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the-dye-stained-socialite · 5 months ago

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Elias' River-Blood

(sounds of whooping and cheering and excited hand slapping) So! Preemptively I will warn that this has spoilers for The Swan Bride ES! Also it gets put under a cut cause it's gonna be Long! I'm gonna sort this into 3 sections: How it Happened, How it's Maintained, and How it Affects Them!

How it Happened:

In the ES you help out the Swan Bride, and discover how and why she is what she is. You learn she was married to a second city Priestess in a poisoned pool in the Sere Palace, and bound to her and the rivers of the canals forever. There you have the option to allow the Bride her marriage to the Priestess, and to make the same sort of bargain the previous Gonfalonier made, and allow the Priestess to open your veins, and let the waters of the river Persephone flow through you. Your character dies and ends up going to a poison river instead of the slow river, and this is where the process happens, and you end up with the water (and specifically also the poison) of the Persephone running through your blood!! This also makes it much easier for you to win the race against the old Gonfalonier. I think it's implied that the reason the PC isn't bound to the canals like the Bride was is because the Priestess has the Bride now and is happy and content with that but... i like my blorbos possessive and this includes rivers, so. Also some parts of this ES were a touch confusing and hard to understand and I apparently didn't record all of it in my echos sadly!!!!

There's also parts where you can discover some of the lore and traditions of the Locks and it talks about guild members getting symbolically married to the waters!

(Okay so. this is the start of my oc specific speculation, meaning any of this can shift or change as I develop and thing of things further!)

How I interpret this for Elias is that they now are tied and married to the River Persephone itself, and with her waters flowing through them, they are bound to her. Not as strongly as the Bride, who was unable to leave, because i think the River knows Elias can't be contained and restrained, but it is more than nothing.

They were good at the Viol beforehand, but the Bride taught them much about it, and now it's one of their favorite forms of music.

Additionally, Elias was not nearly so KatTox focused before this. They had their work with the camera and developing chemicals on the Surface, but not much of the intimate knowledge. After I have them sort of taking her place a bit though, they have much more knowledge then before. This is when they went from esoteric ideas about the Neathbow, to actually studying its chemical properties and compositions, and becoming a pigment and dye-chemist! Before this they would mostly do field research, but had very little idea on what to actually do with that knowledge! This is when Elias got their dyes started!

How it's Maintained: Elias pretty much always feels the pull of the river, but it's akin to gravity. Most days they're pretty used to it, but some days it gets heavy and strong, and can't be ignored. The further they get, and the longer it's been since a visit, the stronger the pulls becomes, and the worse their symptoms can become (which i'll cover below). Elias must actually be upon the river for the pulling and tugging and Symptoms to subside, so just hangin' around the Locks without actually saying hello to their lovely spouse isn't going to work! They'll also often just. put their hands. in the poison waters. I think the river itself is already a bit thicker than normal water, probably being water, blood, and poison in equal measure. So most people would Not put their hands in that, especially because not wanting to risk the poison hurting them! (but also a little bit because of the whole blood thing.) Elias does this anyways because the poison doesn't affect them in the same way, because it's good bonding time with their spouse, they're a bit of a blood freak, and also they can do Fun Spooky Shit!

How it Affects them: okay fun stuff time!

So! Notably, Elias' blood is thinner than it should be! It is, in fact, nearly the same consistency as the River herself, because, well, it is! Just with a bit more blood in the ratio. About 50% blood, 25% water and 25% poison.

Having thin, watered down blood causes many issues! Notably:

Their blood does not clot easily, and when they're cut they bleed profusely and quickly. A lot of the time when Elias' wounds are high it's because they got injured and ended up very nearly bleeding out. They also lose... more blood than expected. If they were meant to have about 14 pints of blood normally, they can bleed out about 20 pints. This doesn't mean they *have* those 20 pints, moreso that the river is bleeding out a bit as well, and they are an open wound in the river.

