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oathbips · 9 months

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It's You! Soulmate AU

summary: you got an invitation letter from the Japan Football Union to join the Blue Lock program and ran into someone special

word count: 5.2k

content: gn!reader x isagi yoichi, fluff, a lot of blushing from both parties, anri being your wing woman

author's note: this took FOREVER. 5.2k words is crazy. I'm not posting another one-shot after this one for a while due to school but please do leave suggestions on what my next one-shot should be. this feels horrible as i was reading it over but oh well, i already wrote 5.2k words worth of it so imma post it!

“I’m home!”

“Oh, welcome home Y/n! How was school?” your mother asked as she carried some boxes toward the dining table.

“It was okay. The soccer team seems to be getting the hang of everything now.”

“Ehhh. Oh! Speaking of soccer, a letter for you came in today. It’s from the Japan Football Union.” She placed the boxes down before reaching toward the middle of the table and picking up an envelope.

“Huh? Japan Football Union? Why?” Confused, you quickly take off your shoes and speed walk towards the mail. Opening it, it reads,

L/N Y/N, YOU’VE BEEN SELECTED FOR A SPECIAL TRAINING PROGRAM

“Ehh?! Me? What for? I don’t even play soccer.” You said, puzzled. Surely this was a mistake?

“Well, you are part of a soccer team dear.” Your mom replied as she starts to unpack her boxes.

“Only as a manager. Well… I do help out with checking their physicals and making sure they’re in top form but I’m not actually playing!”

“Maybe that’s the reason why you’re invited.”

“Huh? What do you mean?” You asked, still confused.

Giving you an expression as if saying you are hopeless, your mom lets out a small laugh afterward. “Dear, you work in a clinic with your father and me. You basically grew up there. Always observing what we do and observing the patients themselves. You developed a keen eye for people’s physicality. Maybe they’re inviting you to help observe and keep the players in the program in top form.”

“…Oh. You think so? That does make sense.” You stated as you finally start to understand.

“Mhm. Well, are you going to go? I think you should. Actually, I don’t think you have a choice anyways.” She giggled before continuing, “I think this will be a perfect opportunity for you to learn more about the field and it’ll give you first-hand experience in dealing with athletes’ physicals. They’re the toughest patients to work on because they must keep up their health more than anyone.”

“But I don’t think I’m confident enough yet. I’m not at that level yet. What if my judgments are wrong?” You asked doubtfully.

“Trust your skills, honey. Besides, I don’t think they’ll have a child working there all by themself sweetheart. Another doctor will be there I’m sure. Learn from them and if you ever need any assistance, you can always call me and Dad.” Your mother reassured you. She unpacks the final box before walking towards you and bringing you into a hug.

“You’ll be fine. And who knows, you might even run into that soulmate of yours that’s been bothering you so much lately.”

“Mom!” Embarrassed for being called out on one of your worries lately, you try to push the matters away.

She’s not wrong. It has been bothering you lately. Everybody's soulmate's name always pops up on one of their body parts letter by letter the closer they get in proximity. All your friends have reached 3-4 letters into their soulmate’s name while you’re still stuck at your first letter, I. The first letter appears for everybody once they reach 14 and from there, it all depends on how close your soulmate is to you. The first letter for yours first appeared on your wrist on your 14th birthday. Having no letters appearing after the first just shows how far your soulmate is. Maybe they’re across the country? You thought that was the case many times before but your friends insisted it’s because you rarely go out unless it’s for school, soccer, and the clinic and it’s not like you don’t want to. It’s just that school, soccer, and the job at the clinic literally make up your whole schedule and time.

It seems silly to be getting so bothered over such trivial matters. It seems cliché but to you, it’s just a matter of curiosity. Your parents were bound soulmates and they found out when they worked together years ago then fell in love and got married. You don’t mind if you didn’t get that same fate for yourself but come on, who wouldn’t be curious about who their soulmate is? At least give another letter or two so one doesn't die from curiosity.

After a few more moments of recollecting your thoughts, you start to realize with a sense of hope that maybe your mom is onto something. The program will be huge with lots of people. Surely, a second letter has to pop up.

“That face is surely turning hopeful all of a sudden.” Your mother laughed once more then ruffled your hair. “You’re such an amusing kid. Okay, let’s get ready for dinner. Dad’s about to get home soon.”

The day of the meetup came and you made your way to the location the letter directed you to meet at with your suitcases on hand. Walking towards a building you believe is the correct address, the stone written sign in front proves you correct, The Japan Football Union.

“Ah, hello! You must be L/n Y/n!” A lady with shoulder length and light brown-reddish hair called out as soon as you stepped in front of the building. “My name is Anri Teieri. I’m a hire here at the Japan Football Union and an associate for the Blue Lock program.”

“Hello, nice to meet you!” You greeted the young woman with a bow. “The letter told me to meet here?”

“Yes, that is correct. Let me first explain the program to you. This is a program we have created by gathering 300 selected strikers and putting them through this program where only one can make it out to be the true striker that changes Japan’s soccer. I’m the one who selected you for the program. I believe this program can really use your skills for assistance.”

Taken aback by what she had just explained, you stood there for a few seconds trying to comprehend what she just told you. Only one can make it out? Then what happens to the rest? This sounds crazy. It’s like a gamble and everybody in this program is putting their career on the line.

Another moment or so passed as you let the idea sink into you before speaking up, not wanting to keep the woman in front of you waiting any longer, “… I see. But may I ask, how did you find…?” You tried to find the best way to ask the question. Though there’s no need since Anri caught on to what you were trying to ask.

“We looked through many soccer matches to select who should be in the program. In one of the matches I watched, I saw you assisting your team and co-directing along with your coach according to the players’ physicals which in turn, improved their plays afterward. I wanted to recruit you to help with Blue Lock.”

“Oh, I understand now. But I am still only a high schooler. There must also be an adult with solid education and certification for this program, right? I can’t be 100% sure on everything alone.” You expressed your concerns.

“Yes, of course. We have certified doctors here. I just think you have a special skill that could improve the players even more. The doctors are also there to guide you along the way.” Anri reassured you.

“Okay, that’s good. Then, I’ll do my best.” You bowed again and she gave a smile.

“Good! Follow me then. The letter did specify that you’ll now be living in the Blue Lock facility. We’ll have a car ready for you once the entrance “ceremonial” is over for the players.”

You began to follow her as she took you inside, passing a few rooms along the way. Walking by one, you got a glimpse of a room filled with what you believed were the selected players for the program.

“Woah.” You couldn’t help but feel so amazed at the sight you’re seeing. There were so many all gathered in one room. Anri then took you further away from the sight and into a room that looked like a waiting room.

“Just wait here for now. It won’t be long before the car is ready for you. I’ll be right back to help you depart.” Anri said and then left the room, leaving just you alone in there.

“Woah.” You repeated in your head again. This just feels so unreal and crazy to you. “I get to be a part of all this?” The events start to hit you again as you start getting nervous all of a sudden. “It’s okay. This is an opportunity for me. To hone my skills like Mom said. I’ll be okay.” You mumbled to yourself in an attempt to relax. You then settled on fiddling with your sleeves around your wrist as a distraction. It was then and there that something had caught your attention. Doing a double take on your wrist, you hurriedly pulled down your sleeve, revealing your wrist and there it was. You couldn’t believe your eyes. The second letter to your soulmate’s name had appeared. It was a S.

After Anri had helped you pack your stuff into the car, you were all set for the trip to the facility. She told you a while back that the players and staff are to take separate transportation. The staff was to arrive first and help set everything up a few days before the players arrives. So here you are, currently standing right in front of the Blue Lock building. It was a lot bigger than you had anticipated. You can’t even imagine the amount of money that they actually put into this whole thing.

“We’ll unload everybody’s stuff and then I’ll show you into your room,” Anri stated before heading off to help the other staff members unload their suitcases first. You got off and began to unload yours, however, you might have underestimated how heavy all your things really are as you struggled a bit to drag the suitcase out. Pulling with all your might and then stopping to take a break. You were about to resume the pulling until a hand reached out from beside you and grabbed your suitcase, pulling it out and lifting it up like it was nothing. He set the suitcase down for you.

“Here.”

“Oh, thank you so much!” You turned around to give thanks and bow. In front of you is a very slender man, dressed in all black. He wore glasses with black frames and had a bowl haircut. The tall man looked like he hadn't gotten any sleep in days and was a little unhinged.

“Woah, that haircut.” You thought before realizing how rude that was and shook your head to get rid of that thought. He continued to help unload your remaining things before setting off toward Anri. It was a little shocking seeing how easily he unloaded those stuff with such a slim build.

After everything was finally unloaded, Anri showed you to your room. The room was surprisingly a lot bigger than you thought. It was cleaned and neat down to the floor. It also had a personal bathroom and a whole TV. “Wow.” Was all you could think of once you laid eyes in that room.

Lunch was set out for everyone after they were settled. It didn’t take you long before you realized that you were the only student there, making you extremely awkward and out of place.

“You must be L/n Y/n. Your parents told me you’ll be here.” A man called out, breaking your little bubble.

“Hello, nice to meet you. You know my parents?” You stood up to greet the man.

“Yes, we used to work together. Told me to look after you and help guide you during this period at the program.”

“I am pleased to make your acquaintance. I’ll do my best.”

The two of you then chatted a bit about trivial matters until Anri approaches you and gives you a piece of paper. It’s the schedule for the day the players arrive.

“They’ll be arriving the day after tomorrow. You’ll help me that morning to settle them down once they arrive.”

“Yes ma’am!”

The day Blue Lock officially starts has now arrived. The players are scheduled to come in about an hour. You’re standing in position just like Anri had instructed you to. Once they arrive, you are to collect all their belongings and organize them accordingly. “Take all their belongings from bags to wallets, to their phones too.” Was what she said. You couldn’t help but think why couldn’t they just tell the players to leave behind their belongings instead but that was the least of your concern. What really has been on your mind ever since last night was the new letter that had popped up on your wrist two days ago. It happened when you entered the Japan Football Union building so that must mean your soulmate is one of the players. That also means the next letter will show up today once the players arrive. Waiting anxiously now the more you start to think about it, your body also starts to suddenly feel restless too so you begin pacing around your area for some time until the sound of buses pulling up could finally be heard.

“Everyone, if you could please get in a line and one by one come up to me when I call out your name and hand me your belongings that includes your phones. Once you hand them in, you’ll be able to enter the building and then be handed your uniform. The uniform will have a number and letter. Please head to the room corresponding to the letter on your uniform. Thank you!” You explained to the crowd in front of you.

Immediately complaints were made. Complaints ranging from why do they have to give up their phones to what kind of place takes people’s belongings, etc. Still, they all obliged and one by one gave you their stuff. As you collected each player’s belongings, you also kept an eye on your wrist and the roster you were given. Looking at your wrist, making sure when a new letter will show up, and looking through the roster trying to find an IS at the beginning of each name. To your satisfaction, a new letter did show up as you were calling up the next player. A loud screeching squeal came out of your throat out of excitement which in turn, startled the boy currently in front of you as he gave you a weird look.

“So sorry!” You apologized quickly after giving one more glance towards the letter then collected his things.

The new letter was an A. You grabbed the roster and looked through the list for an ISA but you were left with disappointment when none appeared. “Is he on the roster Anri has then?” You thought to yourself. It had to be the case if he wasn’t on yours, and the marks on your wrist are showing that he is close by. You decided that you’ll just ask for her list later.

After finally finishing the last player on your list, you slumped down on the nearest chair to catch yourself a break. It was only a partial amount of the 300, and you already felt exhausted. “How in the world will Ego even handle the whole 300?” You said aloud to yourself. Then, interrupting your thoughts shortly after was Anri approaching you, offering if you wanted to come watch the first selection with her and Ego, the coach leading this Blue Lock program and the one that helped you with your luggage when you first arrived.

“Huh? Already? They just got here.” You replied, surprised.

“The sooner the better. No time for leisurely here at Blue Lock, Y/n.”

“Uh- yes, ma’am.” You got up and started following her as she led the way to what you believe will be the observation room. Along the way, you asked her if you could see the list of names she had.

“Sure. Here it is. What do you need it for by the way?”

“Oh. Uh…” You debated on the thought of telling her the truth until you decided it’s probably best to just tell her so you don’t end up looking like some peeping Tom, stalking the players later. With a sigh, you roll up your sleeve, revealing the soulmate mark you have.

“Oh! So is that what it is?” She cracks a smile and laughs. This made you feel embarrassed as you cover your sleeve back down and try to hide your face behind your hands.

“I know it’s silly! But the letters started appearing after that day at the Japan Football Union meetup.” You told her, face still buried in your hands.

“Haha! It’s fine! Nothing to be embarrassed about. I have mine too, on the right side of my shoulder. Though, I actually never cared for it.”

“You never get curious about who it is?”

“At times, but I think I’m just too busy dealing with soccer matters most of the time to really care.” She then continued, “Hmm let me see, yours says ISA huh?” The short hair woman contemplated about it for a second before beaming once the realization hit her.

“Ah! Isagi Yoichi! His name starts with ISA.”

You looked through her roster and sure enough, the name Isagi Yoichi is there. Could that really be him?

“We’re going to observe the players with Ego. You’ll get the chance to see him. Once he shows up, I’ll point him out to you.”

The observation room was dark as ever once you arrived, with millions of screens on display. There in the middle of the biggest screen in the room, sat Ego Jinpachi.

“Are they starting yet?” Anri asked.

“Not yet. Give it another 5 minutes. They're still changing.”

“Okay, have you met y/n yet? This is them. Y/n, I’m sure you know who he is already.”

