#this timeline is nonsense but it makes sense to me

[craorag]

I'm so annoyed 😔 I've been making a (not that good tbh) dc au in my head with a whole brand new timeline n everything but, at some point i went and made characters that i'm not completely familiar with and plotlines i haven't read, important to this au. Like I've been adding to this for well over a year (could be 2?), everytime i watch or read something i get to spend the next few weeks imagining it before i go to sleep and seeing where this new information fits into the timeline, if it does at all. And it's great fun even if it's a pretty silly story atp. But now everytime i go to bed and i want to add to it I'm stuck! Because the last additions haven't been properly added! Idk how this bit goes because idk this character well enough to know how they would react in these new circumstances. I don't actually know the specifics of the last plotline i worked into the timeline. And i can't add anything new till these pieces are sorted 😭

[augustheart]

one eternally frustrating thing about comics is that sometimes an issue will be really good for fleshing something out about a character you love while at the same time absolutely obliterating an aspect of a different character you love's characterization. and you just have to take this shit lying down

[lenievi]

I understand that this might not be what others think, but this is where I am now:

humanity evolved, went to space, Spock was born, Spock started Vulcan-Romulan unification

for Spock to be able to do that, The Eugenics wars needed to happen, because the technological progress was important for space travel

now, in the future, some Romulans didn’t like the unification, didn’t like that Kirk stopped the war between the Romulans and the Federation a few times. So time travel they did

nothing too obvious, just blowing up bridges, labs (they might not even be time-travelling Romulans, just current time Romulans who were ordered to go there because a time traveler told the Praetor, or something) [There were no Romulans hindering humanity’s progress in the TOS timeline imho] and hindering the progress

now, Sera, the Romulan, did not like the slow progress. She travelled back in time, to the 1990s, but those times were already changed by other Romulans. 

But the universe wants stuff in order - and those are: the existence of Khan, Eugenics wars, Kirk in charge of the Enterprise at a precise time in history, Spock alive and in a position where he can start Vulcan-Romulan unification (when these don’t exist, Federation and the Romulans enter the war and that isn’t supposed to happen)

in current SNW timeline, there was no Khan born from selective breeding and ruling a part of Earth in the 1990s (and La’an doesn’t exist in the original TOS timeline). Someone stopped that. In 2020s, a boy named Khan exists, who might be genetically engineered as an embryo (and La’an is his descendant).

and the universe will push so that between 2265-70, Kirk is in command of the Enterprise. So Spock stays alive. Whenever something happens to change that, it will be corrected, but it will bring changes. 

snw1 finale was also affected by that. That’s why the old Romulan was missing. That’s why the Romulan fleet was so close. There was an opportunity in that skirmish, and Romulans were right. They could go to war.

TOS happened in the way it happened. It exists, or perhaps it’s a timeline that ceased to exist. We had the privilege to watch it unfold, but it won’t ever happen again, no matter how many prequels we’ll be able to watch. The characters will arrive at the same destination, but the paths might be altered; they will be slightly different people because they went through slightly different experiences.

When Nero and Spock travelled back in time, they already came into a different timeline. Where Khan’s history was different from the one in Space Seed. Nero just changed the course of some characters, but they aligned themselves. They all ended up on the Enterprise, after some pushes.

like idk maybe I’m reaching, but it works really well for me (but I also don’t watch any other Trek shows, only those TOS related. I just like that SNW gave me the ability to see SNW and TOS in this way, and it is a valid reading.

And it could make SNW so much better because they don’t need to line up everything 100% with TOS, just the key factors. I do think one of the showrunners said “storytelling is above canon”  and sure, therefore say that TOS is a different timeline and you can do anything you want. It isn’t that hard. People will then stop arguing and nitpicking, instead of just guessing and having two groups argue.

(kinda funny how my addition to this silly thought post kinda became canon-ish)

(I mean it won’t really change anything in the way I talk about TOS or SNW, but I like the idea. And I might stop nitpicking lol)

[ganondoodle]

ok im sorry, i usually try to be respectful of other people theories and such and mind my own business, but this just irks me on a personal level

if you HAVE to connect the darn timelines its

-> 'old timeline with all the old zelda games' -> enough time for everyone to forget and outlive anything of the old timeline -> totk (past) -> 10 000 years ago calamity (the hell is that time frame anyway) -> botw -> totk (present)

any other argument doesnt make a lick of sense and i never thought it would have to think about it; totk (past) map and the present one are literall 1:1 copies, the only thing that changed was surface level built structures, hell, no zoras nor ritos NOT EVEN GERUDO existed in sksw, but you know who didnt change even a little bit in over 10 000 years? zoras and ritos and gerudos from past and present totk! there would have been multiple ganondorfs and ganons (and DEMISE) in the meantime if you cram totk (past) into the old timeline fuckery (which also isnt possible bc we know urbosa said there hasnt been a male gerudo in any recorded history despite it being said there should be one, bc gans been sealed by rauru so no new one can be born), hyrules beens changed and destroyed, newly founded multiple times again in between that and yet it looks like a literal copy of botw?? what??

rauru and sonia founding THIS hyrule makes them the FIRST king and queen of THIS hyrule, who knows how longs its been before that happened, all other history that might have happened in the past (old timeline) has long since been forgotten, they probably dont even know theres been other hyrules before and came up with that name on their own even, and while its fun to theorize around with all the extra amiibo stuff in totk its very clearly just all neat things to find with no deeper meaning attached to it the totk past being called the imprisoning war isnt something unique either, just bc its called that doesnt mean its meant to be the one they mentioned somewhere before, you could call the war with demise and hylia imprisoning war, you also do the same to the one from twilight princess if you wanna same principle as 'hyrule' being a NAME before a place, if you are warring to imprison some evil entity ... why wouldnt you call it imprisoning (or sealing as its in german) war?? we know the zelda franchise operates on completely different timeframes so of course theres stuff thats gonne get lost to history, how would you know there was an imprisoning war before? you got one now so you call it that now

all similarites to skyward sword should be treated as such as well imo, its the 'new' beginning of this 'new' timeline long long after the others (if connected at all), bc why wouldnt you reuse themes or neat ideas of the old games; the forgotten temple and the springs too, they got stuff in botw/totk from all games bc they wanted to reconnect it all so this whole kuddelmuddel is finally not something they have to argue with over and over

whatever they are messing up now is an entirely new mess and whatever references are in this new mess should either be treated as purely references for nostalgias sake, theme reuse, or as a "hey we wanted to realign it all so the timelines merged, a long ass time has passed since then and no one remembers any of it, not does it matter, this is a 'new start' without erasing the past and while some remnats might exist here and there they are there more for your enjoyment than any timeline placement (please leave us alone) have fun with this new game"

if you have to cut off all the lil knobs on a puzzle piece to forcefully fit it into and already finished puzzle chances are it shouldnt be there

wait does the thing that some people think totk (or the stuff in the past) takes place before all other zelda games really just come from rauru and sonia founding hyrule??

hyrules been newly founded and switched places multiple times tho, plus this is an entirely new ""timeline"" anyway

botw + totk are their own thing with lots of references to other games bc funney referenceeee really, i doubt there was supposed to be any kind of deeper connection

(lets ignore the fact that they made botw to be a sort of soft reset and connect it all back together and then made its sequel do time fuckery AGAIN messing it all up again considering the continuity problems with them both .... and causing people to think they have to cram totks past parts into the old timeline somehow)

[wolfsong-the-bloody-beast]

As a Rookanis lover, I've got to say that I enjoy seeing affectionate Lucanis from the external perspective on a different playthrough. It's something you can't see while romancing him with Rook, because he wouldn't tell them how much he wanted to get it right and how nervous he was about it, because he wants to look good for them.

But he totally fusses over preparing the dessert for his sweetheart. Which is adorable. And he does not like it when you later tell Neve that he got flustered over it. He wants to make a good impression.

And I can't believe people say you can't be evil in this game when you can straight up lie to him that it's a bad idea. :( That's an option for Rooks who like kicking puppies.

Also...

Assassin mode: On. 😆

An interesting difference I found here is that this is the point where Rook's romance with Lucanis locks in, and they officially become a couple. Rook recognizes what he's trying to say, likely thanks to all the previous experiences they've shared together - besides all the time spent together, getting to know each other, at this point they've almost kissed, and Lucanis also admits to having feelings for Rook during Inner Demons. The romance lock-in for him and Neve happens later, though. In my playthrough (where my Grey Warden Rook romanced Davrin but still saved Treviso), it actually happened waaay later, probably because I did Inner Demons soon after it became available, and the romance lock-in scene for them happened after Blood of Arlathan. (I haven't played enough yet to know whether it always happens this way, but I assume you can postpone or switch order for certain quests, which will affect your timeline for this.) So, with Neve, he may take significantly longer than with Rook.

And that is not meant to be any commentary on the quality of the relationships. I'm just observing the bird man for science. Especially because I've seen some people say that he doesn't act consistently between his romance with Rook and Neve. But... I don't think so? He still takes it slow in both cases. This is one of the examples. But of course, Rook and Neve are two different individuals that get involved with Lucanis under different circumstances and from different positions in the team, so it makes sense that the progression is not completely the same. Lucanis' relationship is flavoured by his partner, but they both make him happy and they're both equally valid.

I've also repeatedly seen some nonsense takes about how Rook's romance with Lucanis is supposedly inferior to Neve's, how he ignores Rook's affection, and isn't actually that much into them, which is honestly insane to me, because Lucanis expresses interest in Rook way before the scene with the dessert. Not only does he eagerly play along with Rook's flirting during their first coffee date, he initiates it. Most of the time, Rook's "flirting" takes the form of caring, expressing concern, and showing support. Lucanis is not used to that and he's also experiencing the horrors 24/7. But it is him that tells them that they always manage to cheer him up ("How do you always do that?" - "Do what?" - "Break apart my perfectly gathered clouds of doom.") and when they keep being supportive, he pins them against the wall. He straight up tells Rook that he doesn't want to lose them in Inner Demons. And I could go on. All that happens before the point when he starts courting Neve on a playthrough where they become a couple. Neve gets one cute dialogue cutscene with him and a few lines of dialogue/banter, because she's a companion. There's no reason to be jelly.

But back to the post.

From what I've gathered, it seems that the first pie didn't do the trick with Neve. I imagine they still spent nice time together, but from their actual lock-in scene later, it's clear that Lucanis didn't express his interest yet (or maybe didn't do it clearly enough, because his style is pushing a snack your way and hoping you'll get the message), or Neve wasn't ready to/didn't pick up on it. After the scene with the dessert (after Inner Demons) with Rook, Lucanis writes in his 4th logbook entry about spending time with them late at night. But with Neve, it's just this:

No mention of spending time with her yet.

When Rook and Lucanis become a couple, he makes this addition in the same logbook entry:

Which is another reason why it's clear they're just not there with Neve yet at this point. Also because Lucanis then prepares another pie later for her, and that's when they finally admit they like each other. But that's something for another post.

Also, I will tolerate no clowning towards Neve on this post. We love and respect Neve in this house. Sometimes she's my boyfriend's girlfriend, and sometimes she's also my girlfriend. I will protect. I'm writing this for fun, because I want to study the bird man from all angles. It's good extra material for my Rookanis headcanons. I also assume not everybody has done multiple playthroughs, so I thought maybe other people could appreciate it.

[hrrtshape]

what happens to your cr self when you shift ?? and not like in the sense of existing, because i know i will forever exist here, but like is this version of my aware that i have shifted ?? or not ?? and even if so, am i still aware it exists, and is that version of me still shifting to another version of my dr ?? i’m not even sure if that makes sense ..

anyways i love your account !! sorry if i’m a bother and you’ve already spoken about this !!

the severance theory: what happens to your cr self?

before we begin....this is my opinion. mine. sole proprietorship. if you don’t like it, there’s the door. i am merely trying to make sense of something inherently, spectacularly, almost comically nonsensical.

recap for the uninitiated: "severance" (2022, apple tv+, a show nobody but me and three other freaks watched) is a psychological sci-fi corporate dramedy where workers at lumen industries voluntarily undergo a procedure that bifurcates their consciousness. on the severed floor, their "innie" only exists within work hours, trapped in a loop of pressing buttons and unhinged corporate cultism. their "outie," the version of them that exists in the world, remembers nothing of this. two people. same body. separate lives. neither self fully aware of the other beyond the vague, gnawing sense that something is missing. you see where i’m going with this?

so, the question at hand: when you shift, does your cr self know? and if not, what does that mean for the structural integrity of selfhood?

this is where we invoke what i am now calling severance theory. your cr self is the innie, the poor sod trapped in the fluorescent hellscape of baseline reality, totally unaware that just beyond the horizon, another version of them is thriving, utterly unencumbered. meanwhile, your dr self is the outie, the one who gets to make all the interesting choices, fully conscious of the shift, but completely oblivious to what’s happening back in cr.

but. unlike severance, shifting is a closed loop. the amnesia isn’t true amnesia. it’s temporary, elastic, self-healing. it’s not a locked door; it’s a revolving one.