Elias gets cold very easily, and their base body temperature already sits a little too cold for a human anyways. Luckily, moving water doesn't freeze as easily as still water, but the cold (and discordance) is still dangerous for them.

They're very nosebleed prone. If their emotions get a bit too intense (which is a common occurrence) then they can quickly end up with a very very long nosebleed. 50% luck check on if one happens or not. Usually they last an hour, and leave Elias completely wiped out afterwards. They work very hard to keep their emotions stable.

Elias also deals with anemia. Simply put, there is not enough blood in their blood! This means that while they have *fantastic* circulation, they still deal with cold limbs, light-headedness, and tire-ing very easily.

They also bruise very easily, and they'll take longer to heal

artery blood

There's also a few other quirks

Based on text mentioning the poisoned areas having 'brackish' water, this would lead to their blood being more alkaline than usual. More along the basic, higher end side of the PH scale, like baking soda, seawater, or bleach. The Swan Bride's dress trails through waters as a few points, and hisses and burns away, so! their blood is also lightly caustic (again, like bleach).

Elias' blood is also Incredbly Poisonous (which. i feel like should come up more frequently in game than it actually does, which is to say: this item has no recorded uses ;-;). There's multiple lethal toxins in the water! However, since Elias is diluted river, i think that (unless you're like. straight up drinking their blood) there's only three or four that you'd have to actually worry about, since you wouldn't be able to get a lethal dose of the other eight or nine (or so). Still, it's still likely to kill you if it gets In You, whether entering through a cut, liking a knife, or Elias making Decisions. (I have this idea of them using their blood's lethality on purpose against someone).

Elias also metabolizes toxins incredibly well! What toxins enter their bloodstream, their body takes them and stores them, and keeps them, similar to how caterpillars will consume toxic plants, and become poisonous moths! In order to properly poison them, you'd need to have something their blood cannot store, cannot keep around, or something that skips the bloodstream entirely and targets something else, like, for example, their brain and nerves. This is hard to do though, because this means the poison won't be able to travel well, so it would need multiple applications in different spots. After that though, it'll be easier to target their heart, and from there have something enter their bloodstream.

So what does all of that mean? Well. Thick leather gloves are a great idea around Elias. Unless you're part (or all) Curator, or have some Incredibly High KatTox, you're not going to be able to handle their blood. (please imagine how terrifying it is for Elias to watch someone lick their blood... and then nothing happens. horrifying!!!)

The flow of their blood is tied to the flow of the river, and vice versa. When the river is swollen and rushing, they are fast and full and energetic, and bleeding is much more likely, and much more risky for them. When it is cold, and slow moving, they become lethargic. Crashes in the water and major backups become migraines, busy days have them feeling touch and pressure, which can be either reassuring or annoying. Their mood, in turn, reflects on the water. Anxiety and worry turn into spiraling eddies, anger of frustration or, most dangerous of all, fear, turn into rushing rapids that threaten to capsize boats and flood the locks, but a happy day will have a swift and steady river, cooperative in what needs done.

Yes, this means if you Fuck Up in Elias' river, they can feel it. They have a reputation at the Guild for showing up any and every time there is an accident. The Guild doesn't know Elias is part river, though they do know about them being married (only the superstitious realize it's more than ceremony), and they are aware that Elias' working garb bears striking resemblance to the former gowns and mask of the Swan Bride. No one knows how they're able to navigate while wearing a dress and veil with a massive train that drags in the water.

