#about it as well but the parasites refusing to infect her and by the end she's killed off by i assume the entity that was responsible for

[helladventurers]

My brain is going some surprising places lately with my dreams, I'm enjoying this 🤣

Last night i had a dream about a fake 90s/early 2000s low budget horror series, complete with shitty early cgi, and the dream basically consisting of a bunch of episodes of that show 🤣🤣🤣 this combined with the musical dream i had earlier this year surprises me

(description in the tags is really long so don't click it unless you wanna hear about this dumb fake ass dream horror show)

[amastarxoxo]

SYNOPSIS satoru gojo, one of the most popular boy in college, plays on the basketball team, has a large reputation of being a player and dismisses most girls, leaving them coming back for more dk why , and you; a depressing fashion designer major, looking towards being a model. one night at a frat party that your best friend, shoko dragged you to, you went to the bathroom to hide away from the party but…

PAIRING fratboy! gojo x reader

WARNINGS 18+ , lowercase intended , cursing , fluff + angst , strangers to situationship (unfortunately) to lovers(?) , badly written smut , fem! reader , slow burn-ish , drinking/smoking , idiots in love , opposite attract + fell first/fell harder trope , never proofread

11:22PM; you shouldn't be here at all. loud music, drinking, smoking, making out in the corner shamelessly. This is not your crowd. This wasn't your fun, it's your best friend fun.

"oh come on y/n! this will be so fun!" you recall your best friend, shoko, pleading with you for you come tag along with her to go to a frat party that she was invited to once again (for the nth time in the past three weeks) "no thanks shoko. i have work to do." you half lied, you don't really have any work but you have work in the morning since you have no classes tomorrow in the morning.

"just this one time please!" she clasped her hands together in front of your face. that's a lie, one time turns into two, then three, then so on and so forth. but you are so tired and bothered by this point that you don't care anymore. "fine, just this once, but i'm not dressing up for anything." You get up and heads intot he bathroom, through the muffled door you can hear shoko's little cheers of excitement.

And now you regret agreeing in the first place. as soon as you arrived, shoko already left to go to her party animal friend group and started heading towards to kitchen for drinks probably.

11:46PM; you’re felt like leaving, but you didn’t want to leave shoko here with no ride and no conscious to call herself a ride home. plan b; hiding the bathroom. you notice that there’s a basement and a unused bathroom down there. you sneak around people and start heading downstairs.

it quiet, if you exclude the muffled bassed music from upstairs, its clean and empty, the bathroom door is right there. so why do you feel a weird sensation throughout your body not to open the door, much less step closer to the door? you decide to ignore it and approach the door, you didn’t hear anything through the door, well barely at least. you grab the doorknob and open the door.

a random girl. bent over the sink base, a drunk dazed look in the mirror as she moans, a really tall guy, looking around six feet tall, really pretty white hair and white lashes, straight up eating her pussy. you let out a small shriek, the girl barely notices but the guy snaps his head around so fast, you could have sworn he almost broke his neck. you slam the door close and bolted out of the basement.

12:12AM; you’re driving home. fuck shoko, she’ll most likely end up sleeping in another guy’s bed in that house anyways, she’ll live. but you refuse to stay in that house any longer, especially not after what you witnessed. it’s not like you’re new to sex, you never done it but you know about it but also you refuse to actually get a front row seat to real life porn show.

you made it back to the apartment, driving your car into the underground parking lot and heads into the elevator. your mind was spiraling, that reoccurring memory infecting your mind like a parasite. the guy’s crystal blue eyes, shining in a bathroom light, particularly blinding you, filled with shock and panic. you unlock the apartment door and went inside; about ready to shut down for the night.

6:12AM; you wake up at your phone buzzing rapidly on the bedside table, alarming you in your slumber. you slap around the table until you yanked the phone off the charger to turn it on. just to be blinded by the brightness. “fuck…” you mumbled to yourself. adjusting your eyes while still squinting.

“hello?” voice hoarse and dehydrated, “hello? is this y/n?” a male deep voice on the other line. “yes it’s y/n, who is this?” small noises in the background, “this is gojo…satoru gojo, you’re shoko’s roommate, right?” you make a small ‘mhm’. “yea, can you come pick her up soon? she has no ride and is really hungover..” you run your temple in a growing headache.

“uh yea…i’ll be over soon.” you hung up before hearing gojo out. yea you’re already tired of today.

TAGLIST @luvsymai @gojodickbig @sad-darksoul @kaemaybae @yukii-1 @juneslove21 @loverzxi

any tags in blue and italic means your tags aren’t working or aren’t on

previous `✦ ˑ ִֶ 𓂃⊹ masterlist `✦ ˑ ִֶ 𓂃⊹ next

[shentheauthor]

Sick Wyrms (and Vessels)

Long post under the cut

What could possibly get a wyrm sick???

Well there’s a number of things: starvation, lack of sleep, basically most things that can fuck up a human. Wyrms are just VERY durable, so it’s hard to get them that way

There are natural pathogens, of course, but most can’t infect Wyrms. Their immune systems are crazy strong, since they consume countless parasites when they dig. They can fight off pretty much any disease

To truly get sick, Wyrms have to be very young, very old, or naturally weak

The Pale King is the third one lmao

His albinism gives him a lot of health problems, leaving him vulnerable to the few pathogens that CAN get Wyrms sick.

He sure isn’t going to get sick more than once every several decades, but he definitely can get sick

Fevers, delirium, aches, and since he has lungs, sneezing/coughing, are all on the table. So is vomiting, rip

PK will try to hide it as much as possible, shoving down all of his discomfort, or if he can’t, holing up in his study all day for “important business”

He’s the type to pretend everything is fine, even when he’s alone, because he’s a workaholic and he’s overcompensating for his natural weaknesses

Even after centuries away from other Wyrms, he still has this intense fear of being caught off guard by a competitor. He almost died several times when he was wandering, and it left him paranoid

He can be coaxed into resting by his wife, and her alone. She’s strong enough to protect him, even if her main power isn’t combat-related.

Now, what about the Vessels? (Note: my THK is named Vess, so I will be calling them that)

Vessels are an odd case, since many of them are incredibly weak for higher beings, too. It doesn’t help that most of them are already dead

Many vessels get sick easily. The void does a great job of getting rid of pathogens, but that doesn’t mean that chronic illnesses and pain won’t get them

It isn’t uncommon for vessels to spend days bedridden due to the pain and malaise caused by their semi-organic bodies trying to reject the void

Ghost was spared the pains and sickness, but they’re really fragile for a long time. They only gain strength because of items found in game, and eventually ascending to godhood, making them immune to all disease

Vess is not so lucky. They didn’t have chronic pain before, but they sure do now! The radiance fucked them up BAD.

Their immune system is practically nonexistent now, leaving them vulnerable to disease

They get sick a lot after the godhome ending. They’re not okay.

Another one who gets paranoid when they’re sick. If you even SAY the word sickness around them they start shaking, and don’t you dare sneak up on them unless you want your face to be speared by their horns

About Hornet:

Hornet is arguably the luckiest of PK’s children, because she’s pretty good at avoiding diseases

If she takes care of herself, that is

Which she doesn’t

She’s sick a lot too, but she can power through it. Herrah’s genes do a lot to help her immune system, so she can fight off the diseases that get her pretty quickly

She’s like PK, in that she refuses to show any vulnerability. If she’s sick, she gets super paranoid, and won’t even let her siblings touch her

She can actually get a wider range of diseases than most bugs, but her immune system can actually remember the pathogens, so she rarely gets the same bug (ha) twice

[chayos-artwork]

aggressive and antisocial skeleton :D

Nerok, un ser agresivo... y ya (bromita :D aunque si es agresivo :'> ) Bueno, mi gente... tengo atrasos con Underdifferent... así que les voy a traer e este esqueleto agresivo y antisocial.

Nerok, an aggressive being... and that's it (joke :D although he is aggressive :'> ) Well, my people... I have delays with Underdifferent... so I'm going to bring you this aggressive and antisocial skeleton..

Yay....

:D

The skeletal tail behind him is obviously connected to his spine... right? wink, wink

La cola esquelética detrás de él obviamente está conectada a su columna... ¿verdad? guiño, guiño

He doesn't have a world as such... but he isn't out-code or whatever... he just exists and that's it :)

Él no tiene un mundo como tal... pero tampoco es un out-code o como se diga... simplemente existe y listo :)

(Kidding, sorry I can't help it :D) he had a world where he was king, etc, etc... but an "out-code" *cough* Nehuther-... *cough* ruined his world, and eliminated several things from him, and from the same creator who was making the au, between those deletions, he deleted Nerok's memories and... "tweaked" him a little... *coughs* too much... for those who come from my tiktok. .. you know I made a drawing of him and another sans... well, that was her husband... (yes, the fandom ships two male skeletons and I also ship kabksjaka) and it didn't have a good ending. The creator of the au was blocked from all his platforms, by who? *coughs* by Nehuther *coughs and dies*

(Bromita, perdón no puedo evitarlo :D) tuvo un mundo donde él era rey, etc, etc... pero un "out-code" *tose* Nehuther-... *tose* arruinó su mundo, y eliminó varias cosas de él, y del mismo creador que estaba haciendo el au, entre esas eliminaciones, eliminó los recuerdos de Nerok y... lo "modificó" un poco... *tose* demasiado... para los que vienen de mi tiktok... saben que hice un dibujo de él y otro sans... bueno, ese era su esposo.. (si, el fandom shipea a dos esqueletos hombres y yo también kabksjaka) y no tubo un buen final. El creador del au fue bloqueado de todas sus plataformas, ¿por quién? *tose* por Nehuther *tose y se muere*

He could not continue with his project since his electronic devices were infected by a virus, so the creator gave up and decided to leave his jobs with such au

No pudo continuar con su proyecto ya que sus dispositivos electrónicos fueron infectados por un virus, por lo que el creador desistió y decidió dejar sus trabajos con tal au

Nehuther is almost like "King multiverse" but Nehuther is controlled by the god of his au, he is almost corrupted by the parasite... etc, etc, etc... but in battle it could be a tie between the two... (it is I suppose I was talking about the world of Nerok, but I got off topic 😂 sorry)

Nehuther es casi como "King multiverse" pero Nehuther es controlado por el dios de su au, esta casi corrompido por el parásito... etc, etc, etc... pero en batalla podría ser empate entre los dos... (se supone que hablaba del mundo de Nerok, pero me desvíe del tema 😂 lo siento)

Nerok, not knowing his past, obeys and trusts Nehuther's words... *coughs* sometimes... Nerok once got tired of listening to Nehuther and you know, the same thing about him going to another world and. .. Cabom! nah, not so much... but, Nerok felt hatred and anger towards Nehuther and... guess who he ran into...

Nerok al no saber su pasado, obedece y confía en las palabras de Nehuther... *tose* aveces... Nerok una ves se harto de escuchar a Nehuther y ya sabes, el mismo tema de que se va a otro mundo y... ¡Cabum! nah, tampoco tanto... pero, Nerok sentía odio y enojo hacia Nehuther y... adivinen a quién se topó...

Very well... obviously to Dream-... lie, he encountered both ink octopuses! (Shattered dream and Nightmare)

Muy bien... obviamente a Dream-... mentira, se encontró con ¡ambos pulpos de tinta! (Shattered dream y Nightmare)

but... I already told you, Nerok is aggressive... so... he refused to listen to both octopuses that he ended up forced by Shattered dream... (poor my child... skujhjkehaa)

pero... ya les dije, Nerok es agresivo... así que... él se reuso a escuchar a ambos pulpos que termino obligado por Shattered dream... (pobre mi niño... skujhjkehaa)

and that's how he met Killer... (joke, they haven't met yet)

y así conoció a Killer... (broma, aún no se conocen)

after working for both octopuses... he got tired again and wanted to "vanish" from where they put him... And after a while, he woke up on the Omega line, there he met Sult (created by a person integrated into the small group of creators of Underdifferent...) who is basically another sans who is like a psychologist, for those who went there

tras trabajar para ambos pulpos... se canso nuevamente y quizo "esfumarse" de donde lo metieron... Y luego de un tiempo, Despertó en la línea Omega, allí conoció a Sult (creado por una persona integrada en el pequeño grupo de creadores de Underdifferent...) quién es básicamente otro sans que es como un psicólogo, para los que iban allí

but since Nerok was aggressive... he ended up staying in the white part of the Omega line... and that's the end! (there is more text, but I don't want to give you literally the entire spoiler of the comic)

pero como Nerok era agresivo... terminó quedándose en la parte blanca de la línea Omega... y Ya ese es el fin! (hay más texto, pero no quiero darles literalmente todo el spoiler del cómic)

I will talk more about him possibly one day

hablaré más de el posiblemente algún día

Bye~ :D

[sexyleon]

PLS TELL ME HEADCANONS

I HAVE SO MANY THERE ARE SO MANY!!!!! I'm going to use this ask to talk about what I think happened in the immediate aftermath of Resi 4 tho!!

Okay, first, I don't think Ashley's rescue was covert at all! Leon doesn't just get to jetski to a designated landing spot and fly off into the sunset without the Spanish government getting involved and causing an international incident BECAUSE THAT WOULD BE TOO EASY. It's a very public affair, and while Leon is protected and never really reaches the limelight, Ashley has to publicly defend herself and her father in a media shit show (my zine piece in @relentlesszine is about Ashley coping with this!)

Anyways, after the initial confusion/chaos of American/Spanish officials struggling to find a solution on what to do, Leon and Ashley are rushed to a Spanish hospital once it has been confirmed they were infected by an unknown parasite. They're both in shock, but Leon takes it upon himself to endure the brunt of it: the interrogations, the questionnaires, the stressful explain what happened parts. He's still in fight-or-flight mode, and his only goal is to protect Ashley in any way he can. Eventually, they're to be separated and put into isolation chambers where they will have no contact with the outside world until they've been completely assessed by a team of doctors. Leon doesn't take this well. It's too familiar, it reminds him of when they took Sherry, and he'll be damned if he lets the same thing happen to Ashley. He adamantly refuses until they allow him into the same ward as Ashley (he's not violent about it because he's very aware of the situation they're both in, but he's not exactly nice about it either-- he's not going to let Ashley from his sight until she's in her father's arms). They wind up in separate rooms next to each other.

