#it probably would not have happened if people were vaccinated

[oscar-piastri]

i can hear conversations from the break room and this is how i find out that one of the coworker i get along with is actually an anti-vax and doesn’t believe covid can be deadly. someone hold me before i say something

[bethanydelleman]

Do we have an idea what the reason for Fanny's constitution is? Since she doesn't seem to improve (much) it must be chronic but im not a doctor. To be fair her aunts don't really take her health into consideration so it might be treatable if anyone actually bothered.

Also following the health aspect: I find it really hard to judge health and illness in older novels bc 1) words and medicine have changed over the centuries so that makes it harder to grasp what's happening from my modern understanding of medicine and 2) the people in fiction seem to be almost comically prone to die. Something shocking happens? They get a delirious fever and die. Got rained on? Instant pneumonia. Were people just more vulnerable without vaccines and antibiotics or did the authors just like the added drama? (I'm specifically thinking of Wuthering Heights and older Cathy's death here)

I do generally think that if anyone paid attention to Fanny, she might be healthier, if not entirely strong. It cannot be good for her to be sleeping and spending her downtime in an unheated room! I get a bad feeling that she doesn't always get the best food, Mrs. Norris probably glared her away from even trying long ago. It doesn't seem like she's ever seen a physician or anything either, though we don't know. No one really seems to care about her health.

To your second question, I think it's both. Some deaths are just for Romantic/Gothic effect and can be caused by very little. However, without germ theory of disease and basic imaging technology, I do think a fair amount of deaths would feel completely random. A person can die of a heart attack or stroke in minutes without much warning. That said, there were autopsies and doctors were not completely clueless, but generally disease was not well understood.

Austen mostly avoids this trope, Marianne Dashwood just wasn't out in the rain (in the book she never was, she had wet socks), but we are told she has been neglecting her health since the revelation about Willoughby. Tom Bertram was drinking heavily and fell from a horse, he might just have a wound infection. Louisa Musgrove has a very realistic head injury in Persuasion. To be fair to Emily Brontë, Catherine 1 didn't eat for three days straight and had been weakened by an earlier sickness. She died soon after giving birth, so it wasn't completely out of nowhere.

Also, when considering the poor, they had chronic food insecurity and malnutrition. When you are already vulnerable, it doesn't take as much to kill you.

ALSO, getting measles (not the vaccine) weakens your immune system overall for years. So yes, lack of vaccines would hurt you long term. Many childhood illnesses can have lasting effects.

[oopsallfictives]

I'm gonna take a stab at creating an alternate definition of the word delusion, since I'm not a fan of the one commonly used in a medical context. This is gonna deal with some unreality and paranoia-inducing stuff, so read at your own risk.

The definition most commonly used for delusion is a false belief that a person can't be persuaded isn't real or true, even if they're shown evidence to the contrary. This is a flawed definition for a number of reasons, chief among them that sometimes people are just wrong and stubborn about it. We know that it can be incredibly difficult for people to change their minds once they're personally invested in an idea, but that's not the same as being delusional. A person who still believes vaccines cause autism probably isn't delusional, they're just personally invested in the idea because it validates their view that autism is bad and gives them a scapegoat to blame for the existence of autistic people. That's an ideology, not a delusion.

Another flaw is that some things can't necessarily be confirmed to be untrue. One of the most well-known (and commonly mocked) delusions is some variation of "the government is spying on me". This isn't something that's easily verified as either true on untrue, and it's also something that literally does happen to people. I live in the US, where we know the government spies on people. We know that in the wake of 9/11, US intelligence agencies undertook a massive campaign of surveillance of Muslim and Middle Eastern people living in the US. So "the government is spying on me" might not actually be a false belief, and you probably can't know that for sure.

Attempting to rely on a belief being false can be dangerous, too. I remember reading the story of a person who was labelled as delusional for saying Obama followed them on Twitter, and was incarcerated in a psych ward until they lied and said they'd realized they were delusional and Obama didn't follow them. The thing is, he did. It was true and verifiable, but the medical professional evaluating them refused to check if it was true so they didn't "encourage the delusion". Sane people tend to believe they have an absolute and correct understand of reality, and a lot of them would rather call you delusional than adjust their worldview. And if that person is a medical professional, they can completely turn your life upside down and stick you in conditions that the UN has called torture.

So here's my proposed alternative: a delusion is an involuntary belief that isn't rooted in logic or evidence, and that a person can't stop believing even if they know it isn't true.

Let's break that down. The involuntary part is important. Delusional people don't have control over our delusions. We don't believe them because we want to or because we think they're true, we just believe them. It's true that delusions can draw on voluntary beliefs, including bigotry, but believing the delusion isn't a choice. We can't just stop. In the case of delusions rooted in bigotry, the person is still responsible for holding those bigoted beliefs in the first place, even though they don't have control of the delusion that came from them. This is an important caveat, because people love to call bigots delusional for things they chose to believe.

The second part is that it's not rooted in any kind of logic or evidence. If a person believes something untrue due to faulty logic and/or misinformation, that's not a delusion. That's called being wrong.

Lastly, I chose the wording "even if they know it's not true" very deliberately. Some delusional people know, either always or sometimes, that our delusions aren't real or true. I personally always know, but that never stops me believing them. If you've never experienced this, it can be hard to imagine what it feels like to know something isn't true and still be unable to stop believing in it. It's contradictory and confusing and really hard to put into words. Of course, there are also delusional people who don't know their delusions aren't true, or who're confused and can't figure it out. It's not the same for everyone. This part of the definition also covers being presented evidence and being unable to accept it as true.

For some people, being told their delusions aren't true can also be extremely distressing and even push them further into it. Never reality check a delusional person unless they ask you to, or it's part of a crisis plan you made with them. The same goes for playing into or confirming a delusion. Do your best to remain neutral on whether or not their belief is true, and try to focus more on their emotions and how it's affecting them. If you know a psychotic person, it's a good idea to ask them (preferably while they're not having a psychotic episode) how they'd like you to handle it.

I'm open to critique from other psychotic people, but if you're aggressive or mean I'll probably just ignore you. This is just an idea, a rough draft, and I'd like to know what the community thinks. Nonpsychotics can reblog, but keep your thoughts to yourself

-Oliver (it/its)

[covid-safer-hotties]

COVID-19’s summer surge shows no signs of slowing down - Published Aug 17, 2024

Asurge in COVID-19 infections has swept the country this summer, upending travel plans and bringing fevers, coughs and general malaise. It shows no immediate sign of slowing.

While most of the country and the federal government has put the pandemic in the rearview mirror, the virus is mutating and new variants emerging.

Even though the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) no longer tracks individual infection numbers, experts think it could be the biggest summer wave yet.

So far, the variants haven’t been proven to cause a more serious illness, and vaccines remain effective, but there’s no certainty about how the virus may yet change and what happens next.

The highest viral activity right now is in the West, according to wastewater data from the CDC, but a “high” or “very high” level of COVID-19 virus is being detected in wastewater in almost every state. And viral levels are much higher nationwide than they were this time last year and started increasing earlier in the summer.

Wastewater data is the most reliable method of tracking levels of viral activity because so few people test, but it can’t identify specific case numbers.

Part of the testing decline can be attributed to pandemic fatigue, but experts said it’s also an issue of access. Free at-home tests are increasingly hard to find. The government isn’t distributing them, and private insurance plans have not been required to cover them since the public health emergency ended in 2023.

COVID has spiked every summer since the start of the pandemic. Experts have said the surge is being driven by predictable trends like increased travel and extreme hot weather driving more people indoors, as well as by a trio of variants that account for nearly 70 percent of all infections. Vaccines and antivirals can blunt the worst of the virus, and hospital are no longer being overwhelmed like in the earliest days of the pandemic.

But there remains a sizeable number of people who are not up-to-date on vaccinations. There are concerns that diminished testing and low vaccination rates could make it easier for more dangerous variants to take hold.

“One of the things that’s distinctive about this summer is that the variants out there are extraordinarily contagious, so they’re spreading very, very widely, and lots of people are getting mild infections, many more than know it, because testing is way down,” said William Schaffner, a professor of preventive medicine and infectious diseases at Vanderbilt University.

That contagiousness means the virus is more likely to find the people most vulnerable — people over 65, people with certain preexisting conditions, or those who are immunocompromised.

In a July interview with the editor-in-chief of MedPage Today, the country’s former top infectious diseases doctor, Anthony Fauci, said people in high-risk categories need to take the virus seriously, even if the rest of the public does not.

