two days to plan. Working with Lt. Col. Yonatan “Yoni” Netanyahu, they formulated a plan in those two days, improvising for the remaining challenges. They decided to use President Idi Amin’s nightly route to their advantage, driving up in vehicles similar to his convoy to approach the terminal discreetly.  Although the mission hadn’t been approved by the Israeli government, the planes took off #onthisday due to time constraints. Flying low to avoid radar detection, they reached Uganda despite encountering bad weather. The paratroopers dismounted, engaged with security forces, and stormed the terminal.  Simultaneously, the IDF destroyed eight out of twelve Ugandan Air Force planes to prevent pursuit. The hostages were rescued, loaded onto a plane, and flown to Israel. The mission was a success, saving 102 out of the remaining 106 hostages. Lt. Col. Yonatan “Yoni” Netanyahu was killed in action and 3 of the hostages were also lost in the process. Lt. Colonel Joshua Shani and Lt. Col. Yonatan “Yoni” Netanyahu got widespread recognition for their bravery and leadership. They were commended by the Israeli government and received military honors for their role in saving the hostages. Many, including the UN and Uganda itself, condemned the rescue in a similar fashion as some did in the recent Gaza hostage rescue mission last month.  The mission was as a testament to the elite training and capabilities of the IDF in executing complex and high-risk operations. The event also led to a reassessment of airport security measures. This was one of many hijackings from Palestinian terror groups in the 70’s in a backwards attempt to gain international attention.

[eleni-cherie]

a thief's origin✨ || bts • kth - chapter 0.1

"you're afraid I won't wait." "I'm afraid you will."

a criminal and a doctor should be as different as the sun and the moon - but unexpected things happened every day. like him finding his safe haven in her.

© 2024 | eleni_cherie

»»»

masterlist: here

— genre: thief au, gangster comedy, adventure, romcom, humour, angst, fluff, sexual tensiON, slowburn, mutual pining, strangers to friends to lovers s2f2l

ALTERNATIVE UNIVERSE. CHARACTERS NOT NECESSARILY LIKE THE REAL PERSONS. ALSO VERY UNREALISTIC PLOT LOL - JUST PRETEND READING A MANGA/COMIC OR WATCHING A FILM, REALLY.

SUGGESTIVE THEMES. MENTIONS OF VIOLENCE & BLOOD (BUT NOTHING TOO GRAPHIC, IT'S STILL A COMEDY!)

»»»

age 25 // 1st year - assistant physician

16th August

Barcelona, Spain

"This is a terrible idea," Yoongi mumbled into his palm that was propping up his chin. Side-eyeing Jimin from his seat in the backseat. "They'll blow it."

"They won't, have a little trust," Jimin argued with a whine. Only earning an unconvinced raised brow from the older guy though.

"Why would I trust these guys I don't know?"

"You know and trust me, don't you?"

And Jimin's grin only widened as Yoongi found himself huffing, unable to object. The younger one taking it as a victory.

His glance then falling to Taehyung on the passenger's seat beside him who had been rather quiet the whole drive there to the docks.

"Yoongi might be right," he eventually spoke up then. It wasn't like Taehyung was too keen to disagreeing with Jimin, but Yoongi had a point.

Much to the master thief's dismay.

"Oh no, not you, too.." Jimin's voice faded, however, when seeing someone entering the warehouse then, catching his attention instead. And he hastily swung the car door open. "Ok, do what you want. I'm going in now!" he announced in a sing-song voice.

Causing the other two to groan in comical unison.

Obviously they wouldn't let him go there alone.

"Wait for us!"

»»»

"Take the vital signs from the patient in room 102, schedule an MRT appointment for room 106 -"

Cassandra was scribbling everything down on her clipboard as she followed one of the third-year's, Dr Moreno, down the hallways, almost bumping into a nurse who was helping an elderly patient going back to his room.

"Oh, and don't forget to get Mrs Oliviera's blood results before the laboratory guys leave."

The older physician came to an halt then, blowing off some of her loose strands, which tended falling in front of her eyes. Her gaze catching something in the distance then before glancing down to the shorter Cassandra, who was too busy noting the latest task down to notice her sudden unsettled demeanor and lightly bumped into her.

"Uhm, anyway, if you're done you can check out if they need help at ER. Heard they got lots going on there this weekend. And if there's any problem, page me. Alright?"

Cassandra quickly looked up and nodded, seeing the tall brunette flashing her a quick smile before stomping away to the direction of the cause of her distress. And Cassandra caught the glimpse of Dr Ramirez, another third-year, walking through the corridors.

"Huh, of course what else," she almost snickered to herself when remembering she might get overheard and instead pursed her lips.

She passed by the nurse station where her colleague and fellow first-year Stella was peeking over the desk with wiggling brows, sending Cassandra a curious look then. Always up for some good gossip.

"What's up with her today?"

Cassandra sighed, letting her gaze wander to where her supervisor and her ex-boyfriend had disappeared to. She had only been there for three months so far, but things like that quickly made rounds among first-years.

"No clue, I am guessing he got on her nerves again."

"As always."

One of the older nurses and someone you wouldn't want to get on bad terms with, rolled in her chair towards them with a knowing look. "Rumors has it the two have a bet going on."

Cassandra was about to ask further, her own curiosity often getting the best of her, when recalling all the tasks her supervisor assigned her to after the daily round. So she excused herself and hurriedly made her way to room 102 first.

First year was hard for most rookies. It apparently got better after entering the second year, but she dared to doubt that until proven wrong.

The daily round every morning was like a quiz show with the chief physician acting as the quiz master and cracking up bemused, knowing all rookies were scared of him.

Then followed the routine tasks and examinations, with an emergency here and there in between.

The intensive care unit was no joke, even if not all of Dr Moreno's patients - who essentially were also Cassandra's, Stella's and the other two rookies' in their team - were in the intensive unit, sometimes they did end up there. And that did take a toll on her, because intensive care usually meant critical conditions.

It wasn't like her intern days anymore - which only lasted three to four months straight - where she mainly assisted in easy routine tasks. This was the real deal now, even if as a rookie she still beared zero responsibilities. The attending physicians would have to face the consequences for a mistake, but that didn't lift the weight off Cassandra's shoulders. Not one bit.

Thankfully, she hadn't made a mistake so far. Yet. Sure, patients had died, but not out of a mistake from her side. Yet.

As one of the other senior physicians had pointed out in one of his very motivational speechess: sooner or later all of them would make a mistake.

His words haunting her ever since, even if he'd later argued that it shouldn't let them weigh down. Being afraid could be a good thing. It'd prevent them from becoming sloppy.

There was truth to that. However, it still left her unsettled.

It was 2am when Cassandra finally arrived at the ER after a busy day and found the ward physician down there. She remembered seeing her around before, Dr Estefan, who was running her fingers through the mop of dark curls while designating patients.

It was indeed a chaotic day there since it was the weekend and normal doctor's offices were closed. It felt like everyone with even a mild cold was coming there in fear of it being something severe.

Cassandra was about to approach her, when a clearly stressed nurse came seemingly out of nowhere, holding a patient's file in front of her face. "You're a doctor, right?"

Cassandra blinked, her mind going blank. Technically, she was one, right? She had the degree and everything. At least she had more medical knowledge than an average person.

"I -uh-" Before she could even stutter out a proper answer, the file was shoved into her hands. The nurse being called by another colleague to assist before Cassandra could object.

Dumbfounded, the young physician took a deep breath and began skimming the filled in pages.

"male - 25 - laceration left arm - sprained arm"

In that moment one of the third-year assistant surgeons passed by - easily recogniseble by the green scrubs contrary to her blue ones and his confident way of walking. He was also one of her supervisor's best friends, so she knew him.

"Eh, excuse me, Dr. Torres. The nurse gave me this file an-"

He had already snatched the papers from her hands, reading over the important info. He glanced at his watch then.

"Ah, you can manage that on your own," he grinned, handing her the file back without giving any sign of wanting to help her out, "Remember what we practiced." He was already walking away, waving. "And if needed, page one of the orthopedists for the shoulder."

Yet again, she was left speechless.

Admittedly, it indeed sounded like something she could actually handle herself. So she inhaled deeply and nodded to herself.

Well, she could take a look and if needed, still call in one of the attending physicians - if she even managed finding an unoccupied one in this chaos.

The note attached to the file said room 044, which was right behind her and where the nurse had probably emerged from.

An insecurity was audible in the knock she gave the door and she took out a pen to scribble down her name as the assigned doctor on the file while pushing it open.

"Hello, I'm here to take a look on a wound?"

There was a short moment of silence before she heard the patient respond. "Y-yeah.."

She hummed, still not taking her eyes from the file as she walked to the counter when hearing him speak up again. "Do I know you?"

"Do you?" she questioned unimpressed as she set the file down and got a pair of disposable gloves, almost knocking off a bottle of oitment. Her clumsiness resurfacing once again.

"Think so.."

"Perhaps you'll remember later," she mumbled, not taking him serious.

She only moved to the city a few months ago to start her medical training after graduation and barely went out. Therefore she highly doubted anyone outside of the hospital would know or recognise her.

Slipping over the gloves with some strange determination, she turned around swiftly. Long curls swaying over her shoulders. "Now let's take a look on th-"

She didn't manage completing the sentence, however, her words getting caught in her throat when meeting a pair of wondering brown eyes. Triggering her memory in the second their irises met and her brows soon joined his raised ones.

"Three.. no, two years ago. Right?"

He was the first one to speak up after the short silence. His attempt to chuckle coming to an abrupt halt as his arm moved, a wave of pain washing over him.

"T-two to three years.." she repeated with a stutter.

Eventually, the scales fell from her eyes as flashbacks from a particular night during one of her interships rushed in front of her mind's eye. Of course.

"Oh, don't say you don't remember me, Doc." He mocked offence only for his smile to grow wider.

"No, no, I do! I also remember your friends," she quickly reassured, almost tripping over her words, "One of them was named Yoongi. Right?"

At this, Taehyung only laughed under his breath. "You remember him but not me? Can I have another doctor, please?"

