#and it was bad enough that they had to amputate to save her

[pushing500]

Ah, Xina. I see you have chosen... DEATH (we didn't kill her this time, but I was sorely tempted to).

The Empire is still under the impression that we're working together or something, and since we don't feel like breaking the illusion yet, Mechi reluctantly agreed to look after four paralysed prisoners who are (allegedly) from ancient cryptosleep caskets. I find that a bit tricky to believe because...

Paul? I recognise that name...

It seems that XiaoLiang's granddad from a similar prisoner quest has somehow re-contracted paralytic abasia, and also convinced The Empire that he's from an ancient cryptosleep vault. I am now weirdly curious about what strange shenanigans this grandpa must get up to.

The more I play this game, the less convinced I am that Mechi and Kwahu are the main characters... 🤔

First | Next | Previous

[knight-says-rollout]

Would you mind telling us about more disabled Cybertronians?

Oh boy would I

For this list let’s focus on physical disabilities, both because they’re the most commonly dismissed by the fandom and bc if we try to cover everything we’d be here all day (that can be another list, maybe, if y’all want)

This isn’t going to be comprehensive bc I’m tired but!! I will aim for a broad variety of examples nonetheless

Bumblebee - You all know him, you all love him. He’s the most obvious and most well known example of a disabled Cybertronian character.

In many iterations he is mute

Not by choice but because he lacks a voice box. Bee physically isn’t capable of speech and depending on the version has different tools to work around that. Sometimes he uses his radio to repurpose song and radio dialogue into speech, in cyberverse he also makes use of the internet for clips. In the aligned continuity (tfp and connected media) he speaks in binary, a very simplified form of language using beeps and buzzes, but still lacks a real voice and can’t form words.

In IDW he has a cane

At one point in the comics Bumblebee was shot by a human protester and as a result used a cane for a good bit of time. I haven’t had the chance to read that far into IDW yet so I’m not sure how long he had the cane for but it was enough time that it’s a solidified part of the charcaters history. I’ve seen little models of the cane for sale, to be paired with bee figures.

TFP Ultra Magnus - everyone’s favorite awkward commander, despite his popularity he’s surprisingly overlooked when it comes to this discussion

An amputee, he lost his hand

During an energon raid with wheeljack, magnus’ hand was crushed. Ratchet couldn’t save it and had to amputate, replacing it with a hooked prosthetic. I call it a prosthetic rather than replacement part because despite him being able to move it, it’s not a hand. Not in the way he had previously, and he has to relearn how to use it at all.

I think that’s an important distinction to make when discussing disability and transformers. Some bots might have only ever had one hand, or no legs, or etc but that’s always been their level of ability and since they Are robotic. Yeah they might not have the same capabilities as another bot but that’s a hard metric to go by. Seekers can fly but a grounder isn’t disabled because they can’t fly too, it’s a different standard.

WFC Shamble - far lesser known than Magnus, and reasonably so, this background character is Also missing a limb

Amputee, leg edition

His prosthetic is a lot less fancy than magnus’s, it’s a simple peg leg. Put em together and you get a pirate. Not much to say about him since i don’t know how he lost the leg, just that he did.

Shadow Striker - Most awesome lady in cyberverse. Unlike the above two, she Was able to get actual replacement parts rather than prosthetics. Despite this, she is both shown throughout the show and implied to have

Impaired mobility

Chronic pain

She was able to get replacement parts yes but they were needed because she was blown up. The limbs she was given were kinda just what the others could Find and as such are mismatched and don’t fit her very well. Her motor skills took a blow especially when it comes to combat, something she used to excel in. Her new limbs are described as unstable and prone to malfunction. The loss of mobility and implied chronic pain that come along with her situation are rough, but she makes do.

SG Soundwave - my favorite little guy, he’s in a bit of a different situation than the previous.

Bad Joints ™

His body was entirely overhauled multiple times, successfully, but the latest frame change was done with conflicting metals. Earth and Cybertronian materials clash in his joints, making them prone to getting stopped up. The most affected hinge being the one on the door to his tape deck. It is so prone to getting stuck that his cassettes refuse to dock with him at risk of getting trapped. To work around this, Soundwave has the aid of a personalized case he carries around that they dock in instead.

IDW Sunstreaker - speaking of assistive devices, this guy was (for a time) a wheelchair user! Or,, hoverchair.

Temporary,,, paraplegic? Correct me if another term fits better

Taking this moment for an aside to say hey!! Lookit that, both canes and hoverchairs are things that canonically and casually exist on cybertron!! It’s not too wild to assume there are bots out there who use them long term!! Yes both characters on this list were repaired eventually but they’re also both very popular old characters from an action based franchise and hasbro doesn’t have the balls to make something like that permanent yet. We the fandom are not hasbro. We can do whatever we damn want with our OCs. It’s canon that ur little guy can use mobility aids.

Ok, PSA over, anyway yeah Sunny’s body was basically wrecked and alpha trion was able to repair all of him except his legs. This put him in a hoverchair for a good amount of time.

Finback - he’s a con, a pirate, who developed a “metal wasting disease”

He’s on permanent life support

The disease is going to kill him eventually, and it’s explicitly stated that he’s come to terms with the idea of his death. In the meantime he’s using pretender tech, kinda like fancy armor, to reinforce himself and boost his immune system

Perceptor - for a microscope, the fact he’s got vision issues in multiple continuities is kinda ironic

He’s fully blind in cyberverse

He lost an eye in IDW

Between the two we get to see both routes taken to work with this. Adaption and technological aid. In cyberverse he uses his scope to compensate for the loss of vision Toph-style. In IDW he built himself a monocle that basically replaces the pieces that are missing.

Now we get into the uniquely Cybertronian disabilities, one’s that don’t quite translate to human conditions

Transmutate - is a beloved bot from beast wars

They can’t transform, they don’t have an alt mode

I’m hazy on the details of their character but afaik they came from a damaged stasis pod. Described as deformed and handicapped for their both their lack of an alt mode and general appearance, they are probably the oldest explicitly disabled Cybertronian character

Xaaron - from G1 is in a similar situation

He can’t transform, it would kill him

Unlike transmutate he does have an alt mode, a tank, but after thousands of years without transforming he is no longer able to. The new stress it would cause on his body would kill him.

Broadside - continuing with the subject of alt modes, this clumsy boy is a boat! That’s not a good thing.

He’s very prone to motion sickness

As you can imagine, chronic sea sickness isn’t the most helpful thing when you are the boat. This brings in the entirely new element of mobility issues that are inherent to alt modes. A bot that functions fine in root form might not in alt mode and vice versa.

Trailbreaker - is another instance of this. He’s not a fast car by any means but that doesn’t stop the fact

His frame has a very high energon cost

Possibly the least fuel efficient autobot, he’s got an outlier ability on top of it all that only further increases his required energon intake. He needs to pay more attention to his energon levels and refuel more often overall.

G1 Knockout - yes that’s right the shiny medic himself is on this list, though not for the same reason as his tfp version, g1 knockout still lives up to his name

He’s prone to fainting

A knockout in the more literal sense, he faints when he gets too excited. Fully collapses and everything. Since he’s a fall risk, his teammates take care to keep an eye on him.

Annnnd Yknow he probably should’ve been earlier in the list along with the “human-ish” issues but I’m tired, it’s late, and I’m bringing this list to a close

Im sure there are more characters that I didn’t mention but I hope this helped! Thank you for the ask

[sheeparuu]

I’ll call it Severed link au for now.

So I was always a sucker for a bad ending and I wanted to put out a few ideas cuz I thought it would be fun. Yes it started from Linked Universe since I’ve seen people make their own versions and I thought it would be cool to do it too. Also, English is not my first language.

Games I’ve finished:

1.  Sky: Inheriting a god’s power after defeating them is not something Link would have expected to happen after stopping Demise. Still, if the corruption of his mind and body is not enough proof of that, his old home falling out of the sky might be.

2. Twilight: Having a pointy chunk forcefully jammed in one’s brain is bad, using it to keep switching between hylian and beast form is worse, loosing their mind the more they shift is the worst. At least he might be able to get a position as Ganon’s lap dog.

3. Wind: One would be surprised how hard it is to kill a parasitic entity, especially when it takes over your body as a host. Still, after such a gruelling fight, it might remain inactive for a long time, licking its wounds at the bottom of the sea.

4. Spirit: When the hero fails saving his best friend and end up having to swear allegiance to the demon lord inhabiting her body, everything seems to be going to hell. But having that fight with the said demon awaken something from the sea might be just as bad.

5.Wild: Sometime even if a friendly goat amputates your arm, it might not completely remove the malice from your blood stream, or stop it going to your brain. It might just slow it down enough for you to realize that something is taking over you from inside out.

Games I haven’t played/ finished but I tried to research:

6. Losing your uncle, the girl of your dream and having the path to Lorule closed might give someone things to grieve about. Hoarding magical items and knowledge for the purpose of “keeping the people you love safe” is also bad. Being swayed by the dark magic to the point where turning people into stone to “protect them” is, you guessed it, bad.

7. Time: Once a certain evil entity realizes that the kid carrying godness power is a better target than a mere Skullkid it might just have to switch hosts. Maybe if the other masks the “hero” carried weren’t splitting his mind like hair ends he could have stood a chance.

8. Four: Sometime allaying with the wrong side, even if you plan to change sides once you get the upper hand, might lead to actions that you can never forgive yourself for. And sometimes the shame grows to the point you can’t even face the three other versions of yourself, even when they are fighting the big bad of your world. And sometimes when they lose, you might feel the most vulnerable you’ve ever been.

9.Warriors: Maybe if the portals Cia chose to open lead to worlds were the heroes won their adventures, the story would have been different. Maybe if she never realized that Link wouldn’t be hers, even by force, she wouldn’t have turned him into a puppet king. Maybe if his mind wasn’t completely aware of everything around him, while being completely disconnected from his body he wouldn’t have had to agonize like this.

10. Hyrule: Sometimes when a the kindness and heroism of a child is rejected by the entire world and the cult that’s following him takes a much more manipulative approach instead of trying to kill him, it might just end much worse for the common man.

Notes: I always liked the idea that heroes are not purely good and always getting the good ending, and that if their life had just enough differences they would have failed/turned to the dark side. I mostly thought it would be cool for the characters to have a “failed” version and in my head they could serve as a “self discovery journey” for the og heroes. Like having to compare yourself with your worst version would cause some major introspection.

P.S: Yes I added Spirit since I think he and Wind could have some really cool dynamics. Also if someone already did the idea before me I'd like to know.