“You don’t have to immobilize what you do and just cut yourself off from society,” Fauci said. “But regardless of what the current recommendations are, when you are in a crowded, closed space and you are an 85-year-old person with chronic lung disease or a 55-year-old person who’s morbidly obese with diabetes and hypertension, then you should be wearing a mask when you’re in closed indoor spaces.”

Schaffner said hospitalizations have been increasing in his region for at least the past five weeks, which surprised him.

“I thought probably they had peaked last week. Wrong. They went up again this week. So at least locally, we haven’t seen the peak yet. I would have expected this summer increase … to have plateaued and perhaps start to ease down. But we haven’t seen that yet,” he said.

Still, much of the country has moved on from the pandemic and is reacting to the surge with a collective shrug. COVID-19 is being treated like any other respiratory virus, including by the White House.

President Biden was infected in July. After isolating at home for several days and taking a course of the antiviral Paxlovid, he returned to campaign trial.

Biden is 81, meaning he’s considered high risk for severe infection. He received an updated coronavirus vaccine in September, but it’s not clear if he got a second one, which the CDC recommends for older Americans.

Updated vaccines that target the current variants are expected to be rolled out later this fall, and the CDC recommends everyone ages 6 months and older should receive one.

As of May, only 22.5 percent of adults in the United States reported having received the updated 2023-2024 vaccine that was released last fall and tailored to the XBB variant dominant at that time.

The immunity from older vaccines wanes over time, and while it doesn’t mean people are totally unprotected, Schaffner said, the most vulnerable should be cautious. Many people being infected now have significantly reduced immunity to the current mutated virus, but reduced immunity is better than no immunity.

People with healthy immune systems and who have previously been vaccinated or infected are still less likely to experience the more severe infections that result in hospitalization or death.

Almost “none of us are naive to COVID, but the people where the protection wanes the most are the most frail, the immunodeficient, the people with chronic underlying illnesses,” Schaffner said.

[beforeastorm]

We used to be a proper fandom (not really)

I'm not going to link or reference directly, because the claims have not been verified to any reasonable degree, but I have watched 911blr descend into... something... over the last couple of days because of a situation(s) involving truly horrendous fics, homicide-this-character accounts, and some pretty intense accusations about who (both specifically and as a group) is culpable for those behaviors. And I have some thoughts.

(Under the cut, because I ramble).

Desensitization and Escalation: The fics/account/posts/tweets didn't happen in a vacuum. They're, unfortunately, a natural evolution of what's been happening for months (before anyone ats me, on both/either side). It starts small: I hate so and so, I hate so and so's fans; so and so is the worst, so and so's fans are the worst. People become desensitized to it and then you're primed to escalate. THIS IS CLASSIC SOCIAL CONDITIONING. From I hate them, to someone should enact violence on them, to they deserve that violence, to I hope they die, to they have to die, etc.

I literally saw a tweet that stated something along the lines of "RT if you think we shouldn't consider (ship stans) humans". I'm sorry why are we questioning folk's humanity? About a television ship? The tweet did very well. Tons of likes and RTs. Anytime someone called them out for it, they were told to lighten up and learn how to take a joke. That it wasn't that serious. Well, here we are, a couple months later, and shit has gotten pretty serious now, eh?

And the longer in-groups permit this behavior, at any level, the more the cycle continues. And yes, it does need to be in-groups holding their own to account. And that's not always calling them out - especially if they're not in your circle. And not that you shouldn't call out behavior from the other side, but also - let's sweep our own kitchens before we call someone else's house a mess.

And, to be frank: both houses are messy so don't even.

And let me clarify by what I mean when I say holding people accountable. Because Tim Minear, to my knowledge, has not made any of us 9-1-1 fandom police, nor appointed a fandom inquisitorial squad. So you don't have to proverbially yell at someone to hold them accountable, though if you think they're open to a dialogue - then go for it. You can also choose not to engage/reblog/like/repost bad content; you can unfollow them, even if they make really cool art or write otherwise awesome fics or have really insightful takes 95% of the time. You can make a counterclaim or disavow a bad take; if it's someone in your circle by all means have a developmental conversation. The (ship) fandom would never! Yes they would. So would (other ship) fandom, and even (third ship) fandom and I've actually never met a toxic Bathena fan so go off kings (/gn) but there's probably one out there somewhere. Liking a ship isn't a vaccine to toxicity. Toxic, damaged people exist everywhere. They've existed since the dawn of time. I don't want to accuse anyone of being naive, but really? All this line of thinking does is create blind spots where we allow bad actors room and space to fester. We can, and should state that there's no space for this in the (ship) fandom, and anyone behaving in such a manner will face appropriate social sanctioning, up to and including ostracization. But to just flatly deny the possibility that someone on 'our side' might be bad is irresponsible.

The remedy is suffocation, not to ignore it: I get that you don't want to, to use fire metaphors because it's 9-1-1 after all, feed the flames by engaging with bad actors and giving them attention. Unfortunately, when you ignore a fire, it can spread unchecked.

Suffocate that motherfucker (metaphorically) and grab the burn kits. Starve them out. Unfollow, block - warn your friends - offer care to any affected. If it breaks ToS - report it. YOU SHOULD RESPOND, but you can choose to respond in ways that don't give bad actors the attention they may be craving.

This act was perpetuated by (ship) stans! I feel like I'm in an episode of Scooby Doo. It's not bad (ship) fans, it's (anti-that-ship) fans PRETENDING to be (ship) fans to make them look bad and sow chaos? RIP OFF THE MASK! Was it Agatha all along?

I do believe that happens. I also believe that not every single take that makes your preferred ship/fandom look bad is from a double agent. All pure, immediate, unequivocal denial and accusation does is provide cover and perpetuate the rot in that ship space. Before we immediately accuse the other side, we should show up with some goddamn receipts. (I have yet to see receipts).

And listen, people don't need to like each other, or even agree, BUT I WOULD LIKE TO BE ABLE TO OPEN AO3 WITHOUT WORRYING ABOUT STUMBLING ACROSS UNTAGGED CSA, ESPECIALLY FOR MY HOMIES WHO ARE SURVIVORS, BECAUSE SOME JABRONI WENT "SHIP WARS RAH RAH!" AND DECIDED THAT WOULD BE A GOOD IDEA.

At the end of the day - fandom should be joyful. If your entire experience has been reduced to bashing another ship, bashing characters, starting rumors about other fans, complaining about other fans/ships/characters, impersonating fans of ships you're against, or infiltrating 'enemy territory' like you're some kind of spy and not some overworked, underpaid 21st century serf trying to exist under the crushing, existential weight of our capitalist hellscape whose main form of escaping said hellscape is our weewoo show blorbos? Be so for real right now. It's giving Regina George. Why are you so obsessed with them? Choose to engage with joy (or alternatively, choose to engage in really sad fics if you need a good cry because that is fair and also valid).

Stormy out ✌️

[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.

[pancakesandpessimism]

Okay, so hear me out: I think Camila’s an official Crime Mom™ now. 

I mean, we see that Vee and Luz graduated together, and the assumption is that it was from a human school, right?

I don’t know about you guys, but my high school required some paperwork to enroll a student. Namely A. some form of ID for the student, like a birth certificate, and B. proof that the parent trying to enroll the kid has legal guardianship over said child. Probably more stuff that my parents didn’t bother telling me about. Not to mention we see Vee playing baseball in one of the Noceda house photos, and while I’m aware this one might just be a My School/District thing, for high school we had to provide proof of ID AND a full vaccination record in order to participate in sports (this was true for school and competitive leagues). 

Now, while I’m positive Camila would make sure her babies are fully vaccinated (not just Luz and Vee, you know the whole Hexsquad got hit with a strom of shots the moment she realized these kids were trapped in a world their immune systems weren’t built to survive in), seeing a record that has ALL the vaccinations starting only a few months ago despite most getting them as infants-children miiiiiight raise some eyebrows. Especially when the student is supposedly the sister of another student whose records DO start at infancy. Not that it’s impossible for this to happen, but combining that with the fact that Vee has no birth certificate or official record of her existence to speak of, which also probably means Camila has no proof of guardianship because how do you adopt a kid who legally doesn’t exist, people would notice something’s up. 

Which then begs the question: How did Vee graduate, or get enrolled at all?

I present to you: Camila the Crime Mom™. Specifically, Camila the Identity Forger™. 

