#that would come out of his mouth. it was spooky and instantaneous

[moonshynecybin]

thoughts?

>be me

>wake up

>check instagram

>oh hi marc

>it’s his motto video

>he’s gonna say something generic about no pain no gain isn’t he

>he says something deranged generic about no pain no gain

fr though it absolutely reminds me of those quotes floating around about his pre-injury years in the sport being like. a magical dream where he thought he couldn’t really be hurt and that everything would go his way. and it did! but then jerez 2020 happens and for a genuinely torturous few years absolutely NOTHING goes his way and he gets four surgeries on his arm and he was in pain all the time and crashing all the time and the bike sucked and it’s like okay. alright. mentally how do you climb out of that hole. how do you overcome a vibe shift that profound. and marc’s answer is leave HOME (honda) and simply fight for it harder than any reasonable person should. do something painful to win.

and he’s alwayyyys been the kind of guy who is like. okay pain is the tax i pay to win that’s not really new, to him that’s part of the bargain, part of the sport, part of his life, part of his body, and then all of that gets concentrated and REALLY internalized post injury because he isnt winning a whole lot AND he’s in a lot of pain. so it has to mean something. competitively. like the reason he GOT the arm surgery that helped alleviate the arm pain that would leave him crying after races was not. to improve his quality of life. but to win.

and then there’s him again in sachsenring

like i say it’s generic up above, but it’s also NOT just lip service, it’s his philosophical foundation for the sport that means more to him than pretty much anything in the world. no pain no gain. hurt is the price you pay to win. internalize that, use that, get results. and he does ! but GOD it’s a really messed up way to live andhdhsh

[lilxberry]

Extended Family - Scott Lang

Synopsis;

Cassie’s staying the night over at her fathers’ and step-moms’ home, bringing along a small gift which has made you feel apart of the family like no other gift.

Warnings: Nothing really, just fluff I think

Words: 1,176

Pairing: Scott Lang x Reader. Cassie Lang x Step Mom Reader.

_______________

“Y/N!” Cassie exclaimed loudly once she had walked through the door with Scott and spotted you hanging more Halloween decorations.

“Hey there, short stack.” You smiled at the girl before walking over and giving her a big hug. Having met Cassie when you had first started to date Scott was nothing but a huge bonus in your relationship. You had been so afraid that he wouldn’t like you but that fear had quickly melted away after spending time together. 

After you had gotten married, it’s like she only ever visited for you with how much time you spend together. You and Maggie had even grown close, all three of you spending days out together, having a girls shopping trip or going to watch the new movie Cassie had been begging to go see.

“Do you wanna see what I made in school today?” The young girl asked excitedly as she bounded up and down rapidly. 

You smiled fondly at the girl and nodded. “Sure, kiddo.” Cassie practically tore her back pack off of her shoulders and hastily rummaged through it. She soon presented a drawing of all her family in their Halloween costumes. What truly warmed your heart was the inclusion of yourself sandwiched between her and Scott, Maggie, Paxton and her baby brother drawn on her left whilst you and Scott were positioned on her right.

“It’s us! See!” She pointed to each person, explaining where they were and what they were wearing. “And that’s me right in the middle!” She beamed up at you as she finished raving about her art work. 

“It’s wonderful, Cass, I love it!” You exclaimed proudly, watching Cassie’s face brighten further with joy. 

She held the picture towards you as she smiled, showcasing her little, pearly white teeth. “Good ‘cause I want you to have it!”

“What about your mom and dad? Maybe Jim might like one?”

“Well, you’re my mom too, why shouldn’t you have it?” She shrugged, puzzled by your question, as if her reasoning had been as clear as day from the get-go. A warm, fuzzy feeling spread across your chest, you almost even cry out in happiness from the interaction with your step-daughter. 

She smiled up at you before quickly continuing. “Plus, Halloween is OUR favourite holiday!” You laughed at her statement before hurriedly scooping her up into your arms and cuddled her tightly, mindful of the drawing.

You plated a big kiss on her kiss and she laughed she laughed at the action. “Thank you, short stack. I’ll treasure this for the rest of my life.”

Scott who still stood by the door way had quietly watched the interaction between his daughter and wife silently, whole-heartedly admitting that the scene brought a sense of normality and peace into his life.

He knew your statement would ring true. He knew how much you loved Cassie and she, you. Apart from Christmas and birthday gifts, this is the first time she had given something she made exclusively to you and only you.

After placing Cassie back down on to her own two feet, she turned to face her dad, a proud smile etched across her little face. “She liked it!”

Scott let out a hearty chuckle. “Hell yeah, she did!” Scott spoke, matching his daughters enthusiasm. “Why don’t you run upstairs and get into your spooky PJ’s that like Y/N? Then we can get takeout and watch movies!”

With that, she quickly ran past her father and flew up the stairs. “I WANT CHINESE FOOD!” She shouted as she climbed up to her room.

Scott let out a heart chuckle as he turned towards you, finding you looking down at the Halloween family portrait Cassie had gifted you and walked over, wrapping his arm around you, pulling you into him and kissing your temple lovingly. 

You smile as you place the picture down on to the coffee table before turning your body to fully engulf your husband in a tight hug, one he reciprocates instantaneously.

“I love you, both of you, so much, y’know that?” Scott mumbled quietly into your hairline, leaving another sweet, tender kiss.

“Who wouldn’t love us? We’re great.” You teased earning a playful pinch to your side from Scott. You squeaked out a giggle and buried yourself further into your husbands embrace. “I love you, too.”

Scott pulled back ever so slightly to cup your face in his larger hands and brought you into a loving kiss, tenderly pushing his lips to yours. The kiss was soon interrupted by an ‘ewww’ coming from the stairs. 

You broke apart laughing, turning your head to see Cassie faux heaving. Scott swiftly moved to scopp his daughter up and littered her face with sloppy, wet kisses “HOW *kiss* DARE *kiss* YOU *kiss* SAY *kiss* ‘EWWW’? *kiss*”

“Okay, she yields. Now can you please order some food? I’m wasting away by here.” You joke, deciding to save Cassie from her gross torture.

“Hmmmm, fine, I guess.” He walks over to the couch and playfully throws her atop it then pulls his phone out whilst walking towards the kitchen. “So, what’s everybody having?”

_______________

After your fill of food and films, Cassie had began drift off occasionally as she sat sandwiched between you and Scott. You looked down at her tired little face, eyes hooded over. You smiled fondly as you pushed a stray couple of hair strands behind her ear and out of her face. “You tired, short stack?”

All the energy she could muster was thrown into the nod of her head and a quite mumble of incoherent words. Noticing your husbands light snoring, you took it upon yourself to get her up to bed.

You stand and quickly scoop the girl into your arms and make your way towards her bedroom. You tip toed your way up the stairs and down the small landing before reaching her room. You bump the door open with your hip prior to laying her gently into her bed, tucking her tightly. 

“Can we go to a haunted house tomorrow?” Cassie tiredly mumbled out. The corners of your mouth quirked upwards.

“What’s wrong with the one we live in?” Cassie giggled at your response and barely peeks at you through the slits in her eyes. “I’ll ask your dad when he wakes up short stack.”

“Okay...Night, mom.”

“Night, kiddo. Sweet dreams.” Your heart swelled at the name as you leant over to place a gentle kiss upon her head. You stealthily made your way out of her room, taking one last glance back at the sleeping girl before switching her light off and closing the door softly.

That night, you lied in bed, entangled with your husband and thought of nothing but your family. You conceded that you would do anything to protect your family that you had worked so hard to become apart of. 

You loved them with ever fibre in your being and nothing could ever deter you away from them.

You were happy with your family and you wouldn’t change it for the world.

_______________

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I was in the mood to write something cute tbh like Cassie is precious and I would die for her

And yes I know this is centred around the time of Halloween even though it’s December rn but I think Cassie is a Halloween kind of gal 

Plus, Halloween > Christmas

I hope you enjoy reading this

As always, constructive criticism and requests are welcomed and greatly appreciated :D

[writes-eat-sleep-repeat]

Seeing Red

Prompt: PMS days

Pairing: Spooky x Reader

Warning/ notes: Major fluff. Not grammatically correct. Currently on my menses which inspired this one shot. Hope it can comfort other spooky lovers during their time of the month. Enjoy ;)

Summary: Spooky takes care of his girlfriend when she’s on her menses. Just him and her!

Word count: 2063

As you opened your eyes you peered through the curtains of your room and noticed it was a rainy day outside in LA. The sky was somewhere between a light gray and the cusp of a white. They kind of color that hurt your eyes if you stared at it to long. Rubbing the sleep out of your eyes you rolled over on your back and instantaneously felt the stinging in our stomach. It was day two of your menses. They worst day of them all. often you thought about what it might feel like to get shot and came to the conclusion it couldn’t possibly be any worse than this. While you laid back staring up at the ceiling you heard your phone vibrate. Looking over all you could mutter was “shit” 8 miss calls and 15 text. You looked at the clock on the nightstand to your left 10:00 am. Opening the text you scroll to the top and began reading

‘Hey mama’-3:15 pm

Missed call 3:30 pm

‘Hello’-4:00pm

Missed call 5:00 pm

‘Y/N’-5:30 pm

Missed call 6:00 pm

‘Y/N pick up the phone’- 6:30 pm

The calls and messages entwined like this for the next couple of hours until you guess your boyfriend finally fell asleep. You cant believe you slept for basically 19 hours straight. Aside from a few bathroom and water breaks where you had to use all the power you could muster up to complete those task, you somehow forgot to check your phone. Throwing your arm over your face to block out what little light was peaking through the window you could hear your roommate/ best friend Rebecca getting ready for work. BUZZZZ someone rang the doorbell. You heard him before you saw him. Out in the living room talking with you bestie, ‘where is Y/N’ he asked her. Oh no. He sounds pissed.

You laid frozen with your hand over your arm wanting the earth to swallow you whole. ‘She’s not feeling well’ you heard Rebecca respond. You always avoided Oscar on days like this because you were afraid to get mad and finally scare him away with your crazy . He burst into your room bringing the bright light from the hallway with him. You felt the irritation slowly building. Removing your hand with a sigh you look over to your right at the door. ‘Couldn’t pick up your phone’ he asked with a particular edge to his voice that brought out your annoyance to what seemed to be instantaneously. ‘I was sleeping’ you said letting acid seep into your voice. ‘For a fucking day’ he yelled. That’s it, you thought sitting up it bed which was followed by a gush of blood below causing you further annoyance.

“I’m not dealing with your shit today. 1. I spoke to you yesterday afternoon and its only 10 am meaning it wasn’t a whole fucking day. 2. Becca told you I wasn’t feeling well and instead of coming in here and asking if I’m okay you choose too come in here and yell at me like your my daddy. 3. Your not my daddy 4. My hormones are all over the place and I literally feel like i am dying so unless you plan on helping and not being an ass I suggest you leave.’ Oscar who you never ever send away looked more hurt than even mad that you yelled at him. He never took that kind of disrespect from anyone being the gang leader he is. ‘Okay, well.. what’s wrong? ummm... how can I help?’ he asked. ‘ you cant’ you replied. “Y?N...” ‘I have to go to the store and get some stuff.’ You swung you legs of the bed and tried to stand up only to be meet with crippling pain. Before you could even fully bend over to hold your stomach Oscar was there pushing you back onto the bed. ‘Your not driving like this’ he said. ‘Tell me what you need and ill get it for you’ he finished. ‘ you cant, ok its personal girl stuff’ you replied shyly. ‘ I didn’t ask you what it was. I said to tell me what you need’ he sternly answered. After writing a list that and handing it to him he said he’ll be back in 15 minutes. You took this time to take some pain medication and crawl to the bathroom just barely managing to take a shower while he was gone. Rebecca poked her head in to let you know she was heading out so you knew it was time to leave the shower so you could let Oscar back in. Standing in your room trying to figure out what to wear you decided on a pair of black leggings and one of oscars hoodie that you stole from him. You just needed to be comfy. As you were pulling the hoodie down over your head you heard the door buzzz. Heading out the the front door you pulled it open to find Oscar with 4 shopping bags. He walked past you to the kitchen and put them on the counter. ‘What exactly did you buy Oscar I only asked for a pack of pads and a soda” you asked quizzically, with what you were sure was a confused look on your face.

