#Alex can go die in a ditch

[deprivedofbraincellsandsleep]

Taylor swift wrote you're losing me about indy and Alex and no one can convince me otherwise

[stevie-petey]

we don't talk about it (we don't have the time)

﹂ season one of “come home”

being dustin henderson's older sister and jonathan byers' best friend is usually an uneventful affair, but when will byers goes missing and a girl with a shaved head claims she has super powers, your duties as a sister and a best friend become a lot more complicated. (it also makes your feelings suddenly complicated, which you're choosing to ignore). (and steve harrington definitely isn't helping). (as usual).

episode one: the vanishing of will byers - jonathan smuggles you free food in exchange for friendship, will goes missing the one time you listen to jonathan, hopper doesn't really like you, and steve harrington almost hits you with his car as you're sobbing like a damn baby (in a cool way).

episode two: the weirdo on maple street - you use your limited psych knowledge to help a bald girl, you force jonathan to accept $20 and he's later an ass to you, steve doesn't know what a "missing" poster looks like, and it's really hard being a single mother to now four kids.

episode three: holly, jolly - you and jonathan talk it out and things are better (spoiler alert: they aren't), you somehow end up agreeing with steve harrington ?? then you have a minor breakdown in front of the kids and once again fail to prevent them from experiencing more trauma.

episode four: the body - you basically have a "no babe don't cry over ur dead brother ur so sexy" moment with jonathan, hopper plays mr love doctor (cute date idea: coffin shopping), and somehow nancy wheeler makes you realize that you're a horrible babysitter and an even bigger idiot. meanwhile: steve harrington is frustratingly charming.

episode five: the flea and the acrobat - you and dustin have a long overdue Sibling Moment, at will's funeral you and jonathan exchange information and surprise ! it's all horrible news ! nancy has awful timing and when you leave her alone with jonathan one damn time you and steve end up trauma bonded on her front porch #bffs.

episode six: the monster - so nancy and jonathan are a Thing now and you really just need a good nap, the three of you go shopping for monster hunting supplies (which honestly isn't the weirdest thing you've done this week), an old man sells you a sentimental knife, and steve kind of accidentally kidnaps you with a sexy black eye.

episode seven: the bathtub - your brother basically places himself on the fbi's most wanted list and el flips a van with her mind, now you have to create a giant salt tub because of course you do, nancy tries Talking About It but hasn't she read the title ? you don't have the time. sidenote: you've somehow become a steve defender during these trying times. typical. meanwhile: steve's inner thoughts are pathetic.

episode eight: the upside down - drinking game time ! take a shot every time jonathan tries ditching you or every time you almost die at the byers house, you find out that steve really is an athlete and tbh it's hot, but you know what's even hotter ? saving hawkins and reaching a tentative compromise with steve after he loans you $5 for snacks. after, jonathan makes a promise you really hope he can keep.

⌑ set between seasons 1 and 2

﹂ episode nine: the beginning - BONUS EPISODE TIME ! steve becomes bookstrorindary's favorite loyal costumer, jonathan buys you a bug for christmas, you freak out your poor coworker alex, and suddenly steve is really hot and you're feeling so many feelings (bad ! it's all bad !).

⌑ status: FINISHED

⌑ season one title based on this song x

⌑ blurbs set within "come home" can be found here x

⌑ “come home” season masterlist

*note: this is a part of my stranger things rewrite, “come home”, and other seasons can be found linked above :)

[propertyofwhitney67]

Ok, we need more angst!!! :D

What about when PC goes missing a for days and their dead body was found by the Li :P

You're making me think of my Dark Whitney series where he leaves for college and can't find you when you come back. He eventually finds you dead in the moor.

Whitney: see series

Kylar knew something was wrong from the get go. He's delusional and refuses to think you're dead when he finally finds you, you just can't be. He had a whole life planned out for the two of you. He destroys everything in sight and probably kills himself.

Robin hadn't seen you in a few days and he was worried, so worried he wasn't paying attention and tripped over something on his way to school. It's your body, face down in a ditch on the side of the road. He must have wandered off the sidewalk at some point. He drops to his knees and rolls you over, hoping that you're just passed out but you're not breathing and your body is cold. He's sobbing as he carries you to the hospital, hoping they can somehow help you but in the back of his mind he knows it's useless. He's never the same after you die, one day he took doesn't come home. The town took him just like it took you.

P!Sydney is helping out in the garden behind the church when he finds you just beyond the tree line. He screams, alerting everyone that something is wrong. He tries to start CPR, remembering what his dad taught him. He doesn't stop till the ambulance comes and he has to be pulled away by Jordan so the EMTs can do their job. It's not till you're taken away in the ambulance does he realize he's shaking and crying. He prays with Jordan till he hears the news that you were pronounced dead, after that he breaks. He ends up in the asylum again but this time he doesn't get out.

C!Sydney is the same except he doesn't pray, he runs to the hospital to meet you since the EMTs won't let him ride along. He paces the waiting area, just hoping by the grace of god you're actually alive. That they somehow revived you and you're just in the ICU. They won't tell him the news, saying he's not family. When he does eventually find out he too ends up in the asylum. He becomes a more sadistic and violent person there, he's never let out.

Alex finds you one morning at the edge of the fence, someone must have dropped you off late last night or early this morning since he didn't see you yesterday. He panics, rushing inside to call EMS then back outside to you. He tries CPR but he knows it's useless, you've clearly been dead a while. He's crying and holding you to his chest when the EMS finally arrive. He's never the same after, he drinks himself to death in the end.

Avery is beyond surprised to find you in the alley after a card game, you were supposed to go with him but you never showed up. As he gets closer he realizes you’re not breathing. He takes a few steps back and calls the police and ems. He didn’t know what to do after that. He’s shaking and standing over your body when the others exit from the card game, he doesn't even notice them till Bailey grabs his shoulder. You're declared dead on the scene. He's affected for a while but does move on.

Eden was tracking a deer when he finds you near the lake, he knows immediately that you're dead. Despite that he scoops you up and runs into town and to the hospital. No one wants to upset the forest man with a shotgun slug over his shoulder so they take you in immediately. He knows they can't do anything but he didn't know what to do. He holds it together till they tell him the news that they couldn't do anything. He steps outside and breaks down in the alley. He slides down against the wall and begins to sob. Bailey finds him when he was called to identify your body, he hasn't seen his friend like this in a long time. He sits there with him for a while before Eden eventually leaves. He goes deeper into the woods and is never the same.

[leclerc-s]

the blue - part ten

series masterlist // previous

LAS VEGAS 2023

ameliaholland posted new stories

ivy is adjusting well to the travel life well. pov: you've just had a rundown by lando norris on how charles is slowly losing his mental stability. don't worry! he's fine! still mentally stable but on his last limb polite cat oscaroo strikes again! photo from this morning's travels

tom holland okay, you guys can't be mad at me..

max verstappen thomas i swear to god- logan sargeant if this spider-bitch says harrison tagged along, we are not responsible for yuki. tom holland okay, well, i guess i'll die.

yuki tsunoda YOUR SISTER CRIED ON STAGED BECAUSE OF HIM! AND YOU JUST BROUGHT HIM ALONG??

sam holland i told him not too but he said, and i quote, "he's my best friend. i can't just not bring him." lando norris YOU COULD NOT BRING HIM?

george russell he's going to get killed.

charles leclerc we won't be responsible for yuki or max.

max verstappen i can take him

zendaya there is too much testosterone here

amelia holland OH I HAVE A SOLUTION!

amelia holland added 4 people

lily muni he why?

amelia holland you try saying anything against the zendaya alexandra saint mleux valid. very valid.

george russell how did you get my girlfriend's number?

carmen mundt someone was very drunk after her show in london that he forgot i was with him

pierre gasly you fucking idiot

kika gomes said the idiot to the other idiot

pierre gasly how am i an idiot?

esteban ocon you tried to "out spider-man" tom last week when you were drunk. charles leclerc and you almost ran into oncoming traffic. daniel ricciardo if it weren't for me you'd be dead.

lily muni he why were we added?

alex albon TOM INVITED HARRISON TO VEGAS!

kika gomes well that's stupid.

alexandra saint mleux your sister cried because of him?

tom holland you don't get it! he was sad and i can't say no to him! he's my best friend! i will get him to apologize to amelia.

amelia holland i'm not talking to him. i have nothing to talk to him about.

oscar piastri he's a dickhead. he's never going to apologize.

lando norris oscar jack piastri, cursing? that's a new one. someone call sky sports!

logan sargeant you're talking about the guy who grew up with mark webber. he's said worse. trust me.

oscar piastri shut up?

harry holland YOU INVITED THE SECOND STRING LOSER?

kika gomes fitting name. lily muni he it's what she called him in a song. i guess it stuck. zendaya he deserves it

harry holland thomas, we are having words.

sam holland and i'm calling paddy.

tuwaine oh shit just got real.

ameliaholland vegas, baby!

tagged: oscarpiastri, landonorris, mclaren

view all comments

landonorris when will i get a post for myself? i'm the best friend?

↳ ameliaholland when you finally get a race win...

↳ landonorris i hate you

username amelia holland, certified oscar piastri simp

tomholland2013 can't believe you ditched us to hang out with oscar

↳ ameliaholland can't believe you invited apple.

↳ lilymhe she's right thomas. how could you.

↳ maxverstappen1 can't believe spider-man would betray us this way

↳ charles_leclerc traitor

↳ yukitsunoda0511 liar.

↳ tomholland2013 I GET IT!

↳ ameliaholland but do you?

↳ francesca.cgomes clearly he doesn't.

username what on earth is happening in the comments?

username i don't know but they're all upset with tom

username amelia instagram is all just pictures of oscar

↳ username she's in love! let's leave her alone!

↳ username oh don't get me wrong. i love it. it's adorable

amelia holland max invited us out before free practice tomorrow and after the opening ceremony

tom holland I'M GAME!

zendaya sounds like fun.

sam holland count me in!

tuwaine a chance to party with the max verstappen and daniel ricciardo, count me in!

harry holland i'm in

harrison osterfield i don't think your friends like me very much

amelia holland they don't but max said to invite you anyways. something about water under the troll?

amelia holland i think he meant water under the bridge?

amelia holland pierre also said something about second string loser buying the first round of drinks.

harrison osterfield alright. i'll go

amelia holland you can leave if you feel uncomfortable at any point

harrison osterfield okay

ABU DHABI 2023

ameliaholland in honor of the end of the 2023 season, i give you one final photo dump.

tagged: oscarpiastri, landonorris, mclaren, tomholland2013

view all comments

oscarpiastri 🧡🧡

↳ ameliaholland 🧡🧡

username mama y papa!!

charles_leclerc this is charles leclerc erasure!

↳ alex_albon i agree this is erasure of the most important people in her life!

↳ ameliawinters as opposed to my boyfriend and brother?

↳ georgerussell63 of course!

username i need to find someone who looks at me the way oscar looks at amelia.

lilymhe not enough amelia content. 3/10.

↳ ameliaholland i'm sorry love, i'll do better next time.

yukitsunoda0511 0/10 no yuki content. every photo dump must include a picture of me.

↳ ameliaholland apologizes yuki. i'll include one next time.

harrisonosterfield where is the cat's seatbelt??

↳ oscarpiastri she said she didn't need one.