꒰  the process goes something like this. . .

innie mode :  when you shift, your cr self keeps on keeping on, utterly unaware. there is no pause. no frozen simulation. no eerie existential vacancy. they are still out there, paying bills or studying, scrolling tiktok, making bad decisions. but they are unaware that another iteration of themselves is in another reality, absolutely ransacking the timeline.

outie mode :  your dr self, however, is in the know. you know you’ve shifted. you’re there, in it, full presence. but, and here’s the catch, you don’t know what your cr self is doing in the meantime. the door only swings one way.

reintegration :  when you shift back, there is no oh, right, i was a guy in a tie the whole time? moment of disorientation. no fumbling around for context. your awareness simply knits itself back together. suddenly, you have both sets of memories, not layered on top of each other, but seamlessly interwoven. like you were never divided at all.

so what does this mean? i don't know. it means shifting is not a true severance, but a temporary schism with a built-in repair function. a fault line that immediately seals the moment you return. the memory syncs, the thread pulls taut, and you are simply whole again, with no jagged edges, no lingering gaps, no awkwardly misplaced time.

what should be impossible isn’t. you should not be able to be two people in two places at once, to hold two distinct timelines without one dissolving under the weight of the other. and yet. and yet.

severance, but make it reversible. shifting, but make it quantum entanglement. you, but in two places at once, until you are not. until you are only ever where you are. until you are everything you have ever been, folded neatly into a single breath.

questions that you might have. . . now answered!!!

꒰  if shifting is like severance, then why do i remember my dr after shifting back? wouldn’t my ‘innie’ forget everything?

because severance (in its original form) is a corporate lobotomy. shifting is more like a temporary partition that gets fully and perfectly reintegrated the moment you shift back. your dr self doesn’t have access to your cr self in real time, and vice versa, but the moment you return, the wall collapses. the data was never deleted, just… in a restricted folder.

꒰  does my cr self experience time differently while i’m in my dr?

depends on what you're scripting // initiating. your cr self is living its best (or worst) life completely unaware that another part of you is off being a regency-era freak or whatever. time runs parallel. your cr self is on autoplay, not pause.

꒰  is my cr self technically a different person when i’m in my dr?

no, because when you return, you don’t feel like you’re integrating with a stranger. your consciousness just knows what both versions of you did. think of it like opening a tab you forgot was running in the background. it never stopped, you just weren’t looking at it.

꒰  does this mean my cr self can shift to other drs while i’m in my dr??

stop confusing me!!!!!!!!! ok. see. this is where we start getting into the existential quagmire. theoretically....... yes. your cr self isn’t paused. if shifting is possible in your reality, why wouldn’t they be capable of it? but you wouldn’t be aware of it in the moment, just like you aren’t aware of your dr while living in your cr. it would only surface when you reintegrate. horrifying. fascinating. moving on.

꒰  but what if my cr self is aware of my shifting?

i have zero idea how that would happen because i myself do not yet understand if our cr selves can know that. but.....congratulations. redpilled guy.

꒰  if my dr self is the ‘outie,’ shouldn’t they have more control over my cr self?

wrong question. your dr self is the outie only while you’re in the dr (unless you're one of those people with a lifa app). the second you shift back, the roles collapse. you're just you again.

꒰  why does reintegration happen instantly? why don’t i have to ‘process’ both sets of memories?

because your consciousness was never actually split. it was just partitioned. the second the barrier lifts, everything slides back into place. no buffering, no awkward ‘let me think about this’ moment. you just know. it’s as natural as breathing.

꒰  what happens if i shift permanently? is my cr self just… abandoned?

this is where things can get slightly intimidating. theoretically, your cr self would keep going, but you’d never reintegrate (unless you decide to shift back). i think you'd still remember your dr. unless, once again, you choose to script that out.

꒰  does this theory mean that my cr self has their own personality, separate from my dr self?

no, because you’re still the same person. the difference between cr-you and dr-you is just context. you in a victorian gothic novel isn’t going to be the same as you in a cyberpunk dystopia, but at the core, they are still you.

[fluff-lover]

The one that got away | Wolverine x fem!Reader

Summary: Your boyfriend broke up with you. Luckily your neighbor and good friend Wade is there to cheer you up. And his good looking roommate is a bonus.

This is based on this Reddit story

Warning: mature language, heartache, bad writing (does that count?), fluff!

This is my first fanfic on Tumblr, and English is not my first language, so please be gentle :P

You've never cried this hard in your life. So hard it left you completely drained, wondering if people could really die of a broken heart. Your head was pounding, your face was red and puffy, your hair was a mess because you couldn’t muster the strength to do the most basic things like taking care of it for the last week.

You felt defeated knowing that you were about to walk into an empty home. You unlocked the door and took a deep breath before looking into your apartment. Everywhere you looked you saw bits and pieces of him. Him. The man you shared the last few years of your life with, the man you thought you would marry.

Just as you were about to step inside, you heard the door next to yours open.

“Hey babycakes!” your neighbor said. “I haven’t seen you around lately.”

You took a deep breath and forced a smile, barely looking his way.

“Hi Wade.” You said softly. “Just been busy.”

One of the things Wade appreciated about you is that you weren't the type to look away from him. In a world where people looked at him with disgust, he appreciated and befriended those who wouldn't look away. So when you avoided looking at him, he knew something was wrong.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, what's going on? Did you see someone kick a puppy or something?”

You didn't even bother trying to contain yourself, you were just too tired.

“Ben dumped me.” you managed to choke out as you slumped on the door frame.

Wade’s demeanor changed entirely. You two were good friends, even if sometimes you felt like you couldn't fully understand him. He was a mutant. He was THE Deadpool, the merc with a mouth. His sense of humor was more inappropriate than it was funny, and you couldn't relate to most of the things he went through, but you were still there for him, you still treated him like a person.

You were his friend, and one of the few people he fought so far to save the world for when the TVA threatened to shut your whole timeline down.

“What in the ass?” Wade said before walking to you and wrapping an arm around your shoulders. You cried on his shoulder harder, only now realizing how lonely you felt in the past few days. “Come here.” Wade gently guided you to his -blind Al's- apartment and sat you down on the couch.

“What's going on?” a gruff voice said. You looked up to see Logan walk into the living room with a confused look on his usually frowned face. You wiped your tears with embarrassment. You hadn't known Logan for long, just a few weeks after he moved in with Wade and Al. So the fact that he saw you cry made you feel a little bit awkward.

“I'll tell you what's going on.” Wade said as he walked to the kitchen. “We're gonna have a girls’ night in, and she’s gonna tell us all about the fuckface that made her cry. And then Imma go fuck him up because no one messes with my family.”

Logan growled lowly at the “girls’ night” part, but didn't make an attempt to leave. Instead he sat down on a chair backwards to your left. When Wade walked out of the kitchen he was carrying a pizza box and a six pack.

“Oh Wade, no… I don't want to bother you. Either of you.” You said shyly.

“Nonsense.” Wade said before sitting down on the couch next to you. Logan quickly opened three beers with one of his claws and placed them on the coffee table. “You were there for me when Vanessa dumped me. Now I'm gonna be here for you. Start from the beginning, what happened?”

You took a deep breath and gripped your own knees in an attempt to ground yourself.

“A few weeks ago Ben ran into his ex. They were highschool sweethearts, and all throughout college, but after college they went their separate ways. So when he ran into her and told me he wanted to catch up with her after so many years I didn’t think much of it.” You shook your head, lips trembling. “But a couple of weeks later I came home to Ben packing his things. He said that he had been reconnecting with her and that he realized that he regretted ever letting her go. She's the one that got away. He told me he didn't mean to hurt me but life's giving him a second chance with her and that he had to take it.” You said and sobbed.

“He sounds like a real idiot.” Logan said before taking a sip of his beer. Meanwhile Wade handed you a napkin to wipe your tears away.

“I'm the idiot.” You said sadly. “I shouldn't have let him go meet her.”

“Hey, now, don't say that.” Wade said. “This is not your fault, you hear me? He made a stupid choice, he's a moron. What does this girl have that you don't have? Beer flavored nipples?”

“Ben did say she was prettier.” You replied, your heart breaking as you remembered that painful conversation.

“So he's a blind idiot.” Logan said. His comment made you feel better.

“When did this happen?” Wade asked.

“Last Thursday, why?”

Wade gasped dramatically.

“Buttercup, today is Tuesday! Why didn't you tell us sooner?”

“I didn't want to bother you.” You repeated.

“We could've spend the weekend eating trash food, getting drunk, building snowmen-”

“There’s no snow.” you pointed out.

“He means cocaine.” Logan said.

“Oh…”

“-watching reruns of Golden Girls.” Wade carried on ignoring the two of you.

“I don't do drugs.” You felt the need to clarify to Logan. He just shrugged and sipped his beer. Wade's weird comments didn't faze him anymore.

“...We could've slash his tires, steal his cat.” Wade carried on with a dreamy look on his face as he looked far away, in his own world.

“He doesn't have a cat.” You said confused.

“... and all of that, if you had come to me sooner, babycakes.” Wade finished dramatically. “You didn't have to go through this alone, I'm right next door.”

You couldn't help but smile a little bit at that.

“I know. Thank you, Wade.”

“Where's the guy now?” Logan asked and your shoulders’ dropped.

“I think he moved in with her.”

Logan arched an eyebrow, looking unimpressed.

“Do you want us to kick his ass for you?” He then asked. You were shocked by his offer. You would’ve expected it from Wade, but not from the Wolverine. Your breakup surely was the least of his problems. But at least you felt less alone.

“Thank you, but no. I’m sure karma will get him eventually.”

“Are we talking about luck, or the mutant named Karma?” Wade asked and then laughed. “Never mind, either way he’s fucked.”

-

Life didn’t get any easier the following days, you were still heartbroken, but at least you didn’t spend the evenings completely alone. Instead of going home after work, you would stop by your neighbor’s and hang around for a little bit. Blind Al told you that of all the motherfuckers in the building, she liked you the most -you weren’t sure that was compliment-.

Wade… well, he was Wade. But you knew his heart was in the right place.

And Logan… he didn’t talk much, obviously, but at least you could tell he didn’t entirely hate you. He would tell Wade to fuck off whenever he crossed a line with his dark, twisted sense of humor at your expense. He offered you a drink when you were around, even if it meant sharing his precious bourbon. Overall he wasn’t the killing machine Wade made him to be.

Even Vanessa stopped by one day by Wade’s request to take you out for some shopping and ice cream. You liked Vanessa, she was badass but kind. Beautiful, but not arrogant. And despite life’s hardships, she was very sweet to you. You didn’t tell her but deep down you were hoping she and Wade would get back together.

A day out with another woman was just what you needed to feel a little bit better. Maybe a man broke your heart, but you still had friends in your corner, and that meant you didn’t live a loveless life.

-

You paced around the apartment nervously, your front teeth chewing your thumbnail as you tried to pull yourself together.

Ben had just texted you to tell you he would be picking up the rest of his stuff in a few minutes, and you just wanted to pull out your hair and scream. You weren’t ready to see him. You weren’t ready to talk to him.

Just as you were about to panic, you heard heavy steps down the hallway and some odd grunting. Then there was some cursing. When you looked outside your door you found Logan trying to open his door with one of his claws.

“Everything okay?”

“Yeah…” Logan said tiredly. “Fucking Wade took my key without telling me and now I can’t get in.” He growled at the keyhole as it had personally offended him.

“I have a spare key, hang on.” You said before retreating into your apartment to retrieve said key. Logal walked to your door, and without stepping into the apartment, he looked around. When you returned you found him eyeing a couple of boxes by your door.

“You movin’ somewhere?” He asked.

“No, these are Ben’s. He’s picking them up in a little bit.” You replied while offering him the key.

Logan went to grab it, and you could’ve sworn he took his sweet time running his fingers down your hand to take it. Suddenly something changed, the air was charged with some sort of static that ran across your skin. Time seemed to stop, and you didn’t realize but the two of you stared at each other for what felt like years.

Only then you noticed how sad his eyes were.

Wade always went on and on about him being grumpy and having a murderous look on his face, and while you could agree that Logan was the serious type and you had yet to see him laugh, you never noticed the sadness in his eyes. You knew there was something behind said sadness, Wade had warned you that Logan’s past was traumatic and violent, and that he was on a long road to recovery that he may never reach. You never asked questions, but now you wished you did.

You also noticed how handsome he was. Rugged and manly, so different from Ben, who had this boyish charm to him.

Eventually, after what felt like a century, Logan looked away.

“Thanks.” He said lifting the key in the air. “Are you fine with him coming here?”

Your first instinct was to say yes, but your mouth moved faster.

“No, not really. I’m not sure I’m ready to see him yet.” You replied and wrapped your arms around yourself, embarrassed by your own weakness.

Logan simply looked at you up and down before stepping into your apartment and walking past you. You blinked and closed the door behind you.

“I’ll stay, make sure you’re okay.” Logan said, as if that was enough of an explanation.

“Oh, you don’t have to…” you started.

“I’m not asking.” He said before taking his jacket off and sitting down by your kitchen counter.

“Um… alright…” You walked to the fridge. “Would you like something to drink? How about a snack?”

“I’ll take a beer.” He replied. So you took two cans from the fridge and handed him one.