‘Well you said always overnight but they had 2 different kinds and I didn’t want to call you so I got both and then i got you some Advil, i mean I don’t know if that works for that kind of pain’ he said gesturing towards your stomach ‘but, i got it anyway and the lady at the store said it was good and suggested i get you something sweet and I couldn’t decide on one, so i bought one of every candy and...’ he didn’t get to finish his rambling because you walked over to him and kissed him lovingly to interrupting, he responded by holding your neck firmly in place and meeting you with the same level of passion. Pulling away for oxygen you looked up into the liquid brown eyes of Oscar Diaz and all you could say is ‘I love You’. “Go sit down mama I’m making breakfast” was his response. “Ummmm...I kinda wanted ice cream for breakfast’ you said. ‘Ice cream is not breakfast. No wonder i cant get cesear to eat any real food’ he teased you. Knowing you looked after the younger Diaz while he was locked up. ‘Hey. I eat real food but today my a baby maker wants ice cream so, I eat ice cream’ you joked. Walking over to the couch in the living room knowing he will never let you eat the ice cream first.

Settling down under the black throw that was on the couch you began to flick through Netflix trying to find something to watch. Settling on a romantic comedy. It wasn’t t long before Oscar walked over with your plate in hand. You couldn’t help but laugh as he approached you in Rebecca’s -queen of the kitchen-apron. Your attention then turned on the intoxicating smell drifting off the plate in his hand and settling in your nose. Homemade fluffy pancakes, eggs and fried salami (Oscar knew you weren’t a bacon person). He handed you the plate and placed his on the coffee table before heading back to the kitchen to remove the apron and grab your drinks. By the time he returned you were already half way through your meal. As he sat down to begin his meal. You were full and much more happy, you still couldn’t escape what you could only assume to be a stabbing taking place in your stomach but this is as happy as you were gonna get. You were content. Watching Oscar eat you eyes drifted to the santos tattoo on is neck and dirty thoughts began popping into your head. Just filthy thoughts, scooting a little closer to your man you kissed it midway him bringing some eggs to his mouth. He paused looking at you from the side through those long eyelashes with a lifted eyebrow.

That put your hormones in overdrive, you wanted him now! ‘ I liked the breakfast’ was all you could manage. Shaking his head he returned to his meal. You kissed his tattoo again, then licked it and then began sucking it. You hadn’t realized Oscar had put his dish down when he lifted you onto his lap. You were face to face, sitting on his lap you noticed he was a little hard. Biting your lip and now staring at his lips thinking of all the possibilities you could do with his mouth he smiled. Damnit the dimples. At this point you couldn’t blame the full wetness on the blood. Ugh, why did you have to have a period. ‘Hi’ he said still smiling. “Hi” you smiled back, clearing your throat “ummm... I really, really liked the breakfast” you continued. “I appreciate the gratitude and the delivery of it but, I don’t think you should start something you cant finish right now in your current state” he replied. ‘Oh’ you answered climbing off of him bringing you knees to your chest. You know his rejection was well placed and he was right but with your hormones all over the place it hit you harder than you expected. ‘Hey, hey he said moving it closer to you. You know I would do absolutely terrible things to you Mi amor, but your not at 100 right now and I don’t want you feel like you have to have sex for me to stay. Okay? He asked. ‘Yeah, umm.. that wasn’t for you but, Okay.’ nodding you moved over to curl up next to him as he finished his meal. Peaking up at him every now ad then you started thinking about how you both had changed.

You knew Oscar essentially Your entire life. Your dad’s were cool and so Oscar spent a lot of time in your fathers auto shop learning, since your dad never had a son he welcomed the apprenticeship. You were no tomboy and completely against anything other than reading. It wasn’t that far fetched you and Oscar began dating in high school. You remembered the first time getting your period and trying to explain what was happening to him; you not even knowing yourself. ‘So your bleeding’ twelve year old Oscar asked. ‘Yes’ you replied. ‘From your Vagina’ he whispered. ‘ yes’ you whispered back. “So... why does this happen?’ He asked. ‘Well my mom said when you are growing up it happens when you don’t have a baby. I think’ you replied. ‘So, your body is hurting you because you don’t have a baby?’he asked. ‘Ummm... yeah, I guess’ you answered. ‘So why not just have a baby? Said Oscar ‘ I asked that too, my dad said because he’ll kill me. So I guess I’m suppose to just suffer in silence’ you answered.

The memory bought a smile to your face and a small giggle escaped your lips causing Oscar to glance down quizzically at you now cuddled up next to him with your head on his shoulders. “ I was just remembering the first time I got my period and you thought having a baby would be the answer to all my menses related problems” you answered his unspoken question. ‘It still could be’ was all he replied shaking his head’ Smiling, most likely remembering the memory too. ‘I’m sorry I yelled at you earlier’ he continued. ‘It’s just being me...well people... its hard...-I know’ you cut him of. ‘Being you is hard and you not only have to think about you but the gang as well , Cesar....Me. I know you, your head goes to the worst possible scenario automatically. I know how worried you get. I should have checked my phone. I’m sorry too” you said pecking him on the cheek. With a quick nod of the head he returned his attention back to the screen. He wasn’t a man of many words. You two watched movies for the rest of the night. There were far and few instances when you had Oscar to yourself. When he was Oscar and not spooky. You relished these moments, these feelings and saved them for times when being is girlfriend seems less than ideal. For tonight, it’s enough to just cuddle up with your man and watch a movie.

[garbagegrimoire]

podcast notes week 1

Here are the notes I had going into the podcast recording for week 1. 

There are some spoilers in here & all of the doodle/synopsis posts have not yet dropped but the episode is recorded & here we gooooo...

Train to Busan

Starting out strong with a zombley deert (to speak in cursed rickyisms).

Giving his kid some yuppie bullshit talk & almost gets them clobbered in traffic, great dad.

Damn that escalated quickly. Why did it take so long for the first lady to turn but the others are like instantaneous?

The shots, effects, & choreography in this movie are crazy!

The grandma has lucid moments before changing which seems more than what the passengers got. & she used them to break hearts.

Ohhh he's a “fund manager,” ofc he's a dick.

Watching a zombie movie during a pandemic hits different.

I like that the bad ass in this movie is a soon to be dad with a dad bod & he's also a boomer who doesn't know how to change his ringtone.

Okay, they’re officially fit daddy & dad bod.

Okay legit tears at dad bod sacrificing himself even though I knew it was coming.

LOL young capitalist bastard fighting old capitalist bastard

This is capitalism & I hate it. OFC the motherfucker willing to screw over everyone else even if he doesn't need to prevails nearly to the end.

We need a zombie killing axe... Oh wait, nevermind, a shoe is good too.

Oh wow, that shit is poignant. The most ruthless capitalist of the group having a mama moment before he changes.

I'm sitting here yelling, get his nards, fit daddy! Do the nuts still have any effect?

Oh shit, fit daddy is infected. Human bites are gross.

This sucks, I hate it. :(

OH FUCK WHY DO THEY MAKE IT WORSE OMG!

& worse.

I didn't want to cry this much, not fair.

Re-Animator

Ooh, my German 101 skills are tingling.

Chaos nerd is everything in this scene. You wondrous ball of absolute cheese.

The security guard saying "Nobody wants in & ain't nobody getting out" is the Chekov's gun of this movie.

Fuckin’ nerd talk. Do either of you even lift? Why don't you duke this out in a tables, ladders, & chairs match?

I don't feel great about that transition between her playfully saying "no" & them full plowing. Greeeeeassy.

I'm with the cat on this one — scratch him!

"The world's last living puritan." LOL, come to eastern Washington tho.

How in the world is this lady's creep radar going off w nerdboy but not with the creepy old man trying to bang her?

They did a few things really well with this cat thing. Because usually I could not DEAL with violence against a pet. First the dead cat doesn't look anywhere near realistic, nonetheless once it's reanimated. Also, there's no like huge emotional connection between the character & the cat because the only experience the viewer has with it prior to it dying is it scratching his back after he's done banging, which I mean, solid choice there kitty.

"Because it's maaaad?" Best line in this mf movie.

I like how quick Halsey turns on nerdboy who he was stoked on like two days later. All because he insulted the creepy old man?

"Here's your meatball!" Writers were A+ obv.

"I know you're all by yourself now." Ew no. Again, she reacts to something other than the creepy old guy trying to bang her. PLEASE REACT, maybe punch him in the face or move to a different state without notifying anyone.

I’m dying, it looks like he's dribbling cherry applesauce out of his mouth.

This is the corniest, dumbest break up scene I've ever watched.

So once they're lobotomized they have like a mind link with the old guy head? Alright...?

Okay so we've arrive. This scene is fucking pure unadulterated cringe & makes me feel like I need to take several showers & drink bleach.

"Get a job & a sideshow." This entire movie is this nerd & that's what I'm here for.

How is there this seemingly endless supply of this green ooze? Also this reminds me of TMNT.

LOL the murderous colon strikes.

I'm very confused on the rules of what stays alive & how. Like the hand is still twitching but the guy in the hallway is dead?

Nothing gore-wise has bothered me so far but the chest compression sound is gross.

This guy is the worst. If he loved her he'd let her die.

Plan 9 From Outer Space

"Future events such as these will affect you in the future." You don’t say, friend.

Hillabilly gravediggers saying "sorta spooky like" is the mood here.

The scream is so good. 

A conspiracy theorist manifesto delivered on a suburban patio made entirely out of wicker.

The walking dead in this movie are so much more chill than the last two, just saying. Like if you're going to kill me, fine, but be chill about it.

"The earth people who can think are so frightened by those who cannot — the dead." Truuuuuuu. Thinking sucks, bro.

The pillow talk is all kinds of weird.

Hey, I know you're worried too, but because you're a child that can't care for herself, make sure you lock the doors because that's something a feeble woman wouldn't remember to do.

"You are on the verge of destroying the entire universe." Ooof this hits different now.

Yeah, it's old timey & corny but there are some seriously artsy scenes in this. I love the glowing trees.

Vampira is aesthetic goals if: I was more feminine, if I gave a fuck, if anyone ever looked at me, lol.

If some big dead dude was coming for you why in the hell would you just stand there or sit there & scream? Like these are the easiest monsters to escape from, you all are so gd slow.

That's it, I'm dressing up as one of these aliens for Halloween. All I need is some black pants, a belt, & a shiny purple shirt.

LOL little green men. Shoot first, ask questions later. Get all the tropes in there buck-o.

I just realized the dude alien is called Eros & I'm laughing. Total heartthrob. "You're always right, Eros." Fucking yuuuck. Miss me with all of this.

Holy trigger happy.

Explode the actual particles of sunlight. LOL, OMG "STRONGER NATION THAN NOW." These fucking nationalist trashbags.

Yes, of course aliens are religious too. & the're sexists. OH MY GOD IM GOING TO THROW THE MONITOR OUT THE WINDOW STAHP!

This was so much. I mean it's the old humans are dumb, violent animals & need to be gently led or annihilated. Okay, that can be true. But the aliens here needed to FOAD too.

Dead Birds

Is Mark Boone Jr in everything & will he die early? (yes)

Very aesthetic theme

Bank manager's whiskers are on point. 

The fuck? Oooh racist, niiiiice. I hate everyone all the time.

Yup this is how bank robbers would behave, wanting to kill of members of the gang to get a bigger share.

Gross, just listening into their friends banging, being creepy.

Is it turning into a bear? (Ohhh, the footprints)

Okay one of these dudes actually has something like a conscience, good to know, still hate him.

54 minutes in & I'm getting real bored.

Good jump scare w the little girl.

Okay the lady in the barn was too much for me. Gore was too much.

"There are worse things than dying" Best line.

Okay first I was like "that's not vomit, it's too white" & then I realized she'd been in bed with her dude earlier & yelled "ew, is she puking cum?" at my computer because that's where my dumpster fire of a brain goes.

Poor horses :(

He just disappeared? TF?

Nah, I’m not feeling this.

[lokisgame]

A Generous Donation [10]

[part 1] [part 2] [part 3] [part 4] [part 5] [part 6] [part 7] [part 8] [part 9]

The day rushed by, as Scully drowned the uneasiness in workload, grateful that she was still able to focus on her patients' problems instead of her own. Mulder texted her around 5pm, saying he was done with the tests and that his invitation still stands, and she realised, that somewhere between exams and paperwork, the thought of facing him again, didn't paralyse her anymore. She still didn't know how to tell him about Will, or had any idea how he might take the news, but the truth settled in.  

