#my group is always the last one in lab but we always have the lowest percent errors

[satuurnos]

HEYYYYY GUESS WHO GOT A 2.83% ERROR ON THEIR TITRATION FUCK YEAH IT WAS THE LIGHTEST PINK IVE EVER SEEN

#dude ive never gotten so low of a percent error in chem lab (this is chem II btw) #my group is always the last one in lab but we always have the lowest percent errors

[nevermore-the-kitsune]

Pokemon Teams for Fictional Characters pt. 2

Damian Wayne

(Also, I'm not including move sets because in my headcannon Pokemon do remember all their old moves. But humans choose to only use four)

For this AU I'm having the Wayne's own the Gotham City Gym, which specializes in Dark types. Most of the cannon events still happened. Just with a few tweaks here and there. (Dick's 20, Jason's 16, Cass is 15 Tim's 15 but younger than Cass and Damian's 13 because I love AUs where there closer in age).

Anyway here we go!

First things first in the Pokemon Universe his alias wouldn't be Robin since they don't exist. Instead I think it would be Rookidee, since thats the closest Pokemon to a Robin.

His Partner Pokemon and ace would be a Gligar

Name: Goliath

Gender: Male

Why: Gligar screams Goliath (his Batdragon) plus the coloring of his evolutions matches with Dami's Robin and Batman outfits

Story: He found Goliath while climbing a mountain for his training. At the time he was four and Goliath was a hatching. Damian ended up giving him some food, seeing that the hatching was hungry.

Grateful, the Gligar followed him hoping to return the favor.

When Damian's hand got broken on that same trip, Goliath was the one to help him finish his mission and get home safely.

Talia was impressed that Damian could tame a wild Pokemon without catching it, so she allowed him to keep him as his first Pokemon.

-----

Next he would have a Meowth

Name: Alfred

Gender: Female

Why: This one has to do with its evolution. Persian are said to only be loyal to trainers it likes and that it takes a lot to get them to like you. Their also said to be prissy and uptight. This reminded me of Damian. How it took forever for him to trust his brothers and his own snobby attitude. Thus I think it fits.

Story: After coming to live with his father Damian didn't know how to act. He saw his "brothers" and father treating their Pokemon so different than how the League did. They all trained hard. But, there was something eles: warm praise for a job well done, asking for insight on a case (they had taught their bipedal pokemon sighn language) and comfort on a bad day. His father and brothers treated their Pokemon like... people

In the League Pokemon where the lowest soldier, lower than the slaves or concubines. They trained, ate then they had to and got in their ball.

He had been a little more lenient in his training with Goliath. When asked he said that he was still a baby and he had to take things slow in this stage or he might develop too much muscle mass and be unable to fly.

He had kept him out of his ball with the excuse of developing muscle mass at a proper pace.

He liked Goliath's company. The Gligar was a good companion. But on the same level as another person?

He had expressed these thoughts to Pennyworth, the only person in the house to give him a straight answer when he needed it.

Pennyworth had explained to him that some people love to hold power over others and that Pokemon where an easy target, since they couldn't communicate their emotions as clearly as people could.

"Think of Mistress Cain. She sometimes cannot communicate with words, but we know that she's intelligent. But some people see her as less than intelligent and treat her as such because of the power it gives them."

Two weeks later Damian would come across a group of teenagers attempting to shave a Meowth. The Pokemon was little more than skin and bone and crying out on pain. So, Damian broke their fingers and shaved part of their heads for good measure.

He kept the Meowth and named her after the man who taught him about the abuse of power.

---

Next, a Poochyena

Name: Titus

Gender: Male

Why: These Pokemon and their evolution are ruthless with their pray, and only obey trainers with external skill.

Story: Raven gave Damian Titus as a gift. She said that she rescued him from an underground fighting ring (where the battles are to the death). He was still to young to battle so he didn't need much rehabilitation. The other Pokemon there though...

---

Now we have a Type Null

Name: Heretic

Gender: ???

Why: This Pokemon was created in lab, and artificial designed for the purpose of fighting, just like Damian. True I could have given him Mewtwo, but that cat seems to fit Kon more.

Story: Damian's mother had spent years creating Type: Null with the purpose of being able to kill any target. As a last test she wanted to see which of her creations was suppirrior. So she sent the Type Null out to (try and) kill her son.

Damian, with the rest of his team, beat the Pokemon but couldn't kill it. He had long since vowed to wash the blood from his hands. Instead he offered his hand to it and asked it to join him.

---

Here we have the hardest to explain... Mimikyu

Name: Habibi (I hope I spelled that right)

Gender: Female

Why: Damian is complex, he wants to be accepted and loved just like Mimikyu but dosent know how. Both try to mimic others in order to get that love, Damian his father and Mimikyu Pikachu. So I see this as Damian's spirit Pokemon in a way.

Story: He didn't know why it was so hard to fit in. Gods know he tried. But... little things confused him. Like how eveyone could understand each other without words or singhing. He had no problems with that on a battlefield, but in day to day life; it felt like he was on a separate server.

Like how Todd knew at breakfast with just a look that Drake was in a bad mood and how to help. Or how Grayson could audomadicly tell what kind of day at school the rest of them had withen a few minutes. Hell even Drake could tell what grunts ment what from father! Which ment good job, Which ment I'm glade your okay, or frustration either at them or at a case (Cass didn't surprise him, she had to learn how to communicate without words and watch body language and micro expressions).

School was no better; sometimes it was to load or bright othertimes, when everyone was doing a test, it felt to quiet. But, to much or to little, Damian was always aware of every movement, every sound. It was like the very instincts that saved his life every night where turned against him.

He turned to his nearly forgotten childhood habits to distract himself from everything around him. That only led to more whisper shouting and what even he could tell where displeased glares with a grunt of "fucking tapping" or a snap of "stop!" He knew it was disrupting but it was all be could do to drown out the noise or silence.

On one particularly bad day at school; apparently during one of their tests one of his classmates had had enough of Damian's tapping and decided to make a scene.

There was some yelling from the kid. A few cries in agreement. Before the teacher had gotten hem to settle down. He had demanded that Damian look him in the eye and when he finally did told him to stop with the tapping or else he would be sent to the office, Gym Leaders son or not.

He was the last to finish that test where he normally finished first. The silence had been to load!!

After that clusterfuck Damian finally headed home. He had texted Grayson saying that he was meeting a friend somewhere to work on a project and to not pick him up. In truth he didn't want his brother reading what kind of day he had had. He needed some time to himself.

That was how he found himself in a nearby park. It was filled with plenty of sounds that didn't suffocate him and the fall leaves where soothing to his eyes. Damian had Titus out of his ball as company, knowing that the pup loved park walks.

They had been walking for an hour when they came across a box set off just on the edge of the trail. "Free to Good Homes" was written on the side in black sharpie.

No sound was coming from inside, so he assumed that the had all been taken. Until Titus went closer sniffing at the seemingly empty box.

"Pooch Pooch"

"Hmmm... what is is it boy?" He asked as he walked closer to his Pokemon and the Box. Damian hoped he was wrong. It was cruel to leave a baby Pokemon all alone, especially since the weather was getting colder by the day.

Inside the box was in fact a lone Pokemon. At first glance it looked like a Pikachu. But something was off. It looked more like a doll than a living creature. If it wasn't for the small chirps it let out and slight way that it was shivering from the cold Damian would have written it off as a toy. No wonder it got left behind...

Damian reached down and picked up the mystery Pokemon as gently as he could.

"Come on beloved, lets go home."

He tucked the Pokemon in his jacket to warm it up before reaching for his phone to call Grayson for a ride home.

That night Damian locked himself away, even skipped patrol, and spent a sleepless night learning everything he could about his newest Pokemon.

---

That was inspired by this comic

---

Finaly, for his last spot Eevee!!

Name: Omni

Gender: Female

Why: I'm going to have all the Batfam members have an Eeveelution. This branch and the Batfam are both growing consistently. We all have our favorites but we love them all the same. So I think it fits.

Story: Everyone in the family had an Eevee or one of its evolutions. Damian's Father said that Eevee was the Wayne family symbol, it was potential, the ability to become whatever you wanted.

Though it surprised Damian that the Wayne symbol wasn't a Noibat or Noivern (Batman's ace) at first he eventually understood the logic in choosing such a Pokemon to represent the family name. That only made things harder for him being the only one not having one. Did they not truly see him as family?

On the one year anniversary of Damian arriving at The Mannor, his family through a small party. Pennyworth made his favorite foods, The Mannor was decorated in tacky streamers (Graysons' idea) and they watched some of Damian's favorite fims, their Pokemon curled up with them. His father had offered to take the day off from the gym. Until Todd suggested that Damian take on the challengers.

The Gotham gym was part of his heritage. Damian had been training for the day that he could finally help weed out the weak challengers just like his siblings sometimes did (think the battles you do before challenging a gym leader in the games).

On that day, if the challengers agreed to it, their final battle wasn't with Bruce Wayne the Dark Knight but instead his son. Most accepted thinking that it would be an easy win, that they had lucked out in not having to battle one of the stongest Gym Leaders in the League and could still get the Shadow Badge.

Those poor fools.

Damian was only allowed to use Alfred, Titus and Habibi since he used Goliath and Heretic primarily as Rookidee.

Damian fought seven trainers that day in 3v3 fights. Only two of them got the badge.

With the day overwith and the night rising, so did Gothams' protecters.

The night ended with exhausted body's and adrenaline crashes. Damian was ready to slip into a mini coma from the day he had but before he could head upstairs to The Mannor...

"Not so fast baby bat." Graysons' voice called out to him. "We got one more surprise for you."

Damian raised his eyebrow at that. What else could they do? His father came back from the locker rooms where he had been desuiting, it always took him the longest because of his "old man bones" as Todd said.

"Son," his father said "its Wayne tradition to get your first Pokemon when you turn ten years old. I missed that with you." He paused, eyes briefly shifting to the floor before they snapped back on Damian's face. "Luckily there's one tradition we didn't miss. When you've lived at The Mannor for a year or the adoption papers get finalized, I give my children this..."

He pulled a Poke'ball out of his poket and handed to Damian. "Go on son, let them out."

He did

Staring at him was his own Eevee.

---

AN: All of Damian's Pokemon (sans maybe Omni, I'm thinking of leaving her as an Eevee) will eventually evolve. Eventually.

#not my art #not my image #autistic damian wayne #batfam #damian wayne #pokemon team #pokemon #gligar #meowth #poochyena #headcanon #type null #mimikyu #comics #pokemon comic #eevee #eevee kin #Gotham gym #good dad #bruce is a good dad #jason todd is a little shit

[stressisakiller]

As You Wish

Steve Rogers x Reader Soulmate AU

(As you wish Part 2)

Summary: What happens when after moving into Stark Tower you run into a certain Captain

Warnings: None really, fluff, like one cussword a little bit of spice

Word Count: 2.4k

A/N: Fluffy chapter yay!  Let me know what you think and if you have any requests for future chapters! Thank yall for reading!’

<< Previous   Next >>

Life working side by side with Tony was dangerous. When Killian attacked Tony it was you not Pepper who was taken and subjected to the Extremis serum. This caused you to heal crazy fast and gave you super strength, which was pretty cool but not very useful for someone who spent most of their time in a robotics lab trying not to crush something when it wasn't working.

You later discovered that Killian mistakenly believed that you were in fact Tony's soulmate, while you had always thought that it was Pepper. She quickly refuted your claim when you told her, pulling the back of her jeans down enough to show the smiley face that graced her butt cheek. Turns out that her soulmate was none other than Happy the head of security.

 About six months after the battle of new york, after Tony and the whole Killian/Mandarin situation, Tony asked very nicely if you would move into the Avengers tower with him. He needed to get the Avengers tower going, and after everything that happened and his panic attacks, he really didn't want to live there alone. He was also hoping that if you lived in the tower that the avengers would be more willing to as well. By this point you had met and become friends with most of them save for Captain America, he hasn’t been around much. He was trying to find his place in this new world and taking as many missions as Shield will give him in order to feel needed 

The tower was much different this time than the last time you had been there. There was less plastic film and dust everywhere and all of the construction work was done. Most notably, the wall on Stark's living room floor was no longer a gaping hole.

The top eight levels of the tower were for the avengers. The penthouse was where Tony stayed, no surprise there. The level directly below was his lab space which was restricted access for the most part and then there was the common level under that. The common level was composed of a large kitchen and dining area, as well as a massive living room with the biggest tv you had ever seen. This floor also houses a theater, and an arcade room equipped with pool tables and any other game you could think of. Tony is such a child sometimes, not that you were complaining you loved to play pool. The next three floors are where you and the rest of the Avengers would live. You would each get your own suite that you could arrange and decorate however you saw fit. Each suite includes a kitchenette, and small living room that was separate from the bedroom, and a massive ensuite bath. The lowest two levels were dedicated to the training room and medical ward, as well as a giant pool and sauna area, these floors allowed for outside access as long as they were vetted.

Six months later, life in the tower was going well. You, Tony and Bruce, were the main people living there. You could understand that though, Nat and Clint were constantly out on missions for shield and mainly stayed on base in DC. Tony told you that Steve was currently living in an apartment in DC. He didn't want to live on base but he was running missions for Shield on and off. Thor was off-world with Loki so life was pretty quiet. 

 Then there was a mission that the Captain went on that didn’t go the way he thought. He was wounded and brought back a captive. You were in the common area when the door was thrown open and a bloody Steve Rogers burst through carrying a soaking wet girl over his shoulder.

“The Medical wing, where is it?” He questioned voice hard from pain or fatigue or both. 

“This way.” you hurried off, not looking behind you, you knew that he would follow. 

When you arrived, you called for Dr. Cho and Steve told her what was going on and placed the girl on a stretcher. The nurses pushed her to a room to monitor her until she woke up. He was then shown to a separate room to be looked over and have the bullet removed. 

 That night Tony pulled you into the living room to watch your favorite movie, the princess bride. It was about halfway through when an exhausted Steve came through the door and flopped down on the couch beside the one that you and Tony were currently lounging on. It was coming to your favorite part, Buttercup was currently yelling at the Dread Pirate Roberts and about to push him down the hill.

“Oooh,” you said hitting Tony’s shoulder, “I love this part,” you spoke along with Wesley as he rolled down the hill, “As you Wiiiisssshhhh.” you clapped your hands together, “that will forever be the best reveal ever.” 

You didn’t notice Steve’s stare as you said those words. Holy Shit he thought his tattoo finally made sense, and yet the girl that fate said was perfect for him had her legs thrown over Tony’s lap and was leaning against him while watching the movie. He stood quickly and stomped out of the room, today was just not his day. 

 You look over at Tony confused when Steve left.

“What the hell do you think that was about?” you asked, growing more confused as you noticed the smirk on Tony’s lips.

“Why are you smiling like that?” You had to stop yourself from slapping him when he started to laugh.

“What the hell, Stark, tell me what's going on?”

“I think that Capsicle just realized that you're his soulmate.” He said through chuckles.

“What the fuck do you mean he realized that I’m his soulmate?” you asked your whole body going still as you waited for him to elaborate.

“I thought you had realized this earlier,” he said looked genuinely confused, “The captain is your soulmate, I’ve known since we had that movie night after finding him in the ice. Your tattoo is his dog tags with the flower of his birth month and a phrase that I’ve heard him say multiple times while next to him in a fight.”

You just sat there frozen trying to comprehend what exactly the man sitting in front of you was saying. 

“You know, he may be a little jealous that his soulmate was cuddling someone else since he probably doesn’t realize that you're like a sister to me. You should probably go after him.”  His words seemed to break you from your trance as you threw yourself very clumsily from the couch to follow after him.

“Jarvis, where did Rogers go?” 

“He is in the training room miss.”

“Thanks, J”

You ran all the way down, opening the door you were met by the scene of Steve hitting a punching bag so hard that it broke and flew off of its chain.

“You know, I’m not sure that those are made to withstand the punch of a super soldier, maybe I should design one that can,” you said leaning against the wall and trying not to show the fact that your heart was beating a million miles a minute.

“And why would you feel the need to do that, I’m sure Stark has plenty of things that he needs you to design that are more important than a Steve-proof punching bag.” You could tell that he was gritting his teeth as he spoke, reaching for another bag. You step towards him slowly, making sure not to walk too quickly from fear of him leaving.

“Well I’m sure that the great Tony Stark can take care of himself, and anyways, I think creating something to make my soulmate's life easier is more important.”

He slowly pulled his eyes from the punching bag that he was hanging onto the hook to look at you, pain obvious in his eyes.

“Really? Cause you seemed pretty comfortable with him.” you could see the vulnerability in his eyes as he spoke, he had gone through so much already.

“Yes really, Tony is more like an annoying older brother than anything. I’ve been working around him for the past five or so years, trust me when I say that I have no desire to date him. You on the other hand.” You made sure that your voice turned teasing on the last words, you wanted to make him smile, you hadn’t gotten to see that yet.

“Well good, cause I think I may have to kick his ass if you did.” You could hear the teasing lilt in his voice and the hint of a smile at the corner of his mouth. But as quickly as it came it was gone.

“How long have you known?” his voice cracked a little as he spoke. You let out a small huff of a laugh.

“Would you believe me if I told you that Tony had to tell me when I was confused as to why you left the room?” His eyes snapped to yours.

“Really? You didn’t know?”

“After not meeting my soulmate by the time I turned 25 I just pushed it to the back of my mind, I stopped trying to figure out what my tattoo meant and I focused on my work. Plus there were a couple of life-threatening instances that distracted me." You joked. You weren't 100% sure how to handle this situation, your main friend group consisted of a playboy philanthropist and a science nerd that turned into a giant green guy when angry, not really the best people to show you how to be vulnerable.

“I understand that," he said pausing before continuing, "part of my problem was that my tattoo didn’t show up until after I came out of the ice.” he looked down at his hands and you noticed that they were fidgeting, he must be just as nervous as you.

“I didn’t know that,” you murmured, deciding to ask the question that was begging to be asked.

“What is your tattoo, if you don’t mind me asking?”

He shook his head, “Not at all.” he stepped towards you and pulled up his sleeve, and turned out his arm so you could see the flesh just under his armpit. As soon as you saw the tattoo you burst out laughing.

“Of course that’s what my mark is, man I’m such a nerd.” You clutched your stomach as you laughed, tears coming to your eyes from the range of emotions that you are currently going through.

“Can I ask why I have this tattooed on me?” He questioned, clearly curious to the reasoning as to why he had a movie quote on his arm forever. You were finally able to pull yourself together and sober up from the surprise of his tattoo.

“That movie came out the year after I was born and it was my mom’s favorite movie to watch with me, we watched it at least 4 times a year. But we always made sure to watch it on my birthday as a family, it became an integral part of my life, plus it’s just sooo quotable.” you said with a smile, “Do you want to look at my tattoo?” you asked motioning at your arm with your head. He slowly nodded, not able to find the words.

You slowly pulled your sleeve up, showing him the inside of your forearm and the dog tags that graced your skin. He stepped forward gently taking your arm in his hand so that he could study the markings on your skin. Tracing the outline and the words that he could see before smiling.

“What does it mean?” you asked softly looking at him through your lashes.

“It’s um,” he cleared his throat, “it’s my dog tags or at least the lower one is, it says my name, then Captain America and the city I was born in, Brooklyn. The top one however is something that I always seem to say when I’m getting beat up in a fight in order to remind myself that I could do it. And the flower… I think it’s the flower from my birth month? I was born in July so I think it’s a reference to that.” You nodded at his explanation, his fingers still gently tracing over your skin, causing goosebumps to pop up from the feeling.

