#when the doctor would occasionally show up i didn't get why people made such a big deal over it skbsskdhdns

[catinfroghat]

No one gets the fear these episodes generated in my psyche I still think about them all the time and to this day I still hold a grudge against Bradley Walsh for giving me nightmares for so long... When he was a companion in Doctor Who many years later I kept expecting it to be revealed that he was an evil clown in disguise so I never trusted him

[shelbystales]

Best Aid - Part Five

Modern Tommy Shelby x Reader - Masterlist

Previous parts: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4

Summary: you are a young doctor in Birmingham. After a crazy incident, Thomas Shelby shows up at your hospital. You don’t know much about the man everyone seems to fear, but you definitely will.

Warning: swearing,

A/N:  Comment and interact, tell me what you think! it means a looot thank you very much. Tell me if you ant me to tone down the medical stuff.

English is my second language so I apologize in advance for the grammar mistakes.

︵‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵

You were on your way to your brother's house to pick up your mom. You managed to buy a car, not with the help of insurance, of course.

"Hey, momma," you greeted her with open arms as she walked out the door with your brother, "how you doin'?" you asked, hugging her.

"Good, my love," she replied with a smile. She seemed well, with rosy cheeks and wearing a cute blue floral dress.

"What's up?" you greeted your brother with a hug, "how's everything?"

"All good. She's feeling a bit fancy today. Keeps insisting she's going on a date," he shrugged, and you smiled.

"Cute. I'll bring her back in the late afternoon, alright?" you asked, and he nodded.

You and your brother aren't super close. You get along well, but you're not best friends. In fact, you're not very close to any of your siblings. Over the years, you've all gone your separate ways, naturally growing apart. It's just the way life goes if you don't make an effort.

You took your mom for a coffee at the botanical garden and took a stroll with her. She delighted in a pistachio ice cream and was enchanted by the thousands of different flowers.

She seemed to be in good spirits, with some minor memory lapses, occasionally asking where this beautiful place was, but nothing too concerning. Nothing that indicated her Alzheimer's condition was worsening. she was at the beginning of the disease, you and your siblings discovered her alzeimer less than six months ago. You quickly pulled some strings and put her on an innovative treatment at your hospital that promised to delay the effects a little. So far it seemed to work, the disease was progressing slowly.

You both sat on a bench near an artificial pond teeming with fish. You picked up some seeds from the ground and handed them to your mom to throw into the water. Each seed hitting the water and capturing the attention of the fish brought a joyful laugh from her.

Something people don't talk about much is how some elderly folks, at a certain point, become reminiscent of children. They start to live a lighter, happier, and carefree life.

"How's your life, daughter?" she surprised you with her question.

"Good," you smiled.

"When are you gonna introduce me to that boyfriend of yours?" she asked, making you laugh.

"What boyfriend?" you asked, and she didn't respond. She gazed into the horizon as if searching for the answer, but it wasn't in sight. To avoid her getting frustrated, you changed the subject, "You know, there's a guy I thought might be interesting to pursue, but I've changed my mind, Mom. Too much work," you chuckled.

"Oh yeah. Love truly is a job. It takes time and a lot of effort," she spoke, returning to her normal tone as if nothing had happened.

"I know, I don't think I'm ready for that," you said, and she smiled at you.

"We're never really ready. And that's why it's so good. Imagine being ready for everything. Life would be so monotonous... so boring," her words made more sense to you than ever.

"Momma, you're so wise, you know that?" you smiled and hugged her affectionately “I love you”

“I love you too, honey,” she said giving light taps on your back.

During lunchtime, you took her to her favorite restaurant, not that she remembered that detail. After lunch, you headed to your house, and she comfortably dozed off on your bed while watching a soap opera, Ozzy sleeping snuggled at her feet. He liked her.

Taking advantage of her nap, you grabbed your patient records and began reviewing the files of the patients scheduled for your upcoming shift, as usual.

On the other side of town, Thomas was deeply immersed in the battle against the Italian mob.

He had found himself entangled in a war that seemed to have no end in sight.

Thomas Shelby, was known for his cunning tactics and unyielding determination, and he knew how to navigate a world where loyalties shifted like sand and trust was a rare commodity.

The Italian mob, equally fierce and calculating, was proving to be a formidable adversary. One that he should fear since they had no limits.

Just this week they tried a deathly attack on his younger brother John. That didn’t go well for the mob. John pulled a Houdini act and got out of dodge. Giving Thomas a small win or rather not giving a loss.

Now Thomas had to think about his next moves, but the only thing in his head was you and your fucking safety. He had put two men to watch you at every hour, 24/7. If you ate a fly he would know, if you hiccuped he would know.

He didn’t want you to pay for his mistake. He couldn’t have that.

But there was something more to it, something more to you that he couldn’t quite understand yet. In the middle of all the chaos in his life, you felt like a piece of the puzzle that didn’t fit. And it was driving him nuts.

"Tommy," Arthur asked, stepping into his brother's office. "We're ready," he said. Tommy nodded and got up to follow his brother to the meeting room, where they were about to have a family meeting.

"Glad to see you in one piece, brother," Tommy said, embracing John.

"Me too," John replied with a smile.

"Alright," Tommy said, taking a seat. "We need to establish a few things today. First off, personal security. Everyone's already got bodyguards, I made sure of that. Don't worry, they're paid not to be seen. Also, don't leave the house without letting someone know. You can either message the family group or someone directly. The Changrettas aren't messing around, and they want our blood."

"And whose fault is that?" Polly asked confrontationally.

"You really want to go there?" Thomas asked seriously. "Because as far as I know, the death of his father worked out pretty well for you, Poll."

"It had to happen," Arthur chimed in with the facts.

The feud between the Shelbys and the Changrettas had been brewing for a long time. They were at each other's throats over territory last year, though it hadn't yet turned into an all-out war. The Changretta patriarch had been growing more brazen and greedy, pushing boundaries with each passing day.

Polly owns a five-star hotel in the city center, and on numerous occasions, he would get drunk and create scenes in the hotel lobby. And it often got to the papers and her clientele would drop like crazy for the following weeks. His fixation on her, driven by an unreciprocated affection, only intensified the animosity

Last year's territorial dispute had been a warning sign, a foreshadowing of the chaos that was about to unfold. The Changretta patriarch's audacity had only fueled the fire

But the breaking point came when he attempted to assault Lizzie, Thomas's assistant. Yes, she used to be a prostitute in the past, but that doesn't give any man the right to violate her. Besides, Lizzie has been Thomas's steady affair for years.

Polly crossed her arms defensively. "I'm not saying I'm sorry for what happened. But it could have gone another way," she retorted, her voice sharp.

"It hasn’t, Poll," Tommy replied evenly. “ We need to stay focused on what's happening now. The Changrettas are out for revenge, and they won't stop until they think they've settled the score."

"Right," Ada chimed in, her tone serious. "So what's the plan, Tommy?"

Tommy leaned back in his chair, contemplating. "We hit 'em where it hurts. We disrupt their operations, cut off their resources.”

Arthur leaned forward, his expression determined. "And we make it clear that they'll regret messing with us. We won't back down."

“How do you plan on doing that?” Polly asked, armed crossed

“We need allies” he answered

Back at your home, your mother's nap ended, and she woke up with a contented smile. You put aside your work and joined her in watching the remainder of the soap opera.

As the afternoon turned into evening, you prepared to take her back to your brother's place.

As you were dropping her off, you were invited to have dinner at your brother's house. His wife is a kind and easygoing person, sometimes even more so than he is. Spending time with them was pleasant, a change from your routine as a single woman living alone and having solitary dinners with your cat.

When you finally got home, you noticed your apartment door was open. For a brief moment, you wondered if you could have left it that way, but the voice in your head quickly dismissed that thought.

Without any desire to find out if someone was still inside, you turned on your heels and dashed back to your car. The only thing in your mind being the safety of your cat.

Doing what any normal person would, you called the police.

You quickly dialed the police and explained the situation, your heart pounding as you waited for their response. They assured you they would send officers over right away.

Standing by your car, you felt a mix of anxiety and fear, wondering what you might find inside your apartment.

Within minutes, the sound of sirens grew louder, and two police officers arrived at the scene. You explained the situation to them, your voice shaky with apprehension. They assured you that they would thoroughly check your apartment and asked you to stay outside.

As you watched them enter your apartment building, you felt a sense of unease wash over you. Moments later, they returned, confirming that there was no one inside, however, they said it seemed someone had broken in. All your things were out of place.

They said they would get the security camera's videos and find the person behind this. And they insisted you slept somewhere else.

You went back to your apartment to gather a few stuff and find Ozzy. When you walked in you were startled. Drawers were pulled open, belongings strewn across the floor, and the place that was once your sanctuary now felt like a violated space. Your pulse quickened as you realized someone had been inside, rummaging through your personal belongings.

After some searching, you found Ozzy under your stove, the poor thing was terrified.

You took a deep breath, trying to steady yourself and ignore the rising panic. The police assured you that they would investigate the break-in thoroughly and advised you not to touch anything until they had collected evidence. "Just get what you need and leave the scene," the offcier said

Feeling a mixture of anger and vulnerability, you sat down and took it all in. You had no place to go. Yes, you could go to your brothers, but it felt like an intrusion. Feeling backed into a corner, you decided to rent a hotel room right next to the hospital. The hotel was cheap, but they had security 24/7 and cameras, which was enough for you at the moment.

The following day was intense. You had to do your rounds at the hospital but every step you took felt like you were being watched, and a sense of paranoia began to settle in. No matter where you went, the feeling of being pursued was constant, leaving you on edge.

You questioned yourself, doubting if you were blowing things out of proportion, letting the break-in get under your skin more than you should. Yet, every time you glanced over your shoulder or felt a shiver down your spine, you couldn't shake the certainty that someone was lurking out there, hidden in the shadows. It was a persistent feeling, like an itch you couldn't scratch.

As you carried on with your hospital tasks, the unease clung to you. It was as if a chunk of your normal life had been snatched away, stolen along with your peace of mind. And in your frustration, you couldn't help but lay the blame on someone: that man with those gorgeous striking sea-blue eyes. Fucking Thomas Shelby.

You cursed his name under your breath, feeling a mixture of resentment and a strange connection you couldn't quite explain. Whether or not he was truly involved, his presence had thrown your life into turmoil, first your car and now your apartment.

"Hey girl, you okay?" Jeremy asked concern etched on his face.

"Yeah, just a bit tired. A little paranoid," you replied, and he chuckled.

"Aren't we all?" he questioned, making you smile.

Jeremy had quickly become one of the most important people in your life. Your friendship was so genuine and light, something that brought you immense comfort. All you wanted was to spill the beans about what had been happening, but was it a good idea?

You soldiered on with your day and tasks, doing your best not to dwell on your life outside the hospital. By the end of the day, you felt so drained that it was as if you had worked three days straight. The truth is, when your mind is on high alert, when anxiety takes over, both your mind and body bear the brunt.

As you arrived at your hotel room and swung the door open, a man's figure seated at the foot of your bed met your eyes. With a scream, you instinctively recoiled, slamming the door shut with force. All you wanted was to run out of there, but before you could, the door swung open, revealing that the man was none other than Thomas himself.

"Fuck!" you exclaimed, pushing the door and, consequently, him. "You're gonna give me a heart attack!"

Thomas rubbed his chest, probably where you had nudged him. "You can be a real charmer, you know that?"

"Charm's not exactly my priority right now," you retorted, still reeling from the shock. Your heart is still beating a million times per second.

"What do you want?" you asked impatiently.

"Just checking up on you," he replied calmly.

"I'm great, can't you tell? Life's just great," you retorted with heavy sarcasm, slumping tiredly onto your hotel bed.

"Why didn't you tell me that someone broke into your place?" he inquired.

"Because you're the bloody reason it happened in the first place! Did that knock on the head mess up your brains? I want nothing to do with you," you stated firmly, frustration lacing your words.

"Look, I know you're angry," he began, his tone softer now. "But I'm worried about your safety. If you're being targeted, you might not be safe here. I can offer you a place to stay, at my aunt's hotel. It's secure, and you can stay there for as long as you need. No strings attached."

You raised an eyebrow, surprised by his unexpected offer. "I appreciate the concern," you said, your voice guarded. "But I'll figure things out on my own. I don't need your help."

He sighed his expression a mix of frustration and concern. "You're stubborn as hell, you know that?"

You nodded, a small smile tugging at your lips.

“Look, y/n. I’m not taking no for an answer. You are not safe here. It’s a fact” he said

“And why do you care?” You asked, surprised to see Ozzy climbing on top of the bed and snuggling up to you. He usually hides when people are near.

Thomas hesitated for a moment, his gaze flickering between you and the cat nestled against you.

"Because I've seen what happens when someone underestimates danger," he admitted, his tone softer now. "I've lost people I cared about, and I won't let that happen again if I can help it."

You were taken aback by his candid response, his vulnerability catching you off guard. It was a glimpse into a side of him you hadn't expected. As you looked at him, his expression held a mix of genuine concern and something deeper, a hint of regret perhaps.

"You can't control everything, Thomas," you replied softly, your fingers still brushing over Ozzy's fur.

He nodded, a rueful smile touching his lips. "I know. But that doesn't mean I won't try." he took a deep breath "If not for you, then do it for the cat. He deserves safety," he said, making you chuckle.

"Low blow," you quipped, stealing a small smirk from him.

"I won't bother you. In fact, if it's what you want, I will stay as far away as I possibly can. Just please accept it," he insisted, his tone earnest.

After some thought, you eventually nodded. "I don't want to see your face."

"You won't," he replied, his voice firm as if making a promise.

“Okey” you said giving in

Unbeknownst to you, Tommy struggled to suppress his own desires. While you were seated on the hotel bed, he fought the intense urge to sweep you into his arms. To just throw you on the bed and fuck you senseless. But he knew he needed to respect your boundaries, to earn your trust before making any advances.

After your last encounter with him, he noticed he skipped a few steps. He made you terrified. He made you fear for your life, and according to you, that was the reason you kissed him. And that was not something he wanted. He wanted you to desire him as much as he did you right now.

Your current vulnerability only heightened his need to keep you safe above all else, above all his wishes, holding back his desires for a future moment when you'd be ready for him.

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[schmergo]

I live in a village surrounded by wolves.

There weren't always wolves in the woods. For most of my lifetime, the village was a pretty safe place to be. Sure, you'd get the very occasional bear, perhaps a rabid raccoon, but they rarely ventured out of the woods and were usually quickly captured or driven away. The wolves were different.