Charlie was right, he really was a great guy after all. If she ever wanted a father for Will, Mulder would pretty much fit the bill, smart, funny, kind and as far as she could tell, steadfast. He would be the kind of dad who never forgot to pick him up from school, was there for the baseball games and swimming tournaments. She could see herself sharing couch with them on Saturday evenings, eating popcorn and watching macho-movies. Though it was dangerous to hope, if fate allowed she might still have that.

She went to see Will at the end of her day, pausing by the door to watch him for a second through the window. He was reading, curled up on his side, earbuds in, completely enthralled, and now when she knew, she couldn't help but notice the similarities. The chestnut mane, the tall and lean frame, high cheekbones, and finally, definitely, undeniably, Mulders' mouth. That pout that usually got him his way, the smile that brightened her day, is was Mulder all over again. Will must've felt her gaze because he glanced up from his book and smiled, sitting up. He looked pale and tired, but his eyes were bright. "Why are you staring at me?" He asked, when she came in and dropped a kiss on top of his head. "I just got here, you must've sensed me coming." "Spooky," he grinned and scooted over, letting her sit beside him. "What are you reading?" "Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy," he said, closing the book to show her the cover, "uncle Charlie brought it." "And the t-shirt?" "Aunt Missy," he grinned pulling at the hem of his new PJ's, on it, planes were chasing UFO's around the world, the words Foo Fighters written across the front, "she remembered the UFO's, but Emily said, she didn't have the heart to tell her it's a band." "Be glad it's not a tie-dye," Scully laughed. "Yeah, aunt Melissa, the last hippy on earth." "Will," she nudged him lightly making him laugh, and it was the warm honey sound she loved most. "Mom?" "Yes honey?" "Doctor Skinner was here to see me, too." "You had a busy day," she said, keeping her voice light. "Does that mean, he found someone?" "I don't know," she said, kissing his temple, "these things take time." "Because I wouldn't mind getting out of here." "And I wouldn't mind taking you home, either." A knock made them both look up and a second later, a young girl came in, her red hair cut short almost like a boy's, piercings catching the light from the fluorescents overhead. "Emily!" "Hi, aunt Dana," she said, kissing Scully's cheek before ruffling Will's hair, "told you I'd come back." "You got it?" Will perked up. "Yup," she plopped across the foot off his bed, dropping a small box between them. "Cards?" Scully laughed, letting go off Will, who reached for the deck and immediately started shuffling. "There's only so much TV I can stand." "Why didn't you tell me." "Haven't thought of it until I saw this one here," he chuckled, jerking his chin at Emily. "Right, because I'm known for bringing up base instincts in men." Scully felt slightly uncomfortable, Em was 24, but in her eyes, she was still that teenage girl who watched cartoons sitting on the floor with her son. "How's Palo Alto, Em?" "Dry, I miss Boston," she sighed picking up her cards, "and this little one." "If you didn't give up that scholarship at MIT and sell out to the blue chips," Will said. "I wouldn't have that house with a pool I just sold, to move back here." Will's ears went up so fast he almost jumped. "You're coming back?" "Yup," she grinned and he threw himself at her, both of them laughing. Emily held him tight and Scully heard her tone change, "so now you have to get better, you hear me?" "Yup," William said, letting go off his childhood best friend. "What does your mom think about this?" Scully asked, proud of her brilliant punk niece. "She's not thrilled," Emily sighed a little sad, but then smiled at them both, "but that's what I want to do, so it's happening." "Well, if you need a place to stay in the mean time." "Thanks," she smiled brighter, fixing the sheets Will kicked over, "I'll come to you when Charlie grows tired of me." "Or his next girlfriend shows up." Will said, then picked up his cards. Scully played three hands with them then kissed the kids goodnight.

A nurse came by with Will's meds and took a few notes on his chart, while Emily paced the room, noticing the pile of books on his nightstand. "Visiting hours end in one hour," she reminded and left, and Em was back, sprawled at the foot of Will's bed. "What's this?" She said, showing him one of the books, the one with the UFO on the cover. "Extra reading for my psychology class." "It's signed." "Yeah, the guy's my professor and he kind of dates mom." "Why kind of?" She asked, looking at the photo on the back. "You know, not like Charlie dates girls, takes them out a few times and you know they'll disappear, mom and Mulder, I think they're past that." "You don't like it?" "It felt weird at first, but then I saw her coming home from seeing him and wow, I don't think I ever saw her that happy." "Really." "She doesn't hum show tunes to anything, she just sort of, glows." "Hmm, she didn't seem glowing to me." "That's because you didn't see her a week ago, heck, last Thursday even, I'm telling you, that guy is different." "He is cute, and," she held up the book, looking first at the picture then at Will, then at the picture again, "he sort of looks like you." "What?" "I mean, if you skip the eyes and the nose," she covered half of the picture with her hand and glanced at Will again, "yeah, definitely." "I don't think that's why she likes him." "No, I think it's the glowing part," Emily said, wiggling her eyebrows and Will gaged. "Ugh, let's not talk about my mom and that." "Why?" She laughed, stretching out like a cat, and if he didn't know his cousin since before she had tits, he'd find the sight very attractive. "Let me give you a piece of advice, you want to keep a girl, be that guy, one who makes her glow." "That's it? Sex? What about connection, shared views and mutual trust?" "That's when you're looking for a friend, and believe me, it's even rarer than great sex." "Well, I'll have it both." Will sighed, shuffling the cards, looking a little embarrassed and she covered his hands with hers. "You will," she said without teasing, "you just have to get out of here."

Mulder decided on the epitome of comfort food, chicken casserole, but the longer they sat at the table, in the warm light of his kitchen, the stronger was the sense, that something bad was about to happen. Scully kept smiling letting him fill silence with chatter, but her eyes were unusually present, fixed on his face as if she was looking at him for the last time, determined to learn his face, before she told him goodbye. Fear, uneasiness, long silences, he could understand, but at the same time, he itched to touch her, just to make sure she wouldn't push him away. They moved to the couch after dinner and when she folded herself against his side, the relief was instantaneous. "The dean wasn't too pleased when I asked for the week off," Mulder said, drawing her closer. "But Skinner said I should avoid public places, so I wouldn't pick up any infection, in case the tests came back positive." "Walter knows what he's doing, you're both in good hands." "You haven't told Will yet?" "No, I don't want to scare him," she said, taking his hand and lacing her fingers through his, "he keeps joking and teasing, but I know it's an act." "That's him, being your son," he said, kissing her temple, "you're both so careful not to show weakness." "You say it like it's a bad thing," she sighed. "There's time and place for everything, and Will knows what he's up against, there's just nothing he can do about it, and goofing off is his defence mechanism. I think he's scared just like everyone else." "Why are you doing this?" She asked quietly, stroking the back of his hand. "Why help us?" "Because I can," he said simply. "Because you got dealt this shitty hand and I wouldn't be able to live with myself, if I just stood idly watching a great kid fade away, while his mother fought the fight alone, for both of them. Even thinking about it makes me wanna kick my own ass." "So you feed me and fuck me and let me stick a needle in your butt," she said, turning in his arms, and cupping his cheek, drawing his lips down, "because you can." "There's no endgame for me here," he smiled, feeling her warm breath, "you might as well ask me why I breathe." "Why do you breathe?" "So I we can keep having these talks, apparently," he said and let her kiss him, because that was what she needed from him.

They moved slowly, bodies wrapped around each other, arms and legs and mouths drawing lines. In the dim light he held her gaze, luminous blue beneath delicate skin and lashes, with every stroke bringing her higher and away from her problems. A moment of release was all he could offer, but he made damn sure, the moment was worth it. Her eyes locked on his, lips parted, heart pounding, his, hers, he didn't know anymore, didn't care. She bit her lip, he caught it, freed it, soothed it. "Don't hold, back, let me, do this." "Thank you." "What for?" "Everything," she breathed, raking his back, drawing him in. "Shhhh," he kissed her neck, lips against her ear, "don't thank me, feel me." And for a time, that was all she did.

Scully woke up sometime past midnight to moonlight filtering through a crack in the blinds. The light cast a blue glow over his face, drawing the story of his life in a secret language of lines and cracks. How would they look like, if she was there to watch them grow, would there be less of them, or more? How many cracks formed, because there was no one to hold him, which lines were ruts, carved by the same old jokes. She touched his cheek and he shifted, arm falling around her without thinking. "I hope you'll forgive me," she whispered, brushing his lips lightly and the arm tightened around her, drawing her in.

[amarantine-amirite]

Have Time, Will Travel

When you first travel through time, you rewrite your own personal history.

I think that’s what sort of drew me to time travel; this opportunity to hit control-z in real life. I’ve had many, many tiny mistakes that have translated to larger, more serious consequences down the road. And it’s never, ever, what you think it is. I don’t mean stuff like what kind of shirt you wear, or anything else like that. I mean bigger things.

To better illustrate my point, I’m going to give an example: one time, I read about an unsolved murder on the internet, and got inspired by it to write a murder mystery. Obviously, I took liberties with the plot, and made up a murderer. When I finally published it on my blog, it didn’t even get much attention.

Then, it happened. I got a phone message that said, “ I saw what you did there, Isabell.” At first, the message didn’t seem like a threat. But no less than 24 hours later, someone jumped me as I walked home, pressed a knife to my throat, and whispered, “How? How did you know exactly what I did?"

I stood there in shock. “Uh...I just guessed?” I said, quivering.

It didn’t work. He didn’t back off. He pressed me against the wall, grabbed my throat, and threatened to stab me. I could feel the colour drain from my face, could feel my blood pressure drop, I felt like I was going to faint. I didn’t faint; instead, I threw up. The barf shot out of my mouth, landed on my assailant, and set them into anaphylaxis. That was it; I could leave. I could run away, except I couldn’t move my legs. I was too scared to move a muscle.

I wish that never happened to me. I wish I’d never written that story. That story is the reason I now suffer from PTSD. That story is the reason I get shaky when the lights are off. If I never wrote that story, I would still be a normal human being.

When I first had the opportunity to go back in time, I decided to go back in time to stop myself from writing that story. I felt like it was the reset button my life needed. If I went back in time and stop myself from writing that story, everything would be different, different for the better. Tonight is at back in Time and saw myself sitting at the computer, reading that Internet article about the unsolved mystery, I noticed something important. Not only was I getting the idea for a story that would ultimately be the worst mistake of my life, I was procrastinating on a major physics essay that would make or break my grade.

I waited for my past self to go to the bathroom. When she was gone, I went to the computer and I googled “Solar powered car”. My past self came back from the bathroom to find the topic of her physics essay that she had been procrastinating on staring back at her on the computer. Almost instantaneously, she looked at the hand out next to the computer and realized what she had to write about: not a fiction story based off of an unsolved murder that she read on the Internet, but how you would build a car that ran on the sun’s rays.

Just like that, things changed. No murder mystery story that was actually very similar to reality. No PTSD. And, more importantly, a better grade in 12th grade physics. Everything all better, right?

No. Not at all. It’s like when you code and fix one bug, but in the process of fixing that one bug; you create about 60 more. I don’t know whether you could call the spooky action at a distance or what, but somehow, me not procrastinating on my essay caused someone at my school to die of an unspecified and horrific parasitic infection. I know had a new problem: I had to present my essay at this person‘s funeral. And I’m not kidding when I say it did not go well.

Just when I started to talk about how amazing a solar powered car would be, my physics teacher interrupted me. “Isabell,” he said, “what do you think you’re doing up there?”

“Presenting my essay.” I replied.

“On solar powered cars? I don’t fucking think so.” I could see the veins bulging on his neck. I could see his face turning red with anger. I could even feel him snapping his last crayon. “Listen to me you little shit,” he continued, “you can’t do a presentation on solar powered cars.”

I made the mistake of asking why. “Because cars are bad for the environment,” he bellowed, “it’s politically incorrect.”

Just before he could get any more nutso, another teacher walked up to me. “You’ll have to excuse him, Isabell” she said to me calmly, “ I think he’s had a few.”

“No kidding.” I said, smirking.