“So, would you like to watch the movie with me? We can start it over so that you won’t be lost. I know that you struggle with pop culture, old man.” You smirked at him as you spoke, he just rolled his eyes.

“Be careful, this old man could still show you a thing or two.”

You laughed out loud at that, your laugh changed to a squeal when you felt him wrap his arms around your legs and throw you over his shoulder. 

“Ahh, let me down!!” you beat at his shoulders trying to get him to release you but he wouldn’t budge, he just continued to carry you until you ended back in the living room and he threw you down onto the couch. He wasn’t even breathing hard after carrying you up 2 flights of stairs, jerk. 

Tony was nowhere to been seen as you restarted the movie. You ran and grabbed some more popcorn to share, pouring in some M&Ms before plopping back down next to Steve and pulling on your couch blanket. It didn't take long for you to cuddle into his side and for your eyes to droop. 

Steve smiled at you when he realized that you had passed out before you even got to the part he had walked in on earlier. He didn't mind though, he just got comfortable and pulled you in closer before allowing himself to relax and fall asleep. 

Tagged Users: @writerwrites

#steve x reader #steve rodgers x reader #steve rogers #steve rogers imagine #marvel imagine #marvel #soulmate #soulmate au #soulmate tattoo #captain america imagine #captain america #captain america x reader

[blueeyedheizer]

together - warren worthington III

REQUEST: "reader has a super strength/metal skeleton mutation because she was in the lab as Wolverine, then she and Warren get close at the school because they both have terrible pasts and they get together and help each other through and become known as some of the best X-men and they’re so good because they love each other so much..."

WARNINGS: mentions of violence

A/N: had to take some liberties with the request because I don't have enough X-Men knowledge to give it proper justice. I honestly don't really like how this came out and the horrible headache I currently have doesn't help, but I tried my best!

•••

When you first joined Charles Xaviers' school for mutants you were at your lowest point, the concept of happiness was something you never thought you'd ever be familiar with.

The day your parents found out about your mutation, they immediately kicked you out of the house. Well, your father did. When you left home, you mother was crying and pleading for your dad to be understanding, saying that it wasn't that bad and that it could've been a worst mutation. You could easily pass as a regular human being. But the man saw things differently. You were a monster, no longer worth of a roof to live under, no longer worth of love and protection. You hugged your mom goodbye and left without a word, knowing it was better not to start a fight.

You wandered in the streets for a little while, using your savings to buy yourself the minimum you needed to survive.

That was until you were caught and put in a cage to fight against Warren Worthington III. He was far stronger than you were and although you had no broken bones by the end of the fight, you were left with deep bruises all over your body.

You weren't made for fighting. Your mutation was nothing but strengthened bones, there was nothing special about it. You had never been trained to use it to your advantage, so you really weren't stronger than the average when it came to fighting. You just happened to have extremely strong bones. If anything, the burden was even more exhausting.

A few days following the events, when he was himself in search of a shelter, Warren found you almost dead on a poor excuse of a mattress, tears soaking your cheeks as you barely managed to breathe. Your limbs were barely responding, you felt like your body was weighing ten times its weight and your metal bones weren't helping. To say you were absolutely terrified when you saw him would be an understatement. He had showed no mercy during the fight, so when he tried to pick you up, you used the last of your strength to kick him as hard as you could, which earned you a string of curses from him. He was close to giving up on you, but your cries and whines of pain forced him to walk back to you when he was about to step out the door and disappear from your life forever.

The two of you stayed hidden in that small abandoned basement for a few months until Kurt eventually found you. You were in a better shape, but you were far from being completely recovered, especially not mentally. But although Warren hated the idea of having to share a place to live with someone (and he was constantly being a pain in the ass about it), he always made the effort to go out and look for food for the both of you and always made sure you were safe. You owed him everything.

And just like that, you were both under Charles Xavier's protection. Surprisingly, you and Warren parted ways as soon as you joined the School. You quickly fit in with everyone and had a close group of friends meanwhile Warren insisted on staying alone. He had his own dorm and never ate breakfast with everyone else. A few people had tried to approach him, but he wouldn't let anyone get close. You were dying to see him and talk to him again, but you weren't sure if the feeling was mutual.

"Have you tried talking to him?" Jean asks, picking into her plate before bringing the fork to her mouth.

"What?"

"Warren. You're thinking about him. Have you tried talking to him?" she repeats and you shrug.

"I tried the first couple of days."

"Why don't you try again? I'm sure he'd be happy to see you again."

"I don't know. He wasn't really fond of sharing a place to live, so I doubt he misses me so much." you chuckle.

"But you miss him."

"Yeah. Kind of." you chuckled while nodding before looking over your shoulder, discreetly looking at Warren. "He's a good guy, you know." you admit. "He doesn't give off the best vibes when you don't know him, but he's got a big heart."

--

Jean's pep talk about how you should try and get in touch with him again made you realize how much you actually missed him. So that night, you decided to sneak out of your dorm and pay him a visit.

Taking a deep breath you raised your hand, letting it hover over the door for a moment. Deciding that it was too late to change your mind you eventually let your hand hit the wooden surface, giving it three knocks.

No answer.

You tried again, more firmly this time.

"Piss off."

Your heart skipped a beat when you heard his voice. It'd been so long. You tried to suppress a smile as you came to the conclusion that he really hadn't changed since the last time you spoke. He really wasn't interested in having company.

"It's me, Warren." you tried, leaning your ear against the door to hear better, but all you heard after that was silence.

Defeated, you were ready to retire back to your room until you were stopped by the sound of the door unlocking and cracking open slowly.

"What do you want?"

You took a deep breath. Here goes nothing.

"I miss you, Warren. We haven't spoken in what feels like an eternity and I just miss it. Our conversations, everything. I know you probably don't feel the same way but our late night talks meant a lot to me, and I just want to know how you're doing or at least—"

"Come in." he interrupted you.

That night, the two of you stayed up until 4 in the morning, just catching up and getting to know each other more than you already did. He didn't want to admit it, but Warren had missed you deeply as well.

You came back the day after, and sneaking into each other's dorm at night eventually became a routine for the two of you.

Your friends had noticed how close you had become, and you even often stayed with Warren instead of going out with them. One night, he told you all about his scars and how he got them, and you did the same with yours. You told him all about your family, how they kicked you out after finding out about your mutation, and the conversation ended with you crying on his shoulder and him promising to never let anyone or anything hurt you again.

The two of you became inseparable, always hanging out together, training together and always supporting each other during the hardest times. When you struggled to find a purpose to your mutation and started saying hurtful things about yourself, Warren was always there to remind you that it made you special, that you are one of the strongest people he knows and that you'd eventually learn to use your mutation, which you did.

Two years later, you've been sent on multiple missions together and everyone knows you as two of the school's most powerful mutants. Everyone admires you and the bond you have between one another. The newest mutants look up to you, and you're both more than happy to help when they need training.

The healing from the fear, hurt and rejection that you both went through takes time, but as long as you have each other, you know that everything will be okay.

→ feedbacks are more than welcome. Whether it's just a keyboard smash, an emoji or a single world, it's always appreciated and motivating. ♡

#blueeyedben #warren x reader #warren worthington iii x reader #warren worthington imagine #warren worthington iii imagine #warren worthington x reader #ben hardy #ben hardy x reader #ben hardy imagine

[themurphyzone]

Pinky the Snowmouse Ch 1

Summary: On a lonely Christmas Eve, a lab mouse finds himself unable to concentrate on world domination. When an ACME scientist claims to own a magic silk hat, Brain initially dismisses it as superstitious nonsense, but finds that this boast could hold more truth than he could ever imagine.   

AN: So I posted this idea back in May (I know, nowhere near Christmas season) but it made for such a viable fic that I had to do it. Besides, I wanted to write a great Christmas fic since I focused more on Halloween last year. 

This fanfiction is also a tribute to all the Christmas specials we love so much every year, from the Christmas Carols to the holiday specials in our favorite cartoons to the Grinches and Rankin-Bass features.

Ch 1: That Old Silk Hat

AO3 Link

It was Christmas Eve, the day bolded and highlighted on the calendar, topped with a picture of Snoopy and his doghouse decked out in festive accessories.

Impossible to miss the overly cheerful music, the jingling bells, and the calls to be charitable to the poorer, less fortunate beings of the world.

Except humans never practiced what they preached.

No matter how much they claimed to care, Brain knew they never would. All of those charitable feelings would vanish as soon as Christmas was over, and they’d go right back to wallowing in their ignorance.

If they truly wanted to be charitable, they’d recognize Brain as the indisputable ruler over the world. But since humans always looked down on non-humans, it was an uphill battle with no end in sight.

But that was just fine with Brain. He wanted to be recognized for his merits and intelligence. He wanted to accomplish something other than achieving the lowest times on maze runs.

In time, his efforts would be rewarded. The bitter defeats would gradually transform into sweet victories.

But for now, he was unable to make headway into world domination since all the ACME employees had gathered by the main entrance, waiting for 3 pm to roll around like a class of bored schoolchildren who desperately wanted to go home.

If the higher ups were expecting all these mediocre scientists to show up for work and be productive on a snowy Christmas Eve, they were sorely mistaken. They were only here to collect their paychecks and didn’t care about scientific progress at all.

One lab tech popped a CD full of classic Christmas songs into an old stereo, and a chorus of Feliz Navidad began. Several scientists spun in their chairs, absentmindedly sucking on candy canes.

Brain was just as impatient as they were, but at least he’d be productive with his time once they all left.

“So ya got any plans, Bill?” a scientist asked.

“Go home,” Bill replied with a shake of his balding head. “Sleep because there’s no way I’m getting any shuteye with the twins bouncing off the walls for their presents tonight.”

“Kids are gonna be like that,” a lab tech spoke up. “I had to stop mine from taste-testing the cookies she wanted to leave out for Santa.”

Laughter rang out from the group, everyone taking turns to relate Christmas mishaps with their families. Soon almost every human joined in on the camereradie, except the most eccentric and inept scientist of them all.

Dr. Henry Hinkle was a man who claimed to bridge the fields of science and magic. However, he was woefully mediocre in both departments, and Brain had long ascertained the man had faked his credentials. Even Hinkle’s fashion sense was peculiar, as his gray lab coat was cut into the style of a magician’s fanciful tailcoat. With his brown handlebar mustache, he seemed more like a harried time traveler from the 19th century than a modern citizen.  

His most prized possession was a tall silk hat with a pink flower attached to the band. Hinkle often claimed it was a magic hat, one that performed wondrous and mystifying deeds far beyond human comprehension. Hinkle was attached to that hat, and nobody had ever seen him in public without it.

Hinkle stood apart from everyone else, an outsider from the science clique. He frantically paced back and forth, desperately trying to get the so-called magic hat to perform properly.

"Say, Hinkle? Didn't you have a gig at the elementary school last week? How'd that go?" Bill called, and all eyes turned to Hinkle, whose eyes nervously flicked back and forth at the sudden attention.

"Swell, very swell," Hinkle mumbled as he nervously fiddled with his hat. "Those little ankle-bi...I mean those delightful, darling angels were floored by my magic."

A woman scoffed and rolled her eyes in disbelief. "Yeah, right. My son was part of that class, and he thought it was the worst Christmas party he'd ever had. How embarrassing that you can't shuffle a deck of cards."

“Madam, I will have you know I can shuffle a deck with my eyes closed and one hand behind my back!” Hinkle retorted. He flicked his left sleeve, and an entire card deck slipped out and spilled onto the ground. As Hinkle bent down in a hasty attempt to get the cards back in order, a small wand, several rubber balls, and colorful scarves tumbled out his other sleeve.

Nobody bothered to help Hinkle out with his misfortune. His coworkers elbowed each other, pointed fingers, and snickered among themselves instead.

The situation was far too pathetic to be humorous.

Brain wasn’t surprised by humans anymore. Peace and goodwill toward their fellow men didn’t exist, though the holiday season claimed otherwise.

It was now 2:40 pm. Only twenty minutes left in this humiliating performance, and Brain could formulate his next plan for world domination without further interruption.  

Hinkle quickly stuffed the mess into his coat pockets. Then he straightened up, pulling on both ends of his bowtie in a vain effort to appear calm and collected once he was finished.

“If your hat really is magic, show us a few tricks!” Bill jeered, and the other employees joined in with challenges of their own.

“Oh, I will. And all of you will feel silly for doubting me after I’m through! Silly, silly, silly indeed!” Hinkle shouted. He tried to remove the hat from his head with a graceful flourish, but clumsily dropped it instead.

He chuckled nervously, a bead of sweat running down his forehead despite the chill.

“As with any exercise, a good magician always warms up with the basics,” Hinkle declared as he showed his audience a small red ball. “For my first trick, I will put this red rubber ball into my magic hat like so, and presto change-o, I have five red rubber balls to-”

He tipped the magic hat upside down. A single red ball bounced out, rolling along the floor before it hit an unimpressed lab tech’s shoe.

“-go,” Hinkle finished dejectedly. He peered into the hat, futilely shaking it as if the other four balls would pop out. Once he realized that wouldn’t be the case, his shoes scuffed the ground in shame as he picked up the single red ball and dropped it back into his hat.

“Look on the bright side, man! You produced invisible balls without trying!” someone called, garnering laughter from the rest of the audience.

Hinkle’s face turned red.

And while the scorn wasn’t directed at Brain, he thought the heckling was an unnecessary endeavor. There was little point in prolonging the man’s misery, no matter how incompetent or delusional he was at magic tricks.

“N-now, as I said before, that was just a warm up,” Hinkle said, nervously tugging at his collar. Then he pulled a small pink scarf out from his pocket, spilling several cards and dice onto the floor again. “But my second trick is sure to amaze you! Watch as I place this scarf into my hat and let the magic focus, now hocus pocus I say, and out come green, gold, and...gray?”

To nobody’s surprise, there was only a lone pink scarf in Hinkle’s hand. “There were supposed to be endless scarves attached to this…” he muttered. It fluttered out of his hand and back into the hat.

But nobody was paying attention to Hinkle anymore. The clock struck three, and the dull atmosphere changed to a holiday-induced fervor as everyone pushed and shoved their way to the front so they could card out and leave.

Brain crept to the front of his cage, one hand resting on his crooked tail as he prepared to unlock the cage and make headway into his plans as soon as they left. He was brimming with viable ideas, and they needed to be written down before he forgot them.

“EVERYBODY, WAIT!” Hinkle bellowed over the noise, and his colleagues turned to him with annoyance written all over their faces.

Brain gritted his teeth. Just let them go already! Was that really so difficult?

“I have one more trick, yes, just one more teensy trick up my sleeve! A real one, I assure you! You won’t be disappointed!” Hinkle said, rubbing his hands together frantically. He emptied his pockets, tossing props everywhere in a vain attempt to find something useful.

Then Hinkle donned a pair of white magician’s gloves, his eyes falling right on Brain. And Brain realized he was about to be conscripted as an unwilling volunteer.

Since his usual tactic of biting fingers until he was left alone wouldn’t work on gloved hands, Brain beat a hasty retreat to the back of his cage, intending to use the exercise wheel as further cover.

But he only made it halfway to the wheel when the door opened and gloved fingers pinched his tail, dragging him out of the cage and dangling him over the magic hat for everyone to see.

“Watch as I transform this ugly lab mouse into a beautiful dove!” Hinkle yelled, and just as Brain processed the insult, he was unceremoniously dropped into the hat. He fell right on top of the rubber ball, knocking the wind out of him. “Abracadabra alakazam!”

Brain pressed himself against the inside folds of the hat as he tried to catch his breath, but he was only given a moment of reprieve before he was snatched up and thrown into the air, as if Hinkle expected him to grow wings because of a nonsensical phrase.

He slammed against the window and fell to the table below, shaking his head to clear away the stars circling in his vision. Every part of his body ached, agony starting from the tip of his tail and snaking up his spine. Slowly, he sat up and checked himself over in the window.

There was a distinct lack of avian features in his reflection, as he expected. He had a new break in his tail from the rough treatment, but there weren’t any other new markings.  

Everyone stared at Brain in silence, and the only sounds were barely suppressed squeaks of disbelief from Hinkle and a chorus of Deck the Halls.

Then there was a booming laugh.

“Prettiest dove I’ve ever seen!” Bill said, to the mirth of his coworkers.  

Brain’s ears flattened, and he wanted nothing more than to sink into the ground and disappear forever.

His fists clenched at the sound of their mockery. He never chose to be involved in this ridiculous demonstration. Or deal with their scorn and stupidity every day. Or live at ACME Labs at all, where he had to suffer through experiment after experiment on top of attempting world domination and failing every single night.

“Come back! I have trick cards! Magic 8-balls! I’ll saw something in half and put it back together, I swear!” Hinkle shouted at the scientists’ retreating figures as they all carded out and stepped into the bitter chill of winter. They shuffled through the snow-covered property and into their vehicles, not wishing to be delayed any longer.

The prized silk hat crumpled in Hinkle’s hand.

“Bah! The only thing this junk hat’s good for is the trash can!” Hinkle snarled as he hurled the hat at the wastebasket by the door, but it only hit the nearby wall instead.

Then he stomped out the door, slamming it shut behind him.

Brain peered out the window, his breath forming a small patch of fog against the cold glass as he watched Hinkle trudge towards the city. He waited a minute to ensure Hinkle wasn't coming back, then rushed over to a drawer where he'd hidden a roll of blueprints and writing utensils.

He was finally, blissfully alone.

Strands of colorful Christmas lights twinkled along the walls, casting a festive hue onto the unfurled blueprints.

Solve for x. Cube the most wonderful time of the year. Multiply by pi.

Peppermints, candy canes, and chocolates were mixed together in a snowflake-patterned bowl. Brain snacked on one of the chocolates as he scribbled a preliminary design for a machine. The candy was bittersweet on his tongue.

Sodium and chloride to form an ionic bond. Three irons needed to balance the equation. Symbol H stood for the hap-happiest season of all.

Only the scratching of his pencil, the hum of a heater which barely worked, and an old, droning carol. The Christmas bells subdued, the computers shut off.

And hearts will be glowing when loved ones are near. Loved ones are near. Loved ones are near...  

There was a wet spot on the blueprint, directly over where he was trying to write. Frowning, he rubbed out the excess moisture, but only succeeded in smudging his numbers. He started over in an empty space, only for the wetness to appear again. Annoyed, he flipped his pencil around and rubbed the grayed area with his eraser.

The blueprint ripped.

Though the hole was tiny and didn’t affect the rest of his work in the slightest, it seemed that his plan had failed before he’d implemented it.

And it occurred to him that he’d never considered how the machine would function or how it would help him accomplish his takeover.

His face felt strange, so he rubbed his cheeks to get rid of the sensation. His hand came away damp.

Oh.

He was crying.

It was that stupid song’s fault. He dropped his pencil and walked over to the stereo, slamming his hand against the stop button just as the song reached its end.

The sound cut off immediately.

Only the dying thrums of a malfunctioning heater now.

The silence was overwhelming.

Christmas media always said the holiday season was a joyous occasion for family and friends, a time for reflection and rebirth as the year wrapped up and began anew.

But it was just propaganda. Nothing more than lies so people would praise themselves as right and virtuous and loving when they were nothing of the sort.