↳ harrisonosterfield you're being a very irresponsible father mr.piastri

↳ oscarpiastri i am simply listening to what my daughter wants mr.osterfield

↳ username talk about a friendship i never saw coming

username and to think we started the season with single oscar and we're ending it with oscar dating THE amelia holland!!

username ivy lives a better life than me.

username they're giving high school sweethearts.

username your honor, i love them

taglist: @six-call @1nt3rnetgf @fernandoswarcrimes @skynel09 @arieltwvdtohamflash @Mimolovescookies @brekkers-whore @natcha888 @camdensreg @mycenterfold @woozartss @dear-fifi @tygecjjd @cataf1 @nothaqks @caipng @nataliambc @formulaal @lichterfee @prongsvault @kaa212 @anxxiousaries @julesbabey1 @julesbabey @georgeparisole @hobiismyhopeu @melissayalene @nikfigueiredo @bella-1 @nichmeddar @namgification @anniemae299 @octopussesarecool @jensonsonlybutton @ragioniera @anytimeanywherebitch-blog @trouble-sistar @hwalllllllelujah

strikethrough means i couldn't tag you

¡leclerc-s speaks! in case you couldn't tell, i don't how to end stories, so this is my attempt at one. i definitely didn't procrastinate this because i didn't want to be finished with this story. not at all. but stick around and wait for the bonus chapters because this story isn't quite over yet.

¡disclaimer! this is in no way making assumptions about the people involved in this story, this is all fake. it is a fanfiction please don't take any of what is said seriously. this is all for entertainment purposes and as a creative outlet for me. enjoy!

[smicksstuff]

summary: Yn is back in England after the thrilling start to the F1 Season in Bahrain. She has got a week to spend before jetting off to Jeddah with her big bro. Who will be the lucky few who gets to enjoy the company of the one and only yn gasly?

read Part 1 and Part 2 here

The PitBox Crew Series

Mischief Managed

f1 drivers x yn gasly

instagram edit

8 March 2023

yngasly

Hogwarts

liked by mickschumacher, lance_stroll and 973, 038 others.

yngasly It's wingardium leviOsa, not leviosAH. (ft the best tour guide in the world & lando)

view 567 comments

maxfewtrell ❤️

landonorris WOW i see how it is !

yngasly it is what it is

charles_leclerc next tour is maranello 🔜

yngasly cant wait!! i would love a ton of ferrari merch too #55 please 🙏🏽

carlossainz55 YESS! i found my favourite gasly!

pierregasly HEYYYY!!

charles_leclerc sorry i think the tour is fully booked 😕

yngasly itsokay then, im sure carlos or arty would bring me there 😎

liked by arthur_leclerc, carlossainz55 and 567 others

charles_leclerc oh wait look at that my schedule is free now

sharl can we appreciate the fact that charles tried to be mean and failed miserably 😂

mickschumacher cant believe you went to harry potter world without me 💔 some kind of bestie you are 😭

schumacher47 mick being upset about not going to harry potter world is upsetting me

yngasly im sorry bestie we can go again tgt 🥺

mickschumacher you are paying

yngasly ME? FINE its on me

mickschumacher 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼

yngaslyfc OMG the gasly genes are amazing! I'm in love 😻

pedrofans the hat and the nails and the fits!! her aesthetic is too die for 😍

landino yn hanging out with lando and max sounds like a new trio in the making !!

norris4life or its a cover up and they are secretly dating 🤔

pierregasly so this is what you ditched me for ? im hurted.

yngasly its hogwarts pierre, you dont skip on hogwarts

lance_stroll did you just cast wingardium leviosa? ‘cause you’re sweepin’ me off my feet! 😍

sirlancelot what in the hogwarts is happening?

lancestrollfans oh my my lance what are you doing

yngasly its an A for effort definitely

liked by lance_stroll and 1056 others

mickschumacher @lance_stroll how do you feel right now?

chloestroll idk who that was but its not my brother i refuse to believe what i just read

scottyjames31 never ever gonna let you forget this!! its become a core memory.

ls18 lance just trying to shoot his shot

lancestrollfans a cheesy pickup line by strulovich is not what i envisioned myself waking up to.

rickybobby OMG she would have been a dannyric girl! their aesthetic just click so well!

liked by 1068 others

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10 March 2023

lando.jpg

liked by yngasly, carlossainz55 and 956, 673 others

lando.jpg introducing my favourite people and yn

view 900 comments

yngasly WOW ! this is war now

lando.jpg you started it

maxfewtrell i feel so loved today ❤️

georgerussell63 what is yn playing

yngasly goat simulator

georgerussell63 why of all games that

yngasly lando didnt let me play on the sim 😭

lando.jpg but you were having so much fun on the goat simulator

yngasly im a quick learner! at least i didnt think that we needed to milk the goats 👍🏼

liked by lando.jpg, alexalbon, and 587 others

georgerussell63 that was low

gr63 not yn dragging george! i love her

alabono not alex liking the comment too

landino lando says “and yn” like she isnt the favourite one 😂

liked by 569 others

quadrantmania literally 5/9 of the photos has her in it

username4 he can do so much better than her fr, luisa is so much prettier than her

liked by 385 others

quadrantmania this is a hate free zone, please leave

ln4 umm is no one gonna speak about the rollercoaster pic ? or are we just assuming its yn?

landino …

username7 it better be someone else who would date her after all she did in milan

user2 what happened in milan ?

username7 why do you think she got shipped off to england?

-

11 March 2023

yngasly added to their story!

f1wags

London

liked by sirlancelot, landino, sharl, and 278, 688 others

f1wags Yn Gasly, youngest child of the Gasly family has been spotted in a cafe in London with a guy. Since her first reappearance into the F1 world at the Bahrain paddock in 2023, she has been linked with a few drivers such as the likes of Mclaren Formula 1 Driver; Lando Norris and Ferrari hotshot Charles Leclerc. What are your thoughts on who this mystery guy is ?

Who is Yn Gasly?

The 23 year old Gasly girl is the youngest of the 5 siblings. She is currently a student at The University of Buckingham studying Marketing and Media Communications. She transferred from Universita Iulm - Communications, Media and Advertising where she had been studying the past 2 years. Her transfer to England allowed her to accompany her brother at his new Formula 1 team.

The youngest Gasly grew up alongside Charles Leclerc, Esteban Ocon and Anthoine Hubert who was her best friend. Yn has always been an avid fan of racing. She used to kart with Pierre, Charles and Anthoine. Racing was not her passion however, she was always seen in the garages of Pierre, Anthoine and Charles, cheering them on at every race. Following the lost of her bestfriend, she left the racing scene and supported Pierre and Charles from the television screen. She made a return to the paddock this season sporting the Alpine colours of Pierre’s new team.

view 768 comments

lando4life that guy definitely is lando. they have been hanging with each other all week !!

landoooo i heard that she even appeared on max’s stream

ln4 i mean how can it not be lando, did you see the pictures he posted with her !!

landoo04 he posted a movie theater too on his jpg account too

sharl thats our monegasque king for sure! have you not seen the flirty comments they leave on each others post

sharl plus i mean they’d make a hot couple

landino charles hasnt been in london tho, he has been in italy all this while.

supermaxx thats our london boy lando for sure! their banter is beyond just friends.

liked by 700 others

estiebestie anyone for a second thought that maybe it was lance?

sirlancelot lance and yn have always been friends, the flirty comments is nothing new

premaagirls thats true!! they were good friends when lance was in prema

lancesgirls she and chloe have also been besties for a long time!!

f1fans how are yall so blind to the fact that she uprooted her entire life in milan just for pierre! i mean i cant believe she left milan because of pierre

yngaslyfc im pretty sure she had her reasons for transferring!

f1fans just imagine that you have to uproot your life for your sibling! she has been doing it her entire life just so pierre can race. its unbelievable the extents they go so they can race!

username3 how is this even allowed in this modern world! thats absurd!

yngaslyfc if you really read and understand pierre’s and yn’s story you will find out that yn did not give up her dreams or education for pierre! pierre and yn have always been an unbreakable duo.

yngaslyfc plus pierre has always been supportive towards yn’s aspirations, she has always been a priority for him. so i think you should get your facts right before commenting on them.

liked by yngasly and 68 others

-

13 March 2023

yngasly just posted a story!

-

credits: all pictures are found from pinterest and instagram

a/n: thank you for reading this far !! If you have any suggestions send them to me!! I would love to hear them ◡̈

if you would like to be tagged when new parts are released, drop your usernames in the comments!! 😁

[legolasghosty]

Robots & Androids ‎AU plus Small Town AU

OKAY I AM FINALLY GETTING TO THESE I'M SORRY I'M SO BEHIND!!!

Okay. So.

Humanity kinda developed a LOT of health issues in the mid-late 23rd century. It was all a long time in coming, but it was a bit of a shocker still when people started breaking down. And there just wasn't enough people to keep up with the demand for new organs, tissue, blood, etc. The human race was basically failing. So, in a semi last ditch attempt to keep people alive, cyborg technology was put to work. Scientists had been messing around with the theory of it for years, since robots and androids were getting decently advanced. But they never had the support to actually try a clinical trial. Until now.

Some of it worked better than others. And it was HIGHLY controversial. Though maybe less than it should have been, considering the lengths the research team was permitted to go in order to get this stuff sorted out... Mainly that they were given legal permission to try it out on patients without their express consent, mostly in situations where the person was in a coma/on life support with no real hope of recovery.

Towards the end of her life, Rose was offered the chance to try getting a cybernetic lung transplant to replace the one that had been damaged beyond repair by her cancer. She refused, as it would be super risky and be more likely to kill her than help. She would rather die in her own whole body than risk losing her last few weeks with her family.

After she passed, the remaining Molinas moved out of the city, to a small town a few hours north, to escape the grief and the terrible air quality that had been a part of Rose's quick decline in health.

Unfortunately, they just happened to pick the exact tiny town that the government had picked to dump their cyborg... pet projects. The ones who hadn't actually consented to their surgeries but had ended up surviving. Best to keep everyone with those stories contained while they championed the cyborg advancements. Especially since there were plenty of side effects...

Julie meets a lot of odd people on her first day at the local high school. These include a dude that never lowers the hood of his pink hoodie, a bassist in a leather jacket who never seems to stop smiling, a skater with a rather odd limp, and a boy with shaggy hair who never seems to hear what people say to him, always grooving along to some music no one else can hear. There's also a few other adult oddballs around, but I don't got the energy to write all those out.

Under the cut, it gets a little more specific about injuries and alterations to specific characters, so read at your own risk!

Turns out that all four of those odd boys are unwilling cyborgs who were a part of some of the first rounds of tests. Hey, they were all gonna die anyways, the government decided they might as well use them.

Willie was in a nasty car crash that smashed both legs and a few ribs. He has pretty good prosthetics now, but they don't always function properly. And if he keeps his hair long to cover the incision scar on the back of his neck, that's no one's business except his own.

Luke, Alex, and Reggie all nearly died of food poisoning back in LA, but due to a combination of slightly different reactions to the battery acid/food poisoning and scientists wanting to test out different tech, they all have different issues now.

Luke got some synthetic tissue repair on his organs and around his throat. But there was also some damage to his airways cause of throwing up so much, so there's some wiring stuff in there so he can still sort of smell... however that got a bit mixed around and so his hearing is pretty weak and the music he has stuck in his head tends to sound like it's coming from outside to him.

Reggie mostly got away without any organ damage, but his face got kinda messed up. Now he looks pretty normal, except his jaw and lips can't move a lot. So he's stuck with a permanent semi-smile. It's not creepy usually, just kinda sad. He tries to stay upbeat to match his face.

Alex got the worst damage to his digestive system. The connections between his organs and brain are mostly man made now, whether that's wires for neurotransmitting or fake tissue on the lining of his stomach. However, when the scientists realized they had someone with a diagnosed anxiety disorder, they... well they might as well try, since he's probably dead anyways. So there's also a metal panel on the back of his head. It didn't work, and the hair won't grow back around it. Hence the hood.

