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tartarusknight · 1 year

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The Fallen King and the King of the Freaks | Part 3

Ao3 Link | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16

Steve wasn't planning on actually becoming friends with Hellfire. Not after the obvious way he made them uncomfortable. So, after Eddie helped him, he said to himself that he was done... then Billy picked on him again, and Eddie came to the rescue again. Honestly, it was like Eddie became his white knight.

And Steve... Steve could take care of himself. However, he couldn't stop himself from wanting to be their friend. He hated the way he jumped at the chance to just go to watch them playing a game like he couldn't even stop himself.

Steve didn’t understand why he offered to go watch them after swimming. No, that was a lie. He knew exactly why he did it. He wanted to go. He loved listening to stories. He loved hearing people talk about something they were passionate about. So, it sounded nice. But when lunch was over and he tosses his untouched meal, he regretted it. They were just pitying him and he didn’t need to force his shit on anyone else.

So, he decided he’d just ignore them until they forgot about him completely. It was the day after Hellfire, so he’d have an entire week to become a background thought. It shouldn’t be too difficult… most people only knew Steve’s top layer. People left him behind all the time, Hellfire wouldn’t be any different. After all, everyone who had learned who he was, left him. His parents were gone more than they were around. Nancy called him bullshit after he let her in. Tommy and Carol, his best friends from elementary school, had used him to become more “powerful” and “cool”. Hellfire would be the same way; he knew they would.

Except, they didn’t just let him disappear. Grant would wave at him in the hallways with a kind smile. Gareth had the same free hour and suddenly Steve didn’t sit in the library alone. Eddie would constantly find him during lunch and offer a seat which Steve had turned down with a polite smile. Always saying he needed to work on school shit. (Which was never a lie. His head swam, trying to keep up in class after Billy bashed his head in.) However, the first real interaction with Hellfire was with Jeff.

It was Saturday and Steve stood in the supermarket. The kids were coming over later in the day and Steve got a call from Lucas’s mom asking him to not buy her son junk food. And well, Steve knew how to cook. However, his house was completely void of any food. He hadn't felt the need to cook if it was just himself lately… After that night Steve’s stomach rebelled against most foods.

He was staring blankly at the meat section for, what could’ve been, a long time when a hand dropped on his shoulder. Steve flinched away and his body went into fight mode before he noticed Jeff. He dropped his hands and gave the other an extremely fake grin. “Hey man,” he smiled and Jeff looked him over as if he could see right through Steve.

“I thought it was you. Your hair is very distinguishable.” He joked and Steve let out a small chuckle.

“Well I’m called The Hair for a reason,” his voice didn’t hold much joy in it and he winced.

“So, what brings you here?” He asks lamely.

Jeff shrugs, “gotta pick up stuff for my mom. Same for you?”

Steve huffed a laugh, “nah, she’s not in town. But I’ve got a few of the kids coming over and need to make them something that their parents would approve of.” He over-explained but Jeff just nodded.

“Struggling with a plan?” He asked like he wanted to talk with Steve. “Not a big cook?” He asked when Steve didn’t respond.

It makes him smile, “oh I know how to cook. When your al-” he stops himself with clearing his throat. “Nah, just not really feeling meat at the moment.” He gestures and when his gaze hits the bloody meat he shudders.

“There are lots of meatless options out there.” Jeff offers and Steve freezes, he hadn't even considered that. After all, he was told every meal needed a good amount of protein. “My sister doesn’t eat meat. So we’ve learned how to work around it. It’s a little different but still,” he shrugs and Steve’s brow furrowed. “It’s a little hard to get the hang of right away but with practice, you should be able to get it down.”

That makes Steve frown, “I don’t really have the time to experiment.” He swallows and looks back to the meat selection.

Jeff nudged him with his shoulder, “If you want I could help. I’m not that busy today.”

Steve felt something swell in his chest. “Really? I don’t want to be a-”

Jeff scoffed, “please I’d love to help. Showing off to King Steve. It sounds like fun. Plus, then I have an excuse to leave the house.” Steve nods and Jeff gestures him to follow. Jeff puts things in Steve’s basket with an explanation to what he’s planning and Steve just nods. He also helps Jeff get the stuff for his mom before heading to his house.

He only has a few moments alone in which he grabs out his stereo and sets it on some rock station he figured would be more Jeff’s speed. Then he cleans the dust off his counters and waits for the other. It doesn’t take too long and Jeff takes off his shoes politely before he follows Steve into the empty shell of a house. “Okay, are you ready?” Jeff questions and Steve nods. They work together, Jeff giving him instructions. However, they also talked about music, Steve mostly just listened as Jeff explains some songs that he likes. It’s nice. It’s like having a friend and it makes Steve’s hands shake. He didn’t want to let them in. And yet he let Jeff into his house.

They end up making Vegetarian Enchiladas. It’s filled with corn, beans, and zucchini. Topped with cheese, avocado, tomato, and parsley. However, Jeff makes them look normal and Steve hopes the kids won’t notice. “I’ve got two younger siblings. My sister doesn’t do meat and my brother refuses vegetables. I’ve gotten really good at making a vegetarian meal that he will eat. Don’t worry the kids will just think you made them normal enchiladas.” Jeff says and Steve leans against his counter, so fucking thankful.

“So, you cook normally?” Jeff questions as Steve grabs them both out a soda he got for the kids.

He nods, “yeah. My mom’s not one to cook” at least not for me. “So, I’ve learned.” He does look at Jeff and his shoulders slump. “Thanks for the help, man. It was really appreciated. Honestly, it’s a big help. I have to repay you, or something.” He states and Jeff looks confused.

“No need, it’s not a big deal.” He stated but people weren’t nice without wanting something in return. Not many people were kind as they grew up.

Jeff seemed to see Steve’s confusion and sighed. “You know what, how about you bring cookies or something to Hellfire’s next meeting. You’re still stopping by after swimming, right?”

It was a chance to get away from going. Steve could just say, no man something came up. But instead, he grinned, “yeah of course. Any allergies?”

“Grant’s allergic to tree nuts,” Jeff offers, and Steve’s phone rings. “But I’ll get out of your hair, just remember they cook for 12 minutes at 400.” He reminded and headed out. Steve went to the phone as the door to his house shut. Why couldn’t he let go of the Hellfire club?

@zerokrox-bloglog @cyranyxx @adaed5 @the-redthreadd @lifeisnotsobadonceyoustopcaringceyoustopcaring @idontgetpaidenoughforthisshitorthisshit @failedstarsandgoldencloudsds @bisexualdisastersworldd @deadlydodoss @anythingyouwanttobee @nburkhardtt @bestwifehaverr @thehumblefigtreee @megzdoodlee @swimmingbirdrunningrockk @mightbeasleepp @bxlthazarar @autumnal-dawnn @nelotegreitic @chillichatss @nonbinary-eddie-munsonon @the-daydreamer-in-the-cornerner @eddie-munson-is-my-wifewife @a-little-unsteddiedie

(Sorry if I missed any of you!!! Please remind me if I did!)

(No actual Steddie but just some good old CC content. I want more than just Steve and Eddie to become friends. I want the whole CC to adopt the jock<3<3)

#stranger things #season 2 au #steve needs a hug #steve harrington #steddie #corroded coffin #i love these idiots #king steve #hellfire club #i wrote this instead of the actual story i'm working on #i hate tagging #bro im so tired #the fallen king and the king of the freaks

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frankenstein-ate-my-left-shoe · 11 months

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i'm outta my head over you Pt. 7

prologue (Pt. 1) | Pt. 2 | Pt. 3 | Pt. 4 | Pt. 5 | Pt. 6 | AO3 | playlist

this is the last chap of my steddie week fic!! i have a little blurb i may do for tomorrow's open ended prompt, but for now, here's the last @steddie-week prompt: misunderstandings

Robin stops him as they’re herding the gremlins into their respective vehicles. You’d think that after nearly five hours of spending the four barely adults’ money would be enough time at the arcade. But no. They’re all fighting them on leaving. As if they all won’t be asleep by the time they get home.

“Once you get it done, you may want to get up early.”

“Uh..what?”

“Steve always goes for a run at like ass o’clock in the morning.” she’s speaking low and fast to try and not draw attention to them, but their normal level of volume with one another is normally 100 times louder than this, so she’s really doing the exact opposite. “If you get up early enough, you can leave it for him while he’s gone.”

“Okayokay, I got it! Now stop making this weird.”

She looks around to find Steve already staring at the two of them questioningly.

“Oh shit… OKAY, YEAH, GOOD LUCK WITH YOUR DATE EDDIE.” she practically yells.

“What the hell, Robin? I don’t have a date!”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m sure it’ll be great!” she’s walking away already, shrugging like even she doesn’t know why the fuck she said that. “Call me when you’re home!”

Eddie smacks his palm against his forehead and turns to his van, not even daring to look at Steve again.

He finally does dare once he’s in his van and has started moving, giving Steve a ‘nothing wrong or weird here’ wave as he pulls away.

The expression on Steve’s face is indiscernible. Somewhere stuck between totally blank, and the most devastated look he’s ever seen.

Damnit, Robin.

He only ended up with Max in his van on the way back, so when they get back, he helps her inside, and resigns himself to staying up all night to finish the tape.

He pulls in next to Wayne’s truck at the same time his uncle is coming out the front door, a dufflebag in hand.

“You off to work early old man?” and he asks as he gets out of his van, it’s only about 9 PM now and his uncle doesn’t usually go in until near midnight.

“Yep, gettin’ some dinner with the fellas before we head in. Gotta leave shift early to go visit yer aunt.”

Ah. “That time of year is it?”

“Yep, I’ll see ya tomorrow evenin’, son. Don’t be getting into any trouble, y’hear?”

Eddie just shrugs. “You know me.”

“That’s exactly my point.” Wayne says with a crinkly smirk.

He gives his uncle a short hug, and Wayne kisses the top of his head with another ‘be safe’.

Then, because he’s agonizing about it, Eddie spends the next couple hours cleaning the trailer instead of picking the last two songs that will go on his side (listening to said tape while he does).

He’s still got some ideas from before, but only a couple good ones..and not all of them will fit in the time he’s estimated is left on the B side.

It isn’t until he gets to Be My Baby on his second listen through that he knows which one he’s going to add next.

After he’s got that one figured out and recorded, there definitely isn’t enough room left for the rest of the picks, so he adds the one he thinks says the most about how he feels about Steve, the one that says everything he needs to say.

-----

“Robin did say ‘ass o’clock’,” Eddie says to himself, glancing at the clock in his dashboard.

5:13. Yeah, that sounds right.

Eddie lets out a huge cracking yawn. Okay, he’s definitely gonna crash once he gets back to the trailer. He was so wired after finally finishing the tape, he couldn’t sleep even though he wanted to.

He makes it to Steve's street and parks up the road a bit (not wanting the rattle of his van to alert Steve to his presence if he hadn’t left yet), and walks the last leg. The tape in his pocket feels like it weighs a million pounds.

When he finally rounds the bushes at the front edge of Steve’s yard, Eddie feels every cell in his body seize up at once.

Nancy’s car is in the driveway.

What the–

Suddenly, the front door opens. He dives back behind the bushes, peeking through the leaves. You know, like a sane person?

Why the fuck is Nancy leaving Steve's house so early

Why is Steve only wearing those tiny fuckin’ shorts?

Oh no..

Oh shit.

There’s only one fucking reason

This is all wrong! Nancy knows he has feelings for Steve, was that not what that was at the arcade?

She’s with Robin, she didn’t refute it.

Oh fuck, he’s gonna have to tell Robin.

Eddie debates making himself known, let himself barrel over whatever awkwardness may arise, but he’s still got his heart in his pocket, addressed to Steve.. What’s he supposed to do with that then?

“Oh hey Steve, didn’t see you there! Just came by to drop off your very personal property that your best friend stole for me to defile! Nancy? Oh hey, you’re here! What’s up with tha–”

He’s startled out of his thoughts when the door of Nancy's station wagon shuts, the engine turning over.

She pulls out, thankfully heading away from where he’s hidden.

Eddie watches until she’s out of sight, then jumps again when he hears Steve’s front door close.

Steve does a few hops in place from foot to foot on his front stoop (still shirtless), and starts off on his run the same way Nancy had gone. Had he been able to see shirtless, sweaty Steve whenever he wanted?? He just goes for runs like this every day? Why had no one told him??

‘Oh fuckin’ hell, shut up, shutup!!’ He yells at himself.

Now what?

Eddie sits in the grass in Steve Harrington’s front yard and stares at the back of his mailbox.

Does he still leave the tape? Of course he should, it is Steve’s tape afterall.

But what about the songs? Steve’s not gonna want his bullshit now…

He could go back to his van and re-write the note then come back and leave it. No, he wouldn’t have time now, Steve’s athletic, yeah, but Eddie’s been frozen in his front yard for a while now. He’d be back soon.

Fuck it.

He’ll drop the tape on the front step, go back home and pack up his shit. Yeah. Good a time as any to get the fuck outta here.

Confessing your feelings to one of your closest friends who very obviously just got back together with his ex not even ten hours after you’d seen him and were very obviously flirting with each other?

Yeah. Not ideal.

Does he have the funds to get the fuck outta here? No. But he’s got enough for gas and he’s got a van. He’ll just load his mattress into the back and be gone before the rest of the town fully wakes up.

Good plan, Eddie’s brain. Thank you, rest of Eddie.

-------

Steve slows to a jog once he can see his house, cooling down from his run on the last little bit of his road, and stopping in his driveway to do some stretches back to the door.

He’s sinking down into his last lunge when he sees the little square of…something…sitting on the front step.

“The hell?”

He stoops down and picks it up, turns it over. There’s a piece of lined paper rubber banded around it.

Peeling off the band, Steve steps inside and unfolds the letter, leaning back on the now closed front door to read

“...oh no…” Steve looks down at the case in his hand. Now he sees why the rubberband was necessary, there’s another folded wad of papers shoved into the cassette’s case, now popped open without the band holding it together.

His heart, previously calmed down from his run, now beat wildly in his chest as he unfurls the short stack of paper.

He reads the first line, ‘8. I Was Made For Lovin’ You...’

“Holy shit.”

Steve books it up the stairs, he’s gotta get showered, he’s gotta get changed, he’s got one more song to add to the tape.

-------

Eddie’s just finished packing up his clothes when his alarm clock radio goes off, the 7am alarm still set for when he has to get up for school.