Brain splashed cold water onto his face, ridding himself of the useless tears. Then he looked out the window. A light flurry had begun, the clouds low and dreary gray. The land was already blanketed in snow from the blizzard on the winter equinox, and temperatures hadn’t warmed up since.

And while there were footprints in the snow from passersby, much of the surrounding property was untouched.

Maybe that’s what he needed.

An opportunity to numb himself, to walk around in the cold and discard these useless, empty aches in his chest.

He tore up his blueprint and threw it away. He was better off starting over after his stint outside.

Then he put on his winter gear, nicked from a doll somebody had brought in as a donation to a toy drive, but now lay forgotten in the lab.

The thick white jacket was comfortable and padded with extra fluff. He threw the hood over his head and tucked in his ears, then pulled on his snow boots and gloves.

As he wound a long piece of string around the window latch, he caught sight of the silk hat that laid beside the wastebasket, considered nothing more than trash since it wouldn’t do what Hinkle wanted. The rubber ball and scarf was still inside, crumpled and forgotten.

Magic wasn’t real. It was simply the art of misdirection and illusion. Or a word the uneducated used to describe occurrences they couldn’t explain with science.

Despite his beliefs, Brain built a simple pulley system with thick yarn and an empty spool to haul the silk hat up to the counter.

He could use the hat for extra fabric. Repurpose it. Shrink it so he could have a formal hat for himself.

He opened the window, allowing the cold wind to numb the exposed fur on his face. With all the flurries, he’d probably regret this decision later, but that wasn’t anything new. Then he dropped the loose end of the string outside and tugged the knot around the latch. Once he was satisfied with the knot’s tightness, he dropped the silk hat into the snow-covered bushes below.

It was ironic, how he experimented with chemicals and complicated machinery every night, but didn’t know what he was doing with a simple hat.

Maybe that humiliating demonstration had messed with his mind, overriding all his logic and planning capabilities.

But it seemed like such a flimsy excuse, not providing a satisfactory explanation as to why he’d dragged a so-called magic hat outside on what was supposed to be a simple break.

Brain slid down the string, his boots crunching against the snow as he landed. He stuck out a gloved hand, catching several flurries.

No two snowflakes looked alike, they always said. But their crystalline structures couldn’t be seen without a microscope, so they were nothing more than white powder to the naked eye. He rolled the flurries in his palm until they formed a tiny snowball.

It gave him an idea.

But...it was childish. Stupid.

Yet he found himself rolling snow anyway.

This patch of the property was completely undisturbed, so he had a nice layer of clean, white snow untouched by human footprints to work with.

Nobody was around to see him. And it gave his hands something to do instead of remaining idle.

He quickly found that rolling snow into a spherical shape per the typical snowman wasn’t as easy as television depicted. The snow didn’t want to move in the way he wanted, and it came out as a lumpy, ovular mound that happened to be the same size as him.

He kicked aside a thin, whiplike twig that had broken off from one of the nearby bushes as he gathered more snow to form the head. Then he reconsidered and picked up the twig.

In his hands, it looked very similar to a mouse’s tail. One that wasn’t broken by mishandling.

While he didn’t have the height or the tools required for a full-sized snowman, maybe he could create a snowmouse instead.

He carefully threaded the twig into the backside of the mound, curling it around so it resembled an actual tail.

Then he brushed extra snow away from the front, smoothing out the mound until it had the snowy equivalent of legs.

The head was more difficult to sculpt, but he managed to create something that would be recognizable as a mouse’s head, with two small snowballs forming the ears and a muzzle that jutted out. He would’ve made the muzzle smaller, but the increased size was necessary to counterweight the ears. Lastly, he slid two sticks into each side of the snowmouse to serve as arms.

The snowmouse was twice Brain’s height, and while it had the proportions of a mouse, it was ultimately just a cold white body with three embedded twigs. No personality, no splashes of color.

Anyone could easily miss or step on it.

The snowmouse would be gone by next week, once the temperature rose above freezing. No trace of his handiwork would remain.

Such was life. Short and brutal, with nothing to show for it.

The faceless snowmouse seemed oddly alone, the only other thing besides Brain in this wintery courtyard. There wasn’t anything for either of them here.

“Sorry,” Brain said, unsure of why he was apologizing to something that couldn’t hold a conversation. He’d wasted far too much time here. He had to get back to his plans. “I’m going inside.” 

A chilly breeze blew, and Brain held fast to his hood so it didn’t come off. As he turned to the lab, he saw the silk hat become airborne, flying several feet until it landed by Brain and the snowmouse.

He didn’t think the breeze had been that strong.

But the strangest part was how the hat was much smaller than before. It wouldn’t fit a human anymore.

Even the red rubber ball and pink scarf shrunk. And there were several pebbles that hadn’t been there previously, though Brain guessed they could’ve just gotten inside when he’d dropped the hat.

Brain stared at the items, then back at the snowmouse.

“Just this once,” he sighed as he draped the scarf between the main body and head, then placed the rubber ball at the end of the muzzle for a nose.

Two of the pebbles became unseeing eyes, though Brain was at a loss of what he should do with the other two pebbles. He tried using them as a replacement for buttons on the body, but that didn’t seem right. And placing them on the cheeks just looked awkward.  

Brain held a pebble in each hand, stepping back to determine the placement. But he didn’t find anything satisfactory.

He was about to discard the pebbles entirely, but then he noticed that the snowmouse seemed to have an odd pair of buckteeth sticking out at the end of its muzzle with the way he held the pebbles.

Perhaps he should’ve left it as a matter of perspective. It was stupid. It was silly.

But Brain stuck the pebbles on the underside of the muzzle anyway.

The snowmouse looked ridiculous with its red rubber nose, pink scarf, and pebbles for eyes and goofy buckteeth.

Another breeze picked up, and one of the snowmouse’s stick arms waved, moving up and down like it was saying hello.

Like it was...friendly. Alive. Happy.

Slowly, Brain approached the snowmouse. He placed one hand on the snowmouse’s body, balanced on his tiptoes, and threw the silk hat on top.

For reasons Brain couldn’t explain, the hat just seemed to go with the rest of the snowmouse.

And then he caught himself.

What a ridiculous concept.

Creating a snowmouse wasn’t his worst transgression, if he’d just left it at the creation process. No, instead he had to go personifying it! Assigning qualities that shouldn’t be designated to inanimate objects!

Snow wasn’t alive. It was water. That’s all it was.

“You’re snow. You’re just a pile of frozen water!” Brain yelled, turning away from the snowmouse. Enough with these idiotic fantasies. He was going inside, back to the cruel reality of trying to take over the world. “You’re not alive, so just leave me alone! Quit toying with my perception!”

He stomped towards the window, but only made it a few steps before an odd sound gave him pause.

“Toys? Narrrrrf! That sounds like jolly good fun! Can I play with toys too?”

Brain looked over his shoulder, and promptly tripped over himself in surprise.

A pair of bright blue eyes was looking back at him. Actual eyes, not pebbles.

And the snowmouse was talking.

End AN: I feel really bad for calling Brain ugly. *sobs*

I actually kinda find writing Hinkle’s dialogue fun. A bit of a strange character to crossover with, but fun. Hocus Pocus the Rabbit won’t be making an appearance. 

Also some changes will be made from the original Frosty the Snowman cause some parts of the cartoon don’t make sense. A greenhouse at the North Pole, really?

#pinky and the brain #patb fanfiction #pinky the snowmouse

[hoez4haikyuu]

Sincerity is Scary

Moving to California was something exciting for Hajime – the land of sunshine, in’n’out, and new opportunities. When a chance encounter with a girl blossoms into friendship, can he turn it into something more? Do either of them want something more?

Being honest with your feelings is hard.

Chapter 2: She’s American

AO3

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Fall quarter senior year, and Y/N is unfortunate enough to pick the muscular anatomy lab with the worst TA. The quizzes each week don’t make sense, and the textbook is of no help. It’s barely 3 weeks into the quarter and everyone in their section is doing poorly. Their lab has the lowest average overall, and Y/N isn’t used to struggling so soon in a class.

It’s so bad, Y/N is desperate enough to join a study group with a bunch of strangers.

Well, acquaintances. Most are familiar faces considering the sports medicine major is small, but she’s never spoken to any of them outside of class before. She internally curses her bad luck at picking a section without her friends.

But she needs to pass the class, so here she is, at the library on a Thursday night.

Y/N rests her elbows on the table, and leans into her hand with a sigh. The organizer of the study group, Greg, is making everyone introduce themselves. And give a fun fact. Just when I thought this couldn’t get any worse, Y/N thinks to herself.

Slowly, everyone around the room says their name and a random fact about themself, until it reaches the guy on her left. He has his arms crossed as he says, “Hi, I’m Hajime Iwaizumi. I’m from Japan.” He has a bored look on his face, and Y/N could tell this must be a last resort for him as well.

As Y/N glances at him, she notices that even in his simple black t-shirt and Adidas soccer sweats, he looks good. He has a solid build, with his arms looking snug in his t-shirt. While his face looked bored, it didn’t take away from his handsomeness, with his strong jaw and piercing eyes. She noted that his resting bitch face was strong, and she wouldn’t want to be on the receiving end of his deadpan stare.

“Y/N L/N,” Y/N says with a sigh. “I hate ice breakers.”

Hajime cracks a dry chuckle, “Don’t we all…”

Greg blathers on about different study methods, and how he plans on having someone from the class at the library at all times, so there will always be a space to study with peers. Though it seems extreme, Y/N appreciates the efforts being made to keep their class afloat.

Once Greg finishes his speech, everyone turns to their laptops and notebooks to start studying.

Y/N fidgets in her seat for a moment. If she wanted to sit and study on her laptop, she could have done that at home. She glances to her left and decides to ask Hajime to study together. He smiled when she introduced herself, that meant this wouldn’t be weird, right? Though she’s nervous she might be bothering him since he’s already opened his laptop, she knows she’d study better going over notes with someone else.

“Hey Hajime, wanna go over all the leg muscles and joints together?” she asks him.

He looks up from his laptop with a blank look on his face, “Sure.”

Y/N quietly tests Hajime first, then he does the same for her. He notices she’s able to recall more than him, so he asks how she’s able to remember it all.

“I just have a ton of mnemonics in my brain.”

“Are any of them helpful?”

“Well, yes. They’re not exactly mnemonics but it helps me remember. Just don’t laugh too hard and I’ll explain it to you.”

Hajime is expressionless as Y/N starts explaining how the cruciate joint located in the knee sounds like “crucio,” a spell from Harry Potter, which in theory would make someone fall on their knees.

“I know it’s kinda lame but because it’s ridiculous I remember it,” Y/N explains with a shrug.

“Aren’t there other cruciate joints in the body?” Hajime asks, trying not to smile. “Though I feel like I have to remember after hearing that.”

“Yeah, but we’re only learning that area right now so it’s a future me problem,” Y/N states simply.

Hajime blinks and ponders for a moment. “I guess that’s fair, one midterm at a time.”

For the rest of the night, while their classmates are silently going over notes or examining diagrams on their laptops, Hajime and Y/N review muscle groups boisterously, creating more ridiculous mnemonics to help remember each name.

Towards the end of the night, Y/N is laughing at Hajime’s suggestion to remember the calcaneus is at the ankle by thinking of an old man named Cal with bad ankles, using a cane.

“Studying anatomy totally reminds me of the Hannah Montana song,” she says fondly.

“What’s Hannah Montana?” Hajime asks.

Y/N looks at him with an evil glint in her eyes and pulls up the video on her laptop for him to watch. Ten seconds in, Hajime gives her a look and pulls out an earbud, “Do I have to finish this?”

“Yes, it’s educational! And a cultural experience! It’s a core part of growing up in the US, and will give you the strength to study hard tonight,” Y/N insists.

Hajime smiles and shakes his head, and finishes the brief video. When it’s done, he asks, “So this means you’re coming up with a song for all the muscles?”

“We can!” Y/N smiles widely at him. “Isn’t it way easier to remember things with a song?”

Hajime laughs, “Yeah, you’re not wrong. I think having a dance to go with it would help, too.”

“You can plan the choreo, it’ll be great,” she teases.

It’s midnight when they decide it’s time to head out. Y/N has taken the bus to campus that day, so Hajime offers her a ride home.

As they walk together in the parking lot, Y/N says, “So you’ve been in America for 3 plus years and no one’s shown you Hannah Montana yet?”

“I guess it must have slipped from their minds.”

“I know we have to study but in between you’re gonna learn a lot about real American culture.”

He smiled. “Looking forward to it. That car is mine, by the way,” Hajime says, as he points to a white sedan. Paint is chipped off a few places on the bumper, and it looks like it’s ready to give out at any moment. He passes his key to Y/N. “The door has to be unlocked from the passenger side,” he explains.

Y/N approaches the car and hesitates with the key. She inserts it into the lock and twists it multiple times, setting the lock off, on, off and back on.

Hajime laughs. “Just twist it to the left once.” Y/N follows the directions and the doors unlocks with a click.

“I swear I’m not that technologically challenged usually,” Y/N says defensively. As she sits down she notices the duct tape covering the seats, and the manual crank to open the windows. “Just curious, how old is this car?”

“Old enough. Still runs fine, though,” Hajime replies, as he twists the key in the ignition. It takes a second, but the car rumbles to life. Y/N feels like she can hear the engine crying out for help as the car sputters.

“This thing sounds like it’s about to give out,” Y/N says.

“Hey, it was a great deal. And it works. Better than walking home from the library right?” Hajime says as he puts the car into reverse. Y/N can’t help but glance at his right arm flex as he places it behind the passenger seat to back out.

She composes herself quickly. “Fair enough, anything is better than the bus. Does your car have a name?”

Hajime thinks for a second. “Not really. I guess I’d call it Godzilla.”

“This car isn’t green but I guess it is pretty scary.”

“This car is an untamable beast able to conquer any city,” Hajime says, deadpan.

“Sure Hajime, let’s go with that,” and the two of them laugh.

Hajime drops off Y/N at her apartment, and as they wave goodbye to one another, Hajime tries to ignore the funny feeling in his stomach.

As Hajime drives home, he realizes he can’t really remember the last time he’s laughed so hard. He couldn’t believe his luck when the quarter started and the girl he was interested in freshman year happened to be in the same class. But today, she sat next to him, and they even studied together. He mentally pats himself on the back for keeping cool today, and hopefully leaving a good impression.

As Hajime lays in bed that night it’s hard for him to push her out of his thoughts. He thinks back to that chemistry lab and wonders if she remembers his socks, or if he was just some insignificant event to her. He remembers how badly he wanted an excuse to talk to her then, and now suddenly he has her number, and regularly scheduled study appointments. Along with the rest of the class, but still, this was something. For the first time in his college career, Hajime can’t wait for his next library session.

#iwaizumi x y/n #iwaizumi x reader #iwaizumi hajime x you #haikyuu self insert #haikyuu x self insert #haikyuu x you #iwaizumi headcanons #iwaizumi fluff

[popculturebuffet]

Ducktales Reviews: Escape from the Impossibin! or A Dark Night of the Soul

It’s a long dark night of the soul for everyone’s favorite family of ducks as our beloved family grapples with the revelations of last episodes. While Scrooge clearly smarts from the betrayal he pits his latest security system against Della and Louie, given the title it naturally goes wrong and forces all three to try to escape. Meanwhile Beakly sics Webby on Huey and Dewey, and Dewey gets a cool new sword he can’t use while Huey has a slow burn mental breakdown.. again. Someone get my poor boy some therapy.  Suprises, Also an exaustingly deep dive into the life of Bentina Beakly. Disguises but sadly not pies of all sizes insue under the cut.

Well.. this one was fantastic. Obviously i’ll explain why as we go but holy shit I was not expecting a master class of an episode just one week after the already great Let’s Get Dangerous. And yes I had my complaints there but none of them, especially on the second watch, really detracted from what was honesty an amazing episode. And after slogging through “Catch as Cash Can” over the past few days, this was a welcome return to the version of the duck family I love best and a crisp reminder of why this series is so frigging amazing. I may criticize, i’m a critic comes with the territory, but I genuinely and wholly love this show, and this episode is encapsulates why. So enough lollygagging, let’s dew it to it!

We open with one of those scenes where two characters give a similar speech and it flashes back between both as they finish each other’s sentences. It’s a storytelling choice I never realized I always loved as it’s always a good way to amp up tension or comedy. It’s a good way to start. At the Mansion, Beakly is lecturing Donald, Huey and Dewey, because both families likely talked Launchpad into just sharing different days with each of them after the first inevitable sleep driving car crash so he’s with his boyfriend and child right now. It’s also really nice to both have almost the entire main cast given something to do for an episode AND have the one missing member have a thoroughly valid reason for not being there that was set up last week.  It’s also really nice to see Donald and Della again. While it’s only been two weeks, both have only featured in one episode this block so far, and Della’s been kind of pushed to the side this season.. not unfairly mind as she was the focus for two solo episodes and a ton of episodes last season for obvious reasons but it dosen’t mean I can’t miss my disaster twins when they aren’t around.  So anyways back on the episode, Beakly is naturally assuming theirs more traitors in their midst, and she and webby have narrowed it down.. this dosen’t really come up aside for a gag in a second for the rest of the episode, but is both funny and two of them are clearly setup for later. Have a look

My thoughts in order: 

Little Bulb: He probably IS plotting to betray them, but for entirely unrelated reasons.  Donald: .........................................................................................................

Look I get it on some level, as he was away from the family a long time, hated Scrooge, and had every reason to betray him. BUT, and it’s a bit but, besides the obvious of Bradford and his goons being the reason they gave up looking for his sister, if for good reason, Donald would’ve TOLD them all about that by now if he’d been spying, or if he’d had any dealings with the man. The man loves his family, uncle included, more than anyone and even at their lowest point I doubt he’d sell the man out for the boys sake unless FOWL threatened them. Donald is principaled, hardworking, loving, and has both dove directly into a nest of shadows and sent himself hurtling to earth in a possibly lethal rocket to protect this family, so even if this is a funny gag, it does bother me Beakly and ESPECIALLY Webby, his surrogate niece, would even consider this. That being said while I felt the need to rant because he’s my boy and I feel protective of him, it was damn funy as Donald naturally tries to wipe it off because.. yeah everything above, only to get caught in the flipping board and ending up as above with Beakly forced to admit it’s probably not him. Plus yeah.. he’s also way too clumsy and anger prone for wetwork so there’s also that. 

Fenton: I’m TEMPTED to use the trunks picture twice in a row but besides that being obnoxious.. I get it MORE here. Donald has no motive anymore, would’ve told them by now if he had when he did, and has broken his back for all of them at one time or another. Probably literally in some cases. Fenton is sweet, loyal and another one of my boys.. but his obviousness has left him open to deception in three different episodes, not counting the tolkyolk one since that wasn’t BOYD”S choice: But he put blueprints out online for a mcduck industries project, got his armor taken by beaks luring him in to work for him, and had Gandra working for Beaks snuck into his lab.. and probably in the process also got any info on it Bradford couldn’t get through company files. He’s a good man, a kind man but he could easily be a leak without realizing it and also has a mother at home and could be threatened into doing stuff for them for her saftey.. and yes I know she can take care of herself but we’re talking a regular cop against secret agents who aren’t above murdering one. He  might panic even if rationally he knows she’s fine.. or they could do the inverse and use her to get secrets from him since she’s a mother and Gandra could probably easily hack fenton’s armor, since Bradford probably has the full blueprints at this point. The point is while I don’t see him betraying them WILLINGLY, I get him being a possible leak. Donald could be, but again is too obvious and likely reguarly checked for bugs anyway long before fowl, as is Launchpad I assume. 

