#though. I have been VERY scared of it (I did also work in fast food which is also LOUD) when I couldn’t hear an instructor hardly at all

[shatterthefragments]

Actually before I go like. I’d seen the video of IVs scream in Rain and I just previously thought “oh how nice that adds a lot” but today in the car I thought. Wait? Is there? So I turned the volume up to 40 (I usually have it between 23-29 on the highway) and uh. 😳 That was the very first time I noticed Vessel’s scream in Rain.

I should perhaps listen more closely if headphones???

[wonderjanga]

Part-time Jobs

Billy needs money, or at least more than what he currently has. So, he gets a job. Scratch that. Marvel gets a job. Marvel is now a part timer named Mark who works at a Target, a Baskin Robins, a Bojangles (I worked at one, so now he has to), and a couple other places. The stamina of Atlas is really carrying him.

Marvel and Coworker 1: *taking a lunch break together*

Coworker 1: “Wait, so is this your only job?”

Marvel: “Hm? No. Why?”

Coworker 1: “Well, it’s just that I briefly remember you saying one time about how this isn’t your only job.”

Marvel: “Ohhhhh… Well let’s see, I work here, Target, a Baskin Robins, and a Bojangles. I’ve been a bouncer at a club a couple times since a friend of mine at the Baskin Robins will let me fill in for him. And then there’s the Autozone, and the Taco Bell.”

Coworker 1: *starts growing more and more alarmed/horrified after the Baskin Robins mention* “Mark, buddy, that’s like… six— seven jobs! How do you have the time for that, one, and two you have like no one eyebags or visible exhaustion whatsoever.”

Marvel: “I clean up well…?”

Coworker 1: “That’s a bit of an understatement, pal. You look like you have a full nights rest, a good meal, and a good conscience. I’ve never once seen you drink a drop of caffeine to.”

Marvel: “Uh…”

Coworker 1: *stands on tippy toes to place a hand on Marvel’s shoulder* “Dude, are you alright?”

Marvel: *leans down so they don’t have to stand on their tippy toes* “Yes?”

Coworker 1: “You sure?”

Marvel: “Yes?? You’re making me second guess myself.”

Coworker 1: “Maybe you should, because working 7 jobs is actually insane, bud.”

This interaction honestly set Billy on edge afterwords. He didn’t really want Coworker 1 worrying over him. Especially when Billy was just trying to get that bag. Speaking of worrying there was another coworker who tended to worry about him a lot, Ms. Gertrude. She was the manager of the Target he worked at. Her worry was more that of a grandmother. She pinches his cheeks and gives him candy despite the fact that in his Marvel form, he not only looks like a grown man, she’s also half his size. He doesn’t particularly mind though.

Marvel: “Ms. Gertrude, why do you always pinch my cheeks and give me candy?

Ms. Gertrude: “You remind me of my husband.” *hands him some old lady candy*

Marvel: *extremely confused* “Huh?”

Ms. Gertrude: “Yes, Micheal, my husband. You remind me of him. So, I’ve decided you’re now my grandson.”

Marvel: “Oh uh… okay.” *doesn’t know whether to be happy or not*

Ms. Gertrude: “Yes, now go stock the toy aisle, dear.” *shooes him off*

Marvel: *scurries off to the toy aisie*

The time bubble worked in his favor, Billy supposed. Ms. Gertrude likes her 1950s to 60s not-really-grandson grandson.

Then there’s the time Flash was in town for whatever and went to the local Baskin Robins.

Flash: “I’ll take a double fudge sundae— Whaaaa…? Cap?”

Marvel: “It’s Mark.” *taps name tag*

Flash: “Your name is Mark?”

Marvel: “Well… no. But it’s my name for this job. A double fudge sundae, right?”

Flash: “Right.” *stares for a couple seconds* “Dude, why’re you here?”

Marvel: “It’s my city?”

Flash: “You know what I mean. Dude, why’re you working at a Baskin Robin’s?”

Marvel: “Money.”

Flash: “Money?”

Marvel: *nods head* “Money.”

Flash: “You know we get a salary right? Also why do you even need money in the first place? I didn’t even think you were a human.”

Marvel: *donates most of the money to homeless shelters, but doesn’t use any of it for himself cause he’s scared it’ll let them find out he’s a kid* “I did know that. I just like to eat. I work at like 5 different fast food places cause the food is delicious.” *walks to the ice cream to start making the sundae*

Flash: “How do you have the time for that?”

Marvel: *shrugs, finishing the sundae and handing it to Wally*

Flash: “I will be very much asking about this later, bud. You will be warned.”

[lilacliquors]

pairing: syzoth x reader

sweet or spicy: sweet

word count: 647

prompt: [  TRACE  ]: sender, believing the receiver to be asleep, gently traces the message “i love you” on the receiver’s bare skin with their finger.

notes: here's day eleven! we're getting down to the last three, with my cod men smuts and one last mk1 man fluff! i can't believe the event is almost over, but i hope everyone's been enjoying it!

time moved very differently in outworld, and it was something you were still getting used to. ever since you had joined syzoth as an ambassador to the empress, though you were obviously from earthrealm, he had taken the time to make sure you were adjusting well. he was always checking in on you, making sure you weren’t too swept up in thee madness of your new reality, your new duties, and you always reassured him that you were fine.

to you, it was endearing in a way. you knew that he had overcome some heartbreaking losses, as shang tsung had taken the lives of his wife and son. and as handsome as you found him, you knew that what he needed most was a friend. so that’s what you became to him. and the friendship was a welcome one. It was easy to get swept up into the outrageousness that was being a royal ambassador, and you both needed one another to check up with, to make sure everything was going okay. 

over the months, however, you two had grown close, a lot closer than syzoth had ever expected. if he was being honest, it scared him a little, while also being a breath of fresh air. of course, there had been some people who came to court and tried to flirt with him, but he brushed them aside. he had no interest in any of them, he suddenly only had eyes for you.

you, who hadn’t pressured him to move on from the loss of his family. you, who took the time to listen to him as he grieved. you, who offered a shoulder to cry on when he needed it most. you, who showed him compassion and friendship above anything romantic. he was touched, and he knew that you were special. he knew he wanted to spend his time with you, he knew he wanted to let himself love you. but it was hard. he didn’t want you to feel as though you were competing with a ghost, or feel pressured to possibly have a child with him. that conversation could wait, of course. but he didn’t know when or where to have the initial one, the first steps of courtship. how did earthrealmers do it? did they go out to fancy dinners? did they take wilderness hikes? did they try exotic market foods and rate them on a deliciousness scale? he wasn’t sure, and the possibilities for first dates were overwhelming. but he would think of something, he couldn’t let you slip away from him.

one night, you were both relaxing after a long day. you sat beside one another, and as he pored over zaterran scrolls, you were reading a book beside him. it had been a long day, and you were clearly exhausted. every time he glanced over to you, you were fighting to keep your eyes open, and to him, it was adorable. you had both been very quiet the whole night, so he thought nothing of it when you hadn’t spoken for a while. but when he glanced over again, he saw your eyes were shut, your book was limp in your hands, and your chest was rising and falling evenly. the whole sight was precious to him, and he didn’t dare move too much for fear of disturbing you. but something swelled in his chest, and he looked down at your arms. with a gentle finger, he reached over, and on your exposed skin of your arm, he traced ‘i love you’.

as he pulled his hand away, you stirred, but then you were still, fast asleep beside him. perhaps one day, he would work up the courage to tell you how he felt. but for now, he was going to savor this moment.

a moment of peace, with you beside him. the perfect way to end his day.

[nardos-primetime]

Some Happy Things for the Clone Turtles in my Draxum's Side of The Family AU because my one friend is always like "CAN YOU GIVE THEM ANY NICE THINGS EVER" Yes. Yes I can!

(Let's ignore that fact a lot of these end up ruined or bittersweet later on alright? Alright.)

Most of this is in the Big Mama Era of the AU! It's basically like... the middle section of the au, so a bunch of shit happens

Big Mama is a good mother to them sometimes. She often gives them praise and works to keep them safe when she initially gains ownership (for lack of a better word) of them. They start off almost always having guards with them and such. She's also the one that properly lets them tap into training in a much healthier way than Draxum ever did (especially since they were physically like TODDLERS when Drax was pushing them). They learn pretty fast because of how they were made and because most of the time, their training is when they choose.

She calls them turtily-dees instead of turtily-boos to differentiate (they love the nickname differenceit majes them feel better than the ogs).

The clones, (even Rage), like to put on little shows for guests when not working. Unlike the originals the clones can actually sing and perform, it's one of the only consistent ways Rage speaks verbally (though he is noticeably silent or just huming in some acts).

Mic is head chef! (Half honorary) He helps come up with new dishes in the kitchen and spends most of his time in the restaurant locations Mama owns. Along with this, beforehand Mama often (and still does) let them be the first taste testers for most meals, they had previously been starving, so this was a very nice change of pace.

The boys are friends with a good bunch of Mama's workers, and they mess around with them a lot. It's kind of like bring your kid to work day but basically every day for them. Sometimes, they even help the boys sneak out when they want to try and do regular kid stuff.

Such as- sneaking out to the arcade or just taking walks at night without worrying where they're going to sleep or hide for the day. Or where they're going to get food. Lee starts really admiring stars at this point, and his room and part of their little area connecting their rooms are decorated with stars after he mentions them to Mama (a pleasant surprise).

I must reiterate, the clones REALLY DO love each other. So finally being able to see each other even feel safe enough to actually have fun is a positive on its own.

They're really close friends with a bird yokai around their age. She often comes in because her dad has work with Big Mama. Sometimes, they even sneak her out to hang out, too!

Some of the workers like to give the boys little quests once they notice their bored, like telling Donno to deliver something to someone on another floor (even if it's not that important). The clones are still a little mentally stunted because they're clones that physically grew up too fast (Along with trauma messing with it), their mental only somewhat caught up, so these little games are really fun for them.

Rage picks up wood carving. That's it. Don't know why, but I thought it was nice. He's not great at it, but it's nice when he isn't doing anything.

The clones set up their own little meetings where they share what they've done/are doing for the day. It lets Lee be more of a fun leader for once, like "aaaaand Mic, what has our head chef cooked up for today!?" Really excitedly for the others to start rambling

Donno makes the other's weapons once he perfects making them. He actually modifies Rage's the most to handle a little more than the others.

They do have a little fun!

Sadly, Big Mama isn't the best the other half of the time. And the fun is what happens to keep them there until it's too late and they can't really leave. Or they're too scared to leave.

[robsterskellington]

Okay, this is another snippet where Vanitas isn't actually in, but he is mentioned. Bit Soukoku focused, so we hope you enjoy!

Context: This takes place after the snippet "Chuuya is accused of a crime he didn't commit", so Chuuya and Dazai have decided to have a romantic vacation together in Paris.

Two days in Paris flew by in a flash. Dazai was grateful for the distraction, eager to forget Kunikida’s words and the Agency's distrust of Chuuya. They were using Chuuya's connections with the Port Mafia, so they were given a lavish hotel room with everything they could possibly need- the Port Mafia had bases all over the world, and Chuuya was the one who was sent on missions to France more often than not. Being completely stocked up on food at the hotel and being within walking distance of fancy restaurants didn't stop them from buying way too many pastries at the local patisseries, or buying expensive wines, though.