“Yes, he helped me with my luggage the other day. Thank you again for that.” You bow to him but he gives no response in return as he starts getting busy setting up for the first test.

“Don’t worry about him. He can be a bit-” Anri tried reassuring before Ego quickly interrupted.

“Oi stupid, I can hear you.”

Anri’s expression twisted to that of annoyance like her forehead vein was about to pop out, and you had to hold in a snort at how funny this scene in front of you was.

“Then be nice! They’ll be a critical role in this program!” The woman yelled even though it was going through one ear and out the other for Ego because he gave no replies to that either. You can hear her grumble even more at that nonexistent response.

“We’re beginning,” Ego stated and pressed a button which caused the entire room to be lit with cameras displaying the players in different rooms. He pulls up Team Z’s camera first and begins, “Are you done changing, you lumps of talent?”

And so the first entrance test begins. After greeting the players of Team Z and explaining to them about the first test, they all start playing a game of tag with soccer. You’re watching from the side alongside Anri as the test is about to start. A ball from the ceiling drops down and lands right in front of a boy with dark blue-blackish hair that has a V-shape fringe.

Anri immediately went to tap you on the shoulder. “That’s him. Isagi Yoichi.” She whispered.

Your eyes widened and your body stood still for a second. Is that actually him? “I went from having no new markings show up for years to actually seeing what he looks like with my own two eyes.” You thought to yourself. Your soulmate is quite literally in the same facility as you right now. You suddenly felt your face heating up while you were deep in your thoughts, and Anri looked over to check on you before letting out a giggle at the sight she was seeing.

“Your face’s freezing up! Are you blushing?”

“What? No-!” You tried to deny it really quickly.

This causes Ego to turn his attention towards you two when he heard the commotion and you immediately turned your whole body away from both of them at the speed of light.

“Please focus on the game! I’m not blushing!”

Anri was full-on belly laughing at this point until a glare from Ego made her stop. Digging an imaginary hole in your mind right now, you just want to jump it in and call it a day. You’re aware of how hot your face is feeling right now and why that was. It’s because he’s cute. Isagi Yoichi is so cute and it’s making you feel so flustered.

A few moments passed and you were still facing away from the other two in the room. You were trying to recollect yourself as best as you could so you can focus on the task at hand, observing the players. You were still in the midst of it until Anri basically slap your back causing you to whiplash around to see what was happening. She pointed towards the screen and you turned your gaze there to see that Isagi was now “it”.

“He took a pretty hard hit from Kunigami just now, the boy with orange hair.” She explained.

“Ouch.” You wince at the scene you're seeing. Isagi is crouching down from the pain and panting as he gets back up. He starts dribbling the ball and kicks it towards a group of people but they all were able to dodge it. So, he turns to the bald player that’s ranked under him and chases after him with the ball. He was beginning to struggle since the time was closing in. At that moment, you see one of the other players jump onto the boy Anri mentioned earlier, Kunigami. He’s laughing as he’s holding Kunigami and calls out to Isagi. Annoyed, Kunigami took hold of the boy and threw him, prompting him to land on the bald boy earlier. He was able to quickly recover and run away while the bald boy was still frozen up in a sitting position. You see him beginning to beg now in front of Isagi. This was getting intense and you were starting to sweat just from watching. You didn’t want Isagi to be eliminated here. You continue watching, silently telling him in your mind to shoot the ball. He sets the ball in position and is getting ready to kick when he suddenly stops. Your inner thoughts started yelling at him, confused about why he stopped but your thoughts were cut short when he started dashing the other way with the ball.

“What is he trying to do?” You thought.

That’s when the boy from earlier who held Kunigami went up to Isagi and declared, “I like you! You get it!” He took the ball from Isagi making him the tagger now. With only 11 seconds left, he dashes through a group of people and aims the ball toward the silver-haired boy.

“Kira-kun?!” Isagi called out.

He successfully dodges it and the time is now down to 7 seconds. The tagger jumped over him towards the ball and now it’s down to 5 seconds. At that very moment, the ball was kicked across the room, straight to Isagi again.

“Isagi, no!” You screamed in your mind. Your fists were clenching, and your teeth were biting at your lower bottom lip, hard. However, your anxiousness comes to a halt as you watch the expression on Isagi’s face. It was only an instant but he looked… mad. Not angry mad, but crazy mad. 2 seconds left, and he kicks the ball straight at the silver-haired boy, Kira, knocking him down. The timer goes off right there. He looks shocked at what he just did himself. That’s when Ego enters again, ending the first test.

You made your way back to your room, and as soon as you entered, you dropped on all fours on the floor. “That was so nerve-racking.” You cried out. Is this really what you have to go through every single day now? “And I’m not even the one playing, I can’t even imagine how the players feel.” But during those last seconds, Isagi was really different. It was like he was a whole new person. He’s… really cool. You ponder on those last 10 seconds again as you get up to change. Today was a long day, a rest was definitely needed. You started taking off your blouse first and went to throw it in the laundry bin. That’s when you noticed it again. The fourth letter to your soulmate’s name, G. “I must’ve been so focused earlier that I didn’t even notice it. ISAG, huh? Yea, that’s definitely Isagi Yoichi.”

The next day arrived, and you were making your way to the training room. Today’s schedule is just training for the players. For you, it’s to assist and give tips for their conditions. You finally were able to meet the players more personally. Starting from the top team, Team B, and downwards. Anri has been with you the whole day introducing all the teams to you and walking you through it all. Right now, you are currently making your way toward the Team Z training room.

“Eager?” She asked and you felt your face turning hot again.

“Stop! I’m just doing my job!”

“Haha! Don’t freeze up once you see him now.”

“I’m not…”

“Oh, here we are.”

She opens the door and all heads inside immediately turn towards your direction. They all stop their training and gather around the two of you. You made brief eye contact with Isagi before quickly looking away. You felt your face heating up and hoped it was not noticeable. He is so much cuter in person, and here he was, standing right before you.

“Everyone, this is L/n Y/n. They’ll be assisting you all on your physicals and health so if you have any concerns, do come and ask. They’ll be observing your training today.”

You were looking everywhere and at everyone except Isagi but in the corner of your eyes, you can still see how his eyes widened at you. You know that he knows now and he knows that you know. The both of you are now awkwardly standing there, one still shocked and one can’t bring to make eye contact for their life.

“Okay! We don’t want to hold you back from training any longer, off you go. Don’t mind us! Again, if you have any questions, please do approach Y/n.” Anri declared and sent them off to return to their tasks.

Everyone resumes their training. You and Anri watch from the sideline.

“This is your chance, you know.” She said.

“I know. But I’m kind of nervous..” You replied.

You glance at Isagi and see that he too was stealing glances at you. You took this chance to check your wrist again and his full name was now written out, Isagi Yoichi. It really is him and he’s standing right in front of you. You’re still nervous but you can’t let this opportunity pass by. Someone has to make the first move so you made up your mind and finally march your way towards him. He sees this and his expression turns to that of shock before quickly changing it to a small smile as he walks up to you too.

“Hi, I was already introduced but still, I’m L/n Y/n. I take that you know who I am as much as I know who you are.” You said and pull up the sleeve that was hiding his name then extended out your hand for him to shake.

He looks down at your hand and took notice of his name marking on your wrist. His face turns red at the sight of it but he still manages to return your offering handshake. His hand was surprisingly soft. It was warm and felt oddly comforting. This feeling made you giddy and you couldn’t help but break out a smile so big out of happiness. His eyes widen at this sight and the tips of his ears start going red too until he breaks out a big smile himself.

“I’m Isagi Yoichi. Sorry, my hand feels really sweaty. I was training… It’s nice to finally meet you.” He said then roll up his uniform sleeve and there reveals your name on the same spot you had his name on. He gave a bashful smile and then rolls it back down.

“I didn’t expect I’ll meet you here of all places.” He said.

“Same, your name never dared to show up so I thought you were across the country or something! I was dying from curiosity.”

“Haha, I gave up after a whole year of no lead but then it suddenly started appearing after I came back from the Japan Football Union the other day.”

“Yea, me too… I’m glad we’re finally able to meet.” You said.

“Same here.” He smiled at that.

“Oh… you were really cool the other day with your last kick.” You blush as you tell him that which made him blush hearing it.

“T-thank you! I don’t know what that was. I’m still trying to figure everything out.”

“Hmm. I see a lot of potential in you, Isagi. I’ll be rooting for you.”

“Really?”

“Of course, but your potential is something you have to work on and figure out. I know you will… Yea! That’s that! I don’t want to keep you from training any longer, please do resume. I’m here if you ever need anything.”

At this, He stares at you. Then his face turns motivated and determined. Giving you a firm nod of acknowledgment, he turns his back and resumes his training. You return to your spot on the sideline and it was then that you realized everyone in the room was staring at the two of you this whole time. Anri gave you a teasing proud smile.

“Please stop staring and resume your training!” You shouted, embarrassed.

From then on, you two continued your tasks at Blue Lock as usual. Small conversations were exchanged every time you passed each other. Those small convos soon turned into deeper conversations when meeting up after his matches. You became close with the others around him, Bachira, Kunigami, Chigiri, Nagi, etc. When they found out about you and Isagi being soulmates, they teased you both till no end and Isagi without fail, turned red every time. You helped him out when he needed it and improved his playstyles whenever he hit a slump. He supported you as you continued your studies at Blue Lock. You shared stories about each other. You first-handedly witnessed his growth in his personal skills and on the field. The way he completely becomes a different person at the heat of a game was wild to you but that didn’t change the fact that he looked cooler than ever during those moments. By the time the U-20 came about, the two of you were closer than ever.

“The U-20 match is about to start.” He stated and got up, making his way out into the field.

“Isagi.” You called out.

He turns around at the call of his name, “Y/n?”

“Good luck!” You cheered.

A smile appears on his face and he raises up his fist at you, “I’ll win this!”

#i actually really hate this after reading it help #blue lock headcanons #blue lock scenarios #blue lock #blue lock x reader #isagi yoichi #isagi x reader #bllk x reader #blue lock isagi #bllk isagi #isagi x you #isagi yoichi x reader #isagi yoichi fluff #isagi yoichi x y/n #oneshot #blue lock oneshots #isagi yoichi oneshot #isagi yoichi headcanons #fluff

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stardewstardropthoughts · 10 months

Note

Harvey is my go to bachelor in stardew but I've been thinking...

What if you break up/divorce him and start avoiding him, but one day, you pass out in the mines (literally on the verge of death) and have to be rushed to his clinic. </3

The pure heartbreak

I'm so sorry this is written like absolute garbage because it's been so long and I genuinely might rewrite this one at some point lmao but for now I offer this 💙

Content warnings: this one's not written as well as I would like, angst, No comfort, near death, hospital stuff terribly written also, gender neutral reader, all my hospital knowledge is from grey's anatomy I'm so sorry 😂

When you almost die in the mines and Harvey has to take care of you after you broke up with him

You never gave harvey an explanation as to why you broke up with him, it was something you were dealing with on your own and you thought youd only drag him down with you so you decided to break it off with him

You had been avoiding him around town, opting to avoid your scheduled wellness checks and see a doctor in the next town, which hurt harveys feelings lowkey

He still desperately loves you, hes been blaming himself for the breakup, worried he was too clingy or too overbearing and that you felt suffocated, but you wouldnt talk to him, so he couldnt ask the questions he had

Next thing he knew it was around midnight, someone was pounding on the door to the clinic and harvey almost didnt answer, but decided it was probably important given the time and how loud they were being

Harveys immediately panicking when he sees you, looking rather lifeless in Demetrius's arms. "I found them just inside the mines like this, i dont know what happened but i thought id best bring them to you" he explained to harvey who was immediately thanking him, directing him to place you on a hospital bed

"Come on, your gonna be okay, dont die on me now sweetheart" harvey mumbles to himself as he assesses your injuries, his heart is breaking at the sight, your barely breathing, pulse slow and weak, he has to drain blood from your lungs, after many hours of work your stable, still unconscious but stable

Harvey had a whole panic attack as he sits by your bedside, he wouldnt leave you if his life deoended on it at this moment, "your going to be alright, i cant lose you again my love" he mumbles softly as he holds one of your hands gently, his eyes are puffy and red from crying

When you wake up hours later your confused and disoriented, looking around the room, your eyes land on harvey, whos looking at you nervously "you were badly injured, Demetrius carried you here" he explained softly, gently squeezing your hand "you....i know i have no right to ask you to stay out of the mines, but please, be more careful, you could have died" he manages to say through a tight knot in his throat at the thought

"Im sorry" you manage to say, though your voice is strained, harvey looks like an absolute wreck and you feel horrid "dont apologize, your alive love, thats all i could ask for" he whispers quietly as he squeezes your hand

"I...." You begin trying to explain to him why you broke up with him to begin with, but the words dont seem to want to come out of your mouth, "rest" harvey says, getting up to check your vitals and make sure your improving before leaving the room, he needs a moment to compose himself from his near continuous break down

#stardew valley #stardew fanfic #stardew farmer #stardew x reader #stardew headcanon #stardew harvey #stardew angst #sdv angst #sdv harvey

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sunflowerseedsandscience · 1 month

Text

Various Storms and Saints- Chapter One

Previous Chapters: Prologue

Maybe it was because he'd never had any relatives or close friends have kids, but for Mulder, the hospital had never been a place he associated with joy.

His earliest hospital memory had been when Samantha had broken her collarbone, and since his mother had decided the incident had been his fault-- hadn't she told him a hundred times that the rope swing was too worn out to play on, so what had he been thinking?--most of what he remembered from that particular hospital trip had been his mother's cold anger. He'd been taken to the hospital two years later when Sam had disappeared, when first responders worried he might be in shock, and that visit had been no better.