The villagers say there haven't been wolves in these parts for over a hundred years. Who knows what environmental upheaval brought this pack to the outskirts of our village, or why these wolves behaved so differently from most. They weren't afraid of people. In fact, they seemed to have an unusual appetite for human flesh and soon began wandering into the village at night. Most wolf experts will tell you that they rarely harm people, but these were a different breed. And they bred rapidly.

When the wolves first arrived, we were terrified. Everyone stayed locked in their homes as much as we could, afraid a wolf might take us if we stepped outside. We thought traveling in groups would make us safer, but we were wrong. The smell of multiple people together would draw the wolves toward them. The larger the group, the faster the wolves showed up. There was a poor harvest that year as nobody felt safe enough to spend much time tending the fields. Those of us unscathed by the wolves went hungry.

The rest were even less fortunate. The wolves would attack every night, mauling citizens, leaving long claw marks along their faces and bodies. Some took limbs. And others took lives. My family was lucky to escape unharmed... except for my uncle. One night, he fell sick. It wasn't safe for the doctor to walk from the other end of the village to our house, not at night when the wolves were most active. We knew that medicine could have saved my uncle, but there would be nobody to save the doctor. Besides, there were more pressing things for him to do: he was busy tending to all of the wounds the wolves left behind. We burned my uncle's body in the morning to avoid drawing the wolves with the stench of his decomposing flesh.

Everything changed when the village leaders made a discovery. The wolves were afraid of fire. People who carried torches through the village were safe from wolf attacks. Soon we began leaving rings of lit torches around every business in town. It wasn't perfect. The fire carried risks of its own, and we had to appoint people to tend the flames at all hours of the day, ever on guard for wolves. Soon, life returned to something approaching normal.

That's not to say it was completely normal. Carrying torches everywhere meant you never had a free hand, you couldn't get too close to anyone else, and you always had to be aware of the fire. Your arm would get tired out quickly after a day of errands. Keeping torches lit around homes and businesses was time-consuming and our eyes and throats were irritated by the ever-present smoke. Still, I welcomed the newfound freedom from wolves. For the first time in over a year, I started to feel safe in the village again, and so did the rest of the villagers. Maybe a little too safe.

Because one day, the village leader announced that the wolves were gone. "There hasn't been a sighting in weeks," he said. "Not within the village itself. The only attacks lately have been isolated cases of people walking through the woods at night without torches. We believe the torches have scared the wolves away for good. Starting next week, you can stop carrying them within the village. The ring of torches around the homes and businesses will be enough to keep the wolves away. Portable torches are only necessary when walking through the woods themselves."

At first, I was as excited as the rest of the village. Not only did carrying around a torch get a little tiring, it also meant that I was also always thinking about wolves. Walking around without a torch made it so much easier to forget about them. Of course I still tended to the torches around my home, but I didn't worry when moving through the village.

Until I got the news about my sister.

Her injuries weren't serious, mostly just superficial wounds that healed quickly, but her head ached for months afterward from where the wolf jumped on her and slammed her head into the hard ground. She was sensitive to light and smells. My sister had just lit fresh torches around her home that morning, and she walked a safe and well-lit path through the center of the village to the market. Nobody could say why the wolf chose her. It was a freak accident, they said.

Still, from that day forward, I began carrying a torch again. If it could happen to my sister, so much taller and stronger than me, it could happen to me. And I wasn't the only one. As rumors of other isolated wolf attacks started to spread through the village, some of my other friends and family members began carrying torches again, too.

"There have been no deaths caused by wolves in the village since we began lighting communal torches. We believe the wolves' behavior has fundamentally changed over the course of this year and they now fear humans," the village leader reassured us. "Wolf attacks have always been a normal part of coexisting with nature. The village is close to the woods and animal attacks cannot be completely avoided. But although we may all be susceptible to wolf attacks, rest assured that they will be mild, nothing more than a few scrapes that will heal quickly. Don't be afraid to leave your homes."

But I was. Especially when I realized that the torches were starting to burn out around town. There were no longer villagers tending the torches night and day. Some homes and shops took them down entirely. Some left a single pathetic guttering torch by the front door, scarcely enough to keep away a squirrel, let alone a wolf. The schoolhouse only lit its torches once per week. They didn't have the budget to maintain them every day, the teacher said. The village leader used to provide free supplies to protect the schoolhouse, but those were all gone now.

I kept the torches lit around my house. I carried a torch whenever I walked through the village, though my trips became fewer and further between now that the wolf attacks had started to increase again. I no longer felt safe anywhere without torches, and this now included the homes of some of my dearest friends and family members.

"The wolf attacks really aren't that bad. I've had worse stubbed toes," said my sister, who seemed to have forgotten about her months-long ordeal entirely.

"They actually say that if you've been attacked by a wolf before, they'll leave you alone. They can smell it on you. It's best to get it over with before the winter when the nights are longer," said my neighbor, whose deep scarring went all the way to the muscle. His wife had already been attacked three times.

"I actually hear they haven't been wolf attacks at all these last couple months," said my brother, who had woken up one morning to find his right leg a mangled mess. "They say it's not the wolves but the fire. The torches outside people's houses are starting fires and burning people at night. They're more dangerous than the wolves. I won't have torches anywhere around me."

I heard those same sentiments from everyone around me. They seemed cheerful and unafraid... but many of them didn't seem the same as before, either. I could tell their injuries bothered them and work in the village went slowly with so many people still healing. There was scarcely a single lit torch to be seen in the village anymore, and I took to carrying two with me everywhere I went. It was frustrating to no longer have a free hand. Carrying two torches made life much more difficult, but I was sure it was easier than surviving wolf attack after wolf attack. If I could no longer depend on the rest of the village to keep me safe. I could only do it for myself.

"This makes no sense!" I told the village leader. "The only reason the wolves stopped attacking was the torches. Why would you remove torches from the village when that was what was keeping everyone safe? Everyone I know has been attacked by wolves except for me! This isn't sustainable!"

The village leader looked as healthy and strong as ever but I knew he'd been walking more slowly since his first wolf attack. "Bur hardly anyone has died," he said. "The wolves have changed. They've become more mild, more manageable. Minor injuries heal and people get back to work. We can't keep torches lit forever. That's expensive and dangerous, and counterintuitive to the way we work together here."

I missed the village harvest festival that year. I was too afraid to gather with so many people and not a single torch to be seen except for my own. Then I missed the spring festival. Everyone told me they missed me. They asked me to come over to their homes to drink tea and catch up. Their homes, surrounded by burned out torches that hadn't been lit in months. Their homes, where they pleasantly told me, "Oh, don't bring your torch in here. It's safe here! You don't need to worry about me!"

I did go to my nephew's naming ceremony. I knew it wasn't safe, but I also knew I'd never get this chance again. My mother assured me there would be protections against wolves. She said the priest had been preparing for weeks for this ceremony and every precaution possible would be put in place to keep us protected.

The door to the chapel was open when we arrived. The priest was nowhere to be seen, but there was a wolf standing the middle of the chapel.

We were lucky. Almost all of us made it out of the chapel unharmed. It only took the slowest member of the party: my grandfather.

"That was a freak accident," said the village leader. "The priest should have known not to leave the door open." Nobody ever saw the priest again, and though the village leader thought he'd fled the village, I knew differently.

"Wolves are nothing to be afraid of," said my father, who could no longer swallow solid food after the wolves had torn open his throat.

"Remember when wolves were in the village in 2020? That was a crazy year," said my mother, the one who had led us to the chapel in the first place. "Thank heavens we don't have to worry about that anymore."

"When are you going to stop being afraid of wolves and live your life again?" said my friend, who could no longer stand at the stove to cook for longer than five minutes.

Sometimes I almost wondered if the bite of the wolf had changed something in my loved ones, something deeper than skin or bone. They almost seemed... eager for me to get attacked by wolves like the rest of them. Like they were all part of something that I was not. What was it about those wolves that made them so different from other wolves, and how did they breed so quickly? Why were people so eager to remove torches from their homes after getting attacked instead of becoming more cautious? And why did I see the flicker of fear in my friends' eyes when I carried a torch with me, backing away from me the same way I'd seen wolves do so many times?

Anyway, this is a story about living through four years of a global pandemic. I've kept the wolf away from my door this long, but I don't know if I'll be able to for much longer.

[oriley42]

Tl;dr: here's the chart I made, react at your own time if you'd like<3, sorry for the bible below.

Hello again legend, I present to you my magnum opus relationship chart, updated to where I reached when I started it which was about early-mid s7 (I now finished) and therefore does not feature Park or Addams.

You can probably tell which parts might be inspired by your fics (the og ducklings polycule, House and Wilson married, Cuddy and frankly any woman, 13 and Amber etc), which parts are rooted in canon (Cuddy and House, Taub and Rachel, 13 and Foreman etc) and which parts are fully just me going ham (some friendships and ships with people who never met in canon, some of them sharing homes oops).

I would absolutely love to read a live reaction from you on stuff you agree and disagree with and what makes no sense to you because I honestly think your brain is huge as far as dynamics go. Feel free to add anything you can see I blatantly missed, I for sure didn't include everything here.

I know most of your fics don't venture outside of the earlier seasons regarding characters and dynamics but I've been having brainrot about the whole lot of them, I have loads of headcanons regarding the chart:

- It took Foreman a long time to give up his house but because he literally cannot do casual relationships and is hardcore married to 3 people and dating 13 he just sleeps wherever

- Kutner and Masters have a crazy bonding arc that ends with them sharing a house and they balance each other out

- Stacy and Cameron used to fuck over shared weird ass relationship with House

Anyway seriously ama I can explain everything even why Lin Manuel Miranda's character made it to the magnum opus I'm being so fr

No pressure at all to respond unless this brings you equal brainrot, at your leisure boss

Wahoo! This is so cool! I’ve only seen charts like these occasionally, and never gotten a chance to really dive in. I love how this visualizes the complex network of relationships and their nuances, and crystallizes a particular snapshot of them. And I’m so flattered that my stories could play a role in how you imagine these relationships! I do tend to favor the early seasons, so this is a good chance to think about the later fellows as well, who I also love <3 (Will attempt to put my response under a read-more...if I can figure out how these work...)

Starting with Foreman: I love how he’s his own big nexus! The show has such intense main character syndrome with House, but I totally agree with how you’ve framed Foreman and Thirteen as other key spokes in the bonkers wheel of toxic polycule-ism that is PPTH. Foreman wants to be a responsible homeowner but he’s got marriages all over town! And really he’s married to his job! How’s a guy supposed to manage a mortgage situation like that? 😅 Foreman and Kutner (I almost just misspelled his name as Kuntner, which, honestly…serve) didn’t really get to do much together in canon, and I love to imagine them getting to have a relationship of their own, not just in the context of PPTH. Would they chill and play video games, and it would be a chance for Foreman to just be a person, instead of A Doctor? Would he get to enjoy Kutner’s laid back nature, but because they keep things casual, he doesn’t have to deal with the stuff that would absolutely drive his ordered mind crazy—you know he wouldn’t stand for a fridge that’s empty except for a jar of mustard and one (1) liter of Mountain Dew. Also I can’t believe I forgot about that plot point that Taub roomed with Foreman, oh my god. Yes. And Foreman and Rachel Taub secret pals? Delish!

Thirteen has pulled every young, gorgeous, eligible person in her orbit, as she should. Sampled all the flavors, as it were. Except C&C—I agree, she doesn’t vibe with the blonde twins, especially as a set, though I think there could be something interesting in the whole ‘Thirteen is House’s metaphorical daughter’ vibe that Cameron would just go apeshit over. ‘Oh, it’s House, but he’s a hot, impressionable young girl who’s also dying?!’ ß catnip for that messed up gal! (Sidebar: I am fighting for my life every time I try to make Cameron sapphic because that actress simply reads as unbearably het to me. It took everything I had to write explicit Cuddy/Cameron. I’m so sorry to all the lesbian!Cam truthers out there, you’re stronger than I! Especially considering Jennifer went on to be half of such a powerhouse WLW ship on OUAT…I don’t know why, but the only kind of queer for her that really works in my head is aro-ace. That girl just wants to save lives, she doesn’t have time for any other nonsense!) On that note, love the idea that Cameron/Stacy had a thing. Go girls, the best way to get over House is to get under someone else (who also wants to fuck him!) Cuddy/Amber is galaxy brain, god, let these powerful yet deeply insecure and structurally maligned women try to step on each other, fail, and fuck nasty about it 😭 I’m also glad you fit sweet little Masters in, I’ve only written her as a cameo because s7 is so…Like That…but she’s delightful and deserves the (intimate) attentions of beautiful and terrifying women such as Thirteen and Amber. And Kutner & Masters friendship, what a delight that would be! I think they would both bring eldest sibling energy to it that would turn out to complement one another, as Kutner shows her the ropes of having fun and learning when to bend the rules, and she can help him buckle down and connect with the times when the rules are actually important to follow. Kutner was always the youngin’, so he didn’t get to mentor anybody, and he should have gotten that chance!!

I think Cuddy and Wilson have a Something…that cannot be defined. Is it sexual, platonic, friendly, familial? Are they besties, are they both just good at being social, are they bonded primarily over their UST for House, would they have been the world’s most perfect Lavender Marriage??? (Which raises the point of kids, yikes! That would need to be a whole other chart, of kids had, imagined, and desired…) Similarly, canon implies that Wilson and Stacy are good friends and have been for quite a while (though we don’t get to see it enough!) and I always wonder how that went for James ‘Trips Over Friendship Into Marriage’ Wilson. Was his friendship like Stacy like his relationship with Cuddy? Are they surface level friends who really bonded over House—or over the kinds of things that draw them to someone like House, e.g. the dark unspoken desires they both paper over in their pursuit of appearing “normal”? Maybe it’s like what Bonnie said, if she’d slept with Wilson right away, she could have gotten over him…maybe Wilson slept with Cuddy and/or Stacy and they were like ‘that was fine, but what if we just did brunch once a month and gossiped instead.’

I agree that Cuddy should have gotten to keep Lucas, like a pet. He was delightful! House Lite, a little scamp, but one who could be kind and relied upon when it was important. And totally agree that House should get to keep Alvie, that musical theater freak helped him keep it together in one of the worst times of his life! Those episodes of s6 are a fever dream that I wouldn’t trade for the world. House needs his emotional support boy best friend (there’s that one post that says without Wilson, House flees to the nearest manlet…so real.) It’s so natural, then, for the two manlets to bond. Lucas and Alvie have killer karaoke sessions together that are as humiliating to witness as they are incredible to experience.

Thank you for sharing this inspiring chart (and for referring to me like I’m a mafia don, it makes me feel so butch and famous) 😎🥰 Please do reblog or reply if any of this stream of consciousness sparks clarifications/questions/additions!