I’d like to think that’s actually what Eda and Camila were talking about in that photo where they’re sharing apple blood. Eda was trying to give Camila some tips on how to make the documents look official (she probably has plenty of practice between her history scamming people and her general knowledge of crime. Not to mention she could hook Camila up with an expert or two if necessary, she’s got Connections) and a warm welcome to the Crime Parent Squad, while Camila comes to the realization that Luz did not embellish any of her stories about Eda’s criminal acts in any way. As a matter of fact, she was probably sugarcoating a lot of stuff. 

And yes, there’s a possibility that she simply asked Gus to help them out with some illusions, but I raise you: Camila would want to do it herself because that’s her baby and she will ensure that Vee gets the education she wants without having to forfeit her new form, or any other part of herself.

Idk, it just makes me really happy to think that both of Luz’s moms not only would, but HAVE, broken the law for their kids. That is a family you Do Not want to mess with. Not to mention the idea that Camila went from letting societal pressures and her own painful experiences influence how she handled Luz’s education to committing a full on felony because fuck it, if her snake-daughter wants to go to school then she’s going to school brings a smile to my face. 

Tldr Camila Noceda remains one of the best mothers in animated history and I love her. 

[theculturedmarxist]

Eugenics is still the rule of the fucking day.

"People 65-plus and people who are immunocompromised should strongly consider masking during flu, RSV, COVID season while in indoor public spaces," said Dr. Céline Gounder, a CBS News medical contributor and editor-at-large for public health at KFF Health News. "And for everyone else — it all depends on what their risk tolerance is."

"Depends on what their risk tolerance is." Are you fucking kidding me?

CBS News chief medical correspondent Dr. Jon LaPook says he likes to use the "weather report analogy" for the general public. "What's the weather out today? If it's raining, you will probably want to bring an umbrella. If you are in an area where there is an uptick in airborne respiratory infections like COVID, flu or RSV, you may want to take extra precautions, such as wearing a high-quality mask in indoor public spaces," he said.

People should be masking up before there's a fucking "uptick." That's how you prevent a fucking "uptick". Especially considering testing isn't the metric the people in power are going by any more, but hospitalizations, which are always going to be lagging indicators. By the time the "uptick" is registered these diseases are going to have been present and active for days or even weeks.

After COVID hospitalizations climbed nearly 22% this week, the CDC is predicting further increases over the coming month as new variants spread. This replaces previous projections from the agency that admissions would "remain stable or have an uncertain trend."

Oh, cool, so things are already bad and the are predicting that things are going to get worse, but the decision is being made to not do a fucking thing about it.

In a 2021 "60 Minutes" interview, virologist Paul Duprex explained the current (and future) emergence of new variants — a concept applicable to the current situation. "Is there anything we can do to stop the virus from mutating so much?" LaPook asked Duprex at the time. "We can certainly stop it making as many mutations by stopping it infecting as many people - if we block its transmission, if we wear a mask, if we get vaccinated, if we do social distancing," Duprex said.

None of which will be happening because "Covid Is Over" and doing any of the necessary things to prevent it are voluntary at best.

After news broke about the BA.2.86 variant earlier this month, the CDC said the agency's advice on protecting yourself from COVID-19 — which includes wearing a high-quality mask among other recommendations listed on its website — "remains the same."

Oh alright let's see what the CDC recommends

In addition to basic health and hygiene practices, like handwashing, CDC recommends some prevention actions at all COVID-19 hospital admission levels, which include:

Ugh. At least its recommendations implicitly admit that covid is airborne.

Still, some experts fear it could be hard to convince Americans to don masks again even if COVID cases continue to rise. Dr. Danielle Ompad, an epidemiologist at the NYU School of Global Public Health, said "It's a bit like putting the genie back in the bottle." Still, she has personally started wearing a mask again recently in crowded places, where the risk of exposure is greater.

Huh, I wonder why it would be hard to convince people to mask up again. Who's responsible for letting the genie out of the fucking bottle? Maybe they should be taken to task for this fucking decision?

"If I were with people who aren't public health-trained, I would wear a mask, particularly in crowded situations, because I really don't have time for COVID. Mask mandates are challenging because they make people really bent out of shape out of proportion to the ask."

What people are getting "really bent out of shape" by mask mandates? Just "people" huh? No specific people at all? Okay then.

"Who wants to get sick while on vacation?" she says. "If you're going to be in a crowded public place — the subway, an airplane, a crowded theater — those are the kind of places I would at least consider wearing a mask."

Hey maybe these fucking super-spreader places shouldn't be open especially with multiple variants spreading across the country with no mask mandates in place.

Though increased cases and hospitalizations are prompting precautions, Gounder says she doesn't see another lockdown in our future. "That ship has sailed. Has sailed for years now," she said. 

"That ship" just sailed itself, huh? Another development with no cause and no active participant? Just up and sailed on its own, did it? And there's no one to sail it back? Man, that's crazy.

[donnerpartyofone]

jfc so i booked a telehealth visit today to get one of my scripts refilled, and i stupidly put in the notes that i'm also going to ask a really general question about what covid vaccines are on the market right now just so the doctor knows there's one other thing on the agenda that might take an extra three or four minutes. and then some admin calls me on the phone right away and first of all they read my name last-then-first as if they couldn't understand what was on their screen, and then they go "we don't have covid vaccine (sic) here." and i said yeah, i'm not making an appointment to get vaccinated, i'm just going to ask the doctor about, like, what's out there right now, generally, what she thinks about them. and the person goes "well what shot?" and i'm going that's the thing, i don't know, i'm just going to ask my doctor WHAT ARE THE LATEST VACCINES AND WHAT DOES SHE THINK ABOUT THEM. and this person just kept treating me like i was asking about something really exotic and possibly inappropriate, and then they PUT ME ON HOLD. and after a couple minutes they got back on and tersely confirmed that they would add a note to my appointment saying exactly what i just repeated several times and we hung up. and i just could not figure out...like, is this the only medical receptionist on the planet of earth who doesn't know what a covid vaccine is? their whole entire tone and demeanor didn't just say "you can't get vaccinated here", it was like they just didn't even know what i was talking about and were trying to prevent me from abusing their services with something irrelevant. and this was like, i really didn't even have to put that note on my stupid booking, i could have just rolled into my appointment and then said "hey by the way, what's the latest on the vaccines?" and absolutely nothing bad would have happened. in fact i could go do that at the pharmacy a block and a half away and i'm 100% positive they wouldn't have to go whisper to their manager in a back room before talking to me like i was trying to rob them. worst case scenario they'd probably just point me to the CDC website, but i guarantee that under no circumstance would they tell me "you have to make an appointment to even ask that question and you can't make it here." i have no fucking idea what goes on with people in this world.

[eatmangoesnekkid]

On Covid and the next thing coming 🪶🕊️🪽🪞🫀

I generally don't post about things like this on my blog but I also feel that it's important to name and square up on the monster and the future monsters to come. I am overjoyed that this kind of information is finally coming out about the vaccine. If you have some intuitive awareness, you, like me, probably felt that there was something not right about it. Personally there was no way on earth I was going to inject this vaccine toxin into my body even when people were trying to make unvaccinated people feel ashamed about our decisions, called us "selfish," and accused us of not looking out for vulnerable people. My goodness! We definitely need more Priestess women in the world and it's one thing I'm looking forward to about my online school and high-gated online temple space. People are going to have to remember how to trust those who can 'see' in the dark so that we can teach them how to access their seer qualities too or give them some deeper intelligence that will help them to make a more thoughtful decision. People whose mind have been trained on how to think and process information like in the medical, academic/higher education, social justice, corporate, leadership/managerial, or political system will especially need support, alongside any other people who have worked for long hours and haven’t had the time, resources, space, or ease to open up their minds to different ways of thinking and sensing beyond the programming and conditioning. In other words, those who have lived a lot of their life and lifetimes being busy, in their heads or behind computers, will especially need support.

There are many cases of people who died right after being vaccinated or developed neurological disorders when they were perfectly healthy before. It's fucked up how many well-meaning people were trying to force people like me to get vaccinated against our better judgment on how to care for our bodies and the bodies of our love ones. When this kind of evil happen again, or something similar that may not be related to a vaccine but something else, we do not need to separate and point fingers at each other like children but to come together as divine humans. People have learn to trust those of us who have deeper intuitive gifts, and not merely blindly hand their trust over to the government and do whatever they tell them to do to their body. Because most things on the news have an agenda that doesn't support the health and wellness of any of us. And whatever narrative the government and status quo culture is pushing is usually not healthiest option. Education on how to build up the quality and frequency of the immune system is the Priestess path.

