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leiflitter · 6 months

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So, Mystra-

The more I think about her, the more I want to egg all of her statues, because I am honestly convinced that she's likely way more embroiled in Gale's fall from favour than she seems- and that she likely never cared for him in any meaningful sense.

This is gonna be long, gang.

Also I am 1000% up for screaming about Gale/forming an anti-Mystra union so y'know let's be pals

My thoughts are thus:

She has likely always known about his potential and capability of power. He was a child prodigy, after all- and she's a GODDESS. From the first time he truly used the weave, he was on her radar.

This also makes Gale's relationship with Elminster seem too convenient. As much potential as Gale demonstrates, it's also important to remember that Elminster is Mystra's chosen- and Mystra's chosen are often tasked with upholding and protecting balance in the weave. There are countless wizards that Elminster could mentor- so why Gale specifically?

The same is true of Gale's magical education. I've seen plenty of speculation about his possible potential as a sorcerer, and there's a lot of questions around the circumstances of him entering the Blackstaff Academy- as well as a confirmation of his power when he, a little baby trainee wizard, uses The Actual Blackstaff to cast a spell.

As an aside, Gale's little story about his misadventure with The Blackstaff is especially scary when taking into account that the staff is very devious, and it's primary purpose is to protect Waterdeep- although this is again speculation, I don't think the portal to limbo was just the spell going very, very wonky. I think the Staff, sensing Gale's ability and (through the very clear context clues of him using the fucking staff that you normally would need to attune to and that belongs to the top fancy wizard in waterdeep) his ambition, decided that he was clearly a potential threat that might be better off being quietly removed via Death Slaad.

We also know of at least one story of a young, powerful wizard who, y'know, led to the death of Mystryl and the loss of all magic- in part because he lacked the discipline that he should have learned at Wizard School.

So Gale comes along. Karsus 2.0- he's back, he's human and- most importantly- he's lonely.

How better to neutralise him as a threat than to make him loyal to her? Why would she cast aside a possible asset when she could use him?

The main problem with her plan is Gale himself. She can get him into wizard school. She can get Elminster to mentor him. She can make sure that Gale gets the best magical education, so hopefully he will be content and settle for being an archmage.

She can't, however, account for Gale's brain. Let's be honest, Gale is neurodivergent as fuck, and magic is his number one special interest. He was never going to be content to enjoy magic a "normal" amount, so no matter how many hours he may spend being taught about how great Mystra is and how the limits she sets are to be respected... he won't stop learning, growing more powerful, becoming more and more of a threat to her.

So how does she cement his loyalty? By getting personal. This is why him being isolated is important- it gives her an advantage. She can be number one without any effort. If he has an actual bond to her, not just the concept of her, then he won't be dangerous. Except, again, she's assuming that he'll be like so many other mortals and be so awed by her presence that he'll finally be satisfied. But he isn't.

Why the fuck would a goddess take someone so clearly, deeply intense about magic into her personal realm? Why would she show him all the power he would never be able to access?

Because, to her, he's just a mortal. There has to be a point in which he'll either be sated or he'll realise his limits and give up, because he's just an extremely powerful ant in comparison to her. Mystra has never considered getting to know Gale. If she had, she'd have realised that doing the grand tour of All The Magic You Can't Ever Do was a huge mistake. That making herself the focal point of his entire existence was an absolutely dogshit move.

Gale throws himself so hard into Being Mystra's Best Boy because he has nothing outside of magic other than his mother. He summoned his best friend, and he admits that he has colleagues and acquaintances, but nothing much else. He and Elminster clearly care for each other, but it's clear that Mystra's placed barriers between them- and even if they were able to be best buds and make friendship bracelets, together, they're at vastly different stages of life.

It's also likely that Mystra's interest in him led to his isolation. He has been marked as Special- the old gifted child problem where him being So Smart So Magic meant he bypassed the social side of things.

So of course he wants to prove himself, to impress her- his entire metric for his self-worth is Being A Wizard. He says he's bumped uglies with mortals before- but he doesn't mention anyone specifically. And, let's be frank, the man has a case of foot-in-mouth syndrome- if he had any meaningful romantic experience before Mystra, you know he'd have brought it up at least once. "Ah, autumncrocus- back in my apprentice days I picked a bunch for the object of my youthful affections. Unfortunately I hadn't realised they were allergic- but they certainly appreciated the gesture, if you catch my implication... Once they stopped sneezing, of course."

She becomes his whole world. He wants so desperately to be on her level, to be what he thinks she deserves- and yes, it was incredibly stupid of him. However, what the fuck was Mystra doing?

Throughout BG3, high approval Gale is actually incredibly receptive if you tell him not to persue power. Yes, his earlier mistakes may play into this, but I find it hard to believe that he'd be any less receptive to Mystra.

To quote- "I pouted. I pleaded. I swore my ambition was only to serve her better. But she only smiled and told me to be contented."

So, then, why did Mystra not actually engage with Gale on this?

Because she never cared about him.

She tried all the options she thought would work on a mortal, and when they were done she didn't consider trying anything else. She never knew him well enough to understand his motivations- he should have been satisfied with Magic Sex because surely any mortal would be. She couldn't even consider that his love wasn't just him liking the company and getting laid, that he'd still want to prove himself to her. To be worthy of the Mystra she'd let him believe in.

And when he fucked up- if she had helped him, even in a tiny way, then she'd have achieved her goal. Imagine if he'd come to her, agonised by the dark magic within him, and she'd been merciful. The way you would be, if you loved someone. If she had actually known Gale? She'd have done it.

But Mystra doesn't see it as an act of love gone wrong. To Mystra, it's proof that she can't control him, that his potential isn't worth whatever effort she'd need to put in.

She abandons him to die- expects him to go on a pilgramage into the wilderness and just go boom.

When he doesn't? She decides that, fine, she'll deal with it- by sending Elminster to tell Gale the good news! She'll "forgive" him if he detonates himself, honest! He trusts Elminster, Elminster's a father figure to him, he'll do what Elminster tells him. Except that's another example of her not understanding Gale in the slightest. Instead of hope, she's rubbing salt in his wounds- she's flexing her power and showing Gale that his bond with Elminster was always conditional on Mystra's approval, and that Elminster's loyalty lies with her.

No wonder Elminster sent a construct- it's the closest thing he can do that isn't abject refusal.

I am gonna stop rambling now but in conclusion:

Mystra, you absolutely suck. Get wrecked. I hope Bhaal shits in your pocket dimension.

#leiflitter rambles #mystra #gale of waterdeep #am i dwelling on this? absolutely #she's lucky gale goes there alone or els would absolutely bite her #baldurs gate gale #baldur's gate 3 #baldur's gate theories #mystra bg3

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poweringthroughthis · 17 days

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trouble maker | wong yukhei

sfw (suggestive at the end, a curse word)

ship: lucas x male reader

desc: lucas and (name) hate each other for the stupidest of reasons. but as their debut showcase approaches, they realize they might have to work together.

The tension between lucas and (name) was palpable as they sneakily eyed each other in the practice room, waiting their days for their turn to debut in the kpop industry. The two were set to take the world of music by a storm in their respective duos.

Their agency was committed to try out a new style of teams. With the globalization of kpop and gradually spreading acceptance for queer idols(thanks to icons like Holland), the officials deemed it fit to launch two different duos, all males, centering their primary concept on 'chemistry' or 'love'.

(name) and his teammate Mark, panted in their ending pose, backs touching each other's as the music finished playing. lucas and hendery were observing them with keen eyes, catching their breaths after finishing their round of rehearsals earlier.

hendery whistled, "that was amazing guys!", complimenting his labelmates as Mark and (name) offered tired smiles. the latter turned to smirk at lucas who looked annoyed at hendery's praise for their competitors.

"yeah, (name) can dance" lucas started, "..for a beanpole., he finished with a light snort, making the taller male sport an angered look.

"fuck off, shortie. at least i don't need a ladder to reach the top shelf" he retorted.

"that's an exaggeration. and at least i don't have a face that looks like a deer caught in headlights!"

"you-" the fiery exchange was interrupted as the door to the room opened, the common manager-to-be of both duos making an appearance, instantly making the 4 males stand up as the man never barges in during practice unless it is important.

"Guys." he began with a serious tone and a hint of restlessness in his tone. "we need to talk. there's been some..changes".

"Is this what I think it is?" Mark was the first one to inquire, indirectly voicing out each trainee's worst fear but the manager was quick to intercept.

"No, no. God, no. you boys are still debuting. you deserve it. but there are some..line-up changes. apparently, the company now feels it's a waste of potential variety to debut two duos in the same concept. "

the boys exchanged looks with each other. they'd been together for a while now, going through thick and thin as good friends. it'd be a shame to part ways so close to their debut, after promising to fulfill their dreams together.

"so we had a meeting and decided on one hip-hop duo, and the other to continue in the same theme. naturally, hendery and mark have been paired up together as they fit the rap concept more." he finished explaining the news.

soon after, the manager had left, leaving the boys reeling from the news. at least it was no new members and the 4 were only shuffled amongst themselves, they told each other.

days passed, and mark and hendery started spending more time in the studio instead of dance practices, working on their verses. having love for hip-hop since forever, the two seemed happy which reassured their friends.

lucas and (name), on the other hand, were having a hard time toleration one another. even though they were extremely professional, personal feelings kept aside as long as the song played but despite their undeniable talent and charisma, their constant bickering threatened to overshadow their potential success.

the dynamic between the two was anything but harmonious. they clashed over everything, from song choices to choreography to who should get more screen time in their debut music video. each disagreement only served to fuel their rivalry, pushing them further apart even as they were forced to work together for the sake of their debut.

One particularly heated argument erupted during a late-night rehearsal, when Lucas criticized (name)'s dance moves as sloppy and uncoordinated. "You move like a clumsy giraffe," he taunted, earning a scowl from the taller.

"Maybe I'd dance better if I didn't have to carry your dead weight on stage," he snapped back, his patience wearing thin. he stormed out of the room, both of them fuming.

they couldn't go on like this. no matter how good they perform on stage, if the dynamic behind the scenes was going to be this flaming, their stardom was destined to be short-lived.

But just as it seemed like their partnership was doomed to failure, a moment of unexpected vulnerability changed everything. after a late-night practice session, (name) accidentally let slip a personal insecurity that had been weighing heavily on his mind, causing lucas to pause in surprise from drinking water.

"I never asked to be taller than everyone else, you know?" he admitted, his usually confident facade crumbling in the face of his insecurity. "It's not easy standing out in a crowd for all the wrong reasons."

Lucas, who had always viewed (name) as an annoying trainee to be defeated, suddenly saw him in a different light. He realized that beneath the bravado and insults, there was a person with their own struggles and insecurities, just like himself.

In that moment of shared vulnerability, the walls between them crumbled, and a newfound understanding and respect blossomed. They put aside their petty disagreements and focused on their shared goal of creating something truly special together.

they had seen each other work their asses off for this and they decided to let the world know just that.

as the day of their debut finally arrived, Lucas and (name) took to the stage with a newfound sense of unity and purpose. the practice sessions leading up to the fateful day had a new emotion lingering in the dance room: admiration. which slowly seemed to blossom into newfound feelings. those of fondness and liking.

Their performance was nothing short of spectacular. their voices blended harmoniously, their dance moves synchronized effortlessly, and their stage presence was nothing short of electrifying. there was no denying the undeniable chemistry between them when they performed together. after their debut song, the suggestive moves in the duo's dance cover of the song 'troublemaker' had the audience gasping for air. they had prepared this one as a surprise to make a bold statement on their first day at work. they weren't to be taken lightly.

Cheers and applause resounded at the music bank set as Lucas and (name) took their final bow. And as they stood with foreheads resting against each other's, breathless and full of adrenaline, there was no trace of animosity between them, only a shared sense of accomplishment and by the tension, a budding romance.

Lucas turned to (name), a smirk on his face. "hey doe eyes, you ready for our next performance?" he asked, gesturing to the empty hall while taking off their microphones.

"bring in on, shortie" (name) winked in response, as he walked towards an empty room without looking back, gesturing for lucas to follow him using his index finger.

"let's see how much of a 'trouble maker' you can actually be, shall we?"

#kpop male idol #kpop x male reader #male idol x male reader #lucas x male reader #nct 127 #nct dream #wayv

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norakelly · 10 months

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Harry and Ginny head-canons <3

Some light hearted ones:)

(Did i type this out while ao3 was down? YES)

Harry for sure sneaked in to Hogwarts under the invisibility cloak to see Ginny during the day (Imagine him in auror robes and her in the quidditch uniform!!!)