They did the classic sightseeing, Dazai taking photos of the Eiffel Tower to show Vanitas when they returned, and dragging Chuuya to see the Louvre, always having an eye for art. Chuuya loved the culture, but he also couldn't deny the preference for European food, which lead to a very small downfall on the second night, when Chuuya was lying on their bed, completely spread out with his stomach swollen from being entirely too greedy, and fast asleep after having one glass more of wine than he could tolerate.

Dazai found it adorable and hilarious, and was grateful that Chuuya was small, as well as that they had a large bed to share. Dazai could easily slip into bed next to him, but decided to sit on the balcony for a little longer, feeling the summer breeze and holding a glass of wine. It was never usually his drink of choice, but Chuuya knew his tastes and was able to get him one that he'd like. He felt relaxed, and they still had the rest of the week and all of another to relax.

It turned out that he would need *all* of that time to relax, as just as when Dazai went to take another sip, his phone started to ring. There was no caller ID but that didn't mean anything to him. He knew exactly who was calling as he answered: "We're on vacation, Mori."

"Yes, I'm aware." Dazai could hear that Mori was doing some paperwork, likely with his own glass of wine, and listened, "This is actually a task I had intended to have Chuuya look into, however it might be best for you to do it. Chuuya's an excellent executive, however he tends to deal with his issues with his fists first."

"There's a problem with the base here in Paris?" That was strange. The work here was fairly simple: the Port Mafia members stationed here are tasked with falsifying documents and creating forgeries. Nothing dangerous and in the eyes of certain law enforcements, not even illegal. Then again, once they take one bribe, they're permanently corrupt in the eyes of the Mafia, and easier to blackmail.

"That's correct. A local gang seems to think that all of those documents are legitimate, and have been harassing our members, some with lethal force." Ah, so there were casualties. Usually, Dazai wouldn't care, except these people were doing fairly innocent work. Even the Agency have had to use their services in the past. Before he could even ask, Mori answered: "All I'd like you to do is go to the base. If there are any of those gang members, simply scare them off. If they believe the former Demon Prodigy has made a comeback, they'll run with their tails between their legs. They already know of Chuuya's talents, so they definitely won't come back if they think we're sending Double Black down on their heads."

It was depressing how much sense that made to Dazai. And unfortunately, it would definitely work. Rival gangs of any kind have done some amount of research on the Port Mafia, and knew of his and Chuuya's skills. It was stupid- they knew that Dazai could kill them all, but they didn't know that the place they were harassing didn't have any real or valuable information or documentation. Then again, it was the same for any moron who tried to attack the Agency. Even the Guild with all their assets never stood a chance.

"...as soon as possible, I take it?" He wanted to just spend this holiday with his boyfriend, but he didn't want Chuuya to know how bad his emotions got, how bad things were at the Agency, and he certainly didn't want Chuuya to find out that Dazai had essentially sold the remains of his soul to the devil in order to track down the bastard who framed him and caused all this mess to begin with!

"Tomorrow night," Mori clarified, "They're planning to attack the base then. I'll text you the time in the morning, and give you the chance to come up with an excuse for Chuuya."

"Fine." He hung up and downed the glass of wine. Of course he wasn't allowed a peaceful vacation, was he?

****

While they had come to Paris to spend time together and away from Yokohama, Chuuya had been surprisingly understanding when Dazai spoke about wanting to spend some time wandering about on his own. Dazai was clever, so he could figure out his way around and back. That's when they made a plan for that night: they'd both have some time to themselves, wandering around and having a break, then meet up later on at a local club for drinks and partying.

Dazai took the opportunity to sneak off and fulfil his part of the deal, plus he couldn't deny wanting to do something he used to. He knew how to deal with gangs, and he'd easily be able to do whatever was necessary to get them to talk.

So... it was strange that the base was quiet. No gunfire, no shouting, no fighting? When he entered the main distribution office, the Port Mafia members there were unconscious but otherwise unharmed. The enemy gang members were nowhere to be seen, and none of the forged documents had been stolen, Dazai knew that immediately. He quietly took a gun from one of the unconscious men and looked around- no sense in being an unarmed detective, after all.

The smell of blood eventually lured Dazai into another room, a meeting room from the look of it, but all the tables and chairs had been pushed aside, leaving a wide area of emptiness. He stepped inside, gun at the ready, but all the enemy gang members had already been dealt with- all dead, in a pile in the corner, bleeding from their necks. There wasn't nearly as much of that red liquid as there should have been, almost as if they'd been drained of it. He frowned, then froze when he heard the clearing of a throat.

Turning around, he saw a man sat on a chair at the end of the room, his legs crossed and a warm smile on his face. Dazai immediately knew he was in some form of danger- no matter how much he forced his heart to beat, or tried to pretend, he felt absolutely no fear at all. He wasn't afraid of this man, and that was somehow the most terrifying thing. Obviously he recognised this man from drawings Vanitas created in an effort to remember- while there was no name to go with the face, the rest was completely accurate to the artistic rendition:

Blonde hair, hidden beneath a fancy top hat that matched his black and purple suit, and heterochromia- one eye as blue as copper sulfate, and one a shimmering lilac. His skin was porcelain white, and his warm smile hid fangs beneath it. A Vampire from Vanitas' world, obviously. Then he spoke, his voice velvety smooth and gentle, as if he was speaking to a child, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Osamu Dazai. I trust you've been taking good care of the Heir to Blue?"

"We're at a disadvantage. You know my name, I don't know yours." Information was what he needed, so hopefully this guy would cooperate. Although he was curious about who he was referring to. Did he mean Vanitas? But he said his former guardian's name was Luna, didn't he?

"Ah, my apologies! I am the Comte de Saint Germain. However, I understand that your French isn't the best." Ouch. True, but ouch. He got that enough from Chuuya, he didn't need a complete stranger insulting him for his inability to speak or understand French. "You may call me *Teacher*. It's what I'm used to."

"Alright, *Sensei*. You did all this to get my attention. Why?" He didn't like this man, immediately. He made him uncomfortable, it was like having a second Mori, which was already disgusting to think about.

"Such intense eyes. There's no need for hostility, I simply wanted a discussion... with the Guardian of the Book." Dazai kept his face blank and his heart calm, but the Teacher smiled, "Such a responsibility has been placed on your shoulders. I'm surprised you haven't taken advantage. Don't be so tense, I won't ask to see it, nor will I ask for a Page. You've already had enough issues with that, I hear."

"While the Book is very real, I have no idea what you mean by calling me it's Guardian." Dazai made the decision to holster the gun- Odasaku always told him to at least wear a discreet holster in case anything happened and he needed to steal a firearm. "I'll try and be civil-"

"That's appreciated, but I will inform you that you don't have to play dumb, *Shūji*." That name did always get a flinch out of Dazai, that was unavoidable. The Teacher chuckled, "It's absolutely fine. Now, onto the topic at hand: how is the Heir to Blue, the one you know as Vanitas?"

Dazai didn't want to answer out of spite, so instead he simply asked: "Why do you care?"

"A good question! Very well, it's because I'm concerned about him. Blue knew very well that altering his fate would come at a price, and in this case, that would be his memories, am I right?" When Dazai made no indication that yes, he was absolutely right, he still carried on as if he'd verified his hypothesis, "That being was very dear to me, so I want to protect their family. His little brother is devastated, of course. As is someone who... well, I'm fairly certain he'd fallen in love with that poor boy."

Okay, that was sad. Was that the guy Vanitas was trying the hardest to remember the most? The dark skinned man with lilac eyes? And little brother... that was likely the boy with white hair, since Vanitas had drawn him with a book just like his. Dazai wouldn't tell this guy about Vanitas, all he did was glare and spoke clearly: "Their name was Luna. Get it right."

The Teacher applauded and laughed, "Good answer! Excellent!" Not quite the reaction he expected, but it would do. The man then stood up and tilted his head, "You're aware that things are very different now, aren't you? Certain plans gone horribly wrong, and the story that was laid out had completely twisted."

"Again, no idea what you're talking about." How did the Teacher know all of this? But it was true. Both he and Fyodor knew that the outcome of the Decay of Angels Incident... wasn't meant to be like this. There should have been far more casualties, and circumstances should have made things go a different path. It was Fyodor's expression that made it clear to Dazai that the game wasn't in either of their favours, so it was a good thing Nikolai had two doses of that antidote on hand.

That was when the Teacher held up something that made Dazai drop the calm and collected act: a Page from the Book- there was already a lot of writing on it, both sides had been written on. The Teacher changed the angle he held it at, to show Dazai the first side: Japanese writing, neat and orderly. Fukuchi's handwriting. But the other side was written completely differently, the style and language was that of a different person's. Dazai knew it was French writing, so...

"I managed to alter Captain Fukuchi's little story. I appear to have messed things up a little bit, and for that I do apologise." He grinned, "Being a Vampire can't have been good for Chuuya, nor the... *friend* trapped within him. It may have stirred unnecessary memories."

"Don't talk about him." Dazai didn't even realise that he had the gun aimed at the Teacher again. All it took was hearing his boyfriends name to get him to act stupidly. Then again, sometimes he had to have human instincts, and when it came to Chuuya, he was fine being human.

"Peace, Mr. Dazai. All I'm saying is that this Page no longer has power over your world. You're welcome." The Teacher put the used Page back into his breast pocket and stood up from the chair, only to sway slightly, looking rather lethargic, "Ah... I cannot slow time much longer. It appears that our conversation is over. I have all my answers anyway."

*He slowed time? Then he knows about my Ability. Does he know everything?* Dazai kept the gun trained on him, and his eyes widened when the Teacher brought out... "The Book of Vanitas? Where did you get that? If you did anything to-"

"There are two Books of Vanitas. Calm yourself. I borrowed this from his little brother, with permission." The Teacher opened the book, and a blue light enveloped him, though he gave a brief bow, "Perhaps you saw this meeting as pointless. But to me, this was incredibly fruitful. Tell Ougai that you despatched these men yourself, he will believe you."

With that, he was gone. Dazai stood there motionless for a minute longer before checking his phone: that entire conversation or whatever the Hell that was supposed to be should have taken 10 or so minutes, but barely a minute had gone by. When he looked over at the bodies, their wounds had changed: bite marks on their necks had changed to fatal bullet wounds on different parts of their bodies. Hesitating for a moment, Dazai checked the rounds in his gun, it had been full before. Now the clip was empty. Enough to do the job.

He simply dialled Mori's number after that, and once the call was answered, Dazai's emotionless voice uttered the words: "It's done."

****

"Where the Hell is he? Did that idiot get himself lost again? Or did he pick a fight with someone by trying to speak French again?" Chuuya paced a little, having been waiting outside the club for an hour and a half already. It was starting to get a little busy and he wanted to get some drinks and hit the dance floor with his partner while they could still move. He knew Dazai did like to wander though, so he wouldn't hold it against him. Still, he got out his phone, only to feel his eye twich at seeing the lack of signal, and the data was so poor he couldn't contact Dazai via online means either.

"Chibiiiii!! I'm sorry, I got lost and I couldn't get a signal on my phone!" Dazai ran up, slightly sweaty and out of breath, "And I didn't dare ask anyone for directions. I don't even remember what happened last time I tried speaking French."

For making him wait, Chuuya thought a little bit of teasing was necessary, "Oh, I do~" Dazai froze and stared at Chuuya who grinned, "You tried to compliment Kouyou, only to tell her she wasn't even worthy of being called shit."

