#otp: not just research partners

[daiyu-amaya]

I love your TMNT fics too! Can you galk about all of your TMNT ships please? 🥺

Fic name followed by the pairings as currently, my three fics have three very different versions of these characters lol

Last Knight Saki/Raphael: Saki has always been one of my favorite villains, and it's almost difficult not to see the goofy guy from the 87 series. But In some versions of TMNT Saki is a cold-hearted monster and in Last Knight, he isn't a good guy, Saki is a mobster, he is a killer, and more importantly he is a human being. He has feelings, and for the most part, he knows some of the things he does are really fucked up. Raphael is very much a ninja capable of killing, but he's also the heart of his family. If anything Saki's bringing the true ninja out of Raphael even while they're falling deeper into a romantic relationship. This is also probably the closest I'll get to writing a soulmate fic for TMNT 😂 I enjoy writing these two interactions because there is so much I can do with them, they both are very versatile characters. Mikey/Tiger Claw: I wanted to try out this pairing as I hadn't written for Tiger Claw before and toeing the line between enemies and not enemies has always been something I'm fond of writing. These two might not stay in a relationship but they'll have fun while they are in it lol Bebop/Rocksteady: Funny to say but this is one of my OTP's, you just don't get Bebop without Rocksteady, and the same in reverse. I hadn't written for them before and I really wanted to at least hint at it as they aren't the main pairing or even the secondary lol Hamato Yoshi/Tang Shen: A Canon Pairing but one I'll keep because it is tragic and Splinter is really messed up from her death, it's fun to write different ways she died, and also how much everyone involved regretted her dying so needlessly.

Pac-Man Mikey/Delisha: Delisha is an OC of mine that I made for Mikey to fall in love with. De is my first attempt at a trans character and a romantic partner for Mikey! She's funny and adores Mikey, she also works for Shredder as a receptionist and sometimes as a medic. That actually doesn't bother Mikey that she works for the enemy because he adores her. Of course, if she worked against him and his brothers that would certainly start an argument and a possible breakup for these two. Donatello/Saki: The Main pairing for Pac-Man. They are going to hurt each other, Both of them are really messed up Donnie having gone through a situation that really made him switch up his game and Saki just being the normal paranoid bastard that he can be lol Of course their differences are going to start arguments and Saki isn't just going to allow Donnie to control whatever their wacky relationship is and Donnie isn't going to give up power that easily. Casey/Raphael: Not my usual cup of tea, but I don't mind occasionally writing pairs that I wouldn't normally, and I also got the idea because someone asked me if Donnie's with Saki who's Raph with lol They are best friends so it's easy to transition that into a more romantic relationship. They still do all their normal stuff, but now they also cuddle on the couch to watch movies-kiss, etc. Leo/Rocksteady/Bebop: I was learning about terminology and QPR caught my attention. I'd already planned for Rocksteady/Bebop for this fic but adding Leo in a Queer platonic relationship with them had all the guys dating lol April/Venus: I was researching and was reminded once again that Venus was a thing and I should add her coming back into the guy's lives after having been away for a while. Pairing her off with April gave me Casey/Raph vibes and I liked that so I added it in, Not sure If I'll write this paring again after this fic but I'll have fun exploring their dynamic in the fic.

Nova Saki/Raphael: The Saki in this is a much better person than he is in Last Knight and Pac-Man. He's also really messed up from a long possession and learning how to live in a new era. Raphael in this is learning what it's like to be stabbed in the back by 'friends'. They begin to trust each other and eventually grow romantic feelings for each other. Now when the family finds out well that's going to be fun to write lol

#thanks for the ask! #fanfiction #tmnt #tmnt 2012 #rise of the tmnt #creative writing #my writing #answering asks

[nordickies]

You've spoken about your opinion on sufin but do you have any opinions/headcanons about other nordic shops like dennor and hongice?

I like DenNor, and I get why people ship it! But I just personally never really got into it. To me, they're so brother-coded. Or it may be just one of my delusions once again and me flipping the script. To me, Denmark is a ridiculous older brother, who likes provoking his younger siblings when he's bored and Norway is a more reasonable younger brother, who actually takes care of everything behind the scenes. Denmark is more outgoing with a lot of friends, while Norway is a bit weird and quiet loner. They're opposites, which makes them very entertaining!

Same thing with HongIce; I should be able to ship it. But it just never clicked. It also just never felt that natural. I know they have some canon interactions, but it still feels a bit pushed, y'know. Just taking two of the younger characters and shipping them together. Even shipping Indonesia and Iceland makes more sense to me, and it's something I'm way more interested in. Iceland is just such a tough character to ship anyone with regardless. I just really vibe with the idea of him being so detached from dating and not being particularly interested in the whole topic altogether. And even if he was seeing somebody, he wouldn't dare to introduce them to his family. I do, however, adore Iceland and Hong Kong as friends! They'd have a lot in common; having international friends is cute and fun, and I should make more content about it <3

But I do want to clarify this by saying that it's a me issue, not an issue with the ship itself. I still consume HongIce and DenNor content; I don't dislike the idea nor do I avoid them. I just don't have a strong opinion on the issue one way or another. And there are other relationship dynamics that I prefer with them even more. That's really the only reason why I don't ship them

I've mentioned it before but I see the Nordics as found-family. I always felt that bringing romantic feelings in there is ultimately gonna make it unnecessarily messy and awkward. Unless you're into Nordic polycule!

In my experience, shipping just takes up so much screen time. It doesn't leave a lot of room to explore other things in storytelling. I doubt I'm the only one who feels this way. Especially, when we're talking about country personifications. The world-building aside, you can use these characters to tell something meaningful about your people, compare and learn about different cultures and history. That's so much fun for me; I love seeing and researching topics like that! Storytelling-wise, romance adds drama and it has its place - but it's not going to be fun if that's all that there is

I have to confess that I don't really care about shipping anyway. I'm so out of that loop. Is it imagining two of your favorite characters kissing? Having sex? It probably means different things for different people but I just never felt particularly interested in that. However, I do like imagining and pondering when, where, and why these characters got together. How do they get along? What sort of obstacles they might have? Will they overcome those? It's not so much about thinking how they're together but when and why. But then again, I do that with all sorts of relationships; romantic, familial, parental, or platonic. That's probably why shipping is just a "whatever" topic to me. I get the same "kick" by seeing characters being best friends rather than romantic/sexual partners. But it's true; some characters just make sense as a couple. But DenNor and HongIce are just not those kinds of pairs to me

I am fascinated by people who are really into shipping though. Your minds are so intriguing. You really like the idea of that character getting railed blind and I can respect that. But this shows that people consume and think of fiction in different ways, and all of those ways are valid. So just because I don't ship your OTP, it doesn't mean anything. It doesn't even mean it's bad. I'm just one voice with one opinion! Also if people tag my posts as [ship x], whatever. You can consume and take my posts as you want <3

#this is an interesting look into my thought process - diagnose me /j #ngl i feel like a monster crushing children's dreams. listen they're good ships!!!!!!!!!!!! #anski talks

[silviakundera]

"they might not start out that way but they end up that way" this is music to my ears I love two people each with their own lives and goals that start to intertwine slowly and then by the end they're each other's everything it feels more authentic that way, having a character who is obsessed from the start rarely lands well because it doesn't ring true especially if it's one sided/ Thanks for the recs I was doing some research and I was confused cos smt like till the end of the moon some people loved it and some people were maaaad lmfao there was so much complaining about how the fl treated the ml I've also heard good things about love like the galaxy eternal love lost you forever ancient love poetry idk if they fit the bill but I'll try them

Love Like The Galaxy - I am a huge fan of the drama and I really ship the canon couple. But it takes until the end for them to be on the same page, so I didn't feel like it fit the criteria. It's a classic cdrama romance for me, tho. Must watch if you like historical romances.

Til The End of The Moon - I started out a lover of this drama and turned into a dedicated hater.

Ancient Love Poetry & Eternal Love - This is a category of xanxia where I enjoy myself because I just really like chinese fantasy... but by the end the couple suffer so much and/or Partner A has mistreated Partner B on a level that I just move on emotionally. It's always manipulations or misunderstandings or destiny, whatever. So it's not that partner A or partner B is evil. But I don't personally ship it by the end, though I still liked the drama. 🤔

Lost You Forever - I have heard it's great. IDK if there is a true mutual ride or die otp formed yet. I am waiting to watch until Part 2 airs later this year.

#drama watching #cdrama

[celesticlnstcrs]

@momijiba asked: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. && 24 :3

you sent all of them-

When did you start writing on Tumblr? December of 2011!

Who was your first muse? On Tumblr It was Kanda Yuu from D.Gray Man hehe

Who are your longest rp friends? The people who have known me the longest are @infintasmal , @orecrowned , & @eraba-reta-unmei ! Met all these weenie's during my Magi days hehe

Favourite thing about roleplaying? I love being able to build up worlds and dynamics with other people. It does wonders to my mental health honestly. It also helps my creative juices come out.

Least favourite thing about roleplaying? The creation of drama over something so small. Like I need people to learn to communicate better if not just block and move on. Don't make a mountain out of an ant hill.

OTP for your muse? My biggest on this blog is MaoRitsu, which Elio is subjected to on a daily lolol. A new one is JingHeng

NOTP for your muse? I wouldn't say I have NOTP's just more of please don't be gross lol

What are some similarities between you and your muse/muses? This one works with Ritsu the best but I'm also a chronically ill person who struggles with old deep rooted abandonment issues. But therapy really does wonders haha. Also according to the internet Jing Yuan and I have the same Personality type same with Rei LOL

What are some differences between you and your muse/muses? I'm too self conscious to be clingy JFIOWFEJ

Would you be friends with your muse if they were real? Jing Yuan & Himeko 100%

Would you write with duplicate characters? How do you think your muse would react? I love writing with duplicates! As for how they would react- it would really vary. I don't think Ritsu would like too see another him stealing his Maa-kun's attention.

Have you any old muses that you’d love to bring back? I've been considering Judal from Magi!

What’s one random headcanon about your muse that people mightn’t know? Jing Yuan enjoys having his hair played with. It relaxes him enough to fall asleep.

Who is an author that inspires you? Rick Riordan! I grew up on a lot of his books.

What do you look for in a rp partner? Someone who is willing to listen and participate with my brain rot. I tend to be more invested when people talk to me about our muses.

Favourite trope? You'll see the trend but Childhood Friends to Lovers.

Least favourite trope? There's not a specific one, but I get uncomfortable with the uh...weird ones.

Are there any AU’s you’d like to explore but haven’t had the chance to yet? Honestly I've done so many au's you don't even know-. But I'll always do Royalty, Single Parent, & Soulmate.

Do you listen to music whilst writing? If so, what kind of music? I do! I usually listen to MafuMafu soundtracks. If not him then character specific playlists I make.

How do you overcome writer’s block? I give myself time to do other things and then come back later! Forcing yourself to overcome it isn't going to help. Let your brain recover from overuse!

Are there certain characters that you gravitate towards? I would say no but my friends would say otherwise EWIJFIOEJ

Short, medium, or long threads? I prefer Medium and sometimes short cause my attention span is god awful. But I don't mind long ones when I get into the mood.

Do you ever get jealous when rping? How do you handle this? I used to during my earlier days of rping, but I just remind myself that my way of writing my muses is different then another person. There's no need to compare myself. You also can't force people to pay attention to you.

What about your muse are you most proud of? I do a lot of research into the muses I write! A lot of thought goes into each character I portray hehe

♡ Munday Meme ♡ ;; accepting

#( you're a menace EFOWE. ) #momijiba #&& ;; runa answers.