Somehow they all become friends and help each other kinda come to terms with their lives. And also play lots of music. Though the shadow of the head researcher, Dr. Covington, looms over them all... OKAY that's what I got for tonight! More thoughts may come later, but that's my rough idea! I hope you enjoyed!!!

[gaymasonjar]

Will You Meet Me In The Middle?

Sneak Peak of Chapter 2: Keep You Safe

 Two days had dragged by and Alex was still doing research for Liz. She knew she was going to need more help to defeat Clyde. After her encounter with the mist, her brain was still not back up to speed. So, that is why Alex tracked down Allie Myers for her. When Alex explained everything that was going on and that Liz Ortecha needed her help, she agreed to come to Roswell. He was still busy trying to find any leads on Rosa and Clyde.

 “Didn’t I tell you to take a break from that?” Kyle walked in, not wearing his white coat. He cocked a brow at his friend questioningly. While he knew Alex was going stir-crazy, his recovery was a higher priority than doing work.

 “You did”, Alex’s eyes never left the screen. “Doesn’t mean I listened.”

 “Ya know, as a military guy, I would’ve assumed you were great at taking orders”, Kyle closed the laptop and took it.

 “Well, there is a reason I quit.”

 “I want you to rest today.”

 Sighing, Alex leaned back reluctantly. He hated that he couldn’t do more than sit and wait. Kyle patted his shoulder gently before checking his vital readings. A feeding tube had been run into Alex’s stomach through his nose after spending the past few days unable to stomach even water. It was important to keep up with hydration and nutrition.

 “How’s the dizziness?”

 “Better.”

“Good.  Means treatment is starting to work.”

 “You’re still worried”, Alex pointed out.

 “This is just a weird case, Alex. I’ve seen patients that had a fraction of the radiation you were exposed to for a much shorter amount of time die within a week of the initial exposure. But you were soaked in it for so long. It’s honestly mind-blowing.”

 “I’m not one to go down without a fight.”

 Kyle snorted and shook his head. “Whatever you say, Manes. I’ll come back to check on you in a while. Rest. I mean it.”

 Alex rubbed his eyes tiredly and considered taking a nap to pass the time. Kyle left, taking Alex’s laptop with him. Maria was waiting in another examination room down the hallway. There was a file in her hand that she was reading from. She looked up when Kyle entered the room.

  “Hey”, she greeted with a smile. “How’s Alex doing?”

 “Well, I caught him doing some Dark Web Rolodexing for Liz. He’s responding to treatment but I don’t think he’s out of the woods yet” Kyle cleared his throat, “Seeing as you’re here, I’m assuming you ditched Shivani’s goons?”

 “Yeah. Sonya had a hidden tracker on her, The moment things got a little dicey with Team Senovative, a whole caravan of Deep Sky’s finest pulled up to the party.”

 “Well, us Valentis can be an intrepid bunch.”

 “Is that why my sister planted a kiss on you before she jumped through liminal space?”

 “It could have been an ‘in case I die’ kiss”, Kyle insisted.

 “Really”, Maria gave him a look.

 “Yeah.”

 “Is that what it felt like?”

 Kyle sighed deeply before he gave Maria a shy smile, “No. It felt like the answer to the question I asked her down in Mexico.”

 “You’re the answer she deserves.”

 “Then I have to say thank you. For using your astral projection gift to save her life.”

  Maria cleared her throat and looked back down at the file in her hands. “Yeah.”

 “You think it could work to help try and find Rosa?”

 “So far, my alien third eye is only seeing one person”, she admitted.

 “Who?”

 “A certain spaceman of the cloth.”

 Kyle nodded with a thoughtful expression. “So, what is it about him that allowed you to cross the space-time continuum into Theo’s upside down?”

 “Dallas makes me feel safe.”

 “Could be something to build on.” Kyle explained further, “If he’s standing right beside you, maybe you could focus your sight elsewhere.”

 Maria pursed her lips in thought. Before she could comment on that line of thinking, something started beeping. Kyle pulled a pager out of his pocket hurriedly. His face dropped as he read the short message.

 “What is it?”

 “It’s Alex.” Kyle ran past her for the door. Maria left her file on the table to follow him. They ran down the hallway to the room Alex was staying in. He was in full convulsion on the floor beside the bed. While he had been leaning forward to massage his leg, a seizure came on suddenly. He hit the floor head first off the bed and ripped off all the monitors in the process. Blood was seeping onto the floor from the wound left by the IV needle tearing out of his hand. Kyle kneeled as he pulled Alex into a recovery position.

 “Oh god”, Maria breathed before joining Kyle on the floor. “What do we do?”

 “Keep him steady- hold his head.”

 Maria did as asked and pulled Alex’s head into her lap as he continued to seize. While it felt like an eternity, Alex finally stilled after another two minutes had passed. Maria was on the verge of tears as she ran her fingers through his hair. Kyle checked his pupils and pulse.

 “What’s happening to him?”

 “Acute Radiation Syndrome”, Kyle clenched his jaw. “This is only the beginning.”

 “What? Isn’t there anything we can do?”

 “His body is trying to fight off the radiation but it’s being constantly weakened by it”, Kyle picked up Alex and laid him back in the bed before hooking him back up to the monitors. “It’s going to take a long time to heal if he even can.”

 Maria felt like her world was turned upside down, “He’s dying.”

 Kyle didn’t respond. He patched up the wound on Alex’s hand before inserting a new IV line in the crook of his arm. Alex was breathing shallowly while he slept. Maria grabbed his hand tightly.

 “To be honest”, Kyle muttered. “The only thing that could save him is a miracle.”

Continue reading on AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/45325099/chapters/114179551

[angelwiththeblue-box]

ALLLLLLLL RIGHT!!!

so. picture this. the year is i dont fucking know. local man morpheus nolastname manages to get so far into death's good graces that she's like yk what im going to not take you ever and morpheus is like bro thats sick as fuck are u my sister now and death is like mmm no.

and then she ditches him for three hundred odd years. morpheus goes through the ropes, watches the people around him die. he starts keeping journals of everything that goes wrong so that he doesnt forget any of the worst things. eventually he turns into this cold-hearted fucker who is trying his level best to escape. he makes a deal with like. idk a death god or something (probably an incarnation of the corinthian -- HOLD UP NO ITS RODERICK BURGESS) to help him capture death (but not hurt her!!! morpheus still loves her in his own way)

so things happen and death comes back to morpheus but not intentionally. maybe she gets caught on a job or something wrong place wrong time morpheus pretends not to know her and she doesnt recognise him until hes like AHA IT IS I MORPHEUS REMEMBER ME and shes like oh heyyyyyy buddy how you doing and hes like NOT FUCKING GOOD and proceeds to tell her why all of her plans are rubbish and she's a terrible person and for fucks sake PLEASE KILL HIM!!! this does not happen what does happen is that he helps roderick burgess capture her!! along the way they run into morpheus' archnemesis, a man named hob gadling. idk what they're archnemeses of possibly highwaymen shit idk

so they have some fun banter death Senses stuff and then things happen yadda yadda morpheus and death are on thin strings because morpheus still desperately wants to get out like he is so tired of everything living and dying and dropping like fucking mayflies

anyway back to morpheus' house which is probably just fawney rig where death is like morpheus i know you are more than this i remember you being kind and in love with storytelling please rememeber that and morpheus is like i dont remember that part of me that part of me is gone now thanks to you and then he pulls up with roderick burgess and they're like either you bring back randall (because yeah that cheeky fuck is still on that) and kill morpheus or we trap you here for good and death is like first off no i cant bring back your dead fucking son are you crazy and two bad news morpheus you cant ask for my gift after ive already refused it (this is a straight up LIE there is always a way out but morpheus secretly still loves humanity and death is still holding out hope)

and so theyre like fucking fine so basically the ritual to trap you forever requires the death of a mortal so theyre initially going to kill alex burgess which death does NOT LIKE and is staunchly againsrt BUT THEN!!! the police pull up and are like LORD BURGESS/LORD MORPHEUS!! HOB GADLING HAS BEEN CAPTURED!! HE IS TO HANG IN THE GALLOWS IN HALF AN HOUR!

and morpheus manages to convince burgess to change the sacrifice from alex to hob mostly because he doesnt want burgess to lose another son but he passes it off as like. idk practicality or something so they go to the hanging and death manages to get herself out of her traps and so cut to the hanging right

hob gadling is terrified out of his mind but hes cracking jokes to stay sane and morpheus pulls up in a carriage and goes and stands next to him on the stage because the whole damn town knows about their issues TM and morpheus wants a front row seat to hob's demise and hob is still just trying to make the people like him enough to save him and hes like hey listen what about a kiss from a lord before i die (homophobia whos she never heard of her) and morpheus obliges and is like oh fuck and hob is like oh fuck and the DEATH pulls up (roderick burgess is still in the carriage) and gets there just as hob is about to be hung but he recognises her in the crowd and is like OH SHIT I CAN STALL MORE DEATH DEATH and she sees what hes doing and also she doesnt have an appt with him today something must be up and so she cracks jokes WITH HIM and then burgess is like ENOUGH and pops out and goes to kill hob and very nearly succeeds and his whole ritual thing starts to wreak havoc on the town and morpheus has to watch and he has no idea how to stop it and he turns to death and goes "HELP ME JESUS CHRST I CARE ABOUT THEM WHY DO I CARE ABOUT THEM HOW DO I STOP THIS" and death is like YESSSSSSS and shes like hob gadling is the catalyst if you save him it will end all of this but the blow burgess gave him was fatal and then death is like i could refuse him my gift and after a moment where the rushing in morpheus' ears is the only thing he hears he remembers the kiss and he tells death to take away her gift

nothing happens, she doesnt gesture or anything, but in that instant, the spell dies. hob gadling was never meant to die, but it only mattered when death actively refused to give him her gift.