"Hey!" Cassandra groaned playfully. And she stepped closer, tilting her head at him in an almost marveling manner. "I must admit, I'm amazed you managed remembering me with that concussion though."

"What do you mean? Pops would've busted us without you." A scowl was contrasting his gentle features and she giggled, remembering that odd nickname they had for the interpol agent.

"True. You still owe me one for that, cool guy."

Her lips tucked into a grin full of fake cockiness. She was obviously only joking but Taehyung's expression softened, cracking a small smile.

Of course he remembered her. How couldn't he? He didn't visit many doctors after all - trying avoiding it as much as possible. And he'd especially not come across many with such lovely doe eyes like Cassandra's.

"So.." he cleared his throat then, "What are you doing here? You're an actual doctor now?"

She nodded, not able hiding a little proud smile. "Mhm, only assistant physician though. I'm in my first year."

"I see.."

The young physician decided to proceed with the examination then, feeling they'd spent enough time with small talk - if it could even be considered as 'small talk', considering that term held a randomness and insignificance to it, which didn't feel suitable to their conversation. 

Carefully, she touched his arm. His hand was pressing on it firmly to keep the cloth he put on it steady, preventing blood from flowing all over his skin. But it also prevented her from taking a proper look on the wound.

"I know it hurts, but I need to take a look.." she slowly began, giving him an inquiring look to which he nodded. And he let her fingers lower his hand.

The wound was indeed not too severe, aproximately 3cm only. But it must've been deep considering the amount of blood.

"Can you move your fingers for me?" she asked and he obeyed, his left hand moving. "Good, thank you," she smiled. It was indeed good, that meant none of the main nerves was injured. She lifted his sleeve next. There was a light swelling on his brachium as noted in the file. "As for the sprain, we should do an x-ray to rule out a fracture or other bone injury as the source of the problem. But if you can still move the arm, it should indeed be a simple sprain."

"Whatever you want, Doc."

"Here's the deal," she retreated then with a confident posture, pointing at his arm, "I can handle all this. The puncture doesn't seem to be severe and only needs a few stitches, but if you feel more comfortable waiting for an attending doctor, I'm happy to step back. Good luck seeing one before midnight, though."

Taehyung chuckled at her sarcasm. As if she hadn't already taken care of his injury when she'd been a mere intern. Though, frankly, they hadn't left her much choice back then. "Funny how you let me choose. You think I wouldn't trust you a second time?"

She shrugged, biting back a bashful smile. "It's my duty to inform patients about all their options."

Taehyung observed her for a moment, licking over his dry lips in a contemplating manner. "S'okay, I'll take a risk and let you do it."

Cassandra's lips curled into a grin. "Good call."

While she began getting all the needed utensils ready, he took a closer look on her. She hadn't changed much, hence why he'd recognised her so easily.

Same sweet smile, same beautiful coppery curls, same dazzingly chocolate eyes, same cute round nose.

He hadn't noticed her beginning to work, too absorbed in his own thoughts. Only when she desinfected the wound, his mind returned to the examination room and he flinched.

"Want me to inject you a local anaestheticum for the stitches this time?" she asked with an arched brow. An amused smile toying on her lips when remembering their first encounter. "Now I can finally do it after all."

Much to her surprise, however, the young marksman shook his head. "No, it's fine. It already hurts like hell. What is there a little additional pain anyway," he tried joking and playing it off. And Cassandra let him, still giving him a knowing look when preparing the needle and threat.

"Ah, indeed a cool guy," she smirked then and he brushed off the fact he liked that nickname, despite its purpose being to tease him. "Alright then. But if it hurts too much, just say and I'll stop. Promise?"

And his lips tucked into a genuine smile despite his state, enjoying her concern. He nodded. "Promise."

Cassandra began the stitches, peeking at him after each one to ensure it was durable. She could tell he was clenching his jaw, but otherwise didn't seem to mind it. Perhaps the overall pain was indeed higher.

"So.. your name was Taehyung, right?"

The basic trick of engaging patients in a conversation to help them ease up and distract them had proven itself as very helpful to her over the years. That hadn't changed.

"Oh, so you do remember my name," Taehyung scoffed playfully.

She frowned briefly, a short laugh escaping under her breath. "Why wouldn't I?"

He shrugged as much as his injured arm would let him. "Because a minute ago you didn't even recognise my face."

Raising a brow, she got ready to defend herself. Having all the arguments ready.

How she saw countless of patients and couldn't instantly remember all their names. How his face got rounder and his hair seemed darker and definitely longer since their last and only encounter. How it had been years.

But she decided against it, focusing back on her work with a sly smile.

"Since you're talking so big, do you remember m-"

"Cassandra."

Her eyes went round and they met his teasing ones. With a light blush, she huffed and went back to the stitches. "So Taehyung, how comes there's a different name in the file?" She cleared her throat then, the wit returning to her lips.

"A different name, huh?" he played along, "That's odd."

She hummed amused, knowing the reason very well. "And how did your arm end up like this?" she wondered then with pretended nativity.

He most likely wouldn't tell her the truth anyway, but it was her duty to ask either way. And her suspicion was only confirmed when he nervously laughed out, gaze wandering.

"Oh, you know.. stupid accidents happen all the time. Tripped and fell onto something sharp."

That wasn't even a complete lie. He hadn't tripped though, the goon had twisted his arm and rammed the knife right into it. Perhaps trying fighting a guy twice his height - to be dramatic - without his gun hadn't been the smartest idea. Then again, he was entirely blaming Jimin for his current situation. They shouldn't have trusted those guys after all.

The young woman only hummed at this answer, not buying it at all but not able to disprove it either. Simply playing along as well. "Hate when that happens."

They exchanged a small chuckle.

"What are you doing here in Spain anyway?" he wondered out loud then. "Last time I saw you in Germany after all."

She shrugged, her eyes briefly catching the sight of a small golden pedant around his neck. She tried recalling if she'd seen it that night back then as well or if it was new to her.

"Was only there for the internship. Now I was in the mood for something sunnier," she explained with eyes still fixated on the wound.

There was an odd familiarity while talking so casually to him. Reminiscing of long-lost friends when in reality, they had only met once. Though frankly, that one time had been quite a lasting encounter.

"Stitches are done," she announced then and cut the thread. He perked up at this before wincing at the abrupt move. "That fast?"

"Oh, don't you remember? I'm a pro at this," she grinned almost smugly, being sure Dr Torres would be proud of her stitches. And Taehyung chuckled under his breath. Recalling something along the lines.

At last, she smeared some antibiotic gel onto the now closed wound and bandaged it with gauze.

Picking up the file again, he watched her with curiosity scribbling down something.

"As for the sprain.. avoid activities that cause pain, swelling or discomfort and regularly ice the area for twenty minutes each time," she said, too focused on the file to notice his eyes following her. "To help stop swelling, you can also compress the area with an elastic bandage until the swelling stops. And elevate the the arm above heart level, especially at night, so it allows gravity to help reduce it."

He only hummed, making mental notes of everything. Or at least he tried to as he kept getting distracted from the small wrinkle between her brows and her pacing around the room. Being in awe with her professionality when she talked like that, knowing exactly what she was saying.

"I'll also let one of the nurses give you some pain medications, if you need."

He blinked as she had interrupted his train of thoughts. "Y-yeah. That wouldn't be too bad."

"Well, then.." She stiped off the gloves and tossed them into the bin. Extending her hand to him then with a bright smile. "I would say come back soon, but this is a hospital and that seems wildly inappropriate. So.. take care, cool guy."

She had to admit, it was a pity she'd never see him again like most patients coming in and out there. Especially considering he was a thief who was, she assumed, still on the run.

Even if this was technically the second time they met. She shouldn't press her luck, she knew.

Taken aback, Taehyung stared at her hand. Eyeing it for a second longer than intended.

This was the part where he should say something, he knew but he had no clue of what exactly or how.

So instead, he simply accepted her delicate hand. Giving it a light squeeze and a shake.

Her cheeks feeling warm at the brief touch and the sight of Taehyung's endearing smile before he let go.

"Thanks, Doc. You.. you, too."

»»»

18th September

A month had passed since Cassandra and Taehyung had met yet again in the ER. Ever since, she had often caught her thoughts swirling back to him. Filled with a mix of curiosity and fondness towards the mysterious criminal with the harmless aura. Although those thoughts became less and less frequent with time.

It was the middle of September now. The weather far from being autumn yet, but the hot summer days were gone as well and so she slipped into a light jacket when exiting the hospital that evening. Mindlessly, she shoved a piece of gum between her lips to keep her mind occupied and distracted from her rumbling belly until reaching home and getting to eat properly.

There were several people around the parking lot, some leaving, some arriving. Not paying much attention to any of them as her sole focus was to get home quickly.

Only when her name echoed over the buzzing city noises, she paused in her tracks.

Glancing confused over her shoulder, she quickly spotted a tall man waving at her lazily. He was leaning against the wall of the ER entrance. And her eyes widened further. Wondering if he had actually been the one calling her or if she had imagined things.

He had ash-blond, mid-long hair which covered his forehead messily. Eyes hidden behind round black sunglasses which matched his black blazer. And for a second she tensed, not recognising this person despite the inviting voice and cheeky rectangle grin ringing a bell in the depths of her memory.

The man huffed out a laugh when noticing her hesitation. Lowering the shades on the bridge of his nose as he tilted his head forward to glance past them.

"You keep hurting my ego, Doc, you know that?" he winked.

And her eyes lit up.

"Taehyung?"

She quickly pursed her lips, realising how careless it might be to say his name out loud like this. Looking around then to ensure no one had heard her, she approached him with fast steps.

In all honesty, Cassandra hadn't expected seeing Taehyung again. Or at least not so soon. But frankly, she hadn't expected to ever see him again after that one night during her internship either and yet, a bit over two years later, their paths somehow had crossed again in a similar situation.

Funny how things worked in indecipherable ways sometimes. It wasn't all too predictable after all.

"I didn't recognise you with the new hair-colour and the glasses, sorry," she pouted apologetically when standing in front of him. Suddenly feeling very small under his striking appearance compared to hers, with a simple cardigan, shirt and jeans paired with a 'just finished a twelve hour shift'-tiredness on her face. Not much was left of it from the moment she'd seen him, though.