“...still don’t believe it, he was just leaving OH there must be some misunderstanding! There must be some kind of mistake…” blasts through the tinny speakers.

Nopenopenope, not dealing with that right now.

He slaps the clock around until it finally shuts off its maniacal teasing, and goes back to packing (and blinking away some wayward tears).

He’s just dropped the second bag of clothes and his sweetheart in her case by the front door and is contemplating if his mattress would actually fit in the back of his van, when there’s a knock on the door.

Eddie’s gut freezes mid-flip.

Oh no. Please n–

“Eddie, are you there? It’s Steve. Can I come in?”

‘Don’t move. Don’t make a single sound. Maybe he’ll think you’re not home and just leave.’

“C’mon man, I know you’re in there. You’re van’s out here.”

“Shit.”

Eddie trudges his way to the front door and opens it.

Even with floppy, just-washed, hair and an inside-out polo, Steve’s still the most beautiful person in existence.

“What do you want, Steve?” Wow. Even he’s surprised at how morose he sounds.

“I uh, I got your tape..my tape? I got your note. I added one more song and I thought, maybe, I could–” Steve looks down. “Are you..” his voice pitches high so he clears it. “Are you going somewhere?”

“Mhm.” Eddie can’t look him in the eye. He stares at the porch.

“Where are you–”

“Just going, ‘kay Steve? No need to worry about me being around anymore.” Eddie practically spits, still not looking up at his friend.

“Eddie, what are you–” he cuts himself off, his voice going soft. “Did you not mean what you said?”

That makes Eddie look up at him. Steve’s gaze is now cast downwards, staring blankly at Eddie’s packed bags.

“...I meant every word. Every song, Steve. But that doesn’t matter now, does it?” he’s truly mad now, who does he think he is, trying to act all glum like he wasn’t the one betraying his best friend.

“B-betraying my best–Eddie, what the hell are you talking about?”

Damn! He said that out loud.

“Just go away, Steve. I won’t tell Robin, but you definitely should.” Eddie moves to close the front door and turns back towards his room. He doesn’t hear it close, but he hears the creak of the floor when Steve follows him in.

Of. Course.

“Tell Robin what, Eddie? I already told her how I felt about you, that’s why she stole you the tape in the first plac–”

“Not that! You–” Eddie clenches his fists at his sides and spins back to face Steve. “That you hooked up with her girlfriend last night.” Steve’s face pales and Eddie continues on. “Yeah. I came by to drop off your tape; Robin thought I could leave it there when you left for your run. But lo and behold, what do I see when I come by? Nancy Wheeler’s car in your driveway at ass o’clock in the morning.

“Now, I may be a third time senior, but even I know what the fuck that means. Especially when, not long after I’ve gotten there, the Lady Wheeler herself waltzes out the door with Tiny Shorts McGee following her like a lost puppy.” he gestures at Steve, who’s still frozen in place by the door.

“So yeah, you can just burn those notes for all I care, I don’t even know why I still left it. Whatever. I’m leaving today anyway so you don’t need to worry about me pining hopelessly after you, ‘kay?”

Eddie’s chest is heaving, his eyes are burning with unshed tears, and Steve…starts laughing.

“I fuckin’ knew it!” There are tears spilling freely out of his eyes now. “You’re really good y’know, had everyone fooled. Even me! King Steve is alive and well, everyone!” Eddie spreads his hands wide and yells to no one.” I can’t believe you got me to fall for your good guy schtick. Get the fuck outta my house, Harrington.” Eddie points to the door, stalking forward.

“Eddie! Eddie, wait, I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have laughed.” Steve puts his hands out and Eddie stops, crossing his arms and glaring. “Eddie, please, Nancy was only dropping something off for me.”

“Yeah righ–”

“She was! She came by that early because she’s driving to an interview this morning at a paper in Indy. She knew I’d be up for my run anyway, so she stopped to give me the revisions she made to my–you know what, hold on. I’m calling Robin.”

“Steve, I told you to get the fuck out of my house, not go further into it.”

Steve ignores him and goes to the phone, giving Eddie as wide of a berth as he can while he passes. He picks it up and dials.

“I’m not fucking kidding, Harrington, get the fuck out of here–” Eddie’s anger is multiplied tenfold when Steve holds out a finger to shush him.

“Hi Mr. Buckley, this is Steve. I’m sorry to call so early, but can I please speak to Robin? There was a last minute change to our schedule…thank you.’

Eddie watches Steve’s face morph from his customer service expression, to an admittedly frightening pissed off smile when Robin apparently gets on the line.

“Hey Robin! I found my Eddie tape! It’s the funniest thing, I came back from my run and it was sitting on my doorstep.”

Eddie can hear the muffled sound of Robin’s voice coming through the earpiece.

“I know, isn’t that crazy?” Damn, Steve’s passive aggressive voice is…something else. “He must’ve dropped it off while I was gone..why wouldn’t he give it to me in person?”

Steve waves at Eddie to come closer, and when he stubbornly doesn’t, Steve rolls his eyes and comes to him, stretching the cord across the kitchen as he does.

“Hmmm...maybe.. Or maybe something scared him off?” He takes in an over-dramatic sarcastic gasp. “Or maybe, my best friend and soulmate who stole the tape for him, told him to come by at the exact worst time! When she knew a certain ex of mine and current girlfriend of hers was stopping by before leaving to Indy and it scared him off!”

Steve tilts the handset out from his ear so Eddie can hear..there’s complete silence on the other end.

“That would suck, don't you think? Seeing your crush’s ex leaving their house early in the morning when you’re coming over to confess to them?” He continues.

“Oh. My. God. Steve!! I am so so sorry I–”

“Don’t apologize to me, apologize to Eddie.”

Steve grabs up Eddie’s hand and wraps it around the handset, forcing him to take it, then stomps off into the living room.

Eddie puts the phone to his ear and walks back to the receiver, Robin rambling in his ear the whole way.

“--ddie, I’m so so sorry! I totally forgot Nancy was dropping off Steve’s paper this morning before she went to her interview! Please please don’t be mad at me, actually, scratch that. Be super mad at me, but definitely not at Steve, okay? I should have remembered, I should have told you, I should hav–”

It’s effective, he feels the anger draining out of him. “Robin, Robin! It’s okay, you’re okay.” Eddie glances over at Steve, who’s pacing up and down the short length of the trailer’s living room. “But now I have a very pissed off Harrington in my house right now…you got any survival tips for me?” he mumbles lowly.

“...Oh! I know, just go over there and kiss hi–her–stupid!” Eddie snorts through his nose, her parents must still be nearby.

“Got it, I’ll try that. Thanks Birdie…for everything.”

She sighs in relief. “You’re welcome, Doofus.”

Eddie slowly hangs up the phone, and turns to where Steve is. Now stationary, he’s got one hand on his hip, and the other is rifling through his hair nervously.

‘Yep. Buckley’s right.’

Eddie takes a deep breath and crosses to Steve in three short strides, grabs his face in both his hands, and kisses him deeply.

Steve responds immediately; he wraps one arm around Eddie’s waist, his large palm centered squarely on his lower back, and one around his arm, lacing his fingers into Eddie’s curls and cupping the back of his head.

Steve pulls their bodies flush and cants his hips into Eddie’s, tugs a breathy moan from Eddie’s throat when the hand in his curls tightens.

Eddie’s nose is pressed uncomfortably into the space between Steve’s nose and cheekbone with how close they’ve smushed themselves together, but Eddie can’t find it in himself to care.

He’s kissing Steve Harrington.

There’s a strong thigh slotted between his, and Steve Harrington is kissing him back.

Eddie moves one hand down to clutch at Steve’s shirt, and pushes the other back, grabbing onto those short hairs on the back of Steve’s neck.

They finally come up for air after one too many teeth clashes, their foreheads coming together.

“Hi.” they breathe out at the same time, chuckling at the absurdity of it all.

“We’re kinda idiots, huh?” Steve says, looking cross-eyed between Eddie’s eyes. The hazel of his eyes sparkling with the movement.

Eddie chuckles. “Dingus and Doofus, remember?” he points to each of them in turn, only lifting his pointer finger out of the grip on Steve’s shirt to do so.

“Can I play you the last song now?”

and then they low dance in eddie's living room

Yay!! that's it, thanks for following along with this one!!! here's the last tags :o) @hellomynameismoo, @messrs-weasley, @manda-panda-monium

Here's some notes since it's the last part:

this is the most I’ve ever written in such a short time, I literally wrote each of these chapters the day before their day to be posted….most of it while at work lmao

Steve used a Sony C60 tape. i.e. there’s 60-ish minutes of space on it. before At Last, the songs on the tape totaled 55 min 55 seconds, a perfect amount left for Etta James (ending up at 58 min 54 seconds in total according to my spoofy playlist).

I know that the Eddie half of songs weren’t really…’Eddie music’, but in my head, Eddie likes music for being music. All music is good (like he said to Max in part 5). Plus, he wanted to put songs on the tape that he knew Steve would like/want to listen to.

steve asked nancy to make revisions on his nursing school application essay (he found he quite liked the process of taking care of eddie and wants to go to school for it!)

anyone else just recently realize that Take Me Home Tonight had an allusion to Be My Baby?? anyway, love that, wanted to make that a thing here :o)

and lastly, a couple of little things i LOVED about this fic that i didn’t see anyone else / only a couple people point out:

Steve singing the rubber duckie song to Eddie in part 5

Eddie literally giving Gareth the shirt off his back in part 2 when Tommy threw his pop on him (in my head, this is the same red buffalo check flannel that Gareth ends up cutting the sleeves off of and wears in S4).

that's all!! thanks for reading, friends :o)

#steddie #steve harrington #eddie munson #st #st fic #steddie week #steddie week 2023 #steve harrington x eddie munson #mixtape #songfic #(kinda)#robin buckley #nancy wheeler #wayne munson #the party #stranger things #idiots in love #noelle writes

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golden--doodler · 7 months

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This post was long overdue! I can’t believe I haven’t done this sooner, but here’s part two of the very first post I made on this lovely site, random Bob’s Burgers facts that no one asked for but I’m sharing/reminding everyone of because I can:

—Apparently, when Gene was a toddler, Bob had to watch him, and he somehow managed to eat a fern under Bob’s watch. Where did this fern come from? Who knows? ¯\_ (ツ)_/¯ Bob was very worried and thought Gene would die or get really sick, but he was fine. Gene has an iron stomach for real. This tidbit is as mentioned in Season 3, Episode 15, O.T. The Outside Toilet.

—Gene is the only Belcher with visible ears, and they’re adorable 🥰 I still don’t know how Bob’s hair manages to completely cover his, but it does.

—Real life fact, but 9/3 is not only Bob and Linda’s anniversary, but also Loren Bouchard and his wife’s anniversary! That’s where he got the date from. How adorable.

—Linda’s birthday is June 3, making her a Gemini. Tina’s birthday is March 30, making her an Aries. Gene is a Sagittarius, making his birthday sometime in either late November or December. I like to say his birthday is December 19, because that’s one of my friend’s birthdays :3

—Linda’s high school was called Cardinal Genarro High School, and one time, there was a pumpkin carving contest. Linda didn’t want Gayle to feel bad for losing to Linda’s amazing pumpkin, so she tried smashing her own pumpkin. Gayle followed her, though, and because of a series of events, they ended up destroying the entire table, which they swore to keep secret until well into adulthood (Season 12, Episode 3, The Pumpkinening).

—Linda’s hometown is a made-up town called Hunkawtaway.

—Linda once had Jury Duty on St. Patrick’s Day and wore a green blazer to court.

—Tina’s favorite flowers are Gardenias, as revealed in Season 5, Episode 11, Can’t Buy Me Math.

—Tina owns cat pajamas as seen in Season 4, Episode 9, Slumber Party, and that’s very important to me.

—Gene has brown eyes, which he most likely inherited from Bob. In the comics, Tina’s eye color is revealed to be blue, which she might have inherited from Linda.

—According to Gene in Season 11, Episode 2, Worms of In-Rear-Ment, Louise has always wanted to see Machu Pichu.

—Louise has apparently seen “Game of Thrones”. I wonder what she thought of it. Funnily enough, in the Season 4 Wharf Horse two-part season finale, Bob mourned the fact that he’d never find out how the show ended.

—As seen in Season 11, Episode 14, Mr. Lonely Farts, Gene normally hates being alone and thrives off the energy of other people. My poor boy had a whole panic attack when he was accidentally left home alone. However, he ends up using the opportunity to do a rave in Louise’s room with all of her toys, which she usually tells him not to do. It’s also revealed in that episode that Linda has a secret cracker stash, which he infiltrates.

—According to Season 13, Episode 18, Gift Card or Buy Trying, Gene might not like himself a whole lot. He rants about his former friend, Mitchell, saying that he’s loud, can’t really play music, and has no idea how annoying he is, and then comes to a realization, saying they’re exactly the same, so those things might be how he views himself.

—In Season 13, Episode 21, Mother Author Laser Pointer, it’s shown that Bob and Linda used to read Snail & Newt books to the kids when they were young, which is based off the real life Frog & Toad series. It’s so sweet they did this T_T

—Teddy’s favorite color is yellow! Mine is too :D This was revealed in Season 4, Episode 16, I Get Psy-Chic Out of You.

—Teddy’s full name might be Theodore J. McGillicuddy.

—Jimmy Pesto called Jimmy Jr. “Pepper” as a nickname in Season 1, Episode 10, Burger War, a nickname that’s not been repeated since.

—According to Season 3, Episode 20, The Kids Run the Restaurant, Mr. Fischoeder was married for a week. He had a real Grunkle Stan moment.

—As seen in Season 9, Episode 19, Long Time Listener, First Time Bob, Bob loved listening to a radio station with a DJ named Clem when he and Linda first started getting the restaurant off the ground. I think Bob listening to the radio at night and jamming out is very endearing. The same episode also revealed Bob’s hatred for Sweet Potato Fries.

—In Season 9, Episode 16, Roamin’ Bob-Iday, it’s revealed Bob occasionally succumbs to severe burnout from working at the restaurant, but despite that, cooking will always be his favorite thing to do.

—As revealed in Season 7, Episode 7, The Last Gingerbread House on the Left, Bob used to build gingerbread houses with his late mother, Lily. In the same episode, he made mini gingerbread versions of his family, which is the cutest thing ever. He’s the best dad for real.

