#have never been vaccinated and it’s like if you were never vaccinated you probably don’t want to be! I hate this world

[dsm-v]

i wish I could get novavax and I mean like I have a doctor who is probably willing to prescribe it for me if I ask her about it even though it’s “not approved” in this country for loser people who have already been vaccinated with the worthless mRNA shots because like. But they can prescribe ivermectin off-label for it and that’s all fine and dandy but if I ask for a vaccine nobody will give it to me “because it’s not approved for you” even though it’s been over a year since I had one of those money laundering booster shots for Pfizer/Moderna

[maximoffcarter]

It'll be okay.

Pairings: Emily Prentiss x reader.

Warnings: Mentions of COVID.

Summary: Emily Prentiss was known to always taking care of her team, taking full responsibility of everything, taking the blame, making sure they were okay, etc. But, it was true that she never let anyone know the hard time she was having, that was until y/n entered her life.

A/n: This was requested by anon, and gotta say I dunno if this is even good but I wrote what I felt was right. It’s angst with comfort and fluff😌 I added some backstory cause why nooooot? I mostly based this on the first episode, and maybe after the season ends, I'll do a better one, but I believe this was good enough for now haha. Our baby really does need some comfort and a goddamn break🥹 I also did not proof read this, I never do until it's too late haha, so my apologies. Hope you guys enjoy this, leave comments, hearts, whatever you like and reblog so this gets some love🫶🏻

*not my gif*

COVID had definitely taken a toll on the BAU, not only had the world stopped but a lot of things had happened then. People died, people left, the world entirely changed, and there was no stopping, no one could actually stop it. Emily Prentiss had tried to make it work, to make things a little easier as she tried to focus on her job every single day, drowning in paperwork, zoom meetings, not being able to freely do what they were so used on doing, it had been a hard year. Not only that, but the fact that her breakup had been so messy, but that was the least of all the other things she was going through. Emily thought it couldn’t have gone worse, but then y/n was very present in her life. It was funny the day where it all had gone down.

It was the end of the most painful and difficult year, 2021 was about to arrive, just a week for the so awaited new year. And it so happened that on Christmas day, Emily had gotten COVID. She was in complete denial of being sick, more so because she needed to work, and she also had nothing to help her with the undeniable symptoms; the unbearable headache and body ache, the obvious fever, the terrible cold that her body felt, the stupid and annoying coughing and the stupid stuffed nose. Yes, there was no denial she was sick, but of course she wouldn’t admit how bad it was. But that didn’t stop y/n from going into action and deciding to go to Emily. Emily had been on the phone with her a few hours earlier, and when y/n noticed how bad this had gotten, she couldn’t stop herself from getting everything she needed and off to Emily’s house she was.

“What…on earth are you doing h-here.” Emily was interrupted with a cough, her hand soon landing on her chest as she felt the horrible pain as she coughed.

“I’m here to take care of you. Go to the living room, need to keep our distance.” Y/n said softly as she adjusted her face mask, getting a bottle of spray out.

Emily furrowed her brows but went ahead to the living room, soon enough grabbing a face mask and turning back to look at y/n. “I’m fine, you don’t have to stay here.”

“Oh, but I do. We’re close to get the vaccine, I cannot have you stopping at the hospital just because you were too stubborn to accept that you’re really sick.” Y/n sprayed the whole area where Emily had just been, and then turned to look at her with a raised brow. “Okay, here’s what we’ll do. You stay in your room, I’ll sleep on the couch, you can only use your room and bathroom. I’ll be bringing you food and medication, already talked to a doctor. If we don’t see any progress, we’ll have to go to the hospital, which I hope, you’ll cooperate, Prentiss.”

Emily just stared at her, a bit surprised on how y/n had become so bossy, but she also couldn’t blame her, knowing perfectly well that she’d probably die on her own. “Got it. I will.”

Y/n nodded. “Good, now I’ll go disinfect your room first. You stay here while I do that, no touching anything anymore. Though, I will clean here too.”

Emily couldn’t help the small smile that spread through her face as she nodded, thankful that the face mask was covering it. “Got it boss.”

Y/n grinned softly as she nodded. “Good, I’ll be right back. Bed stuff?”

“Closet, second drawer, and the blankets are on top.”

Emily would be lying if she said she wasn’t happy to have y/n here. Ever since y/n joined the team, somehow, they had become inseparable, even if she tried to get her to work with the whole team, before she even thought about it, she was already saying that y/n would go with her, and of course, that didn’t go unnoticed by Tara, JJ and Penelope, but they never mentioned anything, even more when Emily ended up with a boyfriend. That of course till this day, Emily thought so much about how she had forced herself to actually like someone just so she wouldn’t feel so alone. But the one person she had actually wanted…had been y/n. And now having her here, willing to take care of her even if she knew there was a risk that she could get sick, it was everything for Emily.

Emily slowly opened her eyes as she heard her door opening. She looked up and smiled softly as she noticed y/n walking in with a tray of food. “Hey. Did I sleep a lot?”

Y/n looked at Emily and smiled, carefully putting the tray of food on the nightstand. “For like an hour and a half. It’s good that you’re sleeping.” She grabbed the thermometer and placed it on Emily’s forehead. She sighed relieved and offered a small smile. “It’s coming down, finally.”

Emily smiled. “And the headache is not as bad.”

“No, Prentiss. I will not leave, it’s good you’re getting better but no way I’m leaving in the next few days.” Y/n raised her brow as she placed back the thermometer in its place.

“I was not going to say anything about that.” Emily chuckled softly. “Just…thank you.” She smiled softly as she sat on her bed.

Y/n nodded softly. “You welcome.” She smiled as she looked at Emily. “So…I ordered some groceries for tomorrow, we’ll have our own Christmas celebration.”

Emily’s heart stopped for a moment, her eyes widening. “Oh my…tomorrow is Christmas! Y/n, you shouldn’t be here. I’m sure you have-“

“Ah, stop.” Y/n grinned softly. “I have nothing to do, and I wouldn’t want to spend my Christmas any differently. What better way to celebrate it than with a sick Emily Prentiss? Such a great gift.” She chuckled softly as she grabbed the tray and placed it on Emily’s legs.

Emily’s heart swelled as she stared at y/n, a small smile on her face. “If you say so.”

“I do say so.” Y/n smiled softly. “Eat that, I’ll bring your medication.”

Emily watched her leave and her smile widened even more. All these years, she had been taking care of herself, not letting anyone in because she knew how that’d end up. She had never liked to be taken care of, but she loved to make sure that her loved ones were always good taken care of. So now, y/n doing all of this…it made her realize that maybe, just maybe…she did feel the same way.

********************

Emily groaned softly as she stretched, slowly opening her eyes to the sound of a groan and then a small whisper. As she looked up, rubbing the sleep away from her eyes, she furrowed her brows as she noticed y/n moving a small table and placing it in the middle of the door. She tilted her head in curiosity as a small, silly smile spread across her face. “What are you doing?”

Y/n looked up at Emily and smiled, her cheeks turning slightly red. “Oh uh…moving a table?”

“And…leaving it right in the middle of the door?” Emily raised her brow.

“Okay don’t laugh but…I thought this could be a way for us to have Christmas lunch together.”

Emily’s face softened as she stared at her, her cheeks turning red and not for the fever. She grinned softly. “Charming.”

“I tend to be.” Y/n grinned softly. “Grab your chair and I’ll bring the food.”

Emily smiled softly and did just as she was told, grabbing the chair that was just might the closet and sitting down in front of the table. She smiled softly as y/n came back with a chair for herself and started brought Emily her plate already with food and her drink. They ate together and right after they talked about everything but work, laughing as they told old stories about themselves and even some stories with the team. Y/n was fascinated just listening to Emily talk, loving that she had chosen the idea of spending Christmas with her, and that Emily had allowed her to take care of her. As for Emily, even if she was tired, she was enjoying every moment she was spending with y/n. As she watched her talk, she kept wondering in her mind if she was right or she was wrong about her suspicions, smiling softly without even noticing.

Y/n furrowed her brows and tilted her head as she stared at Emily. “What?” She hugged a chuckle.

“What?” Emily snapped out of her trance. “Oh! No, nothing. I’m sorry.”

Y/n chuckled. “You should get back to bed and sleep, I’ll clean up and wake you up for your pills.”

“Wait!” Emily coughed, grabbing her glass of water, and taking a deep breath afterwards. “I uh…have a question.”

“Yes?”

Emily took a deep breath, feeling her body still pretty much aching and getting all warm. “Why are you doing this?”

Y/n furrowed her brows again. “I…because I didn’t want you to be alone, Em.”

“Is that the only reason?” Emily raised her brow, a small smile on her face.

Y/n tilted her head as she smiled shyly, looking down at her glass. “Well…I don’t wanna get fired after what I have to say.”

“Which is?”

“You’re a profiler, Em. Isn’t it obvious?” Y/n blushed slightly as she looked back at her. “I…care a lot about you. Which means…that I like you…a lot.” She whispered softly as she nibbled on her lip.

Emily smiled softly as she nodded, tilting her head. “And you’re also a profiler, y/n. Isn’t it obvious?”

Y/n’s eyes widened slightly as she stared at Emily. “Wait…are you serious?”

“If I wasn’t sick and this table wasn’t in the middle of us, I’d be kissing you right now.” Emily smirked softly.

Y/n’s lips parted slightly as she stared at Emily, a soft smile tugging at the corner of her lips. “Is the fever making you talk?”

Emily laughed softly, coughing afterwards, and placing her hand on her chest. “No, no…I’m…I’m serious.” She smiled.

“We’re gonna check back once you’re not sick.” Y/n grinned. “But for now…this could be considered our first date.”

“And I’d like to take you in a second date…next year.” Emily joking as she grinned.

Y/n rolled her eyes playfully. “You’re so funny, Prentiss. But I accept.” She smiled softly.

Emily laughed softly as she nodded, feeling her heart beating faster as y/n kept staring at her with that beautiful smile on her face. After all, there was something good out of this pandemic.

********************

It wasn’t new that y/n saw Emily drowning in work, not after all the changed that the BAU had over the years. Having JJ back had at least eased things, but Rossi losing his wife, not having Penelope around, a whole new case that fell into their lap, Bailey not helping at all, Emily was losing her mind. But once she had most of her team back, including Penelope, things didn’t seem to be so bad…until they were, again. Y/n always had her eyes on Emily, the entire time, they both had promised that their relationship wouldn’t interfere with work, it wouldn’t change the way they worked, and it also wouldn’t stop them, meaning that things would stay just like they were before. Of course, the team was now aware of their relationship, and they were happy that at least, there was something to look forward to -Penelope joking that she was already planning the wedding…they believed she was joking-.

But once the whole ‘Gold Star’ started, y/n noticed how Emily just kept getting home late, trying to drown herself in work and compensate for what had happened. She had tried her best to be there for her and let Emily know that it had not been her fault, and that she had done what she and the team had thought was right. Emily tried to hide everything that she was feeling to not let y/n and the team figure out that she was having a hard time, but y/n knew better, she could now see through Emily, but she also knew not to push her. Even if it killed her to know that Emily was having a hard time.

“Hey, so where’s Emily? Thought she’d be here.” JJ snapped y/n out of her trance, making her look up at her while JJ offered a small smile.

“Oh…she had uh…she had something to do.” Y/n tried her best to smile but they knew better.

“Work, huh? She feels…guilty about Bailey?” Tara asked as she turned to look at y/n.

Y/n sighed softly as she nodded. “I don’t know what to do.”

“We know Emily. There’s not much we can do if she doesn’t want to talk.” Tara said softly as she placed her hand on y/n’s shoulder.

“But I’m her girlfriend. I mean…I should at least…I don’t know. Try harder?” Y/n shrugged. “I just want Emily to know that I’m here…”

JJ sighed softly. “Well, I’m sure she knows, she’s just…trying to deal with her stuff.”

Y/n nodded softly as she looked back at JJ, smiling softly. She felt her phone vibrating and got it out of her pocket, furrowing her brows as she saw Emily’s text. Soon enough she was saying goodbye to everyone and then heading back to the office. It felt a little weird to be here so late, the whole office was silent and almost dark, Emily’s office was the only one that had its light on. Y/n took a deep breath as she noticed Emily walking around her office and then stopping by the window. She wanted to support her in every possible way, but she was also afraid that Emily was overworking herself and that didn’t sit right with her. She slowly walked to Emily’s office and leaned against the doorframe, trying her best to smile as Emily turned to look at her.

“Hey you.” Y/n smiled softly.

Emily offered a smile in return. “I’m sorry I made you leave Penelope’s birthday.”

“I was going to anyway.” Y/n shrugged. “What’s going on?”

Emily sighed softly. “We need to talk.”

Y/n felt her heart drop for a moment as she stared at Emily. She could only nod, not trusting her voice as she felt her body slightly trembling as she waited for Emily to say anything at all, but instead, she walked to y/n, grabbed her hand, and kissed it softly, offering a smile as she pulled y/n with her. Soon enough, they were on the ceiling, Emily had sat down and had pulled out a box of cigarettes, catching y/n off guard for a moment, but also keeping in mind how incredibly hot it was to see her smoke. Seriously, y/n…not the time. She crossed her arms and listened to everything Emily had to say, and again, she felt helpless as she listened to Emily, wanting nothing more than to be able to fix all this with a snap of her finger and be able to take Emily anywhere so she could relax.

“Well, you’ve been doing your homework.” Y/n teased as she walked closer to Emily and grabbed the cigarette putting it in her mouth before she returned it to Emily.

Emily scoffed. “Well…we need to get to the end of this.”

Y/n nodded, sighing softly, and looked away for a moment. “So…you think he’s government trained or something?”

“He’s definitely too proficient to be self-taught.”

“And that’s why they’re keeping it a secret.” Y/n tilted her head as she looked back at Emily. “I know that you’ve been overprotective after what happened…but we need to let the team know about this. You know that working together, we’ll get it done.”

Emily sighed softly as she nodded. “I know.” She nibbled on her lip for a moment as she looked at y/n. “Baby…I need you to promise me that whatever we do here, I need you to be safe. We see what he does…what has happened so far. I cannot…” her voice cracked for a moment, looking down at the floor as she put back the cigarette in her mouth.