“How did you know I’d have beer?” You asked jokingly.

“Wade talks about you a lot, I just picked a few things here and there.” He said with a shrug and then took a sip.

“He talks about you a lot too.” You commented. Again, something shifted in his eyes. For a second you thought he looked panicked. “All good things.” You added.

Logan turned his face and looked away.

“Right.” He mumbled.

“I mean it.” You pressed. “He worships you, in his own weird, Wade-like way.”

Logan looked back at you and saw the sincerity in your eyes.

“So, if you’re not ready to see your ex, why is he coming to pick his shit now?” He quickly changed the subject.

“He didn’t give me much of a choice. He just announced he was coming over.” You shrugged.

“And you didn’t tell him to fuck off?” Logan scoffed.

“I mean… I wanted to. But he has the right to collect his things… right?” You said unsure. Logan arched an eyebrow.

“I don’t think he has the right to anything after what he did to you. He’s lucky you’re sweet and kind, anyone else would've told him to go fuck himself. Personally I would’ve burnt his shit.”

You smiled and tilted your head.

“You think I’m sweet and kind?” You said teasingly.

“Shut up.” He replied before downing his beer.

Wade was right, Logan did have that whole “don't get too close, I'll only break your heart” vibe going on.

“Sometimes I wish I could tell him to shove it, I do.” You confessed. “I want him to hurt too, to hurt as much as I do. But…” you looked down.

“But that’s just not you.” Logan concluded. Looking at him through your eyelashes, you nodded your head.

You stared at him and again you could see the sadness behind his eyes. You were both broken, unable to put yourselves together, but wishing you could help the other.

A knock on the door made you jump on your skin and break the little bubble you were in.

Logan got up and squared his shoulders.

Suddenly he seemed taller -even taller than he already was-. Is like all of a sudden he could look a thousand times more intimidating than he did moments ago. He wasn’t just Logan. He was the Wolverine.

“I’ll take it, bub.” He said before walking to the door.

“What?” you asked confused

“Just stay there and let me handle it.” He told you and you watched frozen as he took off his plaid shirt.

You couldn’t help but stare at his muscular torso in nothing but a white wife beater.

“What are you doing?”

“I don’t want blood on my shirt.” He replied.

You opened your eyes widely.

“WHAT?!”

“Relax.” He smirked. “I’m just messing with ‘ya.” he chuckled before opening the door.

The look on Ben’s face when he saw a tall, brooding, muscular man opening your door was priceless.

“The fuck are you?” Logan asked, pretending not to know already.

“I-I’m Ben.”

“Okay Ben.” Logan said annoyed. “What the fuck do you want?”

Ben looked around the hall confused.

“Did I get the wrong apartment? Is this 3B?”

“Yeah.” Logan replied.

“I was supposed to pick up some boxes…”

“Hey, gorgeous!” Logan called out loudly before turning to look at you over his shoulder. “You know this kid?” He asked in a condescending tone.

Ben’s face went red as the situation got more and more awkward.

“Um yeah…” You walked to the door, playing along. “Logan, this is Ben. Ben, Logan.” You introduced them quickly. “Your boxes are right there.” You added pointing to the side.

“Right. Good. Okay.” Ben stumbled on his words. “I got some of your things too.” He went to pick up your box, not without any struggle. “Careful, is heavy.”

Logan took the box easily with just one hand.

“I’ll take this.” He said before turning around. “Don’t take long, gorgeous.” As if Ben’s manhood wasn’t wounded enough, Logan spanked your ass playfully, like he had some sort of claim on you. You jumped a little bit, surprised by his bold action.

Looking back at Ben, you could tell he didn’t want to be there. Poor thing looked like he was ready to run for the hills. He quickly picked up the two boxes.

“So you… um…” He didn’t know what to say. “You and him?”

His question made you angry, and for the first time you decided to put your foot down.

“You lost the right to ask questions long ago Ben.” You said before slamming the door on his face.

When you turned around you found Logan looking damn pleased with himself. He had a cocky smile on his face.

“You did that on purpose.” You accused him, with no real anger in your voice.

“Do what, exactly?”

You scoffed and rolled your eyes.

“You know exactly what.”

“You said you wanted him to hurt, right? Trust me, no man wants to walk to his ex-girlfriend’s door and find another man.” He said proudly before downing the rest of his beer.

“Especially not one as handsome as you.” You added. Clearly he wasn’t expecting that, because he choked on his drink.

You could be bold too.

“Aaaaanyway…” You said before putting the box on the table and opening it as if calling him that was the most natural thing ever.

Logan watched you pull out your things from the box as you checked everything was there.

“Toothbrush, shampoo, pijamas…”

“Um…” Logan cleared his throat as he picked something from the box.

Your eyes almost popped out of your skull when you saw him holding a lace red teddy you once bought to wear for Ben.

“Jesus!” you snatched it from his fingers, your face warming up due to the embarrassment, and threw it back into the box.

“That guy really don’t know how lucky he was it until he fucked up, uh?” Logan said playfully.

“Not really.” You said shyly. “He didn’t like it.”

Logan stared at you for a moment.

“What kind of man doesn’t like a beautiful woman in lingerie?”

As if your face wasn’t hot enough already, you thought it would explode when he called you beautiful.

“I dunno. He said I looked silly in it.” you shrugged, as if it wasn’t a big deal. But it was a big deal. Huge! You remembered wanting to do something special for one of your anniversaries, and you wanted to look sexy, since after a few years together your sex life wasn’t as fulfilling as it was during the first few months of your relationship. It really hurt when Ben didn’t look interested, saying you didn’t need silly outfits to get him to bed. Ben thought he was complimenting you, but you took it as a hit to your self esteem.

There was a long silence as you kept looking into the box. You weren’t looking for anything in particular, you just were trying to look busy. You could feel Logan’s eyes burning the side of your face as he stared at you.

Then his hands found yours and he stopped you. You looked up at him and your heart jumped at the intensity he was looking at you with.

“I know that right now it doesn’t feel like it because you're still hurting, but I assure you it’s a good thing you two aren’t together anymore. You deserve better. You deserve a real man that knows he’s the luckiest motherfucker on this earth, and every other earth, for having you.”

You were speechless.

“Logan…” you whispered.

You saw his eyes flicker down your lips and you could swear he was leaning in…

“Knock Knock! Are you there, babycakes?” You heard Wade call from behind the door. “I just saw Ben at the stairs, he looked like he was about to burst into tears. Did you finally tell him to choke on a dick?”

Logan closed his eyes and took a deep breath, frustrated and annoyed at his friend.

“Fucking Wade…” He shook his head and looked back at you. “I guess I don’t need the spare key anymore.”

You put some space between the two of you and smiled awkwardly.

“Keep it. Something tells me this won’t be the last time Wade will lock you out.”

Logan chuckled. He had the most beautiful pearly white teeth, and a breathtaking smile. How come you didn’t notice before? Every time you went to Wade’s apartment, this god-like man sat close to you and you never took a good, long look at him? Clearly your love for Ben and your heartache blinded you.

And now you can finally see.

“Is that Wolvie I hear in there?” Wade said.

When Logan opened the door he found his roommate still there, waiting impatiently. Wade gave Logan a once over, seeing him in his wife beater, his plaid and jacket in his hand, and a satisfied grin on his face.

Wade then looked at you, then back at Logan, then back at you… and so several times, before taking his hands to his face.

“Oh… my… God… the two of you?!”

Logan just walked past him, sending you a wink before he disappeared into the hall. Wade just stood there, looking at you.

“I ship it so hard.” He whispered.

[deantfwinchester]

A Half-Day

Pairing: No-Outbreak!AU, Joel x Teacher!Reader, same timeline

Ok so i didn't get em both posted n the same day, but two in two days ain't bad!! Hope y'all enjoy :)

Summary: Morning sickness with Baby #2 manifests a little differently than the first go-round. No worries - Joel's gonna take care of his girl no matter what.

Warnings: pregnancy, more euphemisms for vomit, and they already have another little one as well this time.

A/N: self-indulgent fluffy nonsense. guilty as charged

Word Count: 2.7k

____________________________________________________________

It’s better this time around, for the most part at least. Rather than a steady, consistent nausea most mornings when you wake up, this time it’s more intense bouts on scattered days. You’ll admit, it’s nice to not be intimately acquainted with the plumbing every day, but the days that you are? Damn pipes should take you out to dinner, as much time as you’re spending together. An awesome trade, really. 

One morning it’s so bad it doesn’t stop by the time you get to work. You’d left for work during a lull, having been lured into a false sense of security by the temporary return of your sea legs. But now it’s second period, and you’ve left class to hit the lounge bathroom multiple times — this is additionally unpleasant in a public restroom for sure. Once you finish you shut your eyes tight, breathe deep, and pick yourself up off the floor for the fourth — or was it the fifth? — time this morning, and exit the bathroom, straight into your closest friend on campus, the teacher next door to you. 

“Whoa, sweetie, what’s going on?,” she asks, holding your shoulder steady and taking in the sickly expression you’d been too surprised to steel into a smile. Her brows furrow deeper in concern when your eyes are slow to meet her own, “I stopped by your room to grab some of your spare copies, and the kids told me you were gone for the third time?” You stand up straighter and clear your throat, trying to deflect her concern — it doesn’t work.  

“Yeah, I’m fine, just a little morning sickness, that’s all,” you nod, attempting to assure both her and yourself. 

“Babe, I heard you, and that wasn’t little. You been doing this all morning?,” she asks, eyes wide and borderline tearful. 

“It’s cool, I’ll get it together. I think,” oh god, it’s happening again. You attempt to swallow and finish your thought. “I-I think that’s the last of it,” you stutter, beginning to sweat a bit. She doesn’t buy it for a second. 

“Absolutely not. You’re benched for today,” she says, ushering you slowly to the couch in the corner of the room. After sitting you down, she grabs a bottle of water and twists off the cap, passing it to you, “Here. Little sips whenever you can manage. If you’ve been doing this all morning you gotta be dehydrated. I’ll let em know you need a sub. Where’s your phone?”

At this point you so badly want to avoid barfing again, you’re done fighting. You let out a tired “classroom,” between slow, measured breaths, and begin to sink into the worn sofa beneath. 

“Okay. Don’t you dare get up! I got your kids, and you’re going home.”

You can’t blame her, you’d be worried sick if the roles were reversed, and going home sounds pretty damn good right now. You nod and lay back against the cushion, closing your eyes and willing the nausea to subside. 

______________________________________________________________

Joel leaves work immediately after getting the call, worried out of his mind. Receiving a call from you outside of your lunch period was odd on its own, but answering it to a voice that wasn’t yours made his blood run cold. Luckily he recognized your friend’s voice fairly quickly as she informed him you needed to go home, and she didn’t want you driving. 

No urging was required, as Joel had his keys in his hand before she could finish making her request. He’d been worrying about you since he left this morning, while you insisted you were fine through a still-queasy grin. He knows you’ll be okay after while, but the fact you’ve been suffering all morning with this is breaking his heart.

Joel gets to school about ten minutes into your planning, and signs into the office, meeting your friend there who takes him to the lounge.

He enters to find you curled in on yourself on the couch, eyes closed like you’re trying to get a little sleep. He crouches down in front of you and gently pushes your hair back from your forehead to rouse you. 

“Sweetheart? You alright?” he croons. 

“Joel?” you say, voice rough with the grain of your battered throat from this morning’s festivities.

“Hey darlin’. I’m sorry you’re still not feeling good. Let’s get you home, huh?” he asks, standing up on his rusty knees and leaning forward to kiss the top of your head before grabbing your hands. “You ready to get outta here?” you give a small, miserable nod, and he feels his heart crack a little. He lifts you gently from the couch and rubs your back as he walks you steadily out the door.

You’re quiet as you make your way to the car. Joel sits you down in the passenger seat and reaches over your shoulder, buckling your seatbelt himself, and you smile in appreciation. 

“Wait what about my car, Joel?” you ask, though you certainly don’t feel like driving. 

“Don’t worry bout that honey, I’ll get Sarah or Tommy to come with me later on and we’ll drive it back. Not a problem,” he replies, squeezing your knee in comfort. You know he means it, too. He’s so sweet about it but you still feel bad. That’s more somebody else has got to do because you couldn’t get your shit together. 

Joel can see the guilt growing on your face, so he starts talking again, hoping to distract you. “You gonna be alright if we pick Vivi up before we head home?” 

“Yeah of course. isn’t it still a little early though?” you ask. It’s still pretty early in the day, not quite eleven o’clock. 

“It is,” he replies with a sober nod, “But i don’t feel like lettin’ you outta my sight anymore today, that’s all.” He tucks your hair behind your ear and puts his hand under your chin, lifting so your eyes to meet his own. Yours begin to water a little bit. You feel like a fucking baby, having to call home and be picked up in the middle of the day. You blink back the tears, and Joel sighs a little before turning away.

Joel gets in the driver’s seat, and sees you shaking a little, so he cranks on the heat. “You warm enough, baby?” and you just nod, keeping your eyes trained forward, and resting your head against the window.