[roxannepolice]

Outside the boundaries of the universes lie the raw realities, the couldhave-beens, the might-bes, the neverweres, the wild ideas, all being created and uncreated chaotically like elements in fermenting supernovas.

Just occasionally where the walls of the worlds have worn a bit thin, they can leak in.

And reality leaks out.

Thank you, sir Terry, for once again providing me with an excellent opening quote for a Doctor Who rambling. That probably has nothing to do with the fact that both DW and Discworld fall into the Gulliverian satire poetic.

So yeah, about what's grown to be called a Truman show theory, and I cannot stop making it clear, me critically poking at it is not me hating it especially if Ruby's story ends up throwing shade providing metatextual insight on the mystery baby extravaganza of 2010s (am I the only one who thought that Splice looks like Rey?).

But the problem is, how far would the revelation go? Is it just the endgame for the season? Did it start when Fourteen invoked a superstition at the end of the universe, as the text implies? Or does it go further back, as the Newton and apple story is unreal, too (HOT TAKE: THEY'RE IN VOLTAIRE'S BRAIN. THE CRITICISM OF ORGANISED RELIGIOM CONFIRMS THAT). Or was it already there when Fourteen regenerated in new clothes (he does talk of "canon" in the Dalek Mini-sode)? All of this is just digging deeper into figuring out just how clever the Cave is. But let's dig even deeper, shall we?

Ok, maybe it's Flux. Flux definitely messed up a lot of things, such as replacing Russia with Sontarans. Except...

There's Robin Hood in season 8. And not just a guy called Robin Hood, it's the Robin Hood of legend. Twelve is explicitly confused by that.

In fact, fourth wall breaking was probably most recurrent in Twelve's run.

Though let us not forget Thirteen looking straight into the camera to explain humans must recycle or else we'll turn into props.

Hey, remember how in Let's kill Hitler Eleven is like "The British are coming" and Hitler reacts with fear? In 1936? When the alliance between Third Reich and UK looked like a very realistic prospect? When the Windsors were enthusiastic over what was going on in Germany? PROPAGANDA MUCH?

Bashing on the royals will definitely go down better than my next point on this anarcho-communist coffeeshop AU website, but if you guys think the Red Army's involvement in WWII was fresh faced boys so filled with faith in equality for all people that they came to fight its eternal enemy of fascism then no. Nonononononono. No. NO. Go read about Ribbentrop-Molotov pact NOW. Sincerely, a person living east of the Berlin wall.

Seventh era is also when we get a hint there's a Doctor Who show on BBC.

I'm not going to go through every single time DW has leaned into a made up version of events (wonder if the Doctor ever changed their mind about Mao Zedong, though), but you're getting the drift, but there is one last point to be made.

Nero didn't start the great fire of Rome. The eternal city was a densely packed stack of wood and would go up in flames quite often, though the one from 64 CE was a particularly nasty one and putting it out could have been coordinated better. Still, the idea Nero intentionally started it is 100% made up.

Why should this be important? Well, The Romans are from the 2nd season of Classic Who, from 1965. While we're at it, season 1 historicals are also based more on simplified ideas about Marco Polo, the reign of terror, or Aztec human sacrifices (Barbara Wright Victorious, my love) than true facts (probably because documentary about everyday life of the Aztecs would work better as a way to get children to sleep than to get them hooked on history), but that's more a matter of how than what. In case you want to somehow reconcile this via the Pantheon, then the Toymaker first appeared in season 3, and that after the Doctor visited the Trojan war and Vicki stayed there with Troilus as actually faithful Cressida.

So. The thing about Truman show revelation is. It's either groundbreaking on a last episode ever, goodbye yellow brick road, level, or not meaningful at all. I just can't see it work as a seasonal endgame, because if the episode from 2023 is in unreality, then so is the one from 1965. Just, where do you go from here? It's either waking up in the crude reality or. y'know. acknowledging the convention, which is what the Truman show theory kinda set out to negate in the first place.

Again, I genuinely want to discuss! I myself am never sure if hot take posts are open to discussion, which is why I made a separate post, so I want to make it clear, I want to have the holes in my own rambling explained!

[ladyzirkonia]

Shattered minds - Part 2 - You came.

Doc, an idealistic GAR doctor, becomes obsessed with helping Jenot - known as Commander Ghoul - a severely traumatised clone trooper suffering from severe survivor's guilt after losing his entire battalion. As Doc tries to mend the broken pieces of Jenot's mind, she struggles with her growing feelings for him, believing he hates her for forcing him into this life.

Tags and warnings for the whole work:This story is written for an adult audience so MINORS DNI, violence, death, medical procedures, mental disorder, mention of prosthetics, drug abuse

Commander Ghoul belongs to @cloned-eyes (here and here), Doc belongs to me. (here and here)

note: I wrote this part in complete obsession and it's one of my favorites I wrote until today. Have fun with the first appearence of commander Ghoul. And I'm still not normal about this piece of art. tags: @staycalmandhugaclone @passionofthesith

PART 1

Part 2 - You came.

word count: 1.270

It was relatively quiet in the medbay that day. She didn't have much to do, so she sat with her back to the entrance, hunched over her datapad. The only sounds were the rush of a bacta tank and the faint beeping of a nearby monitor. These sounds were somehow soothing, at least to her. She was buried in a medical paper discussing cybernetic prosthetics when she was suddenly torn from her little bubble. Someone had entered the station quietly, and most people probably wouldn't have noticed. But she knew who was standing behind her back, she didn't even have to turn around. How did she know? She couldn't say for sure. But she didn't turn around; she seemed to freeze for a moment while there was silence, only the familiar sounds around her. She slowly looked up from her datapad but did not move and said in a calm, almost stoic tone,

"You came."

She couldn't help the fact that her voice almost cracked at the end, that she sounded somehow relieved when she spoke. If she was honest, she had not believed that he would come, but here he was, and she was both relieved and nervous at the same time. After waiting for another moment, she slowly turned around, adjusted her goggles, and looked into Jenot's face. He just stared at her for what seemed like an eternity and then just growled at her in a slightly provocative tone,

"You called."

When she heard his voice, she almost immediately realized how tight his grip was on her. Damn that idiot. She didn't want to admit it, but she had missed him, worrying every day about his emotional state and fearing that he might do something stupid and be decommissioned. Without waiting for an answer, Jenot had stripped off his clothes and was staring at her with a defiant expression in his eyes.

"Let's get this over with, Doc", he said in a rather impatient manner.

She cleared her throat and nodded, her eyes lingering a little too long on his tattoos. It wasn't that she didn't know his body like the back of her hand, she had worked on him and examined him so many times, so why did it feel different today? "Get a grip on yourself," she told herself as she stepped up to him and began the examination.

***

Some time later, she sat smoking in her favorite spot, knowing that no one would disturb her here. She'd always been an occasional smoker, but after her usually brief but intense encounters with Jenot, she'd always been unable to resist. His latently aggressive and dismissive nature had never really bothered her, at least that's what she'd told herself. She never stopped feeling guilty about his condition, for she had made him what he was, and what he despised so much, he had always made that more than clear to her. But something had changed in the last few weeks and months; she couldn't even be sure when it had started. Was it because of her that it had become harder and harder to keep a professional distance, or had it started because instead of being angry and hostile towards her, he was trying to avoid her and in the end didn't show up for his examinations?

The rarer he made himself and the more he avoided her, the more she became attached to him. She refused to allow him to jeopardize his health. She could be as stubborn as a falumpaset about it, and she was sure it drove him crazy. It had eventually led to him blocking the channel to her datapad. This action had left her with such anger and disappointment that it had taken her some time to come to terms with the emotions she was dealing with. She knew that her behavior was wrong, that she should not feel that she was losing control. It was not appropriate, it was not characteristic of her. It was this state of extreme crisis that had finally led her to leave him that note. And now she was sitting here. Did she feel better? A little, she was relieved that he was all right, considering the circumstances. But why was she still so upset? So upset that she had started smoking again, while a restlessness was spreading through her body and her mind seemed to be dazed, making it impossible to concentrate.

***

The examination had gone without incident, or so she told herself. Physically, at least, everything seemed to be in order, as far as one could tell from his condition. But she had found it harder to keep her composure today, only touching him when absolutely necessary and avoiding his penetrating gaze as much as she could.

"You look scared, Doc," he said in a mildly amused tone. "Not so pretty to look at, huh?" he continued to tease her.

At first, she didn't respond to his mocking words and tried to stare at her datapad with as much interest as possible.

"You can get dressed again," she had replied to avoid his words. Because he could not have been more wrong. His appearance did not bother her, not in the least, and she was not afraid of him, but of what he might unleash in her. She briefly reached for her goggles, something she had been doing quite a lot that day, an unconscious gesture to hide her insecurity. After a while, she had decided to look up from her datapad and give him a hard look instead.

"Why should I be afraid of you, Jenot?", she could almost feel his whole body tensing when she said that. But that didn't stop her from calling him with that name over and over again.

"I refuse to call you by that horrible name they gave you. You are not a monster." He had said nothing in response to her words, his gaze had become indefinable to her, and she had decided to drop the subject.

After the examination he had, of course, asked for his cigarettes. Of course she had lectured him on how bad it was for his health, and of course he had told her, mockingly, that she should stick to her own rules first. She had no idea how he knew about her bad habit. Maybe he had noticed that every now and then some of his cigarettes disappeared. And in the end she had given them to him - as she always did. Kriff those cigarettes! He had come and they had other problems to work on, Force knows.

After he had dressed, she asked him if he would come next time without an angry message from her, or if he would still insist on blocking her messages.

''That depends.'' , Jenot just replied smugly to her words.

''Depends on what?!'' It had slipped out a little more emotionally than she had intended.

''That depends on you stopping stealing my cigarettes and having one with me instead.''

She couldn't help the fact that her features were now slipping completely off her face, causing her to adjust her goggles even more aggressively this time.

''Until next time, Doc.'' , he saluted in a mocking manner that showed the anger he still felt towards the GAR, then turned on his heel and left the station. She had stared after him motionlessly for quite a while before finally going to her little secret place to smoke.

And now she was sitting outside, completely flustered. Smoking nervously and wondering how deep she would go down into that bogling whole.

Little did she know.

[rainintheevening]

For @sergeanttomycaptain, a belated birthday present. Much love. XOXOX.

More Steve and Bucky angst, medical guesstimation, and crying. Post-Ultron. Hint of Staron.

41. "Go back to sleep."

Ticking of a clock somewhere, and outside the open window wind rustling through the leaves.

Steve wanted to close his eyes and listen to it, let it lull him to sleep, but he didn’t dare. Not when the slow, shallow breathing of the man on the bed was so much louder.

It had been 24 hours since they'd made it back to the compound, since he'd hoisted Bucky's weight (so horribly, shockingly light) into his arms and run past the people with the stretcher and the green scrubs, since he'd waded into a blur of voices and questions and hands and machines and clean white sheets, since he'd laid his best friend down in the middle of it all, and he'd been shoved away to 'go clean up', to get the blood and the soot and the dirt and everything else off of him.

24 hours, and still, for all that the doctors and nurses had done and were trying to do, for all that Steve knew Tony was pulling out all the stops to help in the only way he could, every measurement showed one thing: Bucky was dying.

Steve shifted in his chair, glanced again at the screens on the monitors. Dr. Dow and Dr. Cho had explained enough for him to know what all of the numbers and symbols meant. They'd done their best to explain everything they understood.

It was the serum. It was eating Bucky alive. For whatever reason he had ended up so far into a state of dehydration and malnourishment that his enhanced body was chewing itself up in an attempt to repair and maintain itself.

In the warm glow of the nearby lamp, Bucky's face looked ghastly, cheeks hollow, sharp bones seeming in the cusp of breaking through skin. Eyes sunken in under thin, blue-veined lids in a way Steve knew too well from the battlefield, a way that chilled him to the bone, if he didn't look to where the man's chest rose and fell under the heated blanket. They'd shaved his filthy patchy hair, and the oxygen mask only added only added to the eerie look of it all.

Steve yawned, smothered it, shook his head. He needed to stay alert, he needed to be here for Bucky when the scales tipped, whichever way it went.

He hadn't had more than the occasional power nap since the tip came in about the Winter Soldier's possible location. What was it now, three days ago?

He fought back the pain in his chest, in his throat, at the thought of what he would have found if he and Nat had arrived even a few hours later. There's still a chance, he reminded himself.

"There still a chance, Buck," he murmured aloud. "You know you've always liked long odds. That's why you always bet on me. So I'm betting on you now, okay? I'm betting on your life."

There was no change in the wheezing breaths, no flicker of movement anywhere else.

It would turn tonight, Dr. Dow had said. Either the nutrients and fluids being siphoned into Bucky's body, at the highest possible rate, would begin to take effect and halt the deterioration, or Bucky would tip into irreversible organ failure.

Tonight would either be the start of a long recovery process, or the end of Bucky's life. For good, this time.

What happened to you? It was on a loop in Steve’s thoughts. What happened? How had he he ended up like this? What had rendered him incapable of caring for himself? Who had removed the metal arm? Why had he ended up half dead in a relatively new apartment in downtown Waco, Texas? Natasha and Sam were hunting down information, of course, but everything was sketchy, and Steve suspected the only source of the truth was lying on a hospital bed in the Avengers Compound medical wing, perhaps hours away from death.

What happened to you? Or maybe the real question was: Why didn't you come to me? I would have done anything to help you. Why didn't you call me for help?

In the end, Steve had come, but quite possibly too late.

*

Despite his best efforts, Steve dozed.

Jerked awake.

Talked for awhile, dredging up memories of their mothers laughing at Christmas time, or the Irish family that had lived across the street, or any one of those thousands and thousands of things that only he and Bucky knew about anymore.

Dozed again.

The clock ticked. He never looked for it, never glanced at the time on the top monitor. If this night lasted forever, he would be happy, as long as the next breath came, and the next, and the next.

He talked about Sam, about Nat, about their favourite foods and music and books, talked about the shows the twins liked to watch, and Rhodey's exploits in the kitchen.

Again he dozed.

He was startled to see the pattern on the blanket, surprised by the grey light suddenly sprung in the sky outside above the woods, and a robin's song warbling clear in the still air.

"Hey, Buck," he murmured, rubbing knuckles in his gritty eyes. "Hear that? It's morning. And you're still here."

Sound of rubber-soled shoes on smooth tile, heavy curtain drawn back, and Dr. Cho came quietly across to the monitors.