Y/n sighed softly as she walked to Emily, positioning herself in between her legs and placing her hands on her cheeks, tilting her head up so their eyes locked. “I will promise you that if you promise me the same.” She smiled softly. “Em, I need you to take a break too. You’ve barely been home, you’ve barely been sleeping. I will make the promise if you promise me you’ll also take care of yourself.”

Emily took a deep breath, moving her free hand to y/n’s hips, offering a small smile. “Alright. I will.”

Y/n smiled softly as she leaned down to kiss Emily’s forehead. “You’re stubborn, Prentiss. If I don’t take care of you, you won’t.”

“That’s why I have you. Couldn’t have it any other way.” Emily chuckled softly, leaning up slightly to kiss her lips while she put out the cigarette.

Y/n smiled against her lips. “I know I should be forbidding you from smoking but…did you know you look extremely hot smoking?”

Emily chuckled softly as she wrapped her arms around her waist, pulling her closer. “No but thank you.” She grinned.

Y/n rolled her eyes playfully and then leaned down to kiss her lips again. “Let’s go call Garcia.”

********************

Y/n could only stare at Emily while everyone else talking, giving their thoughts about the video they had just watched. she couldn’t really concentrate on what they were even talking about, part of her was trying to comprehend everything, work with them, say anything at all, but her mind was entirely focused on Emily. The moment Rossi and Emily had walked into the office, she could tell that there was something wrong with Emily; the way she stared at them, the way she talked, her eyes seemed…lost. She tried to keep up with everything, every now and then feeling JJ’s eyes on her, even Tara’s, but her eyes were only focused on Emily.

“Em?” Y/n asked softly as they all left the room, walking to Emily and taking her hand. “Are you alright?”

Emily looked back at her and furrowed her brows. “Yes. Why are you asking?”

Y/n tilted her head slightly as she raised her brow. “That was not nothing. What you and Rossi saw…and you…you don’t look okay.”

Emily shrugged. “It’s part of the job, isn’t it?”

Y/n sighed softly. “Emily, I-“

“Right now, we need to focus on this case. We might have something important here. I know I promised, but we also promised we wouldn’t change the way we work here. Right now, we’re at work, and we need to focus on that.” Emily said softly but firmly, not wanting to sound rude or harsh, but the way she looked at y/n, with stress and frustration, made y/n’s insides turn.

Y/n nodded softly as she let go of Emily’s hand. “Right.”

Emily only nodded before she left, leaving y/n standing there, not knowing what to do or say. She knew working together wouldn’t be the easiest thing ever, but she couldn’t help it, and Emily couldn’t blame her for worrying. Y/n had stayed behind with JJ at the office, she had tried to brush it off and focus on their main task. But again, once they came back, y/n noticed it again, she noticed the way Emily rubbed her temple and went straight to her office. She didn’t say anything, she stayed with JJ as she let Emily have a minute. She was right, they had made it clear things wouldn’t change, and so far, it had worked out, and she was not about to stress Emily more.

********************

Y/n closed the door behind her and sighed softly as she locked it, standing there staring at it as she took a deep breath before she turned to walk to their room. Emily was already sitting on the bed, taking off her shoes. Y/n said nothing, walking to the bed and also sitting down and doing the same as Emily. Silence surrounded them for a moment for a while, y/n knew it was stupid that Emily’s words had hit her the way they did, but she couldn’t help it, she knew that if it was the other way around, Emily wouldn’t drop it until y/n accepted that Emily was right, but in this case, which was not even an option.

But then she heard a soft groan coming from Emily, and as she turned, she noticed Emily’s head in her hands, and y/n was back to feeling worried. She stood up slowly and walked around the bed, kneeling right in front of Emily, and positioning herself in between her legs, her hands on top of Emily’s as she leaned her head against Emily’s.

“Em…” Y/n whispered softly.

“I’m exhausted.” Emily breathed out, her voice cracking slightly. “I don’t know what’s going on, nothing seems right, everything seems to be against us, to be against me. It’s like they want me to resign so badly, they want…they want the BAU to disappear. I don’t know what they want from me, I cannot just drop this, not after everything we’ve been through.” She said quietly as she felt her eyes getting teary, not being able to look up at y/n. “They’re making us get involved with a fucking serial killer. What has gotten into their minds?! What are they hiding?!”

Y/n wrapped her arms around her, only being able to hold Emily tightly as she started sobbing. Emily knew that she was overworking herself, that she was doing too much, she was obsessing too much, but there was no chance to back down, she couldn’t just let it happen, she couldn’t let them win. But she felt so…heavy. Everything hurt, her head felt like exploding, her chest felt heavy, she had felt the usual anxiety creep in her body, she felt worse than she had years ago. She sobbed quietly as she felt y/n tightening her embrace, Emily suddenly wrapping her arms around y/n’s neck, feeling bad for the weird position they were in, but needing y/n to hold her so badly, she’d worry about the position later.

“I can’t just drop this.” Emily whispered as she buried her face on y/n’s neck, tears streaming down her cheeks.

“I know. And we won’t drop it. I’ll be by your side.” Y/n whispered softly.

“I’m sorry I’m so stubborn…”

Y/n shook her head, smiling softly as she turned to kiss the side of her head. “But you’re mine. You can be as stubborn as you want.”

Emily chuckled softly as she pulled away, looking into y/n’s eyes. “I’m sorry that I’ve been drowning myself in this case.”

Y/n sighed softly. “I don’t blame you, Emily.” She rubbed Emily’s back softly as she leaned in and kissed her forehead. “I just don’t want you falling sick for so much stress. I don’t want you to get stuck in this to the point where you can’t notice that you’re putting everything and you’re putting yourself in danger.” She said softly as she looked into Emily’s eyes. “I’m just worried about you.”

Emily nodded as she let out a shaky breath. “I know. I won’t keep anything else from you, I promise. And…I’ll come to you when it’s too much.”

Y/n nodded as she smiled. “Em…baby, look at me.” She ran her fingers through her hair as Emily locked her eyes on hers. “I’m here for you, no matter what. The good and the bad, you’re not a burden to me, okay? I love you. And you’re not alone.”

Emily’s eyes filled with tears as her face softened, her body slightly trembling as she finally gave up and let tiredness take over her. She took a deep shaky breath, nodding her head as more tears rolled down her cheeks. Y/n rapidly wrapped her into another tight hug, letting Emily bury her face on her neck and sob as much as she needed. They stayed like that for a while, y/n rubbing her back and whispering sweet nothings while Emily cried. It was becoming too much, and Emily knew this wasn’t even the half of it and there was so much more to come, but for now, for now she had y/n, she was present in this moment. Y/n gave her the space to break and make her feel like she deserved to have this sort of moment even if they still made her feel weak, but she knew her lover would never judge her, not like she had been judged before. After a moment, she finally felt like she had gotten everything out, slowly moving back but resting her forehead against y/n’s, not wanting to be away.

“Thank you…” Emily whispered softly.

“Why are you thanking me?”

“Because you always take care of me even if you don’t have to.” Emily smiled through her tears.

Y/n smiled softly pulling away just enough to wipe her tears and stroke her cheek. “And I’ll be here to do it over and over again. If I risked my life with COVID, why not now?” She grinned a little.

Emily rolled her eyes playfully. “Well, it kept you in my apartment for a whole month. Not my fault you were so eager to kiss me.” She teased back.

Y/n gasped softly. “In my defense, you were supposed to be out of risk, and also, I couldn’t help it when I had you right in front of me. We had become girlfriends, and I hadn’t even kissed you yet.”

“That’s true.” Emily chuckled softly as she leaned in and kissed her forehead. “And I got to take care of you.”

Y/n nodded. “We’ve got each other’s back. You take care of me, and I take care of you.” She smiled softly.

Emily smiled and nodded softly. “Yes.” She rested her forehead against y/n’s once again. “I love you.”

“And I love you.” Y/n smiled softly and sighed softly as she closed her eyes for a moment. After a while, she moved to kiss Emily’s nose and offer another smile. “C’mon, let’s take a bath together. I’ll bring some wine and snacks.”

Emily smiled softly and nodded. “Sounds like a plan.”

Y/n nodded before she got up, but as she was about to leave, Emily pulled her back to her, making her turn back to Emily who was now standing. “Yes?”

Emily smiled softly as she shook her head. “Nothing.” She placed her hand on y/n’s neck and brought their lips together into a tender kiss. “I love you.” She whispered softly against her lips.

Y/n giggled. “I love you too.” She whispered back and kissed her lips one more time before she walked out of the room.

Emily knew there was still a very long way, she had no idea what they were getting into, a lot of stress was coming their way, but she knew that as soon as she walked into their house, she’d be able to leave that stress behind at least for a while. This little bubble they had created for themselves was everything to Emily, and what got her to keep going. And that was all she needed.

[lalasworld2x]

Brahms x Reader Headcanons

This takes place after you find out he’s a grown man lol (but you don’t kill him of course)

• There aren’t any romantic feelings at first just because you’re still interested in Malcom, but you can decide if you guys have a falling out or if you just lose interest lol.

• It might take a bit to convince him to do house chores as well, as he’s lived his whole life in the walls and just has the mindset of “people have always done it for me, why stop now??”

• If you ever get mad at him, he’d probably try and finish all the house tasks before you get a chance to just so there’s now a reason for you to not be mad at him.

• He still likes to stay in the walls quite often, like a safe space for him.

• At the start, he used to get really overwhelmed by being out for so long, so you’d sit and comfort him for as long as possible. This just made him fall for you harder.

• He loves to cuddle in bed. He’s been touch starved so long, he just wants a warm bed and a warm embrace for hours on end ☹️💔

• Sometimes the closeness is never enough for him, like he just needs to be as close to you as possible. It’s not enough until he is literally molding into you, like angler fish lmao. If this makes you uncomfortable, he will back off but it will be a bit hard for him.

• He can definitely be demanding and sometimes very selfish, you may unfortunately have to still treat him like a child. I bet naughty corners would still work tbh… make sure you set clear boundaries and speak up for yourself.

• Although it’s definitely understandable if you were afraid to stand up for yourself, we already know he’s willing to hurt you and those that you love just to make sure you’d stick around.. I’m not gonna lie, it would actually probably be helpful to learn at least a bit of self defence in case he ever does try to put his hands on you. I’m sure even being strong enough to hold him in a head lock would scare him enough to back off and respect you more.

• This man does not gaf about body types or anything, he loves em all! Lean, muscular, chunky, curvy, slender, average- anything and he loves it!! He just wants someone to take care of him

• His immune system would probably be on the border of decent and not very good. He’s lived his life in the walls which is certainly not clean and nurturing space, but he also hasn’t really gotten out enough to get sick or hurt himself. Obviously he had a life before being forced into hiding, but he did spend like a decade tucked away. Would probably help you to get him vaccinated lol. ANYWAYS my point is, he might get sick fairly often, especially if you do actually start bringing friends and family over and you get to have an actual job. He would LOVE to have you coddle him. Tuck him right into bed, make him hot soup, coo over him, etc.

• Just because you would hate to be stuck at home with him all day I’m sure, you set some boundaries and convince him that he will be okay if you apply for jobs or go out to get materials and such for your own job if you work from home. And you should absolutely have the right to bring friends and family over now that he’s no longer a doll. This might upset him for a while, but you both come up with ways to make this arrangement comfortable for you.

• He compliments you all the time. You makeup, outfit, hair, posture, ideas, expression, the way you look when stretching or exercising, your interests- anything and everything!

• He will make small crafts for you as gift, mostly paper. He may even learn some origami for you with a book he found. He’s a bit shy when gift giving so he’ll leave it in a spot he knows you will find it and go somewhere else to hide and watch your reaction.

• He might be a bit shy to try new foods, but if he knows that you really enjoy them, it might encourage him a bit. He would love to indulge in your own culture more, so he would be less timid about trying traditional foods from your cultural background!

———————-

I know this one is kinda shit, I was struggling to think of things that I haven’t already seen other creators write before and I did NOT want to steal peoples ideas 😭😭

Masterlist

[wendytestabrat]

why cartman IS kenny’s bff

it pisses me off sm how in the episode “best friends forever” stan & kyle were being haters and were all like “cartman isn’t kenny’s best friend!1!1!1” i don’t remember which one said it but it was probably kyle bc we all know how he is LOL. like BRUH kyle, cartman IS kenny’s bff, not you bitch. i think kyle is just mad & jealous bc kenny likes hanging around cartman more than him and prefers cartman as a friend which we also saw how in the post covid specials in the future cartman was the only person kenny was still keeping in touch with before he died and then kyle was pissy AF abt that. kyle is a shitass friend to kenny, especially in the early seasons he would rip on kenny for being poor too just like cartman did. he even deadass said in one episode “kenny’s not my friend i don’t give a rats ass about him” or some shit LOL. really all the boys are crappy friends to kenny they just use him & take advantage of him for shit and then they don’t give a crap when he dies, so i feel like kenny holds A LOT of resentment towards all three of them and kind of dislikes them all in a way, he just is friends with them anyways and goes along with shit bc he’s too nice lol. kenny seems like that kind of person that’s just equally nice to everyone so then narcissistic bitches take advantage of that and take it way too personally thinking that person adores them when rlly that person doesn’t give a shit abt them and is just being polite to everyone so then the narcissistic bitch starts being possessive AF of the nice person thinking they’re entitled to their attention and time LOL. (i know this bc i’m a nice person and then bitches i don’t even like start obsessing over me 24/7 prob bc no one has ever shown them love in their entire lives) but cartman is DEF the one kenny is closest with and trusts the most which is shown by the way kenny confides in cartman when he’s sad or upset abt shit which we never see him do with stan & kyle lol. like remember in the vaccination special how cartman was telling stan & kyle that kenny was sad abt the broship or whatever? the fact that kenny went to CARTMAN and not them about that says a lot. kenny has wayyy more in common with cartman too and is a lot more similar to him than stan & kyle. kenny is more laid back and likes to have fun and he’s a huge troublemaker too, so that’s why he doesn’t vibe with kyle’s goodie twoshoe preachy obnoxiousness lol. the fact that kenny also gets along well with craig too prob more than any of the other boys says a lot abt his personality and how he’s more of a rebellious idgaf type. also another little piece of evidence to show that cartman understands kenny on a deeper level than the other boys was in “cartmanland” when he pointed out how kenny dies all the time lol even tho that might’ve just been a throwaway joke or a breaking the fourth wall moment. i feel like kenny can def be two faced tho and he pretends to hate cartman sometimes just to be cool like stan & kyle do but we all know that’s bullshit and he does like cartman otherwise he wouldn’t spend all the time with cartman that he does lol. i feel like it’s mostly just stan & kyle pressuring kenny to hate on cartman or avoid him (mostly kyle doing this shit ofc bc he’s a big bully) and kenny just goes along with it bc he’s too nice and and passive of a person to stand up for himself so he lets stan & kyle walk all over him and use him for shit lol. which is why i LOVE that moment in “the magic bush” when cartman stood up to kyle when he was being mean and shitting on kenny for him & cartman taking pics of craig’s mom’s bush LOL. stan & kyle just view kenny as a little prop & stunt person for their schemes while cartman actually values kenny as a friend and makes an effort to spend time with him one on one and tries to have fun with him. so cartman IS kenny’s bff. PERIOD.

