#Emily from MD

[rad10active-ketchup]

All bug designs!! I'm done for like, a week lol

names (Top to bottom, left to right) Marocchino, Emily, Jade, Sam, Magnolia, Bug (Lol), Andromeda, Sierra, Apollo, Radio, Rebecca, Pepper. These are designs for @astronic-fr 's critter Au! (I did these for fun)

[flaminghotjareau]

i love criminal minds’ grasp of the human body like emily can survive getting staked in the abdomen, intestines, maybe stomach or kidneys as well but the unsub she shot in the kidney or smth in 6x04 dies in 20 seconds, so realistic

[velvet-vox]

The insane, untapped potential of Rebecca from Murder Drones.

Hello Murder Drones Tumblr. My name is Markiplier, and I'm the fastest man alive.

To the outside world, I'm a regular Reddit user hiding in their mother's basement, but secretly, I've done nothing except consume Rebecca content for the past 72 hours, with only one objective in mind: spread the truth about this one, singular character that I didn't give a single damn about to convince you that she could have been someone important in an alternate universe.

To do so, I had to consult the classics. Rewatch the entire series again, hogging the murder drones rebecca tag, checking out her Wikipedia page (which has to be rewritten by the way, cause it sucks), create a new Rebecca centered gallery on Pinterest, and stalk the channels of her main worshippers, all in the name of my research.

Once I had collected enough data and ideas, I was finally ready.

Today, I'm going to shed light on some unknown traits and misconceptions surrounding the character, all the while showcasing all the ideas that I've gathered that would have made Rebecca a more prominent part of Uzi's and maybe even N's development.

This was by far the hardest undertaking I've ever imposed upon myself in the history of this blog. Please, enjoy the following content at your own risk and expense.

Chapter 1: The Origins.

Some context for those of you who are uninitiated in the Becca cult, Rebecca is this girl:

She's a minor side character inside of episode 3 and 4, and a background character inside of episode 2; she's infamous in the community for being a "bully" and trying to steal N from Uzi while already dating and making out with other classmates.

Despite never committing genocide and being the only member of the cheerleader trio to not have been responsible for anybody's death, she's pretty hated by the fanbase at large or plainly forgotten/dismissed, at best people just don't care about her and see her as just too unimportant to be hated, at worst they kill her in the most gruesome of ways or accuse her of racism, homophobia, eccetera (before killing her, of course).

Although pretty unpopular, she still has her own niche of fans who gather up at the table to worship her; furthermore, there are a lot of fanarts from people who don't even like her where she survived the events of Cabin Fever but is now disabled and confined to a wheelchair.

The reason behind such treatment is due to the fact that Rebecca has committed five of the worst cardinal sins a fictional character can make: being an obstacle to the most popular ship in a fandom; being mean to a fan favourite such as the main character without any clear motivation; being annoying by proxy according to other characters reactions without doing anything to disprove it, thus reinforcing the idea in the audience that you are annoying; being unimportant to the overall story without having any obvious redeeming or interesting qualities while being perceived as graving in each and everyone of your few scenes; and, of course, being a woman.

But besides all that, whose mostly common knowledge, what else is there to say about Rebecca? What are some of her less noticeable traits and characteristics that make her worth it of an analysis and a rewrite to better include her inside the plot?

Well, unfortunately, the answers are not as uplifting and as satisfying as Rebecca's stans were hoping they would be. Even in an alternative universe, I doubt she would really be as important as some of the other characters, more so an important character for Uzi's development. Maybe even N's.

But don't let this statement fool you into safety: I genuinely believe canon Rebecca is simultaneously so much better and so much worse than the community believes her to be. Rebecca is as much of a freak as Uzi, but not in her obnoxious, extroverted way, nor in Doll's sociopathic, introverted way: she's their uncommon middle ground who somehow manages to be more messed up than the both of them in certain aspects.

Chapter 2: "The quirks"

Upon commencing my research, I've quickly realised that I might be even more unnerved by Rebecca than I was with Yeva, and it's all due to the fact Rebecca facial expressions and body gestures might be the single most obtuse and undecipherable details that Liam has decided to insert into the background of his story. You probably don't understand what I'm talking about because you haven't been losing sleep at night like I did, but let me show you the pictures:

Noticing anything wrong?

Everyone else upon seeing V is immediately frozen in terror or just surprised by the Disassembly Drone presence, but Rebecca instead just looks mildly.... annoyed? Intrigued? It's hard to tell by the image's shots alone but the only time where Rebecca's facial expressions change to the shocked looks of the Worker Drones on the right is when Lizzie says her infamous line and socially excluses her from the popular kids table.

There could be more to say about Rebecca's following lines "Fine, I forgive her! Settle." and how they don't really mean what you think they mean, because, just like we are going to see in a moment, Becca really doesn't give a damn about murder, in some ways, even more than the other Workers, but I haven't found a single more compelling meaning besides, you know, Rebecca's family, which we are soon going to be talking about.

Other weird facial expressions that she does are the weird look that she has when escaping Prom, her reactions to people dying in Cabin Fevers, and probably every single scene she's in when you think about it hard enough.

She also does this weird thing with her fingers. A sign of anxiety? She looks fairly inexpressive. Yet again, she might have learned to mask her emotions and the hand gesture could be a way to let it all out without putting too much attention upon herself. But why? Is the guy standing right beside her one of her parents? More of that in a minute.

Finally, and this is the biggest point of speculation, there's a high possibility that Rebecca might have sensory issues, a possibility that we are going to treat as fact, thus explaining why she's so afraid of falling out of the boat in this scene: aside from the fact that Worker Drones are probably not waterproof judging by the text in episode 1; Rebecca is literally experiencing sensorial discomfort from the erratic movements of the boat, and even if she was able to survive in water, she wouldn't be able to swim due to her disability. (Other possible evidence of this is the squirm she emits when the door of the abandoned cabin Uzi is in slams shut. Darren also reacts to it, but in a much more normal manner).

But now you might be asking: "If she really had sensory issues making these moments where she lacks balance scarier, why did she pick up cheerleading?" Which nicely segway's us into the next part:

(Side note, I've only specifically searched for sensorial discomfort in relation to sex, and based the rest on preemptive knowledge, thus I might have messed up some parts of this analysis; I'm sorry to anyone who experiences these issues and didn't find their inclusion in this essay accurate.)

Chapter 3: Becca the 13th

In the following segment, the line between canon and fanon, reasonable and made up blurs, but I beg you to stay patient and follow my thought process: the far fetched parts are based on the elements already present in the show to make Rebecca a more interesting characther while tying her to the themes of the show and to the preexisting dynamics.

In my research to answer the question "Why did Rebecca pick up cheerleading" I looked up a site explaining all the reasons why girls decide to get into cheerleading, and I've singled out these answers as the most likely possibilities for Rebecca's interest in the sport.

Passion for the Sport: Many women who become cheerleaders have a genuine passion for cheerleading and enjoy the physical and artistic aspects of the sport. They may see cheerleading as a way to express themselves creatively and be part of a team.

Opportunities for Performance: Cheerleading provides opportunities for women to perform in front of large audiences, which can be a rewarding experience for those who enjoy being in the spotlight and entertaining others.

Team Camaraderie: Cheerleading often involves working closely with a team of other cheerleaders, which can foster a strong sense of camaraderie and friendship. Many women value the sense of community and teamwork that comes with being a cheerleader.

Scholarship Opportunities: In some cases, cheerleading can provide opportunities for women to earn scholarships for college or other educational benefits. This can be a motivating factor for women who are looking to further their education.

Personal Development: Cheerleading can help women develop valuable skills such as teamwork, communication, leadership, and time management. These skills can be beneficial in both personal and professional settings.

Love for Dance and Performance: Cheerleading often involves elements of dance and performance, which can appeal to women who have a passion for these art forms. For some women, cheerleading offers a creative outlet to express themselves through movement and choreography.

Which one of them is the most likely?

If your answer is all/some of them, then you are probably right, as there could always be more than one reason driving an individual to commit the actions that they do.

If your answer is none of them, then you must be pretty bold to make such an assumption, but you can't be blamed as it's finally time to bring up the two big elephants in the room:

These two.