Elias cannot donate blood, but receiving blood is a bit easier, though not without risk. Donating blood, even to someone with high KatTox, is a challenge, with myriad side effects. First, there is the longing. That gravitational pull, heavy as Earth, injected into someone used to no pull at all. It's easier on Zailors though, for they are used to the pull of the Zee. An intense desire to return to the Persephone, and fling oneself into her currents to float happily. After that, however, is the Persephone recognizing where she is, what strange canals she's in now. You'd better hope she likes you. If not, she'll simply escape the confines, and probably take most of your blood with her. If you've survived all this though, you'll still end up highly sick. Human veins are not meant for corrosive poison, and without the proper death and death rites, your body won't be able to adjust itself or become accustomed to it. Getting blood into them is easier, but Elias does not tolerate the composition well, it diminishes who and what they are, and will put their body in shock. in a pinch though, it can be done, provided you can treat the shock and help them feel like themself again. The best way to give Elias a blood transfusion would be to take the back to the River where they can slowly heal, or, if it needs to be done quicker, to inject the river-water into them directly.

Elias does get some fun and nifty stuff out of it though! Mainly, their communication with, control of, and strength on the water.

Well, less control in the traditional sense.

When Elias opened their veins to her, it was not just a bargain. It was marriage, a bond, and a conversation. They shared their circulatory system with her, and the organ that is in charge of all of that: their heart. They have dedication to her, and devotion for her, and that deep bond. It's not romantic love, but it is love, and a promise. They love her, and care for her.

She asks they return to her once a month, and they do so willingly. Even when they are unhappy, they will return to her, for she cannot come to viisit them. They carry her happily in their blood. If Elias is unable to visit her for whatever reason however, their anemia symptoms with gradually worsen, and their strength will diminish. It is as if their lifeforce slowly leaves them. It is not out of malice that this is done however, it is simply that the bond needs to be renewed, vows upheld. She permits them as much freedom as they have, for she knows they cannot be contained, and it would sadden them to be so far from others. So they must visit her.

Often though, Elias will visit more than once a month anyways, because they adore her so. Thus, with this bond they share, and the part of their heart she occupies, the Persephone grants them something extra.

The previous Gonfalonier had the river in his veins, yes, but he did not give of his blood back. He did not want to risk a binding, and thus he had limited abilities with the River. He could navigate more easily than anyone else, and already he had great skill, and though he control and bend the waters to his will, and she was not happy, and his success was extremely limited.

With Elias and their heart, they can communicate with her. Navigation traditionally requires an oar, however... Elias can merely touch their hand to the water, and she will know their desires. They can ask her to swell, to slow, to speed them along, whatever their heart desires. When they do this though, if they attempt anything of intensity, it does cause their own blood to run in turn. Usually a nosebleed will come first, then it trickles from their mouth and tear ducts. It doesn't hurt, but it can exhaust them if they push themself too far. On the river herself though, Elias tends to feel more alive, and less lethargic. Their aches do not touch them as much here. Unfortunately, Elias will often overwork themself because of this, so excited to do things that they forget their disabilities are still there.

Elias also still doesn't know how to swim, and while they're great at navigating their gondola... this does not apply out at Zee. They can't feel the Zee, nor do they know how to communicate with it, and they're bad at navigating using a steering wheel instead of an oar.

Overall though, they take the good with the bad, and love her regardless. She provides them freedom, a way to navigate the waters and the Upper River, where they alone are in control of themself.

#cw needles #<- not really but close #cw blood #cw medical #<- not quite but close enough #elias leroux #es spoilers #fallen london #oc chatter #the swan bride es #ask to tag #chittering #fallen london ocs

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my-writings-and-musings · 2 years ago

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Earthspark Bumblebee x Medic!Reader

It's time for more soft Bumblebee x Reader content because the world always needs more. This one has Medic!Reader patching Bee up after the events of episode 18, so if you haven't seen that far ahead then spoilers!!

You'd never seen him remain in power down for so long, but considering the shape Bumblebee had been in when you first saw him, you didn't begrudge the Scout a well deserved rest. Even if it had come at the expense of your own…

Unable to sleep for many reasons, you checked your phone for the time, and couldn't stop your tired eyes from widening as you saw it was already close to five in the evening. Considering the Maltos had called you around six or so in the morning, that meant you'd been in the Dugout for over ten hours. It was impossible to believe so much had happened since that first slightly panicky call from Dot; just her synopsis of the series of events that had led to an unconscious, injured Bumblebee in the Dugout had taken the entirety of the half hour drive from your home to theirs. You'd pushed the terrifying details of underground bot fights to the side in favor of focusing on your patient, who only had you until Ratchet could return from his current mission across the globe and find a way to meet him somewhere clandestine for more secret repairs.