[silverthelovebug]

((CW: Mentions of decapitation

Darling thought Cupid would’ve transferred back home as soon as the news of what happened to Apple spread, and people began to contract the Kindness Blindness Virus. So when she saw the cherub approach the small camp she had set up, she was understandably startled. The camp was full of supplies borrowed (stolen) from the Chemythstry and Potion Making Class-ics, Ginger was busy with a flask observing its color, while Darling had to go greet the cherub. “Stop right where you are.” Darling spoke, aiming her sword at the demigoddess.

Cupid tilted her head, seemingly observing the camp before putting her hands up. “This good?” She asked, unsure of what the proper procedure was.

Darling said nothing as she looked for any anomalies on the girl’s face; which, she had no obvious signs. No frothing of the mouth; no glass. Still, she might’ve just recently gotten infected— they would need a microscope lens. Cupid still had her arms raised, so Darling gave her the *all-clear*. “I’m fine, if you’re wondering.” The cherub said, “I got the Athenian Flu last year, but I took all my vaccines.”

Darling gave her look.

“Right, that also means I’m not affected by—“ Cupid rolled her wrist as she was thinking, “Mere mortal viruses.”

“We can never be too sure.” Darling mumbled, urging Cupid to follow her into the camp.

Ginger looked up from her work to give Cupid a small wave before shrieking. Darling unsheathed her sword once more, looking around to what could have startled the witch. Cupid looked down at her hip, giving a small “Oh!” Before lifting up what appeared to be a decapitated head.

No. Blondie’s decapitated head

“I’m gonna vomit…” She heard Ginger mumble, turning away from the demigoddess, while all Darling could do was stare in horror — which she found herself doing more often than not recently. One of Blondie’s eyes was obstructed by glass, while the other seemed okay, drool vaguely coated her lips, and she seemed to be looking around.

Cupid waved her hand in front of the reporter’s face, and Blondie seemed to have come to. “Are we there yet?” She mumbled, seeming grumpy as if the only thing Cupid had done was woke her up from a nap. “Yes, we made it Honey; but it would’ve been faster if you had let me fly over here.” The cherub cooed and Blondie rolled her available eye. “You don’t have to be so rude about it.” The blonde mumbled.

“Don’t mind her.” Cupid waved dismissively.

Darling was looking at the girl as if she were insane — no — that was far too nice for what she thought of Cupid at the moment. She was desperate for answers, Blondie was clearly infected but was acting like her usual self— Blondie was just a head. How was she alive? Why was Cupid so calm about all of this? The cherub was holding her as if she were some doll, carefully pushing back her blonde ringlets away from the protruding glass. “Right! You probably want answers.” The demigoddess began, placing Blondie’s head down on the table Ginger was working at (said girl looked faint).

“Briar was the one who infected Blondie, did you know it transfers through saliva too?” She said, wiping the corner of Blondie’s mouth with her thumb, “Anyways, it was getting to the point where Blondie was starting to get aggressive with other people and she kept on thinking I was saying such awful things to her— so I immobilized her!”

“Y—“ Darling stuttered, “You decapitated her. Where is her body? How is she alive?” She questioned, suddenly becoming all too aware of what Cupid was truly capable of.

The cherub just smiled, “Family secret; my Grandpa has this one guy on a mountain whose liver regenerates every time an eagle eats it. Prometheus was it?” She questioned as if recalling a funny memory. “Once you guys find a cure, I’ll make her good as new!”

Darling staggered backward, holding on to a nearby chair. Cupid was a psychopath. Blondie couldn’t have wanted this. Surely, she didn’t ask Cupid to amputate her body.

[lani-heart]

|| series masterlist || jake's story ending // previously ||

parings -> sim jaeyun x reader genre -> non-idol au, school au, hyrbid au warnings -> neglected, running away, arranged marriage, replacement word count -> 1.7k

abstract -> you don't have to worry about anything, unlike those unluckier than you.

jake’s perspective

“Yes! Please, anything but be stuck at a farm!” I begged that I jump up to the kennel door to try to get closer to her. She laughed and smiled softly… she was saving me from a stupid farm even though I gave her trouble and she said… 

“Wait… but you said you couldn’t own a hybrid?” I asked and she smiled. “Well… I negotiated for myself like I was planning before I met you, and I negotiated for a companion. I don’t understand why you’ve never been adopted” she said sincerely and I felt like crying. 

“Thank you… I'll be the best hybrid! I took classes and everything!” I said and she giggled while taking a piece of paper out of her bag. “Jake, a golden retriever hybrid with a lot of energy. A well-mannered hybrid that needs etiquette training but otherwise a lovely hybrid” she read while now showing me… it was the class file?

“I’ve been busy while they’ve been preparing you with checkups and vaccines… you wanna see what I’ve prepared?” She smiled and I nodded. “As long as I'm by your side,” I said and she giggled. “Well, Jake, you might get sick of me then. You’re stuck with me” she said but I shook my head. 

“You’d get sick of me before I'd ever get sick of you” I confessed and felt sad at the thought… She hummed and pretended to think…

“Well, good thing we’ll never get sick of each other!” 

“You’re the infamous Jake!” I heard and quickly hid behind y/n. Was this to punish me? “He’s not mad at you nor is he scary” she reassured but I didn’t want to believe her.

“It’s true in fact anything you did was nothing compared to the hell I would’ve faced married to her '' he said… marry? “We were gonna be arranged to marry by our parents, remember I mentioned negotiations?” she asked and I understood now… she ran away from him… technically her parents while he ran off to… japan?

“Oh, this reminds me! Riki and her owner mentioned if I saw you you owe him a new coat” he said and I sighed… I guess I did. “Don’t worry about that, I'll ship one to replace it” she reassured me and I nodded. She was… real, not a dream like I'd sometimes have. 

“You already have an obsessed hybrid” he teased her and she scoffed. “You done? You’ve said your peace?” she asked and he nodded while putting his hand out to me… I shook it and he smiled. “See ya around Jake! It’s nice meeting you and don’t worry about it. The past is the past and I'm a free man again!” he joked before saying his goodbye. 

“He’s a strange guy… you’ll meet a lot of strange friends of mine,” she said and I chuckled. “As long as I'm with you,” I said and she smiled. She looked at me with a sudden pout… she was so cute. “You need a haircut and maybe a fur trim? Want to do it now?” she asked and I chuckled. 

“And be pampered by you, please?”

y/n’s perspective

The workers said because im his first and probably only owner in his life that he’ll be extremely attached. Not that I minded but… it worried me for what it would be like with sudden separation anxiety and getting used to etiquette.

There's no way I'd get rid of him now… we're stuck with each other but I don't need anyone telling him he needs to work for his place with me like they’ve done to Riki. My sweet puppy… he looked so happy and relaxed getting a haircut and trim. 

I still needed to give him a collar. Luckily I was assured he’d most likely react well to it… and not badly since he doesn’t have any bad experiences since im his first owner. His first time enjoying life outside the hybrid facilities.

“He’ll be out shortly, miss' ' I heard and I nod as I stood up now waiting for him. When he did appear his hair was now shorter, not much of a difference but it should revive his hair to be more healthy and his puppy ears and tail were now neat. 

He was a pretty hybrid… he was a pretty boy to me before too. 

“I think I look pretty good,” he said and I chuckled. “You look very handsome,” I said and his cheeks flushed a bit before he recounted. “I-I wasn’t before” he teased and I smiled at his nervous stutter. “You were pretty but you look better and happier,” I said and he smiled.

“I’m lucky to have met you,” he said and I nodded. “It’s the same for me, Jake,” I said as we left the place and started walking back to my apartment “You’re now my priority okay?” I said and he smiled. “Thank you…” he said, looking hesitant and I sighed. “You know… I was wondering if you wanted to continue those classes?” I asked and he hummed.

“Well… I wanna see Niki again! So… I wouldn’t mind besides, you have classes there too right? I can keep myself from feeling bored when away from you” he said and I smiled. 

He seemed to already understand that.

“Then do your best, okay Jake?” 

jake’s perspective

It was… a dream come true. We ate a filling meal she ordered from her apartment when she showed me my room and the closet of clothes and my own comfy bed. 

“I have one more thing to show you,” she said and I nodded before she gave me a box. It was the only thing she left for me to open? It had a bunch of packaging when I saw it… my own collar. 

“It also comes with tail rings for your tail–” like Niki “–in case the collar bothers you, but I hope you like it and you don't need to wear it often just when we go places that require it like your class,” she said and I couldn’t help the grin on my face. 

I would be going to class with a collar I'd be like those other hybrids… 

I couldn’t help that I suddenly hugged her and I thought for a second I should have since I had to behave but when she laughed and hugged me back I immediately melted into her comfort. 

“I hope you’re happy here with me,” she said and I smiled. “I’m really glad I met you, maybe it was fate that finally put us together,” I said and she smiled. 

“I think so too”

I was enrolled in classes again so I'd have to start going to them again. The only bad thing is Niki is still in Japan so I was alone… “She’s your owner now huh?”  heard as I saw the mean bird hybrid. 

“I hope you enjoy it, she’s a bitch who doesn’t know how to do anything herself. She's constantly complaining and is gonna make you do so many stupid things just to humiliate you!” he yelled at me. Others were staring…

“She wouldn’t do that” I muttered and he scoffed, grabbing my shirt. “You’ve suddenly changed from rags to riches and think it doesn’t come for a price!” he said and I was confused… What did he know about her? From what I know he knows nothing about her. 

“You know nothing about her… I knew you were hurt but, y/n would never do that” I said and his eyes widened… “y/n? Why are you suddenly mentioning her?” he asked, confused even loosening his grip letting me get away. “She adopted me… not like it's any of your business' ' I said and he sighed. 

“Is the free trial bird causing you trouble? I would too if I suddenly lost everything and suddenly became a freeloading hybrid!” a snow leopard hybrid laughed and the bird scoffed. 

“You shouldn’t be laughing... From what I heard your owner doesn’t even know–" "Shut up before I make sure this pretty little bird can't sing again” he threatened… 

“Sore subject? I wouldn’t want to remember you either, Sunghoon”

Now that I had a collar many hybrids tried talking to me… it was strange. 

Instead, I decided to sit next to a fox hybrid at the back of the class wanting to avoid Jay… but the fox hybrid didn’t look any better. Most of the hybrids in this room were spoiled and mean or… spoiled and depressed. It was a strange concept… the stray hybrids were also losing hope like I did. 

It was cruel…

I went outside waiting for her… would she pick me up? It was when I noticed the fox hybrid, snow leopard, and bird were also waiting like me. “I’m sorry I'm late!” I heard and saw a girl with a patient wristband. “I forgot where this place was and–” “Whatever,” the snow leopard said with a sad expression on his face. 

They walked off and I wondered what was his issue? “His owner is an amnesiac… everyone thinks he tried to kill her and she just forgot,” Jay said but why would he look at her with such a sad expression otherwise… “He’d never do that, they’ve been with each other since kids' ' the fox hybrid defended. 

“What do you know Sunoo?” Jay asked and the fox hybrid stayed silent. “Jake!” I heard and saw y/n. “You’re late” I pout and she sighed. “It took me a while to actually get here from across campus,” she said and I nodded. “Hmm? Looks like you had company though?” she asked and I sighed. 

“Not really,” I said as we walked off. When we were away from the lecture hall I decided to ask. 

“Why was Sunghoon and Jay so mean?” I asked and she sighed. “Jay is a hybrid that many people get for free trial meaning they see what they like in a hybrid and what they don’t… but since he’s had so many owners and isn’t a ‘cute’ hybrid they give him away” she explained and I couldn’t imagine being in his situation. 

“While Sunghoon is just… always been a troublemaker and recently with his owner being in such an accident to forget her memories he might just be a little heartbroken. There were rumors they loved each other…” she explained and it did seem like a heartbreaking experience. 

“Give them a little patience okay?” she asked and I smiled. “I will,” I said and she nodded. 

“Besides… you don’t have to worry about anything when you're with me”

@ilovecheese09 @gudkc @nikisvanillaccola @blossominghunnie @mheretoreadff @k1ttylvr @starzniiky @kibs-and-bits @b3tt7boop @in-somnias-world @lol6sposts @xiaoderrrr @jihyosgfremade @b-a-nshee-blog @mimisamisasa @katsukis1wife @eggomi @thunderous-wolf @tinyteezer @lilactangerine @starfallia @sousydive @bearseulgs

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[justagalwhowrites]

Lavender - Ch. 29

Getting out of Boston with the Fireflies doesn't go as planned. A continuation of Lavender Ch. 1-28, found on Tumblr here.

Pairing: Joel Miller x Reader

Warnings: Canon typical violence. No use of Y/N. Minors DNI, 18+ only.

Length: 5.5k

You stuck close to Ellie as you made your way to the building Joel and Tess used to stash things for smuggling, just on the outskirts of the QZ. It was pouring rain, the chill of the coming fall already setting in. 

When the seasons changed the first time after the outbreak, it had caught you off guard. Logically, of course, you knew that the Earth was still turning, still making its annual orbit. The sun still rose and set, clouds still burst, fruit still turned rotten on the vine. But when the leaves started turning around you as you neared what would become the QZ for the first time, it was disorienting. Everything else had stopped, everything else had come to an end. Why would the seasons still change? 