Rebecca's relationship with the other cheerleaders can't be anything but toxic, it just makes sense to me: Lizzie's not afraid to throw people under the bus if it means that she gets to stay on top of the social hierarchy, with Doll being the clear exception at this point of the story due to their closeness and intimacy, making Rebecca the most direct victim of Liz and Doll the main target of Becca's jealousy; she can't act too much on her jealousy though, cause Lizzy can just cut out her wings whenever she feels like, so most likely all of the bullying that she does on Doll is subtle and only at most convenient of times. Doll probably doesn't react to Rebecca's bullying seeing as she is Lizzy's second best friend and killing her would inconvenience the cheer's squad, but if her reaction to Rebecca's speech in The Promening is anything to go by then she has at least built up a certain resentment for her throughout their time spent together.

Rebecca is kind of like Heather Duke with the personality of Heather McNamara and Veronica's shaky presence inside of the trio. No, I'm not going to diagnose Doll and Lizzy as Heathers, do that yourself.

But we're going to bring back up the DLR trio back in a moment, as the time has come to fire up the Chekhov's gun:

Remember when I said that we were going to bring up Rebecca's family later on? It's finally time.

In the same boat scene that we talked about earlier, Rebecca asks N this question: "So, my friend wants to know if you've killed her family... and are single."

In case you didn't pick up on it, this is a common tactic used to taste the waters in a relationship, when someone uses the excuse of having another friend who has a crush on you to see if you are up for dating. Naturally, the underlying message of this tactic is "I'm the one friend who I was talking to you about, I'm interested in you. Are you interested in me?" but that's not where Rebecca's sentence stops, no, before doing that Rebecca specifically asked N if he might have killed her friend's family, with the implication that she's talking about her own family.

So... Rebecca is without parents, just like Doll and she was probably left with just her dad much like Uzi. Where the differences between Rebecca and the rest of the cast starts to shine is in her reaction to the death of her parents. Where Uzi's and Doll's mood worsened after the death of one or both of their parents, Rebecca seems to be happier for it.

We can take this a step even further and assume that the possibility that N might have killed her family could be the big reason as to why she's so attracted to him, even more than the other classmates (keyword "family". It means that she could have had a brother or sister too, though I doubt it): she hated her parents, is happy with their deaths, and views N as her saviour and white knight in the dark for killing them.

If we look back at the shot from episode 2, we can come up with a couple of theories: she's probably alone at the parents teachers conference, or, and this is the most interesting alternative, the guy who stands right beside her is her dad, the weird hand gesture that she's doing with her fingers could be genuine anxiety about her dad finding out that her teacher has some bad things to say about her school performance and punishing her for it, which could also further explain why she does anything that Lizzie says if the theory that Lizzie's father is the Teacher is true.

Due to her sensory issues, it's possible that Rebecca's hatred for her family stems from a streak of physical abuse received at home and exacerbated by her already frail physique. She probably has been living alone with her dad for a while, like the girl from the 2017 It movie; so for her to hate her mom too, unless she was still alive and didn't show up to the parents/teachers conference, there are a couple of possible explanations: A, her mother died when she was too young for her to give a s##t about her; B, her mother was also just as abusive as her dad; or C, the most compelling explanation, as it parallels Khan's and Uzi's relationship: Rebecca's father uses the death of her mother as an excuse to wallop into self pity and be abusive, similarly to Khan but ten times worse, thus leading Rebecca to hate her mom even if she never knew her just by virtue of constantly hearing her name being used as justification for her dad's awfulness.

Rebecca could have, in just a couple of minutes, grown attached to N in the same way Uzi's grown attached to him throughout the course of the series: by viewing him as a sort of comfort net for the horrible things that have happened to her and as the one who saved her from her awful home life (by killing her parents).

Her dad probably did the interview right after Khan and thus implying a small space of time where he left her alone for god knows whatever reason, died to Eldritch J right before Uzi and N came in to stop her and Khan finally arrived to the crime scene, thus leading Rebecca to assume that N killed him in episode 4 and, through a connection made up by her wild immagination, her mom aswell.

So, for Rebecca, unlike Uzi and Doll, the day her parents died must have been the best day of her life; knowing how Doll lost her parents and looked pretty happy on the outside, Rebecca took this as a positive that her life could only improve; leading to the time spent between the ending of episode 2 and her death in episode 4 to be happiest period of her life, especially after episode 3 where Doll was revealed as a serial killer and went into hiding, making Rebecca the only friend Lizzie had left and solidifying her place in the social hierarchy.

When you think about it, we never see Rebecca being "happy" before episode 3, and while it could just be because we don't see enough of her, it could also really be that she was unhappy with her home life; Lizzie and Doll clearly weren't helping as despite Doll being at the bottom of the abuse trio of Lizzie and Rebecca, it's pretty clear by the framing of the show that Rebecca was always the most replaceable member of the trio, Lizzie was the master manipulator holding all of the cards of the social hierarchy thanks in part to her dad's influence, and Doll was Lizzie's irreplaceable (until V) main enforcer who at any moment could have just snapped and physically threatened Lizzie with her powers; leading Rebecca to feel constantly anxious of her every move. Plus, it must have been fairly obvious to the entire school that Doll and Lizzie had an affair going on and Rebecca wasn't part of it, therefore other students could have definitely picked up on her anxiety and started a gossip behind her back, leading her to feel even worse about herself than she already was. Which also, in turn, parallels Uzi and her feelings of being socially ostracized, making them even more of a foil to each other, with the main difference being that Uzi tried to fit in by becoming a hero to the colony and failing, while Rebecca carved her own unstable niche into society that she has to constantly struggle to maintain (Doll being at the positive end of the spectrum in this case, by being popular without struggling and willingly giving up said popularity for her revenge fantasies).

Her fear of losing the social stability and bullying immunity provided by Lizzie and Doll eventually turned into paranoia, forcing her to make up lies about dating people, like the guy "Brad" who she supposedly went to Prom with despite that apparently never being the case. To maintain the lies as truthful, she eventually benefitted from the ripple effect that those lies had created for her thanks in part to her good looks: now having the reputation of a nymph, she could get people to have sex with her, probably using it as an excuse for never actually being in a relationship with anyone (Darren is one of those people, she wasn't dating him, she was just making out with him).

There's also much to be said about the way Rebecca views sex and relationships as a whole; I'm not too sure about this talking point due to the aforementioned sensory issues that she has, but she could view sex as a sort of escapism fantasy, which also carries over in her love fantasy of N, and her relationship with the other cheerleaders as a semi functional support system, yet again other similarities with Uzi who, at the start of the series latched onto her fantasy of becoming a hero as escapism from her unfortunate school and home life, and, with a little stretching, we could say that Lizzy and Doll were to Rebecca what N and V are to Uzi, though not quite as healthy.

To ensure that Rebecca's views and actions on sex don't jive with her possibly having sensory issues, I've looked up information regarding the way people with these types of problems engage in sexual activity, and luckily for me, none of what I've found seemed to contradict any of the points I've brought up.

Here I have isolated all of the results of my research that fit Rebecca the most. Note: all of these apply to "some" individuals, not "every" individual. You don't have to check out all of these to have sensory issues regarding sex and other similar activities. I'm not a medic, so don't take any of these as gospel.

Perhaps the most obvious way that disordered sensory processing can affect sexuality is through physical touch. Some individuals may dislike hugs and embraces. Others may seek out a lot of touch or intense touch experiences.

Bright lights may agitate individuals with disordered sensory processing during intimacy. Play around to find the best lighting for you and your partner. Try using candles, soft bedside lighting, or turn off the lights completely! Avoid engaging in intimacy directly in front of a window or another uncontrollable light source.

An environment with a surplus of visual stimulation can be overwhelming and distracting. A cluttered environment can limit your partner’s ability to engage in intimacy because they are using energy to process visual inputs. For this reason, seek out clean, neutral, and minimalist spaces! In turn, assure your partner that it is okay to close their eyes during intimacy. This can help to calm their senses and allow them to focus on you, rather than the environment.

Background noises such as music, television, or roommates speaking next door may be distracting to individuals with disordered sensory processing. Find a quiet, private place to engage in intimacy. Avoid integrating music into the environment unless your partner suggests it!

Some individuals with disordered sensory processing have difficulty understanding where their head is in space; they may become disoriented or sensitive to different head positions. On the other hand, they may seek out intense vestibular sensations by engaging in extreme movements and positions. While some individuals may feel more comfortable being stable and stationary, others crave motion.

Sex is also most likely viewed as a coping mechanism for Rebecca, even if the main reason why she probably does it is to remain upon the popular girls in the school.