[uh-niran-really]

I come by to request...a fluffy satya x fem reader fic 👀

Where reader likes to play instruments like piano or a guitar while singing but one day got into a traumatic accident where they were no longer able to play the instrument and their voice is damaged and it eats them up inside 🥹

One day reader decides to attempt to play the piano/guitar ( your choice hehe ) while singing and its rlly difficult for her with her new hand/damaged voice but is still able to play their favorite music and sing along. Satya catches them doing this and her heart flutters bc theyve been friends for a long time and shes been rlly crushing on reader but was always in denial but that moment of seeing the reader rlly sets it straight for her and she applauds them before shyly confessing her feelings bc shes cute and blunt like that🥹

Reader likes em back obvi 😼‼️ and they start dating and now reader likes to play music or sing while satya dances CUZ URGHH SO MUCH FLUFF ALL THE FLUFF IN THE WORLD FOR SATYA AFTER ALL SHE'S BEEN THROUGH IN GAME AND IN FICS AHAHAHA

Fem Reader x Symmetra - Sweet Sweet Melody

Content: Warm Fluff, Slight Angst

Word Count: 2,700+

A/N: Our beautiful girl deserves some sweet love. Isn’t she just the most amazing woman! Ahhhh I hope you like it, I certainly enjoyed writing it for you <3 We love happy Satya!

She heard the melody, her head turning to face the direction. Niran continued to talk and walked on ahead, unaware she had even stopped following him. Instead she found herself following the pretty tune she heard. The sound so beautiful she had to see who it came from. She reached the room and peaked through the door, curiosity fuelling her mind.

There you were playing such a beautiful song, singing along to the tune with such a beautiful voice, she blushed. You were incredible. The song made her want to dance.

You abruptly stopped playing when you noticed her. You were embarrassed that someone had caught you playing. Still you didn’t mind so much. This girl seemed nice enough, if not a bit shy. You didn’t mind shy, it was rather cute.

“I’m sorry if I startled you.” Satya apologised, stepping fully in the room. “The song just sounded so beautiful I had to hear more.”

Her voice was genuine. She looked at you with a faint and awkward smile before beginning to stim with her hands. You watched as she did so, her movements reminding you of how your fingers flexed at each key.

“Do you play?” You asked, curious.

“Oh no. I just enjoy the sound. It scratches my brain in a way that brings happiness. I like it.

The piano was always your release. You loved the melodies you could make by stringing together a simple set of notes. Each note harbouring its own unique tune and when played together unionised to form a beautiful symphony of song.

“Thank you. I’m Y/N, and you?”

“Satya Vaswani. It’s nice to meet you.”

Since that day the two of you remained friends, bounding over your love of music and her love of dance. You eventually met her best friend Niran, who thought you had such talent too. He didn’t seem to come by often, but Satya did, enjoying your company as well as your melancholic voice and elegant piano play.

——💎——

“You’ve suffered some blunt force trauma to your upper body. It’s a wonder you’re still alive.”

You tried to speak but found your voice come out wrong. It was scratchy and broken. It sounded as if someone had dragged nailed over a chalk board.

“It seems your vocal cords are severely damaged too I’m afraid. We can offer you speaking therapy but it’s unlikely that they will ever sound the same again.”

Your dominate hand had been crushed. It was so bad that amputation was considered at one point, but after major surgery they managed to save it, thought it didn’t function the best. You tried to flex your fingers and found that you just couldn’t do so. How would you sing with no voice? How would you play the piano with one hand? Your songs often required both hands to play and even with one hand it was always your dominate. You tried to scream but no sound came out. It felt like acid on your vocal cords. You had lost everything.

——💎——

Since the accident you found yourself unable to do much of anything anymore. The delicacy in which you used to play turned into a heavy handed key mashing. You tried your best to keep playing the songs you use to, but found it was never the same. Your voice box too broken to sing the notes, your hand too damaged play the tunes. It was depressing. The one thing you found enjoyment from, gone. You would never be the same and it killed you inside.

Niran stopped by to offer his condolences to you, bringing you a hand written letter from Satya along with some comforting things for you. She wanted to come see you, but just got so nervous she sent Niran, which you thought was adorable! He didn’t stay long, he promised Satya he would be quick, knowing she would want some comfort.

“Do forgive her. These things can’t be helped and once she starts to panic, there’s not changing her mind. I just accept it and move on. Please don’t judge her too harshly.”

Inside the gift basket was a bouquet of hard light flowers, but not just the pink Niran kind, no these flowers were a mix of pink and blue. The blue ones were so pretty. They weren’t perfect, in fact they had hard lines and no curvature at all. Still, they looked stunning. The pink ones were beautiful, but if you had to pick, you would choose the blue. There were some other things such as tea, chocolates and surprisingly fidget toys, very Satya. It made you tear up with how thoughtful she was, and Niran too. The letter was perfectly folded over, with a pretty blue hand written “Y/N” on it, and a scribbled out heart.

‘Y/N,

When I heard that you were hurt I wanted to shutdown, and I did. It took serval hours but Niran finally pulled me out of it, with promises that you were in fact ok. I wanted to visit, really I did, Niran thought best if we waited until you were home. I never liked hospitals and we didn’t want to stress you more.

Niran started to make you flowers and I smiled at the thought of your pretty smile and I wanted to make you some too. They aren’t as pretty as the ones Niran makes. He makes it look so effortless. I asked him to teach me because I wanted to understand the complexity in which it takes, but also because I wanted to experience a bit of frustration. A frustration of being out of my comfort zone. It’s not the same as what you must be feeling Y/N, but I think I understand you a little more. Anyway, I hope they bring a smile to your face, though you probably prefer Niran’s…

I.. I’m sorry I didn’t come to see you today.. Niran always was better at comforting people.. I.. I’ll leave him to do so and I hope he did..

Satya.’

You wished you could see her. To tell her that you actually preferred her flowers. Sure Niran’s were gorgeous. The perfect shape, the perfect pink colour, with the perfect scent. He had been making them for years. But Satya’s? You could tell how much time she spent on them. Out of five she made, you could see which one was her first and which was her last. They improved as she did. The lines got a little softer, breaking her own rule of symmetry. The petals got a little rounder, breaking her own rule of perfectly straight lines. The flowers looked beautiful in their own way. They smelt like her too, her light jasmine perfume with hints of sandalwood. Comforting. You felt the love she put into them. She really did try, and for that, you loved them more.

——💎——

Months passed since the accident. You learnt to make sounds again. It never did sound the same as before, but you made so much progress. Voice therapy was stressful but Niran and Satya were on hand to support you. Satya struggled most, trying so desperately to understand what you were saying. It was hard for you to write given your mangled hand. So all you could do was make little grunts when she spoke. It was hard on her and she just never got what you were trying to say, always looking to Niran for help.

She often cried for you after the pair left for the day, breaking down to Niran about how she wished she understood. How she wished that she could find a common ground with you. About how she wished she could take some of your pain away. Niran would comfort her best he could but he knew it would take time for you both to feel better.

Several more months passed and you made great progress. You could form simple sentences that sounded semi normal. Your voice was different, the octaves slightly out of your usual pitch but it made you happy to come this far.

“S..Sat..ya..”

She was delighted you could still say her name. She told you as much, flinging her arms around you and squealing. Such a pretty noise. Niran enjoyed seeing her happy, it’s all he ever wanted. He had come to realise that a lot of her happiness now came from you. Something that he never expected.

“Does this mean you can play the piano for me again!!”

Her eyes sparkled with wonder, mind already listening to the pretty sounds of your songs. She started to daydream of sitting by your side watching you play, feeling her heart flutter and head sway to the music. Then she heard you cry.

“You’re crying..? Why?”

“Dearest, I think she’s a little sensitive on the matter right now. Remember how we spoke about recovery time?” Nirans voice was soft, gentle not to scold her. She had done nothing wrong after all. “She’s made progress yes, but she’s still recovering. You understand this yes?”

Her eyes widened as she realised what she had done. You were crying because you couldn’t play. Not yet, and maybe not ever. You were crying because she had brought it up. A reminder that you might never play again. She felt her body tense up realising she had hurt you, a dear friend who she loved as much as she loved Niran.

She opened her mouth to speak, but then you looked at her with such sad eyes, tears flowing down your cheeks. Then she was gone. Bolted out of the room like her life depended on it, leaving you to cry more.

“Please don’t judge her too harshly. She means well, truly. Satya never did know how to read situations. She tries her best and I think she just meant to show you how excited she was for you to recover..” Niran stood and went follow his friend. “She thinks the world of you Y/N. I’ve never seen her so determined to understand a person.”

This time you cried for her. She was trying so hard for you. It was beautiful to see. The emotions she must be feeling were probably new and scary. It was admirable. From that moment on you decided to try for her too. You would relearn everything if needed, but you would play for her again. You would bring a smile to her face. You would do this for her.

——💎——

The sounds of the piano rang out across the room. It had been another three months, but finally you got to a point where it almost sounded beautiful. The journey had been a rough one, but you wanted to surprise Satya. You kept it a secret, wanting her to hear you at your best again. You didn’t want her to see you struggle. To see you cry. To see you scream in frustration. You just wanted to play for her again, and now you almost could. When you began practicing for the day, you found yourself playing the song that you played the first day you met Satya. You started to sing along to the music, it was a beautiful song about unrequited love.

“When I talk to you oh, Cupid walks right through, and shoots an arrow through my heart. And I sound like a loon, but don't you feel it too? Confess I loved you from the start.”

It was a pretty song, it reminded you of Satya so much. You liked her a lot, maybe a little too much. You weren’t sure where she stood with things romantically, but If she were to date anyone it would surely be Niran, and good for her! Niran was a good looking man. She would be happy with him. He treats her right. They would make a beautiful couple.

“Confess I loved you, just thinking of you…” You pictured her beautiful face, her gorgeous golden eyes and sultry soft lips. “I know I've loved you… from the start.”

Then you heard it. The sound of applause. You glance behind you and there she is, a smile on her face, hands moving so fast you almost mistake it for a stim. But no, she was applauding you. Her heart fluttered so fast it made her light headed.

“Oh my goodness, you’re playing again..”

“Yes. I wanted to… for you, Satya.”

“Y/N.. I..”

She walked over, the sound of her heels making their own melody. She looked beautiful. Her satin black hair was up in a neat little ponytail, with side pieces to frame her beautiful face. Like always she was wearing blue, it made her gorgeous skin tone pop, the dress swaying perfectly with her body. She looked gorgeous. A Goddess.

“I have something to confess to you..”

“Yes Satya?”

“I…I’m crushing on you..” Her words blunt and straightforward.

You gasp and the noise makes her jump a little in surprise. You were stunned. She had feelings for you! Real feelings. True feelings. Of love! You stare at her in disbelief making her a little nervous. So nervous she started to doubt herself and back peddle.

“But.. you probably like Niran.. most people do and-“

“I thought YOU liked Niran.”

The laugh that followed was so cute. A loud giggle that sent butterflies to your tummy. She covered her mouth to stifle her laughter but she just couldn’t help it, bursting out laughing. It was such a beautiful sound.

“Oh, no. Niran is just a friend.”

“And I’d like it to remain that way, Satya.”

You grab her waist smoothly with one arm, your free hand cupping her cheek as your lips press against hers. Her golden eyes go wide for a moment, and her head goes fuzzy, before she realises what was going on. Soon her eyes flutter shut, and she melts into your kiss, loving the way your lips feel against her own. Her arms wrap around your neck and it’s a beautiful moment for you both. She softly moans against your lips making you pull her closer to you. Your thumb rubs her cheek and your tongue pokes against her, demanding that she open up now before you die on the spot. The kiss is broken by a certain loud mouth Thai man however. A loud and dramatic gasp that made you both jump, before staring daggers at him.

