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tumble-tv · 11 days

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Ghostbusters brainrot, because I can't stop thinking about it

This is just me talking about all the different units that make up the Ghostbusters business because I have zero self control. Long post, so there's more below the cut.

SLIGHT SPOILERS FOR GHOSTBUSTERS: FROZEN EMPIRE

There's the motorcycle unit, which is pretty self-explanatory. They're mainly used for small busts or quotes since they can't carry a lot of equipment on them, really just a downsized proton pack and one, maybe two traps depending on the model of the bike.

Then we have the Ecto units, from Ecto-1 to Ecto-3. Ecto-1 is retired due to it's age and how hard it is to repair and update to the times, so there's actually only two Ectomobiles available. All Ectos have top notch technology, but are still 1959 Cadillac Miller-Meteors. They are custom made for the Ghostbusters so that they can keep their iconic car model but still be functional in modern times. They have a gunner seat (as much as the mayor hates it), pull out rack for the proton packs (fits up to four packs), proton cannon, folding ramp for the remote trap vehicle, and drone trap. The Ectomobiles can fit one gunner, one driver, one front passenger, and three back passengers. These units are used for pretty much any busts.

After the Ecomobiles, we have the humvees, which are really just Ectomobiles but bigger, scarier, faster, and tougher. They also have a Super Slammer Muon Trap on top, and instead of the gunner seat being on the side, they're on the top like a regular gunner seat on any other humvee. They can fit one driver, one front passenger, one gunner, and two back passengers. They are known as Ghost-1, Ghost-2, and Ghost-3. There is a compartment in the back seat that carries four proton packs.

After the Busters we have the Cleaners, who arrive after the Busters do their thing and clean up after them. Sometimes all they have to do it take samples of whatever the ghost left behind, and other times it's a full on biohazard cleanup. The Slimer would've been a biohazard level cleanup for example, as well as the Pink Slime, but a spot in the middle of your hallway that created a sense of dread and cold would be a sample level cleanup.

Of course we have the receptionists, because without them Ghostbusters would not exist. They mainly take calls and send out crews, but occasionally help out during major events like Gozer the Gozerian, the Pink Slime, and Garraka.

We have the Paranormal Research Center, where, with time, had been expanded into a full facility with different units for different types of research. They also have an actual functioning containment system, with hundreds of containment units. Each has a database of what ghosts are in each unit and their full file and date they were caught. Once a week a researcher heads down to the Ghostbusters headquarters to gather all of the traps that had been filled that week to empty them into their containment system. The only ghost currently held under headquarters is Garraka, as it's too dangerous to move that one. The basement is fully off limits without authorization due to its containment. The Paranormal Research Center also has their own emergency units available in case of a major event. This is also where the majority of training for new Ghostbusters is done.

There is an entire wall dedicated to their standard gear (flight suits, boots, gloves) in the truck bay. This wall is almost exactly what the turnout gear racks look like for firefighters. Each Ghostbuster has their own little cubby to hold their gear, as well as a shelf above to hold any extras they may need. This cubby also contains a specialized jacket for cold weather (the red jackets that are seen in Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire and are worn by Lucky and Lars) and a helmet (Pacific Helmets WR5, for example). We've seen the Ghostbusters get thrown around enough to have a concussion at least once, and Janine probably had them ordered after the second time the boys came back from a call with welts on the backs of their heads.

After years of being in that falling apart firehouse, they finally have it renovated to fit their needs (and definitely splurging on the fun stuff). Think a glorified firehouse. There's a bar (in Venkman's name), recreation room, kitchen, gym, ready room, and bunk room. An entire floor is dedicated to offices and conference rooms, although those conference rooms are usually used for Super Smash Bros tournaments and gaming because they have large TVs that are awesome for multiplayer games. The containment unit used for Garraka is never touched, and the floor it resides on is off limits without authorization, as stated above. Of course it was renovated in a way, but the unit itself is never touched.

This will definitely be reblogged with more as I come up with it, and feel free to add on!

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miixz · 11 months

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A Little Bit To The Left by miixz

Here's my fic for the @bingqiuminibang!!!

Pairing: Luo Binghe / Shen Yuan || Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence; Shěn Yuán | Shěn Qīngqiū Transmigrates into an NPC; Getting Together; Romance; Fluff; Friends to Lovers; Oblivious Shěn Yuán | Shěn Qīngqiū; Light Angst (there is one sad thing that happens in one chapter but most of this is fluff); White Lotus Luò Bīnghé; Bǎi Zhàn Peak Disciple Shěn Yuán; Canon Antagonists Are Still Antagonists; Shěn Jiǔ | Original Shěn Qīngqiū and Shěn Yuán | Shěn Qīngqiū are Not the Same Person

Words: 86,572

Summary:

【 A System error during execution bound you to Shi Yuan’s account instead of the intended Shen Qingqiu. We sincerely apologize.

You will be given the chance to climb from your current position of canon fodder as the story progresses and plot points become available to you. As Shi Yuan does not have an established character the OOC function is automatically unlocked, please accept this bonus as your compensation for the mistaken role.

Please ensure that no score falls below zero, or the System will automatically administer punishment.】

Intended role of Shen Qingqiu?! The fuck, were you trying to kill me? Why would anyone think transmigrating into that scum of all people would be helpful?

Alright, alright. Shi Yuan takes a deep breath. He can deal with this. So he’d transmigrated into the shitty novel he’d just finished, but at least he’d somehow avoided becoming the villain.

Or: Shen Yuan transmigrates into Proud Immortal Demon Way as a Bai Zhan Peak disciple.

Read on AO3

#BQRMB2023 #svsss #bingqiu #bingyuan #luo binghe #shen yuan #svsss fic

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luna--flare · 10 days

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Zero Escape? I think you'll find I escape plenty

Inspired by this post, I decided to count how many times throughout the series characters actually escape from a situation, including both escape rooms and the Nonary Games as a whole. There's obviously going to have to be some judgement calls about how to count things, so you might not agree with the final number I come up with. Spoilers for the whole Zero Escape series below.

9 Hours, 9 Persons, 9 Doors

For this, we'll be going off the DS version, counting each route from the start of the game, since that's what Akane actually experienced through Junpei's eyes. The Nonary Game starts with each participant escaping from an individual room, presumably excluding Akane and Aoi. So that's 7 escapes per route. Things then diverge into 2 at the first door. For the second door choice, if Junpei enters door 3, nobody else does an escape room at this or the next stage - we'll say this happens once for Submarine Ending. For the other routes, the group splits into two again, and then one final time for two escape rooms back to back. So.

Knife Ending

Third Class Cabin - 7 escapes

Door 4/5 - 2 escapes

Door 7/8 - 2 escapes

Door 1/6 - 4 escapes

Submarine Ending

Third Class Cabin - 7 escapes

Door 4/5 - 2 escapes

Door 3 - 1 escape

Door 2 - 2 escapes

Axe Ending

Third Class Cabin - 7 escapes

Door 4/5 - 2 escapes

Door 7/8 - 2 escapes

Door 1/6 - 4 escapes

The true routes add a bit more because we also go through Door 9, of course. In the Safe ending, while Junpei doesn't go through an escape room, we can presume Ace and Lotus do, and of course in the True Ending Junpei does go through the Library and Study. The puzzle in the incinerator is also presented with a "Seek a way out!" introduction. For the Coffin Ending, we're assuming that Junpei already knows the code from the Safe Ending and goes straight onto the True Ending without replaying, to get a lowball estimate.

Safe Ending

Third Class Cabin - 7 escapes

Door 4/5- 2 escapes

Door 7/8 - 2 escapes

Door 1/6 - 4 escapes

Door 9 - 2 escapes

True Ending

Third Class Cabin - 7 escapes

Door 4/5 - 2 escapes

Door 7/8 - 2 escapes

Door 1/6 - 4 escapes

Door 9 - 2 escapes

Incinerator - 1 escape

Finally, there's the matter of the escape from the Nonary Game overall, which is achieved both in the True Ending, and an escape from the First Nonary Game 9 years prior. We don't know the details of the puzzles in that game, so we can't accurately count how many escape rooms were escaped within it, so we'll just add 1 for the overall escape.

999 Total: 79

Virtue's Last Reward

VLR has a fundamentally different structure to 999 - the player and Sigma only visit each escape room once each, because they jump around the timeline rather than restarting from the beginning. However, bad endings frequently feature people escaping from the Nonary Game, so we do still have more counting to do. Additionally, the number of other players alive to enter other escape rooms varies depending on the route. Let's start at the top and go down the flowchart left to right. I'm using this excellent flowchart by @drailholsac for reference, and it might help you follow along too.

Magenta Door

There are 6 AB rooms escaped from at the start of the game. No matter which of the three Chromatic Doors Sigma chooses to enter, the Lounge, Crew Quarters and Infirmary are each escaped, so that's 9. Going through the Magenta and then Green Door, the Gaulem Bay, Pantry and Rec Room are escaped, so 3 more. If Sigma then allies with Luna, he and Phi escape the Security Room while Dio and K escape the Director's Office - everyone else is dead so that's only 2. Finally, in Luna's Ending, Phi and Quark escape the Nonary Game. Alternatively, in the corresponding bad ending, Luna helps Quark escape. That's 2 more. Quark also escapes if Luna is betrayed earlier, for 1 more.

Total for this paragraph: 23.

Yellow Door

If Sigma instead enters the Blue Door after Magenta, the Rec Room, Treatment Center and Pantry are escaped for 3 more. If he allies with K, then K escapes, but if he betrays, then no one does. That's 1 more. Finally, if Sigma goes through the Red Door second, the Pantry, PEC and Treatment Center are escaped for 3 more. If Sigma allies with Clover, then Phi and Dio escape, but if he betrays her, he joins them. That's 2 more escapes.

Total for this paragraph: 9

Going all the way back to the top, if Sigma instead goes through the Yellow Door and then Blue, the PEC, Laboratory and an unknown room are escaped for 3 more. If Sigma then allies with Tenmyouji, the Director's Office, Q Room and Security Room are escaped for another 3. If Sigma then allies with Tenmyouji and Quark, they escape with Clover, otherwise Clover escapes alone - 2 more. Clover also escapes alone if Sigma betrays Tenmyouji earlier, for 1 more.