"There's too many vowels in French. I don't know how to move my mouth correctly, I'm better off using it for other things~" He wagged his eyebrows at Chuuya who rolled his eyes with a smirk, and Dazai pouted, "Aww, c'mon. Gimme something I can actually say. Next time I see her, what should I tell Kouyou?"

"Tu est belle," He answered immediately, crossing his arms, "That means *you are beautiful*. Replace belle with beau when using it towards a man, since that's the masculine term."

"In that case, *tu est beau*." He grinned when Chuuya went red.

"Oh, shut it." He mumbled, feeling flustered, "That one doesn't count, because I told you that. At least *try* and be original with your flirting."

Dazai smirked and pulled him close, bowing his head down to give him some kisses on his neck and cheek, "Aww, but you *are* beautiful."

"So are you, 'samu." Chuuya managed to get out while having giggling fits from the kisses, "Mon cœur t'appartient."

Dazai blushed when Chuuya had to translate his own flirt- *my heart belongs to you*- and murmured, "You're already smoking hot, so how the Hell did you speaking in French somehow make you even more attractive?"

Chuuya just shrugged, "It's a universal thing, I think. French is attractive, but also aggressive at times, or some shit like that. Then again, it's unexplainable what stuff turns people on." He then tilted his head, "If you found *that* attractive, then~ tu es libre pour le dîner samedi?"

This time, Dazai managed to figure out that he was asking if Dazai was free for dinner on Saturday, to which he blushed again, feeling like his face might as well stay permanently red, "I need to treat you, though. To make up for being so late tonight."

"I wasn't waiting that long." He kind of stayed at a cafe longer than he'd been meaning to, eating from a charcuterie board, enjoying the rich cheeses, flavourful meats and fresh fruits.

Dazai kissed his forehead once more, like he couldn't keep his lips off his partner for more than a few minutes at a time or he'd perish, "Good, you do need to eat more." Unfortunately, Dazai also couldn't help but be a jackass every few minutes as well, "But your breath still smells of cheese."

Chuuya looked away, slightly embarrassed before deciding to match Dazai's energy but being far more vulger, "If you carry on like that, I won't be speaking French between your legs tonight."

"Wha- I- *CHUUYA!!*" If Dazai wasn't already red, he'd have absolutely exploded red at those words. Chuuya just grinned and ran into the club before Dazai could stop him, ignoring his comments about being unfair and teasing. Chuuya decided to make things worse for Dazai, dancing with him and purposely trying to rile him up. Chuuya knew *exactly* what to do and he did it so *well*, almost *perfectly*. "Slug's playing dirty..." Dazai pouted.

"Fairness is boring, detective." He winked and Dazai found himself continuing to blush more. This moment really was like some shitty criminal x detective fanfiction... but fuck it, Dazai was happy with it. He loved Chuuya with his entire existence, the lighting and atmosphere of the club making him look more radiant and *attractive*.

Around Dazai, Chuuya didn't hide his heterochromia, nor his freckles, and he danced like nobody was watching. Dazai couldn't help but feel like he was being pulled in by a siren. A *beautiful* siren. Being pulled under, but not drowning, though his heart was beating fast in his ears and a warmth spread throughout his body.

Chuuya kissed him when he came close, and Dazai knew that this man was truly worth *living* for. He immediately wrapped his arms around Chuuya, acknowledging that if Chuuya can play unfairly, so can he, and he knew exactly what to do, where to touch and hold, he had committed everything to memory. Chuuya hummed against his lips, grateful that Dazai was here with him.

This vacation was for Dazai, after all- he needed a break from the Agency after Kunikida’s outburst, and Chuuya being away would prove his innocence. He knew that Kunikida’s words had *really* hurt Dazai, he'd looked so upset, distraught even, like he had been betrayed. So, he would take care of Dazai until he was well enough to face his work partner again. Chuuya considered himself to be Dazai's *life* partner, and would continue to think that way; his heart had already made that decision, and he couldn't and wouldn't change that. His heart and mind were impossible to sway, even when things got tough.

Dazai nuzzled Chuuya, resting against him which got him to close his eyes, "I love you, 'samu." That was all he needed to say, and it was the honest truth.

Dazai found himself hugging Chuuya tightly and burying his face into his firey red hair, his heart still needing time to process those words, no matter how often they were said. After his breakdown, he struggled to believe that he was worthy of being loved, his brain and heart having to remember that nothing Chuuya was doing or saying was wrong. He just mumbled his response, his words still completely sincere, "I love you too, Chuuya."

Chuuya stroked his hair and held him as close as he could, shutting his eyes and swaying with him, "...thanks for not giving up on me, even when I was being a jackass."

He just chuckled, "Of course, I'm pretty stubborn when I wanna be."

Chuuya didn't think it was stubbornness. Dazai always had trouble with his emotions, but there was genuine care in his heart. No matter how much he suffered or struggled, he could never shut off his emotions completely. He acknowledged how much he fucked up, or thought he was doing the right thing, only to look back and feel nothing but guilt or shame. But he was becoming a better person, and that was who Chuuya would never stop believing in- after all, it was still Dazai in the end.

[eteisvalssi]

ruisrock report 7.7.2024

i'm now back home from turku and what a weekend it was! here are some of my thoughts:

i was a volunteer at ruisrock. i did two 7,5 hour shifts checking other volunteers in and out of their shifts and it was so much fun! an easy job, i got to enjoy one full day and two partial days of the festival, i got free food on the two days i had a shift and would've gotten free accommodation too if i hadn't had one already. all worth it :)

i did go see artists other than joker out. my favorites were definitely fröbelin palikat and robin! fröbelin palikat is something the main target audience of ruisrock grew up listening to so it was very nostalgic and there were so many people and literally everyone dancing and singing along to children's music. and robin is just robin, an amazing performer and literally everyone knows his songs

even on our day off we could use the volunteer bus and the crew entrance, so we did, and went to teltta straight away to check the situation. my friend wanted to stay there to secure barricade, but i gave my spot to a girl who wanted to only see the first two acts there

we had the joblr meetup! i loved meeting you all, it was so much fun, and i hope to see you all soon <3 next meetup in slovenia during the balkan tour? 👀

the others went to see käärijä but i felt bad for my friend for disappearing for three hours so i went to the tent after pehmoaino and the girl who i mentioned earlier gave me the spot back!

we could hear käärijä a bit from the tent and it was nice to hear how loud the audience was when erika vikman and joost came on stage

next up in the tent was ege zulu, i only knew like two songs but oh my god his performance was so good! he's a rapper and he had like a show with a proper band and dancers. at one point he just started improvising and singing/talking directly to the audience members and giving compliments and he truly knew what part of the audience he had to win over bc yours truly got complimented on 😂

after ege zulu the first rows started filling up from joker out fans

next up was alok and speaking as a person who does study event management i feel like there might have been some misjudgement from ruisrock's part on the timetables, because the two front rows were really not feeling it and it was very awkward. it would've worked better with joker out having performed before, but of course i know nothing about what their reasoning was

the 1,5 hour wait for joker out went by so fast. we were listening to pmmp from the niitty stage and during their most-well-known songs everyone who knew them was singing along. because of that the vibe in the audience was so good even before the gig started

katri norrlin and this other guy from ylex came to introduce them and even at that people were screaming so fucking loud. i read from jodel that one security person went to get second earmuffs bc it was so loud

after they came on stage nace looked me straight in the eyes and waved at me even though i didn't wave at him like ok??

i don't feel like i've ever been at a more high-energy joker out concert than this. the audience was so loud through the whole concert, the tent was full of people and you could see they got so excited by it and went completely crazy themselves

this one was truly for the shippers of the fandom with just everything that happened on that day

i didn't even realize jere and the others were on the side watching the gig before vse kar vem and i only heard about joost also being there after the concert

seagulls had somehow found their way into the tent and one of them got really scared during šta bih ja and flew around for a while before flying backstage

didn't expect sunny side of london or bele sanje to be on the setlist, but i'm definitely not complaining. ssol was just perfect for this gig

i've taken a video of novi val from every single gig and i was kinda sad that they didn't do it this time, but i do also get why they ended with carpe diem

after the gig we went back to the centre of turku and had an afterparty with some mutuals at a grill kiosk <3

i feel like i've forgotten something but idk i'll add some stuff if i do remember what i had in mind. thanks for reading <3

[russellsppttemplates]

Rora having separation anxiety after mick starts working again

Note: mentions separation anxiety moments (not detailed nor defining of a situation as this is something that I hold so much respect and feel a certain responsibility over)

Aurora had been usually quiet after Mick left that morning, her teacher noticing that and telling you when you went to pick her up from school, "My husband had to travel for the race, the season just begun, that's probably it. But thank you for letting me know", you smiled as you saw your little girl come to you, her arms hugging your legs before you ruffle her curls, "Hi, Aurora, how was your day?", you asked one you started walking to the car, "it was good. Have you talked to papa?", she asked, "I haven't, he said he arrived at the hotel and that he was heading for a meeting, but he texted me that", earning a "oh" from her as she sunk back into her car seat.

Since Sebastian was already home with Corinna, who had offered to pick him up from nursery, you let Aurora into the house while you gathered her your things from the day, taking them out of the car and heading inside as well, seeing that Corinna already had some snacks ready for them, "Hi mama, how was your day?", Sebastian asked as soon as he saw you, munching in his biscuit as you kissed the top of his head, "it was good, thanks Seb. And you, did you behave well for Oma?", you said before you greeted Corinna, seeing your little boy nod while Aurora ate her food quietly, "Mama, can we call papa? Oma said she hasn't talked to him either", she said in such a small voice that your heart ached for her, "sure, let me check with him if I can call, okay?", you said as you texted your husband.

The videocall helped you bring Aurora back, the cheery girl now holding the phone in front of her and Sebastian as they told Mick about their day, "I think Rora is really missing Mick, I feel like she's at the age where she understands the risks and how long he is actually away for", you shared with Corinna, "Mick and Gina were the same when they were their age, they start noticing that papa is not here, but at the end of the say these moments make them so happy, so you can get by. If you need any help, though, let us know".

Corinna had stayed for dinner but left just before bed time, which was easier that you had expected, leaving you now to sit in your bed, book in hand as you caught up in your novel when you heard some tiny footsteps and Angie, "Mama, can I come in, please?", Aurora said quietly as she opened the bedroom door, "sure, princess, is everything okay?", you asked, setting your book down on the bedside table as she climbed up the bed and sat next to you, "Do you think papa is going to be okay? The cars he drives are very fast, and then he has to make his way home, all the way from where he is", she said, voicing the worries she had since Mick left, "how long have you thought about that, Aurora?", you said gently as you held her hands in yours, "Papa was here still, and I know how sometimes they hit the wall, or how he sometimes complains about his neck and back", she listed, "well, princess, it is true that sometimes accidents happen on track. But it is also true that the cars are safe, there are a lot of people working on them to make sure all of the drivers, and papa included, are safe when they drive. And papa has been doing it for years too, he knows what he is doing", you smoothed her curls away from her eyes.

"Do you ever get scared?", she asked, and you thought about it. How kids mirror adults' behaviours and how you were a role for her and how she could feel about things in the world she didn't know about yet, "sometimes I do, I'm not going to lie to you. But you know how I stay calm about it?", you asked as she shook her head no, "I trust papa, I trust everyone on the team that works in the car. And whenever I have doubts or fears, I talk to someone. It was very brave of you to come and talk to me, Aurora. I'm very proud that you did it", you smiled, encouraging her to flash you one of hers, "I sometimes have this heavy feeling on my chest when I think about this, and it's not nice", she explained, "that would be fear maybe? You remember that purple guy on the movie we watched?", you offered and she nodded before speaking up, "in the movie they said it was okay to feel fear sometimes, it's normal".