“Oh my, I didn’t expect this. So cute.”

“Niran…” Satya groans, an angered tone in her voice. “Get out.”

——💎——

A year had passed since then and you and Satya were so in love. She really came out of her shell with you, it was adorable! She loved to hold your hand whenever she was with you. She couldn’t get enough of the feeling it gave her when you held hands. Niran reported that she babbled about you all the time, even going into detail about the way you kissed her and how it made her want to explode. It was sweet to hear her so happy. Niran gushed over his favourite couple, heart often swelling when he did sneak a peak at you kissing.

You loved to play for her whenever she asked. It was your pleasure to grace her ears with your songs. She wanted to hear them all the time, not that you minded of course.

“Can you play that one song I like!”

Her voice so giddy with excitement. She found a new hobby to do with you. She loved to dance whilst you played the piano and sung your songs. For her it was the most romantic thing of all. She loved the rhythm in your music. It made her so happy to do things like this with you. You loved the way she danced for you, so fluid and beautiful. You could watch her for hours. Sometimes Niran would join you, though it was rare, Satya wanted you all to herself. Her pretty girlfriend.

If you were really lucky, and of course you were, she would teach you some moves, not afraid of getting hands on with you. There were light touches here and there to correct your positioning. Soft remarks about how good you looked when you danced like that. Flirtatious comments about how you learnt from the best. It almost always ended in a steamy make out session with her seated on top of the piano, lips locked with yours, a soft moan on her lips.

“Y/N, I love you.”

[thevegandarkelf]

Finding Myself, Finding You: Chapter Three

Masterlist

AO3 link

Story is 18+ for mature content/themes, minors do not interact please

TW/CWs for this story--implied/referenced past rape, canonical violence, non-canonical violence, blood, gore, referenced past suicide, swearing, surgery, excessive drinking, nightmares, vomiting, amputation, medical procedures, non-con medical procedures, referenced past medical torture, referenced past drugging, attempted sexual assault, panic attacks, mental health struggles, referenced sibling death, referenced parent death

Each chapter will have its own TW/CWs listed

This story, Lydia Vector, her family & bestie (c) me, TheVeganDarkElf

TWD & its characters (c) AMC & Robert Kirkman, the writer of the comic series

TW/CWs for this chapter--swearing, mention of nightmares

Word count: 2k

“Ok, so Rick, Daryl, Maggie, Glenn, Michonne, very pretty name by the way, and Carol. I think I’ve got it,” I said, pointing to each person as I said their name so I could associate names to faces. I followed the group up the steps and out into the sunshine. I took off my glasses and blew some dust off of the inside.

A teenage boy was sitting outside in the grass. He couldn’t have been older than 14, maybe 15, and he was holding an infant. They couldn’t have been more than 6 months old. I had to push the thoughts out of my head of what the mother must have gone through birthing a baby during the literal apocalypse.

“Carl, this is Vector,” Rick said to the boy. I assumed this was his son. I squatted down to Carl’s level. Carol said some things to Rick that I couldn’t make out before walking off.

“So you cut off Aaron’s foot?” he asked me. I chuckled a little and nodded.

“She saved Aaron’s life, and we can’t thank her enough for that,” Rick corrected.

“I’m a trauma surgeon. Probably the best kind of doctor to have around in a situation like this. It was far from my first amputation,” I told him, “and who is this little one?”

“This is my sister, Judith,” he replied. I cocked my head and admired the little baby in his arms. She just stared at me, wide-eyed, before giggling and waving her hands around at who knows what. ”Or Lil’ Ass Kicker, if you’re asking Daryl.”

“Well, she is adorable.” I stood back up and looked over at Rick, holding a hand up over my eyes to block out the sun. “So Rick, you seem like an authority figure in this place. Where do you want me at?”

“Vector, you’re gonna be sharing that house over there with Daryl,” Rick said, pointing to a house that was just out of my line of sight, “there’s plenty of space for two people.” I felt my heart stop for a moment, and my eyes grew wide. I felt my stomach churn at the thought of sharing a space alone with a man I’d barely met. I rubbed my rope scars.

“You want me where?”

“She’s goin’ where?” Daryl asked. The irritation in his voice was heavy. I could only see his shape in my peripheral, but I could feel the distaste for me radiating off of him. I thought I was going to choke on it.

“Daryl, it makes sense to keep her near the infirmary.” Rick retorted.

“I don’t know, is there like, someone who’s…not a man…that I can stay with?” I asked, then immediately recanted my statement, “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t be picky. Y’all were gracious enough to let me in, and I can’t thank you enough for that.” I looked over at Daryl, “we’ll make it work.”

“I dunno who 'we' is, but I ain’t the one,” he said. He slung his crossbow over his shoulder and sauntered away. I watched as he dragged his feet across the ground back to his, well now “our” house.

“He’s really not so bad once you get to know him,” Rick assured. I gave him a hesitant face.

“Are you sure? He seems, I don’t wanna be mean, but a little more than just rough around the edges. Will I be, umm,” I swallowed hard, “safe in there? Y’know, since I’m “tiny.””

“As long as you don’t swing first,” Glenn replied.

“Hey Maggie, you don’t, uh, happen to have a hair tie, do you? I had fashioned one out of gauze and a rubber band, but it broke.”

“Rosita might,” she said, patting me on the shoulder, “c’mon, Glenn and I can show you around and introduce you to everyone.” I gave a small smile and a nod. Her and Glenn started off, and I looked up at the sky and took in a deep breath of fresh air. My brothers and my dad crossed my mind.

“I wish you guys could see this,” I whispered, following after the two of them.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

After introductions to everyone, Glenn and Maggie took me over to the infirmary, where I stored the medical supplies I’d been carrying. After giving the remaining astronaut food to Rick to store in case of an emergency or a long journey and emptying it of gauze, bandages, disinfectant, pills, and small medical tools, my pack was much lighter. I still had yet to get my weapons back.

“So is Rick right?” I asked, following the two of them back outside, “about what he said about Daryl? I just get the vibe that he doesn’t like me, and I’ve hardly talked to the man.”

“Daryl’s very…” Maggie turned to Glenn before looking back at me, “protective of the people he cares about. You’re a fresh face. Don’t take anything too personally. And eventually, he’ll really see you as one of us. You’ll be fine.” She turned to look at the house I’d be staying and then back at me. “I’ll go in with you if that would make you more comfortable.” I swallowed and nodded.

She gave Glenn a quick kiss & he walked away before we headed over and up the tiny steps to the front door. It was a cute little grey house with large windows and flowers in the front that I was surprised weren’t dead. I figured gardening wouldn’t be at the top of anyone’s priority list in a time like this. Maggie knocked on the door and waited a few seconds before letting herself in.

“It’s Maggie and Vector!” she called out, letting me past her and closing the door behind us. No response. I unzipped my black combat boots and kicked them off. I let out a sigh of relief as my feet touched the floor, gently lifting each of my feet and pulling my socks off. The floor was ice cold under my feet.

“I’ve never been so excited to be barefoot. You forget about the little things, like being able to walk around without shoes on,” I said. I took a look around at what was in front of me. There was a set of stairs straight ahead, the kitchen off to the right with a small island in it, and a living area to the left with a couch, coffee table, and a chair. To the right of the stairs was a door, which I guessed was either a bathroom or a basement door.

“Well I bet you’re even more excited to get clean,” she said to me, “if this layout is anything like mine, which it looks like it is, I can show you where everything is at.”

“Hell yeah, let’s go,” I replied, following her over to and up the stairs. It felt strange to be walking around without my boots on. Previously, the only times I’d even taken them off were to quickly wash off when I’d find a creek, but that wasn’t very often. She led me to a room on the left and gently pressed the door open. Inside, there was a bed and a dresser with a mirror above it.

“This one’s you,” she told me, “oh, gimme your clothes & I’ll make sure they get washed.” I set my backpack down on the bed and fished my remaining clothes out.

“I would’ve been more than happy with just a chair cushion on the floor in a corner,” I beamed, handing my clothes over to her. I felt bad because they absolutely reeked, but she handled them as if there was no issue. Probably to not make me feel bad, which I appreciated. I left my bag on the bed and followed her back out to a door across the hall.

“This one’s the bathroom, and I'm guessing Daryl’s room is around the corner. Go ahead and enjoy a shower and I’ll see if any of us gals have some clothes you can borrow while yours get cleaned,” she said. I stepped into the small bathroom and turned to her.

“Maggie, I—“ I could hardly get my words out, “thank you for being so nice to me. And taking my clothes, showing me around. And letting me in in the first place. I promise I’ll be a productive member of the community here. I really can’t thank y’all enough.” I didn’t even think, I just grabbed her and gave her a giant hug. I don’t know what compelled me to do it. Maybe it was my lack of genuine human contact up to this point or being overwhelmed with the joy of finding a home. She slipped one arm out and hugged me back.

“I’m so sorry,” I said as I released her, “I should’ve asked you first.”

“You’re alright. It’s easy to get overwhelmed when you first get here. Don’t worry about it. And you’re welcome,” Maggie replied, “I’ll have the clothes in your room before you’re done.” We nodded to each other before she turned around and headed down and out the front door.

I quickly undressed and left my clothes in a pile that I could easily grab when I was done. I draped a towel across the back of the toilet and did my best to get the water to the right temperature. I almost cried when I first stepped underneath it. The amount of dirt that immediately ran off of me was abhorrent. I probably shampooed my hair 5 times, the product stinging the small wound on the back of my head. But I didn’t care. I was just happy to have clean hair. I was definitely a bit aggressive with the soap.

“Fuck,” I said to myself, turning towards the water and sticking my face under it, “I’ve never been so happy to get soap in my eyes.”

After cleaning every crack and crevice of my body multiple times, I stepped out and grabbed a towel, drying my face first and wrapping myself in it. It felt so soft, like it was my first time touching a bath towel. I took a moment to soak everything in before leaving the bathroom.

“Daryl?” I called out, poking my head out the door ever so slightly. When I didn’t hear a response or any sound of movement, I scuttled across the hallway to my room and quickly shut the door. Once I was in, I saw the clothes that Maggie had set out for me. There was a pair of black denim shorts, a black sports bra, some socks, and a hair tie. I sat down on the edge of the bed, and unable to contain myself anymore, I started sobbing. I covered my mouth with both hands to try to stifle the sounds.

My mom, my dad, Preston, Jay, Eli…they would never get to see Alexandria. I would never get to see their smiling faces, hear their laughs, experience their joy. There wouldn’t be any more reunions when they came home from deployment, no late-night trips to the grocery store, no more interrogations about boys, no father-daughter deep talks when neither of us could sleep. I couldn’t believe that out of everyone in my family, I was the one who made it out and alive. Not the Navy SEALs…me.

Being a surgeon who treated survivors of mass shootings, I was well-educated on survivor’s guilt, but damn, nothing prepares you for having to experience it yourself.