Harry befreinds a stray cat during one of his first missions, and gives it to Ginny during their first Christmas so that she can take it back to Hogwarts. The cat stays with them until James starts school. (Along with many other cats of course)

Ginny was recruited as a trainee for Harpies after her second match during the last year, where she managed to break a scoring record of 11 years. She trained while in school, going back and forth from Hogwarts to Holyhead, a few days a week.

Harry loved his job minus the paperwork. He was quite good at it and succeeded to make many new friends out of his coworkers.

Harry and Ginny always held hands. Like always. Some physical touch was a must if they are staying close together. And she had a habit of leaning her head on his shoulder whenever as well, cause it was MADE for their height difference.

They went on a lot of roadtrips after Harry bought a vintage car that was on sale. He taught Ginny to drive and she got her license at 19. Somehow she became a better driver than him by the end. They used the car to go on muggle trips and to drop the kids at muggle primary schools.

They had a very small wedding at the burrow garden. Very private and surrounded by close friends and family only. They later registers in the muggle way as well, alone at a small church.

Ginny would throw a fit whenever Harry decides to shave his beard but always ends up liking it.

She gets a lot of hand and shoulder cramps due to her physically demanding profession as a chaser. So Harry helps her around with whatever she needs, specially during the quidditch season. He loves coddling her even though she acts as if she hates it.

He ends up in St Mungos quite often as well. And every time, Ginny would scoop up with him in the bed side by side. This became a habit after the children as well, where she would extend the bed so that they can hop in together with him (without disturbing of course)

Want more head canons? Lmk:)

#hinny #harry potter #ginny weasley #harry and ginny #harry x ginny #post war #hinny headcanon #headcanon #ginny potter

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ruumirmir · 3 months

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𝙰 𝚜𝚎𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝚟𝚘𝚒𝚌𝚎𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚎𝚜 𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚖 𝙿𝚊𝚗𝚝𝚊𝚕𝚘𝚗𝚎'𝚜 𝚍𝚊𝚛𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚐, 𝚝𝚘 𝚢𝚘𝚞, T𝚛𝚊𝚟𝚎𝚕𝚕𝚎𝚛 𝚘𝚏 𝚊 𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚜𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚛𝚜 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚜𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚗 𝚗𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚜 Part I Part II (coming soon)

ੈ♡˳ Author's◇ note - Haha what if I pretended my shamelessly OCfied male reader was a character :))) Here's to me doing everything possible to build up my "reader" lore. Everything except actually drawing and naming him 😭 If you're curious about previous posts regarding my mans, you could skim over These!! Me when writing this: im gonna make up SO MUCH BULLSHIT about snezhnaya and the other harbingers.

𝘝𝘰𝘪𝘤𝘦 : ENG - Stephen Fu (Noe Archiviste from Vanitas no Carte) JP - Kento Ito (Dan Heng from Honkai Star Rail)

𝘉𝘪𝘳𝘵𝘩𝘥𝘢𝘺 : October 19

𝘈𝘧𝘧𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 : Northland Bank of the Fatui

𝘝𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 : Hydro

𝘊𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 : Cygnus Venatici (The Hunting Swan)

A senior branch manager of Snezhnaya’s Northland bank. As a fatuus, he is formally well-known as the Venator Dux, who mans the Snezhnayan Order of Gold and Exchange founded by the Ninth Harbinger. He hunts in pursuit of the Tsar's vision, but his loyalties are far removed from her.

𝘝𝘰𝘪𝘤𝘦-𝘖𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴

𝘏𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘰 Ah, the renowned traveller, in the flesh. A visitor to each of the seven nations, while your reputation has run across the continent twice over. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance. If you've heard of the Snezhnayan Order of Gold and Exchange, that'd be me who's in charge of it. I am one of the agents within Lord Regrator's primary circle of officials, so you may address me as Venator dux.

𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘵: 𝘐𝘮𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 I've been in my respective position for over a decade now, and for the last 3 - 4 years have come across choice tales surrounding your name. A big fan of your work, really! Lord Regrator has had his interest piqued for a while now... so for the sake of civilized peace and alliance, let's get along... shall we? Try not to cause any trouble and I might consider putting in a good word for you.

𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘵: 𝘋𝘶𝘵𝘺 𝘉𝘦𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘋𝘦𝘴𝘬𝘴 A large bulk of my work is centered around days of scrawling pen over paper... but really, one can only digest hefty documents for so long. I've had my fill for many years on end-... now, I'd prefer to partake in more physical tasks.

𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘵: 𝘛𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 I fear the new batch of rookies are growing too lax in their combat training… perhaps it was my uninspiring teaching method today. As a Venator, it simply won’t do to disappoint them. Traveller, would you help a man out and join the session today? The trainees could do with a fresh perspective on things.

𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘐𝘵 𝘙𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴

No shelter to be seen... here's to praying that you don't catch a cold. Oh don't worry about me, I seldom get sick.

𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘛𝘩𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘚𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘬𝘦𝘴 I've always wondered how the real clap of thunder would feel in comparison to a shock of electro. Unless you want to volunteer for that, watch your step.

𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘐𝘵 𝘚𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘴 Eh... I've seen it once, I've seen it a thousand times. That being said, the nights that are covered in an impossibly slow curtain of snowfall are some of the rarer times I stop to admire it.

𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘶𝘯 𝘐𝘴 𝘖𝘶𝘵 Finally. Some real warmth to my face. I am but a simple man, languishing like a wilted flower in the absence of our sun's blazing gaze.

𝘐𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘋𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘵 Actually... I think I might just prefer the miserable winter cold over this.

𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘞𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘐𝘴 𝘉𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨 What's with the aggressive breeze today? Does the Anemo archon have bills to pay?

𝘎𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘔𝘰𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 Good morning. I was about to stop by the city lake on my way to the bank and feed the local geese. You can come along if you'd like. Keep your distance from Tatiana though. She bites.

𝘎𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘈𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘰𝘰𝘯 On a slow lazy day, I'd be waking up around noon. Fortunately, the weekend is right around the corner, so I can do just that.

𝘎𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 Although the Northland "bank" closes to the public by evening, the building itself stays open till midnight for other classified affairs. So I may as well make the most of my break time before I'm needed again.

𝘎𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘕𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 Oh, I must've lost track of time. It's quite late into the night, so before I go, let me walk you back to whatever establishment you're staying at... Oh, uh- I'm... not sure I heard you correctly. You said you live... inside... a teapot...?

𝘈𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘝𝘦𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘰𝘳: 𝘚𝘯𝘦𝘻𝘩𝘯𝘢𝘺𝘢𝘯 𝘖𝘳𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘎𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘌𝘹𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 It was the very first decree of order at the hands of Lord Regrator when he came into power as a Harbinger many years ago; to inaugurate a faction dedicated to rearing the potential he painstakingly carved into the foundations of the Northland bank. It is just as the name implies. An executive body responsible for developing economic policies and providing regulation, consulting, and forecasting of socioeconomic and business development, ranging from simple roadside shops to production factories-Oh, have I lost you? Haha... don't apologize, I've seen that expression a couple times before. In simple terms: we help run the nation's cycle of mora, trade system, and citizen’s businesses.

𝘈𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘝𝘦𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘰𝘳: 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘏𝘶𝘯𝘵 [Unlocked at Friendship Lv. 4] The title bestowed upon me, Venator Dux, signifies not just leadership but mastery over a successful hunt- or in some cases, a successful business strategy. The master hunter requires a discerning eye, a mind that can decipher the intricate patterns woven by our adversaries. Information is our ammunition, and knowledge is the silent arrow that strikes before the prey even realizes the hunt has begun.

𝘈𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘜𝘴: 𝘗𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘈𝘳𝘵𝘴 Various forms of dance and song are the lifeblood of Snezhnaya’s festivals. During fall, you’ll find multiple dance troupes and clowns passing each village, town, and city to perform. I personally look forward to the dancers.

𝘈𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘜𝘴: 𝘓𝘰𝘺𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘺 [Unlocked at Friendship Lv. 6] Your little companion has stuck with you since day one? Truly? That is… a highly admirable trait, one that I will always stand by. Loyalty is not a mere pledge, it anticipates the unspoken desires of another; a commitment that transcends the superficial bonds of allegiance. I keep this ideal close to my heart... for only a single person.

𝘈𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘝𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 I was hesitant to use a delusion in the first place, so frankly, I’m glad to have been gifted this for whatever reason I was found worthy of. However… Lord Regrator harbours an uncanny dislike for my vision. It’s not something that has been brought up, but I can read between the lines.

𝘚𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘚𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘦 You didn’t hear it from me, but I encourage the employees at the bank to keep a list of all the infuriating and rude customers. It’s to spice up all the sparring and combat practice sessions by naming and dressing up the dummies as people they’d like to kick- Ha!

𝘐𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 This wintry climate is harsh and unsustainable for various flora and fauna. The Charmomila flower doesn’t care about any of that. They’ll grow in obnoxious places if they want to. The real deal comes from the summer butterflies that feast on its nectar. After a while their wings turn a beautiful honey-yellow, which are harvested and brewed into the sweetest and most expensive nonalcoholic beverage you’ll find around here. I enjoy a glass of one semi-regularly on work mornings.

𝘈𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘙𝘦𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘰𝘳: 𝘈𝘷𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘦 [Unlocked at Friendship Lv. 6] He will have my sincere respect, always. Lord Regrator has built his empire up from a scratch in the dirt, something impossible to do were he a lesser man. His sacrifices of blood, sweat, and tears has bled into the policies that the bank stands on today. Money breeds imbalance and power, which in turn grants freedom and recognition if you are on the right side of the coin. Regrator is a utilizing man and he guards what’s his, zealously. He will take and take until his arms sag with the weight, and uphold his promise to give out the correct equivalents because he lets his value of fair exchange lead him like a vice. For as long as he stays true to his greed, I will be the hand that reaches forward to grasp what he desires.

𝘈𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘙𝘦𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘰𝘳: 𝘋𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘶𝘮 [Unlocked at Friendship Lv. 6] Lord Regrator expects a strict level of decorousness from everyone working under his name- from me to even the most forgotten grunts. It's nothing outrageous of course. You would only ever see the metaphorical boot-licking than a literal one. I find it a bit much sometimes but the public eye is nothing to scoff at. Especially to a man of his status. The Snezhnayan dvoryane make up more than a third of the Northland Bank's clientele- not to mention the stakes a couple of them have invested. And if there is anything that those feather-headed fools care about, it's posh theatrics. *Sigh* Still... I quite enjoy falling in step with Pantalone's politesse. He has a beautiful manner of speech that I've never been able to measure up to.

𝘈𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘙𝘦𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘰𝘳: 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘎𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴 [Unlocked at Friendship Lv. 6] …Why do I feel like you’re trying to fish for critical information...? Fine- I'll concede. It's your head on the line anyways. Lord Regrator is a big player in the system of underground businesses that connect Nathan and Snezhnaya. Technically it could be called a black market, but it’s mainly run by a small council of social elites from both nations. There are occasional hosted auctions, that my lord targets to buy out priceless artifacts from. I’m talking about lost pieces of history and endangered caged beasts over items with resell value. Now… with that being said, as long as this secret remains safe… so do you. It’s always me who’s dispatched to make sure it stays that way.

#➳❥ Ooh Lover Boy #pantalone #genshin #genshin impact #fatui #fatui harbingers #pantalone genshin #genshin impact headcanons #genshin x reader #genshin impact x reader #pantalone x reader #pantalone x male reader #genshin impact fatui #➳❥ Rumour writes #➳❥ rumour says #genshin imagines

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ashintheairlikesnow · 4 months

Note

🔪 for Chris!

🔪 Awake surgery

CW: Referenced hand whump, blood, sadism, reluctant whumper, facility whump, BBU

"You have got to be joking." The doctor dried his hands off on the single-use towel he held, watching through the one-way window as the trainee inside sat, shaking his head at a nurse who was speaking to him in a low voice. He shook it less like he was saying no and more like he was simply denying that she was speaking at all. "Him again? What the fuck is Petrus doing to this kid? It's only been, what, four days since I got him out of the clinic in the first place!"

"I mean, you know what he does to him, he's one of the little sluts." The handler rolls his eyes. "Petrus fucks him stupid, not that any of them have brains to begin with. But this time 223499 dropped a glass during his Mixology class. Can't pin it this one on Petrus, it's all on 499 being a little bitch again. His Mixology instructor says he's a clumsy little shit."