#bobs burgers #this was so much fun!#i’ve been wanting to make a part two of that post for so long #i tried my best to say some niche or more interesting facts that most wouldn’t know right away #i think the gingerbread fact is my favorite 🥲#i hope you guys enjoy reading these facts as much as i enjoyed writing them

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thesupreme316 · 11 months

Text

Is the Grass Greener on the Other Side? EP.5

Summary: 1 month after her infamous “pipebomb”, how does Y/N feel when it feels like nothing has changed in her world? What will she do next?

Word Count: 2.6K

Warnings: Quick mentions of anxiety and depression-like symptoms (loneliness), kind of proofread (my bad)

Notes: sorry for being late but better late than never

Links to other parts: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4

“How could she do that?”

“I mean if you went through what she went through you would do the same”

“Good riddance Y/N!”

“Please go to AEW, they need you!!”

“tbh, that was one of my favorite pipebombs ever”

“I wish her the best and hopefully she’ll come back with Sasha and Naomi”

“She should have done it differently”

“Without WWE, where is she gonna go?”

It’s been 1 month. (August 2nd, 2022)

1 month full of tweets, posts, and people just interjecting their opinions. But also 1 month of your silence. You didn’t issue any statements, no comments, no interviews. After a bold move like that, you thought you would feel better. And in some ways you did, you feel like you removed the foot that was crushing your throat; like you got rid of the poisonous thing that has been draining your life.

You felt free.

But amid that freedom was there this excruciating silence that took up your mind where you’re second-guessing everything. Now, you just wanted to be left alone with your thoughts of what to do next.

WWE removed you from all programming, posters, and promotions. They put you on blast, as they did with Mercedes and Trinity, before dropping you as a subject altogether. It’s like you didn’t exist. Liv is still the champion, but it’s only a matter of time until Ronda gets it back. No one from WWE reached out; except for Bianca, Zelina, and Liv. And you sent Liv an apology bouquet for dragging her into the situation. Christian only reached out to tell you what a mistake you were making and how you should apologize (and also how this potentially might ruin his career).

You haven’t really talked to Mercedes or Trinity as they were extremely busy in the last few months with bookings. They were off doing signings, in tv shows, and being in fashion shows (you were the first person to know that they would be in New York Fashion Week). All while you were sitting in your apartment, just trying to figure yourself out.

Daniel, Paige, and Hook all check in on you at least once a day. With Daniel and Hook living so close, they often come by to chill with you (separately of course). Paige constantly facetimed you, so in a way you didn’t feel totally alone. And today was nothing different.

“Tyler, no I can’t just magically pop up at the strip club.” You said on the phone while looking through your fridge for something to cook.

“All I’m saying is that it’s a great way to reappear in the public’s eye,” Tyler said while snickering.

You grabbed your leftovers. “And this not because you would like to go to the strip club?” You paused. “Again?”

“Noo….anyways, how are you feeling today?” He asked, changing the subject

“Better than yesterday. I feel exhausted. And I’ve spent a month doing absolutely nothing.” You groaned as you put the leftovers in the microwave. “I just want to get up and do things but I don’t know what to do or where to start.”

“Y/N, you have to take everything one step at a time. Everyone moves at different paces, you can’t rush a process that you’re not completely ready for.” Tyler calmly explained as you sat on the couch, pondering his words. “Don’t feel like you need to make a big decision now. You need to evaluate all options before making a move. And just know that you will always have people that will support you, me included.”

“That was very sweet Tyler.”

“I can be a sweet guy, sometimes.” He said making the both of you laugh. “So, how’s your lover boy? You don’t talk about him much.”

You sighed before getting up and slightly pacing around the room, “There’s nothing to talk about, we haven’t talked much these days. He’s busy doing his thing.”

“So why are you still with him?”

You stopped in your tracks before answering, “Because I love him.”

“That may be true, but are you still in love with him?”

At that moment, it felt like your world came to a stop, like when Daniel asked if you could see yourself with someone else besides Christian. It was another loaded question, yet a big question that you had to figure out the answer to sooner or later. You truly do love Christian, after all, you two have shared a lot of memories. A lot of moments where he was the sole reason for your smile, how you got butterflies in your stomach when he texted you, or how you saw your life later on with him. But now? You were tired of being cast aside by him, tired of being treated as if everything you do is wrong. You were tired of how exhausting fights were with him and how he jealous he got of others in your life. Do you feel the same way now? Do those memories and moments outweigh what has been happening recently?

You became deep in thought before being pulled out by a knocking at the door and Tyler’s voice growing louder. “Y/N? Y/N, hello?” Your head snapped back to reality (oops there goes gravity-sorry).

“Hey, sorry Tyler. I’mma have to call you later, someone’s at my door.”

He sighed but understood. “Okay, but just remember if anything happens or if you need someone, my bed always has a place for you.”

You giggled before hanging up and answering the door, to the sight of Daniel. You briefly hugged before letting him in and going to get your hot leftovers from the microwave. “Why are you here? I thought you were training today.”

“Yeah, but I haven’t heard from you.”

“Danny, I’m fine. You can go to your training session.”

“No can do, I cancelled it.”

You put down your fork, looking at the man who was now occupying your couch. “You mean to tell me that just because you didn’t hear from me, you dropped everything to check on me?” 

“Hell yeah. I just wanted to make sure that you were okay and safe. I needed to lay eyes on you.” He said getting up and walking towards you. Your heart swelled at his words. You were blessed that someone saw you that important in their life. “I just need you to call like once a day to know that you’re okay.” He said grabbing another fork and taking a bite of your leftovers. “You always make the best stirfry.”

“Danny, what should I do?”

“About the entire situation?” He raised his eyebrows. You nodded as he sighed. “To be honest Y/N, in my opinion, you need a clean slate. Then you can build whatever your heart desires. But the thing is that you already caused drama at WWE, to the point where if you go back something is sure to pop off again. You don’t need that and you damn sure don’t deserve that.”

“To be honest, I don’t know what I deserve at this point.”

Daniel sighed before grabbing your hands and staring into your eyes. “Y/N, you are an incredible woman and you deserve all the fine things in life. And if you don’t see that, you are dumb as hell.” He said making you laugh. “Anyways, what were you doing before I got here?”

“I was just on the phone with-“ And you cut yourself off, trying your best not to finish the sentence (for fear of making Daniel upset).  “Hook?” You shyly nodded as you avoided eye contact. “I don’t care if you guys talk.”  “You hate him.”

“I hate his stupid perfect hair. And the way he does his suplexes. And the way that he just gets everything he wants.” He said slowly letting go of your hands. He cleared his throat as you side-eyed him. “But yeah he’s a cool dude.”You rolled your eyes as he started to rant about work, you grabbed your phone. Your eyes started to scroll around before they widened on one particular text from an unexpected person. You started to drown him a bit as you kept in the text. “Y/N, are you okay?”

You blinked with a blank stare on your face. You slowly nodded and just said, “I have a meeting tomorrow apparently.”

“With who?”

“I don’t even wanna discuss it.” And you threw your phone across the room and placed your head under a pillow.

(August 3rd, 2022)

You woke up nervous as hell.

You didn’t know what to expect from this meeting. Will this make things worse or better for both of us?

You put on a semi-business outfit with nice shades, you did your makeup and hair very quickly. You grabbed your purse before passing Daniel (who was knocked out on the couch after all had drinks and game night) and left to rush to your meeting. You couldn’t decide if it was a blessing or a curse that your meeting was close to your apartment; you couldn’t shake your feelings as your anxiety grew to be pounding in your ears, making you almost hyperventilate. As you approached the building, you took a deep breath before walking into the plaza. You made talked to the receptionist before getting the clear to go upstairs.

You took the elevator and got out at your stop. Walking straight ahead to the doomed door. You took another deep breath before putting on a fake smile and knocking on the door. You heard a grumbled and muffled come in.

You opened the door to see the person with a smile behind a stack of papers. “You know Hunter, I never thought I would see you like this.”

“Y/N, I told you numerous times to call me Paul.”

“Hunter just rolls better.” You shook his hand as you two sat at the wooden coffee table.

Before the whole situation, Paul (Triple H) has also been one of your mentors when dealing with the wrestling business. You credit him with a lot of business moves and how your character was booked. Before your walkout, you two would talk every week (sometimes even multiple times a week). Now, this was the first time you were communicating before in a little over a month.

“I’ll get right to it. Neither Vince nor John are here, so you can be as open and honest with me as you want. Whatever is stated here will remain between the two of us.” Paul said. You nodded but you didn’t want to start right away, instead, you were trying to organize your thoughts. What could you tell him? That you were mad that things were being unfair and no one else saw that but you? That you couldn’t stand being in this company anymore as days go on. “I’ll start if you want.” He said, you nodded again.

He sighed as he tried to find the words to say. “Y/N, I’m incredibly sorry for not speaking up in the past for you. I knew of the plans and voiced my displeasure about them when Vince wanted to give the title to Ronda. I’ve tried telling them that there needs to be more substance within the women’s division and constantly giving Ronda a title is not the way to go about it, no matter how well I get along with her. But I know, what you said and done is not just based on Ronda and how Vince operates with her. It’s something much deeper”

You sighed as you started agreeing with him, “That was literally what I was trying to talk about. The women’s division needs more attention, storylines, and substance. We have women who have been with the company for several years who have been put on the back burner, women who have not been allowed to showcase their talent or improve in the ring and then get ridiculed for it, and we have the same people showing up with all the time with the same storylines with the same opponents. Or even worse, we get the short end of the stick and get our times cut when shit does over the time limit. I’m just tired of it all. And I’m tired of being the one who is always sacrificed for Ronda or someone else’s agenda. And then to top it off, we don’t get paid as much as we should, unlike our male counterparts.”

You paused before continuing, “I will admit, the way that I stated my grievances was distasteful and a bit selfish, but I didn’t know how else to get anyone to listen to me. I want to apologize for embarrassing you, and the company, and putting you and Liv in an uncomfortable position. That was never my intention, I intended to state my displeasure with the treatment of the women’s division and how we are ultimately nothing more than stepping stools to a particular figure.” You avoided his gaze and just focused on everything in the room, but him.

Paul chuckled before shaking his head, “Y/N, you did not embarrass me.” He said, making you look up at him with shock. “Shit, I mean what you did actually brought a smile to my face, that I had to hide from Vince. It made me think back to the Curtain Call incident in a way. You should never have to compromise your feelings and beliefs for this business, instead stand up for what you believe in. And you did exactly that, you stood up for what you think is right and you should do without remorse. Sometimes we have to be selfish with our agendas, cause we have to look out for ourselves at the end of it. Mercedes is doing it, Trinity is doing it, and now so are you.”

Giving a small smile, you responded, “How’s Vince taking it?”

“He wasn’t happy with it at first. But then he saw how much interaction WWE was getting and soon just decided to make it into a work. He’s open to talking and compromising, especially since your contract is expiring soon. But the question is, do you want to talk? Do you want to compromise? But first, let me ask you; when you did this, did you ever think what was gonna happen afterward?” You shook your head as he continued, “Well, then what do you want to do? Everything is your call now and I’ll explain this later, but you put us in a hard spot.”

You looked to Paul before saying, “I want a clean slate. I deserve a clean slate.”

Paul sat back in his chair, quiet for a moment. He widened his eyes as if he just thought of something, “What if I can make a deal with you? And I can give you that clean slate.”

You smiled, “I’m listening.”

—Time-Skip 1 hour later—

You walked out of the building feeling so much better than how you felt coming in. You squealed with excitement as you believed everything was coming into place and you were gonna get your peace back. That your slate, your canvas was clear. But then you shortly realized that it wasn’t, your slate wasn’t all the way cleared. You sat down on a nearby bench, getting out your phone. You pressed the phone icon before scrolling to a certain contact, your finger hovered over it before pressing it to dial. Lifting the phone to your ear to speak, the call quickly went to voicemail after two rings. You brought down your hand to end the call, but after quick consideration, you put it back up just in time to hear the voice message beep.

You took a breath in and said, “Hey, I just wanted to say thanks for everything for the past couple of years. Even though shit’s been going south lately and we aren’t what we use to be, I love you and I’ll still love you. I know you’re thinking about deleting this message already but I just want to say one more thing….

We’re over Christian.”

taglist: @triscillal @sheinthatfandom @wwenhlimagines @zatarias-pandora @hooks-martin @hookerforhook

#aew #all elite wrestling #wwe #aew imagines #aew fics #wwe fics #wwe imagines #all elite wrestling imagines #aew hook #aew hook imagine #daniel garcia imagine #daniel garcia #daniel garcia fic #aew hook x reader #wrestling imagine #women's wrestling #wwe carmelo imagine #wwe carmelo

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vanessaroades-author · 10 months

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Let’s look at what happened from June 13th to July 13th. (ARCs, Preorders, Sales, Marketing!)

Note: I’m not talking about costs here and likely won’t ever. However, my author buddy JAL Solski has an awesome write-up on the costs, tax considerations, all sorts of numbers, of publishing their sapphic fantasy duology! I’m also very fond of Ros’s write-up on expectations and goals related to post-publication.

Before you start–some disclaimers on my experience

First, expect very little! These numbers will not impress you and honestly there’s a part of me that’s pretty embarrassed, like I'm advertising that I'm a big dummy who can't write. But all in the name of honesty & transparency!

Something I hear a lot from other new authors is, “Am I doing pretty good? Am I doing really badly? I don’t know.” Well, here’s another batch of numbers to consider!

Deep Roots is currently only available as an eBook & through Kindle Unlimited.

I’m not writing anything trendy. By a long shot. I can throw “queer fantasy” on it but that’s kinda the most I got. (When’s the last time you saw a runaway indie hit that didn’t have a ton of romance?)

I’m not popular on social media (260 IG followers with on average <10% engagement and <200 TikTok followers).

I have so many friends in my corner. Someone should stop you at the gate to the Indie Publishing Amusement Park of Hell and tell you, “Listen, if you want any hope of staying sane, make author friends.” Besides helping you navigate tech questions or giving second opinions on your cover, and, you know, understanding and empathizing with you, your friends will be the ones who comment on your posts, repost them, tell their friends, add you in their newsletter, read, and review. That can mean sales…but that also means having people lift you up and celebrate with you.

Advance Reader Copies

I began posting about ARC sign-ups April 4th, sent the first round of eBooks ~May 5th, and closed applications on June 2nd.

I didn’t use a service like Booksprout or Booksirens, just plain old BookFunnel and email (therefore my reach was entirely reliant on my social media efforts). I was most talkative about it on Instagram. I only posted like once or twice on Tumblr and TikTok, but they went really well for my standards.