anyway they fix things burgess dies blah blah morpheus and death and hob go and have a drink (there is Flirting happening with morpheus and hob) and morpheus is like is it true that you cant ever kill me and death is like no that was a lie but come on do you really want to die and she makes some implications (side eye over to where hob is having a laugh in the corner) and morpheus is like no i suppose not but i dont wish to continue as i am and he decides to seek out those like him (like mad hettie or others) and just. tell their stories. that will be his job. he will be the prince of stories. the thing is, the people that live the longest always have the best tales to tell.

~~~~~

THAT CAME OUT IN LIKE TWENTY MINUTES HOLY FUCK

double points if you can guess what this is an au of

this is great i love it

[capitalism-is-parasitism]

Avocado oil debate

Before you ditch your bottle of EVOO and get that gallon of avocado oil at Costco, you need to hear about the genotoxic and mutagenic side effects which have been observed in the lab.

If you look at the favorable studies done for this fruit, if you scroll to the last section about disclosures, you will see that many received funding from the Hass Avocado Board. There’s nothing wrong with that per se, as that is a trade group’s job – to spread good publicity.

As you would expect, they don’t seem to be funding research which emphasizes potentially negative side effects.

If you go to India, you will find such research. Even though it was published several years ago, no other studies have been done to refute their findings.

A genotoxin is anything which has the potential to damage your chromosomes and therefore, the genetic information in your DNA.

Afterward, the damage cell may die off or be intentionally destroyed by your body if unrepairable (either are the preferred outcome) or they may mutate and live on (a terrible outcome). A mutation is permanent and gets passed on to the future generations of cells which come from it.

When a genotoxin is known to cause these permanent mutations, then it’s also classified as a mutagen.

Mutating your DNA is never good, obviously. It happens every day to every one of us and with the vast majority of these mutations, the effects are not able to be measured. However one outcome which definitely can be measured is cancer – all cancers were initially caused by a cell mutation.

Might avocados damage your DNA or worse yet, mutate it?

Using living human white blood cells (cultured peripheral lymphocytes) the scientists in India wanted to find out. (16)

They heavily diluted avocado in a solution. The concentrations were very low; 100, 200, and 300 mg/kg. That’s only 0.01% to 0.03% avocado.

So what happened when this highly diluted solution came in contact with the cultured human white blood cells?

DNA mutations! And some really nasty types at that!

The findings get even more disturbing, because the number of DNA mutations directly correlated with the dosage. That throws cold water on the idea that it was just a fluke. READ CONTRADICTORY COMMENTS BELOW

Alex R

May 15, 2019 at 4:05 am

I took a quick look, and found: – A neutral study: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/259115420_Acute_Toxicity_and_Genotoxic_Activity_of_Avocado_Seed_Extract_Persea_americana_Mill_cv_Hass – The original negative study Superfoodly referenced: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10590501.2010.504979?journalCode=lesc20 – Lots of studies on the positive cancer fighting qualities, especially breast cancer. – And an explanation of why avocados might be genotoxic: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persin

Just like tannins in wine, avocado trees produce a compound (persin) to protect from predators. And that compound can be mildly toxic/allergenic to some. The wiki link suggests it’s mainly in the leaves, skin, and seed; and leeches into the fruit. Which, in theory, means that shaving off an outer and inner layer, could give extra protection.

Richard

February 26, 2020 at 3:13 pm

The India “study” is laughable for its junior high school approach to DNA testing and it is bizarre that this would be cited by Superfoodly as in any way a marker for anything at all. A “50% methanolic extract” of anything, including water will cause the same problem – and will kill you outright. That this was published is just part of the nonsense of the world. The increasing dosing reflects increasing methanol concentrations in the ‘study’ – and the NIH if it funded this only reinforces the case for it to be shuttered altogether for its waste. Read Derek Lowe’s “In the Pipeline” for the number of papers coming out of this realm that cannot be reproduced or amount to self-evident idiocy – the numbers are staggering and upwards of 95%.

Avocado is perhaps the most nutrient dense cultivar extant. There are compounds in the seed that are toxic and are not found in the mesocarp. Nevertheless, the compounds of unique therapeutic interest in avocado are lipidic furans and their precursors, the avocatins, that play an extraordinary role in renormalization of many human pathologies and are part of the DNA of the fruit, found everywhere in it: leaves, seeds, skins, mesocarp. These were studied by me and others at the Greenfield Toxicology Laboratory at Eli Lilly and found to be as safe as can be measured for genotox. That is, a zero effect.

There is nothing biologically interesting about refined avocado oil and unrefined avocado oil is so unstable as to be not worth the purchase and no one who produces the oil pretends otherwise – – unlike virgin olive oil, virgin avocado oil (organic or not) is terrible tasting, smelly and stains everything it touches. Topically the oil penetrates the skin much faster than any other oil, but it’s viscosity is so high as to create skin clogging and therefore is comedogenic.

Because of the nutrient density, many compounds of interest may not be assimilated because of competition among them at limited absorption sites in the GI tract. There is a lot more and the therapeutics forthcoming based on avocado chemistry will to use a phrase from the 60’s, blow your mind

Reply

Superfoodly February 26, 2020 at 5:30 pm In response to:“The India “study” is laughable for its junior high school approach to DNA testing and it is bizarre that this would be cited by Superfoodly as in any way a marker for anything at all. A “50% methanolic extract” of anything, including water will cause the same problem – and will kill you outright.”They looked at the vehicle (methanol 50%) and the same with the avocado extract. Meaning, they compared the mutagenic effects of the methanol with and without avocado.Methanol is a basic type of alcohol which yes, is more toxic than the alcohol type found in say, vodka, but methanol is among the 3 most common solvents used in scientific studies. The bottom line is that when you compare the vehicle with and without the tested ingredient, you have a baseline for comparison.

MORE ON THIS CONTROVERSY:

[wordyneonlights]

This writing every day thing might not be as hard as I thought !!

^^ Famous last words up there but hello all the same. Decided to post something else I wrote a couple years ago (I say a couple it was like last year probably) with a couple of edits.

Anyway, it's a draft of a first chapter so let me know what you think!

As always constructive criticism is always welcome, I do genuinely want to get better. Thanks for being here and happy reading!

DISCLAIMER & TRIGGER WARNINGS

Strong Language used

Mention of drugs and alcohol

Mention of SA (and creepy drunk guy behaviour)

Brief mention of death

(If I've missed anything please let me know!)

Having money is a very nice thing.

Being financially stable in general is a nice thing, it’s always a comfort to know that you don’t have to worry about food and bills and all that.

Yes, having money really is a nice thing. Which is why running out of it is detrimental. Unfortunately this is the situation I have found myself in, one with no money.

Generally, I like to think pretty positively, I mean I wouldn’t consider my view on life ‘glass half full’ but I prefer to stay off the negative side to maintain sanity. If I started thinking about all the things that could go wrong, I wouldn’t even get out of bed.

I closed my eyes and leaned back onto the bench I was sitting on. It wasn’t like I didn’t have cash, I had enough saved up to last at least a month until my grandmothers benefits came in but still… it was pretty worrisome that there was a grand total of zero US dollars inside my bank account.

“Alright Erica,” I thought to myself, “In times of great brokeness what do you do?”

I sighed and answered my own question,

I sell drugs.

It’s not as though I want to do it. I only use it as a last resort and it’s never anything stronger than weed but (apparently) it’s enough to give me ten years so I tend to stay away from it but hey, drastic times I suppose. I get up and walk, wondering if Michael would have anything to sell and if Adil and Alex were doing anything interesting right now.

Whoah

Where did that come from? Those two hadn’t crossed my mind in almost a year and here I am wondering what they’re up to

“Like you have any right to wonder,” my inner voice says and I kindly tell it to shut the fuck up as I kick a stray can down the street.

Although, on further thought, the voice had a point. I didn’t really have a right to be wondering about their wellbeing when I ditched them like I did. I shake my head and keep walking, I have too many problems right now and reanimating dormant ones would just stress me out even more. I reach the gate of Michael’s house and knock on it… loudly. John opens the little side door and I step through it, he gives me a small smile as I mock salute him and I walk to the pool and there he is. Michael Holland, standing by the edge of the pool smoking and looking at nothing in particular like some sort of fucking protagonist or a really cool album cover. Sometimes it's hard to classify him.

I try to fight the urge to push him in as I walk up and stand next to him, plucking the cigarette out of his mouth and throwing it on the floor.

“Do you wanna die at thirty?” I ask before crushing it under my heel

“Twenty actually,” he replies before bringing out another cigarette and a lighter. I give him a look that I hope he interprets as annoyance before sighing and asking my next question.

“You got anything for me to sell?”

I let the question hang in the air as he turns to face me, his eyes boring into mine as he tilted his head slightly and exhaled a puff of smoke.

“I thought that was a ‘last resort’?”

“Well, as you can see, I’m desperate,” I answered wrinkling my nose at the smell of smoke

“You don’t seem desperate,” he said giving me a once over.

“Very fucking funny,” I said, “Look if you don’t want to give me anything that’s fine considering well…” I trailed off leaving her name in the air, “But I wouldn't ask if it wasn't serious and if you can't give it to me I'll go to someone who can,” I turn around and try not feel bad about the fact that I'm semi forcing him to do something he doesn't want to do but, desperation does multiple things to people, none of them especially moral. I started a mental timer in my head,

5, 4, 3, 2, -

“Dicer's got some he's supposed to be giving to Matt... but I'll let him know you're taking it instead,”

Right on time

“Thank you,” I reply before turning, “And last month…”

“Save it,” he interuppted sharply before sighing and tapping the end of his cigaratte, “I mean I appreciate you,” he said looking at me, “But not yet,”

“It wasn't your fault,” I try to say through my eyes, "She wouldn't have blamed you,"

He turns away from me and I take that as my dismissal.

“See you around Josh,” I say to a nod in response. Exiting the gate and beginning the walk back to my apartment complex I let my thoughts drift.

I think about the stash I’m going to pick up, I think about Dicer who I haven’t seen since last month, I think about Angie at home, she’s probably watching some trashy reality TV and finally, I think about Alex. I think about that day and everything that I did afterwards. Basically, another chapter in my life that sums up how I ruin everything.

Shit

I looked up at the sun and squinted, it wasn’t so late if it was hurting my eyes which meant that I still had time to get home before it got dark and her house wasn’t so far from here…

I turn left and make my way to her house before immediately deciding against it and turning the fuck back.

What the hell are you thinking?

I ask myself and I answer my own question walking fast before I thump hard against someone, crashing backwards and muttering apologies.

“Shit I’m sorry-” I start before looking up and stopping, “Ty?” I say

He looks at me, brown eyes narrowing, “Erica?”

“Hey,” I say, totally cool and nonchalant as he keeps on looking at me.

“Does Alex know you’re arou-”

“No,” I say, cutting him off, “No she doesn’t and you're not going to tell her anything. In fact, just pretend you never saw me ok?”

I don't wait for a response walking off hurriedly, heart thumping in my chest.

Stupid, stupid, stupid fucking idiot, what did you think was going to happen?

I walked down the street, taking the long way to Dicers neighborhood so that I could blow off whatever possessed me to almost make such a stupid decision.

I decided to focus on Dicer instead, thinking about him always made me a tiny bit angry which was what I needed right now… a stronger emotion to drown out the feeling of guilt.