"Great. Okay." Dr. Ross has a headache already. He hates this place, hates the crude, aggressive handlers and the way they talk about - and to - the trainees. He hates sewing the injured trainees up only to see them again, with new wounds needing dressed and new terror in their eyes. He hates everything about this job except the paycheck.

He can't wait to get another job and get the hell out of here.

The Facility gets to him - it works its way down under his skin, seeing the haunted, nervous way the trainees looked around all the time, trying to guess where pain would come from next. Trying to curry favor, to avoid the torture constantly forced on them anyway. He's been seeing their frightened faces and hearing them beg in his dreams far too often. "So he's here because..."

"It's a deep cut." The handler shrugs. "He needs stitches."

Dr. Ross looks back at the trainee. 223499 is holding perfectly still while the nurse turns his hand over. His palm is a mess of blood, darker than the new-penny shine of his hair. The trainee's stained fingers twitch nervously.

He's just a kid.

The same kid who'd automatically gone to his knees just a week ago, ready to do whatever he was commanded to, thoughtless obedience making the doctor's stomach turn.

He has to get out of here.

Dr. Ross swallows, feeling like there's a lump in his throat he just can't quite get rid of it. "Fine. I'll prep something to numb his hand, we'll give him a little bit of-"

"Nah." The handler shrugs, looking bored. "His primary's got a note on his file, didn't you see it? No painkillers for three weeks. Not even topical."

Dr. Ross watches 223499 flinch away from the nurse, who slaps him, making him cry out. The sound is muffled through the one-way window. As is the apology the boy provides immediately, stammering through it, only to be slapped again. This time, he doesn't cry out. He only cringes back, hunching into himself, and keeps his eyes down.

It makes Dr. Ross feel sick.

"... fine," He says, realizing the silence is drawing out too long. "I'll get him sewn up. He can go back to his room once it's done. Tell Petrus to leave him alone for one night, at least?"

The handler snorts with dry humor. "Yeah, good luck on that. But I'll tell him you said so. You want me to help you strap him down?"

Dr. Ross doesn't let himself look at the trainee again. "Yeah. Come in and strap him down while I prep."

"You got it, Doc." The handler gives him a lazy salute.

The kid doesn't fight being strapped down, but it doesn't matter. Once the work begins, the kid's back arches, he screams and thrashes wordlessly, then... even worse, he makes noises after like he's dying, low moaning sounds that seem barely human. He's shuddering, whispering apologies when all he'd done was drop a glass and try to clean it up too fast.

Dr. Ross goes home that night with the trainee's screaming in his ears. He hears the sounds the kid makes once the needle goes into his skin all weekend in his nightmares.

On Monday, he emails his resignation, effective immediately.

He's smart enough to have a one-way ticket booked for a country WRU isn't operating in before anyone reads it.

#chris the strawberry blond romantic #223499 #facility whump #bbu #box boy #box boy whump #box boy universe #referenced hand whump #sadistic whumper #reluctant whumper

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cookycherry · 1 year

Text

Truth or Confession: Choi San One shot

*this gif is how I visualize he looks at Y/N over anything they do*

Pairing- San x reader

Genre- smut, some fluff,forest sex, fem!reader, established friendship, established friendship with group, friends to lovers

Warning-smut, forest sex, unprotected sex

Word count-2700

Summary-Your best friend Seonghwa invites you to a weekend of camping, which unfolds into confessions from your admirer.

It felt like summer break back in primary school.

A long weekend holiday in the great outdoors.

You were invited by your childhood friend Seonghwa who managed to keep you by his side through all of his crazy life ups and downs.

He becomes a trainee; you got your first after school job.

He debuts as part of one of the biggest up and coming idol groups; you graduate college.

For each one of your successes you both always texted each other to celebrate.

He always invited you as a sole VIP to any events to mingle with his band mates. As your presence became more welcomed and frequent, It was clear to you that one of Seonghwa’s new friends was very intrigued by you.

His name was San, and he always made sure to be the first to greet you when you were invited around.

So, when you got texted the invite for the weekend camping getaway you weren’t surprised and even were less surprised to be doted on by San.

For the past three days when it came to hiking, swimming or any friendly banter; San was right there by your side, very much like a puppy.

“San, will you stop bothering Y/N and help me with this campfire?” Seonghwa struggled to get the kindling to catch the flame while Yunho laughed.

San had taken it upon himself to assist the job that required very little help of setting up the s’mores.

“San, I really think you should go over there before Momma Hwa kills you.” Wooyoung rolled his eyes as he opened a bag of graham crackers.

San looked over his shoulder at the sad excuse for a campfire.

“I’ll save you a spot next to me when we make the s’mores.” You smiled at San and nodded your head in the direction he was being summoned.

San’s face lit up like the sun. “I’ll hold you to it.”

You watched how San sauntered over to help, taking in his muscular frame. He had let his black hair grow out a bit. The jeans he wore hugged his butt just right and the peach shirt he was wearing accentuated his sunny demeanor.

Looking at him this way made the butterflies in your stomach flutter.

———

“So that’s how I ended up recording the same song about 1395 times.” Hongjoong laughed as he munched on the end of a s’more.

The air was light and flowed in a way you felt all the cares in the world were lifted off your shoulders.

You all had spent the evening well into the sunset laughing. It gave you peace that everyone was enjoying this freedom of being able to talk like they weren't celebrities, just normal guys you grew to know.

“So, y/n got any embarrassing stories of Seonghwa from your years growing up with him?” Mingi took a swig of soju as he playfully nudged Yeosang who was laughing up a storm.

You looked at Seonghwa who was red with panic and probably too much soju.

“I mean there was one time where he made us late to a joint family vacation cause he took an hour long shower!” You laughed while everyone began to rag on your pal.

“Oh oh! I have an idea. Let’s go around and play truth or dare.” Wooyoung had stood up taking charge.

A round of agreements.

The game then started and turned into a drinking game of sorts, eventually it got back to being San’s turn.

“Ok. San.” Hongjoong giggled while he tried to find the words for having San pick truth or dare. “Truth! Or Dareeee.” He wiggled his fingers in an attempt to be spooky.

San, who appeared to be holding his alcohol well, smiled. “Truth.”

The boys all ooohed and awed at the sudden bravery.

“Hmmm ok.” Hongjoong smiled as he bit his lip. “Do you or do you not have a crush on y/n?” Hongjoong giggled like a schoolgirl while everyone waited for the answer in hushed silence.

San inhaled deeply before turning to you. You were gripping your soju bottle until your hand was white knuckled. His face was solemn and his dark eyes studied your face.

“I think I’m in love with her.”

Hongjoong fell backwards off the tree stump he was perched on;Yeosang and Jongho ran to help their leader. Mingi and Yunho let out a cheer as if they were at a soccer match. Meanwhile Seonghwa and Wooyoung sat in complete drunken shock.

You sat taking this in.

No one had ever confessed their feelings for you, you thought of how in primary school you confessed and were turned down. You wouldn’t deny you didn’t have a crush on San mutually, you couldn’t believe someone famous and this handsome was this into you. You felt like you were in a drama on tv.

Your mouth opened and closed, unable to say anything.

“Well. I think it’s time for bed.” Seonghwa stood up, beginning to pick up around the campfire. “We have a boat rented for early tomorrow to be out on the water so we should get some rest.”

You watched as San went around picking up the trash, he was wandering his way further from the scene of his confession.

“San, lemme help !” You jogged over to him to offer any assistance.

The rest of his band mates were crawling into their respective tents. The moon was now peeking over top of the campground. A light chill was present now that you weren’t cradled by the warmth of a flame. You shivered and held your arms around your body. Your sweatshirt was doing little, especially when you were wearing shorts.

San noticed and walked over rubbing his warm hands on your shoulders, “Are you cold ? You really don’t have to help me pick this stuff up. I’m almost done anyways.” His voice was deep and warm. You caught the scent of his cologne.

Your teeth chattered as a gust of wind blew. “I want you to know that I like you too.” You held his gaze during your own confession. You felt his hands grip your shoulders more. A crack broke from his voice and he appeared to be starstruck.

You leaned over and kissed his dimple, grinning, “I’m sure we can find a way to get some alone time.” You pushed yourself against him to emphasize your point, it was now or never. Maybe it was the soju, the confession and the fact you hadn’t slept with anyone in three years ;everything building up to this moment. Your stomach went into a nosedive as you waited for his response.

He chuckled to himself, his beautiful dark eyes twinkling, “I think I would love nothing more than for that to happen.”

Your heart leapt to your throat.

Surveying quickly to see if anyone was roaming and would notice your sudden disappearance you grabbed San’s hand and led him into the forest opening. He followed quickly behind you as he held your hand. You then stopped in a clearing that was the perfect distance for you both to not be caught with what was about to happen. “San, are you sure?”

You looked up at him and ate up the attraction on his face he was holding all for you. You blushed, feeling your face heat up. Eagerly, you went in for the kiss, you connected your lips with San’s. His lips moved sweetly, gentle as they caressed your own, his hand coming up to cup your face and draw you closer. Taking San by surprise, you parted your lips defiantly, letting your tongue venture out to prod at his slightly parted mouth. His eyes flew open as you cupped his face and brought his lower lip between your teeth. San firmly grabbed your face, forcing you to look directly into his dark brown, almost ebony eyes, “Once this happens I really can’t hold back. I’d be the happiest man alive.”

You froze, suddenly feeling hot. Now was the time, your whisper was soft as a feather, “Of course.”

San’s demeanor changed completely then, the sweetness in his touch felt like hot brands on your skin, everything was replaced by this new man in front of you who you had only experienced as a boy striving for your attention. He lifted his head, holding his gaze was like lifting a heavy weight. There was so much withheld emotion and want in his eyes, you didn’t know what to do except kiss his waiting lips.

He immediately responded to your touch, moving you so that you were pressed against a firm tree. His lips tasted like passion and soju; every time he bit your bottom lip, you let out a small noise of appreciation. He was patient with you, letting you figure out what you liked and where it was you wanted to be touched. His hands roamed around your body like embers, but as soon as he let his hands slip under your shirt and brush across your hips and back, you lost it. His fingertips were rough against your fragile skin, warm as the sun.

You groaned when they traveled to your thighs, squeezing them tightly before releasing and then repeating again. San broke from the kiss to gaze at you in both amusement and amazement, he didn’t realize how satisfying it would be to finally hear your sounds of pleasure.

“San,” you whispered against his lips, loving the sensation when they brushed against his. It felt so intimate, so right.

He let out a groan, his hands coming up to grasp at your breasts through your shirt, pinching a hardened nipple which earned him a moan in appreciation. “You want me?”

You could only nod frantically when his hand traveled to your clothed core, rubbing you through the rough material of your jean shorts. Never had he seen you look so undone before and both of you were still fully clothed. You had the same thought at that moment, and tentatively reached for the hem of his shirt, you fiddled with it, not sure what to do.

He noticed your hesitation and slid his hands comfortingly over your own, helping you to pull his shirt off, “It’s your turn now.” His smile was warm and in that moment, you knew he was going to take care of you through this.

You allowed him to slip both your sweatshirt and bra off, feeling the brisk air more intensely. You felt a rush of happiness mixed with pride as you saw San’s eyes roving over your skin hungrily.

He then allowed himself to kiss all over your chest, his hands finding your hips and tugging you toward him rhythmically.

You let your hands slide into his raven hair, pulling at the tips as your hips rolled into him. You savored the way your jeans rubbed against your increasingly aroused core.

San’s voice rose an octave as your crotch slid against his hardened length, “Shit.” He began to pant, as you increased your speed, suddenly feeling frantic as you continued to remove yourself over his jeans.

Your clit throbbed, confusion and desperation coming together to form want, “San, please.”

He slowed your hips, making sure he had your full attention. He didn’t want to hurt you, your word was final. His voice was tender, “Are you sure you want this now? Tell me to stop and I will.”

You felt panic in the back of your throat for a second, but it wasn’t from fear, it was the thought of not having him tonight. “No, please,” you calmed yourself quickly, collecting your thoughts, “I want you.”

San nodded, his eyes darkening as he caressed your cheek, kissing you chastely before he began to unbuckle his belt. You felt your anticipation rise at each clink of metal, your hands going to the button and fly of your jeans as well. The two of you watched each other with bated breath, not wanting to miss what the other was doing.