Sign-Ups: 51

Reviews/Ratings:

By publication day I had 4 ratings/reviews on Goodreads, 1 on Amazon, and 1 on StoryGraph.

After 31 days I had 6 reviews and 10 ratings on Goodreads. 1 extra rating on StoryGraph; Amazon stayed the same.

Note: I was really lax with my ARC team about when reviews should be sent in. I was clear that I didn’t care if they were pre-publication (partly because well…I read ARCs a lot and I know I can’t always get to things on time, and partly because I didn’t decide a publication day until fairly late in the timeline).

However, from what I’ve seen for other authors, a pretty low return on ARC readers isn’t entirely uncommon? Kind of a kick in the confidence regardless.

Preorders

Total of 7. I don’t remember when I opened preorders, but I believe it was around the same time as the ARC application.

Marketing (sort of) from June 13th to July 13th

I ran a small (kinda last-minute) campaign for extra merch & an extra story for anyone who preordered or purchased during release week. I said that I would re-run this campaign for paperbacks.

These are my Tired Girl numbers:

Instagram: 5 posts specifically about DR. 2 non-DR related.

TikTok: 7 videos specifically about DR, most getting ~300 views, though one broke 1k. (Notably, I didn’t post about the release week extras on TikTok at all.). 2 non-DR related.

Tumblr: One post I would send spinning around the block every once in a while. Definitely lowest priority.

Release Week Sales

eBook: 3

KU: 15 pages read

Release Month Sales

eBook: 4

KU: 594 pages read

Future Plans

*Releases one giant sigh* I’M FREEEEEE

Once the book is written and done, cover made and words edited, there’s only one thing left in your control: marketing. Everything else is up to chance (honestly, marketing is up to chance a lot of the time, too).

But I pretty quickly decided to take it easy on social media. A wave of burn-out that had been chasing me since last summer finally caught up, and I don’t think I’m alone in saying that when I saw like no return on investment for my posts or chatter, I was like, “Okay, I’m going to rest, instead of pushing this boulder up this hill, then. I deserve it.”

One plus of having paperbacks come out way after the eBooks? I get release day Part 2! (With fun new props for pics and videos!) I have a good list of video ideas & drafts, but I would always look at them and think, “Wouldn’t this be better to do when the paperbacks are around?” And soon, they will be!

As for blog posts, I want to continue being transparent with things like this. I will (hopefully) catch up on the numbers again near the end of August, as by then I’ll be making the decision to keep Deep Roots in KU for another three months or not.

Until then, lower your expectations! It’ll keep you sane out here. Thanks for reading and hanging out.

#vanessa.txt #writeblr community #writeblr #indie publishing #indie books #self publishing #self publication #book sales #this is allowed to be reblogged

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blood-darkened-moon · 3 days

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Isolation

Ok, the first chapter of my Alexia Ashford fic. Again, I would appreciate short reviews on whether it is worth continuing or not. I'm not mad if you say it sucks. I just want an honest opinion.

_________________________________________________

Chapter 1

December 12

What do you actually write in a diary? I guess I just write whatever comes into my mind.

My name is Samantha Blair, and I’ve been stationed at the Aurora Research Facility for about a month now. This place will be my home for roughly the next 11 months. I graduated two years ago with a PhD in chemistry. This is my new job. It wasn’t easy to get it. After all, there are only a few positions available in this facility. There are 12 of us in total, and my job is to analyze ice and soil samples. It’s summer here at the moment. The sun doesn’t set this close to the South Pole any more, and at night it only gets a bit dusky, which, admittedly, bothers me more than I thought it would. Doug* gave me this journal “so I won’t lose track of time.” I wonder if that will help. At least I can try.

*Douglas Garry, station leader

December 13

Nothing interesting. After breakfast, I set about sorting the samples from the last research team and finding out which of them still needed to be analyzed and which didn’t. So the same thing I’ve been doing for over a week now. What were they thinking? “We’ll be gone soon anyway, let the next team take care of it?” After me, the deluge. Typical. Half of the samples are not properly labeled, and even for those that are, it takes forever to find out what has already been done with them. It’s all in the lab books, my ass. I can hardly do anything with the cryptic notes there if I manage to decipher the handwriting at all. On top of that, I have to pick the measurement data out of disorganized piles of paper. It was all planned differently. They were actually supposed to measure their own stuff, but towards the end of their stay, one device after another broke down. The devices are working again. Now, we’re supposed to carry out these measurements first and send them the results.

December 14

Sorting samples, searching for corresponding measurement data. Nothing new. Jeff gave me a new drill core. At least I was able to take a few measurements today.

*Jeffrey Norris, geologist

December 15

As I was going about my usual business, John* arrived and said that we were going to be hit by a heavy snowstorm in the next few days. According to the weather data, the storm will last for several days, maybe even weeks. We have to prepare the station. So we spent the whole day outside moving equipment into storage rooms or fixating it. I’m still freezing.

*John Bennings, meteorologist

December 16

Dark clouds have gathered. After so many days of sunshine, the darkness, if you can call it that, is a welcome change.

December 17

It’s been snowing since last night, and the snowfall is getting heavier, although it will be another 2-3 days before it really starts. David* expressed concerns about the dogs, but Marcus** said they don’t mind the little bit of snow. Quite the opposite. Huskies love this weather. Marcus looks after the dogs. He will know best. When I think about it, it occurs to me that we are probably one of the only stations left that still uses dog sleds. We also have snowmobiles, but Marcus always says the dogs are more reliable.

Later, we decided who should clear the paths and when. The work should continue if possible. However, if the storm gets too bad, the research buildings will remain closed until it subsides.

*David Palmer, technical chief

**Marcus Clark, responsible for the dogs, thermal engineering, welding work

December 18

The howling of the wind gets stronger and stronger. Eerie. I have hardly slept a wink. At least I’m slowly making progress with the samples.

December 19

I spent half the day clearing paths. It is a Sisyphean task. As soon as I was finished, I had to start all over because everything was covered in snow again. And the worst is yet to come. If it goes on like this, I can forget about work for a while.

December 20

Jeff was on clearing duty today. He also said there was no point. After dinner, we agreed that we would only clear the paths to the important buildings, everything else would have to wait until the storm subsided. At least the dogs are having fun. And Lena. She built a giant snowman. Lena Fuchs is still a student and the youngest of our team, and you can tell. When I see her so carefree, I sometimes think I’m getting old...

The fact that Lena is here is not a matter of course. Normally, students are not accepted for research stays. However, Lena has excellent grades, so she was selected regardless of the usual rules. At least, that’s the official reason. For those who believe it. Her father just happens to have a lot of political influence and a ton of money. It would be a true miracle if he hadn’t set the whole thing up.

She’s supposed to help me with the measurements, but that will have to wait until the samples are sorted and the storm calmed down. In the first few weeks, however, I had already shown her how to operate the measurement devices. To pass the time, I’ve now given her a pile of papers to read.

December 21

We have a visitor. The last thing you expect at the South Pole in the middle of a snowstorm is a visitor. Her name is Veronica Edwards. She is British and works at the Umbrella facility nearby. She says she is a senior researcher. There’s been a virus outbreak. She hasn’t said what kind of virus it is, only that it’s not airborne and that the likelihood of her being infected is low. In general, she kept a rather low profile. However, she said that under the circumstances she cannot stay in the Umbrella facility. If she is infected with something, we can’t let her roam around freely, but not helping her is not an option either, so we put her in quarantine. Actually, that was her suggestion. Isaac* has prepared a room in the northeast storage building for the purpose. She waited in the snowmobile she came in. The building is quite large, and it also has a shower room and restrooms. Additionally, the supply in the northeastern storage building is largely separated from the other buildings, and we can lock an area from the outside. That could work. It was supposed to be modified into another research building this summer, but the modification has been postponed for another year or so. However, it has already been largely emptied. She said two weeks of quarantine would be enough. For the time being, only Isaac and Harry** will look after her. Isaac is our doctor. Harry has volunteered. They will stay away from the rest of us to minimize the risk of a virus outbreak during that time. In case of an emergency, they have walkie-talkies.

We have offered to contact Umbrella and tell them what happened, but Dr. Edwards said she had done that before she left the Umbrella facility. They’ll send people as soon as the storm subsides. If they’re taking so long, that must mean it’s not that bad, right? Or that it’s already too late, and there’s nothing they can do anyway. Shit. We’re not prepared for incidents like this.

* Dr. Isaac Copper physician, and by necessity veterinarian

** Harold Childs vehicle mechanic

December 21 Addendum I

I have to distract myself from the thought that the woman might have infected us all with some deadly virus. And I forgot to write that our new arrival is rather strange. She was at least wearing a jacket, but underneath, she had only put on a long purple dress, high-heeled shoes, and white velvet gloves. The clothes looked anything but cheap. She looked more like she wanted to go to a gala than work in a research laboratory. Who walks around like that in Antarctica? Well, maybe she wasn’t on duty when the outbreak happened. That would also explain why she managed to escape and, according to her own statement, is probably not infected. But even as casual wear, her outfit looks pretty bizarre in a place like this.

She had to wait quite a long time in the snowmobile until the provisional quarantine was ready. Wasn’t she cold in her thin clothes? She didn’t complain. And I couldn’t see any signs that she was freezing either. Admittedly, I kept a safe distance. Speaking of snowmobiles, judging by the tracks, she was driving as if she was drunk and almost crashed into one of the buildings. Can she just not drive, or are these signs that she’s not feeling well? A fever, perhaps?

Also, I remembered Doug mentioning in the first or second week that Umbrella isn’t even doing research at the facility anymore. It’s supposed to be a materials storage facility or something like that. Well, Dr. Edwards claims she is a researcher there. I’ll ask Doug about the facility again when I get a chance.

December 21 Addendum II

Nicky*** wanted to contact AAD and ask how we should proceed with Dr. Edwards. However, due to the storm, there is currently no way through with our communication system. Always at the best possible time, of course! At least it’s not broken. Nicky has checked it. In a few days, the storm should ease a little, although not stop. She’ll try again then. Until then, we’re on our own. As old as the communication system is, I’m not surprised that it doesn’t work currently. It probably dates back to when the station was founded in the 70s.

***Nicole Windows, telecommunications, electronics, computers

AAD = Australian Antarctic Division

#resident evil #alexia ashford #🩸🌙#fanfic

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djarins-cyare · 3 months

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Get to Know Me (tag game)

Thanks @burntheedges and @sydneyinacoma for the tags! 💖

I guess I don’t post much about myself on here, so behold the mystery of Jyar’ika revealed under the cut (because I waffle and didn't wanna take up y’all’s dashes)…

Ahh space to include GIFs (*is happy*)...

1. Were you named after anyone? Hmm, that’s a sneaky way to get a name reveal outta me. Alright, I don’t mind… apparently one of the hosts on Blue Peter (the longest-running children’s TV show in the world - you’re not getting an age reveal outta me too!) had a baby just before I was born. Why my parents were watching a children’s TV show I have no idea, but this host evidently wrote/sang some kinda song on air about calling her baby daughter Jemma with a J not Gemma with a G. So I was named after a terribly trite and obscure TV reference that nobody will ever remember. You may call me Jem if you wish, my friends all do, and if you’re bothering to read this then you’re in that category.

(If you're wondering about the GIF, the show was always broadcast live and they had several pets. The outtakes are numerous.)

2. When was the last time you cried? I think I’m weird… I don’t tend to cry? Or only if I’m really really upset. Maybe I’m Cameron Diaz in The Holiday? So yeah, I can’t actually remember 🤔.

3. Do you have kids? Nope, although it’s a fairly recent decision to not have them. I spent much of my life assuming I wanted kids until I realised I had been conditioned by society to think I did. Since I started considering what I genuinely want and need in my life, I’ve never been happier! I'd make an exception to adopt a certain little green guy, though.

4. What sports do you play/have played? Ugh, I hate questions like this. Nope, I’m a lazy asshole and now you all know it 🫣. I mean, I activity-hopped throughout my school years (gymnastics, karate, soccer), but these days I live in front of a computer. My exercise is lugging 24 bottles of water up 4 flights of stairs twice a week.

5. Do you use sarcasm? I’m British. Sarcasm is my mother tongue.

6. What’s the first thing you notice about people? I’m the least observant person ever! So voices a lot of the time, I think. Pretty sure that’s why something clicked inside me as soon as Din Djarin spoke his first on-screen words.

7. What’s your eye color? Depends on the light, but somewhere between dark blue and grey.

8. Scary movies or happy endings? I’m an absolute wuss when it comes to scary movies, so I don’t put myself through that. Also, the literature student in me desperately wants to point out that these things are not mutually exclusive, as you can have scary movies with happy endings, so a more appropriate ‘either/or’ scenario would be tragedies or happy endings. But either way, I will say no to the former and yes to the latter. I dislike making myself feel scared or sad – I consume fiction (in all formats) to feel good, so I’ll always look for the positive. I’m currently experimenting to see if I can write a massively angsty fic, and it was supposed to be done by the New Year, but I’m struggling. I will also have to include one of those open-ended ‘maybe it could work out after all’ epilogues. I just can’t leave my characters in pain.

9. Any talents? Not sure what constitutes a talent… I can sing, play guitar, write a longass Din Djarin fanfic that people seem quite keen on, uh… cook, I guess (though I rarely bother), understand quite a few languages (less proficient at speaking them). I’m sort of a jack of all trades, master of none. I would say I have a talent for procrastination – I can complete a whole workday and get barely anything of substance done!

10. Where were you born? In a village outside a town in Surrey, England. It's only about 30 miles from London. Lots of trees. Very dull. I left as soon as I could.

11. What are your hobbies? Writing is my main obsession, specifically Din Djarin-related, of course. Also reading (same genre). Throughout my entire life I’ve enjoyed stories in all formats – reading, writing, watching, listening, proofreading the fuck out of them – so if it’s a good yarn, I’ll have a good time.

12. Do you have any pets? Not currently, my landlord won’t allow it. I used to own 3 rats who were the most adorable boys and so smart – they knew their names, responded to commands, liked to snuggle. When I can finally buy my own place I’ll probably get a dog, as I like pets that listen to you, even if only sporadically. I had a very non-communicative chameleon once. He was called Minion. He was not a good minion.