Total for this paragraph: 9

Cyan Door

If Sigma instead goes through the Red Door after Yellow, the Laboratory and two unknown rooms are escaped for another 3. If he then allies with Dio, he and Quark escape, while otherwise K escapes alone. That's another 2. Finally, through the Green Door, the Treatment Center, PEC and Pantry are escaped for 3 more. If Sigma allies with Quark, everyone dies and no one escapes, but if he betrays Quark for Clover, then she escapes, so that's only 1 more.

Total for this paragraph: 9

Finally, if Sigma goes through the Cyan Door and then Blue, the B. Garden, Laboratory and Treatment Center are escaped for yet another 3. No further escape rooms nor game escapes occur on Alice's route. Through the Green Door, the Archives, B. Garden and Pantry are escaped for another 3. If Sigma allies with Tenmyouji, everyone dies, but if he betrays, he gets knocked out and wakes up with everyone gone, so we can assume they escaped for 1 more.

Total for this paragraph: 7

VLR Total: 65

And now through the Red Door we get the True Route. The Control Room, Archives, and B. Garden are escaped for 3 more. If Sigma betrays Phi, he opens the door but does not get out, so no one can escape. If he instead allies with Phi, the Q Room, Security Room and Director's Office are escaped for 3 more. At this stage, Sigma and Phi jump into the past and escape the AB Room a separate time earlier than they "initially" did to save Akane, so that's 1 more escape. And after that, everyone escapes the Nonary Game for 1 more, even if they go back inside afterwards.

Total for this paragraph: 8

Zero Time Dilemma

Similar to VLR, we can assume each escape room is only experienced once - decisions split the timeline only after they're escaped. Unlike VLR, other escape rooms aren't even going on simultaneously off-screen, so counting that should be relatively easy. However, there are also escapes from the Decision Game to account for. Notably, it's questionable whether some escape rooms, like the Control Room, actually count as escapes, since the players don't necessarily get to leave the room alive - however we'll say that the game going "You Found It" is enough to call an escape room completed.

Escape Rooms

Biolab

Control

Healing Room

Infirmary

Locker Room

Manufacturing

Pantry

Pod Room

Power Room

Rec Room

Study

Transporter Room

Trash Disposal Room

Total: 13

Decision Game Escapes

Coincide: Carlos wins the coin-flip (we won't count shifting to this timeline later as a separate escape)

Apocalypse: Carlos uses the transporter to go back in time and break Junpei and Akane out of the facility.

Triangle: Sean kills Eric, and Mira escapes with him.

Triangle: Sean tries to kill Mira but Eric takes the shot, and Mira escapes alone.

Triangle: Sean refuses to kill anyone. Eric kills him and escapes with Mira.

Outbreak: D-Team use the bomb from Manufacturing to break through the X-Door.

Ambidex: If Junpei betrays Carlos, it's very likely he escapes with Akane.

Anthropic Principle: If C-Team fail the dice roll, it's likely that Phi escapes alone.

Monty Hall: If Carlos successfully finds the oxygen mask and saves Akane, she later escapes.

First Come, First Saved: Each team has a timeline where they press the button and escape (though Carlos, Sean and Diana each stay behind), for a total of 3.

Suppression: Mira kills most of the players. Diana enters the X-Passes to open the X-Door, but Mira kills her and escapes alone.

These are mostly taken from a list of game overs and endings, and not every escape happens in an ending (for example, First Come, First Saved: C), so this is the place I'm most likely to have missed something. Nonetheless, the tentative count here is 13.

ZTD Total: 26

Total Escape Count: 170

Resources used

Let's Play 999, by Dragonatrix

Let's Play VLR, by Fedule

Let's Play ZTD, by DKII

VLR Detailed Flowchart, by @drailholsac

Zero Escape Wiki (I really wish there was a better option than the FANDOM wiki though...)

#zero escape #zero escape spoilers #9 hours 9 persons 9 doors #999 spoilers #virtue's last reward #vlr spoilers #zero time dilemma #ztd spoilers #long post

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aces-and-angels · 7 days

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Title: Not My Birthday

A/N: what the hell is up, gang? i've been dying to share this one with y'all for weeks and now it's finally here 🎊🎊🎊 please enjoy the thing that's been plaguing my very being for hours on end 🖤 @choicesficwriterscreations

p.s. a big thank you to @noesapphic for helping me out with some of the spanish dialogue

Characters: Xiomara Calloway (oc: @a-cloud-for-dreams), Ryan Cortazar, Amalia de León (oc: @itlivesproject), Beau McGraw, Enid Mendoza, Cameron Rose, Tommy Rose, Gigi Sinclair, Martin Vanderweil, Wind Velez (oc: @oh-so-youre-a-nerd)

Pairing(s): Martin x Wind (not yet official), Gigi x Xiomara (oc: @a-cloud-for-dreams)

Summary: Set sometime before Magnus gets hired; Wind does their best to get through another birthday.

Content Warning(s): brief mention of blood, language, childhood trauma

Word Count: 3.9K

read below cut or...

AO3 LINK

---

McGraw Byrne, morning…

It’s just a day. A set of numbers written in the margin. Zero three zero two. Yet Wind’s calendar remains flipped to February, its page marked with thick black lines crossing off each date. What they’d give to be able to take a sharpie to the day and scribble it out entirely. But they can’t- not for another 14 hours and 32 minutes. Not like they’re counting or anything.

Amalia saves them first.

“Mx. Velez, I know you’re busy with that case for Landon, but can you-”

“Yes,” they say all too quickly.

Amalia blinks, perplexed by their eagerness. “You don’t even know what I’m about to ask for yet.”

“Does that matter? You know I’d do anything for one of my favorite paralegals.” Their desperate need for distraction aside, the sentiment was sincere. Without Amalia, completing any case would be nearly impossible.

“Wasn’t fishing for compliments, but I’ll take it,” she breathes with a hint of a smirk tugging at her lip. “Hopefully, you’ll still hold that sentiment after this conversation.”

“Pretty sure I will. What can I help you with?”

“It’s a bit… Es una tontería, de verdad,” she warns, absently toying with the hem of her wine red blazer.

Noticing her nerves, Wind pushes their notebook aside. “Amalia, no te preocupes, puedes decirme lo que pasa.”

The warmth and reassurance in their tone do something to soothe her nerves, as her hand noticeably stills. “Mr. Vanderweil tasked me with redacting these documents yesterday. Simple, right?”

They nod along to her story. “I’d say so.”

“I thought so too, but then I had an issue with loading the PDFs on my computer, so I…” she pauses, sucking in a breath. “I took an alternative approach.”

“What kind of approach?”

“Converting all the files to Word docs so I could highlight all the info in black instead of contacting IT like I should have.” Her words fly out of her mouth faster than she can speak, jumbling into a mess of syllables they barely manage to catch. But they do- and oh, how their stomach plummets to the floor.

Panic cracks through the otherwise calm demeanor they’ve maintained thus far. “Amalia-”

“I know- I know,” she laments, rushing up to the foot of their desk. “Ryan already told me how wrong that was half an hour ago, which is why I haven’t uploaded anything yet.”

“Oh, thank God,” they sigh, visibly slumping into their chair. “This’ll be easy to fix then.”

“Except it won’t be because Mr. Vanderweil wanted this done before the partner meeting, and he’ll definitely chew me out when he learns that it isn’t.” Whatever nerves were kept at bay came rushing back in full force. Amalia began pacing, her heels scuffing up the floors beneath her with every anxious step. “This is the easiest thing to do, and I found a way to mess it up. It’s no question- I’m gonna get fired. And what respectable law school is going to accept someone who can’t even-”

Wind jumps from their seat to block her path. Their hands fly to her shoulders, stopping her in place with a firm grip. “Amalia,” they say gently, careful not to agitate her any further. Her dark brown eyes dart around the room, desperate to cling onto something- anything. Wind squeezes her once, steadying her frenzied gaze at them. “Inhala. Exhala.” So that’s what they do. They breathe.

In and out.

Inhala. Exhala.

Eventually, the dust settles and Wind’s arms fall back to their sides. “Better?”

She nods. “Better.”

“Good. Now, how much work do you have left?”

“I managed to fix around half of what Mr. Vanderweil sent me, but there’s still over a hundred pages left to deal with.”

The wheels in their head spin, formulating a plan. “Okay- here's what we'll do. Forward the files to me. I'll take the first 50 or so, you get the rest. Can Ryan pitch in? That would really speed things up.”

“He’s tied up with logging discovery for Ms. Tanaka. That’s why I came to you,” she grimaces.

“That's fine. We’ll manage on our own.”

“Are you sure? Even with help, it'll take some time.”

The honest answer was that they weren’t. Meetings at McGraw Byrne are notorious for being pushed up at the drop of a hat. There’s no guarantee Martin wouldn’t decide to do just that; he certainly flaunted his authority to do so around the office enough. But Wind knew one thing: they can’t cross today out, but they can redact a few dozen documents. And that was enough. “Positive. Hand the files over- we've got work to do.”

—

It’s a tricky thing- pretending to be fine. Until it isn’t. Their smile is a reflex. Their lies, sweet little things, mask the bitter truth buried deep inside them. It’s almost scary how easy it’s become.

Almost.

Gigi nearly crushes them next.

It starts with a playful hip check by the break room counter. Nothing more than a soft bump that Wind returns as a greeting. “You avoiding me, Velez?”

“Of course not,” they reply automatically. Not on purpose.

“Then why is this the first time I've seen you all day?”

The corners of Wind’s mouth pull upwards. “You’re exaggerating. Our offices are across from each other, glass windows and all.”

Gigi scoffs, a fond yet exasperated look on her face. “You know what I mean. How much work did Martin stick you with?”

Actually, he didn't. I asked for more. And I would've stayed in my office, but I physically can’t ignore the gurgling in my stomach with paperwork anymore. “Not much, really. Guess it’s just been one of those days.” There’s a part of them- the smallest, stupidest part- that wishes she, or anyone, could see through their cheery disposition. Lift the mask they’ve clutched onto for years.

It’s a hollow victory when she doesn’t.

“Tell me about it. Linda roped me into working on this painfully boring property dispute,” she complains.