There were no trumpets, no crash of cymbals or burst of song, only quiet fingers tapping screens, and a warm voice saying, "Deterioration has halted. He plateaud about three hours ago. Levels have risen an average of point-four percent in the last half hour."

She smiled over at him, came to him as he tried to rise, and could not. How had he never noticed the way Helen Cho's smile could light up a room?

She patted his shoulder. "He'll live, Steve. We'll find out how permanent the damage is in the next few days, but he will live."

He nodded, tried to speak, but couldn't. The robin sang into the silence.

After she left, he cried. And then he stretched out on the floor, with a wadded up blanket for a pillow, and closed his eyes. Fell asleep to the sound of Bucky's breathing.

*

He was on the phone with Sharon, when Bucky woke for the first time.

Face still deathly thin and pale, ribs still straining against skin, but breathing deeper, more normal, and Steve could only promise Sharon that coffee 'sometime', could not tear himself away from his best friend's side.

He had Sharon on speakerphone, chuckling at her retelling of an old joke Nat had played on her in their SHIELD days, but his ears caught the change in Bucky's breathing, the faint guttural noises from behind the oxygen mask.

This time though, when he looked over, Bucky's eyes were open.

Squinting, filmy, grey-blue roving, searching, till Steve gasped out: "Bucky!"

Those eyes went wide then, snapping to his and on the screen, out of the corner of his eye, Steve knew there were jagged mountains beginning to race through that green line.

"Hey." He dropped his voice, slowed his lunge to a smooth careful lean. "Hey, Buck, it's just me, just Steve. I swear you're safe, I'm taking care of you, and I'm not going to let anyone hurt you. I swear. You're safe."

He reached under the blanket, found Bucky's hand, saw the eyes widen again as he gently squeezed it. Flesh and bone fingers in his, and they tightened suddenly around his, no stronger than a baby, but a burning sprang up behind Steve’s eyes, and he had to catch his breath.

"Buck, do you know me? Do you recognize me? It's Steve."

"Steve."

Harsh and whispery thin at the same time, muffled behind the oxygen mask, but it might as well have been a shout that echoed in Steve’s ear, reverberated through the chambers of his heart, lodged somewhere deep.

Steve had to work hard to keep the tremble in his stomach, and the ache in his chest, but his vision still blurred, and the tears were hot on his cheeks when he blinked.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm here and you're safe. I found you. You were in really bad shape, and it's been almost a week now, but I'm here, and you're safe. Do you trust me on that?"

He was desperate to avoid Bucky getting too agitated, thrashing or striking out. Not that he would do much damage, to anyone but himself, but that was precisely what Steve wanted to prevent.

He stared into Bucky's weary wild eyes, searching, waiting... and then the wildness bled away, and Bucky blinked slowly, lips forming a barely breathed, "Yes."

"Then you should rest," Steve whispered, choking back his tears, limbs gone all shaky, but he held onto Bucky's bony hand like a lifeline (gentle, oh so gentle though, he could too easily snap those thin fingers if he wasn't careful). "Go back to sleep. I've got this watch, Buck."

The hesitation was significantly shorter this time, the decision having really been made in answering the question of trust. Slowly his eyelids slid shut, and Steve felt the hand in his relax, just a hair.

Bucky's breathing dropped back into the deep rhythm of the past several days, and Steve dropped his head into his free hand.

Faint and tinny through the phone, he became aware of Sharon weeping too, her joy a little echo of his.

"He knows me!" Steve choked out. "He knows me!"

He knows me.

Starting from there, they could go anywhere.

[thisismeracing]

If they're going to give everyone that is racing a penalty so they have to stay on the positions they started in we might as well call it a parade! I'm all in for penalties when the occasional calls for it especially for causing collisions that HURTS other drivers! But they've been giving them out freely lately and it gets even more frustrating when one gets a penalty and the other gets a pass (not towards any specific driver) for doing the same thing!! The FIA simply just don't don't have anymore credibility and everyone sees that they are reaching so they won't loose respect and control over every situation, only they don't realize that already happened!

they lost control and respect when:

- They banded/changed the rules around to try and give an bad explanation to their mistakes and wrong doings and I'm not only talking about the 2021 fiasco

- When they constantly hunted down (and still is) a driver for wearing a fucking 1 cm nose piercing as if was the same as wearing a watch, or for preceding to do so even after a doctor letter that said he couldn't get it removed for medical reasons. As if they didn't have bigger issues to worry about, as if this was of maximum importance, when we all know it isn't, this is a sport where people can lose their lives for so many factors that won't ever include a less than 1cm piece of metal! Maybe they could use this time to certify if all the teams were all good and inside the rules about things that compromise other safety! Perhaps checking the cost breach of some teams?!? See where that money is going?? I pretty sure you can spend that much on food services?!

The fact that they were surprised when he showed up this year with another piercing on, both sides of his nose made me laugh so hard!!

- When they fell short on punishments for big brakes of rules?? Rules that insure everyone gets a fair chance of have similar cars that are competitive with each other? That do not include someone's cultural references? You know things that actually keeps the sport from turning a shitshow that only cares for money?

- When they disregarded the amount of time off, and limits to their healths, and added sprints for no reason (bc they are boring as fuck) and more races to the calendar, to make perhaps more money? I mean why else would you compromise them by pushing them harder? and this goes for the Mechanics too, since F1 dos not let them have to teams that alternate each other so they can have some rest? Can you imagine how much they work? They get there days before the race weekends, they get there earlier and leave way later than the rest! Are they well paid? Do they agree to it when signing a contract? Yes and that's exactly why rules exist! Otherwise people that need more money become manipulated to extremes for money/opportunities, every one could use a little more of it, even if impacts them badly! Especially now that F1's dilema is "You can always be replaced", "if you won't do it, i'll find someone who will" but not in a search better professionals (lets be real they are already so pre selected), but because that makes them trapped between what they need vs what a human can take. Physically, mentally, emotionally. This is coming from someone who grew up with a professional & high position mechanic dad.

- When they know that SPA is a very dangerous circuit mostly due to the rain. That we all know can't really be changed at anyone's desires. So instead of being responsible and making a hard decision that will likely piss off a lot of people, they waste everyone's time and money by having to cut races short, delay the races for hours, not be able to provide a sense of security and on top of that it just makes everything less entertaining (which is not something they want). All of this on top of the fact of the extreme safety issues. For what? They might as well remove the Belgium Gran Prix from the calendar till further notice, because there is nothing you can do to change the factors. I am pretty sure that more than half of everyone involved wouldn't complain about replacing it for now with a circuit that makes more sense logistically. There's so many unsatisfied with how the last couple SPA races have gone. All that because they refuse to go against the big boys with the money, in a situation that needs and outside intervention from the people that are there to do exactly that!

- When they didn't intervene, regulate or limited teams from disrespecting, disregarding and mistreating their drivers and other crew members. I think putting aside our favorites for a second we can all agree that: The way that Haas departed from Mick was wrong the way Gunther Stainer treated and talked about him even after he left was so disrespectful and uncalled for.

The way McLaren handled Daniel's departure from the team was also disrespectful, unnecessary, mean to a point it almost (to me definitely) humiliating, and it angered everyone, because he's very sweet and no one has EVER complained about him or said he was hard to work with. Zack Brown should of been replaced for being unable to professionally handle something that didn't have to go this way, he should have been held responsible for risking their drivers mental health, for putting all the blame from a bad result on him as if he was the only (or for many wrongly) reason for all their problems which is insane because not even his teammate was doing that much better. That is not what a team's for. You win together, you lose together. Besides everything it was SO disloyal of them, he broke a lot of disbelief that was being held against them, and it's not like he hasn't a good driver bc out of last year's grid he was part of the only few drivers who had actually won a grand prix before. And even IF that was the case, they had held it with decency, it just felt like the whole process was being handled by a child.

I felt really bad for Oscar, because this just made the start of his career badly. This was not his doing. He is a driver looking to get a chance. He's a good driver too. And this shouldn't make him a bad person.

For DeVries it just felt gut recking. This guy is a championship winner, he was waiting his time and opportunity to get a seat. FOR YEARS. Was also a reserve driver (why have him as a reserve if you'd never have him as a driver given the chance?), Last year he had the chance to race for the first in F1, he had to replace a driver that couldn't race that day. You know what he did? He got in that fucking car that honestly wasn't the best and hadn't reach the points the whole year, guess what? Not only got to the finishing line after a beautiful race with brilliant overtakes, he got that damn car into the points!!! Everyone was so impressed, why would keep him as reserve for so long? And he created an opportunity for himself that day. He earned that seat and everyone knows it. Than this guys starts his rookie year, in a new car, again a car that isn't able to compete for the top, is going okay, because no one expects a rookie to get in the top 10 every race of his first season, very few world champs did. All I can say is that they didn't even give him the rest of his first year! They actually didn't give him a chance at all! And again the way it was handle behind his back, from one race to the next was ??? And again no hate to Danny Ric for taking that chance.

Why haven't they been mediating all of this? Are you kidding me? How is all of this allowed? They wouldn't think twice if the drivers were the ones being deceiving. This took a toll on their health and career for no reason other than the fact they could. There's nothing wrong with ending contracts if things aren't working out. But this? And I would like to add that NONE of these drivers were caught saying anything about their situations negatively, they had the right to, the right to defend themselves and to give that disrespect back, but didn't.

I'm pretty sure you guys could add way more to this list. And the fact is that even the teams/people that are benefiting from it are satisfied with they're decisions, and that says a lot. Looking past who we cheer for, every single one of them can list a bunch of decisions that made no sense. This has gone way past favoritism, at this point no one can keep up with the hell they are doing. This sport needs to organize itself, bc this behavior is so self destructive. Every sport need and deserve an independent trustworthy serious organized and professional organization to make sure everything runs fairly, smoothly, safely with basic logic and respect, we know that right now the FIA ain't it.

-🎀

again sorry for the long messages but I think I'm at my limit as someone who has grown up experiencing Formula 1, as someone who is really interested in this sport, and that cares about the rules, just as much I care for the engineering that goes in it, just as much as care watching every single race, knowing that not much exiting and new things are going to happened, or that drivers that I really like don't really have the chance to win!

You were on point with everything in that ask, nonny!

I was getting ready to mention the "catering budget" when you did lol

As someone who experienced something similar with a different sport (hockey), it's frustrating, and, honestly, it just proves what Lewis said about money ruling it all. It's infuriating seeing how they go around blaming pilots for shitty cars or unhealthy workplace conditions (aka danny and mick situation), and it's just as infuriating seeing that some people agree with and think that this is how it should go.

At this point, I would say that they probably need to get the decision board replaced because clearly it's not working as it should, and its obvious that what's in the paper won't always happen in real life, but at least part of it has to, and we're not seeing it happen. I can sympathize with your frustration and agree that F1 has lost a bit of its magic (my dad told me just the same the last two races he saw me watching, he didn't even ask who was leading because it was obvious, and he didn't even mention all the other problematic stuff going around).

[purplesurveys]

1794

What was the year/make/model of the last car you drove? I've still got my trusty Mitsubishi Mirage with me. Had it since college and I plan on using it for as long as it can.

Have you ever been in weather below 0 Fahrenheit (-17 Celcius)? Nopes, the lowest I've experienced was something like 9ºC in Fukuoka, which made me really cranky really fast lol.

What was the last thing you used your phone for, besides calling/texting? I picked a video to play in the background as I take this.

Do you have more male or female coworkers? Overwhelmingly female. We only have a handful of guys.

Did you enjoy high school? Enough that I would generally look back on high school with fondness – the sooner I stopped giving a fuck about the rules (considering I went to Catholic school) and the sooner I stopped trying to get teachers to like me, the quicker I was able to enjoy my time tbh.

What's an unusual food combination you like? I used to make sandwiches out of the Milo milk powder, but I never do that anymore because it only reminds me of days we barely had food in the pantry.

What's the longest stretch of time you've spent completely alone? Apart from showing up downstairs for the (very) occasional dinner, this without a doubt goes to that stretch from September to December four years ago when I was going through the big B word. The only reason that streak got broken is Angela and Hans dropped by for a surprise visit a few days after Christmas to check up on me.

Have you ever lived in a studio apartment? I have not.

Did your parents allow you to drink soda when you were a kid? I assume they did, I just never liked it to begin with so they never had to worry about their kid getting addicted to soda.

Do you always check the prices of things when you buy groceries? Sure.

Do you like gyoza? I don't. It has a certain note to it (chives??) that I find unpleasant and I can never finish even just one piece.

Have you ever been in a situation where you needed a lawyer? I try not to put myself in situations like that precisely so that I'd never have to require a lawyer.

Do you use Instagram? If so, what's your current profile pic? I do; and it's me sitting next to the RM standee at the BTS pop-up store when I was in Bangkok.

Did you ever go through an emo or goth phase? Nah. I was a fan of Paramore from very early on but that was all there was to it but the whole emo phase didn't necessarily resonate with me.

What are your thoughts on kids being given iPads to keep them entertained? I see why it works and I also see why it can be a sign of bad parenting but it's hard to give an opinion on this without sounding like an asshole because I've never been a parent and I don't know how to handle kids.

Do you get regular check-ups with your doctor? No. The only kind of doctor I visit kind of regularly is my dentist and that's because I need to get my braces readjusted monthly.

What was the last thing you felt apprehensive about? I was outfit-shopping for the Seventeen concert earlier and there were a few items I was on the fence about, when I was still in the middle of narrowing down my top choices.

How many nights per week do you cook dinner at home vs. going out to eat? So I don't cook, but my parents prep dinner nightly. If I'm already outside all day due to work, that's really the only time I let myself decide if I want to eat out or just have whatever's at home.

What's a trend you've seen recently that you thought was really dumb? AI edits. I feel like that has brought out the worst in some people, lol. I've unfortunately seen AI Tiktoks of a pregnant Jungkook and it's like?????? WHy?????? That makes some people happy??????

Do you know anyone who has been evicted? Nope. 

When did you last wash your sheets and pillowcases? A couple of weeks ago.

Have you kissed more than 10 people in the past 10 years? No.

Have you ever been caught outdoors away from shelter during a thunderstorm? Yeah, there was one time during my college internship when this happened. The rain wasn't fucking around that evening, and I didn't have an umbrella, and it didn't help that there were zero routes to my destination that had some sort of and any kind of, shelter. Needless to say I was soaked and I wasn't very happy about that.

Did you leave the house before 10 AM yesterday? I did. I had a shoot in Batangas so I had to wake up very early.

What's your favorite macaron flavor? Chocolate works super well in macarons. I generally like all kinds of macarons; the only time I'd avoid it is if it had a fruit filling.