All of this added context makes Rebecca's death in episode 4 far more tragic, yet less random than some of the other campers. It comes as a result of one, yet fatal flaw: Her need to stay at the top of the food chain.

At this point in the story, Rebecca was getting closer to N, she could have just simply kept nurturing this relationship until it would have developed into something more genuine and mutual. It could have come to the point where eventually, once N would have chosen Uzi over her (because of course he would), she could have come to accept it and move on with her life instead of keep chasing her escapism fantasies and fawning over her parents possible murderer, maybe she would have even befriended Uzi in the process. But no. Her ego was her downfall: once N went away and could no longer satisfy her current needs, she decided to keep improving her social position, an easier thing to do now that Doll was out of the hierarchy, and proceeded to reinforce her reputation by making out with Darren, which got her accidentally killed by Uzi.

Accidentally, just like the death of her parents probably was.

Her death is almost perfect, even better than some of the others in the show: while Doll's death was brutal and heart wrenching but not really satisfying, Tessa's death mostly happened in the background and the show spent very little time on it, Alice's, Beau's, Yeva's and her husband's death depend on how you view their characters and if you think it fits, and V's death is the closest to perfect but wonky in certain aspects of its execution (just like V's arc in general), Rebecca's death is the perfect conclusion to her character.

She dies segmented, broken in pieces, part of her still lives for a couple of minutes, while the other gets eaten by what is essentially the character's foil of the one girl she was jealous of, and whose disappearance greatly benefited Rebecca. While crawling to the other campers, she must have suffered the whole time, just like she suffered her whole life before episode 2, the split of her torso represents her inability to pick up just one road, and in a meta context represents the fact that she is the middle ground between various character's situations.

It also represents the split in her life's trajectory: she was unhappy with her parents and was happy when they died, then became happy with her life and is now unhappy as she's slowly dying of a pain comparable to the one provided by her dad. All of this because of her ego.

And then lastly, as the final nail in the coffin, once she finally reaches the other students, her insides spilling out (reference to Melissa-titanium Doll's death post), everybody immediately forgets about her, just like they did with Uzi. She spent so much time climbing the social ladder, afraid and paranoid that she might tumble down and her parents would punish her for it, only for her to be immediately forgotten about once her systems shut down, still considered meaningless, tying her death also to Doll's and possibly Uzi's one, as the middle ground exploration of the theme of failure: Uzi fails but manages to achieve everything she had ever wanted, Doll fails but manages to achieve nothing, Rebecca fails but manages to achieve half.

It also ties back to Tessa as an alternate version who got freed from her parents abuse and had a chance to live a better life but still died soon afterwards because of a mistake she made.

Chapter 4: The Results

As you can see, just by using all the stuff present in the show if you squirm hard enough for it, with some added details we get a lot of utility out of Rebecca as a character:

- She develops Uzi, develops N, and develops and challenges Nuzi even more than she does in canon, but in a much more meaningful way.

- She works simultaneously as a foil to Uzi and Doll due to her benefiting from the death of her parents, and as well as a foil to Uzi and Tessa, who both had pretty bad parents but never wanted them to die.

- Her relationship with her dad also serves as a foil to Uzi's and Khan's father/daughter relationship, possibly helping to strengthen Khan's arc by showcasing a worse version of himself to the audience, rendering the reconciliation between father and daughter all the more sweeter.

- She deepens Uzi's and Doll's relationship in a different way than the Nori/Yeva parallels, by showcasing us a middle ground between the two characters that is simultaneously so much better and so much worse than the both of them.

- She also deepens the parallels between Uzi and Tessa, by showing us what could have happened if Tessa had the same sadistic tendencies of Uzi and left her parents to die intentionally (side note: Rebecca leaving her parents to die intentionally is also what could have happened in this made up canon. I doubt Rebecca finds joy in other people's suffering, but I can't help but think that she might have finally felt relief when the source of abuse in her life was finally gone), basically doubling as the middle ground between Uzi and Tessa but without their engineering skills, yet again, being so much better and so much worse than both characters.

- She serves to make Uzi more interesting by virtue of being foils but not in the obvious, narrative way of Doll, rather, in a more subtle, social way: if played right, her death could have hunted Uzi in ways the deaths of her other classmates didn't, by finally making Uzi question if she was ever in the right or if she isn't as much of a monster as Doll is.

- Further explores the themes of abuse present in the show and better ties said themes to Lizzy and Doll, who are currently lacking.

- She could have been used as a "tease" for Cyn, something that I haven't talked about until now (Uzi's and Cyn's middle ground). From what we know about Cyn, it seems like she was coded with some sort of robo neuro divergence, similar to the one that Rebecca possibly possesses; the details of Bec's story could have been reworked to parallel some of Cyn's story details, giving Uzi (and the audience) a taste of what Cyn's story or personality is like before meeting the real deal.

- She also, canonically, served to develop me.

Before I started working on this project, I never gave too much of a care about Rebecca. I didn't hate her like many people did, I actually liked her even if that liked soon turned into contempt once the serious writing for this essay actually started, but now I can confidently say that I'm a Rebecca enjoyer, the ideas that I've come up with for her are just too interesting for me to view her in the same way ever again, and I hope that this lecture might have also slightly changed your opinion of Rebecca as well.

[neurocute]

ASPD Resource Dump

feel free to reblog! here are some resources related to ASPD that i've collected since i've being diagnosed (roughly 5 years).

Sympathetic Articles

An Autistic Sociopath's Story, Cassy, through Special Books by Special Kids (video. an autistic pwASPD talks about her life and experiences with both.)

An Interview with a Sociopath, Dyshae, through Special Books by Special Kids (video. a pwASPD and bipolar disorder talks about his life and experiences with both.)

Life With Antisocial Personality Disorder (ASPD), Andrew, through mind.org.uk (a pwASPD's account of their life and experiences with it.)

The Hidden Suffering of the Psychopath, William H. J. Martens, MD, PhD (a sympathetic view of pwASPD, and some information on the neurobiology of ASPD.)

Factors for Development

Antisocial personality disorder in abused and neglected children grown up., B. K. Luntz, C. S. Widom (from 1994. provides evidence supporting the fact that child abuse/neglect is a predictor of antisocial behavior.)

Antisocial Personality Disorder with Childhood- vs Adolescence-Onset Conduct Disorder, Risë B. Goldstein et al. (from 2006. discusses how symptoms vary in pwASPD whose conduct disorder began in childhood vs in adolescence.)

Predictors of antisocial personality: Continuities from childhood to adult life, Emily Simonoff et al. (from 2018. draws connections between childhood behaviors, diagnoses, etc., and antisocial behavior in adulthood.)

Risk Factors in Childhood That Lead to the Development of Conduct Disorder and Antisocial Personality Disorder, Stacey E. Holmes, James R. Slaughter, Javad Kashani (from 2001. covers multiple categories that may lead to development of CD and/or ASPD, including environment, genetics, and individual differences.)

Miscellaneous Articles

Antisocial Personality Disorder: Neurophysiological Mechanisms and Distinct Subtypes, Sean J. McKinley (from 2018. proposes three diagnostic subtypes for ASPD: primarily detached, primarily disinhibited, and combined.)

Executive function, attention, and memory deficits in antisocial personality disorder and psychopathy, Michael Baliousis et al. (from 2019. discusses some neurobiology of ASPD, and how it effects executive function, attention, and memory.)

Self-mutilation in antisocial personality disorder, M. Virkkunen (from 1976. reports on self-injury behaviors in pwASPD, and details their motivations.)

[covid-safer-hotties]

also preserved on our archive

By Korin Miller

Many COVID-19 variants have come and gone since the pandemic began, but some get more buzz than others. Now, there’s another new variant getting attention from the infectious disease community. It’s called XEC, and it’s currently spreading in Europe.

XEC is an Omicron variant that descended from subvariants KS.1.1 and FLiRT variant KP.3.3, according to Scripps Research’s Outbreak.info. XEC has several spike mutations, which is what the virus uses to infect you—and it might be more infectious that previous strains because of it.

So, will the new variant hit the U.S.? What symptoms should be on your radar? Here’s the deal.

Meet the experts: Amy Edwards, MD, associate professor at Case Western Reserve University and director of the Pediatric COVID Recovery Clinic at UH Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital; Mark Cameron, PhD, an associate professor in the Department of Population and Quantitative Health Sciences at the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. Emily Smith, ScD, MPH, is an epidemiologist and an assistant professor at the George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health.