“Think of it this way: maybe the land is haunted.” They wiggle their fingers spookily, throwing in a few ‘oo’s and ah’s’ for good measure.

“That would explain the urge to blow my brains out anytime I redraft these contracts.”

“Poor little Millie. She’s just trying to protect her property from the grave.”

Gigi stifles a laugh. “Millie?”

“Judging me only angers her spirit,” they retort, their own bout of laughter bubbling to the surface. A moment of silence passes between them before they both lose their resolve, dissolving into a fit of giggles.

“Whew, I needed that,” Gigi says, still chuckling.

They take a bow. “I’ll be here all week.”

“Perfect- just enough time for you to join me for lunch.”

“You’re shameless.” Despite their light ribbing, they still take a seat at the nearest table and begin to unpack their own lunch. A small break can’t hurt, right?

“I just prefer to have some entertainment with my lasagna,” she corrects in a light, teasing voice.

“You made lasagna?”

“Xo made lasagna. She's been cooking a lot more since her show wrapped.” The glow on her face at the mere mention of her wife is undeniable.

“Seems like you’re enjoying a lot more than her cooking lately,” they grin suggestively.

Her daze sharpens into a challenging glint in her eye, her smirk unwavering. “So what if I am?”

They raise their hands in surrender. “Then good for you, boo.”

“Mm, that’s what I thought,” she hums triumphantly as she walks over to the fridge. “Seriously, you’ve got to try some. It’s- oh damn it.”

“What is it?”

Gigi pulls out a large pink box and sets it on the table, slightly miffed. “Beau’s leftover birthday cake knocked over my containers. I told him no one but him likes coconut.”

Wind’s pulse quickened. It’s fine. You’re fine. “It wasn’t that bad.”

“How would you know? You couldn’t eat any because you’re allergic to coconut.”

They shrug. “It looked pretty.”

“Last time I let a man plan an event. I don’t care if it’s his birthday,” she mutters, more to herself than at them- too occupied with reconstructing her toppled lasagna with a pair of plastic forks. Wind turns their attention to their own lunch, a heaping portion of arroz con pollo, hoping to swallow down their bout of birthday-induced anxiety with each savory bite. It almost works.

They’re mid-bite when Gigi unknowingly moves in for the kill.

“I’ve decided,” she announces, sliding into the seat across from them.

“Hm?” It’s all they can manage to say with a mouthful of rice.

“I’m putting myself in charge of all birthday parties at the firm from here on out. Who better to plan a party than a party-lover like moi?” She cuts a piece of her lasagna with the side of her fork, still talking animatedly. “Ooh, I can start a group chat to organize any after-work festivities-”

“Mhm,” they hum along, trying to ignore the lump forming in their throat. It’s fine. You’re fine. Their eyes fixate on the grains of rice stuck to their spoon. Three on the front. Two on the back. Three on the front. Two on the back. Three on-

“Wind? You still with me, boo?”

Their head snaps up, only realizing now that they had tuned out their friend. “Sorry- can you repeat that? I zoned out.”

Another smile. Another lie. But it’s enough.

“I asked what kind of cake you like,” Gigi repeats.

“Oh- uh… I’m fine with anything, really. As long as it’s not coconut for obvious reasons.”

“C’mon, everyone has a favorite. Lemmie guess, you’re a cheesecake girl, aren’t you? No wait- red velvet.”

They force out a chuckle. “You got me. I love a good red velvet.”

Gigi’s eyes narrow, assessing them like she would a witness on trial. “You’re just being nice, aren’t you?”

“I-I’m not! I really love red velvet,” they reassure her, but to no avail. She only shakes her head, leaning back into her chair.

“I’ll figure you out eventually, Velez. Cake preference is a science. And I just so happen to be a mad scientist.”

“You really don’t have to put that much effort into this, Gi.”

“The hell I don’t! There’s no way I’m going to plan a subpar birthday party for one of my best friends. When is your birthday anyways? Before you judge me for not knowing, I did try. I just couldn’t find it listed on any of your socials.”

Her determination in any other context would flood their chest with a friendly warmth. But now it pierces through their ribcage, sending their heart into an unwanted frenzy- its beat pounding in their ears.

It’s fine. You’re fine.

It’s fine. You’re-

It’s-

They stand abruptly, the chair behind them screeching against the floorboards. “I need to go.”

Gigi glances down, concern etching onto her features. “But you’ve barely eaten anything.”

“There’s a call I’m expecting from one of my clients. Can’t miss it,” they explain, hastily packing away their food. “Let’s catch up later, yeah?”

Another smile. Another lie. But this time, they don’t stick around long enough to know if it’s enough.

—

Calm. They need to stay calm. Yet the air grows thinner and thinner until Wind is gasping, pulling at their collar in a feeble attempt to ease the tightness coiling around their throat. Everything is too loud. Too bright. Too exposed.

On their first day at McGraw Byrne, Wind marveled at the grandness of it all. How its name glimmered as rays of golden light shone through the floor to ceiling windows, hitting the platinum just right. How every hallway felt like a brand new world waiting to be explored. But now? Now there is no glimmer. No hallways left to be discovered. Only a crushing weight resting atop their chest.

Forget calm. They need to hide.

Wind shuts the door behind them, then the blinds to their windows. It’s a small shield, so they strengthen their armor. Soft, pillowy cushions cover their ears, silencing the wars raging outside. A dark quiet descends over them. Not quite calm, but numb. Numb lets them breathe. Slow their tired, weary heart from running rampant. Here, underneath a cherry wood desk, they can rest.

—

The thing about a closed door is that it can always be opened.

So Martin does just that.

He strides in without any warning, preoccupied with typing out a quick response to yet another email, all while hoping to find a certain report waiting in his inbox. “Velez, I need an update on Landon.” Three more notifications- nothing of any true significance, but it gains his attention nonetheless.

Eyes glued to the screen, Martin doesn’t register the empty office chair in front of him. “I don’t have all day,” he huffs out, already bracing himself for whatever teasing remark Wind has in store for him. But none come. To his surprise, instead of a toothy grin, he sees a pair of pink heels carelessly kicked off to the side.

Martin pockets his phone and takes a cautious step forward. “Velez?”

A pitiful sniffle, amplified by the stillness of the room, hits his ears, freezing him in place. Part of him weighs the merits behind turning around. Then he hears it again- that sorrowful hitch in Wind’s breath- and before he even realizes it, he is by their side.

Months of working alongside each other allowed Martin to experience the many sides of Wind. Infuriatingly righteous. Overly-energetic. Perplexingly kind. Wind got under his skin- crept inside and made it impossible to stay away. None of that prepared him to witness them like this- curled up underneath their desk, unwilling to even look at him.

At a loss, he simply asks, “What are you doing down there?”

A few harrowing seconds pass before they mumble a reply. “Hiding.”

“From whom?”

“Just… from today.”

Martin hums in acknowledgement, unsure how to take that answer. “How long have you been hiding?” They give a weak shrug. “Can you at least tell me why?” He waits, more than he should’ve, then sighs. “Go home, Velez.”

Wind snaps their head up. “W-what?”

“I said go home.”

“Y-you… you can’t do that!”

“I can and I am. Clearly, you’re incapable of-”

“-I’m plenty capable-”

“-You’re under a table.” He chooses not to mention the redness in their eyes or how they shine with unshed tears.

“I- I can…” Wind sputters, their voice no higher than a whisper, “I can do it.”

“I’d have an easier time believing that if you weren’t mid-cower.”

“I’m not-” Martin cocks his eyebrow, effectively killing their argument. “This isn’t any of your concern. So just leave me be.”

“Not my concern?” he scoffs, almost in disbelief. “As your supervisor, I’d have to firmly disagree. I’m responsible for your successes and your screw ups. And I work very hard to mitigate the latter. So, I’m asking you again. What’s this about?”

“It’s… personal.” Martin folds his arms, indicating them to elaborate. But much to his dismay, they don’t. He peers down at them, searching for something. The infuriatingly righteous. The overly-energetic. The perplexingly kind. Something he can work with. It’s surprisingly disappointing when his search comes up as empty as Wind’s chair.

“Send whatever you have on Landon to Aislinn. She’ll be taking point for the remainder of this case.”

“But-”

“Save your breath, Velez. You can sort out whatever it is you’re dealing with now or never. I don’t care. You just can’t be here.”

—

Wind trods through the city past several storefronts and food carts, crestfallen. Their aimless journey eventually leads them to a random dive bar- the perfect location to get good and drunk. Its unassuming exterior paled in comparison to its rich interior. Spacious, yet cozy.

An unoccupied podium greets them at the entrance. “Hello?” Their voice travels beyond the stacked chairs and strings of exposed lightbulbs casting a golden glow over the room. A few minutes go by before they try calling out again. “Hi, are y’all open?”

They venture further inside, ignoring the big, bold letters indicating patrons to ‘please wait to be seated.’ A plethora of memories line its walls. Polaroids of patrons captured in various states of inebriation- all in good fun, they figure. Along with those are news clippings throughout the years, most of which feature the NYPD in some capacity.

“I bought every copy of that issue.” Wind yelps, coming face to face with an older man. The faint lines on his bronze skin deepen as his face stretches into a friendly smile. He points at one of the officers pictured. “This one’s my niece, Cameron.”

They take a closer look at the photo. Despite its grainy quality, Wind can see the resemblance between the two. Same brown eyes. Same round nose. Her skin, however, is about three shades darker than her uncle’s. Youthful. “She looks beautiful.”

“I like to think so,” he says, pride beaming from his features. “She’s always begging me to take this one down, but I can’t bring myself to do it. Ya only graduate from the academy once, y’know?”

They nod politely. “Sorry for walkin’ in like this.”

“The sign’s flipped to open, even if we don’t look like it,” he chuckles. “Grab a seat, I’ll be right with ya.” Wind slides into an empty bar stool while he makes his way behind the counter. After rummaging through a few drawers, he pulls out a menu. “Ha! I knew I kept a few back here.”

“Thank you.” They skim through the appetizers, not retaining much.

“I promise, if ya catch us during our peak hours, we’re more lively. Anyways, welcome to The Drunk Tank. I’m Tommy- owner, bartender, and your server for today. Most of our food items won’t be available till our cook arrives, but I can try to whip up something simple if you’d like.”