All of Mulder's adult hospital experience up until this point had been similarly awful. Visiting injured witnesses or colleagues, meeting family members in the waiting room to deliver bad news, suffering through injuries of his own... and now, most recently, the interminable vigil by Scully's bedside, watching and waiting while the cord tethering her to life slowly frayed to nothing.

But now? As Mulder strode down the hospital hallway towards from Scully's room, where she sat waiting for him, alive, awake, and returned to him beyond all probability, there was nowhere else he'd rather have been. Even the drab green linoleum was beautiful to him as he raced along it towards her room. Her mother and sister had been with her earlier, and under their close watch he hadn't been able to be as free and open with her as he would have liked. Maybe today his luck would be better and she'd be on her own.

But then again, maybe not.

"Hi, Mulder!" Melissa greeted him enthusiastically before Scully had even had a chance to open her eyes. She leapt up from her seat by the bed and embraced him, catching him off guard. Over her shoulder Scully looked on with an amused expression, clearly enjoying his discomfiture. As soon as Melissa released him he approached the bed, and after a brief hesitation, he bent and kissed Scully's cheek. Her face flushed red as he straightened up, and he could feel Melissa's eyes on him as he took a seat by the bed.

"How are you feeling?" he asked.

"Tired," Scully said, chuckling ruefully. "You'd think I'd have more energy when I've done nothing but lie in bed all this time, but...." She sighed and shook her head. "I'm still exhausted."

"You have to give yourself time to heal," said Melissa sagely. "Your body knows what it's doing. You have to trust it."

"Thank you, Melissa. As a medical doctor, I am, of course, entirely unfamiliar with the workings of the human body." Mulder laughed, his chest flushing with warmth. This was the Scully he knew, the Scully he'd missed: the dry wit, the impatience with anyone trying to tell her something she already knew better than they did.

"Doctors really do make the worst patients," Melissa intoned, and Scully scowled at her.

"It's one thing to know something clinically," Scully said. "It's another thing when you're the one stuck in bed, waiting to have enough energy to be on your feet for more than fifteen minutes at a time."

"Well, be a good patient and do what your doctors tell you," said Mulder. "The quicker you heal, the quicker you can come back... and Skinner really doesn't like me investigating cases on my own. He's probably not gonna get a full night's sleep until you're out there keeping me in check again."

Scully frowned. "Mulder," she said, "what are you talking about? The FBI has me doing autopsies. I can't exactly watch your back from the morgue." And suddenly it hit Mulder: she had no idea about any of what had happened while she'd been missing. As far as she was concerned, the X-Files were still closed, he was still on wiretap duty, and she was still expected to teach pathology at Quantico once she'd recovered enough to return to work. He grinned, about to tell her... and then stopped.

Scully's involvement with him had been exactly what had put her in danger in the first place. She never would have been abducted if she had stayed safe in the morgue. They'd taken her because she had refused to stop helping him... and because he had refused to stop asking her. If he offered her the chance to come back on the X-Files as his partner--and he had zero doubts she would take it, if he did offer--what else could happen to her down the line?

"What?" Scully frowned at him, concerned. His hesitation must have shown on his face. "Mulder, what is it?"

If he didn't ask Scully to come back to the X-Files with him, she would find out about it, one way or another. And she would be furious. He could lay out his concerns, he could try to dissuade her, but consequences be damned, it had to be her choice.

"Skinner re-opened the X-Files after you were taken," Mulder said, and the pure joy on Scully's face somehow made his heart both swell and sink at the same time. "But listen, Scully, you need to think long and hard about it before you come back to work with me."

"No, I don't." Mulder glanced at Melissa, sitting in the corner and watching the exchange with great interest, and wished he'd waited until he and Scully were alone.

"Yes, Scully, you do. They went after you because we kept working together."

"You have no way of knowing-"

"Yeah, I do. None of this would have happened if I'd left you alone." He glanced at Melissa again. "You should at least take the time to discuss it with your family. You don't need to decide right now."

"There's no need, Mulder," insisted Scully. "It's my decision. I want to work with you on the X-Files again." She set her jaw and glared at him, daring him to keep trying to talk her out of it. At a loss, Mulder looked at Melissa, who held up her hands.

"Don't ask me to intervene," she said, smiling. "You should know Dana well enough by now to know that once she decides to do something, there's no talking her out of it."

Mulder smiled reluctantly. "Yeah," he said. "I do."

------------------

Scully kept trying to hide her yawns behind her hands so Mulder wouldn't see how tired she was, but by the fourth time, it was clear she didn't need to bother. Melissa and Mulder were so deeply engrossed in conversation that she might as well not have been in the room at all. Mulder was regaling Melissa with stories of the cases they'd investigated together back before the X-Files had been closed, and Melissa, predictably, was fascinated.

"So the murdered officer's consciousness was possessing the little girl?" Melissa asked.

"Not quite possessing, not the way you're thinking. It was more of... a reimbodiment. It ended suddenly the moment Officer Morris's unfinished business with his killers had concluded."

"Wow," breathed Melissa, sitting back in her chair. "You never told me about any of this, Dana." She and Mulder looked towards the bed just as Scully unsuccessfully concealed another yawn. Mulder stood, smiling sheepishly.

"I think that's my cue to head out and let you rest," he said. He approached the bed and took Scully's hand, giving it a squeeze. "I'll come by after work tomorrow, okay? Give Skinner a call whenever you're ready and we'll get the paperwork started to get you reassigned." And with a nod and a smile to Melissa, Mulder was gone.

The moment the door had closed, Melissa sprang up from her chair and came to sit on the bed. "Wow, Dana," she gushed. "He's not just cute. He's gorgeous."

"Is he?" Scully closed her eyes and leaned back against her pillow. "I hadn't noticed." A blatant lie, of course, but right at that moment, all Scully wanted to do was sleep.

"You're really not interested in him like that?" Melissa asked, a peculiar, almost hopeful expression on her face. "Not at all?"

"He's my work partner, Melissa. And my friend."

"Then...." Melissa bit her lip. "You wouldn't mind if I asked him out, would you?"

A weight seemed to drop into Scully's stomach.

Yes. She did mind. She minded very much, in fact. But how could she possibly admit that to Melissa when she'd been trying so hard to claim that she didn't feel that way about him? She swallowed hard. She could claim that it might compromise her professionally, if Mulder and Melissa dated and it didn't work out. But....

"No, of course I don't mind," was what she heard herself saying instead.

Melissa beamed. "I'm gonna go see if I can catch him before he leaves," she said, and leaping up off the bed, she rushed out of the room.

-------------------

Mulder's hand was on the door to exit the hospital when a voice behind him called his name.

"Mulder, hang on!" He turned to see Melissa Scully hurrying out of the elevators and rushing across the lobby towards him. He crossed to meet her, immediately concerned.

"What's going on? Is your sister okay?"

"She's fine," Melissa assured him with a wave of her hand. "She's probably going to be asleep before I even get back up there. I just had something I wanted to ask you before you left." For some reason, her cheeks flushed red. "I was wondering... if maybe you might like to get coffee with me sometime?"

Whatever Mulder had been expecting, this was definitely not it. For a moment he wondered if he'd understood her correctly, but really, why else would the question make her blush unless she meant it the way he thought she meant it? Still, best to be sure. He'd misread more than a few signals in his time.

"You mean like a date?"

"I don't really like to put labels on things, but... sure, a date, if you want to call it that. I asked Dana if she minded my asking you and she was fine with it, so don't worry about that."

A confused mix of emotions settled in the pit of Mulder's stomach. Scully had told Melissa that it was fine. What did that mean? Was it "fine" as in, "I'm fine, Mulder," when she clearly wasn't fine? Or was it "fine" as in it truly didn't bother her? The thought that Scully wouldn't care at all if he went out with her sister was somehow troubling.

But Melissa was standing there, waiting for an answer. Did he want to have coffee with her? She was an undeniably beautiful woman who seemed genuinely interested in the things he had to say. He'd asked women on dates with far less to go on than that.

Really, why the hell not? It was just coffee.

"I'd like that," he said. "Let me get your number."

Melissa beamed.

#my fic #x-files fanfic #Various Storms and Saints

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almostwisegalaxy · 1 year

Text

The glory

Ha Do Young x reader

Part 3

Two weeks later

Dong-woon and I left enough clues for Ha Do-yeon's mind to question her child's paternity. Normally he should come today and collect the results. I don't think I'll be there when he comes. I work nights, my shift ends at 8am and I have 30 minutes to drop Chin off at school.

Ha Do Young's point of view

My hands are sweaty and I'm stressed. It's only 6:30 in the morning, but I'm going to the clinic to get the results of this damn test. Find out if Ye-sol is my blood, if my marriage is based on a complete lie. As soon as you arrive, I go to the reception and ask for documents.

“Yes, here are the results of the genetic test, Mr. Thank you for using our services.”

I sat down in the waiting room and decided to open the envelope. I try, but nothing works. My vision is blurry and my hands are shaking. "Excuse me, is there a doctor who can read the results now?" »

"Yes, of course. It's the third door on the right."

When I opened the door, I saw Mr. Yu concentrating on what appeared to be a patient's medical papers.

"I'm sorry to disturb you this early."

“Oh, I'm fine. "What should I do for you?"

"Can you read his results? I'm afraid of misinterpreting them."

"Yes, please sit down."

"These results demonstrate 0% genetic identity between the two individuals."

“………… Thanks, I think I should go..."

Pov pov

Yes but no

he fainted

“Mr Ha, can you hear me?

I have no response. I expected him to be shocked by the news, but not so shocked as to faint. . He should wake up soon, right?

later in the day

It is 10 p.m. when I return to resume work with one of my colleagues. When I left this morning, Mr. Ha couldn't wake up, so I left that to the nurse, and he was very pale, so I asked him to give me an IV. And when I came back to my office, it was still as inert as it was hours ago.

The clinic isn't very busy tonight, so I'm going to see a few patients first. Some get a prescription and leave immediately, while others are kept in a room overnight due to their condition. I will go back to Mr. Ha. I stopped noticing his upper body movements, so I lowered myself to bed level to check for lice. I put my hand on his neck and looked at the clock. Yes, he is breathing quite normally. And at that moment he decided to wake up, put his hands on his neck and looked into mine. From this point of view, it looked like two people about to kiss.

"You're finally awake. I'm starting to worry."

"Why am I here?"

"You came for tests and due to lack of food, I guess you passed out"

He let go of my hand and we both sat down

" What time is it ?"

"11:40 p.m."

He tried to pull the IV out of his hand but I stopped him by putting my hand on it.

"Don't do this, you don't have enough iron and you could fall at any movement"

"You don't understand. I have to fix something at home"

"I know you must be worried about your daughter, but I don't think confronting your wife about it right now is good for your health."

"Because in addition to being a doctor, you are a marriage counselor?" I don't think a single mother knows what to do in this situation!

"Forgive me, I-"

"Okay. Take that needle off if you want so much you hit your face on the next stairs you'll see later. Get out of here" I said as I left the room.

"Miss Yu wait" but there was no time. I slammed the door in his face.

Dong Eun I hope you manage on your side because what I have is rat bowl

I slipped away 2 hours later and found him STILL there, lying staring at the ceiling. Let him do what he wants. I sat in the chair behind the desk, with my back to him, to study the somewhat complicated case of an undiagnosed woman.

Ha Do Young pov

"Miss Yu, I sincerely apologize to you. I should never have talked to you like that, especially since you were trying to help me"

" Hmm"

"And I also apologize for yelling at you. It was anger but I know it shouldn't have been directed at you"

" Hmm "

"You still won't talk to me?"

" Hmm"

"Can I at least ask you a question?"

" Hmm "

"How did you know I took a paternity test?"

"I was wondering what was the cause of your sudden unhealthiness and I got the information from the lab technician"

I say nothing more to collect my ideass. I don't know if I'm angry or sad right now. Well I blame yeon jin for lying to me but I don't know. From the beginning I suspected an extra marital relationship but I didn't dwell on it more than that. After all she fit the but gender standard and my mother had happily given her approval to the wedding announcement so I thought it was already good enough to live out the rest of my life. But I was seriously mistaken.

"What...what would you do if it was you in this situation?"

"I will do everything to keep my child. If eventually I still love him so much"

" But how to do it ?"

"It's simple. I turn his brain over to him in order to acquire proof of any mental instability of my spouse and the other in case he wants to recover the child following the divorce. But after that it's not that the opinion of a mother who raises her child alone does not take it into account "

"Sorry again for-"

" Excuse rejected. What do you think? Raising a child alone is easy? I have no one to trust my son to when I'm not around. I'm carrying my child just to have enough money to give him what he deserves. So I don't allow anyone to judge me. Is that clear?" She is now facing me speaking. I decide to get up to talk to him

"I can't say otherwise. I see how hard you are working for both of you and my words were very inappropriate. I don't know if you could forgive me"

"I think you'd better leave if you feel up to it"

" All right." I gather my things and get ready to leave. " Bye"

After leaving the hospital at dawn, I just went home to change. Ye-sol and her mother are still sleeping. It's better this way, I don't know how it's going to end if we talk. I am working at the moment. I just finished one and I'm so tired. I have too many thoughts swirling around in my head. But I don't want to think about anything. I just want to have my daughter with me, even if she's not really mine.

And this conversation with Ms. Yu ohhh. I hate this tension that has set in. I can understand his reaction to my comment. Basically, I always avoid unnecessary arguments, especially with those around me, so this situation makes me sad.

I decide to pick up Ye-sol from her school to spend some time with her and see if I still love her as much as before. The road from the company to the elementary school passed by the path of Ms. Yu's son Chin, I looked around not expecting to see anything special except for the little one sitting under the tree in front of the school. But what can he be doing at this hour outside. I got out of the car to go see him but noticed a few other kids around him.