The ward is the hardest part for Leon. The doctors won't just let Leon stay by Ashley's side since he needs to be evaluated too. They make him lie down, force needles into his arms, take care of him-- which he thinks is a waste of time. They need to focus on Ashley.

He can't sleep. He wants to go home. He wants to take Ashley home. He wants to be anywhere but in this hellhole of a hospital. Every time he closes his eyes it's a different flashback. The villagers, innocent people turned monsters-- people he had to kill, people he lost count of killing. Luis and Mike, watching good people, his friends, die. Ada...God, he doesn't understand why he keeps going back to her. He doesn't understand why he trusted her. Dying is better than dealing with this. He wishes he could ask for morphine, but it'll just be another chance for someone or something to hurt Ashley.

This is how Ashley finds him, sneaking away from her room one night after being repetitively told they can't visit each other. He sits up from his cot when he realises she's there, all the worry in his face turning to relief. He wants nothing more than her safety and happiness.

“Ashley?”

“Sorry Leon, I couldn’t sleep.”

“Me neither.”

He gestures for her to come closer, offering space at the end of his cot for her to sit. They stay like that for a little while, the silence washing over them with the unspoken knowledge of what they'd been through. Leon does not mind the companionship, but can't help to feel guilty about everything that had happened. If he was better, maybe they'd already be home.

“I.... I want to thank you.”

Leon knows he should acknowledge it, he knows he should respond with grace, but the sinking feeling in his heart deepens. He doesn't deserve her thanks. He could've, he should've done better.

He settles on a “don’t mention it” with a wave of his hand, no big deal. He hopes it is enough, he doesn't want to think anymore. He can't look her in the eyes.

“Leon, I—"

“I said don’t.”

It comes out firmer than he means it, and when he looks up at Ashley to apologise it's too late. She’s already crying, ugly sobs filling the room as she gets up to leave.

“I’m sorry I’m such a burden! You should have left me to DIE!" are the only words he gets before she leaves.

Leon feels awful, and he's so so angry. It's not her fault for being kidnapped. It's her fault for being used to control her father. It's not her fault only one man with no info and little help was sent to save her. It's not her fault a sick man destroyed the lives of hundreds of people. None of it was her fault, but he knows nothing he can say right now will change her mind. So he lets her be and lies back down with his nightmares.

Later, after the doctors have done their rounds, he sneaks out to find her. She’s curled up on her cot, the vision of a young girl who has gone through hell. He knows the feeling, he remembers it well.

“Go away.” 

“Ashley, I just want to talk,” his voice is soft, resigned.

She hesitates before stretching out a little and sitting up, patting the cot next to her with a tiny "okay."

Leon sits down, the silence once again enveloping them as he works up the courage to speak. The words feel thick in his throat. He never expected to be here again, having this conversation again. It's all a little too much, but he knows it's his responsibility.

“Well?!” Ashley snaps at him. He flinches and looks down at his lap. She's angry too, he figures. Angry, sad, and scared.

“I guess I deserved that,” he frowns, nodding to himself. She's about to say something else when he cuts her off, “Look. I’m sorry for how I spoke to you earlier." Good. An apology is a good start. "We went through a lot. It's a lot," he pauses, the full weight of what has happened on his shoulders, "But we’re here now...Together, and I wouldn’t have it any other way."

It's then that he looks up at her, all the earnestness in his eyes. “You’re not a burden. Without you, we wouldn’t have made it-- I wouldn't have made it." He reaches for her hand, pulling her up so that she can look into his eyes. "None of this is your fault. Krauser and Salazar and Saddler did this, not you," he pauses for a moment, all the emotion welling up in him..

"I am happy you're alive.”

---

LSDJLKSDJFLKSDJLFJS anyways this ended up turning a little fic-ish?????? SORRY lksfjlsjfdslf this is how i think it happened tho and it lives in my mind rent free lsdfjlskdfjlsdfj

Leon loves Ashley the way he loves Sherry and they are trauma bonded for LYFE. He's been through what she's going through and he wants nothing more than to take all the pain away and give her a normal life, the only things he wishes for himself

@thebisexualmandalorian

[amonggtheestarss]

Redesigns of some really old OCs I had back in 2020... I WILL digitalise them at some point... OC rambles under the cut bc it’s insanely long lol

Rezique, Deziya and Cyth are imposters in one crew, Swirlz and Aspyratus are imposters in the other, with Karuiz who got infected with a parasite (which is Aspyratus)

Rezique is a strict imposter who does her job and does it well. Also bitter ex lovers with Cyth. She hates both Cyth and Deziya but gets on with her job regardless of the two 

Rezique is a strict imposter who does her job and does it well. Also bitter ex lovers with Cyth. She hates both Cyth and Deziya but gets on with her job regardless of the two 

RV is a sweet loving crewmate who lovez to stay around o2 all the time.. also known as the Tree Lover of the lobby… He and Deziya are dating and they are the sweetest couple ever 

Green literally doesn’t care about anything he just wanted a vacation and ended up dying before reaching Polus 

Auris is an absolute sweetheart who sees good in absolutely anyone, even in Rezique after finding out she was imposter. She has feelings for Augre but is anxious they wouldn’t love her back

Augre is anxious but cheerful, having Squeaky as an emotional support pet that they love dearly. They always sit at comms and is known to be the messenger of the team 

Donomin is nonverbal and shy, but really easy to excite around the cheerful part of the crew. Augre likez to let Donomin play with Squeaky to calm him down when he needz it 

Dekye is Dad. that’s it. He is best dad of all time, extremely comforting and caring to everyone, though rather protective. He was assigned captain of the team 

Amayu is from the other lobby, but I originally had her in the first one. She is deaf, and speaks in sign language, usually having Vee and Zee translate for her. She is really sweet and interactive, and also rather smart

Deziya is an imposter who WAS going to kill the crewmates with the other two, but ended up falling for RV and got together with them. They basically follow RV literally everywhere he goes. RV has already suspected they are an imposter, though they deny that fact. RV is completely okay with it though 

Scenzorr is a cyborg who is sick of everyone’s shit. She survived many imposter attacks in her past and is extremely serious in all meetings, demanding they vote out imposters asap. She absolutely hates Torei to death 

Cyth is the last imposter. She was once known to be the best imposter out of the three, but in this lobby specifically, she struggles to lay a finger on any of the crewmates, as they were the first to ever give her a real found family that loves her dearly 

Torei is rather immature, though usually smart in some places. He likes to challenge Scenzorr’s thinking and harass her any time she susses on anyone in the crew. He likes the asteroids task a lot

Rest of the ocs are in the second crew with Amayu 

Karuiz is a crewmate, but got infected by the parasite which controlled her to kill some of the crewmates. This mentally damages her a lot and she Begs everyone to vote her off, but they all (excluding Clock) refuse, convinced they can cure her somehow 

Aspyratus is the parasite, who is fully stoic, but extremely smart with words, knowing how to convince everyone but their imposter partner and have their way. They hate Swirlz because they don’t know how to get into their head 

Swirlz is silly. Little One is their little crewmate who ended up getting adopted by Dad against Swirlz’s will. This is how Swirlz comes out as an imposter in an attempt to retrieve Little One but Dad simply refused. Swirlz simply will Not kill anyone until they get Little One back 

Dad is Dad. What more can I say? He picked up this imposter baby and simply went “Mine.” Swirlz hates him. He doesn’t care. Everyone hates calling him Dad but he refuses to be referred to as anything else

Systa is a crewmate who is extremely anxious and very easy to convince. They’re best friends with Karuiz and is really desperate to find a cure for them. They also end up crushing on Swirlz even after knowing they’re imposter and Swirlz has No idea how to comprehend it whatsoever 

Clock is a bitter stepfather who lost his wife to an imposter. Little Star was his wife’s child which he unwillingly adopts and looks after. He makes it clear to everyone he hates children, which Dad ends up adopting Little Star later on. Clock also has an extreme hatred towards imposters and keep demanding they vote Karuiz and Swirlz off while everyone disapproves. By the way, absolutely nobody is aware that Aspyratus is an imposter except for Swirlz

[jerzwriter]

Meet my MC: Zoe Rivera

Book: Wake the Dead

Faceclaim: Adria Arjona - (I don't intend to use an FC often. I will mostly use the sprite and art commissions for this series.)

Full Name: Zoe Liandra Rivera

Love Interest: Eli Sipes

Age: 25

Date of Birth: May 24th (27 days before the solstice, if we go by canon.)

Born: Sun Valley, Nevada, USA

Raised: The Tower Colony

Heritage: Her father was a first-generation Mexican American. All she knows about her biological mother is that she was half-Latina and half-European. Her adoptive father was a fourth-generation American of Irish and Swedish descent. (More on this below)

Meet Eli Sipes (Elsa's Version) Wake the Dead Masterlist

This is much more extensive than my standard "Meet my MC." It also goes into greater detail on other characters important in Zoe's life.

I did this purposely as some of my readers who have expressed interest in reading these works have limited exposure to Wake the Dead, so I thought a little more background would be helpful. Also, it helped me connect with Zoe a little more. Some things described below are canon, but my own HC is woven in.

I hope you enjoy getting to know Zoe. As I develop her character more, I'll be making updates or creating additional "Meet My MC" style posts. Thanks for checking this out!

I am tagging my Perma All list - again - if you do not wish to be included in any WTD fics, please let me know, and I'll be happy to create an OH-only list if needed.

Parents: Daniel Rivera (Papa) and Samuel Conners (Dad). Daniel was Zoe's biological father. He was married to her mother, who told him she wanted a divorce just before learning she was pregnant with Zoe. When she learned she was pregnant, she agreed to carry the child to term, but then she was surrendering her rights to the newborn and her older sister, Ana. While Ana had some memories of their mother, she left when Zoe was just one-week-old and was never heard from again.

Just before Zoe was born, her father met the love of his life, Samuel Conners. He helped Daniel find peace during that unsettling time, and shortly after Zoe was born, they were married, and Samuel adopted both girls. They lived a blissful life together before the zombie parasite destroyed the world.

Zoe knows very little about her fathers and even less about her biological mother. Daniel had told Ana he would share more about their mother when they were older, but he never got the chance. Dad was bitten by a zombie, and Papa refused to kill him, believing his husband was still inside. But as the infection spread, Dad attacked Papa, who ordered Ana to take Zoe and run. Ana shielded her sister from this story for over twenty years.

More on heritage: Post-apocalypse, people's loyalties tended to be to their colonies, not to their ethnic background, so it wasn't as focused on as it is today. However, Ana did her very best to incorporate the traditions of their Mexican heritage into their life. Since she was so young herself when they were still celebrated, the end results aren't as authentic as they could be, but it still gave the girls a sense of grounding and belonging, and it helped them understand who they were.

Sibling: Ana Rivera was four years older than Zoe. They shared a very close bond, and Ana felt the need to look after and protect her sister from a very young age. As such, she shielded her from some of the harsh realities of their childhood, as well as of the sinister ongoings at The Tower.

Ana was a Scout. Desperate to see the outside world, at 18, Zoe wanted to become a Scavenger, a group that went into the outside world to bring resources back to the colony. But Ana had her transferred to Pest Control so she could spend the next 7 years being trained in fighting skills and weaponry to join the Scouts at 25. Zoe was angry at being held inside the colony for another 7 years but did not fight her sister about it.

Ana helped facilitate Zoe's escape from The Tower when she learned she had been ordered to be sacrificed to the zombies by Blackstock. But on the night of their escape, she was shot multiple times. In a turn of events, they ended up at a loner's cabin (Eli), and when it became clear Ana was not well enough to escape the onslaught of drones attacking the cabin, she remained behind to give the others a better chance at survival.

While Zoe is able to move on, Ana's death had a profound impact on her and will haunt her for the remainder of her life.

Personality/Traits: Zoe is a skilled archer and a fierce fighter, but she views these as skills necessary for survival, it’s not who she would choose to be if she didn’t have to. She is a warm, funny woman with a flirtatious personality who longs to understand more about the world that disappeared when she was just a toddler. Though she accepts the world for what it is today, she would have preferred a simpler time where being a warrior would not have been required. Nevertheless, she tries not complain or lament; she merely does what she must do.

She is fiercely loyal to those she loves, and she has compassion for all. Some feel this causes her to make decisions that are not always in the best interest of many, but she feels there is power in the community and forms numerous alliances to fight the zombies and other enemies.

With her wit, charm, negotiation skills, and wisdom beyond her age, she becomes the de facto leader of Olympus, the colony she and her friends founded. It's not a job she longed for but one she assumed with grace - at least in public. Behind closed doors, those closest to her know the fears and uncertainty that can rattle her to her core and the memories that haunt her. I hope to explore more of these issues which are not mentioned or glossed over in canon.

Her found family: When Ana died, Zoe lost all she knew of her family. But she was fortunate to create a family of her own with her friends.

Troy Hassan: Troy has been Zoe's best friend for many years. When Zoe was escaping The Tower, Troy was escaping on his own after learning that he to was also about to be sacrificed. Troy is charming, funny, and lighthearted. Though he rises to the occasion, he often brings a touch of whimsy to the difficult events they encounter. Zoe loves this side of him. He is portrayed as a potential love interest early on in my headcanon, but they never cross that line. (Though, he may have him as an LI in AUs.) Troy understands Zoe and is extremely loyal to her. I believe Troy is 2 years older than Zoe, so 27 at the start of the story.

Shanon Fox: Zoe meets Shanon on her first mission as a Scout (and on her 25th birthday). She warns Zoe of an approaching zombie and is later saved by the group and brought to Olympus. A researcher, she has years of experience with medical procedures and the zombie virus, but she is not a skilled fighter. This leads her to have feelings of insecurity when compared to the others. She is levelheaded, kind, nurturing, and caring. She is an LI in canon but only a friend in my HC. (Though, like Troy, she may be an LI in some AUs.) Shanon understands Zoe's compassion, and she can be a great comfort to her. In my HC, Shanon is 27 years old.