“That’s alright. I only came in for a drink.”

“Perfect. What’s your poison?”

“Whatever’s strongest. Neat,” they answer flatly.

Understanding flashes through Tommy’s face. He works with silent precision, pouring a long stream of amber liquor into a glass. “Here ya go. Spirits to lift the spirit.”

Wind raises their drink to him before throwing it back in one gulp. The burn is immediate, slithering down to their chest and warming them from within. “Hah,” they wince, wiping the stray droplets from their chin. “I’ll have another.”

Tommy’s eyebrows jump, unable to conceal his shock, but he complies and slides over another shot. It goes down just as quickly. This process repeats two more times before he finally pulls the plug. “Why don’t we pace ourselves for a bit? Happy hour doesn’t start for another thirty minutes. Save yourself a few bucks.”

“Money’s not an issue,” they say, their words slightly slurred.

“Alright, I’ll level with ya. I’m not as concerned about your wallet as I am about any ‘accidents’ I may need to clean up.”

They huff out a hollow laugh. “I can hold my liquor, promise.”

“Just indulge me and drink some water.”

“Fine,” they grumble, taking a tentative sip from a much taller glass.

“Ya wanna talk about it?”

“Huh?”

“Ya wanna talk?”

“About what?”

“Anything. The weather- the Yankees- oh, I can show ya my collection of wine corks.”

“That’s… okay.” They gulp down the rest of their water, casting a hopeful glance at him, then at their empty shot glass.

He purses their lips, thinking. “Tell ya what- I’ll pour another shot if ya tell me one thing about yourself.”

Their eyes narrow at his deal, but his face remains steady. Fine, they can play along for now. “My name’s Wind.”

A quiet grin spreads on his face. “I was hoping to hear about a hobby or something.”

“A deal’s a deal.”

Tommy raises his hands in surrender. “That it is.” He serves another shot, which doesn’t last very long. “I like baseball, if ya couldn’t tell,” he jokes, gesturing to the several pieces of baseball memorabilia displayed.

“You play?”

His belly shakes with laughter. “Not well, I’m afraid. My ol’ man still put me in Little League, though, right next to my brother. I was one hell of a benchwarmer.”

“How ‘bout your brother?”

“Oh, that asshole? He was a mini prodigy. Bastard went on to play varsity. Won the state championship and everything.” Despite his light, jovial tone, Wind notices the distant look in his eyes.

“... And now?”

There’s a brief pause before he answers. “He doesn't play much of anything anymore.”

“What happened?”

His lip twitches upward with a smile that’s not all there. Dimmer than the one he first met them with. “I’ll need a few drinks before ya pull that story outta me.”

“Sorry,” they apologize quickly, “I didn’t-”

“No- you’re fine. Just felt like talking ‘s all.” He busies himself by wiping down the bar with a towel. “Ya don’t need to tell me anything, but a word to the wise: it feels a helluva lot better when you finally let it all out.”

Wind stares at him, their thoughts- all the pain, anger, and confusion threatening to spill out of them like a faucet. Kind brown eyes stare back with a patience that says, ‘Everything’s gonna be alright,’ without uttering a word. “Well, I-”

“Pop some champagne, Tito. I just got promoted!” They both startle in place. A woman strolls up to the bar, carrying a faint scent of ginger and citrus as she approaches. Wind’s eyes immediately flick to the golden snake adorning her neck, drawn by its intimidating beauty.

“Nini! That’s wonderful,” Tommy rejoices, clapping her on the shoulder like an old friend.

“I know. Now, where’s that champagne?”

“Hold on, I’ve got some in the back.” He moves to grab a bottle, but stops in his tracks when he sees them. “Oh- I’m sorry, Wind. You were about to say something.”

They shake their head. “No- actually, I should head out.”

“Stay for the toast at least.”

“Are you serious?” the woman complains.

“Yes,” Tommy hisses at her underneath his breath, which to Wind’s surprise, is all it takes for her to stand down.

“Alright,” she concedes, peering at them through her curled lashes. “Enjoy it, blondie. I’m usually not this generous, but today is a celebration. Consider it an early birthday gift.”

Their body seizes up. “What?”

“Or a late one. Not like I’d know the difference anyway. It’s no cake, but it’ll do.”

Glass shatters. A cacophony of shrieks and curses follows. Wind registers nothing- lost to fragments from the past. Their senses recall the piercing sound of their baby brother’s inconsolable wails. The desperation in their father’s pleas. They remember the cool tile on their knees- how sticky their tiny fingers became with pink frosting as they tried to push chunks of uneaten cake back together, ignoring the shards of fine china mixed throughout. All the while, their mother’s broken voice pounds within their ears. A haunting chant they can never forget.

“No puedo más- no puedo más- no puedo más-”

“Ya alright, pal?” Tommy’s worry warbles through their nightmarish haze.

“This fucking idiot got glass everywhere.”

“Ay, Nini- just grab the broom. It’s in the back. Oh- and the first aid kit.”

First aid kit? They glance down- mortified by the crimson stains on their sleeves. “Oh God-”

“Hey, take it easy-”

“NO-” Their sudden outburst sends them back several feet. “I- I need to- I need to go.”

“Hold on-”

Tommy’s words fall on deaf ears, or rather, no ears. They’re gone in a flash. No warning. No goodbye.

Just like Mamá.

---

tag list: @choicesmc, @win-chan, @brycesgirl, @stars-are-within-me, @inlocusmads

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waynes-multiverse · 1 year

Text

Everything I Wanted

Summary: For once, Dean Winchester had everything he ever wanted and was convinced he’d found a glitch in the matrix of bad luck and heartbreak – until his dream turned into a nightmare. Alternate ending to On The Beach.

Pairings: Dean Winchester x Female!Reader (past)

Warnings: angst, heartbreak, hurt, death, mentions of a disease, no happy ending

Word Count: 1.1k (painfully curated words you wish I never wrote)

A/N: In hindsight, I’m really glad I didn’t put this into the OG fic, but this is for the ones that love to be tormented with that twinge of pain... 🖤 Inspired by everything i wanted by Billie Eilish. Listen to that song and watch the video for another layer of heartbreak.

Feedback is writer’s fuel, so make sure to fill my tank. Thank you!

Dean Winchester Masterlist || Main Masterlist

It’s cold and dark. There is no moon, no stars in the black and bleak night sky. He can sniff the below-zero temperature in the air, in the wind that howls around him, but he can’t feel it stinging, can’t feel the harsh needle pricks of idle winter. There’s no amount of physical pain that could bother him, not anymore, no awakening jolt that could compete with the ache in his chest – until that last human affliction went away as well.

His skin, his bones, his heart – it’s all numb, lifeless and empty like the body he’s burning on the pyre.

Flakes fall around him, coming down like the snow he has watched so many times on this beach before, hand holding hers in a vice-like grip, hoping the knot is tied firmly enough to keep her boat from floating away from his shore. Anchored to each other forever.

This time, however, the snowflakes are not white flickers of hope. They don’t announce a new beginning, no lighthouse shining its beam to guide her back to him. There is no happy ending in sight. This time, it’s a gray swirl of ash, a storm of forlornness. Death and doldrums.

She came like a dream, a flame that melted the pricking ice, which had slowly crawled through his red-blooded veins and festered in his heart over decades – years of torture, travail, and torment. But she was magic, the truest and purest form he’d ever witnessed. She cast a smile on his face without even trying, and boy, whenever she did try, he was deep in trouble – the good kind and never the bad.

For a moment, the usually unkind stars in the universe aligned. For once, he got everything he ever wanted. A small and cozy house he called a home, a love that warmed his blood and soul, and a tomorrow he was excited to see and experience. Two fated hearts found each other and connected in an impossibly cold world, an invisible string tying them together for eternity, defying improbable odds like defying gravity. No pair of scissors, no knife, no cruel weapon of life could’ve snapped that bond. He thoroughly ensured the knot was tethered firmly. God, he swears he did…

“You know, when I wake up, all I see is you with me,” Dean whispers in the dark as they lie face to face on fluffy clouds of pillows, a reluctant smile twitching on his lips as he softly brushes a few rogue strands of hair behind her ear.

Y/N mirrors his smile and catches his lips in an ever-lasting and reaffirming kiss as she nuzzles impossibly closer. “Funny. I was gonna say the same thing. You’re a daydream, Winchester.”

He playfully rolls his green eyes, orbs sparkling with flustered love. “Okay, now you’re just making fun of me.”

Her teeth sink mischievously into her bottom lip as she shakes her head, giggling. “Never.”

The hunter can’t help but snort at her teasing, his heart warming so much that it’s competing with the burning furnace in the bedroom as the annual winter blizzard ravages outside the bay window. “You know, sometimes I’m not sure I even deserve you…”

“You do,” she tells him without a quiver of hesitation. “I wish you could see yourself the way I see you. If you did, you wouldn’t wonder for a second why you’re here with me.”

He swallows the anxious lump in his dried throat, a constant reminder that the happiness, the love – it all could be fleeting, disappear and disintegrate with the inhumane snap of someone’s fingers. Gone and dusted in a blink of a distracted eye.

“As long as I’m here, no one can hurt you, sweetheart,” he assures her and, most of all, himself, calloused and beaten fingers caressing her soft and rosy cheek before he locks his promise with a searing kiss that vows to tear worlds apart if someone dares to challenge it.

She left like a nightmare. It wasn’t a monster, a demon, or a force of evil that took her. It wasn’t something or someone he could fight. There was nothing and no one he could blame, not even himself. There was no weapon, no spell, and no miracle that could save her. There was no potion that could cure her.

It started with harmless coughs, a common winter cold, which suddenly morphed into terrifying sounds and formidable scarlet stains on white tissues during one unsuspecting movie night in front of the fireplace – a calm and quiet night like any other. Soon, however, the calmness and peace were things of the past. All there was left then were only endless scans and prolonged hospital stays and hopeless statistics and experimental medications and helpless attempts to find a way where there was none and silent prayers of desperation in sterile chapels.

No one could ever hear him, though, no matter how loudly he screamed for help. His head was underwater, pleas echoing in empty vastness as his heart capsized and sunk to the bottom of the deepest, darkest sea. His lungs filled with salt water with each despondent breath he took. His flailing arms grew tired the more he struggled against the current, trying to swim back to the surface, trying to pull himself ashore and rescue her with him. He tried till there was nothing left but drowning.