"But looks good. How comes?"

He only gave her an ambigious smirk. "Let's say it was time for a new look." Or rather disguise, he thought. Seeing an unconvinced glance behind her long lashes as she hummed.

"I see.. and how's the arm?" She motioned with her chin to the limb she'd taken care of only a few weeks prior. "Any better?"

"Mhm, fully recovered." He raised it with a nod, wiggling it as proof. "Great work as always by you."

She blushed and looked away at the unexpected praise. Coughing awkwardly then. "Well, I'm glad to see that," she nodded. Her heels rocking back and forth at the thought of her next question. "And to what do I owe the honour of this visit? Or was it just to update me on your recovery?"

Taehyung chuckled quietly. Shaking his head. "I still owe you, remember?" he said, matter-of-factly.

Her eyes widened at his words. "You owe me?" she repeated puzzled.

With a non-chalant shrug, he briefly glanced down to the ground.

Truth was, he hadn't expected seeing the young doctor with the warm smile and beaming eyes ever again either. He hadn't planned to. Because even if they relished more the challenge of stealing and there were times when they only stole the object in question to return to its rightful owner or someone who actually needed it - they still remained criminals.

He knew he should stay away from her. And yet, she was one of these people he just couldn't get out of his mind. Whether now or two years ago. No matter how hard he tried.

"You kept your promise two years ago," he said then, "And you didn't call the cops on me last time, either. So I want to make it up to you. If you let me."

Cassandra contemplated for a moment. Folding her lips as her conscience tried arguing with her about all the risks there were - and there were many - when getting involved with someone like him.

But then she glanced at him again and all she could do was smile.

It wasn't his handsome face, but the expression full of charming anticipation on it. It wasn't his heart-shaped lips, but the shy, boyish smile on them. It wasn't his mellow voice, but the words radiating warmth.

Her mind might've been trying warning her, but her chest was telling her otherwise.

"Lead the way, cool guy."

»»»

next chapter: 0.2 here

Don't forget to like, reblog & leave feedback!♡ It motivates me to keep writing :)

taglist: @lilanyxta @naoolammao345 @memna234 @tetehion

[chestcongestion]

Demon-to-Demon Ch.2/5 : Ha//zbin Ho/tel

Warnings: Contagion, Vale/nti/no (he doesn't do anything, but I know some people aren't into his general...existence), and mess

Word count: 4,329

Chapter two is finished, right before I have to leave for work, funnily enough ^^, this chapter is even longer than the first, including some more setup because I love my porn with some plot, some structure. I don't know how many chapters this thing will have...I'm aiming for at least 4 or 5. Hope you enjoy!

“Hh’KZZHhshew! Hh’Tszchiiiew! HIH’TSHHEW!”  

Niffty dove to catch Alastor’s coffee mug before it hit the floor, placing it back on the end table next to the armchair that he’d slept in all night, waking up the next morning with itchier sinuses and an awful sore throat. 

“Got it! Maybe you should wait until you’re done sneezing before you drink your coffee, Alastor,” Niffty proposed. 

“Mby… snff!- My coffee would be ice cold by the…H-heh…HEH’KZZHHT! HEH’KSHIEW! Heh’KTSCHIEWW… by the time I’m done sneezing,” Alastor replied, his voice noticeably hoarse as he took a sip of his coffee. 

“That’s true,” Niffty said, wiping her hands on her dress skirt. 

Alastor held his handkerchief with both hands, loudly blowing his nose until he had to pause and catch his breath, scrubbing under his nostrils to try and fend off the building itch, “This is ludicrous,” he grumbled to himself, “How did this happen? H-huh’KSCHIEW! Hh’KZzhht!” 

“For fuck’s sake!” Husk groaned from his station behind the bar, wincing at the droplets that sprayed into the air with each unruly sneeze, “Same way it’s gonna happen to the rest of us if you don’t cover your damn mouth!” 

Alastor rolled his eyes, “You seem to have survived a direct hit to the face just fine, Husker,” he said with a knowing smile. 

Husk shuddered, thinking about the previous day and instinctively wiping his face off again, “Don’t remind me,” he said with a huff, “I hope whatever this is knocks you out again so I don’t have to hear your smart ass mouth.”  

Alastor lowered his eyelids threateningly, “Excuse mbe?” he asked with a raised eyebrow, reaching for his microphone, only to be thwarted by the scratchiness of his throat, coughing into his wrist. 

“I could get used to this,” Husk chuckled, “You bein’ too sick to threaten me.” 

Alastor- still coughing- angrily stuck up his middle finger in Husk’s direction. Eventually, the coughing fit let up and Alastor was able to take a deep breath, leaning back in his armchair and briefly shutting his eyes. 

“Morning everyone!” Charlie said with a smile upon arriving downstairs with Vaggie. 

“Mornin’,” Husk replied with a wave, taking a swig from a bottle of cognac he kept underneath the bar counter. Niffty broke her focus on sweeping the floor around the bar to give Charlie an eager wave before returning to her task. 

“Hh’ptshh! Hh’kzZHht! HNK’Tshhieww!” Alastor sneezed, wiping off the underside of his nose with his damp handkerchief, the constant friction leaving his nose irritated, twitchy, and shiny, “Pardon mbe- Snff snff!- I can’t stop… HH’KSchiiew!” 

“I was going to ask if you’re feeling any better, but I think I know the answer,” Charlie said, cautiously holding out her hand, “Can I feel your forehead?” 

“I’d prefer it if you didn’t,” Alastor muttered, staring at Charlie’s hand while he gently pushed it away with his microphone. 

“That’s fair… can I at least take your temperature with this?” Charlie asked, holding up an ear thermometer and flashing Alastor a pleading smile, “It’ll only take a second.” 

Alastor’s left eye twitched, but he relented, “If you insist… snff… make it qui-ih…IH’KSHHIEW!” he said, wrenching his eyes shut as Charlie slid the thermometer into his ear. 

The thermometer beeped, and Charlie quickly pulled it out , “Almost 102… how do you feel?” 

Alastor ignored the heat that had risen in his cheeks, answering Charlie’s inquiry with a shrug until the prickling sensation in his sinuses returned, “HNK’TSHHEW! HH’KSSHHIEW!... Messy is probably the most notable word I’d use…snf-snf!” 

“Fair enough,” Charlie replied, only to jump when Angel rushed into the parlor, draping himself over the back of the sofa, visibly out of breath, “Oh, hi Angel!” 

“Hi, yeah, G’Mornin’, watch this-” Angel said hurriedly, turning on the television in the parlor and glancing at his phone before a 666 News bulletin interrupted whatever had been playing before it. 

“Good Morning Pentagram City, I’m Katie Killjoy!” an all-too-familiar voice greeted from the other side of the screen, “Breaking news from scientists in the Doomsday district: A viral infection is sweeping its way through The Pentagram. While completely harmless, it is said to be incredibly contagious, and researchers say that they are uncertain of how long the infection lasts.” 

“Well, that explains what happened yesterday,” Charlie sighed, leaning against the arm of the sofa and reading the text on the screen, “It’s already infected 16% of the entire city? That’s almost impressive…” 

“Don’t think the virus needs your encouragement, Princess,” Husk piped up from behind the bar. 

“Sorry, force of habit,” Charlie chuckled, silently reading the list of symptoms that appeared on the screen, “Huh, these are basically just your symptoms, Alastor.” 

A silence filled the room, all present individuals shifting their gaze to Alastor, and then to each other. 

“Ohhhh,” Charlie said, finally connecting the dots, “Shit.”  

Alastor blew his nose, tucking his handkerchief away when he finished, “I should have skipped that accursed meetii-IH’Kschhiew! Hih’KShhew! HIH’KSCHIEWWW!” he said, swiping his wrist underneath his nostrils after his last explosive sneeze, wincing at how the wetness of said sneezes was beginning to make his irritated nose look shiny. 

 “It’s okay Alastor, hey, nobody else is sick yet, that’s a good sign, right?” Charlie asked. 

Alastor shrugged, taking another cautious sip of his coffee and wincing at how the harsh texture against his scratchy throat made him want to cough, “I suppose so,” he said, pushing himself out of the armchair and attempting to brush off the way he swayed on his feet, “I’m going to spend my confinement getting caught up on some correspondence… best of lu-huh…HUH’KSHHHEW! Hnk’TSHIEW!...luck, best of luck.” 

In a blink, Alastor’s armchair was empty, leaving nothing behind except an invisible radiating aura of germs that made everyone nervous about approaching it. 

“Alright, I’m heading out with Vaggie to go do some more field recruiting, have fun while I’m gone!” Charlie announced, walking out of the front doors, her left arm linked with Vaggie’s right. 

Angel checked his phone before stuffing it into his chest fluff, “I gotta bounce, today’s shoot is in two hours but makeup’s gonna take at least 30 minutes, see ya!” he said, waving goodbye to the group, shooting Husk a wink on his way out the door. 

“I’m gonna… Gonna go make another mural, yeah… found a bangin’ wall to paint on the other day, hope to fuck it’s still blank,” Cherri said, bouncing on her heels. She’d only recently exchanged her bombs for brushes, after Charlie’s recommendation of a more ‘constructive’ hobby, and it was going well as an outlet for her emotions and destructive urges. 

Once Cherri left through the front doors, Husk and Niffty were alone in the parlor. Husk breathed a sigh of relief and leaned against the bar counter, his nose twitching. 

“Niff… d-do me a solid, hm?” Husk asked, tapping his claws together as he struggled to resist rubbing his nose. 

“Okay! What is it?” Niffty asked, scrambling over to the bar and standing on the counter. 

“I-ih… I need you to h-hih… hit me in the face w-whhihhth your feather duster,” Husk pleaded in a hushed tone, fanning in front of his face as his nose twitched faster, “P-please…Hehh…h-hihhh” 

“Why?” Niffty asked, blinking innocently as she pulled her feather duster out of the loop in her skirt’s waistband. 

“I…Iihh… Hihh… H-hihh!... I gotta sndeeze…snf!” Husk muttered, “It’s st-huhh…Huhh!- stuck.” 