It was a similar feeling now. The already shifting world made you unsteady, like things should have been frozen when Ellie showed up at your door. Her unchanging self was monumental. It felt as though things should stay the same while humanity reckoned with it. 

Tess went into the building first and jerked her head toward a corner and you grabbed Ellie, bringing her there with you while Tess and Joel checked the small building. 

“We’re clear,” Joel said before going and settling in the main room. 

“Try to stick behind me,” you whispered to Ellie. She glanced up at you. “It’ll be OK, they won’t hurt you but…” 

“How well do you know these people?” She asked, her eyebrows drawn together. 

You weren’t quite sure how to answer that. 

“We’ve saved each others’ lives more than once,” you said. She just nodded and followed you into the main room.

Your eyes automatically drifted to the place were Joel had been on the floor when you’d pushed his bones back into his body and pierced his chest so he could breathe. You stood opposite Joel and Tess, Ellie’s small body partially behind you, partially beside you. You glanced at her but she glared back. Of course she wasn’t going to listen, not fully. 

“Look kid,” Tess looked at Ellie. “I don’t have time to fucking coddle you so we’re going to talk like you’re an adult.” 

“Fuckin’ fine by me,” she snapped. You ground your teeth. 

“What the fuck do the Fireflies want with an infected girl,” Tess said, adjusting the grip on her gun. Your muscles tensed. 

“I told you,” Ellie snapped. “I got bit three weeks ago, haven’t turned. No one lasts that long.” 

“So?” Tess said, looking to you. 

“They think she’s immune,” you replied. “That’s why they’re moving her - us. They think she’s immune and with her they can can reverse engineer a cure.” 

“Can they?” Joel asked, looking at you. 

You sighed. 

It’s not like you’d gone to actual college for this. You knew how to run experiments, how to recreate work that had already been done and make adjustments to try to learn something new. You’d never formally learned how to develop a vaccine or invent a medication. If you’d been actually trained on how to do this shit, developing the treatment you had probably wouldn’t have taken you more than a decade. But then, there was a very good chance that no one who knew how to actual develop stuff like this had survived. 

“I don’t know,” you said eventually. “But having a starting point… That makes a big difference.” 

“Tommy talked about this shit for years,” Joel shook his head, looking at you. “You didn’t fuckin’ buy it then.” 

“Not sure I buy it now,” you shrugged. “This isn’t my area of expertise, Joel. If you recall, I wanted to go into pediatrics and then all my training revolved around keeping people alive. I never learned much about developing vaccines or medications before the outbreak and sure as hell didn’t have much of a chance to learn about it after.” 

“Fireflies are always on this shit,” he muttered. “Should just go back…” 

“So you’re ready to just give up on Tommy then?” Tess asked him, brows raised. “Because who gives a shit what the Fireflies believe or don’t believe, if they’re willing to give us what we need if we bring her across Boston then fuck it, let ‘em.” 

Joel looked between you and Ellie before he sighed.  

“She so much as twitches…” 

Ellie made a choking sound that made you whip your head around only to see her hand outstretched, head cocked, eyes rolled back, all exaggerated mocking. You glared at her until she stopped. 

“Alright, geez,” she put her hands up. “No one here wants to have any fun, got it…” 

You raised your eyebrows at her and she just mirrored your expression, almost a taunt. You resisted the urge to sigh. 

“We should rest,” Tess said. “Get underway first thing.” 

“I’ll keep watch,” Joel said, still looking uncertain as he went toward the front room. 

Tess just nodded before stretching out on the ground. You turned to Ellie.

“I’ll be right back,” you said. 

“But…” she frowned. 

“You’ll be OK,” you smiled a little, grabbing your bag and following Joel. 

He glanced up when you came in, already having settled on top of a box in the corner where he was well hidden from someone glancing inside the building but had a good view of the entry points. 

“Need to check your hand,” you said, nodding to his battered knuckles. 

“’S fine,” he muttered, looking away from you. 

“Joel,” you said quietly. “I know what you do to yourself when you beat someone to death. Let me take care of your hand.” 

He glared at you for a second before he sighed. 

“Fine.” 

You went and set your bag beside him before you knelt at his feet, tucking your flashlight between your cheek and your shoulder as you looked him over. His knuckles were bloody but he hadn’t broken through to the bone this time. You delicately traced the bones of hid hands, the structure of him below his skin and veins. You wrapped your smaller hands around his large one, lining your fingers up where you thought the damage might be worse. 

“Open and close your hand for me,” you said. He obeyed. You felt the fracture and nodded. 

“You’ve had worse,” you said, releasing his hand and going into the pack. “But if you’re about to head to wherever the hell it is Tommy ended up, you should probably start the trip in as close to one piece as possible.” 

You got out the medical kit, part of you uneasy about having to dip into your supplies so early. The Fireflies should have plenty of gear but it still bothered you, your stomach twisting. Like it was an omen. 

You used alcohol wipes on his cuts, followed by antibacterial ointment, looking his hand over one last time before getting out a wrap. You set the light down for this, able to do it fine by touch. 

“I wanted to apologize,” you said after working up the courage to do it. 

“For what,” he replied. Not really asking. 

“For what I said when Andrew got hurt,” you started wrapping his hand, trying not to think about the way you knew how it felt when he skimmed it over your skin, tracing your shape in the dark. “It wasn’t your fault, I know you wouldn’t have let something happen to him. He’s a grown man, he made his own choices. It’s just sometimes hard for me to remember that he’s not still the kid I picked up on my way to the QZ, that he doesn’t need me to protect him. I was just… I was so fucking scared and I took it out on you and that wasn’t fair.” 

He was quiet for a moment. 

“Did you mean it?” He asked. 

“No,” you said. You didn’t need to think about it. “At least, not all of it. Sometimes I wish you’d never called me that night. Seems like it would have been a lot easier for a lot of people if I’d never known what was going on. I would have just gone back into the house, Nan would have been there, that would have been the end of it. Simple.” 

You could feel him stiffen. 

“What about Andrew.” 

“He’s why it’s sometimes and not all the time,” you said absently, picking up the flashlight to check your work. It was oddly easy to be honest with Joel. He was just a habit you fell back into, for better or for worse. “Otherwise… no. I didn’t mean it.” 

You repacked your bag before standing up. 

“Anyway,” you shrugged. “Since I’ll probably never see you again after tomorrow I just… wanted you to know that. I’m going to go try to sleep while I can. I’m fucking exhausted, Fireflies don’t care much about rest, as it happens…” 

“Why’d you go to Marlene?” He asked. 

You frowned, tuning back to him. 

“What?” 

“Marlene,” he repeated. “Why’d you go to her. Tommy?” 

“I didn’t go to her,” your frown deepened. “I haven’t talked to Tommy in weeks and I trust Marlene about as much as I trust a snake oil salesman…” 

“How’d the Fireflies find you then?” He frowned, too. 

“Not sure,” you shrugged. “Ellie showed up at my door, I tried to take her to the clinic but we were intercepted. My guess is Marlene was following Ellie but I don’t know why. She knew about the bite and put a gun to my head…” 

“Literally?” Joel asked, on his feet, voice sharp. 

“Yeah,” you looked at him, confused. Why would he care? Why would he be surprised? “But it’s the Fireflies, that’s how they operate, isn’t it? She put me at gunpoint and leveraged Ellie to get us to go along with them…” 

“That…” he stood, tense for a moment before shaking his head and sitting down again. 

“In her defense, you did point a gun at me earlier today,” you said dryly. 

“Yeah and you knew I wasn’t going to fuckin’ use it,” he muttered. 

“Did I?” You asked. He just looked at you, face hard. You frowned. “Actually, speaking of Marlene… Earlier today, you blamed her for Tommy leaving.” 

He nodded once. 

“That’s not what you told me.” He just looked at you, as though staring you down would make you stop asking. “Joel, come on. We’ve been… whatever this is for, what, 24 years? After tomorrow, it’s over. Don’t lie to me now. What’s the point of it?” 

He looked at you for a moment before he sighed. 

“The explosion,” he said, his eyes still on you. “The one where you got hurt… I saw Tommy there. Confronted him. He helped set it, plan it. Told him he had two choices, he could either leave the fuckin’ Fireflies and turn them in or he could get the fuck away from you. Wasn’t about to let him get you killed for his stupid fuckin’ cause, knew he’d try to drag you down, too.” 

“Tommy…” you managed. Joel just nodded once, hardened look still on his face. Your stomach twisted. Part of you wanted to believe he was lying but you knew he wasn’t. You knew him too well, you couldn’t trick yourself into it. 

You just nodded once. 

“Should’ve told you,” he said, looking outside. “But you were friends… He didn’t have many of those, didn’t want to ruin it.” 

You tried to stop your hand from shaking. You swallowed the bile in your throat. 

“Since I doubt we’ll be alone together again,” you said, voice surprisingly steady even though it felt like someone had cracked open your chest and was reaching into your blood and your marrow to try to pull him out of you. It wasn’t working. It just hurt. “It’s been… good to know you. I hope you take care of yourself.” 

You didn’t wait for a response. Instead, you went to lie down on the ground near Ellie, relieved that both she and Tess seemed to be asleep so neither of them would hear you cry. 

*** 

Joel wished he could remember exactly when Boston became such a fucking shit show to maneuver through. He wasn’t sure now if it was a gradual decline - not that it had ever been an easy thing to do - or if, suddenly, the infected and the raiders became especially bad. 

Today, the issue was infected. 

There were swarms of them it seemed. The four of you had managed to stay off their radar so far but it would be a delicate balance getting you and the kid to the old statehouse without setting them off. 

He let Tess decide the route. He was too distracted, too busy thinking about your conversation with him the night before. 

He hadn’t expected an apology from you. He still wasn’t sure he deserved one, not after what he’d said and done to you over the last 15 years. Anyone watching him would have thought he was some kind of fucking sadist, that he enjoyed hurting you. The curse of you - of knowing you, loving you - was knowing exactly how to rip you open and get you to stay away from him. It took a lot to trigger your sense of self preservation. He’d finally pushed you there without intending to and he hadn’t expected you to ever forgive him for it, let alone apologize. 

And then you said you didn’t think you’d see him again and his blood went cold. It wasn’t that you hadn’t made that obvious before. You said you were leaving, that you didn’t think you were coming back to Boston. He’d understood that, superficially, but there was part of him that was so deeply in denial about what that meant he hadn’t even begun to piece it together. You would be gone. He would never hear your laugh or touch your skin or press his nose into your hair and breathe you in again. 

He knew then that he’d never really thought of things with you as over. Even as he tried to shove you as far away as he could manage, even as you railed against him, part of him held out hope that he’d find his way back to you. Once he was able to repair the broken parts of him, once he was capable of it, once he could convince you to forgive him, you would be there smelling like lavender and leaving your goddamn hair in his shower. 

That wouldn’t be possible if you were a country away. How was he supposed to just let you go a whole fucking country away?

He watched you in the morning, out of the corner of his eye. He watched you braid your hair again. You pulled ribbons out of your bag and tied them on the ends. You checked on the girl. You went into your bag and pulled out a blister pack of pills, handing them to her. 

“What’s this?” The girl frowned, turning the pack over in her fingers. 

“Birth control pills,” you replied, taking one from a blister pack of your own. “You should start taking them now. Make sure you do it daily and at the same time every day. It’s a good idea to keep them on your person so if you get separated from your stuff, you’ve still got them…” 

The girl looked at you, incredulous. 

“You think I’m looking for a fuckin’ boyfriend out here?” She held the pills back out to you. You looked down at them but you didn’t take them. 

“Look,” you glanced toward Tess and Joel and lowered your voice, Joel turning his head slightly so his good ear was closer to you. “I’ve been out here before. Sometimes it’s not up to you. I will do everything I can to keep you safe but if that happens, it’s a lot better if you don’t have to worry about pregnancy. Trust me.” 

His stomach twisted. The girl’s face turned serious. She took the pill. 

You and Tess both tried to lighten things for her after that, the two of you answering whatever questions Ellie seemed to have, you sometimes teasing her.

“Be careful you gremlin,” you said as she walked along the edge of a crater left by a bomb. “I’m not climbing in after you.”

“Psh,” she scoffed. “Yes you would.”

You just smiled a little. You didn’t deny her.

He and Tess led the four of you up to plot a route, locating the swarm of infected in town. 

“Jesus,” you breathed. Tess glanced over at you. “Sorry, haven’t been out in a while I guess.”

“Keeps getting worse,” she said before looking to Ellie. “And they’re all connected. You step on one piece of fungus in one part of the city, the whole pack of ‘em are on you.” 

The girl swallowed hard. 

“This applies to you, too,” she said. “Infected don’t just bite. They can and will rip you to pieces if they have the chance. Immune or not.” 

“Should cut through the museum,” Joel said. “We can stay up high, keep it a straighter shot.” 

No one fought him on it and, at first, it seemed like the right call. The fungus leading inside the building was dried and dead. 

“That’s a good sign,” you said, looking at Joel. “Right?” 

Tess looked at him. They both got out their guns. You followed suit. 

“Ellie,” you said quickly. “In there, you do whatever they tell you the second they tell you…” 

“Oh come on,” she rolled her eyes. 

“I mean it,” you said. “It’s life or death shit, they know what they’re doing…” 

“We’re not going to let you get hurt if we can help it, kid,” Tess said. “But you need to listen to us.” 

“Well then can I have a gun?” She asked, turning back to you. “Because if it’s that dangerous…” 

All three adults spoke in unison. 

“No.” 

“Can’t be that bad then,” she muttered, tightening her grip on her flashlight. 

Joel and Tess shared a look. 

“Stay behind us,” Joel said, looking at you and the kid. “The both of you.” 

For a minute, Joel thought they might have gotten lucky. Everything pointed to the place being abandoned by infected. The tendrils of fungus had started to rot, there were no inhuman sounds. 

Then you spotted the body. 

You let out a small gasp and tucked your gun into the waistband of your jeans, rushing to check the man’s pulse. Joel didn’t need to wait for your look of disappointment, he knew the man was dead. 

“Maybe he came in here to get away from them,” Tess whispered quickly, looking from Joel to you. “This doesn’t mean…” 

“This doesn’t mean what?” Ellie asked when Tess didn’t finish her sentence. “Was that people or infected? Guys?” 