What symptoms should I watch for? XEC is a pretty new variant and, with that, there isn’t a ton of information right now on symptoms people have experienced with it. However, early reports don’t suggest that it causes dramatically different symptoms from other strains of COVID-19.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), symptoms may include:

Fever or chills

Cough

Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing

Sore throat

Congestion or runny nose

New loss of taste or smell

Fatigue

Muscle or body aches

Headache

Nausea or vomiting

Diarrhea

When will the new variant hit the U.S.? While the XEC variant is getting a lot of attention in Europe, it’s already hit the U.S. As of Sept. 3, data show that there have been 23 cases of COVID-19 caused by the XEC variant in the U.S., with three happening in California.

The virus was first detected here on July 14, but hasn’t been detected since Aug. 16. That doesn’t mean it’s no longer here, though. Because so many people do home tests (or don’t test at all) when they have symptoms of COVID-19, it can be tricky to get information on different strains of COVID-19.

Will it become the dominant COVID variant? That’s not clear. As of this second, XEC isn’t even a blip on the CDC’s radar. The CDC’s variant surveillance system shows that KP.3.1.1 is the dominant strain in the U.S., followed by KP.2.3, and LB.1. XEC isn’t even listed on the surveillance.

That doesn’t mean it won’t spread, though.

“Just like JN.1 emerged from BA.2.86 late last year to drive new COVID infections through last fall and winter, XEC may have similar potential,” says Mark Cameron, PhD, an associate professor in the Department of Population and Quantitative Health Sciences at the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. “But we need to know more about the XEC variant and perhaps those still to come.”

But lately we’ve seen several variants circulate heavily at the same time, points out Amy Edwards, MD, associate professor at Case Western Reserve University and director of the Pediatric COVID Recovery Clinic at UH Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital. “Dominant is a strong word,” she says. “With so many very contagious variants, I think the days of having one dominant variant is gone.”

How can I protect myself? The CDC currently recommends that everyone aged 6 months and up get the updated COVID-19 vaccine, making that a good place to start. “As yet another Omicron family member, being up to date on the latest COVID-19 booster is a protective measure we can take right now,” Cameron says.

"The main thing we can do to slow a new variant or new wave is to get our booster shots this fall," says Emily Smith, ScD, MPH, an epidemiologist and an assistant professor at the George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health. "Generally, we find the boosters give us broad protection, even against new variants."

It’s also a good idea to wear a mask in crowded indoor areas when levels of COVID-19 are high in your area, especially if you’re consider high risk for complications of the virus. And, of course, if you develop symptoms of the virus, it’s a good idea to test yourself to see if you have the virus so you can lower the odds you’ll spread it to others.

If you do, in fact, have COVID-19 and are considered high risk for serious complications from the virus, you may want to contact your primary care physician about taking an antiviral medication like Paxlovid.

[scotianostra]

On November 18th 1870 a riot broke out at Surgeons Hall Edinburgh.

A direct follow on from my post last week regarding Edith Pechey and Sophia Jex-Blake.

Jex-Blake, Isabel Thorne, Edith Pechey, Matilda Chaplin, Helen Evans, Mary Anderson, and Emily Bovell were studying medicine at Edinburgh University, at a time when most of the establishment considered the idea of women undergraduates, let alone doctors, preposterous.

Several hundred male students pelted the women with mud and rubbish as they arrived. The women struggled through the crowd until a supporter unbolted a door to hurry them inside. The rioters shoved a live sheep, used by the medical faculty, into the exam hall, causing further chaos. Jex-Blake was later sued by a student, Mr Craig, who she claimed was at the root of the riot, but she defended his claim. The court awarded him one farthing instead of the £1,000 he sought in damages and the case was seen as a victory for the Edinburgh Seven. Public support for the women started to grow with a report in The Scotsman urging “all…men…to come forward and express… their detestation of the proceedings which have characterised and dishonoured the opposition to ladies pursuing the study of medicine in Edinburgh.”

The decision to allow them to study was later overturned on an appeal by Claud Muirhead, Senior Assistant Physician at the Royal Infirmary, supported by around 200 students. Unable to graduate, the battle moved to London. Jex-Blake was instrumental is setting up the London School of Medicine for Women. In 1876, the Enabling Bill gave medical examining bodies the right to admit women. Jex-Blake and Pechey did their MD in Berne, Switzerland, then sat the Irish exams with the College of Physicians in Dublin, finally becoming registered doctors in Britain. In 1877, Jex-Blake opened Edinburgh School of Medicine for Women and Edinburgh Hospital and Dispensary for Women the following year.

The pics include first hand accounts written by Sophia Jex-Blake and Edith Pechey respectively outlining the abuse received from male students.

[neysaadept]

Prometheus Chapter 7

Emily Prentiss x Female CIA Reader

Chapter 7 - Excision Part One (Criminal Minds Case Time)

Tags: Limited use of y/n but established last name. Swearing, mentions of the pandemic and human and sex trafficking. Canon typical violence. Sexual innuendos. Drinking. Smoking. Slow Burn. Murder. Depictions of Flaying. Implied Rape. Mentions of Date Rape Drugs. Strangulation. Minors DNI.

Word Count: 4.4k

AO3

Chapter 6

Saturday night was supposed to be drinks with Tara and Rebecca as planned until Penelope heard about it. Then it evolved into you and Rebecca having your first BAU ladies’ night at the Fireside Lounge, the local bar the unit enjoyed socializing at. You were finding ways to politely say no at the end of the workday because the group was now too big for your comfort level. Getting to know one new person at a time was you’re your sweet spot, but now it was four. And were doomed to accept because Penelope’s pouting pulled too hard at your heart strings to further deny her.

Thankfully, two cases came in that Garcia’s law enforcement surveillance had flagged as interests. Though, it really wasn’t with gratitude that you felt having victims which cancelled the event. It was just a postponement. There was no way that Garcia was going to let you off the hook for drinking, dancing, and gossiping – as she had put it. At least this gives you time to formulate some excuses that can stick so Garcia isn’t too disappointed.

It was a problem for another time. The team arrived at Quantico Saturday afternoon and were briefed on the cases. One was in Germantown, MD where there was a break in. Two men with distorted faces had triggered the alarms to kidnap the security guard. They beat up and executed him on live feed while the homeowners watched. It’s quite possible the equipment and makeup they are using are from a Sicarius kill kit as the town is about ten miles away from Rockville, MD.

The other case comes in from Thermal, CA where a body was found at a plant nursery under shrubbery. The victim was male and strangulated to death. But that wasn’t what caught the BAU’s attention. It was a fact that the victim’s face had been precisely cut off and lain atop his chest. There was no blood at the crime scene either. The unsub appeared to be ritualistic in how they displayed the body per first impression with local law enforcement. The tools for this type of kill could also be one of Sicarius’ followers as Thermal, CA was about nine miles away from Indio, CA.

Prentiss split the team. JJ, Alvaz, and Lewis would remain in town and drive up to Germantown to investigate. She kept JJ close to home on purpose to be near her family. That meant Prentiss would take you and Rossi to California by jet. The trio remaining behind were so jealous that they all balled up paper sheets and threw them at you, making you laugh as you tried to dodge and bat them away.

Rossi was kind enough to remind the team that if not for you, there might not be a jet to use.

And that was where you were right now, being briefed in the air enroute to Jacqueline Cochran Regional Airport, right in Thermal. The local sheriff department secured a landing area for the private jet and would meet the unit there.

The three of you sat together on the four seaters – you were next to Rossi and had the window seat. Prentiss was across from you as Garcia spoke over face time. You hope you hide your excitement well since you were being trusted enough to be in the field. You brought a different kind of experience to the unit and understood there was a lot you could learn from Rossi and Prentiss.

“Since this place is in Bufu, California, they’re taking their sweet time sending me over the files. But I’ve gotten preliminary pictures from forensics.” Garcia shares her screen displaying the wounds of the neck and face. “For the record, I am NOT looking at this. La, la, la, la, la! This is all for your desensitized eyes! And I’m assuming your eyes are made that way too my CIA Cutie?”

“Unfortunately,” you answer, zooming in on the strangulation marks around the victim’s neck by garrote. The line was too thick to be wire or some sort of line. The pattern was uneven and did not cut into the flesh, just left a lot of yellow and purple bruising.

“Meet Cole McGarth, 24, who until recently, was a paralegal for a probate attorney near … oh, ho! Indio, CA!”

“Well, isn’t that interesting,” muses Rossi. “But it could be coincidence.”