“Ohhhh! Okay!” Niffty said, smacking Husk on both sides of his face with her feather duster, before brushing it up against Husk’s twitchy, sensitive nose, dust clinging to his sinuses with each desperate inhale. 

“H-HUHH’KSCHOO! HUH’KSCHOO! Huh’KSCHUHHH!!” 

Niffty blinked, watching Husk’s violent sneezing fit practically double him over, his fur standing on its end and a slight trickle of moisture beginning to leak from his perfect feline jellybean of a nose. 

“Mmbh…SnFFF!...guhh,” Husk groaned, running the back of his hand under his nostrils with a damp sniffle, his typical alcohol-induced flush shifting from grey to pink, “Fuck I ndeeded that…SNrkk!” 

“I thought you’d sneeze cuter,” Niffty huffed, flicking another puff of dust from her feather duster into Husk’s face with a pout. 

“hHRR’KSCHUHHH! Hhn’KSCHEWWW! HNK’SCHUHHH! H-hUH’KSSHHOO!...SnRKK!...Snff-snff!” Husk sneezed again, his eyes growing irritated and his eyelids getting puffy, the patch of skin above his nose turning an itchy pink as he scrubbed it with the heel of his palm, “Shit, Ndiffty, quit it…snffff!”

“You sneeze like an old man,” Niffty teased, giggling as she held out her feather duster again, only for Husk to grab hold of it and gently push it away, “Awww…no fun!” 

“News flash, I amb an old man…snff! Shit…” Husk grumbled, grabbing a paper towel from the roll behind the bar and noisily blowing his nose, tossing the soiled paper into the trash and attempting to wipe the congestion-induced moisture out of his lower eyelids. 

“You’re good at hiding,” Niffty said with a smile, “I almost didn’t notice you were sick… I don’t think anyone else did at all.” 

“How the hell did you notice?” Husk asked, raising a fluffy eyebrow. 

“You kept pinching your nose, rubbin’ it and pushing up on it… you tried passin’ it off like you were just grooming your face, but I know you,” Niffty whispered, poking Husk’s nose, “You use the other hand for that.” 

“Well ain’t you a clever bug,” Husk scoffed, shooting Niffty a warm smile, “This stays between us until I get shittier at hiding, got it?” 

“You may ndeed to expand your definition of ‘us’,” 

Husk felt his heart jump into his throat, and lunged forward out of panic, nearly slamming his head against the counter, “HHK’SSCHHHUHH! Shit!” he exclaimed, letting out a hoarse cough, “I dunno what to be angrier about, you gettin’ me sick by sneezin’ in my face or you being a nosy fuckin’ creep!” 

“Why not both?” Alastor chuckled, his laughter taking on a wheezy undertone and threatening to turn into a cough until he suffocated it with a harsh swallow, “I’m almost impressed, you’re better at keeping up appearances than me… I suppose after all our years together I’m rubbing off on you.” 

Husk dodged Alastor’s attempt to pet him between his ears, snarling at his boss with an unamused glare, “Don’t you have letters to write or some shit?” he hissed, the plumage on his tail fluffing up as he flattened his ears in frustration. 

“Oh, I have all the time in the world to finish mby letters, eavesdropping is mbuch more fun- snFf!” Alastor replied, pulling out his handkerchief and blowing his nose, rolling his eyes at the heavy rumble of congestion in his sinuses, “Uch…snff!... disgusting.” 

“Tell me about it,” Husk grumbled, staring at Alastor’s flannel pajamas and shooting him a teasing smile, “You look ridiculous.” 

Alastor smacked Husk in the back of the head with his microphone, “I will not take pot shots from someone who looks like they use a giant litter box,” he said through clenched teeth, feeling a familiar tickle in his sinuses when Husk poked his nose, “H-hihh…Hih… HIH’Tshhiew! Hihh’TShhhewww! HIh’TSsHiew!” 

“I could get used to you havin’ an off switch,” Husk said with a smirk. 

Alastor sniffled, wrinkling his nose and wiping around his nostrils with his handkerchief, annoyed with how often he had to pull it out and tuck it away in his pockets again, “You… I…” Alastor blinked, swaying a bit on his feet and steadying himself by pressing his palms against the counter, “I completely forgot what I was going to say…” 

Husk noticed the beads of sweat trickling down from Alastor’s hairline, the glassy quality of his eyes, and the sudden uptick in effort he was putting into breathing. If those weren’t enough to signal that their playful banter was over, twenty seconds later Alastor silently lowered himself to the floor, stretching out on his back and covering his eyes with both hands, still smiling, but noticeably drained. 

“I am going to lie here… until everything stops spinning,” Alastor said breathlessly, holding a hand over his mouth to cover a violent cough, the crackle of congestion audible in his lungs, “Euch…” 

Husk’s ear twitched, and he quietly joined Alastor on the floor, curling up next to Alastor’s reclined form and purring, in spite of the fact that purring aggravated his runny nose.

Niffty resolved to leave the two alone, hurrying away from the bar to finish her daily cleaning checklist, completely oblivious when a message on Husk’s phone popped up from Angel. 

[Might be back earlier than I thought… today’s shoot’s goin’ weird] 

Across the pentagram, in Valentino’s porn studio, Angel found himself on his hands and knees, filming B-roll material for the studio’s current work in progress. The floodlights had been turned off, and the air conditioning in the studio was cranked, making the filming space so cold that Angel could practically see his own breath. 

“He’s shakin’ too much, the DP can’t get the camera to focus,” Travis whispered. 

“Angel, baby, the more you shake, the longer you have to stay like that until we get a good shot of your pretty little ass,” Valentino crooned, blowing a plume of smoke into the air and fanning himself off with a copy of the script, “What’s the matter? You nervous? Need something to calm you down?” 

“I’m n-not nervous,” Angel retorted, running the back of his hand under his nostrils, “I’m cold… snff!... it’s freezin’ in here.” 

Valentino groaned, massaging his temples and snapping his fingers at two members of the film crew, “Turn the lights back on,” he said, unbuttoning his shirt and peeling it off, his pectorals and abdomen slick with sweat, “Fuck, I’m gonna melt, why is it so hot in here?!” 

Angel’s shivering subsided slightly with the heat from the large floodlights returning, and he managed to hold his position long enough for the camera to capture what it needed to capture. 

“Okay Angie, roll onto your back and open your legs,” Valentino instructed, wincing at the bright lights, which were beginning to give him a headache. 

Angel rolled onto his back, spreading his legs open, “Hhh… Val… I uhb… Uh..Huhh…-” he attempted to ask for a moment to pause, his breath beginning to hitch, the tickle that seemed to randomly appear in his sinuses building to a quiet crescendo- 

“Hih’kshuu! Ih’kshuu! Ih…h-ihhh… ‘Kshuu!” Valentino’s squeaky, quiet sneezes caught Angel off guard, so much so that he forgot about his own need to sneeze, “I-IHH’KShuu!” 

Angel sat up, leaning forward and hugging his knees as he watched Valentino pluck a handful of tissues from a box next to his chair, holding them up to his face as Angel’s breath hitched again, “Huh…h-ihh…Hihh-” 

“Ihh’pshuu! Ihh’KSHUU! Hih’kshuu! ‘Kshuu! ‘KShhiew!” Valentino sneezed, throwing his damp tissues into a small trashcan that he typically reserved for dumping out his ash trays, “Fuck! I can’t s-stop sne-eezi’g- IHH’KSHUU!” 

Angel frowned, frustrated that his shithead boss seemed to be snatching his own sneezes out from under him. He swallowed, wincing at a dull soreness in the back of his throat, and basked in the warmth of the floodlights while Valentino emptied his sinuses into another handful of tissues. 

“Where were we?” Valentino asked Travis, who shrugged, “Dammit… snff… I can’t fucking focus with this itching!” 

Angel stared intently, watching his boss scrub desperately at his nostrils with the heel of his palm, his cool-toned skin looking hypersensitive and blotchy. 

Eventually, Valentino gave up, flopping back in his chair and motioning for Angel to approach, “Angieee, c’mere baby…snff!” he beckoned. 

Angel rolled his eyes while Valentino wasn’t looking, and slid off of the bed, sprawling out at his boss’s feet and looking up at him from between his long legs, “Yes, Val?” he asked, his sore throat giving his voice a husky overtone that made him feel sexier, even if it was slightly painful. 

Valentino paused as a shiver ran through his body, making him practically vibrate as more sweat trickled down his face, the previously sexual look in his eyes melted into something more vulnerable and subdued, almost frightened. 

“Uhm… n-nevermind,” he mumbled, massaging his temples and jumping when another shiver ran up his spine, “Fuck… now I’m cold.” 

Angel blinked, feeling heat radiating from Valentino’s body in a manner indistinguishable from the sensation of hovering your hand over a curling iron.

Not particularly concerned about the man keeping him on a choke chain, Angel did see how the current circumstances could get him off the clock earlier than expected, “Val, I think you’ve got a fever,” he said, laying on the faux-concern as thick as possible, cupping Valentino’s warm face with both hands. 

Valentino’s antennae fluttered at the soothing touch, leaning into it, “Really?” he asked, his tired eyes briefly closing as Angel stroked his cheeks. 

“Yeah…” Angel replied, pressing the back of his hand to Valentino’s forehead, feeling a noticeable warmth, but nothing particularly extreme,“You’re burnin’ up… poor baby.” 

Valentino seemed to wilt in his chair, snapping his fingers at the film crew to turn the floodlights back off and getting up from his seat, struggling to stand on his own two feet, “Okay, yeah, we’re done here… I feel like shit…IHh’kshuu! H-hih’kshuu!” he muttered, “Everyone out, I’ll let you know when we’re picking back up with the schedule.” 

Angel nodded, tugging on his shorts and jacket, “Bye Val, hope you feel better,” he said, waving goodbye and rushing out of the studio before Valentino could change his mind. 

“Bye Angiehh- IHH’KSHUU! ‘Kshuu! ‘Kshhieew!- Fuck! I’b gonna kill Velvette for getti’g mbe sick- IH’KSHIIEW!” Valentino hissed. 