Soon you both were completely bare to each other. You felt overloaded as you became aware of each place his skin was touching yours. It surprised you how warm San was against you. He suckled your neck, his hand drifting to your soaking center, his thumb making teasing circles on your clit.You cried out when he slipped a finger into you and he bit his lip at the sound, feeling himself grow hard.

You unconsciously moved your hips with the movement of his hand and you practically bucked into him when he pushed two more fingers into you, “San!”

He groaned, adoring the way you called his name out, “Who’s making you feel this way?” He increased the speed of his fingers, crooking them inside of you, and pressing down hard on your clit.

You were a mess. Feeling your eyes squeeze shut and hands balled into fists, you cried out, “Choi San.”

His fingers suddenly left you completely, making your eyes fly open in the absence of contact. You looked down to see that he was pumping his cock slowly, his eyes roving against your naked, wanting body. You watched with bated breath as his hand moved over himself, feeling yourself instinctively edge closer each time he let out a groan.

San licked his lips, looking forward to feeling you around him finally. “Are you ready for me?”

It took you a few moments to process his question as you were distracted with the way his hand was moving, you nodded.

He smirked deliciously, pushing you against the tree and lifting your leg for easy entry, planting his forearm by your head. He guided his cock to your entrance, rubbing your core teasingly, making you squirm in anticipation.You gasped as he pushed further in, you ran your fingers into his thick hair anchoring yourself and gasping loudly as he fully entered himself in you.

San let out the most satisfied moan you’d ever heard, his eyes squeezing shut as he struggled to control himself from pinning you down and fucking the shit out of you. You saw how much he was battling with himself and you whispered, “It’s okay, San. I can handle it.”

He began to roll his hips into you, collapsing into you with a moan as he gave into the feeling of your walls sliding around him. You moaned as well, relishing the feeling of his hot skin against your own, wrapping your raised leg around his hips to draw him closer. He buried his head into your neck, biting down on your shoulder occasionally when the pleasure became too much. His pace seemed to increase with each second, the slap of skin against skin filling the buzzing night air.

You felt bold in your passion and gasped out, “I wanna hear you, San.”

He groaned at your request, his thrusts become rougher, “Fuck, you’re so beautiful.” He tangled a hand in your hair, pulling it just enough to make you cry out in sheer bliss.

You could feel your thighs begin to spasm as your orgasm approached, a knot tightening in your stomach, your walls clenching, your clit throbbing as he applied just enough pressure.

You cried out, your climax slamming into you as San continued to thrust roughly into you, the rhythm of his hips becoming more sporadic. You felt his cock twitch inside of you, his pants becoming soft whimpers as he finally released messily inside you. You legs shook in over stimulation as your muscles continued to clench around him, he groaned breathlessly.

It took the both of you a few moments to collect yourself as you experienced each other’s highs, your breaths mixing together. San pulled out gently so as to not hurt you, before catching himself against the tree against you and drawing you into his chest.

You laughed, your cheeks flushed with happiness, “Worth the anticipation.”

He languidly brushed your hair, his eyes crinkling with a smile. “I think I gotta thank that stupid game.”

He kissed your cheek sweetly, “So where does this leave us?”

You blushed happily, pulling him in for a kiss, “Well, you can tell them tomorrow over breakfast.”

#ateez #ateez imagines #ateez scenarios #ateez x reader #ateez smut #ateez oneshot #ateez fluff #ateez san #san ateez #choi san #san x reader #san imagines #san oneshot #ateez fanfiction #san fanfiction

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ilasknives · 14 days

Text

THE LONG WAY HOME | One

<- Previous

Hi, hello, it's been. A very long time. Well over a year, I think? I finally have the second part! I'm so sorry it took me so long, life and full time university have been kicking my ass. I haven't done writing in a long time, so it felt stiff and hard to get through, and only half of it is actual whump, but the rest sets up the story. I really missed writing it, though. I hope you enjoy!

CW: BBU/BBU Adjacent, pet whump, pet training, collaring.

1: Nine Hundred and Thirty-Three

After:

"Get on your knees.”

"What? No, please, I don't -"

"Knees."

He drops to the floor to avoid the baton that this man keeps touching the handle of, looking up at him from below with his hands in his lap, fingers twisting into the shitty thin fabric of his shirt. Maybe it will rip. He doesn't want it to. It's the same one he walked in with, and he's getting the feeling that he won't get it back again if it breaks. He digs his fingers in tighter, anyway, unwillingly.

"I need to - please," he tries again. He needs to go home. His voice is hoarse, rough from the night of pleading with the empty room, tucked into a corner, fighting waves of exhaustion with terror, trying and failing to keep his eyes open. He'd scrambled to his feet when the door opened, desperate for someone to talk to, to reason with, to see that he wasn't supposed to be here -

And now he's on the floor again.

He swallows, mouth dry. "This was a mistake."

The handler ignores him, looking over him like he's assessing him for something, then sighs, mostly to himself. "Okay. So, Domestic."

"I'm not meant to be anything-"

"You don’t need to speak unless you’re spoken to."

“Please,” he whispers, but the look the handler shoots him is enough to make him close his mouth. Something flashes, in the back of his mind. A hand through the air, a stinging across the side of his face. He flinches, but the handler hasn’t moved. Every part of him is screaming that he’s done something wrong, that he needs to hide away and wait until it dies down, until it’s safe again - but there isn’t anywhere to hide here. Just white walls and a heavy door. God, he hasn’t felt like this in years. It’s hard to breathe. Like a hand around his throat.

The handler lets a moment pass, and then two, and when he’s been sitting quietly for long enough, he speaks again. “My name is Handler Phillips, I’ll be your primary Handler for the duration of your training. You are WRU Trainee 297933.”

“I’m not.” It’s whispered, terrified, but he can’t just… give up. There has to be someone who will hear him out. There has to be some way to go home. “My name is-”

“You don’t have a name, you have an identification number.” The handler sighs, and crouches down so they’re face to face. “Look. I don’t want to do this the hard way, and I don’t think you do, either. You’re gonna have to work with me.”

“I’m not meant to be here.”

"We're just doing intake today, alright? Do you know what that means?"

"I want to go home." He doesn't want to do intake, he wants to go back to where he lives and curl up in his bed and never take another stupid fucking bet in his life. He's supposed to be walking back through the door and gloating about his victory right about now. Yesterday. The day before? How long has he been here? "Let me go home."

"I can't do that, mate. I have a job to do, and so do you." The Handler stands and unhooks something from his belt. "This is a collar. It will be yours. It's fitted with…"

The Handler's voice fades into the background behind the ringing of his ears and the bile that rises in his throat. A collar. Fuck, no. Fuck that.

"No," he interrupts. "No. No. You're not putting that on me. Let me go. I need to go home.”

Handler Phillips sighs again. “297933,” he says.

“That’s not my name.”

“It’s your WRU identification number. The collar is mandatory; it’s part of your training.”

“No.” The handler’s fingers touch, briefly, the handle of the baton. He draws back into himself, swallowing thickly, eyes on the floor. “Sorry,” he says quickly. The words taste sour. “I’m sorry.”

Another sigh from above him.

“You’re okay. I’m not going to hurt you.” The handler hesitates, like he isn’t meant to continue. “I know this is scary. Take a breath.”

He draws in a breath that burns the whole way down.

“Think you can sit still enough to let me put this on you?”

“I don’t want to,” he whispers.

It happens anyway. The fight just… leaves him. He sits and trembles on the floor while Phillips slides the thick collar around his throat and clips it into place with gentle hands.

Before:

They’re all at Nell’s house.

They’re always all at Nell’s house, because she’s the only one of them with dogs, and with a couch, and with more than one shitty, battered Wii controller like Benny has. Nell only has two, but that’s double Benny’s, and the rest of them have none, so Nell’s place is the place to be.

They’re playing Mario Kart while they wait for Benny. Rhys is sandwiched between Luca and the arm of the couch, and one of the dogs has its head resting on his foot, and he can’t even move, because it’s Luca, and he’s got his legs slung over Rhys’s lap and his head pillowed on his shoulder.

Luca jerks his arm, swerves, and runs his Yoshi off the side of the track right as Matteo wins the race. Rhys jabs him in the side. “My go.”

“What – that doesn’t count!”

“In what world does that not count?” Rhys already knows he’s going to lose the argument, but he entertains it anyway. He rarely actually plays Mario with the group, even though they say they’ll swap controllers after every race. Matteo’s already clicked his controller into the wheel attachment and handed it to Owen. Rhys usually hands off his turn to Luca and watches as he comes dead last every single time.

Luca’s opening his mouth to start the usual ‘I’m going to get it next time’ spiel when Benny waltzes in through the front door with his arms full of Nell’s mail.

Rhys raises an eyebrow at him. “You know that’s illegal, right?”

Benny, mouth full of – something, what the fuck is he eating this time? – says, “Huh?”

“Opening someone else’s mail.”

Benny rolls his eyes and dumps the pile of envelopes – bar one – on Luca and Rhy’s laps. “Helenaaaa.”

Nell’s voice comes back from the kitchen, instantly dry, wary. “What do you want from me?”

“I have something for you.”

“I swear, if you’ve been going through my mail again - ”

Benny darts off, cackling like an idiot, and Nell – also like an idiot – chases after him. Rhys shoves the pile of mail off his lap, and it clatters to the floor, all over the dog.

“… Sorry, Benedict.”

“You’re so mean to her,” Owen says from the other side of the couch. “Come here, baby.”

Benedict heaves all god-knows-how-much of her entire great dane self off the floor and meanders over to Owen. He’s already got Chef curled up with his head shoved under his rollator, and Benedict slumps at his feet and goes back to sleep.

“Thief,” Rhys says. “You’re a dog thief.”

“You dropped mail on her head!”

“Weird mail,” Luca muttered, leaning down to snatch an envelope off the floor. “The hell is this?”

It’s a thick white envelope, decorated in gold trim, a wax seal on the back – and it’s snatched from Luca’s hand as soon as Benny swans his way back into the room.

“Whatcha got there, Luca?”

Luca snorts. “Ask Nell, it’s hers.”

Benny does not ask Nell. He never does, but Nell hates opening her own mail, so she shoots Rhys an exasperated look and slumps down on the couch with Matteo.

“We seem to have abandoned Mario,” Matteo muses as Benny tears open the envelope. He doesn’t even try to remove the seal. Absolute animal.

“Dear resident, we hope this letter finds you well,” Benny reads, pacing in front of them like some grandiose loser. Rhys considers tripping him. “We have recently started a movement to bring clinics to smaller cities, and we’re searching for partici- oh my god, this is that – Pet shit, right?”

Nell makes a face. “Yeah, they’re building some new complex for it, or something, right? I read the first one, some initiative to ‘bring business and economy flow into rural areas’ or whatever.”

“We’re not even rural,” says Matteo.

“I know. God, I thought I unsubscribed from their mailing list. Just tear it up, Benny.”

But Benny’s eyes have gone wide. “Holy shit, have you seen how much money they offer you?”

Rhys snatches it from Benny’s grip. Holy shit was right. The number is in the high ten thousands – more money than any of them have seen in one place in their lives.

“I want it,” says Benny. It’s always Benny who starts this shit. Rhys can practically feel his brain turning.

Luca laughs. “You want to be someone’s house pet, Benny?”

A grin, a shrug. Benny’s never been the type to admit that he’s wrong. “Why not? Cozy up on the couch, no job, no bills.”

“Dumbasses,” says Nell, taking the envelope off Rhys and ripping it in half.

“You can’t tell me you don’t want that kind of money, Nell.”

“What am I gonna do with the money if I’m signing up to their program, Benjamin?”

There’s a lull. It should be the end of it. It should. But Benny is Benny is Benny, and Benny doesn’t know when to stop.

“... I reckon I could get the money, anyway.”

“You’re a coward,” Rhys says, because he’s just as bad as Benny, “and a liar.”

Luca jabs him in the side.

Benny’s eyes narrow, and he squares his shoulders like he always does when he thinks that he’s been challenged.

“Wanna bet?”