“All right. let me know if you need to stop, or need air, anything, okay?” you give him a small “okay” in reply, and he pulls away. You ride most of the way in silence, but he grabs your hand and squeezes. He's pretty sure you’re upset, but he doesn’t wanna bring it up in case you’re just tired. The hormones have been doing a number on you this go-round.

______________________________________________________________

When he pulls up to the preschool and parks the car, he turns to you and before he can get a word out, the tears begin to fall. You’d spent the ride over trying to swallow the guilt eating at you. Leaving during the school day, making other teachers cover your classes, grading that needed to get done, getting behind on the lesson schedule, and pulling Joel from his own workday — the list of inconveniences you created today ran on loop in your mind. Joel’s eyes widen in surprise at the sudden shift in mood. 

“I'm so sorry, Joel. I’m sorry you had to leave work in the middle of the day to come get me like a fucking kid, this is ridiculous. I couldn’t just get my shit together, this is so stupid!,” you sob, face in your hands. You knew it was coming, and you’d rather not do it with Vivi in the car. Joel looks devastated to see you crying, and you feel the guilt expand. 

“Oh angel, what are you talking about? You think I'd rather be at work than here with you? I couldn’t get to the school fast enough when I got that call, sweetheart,” he says, holding one of your hands and wiping your tears with his other. You look back at him and sniffle, blinking tears away. 

“None of this is your fault, sweet girl. you can’t help that our little menace is in there making you feel so sick.” he says, resting a light hand on your belly to avoid agitating your nausea. “Don't you worry about work, school, the car, anything. That's my job darlin’. You’re doing the heavy lifting already, I'm just lucky enough to get to take care of you in the meantime. Please let me.” Your lip wobbles again, but this time the tears that fall are from joy and admiration. No matter how long you’re together, Joel’s unwavering care and dedication make you feel so loved it’s overwhelming. “Okay sweet girl?” and you nod again. 

Joel reaches over and pulls you into a tight hug, holding the back of your head, and pressing a kiss to your temple. “Good. Now I'm gonna run in and grab Vivi then we’re heading straight home so you can get some rest, alright?” He kisses you once more and squeezes your hand before getting out of the car.

He approaches the open classroom door and knocks. He's only about half an hour early since today’s a half day, but there aren’t any other parents there just yet. 

The teacher greets him warmly when she comes to the door. “Mr. Miller, hi! you’re a little early, we still have about thirty minutes left in play centers before the end of the day.” 

“Yeah, sorry about that. I came to get Vivi early so we could head on home. Her mama wasn’t feeling at work so I went to pick her up. Wanna make sure I don't gotta leave again today."

“Oh no, of course! Let me go grab Vivi. I hope everything’s okay, i know you guys are expecting.” 

“Yeah, she’ll be alright. The morning sickness did a number on her with Vivi too, poor thing.” The teacher gives a sympathetic smile and hands him Vivi’s backpack as the Assistant Teacher leads Vivi over holding her hand, which Vivi rapidly releases, running to the door excitedly upon seeing Joel standing there. “Daddy!” she exclaims, and Joel leans down to scoop her up in his arms, grinning ear to ear. He gives her a kiss on the cheek once she reaches his level, before addressing her.

“Hey there babygirl! We’re gonna head out a little early today, ‘s that alright?” she nods, and he thanks the teachers before turning around and heading out the door. 

Vivi waves bye to her teachers before continuing. “Why daddy?” 

“Your mama’s not feeling good, so we’re gonna get her home to get some rest, but I need your help. You wanna help me take care of Mommy today?” 

Her little eyes go wide with concern, and her little lip begins to wobble. he softens at how much it looks like yours. “is Mommy okay?” 

“Yeah, yeah, she’ll be alright pumpkin,” he says, running his knuckle beneath her little chin to assuage her worry. “We just need to let her get some sleep and try to make her feel better okay? Your baby brother’s busy swimmin’ laps in there making your mama’s tummy hurt,” he smiles. Vivi nods back in understanding.

When they get to the car, Joel opens the back door by Vivi’s car seat and sets her down, ready to buckle her in, but she hops out to reach over and talk to you. Joel looks exasperated at how quick she is when he turns back and finds she isn’t there, making you chuckle. She excitedly greets you, and even feeling like you do, she brings a smile to your face.

“Hey honeybee, how was school today?” you say, giving her cheek a little kiss before Joel grabs her and sits her back in her car seat. She keeps yapping while he buckles her in, shaking his head in amusement. 

“Good mommy!” she says, and starts talking about the fun things she did today, specifically the art she got to make with the little dot paints. She loves those things. Joel grabs your hand again in the driver’s seat while you talk with Vivi, and squeezes before cocking his head to the side, letting you know he’ll keep her occupied in conversation if you wanna lay back against the window again.

______________________________________________________________

When you get home, Joel gets Vivi out of her car seat, and she runs to grab your hand while you walk inside. “Daddy said I could help him take care of you today, mommy,” she says, beaming with pride. Your heart melts at her sincerity and care. 

“That's so sweet baby, thank you so much.” Joel pipes up behind you both, having grabbed your bag and Vivi’s from the truck. 

“That’s right, and I also said your mama needs rest more than anything. So how ‘bout we let her get to bed and you help me get some lunch together, huh?” 

“Okay daddy. Mommy, you need comfy clothes before nap time,” Vivi instructs.

“Okay baby, I'll get changed. You gotta be hungry, so get something to eat with daddy first.” You mouth a “thank you” to Joel as you part from Vivi. He pulls you close and whispers “of course” in your ear before kissing your head again, and shooing you off to the bedroom.

You’re cozy in the bed when Joel comes in with Vivi after she’s eaten, and he can tell she’s flagging. She’ll be out like a light for her own nap in no time. She comes in with a bottle of gatorade in your favorite flavor, and Joel carries a sprite with a bendy straw and a sleeve of plain crackers. He hands you the items before grabbing Vivi and plopping her on the bed next to you, where she cuddles up next to your side, and he climbs in on her other side to hold you.

Joel asks you to try to eat a little bit before you get to sleep, and offers some yogurt or bone broth if you can stomach it. He'll also make peppermint tea “if you think it’ll help.” He's already coaxed two advil and half a bottle of water into you since you got home. You take a couple sips of the sprite and eat a couple crackers but tell him all you want right now is for him to stay there with you both. That’ll do just fine for him.

You and Vivi are both asleep in no time. You lean against Joel as he holds you, and Vivi’s leaned against you in his lap. He plays the tv quietly and dozes off as well. This is how Sarah finds the three of you when she arrives home, dropped off from the carpool after school. 

Joel wakes to find his oldest giggling and taking a picture of the three of you, and rolls his eyes before greeting her, and explains the day’s events while gesturing for her to join the pile. Sarah takes her shoes off and crawls into the middle as well next to Vivi, laying her head in your lap, listening to her little sister’s breathing on her right and her little brother’s movements in your stomach on her left.

You rouse just long enough to look down at Sarah and utter a tired “Hi Sweet Pea, how was your day?” cut in the middle with a yawn as you place a hand in her hair and begin carding your fingers through her soft curls. You’ve dozed back off before she can begin to respond, and she and Joel chuckle at each other and she closes her eyes, ready to fall asleep under your drowsy ministrations.

Joel looks down at his family and nearly tears up. Sarah’s breathing evens out soon after, and he reflects on how lucky he is. As he’s about to doze again himself, he suddenly remembers the car still at the school. Eh, it’s Friday anyhow. The car can wait til tomorrow. He sighs in contentment, and joins his three girls napping in the late afternoon sun.

[pixeltwix]

{The Disconnect & The Spiral}

(I realize this isn’t my usual content, but hear me out, the rekindled GF fixation is going hard rn)

- -As an avid fan of Gravity Falls and an even bigger fan of the tragic old man lore packed into the mystery trio, I honestly gotta say..

I refuse to believe this is the full story towards WHY Fiddleford and his wife had a whole blasted argument over…him forgetting to get her a Christmas present?? Upon reading this section, I can frankly say I had a similar reaction to Ford. The immediate sense of, ‘really? That’s it? Your family reunion was torn up over that?’

I mean- your husbands been gone for lord knows how long, your young son also hasn’t seen him in ages, and let’s be honest- with how much trauma the ole hillbilly is stacking up on a day to day through his adventuring with Ford, how often is he actually able to call home or write a letter with a sound mind?

It just doesn’t feel feasible that a man who started this journey so troubled and in yearning to return home to family would be so forgetful as to not scrimmage up not even a souvenir or postcard from Gravity Falls for his family. So what is it then? Perhaps he’s become so averse to everything in the small town he wouldn’t dare bring a trace of it home with him, or rather, he truly had forgotten some small one off promise he made. Perhaps he’s forgotten a lot by this point-

Because of lack of dates on a majority of his entries it’s a little difficult to put together a timeline of when Fiddleford finished his memory wipe gun and when he started using it. By all means he racked up a lot of memories he wished to forget in the beginning being as quote ‘weak minded’ as he is. But then of course we all know he becomes addicted to quite literally erasing every little inconvenience until of course the end result. The freedom of a clear mind outweighing all consequences for him.

Instead however I choose to believe these were the first persisting side effects of his machine. We know enough about it now to get the fair suggestion that even one use of the memory wipe gun can be more damaging than can truly be discerned, so seeing as he quite possibly has used it at least twice by now- both events he used them for being extensive (the shifty incident and the gremloblin incident cited in journal 3) I believe it only fair to assume this quoted argument he got into with Emma-May was hardly over one measly little present. True, we have no frame of this woman much less the rest of the family (minus what we get of Tate once he’s grown), but I am TRULY giving her the benefit of the doubt in believing her husbands mind has begun to scatter in ways he didn’t even realize. So much to the point that a fight possibly fueled by ‘it’s not just about the Christmas present, it’s about ————“ would truly confuse him

I say that in the kindest way, I love Fiddleford, truly he’s the most tragic character in my mind regarding this story, but the man’s self destruction and drift from his family had to have started somewhere. And just like any addiction that can tear a family apart, this one was definitely packing punches. I realize I don’t have much backing, and I’m really just rambling some nonsense, but Alex Hirsch just doesn’t feel like one to write a one off ‘oh by the way this silly reason is why Fidds is alone from his family for the holidays, something he clearly holds a deep fondness for’. Nah, that man is too cryptic for him to write something like that and for me to not overthink it <3

(But with all that said and done- dear god the snow globe cabin and the knitted six fingered gloves literally killed me- that hillbilly is such a damn sweetheart, it can almost make me ignore the doom that will befall him and the town <3!!)

[dark-lord-of-awesomeness]

okay so i'm the anon who first brought up memory wiping shifter!stan and i just need to ramble because this more canon-adjacent version of the timeline has been festering in my brain now.

- the stealing of ford's identity part is fun bc now stan can actually perfectly replicate his appearance, extra fingers and all. probably makes it into part of his gimmick at the shack (why does he need the shack if he has money in this au? idk man i haven't figured that out yet but he has it). that does create an issue when dipper finds the journal and brings it to stan bc of the finger thing, but stan just flat out denies any connection to it. he can't just confiscate the thing though bc that would be suspicious as fuck, so he spends a significant amount of time trying to get his hands on it to make copies without the kids noticing.

- he probably loses a bit of his shifting flexibility due to having a more permanent shift (he's at least less flexible than he was during his drifter days) but he still does some stretching down in the lab. i also imagine that when he's down there he uses his shifting as a way fidget/stim while he works. he also probably uses it to keep an eye on the kids a non-zero number of times.

- i'm imagining the reveal happening in scary-oke, similar to the canon reveal there. this is also when he can finally take the journal for a bit, using the excuse that dipper did something actively dangerous with it and this is the punishment. he still gives it back when he has his copies.

- looking over that journal he finds out about shifty and he is immediately staging a rescue

- ford probably finds out about stan's shifting when he comes out of the portal and stan has 6 fingers. it's... tense.

- i think if maurice is involved they probably know about the whole situation from investigating stan's fake death and/or stan just telling them bc if there's one person stan can trust with that information, it's probably them. stan continues to call them twice a year and they continue to pretend they aren't invested. maybe they can get in on freeing shifty.

i'm just!! foams at the mouth because i can't write for shit but oh man. oh god. this au is killing me

Shapeshifter Stan is so fun. I'll probably write the next (and maybe final) chapter when i'm done with the next cat Stan short.

More under the cut, because it got very long

Stan stealing Ford's identity is definitely him becoming Ford in a very literal sense, letting his original base form disappear forever at 17. Because he thinks Ford knows he's a shapeshifter, and he'll just seamlessly transition them once Ford gets home. I imagine it followed the original timeline with him showing up with his face covered, then quickly shifting to look like Ford with minor differences and revealing his face so he wasn't embarrassed about his baby face. He makes the shack to launder his own money so that it doesnt appear that Ford just got a million of dollars from nowhere, and because he doesn't want to continue his brother's research without him. So from an outside perspective Stanford Pines had a mental break, and started giving tours (just like canon lol). Stan makes everything fake, because he doesn't want to get on the bad side of any real supernatural creatures hanging around. As for the journal, I imagine Dipper runs up and shows it off, and Stan says its nonsense from when he 'went crazy in the eighties! nothing to worry about!' but he also can't take it without looking suspicious. Now the b plot becomes not 'who's the author' but 'what happened to Grunkle Stan that he forgot all his amazingly real research.' Stan still has to try and steal the book without notice, but can also shapeshift into the twins so its not an impossible mission, just very difficult.