Bluescreen Beagle: I don’t know this dude, but I’m betting he’ll be important soon enough since they brought him up at all and he is a beagle working for Scrooge so that alone is interesting. 

Louie: Yeah unlike my boys I have no excuses for him here. While Louie is family, and has proven his own loyalty plenty... he’s also selfish, greedy and shortsighted so like Fenton he could be an easy accidental pawn at best or turn on them for money or an adventure free life at worst. I don’t think he would mind, i’m just more understanding of this given just last episode his response to a clearly suspicious thing making machine was to ignore any suspicion entirely and whine about it while Huey looking into it ended up saving the universe. He also nearly killed them all last season, so fair enough.   

So yeah Beakly is going to train them to 

WHich the boys are all for while Donald gets all spinny eyed ont he floor. Cue credits... though obviously we have to cover the scrooge side of things too... 

Meanwhile at the bin, Scrooge has brought Louie and Della there because there the sharpest mind he knows, and their seeing all the angles means their the perfect test subjects for his new post-deeply cutting betrayal security system. He also obviously goes off on an alteration filled rant at Bradford that has to be cut before he can get to calling him shiteating. And given he’s a buzzard that’s probably not inaccurate. Point is they are genuinely the best ones for the job and both agree.. Louie’s not really enthuastic about any of this but hey it’s their money this is guarding so why not. So with that done since we have two full plots to deal with and they don’t intersect until the last few minutes, like with Forbidden Fountain of the Foreverglades, i’m going to be splitting this one and covering each bit separately since it’s also easier for me to recall and recap that way. 

Beakly, Brah, Making Kids (and herself) Cry, Brah!: 

A can of coke to whoever figures out that reference first. Or a free review comisson shipping Coke is expensive you know? But yeah as you can tell this bit is not going to go well for any of the kids, or the beakly or my heart. So this plot continues at breakfast, where Huey is meticulously going over both his guidebook and Finch’s Journal to see if there’s ANY signs of F.O.W.L. their connection anything.. it’s also very clear he’s panicking. Given his enitre life is built on logic and he’s now facing a threat he probably feels he SHOULD have seen coming.. I mean they clearly have access to the Missing Mysteries, there must be SOME tie to them SOMEHOW. He, in my opinon at least, feels blindsighted and scared, going up against a group using his own love of logic that blindsighted all of them INCLUDING Scrooge, the most clever and daring adventuerer of all time and Beakly, who was likely responsible for seemingly wiping out F.O.W.L. in the first place. If THEY can be blindsighted, what hope does he have? So he’s searching for it in his comfort texts, kind of like I did at his age: when theirs a crisis trying desperatley to solve it even if you really can’t, which he cannot, at leats not alone.  Dewey of course being Dewey, has decided the solution is to get a massive sword he can’t lift and hit people with it and mock Huey for his reading. Huey gets what’s clearly the start of his episode long emotional breakdown, the worst he’s had of SEVERAL this series and over the biggest stakes thus far, seriously get this boy some therapy, while Dewey just thinks the key to beating their worst menace yet is a giant sword to hit things with. He does break a pot with it in an accidental spin attack in a later scene though so I do apricate that reference. 

But when opening the serving tray they find an attacking Webby instead with Beakly explaining why she’s doing this to her surrogate brothers: Beakly is testing them by having Webby sneak attack them at some point and the’ll never know when, while Beakly herself works with Donald to secure the house.. sadly we don’t get to see any of that latter part, as it’s probably full of hilarious slapstick, but it’d also clash heavily with the rest of this plot which, while not lacking in jokes, is meant to be uncomfortable and have us on edge like the boys, so fair enough. Webby “Bringer of Death” hugs htem saying this is going to be fun. 

Naturally it really REALLY isn’t as Huey is still very shaken by this. And it cleverly ties into what’s been shown from day one and especially this season to be his greatest weakness, and very likely the crux of his character arc: Huey can’t improvise. It’s a nice contrast to Louie last season: Louie’s very talent is thinking on his feet, seeing every angle and making them bend the way he wants. I’ts how he schemes as well as he does, how he fits into the family and what makes him himself. What he needed was to think of others and think through the consequences of his actions. That’s what he gained from his arc last season: perspective, the ablility to improvise while also not shooting himself in the foot for later and to have empathy for people.  Huey is the oppoisite: Instead his ablility to think IS his skill. He’s a genuis, able to understand super science on the level of fully grown adult genuises, able to puzzle through confounding mysteries, to solve any problem. He and huey both are gifted with anyalsis, but Louie sees the small picture, the people, the moving parts at the moment, while Huey sees the big picture and how everything connects to lead to one thing and loves learning more and more. I REALLY relate to him that way. But this season has brillinatly drilled in where he needs to improve: He’s not ready for suprises or deviations from his plans or all the things that could go wrong. He can’t improvise, he just panics. It’s something again I relate to and something that each of his episodes has set up leading to this moment hammering it home and me realizing what his arc was:

Challenge of the Senior-Junior Woodchucks had Huey utterly lost without his Guide Book for a while and unprepared for a sudden challenge in Violet. Quack Pack had him unravel when he couldn’t figure out what was wrong with the world, yet he was perfectly fine once he knew what was going on, Astro B.O.Y.D. was entirely about his intellgence and need for structure leaves him bullied and alone a lot of the time even among in his element with the woodchucks and how he finds friendship in someone like himself who gets him. Rumble for Ragnarok showed that while he can comment find for sports like golf where there’s rigid structure, rules and history, he fails as bad as Launchpad at calling wrestling because wrestling is just as much about sponteaniety as planning, with run ins, reff discrations and other chaos being part and parcel and even in real life matches often have to be changed on the fly due to injuries or someone simply coming up with a better finish at the last minute. At the same time the season’s shown how it is vital to him, as the next two, The trickening and forbidden fountain showed WHY his structure works and that it can in the right format, and that he usually has reason for it. And the final one showed that too, with him being the one to find out what Bulba’s up to simply by research, and while he didn’t stop it, his pulling at the threads of why Bradford was there and his hate of them forced FOWL out into the open which, while now putting him on edge, forced their enmies into the open where while their more dangerous, they can now at least strike back.  Huey’s arc is , hopefully if i’m right about this, about him having to learn to use his strengths with his weakneses, much like Louie last season: To adpat, to grow while not forgetting who he is and that not everything can be put in a box, as the creators put their interpretation of him. Not everything can be quanitfied or planned for and sometimes you just have to try and hope for hte best. It’s a damn compelling arc, my relating to it helps of course but it paints Huey as a fascinating character and tying it heavily into the main plot fixes how Louie was largely removed from the moonlander plot aside from one episode, as was glomgold’s quest. While the season has three main plots: A focus on Huey, the missing mysteries and FOWL, all three intertwine perfectly and are interconnected. The creators learned well from where they slipped up last time and the result is phenomenal, and they’ve clearly proven this is Huey’s season afterall: Even when he’s not been the a-plot who huey is, how he functions and being forced to grapple with the downsides of it are front and center and I am here for it. 

But yeah he’s breaking down, not helped by trying to go to beakly only to find out about the hidden bin and Dewey tries to help him calm down.. only for Dewey to walk in and unsuprsingly the one who can actually offer deep encouraging support was Webby who threatens this isn’t the attack. Nor is her dummy she leaves for them. The boys are left terrified hoping they won’t be attacked and holding Dewey’s sword, but Huey ends up convinced it’s just a test and that it’s the classic paranoia gambit: by telling them something will attack, the real lesson is to be prepared.  But Nerp, Webby attacks them with arrows and easily snares Dewey while Huey has a panic attack that’s genuinely hard to watch as he ends up running into the wall and breaking his ankle. This very real pain along with his clear trauma when he flinches at her genuinely trying to help him snap Webby out of it: She realizes she’s gone way too far and utterly terrified her own brothers, sending one into a full on mental breakdown, just to prepare them. Up till now it was probably normal for Webby: Beakly trained her rigorously, if understandably, kept her from the world, probably did this to her, and Webby just thought it was normal and it made her what she is. But it also came at the cost of any normalcy. To me Webby’s always been like a lighter, since she can at least speak, has toys and Beakly you know treats her like a human being rather than a weapon, of the second Batgirl, Cassandra Cain. Cassandra was raised from birth as an experiment to make the ultimate weapon, someone who rather than speak spoke in phsyical motion and could kill effortlessly.. but actually doing so shocked her and she escaped and Bruce took her in. Cass is as badass as Batman at a fraction of the age but dosen’t understand simple life things and can’t speak. Hence the parallel: While Beakly isn’t a monster like David Cain, she still took a small child and turned them into a weapon strugging to adapt to society, and only isn’t a monster because as said she clearly cares about webby and dosen’t want to loose her like she lost her child and in-law to whatever presumibly fowl related nightmare took them from her and left Webby an Orphan.  What i’m getting at with this is this feels like Webby realizing while this is her normal.. the boys can’t take it with Dewey terrified and again, Huey nearly broken by all of this and whimpering in a corner. This isn’t bonding between master and student, grandmother and granddaughter, partners in fighting.. this is just .. wrong. So when Beakly, not noticing how badly she’s damaged either boy, demands Webby continue attacking them, Webby refuses, stands firm.. and prepares to take on the person she loves most in the world, yes more than Lena she’s only 12 for christ’s sake, and Beakly gladly accepts. Webby’s training is in session.  When we next see them the fight is in full force, and it is awesome to see. After 3 seasons we not only see Beakly’s darkest aspects come out we see her granddaughter in the path. Though at first it seems like what their training sessions normally are, a friendly if lively and full force spar between two trusting combatants. But it becomes clear over the fight from Webby’s reaction that Beakly is going harder than usual, and doesn’t stop when asked. Thankfully her kind gesture paid off as Huey and Dewey whisk her up to the attic. Webby is genuinely SCARED, never having seen her like this but also worried for her: Acting like a monster or not.. Beakly is still her granny and it’s clear FOWL coming back has rattled her. The fist through the attick doors, barred with the sword proves that.  The kids head up to the roof with Beakly in persuit like some sort of slasher villian, again fist through a door, determined to still fight while Webby clearly just wants this to stop and so does the audience. This hurts.. intentionally so but I haven’t been cut this deep by two family members literally coming to blows since Amethyst fought Pearl in the first season of steven universe. It’s tough to watch but in a very good way. The boys break up the tension for half a second by  rushing her and she just tosses them aside... where their caught by Donald, who didn’t realize ANY of this was going on and is rigthfully pissed.. though dosen’t do the angry dance thing because then he’d kill his children but he’s sure thinking it loud enough. 

As Webby reluctantly readies for round 2, Donald calls at her to fucking stop already. While she counters with they have to be ready, which is true... Donald shuts her down. “Not like this”. She’s broken Huey and Webby and Dewey.. is traumatized but fine but this episode really isn’t about him.  What it is about is Bentina Beakly and her Dark Night of the soul. I brought up the term for dumb reasons admitely: Because it sounded neat and because Douglas Adams had spoofed it with the dirk gently novel “Dark Tea-Time of the Soul” a title that’s stuck with me and a book I own and still need to read. But I looked it up to make sure I wasn’t badly misusing it and it turned out to fit this episode: A Dark Night of the Soul, as defined by spirtual guru and thankfuly not scumbag Eckheart Tolle whose article explained the old expression better than wikipedia could. While he naturally pitches his book there, it was still helpful so thanks man for your spirtual advice helping me analyize ducks. I owe you one. 

The Dark Night of the Soul is essentially a person coming to their lowest point after having lost themselves or feeling lost, rattled by one event and awakening with a new sense of spirtual purpose and a new direction and a sense of self again after it. Having everything you know upended and coming out the other side with a new self, usually in a religious sense. And it works here because really that’s what Huey, Beakly, Scrooge and to a Degree webby face here. Louie, Della, Dewey and Donald are all fine in the face of FOWl and it makes sense: Louie and Donald are often outside the adventure bubble in terms of enjoying it, seeing it’s dangers to them and in Donald’s case his kids, Webby included, and how much chaos it is. Both have accepted it as part of their lives so while this escalates things, both just see it as just more of the peril and chaos that’s a daily part of their lives. Dewey and Della being thrillseekers and loving a good challenge simply see this as taking on an epic challenge: fighting the worst villians of the world off and having a daring story to tell. Webby similarly isn’t that effected at first because she sees it the same way likely and only starts to get bothered by it when it starts tearing her family, the thing most precious to her, apart over it. 

But for the other three it makes sense. Obviously we’ll come back to Scrooge during his part of the episode. But for Huey as we’ve seen this upends his world. There was a massive deadly secret just beneath him, an unknown beyond all unknowns, and it rattled him.. and having his own sister constantly terrorize him just made it worse. For Huey without consitencey his life falls apart as those prevoius episodes highlhted.l He can prepare for anything.. but he has to know it’s coming and having a villian group who strikes from the shadows is his worst fears manifest and preparing for that naturally breaks the poor boy. He gets through it though, as once it’s on someone else, his fear falls away and as we saw his focus is entirely on helping webby: Not on himself, not on the risk but on protecting his sister. It shows that Huey has the potenital for instinct, as seen with the woodchuck and wrestling episodes too, he just needs to get out of his own head and let it work with his gut instead of trying desperately to use only his head. 

For Beakly though it’s far worse... and really gets to the core of who she is in this series. She was, and probably still is, a Secret Agent, who fought long and hard to utterly destroy FOWL, at the cost of everything else, constnatly having to keep her guard up with spies all around her and with Scrooge apparently being the only friend from those days who lasted the whole time. SHe probably lost countless partners in both sense of the word, time and youth she’ll never get back and everything she had to stop them. She gave S.H.U.S.H. everything as far as I can tell.  And then she got her reward. FOWL was gone, she had a child, and possibly had a loving partner, provided they didn’t either leave her pregannt and alone or just grow apart from her eventually we don’t know at this point and i’m just spitballing. Point is she had a child, she had a happy ending.. except clearly.. she did not. According to the website, and it’s probably still accurate, Beakly was living in seclusion following her retirement, likely to keep anyone from harming her child.. but also because with her partner possibly gone, she had almost NOTHING left. A child that either kept her at arms length or she kept at arms length to keep their family safe, an old friend who was busy as is, and a safe world.. that’s all she had. Just her and alone. And that’s been clearly shown as Beakly’s biggest issue as we see: She has trouble letting others, even webby at times given how she lied at her, in and given all she’s lost it’s hard not to see why. After a life time of probably watching cold blooded killers kill people she loved and having people betray her and loosing the father of her child possibly, again it’s vauge, no wonder she is the way she is.  And then it somehow gets worse and better: She looses her child, one of the three people she has left in the world.. yet she finds herself in charge of Webby. And with that.. she has a purpose again, to protect this child. This baby girl who needed her more than anything. So she did.. a little too well as discussed. To quote the excellent song “Dark, Sad, Lonely, Knight” from the musical “Holy Musical B@tman!” which yes really exists: 

“I remember that horrible night that night you were split in two, and I swore I’d protect you. So I built a wall all around you, but the wall was too tall, it blocked out all the birds and the sun. I tried to raise you right! I tried to raise you proper! I tried to be a mentor and a friend and a mother and a brother too! I’d insulate you from any outside source of fright... i’d make bloody certain, you’d never see another, dark, sad, lonely night. “ 

And yes as you can imagine that was sung by Alfred.. but it fits perfectly. That’s how Beakly raised Webby, guarding her from the world, trying to protect her from the world the way she’d always guarded herself from it. She did hurt webby’s development.. but you can see WHY. She lost everything, she had two people left in her life at that point: One had given her home and the other had given her her soul back. She couldn’t loose Webby so she made sure she couldn’t and held her as tight as she could. It’s why she pushed Scrooge to let his young nephews into his life. She saw over her time with him he was doing what she did, pushing everyone out. She wanted him to avoid being alone like she was before Webby. And it worked.. and showed her Webby clearly wanted to see the world and that Bentina didn’t have to be afraid to show it to her anymore, and could let Scrooge share in doing so. She let her be free and opened up for the first time in likely a decade since she got a two year old dropped on her lap.  And soon wither she’d admit it or not she found herself part of the family. She found herself the voice of reason, sometimes sharing it with Donald, and the one to put both Scrooge and the rest of the family in their place when they nearly tore apart again, helping Donald realize that for all scrooge hurt him.. Scrooge hurt from loosing della too, and helping the boys realize Scrooge, much like herself, tends to lash out at people. She prevented them from getting distance from their family, knowing from experince you may never get them back or mend that wound. She was part of the family and for the first time in her life even if again, given her emotoinal distance she wasn’t really close to any of the duck family but Scrooge and her newly inducted Grandaughter, she still clearly cares and looks after them and even her harsh treatment of Della was well meaning and understandable.  And that’s why the F.O.W.L. revelation tears her apart to her very core, her very SOUL: Because not only is the enemy she thought dead, or may of known wasn’t dead we don’t know but this episode leans towards the former alive, not only is her worst enemy, one who nearly killed her grandaughter part of them once again, but their head was one of Scrooge’s most trusted advisors and associates, the man he trusted more than himself at times to do what the company needed and the only one who knew his deepest secrets besides Beakly herself. They now faced not only her worst nightmare reborn, but with vital info about them and everyone around them. And for all we Know F.O.W.L. took her family from her in the first place and now they easily could again and she NEVER saw it coming. It’s why she drives everyone including Webby so hard, because she can’t take loosing everyone she cares about again so they will be ready, they will be prepared even if it destroys them on the inside because she cannot take it again.. she can’t fail them AGAIN. I feel she puts a lot of the blame on herself because in this family it’s her job to be the suspicious one, to see things coming, to be ready, to be the one who knows EVERYTHING even more than scrooge.. and this apparently rattled her as much as he did and suprised her just as much. She failed and she can’t again even if Webby hates her for it.  But in trying to continue the fight.. she slips, Webby dodges and she falls off the roof.. and everyone helps her up. Even if they all have EVERY REASON to be mad at her they help. And Webby points out this can’t go on. They won’t get stronger tearing themselves apart.. their a family. They don’t need to do it like fowl, they need to be themselves and work TOGETHER. The one thing they have, the one thing they can trust is each other. Beakly is touched like this and realizes their right.. their not the enemy.. and there the one people,, for once in her life she can fully and completely trust. She tries apologizing to webby, they hug..and then gets an alert. What’s all that about? Well to get that that we kinda have to finish the other story.. which I would’ve put first had I realized this was going to be as long as it was but hey. 

Escape from the Impossibin 

Thankfully this won’t be as long or as emotionally complex.. entirely. So back at this plot about 20 minutes ago, Scrooge breaks down the challenge and the risk as it was made by the most devious and deranged minds he knows: Gyro and Quackfaster with Louie getting a good laugh out of me by pointing out “Why are the most devious minds in Duckberg friends of ours” to which I say because only Scrooge let’s them go all out, and on the friend part, at least for you, Louie...

I mean maybe Quackfaster, but you stole from Gyro multiple times now. And he hated Fenton for far dumber and more petty reasons why wouldn’t you assume he hates you too.. I mean he did help with Louie’s Eleven but there was also a good chance your head would explode there so I don’t really count it. 