Angel Savage: The group finds Angel when they go to the Black Bear Mall in search of food and supplies. She has been living there alone most of her life and has become skilled at setting traps and making homemade weapons, with a special love for explosives. She doesn't trust easily, but once she does, she is very friendly. Quirky, sometimes to a fault, we learn it is a coping mechanism to deal with the trauma she has experienced. She is a potential LI in canon but a friend in my HC. I imagine her to be 23 years old. Like Troy, Angel brings levity to Zoe's life, but her fearlessness and unique way of viewing the world also play a big part in Zoe's admiration of her.

Eli Sipes: They meet the night Zoe and her group escaped The Tower when they end up on his property when attempting to escape drones and the Tower guards. Eli saves Zoe's life by killing a zombie about to attack her, then takes out another half dozen drones. But when he is done, he threatens to kill her if she doesn't leave his property. Only after seeing the extent of Ana's injuries does he allow them to stay at his cabin for the night. He and Ana appear to be kindred spirits; both smart, skilled, no nonsense, protective, older siblings.

Eli can be described as a survivalist. He and his family were prepared for the apocalypse, and after the parasite, their daily lives revolved around keeping drones off their property. When Eli is out hunting alone, he returns to find his family was attacked by zombies, and he is forced to kill them before they turn. This leaves him broken and unwilling to become close to anyone ever again. He is a loner and feels it is best that way.

An extremely skilled marksman, he is fearless and focused in battle. He assumes leadership of the group after Ana's death, but his lack of people skills ends up making Zoe the de facto leader. He had great admiration for Zoe's bravery, but he is terrified of the attachment he feels to her from the start. Zoe feels it too, and she refuses to let him push her away, driving him mad at times. Nevertheless, he cannot tear himself away.

Eli is Zoe's LI in my HC and may be one of her LIs in AUs as well. The two are very alike in many ways - they are brave, loyal, and fiercely protective of those they love, and like most others, they have both suffered painful loss and trauma. Eli copes by turning inward and shutting down, whereas Zoe attempts to find the reasons to connect and go on. He learns to open up and live life again through her, and she learns how to not let her emotions blind her when making important decisions from him.

Both tend to appear strong and brave in public, but as the walls come down, they know each other for who they truly are in private, with scars (both physical and emotional) and all.

Some trivial facts (I'm sure this will expand in the future):

Zoe loves to read books and magazines - basically anything she can get her hands on - especially if it is from before the parasite. She loves learning about the world she never got to know but also takes comfort in imagining a life where every day was not about survival. When people were obsessed with seemingly inane things like sports team rivalries, getting into a perfect school, and this thing called television and the internet. When she was in the Tower, Troy, who had a habit of finding and collecting things from the old world, would always provide her with any materials he came across. He found her obsession endearing. Troy tends to scoff at it at first, as he found the old world had plenty of problems of its own, but he comes to see it as a part of Zoe's personality, and it makes her who she is, and for that, he is grateful.

She struggles to find a balance between being prepared and living a life that is not solely based on fighting/fear.

She enjoys dancing and swimming, and when Olympus is established, she takes time to get to know each person, picking up new ideas, hobbies, and knowledge from each.

Back to her love of reading. She particularly loves romance novels of all kinds. When she discovers some post-apocalyptic novels written in the past, she feels a kinship with the heroines depicted. She has a romantic heart underneath it all. The only person that knew of her love of these types of books was Troy (her supplier, lol). Not even Ana fully knew. She thought her obsession was with books in general. In time, Eli learns of this as well. He tends to roll his eyes about it, but in time, realizes it's probably one of the reasons she never gave up on him, and he's grateful. Sometimes, he reads some himself - and some are just nausea-inducing, but others touch him too. Though he keeps that very close to the vest.

Perma All: @a-crepusculo @aishwarya26 @animesuck3r @annfg8 @annoyingmillenialnewbie @bex-la-get @binny1985 @bluebelle08 @bluerosesbloom @cariantha @coffeeheartaddict2 @crazy-loca-blog @danijimenezv @different4strawberry @differenttyphoonwerewolf @doriopenheart @fayeswiftie @forallthatitsworth @genevievemd @inlocusmads @jamespotterthefirst @jennieausten @kingliam2019 @liaromancewriter @lilypills @lucy-268 @mainstreetreader @mysticalgalaxysstuff @ofmischiefandmedicine @onikalover @openheartforeverinmyheart @peonierose @peonyblossom @potionsprefect @quixoticdreamer16 @rookiemartin @schnitzelbutterfingers @secretaryunpaid @socalwriterbee @tessa-liam @toadfrog26 @trappedinfanfiction @uneravine @youlookappropriate @zahrachoices @jerzwriter-reblogs-asks @choicesficwriterscreations

[movedtodykedvonte]

If you’re not busy how bout a headcanon for how the four lords would react to their s/o, a doctor/field medic, somehow healing them of their cadou parasites and returning them to their normal selves

If you can't afford medical treatment just get your doctor S/O to do a quick surgery. It's legal and fun!!

Here's a cut cause this bad boy is long

Alcina Dimitrescu

You two had discussed it and agreed that it needed to be done. The girls would be in constant danger from BSAA/Blue Umbrella if Alcina was still such a strong bio-weapon.

She had worries; would she be weaker? Would she need to worry about her blood disease again? How would she protect her daughters? You assured her that you two would figure it out, that you would never do this if you thought it would do more harm than good.

The girls protested, saying they could handle whatever was thrown at them but Alcina hushed them, explaining that it was for her sake as well. It was only so long until BSAA stopped letting her get away with literal murder, no matter how necessary.

You had explained the most likely and best outcome, that she'd be cured and all the effects reversed, that she'd need regular infusions of blood and may feel weaker. You tried to treat her like a regular patient, the coldness of being a medic, but the worry loomed over you.

It was a quick procedure, the cadou just as it had smoothly integrated with Alcina, had been slipped out, the changes almost just as quick.

Her skin became humanly pale, no longer a porcelain white, wrinkles showing the age she was when infected, her height dwindling. You didn't account for her to wake up as quick as she did and had to dive to catch her as she wobbled of the operating table, not yet used to her smaller size.

"A mirror" "Are you sure, Alcina? Maybe you should-" "I want a mirror now" She was demanding, but you understood how justified that was. You only had a small one for operating on you but it would have to do.

She pulled at her face, a look of disdain as she inspecting the face of a mortal woman instead of an immortal lord. Seeing this you came up behind her, wrapping your arms around her waist like you were never able to fully do before, and planted a kiss on her cheek, now noticing how warm it was compared to her previous form

"I look horrid" "You look beautiful" The comment drew a smile from her, but you could still sense the doubt in her.

She stayed in her room for a while, you being the only one allowed entrance to tend her: Infusions, getting her used to human food rather than humans for food. Alcina insisted she fully recovers before her girls saw her as to not incite panic.

It was tough on her to be distant with her girls, but tougher on them to not see her after such a harrowing surgery.

When the girls first saw her it was as if they were interacting with a valuable and fragile vase, none of them wanted to get close in fear of hurting her, but they desperately wanted to inspect their mother.

"I'm not made of paper, an embrace won't kill me." It was lovely seeing them perk up at their mother's usual sass and even more relieving when they practically dove into her arms, bombarding her with questions on how she felt.

There were many things to still discuss, but for now, everyone was happy.

Donna Beneviento

Donna surprisingly brought it up to you first. You were having tea having a calm conversation with Angie for once. The mood felt off for that alone but for the whole day it felt off, now you knew why.

She wanted a normal life with you, one free of the mold and her dependence on her dolls. It was all a crutch and she wanted to start to walk without it.

You asked if she was sure, the dolls, especially Angie, meant so much to her, you didn't want to do it unless she was positively certain

"We've made our mind up, Y/N. We want this." Angie's serious response and Donna's nod were a startling confirmation. You set a date and prepared the tools for the procedure

Before all of that, you set up a party for Donna and Angie, placing all the dolls for one last goodbye. "Surprise!" You pop out with all the dolls, you suspect she knew as the dolls came to life to yell as well but she was crying tears of joy either way.

She said goodbye to all the dolls individually, thanking them for being there for her as she shut down her cadou in each of them. Donna told you that Angie didn't want to go until she had to. You understood completely.

On the day of the procedure, you knelt down to Angie and hugged her. She was always a little bit of a pain to you and she found you a bit dull but in the end, you cared and you were going to miss her rambunctiousness. You spared yourself the tears of a verbal goodbye as you placed her on the operating table next to Donna, she feigned unconscious to mimic her sedated friend.

It was slow and grueling to remove the cadou carefully from her face and skull, you wanted to leave as little scarring as possible. Donna had just stopped wearing the veil and you had no desire to be the reason it came back on

The procedure was no less easy as every amount removed, you noticed Angie appearing even more lifeless.

When it was done, she woke up, her working eye blinking under the bright lights of your operating chambers. She did not address you but immediately turned to Angie. You had not an idea of how she knew she was lying next to her

"Angie?" There was no response and you could see the tears forming as she slowly reached for her best friend, caressing the inanimate face. You took her other hand and squeezed it, before lifting it to your lips and planting a kiss.

Recovering was less physical than mental. Occasionally she'd ask her dolls a question, you'd catch her staring sorrowfully at them as they stared back unblinking. It was even worse when you heard her call for Angie, knowing it was impossible for her to respond.

Sometimes you'd find her staring out the window, holding Angie as she took in the horizon.

"It's difficult... She was always there for me." She stared at Angie, brushing the veil from her face as the setting sun leaked in. You sat next to her, leaning in close so you could support Angie's slumped head... Donna smiled at the action. "But, I suppose there's a lot else for me too." Donna rested her head on your shoulder, now looking at the broad horizon before you both.

Salvatore Moreau

It hurt you like nothing else to see Salvatore live in constant pain and suffering. You had done wonders for the hurt of loneliness but physically he was still in agony.

He has insisted not to burden yourself with him and that he was used to it, but the more he assured you the less you actually felt comforted. It came to a head one day that all he was doing was vomiting. You were sure you saw red at some point

"Stop saying you're fine!" "I'm used to it, Y/N" "Well I'm not!" You were a medic, it had become an instinct to stop people from being in pain, and Moreau made it flare up.

He refused to be operated on, making up excuses or insisting it was not a big deal to him after all these years. Clearly, you could tell it was something else, something he wasn't telling you but he refused to let it slip. It became a strain on your relationship. It felt bad but you had to threaten to leave if he was not going to be honest. He owed you that.

You felt even worse when you found out. "I'm scared it would get worse!" You realized that the last time Moreau was likely on an operating table, it turned him into what he was now. It was beyond inconsiderate to try and force him through it again.

For a while, you dropped it, letting the waters calm... until another vomiting fit happened and you thought you might lose him.

Luckily you didn't and unluckily for Moreau he had to see you're tear-ridden face the whole time, unable to assure you he would be fine due to the wretching. A day later he agreed to let you try.

You were relieved but now it went on to how you were exactly going to do this. You were unsure if removing the cadou would be enough to rid him of the tumors or if you would be on that too, you had no intention to make things worse like he feared.

A while passed as you collected the tools and set up an area in the reservoir to operate, everytime you made progress Moreau strayed farther from the area.

You finally finished and Moreau was off lurking in the waters, much like a child hiding from getting a shot. "Are you ready?" "Yes." "Are you lying?" "Yes." You were happy he found humor in the situation but you needed confidence.

You practically held his hand the whole way to the table, both to keep him from escaping to the water and a half for comforting, his grip did not slip until you had fully sedated him.

The procedure was more difficult than ever expected, the tumors were gelatinous and blocked the way to his cadou. You had to be careful not to burst one as well as not to accidentally paralyze him due to the proximity to his spine. It was slow and meticulous but eventually, you got it all.

Nothing happened. He laid unconscious on the table, cadou thoroughly gone, you made sure... but nothing happened. Did you fail? Was there another one? You pondered the possibilities but quickly stood up as the tumors began to swell, becoming enflamed before one burst, an acidic substance barely missing you and melting part of the floor. As more popped you took cover as not to get burned.

The grotesque sounds of bursting meat slowly faded, becoming less frequent until they stopped, but you waited, ensuring you did not accidentally get splashed by a straggler.

"Y/N?" The sound of your name from a familiar deep but the somehow less nauseous voice made you peer from around your cover, a man all too foreign and all too familiar sat dazed-looking on the table.

"Salvatore?" {Insert your own description of Moreau, I don't want to intrude on anyone's interpretation.} "Y/N!" He immediately tried to get off the table to come to you before you quickly stopped him, remnants of acid a very real danger. You covered a path and made your way to him, stopping at the edge of the table. "Did it work?"

Something about the question seemed laughable as you assumed the feeling would be completely different, but you still pulled a mirror close and let him marvel at a face he had long forgotten.

"Did I make it worse?" It was a snarky remark at his previous fears, probably a little insensitive but at the moment he smiled, suddenly pulling you into your first full kiss in your relationship. "Not at all."

Karl Heisenberg

You were helping him in the factory one day, decommissioning the more specialized soldats at the request of BSAA. You being less tech-oriented focused on the less mechanical soldiers while Karl took on the scrap heavy ones.

Having used some Cadou in them, you had to carefully remove that too, to ensure they would not resurrect after the metal was removed. It took no time for Karl to piece together who else that skill could be used on.

"Make space for me on your schedules, Y/N" He lit a cigar after the sentence, not explaining further. "Excuse me?" "You heard me, sweetheart." He ripped a core from another soldat before putting it on the belt to bring it towards you. You stared in disbelief.

"You want me to remove your cadou?" "Yep." "But I thought BSAA was." "I don't want those dick heads snooping in my body like I'm some labrat. You do it." The conversation was quick and honestly, it should have been expected.

Karl had joked with you before that you could take away his cadou. Just snip and a rip and it'd be done. You explained it wasn't that simple and he would chuckle out an agreement, but you could tell that the jokes had an air of seriousness around them. It had been his goal for a while to reverse what had been done to him

Picking a date was the biggest issue. Karl wanted to do it as soon as possible, get it out and be rid of it. You had to explain you needed time to prepare as the place was delicate and a risk. You knew it was out of excitement and anticipation.

When you finally made time, Karl was on the table before you had even put on gloves or disinfected it. "An eager beaver I see?" You tried to bring the humor Karl often did to scenarios like this, but you could see a sense of series on his face, even the glint of his glasses seemed steeled. "I want every trace of that bitch gone."