I took a few minutes to cry before drying myself off and throwing on the clothes Maggie left for me. I tied my wet hair up into a bun and tossed my towel on the bed. I took my glasses off and set them on the dresser before collapsing on the bed next to my backpack. I rolled onto my side and continued to cry. It was all I could do. I finally felt safe enough to grieve.

Eventually, sleep came, and with it came the nightmares. But they were different this time.

[medusapelagia]

Running From The Daylight - Part 14

Part 1 , Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8,  Part 9,  Part 10, Part 11, Part 12, Part 13,, Part 14, (coming soon Part 15)

Written for @whumpuary

Rating: Mature Relationship: Steve Harrington/Eddie Munson Prompt: Breakdown WT: sick character, mention of surgery, medical procedures, mention of possible amputation (just mentioned) Words: 890

As soon as Eddie and Wayne get into the hospital, Robin runs toward them, hugging Eddie so tight that she he feels his back almost crack but he doesn’t complain, holding on to her like she was a life jacket.

“Eddie, oh my god, Eddie! Are you alright? What the hell happened? Wayne told us there was an avalanche but the news information was confusing and Steve didn’t answer his phone, and he always does or at least he calls me back! And you weren’t answering either! And I was so fucking worried!” She rambles and Eddie lets her talk while they hug, but as soon as she stops he asks the question that is killing him “Where is he?”

“Still in surgery.” Hopper replies, getting closer “The wound on the head wasn’t too bad, but the leg was broken pretty badly and they are trying to fix it.”

“But they will, right? He will not… he will not lose his leg, right?” The boy asks, terrified, and the silence that he gets as a reply is enough to make the last of his self-control crumble, and he falls to the ground having a full breakdown and screaming that it’s all his fault, that Steve will hate him for it and that he will lose the only good thing he had in life.

“You are exhausted, kid, you have to rest a little. Let’s get a room in a hotel and you’ll see that in the morning everything will look better.” His uncle tries to comfort him, but Eddie is adamant that he is not going to leave the hospital until he has some news about Steve.

He starts to walk up and down from the waiting area to the reception until a nurse calls a doctor.

“Listen…” The doctor says, staring at him seriously.

“Eddie.”

“Eddie. Your friend is in good hands, whatever can be done will be done, you don’t have to worry about that.” He tells him, and if it should sound comforting it definitely doesn’t.

“You don’t get it! I was the one that made a splint with a fucking broken ski! I had never done something like that before! What if I fucked up?”

The doctor sighs and puts a hand on Eddie’s shoulder “Kid, it was an emergency situation and you did the best you could, ok? Now the surgeon is doing his best to fix that broken leg and I want to assure you once more that he will do everything he can to save that boy’s leg, ok? Now take a deep breath and follow me into the examination room.”

“I’m fine!” Eddie insists once more, but the doctor stares at him unconvinced.

“Come on, kid, there is nothing you can do right now, at least let the doctor examine you, ok? If not for you, do it for me. I’m already worried about my other kid and I don’t think my old heart can take it.” Wayne tries to convince his nephew and the boy finally agrees, but before following the doctor he turns toward Robin, the only person he can trust “As soon as you hear something about Steve you come to tell me, ok? Good news, bad news, I don’t care, I want to know!”

“Promise!” She replies convinced, even if Hopper sighs and pinches his nose while Eddie finally gets into the examination room with his uncle.

“I’m not a kid anymore, Wayne. I can handle an examination.” He replies tiredly, but the old man doesn’t move, his eyes pinned on his kid.

“Any concern you would like to address?” The doctor asks, putting on a pair of blue latex gloves and Eddie shivers for a moment. He always tried to avoid doctors: it’s not that he is scared, it's just that they make him… uncomfortable, ok?

Luckily Wayne is at his side, putting a warm hand on his shoulder “Does something hurt?” He asks him softly and Eddie shakes his head.

“I’m cold and I’m tired but I’m fine! It’s Steve...”

“We are here for you, boy. Let me examine you and then I’ll let you get back to your friends, ok?”

Eddie finally releases the tight grip he had on the thermal blanket and lets the doctor examine him quickly, when the man concludes that, apart from some moderate frostbite and a little sleep deprivation, Eddie is fine, Wayne takes a big breath of relief.

“I kept telling you.” The boy protests while getting dressed.

“I know but I feel better knowing that a doctor has seen you, is that so bad?” Wayne asks him, giving him back his thermal blanket and walking back to the waiting area where Robin and Hopper are drinking a coffee from the coffee machine.

“No news?” Eddie asks, sitting next to Robin who offers him her coffee, he takes a sip and grimaces at the taste “This has nothing to do with Steve’s coffee.”

“I will never admit it, but Steve’s coffee is the best.” The girl replies with a wet laugh, then she adds “You know I’m not letting him go on a vacation at least for a year, right? The only place the two of you will be allowed to go is our coffee shop.” She tells him, and he smiles at her, grateful for her constant presence in Steve’s life.

“Deal.”

[canyouhearthelight]

Nihilous Rex 20: Demands

Lash is trying to moderate her reaction to her parents being injured.

This is a woman who is deeply attached to her parents.... so yeah, @baelpenrose did have to rein me in a bit.

Life ain't always beautiful

You think you're on your way

And it's just a dead end road at the end of the day

But the struggles makes you stronger

And the changes make you wise

And happiness has its own way of takin' its sweet time

Gary Allan, “Life Ain’t Always Beautiful”

Lash

Mama was rasping, and the doctors weren’t happy about her oxygen levels, but they took her off the ventilator and gave her a mask instead.  Baby steps that may as well have been tremendous milestones when my only hope was that she survived this. I squeezed her right hand - when had it become so fragile? - while Mori rubbed the left.  Weaponized love to keep her from taking the hateful mask off.

“Baba,” she managed to get out, just loud enough for us to understand.

“They are doing circulation tests on this leg,” Mori explained, avoiding the reason behind the tests in an attempt to save Mama from worrying.

Regardless, Mama’s eyes went wide, wild.  Her head thrashed side to side between us. “The boy.”

Mori’s eyes flicked to me, and I nodded firmly. “Nils is fine, Mama. He was wearing protection for his motorbike. Scrapes and a couple burns at worst.”  I looked back to Mori and explained, “Nils. You met him earlier. He was caught in the same blast as Baba. But his clothing protected him.”

My sister nodded vigorously in understanding. “Yes. He is fine, Mama. Walking, talking. He made sure that everyone’s medical costs are covered.”

I could see Mama trying to force out more words, and just bit the proverbial bullet. “The baby is fine, as is his mother.  Only three people didn’t make it, and we have already spoken to Auntie Yildiz… Uncle Ahmet did not make it.” I refused to tell her about Imran.  I still could not believe he was gone, even with his wife Fatima haunting the hospital with the face of someone who was holding themself together by sheer force of will.  But Ahmet’s widow would be by soon to see Mama, and I didn’t want her to be shocked.

My phone abruptly buzzed and I glanced at it. Nils was texting. “They have news about your dad’s leg.”

“Mama, Mori, I need to step out. I’ll be right back.” I kissed the hand I was holding and nodded at my sister before slipping out of the room. I almost ran smack into my shadow, who was clearly waiting for me to step out.

Never a good sign.

“They wouldn’t tell me what it was, because I’m not ‘next of kin’ and they’re gonna be sticklers about policy, especially since they can’t be happy with us. I can take you to the people who can tell you, but…Lash, I’d…prepare for some bad news, about whether he keeps it. I know the doc working on him and he looked pretty grim.” Nils’ voice was tense. “I’m sorry, Lash.” 

I waved him away absently. “Doctors don’t want to share scary or bad news. They will violate HIPPA for good news.  As soon as you said they wouldn’t tell you, I knew the leg was toast.  Let’s go find out how far up.” I marched with purpose towards Baba’s room, uncaring of how angry I looked.

Nils trailed behind me, looking apprehensive. A doctor and a nurse were talking to Baba, who seemed to be somewhat more lucid. Nils winced when he heard the conversation. “They’re going over informed consent for the amputation, now that saving the leg failed.” 

I gathered myself and spoke as clearly and loudly as I dared. “I am Elashki Botelho, his youngest daughter. I know you do not need my permission for this surgery, but his wife and my mother is down the hall and I need to be prepared to tell her what is going on. Please tell me.”

The doctors glanced at Baba and, once he nodded, they explained. His leg needed to be amputated right above the knee, minimum, due to prolonged lack of oxygen. All the tissue in his calf and foot were either dead or dying. I blinked back tears, despite the feeling that I was trying to force whole bees into my eyes. “Thank you.”  I turned to Baba. “This will save your life.  We want you more than we want any money or pride.  Please consent.”  With that, I spun on my heel and left the room as fast I could while retaining any shred of dignity.

I whipped out my phone and started stabbing at it frantically.  Nils made a gesture to take it from me, and I growled with a feral tone I hadn’t realized I possessed. “I am telling Mori that she needs to pee and to meet me here. Giving my mother a panic attack while she is barely off a ventilator is idiotic. No woman ever questions the need to urinate.  Reach for my phone again, and I will bite you.”

Nils blinked. “Ah.” He stood silently for a moment. “I’ll wait here, and…Yeah. Go talk to your sister.” 

Mori arrived a few minutes later, and I explained that Baba would need his leg amputated. As I expected, she immediately sat in a nearby chair and started crying.  Once she caught her breath, I gripped her shoulder hard enough to grab her attention. “Mori. If they don’t do this, he’ll die. And we both know Mama may not survive that.”

Immediately, she sat bolt upright and shook her head. “Oh, hell no. Take it at the hip, I don’t care so long as that means he makes it.”

If nothing else, my family was practical. “They are going for above the knee with a prosthetic. We’ll see after that.”

“But does his insurance cover - “

I almost started to tell her that his insurance covered whatever the fuck I said it covered, but Nils beat me to it.

“Watch evening news reruns. We got hospital admins to agree that every victim of this horrible tragedy will ‘of course’ be helped free of charge.” His voice took on a cold note. “By telling the news that’s what was happening and daring the hospital to disagree with the free PR. He’s covered.”

I rushed to clarify. “That doesn’t mean he is completely secure. But, he is their best radiology tech, the only one who can keep peds patients from squirming. That has to hold some value.  We just have to support him adapting to any prosthetics.”

Mori groaned, loudly. “Baba hates assistance. He’s doomed.”

I chutted at her and corrected. “Baba hates not being independent.  We have to maintain that prosthetics are independence, not help.  I need you on my side on this, more than anything.”

Nils made a point that was simultaneously deeply morbid and exactly what I needed to get my sister’s help. “Lack of independence - or more accurately, men being stubborn about it and just giving up on surviving if it requires accepting help - kills more men recovering from wounds than basically anything else. There’s a reason so many older men buy it within a month or two of going incontinent. Women tend to be a lot less teeth-shatteringly obnoxious about the whole thing, and tend to outlive their husbands by a large margin. Helping him maintain independence matters.” 

I hugged Mori and stood. “I am going in there and asking him if he wants osteointegration or sockets. No option for not amputating. If he argues, I will scream this hospital down until they let Mama scream at him directly.  She’s dedicated over thirty years of her life to keeping Baba alive, she has earned the privilege.”