[lavellenchanted]

Year of the OTP

January | Fake Dating

I did not manage to get the entire thing finished, but please enjoy a preview of the next installment of the Steggy fake dating AU for month one of year of the OTP.

Dr Helen Cho is a doctoral student, who explains as she lets Steven and Peggy into her office that she’s running this study as part of the research for her thesis - which uses a lot of complicated language but  Steve eventually understands is, essentially, exploring the psychology of intimacy. 

In his mind he had conjured an image of someone clinical and dispassionate in a white lab coat with a clipboard, but Dr Cho’s in jeans and a tailored navy blue blazer, a university lanyard around her neck and a pen tucked behind her ear, just visible where her hair is swept back into a knot at the base of her neck. Her eyes were warm and she clearly cares about her subject.

“That’s why we’re focusing on romantic couples first - moving from dating to cohabiting will naturally impact how intimacy develops and is experienced, but I’m not just looking at it from a romantic perspective. I’m also planning on running studies on platonic and familial relationships as well,” she says, gesturing for them to sit in the chair opposite her desk, while she settles herself and readies her laptop for taking notes. 

Steve can’t help thinking that if she had started with her platonic study first, he would have been saved a lot of bother. Although he supposes that strictly speaking platonic might not the best word to use for a friendship where one side is trying to conceal the fact that they’re in love with the other

“That’s also why you two make such a fascinating case to have as part of the study, as a couple that cohabited platonically before you started a romantic relationship,” Dr Cho continues. “I’m very interested to see how your data will compare with our other couples.”

She smiles at them, clasping her hands on the desk in front of her, and has such a poised, confident air that Steve is immediately sure she’s going to see straight through their lying. Which, honestly, would be no more than they deserve; now that he’s met her, he cannot help feeling a twist of guilt, and fervently hopes what they’re doing won’t completely skew her data.

Maybe she can sense his discomfort, or maybe she’s just trying to act the part, but whatever the reason Peggy reaches across to lace her fingers with his and rest their joined hands on his thigh. The weight is warm and reassuring - albeit a little distracting - and grounds himself enough to take a breath.

They’re doing this because they’re desperate, he reminds himself. It’s this, or an eviction notice.

“Well, we can’t wait to get started,” Peggy says.

“Great. Let’s just get straight into it, shall we? This will just be an informal conversation, so I can get to know you outside what you put in your applications and learn more about your relationship. Then I’ve put together a questionnaire for you to take home and fill in separately before the next session. Are you both happy for me to record this?”

“Record it?” Steve repeats warily.

“Yes, just audio, not on camera.” Dr Cho holds up a dictaphone. “It makes it easier for note taking and means I can replay your answers - it won’t be shared with anyone, nor will there be any copies.”

“Oh, well, sure, I guess.” Steve glances at Peggy who nods, seemingly completely at ease with the whole process.

A few moments later, the recording has started and Dr Cho has her fingers hovering over her keyboard, set to type as they speak. 

“So - you’ve been dating for eight months, but you’ve been living together for a year, is that correct?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Did you know each other before you started living together?”

Peggy shakes her head. “No. I only moved to New York a year ago, to study law at Columbia, and I answered Steve’s listing looking for a roommate. We’d never met before that.”

“Have either of you ever cohabited with a romantic partner before?”

“No,” Steve says, but at the same time Peggy, a flush stealing over her cheeks, says in a clearly reluctant voice, “. . . Yes.”

He stares at her. She keeps her eyes fixed so determinedly on Dr Cho that he can’t help thinking she’s deliberately avoiding looking at him.

If Dr Cho notices his surprise, she diplomatically chooses not to comment on it and instead continues focusing on Peggy, “May I ask how long ago? And how long you lived together?”

A grimace flickers across her face, but a beat passes and then she sighs and says shortly. “About five years ago. We only lived together for a few months - five, I think? No more than that. Then we broke up. It was a disaster.”

The jealousy that has started clawing its way up Steve’s insides loosens its hold a little to hear her put so bluntly, but it doesn’t dissipate entirely. Which is ridiculous, he knows, since he’s not actually her boyfriend - and even if he were there’s no reason to feel jealous over a relationship from half a decade ago, he can hardly expect her not to have a past. 

But that’s just the problem. He thought he knew all about her past, only now he’s discovering that there are things she’s kept from him. It’s not just jealousy churning in his stomach but hurt, and a kind of feeling of betrayal. 

What else hasn’t she told him? And why? 

Dr Cho has made a few notes, her keystrokes loud in the quiet of her office, and now asks,“Could you describe for me the differences you found in starting to date someone after having lived together compared to moving in with someone you were already dating?”

Peggy’s silent for a time before answering, sitting back in her chair, her mouth twisting slightly to one side in the way it does when she’s thinking carefully about something.

“I suppose . . . with Fred - my ex - it was kind of like a shattering of illusions. We both thought we knew each other, but when we started living together we realised we’d both been trying to be these - these polished, perfect versions of ourselves, hiding our flaws, and when they came out we were inevitably disappointed with one another. Whereas, with Steve - ” 

Her gaze darts briefly to Steve and her blush deepens. Assuming she’s embarrassed about whatever story she’s about to make up, Steve gently squeezes her fingers, trying to offer her some reassurance that he’s still here with her and they’re in this together. Whatever other surprises she might have in store, that isn’t going to change. 

“With Steve, we really did know each other far better. It felt . . . it felt like jumping into a relationship much further down the line. Which has its own pressures, but still. We were already so close, it somehow didn’t feel like our relationship changed that much. There was a much stronger foundation there, I think.”

Steve smiles, and he hopes it doesn’t show on his face just how much he wishes what Peggy was saying was true.

#steggy #steve x peggy #year of the otp #it is technically 7 minutes past midnight and therefore february here #but since it is still january in other timezones I am COUNTING THIS AS ON TIME #my fic #otp: the right partner

[chocobothis]

4, 14, 22, 31, and 47 for Nico and Claire from the OTP asks?

4. Which one is more protective? Who needs to be ‘protected’?

Claire is just a smidge more protective and that’s because she learned from Chris. Don’t think Nico lags far behind because she doesn’t. She is extraordinarily protective too. 

As for who needs to be protected more? They honestly take turns depending on who recently had the worst experience, who’s most injured, etc. Both of them find trouble like heat seeking missiles.

14. How do their personalities compliment each other? How do they clash?

Claire’s the classic extrovert to Nico’s introvert. She can make friends in every room she walks into without having to pre-planning an approach. Parties, of all sorts, are also fun to her. Where she appears she glows. While Nico can mimic those traits extremely well it’s almost always for Work. She’s friendly and kind but she won’t make the first approach. Their shared traits of loyalty, kindness, and integrity (and also rule-bending/outright breaking) work well together.

The friction sometimes comes from their approach to certain bioterrorism things. Nico has what I term a “mercenary approach” where she’s outright ruthless when push comes to shove. If she’s got a bioterrorist at the end of her weapon nine times out of ten she will pull the trigger; mutated or not. A dead human body doesn’t share secrets. Her mistrust of the authorities (beyond people she knows) and the government in general makes this option cleaner. Claire’s more likely to let the authorities step in if the person hasn’t turned. Even with her own shit run-ins with them there’s still some hope for people to do the right thing. Claire’s also much more likely to share the secrets she finds out because people have a right to know. While Nico will hold some stuff because secrets can be currency with some of her contacts; she’s always playing the long game. It’s why they don’t work together much because it keeps their relationship harmonious.

22. What reminds each of their partner?

Claire thinks of Nico when she sees falling autumn leaves, dark orange things, smells honey, drinks fresh brewed coffee, or hears 90s or earlier country on the radio.

Nico thinks of Claire when she sees turquoise stones and feather designs, wears a leather jacket, smells wildflowers, the exhaust of a motorcycle, or a specific leather oil, drinks mochas with extra whip, or hears girl power music. 

31. Can they sit side by side without touching the other or are they handsy? (lacing fingers, touching knees, etc.)

They are extraordinarily handsy with one another. If they’re sitting together their knees are touching or they’re holding hands or leaning against each other. Claire is a physical person in general while Nico’s love language is touch.

47. Does either of them have a secret that could potentially ruin their relationship?

The biggest secret between them was honestly accidentally kept. Nico met Ada Wong when they were both at a vaccine research laboratory in Brazil. Except, Nico met her as Ava Chang. She had the idea that “Ava” wasn’t exactly a fellow journalist but she wasn't looking a gift horse in the mouth. Anyone also fighting this outbreak was Good Enough. Ava’s full name doesn’t make it into any reports because she’s hoping this may get her a contact. It's only after Tall Oaks, that she learns who everyone knows "Ava" as Ada Wong. From there she tells Claire when she's doing something that could involve Ada. Even if she is fond of the idea, like at all, she doesn't stop Nico because she trusts her judgement even if she doesn't trust Ada.

Obligatory OTP Asks

#ask game answers #nico bright #claire redfield #brightfield #sorry this took so long #i got hit with a virus a couple days ago and that took me out at the knees for a few days

[managician]

Saw one of those "questions to ask your OTP", and a few stood out to me as perfect for Sontails:

"Who's adorable when they're sleepy, and who gets grumpy and irritable?"

"Who makes the other blush all the time and finds it adorable?"

"Who gets jealous easier?"

Hello! I love these questions, and you're right, they really do fit for these two. After some thinking I'd say I've got my answers down :)

"Who's adorable when they're sleepy, and who gets grumpy and irritable?"

Sonic would be really adorable when he's tired, imo. The guy's an adrenaline junkie and has crazy amounts of stamina, so when he actually hits his limit, he hits it hard.

I can see him getting more clingy and 'lazy' if he's sleepy, which Tails finds pretty endearing. Usually, Sonic tries to look strong and reliable in front of his friends, but he lets himself be more open around Tails in the rare times he's feeling truly exhausted. Tails also tries to let him be as clingy as he wants with hugs. Boyfriend privileges all around.

Conversely, Tails is a handful when he gets sleepy. If he's sleepy but not resting, it means he's busy working on a project / prototype / research that has caught his attention, and he will not put it down, no matter how much his eyelids keep drooping closed.

But we all know our performance gets worse when we're tired. That'd make him mess up and get irritated down the line. Thankfully, Sonic's used to dealing with any of his moods and will always manage to drag him to bed, haha ^^

"Who makes the other blush all the time and finds it adorable?"

Sonic, absolutely! He already thinks Tails is the cutest guy he's ever met and he just gets even cuter when he's blushing, so he tries to get it to happen as much as possible.

This involves casual displays of affection, mushy compliments praising Tails' abilities to hell and back, and making sure he knows how grateful Sonic is to have him in his life.

Even if Tails understands Sonic partly acts that way to get him flustered, all his loving words are 100% genuine. Sonic really does love him that much, which is what drives Tails to look like a tomato every single time.

Tails himself would also enjoy making Sonic blush, though. Stuff like their interactions in Colours or Frontiers makes me think that they both get their own fun out of seeing the other grow embarrassed, honestly. I just see Sonic succeeding more in the task.

"Who gets jealous easier?"

I don't see either of them as terribly jealous people, but my pick for this one would be Tails, easy.

Since Sonic is a mainstream hero, he receives plenty of attention from other people on a daily basis, many of whom are friends he shares a deep and/or unique bond with.

Tails has been shown to struggle with self-confidence issues before, even regarding something as obvious as whether Sonic really needs him around or not. It's a no-brainer to imagine that he could end up feeling bad over it.

However, it'll always be a case of misplaced jealousy, of course! Sonic couldn't and wouldn't replace him for anything in the world, he'll reassure Tails of that whenever the other needs to hear it.

One could make the argument that Sonic is super protective of Tails and thus would also get easily jealous over him, yet I find it way harder to see it happening. He trusts his partner and doesn't want to put their bond into question.