"See, I told you. No one will come looking for him because he doesn't have a father."

“Bouu has a little chin without a father bouuu” “yes a bastard”

"Fuck bastards!" They screamed in their hearts but upon noticing me they ran away.

Chin was lying on the ground, his back to me. Looks like they pushed him. He tries not to cry, it shows. I leaned over to him and started a discussion with him.

“Did you hurt my little one?

"No...... Just a little crack on the knee"

"Okay, and can you tell me what you do outside of school?"

"The teacher has to go there urgently. The director called all the parents to come and take us home but mum didn't answer"

"but why aren't you in the yard, safe."

"It's them...... They like to bother me and hurt me. And I don't want to wait with them"

" OK. Uhh how about I take you to see your mom?

"You would do that?"

"Of course. I just need to take my daughter and go. Do you trust me?"

"No, But I Want to See Mom"

"so let's go see her"

I took her hand, bandaged her knee and we were on our way. Once at the hospital, I drove two toddlers across the street. Upon arriving, he knocked on the door and we heard a voice

"Yes who is it?"

"Hello, it's me momma" he says running to throw himself on the mother who has just caught up with him

"Yes and us too" ye-sol greeted her from inside the room

“Hey kids, what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be in class? "

"Madam must have come home early"

"My father came to get me"

"And he scratched his knee" I said

"Pardon ?"

Then she examined his wound, disinfected it and put a bandage on it. Meanwhile, ye-sol fetches snacks from the vending machine further away.

"How did you do that? Honey"

"Other kids push me"

"And why are they doing this?"

"He just likes to annoy me. It's nothing serious, momma."

"No, from what I could see, it's not just adispute. This is harassment", I said

"And maybe you know why he harassed you?" He immediately bowed to his mother's words, as if he had been mistaken.

"Chin answers mom" she told him, she gently grabbed his shoulder "my chick?"

"........They say I'm a bastard......That I don't have a father and that's why I'm going to end my life in school. I'm sorry mom, I know this is wrong. Anyway, I only need you” and he hugs her.

"You don't have to apologize for that. It's not your fault"

Then Ye-sol came back and offered to take the kids to lunch and bring her son back around the afternoon. She agreed and we left her alone. She really needs it.

___________________________________

hey hi. I don't have many ideas to continue the story, so I prefer to wait for season 2 which comes out soon to get an idea. I hope you like the story. and if you have any ideas. Help me

A perfect family 🫣

Part2:

#ha do young #ha do young x reader #moon dong eun #park yeon jin #the glory #the glory kdrama #the glory x reader #ju yeo-jeong

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irenethewoman · 8 months

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Mrs. Shelby - Chapter 7 - Ada

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@noirrose21-blog

@ell0ra-br3kk3

In June 1919, Birmingham,

Last night, at the end of the street by the bonfire, Thomas and I confessed our secret underground love. But because Thomas and I both had beds that were too small and narrow, we haven't moved in together yet. Thanks to these "hard" conditions, I still get a few good night's sleep occasionally. Nights are disturbed by Tommy, and during the day, he's always calculating…

"Can't you give me a break? I want to live to be a hundred!" Tommy never paid attention to my irritable remarks and continued on his own path.

"What have you been doing all day?"

Polly looked up from the newspaper and glanced at Ada. I yawned behind another newspaper, trying to hide my fatigue. It's all Thomas's fault; I'm so tired…

"Get up!"

Polly suddenly ordered Ada to stand up, waking me from my drowsiness. I looked at Polly circling Ada.

"How long has it been since your last period?"

I continued to listen to their conversation in confusion, and it took me a while to react—Ada was pregnant!

Oh my God! If Tommy finds out, it's going to be a disaster! I can already foresee a "world war" about to erupt in our home. What a troublesome autumn…

I bit my lip, weighing my options, and decided to temporarily stand by Ada's side.

That night, I changed into old clothes that wouldn't make me easily recognizable and followed Polly and Ada to the underground clinic.

Ada must really love that man. Even though she stubbornly tried to hide her fear and unease with smoking and tough talk, she refused to consider an abortion, even though the man had left. She still believed he would come back…

Did she really trust him? Or was she unwilling to admit her inner fears and misjudgments?

I had told Tommy at Martha's funeral that I was worried our fate would be like Martha's. It seems I didn't think far enough. Maybe I too could become pregnant before marriage and then be abandoned by Tommy…

I looked at the people walking in the smoky streets, their heads down, and suddenly felt a bitter sensation in my eyes, but not a single tear.

In my upbringing, women were supposed to remain chaste until their wedding night, then spend their lives as wives and mothers, with activities like playing the piano or riding horses serving as mere embellishments to married life. But when I came to Birmingham, I had to rebuild all those rules in order to survive. I loved Tommy, just as Ada loved the father of her child, so I willingly went to bed with him.

But at this moment, I was truly afraid. More afraid than when I worried about Polly kicking me out when I was still underage and wanted by the law.

I didn't know how I would go on if my beloved abandoned me after I became pregnant. Since accompanying Ada to the clinic, I had once again fallen into a state of mental confusion. Although the thing I was afraid of was still a thousand miles away—after the doctor examined me at Polly's strong insistence that day, he said I was healthy but not pregnant—ever since that day, Tommy had been busy and hadn't come to see me at night…

My rationality told me that none of this mattered, that it was all just a coincidence. But I couldn't control my fear.

Tommy was still busy manipulating the gambling games, Polly was worried about Ada, and easygoing Arthur and John were either maintaining their reputation or living a life of debauchery. No one noticed that something was wrong with me.

It was the beginning of the month again, and I had to go to the Garrison pub to check the accounts and help out.

"You don't look well," the blonde Grace seemed to want to strike up a conversation with me, or maybe she was concerned about me, but I didn't have the mood to pay attention to her attentions.

I tried to focus my attention on the ledger, scribbling and drawing in the notebook, but my mind wandered, and I just stared blankly at the floating dust by the door.

When I finally snapped out of it, the barmaid was talking to Tommy by the side door. She was holding a metal bucket—her little tricks were so obvious.

I propped up my chin and watched Tommy from a distance, standing behind the bar.

He seemed to be in a good mood… But my mood got worse.

In the end, Tommy noticed that I had been hiding behind the bar all along.

"Have you finished the accounts?" He looked at me with a raised eyebrow, probably tired of me only talking about work…

"Not yet." I forced out a smile that was probably uglier than crying because I saw Tommy frown.

"Are you okay?" He walked toward me, but

I quickly retreated.

"It's none of your business! It's been so long since we've spent time together, and you're always busy with your business!" I said, my voice trembling with sadness and anger.

Tommy frowned, walked over to the bar, and called for a whiskey. Then, he raised his hand to signal for my drink. Grace immediately brought me a glass of whiskey, but I just knocked it over onto the counter.

#cillian murphy #peaky blinders #tommy shelby #tommy shelby x reader #thomas shelby #peaky blinders fanfiction #tommy shelby imagine #fanfiction #thomas shelby x reader #tommy shelby fanfic

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cant-icle · 2 months

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Feed your anger like fire sojiro! And also maybe shiho? Either or. I just miss Her so much

(you didn't give me a situation so i'm just gonna go with the first thing i thought of <3)

Sojiro doesn't know exactly what he was expecting when he agreed to host an unruly teenager for a year. More of a sukeban type, maybe? Outwardly loud and brash? He was prepared to confiscate weapons, prepared to be as harsh as he needed to be to knock an ounce of sense into a delinquent's head.

He wasn't expecting her.

She's the next best thing to silent from the day she moves in; he gets a stilted bow and curt "please-take-care-of-me" , a nod good morning and good evening, an unhappy explanation her first day of school, and otherwise nothing. It's like living with a ghost. She's quieter than Futaba.

He was expecting trouble. She's trouble, alright, but in a far different way than he would have thought. Her eyes shoot towards him whenever he moves; she flinches when he talks. She never lets him walk behind her without shifting in her seat. Like a stray dog waiting for a shoe to come her way at any moment.

There's no tattoos or piercings that he can see. She doesn't walk with a sukeban swagger. Her uniforms are as standard as standard can be, he watches her walk out every morning. No excessive makeup, no snarls or swears. No trouble.

Until he pokes his head upstairs and finds her upchucking into the trash bin, crying fit to burst. She's even silent doing that.

What has he missed over the last few weeks?

The doctor (and he knows it's a private clinic, but the shoes alone... he would have taken Kurusu a little farther but she was barely able to put one foot in front of the other long enough to get here in the first place. He doesn't like the vacant look in her eye or the cold sweat beading at her temples; part of him thinks drugs but the other part, the louder part, worries sick sick sick and can't stop thinking of another girl, just a few blocks away)--

Anyway.

The doctor, as unconventional as she may be, still does have her license. She's efficient, gets Kurusu up off the bench and into the back room. He busies himself scanning the medical pamphlets until the door opens and closes again.

Takemi is almost as tall as Sojiro himself in the impractical heels she wears. Her long strides are almost silent as she glides across the clinic towards him. "You said this girl was your ward on the phone, yes?" she asks with barely-restrained irritation. "Had her under your care for just over a month?"

He'd said all this over the phone, so he nods.

"And you're aware, I assume, that children need to eat?"

Sojiro's brow furrows. "Her parents said they were sending her with a food stipend. She's supposed to get breakfast and lunch from school."

Takemi just barrels on, though, and a cold pit forms in the bottom of his stomach the longer she speaks. "And as the responsible adult, have you been checking in on her? Because that child--" she stresses the word, jabbing one pointed finger back towards the exam room door, "looks worse than some I used to see as chronic patients when I worked in the hospital. She's dehydrated. She's underweight. I had my eyes on her for less than ten seconds and could see that. Sakura, you're lucky if I don't report you--"

He holds his hands up, trying to forestall the verbal tirade. "Look, I'm a busy man, I have a business to run and if she needed something she should've said it--"

"She's terrified of you!" Takemi grits out. "Terrified of me, too! She almost flew across the room when I touched her! If she hadn't said no, I would have thought you'd been 'touching' her."

The implications send a roil of nausea through him. He steps back; Takemi does too, taking a deep breath. "I...you're right," he says, heavy, low. "Damnit, I should have been paying closer attention. She's a quiet little thing. I'd thought the worst of her when she came, but..."

"Even that isn't an excuse to neglect your ward so much," says Takemi, but some of the fire in her eyes is banked. "I'm recommending bed rest for at least 24 hours. She needs to relax or she'll give herself a heart attack, and I'm not being hyperbolic. I'll fax the note over to her school myself." She inhales, blows it out through her nose. "Sakura, just feed your fucking kid."

She's not mine, his brain points out. Futaba's not even mine, and see how I can barely look after her. "Yeah, yeah," he says, dipping his hat lower over his eyes. "You'll give me the discharge instructions?"

"I'll type them up in there with her so she knows them too." She turns on her heel, striding back over to the door.

Before she opens it, she turns over her shoulder. "And what's up with the cat?"

All he can do is shrug.

#filed under:#ask meme #HELP IT JUST KEPT GOING I'M SORRY

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alchemic-writings · 1 year

Text

Mhin Rut Drabble

This is about Mhin having a rut due to their bird curse. If you are not 18+ please do not interact!

[Anatomy for both Mhin and the outsider will not be mentioned for everyone's own preferences]

Mhin has not been seen for days- which usually in of itself is not unusual for the lone hunter. It becomes an alarm when they have missed not only a job offering from Leander but also a check up with Kuras does alarm bells begin to sound.

When the decision had to be made of who would search for Mhin, I was chosen. "I would check on them myself, but the clinic has too many inpatients for me to leave unattended for long," Kuras casts a sympathetic look towards me.

"It's alright! I know you're asking me to do this because I'm the only one outside of you that Mhin even pretends to tolerate." at my mention of the Hunter's distain for others Kuras heaves a sigh, "I fear that their standoffish demeanor is the reason for their absence. Please find them soon and bring them here if their injuries are serious."

I chuckle at the doctor's assumption that Mhin's disappearance is due to a brawl of sorts as a head out the clinic doors and into lowtown.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Wondering the streets searching for a short cloaked figure all day would end with the same results of everyone else's promise to " keep an eye out" for Mhin while they went about their own business. I hoped that checking in spots I knew they frequented would yield better outcomes but I was sadly mistaken.

No silver hair blowing in the wind at the bridge the street cats napped on. No gray eyes trying not to obviously ogle the pastries in the bakery display. No cloaked figure searching the walls of the Senobium for a weakness.

I sighed as I made my way back down to lowtown. The sun was already setting and soon I would be returning to the Wet Wick to meet Kuras empty handed. I supposed if they would be that easy to locate they would have been found already.

As I walked the streets around me looked familiar as I recalled that I'm actually close to where Mhin lodges on the rare occasion they are not out hunting monsters or answers. I had visited Mhin's room once when Kuras had asked me to deliver some medicine to them after a bad encounter with a Soulless left them with stiches.

The woman seated at the desk didn't even spare me a glance as I walked through the lobby and up to the room I remembered from my first visit weeks prior. As I walked further down the hall I felt more and more ridiculous with every step I took. Someone has surely checked for Mhin in the place they deemed safe enough to call residence! I shook off the thoughts as I stopped in front of their door. Even if that is true, perhaps Mhin wasn't there when they checked; I'm already at their door so I might as well say I tried.

As I lifted my hand to knock I freeze when I hear a strange sound from inside. It sounds almost like a mix between a groan and a squawk followed by the sound of rustling sheets. Worry fills my body as I quickly rap on the door; when there is no reply I identify myself to them. There is another one of those strange groans as I hear a shaky response of "Go away," from behind the door.