Angel sprinted out of the Vees’ media tower, panting to catch his breath upon reaching the bottom, coughing into his arm when his ragged breaths caught in his scratchy throat, “Phew… made it,” he sighed to himself, finger-combing his fluffy hair to neaten it out. 

On his walk back to the hotel, it dawned on Angel that the streets seemed less crowded than usual, there were still people out and about, but it wasn’t the jam-packed squeeze it normally was… not by a long shot.  

“Wonder where everybody is,” Angel pondered out loud, scoffing at his hoarse voice. 

Suddenly, the familiar prickle that had built up in Angel’s sinuses while he was working returned in full force, with nothing distracting him, it built, and built, and built until Angel stopped in his tracks, fanning in front of his face and pawing around on his person for a tissue. 

“Hahh…H-hahh…Ah…!!” 

Angel sniffled faintly, trying to fight the urge to sneeze and failing miserably, by the time he got his hands on something he even thought was a tissue, it was too late. 

“Ah’tshhheww! Hah’tshew! HAH’KTSHIEW! A-ahh’KSHIEW!! ‘KSHIEWW!” Angel sneezed, polishing off his fit with a damp sniffle, thanking fate that no one was around to see the dense mist of droplets he’d just sprayed into the air, “Fuck mbe…snff! That’s probably where everybody else is… somewhere sneezin’ their heads off…AH’KSHHEW!” 

Angel winced, blowing his “nose” into the single tissue he found in a nearly-empty travel packet in his back pocket, tossing the soggy paper into a nearby trash can. Each spraying sneeze seemed hell-bent on scraping at his already-raw throat, swallowing growing more and more painful with every sneeze. 

An hour passed, and Angel walked through the hotel’s front doors with an exhausted expression painted onto his face, struggling to sniffle enough to keep the constant trickle of moisture at bay, his “nose” reddened from the constant rubbing. 

“Back early!” Angel announced, gently resting a hand on his throat and swallowing, frustrated that the husky, almost tattered quality of his voice had only managed to get worse on his walk home. 

“You’re back from a shoot in a good mood?” Husk asked incredulously from his position behind the bar, pouring a shot of whiskey into two mugs of steaming liquid, “Did your boss fall out the window?” 

“Fuck, I wish- snff!- he’s sick with whatever’s been goin’ around,” Angel explained, pausing to clear his throat, “Sorry… but it was ridiculous, he had the AC cranked up and the lights off cause he was too hot… snff-snff! I swear I could see my breath in there it was so cold.” 

Husk chuckled, “Don’t think keepin’ a porn studio ice cold is the best idea,” he said, carefully swiping underneath his nose when Angel wasn’t paying attention, “What’d he have you doin’ today? Normally your voice ain’t this wrecked without givin’ some giant head for an hour.” 

“Actually, I didn’t even have to do anythin’ today, they were just gettin’ B-roll shots of my body by myself… it was kinda nice,” Angel paused, “Mby…snff…sorry… mby throat’s just sore, it’s kinda pissin’ me off cause I feel like I’m losin’ my voice.” 

Husk’s ear twitched, and he silently pushed one of the steaming mugs over to Angel, “This should help at least,” he said with a kind smile, both ears twitching when his fingers brushed up against Angel’s. 

The two demons took a sip of the hot substance in their mugs, and then another, before setting their drinks down. Angel licked his lips at the taste of black tea, honey, and whiskey, a blend of flavors that reminded him of his brief stint lounge singing back on Earth. 

“This is good, thanks,” Angel said, taking another sip and sighing at the warm liquid soothing his scratchy throat on the way down. 

“Don’t mention it, glad the pain wasn’t caused by someone else’s dick for once,” Husk laughed, clenching his teeth to stifle the cough that was building in his chest, and taking another swallow of his drink. 

The plumes of steam blooming from Husk and Angel’s mugs reached up to their faces and wafted into their sinuses, the steam loosening up the congestion they’d built up from hours of sniffling. 

“H’RrSCHUHHH! Hh’TSCHUHHH! Hnk’TSHOOO! hNk’SHEWWW,” Husk sneezed, hurriedly hiding the mess of congestion behind a handful of paper towels, noisily blowing his nose and trying not to wince at the abrasive paper towel rubbing his sensitive little jellybean raw. 

“Ah’KShew! Ah’kShiiew! Hah’kchew! Hnk’Chiew! Ah’KShhhew!” Angel sneezed, running the back of his wrist under his nostrils and wincing at the mess he’d made of his gloves by swiping at his “nose”.  

“Well, at least I don’t have to  hold ‘em in anymore,” Husk sighed, noisily blowing his nose and tossing the bundle of soiled paper towels in the trash, before turning to address Angel, “You too?” 

“Mmhm,” Angel replied, wiping tears from his watery eyes, “I don’t even know who I caught it fromb- A-ahh’KSHEW!- either Val… or Velvette, or Smiles… where is he, anyway?” 

Husk gestured toward the armchair in the parlor with his head, where Alastor was curled up, half asleep, staring at the television with glassy eyes, “The fever’s kickin’ his ass, watch this- Alastor!” he called out. 

“Hm?” Alastor replied, turning to face Husk. 

“How many fingers am I holdin’ up?” Husk asked, sticking up his middle finger at Alastor, who could barely register shapes in his current state. 

“Uhmb…Hnk’Shhiew!... three?” Alastor replied, squinting at Husk’s hand from the negligible distance between the parlor and the bar. 

Husk snickered, “Yup, three,” he lied, turning back to face Angel, “He doesn’t even know where he is right now.” 

“Oh shit, that’s gonna be us,” Angel sighed, polishing off the last of his drink and clearing his throat, “I already feel a little woozy… I’mb gonna go change outta this, you comin’?” 

“Comin’ to change into mby pajamas, or comin’ to watch you change?” Husk inquired. 

“Both?” Angel offered, scratching behind Husk’s left ear. 

“Both it is,” Husk replied.  

Thirty minutes later, Husk and Angel emerged from Angel’s room, both looking noticeably more tired than when they vanished upstairs, and collapsed onto the sofa next to Alastor’s armchair. Husk positioned himself so that his head was nestled underneath Angel’s chest fluff, and Angel shuffled in place so that Husk was right between both of his legs, the large cat’s fever-heightened body heat keeping Angel from shivering. 

“I feel hot,” Husk grumbled, running a hand under his nose and wishing he had a box of tissues. 

“I feel cold,” Angel whimpered, hugging Husk closer to him in an attempt to fight back against his building chills, “a-AH’kSHEW!...’kSHeww! ‘Ksheww!” 

“I mbiss phonographs… snrkk!... It was always so interesti’g to watch themb spin,” Alastor rambled feverishly, his nose twitching, “Hnk’TSHhiew! HNK’TSHHEW!” 

Niffty draped a blanket over Angel and Husk, and wiped down Alastor’s forehead with a damp washcloth, before returning to her flurry of cleaning tasks, humming peacefully to herself while the three pitifully sick demons stared at the television. 

Eventually, Charlie and Vaggie returned from their work outside the hotel, “Guys, we’re back!” Charlie called out, “Cherri texted me saying that she’d be back tomorrow, she’s scouting out another mural space right now, but I wonder if Angel’s back from his shoot yet.” 

Niffty tugged on Charlie’s pant leg, “Look,” she whispered, gesturing toward the parlor, where Husk and Angel were snoring against one another, and Alastor- while awake- was feverishly rambling to himself. 

“Oh no,” Charlie sighed, “At least they look comfortable… the news wasn’t lying about this thing being contagious.” 

“Yeah, maybe we should be a bit more cautious around them and their germs before anyone else gets sick,” Vaggie proposed, inching away from the germy haze in the parlor, with her hands behind her back. 

“Ihh’pshuu! Ih’pshuu! H-hihh’kshew!” 

Charlie and Vaggie winced at the sound of Niffty sneezing from the other room. 

“I’ll go get her,” Vaggie said, “Whatever this is, let’s cross our fingers it doesn’t get any worse.” 

“Yeah… fingers crossed,” Charlie echoed, crossing her fingers while staring at her sick friends with wary concern, their congested snoring occasionally broken up by a hoarse cough from Angel, “Feel better, guys.” 

When Charlie walked away, Alastor drowsily looked up, following her with his eyes until she left the room, mouthing a delirious ‘Thank you’ in her direction before leaning back in his armchair and falling asleep. 

[gallifreyanhotfive]

Random Doctor Who Facts You Might Not Know, Part 33: Gallifrey at War Part 5

Same TWs as normal for these parts - Time War shit, body horror, death, some reproductive concerns. Also, again, sorry if there are ever any repeats; I don't always remember if I've already mentioned something or not lmao

During the early Time Wars, Gallifrey went to war against the Charons, who had the ability to manipulate the very fabric of the universe. The Time Lords erased them from history.

The Last Great Time War was so devastating that the pre-Time War universe is different from the post-Time War universe (with the actual Time War itself being time locked in its own reality).

Compassion's biodata was warped until she became a Type 102 TARDIS. The Eighth Doctor took her and Fitz on the run in part because the Time Lords were hunting her down to use as sentient breeding stock for new TARDISes.

The Enemy used the anarchitects as a weapon during the War in Heaven. Anarchitects are disembodied intelligences that can live in infrastructure and manipulate it to rebuild it the way they want. They can make bridges disappear as you walk over them, straight hallways become impossible labyrinths, and make the space you are in unbearably small or large in an instant.

Tardigrades are intelligent enough that they can run mental simulations of the entire universe and solve complex equations that would allow them to manipulate reality itself. War strategists were convinced that they would eventually redefine history their own way and alter fixed points.

During the Eternal War, the forces of Gallifrey pushed the forces of the Yssgaroth back into their own universe. This took well over a thousand years, however, and in doing so billions died and entire star systems destroyed.

The Ninth Doctor and Rose became involved in this war when they arrived during the Kotturuh crisis. At this point, Gallifrey had not gained mastery over time, so Rassilon and his people were called Space Lords. During this time, Rose was turned into a vampire and attacked the Doctor a couple times before he cured her.