...It's a different story if we're talking about any of the media where Tails has a canon love interest and Sonic is secretly in love with him, but those would need a separate answer. xD

Thank you for giving me an excuse to talk about the boys! It was really fun to give these questions some thought.

#sontails #long post #thanks so much for the question! this was a really nice surprise! #and sorry if these responses are so long. i tend to ramble a bit :') #flashoneonetwo #otp ask meme

[purenguyening]

from the spell your name in my ask post, Boonool! (ignore that my name is basically four letters somehow stretched out to seven characters)

spell your name in my ask, fandom edition!

B, favourite kinks for one of your otps?:

I always love it where characters are mutually a little possessive of the other. Not like borderline yandere territory because it's a little too much for me, but enough that they're both secure in their relationship knowing the their partner loves them and aren't afraid to drive other suitors away when they get a little too close. I've been recently thinking about an artist who has drawn this trope where they're just hugging and one of the two is looking directly at the viewer with some variation of the caption "they're mine" or "that's right, give up".

O, tell us about your favourite AU for one of your ships:

I never did much with the AU but I like the idea of a modern Touhou setting where Futo runs an interior design consulting firm and is raising money to pay for Tojiko to get prosthetic legs.

O: tell us about your favourite AU for one of your ships:

I guess it'd fall into the category of alternate universe since it never happens in Urban Legend in Limbo, but....I've wanted to play around with the idea that the ghost from Futo's Urban Legend, Banchou Sarayashiki, actually does take Futo away (remember Futo transferred her soul into a plate and the ghost in the urban legend is said to have been looking for her tenth plate. There's an added bonus that the word play for Futo Day is on February 10th.)

I never did make time to look into the variations of the urban legend, but I felt like it'd be an interesting Miko/Futo story given the core part of the urban legend is centered around broken trust. In theory if I really did sat down and actually wrote it with enough research I would try to frame the fic around the idea of Miko learning to not not abuse the trust Futo puts in her.

(Remember, she does play a bit fast and loose with the Futo's faith in her if Futo's profiles are anything to go by, I think it was either TD or SoPM that specifically talked about how Futo had such full faith in Miko she'd let Miko use her as a test subject because she believed it'll be okay in the end, even if Miko had her reservations, which was the entire point why she made Futo the test subject to begin with....)

N, your favourite crackship:

I don't think there's any recent canon material that confirms Keiki and Misumaru interacted, but it's one I like a lot.

O, tell us about your favourite AU for one of your ships:

Not really ship orientated but I always like Universe Alterations which is a subset of Alternate Universes, but I do like the idea that Urokodaki just makes a Shy Guy mask for Giyuu instead of a fox mask proper. It would honestly change nothing because the Hand Demon still would recognize Urokodaki's handcraft anyway, but I think it'd be funny.

O: tell us about your favourite AU for one of your ships:

MakoHaru in the Demon Slayer universe for the sole reason I want to make a jab that I just really love sad water boys, apparently. (I think Makoto would fill in Tanjirou's role pretty well, all things considered).

L, a quote from one of your fandoms which you absolutely adore:

"I leave the rest in your capable hands, partner"

This line from Bridge to the Turnabout lives in my head rent free. I've seen the line used by Yanni Yogi and Zak Gramarye, but those carried very different intentions and connotations compared to when Miles Edgeworth said it (I have also thought about doing a short fic around this but never did it).

#thanks for asking #asks #boonool

[techvivek07]

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#blog #bank #new account #Kotak

[sms-deals]

What is Bulk SMS Services?

Bulk SMS (also referred to as blast texting or mass texting) is the practice of sending mass-scale text messages simultaneously in order to promote products or services to large groups (i.e. hundreds or even thousands) at once.

Bulk SMS Messages

SMS bulk messaging plays an integral part of everyday life and is used in a wide range of situations — here are just a few applications for it:

· OTP Service — When signing up to a website and provided with an OTP (One-time password), which serves as bulk SMS message provider, this type of OTP service. OTPs are frequently utilized by companies as an additional layer of security to their users online; OTPs verify your authenticity as an individual user while also serving as backup should your password become lost or forgotten. OTP birthday messages can also be provided.

· Promotional Message Services: Promoting Text messages that inform consumers or businesses about specific services and products are considered promotional messages, often employed to draw in more buyers or customers.

· Transactional SMS : Transactional is the term given to SMS notifications sent out when withdrawing or depositing funds into a bank account, pre-programmed by your bank as an SMS for its customers and financial institutions use this message for customer communication.

Why does bulk SMS service work so effectively?

Due to fierce market competition, growing a company today can be extremely difficult. To overcome this obstacle, it is imperative to implement effective marketing strategies and oversee your processes efficiently. SMS marketing is one of the best ways to connect with your target market and expand your business long-term. Since most people read texts quickly, using an SMS service would provide an effective method of reaching customers who matter most. SMS messages can provide a direct, personal link, making communication seem more important and meaningful to those receiving them. Furthermore, their quick delivery makes SMS the ideal solution for promotions, alerts or announcements of any kind.

Benefits of Bulk SMS Campaigns

· Bulk SMS Services Have Incredible Open Rates SMS messages have tremendous open rates; research suggests that roughly 98% of texts sent via text messages are read within minutes after being received.

· Instant Delivery: SMS notifications provide near instantaneous delivery and are therefore the ideal solution for time-sensitive promotions, announcements, or notifications that must be sent immediately.

· Broad Reach: With smartphones and bulk SMS marketing, reaching large populations has never been easier!

Effective Bulk SMS Campaign Strategy

· Personalize messages: Its Make sure the emails you send to each individual on your contact list include any details relevant to that individual such as their name or any details that could help personalize their experience with you.

· Consistency of messages: Be sure to craft concise and clear messages, saving both you and your clients’ time while providing for easier comprehension of your message.

· Establish your Audience : Segmenting SMS subscribers allows you to send them messages that would interest them most.

· Automate your Work Progesses : Simplify your work procedures with automation by incorporating it into them.

Mistakes to avoid in your mass SMS campaign

· Target Audience

· One of the key mistakes businesses make when running bulk SMS campaigns is failing to accurately define their intended target audience.

· Sending Irrelevant SMS

· Unfortunately, many companies make the mistake of sending out unhelpful and unnecessary texts to their target audiences. To ensure success, ensure that your SMS are useful and relevant for them.

· Select the incorrect bulk SMS service.

· When selecting a partner for technology, it is essential to be vigilant with your selection. A large SMS solution provider should meet your needs; they have access to cutting-edge technologies as well as assistance and support services for effective text marketing campaigns.

· Use an informal or conversational tone when writing.

Professional-sounding material may not appeal to every customer, but it is essential for companies to avoid using informal language and acronyms that give the appearance of being unprofessional.

As part of your bulk SMS services, ensure to include opt-in/opt-out options when adding people into the group and request their consent before continuing with any additions or deletions.

#Bulk Sms Campaigns #SMS marketing solutions

[sun-stone-r-ain]

Take your OTP to work day

You can learn a lot about a culture by reading a romance. What virtues does a romantic partner have? What roadblocks do a couple run into? How does courting work? I thought of 2 fics where I learned about different types of work irl by reading a romance on AO3. I might add more by searching the Mordern AU tag later.

The recs:

Title: What I need

Author: Jacqueline Albright-Beckett (xaandria)

Fandom: Supernatural

Relationship: Castiel/Destiel

Author Summary: A joking phrase commonly heard between a surgeon and his tech is "Give me what I need, not what I ask for." Dr. Novak and his tech Dean will soon learn the impact this phrase has on life outside the operating room.

My notes: There is a literal glossary of terms in the last chapter. I now know that vein stripping is a thing. This was either written by someone who actually works in the medical field, or by someone who took their research seriously.

Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1101454?view_full_work=true

***

Title: Heroes of the Squared Circle

Author: Mithen

Fandom: DCU - Comicverse

Relationship: Clark Kent / Bruce Wayne

Author Summary: They've gone by many names: Billionaire Brucie, Country Clark, the Kryptonian, the Dark Knight. But no matter what their stage names are, one thing has always been true: Clark Kent and Bruce Wayne are the world's finest wrestlers.

My notes: The way homophobia was present was interesting. No wrestlers or managers cared what Clark and Bruce were actually up to behind closed doors, but heaven forbid the public find out. Also this was just an enjoyable story overall. I like how Lex Luthor felt guilty over the deaths but hated Clark forever more after he said the words aloud. I also like how Lex chose to go full ham when he was publicly lost to Clark and Bruce for the sake of the art of drama.

Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/683944?view_full_work=true

***

Title: Instruments of Destruction

Author: Alexander Wales (cthulhuraejepsen)

Fandom: Star Wars

Author Summary: A story about project management, written some years ago for catharsis in the middle of a project with some substantial similarities to the construction of the Second Death Star. Adherence to canon not guaranteed.

My notes: Real life classes about project management and agile should include this fic. Lots of good advice for real life. " He had told Vader that they needed more men and been denied, but more men wouldn't necessarily have helped. Nine women couldn't make a baby in a single month." Lots of hilarity too. "So Jerjerrod had taken a page from the playbook of his subordinates and begun weaving lies, both implicit and explicit. His reports on the progress of the second Death Star stopped mentioning delays and began mentioning recent successes instead, no matter how small. Target dates disappeared from his reports entirely. In this way his superiors saw nothing but a sunny, smiling outlook that was at odds with his frantic efforts to cut enough corners to meet his deadlines."

Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17356235

#fanfiction recs #fanfic rec list #supernatural #destiel #dc universe #superbats

[mikaharuka]

2, 12, 22, 32, 42 and 50 for the Winter Light pairings for the 50 OTP questions please!

Heyo Iris! Thanks for the ask~

2. What is something that they gave one another that has a lot of meaning?

Carlisle/Beau - I have a whole flower language thing planned out, but also an accessory/jewelry. Also something related to their hobbies.

Edward/Mike - Definitely an accessory for both of them. Edward already has one from Carlisle and Mike would value that for himself.

Rosalie/Elle - Something book/stationary-related for Rosalie, something kitchen/food-related for Elle

Alice/Mina - Some sort of jewelry/accessory for both of them. Something fashionable for Alice and something simple for Mina.

-

12. Who picks the other person up when hugging their partner?

Carlisle/Beau - Carlisle... though I'm pretty sure Beau would try doing this at some point too. Wouldn't be a common deal, though.

Edward/Mike - Both of them. Edward because he's that sort of person, and Mike because he isn't usually a touchy-feely person... so when he does go far enough to hug, he'd go the entire distance.

Rosalie/Elle - Both of them equally. They're so adorable, really~

Alice/Mina - Mina for sure. Alice would try, but she enjoys being lifted and carried all the time, so... lol

-

22. Who is in love with the other person’s laugh?

Carlisle/Beau - I think both of them, equally/similarly so?

Edward/Mike - Edward, because Mike isn't too overly expressive with 'laughter'. Smiles, for sure, but outright laughter isn't frequent.

Rosalie/Elle - Both of them, but I think Elle more than Rosalie, because Elle is laughs a lot and Rosalie doesn't do so as frequently.

Alice/Mina - Both of them, but Alice a bit more because Mina isn't as expressive as she is, when it comes to laughter.