"Mhin, please let me in. Kuras has been worried about you. I can help you back to the clinic where you can receive proper care." There is a single dry laugh in response before they continue, "There's no point, this... issue isn't anything I haven't delt with before." I hear them choke down a grown at the end of their sentence before the other side of the door fell silent once again.

I rack my brain for all the alchemic remedies for ailments I was taught under my old teacher as I speak out, "I may not be a doctor... But I studied under an alchemist for years and I know some remedies for human inflic-" my sentence is interrupted by a loud bang from inside the room as I hear Mhin growl out, "You don't know anything about my condition."

"Then let me understand! Mhin, how are we supposed to work together to find our cures if you won't let me help you when you're sick?" This time their voice is small as they speak, "That's the issue. This illness is part of my curse. It won't stop happening until I find a cure."

My heart aches for them as I lean my head against their door. "Mhin... Even if I can't find an antidote for your condition right now, surely there is something I can do. Helping each other is what accomplices do." There is a sigh from the other side as I hear the sound of sheets and then bare footsteps coming closer before the door is unlocked.

As the door opens I step back and gasp as I evert my eyes and a blush begins to form on my features. Mhin stands holding onto the doorframe wearing only their undergarments- a far cry from their usual full head to toe coverage. Their skin is flush and glistens with sweat as they pant while staring at me. I steel myself before turning my gaze back to them as I look them in the eyes. Mhin needs help and I need to prove myself as an ally to them.

Their tongue quickly darts out to lick their lips and I curse myself for following the movement. My eyes flit back to theirs as they clear their throat, "You... you really want to try to help?" I try my best to show how earnest I am as I respond, "Mhin, please, I'll do anything..." my only warning is a growl from them as I am dragged into the room.

Mhin tosses me onto the bed with an ease that I so quickly forget they possess. As I land I get my first proper look at their room. Furniture is crooked and only a crack of the setting sun is able to make its way into the room through the curtains. The bed I now lay on is covered in black feathers and the sheets are drenched in sweat.

I cannot bring myself to care though as Mhin crawls onto the bed as well and cages me under them. Their pupils hold a dangerous red to them like when we first met as they tower over me. Those eyes flit over my body and I unconsciously react with a shiver that causes their eyebrows to twitch. Their gray eyes find mine again as they growl, "I'll show you why my curse is too dangerous..."

#touchstarvedgame #touchstarved mc #touchstarved mhin #mhin x reader #mhin #touchstarved game #my writings

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ottiliere · 2 years

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I like to periodically check in on ur blog because you do some of the best Dirk analysis out there and to come and find that since I last checked you posted both JTHM and psychonauts was so awesome, especially because me and one of my pals have been really into talking about both recently since I just bought the reissue of all 7 JTHM comics with extra content and he’s been playing psychonauts 2. I hope to see more of both on ur blog in the future (although please don’t feel pressured you’re content is always good anyways) !

ohh this is lovely to hear...have always felt like there's a through line between psychonauts 05 and jhonen's stuff. which does make sense given that they were made around the same relative time period! I'm assuming you're talking about the director's cut release of JTHM here...I believe this is the first physical copy of the comic i owned as well, it's really nice! have always been fond of how barebones the spine was, i'm sure some people don't like it but I kind of miss how charmless (using the word affectionately) a lot of the design was for books like this.

i wish i could say something nicer about psychonauts 2...I'm not a fan of haterism like that's just not what i care to put out into the world, especially on this blog. but i have to be completely honest with you and say i just did not enjoy this game. if it had been anything BUT a psychonauts sequel it would have been entirely inoffensive to me, but as a sequel it's just kind of incredible the extent to which the charm, style, humor, love, etc. of the first game was just, removed completely, with absolute surgical precision. very little traces of these things. it's fun to play and mostly nice to look at, a good game in all technical respects, but it's just not psychonauts 2005.

my friend dane davestriderdeathcult4568 has been my psychonauts buddy and was running through the first game again recently which is what made me get back into it... neither of us had really engaged with the sequel yet so i watched him play it and it was just; legitimately devastating. the state of the writing is so tragic i remember specifically there was a point at which we had to physically get up and and go stand around on the balcony outside for a while clutching our drinks and cigarettes in the wind looking up at the sky trying to recover emotionally. this sounds like a joke but it totally isn't this game made me so incredibly sad.

like initially i was a little worried my first impression was just nostalgia or something but talking around a little it really obviously...isn't. there's something really vital missing from psychonauts 2. a lot of really vital somethings actually. outside of the writing, even, like, glossing over how just objectively not good the story is....the character design is so egregrious held up to the designs of psychonauts 2005. it feels like they tried too hard to make everyone appealing and "cute"....but they all already were! there was so much lovability in the violent asymmetry and crooked strangeness of the original designs. raz is a great example of this here i think, in the second game he's too...puppy-cute, where in the first game he was cute like kind of an ugly little insect. that was special! and of course there's dear sasha....like look at this look AT this. i don't even know what to say :(

side note it must be said and i will admit that i was so was so upset about everything i was witnessing under dane’s hands that i went home and moped for days and days. and i couldn't even find sasha's p05 model uploaded anywhere and i became alighted with such a fervent spirit i learned specifically how to rip models and textures specifically to recover him (will upload soon of course). unrelated did you know his model is missing buttons when they’re specifically textured in his texture sheet....lost buttons of the world.

and of course i've got “wife” bias with sasha (a/n: he’s a clinically diagnosed homosexual) but I think this is applicable to pretty much every character we see. especially tertiary background characters got... I don't even know a word for this. the janky grotesqueness of the original style is just completely gone, you can see they tried to emulate some of that a little with the asymmetry but what remains is just barely a ghost of an idea of what made the 05's designs memorable. so much of pn2's design work is just absolutely forgettable like leaves no impression at all, and that wouldn't be such a crime if the first game wasn't so criminally without flaw. example:

I'm aware the sequel was in devhell for a while and a lot of this is probably the consequence of necessary streamlining. like i get it, of course I am sympathetic to this. but it doesn't make the final product any less tragic to me...if anything it's worse knowing that there could have been better designs somewhere in there along the line.

there's something to be said for the loss of atmosphere, too....like, the first game was so murky and oppressive; you really got the feeling of a humid, kinda dirty summer camp. all the angles and the spaces and the colors...it was compact in the best way, just absolutely as tightly woven as it needed to be. the low-quality background textures... lovely. the wide-openness of the second game is comparatively so personally uncompelling...it's beautiful and well-crafted but the world of psychonauts 2 lacks the misshappen crackedness of the 05 game. i'm not called to spend hours larping anywhere here...

there's so much more i could say on this, like i sincerely hope this doesn't come off as snotty or pretentious! it'd be one thing if this was just how i felt personally but dane myself and a few other friends have spent copious time idependently of one another poring over both the 05 game and the sequel and come to a lot of the same conclusions as to what's..."missing". the game isn't a complete trashfire and it has a whole handful or maybe even two of redeeming features, but that only makes it hurt more that it feels so devoid of life! loboto in particular is a highlight, like out of everyone i think he's the only character from the first game who truly benefitted from the transition to high resolution...which only goes so far because they shelved him so quickly. I think i actually cried watching him in the game he was so fucking wonderful, genuinely everything about him harkens the ambiance of the first game more than anything else present in the second. he is additionally one of my favorite characters of all time, so I’m... happy he got what he got, at least...

i'll probably end up talking about this again in a little more detail. i wish i could make peace with psychonauts 2 but manpower and research efforts seem to indicate that this is not possible. 2005 reigns undefeated, best game ever all time forever, accept no substitutes, you get the idea. regardless I hope your friend enjoys it still and does not allow this ersatz of love to corrupt their spirit and joie de vivre.

#ask #psychonauts #this is a very long post. but it is how it is.#elaboration on too many friggen dudes: eliminating so so many unnecessary bg characters who didn't do anything would've carried this game t #the championships... would have been extremely funny if they kept up the concept psychonauts being a pretty shitty organization that #struggles to maintain employees. like imagine being a 10yo so excited to join this organization #and then seeing that the hq building is a total ghost town and nobody likes working there #like. please...#you'll never guess who I met at the future parking lot

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earthstellar · 1 year

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on Propranolol (beta blocker) again for both cardiac and anxiety reasons

honestly it fucks with my asthma meds (some of which are beta agonists, so essentially they cancel each other out a little)

but I enjoy the "I'm not sedated but it sure feels that way" vibe that I personally get from this med lmao

if there's a Cybertronian equivalent of Propranolol, I have to wonder if Ratchet himself might potentially benefit from it, given his spark issues...

although it might be more effective for something like managing certain types of spark destabilisation, not chronic/long term spark burn out, but it could maybe be part of a condition management plan for some age related spark conditions which Ratchet's burn out at least partially qualifies as (on top of likely being stress exacerbated etc.)

once again wishing we had more canonical Cybertronian health details but I am Like This so of course I want those deets, lmao

in the universe where the Lost Light just kept on adventuring, I'm sure First Aid would eventually suggest it to Ratchet once they caught on to what's happening, earlier intervention may have been helpful and I think First Aid even suggests this to be the case in the last issue (would need to double check and I'm on work break right now lol)

but I can fairly easily imagine that Drift would eventually get worried enough about Ratchet's health that between him and First Aid, Ratchet would probably submit to the necessary exams/tests and at least give it a go lol

first few days would be amazing

"Ratchet do you have the data pad with today's outpatient clinic list on it?"

"eh"

"okay. Velocity, do you have the data pad with today's outpatient clinic list on it?"

lmao

he would adjust to it fairly quickly but that initial adjustment period would have Drift hovering around in the med bay like an HCA (healthcare assistant), just to keep an eye on him

Ratchet would try to complain about it but he'd be too physically zoned out for it. "I'm relaxed but not because I want to be. Aid, put those fragging tools back. Pretend I am shouting." First Aid would just give Drift a reassuring thumbs up while Ratchet's leaned back in his desk chair and can't see it lmao

Ratchet ends up falling asleep at his desk the first day and wakes up covered in a tarp/blanket Velocity had draped over him at some point (with Drift hovering nearby, of course)

Drift still worries but First Aid explained that the medication can contribute to drowsiness etc. so even though Drift is concerned, he thinks it's probably good that Ratchet's operating at a slower (and healthier) speed, and he's happy Ratchet is finally getting some much-needed care and rest :')

Still stresses Drift out to see Ratchet so slow and seemingly sedated for the time being, but he trusts First Aid and knows it's worth trying

Ratchet is mad about it lol but also admits that his spark compartment and chest mechanisms are less sore and he doesn't feel as overclocked as usual-- He does feel old, though, and doesn't like being slower and more tired even though that should improve a bit gradually, but he knows it's good to have finally sought out care, even if he only did it for Drift's sake (at first, anyway)

I gotta go back to work now so this isn't really a complete thought or anything but in my defense Propranolol has me slow as hell today LMAO

#idw ratchet #idw drift #idw first aid #lost light #mtmte #maccadam #maccadams

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incarnateirony · 1 year

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Some of you have followed me for a few years. The last 2 have been particularly rough. The plot basically went:

Work overtime in politics to remove trump and flip senate

wife acts weird when I first nervously float trans shit

wife runs to get a job, starts cheating digitally first with coworker in a few weeks

Gets one check tries to throw me out after years not working

Thinks she bought everything demands keeping everything

I move pay it all and bottom my bank furnishing my house (she moves in the other guy immediately)

my old political org job crashed on hours, and lied about their recovery time

It took a few months to get my other job, and then I worked two for about half a year until I could tell the one to go get bent because I had caught up

In this time my credit fell into the low 300s.

Was doing great at my marketing job but then my passouts started, took a while to figure out the spine problems and come back to earth

Got roommates to help; one screwed me then the replacement guy came in, got doped up, stopped paying, got thrown out, and just tried to murder me in revenge

Before the divorce started, I had already been looking at plume and HRT things, but the constant roller coaster kept throwing me on my ass over and over. And as you guys know I had JUST started this, and here comes life crashing in delaying it, because my money has to go into emergency moving to not be murdered.

Now, I live in the only state that is about to pass legislation that restricts trans healthcare even to *adults*. Which is about to throw a kink in the gears even worse.

Luckily I'm close to the border, and friends are offering to drive me over the line for clinics and help figure it out, so I'm not TOTALLY boned but it's absolutely not the kind of complication I FUCKING needed right now.

WRT my credit, in the last year and a half I've recovered it to just above 580, or barely into fair; not enough to qualify for cards or loans worth a damn still but in the right direction.

I'm currently looking at a 3,300$ foreclosed trailer and trying to find the way to appeal for a credit line or financing on it, or otherwise just flat get the money together, because hell, I could just own it AND be nowhere near where the asshat is trying to FUCKING KILL ME THROUGH THE WALLS.

This is my last night at Mark's place. The idea is, if the lights are off in my room for the last five days and his weird listening devices don't hear me, he probably thinks he succeeded. The plan is to clear out a corner of my basement, since it's solid concrete he can't suddenly shoot through, and work it out in there for a few weeks.

So IF you want any video edits, or need any project direction, management, whatever, anything that helps me do more than tread water, let me know.

Or check out my ko-fi

or if you worry about fees just direct, experimentural at gmail dot com for paypal.

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leebrontide · 9 months

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Secondhand Origin Stories, Chapter 6

Here's this week's chapter! Reblogs welcome!

For those of you just joining us, I'm posting a chapter a week of my free near future scifi/low neon cyberpunk YA/NA novel, Secondhand Origin Stories, which has been described as

"-a character driven, compelling story full of family, queerness, corruption, brain altering nanites, secretly teen parenting AIs, and taking aspects of the superhero genre to their very human and rarely-explored natural conclusions."