And then, one morning, when the sunbeams filtered through the slats of the bay window like a cosmic joke, his lost emeralds fluttered open and couldn’t see her anymore. All they found was an empty space on the mattress, a cold side of the bed, and an untouched pillow without a head resting upon it.

Y/N wasn’t with him any longer, the knot loose and the string broken.

As the fire burns down and the last flame flickers to stay alive, his knees become so weak he relinquishes the remainder of his strength and sinks into the cold sand, his boots flooding with ocean water as he wishes he could get swallowed by the waves.

“Dean, it’s time,” Sam’s voice tears through the numbness before the green-eyed hunter feels the warmth of small arms around his neck and press against his back.

“I’m still here, Daddy,” his four-year-old daughter reminds him in a soft whisper, and Dean knows then and there that he has to keep fighting. He made a promise.

See? It’s like a partially happy ending... Yeah, yeah, I know. I’m an asshole. Love you guys 😘 *hands out tissues*

Everything Jensen Tags: @extraterrestriali @this-is-me19 @writercole @awkward-and-indecisive @eevvvaa @panicking-outside-the-disco @globetrotter28 @imherefordeanandbones @dean-winchester-is-a-warrior @xlynnbbyx @jassackles @maggiegirl17 @perpetualabsurdity @deans-spinster-witch @deandreamernp @foxyjwls007 @roseblue373 @lyarr24 @deanwanddamons @deanwithscissors @mrsjenniferwinchester @justrealizedimmascifygurl @akshi8278 @flamencodiva @chriszgirl92 @lhymer1995 @wittyboldsoul @djs8891 @leigh70 @snowlovespie @b3autyfuldisast3r @recoveringpastaaddict @ladysparkles78 @muhahaha303 @mimaria420

Dean Tags: @parinarain @hobby27 @fromcaintodean

#dean winchester x female reader #dean winchester one shot #dean winchester imagine #dean winchester fanfiction #dean winchester fic #dean winchester reader insert #dean winchester angst #dean winchester hurt #dean winchester #dean winchester fanfic #supernatural fanfic #supernatural fanfiction #dean winchester x reader #dean winchester x y/n #dean winchester x you

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fateandloveentwined · 2 months

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poetry lines befitting MCS and XJY

These are mostly chinese tang shi and song ci poetry quotes, with a great biased amount from Su Shi because OP doesn't know better. Crude, 5-minute english translations below. There are lines I semi-made up or adapted from fandom/cpop songs (that is, most of Xiao Jingyan's lines), ngl OP is rather embarrassed of them because they aren't good at all looking back now but we'll just leave them here or else XJY would end up with zero quotes.

梅长苏 Mei Changsu

想那日束髪从军，想那日霜角辕门，想那日挟剑惊风，想那日横槊凌云。 ——夏完淳

Think to the day I tied back my hair and enlisted. Think to the day the horn rang at the frostbitten tents, think to the day I danced my sword making the sound that deafens the wind. Think to the day I took to the lance, and it pierced through the skies, rising higher than the clouds. — Xia Wanchun

将士百战身名裂。向河梁、回头万里，故人长绝。易水萧萧西风冷，满座衣冠似雪，正壮士、悲歌未彻。 ——辛弃疾

The warrior fights a hundred battles, yet what remains is his severed reputation. He looks to the bridge over the river, thousands of miles back, past acquaintances forever gone. In another life, over the howling of the west wind and the cold Yi rivers, the banquet sits, clothes adorned in snowlike white. The courageous man strides through the blizzard, the song of lament never ceasing. — Xin Qiji

零落成泥碾作尘，只有香如故。 ——陆游

The plum blossoms wither and drift to the ground, crushed into earthly soil and dust. The prevailing fragrance is what remains. — Lu You

亦余心之所善兮，虽九死其犹未悔。 ——屈原

So long as this is what my heart longs for and treasures, though I die nine deaths, my heart does not regret. — Qu Yuan

君臣一梦，今古空名。 ——苏轼

Lords and lieges ebb into nothing but a dream; in the river of time transcending present and past vain titles remain, cast into the void. — Su Shi

无波真古井，有节是秋筠。 ——苏轼

The heart is at peace like the ancient well that does not start ripples; the integrity is as the autumn bamboos, steadfast and unfaltering. — Su Shi

舳舻千里，旌旗蔽空，酾酒临江，横槊赋诗。 ——苏轼

The battleship moves a thousand miles, ensigns enshrouding the sky. He pours out wine by the riverside, holds out his lance, and writes verses as he speaks. — Su Shi

对一张琴，一杯酒，一溪云。 ——苏轼

Facing but a guqin, a glass of wine, a stream of cloud. — Su Shi

江山如画，是我心言。 ——风起时

The rivers and mountains of the kingdom outstretched before me as moving as in art: this is my heart’s will. — from the song “Feng Qi Shi”, when the wind blows

战骨碎尽志不休，冰心未改血犹殷。 ——改自《赤血长殷》、王昌龄

Bones completely crushed from the battle, yet aspirations unwavering. The heart has not changed, and the blood flows red still. — adapted from the song “Chi Xue Chang Yan”, the noble blood flows red, and poet Wang Changling

袖手妙计权倾变，敛眸笑谈意了然。 ——改自《赤血长殷》

With folded arms, he devises labyrinthine strategies, and the sceptre of power sways and shifts. He shrouds his gaze modestly and in conversations of small smiles, he perceives astutely the intention of men. — adapted from the song “Chi Xue Chang Yan”, the noble blood flows red

萧㬌琰 Xiao Jingyan

潜龙一朝御风翔，长歌挽弓射天狼。 ——《长喑》

The submerged dragon rises one day to ride the winds. Singing high and long; the bow is drawn pointed to the invading Sirius. — from the song “Chang Yin”, the Long Darkness found here

挑灯殿阙思悄然，闻钤行宫寝无眠。 ——改自白居易

Washed in the raised lamps of the imperial palace, thoughts whisper in grievance. The bell rings at the Jiu’an grounds, and he lies abed sleepless. — adapted from The Song of Everlasting Sorrow by Bai Juyi

驰骋沙场繁华梦，谈笑鸿儒君臣纲。 ——改自《致陛下书》、刘禹锡

Dreams fly to the flurry of gallops in the battlefield, flourishing dreams of splendour and joy. In pleasant dialogue with the scholars, civility forces polite smiles back into the etiquette between lords and lieges. — adapted from the song “Zhi Bi Xia Shu”, a letter to Your Majesty, and Liu Yuxi

铁马并辔封疆，几回魂梦游；更鼓落夜未央，笔下兴亡断。 ——取自《长喑》、《赤血长殷》

Armoured horses riding in parallel at the borderlands — how many times has the soul wandered to such dreams of the past. The hourly drums sound ceaseless through the long night; under the emperor's brush writes the fate of prosperity and declination. — adapted from the song “Chang Yin”, the Long Darkness found here, and “Chi Xue Chang Yan”, the noble blood flows red

揽尽山河只手倾，昂冕袖手瞰苍生。 ——改自《长喑》

The future of his kingdom sweeps into a tilt of his hand. With crown upheld, he folds his arms in his sleeves awatching humanity. — adapted from the song “Chang Yin”, the Long Darkness found here

咫尺抚眉峰，万丈叠远峰；梦底枕笑纹，惊风掀水纹。 ——《致陛下书》

Up close the furrowed brows are smoothed. The ten thousands of feet stretch before the kingdom, converging as mountains at a distance. In the deepest dreams the markings of a smile lie; he disturbs the wind, which marks and rips tides in the tumultuous waters. — adapted from the song “Zhi Bi Xia Shu”, a letter to Your Majesty

Two (three) things to note:

My dying obsession with Su Shi, sorry I can’t help it that perhaps over half of the all the poetry I know is from him;

To be really fair, my favourite description of Mei Changsu is 运筹帷幄之中，决胜千里之外, used in describing Zhang Liang in Si Maqian's Records of the Grand Historian. He plots strategies in the tent of the army; he determines the victory of the battle thousands of miles from the front of the battlefield.

As for my favourite depiction of Lin Shu, it is definitely Su Shi’s description of Cao Cao: 舳舻千里，旌旗蔽空，酾酒临江，横槊赋诗。 The battleship moves a thousand miles, ensigns enshrouding the sky. He pours out wine by the riverside, holds out his lance, and writes verses as he speaks. Xin Qiji’s verse above just fits the entire story of Mei Changsu so much, it deserves a mention.

I was assembling/making these lines up for something back then and so just listed whatever came to mind (for reasons I know not I kept on listing stuff for MCS, but maybe XJY was the typical good emperor kind of person so wasn't as inspiring coming up with quotes for him).

If there are lines of poetry you find really befitting the two characters, we're more than interested starting a thread here just for that purpose.

#chinese language #chinese poetry #su shi #nif #nirvana in fire #classical chinese poetry #langya bang #lang ya bang #mei changsu #xiao jingyan #jingsu #fate creates #fate translates

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rayofmisfortune · 1 month

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*confused crying*

Rayyyyy they're being mean to the British baby againnn

Moon's going on a killing spree based on WORD OF MOUTH IMPLICATIONS from A VILLAIN who would FIND ENJOYMENT IN WATCHING HIM RUN AROUND IN LITTLE CIRCLES. THEY HAVE ZERO EVIDENCE AGAINST HIM ASIDE FROM CIRCUMSTANCIAL AND HIM BEING A QUIRKY LIL MAN

Poor Sun trying to talk him down, too- @ikamigami was right (at least I think it was them) Moon is paranoid and going off the deep end

I'm on the verge of making a "the canon is not real if I do not look at it" AU so I can pretend the AU is canon and my babies can be happy

Blorbos confiscated. If they can't play nice with their own characters, then they can't play with them anymore :(

(insert free invitation to rant at me)

I WILL GLADLY TAKE THAT RAJT INVITATION MY DEAR FRIEND (oh my gosh I haven't followed you hsve I 😭 AAAAAH GONNA FIX THAT IM SKRRY AH)

This'll be a little long so, the whole rant and ramble is under cut hehe

MY ROSE TINTED GLASSES HAVE BEEN SHATTERED DUDE 😭

I refuse to accept canon as canon so- *drags over RJ AU Ruin Eclipse* THEY ARE THE CANON RUIN NOW I DON'T MAKE THE RULES

BUT TO BE FAIR... I've noticed a few things that should've been a glaring red flag to Ruin still being a little off the rails I guess-

It's a thing we love about them and it makes then unique i guess... but.. but THEIR ACCEPT STAYING THE SAME SHOULD'VE BEEN A GIVEAWAY THE MOMENT THEY CAME BACK ONLINE AFTER REBOOTING

We've HEARD the actuals Ruin Eclipse before on.. very few occasions.. BUT WE HAVE HEARD THEM! (In the episode where Ruin rescued Foxy and the first Interview with Jigsaw) it wasn't for a long time but... the ACTUAL Ruin Eclipse had talked through Ruin on few occasions.