How often do you have friends over to your house? Only once every few months, and really only whenever there's like a BTS thing that we want to watch together. My house is super out of the way in all my friend groups so when we want to meet up we usually do so at a mall/bar; or, if at someone's house, wherever is the most middle point for all of us.

Have you ever had a boss who acted unprofessionally? Not a boss in my team, but I've heard of an instance. It was so grave that it got the entire team fired.

How many times have you stayed at a hotel in the past year, and where? Once - the Hyatt in Malaysia. My family's been increasingly pivoting to Airbnbs now.

What kind of technological advancements do you expect there to be 100 years from now? AI to be more helpful and useful than it already is right now.

Have you ever done a flip on a trampoline? I haven't. Too scary to think about haha. 

What about a flip off of a diving board? Nopes. I don't even know how to dive; the idea of hitting the water headfirst gives me the creeps lol.

What was the last hot beverage you had? Hot chocolate.

[timeoverload]

Today was a total shit show. I wasn't expecting it to be that bad. I got to work and everything was going great for 30 minutes. Then the power went out suddenly and the back-up generator didn't turn on right away like it's supposed to so all of our equipment shut down. When the generator turned on, most of the hospital was still dark because it only sends electricity to important areas including our department. I'm glad I didn't have to work in the dark but I was pissed because cases hadn't even started yet and they put them on hold. The schedule was very busy today. I had 27 cases. They don't start surgeries when we are running on generator power. I understand why but it's still annoying. I sat and waited for a while but I decided to try to go get breakfast since I knew I wasn't going to have time to eat otherwise. The cafeteria was dark but the lady that serves the food was still working anyway. I had to use a flashlight while I was eating.

It took almost an hour to get power back. Apparently the outage was caused by some faulty underground wires. I was hoping they weren't going to fix it because I wanted to go home. I know we never shut down for anything though. They never send us home unless we are sick. When we got like 22 inches of snow about 4 or 5 years ago, they tried to force everyone to come in. It wasn't safe for patients or employees so I don't know why they were staying open to do elective surgeries. I tried to call in because I couldn't get there and my dad couldn't get out either but they threatened to send someone to pick me up. I was not comfortable being in the car with a stranger so I had to make other arrangements but I wasn't really comfortable with that either. I had to get a ride from my ex's dad and he was a creep and I didn't like being around him by myself. I guess I made it there at least. Most of the people in my department didn't show up so I was really mad about that. I shouldn't have to take risks like that for work. I would understand if we were a trauma hospital, but we're not. We don't do a lot of emergency surgeries for anything other than eyes. Occasionally we will have an add-on for a fracture or an appendectomy or something like that but that only happens a couple times a month.

Anyway, I was super irritated by the time I had to start working. I wasn't feeling very motivated. The doctor working in the morning had 14 regular phacos/cataract surgeries and a corneal transplant. He usually is done with surgeries by 12:30 but he wasn't finished until 1:45. I only took a 15 minutes lunch because I had too much shit to do. The doctor working in the afternoon did 12 cases in 2 hours. I felt like I was going to throw up and I was drenched in sweat. It was also really hot in our department because the thermostat got messed up when the power went out. Both of the sterrad machines and all 8 autoclaves were running so that didn't help. The washers were all running constantly all day too. It was so humid in decontam. I forgot to drink water because I was moving so fast. I am dehydrated now. I had a pile of stuff to do at the end of the day and I worked as fast as I could to get most of it done in 20 minutes. I could not handle staying late and I wanted to avoid going in early tomorrow. I didn't get everything done but the important stuff is out of the way. I didn't even look at the schedule tomorrow but I'm sure it's going to be bad. Every Thursday sucks now. I'm not looking forward to that but I probably should stop thinking about it.

I was so mad when I left because I didn't have the energy to go do the things I had planned on doing all day. I really wanted to go to the store because there are things I need. It was also too hot and my car felt like an oven. I have been wanting to wear shorts but I feel like a sasquatch. I hate being this hairy because it's uncomfortable for me but I will try to deal with that this weekend. I know it is going to take a while and I'm dreading that. I stopped and got food because I knew I wouldn't want to get up again after I sat down. I also had to take a quick shower when I got home because I was way too sweaty. I feel a little better now since I ate and took a shower. My body still hurts really bad. I am probably going to relax for a little while and get ready for bed. I think I'm going to try to go to sleep earlier again. I don't really have much else to say and my brain feels fried so I can't think anymore. Hopefully I can make tomorrow a good day.

I hope everyone else has a good day tomorrow too. 💖💖💖

Maxwell, thank you for giving me some reassurance. That makes me feel a lot better. You make me happy. :) I love you. 💖💖💖

[radionavigation]

i used a cane for a while in highschool, and still do occasionally, so here are my thoughts

1. whenever its more convenient/easier for you to use the aid then to not. now that im doing way way better, carrying a cane around and having 1 less hand open is more of a detriment then the bit of leg support it gives me, especially bcz fully leaning on it i walk pretty slow, so i dont use it. when i was doing not so good the leg support was such a fucking relief man and it made standing for longer than a minute and a half not sound like torture, so i didn't care about being slow or fussing with a backpack bcz i couldn't hold a cup and open a door at the same time. dont worry "if you really need it" it its useful, use it. even if its just like 1% more useful.

2. honestly i just ignored it. most people just tried to be helpful, offering me a seat or holding a door, which i always just said thank you or no thank you to and moved on bcz it made me a bit uncomfortable, and some people asked me why i was using a cane so young to which i always said "mind your own fucking business" and then they shut up bcz theyre never expecting that lol. i never took mine to school bcz i sat 90% of the day but yeah. tell them to fuck off openly and loudly and they prolly will. if anyone tries to grab it/take it from you, you are 100000% justified to react like they tried to grab your leg and drag you somewhere.

3. nope. in fact more people using mobility aids means companies see increased demand and increase production which leads to them being more accessible to more people who need them. look up the curb cut effect. also if all your issues get resolved and you dont need your aid anymore, you can give it away or sell it on ebay or a similar site to someone else who might not be able to afford it otherwise

4. just be really really insistent. maybe show them articles online in favor of you using one, or tell them your doctor or your gym teacher or whoever else said it would be good for you, or if you know anyone else who uses one point to them as an example like "hey you know how grandpa uses a cane? i think that would help me. walking has been painful lately". but adjustable aluminum canes are like $5-$15 at walmart, and you can buy them online someplaces too, so its really not a huge ask for them to get you one

good luck mate!!

yet again not therian related.. looking for input from (current or former) mobility aid users..

i have a few questions regarding mobility aids, specifically for those who developed mobility issues. im currently experiencing some mobility issues & i would appreciate gentle replies, as im trying to figure out what to do.

1. how did you know when it was time to get a mobility aid?

2. how did/do you cope with increased attention from using said mobility aid? (i am in highschool, which makes me incredibly nervous)

3. if my mobility issues go away/are resolved, would it be seen as me taking away mobility aids from those who need it more?

4. how do i get adults to believe me when i say i need a mobility aid?

i apologize if these questions seem juvenile or are offensive, im incredibly anxious at the moment because im considering asking my parent to get me one. any input is appreciated. (i am planning to ask for a cane)

[geeky-politics-46]

Hey! As much as I love dom!Stephen, I was wondering if we could switch things up and if you could write a smut where reader switches their roles one day bc she sees someone flirt with him and gets jealous and he sees she has a possessive side too and then she marks him up to show others he is taken? Thanks !!!

Not Very Good At Subtle

Smut - Explicit content - NSFW - 18+ only!

Pairing: Doctor Stephen Strange x Reader

Summary: When another woman flirts with Stephen you give him a reason to remember exactly who he's going home with & you don't care who overhears it.

Warnings: Smut (NSFW) - 18+ ONLY - Dom/sub dynamics, jealousy, dirty talk, pet names, oral sex (m receiving), little bit if rough play, semi-public sex, language, it's just pure filth

I may have been imagining this ever since we started seeing pics of him in that suit. I have zero shame. Written so reader can be either a regular person or sorcerer/Avenger.

Nat could tell by the way you jabbed the swizzle stick at the ice in your drink that you were ticked off. She followed your glare and saw the source of your displeasure. A female reporter in a cocktail about one size too small who was trying to cozy up to a certain sorcerer. It didn't help that he looked absolutely fucking delicious in that suit.

You were far less than entertained at the over the top way she had taken to showing her interest in Doctor Stephen Strange. He was an incredibly charming man who had the handsome good looks of a classic movie star. It was just the icing on the cake that he was a genius as well as an MD. He also loved to show off. Literally turning water into wine as one of his favorite party tricks. All those features easily attracted many lovely women or men whenever he wanted, and sometimes when he didn't.

All things that had attracted you to him. Which is exactly why you were perturbed. She was flirting with your man, and while he wasn't necessarily reciprocating it he wasn't dismissing her either. He was making sure to split his attention between the other two or three people in the cluster around him. Occasionally awkwardly acknowledging her when she would place a hand on his upper arm or toss her hair with a phoney laugh before trying to shove her cleavage toward him. 

You had arrived together but quickly found different places to stand. Everyone knew you were friends but you didn't want to be seen as "his date". You were both trying to keep your relationship quiet for the time being. 

Hell the only reason Nat knew why you were so mad was because she had found a little love note he had left for you one day when she was rooting through your purse for a pen. Before she could call you on it loud enough the whole city would know you managed to wrangle her into a room and tell her everything. 

That yes, you and Stephen were seeing each other. That you were a couple. You just weren't ready to be out in the open yet. So other than her, and you suspicioned Wanda, Wong was the only other one who knew for sure. They both had been sworn to secrecy.

Once you had arrived at the event you quickly found the girls and made a beeline for them. Wanda tried to split her time with Vision. Nat and Maria both liked to hang together and people watch. Stephen was more or less forced to mill around, schmoozing with all of the bigwigs. Trying to keep the Avengers in good social standing meant playing dancing monkey. 

"You grip that glass any tighter and you're gonna break it." 

Nat couldn't help but tease you a little. She thought it was adorable the way you and Strange would both dance around each other whenever you were in the same room. You were both terrible at trying to be secretive. How everyone didn't already know about you two was beyond her.

"You know if you want to get his attention you could just go get Bucky or Thor to dance with you." 

A faux innocent grin played on Wanda's face. Trying to goad you into confessing. Or at the very least creating an interesting show for everyone else to watch.

It was now Maria's turn to poke at you. "I think it's more she just wants him away from her."  

"Oh my god does everyone know?" 

They all chuckled and looked at you. Shooting you a look that said just how bad your poker face had really been. Wanda was the one who decided to answer.

"No. Clearly she doesn't. I think most of the guys are still oblivious to. Other than Vis."

You heard the reporter's laugh again and slammed your glass down on the bartop, inadvertently garnering more attention toward yourself. 

"Okay that's it", you said pointedly just as she took another step to try and press herself closer to Stephen. You launched yourself in their direction and walked briskly toward the small group. Slowing as you approached to look more inconspicuous. Once you were behind Stephen you reached around to touch the arm closest to the reporter and wedged your body between them.

"Excuse me, Dr. Strange, we seem to have a little matter that could use your attention in the other room. If I could borrow you for just a moment."

You could see the panic behind his eyes. You called him "Dr. Strange". You never did that. He could also see the reporter staring daggers at you and already trying to reach around you to grab onto his arm to get him to stay.

He fumbled out a hurried "of course", and started following you toward the single bathroom just off the main room. Just barely avoiding the grasp of the now offended other woman. 

You both tried to keep a casual pace, but took large steps to get to the door as quickly as possible. You had no backup plan if someone else beat you to the currently unoccupied private space. Maybe there was a closet nearby, but you didn't have the patience left to look for it.

You pushed him into the bathroom ahead of you and swiftly moved to lock the door behind you. He was already starting to try to calm you down before he even turned to face you. He was very aware why you were upset and wanted to assuage any worry you had. He was crazy about you.

You clapped your hand over his mouth to shush him and pushed him back to the wall with the other. His eyes showed his shock. He was used to being the dominant one and your show of predation caught him completely off guard.

"Shut up Stephen. I'm going to talk, and you are going to answer when told. Do you understand me?" 

A playful glint in your eye told him he should only be a little afraid. You were still in earshot of everyone else surely you wouldn't do anything too crazy. He nodded his head.

"Good boy" 

You pulled your hand away and kissed him hard. Letting your hands ruffle his hair and your body press firmly to his. When you felt his hands grab your ass you reached back and swatted them away signalling you could touch him, but not vice versa. You let the kiss slow before breaking away. 

Smiling at the flush now on Stephen's cheeks and your lipstick now smeared on his mouth. You let your hands slide down his collar to play with the knot in his tie. Letting him catch his breath before you continued on with your game.

Once you could tell his vision was focused and he was paying attention once again you loosened his tie and undid his top button as you let your words fall slow and sultry. Heavy with the possibility of consequence for his action. You were a lioness who had cornered your unsuspecting prey. This was a side of you Stephen had never seen before. Though thrown off balance still, your prey was all too willing to let you devour him.

"Did you think I would really stand by and watch her throw herself at you Stephen? Did you think I didn't notice whenever she would run her hand up your arm? Wanting you to touch her. You wouldn't though, would you baby? There's only one woman you want to touch, isn't there?"

He dropped his head back against the wall and your lips found his throat as you reached down to grab his crotch in one hand. Sucking and biting little marks against the sensitive spots on his neck in between your words. You were marking your territory. 

You knew the answer to your question, and he knew that you knew the answer. 

You could feel his heart starting to race as you let your hand start to stroke and massage his cock. Feeling him grow and harden, hot and heavy under your touch. 

"There's only one woman you want to touch you isn't there Stephen? You like it when I touch you don't you baby? Like when I stroke your cock just like this." 

Stephen moaned and started to grind his hips against your hand. His hands gripped at your hips hesitantly but he didn't try to pull you closer. He didn't know what your endgame was and he didn't want to do anything to accidentally make you stop. 

'You like when I suck your cock too, don't you?"

At that he whimpered a little. He was already putty in your hands and the thought of your mouth on his cock only melted him more. His eyes were squeezed shut and he nodded frantically as he tried to stay quiet.

The hand that was still resting on his chest quickly moved up and pulled his hair hard in your fist making him look you in the eyes. A firm look now on your face.

"Answer me Stephen." 

"Fuck yes sweetheart. Love when you suck my cock. Your mouth feels so good baby. Best I've ever felt. Always want you to suck my cock."

You hiked up the bottom of your dress and knelt down in front of him. Your eyes never left his and the Cheshire cat grin never left your face. Even if you were the one in the physically submissive position you were still very much the one in charge. 