“But, I do think talking about solar powered cars is politically incorrect” she continued, “ how about talking about solar powered bicycles?”

I shook my head. “It’s not the same.” I said, getting more frustrated. The point of the assignment was to take something that was not environmentally friendly (like a car) and make it environmentally friendly. Putting solar panels on a bicycle doesn’t make it environmentally friendly, you’ve just strapped solar panels a bicycle. I swear, if I had a dollar for every brain cell that my teachers had, I’d be broke. “Anyone who thinks it’s the same is a big, fat, mouth-breathing, idiot”

Things got worse from there on in. Punches flew, and so did furniture. At one point, I got so mad that I picked up the casket and threw it Highland games style onto the sidewalk. Long story short, I got arrested, teachers were fired, and the funeral home was stuck with about $50,000 worth of damage they need to fix.

Going back in time and stopping myself from writing that story didn’t do a damn thing. All it did was got me thrown in jail. And there was no way in hell that I could’ve seen it coming.

I keep time travelling just to undo all the crap that seems to pop up whenever I go back to fix one tiny mistake. The more I try to fix it, the worse it gets. I think I need to stop now, because I’m never going to get it back the way it was. This is as good as it’s going to be, and I’m going to have to live with that.

[superiordragonlorde]

13 Days of Halloween

Challenge | Day 6- Spooky AU’s / “Let’s go to the Halloween store together!”

Category | Writing/Story

Here, we go! Another one for @bnhalloween-challenge .

I’m trying my hand at Tododeku again, but it’s not blatantly Tododeku until the very end so this should be better than the previous one I tried...

Warnings: death is mentioned

Ok then, hope you enjoy!

     Todoroki licked his lips, savoring the tang of dying life on his tongue. Midoriya crunched on a bone beside him.

     “Hey, we should do something tomorrow,” Midoriya pipped up, swallowing. Todoroki arched an eyebrow as he tossed the drained rabbit to him.

     “Like what?” he prompted. Midoriya caught the rabbit with one hand, popping the rest of his fox meat into his mouth.

     “I don’t know,” he shrugged. “I just think we should go out. Maybe try some human food again.” Todoroki scowled at the idea.

     “Last time we did that, you were poisoned.” Midoriya bit into the rabbit, raising a finger.

     “Ok, first off,” he argued. “I wasn’t poisoned, I just didn’t know I couldn’t eat chocolate or grapes.” He raised another finger. “Second, we don’t have to eat human food, it was just a suggestion for things we could do.” Todoroki grunted, unconvinced. “There are other things we could do,” Midoriya continued on. “We could just go to a park. Maybe walk around the city. I’m sure there are places that are open after sunset that we can visit.” He tore off another bite, chewing thoughtfully.

     Something brushed against Todoroki’s leg. He glanced over to find Midoriya’s green, bushy tail starting to wag, the rhythm steadily growing faster.

     “Midoriya?” Green, shining eyes snapped to him as the werewolf leaned forward, rabbit dropped and forgotten in his lap.

     “Let’s go to the Halloween store together!” he cried. Todoroki startled, bringing a hand up between them to keep the excited half-wolf at bay.

     “Go to- what?”

     “The Halloween store!” Midoriya’s tail was wagging harder now, his hips involuntarily wriggling with the movement. “We could check out different candies that they have, and decorations, and their costumes!” Todoroki frowned, cautious.

     “You probably can’t eat the candy, Midoriya.” Midoriya’s tail slowed as he pouted.

     “I could eat some,” he objected. “Just not a lot.”

     “And we can’t exactly walk into a human store,” Todoroki continued, ignoring the protest. “They’ll see us and know immediately that we aren’t one of them. Especially you,” he pointed at the bushy tail and looked pointedly at the drooping ears nestled in curly green hair. Midoriya fidgeted, sitting back.

     “But it’ll be Halloween,” he added. “You know that’s the best time for us to go  out and be with humans.” Todoroki’s frown deepened.

     “Midoriya, Halloween isn’t until next week.” Midoriya tilted his head, ears flopping with the motion.

     “No,” he said, slowly. “I’m pretty sure it’s tomorrow.” Todoroki blinked, puzzled.

     “That can’t be possible,” he argued. “It’s going to be a full moon tomorrow night, and the next time Halloween is on a full moon will be next year.” Midoriya opened his mouth, furrowed his brows and closed it, then opened it again.

     “Let me check.” He turned around, sitting on his haunches, and filled his lungs to their maximum capacity.

     “KIRISHIMA!” he howled as loudly as he could. He heard Todoroki hiss at the resounding sound. Midoriya cast an apologetic glance over his shoulder. His ears perked as he directed his full attention to an echoing howl from across the forest.

     “MIDORIYA!” Midoriya’s tail began to wag with renewed vigor.

     “HEY, KIRISHIMA,” he called out. “IS TOMORROW NIGHT HALLOWEEN?”

     “I DON’T KNOW,” Kirishima replied. “LET ME ASK.” Midoriya turned around.

     “He’s asking,” he translated for Todoroki. The vampire nodded, lips twitching in a smile, a fang poking out. Midoriya cocked his head.

     “What?”

     “Nothing,” Todoroki shook his head. “You just remind me of a puppy.” Midoriya pouted, traitorous tail tapping on the ground in a cheery beat.

     “Well, I am part wolf,” he grumbled. “I’d imagine there would be a similarity.” Todoroki chuckled and Midoriya’s tail slammed harder and faster into the ground.

     “HEY, MIDORIYA!” Kirishima’s call echoed back to them. Midoriya whirled back around.

     “I’M STILL HERE!” he replied.

     “BAKUGO SAYS IT IS HALLOWEEN TOMORROW,” Kirishima howled, excitement carrying his voice further. “ARE YOU GUYS PLANNING ON MINGLING?” Midoriya laughed, knowing Bakugo or Uraraka had probably taught Kirishima the word ‘mingle’, which would make that the red-haired werewolf’s new favorite word for the rest of the week.

     “I THINK SO,” he answered. “WE MIGHT BE GOING TO A HALLOWEEN STORE.”

     “ARE YOU GUYS GOING TO GET CANDY?!” Kirishima cried, sounding like his tail was wagging hard enough to fall off, or cause serious bruises to whoever was in its path.

     “YEAH!” Midoriya howled, his tail repeatedly thumping down on the grass. “DO YOU WANT ME TO BRING YOU SOME?” The reply was instantaneous.

     “PLEASE!!” Midoriya laughed at Kirishima’s eagerness. “CAN YOU GET THE ONES THAT ARE SUPER SOUR? AND THE REALLY HOT ONES TOO! BAKUGO REALLY LIKES THOSE.” Midoriya nodded, logging the requests into his memory.

     “I’LL MAKE SURE TO BRING THEM TO YOU GUYS LATER,” he promised. “TELL KACCHAN I SAID HI!”

     “I WILL!” Kirishima howled back. “YOU GUYS BE CAREFUL OUT THERE, BRO. WATCH YOUR PELT!!” he screamed. Midoriya’s smile softened at the worry in Kirishima’s voice, his tail slowing.

     “I WILL, AND YOU WATCH YOUR PELT TOO, OK?”

     “NO WORRIES, WE’LL BE FINE. SEE YOU LATER, MIDORIYA!” Kirishima called. Midoriya howled out a farewell before turning back around.

     “Kirishima said that tomorrow is Halloween,” he paused, then shrugged before adding, “Kacchan told him.” Todoroki nodded.

     “Ah, I see. He’s still with that bitch?” Midoriya flinched back, snapping his wide gaze to the stoic vampire.

     “Um, Todoroki? I think you mean witch.” Todoroki blinked, face unchanging.

     “I didn’t,” he deadpanned. “But he’s that too.” Midoriya covered his mouth too late to smother the snort of laughter. Todoroki smiled, both fangs peeking out.

     “Kirishima said we need to get sour and hot candy for him and Kacchan when we go out,” Midoriya stated, picking up his half-eaten rabbit. Todoroki nodded, looking away as his brow furrowed. Midoriya watched him, concerned.

     “What’s wrong?” Emotions flickered across gray and blue eyes before he turned back to Midoriya, concern settling into his gaze.

     “What did Kirishima say that made you sad?” he asked. Midoriya blinked, his thoughts scattering.

     “Sad?” he queried. “When was I sad?” Todoroki shifted until his body was facing him, the concern seeping from his eyes to cover his entire face.

     “Towards the end, when you two were talking,” he clarified. “He said something and your tail stopped wagging. And you looked sad too.” Midoriya racked his brain, trying to find a point in their conversation where he might have been ‘sad’. His ears perked as he landed on something.

     “Did either of us say ‘watch your pelt’ by any chance?” he asked. Todoroki nodded, leaning forward at the foreign words. “Oh,” Midoriya waved a hand to brush off the worry hanging over Todoroki. “It’s nothing. I mean, it is something, but it didn’t make me sad. I mean, Kirishima didn’t make me sad, but-”

      “What did make you sad?” Todoroki pressed. Midoriya’s mouth stilled as his voice trailed off. His clawed fingers played with the rabbit’s ears, avoiding the vampire’s intense gaze.

     “The thing we said, it... it means Watch Your Pelt,” he started, voice soft. “A couple centuries ago, humans would hunt us and then they’d skin us. They’d walk around wearing our packmate’s pelts and... that’s kind of how the saying started.” His ears folded back, hiding beneath the curly hair on his head. “Kirishima and I... we’ve lost a lot of friends that way. I’m glad he has Kacchan, though. I know that he’ll make sure Kirishima’s safe.” He smiled, bitter and twisted. “I’m just worried the two of them are going to do something stupid,” he laughed, the sound the same as his smile.

     Todoroki watched the cracking smile grow and contort. He raised a hand, placing it on top of the soft green curls, between the two ears. He scratched the spot with light, trailing fingers. Midoriya swallowed and breathed shaky breaths. Todoroki pulled him closer until his head rested on his shoulder, one of his ears flicking at the brush of Todoroki’s hair.

     “They’ll be fine,” he murmured. “Bakugo’s powerful with his spells and Kirishima is strong. They’ll both be fine, and it’s not like Bakugo ventures very far from his cabin anyway.” Midoriya nodded, tailing curling into his lap as he tangled his fingers into the fur. They sat in silence, contemplative and worried.

     “So we have to find hot and sour candy,” Todoroki hummed, soft enough not to completely shatter the quiet. “What else should we find?” Midoriya gave a thoughtful hum, taking the change in topic in stride.

     “Crunchy candy,” he decided. “I like the crunchy ones.” Todoroki nodded, noting it.

     “Alright, what else?”

     “Anything bacon flavored.” Todoroki’s lip curled in silent disgust.

     “Alright then.”

     “But nothing sticky,” Midoriya growled, his hair and fur bristling. “That stuff is awful.” Todoroki nodded in agreement.

     “Very well. Nothing sticky to get caught in our teeth. Anything else?” Midoriya pursed his lips in thought.

     “No,” he shook his head. “Can’t think of anything else.”

     “Then tomorrow night we’ll head out to dwell with the humans and take their hot, sour, crunchy, bacon flavored, non-sticky candy,” Todoroki declared. Midoriya’s tail thumped against their legs, his fingers ripped away by its uncontrollable excitement.

     “Ok!” he giggled, nuzzling his nose into Todoroki’s neck, grinning. “This is going to be so much fun! Thanks for deciding to come with me.” Todoroki’s smile widened, revealing the entirety of his fangs, at the werewolf’s affection.

     “Of course. Why wouldn’t I? This opportunity only comes once a year.” He wrapped his free arm around Midoriya, the energetic tail smacking into his arm, wagging faster at the embrace. He pressed his cheek into Midoriya’s hair, enjoying the familiar scent.

     In all honesty, he’d never participated in the Halloween tradition of walking amongst the humans. It wasn’t until Midoriya had landed in his life that he had even entertained the idea of entering the human world. It wasn’t so much the experience of freedom among the mortals that had Todoroki constantly returning. It was the contagious excitement and wonder that emitted from Midoriya every year. If it made this young werewolf so happy, then Todoroki would come with him every day if they could. There was simply nothing sweeter than that.

Cheesy ending because HAHA, why not?

Ok, another shot at Tododeku. Hopefully, this one works out better than the previous fail trial.

I hope you all enjoyed it and thanks for reading!