If you want to elevate in your female tissues, whatever the government says begin to question it and in most cases, do the opposite. What I hope people take away from experience is the need to wake up and become more aware of the slick manipulation that is coming down the pipeline in the future. If you are still listening to everything in the news and not listening to your own mystical female body, you will never be sovereign and autonomous enough to find real solutions outside the oppressive inhumane structures we have been taught to perceive are on our side.

Never forget that they are more likely than not NOT advocating for your wellbeing and the wellbeing of your loved ones. *The only exception to this would be an elderly or immune-compromised person in your family who really feels that they need to be vaccinated. Some people need to be vaccinated and that vaccination will be helpful to their wellbeing. Do not fight against what is living in a person‘s mind i.e. reality because it will be what they need to be well/better and more relaxed and calm, although you may feel differently about your own body.

I know we won’t see the totality of the effects of this vaccine for years to come, but what’s also true is that everyone is different and some won’t be adversely effected at all. If you were vaccinated, do not feel shame or guilt. Unchecked or unresolved frequencies of shame or guilt comprises the wellbeing of the body. Instead talk to your body. Ask/decree it to break up and dissolve the vaccine out of your nervous system and tissues. People often say you won't receive if you don't “ask.” I find the opposite is true. Asking can leak away a helluva lot of energy…like people who beg when they pray. I find that when I say NO to nearly everything, and make a clear decree on what I expect to happen, blessings come POURING and LEAKING IN because the universe that within us all finally realizes that I will neither be played with; nor am I playing.

Sweating and opening up the body’s detoxification pathways in other ways can also help. Many people are mentally unwell for many different reasons and their state of mind informs why they ‘see’ and the choices they make. A parasite cleanse will greatly help to open up your mind to trigger more mental clarity and access your God energy, intuitive qualities. Build heaven on earth around you—this is the purpose of true beauty. If you can not build it, begin to imagine it. Attract a lover and/or friend you can experience an amplified heaven on earth energy with. Source money and resources in ways that amplify your heaven. If you can’t, imagine what it would be like to do so. -India Ame'ye, AUthor

ETA: While I didn’t personally need any confirmation, Mama Delores affirmed my words. Consciously speaking to different parts of my body everyday is part of my spiritual practice. My most spoken to parts are my breasts which I imagine is the reason I feel so much love effortlessly around being alive at this time. 🥰🫀❤️

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[ranna-alga]

A very long (and Joel-Miller-apologist biased) TLOU hot take incoming:

I don't want to get too deep into my honest opinions about TLOU2 because even though I am quite critical towards it, I'm sincerely uninterested in engaging in any discourse about the game that has been going on for three whole years. Instead, I'll just talk about one thing that I consider to be a personal nit-pick that I don't see many talk about. This may be a hot take, so if you want to comment on anything, I kindly suggest you hear my side first ♡

[screenshot from MKIceAndFie's gameplay on YT]

One thing I wish was different with TLOU2 involves the scene where Ellie gets the truth of what happened in Salt Lake City, and I'm unsure if the writing is to blame, but I lowkey wish Joel... Defended himself a bit more?? 😭

Don't get me wrong, I absolutely understand Joel wanting to let Ellie be angry at him - she had every right. I found it quite bizarre that such an important scene (or at least the conversation) felt very... short? I feel like maybe it would have been more interesting to not only see Joel acknowledge how hurt Ellie is (again, her reaction is understandable and I'm not trying to say she's in the wrong at all) but also try to at least give his point of view of things, especially on why he did what he did to the Fireflies.

This, plus Ellie, albeit still heartbroken and furious, emotionally exclaiming how she feels, and why getting a cure was so important to her deep down. Or at least as well as she could put it in her current emotional state.

Maybe I am biased in this because I am a Joel Miller apologist until I die before I am my own person. Like, you may as well call me Saul Goodman because I'm practically this man's lawyer with how much I defend him.

In my opinion, he would be justified in saying that even if the operation was a miraculous success, the Fireflies would probably exploit her name by setting a price on the vaccine, or if a war between the Fireflies and FEDRA/other Factions erupts in order to seize it, killing more people than saving them. He would be justified in saying that they never asked for her consent and would wonder if they would still put her under the knife if she refused the offer. He would obviously know she was capable of making her own decisions but would also understand that she has Survivor's Guilt (something Joel may have felt before, especially after Sarah died and he didn't) and how that could affect her mentality/decision-making, especially at just fourteen years old. He would feel justifed if the operation failed and Ellie would have died for nothing, a risk he refused to take.

He would probably tell all these things to Ellie, trying to make her understand at least a little bit. But these reasons likely came to him after getting Ellie to safety. In his mind and heart, he might as well have had only one reason for doing what he did.

That reason being? It's simple. He loves her.

To him, that is more than enough, and Ellie may possibly realise this. Perhaps, after him listing out all those reasonings, Ellie might say,

"But all those things... They weren’t really the reasons why you did it, were they?"

"... No. They were not."

I definitely don't imagine Ellie would forgive him immediately, obviously. I still think Ellie would leave and not talk to Joel for some time, but with this interpretation, I'd imagine she would have a lot to think about in the meantime. Ultimately, I think it would have been a very interesting scene between these two verbally-repressed people who very much care for each other but are at a breaking point.

TLDR; I think there was potential to have this scene be a bit more "fleshed out" in terms of Joel expressing his intentions whilst also acknowledging and recognising Ellie's feeling of betrayal and heartbreak. Almost like a parallel to that "I'm not her, you know" scene in TLOU1.

[shrimplymoray]

Hellooo, hope you are having a nice day! I discovered your work not long ago, but I already liked it a lot! I'd like to order a Cody/X Virus x Reader, in which the Reader is a biology nerd who is enthralled by Cody's skills and knowledge! Just the two of them being adorable nerds together!! 👉👈🤧💕

((it's so hard to find content about Cody, and it makes me particularly sad because he's my favorite creepypasta! 🥹🥹🥹))

Anyway, thank you in advance!! 💞

HIHII! I'm so sorry for the long wait, my life has been wild this last couple of weeks, but I'm back at writing and YES CODY'S FANS RISE UP!! Love me when he is a psychopathic scientist lol. Hope you enjoy this!

X Virus x Biology Nerd Reader

Cody normally keeps to himself in his lab, and is not really used to having people besides EJ or Toby around. So when he gets assigned a lab partner, he got skeptical.

He couldn't understand if this was some wild scheme from the others to make him interact more, or if you were actually someone with enough knowledge to work with him, but he couldn't complain since it was orders from the proxies.

You were going to be Cody's lab partner due to your area of knowledge on biology being similar in level to his, and you were certainly excited to find someone with an interest similar than yours, from what you heard of him.

When you did come to the lab, and looked around the place, you were certainly excited with the amount of biology related stuff. It was all you ever wanted, and it made your love for the subject bubble out.

Cody met you right there, on the lab, and at first he was REALLY skeptical, because you looked decent.

'since when does a scientist looks decent? They will not understand at all what I'm doing'

But the moment you opened your mouth and started accurately guessing what each thing he had was, his eyes sparkled. No way...

"Oh my god, you have a guide to the human cardiovascular system! Do you use it often? I bet you do, look at the amount of stuff that needs an intravenous application..."

"Wait, you actually know what you're talking about?"

It didn't take long to Cody to open up about his current researches and projects, like his experiments with the xelymtopa virus, or how he was experimenting on the maximization of effects on cyanide based poisons.

You were excited and eager to know, even bringing your own hypothesis on what could happen depending on the person he experiments on, which he appreciates.

Soon enough you were one of Cody's closest friends (and maybe he had a bit of a crush on you too), and were together everywhere, freaking everyone out by your casual talks about deadly diseases and poisonous animals.

Cody, while doing his work on the infirmary with EJ, opened up about how he felt close to you in a deeper level than anything, but he couldn't put a finger on what exactly he felt. EJ advised him to be open with you besides the work talk.

Cody felt confused and even a bit scarred. Open up about feelings? That is not like him at all...

His mind went in circles on how this was a bad idea and how he would lose your friendship, and you were the only one that actually understood what he said for once, but... EJ never wronged him. Why would he be wrong this time, right?

The next day, on the lab, you were working on one of your projects, some vaccines for one of the many viruses samples Cody had, when he came inside the labe with something behind his back.