"Well, if you want it Stephen, let me hear you beg for it." 

You dropped your head forward placing a long lascivious lick over the bulge in his expensive suit pants. Teasing him through the fabric. Knowing he would be able to feel the warmth of your tongue just enough to drive him crazy.

Stephen was clearly torn between desperately wanting you to continue and being very aware that everyone in the other room probably saw you disappear in there together. You had already been in there for a decent amount of time. People would get suspicious soon. Plus he knew he wouldn't be able to be quiet if you started sucking him off.

You started to place kisses over his now painfully hard cock. Gazing up at him like you were the one pleading to get him in your mouth. Seeing you look so wanton but so in control was what broke him.

"Fuck it, fuck it if they hear. Want you to suck my cock so bad sweetheart. Need to feel your warm wet mouth, and god the things you do with that tongue. Please suck my cock baby. Please. Need my cock in your mouth."

You licked your lips in anticipation as you undid his dress pants pushing them down to his knees. Taking a moment to admire the tent in his briefs where his cock strained under the fabric. You also couldn't help but take a little lick of the damp spot that had now formed where the head of his cock had already started leaking. Humming in delight at the hint of the taste of him, and making him give out a needy little moan. 

You cocked your head up at him with a cheeky smirk as you grabbed the waistband of his underwear and started to pull them down.

"Don't worry Doctor. You know I can make you feel so good."

You made sure to position yourself so that when his long cock sprung free from its constraints it came very close to smacking you in the face. 

Smiling as you gripped his base and kissed his swollen tip before starting to place little kitten licks over it. You stuck out your tongue and made a big show of licking up and down his shaft. Your other hand slid up to start playing with his balls. He was starting to throb in your hands. 

High pitched whimpers and groans coming from the powerful man above you. Little pleas of "please y/n, please." Urging you to suck him in. 

"Since you beg so nicely baby."

You still started slow. Sucking in just his head but moaning as you did. Making a very shallow bobbing motion you slowly started taking him in deeper. Each time you came up you made sure to pull off with a little bit of a pop. You wanted this to be nice and sloppy. A blowjob Stephen would never forget.  

You slid him down your throat inch by inch, holding him there once you hit the base of his cock and swallowed around him the best you could. Using one arm you tried to hold his hips mostly still, looking up at him as the corners of your eyes started to water. Your mascara and eyeliner starting to smudge and run under your eyes.

You let him try to rut against the back of your throat for a moment until you ran out of air. Gasping as you pulled all the way off of him. A string of saliva connecting your mouth to his cock before dripping down your chin when you lowered back and started bobbing on his entire length. 

He clawed at the wall. Desperately trying to keep from grabbing at your hair. He was going to be good and follow your rules because fuck he needed to cum so bad. Between his moans and the cursing mixed with begging, interlaced with the erotic sound of you slurping at his cock there was no way someone couldn't hear exactly what was going on in that bathroom. Stephen was so far gone he couldn't care less.

He practically sobbed when you pulled your mouth away from his throbbing cock. Spitting on it before you started stroking him in your hand. You ducked down to lick and kiss his balls, you could feel them starting to tighten to his body as you worked on him. He was close. 

"I love sucking your cock Stephen, tastes so fucking good. You've got no idea how wet you've got me." 

You moaned as you stroked him and made a show of grinding your hips against nothing. Stopping when you took his head in your mouth and swirled your tongue around the ridge. Licking up all the pre-cum he was dribbling as he teetered on the edge of orgasm. You licked and kissed every inch of his manhood until you were ready to finish him.

"I know you're ready to cum Stephen. You want to cum in my mouth baby? Beg to cum down my throat. Then we can go home and I'm gonna ride your face. Does that sound good, baby? Tell me what you want."

Without waiting for him to answer you started bobbing up and down faster, using your mouth and your hands in sync on him. One hand stroking his base when your mouth pulled up to his head, your other hand tugged gently at his balls like you were milking them. Making sure to give him as much stimulation as you possibly could. Honestly, you were a little surprised when he managed semi-coherent full sentences. 

"God - FUCK! - yes baby, please let me… please make me cum in your mouth. Uhhh! Need to… need to. Need you, need your pussy. Fuck fuck fuck!" 

He came with a loud groan and practically doubled over your body as you swallowed everything he gave you. Smiling to yourself as you let him slide from your mouth. Being sure to lick him clean as he came down from his high. 

You gingerly and carefully pulled up his underwear and pants, tucking him back in before fastening them. His eyes were closed and his mouth was hanging open as he rested against the wall. His normally perfect hair sticking every which way and a light sheen of sweat on his forehead. 

You redid his shirt button and straightened his tie, making the handy work you had done on his neck was still somewhat visible. You stepped over to the sink to wet a hand towel before moving back to him. Brushing his hair back into place before using the wet cool cloth to mop his brow.

His eyes were now open and he smiled as he looked down at you as you cared for him. He knew he had hit the jackpot with you. He tilted your chin up with one hand to gently kiss your lips before taking the hand towel and using it to wipe the smeared makeup from under your eyes. 

He pulled you against him and nuzzled into your hair. Humming in contentment and rocking you side to side gently. Stopping and pressing multiple kisses to your forehead.

"You know you had absolutely no reason to worry right? As far as I'm concerned you were the only woman in that room tonight and any other night. I do think our little secret might be out though. We weren't exactly quiet." 

You giggled at his last statement.

"Well you weren't quiet." 

You could practically hear him roll his eyes at your retort.

"Either way though, I don't care. Take me home Stephen. I just want to be with you. You go out first and get my coat. I'll meet you at the door."

He swallowed and started walking toward the door, readying himself for the most public walk of shame of his life. You watched him through the mirror as you fixed your hair.

He barely cracked the door and tried to slip out unnoticed despite the fact that your amorous activities still clearly showed on his skin and in his demeanor. You smiled at yourself in the mirror as you washed your hands and waited an appropriate amount of time to exit. 

Where Stephen tried to fly under the radar you made no attempt to hide. Walking straight through the center of the room with your head raised high. You felt untouchable. As you walked the crowd parted for you like the Red Sea. An aura of sex now surrounding you. 

Deciding to make a little detour you set your handbag on the bar next to the reporter who now stood in stunned silence. You grabbed the martini in front of her and downed the last sip before picking up the napkin underneath it and dabbed at the corners of your mouth. You placed both back down in front of her as You pulled a compact and lipstick bullet from your bag. Making a show of reapplying your lipstick.

You popped both back in your bag and turned to leave. Making sure to look her dead in the eye with a cocky smirk on your face as you turned. The sway in your hips now even greater as you walked through the crowd toward the door where Stephen was already waiting with your coat. 

The clumps of Avengers you passed all displayed different reactions. Tony and Clint grinning from ear to ear, with Pepper and Rhodey trying to hide grins. Steve and Bruce blushing, unable to make eye contact with you. Thor, Sam, & Bucky tipped their glasses and acknowledged you with a "ma'am" or a wink. Wanda giggling next to a quizzical faced Vision. 

Nat turned to nudge your shoulder as you went to walk past her and wiggled her eyebrows. 

"Subtle", she said in a hushed tone. Though it caused Maria to snort loudly next to her.

You grinned back at her without hesitation, eyes never leaving you disheveled & now marked up Doctor.

"Guess I'm not very good at subtle."

A devilish grin appeared on her face before she winked at you.

"That's my girl."

Let me know if you want to be tagged in stories for everything or for a specific charector. It's currently a lot of Strange & Bucky ❤

--------------------------------

Stephen Strange Taglist: @starkiller-queen @glitterylokislut @verycollectivecreator @chatampr @maskmare931 @lovecleastrange @wheredafandomat @mkixx @evelynrosestuff @katefullerrr @littlepinknightmare @foofarny @stygianoir @moonroyalt @saturnsbabe69 @blaxdet @blackrose-92 @ironstrange1991 @rindulacre @nancy-thompsons @wolfatheartandsoul @dangerouslittlefairy @n0obmaster-69 @oliveoilthoughts @onebatch--twobatch @yourmajesty13 @blondekel77 @lil-sweater-slut @gwephen @taramaria @sinceimetyou @possessedjoker @coeurgrenaty @cc13723things @just--a-magpie @supervengerslock @strangelockd @ghost-lantern @thefalconandthewinterwidowshield @itssmaugtheterrible @katherinemaximoff @veryfancydoilies @cute-angi @mochacake2016 @prix19 @alexfanficnook @anotheroddfish @mando-is-the-way @xourownsidee @baes-x @dreamingsmile @imaginesfreetotake @ppatricia34me @rougepetale @svs-something @dont-feel-so-good-peter @kingsmanperfecthartwin

[ballorawan740]

How they would react to you hugging them from behind with agent Strelnikov

SCP Scenarios: When you hug them from behind (+ Agent Strelnikov)

SCP Scenarios Masterlist | My Works Masterlist | Main Masterlist | Rules | My Original Post | Request | Socials

(I'm so terribly sorry that this took so long, I was busy with college and had some work to do as well as a couple other requests that I've recently finished)

SCP 073 (Cain)

Probably is in the middle of cleaning his own bed while you came up and hugged him from behind

Cain would find it endearing and adorable

Most likely would hold your hand while you're there

Would lift up your hand and kiss it gently as he turns around

Probably would cup your face while he looks at you adorably before kissing your head

Then he would give you a big hug

Most likely would blush if you did it outside of your rooms

But he wouldn't back away from it

Feels more protective over you because he is just that type of (boy)friend

The foundation would be in awe and entertained by how Cain is wrapped around your fingers (literally and metaphorically)

SCP 076-2 (Abel)

Abel would be confused at first since he isn't used to physical affection

Would blush and finds himself enjoying it more and more

Shyly would ask you to hug him from behind again

Which is how you saved everyone from a breach

The foundation would ask you to do it again if Abel show signs of breaching the facility

Like Cain, Abel would be wrapped around your fingers

Most likely would give that threatening stare to whoever's looking in your direction while you hug him

Word got out and everyone manages to tease Abel, but only when you're around because they don't want to die

SCP 999 (Tickle Monster)

Would giggle a bit

999 loves any kind of affection for a start (No surprised there)

Probably would gasp and screech a bit when you hug him from behind without him knowing

Then he would tickle you afterwards so there’s that

Would be disappointed if you let go of him

Even though you both were attached to each other for hours

The foundation would find a cute sugary mess

They wouldn’t have the heart to break you both up

Some would consider it cringe but is happy for you both nevertheless

SCP 682 (Hard to destroy reptile)

Would tell you that it’s disgusting even though he clearly loves it

It would take a while but eventually, 682 would start to nudge your side for more hugs

Occasionally would tease this giant mf because why not

Tries and not let you do it in public though because he'll be embarrassed af

Everyone saw but didn't say anything until they got out and they started laughing

Even 079 was having a giggle about it

Made you swear to not do it in public but you definitely would just to destroy his ego (Just like your mirror, jk jk)

When the foundation wants to conduct a test with 682 and he's mad af (because he's on his period) they would get you to hug him to calm him down

Because the last time you gave him a back hug and he was still mad was the time you bonked his head and he went flying

SCP 049 (Plague Doctor)

Is such a gentleman about it

I can imagine he has this posh af accent (like the stereotypical British accent y'all like to imagine we have, and yes, I live in the UK) while speaking to you

Would put his hand(s) around yours while you're at it

Wouldn't complain at all tbh

Feel free to rest your head against his back and sleep because he would piggyback you to bed

Isn't too bothered about people walking by and just witnessing the scene

As long as nobody bothers you, then it's not really a problem

Probably would give you a little peck as well

Especially on those hands of yours (Not that he has a hand fetish or anything)

SCP 035 (Possessive Mask)

Would be the most vocal about it without a doubt

Definitely would reciprocate

Doesn't care if anyone sees

Hell, he would even let you do it in front of everyone

Would tease you as well or would even call you 'cute'

Sometimes when you both visit 049, you would hug 035 from behind and you both would giggle

049 just died of second-hand embarrassment

You both would tease how 049 is still single

The foundation would be done with all your teasing and stuff

Definitely is wrapped around your fingers (literally)

SCP 105 (Iris)

She would love it

Probably isn't as formal as 049, or as open as 035

Iris would be like the average girlfriend when it comes to affections

Most likely would reciprocate as well tbh

Maybe a little shy when you first do it, especially out in the open for everyone to see

But she would warm up to it pretty quickly

Sometimes 035 would drop hints or some dating advice

076 would think it's odd while 073 would smile warmly but would be a little worried about you both

343 would react like Cain but more open to the idea of you both dating

The foundation doesn't really bother much since you're not smothering them with your PDA

Iris would give death glares at anyone who looked at you weirdly, in disgust or made stupid comments about your affection

SCP 106 (Old Man)

Similar to Iris but more reserved

I would say 106 would be quite mutual, but leaning closer to liking it than hating affection

Would prefer if you did it in private where nobody would see

Isn't too much bothered if anyone walks by his cell while you hug him from the back

Definitely is in more of a docile and friendlier state when you do

Not particular huggy but would try and reciprocate

Ended up in crushing your ribs by accident

Never did it again

Literally cried when that happened

SCP 096 (Shy Guy)

Would be shooketh

Like he would be so confused

Affection is foreign to him so you'd have to tone it down a bit

Definitely relaxed after a while and finds that he enjoys is

096 lives up to his name, especially when it comes to affection

Like, he would be shai and embarrassed every time youhug him from behind despite you being so smol

You could literally see the blush on his cheeks (no hun, he's burning up from a fever)

The foundation would just giggle a bit at the sight of 096 being all shy from everything you do

Like, he's shy to begin with, but with you around, he's next level shy

SCP 1678-A (Bobbies/Policeman)

Loves it

A little bit like Iris, cus he would be all chill and stuff

Would definitely return the affection regardless

Even more so when you're both at home

His officer buddies would tease the living daylights out of you both

Especially your man ngl

Even the birds would spy of you both

Normally, he would be the one hugging you from the back

Probably bushes lightly

Would chuckle as well

The foundation would accidentally run into your private moment just because

Luckily you both were just having a passionate hug (No, not like that, you filth minded nuggets)

SCP 079 (Old AI)

(Imma be real here, I'm having a mind blank moment w 079 because I just don't know what to write for him in this one)

You'd basically be engulfing his whole body unless he had a robotic body of some sorts

Might be a bit of a Tsundere, but not as much as 682

Is pretty open to your affections

Sometimes 682 just wants to vomit from the sight

Could really care less about it

You do have some odd stares here and there whenever you hug 079

079 would most likely hack into the system so they won't bully you for hugging an AI