Smiling at your clever girl, you reassured her, "it is, and whenever I feel that fear, I try to imagine what I want to do with papa when he comes back from his race", you offered, "what would you like to do?", you asked, "we can go and get those tiny cakes me and Sebastian like, go on walks with Angie, go and visit you at work!", she squealed as she got distracted by Mick's side of the bed, "can I sleep with you here today?", she wondered, "sure, princess", you smiled, "there's plenty of room for us, and if Sebastian joins us at some point, we all fit here anyway", you said before pressing a kiss to the top of her head, "thank you mama, goodnight".

(Thank you for submitting an ask 🤍)

[klebald]

Glad to see you back my sovereign, I was slightly scared you were getting tired of my messages. How has your day been? I hope well and I hope you’ve gotten some laughs from the other anons out there, even with their crudeness at times.

I find most of said anons don’t have any enjoyment of your posts. More so attracted by the “controversies”, if you can call them that, that are connected to your name. And either way they are uncreative in their attempts. They could try so much harder, yet that veil makes them feel as if they don’t. Or maybe, they can’t. Now take that assessment with a grain of salt, with my excitement also comes inklings of jealousy.

To answer that question: I’ve worked on many different smaller animals, rabbits, mice, birds, opossums, raccoons, and even an adolescent alligator once. Whatever is left on the side of road (that I can carry that is) I take. The deer that was gifted to me was from a friend who hunts, they most of the cleaning and I’m just restoring and making it pretty haha. I would love to be able to find a large specimen like that on my own but I’ve yet to be that lucky. Yet now that I think about if I did find such a large thing I doubt I could move it on my own sadly, I curse my height and lack of major muscles.

My favorite specimen I’ve ever worked on was a raccoon that had been attacked by something in the bayou and died in the safety lane. When I had found her, she was in perfect condition and was just so beautiful. Working with different animals has made me realize how beautiful nature as a whole is, it’s also made me hate humanity more. And yes, I do buy professional done taxidermy when I have the funds. The woes of living as a broke teenager, though when I’m able to work in coming year, I plan on buying much more. Currently I have tails and paws. I also have teeth and claws of different animals. I love my specimens how I imagine a parent loves their child, the difference is my ‘child’ is a discarded, unloved, corpse.

I personally don’t feel very many feelings in the category of platonic or romantic, it’s just a piece of code they forgot to program into me (Or did it badly). But, my specimens, they are what I image it is to truly love and care for something in that way. Not to say I’m in love with my collection, I don’t know how to explain it haha.

I hope you have a wonderful day sire

-🪖

Yet another warm greeting to you, Mr. 🪖 anon. I am under the assumption that you are a male, anyhow, though I may be entirely wrong. Either way, it is good to have your expected return! I think that the calling of royal terms is quite fun. Amusing. From both my enjoyment of your company, and your objectively kind treatment towards me, please, don't be afraid, not by any means. If my messages are delayed ever, know that I am likely just busy, or off of Tumblr. I don't tend to purposefully ignore people that I enjoy conversation with. My day has gone relatively well, you were correct in your assessment, and I do appreciate you asking so consistently. I just got out of the car after two hours of being stuck in terrible traffic dragged somewhere I did not want to be, however, I did get fast food out of it. Got to love being American. For a large part of me not being out today, I have been laughing at people talking about me, both anonymously and otherwise, as I am apparently some hot topic on Tumblr for existing as I do. That sounds somewhat egotistical of me, however, all three confessions accounts that have existed in the past week have mentioned my name more than I have ever seen it thrown around otherwise, which leads me to believe that others are allegedly enjoying conversing about me. To quote one of my favorite accounts on here, "I have seen more Klebald than Klebold". You were right on the money in that most of the people who have spoken about me, or even gone on to interact with me directly through asks do not seem to be ones who enjoy what I put out, I think they are just drawn in by my name being big, shiny and blinking in red lights everywhere as "The guy who talks like an anime villain", or whatever it was, and wish to interact with me for the sake that everybody else is, too. Stereotypical bandwagoning. Some effort would be nice out of them, it would make answering my asks a tad more fun, and I wouldn't feel like I have to spit the same three things in response so mechanically. The majority of those I have interacted with do not seem to be very good at conversation, which would explain why they are as they are, but, nonetheless, boring. You shouldn't be jealous in the slightest.

Thank you for sharing as much as you did on your skills with roadkill. I am aware of the crudeness in that phrasing, though, I am not sure how else to phrase it aside from processing of corpses. You seem to very careful in your work, and, evidently hold quite a bit of experience in what you do. An adolescent alligator surprised me the most, there is nothing of the sorts up here, so I know for certain I'd never have that interesting of a find, however I could always encounter a doe's body, which could prove to be similarly fascinating, whether I am cursed similarly to you and would struggle carrying it or not. Deer are heavy! It makes much more sense that your friend was the one to gift it to you, rather than you having to drag it back home. I am guessing some time in December, maybe January I will go looking for more animals out in the cold who just couldn't make it. The furthest I have progressed was into the territory of taking photos of little bodies, which far from preserves them as I wish that I could. I am sure you are doing wonderfully at "prettying it up", I am excited for whenever you finish your little project, regardless of the fact that I may not get to see.

A raccoon would be my personal choice for the very best, they are such gorgeous little things, possibly an opossum if I were hoping to minimize whatever disease could fester in the body if it were fresh enough. The anecdote that you gave me on yours only furthered in convincing me of their beauty. Nature possesses the most beauty of anything, humanity being entirely seperate from that, a complete divergence from organic nature, and even what has gone and passed on is subject to that idea in my mind. Finding what you did so nicely was most opportune, and that was, in my opinion, a showcasing of natural brutality and what results of it. I am sure that she was the prettiest thing! My largest problem would be hiding the results of my crafts, you claim to keep yours, as well as the taxidermy, which I take ample interest in similarly to this, and other the specific pieces such as teeth which I think is all very fantastic, however, if it were myself I would be sent off somewhere if who I live with knew I possessed animal bones. She's not exactly one for unconventionalness, even if my walls are... Strange, heheh. In the coming months, I will be getting a hamster! I will treat it as my baby while living, and once it passes, seeing as they are notorious for untimely lifespans, no matter how well they are treated, I would like to try and salvage its bones to some extent, that way I might continue to treat a part of it as my child. Rodents are incredible creatures that I love very dearly, and I also think that may be a good start for handling any sort of innards, if I do not have the opportunity to begin any sooner. The corpses of the discarded and the looked-after will be cared for equally by Klebald. You seem to hold quite the degree of compassion for other creatures, your specimens, as we have both said, which I see as very endearing. You have a good heart, even if said heart falls mostly flat in the apsect of holding the love for other humans in any capacity. There there. People are quite difficult to love, so, truthfully, I cannot blame you. I have only encountered one that I do in a real amount. The care that you hold is still incredibly evident, and you treat them very distinctly as your children! It is nurture, and I am aware despite that nurture, you are quite obviously not /in-love/ with them, lulul. We are both freaks of nature in our own ways, not freaks of what is unnatural. I hold the belief that I understand you quite well. I am sorry to have rambled to the amount that I did, this is a topic I hold a great amount of passion on, if that is not clear enough, and somebody with experience in it tends to be hard to come by. My day has been good enough in its simplicity that I can say that I have, and of course, do I wonder the same for you, 🪖. I hope for the best in your circumstances! With all of this, I am also inclined to ask, what other hobbies do you take interest in? Neverending curiosity, yet again. :-?

[am-i-interrupting]

Can I have a Hazbin Hotel matchup, please?

My name is Maria Eduarda, I’m Brazilian, 22 years old, my pronouns are she/her and I study Environmental Science at the College

I’m awful at describing myself, but here we go. I’m introverted, usually I don’t start a conversation with someone else, but I like to chat if other people start talking to me. I'm quite a procrastinator, but so far it hasn't caused me any major problems. I am well organized and responsible with anything that involves other people, I don't want to harm anyone. I work hard at anything that I think will bring me good things in the future, I really like making jokes (even dark humor ones) and I consider myself very loyal to my friends. I am very unassertive in showing what I want and I always give in to avoid conflict. I don't know how to act under pressure (I usually freeze when it happens and I need some help)

Hobbies: video games (Nintendo is my passion), I love to write; currently learning how to make digital art (still being awful at it), also trying to learn how to play piano (this one I’m doing better) and I’m learning to like going to gym

Likes and dislikes: I love Analog Horrors and sci-fi (my favorite series are Doctor Who and Star Trek), I love food, but I hate to cook; I hate when the weather is too hot (it’s weird, since I live in Rio de Janeiro); I hate crowds and I hate the feeling of being left out of something

Your Match Up Is. . .

Charlie!

You met Charlie soon after you came to Hell. Every year after the extermination, she went out to help sinners who’d been injured. You were one of those.

Charlie fell fast and she fell hard. She was enamored by your ability to try so hard to be kind in such a cruel world, rather like herself. She found a sense of relatability in your struggle.

She wrote a long, detailed letter to you about how much she adores your creativity and kindness and loves listening to you talk and playing video games with you and how she has any art you may have given her framed up in random places so no matter where she is if she’s having a bad day she might pass it and think of you. It was, of course, accompanied with sweets and flowers and a promise that it’s absolutely okay if you don’t feel the same way!

Of course, you did feel the same way so that wasn’t a problem.

You help her build up the hotel. You’re more in charge of making things functional and organized while Charlie makes it pretty.

Charlie seems like the type who would know piano or at least know someone who knows (before she met Alastor) so she would absolutely either teach you herself or find someone who could.

She obviously has a music room in the hotel but she does make sure she gets a top quality piano and spends more time searching for that than anything else.

She will join you in the gym. . . She will ogle at you while you work out in the gym.

She loved being with you wherever you are so you’ll never have to be alone unless you want to and she invites you everywhere.

Of course, if there’s an event she has to go to and it’s crowded and you want to leave, she will find a way to make sure you can leave early together but if you want to leave by yourself go ahead. She’ll catch up as soon as she can.

You two spend a lot of nights curled up on a couch or in bed watching tv shows.

She asks you so many questions about the ones you pick.

She’s also not scared of the horror movies because well. . . She grew up in Hell. There’s probably not a lot she hasn’t seen.

She will pretend like she is though just so you’ll hold her close.

[huntinglove]

Hoi! (again. XP)

10) Have you introduced your f/o(s) to your family?

15) When did you realize you were in love with your f/o(s) and vise-versa

16) What was your worst date like?

For the current main three? ^^

-@redwingedwolves

Hi hi!! Thank you so much for the ask!!

10) Have you introduced your F/O(s) to your family?

Considering that I can't get myself to not talk about them 99% of the time.. Absolutely!! My mom always has very different reactions to each of my F/Os, being a selfshipper herself

With Charlie, she finds him cute and thinks it's fun that I'm learning Spanish because of him. She says he'd look better without his beanie though

With Alma, she's not too sure because she's personally very superstitious and scared of ghosts (ironically enough) but she says that they look really cute, so as long as I'm happy she doesn't mind them!