Nils broke in with a bit of characteristic irritation. “We are absolutely not getting your mother involved, right to or no. Woman just got off a ventilator and they JUST got her lungs and airways working properly again. She’s not doing any screaming for a while.”

I whipped around and stared him dead in his soul - or what substituted for one. “You are more than welcome to try to stop her. We will stand back and laugh as you fail.”

Mori nodded and blessed his attempt at stopping her. “Mama does what she knows is the will of her god. If she dies scolding Baba, he will never live down the shame.”

Nils gave me a long, slow look. “I can help with this. I grew up catholic, I know everything about guilt trips. Let’s go see if we can’t convince him to NOT waste all the effort we already put into saving him and his wife. Let’s start with that BEFORE we bring in the big guns of your mom coming in to literally scream herself to death.” 

I glanced at Mori and swatted my hand in an ‘I’ll explain later’ sort of way. Then we went into the room. 

“Baba. Are you going to have the sockets or the osteointegration for the prosthetic?” I asked matter-of-factly.

“They cannot take my leg,” he grumbled. “They will save it.”

I grabbed the leg in question as tightly as I could, devastated when he didn’t even flinch. “Baba. They cannot save it. You should hurt, but you don’t even notice. Let them take the leg, and discuss the best prosthetic for you.”

Baba threw the closest thing to him - an empty cup- as hard as he could across the room, only to yield a dull thud and some clattering.

“Children throw things,” Mori chided. “You are grown and a man. You are better than this.”

“Grown men have two legs!” he shouted, waving to dismiss us.

I move my grip up to pinch his hip painfully. “Grown men do not need help, yes. But if you do not agree to this, you are choosing to leave Mama - “

“I WOULD NEVER LEAVE HER!” he roared.

I nodded. “Then you will have this surgery. So you do not leave Mama. I am glad we agree.” He went to open his mouth again, so I started speaking. “I have looked in many support groups, and they agree that a socket is the best way to start. Can you imagine? Talking to children in short legs, looking at them eye to eye? They will be thrilled.”

“I am only losing one leg,” he argued.

“And some of them are losing one, maybe two,” Mori added. “Won’t they feel better to see you with only one foot?”

I watched his heart break - for my mother, for his patients. This man, not just my father, but the reassurance of so many children in the last twenty years. “I cannot leave your mother to fight alone, and I cannot leave these children thinking this is the end of the world.  Cara - she has leukemia. If I cannot survive losing a leg, how do I expect her to?”

As I sat back, I let a huge breath leave my body. “Thank fuck - sorry - but my next option was bringing in Mama.”

He sat bolt upright. “Your mother is in a respirator, don’t you DARE risk her life to yell at me!”

Nils waved a hand. “That’s what I said. They told me that I couldn’t stop her, so I could be an intermediate step. With all the knowledge of guilt that a catholic upbringing provides.” 

“Mama is willing to die to yell at you if it’s the last thing you’ll ever hear,” Mori stated flatly. “Both or neither, you don’t get the luxury of an afterlife without her.”

We all started cackling as Baba dove for the call button. “SOCKETS!” he screamed. “SOCKETS OR MY WIFE WILL KILL US BOTH!”

[spookyrobbins]

What do you think would have happened if Teddy had come back to help Arizona after the plane crush?

I think Arizona would have tried to send her away but Teddy would have just stayed there, let her rant and then pull her out of her shit either literally screaming at her or using reason and logic

hm yeah that’s interesting. honestly i think literally anyone other than callie would be a net positive on arizona. she needed to have someone else to lean on to her than callie. which sounds harsher than it is. but they were on such a island and they were both so incredibly isolated.

and teddys a really great option tbh. for starters, she’s very removed from the plane crash. callie’s obviously wrapped up in the leg aspect and all that follows there. alex is the reason she was on the plane (by her own doing ofc). and teddys sort of the only person arizonas close to left.

especially when we consider that this is post henry’s death teddy and she’s in a bad way too, she’d just be pure tough love in a way callie couldn’t be. and she might feel like she needs to save arizona from herself bc she couldn’t save henry.

plus teddy has her own history with traumatic injuries during her time in the army so would also have a perhaps more sympathetic perspective than others. bc she understands the cross section of trauma from the plane crash and trauma from the amputation in a more acute way than i think callie for instance might. plus she’s not married to arizona, she’s just her friend. and that frees callie up to be arizonas wife not her caregiver.

i think also teddy could pull the tim card better than most. she can tell arizona to suck it up and get out of bed and does she think tim would act like this? and yeah arizonas gonna bitch her out but also it probably sounds more legit coming from major altman than callie or bailey or whoever might be ballsy enough to pull that card.

[farharbour]

happy oc-tober everypony 💖 finally took the time to draw out my three main fallout characters! i was going to draw all of my ocs out before posting but i couldn't wait to share these i love them so so so much they are my besties truly i made them i live for them and i would and will die for them

some info about each of them under the cut:

jesse: sosu; you know him, you love him, i never shut up about him. early 30s. my vaguely self-insert projection character who's taken on a life of his own at this point (but in my heart he will always be an extension of me to some extent). anyway. science guy, pacifist-adjacent. pre-war he was a radiologist w/ a concentration in epidemiology and was one of the last researchers trying to cure the new plague. his story in-game is less about shaun and more about the question of whether or not he's a synth (he's not but he's manipulated into thinking he is for a long long time). works with the railroad but has a falling-out with them post-game and takes up post as a doctor in diamond city. soft-spoken but capable. has a few grey hairs because i think it's cute and no other reason (poliosis). he's bi and dating nick. also poly but that's not super important.

bec: lw; i drew her here as she looks at age 29, when she's hanging out in the commonwealth with jesse. i'm not a fan of fo3 so she's truly a fo4 npc who just so happens to have also been the protagonist of fo3. she was injured pretty badly while activating the purifier and suffered severe radiation burns on the right side of her body; it was bad enough that the bos, who took her in, had no other option than to amputate her right arm (she's left-handed). she was coerced into working with the bos in exchange for saving her life and giving her a fully-functioning prosthetic arm but eventually parted ways on less than stellar terms once maxson started worming his way into power. she made he way north on the trail of dr. li and her father, who she had discovered had close ties to the institute (and she herself had a bit of a stake in the synth equation because of how much the replicated man quest affected her). after coming up empty she decided to hunker down in an old red rocket outside of sanctuary hills and turned the garage there into her home. she's a mechanic and loves tinkering with old tech, power armor in particular. she's a lesbian and dating another npc of mine, peaches (aka the general of the minutemen in jess' story).

simon: c6; late-20s. chaotic neutral but not chaotic stupid. dumbass but not dumb. they're related to the chosen one (it's a long and complicated family history that i haven't completely fleshed out yet) and they grew up in arroyo. they were always eager for adventure and set out at a young age for new reno, taking whatever odd jobs they could find. they eventually settled on being a package courier, as it gave him the opportunity to see more of the wasteland they loved so much. they set up a trading post on the long 15 years later and weren't able to escape the blast when it was destroyed; they carry a long scar across the length of their back as a reminder. he's mainly out for himself, but he's also deeply loyal to those few he considers trustworthy. has a soft heart under his silly and slightly abrasive exterior. collects teddy bears and dyes their own hair with a dye they makes themself with a mixture of bleach, clay, and mutfruit. never one to hunker down, they basically vanish back west after hoover dam. unsure if anyone ever sees him again. he's gay and 'dating' arcade (it's very very very very very complicated).

[dalek-nota]

Bio

Name: Nota.

Age: Looks 27 years old, but is a lot older than she looks.

Height: 5'5.

Birthplace: Birmingham, United Kingdom.

Accent: British (Brummie).

Birthday: 24th November.

Gender: Female.

Pronouns: She/Her.

Sexuality: Heterosexual (Straight).

Species: Human-Dalek Hybrid, formerly a full human.

Rank: Dalek Soldier.

Family: Red and Gold Supreme Dalek (Father).

Weapon(s): A Dalek gun stick on her right forearm that can be retracted, it is capable of stunning, scrambling the internals of someone and complete disintegration.

Personality: She is quiet and reserved most of the time, but she will follow orders from her superiors when necessary, she is honest but does have more of a filter compared to how straight-talking the other Daleks are. When around other Daleks she is friendly and can even be cheeky, even though she does share the same anger as a Dalek can, she doesn't get angry very often, but one would know about it if she was. She has a sinister side towards those that are not a Dalek, since she can pull off looking like a normal human and fool them into following her to their inevitable demise or capture, depending on what her superiors would want her to do, she can be especially sinister towards The Doctor because he/she is their mortal enemy. She is serious during a battle or mission, but she also lacks the confidence to be a commander, so she is more comfortable following orders than giving them.

Face Claim: Natalie Alyn Lind.

Distinguishing feature(s):

A scar on the right side of her face from the Time War.

Her right arm, up to her shoulder, is bionic. This is due to recieving a bad injury during the Time War in which her right arm had to be amputated because it was too damaged to fix, it is also where her Dalek gunstick is stored.

When she has to go out to battle, she can activate her helmet that will protect her from injuries, it was added to her systems after gaining the scar down the right side of her face.

Casual outfit:

Battle outfit:

Background: Nota was born in Birmingham, United Kingdom, to loving parents, with the original name of Rebecca. However, when she was four months old she was involved in a car accident, her parents didn't survive but she did and was sent to an orphanage. She was taken from said orphanage by the Daleks and brought to the Daleks' creator, Davros, the Dalek creator injected her with Dalek DNA from the Supreme Dalek which caused her to have the appearance she has today. She was saved from having her emotions removed by the Supreme Dalek and was given a new name by him, Nota, she was raised by him and was never aware of the Time War until she was old enough to understand. She was given training and was on the front lines of the Time War when she was eighteen years old, when the Time War was reaching the end there was a large explosion from The Moment, it caused a tear through time and the ship that she was on with her father, along with a few other Daleks, fell through time. Because of this, it is possible that they could be the only survivors of the Time War.

Likes:

Spending time with her father and other Daleks.

A successful battle.

Music.

Astronomy.

Practicing her skills.

Dislikes:

The Doctor.

Seeing her father or other Daleks hurt or worse.

Other alien races.

Humans.

Davros.

Fear(s):

Losing her father.

Creepy-crawlies.

Pitch black darkness.

Strength(s):

Good flier.

Accurate shooter.

Good at following orders.

Creative when she puts her mind to it

Is formidable in battle.

Can sometimes think of ideas outside the box.

Weakness(es):

Blind in her right eye, so has no depth perception.

Can sometimes have trouble understanding something.

Cannot hold eye contact for very long.

Sometimes her mind can pull a blank when a sudden change happens, so she would have to be given guidance by her superiors.

She doesn't have an emergency temporal shift function, so the only way she would be able to get away from somewhere during dire straits would be to have at least her hand on a Dalek's casing.

Other info:

When she is angry, her irises glow to express it, or she can willingly make them glow even when she isn't angry.

She has Autism.