Though you were far from confident working on your own, you'd patched up the worst of the Scout's injuries to the very best of your abilities, and were at least certain it would cause him no further pain. Unfortunately you didn't have the tools to repair his armor completely, and GHOST would have had questions if you dropped by on your day off to grab the necessary supplies. Technically that meant you'd done everything you could for Bumblebee at the moment, but you still couldn't bring yourself to leave. A subtle twitch along his frame from what you assumed was a dream made you smile, affection and protective instinct rising up inside you.

In your defense, you hadn't seen Bee much since the events at the Racetrack. Between your job patching up the bots and the need to keep GHOST in the dark, you'd had little time to speak over covert channels and none to arrange a meeting of any kind. All you'd really been able to confirm was that he was alive, and that Optimus had a distant optic on him. This chance to sit with him on his berth and ensure he got the care he required was something you needed more than you cared to admit.

Not especially concerned about your own sleepiness, you pushed down a yawn and walked to the head of the berth where the Malto kids had lovingly piled a mountain of pillows beneath their beloved teacher's helm. You couldn't help but smile again at the utterly adorable sight and everything that had led up to it. Goodness, the kids had been so worried for his sake, asking repeatedly if there was anything they could do to help. It had taken a solid five minutes of assurances before they'd finally left you to your work, and that was only after you'd allowed them to ensure he was tucked in and comfortable. Looking over the mass mosaic of human sized blankets they'd stacked over the scout warmed your heart.

A soft murmur in his sleep and a resulting twitch of his arm prompted you to check your work for the umpteenth time, lest Bumblebee wake to any pain or discomfort that you might have missed previously, and you kneeled by his side without a word for a better look. Using as little pressure as possible, you brushed your fingertips over the warped metal with a small cringe of sympathy as you traced the outline left by the massive tooth that had cracked right through his armor. It wasn't the only ugly injury he'd endured since your last meeting. You had noticed countless others at various stages of healing, telling you the Scout had been living a rough life since his recent fateful encounter with GHOST. The sympathy you felt was matched only by boundless hatred for your backwards employer.

Hearing a small hitch in his peaceful snores, you withdrew your hands in fear you'd caused unwanted pain, but a shift of his helm and a twitch of his doorwings signaled the mech was waking up regardless. Before you could move back to a more respectable distance, Bumblebee opened his optics with a bit of a start.

"Who's there?" he slurred in a rush, accustomed to waking up on alert but still far too bleary to be intimidating. You merely waved and remained where you were, giving his optics a moment to adjust to the dim lighting before they settled on you and lit up in recognition.

"Hey, sleepyhead." you greeted gently, trying so hard to keep the overwhelming emotions out of your voice. As happy as you'd been to see him at all, being in his presence again for the first time in weeks had your heart absolutely aching. Goodness, it was impossible to put into words just how deeply you'd missed him.

"Y/N?" he said with more clarity, the shock of seeing you bringing more of his processor online. Catching himself, he cleared his vents and backtracked into the far more formal register you two used when others might overhear, rolling onto his side and lifting his upper body to face you at a more respectable distance. "Sorry, I mean, uh, Doctor Y/N."

You held up your hands to encourage him to relax, chuckling softly at the little song and dance the two of you maintained to keep your relationship secret. "You can drop that, it's just us."

Bumblebee sighed in a small measure of relief, doorwings relaxing on his back as he looked past you to the dim room beyond. "Where-?" he cut off as soon as his sharp optics traced the details of his private room, which had been left untouched after his sudden departure. A flurry of emotions passed over his face, confusion chief among them, and he furrowed his brows in concentration as he searched his still halfway offline processor for answers. Questions started spilling forth when he turned back to you. "How did I get back to the Dugout? Isn't GHOST keeping this place under wraps? What about the-?"