Anyways Scrooge offers lunch if they make it, which Louie notes means he must REALLY not think they will. And the first test proves his overconfdience correct as we enter the most dangerous, devious and deadly trap Gyro could manage.. which given who we’re dealing with, i’d be very afraid. The ultra violent ultra violet trap seems at first to just be a bunch of purple, if really cool buzzsaws and sawblades, your standard super villian death course.. but Gyro being beyond your average super villian, I mean the only reason he’s not is he has a steady job that lets him build a clone army with company resources so why would he give that up, jazzed it up with an ultraviolet bit of bulbtech.. and due to the violet light it hides the traps ,meaning their invisible. And while Louie and Della try navigating them, they cannot get through as Louie runs out of PEP to spray them with and Della using her metal leg as a guide, which itself is awesome for her as she clearly and wisely made the thing nigh indestructible and we haven’t seen it tear or get destroyed once all series so good going, really should market that to other people in need of prostetics della and Scrooge. Scrooge is of course delighted as that’s the entire point even if his child and grandchild are understandably not as happy about it.  But naturally, as I hinted at in the teaser, it goes wrong as Scrooge’s password dosen’t work and he tries it too many times, been there, sucks. Granted Louie asks hilariously “Your the oldest man in the world why isn’t your password just 1234″.. and though the why is obvious, it’s still a good line. Point is their locked out and now have to escape it for real! Weirdly Scrooge dosen’t catch onto the fact of whose behind it, but we’ll get to that. He does have more pressing matters. Luckily Louie figures it out after an insult at the Bulbtech causes it to flash read, like most Bulbs do.. but since this Bulb’s entire purpose is to flash Purple, that means pissing it off makes the blades visable and while Scrooge is understandably sore that his 3 million dollar security system has such a big flaw in it, they escape. Though I get Scrooge’s frustration: Their going up against someone who knows how Gyro’s tech’s works, if Louie can figure it out so can Bradford and he wouldnt send FOWL in without a full briefing on Scrooge. 

We don’t see the next one as it’s a time loop room, it’s a time loop room, it’s a time loop room okay i’ll stop and so does Dell after Louie well meaningly smacks his mom. Next puzzle’s quackfaster and I like scrooge pulling a Dumbledore and having some of his most trusted advisors devise the traps for him. I may hate JK Rowling for good reason but I did always love that bit of the Sorcerer’s (Or phillosphers in the uk because the publisher’s weren’t as stupid) Stone. Death of the author and all that. Point is I like it here too even if i’ts truncated for time. But Emily’s trap is a bunch of tiles that fuck with gravity because apparently she’s magical now... who knew. I’m not questioning it though: She runs a giant library full of dangerous, and probably magical in some cases, literature.. if she didn’t know spells she probably woudn’t be able to sort some of them. It’s a new fact out of nowhere but it makes perfect sense. 

Point is they have to figure it out though Louie once again succeeds with some books and, in a really cool bit, using scrooge as a platform with the two walking in time and della grabbing on as they hit the master rune to shut them all off. It’s a damn cool sequence even if Scrooge is agrviated.  We then come, after they apparently fought a Squid Monster off screen, because Quackfaster can also apparently summon demons.. or gyro made a tentacle monster which dosen’t suprise me at all. Either way it’s the final challenge in the main room leading ot the bin and in the way of deactivating security: A Scrooge Robot! Because as we all know by video game logic, the Robot Version is always stronger. Of course Louie’s annoyed both at the spending of his inhertince and at Scrooge’s egotisim but he has a good point there and the thing looks hilarious clunky with 8-bit eyes.. till it morphs, to scrooge’s delight, into a giant purple robot with a cane and scrooge’s face on the front j jonah jameson style. I never see that spider-slayer refrenced but i’mg lad this one did. Granted it could be to arim zola or something but I feel the Spider-Slayer refrence fits here.. take a look if your curious. 

See? Anyways a fight insues with Scrooge, in a great bit, riling up Della when she fishes for him to admit she would’ve’ been a better base by bringing up Donald first instead. The trio get their asses kicked, and a pep can drops out, as naturally Louie was lying but it’s a rare flavor so I get it. I do. Thankfully his lies do save them however as the Cherry PEP he fires at the machine stuns it while Scrooge USES THE POGO CANE MOVE ON IT. Hell.. fucking yes. It’s about time we saw that again and in fully glory here too. I really want that game on the switch by the way.. where’s my disney afternoon collection.. WHERE CAPCOM WHERE.  But yeah they won.. and Scrooge is upset. Because this was SUPPOSED to keep FOWL out but if his family can beat it so can they. And now we get to Scrooge’s far less horrifying dark night of the soul as we get a sense of just how much this whole ordeal has rattled him: As he mentioned at the top of hte episode he TRUSTED  Bradford. It was clear he never liked him as a person, but Scrooge is a paranoid guy, he hardly trusts anyone and for someone to earn that it had to take a lot.. and it naturally stings. We see that while he may of been a necessary evil, SCrooge still liked the guy on some level and to have someone he trusts and respects betray him naturally shook Scrooge. He trusted someone.. and they knifed him in the back going against all he stands for. Instead of earning money, Bradford stole what Scrooge and others worked for while working to destroy him as soon as he feasably could and take his legacy for himself. To Scrooge, Bradford was revealed to be the worst kind of parasite and one that leeched off him for probably decades.  But what’s worse is the risk that creates: Bradford was one of his top guys and the only other one running the company: He knows EVERYTHING about Scrooge, every secret, every investment, where every treasure is stored, and everywhere he’s been. He knows about his friends, family, some of his darkest and most guarded for a reason secrets, secrets he’d never give away freely.. and can now use ALL of it to destroy his family and everyone they care about. That sheer level of betryal would rock anyone but someone like Scrooge, who BARELY trusts anyone and can even be paranoid of his own family from time to time? LIke beakly it’s easy to see why he spiraled and why he put so much into this: Because like Beakly, he was blindsided, and his buisness, his crown jewel, the thing he put his heart and soul into and worked hard to build up and CONTINUES to work hard on to this day.. was being slowly corrupted and he has no idea what parts or where or just what all Bradford did with his money and resources and what nasty suprises he has hidden in them. The one thing he could trust as almost entirely his is tainted, his sense of security tainted.. and his sense of self tainted. If Scrooge freaking mcduck can get blindsighted like this, just how powerful is his former friend? 

And we soon see Scrooge’s own fears manifest as Bradford hyjacks the robot, revealing this was, naturally him.. as of COURSE it was the guy who was revealed to be an evil mastermind who hates your guts. And because Scrooge didn’t change his password, which cleverly is the sum total of his money hence why it was a mass of numbers, which.. really dude? I don’t like doing it either and don’t change mine up if I can help it but even I did when someone tried hyjacking my spotify account. Yes that happened, I thought it was just a wifi thing, it was not. So yeah turns out Bradford was STILL one step ahead, and thus knew about the defenses and thus trapped Scrooge in them for reasons that will dramatically be revealed at the end of the episode. He also naturally attacks because just like JJ, he’s a crotchety old man whose yelling at our loveable rascals to in a sense, get off his lawn. Granted unlike JJ he’s clearly never came around, but the parallels are there. Point is it’s time for another fight this time using the gravity runes, with Scrooge hitting his despiar event horizon as if FOWL can outhink him on this what hope does he have. But like the rest of his family sans launchpad did for Beakly, Louie helps him through the other side and points out there are things they have they don’t.. and demonstrates as naturally the bulb tech used for the robot is just as irate so Louie tricks it into going after him then does a bin dive, with the massive amount of money destroying the thing and Bradford unable to get Gandra to stop it, so our heroes win... oh and Bradford left the company.. for some reason, because as his investors Scrooge can’t really remove him and I was curious how they’d get him out.. then again Scrooge probably, even as cheap as he is, had security cameras showing Bradford’s little talk with Bulba or any of his various rants as evidence. I mean Scrooge is stingy but he’s not STUPIDLY stingy. it’s the best I got, point is he’s to the wind now and our heroes have one! Except yeah.. the ending of the last segment. 

Lost the Battle, Time to Win the War

In an utterly amazing swerve we find out just what kind of alert Beakly got as the rest of this episodes cast have arrived at the bin and Beakly asks why Scrooge hasn’t answered his phone.. and when Scrooge does Bradford’s plan comes into view: Turns out he locked scrooge in as a DISTRACTION, keeping him in the one place no one could reach him. It also explains why he attacked Scrooge: Besides having the perfect weapon for it and getting to gloat, someone needed to keep him busy while the rest of his operatives finished his master stroke.  Turns out EVERYONE involved with one of the missing mysteries called: Goldie called to gripe about the fountain being gone and Scrooge taking it before she could, the Mervanans called to tell him the harp was swindelded by some eggheads and their good vibes did nothing to save her, we also get to see the pink one in full view which is nice but unimportant, and we get Drake back for a cameo! 

But sadly it’s because he just met Steelbeak for the first time.. again, and Beaky clearly beat the every loving shit out of him as he’s heavily bruised, and took the papers on Solgelo’s Circuit with him

And Gene called to tell them he was being kidnapped as the Blot, now with a fully functioning gauntlet got to him. So to sum it up F.O.W.L. in one night, took all the missing mysteries they’d gathered or found, beat one of their most trusted allies and made their new security system worthless. 

It was an utterly masterful story move: Firmly tying both plots together and confirming FOWL has SOMETHING bigger they want out of them. Some bigger plan, and as the last two weeks proved already knew where they were. Now it’s open war F.O.W.L.’s taken the first shot and hit hard. 

But Scrooge, now with his confidence restored thanks to Louie, instead of backing down, is galvanized: They’ve lost the mysteries they have but if F.O.W.L. wants the rest, their going to have to beat the greatest family of adventurers the world, and probably the multiverse if we’re being honest and yes that includes other versions of this family, has ever known to them first. Sneaking in the shadows, attacking them from behind, striking them while they were at their most vunerable? FOWL was in their element and won this round because of it. But now adventuring, traveling the world, finding rare artifacts lost to time? Now their in the ducks wheelhouse. As Beakly, finally accepting her place in the family and that she’s not alone, proudly states their not ready for them. And so we close on one badass group shot as Dewey tries to lift the sword again only for his siblings to help, minus Louie naturally who still looks on determined. Our heroes have been through their dark night of the soul, they’ve lost a lot and the villians are miles ahead.. but they’ve also come out of it together, determined, their doubts behind them for now, and FOWL firmly in their sights. They won the battle.. but the war’s far from over. Game on. 

Final Thoughts. 

God this was a good one, as you could probably tell from the way I went on and on about it but this was one of the series best.. and while I say that a lot, mostly because Season 3 has consistently been about them topping themselves again and again, this time it’s etched in stone. I thought this would be a good one but forgetable.. instead it’s easily one of the best dives into the cast, and one of the best bottle episodes i’ve seen, limiting the cast to just our heroes, a handful of cameos and our big bad and letting our heroes be their own worst enemies for most of it. IT’s a great character piece, with plenty of great fluid action set pieces, absolutely heartbreaking character stuff, and a hell of an ending that sets the tone for the final half of the season and possibly the series.  It also shut my mouth about the pacing, because as I hoped, much like season 2 it was slow on purpose: The first half, while also providing vital setup here and there, was also about telling stories they really COULDN’T once the FOWL plot kicked into gear for act 2. Getting trapped in a sitcom, a casual breakin of a gala where Donald meets the love of his life, a trip to tokyolk.. none of this would’ve really worked with Fowl at their heels. By taking their time they simply had more time to set the stage so when things kicked up with this act, things could stay intense.. minus the christmas episode but that takes place before these episodes so I don’t really count it. Point is the tone is firmly set, the stakes are high and things are at a level they’ve never been. This is one of the show’s finest and I expect i’ts only going to go higher and higher from here.  Also one last note Bradford, bud.. why did you out Gandra as an agent? You had to have known about the whole Fenton thing, you seem to know everything and a break in to Gyro’s lab would’ve been something Scrooge had to tell you about or you could learn about yourself. They didn’t know she was still evil or working for you or that she was even on their radar. Also related while Steelbeak and Blot’s missions were obvious it was easy to figure out who went where besides them: Heron went under the sea both because she was the odd one out and because Bradford was presumably still mad about the helicopter thing, while Rockerduck obviously took the fountain since he’d been there and knew where it was now it was properly restored.  Next Week: Kidcentric episode and the sabrewing sisters are back! Also while I don’t hate it, Lena’s blueform is simply a super mode.. phew. I mean I don’t dislike it but i’ts not a walk around in public thing. Point is kids teaming up for shenanigans, a mystic sword in the middle of x of swords AND the return of my two faviorite fowl agents. I’m pumped. 

Until then if you like this review there’s more reviews on the pages on my blog including a just finished this weekend review of the original Ducktales 4-parter, Catch as Cash Can. It was a trip. You can find that collected  into a handy series of links HEREEEEEEEEEE. Or if you prefer this series, as I do, you can find last week’s review of Let’s Get Dangerous HERE. If you like this review and want to here my thoughts on say an episode from the first two seasons (which I mostly haven’t covered yet), or another disney show, you can pm me on this very blog to comission an episode, just like one of my fans commissioned me to review catch as cash can. Or you can follow me on my patreon HERE.  Until next week stay safe, vote if your old enough and check your house for Gary Busey! 

#ducktales #escape from the impossibin #scrooge mcduck #bentina beakly #webby vanderquack #huey duck #louie duck #della duck #dewey duck #donald duck #bradford buzzard #gandra dee #darkwing duck #drake mallard #ducktales spoilers #reviews #revew

[ramshacklefey]

I’ve seen a couple posts about not having enough time outside work to enjoy life, and I have a theory about where this problem came from. See, until relatively recently in human history, fulfillment (or entertainment or relaxation or however you want to classify it) wasn't a goal by itself for most people. There were two reasons for this.

One is that we were generally much more concerned with survival in a direct way: Farming, caring for livestock, engaging in crafts to benefit the community etc.

The other reason is much bigger: The kind of fulfilling engagement that people are desperate for now used to come from daily labor. Being a farmer or a smith or a weaver involves a lot of boring drudgery, but it's also labor that gives you a direct, tangible result. It's self-regulated. You can sing or tell stories to the people around you while you work. You can linger over your midday meal and watch the clouds, chat with a friend, or take a moment to work on something you like doing for fun. Your work is your own, not just in the sense of you owning the product, but in the sense that you can put some personality into it. There can be idiosyncrasies to how you operate.

Industrialization changed that. Division of labor has been essential to humanity being able to gain material stability, because it increases efficiency. If I farm and you weave, we both get more done. When efficiency becomes its own end, labor becomes so divided as to be meaningless. When labor turns humans into literal cogs in a machine, there is no engagement with it any more. There’s no more talking or singing while you work, and your midday meal becomes a grudging allowance. Your individuality disappears because each thing produced has to be identical to the others. You work in a boring grey office. When was the last time you heard a group of co-workers singing together while they worked? Conversation only happens in hurried snatches while no one’s looking, usually whispered. If your office isn’t boring and grey, it’s because someone did some research and proved it would raise your efficiency to have desks pushed together like grade-schoolers. You enjoying it more is only a factor insofar as it makes you work faster.

The obsession with efficiency has gotten into everything. I worked as a janitor for a while. Instead of each person having responsibility for one or two buildings on campus, we were divided by tasks. Person 1 did bathrooms, person 2 mopped, etc, because it had been decided that the time it took to switch between made us too inefficient. You didn’t get to feel some ownership for keeping a building in good shape, you were a floor mopping machine. You didn’t even get to really feel like a team, because the other people working were in different parts of the building, doing different things. Pacing your work to stay near someone and chat was a waste of time.

It was the same when I worked in retail, which so many of us are familiar with. There was no standing still and talking between customers. If there wasn’t a customer in the store, you were restocking, cleaning, or finding some busywork to do. Heaven help you if you were seen just standing there, and gods forbid you take a moment between customers to doodle in a sketchbook or write down a story idea. You’re working with a skeleton crew, so it feels like you’re always running to catch up. In a big chain, you don’t even get to design displays or decide what items to carry. Hell, in the pharmacy I worked in, our music was piped in from corporate. You could go into any CVS around the entire country, and I guarantee you the same song would be playing.

There are exceptions to this. A lot of people who work as artists still enjoy their work. People find creative engagement in being analysts and accountants, in the thrill of stock trading, in being mechanics or electricians, engineers or academics, scientists or doctors. You might have noticed a common thread in all those professions: They’re all considered privileged positions. You only get them if you’re the best at what you do.

And even some of these are turning into efficiency wheels. Next time you go to a doctor, ask someone who they’re run by. Most of the doctors in my area are run by one of two bigger corporations. Doctors are paid by how many patients they see in an hour. If you’re a newly graduated bio major, you might end up working as a lab tech. I worked as a lab assistant one summer (meaning I did the cleaning and filed papers). The rank and file lab techs sat at benches and filled test tubes from samples, running the same test over and over.

My girlfriend was a professional writer for 11 years. She was treated as a cog in a machine that was supposed to churn out marketing copy at a ridiculous rate.

The working conditions for artists at a certain major studio are notoriously wretched.

And so, rather than work being what you do and providing much of the interest and engagement in your life, it’s the thing you suffer through so that you can get by. Why do you feel a desperate need for more time in the day to pursue things you actually enjoy? It’s because the bulk of your life has turned you into an invisible robot.

People have been railing against this for generations, but no one has actually done anything about it. Taking the position that people should enjoy their work, whatever it is, is a wacky fringe position.

For the six months I lived in Europe though, it was different. I worked as a stagehand with a company that built stages for concerts and other events. I was only the lowest of grunts, but when I anxiously went to stub out a half finished cigarette to hurry back to work and my boss told me to chill and finish my goddamn cigarette. People would just…. stop… for water breaks, or to rest for a minute. One time we were setting up a stage for an American band and their roadies kept expressing disgust about how lazy the Austrians were.

It’s possible to do things differently. But shortening the work day isn’t the only thing that needs to happen. What needs to happen is a fundamental paradigm shift in how we think about and approach the whole idea of work.

#streetfeythoughts #six hour work day #labor #work #marxism #history #industrial revolution

[daisyxbuckley]

Wrong Direction//Thomas AU

*not my gif*

A/N: So I am writing this for @writingsbychlo​ and her Tom-uary event. (check it out btw if you haven’t. Lots of amazing stuff.) It’s an au with an OFC because this baby is going to be more than one chapter long lol. I have never seen the movie so go easy on me if I mess up some things. Thank you to @dylinski​ for looking it over and Chloe for her amazing brainstorming ideas. Without further adue...my story. 

Description: Soulmates have existed since mankind was made. But with the outbreak of the Flare, the concept had been long forgotten...until now. 

@cxddlyash @xceafh @parker-potter @inside-alainas-mind @fullangelimagines  (if you would like to be tagged, message me.)

**************************************************************************************************************

Prologue 

The room was dark when Tommy snuck into it. It didn’t matter though, he had been in that specific place so many times he could probably navigate it with his eyes closed. He came up on the glass enclosed room where the scientists kept her. The figure that was lying on the bed was pulled up into a ball as if to try and vanish into nothing. Tommy’s heart clenched looking at the sight knowing that he had been part of the reason why you wanted to do nothing but disappear. Heading over to the keypad, he was about to enter his password to open the door when he heard footsteps. Turning around, Tommy’s eyes were wide as he expected guards to walk around the corner. When he saw Teresa’s worried face instead his breath released and his body relaxed as he went back to work. 