"Hey, uh, I hope I'm not interrupting but... Can I talk to you for a second?"

After you looked at him and nodded, he basically dumped all of his feelings for you at once, and you couldn't help but giggle at how the usually confident in himself Cody was a blushing and rambling mess.

You did feel the same towards him, and he breathed a sigh of relief. He did have something to give you, your very own test subject. It was a golden poison frog, which was being securely held in a small vivarium.

Let's just say that both of you are probably the deadliest couple in the manor, and that if anyone bothers one of you, the other is very capable of performing inhumane tests on them just out of spite.

Hope you enjoyed it! I am not particularly knowledgeable on Biology, never had very good teachers on the subject, but it was certainly fun to write this. We need more Cody love in the world fr fr.

[amoranp]

Hi, my name is Amora and we're here for another NERD TALK p.2

Today I want to talk about tlou vaccines.

I've seen some people commenting on them and wondering if they would work and today I want to give my opinion.

In my opinion, the vaccine could even be produced, but I find it difficult to make it work.

In the story of both games we can see totally different lives in that universe. There are new religions, new thoughts and obviously new people. And I don't think most of them would want to be what they were before (especially committed criminals). Besides, I don't think it would be very effective, because the infected almost never bite through the skin, they mostly destroy their victims or bite in fatal places. On another subject, I don't think Ellie is the only one immune. For one simple reason, no one is going to risk it to see if they're immune or not. What happened to ellie was a childish fatality. And if she hadn't gone out with Riley, she would probably never have found out that she was immune (probably). These people probably wouldn't want to take this vaccine out of fear, or because of the new culture they're in. Or they would cause her destruction in a human way (selfish people, cruel people written too realistically).

This is just my opinion, do you agree? If not, speak your mind here.

I'M NOT ANTI-VACCINE 🤨

[pascalscoffin]

Away From The Devil pt. VII

Full Pedro Masterlist

Series Masterlist

Pt. VIII

Warning: Minors Go Away I Will Kick You In The Forehead. I just don’t want kiddos here. Reader is female and uses she/her pronouns. Reader is around 24, Joel is 56. Reader has inappropriate thoughts about Joel. Cursing. Joel in denial again but ultimately having inappropriate thoughts as well. Probably not much Ellie in this chapter just insight to reader and Joel and where they are in their feelings for eachother. Joel has dirty thoughts and sad thoughts cause the man’s bipolar (not literally but like… literally he doesn’t know what to feel is he scared or is he horny? Don’t ask him and don’t ask me.) kinda implies reader is “short” (she can’t reach a shelf)

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Joel was quiet for the rest of the drive, you guessed he was trying to come up with a convincing story to tell Ellie, because when she finally woke up and asked what was going on and what happened, Joel told her there were more people immune and that they couldn’t make any of the vaccines work, when she asked where her clothes were he claimed raiders came and the three of you had barely gotten out. She’d asked if people were hurt and Joel gave her a begrundged ‘yes’ before staying silent when she asked about Marlene, when she realized he wasn’t going to answer, subsequently meaning you wouldn’t, she turned over and Joel looked at her in the rearview before giving a soft “I’m sorry”

Ellie laid there for a while, not speaking, so you guessed she went back to sleep. You thought about how she’d reacted when Joel mentioned the drugs she was under, it was like she didn’t know, like Marlene had sent her to surgery with absolutely no knowledge of what was happening, and you felt sick.

Being in a car, in silence, meant downtime. Downtime meant you could sit and admire Joel while he drove. You realized it was probably a bad time to do so, even worse when you kept getting flashes of the hospital and instead of diminishing that burning feeling you’d felt since that night in the old photo store, it egged it on, spreading the feeling from your stomach to everywhere else on your body.

It’s sick, really, the feeling you get when you think about his powerful arms wrapping around someone’s throat, those thick fingers squeezing a trigger, or wrapped tight around the handle of a knife just before stabbing someone or slicing their throat.

You tried napping but that just made it worse, your momentarily unconscious mind would be filled with images of Joel, the grunts he’d made fighting and how different they would sound in your ear, just for you to hear. How those thick hands that crush windpipes so easy would be just rough enough to make you lightheaded. Each time your eyes would snap open with a small gasp only to find Joel looking at you from the corner of his eye and then ripping them away. Eventually you decided napping was a worse idea than trying to ignore the thoughts.

“We need to stop somewhere and get her some clothes.” You mumbled, partially because maybe if you could get the hell out of this car, away from Joel’s intoxicating scent, his demanding aura, then maybe you could feel normal for just a few minutes. Joel looked at you with a nod and cleared his throat a little. “Try and find a map of the area we’re in, see if there’s any stores or anythin’ nearby.”

You nodded and dug around before finally finding one. “Don’t know if it’ll actually have anything but there’s a store right on the edge of town. Might have something.” Joel nodded and reached to take the map so he could figure out how to get there. When he pulled up at the store you unbuckled your seatbelt and grabbed your stuff, when you opened your door Joel opened his and you looked at him quickly. “No.” Joel looked at you and frowned deeply. “What?”

“I just- Y’know we should probably just… let her sleep until I come back with the clothes, right? I’ll be fine. Quick in and out, totally silent. If I need anything I’ll scream.” His frown softened a bit, looking more worried. “It’s not.. about the hospital.” You told him. Which was a lie. It was. It totally was. Just not in the context he was thinking. “I just gotta stretch my legs, Y’know? And she’s gonna need.. Y’know undergarments and I doubt you wanna be there for that.” You raised a brow. “Unless you wanna wake her up, let her walk around in risky territory in a hospital gown.”

Joel looked at Ellie in the backseat and then back at you and sighed. “Fine.” He closed his door but stayed outside the car. You closed your door and went to his side. “I’ll be quick I swear.” “Ten minutes and I’m comin’ to look for you.” You put a hand on your hip before nodding and waving that same hand at him. “Fine. Ten minutes.” You rubbed his arm before jogging into the store, knowing your ten minute timer started as soon as you got inside.

There weren’t very many clothes left in the store, a few flannels and tshirts, jeans were a little trickier but you found a couple you thought she could fit, after grabbing shoes you dug around different piles of stacked merchandise before finding some underwear and a sports bra you thought she could wear, then some socks, and made your way out with everything shoved into a backpack you found on the counter.

When you passed by the back office it was pretty much bare except for some cases on a high shelf on the back wall of the room, walking into the room and over to the shelves you noticed they were music and perked up, all you needed now was a way to get them so you could listen to them in the car.

God, the car, you’re gonna be stuck in close quarters with Joel for god knows how long again, smothered in his presence no matter how far you push yourself into the door or roll the window down. He was suffocating, demanding your attention, your eyes, any time you were near him, your fingertips burning to touch him.

The worst part about it all is, it almost never felt like he felt the same way, like he was dying inside to touch you the same way you were to touch him. You wondered if it ever even crossed his mind, even as a fleeting thought. You doubted it. Your age gap didn’t help, sure Joel was a lonely older guy. But older was the key word here, and he didn’t seem like the type of older guy to go for a girl 32 years his junior.

God… 32.. and you were drooling over this man like when you were 15 and running around with Christopher from Silver Lake behind everyone’s backs. There was just something about Joel.. how he can go from vicious and hard to soft and concerned in a matter of seconds was like riding one of those rollercoaster things your mom used to talk about that made your stomach flip and spin around but in the best way.

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Joel, ever stoic, ever grumpy Joel, was quite possibly two of those stupid little wide eyed looks you gave him away from simply exploding into a ball of blood and bones. He’d never let on about it, it seemed Ellie, though, was fully aware that he was most definitely perving on someone young enough to be his daughter, no matter how much he denied it to himself and her.

Thankfully, you seemed unaware. It’s not that he’s concerned you won’t feel the same way. He’s a 56 year old man, after all, he knows when someone’s interested. He’s caught the wandering looks, the times you’d go to say something only to close your mouth or change what you were going to say before you even get the first word out.

So, yes, he’s fully aware the feelings are reciprocated, that all he’d have to do is say something or do something to cross that line and you’d be wrapped together in the throes of whatever the hell followed, passion or otherwise.

While his attraction to you wasn’t immediate, it definitely came fast. He’d been skeptical, a little worried you had some ulterior motive to coming along with them, even after your speech at the fire that night.