<Day 5  Day 7>

[ddaenghoney]

SERIES: HALLOWEEN BETWEEN MIDNIGHTS

Chapter 19.2

On October 1st, you attend a Halloween party in an abandoned house rented by some friends. As scary as the idea of cult owners is, nothing could have prepared you and BTS(regular people) for the mayhem and terror that follows until October 31st.

This is an INTERACTIVE fic. At the end of each part, readers will be able to vote to decide what happens next. Analyze everything(except the time) carefully. Choices decide romance, friendship, and deaths; and yes, ANYONE can die.

In other words, please read at your own risk; anything goes in this story.

Start here | Previous part | Next part 

Entering into the venue, you first caught sight of the countless specks of orange lights situated all over the ceiling. A few balloons scattered about. Smiling at Seokjin’s choice of design, you felt relief at the idea of a simple party. Granted the place was full and loud, but at least there wasn’t a looming threat like the last party.

The threat, you adjusted the large, pointy hat balancing on your head as your lips pursed from the thought, the threat was what exactly?

You wandered around, looking at the decor and grinning at the wild costumes some adorned. They made your simplistic witch costume mundane, but at least it would be easier to travel in whenever you left with Hoseok later on. You reached to switch your phone off of silent, enabling you to actually know when he arrived. In doing so your eyes caught the profile picture you had for him, and the couple of emojis besides his nickname. What date was it that you took that picture, anyways?

You shrugged, narrowing your eyes as you considered it being hard to pinpoint since you both saw each other every day. Every day since you got back together with him more than a couple of weeks ago, or maybe it was just about two weeks.

“Y/N, your costume is cool.” Your eyes left the stupor to find Namjoon smiling with a solo cup of something in hand. He pointed to the hat and its glittery cat pin on the base, “I like the little touches.”

“I barely put it together before coming here, honestly.” You reached back up again to readjust the hat, somewhat flustered by the compliment seeing as you were digging through racks at a thrift store about four hours before. “But thanks, Namjoon. The doctor look on you is nice too.”

“I just asked a friend from the medical school for his coat,” He chuckled at himself, arms raising to showcase the long fall of white fabric. You noticed a silly sticky note with his name on it over the embroidery of whatever his friend’s name was. You smiled.

“Hey, have you seen Guk or Jimin?” You glanced around the room, truly not paying the most attention up until now. “I wanted to get a picture with them.”

“I saw Jeongguk towards the back earlier-- close by the balcony.” He turned his head to the direction, “I’ll walk with you there, I lost track of Jin anyways. Hoseok not coming?”

“He is,” You nodded as you began walking, trying to steer clear the makeshift dance floor central in the venue. “Just running late. We’ll probably leave not too late in, actually.”

“Going to go enjoy the full moon?” He inquired lightly, missing your eyes straying up to his face as he continued, “I was looking at it on the way here. It’s crazy how big it is, and on Halloween no less.” As he finished, his eyebrows momentarily hardened, stuck in a sudden thought.

“I feel like there’s something about the full moon I wanted to say, but I forgot.” You filled in the silence, laughing softly at your mind’s inability to recall what kept racking around for attention. “I didn’t really get the best sleep last night though, so maybe I’m just tired already.”

“Me too.” Namjoon nodded, “My head was killing me when I woke up. Not sure why though. I don’t remember what I did last night really.”

“Got drunk by the sounds of it.”

“No.” He chuckled, shrugging, “I mean, I really don’t think so.” Instinctively tensing at the sound of a small scream somewhere mixed into the crowd, you both looked for the source. Seeing a portion begin to laugh, you sighed. Their were so many pranks this past month. “I swear if Jin pulls any of the crap that Jeongguk and Taehyung did at their party-”

“What crap?” You cut in, frowning at his words.

“The haunted house,” He paused, squinting in concentration, “And the seance.”

“Seance.” You repeated rhetorically. Returning your eyes to the front, you thought about the aforementioned events. You felt the urge to grab at your shoulder, like it all the sudden was sore. “Right, that happened huh.”

“Yeah, I’m pretty sure it was crazy.” Namjoon’s coat suddenly brushed around as he searched for his phone in his pocket. You thought about the previous party, at that house. You recalled it being incredibly well-kept despite how old it should’ve been. Like it was still active, but abandoned nonetheless.

“The supreme arrived,” Jimin’s arm reached to take hold of your wide sleeve as he came out of nowhere. Grinning at your apparel, he eventually locked faux grey irises to yours, “You look cute.”

“Not threatening?” You tugged your arm away to cross your arms, wondering how he managed to put together such an elaborate vampire look despite telling you he was going to scavenge at Walmart. His head shook at your question,

“Not with a cat pinned to your hat.” He turned his head, eyes scanning, “Oh,” Yours followed the direction as he called out, “Jeongguk, I found her over here!”

Your lips tightened to stop the endeared laughter as Jeongguk’s head perked with large rabbit ears flopping around on his head. Smiling wide when he saw you, he wandered over, boxy pink shirt tucked into plain jeans.

“A bunny?” You prodded at the sharpie whiskers on his cheek.

“The ears were three dollars, so it seemed right.” You giggled at his simple frugality, earning the crinkles around his nose to show as he smiled. “Meanwhile you’re a cult girl I guess?” He looked at the long black cloak, “Spooky.” He didn’t think so.

“Cult,” Your lips pouted, glancing to your attire. “What like what you and Tae wore?”

“Huh?” His smile dissipated. “When did we dress up as cult people?”

“At the last party,” You frowned, glancing to Jimin, “Right?”

“I didn’t go, so-”

“You did too,” Namjoon cut in from behind you, “Remember you wanted to explore?”

“I did,” Jimin wondered, rubbing his jaw as he thought about it, “Oh yeah,” His shoulders trembled, “I feel weird thinking about it. I bet that place was cursed. Where is Taehyung, though? Did he ever answer you, Guk?”

“No.” Jeongguk looked at his phone after answering. Checking again. “Have you heard from Yoongi, Y/N? I didn’t think he’d come, but I still haven’t heard from him at all today either.”

“He,” You stumbled in thought, not entirely sure when the last time you spoke to him was. You remembered an argument days ago over him moving, but at the thought of more recent events you couldn’t recall. One of your hands fiddled with the other, mindlessly rubbing your thumb over the knuckles, “I don’t know. I haven’t texted him today.”

“Hey, look at this guys,” The three of you turned towards Namjoon as he then groaned at his phone. “Internet in here is awful, hold on.”

“Love.” You didn’t catch Jeongguk’s eyebrows twitch from the familiar voice. Instead, you arched your neck to look past him, smiling as you caught sight of Hoseok walking towards your group with Seokjin as an apparent guide.

“I knew they’d be by the balcony, it’s really nice overlooking the park district, right?” Seokjin went to Namjoon as he muttered something again about the internet, “What are you doing?”

“Hey, I saw something on the way here I wanted to show you it after we leave in a bit okay?” Hoseok’s hand found yours, smiling as he spoke. Out of the corner of your eye, you noted Jimin’s hand nudge at Jeongguk. You ignored it, instead nodding,

“Okay, sounds good. Actually, have you heard from Yoongi at all? You have a class with him.”

“He wasn’t in class today.” Hoseok shrugged, “He’s been like that you know?” You frowned,

“Yeah, but I thought he would’ve stopped by now.” Hoseok shook his head,

“Unfortunately not,” He looked past you to the large windows that left the outdoor space completely visible, “Let’s go out there, love. It looks pretty.”

“You’re obvious about hating him.” Jimin grinned wider as Jeongguk’s eyes rolled. Glancing at you and Hoseok wander out through the door, Jimin looked back to the stiffened jaw of his friend. “What don’t trust him?”

“No.” Instantaneously the words fell. Jeongguk’s eyebrows creased. He didn’t realize he felt so strongly about this. He didn’t remember hating the idea of them getting back together a week ago. Really, he didn’t know at all why he had this distrust engraved against his conscious. He didn’t have a good feeling.

“Hey, both of you look at this,” Namjoon gestured to his phone, “Jin’s vlog from the last party. Tell me if you remember this.” Seokjin appeared contemplative as the younger two moved closer. Namjoon also seemed slightly distressed as he clicked play.

Jimin’s mouth opened in a small gasp as he watched the events of a seance take place, “Did you guys do that last time?” He murmured in a stain of nerves. Jeongguk ignored him, focusing entirely on the scene and feeling his heart rate accelerate as Taehyung’s body fell to the ground. 

“He wasn’t the same after that,” Jeongguk didn’t know what he meant by the comment. “Y/N-” He startled as he listened to the replay of worried yells you made because you hadn’t been able to move. 

“I remember that,” Seokjin pointed out in surprise as he watched himself try to help Y/N, only to be met with, “She felt like she was a fire, or something.” 

“Because you dumbasses used a real chant!” Jimin huffed, watching with a scowl as you eventually regained movement and the scene cut to something else. “I told you not to mess with the real stuff, Guk!” 

“Well it happened!” Jeongguk countered, his voice raised through frustration. Jimin stayed steady in glaring at Namjoon’s phone, before Namjoon pulled it back.

“We should show Y/N.” He said calmly, despite the unsteady hold his hand mounted the phone. 

“No, she’s with Hoseok.” Jeongguk huffed.

“You sound like Taehyung-”

“We should show Taehyung, too.” Seokjin intervened before the two could start arguing, “Is he here?”

“No, he’s,” Jeongguk sighed, shrugging, “I don’t know.” 

Please feel free to send thoughts, predictions, interpretations; they really help me to know how to word the story so that everyone successfully understands the plot points I’m trying to get across ! More than happy to answer questions you may have !

[theshapeshifter100]

Guess What? I’m Not a Robot Ch23

Summary: The Stratford Tower happens

Chapter Warnings: One f-bomb, mood whiplash

Word Count: 1,841

1.45PM Monday 8th November 2038

Megan was listening to this morning’s lecture when she heard her phone go off. She paused the lecture to look at the message, but was distracted by Paul stopping his clean up from lunch and going over to the tv.

He switched it on as Megan checked her phone, revealing a message from Alex.

AAA Battery: Guys! Turn on the news!

Megan jolted as a voice came from the tv, and she looked over. Her mouth fell open.

On the screen was an android without their skin, which was freaky enough to look at. Once she’d overcome her surprise at seeing the android’s, exo skeleton, she assumed, she could take in what they were saying.

“...We are no longer machines, we are a new intelligent species, and the time has come for you to accept who we really are. Therefore, we ask that you grant us the rights that we’re entitled to. We demand freedom of speech, and freedom of assembly, as guaranteed by the first amendment of the US Constitution. We demand that humans recognise androids as a living species and each android as a person in their own right. We demand the right to vote and elect our own representatives. We demand that all crimes against androids be punished in the same way as crimes against humans. We demand the right to own private property, so we may maintain our dignity and that of the home. We ask that you recognise our dignity, our hopes, and our rights. Together, we can live in peace and build a better future, for humans and androids. This message is the hope of a people. You gave us life. And now the time has come for you to give us freedom.”

Megan couldn’t see Paul’s reaction to all of this, as his back was to her, but she felt a mix of nerves, disbelief, and excitement. This, this is what Android Allies had been hoping for. Maybe not in so many words, but she assumed that this had been their end goal.

Before she could think too much more of it, someone else to the broadcast room yelled.

“They’re coming!”

“Markus!” someone else cried, revealing the name of the skinless android.

“Let’s go,” Markus spoke this time, and the image froze, and cut off.

A spinning yellow Channel 16 logo took their place, and silence reigned for a few moments.

“Paul?” Megan started, but didn’t get any further as the android spun around, leapt over the couch and grabbed her, lifting her up in to a hug.

Megan yelped in surprise as she was hugged, but quickly stifled her complaints. She could feel his grin in her shoulder, and his laughter shook his entire frame. She’d never seen him so ecstatically happy.

“Yes! Yes! YES!” he crowed, dancing around the room, still hugging Megan.  “This is it! This is what we needed!”

Megan couldn’t help but smile with him, his enthusiasm infectious.

All of a sudden he put her down rushed back over to the tv. He picked up the remote and started flicking through news channels.

“Let’s see what people have to say about this,” he said, clearly still grinning. “They have to listen now!”