With Mychael, she has a huge soft spot for him, being asexual herself! He's the only nonhuman F/O of mine that she actively enjoys and compliments, she also likes that he's "a hermit farmer" in her own words

15) When did you realize you were in love with your F/O(s) and vise-versa?

Oh boy... Well, I'm pretty quick to fall in love, I fall fast and hard if I'm being honest.. But it's still very real and important to me!

With Charlie, I think I fell in love when he got very flustered at me offering that we share a slice of cake together, because there was only one spoon! He was just so adorable and sweet, it made my heart skip a beat almost instantly... I still think about it so often, he's so cute!!

He says that he fell in love with me as soon as our hands touched, when I first greeted him. He says it was like a switch flipped in his brain, like everything around him became colorful instead of the usual bleak black and white from day to day life.

With Alma, it was after they told me about how they had passed away, as morbid as it may sound... The way they spoke about it, how they trusted me with something so important and personal after just a few hours of me being kind to them, it really spoke to me, in a way. They're a kind soul and they deserve the companionship and softness that life deprived them of.

They say they fell in love with me when I first proposed for us to spend more time together, especially once they realized I was serious about it. They tried to hide their feelings, scared that I didn't feel the same, but they'd get more and more infatuated with each night I'd spend on campus, just to be around them.

With Mychael, it was when I first got to see his eyes. He had been trying so hard to act like someone he wasn't, but seeing that hopeful glimmer in his eyes, that begged to be understood and loved, just sparked a flame in my soul. He's genuinely so wonderful and beautiful, I hope I can make him see himself through my eyes one day.

He says that he fell in love with me after I told him some sweet words while we were by the river. He says that he just felt a strong urge to protect me, that he wanted to keep me in his life forever, because no one had ever been so kind towards him before.

16) What was your worst date like?

With Charlie, it was when we decided to celebrate our monthversary a few days back! We decided to go to a fancy restaurant to celebrate but the food was absolutely terrible... We ended up taking the food to go and just gorging on some street food instead, it was still super fun though!

With Alma, it was our first attempt at possession... We both thought that they could just slip into my body, like in the movies! But that just made them phase through me and it was pretty awkward... Luckily some buddies of mine actually let me borrow a spell book that allows them to possess my body whenever they'd like, so after we try this ritual it should work just fine!

With Mychael, it was when we went out to watch some critters in the forest but we accidentally bumped into some hikers. We had to stay hidden for almost an hour until they left, and being pressed up right against each other for that long may be flustering, but it gets a little uncomfortable after our legs end up falling asleep...

[timeoverload]

I am proud of myself because I finally got all of the junk off my bed. I wasn't expecting to do much else today but I didn't have a choice. I was trying to eat earlier and I looked over and saw a huge spider. It scared me so bad. I got up so fast that some of my food fell off my plate. I wasn't very happy about that. I decided I had to clean the bed right away. It helped that I had a burst of adrenaline. I think I needed that. I guess I didn't realize how much stuff I had piled up on the side of the bed so it took a while to sort out. I had to lay down and take a 30 minute nap in the middle of it because I kept having hot flashes. I never found the spider though. I'm sure it crawled back under the bed because I scared it. I am just glad it's done. It's nice to be able to spread out again. I will continue working on stuff tomorrow. I don't want to overdo it right now because I don't feel very good after moving so much.

I still don't know what I am going to wear next week. I ordered some new dresses yesterday. I couldn't decide on one. I will have to try them on and see which one I like best. I don't want to be overdressed. I haven't worn heels for like 10 years and I think it would be fun to wear them again. I'm not sure how well I would get around due to the fact that I already have trouble walking. I don't need a broken ankle. Maybe I will try anyway. I still have time to figure it out so I will try not to worry about it too much yet. I wish this didn't have to be so stressful. I hope this is worth it because I don't want to go through this anymore. I just want us both to be happy.

I am going to relax now because it has been an exhausting day and I don't feel like I did that much. I think it has also been emotionally exhausting as well. I don't think I am going to have any trouble sleeping later. Hopefully I will be able to be more productive tomorrow.

I hope everyone has a great day tomorrow. :) 💖💖💖

[tasteofdeathao3]

I definitely HC Izzy as teeny-tiny babie boy and looking back after Stede and his crew of little ones become part of Ed’s life Ed can recognize times where Izzy was clearly small and he didn’t treat him well and spends lots of time trying to make it up to Little Iz and trying to rebuild his big and little confidence. Every time Izzy shows emotion or lets himself be small without a fight it’s a victory for Mama and Baba and then one day Izzy is small and Mama has to go read bedtime story to the crew but Izzy just follows and curls up in Stede’s lap sucking his thumb and stays for group story and Ed finally feels like things are right.

I think that living on the Anne would have been entirely different to the Revenge, mostly because Ed and Izzy wouldn't have had the words to name a lot of their thoughts and feelings and wants and needs, let alone the skill to recognise them and do something about it, so Izzy 'regressing' wouldn't really have been a thing.

I think to Ed it would just be that weird way Izzy gets sometimes and to Izzy it would just be the weird times he wants to curl up as small as possible and curl up somewhere warm and safe (definitely not in someone's lap and definitely not with Edward or anywhere near him) and that would just be that.

He definitely did regress, though neither he or Ed really new what it was and didn't really know how to indulge it. Being unable to recognise or understand what was happening, one hundred percent baby izzy went through some messed up stuff. having to deal some serious damage on a raid and not understanding why his eyes are blurring and why his chest his hurting and why he feels so panicked and scared, or even worse, having Ed drunk and yelling at him, not realising he was effectively scaring the shit out of a very little boy.

Once they've been on the Revenge a while, Ed starts hanging around some of the little ones with Stede and starts to click together in his head that Izzy.... also gets like that, and it's not just some weird way Izzy gets sometimes.

Then he realises all the times Izzy was acting weird, all the times Izzy came to sit in his cabin at some point in the night, when Izzy would find him in the belly of a ship they were raiding with his knees all wobbly and his breath coming fast, when he would find Izzy tucked up in the Captain's cabin and would yell at him to get out until he stopped showing up all together (a development during one of his worst benders, where even Jack look worried for him during his visit).

He feels awful, of course he does, and tries desperately to make up with Izzy, who had just assumed that he was just weird and abnormal and that Ed's previous reactions to him were perfectly justified.

Izzy's hesitant to even try regressing, let alone admitting that he likes it and he wants to do it far more than he lets on, but anything Ed wants to do, Izzy will do it - which works wonders for actually getting him to regress, once he realises that Ed is itching to look after him.

slowly, he starts to enjoy it.

he drops younger and younger and then older and older, content to be vulnerable as a young infant or to play complex games invented by Ed when he's feeling a bit older.

He gets used to help, to having his food cut up and his face wiped and being helped washing in the bath and being dressed and helped with toileting and walking until he doesn't feel embarrassed or worried when he needs help or even if he just wants it.

Getting him comfortable being with the other little ones takes little more work, and a lot of patience, but they get there. The odd weekend where both Ed and Stede come down with a terribly contagious cold, Izzy is just fine hanging out on the deck with the little ones and their grown ups, forgetting to be upset in all of five minutes.

Each time Izzy manages to go down without a fight Ed and Stede are beyond elated, and once they get Izzy used to physical affection, every bath without a tantrum and change without kicking whoever's cleaning ends with kisses, from Mama and Baba, all over his cheeks and hair and arms and hands until he's wriggling and laughing so much that they have to help him wind down.

finding things that Izzy enjoys is something Ed prides himself on - finding out that yawning on command makes Izzy giggle like crazy gives Ed a hundred ideas for how to make his little one happy - is something Ed enjoys greatly.

It's pretty early on, in Izzy time, when Izzy takes the initiative to be tiny on deck, tucked up in bed beside Baba and already drowsy when Mama explains he has to go and read a bedtime story on deck. He whines and grumbles as Stede extricates himself from Izzy's tangled arms and legs, and then tugs himself out of Ed's embrace to climb shakily out of bed and latch onto Stede's arm as he leaves the cabin.

Some people look, which Stede had initially been worried about, but the idea of Izzy being a regressor had floated around the ship for a while now and had generally been well accepted, and most of the crew let it be.

Izzy insists on sitting in Stede's lap, meaning Stede has to sit on the floor instead of on his preferred barrel, but Izzy seats himself on Stede's lap and curls against his chest fast enough that Stede doesn't even get a chance to reconsider.

The sight of Izzy - regressed, snuggled into Stede's chest, clinging to a raggedy soft toy, dressed in a flowing oversized nightgown, and suckling on his thumb - is enough to almost bring tears to Ed's eyes as he sits beside them, resting his hand on Izzy's back.

Izzy falls asleep, as he usually does when he's in a position that inconveniences someone else, but Ed doesn't feel the slightest bit put out as he slings Izzy into his arms and carries him to the cabin.

[pbandjesse]

I slept really well last night. It was the best I've slept in days. The combination of meds the camp nurse suggested worked really well and I only remember waking up once to use the bathroom. I didn't even have any bad dreams. Me and James had swapped sides of the bed and I dont know if that helped but maybe it did.

When I woke up I didn't feel sick anymore. Like I was sore everywhere but I wasn't nauseous in the way I had been. And I was thrilled. I was like I'm good! Things are good. I was tired. And I didn't want to go to camp, but I thought I was okay!

James accidently spilled their coffee in their backpack so they had to stay behind a few minutes to clean that up. So I left before them.

I had a donut while I was driving and I'm very glad I did because I would not eat until the late afternoon. I was sipping water and enjoying my donut and trying to have a nice morning.

James had reached out to our doctor about my nausea and I would follow up with a referral. But that office wouldn't open until 9. So I just tried to hang out.

I went and gave Heather a hug. I said hello to the nurse. I hung up the replacement hammock. And while I was doing so I found a Luna moth! Which apparently symbolizes new beginnings.

I would call the referral number at 9 and when I explained what has been going on, they said I needed to go to urgent care. They set up an appointment for me at their office but it wouldn't be for a few weeks. So they said in an abundance of caution, I needed to go get fluids and get checked out. That being so nauseous and dizzy and blurry visioned for a week is not normal at all. So I had to go let the office know.

They told me they would make sure everyone was in the know that art was self service today. But I also would reach out to the village directors so that everyone knew what was up. And left a note on the door about materials. I was shaking a little. And would run into CJ and let her know I was leaving to go to urgent care. And that u would let her know what was up later on.

This was only partially true though. I would go to urgent care. But almost immediately they told me I needed to go to the emergency room. That I needed more care. I was glad I stopped there, they were nice, but it also made me more sure I needed to go to union memorial.

I was already stressed because when I had looked for my wallet it was not in my bag and so I did not have my insurance card. I was super confused about that. So before I went to the ER I would stop at home and get my headphones and my battery packs (my phone was at 18%) and tried to find my wallet but was getting more and more worked up. So I gave up and would just figure that out later.

I drove to the ER and would park on the parking garage. Which if you were only there for u see 6 hours cost $5 but jumps to $20 after that! Wild. I hoped to not be there longer then 6 hours.

And I wasn't. I would arrive around 1030. And was one of two people in the waiting room. And both of us were brought back right away. Amazing.

I was nervous. But they were very kind. I got moved to a room pretty fast. And they were very nice and made me laugh. I kept saying it was weird being here when you didn't actually feel to bad. And it was. I was able to look around more and not feel so focused on how horrible I felt. Like I still felt bad and I was scared but it was a different thing.