The Eternal War was so violent that the Time Lords rejected the use of violence forever. This is clearly true, and anyone who says otherwise is feeding you anti-Gallifreyan propaganda. I know this because our great Lord Rassilon told me himself.

Rassilon purposefully turned Gallifrey (which originally orbited a single sun) into a binary star system to kill all the vampires, even those resistant to a single sun's natural rays.

Because of the Eternal War, Rassilon's throne is made up of the bones of giant bats.

During the Last Great Time War, the Daleks tried to use nanobots on all the adults on a planet to make a mirror Gallifrey. The War Doctor defeated them by using a virus that killed every single adult. Thus, in one fell swoop, he orphaned the whole planet.

The War Doctor was the inspiration behind the Nightmare Child.

The War Council gave the Doctor tasks to complete as an assassin. One of the tasks given to him was to assassinate the Barber-Surgeon.

The password to the archway leading to the Barber-Surgeon's domain is 'Theta Sigma.'

The population of Carter Baross had been harvested by the Daleks to make cyborgs out of them. The Time Lords destroyed the entire planet, and the only survivor was named Case, who was saved by the War Doctor because he thought she would make a good weapon.

The War Doctor placed the planet of Lacuna in a time loop on the day before its destruction and spent hundreds of loops trying again and again to save it. After failing again and again, he was eventually convinced to end the loop.

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[v3nusxsky]

Hi! Could you do a CG Natasha/Little!reader? Where the reader has abandonment issues, and severe separation anxiety ( due to basically being passed around the foster care system) and she breakes a cup on accident ( or breakes something) and panics because she thinks her momma will be mad and leave her and fluff/comfort happens?

Love bug

*Authors note~ Mars failing her driving exam with silly mistakes equals an Agere fic so I hope you all enjoy*

Trigger Warnings~ little r cg momma nat mentions of Wanda (aunt) hinted at foster care rough childhood and abuse

Prompt~ see ask^^^^^

You were okay before she left, you managed to kiss her goodbye and totally didn't cry. Well you did but after she left. It was silly really, she'd be gone twelve hours maximum, the mission so low risk she'd be doing a duo rather than a whole team. Without you. Of course you worry for her, as she does for you, but for some reason this mission was hitting you hard. Perhaps it was the fact it was last minute or maybe you'd just been pretty sensitive today. But either way Natasha had asked Wanda if she'd keep an eye on you today. It made things easier for you to have someone around when Nat couldn't be there.

Natasha left about ten in the morning and you weren't expecting her to be there till ten at night, so of course you cried yourself to sleep for a nap. Your hope was that it would take up most the time but in fact you only managed to sleep for an hour and a half. You'd woken up feeling rather small, not really understanding you'd regressed or why you'd done so. But the list that you'd made yourself to keep yourself busy and fully distracted from your lover's absence was forgotten.

Without the mental capacity to even consider doing all your adult you tasks you just rolled over and snuggled into your Mama's pillow, nuzzling into her scent hoping to convince yourself she was truly right her. It did nothing but make you miss her more now. Crying was your only reaction to this and that's how Wanda found you when an hour later. Eyes now puffy and red as you sobbed for your Mama. "Oh darling, are we a little one?" Wanda murmured gaining your attention and receiving a small nod and whimper of "Auntie Wan" accompanied but sniffed and whimpers."I'm here lovely, what can Auntie Wanda do for you?"

"Wan Mama" you whimpered, pouting at the mind reading witch. "Oh I know my darling girl, remember Auntie Wands can read your mind?" Her attempt to get you off of seeking out Natasha seemed to work for now, you gasped as if you didn't already know this information. That was how Wanda was stopped showing you call little tricks with her magic that had you amazed and mesmerised on her rather than who wasn't here. With the promise of more tricks with her magic she managed to convince you to come and settle down with the team. They loved when you regressed and your little state loved them just as much.

You spent hours with the team, even eating a little as auntie Wanda made sure Bucky and Thor were unsuccessful in their attempts to try and "steal" your food of your plate. You giggled every time the tried and wands would remove their hands with magic. Tony filled your mind of all these cool toys he could design for you and all the gadgets he could make for his favourite little Avenger. You didn't know you were the only little Avenger and you most certainly didn't know that your Mama and Auntie Wanda would string Tony up the second they thought you'd be in any danger.

Natasha was due back in an hour and a half now. The team watching all the movies your little headspace loves to watch, in fact you'd began with 101 Dalmatian's so it only made sense you'd watch 102 and 103 Dalmatian's. In fact on the third film Wanda decided everyone should have a warm drink to settle themselves for bed. Really it was so you didn't feel alone when she asked you to have your night time drink. Your headspace meant you were willing to drink from a cup with some support so Wanda happily helped you drink. But one time you got brave, curiosity running through your mind as you attempted to be a big girl and make your Mama proud. But the crash of the mug smashing on the ground startled everyone, your warm drink spilling everywhere amongst the shattered mug. Immediately, you began to attempt to clean the mug, not realising in your little state you could hurt yourself, and mumbled "Im sorry! I'm so sorry! Mama gone be mad me I sworry wan no tells Mama on mes? I fix I fix it please no want mana leave."

Bucky attempted to come near you only causing you to shrink further into the mess and cry a plea of forgiveness and that you'd fix it. You didn't want to hurt again. You wanted to make sure your Mama didn't hate you, that she would stay with you and that she still loved you. All these people were wrong, and that made you mad. You wanted your Mama and the fact they wouldn't get her caused a meltdown.

Wanda quickly became the gravity for you, ushering the men away from the room and immediately scooping your crying form off the floor and using her magic to clean the mess. "Hushhhh little one, it's okay it's all clean. All gone. No one is mad. Your Natty is still gonna love her precious girl I promise" Wanda soothed as you sobbed into her shoulder hiccuping through them. "Shh little one. I'm here aren't I? Did I go?" Causing you to shake your head, "want Mama."

"Did I hear my Lovebug wants her Mama?" Natasha's voice rang through the compound causing you to stifle a sob and gasp clinging to Wanda. Although you wanted Nat more than life itself but the fear of her getting mad at you for the mug and leaving you alone. "I'm sorry no let hurt me. I'm sorry mama I no mean do it I try fix" you whimpered showing your hands that Wanda had magic bandaids on for you. "Oh my little Lovebug, Mama isn't mad I promise. I'm here baby I promise and so is Wands here. She took care of you for me huh?" You nodded and pointed to the television where the white spotted dogs were. "Ah I see you had doggies on huh? You must be super tired love bug. I think it's time my lovely girl gets some rest with me. Wanna cuddle my baby while we sleep" she whispered kissing your head as Wanda helped guide you into Natasha's arms. From there you'd have a few more meltdowns before drifting off to sleep with your head buried into her neck.

Word count~ 1178

[wannab-urs]

The Spreadsheet Digest - Fic Recs | Vol 7

Howdy, folks! It's time for this week's recap of what I read :)

As always, you can find the spreadsheet here, and you're always more than welcome to tag me in your fic if you'd like to be included. New and old fics both appreciated; anything from a drabble to a 400k word series is fine; and the only Pedro boy I don't really read is Pero Tovar.

Without further ado here are the fics I read this week and the unhinged ramblings of a madwoman (me) to substitute for a coherent recommendation.

One for the money, two for the show a Joel series by @cowgurrrl

Rockstar!Joel AU with such a sweet fake dating trope lead in and then the most delicious yummy angst. As your resident angst whore this was everything because it was so REAL and so fucking heartbreaking. And then the happy little hopeful ending and then all the drabbles and extras??? AH! My favorite part was the lil instagram stories i think <3

sharing is caring a Frankie/Santi one shot by @walkintotheriveranddisappear

Your friend Santi introduces you to his friend Frankie and uhhhh you guys go make a sandwich.

Only Lovers Left Alive a Joel series by @atinylittlepain

I love every single thing about this. Revenge. Vampires. Blood play kind of? Biting. Etc. This shit rocks.

Waiting Room a Joel one shot by @beskarandblasters

I fucking love what kel did with this song. The repetition of one for the road really fuckin got me too. Angst angst angst.

The Special One a Joel series by @toxicanonymity

What if a reluctant soulmates AU was also a vampire!Joel AU? It would be perfect, that's what. I'm loving vampire!joel rn anyway, but this was such a cool twist on it. Also his vibes in this are fucking immaculate

Copycat Killer a Joel series by @beskarandblasters

Bitch this is so good. Stalker!Reader x Rockstar Joel... fucking perfect. I love how they both kind of suck as human beings a little bit. And that blow job oh my GOD.

Sweet Creature a Dieter series by @wildemaven

I really really love how this story is going. The little town is so real to me and I love all the little places we get to see. The bookstore sounds like a DREAM. And I can't wait for Reader to bond with D over art ahhhhh.

Stitches a Din series by @djarinsbeskar

This fic is so fucking good dude. I love the set up for the whole thing and the reader character is really fuckin' cool. The like... 8 consecutive parts of incredible smut that continues to be genuinely interesting and really fucking hot even after like 200K words is extremely impressive. I'm also pretty sucked into the story and the way Medic is being interwoven into canon. Oh and the introspection we get from Din's POV is *chef's kiss*.... anyway pls god finish this story i need it

False God a Frankie series by @swiftispunk

Frankie asking for what he wants is so... yummy... especially when it's wanting to be your subby lil pussy eating king like... PLEASE. And his praise kink??? I am in Frankie heaven

102 a Frankie one shot by @tieronecrush

I fucking love this ahhhh. I felt so bad for Frankie but also their friendship is so cute??? I love the unrequited love//idiots to lovers trope

Safe in my Arms an Ezra one shot by @mishasminion360

Ezra struggling to adjust to having one less limb and me crying about it. This was so fucking good. The raw emotion he feels and reader's unwavering support... the realism in saying something that accidentally hurts his feelings and trying to take over tasks he might find difficult AGH. I love this so much

Leave Off Your Wandering a Joel series by @oonajaeadira

Adira, I fall in love with every single little world you create without fail. This is obviously no exception. Your sheep ranch is a dream. The way you build up this backstory with the Roostlings and the friendship with Tommy and Maria and just all these extra little details you take the time to flesh out and weave into the story... makes my heart sing, friend. I adore this <3

-------- fics i read a while ago and never recommended -------

Name a Javi P one shot by @joelscruff

Consent a Dieter series by @fuckyeahdindjarin

Whiskey, Dark and Deep a Jack one shot by @prolix-yuy

Stay on the Screenplay a Dieter series by jazzelsaur (ao3)

A Safe Haven a Joel series by @joelsgreys

Psychomanteum a Dieter series by @whatsnewalycat

In Name Only an Oberyn series by @forever-rogue

------

I haven't written a word in weeks, so once again no updates for me :/

-----

Happy Reading

[nateezfics]

102 + Yeosang (but can he be the sub bc like that’s !!??!!!!!!!!! HELP) - 💋

102 — “fuck, you’re so hot when you’re bossy.”

smut/nsfw; public/workplace sex; mdni

“more, give me more.” you tugged on his strands, pulling his mouth further against you. his tongue pressed into your clit just right, and you responded appreciatively. “stay right there, don’t fucking move.”

yeosang looked up at you from his place on his knees. he looked so cute like this, pretty face between your thighs, eyes dark with desire, cheeks rosy, and your hand in his hair. he continued to do as he was told, eating you out as you sat atop your desk. he sucked and lapped at your clit so good, eager to please you.