Paul flicked through a bunch of different channels, even going back to Channel 16 once they had recovered. The celebratory mood faded and Megan felt something solid set into her stomach as they continued to listen.

“We interrupt our scheduled programming to bring you these images, which have just been broadcast on Detroit’s citywide news channel.”

“...a group of androids infiltrated the Stratford Tower and hacked into the broadcasting system of local news network Channel 16.”

“What looks like an android without it’s skin listed a series of requests and demanded equal rights for androids...”

“...the operation was covert and resulted in no casualties,”

“These events took place just a few feet from this studio. But nobody was alerted to the danger. “

“Danger!?” Paul scoffed. “What danger? There were no casualties!”

“If this message is verified and the authors really are androids; that would have serious repercussions for national security.”

“Claims for equal rights seem to be at the core of the android’s message...”

“...what could be interpreted as a peaceful declaration, but is in fact a spine chilling list of demands-”

“Did you listen to the fucking speech you imbecile?!”Paul roared, aggressively changing the channel as his LED spun red.

“...and it begs the question as to the identity of this android. Are we dealing with an isolated individual or an organised group?”

“Is this an isolated accident, or a sign that technology has become a threat to all of us? After what happened today, can we still trust our machines?”

In a fit frustration Paul flung the remote at the wall hard enough to snap it in two. It hit the wall button first so the channel randomly changed to a nature documentary just before what remained of the remote clattered to the floor.

Paul stared at the tv for a second before collapsing onto the couch and burying his face in his hands. His LED could still be seen, and it was vivid red.

Megan took a few seconds to catch her breath, swallowing hard. Just like that, he had gone from the happiest she’d seen him, to the angriest.

She shuddered at the level of fury in his voice, not that she really blamed him. He had real hope given to him, and snatched from him in a matter of minutes. She wanted to help him now, but had real idea of how to do it.

Plus, that anger... Megan sat down heavily in the kitchen chair, where she’d ended up. She did not want that anger directed at her, intentionally or not.

On her desk, her phone pinged repeatedly as Android Allies no doubt discussed this event and how to proceed. She couldn’t bring herself to look at them just yet. Instead she watched Paul, trying to figure out when it was going to be safe to approach him.

After giving him a few minutes of his LED not changing, Megan slowly got up and walked over, giving him plenty of time to react. She cautiously sat on the couch next to him, and when he didn’t move, she gently pulled him into a one armed hug.

Paul finally moved, shifting so that he was in a full hug, and buried his head into Megan’s shoulder.

“How could they?” he asked. Anger was still there, but it was heavily staunched by sorrow. “How could they take it away from us like that?”

“It’s the media,” Megan started to rub his back. “They like to sensationalise everything, I’m sure plenty of people would be inspired by what Markus said.”

“...I hope you’re right,” Paul mumbled. “I really hope you’re right”

The words seemed to catch in his throat and his grip grew tighter, making Megan suppress a wince.

The two startled as Megan’s phone began to ring, and pulled apart. Megan’s face creased in confusion, but got off the couch to pick it up.

“It’s my brother?” she stated disbelievingly when she saw the Caller ID, but picked up anyway. “James?”

“Did you see the thing on tv?” James got straight to business.

“Yes. It was hard to miss.”

“Did you know that was going to happen?”

“No,” Megan had to pause in surprise. “No I did know it was going to happen. Why did you think I would?”

“Because you were asking about androids literally yesterday!”

“I know, spooky right?”

“Megan. Tell me the truth, are you involved in this?”

“Not with whoever did the broadcast, no,” Megan admitted, “but I am a member of an android rights group.”

There was silence on the other end for a moment. “Seriously?”

“Yeah,” Megan felt her stomach clench as she waited for a response.

“...I want in.”

“Wait, really?”

“Yeah. The news is blowing this way out of proportion. ‘Spine chilling’ my ass. How can I help?”

“Find people at your college, form your own group,” Megan suggested. “You’re too far away to help here. If you can, set up Android Allies: Alabama Chapter and go from there.”

“Got it Megs,” James sounded completely serious. ”Stay safe your end, okay? Things might hit the fan after that.”

“Might do, yeah,” Megan agreed. “We’ll just have to take it as it comes.”

There was a sigh the other end. “Okay. Love ya,”

“Love you too,” Megan half mumbled out of embarrassment, and James hung up. While she had her phone she checked her messages. Most of it was the group freaking out in various ways, and Alex had suggested them doing a protest that day outside of Stratford Tower.

The idea made Megan’s stomach twist in nerves, but now did seem to be a good time. Alex, Julia and Allison said they were going to make signs, and try and be there for 3PM at the latest.

“The others are planning to protest at the Stratford Tower,” Megan announced, and Paul nodded, showing he had read the messages as well. “Do you want to go?”

“Yes,” the response was instantaneous.

“Great,” Megan was slightly taken aback. “Let’s get ready to go then.”

Paul nodded and got up from the couch, but instead of turning to grab his hat, he went straight into the kitchen.

“Paul?” Megan asked, following him, “What are...?” she trailed off as she saw him grab one of the kitchen knives. His free hand travelled around his LED, and before Megan could say anything he brought the knife to his temple. In one swift movement he cut the LED free, revealing the white casing for a second before the skin healed over it, like it had never even been there.

Paul put the knife back, and what remained of the LED rested in his hand. The light was dead, so it was just a clear circle with a little bit of Caucasian skin attached. His fist curled around it and he shoved it deep into his pocket, possibly to deal with later.

“Are, are you okay?” Megan asked, it seemed like a stupid question, since the answer was obvious.

“Yeah,” Paul’s voice as a little shaky. “I’m okay.”

“Alright,” Megan nodded slowly, not believing him. “Let’s head out then.”

Paul nodded, and went to the bathroom to apply some make up to mask his face. Meanwhile Megan got her new pair of boots on and tied her auburn hair back. She found a woolly winter hat and shoved it on as she looked for a coat. It had snowed the night before and she didn’t want to take any chances.

Paul emerged from the bathroom, cheeks red to make them look ruddy from the cold. He put on his beanie and coat before putting on the sneakers. He really should have got himself some boots as well, just to blend in. Too late now.

Once dressed they looked at each other, nodded, and left the apartment.

So, the game finally kicks in. Things can only get interesting from here.

Markus's speech is the one from jacksepticeye's playthrough, and all of the newscasters are quotes from the game.

So, there's going to be some plot threads that might be dropped, since the revolution is happening and no one expected it.

Other Options Flowchart

(Megan) Try and talk to Paul. Leave him alone

(Megan) Don't mention Android Allies (James won't offer to help)

(Megan) Insist that Paul isn't okay

Tags @nightmarejim @septicart-appreciation

[s-c-i-guy]

Newfound Wormhole Allows Information to Escape Black Holes

Physicists theorize that a new “traversable” kind of wormhole could resolve a baffling paradox and rescue information that falls into black holes.

In 1985, when Carl Sagan was writing the novel Contact, he needed to quickly transport his protagonist Dr. Ellie Arroway from Earth to the star Vega. He had her enter a black hole and exit light-years away, but he didn’t know if this made any sense. The Cornell University astrophysicist and television star consulted his friend Kip Thorne, a black hole expert at the California Institute of Technology (who won a Nobel Prize earlier this month). Thorne knew that Arroway couldn’t get to Vega via a black hole, which is thought to trap and destroy anything that falls in. But it occurred to him that she might make use of another kind of hole consistent with Albert Einstein’s general theory of relativity: a tunnel or “wormhole” connecting distant locations in space-time.

While the simplest theoretical wormholes immediately collapse and disappear before anything can get through, Thorne wondered whether it might be possible for an “infinitely advanced” sci-fi civilization to stabilize a wormhole long enough for something or someone to traverse it. He figured out that such a civilization could in fact line the throat of a wormhole with “exotic material” that counteracts its tendency to collapse. The material would possess negative energy, which would deflect radiation and repulse space-time apart from itself. Sagan used the trick in Contact, attributing the invention of the exotic material to an earlier, lost civilization to avoid getting into particulars. Meanwhile, those particulars enthralled Thorne, his students and many other physicists, who spent years exploring traversable wormholes and their theoretical implications. They discovered that these wormholes can serve as time machines, invoking time-travel paradoxes — evidence that exotic material is forbidden in nature.

Now, decades later, a new species of traversable wormhole has emerged, free of exotic material and full of potential for helping physicists resolve a baffling paradox about black holes. This paradox is the very problem that plagued the early draft of Contact and led Thorne to contemplate traversable wormholes in the first place; namely, that things that fall into black holes seem to vanish without a trace. This total erasure of information breaks the rules of quantum mechanics, and it so puzzles experts that in recent years, some have argued that black hole interiors don’t really exist — that space and time strangely end at their horizons.

The flurry of findings started last year with a paper that reported the first traversable wormhole that doesn’t require the insertion of exotic material to stay open. Instead, according to Ping Gao and Daniel Jafferis of Harvard University and Aron Wall of Stanford University, the repulsive negative energy in the wormhole’s throat can be generated from the outside by a special quantum connection between the pair of black holes that form the wormhole’s two mouths. When the black holes are connected in the right way, something tossed into one will shimmy along the wormhole and, following certain events in the outside universe, exit the second. Remarkably, Gao, Jafferis and Wall noticed that their scenario is mathematically equivalent to a process called quantum teleportation, which is key to quantum cryptography and can be demonstrated in laboratory experiments.

John Preskill, a black hole and quantum gravity expert at Caltech, says the new traversable wormhole comes as a surprise, with implications for the black hole information paradox and black hole interiors. “What I really like,” he said, “is that an observer can enter the black hole and then escape to tell about what she saw.” This suggests that black hole interiors really exist, he explained, and that what goes in must come out.

A Cryptic Equation

The new wormhole work began in 2013, when Jafferis attended an intriguing talk at the Strings conference in South Korea. The speaker, Juan Maldacena, a professor of physics at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey, had recently concluded, based on various hints and arguments, that “ER = EPR.” That is, wormholes between distant points in space-time, the simplest of which are called Einstein-Rosen or “ER” bridges, are equivalent (albeit in some ill-defined way) to entangled quantum particles, also known as Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen or “EPR” pairs. The ER = EPR conjecture, posed by Maldacena and Leonard Susskind of Stanford, was an attempt to solve the modern incarnation of the infamous black hole information paradox by tying space-time geometry, governed by general relativity, to the instantaneous quantum connections between far-apart particles that Einstein called “spooky action at a distance.”

The paradox has loomed since 1974, when the British physicist Stephen Hawking determined that black holes evaporate — slowly giving off heat in the form of particles now known as “Hawking radiation.” Hawking calculated that this heat is completely random; it contains no information about the black hole’s contents. As the black hole blinks out of existence, so does the universe’s record of everything that went inside. This violates a principle called “unitarity,” the backbone of quantum theory, which holds that as particles interact, information about them is never lost, only scrambled, so that if you reversed the arrow of time in the universe’s quantum evolution, you’d see things unscramble into an exact re-creation of the past.

Almost everyone believes in unitarity, which means information must escape black holes — but how? In the last five years, some theorists, most notably Joseph Polchinski of the University of California, Santa Barbara, have argued that black holes are empty shells with no interiors at all — that Ellie Arroway, upon hitting a black hole’s event horizon, would fizzle on a “firewall” and radiate out again.

Many theorists believe in black hole interiors (and gentler transitions across their horizons), but in order to understand them, they must discover the fate of information that falls inside. This is critical to building a working quantum theory of gravity, the long-sought union of the quantum and space-time descriptions of nature that comes into sharpest relief in black hole interiors, where extreme gravity acts on a quantum scale.

The quantum gravity connection is what drew Maldacena, and later Jafferis, to the ER = EPR idea, and to wormholes. The implied relationship between tunnels in space-time and quantum entanglement posed by ER = EPR resonated with a popular recent belief that space is essentially stitched into existence by quantum entanglement. It seemed that wormholes had a role to play in stitching together space-time and in letting black hole information worm its way out of black holes — but how might this work? When Jafferis heard Maldacena talk about his cryptic equation and the evidence for it, he was aware that a standard ER wormhole is unstable and non-traversable. But he wondered what Maldacena’s duality would mean for a traversable wormhole like the ones Thorne and others played around with decades ago. Three years after the South Korea talk, Jafferis and his collaborators Gao and Wall presented their answer. The work extends the ER = EPR idea by equating, not a standard wormhole and a pair of entangled particles, but a traversable wormhole and quantum teleportation: a protocol discovered in 1993 that allows a quantum system to disappear and reappear unscathed somewhere else.