I would get poked and prodded. They gave me a bag of saline for the dehydration. And would rest my blood and other vitals. I would have a lot of people come through and ask me questions.

I was feeling better already with the saline. But it would take a while to get through the whole bag.

I was getting very very hungry. And I really was hoping I would be freed soon. And just around 3 I was finally allowed to go. The doctor talked to me about what I need to do to not feel so bad and gave me the blood work and stuff to give to my doctor. I have an appointment set up and I just need to try and eat bland foods and drink more water. Even if it makes my stomach turn a little.

I was really happy to go home. I had a little trouble finding the car in the parking garage but I found it and went home. It was shockingly hot outside. The security guard at the hospital wished me a blessed day and to stay cool and I promised I would. And when I got home I focused right on that.

I would eat the lunch James packed for me and laid on the couch. And fell right asleep petting Sweetp.

I woke up when James got home. And I was still super tired but I was really happy to see them. They would clean up and we chatted about my day and how they can support me in feeling better. And gave me kisses and also had brought me hichew candy which was very nice of them.

We went to tambers diner to have dinner with Anne and Tucker. And it was a really nice meal. Anne got a haircut that looked really nice. Tucker was quiet. I hope he is okay and just tired. They told us about this vacation they are leaving for tomorrow. And we got sandwiches and fries and it was nice.

I would start feeling a little nauseous again and just tried to breathe through it and it would work pretty well.

We would drive Anne and Tucker back to their house. They gave us some produce that they didn't want to go bad while they were gone. Hugs all around and we went home.

When we got back here I would take a shower and then a bath and then a rinse off shower. I washed my hair really good and scrubbed scrubbed scrubbed everything. It made me feel more like a person.

I have been hanging in bed since then. James ran to the store and got me orange juice and frozen strawberries. Just trying to stay hydrated even though everything tastes weird. I am very sleepy. But I am happy that we have a plan of attack for not feeling well. And James and Sweetp are laying in bed with me. And I am happy.

I hope you are all doing well. I am worried about being out at the market tomorrow but if I need to bail I know Ann won't be upset with me. I hope it is a good day. For you all too! Sleep well everyone. Until tomorrow.

[pocket-lad]

CH 3- Bringing Animals from a Long Time Ago Back to Life

Prev

The Beans piled into two separate grey and red Jeeps with logos on the side that read ‘Jurassic Park’. Ian ended up in the backseat next to Alan, with Adelaide stuck between them on Ian’s left shoulder. Alan was staring again, so when Adelaide happened to glance up at him, their eyes met. She hated that she looked away first. She didn’t want to appear scared, even if she still was (a little bit). Beans don’t take you seriously if you don’t stand up for yourself.  Yet she couldn't force herself to look back at him.

“You have something to say?” Ian asked. Adelaide looked up, but he wasn’t talking to her. He was talking to Alan.  

“Oh, no, I- I was just...sorry.” Alan looked embarrassed.  

Adelaide tried for a smile. “He’s just trying to get under your skin,” she explained. “Don’t worry about it. I get it. I’m interesting.” She also wanted to demonstrate that she could stand up for herself and did not need Ian to defend her (even if she was grateful for it. But Alan didn’t need to know that.)  

Alan returned her smile, but just then, the Jeep took off, jostling Adelaide from her spot on Ian’s shoulder. She clutched his collar with white knuckles to prevent a nasty fall. That might have been the time to climb down into Ian’s pocket so she wouldn’t get thrown clean off his shoulder, but after that whole fiasco on the helicopter, neither party was eager to bring up the idea and revive the tension so soon.  

Though they weren’t going very fast (by Bean standards), the rushing wind was enough to make Adelaide's eyes water and her body shiver. She’d never been in a car with no doors or roof before. She didn’t even know they came like that. What was the point of having doors then, if they weren't needed to make the car work? Humans came up with the weirdest things.  

So, Adelaide sat down and continued to hold on with all her strength. The hilly, off-road terrain was not her friend, leaving her with a number of close calls. As much as she wanted to ask about where they were going, or just look out at the new landscape, she couldn’t afford to break focus. Ian and Alan didn’t seem to want to talk anyway. They already had their own tension building for whatever reason, and Adelaide wanted to stay out of it.  

When the Jeep rolled to a stop, Adelaide released her grip, stretching out her sore fingers. She heard Ellie going off about some giant leaf up in the front of the car, then saw Alan rise out of his seat. Adelaide turned to follow his line of vision, and every word, every thought that was floating around in her head disappeared. She was left speechless as she stared up at this...this animal. A dinosaur, Ian had called it? She couldn’t remember, but it was much bigger than anything she’d ever seen before, bigger than the trees. It made the Beans look small.  

It moved slowly and gracefully and stood about forty feet tall, its elongated neck making up most of the height. And above all else, it was absolutely beautiful.  

Alan and Ellie were out of the car before Adelaide could even blink, but she was more comfortable staying back. As awed as she was by this dinosaur, she had to respect its sheer size and power.  

“I’m good to say back here, if you, um...” she said to Ian. If you want to go. Adelaide personally didn’t want to have to make a break for it when that thing decided she looked like food.  

“You don’t need to worry about that one,” he said distractedly. Nothing really took Ian by surprise, so when Adelaide heard the awe in his voice, she glanced up at him. The last time he looked this impressed was when he discovered her.  

Ian chuckled. “You did it. You crazy son-of-a-bitch, you did it.”  

He had explained the trip to Adelaide before they left. Something about genetics and engineering and dinosaurs and a whole bunch of stuff that flew over her head, but it all boiled down to “bringing animals from a long time ago back to life”. Those animals were called dinosaurs. Adelaide didn’t know much about them, but if they were extinct, she didn’t see how it was possible to reverse that. And since Ian was doubtful, she was even more doubtful. Clearly, they were wrong.  

They watched in stunned silence while Alan, Ellie, and the old man had a conversation out of earshot. Eventually, with a lot of coaxing, they all climbed back in the Jeep. Alan and Ellie seemed to have a lot to talk about, so Ian offered to move to the front seat. Not wanting to interact with another new person, Adelaide darted across the back of Ian’s neck to his right shoulder, so she didn’t have to look at the driver and the driver didn’t have to look at her.  

“Hey, hey, hey!” Ian said, flinching at the light movement across his skin. He hated it when she did that. He always thought she was gonna fall, but the thick, sturdy collar of his leather jacket provided more stability than she needed. Ian reached up to scratch the tingling sensation she left behind on his neck.  

The rough terrain still had Adelaide clinging to Ian’s collar, but the ride was much shorter this time. She watched the dinosaur for as long as she could as they drove away, not wanting to forget the feeling it gave her when she first laid eyes on it. If the rest of the park was anything like this, they were in for a wild weekend.They stopped in front of a massive concrete building with thatched roofing. A series of steps led up to the front door, which was surrounded by a gorgeous carving of a dinosaur skeleton.  

Ian hopped out of the Jeep and jogged up the stairs, bouncing Adelaide with each step. His hand reached up to cup the air around her, making sure she didn’t fall. Adelaide hated stairs.  

They entered the building, and Adelaide could see that it was only partially complete. Workers painted the walls and scaffolding hung everywhere. That didn’t make the space any less impressive, though. The circular lobby was big and open, and giant skeletons hung from the ceiling. It would probably be really nice when it was completed.  

Ian tended to hang behind the others to inspect their surroundings. Adelaide didn’t mind. She didn’t know what a lot of this stuff was, but it was cool to look at, and she was sure Ian would explain it to her later whether she wanted him to or not. Plus, standing in the middle of that group of humans made her feel small, even on Ian’s shoulder. He was a tall guy by Bean standards, so when she was on his shoulder, she stood at eye level for the old man and lawyer, and just below eye level for Alan and Ellie. Even then, she knew that height was an illusion. If she stood next to them on her own, she would barely come up to their ankles. So, Adelaide liked it when Ian broke off from the group. It felt like she had room to breathe.  

That peace was short-lived though when Ian suddenly took off toward the stairs. He took them two at a time to catch up with the group. When he slowed down, they caught the tail end of the old man’s speech.  

“So, what are you thinking?” Ellie asked Alan.  

"That we're out of a job,” Alan responded.  

"Don't you mean ‘extinct’?” Ian joked. Alan ignored him and Ellie smiled politely but Adelaide booed him. He sure was proud of himself for that one, judging by the look on his face, and she simply couldn’t let that slide.  

Ian just nudged her with a knuckle in response, making her waver in place. She clutched his collar tighter. “Hey!” she exclaimed.  

He didn’t say anything as they all made their way into another room with a big screen and some comfortable-looking plush chairs, similar to a movie theater. The old man ushered them in, and they sat down so that Ian was on the left, Ellie in the middle, and Alan on the right. Gennaro sat behind them, and Adelaide was on the shoulder between Ian and Ellie.  

Adelaide glanced up at Ellie on instinct but for some reason could not force herself to look away, even when the screen started playing something. It wasn’t like she would understand the movie, anyway. Ellie was.... really pretty, if Adelaide ignored the fact that she was over one hundred feet tall. At some point, the old man told them to say hello to the screen, and the awkward look on Ellie’s face when she did so was kind of endearing.  

Only when Alan and Ian leaned in to whisper to each other did Adelaide snap back into focus, lest she tumble off the front of Ian’s shoulder.  

“Cloned from what? Loy extraction hasn’t recreated an intact DNA strand,” Alan said.  

“Not without massive sequence gaps,” Ian agreed.  

“Paleo-DNA, from what source? Where do you get a hundred-million-year-old dinosaur blood?” Ellie asked.  

Adelaide’s eyes bounced back and forth between all of them, trying to extract words from those sentences that she recognized but with no luck. Gennaro shushed them. Adelaide turned around to give him a knowing look, letting him know that she too had no idea what they were talking about and would like them to stop. When his eyes locked on her, she repressed a shudder and shrugged as if to say, ‘I don’t get it either.’ Gennaro gave her an awkward smile, like he appreciated her backup but was still unsure if she was real. He returned his eyes to the screen. Hmph.  

Adelaide tried to pay more attention as the movie explained the park and how it worked, but it was hard to focus. She stole glances at Ellie every now and again, unable to restrain herself. And Ian would not stop fidgeting. He was amused but not entirely convinced, and when his mind fired up so did his body. He could never sit still when he tried to work out a problem, which was usually charming, especially when Adelaide had the option of sitting elsewhere, but currently stuck on his shoulder, she wished she had a seatbelt.  

Bars suddenly lowered over the giants’ laps as the theater started... moving? Did movie theaters actually move ? She’d have to ask Ian later if that was normal. Regardless, Adelaide hadn’t seen anything like this before and she let out a nervous laugh. Ian instinctively reached up to keep Adelaide from falling, but there was no need. Her grip was secure, and they weren’t moving that fast. She pushed his fingers out of the way since they blocked her view - she wanted to see what was happening.  

As they left the original room and slowly passed by another room full of scientists, Adelaide wondered absentmindedly if the glass was two-way. She could see them all hard at work, but could they see her? She hoped not. Her parents always warned her that scientists were one of the worst breeds of Bean. They were really smart and curious, which meant they wanted to study and dissect borrowers and had the means to do so. She supposed Ian was technically a scientist, but everything he did was math-based and theoretical. These people in the laboratory came straight out of borrower horror stories- stark white coats, serious, focused faces, and terrifying equipment she didn’t know the purpose of.  

The giants in the theater started talking genetics again, but Alan finally said a sentence that she understood, catching her attention.  