Stan definitely becomes less flexible, but not terribly so. Limbs have always been his bread and butter, and he makes himself stronger and fireproof while working on the portal. Gives himself extra hands to multitask, the ability to climb better to reach the higher mechanics. The portal probably looks better the OG Stan's, just because he has more maneuverability. He also 100% spies on the kids in the 'hands-off' stalker raising technique he was raised with. Closes the Shack down and turns into people to follow the twins around and keep an eye on them.

In keeping with the 'no one realizes he's a shapeshifter until his mind is wiped' angst, the reveal is that he "did" write the books, but that they became dangerous, similar to Stan's 'this stuff is dangerous I'm not an idiot' speech. He still takes the journal to 'reminisce' but gives it back, saying that he knows the kids have been using it to keep themselves safe. Claims any lapse in memory as 'it was the eighties and I went through a rough patch and forgot a bunch of things'. Dipper thinks cult (blind eye that falls through) Mabel thinks mental break (official story but also wrong).

Now the question about Shifty is tricky, because Stan would want to rescue the poor kid his brother treated as a pet(Which is weird, because Ford knew about shapeshifters, but maybe he didnt realize they were the same species because he never saw the form Stan was born with), but I think it would happen after the bunker episode, so that the kids still get that shapeshifter experience. Stan goes down, sees poor Shifty is still a popsicle, and calls a bunch of his circle to help him out, as this is a special case. They'd probably come in, unfreeze him, then get him out of Gravity Falls and rehabilitate him in a more social Shifter group. Stan wouldn't use Fords form here, as he wouldnt want to cause a scene, but would explain that the man who sorta raised him isnt around anymore, and to try and find a new life out on the surface.

For the portal reunion, Stan explains he 'got an extra finger' and Ford brushes it off as a fake or medically transferred in a way too try-hard move of stealing his identity. Because Stan wouldn't look exactly like old man Ford, as he's had to guess how Ford's changed over the years, so his hairs still full grey and he looks slightly different. Ford 100% does not realize Stan's a shapeshifter at this time, but Stan doesnt realize that Ford doesnt know either, still making vague references to being a shapeshifter that aggravates Ford because he thinks Stan is being childish, then Stan thinks that because of Fords experience with Shifty that maybe he doesnt like Stan anymore in a big circle of miscommunication.

Maurice 100% knows whats going on (maybe not about the portal specifics, but enough) and only some of that is from Stan calling them. The rest is from his constant spying on Stan. So they know that Ford is missing in such a way that Stan is working on retrieving him, just not about Bill and the doomsday device in Stan's basement. Maurice does get his two or more phone calls a year and calls on birthdays. Probably also helped find a circle to adopt Shifty, since they're fairly well connected. There's a fifty-fifty chance Stan has a younger spawn-mate at this time as well, but they wouldn't come into the story more then "please let me talk to them, i want an actual shapeshifter sibling, please please please!"

EXTRA: Stan would not have any spawn at this point, because he'd be focused on the portal and getting Ford back. Maurice becomes the 'and when am i going to see you spawning? you have a very rare talent you might be able to pass onto future spawn.' parent, always nagging Stan about his lack of spawn, despite being 'very genetically desirable' (Their way of saying attractive lol, because of Stan's limb growing). The parent who demands grand kids basically.

[actual-changeling]

I know a lot of people interpret Scully's reaction to Mulder's love confession in 'Triangle' as her assuming that he is drugged up and talking nonsense.

There is another (worse) option, though.

"Oh brother" is definitely not what you respond if you're taking it seriously, we can probably agree on that, but i don't think potential drugs are the reasons here.

Let's look back a little. I'm working with the assumption that 'Folie a Deux' is set in May of 1998 with FtF taking place in August. 'The Beginning' happens sometime in September of the same year. If we use this as our timeline, we have a total of around five months during which a LOT of shit happens.

'Folie a Deux' is important because this is the "original" drugged up love confession Scully hears when Mulder is in the psychward. It gets to her, she thinks he is being genuine and does what he asked her to do.

More important than the act itself is what he tells her. I assume most of us have that conversation memorized, but just as a reminder:

"Scully, you have to believe me. Nobody else on this whole damn planet does or ever will. You're my one in five billion."

Even from our point of view, this makes complete sense—she IS the only one he trusts.

Except that it's a lie. I don't expect Mulder to think of Diana in that moment, and it wouldn't have been an issue at all if it weren't for the events of 'The End', which happen about 2-3 weeks later.

Suddenly, there is a person from his past that he trusts unconditionally to the point of stupidity, and he not only doesn't talk to Scully about any of it, he stops talking to her period. It's as if she has been a placeholder for Diana, and now that she's back, there is no use for her anymore.

Mulder works the case with Diana, Scully is dragging herself along and he does not care about her or her work until it is useful for him; he doesn't back her up when a room full of people (including Diana) belittle and mock her. He nods along, which, to Scully, is just the last puzzle piece slotting into place.

To summarize, Mulder's confession in Folie a Deux that she took seriously is revealed to be a lie—a means to an end to get her to do what he wants her to. Whether or not that's objectively true is a totally different matter because this is what Scully is confronted with.

Betrayal.

With that in mind, their argument in FtF in his hallway and Scully thinking of herself as redundant makes complete sense. We get yet another love confession, one she ALSO takes seriously, and if it weren't for that fucking bee, they'd have kissed. Maybe then, the whole mess that comes after could have been avoided, but here we are.

In "The Beginning", Scully repeats said confession back to him in an attempt to calm him and regain his trust in her/her science. Let's see what happens:

He implicitly tells her that none of what he confessed still applies, that the whole speech was, once again, nothing but a farce to get her to stay. Mulder confirms this at the end of the episode, and Scully asking him with tears in her eyes to trust her is a deeply painful contrast to his earlier declarations.

Two times, Mulder confesses his love to her.

Two times, he takes it back later and continues to use it against her.

In 'Triangle', Scully once again finds herself next to Mulder in a hospital bed and listens to him as he confesses his love for a third time. Does she think he's drugged up? Yeah, probably, but that's not the reason she cannot take him seriously.

Considering her track record with Mulder and big speeches, is it at all surprising that she no longer trusts what he tells her?

"Oh, brother," because she is forced to grapple with her many, many feelings for him and process it in a way that fits into everything else that has happened so far.

"Oh, brother," because it might be an attempt to placate her and nothing else.

"Oh, brother," because there is a chance he will twist his 'I love you' into a weapon to stab her with later. Because he says it and does not mean it.

This is not a "oh, he's drugged up" expression to me. This is Scully preparing to get hurt again.

The funniest part is that she's right. She is right. He couldn't have meant it because then he wouldn't be staring her down with apathy in his eyes and tell her not to make it "personal".

SHE is making it personal? After Mulder manipulated her by pulling on their connection like a leash to get her to do what he wants? After he confessed how much he loves and trusts her over and over just to throw it all away?

To ignore all of it in the moment it actually fucking matters?

The drug option is less angsty and kinda fun, and I do enjoy reading fics that interpret it as such, but with their history attached, it is so much more—and so much worse.

Pretending it never happened is one thing, but then actively denying it to her face and using her feelings to hurt her? Yeah, no.

Mulder fucked up and Scully has every right to reject his declarations and distance herself from him.

[harrysgal]

I DIG YOUR CINEMA (5)

harry styles x yn aspiring filmmaker — social media AU

About the smau: yn starts posting videos on youtube and is trying to build a career as a filmmaker. Things are going pretty well for her and she starts getting more attention when she creates content about shows she goes to. She’s also a fan of Harry’s music and some of his fans start getting suspicious when his team starts interacting with her.

About yn: although the character does not have a faceclaim, pictures suggest reader is white.

Disclaimer: The story it’s set in 2021 and it will follow their relationship through the LOT leg in the US. Since this is nothing but fiction, I will be following some of the real timeline but also adding my own stuff. On top of that, I won’t be basing myself on Harry’s actual posts.

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PART 4 — THE VIDEO // MASTERLIST

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I DIG YOUR CINEMA (PART 5) — FROM SAN ANTONIO TO DALLAS

liked by bestfriend, sisterinlaw, cuteguy and 63,157 others 

yourinstagram sightseeing tonight 😍 getting to know these cities only gets better and better guys 

view all 9,105 comments

harryfan7 was this before or after dinner with harry? 😏

↳ harryfan3 stoppp. my heart cant take it ↳ harryfan11 no bc the idea of them walking together and stopping to take pictures it’s just so 🤏

lookitsnyoh 🦭 pillowpersonpp 🦥 anthonypham 🧸

↳ harryfan not the teddy bear!!! 

harryfan117 MISS SARAH JONES IS HERE user8 whats with all the emojis guys!! let me innnnn  user1 YOU’RE BACK 🥰 bestfriend its not the city its all you baby bc you light up the world like nobody else

↳ harryfan that was just… ↳ harryfan5 HEJAHDH NO YOU DIDNR ↳ yourinstagram ….  ↳ yourinstagram i dont even know how to react  ↳ bestfriend wish i could say im sorry or embarrassed but im actually not 

cuteguy Looks amazing!

Sep 10, 2021 •

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liked by user1, user4 and 517 others

cuteguy congrats darling ＠yourinstagram 

view all 75 comments 

harryfan60 see?? she isn’t dating Harry

↳ harryfan58 I fucking knew it  ↳ harryfan62 hope this pr nonsense stops 

user14 little sus but alright ig  randomguy cool bro  user44 dude there’s no way she hasn’t cheated on you lol user3 you guys are so fucking disrespectful can you pls leave this man alone???

↳ user26 I mean he’s the one who decided to go public so… 🤷‍♀️ ↳ user3 his ig being public doesn’t automatically mean you’re supposed to be rude tho. 

user36 Am I the only one who finds this picture adorable?

↳ user38 me too!! i was looking for a nice comment about it lol thanks! ↳ user36 I mean they definitely look like a couple and idk it’s a cute pic :( ❤️ liked by author 

Sep 10, 2021 •

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liked by annetwist, bestfriend, cuteguy and 63,879 others 

yourinstagram update time: went out for a run and my lungs got on fire. view was great though. zero complaints. also the show last night was INCREDIBLE. 

view all 13,719 comments

bestfriend shut up you actually went for a run?? 

↳ harrystyles I wouldn’t call that going for a “run”.  ↳ bestfriend okay that actually makes more sense now ↳ yourinstagram excuse me????? 

harryfan OMFG harry interacting with yourbff??? 

↳ harryfan5 I KNOW! where are you ＠bestfriend are you still alive???  ↳ bestfriend no  ↳ bestfriend but im pretending to be cool about it so 🤫 ↳ harryfan OMFHAJDHPAHDJ ILY

cuteguy 😍 user7 yessss! two days in a row!!!! thank you!!! user1 looks so prettyyyyyy! hope you’re doing okay <33

↳ yourinstagram i am!! thank you love <333 

yourbrother Won’t believe you’ve moved your ass to be healthy until I see it.  

↳ yourinstagram the fact that you dont believe me wont change the fact that it happened :D

harryfan15 harry is such a stalker. interacting with her posts when he doesn’t even follow her lol harryfan25 Anne started following her!!!  user10 Not to rush you, but are we getting more videos anytime soon? I was so used to getting one every week… :( user25 So… She’s officially dating that cuteguy, isn’t she? 

↳ user17 What? Who said that?  ↳ user25 TMZ updated that article of her and Harry having dinner with this picture of them ↳ user17 Oh… Where can I see this picture? ↳ user25 She’s tagged on it. ＠cuteguy posted it  ↳ user13 i wouldn’t believe (or read) TMZ guys ↳ harryfan68 funny how you won’t believe TMZ when it’s about this guy but you’ll believe them when it’s about harry ↳ user13 lmao I’m not in that fandom so I couldn’t care less about her dating harry or not. 

harryfan13 SO WE ARE ALL GOING TO IGNORE THE FACT THAT HARRY AND YN WENT OUT FOR A RUN TOGETHER?????

↳ harryfan60 Yes bc no one actually believes they did. Next. ↳ harryfan68 hahaha you ate this one 

Sep 10, 2021 •

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liked by harryfan, harryfan2, harryfan3 and 4,375 others 

harryupdates A fan met Harry in San Antonio today! 