You nodded, pulling out the syringe to sedate him as you laid him down on the table. Removing his glasses you looked directly in his eyes, there was a trust in his that made you that much more determined. "You ready?" You asked as a medic protocol. "Just stick me doc." You rolled your eyes as he smirked before relishing in the slight scared look he gave the needle when you lifted it before him

The silence of it all unnerved you. Karl was always making wisecracks or jokes to alleviate the dreary mood of the factory. Having him laying silently before you, face still somehow serious while completely relaxed, made it all the more discomforting.

You worked diligently, careful to find all traces of the cadou and to remove them into a jar you had set aside. It was long but you did it with dutiful ease, Karl had waited so long for this and you must do it right

When it was all finished you took the jar, disgusted at the somehow living organism inside. How could she put this in someone she considered her child. Bitch, was too kind a word Karl used for her. You took the jar to a furnace, throwing it in and watching the thing wriggle frantically before burning to a crisp.

Coming back to the table you found Karl stirring awake, groggily holding himself up on his forearms. "So, how'd it go?" "You tell me?"

Karl looked around the room, his hammer resting in the corner. Focusing on it he waited for the item to float toward him, yet it remained still. After a minute of nothing he stopped, a slow chuckle emerging from him, melding into a proud laugh.

"Well, I'll be damned, Y/N. You've outdone yourself." He began patting himself in search of a cigar. You pulled one from the side table and offered it, snatching it away before he could get a grasp on it. "No smoking until you're fully healed."

He shook his head, chuckling a little more before sitting up and pulling you close. Tilting your head up he locked your lips together. Pulling apart he smiled, "Whatever you say, doc."

I completely forgot that Moreau was a doctor and honestly I should've added something about medical knowledge but its super late and I have a job interview to get up for.

[lepusrufus]

To bargain for immortality pt.1

It's here fellas, the mutation sequel that I've mercilessly teased you with!

Content warnings: gore, torture, blood (like... lots), just a bunch of puking up blood, Miranda being her usual mad scientist self, torture in the name of science, Nicole be sick af (both literally and of crow mommy's bullshit), a little bit of blood drinking as a treat, medical procedures.

////

Tic toc tic toc

God that clock is so annoying.

Nicole wasn’t nervous. No. She chose this, at least for the most part. She had a long conversation with all her family, Alcina and Esteria both assuring her that it would work. It’s been years since the beginning of the experiments and by this point the process was almost perfected.

Miranda knew what she was doing.

That mattered little to her nerves though.

She instinctively pushed herself further into Cassandra’s side, who’s grip around her waist tightened ever so slightly.

The waiting was downright tortuous.

She, along with Cassandra and her two sisters were in her infirmary. The room mixed the ancient decor of the castle with modern medical equipment in a beautiful way. Not that anything less would be acceptable. Not that the familiarity of her workspace brought her any comfort either.

All their eyes snapped in the direction of the door when a heavy set of footsteps, with two lighter ones, were heard down the hallway outside. Soon the door opened with a barely audible creak and the two matriarchs entered, followed suit by Mother Miranda. Her presence alone was enough to make Nicole’s breath get lost somewhere in her throat, on its way to an exhale. The black wings, even partially folded as they were, did their job of making her look so much more intimidating than she was. Not that she needed them to begin with, a look from those icy gray eyes more than enough to send anyone to their knees.

Mother Miranda was, in all ways that mattered, a goddess.

A goddess that was about to infect her with the same thing that failed countless times in the past. The same thing that made the crawling mindless beasts used as guard dogs in the undergrounds. Or that made all the lycans.

Nicole gulped, a gesture gone thankfully unnoticed to anyone other than her painfully dry mouth.

But Miranda didn’t spare her a glance. She simply busied herself with some tools she had brought on one of the metal tables. With each clink the room seemed to close in on her slightly more, until Nicole felt as if she somehow ended up in one of Heisenberg's death traps. Spikes moving closer and closer until they would pierce her body and leave her in a messy pool of blood and entrails.

She shook her head and took a long inhale. No. This was going to work. She was not about to lose her family over a pesky thing such as mortality. She was not about to lose Cassandra. If getting infected by the Cadou was what it took to spend eternity with her lover then so be it. Possible side effects be damned.

Mother Miranda finally seemed to have finished, a now empty flask labeled Cadou sitting on the desk behind her while the parasite was writhing in her hand, thin whip-like tentacles extending frantically around itself. She called her over with a nod, and with a deep breath and a parting hand squeeze from Cassandra, Nicole forced her legs to take her across the room. Her steps didn't waver, she'd be damned if she'd show any hesitancy in front of this.

"Shall we begin."

It wasn't a question really, merely veiled impatience. Miranda did not like her, plain and simple. The fact that she was there to begin with was already a miracle. Miracle that wouldn't have happened were it not for the Ladies themselves asking for it.

"Yes of c-"

Before her words even had time to completely slip out of her mouth, golden talons plunged into the base of her sternum.

"Hopefully this can teach you that I don't like people going behind my back."

Nicole let out a choked gasp, hands instinctively wrapping around Miranda's arm, weakly grabbing at black robes. Ironically enough, those very talons were keeping her upright and, when they were removed from her flesh with a disgusting squelch of blood, Nicole curled in on herself, falling to her knees.

"Wha-... cking ki-... -er!"

Cassandra's voice reached her ears broken up, barely passing through the deafening ringing. Miranda also gave a reply and then seemed to address someone else but her much calmer tone meant that it only sounded like a vague mumble.

Not that Nicole particularly cared at the moment.

She curled into a ball, her hands almost clawing at her chest trying to find some sort of relief. It seemed as if vicious tendrils were making their way into every vein and muscle, tearing their way through any tissue they found. Her chest felt as if it had a hot iron pressed directly onto the skin, searing pain radiating in a cruel pulse matching her frantic heartbeat. By that point she was either sobbing or heaving, something that involved shallow breaths for sure. Her lungs were protesting fiercely, emptying of oxygen and then refusing to refill if not with great strain.

To make everything worse, the pain seemed to shift, now engulfing her spine and sending jolts that made her head spin and want to throw up despite her jaws being clenched shut so tightly that she was sure she'd start to taste copper soon.

She was only vaguely aware of hands shifting her body and soothing words that fell on deaf ears. She was now on a softer surface, but that did nothing to alleviate the assault on each of her senses. Probably she had thrown up at a certain point as her sinuses felt like being scraped by sandpaper with each shuddering breath. Her mouth too had a lingering taste of both bile and blood that made her stomach turn all over again. She would give anything for her body to finally shut down.

Why was she still awake and conscious god damn it. There was only so much her body was supposed to take before the brain shut down and she was reaching her limit of how much agony she could endure at a moment.

Please please please just pass out please.

She didn't though. Her body seemingly deciding to feel every single bit of the infection process, complete with the unending waves of pain and nausea that hit her more than she wanted to count. Any bit of sanity left in her would've probably disappeared had she tried.

---

It took two days for the agonizing pain to subside. Another two for Nicole to be able to form any kind of coherent sentence. Cassandra's soothing voice was of immense comfort, always there to tell her how well she was doing and how it would all be better soon.

God she hoped.

On the fifth day, her stomach still lurched at any movement too sudden. Her lungs seemed to fill with blood, courtesy of the still gaping wound at the bottom of her sternum, with any inhale too deep. The fact that she got used to the coppery taste rising up in her throat was disgusting in and of itself. At least there weren't jolts of pain shooting through every nerve and muscle in waves anymore though. That was something.

The fog in her brain was still clearing. It was hard to focus on anything, and each time Cassandra, or anyone else, asked her a question they would have to repeat it at least three times. It was beyond frustrating, the mind that got her through med school drunk half the time was failing the insurmountable task of saying whether or not she'd like some water. Glorious.

A faint knock on the door reached her ears. A redundant gesture really, as she didn't exactly have the clarity of mind to answer. Besides it was hard to catch her in a more compromising state than curled up in the fetal position, covered in sweat and most likely blood clots stuck to her lips.

Esteria came in, her one blue eye that wasn't covered looking at her with all the gentleness neither of her parents had ever offered her. Or it was just the cruel trick of a delirious brain. Either way, light barefoot steps took the Mistress to her bed. She sat in the chair adjacent to it and, with taloned fingers brushing strands of auburn hair out of Nicole's face, she spoke softly.

"How are you feeling today?"

Her voice was just as melodious as ever. It was the voice one imagines they would hear from an ancient being found deep in the forest. It made Nicole just a tad guilty when the only answer she could give was a pathetic whine.

Esteria simply hummed, talons running through the long messy locks of hair sprawled on the sheets.

"Would you like me to braid this for you dear?"

Nicole frowned. The Mistress was an expert at braiding, quick fingers able to make beautiful designs, both simple and complex. Comes with having floor length hair, her hazy mind guessed. On any normal day, Nicole would've accepted without a second thought. But now? Now she was painfully aware of the state she was currently in.

"It's filthy," she croaked, her voice raw and like stones in her mouth.

And it was. Her hair was waist length and right now it was slowly becoming a curse. It was greasy and sweaty thanks to barely being able to move a limb for nearly a week, which meant no showers. Not to mention how she lost count of the times she bent down to empty the contents of her stomach into a bucket, only to have some rebel locks fall in her face and get subsequently dirty. God she felt awful.

Esteria didn't seem to care too much though, as she simply helped Nicole shift slightly and talons started to work at some pesky mats. In no time, her hair was in a comfortable braid that started relatively high, keeping the locks away from her nape which meant just a tad less overheating. Not to mention it kept it in place and away from her mouth that she didn't trust in the slightest right now.

"Thanks," she actually managed to not let her voice crack this time.

"Oh it's no problem. Also," there seemed to be an odd strain in her voice, "Mother Miranda is coming this evening. She said something about an examination."

Nicole couldn't help but openly wince and curl in on herself a little more at the mere mention of the woman. Her chest seemed to pulsate painfully at the memory of the golden talons embedded deep in her flesh. Right now she wanted those hands anywhere away from her.

"What time is it?"

Esteria looked at the clock placed somewhere on the wall behind them. "About twelve. Still got time."

How hard would it be to drag herself to the adjacent bathroom for a quick shower? The only way her situation could get worse was if none other than Mother Miranda came in to see her in that state. She took a deep breath that her lungs protested against and pushed herself onto her elbows. At Esteria's skeptical expression she tried to sound less horrible than she felt.

"I need a shower."

Esteria pursed her lips. "Sorry dear but I don't believe for one second that you can stand for more than a minute. I'll ask a maid to draw you a bath."

Nicole only nodded weakly and let herself fall back into the cushion.

---

It took far longer than Nicole would ever admit to get herself fully clean. Her muscles were sore and protesting at every pass of the soapy sponge. Her hair was a whole other battle and she had to bite down on her pride and ask the maid positioned outside her door for help. It was a tortuous fifteen minutes until the poor girl managed to detangle the long locks enough to be shampooed and washed.

After she was content with the level of cleanliness of her body and the maid was dismissed, she stood there preparing herself to get out of the basin. In the meantime she looked down at the wound at the bottom of her sternum. Maybe wound wasn't the right word. It looked more like a gray and black scar with vein-like tendrils spreading across pale skin. It looked downright gruesome. Miranda really did not try to do a clean job in the slightest. Didn't even think to use anesthesia, like she had with most other experiments, according to Alcina.

She sighed and finally pushed herself out of the water with shaky arms.

By the time Mother Miranda arrived she was feeling slightly better. Why she came personally was still a mystery to Nicole. Maybe some sick sense of satisfaction in seeing her in pain.

Either way, by the time their so-called goddess came into the infirmary and told Nicole to lay down on one of the tables, she managed to shuffle her way over without her body protesting too much. Cassandra also quietly made her way on the opposite side of Miranda, gaining herself a glare.

"Must you hover over her like that?" Miranda's tone was as even as ever, but her eyes betrayed annoyance.

"Does it hinder you?"

Cassandra was not an idiot, the growl she wanted to add into her question was instead replaced by a tone not too dissimilar to Miranda's own, who simply tugged her lips into a grimace.

"Very well."

At first they went through a normal examination. Pupil dilation, reflexes, all things a normal doctor would do. Then Miranda told her to unbutton her blouse so she could take a look at the infection scar.

Nicole couldn't help flinching when thankfully gloved fingers would poke and prod at the sensitive flesh there. Her cold digits felt like hot coals were spread on her chest and nails dragged uselessly on the metal underneath her body for some sort of distraction.

Mother Miranda decided to get a tissue sample and that's when Nicole decided that maybe she would rather spend eternity as a ghost. She squeezed her eyes shut when a scalpel was brought to the overly sensitive skin. It took her back to when she would do autopsies, years ago. Tissue samples were always an integral part of her work. How ironic that she found herself on the other side of things.

It's fine.

She winced when the blade cut into flesh and sent a jolt of pain through her chest. Nicole couldn't help but think of the long days she spent agonizing while her chest felt like it was burning her alive and hoping that it wouldn't repeat. A sigh of pure relief slipped past her lips when whatever fake deity there was besides this woman, listened to her and the sensation died out quickly. She dared to open her eyes, only to see Mother Miranda frowning down at the small vial in hand.

It was quickly given to an assistant and she unceremoniously grabbed Nicole's wrist, dragging the blade across the length of her forearm.

Nicole gasped at the sudden sharp pain, and even Cassandra dropped a few choice words in romanian due to the surprise. No. No no no. What the hell-

Any questions, or less dignified reaction, died in everyone's throats as they watched the skin stitch itself back together. The repairing muscles gave a tingling sensation but soon the only proof that a cut had been there were thin trails of blood.

Mother Miranda chuckled and wrote down something in the notebook she brought with her. "Accelerated healing. That can be of use."

Nicole couldn't help but throw a glance at Alcina, who was sitting in one of the many chairs with Esteria by her side. Her expression was unreadable, a mix of conflicting emotions flashing in her eyes like rapid lightning. She would've tried to decipher their matriarch's probable thoughts were it not for the smell that was starting to assault her senses.

"Ugh what's that…blood… "

Coherent sentences were still not something her brain wanted to do apparently, but judging by how her nose scrunched up in a grimace, Cassandra got the gist of what she meant.

"Um… your arm," she pointed to the still fresh blood slowly dripping from her skin.

Right. Dumbass.