-

32. What cute nicknames do they call one another?

Carlisle/Beau - I fell down an interesting research hole with this one... and yes, I have plans coming up within Apricity! From Beau's side, it would be Carlisle's original name or just good old 'doctor' if he's feeling like it. From Carlisle's side, it's either Beau's full name or one of a few pet names in Latin - my favorite is 'mi ocelle', meaning "my little eye" (think "apple of my eye"). One, because Beau wears glasses, and two because... err, spoilers, so I'll leave it at that~ XD

Edward/Mike - Right now, Mike pretty much calls Edward a weirdo or sus quite unironically, so I could see him adopting something along those lines, but cute and light-hearted. Edward would probably pick something color/nerd-themed for Mike... or use his full name 'Michael' if he wanted to catch him by surprise somehow XD

Rosalie/Elle - Well, Rosalie uses Elle. Elle uses Rose, but also classic pet names like 'honey' or 'sunshine', probably. Need to finalize that.

Alice/Mina - Mina doesn't really use pet names for Alice, but Alice uses the whole list of pet names and Mina's totally fine with it.

-

42. Who is the dramatic one?

Carlisle/Beau - Both of them... but in different ways. In terms of outward expression, Beau. In terms of thoughts/feelings, Carlisle.

Edward/Mike - Edward 100%... eventually pulling it out of Mike too!

Rosalie/Elle - Elle is the joking/teasing sort like Edward while Rose is the more "proper" dramatic type... so both in the end.

Alice/Mina - Alice. Without question, Alice. Mina's just on for the ride.

-

50. Who accidentally drinks too much caffeine and who has to deal with their partner bouncing off the walls?

[assuming caffeine affected everyone equally...]

Carlisle/Beau - Beau, for school stuff or for gaming. At this point, Carlisle's dealt with centuries of Edward, so not him lol.

Edward/Mike - They'd both take in too much caffeine... but Mike would be on accident and Edward would on purpose lol

Rosalie/Elle - Rose, because she got caught up in reading something. Also Elle just knows better than that, being the culinary person she is.

Alice/Mina - Alice 100%. She's hyperactive and loves her caffeine.

#mizuka answers #my ask games #mizuka's otp stuff #carlisle x beau #edward x mike #rosalie x eleanor #alice x jessamine #carlisle x bella #bella x carlisle #bellisle #winter light headcanons

[shamelesspoetryllama]

8 Biggest Dating Mistakes You possibly can Simply Keep away from

Dating is hard. We try to make it a little less-hard. Then, when the girl you like is by herself (it will eventually happen), all this pre-talk will make it easier to strike up a one-on-one conversation. How will you celebrate? Being comfortable with yourself is a very appealing characteristic and in a university setting you will have many opportunities to interact with a wide range of people. As she begins to open up to you, share something that will intrigue or relate her to you. They do it to protect you, not to make money. To make a long story short, I went down to the studios, introduced myself, spun a few records and was hooked. I'm jealous myself, so I think it's a-OK. I have one myself, actually. By knowing how long it takes all of the sand to fall, one could determine how long the time interval was. This situation is easily visualized on an isochron diagram, where a series of rocks plots on a steep line showing the primary age, but the minerals in each rock plot on a series of parallel lines that indicate the time since the heating event. Designed to train men into suave, smooth-talking gentlemen that can get any woman to fall head over heels for him, this game tasks players with guiding Richard La Ruina through a series of scenarios to pick up women.

Keep in mind that you change over time. If you look back over your dating life, do you notice any patterns? The truth is Chivalry is not dead, it just has a way different look in today’s age then in centuries past. Fossils can provide clues to how plants and animals lived in the past - what they looked like, what they ate, what environments they lived in, and how they evolved and went extinct. You can also improve your odds by recognizing and focusing on the girls who would be open to you. But if you have must, you have better odds on some dating shows than you do on others, as you can see here. Every day new relationships happen with us here. נערות ליווי בראשון לציון  But I'll often put in ten hours a day on the networks. Get right to being yourself and have fun - whether you're just looking for people in your fandom or your OTP, we guarantee that you’ll meet someone for you in our geek dating site! If you agree to meet a prospective partner in person, tell family and friends where you are going.

I didn't know it was going to be a one-night stand. It's just something within our make up, and we can't control the fact that others know we're as awesome as we are! For this reason, my first tip is to examine what your relationship goals are or what you are looking for in a partner. Don't make any rash decisions about your current relationship until you've taken this quiz. Ultimately, the longevity of a relationship boils down to your compatibility, especially if her values are similar to yours. 2. What are your top three turn-ons? After you've filled us in, we are sure we'll be able to figure out the type of guy you attract. Hopefully, growing and evolving has upped the game on the kind of guy you attract. I'm so Vampire Bill, it's kind of like I was based off him. I don't care whether they're vampire or human as long as they love me. By taking advantage of other Facebook features, it offers rich profiles and premium browsing for free.

The researchers had more than 300 people who use online sources for dating review profiles and compare them to outside information available on the web to verify information. Getting back to a previous project of scraping bird song data from xeno canto, here’s a nice set of articles on Notes on Music Information Retrieval. 3. Set reasonable expectations. Now that I think about it, yes. Married into it, because it means I'm a princess in this context. Yes! It's like my super-power. Not gonna lie: yes. Yes. It can actually be a burden sometimes. Winks - Members on ths site can send free winks. “We know that inappropriate photos and videos can really ruin peoples’ dating experiences. Maybe it's because there's a particular kind of guy out there that cannot help but want to get to know you! What kind of guy do you really attract? Do you tend to date the same type of guy again and again? What type of guy recurs?

[sweatersexual]

My Dream Demon Still Misses Me . . .

Read on AO3

Read the previous work in this series

The dream always starts on their wedding day.

Most of the wedding party is decorating Fiddleford’s truck, leaving Emma May’s Aunt Millie to help her out of her wedding dress and into something more wieldy. Emma May won’t admit it, but she is glad to never wear that white dress again. She is happy to be married and spend the rest of her life with Fiddleford, but getting married - seeing herself and him match the cake toppers she’d seen all her life, being declared a wife - there’s something off about it, something strange, like looking in a distorted mirror. She’s been trying to avoid that skin-crawly feeling all her life, she won’t let it ruin her special day.

“Who’s that one groomsman, with the glasses and the six fingers?” asks Aunt Millie.

“Oh, that’s Ford, he’s Fiddleford’s best friend from college,” Emma May replies absentmindedly, fixing her slip.

“Ah, yes, they seem . . . close.” Aunt Millie bites her lip for a moment, then adds, quietly, “You’d think Ford would look more excited for his best friend - but what do I know?” Her voice picks up in volume as she shakes her head. “I’ve never been married, or frankly preferred a man’s company much at all . . .”

“Aunt Millie, we all know there’s not a man alive who deserves you.”

“That’s one way of putting it.”

The scene changes, and she is watching Fidds sleep. He is muttering Ford’s name, and she can’t make out what else he’s saying.

Now she and Fidds are having a disagreement about laundry, and she tries to bite down on her annoyance when he says, “It’s just that we always did it this way . . .” That we doesn’t include her, he doesn’t have to mention Ford’s name for her to know he’s talking about him.

Stanford Pines himself waits at the end of a long, dark hall, wearing an eerie smile, and something is the matter with his eyes, but she can’t quite tell. “Will you help me, Fidds?” he asks. “Will you leave them and come?”

When Emma May woke, her bed was empty. This wasn’t unusual - Fiddleford usually let her sleep in after she’d pulled long shifts at the hospital. She could hear his banjo plucking from his garage workshop as she fixed herself some coffee. Emma May didn’t know how he managed to get work done when his hands were busy plucking out errant phrases that never quite solidified into recognizable tunes. He called it thinking music.

Well, he was going to have a lot more to think about in a few minutes.

Still blowing on her steaming mug, Emma May joined Fiddleford in the garage. “Morning,” she greeted him, and he grunted in acknowledgement. The dark circles under his eyes made her wonder if he’d been having unsettling dreams too. But whenever she tried to ask, he changed the subject.

When he’d come home from that quantum engineering conference a few weeks ago, he’d shared an exciting tale of helping Stanford Pines and his until-recently-estranged twin brother escape a mob of gangsters, and later, a tearful confession of a kiss between him and his ex-lover. And yet, as horrible as that betrayal had felt, Fiddleford had convinced her that she and Tate were his priority. The kiss was a one-time mistake, and he was willing to do what it took to fix their marriage. And Emma May had wanted to believe that.

Emma May had wanted to believe it was as simple as Fiddleford choosing his love for her over his attraction to Stanford. She didn’t want to end a six-year marriage that, while not always ideal, had made them both quite happy. But it wasn’t that simple.

After draining half her mug, she set it down. Looking for a segue into a conversation that couldn’t possibly start or end well, she asked Fiddleford, “Did you get Tate off to school all right?” Their boy had just started kindergarten last week, and though she worried about his shyness, Tate seemed to be doing well.

Fiddleford answered with a simple nod, not even bothering to look at her or pause in his strumming. Despite the cool response, it strengthened Emma May’s resolve. She knew she was making the right choice.

“Fiddleford, I’ve been thinking . . .” She paused, and then, knowing she might as well cut to the chase, she continued, "we should get a divorce."

A sour note twanged on the banjo, and Fiddleford turned to her in alarm. "What? I thought we -"

"I know what we talked about, but Fidds, it’s not just that you kissed him. It’s the fact that we’ve been married for six years and you’ve been in love with him this whole time. I know deep down you’re chomping at the bit to work on whatever he’s doing up in Oregon, and the only reason you’re here is because you feel obligated to me. How are we supposed to fix that?”

“It’s not an obligation, Emma May,” he said, setting the banjo aside and taking her hand. “I love you.”

“But you want him. Can you really tell me that if we weren't married, you wouldn’t be with him right now?”

“That’s - that’s not a fair question -”

Emma May pulled her hand away. “Of course it’s a fair question, and we both know the answer. If we keep this up, we’re gonna end up resenting each other, our marriage is gonna die a slow, painful death, and it’ll only be that much worse for Tate. It’s better to end this now, before it gets ugly.”

Emma May knew how it felt to watch your parents grow cold toward each other, how constant sniping and bitterness poisoned all the good feelings in a home. That was the last thing she wanted her son to grow up with.

"So you just wanna give up? Not even try to salvage what we have?"

"Fiddleford, I know you wanna fix everything. But this ain't one of your machines. Or if it is, it's like that stupid catalyzer analytron."

"Emma May! How could you compare the two? Our marriage means so much more to me than that hunk of junk -"

"But you wouldn't let go of it. Even when you realized the concept was fundamentally flawed, you kept trying to work around it. You kept picking at it like an open wound, it was driving you crazy. But you wouldn't scrap it until it sat in the backyard so long it started to rust, and when you finally took it apart, hardly any of the parts were reusable." And there was still a dead spot in the grass where that godforsaken contraption had been.

Fiddleford put his head in his hands, and when he spoke, his tone was watery. "You really think it's as bad as all that?"

"Look, I know all the - the gay stuff . . . can be . . . hard to talk about.” Despite having more enlightened views on the subject than either of them had been raised with, Emma May couldn’t recall having more than a few conversations with him where homosexuality had even come up. That was, until he’d revealed the true nature of his relationship with Stanford Pines. She’d assumed his reticence on the subject was due to their upbringing, not the fact that he himself was still closeted. His apparent need to hide a part of himself to her felt like another, lesser betrayal, even if it wasn’t entirely his fault. “But I deserved to know. And the time to work out your feelings for your ex was before we got married, not six years into it."

Fiddleford ran his hands over his face, wiping tears away as he did so. "I - I thought I was over him then. Or at least I wanted to be. I never wanted to hurt you."

Emma May hated that he was crying. After all the tears she’d shed over him, the least he could do was not make this harder on her. She turned away from him before she said, "Well, you did. Badly. And if you don't want to make it worse, you'll leave."

Not for the first time, Shifty wished he could understand what his dad was thinking as well as what he was feeling. All he knew was, Dad had gotten a phone call that made him all fluttery inside, and then he’d spent the next few days running around trying to do ten things all at once. The only explanation Dad had given him was that someone was coming to help him build the portal.