Dicer’s neighbourhood was worse than mine and that’s saying something. Sure I hear gunshots once in a while, and I’m not saying that we don’t have our fair share of drug pushers but my neighbourhood wasn’t as dirty as Dicers.

He lived where all the bosses lived, he played poker with them, drank with them, ran national money laundering schemes with them… not my favourite place to be

I walked down the street passing crack houses until I found the place I was looking for; actually I heard it first but that was besides the point. I entered the house wrinkling my nose at the smell before pushing my way through to the kitchen. If I knew him well enough he'd be there trying to trick a pretty girl into thinking he wasn't interested in the party so he could get in her pants.

And lo and behold there he was leaning on the counter scrolling through something on his phone.

I walked up to him and tapped his shoulder, causing him to turn around and smile at my presence. I didn’t smile back.

“I'm picking up Matt's rounds,” I told him, “Michael said you've got it and if you could hurry the fuck up that would be nice,”

“C’mon don’t be in such a hurry princess,” he said smiling softly, “If you want to leave so bad let me take you out,” he moved so his arms were parallel my waist as he leaned on the countertop, “You could show me all the tricks Will taught you afterwards yeah?”

My mouth went dry, and I could tell he wanted me to yell, to shove him off, to cause a scene. I wanted to, I really fucking wanted to, but instead I leaned in and whispered

“Unless you want a matching hole in your other foot, you’d better hurry up and get me my fucking drugs.”

I ended the sentence with a smile as his eyes turned cold and a muscle in his jaw ticked, if there was one thing Dicer didn't like to be reminded of, it was the fact that I'd beaten him where it really mattered and he had the scars to prove it.

He stood up straight, looking at me with almost pure hatred.

“Try that shit again with no Michael and we'll see what happens,”

“Just go do what you're good for and fetch my shit,”

I saw his fist clench out of the corner of my eye and he leaned to grab his phone before walking off.

Fuck

I stood up blinking rapidly, he almost had me when he mentioned Will but I wasn't the same person I was a month ago, he wasn't going to get a reaction that easily. I took a deep breath steeling myself before a sharp squeeze of my ass made me turn sharply around coming face to face with some creep

“Didn’t think he’d ever stop talking,” he said to me, words slurring together as he moved closer. He squinted while looking at me before opening his mouth again

“You’re skinnier up close, lucky you’re hot or I definitely wouldn’t fuck you.”

My hand was moving towards a beer bottle ready to break it and scare him away before his eyes widened at something behind me and he quickly stumbled away.

“Took you fucking long enough,” I muttered, turning around only to come face to face with Ty.

Fuck. Fuckfuckfuck. Why is he here? Does he usually come to these things? Have I just never noticed? But I'd know if he did, I'm sure I'd know if he did! Does he know Michael? Does he know Dicer? My chest hollowed suddenly as my thoughts raced. Does he know about Will? Does he know about ... about her?

“I thought you were Dicer,” I managed to choke out.

And speak of the devil, there he was holding a handbag and eyeing Ty inquisitively before smiling. My stomach rolled, nothing good ever came of that smile.

“You found someone new to teach you tricks huh?” he asked and I bit my tongue so hard I tasted blood.

“Erica-” Ty started but I grabbed the bag and his wrist, pulling him away from Dicer, from this house, from this place. If only I could somehow pull him away from me.

I drag him ,or... he lets me drag him because he could stop us both if he wanted to, to the top of the street before slowing to get a good look at him. Ty was not a good liar, if someone had told him to follow me or something it would be written all over his face. I stop and he does with me.

“No one told you to follow me,” I start, “So why are you here?”

He frowns slightly, “Y'don't think I could follow you out of my own free will?” His eyes drifted to my hands and I realised that they were shaking. Fucking Dicer

“Are you-”

“It’s just weed,” I interrupted

“What?”

“I mean, inside the bag it’s just weed... I don't deal anything stronger than that,”

He nodded, the frown still evident on his face, “What was that guy talking about... with the tricks?”

I feel my chest getting tight and sink down on the ground leaning on a lamp post. Ty joins me, feet stretching out towards the curb.

“It's a long,” I breathe sharply, “Long story,”

“Safe to say I've missed a lot huh?” he jokes

“Not your fault,” I say

There's a long silence between us and I feel the knots in my chest start to loosen before my breathing even out properly.

“So,” he starts, “You wanna go to Dano's?”

[sunspray-peak]

Ch. 37: Foxes Getting Married

THURSDAY - FALL 19

Stardew Valley was in for an Indian summer, according to Achilles’ favorite Zuzu4 meteorologist, Amelia McCarten.

In response to this sudden skyrocket in temperatures, Shane had advised they kick off the canning process a week early before any of their cranberries could spoil prematurely in the baking sun. Thank goodness Achilles had placed the order for jars last week!

Unfortunately, Shane had had to head to his now twice-a-week Joja shift after lunch, leaving a mildly irked Achilles alone in his kitchen standing over a boiling stove where a giant pot of sugar water simmered.

Bad day to wear glasses, he thought, folding the fogged lenses and setting them on the counter behind one of the three boxes of red berries he and Shane had picked earlier that morning. He had woken with a terrible headache and had been forced to ditch his usual contacts—must not have slept well… and all this suffocating steam wasn’t helping either…

Just five more hours to kill… Elliott had invited him to dinner again. Just had to keep busy until then…

A knock at the door.

Not Lewis not Lewis not Lewis…

Since the fair, Achilles had been avoiding the mayor, who had been incredibly insistent (and who had eventually devolved into making threats) he join him and Gus as an “honored guest and cherished representative of the community” for an upcoming gala in Zuzu City. No doubt the governor would be there. No doubt Achilles was to be used as ammo in Lewis’ forever quest for increased tax credits.

He attempted to sneak a surreptitious peak from the behind the window curtains, but the figure on his porch step must’ve anticipated this, and Achilles was met with a comical close-up of Alex staring with his face pressed against the glass.

“I just cleaned that,” Achilles said in greeting as he wrenched open the door. “Oh Yoba, that’s nice…” A cool breeze had quickly wafted through, swirling through the sauna that had been festering in his kitchen.

“Good morning to you, too. Or, I guess it’s afternoon now…” Alex gave him a little wave from the porch before sheepishly attempting to wipe the window with the sleeve of his letterman. “Sorry about that.”

“Don’t apologize, I was lying. I’ve never wiped a window in my life.”

Even so, Alex couldn’t help but finish wiping the mark away, peering through the glass at the scene in the kitchen. “What are you up to? Sorry, am I disturbing something? ”

“Hell no. What are you up to and can I join? I’ll take any excuse to quit canning.” Achilles pointed his thumb at the stacks of mason jars behind him and waved for Alex to step inside. Voltaire was keeping watch over the cranberries, having planted himself next to the filled jars. “Shane thought it’d be a good idea. And then Shane left.”

“Sounds about right… just thought since you finished that ‘stupid little draft of yours,’ you could use a break. Weather’s nice. Thought you might want to join me, I’m going for a swim.” Alex picked up a jar and gave it a sniff. “Hey, you can make sure I don’t drown—not that you’d be able to save me, but you could maybe throw the ring, assuming your aim is better than your backstroke—”

“Yeah, yeah. A bit cold though, isn’t it? I know it’s peculiarly warm these days, but still, compared to Summer?”

“Eh, I mean I don’t know, it’s not bad once you really get moving. No colder than a pool. But you don’t have to swim if you don’t want, I’ll mostly be, um, practicing, anyway. Training. Or we could stop by Willy’s, get you a wet suit so you don’t die of hypothermia.”

“Right… I think I’ll just stay in the boat. Maybe I’ll bring a book, how about that? Now just give a minute, will you, I have to finish this… syrup, or whatever the fuck it’s called…”

*****

To be honest, Achilles wanted nothing better than to soothe his headache with a mind numbing paperback (perhaps one of the ones Shane had gifted him last season), but it was his own book that he had chosen to bring onto the boat—or, at least, the outline he had been wrestling with and was continuing to wrestle with as he gazed out at the open sea.

Alex had made good on his threat from last season, and so it was Achilles who had been “bullied” (to use his word) into rowing them out into the Gem Sea, though Alex hadn’t directed him nearly as far out as they had gone last time. The tide wasn’t too high at this hour, and they could make out the half-submerged banks of some of the archipelago’s smaller islands not too far out in the distance.

Achilles wasn’t sure if staying visibly close to land had been a deliberate decision on Alex’s part,  but though he was feeling significantly more comfortable in the boat than he had the last time they rowed out, he was nevertheless still grateful for the thoughtfulness, whether intentional or not.

Despite the sun, who was reigning solo in the clear blue skies above, it was much colder out on the water than Alex had suggested—though, if Alex had indeed been coming out here nearly every day since Fall started (as he had hinted during their row over), he likely had been dealing with even colder temperatures…

Achilles though, having grown up in Monstera’s subtropical climate, was currently huddled underneath Alex’s towel, right hand shivering the tiniest bit as it clutched an icy, stainless steel fountain pen.

Stupid stupid stupid. Stainless steel? Who are you trying to impress? Should’ve gone with plastic. Should’ve gone with fucking gloves. Should’ve brought a book. Should’ve stayed home.

Fueled partly by Elliott’s recent success and Alex’s words of encouragement, he had hoped the remote isolation of the Gem Sea would force him into overdue productivity. But for some reason or another, his brain had refused to focus on the project at hand. Instead he had found himself watching Alex, who had been slicing through the water at a startling speed—and so smooth! It was remarkable how little splashing one could make moving that fast.

For hours—hours!—Alex swam, only pausing and returning briefly to the boat to grab a drink of water. Stretch. Hover (too) closely over Achilles’ shoulder like a nettlesome gnat and ask about his (nonexistent) progress.

It was a little strange chatting, almost. With his brown hair flattened under a tight red and black swim cap and green eyes masked by polarized swim goggles, Alex’s most distinctive features (that is, his most distinctive features from the neck upwards, for Achilles refused to allow himself to look at anything below his shoulders) were hidden from sight.

But all the same, it was still so unmistakably Alex. The Dusty-like tilt of his head, the peek of tongue between his wide-toothed grin. Even the way he splayed his fingers to grip his water bottle. They’d known each other a little more than half a year, and yet it was all already so familiar to Achilles... for how long had he been cataloguing his habits?

Get back to work.

After roughly two hours of swimming, Alex climbed up the boat and took a seat.

“So,” he began, “I was wondering if I could get your advice.”

Achilles looked up from his (very blank) notebook. “Oh, I see. I suppose this is the real reason you brought me out here, then.”  

“Give me that.” Alex wrenched the striped towel off from Achilles’ back and gave it a whip before draping it over his own shoulders, all while removing his swim cap and goggles in one fluid sweep of his arm. “I’m serious!”

“I didn’t say you weren’t!” Achilles set his notebook to the side and leaned forward, elbows resting on his knees. “Fine, sorry. What’s up?”

“Okay, so I’m, um… well. I’m thinking of applying for a promotion.”

“Oh! Good for you.”

“Yeah…” Alex ran his hand through his dry hair. “The manager of our branch finally put in his two weeks yesterday. Thought it might be… worth a shot. To, you know. Apply.”

“For sure! So you wouldn’t be teaching anymore?”

“No, no, I would, just not as much, yeah. And I think I’d get, like, more control over what classes. And it’d be better pay, of course. Better hours—I’d probably be able to ditch all my personal training clients, never been a huge fan of those… but basically I’d probably have more time. More energy. To, um, you know. Maybe focus a little bit more on training, if I decide to… take it more seriously…”

“You’re already taking it more seriously though, aren’t you? You’ve been coming out here more often.”

“Yeah… but there’s still a lot more I could do. Be more… precise about it all. Not precise, uh… what’s the word…”

“Purposeful?”  

“Yeah! That. Purposeful.”

“For sure.”  

“Anyway, I mean, I don’t know if I’ll actually go for it, or if I do, if I’ll get it—the role’s got a lot more reading to it and, well, you know… But I think I could still do it. I’ve been trying to practice more, recently. Been making a point to try to read a story from the Stardew Valley Tribune every day.”