Talking through his thoughts allowed enough memories to resurface for Bee to connect the pieces, and before you could offer any kind of explanation or assurance his face lit up with alarm and he sat upright with enough force to send multiple blankets and pillows flying across the room.

"The kids!" he cried out in a near panic, looking ready to throw himself off the berth and charge out to face any potential threat to his family. "Are they okay? The last thing I remember is Mandroid-"

Medical training to keep a patient calm kicked into gear. You stood upright and held up your hands to get his attention as quickly as you could, trying not to slip on the tangled nest of blankets in your hurry.

"They're all grounded, but they're fine!" you explained as soon as his optics were on you, quieting your voice when the news allowed him to sigh and sit back in open relief. Considering how his night had gone, you didn't blame him for the panic. Between his injuries, Mandroid returning, the danger to the kids… It seemed best to give him a very simplified summary of what had happened after he'd passed out.

"They had to tell Dot and Alex about you so they could call me, but you only needed a patch job and a few infusions." you explained, leaving out the whirlwind of emotions you'd pushed through while providing his care. Seeing the bot you adored after weeks apart, only to have him presented unconscious and dangerously low on energon with fresh injuries to boot, had been a little much for your exhausted brain to endure at the crack of dawn. It hadn't helped that you'd been unable to get any sleep since thanks to your nagging concern, and you had to smother a yawn just to finish talking. "Thankfully I'm off duty for today, so I've been able to keep an eye on you."

Bumblebee went quiet for a moment to process, optics averting in thought before the information settled and he shook his helm with a somewhat heavy sigh. Returning his gaze to you, he replaced his thoughtful frown with a soft and somewhat bashful smile, emotions reserved as always.

"Sorry about your day off." he said quietly, somehow conveying his boundless gratitude for all you'd done in the form of a humble apology.

You chuckled, but the words broke a dam within you, cracking right through your efforts to stay strong and allowing a flood of emotions to wash over your heart. The two of you had been close for a while, had been more than friends longer than anyone knew, but these past few weeks and especially the previous twelve hours had made it abundantly clear just how deeply you cared for this mech. Though you weren't quite ready for the "L" word yet, you weren't sure how you'd ever handle losing him, and even this brief scare had made it abundantly apparent the very idea terrified you. It was far too much to process on so little sleep.

Thankful for the dim lighting, you bit down on a quivering lip for as long as you could before the ache became too much to bear. Abandoning a playful quip in reply, you threw your arms about his neck for a hug, something you'd never before been brave enough to do. Bumblebee startled and made what sounded like a gasp of surprise, but made no effort to move away. The hum of his spark was tangible against your skin, and you welcomed it with a sound of pained relief. You allowed your voice to crack as you drank in every little bit of his presence. "I'm just glad you're okay."

Before embarrassment could make you doubt the gesture of affection, a sizable arm tenderly wrapped about your tiny form, his warm armor all but enshrouding you as he pulled you close. You allowed a few tears to splash against his yellow paint, sighing as the world finally seemed to make sense for the first time in weeks. It wasn't clear how long the two of you stayed like that before you rediscovered your voice. "It's really good to see you again, Bee. I missed you."

"I missed you too." he replied softly, thumb stroking comfortingly up and down your back as he took his time letting you go. When he finally did so it was only partly, his grip loosening but his hand staying on your back as he leaned away to look at you while he spoke. Regret was heavy in every syllable. "I would have tried to send more messages, or visit, but-"

"I know, Optimus has kept me in the loop." you said, interrupting only to prevent him from blaming himself further. You allowed your hands to linger on his shoulders, the divot of a somewhat fresh scar bumping against your fingers as you did so, bringing back a host of worries that had followed you for weeks. "I've been so worried they'd hurt you, or catch you, or-"

It was his turn to interrupt out of concern. "Hey, I'm fine now, right?" he said playfully, slipping a hand beneath your chin. The touch warmed your heart, especially as he guided you to look up at him with the gentlest lift of his digits. His face softened in the way it often did when he opened up, optics brightening and flicking away as the faintest hint of a pink flush bloomed across his cheeks. "Thanks to you, anyway."