“Who is it?” Shifty had asked.

“He’s . . . an old friend of mine.”

Uncle Stan had snickered at that, and Dad had glared at him, but that didn’t stop Uncle Stan from wanting to tease him. That was as normal as Dad had acted all day. The only other things Shifty could find out about this new human was that his name was Fiddleford, Dad had lived with him in a frustrating place called Backupsmore, and he also liked beans.

And then, the day Mr. Fiddleford was set to arrive, Dad told Shifty and Uncle Stan, “It’s best if you don’t say anything to Fiddleford about my Muse.”

That was no problem. Shifty didn’t like to talk about Dad’s muse at all, so he definitely wouldn’t talk about him with Mr. Fiddleford. But Uncle Stan asked, “Why?”

“Fiddleford is . . . well, he’s superstitious. Back in college, I had to ask our neighbors to store my Ouija board. He wouldn’t have it in our dorm.”

“What’s a wee-jee board?” asked Shifty.

“It’s a tool people use to talk to ghosts,” Dad explained. “But Fiddleford didn’t like it because he said those things have ‘bad energy.’”

“Oh. And your muse has bad energy, so Mr. Fiddleford won’t like him either,” Shifty concluded.

Dad didn’t like Shifty talking about his muse like that. “Reading energies is a highly subjective and unproven form of observation,” he said, “but no, I don’t think Fiddleford will like the idea of me communing with extradimensional beings in my sleep, even less than either of you do.”

Dad had given up on trying to convince Shifty and Uncle Stan that his muse was a good guy, but he still seemed to hope they would change their minds anyway. Shifty was sure that would never happen.

“So let me get this straight,” said Uncle Stan. “You’re asking him to help you with this portal, but you’re not even going to tell him about the guy who told you to build it?”

“I just don’t want him to get the wrong idea about this project. My inspiration may be a bit . . . out there, but the science is sound. He’ll be more comfortable with the numbers and blueprints, and Gravity Falls has enough weirdness for just about anyone to handle as it is. I don’t want to overwhelm him.”

That didn’t sound right to Uncle Stan. “You didn’t seem so worried about overwhelming me when I first came here.”

“Yes, but you’re . . . you, and he’s . . .”

“The one that got away, and you don’t want to blow your chance of getting him back?”

“No!” Dad turned red and got all fluttery again. “I mean, that’s not what I was saying. You two just have very different personalities. That’s all.”

Teasing Dad seemed to put Uncle Stan more at ease. “Fine, I won’t say anything to him about Bill. But you should. Eventually.”

“We’ll see.”

Shifty could sense some anxious excitement that didn’t seem to be coming from Dad or Uncle Stan, but from outside the house. A new presence was moving quickly up the road. “Another human’s coming,” he told them. “Is that him?”

Dad ran over to the window as quickly as he had that time he had caught Shifty playing with knives. “That’s his truck!” He scrambled to the door just as quickly, and when he opened it -

Shifty was hit with a wave of emotions so intense he lost track of what was going on. He didn’t have the words to describe how deeply Dad was both happy and thankful to see Mr. Fiddleford. The undercurrents of nervousness only served to heighten those feelings.

It wasn’t until Mr. Fiddleford stepped inside the house that Shifty returned his attention to what he was seeing and hearing. Mr. Fiddleford was tall, though Shifty couldn’t tell whether he was taller than Dad or his skinniness made him look taller. He looked down at Shifty through round glasses, and Shifty didn’t need his emotion-sensing abilities to read the shock on his face.

“Stanford,” he said, “what is this thing? Did one of your specimens escape or something?”

Something inside Shifty shrank at being called a thing, a specimen. What was he doing in his true form? Shifty knew it was the kind of thing humans thought was ugly, though Dad thought all his forms were fascinating and Uncle Stan called him a “cute little bug.” Shifty should’ve thought to change into something cuter, something other humans wouldn’t be disgusted by. But now Shifty was too hurt to turn into anything but a prickly sea urchin.

“You’ve upset him,” Dad told Mr. Fiddleford.

“Him?”

“Shifty, I’m sorry,” said Dad, kneeling down and running a finger along the smooth edge of one of Shifty’s spikes. “Fiddleford didn’t mean to hurt you, he was just surprised. That’s my fault, I should’ve told him to expect you.”

Shifty wanted a hug, but he couldn’t hug Dad if he was a prickly sea urchin. So he turned into Peter Rabbit instead. He should’ve been in that form to start with, Mr. Fiddleford would’ve liked it better. Shifty certainly felt better in Dad’s arms, looking Mr. Fiddleford in the face instead of being loomed over.

“I may have initially captured Shifty in order to study him,” Dad explained to Mr. Fiddleford, “but I have since discovered that he’s a sentient, sapient being. I’ve become rather fond of him, and we regard each other as father and son.”

This didn’t seem to quell the uneasiness Mr. Fiddleford was feeling. “Stanford, this is highly unethical. You can’t just adopt your research subject.”

Uncle Stan’s anger flared like fireworks, and he said, “So it’s more ethical to treat a kid like he’s your property?”

“You’ve gone and anthropomorphized it -”

“Fiddleford, that’s enough,” said Dad. He sounded calm, but Shifty could tell he wasn’t happy either. “Do you really think I would’ve adopted an anomaly without gathering all the evidence I could that he deserves to be treated with the same care as any other child? You’re in no position to dispute my findings without giving them the same consideration. And in the meantime, I’d appreciate it if you didn’t dispute my son’s personhood right in front of him.”

Mr. Fiddleford felt like he wanted to argue, but he held himself back. “Fine,” he said. “We can talk about this later. Were you wanting to show me around the house?”

“Right, of course.”

“Hey, Shifty,” said Uncle Stan. “You wanna help me check the plaidypus traps?”

Shifty gratefully took the chance to leave the tense atmosphere that had settled in the house. As they hiked through the woods, Uncle Stan told him, “If Fiddleford ever makes you feel bad like that again, tell me. I’ll knock some sense into him, all right?”

Shifty shook his head. Punching Mr. Fiddleford would only make things worse. “It’s okay, Uncle Stan. I should’ve known he wouldn’t like me. I just gotta be good, and Mr. Fiddleford will change his mind, like you and Dad did.”

For some reason this made Uncle Stan feel sad. Shifty hadn’t meant to do that, he was trying to show Uncle Stan that everything would be okay.

“Yeah, maybe he will change his mind,” said Uncle Stan. “But even if he doesn’t, you deserve to be around people who make you feel loved. I wish your dad and I hadn’t made you feel like that was something you had to earn, you know?”

Shifty hated thinking about those bad days, when he had been locked in a cage. They had happened weeks ago, and that was half as long as Shifty had been alive. Sure, Shifty wished things hadn’t gone that way, and so did Dad and Uncle Stan, but they couldn’t do anything about it now. Shifty hated the guilty feelings that happened whenever they brought it up. So instead of talking about it all over again, Shifty decided to change the subject.

“Hey, Uncle Stan?”

“Yeah?”

“What did you mean when you said Mr. Fiddleford was ‘the one that got away?’”

“Oh, right. Heh.” Uncle Stan felt uncertain, like he had the time Shifty had asked him and Dad what a girl was. (As it turned out, humans liked to put each other into two groups based on some body parts that usually got covered up by their clothes. But Shifty didn’t have any of those body parts, so Dad and Uncle Stan used boy words for him, because humans liked to use boy words when they weren’t sure which words to use. They said Shifty could use girl words if he wanted, or they could make up some other ones. Of course, this was all very silly. Shifty didn’t really care what words they used, and if boy words were good enough for Dad and Uncle Stan, then they were good enough for Shifty.) Was being “the one that got away” like being a girl, in that it was based on some silly thing humans did that made no sense to Shifty?

“You know what,” said Uncle Stan, “that’s a question you should ask your dad sometime . . .”

Ford regretted not telling Fiddleford about Shifty when he had called to say he’d changed his mind about taking Ford’s offer to work up here in Gravity Falls. Granted, adopting a shapeshifter was a lot to explain over the phone, especially since their conversation had been so brief. They hadn’t discussed much more than when Ford could expect him to be here. Ford had been too blindsided and overwhelmingly grateful to ask too many questions.

But now they were alone for the first time since they’d kissed in Vegas of all places, and Ford wasn’t sure where to start.

He gestured awkwardly toward the kitchen. “Phone’s in there. Did you want to call, um - call your family, and let them know you made it all right?”

Fiddleford’s knee bounced uncomfortably. “I - I suppose I will. Later. Emma May might still care to know I didn’t get mangled in traffic.”

Ford wasn’t sure how to ask Fidds what he meant by that, but apparently his gaze flicking over to Fiddleford’s left hand was question enough.

Fiddleford self-consciously wrung his hands together, twisting his wedding ring around his finger. “We’re getting a divorce,” he explained.

“Oh,” said Ford. “I’m sorry.” He winced at how insincere he sounded, because that couldn’t be farther from the truth. Though watching Fiddleford marry someone else had been one of the hardest things he’d ever done, Ford knew Emma May had made Fidds happy. And he could never begrudge Fiddleford an ounce of happiness, even if Ford wasn’t responsible for it. Putting more feeling into it this time, he tacked on, “No, really, I am. I know you wanted it to work out.”

“Yeah, well. That wasn’t all I wanted. That was the problem.”

Despite the guilt over the confirmation that he was definitely a homewrecker now, Ford couldn’t help the thrilling thoughts of He wants to be here. Here with me running through his mind. Ford tamped down on his excitement and clarified, “I don’t have any expectations, you know. We can keep this as professional as you like. Mostly I’m just glad you’re here.”

Fiddleford gave him a little smile. “Me too. I know the last time we saw each other, I told you we needed to take a break from our friendship. I hope you know that wasn’t easy for me to say any more than it was for you to hear it. So for now, can we just focus on rebuilding our friendship? Cause that’s just as important to me as anything else.”

Ford nodded. “Of course. It is for me, too.” He smiled back at Fiddleford and reached for one of his bags. “Come on, let me show you where to put that.”

It didn’t take very long at all to confirm that coming to Gravity Falls had been a good move for Fiddleford. The portal work captivated him, he could understand why Ford was practically consumed by it. The only thing that seemed to pull Ford out of his workspace was his family. He still made time for Stan and Shifty every day, even if it was limited to just an arm wrestling match or a bedtime story.

Fiddleford never begrudged the time spent with Stan (Lord did he not begrudge the time the twins had stripped to the waist and practiced boxing - he’d only lasted about ten minutes as a spectator before he slipped away with a vague excuse and buried his head in an equation until he could breathe like a normal person), but Shifty . . .

Ford had shown Fiddleford his exhaustingly comprehensive data. Fiddleford had observed Shifty’s behavior. The critter did indeed have an exuberant personality which was at the same time eager to please. He also brought out a tender side in Ford that Fiddleford had always wanted to see more of. Fiddleford could understand wanting to make this critter a pet, but adopting one as a son? Fiddleford had learned early on in his life that as clever as a hog could be sometimes, it was still a hog, and you didn’t get too attached to a critter that could just as soon eat you as you could it.

Not wanting to cause trouble, Fiddleford didn’t say anything about his feelings. He didn’t interact with Shifty any more than basic politeness demanded, and he still kept a wary eye on the critter. The anomaly’s ability to read emotions also bothered Fiddleford, but he had to admit it was convenient that Shifty could understand Fiddleford wanting to avoid him without having to explain why.

So it was a couple weeks into his stay before Fiddleford and Shifty were alone in a room together. Fiddleford had been working on one of his personal projects when he caught Shifty out of the corner of his eye. Instantly alert, he turned toward the shapeshifter, who had taken the form of Frances the Badger.