"Or damaged sinuses. Should go away soon," Miranda added from where she was noting something down and giving instructions to her assistant.

Also fair.

She sighed and tried to ignore it. Her sinuses still felt like sandpaper all the way to the back of her throat. Every time she swallowed, it felt like needles scraping the inside of her neck down to her stomach.

Ugh.

Thankfully, Mother Miranda did not linger for much longer. She wrapped up any samples and was out of the room soon after with her assistant in tow. Then, Nicole could finally go back to laying down in bed and feeling miserable.

And miserable she felt. Her body seemed to have decided to rewire itself into its new mutation. It didn't have any effect on her physical appearance, but the insides seemed to want to liquefy only to be mended back together. It was another week of basically living with a bucket in her lap and throwing up blood clots that seemed to invade her lungs and organs. How she didn't straight up asphyxiate was a mystery that she didn't think she wanted solved.

And to top it off, she was starting to think that humidity from some leaky pipe somewhere in the castle was causing a slight mold problem. Almost everywhere she went, there was this faint moldy scent lingering in the air and it was mixing horribly with the coppery feeling inside her still offended throat and sinuses. Nobody seemed bothered by it though, so maybe it was simply a side effect of the infection that was yet to go away. It wasn’t nicknamed the Mold for nothing, after all.

[ausp-ice]

@dbhrarepairs​ Week, Day 1: Post-Apocalypse - Kamcon Zombie AU

“Mr. Kamski... I am...”  “I know, Connor.”

[Image description: A comic depicting Connor and Elijah Kamski. Connor is wearing a coat over a bloodstained shirt, as well as a transparent mask that prevents him from biting others, which Kamski removes and lets drop to the floor. Kamski then steps closer and puts a hand on Connor’s chin in the last frame, which has a blurred out background of a white interior with vines growing in from the top. Connor’s expression is slightly surprised, while Kamski is smiling. End ID.]

(I don’t often write image descriptions so I’m not sure if I’m doing it right, but I hope that helps!)

Alright, this one may need a bit of explaining. This is a zombie apocalypse AU somewhat inspired by The Girl With All the Gifts (highly recommend). Connor is researching the infectious cordyceps fungus, which has spread across the world, leaving only a few human strongholds. He is a rare case of cognizant zombie - where he’s fully infected with the fungus but developed a symbiotic rather than parasitic relationship with it.

He does have a taste for living flesh and will kind of Go Wild if there are animals/humans without scent blockers around him, hence the mask. Might’ve had a bird snack on the way to Kamski’s and washed off most of the blood in some river, but... white shirts, and all.

Kamski, on the other hand... I haven’t worked out all the details, but I’m thinking that he may have had a part in causing the outbreak of the fungus (unintentional or not? who knows) and has been living in an isolated, self-sufficient building since. Or, maybe he was in stasis and the group Connor works with found him and woke him up, and now they’re trying to get him to explain what he knows about the fungus. Connor volunteered to be the one to pester him, but then Feelings Happen. Also, Kamski’s probably immune to infection due to his Shenanigans, but Connor doesn’t know until he bites the guy, haha. 

-

I’ve actually had this AU for a while, and had a whole bunch of events worked out but no one showed interest when I first posted the ideas + not enough internal motivation so they've just been gathering dust ;w;

But, if you’re curious, here’s a bunch of what I had written: In rare cases, the cordyceps fungus integrates symbiotically with the brain instead of degrading it. Hosts will still have the urge to consume living flesh. While the scent of humans would trigger the urges, they could definitely eat animals and such to satisfy it as well, and they still get nutrients from normal food - just not as effectively, and it tastes revolting. Children of any infected individual, symbiotic or not, would result in a cognizant, symbiotic individual. They are discernable visually by eyes that look like they have cataracts (light pupils), though symbiotic individuals can see fine.

There are human strongholds that remain, some of which are facilities that research the fungus and/or symbiotic individuals. They start trying to find a cure, some with more humane methods than others.

Connor and Nines work in a facility managed by Amanda; Hank, Gavin, and many other folks are also there. A big focus of the original idea was on Connor and Nines - they are bros and Nines got bit first, Connor locked himself in with his brother and tried to save him but got bit as well. Luckily, they both ended up as symbiotic zombies, but there was a lot of ���Angst ✨ involved. They were originally only allowed to work in a quarantined lab, but were eventually allowed out under certain circumstances.

Another thought I had for a side story involves a stronghold managed by Zlatko, who experiments with controlling the infected and dissects symbiotic children for research. This more closely matches the plot of The Girl With All The Gifts: Kara is a caretaker of the children, Luther is a guard and also symbiotic, Alice is very sweet and very smart. When Zlatko decides to dissect Alice and Kara tries to stop him, Alice sets off Zlatko's infected experiments in her panic. Zlatko commands Luther to detain Kara and stop the infected, but he refuses and helps Kara and Alice escape while Zlatko is overrun by the infected. Not sure what would happen after that, maybe Kara manages to avoid getting infected for a while with her scent-blocking gel.

Also, Simon leads a group of ragtag children and cognizant infected in the remains of society, also being a cognizant zombie himself. They scrape by, avoiding the humans - until Markus arrives.

[bluerosesburnblue]

I hope you don't mind this ask, but... Any theories / speculations about the most recent story update for KHUX?

Oh, I don’t mind at all! I’m glad you asked, actually, because I’ve had some thoughts, though not many new theories of my own, unfortunately. That being said, I can definitely go over how some of my old theories and some of the fandom’s hold up and my thoughts on a few of the new theories I’ve seen floating around

One thing that I’m consistently proud of is how my old guesses about Darkness’s true nature just keep ending up almost right barring some slight details. I made the claim back when Re:Mind first came out that Darkness could be a hive mind of entities that plant bits of themselves in others, and then refined that back in July of 2020 by likening it to a parasite that worms its way into people’s hearts and incorporates itself into them to control them. This past update confirmed that the Darkness we’re fighting is one part of the hive mind that wormed its way into Ven to force him to act out, and that by doing so it detached itself from that hive mind and became incorporated into Ven’s being (which Ven can then shape). So I gotta say I’m pretty pleased about that part

All that’s left to be seen from the July post is if Darkness has a connection to Verum Rex/Quadratum, but I doubt that that will be touched on by the KHUx finale. Though I will say that it’s pretty interesting that the Master of Masters tells Darkness about “a world [he] can’t even conceive,” which seems like it could easily be referring to Quadratum, which also means that Darkness knows about it

That’s pretty much all I have to say on the Ventus/Darkness/Vanitas connection, but there’s still more to cover in this update

One thing that I’ve been trying to figure out is who the cloaked figure right at the start of the update is, Luxu or the MoM. Measuring the sizes and my old guess based on the KH3 Secret Reports both say Luxu, but this brings into question “when,” exactly, the True Dandelion scene takes place as it doesn’t have the dark haze around the edges that they give flashbacks, but is clearly the real-world set of pods as they’re not destroyed AND it’s missing the pod that Maleficent already used. The True Dandelion scene has a lot to unpack, but this scene at the start does make me wonder if Luxu and/or the Master have a way in and out of the datascape that doesn’t involve the pods, otherwise the numbers don’t add up

Also related to the post of mine I just linked is the idea that the Black Box is the datascape. I believe that this might still hold true. It’s interesting to note that they show the scene from Back Cover where Luxu is given the box in the first place just prior to the reveal that using the lifeboats to escape starts the process to seal it off and have the real Daybreak Town fall to darkness, and the Master’s “hint” to Luxu involves this very process. Why would Luxu be forbidden to open the box? Quite possibly because it contains the infected datascape meant to seal off the vast majority of the Darkness hive mind. And several Dandelions. It is both the “hope” mentioned in KH3 through those Dandelions, as well as a trap to keep Darkness out of being able to interfere for quite a long time

Now, the questions that I’m sure are on everyone’s minds are “who is the True Dandelion,” and “who are the ones who use the lifeboats?” Let’s start with the True Dandelion, as there’s far less moving pieces involved in that one

I won’t take credit for coming up with any of these options, I’m just going to discuss the logistics of them. So the candidates for the True Dandelion in, what is in my opinion, the least likely option to the most likely option, are:

Kairi: I’ve seen this one floating around and... honestly don’t believe it at all due to the sheer amount of logical contortions that you have to do to make it work. To wit:

Where the hell would she even come from if it was Kairi? As can be clearly seen with Ven, is stated to be true with Subject X, and is implied to be true of Lauriam/Elrena, those who travel to the future using the pods will regenerate their bodies at the age they were when they used the pods. Which would make Kairi at the oldest a four-year-old. Four years prior to KHUx was when Brain was told that he was a Union Leader. So she either would have been just born immediately prior to the war and was just... stolen or something? And we never saw? Or just after the war, where she would probably have to be the child of a Dandelion that got teen pregnant because they’re supposed to be both kids and the only survivors? Or Luxu and Ava’s kid somehow? Like, what? The timeline is just insane with that

If she was born before the war... you would assume that the True Dandelion would be, you know, a Dandelion. Which would mean that Ava handed a Keyblade to and recruited a literal toddler. This would also retcon Aqua being the one to accidentally pass the ability to wield a Keyblade down to Kairi and I refuse to make theories predicated on “the author will retcon this.” You just open up a huge can of worms doing that

The body wrapped in white looked a hell of a lot bigger than a four-year-old to me

I am sick to death of “this character was secretly from the Age of Fairytales~” being employed by the narrative. It’s happened at least three times already (four if you count Luxu). Enough already

Ventus: Ven has some hints, though some notable contradictions to it being him

On the one had, the sheet that the True Dandelion is wrapped in is extremely similar to the one that Xehanort wrapped him in when planning to leave him on Destiny Islands in BBS and there’s a possibility that Xehanort may have found him in that very sheet if he regenerated wearing it

On the other hand: Ventus might not have even been a Dandelion in the first place (he definitely wasn’t a Union Leader, but I don’t know if it was ever said whether he was selected as a regular Dandelion or not), and there’s the timing of the scene that I mentioned above. It’s definitely after Maleficent used her lifeboat but before anyone else used theirs (when you would expect Ven to remain with his friends) and, since the scene doesn’t have the flashback effect, it’s implied to be happening concurrently with everything else, so Ven should still be fighting Darkness in the datascape while it’s happening and eliminating him from being this particular person

Strelitzia: Oh, boy, have we got some nice old hints to Strelitzia, but still a few logical contortions, just like Ven

The white sheet is coming back up again. Namely, the fact that we still have an unexplained scene where Strelitzia appears to Lauriam in a dream wrapped in a white cloak, though it’s of a different style than the one that the True Dandelion is in. That scene also featured flower petals being blown into the wind, much like a dandelion seed (though, notably, the petals that are blown aren’t Dandelion seeds)

The question is, yet again, one of timing. How would Luxu get her body? While she was only introduced in KHUx, her scenes are all flashbacks to before the war, so we know that she was struck down in the real world, not the datascape. We see her body dissolve into light and her heart be released. Now, technically you only need a heart to time travel (actually, a heart is the only thing that can time travel), but Luxu is clearly seen putting a body into the machine. A machine that only allows for time travel because it destroys the body. If he had her heart, he wouldn’t need to use the lifeboat because she’s already in a state to time-travel on her own and this eliminates the possibility of him putting her Nobody into the machine, because without a heart it would just evaporate her body leaving... absolutely no heart to go to the future with

Now, Luxu theoretically could have grabbed her heart. We know that he was hanging around Daybreak Town at the time while observing thanks to his fight with Ava, but Strelitzia is struck down just after the fight with Ava starts so it’s very likely that Luxu was too preoccupied to retrieve her heart before it was gone. Speaking of Luxu’s fight with Ava...

Ava is my current top pick for the True Dandelion candidate due to the sheer number of questions it answers and how few it raises

Ever since KH3 came out, the question of “where the heck is Ava?” has been buzzing around as a major mystery. Her last chronological point of appearance is the same as the other Foretellers: the Keyblade War itself, where she’s shown leading her Union to battle. Notably, she seems resigned to her part in this, and this is the first and only time we see her after her battle with Luxu where he reveals to her the Master’s true plans. Melody of Memory seems to imply that the other Foretellers managed to skip to the future by going to another world, Quadratum (or at least this is the most likely explanation as there’s not enough pods to send all four of the other Foretellers AND the characters that we know end up in the future to their destination). However, Ava isn’t with them and Luxu knows what happened to her

It would be easy to write this off as them trying to drop Ava from the narrative or her not being important, but her chess piece is included in the “Eraqus and Xehanort foreshadow the next saga” chess game on the far right of the board and Nomura confirms that they represent the Master’s six apprentices, i.e. the five Foretellers + Luxu. So, Ava is necessary in the upcoming saga and yet, she didn’t get to the future the same way as any of the Master’s other apprentices leaving her open to get there via a lifeboat

Ava is the very founder of the Dandelions, who all of the others look up to and defer to and was spoken of heavily in the scene just prior to the True Dandelion reveal. That’s grounds for being called the True Dandelion if I’ve ever seen one

Luxu would very easily be able to ensure that Ava would be able to make it to the future. Just like with the Master of Masters, he already has the memories necessary for her to use to regenerate a body, and either her Keyblade or her mask would make for effective mediums that wouldn’t be too difficult for Luxu to take. If he put her in the white cloth, he probably took her mask off already

Ava hasn’t been around for the events of KHUx, so there’s no timeline discrepancies if it’s her

So, now that we have an idea of who the True Dandelion could be, let’s talk about the rest of the lifeboats and how they might fit together. For the purposes of this discussion, let’s assume that the True Dandelion can’t be one of the Union Leaders and that their battle with Darkness is taking place at the same time as Luxu is sending off the True Dandelion. I’ll be referencing an old theory of mine, while making additions now that it’s clear that there’s two sets of lifeboats: the Data Set and the Real Set

Right now, there’s an equal number of Real Pods and Data Pods: 5 each. For the Data Pods, of the seven that we started with, one was used by Maleficent and one was damaged in the battle between Maleficent and Lauriam. As for the Real Pods, one has been used by Maleficent, and one has been used by the True Dandelion. This leaves us with five each.