You got back up, pulling your gun back out and standing so close to the girl that you were pressed against her back. Your eyes were wide, looking at Joel. 

He tried to set aside his fear for a moment. The clawing, vicious thought of watching you die. The knowledge of what failure now would mean. 

“From here on out, we are silent,” he whispered. “Not quiet, silent.” 

Ellie opened her mouth to argue and you clamped a hand over her mouth while Joel put a finger to his lips. He mouthed the word ‘silent’ at the girl and she nodded against your hand. 

Joel and Tess took the lead, moving slowly, silently. Ellie was in the middle and you brought up the rear. 

The clicking began when you were in one of the gallery rooms. Joel put his arm out, directing the three of you back into a nook around a display, hopefully enough to protect from the clicker’s version of vision. 

You had an arm across the girl but she was still leaning around Tess, trying to see, her eyes wide. Joel was reminded, for half a moment, of Sarah. 

Not of the violence of her death. Not even of anything sorrowful. Just of her, him and you at a museum. It had been busy that day, it was hard to get to the signs on the displays to properly read them. She kept leaning around people, trying find new vantage points, eyes wide and desperately curious. That yearning to understand why, to know things.

‘Blind,’ he mouthed at the girl, gesturing to his eyes. She nodded, leaning back into you. 

A clicker passed the door. Joel gestured quickly, sending Tess one way and you and the girl another. If one of you made a sound, at least it wouldn’t lead them to everyone. 

He kept watching you. You kept Ellie close, the gun in your hand. He could tell you were trying to force yourself not to panic, could see you counting your breaths. 

The clicking came into the room. Your eyes met his. There was desperation there but an almost quiet acceptance. As though you understood that your life was over but wanted to press on anyway. 

Joel used his flashlight to point to where to go next, guiding the four of you through the maze of exhibitions and beyond the infected. He went first, moving carefully, 

Not carefully enough. 

He felt it half a second before he heard it, the crunch of glass below his feet. 

His eyes instinctively looked to you. Your eyes had somehow gotten wider. He wasn’t sure he’d ever seen you look quite so terrified. 

The clicker shrieked and knocked him prone and before he got a chance to press his weapon to its chest to fire, the sound of a gunshot split the air, blood spilling onto him. The infected on top of him shrieked and ran for you. He watched it happen almost in slow motion. The clicker moving for you, you trying to fire the gun and nothing happening, the trigger not moving. 

Your gun had jammed. 

You threw the girl away from you. 

Your eyes met his again for a split second before the clicker was on top of you, a soft yelp coming from you as you tried to hold it back. Ellie jumped on the infected, trying to hold it back from you, blocking any hope Joel had for a shot at it. 

Joel scrambled to reach you but Tess beat him to it, tackling the clicker, the three of you tangled together with the infected until he heard the clicker shriek a last, gasping shriek before falling silent, Tess’ knife in its throat. 

Two more scrambled into the room and Joel was ready for them this time, not worrying about keeping quiet. They’d been loud enough that anything in the building was already on its way there if they weren’t there already. 

It only took three shots each to fell the other two. 

The room was almost eerily quiet then. He looked to the three of you. 

“Everyone OK?” He asked, breathless. 

You shakily lifted a sleeve, testing your arm before you nodded. 

“Twisted ankle,” Tess said. “Had worse.” 

“Well shit,” Ellie muttered. He looked to her as she examined a shallow bite on her forearm. You rushed her, taking her arm in your hands as you looked her over. “It’s fine. If it had to happen to one of us…” 

You sighed. 

“Should have stayed out of that one, Gremlin,” you brushed her hair back before you looked to Tess. “When we’re in the light I can splint your ankle.” 

“Then let’s get the fuck out of here,” Tess said, limping toward the exit. 

The second all of you were outside, Joel shut the window tight and you dropped your bag down, Tess sitting down and stretching her leg out. 

“Keep going with her,” you said, getting out your medical supplies. “Rather you put some distance between her and this fucking place. We won’t be long.” 

Joel ground his teeth, not liking the idea of leaving you here. 

“Joel,” Tess said, imploring him. 

“C’mon kid,” he jerked his head toward the wood board between buildings. He pulled a scrap of fabric from his pocket and handed it to her. “Cover that, before Doc gets a chance to work on you.” 

“Thanks,” she said, looking across the board. 

“I know it’s high and looks bad…” he tried to remember how to sound reassuring. How he used to talk to… 

“Not bad,” she said, climbing on top of the plank and plowing across. Joel looked over his shoulder at you wrapping Tess’s ankle. He followed the girl. 

“So where are you going when you get the car?” She asked, her hands looped through her backpack straps. 

“None of your business,” he muttered. 

“Fine, damn,” she rolled her eyes before lowering her voice. “Long as it’s not with me and Doc…” 

“What’d you say?” He snapped. 

“Nothing,” she glared at him. 

“Sounded like somethin’.” 

“Just something that goes along with what Doc said about you earlier,” she walked ahead of him. He paused before trying to catch up with her. 

“What’d she say?” He asked. 

“That you’re an asshole,” she looked up at him, smirking. “But in a mostly harmless way.” 

He glanced back in your direction again. 

“Yeah, I don’t want to know anything about whatever that is,” she muttered. 

Joel didn’t ask what she meant by it. 

He was relieved when you and Tess caught up with them before they reached the statehouse. 

“Which of us do you think they’re least likely to shoot?” Tess muttered as the group got closer. 

“I don’t think they’ve got a reason to hate me quite yet,” you sighed. “I can do the talking at least to start. Then you can make your demands and we can be done.” 

He looked at you on instinct at the last part. 

He still wasn’t sure what he was going to do. He needed to find Tommy. Needed to make sure he was OK, that he stayed safe. He needed to protect you and know that you were safe. He needed for this to not be the last time he saw you. 

What if he forgot what you looked like? He’d left the photo he had of you in the QZ. It was the only one he had, what if he didn’t go back and you faded? Even if he made it back, that photo was black and white. What if he forgot the precise shade of your eyes? 

“Something’s wrong,” Tess frowned, running up to the truck outside the statehouse. 

“Tess,” Joel followed her quickly. 

She pulled the doors open, ducked below the truck, tore open the back. The gas tank on the truck had been shot out. 

“Where the fuck are they?” She looked to you, to the girl. You just stood there. “Where the fuck are they, Doc!” 

“Inside,” Ellie pointed to a trail of blood going up the stairs. “I think they’re inside.” 

You took the stairs two at a time and Joel ran to keep up with you. 

By the time he caught you, you were inside, down on your knee at the body closest to the door, checking for a pulse. 

“Shit,” Tess said, coming in behind him with the girl in tow. 

“He’s cold,” you said quietly. “This happened at least half a day ago, maybe longer. They may have been dead before we even left the QZ.” 

“Fuck!” Tess yelled. Joel frowned, following after her. 

“Tess,” he said, trying to keep his voice calm. 

“There must be a map or a radio or some kind of fucking plan somewhere besides one of these idiots’ heads,” she ripped papers off a table, looking for something. 

“What happened?” Ellie asked, looking up at Joel. 

He took a cursory glance. 

“Some of them got infected,” he nodded to one. “Ended up fighting the ones who weren’t. All killed each other.” 

“Fuck,” Ellie muttered. You came up behind her. 

“Doc,” Tess went to you, her eyes wide and desperate. “Marlene had to tell you something, where was she sending you…” 

“I don’t know,” you said quietly. “West, that’s all she said….” 

“Tommy?” She asked. You were quiet. “Come on, the man you were fucking didn’t tell you where the fuck he was going?” 

“Just west,” you shook your head. “We can try to go to where we last heard from him, it can’t be that far from there, see if anyone knows anything…” 

“Let’s just go home,” Joel said, an odd haze of relief passing through him at the idea. This was simple. Go home. With you. Neither of you would be across the country. He wouldn’t need to rely on his memory to keep you close, it would all be OK. 

“No,” Tess shook her head, storming to another pile of supplies in the corner. “No, we have to do this…” 

“Tess,” he said again. 

“I’m not going back there!” She yelled, panting for breath, her hands shaking, papers clutched tight. “Even if I fucking could I wouldn’t want to, I’m so fucking tired of pretending like that’s a life in there, Joel! Aren’t you?” 

“What do you mean even if you could?” He asked quietly. 

She shook her head, smiling darkly. His stomach sank. 

“It was bound to happen eventually,” she said. “The shit we do.” 

She pulled her shirt to the side, exposing her neck. The bite there was vicious, the tendrils of cordyceps already stretching and reaching up toward her brain. Joel stepped back on instinct. She laughed once. 

“Tess…” you breathed, going for her, but she held up her hand, keeping you back. 

“You have to get them there, Joel,” she said, releasing the shirt. 

“No,” he shook his head. 

“Yes,” she said. “Yes you do. They’re sitting ducks without you. Get them to Bill and Frank. They already know Doc, they’ll take them, they can figure it out from there…” 

“Tess,” he said again, his voice cracking. 

“I haven’t asked you for much Joel but I’m asking you for this,” she said. She looked to Ellie. “Show him your arm.” 

The girl looked to you for a second before obeying. Her wound was different from Tess’, less angry. As though she’d gotten a cut on the playground, not been attacked by an inhuman monster. 

“She’s real,” Tess said. “She’s real and Doc can help do something with her and you can help make this world something worth fucking living in again, Joel. Get them there.” 

Out of the corner of his eye, Joel saw something slinking across the floor. Strands of fungus, connecting to others. He looked back to Tess. She saw it too. 

He ran for the door and threw it open, a swarm of infected on the horizon. He closed it again.

“How many?” Tess asked. 

“All of ‘em,” he said. “Fuckin’ all of ‘em we’ve got a minute at best.” 

You were going for your bag. 

“I’ve got a euth kit,” your voice was wet. “I can administer it and you can go upstairs. Stay out of sight, it’ll only take a few minutes, it’ll be peaceful and easy…” 

Tess ignored you. She shoved a barrel of gasoline on its side. 

“What the fuck?” Ellie backed away from her, watching the fuel spill at her feet. 

“Won’t need the kit, Doc,” she said, going to the next barrel and knocking it over, too. “If I’m going down, I’m taking them down, too…” 

Joel swallowed back bile. Tess, why did it have to be Tess? The one fucking constant thing in his life for the past 15 years, the person who came the closest to accepting him for what he’d become without asking why. She had become family, the only person now who knew what he was and he’d failed her, too….

“Joel!” She yelled at him, snapping him out of his own mind. “You have to do this. You can do this. Save who you can save.” 

He looked at her for a moment, let himself recognize what he was about to lose, before he turned and all but ran for you and the girl. 

“NO!” Ellie shrieked as he grabbed her. “We can’t just leave her! We can’t just let her die like that!” 

He looked over his shoulder to make sure you were following as he dragged the kicking, screaming girl. You were walking backwards, looking at Tess as she looked back at you, something unspoken passing between you, like a secret you both held. 

At the last moment you turned and grabbed Ellie’s hand, pulling her along with Joel, running to put as much distance between yourselves and the building as you could. 

When the explosion shook the earth, you stopped with him, both of you looking back as the building burned, the screams of infected on the air. 

A/N: And so four becomes three and our core group are heading on their adventure. Gonna be some ANGST next chapter!

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[spocktheestallion]

why joel was right to save ellie bc i have a lot of opinions and by god i’m gonna share em

so since the show has premiered i’ve seen this debate flare up again and a lot of people saying joel “robbed the world of a cure” when he saved ellie but lets be real, the fireflies were never gonna make that cure.

first off in the original game the hospital and operating room were FILTHY. and yes in the remaster they retconned it to be clean but that just seems silly to me. the fireflies had so little infrastructure that they were wiped out by ONE angry old man in a single night, where are they getting hospital cleaning crews? where are they getting the supplies to properly and i mean PROPERLY sanitize a working OR? more importantly WHO were the medical staff? what were their qualifications? to pull off what they wanted they would’ve needed a team of brilliant scientists specializing in different specific fields and i doubt any of them had been to med school recently. the outbreak was over 20 years old by that point, and medicine is a continually evolving field. those licenses were EXPIRED and even if they had experience during the pandemic it likely would’ve been in field medicine, which is not the same as epidemiology or neuroscience or any of the things they would’ve needed specializing in to get a cure. also the fact that they were saying “we’re gonna make a vaccine!” was another red flag, bc fungal infections aren’t even treated w vaccines. it just goes to show they didn’t know what they were doing. they were just reckless and desperate and ellie would’ve died needlessly.

secondly killing ellie especially right off the bat would make NO sense. what if they find out later on they need a live subject or more samples or whatever? well too late your only subject is dead. why wouldn’t they do blood tests? imaging? or if the cordyceps is only in the brain you can still do a biopsy without killing the person. again, these people didn’t know what they were doing. they were grasping at straws and even if they had gone through with their original plan they probably wouldn’t have been able to synthesize a cure anyway. the sample would’ve expired or been contaminated in the dirty hospital or they would’ve fucked up their sample through ignorance. the whole rushing straight to pulling ellie’s brain out was ridiculous. they would’ve killed a kid needlessly without a second thought.

which brings me to my next point. the fireflies aren’t exactly cut and dry good guys either. i may be reaching w this and i need to rewatch the premiere episode to confirm this but they don’t seem all that picky about their targets and civilians seem to get caught up in them a little too easy. the fireflies aren’t super concerned about human life if it gets in the way of their cause, i mean they were recruiting young kids and giving them weapons just like fedra did. there’s a reason tommy left them high and dry. they’re extremists and they don’t care who they hurt or exploit so long as it serves their cause. they aren’t philanthropists and they FOR SURE would not have been giving out that cure out of the goodness of their hearts. they would’ve gatekept it to themselves and they absolutely would’ve used it as a recruiting tool or political bargaining chip.

but more importantly even in the very unlikely situation they COULD make a successful cure AND mass produce it AND move it cross country which they clearly don’t have the resources for, there’s no way fedra would’ve let them get away with it. their fascist control is all justified in the name of preventing infection, if the disease is no longer a threat that’s a massive blow to fedra’s power. they might’ve been chasing around fireflies for setting off a few car bombs or whatever but if you think fedra isn’t going full extermination mode if they find out the fireflies have a cure you’re kidding yourself. and we’ve clearly established the fireflies would be crushed if they had fedras full attention given that they were pretty much eradicated by one guy in a single night.

and if we’ve learned anything from our own covid pandemic, it’s that if you want to effectively immunize a whole population it needs to be WIDESPREAD. you can’t just treat a few people and call it a day, EVERYONE needs to take the cure or the disease is going to survive and mutate until it can come back in a treatment-resistant variant again and again and again. and after a 20 year outbreak the kind of infrastructure you need to make that happens is gone. it just doesn’t exist anymore. fedra is probably the only group with the level of organization and infrastructure anywhere CLOSE to being able to achieve that kind of feat and i doubt even they could, and even if they could they wouldn’t.

so the fireflies were NEVER gonna be able to make a cure in the first place, they were NEVER gonna be able to mass produce and distribute it, they were NEVER going to be handing it out to anyone they weren’t tight with, and even if they had been well equipped philanthropists who could make a cure and were actually giving it out freely fedra would’ve crushed them immediately.

and i’ve also seen people argue that either way it should’ve been ellie’s choice but i disagree. ellie was a traumatized CHILD with severe survivors guilt. she was not mature enough or in the right headspace to make that kind of decision. JOEL was the closest thing to a legal guardian she had, and it was HIS responsibility to protect her until she was old enough to make decisions like that for herself AND HE DID. a kid should not be allowed to make that choice even if they want to because they’re a KID. also the fireflies weren’t gonna let joel live anyway, i’m pretty sure they were planning to kill him even if he complied.

and ultimately it’s not like joel was considering all this when he made his choice, he saved ellie because he LOVED her. like i’m sure he picked up on some red flags and knew things were sketch and realized the fireflies would probably fail and she’d die for nothing but more than anything he went back bc that was HIS BABY and he wasn’t letting desperate assholes sacrifice her for their cause. “save who you can save” remember? maybe you can’t single handedly change the world or make some miracle cure but you can do what you can for the people you love and maybe that’s enough. maybe you can never make the world go back to the way it was and maybe you SHOULDN’T but you can take it as it is one step at a time and you can do it with the family you’ve made. i think that’s a much better takeaway and i don’t like how the “joel was selfish and did the objectively bad and wrong thing” narrative in tlou2 minimizes that.