For content warnings and more, check here:

You can follow along by following #SHOSweekly

Chapter 6

By the time Opal checked her phone, she was about four blocks from the plaza, and she had six missed calls and five missed texts. But she hadn't heard any alerts!

Aldis: Where you at? I can't see you on the platform.

Aldis: The bus came and went already, where are you?!

Aldis: Opal?

Aldis: Come on, baby cousin. Say something. Lemme know you’re OK.

Mom: Missed Call (5)

Auntie: Girl, call your mom she’s texting half of Chicago.

Mom: Aldis says he can't find you and you're not answering. Is something wrong? What happened? Where are you?

Opal sat on the nearest stoop, exhausted. Ugh. The tower must have jammed her signal. She sent a group text: I'm OK! Sorry, I didn't realize the APB building was signal jamming! I'm totally fine.

Mom: Don't DO that. Are you trying to kill me?

Aldis: On my way to the Plaza. STAY PUT.

Dangit. She wheeled her luggage around and headed back towards the Plaza as fast as she could amidst the now-bustling foot traffic.

By the time she got back to the plaza, the roads and sidewalks were crowded, but people were mostly avoiding the plaza. They almost seemed not to want to look at it. And the security was way more overt. They were different guards from earlier, which she was thankful for. This time, she headed right towards the huge front entrance, on the opposite side from the rubble and the van of new armed and uniformed men.

She waited in a spot she hoped would be conspicuous enough for Aldis to see her. She sure felt conspicuous. Everyone around her was wearing the kind of seamless printed suit you got when you had the money for scanned measurements. The foot traffic was also almost all white, even though this was Chicago for Pete’s sake. Lots of people glanced at her as they passed, sizing her up-- some curious, others warily. See how good you look after riding a bus all night then getting beat on by a superhero and having your dreams crushed and then revived. Opal wanted a nap so bad.

Aldis's truck arrived pretty quickly, and he hastily parked it in a no-parking zone, flicking on his hazards. He pointed at her menacingly, but he had smile dimples that always gave him away. "You are trouble. 100% trouble. I thought I was gonna have a heart attack." Opal was out here trying to be a superhero, and everyone was worried about her sitting at a bus stop.

Well, she had almost gotten shot, though. Christ.

She gestured to the single-tower palace of medicine, marketing, and bureaucracy behind her. "Well, good location for it."

"You better not give me so much trouble working for me. Don't think I won't fire you because you’re my cousin."

"You won't, though,” she sing-songed.

"Don't push your luck," he admonished, giving her a tight hug. She returned it. It felt good to have someone she knew was really, truly on her side, here. He looked over her shoulder as he withdrew, looking at the tower. "You get your appointment done, then? Or just booked."

"Neither." Checking in with the APB when you traveled wasn't technically mandatory for an altered, but they were warned repeatedly that if they didn't, the clinic side of things “may not be prepared" for them if they needed medical attention. "You and Capricorn and all your guys live here, so they should be fine with Detroit altereds. I'll do it the next time I come over here."

"Well where've you been, then?"

Suddenly, she felt like everything that had happened would just burst out of her chest. She didn't even know how to sort her feelings about everything today. She leaned in, dropping her voice low. "I've been upstairs. Upstairs upstairs." He looked at her, questioningly. "The Sentinels. I met the Sentinels. And their kids." She felt a tired smile tug at her lips. "Capricorn made me pancakes and sausages."

Aldis was shocked, but also appropriately impressed. "You work fast. How the hell did you manage that?"

"Can I tell you on the way?" Seriously, she wanted a nap.

"Hop in."

A key and a bright blue polo t-shirt with a SuperMovers logo were sitting on the passenger side door. The more down-to-earth side of her new Chicago life.

She told Aldis the story, even the humiliating defeat part. She hesitated over how to describe the family she'd met, and just decided to go light on the details. She tried not to snap to judgments about people.

"Well, I think even your mom will forgive you for being MIA for Capricorn to cook you breakfast. Oh, but don't say it like that. Makes it sound dirty."

"I thought he was gay?"

"Hell if I know. Superheroes is your thing. You wanna know who’s who in pro wrestling, I got you. Superheroes, not so much."

They passed into an industrial area full of warehouses and trucks. Opal's mind was too full for her to pay much attention. She managed some small talk about how Aldis's crew was doing. Mostly guys from back home who she at least sort of knew, who came out with Aldis to help him start his company where there were a lot fewer altereds to compete with.

Eventually, he pulled up to a brick and cinderblock building pretty much like the rest of the brick and cinderblock buildings, but with SuperMovers trucks and vans around. A couple of guys built like male versions of Opal were just coming up to the building. She waved, smiling, and the ones that knew her grinned and waved back.

She'd thought they were going to an apartment, but she could fill out her new employee paperwork first and not complain. She followed him up some stairs and a walkway leading over the ground floor garage spaces. The office at the top was the first thing today that turned out to be exactly what Opal expected. Mismatched, beat-up sofas, a couple bulky desks, an old file cabinet, a humming fridge, and a much-abused dartboard, all interspersed with flattened cardboard boxes and occasional pop cans.

"OK, so here's the office. You show up here at least half an hour before we've got to move out. If you need time off for superhero junk, just let me know." He closed the door, grinning broadly, like he had some marvelous secret.

She followed him down the hallway lined with doors on both sides. "So, one of the many services we offer is short-term storage for our moving clients." He unlocked a door, gesturing for Opal to look inside. The room contained a manor house’s worth of high-end furniture, stacked to fit and covered in tarps and plastic. Boxes with words like "Holiday dishes" lined the walls. "Sometimes people need to get out of their old place before they can get into the new one. So we hold onto their stuff in the meantime."

He shut the door, walking backwards down the hallway. If he didn’t get to his point soon, his head might split open from all that grinning. "But sometimes, we take on special clients. Our VIPs. They're so special they don't even have to pay."

"Why're you all working without pay?"

"The guys get paid, just the company doesn't. You and your dad aren't the only do-gooders around here. From day one, we've made some time to move people getting out of abusive situations. We move them out, and whatever asshole is doing the abusing doesn't want to mess with us. They get out safe without the cost of moving. We've got agreements with local shelters and everything."

Opal felt pride in her cousin welling up. "I didn't know that. That's really decent, Aldis."

He puffed up proudly. "Your dad inspired it. I wanted to do what he can't, right now."

Opal's eyes pricked with tears. He hugged her again. "Right now, that includes helping you out. Come on. Lemme show you."

She wiped her eyes and followed him to the far end of the hall, where he unlocked another door and flung it open with a flourish. "Ta-da! Welcome to the VIP suite. I warned you it wasn't the Ritz, but you really can't get a better commute."

Inside, a corner storage room with big windows was set up like a studio apartment. There were four beds pushed against the walls, a couple dressers, two couches slightly younger-looking than the ones in the office, a card table and chairs, one bathroom, and a little kitchenette. Opal walked in.

The floor was cracked cement, and the walls were whitewashed cinderblock that did look a little like prison, but there were posters left up on the walls, a stained floral rug on the floor, a few homey touches. There seemed to be dishes in the cabinets. There were boxes everywhere, some folded, some not. It was definitely a place meant for transitions. Aldis continued, "All the stuff in here was left by someone we've moved, or donated by one of the guys. We can't charge rent, but nobody bothers us if someone crashes here for a little while, while they get on their feet, keep their kids with them. It's got a security system on the building, it's on a bus line, and right now, it's all yours."

This time, Opal hugged Aldis. This space felt right. Temporary, but right. A gift from family who’d already made his dreams come true and was already helping people-- helping people in her dad’s name. “I love it. Thank you.”

* * *

Yael lay on xyr bed, head hanging off the foot of it, staring at the wall upside-down. Xyr room was a jigsaw of memories and interests. One sunny yellow wall, one denim blue, one an unapologetic green, and the last was a dark gray that matched xyr exoskeleton. Xe’d painted that one xyrself, on impulse. Xe was pretty sure xe’d done it for some kind of complicated psychological reasons, but xe tried not to think about it too hard. Papa never stopped Yael from doing whatever xe wanted with xyr room, but xe knew he hated that wall.

Xe’d covered most of the gray wall with family photos-- a huge collage starting at the center and spiraling out. But the corner by xyr bed was covered in xyr own drawings. Mostly semi-recent designs for a superhero uniform for xyr. Most of them featured oven mitts, because drawing hands was hard, and feet that went off the edge of the page, because feet were stupid and never looked right. Xe usually didn’t bother with a face.

Skittles was still missing. It’d been days. She could be dead by now, for all Yael knew. What kind of superhero couldn’t even defend a hamster?

At least Issac seemed to be on the road to some kind of recovery. He was awake enough to want his data back. That had to be a good sign.

What kind of superhero gave illegal altering tech back to someone who wasn’t supposed to have it?

The same kind who had let xyr brother fall off a building and had to somehow make it up to him.

And the kind who beat up a perfectly nice superhero-hopeful just because xe was told to. Ugh.

Yael pushed xyrself up and went to the hamster hutch. Xe put a hand in, but xe must have been too tense. They shot away from xyr hand, not wanting to be picked up. Xe reminded xyrself that hamsters, while adorable, were not smart, and couldn’t hold grudges just because you’d failed to save one of them. And xe still might find Skittles.

Yael needed to talk to someone who would understand. Xe pulled xyr hand out of the largest tank in Hamster Town and yelled down the hall. “Papa!”

No answer.

“Paaaaaaaapaaaa!”

He was in the living-room, sitting with his elbows braced on his knees, staring down at the floor tiles. Xe stopped short. “Papa?”

He sat up, and drastically fumbled an attempt at a smile. “Yes, Dove?”

“What’s wrong?”

“Come. Come sit down.”

Yael stepped over the back of the couch, and sat next to him at its bend. He looked like he would rather be anywhere in the world but here. “We need to talk about what happened this morning.”

“You didn’t look mad when we were talking to Melissa.”

“I’m not mad. But the officers involved contacted me. They told me-- what you did.”

“Opal isn’t mad--”

��The silver, Yael,” he interrupted, more harshly. “And shape changing. In public. In the street, where anyone could have seen you.”

“I was protecting Jamie!” Yael interrupted.

His jaw tightened. “You don’t need--” he faltered for a second-- “that. For a simple fight. We’ve trained you better than that. And that girl was a foot and a half smaller than you. Do you realize what she must have thought?”

Yael didn’t look strikingly like Ezekiel or Miriam. Xe’d seen enough pictures to know that.

But the exoskeleton…before Yael, that power had been Ezekiel's, alone.

But even with it active, Yael’s face was visible. Nobody paying any attention could mistake xyr for xyr birth-father.

Was that what papa meant? It almost had to be.

Which made this the closest he’d ever come to discussing Yael’s origin in front of xyr. The realization made xyr cautious-- if xe stepped carefully, xe might be able to lure him into an honest discussion about xyr birthparents, and how Yael ended up living with him. “What would she have thought?”

He started to answer before snapping his mouth shut. “We can’t know. But it wouldn’t have been anything good.”

This was stupid. Yael needed him right now. For a real, honest conversation, about heroism, and identity, and how to navigate xyr failures. And he couldn’t even own up to events from 17 years ago. “Say it,” xe challenged.

He hesitated again. “Say what?”

Oh for the love of all that was holy. “Say what you’re so afraid she was thinking.”

He stood. Actually took half a step away from Yael. “Just don’t do it again.”

Was he…afraid of xyr? He couldn’t be. He raised xyr.

Could he be so afraid of Ezekiel that he couldn’t even say his name? But Ezekiel was dead! There was no reason to be afraid of a dead man!

A test. “Say ‘Ezekiel’”.

Papa recoiled. “What? Don’t bring my brother into it. He has nothing to do with this.”

Yael narrowed xyr eyes, baffled, trying hard not to jump to the obvious conclusion. “You can’t possibly think I don’t know. Everyone knows. It’s not hard to figure out. Opal probably did.”

Yael had never seen anyone look so trapped. He didn’t even answer. Just stared.

Was it that bad? Yael knew that having come from supervillains might cause problems for xyr someday. Nodiah had confirmed that. But xe’d never thought it could be so bad that Papa, who knew xyr, would consider it unspeakably awful. Xe’d always just figured that it hurt him to talk about. That it was sad, to him. But this didn’t look like that.

While Jamie’s parents were arming her, Yael's father couldn’t even name the people who’d made xyr. While Jamie’s parents claimed Jamie’s genes, he was so horrified by Yael's DNA, he couldn’t even speak.

If that was what he thought of xyr DNA, what did he think of Yael xyrself?

Yael needed to get away from him. “Coward,” xe growled.

Xe vaulted over the back of the couch, and got behind a door xe could slam as quickly as possible.

* * *

Issac didn’t know where to go. He couldn’t go home. Mom would be there. He couldn’t go to the lab; Dad was there. The courtyard could contain anyone at any time. Possibly including random girls, it would seem. His secret hideaway had been relocated 24 stories lower at full speed.

He wanted to be alone. To freak out without anyone noticing. To not have to worry about whether he was making any noise or not.

The pool! Dad was the only one who used it daily. And since he knew where Dad was, that area should be safe. Echo-y, but if nobody was there to hear, it wouldn’t matter. He didn’t think he could accidentally make noise anyone would hear in the training room all the way from the pool, especially since it was on the same level as the lab, and Dad’s noxious noise would drown out anything.

He slipped down the hall as fast as he could manage and ducked into the pool’s room. It was warm, humid, and felt good on his skin. He sank down gratefully onto a deck chair, which settled down his knees a little. But that minute bit of relaxation just seemed to loosen his hold on himself.