13. How tall are you? 5’4. Not tiny, but sometimes I have to go up on my tippytoes to reach stuff.

14. Favorite subject in school? English literature (see hobbies question above). When I got to university and enrolled on an English lit/lang degree, I tried to take as many literature courses and avoid the language ones. It wasn’t until years after graduating when I started proofing/editing and writing more seriously that I developed a respect for all the mandatory language courses I had to do. I also liked media studies and film studies; you can guess why. Psychology was interesting too, it’s good to understand human nature if you want to write realistic characters.

15. Dream job? I wish I could write novels for a living. It’s a goal as well as a dream. I know a couple of authors who’ve self-published via Kindle Direct Publishing (I proofread/edited for one of them), and they were successful enough to turn that into their careers. They keep encouraging me to try, although I’m currently in my ‘obsessed with Din Djarin so just writing fanfic to develop my authorial voice’ era. When my obsession wanes, as obsessions inevitably do, I’ll hopefully feel ready to write something original and take my shot. But I’m not pressuring myself, and right now I’m happy attempting to entertain the Mandalorian fan community. I feel safe here 💖

Now I know I’m supposed to tag people since that’s the point of a tag game… but I’m that autistic kid in the corner who is too shy and worried about tagging people who might not reply. So I’m foregoing tags today. But, if you’ve bothered to read this and you haven't already played: TAG YOU’RE IT! That’s me tagging you, please take it seriously and thank me for your tag in your own post (I will be genuinely thrilled if anybody does this, and I’m sending advance love to anyone who does – you don’t know how much it means to someone autistic to have the decision-making element dealt with for them). So go on, now it’s your turn!

#about myself #tag game #ask game #tag you're it #ask me anything #tag yourself

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cafeinthemoon · 1 year

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Ruins - Part XI

Chapter 11?/?

Wordcount 3k

Title Part XI

Fandom Shuumatsu no Valkyrie / Record of Ragnarok

Pairing Hades X reader

Previous chapters

1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 5 . 6 . 7 . 8 . 9 . 10

Symbols ⭕ . ➕ . 💛

Warnings: none

Tagging: @darling-imobsessed @holdyourwine (if you want to be tagged in any of my stories, just leave a comment on this chapter or send an ask or a message)

N.A.: So... This chapter has been in my drafts for weeks and I've been just avoiding it bc I was somehow convinced that it would never be good enough, but it was an essential part of this story so I couldn't skip it 😭 I didn't know what to do, so I forced myself to work on it and after a few days I finally finished it!

Anyways, here we have Hades showing off another talent of his, Hermes being the best babysitter in the world and I also decided to include some humour in it! I hope you don't mind XD

You were resting your head on Hades’ shoulder, your eyes closed as if you were going to take a nap while his hand stroked your hair. From time to time, he would place a kiss on your temple or whisper some random, sweet words just to make sure you stood awake; you, on your part, would threat him with another tickling session, something that he would receive with laughter or some teasing.

The water was still murmuring in the fountain; the animals were crossing the grass around you or flying over the flowery arc above the bench, as if coming back to their lives after giving you the space you needed to fix yours; a lukewarm breeze started blowing, whistling between the trees and caressing your skin, but not as gently as Hades’ hands.

Finally, the riddles were solved, the issues were put aside and everything found their right place.

I never felt this safeness before... I never felt so in peace.

If you had any worries at that moment, it was only regarding how the people at the party – the gods, in particular – were going to receive you once you stepped into the room for the second time. Because, obviously, you would have to return and complete the protocols as one of the human visitors.

You decided to speak about it.

– I’m a bit afraid of what’s going to happen when we go back to the party.

Though he had a reputation to repair – after all, the last thing the guests saw was the moment you rejected his gift and left without giving him a chance to respond – Hades didn’t seem as worried about this as you supposed he would be. Instead, he just focused in convincing you that you didn’t have to think too much about it.

– If you’re afraid that people are going to look down on you or be shocked by your audacity, let me tell you that none of this is going to happen. Instead, the least you can expect is to see them in awe with your presence.

You frowned.

– How so, Hades-sama?

His response came in the form of a mysterious smile.

– Let’s go back inside the building – he tightened his grip around you and stood up with you in his arms; you smiled while passing your arm around his neck – And give them a reason to be.

***

You returned to the building with your arms entwined with Hades’. You took a shortcut to reach the corridor where your room was, confirming your supposition that he entered the garden using one of them.

First, you went to your room to do a new makeup and, in your words, “to restore the decency of my face and not fall in Poseidon-sama's disfavor”. Hades laughed and sat on your bed’s edge, observing as you did your work in front of the vanity, the same where the girls were arguing about their preparations and when your thoughts were directed to the water. You thought of telling him about this episode, but declined: the moment to tell the whole story was yet to come.

When everything was done, you looked around the vanity’s surface and frowned: your hair was untied and you couldn’t find anything to wear on it...

Until you felt a hand on our shoulder and noticed Hades standing behind you. You looked up to him, who had a gentle smile to you.

– Can I help you?

Your response was a shy whisper.

– Of course.

You doubted that he could help you in this, despite the natural manner with which he took the brush over the vanity and started dividing your hair in sections, but you weren’t going to be the one to question he if he knew what he was doing.

And, to your surprise, he knew it.

He took a thin section from the back of your head and started untangling it with his fingers before using the brush; after that, he would curl the section with his finger, as to make sure that there was no damage. He patiently repeated the process with all your hair on the back as you observed it through the mirror, but it was only when he started working on the side sections that you were able to see his hands in action – and you were marveled.

The attention his hands gave to the task, the delicacy of his fingers while they slipped through your locks, how he knew when and where to use the brush on them, respecting their curvature – all of this, you thought, made your hair more beautiful than it actually was.

You didn’t know how long you stood there observing, but seeing the moment when he put the brush back on the vanity was like waking up from a daydream. And, honestly, you wanted to be wide awake to see what was coming next.

His hands were now working on uniting all your locks to create a hairstyle, and you were curious to know what he was about to do: you remembered that even Hermes-sama, used to observe the girls and their mutable beauty standards, avoided any extravagance in this sense when he put the hairpin on your hair; what would Hades do, then?

For the second time, he divided your hair in sections – three, one at your back and the others on your sides –, and those ones were divided in another three, thinner locks that he united in loosen braids. When he braided the sides, he untied one thin curl on each side, above your ears, then the rest was all pulled together and twisted to form a bun on the back of your head.

As he held your hair with his right hand, you observed his reflection when he took the hairpin out of his coat and finished the work.

You spent a moment smiling at your own reflection: he really did good job there.

– Well – you touched the bun as you spoke – Impressive. I could never imagine you had such talent, my Lord.

Hades laughed.

– I just did the basics. The true beauty was already in you.

Your cheeks got warm at the compliment. When you turned to him, you saw his hand stretched to you.

– Shall we?

You nodded and accepted the invitation, leaving the room behind.

***

If you knew what happened right after you left the party, you wouldn’t be surprised with the respectful, stunned reception you had when you returned.

The silence that spread across the place when you disappeared behind the door was heavy and uncomfortable. The human girls that witnessed your interaction with the King of Hellheim were shocked by your attitude, not knowing if they should consider it an act of courage or stupidity. The gods, on the other hand, were more than outraged: how dare a mortal refuse the gift from a god and just flee, not giving him the time to respond? In a matter of seconds, whispers of indignation and surprise started growing among the crowd.

Though they weren’t less affected by what they saw, the three Greek brothers remained in silence, waiting to see what Hades was going to do. From his part – and to the surprise of most of the guests, who didn’t know him as they did – there was little to no sign of wrath on his face. No, not even the slightest irritation. He was just there, quiet, putting the hairpin inside his coat as if nothing happened.

One of the gods that had a hard time processing the events was the god of Destruction, Shiva. Beside his wives, he had the company of his students, who were as astonished as the other apprentices, but didn’t dare move a finger without the consent of their master: his anger, almost tangible, was something new to them, and though they didn’t know how to react, doing nothing seemed better than doing the wrong thing and ending up increasing his bad mood.

– I don’t understand this! What happened to humanity? They seem to have no regard for hierarchy and respect nowadays! – he growled to himself while the eye on his forehead opened; then, turning to Hades, – I suppose you’re thinking of giving her the appropriate discipline!

Apparently, during that moment of wrath, the head of the Indian pantheon forgot that there were human girls listening to every word he said, only thinking of this when they started shivering and whining around him.

– This sounds too terrifying, Shiva-sama! – one of them cried out.

A second one corroborated her, with her hands united in a plead:

– Are you telling us that you would do something terrible to one of us too, my Lord?

A third one followed, holding one of his arms:

– Please, Shiva-sama, don’t say such things! We swear we will never act like this!

A fourth one, younger than her partners and unable to formulate words, started to cry.

Following their example and guided by the same fear of divine punishment, other girls started doing the same to their masters, creating a wave of pleading, lamentation and tears that kept the gods occupied in desperate attempts to calm them down.

Shiva, on his part, was facing incredible difficulty trying to tame his own students even with the help of his wives.

– Hey, hey, there’s no need to overreact – he patted the head of the weeping, younger girl while trying to pay attention to the others with his three remaining arms; his forehead eye closed slowly as his anger disappeared – Heavens, I forgot how sensitive you are…

Among Hades’ brothers, Adamas, whose short temper was well known among his pairs, was the first to manifest his discontentment with your behavior.

– I can’t believe you brought us here to witness this, elder brother – he crossed his arms – I don’t understand what happened with this human, but I agree with Shiva. You cannot just let her get away with this!

Zeus, with his hands behind his back, had his gaze on the entry’s door, through which you just fled.

– Indeed, that was an odd attitude – he spoke in a distracted manner – Showing some embarrassment is understandable, but running away like that? Yes, it’s very odd…

Poseidon was the only one who kept his thoughts to himself, but anyone who looked into his eyes would guess that, whatever the response he’d give to someone who dared do this to him, it would be anything but pleasing.

Since Hades didn’t give any verbal response, Adamas insisted:

– So? – he took a step toward his brother – Have you decided what to do?

Hades raised his eyes to him, but had no time to reply, for another deity interceded: Heracles, who was near his Greek pairs, in the company of his students, and was one of the few gods who didn’t speak in favor of a punishment.

– Forgive me, but I believe there must be a better way to solve this – and, when everyone turned to him, – There must be a reason behind her actions. Deciding what to do without knowing such reason is everything but fair.

Adamas gave the god of Justice a furious glare, making his students hide behind him.

– You’re always trying to justify your ex-pairs' petulance, boy. No wonder they only do what they want! But, for at least this time, we need you to see things as they are and stop with this indulgence!

Heracles reciprocated the glare, closing his fists.

– What you call indulgence is what as I see as justice. You should try and learn the difference.

Adamas took a step ahead and a heated argument was about to start between the two men. There were a few gods with a more peaceful inclination who took the demigod’s side, while many of them saw in the god of Conquest’s anger a support for their own sensitive pride, and the room was soon divided in two, the tense expectations shared between each present...

– All of you, quiet!

Though Hades just raised his voice a bit above the usual tone, it silenced the entire room once it spread across it. Adamas immediately gave up on the argument, stepping back to his previous spot; Heracles swallowed, but stood his ground. Shiva, who was watching all their interaction in silence, turned to Hades with a raised eyebrow, wondering why a human would provoke such reaction from the King of the Underworld; his younger student stopped sobbing and hugged him.

Hades sighed, putting his hands on his pockets, and passed his eyes over the faces of the humans and the immortals. However, he made it clear that his words were directed to his divine pairs.

– Look around you. Look at these girls – and, while doing precisely this, – Are you really going to look into their eyes and tell them that you are the right people to guide them in whatever paths they choose to follow when this cycle of redemption and punishment is all you can think about? Do you really believe this is all education means?

Hades’ questions were received with an embarrassed silence from the gods and a stunned quietness from the humans. None of this didn’t seem to bother him, though: with a tired smile, he raised his hands in a gesture of surrender.

– Well, if your answer is yes, I suggest you to send these children back to their families and let them do a better work.

Since no one dared reply, he turned the door and was going to leave the room, when Adamas called him.

– Where are you going, elder brother?

Hades turned back to him with the same smile, but a glimmer of confidence was sensed in it that time.

– What do you mean, little brother? – he tapped his chest, upon the spot where he kept the hairpin – I’m going after y/n and bring her back.

All the three brothers gasped in surprise, but Adamas was the only one to reply:

– And how do you intend to do that? What makes you think she will be compliant after what we saw...?

The King of Hellheim gave Adamas a clever blink, provoking a confused “Ahn?” from him, a harsh laugh from Zeus and a frown on Poseidon’s face.

– Can you trust me a little bit, brother? – and, looking at the other guests, – Listen. I will be back with the human y/n in a moment. And, when she enters that door again, I hope she gets the deserved reception, you understand?

None of the gods had the need to verbalize their compliance. The entire room fell in silence again as each deity nodded and stepped back to open the way to the god of the Dead as he took unworried steps toward the exit.

***

Hermes was walking the corridor, still processing the unexpected encounter with you when a second person appeared in his way, making him startle.

– Hades-sama?! What happened? Y/n just passed by me on this corridor. She was desperate…

The sentence died on his mouth when the Greek spokesman saw the calmness on his uncle’s expression. Did he hear what he just said? Did he understand it?

Well, not only this, but he also had a plan already.

– I know. Apparently, y/n had a problem with her reception at the party before I could reach her. I just spoke to my brothers and the other presents about this. Now, I'm going to talk to her and bring her back. Did you send her to the gardens?

– Yes, my Lord.

– Did you give her the official permit to leave?

– I didn’t – Hermes lowered his tone – Under the current circumstances, it would be precipitated and unsafe.

Hades nodded.

– Good. Thank you, Hermes.

He passed by his nephew and was going to follow his way outside, when the other’s voice was heard.

– Uncle.

Hades turned back to him, not hiding his surprise. It’s been a long time since he heard Hermes calling him like this.

– What is it?

– Don’t you think this is going too far? – a wrinkle of preoccupation appeared on Hermes’ forehead – Because I think it is.

– What do you mean?

– Just a moment ago, that girl was happy and excited about this party, but now she passed by me in tears, begging to leave this place. I do not approve what I saw – the younger god stepped ahead, more wrinkles appearing on his face as the preoccupation turned into a barely disguised anger – Despite the obvious connection between you, y/n is still under my guardianship, Hades-sama. Seeing her or any other girl in such state is something I will not tolerate, whatever the reason.

Hades stared at him in silence for a while, but there was no sign that he was offended or irritated by this statement. Instead, when he spoke, it was to show he was ready to agree.