We can narrow this down further by eliminating people that we know end up in the future. These are:

Ventus

Subject X, who is most likely Skuld based on her description

Lauriam

Elrena* (of note with Elrena is that we actually have no idea where the hell she is at the moment or how she’s going to get into the pods. Furthermore, while every other lifeboat user sans Maleficent has been shown to have amnesia upon waking and Lauriam/Marluxia directly indicates as such applies to him, too, in KH3, Elrena/Larxene’s KH3 scene and character file short story both indicate that she recalls Lauriam and possibly Strelitzia, though she also seems surprised at the idea that she’s part of an ancient Keyblade legacy. I won’t deny that there’s a possibility that she doesn’t use a lifeboat and ends up in the future by other means based on the discrepancies)

So with three confirmed cases, we’re left with one ambiguous case in Elrena and three more possible candidates: Ephemer, Brain, and Player. Four people, and two pods

I want to make it clear that despite what I brought up against Elrena, I do think that she’ll be using one of the lifeboats if only so that KHUx has narrative consistency. They introduced Elrena, they made her part of the investigation on Strelitzia’s whereabouts, so it only makes sense that they need to show us where she ended up for a satisfying conclusion. So let’s slot Elrena in for one of the lifeboats. That leaves one between Player, Ephemer, and Brain

My best guess is that Player won’t be using a lifeboat at all. Not only are they a create-a-character that would be a HUGE pain to try and incorporate into future entries in the series without making a “canon” version and thus ruining their appeal as an avatar, but we haven’t seen or heard mention of them at all in the games set in the present-day. There’s zero indication that they made it, which makes them the most easily eliminated as a lifeboat user

That leaves Ephemer and Brain, and I still believe that Ephemer will be the final lifeboat user, and for the same reasons as stated in the theory I linked at the start of this section. Not only does Brain have the same facial sprite as Eraqus, but he wields the Master’s Defender which will be later passed down to Eraqus and I believe that this eliminates him as a time traveler, despite the fandom’s popular opinion that it confirms it

Because I don’t believe that Brain is Eraqus’s grandfather, but rather his distant ancestor who inherited the No Name and passed down both Keyblades through the ages

So let’s resolve some plot threads taking everything I’ve stated and linked to above into account

My Big Guess for the KHUx Finale

Ventus will use the fact that Darkness is tied to his heart now to give it a physical, but still mostly amorphous form that he, the Union Leaders, and Player can finally take down. Darkness will be sealed inside Ven’s heart, where it will lie dormant until he reaches the future. Eventually, Xehanort will extract it in the form of Vanitas and it will follow Vanitas’s life cycle, ending in him being reabsorbed into Ven at the end of BBS. Darkness, now back in Ven’s heart, will make brief contact with Sora during the events of Re:Mind

Lauriam, upon learning that the world will be sealed with the use of the lifeboats, will attempt to rescue his partner, Elrena. Both will take lifeboats out of the datascape and into the future, whereupon they will be recruited into Organization XIII by Luxu’s current incarnation, Xigbar, likely to keep an eye on them. I believe there might be a squabble among Ephemer, Skuld, Brain, and Player among who will use the final lifeboats (each person nominating others besides themselves), but ultimately they will settle on Ephemer and Skuld

Skuld will wind up amnesiac in the future Radiant Garden and is discovered by Ansem the Wise and his apprentices and dubbed Subject X. She becomes Xehanort’s favorite test subject due to the similarities in their amnesia and possibly some lingering memories that he has that don’t quite belong to him (KHDR Xehanort certainly seems to want to meet his “old friends” very badly)

Ephemer’s heart will wind up in the Keyblade Graveyard as I mentioned in an old theory, unable to manifest a body due to the lack of a medium present. Through this state of being just a heart (and possibly related to those old talks about him being “unchained”), he will be able to enact the Light of the Past moment from KH3, and may very well be revived for future events in the series

This leaves Brain and Player behind in the datascape. However, you may remember one detail that I brought up, but neglected to fully expand on until now. There is a difference between the Data Pods and the Real Pods. While all of the Real Pods have been used up at the time of my proposed sequence of events, the Data Pods have not been. One was never used, only damaged. This leaves open the possibility that it can also be repaired (Also, I’m just gonna say it. Player’s met someone recently who has a magic hammer that can repair anything... might not come back but also totally could). Brain and Player could then repair the final pod and, in a callback to when Player was sent to Game Central Station, have them both agree once again that Player is the more expendable person in the scenario. Brain will take the repaired pod, leaving no way out of the datascape for anyone else, while Player stays behind to be sealed away for the time being (this could also be a callback to the original KHx, where Player also stayed behind to take part in the war instead of fleeing with the Dandelions, as they refused to leave their party behind)

When Brain escapes, however, he will be met with a Daybreak Town with no Real Pods left, as Luxu used one on the True Dandelion. Now that the seven pods have all been used up and the real Daybreak Town is falling to darkness, Luxu will take a corridor out as the Master instructed, but bring the newly appeared Brain along with him (either that or Brain emerges after Daybreak Town falls, either is possible) and bequeaths the No Name onto him. Brain, stranded in the past while all of his friends have been sent to the future, will be Luxu’s new apprentice and rebuild the fallen Daybreak Town as Scala ad Caelum, then pass down both of his Keyblades: Master’s Defender to his biological descendants, and No Name to his apprentices

As for the Master of Masters? I think he’s already taken an eighth lifeboat (you’ll note that there’s space right in the center of the cluster where one more could theoretically fit) and had done so before the start of the original KHx. He’ll be revived at some point in Xehanort’s young adult life to goad him into his insane plans as seen in Re:Mind, then duck into Quadratum to hang out until the next arc in the franchise, as hinted at with his appearance in the KH3 Secret Movie

(He is most definitely not Sora. He’s clearly bound to the same rules of time travel as everyone else which means that Sora couldn’t go back in time to become him as that would be long before the point in time where Sora was born and that breaks KH time travel rules. Not to mention that the Master talks about Quadratum in this update like he’s never seen it before until it came up in the No Name’s range of vision. Sora is literally in Quadratum right now, he’d definitely know what it was already if he was the Master)

And I do believe that should cover everyone’s whereabouts by the end of the game and into the next arc of Kingdom Hearts with minimal plot holes

This is just my best guess, putting together details that I’ve been accumulating for the past year and a half or so into what sounds like a coherent sequence of events that bridge the gap between KHUx and KH3 and beyond. There may be some details I get wrong, obviously. Nomura has been known to be... unpredictable. But I think, based on the evidence we have at hand, that this is the most logical series of events to end the game on and I’m really interested to see how close this gets to the actual finale we see

[whoknowsbud]

Stand Mutation AU

Warning, this is FILLED with body horror! And somewhat loose but present connections to the recent epidemic! Mainly in part 4...

These are mostly just lists of the designs, and this post will only contain parts 3 & 5. There’s a lot more bulk to what was written to part 4, and there’s a lot more angst written, so that’s going to be a separate post.

(Which is now here!)

The idea here is essentially taking the ‘stand sickness’ Holy and Josuke had and twisting it into overdrive. Rather than gaining stands, the infected mutate (often horrifically, but there are some who look almost unaffected) based on their in-canon stands. The uninfected don’t see the full image; the shapes and colors come through, but not completely. The common headlight-style eyes are a big giveaway (until they’re not).

The mutations here will also commonly hinder most functions, especially rational thought. It’s most often temporary as the infected adjusts to the changes of their body. This can take a number of forms, but what happened to the Nijimura brothers is the worst it gets. The term for this for now is going to be ‘fried’.

The infection is only transferred by the arrow, and genetic relation.

Part 3

Holy has flowers growing on her body. Has a way better handle on it than Jotaro; fully present and coherent, the flowers just need to sap a little of her energy to grow big and bright. So, yeah, she's completely fine.

Jotaro ends up this ethereal star man with so much luscious hair, but also partly fried at the start; ends up being essentially like a big dog for a while (acts on base instinct and can’t articulate).

Joseph’s arms become vines. That’s it, that’s all. Vines for arms.

Avdol is pretty much just fused with Magician’s Red. I say ‘just’, but he’s pretty damn rad.

Kakyoin is basically a bunch of wires, wrapped to make a more human shape. Rather than shooting solid energy bursts, he can send energy through the wires.

Polnareff, like Avdol, is also just fused with his Silver Chariot. The armor and sword are still removable.

Iggy is made of sand. Can shapeshift, often takes the form of a wolf, because he can and he wants to.

Hol Horse has a gun for a hand. Yes, that's all.

Gray Fly... tiny man. Beetle sized old man with beetle wings and dagger tongue. Nasty nasty.

Imposter Captain Tenille is a fish-man, simple as that. Basically take Dark Blue Moon and put it in the mans clothes. This makes it obvious that he’s the enemy the moment he comes out, but Anne is still under some suspicion at first.

Forever is just Strength. Green ship with orangutang face.

Devo basically is Ebony Devil. Imagine making a (somewhat crappy) almost life size doll of Devo, and there you go. Rather than needing a grudge to act, he forms his grudge as he fights, making him stronger.

Rubber Soul is just Yellow Temperance; when he went through stand puberty he just pretty much melted.

J. Geil is just Hanged Man; only seen through reflections. Tied a knife to his hand.

Nena is almost the same as canon; she assimilates a beautiful woman to host her real body (which has no skin covering, so here she needs a host, the looks are just preference), and still leaves parasites on victims through her blood.

ZZ's stand mutation is actually his arm. His arm is the car.

Enya… ghost? Still uses fog for the illusions, still does puppet stuff? But then Jotaro would still have to suck her down so NO, THANKS

Steely Dan, the crab man. Can duplicate himself but at NOWHERE near the same rate. Not as effective either. He's about the size of your average 14 year old.

Arabia Fats is just. On fire. Fire man. Human torch. But more fire. Just fire.

Mannish boy appears with a flat, jester-like face, so the group knows to refuse.

Cameo... genie?

Midler is basically herself with High Priestess's power to become any mineral. Still can shapeshift, but its limited.

N’Doul… could be a water man. Sends his hand out so he can stay safely out of most people’s range.

Anubis... is just the same Anubis as canon. It's a sword, what were you expecting?

Mariah is the magnetizer. It happens through contact, and feels like a small static shock. It does not work on normal people, although they do feel the shock.

Alessi has just become a shadow, his own silhouette, that de-ages those it touches like in canon, with the same eyes and manifesting ability, too. Cannot talk.

The D’arby brothers are a terrible amalgamation of the souls they’ve taken.

Pet Shop is... just its stand I think.

Vanilla Ice is another stand/user mix. As uncomfortable as the v o r e is, it seems like the only sensible thing...

Dio is similar to Jotaro. But green & yellow, with more disturbing growths (those... bullet chain suspenders looking things, and the apparent oxygen tanks on the back). He's a bit distorted, rippling in time with the seconds.

Part 5

Haruno becomes a plant creature (Oh you want limbs? Limbs to hold things? Too bad, you get tendrils!), changes his name to Giorno. The human body is still inside, controlling everything. When he’s truly happy, he blooms.

Bruno's body is just zippers. They can all be opened or closed (although if they're all opened he's kind of a mess, and its an awful noise), and what's under them is just a void. He seems to have glowing orbs as eyes, revealed by a single open zipper over where his eyes would be. To resemble a more human form, he has zippers on his head to look like hair. There are a few zippers that hang off his arms and legs almost like fins, and he will whip you with them.

Abbachio is a glitchy creature that looks like someone constantly flipping channels, with a sort of goo coating his body in almost the exact way it does Moody Blues.

Narancia is a ‘cyborg’, fighting logic output to stay ‘human’

Mista basically goes through mitosis, becoming 7 of himself; but it takes time for them to truly separate.

Fugo appears to be normal, but he has this ‘oxygen’ tank & connected mask. The Purple Haze virus is more of a gas here, produced in his lungs, so he has to have a way to contain it when he's around others. Once he starts getting emotional, he sort of melts into a zombie-like form; starts looking like a typical victim of Purple Haze.

(Giorno's able to take in an absurd amount of toxins and pollution and spit out a shit ton of oxygen, so there's much less concern.)

WE RETAIN THE DINOSAUR SPICE GIRL HERE, TRISH IS A STRETCHY & SQUISHY LIZARDWOMAN.

Mr President is a cube, still with the room. He's like a box. A box turtle, you might say.

Polpo is still in prison. His shadow does pretty much everything Black Sabbath does. Permanent poggers face.

Zucchero is a slug. Has spikes on his body that perform Soft Machine’s ability, and they’re barbed to grab the deflated forms.

Sale... maybe he's already dead. Infection stopped his own heart or something. Or hes like.. a landmark. Like Angelo in canon; fully immobile, but sort of immortal. /till you destroy the body I guess...

Formaggio’s size is constantly fluctuating, not always proportionately consistent.

Illuso... doesn't exist outside of mirrors. He can still communicate to those on the other side, and pull them in, but can't leave, himself. He works similarly to Yoshihiro Kira; ig seal the mirror, you seal him.

Prosciutto has so many eyes. Just all over, so so many. Somewhat shriveled up from the waist down.

Pesci has a fishing pole arm I guess...

Melone is some sort of... digital-ish cyborg thing. The Babyface kids are the same though

Ghiaccio is essentially fused with his suit, with the weak spot in the back of his neck frozen over. It’s actually like the mane of a lion, but ice; he can’t turn his head at all, speaking is near impossible, and eating is a struggle as well. The white album fight reveals a lot:

Due to literally being plants, Giorno has to revert back to Haruno or risk serious danger. This is the first time he’s come out; they knew he existed (he was mentioned in passing) but they weren't sure if he was alive or dead. When he can take his plants form again, it’s... kind of horrifying. Roots and vines coming out of his body, wrapping around him...

Risotto is basically a living Metallica colony. Take risotto, make every 5x5 pixels a metallica bean, there you go that’s him.

Squalo... Sharkboy

Tiziano looks fine, but his mouth is all wrong. Tongues like a starfish.

Secco... mud? Mudman?

Cioccolata looks like a zombie, moldy and decomposed an shit.

Diavolo and Doppio are... basically, literally, just King Crimson and Epitaph. They can apparently switch places? Maybe

[fortune-fool02]

K. I. A.

Robert E.O Speedwagon x female reader

Requested by: anonymous 

JJBA character and reader dealing with facehuggers and aliens. 