Linking them below here

With this ^ one, I think that when they start chanting "save me" it was already Jigsaw back in full control.

BUT WHAT I MEANT! Do we hear a poor british accent in any of these instances? NO WE DO NOT!

With this one v

I'm not sure what this one meant. When the video first came out I thought we were hearing Ruin Sun and Moon talking through Ruin who was going on and on about needing to get back to connection and internet..

I mean.. from the Ruin DLC, we know they can probably seperate and talk for themselves?? As seen with Sun who thanked Cassie after being rebooted into Eclipse. (Yes I'm dragging the canon dca into this, Ruin WAS based on that DCA itteration after all..)

And what do we hear when Ruin gets rebooted?

RUIN'S BRITISH ACCENT! I'm probably looking too deep into just how their voice sounded at first vs now... by all means they could've changed their voice over time (as was seen with Puppet). But... I dunno... if they really were just playing everyone a fool this whole time.. I don't think the voice is something we should overlook.

Granted... I believe a lot of things with Ruin may have been retconned or rewritten after the DLC came out. (As canon Eclipse acte nothing like the teams Ruin at the time)

ANYWHO WHY DID I DRAG THIS BEAN OVER HERE YOU ASK? *gestures to RJ AU Ruin Eclipse* well!

Because of a little theory and hc of mine I've slapped onto them! The antivirus DID NOT get rid of the virus as a whole. RJ Ruin Clipsy over here needs to take periodical dosages of the cure to keep the virus at bay and chip away at it to finally be rid of it!

That... that's what I'm gonna hold onto as the reasoning behind how Ruin acts. The actual Eclipse (and even Sun and Moon) is still somewhere in there. As seen in the clips listed above.

Just- PLEASE I NEED THEM HERE W/ ME

#answered asks #cheetochild989 #tsams #tsams ruin #ray's ramblings #PLEASE I JUST WANT THEM TO BE CURED PLEASE #don't get me wrong I love Jigsaw (calling him that ti diferentiate between them easier) but I've been here waiting for thr cured bean beneat #h FOR MONTHS #... imagine if #somethinf happens on the anniversary lf the day ruin had originally arrived to the tsbs dimension?#THAT THOUGHT KEEPS ME UP AT NIGHT #literally- i can't sleep fjdjd #sun and moon show #sams #i'm not okay after that video haha...#doesn't help that we've literally NOT gotten any videos purely from Ruin Eclipse's pov thus far...#WE DON'T KNOW WHAT THEY'RE LIKE IN PRIVATE WHILE BY THEMSELF #AAAAH gonna stop thus before I ramble too much haha

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admirableadmiranda · 3 months

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Can I ask your top 10 fav fics ever (from any fandom, if you don't mind)?

Also, just curious, is there a story behind your name "ladypfenix "?

I don't mind at all! Thank you for waiting quite a long while though, life has been.... hectic recently, to say the least.

I'll answer the story question here, then list the fics below since there's a lot.

It's a pretty simple story, when my sister and I were 14 and 16, we had a dream of starting a youtube channel as siblings, and we were going to use noble titles. I picked LadyPfenix for mine and opened my tumblr account with that in mind, but the idea never materialized beyond usernames and it has long since outlasted that dream. At this point I've had it too long to bother changing it, even though I'm using Admiranda most other places I go. Some things just stick.

I don't know that I have a top ten fave fics ever, it's hard for me to quantify on that level, but I'll definitely lay out the ones I keep going back to years on down the line even long after I've left the fandom. There's definitely something special about them that I will always enjoy.

The Professor's Wife by foolish_mortal (archive locked)

The students all said that Professor Doumeki had a wife who made him lunches and impeccably pressed his shirts. Watanuki found this hilarious. For the wtfholic fest prompt: "The only people who can see Watanuki are customers with wishes."

Eir's Tomorrow by jukeboxhound

Cloud is the Planet's greatest weapon, and if he can't fix old wrongs and battles then he may end up being the means by which it all ends (again).

A Little Bit To The Left by miixz

[A System error during execution bound you to Shi Yuan’s account instead of the intended Shen Qingqiu. We sincerely apologize.

Please ensure that no score falls below zero, or the System will automatically administer punishment.]

Intended role of Shen Qingqiu?! The fuck, were you trying to kill me? Why would anyone think transmigrating into that scum of all people would be helpful? Alright, alright. Shi Yuan takes a deep breath. He can deal with this. So he’d transmigrated into the shitty novel he’d just finished, but at least he’d somehow avoided becoming the villain. Or: Shen Yuan transmigrates into Proud Immortal Demon Way as a Bai Zhan Peak disciple.

The Way Home by Traincat

“This is an inane discussion,” Soren said. “I’m coming with you, and that’s final.” He took a step forward and swayed. If Ike reached out and shoved with one finger, he was sure he could topple Soren right over. He kept his arms folded so he wouldn’t be tempted to try and make a point. “I’m still your commander, aren’t I?” Ike asked, raising his eyebrows. “You still trust me to make decisions?” “Yes, but, Ike –” he said. “Then you’ll do as I say, for the good of the company,” Ike said. “I won’t risk you. You’re too important.” He stepped close, adjusting the hood of Soren’s cloak. He lowered his voice so he wouldn’t be heard by Shinon and Gatrie, waiting up by the gate. “Go back to bed,” he said, his voice gentler. “I’ll be home soon.” -- Post-Path of Radiance, Ike and Soren share a promise, a first kiss, and a bed. Not in that order.

A Pretty Good Year by arboretum

Giving up, moving in, living life.

Ikesoren Academia AU by leonidskies

Falling to the Rhythm by Selenay

"So it's a bet?" Jiang Cheng said. "Dance the showcase if you get him, fancy coffee machine if you don't?" Wei Wuxian considered the machine. "Fine. You're on. I want it in red." "Don't start planning your caffeine overdose yet." "It's in the bag," Wei Wuxian said cheerfully. "There's no way they'll match me with someone like Lan Wangji." Teaching Lan Wangji to dance in front of the nation for twelve weeks, how hard can that be? Wei Wuxian is about to find out.

Series

this world (what I make of it) by glitteringmoonlight

The war had consequences. Once, a fully realized Avatar referred to one who had mastered all the elements and could go into the Avatar State. Now, that has changed. No one could master fire when there was no one to teach it, and people feared the abilities of a firebender too much to allow anyone, even the Avatar, to learn too much of it. Now, an Avatar was simply said to be fully realized when their instructors decided they had learnt enough. In which Lan Sizhui is the Avatar, but he cannot firebend, nor can he waterbend very well. That changes when his travels take him to Yiling.

Preparing the Soil by Rynne

When Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian return to spend the first winter after their marriage in the Cloud Recesses, Wangji is forced to grapple with his uncle's resistance to accepting his new husband fully into the clan. At the heart of this conflict is Lan Qiren's rule forbidding talking to Wei Wuxian. How can Wangji make the Cloud Recesses a more welcoming place for his husband when what he fights now is his uncle's stubbornness?

#asks #anon #anon asks #fic rec

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mariacallous · 11 months

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Editor's Note: This piece was first published by the Los Angeles Times.

A fiscal “doom loop.” A transit “death spiral.” The “office apocalypse.” Since the traumatic disruption of the COVID-19 pandemic, these pessimistic terms have been applied repeatedly to the state of our cities. Analysis of census data from my Brookings Institution colleague William H. Frey found that from 2020 to 2021, during the peak of the pandemic, major metropolitan areas including New York and Los Angeles lost a significant number of residents. A net 175,000 people left L.A. for Riverside, the Sun Belt, or smaller metro and rural areas.

But new research shows clear signs this trend is reversing. As many downtowns struggle, residential neighborhoods are thriving. While L.A. also lost population in 2022, that year’s rate of population loss was half what it was in 2021. Other cities, such as Seattle and Washington, D.C., have flipped from losses to gains. Yet office vacancy rates continue to rise, and transit ridership remains well below 2019 levels on every major U.S. system. If people are back, where are they?

Not at the office or on the train. Instead, people are enjoying walkable, mixed-use neighborhoods where they can both live and work, in contrast to the 20th century mode of cities and suburbs that rigidly separates work zones from other activities.

This has benefits not just for individuals but also for communities and places. For example, while overall transit ridership in San Francisco is only 54% of the pre-pandemic level on weekdays, the 22 Fillmore line serving the neighborhood of Mission Bay, just south of the historic downtown, is at 107% of pre-pandemic ridership. In L.A., while retail vacancy downtown is 9.3% and trending upward, the citywide rate is only 6.1%, data from CoStar shows. In a diverse range of neighborhoods, retail is close to or even outperforming that average: The vacancy rate is only 5.6% in Echo Park, 6.3% in Inglewood, and 6.6% in Boyle Heights. Elsewhere it’s trending down, even approaching zero: 0.5% on Figueroa Street near USC, 1.5% in Los Feliz, and 2.3% in Highland Park.

Why are some neighborhoods doing extraordinarily well? These are not the richest parts of L.A. Rather, they gather big, diverse collections of economic, social, physical, and civic assets in close proximity. Figueroa, Los Feliz, and Highland Park have some of the highest population densities in L.A. County, as well as access to amenities including the USC campus and Griffith and Hermon parks. They are close enough to downtown to be accessible to and from elsewhere in the region. And finally, all of these places are served by hyperlocal place governance entities, including business improvement districts that provide extra coordination and support, such as clean-and-safe patrols.