According to the fan, Harry said he was on a tight schedule so couldn’t stay for a chat, but agreed to take a quick picture and thanked her for going to the show. 

view all 675 comments

fanwhometharry “Thank you so much I hope you enjoyed it”, those were his words exactly :’)

↳ harryfan27 OMG IT WAS YOU?? YOU’RE SO LUCKY ↳ fanwhometharry I know!! Thank you!!! ↳ harryfan24 was he alone??  ↳ fanwhometharry No, he was walking with his personal trainer and Yn ↳ harryfan52 his personal trainer also has a name btw and it’s Brad  ↳ fanwhometharry Sorry, I don’t keep up with his personal trainer 🤷 I only know Yn bc I watch her youtube videos ↳ harryfan9 don’t apologize they’re always finding something to complain about lol happy for you!!

harryfan72 How convenient… He always agrees to take pictures when Yn is around 🙄 

↳ harryfan68 right??? almost as if he WANTS people to spread the word… 

harryfan13 I KNEW I WAS RIGHT AND THEY WERE TOGETHER

Sep 10, 2021 •

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liked by annetwist, bestfriend, cuteguy and 61,574 others 

yourinstagram DALLAS! you are sooooo so pretty <3 we arrived yesterday and im already in love. it was a sunny afternoon so i went out for a walk, and as i was on my way to buy some flowers to myself (bc i wanted some so i got some) i had one of those surreal moments thinking about how lucky i am to be where i am right now. im always waiting for this feeling to eventually go away so i can come back to my “old life” and my “old self”, but now im kinda considering that as time goes by and i get to know more and more places, it will actually only grow bigger and bigger, right? :’) 

(in that case, feel free to unfollow me now bc the annoyance will only grow bigger and bigger as well — consider yourself warned.)

view all 14,102 comments

sisterinlaw The summer vibes are gorgeous! harryfan42 WAS HARRY WITH YOU????  user1 another post??? feels like going back to the old times im so happy!!! harryfan64 this girl won’t even post her face and she got like 4k new followers in one day 

↳ harrystyles82 It’s the Harry Styles effect  ↳ harryfan64 glad im not the only one who sees it 🤡

harryfan YN? DID YOU ACTUALLY JUST SAY I WANTED SOME SO I GOT SOME??? 

↳ harryfan5 i saw that too i was like… okay 😂 ↳ harryfan9 hahaha I hope she actually did get some tbh  ↳ harryfan13 ME TOO!! ↳ bestfriend yes. she 100% did ↳ harryfan9 😲 ↳ harryfan lmaoshuahsjbjh  ↳ harryfan17 wait ＠bestfriend she 100% say “i wanted some so i got some” or she 100% got some?  ↳ harryfan23 oh god i cant believe this is a real conversation you guys are having HAHAHA

user17 please keep feeding us with your random cute posts!! <3 i love them!! bestfriend fgs ＠yourinstagram have some manners  bestfriend i thought you didnt like exposing yourself like this  bestfriend also… your mom is on instagram so…  bestfriend PLEASE 

↳ yourinstagram omfg shut upppp ahusdhjahj ↳ yourinstagram stop encouraging the nonsense behavior??? ↳ yourinstagram you KNOW i meant the flowers ↳ yourinstagram i wanted some FLOWERS so i got some FLOWERS ↳ bestfriend yeah i know 💐 ↳ bestfriend sorry its just too funny sometimes 💋

loveynrry did anyone else notice yn hasn’t liked THAT picture yet? 👀

↳ user4 which one? ↳ loveynrry the one @/cuteguy posted ↳ user4 ohhhhhh 👀 ↳ user4 also did you notice yourbff doesn’t follow him ↳ user9 shit ＠user4 i hadn’t noticed that  ↳ loveynrry i did, yeah… thats why im sus about him ↳ user4 I mean, I trust yourbff judgement soooooo…… 

Sep 11, 2021  •

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— — — — — 

PART 6: PHILLY AND DC

— — — — — 

[linkisanenby]

If you'll permit a mini rant:

I am so tired of discussions around the Zelda series being about the damn timeline.

This goes back to the ocarina of time days, where people kept trying to work out what the timeline was, before word of god had come along to tell us what it was and the hamfisted "actually the timeline splits into 3 at ocarina of time" thing.

I've done a playthrough of the whole series in "timeline" order. It added basically nothing. Because these games were not made with a timeline in mind. They were made with the version of the legend each of them wanted to tell in mind. They broadly explore similar themes in different ways and the mechanics of the games evolve along with them. Release order makes WAY more sense to get a sense of progression of the series, "chronological" order feels like you're manically jumping around in a progression. Because you are!

Whenever i want to talk about the series, any fan community discussion seems to be 30-40% timeline discussion and it's just... the least interesting thing about the series to me.

Anyway, rant over. This is just me getting frustrated at petty fandom nonsense. It doesn't actually matter. If you did read this, thank you for indulging me.

[lenievi]

I've been thinking (lol) [this isn't a meta or whatever, it's just me having fun because Kirk and La'an are gonna live rent free in my head for a very long time]

I really like the idea that La'an's time travel adventure happened in "Pike sent the letters" timeline too, but the thought that La'an and Kirk met and connected in that timeline without any interference is actually quite compelling as well. Especially since Kirk never visited the Enterprise before the happenings in the finale. But their paths still crossed and they connected.

Why I'm thinking about it is this:

Those events were never supposed to happen and you were never meant to be aware of them. Neither was your companion. (from Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow)

What if the current timeline is the only timeline where La'an had to protect the past. It didn't happen originally in the timeline Pike created, because Pike changed the future.

And since I'm also of the opinion that the TOS timeline is slightly different from the timeline we're watching now, especially because of Khan and: "And all this was supposed to happen back in 1992, and I've been trapped here for 30 years trying to get my shot at him." it didn't happen in that timeline either. (Well, I also think that La'an didn't exist in the original TOS timeline, she can only exist now, hence La'an Noonien-Singh VS Khan Noonien Singh - i.e. no dash, but that's just my HC, and if it ends up not being true, it doesn't really matter to me, I just think it works neatly atm)

There was no reason for the time agent to also bring up Kirk. That version of him ceased to exist and therefore there was no version of him to still be aware of any events that happened. His life and memories were erased.

However, I assume because Kirk also used the time travelling device, he maintained some of the feelings (I've had that thought before, but ep 9 confirmed it~), and the time-travelling adventure might have some influence on his path that would not happen otherwise. La'an's call could have changed something for him. And that influence could be positive or negative, and it's honestly fun to think about.

obviously when it comes to the main timeline and "Pike sent the letters" timeline, the difference is also Una's presence and lack of her presence, which means that ofc Kirk wouldn't come to the Enterprise to shadow her, but he apparently never visited Sam in that timeline. Him feeling a connection towards La'an in the main timeline thanks to the time-travel, could also suggest that he subconsciously feels the need to visit Sam because in that other timeline, Sam was dead. And Jim died, so Sam could live. And the first time Kirk visited the Enterprise in the main timeline, was to visit and spend time with Sam.

[otomehonyaku]

DIABOLIK LOVERS Chaos Lineage Stellaworth Special Booklet Short Stories ☽ Orange ver.・A New Menu?! Ruki’s Got His Hands Full!

Original title: メニュー開発！？ルキがてんてこ舞い！ English translation by @otomehonyaku Click here for the scans (as always, kindly provided by @karleksmumskladdkaka!)

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

It's been a little while since I translated a short story! This one's set in the Orange mansion in the Chaos Lineage timeline and written from Eve's─so, in a way, Yui's─perspective, before the regains her memories. It's a fun little story that contains some brotherly bickering and a LOT of innuendos (hello, yes, I'd like the soup please...) ٩(ˊᗜˋ*)و ♡ Have fun reading!

Please do not reuse or post my translations elsewhere or translate my work into other languages without my permission.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Ever since I fled from the church and found refuge in the Orange mansion, I hadn’t been granted permission to return to the guest room. Instead, I quietly sat in a chair in the living area.

Ayato unceremoniously called out to me. “You. Hurry up ‘n become mine already.”

“What? Um…”

I was taken aback by the redhead’s sudden remark and found myself unable to reply right away. The small pause inadvertently gave his two brothers the time to say their piece as well.

“Become Ayato’s? Stop this nonsense. This girl will be mine. I’m sure that’s what will make her happiest as well. Isn’t that right?” 

“Ha. I told you—she doesn’t belong to either of you. Better not misunderstand, Ayato. Kanato. We brought Eve here to help Brother become the Demon King, y’know.”

“You with your ‘Brother this, Brother that.’ Shut the fuck up already.”

The three clearly had no intention to consider my opinion on the matter, and their bickering only intensified. I felt myself becoming nervous. It looked like they might even start punching one another if they kept going like this. 

That was when the living room door quietly opened.

Ruki let out an exasperated sigh. “Don’t tell me you’re fighting again.” 

Again? The eldest made it sound like his brothers had pestered him with similar fights before, many times over. 

“It’s been days since we acquired Eve, and yet you’re still being hostile towards one another.”

“What does it matter? That has nothing to do with you, Ruki.”

“Sorry, Brother. I’ve been trying to tell them the same thing. It seems both of them still think Eve is theirs.”

“You’re the delusional ones for assuming Eve belongs to Ruki. This chick belongs to Yours Truly. I won’t hand her over to anyone.”

“Enough. Remember that we’ve acquired Eve and that we’re on track to becoming King. If we don’t work together, our enemies will take it as an opening to steal Eve from us, and all our efforts will be for naught.” Ruki seemed worried about his brothers’ willingness to cooperate—that, if the brothers kept quarrelling amongst themselves, the enemy might come to steal me away. 

A sense of restlessness lingered in the air after Ruki spoke. I cast my eyes downwards. The prospect of being at the centre of such a violent dispute left me feeling melancholic. 

“I’m not telling you to get along. But I am telling you to reduce the friction at least a little. I urge you, as my younger brothers, to do what I say.”

“That’s my line! You’re getting in Yours Truly’s way.”

“I don’t like this either. This is ridiculous.”

“That’s exactly the reaction I expected from you. So, let me propose something as a countermeasure: a cooking contest.”

“...Huh?” 

Ayato was speechless. And it wasn’t just Ayato: Kanato and Shin were looking at Ruki with equal suspicion. Even I stared at him, wondering why on Earth he would suggest something so strange. Ruki wanted his brothers to work together to come up with new dishes, apparently.

“It’s the perfect solution to work on your team spirit. Besides, you’ll join forces to expand our repertoire of things to eat for dinner. Don’t you think it’s a good idea?” Ruki said, his facial expression exuding confidence. 

After turning it over in my head for a moment, I supposed that… it might work?

“Got it. If you want us to, Brother, then I’ll do it. I’ll help you.”

“Great. Ayato, Kanato—I expect you to help, too, of course.”

“Like hell I would. Why’s Yours Truly gotta do it?”

“I agree. I have no desire to participate in such ridiculous activities. Whoever else wants to participate can go ahead.”

Shin’s immediate agreement stood in stark contrast with the reactions of his younger brothers, who were quick to complain. Ruki stressed that it would have no meaning this way, and proposed his plan on different terms. 

“...There’s no helping it. I’ll let you compile our new menu, then. You may suggest whatever dishes you’d like to eat. We’ll add whatever is picked to our regular dinner menu from now on.”

This idea clearly made Ayato and Kanato more willing to cooperate. The atmosphere in the room immediately became much lighter, and the brothers became a little restless as they thought about what foods they wanted to eat. 

It was decided that I would be the fair judge to taste each dish. I was happy to be afforded a role in Ruki’s plan as well—with my spirits lifted a little already, I joined the others’ conversation.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

A few hours later…

“What? Why’d only this part turn green? …Ugh, smells fuckin’ rancid!”

“Don’t you think it’s lacking sweetness? Oh, well. I’ll share some of my cream with you, then.”

“Hey! Don’t mess with my cooking! Puttin’ cream in there’s no joke!”

I stayed in the living room while Ruki and the others were in the kitchen preparing their dishes for me to try. Things seemed to be progressing smoothly: Ruki seemed to be the one doing most of the cooking, but I could hear the relatively friendly conversation between the brothers all the way from the living room.

“Stop it, Kanato. We won’t get anywhere if you waste this much food. That’s why I told you not to add any more.”

“Kanato! Stop meddling in other people’s business and concentrate on your own cooking. Or, actually, your… cooking looks more like a mass of sugar.”

“Yes, of course. I suppose I should finish my dish. I’ll just have to add one more thing to finish it off…”

“Hold on, are you serious? Covering chocolate in more chocolate is ridiculous. What’re you even doing?”

While it was good that the brothers were engaging in lively conversation with one another, I still felt anxious after hearing that exchange. I was the one who’s supposed to taste-testing everything, after all. I contemplated going to the kitchen to help them before things went downhill, but they’d actually finished already—the four brothers came back into the living room, each carrying the dish they’d prepared.

“Ah, have you already finished cooking?”

“Yes, indeed. It seems like you’ve been waiting here in the living room like the good girl you are.”

“All of the sample dishes are here. Let’s start the taste test, shall we?”

“Right. So, which one should I try first?”

“Yours Truly’s should be first, of course!” Ayato said before setting down a huge plate on the table in front of me with a loud clang. “I’m calling this ‘Yours Truly’s Specially Made Super-Gigantic Takoyaki’! Be grateful ‘n eat up!”

“Wow! It’s so big! It’s bigger than my face, even.”

“Right? Bigger’s always better. It’s not very round, though. It’s lumpy. It probably kinda fucks with the taste.”

“You made me prepare it, so keep your complaints to yourself. Besides, it’s your fault for constantly butting in while I was cooking.” As there was no dedicated pan large enough to make takoyaki this big, it seemed that Ruki had used a single-handed frying pan to shape it somehow, and that’s likely why it looked a little sunken and uneven. 