“such a good boy for me, making me feel so good,” you praised. he groaned in response. “now make me cum or else you’ll walk out of here untouched, understand?”

Yeosang nodded against you, nose rubbing into your clit as he did so, making you hiss in pleasure. “fuck, you’re so hot when you’re bossy.”

you pulled at his hair, making him whine. “don’t speak. use that tongue of yours to get me off. my lunch break is almost over, so better hurry.”

yeosang muttered a quick “yes ma’am” before continuing his task.

i’m so not used to writing sub!teez forgive me if this was terrible

[thequiver]

Who is.... Ralph Dibny | The Elongated Man? - A Reading Guide

Ralph Dibny is a powered superhero from DC Comics first introduced in 1960. Ralph gains his ability to stretch his body to comic proportions as a result of his chronic ingestion of what is basically an essential oil. Ralph's hero work is largely based out of Opal City (which is kind of a stand-in for Baltimore, MD). Ralph is best known for his membership with the Justice League of America, Justice League Europe, and the Croatoans. Ralph is a devoted husband to his wife Sue, has his own exhibit at the Flash Museum, and is one of, if not the best detective in detective comics!

A selection of my favorite Ralph Dibny comics can be found in chronological order under the cut If you're interested in a full list of Ralph's appearances, please dm me and I'm happy to send you scans of a of my handwritten list!

The Flash (1959) #112, 115, 119, 124, 130, 134, 138 Detective Comics (1937) #328-345 Justice League of America (1960) #51 The Flash (1959) #206, 208, 210, 212 Justice League of America (1960) #100, 102, 105-106, 109-114, 116-121, 128-129, 131-134 Detective Comics (1937) #465-466, 468 Justice League of America (1960) #142-143 The Flash (1959) #252-253 Justice League of America (1960) #159-160, 210-212 (flashbacks), 161-168, 179, 181-183, 186-188 Detective Comics (1937) #500D The Flash (1959) #296 Justice League of America (1960) #189-191 The Brave and the Bold (1955) #177 Justice League of America (1960) #197-200 The Flash (1959) #323-325, 327-329 Justice League of America (1960) #226-227, Annual 2 (1984), 233-239 The Flash (1959) #341, 349 DC Retroactive: JLA - The 80's (2011) #1 <- chronologically this is where the story goes even if the issue is from 2011 Secret Origins (1986) #30

From here we really enter into Ralph's Justice League Europe era, so I'm separating the out a little bit

Justice League International (1987) #24 Justice League Europe (1989) #1-9 The Flash (1987) #35 Justice League Europe (1989) #10, 13-19, Annual 1, 20-21 The Flash (1987) #48-49 Justice League Europe (1989) #25-29 Justice League America (1989) #54 Justice League Europe (1989) #30 Justice League America (1989) #55 Justice League Europe (1989) # Annual 2, 31-33 Justice League America (1989) #58 Justice League Europe (1989) #34-35 Justice League Quarterly (1990) #6 Justice League America (1989) #60 Justice League Europe (1989) #36 Elongated Man (1992) #1-4 Justice League Europe (1989) #37-40 Green Lantern (1990) #25 (set during JLE #40) Justice League Europe (1989) #41-42, Annual 3, 43-503 Justice League Quarterly (1990) #9

Justice League International Take 2 through to Zero Hour

Justice League Task Force (1993) #1 Justice League International (1993) #51, Annual 4, 53-57 Justice League Task Force (1993) #10-12 Justice League America (1989) #89 Justice League Task Force (1993) #13 Justice League International (1993) #65 Justice League Task Force (1993) #14 Justice League International (1993) #66-67 Justice League America (1989) #92 Justice League Task Force (1993) #16 Justice League International (1993) #68 Zero Hour: Crisis in Time (1994) #1, 3

Post Zero Hour through to 52. This period of comics contains the highly controversial Identity Crisis, which centers around the death of Ralph's wife, Sue.

Starman (1994) #56, 61-63, 65, 67-68, 70-73, 75, 80 Doom Patrol (2001) #4-6 Formerly Known as the Justice League (2003) #1-6 Identity Crisis (2004) #1-7 52 (2006) #1-2, 4-5, 7-8, 11-13, 18, 21, 24-25, 27, 31-33, 39, 41-42, 52

After 52, Ralph comes back as a ghost for a few issues and later as a black lantern during Blackest Night but tbh I didn't enjoy those much at all so they're not included

[meenatranslates]

[SSR] Taichi | MANKAI Feature

I really like Roy too! I'll go all out for my performance since everyone voted for him~!

__________________________

Today's Star: Roy - Part 1

__________________________

*Director's default name as Izumi

Taichi: Ah, Ban-chan!

Banri: Taichi?

Taichi: So you had class today. Are you heading home now?

Banri: Nah, I still got something to do.

Taichi: Huh, what’s in that bag?

Banri: Some cloth and accessories that can be used as props.

Taichi: Oh~ You’re using them for assignment?

Banri: ‘Course not, these are for you.

Taichi: For me...?

Banri: We have this spin-off project of the supporting role based on the fan survey, right?

It’s your turn next, so I bought all these to go with your outfit.

You’re not the same size as you were then now, so some adjustments are needed.

Taichi: Eh!? It’s already my turn...?

Banri: What, you didn’t know?

Taichi: I didn't~! I gotta ask Director-sensei immediately when I get home!

Banri: Oh, take these while you’re at it then.

Taichi: Woah-! What, this many?

Banri: I’m in a bit of pickle here ‘cause I’ve been tasked with lotsa stuff while I’m shopping.

Taichi: Okay, let’s go shopping together then!

I’m home~!

Izumi: Welcome home, Taichi-kun.

Taichi: D-Director-sensei!

Izumi: Y-yeah? What’s up?

Taichi: I wanna know which of my supporting role is for the spin-off project...!

Izumi: Well, what the fans chose in the survey is...

Taichi: *gulp*

Izumi: It’s Roy from “DEAD/UNDEAD”!

Taichi: ......

Izumi: Um, you okay?

Taichi: I felt both happiness and pressure simultaneously that I froze for a second!

I see, so it’s Roy~.

Izumi: You can leave the script to Tsuzuru-kun. Let him know if you have any requests.

Taichi: Understood!

(If Roy got chosen...)

―Courtyard (Night)―

Taichi: Can I come in, Tsuzuru-kun?

Tsuzuru: Taichi? Go ahead.

―Room 102―

Taichi: Umm, it’s about the spin-off project...

Tsuzuru: That’s what I thought.

Taichi: Hehe, so you expected it.

Tsuzuru: ...So, what kind of story do you want?

Taichi: Well, when I heard that it’s Roy for the spin-off, I have just one request for the script.

You see, I was re-reading the script for our fourth performance in my room just now.

It was decided to be an undead story to put Achan’s make-up skill to good use, but reading it again reminds me that it’s a heavy story with many deaths.

Tsuzuru: Yeah, it is.

Taichi: Roy himself died twice, once when he was alive, and once when he turned into the undead...

That’s why...

I wanna see Roy’s happy scenes if we’re gonna make a spin-off for him, because it was such a sad story!

Tsuzuru: ...Hm, hm.

Thanks for the request. I’ll try writing with that for now.

Taichi: Ok, I’m looking forward to it!

__________________________

Today's Star: Roy - Part 2

__________________________

―Room 105 (Day)―

Taichi: (The script’s finally done. I’m excited to see how the story turns out.)

(Roy’s life with Ivan, before he turns into an undead...)

(He had such a small happiness in his life, although he died a sad death...)

(It’s so... heartbreaking.)

(Since I get to act as Roy once again, I gotta do my best to help him live a happy life...!)

―Practice Room―

Izumi: ...That’s enough for today.

Juza: Right.

Banri: It’s been a while since I last played Ivan, so I still can’t grasp the feeling yet.

Izumi: The spin-off is set before Roy turns into an undead, so the ambience might be slightly different from the main story.

Taichi: ......

Banri: What’s wrong? Something on your mind?

Taichi: It’s true, Roy from the main story is different from the Roy in the spin-off.

There wasn’t that much depiction of his daily life in the main story either...

I thought that, maybe the role study I’ve done for Roy is still not enough...

Izumi: In that case, why not try to think about what kind of person Roy was when he was still alive?

Taichi: Okay, I’ll try it!

Banri: ...Even if that’s the case, you don’t need to cling to me around 24/7.

Taichi: I’m sure Roy loves Ivan a lot, so they must’ve been working together to hunt down the undead!

That’s why I think being with you will help my role study!

Banri: Haah... It’s good that you’re passionate about your study.

Taichi: I’m sure Roy also thinks this kind of happiness doesn’t last forever.

Banri: ......

Taichi: Just kidding- ...wait, huh?

That’s not the way to the dorm, Ban-chan!

Banri: I know, just follow me.

Taichi: ......?

So yummy~! I was just thinking about trying out the new menu here.