But watching and listening to you interact with Ellie had definitely been an eye opener. You weren’t some manipulative raider looking for people to mooch off of before ultimately deciding you didn’t need them anymore and killing them in their sleep, which had most definitely been a very strong worry of his for a bit there. You were just… a lonely kid. Lonely and looking for friends, companionship from someone that wasn’t abusing you or feeding your friends to you.

Then he’d been worried you weren’t capable, you’d spent most of your life, from what he understood, at that resort with that cult David called a community, women were hardly sent out and according to you, you hadn’t been allowed out in weeks. You hadn’t said why, but you’d gotten that glassy look and Joel didn’t want to push it further.

And then, of course, he watched you wrestle a Clicker, unable to get a clear shot, for a second there he’d been sure you’d been bitten or would be ripped apart, and then like fucking magic or something you had the upper hand and were screaming like a Greek warrior at that completely wrecked creature beneath you.

He’d made his way to you cautiously after that, not wanting to make a noise that could cause you to swing that big ass fucking knife into his face. And to make matters worse on the old bastard you had him on his back! Knife held back and ready for round two before he told you it was just him. That wild look in your eyes had slowly melted away and then you looked… lost, confused and looking for something, anything to bring you back down to earth. He decided then that he wanted to be that thing.

He didn’t get more than a couple hours of sleep after that, though. If he wasn’t dreaming of failing Sarah, failing Ellie, he was failing you, letting you get torn apart or shot or whatever horrible fucking thing his brain could mange to cook up.

Joel’s dreams were reserved for failures and fears. His waking thoughts, the ones he shoved all the way to the back because now is not the fucking time to imagine you hovering over him, sweating and chanting his name like a Sunday prayer. Jesus Christ Joel.

Those were the thoughts he was desperate to run from, or maybe desperate to run towards, he couldn’t quite tell. Joel was older, had better restraint than you in this department, so why the hell did his skin hum like a 7th grader every time you touched him? Why did his ears warm up and ring every time you said his name? Hell, a quarter of an inch too close and he was terrified his jeans were going to cut off circulation if he didn’t get himself under control.

It was like some stupid middle school crush, to the point where he’s checked his broken watch three times since you stepped into the clothes store and his body was thrumming just to be around you again, just to hear you say his name or smile that big ass smile that made his stomach flip like that Tower Drop ride Sarah had forced him onto on her birthday.

And then he heard a loud crash and a scream inside the store, he straightened up and was sprinting into the store after one quick look back at Ellie. He ran in and heard you struggling in the back office and ran in to find you waist deep in a hole, which you’d no doubt fallen through, but you didn’t look stressed or uncomfortable- you looked excited. Why the fuck were you excited?

“Joel! Look what I found!” And there it was, that sweet as honey voice singing his name. He wanted to make you sing another way, make his name tumble from your mouth like it was the only part of the chorus you could remember. God damn, Joel, get a grip.

When he made his way over to you, you were waving three disc cases eagerly, smiling widely up at him. “… what the hell happened to you?” You looked down at your situation, one leg completely in the hole while the other was stuck in an awkward ass position that had less than awkward thoughts filling his mind.

“Well- I saw these up there on that shelf and… I wanted to get them for the car.. but I put too much weight on this part of the floor and it caved in.” That smile never faltered, it became sheepish but never fell and your eyes were shimmering like they had in the museum.

He shook his head with a sigh and reached down to pull you out of the hole, mumbling a soft sorry, almost gotcha into your ear when you made a sound of discomfort. “All for some music?” You shrugged sheepishly and held them out to him. “… I thought we could use the distraction.” You were inches away from one another, one of his arms still around you with your faces so close you could “trip” and fall smack right on his mouth. Alas, before you could gather the gumption to do so, he was clearing his throat and stepping away, leaving your waist and hips cold.

He reached for the cases with a hum like nothing happened and looked over them curiously. “Let’s see… Fleetwood Mac. That’s a good one.” He looked at the other two and chuckled. “Metallica…. And Creedance Clearwater Revival.” He hummed.

You shifted on your feet in front of him. “.. are those any good?” Joel looked up from the discs and chuckled lightly. “Yeah they’re good.” He gave them back to you and motioned for you to walk out, watching over you curiously and frowning when he noticed you limping. “Did you hurt your leg?” He grabbed your arm, the two of you standing just outside the SUV.

You furrowed your brows and looked down at your leg, and sure enough your calf was bleeding, not bad and it could easily be stitched up. “Oh. Yeah.” He raised a brow at you and you shrugged. “… okay so maybe I had my knife out and I was trying to use it to get the discs… and maybe it fell and cut my leg.” Joel rubbed his forehead and muttered something. “Sit.” He motioned to a bench beside the street, shaking his head as he started searching for the first-aid kit.

You sat down with a small sigh and watched Joel come over and kneel in front of you. “Hope you got some pants while you were in there.” He muttered before using his knife to cut the bottom half of your jeans off to see the cut. “Joel-“ you pouted and watched him toss the piece of denim off to the side. He gave you a little glare and you bit your lip as you stayed quiet, hissing softly when he pressed an antiseptic wipe against the cut.

“‘S not bad, but you shouldn’t walk around with that shit out and bleeding.” “Wasn’t really “out” until you cut my pants.” Joel looked at you again and you shifted a little before looking down at your leg, frowning at it. “Thanks.” You mumbled softly. “You’re welcome. We’ll get it stitched up later, for now, since it’s not too bad, we can use these.” He pulled out some butterfly bandaids and used them to bandaid your skin back together.

He pinched around the cut and you flinched back a little, a little from the pain, but mostly from how hot Joel’s fingers felt on your skin. The second you felt his rough fingertips your skin was screaming and begging for more more more please more.

His hands were gentle when he laid the bandaids over the cut, soothing the bandaid down softly and slowly letting his hand slide down to your ankle, holding it for just a second, his warm hand heating up the skin beneath his touch, his fingertips rubbing lightly before he was sliding his hand away and standing up. “There you go. C’mon. Let’s get goin’.” You nodded and stood up, grabbing the things you’d sat down next to you.

Joel watched you walk to the car and took a deep breath when you got in, looking up at the sky and closing his eyes before finally climbing into the drivers seat and starting to drive.

He just hoped he could keep himself under control long enough for that burning, aching feeling to go away.

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@romanarose @orcasoul @caitlynsixxx @shotgun-shelby @aspecialgreenie

[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.

[volturiwolf]

Dandelions - A Paul Lahote x fem!reader Story - Part 1

A/N: currently coming down with 👑 (iykyk) for the first time despite my vaccinations and I'm pretty sure I'd be in the hospital without them SO I needed something interesting happening in my life and here it is

A/N 2: The timeline is a bit stretched to fit age criteria - Jacob, Jared, Paul, Embry, and Quil are 18 or almost 18; Bella is almost 21 - she was traveling a lot with Renee and Phil and she missed a few years of school.

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Taglist: @xxx-wounded-angel-xxx @venusdelaroix @morganaah @paisley-37 @idkanymor3e

(Y/N)’s POV

I loved my life. I had a loving found-family. I was abandoned in the woods when I was a baby, but Rosalie and Emmett found and adopted me, and I had never felt unloved since. They were wonderful parents, caring and loving, and gave me all the attention and care I needed. What had been stripped away from me years ago, I got 10 times more with these two and the Cullens.

With two amazing parents came two amazing grandparents, two amazing uncles, and one amazing aunt. When Edward got together with Bella, I knew I had gained another amazing aunt, though she was way more shy and introverted than Alice was, and just a few years older than me. That was quite amazing though because Edward himself was exactly that - shy and close to himself. It was like they each found their perfect match.

Despite the incident that happened on Bella’s birthday, which put both hers and my life in danger - Jasper had completely lost himself for just a few minutes, and the fact that we all had to move away for a while - mom and dad took me on vacation to the Bahamas, Bella still loved Edward a lot. Despite the pain; despite the distance; despite being from two different worlds.

Though I was still quite young - at least in my parents’ eyes, I too wished for a love as strong and as loving as theirs. The way they met was not ideal by any means, but they somehow - even under these unorthodox circumstances - found each other, and they saw what true love meant. Sixty years later, they found me, and it had been the best life I could have ever had ever since.

Of course, I knew they were all vampires but I didn’t mind at all. I didn’t care what they were; they were my family above everything else, and I would love them even if they were demons or whatever. In the end, it doesn’t matter who you are; you are not defined by your character or your appearance; your actions are the ones to be judged. Your actions speak louder than anything else - if you’re actively a bad person, that’s what you need to change.