Taglist (please ask to be added or removed!): @whump-for-all-and-all-for-whump @whumpinthepot @whumpcereal @whumpsday @whumpworld @littlespacecastle @anonintrovert @honey-is-mesi @warm-my-whumpee-heart @whumping-seven-days-a-week @alexmundaythrufriday

#it's been a LONG time so i understand people no longer being interested #but i had a random burst of inspiration #this is the first writing i have finished in a long long long time #i hope it's alright!#pet whump #bbu #box boy universe #whump #whumpee #whump writing #writing: tlwh #writing: the long way home

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intoloopin · 3 months

Text

♡‒♡‒♡ LOOPiN'S ROMANCE HISTORY: A SHORT OVERVIEW

[!!!] Possible tws for a brief mention/implication of past physical and psychological abuse (Haruki, J.J and Haegon sections, respectively), as well as the implication of an uncomfortable age gap (Haruki again.)

HERE IS WHERE YOU CAN FIND YOORA: @hshtag!

♡‒♡‒♡ TAESONG'S ROMANTIC HISTORY

➷ Taesong has compensated for years of extreme failure in all departments of life by scoring the most comprehensible, prettiest woman in all of Seoul - Yunhee, obviously -, and it only took him 1 major breakdown after a bad vocal class at her uncle's shop in 2022 to do it. Ever since then, they have slowly gone steady; Yunhee's organized and lively personality is just what he needs to ease his ways.

➷ Honestly? That's the girl he's going to marry, and there's no doubt on Taesong's mind about it. Maybe he'll even do it soon. Like very, very soon, and- oh my God, Taesong, stop going to the Cartier website and starring at wedding rings for 40 minutes, man, this is embarrasing.

♡‒♡‒♡ MINWOO'S ROMANTIC HISTORY

➷ Ever since Minwoo decided to turn his heart into a synthesizer at the tender age of fourteen, he's been the subject affection of almost no one - if you exclude his former neighbor that basically gave him his trainee dream and he once promise to write music for until their dying days, but she's definely never coming to bite him in the ass, unless uh-oh, she totally is. And she's with Haegon now. Cool.

➷ Not like he cares, because again, Minwoo's never been in love with her. In fact: he's never been in love with anyone, not back then, and not now. He's not in love now. Who even cares that every time he tries to write songs these days they all end up being about a fake blonde guy with long hair, too much money and the loveliest set of brown eyes there ever were, but whatever! That doesn't mean anything! It's not even that descriptive - in fact, he's never met anyone like that ever, and fuck you Dylan if you think otherwise.

♡‒♡‒♡ SEUNGSOO'S ROMANTIC HISTORY

➷ By far the LOOPiN member getting the most action, their resident lover boy if you will, Seungsoo rarely does serious relationships: he likes unlabeled things and having the capability to be a little bit in love with everyone without having to explain himself further about it. He's a feeler, not a thinker, and love is his muse! It brings the best out of him! It just sucks it took him three strikes at trying to communicate successfully to get it right (Never mention The Great Delilah Fiasco. He will cry.)

➷ He's been lucky enough to find Gayoung along the way, who lives very much like him, only smarter, and went on to completely change Seungsoo's perspective of what love can really look like. He's even become besties with her other primary partner, Junyeol! And everything is finally so great and feels so right for once! It would be a shame if he fucked it up for idiotic reasons or something...

♡‒♡‒♡ HARUKI'S ROMANTIC HISTORY

➷ After the years of deep intimacy damage caused by his past manager's sick grip over Haruki's guts were cut short by Sangwon's resignation (and eventual death), he took little venture back into the dating pool, strumbling instead into unbalanced, set for fail situantionships with his co-workers in all the fields he's set in - bandmate? Check (Sorry about all that, Hanjae...); Model he does constant gigs with? Partial check (Sejin is 34 and the lead singer of a comedy band. He has bigger fish to fry and Haruki is so over him, just so over him, really!); Ex-boyfriend of his former Boy Of The Week friend that Haruki was coursed into running over that may or may not still be in love with Kohei while using him to cope with the fact that he's been horribly dumped? He's about to get there, do that, don't you dare try to stop him (Daewon is, after all, very nice. And what's that thing about third times being special?) ➷ To conclude, Haruki has absolutely no idea what a functional relationship should look like - or if he even deserves to experience one to begin with. So let him have his momentary 'fun'. He's learning. And he's certainly going do better someday. Hopefully.

♡‒♡‒♡ DYLAN'S ROMANTIC HISTORY

➷ Dylan's nothing but a simple guy with simple guy experiences. He met a lovely girl in school as a teen, Sasha, and they went on to live a sweet and calm friends to lovers romance. Then he made up his mind about turning into a K-Pop Idol, he passed a trainee audition, and it was over (he and Sasha were very nature about it. He still follows her on Instagram in his private account. She has a whole baby now, goddamn, where did time go?)

➷ Looking back at it, the teenage affair seems a life time away now... And since then? Nothing. Chihoon has never even been to date in South Korea, and it's not by lack of options: Dylan is secretly very popular among female Idols, some might go as far as say he has a bit of a hot bachelor reputation, so why...? Don't ask him, really. He has no clue what's going on. Everything just feels so pointless lately, and romance isn't an exception.

♡‒♡‒♡ GYUJIN'S ROMANTIC HISTORY

➷ To the possible surprise of the masses, Gyujin hasn't ever been romantically involved with a single person in his life. He's more of a flirt-with-all, run-from-all kind of guy, and at this point, he doesn't even know why; he's doing great! Why the heck is he so scared of holding hands or going beyond first base and all that crap?!

➷ If only he tried his luck with someone who showed unquestionable love and devotion to him from the get go, or that wasn't spooked by his career, like a fansite or... Wait.

♡‒♡‒♡ O.Z'S ROMANTIC HISTORY

➷ To his and his bandmate's outmost surprise, secluded, very anti romance Zhiming managed to not only find a perfect collab artist that's fully on board with his experimental music, but also a girlfriend that seems to understand him inside and out in Nico. What started as a project with an online singer going by the stage name of 'nicebnico' in late 2022 has now bloomed into an online romance, then an in person romance that's inspired him to not only keep pursuing an even weirder sound as his heart desires, but also to keep himself open to taking risks and opening up to a new world of people - how can he not when Nicola is the biggest risk taker extrovert woman that ever walked the earth. Turns out, the opposites attract myth is the real deal. ➷ With Nico finally deciding to reveal her hidden identity in 2024, they plan to be more open with the public about their relationship as well - consequences be dammed! Zhiming is a man in love and he'll shout it from the roof (quietly) if he has to!

♡‒♡‒♡ HANJAE'S ROMANTIC HISTORY

➷ With two epic fail romances on his back at such a young age - a tip: don't agree to date your childhood best friend's girlfriend a day before they've actually broken up, and for the love of God, don't mess around with your bandmate that clearly is in no mental state to even consider your very real feelings -, Hanjae seems to have finally gotten it right with Yoora!

➷ At first turning to his very good friend with a fake dating scheme to hopefully help end some of Haruki's overwhelming guilty for how bad their whole deal was, Hanjae, being Hanjae, catched feelings - and for the first time ever, it didn't explode all over his face. Yoora reminds him that love is all about who you want to spend your piece and quiet with, and for as long he'll be able, he wants to never make her feel anything but safe.

♡‒♡‒♡ J.J'S ROMANTIC HISTORY

➷ Despite claiming to be "too busy for anyone" because he is "a professional" with "real goals of stardom" and "impossible standards", which are all to some degree true, what kept Jiahang stuck in a loveless limbo thought all of 2023 was the very weird parasitic relationship Dongwook pushed him into - A Secret Third Thing taken up to the max, and he wasn't even into it! Not to mention he wasn't even the only one! Poor Jiyeon has it even worse!

➷ In theory, he's free now, and he can be a guy in his early twenties and not let some psycho from the biggest boy group in the world control his every move. But like... Why bother trying? It's not like he's got much to work with, being famous and all, not to mention kind of rotten to the core (self-observation). And he has Minwoo anyway, which- Uh. What a weird little thought...

♡‒♡‒♡ HAEGON'S ROMANTIC HISTORY

➷ As the saying goes: you had Haegon's heart once, you might as well have it forever. No, he's not proud about it; nothing about his never ending saga with Sunyoung makes him feel anything but frustrated, and pathetic (He got cheated on with Minwoo, out of all people, as well as with DJ that lives in a goddamn trailer. How does a person deal with that?!). Except for when he feels completely in love with her, of course, which is often in correlation to the times he doesn't have her around. Weird how that goes.

➷ But he is very happy to announce that in December of 2023 he said his last goodbye to Sunyoung, and he is for real this time. Haegon is very fucking serious. This is not like breakup 3, or break up 7, or break up 11. This is the end, and he is absolutely ready for something new. And speaking of new, didn't Haruki's sister just start training at New Wave some months back, and she's a 01 liner too and so nice, so pretty, hold on just a minute-

#&& ⠀ [ . . . ] hound on a hunt ⠀⸻ development .#fictional idol community #fake kpop group #kpop au #kpop fanfic #kpop oc #*taking Dylan's hands and waving it up like a flag* WILL ANY LADY JUST LOOK AT HIM PLEASE

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kiri-tired · 2 years

Text

Art by: FoxGree also known as Aleksa Ayf

twitter: @AleksaAyf14_5 || (Pixiv/Instagram unknown)

Art source:

https://twitter.com/AleksaAyf14_5/status/1521496888469598212?s=20&t=QSNiZIRjC2O61CmtqhZUFA

#sao alicization #yujikiri #eugeo #kirito #sword art online #fanart #fluff #primary trainee #academy days #foxgree #ayf #aleksa

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mxlfoydraco · 1 year

Note

hey Serra! I'm curious, what are some of your favourite tropes/genres to read fic? in the broadest sense I mean, not just relationship tropes. I personally love time travel fics, do you like them? (also if you have any recs at all either time travel or for your favourite tropes I'm all ears 👀👂)

Hi! In general I really like reading Harry and Draco working together, I do like time travel tropes as well and I love it when both are combined! I'm adding on to my existing Universe/Timeline Hopping list. I had a lot of fun making this list, so many favorites. <3

Time Travel

Always Already by @aibidil (170k)

It’s 2004: Harry teaches primary school and loves his job and friends; It’s 1980: Harry has to fight Voldemort, again; It’s 2004: Draco is a trainee Healer and reformed member of society; It’s 1980: Draco has to face his father’s cruelty; It’s 2004: Harry and Draco definitely aren’t lonely or depressed or traumatised; It’s 1980: Harry and Draco listen to Kate Bush and watch Dallas and drive a 1979 Ford Cortina; It’s 2004, it’s 1980, it’s…

Far From The Tree by aideomai (112k)

The arrival of Harry Potter’s children—snapped back in time, the children themselves guessed, twenty or so years—was the most interesting thing to happen at Hogwarts for years.

And So Death Took by @icmezzo (25k)

Fairy tales may soothe small children into slumber, but some stories themselves refuse to sleep. The Tale of Three Brothers, retold.

Our Time by @m0srael (39k)

Draco Malfoy is an expert in Ancient Runes at Oxford University’s College of Advanced Magical Studies. When he isn’t at the head of a lecture hall, he spends his time alone in cavernous libraries with only crumbling scrolls and runic dictionaries for company. One day, a group of Ministry officials interrupts his research with the aim of recruiting him to lead an elite team of investigators in a top-secret race against time to decrypt a set of recently uncovered ancient runes that threaten the very fabric of time. Draco feels certain he can save the world, if only he didn’t keep getting distracted by his co-lead, one Chief Cursebreaker Harry Potter. If only that distraction didn’t evolve into something so much more.

Chrononauts by AnnaFugazzi (39k)

Harry and Draco learn that Time is making fools of them again. And then they learn it… again.

Chronological Displacement by bookinit (89k)

In which Harry and Draco have a time-turner accident, and many things go wrong, but a lot of things also go right. Featuring: reptilian bonding night, canon-inaccurate animagus lessons, and a fuck-ton of pining.

aka the fic where Harry finds his family, and fights to keep them.

The White Pawn by Soupy_George (80k)

When eighteen-year-old Draco Malfoy finds himself back at Hogwarts on the eve of Voldemort’s infamous return, he is confronted with the most difficult decision he’s ever had to make: Relive the 6th year at school he’s tried so hard to forget, or do the unthinkable and ally himself with Potter’s lot…

An Emerald In The Sky by @corvuscrowned (6k)

The hardest part about shagging an Unspeakable is that they’re not allowed to speak of anything. All Draco knows is that Harry works in Time. Harry works in Time, and while he’s out there in all of that time, it is as unforgiving to him as it is to anyone. Somewhere along the way, Draco realizes he’s been thinking in lines, when he should have been thinking in circles.

