#migraine mercenary

[migraine-tips]

The migraine community has these problems of having their migraines mistaken for headaches, but your pain is valid!

We Experience bring medically gaslight to simply drink more water, exercise, and lose weight. And while those can help, those simply won’t cut it.

Your pain is valid. Your pain is legitimate. And you know your body’s pain is important to address!

I wish you well in your fight against migraines!

I hate you ocular migraines i hate you light sensitivity i hate you debilitating headache i hate you fuzzy vision i hate you nausea so bad that i start vomiting bile i hate you unsympathetic workmates who tell me to stop being a baby and pop some advil i hate you i hate you

[verdemoth]

I've continued playing Fallen London on and off and I've been wanting to make a new ref for Mel for AAAGES, not just to update old art but also show some of the character development Mel's experienced after a handful of years in the Neath! The ES 'Adornment' especially was a major turning point for Philomel and sparked Mel's revolutionary leanings, and is when Mel began to realize Mel's formed meaningful ties just as important as Mel's quest for vengeance. This year's estival (the Coilheart Games) brought out another evolution of this, and Mel's settled into an investigative role in the adamant belief that such worldshattering secrets and threats that encompass the entire city should NOT be purposefully withheld from the people living in it.

Image text is probably hard to read, and there's a transcript below this readmore

Text Transcripts:

In the top right are some quick details. Mel's full name is Philomel Pelayo Muros. In the style of other Fallen London characters, Mel's epithet is 'the Steely-Eyed Gun-for-Hire'. Mel uses no pronouns, Mel's 38 years old and 5 feet 2 inches tall. Mel resides in the Flit, and Mel's profession is as a mercenary and freelance investigator. The faction Mel is closest to is the Revolutionaries, with which Mel has 15 Renown. Mel is an Ambition: Nemesis character.

Below this are some notable player character attributes. Of the main attributes, Philomel has high Dangerous and Watchful but low Persuasive. Mel also has high Dreaded. Of the quirks, Mel has high Steadfast, Melancholy, Ruthless, Forceful, and Magnanimous, but low Subtle and Heartless. Mel also has the quality 'Tragedy: Death of a Spouse'.

Paired with the portrait in the top left are these notes, pointing to several parts of the illustration: "Permanent dark circles from years of stress, poor sleep and frequent nightmares. Mel always looks exhausted and more than a little haunted."

"Mel has acne scars, and a lot of other scars. Mel accumulates wounds almost as quickly as Mel does nightmares."

"A skull fracture obtained during 'Adornment' resulted in some long-term afflictions. These include vision and hearing loss (both on Mel's left) as well as vertigo spells. Mel also fractured a wrist and dislocated a shoulder, now prone to re-injury."

"Mel originally shaved just for ease in tending to the fresh wound. But Mel ended up vibing with the style and is still sporting it a few years later."

The next notes point to the raven (named Sarangerel) perched on Mel's arm in another illustration: "A black raven from the Surface - very rare in the Neath. She spent a good many years with the Tomb-Colonist who first found and nursed her to health, and who gave her her name. Sadly, that chapter has come to an end. She's befriended Philomel, and is glad for Mel's companionship. She doesn't speak much these days, but she sings beautifully her wistful, plaintive melodies."

With the drawing of Mel's hand are these notes: "Finally bothered to ditch the New Newgate cuffs, but Mel got used to the weight and replaced them with heavy bracelets. The 'jewels' are coloured glass."

Each of Mel's possessions are accompanied by a note:

"Rose-Shaded Lenses. Prescription, for light sensitivity and migraine. They've seen better days."

"Revolutionary's Red Feather Pin. Kept close at hand, seldom displayed."

"Horseshoe Lapel Pin. Always part of Mel's ensemble. Worn in reference to a departed friend."

"Ring with a Rose Motif. Of significant sentimental importance. It was an anniversary gift."

"Simple Derringer. Typically hidden somewhere on Mel's person, though Mel now favours a knife. Mel's aim isn't what it used to be."

Text transcripts end here.

[deadtired-highkeyenergetic]

Hi! I was wondering if you take request for Astarion and co.? The reader gets an aura migraine (worst kind of migraine in my opinion). But because of her/their past being a mercenary/hunter/warrior (whichever one), the reader doesn’t tell or even realize it until it’s too late. Just some angst and then love and care from Astarion.

I love your writing! So please take all the time you need to write this if you want to.

HIHI I'M SORRY FOR NOT POSTING FOR SO LONG!!!!!!! I've been very tired as of late from all the schoolwork and I swear it's almost like I don't have any down time. Writing through this slog has been difficult as well and I don't like forcing/rushing things. Still, I managed to finish this, hope you like it!