You play around with the touchscreen some more and point out the marks on Cole’s wrists and above the ankles. “Looks like he was bound.”

“Indeed, he was per initial report,” Garcia says in confirmation. “Coroner is doing the work up as we speak. Or fly, in your guys’ case.”

“Any idea how the unsub removed the victim’s face?” asks Prentiss.

“Yes! Definitely meticulously excised but not sure what tool was used yet. It wasn’t sloppy work.”

“Probably not a disgruntled client then. This wasn’t done in anger, or in a fit of rage,” says Rossi.

You flip through files on the table and hum in agreement. “Too precise. Need a steady hand with how the unsub removed the skin.”

With a grimace, you look at McGarth’s eyeless face resting on his body and wonder, what did this guy do to deserve this?

“What we’re seeing here is a killer that knows what they’re doing,” adds Prentiss. “This isn’t new to the unsub.”

“You think there’s more bodies out there we don’t know about?” you ask, trying to understand Prentiss’ logic.

“Maybe. Just, this is too good. No one gets this good on the first try. Hey Garcia?” Prentiss looks to the screen to address her. “Check to see if there’s any cases that are similar to this one.”

“Will do! Anything else?”

“Any other prelim findings, send our way, but I’ve a feeling we won’t know more until we land with how slow local law enforcement’s processing this.”

“They have a major crimes unit, but this is far above their means,” explains Rossi. “They’d be calling us in eventually to assist.”

“Turtles run faster, yes,” Garcia confirms. “Oh! JJ is requesting my divine presence. I’ll keep you all up to speed on the home team, too. Tootles!”

Her face blinks out and you keep looking between the file in front of you and on the screen, not realizing Prentiss and Rossi were looking at you. Then they share a look that you were unaware of, eyes focusing with brows raising and motioning toward you with a slight shake of Prentiss’ head. They were wordlessly debating if they should chit chat with you.

Rossi shrugs. “So, Whitlock, what do you do for fun?” he asks suddenly as you look up with confusion.

“Uh …” Your brows pinch and you gesture to the files. “You don’t wanna talk about this?”

He chuckles. “We always talk about the case, but we talk about other things too. Besides, you owe me a conversation.”

You look lost, like a puppy with its head tilted trying to understand what was going to happen next. Prentiss thought it cute and made sure to down some water to hide it.

“About my work with the Gideons?” he supplies.

You lean back in the seat and smack your forehead. “Right. Yeah. Sorry! Been a hectic week and totally forgot about that.” You lower your hand and look at Prentiss. “Evil woman there’s working me hard.”

“Hey!” Prentiss sets the water bottle down with offense. “I am not evil.”

“The paperwork that you gave me is. Since you supplied the paper, it is your fault. Ergo evil paper, evil you.”

“That is the lamest logical argument I’ve heard in some time, Whitlock.”

You both then share a laugh as Rossi watches the banter curiously. He was very glad to see the two of you were finally getting along. “Well, to be fair, she did provide a valid argument. Won’t hold up in a court of her peers, but it is valid.” He smiles as Emily gives him a withering look. “But anyway, back to my question. What do you do for fun?

You close the file and set it aside as you consider this very difficult question. Rossi sees the hesitation and prods further. “Is it really that hard to answer?”

Grimacing, you nod and gesture around the jet. “Considering this my first vacation from work in, fuck, I don’t know how long?” You set your hand down and sigh. “Yeah.”

Emily thinks back on her career and yes, there were times that the ability to take a vacation dried up due to assignments, but she had vacations time – willingly and mandated by her superiors. “That doesn’t sound right.” But she knew you were serious by the solemn expression on your face, especially those exhausted eyes that had seen very little of the pleasures life could hold.

You really never take time off, do you? Prentiss thinks as she slowly begins to understand you. What are you running from that you don’t want downtime?

You shrug, offering that as answer. On the surface, you could be seen as a workaholic with no ties to anyone. Rossi picks up on that. “So, no special someone?”

You shake your head no.

“Kids?”

You laugh a little too hard. “No.”

“Family?”

Your eyes narrow briefly, the only indication that this question heightens your irritation which Emily spots. “I think that’s enough for now, Dave.”

Rossi holds up a hand apologetically. “Sorry, kid. Been awhile since we had someone new and got carried away.”

You nod as he gently squeezes your shoulder. Your eyes soften at Prentiss with thanks, but you start to worry. The section chief’s brown eyes turn mischievous. You frown as she grins. “Besides, I’m sure Penelope will continue the interrogation later.”

Rossi pulls his hand away. “Why’s that?”

“Girls’ night was cancelled. I’m sure when we have a free night, she’ll rectify that.”

You groan. “Please start finding another case right now.”

Rossi laughs. “Good luck trying to dodge her curiosity. Penelope’s tenacious. But also, sweet and easy to talk with.”

And that’s what you’re afraid of. Brian, too.

At least Rossi decided to shift gears to discuss his work with Jason and Jill Gideon. He found it precious you were taking notes …

The three of you eventually part ways for the rest of the flight to decompress until you land. As you disembark the jet, you slip on your sunglasses to stave off the bright sun and look at the one hangar that had a FedEx plane docked to be unloaded. The rest were small propellor plans that were used for lessons or crop dusting.

Wow, you think, not seeing anything like this on U.S. soil since… ever? Yeah, overseas a ton, but here? Never.

Waiting for the team at the end of the tarmac was a squad car and an SUV, with two officers waiting for you. One is a skinny fellow with a buzz cut that stood close to the other, looking restless as he paces. The other officer looks back and says something, making him stop.

As the three of you approach, the one seemingly in charge greets you with a curt nod. He wore thick glasses, dark hair kept neat and trimmed and carried a stocky build. “Chief Prentiss?” Emily nods. “I’m Captain Michael Robles and this is Deputy Aiden Miller.”

“This is Senior Supervisory Special Agent David Rossi and Special Agent Y/N Whitlock.” Both you and Dave nod as Emily introduces you. “Any updates on the investigation?” Garcia hadn’t received anything from Thermal or found any similar crimes thus far.

“Unfortunately, yeah. Another body turned up. Found in some bushes off of 62nd when a trucker pulled to the side to relieve himself.” He shook his head. “Poor bastard saw the arm hanging out. Thought it was a ringtail. Wasn’t expecting a dead body.”

“We have an ID on the victim?” Rossi asks.

Yeah,” says Miller. “His name’s Lee Sullivan. Head shrink out of Palm Desert. Both vics are with the Sheriff now and said we’re to bring y’all to him.”

“Oh, so he’s with the coroner?” you ask.

Robles chuckles. “The sheriff’s the coroner, too.”

Your eyes widen much to Prentiss’ amusement. “Welcome to small town Americana.”

To save time, Rossi went with Deputy Miller to speak with McGarth’s family and glean more information about last known locations and any potential individuals that may want to hurt him. All three of you found the initial interview lacking with local law enforcement because they didn’t want to push the grieving family too hard. While there is a need for compassion, time is precious and wasting it with no leads could get someone else killed. Look at Sullivan.

You and Prentiss went to see Sheriff Alex Grosch at the station. Yes, you were surprised that the sheriff’s station and the medical exam office were in the same location. Usually, they were separated to avoid any tampering or misuse of evidence that could impede an investigation. But since you had one guy playing M.E.* and cop? Sure! Why not have everything located in one place to make their job easier?

Sheriff Grosch was already grown and gloved by the bodies as you entered. His hair was covered with a cap, glasses secured around his head with a strap. Next to him was a tray of tools, some used, some sterile. Right now, he was taking notes. You were thankful he took off his gloves before doing that. Ew…

The room was far more cramped than you’d expect it to be, only have room for three examination tables, which were position directly in front of freezer lockers. One wall had supplies and equipment for examination on shelves and cabinets that were stuffed so much that they were slightly ajar. There were boxes of various sizes stacked against the wall haphazardly and leaning against that were various shipping boxes and envelopes in various states to be mailed out. There was a half open door with a glass panel on top that led to what was presumably Grosch’s office.

The place was chaos and probably violated many OSHA’ laws.

He took a break from scribbling and looks at you both. “Agents.”

“She’s a chief,” you quickly correct, pointing to Prentiss. Then to yourself. “I’m the agent. Special Agent actually.”

His slate blue eyes narrow. “Sure.”

You didn’t like this self-righteous fuck at all. His tone drips with condemnation and you felt it was more than just the correction of Prentiss’ title.