Eternally Consistent by kitsunealyc (44k)

Draco Malfoy and Harry Potter assumed they would never be anything but civil enemies, until Potter lands on Malfoy's doorstep, bleeding, covered in curses, and acting very strangely indeed.

Quick as a Flash of Lightning, Unhurried as Eternity by @onbeinganangel (10k)

Can you fall in love with someone by simply watching them fiercely love another version of yourself?

Time and Again by lauren3210 (28k)

Draco has an important research assignment, and he needs Auror protection. Harry’s a little concerned, not only because he can’t even pronounce the places Draco’s dragging him off to, but because there’s the slightest chance he might do something stupid, like tell Draco all about that little crush he’s been harbouring for a while now...

Brevem Conspectum by lauren3210 (1k)

During a routine clearing of an old Death Eater house, Harry stumbles over an ancient spell that sends him somewhere completely different. He has to work out where he is and how to get back. Or if he even wants to.

Our Little Life by @tackytigerfic (7k)

Sometimes Harry dreams. Only they're not really dreams at all, and Malfoy is always in them. It's time travel, but not as we know it, and Harry just needs a good night's sleep.

Turning Leaves by @kbrick (112k)

Draco and Harry have a one-night stand that ends in disaster after Harry tells Draco he's unable to move beyond their poisonous past. So when Draco finds an unusual Time-Turner in the Department of Mysteries, he seizes the opportunity to start fresh with Harry. Only instead of fixing things, he keeps making them worse.

Everything is Relative to You by @thehoneybeet (43k)

Potter was supposed to have lived. Draco is certain of this. That Potter would no longer walk the earth was tantamount to the sun moving west to east across the sky. If only he could have stopped this from happening, if he’d have known… It comes to him as ideas often did: too late. Or, Harry dreams of his past lives, and Draco is in every one.

Just a Matter of Time by @gracerene (23k)

Draco's in a bit of a rut. He's nearing forty, divorced, and he still can't figure out how to make his Time Turner reconstruction work. He's bored, he can admit it, so he's not nearly as concerned as he should be when his pet project malfunctions and sends him twenty years into the past. That is, until he ends up relying on a nineteen-year-old Harry Potter for help and starts developing some very inconvenient—and possibly reciprocated—feelings.

Don't Want to Miss a Thing by @tryslora (8k)

Once upon a time, Ron had warned Harry about the dangers of workplace romances, but Harry didn’t listen and he and Draco became an item. But after nearly three years together, Harry broke it off. Fifteen months later, the two find it nearly impossible to work together, except when forced into an uneasy alliance. But this assignment isn’t just complicated (it’s amazing the trouble that can be caused by seven time turners and some creative magic), it’s personal, and Harry and Draco are forced to take another look at their relationship.

Wish You Were Here by cryptonym (17k)

[Snape] leans on the table, towering over me like a vulture watching its prey, his eyes boring into me. “If I were in your position, I would be considering my history as I know it. If you are here now, you were always meant to be here.” Career Choices: Harry: Time Traveller; Draco: Time Trial Test Subject

Primal Urges by @heyitsamorette (10k)

An eighth year fic …er … or should I say, a prehistoric fic? Draco gets hurtled back in time and meets caveman!Potter, who seems to like him much more than normal!Potter. Quite a bit more, actually.

Time Loops

At the Crossroads There We’ll Meet by @firethesound (24k)

Potter keeps dying; Draco keeps saving him.

The Inconvenient Death(s) of Harry Potter by @nv-md (33k)

Harry and Draco have spent the decade since the War avoiding each other, even as they’re forced to work together at the Ministry and their friend groups begin to alarmingly overlap. But what happens when Harry meets a tragic end (in a manner of speaking) and Draco’s the only one who can save him? Or Harry won’t stop dying, Draco’s had too much coffee, and there’s more than enough time for them to make a mess of each other’s lives.

Tea and No Sympathy by who_la_hoop (70k)

It's Potter's fault, of course, that Draco finds himself trapped in the same twenty-four-hour period, repeating itself over and over again. It's been nearly a year since the unpleasant business at Hogwarts, and Draco's getting on with his life quite nicely, thank you, until Harry sodding Potter steps in and ruins it all, just like always. At first, though, the time loop seems liberating. For the first time in his life, he can do anything, say anything, be anything, without consequence. But the more Draco repeats the day, the more he realises the uncomfortable truth: he's falling head over heels for the speccy git. And suddenly, the time loop feels like a trap. For how can he ever get Harry to love him back when time is, quite literally, against him?

Swish and Flick by @unmistakablyoatmeal (7k)

The Swish and Flick is the last place Draco wants to spend his Saturday evening—especially when he discovers Potter is also in attendance—and he can't wait for the night to end. Unfortunately for Draco, time is not on his side.

Groundhog Date by @gingertodgers (15k)

Draco and Harry both have dates at London's newest cereal cafe with a man called Liam. Unfortunately there is no sign of Liam, the waitress insists that they share a table, and every time Draco attempts to storm off in a huff the disastrous not-a-date starts again.

Timecode by Rasborealis (73k)

Harry Potter has been dead for two years, and Draco would laugh in the face of anyone claiming differently. Well, anyone but Hermione Granger.

It’s No Great Mystery by @agentmoppet (57k)

Who on earth decided that bringing back the Yule Ball for their eighth year would be a good idea? It feels like the worst day of Harry’s life, watching everyone get glammed up like the war never happened, like the last Triwizard Tournament wasn’t such a colossal failure. And then it happens again. And again. And again.

No Quiet Find by orphan_account (10k)

War makes a man tired…some more than most. Draco needs rest.

all in good time by @talkingtravesties (13k)

Draco Malfoy's life is boring and repetitive. He supposes he shouldn't complain, since that's better than sharing a house with Voldemort, or doing time in Azkaban. When he gets trapped in a time loop, however, he is forced to confront the routine he has fixed for himself, and try to break out of it. It isn't all bad, facing no consequences for his actions can be fun for a bit. But after he starts visiting the Auror Headquarters and having brief but remarkably pleasant conversations with one Auror Potter, he finally has the real motivation to break out of the time loop - something worth sticking around for.

#drarry #drarry fic #drarry fic rec #drarry reclist #draco malfoy #drarry fic recs #my recs #fic recs #hpdm #harry potter #time travel #time loop

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assortedseaglass · 1 year

Text

The Seamstress & The Sailor - Chapter Twelve

[Masterlist]

Warnings: Language, World on Fire spoilers

Word Count: 3.4K

Notes: Just a little chapter as the next one is gonna be a hefty mamma.

May 1940

Bess woke up before her alarm and withdrew the blackouts from her windows. Had she her own way, the blackouts would never be up and each morning she’d rise with the sun. Laundry was strung between the windows of the old mills, and she could see Mrs Russo wrestling with some bedsheets. 7 o’clock. The warmth of spring had finally settled, and Bess took her morning cup of tea by the kitchen window, letting open the sash and welcoming the fresh air.

Despite the war, and her part in it, Bess’ life in Manchester was small and she welcomed it. She glanced around her little flat. The tiny kitchenette with its table at the centre, the adjoining bedroom and en suite; a toilet, sitting bath and sink. The metal frame of the small double bed was tied with silk scarves and she had used tape to put up pictures. Cut outs from magazines mostly, but a few photographs. The bedside table was adorned with a lamp she found in a skip, a few books from home, and Tom’s photograph. She’d read a feature in one of her fashion magazines about bohemian apartments in Paris and had attempted to decorate the old flat in its likeness. Bess thought on how many of those beautiful Parisian buildings may be just rubble now and suddenly felt thankful for her peeling wallpaper and cold floors.

While her bacon and eggs cooked on the hob, she reread Tom’s last letter. It had sat on the kitchen table for two weeks, awaiting a reply. Torn between delight and anger, Bess had no idea what to say.

“I could easily understand if you never wanted to talk to me again, but this? These horrible half-given accounts of your day with no substance? I want to know you, Bess”

She remembered how frustrated she got when all Tom sent was tales of shore leave and crass attempts at humour. Really, he deserved more from her. She may not have been his girl, but she was his friend.

“Queenie Warren doesn’t deserve your cruelty just because she likes the company of men”

Never did she think she’d be scolded by Tom. Not when he was so right. Queenie had faults, certainly. Many. She was an obnoxious, selfish gossip. But enjoying men was not one of them. If Bess had the daring and the patience, perhaps she would enjoy them as much as Queenie.

“Please believe me. She asked me about the battle at the dance and it really was just one letter”

Did she believe him? She thought of all the times they had laughed at Queenie, of how many times she had annoyed him. But Tom was all about his reputation. It wouldn’t be the first lie he’d told her, nor would she be the last secret he kept. He’d apologised, yes, but it wasn’t enough for the heartbreak left in his wake. Once upon a time he was her defender, and with supposedly one letter, he had undone Bess’ years of overcoming her insecurities and doubts.

“I loved seeing myself through your eyes”

She resolved to tell him more, and tell Douglas too; his son needed to know he was loved.

“And if anything happened to me out here, I thought it would be easier for you if no-one knew”

Had Bess ever really considered what would happen if he didn’t come home? A violent shiver rocked her body. In the months before the war, Tom Bennett had become her primary source of comfort and joy. Could she content herself to a life looking after an alcoholic father and making clothes for people who scarcely knew her name? A life without Tom?

“I miss you”

Bess kissed the place he had signed his name and tucked the letter into her purse. She would reply that night.

An hour later, Bess stepped through the main doors of Manchester Royal Infirmary with Helen and Joan, her fellow trainees from Carver Mills. Helen was a posh girl a year or two older than Bess. When women were conscripted for war work, she had come to the Infirmary. This was her first job. Joan was from Bolton and had a similar upbringing to Bess. Both were bright, kind women of the world. They enjoyed Bess’ quiet assuredness and never wanted more from her and, in turn, Bess wanted to give them everything. Together, they formed a found family.

Their morning was spent practicing their stitches. Watch one, do one, teach one, as the saying goes. Bess, naturally, was best. Her nimble fingers made quick and neat work of wounds, and she left early to attend to soldiers whose eyes had been damaged by gas. When Helen and Joan finished their lessons with the matron, they met Bess in the canteen.

“Stern by name, stern by nature,” Joan said as she slumped into the seat next to Bess.

“If I never see a needle again it’ll be too soon.” Helen added.

“You’re in the wrong professional, Hels.” Bess smiled over the lip of her cup, and the three settled into an amicable, if exhausted, silence. Helen, sat primly in her seat, broke the silence.

“When’s your next date with James?” Her voice was soft and inquisitive, and Bess couldn’t help but smile at her, even if she hated the question.

“Tomorrow evening, but it’s not a date-”

“She’s too hung up on sailor boy,” Joan cut in. Bess gave her a look that was returned by a coy smile. Late at night, when the girls were missing their families or tired from a day at the hospital, they piled onto Bess’ bed a chattered the night away. They knew everything about each other, from Helen’s troubled relationship with her distant mother to Joan’s scandalous time as a nightclub hostess, and the ongoing saga of Bess Vaughn and Tom Bennett.

“Date or not, he’s a good-looking distraction.” Helen winked and Joan laughed at her.

“And with that, ladies,” Bess stood from her seat. “I shall be off.”

“Hang on, we’ve got about a hundred beds to make this afternoon!” Joan was incredulous.

“Not me. I’m off to job number two.” Bess waved her friends goodbye and stepped into the bright afternoon. A bus ride later and she was walking that familiar gravel path to the grey mansion. It had been months since she had seen Robina Chase, but money was tight and so her mending and sewing had resumed. With fabric now rationed, her clientele were calling upon her services to alter garments from years passed, maintaining to their friends an air of stoicism, normalcy, “keep calm and carry on”.

Half expecting it to open as she approached, Bess made to knock the bolted wooden door when she heard a laugh from the garden. It pealed like bells, tinkling gaily over the hedgerow, and Bess realised that it belonged to a child. Following the sound, she passed a bike leant beneath a window and her curiosity grew. What bizarre gathering had Mrs Chase assembled here this afternoon? A conscientious objector, a seamstress-cum-nurse and…

A little boy. Bess entered the garden through a gap in the hedge and found Douglas Bennett engaged in a game of football with the child. The little boy kicked the ball and it rolled into the makeshift goal post.

“Right between my legs!” Douglas laughed, and Bess noted that it was the first time she had seen him smile, really smile, in years. The man turned to retrieve the ball and saw Bess smiling at him. “Hello, love. Robina said you were coming,” he was a little out of breath, his usually worn face had softened and life shone in his eyes. He looked ten years younger.