Alien/Xenomorph AU

Warnings: Angst, violence, character-death

Well.....this will be interesting. I’m sorry if it’s poorly written. 

Please enjoy. 

Some people said that there was no such thing as monsters. That they were nothing to fear for they didn’t exist. Those people, ironically, were the first ones to die from those....things. A warning had been sent out that a containment breech had been activated but the thing that got out was beyond a human’s wildness imagination and darkest nightmares. Reminding them all why they once feared the dark. 

Monstrous creatures coated in thin slime and drool dripping from their blood stained fangs that claimed countless lives. Staring into the empty void to see those smaller jaws inside its opened mouth dart out before all going dark. A lifeless corpse, another victim to these monstrous beasts. Both [Name] and Robert had seen them and they both wished they never did. Days had passed since the thing broke out and all of Ogre Street and London became a slaughter house in a manner of days. 

Rapid gunfire was heard from outside, the hissing screech of those monsters and the screams of whoever tried to kill one. Then silence. So many good people being so easily killed. These things knew no mercy, no limitations. 

[Name] moved the damp cloth away from Tattoo’s forehead and checked him again, Robert had found his friend unconscious a little over a day ago outside and had brought him inside, refusing to let his friend be left to die in the streets. He and [Name] had been surviving on bare minimum and remaining as silent as possible. 

“How’s he doin’?” Robert questioned, concern dancing on his tone as he stood beside his beloved. [Name] sighed softly, 

“He’s running a fever and earlier when he woke up, he kept complaining about his throat and chest.” Those symptoms struck dread into the pair of them, Robert shaking his head a bit, refusing to believe it. 

“Love, are you sure? I-It could just be an injury he got outside, what if i-” The blonde thug cut himself off as he gripped his hair tightly, trying to keep himself together and failing to do so. They all knew how those things grew in numbers. What their connection to those flesh coated eggs were, and the spider-legged things that emerged from them were. 

[Name] stood and hugged him, feeling him shaking in her arms. “I’m sorry, Robert. I truly am.” [Eye colour] orbs shifted towards their friend, feeling her own dread-laced sorrow coil and bounce around inside of her. They got him, and they infected him with their parasitic offspring. Small tears brimmed her eyes but she tried to stay strong, for her and for Robert. 

Tattoo woke some time later, his entire attitude different. He knew himself. Out of everyone she knew, Tattoo had always seemed one of the strongest, he was always great company around and he and Robert were thick as thieves. Now, this was how it would end. 

Moving some things about and pulling out some resources she had been able to salvage, footsteps were heard behind her, followed by heavy, strained breathing. Turning around, she saw Tattoo behind her, pain carved in his expression as he clutched his chest. Robert’s coffee brown eyes widened and he jumped up from his chair and rushed to his friend. 

“Ey, ey, ey, Tattoo! Come on, sit. You shouldn’t be up an’ ‘bout like this.” [Name] stood there as Robert set his friend down on the chair beside him. 

“Boss....I ain’t got long left. Can feel the bloody bastard squirmin’ in me chest.” Robert shook his head, 

“Don’t go ‘bout sayin’ that, Tatts. You’re gonna be alright. We’ll get it outta you and you’re gonna be alright.” He had lost too many friends to those monsters, he was not going to lose his best friend to them either. He couldn’t. Tattoo looked at him, the pain embedded into his expression. 

“Please, boss.....I-I don’t wanna die to those things.” He spoke, “Please....put me out me misery. And kill the sucker before it bursts out me chest.” Tears welled in Robert’s eyes at that, shaking his head as his whole body shook. 

“No! I ain’t gonna fuckin’ shoot you! You’re my best friend and-” His words were cut off by Tattoo. 

“-an’ I’m already dead with this thin’ in me! Please, boss.” [Name] tried to calm herself but all of this was becoming too much. For as long as she knew, Robert and Tattoo have been friends. She couldn’t imagine what was running through her lover’s mind at this moment. 

Robert’s body shook more as the tears began to spill down his face, slowly pulling the gun from his pocket. The weapon shaking like he had never held one before and slowly aimed it at his friend’s head. For a moment, Tattoo smiled through the pain. 

“Thank you, Speedwagon.” [Name] looked away, hearing the gun shake in Robert’s hand and his sobs as he tried to force himself to pull the trigger to end his friend’s suffering. 

“I-I’m sorry, Tatts....” 

The gunshot went off followed by the thud of a body landing on the floor. And Speedwagon just cried. The gun slipped from his grip as he dropped to his knees, burying his face in the wooden floor, tears spilling. [Name] went over to him and held him close, letting him cry into her shoulder. Her own tears trickling as she held onto him. Tattoo died long before the bullet was shot, he died the minute that parasite was forced into him when he was trying to protect someone else. Killed in action. 

[jedimasterbailey]

A sneak preview of the next chapter of my fic “The Padawans” in which Vader thinks of Ahsoka and Luminara as he plans his fated rematch with Barriss. Includes a flashback to a conversation between Anakin and Luminara post “Brain Invaders” that we should have seen! Link to the fic below, enjoy and thank you for the support 💚💙❤️

Darth Vader stares out to the busy metropolis of Coruscant from his personal quarters in the Imperial Palace, lost in thought. Behind the bulbous black eyes that served as the Sith Lord’s window to the world were tired blue ones still hoping to catch a glimpse of the former residence of Padme Amidala, the deceased wife of Anakin Skywalker. It was moments like this where the former Jedi Knight missed the Senator deeply. For Vader was about to encounter another ghost from his past, Anakin’s past. Soon Vader will be face to face with Luminara Unduli in the very place she used to call home, a home he destroyed.

In the months after the rise of the Empire, Palpatine had the Jedi Temple renovated into his own personal palace. Although the bodies of the dead Jedi have been long excavated and the relics of the Jedi long destroyed, echoes of the past were everywhere. Vader could still see the destruction he caused and he could still hear the terrified screams of the younglings and Knights that were at his mercy. No amount of refurbishment could ever erase what he had done. It was because of this that Vader avoided the palace as much as he could. The Sith apprentice despised being in the place Anakin Skywalker and his Jedi family once resided in. However, if being here resulted in the reappearance of Barriss Offee, then Vader will do what must be done.

The plan was simple. Luminara will be the bait and once Barriss was right where the Dark Lord needed her, Luminara would be disposed of. Vader wanted the Mirialan to feel the same scorching pain he felt on Mustafar when Obi-wan left him for dead. If he couldn’t have his Master’s love, neither could she.

Victory was inevitable. Anakin may have been weak, but if Barriss couldn’t defeat him, then she didn’t stand a chance against Vader, especially with a broken heart. Vader will prove Sidious wrong; that the girl is unworthy of the title of Darth or worth the attention of Ahsoka Tano.

Yet despite his quest for vengeance, Vader was admittedly nervous to see Luminara again. For months he has avoided contact, leaving the Grand Inquisitor to handle the matter. Seeing the woman Anakin viewed as a mother figure beaten and bruised by his own henchman was the last thing Vader wanted to do. It was no different than the Sith avoiding Padme’s tomb on Naboo; he could not face what he has done. As hard as the Emperor had tried to snuff it out, Anakin’s spirit was still trapped inside the machine that was his body. Vader was going to have to kill the one person he knew was Luminara’s whole heart and the Anakin part of him hated him for it.

The cyborg then walks over to a bedside table, the very table Anakin used to hold such possessions, and opens the drawer that contained the last pieces of his Jedi past he refused to part with. In one hand he held one of Ahsoka’s lightsabers and in the other, her Padawan beads.

Vader did not believe for a moment that his former apprentice was gone. Ahsoka had managed to survive situations that would have killed more experienced Jedi. He had taught her how to outsmart the enemy and how to defy seemingly impossible odds. The lightsaber had merely been a decoy and the presence of Morai was confirmation. Somewhere out there, Ahsoka Tano was alive and one day, they would meet again. Vader was sure of it.

“Forgive me, for what I’m about to do.” Vader says to the items in his hands. He didn’t know who exactly he was talking to; Ahsoka or Luminara. Regardless, the Dark Lord thinks back to a time where both women were safe and within arms reach.

Feeling ecstatic that Ahsoka has woken up from her healing trance after her encounter with the Geonosian parasites, Anakin takes it upon himself to find food for his Padawan. Just before the mess hall was a small lounge where visitors could sit and wait while the healers worked on patients. Having been up for several hours on end between their mission on Geonosis and waiting for Ahsoka to wake up, Anakin wanted to grab a cup a caf before waiting in line for food. Upon entering the quiet room, the Jedi Knight was baffled to see a very miserable Luminara Unduli staring into her own beverage.

The Mirialan’s hands were shaking and her eyes were red and puffy, presumably from crying. Never in all his years of knowing the Jedi Master has Anakin seen her look so broken. He takes a seat beside Luminara and places a comforting hand on her shoulder.

“Master?”

Luminara raises her head up to meet the young man’s gaze, fresh tears streaming down her face, “Is Ahsoka alright?”

Anakin nods, “She just woke up. Physically, she’s on the mend, it’s her mind I’m worried about. Our Padawans have been through a lot, more than I’d like to think about.”

“Yes... our girls deserve so much more.” Luminara sighs, grabbing tissue to dry her eyes.

“Barriss is going to come through too, she’s strong and resilient like her Master.” Anakin says gently, earning a watery laugh from the woman.

“I’m not sure about that Skywalker... I’ve failed as a Master.” Luminara professes sadly.

Anakin would hear none of it, “Now hold on a second, you have not failed Barriss. None of this is your fault!”

Luminara shakes her head, “I’ve almost lost her twice within a day. It’s my job to protect her and I’ve failed. According to Master Fisto, Barriss’s head scans indicate that she may have suffered some head trauma between the worm and the extreme cold. First, she almost suffocates after blowing up a whole factory with herself still in it only to then get infected by a parasite hours later! Who knows how she’ll be when she wakes up!”

“Perhaps you were right all along. Maybe I should have accompanied Barriss inside the catacombs instead of endangering your student. Maybe I should have gone with the girls on that supply run. There were plenty of Jedi to interagate Poggle and Ahsoka would have been safer in your care. I’ve been a fool! I’m so sorry Anakin and I owe Ahsoka an apology too!”

Anakin then wraps an arm around the woman and pulls her close, “You're being way too hard on yourself, Luminara. You’re forgetting that there were a lot of factors that were beyond our control. Your plan on Geonosis was good! We probably would’ve been successful without it because Force knows I don’t think things through, I’m glad someone was doing the thinking!

“The assignment given to the Padawans was more than reasonable. I’m sure Ahsoka was thrilled to see Barriss’s photographic memory at work and I really do need to work on trusting her. You weren’t planning on those slimy bugs getting in the way nor were you counting on one of those nasty worms infecting the troops on that shuttle. I can’t believe I’m saying this to you of all people, but I think you should give yourself some grace!”

“If you’ve failed as a Master for things not according to plan, then I am a huge failure as well as Obi-wan and probably every other Jedi Master that’s ever lived. You saw how well his plan went when he thought he could talk sense into the Queen of bugs. You were just seconds away from being possessed!” Anakin argues, rolling his eyes at the memory of Obi-wan’s curiosity.

“Rest assured, I’ll be giving him plenty of grief for that!” Luminara smiles, her face brightening up a little, “But thank you Anakin... your kindness never fails to amaze me.”

“Let me know when you do because I’d love to see that. All things considered, he deserves a good beating.” Anakin winks with a playful nudge before getting serious again. “Did you want to see Barriss? I was going to grab something to eat for Ahsoka, but if you need the company, I’d walk with you.”

Luminara nods, “Yes, I wanted to give you and Ahsoka some time alone especially since it may be a while before Barriss wakes up given her injuries.”

Anakin beams at the Jedi Master. For as long as he’s known Luminara, she has always been considerate and gentle with his needs.

“I appreciate that, Master.”

“Can I ask you something?” Luminara says with a far off look on her face.

“Anything.”

“Did you really believe that I gave up on Barriss when the factory went down?” Luminara asks calmly, but Anakin could tell from her breathing that it was a facade.

“No.” Anakin admits allowing Luminara to exhale a sigh of relief, “I allowed my fear to get the better of me and I took it out on you. You were trying to console me and even when I didn’t deserve it, you never got upset with me. You were hurting just as much as I was and I was selfish. I know better than that! Of course you care about Barriss! I owe you an apology Master, I’m sorry.”

Luminara begins to cry again startling the Jedi Knight, “Did I say something wrong?”

Luminara shakes her head.

“No! I’m just so relieved!” Luminara sobs, putting her face in her hands.

“Oh, good! I’m sure Obi-wan would kill me if I upset you.” Anakin chuckles, rising to offer a hand to Luminara.

“Walk with me back to the girl’s room? I gotta stop and get Snips some food, but I’m sure she’d love your company. And who knows? Maybe Barriss will wake up! I’m sure your face is the first one she’d want to see.”

With a smile as bright as the twin suns of Tatooine, Luminara graciously accepts Anakin’s hand, “I’d love to.”

Gingerly placing the lightsaber and beads back where he found them, Vader turns to leave the room, sensing the Grand Inquisitor’s presence as well as a weakened Luminara. For the sake of his sanity, the Dark Lord prayed his true identity stayed a secret with the prisoner.

[aflyingcontradiction]

The Magnus Archives Relisten: Episode 39 - Infestation

Sasha: Leave it, it's not - Jon: I got it!

Okay, but why the hell is Jon trying to rescue the tape recorder at this point? PRIORITIES, Jon! PRIORITIES (Also, unbeknownst to Jon, that damn tape recorder would probably have been fine and would've just tagged along with him regardless...)

Martin: I used to carry around a knife, but I started thinking that, well, cutting into someone laterally wasn’t really the most efficient way to get them out, and besides which, they seem to be quite slow burrowing in a straight line so, given their size, the corkscrew just seemed to be the better option.

This is actually really good thinking. (Also, since there wasn't exactly a quote I could put this under, let me note that Johnny Sims is very good at screaming in a way that makes it sound like he's genuinely in pain. I do love the acting on this podcast sometimes.)

Sasha: Before, in the office. It, it was stupid going for the tape recorder like that, and then when you dropped it out there – (...) Jon: I just… I don’t want to become a mystery. I refuse to become another goddamn mystery.