“Can’t you stop these things?”  

The old man explained that it’s a ride, so no , but the three giants in front all seemed to have the same idea. Alan, Ellie, and Ian lifted the bars and took off toward the room where the scientists were. Adelaide was just along for the ride, she guessed.  

They entered the lab despite the old man’s protests, and the air instantly got a couple degrees colder. He greeted a young man named Henry, and they all gathered around a machine that was rotating some giant eggs. Ian pointed at one that was wiggling around. It was going to hatch!  

“Oh, perfect timing,” Henry said. “I was hoping they’d hatch before I had to go back... to...the..........boat.” He trailed off as he spotted Adelaide. “Um...what - who - who is this, Mr. Hammond?” he asked the old man. Hammond. Maybe Adelaide should have asked for his name already, but there never really was a good time. Regardless, she uneasily wrapped her hand around the hilt of her knife, ready to lash out. She should have gotten in Ian’s pocket back when she first saw the scientists.  

“Oh! This is, uh... Adelaide. She’ll be accompanying Dr. Malcolm.” Whatever he thought of that fact, Hammond’s voice didn’t give Adelaide any hints. “Perhaps you might be the right person to tell us what she is though,” he laughed.  

“I see,” Henry said, ignoring the joke and approaching Ian and Adelaide. “Hello, Adelaide. I’m Dr. Henry Wu.” Ian faded into the background and disappeared completely from Henry’s mind as he reached for Adelaide. Adelaide threw up her hands with a short cry and Ian stepped back, also raising his hands defensively. Her parents were right. He was going to grab her and strap her down for some experiments. Ian would protect her as much as he could, but it was everyone in the room versus him. He could only last so long. Adelaide immediately started shaking, bracing for impact, but it never came. When she looked up, Henry was still standing there, hand outstretched but with a new look of surprise plastered on his face.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “I just meant to shake your hand.” He paused. “May I?”  

Adelaide took a second to respond and calm her hammering heart. She couldn’t tell if he was lying, and she really didn’t want to let this Henry guy anywhere near her, but it would be rude to say no, especially in front of everyone else. She needed to look in control. So, she nodded and lowered her knife.  

The tension in the room was thick, and everyone held their breath as they watched the interaction unfold.  

Slowly, Henry reached for her again. He eyed Ian to make sure he wouldn’t do anything (Ian could put off a menacing energy when he wanted to) before closing the gap. Gently, Henry pinched Adelaide’s outstretched hand (and forearm for that matter) between his index finger and thumb, giving it a miniscule shake that still managed to yank her shoulder out of its socket. “I must admit, you are fascinating,” Henry said as he pulled away. There was a hunger in his eyes that made Adelaide uneasy.  

“Um, thanks?” she said.  

Since there was no real threat of danger anymore, most of the giants’ attention was back on the now-hatched egg, and Hammond’s voice pulled Ian, Adelaide, and Henry back into focus. “I’d love to ask you some questions later, if I may.” Henry ventured.  

“Sure,” Adelaide said, but she was hoping that it never came to that. It looked like she was safe for now, but she trusted Henry about as far as she could throw him. Nobody who wore a white coat like that could be trusted.  

Hammond boasted about being there for every dinosaur birth, which brought them to the topic of breeding. Henry explained how all the dinosaurs were female, prompted by a series of questions from Ian. Ian clearly had more on his mind, and if Adelaide had two thousand questions, she knew Ian must have double as much.  

“Put me down. I want to see it,” Adelaide said, nudging Ian’s neck with her elbow. Ian didn't move for a second, contemplating whether the argument would be worth it. He didn’t want her anywhere near the freshly hatched dinosaur, but who was he to stop her? And he needed to move around anyway, too much on his mind. So, he set her down on the ledge of the incubator, next to Hammond’s elbow, and took off, continuing to walk around.  

Adelaide didn’t like that he left her on her own as soon as she was put down, but she wasn’t going to complain. She asked for this. And if Ian truly didn’t believe she was one hundred percent safe, he wouldn’t have left her side, which gave her a little confidence.  

Gennaro stepped up and filled the empty space that Ian left, standing directly behind Adelaide. Nerves crept up on her, surrounded as she was and with Ian out of arm’s reach. Now she had to watch behind her, too. Head on a swivel.  

Once she knew for certain that Gennaro wasn't planning to reach out and grab her, Adelaide turned her attention to the baby dinosaur. It let out an ear-piercing cry that made her jump back. Gennaro chuckled at her, and she shot him a look before she could convince herself otherwise. Luckily, he didn’t take offense.  

“Scare you?” he teased.  

“No,” she said defensively, but she heard him snicker.  

Adelaide didn’t know what she expected, but this was the most disgusting thing she had ever seen. It was bony, slimy, and pink. It looked sickly, and if not for the razor-sharp set of teeth and intelligent eyes, Adelaide probably would have considered killing and eating this thing. She wouldn’t get that much meat from it, but it looked like an easy enough kill. That is, if she was still borrowing. Which she wasn’t. Hm.  

Hammond turned to Adelaide, and she froze. “Would you like a closer look?” he asked, noticing the way she stared at it and mistaking her analysis for curiosity. He held the baby dinosaur in his hands, waiting for an answer.  

“Oh, um...,” she floundered for words. She wasn’t used to being directly addressed by Beans besides Ian. Most Beans saw her as less than, as something that wasn’t good enough to speak to Humans. But now, they all waited for her to say something. “No thank you,” Adelaide mumbled. She felt close enough to the monstrosity and wanted to get no closer.  

As Ian made his way around the table, he stopped by Henry. “But, uh, again, how do you know they're all female? Did someone go out into the park and, ah, lift up all the dinosaur's skirts?” Adelaide rolled her eyes, but when she saw Ellie laugh at the comment, she laughed too, though maybe a little too hard. What exactly was Adelaide laughing at? She wasn’t sure, but she knew it wasn’t Ian’s joke. She saw Ian look at her quizzically, which made her duck her head and blush.  

While Henry explained something about chromosomes or hormones or something, Ian completed his circle around the table and kept going, scooping up Adelaide along the way (with a small “Hey!” coming from Adelaide.) He didn’t ferry her to his shoulder as per usual, and he sat down in a chair, keeping her cupped to his chest.  

“John, the kind of control you're attempting here is, uh, it's not possible.”  John Hammond. That’s his name. “ If there's one thing that the history of evolution has taught us, it's that life will not be contained. Life breaks free. Expands to new places and crashes through barriers. Painfully, perhaps even dangerously. But... uh, well, there it is,” Ian said. Adeliade felt the vibrations of his voice through his chest.  

“There it is,” John repeated. He didn’t seem very happy. Most people weren’t when Ian spoke - this was nothing new.  

Great, Adelaide thought. We finally start to see some cool stuff and he’s gonna get us booted off the island. She didn’t disagree with him, though. Ian was right, just harsh.  

Adelaide thought they’d move right along, but Henry asked, “You're implying that a group composed entirely of females will... breed?”  

No, don’t provoke him. Please don’t provoke him.  

“No, I’m simply saying that life...uh, finds a way.” Ian said.  

Alan asked another question, pulling the focus off Ian.  

“You’re gonna get us kicked out,” Adelaide whispered.  

“This is what they’re paying me to do, Della. Ask the hard questions. I thought you, um, thought you didn’t want to be here anyway.”  

Adelaide was quick on the defense. “I don’t.” But that was a lie, so after a pause: “I do,” she admitted. “I’m still nervous, obviously, and I don’t know if I can trust any of these people, but you gotta admit that all this stuff is pretty cool. I mean, extinct animals?! What other borrower can say they’ve seen a real-life dinosaur?”  

“Ha, not many humans can say that either. Of course, it’s all ‘cool’ until, well, something goes terribly, uh, terribly wrong.”  

“You’re such a buzzkill,” Adelaide teased. But even if Ian was a buzzkill, she trusted him with her whole heart. If he was this worried, she should be too. “You really think something bad’s gonna happen?” she asked earnestly.  

“ Something will happen, that’s for sure. It’s - it’s inevitable in a system this complex. May not be today...or tomorrow, may not even be terrible, per se, but-”  

“Life finds a way,” Adelaide repeated.  

“Life finds a way,” Ian agreed.  

He deposited her on his shoulder and with that, they were ushered out of the building with the promise of lunch. Good. Adelaide was starving.  

Once they were out of the lab, she had to physically shake the bad vibes off her body, then she felt safe to whisper what she'd been thinking in Ian’s ear. “Those scientists made me feel gross. Especially Dr. Wu.”  

“You and me both,” Ian said. “He's a geneticist, though. They're all - they're all insufferable... Trust me, I uh, I won’t let him anywhere near you.”  

“ I’m not letting him anywhere near me either. The knife’s coming out next time.”  Adelaide swung her knife around as if stabbing some invisible enemy.

Ian chuckled. He knew from experience that Adelaide could defend herself just fine, but that wouldn’t stop him from defending her until his last breath.  

When they got outside, they were met with a loud, animalistic shriek. John tried to stop him, but Alan took off toward the sound, so they all aimlessly followed. As they got closer, Adelaide saw a massive paddock of some kind. Whatever was making that noise was inside, and it sounded like there were multiples of them.  

They all watched as a live cow was lifted in a crane over the edge of the paddock and into its interior. Hammond explained that they were feeding “them”.  

Everyone rushed up the steps to watch, and the shrieking noise became so loud that Adelaide had to plug her ears. Through the foliage, she could see the cow get absolutely shredded to bits by a few animals. Then she realized, those weren’t just any animals. They were the adult versions of that baby dinosaur she saw back in the lab.  

Adelaide thought she would be able to kill the thing, but now she found that laughable. The speed with which they attacked the cow from all sides, working together to tear it apart. She wouldn’t stand a chance, even against a baby. They all watched with disgust painted across their faces, but nobody could seem to look away. The raptors left behind no trace of the cow, save for a few bones. Adelaide was no stranger to violence and blood, but this was on a whole new level, and she’d be fine if she never saw something like that again.  

“They should all be destroyed.” A voice startled them, and they all turned back to see a new man approach. Adelaide stiffened in place, ready to defend herself or slip into Ian’s pocket. She didn’t miss the way the scientists stared at her back in the lab. At this rate, the whole island would know about her by the end of the weekend. She would have to be prepared for anything.  

The man stepped up to them and Hammond introduced him as Robert Muldoon, a game warden from Kenya. And boy, did he sure look the part. He wore a standard khaki uniform with a big, western-style hat and some sort of holster strapped to his belt. If Adelaide had to guess, it held a gun larger than her body. Adelaide did not mess with guns.  

Muldoon’s stance was casual enough, but he emanated an intensity that said he was ready to pounce at any moment, ready for action.  

Muldoon eyed everyone in the group, including Adelaide. She felt her breath catch in her throat as their eyes met, but his just kept moving on. If he was shocked to see her there, he didn’t show it. Alan instantly walked over, filled to the brim with questions for Muldoon. He answered them to Alan’s satisfaction, and from what Adelaide gathered, these dinosaurs were called “raptors”, and they were incredibly fast, strong, and intelligent. 

“That one, when she looks at you, you can see she’s working things out. That’s why we have to feed them like this. She had them all attacking the fences when the feeders came,” Muldoon explained. He addressed everyone when he spoke, including Adelaide.  

“But the fences are electrified though, right?” Ellie asked.  