“Thomas, what are you doing?” The brunette ran over to the man as she watched him enter his code and swipe the card. “Stop. Tell me what you’re doing!” Teresa pleaded with him as she grabbed his arm. Tommy quickly yanked away as he pulled a pair of jeans and a tank top out of the bag on his back, ignoring the other girl. He didn’t want to talk to her or tell her his plan..he couldn’t risk it. Thomas also knew Teresa and that she wouldn’t stop till he told her. 

“I’m getting her out of here,” was all he said as he walked over to the door and slowly opened it. The figure on the bed had finally realized what was going on and started to turn over, blinking at the light that filled her room with the flashlight Tommy held. Hazel eyes were shielded by a pale hand, squinted as Tommy slowly walked closer to her. “Mick...hey it’s me,” he said carefully. He saw the confused look on her face as Teresa followed him in. 

“Tommy, you can’t just take her out of here. She’s important to us,” she whispered. Tommy waved her off as he kneeled in front of Mick.

“What do you two want? I thought the tests in the middle of the night were done for now?” The girl was tired and honestly after the day that she had, all she wanted to do was sleep for the next three days. “Tommy...you said that it was the last time for a long time.” Her voice never rose above a whisper as she felt his hand rest on her arm. 

“I know, and I’m keeping that promise. Get dressed..I’m getting you out of here Mikayla.” He spoke quickly as he shoved the clothes into her hands. Standing up, Tommy walked out of the room and to his desk in the lab as he grabbed another backpack from the drawers. 

“Thomas, you can't just take her away. We need her,” Teresa said as she tried to stop whatever the boy was doing. Tommy quickly shrugged off her attempts before looking at her. 

“No YOU need her. This isn’t right, none of this is,” he hissed back. Tommy always felt like something was off with WICKD from the moment they started experimenting. Once they figured out that some batches of DNA held the antidote to the Flare, they started experimenting. Some subjects were sent into the mazes...and some they just ended up running more tests on here. Tommy was Mikayla’s handler for the past few months, but he couldn’t do it anymore, not after other things came to light. Moving his sleeves up, Tommy reached for something else on his hand when Teresa grabbed his wrist.

“What is that?” Her voice was low and Tommy looked down at what she was staring at and stilled. He forgot that the crossed arrows were still on the inside of his left wrist. They had just appeared in the last week and it was then that he knew what he needed to do for Mick. Yanking his hand back, he grabbed his jacket and started back over to where the other girl was. 

“It’s nothing. Leave it alone.” He didn’t even bother to look at her as he walked to where Mikayla was standing. “Come on, put this on...we need to go before they switch shifts.”

Mick just stared at him with hard eyes. Only eight hours before he had been participating in torturing her and now he was helping her? “I don’t get it..why are you so intent on getting me out of here now?” She spent so long hating him to get through everything that him trying to save her was throwing her off. 

“Can you not argue for once in your life and just trust me?” Tommy asked quickly. “Please.” He held his hand out to her as he watched Mick deliberate if she wanted to take it. It felt like an eternity had passed before he felt her warmth and folded his fingers around hers. It was almost like a jolt of electricity went through them. It was the first time he had ever touched her bare skin without wearing gloves of some sort. Mickayla looked up at him with wide eyes but before they could say anything they heard voices. Tommy looked around and noticed that Teresa was gone and cursed as he gripped Mikayla’s hand tighter and ran to the side door of the lab with her. Running down the hallway, they could hear the guards shouting into their radios that someone was missing from their cell and to start shutting off all corridors. 

“Tommy...we aren’t going to make it!” Micks voice wasn’t above a whisper but he could still hear the hysterics in it. Running down a hallway, he pulled her into an alcove as they tried to wait for guards to pass. Her body was pressed close to his and he could feel her shaking as his arms wrapped around her. Mick attempted to slow her breaths with the techniques she used when being tested on. 

“Mick..I will get you out of here, I swear.” He whispered looking down at her face. Moving the hair from her eyes he pressed a quick kiss on her forehead and looked around. “I promise..I’m not leaving you here to die.” 

 The kiss shocked Mikayla more than anything. More so because she didn’t expect the rush of emotions to follow from it. Looking down she noticed the symbol that appears on her right wrist appeared on her left. Having symbols on your wrists wasn’t unusual, it meant that you found your soulmate. But only if it was on your left wrist...if it was on your right then that meant it was your enemy. And Mick hated Thomas..or so she thought. 

Before she could process what was going on, Mick felt Tommy grab her hand and drag her down the corridor. There was a door at the end and for a second she thought that they would actually get out of there alive. That hope was dashed when it opened and three guards came through. 

Tommy grabbed Mick and shoved her behind him as the guns pointed their way. More guards poured in behind them and the sound of clapping echoed through the hallway. Tommy turned around and noticed Jansen walking slowly towards them, applauding them as a grin spread across his face. 

“Well done, Thomas. You have managed to break even the lowest standards that we held for you,” he said as he stopped a few feet away, hands behind his back. Tommy made sure that Mick was out of Jansen’s line of sight but it didn’t help. “What did you think would happen? You would escape and by some miracle be able to be free for the rest of your lives?” The rat faced man shook his head as he motioned to the guards behind the pair. “You should know by now that it doesn’t work that way. Besides, Mikayla there is part of the cure. She can help save us all.” 

“Or how about you go to hell and let us be on our way?” Tommy spat out as he shrugged his shoulders. His attempt to look like he didn’t care that they were surrounded was failing. Feeling Mick slipping from his grasp, Tommy quickly turned and noticed her being dragged away in a feeble attempt to fight back. He knew that she didn’t have the strength, the amount of blood they took from her that day made sure of that. “LET HER GO!” He yelled as he headed straight for them. Tommy reached his hand out and almost had Mick’s in his when he felt a blow on the back of his neck causing him to go down. 

“Tommy!” Mick yelled. She tried so hard to fight, but the running had sapped whatever energy that she had left. She felt a man’s arms wrap tight around her as another one stepped up and drove a needle into her neck. Whatever was in it worked quickly as the girl started to slump down in the guards arms. Tommy watched in horror from his spot on the ground as someone threw her over their shoulder. He tried to get up to run to her when he was knocked down again, this time Jansen was right over him. His boot dug into the middle of Tommy’s back as he pushed him back down. “This is the last time you disobey us, Thomas.” He whispered in his ear. When Tommy tried to struggle more, Jansen saw the mark on his arm. Pulling the boy up, he shoved him into a guard who incapacitated him as the older man walked over to the girl that was passed out. Lifting her arm up, a sinister smile spread across his face once more. 

“You were right Teresa, he did let his feelings get involved.” 

Tommy’s head popped up at the name and noticed the girl walking over to the group. Her eyes were red rimmed with tears as she avoided his. “Teresa, why? You know this isn’t something that we can continue,” Tommy yelled. 

“I’m sorry Tommy,but WKCD is good.” The words fell from her lips and Tommy felt nothing but rage. 

“Take her away! Burn the mark off her arm before she wakes up, I don’t want her remembering anything that happened.” Jansen said as the guard walked away with Mick. 

“NO...GET BACK HERE!” Tommy yelled as he struggled against the guard holding him down. “I'm going to kill you, Jansen.” Tommy was shoved to the ground and flinched as he felt another needle go into his neck. The drugs were fast acting as his eyes started to droop. Jansen’s face was the last thing he saw before the darkness overtook him. 

#the maze runner #thomas tmr #dylan o'brien #dylan o'brien x reader #dylan o'brien x you #tom-uary #tmr #tmr thomas #TDC thomas

[jae-canikeepyou]

| trust | j.jh

genre: high school au t/w: blood + violence a/n: if you had a dose of bad boy jaehyun, then this is the opposite 😗 you’ll know what i mean. i wrote this in one go and probably not the best i’ve written. it hope you enjoy this scenario! ~j.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

“ugh she’s here?” “she finally came after weeks, huh.” “you know jaehyun’s had a hard time dealing with someone like her.” “it’s not even his responsibility yet he still offers to help. y/n’s such a rebel.”

everything you ran into all ticked you off; the stares of students from different class sections, the growing whispers you heard weren’t even considered as whispers anymore. there wasn’t a single day you never encountered these ever since you decided to go back to studying again. it had been weeks. the hall continued to irritate your ears and space was laid out in front of you as the others leaned back to their lockers, like you were from a different dimension.

holding back an attitude, you turned the digits of your locker when books hit your head. you turned around to see sicheng, the secretary of the school’s student council. “pres needs to see you.”

“ha, no thanks. now leave me alone.” you scoffed. sicheng wasn’t having any of your obnoxious behavior; or that was how he saw it. he put out an arm and blocked your locker.

“you have to see him.” he insisted with eyes of concern.

“and i don’t.” you forcibly took your books from the locker, hugging them as you started to walk away from sicheng. a yank from the hem of your shirt pulled you back. all sorts of emotions built up from head to toe, you turned around to see sicheng’s face. “ew why are you grinning like that, pisses me off.”

“there’s this thing called irritated smile, y/n. i’m going to take far measures if you refuse to see him.” he grabbed your arm, squeezing it in case you planned to escape. he started to walk and the force from it already made you follow.

“what far measures?! you’re already doing it sicheng!” you yelled. your fingers curled to remove the lad’s hand. “let go you jerk!”

he led you to the fifth floor where the student council office was. apparently the meeting had just adjourned and you saw jaehyun stacking piles of paper. the rest of the council stared at you either with pissed faces or pity.

“pres, y/n’s here.” sicheng called out to the boy, who now stood up to fix his tie.

“thanks dude. you can leave us.” jaehyun replied.

the room soon emptied out, leaving the both of you in silence. the sounds of fans above you were the only ones heard. your hair flew in different directions before jaehyun shortened the distance between you, pushing back strands of hair behind your ear. aggravated at his move, you hit his hand. “if this is your way of being nice, i won’t accept it.” you glared, sitting at a desk behind with crossed arms.

“why’re you like this, y/n?” he asked as if he had the innocent mind. “you weren’t like this at all.”

“yeah i wasn’t until that day jaehyun!” you kicked a nearby chair.

<a few weeks ago>

shortly after the last class, you remembered the item you left in the classroom. the golden hour had just passed and every corner of the corridor drown in the orange lit sky behind the windows. the steps of your track shoes clicked the marbled floor. a few screeches of the metal spikes made you pull out your headphones. music blasted your ears however, it wasn’t enough to muffle out the sounds of glass shards coming from the electronic laboratory.

you didn’t care what happened in there, but that place was an important part of academic life. you were one of the students having the subject as an elective and it played a crucial part at this time of the semester. as hesitant as you were behind a slim gap opening of the door, your heart sank at the sight of completed reports being drenched in water, soon torn and crumpled in oozing mess. the apparatus for experiments were broken and almost every single thing in the lab had been destroyed. cans of spray paints were shaken and they soon met with the walls, profanities in caps written to diss the teacher became many.

you recognized these group of students— the honors, who regulars like you held grudges with them and hated the favoritism. even the uniforms were designed to differentiate the level of grading. the recent electronics results was one-sided, where they sweet-talked for an advantage in the ranking system. the relations of students was bad too; with the son of the dean controlling the honors, he would always want to kill time and play with the regulars.

apparently jaehyun was one of the honors who ranked higher than the rest— he was also a close friend of yours. yet he was also friends with the dean’s son. since his move to the honors, he changed, and you hated his ego.

you soon were spotted and forcibly put in the lab. your hand held the nearby desk before someone shoved you from behind, earning your fall. “what are you doing?” you asked, pointing at the vandalized areas.

“no, what are you doing? you regulars should learn privacy.” they all smirked, preparing their fists. “that’s new word for your dictionary. you may thank us.”

“i just happened to pass by and some roaches sure play dirty.” sarcasm was on your side, as well as your r.b.f.

“ha, not only regulars have limited vocabulary, they also have guts. let’s see if you have them now.” a boy pulled you from the collar, giving you a punch in the stomach. blows of attacks met your body, they encircled you with no escape. to them you were a weakling, but it was to conserve your strength for your attacks.

you had your chance to fight them, injuring and hurting them with your track shoes; creating open wounds and drops of their blood on the floor. they cursed with the pain and continued to pursue you, yet you weren’t having any of it. the swelling of your face started to kick in, with bruises so deep and limbs weakened, you were outnumbered. and before you knew it, darkness consumed your vision.

<at the dean’s office>

“miss y/n, with the meeting from the school board and student council, the verdict is to suspend you until further notice.” the dean said, his hands gestured you to leave.

you refused to do so, hands balling into fists. jaehyun held you by the shoulders, giving little force to make you start moving. “dean, i’ll see her out. and as for her actions, i apologize.” he bowed.

“jaehyun! it wasn’t me! why are you seeing this one-sidedly?!” you tried to escape his hold, but he was stronger. “i can’t be suspended!”

“you don’t have evidence, y/n.” he said sternly and that was like a slap to your face.

“i do have-”

“we’re leaving.” his eyes filled with anger now.

“yikes weeks of suspension, too bad.”

“the roach should learn discipline too.”

“i didn’t know a delinquent can change back.”

they gave giggles and mockery that pretty much made you want to go at them. jaehyun’s grip tightened on your shoulders, and with that you were already at the corridor. stares from both sides were on you. the honors having the oh-well face whilst the regulars gave a pitiful one as they didn’t know what to do to help you.

—

“you tell me! after what happened at the dean’s office you— stayed silent the whole time and then what?! somehow summing up that i was the one who initiated the vandalism?! the bullying?!” you yelled as your voice echoed, not caring to others who might’ve heard it.

“ugh here we go again. i can’t even have a proper conversation with you since then.” he rubbed his temples to sooth the upcoming pain. “look, i didn’t convince him. i wasn’t gonna side on anyone. i don’t understand why you’re-”

“oh and just like that you decided to protect your reputation as president than a fellow friend?! your silence was more than enough to make me feel you betrayed me!” your bitter voice couldn’t hide any of the pain it was giving.

“y/n, what did i tell you about your anger issues?” jaehyun asked, that alone made you fume more than the honors ever did. you walked towards him, poking him hard in the chest. it hurt that his ego went ahead of his friendship with you. it hurt when he chose to make you leave the office.

but there was one thing that hurt more,

that he was the boy you were in love with.

“anger issues?” you choked on your words. “the issue here is that did you ever think that maybe i was at the wrong place and wrong time? or that what had happened might’ve been the opposite? yet you let your stupid ego eat you.”

jaehyun saw how you slowly went back to that desk you leaned on, head down and chest heaving deeply. he remembered the time he saw you at the alley, far back in the garbage area all beaten up yet he has never seen a smile so genuine like yours. an urge hit him to help you, so he tended your wounds. to him you’ve always wore a brave face. the you right now was something he never seen.

you cried and threw a fit to every chair and desk you could possibly see, earnestly wanting to let out all misery and heartbreak with a scream. jaehyun’s guilt plunged to the deepest. he admitted that his disappointment put your friendship at risk. he couldn’t bear to see you at your lowest when before the incident, you were a rising gem. an undiscovered talent who excelled when given a second chance.

“y/n..” jaehyun approached with wavering hands. he didn’t know why but he wanted to hold you, to let you know that someone was on your side even if he didn’t believe you.

but he suddenly had a spark of assimilation.

he should’ve believed you.

his large arms held you from behind, and even you felt angry and deceived from his angelic exterior, it was the same feeling when he first met you— the dependable heart.

“i’m sorry.. i guess my pride did change me. i was blind to see my surroundings and the acceptance i got from the honors was overwhelming. i was happy for once, like my hardwork was paid off. it seemed like a place where i belonged but then it altered my attention from you.” he said in a soft voice. “i want to help you, if you give me a chance to do that.”

the latter sentence was the same words he said that day he met your beaten-up self.

“i hate you. you’re crazy.” you turned around to hit him, later seeing his eyes full of willingness.

“yeah. i am.” he replied quickly with his hands by your waist. “i have to be crazy to be in love.”

“in love my butt.” you spat back, but that made him smile since he made you leave the office. “that confession of yours won’t make me soft or forgive you.”

“then what should i do for you to forgive me? or love me?” he asked, his hands now intertwining with yours.

i’m already in love with you, idiot. and to be frank that action made your head spin where all you saw was flying hearts and flowers.

you wriggled from his hold, grabbing your bag to leave the meeting room. “i’ll consider your apology if you find it in the lab.”

he lifted a brow as he crossed his arms. “what do you mean?”

“there’s a tiny cube on top of a dslr camera that is inside the second cupboard. get that and check your email. you might want to show the dean tomorrow too.” you wore your bag. “apparently that was the item i forgot in the lab. i tried telling you the truth that day. anyway, you’ll know the rest when you see the email.”

he tried to speak out but held it in when you stopped by the door. “if you do that, i’ll consider your confession too.” you smiled and left.

jaehyun went to the lab right after. he had the cube in his hands and what he stumbled upon now was ordinary. the email you sent him was extraordinary.

the cube was a hidden camera, and the email contained the video that serves a proof of your innocence. right then and there he thought,

he should’ve put trust in your words.

#idk where im going with this hahaha #nct 127 #jung jaehyun #jung yoonoh #nct jaehyun #jaehyun #nct #jaehyun nct #jaehyun x reader #yoonoh #jaehyun scenarios #jaehyun imagines #jaehyun oneshot #jaehyun fanfic

[languagequest]

Don’t Panic! When Uni Life isn’t Like the Movies

We have lots of views of how Uni will turn out, how it will be. For most people, I imagine the idea of parties and drowning in essays comes to mind. While this will be some people’s reality, it won’t be others and the people you meet at Uni are going to fit into lots of different categories that won’t really exist once you’ve really thought about who you know.

This post is a lot longer than I anticipated it being and it covers the people that you’ll meet at uni, doing uni work, and being social in the ways uni brings

People

However well you might think you know people, they’re unpredictable as all hell. You won’t know what kind of people you’ll be living with, in fact, I’d say you won’t know until you’re comfortable. I only really got friendly with one of my flatmates over the last few months and now we do loads together. 

This applies to you moving in with friends as well, be prepared for the fact that you may not get on as well as you thought you would. You’ll certainly find out things about them that you didn’t know before. 

As for people on your course, they’re probably going to end up being the most important to you because they’ll stick with you throughout your time at uni. Make friends in the smaller classes you have - labs or seminars/tutorials - then you’ll have people to ask for help who aren’t tutors. While Tutors are great and it’s their job, sometimes they get swamped by other students there and it’s good to have a helping hand nearby. 

The Daily Grind

You’re going to have a lot of work to do, I don’t know how many times I can say this - and it’s going to up as the years go on. 

You’re probably going to feel you need to be working every single day and while I’d say this is true, especially if you don’t keep on top of things but I want to tell you that it’s fine. Knowing how much you need to do is more key than just work blindly day by day.

Say you’re covering a certain number of chapters by a date where you have a test. Take the day before and work out how long you have, then divide the number of chapters by the days you have. This gives you a target but it also gives you an idea of how much work you need to be doing. Say you only have to do one a day, you can absolutely give yourself a day off or the chapter will take so little time it’ll be inconsequential. 

Once you know what you need to do and when you want to do it, give yourself days off and designate them early on. This was personally good for me because feeling like I’m sat doing nothing really gets at me when I don’t have the motivation to study or I’m thoroughly burnout.

Another thing I can suggest is getting a study buddy (or group) early on, I usually spend my Wednesday afternoons with friends from my course and Thursday evenings with another friend, working. This lets me get things done that prepare me for the rest of the week, so I have more time to relax. 