– And, during all these years, you’ve been taking care of your responsibility in the best way possible, nephew. However, that woman was chosen, not only to be the Queen of the Underworld, but to be my wife. It is my duty to show her that she’s safe by my side – and, turning entirely toward his pair as he spoke, – Showing her that she can trust me is all I want, Hermes. So, now, I ask you to leave her to me.

Hermes bit his lips, not entirely convinced that this was a wise plan. But if that was the will of Fate, there wasn’t really much he could do about it, so he finally gave up.

– Do what you believe to be the best for her, my Lord, but be careful. A human girl’s heart is something delicate. Don’t let it break.

Hades nodded and left the building. He took a short, unknown path to reach the gardens and, following your energetic signature – and the fragrance you wore, which you gained alongside the ball gown and left a trace through the places you passed – he soon found you.

He kept his word, then. And you went back to the party with him, with both your heart and your hopes restored.

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jmenvs3000f23 · 6 months

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Madagascar, Lemurs, OneHealth.......a Masters? 🏝️🐒🔭🎓(U9)

Hey friends, its been a while and I’m glad you’re here!

This weeks’ prompt encourages us to share something about nature that gets us excited and ooooooooooooooooh am I excited! Like I’ve mentioned before, I’m a 4th year zoology student which 1) means I know a lot of cool animal stuff (ask me questions!), and 2) it’s almost time for me to graduate!

So today I’d like to talk about my current Masters application and the really cool OneHealth conservation research I have done (and hope to do again) in Madagascar!

Over the summer I got the opportunity to take the One Health Approach to Conservation Field school where we were taught zoological, ecological, and anthropological approaches to conservation issues in Madagascar’s rainforest and unique dry deciduous forest within Ankarafantsika National Park (Picture a rainforest but take away the rain, the biggest animal is the same kind of lemur as Zoboomafoo, and also the soil is like sand!!). While I won’t go into too much detail about most of the field work we practiced, like tree identification, phrenology, and size measurements, participant-observation sessions in tree-planting, rice harvesting, and a local village classroom, and of course-tent living and consistent rice and beans eating, I willllllllllll go into detail about the lemurs, cause oh so much do I love those little guys.

(1. Male with eye tumor/injury, 2. me with two mothers (if you look close you can see 2 baby heads!), 3. me taking leaf samples to make a dry-season Tree ID sketch, 4. my luxurious living quarters for the month.)

Our instructions were to do both focal and scan sampling, but my absolute favourite part of the trip was following the lemur groups and trying to identify the specific individuals while they were either chilling in our camp or being extremely chaotic in the forest.

During these observations, not once but twice did I witness 2 separate groups have lemurs literally try to kill an individual from the other group... and so when asking about this to my professor, the general conclusion we came to after he told me he’s never seen such violence despite coming to the park for years, was that the increased forest fragmentation (deforestation making the forest into sections rather than one continuous space) might be forcing groups that should be far apart into sharing the same spaces, causing fights for space, food, etc.

This species of lemur (Coquerel’s sifaka) is critically endangered and is a huge sense of pride for the indigenous people of Madagascar. Many of the parks residents follow taboos that forbid lemur hunting and consumption to protect these creatures. Unfortunately, its possible that either the past or current farming practices of some of them are negatively affecting lemurs, potentially without realizing. Not only does this become an anthropological issue, but if true, is a logistical problem best answered with knowledge of the lemurs behaviour, spatial and abundance knowledge on the plants used for food and shelter by both lemurs and people, and of course interviewing, participating in, and potentially educating and being educated by the residents to get a proper understanding of how to tackle this problem.

And so that’s the general gist of what I’ll be diving deeper into for my Masters, wish me luck!

[My friends video of one of the violent interactions (I know it looks like they are hugging but they have giant teeth with a strong bite force, are the size of toddlers, and it didn't give up until it thought the other was practically dead), the lemur that didn't run away was left with a bleeding head and injured arm but we think she survived!]

#Madagascar #Ankarafantsika National Park #OneHealth #Zoology #Ecology #Anthropology #Sifaka #Coquerels sifaka #lemurs #field work #conservation #envs 3000 #science communication #behaviour research

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38sr · 1 year

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Welp, I Got Laid Off

Hey, everyone. I know I’ve been quite radio silent this month and well a lot has happened haha. As you’ve read from the title, yes, I’m no longer working at Marvel Studios due to layoffs. Although I was informed of this very early November, my last day was last Friday and this month has been a whirlwind. I know when reading something with layoffs in the title there’s gonna be a lot of questions expressing confusion and shock (I did the same thing these past few weeks). Some of y’all might be thinking: Woah wait! What’s gonna happen to the show you worked on? Rest assured, the production will aired as planned so please do support Spiderman Freshman Year once it’s out on Disney+ in 2024!

Why did this happen? Hmm, honestly I wish I knew too haha. Even if I had the full scope of what was happening, legally I wouldn’t be able to share that information. But I won’t lie that it really did suck when I got the news and it felt like the rug got pulled right from underneath my feet. I’m confused. What does this mean for the second season that was announced at SDCC 2022? I’m confused as well buddy! But again, I can’t say anything about what will happen to Sophomore Year (whether I had that information or not). If you want to see more of the show and same the same crew, please stream the fuck out of the show once it comes out while also supporting the insanely talented team that created the show. Watch parties, fanart, hashtags on social media, the whole gambit! Even though I don’t know what will happen in the future, I feel like our production is in a special situation where fans can really make their voices heard if they really enjoy the show and want more. That’s just my personal opinion tho haha. Whatever happens will happen so don’t take my word for it. What about you? Are you good? Have you found another job? Mmm, I’m doing a lot better than I was 3 weeks ago haha. Am I still upset about the situation? Of course. From my perspective, it really did feel like it came out of left field and unprompted. But I can’t change the past and have to accept what’s done is done. I’ve cried all the tears I could about it and I’m doing better now. As for if I’ve found another job yet, I’m lucky enough that I had freelance already on the side which will keep me afloat for a few months until I find another full-time gig. But yeah, I’m good. Even though it’s not really the circumstances I would have chosen, in a weird way I see this as an opportunity to 1) finally take a rest after working non-stop since 2020 and 2) make use of the free time to further produce a current personal independent project I’m working on.

While it sucks I lost my job, I want to welcome this change that might open a new door of possibilities that I might have never thought of doing before (or I have but never had the guts to go through with it). I don’t know. Life is weird...but I’ve just always notice for myself change always happens when I am comfortable and need a new challenge (and I will admit I was comfortable on Spiderman since it was an amazingly run production). I don’t know where I’ll go next....but all I can say is that I’m gonna look forward to the next chapter after I stuff myself with all the NY-only foods once I go back home for holidays haha.

#Board Tales #layoffs #animation #animation industry #txt #personal life

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anki-of-beleriand · 2 years

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Midnight meeting pt.2

Summary: You have been under house arrest in the Avenger´s compound since arriving to that universe, then in a single night your world changes while meeting the newest addition to the team.

Warnings: Mentions of Nat/Reader. Female!ReaderxWanda Maximoff. Angst, drama, unrequited/requited love.

Author's Note: So, this is my first try to a Wanda/Reader story and I'm nervous and this has not been betaed and English is not my mother tongue, so I apologise beforehand.

I want to thank you all who read the first part, really glad you guys like it. So here is the second part, I really thought of this story as a retelling of the Avenger's movies but with some Reader elements in it and some important changes in the story. Hope you like this new chapter.

Part 1 - Part 3 - Part 4 - Part 5 - Part 6 - Part 7 - Part 8 - Part 9 - Part 10 - Epilogue

Part 2 - Nothing there

The whistle from the teapot broke your concentration, you teared your eyes from the book to see the water was ready.

It was yet another night, this time around there was a mission that needed the full Avengers force out of the country for more than a couple of days and you got the compound all for yourself and the newest addition to the team. There was a heavy weight on your chest at the thought of yet another mission you were not invited over, the words from Natasha and Steve came back filled with reassurance and promises.

A heavy sigh left your lips, your hand grabbing the teapot serving the water on the two mugs on the counter. You were getting used to the false promises, just as much as you were getting used to your midnight routine with the brunette that seemed as much as a prisoner as you were.

Your eyes flickered towards the closest window; the silver light of the moon shone in the night while the lights of the kitchen reflect on the window. You placed the green mug on the exact same place you had done so for more than a couple of weeks when she came in.

Usually there were no words between you two.

It was a single glance, a strained smile and then a heartfelt thank you.

Then, there were nights in which you two would share something about the other. A random fact, a random emotion. A wish.

The night was getting colder announcing the oncoming winter, your eyes drifted from the window to the young woman. At that instant you realized it was going to be one of those nights; or at least that was what you thought.

The young woman was looking rather tired, with her green eyes gleaming with the leftover of tears just as her demeanour spoke of long nights without sleep and long days without food. Yet she had come forth wearing more than her usual hoody or worn-out leggings; she had changed into something more comfortable but also livelier. There was still an aura of sadness around her, her eyes were dull and slightly unfocused and still she offered the tiniest of smiles as she sat down on her usual stool.

“Thank you.” She whispered grabbing the mug in her hands, you nodded sitting down to open the book in the page you left it on.

The silence stretched from more than ten minutes when you realized there was something different in the air. Furrowing your brows, you lifted your head only to see the quick movement from the woman sitting at the other end of the counter; a light blush spread out on her face while she played with the rings on her hand.

“Are you alright?” The question came before you could stop it, your eyes caught the sudden tension in the young woman as she took a deep breath nodding.

You were about to go back to your book when she shifted on her stool turning her body to you, you rose a single eyebrow waiting until she decided to finally look into your eyes.

“I really appreciate this.” She finally said struggling to get the right words, her accent marking each word with a strength you were quite sure she was not feeling.

“I’m glad you do.” You replied offering a half smile, “I do it with pleasure.”

This time around you could see as her eyes go big, the dust of pink getting darker at your words. This merely confused you, you tilted your head closing the book and centring your attention on her.

“I bet it’s difficult to be here, alone and waiting for someone to actually tell you what to do or what’s expect of you.”

She seemed rather shocked at your bluntness, you chuckled waving your hand around you.

“This is all good and well for them, but not for someone new like you or someone like me.” You commented quite cryptically, she pressed her lips together just as her brows knitted together.

“I’m not sure I understand.” She finally mumbled opting for the most diplomatic answer she could find.

You blew on your drink before taking a long sip, of course her experience was completely different to yours. Natasha had already explained it to you, and Fury along with Rogers and Stark had tried to explain the situation the best way they could. Barton even used slides and music to make sure you did not die of boredom when he explained the same thing for over a hundredth time.

The young woman in front of you was from that world. She was from their reality.

Whatever they knew about you was enough for them to try and have you by their side but still be cautious about you. The fact you were not sure how you got powers or why it seemed as if age or time didn’t affect you the way it should was still baffling to them.

They couldn’t hold you forever.

But they would try to stall your membership to the club for as long as they could.

Wanda Maximoff on the other hand…

“I heard Barton has been training you.” You changed the subject quite abruptly, she looked away nodding with uncertainty.

“He has.” Then as an afterthought, “I’m not getting better, I’m not sure this is for me.”

This was the first time you two had such a long conversation, and you realized she was probably waiting for a moment to speak. Perhaps testing the waters, it never occurred to you she would be interested in a conversation with you, at least not as much as you were dying to do. Without thinking too much, you smiled, and she shot you an upsetting stare at the thought you might be mocking her.

You lifted a hand shaking your head, “I’m not laughing at you or anything it’s just…for what I’ve heard, this is for you.”

The distress in her expression didn’t go away, but instead seemed to intensify. All of a sudden, she looked lost, lowering her eyes while the wriggling on her hands came back. You noticed this was a nervous trait of her, and you could help but think it looked adorable.

“How can you…” She started shaking her head, she stood up ready to leave but something inside of you pushed you forth.

The words forming in your mouth before you could think them over or stopped them.

“Would you like to train with me tomorrow?”

You observed as she stopped death on her tracks though she never turned around, you weren’t sure why you decided to ask or why suddenly you want to get to know this young woman before you. But when relief filled your senses, and your heart skipped a beat at her whispered response you had to wonder just what the hell was happening to you.

You hadn’t stopped to even think that as of late, midnight had turned out to be your favourite time of the day/night. You never stopped to think about it, mainly because it would mean there was something going on and partly because you felt guilty. The thought of Natasha poking at your mind and heart at the mere thought.

In the midst of these tumultuous thoughts, you were unaware of the smile adorning your lips as you grabbed your book again, this time around putting all your attention on the story. Wanda had said yes, and now you were sure you would see her tomorrow as soon as the sun was out.

The training room was filled with music and the soft smell of vanilla.

The light of the morning sneaked inside the windows; your hard breathing was the only thing you could focus on as you stretched out following the different exercises you were taught. A part of you was completely disillusioned to find you were the first one there; but this didn’t stop you from your routine.

Once you had done the stretching part you continued with what you had learnt on your own. Your powers were something you were still learning to control, and you had discovered some techniques from this world and yours help you canalized the energy surging from inside your very soul.

It all started with the hand movement, followed by the footing as you made different forms around the pads on the training room. The music vibrated around you as you entered in a complete stated of concentration you could only get when doing these exercises.

It was a routine of Tai Chi combined with some Kung Fu, a you-thing.

Natasha had laughed at first though she soon found it quite interesting and, whenever the mood struck her, she would work out with you the same martial routine as you did. And then it had transformed into a you and Natasha thing, something Natasha had denied with all her might was a something she enjoyed doing with you besides of the time you two spent in bed.

You let out a chuckled, shaking your head as you go back to your training.

The energy inside of you started building up, it spread through your body filling you with tingles of power ready to be expelled in different ways. The wind around blew around you, warm and cold as you worked around different forms with your hands and legs.

It was like this that she found you.

The young brunette stood at the door; her eyes wide open as they followed you through the room with avid curiosity. She swallowed hard, her abdomen breaking into a fit of tingles she was not sure how to control. The energy inside of her pulsated at the sight, she could feel her own magic reacting to the sight before her; she shook her head crossing her arms while stepping back, her movement making her knock the door and break your concentration.

“Hey!” You stopped all movement, turning abruptly with a scowl on your face at being so rudely interrupt. However, as soon as you realized who it was your face broke into a content expression. “You came!”

She nodded no trusting her voice at the moment, you approached her looking for the bottle of water on the closest table.

“I though you have sleep in or thought better of it.” You drank from your bottle before turning curious eyes to the flustered woman that still was embracing herself as if trying to protect herself from something. “Something the matter?”