Bess indicated to the little boy. “Who’s this then?” she said with a smile. Douglas, ball in hand, put his hand on the boy’s shoulder.

“This is Jan. Harry brought him home from Poland.” The boy, Jan, smiled up at Douglas then looked to Bess. She held out her hand.

“It’s lovely to meet you, Jan. I’m Bess.”

He tentatively shook her hand. “Hello,” his voice was quiet but Bess sensed his timidity was due to the language and not, she thought, his natural character. Jan’s hair was shorn and his clothes looked a little threadbare. For a moment, she observed him. The brightness of his eyes dimmed a little and he looked away. Damn, I’ve made him uncomfortable.

“You’ll get used to Bess, Jan. She’s a quiet one, but kind.” Douglas winked at Bess softly and she blushed. Despite both of their insistence to the contrary, Douglas and Tom were awfully similar.

There was a seconds’ pause. Then, Bess grabbed the ball from Douglas’ arms and sprinted to the end of the garden. “Come on, Jan!” The little boy laughed and ran after her. Dropping the ball on the ground, she kicked it to the him and he shot past Douglas towards the goal. Just as Jan swung his leg to score, Douglas picked him up round the middle and Jan squealed with delight.

“Bess.” A cold, clipped voice cut over the merriment causing Douglas and Jan to still. Robina Chase was stood at the door to the lounge, indicating with her arm that Bess should come inside. Bess looked at Jan and rolled her eyes. The boy laughed and watched her disappear into the house.

“I see you’ve met Jan,” Robina said, a pinched, somewhat pained look on her face.

“Yes, sweet boy.” Bess replied as she began assembling her tailor’s stand.

“Harry brought him back from Poland. Left him for me to look after.” Bess reflected on how Douglas was outside playing with him while Robina lurked inside. She said nothing. Since her outburst at Mrs Chase in August, and Robina’s altercation with Tom, Bess had exchanged very few words with the woman on her visits. Today seemed to be no exception. Aside from asking her to move so she might tailor her clothes, they said very little until Robina called for Jan to come inside.

“He came with barely any clothes. I wondered if you might alter some of Harry’s old things?”

“Of course,”

“It shouldn’t be too hard. Harry was just as wiry at his age. I’ll pay, of course.”

At that moment, Douglas entered the lounge. Seeing Mrs Chase upon the tailor’s stand and Bess on her knees at her feet, he coughed and mumbled something about waiting outside.

“No need, Douglas,” Robina stepped down. “We’re finished here I think.” Bess nodded and began packing away.

“I’ll see myself out, Mrs Chase.” Robina and Douglas were talking lowly in armchairs when Bess had finished tidying her things, and she didn’t want to disturb their bizarre tête-à- tête. She called a goodbye up the stairs to Jan and hurried from the house. The world of Mrs Chase was not the same one that Bess inhabited, and the moment she stepped into the sunlight Bess relaxed, as though every sinew had been pulled taut.

“Bess,” Douglas appeared at the side of the house and reached for his bike. “Need a lift?”

Bess beamed. “As a matter of fact, I do. Off home for dinner, seeing as I’m out this way.”

“Hop on then,” Douglas laughed as Bess eagerly climbed onto the handlebars of his racing bike and they sped down the drive. From an upstairs window, Mrs Chase steered Jan away.

✼　　✼　　✼　　✼　　✼　　✼

They were back in Longsight within the hour. The journey was quiet yet contented; Bess had missed the comfort of Douglas’ broad shoulders and, though he hated to admit it, he had missed the feeling of Bess resting against his chest. When Bess had disembarked outside her father’s house, she invited Douglas inside for a cup of tea.

“You’re alright, got things to be getting on with.” The world-worn man had returned, quiet and reserved. For some reason, Bess didn’t want to let him go just yet.

“How’s Lois getting on?”

“Ah, well,” he removed his cap and rubbed his face. “I suppose you’ll have heard.”

Bess nodded. Cora had told her of Lois’ pregnancy by Harry. “If she ever needs any help, just ask. You know, with the labour and everything.”

“Thanks, love. She’s just so angry at everything and I don’t know how to make it better for her.”

“You can’t make it better Douglas. Just be there for her.” Bess thought of her secret promise to Tom. “And what about Tom? Have you heard from him?”

Douglas sighed. “Not for a little while. No-” He trailed off, thoughts of his son obvious across his face. Bess took his hand in hers.

“Write to him. I know it takes a while what with the auxiliaries getting out there, but he needs to know that your worried for him. I know he worries about you.” Douglas gave her a quizzical look and opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted when a shrill voice carried along the street.

Queenie Warren was hurrying along the road. She was overdressed as usual, hair haphazardly curled and lipstick far too bright for the spring day. Bess had to admit though, her dress was pretty.

“Hiya Douglas, Bess.” She wobbled past them as fast as her high heels would carry her. “Can’t stop, visiting Frank’s mam.” She blew them a kiss and went on her way. Bess watched her go. No matter how hard she tried, she just couldn’t like Queenie.

“Bess?” She turned at Douglas’ voice. “Everything alright?” He asked, for Bess’ face had grown stormy as she glowered at the other woman. She simply gave Douglas a small nod. He touched his cap once more, and the two unlikely friends went silently about their business.

The house was quiet when she unlocked the door, apart from the ticking of the clock and the chatter of children playing out in the ginnel. Potatoes were sat in the filled sink, next to them a small note.

Bess. In case you’re here early, would you mind peeling the spuds? The cold ham is in the fridge. We should be back by 6. Cora x

Bess looked to the clock. Half past four. She made herself a pot of tea and settled at the table. The potatoes could wait, for the letter in her purse had waited long enough to be answered.

Dear Tom,

It’s taken me a little while to reply. Your letter arrived a few weeks ago, and what with Albie going back and my nursing work, I found that my mind has never been in the right place to reply. As it stands, I am sitting down to write to you at dad’s kitchen table. Cora has tasked me with peeling potatoes while they’re at work, but I’d rather write to you.

As you addressed some of the offences I accused you of, I’ll attempt to do the same. Namely, giving you a letter that isn’t “shit”.

I had work at the infirmary this morning, practicing our surgical stitches with Ms. Stern, our matron. She’s an austere woman, incredibly bony, and Joan says she looks like a heron. After that I escaped to Robina Chase’s. You remember her, the woman you aggravated last time we saw each other? I was going across to alter some clothes for her and you’ll never guess what awaited me. Your dad and a little Polish boy playing football in her garden! Harry came back from Poland with him, Jan he’s called. Your dad looked happier than I’ve seen him in ages. I think he was pretending it was you. He misses you so much, Tom. I can see the worry in his eyes anytime he speaks of you. I’ve asked him to write to you. Told him to, really. There was a moment when he was playing football with Jan that he looked so much like you. It almost took my breath away, it was like you were there. You’re so alike and he loves you. I wish you’d tell each other more. He gave me a lift home after Robina’s (the less said about her the better). I’ve missed our bike rides together. Saw Queenie on the way home, can’t give you any updates there because, being at the Royal, I never see her thank God.

Why had she let Queenie taint the letter? Bess could feel her anger start to quicken.

She was off to see Frank’s mam. You were right, by the way, about everyone coupling up. Jude has a man, another farmer from the Land Army. She and Hattie are working so hard now that summer is approaching. Roberta has been spending more and more time with that teacher from the primary (please don’t tell anyone), and tomorrow I have a date with a solider from the infirmary. Got his eyes injured by gas. He can see now, but insisted on taking me on a date as a thank you for looking after him.

Bess knew full well what she was doing. Let’s see how you like it, Tom Bennett.

He’s called James. I think we’re going to the Palais but I’m not sure, he’s picking me up after my shift. How are you managing with only men aboard ship? Any French girls taken your fancy? We both know you have a reputation to maintain.

She paused her writing and took a deep breath. That’s enough. She looked over his last letter, trying to find something to write about. The apology.

I can’t pretend that I’m not still hurt by what you did, Tom. I wonder, have you told Douglas and Lois about me? All those years you looked out for me and protected me from Walter and the others. They thought me a freak and a witch. Did you really want to keep me secret just so you had something good all to yourself? Or was it because deep down, you agree with them and only see me as an outcast? Or someone to say you got you leg over? If the former, then please know that you don’t need me to discover that you are a good person. You broke my heart, Tom, but I know that deep down you are good, and kind. I wish you’d find it in yourself.

Maybe too much has changed for us to be anything other than acquaintances now, but I’d like to be your friend, if you want me. Stay safe.

Yours,

Bess.

There. It was done. She sealed the envelope and thought about it no more. That was until a knock on the door distracted her from potato peeling. Opening it, she saw the ratty face of the postman, Dennis Warley. She detested the man, but a postman was a postman.

“Dennis,” she nodded at him.

“Bess, is-”

She cut across him. “I have a letter here, could you take it for me.” She pressed it into his hands and he stared at it before looking at her. His eyes were wide, worried, and his hand shook as he placed the letter for Tom in his bag and retrieved another. He cleared his throat.

“Is your father here, Bess?” His voice quavered, and Bess’ eyes narrowed.

“He’s still at work.”

Dennis coughed again. “And Cora?”

“They’re all out.” The man swallowed nervously, and a trickle of panic gripped at Bess’ neck. “Dennis?” Her voice was but a whisper. “What is it?”

The postman handed the letter to Bess. It was a telegram. She didn’t take it. Dennis removed his cap and said solemnly, “Bess. I’m so sorry.”

Notes: I’m sorry too! This is a war drama, the angst levels are gonna be through the roof, but know that I will reward you in a few chapters time!

We’re with Tom for the next chapter, you know what’s coming…

Tags: @aemonds-wifey @multiple-fandoms-girl @jessssica1234 @babyblue711 @anditsmywholeheart @allthefandomtherapy @valerie977 @bookwyrmsblog @phantomontheinternet @chainsawsangel @greenowlfactif @thelittleswanao3 @yentroucnagol @beiigegalx @skikikikiikhhjuuh @just-emmaaaa @mefools @aquakaris @its-actually-minicika @whoknows333 @arcielee @honeymaltgelato @girlwith-thepearlearring

#ewan mitchell #tom bennett #tom bennett x ofc #world on fire #the seamstress & the sailor #tom bennett x reader

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lighthouse-system · 1 year

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My trans siblings, please listen to me.

I learned some disturbing news about a nearby "surgeon" in my state that I watch very closely named Kathy Rumer. Ms. Rumer (I refuse to call her a doctor) is known as "The Butcher of Ardmore, PA" and that title was not given to her willy-nilly. Due to her dwindling reputation in Pennsylvania, she has started taking medicaid from outside states.

This is extremely concerning because Kathy has a long history of transphobia, medical malpractice, filing SLAPP suits against whistleblowers, and abuse towards patients/victims and fellowship trainees alike. By the way, if you're in Eastern PA, I recommend giving Dr. Kathryn Brandt (Reading PA) or Dr. Katherine Rose (Bryn Mawr PA) a look-- two infinitely better surgeons. I had top surgery through Dr. Rose in July 2022 and her team went above and beyond to help me out. I'm in the process of getting things done with Brandt, and her team is also amazing.

Rumer has also decided she will see exclusively trans patients, meaning she has chosen to target us specifically. But don't let that fool you: before making that choice, she permanently disabled a cis man who needed gynaecomastia surgery by severing ligaments in his arm. So it's not just us she's hurt. She's hurt cis people too.

You will see reviews online that say otherwise or claim this to be a troll operation. Do not fall for it. Rumer creates sock puppet accounts on Reddit, Google etc to post fake reviews propping her clinic up.

A friend of mine in the group we watch her in has made a much longer, more in-depth post about her atrocities here. There are accounts of Rumer prescribing meds that could have killed a patient, Rumer ghosting or even denying patients who were in desperate need of care for complications she created, and more. And while no one has died under her care (yet, or that we know of), it would be best that it stay that way.

The scariest part is that the lawyers she's appointed to work for her are Trump-aligned, and the court she has threatened to take her victims to has a Trump-appointed, anti-LGBT judge.

Kathy Rumer is an active threat to the trans community. Please, please do not let you or your fellow trans siblings go to her. Do not let the short wait time and cheap price tag entice you. There is a reason her clinic is like a revolving door. When you go under the knife, speed is not the primary concern; accuracy, gentleness and safety are. She claims to be a "gift from God" for trans people, when in reality she is leaving a trail of blood in her path, and she could very well be coming for your state next.