According to Ayato, there wasn’t just octopus, but various other fillings in it as well—he himself didn’t quite seem to know for sure, either.

“A-Ayato, this is…”

“What’re you doin’?! Hurry up and eat it!” Ayato yelled when he saw my reluctance to take a bite. Even then, I couldn’t quite work up the courage to dig in. 

The redhead lost his patience and grabbed my chin with one hand. Then, he brought a spoon to my mouth with his other hand, ready to force-feed me. 

“Geez, it can’t be helped. C’mon, I’ll feed you. Hurry up ‘n open wide.”

“W-wait! Ah—Mm…!”

The spoon quickly came my way, holding a chunk of the giant takoyaki. I had no time to protest before the spoon was thrust into my mouth.

“Hehe, you’re gettin’ teary-eyed. That’s not such a bad sight, is it? Hey! No slackin’ off. Keep eatin’. I wanna watch your face while you struggle even more.”

“Ayato! At least do it gently… Mm!”

With enough force to make me choke, the spoon was mercilessly rammed deep into my mouth again. Even if I wanted to run, I couldn’t—Ayato had a tight grip on my chin. I had no choice but to eat the takoyaki that I was given. A cruel smile played on Ayato’s face as he watched me struggle.

“Ugh, mm… Ha...”

I somehow managed to swallow what was in my mouth. I didn’t risk asking what exactly I’d been eating so far to avoid ruining the experience—mostly because it had actually been quite tasty.

“This is so good, Ayato!”

“I know, right? Though it’s only natural, since I cooked all this up!”

Ayato seemed satisfied with my response. His chest swelled with pride, confident that his dish was going to win tonight.

“Eat mine next, please. I’ve made something much more delicious than Ayato’s takoyaki.” 

Unsurprisingly, Kanato had prepared a dessert. The base was a parfait, loaded with pudding, cr��pes, cake, and ice cream on top, and covered in an unholy amount of chocolate. It looked almost sickeningly sweet.

“It looks delicious, but… It seems very sweet, doesn’t it?”

“But really, I’m gettin’ heartburn just by looking at it. You might as well call anything a dish if you load it with enough sweet stuff.”

“You’re hopelessly tasteless, Shin. This is obviously incredibly delicious.” As he spoke, Kanato stared at the sweets as though he were spellbound. “Ah… It doesn’t get any better than this. I’d love this to be added to the menu so that Ruki will prepare it for me every day.”

After having stared at his parfait for a while, Kanato picked up a spoon. 

“Since you’re nothing but a doll, you must be bad at feeding yourself, right? Just for today, I’ll feed you. Please be grateful.”

“It’s alright, Kanato. I can eat by myself… Mm!” 

I tried to move away, but Kanato forcefully grabbed my wrist to keep me in place and thrust a loaded spoon at me. Once again, food was forced into my mouth. I tried my best to chew and swallow each bite, but I couldn’t keep up with the speed with which Kanato was feeding me. Just when I thought I couldn’t take any more, Kanato’s hand stilled.

“Oh, you have some cream on your face.”

“Ah!”

Kanato put down the spoon and his tongue darted out when he moved in, licking the cream off my cheek. My heartbeat jumped a little at the sensation. 

“Hehe… Very sweet. My cooking is the most delicious after all, isn’t it?” he asked expectantly, slowly leaning in further as he spoke. 

The strange atmosphere made me increasingly uncomfortable. Still, though… Kanato’s dish was particularly sweet but no less delicious—like he had said—and so I honestly shared my opinion.

“Right? I see you’re able to tell how great my cooking is. It’s quite admirable.”

Kanato left my side, clearly pleased with my answer.

“It’s my turn, then!”

Shin moved in and placed a small plate in front of me.

“...? Shin, what’s this brown, cream-like stuff?”

“It’s peanut butter. Can’t you tell?”

“The hell? How much of an idiot do you gotta be to consider that a dish?” Ayato sneered at Shin, clearly making fun of him.

“Hehe. Who’s the real idiot here? You know fuck-all about cooking,” Shin replied. Then, he went on to expertly spread the peanut butter on a piece of bread. “This peanut butter goes well with a lot of different kinds of cooking. It’s a great all-purpose condiment for bringing out the flavour of stuff like bread and cakes. I’d like you to use it in many different dishes.”

“I object. Won’t everything just start tasting like peanuts?”

“Right, right! My takoyaki’d taste like peanuts!”

“Ha! You can yap all you want, but it won’t matter. Eve’s the one who has to like it. So, here you go.”

I reached out to take the bread he held out to me, but Shin seized my hand in mid air. He pulled me in close with a sharp tug. 

“I’ll feed you.”

“Um… I already said it just now, but I can eat by myself, you know?”

“Just be good and eat. C’mon.”

My lips parted when the bread touched my mouth, and when I took a bite, the sweet flavour of the peanut butter (1) spread across my tongue.

“Good, isn’t it? Make sure to savour the taste.”

Contrary to Ayato and Kanato, Shin slowed his movements to match my eating speed and held the bread to my mouth for me to take bites. The peanut butter went well with the bread. It was really good.

“Hehe. You kinda look like a greedy little pet dog eating from your owner’s hand right now.”

I tried to argue that no, I wasn’t a dog, but I kept getting interrupted by Shin holding the bread to my mouth. Before long, I’d already swallowed the last bite.

“Thank you, Shin. It was delicious!”

“I told you! If you pick my peanut butter, you’ll be able to eat it whenever you like, so… You know what to do, right?” Shin’s mouth curved into a smile, but the smile didn’t reach his eyes.

There was clearly no safe way to answer that question. I forced a wavering smile in response.

“Well, then. Lastly, it’s my turn.” Ruki put his dish in front of me with more confidence than all his brothers before him.

“Is this… soup?”

The soup in front of me looked to contain a well-balanced mix of vegetables, meat, and beans, giving it a delicious-looking golden colour. However, it looked no different than what Ruki usually made for dinner.

“Soup? How boring. Couldn’t you come up with something else? This is not even a close contender compared to my dish.”

“Just take a sip and you’ll know. Eve, please turn your face my way.” 

Ruki took a spoonful of the soup and carefully raised it to my lips. 

“Drink it. It’s a rather fine soup to give to livestock, but I suppose I should feed you something nice every once in a while.”

I felt myself becoming curious how it tasted, too, considering Ruki was brimming with confidence. Still, it was a little embarrassing to have him feed it to me, so I tried to tell him I’d like to drink it by myself.

“No, drink it like this. You wouldn’t want to trouble your master, would you? Or… would you rather have me feed it to you mouth-to-mouth?”

He looked like he would seriously do it if I didn’t go along with him. Finding myself unable to resist, I obediently opened my mouth.

“Yes, that’s it. Savour it.”

Ruki slid the spoon between my lips. I tried to swallow it neatly, but my nerves got the better of me. A small drop of soup dribbled from my lower lip.

“Mm. Ah…”

“You spilled some of the soup. Good grief, what ill-mannered livestock you are.”

With a stroke of his thumb, Ruki wiped the soup from my lip. My face flushed.

“What’s that face for, staring at me like that? Was that not enough to satisfy you?”

Not wanting to go through something so embarrassing another time, I desperately shook my head. Still, Ruki’s soup tasted amazing. It may have looked no different from what he usually cooked, but I wondered if this was some kind of secret recipe of his. 

I couldn’t hold back my curiosity and asked him what was in the soup.

“It’s a secret. I’m not so kind a master as to teach you my recipe, Livestock,” Ruki said, dodging my question, and traced his thumb over my lips again.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

With all four dishes taste-tested, the cooking contest was over. Now, I had to choose which one I liked the most.

“It can’t be anything other than Yours Truly’s giant takoyaki, right?”

“That’s unthinkable. My dessert was clearly the most delicious.”

“Nah, you’re choosing my peanut butter that goes with any dish, right?”

“Judging from your reaction, Livestock, the answer is clear as day. My soup wins.”

Whatever I picked would be added to our dinner menu from now on, and everyone was passionately advocating for their respective dishes. 

I recalled the flavours of the dishes I’d tasted tonight. After a moment of deliberation, I opened my mouth to speak.

“All four dishes were delicious, so how about adding all four of them to the menu?”

My proposal made the room fall silent for a moment.

“Seriously? It’s a competition! You gotta pick a winner. There’s no way in hell I’m agreein’ to this!”

“What a fool you are. We’ve told you many times over that you can only pick one winner.”

“Besides, aren’t you trying to wriggle your way outta this by giving such a diplomatic answer?”

“That seems likely. Or did Livestock perhaps not understand the meaning of this from the beginning?”

After Ayato first broke the silence, the brothers aimed their discontent at me one after the other. Still, I stood my ground and once again explained to them that I’d truly enjoyed all four dishes. Even though it might put even more strain on Ruki, I insisted that we should add all dishes to the menu since everyone had put in so much effort. 

Ruki contemplated the idea for a little while before letting out a small sigh and agreeing with me. “...If that is Eve’s verdict, so be it. Let’s add all dishes to the menu from now on.”

“The fuck’re you sayin’?! I can’t accept this unless I’m crowned the winner.”

“B-but Ayato, if you kindly ask Ruki, he might make that gigantic takoyaki for you every day, you know?”

“...Heh, that’s true. Well, I’m just gonna make Ruki do it, then!”

“Hold on, please! If that’s the case, then I’d rather he make my parfait every day instead! I won’t lose to an inferior dish like takoyaki!” 

“I won’t put up with having either of your dishes every day. This peanut butter goes with anything, so you’d better use it every day, Brother.”

In the end, the brothers got into a heated argument about whose dish we should eat for the days to come. Even though this contest was intended to foster a cooperative spirit among his brothers, Ruki held his head in his hands as he watched them fight over the results.

Nevertheless, I found myself thinking that I couldn’t imagine this family any other way.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Look, I’m not trying to ignite a discussion but… is peanut butter really sweet? It’s considered more of a savoury thing where I live (or at least it rarely—if ever—contains sugar), though I do suppose it’s versatile in that it goes well with both sweet and savoury things. 

[the-reader-insert-gazette]

Through Time and Together - F!Reader x Caelus

Honkai Star Rail

Caught in a relentless time loop aboard the Astral Express, Reader must relive the same day over and over, with her only hope of escape tied to confessing her feelings for Caelus.

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[Name] had been through enough anomalies in her life, but this—this was something new. She awoke on the Astral Express, the soft hum of the train and the faint scent of brewing coffee signaling the start of another day. Except, it wasn’t just another day. It was the same day. Again.

She groaned, sitting up in her cabin and rubbing her temples. The first time she’d noticed the repetition, it had been mildly frustrating. By the tenth loop, it had become maddening. No matter what she did, the day always ended with her standing on the observation deck, watching Caelus disappear into a shimmer of light after a particularly heart-pounding confession… that she never managed to return before the loop reset.

Her goal was simple: break the loop. The problem? She had no idea how to do it.

Loop 11 started the same way: Pom-Pom knocking on her door with their usual chirpy, "Good morning, [Name]!" She groaned inwardly but forced a polite smile, knowing it was pointless to argue with the adorably stubborn conductor.

As she wandered to the dining car for breakfast, she caught sight of Caelus sitting alone, his usual air of quiet determination making her stomach twist. Somehow, this loop always revolved around him. Maybe the universe had a sick sense of humor.

“Morning,” he said, glancing up at her with a small smile. “You’re up earlier than usual.”

She slid into the seat across from him, forcing herself to meet his gaze. “Yeah, just… couldn’t sleep.”

“Something on your mind?” he asked, his tone genuinely curious.

[Name] hesitated. She could tell him the truth, but the last few loops had taught her that being blunt only led to confusion—or worse, dismissal. Instead, she tried a different approach. “Just a weird feeling. Like… déjà vu.”

He raised an eyebrow, but before he could respond, March bounded into the car, her usual enthusiasm cutting through the tension. “There you are! We’ve got an adventure today, remember?”

Ah, yes. The mission. It always played out the same way: the crew traveled to an abandoned planet, stumbled upon an anomaly, and nearly got themselves killed before Caelus made some grand, self-sacrificial gesture that left her reeling. And then… the loop reset.

This time, [Name] decided to mix things up. Instead of following the usual plan, she stuck close to Caelus, subtly altering the timeline. She made sure they didn’t split up during the exploration of the ruins, intervened when Dan Heng’s equipment malfunctioned, and even convinced March to let her take the lead when they encountered the anomaly.

But as the day unfolded, she realized the core problem wasn’t the mission—it was her inability to confront her feelings. Every time she tried to speak to Caelus, the words caught in her throat. She’d defused bombs, analyzed ancient artifacts, and outsmarted interstellar criminals, yet telling someone how she felt seemed impossible.

By Loop 23, [Name] was losing patience. She stormed into the ruins ahead of the others, determined to get answers from the anomaly itself. Caelus caught up to her, his brows furrowed in concern.

“[Name], what’s going on? You’ve been acting strange all day.”

She turned to him, frustration bubbling over. “What’s going on? I’m stuck, Caelus. I’m stuck in this stupid time loop, reliving the same day over and over again, and it’s your fault.”

He blinked, taken aback. “My fault?”