“Sorry,” said Shifty. “I didn’t mean to scare you, Mr. Fiddleford, I was just looking for Dad? Well, I’m supposed to tell you too, but dinner’s ready.”

“Oh,” said Fiddleford. “Thanks. I’ll tell Ford - he should be in his study. We’ll be up in a minute.”

It was then that Fiddleford noticed that Ford had scrambled his Cubic’s Cube - again. Grumbling, he picked it up and started solving it.

“Does Dad give you puzzles, too?” Shifty asked.

Fiddleford’s head snapped up again. He really should’ve noticed the critter hadn’t left yet. “Hmm? Oh, you’re talking about the Cubic’s Cube. Ford just likes messing with me, he knows I cain’t stand seeing them unsolved.”

Shifty edged closer uncertainly. “So you’re trying to put all the different colors on their own sides?”

“Did you figure that out just from watching me?” Fiddleford asked. He supposed this wasn’t uncharacteristic of Shifty’s behavior according to Ford, but it was interesting to see in action.

“Uh huh.”

“I reckon Ford’s right, you are a sharp fella. Do you wanna give it a try?” Fiddleford asked, giving the Cubic’s cube a few twists and presenting it to Shifty.

He shook his head. “That’s too easy. I saw what you did. I’d just have to do it backwards.”

Fiddleford wanted to laugh. That was just like Ford, to make things more challenging for himself. “Of course,” he told Shifty. He hid the Cubic’s cube behind his back and twisted it a few more times, then held it out to him again. “How about now?”

Shifty took it and made a few experimental twists. Fiddleford was about to give him some pointers when Shifty asked, “Why does looking at that picture make you feel sad?” He jerked his head toward the framed photo of Tate and Emma May.

Fiddleford’s heart sank. He didn’t know when he had felt safe enough to bring that photo down to the basement where Shifty could possibly see it. He definitely hadn’t considered that the critter would come right out and ask about it.

Shifty, of course, picked up on his hesitation. “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.”

“It’s no big deal,” said Fiddleford. “I just - miss them, that’s all.”

“They’re your human family, aren’t they?”

Fiddleford nodded.

“Will you go back to them when the portal is done?”

If only things were that simple! “I don’t think it’ll work out that way. I messed things up pretty bad,” he confessed.

“Did you say sorry?”

“I did. But that don’t always fix everything. Like if you break a vase. Sure, you can glue the pieces back together, but the cracks are still there.”

Oh, shoot, now there were spines growing out of Shifty’s back. He was turning into a sea urchin, like Ford said he tended to do when upset. What had Fiddleford said to set him off?

“Hey, it’s okay,” he told the little guy. “I still talk to Tate - that’s my son, the boy in the photo - I talk to him on the phone all the time. I love my family very much. We’re gonna get through this, okay?”

“I think I still have cracks,” Shifty said very quietly. “From the bad days. Dad and Uncle Stan didn’t always treat me so good, you know. Am I broken forever?”

Oh Lord. Those big, watery eyes looking up at him made Fiddleford want to gather the little furball up in his arms, reservations be damned. So he held his arms out to the critter and Shifty stretched to set the Cubic’s Cube back on Fiddleford’s desk, then warily climbed into Fiddleford’s arms, retracting the spikes as he went.

In this form Shifty was downright cuddly. It was a wonder Fiddleford hadn’t broken down and tried to hold him before. “You’re not gonna go back to the way you were before,” Fiddleford told Shifty, stroking his pelt. “But you are gonna grow into something new and different. I’m sure it’ll be amazing, you wait and see.”

“I’m sorry,” Shifty murmured into Fiddleford’s shoulder.

“For what?”

“For making you feel guilty all the time. I don’t mean to.”

Of everything Shifty could’ve said, this confused Fiddleford the most. “You don’t make me feel guilty,” he said.

Shifty sat back on his haunches, still in Fiddleford’s lap. He looked confused. “I don’t know why people feel the way they do,” he told Fiddleford, “I just know what the feelings are. Maybe there’s some other reason you feel guilty whenever you can see me. I just thought maybe that’s why you try to ignore me, cause you don’t seem to think I’m gross anymore. But maybe I’m wrong. Humans don’t make a lot of sense to me.”

Fiddleford was sure this didn’t add up. If anything was making him feel guilty, it was -

He looked back at the photo of Emma May and Tate. His son was still asking him when he’d be coming back, every time he called. Fiddleford tried to explain that he’d visit whenever he could, but Tate still hadn’t seemed to internalize the idea that the three of them would never live together as a family again. He wasn’t like Shifty, who was so much less sure of his place in his own family.

But why was Fiddleford comparing them? Shifty wasn’t even human, comparing him to a human child was apples to oranges, wasn’t it? Except for the fact that Ford did it all the time. How many reports had Fiddleford read through comparing Shifty’s cognitive functioning to the average human development? Sometimes Fiddleford could pretend Ford was writing about any other experiment, but the fondness for his son showed through. As much as Fiddleford tried to deny it, this shapeshifting critter was part of Ford’s life for good.

Which meant that he’d be in Fiddleford’s life, too, because despite how wrong it felt to start anything with Ford so soon after being separated from his wife, Fiddleford knew it was only a matter of time before they picked up where they’d left off in college.

That must be what Shifty was picking up on, and why Fiddleford was keeping the little guy at arm’s length. Treating Shifty like Ford’s son felt too much like replacing his own family, and it ate at Fiddleford. Which was completely unfair of Fiddleford, to scapegoat this kid for his own mistakes.

Shifty recoiled from the fresh wave of shame Fiddleford was feeling. “I’m sor-” he started.

But Fiddleford interrupted. “Hush, now. None of this is your fault, you hear me? I’m the one who should be sorry. You didn’t do nothing to deserve the way I’ve been treating you. Nothing at all.”

Shifty protested, “But I’m . . . I’m a -” He seemed unable to finish that sentence.

“You’re weird. And so’s your dad. And your uncle Stan. And me, really. That’s what we like about each other, isn’t it?”

Shifty seemed to consider this. “Yeah. Weird is good.”

“That’s right, kiddo. Weird is good.”

Stan was doing some maintenance on his car when Ford made the rare excursion outside to watch Shifty hunt. Shifty had been on a disemboweling-small-birds kick lately, and needed supervision to make sure he didn’t choke on any of the small, fragile bones birds tended to have.

The dark circles under Ford’s eyes shrunk a bit as they crinkled into a grin. “Well done, Shifty! Your woodpecker calls keep getting better!”

From the tree in which he was hiding as a woodpecker, Shifty called back, “Don’t talk so loud, Dad! You’ll scare them away!”

“Stanford?” Fiddleford winced as he stepped into the sunlight. “There you are. I thought I heard someone banging around in your room, but I didn’t see anything.”

“Oh, it might be that invisible wizard again. I’ve caught him going through my clothes before. Can’t imagine why.”

“An invisible wizard keeps breaking into your house?” asked Fiddleford.

“Not often,” Ford answered distractedly, keeping his eyes on Shifty as he pounced on another woodpecker. “I caught a glimpse of him through night vision goggles once. He has these piercing blue eyes. I bet he could be a model if he weren’t invisible.”

Fiddleford muttered something that sounded like, “I have blue eyes, you know.”

“What?”

“How would his eyes show up blue in the infrared, Ford?”

“Oh, I don’t know. Like I said, I only caught a glimpse.”

Fiddleford folded his arms and gave a slight harumph. “Well, it’s no good having your home invaded by some guy you cain’t even see. I’ll put together some contraption so we can find out what he really looks like.”

“Yeah,” said Stan. “Because determining whether or not he’s handsome will definitely stop him from breaking into our house.”

Fiddleford went slightly pink as he demanded, “Well, you got any better ideas?”

Grinning a little wider, Stan suggested, “Maybe since this wizard guy likes clothes so much, we could bait him by doing a strip tease. Ford, you go first.”

Fiddleford turned redder as he exclaimed, “Absolutely not!”

Ford took Stan’s bait a little more sardonically. “Ha ha, Stanley. You got me going there,” he said dryly. “Fiddleford, I think we could really use the kind of device you’re talking about. Great work, as usual.”

“Yeah, of course,” said Fiddleford. “I’ll get started right away.”

“Wait, Fiddleford, what was it you wanted to talk to me about?”

But he was already walking away, muttering, “Stupid wizard . . . thinks he’s so . . .”

“Wow,” said Stan. “I never pegged him as the jealous type.”

Ford’s eyes widened owlishly in his confusion. “Fiddleford? Jealous? Of what?”

“You seriously didn’t notice? I thought you were doing it on purpose.”

“Doing what on purpose?”

Stan slung the hand that wasn’t holding an oil can over his forehead dramatically. “Oh Fiddleford, you’d never guess who’s been visiting me in the bedroom! I met this handsome invisible wizard with piercing blue eyes. I think he looks really good in my clothes too -”

Ford shoved Stan aside, and he had to take quick steps to keep the oil can from spilling. “Shut up, I didn’t say it like that.”

“But that’s how he heard it. Now all he can think about is winning you back from that wizard creep. Very smooth, bro.”

Ford started rubbing one of his temples. “The last thing I want to do is distract him with something that stupid. We have important work to do. Maybe I should tell him to forget the whole thing.”

“Nah, that’ll just make it worse. He’ll get over it, don’t worry.”

But Ford was already distracted with something else. “Wait Shifty, don't puncture that! . . . Oh dear.”

Ford had gone inside to clean up Shifty from his kill when Fiddleford reemerged with his hands full of little gadgets. “Hey Stan, have you seen my -” he started asking, then stopped short when he got a good look under the hood of Stan’s car. “So . . . much . . . duct tape . . .”

“Yeah, well, it works well enough in a pinch, and I didn’t usually have much else -” Stan said sheepishly.

“Oh, I know. I just cain’t believe you’ve needed to patch her up so much. She must’ve gone through the wringer, poor girl. But you’d never guess just by looking at her.”

He started asking a bunch of questions which Stan did his best to answer. Every so often he had to correct Stan on the name of a certain part, leaving Stan slightly mortified. Maybe it had been a few years since he’d picked up a manual, but he still knew what the gizmo did, didn’t he? That was all that mattered, right?

“I never would’ve thought of putting it together that way,” said Fiddleford once Stan was done explaining something. “By all accounts, this car shouldn’t be running. But she does, and beautifully, too. You’re a miracle worker, Stan.”

“Aw, come on,” said Stan modestly. “I’m no genius or nothing.”

“Why would you say that?” asked Fidds.

“You know,” said Stan. “You know Stanford.”

“What, so his way of being smart is the only kind there is? We are talking about the fella who used to wear clip-on bow ties with polo shirts.”

Stan couldn’t help but laugh at that. “I know! He never listened to me when I told him how bad it looked.”

“‘But it’s so much faster than tying a real one!’” said Fidds in a halfway decent impersonation of Ford. “I tell ya, it was like wrestling a hog trying to get him into something decent to meet with the dean.”

“Please tell me he never wore that to a professional meeting.”

“Not under my watch, he didn’t.”

“And you say I’m the miracle worker.”

“Well you are!” Fiddleford insisted. “Take the compliment, geez!”

“Okay, fine,” Stan relented. “I will admit I’m . . . good at taking care of the stuff that’s important to me.”

“There, was that so hard?”

Stan groaned dramatically in response.

After a moment or two, Fiddleford’s grin slowly faded. “Hey, uh, Stan? Can I ask you something?”

“Yeah, shoot.”

“Has Ford ever said anything to you about another collaborator on the portal project? Besides you and me?”

“Uh . . . no, not really,” Stan lied. “Why do you ask?”