I'd forgotten they explain Jon's weird decision-making and just ... ouch. Suddenly it makes a sad amount of sense, actually.

Sasha: Jon, what did you mean by "real statements"? Jon: You know what I mean. The ones that have weird wrinkles, or that just seem to have something solid to them. They all have one thing in common. Sasha: They don’t record digitally. Jon: And we have to use the tape recorder. At this stage, if it records to my laptop I almost don’t bother.

Of course I had figured that out by this point in the show (it was all but stated explicitly several times before this episode) but this is the first confirmation we get that Jon realises this, too, and probably has for a while now. That did make me go "Huh!" on my first listen.

Martin: Tim. Tim’s outside. Sasha: Oh god, he doesn’t know. He doesn’t see them. (...) Jon: It’s soundproofed. He can’t hear you! (...) Sasha: Ah, screw this! Jon: What, Sasha, NO!

I had so many shivers running up and down my spine here. I genuinely thought we were about to witness Tim and/or Sasha being devoured by worms. (Not that what happens to them is ultimately much better...) I don't really listen to a lot of audioplays (I used to listen to cassettes as a kid but that was decades ago) and I was really surprised by how vivid this scene got in my head given that it was based on nothing but voices and sound effects.

Tim: Statement of Joe Spooky, regarding sinister happenings in the downtown old –

Pfffft! Someone needs to pick their timing a bit better! If it hadn't been for Sasha this would literally have been Tim's final words.

Tim: Oh...

This little "Oh" as Tim turns and spots Jane Prentiss is so fucking expressive!

Martin: Well, so the worms didn’t know they were there! Look, I know it’s stupid. Jon: Yes. Yes it is. They’re just… they’re just unclassified parasites. They don’t have consciousness, they can’t plan, they’re just an unthinking infection. (...) Martin: Why do you do that? (...) Push the sceptic thing so hard!?

This bit of conversation, followed by Martin's rant, was actually quite cathartic for me because we repeatedly watch S1 Jon realising there's something weird going on and immediately doing a 180 turn to go "No, this is all nonsense" based on not much of anything, and it was starting to frustrate me too, it just didn't make sense. Having Martin just straight-up call him out on it was a "YES! EXACTLY!" moment. And then...

Jon: Of course, I believe. Of course I do. Have you ever taken a look at the stuff we have in Artefact Storage? That’s enough to convince anyone.

... just left me going what ... wait ... WHAT? and Jon's explanation...

Jon: Because I’m scared, Martin! Because when I record these statements it feels… it feels like I’m being watched. I… I lose myself a bit. And then when I come back, it’s like… like if I admit there may be any truth to it, whatever’s watching will… know somehow. The scepticism, feigning ignorance. It just felt safer.

Well, let's just say if I had been standing while listening to this episode, I would have been sitting down by the end of this. I was floored.

Jon: Why haven’t you quit? Martin: Are you giving me my review now?

I love how Martin's affronted tone implies that he genuinely believes it possible that Jon is choosing this moment, while they're maybe possibly about to die horrible deaths, to give him a performance review. I know Jon has been a dick, Martin, but not THAT much of a dick!

Martin: I’m trapped here. It’s like I can’t… move on and the more I struggle, the more I’m stuck. Jon: Martin…You’re not, uh… You didn’t die here, did you? Martin: What? What? N-No… what?! Okay, this had me snorting. He just goes from "If I close my eyes, cover my ears and don't admit anything weird is going on, we'll all be fine" to straight-up asking his co-worker if he's a ghost in two seconds flat. I love it so much.

Martin: No, no… it’s just that whatever web these statements have caught you in, well, I’m there too.

Oh. my. fucking. God. "Whatever web these statements have caught you in..." You have got to be kidding me... THIS FUCKING PODCAST HAS BEEN THROWING BREADCRUMBS SINCE SEASON FUCKING 1???

Elias: So… these are the worms he and Martin have been going on about?

Oh, come the fuck on, Elias! There's playing dumb and then there's this. At least keep it believable, you work in the Archive, too! It's been Wormtown for weeks now!

Jon: You’re not bitten, are you? Tim: No, I don’t think so! Have a look! Jon: Yes, alright Tim, you look fine. Put them back on, please.

Okay, I have a 12-year-old's sense of humour but this makes me giggle so hard.

Sasha: God, I hate this place.

Oh god, the soundscaping in this section of the episode. It's at the point that Sasha says this line that the spooky music we usually get in statements comes on loudly enough to be really noticeable, but you can still hear the fire alarm going off very quietly in the background and it just makes it all sound so eerie and apocalyptic and final, which is really fitting for what is about to happen.

Sasha: Jon! Jon, I think there’s someone here. Hello? I see you. Show yourself. [SCREAM] NotSasha: Hello? ... I see you! ... ... I see you.

Oh god, that last "I see you" right up close is so fucking creepy. I think I knew Sasha was dead on some level the moment we hear the "I see you". And when she "turns up again" I knew from the first second that it wasn't really her. (If I remember correctly, my partner wasn't entirely clear on that, which is funny, because unlike my partner who actually recognises voice actors, I have close-to-zero voice recognition and had a snowball's chance in hell of figuring out that the voice actor had changed. I just went off this scene and our previous encounter with the table and it all struck me as very obvious.)

Jon: None of us have been hit yet but… during one of the more alarming encounters, Martin ran off. Tim: He thought we were behind him, I think. Jon: He didn’t think at all.

STOP BEING AN ARSEHOLE, JON!

Jane Prentiss (very wormily): ARCHIVIST Jon: Shit. [Click]

I'm kind of amused by this, because Jon's "shit" is not a "SHIT!" or even a "Shit!" - it is very much a "Shit." So much more "I just spilled my tea over a statement" than "I'm face to face with a sentient pile of worms that wants to eat me and it just addressed me in person."

My impression of this episode

There's A LOT going on in this episode (as evidenced by the fact that this is by far my longest relisten post yet) and that pretty much sums up my impression when I first listened to it. "Oh, it's an audioplay now! Neat! ... Oh. ... Oooh ... Oh shit ... Oh wow, there was a lot going on here, I'm going to need a moment."

[mc-doppomine]

Code Vein AU (Matenrou Ver.)

Doppo - 

Blood Code: Berserker - Relies on raw damage and power as well mitigating damage. Primary Weapon: Polearm Secondary Weapon: Two-handed Sword

Doppo is a third generation revenant--revenants that were made for the sole purpose of beating the Queen--that did not wake for much of Project Queenslayer. Prior to being a revenant, he was an intern at the laboratory that Project Queen was being researched. He ended up under Jakurai’s care and understands...about half of the research. He died during the frenzy of the Queen due to luring the Queen away from where his friends were hidden. 

Doppo is sensitive to miasma, the pollution as a result of revenants and the Queen, so he often wears his mask as a safety to others. He has a history of frenzying without becoming Lost but he has become anxious of it happening. As a result, he is often out in the field to help where he can and be away from the safe house...even if that’s where he’d rather be. 

Technically the two-handed sword should be what Doppo wields at all time due to his blood code’s use but he uses the time to switch and readjust as a way to keep down his bloodlust in battle. 

Hifumi - 

Blood Code: Dionysus - A more utility based code that specializes in leaving enemies more susceptible to damage and damage over time Primary Weapon: Rifle Secondary Weapon: One-handed Sword

Hifumi is also a third generation revenant. When he was human, he was an intern alongside with Doppo although he was officially in a different section. But he spent a lot of time alongside Jakurai, Yotsutsuji and Doppo. When the Queen frenzied, Doppo had come for him and brought him to Jakurai’s lab before he was killed. Hifumi isn’t sure how he died but assumed the Queen broke through and got him. 

He awoke amidst Project Queenslayer to find that it was Jakurai who had helped revive him but found that Doppo did not wake. Since he could not help with research, Hifumi had to join the ranks for Project Queenslayer. He took the time as something to bide his time while putting faith in his team. During his service, he caught the attention of Honobono, one of the leading ladies in taking on the Queen. She thought his abilities were useful and due to her Void-Type, had attempted to take Hifumi’s abilities for herself despite his refusal. The experience traumatized Hifumi and put him out of commission for months and only protected by Jakurai’s status in the research.

However with the whispers of revolt, Jakurai became worried of Hifumi’s ability to survive in this world they found themselves in. So he taught Hifumi ‘tricks of the trade.’ This made Hifumi able to return to the field although more of a rogue and a silent killer although he remained wary of female revenants. He’s committed a lot of operations on Greater Lost--Lost more powerful than normal ones--and rid enemies to Ichiro, Samatoki, Ramuda and especially Jakurai. He hides much of this sort of thing from Doppo although Yotsutsuji has chided him that Doppo wouldn’t think any less of him for it. 

At current Hifumi doesn’t travel with the others on the field. He does go out in the world but usually for scavenging supplies and weapons that can be used back at the safe house. He often cooks as it reminds him of his humanity...as well as to spare everyone from Rio’s ventures. 

Yotsusuji - 

Blood Code: None (Void-Type) - A type of blood code that essentially can adapt anyone else’s. He has to ingest the blood of a revenant of gain their abilities. He possesses the blood code of everyone at the safe house except the new comers.  Primary Weapon: One-handed Sword Secondary Weapon: Halberd

Yotsutsuji is considered a second generation revenant although his rebirth was around the same time that Project Queenslayer had been introduced. Prior to being a revenant, he was a child that had lost his family when the horrors that started appearing had killed them. Jakurai had found him while wandering around the area, searching for survivors. Yotsutsuji was the one he found during this venture. The two of them traveled together to what relative safety there was and Yotsutsuji never found the need to leave.

He ended up as Jakurai’s assistant and a scientist during Project Queen. As such he’s met the Aohitsugi siblings and the Yamada brothers. He liked and got along with both Hifumi and Doppo as they were the only other people that made Jakurai laugh. As apart of his research, Yotsutsuji found was studying Nemu’s reaction to the parasite and had noticed patterns that were...concerning. He had brought this up but it went ignored until the day the Queen frenzied. He had been going to search for Jakurai--who was in a meeting that day--but had been thrown back to the lab along with Hifumi by Doppo before the Queen got there. While he and Hifumi were spared the attack of the Queen, they were woefully unprepared for the ensuing Lost she caused to also go mad. He died just as Jakurai had managed to get to them.

His time during Project Queenslayer was primarily spent in research on better stabilizing revenants. However he did spend his off time sparring with Hifumi and getting lessons from Jakurai. When dealing with the revolt, Yotsutsuji had been suspicious of Ramuda as an instigator to it but found the man to be a bit...secretive and protective of his secrets. Like willing to have him disperse sort of secretive. Of course Ramuda jokes about it since ‘it’s not like you permanently die or anything so what’s the big deal?’ Yotsutsuji is not fond of Ramuda. 

Since the end of the Queen, the blood thirst of revenants became an issue and Jakurai had volunteered for a solution...albeit temporary. Yotsutsuji had been against it and they had argued over what was the right decision. In the end, Yotsutsuji had been swayed to allow Jakurai to pursue his solution, entrusting Yotsutsuji, Hifumi and Doppo with being ones to find a better way. And with the new additions to their team, they may finally make some headway.

Jakurai - 

Blood Code: Chiron - A blood code that primarily supports with healing and ichor restoration.

Jakurai had been a doctor with a shady past when the world had fallen into disrepair. He was adept at surviving but sought to save other lives. This was when he met Yotsutsuji. While he never discussed this, Yotsutsuji had been the one to ignite his hope after many sites of violence and seeing how many that had not been spared. So when he didn’t want to leave...Jakurai had been glad he stayed. 

He was hired as a doctor to oversee the health of patients that were being infected with the BOR parasite and treat the side effects that came with the infection. He worked closely with Nemu, finding it unfortunate the best symbiosis with the parasite was young but he was moved by her conviction in finding a way to save others. He became fond of two of the interns at the labs, Hifumi and Doppo and they often visited until Doppo ended up in his unit.

He was supposed to be on his way to see Nemu on the day she frenzied but had been in ‘meeting’ with Rei and Ohtome over...troubling matters concerning the project. He could only see when the Queen escaped, never encountering her directly when she frenzied. However, he found the wake of her destruction as he found Samatoki and Ichiro dead either in or near Nemu’s room, likely having been around when she started out. He’d found Doppo in one of the hallways, having already bled out from the injuries the Queen gave him. Jakurai had been told he needed to evacuate because of the agitation of Lost that threatened to take the building. He opted to rejoin them later...if there was a later for him. He was able to fight his way back to the lab where he found Hifumi already passed from a losing battle with the Lost swarms and Yotsutsuji dying from his wounds. He swore that he’d bring them back. 

The surviving staff and even some that didn’t had turned to revenants in order to have the knowledge and strength to continue dealing with the Queen. When they eventually came up with Project Queenslayer, Jakurai had ensured that those he knew from the laboratory were revived. He was on uneasy ground with the project leaders for his decision. While Jakurai did research, he also found use in going out into the field to see the Queen in action.

When the revolt occurred Yotsutsuji had warned him of his suspicions of Ramuda’s involvement after they’d taken down the rebels (this was because Yotsutsuji didn’t revive until that point). He had asked Ramuda about why he did so and had been annoyed when Ramuda would not give him a straightforward answer. TDD (not actually called this in this situation but I’m tired of writing names) fell apart when it came to final solution of the Queen. 

Despite knowing what the project was, Samatoki was firmly against killing Nemu. And while the group had agreed to find alternatives, they weren’t able to come up with one and she was decimating forces. Jakurai had chosen to put her down for the sake of all other revenants. Ramuda had chosen to remain out of it, going with whatever reigned. Ichiro, after their latest attempt, had opted to put her down as well...they had a fight and it was never the same after.

After dealing with the Queen, there was still issues of the blood thirst and namely surviving for revenants. As a way to help prevent the Queen’s revival and to help revenants, Jakurai had chosen to take a piece of the Queen’s power within himself. This granted him power to create blood springs, trees that grow ‘seeds’ that can be drunk by revenants that sate their thirst. However to keep up such a network and utilizing the full extent of the power given, Jakurai had to remain hidden away and functionally comatose to provide this. 

Yotsutsuji is the only one of the group that knows the truth of this and hasn’t told Hifumi and Doppo about it.