SCP 343 (God)

Is a little like 049 ngl

He would be quite chill with you showing some affection

Is probably quite reserved as well, but not as much compared to 049

343 would definitely relax with you while you hug him from behind

Thinks it's pretty cute and sweet

The foundation thinks you're an old married couple despite your extreme age difference - If you're an ordinary human that is (Y'all do be looking old)

343 does tend to ignore some comments here and there, mainly because it's quite harmless

But if it bothers you or if the comments aren't as nice, he will treat the situation calmly and kindly

SCP 173 (Sculpture)

Loves PDA just as much as 035 does

Comes at a close second, if not drawing in first place with 035 when it comes to affections

Doesn't really care if anyone sees

Will literally return the gesture whenever he can

Is quite sassy like 035, if not even more, so you won't need to worry about being judged

Peanut is basically like your personal guard dog in cat form that loves affection

Will melt every time you do that sorta hug

173 would be completely chill with you doing it in public

Might even encourage you or initiate the affection if you were quite shy about it

SCP Scarlet King

Would be slightly confused since he rarely receives the affection

And that his brides don't exactly return the gesture when he tries

Seems to actually like it whenever you're the one initiating the hug

Soon enough he would show the whole foundation bout your PDA

The Scarlet King would melt into your tiny arms

The foundation watching be like: 👁👄👁

SK might even go touchy touchy or kissy-kissy with you just because he can

If either of you ever gets judged, the Scarlet King most likely would judge them back

Knowing the foundation, they might either return the sass or just pretend it never happened to avoid chaos being unleashed onto them

Agent Strenikov

Sorry, I'm still not that familiar with Agent Strenikov, so my interpretation of him might be pretty off

First of all, Strenikov might try and stop you from doing that in the first place (because he's shy)

So he would probably ask what you're doing and might even act like a dick, but that doesn't mean he hates it

Would most likely realise that he had hurt your feelings just because of a hug

Would feel bad so he comes over to you and hugs you back

Lets you hug him whenever and wherever

His subordinates might even tease him from time to time in which he just glares at them from across the rooms while rubbing your knuckles

Might even threaten the guy if words get out

Dr Bright and Dr Clef definitely know so they tease him relentlessly while Dr Glass, Dr Lights and Dr Kondraki congratulates him for having such a loving partner

Thinks you're adorable when you hug him cuz you look like a koala

Dr Jack Bright

Loves that you just so casually hug him from behind

Isn't bothered about PDA in public in general

Does it to you quite often so he doesn't see it as much of a problem in that ngl

Clef would joke around about it from time to time

Glass would be quite happy that he found you and think it's adorable that you wrap your little arms around him

Kondraki is just relieved that he can be left alone temporarily and that nobody would bother him much

Sometimes would just tease you if you're not usually as handsy or affectionate and/or if you were just shy and introverted (Don't lie, we all know you're touch starved but you're too shy to admit it)

If you were shy, he would encourage you to do it more often

Dr Simon Glass

Definitely enjoys it but would blush

Even more so if it was in front of everyone

Would prefer if you did it privately

If you're you did it while he's working, then he would tease you by asking if while trying to distract him from work

Would chuckle when you do hug him from behind

Might even turn around to give you a kiss on the head as well as a hug

Glass would definitely relax into your touch

Even slept on you one time and you had to get Kondraki to get him off cuz your legs went numb

Dr Alto Clef

Would react like Bright

Doesn't really care if it's out in the public

Is even more of a tease compared to Bright

Would give everyone a lecture if they gave you an odd look

Might even show off how cute and affectionate you are while being protective af at the same time

TBF everyone would back off from you once laughed at then killed all the while, nobody knew where the guy went they've found out you were dating Clef to begin with

It's because the last time it happened someone got kidnapped, tortured, got tortured, then got laughed at and killed, all the while, nobody knew where that guy went

Not even you or Dr Bright does and that says a lot coming from the guy who hangs out with him on the daily

Anyways, not many people would comment about your affection

Only because they're glad that he's not bothering people as much now (Unless you were just as if not more chaotic than the guy)

Dr Benjamin Kondraki

I'd imagine him being similar to Dr Glass

He's quite an introverted guy, so he most likely would prefer to keep the PDA behind closed doors

But it doesn't bother him as much if anyone sees, despite his cheeks going red af

Unless it's Dr Bright and Clef

Most likely would get teased by them ngl

Has a burning hatred for them whenever they do tease him, even more so if they get you involved

Glass would most likely have to drag them back out again just because Kondraki is the favourite child

The foundation was surprised that he got a partner yet alone an affectionate one

[nataliedanovelist]

GF - Timestuck AU: The Power of Mabel ch.2

While fighting over a time machine so one twin can win a pig or the other can win the heart of a girl, Mabel is left stranded in a snowy forest with no time machine and no brother. Oops.

The BEAUTIFUL art pieces were done by @clownwry and @elishevart ! THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! 😭❤️💋

ch.1 - ch.3

~~~~~~~~~~

Ford was way more nervous than he was letting on.

She had long, pretty brown hair, braces over her teeth, sneakers, a skirt, and a sweater that allowed the cold air to pass through it. Her cheeks were slightly chubby with youth and nosy, as well as her nose, due to the freezing weather. Her eyes matched her hair perfectly, and though they were clouded with fear and confusion, Ford swore he could see sparkling behind the clouds, sparkling that made itself well-known when she asked if she could make him a sweater or when she saw his hands.

She had long, pretty brown hair, braces over her teeth, sneakers, a skirt, and a sweater that allowed the cold air to pass through it. Her cheeks were slightly chubby with youth and nosy, as well as her nose, due to the freezing weather. Her eyes matched her hair perfectly, and though they were clouded with fear and confusion, Ford swore he could see sparkling behind the clouds, sparkling that made itself well-known when she asked if she could make him a sweater or when she saw his hands.

Ford would be lying if he said he didn’t enjoy Mabel’s company, but she was practically a stranger, and keeping a random girl in his house that was located in the middle of the woods was fishy and Ford couldn’t help but feel like it was illegal. But he couldn’t leave her out in the snow and send her on her way to find her home and family, so he decided to keep her warm or healthy, simply because it was the right thing to do.

But then she said she had no parents to call. Only a brother, who was lost, too. Ford can remember the old rule: If you’re lost, stay where you are until you are found. So he then decided that she could stay here until her brother found her, which should be by morning at the latest.

Still, he felt uneasy, so once Mabel was settled in front of the TV, Ford excused himself and went into the kitchen to make a phone call. There was only one man who would have better judgement in this situation than him.

The phone rang a few times. Ford checked his watch to make sure it was a reasonable time to call. It wasn’t Sunday, was it? But then the ringing stopped. “Howdy! This here Fiddleford McGucket.”

“Hey there, buddy.” Ford smiled to himself at hearing that cheerful voice. “How have you been?”

“Stanford Pines! Good t’hear from ya!” Fiddleford cheered. “M’just fine, just fine! How are ya?! Ya haven’t gotten eaten by monsters yet, have ya?” He laughed, making his old friend chuckle along.

“No no, I’m alright.” Ford almost brought up the reason he called, but then he remembered something very important to Fiddleford. “How are Emma-May and Tater?”

“OH! They’re doin’ great! We’re all very happy n’ doin’ well! Ya won’t believe how big Tate’s gotten since ya last saw him! He’s already crawlin’!”

“Wow, that's great to hear.” Ford sat in a chair at the kitchen table. “Has he said his first words yet?”

“No, not quite. Actually, he’s extremely quiet. Not a lot of baby-babble.” Fiddleford chuckled. “The doctor says that’s perfectly normal. Tate’s so smart, he’s reachin’ for specific colors n’ such, n’ ya can tell he’s thinkin’ a lot n’ knows what’s goin’ on, he just got nothin’ t’say.”

“I was very shy when I was young.” Ford commented casually. He didn't feel like mentioning why. “If Tate is anything like either of his parents he’s very intelligent.”

“Oh, he’s so much like both of us it’s scary. Ya know Emma-May, so clever n’ quiet n’ such. Tate’s got all that. But he already looks so much like me! But he’s got his mama’s hair! N’ Santy Claus brought ‘im this fun little fishin’ game where ya fish for plastic fish with a pole with a magnet on it, n’ he loves it! I can’t wait to take ‘im fishin’ when he’s big enough! Ya really outta give yourself a break n’ come down for a visit, he’d move to see his Uncle Ford again.”

Ford’s face felt hot. “Perhaps. Spring is when a lot of anomalies are active and breeding, so i would prefer not to miss that, but maybe I could visit for a weekend before that…”

“Well, no pressure, I won’t assume anythang until ya tell me to, just know there’s always a bed for ya here.”

“Thank you, Fiddleford. The same for you and your family. The clean air will do everyone some good.”

“Oh, I’m sure.” Fiddleford sighed happily and perked up. “So! Whatcha callin’ for? Not that I’m not happy just t’chat, but ya never call.”

Ford laughed and shrugged to himself. “I suppose I don’t. I’m sorry.”

“No need t’be sorry, Stanford, just wanna know what’s up.”

“Well, I was hoping to get your advice on something.”

“Shoot.”

“Um… well…” Ford rubbed the back of his neck, unsure how to tell him this. “I heard some unusual sounds outside today…”

“What kind of unusual sounds?”

“Cracks, like lightning. And some faint yelling.” Ford answered. “I thought it might be a tree branch or a new anomaly to catalogue, but when I opened the door a young girl was standing there in the snow with no coat.”

“Heavens! Is she alright?!”

“She’s okay, no frostbite. She was cold, but after sitting by the fire, drinking some hot chocolate, and changing into some dry clothes, she’s okay now.”

“Well, good.”

“So of course I brought her in. I tried to call her parents, she probably got lost playing…”

“Sure.”

“... but she says she doesn’t have any parents.”

“Oh.” Fiddleford sighed. “Oh. Now, wait, are ya sure she didn’t just say that so ya wouldn’t call?”

Ford chuckled and said, “I first thought that too, but she looked too sad to be lying.”

“Okay, I see. Does she got somebody ya can call?”

“She says she has a brother, but he was out there, too. So he is probably out there looking for her and therefore nowhere near a phone.”

“Fair enough, okay. So, I reckon y’all are waitin’ for him t’come ‘round.”

“Yup.”

“Well sounds to me like you’ve handled this all pretty well.” Fiddleford said confidently.

“You think so?” Ford asked. “I can’t help but feel like I’m doing something wrong. Like I’m missing something. Am I doing something wrong?”

“Nonsense, buddy, you’re doin’ great.” Fiddleford assured. “Look here, ya can’t just leave a young gurl out in the snow t’try t’find her way home...”

“I agree.”

“... so ya really got one option n’ that’s t’keep an eye on her n’ let her in as a guest. N’ ya tried t’call, but nothin’. The best thang ya can do right now is be there for this lil’lady n’ just be kind t’her. N’ if nobody comes for her by mornin’, why don’t ya go into town n’ see if anybody knows her, then they can help y’all out.”

Ford nodded, then remembered that his best friend couldn’t see it, so he said, “Yeah, that sounds like a good plan. Thank you, Fiddleford.”

“You’re welcome. N’ hey, are ya okay?” He asked seriously.

“Yes, yes I’m okay. I just want to make sure I do this right.”

“O’course. I understand. Ya want me t’come down there n’ give a hand?”

“No, that’s not necessary. I’m sure Mabel will find her brother in the morning.”

“Mabel, huh? Well, if y’all don’t, please call me. N’ even if ya do find her brother, call me. Keep me updated.”

“I will. Thank you, Fiddleford.”

“Anytime, Stanford.”

~~~~~~~~~~

When Mr. Ford gave Mabel the remote for the old TV and went into the kitchen, she decided to use her awesome detective skills to figure out what year it was. If it was before Grunkle Stan lived here and opened the Mystery Shack, she must be pretty far back in time. But she had no way of knowing if it was 1999 or 2005 or the 50s.

The TV was old, but so was Grunkle Stan’s in her time. So Mr. Ford could have had this TV for a long time and didn’t want to replace it. 

Okay, so when was the TV made? Mabel didn’t know. Dipper would have known.

Okay, Grunkle Stan mentioned watching TV when he was a kid once or twice. So at least Mabel was when Stan was a kid, okay. 

Mabel turned the TV on and it was in color. Okay, so she wasn’t too far back in time. But the TV was playing a commercial for clear skin. The picture was gritty and all the people in it had puffy hair and long socks and oh my god was that woman wearing legwarmers?! Mabel grinned at seeing her favorite fashion on TV, but then her face dropped. When was she?

She tapped her chin and tried to think of how to know the date without being suspicious. She could ask Mr. Ford, but that might be suspicious. Mabel decided to start flicking through channels to try to guess what year she was in based on what was airing. A lot of shows were about cowboys, space, or game shows. Huh. Okay.

All the TV shows were definitely older. Nothing her dad would watch from when he was a kid, so if Mabel had to guess by everyone’s crazy air, the cheesy TV shows, and the music occasionally playing, she was in the 70s.

Huh. Okay. But she needed an exact year. So Mabel turned off the TV, saw an old radio on a desk, and turned it on to listen.

“... cuz it’s cold doesn’t mean you can't boogie, folks! So grab someone you wanna get warm with, turn up the music, and get your bodies warm in the coolest way possible! Here’s Night Fever, by the Bee Gees!”

Mabel grinned at the disco music. Her personal favorite song from these guys was More Than a Woman, but Night Fever would do. For a moment Mabel forgot her mission, jumped off the couch and left the blanket behind, and in the over-sized gray t-shirt Mr. Ford gave her while her clothes were drying, she danced along to the music, singing the chorus since those were the only words she knew.

“When you reach out for me. Yeah, and the feelin' is right,

Then I get night fever, night fever. We know how to do it! Gimme that night fever, night fever. We know how to show it!”

Mabel laughed at herself as she spun around in her socks and tried to do the point-and-hype dance she didn’t know the name to, but everyone did it when a disco song played.

Little did she know that Ford had returned to check on her, and was smiling at her as she shook her hips and waved her hair around and had fun. He leaned against the doorway and planned to let her dance in peace, but when she did a spin and saw him, she grinned and took his hand. “C’mon, Mr. Ford, come dance with me!”

Ford chuckled and shook his head. “No, no! I can’t dance!”

“You got two legs that aren’t broken?”

“Yes.”

“Then you can dance! C’mon!” Mabel encouraged, let him go when they were both in the middle of the room, and she started to dance again. “Don’t make me dance alone!” She even pulled an evil move and gave him puppy eyes. Rude.