“Yes!” she exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air. “Every time, it’s you—your sacrifice, your stupid heroic nonsense, and I’m left standing there, unable to stop you or tell you—” She froze, the words catching in her throat.

“Tell me what?” he asked softly, stepping closer.

Her frustration melted into exasperation. “That I—” She bit her lip. This wasn’t how she wanted to say it, but there was no backing out now. “That I care about you, okay? That I can’t stand watching you leave. And if this loop keeps resetting until I figure this out, then fine—I care.”

Caelus stared at her, his expression unreadable. For a horrible moment, she thought she’d miscalculated. But then, he smiled—a warm, genuine smile that made her chest ache.

“You could’ve said something sooner,” he said lightly, his voice tinged with amusement.

She gawked at him. “What?”

“I’ve been trying to tell you how I feel for weeks,” he admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. “But every time I tried, you’d get this look like you were ready to bolt. So I backed off.”

[Name] blinked. “You… you feel the same way?”

“Yeah,” he said, his tone soft. “But I wasn’t about to pressure you. Figured you’d come around eventually.”

Her cheeks burned, but before she could respond, the anomaly flared to life, bathing them in a golden light. The ruins trembled, and for a terrifying second, she thought the loop was resetting again. But then the light faded, leaving them standing in silence.

“Did we just… break the loop?” she asked, glancing around.

Caelus smirked. “Looks like it.”

Relief and exhaustion washed over her, and she laughed—a genuine, cathartic laugh that eased the tension in her chest. “Finally.”

He reached for her hand, his touch grounding. “So… where do we go from here?”

She squeezed his hand, her smile softening. “Anywhere but back.”

And for the first time in weeks, the day moved forward.

-----

The following morning on the Astral Express felt… different. [Name] woke up with a sense of lightness she hadn’t felt in weeks—or rather, in loops. The day wasn’t resetting, and she could finally move forward. As she stretched and got ready, a small smile tugged at her lips as she remembered the previous night.

Caelus had held her hand the entire walk back to the Express, his warmth a quiet reassurance. They’d talked late into the night, sharing stories and laughter, and for the first time, she allowed herself to let her guard down completely with him.

By the time [Name] made her way to the dining car, she spotted Caelus already seated, casually sipping his coffee. His silver hair was still slightly tousled from sleep, and the sight made her heart do a little flip.

“Morning,” he said, his voice warm as she slid into the seat across from him.

“Morning,” she replied, a soft smile playing on her lips.

Their usual banter was still there, but there was something undeniably different in the way he leaned toward her, the way her gaze lingered on him. It wasn’t long before the change caught the attention of the others.

March, balancing a tray of pancakes, stopped mid-step. Her eyes widened, and a grin slowly spread across her face as she noticed how close they were sitting. “Wait, wait, wait,” she said, plunking her tray down at their table. “Did I miss something? Are you two…?”

[Name] glanced at Caelus, whose calm demeanor didn’t falter in the slightest. He simply shrugged and gave March a knowing smile. “What do you think?” he asked, his tone teasing.

March gasped dramatically, looking between them. “Oh my Aeons, you are! You’re together! This is the best thing that’s happened all week.”

[Name] rolled her eyes, though the flush creeping up her neck betrayed her. “March, calm down.”

“Calm down?!” March practically vibrated with excitement. “This is huge! Dan Heng! Get in here—you’re not going to believe this!”

“Believe what?” Dan Heng’s voice came from the doorway. He stepped in, his calm expression shifting to mild curiosity as he approached. “What’s going on?”

March pointed at [Name] and Caelus like she’d just uncovered the galaxy’s biggest secret. “They’re dating!”

Dan Heng raised an eyebrow, his gaze flicking between the two. “Dating?” He studied their expressions, then gave a small nod. “Makes sense.”

March’s jaw dropped. “Makes sense? That’s all you have to say?”

Dan Heng shrugged, his tone matter-of-fact. “They’ve had chemistry for a while. It was only a matter of time.”

[Name] groaned, burying her face in her hands. “Can we not make this a spectacle?”

“But it is a spectacle!” March insisted, clasping her hands together. “You two are, like, the perfect couple. How did it even happen? Was it a grand confession? Did someone almost die? Wait, don’t tell me—was there a kiss in the rain?”

Caelus chuckled, his eyes glinting with amusement. “Something like that.”

“Oh, come on!” March pouted. “You’re holding out on me.”

“Let them have their privacy,” Dan Heng interjected, though there was a faint hint of a smirk on his face. “Not everyone wants their life narrated like one of your dramas.”

March sighed dramatically but relented. “Fine, fine. But I expect details eventually.”

Throughout the day, the shift in [Name] and Caelus’s relationship became more apparent. They moved as a seamless unit, their usual bickering now tinged with playfulness. During their next mission briefing, [Name] leaned slightly into Caelus’s side without realizing it, and he absently rested his hand on the back of her chair.

March kept nudging Dan Heng with exaggerated winks, while Dan Heng, ever composed, simply raised an eyebrow in acknowledgment.

It wasn’t until later that evening, when the crew gathered in the parlor car for a game of cards, that March couldn’t resist teasing them again.

“You know,” she said, shuffling the deck, “it’s so nice to see you both smiling so much. Love really does change people.”

[Name] narrowed her eyes, though the faint blush on her cheeks betrayed her. “March, if you keep this up, you’re going to regret it.”

“Regret what? Supporting my favorite new couple?” March grinned, clearly enjoying herself.

Caelus leaned back in his chair, utterly unbothered. “She’s just jealous.”

“Jealous? Of what?” March huffed.

“That she doesn’t have someone to share her pancakes with,” Caelus quipped, his tone deadpan.

The table erupted in laughter, including Dan Heng, who rarely showed such open amusement. March crossed her arms, pretending to sulk, but her smile betrayed her.

-----

That evening on the Astral Express had settled into a comfortable rhythm, the crew’s laughter and the shuffle of cards filled the car. [Name] leaned back in her chair, watching Caelus bluff his way into another win, his smirk betraying his feigned confidence. She was mid-eye roll when the door opened, revealing Welt and Himiko entering with their usual composed demeanor. Pom-Pom followed close behind, their small frame practically radiating curiosity.

Himiko glanced at the table, her sharp eyes immediately catching the relaxed closeness between [Name] and Caelus. “What’s this?” she asked, a sly smile tugging at her lips. “Seems like we’ve walked in on something interesting.”

Pom-Pom tilted their head, their antennae twitching. “Ooooh, are we playing cards? Can I join?”

March was the first to answer, her grin lighting up the room. “Oh, Pom-Pom, you can definitely join, but first—you missed the big news!” She turned to Himiko and Welt, clearly relishing the moment. “[Name] and Caelus are a thing now!”

[Name] groaned, slumping forward onto the table. “March. Please.”

Himiko arched an elegant eyebrow, her lips curving into an amused smirk. “A thing, you say? That’s quite the development.”

Welt stepped closer, adjusting his glasses as he observed the group. His gaze lingered on Caelus, who, to [Name]'s surprise, looked entirely unfazed by the sudden scrutiny. “Interesting,” Welt said thoughtfully. “Though, I can’t say I’m entirely surprised.”

“Not you too,” [Name] muttered, peeking up from behind her hands.

Pom-Pom hopped up onto an empty chair, their voice full of excitement. “Wait, wait! Does this mean you’re boyfriend and girlfriend now? Like, officially?”

Caelus chuckled, his tone teasing as he replied, “Well, I did think saving each other from time anomalies was a pretty good start.”

[Name] shot him a glare, though the warmth in her cheeks betrayed her. “You’re enjoying this way too much.”

“Only because your reaction is so adorable,” he quipped, leaning back in his chair with a grin that made her want to simultaneously roll her eyes and smile.

Himiko let out a low laugh, taking a seat across from them. “I have to say, this is a side of you I don’t often see, [Name]. It’s nice.”

[Name] straightened, determined to regain some semblance of composure. “It’s not that big a deal,” she insisted, though her voice lacked its usual conviction.

“It’s a huge deal,” March chimed in, shuffling the cards with theatrical flair. “You two have been dancing around each other forever. I’m just glad the universe finally pushed you together.”

“Pushed might be putting it lightly,” [Name] muttered under her breath, though she couldn’t help the small smile that tugged at her lips.

Welt’s expression softened as he regarded the pair. “Sometimes the universe has a way of aligning things when we least expect it. And from what I’ve seen, you complement each other well.”

“Wow,” Caelus said, his grin widening. “That almost sounds like a blessing.”

“Don’t push your luck,” Welt replied dryly, though his eyes glimmered with quiet amusement.

Pom-Pom, still buzzing with energy, clapped their tiny hands together. “So, are we celebrating? This feels like a reason to celebrate!”

“We’re already celebrating,” March declared, dealing out the cards with enthusiasm. “The best way we know how—with cards, competition, and shameless teasing.”

Himiko leaned forward, her eyes sparkling with mischief. “I think I’ll join in. Watching [Name] try to keep her cool sounds like too much fun to pass up.”

[Name] groaned again, but this time it was accompanied by a laugh. She met Caelus’s gaze across the table, his eyes warm and steady, and she realized she didn’t mind the teasing as much as she thought she would. For the first time in what felt like forever, everything felt right.

[Name] shook her head, muttering something under her breath about the Express turning into a soap opera, but the faint smile on her lips betrayed her. Caelus leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table as March dealt the next hand.

“Alright, everyone’s in,” March announced, her grin practically sparkling with mischief. “Pom-Pom, Himiko, Welt—prepare to lose. And [Name], try not to let Caelus distract you too much.”

“I will end you,” [Name] shot back, narrowing her eyes at March. Her tone was dry, but there was a playful edge to it.

“I’m just saying,” March teased, “you’ve got that dreamy look in your eyes, and it’s not gonna help your poker face.”

[Name] opened her mouth to retort, but Caelus cut in, smirking. “She always has a dreamy look when I’m around.”

The table erupted into laughter. Even Dan Heng let out a quiet chuckle, shaking his head as he observed the chaos unfolding. Himiko leaned back, clearly enjoying herself, while Welt’s small smile suggested he was filing away this interaction for future amusement.

“Pom-Pom!” March called, waving at the conductor. “What do you think of our new power couple?”

Pom-Pom tilted their head, tapping a paw against their chin. “Hmm, I think it’s nice! But as the conductor, I must say, any excessive PDA on the Express could be a distraction.”

[Name] groaned, her head dropping into her hands. “I can’t believe I’m getting a lecture on professionalism from Pom-Pom.”

“It’s an important part of running a ship!” Pom-Pom replied with a sage nod. “But, um, I guess a little hand-holding is okay.”

“Good to know we have your approval,” Caelus said smoothly, reaching over to take [Name]'s hand in his. She glared at him, but the faint blush on her cheeks gave her away.

“You’re insufferable,” she muttered.

“And yet you like me anyway,” he quipped, his grin downright cheeky.

March clapped her hands together. “Okay, okay, back to the game before this turns into a romance novel. Welt, your turn!”

The game resumed with its usual blend of banter and competition, though it was impossible to ignore the way [Name] and Caelus occasionally glanced at each other, their expressions softer than before. Even when the teasing quieted down, the shift in their dynamic was undeniable, radiating through the room like a subtle, comforting warmth.

Himiko leaned toward Welt as the game progressed, her voice low but audible enough to [Name]. “You know, I never thought I’d see the day. [Name], of all people, finally letting someone in.”

Welt nodded thoughtfully. “It’s a good thing. She’s always been so self-reliant, but even she needs someone she can trust completely.”

[Name], overhearing them, shot them a look. “I can hear you, you know.”

Himiko didn’t even blink. “Good. You should hear it. We’re proud of you.”

The sincerity in her voice caught [Name] off guard, and for a moment, her usual wit failed her. She glanced at Caelus, who gave her hand a reassuring squeeze under the table. His silent support steadied her in a way she wasn’t used to—but found herself welcoming.

Later that night, as the others drifted off to their own routines, [Name] and Caelus found themselves alone on the observation deck. The stars stretched out endlessly before them, their light dancing across the dark expanse of space.

“So,” Caelus said, breaking the comfortable silence, “how does it feel to be the center of everyone’s attention?”

“Exhausting,” [Name] replied, leaning against the railing. “But… not as bad as I thought it’d be.”

He chuckled, stepping closer. “I think you handled it pretty well.”

“Yeah, well, you’re the one who made it bearable,” she admitted, her voice softer than usual. “I don’t know how you stay so calm with everyone poking at you.”

“Years of practice,” he said, his tone light. Then, more seriously, “But it’s easier when I’m with you.”

[Name] turned to him, her usual sharpness tempered by something gentler. “You’re good at this, you know.”

“At what?” he asked, tilting his head.

“Making me feel… okay. Even when everything feels like it’s spinning out of control.”

He smiled, reaching out to brush a strand of hair from her face. “That’s the thing about us, [Name]. We make each other okay.”

Her breath hitched slightly, but she didn’t pull away. Instead, she let herself lean into the moment, into him. And as the stars shimmered around them, she realized that, for the first time in a long time, she felt like she was exactly where she was meant to be.

~Fin~

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Yup, double-protag posts. Happy Thanksgiving to my US readers!