She is able to project a holographic map of anywhere in the universe.

She can scan things, but she can no longer zoom in on things because she is blind in her right eye. But her helmet can make up for it by being able to zoom in on things.

She has flight mechanisms on the soles of her trainers or the boots of her battle suit so she can fly.

She doesn't have to eat and drink as a necessity.

She has the same shielding system as the Daleks.

She has the ability to growl, which she does to either express growing anger or as an intimidation technique.

She listens to music via the ear protectors on her helmet whenever she goes out to battle as it helps her to not only get into the battle mindset but extra protection from hearing explosions and gunshots, but should an order come through on the comms, the music would lower in volume so she would hear the order clearly, then when the comm call is over her music goes back to normal volume, she can choose to have the music on or off via a mental command.

[angst-king]

Fall from Grace CHP 9

(SURPRISE FUCKERS, you guys know I can't move on with a happy ending like that. So here's my version of a 'bad ending'. Like I said in the true ending. I hope you all have enjoyed this story I know I loved writing it. Anyways without further ado~) ((CW mention of amputation, sex & death) “Vaggie” Her hoarse voice called out from behind the cracked door, Vaggie went over to her concerned. Charlie noticed the metal arm, from what she had been told Lute had cut off Vaggie’s arm or well mangled it to the point she had to cut it off herself. But that didn’t deter her from wanting one final session. “Charlie, you shouldn’t be roaming around too much, you need rest-” Charlie shut Vaggie up with a deep kiss yet instead of it being quick and rough it was slow and tender full of love and wanting. Vaggie made a soft noise in surprise, her face blushed but she wasn’t going to miss this opportunity and kissed back. Charlie pulled Vaggie into her bedroom and locked the door, her inhibitions dropped as they continued to kiss. When they pulled away Vaggie noticed tears falling and cupped her face worriedly.

“Are you okay, did I hurt you?” Charlie shook her head and smiled before whispering.

“Before I go, I wanted you to know that I-...I ….I think I love you Vaggie.” Vaggie smiled and leaned in to kiss her but halted when she realized what she said.

“What do you mean ‘before you go?’ Wh-where are you going, Charlie?” “I’m going to die, Vaggie.” Her eyes blew wide and she backed away checking over the princess’s body.

“Not now but soon, I’m sorry to do this to you but. I can’t take living anymore, call it cowardly but living hurts. My life has been nothing but being someone else’s puppet and I can’t do this.” Charlie explained dismally but her smile didn’t leave as she reached for Vaggie.

“Please Vaggie, won't you give me one more night? Fuck me like you love me, not as a knight, not as an exorcist but as a lover. Fuck me like you want to know just how much you love me.” The blond girl pleaded while intertwining their fingers and pulling Vaggie on top of her. Vaggie sighed, if this was going to be her last she was going to make it her best!

For someone who was apparently soulless, she knew how to make love. Vaggie spent the entire night fucking Charlie how she had dreamed. Sure she liked it rough but it always felt like hate fucking or as if she was fucking a stranger. This felt like love, this felt real! She made sure Charlie enjoyed every minute of it and didn’t care if they were caught. She hoped that if she did a good enough job then Charlie would forget all about her plans. However, when Vaggie woke up to an empty bedroom she knew there was no stopping her. 

Then there was a blood-curdling scream.

Vaggie made haste to put on her clothes and get to the source, spear in hand as she ran down the hall. A few other guards came running as well. The sound of loud sobbing echoed louder and louder many other Archangels came from their sides of the castle all meeting in the center hall’s throne room. Vaggie had gone pale at the image in front of her very eyes. On her throne sat Charlie with a holy sword impaling her chest, her crown hanging from the handle of the sword, and her engagement ring resting on the end of the handle. Golden blood slowly seeped through her dress as her body lay still. The source of the scream was Lilith and Samael!

Everyone shared a look of horror as Lilith and Samael rushed towards her. Charlie weakly looked up at her parents who hovered over her. The light in her bright blue eyes faded fast.

“I’m sorry Mom and Dad, I couldn’t do it anymore.” Her voice hardly a ghosting their ears. Lilith dropped to her knees while Samael had Raphael rush over to help him save Charlie. Pulling the sword from her chest they both worked at healing her before she bled out. Samael lifted her body from the throne and pulled her close to his body using what magic he could to repair the damage while he cried.

“It's okay Charlie, it's okay Daddy’s here now, come on sweetheart open your eyes. Daddy and Mommy are here, come on!” He started chest compressions when he couldn’t feel her pulse, it almost made him sick to his stomach to hear her ribs crunching as they broke from the force. They were still healing from her fall through the hotel’s crash. Her lifeless body was raising and lowering on the floor from it. But he wasn’t going to stop, he couldn’t stop, not until his little girl was breathing, until she was holding onto him until she was calling for him. He wouldn’t stop!

“Come on Charlie come on princess, wake up for me, open those pretty eyes of yours. Please Charlie you’re scaring me!” He pleaded, as he worked Michael hurried from his side.

“What the fuck is with all the screaming?!” He yelled grumpily looking to be just woken up from his sleep though as he walked around he saw Lilith who was curled into Uriel while silently begging for their daughter to come back, then he turned the corner and saw Samael over Charlie’s body and the bloody sword on the floor.

“What happened?!” But no one answered, Samael and Raphael were too busy working on Charlie and everyone else was spectating in suspense.

Samael didn’t know how long he had been doing chest compressions but Raphael had to force him to stop and let him continue them. What could he do now? He had just come home from Earth to see his daughter die! He felt so useless all he could do was pray at this point until Raphael told him.

“I’ve got one last option here, and if this doesn’t work then I’m sorry brother.” Samael knew what Raphael meant and nodded solemnly.

“Anything, please do anything as long as it saves her please!” The king of heaven beseeched desperately. Raphael nodded back and clasped his hands together muttering a spell of sorts he asked for Samael and Lilith to extend out their hand. Both of them did as told and he held them in his. Closing his eyes a small glowing ball of light began to grow from the size of a marble to an orange. He was taking some of their divine energy and life force along with his own before he plunged it into Charlie’s body. There was silence, waiting, oh dammit did they hate waiting especially now. The wound in Charlie’s chest struggled to close the sound of skin snapping and pulling to meet in the middle along with crackling bones trying to put themselves back into place.  Blood continued to pour from the area spilling onto the floor creating a puddle that steadily grew. Raphael leaned down, felt for her pulse, and checked for any signs of life. His mouth came utterly dry when not a single one could be found.

“I-I’m sorry, br-brother.” He could hardly get out the words, Samael shook his head, he couldn’t believe it, he didn’t want to.

“N-no, please Raphael!” Raphael could feel his own heart sinking as he looked down at the princess.

“I’m so sorry S-Sa-Samael….Sh-she’s gone.” Samael grabbed Charlie’s lifeless body and pulled it back to him.

“No no no, she-she can’t be, please! She’s not no! Please!” He buried his face into her shoulder as bawled heavily. Lilith had realized what this meant and fully dropped to her knees letting out the loudest scream that almost shook the castle. But not of horror, but of pain, this cry was out of pain and loss. Uriel stayed close to her rubbing her back while trying to keep herself from crying as did many of the other Archangels. It had finally hit Michael as to what had happened…Charlie was dead.

Vaggie who stood by watching all of this did her best to resist the urge to cry, she had hardly felt this urge so it was unfamiliar. This deep-seated pain in her chest grew the longer she watched, she bit on her lower lip as it started to quiver when the floodgates of emotions began to test her strength.

The room was overflowing with pain, so much pain, so much anguish.

The princess had fallen from grace, but sadly no one had been there to catch her.

A day after there was an announcement that had reached many places of her passing. Heaven would never be the same, and Samael and Lilith would never be the same. They had lost their only daughter, no amount of asking to reincarnate her would bring her back. No amount of getting on their knees and begging with God would bring her back. No amount of beating Michael bloody would fix the damage done to their kingdom or bring back Charlie.

The story has ended but there was no happily ever after.

[nellie-elizabeth]

Grey's Anatomy: The Marathon Continues (20x06)

Alright, let's dive in!

Cons:

A recurring and somewhat befuddling theme of more recent seasons of Grey's Anatomy is the attempt to address the completely horrifying way the medical education system operates. The fact that interns work eighty hour weeks and don't have time to eat or sleep has been part of the show from the beginning. But I struggle to understand what the show's... thesis is, here, if that makes sense. Is it a "back in my day we didn't complain about a little hard work" thing? Because I don't think so, that would be pretty out of character for this show. But then you've got Bailey giving everyone wellness bags that are full of band-aid solutions, and then later she sends Simone and Kwan home for griping about their low pay and long hours? But then I guess it's about how Bailey also needs a break or whatever. She says a thing about how the system is designed poorly and there's not a lot that can be done in the individual level. So is that the point? I don't know. It's just a little muddy.

Richard having a moment of fuzziness where he hesitates to step in... I really do feel like I'm on a merry-go-round with Richard as a character at this point. This one was kind of a fake-out, where it looked like Richard was going to choke up at the finish line but then he stepped in and was fine and saved a life. Are we going to keep dragging this out where he's unsure if he should still be actively practicing, so he takes an admin role? Have I not seen him go through that process more than once already? This man was talking about retirement towards the beginning of this show's runtime!

Catherine continues to suck, I hated that this episode featured her giving a family special treatment for being big hospital donors, with no seeming awareness of how this is a structural, systemic issue and an active interference in the patient's medical care? Like, I know it ultimately worked out and the young woman got the surgery that's going to help her moving forward with her amputation, but I was really frustrated with Catherine through all of this. As I frequently am.

The little subplot thing about Schmitt not being passionate enough for pediatrics felt a little... phoned in, I guess. I knew the second he said casually "oh, Webber suggested it and the position is in high demand" that this new doctor lady was going to tell him he didn't want it enough or something. The idea that he needs to put on some song and dance about how it's his one true calling in life just seems so unnecessary and lazy. He wants to go into a specialty, just let him do it. Yeesh.

Pros:

I really like Simone and Kwan, honestly? I hate to say this, but the Simone/Kwan energy might actually be more interesting than Kwan/Jules and Simone/Lucas, just from this one brief episode. They had a really natural rhythm to their scenes and seemed to bolster each other emotionally and have a similar way of looking at the world. The fact that Blue was able to open up to Simone a little, reassure her that he's going through a rough moment but that he's handling it, that was so big coming from him! And Simone has been going through a rough period, and seemed to have an actually relaxing, productive day with Kwan. I want more of that for both of them. And I don't really feel bad for Lucas coming home to see Kwan taking over his room in the intern house. Serves you right, my dude.

I liked the little bit of parenting drama between Link and Amelia, over Scout having his own tablet. Too much screentime isn't good for any of us, especially young children! I like that it wasn't some big drama, that it's more a little thing of all these blended families with various custody arrangements having to negotiate the boundaries and the rules. And it also seems we're making room for the potential developing bond between Amelia and new pediatric doctor Monica, as they touch base briefly about Amelia having a kid, then sit together on a bench to play games on Monica's phone. I can dig the vibe here, waiting to see where it goes!