Sometimes You’ll Slump and all the other things that happen

Things will inevitably go wrong at Uni. You might run out of money, be hit by a slump, something personal could happen, you might get ill. There’s a whole host of things that could happen and while that’s daunting just know that there will always be people to help you. 

If it’s money, your University will probably have a crisis loan service aimed at students, even if they’re just giving you £30 to get the shopping in until your next lot of finance comes in go for it. They’re there to help. If you’re a bit like me and you’re in the weird bracket where you’re in the highest income = lowest support don’t let that stop you asking your parents. I was afraid to but what they gave me really helped. 

When it comes to slumps not much can be done. Of course, lots can be done, usually, the to-be-done piles up and up. I’d say what’s best is to find something that motivates you, find a new way to do the work you’ve been set. As I’m doing a Computing Degree and we have programming labs, sometimes I get frustrated with the labs and don’t want to do them. So, I then go and find a new way to use what I have to do to make something they’ve not told me to. If I’m working on French, say I’m bored with the grammar subjunctive exercises; I’ll just listen out for it in a video or something. A slump is also a sign you might need to take a break and I don’t mean a couple of hours, I mean go outside and do something and then go to bed at a reasonable hour and start again tomorrow. You’ve earned it. 

If you feel ill, go to the doctor. Making the phone call and getting the appointment can be daunting but you’ll be glad for it I promise. Even if there’s nothing wrong with you it’s better that you went and got it checked out than left it to possibly become something else.

Out and About on the Town

Going out to clubs is part of most people’s student life, and it’s fun! It can be a little daunting at first but I promise, the only way you find out if it’s your thing or not is by going. Plus, sometimes you’ll be in the mood and sometimes you won’t, go off what you say not what your friends say.

Clubbing is a great way to be social, with friends sure, but sometimes you’ll meet new people. I implore that all of you go on your Freshers Week or equivalent and meet people outside of your flat and outside of your course. It’ll be good for you. Of course, not all Freshers events will be clubbing and look for those that suit you if you already know that it isn’t really your thing.

Of course, there are things about being out that you have to be careful of. One I wish I didn’t have to say is, watch your drink. I, personally, don’t let anyone buy me a drink unless I know them very well. For example, me and two friends like to do rounds while we’re in the club but I wouldn’t do this with someone I didn’t know very well. Buy your own drinks, it’s a hit to your wallet but you’re safe. 

The other thing I want to say is, if someone is buying you drinks, try to be conscious of how much they’re buying you. While they might not spike you, they could be aiming to get you really drunk. If you feel that they’re making you drink too much, escape to the bathroom with a friend and tell them. If it’s just you two somehow, escape to the bathroom and phone a friend or parent. Look for posters in the bathroom, they might have posters telling you what to ask for at the bar if you feel unsafe. The go-to word is to ask for Angela. If you can get out, uber/taxi yourself home, better to be safe. 

Now, I know that’s all doom and gloom but clubbing is fun. I’ve had the time of my life with people I’ve become friends with recently. There’s just something about dancing to bad tunes with a few drinks in you.

Girls & Boys

Relationships at this age can be difficult. We’re all still finding our way in the world and no one really knows what they want yet. Still, it’s not impossible and there’s plenty of people I know who are happy.

However, I’d like to say this. Don’t settle for less because your last relationship was damaging. Don’t settle for someone you don’t like, especially when they really like you. Don’t go out with someone just because you’re told to give them a chance. Don’t settle for something you don’t want.

Also, to any of you who take people home after being out: you’re no less than anyone else for doing so. Have fun and be safe!

Hey, you’ve got this far, if you like my content maybe you’d consider helping me out a little? Any money you give goes towards me paying my bills + for food

https://ko-fi.com/languagequest

#Uni life #studyblr #langblr #university #surviving uni #advice

[silyabeeodess]

FusionFall Retro 2019 Holiday Event Fic: Icy Imagery, pt. 2

Previous: https://silyabeeodess.tumblr.com/post/189843252259/fusionfall-retro-2019-holiday-event-fic-icy

The next day—bundled in layers of clothes with a large, black sweater draped over her—Silya marched up the spire to find around a dozen soldiers at one of its lowest bases all gathered by the Ice King’s all but forced invitation.  Everyone had a holstered weapon, but fortunately, the area had already been cleared of Penguin Pests.  The Ice King had manifested a table beforehand, and had laid a small spread of chips, veggies, dip, liters of Super Porp, and what looked like some kind of potato salad, but they were either slushed or frozen by the time anyone got there. Despite this, everyone had one snack or another pushed on them.

Waiting for the last of the stragglers to arrive, Silya sloshed her iced drink around in its cup without taking a sip, not for the first time that day rethinking her decisions in life. She wondered how insane she had to be to let herself get talked into this and whether or not it would amount to anything.  Maybe she’d just spent so much time as one of Dexter’s lab rats that rational thought had abandoned her a long time ago.

Whatever the reason—passion, desperation, or her own madness—there she was, standing in the cold, about to take lessons from a raving lunatic.  Well, at least she wasn’t the only one crazy enough to be there…

Even if only a few others showed up after her.  Their pitiful numbers didn’t deter the wizard: He just glanced them over with a thoughtful pout and affirming nod before deciding to himself that they’d waited long enough. He raised his arms in a calling gesture, “Alright, alright, everybody, settle down.”

No one was saying much to begin with, all dialogue confined to a dull murmur, but they stopped to fire incredulous glances at him all the same.

The Ice King took on an authoritative persona that was almost comical, pacing in front of them as if he were their commander, ready to lead them into battle.  “Now, I’m sure you’re all wondering why I’ve called you here… It’s because your brains are all mush!” He waved his arms at the group. “You’re telling me that you all are capable of drawing from some kind of superpower, but you can’t even use it without a bunch of sciency junk? If it’s imaginary energy, then you should focus on using your imaginations a little.”

“Easier said than done…” someone muttered to Silya’s left.  They were right.  This was just the kind of thing she was worried about.  IE went a lot farther than what the Ice King described—if it didn’t, then it would’ve been seen used in almost every aspect of human life—so, no, just ‘using their imaginations’ wasn’t enough. She glanced back the way she came, already considering her escape.

An uncomfortable silence hung in the air.  Who knew what kind of response he was expecting, but clearly whatever speech the wizard had prepared didn’t go much farther than what he’d already said.  He glanced over the group again, the kind of look of his face that begged for someone else to step in.  When no one did, he held his hands up, “Uh… look, maybe it’d just be easier if I show you.”

A light blue aura shimmered around his fingers, a clear sign to everyone of Ice King’s elemental magic. Some recoiled instinctively, hands lingering by their sheathes and holsters. Instead of directing it at anyone there, however, Ice King instead aimed for the ground.  The magic scattered at their feet, manifesting in crackling icy, geometric patterns.  Then it swarmed around them, a cold chill pouring over them like a sudden, snowy blast of air.  Silya shielded her face from the winds with one arm, reaching for her sword with her free hand in case a stray bolt of ice trapped her legs.

Despite the Ice King’s bad history of encasing people in ice, however, none of them were harmed. Instead, the frosty cloud distorted their surroundings into some kind of strange, starry void washed in shades of green. The spire was gone and they were left hovering in the air.  A mix of excitement and panic took over the group.

“What is this? Where are we?!”

“Is this some kind of imaginary world?”

“It can’t be.  I’m checking the readings now, but I’m only picking up low traces of IE.”

Silya said nothing, taking it all in.  There was no way this could be an imaginary world.  Not that she’d ever had the chance to explore one herself, but no one could just summon one up like that!  Besides, it didn’t look like much of any kind she’d seen from the reports about them: They were always spawned with some kind of wonderland-like element to them. There was nothing here.  Nothing besides them…

Her eyes fell on the Ice King as their brief talk from yesterday entered her mind.  Sure enough, he called them back to attention with a proud grin on his face, “Fellas, you’re in my imagination zone!  Pretty cool, right?” He wiggled his brows. “It’s like a mindscape where anything goes.  Even Finn’s got one of these—and he’s got the imagination of a missing sock!”

“Mindscape?” a young man echoed to her right.  

Were they all currently somehow connected to the Ice King’s thoughts then?  Like some form of telepathy? She grimaced, unsure of how comfortable she actually was with that…

“Yeah, everyone’s got one they can go to.  Or should, I mean, I guess you shmoes never figured that out.  But that’s about to change.”  The Ice King hunted through his robes until he withdrew a worn, ruddy blue book.  “You guys read my fanfiction, right?  Since the ideas are all written out for you, it shouldn’t be a problem bringing Fiona and Cake and the rest into the world.”

Caught between a mix of irritation and guilt, Silya didn’t know what to feel worse.  Did he make us come here just to see if we could bring his fanfiction to life?  It didn’t exactly surprise her: Of course there was a catch.  There was always something like this no matter what villain joined the Fusion Fighters.  On the other hand, he had such an eager, puppy-like expression on his face that she felt bad for him.  She bit her lower lip.  While she didn’t have the hurt to dump her copy, she’d buried that brick of text somewhere so deep into her storage bank she didn’t even know where to find it without combing through everything.  

One look at the others told her that none of them had read it either.  Few of them answered him, and the ones that did had some excuse or another:

“I’ve been fighting fusion monsters, so I haven’t really gotten a chance to sit down with it…”

“Y-yeah! A-and it’d be a shame to rush through the story: It’s so… detailed.”

Miraculously, it worked, although the wizard still seemed disappointed.  He lowered the book, muttering a faint ‘oh,’ before a sudden anger took over him directed at no one in particular. “Well, this was a waste of time!”  The charge of emotion came and went, replaced with an excited smile, “Oh wait!  I can just read some of the good parts aloud right here then!  Makes sense, since it’ll keep us all on the same page.”

This time, at last, Silya finally interjected, raising her voice as a look of dread passed over the soldiers, “I think we’re good, Ice King.”  Caught under his curious stare, she thought up something quick, “Think about it: No one’s gonna know your characters quite like you do anyway, so even if we managed to create them, they wouldn’t exactly be the same.”  

She wasn’t lying: It was a case that happened all the time with imaginary friends.  People had their own needs, desires, and impressions, and those things always imprinted on imaginary beings.  It was even the case with their nanos, who took traits from themselves as often as they did their original counterparts.    

“Artistic interpretation and all…” she finished, scratching the back of her head.  “So, if you want to see Fionna and Cake, don’t you want them to be just like you’ve written them?”

He stared at her hard for a long moment—so long that she wondered if he’d snap again—but instead his expression turned a little sad and he dropped his gaze to the book in his hands with a casual shrug.  “Yeah, sure, but I tried all that before.  Even kidnapped some buddies of mine to find a life-giving mage to do it, but it didn’t work.  Took forever to write all the stories again after that…”

She wasn’t even going to ask: Somehow, she just knew that they and the Ice King had extremely different ideas about “buddies.”  However, it gave her an idea for how they all could get what they wanted.  “How about a trade then?  There this place called Fosters’ that specializes in imaginary friends. They might be able to help out.   You show us how to enter our own imaginary zones and we’ll get you in contact Fosters’.”      

Silya could feel the eyes drilling into the back of her skull from her fellow soldiers.  They could judge her all they wanted.  Frankie would probably kill her for passing the Ice King along like this, but after all the times she’d had to look after Cheese in the Darklands, the young woman felt that turnabout was fair play.  If this was their chance of getting one step closer to mastering IE, then it was worth it: He could make an army of Fionnas for all she cared.

Before she could get an answer though, one of the other Fusion Fighters spoke up, “Wait… If this is a mindscape, then what about our physical bodies?”

The area went so silent that you could hear a pin drop.  All heads turned to them, eyes wide with growing realization.  The wizard answered somewhat dismissively, “Duh, this is an imagination zone: It’s not like I could bring those here.  You’re lucky I was able to get everyone here at all.  I never tried it with so many people.”

“But if we’re all here, then who’s watching our backs in the real world?!”

Continued through the following fic... 

#fusionfall #fusionfall retro #ice king #fusion fighters #silya #silyabeeodess #video games #fanfic #fanfiction #icy imagery #ice king invasion holiday event #adventure time

[robco-official]

Fallout OC Interview

1. Choose an OC.

2. Answer them as your OC.

3. Tag 5 people to do the same.

Tagged by @star-spangled-bastard

Don’t feel like tagging people but if you wanna do this just say that I did!

1. What is your name?

I like to call myself Sputnik by these days.

2. How old are you?

240? I don’t remember, I stopped counting.

3. What do you look like?

Very sleep deprived and pale, there’s also some wires and metal sticking out somewhere. I could fix myself but eh, I don’t care. Nobody sees me most of the time.

4. Where are you from? Where do you live now?

I was born in Yekaterinburg, Russia but we kept moving around a lot when I was born. Eventually we settled in Moscow and as soon as I turned 18 I left for work, in my mid 20s I was sent over to the United States on an assignment. I really miss it over there, the weather here sucks.

5. What was your childhood like?

...Troubled, chaotic, you name it. I got into trouble a lot, I thought there was no point of following the rules because I was worthless. I didn’t care what happened to me, but in my early teens I realized I needed to protect Lei and I started to get better.

6. What groups are you friendly with? Are you allied with any factions?

I can’t say I’m too familiar with people around here, I do my job and that’s it. I try to avoid most of them out of fear, out of sight out of mind.

7. Tell me about your best friend.

//She looks away miserably, twirling her thumbs.

She was the only person who really...took time to know me, she’s all I’ve ever had. I don’t wanna talk about it.

8. Do you have a family? Tell me about them!

My father ran a smuggling business and my mother wasn’t really there, our relationship wasn’t the best. Other than that I can’t tell you much else, we were a broken family.

9. What about a partner or partners?

Bold of you to assume anybody else would want to put up with me.

10. Have you ever heard of The Brotherhood of Steel? What do you think about them?

Hate them, they’re always chasing after me. They’re like parasites trying to feed off of technology they can barely understand.

11. Who are your enemies, and why?

The legion, I can’t even imagine which fool thought this was a good idea. Absolutely disgraceful, they collectively have the intelligence of a rock. I would get rid of them myself but some of them make great test subjects, and I don’t feel bad for picking on the lowest of the lowest in morality.

12. What about The Enclave?

Thank god I’ve never heard of them.

13. How do you feel about Super Mutants?

Pity.

14. Have you ever fought a Deathclaw?

No but I have befriended them! I think they sense I’m not edible.

15. What’s the craziest fight you’ve ever been in?

Besides starting fights as a kid? Nothing much, I try to avoid anything crazy. It’s better to do a clean and quick job.

16. Do you like fighting?

Only when they can’t see me, then it’s fun.

17. What’s your weapon of choice?

Just a knife, sometimes grenades. You don’t need guns when you can get close undetected.

18. How do you survive? Your wits, your charm, your skills, brute force, some combination? (a.k.a. what’s your S.P.E.C.I.A.L?)

Basically by staying quiet and undetected, I suck at talking to people so unless I don’t slip in, my skills can get me through. Did you know I can mimic other voices perfectly? I just need to register a couple of sentences and I’m able to replicate it. Really comes in handy with intercoms.

19. Have you ever been in a vault? What do you think about them?

They’re ugly, I don’t know who would want to live in them willingly. Their entire design and existence is a crime.

20. How do you beat all the radiation around here? Has it affected you?

Well, it did affect me pre-war. It shattered all of my chromosomes and my cells can’t properly multiply anymore. My body started to ‘rot’ and they only saved my brain after years of constant probing and testing. I’m stuffed in a constantly healing liquid that holds everything together, different than the stuff they use around here. Other than that, radiation doesn’t do much besides a migraine.

21. What’s your favorite wasteland critter?

I love them all! But sometimes when I see how much they’ve changed it just... saddens me.

22. What’s your least favorite wasteland critter?

People.

23. How do you feel about robots?

It’s easier for me to be myself around them, I’ve pretty much only talked to them for the last 200 years. They’re more...predictable than humans. I don’t feel in danger with them, with people I’m a nervous wreck. I don’t know if they wanna harm me or not.

24. How many caps do you have on you right now?

Not much, like 400? I keep them all in my lab, not much use for them besides buying bulk materials.

25. Nuka Cola or Sunset Sarsaparilla?

I haven’t drank them in forever but I remember me liking Nuka Cola better. The fountain version is better than the bottled ones.

26. Do you do chems?

Kinda, not the stuff they sell on the streets. I make some....concoctions that I inject directly in my blood. It helps a lot with the pain.

27. Do you ever think about the Pre-War world?

Too much, I like to think where we would be if the war didn’t happen, then I get excited and happy until I walk outside again. I’m guessing this is how people felt during the Middle Ages.

28. What’s your deepest regret? What would you do differently?

I wish I had told her how much I loved her. How much she meant to me; she was the entire world and the only person that was ever there for me. I really hope she died happy after I was taken, and didn’t have to suffer through this world like I did.

29. What’s your biggest achievement? Or what do you hope to achieve?

My technology, I just wish I had the means to share it with the world. I’m also pretty proud that despite numerous attempts to die, my body just doesn’t go.

30. What do you want for the future? For yourself? Your friends? The world?

I just want for the Earth to be healthy again, I don’t care about humanity but I just want to make sure there’s a future for this place. I hope that whoever comes in after we’re all gone learns from our mistakes and avoids destroying themselves. Personally I’d die happy if that happens, otherwise maybe having some...friends could be good.

Blank Meme Here

#wrote more than i thought i would whoops lol #oc: sputnik #ill put a read more later

[mimymomo]

Rejanis Royalty Forced Roommates AU Part II

Hello again! So I’m back way later than I originally planned...sorry about that, school really got the best of me so free time writing took the back burner. But hey I’m back now so hopefully the next parts will be up much sooner. So here’s the long waited part 2! The Angsty Part! Thank you @kleksuh for chatting with me last night while I wrote this.

( I noticed it looks different on mobile so sorry about that)

End of May

The day the girls move into the cabin was tense. The trek to the cabin is about 4 hours each direction so it takes a while. Neither girl would ever admit this but they both are nervous to see each other again after nearly 5 years.

Both kings agree to take their daughters to the cabin while the queens stay home. 

It’s a tearful goodbye on both ends but one daughter is much less noticeably upset about leaving

When the girls first arrived in the forest and see other each other for the first time they are stunned - they look the same yet vastly different:

Janis now forgoes her fancy princess dresses optioning for a short cream colored tunic with maroon trim and old embellishment that ends above her knees with brown leather belt buckled around right above her waist and boots.

Regina is wearing a long blue gown with a corset and long hanging sleeves plus her tiara (not great for the forest but whatever, she wants to look good. For who though? Well you know the answer but she’ll never admit that).

Both girls feel something in the pits of their stomachs, neither of them know what exactly it is but at the same time they don’t want to find out.

Behind some trees Karen pops out and tells the girls and company to follow her and she leads them deeper into the forest until she stops them and tells the group that only Janis, Regina, Damian and Gretchen can continue on from that point. The kings say goodbye to their daughters (well King Sarkisian does, King George just tells Regina to not embarrass the George family and to not forget who she is).

Karen gives the remaining 4 a vile of greenish liquid that they have to drink in order to see the cabin. I shall now explain how this potion works:

The cabin is charmed to be distorted to outsiders and can only be truly seen by individuals who have drank said potion

The person will also turn invisible/distorted to others who haven’t drank the potion

However the potion stops taking effect if the person is more than 100 yards (a little less than 92 meters) away from the cabin. Meaning the person will be visibly normal again and the cabin will not.