“Good for you!” said Achilles for the second time. “I’m proud of you. Bet Lewis is proud, too, really boosting those circulation numbers…”

Alex flushed, quickly moving on.

“But I’ve never really had to have a resume or do an… interview before. Like a real job interview. And I figured I should look into that just in case, and I figured I’d ask you for advice because you…” Alex trailed off, his fingers looping themselves around the strap of his goggles as he bit his lip.

“Spent six years battling my way up the corporate ladder and am thus, in your eyes, an expert?”

“Huh.” Alex’s brows furrowed as he glanced to the side, out to the water. “I had actually been thinking of all the fancy press I assumed you used to do for your books, but I guess BRLO is actually probably a lot more relevant… listen, I’m stupid, remember—”

“—Alex—”

“—I mean, either way, one or the other, you’ve probably got more experience than anyone else in the Valley. So yeah. You were right. I confess. This was the real reason why I dragged you all the way out into the middle of the Gem Sea and had you watch me swim for two and a half hours.”

“Slow build. Cut to the chase next time. So you’re asking me for interview advice?”

“Mmhm.” Alex scooted forward on his seat, his knees now a mere centimeter away from Achilles’ in the tiny boat. “And resume stuff. But only if you have time.”

“I absolutely love that you still pretend I have a productive life, it truly warms my heart. Sure. Why don’t you drop off the job description later and anything you have prepared so far and we can go over it all together. How’s that sound?”

Alex jumped to his feet, sending the boat rocking wildly. Achilles’ fingers curled instinctively around his seat and he had to suppress a pitiful squeak as he bit too hard into the side of his cheek.

“Yeah. Yeah! That sounds great. Thanks, Ash.”

*****

If Achilles had secretly hoped that this entreaty for advice had marked the end of Alex’s training session (and in turn, the end of Achilles’ self-induced torture—Yoba, why didn’t he just bring a book…), he was sorely disappointed.

After resignedly showing Achilles where in the boat he could find a new dry towel for warmth, Alex gave him a little salute before climbing back down into the water and starting yet another sequence of drills.

All work and no play today, it seemed.

For one of them, at least. How the tables had turned, Achilles couldn’t help but ruefully think. His pen had inked nothing but haphazard swirls on the sides of his notes. Fuck, why is this so fucking hard you fuck?

And then… it started to rain.

Small drops. Their cold, violent hurtles towards the ground (or in this case, the sea) not unlike the piercing rain that had fallen Achilles’ first night in Stardew Valley, though significantly, and thankfully, lighter.

It took quite a few minutes before Alex, so focused on his strokes (or perhaps it was simply more difficult to feel half-submerged in the sea), noticed and paused to look up into the sky.

“You didn’t see this coming, weather boy?”  he called, treading water from 30 feet or so away now.

“Blame Amelia McCarten,” Achilles called back, grateful for this welcome excuse to shove his pen and papers into the inside pocket of his windbreaker, though the act seared a small semblance of self-disgust across his heart. Useless. “I’m not a real meteorologist, cut me some slack.”

“Yeah, yeah, all right, I forgive you. But only because it’s still sunny. Weird.” Alex had raised his goggles and was peering up at the sky which was indeed, still strangely cloudless.

“The foxes must be getting married.”

“Huh?”

“I think I heard that somewhere once. Like folklore. They say if it rains but the sun’s still out, it means the foxes are celebrating a wedding.”

“Huh,” Alex repeated, now tilting his head ever so slightly to the right as he continued to search the golden skies. “I like that. That’s fun.”

He began to one-arm dog paddle back towards the boat, leaving the other arm to tap a finger against his temple in mock admiration. “So smart. Always learn something from you.”

Achilles chuckled and began to reach for the oars. “So I suppose we’re heading back then?” About time. Maybe he’d be more productive at home…

“Oooo…” Alex stopped in his strokes, just ten or so feet now from the boat. “Would you hate me if I said no?”

“It’s raining, Alex.”

“Yeah, but not hard. It’s barely a drizzle.”

Achilles bared his hand from where he had tucked it further up in the sleeve of his windbreaker and held it palm up to better feel the rain.

“Barely a drizzle my ass.” He watched as water dripped down the sides of his cupped hand before making a big show of wiping it against the towel which he was currently wearing like a headscarf.

“It’s just water. Come on, what’s the harm in getting wet?”

“Easy for you to say, you’re already wet.”

“You could be too if you just took that towel off your dang head, come on, please—”

“You know, I’ve half a mind to leave you out here. You can swim back to shore, just call it more training.”

“O ho, and if I drown? No boat. No radio. You’ll have to live with that on your conscience for the rest of your—”  

Achilles tossed the towel to the side. The rain had begun to leak through the cotton, rendering it somewhat useless. “Last time I stayed out in the rain, I got pneumonia.”

At these words, Alex started, his eyes widening in remembrance (or perhaps guilt), despite his previous puppy-dog-eyed pleads. He quickly began to make his way towards the boat. “Oh. Heck. You’re right, I’m so sorry! Yes, of course, we should head back—”

For some (utterly outrageous) and (totally inexplicable) reason, witnessing Alex’s repentant shift in attitude did little to bring him comfort, instead injecting Achilles with his own little stab of guilt.

And, so, recognizing that his heart had been won over by Alex’s downcast disappointment, Achilles rolled his eyes in reluctant surrender. Though it was much cooler out here than it had been in the Valley, he supposed it was still nevertheless warmer than it had been that frigid, stormy Summer night of Shane’s reckoning when he had contracted pneumonia. At least today, the sun was still streaking across the sky.

“Ugh…” He tossed Alex yet another exaggerated eyeroll. “It’s fine. We can stay.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah. I mean, it’s ‘only drizzling…’ Why are you so insistent, anyway? Something special happen in the sea when it rains? More jellyfish? Mermaids?”

“Oh…” The boat tipped slightly as Alex raised himself port side, forearms resting against the wood after gently setting his swim cap, goggles, and Pear Pods on the floor. “No. No good reason, really… I just think it’s… kind of fun.”

“We’re staying out here because you think it’s… fun?”

Alex scrambled for the ladder. “Okay, okay, we’ll head back—”

But Achilles was faster today—he slid onto the topmost rung of the ladder and leaned far forward so that Alex couldn’t pass. “You stay in the water where you belong, you wretch.”

Alex laughed, hands brushing Achilles’ legs as he pretended to swipe them in retaliation.

And then suddenly, Alex’s hands were around his ankles.

There was a sharp yank.

And he was in the water.

It was cold—far colder than it had been the last time they had come out here together to swim. Above, he could see the rain, feel the droplets punching rhythmically through the seawater into his arms.

The shock of it all had paralyzed his body—paralyzed his mind, even, for submerged in the water now, everything felt like slow motion.

Did he want to scream? Surely he wanted to scream. Surely it was time for panic to take center stage. It was the sea, the cold sea. This was where his nightmares lived.

But no. He felt… nothing. Nothing but calm, as he allowed his body to settle within the water, arms aloft.

And then his head was breaking the surface. Time reverted to normal speed, and he took an instinctual gasp for air and opened his eyes.

He was sitting. Firm, on cold, hard steel. Alex must’ve lifted him onto one of the lower rungs of the ladder.

“Shit, shit, fuck—I’m sorry, I’m so sorry—Ash, I’m sorry, I forgot, are you okay? I’m sorry, I’m so so sorry, are you okay—”

“It’s fine.” Achilles gripped the handrail. His legs were still submerged, and they dangled freely from under him.

“—fucking idiot, I don’t know why I did that, it’s so dangerous—hell, just common sense that you don’t do that, and with you still learning, you could’ve hit your head, I’m so sorry—”

“It’s fine.”

“—let’s go back, I’m—”

“Alex.” Achilles raised his voice.

“—I’m never swimming again—“

“Al. It’s fine. I’m fine.” Achilles found himself giving the distressed man before him a (hopefully) reassuring smile, adding even a laugh as he wiped the water from his face. “Really.”

Alex’s brows were still as furrowed as could be—they were nearly touching, really, as he continued to study Achilles with a penetrating, dilated gaze so intense that he felt almost too seen.

“You looking at me like that is making me more uncomfortable than the water was.”

Alex quickly averted his eyes, looking instead at his hands which were continuing to tread water. “We can… head back.”

“No.” The word was a surprise even to Achilles. But the fall—or the yank, really—had snapped the tenseness that had been tautly criss-crossed inside him. Who the fuck cared about writing?

He unzipped his windbreaker—his outline was surely bleeding out in that inside pocket, the few doodled spirals shot point blank by the seawater—and tossed it into the corner of the boat.

“Let’s stay. I want to experience whatever… fun you were going on about.”

Alex didn’t look convinced. A tight, small frown. And was he… trembling? “You sure?”

“Yeah.”

To support his sincerity, Achilles took a deep breath and launched himself from the ladder.

Unfortunately, Alex hadn’t twisted totally out of the way in time, and so Achilles managed to slam into his shoulder.

“Fuck, my bad,” he said, before Alex could apologize yet again. He pinched his nose, which had borne the brunt of the impact. “Damn. Really ruined the dramatic entrance I was trying to make.”

That got Alex to laugh, though it was a rather short, mono-syllabic one as he continued to avoid Achilles’ gaze and watch the rain patter against the small waves.“So… you promise you’re okay?”

Achilles rolled his eyes again. Alex had seen one panic attack. Okay maybe two… possibly three that first day in the pool… really, it just depended on how you counted them… okay, maybe the concern was warranted…

Nevertheless, he turned to tightly grip both of Alex’s shoulders—Yoba, he was warm…—facing him head on. At his touch, the man seemed to flinch, but looked up to meet Achilles’ gaze.

“Alex, if you ask me again, I’m getting back in the boat and rowing home without you. I’ll leave you the ring so you don’t drown.” Achilles let go, and began to tread on his own to further prove his point. “Seriously. Look. I’m fine. Don’t worry about me.”

Alex bit his lip as his eyes, still more black than green at the moment, widened in alarm for just the merest fraction of a second before seeming to soften, a somewhat dazed, bemused expression replacing his previous concern.  

The sun began to hit the horizon, raindrops sparkling glints of gold.

For a minute, the two simply bobbed and breathed. The green was slowly beginning to reclaim its territory in Alex’s eyes, and his lips were now slightly parted as he continued to regard Achilles in tranquil silence.

And though Achilles had long locked his feelings in a little box of inaction, there were still little moments that could catch him off guard…

“Alex? Everything okay? Al?”

“Hmm?” His trance broken, Alex gave a start and paddled two strokes backwards. “Yeah.” He gave his head a little shake and ran his hand through his hair. “Sorry, yeah, I was just… scared.”

“Thought you killed me?”

“Mmm… maybe not killed… I just know you don’t like open water…”

“I can see what you mean about swimming in the rain. It’s nice. Strange, but nice.” That was a lie—what it actually was was a colder, more painful, and significantly more uncomfortable version of having the shower head on while you took a bath. But Alex still seemed rather flustered from his part in Achilles’ supposed near-murder, so Achilles figured a little white lie couldn’t hurt.

*****

“Looks like the clouds are finally rolling in,” Achilles said, nodding up at the skies that were indeed beginning to darken.

“Oh. About time… Thought maybe they just didn’t want to spoil the wedding…”

“What wedding? Was there a wedding I wasn’t invited to?”

“Yeah, the foxes. Remember?”

“Oh? Oh! Ha…”

They clambered into the boat just as a grey, stormy wind began to pick up, biting against their damp skin.

“Yoba, I’m really sorry, Ash, I really didn’t think that through…” Alex unzipped his duffle bag and tossed a pair of sweatpants to Achilles. “You take these. And I think I’ve got a third towel somewhere, too, those are probably all wet… shit, I really am an idiot aren’t I…” Muttering some more self-targeted curses under his breath, Alex began searching the little drawers scattered among the boat.

As eager as he was to get out of his waterlogged jeans, Achilles still felt awkward stripping completely. Oooh, but perhaps he was overthinking it. On second thought, he was definitely overthinking it. More than likely, Alex had seen it all in various locker rooms over the years. It didn’t mean a thing.  

Even so, he changed at record breaking speed, despite the way the stiff, drenched denim clung relentlessly to his skin.