[sicksadlit]

An author stole my book idea

What do you do when someone else publishes your book?

I was scrolling on my phone, browsing a selection of soon-to-be-released books when one in particular caught my eye.

I read the blurb and let out an audible gasp. 

The author stole my book idea. 

This man who I’ve never met, somehow managed to reach inside my brain, pluck out my story idea, write the book I am writing right now, and turn it into a fully fledged novel. He beat me to print, and now the novel I’ve been working on for the last few months is headed for the trash because how can I continue to write a story that has already been written?

It feels like my “life's work” has been stolen, cruelly whipped away from me overnight. The story that has been building and percolating inside me for years, preparing itself to arrive in my brain and out onto the page.

An accurate depiction of me discovering someone else is publishing the book I’m writing

Although, it’s possible that he didn’t actually steal my idea. It’s probable even because he couldn’t have. I don’t even know the guy. The far more likely scenario is that it is just an astonishing coincidence. He happened to have the exact same book idea at the same time as me, but the difference is: he’s a well known, successful, professional crime writer who actually managed to finish the story (and probably did a fantastic job), and I am an unpublished novice writer, who punches out a few hundred words here and there when inspiration strikes.

The best theory as to what has happened is that I have become the victim of a phenomena known as “simultaneous invention”.

Simultaneous invention is the concept that inventions and ideas are conceived independently by different creators, but at the same time.

“Rather than being the products of the individual mind, multiples (aka - simultaneous discoveries) are said to prove that creative ideas are the effects of the zeitgeist, or spirit of the times. At a specific instant in the history of a domain, the time becomes ripe for a given idea. The idea is “in the air” for anyone to pick, making its inception inevitable.” - Dean Keith Simonton, creativity researcher

There are mind-boggling cases of simultaneous invention documented throughout history. Here are some of the most famous instances:

1600s: Isaac Newton and Gottfried Leibniz both discover calculus.

1770s: Carl Wilhelm Scheele and Joseph Priestley discover oxygen.

1800s: Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace both describe natural selection.

1839: Louis Daguerre and Henry Fox Talbot invent the first photographic methods.

1869: Louis Ducos du Hauron and Charles Cros present the earliest workable methods of colour photography on the same day.

1876: Elisha Gray and Alexander Graham Bell independently, on the same day, filed patents for invention of the telephone.

1879: British physicist-chemist Joseph Swan independently developed an incandescent light bulb at the same time as American inventor Thomas Edison was independently working on his incandescent light bulb.

1950s: Jonas Salk and Albert Bruce Sabin invent the polio vaccine.

2015: Takaaki Kajita and Arthur B. McDonald are jointly awarded the Nobel prize for finding that neutrinos have mass.

It sounds like something from a Blake Crouch novel. The idea that two complete strangers, anywhere in the world could come up with the exact idea at the same time. It would be written off as pure science fiction if it weren’t so thoroughly documented. 

It came for Charles Darwin, it came for Alexander Bell, and now, it has come for me.

Since I’ve had a solid 48 hours to walk around the house moaning in despair, I figure it’s probably time to put my big girl pants on and think about what to do next.

What does one do when someone else publishes the book you were going to write?

If there’s one thing this sad experience has taught me, it’s this: Do not sleep on that creative idea.

I thought I had all the time in the world to write my story. Donna Tartt took 9 years to write The Secret History, after all. Maybe I could take 9 years to write my debut novel too. But modern life and our shared experience may lead to someone else coming to the same conclusions – or ideas – as you have, somewhere in the world. 

This doesn’t just apply to writing. It can happen in any field where creativity and imagination are at play. 

Where does this leave me and my manuscript? I think I’ll hold onto it a little longer before sending it to my computer’s trash bin forever. Even though the original premise and core of the story is no longer viable, perhaps there’s something there worth saving. Maybe a shift in perspective or narrative voice. Could it be a white collar crime thriller instead of a murder? Could I set it in a different era? Could I change the genre? Who knows. Maybe this whole saga is a good thing and will force me to pivot. Now, I’m compelled to look at how I can better improve upon what the story was set to become. 

One of the people in my writer's group said that this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. If his book sells well, publishers will be frothing to produce more of the same. That said, I’m not sure how I feel about being the runner-up for the prize of cool and interesting story ideas. 

So what’s the solution to this confounding mystery of the human mind? How can you ensure your work remains true and original to you when at any point in time, some random person out in the world might be working on the exact same thing? 

Maybe the answer is to simply try and be the first to launch, and to do your best not to let perfectionism hold you back from getting started. Maybe done is better than perfect. Or, if you instead find yourself in the same boat as me, is there room to move and change your approach? Could you see it as an opportunity to pivot and find a fresh, unexpected angle?

The truth is, I was stuck in a bit of a rut anyway. I fell out of love with the story idea a few weeks back. When I started writing months ago, I kicked off with a hiss and a roar, smashing my daily word count goal and picking up steam until I hit a wall. I didn’t like the characters and writing became a slog. Instead of feeling inspired and excited by the story, I felt bored and disillusioned. It became something I thought I simply had to finish to avoid the “sunk cost fallacy”.

This uncanny coincidence has forced me to open doors to new possibilities with the story that I hadn’t allowed myself to consider before. Now that the original plan has gone out the window, the idea of returning to the old draft feels strangely exciting again. Like anything is possible and the book could go in any direction. 

But I guess you’ll just have to wait and see… Maybe I’ve already said too much.

[texas-writes]

Come On, Princess

Cw: threeway, cunnalingus

You stared, dumbfounded at the phone in your hand. There’s nothing strange about an old friend calling you up to chat. Nothing at all. Hell the conversation you just had was downright boring even until he asked you to go out with him and his boyfriend. The words themselves weren’t particularly interesting, but his tone was different when he said it. You had known Keigo since you were teenagers, and if you knew anything about him it was that he was so unpredictable he was almost predictable. You didn’t question his motives, knowing he would never force your hand, you had just agreed to meet them at the restaurant for a nice dinner and half-jokingly prayed your rabies vaccine was up to date. He’s a biter.

You hadn’t actually met Keigo’s boyfriend yet, hell maybe that all he wanted was for you to meet him. God, knowing what type of guys Keigo was into, he was either a total hardass or a stoner. You prayed for your sake it was the latter. Taking a deep breath, you force yourself into the restaurant. You quickly spot Keigo sitting in a corner booth by himself and head over to him. “We get stood up,” you question, sliding into the booth and wrapping your arms around him. He squeezes you back. “Nah, he called me a minute ago. Said traffic was bad.” “That’s because you picked a downtown restaurant at rush hour.” “hahahah shut the hell up,” he deadpans, letting go of you. “But seriously though, what have you been up too, haven't seen you in what?” “six months,” you reply. “I’ve just been working though. Feels like all I do is work and sleep.” He reclines himself in the booth, resting his hands behind his head. “So I take it no stress relief?” He wriggles his eyebrows at you. “Keigo if you want to fuck me just say so.”

Somebody clears their throat and slides into the booth next to Keigo, resting against his side. Keigo wraps his arm around the other man's waist and pulls him closer “Mh, look what the cat drug in. Y/n, this is my boyfriend Dabi, Dabi, this is my best friend y/n.” “Glad to finally meet you, he never shuts up about you,” he laughs, his voice is deeper than you expected, probably attributed to whatever happened that left him as scarred as he is. “He never shuts up about you either,” you reply, a smile spreading across your face. You’re glad he’s laid back. And handsome. And strangely familiar. They contrasted each other, making them a pretty couple. Was it weird to be friends with the guy you lost it to in the back of a van in high school but never dated? No, that wasn’t too weird. Was it weird to think about banging him and his boyfriend? You wouldn’t mind it if that teal eyed fucker wrapped his hands around your throat. Oh God what if his quirk is mind reading. Oh that’s definitely weird. Oh no. “Hey, Earth to y/n,” Keigo calls, snapping in front of your face, “food’s here hon, where’d you go?” “Sorry I zoned,” you reply, shaking your head and picking up some chopsticks to grab a dumpling with.

“Dinner was good Dabi, thanks for paying,” you hum, pecking on the cheek and slipping past Keigo into his apartment, beelining straight for the kitchen. “Did they just-” “yeah they’re like that, get used to it lmao.” “Did really just say- ya know what nevermind. Do you still want to ask them about the uhhhh-” “Yeah, I’ll do it, It’ll be weird if you do it.” Kiego makes his way into the kitchen and finds you perched on his counter drinking a beer. He rubs the back of his neck. “Hey Dabs and I were wondering if uhhh, you’d-” “Yes.” “But you don’t even know what I was going to ask,” he whines, bending over and resting his head on your thigh. “Keigo, do you think I’m stupid? I’ve known what you wanted since you called to ask me to go out with you two,” you counter, rubbing your fingers through his hair. “Am I really that predictable?” “Only to me sweets,” you murmur, urging him off of you and hopping off the counter. Grabbing his hand, you lead him back into the living room, where Dabi’s draped himself over the couch, somewhat resembling the Death of Marat. You laugh at the thought. His head snaps towards you. “What’s so funny, doll? You’re holding hands like teenyboppers, I take it they said yes?”

“Yeah, I’ll fuck both of you, it’s cool,” you shrug, letting go of Keigo’s hand and rolling yourself over the back of the couch onto him. “You smell good,” you comment, burying your face into his chest. God, you really hoped your quirk didn’t act up tonight. “Bed, now,” Dabi growls, lazily pointing down the hall, wrapping his other arm around your waist, pulling you close before slipping out from under you. “You just gonna leave me here to get myself off while you two have a nice evening?” “Hell no I’m not leaving a fine piece of ass like you in the living room,” he laughs, throwing you over his shoulder, drawing a shriek from you. “Don’t fucking kill my best friend,” Kiego shouts from down the hall. “Yeah yeah, we are gonna kill you though,” he calls as he kicks the door open, throwing you on the bed next to Kiego. His face pops into your vision as you open your eyes. “Fancy meeting you here, looks like we’re both about to get fucked like sluts.” You chuckle. “Now that’s where you’re wrong princess,” you purr, pushing him back onto the bed. “Strip. Now.” He complies with no hesitation, sitting on his knees before you in just his boxers. A hand snakes around your waist as Dabi rests his head on your shoulder. “Hm, don’t think you’re getting off that easy, hand ‘em over,” Dabi murmurs, reaching his free hand towards Kiego. He slowly moves to put his boxers in Dabi’s hand before changing direction and throwing them in your face.

“You little shit,” you growl, pouncing on him, pushing him harshly into the mattress. “Give me one reason I shouldn't knock you around and edge you until you’re crying like a bitch, hm?” He looks up at you with big puppy dog eyes. “Because you love me? So much?” You slap him. “Well, now that was just rude,” he taunts, giving you a shit-eating grin. You have half the mind to slap him again before Dabi grabs your hair and pulls you back into him. “Strip for me princess, then we’ll have some fun with him, yeah?” You promptly start peeling your clothes from your body and tossing them aside. “And you, you little shit, are gonna eat them until they cum all over your pretty little face, make up for being a brat. “But I like eating pussy?” “Slap him again, then ride his face.”

You do as you’re told, slapping Kiego firmly before settling your knees on either side of his head and lowering yourself down to his hungry mouth. Keigo grabs your thighs, pulling you closer to him and delves his tongue into your dripping cunt. He’d always been skilled with his mouth, be it talking himself out of sticky situations, or in this case, into one. You gripped at the headboard, trying to steady yourself as he slipped two fingers into you, curling them against your soft insides. He moans into you suddenly, making your thighs clench and you look behind you, finding Dabi stroking Keigo’s cock at a painstakingly slow pace. Another curl of his fingers draws your attention back to the pleasure between your thighs. Another moan from him sends shockwaves through you, making you squeeze your thighs together yet again and come undone around his fingers. You roll off of him, taking deep breaths to steady yourself. Dabi turns his attention to you now, leaving Keigo with a throbbing erection. “If you touch yourself, you’re not cumming, you hear me,” he growls over his shoulder. “Yes,” Keigo breathes, resting his hands on his stomach. “Yes what?” “Yes master” “Good boy,” he nudges your legs apart. “Can I have a little taste too, sweets?” You open your legs further for him. He rests himself on his elbows between your thighs and wraps his arms around them. “You smell so good,” he purrs, rubbing his cheek against the inside of your thigh before throwing himself into you, much more skilled than even Keigo. Your hands immediately tangle into his hair and tug, small whimpers falling from your lips. He makes you cum until your legs are shaking, then moves away, leaving harsh bites along your thighs before soothing them with his warm tongue.