He pressed a hand over his mouth, focusing on the cuts and bruises to try and give his thoughts a wide berth. It’d be safe to make noise here, but he still didn’t want to. His chest seized for a moment, forcing air from his lungs. A sob. He squeezed his eyes shut.

He tried to tell himself he was overreacting. Sure, dad had probably been avoiding him and apparently didn’t know how to talk to Issac anymore. But he’d given Issac the contacts, right? He was still trying to help Issac out.

Jenna had left when she couldn’t fit in anymore. Cut off contact with everyone. Could Issac still fit in, here?

Sure. Sure he could. Issac wasn’t significantly brain damaged. He wasn’t breaking furniture or ripping up floor tiles or anything. He was just deaf. He just had to show them he was still functional. And now he had contacts to help him do that!

He opened the case, squinting at the liquid inside. He’d never worn contacts before. Jamie had worn correctives for a while. Issac couldn’t even stand to watch her put them on. It was so gross.

Well, it was less than anyone else in his family had been through to improve themselves. He stuck a finger in the liquid, cooler and a little more viscous than water, and dug around, trying to detect the sliver of tech inside. It worked, and he fished it out carefully. He squinted at it. Ugh.

OK, how had Jamie done this? He remembered her looking up at the ceiling, so he did that. He was getting fond of looking at ceilings. They were so uneventful. Then…holding his eyelids open. OK. OK, he could do that.

Mostly. As soon as he touched his eyelid, he felt it rebelling, trying to close. His body didn’t seem to want to obey any of his commands lately. He pushed ahead.

Then, just…put it on, very gently.

He lifted his finger up, and reached--

Nononononononono.

Issac lowered his finger. Tingling, crawling feelings chased each other up and down his spine and arms. This was so gross.

No. He had to make this work. He couldn’t use the tablet forever. He had to show what he could do.

He tried again.

He tried a third time, and actually ended up standing up and wrenching his knee, as if that would get him away from his own stupid fingertip. Or maybe just because that horrible crawling sensation had gotten into his legs, and demanded movement. All his instincts were telling him no. After all, he was already deaf-- what if he poked his own eye out? How would that look to everybody? Don’t leave Issac alone, he can’t be trusted with his own sensory organs.

He made another noise, one of pure frustration.

There was a movement at the corner of his vision, and he turned, startled. It was Drew, eyebrows raised questioningly, clearly worried. He was dressed in workout clothes, a little damp with sweat. He’d been working out. Issac’s noise couldn’t have been that loud, could it?

Issac realized too late that there were tears on his face, and too much speed to his lungs.

Drew looked him up and down. He noticed the contact container, and pointed at it, looking more questioningly. Issac nodded. Yes. Yes, he was upset because of these stupid unnatural chunks of plastic he was being expected to jam onto his eyeballs.

Drew waved him over to the patio chair again, picking up the case, then sitting down himself. He left Issac room to join him on the long leg rests. Issac did, his shoulders drawn up in twin knots.

Drew started by putting his hand on Issac’s shoulder. It helped more than it should have. He took the contact Issac had and put it back in the container, pulling out the other one from the case. He motioned Issac to hold his own eyelids, which, while gross, was better than someone else touching his eyes.

Drew was a persevering sort of person. He tried all of four times to get the damn contact in.

After the fourth, Issac ducked his head. The corners of his mouth were pulling, out of his control, and his chest was going tight, as if it was gearing up for another noise he couldn’t hear or help making.

Drew shifted. He put the contact back in the case. His hand shimmered a slight green of disappointment. Issac closed his eyes.

Then he felt Drew take his hand and turn it over. Issac knew what the object Drew put in his hand was, even before he opened his eyes. A phone. In particular, Drew’s phone. But it had the tablet’s same translation software running.

DREW: Let’s try this.

Isaac’s shoulders dropped. This was humiliating, but at least nothing was going to be put directly onto his cornea. He nodded a tiny bit.

DREW: Martin said you wanted to see me. Was it just to help with the contacts?

Of course Martin would call for help. And he had a ton of sensors in the pool area. Shit, Issac needed to talk to Martin. Get the rest of his sensors back up. At least he could fix one of them. That would make him feel better. Less guilty, at least.

Issac just nodded. It seemed like the safest course.

Issac wasn’t expecting the hug, and it was kind of clammy, since Drew had been working out, but he tentatively returned it anyway. It was nice to close his eyes for a minute and still have someone feel real and present with him. He let his head rest on Drew’s shoulder a bit longer than he should have.

Then that awful, sniveling urge came back, harder than before. Issac retreated into his own personal space again, before he embarrassed himself further. Drew left his hand on Issac’s shoulder.

DREW: Don’t freak yourself out too bad, OK kiddo? Lots of deaf people get by in this world just fine. And you come from a long line of smart, adaptive people. It’s nothing you can’t handle.

It helped more than it should have. Finally, a clear vote of confidence. Issac had no idea how true it was that deaf people got by just fine. He’d never properly met a deaf person before. They were absent from the spheres he occupied. But Drew’s support, and his faith in Issac’s ability to adapt, seemed sincere. Something of his relief must have shown on his face. Drew smiled back.

DREW: Now gimme my phone back. You’ve got like a stack of tablets at your place.

Issac handed it back. Some of the brain fog he’d been putting down to concussion had cleared away. Which probably meant it was more anxiety than anything. Maybe Issac really could handle this.

* * *

Jamie sat back, looking at the small piles of Jenna’s things she’d finished dusting and cleaning. She’d sorted them into what she thought should go to whom. For Mom, a watercolor painting of the lake that needed a new frame, but was, by itself, intact. For Drew, an enameled cast-iron pot that showed no sign at all that it’d fallen off a building. For Yael, a handful of unbroken wooden Christmas ornaments xe’d smiled at, shaped like Arctic animals playing musical instruments. For Issac, a collection of Issac Asimov stories that was beat up long before the attack. For Solomon, a gardening trowel, and for Jamie, an MIT hoodie. There were just a few things left in the pile. Mostly photos that were probably not worth saving, since they could just reprint them.

She picked up the last really worthwhile object. The deck of Star Trek playing cards seemed a little shabby compared with the rest of the mementos, but Dad had loved family poker nights once upon a time, so maybe he would like it? She’d salvaged a few poker chips to go along with it. Not nearly enough for a game, but maybe enough for a memory.

Jamie missed family poker nights. They always started with arguments about whose deck to use, since they all had themed ones. When they were really little, Jamie had usually been on her dad’s “team.” She’d argued for Vikings, even though she herself didn’t care about Minnesota sports. Issac had always gotten stuck between Mom’s Star Wars and Jenna’s Star Trek. Jamie smiled at the memory, tempted to keep the deck for herself.

She pulled back the edge of her sleeve a little, looking at the gauntlet. She kicked her feet a little, then stilled them. She shouldn’t act childish in the face of a gift like this. She knew she wasn’t supposed to wear it indoors. It wasn’t like she was in danger, here. But it was like she could just strap her parents’ faith in her onto her wrist, and that was nice. Bizarre, but nice.

So Dad didn’t want her to drink coffee, but high-end weaponry was OK? Weirdo.

She almost wondered if she was taking advantage of something here. Mom kept staring into space for hours on end. Dad’s eyes looked wrong. Should she ignore that, just because she liked the outcome? She was still mad he’d disappeared for three days when he should’ve been there for Issac. And at how rude he was to Opal. And how he hardly ever looked Jamie in the eye.

Jamie had a big, garish, carnival-sized stuffed narwhal sitting next to her huge white bean bag chair. She’d had that narwhal for ten years, and for all the times she’d gone through her things to get rid of stuff she’d outgrown, she’d still kept it. Mom hated the thing. They’d tried to clean it, but it was stained even before Jamie’d gotten it. She and her dad had “rescued” it from a tree after someone had thrown it out of a high-rise window. Dad had flown her up to the high branches and let her climb onto one so she could reach it. Just because, at six, she’d been upset to see it laying there abandoned with a storm on the way. He’d even stitched up a tear in one of the seams for her. It was probably the cheapest piece of junk in the building.

She flicked its horn. So flying her three stories up right before a thunderstorm was OK. But not coffee. He really didn’t make any sense. It was like there was two of him. One was the doofy, indulgent Dad of her memories who let her play bad hands for him, who would let her take a risk if she wanted to. Then there was the stiff, distant jerk who always looked over Jamie’s head. Who cussed at Yael today.

She wasn’t sure which one of them had given her the gauntlet. She hadn’t seen doofy Dad in a while, though.

Jamie’d always thought that she was the one who’d changed. That she’d gotten older, come to understand her position more, and that that was what had changed her relationship with her dad. But what if that wasn’t the case?

She piled everything but the hoodie into the pot, and focused on a feeling of accomplishment. At least today was going better than the other days since the attack. People were moving and talking again, and maybe Jamie had helped someone else a little bit, too.

She propped the painting against Mom’s bedroom door, and was pleased to find Issac’s room empty. She put the book on his bed. Mom was zoning out watching TV; Jamie snuck past her. The courtyard was full of construction noise, but they kept it all out of the way and invisible from the public eye. That had to be massively less efficient, but it kept the courtyard private, which was apparently a big deal right now. She put the other mementos in front of everyone's front doors, including Dad’s, and paused.

Just to be sure, she tried the handle to Dad’s apartment. It opened, just like it always had. Maybe the lock had been a glitch in the MARTIN system. Maybe Dad hadn’t realized she and Issac couldn’t get in to see him. She let herself in, but didn’t see Dad. She reminded herself she was always allowed in here, and went to the kitchen. She wasn’t doing anything wrong. She opened the fridge.

Well, that was one theory gone. Dad didn’t mind the occasional wine or beer. But if he was stockpiling enough to get an altered drunk, there’d be cans or bottles around. His fridge was full up, but there was no alcohol inside. Same with the recycling-- no bottles or beer cans.

There was a neat little pile of cereal on the counter.

Hamster bait.

Maybe her old dad was on his way back after all.

She slipped back into the courtyard, and found a new mystery. There was a narrow door between two of the elevators in the central hub. And it was ajar.

Once she got to the doorway, she could hear Issac. “I really am sorry.” A pause. “Hey, I have a concussion, OK? Neither of us is at his best, here.”

Jamie poked her head in, and sure enough, Issac was sitting with his back to her, and a tablet plugged into an open maintenance hatch. A second tablet sat next to it, with the translation software open. Issac talking to hardware was not even a little new. Mom did the same thing. Sometimes at high volumes. “Hi. What do you want?”

Jamie hesitated. “Me?”

Jamie could only see a sliver of Issac’s face as he glanced down at the tablet, but the following small raise and shake of his head looked like an eye roll even from behind. “Yes, you. What are you doing in the maintenance hub?” His voice sounded scratchy, and kind of painful.

“I saw the door open.” This felt so much more natural. “I don’t think you’re supposed to be doing that.”

“Do you want the security systems up and working again?” He didn’t sound angry, or upset.

Jamie sat down on the low-pile carpet behind him. “It doesn’t hurt your head?”

“I’m taking a lot of breaks,” Issac answered. “It’s not too bad. I’ll go to bed after.” It made sense he’d fix the break he’d made, even if he wasn’t feeling well.

She drew her knees up, and rested her arms and chin on them. “That’s bad post-concussion aftercare,” she remarked.

This time he glanced back at her, but once he saw she was just commenting, not lecturing, he went back to his tablet. “I know. But it needs doing. Those idiots downstairs don’t know what they’re doing. I had to hook the tablet up physically to undo all the crap they messed up. Tch.”

She let him work quietly for a while. Even the back of his neck was bruised. But healing. If it’d been one of the team, the bruises would be gone by now.

“Who was that girl this morning? With my drive?”

“Her name’s Opal. She was helping us pick up Jenna's stuff. I put a book in your room. There was enough left for everybody to get something.”

He turned to look at her, intrigued. “What book?”

“Some Asimov stories.” He turned back to read her answer. He looked uncomfortable.

This time he didn’t look back up from his tablet when talking to her. “She’s not dead. You shouldn’t give away her stuff.”

Well, that was gratitude for you. “It has to go somewhere. She’s not coming back for it.”

Something about the tiny, out-of-the-way, isolated space seemed more private than other rooms. Seemed to have some kind of effect on her brother. “Do you miss her?”

Jamie’s brow furrowed. She would have shoved him over if he wasn’t still all banged up. What a stupid question. “Of course. I was just thinking about family poker nights.”

He paused. “Heh. I forgot about those.”

“Hey Issac, what do you think is going on with Dad?”

“You mean this morning? I don’t know. He looked drunk.”

“There’s no alcohol in his kitchen. And I’ve never seen Dad get drunk before. Why would be he drunk at six in the morning?”

“No idea. But as long as it’s just one time, it doesn’t matter.”

“I guess.”

He tinkered for a while. He was going slowly, she could tell that much. “Hey, Jamie?”

“Yeah?”

“Did Dad come over while I was asleep the last couple days?”

She almost lied for him. Her fingers went to the gift Dad and Mom had given her, and her mind went to the little pile of cereal. But Issac deserved honesty. “No.”

Issac’s hands stopped. He sat silently for a long minute. “I think LodeStar: Leader of the Sentinels is having trouble dealing with having a son who’s...” He gestured loosely at his ears. “That’s probably why he was drinking.”

Jamie put her head on her knees. It was as good an answer as anything else. It made more sense than what Mom had told her, at least. Except... “But wasn’t he weird before today? I mean, didn’t he used to be different?”

He scowled down at her words, fingers moving on the keyboard. “What? God, I don’t know. I have a concussion, don’t make me try to remember junk like that.”