Yasuda continues to be a highlight. This week, she's working with a patient who's been sent from prison for treatment. She has a really hard time with the idea of sending him back and not giving him the highest level of care possible. This is a plot thread that really underlines systemic issues and also speaks to Yasuda's compassion as a young doctor trying to figure out the level of investment she's able to pour into each of her patients. I love that we never learn much about the prisoner's past, because that's not really the point. Why he's in prison is unimportant to the truth, which is that he's a human being deserving of compassion. Yasuda manages to track down a dessert he's been thinking about for years while locked up, and as he goes back to the prison with meds to help with the pain but no further treatment for his cancer, at least she's able to give him a final comfort.

We didn't get a ton of Helm this week but I like seeing some attention put on the Yasuda/Helm situation. I hope we can get a proper arc focused on them. It still feels like this show doesn't know quite what to do with Helm, and I'd love to give her more of a spotlight soon!

Ultimately, upon reflecting on all of the plot threads this week, a lot were mediocre or irritating to me. I thought Simone and Kwan were the real highlight, and I'm still interested in where a lot of these elements will go from here. With the truncated season length, we're already staring down the barrel of the end of this season of Grey's Anatomy. It's all happening too fast!

6.5/10

[squibbles-gubwee]

Hey! I cot a commission from @artsyfartsybro for a Rook x Leon oneshot and was kind enough to say i could post it!

Warnings: Cursing, mild sexual themes (No actual sex or nudity, does include grinding/sorta frottage) , talk of amputated limbs.

Without further ado:

Punch Drunk

•••••••••••

Sugary lemon lime tingled on his tongue, sparkling with hints of grapefruit. The carbonated drink fizzed against his lips, and the cold of the aluminum can felt pleasant in his warm palm. Drips of condensation slowly creeped and dripped off the drink, a few errant drops streaking up Rook's wrist.

The whole gala was dimly lit, with streamers of softly glowing and flashing lights strung up between tall pillars and high walls. The floor was a glossy wood that was flooded with yokai of all kinds, mingling, dancing, eating, laughing…

Rook's eye itched. He didn't dare rub it though.

The man instead took another sip of his soda, eyes sweeping the crowd of guests, watching the security guards posted up everywhere. He didn't get why he had to be part of everything, but he supposed if the turtles needed his help, it was the least he could do for saving the world. And honestly, he had such a hard time denying them, especially if Raph started giving the big puppy eyes.

Do not. Itch. Your eyes.

Rook blinked hard, trying to prevent messing with his contact lenses. He couldn't see better out of them, they were purely cosmetic to help him blend in with the Yokai crowd with their gold color. He needed to stay hidden amongst the various shaped bodies. He felt far too normal yet not at all. Odd one out in a sea of oddities. He hoped the kids were doing okay.

Ping!

The Aegean haired man pulled his phone out as he sipped his sparkling water. 

[You stick out like a sore thumb.]

Glaring, Rook whipped his head up and looked around before spotting Leon, snickering with a few river otter yokai, laughing as he typed something on his phone.

Ping!

[You're acting like a wallflower, get over yourself.]

Oooh ho ho ho. Rook felt his face get red as he shot a message back.

[It's not like movies, you know. I won't be ousted for leaning against a wall because I need to cool off. There's so many ppl literally doin the same.]

….He defended himself too much. Way too much.

Rolling his eyes, Rook went back to looking over the crowd. He took another sip of his drink, and thought quietly about when he should jump in the fray and start mingling more. Which he normally, y'know wouldn't HAVE to worry about, except today his leg was being particularly Bitchy. It ached something fierce, from shin to hip.

Must be a pressure system coming in.

"Excuse me. Is this wall taken?"

Rook stiffened and looked over, noting the toad yokai who just walked up. He shook his head, scooting over a bit to make more room available to the amphibious woman. "No! Sorry, I can leave-"

"No need! I just need a break. Carbuncles are always so chatty. Good fun, but I need time away from them, you know?"

Humming a noncommittal reply, Rook turned his face away, making sure to avoid showing too many features to the stranger. "Mh, yeah."

"Are you having fun at the party?"

"Huh? Yeah! Yeah, I am, I'm just, y'know. I'm waiting for a bit, having a rest before I jump in to go dancing?"

Rook gave a charming grin, masking his anxiousness. He knew how to rub elbows. He went to plenty of parties and shindigs. It was just the talking he was bad at.

…he should go get some food. Yeah, yeah that-

"Oh! You intend on dancing with your friend?"

"Hm?"

"The kappa who keeps looking your way. Is…Is he not, or…?"

You have to be fucking kidding-

Rook scrunched his nose in confusion and whipped his head around, catching Leon just as he went back to chatting up the Kawauso. Definitely caught staring. The human sighed and looked back at the toad yokai.

"He's my uh, boyfriend actually."

"And he is not with you?"

Shaking his head, the navy haired man waved her concern off. "He's chattier and knows I have issues mingling. He can do what he wants. He thinks I'm lame. Pun not intended."

The toad woman looked back and forth between the two, before puffing herself up some. "Well! How about we show him, hm? You mentioned dancing, care to join me for one?"

Rook looked up. He glanced over at Leon, showing off a slight of hand trick that had several of the otters gasping and a few itachi nearby to stare in awe.

"Mustelids, tch…you can totally see the card."

Rook turned red and looked back at the toad once more. "Ah, sorry I…Well, I'm down, just be mindful of my leg-"

"Great!! Come on, there's a song with a good beat on!"

And soon he was whisked away, led like a stray dog right into the den of lions. The toad had taken his drink, putting it on a table and dragging him away. Swallowing nervously, Rook allowed himself to be pulled along, the toad's grip firm and eager as she led him onto the coloured floor.

This was a trap. This was a trap and you were so fucking stupid. She knows. She SO knows you're human and she is going to reveal it right now, or get security to throw you out. Or better yet? In fucking yokai jail. Yeah. Yeah good for you you jeopardized the whole mission and-

They were dancing.

Rook blinked as he continued to box step, finding the music and movements wholly taking him as he flowed through dance moves and step routines he remembered from years passed.

Right, left, twist, left, right, twist, right back, left back, left forward, right forward, Left, Right, left, right.

…Rook grinned, grabbing slightly webbed hands, and the toad woman squealed and croaked a laugh as he spun her into a rumba, mindful not to crush any toes with his prosthetic foot. The music was quick, so he kept his pace up, weaving steps through the lit tile dancefloor.

He was having a blast. Teasingly, he sashayed his hips some and the yokai laughed before taking a dramatic pose and pulling out all the stops. They two danced chaotically, playfully, freely.

Leon couldn't help but stare.

His hand clenched. Unclenched. His eyes bore into the two, entirely disregarding the group of kawauso he had been entertaining. One whined as she tried to grab his attention, wanting to see another trick. 

"Dude, just like, go talk to him already. You've been eyeing him all night. Live your shitty high school prom romance movie moment."

Leon whipped his head back around, laughing and waving the woman off. "No, no, it's fine! It's all good-"

"Oh no," a particularly dark-furred otter hummed. "You got it bad. What, is he your friend you never told you liked him? You've been texting him all night-"

"He's my boyfriend," the terrapin huffed.

The gravelly bark of a laugh came from the yokai. "You haven't been acting like it. You might go cut in before that Ōgama can get her warty hands on him!"

Leon frowned, his muzzle scrunched some. He wasn't…worried about something like that, but… well, the two were drawing attention. He and Rook were supposed to keep a low profile.

Steeling himself, the red-eared slider slipped away to the dancefloor, slinking between bodies in search of the human. Once close enough, he fell into rhythm and easily gravitated closer, before sidling up close to the two. 

"Mind if I cut in, guapo?"

Rook's eyes narrowed.

Yes. Yes he did mind. Leon didn't get to just… just decide when Rook was having a nice time that he could now cut in. Not when he wouldn't be near the man earlier, claiming that he was going to "cramp his style".

Please. Rook didn't need him.

The toad woman chuckled, and Rook felt her loosen her grip, only for the man to squish her hands and lead her into a tango, ignoring Leon. His shoulder was cold to the lowest degree, and it left the amphibious reptile in shock as the two danced away. He swore he saw Rook turn his nose up and away, even, as he spun the bewildered toad out and back in. 

Oh.

Really now? That was how the therapist was going to act?

Glaring, he watched Rook dance for some time more, the human commanding the room with how he moved on the floor. He had to admit, Donatello did great work on the prosthesis. It seemed to really help, and it was quite flexible.

However, after two, three more songs…

Rook stumbled. Figuratively and literally. Leon caught him wincing and at one point, Leon feared his knee was giving out as he awkwardly caught himself from falling, playing it off like a dip.

Leon brushed past several people, and this time cut in by simply grabbing the human's hands.

"Sorry miss, but I need to steal my boyfriend."

"Like hell you do."

"Oh! Here you are, have fun!"

Oooh, the look the mutant got as the amphibian ran off was utterly livid.

"Can I help you?"

The mutant ignored the petulant tone and slowed their steps, swirling here, there, flowing and weaving to the edge of the crowd. At one point, there was a soft gasp from the human and he stumbled again, so he was swept up and spun, until the two of them were off the dancefloor and the Hamato was dragging him down a hall.

"Let- dammit, Leon! This is getting more attention! Let go-"

Rook was slammed against a wall, teeth clacking, and the terrapin had him trapped between an arm and a corner.

"What the fuck was that, hm?"

"What, you weren't doing me any favors. I made a friend and went to have fun."

Green thumb and forefinger flicked him in his head. "Fucker. I'm talking about the attitude- we're on a mission! You, and that stunt, got a lot of attention."

The human rolled his faux gold eyes. "I'm sorry, is the mutant turtle from the apocalypse telling me what parties are like? Leon, no one actually cares. In fact, even if I had eyes on me, they're not going to assume it's suspicious to actively seek out the limelight. It's a party. YOU acted suspicious when you stole me away like that. It wasn't- you just leave! You don't try to ease out all sneaky like that. That was weird!"

"Mm, yeah. That. Don't think I didn't catch what was happening." The medic glared. "You were also overdoing it. You needed to stop if your prosthesis was hurting that bad."

Rook became red. "It- it wasn't my prosthesis-"

"REALLY? Because I watched you almost fall into a group of fire spirits. I bet they would so listen to whatever fucking excuse you have."

"Leon-"

A thick finger pressed to his sternum. "If you can't take this mission seriously, you shouldn't be here. Not only are you pulling some petty shit back there, but not taking care of yourself is a pretty big no-no. You should have stopped the moment your prosthesis started fucking hurting. But no! No, you had to go do this prideful 'I don't need you telling me what to do' shit! You nearly compromised us! You could have caused the whole mission to fold!" Huffing, the mutant crossed his arms. "What, if it was me are you going to act like you wouldn't jump down my throat?!"

"No! Yes?! Leon, it's fine-"

"No! No it's not! You could damage the port! Or your nerves! You could have caused irreparable damage, you know this!! So why did you think it was okay?!"