Fiddleford tugged at his hair lightly. “I’m not trying to belittle all the work Stanford’s been putting in,” he said. “Lord knows he’s practically working himself into an early grave, but the plans he’s been showing me . . . they don’t look like the work of just one person. Or even two people, if you’ve been helping him with it.”

“No way,” said Stan. “I can figure out my car okay, but an interdimensional portal? Way above my pay grade.”

“I think it might be above Stanford’s, or mine too, if I’m being completely honest,” Fiddleford admitted. “A couple times, we’ve hit some serious roadblocks, but he goes and meditates in that creepy study of his and all of a sudden he comes back with a solution that’s completely out of left field. It’s like he’s consulting somebody, but he won’t tell me who. He just says some hokum about determination and keeping an open mind. It’s seriously starting to worry me.”

Now Stan was worried too. Hadn’t he told Ford he needed to come clean to his partner, here? Ford should know how serious the situation was if Stan was promoting honesty. He really seemed to think he could keep stringing Fiddleford along here and everything would be fine. Stan was sorely tempted to just tell Fiddleford the truth regardless. But would Ford take such a betrayal lightly? He’d probably see it as Stan messing up his work again. And Stan didn’t want to risk another falling out with him.

“I don’t know why he makes the decisions he does,” Stan said honestly. “There are some things he doesn’t trust me with either.”

They both jumped as the front door to the cabin creaked open. But it was only Shifty, now in the form of an anthropomorphic frog. He glistened with dampness, still fresh out of his bath. “Uncle Stan?” he called.

“What’s up, kid?” asked Stan.

“Dad fell asleep on accident. And he . . .” Shifty’s eyes fell on Fiddleford. “He’s not alone.”

He must mean that Ford was communing with Bill again, but couldn’t say so openly in front of Fiddleford.

“What do you mean?” asked Fiddleford. “Is it that invisible wizard?”

Stan snorted. “No. I wish.”

Fiddleford’s eyes widened, and his knee started bouncing. “Then who?”

One ability Stan had always taken pride in was his aptitude for finding loopholes. And boy, had he found one.

Stan told Fiddleford, “I promised Ford I wouldn’t say anything to you about it. But I never said I wouldn’t show you the truth. Come on.”

Fidds was hesitant about taking part in a spell, but his need for answers ended up outweighing his concern, and he laid a shaky hand on Ford’s head, where it lay limply on his desk in the basement. Stan added his own hand, then read the spell off the notecard Ford had written for him. Fiddleford’s uncertain expression gave way to confusion and discomfort as Stan stumbled over the Latin words. But that didn’t last long before both their eyes glowed brightly.

He and Fidds touched down on a beach much cleaner than Stan remembered at home, yet it looked familiar all the same. Though the sky looked clear over the ocean, mist obscured the town and the boardwalk.

“Stan, where are we? This looks like . . .”

“It’s our hometown, but different,” said Stan. “I guess it’s whatever version exists in Ford’s mind.”

“We’re in his mind?”

“Yeah. Ford gave me that spell so I could come meet the guy who inspired him to build the portal. I figured you should meet him, too.”

“Is he . . . dead?”

“Is who dead?”

“This other collaborator Ford won’t tell me about.”

“No, he’s not dead. He’s . . . actually, there’s a lot I don’t know about him. That’s why we’re here.”

“So where is he?”

“I dunno. Hey Sixer! I used the spell you gave me, so what gives? Where’s this Bill guy?”

“His name is Bill?”

“Shh!” Stan listened for an answer from Ford, but none came. “You’d think I’d be able to talk to Ford inside his own mind,” he grumbled.

“Well, he is asleep,” said Fiddleford. “Maybe he can’t consciously respond. Maybe we need to go deeper into his subconscious, or something.”

“Yeah, that makes sense.” Stan turned upwind of the misty town. “Come on, let’s go this way.”

It didn’t take long for Stan to find the cave where he and Ford had found the Stan-o-War. He and Fidds stepped inside, only to find several tunnels branching off from the main one.

“There weren’t this many tunnels in the cave back home,” Stan told him. “I think we’re on the right track, here.”

“Which one should we take?” Fidds asked.

“That one.”

“Why that one?”

“Gotta pick one of them, why not that one?”

Even within the tunnel, several small cavities branched off from it, each glowing with hazy recollections. Stan focused on one of them and saw a memory of Shermie in army fatigues, shortly after he’d been accepted into the ROTC. “I figured I’d get drafted anyway,” he was telling the twelve-year-old twins. “At least this way I get school paid for, and I don’t gotta rely on Pa anymore.”

“We’re not gonna rely on him for anything, neither,” said kid Stan. “Once we get the Stan-o-War fixed up, we’re sailing outta here, too.”

Shermie smiled at them indulgently. “I’ll keep an eye out for you two, then. Look out for each other while I’m gone, okay?”

Not all the cavities displayed memories. Some of them were filled with ideas. Fiddleford tisked at one of them. “Oh no, darlin’, that ain’t gonna work,” he said, and pulling out a marker, he wrote an equation over the surface of it.

Stan wasn’t sure what to tease him for, the term of endearment that had slipped his tongue, or the pathological need to correct his not-boyfriend’s math. But before Stan could decide, he realized something.

“Fiddleford, where did you get that marker from?”

“Huh?”

“You didn’t reach into your pocket before you started writing with it. Trust me, a pickpocket notices these things.”

Fiddleford looked at the marker, puzzled. “I could’ve sworn I - but come to think of it, I don’t remember ever buying a red marker like this. Then how -”

Stan stretched out his hand and a Pitt Cola filled it. He popped the tab and drank from the can. “Not bad,” he said.

Fiddleford’s eyes widened, wondering. “We can just - create things out of thin air?” And then he started rambling, going on about the physical properties of mental matter or whatever, until Stan interrupted him.

“Do you think we’ll be able to find Ford if we just - will him to be here or something?”

Fiddleford tapped his chin as he mulled Stan’s idea over. “How will we know it’s actually him and not just a projection of him made up from our minds?”

“Yeah, good point. But if the laws of physics don’t matter here -” Stan started sinking into the ground.

“What the -”

Stan smiled up at Fiddleford, assuring him he was doing this on purpose. “I think this place has multiple levels. Let's see what’s under here, shall we?”

The “ground” in Ford’s mindscape turned out to be a lot thinner than it looked. Stan could feel his feet dangling in midair on the other side, while he was only up to his hips on the surface. Stan held his breath as for one terrifying moment the ground enclosed around his head and shoulders, then thankfully, his eyes opened to a starry expanse.

It was at once comical and wondrous watching the night sky spit out Fiddleford as well. His legs seemed to grow out of a point in space perpendicular to Stan. Out of curiosity, Stan ran his hand through the “other side” of the metaphorical sphincter Fiddleford was stuck in - where supposedly the rest of his body would be coming from - but Stan couldn’t feel any barrier. He guessed from the perspective of the cave, it looked like they were sinking into the floor, but in this place, they were being squeezed out of a random point in space. Stan resolved never to bring this up to neither Ford nor Fiddleford lest he be subjected to another boring lecture about theoretical physics.

When Fiddleford’s face emerged, it was facing away from Stan. Fiddleford cried out, “What - where -” before Stan grabbed him by the scruff of his shirt and reoriented him so they were facing the same way. Fidds seemed to relax upon making eye contact with Stan.

“Okay,” he said. “Where do you reckon we are now?”

Stan shrugged. “Makes sense that Sixer would have a place like this inside his head, though.”

Fidds smiled. “Yeah.”

That was when they heard it - Ford’s voice, echoing through the seemingly endless expanse.

“I would love to move the schedule up too,” he was saying. “If only I didn’t have to waste so much time sleeping.”

Stan saw Fiddleford looked as exasperated as he felt. Ford was hardly sleeping at all as it was, of course he wanted to make his sleep deprivation even worse.

“You’re right,” said another voice that sounded nothing like Ford. “The limitations you meatbags have are pretty frustrating.”

“Is that him?” Fiddleford asked Stan. “Bill?”

“I think so.”

It took a sustained mental effort, but soon they were hurtling through the air, closer to the sound of the voices, until they collided with a jumble of giant books and papers, with the occasional clock or sextant thrown in. They landed on a table-sized copy of one of Ford’s journals. From there they could see Ford with his back turned to them, talking to someone who, from their vantage point, was covered by an unfurled scroll.

“Just because your brain needs to sleep doesn’t mean the rest of you has to, Sixer,” Ford’s muse was saying.

“He lets Bill call him Sixer?” Stan grumbled. “That’s always been our thing.”

“Make a deal with me, and I’ll be able to take over your body and keep you productive while you sleep. That way you’ll make better use of your time.”

“You cain’t seriously be thinking of turning your body over to him!” Fiddleford cried out.

Ford turned to them in surprise. “Fiddleford? What are you doing here? Stan?”

Stan tried to act confident, as if he weren’t purposefully bending the promise he’d made to Ford. “You invited me, remember? I thought it was about time we got the whole portal assembly team together.”

“But I never said -”

“Well well well well well!” said Bill, and the scroll obstructing him from view turned and stretched itself out to Stan and Fiddleford, creating a walkway for them. “Looks like we have a full party in here!”

“You’re a triangle,” Stan said in surprise. He’d thought that painting on that jar was just an abstraction or something. But no, Bill was literally a triangle. A cute little triangle in a top hat and puny little stick limbs.

“Way to go, Pac-Man, you learned your basic shapes,” Bill said condescendingly.

Stan clenched his fist in annoyance. What kind of a nickname was Pac-Man, anyway? And since when were he and Bill on nickname terms?

“He’s just surprised, Bill,” Ford explained. “He’s never met a two-dimensional being before.”

“I’ll say,” said Bill. “You boys have a lot to learn. Have you tried investing in gold, Specs?”

It took Fiddleford a minute to realize the triangle was talking to him. “Uh, my name’s Fiddleford. Fiddleford McGucket. And I think I’d rather ask you some questions about the portal project, if you don’t mind.”

“What’s to ask? Use my designs, and you’ll strike the mother lode of all weirdness. Get your name on some groundbreaking research, and finally own a house with a screen door that shuts right. Not that your ‘wife’ wants you walking through that screen door anytime soon. Tough break, huh?”

“Excuse me?”

“Chill out, Specs, I was only teasing. Here, I got you a consolation present.”

He tossed a banana to Fiddleford, which unpeeled itself in his hand, revealing a grotesque facial expression carved into the fruit. “Hyuk! Congrats on the divorce! Congrats on the divorce!” it chanted.

Fiddleford dropped the banana as if it had burned him and stomped on it the way he would a roach. “Die, you unholy goat-bred hellspawn!”

Bill seemed to find this very amusing, if his obnoxious laugh was anything to go by.

“Bill has a unique sense of humor,” Ford said apologetically.

“That’s no excuse for being outright rude,” said Fiddleford. “I can see why you decided to lie to me about him, though.”

Ford wilted under Fiddleford’s gaze. “Can you blame me? I knew you wouldn’t like him, but my research wouldn’t be where it is today without him.”

“And your health wouldn’t be either.”

“I’m fine.”

“No you ain’t, or you wouldn’t be giving your body to Beelzebub here!”

“This is why I knew I couldn’t tell you about Bill. I knew you’d think it’s the devil’s work, but it has to happen if I want this project to succeed!”

Stan gritted his teeth. Fiddleford had really put Ford on Bill’s defense here. Stan would have to take another tack in order to talk Ford out of this.

“Why don’t I take the deal then?” Stan suggested. “We know my brain’s been practically useless. You should just use me whenever. Why settle for a timeshare when you can buy this place outright, Bill?”

“No!” Ford and Fiddleford both cried vehemently.

“Why not? It makes the most sense, doesn’t it?”