“You’re fiddling with the world’s most advanced security system,” she pointed out.

He scowled in earnest this time. He didn’t stop typing, but his movements turned into angry single-finger jabs at the screen. “What, do you think our dad’s on drugs or something? Don’t be stupid.”

No help whatsoever. She let him fiddle for a while. He kept rubbing his eyes and shifting around, trying to be comfortable with a bruised-up body. So he thought Dad couldn’t handle Issac being deaf. “Yael and I are taking ASL lessons,” she offered.

He didn’t say anything. Just kept typing.

She tried again. “You want to come, too? Opal’s nice.”

Pause. “Are those ideas related?”

“She’s teaching us.”

“Why’s an altered even know ASL?”

“A bunch of her family are deaf. So, do you want to come, too? We could do it together.”

“I don’t know. Maybe. Quit bugging me.”

Jamie sighed, settling back against the wall. She let a few minutes go by. “Hey, Issac?” He glanced down, returning a noncommittal noise. “If I warn you ahead of time, can you shower before cute girls come over?”

He looked back, checking her tone, then threw a stylus at her with a smirk.

She was pretty sure he’d be OK.

#SHOSweekly

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a-spell-a-rebel-yell · 10 months

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JULY!!!!!

hello everyone, lads and lasses, i hope you are all well and happy! buckle up because this post is going to be long for i want to put down as many details as i can - i'll just go straight to the point that i'm uncharacteristically on time for this July post because i just can't wait to relay the news!

here we go, the main highlight of this month is that i can finally confide in you guys for what is the true nature of my project because it went super duper well! and if you follow me on instagram or twitter, yes: i got accepted to Dentistry UI's Orthodontic Residency program ✨

look at that. i still can't believe it says i got in. still feels like a fever dream, but it's real 🥺

so July has been such a tremendous emotional rollercoaster for me... well honestly the past year has been one. i prepared for the SIMAK UI exam since October 2022 because there were just so many things to take care of, not to mention actually studying for the exam(s). yep, there were different exam steps and each has a challenge of its own. before i explain them and the timeline, i just want to put a disclaimer that orthodontic residency is one of the hardest to get into and i went in with complete surrender of how the result will turn out. there were 19 candidates and only 11 are accepted.

there were eight different exams: TPA (some sort of academic potential test), GMAT English test, MMPI (and i quote from Google: "The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory is the most common psychometric test devised to assess personality traits and psychopathology."), orthodontic theory computer based test, orthodontic theory essay, English essay, orthodontic wire bending practical exam, and the last being an interview with the professors of the department.

if the amount of tests already made you cower, then the dates and intervals of when the exams were held will tip you over the edge: all eight exams are done in just the span of four days! i remember checking out the schedule and got a headache immediately because i was so worried of the time constraint. and the way that there's an exam day where i had four exams done... i literally ate next to nothing and got a bit sick afterwards (sorry, a force of habit with so much stress lol)

so many went in as an effort to put my best out there, and it wasn't easy. to get into residency programs it's a well known public secret that you need to have an insider or a recommendation letter from higher-ups, and really... i have none. i remember my mum saying that all i have is Allah's help. as anyone who know me may guess, i did everything i could (obviously) 😂

for the orthodontic theory exams i had to read two thick textbooks that took me two months to finish, because it was just too much of new information i need considerable amount of time to understand the theories. there was no guideline on what to expect or what kind of question will appear on the exams, so i just blindly read everything and try to make a sense out of it. i think 6 months before the exam week every day was just me reading anything orthodontics related, revising them, working on sample exam questions i have from my previous clinical years, and practicing wire bending (it got me bruised fingers for weeks) i think for this time i can say i'm very proud of myself for being able to push through despite many hindrances, for getting in on my first shot because as i stated earlier many ortho residents had to try twice or even thrice until they're accepted.

the exam week went from July 2nd to July 6th, i think i was a zombie during this time because i couldn't eat well at all and my brain just programmed my body to react as best as i could to everything that transpired in those five days 😭 the announcement was on July 25th and i was on a clinic shift where i had a patient one hour before announcement time and it felt like i was downright insane counting down to the moment i refresh the website... i remember jumping up and down as i see congratulations written 🥺 on July 26th there was a meeting for all residents and i finally got to meet my 10 'classmates'! to be frank i'm so nervous of what's to come but as always, i'll meet it when it does. class will start around late August/early September, so wish me luck for the next three years of residency!

second highlight is my East Sumba trip!!! as usual it was my dad's office trip again for the nth time and i thoroughly enjoyed it as it was five days after i was done with SIMAK UI's exam week! the trip lasted for six days (2 days of journey to and from included) and let me tell you: Sumba. is. so. beautiful. i ran out of objectives, all i could do while exploring just a small portion of Sumba is praise Allah's name because what else would i do? nothing manmade will ever replicate or even come close to the omnipotent presence of nature. i went to Wairinding Hills (it's a hit tourist spot that showcases Sumba's unique terrain, the sunset view is one of a kind), Tanggedu Waterfall (super blue, cold waters here i could spent hours just submerging my feet in it, the view is also great), Walakiri Beach (the special part about beaches in East Sumba is that it has mangrove trees as a way of land protection and during sunset, it gave the impression of the sea mirroring the tree and the people, so yeah top notch photo spot) and of course seafood culinary trip! being near the sea in every direction it gives access to fresh water creatures and the cuisines are heavenly. i thoroughly enjoyed my time here 🥺

from this East Sumba trip i finally decided i'd rather go exploring Indonesia's hidden gem islands rather than going abroad, and i'm not saying this to make a jab to other countries really, it's just i can't believe there are still so many undiscovered untouched ethereal parts of nature in my own country and it's so close to home! i feel like it's a top priority in my bucket list to see them at least once in my life. the only disheartening thing is how the government seems to not care even an ounce about these places. i wish they would notice and make sure the locals can actually benefit from these full of potential tourist spots. also really sad to see most of the tourists here are foreigners because of how expensive domestic flight tickets are to these secluded islands. i sincerely hope for a better plan for these issues...

i know i'm jumping a bit on the timeline here but back again to July 29th i got to see a longtime friend, Nurul! our fathers work at Bank Indonesia and we met while we were in junior high school on a BI event. and i love the fact that even a small inconsequential occurrence turned out into a friendship that stays strong through the years 🥺 we had lunch and watched Oppenheimer together!

then at last July 30th i went to an orphanage that my parents are patrons of, and held a lil celebration of me becoming an orthodontic resident and my sister graduating. it was fun seeing all the kids i've first met back in 2018 as i was starting my clinical years to be a dentist and they are a major part of my journey from becoming a dentist to now a resident. we had lunch and i gave mini dental health education and free dental health checkup - it was hilarious how the boys were more embarrassed than the girls about doing the latter!

that's it for July. oh how time flies :) it's always a mind acrobat looking back and, though it hasn't settled fully yet, knowing how far i've come... i've said this 348573495 times but really, it's an amazing feeling to see things i didn't understand back then are now starting to come back to me in full circle. especially how now i understand never giving up and conceding decisively go hand in hand. life will reveal its secrets and why things go the way they are, all in good time.

dear friends, be patient, do good and be good 😉 good things come to those who wait - they're coming our way. see you in next post!

#alhamdulillah #masyaAllah tabarakallah #i'm officially back to school #yet again #bismillahirrahmanirrahim #excited for this new journey!!!#LET'S GO

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nade2308 · 2 years

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CHICAGO MED RANT!!!

I can't wait for s8 to start, but my hopes in the writers are pretty low atm, so I wrote something my heart desired. And because this got too long to represent the notes in my story, I am posting it separately, as a rant.

A) ANOTHER Pat Halstead scenario. Really? Are we really going with Will might suffer in a similar way his father did and later died as a result from it? This is almost like Cornelius having a heart murmur for years he neglected to treat, at that point I screamed. Pat's mitral valve regurgitation, much? Just please, whatever you do, handle that storyline with care. If Will is going to survive, give us realistic healing process, and maybe some burns/scars as a treat. I believe that Nick can pull off the whumpy parts SO WELL.

B) You cannot convince me that Connor Rhodes would act so worried about Will for him to leave without saying a word to him. You'd be amazed what people do when they are betrayed irl or something truly bad happens. I get it, it was an emotional reaction, but please, I don't think he would have done that as it happened. I had bad things happen in my life, people still betray my trust, yet, I am still here. And even if I leave, it won't be because of that. Granted, my ex girlfriend who killed my father did not cut her throat in front of me, but imho, Connor Rhodes I know and love wouldn't have made a decision like that. Borne out of Impulse and despair and lack of distance between what happened and how he felt about it. Once again, the writers wrote themselves in a corner.

C) Imo, Will Halstead followed Connor Rhodes out of Med in 5x01, the rest is a very long dream.

D) Why do the writers always give Will toxic relationships he gets stuck with? And he keeps chasing something unattainable, because imo he feels like he has to, because otherwise he is not worth it. Absolutely not gonna fly with me.

E) So many missed moments to have Will and Connor share screen time. And this is purely my platonic/friendship brain thinking, I'm not sure the writers would have written a good dynamic if they were together as a couple. Just so many missed moment that could have made a change.

F) Someone on Tumblr said that when Connor left he took Will's last braincell with him. They were right. CONNOR PLEASE COME BACK, AND SET YOUR BOY STRAIGHT, or you know, just set him right.

G) I cannot stop thinking about what happened with Jennifer Baker. And the writers thought that it'd be good thing to give Will a clinical trial storyline and have the worst possible scenarios written for him. I cannot get past that no matter how hard I try.

H) And if by any chance he wasn't convinced Med wasn't the place for him, he should have been when Goodwin blackmailed him like she did, up to the point where he thought it was his own decision if he was in or out + he thought he did it because it is what he always does. Baby, we established in s4 and the Burke storyline: GTFO of undercover work, it always ends up in a mess or trauma.

I) Do not get me started on the trauma and the lack of support system. Because no one believes in this precious sweetheart, no one really cares about him. The only thing they care about is to tell him how good he is when it's convenient for them, and when it'd lead to Will doing something for them because he'll feel wanted and important at that moment. Except maybe Dr. Charles, that guy does feel like he genuinely cares about Will. And Connor, but Connor is not there anymore. I mean, come on, you cannot tell me Jay wouldn't call or text at least once a day to check on him and vice versa. Because he is the only thing left from their family, and it'd be logical to stick together even in the toughest situations. The rest of the time, what everyone does is distrust him, monitor him when he doesn't need that, keep pointing his mistakes and like that's the worst thing ever, and all around it feels like they don't appreciate him right.

J) The conclusion being is:

- Will needs a safety net that consists of at least two reliable friends, more is always better.

- Will needs a healthy relationship (preferably outside of work this time). Someone who will not be a bitch, brat, act entitled and scream and blame him for everything. Someone that will tell Will how things are and will actually love him instead of gaslighting him. Because yes, Natalie was a typical abuser/gaslighter, please don't come to me with the explanation that she has issues too, that she is a woman and that she had the right. No one had the right to do to Will what she did to him. The end. Phillip Davis had no right to say Will ruined Natalie's life in that one scene because it was the other way around.

- Will needs a healthy work environment. If he makes a mistake, talk to him about it, ask him why he did it, INVESTIGATE what caused it. If he doesn't know why, it's fine, even if something undesirable happened. Hazards of the job. He is not a psychopath or a serial killer or anything like it. But even those people have reasons and motives, so please, don't make him the bad guy in any situation always, I am begging.

- Normalize people having friends outside of work. I mean, we have seen friends, family and acquaintances of almost everyone at Med, but they rarely spend time with people that don't work at Med. Tell me about Will's college friend moving back to Chicago, about that one surgeon from NYC that he still keeps in touch, some of the guys from Sudan that finally made it to the states, maybe a baby he helped deliver that's now 4-5 years old and wants to meet him. Give me more Will with kids content because it's adorable and I'm pretty sure I am not the only one craving this.

- Have Will's colleagues stand up for him for once even if he is wrong. Someone really needs to show that boy that he is appreciated and like that, that he has the support from many people and that they would love him be it the wrong or the right thing he did. I screw things up every few days, yet my friends haven't yelled at me like I did the worst possible thing, or told me to get out, only because I made A MISTAKE. It's why it's called a mistake, gee. Granted, it's not the work environment one would face in Will's case, but work is also a relationship. Just be there for Will, people!

And to sum it all up:

GIVE WILL HALSTEAD A BREAK, PEOPLE!

Stronger or weaker person notwithstanding, they would have broken so many times by now if they went through all that Will went through.

Oh and:

P.S. 1: I'll never forgive Goodwin for what she said in 1x18, that the only reason she okayed the offer to Will was because she wanted to see how and when he'll get himself fired. I believe the exact term was how long will it take. Sorry, writers, irl, if my future employer says that, I am out of there the second that is said. No way I am staying to prove someone's point. Besides, if she didn't trust him for him then, then what's the point to get up every day for work when it won't matter to her or anyone? Yes, you will save the lives, but at what cost?

P.S. 2: Connor should have told Will what he did to save his life. It feels to me like that was an important thing to tell someone who is a close friend in the least. Will deserved to know.

P.S. 3: Will Halstead is a precious boy who deserves the world. He needs to be loved, held and cherished. Protect the boy at all costs.

And yes this and much more has been discussed with @thethistlegirl over the course of the last two months and even though she doesn't watch the show, she agrees with me wholeheartedly.

WILL NEEDS TO LEARN THAT HE IS WORTH IT!

I think that's all. For now, lol. We never know when my ranting urges will return.

#chicago med #one chicago #will halstead #Nade rants #I had the urge to rant about this boy I love so much #my ramblings

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