"BECAUSE IT WASN'T THE FUCKING MISSING ONE, ITS THE STILL HERE ONE THATS HURTING!!"

Leon stared quietly, but Rook barreled ahead, fire licking in his eyes. 

"I'M SORRY I DIDN'T STOP HAVING A FUN TIME! SORRY I ENJOYED MYSELF DOING MY FAVORITE FUCKING THING. WHEN AM I EVER GOING TO DANCE LIKE THIS AGAIN?! NEVER!"

Under normal circumstances, Rook would probably be emotional and start crying, but he was just too heated right now that they wouldn't come. Instead, a sticky, muggy anger clung to his skin and refused to let go.

His leg was shot for the rest of the night, but he didn't care.

"I-"

"NO! NO, IT'S MY TURN. You wouldn't listen so I won't either! I get it. You don't want to hang out with me because I cramp your style or whatever. But you don't get to be mad at me when I have fun!"

"When it hurts-"

"IT ALWAYS FUCKING HURTS! IT JUST SOMETIMES HURTS LESS THAN NORMAL!" Rook hated screaming. He hated it so much. "I have more metal in my stupid fucking flesh and blood leg than the prosthesis. It hurts. Always! And if I let that keep me in bed, I'd be riddled with sores and wounds. I will not quit doing stuff I love because it hurts me."

"There's a balance!" Leon chided, cupping his face and staring into those glossy aurum eyes. "You can't overstrain yourself, you know thi-"

 "I WOULD RATHER DANCE TIL THIS PINS AND RODS PIECE OF SHIT ROTS THAN BE MISERABLE," Rook howled, cold fire in his lungs and salt in his eyes. "I REFUSE TO LAY AWAKE AT NIGHT, WISHING I HAD ONE MORE DANCE, ONE MORE TIME TO HAVE FUN, ONE MORE-"

Leon smashed his mouth against the other, and despite the few hits to the plastron or arm, he kept kissing. Teeth scraped and clashed, and Rook was all fury as he kissed back. Nails scraped against the back of the mutant's head and shoulders, making him churr deep in his chest. Rook slotted a knee between his legs, and Leon couldn't help but grind against it.

The two broke away in heavy, hot breaths.

"You're insufferable," hissed Rook.

"Bite me."

Leon yelped and moaned as the human dud just that, teeth sinking into the meat of his neck juncture. The two then began angrily making out once more, tongues swiping at one another between bites and nips to lips and jaws.

"The contacts are pretty, but I much prefer your real eyes."

"Oh, please."

"Pft, don't you know? I've been wanting to do this all fucking night." Leon growled, voice husky and a bit gravelly. A three-fingered hand slipped down the back of Rook's slacks and palmed his ass. "Just drag you into a hall or closet, have you all to myself and-"

The two flinched as Leon's phone beeped loudly. The ninja pulled the device out and answered, only-

"WE ARE TRYING TO DO A RECONNAISSANCE MISSION, WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU TWO DOING?!" Donatello screeched, making them flinch. Out of the corner of his eye, Leon could see a camera not far away, pointed right at them.

Oh boyyy…

The adults both winced, Leon shifting his collar to hide a bite mark and Rook looking away, face red.

"Ah, 'Tello! Uh, we were-"

"QUIT DRY HUMPING YOUR BOYFRIEND AND GET BACK TO WORK, NARDS!!"

Nothing more was said, and the call ended. Quickly, their clothing was sorted out and fixed. Rook stared down.

The duo shuffled out of the hallway, keeping a foot's distance between each other. Neither one would look at the other, and Leon watched as Rook limped to the tables to have a seat, successfully cowed.

Right. 

Back to work.

[ninjacat1515]

Ben meets the big bad wolf and takes out a leg of mutton. He tosses it and the wolf catches it on all fours, tail wagging and eyes alight with the urge to play. He realizes he's acting like a dog and stops himself, going back to his original two legged standing position.

"Sorry you had to see that and thank you for the meat."

Ben notes how unwell the wolf looks, ribs showing and fur matted. There's a limp to his walk, though he tries to hide it.

"It hurts more every day, can't even hunt a damn rabbit."

"Mind if I take a look?"

Skeptically the wolf allows him, and notes how methodical the human was. This guy knew what he was doing!

"It seems you had a bad fracture that got infected. It might have to be amputated."

The wolf looks devastated.

"How will I f-find food??"

"I have plenty of space at my Sanctuary, and wolves are more than welcome. Plenty of meat too."

The wolf fought back tears and glanced up the trail. In the distance there was a cabin.

"I was going to do something stupid. Found a girl who told me where her grandmother lived. Old ladies and kids are slow so I thought I'd have a chance at em....wasn't in my right mind, can barely think straight. Thank you."

Ben treats his injury so he can walk on it better and escorts the wolf back to the Sanctuary. They manage to save his leg but he stays there and become a permanent resident.

( I don't give a fuck if this is disrespectful to fairy tales I'm beyond done with wolves being irredeemable and evil in basically every single one of them. Enough of that)

[lurkiestvoid]

Having a lot of mixed feelings so personal rant time for a bit.

My 'second mom' (stepmom) is getting older and very disabled. She's not ready to give up her independence just yet, but she has no one that is both 1) close enough and 2) able to care for her, but sometime within the next year or two she's going to start needing round-the-clock care.

She's already run it by her son and my brother and they're cool with this idea, so she's offered that, when she does need the care, we could move in with her so I could be her caregiver and in return she'd leave us her house.

It's going to be an ongoing discussion and we haven't agreed yet, but both of us would feel much better to not have her be alone all the time, and we'll literally never afford to buy a house otherwise. There are LOTS of details and pros/cons to consider and no decision has been reached, but that's the context.

I found out today that there is a Medicaid program that will pay wages to a disabled and/or elderly patient's caregiver of choice (friend, family, etc) and while that's amazing and definitely goes straight to the top of the "pro" column, I am fucking angry I didn't know about it before now.

It would have literally saved my mom's life. Full stop.

In 2019 my mom went to the beach and came back with what she thought was a "bug bite" on her calf. Over the next year, it itched and grew and rotted until she was in excruciating pain. She lost her job over it. Doctors prescribed all sorts of antibiotics and nothing worked. A few weeks before she died, in April 2019, she asked me to take her to the ER -- a very rare admission of pain from her -- and the ER docs shrugged. They referred her to a wound care clinic.

I didn't know this at the time, but she had her sister take her to that appointment (aunt stayed in the car) and came out crying, had aunt take her home. Later we found out they gave her only two options: either $200/wk for gauze and supplies mailed to her home, or amputation of the leg. Pay more than her rent for maintenance, or lose any chance of supporting herself.

So she went home and died. She kept it quiet so no one would worry. She wrote a goodbye letter. Less than two weeks later her body gave out and succumbed to infection, a month before her 50th birthday. We found her days after. It was ... bad.

If we had known this was an option, it would have been a major factor in considering her future quality of life. I could have taken care of her, could have afforded to do so -- we've always been in poverty and she didn't want to be a burden, but this option would have turned it from "burden" to "favor" in her mind, would have made it so that she wouldn't have had to be alone, wouldn't have had to worry about rent, wouldn't have had to worry about caring for herself as a middle-aged fresh amputee living alone.

Regardless, I'm glad to know this option exists now at least, so I can maybe help care for the one parental figure I have left and not have to repeat the "finding your loved one long-dead" scenario.

But goddammit mom should still be alive and this might have saved her. It makes it fresh all over again.

[notacoward]

Shit.

Severus looked down at his leg, which was bleeding pretty bad. He had gotten grazed by a rather nasty curse, thank Merlin, and hadn't had his leg involuntarily amputated. He cast a quick charm on it to at least cover the wound for now. He would have to come up with a more permanent solution later.

Glancing from behind one of the ornate pieces of furniture, he got a lay of the land.

Cissy, where are you? I'm going to come get you.

He waited for a moment, then heard her voice in his head.

Severus, I'm upstairs in our room. The door is barred. Do you have Lucius? Ramona?

I'm going to find them and bring them up to you, then we're going to get the fuck out of here.

He huffed and counted to three in his mind, then got up. A barrage of spells started hurtling toward him, and though Dumbledore had instructed the Order not to kill him, he knew there would be some attempted 'accidents.' He had found out that Potter had actually lived, but apparently him saving him wasn't enough to get on everyone's good side. Whatever.

He spotted a few flashes of blonde hair and prayed that was either Lucius or Ramona or both. He carefully made his way there, deflecting and returning curses left and right.

"Severus!" Lucius called out, throwing a few more spells across the room. "I have Ramona!"

"Alright, I'm coming to you. I know where Cissy is," Severus called back, sidestepping another hex. He was almost there. Almost. His eyes were flicking all over the house, trying to anticipate any attack. He was glad he was on guard, because Sirius was across the way, and he could tell he was about to send a nasty curse toward the blondes. Severus ran quickly -- though everything felt like it was moving in slow motion -- and wrapped his arms around Lucius and Ramona, the curse slamming into his back. He groaned in pain and tightened his grip on them. Fuck. He didn't even want to see the state of his body right then.

"I was wondering just how many more hints I'd have to drop before you finally put them together." Ramona teased, her voice just as low. There were some Death Eaters she could tolerate better than others for one reason or another. Mostly it had to do with simply being around them for an extended period of time. But when it came to being held close like this... she had to be honest with herself at the very least and admit Severus was the only one she wanted like this.

With the position they were in, that was more than dangerous. "Is He here tonight?" There had been whispers about the Dark Lord making an appearance, but nothing had been exactly confirmed yet. Lucius was all but foaming at the mouth to get back on his good side, knowing the higher rank the more protection his family would receive. With Draco growing all the time, the general idea made sense even if Lily worried what kind of life that would make for the boy.

Mostly she tried to stay out of sight, not exactly on the fringes - the Mark made going back to *that* impossible - but more in the hopes that in his madness the Dark Lord would grow focused on other things. His health seemed to be failing with the creation of the Horcruxes, even as he became all the more obsessed with immortality. The whole concept was scary enough on its own, but if someone didn't do something soon it was going to become a lot worse.

"Come on Snape, you can't expect to hog such a pretty little bird all night." Anotonin gave what Ramona was sure he thought was a charming smirk, the witch trying to hide any small shivers of repulsion. This man was on par with Bellatrix when it came to cruelty, but she couldn't very well say no without drawing even more attention to them. Her eyes promised Severus she would find him later, and using her Occlumency she was able to tune out most of the droning from first him and then various partners. Some information was valuable, but honestly... not much.

~~//~~

It was closer to ten when the first explosions came, screams of fear quickly mixing with yells of fury and spells being blasted across the room. Ducking behind and overturned table Ramona quickly searched the room for Severus, at least what she could see without sticking her neck out and getting her hair singed off. She didn't see James, for obvious reasons, and a tiny little prayer for him fell off her lips before she started fighting her way through Order members.

Her aim was to injure or at the very most maim, but not kill anyone if she could get away with it tonight. Right now she wanted to find Severus and the Malfoys, make sure they were alright. It was a hated thing that they couldn't get away, but her back was going to be to theirs to make sure all four made it through this night.