“Better?” A third towel found, Alex wobbled across the boat to drape it over Achilles’ bare shoulders. He gave his arms a brief squeeze through the cotton before quickly taking a step back and offering up a grey crewneck. “Achilles, I really am sor—”

“I can still throw you off the boat and row away without you.”

Alex, who, having given away his only change of clothes, was left to brave the wind unshielded, despite Achilles’ protests. He grabbed an oar.

“Let’s be real, Ash—at the rate you rowed us out here? Even swimming back, I’d reach Pelican Town before you.”

“Oh, shut the fuck up.” Achilles jabbed the other oar towards Alex, who dodged it with a chuckle. But it was good to see Alex making jokes, even if they were at Achilles’ athleticism’s undeserved expense…

*****

Despite Alex’s qualms with Achilles’ rowing capabilities, together they had managed to out-row the eye of the storm, bumping against Willy’s dock just as the first, soft drops of rain began to hit Stardew Valley.

“Going to be humid as hell tomorrow,” Achilles muttered darkly as Alex hopped deftly out and began to tie the rope to a thick wooden post.

Achilles followed, tottering unevenly across the boat, his still-sodden clothes bundled into a sad ball under his arm. The dock was slippery with the rain.

Alex offered his hand. Achilles had no reason not to take it.

He clambered out, barely registering the warmth of Alex’s callused palm until both his feet were planted securely on dry (or, dry as could be under present circumstances) land.

But as he made to let go, he found his hand still held tight in a grip that was lingering for just half a beat too long.

Achilles glanced half an inch upwards.

“Ah, sorry.” Alex jerked his hand back as if it had been burned and kneaded it against his chest.

They made their way wordlessly up the boardwalk and beach, where Achilles stopped. “Elliott wanted to host a little dinner tonight for us two—you know how he is, we’ll probably be ‘celebrating’ for another ten years… you… go on without me.”

“Oh. Okay. I’ll… um. See you around then, Ash.” Alex was still nervously rubbing his bare chest with his hand. “Again, I’m… really sorry about everything…”

Achilles watched him stare at the rapidly dampening ground, and a sudden burst of emotion surged through Achilles' heart at the sight of Alex's head bowed in shame. He bit back the sarcastic retort that'd been hovering at his lips, instead softly exclaiming, “There's nothing to be sorry for, Al. No harm done. Now go on. Get out of here before the storm gets bad.”

[stingywiththeirusername]

Alex, rushing to the hospital: ARE YOU OKAY?!

Eleanor, sobbing: No I only managed to get past Skull Cavern Level 4.

[manicpixiedreamsaren]

which f1 drivers i think would survive the zombie apocalypse and the people they would team up with

•••••••••

GROUP 1:

fernando alonso

max verstappen

pierre gasly

yuki tsunoda

mick schumacher

NONE of them are surviving. they all end up thinking w their abs like the jocks they are and as a last resort just threw themselves at the zombies in a last ditch effort to survive. while still alive though, fernando def took the lead and did his best to keep everyone together. pierre and yuki definitely cliqued together and were in charge or recon, mick and max were the “put things together” guys, and fernando just kinda told everyone what to do

GROUP 2:

sebastian vettel

charles leclerc

lance stroll

lewis hamilton

nicholas latifi

see, these guys all are generally pretty smart, but im not so sure they would all make it out alive. im pretty sure lance would survive at first due to fitness and dumb luck, but would end up being picked off while the gangs running for their life. would probs ask for seb to kill him if he was bit. lewis is def in charge or strategy and nicky + lance would work on inventory, while charles and seb were lookouts

GROUP 3:

esteban ocon

zhou guanyu

valterri bottas

oh they definitely all survive. kept their group tight knit and able bodied, plus packed light and survived via group hiking trips and granola bars. probably met up w group two a lot to trade and hang out.

GROUP 4:

carlos sainz

daniel ricciardo

lando norris

oh they all die. and in the most stupid ways too. they didn’t bother with making a strategy and just kinda ran for it. did not go well. lando was definitely a zombie by the third day and carlos probably died trying to save him. after carlos and lando were gone, daniel probably tried to find the rest of the grid but failed because he tripped over an exposed root and fell down a cliff or something bc bad luck

GROUP 5:

alex albon

george russel

kmag

sergio perez

they would all make it out solely because kmag and checo both were secretly doomsday preppers. alex and george kinda slid in by offering their height and muscle. ended up just hunkering down slightly off some hiking path and eat a lot of canned food thanks to kevins stash. checos really only with them because hes tired of babysitting max.

[whythinktoomuch]

Or actually if you wanna switch em that might be juicy too

a.k.a. Supercorp + deep sea

//

Don’t breathe. Don’t breathe. Don’t breathe.

The mantra is but a simple train of thought, caught idling and rumbling its displeasure between Kara’s ears. It rings out louder than the muted pounding in her chest, louder than the rush of water that’s now swallowed up the world, and much louder than the shouts that had flown after Kara when her frantic scrambling couldn’t keep her on deck any longer.

Don’t breathe. Don’t breathe. Don’t breathe.

Kara chants it to herself as she scrambles toward the surface. It’s one of the first lessons they all have to learn, and for far too many, it’s also the last lesson they’ll ever end up learning out here. Because this is how people die: a last ditch effort of an oxygen-deprived body to take in air, only to fill their lungs to the brim with the unforgiving weight of seawater instead.

--

Don’t breathe, don’t breathe, do not breathe…

Kara is kicking hard, thrashing out her arms even harder. It’s damn near impossible to see anything in the pitch black of night, especially through all this tossing and turning of a storm that they should have been keeping an eye on.

But Kara tries. She urges herself into a burst of swimming again and again, each time reasoning that this one has to be it. This time will be the one where she finally breaks through the surface, gasping and alive, and Alex can be the one to kill her instead of all this fucking water.

Her hands grasp at nothing every single time.

Don’t-breathe-don’t-breathe-don’t—

Something clamps hard around Kara’s wrist, and she lets out a strangled shout, losing precious bubbles in the process.

Kara struggles, whipping her caught arm this way and that, but the grip around it only tightens and tugs her lower.

“Stop,” says a voice so perfectly clear, that Kara’s only logical explanation for it is that the lack of oxygen must be finally getting to her. “You’re going the wrong way. You’re swimming away from the surface…”

Kara swings her leg out, feels it collide with something solid that thankfully yields, and she’s free once more. Lungs burning and about to burst, and every instinct in her body screaming at her to go, go, go, Kara frantically starts swimming as hard as she can.

She’s then seized by a wall of warmth and slime, with rippling scales tearing through her shirt and catching at the bare skin of her belly. And as Kara is yanked backwards and tightly squeezed around the middle, she finds herself startled into doing the one thing she knows, above all else, that she most definitely should not: she takes a breath.

It’s impossible to stop once she’s started.

Every mouthful of saltwater tempts Kara into going for another, then another, because of the urgent, half-addled hope of how the next inhale might and could bring her some precious air. But everything is burning now, and heavy and throbbing, and well, Alex did say that drowning would be painful, no?

“Shit, shit, shit…” the voice from earlier hisses out, and yeah, this is probably a hallucination, because who’s ever heard of an underwater whisper anyway? “You stupid, pathetic human, I told you—”

It’s cold. Kara is sinking and done and dying. She’s officially lost track of anything and everything, to the point where she doesn’t even realize that she’s breathing again—actually breathing, the way nature intended her to—until the third breath of fresh air is being pushed into her beaten lungs.

Kara’s eyes snap back open, and she keeps them open against the sting of salt out of sheer will. There isn’t much she can make out through the dark, murky waters, but there’s a flash of pale lingering before her and a firm pressure against her entire mouth. And Kara, despite everything, relaxes into the embrace.

She’s always wondered what it’d be like to kiss the moon.

[leclerc-s]

track 005. jugaste y sufrí

─── ❝ yo ya no quiero sufrir, quiero ser feliz ❞ ───

masterlist // previous // next

lando norris so i guess oscar unknowingly became a dad??

ollie bearman why is that where you brain immediately goes?

mae jones his brain needs to be studied under a microscope.

checo perez can i leave now?

dulce perez si yo tengo que sufrir tú también tío! checo perez ya me voy. daniel jones-ricciardo unless austin shows up in texas or vegas. checo perez mierda.

fernando alonso sergio! there are children here!

bailey winters have any of you tried locking them in a closet?

penelope trevino hmm. that might work.

ollie bearman what she needs is therapy. sebastian literally said she was afraid of falling in love. AUSTIN MADE HER CRY IN MIAMI!

arthur leclerc she would've cried over anything. she's an emotional person.

dulce perez have you see the group picture? max verstappen she was crying over tangled.

daphne jones-ricciardo i cry over tangled too. it's a beautiful movie.

pierre gasly that's because you are rapunzel and daniel is flynn rider.

arthur leclerc but yes, she does need therapy.

logan sargeant has anyone seen oscar? we were supposed to meet up for lunch?

oscar piastri i forgot sorry. logan sargeant YOU DITCHED ME?

max verstappen go have lunch with zoya or something.

zoya torres what the fuck? why are you signing me up for things? max verstappen if you show up one more time to my apartment crying over your ex and hoping to steal my cats were going to have problems. zoya torres it was only twice. mae jones it's been 7, he started keeping track. there is a board on our fridge and everything.

dulce perez hey, you know who else is missing?

daniel ricciardo-jones SHUT UP!

ollie bearman she's with me!

isabella perez i am not missing dulce! i told tio checo where i was going

logan sargeant oh it must be nice to not get ditched by your friends. i wouldn't know BECAUSE OSCAR'S A TRAITOR!

oscar piastri how exactly is it my fault that thing 1 and thing 2 showed up at my hotel room at 6:30 in the morning and dragged me out to breakfast?

ollie bearman you're lucky it was 6:30 isa dragged me out of bed at 6. isabella perez WE LITERALLY MADE PLANS THE NIGHT BEFORE OLIVER!

fernando alonso i was unaware isabella and oscar had acquired a grid child

oscar piastri bella has a grid child not me. i don't want him ollie bearman you're a horrible father. ollie bearman i hope you dnf in monaco oscar piastri i'm not your dad! ollie bearman good. i wouldn’t want you as my father. you’re horrible and you suck! isabella perez oh great, now you've made him sad oscar!

oscarpiastri, isabellaperez, and olliebearman posted new stories

i'm going to die with her behind the wheel. that smile is plotting murder. what is it with drivers and showing up in team gear to everything? they will also sleep anywhere, as shown by ollie. i feel like i'm interrupting something.

alex albon did you or did you not go out on a date with oscar?

isabella perez no, i did not go out on a date with oscar.

george russell i call bullshit! i saw ollie’s story! esteban ocon i agree.

charles leclerc wasn’t she out with oscar and ollie? how is that a date?

pierre gasly aww a family date! isabella perez i’m going to murder you gasly

natalia ruiz boys, leave her alone.

isabella perez it wasn’t a date! ollie was there!

alex albon which means if ollie wasn’t there it totally would’ve been a date

lewis hamilton when will the day come where all of you learn to mind your own business?

pierre gasly pretty much never

mae jones isa, it was a fucking date if i’ve ever seen one. trust me on this one.

isabella perez yes, i'll take advice from the people who had a fwb relationship, a situationship, and someone who broke up with her ex because she was afraid.

isabella perez really the only one's who should be giving me advice are esteban, george, alex, and lewis.

pierre gasly you're mean sometimes.

mae jones and for the record i wasn't afraid!

alex albon explain things i wish you said? charles leclerc or you're losing me? esteban ocon or exile? mae jones OKAY I GET IT!

sooo, how'd the date go?

it wasn't a date logan.

oh sure and ollie wasn't third wheeling the two of you.

he wasn't?

MY BROTHER IN CHRIST HAVE YOU SEEN HIS STORY?? YOU ARE IN L-O-V-E!!

how can i be in love?? i barely know her

okay, fine, you have a crush on her.

no, i don't.

yes, you do. i know you pastry!

you don't know shit. i don't have a crush on her.

oscar, either i'm fucking blind or you're stupid but you, my australian friend, have a massive crush on her.

fuck off

no, i don't

sure buddy, and i'm not from miami

but you are?

exactly my point.

logan sargeant he's got the l-word