“Y-Yes, I was just…” She trailed off unable to explain her behaviour, her eyes gleamed with frustration, and she was about to either bolt away from the place or exploded in anxiousness until you decided to interfere.

“You know? After all this time, and all our nights together, I haven’t caught your name.” You smirked highly amused at the reaction you got from her.

Her face became red, and her eyes were so big you could finally made out the colour they were made of. They were a beautiful shade of green. You chuckled tilting your head, she sucked in a breath swallowing at first.

“Wanda.” She finally whispered turning questioning eyes to you.

“Wanda Maximoff.” You said remembering that very first night in which Friday had call her by her last name, you broke into a real smile nodding in approval. “Beautiful, and strong name, Wanda. I’m Y/N L/N.”

“I know.” Once more her face broke into a different shade of red, this time around her eyes take into a mortified glint that you couldn’t help but find adorable.

“You knew?” You chuckled when she really wished she had never spoken or that those words had not left her mouth.

You decided to save her from the embarrassment, shrugging while pointing to the pads on the training room.

“What do you say if we get down to business, eh?”

You turned around not letting her answer you right away, you worked around the muscles of your shoulders and back waiting for the young woman to join you. Wanda didn’t take too long to decide and followed you to the centre of the room.

“Okay, then, let’s start.”

Two days later, and you two had built a new routine.

It wasn’t only your midnight meetings in the Kitchen, but also the training routine in which you got a chance to teach her about the martial arts you have combine along with what you had been learning with Natasha and Steve. It was bumpy at the very beginning, but you soon realized this was something you were starting to look forth every day.

This friendship you were forming with Wanda was different.

There was just something different about the whole thing.

It wasn’t as intense or physical as it was with Natasha, and it certainly didn’t hold the same teasing nature as your relationship with Stark or Barton. Much less the strange grandfatherly relationship you had with Steve.

It was different.

And you liked it.

On the third day, Wanda came to you with the same nervous trait around her. She shot you a quick smile, wriggling her hands while tilting her head. This time around she was wearing some leggings with a grey hoody you were not so sure it was hers; you furrowed your brows as she sat down beside you opening and closing her mouth a couple of times before speaking.

“I got some correspondence today.” She started in awed, “I ordered them a couple of days ago, and they just got here.”

“That’s cool, I guess.” You were a little unsure as to what you were supposed to say, she merely chuckled shaking her head at you.

“I mean, it was something I bought with some money I have and…” Here she trailed off, for a moment you through she wouldn’t say anything until she lifted her face with a glint of determination crossing her face as she locked her eyes on yours. “It’s some…tv shows I used to watch back in Sokovia, I was wondering…would you like to watch some of them with me? Today? Tonight? I understand if you can’t or won’t….”

“I would love to.” You cut her off before she started to babble, and both of you were unable to look away from the other.

She let out a sigh of relief, just as you let go of the tension on your shoulders. The smile she gave you was such a breath-taking sight; you made a mental note to find a way to have it always present in her face. Perhaps, to have Wanda smiled at you like that.

“Good, I…I was not sure if you wanted…” She started but clamp her mouth shut shrugging.

“Why not?” You blinked a couple of times offering a half smile. “I love watching TV and I certainly…well, I wouldn’t say no to spend more time with you, you know? Getting to know you and all.”

This seemed to be the right thing to say, Wanda smiled all over again and soon you found craving more of that smile.

“I like it too,” she mumbled standing up, “I guess…I have to go, I see you later then. I will bring some snacks if you bring the popcorn and the tea.”

“It’s a deal.” You replied with a huge grin, and she almost fell down while walking backwards.

“Right, I think…I need a cold shower, I…” Here she opened her eyes big and turned before you could see the blush on her face.

She was gone before you could stop her or even reply to her comment.

You sat there for a long time before standing up and going to your room, it had been such a long time since you felt something like this hoard of butterflies on your stomach, or that void in your heart as if you were jumping from a tall building.

For a brief moment your mind brought back the image of Natasha, her body and her smile, those whispered words you couldn’t make out after a long night of lovemaking. The image of the girl you left behind in your world, a woman you might never see again but that sometimes come into your mind whenever you experienced something new, something you knew would change you forever.

The sound of falling water brought you back to the present, your eyes drifted around your shower as you tested the temperature. Perhaps, you were overthinking everything, more so since the two of you had been alone for quite some time and she had become a part of your daily routine. You groaned in frustration as the warm water touched your heated skin, you closed your eyes snorting.

Yes, this was you overthinking as always.

You were grateful to have someone like Wanda around you. She was just different; perhaps just as lost as you were sometimes. There was nothing there.

There couldn’t be.

But as you tried to reassure yourself building up excuses and denial in your mind, there was something deep inside your soul that stirred in longing. The green eyes of Wanda forming inside your mind as you decided you would show the young woman the wonders of caramel corn for your movie night.

Yes, nothing there.

#Wanda/Reader #ReaderxWanda #F!Reader/Wanda Maximoff #Avengers #Natasha/Reader mentions #Y/N/Wanda #Reader #Wanda Maximoff #Natasha Romanoff #Wanda x Reader #Wanda Maximoff x Reader #MCU #avengers aou

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mazegays · 9 months

Text

could've followed my fears all the way down

Chapter 9

Chapters: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 11, 12

"That's the second time he's passed out this week."

"The first was because of a head injury, that's excused. We know why it happened." Harriet rolls her eyes. "Gally, seriously, you're too worried about this. He’s fine. Anya and I both checked him over. He was probably just on his feet too long."

"We were just making jam." Frypan says, quietly. It's not his fault Thomas likes to ignore his limits.

"It's not your fault. Fry. It's Thomas. I doubt he even thought about needing to rest once he started working. Sometimes I don't think he'd sleep if we didn't make him." Minho pushes off the wall to place a hand on Frypan’s shoulder. "And spare him the lecture. I think Gally’s will be enough."

What is that supposed to mean?

Only he and Minho are left— and Gally’s not even sure why Minho stayed this late— when Thomas starts talking in his sleep.

"No, that's… that's not my name!" What?

He keeps going, muttering things that don't make sense to them. At one point, his body jerks a few times. It looks a little like a seizure, but his gut tells him it's not.

"Has he ever mentioned this to you?" He glances at Minho.

"Only in passing. He’s had dreams like this before. You know how we don't know our real names? I don't think Thomas took to his well."

"Clearly." What had they done to him? Thomas had to have been young— they all would have been. He's literally begging for the pain to stop.

How old was he when he was taken? Or given up by his parents? Gally’s not sure which is more likely. Or maybe they’d been orphans instead, but WCKD had been looking for a specific kind of child.

Immune, for one. And the majority of them would probably test higher than the average on intelligence. Whether that’s because of something WCKD had them do as kids or if it’s just natural, they’ll likely never know.

Thomas keeps begging in his sleep.

Gally doesn’t think it can get worse.

“Have you ever been able to wake him up from these?” He asks Minho.

“No. I’ve tried everything. He just gets more distressed.”

“Minho? No, Minho, don’t go in there!”

“What’s he talking about?”

“No idea.”

Thomas sits up, but he’s not awake. “I have to stop them.”

Who? And from doing what?

He keeps saying seemingly random phrases, not waking for several more minutes. It scares Gally more than he’d like to admit. Thomas is one of the few who didn’t get his memories back.

Had he had an idea of what would be there?

“How long have you been here?” Thomas looks between them. “Have you been watching me sleep?”

“You were having one of your talking nightmares.” Minho explains. “Gally hadn’t seen one before.”

“Oh. What did I say?”

“Just the usual stuff.”

“What happened?”

“You passed out making jam with Frypan.” Gally answers. “You should have come and found me, shank.”

“Kind of hard to do that when I’m unconscious, Gally.”

“You know that’s not what I meant.” If Thomas is snarking back at him, he’s not feeling too bad. It’s worse when he’s quiet.

“Probably just was up too long. It was fun, though. Am I back on bedrest or can I leave?”

“It’s the middle of the night, so you’re going to eat and go back to sleep, but yes. You just have to be more careful tomorrow.” Minho tosses Thomas an apple.

“But I really wanted to pass out again tomorrow.”

“I don’t think Gally’s going to let you leave if you keep talking like that.”

“He can try.” Thomas and Minho go back and forth for a few minutes, until Thomas starts yawning.

“I’m surprised you’re so tired.”

“Passing out isn’t exactly the same as sleeping.” Thomas points out. “Where is Minho going to sleep?”

Gally’s bed is big enough that after a few days, Thomas had insisted they share if Gally wouldn’t let him alternate nights in the chair.

He wasn’t planning on letting anyone else know about that arrangement.

“I can walk back, it’s not a big deal.” Before Minho can cross the room, Thomas catches his wrist and glances at Gally.

Apparently, Minho’s going to find out about that. He can imagine how he’ll react.

“It’s fine, Minho. Thomas and I usually share, and it’ll be a tight fit, but if you don’t mind you don’t have to walk back.”

The things he does for this kid.

Minho doesn’t look too shocked at this.

“Yeah, that’s good.” Gally must look confused, so Minho keeps talking. “Thomas and I shove our beds together sometimes when nightmares get bad. Having another person around helps.”

It takes a minute, but Thomas is already half-asleep again and he’s in the middle of the bed, so they don’t even have to decide who’s going to sleep where.

“Hey, Minho?”

“Yeah?”

“If you kick me, shank, I’m throwing you out.”

“I think I’d hit Thomas before I hit you.” Minho reaches over to swat him lightly.

Thomas’s breathing has already evened out, so Gally doesn’t bother swatting him back.

He’ll get him tomorrow, anyway.

finish on ao3 or under the cut

It’s not until lunch the next day that Thomas realizes something feels off. He’d been the last to wake up, which wasn’t surprising. If there’s no danger, he sleeps like a rock.

“Gally, why are you and Minho being weird? And don’t tell me you don’t know what I’m talking about. You haven’t said two words to each other all day, and Minho’s working through lunch. He never does that.”

“We just had a.. .talk, before you woke up.” Neither of them had been there when he’d woken up. It was weird, for both of them. Minho had always dragged him out of bed when he left, and Gally liked to at least know that he was awake.

“Sure you did.” Thomas can tell Gally’s not going to tell him anything else.

“Are you feeling okay, Thomas?”

“I’m fine. You don’t have to tell me. Wait, were you talking about me?”

“Maybe a little. Not the way you think, though. Probably. I don’t know what you think about.”

“Oh trust me, you don’t want to know.” Thomas steals one of Gally’s apples— he never eats them both, so why does he always get two or three?— and tosses it up. “Are you going to be overprotective all day? That’s normally Minho’s job.”

“Thomas, you purposefully got yourself stung by a Griever.”

“Well, yeah, but that was to help us.”

“And he came back for me after I was struck by lightning, and then he got shot, and Denver was a mess.” Minho’s finally joining them.

“You got shot?”

“I really don’t think that’s important.” Thomas tries, taking a bite of the apple to avoid answering.

“In the Scorch. WCKD airlifted him out and fixed him up, then returned him to us.”

“I’m kind of curious about the lightning, myself.” Sonya sits right before Minho can, squishing against Thomas’s side and grinning at him cheekily.

“Did you have a lightning storm to deal with in the Scorch?” He asks. She nods.

“Lost a couple of girls, but most of us were okay. We weren’t as exposed as you were. Kept mostly to the tunnels.”

“We lost a couple too. Thomas came back for me, hauled me into the warehouse where we met Jorge.”

“Where Jorge threatened to cut your fingers off because you were an asshole, and then he would only talk to me.”

Gally whistles. “Wait, Minho, is that what those scars on your back are?”

“Yeah, they’re from that. I was pretty out of it for a while after that. I’m surprised none of us lost our hearing from that.” Thomas winces, and hopes Sonya doesn’t notice. He’s gotten used to it, and it’s not too bad— not as bad as he’d thought it would be— but immediately after the strike he’d realized one side was quieter than the other.

“Oh, I felt that.” Sonya says. “You did, Thomas, didn’t you?”

“A little. Things are more muted on my right side now. It didn’t seem like a big deal at the time, the storm outside made it hard to hear as it was. I didn’t realize what had happened until later.”

“You didn’t think that was important to mention? To anyone?” Minho and Gally have almost the same expression— eyebrow raised and disapproving. Thomas would laugh if it wasn’t directed at him.

“We had bigger things to deal with! And I got used to it. It’s not a big deal, really.”

And he knows WCKD did scans and tests while they had him to remove the bullet. They probably could have fixed it, if they’d wanted to.

He doesn’t tell them this.

Thomas finishes his apple. Sonya’s not holding a plate; she had probably eaten with Group B.

“Sonya, will you walk me to Jamie’s? I’m talking to her today.” He’s dizzy for a minute when he stands up, but it’s probably nothing. It happens all the time when people get up too fast, right?

Right?

Maybe Anya should take another look at his head. She’d said the cut wasn’t infected, and that he’ll be fine in a few weeks, but he doesn’t think this is normal.

It takes too long for him to realize he’s not standing anymore.

He’s on the ground, his head in Sonya’s lap.

“Thomas, come on, tell us what’s going on.” Gally sounds upset; pleading.

Thomas can’t tell him what’s going on. He doesn’t have the answers.

“He can’t talk, Gally.” Minho snaps. “Thomas, can you blink? Twice for yes, once for no.”

He tries. He really tries, but he doesn’t think it works.

He passes out for the third time this week.

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liaromancewriter · 1 year

Text

Kiss Me at Midnight

Premise: Max and Sienna enjoy a special New Year’s Eve celebration.

Book: Open Heart (post series) Pairing: Sienna Trinh x Max Valentine (M!OC) Rating/Category: Mature – light NSFW. Fluff. Format: Prose + Text & Pic Fic Words: 1,375

A/N: This fic is set a couple of years in the future, immediately after A Valentine Holiday. Submission for @choicesficwriterscreations Holiday celebrations event; @choicesholidays week 6 “Meet me at midnight”; @choicesdecember2022 Day 13 - Paris, and @choicesflashfics holiday prompt 24 (in bold). I’m also using prompt 3 from @creativepromptsforwriting New Year’s dialogue prompts. Tagging for reblog to @creativepromptfills

Part 1: It’s all in the planning

Max Valentine was known for his impeccable sense of timing and shrewd negotiation skills in the business world. He tended to be more laid back in his personal life unless he wanted something badly. Then, it was just a matter of moving the pieces until he got what he wanted.