After walking a bit longer, including passing by a stream, they see in the distance what reminds them of a wall of tall trees and moss. When they get closer they discover a HUGE tree with the largest trunk they’ve ever in the middle of the trees. 

This tree is famously known as the Kingdoms Tree since it’s in the center of the forest and is thought to have the largest tree trunk in the world.

When they get closer they notice at the base of the trunk a maroon wooden door with a multi-colored glass window and golden handle sticking out on the side of the tree with vines and flowers growing on and out of it. 

The cabin is part of the tree. Oh shit, the cabin IS the TREE.

When Karen unlocks the door they discover that the cabin is huge and has 3 floors: the first floor (kitchen, dining room, living room space, closet and secret room (Karen’s lab) and a large beautiful chandelier), the second floor (5 bedrooms, 1 study, and 2 bathrooms on each end of the hall) and the rooftop lit by magical lamp posts. There’s even a horse stable at the back of the tree that you can reach through the backdoor in the kitchen.

Once the get settled in their rooms (on the right side is Janis, Damian and the study plus a small closet. On the left is Regina, Gretchen and Karen) it’s surprisingly quiet. And it stays that way - for maybe 2 days. 

THOSE 2 BICKER LIKE CRAZY!!! And it’s usually for really stupid stuff:

Who gets to use the bathroom first (there’s 2 bathrooms on the same floor…), who sits in what seat, what the other is wearing, plenty of name calling as well (you get the point)

The group immediately warms up to Karen- she’s kinda, to put it nicely, not the brightest and at first it concerns them all that she’s the one that’s supposed to be protecting them. But after talking to her and seeing her work her magic they come to trust her.

Janis and Damian also warms up to Gretchen pretty fast too.

Regina has been especially bitchy to Gretchen and Janis since moving to the cabin. And she spends most of her time in her room.

Janis spends most of her time on the roof looking the stars.

June

One day in early June after 2 straight weeks of arguing the girls get into their biggest fight yet. This time it’s about what happened 5 years ago.

The day started off well enough but it soon sours during breakfast. Janis is trying to throw grapes in Damian’s mouth and Regina speaks up:

“Why must you always be so childish?” “I don’t know Regina, why do you always have a stick up your ass?” And it just gets worse and worse from that.

“If you weren’t such a freak people would actually respect you!” “Maybe Regina if you quit being so bitchy for once and stop ruining everyone’s lives people would actually like you instead of fear you! But maybe being the worst is just in your dna. You do seem to have a knack for being a life ruiner.” “Oh god will please just get over that Jan-” “No! I won’t just “get over it”! You ruined my life and nearly started a war. It’s your fucking fault we’re stuck here in the first place!”

Regina is quiet and refuses to look at Janis in the eye, “you don’t know anything.” 

“You know what, fuck you!”

Janis decides after that she has had enough and a few days later along with Damian they sneak out in the middle of the night and begin their trip back home

But they don’t make it too far. They get just out the safety of the barrier before the run into band of drunk robbers, three of them to be exact. 

One of the guys is HUGE, bald and bulky, the other two (one with brown hair, other with blonde) are smaller but still quite impressive.

They start catcalling Janis and encircle the two

“Where’d you two think ya goin’?”

They try to leave peacefully but things start to get physical when the brown haired man grabs Janis’ wrist. Damian tries to intervene but the blonde guy punches him and forces the bald man to hold him down.

Things seem bad until: 

“Hey bastards! Let her go and leave before things get ugly.” Regina freaking George with her fencing sword.

A fight breaks out between the four with Regina, despite not practicing fencing is years, actually getting the upper hand. She gives the men plenty of cuts and bruises and knocks one out with the swords handle.

When she’s done she turns back to Janis who’s in complete shock. ‘Regina, fencing? And more importantly protecting her?’ 

“Janis are you okay?” “Uh, yeah…” “Okay then let’s get you and Damian bac-” CCRRAAACCCKKKK

Before anyone had noticed the bald guy had gotten up and thrown Regina with so much force her back flung into a nearby tree, the impact so loud you could hear the sound of cracking from the tree and Regina’s back.

Regina let out a scream. Janis tried to run towards the wailing girl but the man punches her so hard she falls down and can’t see straight. He stalks over to Regina and wraps his meaty hands around her neck and starts squeezing. Regina is slowly losing consciousness and her lungs are on fire. Things start turning black when she hears the sound of what sounds like Karen and the pressure around her neck is gone.

Karen cast a spell (do mages even cast spells? Whatever I my au she can do whatever I say) that debilitates the attacker and knocks him out. Gretchen and Damian tie the others up.

Janis rushes to Regina - she’s pale and each shallow breath is met with a wince. She looks like shit. 

“Karen, help! Regina’s barely breathing!”

Janis holds Regina still while Karen gives her a vile of dark indigo liquid. “There, that should help with the pain. We need to get her back to the cabin now.”

Damian, Janis and Gretchen help lift her and they race Regina back to the cabin. When they get back Karen treats Regina while Gretchen handles Janis and Damian. 

“Why did she come after us?”

“She heard you guys leaving, well we all did but Regina said she would bring you two back. When she was gonna for 10 minutes we decided to follow. Regina would never admit this but I could tell she was worried about you.”

“How can you tell? Why are you even concerned about her? She treats you like shit.”

“Look I've taken care of Regina for years now. You don't know how crazy her family is, how her father is...life isn’t perfect for her Janis. And yes, while I do wish that she was nicer, more than anything, I get see her in her in her highest of highs and lowest of lows. It puts things into perspective. And you want to know how I know she cares about you? It’s the way she looks at you. The way her eyes look whenever you were mentioned back at home. Always wide with melancholy and longing - and regret.

Gretchen gets up and begins to leave when she turns back around, “I lied earlier when I said we all heard you leave - it was Regina who discovered that. She was on her way to your room.”

“Why though?”

“You should ask her that yourself.”

Later Janis goes to Regina’s room and sees her asleep lying on her side facing away from the door, all bandaged up. Karen is leaving while she’s entering:

“Her back is pretty messed up but she should be okey dokey in a few days...probably.”

Janis walks over to Regina pulls a chair up to face her. Her eyes are closed, this time not as tight from pain.

She starts to inspect the rest of her face and sees a few cuts on her cheeks and below her eye. Lower down there’s bruises from the attackers hands around her neck. Regina’s not wearing a shirt but her chest and torso is all covered from the bandages plus a blanket. 

“Are you gonna say something or are you just gonna stare at my chest this whole time?”

Okay so she’s definitely not asleep.

Janis meets Regina’s eyes and in then she sees a bit of...fear?

They awkwardly talk about what just happened earlier that night and Janis asks why Regina came after her. 

“Because I had a feeling something bad would happen. Plus what would happen if you returned before they finished a treaty? Jeez you’re a damn idiot you know that?”

“So it wasn’t because you were worried about me, cause that’s what Gretchen thought.”

Regina focuses on the sheets below her when she mumbles out “of course I was fucking worried about you, too damn much for my liking.”

This just raises more questions for Janis: Regina was actually worried about her safety? Hearing someone tell her that is one thing but for it to come straight from Regina’s mouth is another entirely. “So why did you go to my room in the first place?”

“I’m only answering this because Karen’s potion is borderline a truth serum.” Janis knew she was lying but chose to indulge her. “I was going there to...apologize…”

“I’m sorry what did you say I couldn’t hear you?”

“Damn it apologize! I was there to apologize! Look if we’re going to make it through living here for...however long we’re stuck here we should at least try to be civil with each other. So I’m sorry, for being a huge bitch.”

Janis ends up apologizing as well for her behavior and thanks Regina for coming to save her. Janis swears Regina’s cheeks turn a dusty pink but maybe she’s just seeing things.

Janis starts to get out of the chair but Regina stops her by grabbing her hand. 

“Can you stay in here? Just for a bit longer?” Janis can see Regina struggling to keep her eyes open.

“Sure.”

It doesn’t take long before Regina is fast asleep, her hand still latched to Janis’.

Janis uses her other hand and brushes a few stray locks of blonde hair out of Regina’s face. 

“Goodnight sunshine.”

To Be Continued in Part III

#mean girls musical #janis x regina #rejanis #rejanis au #mean girls broadway

[amostexcellentblog]

So, I watched the Live Action KIM POSSIBLE Movie...

And I wrote down some thoughts and observations while I watched:

The stunt work and action scenes are terrible so far

Patton Oswalt has a cameo as Dr. Dementor in the opening, that’s random

When you see it in live action it’s really hard to ignore the fact that teenagers SHOULD NOT BE DOING WHAT KIM AND RON ARE DOING OH GOD WHERE ARE THEIR PARENTS?!?!?

Kim’s mom is played by the red head from HIMYM, I wonder if this is where she thought her career would end up

Kim is running to catch her bus but stops to use her hair dryer grappling hook to catch a baby stroller from rolling away. Kim you could’ve just shouted at the lady “Hey your stroller!” and let her catch it. Seriously, It was barely moving, wtf Kim?

More bad stunt work, with Kim having to use the grappling hook to swing onto the school bus, because in this world bus driver won’t stop and wait if they see one of their students running to catch them I guess...

Drakken is being held in high security prison in the glass cage from Skyfall

Holy Shit, the actors playing Drakken and Shego are On Point! Like the mannerisms, banter, it’s like the cartoon versions come to life! I’m starting to have hope for this movie...

Drakken is in a high security prison yet him and Shego can just stand around arguing for 5 minutes after she breaks in without a single guard coming to see what’s going on. Makes sense.

They kept the school sign sight gags!

Ron is livestreaming his first day of high school and I’m suddenly struck that Kim and Ron now exist in a world where social media is a totally normal part of their lives. And that to the people watching this on Disney Channel have never known a world where social media isn’t omnipresent and think it’s totally normal for kids shows to joke about livestreaming. 

Oh God, am I old now?!?

How does social media work for Kim and Ron though, like they joke that Ron only has one follower but how do him and Kim not have like a million followers from saving the world all the time? Like they should be major influencers but that doesn’t go with the “just average kids” thing.

The kimmunicator is now a necklace that projects a video screen to let Wade talk to Kim. I wondered why they did this before I realized that nowadays the kimmunicator is just an iphone with facetime.

I’M OLD!!! It’s not fair, I’m only 25 and already the tech dreams of my childhood have become ordinary?!? Meanwhile the people who grew up with the Jetsons are still waiting for their flying cars! Why me?

Mr. Barkin is just all wrong, he doesn’t have his tough guy exterior

Ron is such a good friend... Oh god, after all these years I still ship them SO HARD!!!

Kim and Ron made a new friend, Athena, she’s a super fan of Kim and has already used the words “Selfie,” “Cosplay” and “Comic-Con” in under a minute. I remember when kids shows would treat going to cons as weird. That was before the nerds took over. Better times. I feel so old...

Athena cosplayed as Kim and dressed her dog as Ron because she didn’t have anyone to go with her. She says this like she expects them to laugh but Ron just tells her that he’s always wanted to be a dog.

I didn’t notice it before, but the actor playing Ron is actually perfect?!?!?! He totally nails Ron’s goofiness, loyalty, and lack of toxic masculinity

Not totally sold on the actress playing Kim though, she’s not bad but she lacks a certain spark. Like, she isn’t indistinguishable from her cartoon equivalent the way Ron Drakken and Shego are.

We got a cameo from Kim’s cartoon outfit and Chritsy Carlson Romano who voiced her!

Athena is really eating up a lot of screentime, if I remember my DCOM tropes right this means she’ll either turn out to be evil or an undercover ally in the third act

I ship Kim and Ron so hard I can’t even appreciate the lesbian subtext between Kim and Athena. This is literally my only het ship.

Ron just found Rufus in a lab where he’s been experimented on to become super intelligent. I liked Rufus better as just a character quirk of Ron’s, he didn’t need an origin story!

Ron is still adorable

Kim’s jealous of Athena and I understand because I don’t really like how the movie’s OC is hogging screentime from Ron and Kim’s friendship

Also, where is Monique!?! Did she get shafted because they needed to focus on Athena? (Yes.)

Yup, Athena’s evil. Called it.

Also she’s robot apparently.

Kim brought her mom and grandma to fight evil with her. I love this because it’s feminist and sends a message that it’s ok for kids to ask for help when they’re feeling overwhelmed

I don’t understand Drakken’s plan so I won’t summarize it

Athena turns good at the end and saves the day, joining Team Possible. I am not a fan of this last development. Team Possible is Kim and Ron a third member just throws the group dynamic off.

There’s a set up for a sequel where Drakken is turned into a kid and enrolls at Kim’s school.

“I need to get home and change out of these clothes into a sensible leather body suit”--Confirmed, Shego is Gay Culture

Anyway, overall it was better than I expected. They nailed a lot of what made the show special. It’s no Descendants but I do hope they make a sequel, there’s a lot of potential here. Whether there is a sequel or not is up in the air, because ratings wise it was both the highest rated kids show in its timeslot but it was also one of the lowest rated DCOMs ever. So it’s a mixed bag, but hopefully Disney will give it another chance.

#so it wasn't as bad as I thought

[rantingisabadhabitbutwhatev]

June 28, 2021

Well, it's been a few years since I wrote anything here. Mostly because these past few years have been an absolute whirlwind. My last post ended with Sean and I almost becoming official. Well, last week we had our 3 year anniversary together. Time flies.

Since my last post, I got accepted into the biotechnology program, for which I am forever grateful for. The program is very, very difficult and was the most mentally and emotionally taxing thing I had ever done up until that point. Being in class from 8:30am-4:30pm everyday with only 1 hour lunch break was rough. 6 to 7 classes a term was rough. Having a never ending midterm season was rough. But it was worth it. I made some amazing friends who I will hopefully have for the rest of my life. I gained some amazing lab skills and had some amazing opportunities. And best of all, I can actually see an end goal for my career. I don't know exactly what it will look like yet, but I know I want to be working on research in some sort of management position. Maybe not for forever, but for some time at least.

First year at BCIT was rough. Hard adjustments, lots of work and figuring out our class dynamic. But I came out of it stronger, knowing more about what I could do and how to succeed. Sean and I went through a rough patch in November of our first year together. His best friend from high school, whom he had feelings for for most of the time in school with her, was breaking up with her boyfriend of 5 years and basically went to Sean and said "I said no in the past but if you asked me now, I would say yes." And he doesn't know what to do so all he can do is come and tell me about it. And of course this happens on my birthday. So what do I do for my 18th birthday? Cry all night long. Yea, it was fun. It takes him a week to decide to choose us. Pretty rough but in the end it makes us stronger, especially since she comes around again in a year (but I'll get to that). After that Christmas, things change again. We were happy and then suddenly we stopped texting. Because of my schedule, we could only see each other once a week on Fridays. Everything was fine when we were together but during the week, everything felt empty and wrong. It took us until April to finally talk about it - I even wrote a letter about being upset that he's never read. But we finally talk about it and we figure out that we need to talk more and so we start calling each other. From then on, we try to discord each night and it has done us well.

After my first year at BCIT, I land my first co-op job in the Hancock Lab. I didn't think I was going to get a job at that point but I was so glad that I did. We did some really cool stuff with pseudomonas where we screened mutants for biofilm defects and tested biofilm growth in anaerobic conditions. I got to present my first poster at CBR Research Day. The lab pre-covid is amazing. Susan bought us beer and pizza and sushi every Friday and over the course of the summer, the drinking of the beer would start earlier and earlier (5pm at the beginning, all the way up till 2pm by the end of the summer). I had a great time in the lab and learned a lot.

My second year at BCIT was rough too. The workload got even worse that first term and I'm pretty sure we all hit our lowest lows. Just surviving became the name of the game and we did it well. Despite that, we had time to go play volleyball and support Josie's badminton tournament and fool around playing ultimate and snowball fights. We had some amazing memories and we didn't realize how fast time would fly until it was almost over.

And then Covid-19 hit. Assumed to be transferred from some sort of animal to humans in a Chinese wet market, racism and violence against Asians skyrocketed, just as the world shut down. Our last month at BCIT was canceled right before our eyes and we never got to celebrate finishing and surviving. Instead, classes went to online lectures and exams went to online formats and we stopped being able to see friends or go out or do anything really. Restaurants and attractions were shut down, maximum capacities and masks enforced and uncertainty everywhere. Talks for vaccines were hopeful, but I was skeptical about anything being ready until 2021. And I was right. As of today, all of us in the family have 1 dose of Moderna, although Mom is to get her second dose next week. Things are slowly opening up (provincial travel bans were lifted and movie theaters opened 2 weeks ago!) They're talking about what a post-covid world will look like, and I think everyone is grateful. In some ways, we lost a year and a half of our lives to this virus.

After finishing my time at BCIT, I was hoping to do a 4 month co-op placement abroad. Nothing of my applications turned out, but given covid, all travel ended up being restricted anyways. Not only that, there were no co-op jobs as every company in the world faced very uncertain economic and social times. I ended up taking April and May off and worked June and July at Collingwood again. Camp was different (lots of pool noodles and yoga mats) but in some ways, very much the same. I was grateful.

Despite the continued uncertainty of the next school year in a pandemic world, I was lucky to have the connections with the Hancock lab to allow me to do a full 8 month Honours Thesis with them. I took 4 classes per term on top of that and took them in the bioinformatics room on my laptop so I could be in the lab for the rest of the day. And boy, was I always there. 9am starts to 7pm finishes were not uncommon. Plus the 1.5 hour commute each way. Things were not easy. I thought BCIT was hard. 4th year at UBC trumps BCIT, easy. I was always stressed and strung out, I was constantly having to miss classes to do experiments (thank God for recordings) and at times, basic things refused to work (bacterial plating will be the death of me yet). The mandatory classes were all crappy and each have their own story that I may have to tell another time, but needless to say, I was not having a good time. I'm glad I made the effort to do an 8 month project, and in a way Covid made it both easier and harder. Easier because everything was recorded so my schedule was flexible (although I did my best to try to attend most lectures synchronously). Harder because I was in the lab more than I should have been and it meant some of my school work was compromised (thank God for Nabeel inviting me to his CHBE group). I survived, but I don't think I would have been able to go on much longer. Thank God for co-op and 8 months away from school.

In January, we were all on the hunt for co-op positions. Amazingly, I was super popular, scoring 6 different interviews of the 12 different applications I put in. I never got a Zymeworks invite though, which made me a little disappointed. But I think it worked out for the better because it meant I was more open when I was calling with Michelle. Meeting with Ting and Julien, we hit it off right away. I never get nervous for interviews and because of that, I feel like I'm really good at covering and clicking with interviewers. I asked lots of good questions and we were all laughing during that 1 hour interview. I got a call 2 days later from Michelle telling me I had gotten the job and I was so excited. It was the perfect fit. The chance to do more cell culture. The chance to do some research. The chance to maybe be hired on after grad. Working now, I feel really grateful for the opportunity. The company is a little odd, but our little CPD bubble is great to be a part of and I hope that one day we can make a difference.

I bought my first car on my first day of work - a 2012 Mazda 3 Hacthback with only 105k km. He's black and I've run him into the curb a few times, but he still looks super shiny (despite getting shat on within the first hour of being home) and I love him very much. The freedom of having my own car is amazing.

So why am I posting now? Well, I've been having some doubts and I needed a place to write it all out and I remembered this Tumblr. Reading back my old posts is a little sad because I started this Tumblr because I was sad. Things have been so much better in the last few years so I haven't been around. And make no mistake, I am so much happier than I was back then. But I've always learned while writing, so here I am to learn about myself and my feelings.

TBC