Dabi gets up and rids himself of his clothes and slips on a condom before sitting on the foot of the bed, gesturing for you to come to him. You sit before him, watching him as he strokes his cock, urging himself to get harder still. “How in the hell did he end up with someone like me with someone as beautiful as you sitting right in front of him,” he purrs, motioning for you to come to him. “Because I prefer men,” Keigo pipes from his designated spot on the bed. “Hm, they could probably give you as good a dicking as I can with the right resources,” he hums, turning you around and gently sinking you down onto his cock. “But can they manhandle me like you,” he quips, giving the two of you a devilish grin. “Guess we’ll find out.”

He takes his time with you, making you feel him hit every spot inside you at a painfully slow pace. “Hgn, faster, please, I need it,” you whine, reaching back to pull at his hair. He grabs your throat and pulls your back into his chest, fucking you harder than before. Strings of curses fall from your lips when he uses his other hand to play with your clit, making your walls flutter around him. “Mh, you feel so good, Kiego, tell them how pretty they look,” he growls, squeezing your throat more firmly and thrusting into you harder than before. “You’re so pretty Y/n, you’re taking him so well, god look at you, I wanna touch myself so bad,” he whines, reaching for his dick before catching himself and digging his nails into his thighs. “You got me so close sweetheart, you wanna cum with me?” You nod, pushing your head back into him as your back arches, turning your head to catch his lips with your own. They’re softer than you expect, tasting faintly of you and the cigarette he smoked on the walk back to Keigo’s apartment. You moan as he pulls away, leaving sloppy kisses along your neck and shoulders, biting before smoothing the sting with his warm tongue, leaving a trail of warm saliva in his wake. “What’s my name baby?” He trusts you with his life, you can feel it, you force your quirk into the back of your mind, not wanting to know more than you’ve been told. “Dabi,” you moan, pushing back onto him, chasing your inevitable high. “Who do you belong to?” “Ah, you, I belong to you.” “Then cum with me.” You do, and every emotion he’s ever felt crashes onto you at once, clouding your mind, your skin is too hot suddenly, making you scream before the feeling ebbs into a warm bliss. Your body falls limp against him as you struggle to steady your breathing as he strokes your hair and shushes you. When you finally catch yourself he lays you next to Keigo.

“ Why don’t you treat me like that after you fuck me?” “Because you’re a brat,” Dabi responds nonchalantly, tossing the used condom in the nearby trash bin. “Now I got you a present, and since you were so good and didn’t act like a little slut, you can have it. Keigo’s mood is magically renewed by the promise of some sort of reward, bringing him to to sit on his knees and look expectantly at his boyfriend, who tosses a bag at you. “I thought you said it was for me,” he whines, pouting at the dark haired man. “It is, pet, I promise.” You pull the contents from the bag, revealing a strap-on. “OH! It is for me,” Keigo cheers, clapping excitedly. Have you picked sides yet?” “How about you pick, Princess,” Dabi coos, stroking his face with the pad of his thumb, tracing his cheekbones, then his jaw, before running it along his plush lips and pushing it into his mouth. “Don’t bite princess, or I’ll change my mind.” “Mhka eh wehnt,” Keigo responds. Dabi pulls his thumb from his mouth with a wet pop. “What was that princess?” “Okay, I won’t, I decided I want you in my mouth, is that okay?” “That’s just fine baby, let’s go ahead and get ready, hm?” You get up and start fastening the strap to your body as Keigo allows Dabi to prep him for you. “You got any lube,” you question, poking around in the nightstand, finding nothing but a phone charger, a condom, ibuprofen and? A half eaten bag of sunflower seeds? Why are you even surprised? “Uhhh, no, spit should work thou-ah,” Keigo respods. With the sounds coming out of him you can only assume Dabi is getting to work on his prostate.

“He’s ready for you whenever you are,” Dabi shrugs, continuing his ministrations on the blond whining in his lap. You get on the bed and kneel behind Keigo. “Ass up, Princess,” you hum, grabbing his hip and pulling him towards you while you spit in your hand to lube up the strap. “You ready for me,” you question, teasing his entrance with the tip of the dildo. “Yes, god, yes please, fuck me, please.” “Hm, well, since you asked so nicely,” you reply, gently sinking into him until your hips were flush with his ass to let him adjust. You look up and see that Dabi’s already taken over fucking his mouth, so you start thrusting with a slow, even pace so as not to hurt him unintentionally. Pain could be fun, blood usually wasn’t. Keigo begins pushing his ass back into you, silently urging you to speed up. You pick up your pace, fucking into him as quickly as he could take it, grabbing at his hips for leverage, while Dabi pulled at his hair shoving his cock deeped down his throat and grunting. Keigo cums untouched and without warning when you wrap your hand around his throat and give it a light squeeze, feeling the bulge of Dabi’s cock move with each of his thrusts. Dabi follows suit, praising Keigo as he pulls away for taking both of you so well. Keigo collapses on the bed with a huff while you slip the strap off your body and toss it to the side. Dabi pulls the soiled sheet from the bed and balls it up, tossing it into the corner before laying next to his boyfriend and pulling him into his chest. You search hastily for your clothes, unable to find where your underwear went. “What’re you doing, sweets?” “I can’t find my-” “Whatever it is, we can look in the morning hm? Spend the night with us? It's the least we can do.”

[morlock-holmes]

The people you’re arguing with re: pre-modern quality of life, are all broadly rationalist-adjacent, and are therefore deeply committed to arch-Whig-History and will never concede that anything was better for anyone ever before this exact moment in time.

for what it’s worth, I get your point - comparative social status is really great, and people who had a lot of it might’ve been very unwilling to give it up in order to certain material benefits of industrial society.

For a total no-brainer post-industrial example - anyone who’d trade being a trust fund playboy in the early 20th century for being a lower income wage worker today is a fool. There is no way you could legitimately argue that the internet is better than a life of relative leisure, high status, and wealth.

the further back you go, the trickier the argument gets, due to things like antibiotics, motorized transport, etc all being pretty handy, but I absolutely would go to bat that the median Regency English gentry or noble had a better quality of life than the median lower income American, in many respects.

go back to the Iron Age, gets a little trickier, but idk, I might still say that a high status Viking leader had a better life than I do, but it’s a smaller chunk of society the further back you go. Wealthy Romans seemed to be having a pretty decent time, tbh

I do think I’m more sensitive to relative status than some people. That said, I also think a lot of the Whig History fans I’ve known were part of the current socioeconomic top 10% and just didn’t realize how much it sucks to not have that status. Especially looking at a guy like John Green going in on it, like yeah John, of course you don’t rate being nationally known and respected for making a living pursuing your life’s passion, you’re doing that now

Well, I have another side to things, though you get most of it.

I mean, I don't want to overestimate wealth here. Part of my point is *also* that, assuming what we read of Diogenes is true, he was probably more fulfilled as a human being than Elon Musk, and Elon Musk is the world's richest man in the safest and most technologically advanced time in human history while Diogenes lived in a god damn jug.

Like, people who idealize or become nostalgic about the past are very, very often asking,

"Why do I feel so [angry/tired/hopeless/trapped] despite the fact that I have easy access to [insert material comfort here]"

And the response is very often to say, "Because you are fundamentally irrational. [Insert material comfort here] is actually the most important advancement in all of human history."

Like, in that conversation one person says,

"You live better than anybody in pre-industrial times."

And when I say, "Well, I don't know, Leonard Da Vinci and Gengis Khan seemed like they did okay"

A second person comes along to say,

"Well, those are inherently scarce positional goods, you can't expect social advances to make those more prevalent, what modernity actually gives us is travel, a library, a well-stocked sewing room, a hundred paintings you painted yourself"

And when I say, "Yeah I don't have that stuff either" a third person says,

"Yeah, obviously you can't expect to get that stuff, modernity gives you flush toilets, iPads and childhood vaccines."

And first of all yeah, I know, I said that, and second:

*Boy* have these rose-y eyed optimists spent a *lot* of time telling me what sorts of human pleasures I really ought to stop expecting to have more of.

I mean "wasn't stillborn" is quite literally the *absolute bare minimum* that a person can expect out of life.

Remember how in the 50s some kid would hate peas, and his parents would force him to eat them and if he complained they'd say, "You ought to be grateful for those peas, there are starving children in Africa"?

Turns out that "You'd better learn to be thankful for this because it's all you're gonna get and you could have it a lot worse" isn't actually optimistic or empowering.

And that sentiment lurks just below the surface of a lot of these odes to modernity.

PS - If you asked that pea hating child whether he would want to trade places with that starving African child he might well say, "Well, at least *he* isn't being forced to eat these awful peas!" and I think there is some justice to that response even if it doesn't represent a literal desire to experience a famine.

[deluxewhump]

Do you have any advice for first time cat parent? (Human parent of cat, not cat parent)

Congrats on getting a kitty!!!!!

If you are getting an adult cat I would say just be really, really patient with letting them acclimate! I know it can take weeks and weeks for them to feel comfortable. If you are getting a kitten (we got all 3 of ours as kittens) they usually take way less time to acclimate and feel comfortable in the new space, maybe just a couple days depending on how big your house is and if you have other animals that need to be introduced safely to a new kitten.

Just some things that come to mind:

-let them come out of the cat carrier on their own time

-make sure their litter is accessible, not too high for a kitten to get in, if you are getting a kitten, and that they know where and what it is by setting them in it a few times. Kittens amaze me with how smart they are and how quickly they are house trained compared to puppies. I’m going to brag about my three and say they’ve never had an accident more than a few days after coming home with us.

-notice where they like to nap and put a soft blanket there or a cat bed nearby and they might be more prone to use it

-don’t let them eat strings, they try to eat entire lengths of string

- glass or stainless steel water bowls are better than plastic because they don’t trap as much bacteria between washes which can affect their health. cats love fresh water instinctively so change it often even if it’s not empty. They usually prefer their water to be a ways away from their food.

-wash their food bowls often for this same reason.

- you will probably buy toys your cat won’t play with. Mine love these little plastic springs that bounce really easily. And hair ties.

- if your cat chews/ claws things it shouldn’t like my youngest does you can get an all natural citrus oil spray called cat repellant and spray the piece of furniture/Christmas tree/ Venetian blinds and they won’t chew it for a while because it smells of citrus.

- they love to get up high. I have a floor to ceiling post with little hammocks that stick out at intervals and they love it. A normal cat tree achieves this too if you are able to get one!

-my eldest cat was determined to destroy our television so I put a really big piece of packing tape sticky-side up on the entertainment center so that every time he got up there the tape stuck to his paws and he finally.stopped.jumping.up.there. This one felt a little mean but it was really becoming an issue and I was afraid the tv was going to topple onto him one day so it was for his own good.

- make sure you keep track of your cats immunizations, and remember kittens need 3 rounds of shots fairly early on. If you adopt a kitten from someone and not an organization, make sure you ask if they’ve been dewormed and had their first distemper shots so you can tell your vet. Many rental agencies require proof of rabies vaccination for you to bring your pets. Spaying and neutering has benefits even if you only have one cat and they stay inside. That will become available around 6 months of age. If it’s too expensive, shop around for clinics and places that will do it less expensively because they usually exist.

-flea and heartworm medicine. Keep track of when you treated them last because it’s super easy to forget. Some are monthly, some are every other month.

- I was advised to keep my cats on kitten food until they were one year old. It is higher calorie and often has more nutrients as they’re still growing. I was also advised to keep my boy cat on wet food as well as dry, because males can dehydrate easier due to their urethras being more prone to it or something and it can make them sick. The wet food helps hydration. I have one cat that will not eat wet food 🤷‍♀️

- for 6-9 dollars you can get a water additive that helps prevent gingivitis and other mouth issues. Their vet put me on to this so I don’t worry that it’s unsafe.

-if your cat has the zoomies all night and you can’t let them sleep in your room with you because you get no sleep don’t feel bad. You’ve got to sleep. I’d love mine to sleep with us but the minute ten pm hits they become evil.

-two of my cats are SO mouthy. I love it, they talk at me all day, sometimes for a reason, sometimes just to chat. This isn’t advice just a comment lol.

- I have two cats (out of three) that love belly rubs/scratches, and this might be a coincidence or it might be that we successfully conditioned them to like it when they were kittens. Most of them famously hate it or only tolerate it for three seconds. So if you get a kitten pet their belly often and see how it goes lol. It’s worth a shot.

-while still immensely easier than puppies, kittens are wild!

-personality wise they are all different, for the most part they’re just going to be who they are, and you will love them for it.

-no matter what you name them you’re probably going to end up calling them by three weird nicknames that have little to do with the original name

Enjoy your new kitty!!!! They are perfect little creatures that domesticated themselves for their own convenience which sounds about right. 💕 shameless plug of my cats

[hxneyfarm]

Doc: An Introduction

written for @strangerthingsocweek | rated G/T | wc: 841 | cw: mention of unsafe binding practices | tags: nonbinary character, transmasculine gareth emerson, canon typical monsters

I'm not gonna lie, y'all, it was hard to find someplace within the canon universe to introduce Willow Byrne, since they were created from a deeply expanded AU (and then AUs upon AUs and etc etc) BUT we've done it!

There’s something about quiet days at the clinic that sets Willow’s teeth on edge, gets their anxiety pumping in a way that it hasn’t since their stint at the emergency clinic in Indy just after graduating veterinary school.

It’s the days like this, where Willow has all the time in the world to sit and eat their lunch in peace and quiet, to monitor their surgical patient as he comes out of the anesthesia, that Willow knows in their heart of hearts that something major is going to come barreling through that door at about ten till seven as Willow’s techs and receptionist are just beginning to clean up the clinic.

It’s been a good day so far, is the thing. They started the day successfully wrangling a fractious cat into submission for her vaccinations, and then overseeing their newest tech’s first dental on an elderly Yorkie, and then performing a neuter on a hundred pound yellow lab. And then it was time for a late lunch when Willow’s youngest employee—Gareth Emerson in his black band tee shirts and tattered jeans—pushes open the clinic door with his backpack slung over his shoulder and dark circles beneath his eyes that spoke volumes about his workload between school, home, and here.