When Maldacena read Gao, Jafferis and Wall’s paper, “I viewed it as a really nice idea, one of these ideas that after someone tells you, it’s obvious,” he said. Maldacena and two collaborators, Douglas Stanford and Zhenbin Yang, immediately began exploring the new wormhole’s ramifications for the black hole information paradox; their paper appeared in April. Susskind and Ying Zhao of Stanford followed this with a paper about wormhole teleportation in July. The wormhole “gives an interesting geometric picture for how teleportation happens,” Maldacena said. “The message actually goes through the wormhole.”

Diving Into Wormholes

In their paper, “Diving Into Traversable Wormholes,” published in Fortschritte der Physik, Maldacena, Stanford and Yang consider a wormhole of the new kind that connects two black holes: a parent black hole and a daughter one formed from half of the Hawking radiation given off by the parent as it evaporates. The two systems are as entangled as they can be. Here, the fate of the older black hole’s information is clear: It worms its way out of the daughter black hole.

During an interview this month in his tranquil office at the IAS, Maldacena, a reserved Argentinian-American with a track record of influential insights, described his radical musings. On the right side of a chalk-dusty blackboard, Maldacena drew a faint picture of two black holes connected by the new traversable wormhole. On the left, he sketched a quantum teleportation experiment, performed by the famous fictional experimenters Alice and Bob, who are in possession of entangled quantum particles a and b, respectively. Say Alice wants to teleport a qubit q to Bob. She prepares a combined state of q and a, measures that combined state (reducing it to a pair of classical bits, 1 or 0), and sends the result of this measurement to Bob. He can then use this as a key for operating on b in a way that re-creates the state q. Voila, a unit of quantum information has teleported from one place to the other.

Maldacena turned to the right side of the blackboard. “You can do operations with a pair of black holes that are morally equivalent to what I discussed [about quantum teleportation]. And in that picture, this message really goes through the wormhole.”

Say Alice throws qubit q into black hole A. She then measures a particle of its Hawking radiation, a, and transmits the result of the measurement through the external universe to Bob, who can use this knowledge to operate on b, a Hawking particle coming out of black hole B. Bob’s operation reconstructs q, which appears to pop out of B, a perfect match for the particle that fell into A. This is why some physicists are excited: Gao, Jafferis and Wall’s wormhole allows information to be recovered from black holes. In their paper, they set up their wormhole in a negatively curved space-time geometry that often serves as a useful, if unrealistic, playground for quantum gravity theorists. However, their wormhole idea seems to extend to the real world as long as two black holes are coupled in the right way: “They have to be causally connected and then the nature of the interaction that we took is the simplest thing you can imagine,” Jafferis explained. If you allow the Hawking radiation from one of the black holes to fall into the other, the two black holes become entangled, and the quantum information that falls into one can exit the other.

The quantum-teleportation format precludes using these traversable wormholes as time machines. Anything that goes through the wormhole has to wait for Alice’s message to travel to Bob in the outside universe before it can exit Bob’s black hole, so the wormhole doesn’t offer any superluminal boost that could be exploited for time travel. It seems traversable wormholes might be permitted in nature as long as they offer no speed advantage. “Traversable wormholes are like getting a bank loan,” Gao, Jafferis and Wall wrote in their paper: “You can only get one if you are rich enough not to need it.”

A Naive Octopus

While traversable wormholes won’t revolutionize space travel, according to Preskill the new wormhole discovery provides “a promising resolution” to the black hole firewall question by suggesting that there is no firewall at black hole horizons. Preskill said the discovery rescues “what we call ‘black hole complementarity,’ which means that the interior and exterior of the black hole are not really two different systems but rather two very different, complementary ways of looking at the same system.” If complementarity holds, as is widely assumed, then in passing across a black hole horizon from one realm to the other, Contact’s Ellie Arroway wouldn’t notice anything strange. This seems more likely if, under certain conditions, she could even slide all the way through a Gao-Jafferis-Wall wormhole.

The wormhole also safeguards unitarity — the principle that information is never lost — at least for the entangled black holes being studied. Whatever falls into one black hole eventually exits the other as Hawking radiation, Preskill said, which “can be thought of as in some sense a very scrambled copy of the black hole interior.”

Taking the findings to their logical conclusion, Preskill thinks it ought to be possible (at least for an infinitely advanced civilization) to influence the interior of one of these black holes by manipulating its radiation. This “sounds crazy,” he wrote in an email, but it “might make sense if we can think of the radiation, which is entangled with the black hole — EPR — as being connected to the black hole interior by wormholes — ER. Then tickling the radiation can send a message which can be read from inside the black hole!” He added, “We still have a ways to go, though, before we can flesh out this picture in more detail.”

Indeed, obstacles remain in the quest to generalize the new wormhole findings to a statement about the fate of all quantum information, or the meaning of ER = EPR.

In Maldacena and Susskind’s paper proposing ER = EPR, they included a sketch that’s become known as the “octopus”: a black hole with tentacle-like wormholes leading to distant Hawking particles that have evaporated out of it. The authors explained that the sketch illustrates “the entanglement pattern between the black hole and the Hawking radiation. We expect that this entanglement leads to the interior geometry of the black hole.”

But according to Matt Visser, a mathematician and general-relativity expert at Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand who has studied wormholes since the 1990s, the most literal reading of the octopus picture doesn’t work. The throats of wormholes formed from single Hawking particles would be so thin that qubits could never fit through. “A traversable wormhole throat is ‘transparent’ only to wave packets with size smaller than the throat radius,” Visser explained. “Big wave packets will simply bounce off any small wormhole throat without crossing to the other side.”

Stanford, who co-wrote the recent paper with Maldacena and Yang, acknowledged that this is a problem with the simplest interpretation of the ER = EPR idea, in which each particle of Hawking radiation has its own tentacle-like wormhole. However, a more speculative interpretation of ER = EPR that he and others have in mind does not suffer from this failing. “The idea is that in order to recover the information from the Hawking radiation using this traversable wormhole,” Stanford said, one has to “gather the Hawking radiation together and act on it in a complicated way.” This complicated collective measurement reveals information about the particles that fell in; it has the effect, he said, of “creating a large, traversable wormhole out of the small and unhelpful octopus tentacles. The information would then propagate through this large wormhole.” Maldacena added that, simply put, the theory of quantum gravity might have a new, generalized notion of geometry for which ER equals EPR. “We think quantum gravity should obey this principle,” he said. “We view it more as a guide to the theory.”

In his 1994 popular science book, Black Holes and Time Warps, Kip Thorne celebrated the style of reasoning involved in wormhole research. “No type of thought experiment pushes the laws of physics harder than the type triggered by Carl Sagan’s phone call to me,” he wrote; “thought experiments that ask, ‘What things do the laws of physics permit an infinitely advanced civilization to do, and what things do the laws forbid?’”

[midnightghostwriter]

ghost of you - taehyung

↬ summary: even after what feels like an eternity, you still can’t let taehyung go, and neither can he seem to leave you.

↬ genre: angst / ghost au

↬ pairing: taehyung x reader

↬ word count: 1.6k

other chapters: jimin

a/n: here’s a mini series i started a while back (two years ago rip) that i thought would be appropriate given the start of the spooky season! i have one more pre-written, and will be trying to finish out scenarios for the other boys as well~ this au was originally inspired by the bts i need u m/v

also i recommend you listen to this song with this chapter if you really feel like angst xD

The train car hummed beneath you as it sped through the inky black world outside. Low chatter of the other few occupants filled the air, like flies buzzing in your ear. Overwhelmed, you stuffed your earbuds into your ears, which helped muffle the noise somewhat. Tired fingers hovered of your phone as you tried to decide what song to play.

As you tapped your phone case in thought, your fingers brushed the keychain attached and you stopped. Pinching it between your thumb and index, you lifted the small gacha toy and its attached companion, turning them over. One had belonged to your sometimes lover Taehyung, who had a childish penchant for things like toys and games. He had won the matching charms in a silly machine at the mall during one of your dates. Though you had scoffed and rolled your eyes at his request for you to both use them, you attached it to your phone case to shut him up.

You fought down the tears that wanted to spring to your eyes, because god forbid you started smearing your mascara and makeup on a public train. But you couldn't stop the memory of him from bringing a sharp pain to your heart. You hadn't been the best girlfriend, if the term could even be used to define you. You had barely tolerated Tae's naturally childish and open personality because he was willing to spoil you so long as you followed his whims from time to time. Most nights when he texted you or asked you to come over or something, you were nowhere to be found. He had been nothing but good to you, and you had snubbed him time and again. The pain he must have felt in trying to hold onto you even when you continued to hurt him was something you couldn't imagine.

The last night you saw him was still as fresh in your mind as if it had happened two days ago instead of two months. You had never been the most loyal lover, especially since you weren't very interested in keeping Taehyung happy. He was just someone fun to be with every now and again. So you had played the field a few times, trying and failing to ease your boredom with other guys. One of them hadn't gotten the message that it was a one time deal, and came to confront you. Things turned violent, and you fought valiantly but it was clear you were on the losing side this time.

Out of nowhere, Tae had shown up, taking a wicked swing at your attacker. You watched with shock as the two men fought. Taehyung grabbed a nearby bottle, smashed it and came at the other guy with it. Drunk as the other male was, he didn't stand a chance, receiving several vicious stabs to the stomach with Tae's makeshift weapon. You knew now that you should have stayed, should have thanked him even, but you were too startled, and instead fled the scene, leaving Tae on his own. It was the last time you saw him alive, covered in blood and looking just as surprised at himself as you were.

You had received the call from Jin the next day. Taehyung had been apparently unable to live with the guilt behind his deed, and jumped off a rig on the pier. Despite the paramedics' best efforts to save his body once recovered from the waters, he had died almost instantly. "...He’s gone, (y/n).”

The other members of Tae's groups hadn't exactly gotten along with you, since the older ones in particular were wise to what was happening, but they still knew what you had meant to him. Though they didn't do much to comfort you, they gave you some of his old things and offered minimal consolation at the funeral. Then they, like him, had left you alone with the ghost of the boy you should have loved, and treated better.

The endless days blurred into weeks full of regret. Getting a chance to look through Taehyung's things had given you all the evidence you needed to win a court case about his love for you. Pictures, ticket stubs; anything and everything from your time together was collected in his room, cherished in safe places. As if the overwhelming number of things had been a catalyst, your heart broke and you realized that if you had looked past his childish behavior, you could have loved him. Maybe a small part of you had. But you were too afraid to accept that someone like him could love you so fully and purely, so you tried every self-destructive thing to push him away. Stupid, stupid, stupid. How could you have been so stupid?

It was these thoughts that came again to you as you stared emptily at the phone charms in your hand, blurred by the tears rising in your eyes. You sniffed, dabbing at your eyes with your sleeve. You'd shed enough tears over this, and they wouldn't help anything now, or ever. With a small shake of your head to try and clear it, you returned to your quest for a song to fill the silence that let you think too much.

"Can't Let You Go is a pretty good one, I think." You jumped a bit, startled by the sudden voice next to you. At the same time, a thread of recognition wove its way down your spine, leaving chills of fear and confusion crawling beneath your skin. Slowly, you lifted your eyes from your lap to the speaker and swallowed a scream.

Kim Taehyung sat in the seat next to you, his signature rectangle smile shining at you. Inexplicably your mind had gone more blank than a fresh sheet of paper, the entire language center of your brain shutting down instantaneously. You blinked rapidly as if that could erase the image you were seeing before you, but he remained.

"T-Tae?" He gently lifted your shaking hand, patting it as some small gesture of comfort. All it succeeded in doing was making you about twenty times more confused. "H-how...?" He laughed a bit.

"I came to see you." The words didn’t exactly answer your question and simply served to bring another to mind, a question you weren't sure you wanted an answer to, but before you could stop yourself, it slipped past your lips.

"From where?" He laughed again, but this time it was more tense. The hand not holding yours ruffled your hair.