The praise hit its mark, and you dropped your gaze to hide a reciprocal blush, unsure how the two of you had gotten so soft for one another. Perhaps the absence had made all your tiptoeing around seem foolish now that the stakes were clarified. If the two of you could lose each other any day, what good did it do to hide and delay?

In addition to melting your heart, his words pinged a medical protocol in the back of your mind, and your concern couldn't help but gently steer the conversation to his care. A careful hand on his guided the attention there first. "You'll still need some reconstruction, I'm not big or strong enough to handle that without my tools." you explained, being a bit more openly tender than usual as you traced your fingers over the welds you'd applied to clean up the mangled armor and mesh. Bumblebee looked ready to reply with a compliment to counteract your matter of fact assessment, but you cut him off, the strain of so much emotional turmoil on just a few hours of sleep making you quite weary. It took everything not to yawn as you spoke. "You should also keep resting up, I can tell you've been pushing it lately."

Bumblebee didn't argue, but you knew from experience he would catch that you were tired, and as soon as he opened his mouth you were proven correct. "Maybe, but I bet you could use some sleep too."

"I'm fine. I'll sleep later." you assured with a wave of your hand, hoping to get him back in power down before it became too difficult to hide the full extent of your exhaustion. You knew it was futile now that Bee had figured you out, but you still had to try. It was simply impossible for you to just admit you had needs without being pushed.

"If I need rest, so do you." Bumblebee countered as expected, and for once his gentle concern cut right through your walls. Before you could nod and suggest grabbing some of the many pillows and blankets to construct yourself a makeshift bed in the corner, the Scout cleared his vents and made a small space beside himself, one perfectly sized for you. His voice faltered through an adorable attempt to sound smooth. "There's… plenty of room on this berth."

It was impossible to deny how perfectly you'd fit in the space between his arm and his chest, or how warm and safe you'd feel getting some much needed sleep beside his spark, but before you could reply Bumblebee finally noticed the ridiculous abundance of blankets and pillows that had been layered around him. "There's also plenty of… pillows and blankets too… why… why are there so many-?"

You laughed before you could stop yourself, a bit too loopy from a lack of sleep to explain how his students had gone to great efforts to ensure he was comfortable. "Very long story."

"Sounds like something for after we wake up." he said with a soft chuckle, able to hazard a guess as to how he'd ended up cocooned. Nodding in agreement, you allowed yourself to yawn and give your eyes a sleepy rub, suddenly unable to resist curling up and letting your body get the rest it needed. It hardly mattered that your sleep schedule would be a mess when this was done.

Bumblebee shifted backwards to make more room, awkwardness returning as he tried to ensure you had a comfortable spot with plenty of space. "Here, let me uh… oh!"

Too tired to feel any kind of embarrassment, you plopped down just beside his chassis, facing his front and resting your head on his shoulder. It was perhaps the closest the two of you had ever been, and nothing had ever felt more right. The hum of his spark quickened from the contact, but from the way he curled protectively around your smaller form you knew it was far from unwelcome. Still, you looked up to him for explicit confirmation before getting settled. "This okay?"

"Yeah, definitely." he replied easily, helpfully offering all the blankets and pillows you needed before getting comfortable at your side. You didn't fail to notice how he adjusted your bedding after you'd settled into the crook of his arm, his digits lingering for the shortest fraction of a second on your arms before he laid his helm back down with a whisper. "Goodnight, Y/N."

"Goodnight, Bee." you replied just before sleep claimed you, your last sensation the warmth of his frame curled lovingly around your own.

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