I would never judge them for being vampires, nor would I tell anyone else. And despite what Edward had been constantly saying, my mom only killed those people who sexually attacked her, which was truly inspiring and fair, in my opinion. They took her life; they assaulted her body and soul; they left her emotionally scarred for decades. Killing them was the least she could do.

Unfortunately, the only downside of living with vampires was that it meant we moved around. A lot. I didn’t complain about all the great places I’ve been to and all the people I met, but we moved too fast and too soon for me to make any real friends. Connecting with others had been difficult for me because of this, but I could never blame my parents for that. They needed to move as much as they did.

People talked too much, always curious about the new family with the supernaturally beautiful people. I was the exception, of course. I was too plain and too simple to compete with my family’s standards. Being a vampire had its perks of unconditional beauty, though my mom was probably the most beautiful of all the vampires I had ever met.

I was always presented as ‘Dr. and Mrs. Cullen’s youngest daughter’. Being just 14 when we first arrived at Forks, there was no way people believed Rosalie and Emmett were my parents, and Carlisle and Esme were my grandparents. It was hard being away from my family, starting in a new school, in the middle of 9th grade, while my parents and uncles were in the 11th or 12th. 

I was in a different school, on the outskirts of Forks, while all the others were going to Forks High School. I was closer to the Quileute reservation, and, though my family was forbidden from ever going near, I was still human and I could still spend time on the beach there. I liked the Second Beach more than the First; it was not as close to the reservation and thus, it was way quieter and more peaceful.

That was where I met Jacob Black, Embry Call, Quil Ateara, Jared Cameron, and Paul Lahote. They all were the same age, though a year older than me. It was fun spending time with them back then when everything was - seemingly - normal. Back then, they didn’t know they had the werewolf gene, or that there were vampires, as much as I didn’t know they descended from wolves, having the werewolf gene. 

My family told me about the legends, but they didn’t tell specifically who was able to transform back in their days. Besides, I thought that getting “the truth” from their side would not have been as biased as it would be if I had heard it from both sides. I decided that it wasn’t my place to snoop around, trying to find the truth that would satisfy me, instead of the truth that covered both sides and was the most unbiased of all. 

I hadn’t realized that life changed too quickly when Bella showed up. We went from the seemingly normal family to being chased by another vampire who was after Bella; to having to leave our lives behind when Edward decided to leave her; to coming back and pretending everything was okay; to having another vampire going after Bella; to having to witness one of the most gruesome births in my life; to going against the vampire royalty. All that in less than 2 years.

It was a lot for me. The first time when we were chased by James, my parents had to leave me back at the reservation. They actually had to beg the Elders to let me stay there, as I was a human and couldn’t keep up with the vampires. Bella was James’s target, so my family would have to work and cooperate around her anyway. But I wasn’t part of the equation, and my parents thought I shouldn’t have been, so I had to stay back.

When the incident between Bella and Jasper happened, we all had to leave Forks. Alice decided to take Jasper away from humans for a while so that he could relax from everything that happened on Bella’s birthday. They decided to travel across South America, as my parents took me to a private villa in the Bahamas, away from other guests who would have questioned their sparkly skins. 

It was also a way for me to have some “normal” time away from the hectic vampiric way of life. I wasn’t gonna lie; it was a nice change from the constantly moody weather. I also got to review my classes for this year and the next, since I had pretty much missed over 6 months of school.

When we came back, it was towards the end of the semester. Technically, I was behind in my classes, but a confirmation note from Mrs. Iklor, a supposed private tutor my parents hired for the time we were out of town, allowed me to go back to my classes and finish that year smoothly. 

My parents were already done with school, and they wanted us to spend more time together as a family. They told me I could still get "homeschooled" but I just missed school. Well, to be honest, I missed the normality - not being around vampires 24/7. But I couldn't tell them that, so I only told them I missed school. Edward didn't tell them what I had in my mind, and they decided to stay in town for my own sake.

Unfortunately, nothing good can last too long. It wasn't long before Bella was chased by another vampire once again; this time Victoria, James's mate. We never had so many vampires coming after us - including the beef with the Volturi - until we came here, in Forks. Life was much, much quieter and boring in Alaska, and part of me missed those peaceful days.

At first, I wasn’t allowed to go to the graduation party, though it took little convincing from Alice for mom and dad to let me, but “as long as Alice and Edward were there to watch after me”. Mom couldn’t stand the way modern teenagers behaved, especially when at parties, and dad would - almost - always agree with mom. 

The party was fun and exciting if you were just a human. However, I knew what was going on, so there was fear and anxiety, in the end, for me. On the flip side, I got to see Embry and Quil again - Jacob kept his distance ever since he found out the truth about my family, and, despite me being human, he refused to get too close to me ever again. 

We didn’t talk much with Embry and Quil, but it was a nice change to talk to some people who were still human-like. I hadn’t talked to them ever since I came back to town, and with the constant beef between the two sides, I was caught in the middle.

And it seemed like it was a never-ending situation. This war my family had with Victoria seemed to be way more serious than what they had with James. Victoria was creating an army, an army of newborn vampires, powerful enough to destroy my family and the local community, which was why both Cullens and Quileutes had to put their differences aside and work together.

Carlisle asked the Denalis for their help before he went to the wolves, but Tanya refused for the sake of Irina and her hatred towards the wolves for killing Laurent. After that, he knew he couldn’t persist anymore, so he went to the wolves for help. 

But, before they ended their conversation, mom and dad asked Tanya if I could stay with them until all this was over. There was a lingering fear that the army would eliminate them and everyone else around, and they didn’t want to lose me, even if that meant I would lose them. Tanya really wanted to have me around again but thought that it still wouldn’t be good for Irina, so she had to “sadly refuse”.

I wasn’t gonna lie, I missed Alaska. I spent almost 15 years of my life there, but I was actually so relieved that Tanya refused to take me in. Not knowing how everyone would be doing or what would be happening around here would be literal torture for me. At least now, I would be still around and I wouldn’t worry more than I already did.

As for the wolves, up until now, there were 8 of them on the Quileute reservation, including Leah and Seth Clearwater. They had joined Sam’s pack, along with my friends, and they all knew about my family, and probably me, as well, though I wasn’t 100% sure what exactly they knew or thought of me. 

It wouldn’t be fair if they judged me in comparison to my family, but I didn’t know the way they were thinking of me now. And I couldn’t and wouldn’t blame them; their lives turned upside down and they had every right to be angry with my family. After all, the vampires’ presence in the area was what caused their transformation in the first place, though we didn’t know that when we first came to town.

When my family and the wolves had the chance to train for the upcoming battle with the newborns, I had to beg my parents to let me watch. They thought that being too close to them when they were ready to fight and their minds would probably be hazy and battle-ready would put me in extreme danger, and they wouldn’t negotiate with me any further. 

I had to remind them that nobody would hurt me - not themselves, or the rest of my family, or even the wolves. Besides, Bella would be there too, so why couldn’t I? I would have at least two to protect me in case anything went wrong. That angered my mother even more; she wanted an excuse for me not to join, but now she lost that too. Eventually, she had to give up and let me join them. 

Both mom and dad were hesitant to allow me to meet up with everyone else at the training spot and made sure to nag me enough into giving up, but I wouldn’t let that go so easily. Besides, my parents always taught me to stay clear in my position and not let others boss me around. 

While the others would go there by feet, we had to take dad’s jeep because of me. Rosalie refused to have Emmett run with me on his back; she was afraid I’d catch a cold because of the wind or go into shock or something, and she wasn’t going to risk it.

Carlisle and Esme were the first ones to get there, and dad parked the car just as Alice and Jasper arrived at the spot. We only had to wait for Edward, Bella, and the wolves now. Emmett quickly came by my side, and lifted me in his arms, as he and Rose joined hands and walked towards the others.

“Dad, you know I’m old and big enough to walk on my own, right? This is quite embarrassing.” I whined and joked at the same time. I understood they were both to be protective of me, but this was too much.

“I’m just being careful, (Y/N). We don’t want to risk anything.” Dad did not look at me; he was only looking forward, waiting for the wolves to show up.

“You know that most of them are my friends, at least they used to be. And I’m almost 17. It’s just weird having my dad carry me around.” I admitted. 

I was saddened my supposed friends never hung out with me after I came back to Forks. Probably because they were already wolves by that time, and they wanted nothing to do with the vampires’ daughter. Four months after we came back, I was still waiting for them to ask me to hang out, as I didn’t want to be the one forcing a friendship on them.