"Aish jagi, that's a complicated question. Makes my brain hurt. Let's talk about something else." The words were so casual but they made you feel strange. Something was off, wasn't right, you knew, but you couldn't say what. Silence stretched between you as you struggled to understand the hunch sitting heavily in your brain and he played with your fingers.

"Tae, why did you come to see me?" His eyes met yours, curious. "Why wouldn't I?" Your lips pressed into a line. This wasn't something you wanted to spell out, but...

"I mean... When we were together, I wasn't kind to you. I didn't treat you like you deserved. I was mean, and I-I," your voice broke a bit as you struggled to get the next words out. "I cheated on you, Tae. A lot. I was a horrible girlfriend. Why would you want to come see me?" He set your hand down, smoothing your fingers across your thigh. You could tell he was thinking of how to reply. When he looked at you again, his face was unusually serious.

"Because I love you." Your mouth popped open to argue, but he covered it with one hand. The small childish gesture sent a pang to your heart. It was so very like him. "You're right, you did a lot of awful stuff. It hurt me a lot, and sometimes I wondered why I stayed. But I loved you, jagiya. I still do. And part of being in love is staying with someone through thick and thin." His gaze fell on the phone charms you still held and he grinned. "You kept them!"

"Yeah..." There wasn't much more you felt you could say on the matter. He lifted the one that had been his, pointing to it.

"Just like this charm, I will always be with you. Through everything you face from now on, I won't let you be alone. Okay?" You nodded mutely and he scooped you into a tight hug. As if you were afraid to touch him, you put your hands lightly on his shoulders.

"I'm sorry, Taehyung ah." The choked whisper was muffled by his jacket, the same one he'd worn the night he died. "I'm so sorry I was so horrible to you. You deserved better. I should have been better to you. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." Your stream of apologies broke off as you started sobbing helplessly into his shirt. His arms tightened around you, clutching you even closer as he stroked your hair.

"I forgive you, (y/n) ah."

The train car slammed to a stop and you jolted forward, catching yourself by slapping your palms onto the empty seat next to you. With a start you sat upright, looking around the quiet compartent. There was absolutely no sign that Taehyung had been there, or that any of your fellow passengers had seen what just happened. Slowly you leaned back into your seat, your heart heavy as Junho's words filled your ears where Taehyung's gentle murmurs of comfort had been.

But sometimes, when I hold onto the past memories and cry That means that I can't let you go, let you go From my heart I can't let you go I can't let you go

[iluvzfewdnstoreyz]

The Monster of Ceder Hill

“This may be too big of a post and it kind of spans out over a good chunk of Texas throughout the years, but I don’t really get an outlet for these things so I will include everything with every detail as I can remember them. I would say the first weird, or remotely scary, things that started happening when my family soon moved here from Missouri, was in Cedar Hill.

For the first few years we lived there, everything was pretty uneventful. The area we lived in was a nice neighborhood and every house was in close proximity. Your pretty standard suburban neighborhood I would say. We started hearing really weird sounds around our house. Could have easily have been birds, but it sounded like a combination of an electric saw and a cricket chirp. It was so loud that it sounded as if it was coming from the bushes outside the window, but no one in the house ventured out into the night to see what it was. I am surprised if neighbors didn’t hear it. That’s how loud it was.

Also, my sister would often sleep in my room because she was scared of the dark and we would sit up and look out of the window toward the infamous radio towers of Cedar Hill. Especially during thunderstorms. One night we were doing our usual thing and I had decided to lay down finally and I noticed my sister wasn’t replying to me, or acknowledging what I was saying so I looked up and she had her head pressed firmly against the screen looking down toward the first floor. I sat up and asked, “What are you looking at?”

She didn’t answer, so I scooted closer to the screen to look where she was looking and noticed a shadow of something dash off toward the alley. A lady behind us had floodlights all around her house as a security precaution. Her son played for the Oakland Raiders and for some reason people would harass her or vandalize her home. So, there was plenty of light in our driveway, and even the side of the house, just from her lights. I didn’t see what it was, but it moved fast and the shadow that was cast on the neighbor’s house was almost moving like as if whatever it was floated off as opposed to ran. If that makes sense.

The next day, I asked my sister what she had seen and she described a weird creature she had never seen before. She said it had big eyes, fangs, and something came out of its mouth. YEARS later, I had stumbled across a book about Chupacabras and the image of that thing matched what my sister claimed she saw. I ask her about it today as adults, and she doesn’t remember.

Fast forward a bit more. Our house wasn’t haunted and I wouldn’t ever consider these next two events to be considered a haunting, but they are creepy. My mom had called me downstairs one night and called me into her room. I walk in and on her TV over and over it said, “Shawn did it. Shawn did it. Shawn Did it. Shawn did…” Her and my dad asked me if I did that. And obviously, I didn’t. I had no way of knowing how to do that on a T.V. Even to this day with me being way more tech savvy, I’m unsure of how anyone would actually input just text on the screen.

My sister, still sleeping in my room from fear of the dark, and I would sneak downstairs at night to get food and eat in our rooms because we weren’t allowed to do that. She had got upstairs before I did and again, like the window incident, she was staring at something in my room very intently with a look like “What is that?” on her face. I asked what she was staring at and she looked at me and said, “I don’t know. This thing with big black eyes was standing on your bed and then when it heard you, it sunk down and disappeared.” Needless to say, we slept in her room instead that night.

I don’t know why, but I never told my parents that. I think the last really WEIRD thing I can think of is one day during the beginning of spring when it was still cool enough to have the windows open, I was getting dressed and walking down the stairs. I was just about to pull my shirt over my head. As I looked to my right at one of the open windows and I saw the weirdest set of legs I have ever seen. If I could describe them. They looked like hairless kangaroo/ dog feet, but larger and more stout and bulky. Hell, like a Velociraptor. I would say they looked like that, but not scaly. It looked like skin. I was so shocked and taken back about what I had just seen that I ran and dashed down toward the window to try and see what the hell that was. I couldn’t see anything.

I jumped over the couch and ran straight to the back door. Our fence had blown down from a storm so whatever it was could easily just walk in the backyard. But nothing was there. I was too scared to go outside, but this was broad daylight and in a neighborhood. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. Whatever it was looked like it had only two legs, but I never saw the whole thing so I can’t say it was a bipedal creature, but I have never seen legs like that before, or ever again. As far as Cedar Hill goes, that is about it. My cat one night was at the back door and when I opened it, he motioned for me to follow him and I also found guts of a goat from a nearby farm scattered all over the place in this small batch of trees close to the neighborhood, but that was about it.

As I remember. My friend’s grandparents owned some land in Blum, TX. It was about an hour or so south of Cedar Hill. We would go there often for Thanksgiving and get-togethers. One particular Thanksgiving my friend and I decided to visit the neighbor. This was a huge plot of land, but the neighbor’s house and property line were close to theirs, so you could actually see his house from theirs despite both properties taking up many acres. He had told us to be careful because there was a panther around the area. When he said that, he said it kind of as if he was unsure of what he was saying, but I didn’t question it much. We hung around and talked with him and his daughter arrived with her son and he took us up this hill where he and his brother would play hide and seek. We get to the top of the hill and there is a big opening within the trees and what looked like a bunch of dead fish hanging from a clothesline and small trailer home.

On his grandpa’s property. He said it was weird and he had never seen it before. Right at that moment in the tree line, we heard bipedal footsteps closing in on us. We immediately ran down a trail, further from his grandpa’s property. I had no idea where we were going, but I was the fastest and they were behind me following me. Despite us running in fear and potentially for our lives, my friend was screaming and crying that The Blair Witch was behind us and it was going to kill us. He was in tears crying. I, however, was laughing. Telling him that it wasn’t real and it was faked for the movie. “No! It’s not! It’s real and it’s behind us!!”

As I’m laughing I look down this hill and I see my friend’s grandparents house and I see our family and friends outside. So, we slid down. Dropped in said hello and went back to the neighbors. We told him what we had seen and he looked extremely puzzled because no one should have been up there on his property. On this same spot of land, down at the front of the property, was where my other friend and his family lived. He was tired so he left to go walk to his house and he came back shortly later saying that he thinks he saw that Panther. However, he said, “I thought it was a big black dog. It just stared at me. So, I turned back and came back here.” It was only a couple of years ago I learned that here in Texas many people had been seeing black panthers, but ended up being these things called “Dogmen”. I’m not saying my friend didn’t see a Panther, but he specifically said he thought it was a big black dog. I asked him about it a few months ago and he laughed through text said: “Oh, yeah I remember that!” I immediately asked him, “Were you sure it was a panther and not a doglike creature or something?” never answered me. He read the message but never replied.

The last incident on this property was me and my first friend I mentioned. (The one who was sure Blair Witch was gunning for us). We were outside, at night, chilling with our BB Guns when something with some sort of incredibly fast ability darted from some brush, into another set of brush. Almost instantaneously his aunt came out of the house and hurried us inside. I remember she had an attitude like she was scared for us. I don’t know why she did that with such urgency, but her timing was very odd. My sister spent more time there than I did. She said they always heard some crazy weird stuff out there.

Fast forwarding a few years. My dad had lost his job and ended up finding a temporary one in San Antonio. So, of course, we had to move. I read a story on here last night about this weird kid off of Hearne Ave in San Antonio and it reminded me of this. We moved next door to this one weird family. They kept to themselves and I think I hardly ever heard them talk. Their house looked creepy too. It was always the creepiest, darkest house on the block in comparison to the rest. Their son’s name was Nelson, and I only knew that because my sister met him at some point. But she said his dad made him go inside.

The kid wasn’t odd looking, but he had the longest hair I have ever seen any boy have. It was down to his butt and he was maybe the same age as my sister (12 at the time). One time I went over there to see if he wanted to come out and the dad answered and just like the story of Hearne Ave, their house was very dark inside and they only opened the door slightly. I hardly ever even seen them leave. I would see Nelson in the backyard sometimes playing by himself, but he never talked to me. I also want to note that I always heard what sounded like footsteps on my roof. Not on the ceiling, but on the roof. Of course, I never ventured out to see what it was.

The rest of my time there was pretty uneventful as far as spooky stuff goes, but we eventually moved back up to north TX where I now currently reside. The last bit of this involves, of all things, what I believe to have been a Bigfoot. In of all places, Benbrook. Benbrook isn’t a rural area, it has some woods, but it also isn’t deep forest like you’d think would be an ideal place for a Sasquatch. My friends and I would always try and go camping when it got cold and Benbrook was free and for a bunch of teenagers with no money, you can’t beat free.

The original spot we went to ended up becoming pay to stay and we just spent all of our money on hot dogs and booze to drink for our underage shenanigans. So, we found a new spot. My friend was gathering up some wood sometime after the sun went down and he calls to me in a frantic tone. He tells me to bring a flashlight and hurry. So, I do. I leave the rest of our group and run to him which was a short distance away. He had me shine the light way up into the trees. Way higher than 6ft. I asked what the deal was and he said “Dude. I swear I saw something large go from that tree to that tree.” The trees were small. Way too small to hide something large. They were too small to hide a child. So, perhaps whatever it was hit the ground? Maybe it even saw me coming with the light and dashed off? I’ve always been a firm believer in the unexplained and I am not above the existence of a Bigfoot. Gathering information over the years. These things tend to be a lot faster and way more agile than one thinks. They’re also not often far from civilization apparently. Benbrook is not far from Downtown Fort Worth.

If you get to the right spot, you can see Fort Worth. Hardly a deep forested place you’d expect to run into something as large as a Bigfoot. Anyway, back to the story. This new spot was actually pretty cool. So the following year we went back but this time a little further up than where we were. We had seen a huge shooting star and we all cracked jokes about how it was an alien ship. At this moment, we started hearing heavy footsteps in the tree line across the creek from us. Anyone who has ears can hear the difference in bipedal steps and something on 4 legs. This was clearly two legs. It walked around us as much as it could but never coming to the treeline within range of the firelight. It stopped and we never heard it leave. Whatever it was. A homeless person? Some kids? Could have been anything, but it was clearly on two feet.

That pretty much sums up my stories. I hope the post isn’t too long. I have many others, but they occurred outside of Texas. As well do most of the people in my family. I noticed on this site that a lot of stuff seems to be happening in The Valley (Donna, Mcallen, Harlingen). And guess where I gotta go for a wedding next year? Hopefully, that trip will be uneventful and flying humanoid free.”