Demand in cities remains strong—so much so, in fact, that in many of the biggest metro areas the concern is not abandonment but affordability. Nowhere in the United States is the housing crisis as acute as Los Angeles, the least affordable metro area in the U.S. Citywide, the average rent for a one-bedroom apartment is more than $2,000. In Los Feliz, it’s $2,250, according to CoStar data. Off Figueroa near USC and in Highland Park, you can get a one-bedroom for $1,400 or $1,600, but those sorts of offerings are few and far between. And even those rents are out of reach for many in a city where half of households make $70,000 a year or less. People are leaving L.A. not to ditch a struggling city, but to find housing.

This crisis is a choice, and the solutions for both neighborhood affordability and downtown revitalization are the same: ending policy and infrastructure that segregate people and most types of land use and create under-resourced neighborhoods as well as downtowns overly dependent on offices.

Policies and practices such as exclusionary zoning and lending discrimination allow some neighborhoods to hoard what they need (e.g., low-flood-risk land and tax revenue to support services) while withholding from others. What if we enabled all people and places to thrive?

Los Angeles and California have recently made progress in advancing policy reforms, such as the city’s expansion of its adaptive reuse ordinance and the state’s Affordable Housing and High Road Jobs Act, both of which will increase housing production and economic vitality by integrating housing with underperforming retail and offices.

Progress will also require building housing everywhere, including affordable housing as well as transitional and permanent supportive options that meet a broader range of needs than our current one-size-fits-all housing stock. It also makes sense to invest more in basics that proved throughout the pandemic to support quality of life, such as parks and community-based organizations.

The most effective policies to create shared prosperity for neighborhoods and downtowns will raise and share new revenue by explicitly connecting growth with funding to connect historically marginalized communities and places to the regional economy, cultivating their local assets.

Some examples cities are already pursuing include New York’s congestion pricing to fund public transit, Chicago’s Invest South/West initiative to increase economic investment and development in neighborhoods punished by racial segregation, and Seattle’s Equitable Development Initiative, which funnels grant dollars to neighborhoods at high risk of displacement to empower local projects. In addition, L.A. and other cities can directly address the systemic devaluation of Black neighborhoods by enabling new models for commercial real estate ownership that are accessible for local entrepreneurs.

What does the city of the future look like, and who decides? Much of the rhetoric of the current moment is focused on assigning blame for shortcomings. Instead, we need to encourage what has worked to support great neighborhoods and downtowns and make those things accessible to more people—finding common ground, earning community trust, and establishing new ways to work together to build something that lasts.

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winterlovesong1 · 9 months

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celebrate

summary: A drabble based off the idea that Bess would be throwing a celebration for Nancy and Ace once the curse is broken.

Author Notes: Thanks to @scarletslippers and @flythesail for the inspiration

Read below or at A03.

-/-

“If you’re looking for anything related to the following colors: magenta, fuchsia, ruby, pastel pink, peach, or any combination of the above, we are out.”

“I wasn’t going to ask…” Bess is not even halfway into the door, the jingle of the bell hung at the corner of the hinge still midway through its melody as the rehearsed warning is offered to her as a customer to the sole party supply store in Horseshoe Bay.

Then the middle-aged blonde woman peeks from behind the flood of inflated helium balloons floating in front of her and apologizes, “Oh, I’m so sorry Ms. Marvin, I didn’t know it was you.”

“That’s ok Mrs. Clemmons, I just came in for a few supplies,” clinging to her purse in a bit of a worry.

Her face still falls after a flicker of relief, “But I do have to also have to mention, our glitter supply is also running low.”

Bess has an instantaneous reaction to shed a tear, but she didn’t need the glitter, today.

(least not right away)

“Actually,” she swallows down the emptiness of zero sparkles in her vicinity and clutches to her purse strap for her purpose and smiles into the hope of it all – because it was a happy moment – at last. “Do you have anything for a party celebrating a couple who is about to become uncursed and is finally getting together?”

Mrs. Clemmons breezes out a laugh and blushes a smile from behind the counter, “one of these days I’m going to figure out how you come up with these outlandish themes for a party.” She settles her giggle and answers directly, “aisle three is anniversaries and aisle five is general congratulations. You might find some items between those two.”

“Thank you.”

Bess skips off to the first mention, anniversary, because she thinks, let’s face, they’ve basically already been married for a year anyway…

#nace drabble #but from Bess's POV #nace fluff from Bess's POV #tv: nancy drew #nace things #character: bess marvin

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gravehags · 9 months

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CONCORD RITUAL THOUGHTS BELOW

- GOLD JACKET GOLD JACKET GOLD JACKET

- A B S O L U T I O N

- FROM THE PINNACLE TO THE MF PIT BITCH!!!

- the ghoulettes and their capes 😍

- loved how the person operating the big screens chose to show closeups of dew’s hands for like the entire concert lmao ok horny ass (same)

- tobias can’t cirice people in the bat wings lmfaooo dork

- dance macabre was probably the most fun song of the night and that’s saying a lot because EVERYTHING was fun

- papa shouting out the bay area for supporting ghost so strongly since their first tour ❤️ we love you tobbe

- year zero blew my pussy clean off, never to be found again

- seeing the swiss shimmy irl and being mesmerized by this lanky bitch

- tobias’ voice being a lot higher irl than on video is so endearing

- tobias really being the tiniest man:

conclusion: fucking unreal they know how to put on a show and the crowd was fucking amazing too ❤️ hearing everyone sing along grew my heart 3 sizes

#the band ghost #ghost band #ghost bc #ghost ritual

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moregraceful · 8 months

Note

Hi Kasper!!! Are you writing for Time Begins? If so, may I ask for a teeny tiny sneak peek? 😳🫣

If not/also, it is clear you love the Giants most and I don't blame you but what are your favorite non-Giants ships, or Giant/non-Giant ships? And what do you love about them?

Hope these are interesting enough!

Oh bless you I love to share unedited snippets of fic that will ultimately go through an absolute chainsaw massacre of rewrites...under the cut below

But first, non-Giants ships!!! I have many. This is going to reveal an INTENSE Blue Jays bias. I've been banging the drum for more Bo Bichette/Vladimir Guerrero Jr for like. years. I love them so much they're so tender and they look so good in each other's arms. I'm also powerfully crazed by the fact that Lourdes Gurriel Jr wanted to dom Bo Bichette so bad. Why was he so up in Bo's grill. Why do people see Bo Bichette and all their blood goes to their dick. Also why is no one kissing George Springer??? I think Vladdy should kiss him. I mean I think the whole team should all kiss him but Vladdy specifically should kiss him while they eat their stupid wonderbread sandwiches. Also though I am not a scholar of the old men on that team, every time they cross my dash they're doing something bananas gay. Love it. Blue Jays scholars please educate me on your old men! Basically whatever gay juice they seem to be spiking their gatorade with up there in Canada: it's good

I also very fond of Gunnar Henderson/Adley Rutschman of the Baltimore Orioles....chosen one 4 chosen one, it's SO good. Also they're huge and hot and Baltimore is such an interesting town. what more do you need. let them go on dates doing weird shit and eating ice cream!!! Also very fond of Chris Davis/Adam Jones for insane reasons, and Manny Machado/Jonathan Schoop for normal reasons.

My one Yankees mutual has found better things to do than spend her life on Tumblr (I miss you Rhi 😭😭) so I am sadly not as keyed into whatever those gay fucks are up to as I was but I have a special place in my heart for Kyle Higashioka and Gerrit Cole bc their arranged marriage is insane. Also, we are always on team Hapa. Also need someone to tell me if Aaron Judge and Anthony Rizzo are anything bc the pregame meal commercial is lodged in my brain like a disease you get from drinking river water, but since I have zero remaining Yankees mutuals, I have no idea what's up.

AND FINALLY, ENDING HERE SINCE THIS IS GETTING LONG, I am very fond of my friends across the bay the Oakland Athletics!! I saw an insane headline yesterday about the A's playing at Oracle while their stadium is being built in Las Vegas. This was, to be clear, the most deranged thing I have ever read and it will never happen because Larry Baer would kill David Kaval and John Fischer in real life -- HOWEVER, the idea of the Baby O's interacting with the baby Giants because they would share a stadium and presumably clubhouse made me howl like a dog. First of all, Tony Kemp and Mike Yastrzemski would be great co-parents (they're in love, they're in love, and they DON'T care who knows it) and I think their combined power could right the sinking ships of both teams. second of all, I need to see what happens when you mix traumatized Oakland rookies with Giants rookies who are being forced to play Kaplerball. I think it would literally be catastrophically horny. the teams would invent several new mental illnesses. the amount of doubleheaders would have a horrible effect on San Francisco's water supply. I honestly think we'd get a like California Hockey situation, where you come to the Bay Area and get your ass kicked by both teams, who meanwhile lose every single away game they play and are at the bottom of their respective leagues. It would be so good and so bad and I don't think the teams OR the fanbases would ever recover. The whole thing is very we found love in a hopeless place. What would you do, if you were Casey Schmidt, and you met Lawrence Butler? You would be so horny, and so uncool about it.

Anyway thank you for asking!!! and sorry to m pindergarten specifically and only, if she read that last paragraph

Excerpt of my very neglected Time Begins fic:

Blake almost bails on Casey to hang out with Sean but when he floats the idea past Sean as they all dress to leave, Sean stares at him in disbelief. “Don’t be an idiot,” he says.

“Why? You’re my friend.” Blake doesn’t get the look on Sean’s face. He just wants Sean to feel better.

“So is Casey,” says Sean. “Stop making him feel bad.”

“You feel bad now,” protests Blake.

Sean stands up. He towers over Blake while Blake is sitting with one of his shoes half on. Sean puts both hands on Blake’s shoulders and bends down. “Blake,” he says very quietly. “It is Pride weekend. Casey is asking you to get a beer with him on Pride weekend.”

“Oh,” says Blake. He blinks. “Oh, okay. I thought Pride weekend was a couple weeks ago but I guess that explains all the lesbians I saw this morning when I walked to the grocery store. Like, Dyke March, because it’s Saturday, right? So he wants to get a beer with me on Pride weekend, which is meaningful. I guess.”