His sister Cassie often teased him about being single-minded in pursuing a goal, just like a shark. His wife, Sienna, said the same. But as far as Max was concerned, the only way to get what you wanted was to go after it with everything you had.

In this case, his target was whisking his wife to Paris for a special New Year’s Eve celebration, their first one. They had been married for two years this month but hadn’t celebrated the new year in style once, first because of his accident and then Noah’s birth the following year.

This year was it, he thought. All he had to do was convince Sienna that their one-year-old son could survive without them for thirty-six hours while they enjoyed romance and midnight kisses under a Parisian sky.

He rationalized that it would likely feel like twenty-four with the time difference when it all came down to it. Their moms were already locked down for Operation Paris, but he needed another ally in his quest.

He neared the conservatory where Sienna’s sister had disappeared earlier. Brianna had always been on the fence about him and his intentions toward Sienna. They had come to a truce of sorts after Noah’s birth, but her approval was hard to come by. However, he was a man on a mission, and nothing would deter him.

He saw her sitting on the bench in the center of the room, knitting what looked like a hat. He called out a friendly greeting as he strode towards her.

“Valentine,” she said, inscrutable as always, the needles in her hands never faltering. When he joined her on the bench, she glanced up. “Is everything okay?”

“I need your help,” Max said, laying out his plan quickly and appreciating that Brianna didn’t interrupt until he was done.

“Does Sienna know about this?”

“Nope. I’m hoping to surprise her, but I know she won’t leave Noah unless there’s family to look after him. Not that I would either,” Max explained.

Brianna watched him, her expression unreadable, and then she nodded. “Of course, I’ll help. And if Sienna acts stubborn about this, I’ll make sure she sees the error of her ways.”

“Thanks, Brianna,” Max sighed in relief. “You have no idea how much I appreciate this.”

He smiled at his sister-in-law and rose from the bench, ready to activate phase two—convincing his wife—when Brianna’s words stopped him in his tracks.

“Sienna is lucky to have you, Max. I hated Wayne with a passion, but you’ve more than proven yourself worthy of her.”

Brianna paused her knitting to stare at him from under beetled brows. “But this doesn’t mean I’m going to stop giving you a hard time. Wouldn’t want you to get complacent and take her for granted.”

Max chuckled. “Between my sister, my parents and you, Sienna has enough protectors to keep me on my toes.”

“Good!”

He shook his head, grinning at the pseudo praise slash warning, and left the conservatory to track down his wife.

Part 2: It’s all in the details

Sienna knew her mouth was hanging open, but she couldn’t help herself. She was still having a hard time believing she was in Paris watching the Eiffel Tower from the balcony of their hotel suite.

“Let’s ring in the new year with style,” Max had cajoled almost twelve hours earlier, his lips curving in an endearing grin she often found hard to resist.

Unsurprisingly, he had taken care of all her objections before she could even voice them. She thought there was something wonderful about being married to your best friend. He knew her better than she knew herself at times.

It wasn’t her first time in Paris or even her second. She had traveled more with him than she had in her entire life before. But tonight was the end of one year and the beginning of another; the late afternoon air was heavy with the promise of forever. It was different. Special.

When Max wrapped his arms around her waist from behind, Sienna sighed and leaned back against him, his body's heat surrounding her and the scent of his citrus body wash filling her senses. She angled her head to give him access, shivering as his lips trailed kisses down her neck.

“Glad you came?” he asked, loosening the tie of her robe just enough to ease the fabric down her shoulders and pepper kisses across her collarbone.

“Yes,” she said, breathless. “Don’t stop.”

“We have reservations for dinner, remember?” he said, cupping her breasts as the edges of her robe fell away.

Sienna turned to face him and circled her arms around his neck. “Let me introduce you to something called room service.”

He laughed. “Nice try, Si. But we’re on a schedule. Besides, I plan to slowly drive you crazy tonight until you’re begging me to make love to you.”

“We’ll see about that,” Sienna said boldly, pushing him towards the king-sized bed until he fell back and pulled her on top.

“I have plans, too,” she said, straddling his thighs. She pushed off his robe and closed her fingers around his length. “Shall I give you a preview?”

“Yes, please.” His voice came out strangled as she tugged lightly.

Sienna leaned over Max and kissed her way down his chest, swirling her tongue around his nipples before continuing further. She stopped just below his stomach, where his erection bobbed, begging for attention.

The game had gone farther than she’d intended, and now all she wanted was to finish it.

“Ready to beg?” she asked, voice hoarse from desire, unable to hide how turned on she was and close to begging herself.

“Hand me my phone.”

Sienna stretched her arm to reach for his phone lying on the covers near the pillows. The movement pressed the lower half of her body against him, both groaning as teasing anticipation turned to aching need.

Keeping his green eyes locked on hers, he dialed with one hand and put the phone on speaker. His other hand closed around hers, lifting it to brush his lips lightly across the skin at the back of her hand.

She heard him tell the maitre’d to change their reservation to a late supper. Her insides melted, as they always did when he spoke in a foreign language.

When he ended the call, she kissed the underside of his jaw and nipped the corner of his mouth. “Have I told you how sexy you sound when you speak French?”

“C’est vrai?” he smirked, cocking one eyebrow.

She yelped as he suddenly flipped her over, reversing their positions so that she lay beneath him. His gaze grew heated the longer he stared at her body, and her thighs spread open to cradle him.

“As if you don’t know,” she said, a moan escaping when his clever fingers teased her core.

“Je ne veux que t’aimer,” he whispered, burying his face in the valley between her breasts.

Her heart fluttered at the words and the love she always felt in his every caress.

“My only resolution is to love you even more next year,” she said, framing his face between her hands and closing her lips over his, sealing the vow.

Later that night, she and Max lay on the chaise longue on their hotel balcony, tipsy from wine at dinner and then champagne for dessert. Their laughter rang across the dark sky as they counted down the last few seconds of the old year.

And their lips met in a sweet kiss full of promise and love when the clock struck midnight.

Nestled between her husband’s arms, Sienna watched fireworks light up the midnight sky, the Eiffel Tower framed between exploding colors. She felt cherished beyond measure and knew that this year would be even more spectacular than the ones before.

Part 3: It’s all in the romance

A/N2: Translations: “C’est vrai?” = “Is that right?” or “Oh yeah?”. “Je ne veux que t’aimer.” = “All I want is to love you.”

All Fics & Edits: @a-crepusculo @annfg8 @bex-la-get @bluebelle08 @cariantha @choicesaddict5 @coffeeheartaddict2 @crazy-loca-blog @doriopenheart @genevievemd @headoverheelsforramsey @lucy-268 @jamespotterthefirst @jerzwriter @mysticalgalaxysstuff @openheartforeverinmyheart @peonierose @takemyopenheart @potionsprefect @queencarb @quixoticdreamer16 @rookiemartin @trappedinfanfiction @vi-writes-stuff @zahrachoices @hopelessromantic1352

Submissions: @openheartfanfics

Max & Sienna only: @aallotarenunelma

#open heart #open heart choices #open heart fanfics #open heart fanfiction #sienna trinh #choices fic writers creations #cfwc holidays 2022 #writers on tumblr #choices fanfics #sienna trinh x oc #romantic fiction #sienna trinh x max valentine #choices fanfiction

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canonicallyobserving911 · 1 year

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Canonically Observing 9-1-1 & Fanonwriter2023 on AO3

💕💕 Blog and Fanfic Update💕💕

It’s been a couple of days since 6x18 aired and I’ve done a lot of thinking about my continued involvement with writing Buck, Eddie and Christopher blog posts and fanfics. On Monday night, my initial reaction was to stop doing both but after the dust settled and I had a chance to think about why I started blogging and writing fanfics in the first place, I remembered how much I enjoy doing both and honestly, I don’t want to stop.

Since it appears the hiatus will last until at least January 2024, I made a decision; I’m going to occasionally write blog posts and I’m going to continue writing fanfic.

Blog posts

I will only blog when I feel like I’m ready to address the issues I saw during season 6. That could be once a week or once every two weeks but it won’t be until I determine how I want to outline each post. There are several things I want to address but before I do, I want to make sure my posts will be both constructive with its criticisms and also, I want them to be objective. I already have a plan in mind as to how those posts will be handled and they’ll all be placed underneath a “keep reading” label. Additionally, I plan to create a new tag for them the same way I did for my “Things that are missing from season 6″ posts during 6A.

Fanfics

I love writing fanfics because it gives me the chance to collide CANON with FANON. I can eliminate any side characters I don’t want included in my fics especially if they are irrelevant and take time away from main and recurring characters who are supposed to be there. For me, fic writing is great because I’ll start with an idea but while I’m writing, the story begins to morph into this beautiful thing I had no idea I could create. I always do my best to keep Buck, Eddie, Chris along with the entire 9-1-1 family in character and instead of ignoring the parts of their story that’s already been told, I continue to follow the narrative that was established for them starting with season 2. Since, the family Buck and Eddie chose and built over the last five years in CANON isn’t finished, I plan to keep writing fics about them to see it continue.

Currently, The After Series is still in progress, there are only two parts left for season 3 and since the hiatus is going to be an extended one, my goal is to complete it in the Fall. Additionally, I’m working on a new series I started at the beginning of 6B and it includes several parts. I’m excited to complete both series and hopefully everyone will enjoy reading them.

Season 7

I have no idea how the show will address Eddie’s, Buck’s and Chris’ relationship or if they will at all. Therefore, I’m not going to speculate on my blog about the things that could or might happen but I will write some future fanfics about Buck and Eddie’s romantic relationship, Dad!Eddie, Dad!Buck and The Buckley-Diaz Family. Also, right now, I’m still unsure if I will or won’t watch the next season but if I do, I’m 95% sure I won’t watch it live. I’ll make a definitive decision after filming begins and the BTS pics and synopses start being released.

Season 6 was interesting and I’ll leave it at that until I complete my blog posts about it.

I enjoy writing and I have a lot of fanfics I want to start and some WIPs I need to complete about Buck and Eddie and The Buckley-Diaz Family because I don’t believe their story has been given the care and attention it deserves in CANON.

While it’s unclear if Buck and Eddie’s CANON story is complete, one of the most beautiful parts about writing fanfics is it doesn’t have to be. In my FANON fanfic land their story won’t be complete until I write my last fic and right now, even I don’t know when that will be.

Even though I’ve only been writing fanfics for a few months, I truly believe fanfic writers have the ability to give the characters depth and follow the narrative included in CANON even when it appears the show has refused to do it.

Find me on AO3 at Fanonwriter2023.

#buddie #eddie diaz #evan buckley #christopher diaz #911 fox #911 on fox #911onfox #911 abc #911 on abc #911 fanfic #buddie fanfic #ao3 fanfic #Fanonwriter2023 on AO3 #911 season 7

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deiongill · 3 months

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Today I am 8 days into quitting vaping after 4 years. To be honest, it was a lot easier than I expected. I’ve done my fair share of googles on what quitting vaping and nicotine all together is like, so I assumed that I would be in a constant state of panic for 2 weeks straight with some of the worst symptoms known to man. Was I being dramatic to think that? Yes. Was I crazy to think that and also be so down to white knuckle it and quit semi-cold turkey? Maybe. Now I’ve had a few days in the past week where the motion sickness, irritability and constant background headaches were a lot to handle, but I honestly made it through pretty smoothly.

It was a very simple and quiet decision that I made to quit entirely, and it was in 3 steps that I made it happen and got to the point where I’m typing this without the urge to pick it back up again after only 8 days. The first step was no longer buying new vapes, so I could only hit the near-empty ones I had lying around the house. Not a very glamorous thing to say out loud seeing that I had about 15 of them hiding in random places in my apartment and car, but nonetheless it helped to get the process started. The faded and worn out flavor, plus the disappointing lack of “smoke” exhaled from each hit felt like it was training my brain to no longer rely on vaping to give me the same sense of satisfaction that I once received from it. The experience was now a lackluster excuse for a bad habit. Did I continue to do it? Absolutely. I reluctantly used up all 15 of the near empty vapes in about 2 weeks, and by the end of it I was almost glad to be done with them.

Step 2 was a huge jump, but somehow it felt easy. Here’s what happened leading up to it in reality… I cheated the process, but not without good reason. I finished my last used vape on the way to the airport to fly out to Atlanta to see my family for 2 days during Christmas. When I landed and got picked up, I had already decided in my mind that I was going to buy one last vape for this trip, because I couldn’t bear to let the withdrawals kick in while I was with my family. That was just something I didn’t see going well. So I purchased myself a cheat day vape and went about my holiday before throwing it out as I left for the airport to head back to LA. Step 2 was now in effect. This was the rule of no longer having any vapes to myself, and only being able to take 1 hit of my best friend and roommate Crispin’s vape per day. Luckily I was in the studio for the majority of my time during this phase, so I would either come home around 9pm and hit it once after a full day, or, if I wasn’t in the studio, wait until about 3pm after I had already worked out or hiked before allowing myself to knock on his bedroom door and be met with his answer before I even asked the question.

Step 2 lasted for about a week and some change, and on January 5th, something miraculous happened in perfect timing. I was in an all-day session until 10-11 pm that night and returned home to take a nap before needing to drive Crispin to the airport early in the morning. He was already asleep and I didn’t want to wake him up with my nicotine junkie tendencies, so I refrained from knocking on his door. Somehow, without even noticing it, the clock had struck midnight and I had officially made it a full 24 hours without vaping at all. Not even a single hit. It didn’t occur to me until I was getting back up out of bed to leave for the airport, but when it did I was surprised and proud. I decided that there was no turning back from it, and I would go without my Elliot Smith-esque last hit moment. There was no fond farewell to a friend. I had officially quit vaping for good. It was time for step 3.

This past week has been strange when it comes to the specific experience of completely quitting. I remember moments of nausea, headaches, lack of focus, and compulsive eating, but never once did I feel the urge to make all the discomfort disappear by taking the easy way out. I stood on the word that I gave to myself and refused to budge. I gained a lot of respect for myself this week, respect that was earned by choosing my future over my present. I showed myself tough love, real care and kept a promise. I don’t know what version of me is going to be able to see that promise come full circle and be able to say “I’m so thankful I made that decision”, but I’m looking forward to being that version of myself, no matter how far away that is. I proved that I’m worth being looked out for, taken care of, and respected, even if only by myself. I showed myself that I matter by doing this, and I set an example for all the other parts of me that I want to work on and improve. If I can do this, what else can I do?

#quitting nicotine #quitting vaping #vaping #quit smoking #quit vaping

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