“That’s right, but they never attack the same place twice. They were testing the fences for weaknesses systematically. They remember...”  

Muldoon caught Adelaide staring. “You’re a tiny, right?” he asked casually.  

Adelaide sputtered. That wasn’t what she called herself, but he said the word with such confidence, such familiarity. She glanced up at Ian to see if he was hearing what she was hearing. Though it was hard to tell from the angle, his expression almost certainly said that he was also shocked by Muldoon’s remark. “Uh-”  

“Yeah, I know about your lot. Don’t worry. Your secret’s safe with me,” Muldoon said.  

Adelaide blinked rapidly as if to clear away her clouded thoughts. His words only increased her confusion, but his eyes were kind. Those were eyes she could make friends with, unlike Henry’s.  

Just then, the harness that previously held the cow lifted back into the air. It was covered in blood and guts and had completely fallen apart. She felt Ian let out a small sigh underneath her. He was not happy with this place, or the way he was being ignored, and Adelaide figured they were all going to hear about it soon.  

John jumped in. “Yes, well, who’s hungry?”  

Adelaide certainly wasn’t. Her thoughts were too preoccupied to even think about eating now. For one, she wondered about Muldoon. He didn’t stare, he didn’t gawk, he didn’t need an explanation of her existence. He treated her like a normal person. Adelaide really appreciated that, but she also wondered why. He had obviously seen a borrower before. In that case, she’d have loved to know how that went down, particularly for her own safety, but also out of curiosity. Or maybe he just minded his own god damn business. Either way, Adelaide found herself hoping she could talk to him more later. That in itself was something to dissect, since she’d never felt that way about a giant before.  

More importantly though, Adelaide wondered about the raptors. She remembered the cold, snake-like eyes of the baby she encountered. She recalled the methodical yet vicious way they mutilated that cow. They would make short work out of her. Suddenly, it felt like electric fences were not enough. If literal giants found themselves scared of these raptors, if they were that dangerous, what was Adelaide supposed to think? Muldoon was right - they should be destroyed.  

Adelaide shivered despite the hot, sticky weather. No, she wasn’t hungry at all. Rather, she felt quite sick, and she wasn’t so sure she wanted to stay on the island anymore.

.

Next

[kgs10]

"Wanna lift?"

Pairings: Producer Y/n ~ Dreamcatchers Yoohyeon

Warnings: Suggestive themes, making out

Genre: Fluffy

Word count: 1.2k

“Hey, sexy! Wanna lift?” You said when you saw Yoohyeon in front of the convenience store by The Dreamcatcher company building. Yoohyeon was initially scared, but when she turned around and saw you with your head out of your truck, she relaxed and said “You scared me.” You laughed.You nodded at her to come inside the truck. When she got inside the truck she said “Hey you. Where are we going and will there be food?”

“Yes there will be food but I can’t tell you where we are going yet because it’s a surprise. So sit back and relax. We have an hour and a half drive.” 

“Oh come on. I wanna know now.” “Nope, you have to wait.” “Fine. Since you won’t tell me where we are going I’m playing music from my playlist.”

“That’s fine with me.”

When you were halfway through the drive you looked over at yoohyeon to find her asleep. The girls have been going non-stop for their upcoming tour so you asked her managers if you could take her somewhere tonight. They agreed immediately because they knew that you would keep her safe and they wanted them to have a break before they go on tour since they know everything by now.

You arrived at the top of the hill above the city and parked your truck backward so you could set up the bed of your truck to look out onto the city. You got out of the truck and went to yooh’s side of the truck and opened her door for her. “Wait against the truck please while I set up the back. Also, will you send a text to the girls and your managers and say that we made it ok?” You asked her. 

“Yes ma’am.” She saluted to be funny. “Haha. Very funny yooh.” You said sarcastically.

She was laughing at herself. Once everything was set up, you dragged yooh to the bed of the truck and said “Like it?”

“Like it? I love it.” She said while jumping and down. She turned to you and silently asked you for permission to get on the bed. You nodded. You put your hands on her waist and lifted her up on the tailgate of the truck. Then took off her shoes for her and put them on the ground below the tailgate.

She got comfy and looked at you and said “Come on. Stop staring and get your pretty butt up here.”

You saluted as she did earlier and she shook her head. You got up and took your shoes off and sat down. You guys just sat in comfortable silence before yoohyeon said “It’s so pretty up here.” 

“So pretty.” You said while looking at her. She knew that you were looking at her, so she turned her head. “If you keep looking at me like that.” “What are you going to do?” 

She smirked “This.” She kissed you. It happened so fast you didn’t know what to do but your nervousness went away and you kissed her back. She glided her tongue over your bottom lip for permission to enter. You happily obliged.

She was getting more uncomfortable from the way you guys were kissing so you lifted her up on your lap so she was straddling you. You broke away from the kiss to ask her “Better?” 

“Better but if we keep going I don’t think I will be able to stop.” She got off your lap and laid back to look up at the stars. You laid beside her. She put her head on your chest and tangled your legs together. You sat there with your hands intertwined with hers. You always like to hold her hand and play with her rings. She likes it when you caress her pulse point below her palm so she didn’t even have to ask you to do that. 

“Yooh?” “Hmm” “Do you and the girls get tired of being K-pop idols?” She looked up at you and asked “Why are you asking?” “I guess I’m just worried about you and the girls not being happy. I just see you and the girls go through so much.” You said.

“We go through a lot but that’s why we have each other and once we get through the bad stuff it’s all worth it because we make music. We make music so we can inspire people around the world. I’m happy because all the hard work pays off and it’s fun to go on tour even though it’s mentally and physically draining to us but we love it.” 

“Well, I’m glad you are happy. You guys work so hard and I wish more people knew that. I wish y’all were as big as Blackpink.” You said while pushing hair strain back behind her ear.

“I’m glad you are worried about us. I’m concerned about you though. You also have been working hard in the recording studio. Don’t get me wrong I love all of your songs that you write and produce for us but when is it going to be you turn in the spotlight?”

“I don’t think I'm meant for the spotlight. I love producing and writing songs for you girls. I like being behind the scenes and watching you girls shine. Thank you for being concerned about me.” You pulled yoohyeon for another kiss.

She smiled into the kiss. “Mhmm. As much as I love kissing you but it’s getting colder. Don’t want you to catch a cold. Let’s go.” You said. You pecked her on the cheek and got up off the truck bed to put your shoes on.

“Sit down my love and let me put your shoes on.” You said to her as she was moving to the edge of the truck bed.

You liked doing stuff for her even though she could totally do it on her own. It was your love language. She knew that acts of service were your love language. Not only do you show your love to her but to the girls as well. She loves that you get along with the girls. She wouldn't have it any other way.

You put everything back in the truck while Yoohyeon watched from the side and admired you silently. You were confused as to why she was so quiet. You looked over at her and she was eyeing you so you stopped what you were doing and said “Take a picture it’ll last longer.”

She blushed and she walked up to you and pushed you against the truck. She stood in between your legs. “You’re infuriating.” “Oh yeah?” You smirked. You put your hands on her waist and squeezed her making her jump. “Let’s go, it's cold.” You said.

You got into the truck and made your way back to your place. On the way back, Yoohyeon was trying not to fall asleep because she wanted to savor every second with you. She tended to do that with you. “Love. Go to sleep, you can barely keep your eyes open.”

“No. I don’t want you to be alone while you're driving. You might fall asleep too.” She said while turning to look at you. “Jagi. I'm good to go. Go. To. Sleep.” You emphasized the last words. 

She huffed so you put your hand on hers to give it a squeeze. She smiled away from you. 

You intertwined your hands together and rubbed her plus point under her palm to lure her into sleeping again. 

[fff777]

reaction part 1 to wayv working at haidilao ep 2

hendery really is a MESS he had no idea how to present the menu tablet to the customers and jingmin still did all the work lol

apparently the customers so far have been real haidilao customers and already two of them have recognized wayv so that makes me think that wayv are perhaps more popular than i thought in korea

clapping for hendery after he did the bare minimum

jingmin coming back and apologizing to the customers for hendery's awkwardness lol. i get it though. this is just a fun bit for wayv but this is actually jingmin's job.

hendery walking like a video game character when he was standing in front of a seat and kun and yangyang told him to walk forward lol

dejun diligently scooping the food (possibly the shrimp paste) into the pots for customers

hendery: do you need recommendations? customers: yes hendery: this friend will help you dejun: yes

dejun didn't know how to explain 貢菜 and was like "...it's good"

jingmin says that the staff are allowed to give customers dishes on the house for special events like birthdays and such

this group of customers had one friend who came late and she asked for the same sauce as her friends, so kun went over to mix some more :3

dejun also offering to make sauce for the table he's helping <3

hendery saw jingmin helping customers with their coats and hendery was like I CAN HELP

this table was asking yangyang questions. the lady who knows sm idols probably told the others about them. they were asking him if he was only working for a day, another asked if he was maknae :3

HENDERY STRUGGLING WITH THE COKE CAN this man is HOPELESS like dude all that happened was that the tab was a little bent X'D and dejun opened the can with no problems 真係大驚小怪!!!

kun: who wants the coke? male customer: me kun: ah i'm sorry, men have to pour their own drinks YOU MEANIE

dejun offering for the customers to have kungfu noodle performance

i fucking hate this XD hendery painted 224 on plates with peanut sauce as a celebration for february 24 and gave it to the customers

lol the shifu putting on music on his phone for the performance

wayv will start the performance with some one direction lmao. i am yangyang here, i am trying so hard to be hype but my cringe barriers are too low XD

meanwhile kun doing some noodle performance for another table

kun: real talk, i learned this this morning

at least kun's noodles are actually edible and he put them into the hot pot

time for hendery the disaster lol. at least the customers are having fun XD

hendery: how was it, was i cool? dejun, in english: yes hendery: i know

hendery and yangyang playing hand games but messing up

dejun asked these customers if they knew wayv and the lady on the left said she was a fan! she said she'd even gone to nct nation concert and like them from debut! :D

birthday time!

kun got assigned to sing the haidilao birthday song

sowoneul marhaebwa~

a big group came in and hendery very loudly greeted them and this customer was like "hendery?!" and hendery went "???"

there's another table where the customer recognizes kun and yangyang. i just realized that it's probably because people who are interested in chinese food are more likely to be interested in chinese pop.

dejun: 唔好嚇親人啦 hendery: 我別人嚇親啊, 好緊張 and then hendery was like touch my heart bro, feel how fast it's beating

also i noticed the three camera people in the seat behind that big group? it must feel a little uncomfortable to be eating there on that day ^^;;

another canto convo between hendery and dejun. hendery was feeling idle and dejun was all "well you just have to see what they need" but he was saying it...a little cutesy. anyway dejun said that that large table was at haidilao for the first time so they might need recommendations. and then as he pushed hendery to go he reminded hendery once again not to scare them lol.

dejun: who even are you

these two customers asked for kun and yangyang's recommendations on soup

THIS FUCKING GUY I CAN'T WITH HIM

the customer was trying to input numbers and asked for help and hendery kidnapped yangyang just as he walked past.

yangyang figure it out. can i make an ipad baby joke? lol

this customer on the right was like "...so handsome" and yangyang got embarrassed hehe

it's getting busy now it must be around proper meal time (lunch or dinner)

hendery greeting a new customer cutely lel

yangyang suggested that hendery ask the big table if they want sauce and hendery was like "i asked...they didn't want :("

LOL offering photocard stands to the customers