Sean presses his forehead against Blake’s. “Don’t squash his joy,” he says. “Not today. Not this weekend.”

He cups the back of Blake’s neck. “Or I’ll tell Craw you made Casey cry,” he says sweetly.

Sean straightens. Blake makes a face. “You’re supposed to be my friend,” he says. “You’re not supposed to give me a shovel talk.”

Sean flicks him in the forehead. “I got a hot date tonight. Don’t text.” He swaggers off.

“Don’t call me for a ride home because I’m busy tonight,” Blake yells after him. He puts on his shoes.

#the fic is suuuuuch garbage and i need to edit it so bad but i am trying to yeet as many boxes out of this house as i can #before my new job starts next week. so every single fic i'm working on is having a nice restful stay in the garden for a while #my lakehouse fic likely will not get finished....alas lol. after i finish time begins i gotta throw all my energy into my fth fic #i have created a nightmare situation for myself beyond mortal comprehension but hey! at least i have dental insurance again #this post is a hot fucking mess my god but again the only person i'm apologizing to is m pindergarten. sorry m 😔#cage replies #anon

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hekate-brimo2 · 4 days

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Spes Novum (Aka my Supervillain Story based on the Synoverse by @wingedcat13) Chapter Two is up on AO3 here, but I’m making sure to put it here on Tumblr as well

Several hours passed before I saw Kayla again. I had destroyed several heavy-bags in the gym, and sent more than one set of throwing knives through my target. Eventually I ended up behind my desk, keeping an eye on newsfeeds for any updates about The Patriot and American Girls’ locations. Carson sauntered into my office around nine pm, putting down a plate of food I neither asked for nor wanted.

“Cook insisted I bring you this, said you’d be hungry. I said you’d be too upset to eat.” They said, plopping into the chair across from me

“I know what you’re doing.” I answered, picking up the fork and tearing into the food out of spite

“It’s working though, isn’t it?”

“Cook knows Bangers and Mash reminds me of home.”

“Hmm.”

“You didn’t come in here just to bring me dinner, Cook would’ve done that herself.”

“She wants to talk to you. Kayla.”

I hummed in response, chewing thoughtfully on my sausage

“You don’t have to do it.” Carson murmured, knowing I’d know how they felt

“She is my guest. Thank Cook for me, I’ll finish this when I return.”

I tread through the hallways carefully, lowering the gravity beneath my feet to keep them from tapping too hard on the tile floor. I reached the infirmary quickly, it was a small room, with only three available beds, but was well stocked for all it needed to do. I looked in a nearby mirror and studied myself. I was wearing my costume: a light purple jumpsuit, tight against my skin. My arms were bare, exposing the silver fractal scars I’d received from the Space Between Space. Around my throat and ankles were silver magnetite cuffs that would cancel out my power in the event I lost consciousness, or lost control. Finally, over my mouth and extending below my neck, was a breathing mask, which automatically activated in zero-oxygen environments. I hoped I didn’t look scary showing up like this.

“Kayla.” I said in greeting to the teenager, who was sitting upright in the bed-that-was-also-a-gurney. She had a bandage extending down her left cheek, which meant Doniphon had operated already, and was satisfied with the restructuring of her bone.

“Maestrum Gravis.” She replied in kind, turning over the book she’d been reading

“Pale Blue Dot by Carl Sagan, an interesting choice. I imagine Doniphon talked you into it? He makes every new person he meets read at least the first page. I was told that you wanted to speak with me.”

“I… wanted to thank you.”

“Really? For what, young one?”

“You… you didn’t have to react the way you did. D…Doniphon says you were practically steaming when you saw my black eye, and… uh, Carson? I think was their name, said they were surprised that you didn’t kill my parents, even after I asked you not to.”

“I keep my promises. Did Doniphon mention that your cheek will scar?”

“He did, but that’s fine. Scars are cool.” Kayla said, smirking

“Indeed.” I responded, flexing my arms and making the lichtenberg figures ripple

“Um… I guess I should ask… am I your prisoner now?”

“Why would you think that? No. You were granted sanctuary, originally by my Aide de Camp, but by granting you a bed in my infirmary I continued that offer, and will continue it for as long as you wish.”

“Oh! So… what does that mean?”

“It means you are under my protection for as long as you are within my territory. Granted that territory is not large, there are larger fish in this pond than I, that Shadowmancer claims most of the Western Seaboard, but I have my humble little territory here in Humboldt Bay, and some of Northern California. The Redwoods are home to a Native Hero, the last remaining Whilkut Warrior, who calls himself Blue Lake Rider, but anything North and West of here is mine.”

“Oh… thanks. Why, uh… why did you do that for me?”

“Well… let me answer that question with a question. Why did you come here?”

“I… I needed to get away from my parents, this was… the best option I had.”

“Your best option was a Supervillain?”

Kayla was silent at that, and we sat in it for a moment.

“Your life is your own, Kayla Moore. From here on out, you know that you are welcome in my home whenever you like, if you wish to stay, then stay. I will do whatever is necessary to keep you safe. Sleep on it, and tomorrow we will make plans, if that is what you wish.”

“Thank you, Maestrum.”

“While you’re here, call me Beren.”

I left then, not returning to my office, but instead to my quarters. I shed my costume and showered, leaning against the tile wall and considering the situation. There was so much to do to secure Kayla’s future, I would have to contact one of the I.L.L.E.G.A.L. Lawyers in the morning, they were the best. Emancipation papers would have to be drafted, and living arrangements made. Hell, we’d have to find the girl some clothes first.

My thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a tank top hitting the floor. I shook myself out of my stupor just as Carson stepped into my shower.

“You’re thinking too hard.” They said, joining me under the stream of water, and snaking an arm over my shoulder.

Carson was smaller than me in a lot of ways, shorter, thinner, but somehow they managed to hold me in ways that made me feel small. We’d both transitioned upon discovering the inconsequence of the gender binary, but Carson’s transition was more emotional than physical. Mine was physical as well, which they knew perfectly, demonstrating that knowledge as their hand dipped between my legs and caressed the surgically crafted folds of my vulva. I hummed, pleased, and leaned back against Carson as they continued their ministrations, working me ever closer to an orgasm as they attempted to drive away my thoughts. Soon enough, my own wetness joined the shower’s stream, and Carson removed their thin fingers, wrapping arms around my torso. I held them there as well, as we let the water fall.

“Beren,” they called, later as we lay in bed. “What can we do for her?”

“We can protect her,” I began, voice growing hard, “We can give her time. We can present options. She can have whatever life she wishes, and we will provide it as best we can.”

“That sounds like something parents should do.”

“Then we shall be her parents, in all but name. Well, we shall be better than her parents.”

I felt Carson’s tears against my chest as they said the next four words.

“I always wanted kids.”

I woke early the next morning, extricating myself from Carson’s long limbs just as the sun peeked over the horizon, lighting Humboldt Bay on fire. The view was one of my favorites, and one of the reasons I’d bult my lair here. I watched for a moment, and then stepped into my closet to change.

I did not wear my costume to breakfast, it was a concession I’d made to Cook as soon as she’d joined my retinue. Instead, I pulled on a pair of jeans, and one of the tank tops Carson swore I looked good in. I pulled a flannel over top of it, knowing the air would be cool this early, and went to join Cook and Doniphon for breakfast. This was our ritual: Cook was awake before all of us, as she was the one to provide the food, and the coffee, we would all eat as we watched the sun rise, quiet mostly, but eventually conversation would erupt, about news, or about plans. Afterwards, Tom and I would go to the kitchen and clean our plates, and any mess Cook still had, which was always minimal, and Cook would retire to her quarters to nap. That morning we were joined by an extra face.

“Kayla, Cook, Tom. A pleasure to see you this morning.” I said politely, stepping onto the balcony we traditionally used

“Mornin’ Boss.” Tom answered, raising his coffee cup

“Good Morning, Gravis.” Cook said, cutting into her eggs

“Good Morning, Beren.” Kayla grumbled, holding her coffee with both hands.

Tom and Cook both raised an eyebrow at me, which I shrugged off. I sat down across from Kayla, and began eating my own breakfast. Cook had gone for simple, with eggs and toast, three slices of turkey bacon for me, a sausage patty for herself, and real bacon for both Kayla and Tom. Once the sun was halfway above the horizon, I met Kayla’s eyes and said “Kayla, I was considering your situation last night, and realized that you are probably wanting a new wardrobe, or at least your old clothes. If you are willing, I will happily escort you to buy some, or I will make the effort to retrieve yours, if you’ll give me your old address.”

“I… uh, I can just go get my stuff. It’s no big deal.” She answered, clearly uncomfortable with the idea of me going to her old house.

“I would rather not risk you encountering your parents again. They have harmed you once, enough that my medic had to reattach a bone to your skull.”

“No violence at my breakfast table.” Cook said, glaring at me

“Apologies, dear Cook.”

“Um… is there… I don’t really want to run into them either. There is some stuff I want to get from home though.”

“I’ll make a call, once we’re finished here, and see if there’s anyone who can distract your parents for a few hours, while you retrieve your things. How did you get from your home to here?”

“Oh! I can fly. Not sure where it comes from, neither of my parents can.”

“Powers are rarely that simple, young one. I’m sure Doniphon can tell you all about the genetic mutations that cause them, but that is for later. Once you’ve flown back, join me on the beach, there are other things we need to discuss.”

“Yes… uh, Beren?”

“Yes dear?”

“I don’t… I know you don’t… use masculine or feminine pronouns, so I don’t want to call you Sir or Ma’am, but… what do I use in place?”

“If you feel the honorific is necessary, then… Doctor or Professor would be fine, I’ve been both, though I’m sure Duke revoked my Doctorate when I was branded a Villain, and I’m certainly no longer tenured at U.C. Berkeley. I would prefer you only use Maestrum around other Supers. If none of those suit you, Mx is always acceptable.”

“Okay.”

“Very well. Tom! Shall we collect these ladies plates and wash whatever mess Cook has left us with?”

“Will do, Boss.”

#original writing #superhero #supervillain #superheroes #Spes Novum #HB’s Superpowered Universe #transgender #nonbinary #nonbinary supers #Maestrum Gravis #writers on tumblr #writing #writeblr

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