Banri: I knew that.

Taichi: Huh, how come?

Banri: You wouldn’t shut up about it at the dorm.

Well, I was also interested from the ads.

Taichi: Hehe...Thank you, Ban-chan.

Banri: Oh right, about the script for the spin-off. Were you the one who requested for it?

Taichi: Yup. As soon as I know that Roy was chosen, I thought that the story theme would inevitably become serious.

I wanted to see Roy being happy before he became an undead, even if just slightly.

Banri: ......

Taichi: But, when I thought about Roy’s feelings while reading the script that Tsuzuru-kun wrote for me, I felt a different emotion.

I wonder if Roy, like Bill, gradually lost his rationality and became the undead.

I think his memories of everyday life with Ivan, will also gradually fade and be forgotten.

When I thought of that, no matter how happy the scenes are, my heart ached thinking about what happened afterwards.

It’s like, a bit different than I thought.

Banri: ...Ain’t that just fine?

Taichi: Eh?

Banri: That’s the kind of position Roy’s in.

The happier Roy and Ivan are depicted, the more believable it becomes that Ivan sought revenge after losing his younger brother.

So, what you felt is possibly one answer as a spin-off of “DEAD/UNDEAD”.

All that’s left to do is for you to accept Roy’s life.

Taichi: ......

...I’ll try to consult with Tsuzuru-kun about the script again.

__________________________

Today's Star: Roy - Part 3

__________________________

Juza: ...So the conclusion’s like this.

Banri: Your lines doesn’t change much before and after the script’s revised, y’know.

Juza: Aah? It’s natural to understand the overall flow of the script.

Taichi: Haha! It’s nice to see you guys still at it today too!

Izumi: Are you ready, Taichi-kun?

Taichi: Yeah! I can start anytime!

Izumi: Okay then, everyone! Do your best!

―Performance starts―

(...This is a story that sets before Roy turns into an undead.)

(Ivan and Roy are raiding a hangout of the undead.)

(Just when he thought he’s winning, Ivan sees something that creates an opening.)

Roy: “Watch out!”

Ivan: “Ah-!”

Roy: “Phew... It’s rare to see you screw up, Nii-chan.”

Ivan: “...My bad.”

“......”

Roy: “What did you pick up?”

Ivan: “Let’s move on.”

Roy: “H-hey! Wait for me...!”

“Hear this out, Doggy~!”

Doggy: “Hm?”

Roy: “I asked Ivan what he picked up earlier, but he won’t show it to me at all.”

Doggy: “Hogging to himself? What a bad brother he is.”

Ivan: “Shut up.”

“Can’t be helped... This is what I picked up.”

Doggy: “Ohh, a tin of candy. That’s pretty rare. It’s been a while since I’ve seen this package.”

Ivan: “Right?”

Roy: “I didn’t know you like candy so much that you want it all to yourself.”

Ivan: “......”

Doggy: “Pfft-.”

Roy: “...?”

Doggy: “So you don’t remember it anymore. Y’see, this is your favorite when you were a lil’ kid.”

Roy: “Eh?”

Ivan: “...From what I see it’s still unopened, but it could be poisoned.”

“I just didn’t want to show you until I can confirm it’s safe to eat.”

Roy: “Even so, you didn’t need to hide it from me!”

Ivan: “You’d steal and eat it out of my sight otherwise.”

Doggy: “Haha, true that.”

Roy: “You guys are mean. I won’t do that, just so you know.”

Ivan: “...Alright. Seems like it’s fine inside.”

“Here, take out your hand.”

Roy: “Okay!”

Doggy: “What about me?”

Ivan: “Yeah, yeah.”

Roy: “...Mmm~ So sweet! Right, Nii-chan?”

Ivan: “Yeah, it is.”

Doggy: “Yum, I forgot this is what it tastes like.”

Ivan: “Here, take this.”

Roy: “Eh? Why...?”

Ivan: “The rest is yours. Savor them carefully.”

Roy: “You’re giving it to me? Thank you, Nii-chan!”

Doggy: “......”

Ivan: “Wipe off that creepy look on your face.”

Doggy: “Such a foul-mouth as usual.”

Izumi: (After receiving the tin of candy from Ivan, Roy eats the candies one by one with care.)　

Roy: “Oh man, I ate the last one.”

Ivan: “Doggy gave me the location of the undead hideout. We can go raid there.”

“You can buy candies or gum with the reward later.”

Roy: “Yeah! And then we’ll eat together with the three of us!”

Ivan: “I don’t really... Oh well, sure.”

Izumi: (And then three years had passed... Roy, who is now an undead, is wandering around being hungry.)　

(He then picks up a tin of candy rolling at his feet.)

Roy: “...?”

*sniff sniff*

“...Smells bad.”

“...Only rocks. Empty.”

"......”

“...I want to eat humans.”

―Candy shop―

Taichi: (Is there a tin of candy here?)

...There it is!

Excuse me, I want to buy this please.

―Lounge (Evening)―

Taichi: ......

......

*nom*

Izumi: Taichi-kun seems kinda down, is he okay?

Banri: Well, that guy’s always been the type to empathize with his role.

I’m sure he’s fine.

Izumi: I see...

Taichi: ...Even if Roy forgets, I won’t forget.

Story Clear!

[king-paimon]

Houseki no Kuni Chapter 103 Thoughts: Can't Stop the Inevitable But It'll Be OK (Maybe...)

Hello hello hello. Long time no see, Houseki no Kuni fandom! How have you all been? It's been a while. That hiatus Ms. Haruko Ichikawa took much longer than expected. That's fine by me because I've been pretty busy these past few months. Mostly the usual stuff; had some major ups and downs for me and those who I care about, annoying work/life events, though I had the wonderful opportunity to branch out and meet people who could help me with my career, found some new stuff to obsess over, etc. I honestly forgot about Houseki no Kuni for a little while until I saw the announcement about the latest chapter.

And now here we are.

This chapter was very dialogue heavy, though fairly straightforward. It seems to confirm some of the thoughts and theories other fans and myself had made back in chapter 102, though I left me asking a few new questions. They aren't big questions, but I just can't help but wonder...

This will definitely be one of my shorter posts because I don't have any big analytical thoughts here, just with lots of pictures from the chapter, so I'll make sure to add the spoiler tag. As always, please feel free to share your own thoughts in this post and sorry in advance for any mistakes or ramblings. Might add more later, but I can't promise anything.

Anyways, here we go!

It'll Be OK: Liberation Of Internalized Suffering

The interaction in this chapter was interesting. Like I stated above, this chapter confirms that Phos is scared of corrupting the new rock species or being the catalyst that would cause humanity to come back. They don't want to be the source of suffering again, even if it meant destroying the very last remaining piece of their original self. They were ready to do whatever it took to prevent that from happening, even by having the entity who hated humanity do the deed.

But what surprised me a little in this chapter was Eyeball. For one, even though he could have fulfilled Phos's request, he didn't. He claims that there's only a trace of humanity on Phos's remaining piece, but states that it'd go away over time, therefore there's no reason to destroy it, even though Phos initially wanted that. I'll get back to this part later.

The other thing that surprised me was how Eyeball was able to placate Phos's current mindset, at least for a little bit, and he do it in an interesting way. Eyeball basically told Phos "Hey, your fear might come true... but it'll be okay. If if comes to that, I'll figure something out. And you shouldn't worry too much about it even if it happens because all things will come to an end one day, including us, and things will start over again in some way. There's no point in stressing about that future, so don't worry about it."

In some ways, I kind of see this as Eyeball liberating Phos by taking some of their burdens onto himself by him stating that he'd be the one to figure out what to do if humanity did come back, not Phos, all the while dispelling Phos's other concerns by stating that Phos shouldn't waste their time worrying about what could happen. Phos's fears might come true... but so what? That's just how things go. Somethings are just out of your control and change is inevitable. Yes, it's stressful to worry about but that's just how it is. That's the strange beauty of it all, at least that's how I see it.

And I don't know about you, but I just really liked Eyeball's monologue through these pages.

In the end, I think this interaction helped Phos by the fact that despite their fears, they chose to tell the pebbles about what the Professor said and humanity. Because even though Phos understands that humanity is capable of doing horrible things, thanks to their own experience as a sufferer and perpetrator, they also understand that there are parts of humanity that is capable of creating wonderful things. I'm glad that Phos is the one who wants to take this task. Despite everything, Phos is taking it upon themselves to be the one to teach these aspects to the pebbles so they can have the freedom to figure out how they can learn and evolve from this point onwards. It may lead to a better version of "humanity" or it could lead to something very similar. Who knows? But at least Phos is (hopefully) giving them what they need to figure themselves out.

What will come from this interaction is anyone's guess and I'm hoping we will soon see within the next, and hopefully last, couple of chapters.

The Last Piece Of The Past: Why Keep it?

One of the things that this chapter left me questioning was the final piece of the original Phosphophyllite. Not only is this the last remainder of Phos, but it may be the very last piece of the last human descendants; not just for the gems, but for the admirabilis and the lunarians. If what Eyeball said about the Lunarians intentionally leaving a piece of Phos's untarnished self behind is true, my question.. is why? Why did they leave this behind in Phos?

Was this for Phos's benefit somehow? Is it supposed to remind them of their origins or who they represented they obtained their final deity form? Or is the piece supposed to serve as some sort of artifact that could be beneficial for future organisms that would form over the course of time?

At this point, I have no clue. If anyone has any theories, please feel free to add them or post them!

Until Next Time! (Hopefully sooner than 4 months...)

That's honestly all that I have at this point in time for this post. I may come back to it and add more, but I can't promise anything. I don't know how my future posts for the hopefully last chapters will go, but I'll be honest... I can't wait to see it end. I enjoyed this story and I'm still looking forward to see what happens next, but I'm ready to it end.

For those of you who like these rambles, thank you so much! I still love seeing everyone's thoughts and I can't wait to see what people think of this chapter.

Hopefully this will be the last hiatus Ms. Ichikawa will have and we'll be facing the true final stretch of this story.

Or maybe we'll face another hiatus after another couple of chapters.

We'll see.

See you later!