Ford smiled slyly at her and hesitantly copied her boogie moves. It was true that Ford never liked to dance, but there was no one around but Mabel, and though he had only known her for an hour or more, he was sure she would never make fun of him.

And he was right.

“Wow! Look at you, Mr. I-Can’t-Dance! Yeah!” Mabel hopped on the couch, standing, and took Ford’s hand. “Here, I’ll spin you!”

Ford laughed and allowed it, doing a single spin, but then scooping her in his arms to dip her and then let her down, making her laugh as they continued to dance. 

“Alright alright, you crazy cats, that was Night Fever by the Bee Gees! It's a snowy day here in the heart of Oregon, with snow flurries coming in harder all night, but it should clear up by morning and be a fun day to go out and play! The date is January 26th, 1978 in case you gotta write a check or mail a thank you note to a friend or family member. I’m still writing letters for Christmas! We’ll be right back with some of your favorites after a word or two from our sponsors, so don’t go anywhere!”

Mabel stared at the radio. “Wow, 1978.” She breathed. Her parents were only kids right now, maybe only six or seven-years-old. Wow.

Ford chuckled. “I know, I’m still in the bad habit of writing ‘77.”

Mabel realized her mistake, but was grateful her host misunderstood her. “Me too.”

“Well, I don’t know about you, but I’m ready for dinner. How about some ramen noodles?”

“Yes, please! Can we play a game after we eat?”

“Sure. I don’t have many board games, but I do have a deck of cards.”

“Do you know any card tricks?!”

“A few.” Ford admitted, wiggling his fingers. “There are some advantages to having more fingers than average.”

Mabel grinned up at him and followed him to the kitchen for dinner.

[scuttle-buttle]

Chapter 11

WC: 2077

Rated: E

Chapter Tags: full on angst, discussions of emotional trauma, mild depictions of blood/gore, mentions of self h*rm & su*cide, mentions of child abuse, discussions of physical disabilities, institutionalization, some dialogue & plot canon to TV show, hurt/comfort

🧠

The rest of the conference went by much like the first day did. Both you and Laszlo bought a few books for your collections. An ease had settled over your conversations with the help of Sara and John's presence; you spoke more freely with each other. You tell yourself it is not because he's going soft on you or vice versa, but rather that you have found yourself in this imaginary bubble where you happen to get on well. It's inevitable that it will pop once you’re back at school and Laszlo will revert back to his usual callous state.

Laszlo. It still felt odd to think of him like that, rather than by his title. You couldn't lie, it gave you a sort of thrill. Even in your dreams you had only called him by his honorific. Thankfully you didn't have another dream after Friday. You couldn't escape the feeling that you'd said something incriminating in front of the man in question. So you chose to pretend it didn't happen.

Monday morning came and you headed to the train station. Once again he had secured a private cabin for the journey. This time you came prepared with a book since you had yet to replace your broken phone.

"Thank you again for inviting me to this, I really enjoyed myself. It was really nice of the department to foot my travel expenses, the hotel was really fancy. I may have helped myself to a mini-bottle or two," you joked.

"There is no need to worry about the department's finances; they were not involved."

You pause. He paid for you? Laszlo did say he would take care of the arrangements; but the four-star hotel, the private compartment train tickets, the admission to the conference, and every meal? Shit, that must have been a fortune, hundreds of dollars at least.

You don't know what to say, so you settle for an awkward "oh." A moment passes before you add "I appreciate that, um, I can pay you back. Might take some time but I can."

The professor is flippant in his reply. "There is no need, it was well spent for the research and knowledge acquired." He opens his book signaling the conversation is over.

You lick your lips. Fine then, I'll just consider it payment for emotional suffering and damages of the last eight weeks.

The first few hours of the journey were spent reading one of the new books you picked up at the convention. Occasionally you would peek over the pages at the professor. He was engrossed in his own selection; sometimes he would pause to write down a thought.

Around the seventh hour of your journey you had given up on reading anymore in favor of looking at the fields outside. The silence was comforting.

Laszlo had trouble concentrating on the book in his hand. He saw you as a conundrum. One minute you could be sociable and teasing with your comments, then next you were biting at his throat with your quick wit and fierce ideals. He decides that he wants to know what made you into who you are today. Now is as good a time as any.

His eyes on you cause a tingle up your spine but you ignore it. Laszlo breaks the silence; "may I ask a personal question?"

"You just did," you answer, still peering out of the large window. He huffed once, amused. At his following silence you face him. You raise your eyebrows to signal him to go on with his question. Curiosity grows at the thought of what he intends to ask.

"Twice now you have made implications of a traumatic past," he begins.

Bubble popped.

Interrupting, you snark "is this the part where you psychoanalyze me, doc? Because trust me, I've been through enough of that." You pick at the lint on your jeans.

Laszlo tries to choose his words more carefully the next time he speaks. "What I mean to say is, the first afternoon in the classroom where you defended that student you implied you had been witness to a trauma. You then displayed signs of anger and embarrassment before leaving prematurely. Yesterday you mentioned having entered a psychiatric facility. As an alienist I can't help but find myself curious about your experiences."

You slide your eyes to meet his from across the cabin. Your face is devoid of any emotion. "We all have our demons. Even you can't argue with that."

Your jaw clenches. Everyone had warned you. They all said he would try to worm his way into your head to figure you out. All the reviews, the gossip, everything. It was a big fat 'I told you so'. You give a pitiful laugh at the situation. "You know, everyone told me that you would pull this stunt."

He seems confused by your statement. "And what is that?"

"That you'd get inside my head and try to figure me all out or whatever. You already know I googled you beforehand, what everyone says about your methods. By now I assume you've done a little research yourself. I promise you there is nothing exciting here," you scoff and point to yourself.

"You would be correct in your assumption." You chew at your cheek as he starts. "I do know some of what happened in your past. Yet I also know that society likes to dilute the truth into something either more palatable, more entertaining, for people to consume greedily. What I want to know is what you have faced. How you have not allowed the experience to overcome you so much so that your humanity is erased like the characters I lecture on."

Eyes closing of their own volition you are thrown back in time to that night so many years ago. You didn't talk about it anymore. Bitsy knew of course, but that was the extent.

Laszlo waits. He knows this is likely to push you over the edge if your history with him means anything. Quite frankly, anyone would be tossed to their limit at his interrogation had they gone through what you had. John always told him that he needed to work on his bedside manner; that he had a habit of coming on too strong in his pursuit of learning the intricacies of the human mind. But your earlier comment about being sent to a so-called 'nuthouse' rubbed him the wrong way. It left a bad taste in his mouth. He needed to know. He needed to understand.

Laszlo can imagine the reprimand that he would receive from John and Sara for this. Just as he considers apologizing for his intrusion you open your eyes.

"She was fine. None of us suspected anything was wrong. I came home from having dinner with some… boy, and she had locked herself in the bathroom. She- she must have started over the sink and moved to sit on the side of the tub. She was hunched inside it when I got the door open. I pulled her out. Blood was… everywhere." Your voice is clinical as you explain.

"After, I shut down. So I checked myself into a psych ward a few days later when I couldn't get the feel of her blood off my hands. It's slippery, you know. And it smells. You wouldn't think so but it does." You clear your throat. "I did the therapy, took the meds they prescribed, all the standard treatments. Later I started watching true crime documentaries. I'd heard about exposure therapy so I figured the more I saw the gore, the less the image of my dead roommate would bother me. And it did help. The nightmares stopped after a while, I came back to school. I was better, just not the same.” You had watched the passing landscape as you explained. Turning to face him you speak again. “That's why those pictures didn't bother me. They weren't anything I hadn't seen before."

He contemplates you. The discovery and subsequent loss of your friend in this manner would no doubt cause lingering effects to your psyche. A stain that would forever remind you. "I offer my sincerest condolences. I do not presume to know what that would be like to experience, but I am glad you sought help afterwards. To make the choice to alleviate yourself of your own suffering where possible.”

As he says this he realizes that your anger towards the idea of being enslaved to unconscious impulse makes perfect sense. It explains why you focused so much energy on defending your belief in free will. That you have the power to choose how you carry your joy, your anger, your healing. It reminds him of how he held onto his own guilt and hurt, ignoring how it festered within him for so long. He feels as though he needs to share a piece of himself with you.

“I played piano as a child, quite well too. My mother hoped I would someday make a career of it. I vividly remember playing Mozart’s Concerto for Piano No. 20 in D Minor at a holiday party when I was seven years old. It was my favorite to play.... It requires two hands." You finally look at him. "My father...” He pauses to gather himself.

Now it is the doctor that cannot meet your eyes. As you listen you feel your confusion grow. How could he have been a talented pianist if he only had full use of his left hand? Unless..., the realization dawns on you just as he continues, his words slow.

“My father had two sides. One loving and the other brutal, the two often coexisting. It was something as trivial as putting me to bed, I recall... A game of tug of war. We were laughing…” He inhales a sharp breath. Already you can feel the tears begin to blur your vision. “I don't remember if he was drunk or if I said something that offended him. He must have pulled my arm behind my back.” Laszlo exhales shakily. “In small children, fractures can often affect…” he trails off, unable to finish. You can hear how he barely holds himself together.

Your heart aches for the broken man that sits in front of you. He never let on how much his arm bothered him, at least not within your presence. Suddenly you don’t see him as this rude, insufferable, obsessive man, but instead as someone that spends his life trying to protect himself. He projects his own anger and hurt so that he may, just for a minute, forget about his own demons. He wants to help others even when he feels he cannot bear to help himself.

But unlike you, he has to live with the physical reminder of his past every day of his life.

You stand and move to sit on his right side. Before allowing yourself to think too much of your actions, you place your hand atop his own, curling your fingers around his palm and squeezing delicately. You don’t bother wiping away the tears on your cheeks. “I’m so sorry, Laszlo;” the whisper is barely heard above the sound of the train. A second passes where you fear you have overstepped and offended him by touching the affected limb. When his thumb tightens against the backs of your fingers you know he is not. He holds you in place.

“You asked me how I kept my humanity. How does anyone really? We learn to take what we get and we carry it in a bag. Sometimes you have to drag the damn thing behind you. But eventually the weight gets less and less if you allow yourself to move forward, even if it’s still there with you all the time. I dealt with what happened years ago and it does still haunt me. It’s easier now than it was, but… I- I suppose I’ve learned from you too. Sitting in those lectures and hearing you talk. We can either let it haunt us for the rest of our lives… or we can accept it… and use the memory of our pain to help ourselves and others.”

“I’m not sure the choice is entirely in our hands.” His tone is mournful.

You turn to smile at him through your tears. His own eyes are bloodshot. “I disagree. If it weren’t, if we didn’t have the freedom to choose that, we’d all be murderers.”

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[thedepthsoffandomminds]

When two hearts collide. Part 4

Part three

Hawk is sat on the end of your hospital bed, sam stood not too far away.

"I can't believe this has happened." Sam began, "y/n was always so strong when we were younger, a better fighter than me any day. This is my fault, I shouldn't have let her go anywhere alone."

"No, Sam, if I'd actually told you what was going on instead of that bullshit about her getting mugged this would have been different." Hawk tried to comfort her.

Sam's parents came into the room after speaking to the doctor.

"Right, I'm taking you two home." Her dad said. Hawk instantly began to protest.

"I don't want her to be alone." He said.

"Don't worry Eli, I'll stay with her for now. " mrs LaRusso said with a comforting hand on the teens shoulder. Reluctantly he followed Sam out of the hospital.

You woke up in the morning blinking in the harsh hospital lights. You squeezed the hand holding yours and heard the reactions of the people around you.

"Hey, you're awake."

Panic struck you and you looked around the room. The crowd of teenagers where your new friends from school and the dojo but their presence was not comforting. The stake smell of beer still hanging around your dazed head.

"Stop crowding her." A familiar voice spoke pushing a few of the others back still holding your hand. You looked up at him with grateful eyes. They all backed off a bit as a nurse came into the room. She took a few vital tests, such as pupil reactions and your pulse. You held on to Hawk's hand the whole time. After a while the teenagers were asked to leave the room whilst Danny LaRusso and a policeman came in. Hawk didn't want to leave you but he understood why. He was watching through the small window to your room. You were nodding your head occasionally answering the policeman's questions.

"Okay miss y/l/n, these may be a bit difficult for you too ask, but we need to know the full extent of what happened. Can you tell me who did this to you?"

"My stepdad, Arthur Martino." You said.

"Has he hurt you before?"

You nod, "whenever my mum isn't around."

"She's working away." LaRusso explained. In all honesty you had no idea what your mum did for a job, only that it had you moving all the time and she was often out of the country."

"Okay, one last question, did he do do anything else other than the hitting?" You understood the question and fear rose up in your chest, your eyes darted between the adults in the room. A tear rolled down your cheek you nodded. Danny's heart dropped into his stomach and he took hold of your hand. The police man stepped over to the nurse and spoke quietly. She then ushered the two me outside and pulled the curtains across so no one could see inside.

"What's going on?" Hawk asked.

"Its," Danny sighed, "they have to do some tests on her, for the case against her stepdad."

"Wait did he?" Sam asked her eyes wide.

"What?" Hawk asked, his mind was racing and he hoped he hadn't guessed correctly. Danny looked down sighed again and nodded.

"Oh my god!" Sam sunk down into a chair.

After what seemed like an age the nurse came out of the room.

"Mr LaRusso, the police have decided to give you and your wife special guardianship of y/n for the time being. You can take her home today if you'd like to come and sign the paperwork." He nodded and followed the nurse.

Hawk and Sam came into your room, tears had made tracks through the blood stains on your face. The two of them helped you stand up from the bed and get dressed. Hawk held you up on your wobbling legs. Until a wheel chair arrived to take you out. The Larusso's settled you into the spare room before leaving you alone.

Everyone had to go to work, school or training. Sam said something about the two sensies swapping students for the day. As much as you didn't want to be alone you felt safe in the house knowing it had an alarm on it and your stepdad could have no idea where you were.

You decided to turn on the tv but instantly regretted it when the news clicked on showing the police arresting Arthur. Now everyone would know what had happened to you. You couldn't possibly go back to school.

Your phone dinged to signal a new message. Happy for the distraction you grabbed it up.

Hawk: hey can I come in?

So he was outside. You went to the front door and let him in. He pulled you into a hug.

"I'm sorry y/n, I should have been with you."

"Its okay you couldn't have known, I didn't think he'd find me at the dojo." You said holding your arms around yourself.

"I'm not leaving you alone again."

You didn't mind that. He sat with you on the sofa for the rest of the day watching movies. You slept a lot, his arms always around you. You felt safe with him.

Part 5 coming

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