Sensing that this could go bad quickly, Prentiss jumps into facts. It was the best equalizer. “Catch us up.”

He sets down the clipboard and offers gloves to both of you. “Nothing new. Second vic died the same. Strangulation.” You and Prentiss put on examination gloves as he does too. “Has the same mark around the neck.”

Both you and Prentiss move around the table to get a good look at the second victim. “Yeah. Matches the pictures,” you confirm as Prentiss looks at the wrists and feet.

“And the same signs of being bound. Same indentations, too. Whatever it is,” she says, squinting, “hard to make out.”

Now being up close with the body, it looked like a two-inch strap was used by how the indentation looks, but then it becomes not as deep as you look away from the point of contact. You gently stroke your finger along the victim’s wrist and find it not to be smooth but prickly. There were several smaller lines that dug into the skin as you roll the limb back and forth. “Yeah. This could be anything right now.”

But something in the back of your mind knew what this was, just out of reach. Right on the tip of your tongue. “Any other signs of trauma?”

“Nah. Just like the first,” confirms the sheriff.

Prentiss’ eyes slide up to the covered face of Sullivan. Without hesitation, she pulls back the sheet as the sheriff holds up his hand. “I really don’t think you need to see that. It’s pretty gruesome.”

She squints her face with the same parental that you recognize immediately. It was the same one she gave you when you were acting petulant in her office when you first met. She looks absolutely commanding with the etched scorn set on her face. “I’ll be the judge of that.” She looks at you and gestures over with her head to join you.

You take position on the opposite side and with a shared look, reveal Sullivan’s head. You both went immediately into silent investigation mode and compartmentalize what you feel. You both saw enough throughout your respective careers to get the job done, which caught the sheriff by surprise as there wasn’t even a gasp or flinch from either of you.

The unsub left a terrible work of art. They had removed the entire layer of skin leaving the muscles visible and unharmed, same with the eyes. You saw the entire glazed over orb staring right back at you. That should have been unsettling enough, but this isn’t the worse thing you’ve seen. As you look further down the face, the incisions were a clean angular pattern. A skilled hand as you thought.

With her free hand, Prentiss traces the cuts above the face. “Cauterized the wounds as they cut.”

You nod in agreement. “Yeah. Either skilled with both hands or ambidextrous.”

“Especially being able to remove the skin in one piece.”

“And there’s no trauma to muscle. They wanted the victims to be preserved like this.”

Prentiss bunches up her lips in thought and motions to cover the victim, which you did. She turns to address Grosch. “Have you identified what tools were used with the excision?”

“Nothing specific but definitely the high-grade surgical kind. I did figure based on the timeline of the excision and the strangulation, the vics loss their face before they were killed,” he admits soberly.

“The victim was alive?” Prentiss was shocked. Nothing indicated that there was a struggle, or the victim fought back while being flayed. The team had presumed the face was removed postmortem.

You were thinking it too. “That doesn’t add up. The bodies have nothing to indicate they tried to fight off their attacker. Fingernails and hands have no trauma.” You pull the second victim’s hand up and show there was no blood or skin under the fingernails. No bruising of the hands or knuckles.

The sheriff nods. “It’s like that with the other one, too.”

“And the unsub had time to complete their objective, without interruption,” explains Prentiss. “Was there a tox screen done?”

“Yeah. Just waiting on lab to send over the results. Should be ready any time now.”

“Make sure we get that ASAP so we can discuss and add to our profile.”

He mutters a non-committal, ‘Uh huh.’, as you and Prentiss take off your gloves to throw out and leave the exam room.

As the door closes behind you, you huff out a harsh breath of air. “What an asshole.”

Prentiss smiles. “Even if he somehow forgets to send the information over, Garcia’s already on it.” She chuckles at your look of surprise. “This isn’t the first time some male ego may try and cock block the ladies of the BAU.”

Now you snort laugh. “Yeah, I’ve dealt with it, too.”

You both enter the bullpen and head straight for the coffee. This shithole town didn’t have French Vanilla, so you were stuck with boring old creamer. Prentiss at least got her Splenda.

“The unsub had to have known our vics. Or at least caught them off guard. It doesn’t make any sense at all that our victims wouldn’t have tried to fight back - when they were taken, flayed, or even during the strangulation. Nothing,” muses Prentiss before she takes a sip of her coffee. She makes a face at how bitter it was and stirs in another packet.

“Yeah, there’s nothing substantial on those bodies to indicate anything. And the unsub didn’t take anything off the victims as far as we’re able to determine. Except their dignity, I suppose.” You lean against the counter and look at the snail’s pace of a station working. No one appears to be in a hurry. Like everything was business as usual and the only signs that something was amiss was the FBI presence. There was quiet chatter in the bullpen and eyes directed towards the two of you. Whether it was curiosity or genuine need to solve the case, who knew?

That got you thinking.

“One’s face is the first thing you really see. Physically, I mean. So why did the unsub want to remove it?”

“Stress and depression are psychological concerns that can trigger dermatological issues – even somatically perceived ones. Feeling like your skin is crawling. Pins and needles across the skin. So much so, someone might want to tear your skin off. So, to speak.”

“And medically, you’re looking at pain and hives. Psoriasis and eczema. A shit ton, actually.” You consider it but shrug. “None of our victims have it. Open for debate on our unsub. But …” you look to Prentiss, “there is something to be said about feeling like you want to crawl out one’s skin. Maybe there is a deeply rooted emotional need to remove someone’s face so the unsub can have a cathartic release of emotions they can’t normally feel?’

Prentiss raises a brow in consideration. “Not a bad theory.”

“There’s also the fun thought of a face mask. I mean, I’m not talking exfoliation, but we hide our true selves behind layers of walls we build up. It all depends on how we grow up. Who we have contact with. Family, friends, lovers, co-workers. The interconnections we pull from that we use to define ourselves, or equally knowing when to open up. Everything we’ve experienced creates the persona we want people to see. It’s all based on threat and trust.” You pause as you work your jaw in thought and come to a different conclusion. “What if the unsub’s flaying is symbolic. Removing a layer of that mask from the victim?”

She raises the other brow, impressed with your knowledge and focus. Yeah, your humor edges through a little but it’s a blip in the conversation. You had a work ethic that hadn’t been able to be appreciated since she had sidelined you on day one. Out in the field, you are able to shine and show how intelligent you are. You ask all the right questions and didn’t discount anything too small or too big. You home in on small details and carry the conversation without any prompting form her. It was a natural flow of ideas between the two of you. Regardless of what it is you actually do for the CIA, it clearly meshes up well with profiling with the BAU. And if she was honest, your style was meshing with her, too.

But what really bothers her with what you said is that she knows you were speaking from experience. You spoke with too much familiarity about walls being built for protection. Couple that with being dismissive of any personal connections in your life that Dave tried to ask about, Prentiss couldn’t help wonder how long have you lived such a lonely life…

Right then, Prentiss’ phone rings and she accepts it, putting it in on speaker so you can hear. “Tell me you got something, Dave.”

“I do. Last known whereabouts of our victim was at a bar called Coachella.”

You make the face. “What? Like the music festival?’

“Exactly. The festival’s in Indio. Bar’s named after it.”

“Did the family give any indication as to why he was there?” asks Prentiss.

“No. Just went for drinks after the long work week to wind down. McGarth texted his sister before he went over. Sometimes he does try for a hook up, but I’m doubting his situation had to do with anything like that.”

“You’re not kidding. Anything else? Trouble with any family, friends? Anything at work?”

“Nothing yet. I’m heading to his work now to speak with his boss. Maybe we’ll get something there. After that, I’m following up on Sullivan’s family. How are things on your end?”

“Not much that we didn’t already know, but Whitlock has a couple of good theories about our unsub. Either flaying for the emotional release or removing an emotional wall the victim has built up.”

There was a pause as you hold your breath and wonder what Rossi would think. “Not bad, Whitlock.”

You exhale slowly and preen with pride. “Thanks.”

“Anything else?”

“Nah. Waiting on labs. Until then, we’re just throwing ideas around for the profile.”

“Then I leave you ladies to it. Talk later.”

The sheriff comes jogging into the bullpen a few minutes after you both hang up with Dave, flagging you down with paperwork in hand. “Report’s just came in off the first victim.”

You speak quietly behind your coffee cup so only Prentiss can hear. “Who knew snails could run?”

She fights a laugh, neck straining as her lips contort to squash away any visible humor. “What do the reports say?” Prentiss impresses you with her ability to go pro so fast.