“We don’t know their intentions with you. And they are wolves now. So we have to protect you even more than before. It’s better to keep a distance between us.”

We walked beside Esme and dad finally let me walk on my own, as I came to stand beside my grandma. It was weird to call Esme grandma, though she technically was my grandma. Mom came to stand beside me, and dad stood in front of us as if he was a shield, ready to cover and protect us. 

We still had to wait a few minutes for the others, so dad decided to challenge Jasper, who would be the one showing us - them - how to fight off newborns. Emmett was primarily relying on his exceptional strength, so he thought everything would be easy, too easy for him. Uncle Jasper showed him that was not the case when dad ended up getting tossed around at least 10 times. But his ego wouldn’t let him lose, so he would go “Again!” and “Again!” for about 10 more times.

Finally, Edward and Bella arrived at the clearing, and it was about 10 seconds later that the wolves showed up, as if they were waiting just for them to show up. Mom gently pushed her behind me, as if to cover me up from the wolves’ prying eyes, but I still turned my head around to get a better look at them. 

There were 8 massive wolves in front of us, varying only slightly in size. It was clear who the Alpha was, as Sam was both the oldest and the biggest wolf of all of them. Seeing my old friends in wolf forms was surreal and scary. I was used to seeing vampires because they looked somewhat human - they had a human form. But I had never seen humans being transformed into huge wolves.

“They don’t trust us enough to be in their human forms.” Edward explained to us.

“They came. That’s what matters.” Carlisle had always been understanding of others, but I was slightly in shock by the existence of wolves in front of me. It wasn’t like I was standing right in front of them on my own, but seeing how massive and strong they seemed made me a bit uncomfortable.

Mom must have sensed my fear and hesitation, as she took my hand in hers and caressed it. “Don’t worry, baby, you’re safe here.” She whispered soothingly, and that calmed my nerves just a bit.

“Thanks, mom.” I leaned on her shoulder, as she turned to plant a kiss on my forehead.

Carlisle started explaining how Jasper was experienced with the newborns, as all eyes now fell on my uncle. He added how newborns were way more powerful than regular vampires, because of their own blood still lingering in their tissues, before Jasper took over to make his points.

“Now, the two most important things to remember are, first, never let them get their arms around you. They’ll crush you instantly. And second, never go for the obvious kill. They’ll be expecting that, and you will lose.” His words made me shiver; I didn’t even want to think that anyone from my family, or the wolves, would get hurt or die at the hands of a newborn.

A wolf growled at Jasper, as he called upon my dad, who walked too confidently for his own good if we took into consideration what had been happening a few minutes ago. We turned around to look at my dad and uncle’s fight, and I felt someone’s eyes on my back but was too frozen in my place to turn around and see who it was.

Just as I said, dad was relying too much on his strength and speed, while Jasper relied on techniques, and he easily overpowered Emmett. Dad quickly stood up, finally feeling defeated, and walked beside me, holding my hand to comfort himself. 

Then, it was grandad and Edward. I thought a fight between them would be tricky since uncle Edward could have easily been reading Carlisle’s thoughts about his next moves. We were all watching their battle carefully, as they moved around too fast. And when we thought Edward won, Carlisle stood up and pinned him to the ground victoriously. I heard my parents snickering, and I laughed at that, as well.

Jasper called upon my mom next, and she let go of my hand as she walked toward him. I heard a growl behind me, and I felt the hairs on my back and my hands standing, but I never turned around. It was my dad the one who did, and I heard him growling back towards the wolves’ side.

Mom was too good, much better than dad. Instead of showing off her strength, she focused more on avoiding Jasper’s moves in a rhythmical dance. She was the first one Jasper called it even with. Just like my dad, she too came by my side to hold my hand.

Finally, it was Alice the one to beat Jasper, because he was being too cocky and thought he would seduce her to call it even, when in fact, she played him and beat him to it. It was hilarious and cute at the same time. Jasper continued training with Esme and Carlisle, then my mom and dad competed against each other. 

They were fun to watch: dad was trying not to attack mom too hard, and mom was trying to mess up with dad. I had a hard laugh watching them. But I heard another growl behind me, and this time, I turned to look at the one who seemed like they could not stop growling all this time. My eyes fell upon a wolf with dark silver fur and gray, almost silver, eyes. He was shorter than the Alpha but seemed to be the most muscular of all.

The wolf turned to look at me before instantly freezing in his place. They seemed scared, or taken aback - I couldn’t really tell what it was. I could only stand there and stare at them with curiosity and total oblivion as to what was happening to them, but, for some reason, I felt my hands trembling. They tried taking a few steps toward me, before I quietly gasped and my parents were by my side in a second, having abandoned their fight.

“What’s their problem?” My mom shouted towards the wolf, not really caring if anyone answered back. 

My dad, however, turned towards Edward. “Edward! What is going on?”

Edward was looking in between the three of us and the wolves, trying to decide whether to tell us what was going on or not. “Paul. I have to tell them. They need to know.” The wolf - Paul - growled at Edward, as he continued. “Paul just imprinted. On (Y/N).”

That was enough for my parents to lose their minds. My mom quickly grabbed me, not thinking that she could actually hurt me with her strength, and turned around to take me away from there, as my dad launched forward at an angry Paul who was now growling and trying to fight my dad off of him. 

I could only hear the loud growls from both sides as my family and the wolves started attacking each other, but I couldn’t do or say anything as my mom took me out of there, running through the woods with me in her arms.

✧•✿•✯•♡•☆•✧•✿•✯•♡•☆•✧•✿•✯•♡•☆•✧•✿

Paul’s POV

“They can’t do that! They have no right to take (Y/N) away from me! And so..violently! She’s my imprint!” I was growling as I was walking around Sam and Emily’s living room, still angry at the Cullens.

“And they are her family! They were afraid you were gonna launch at her! She’s only human and they were worried something could happen to her. Try to see their point of view.” Sam was trying to reason with him, but I didn’t care about any of that.

“I would have never dared lay a finger on her and you know that! You all know that!” I turned around to point at my packmates.

“Yeah, but her parents don’t know that. For all they know, we are supposed to be mortal enemies. Who were to say that we wouldn’t attack their daughter?” Embry responded.

“Because, one, she is human. Two, that mind-reading leech knew that I imprinted on her and that I wouldn’t let anything happen to her! They just don’t want a wolf to be associated with their daughter, ‘cause they hate us. That buff leech had it for me ever since the incident with the red-haired leech.”

“And you are not making it any better. I’m sure (Y/N) would not appreciate you calling her father and family leeches.” Quil spoke as a matter of factly.

“I… I wouldn’t want her to hate me for that.” I abruptly calmed down; the thought of her hating me was tearing me up.

“Paul, just give them some time to process everything. I’m sure her family will understand. Dr. and Mrs. Cullen will be the most understanding of all. I’m sure they will ease everyone’s nerves. And I think (Y/N) may be feeling the same about you.” Emily spoke softly, sitting on Sam’s lap.

I turned to look at her, frowning my eyebrows. “How do you know she feels the same?” 

“Because, one, the imprint is based on mutual feelings, most of the time. Fate does not pair people randomly; your imprint is what the universe and the ancestors think will be good for you. And two, I remember when you all said that when you used to hang out with (Y/N), you two were inseparable, like partners in crime. I’m sure that was no coincidence either. I think she must have liked you, too.”

I had to think a lot about that perspective. I had never realized that (Y/N) may have ever liked me. I must admit that hanging out with her used to be fun. She was alone and lonely when she found us, claiming her older siblings went to Forks High School, and she was still left in middle school.

Despite our apparent differences, she was really fun to have around, and when she was suddenly gone without any explanation, something inside me broke. I missed her presence around us, around me. 

And then, after a sudden outburst of anger over her leaving, I shifted for the first time, and it was my time to leave Embry, Jacob, and Quil behind, just as Jared did a week or two before me.

I thought about all the little moments I had with her. I had to find a way to get to (Y/N), talk to her, and explain everything. Unfortunately, as much as I tried to find or contact her, I could no longer find her around. She wouldn’t come down to the Second Beach, as she used to, or even to the reservation. 

There was only one person that could probably be able to communicate with her; one person that spent most of their time around or close to her. I reluctantly picked up my phone and called the number I found through Jacob. The phone beeped for a few seconds before they picked up. 

“Hey, Bella, it’s Paul. I need to ask you something.”