Ford shook his head. “You can’t really think this project is worth your bodily autonomy -”

“You think yours is,” Stan countered.

"It's not the same! I'm the one who has to change the world. You don't achieve anything unless you're the one who makes the sacrifices."

"And what will changing the world get you if you break yourself getting there?" said Fiddleford. "These past few weeks, seeing your dedication has really inspired me. But it's also scared me half to death. You weren't pushing yourself this hard when you were in three PhD programs at once. And now you're literally trying to work even in your sleep. You wouldn't do this to anyone you care about. Why are you doing this to yourself?"

Ford looked upset and confused, which was better than angry and defensive, at least. But before Stan could try to capitalize on this, Bill cut in.

“I gotta hand it to you, Specs, Pac-Man. You guys really care about Sixer here. I can respect that. I want the best for him, too. That’s why I’m so eager to get this portal finished. When I enter your world with a body of my own, possibilities will be open to the three of you that you never even dreamed of. The money and fame from discovering the Unified Theory of Weirdness will be child’s play compared to owning an entire galaxy or bending the laws of physics to your will. With all three of you fully on board, nothing can hold us back. So what do you say?” Bill outstretched his hands to them. “Shall we make this twosome a foursome?”

This triangle was really going for the hard sell, here. Something must have him spooked.

“Bending the laws of physics?” Fiddleford echoed him. “Ain’t we doing that already? You must be the one who told Ford that the Complementary Cosmicality Model wouldn’t calculate the interdimensional coordinates correctly.”

“Of course it won’t.” Bill sounded impatient. “Look, which of us has actually traveled between dimensions before? If you follow my lead, you can’t possibly go wrong.”

“If you know how to travel between dimensions yourself,” said Stan, “then what do you need us for? Can’t you build a portal from your end?”

Bill laughed at Stan’s question. “You really think I wouldn’t do that if I could? Leave the big questions to the big brains, Pac-Man.”

“Enlighten us, then,” said Fiddleford. “What’s so special about our world that you’re so desperate to get to it?”

“NOTHING,” Bill insisted. “I could set up shop in any three-dimensional -”

“Set up shop for what?” asked Ford. The other three looked at him in surprise. He’d seemed to have withdrawn from the conversation, but now he gave Bill a scrutinizing look. “You never said you wanted to come to our dimension before. Why would you hide that from me?”

“Not telling isn’t the same as hiding. You weren’t ready for it, Sixer. Everyone else I told couldn’t handle the idea of me liberating their dimension. But I thought you would be different. Was I wrong?”

“What are you trying to ‘liberate’ our dimension from?” asked Fiddleford.

“Come on,” said Bill. “You can’t tell me you guys actually like the stupid rules that are making Sixer and Specs act like they don’t wanna boink each other. And you, Pac-Man, when have the laws of physics ever done you any favors? Who voted on them anyway?”

“You can’t seriously wanna do away with - with the concept of order itself,” said Fiddleford. “How many people would even survive this ‘liberation’ of yours?”

Bill rolled his eye. “You mortals are all the same. Focused so much on surviving that you forget about living. You SAY you like the unconventional, but once things get WEIRD, you start clinging to the status quo again. Well, your security blanket is HOLDING YOU BACK. And if you’re not going to let go of it, you can BURN WITH IT.”

“Get out,” said Ford.

Bill turned on him, growing taller and redder as he did. “WHAT?”

“You’ve been using me, lying to me this whole time. You tried to make me distrust my brother again. How can I even trust myself after I almost destroyed everything I care about, chasing the prize you promised me?”

“You’re PATHETIC. I can’t believe I EVER thought you’d be THE ONE. LET ME TELL YOU SOMETHING, SIXER, YOU’LL REGRET BREAKING A DEAL WITH ME. YOU INVITED ME INTO YOUR MIND, AND YOU CAN’T UNDO THAT. YOU’LL NEVER REST AGAIN AS LONG AS YOU LIVE.”

“You heard him,” Stan said to Bill. “Get the fuck out of my brother’s mind.” And with that, he drove a brass-knuckled fist right through Bill’s midsection, leaving a crumbling hole beneath his bowtie.

Bill staggered, his eye narrowing. “YOU THINK IT’S THAT EASY TO GET RID OF ME? YOU CAN THROW AS MANY PUNCHES AS YOU LIKE, BUT I’LL BE BACK. AND WHEN I DO MAKE IT TO YOUR DIMENSION, YOU’LL BE THE FIRST PUNY LIFE FORMS I WIPE OFF THE MAP.”

Stan’s eyes had only just readjusted from the flash of light Bill had disappeared into when their surroundings started to get light again. Within moments, Stan found himself sitting up on the concrete basement floor, rubbing at his eyes.

Ford, however, was already on his feet and rummaging through the piles of tools he and Fidds left lying around. “Don’t we have a sledgehammer somewhere in here?” he asked.

“What happened?” asked Shifty. “Why are you all so afraid?”

“It’s okay,” Stan told him. “Your dad isn’t working with Bill anymore.”

“I should have listened to you two,” said Ford. “I should have realized I couldn’t trust him. I should never have started building that portal. It’s dangerous.” He hadn’t managed to find a sledgehammer, but he had gotten his hands on a crowbar, and he was studying the portal as if looking for the right place to apply it.

“No,” Fiddleford said. He stood and took Ford by the wrist of his hand that held the crowbar. “Now’s not the time to make rash decisions. This portal ain’t nowhere near functional yet, there’s no danger in letting it stay that way.”

“It could’ve destroyed the world,” said Ford, hanging his head. “I could’ve destroyed the world.”

“But you didn’t,” Fiddleford assured him. He took Ford’s chin in his free hand and lifted it gently. “It won’t.”

Ford’s hand slackened and he let the crowbar fall to the floor. Shifty cringed at the clang it made, and Stan gathered him up in his arms. Ford told Fiddleford, “I’ll let you decide what to do with it, then. I - I can’t even stand to look at it now.”

He broke out of his partner’s grasp and stalked toward the elevator, trench coat billowing out behind him. Fiddleford turned back to Stan, showing the same concern Stan was certainly wearing on his own face.

“He’ll be fine,” said Stan. “He just needs to sulk for a bit and then he’ll be over it.”

Stan wished he could be as confident as he sounded.

#gravity falls #fix it fic #fiddauthor #mystery trio #fanfic #9k words #heaven help me how did it get to 9k #otp: not just research partners

[benryphobic]

tell me ur thoughts on... Darnry

DARNEY MY BELARNREY......HELL YES

💐 Who tends to worry the most?

Darnold. He has anxiety! He's very uncomfortable with sudden change, too, so anything extreme happening out of his schedule makes him freak out

💋 Who is the most physically affectionate?

Benry. he gives his *friends* kisses, man. he would give Darnold so much physical affection it would be annoying (sometimes)

⛈ Do they enjoy dancing?

They do! Darnold dances like an old man, just kinda swaying side to side, while benry dances like a teenage girl. they have really different tastes in music, but can come together with dancing to r&b!

🌹⛈Who has the most nightmares and how do they deal with them?

Darnold has the most nightmares. Mostly about being terrified and trapped. Benry helps him by just kinda playing games with him, cos neither of them are too good at talking about feelings

🌺 Do they go to sleep at the same time as each other?

They do initially, bc Benry just. never slept. he doesn't need to. But then Benry started to appreciate the fine art of being able to cuddle and doze with a comfy body in his arms

⚡ What are their nicknames for each other?

I can't really think of anything but benry probably calls him like. D. Arnold. as a bit. otherwise i can't see them using any nicknames

🍃 What do they do when the other is stressed?

play video games....if that doesn't work, then they just talk about nothing. if it gets really bad, benry uses sweet voice for him, but thats not super often. darnold helps benry by just being his friend (homosexual)

🌻 How do they spend time if the other is gone?

Darnold does his science shit, goes back to school to become a professor, plays video games etc etc. benry plays video games, listens to music, probably makes his own music, talks to his friends, etc

🎮 Do they have a favourite video game they enjoy playing together?

team fortress 2.....they both go medic and do this

💍 Would they ever get married?

probably! no big wedding or anything, but they would get a little dressed up

✨ Who proposes?

benry! he does it very casually but very heartfelt

👑 Who is the meme lover?

darnold laughs at minion memes and cat memes. benry does not go on the internet.

📚 Who likes to read?

Darnold! he's fascinated with his field of study, but also in a lot of different things. he reads a lot to calm down and as a hobby

🎩 Who bothers the other person while the other person reads?

haha benry. if benry needs attention (which is often) he'll bother darnold like an immature child.

🌼 How do their personalities complement each other?

i think both are very matter of fact while saying the craziest shit. the difference is you can kinda tell when benry is joking (unless youre gordon) , while you cannot tell at All when Darnold is. Plus i kinda see them both as quiet people, maybe ambiverts at most, so they just kinda chill most of the time. theyre absurd in different ways, and its great :)

🔥 Who will punch someone out if they are rude to their partner?

neither? i think benry would shoot someone just for picking their nose

💀 What would they dress up as, for Halloween?

oooohghuhghhhhh the cheesiest costumes ever. the first year theyre dating they go as a medic and solider duo, but years after theyd do like. cishet costumes bc they both think its funny (harley quinn and joker, Frankenstein and the bride of frakenstein, jack and sally, etc) they still really like dressing up as video game characters tho, so they do that too to mix it up

🌈 What are their favourite colours?

darnold likes green! benry........does not have a favorite

🌹 Who is the hopeless romantic?

Neither! Darnold is a man of science, a man of work. he was very happy being single, benry just kinda added a new dynamic in his life that he very much enjoyed. benry is just....not a romantic. if he has a crush on someone he's like "well.....lol" and usually pursues like a 5 year old

🎭 Who is the dramatic one?

benry. he sounds like he's eternally pouting

🎈 Who makes jokes during inappropriate times?

benry, duh. hes kind of a dick. darnold cannot take him to funerals

💝 What do they love about each other the most?

the sick gamer strats. idk this is a weird question cos when u love someone, i feel like u love....all of them? or at least a lot of them. theres not really a favorite trait. they just go "yo this is nice as fuck" when u spend time with each other and like. cuddle.

👓 Who googles everything?

darnold uses Google as a research engine for his work and hobbies

🌙 How do they comfort each other when they are helpless to do anything about the situation?

they r there for each other. if its truly helpless, i think that's enough.

🍂 What is an inside joke they have?

pyro airpoof.....whether or not Darnolds potions are g fuel bc Powerade is kinda close to Gatorade

💟 What do you think makes them perfect for one another?

i dont think theyre perfect for one another! benrys an annoying jackass, Darnold is a nice man. but i think if benry got a huge loser crush, hed feel the need not to pull on darnolds metaphorical pigtails. its respect

🌷 Are you nervous to talk about your OTP? Why?

kinda nervous! but only bc i have trouble thinking about their dynamic. my favorite genre of romance is just.....dudes that hang out and kiss. i also don't want it to sound like knock off frenrey. Darnold is the only one who seemed a little annoyed by benry too, in a very different, polite way, but i find it difficult to differentiate the dynamic. Darnold is a little bit of a straight man to the straight man. not to say he isnt absurd. but id find it reallt funny for benry to do some crazy shit and Darnold to go "uhm. ok."

Is your OTP Oc x Canon?

hmm difficult question. hlvrai characterization in general is making an oc and hoping it adheres to Canon. just by shipping darnold and benry im basically making some sort of oc x oc for myself, since their characterizations don't imply theyd ever end up in a romantic relationship

🎵 What's a song (or songs) that remind you of your OTP?

i need more songs for my darnrey playlist 😩😩😩😩

#darnrey #hlvrai #maintagging it fuck it #gg.txt