“Couple things of note. Got flunitrazepam and midazolam in the system.” He turns the pages towards the two of you and you take it.

“Flunitrazepam?” Your confusion was palpable as you see it written plainly on the report. “That’s one of the date rape drugs.”

“And midazolam’s a sedative,” states Prentiss. She’s baffled, too. “You said there’s no indication of assault, but did you examine for one sexual in nature?”

Grosch frowns deeply and his eyes lack focus. You were quite happy to answer for him. “I’m gonna go with a no there, chief.”

He clears his throat. “With, ah, no signs of struggle, I didn’t see a reason to.”

“Well, you do now. Make sure you check both victims.” He nods and heads out as Prentiss sets aside her shitty coffee. “Honestly not his fault. He really had no reason to assess for it until now.”

“Yeah, but it was nice seeing him freak out for a sec there,” you say with a smile that fades thoughtfully. “Case keeps getting weirder, huh?”

“Oh, honey,” Prentiss smirks wistfully, “this is nothing but another day in the BAU ...”

… to be continued in Excision Part Two.

*Medical Examiner

*Occupational Safety and Health Administration

Chapter 8

@unkonw00 @ara-a-bird @rayisaknight @sevyscoven

[timdrakesbussy]

My SDV height + age hcs

(Quick note: I am a short girl, like not even 160 cm (5’3) so my perception of tall people may be different from yours. Also, I used metric system so if the feet and inches are wrong, do tell so I can correct it)

Bachelorettes

• Abigail

I actually like her to be so short that she made Sebastian look tall and Sam looked like a giant so maybe at most 160 cm (5’3) but I like her to be 155 cm (5’1). To me, she’s the youngest in the trio but not by much so maybe 21-22.

• Emily

She and Haley (and Leah) are the taller bachelorettes, definitely above 170 cm (5’7) not as tall as Haley but still pretty tall. I think she’s about 173 cm (5’8). She’s definitely one of the older bachelorettes and I like her a bit older than Leah so 31-32.

• Haley

The tallest bachelorette, she could be a model in the city due to her beauty and height. She’s at LEAST 175 cm (5’9) but she can be taller. A bit older than Abigail, so 23.

• Leah

One of the taller bachelorettes but still shorter than the sisters, 170 cm (5’7) is perfect to me. She’s a bit younger than Emily and Elliott but still one of the older marriageable character so 28-30 years old.

• Maru

Despite both Robin and Demetrius being tall, Maru is average at most. She’s not short but not as tall either, I think 165 cm (5’5) is perfect height for her. IMO she’s the youngest bachelorette and the youngest marriageable character overall, she’s a genius so I think she skipped grades and gets degree earlier. 19-20 years old.

• Penny

If Abigail is short, then Penny is tiny. Her and Pam are very short so they make many of the residents look tall, she’s no more than 152 cm (5’0). She’s slightly older than the ASS trio (+Alex and Haley) but she’s not part of the older marriageable characters so she’s about 24-25 years old.

Bachelors

• Alex

He’s a pretty tall and athletic guy, definitely above average so I think he’s about 183-185 cm (6’0-6’1). He’s the same age as Haley, Sebastian, and Sam (23 years old).

• Elliott

He’s built like those hunks in bodice ripper novel covers so he’s TALL, at the very least he’s 188 cm (6’2). He’s one of the older marriageable character and he’s definitely in his 30s, my hc is that he’s the youngest one in the trio of older bachelors so I think he’s about 32 years old.

• Harvey

He’s like a Slenderman, very tall and lanky. To me, he’s the tallest bachelor and one of the tallest characters. He’s actually 195 cm (6’4ish) but he has terrible posture so he looks 190-191 cm (6’3). He’s the oldest canon marriageable character and he has MD so he’s at least 34 years old but I think he’s 37.

• Sam

He’s above average but has long limbs that made him look taller, he’s 180-182 cm (5’11) but sometimes likes to claim he’s 6’0. Despite acting like a teenager, he’s 23.

• Sebastian

Robin might be tall but he did not get her genes on that one, the rest? Sure, especially his face but not height, sadly. I think 173 cm (5’8) is the perfect height for him, but sometimes I like to make him 170 cm (5’7) for shits and giggles. 23 years old.

• Shane

SHORT KING, shortest bachelor and at most he’s 165 cm (5’5). He’s in his 30s (34-36 to be more specific).

Others

Caroline: 47 years old, 162 cm (5’3)

Clint: 38 years old, 194 cm (6’3)

Demetrius: 48 years old, 196 cm (6’4)

Evelyn: 83 years old, 151 cm (4’11)

George: 82 years old, 175 cm (5’9)

Gil: 56 years old, 177 cm (5’10)

Gunther: 45 years old, 178 cm (5’10)

Gus: 54 years old, 179 cm (5’10)

Jas: 7 years old, 124 cm (4’0)

Jodi: 41 years old, 158 cm (5’2)

Kent: 42 years old, 190 cm (6’3)

Leo: 8 years old, 118 cm (3’10)

Lewis: 63 years old, 173 cm (5’7)

Linus: 58 years old, 176 cm (5’9)

Marlon: 53 years old, 185 cm (6’1)

Marnie: 51 years old, 160 cm (5’3)

Morris: 49 years old, 180 cm (5’11)

Mr. Qi: 36 years old, 187 cm (6’2)

Pam: 54 years old, 150 cm (4’11)

Pierre: 47 years old, 174 cm (5’8)

Prof. Snail: 67 years old, 167 cm (5’6)

Rasmodius: He either aged slowly so he’s old but looked younger or he aged normally, if the latter then he’s 50 years old. 192 cm (6’3)

Robin: 46 years old, 178 cm (5’10)

Sandy: 34 years old, 183 cm (6'0)

Vincent: 7 years old, 126 cm (4’1)

Willy: 55 years old, 183 cm (6’0)

BONUS

(Some) Expanded

Andy: 48 years old, 181 cm (5’11)

Claire: 26 years old, 166 cm (5’5)

Lance: 27 years old, 186 cm (6’1)

Martin: 16 years old, 176 cm (5’9)

Olivia: 50 years old, 163 cm (5’3)

Scarlett: 21 years old, 164 cm (5'4)

Sophia: 21 years old, 162 cm (5’3)

Susan: 42 years old, 168 cm (5’6)

Victor: 22 years old, 178 cm (5’10)

[variberii]

Murder Drones RP (Blogs)

Hi!! Welcome to the information for the murder drones blog rp!! we will be doing a half-canon rp (meaning you are allowed to go away from plot.)! There are a lot of characters in this series, so heres the character list !! (WILL ALSO TELL YOU IF A CHARACTER IS TAKEN OR NOT TAKEN.) WORKER DRONES !!

-Uzi (TAKEN @d-rkxwolf17 ) -Thad (TAKEN @thad-the-drone ) -Khan (AVAILABLE) -Doll (AVAILABLE) -Lizzy (TAKEN @lizzy-ykme ) - Darren (AVAILABLE) - Rebecca (AVAILABLE) - Sarah (AVAILABLE)  - Tim (AVAILABLE) - Frank (AVAILABLE) - Ron (AVAILABLE) - Todd (AVAILABLE) - Braxton (AVAILABLE) - Kelsey (AVAILABLE) - Trevor (AVAILABLE) - Emily (AVAILABLE) - Sam (AVAILABLE)

DISASSEMBLY DRONES !!

N (TAKEN @s3rial-d3signation-N) - V (TAKEN @serialdv ) - J (TAKEN @industrialmachineryj)

OTHERS !!

Tessa (TAKEN @tessa-james-elliot-md-rp ) - Cyn (AVAILABLE) -Nori (AVAILABLE) -Yeva (AVAILABLE) -ALICE (AVAILABLE) -Amda (AVAILABLE)

This rp will be done in ENGLISH (so i can make sure it's adequately moderated. yes i know im lame im working on learning another language.)

keep things mostly safe for work. slightly suggestive? whatever. but keep it mostly sfw. the specific tag for the rp is #bite me! other tags: #mrdr drns rp , #murder drones rp

there may be more rules to come but im too lazy to think rn :3

RB or DM if interested!!

[cheesuschristman]

Ayee intro post :D

So hi, there. You found this blog probably from a post/reblog or comment I made. And you want to check out my page, so here is me info-dumping about myself!

*ahem hem*

Im WAY too active on here lmao so yeah, prepear for the shit load of posts if youre planning on getting notifs when i post.