Edit 1: "Apprentice" wasn't the best term, so I subbed in "fellowship trainee" instead

Edit 2: Took out my assumptions of her being abusive towards other docs bc I want concrete evidence first.

#kathy rumer #trans rights #transgender #top surgery #bottom surgery #transphobia cw #medical cw #ask to tag but this is important #I would be elated if people reblogged but I understand that this is a distressing topic #home state

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heartricky · 1 year

Text

dog union - "en garde!"

summary: after choreographing the "artist battle mission" song 'en grade' for the survival show, 'boys planet', you had been asked to come and help evaluate the trainee's performance and give advice before their performance in the following days, what happens when you catch the attention of the youngest three trainees?

a/n: this is heavily inspired by @boysplanetmorelike's story "Let's Win This Love" - I reread it so often omg - but I wanted to change it up a bit to fit the dog union! junhyeon I miss you so much.

word count: 836

As a young choreographer, having dropped out of school to pursue your dream of dancing for a living, finding people that would allow you to choreograph for them was difficult, but thankfully, being given the opportunity to co-choreograph a few of the Kep1er title tracks had boosted your popularity, even having MNET contact you about choreographing a new song for their upcoming survival show, Boys Planet.

Naturally, you jumped at the chance, so happy and honoured to have been given such an amazing opportunity. The song being so catchy had played a huge role in your choreography, wanting it to be powerful and eye catching - even cheekily making a reference to how many hours it had taken you to come up with the choreography in the post-chorus!

After recording the song with a couple of dancer friends you had, you sent the dance off to the primary producer of the show, receiving many compliments from other producers as well on the quality of your choreography.

But apparently, MNET wasn't done with you, asking if you were willing to come and advise the trainees who had been given the song to help prepare them for the 'Artist Battle' mission before the final, wanting to make sure that they performed to the best of their ability. You agreed, having seen a couple of clips of the show before, wanting to see if you could spot a couple of your favourite trainees - you couldn't help it that Sung Hanbin was so likeable!

After being given a mic and a pep talk from one of the producers and star master, Choi Youngjoon, who was also going to be guiding the trainees on their performance, you walked in bowing at the trainees who were excited to meet the choreographer of the song they were performing.

"Gunwook-ah, look at them! They choreographed the song? Wow, they're gorgeous and talented at the same time?"

You blush lightly at the compliment, making eye contact with a boy with the name 'Kim Gyuvin' on his chest, telling you his name instantly. He smiled, waving lightly before turning to hit his friend, named 'Gunwook' apparently, happy that you had seen him.

You turn to Youngjoon, who had also witnessed the interaction, exclaiming lightly, "Why don't you boys say that stuff about me? I choreograph!"

Gyuvin blushes lightly at the small dig, not wanting to seem disrespectful, "I'm sorry, master-nim, but look at them! You agree that they're beautiful, right?"

"Gyuvin-ah like they'd go out with you, they look like they prefer muscles!" You hear Gunwook say, flexing his bicep muscles, kissing them lightly before winking at you, causing you to laugh a little, ducking your head.

"No! They definitely want a boyfriend who can make them laugh! Junhyeon is five years old!" A third boy who looks to be a similar age says to you, the aegyo clear in his voice, forcing a pout on his face.

You sit there in shock, not knowing what to do, until Hui, or Hoetaek on the show, interrupts, "We are here to get feedback guys, not flirt with the choreographer!" He rolls his eyes, also finding the situation funny, but wanting to stay professional in front of the cameras.

"Wait!" Junhyeon - you learn - shouts. "Let me ask at least, who is the most good looking here, choreographer-nim?"

Not knowing how to respond under the sudden pressure and attention, you mindlessly point at one of the trainee's on the end, someone you recognised from some clips circulating on the internet.

"Hiroto." You say, "Hiroto is the most good looking."

The practice room descends into silence, but not for long until you hear the giggles of Hiroto, winking at him lightly before coming back to look at the three youngest members.

"No!" "Thats not right!" "You can't do that!" " I asked you between the three of us!"

The boys burst into shouts, clearly unhappy with your response, Gyuvin even going over to pretend to whack Hiroto for what seemed to be for simply existing.

"Okay! Okay, okay." Youngjoon finally intervenes, having enjoyed the situation for too long. "If you are comfortable with it y/n, how about I propose a deal?" He pulls you to the side, whispering a fun plan to you, wanting your confirmation before telling the three teens what he had come up with.

Walking back over to your seat in front of the mirror, you clear you throat before speaking,

"Whoever impresses me the most with the choreography, and who stands out to me the most at the final performance can get my number."

Hoping the small incentive would bring a great performance from the boys, you explain the plan, the three dog-like boys agree immediately, Junhyeon even jokingly voicing out his plan to injure his two friends before the performance so that he would perform the best, but you stopped him before he could actually begin to think about playing dirty.

And, well, who performed the best at the 'En Garde' performance? That's up to you.

#boysplanet #boysplanet fics #kum junhyeon #park gunwook #Kim gyuvin #zerobaseone #zb1 fics #zb1 imagines #boysplanet fluff

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ashintheairlikesnow · 1 year

Text

No More No

CW: Dehumanizing language, medical abuse, medical whump, Facility whump, defiant whumpee, sadistic whumper, Some references to noncon

Nova’s pieces can be found in this masterlist

For @amonthofwhump, day 9: Medical abuse

"Here we go, little lady, time for round two. Just be a good girl and lay back for me, okay?"

"No! I don't want it, no, you can't make me, not again, not again, no!"

"Hey, now. You're not supposed to know that word-"

"No, no, not the needle, no no no-"

Her voice cut off when the asshole's hand smacked into her forehead, forcing her writhing body back against the padded bench. Some fucking doctor, she thought, kicking out and nearly succeeding before he ducked, the sides of his white coat flapping under the cold florescent lights. She felt her big toe just graze his brown hair and bared her teeth in a snarling hostile grin, her own thick, long black hair hanging in her face like a demon ready to drag him to the depths.

"What the fuck, did she not finish her first round?"

"No," The trainee's handler said, frowning more in confusion than anger. "She did. She was fine, coming along nicely, until she just lost her shit yesterday. She mentioned a cousin."

"They don't have cousins."

"Yeah, hence me signing her up for another round. Come on, Ninety-Seven, you know better than this. You've been my sweet soft girl for two weeks, what happened, huh?"

"Maybe I just got sick of eating you out-"

"Ninety-Seven! I can handle some rebellions, but crude language is subject to severe consequences for you!" Her primary handler grabbed her right wrist with gloved hands. She made quick work of jamming it up above her head and locking it into the restraints, the magnets catching with a strength 445097 couldn't fight, not at this angle.

She yanked at her wrist anyway, just to hear the little chain rattle, and tried to throw a punch. "I'll use whatever fucking crude shitty language I want!"

Handler Abernathy pulled just out of reach, some wispy brown hair escaping her severe bun to frame her face. It made the trainer pause at the unexpected softness it gave to her handler's usual severity.

"I don't want the needle," She said, plaintive now, trying for the soft puppy voice, I'll be good now sound that everyone seemed to like from her. She couldn’t make tears well up, but she could put the tremble of them into words. "Please… please, Handler, no."

Handler Abernathy softened, just a little. “Ninety-Seven-”

"Too bad." The stupid doctor grabbed at her other wrist and this time her heel caught his chin, sending him stumbling backwards, knocking over the tray of syringes and pale, faintly colored liquids lined up there. "Jesus Christ! That bitch-"

"Back off, Bill, let me get her handled," Handler Abernathy said, voice thin with effort as she managed to evade 444097's flailing legs and get her other wrist secured. "She does better for me anyway. Don't you, babygirl?"

"Please, please, not the needle, I can train without it, I can learn-"

"Hey. Hey, sweetie." Abernathy's glove was cool where the leather touched her cheek. The trainee raised her chin and opened her mouth for the kiss, Abernathy's lips picking up the trainee's expertly applied lipstick. She lowered her eyelashes, heavy with mascara. Her breath came in pants that raised her chest up and down, just brushing the front of Abernathy's black WRU handler uniform.

The oversized t-shirt meant she couldn't use it entirely to her advantage, but she tried. Sometimes a show of being overcome would soothe the handlers, calm them, get her what she wanted or just out of trouble.

"There we go." Handler Abernathy dropped to a whisper, lips moving against the trainee's cheek. "You'll be good for Dr. Bill, right? It's just a little prick."

"Not that little," Dr. Bill said, a little affronted.

"I meant the needle, dumbass." Abernathy groaned, closing her eyes in brief annoyance. "Just get it going, yeah?"

"Yeah, yeah. She knocked all of it over, give me a second." Bill rifled through a cabinet in the small exam room while Abernathy turned back to the trainee and smiled.

"Here we go, sweetie. Just give me that pretty little ankle… here we go…" The trainee swallowed, watching as Abernathy moved her foot into the stirrup and buckled her ankle in place, then did the same with her other leg. "There's my good girl. There she is. Much better, right?"

"Handler… I-I don't want the needle, please, I promise I don't remember anything, it was a mistake…" She jerked her left ankle but all it did was rattle in place. She tried to tear up, next, but she couldn't seem to make the tears come, no matter how her voice trembled. "I don't need it, I don't…"

"Ninety-Seven." Abernathy shook her head, tucking those stray little hairs the trainee had thought so pretty back behind one ear. "We all know you're lying right now. It's what your kind does. You start acting up with aberrant memories, we have to wipe them away again."

The trainee's eyebrows furrowed. "Handler." Her voice was a whimper, a whine. "Please, Handler, no…"

"There's that word again." Abernathy sighed, disappointed. "Bill, get her hooked up. Don't worry, babygirl. Just a couple of days should do it. Then… no more cousin, no more bad girl behavior, and no more no, huh?"

"Fuck you." She dropped the sad eyes and spat, watching with a thin thread of satisfaction as Handler Abernathy wiped the saliva from her cheek.

The doctor snorted. "Better for you, huh? Doesn't seem like it."

"Oh, shut up."

There was nothing she could do - the trainee could only shake in the restraints as Bill came over, humming cheerfully with an IV bag on a roller full of a cloudy liquid. The trainee's eyes latched onto the sight of it as her heart started to race.

"No, no please, please please please my name is my number I'm a pet not a person, I know, I know, I signed up for this all pets legally consent to giving up their former failed identities in exchange for a safe secure home and future I know what you want me to think, I know!"

"I know you do, baby, I know." Abernathy smiled, taking her chin in hand and turning her to look into her handler's sparkling eyes, drinking in her fear and helplessness as Bill wiped something cold and tingling along the crook of her elbow. "But, listen to me, honey. Listen. Say 'yes, Miss, I'm listening."

Now, the tears came.

The trainee's lower lip trembled as she swallowed and then said, in a whisper, "I'm l-listening, M-Miss…"

"Good girl. I know you know all the right things to think, to say. But…"

The pinch of the needle made her flinch, and Abernathy leaned forward to kiss her. Her handler's lips were soft but pressed hard, swallowing her whimper as the needle was placed and the first rush of cold fluid raced through her blood toward her pounding heart.

"We need to make sure," Handler Abernathy murmured, pressing one more quick kiss before pulling back, "that you don't remember any of the wrong things to think and say, either."

"Please… p-please, no, please don't make me do this again!"

Handler Abernathy turned and left the exam room, her boots clomping loudly across the floor. The tears came, now, and the trainee could barely see through them and her hair as the doctor grinned at her, staying behind to watch, for just a moment, as the trainee's muscles felt heavier by the second.

Once she slumped backwards, the doctor stepped up close.

"Be a good girl and just chill here for a while, okay?" He patted the side of her face. Each soft touch felt like a blow.

"Don't… don't leave me al, alone, please-"

"I'll come back once that perfect pretty head is so empty you can hear the wind blow right through it." He gave her hip a squeeze, then patted her thigh like the flank of a horse before he turned and walked out, too.

The door buzzed locked behind him.

Her eyes were already drifting closed, the Drip taking its terrible hold. The small sweet face she had been holding in her mind, of a cousin she had known, whoever she had been, was already fading.

"Don't-... D-Don't leave me al, alone…"

There was no one left to listen.

@eatyourdamnpears @sableflynn @orchidscript @whump-tr0pes @burtlederp @arlinthesnep @finder-of-rings @hackles-up

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