Willow likes Gareth a lot. There’s something about him that Willow recognizes, down to their very soul. It’s something that—had Willow grown up in a different environment—they think maybe they could have had for themself at that age. 

Willow has seen the Ace bandages wrapped tightly around Gareth’s chest when he changes out of his school clothes and into his scrubs. Willow hasn’t brought it up, and likely never will, but they hope that Gareth recognizes them the way they recognize him.

As he’s restocking the syringes at Willow’s work station, Gareth is,,, fidgety. That’s really the only way to describe it. He keeps looking over at Willow, real shifty-like, all anxious buzzing and tappy fingers.

“Hey doc?” he says at last. Willow glances up at him, over the rim of their glasses, and sets down the patient chart they’d been perusing to give their employee their whole attention. “So my buddy Eddie, uhhh… he found this… weird dog, he said? I dunno what it is, but he was wondering if he could bring it in and have you take a look? Maybe see what’s wrong with it?”

It’s not what Willow had been expecting Gareth to say, but the way he says it… it sends a chill up Willow’s spine, one that they can’t place.

“Sure,” they shrug, tugging their glasses off to rub their eyes. “Probably just a stray with mange.”

“I dunno…” Gareth mutters, his voice heavy. “This thing… Doc, I don’t want you to think I’m crazy or anything, but I’ve seen it. I don’t think it’s a dog at all.”

There’s that chill again, creeping across the back of Willow’s neck, the one that hasn’t fully gone away since the day they rolled into Hawkins. 

There is something wrong with this town.

Gareth’s friend Eddie shows up with all his boisterous, boundless energy, with his dimples and his hair and his larger than life laugh, twenty minutes before the clinic closes. He is carrying something wrapped in a leather jacket like he is hiding it from the sun. Whatever it is—mangy dog, rabid raccoon, sickly feral cat—is squirming in his tight but careful grip, trying to run, trying to escape the fluorescents and the overwhelming scent of medical equipment.

Gareth is frozen in place, staring hard at the bundle in his friend’s arms. There’s a fear in his eyes that Willow hasn’t noticed in him in the few months he’s been working for them. Gareth has muzzled demonic chihuahuas and coaxed terrified, reactive rottweilers out of hiding without so much as batting an eye, but whatever his friend has dragged in here scares Gareth, and that makes Willow nervous.

For his part, Eddie is still grinning ear to ear, cooing at his mystery bundle, calling it Gamgee and talking sweetly to it like he’s shushing a nervous cat.

Heart racing, Willow motions to the exam table before them and tells Eddie to set the “dog” down there. 

He does, and he pulls back the leather jacket it’s wrapped in to reveal the monster beneath.

Willow does not believe in monsters.

This thing is a monster.

“That is not a dog,” they breathe to Gareth.

“I know.”

It’s… flesh. It’s not flesh. It’s plant matter. No, it’s not. Willow wants to reach out and touch it. Willow is terrified that if they come into contact with its flesh it will kill them. 

The monster turns its head—if it can even be called that— toward Willow.

It doesn’t have any eyes but Willow has the unsettling feeling that it can see them anyway. It tilts its head, like a curious dog.

And then its face splits open, blooms like a flower of blood and guts and viscera and Willow feels ill.

The thing screams. 

The fluorescents above them shatter.

[crazy-loca-blog]

Hey! Been sick in bed for two weeks already and even though I'm feeling MUCH better (I'm getting up tomorrow! Yay!), I'm still struggling with some cough. Flu has become a major issue in this side of the world, especially for kids, so please get vaccinated!!

Of course, I've been making the most of this time and I've been catching up on a lot of books that were in my pendings (leaving them under the cut to avoid spoilers for non-VIP players), so I need to vent about them even though no one asked for it (The Ghost Of Us is pending because I’m still in chapter 3, and I want to make a special post about Open Hearts On Fire):

Hot Shot: Overall, I liked this story because I enjoyed the relationship between the MC and the LI. Even though the LI was a jerk at first, I think it's been ages since the last time we saw a straightforward LI (admitting they were falling for the MC in the middle of the book and not waiting until the last chapter? loved it!), who knows what they want, but who doesn't feel pushy or invasive. I also loved the respect and understanding the LI seemed to have for the MC when she tried to keep a hidden relationship because of the conflict it could have caused with her job. I mean, really, kudos to the writers for that. However, there were also things that ruined the book for me. First, this is one of those stories where we could have had more than one LI (I'm looking at you, Kels). The relationship with Adesh? Poorly written. And I'm not saying it because of his betrayal (I would never have talked to him again after that!), but because the writers tried so hard to make them besties and I'm sorry, but I had a hard time picturing them even as colleagues that get along. And then the ending... I mean, wtf was that?!?! What a terrible final chapter! From the writers pushing a "perfect" 30 diamond scene even though the LI was injured (seriously, I can't believe there was no mention of it during the scene), to the fact that we didn't see the LI’s dad in the final game after all that arc the writers gave us with him, and some details such as the MC "remembering" her life playing hockey (girl, you barely played ONCE in the whole story and there wasn't even a mention of your "career" in hockey), everything felt rushed and sloppy. Not a fan of it. And not a fan of the sequel either. This book should have remained a standalone.

The Deadliest Game: At first, I struggled with this story. The Deadliest Gambit was such a slow prequel that I had a hard time trying to connect with the book. But after I moved to The Deadliest Game and since the plot began to develop, I’ve been enjoying it a lot, to the point that it’s becoming one of my favorite new releases in 2024. Our gang is pretty smart (the weakest character is probably our nepobaby, Dante), and I like how the writers have portrayed Nick so far (he was a good person, but he was far from being perfect). Having to go back to the starting point right after we had discarded most people in the house as “the killer” felt like a nice change of pace, but to be very honest, now I feel completely lost about whom the killer could be. As per the romance, I’m not sure about romancing anyone yet. I gave Dante a chance because at first I thought he and the MC had a lot in common, but I don’t know. The relationship doesn’t seem to flow naturally after that first kiss, and now after a few chapters, Farah is becoming my favorite LI. However, I feel my MC is actually more worried about solving the case than dating anyone, so I might restart the book and remain single. PS: kudos to the writers for naming my country and the miners’ story lol

Filthy Rich: There isn’t much to say so far. Basically, the boy who broke our heart 10 years ago is back, he’s “filthy rich” and wants to date us. Also, the man happens to be a TV producer (just like the MC!) and he has the MC and her brother in mind to produce a new reality show that SCREAMS “The Kardashians”. Not a fan of the book so far; however, it’s only been 4 chapters, so I can’t really tell whether I like it or not. I like the fact that the MC can give the LI a piece of her mind, though. She hasn’t forgotten him, but she clearly won’t make things easy for him.

Along Came Treble: ohmigod what a headache! There are so many things I dislike about this book! First, I'm close to sending the MC to horny jail because she's just too much! Second, the LI. He is actually a cool guy, but the writers made him so similar to Raleigh Carrera (the boy band past, the tattoos, the rebel side) that it’s impossible not to compare them both (and if you love Platinum as much as I do, you’ll agree that Cai is not Raleigh). Third, the inconsistencies. At one point in the story, all of our belongings are stolen, including our laptop, but then, shortly after, we’re working with it? Fourth, our MC and the LI are way too different. Our MC is an intern trying to become a manager who cares about fame and recognition, and the LI only cares about his music. I’m not sure whether I see the romance between them having any future (but PB will definitely push for them to have their happily ever after). And finally, they’re trying to push the BD*SM narrative just like they did in Open Heart, by just adding a random scene that doesn’t make any sense, but this time, with a couple that barely know each other. What’s the point? Showing the LI is a “bad boy”? No sense! Funny thing, I think we’ve seen worse in this app.

Immortal Desires 2: I knew this book wouldn’t disappoint me. In fact, I binge read it in two days. The plot is very on point. I like how the writers reused the hunters vs. vampires’ conflict, but with new characters and a little twist that makes it look different and fresh. Also, the poly route is so *chef kiss* that I don’t regret choosing both Cas and Gabriel in the first book. Discovering both LIs past has been so nice, but discovering Cas’ new powers has been incredibly cool, I love them. However, there are many things I still don’t understand. The book constantly gives me the idea that Cas and Gabriel were turned forever ago and that they've been vampires for a really long time. Then why do their human pasts look so “modern”? I’m also confused about our MC’s abilities; I don’t think we’ve been given an explanation on why we get them (and I don’t know if we will). Is she some kind of special/gifted vampire? Is it because she doesn’t have a coven yet? I won’t deny they’ve been super useful, but not knowing why she’s been chosen to get the abilities just feels weird. Anyway, I can totally see a Book 3 coming (and PB has already been giving some hints), there is most definitely room for new plots.

[beardedmrbean]

Hey I been thinking like how the Native Americans had slaves (okay not all), how black peoples are shocked to have slave owner ancestry, or how in Canada, they were surprised that a tribe who got their land back decided to make condos on it

Wait did they check the economic backgrounds? I sure hope the leftists don’t think that the natives never had any form of economy/ holy shit

Dear god ac3 and prey 2020 represented native Americans better leftists mindset?

But do leftists think that history is like a Disney cartoon?

Like we must abolish the electoral college because it was created during the time of slavery

Because leftists never show how out of they are

You probably seen it, but people say we should treat shit like DoorDash like vaccines….

Would like a slice of Antonine cake?(yes I know that propaganda) no wait the nobles would treat me better that these Americans aristocrats

Also this https://x.com/fuckkoroks/status/1773690311341986038?s=46

So as you know Shogun take place in the Tokugawa era. And funny enough, I suspect the reason why Yasuke will help unify Japan so the Japanese won’t be at the mercy of the growing European colonial empires in ac red

I’m just wondering how many college educated people have the mentality that they learned the bad stuff white people did in middle school?

But dear white people I don’t hate you…probably because of my dysfunctional white stepfamily and the trainwreck of my stepmom

But this tweet https://x.com/thestrxggler/status/1773497095774974416?s=46

Okay I grew up in the 00’s and 10’s and fortunate to have a black family that value academics

But when you say liking sci-fi, fantasy, speaking proper English, like animation, or preferring to have good grades is talking/acting “white”

You doomed yourselves trying to put me into tribalism bullshit.

Hey I been thinking like how the Native Americans had slaves (okay not all), how black peoples are shocked to have slave owner ancestry, or how in Canada, they were surprised that a tribe who got their land back decided to make condos on it

One of if not the first person to gain lifetime bondage of another human being in the land that would become the United States was a black man.

Not many cultures in the world that did not practice some form of slavery. You win a war you have your choice of, POW's which need to be fed and housed so now they need to earn their keep, crippling the opposing army like they did with the Bulgarian army when they blinded 99 out of every 100 men and the 1 only got to keep one eye, hostages which whatever counts as nobles or their family members, there's the mass slaughter method which was Vlad Tepes fav he was a hostage so he got 2 of those.

Because you ain't just going to let your defeated foes walk home, unless it's the US civil war, and they even got to keep their guns because 2A is for everyone USA USA USA.

But do leftists think that history is like a Disney cartoon?

Lord no, you should see what they say about Pocahontas, lol.

Like we must abolish the electoral college because it was created during the time of slavery

3/5 compromise, ya south wanted to inflate it's population with people it didn't consider human so, to put it crassly and bluntly, they fought for the right for their farm equipment to be counted as people, but just for the numbers to increase their representation.

Illegals being counted on the census accomplish the same end.

This'll go right up there next to Russia wasn't an empire because it shared land borders with the territories it conquered.

Maybe Jacobin would also like to discuss the Ainu and see how that works out in terms of colonization. Granted both groups have been there for so long there's not really much to say about colonization likely more just human migration to the same place.

So as you know Shogun take place in the Tokugawa era. And funny enough, I suspect the reason why Yasuke will help unify Japan so the Japanese won’t be at the mercy of the growing European colonial empires in ac red

Haven't seen the new one, love the one from the 80's one of the best ways to start to learn Japanese imho, since a fair chunk of the dialogue is in Japanese. 10 of 10 highly recommend watching the whole 8+ hours of it, fairly historically accurate even down to the pederasty being a thing.

I’m just wondering how many college educated people have the mentality that they learned the bad stuff white people did in middle school? But dear white people I don’t hate you…probably because of my dysfunctional white stepfamily and the trainwreck of my stepmom

Likely a fair number, as for the dear white people you have self awareness and can differentiate between a individual and a group

Oh that's gonna hurt some feelings, lol.

Be interesting to get the response to, stop acting white, to be a accusation of racism, especially when it's things like doing well in school and speaking in standard english.

Okay I grew up in the 00’s and 10’s and fortunate to have a black family that value academics But when you say liking sci-fi, fantasy, speaking proper English, like animation, or preferring to have good grades is talking/acting “white” You doomed yourselves trying to put me into tribalism bullshit.

See comment above this section for my response,

and good timing finished just as I need to leave for Good Friday service.

[porcupine-girl]

Health update:

Shingles is Not Great, but it’s not as bad as it could have been. I think the fact that I got the antiviral so quickly has made a big difference - if you ever have a painful rash, especially if it’s only on one side of your body and double especially if it runs in a line, run don’t walk to the doctor or urgent care or grocery store clinic or whatever to get it checked out asap!

I haven’t had a fever at all, though I did get some chills. Mostly I’ve just been super fatigued. I also had some heart palpitations that I thought were from the prednisone they gave me (since it’s done that before) but even without it they’re happening a little bit so I think it’s mostly from being sick and the prednisone was just making it worse.

The rash itself does not hurt as badly as I’d expected. Most of the time it feels like a sunburn, but then I do get these sharp shooting pains now and then that make me gasp. But overall I think that’s what the antiviral is helping the most with - some of the rash even looks like it might just go away without going through the opening/weeping phase! Not all of it, but I’m surprised any of it is fading since that’s pretty standard.

I’m planning on teaching tomorrow and Wednesday - I’ve told my students to let me know & not come to class if they’ve never had chicken pox or the vaccine. Since only like one blister has opened I’m not really contagious but you never know. Other than that I’m not going out in public until I’m sure there’s no chance of me giving a baby chicken pox, which is probably another week.