lando norris leprosy??

daniel jones-ricciardo how the fuck did your mind go to leprosy?

lando norris bailey and i watched ice age last night.

bailey winters max, you're performance in that movie was amazing

max verstappen i will take lando out.

pierre gasly the way his season's going he'll take himself out first. lando norris literally fuck you gasly. i know you and esteban are going to take each other out at least once this season.

logan sargeant OSCAR'S IN LOVE!!

arthur leclerc WITH WHO?? logan sargeant i cannot believe that sentence just came out of your brain.

dulce perez my sister i assume??

logan sargeant well, it's more like a crush but that counts right??

daphne jones-ricciardo and you came to this conclusion how?

logan sargeant denial is always the first sign, no?

carlos sainz it is like lando when he said he wasn't in love with bailey! lando norris we are not talking about me.

isabellaperez posted a new story

paddock dad isabella, are you okay?

super max are you depressed? honey badger did austin call again?

duckling i'm okay. i think.

duckling i'm feeling things. i don't know if they're good or bad.

paddock dad therapy helps. duckling so i've heard.

super max good things or bad things?

duckling I DON'T KNOW!!

duckling feels are hard. i don't want them anymore.

paddock dad sorry kid, you're stuck with them forever. duckling SEB! MAKE THEM GO AWAY!! paddock dad i can't isa. you have to face them.

duckling here's a thought, what if i don't? i could ignore them, they'll go away eventually.

super max you've already tried that isa. it's not working out that great for you.

honey badger already tried that kiddo. maybe it's time to talk to someone?

duckling i'll call my mom!

paddock dad that's better than one of us.

isabellaperez posted new stories

my mother won't answer the phone, who's more important than me?? her baby?? her pride and joy??

nothing like a good ole lana song to cry too.

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¡leclerc-s speaks! OLLIE IN F1!! LET'S GOO!! i also couldn't help myself including that ice age joke. does this qualify as angst?? i don't think so? this has also been sitting in my drafts for ages.

¡disclaimer! this is in no way making assumptions about the people involved in this story, this is all fake. it is a fanfiction please don't take any of what is said seriously. this is all for entertainment purposes and as a creative outlet for me. enjoy!

[redhairedwolfwitch]

Doctor Y/n - Ortho Fellowship - 21 - Grey's Anatomy x Fem!Reader

"I can't stay here..." Jo whispered into your shoulder, immediately stepping back so she could ask you the vital question.

"Yeah, you can stay with me. You don't even have to ask." You replied, feeling Teddy's eyes on you, but she already knew you and Jo would never be like her and you.

There was more than one type of love.

Jo was your sister and best friend.

Teddy was your girlfriend, and not that anyone had realised yet, the love of your life.

Danielle was the fairy-tale love. Hannah Brody and Leah Murphy were the hard loves. Teddy Altman was the love you never saw coming.

///

"I brought you some stuff from the loft. Couldn't find those ugly fuzzy socks that you like." Link admitted as he walked over to Jo in the attendings lounge, tying up her hair.

"Braces grabbed all of those, she's good at packing in a hurry- that face is over socks?" Jo asked, raising an eyebrow as she spotted you on the phone to someone outside.

There's some bills, some junk, and uh, top letter." Link pointed out, looking up as you ran in to see.

"Arizona got one too." You explained, biting your lip as Jo read over the return address.

Alex Karev's final goodbyes were in the forms of letters.

"I'll sit with you, we can read it together-" Link was cut off as Jo spoke.

"I got it. I got it." Jo replied, leaving Link to nod as he headed out.

"I'm not leaving." You stubbornly replied, folding your arms as Jo sat down, glancing up from opening the envelope to check you were still there as she opened it.

You were cautious as you sat down on the other chair at the table, silent as a mouse as she began to read.

///

Your stomach churned as you watched the tears begin to fall from Jo's eyes, and the small gasps as she kept reading.

You could feel eyes watching you both, but you didn't dare look to see who.

Teddy was watching in the doorframe, a worried expression on her face as you sat, helpless as your sister cried.

"Joey..." You whispered, hand hovering in the air as she put the letter down.

"He's gone. To Kansas, on a farm, with Izzie and, and his kids." She whispered back, surpressing the sobs as she pushed the letter away from her.

"It had to be Kansas." you whispered under your breath, a growl in your tone before Jo looked up to meet your eyes.

"Don't you dare leave me too." She sobbed, hands going to her mouth as she whimpered, "don't even think about it."

"Where you go, I go. Only time I'm leaving you is if I die before you." You affirmed, tugging your lip between your teeth you waited for what Jo would do next.

///

"You can quit hovering, Braces already has that covered."

"I'm not hovering." Link defended, leaning in the doorway watching the two of you, "I'm deciding whether to give you space. Or take you day drinking. Okay, whiskey it is." Link offered Jo his hand, which she took, until her phone buzzed with a page.

"Pierce is paging me for a cecal bascule for one of our cabbage patients. Okay. Whiskey tonight, today I am working." Jo declared, pulling on her lab coat.

"You're my hero." Link stated with a smile, as Jo removed her pony tail from under the lab coat.

"Mine too." Jo replied before she walked out.

Teddy was still as you spotted her, only opening her arms when you barrelled into them, trembling.

"Y/n?"

"If someone as good as Joey can be left behind..."

"Hey, I'm not leaving you." Teddy affirmed as she held you, making eye-contact with Link as he just nodded.

///

You paused as you flicked through the pile of mail that your landlord had left outside your apartment. The elastic band falling onto the counter, as you read over the return name and address.

Alex Karev.

Your eyes widened for a second, hurriedly tearing the envelope open, you found only handwritten page, along with a photograph of you and Jo.

Alex had sent you a letter too. A letter telling you to look after Jo, and keep being her person, like you had been since the two of you were teens.

Alex admitting he didn't like you at first was a given, since Jo would sometimes ditch him for you, but it was only when Cristina left and he was Mer's person that he realised the bond you and Jo had. He also hoped that the two of you wouldn't change, and that you being Jo's person was a comfort to him.

The small joke at the end had you rolling your eyes. the joke being that you were allowed to break all 206 of his bones, for breaking Jo's heart. Putting the letter back in the envelope, you reached for the shelf that held the other important envelopes. Jo had dubbed it the Pandora's jar of envelopes. The letters you could never open because you weren't ready to read them. This letter was one Jo was not ready to read yet, but one day, you would give it to her.

The photo went with the others. On the fridge, right in the middle, at the centre of it all. Because Jo was the reason you were still standing.

///

"Look at these losers, they look like they're eating each other's faces off!" Jo pointed out as she and Link waited for the train.

"I once made out through a tornado. Went to buy gum and the 7-Eleven was gone." Link mentioned, gaining a scoff from Jo in return.

"And a guitar. Probably on their way to an open mic." Jo grumbled, folding her arms.

"I play guitar. So does Y/n."

"That's different." Jo deadpanned, looking at the couple making out on the platform again.

"Get a dorm, face-eaters!" Jo exclaimed towards the couple, "don't they know that all love sucks eventually? Too bad there's no sappy love songs about the part where your husband leaves you, you cry every time you see his toothbrush, so you're living in your sister's apartment, sharing a bed with her and sometimes her girlfriend!" Jo retorted, hearing Link sigh.

"You're welcome to crash on my couch?"

"Braces' couch is comfier." Jo rejected, leaving Link to huff.

///

"Well, my mom's sent me a load of bigger places for you, since she realised Y/n sometimes has Rory... have the two of you talked about moving in together?" Owen enquired as Teddy pushed the double pushchair.

"I don't want to push her, especially since her sister slash best friend's husband just left her... I rolled over to hold Y/n and ended up grabbing Jo as well." Teddy admitted, watching as Owen frowned in confusion.

"Jo is staying with Y/n too?"

///

"Teddy, what's wrong? I know something has happened-"

"That something is Karev left Jo, and now I'm worried... I'm worried Y/n won't want to marry me because if what happens around us, all these divorces... I don't know why I'm thinking of marriage when I haven't even tried to talk to her about moving in together..."

"Whoah, whoah, maybe, maybe talk to Y/n about this and see what she thinks?" Owen suggested, holding Teddy's forearms so she stopped waving her hands around.

"Yeah, yeah, good idea, yeah..." Teddy nodded, heading back up the stairs, "Owen, Amelia's baby might be yours. Might as in might not be..."

"Jo."

"What does Jo have to do with any of this?" Teddy asked, folding her arms in confusion.

"She mentioned something in surgery. She said 'what would you do if...' how do you even know this? Did Amelia tell you or..."

"I just, I had a weird feeling and I worried it would throw off the dynamic we already have going on, because there's technically three babies whenever Y/n is looking after Rory. Look, I don't know, but I don't think Amelia knows either." Teddy explained, watching as Owen began to pace.

"I just want to make sure it's real."

"It's real, Owen, it's a real baby and you could be the father, it could be you, or it could be Link, but with how Link and Amelia are going, you have to see that something's up." Teddy sighed, leaving Owen to let out a sigh.

"If you have a baby with Amelia, what does it mean for everything? You have Leo, Y/n sometimes has Rory, and the three of us together have Allison. I'm worried this will really rock the boat." Teddy admitted, heading up the stairs as Owen tried to process what he was just told.

///

Teddy: May have told Owen something i shouldn't have

Y/n: that Joey slept in the same bed as us? i was in the middle for a reason

Teddy: Well that too

Teddy: I may have told him he could be the father of Amelia's baby

Y/n: That was not a good idea

Teddy: I realise that now

Teddy: I was worried that if it was, that's four babies in the mix

Y/n: I only babysit Rory twice a month, and I am not letting Cody and Mac die any time soon, but thanks for including Rory?

Teddy: i assume the worse

Y/n: i assume everyone will leave me so i try not to attach to anyone, but i still end up attaching and hoping my heart won't be broken

Teddy: where are you?

Y/n: in the lab, come hold me please

Teddy: on my way

///

"I also know, that he is the reason I will get up again, I will get out of the trash and I will rise. I'll rise so high, that I'll make him a fool for ever having left me. And I'll do it, because of how well he loved me. I am changed because of him, he helped me feel worthy of romantic love, and even though it's over, that is mine to keep. Link, don't blow it with Amelia."

"I didn't do anything, she pushed me away, she ended it!" Link argued, folding his arms.

"She didn't push you away, she gave you a choice. I never had that. Now, if you excuse me, I need to shovel talk Teddy Altman, because I'll be damned if Braces gets hurt like this." Jo stated, patting Link's shoulder before walking away.

///

"Doctor Altman, a word. Braces, I think Link is looking for you." Jo announced, walking in as you and Teddy were sat in the lab, cuddling.

"Okay... are you okay?" You asked as you stood up to go, gaining a deflective shrug from Jo as she set her sights on Teddy.

"You better be serious about loving Braces. Because I will be damned if she goes through another heartbreak, or feels anything like how I feel after Alex left. She spent her entire life running from love because she expects everyone to leave. I am the exception, and I am her best friend, her person, her sister. But she loves you, and you love her and you need to be the exception. Danielle died on her. Hannah and her mutually broke up. Leah broke up with her. Each time, her heart gets more and more smashed up. And I am the one who picks up the pieces of my sister's heart, Doctor Altman. I will be damned if a cardiothoracic surgeon breaks her heart too. Do not break her heart. Because you will never see me coming, and that's not a threat. That's a promise." Jo growled, pausing as she turned to leave.

"Also, Braces has never cheated on anyone, nor has anyone cheated on her. Keep that in mind." Jo stated before heading out to go to the bar.

///

Joey: DeLuca just tried to get with me, threw my drink over him to get him to back off

Braces: wtf is going on with him?

"Everything okay?" Owen asked, slight snark in his voice as you were checking your phone at the dinner table.

"Depends, DeLuca just tried propositioning Joey for sex. She threw her drink at him because he wouldn't back off." You raised an eyebrow, glancing around as Owen frowned into the roast chicken and Teddy looked concerned.

///

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