Name: NettZo / Z / Logan / Earl

Age: Not telling lol, but just know I'm very much a minor

Fandoms: Murder Drones, Roblox Pressure

Fav characters: Tessa (<- i love her she is my child), V, J, Uzi, N

Fav musical artists: Will Wood, Jack Stauber, Sushi Soucy, Evelyn Evelyn, Rio Romeo, The Front Bottoms, Cavetown, Conan Gray, NOAHFINNCE

Sexuality: Bisexual Grayaromatic

Gender: Genderfluid

Languages I speak: Indonesian & English

Pronouns: She/They/He

Side blogs: @starsalot @nett-is-feeling-angsty @live-laugh-love-uzi

Other socials:

C.AI - @Nettz0_LikesPotatoes

Wattpad - @That1AuthorNett

Discord - @nett_wuz_here_33159, Pinterest - @idek_why_im_here_actually_lol Roblox - @feravux_q

Youtube - N3tt_HungUp (i dont post on yt lol, but just putting this out cuz why not)

Fanfics: A Bunch of J x V Oneshots, 4 Things, Roommates (dont read it plz), Why Her? (discontinued)

Character I kin: Serial Designation N

Personality type: ISTP (I think idk)

Birthday: 26th July

Nationality: Indonesian 🇮🇩

Fav Youtubers: RAVON, The Click, Faline San, Chad Chad, Samantha Lux, Not Even Emily, LaurenZside, Jammidodger, Duckyleft, One Topic, Katliente

Ships: NUzi (N x Uzi), eNVy (N x V) (Manor version, idk I just don't vibe with current eNVy personally), VUzi (V x Uzi), Jessa (J x Tessa), NUziV (N x V x Uzi), Oilrose (J x V), JUzi (J x Uzi)

My tags:

"#netts daily yap session" (regular posts, sometimes not rlly even yapping)

"#moosik :3" (songs i like)

"#unfunny shit nett made" (stuff that idek if its even funny, but hey i try-)

"#netts OCs" (my ocs duh)

"#one and only au" (my MD au (ask me abt my au PLS PLS PLS-))

"certified dad here" (puns i make)

FAQ and DNI under the cut!

————————————————————————————

Do you do commissions?

No, I don't. But I am planning on that maybe sometime in the future.

Do you take art requests?

I do! Just state your request in my ask box, though do be aware it is not guaranteed to be done.

How do you feel about DMs?

I'm completely open for a conversation! Just keep it SFW and no business deals please lol.

How do you feel about asks?

I would very much appreciate it! (This is "NettZoian" for: Please, I beg of thee, send me an ask. I am very desperate.)

How do you feel about people reposting/using your art?

I'm okay with it I guess. Just please give credit.

How do you feel about people tagging you?

Feel free to do so!

————————————————————————————

DNI List:

- Anti-LGBTQ+

- Transmed/Truscum

- P3d0s, z00s

- Pro-Israel

- NSFW accounts

- Racists

- Ableists

- Comshippers

- Anti-Furry/Therian

Yeah, that's about it for now! Have a good day.

[rad10active-ketchup]

my favorite MD characters are literaly just the people who got murdered in ep 4 (+Doll and lizzy ig but they don't count lmao) like bro

That is my favorite character and she was like Uzi's second murder

also these two ig

Emily is silly

[things-arent-what-they-seem66]

A couple things I want to add to the blind au last anon message!!! Cause I love it!

Adam can’t work and can collect disability however it is a strain for both him and Emily because they are settled with medical bills! And if they’re in the US, holy shit! Imagine how much their medical bills would be? For the transplant, Eves care and Adams care? Sure they have a little help with the medical bills because Adam is disabled but it doesn’t really make a dent in their dept.

Lucifers family disapproving of him being a nurse is for many reasons but but because nursing is a ‘women’s job’ and Lucifer is ‘wasting his potential’ because Lucifer is a terrifying beast in the business! He is cut throat!

Oh! Oh! He has the nickname of King of Hell because if this? He is also called a fallen Angel by people outside the family because they see him pursing nursing as a fall from grace?

Hmmm? Adams grandparents cut them off after their family died? So maybe they accepted Eve because she’s sly and is after the full inheritance? Like she has their wealth too and there is a mini reunion between the siblings after the grandparents die? And they learn Eve is to inherit everything!

This is when Lucifer discovers the truth because he comes to their home and finds both Adam and Emily in a bad way. Emily was hoping to use whatever their grandparents left them to get out of dept.

We need Lilith in this? What would she be? Another business rival? Also what business would Eve be running and what would Lucifers family be running?

😍 love this au!

Thank you! So do I.

Wow that's a lot.

But yeah Eve basically left them high and dry. Before Emily became a social worker she worked two jobs at once.

They live in California so yeah, high medical bills. Adam feels guilty he can't do much to earn money to help out.

On occasion he'll play his guitar on the corner and people will leave money in the case.

Lucifer comes from a family of doctors and lawyers. Nursing would be seen as a step down, though he technically has his MD in medical doctoring. But he chose to be a nurse because it was more fulfilling for him.

Emily hires him because he has a lower rate and it's all they can afford. She shows him around and introduced him to Adam, who he was smitten with the moment he saw him.

Adam was sceptical at first, ever since Steve took advantage of him and abused him. But he trusts his sister so he gives it a shot, he doesn't want to hold her back to take care of him.

[littleslaywrites]

welcome to my writing blog!

Hey! I'm starting this blog as I want to get back into writing fics! I am 18, a college student, and my pronouns are she/her. I love requests, so feel free to reach out! I'll also be reblogging fics I enjoyed. Masterlist is linked in bio. Minors will be blocked! My main blog is @littleslayofhorrors so pls follow there if you want me to be able to message you 🫶

keep reading for fandoms/characters/what I'll write

Who I write for (current favs in bold):

Criminal Minds: Aaron Hotchner, Spencer Reid, Jennifer Jereau, Emily Prentiss

Top Gun: Pete Mitchell, Bradley Bradshaw, Jake Seresin

House MD: James Wilson, Robert Chase

The Hunger Games: Peeta Mellark, Finnick Odair

Others: Greg Montgomery (Dharma and Greg), Mike Schmidt (FNAF), Clarice Starling (The Silence of the Lambs), anyone from RHPS, Marlon Brando, basically any Matthew Lillard/Jacob Elordi/Tom Cruise/Bill Hader/Leo DiCaprio characters

PS: Don't be shy to request other characters/fandoms!

What I write

Smut (within reason lol- don't be shy to request anything but if I don't like it I probably won't write it)

Fluff

Angst

Either M/F or F/F (not comfy writing M/M since I'm a girl)

[rory-multifandom-mess]

Hello, I hope this ask finds you well. If you don't mind, I'll be giving another MD character a last name and the one who I have chosen is Emily. Another minor with even less screentime than Braiden whose limelight was also in Cabin Fever. She also experienced the same unfortunate fate as Braiden. Looking into her first name Emily, I have found that it is derived from the Roman name Aemilius which means "rival", "laborious", and "eager" but it mostly seems to mean "rival" which is ironic because of Emily's timid, cautious and anxious nature. Though "laborious" does work well as she seems to be quite studious and I'm headcanoning that she was the top of her class until she died. For this I have chosen the surname "Keen" which means "sharp", "highly developed" (In terms of senses) and "brave". I feel that it fits her quite well as it works in terms of her intelligences, how she worked to be that smart and it keeps the irony brought in by her first name. So, Emily Keen is the final product, and it rolls off the tongue nicely. Thank you for your time.

ROUND OF APPLAUSE

👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

[elmw00dian]

IM SORRY HOLY SHIT I JUST REALIZED WE’RE FRIENDS ON DISCORD FROM THE GRUBSIES SERVER?? I SAW YOUR USERNAME IN MY FRIENDS LIST AND I IMMEDIATELY MADE THE CONNECTION THIS IS SO INSANE TO ME???

OH MY GID MY BRAIN??????? MY BRAINB???????????? EMILY??????????? KHAN ICON????????/????????????????? WHY DOI I KNOW LITERALLY EVERYONE IN THE ART COMMUNITY ??????????? IVE KNOWN YOU LONGER THAN ANY OTHER MD MUTUAL I HAVE, THEN. THATS ACTUALLY CRAZY

[user-darkxwolf17]

E-Emily!

E......Tased Emily!

I expected that.

@emily-and-e!