Summary: You collapse right in front of Astarion due to a particularly bad aura migraine episode. Panic and emotional constipation ensues

Your head is splitting. Again.

Inhaling sharply, you let out a slow breath, willing the pain away so that you can focus on the task at hand. Black spots creep in on the edges of your vision but you blink them away, you can’t falter now. You swing your blade, slicing through another of Orin’s assassins before ducking as a dagger stabs the spot your head was at just moments ago.

Even with spotty vision, your battle instincts are enough to help you survive the fight, but you don’t emerge from the fight unscathed. One of the assassins manages to sneak up on you and gets a hit in, tearing open your shoulder.

“Y/N!”

You hiss in pain, whirling around to cleave the assassin in half with your blade. Your injured arm shakes from the exertion, fresh blood streaming from the wound with each motion. The throbbing pain doesn’t help your migraine in the slightest and you nearly keel over.

“My dear, you look terrible.” Astarion catches you just before you hit the floor, a hint of concern in his eyes.

“I’m fine.” You grab onto him to steady yourself, blinking as your vision begins to swim and push yourself upright, flashing him a grin. “See? Perfectly fine!”

And then the world spins before fading to black.

Bright light fills your vision as you open your eyes, causing you to throw your arm up to block out the light, only for white hot pain to shoot through said arm.

Right. You had injured your arm.

Groaning, you rub your eyes with the other arm and tenderly push yourself upright, letting out a croaky yelp when your injured arm buckles beneath you. Closing your eyes, you breathe out slowly, releasing your annoyance at the current situation.

“How are you feeling?” A familiar deep voice sounds.

“Fine.” Your reply comes out harsher than you intended and you internally cringe when Halsin noticeably pauses, taken aback by your tone.

“Sorry,” you mutter quickly. “How long was I out for?”

“Sufficiently long to make everyone worry.” He hands you a flask of water. “Drink up.”

You down the flask almost immediately, feeling the cool liquid slide down your throat and let out a contented sigh. The throbbing in your head has dulled to a quiet hum, but it will remain for a few more days, if past experience is anything to go by.

"Thank you." You hand the now empty flask back to Halsin.

"If you're feeling well enough, you should go and talk to the others. Some of them were particularly worried when you fainted on them." Halsin gives you a sly smirk. "Especially a certain vampire."

You raise an eyebrow and Halsin laughs, "he was the most worried. I had to chase him out of the tent just so I could tend to you."

"He was that worried," you murmur to yourself, frowning slightly. You hadn't meant to do that, well not like you had meant to faint in the first place but knowing just how much of an impact your little 'accident' had on Astarion made you feel bad.

"Watch yourself out there, you were lucky you only collapsed after all the enemies were defeated," Halsin chides as he rebandages your wound and hands you a healing potion. "Try to tell someone when you're not feeling well, alright?"

You laugh, waving him off, "I'll try, no promises though."

The moment you exit the room, the others rush over to check up on you, save for a pale elf who sends a scowl your way before disappearing into his own room, his door left ajar. You reassure the others, quickly making your way past the conversations and slip away with Halsin's help, ducking into a familiar room.

"Hey." You attempt to make conversation but a scowl remains firmly on his face, his gaze buried in the book he's holding. Sighing, you make your way to the bed and nestle into the remaining space, feeling his cooling skin press against your burning one.

"I'm sorry for making you worry."

"You're sorry? That's it? You're not going to explain why I suddenly had your unconscious body in my arms, why you had the audacity to tell me you were 'perfectly fine' before collapsing, why you —" He stops to take a breath he doesn't need, feeling every emotion rush to the surface and tears prick the corners of his eyes. He's mad, mad at you for not telling him anything, mad at himself for not noticing earlier, mad at himself for not being able to express his concern in a normal manner.

"Star…"

"You can't just say sorry and expect everything to be ok! Sorry fixes nothing!" He yells, wanting nothing more than for you to yell back at him so that he can release the emotions he doesn't know how to deal with in the only way he knows how but you remain quiet, head hung low, and that frustrates him even more.

"You're right. Sorry fixes nothing. I…" You let out a deep sigh, lifting your gaze to meet his. You can see the tear streaks that have formed, the fear in his eyes, the anxiety and it steals your breath away.

"Halsin wasn't kidding. You really are extremely worried for me." You can't help but give a small chuckle despite it all, a quiet smile making its way onto your face.

"Of course I'm worried!" Astarion snaps.

"Thank you for being worried." You slip your hand into his. "No one's ever been this worried about me before."

"Have you fainted in someone's arms before?" He huffs, annoyed, but he has simmered down.

"Well…not quite. I always went on quests alone, fought alone, but the times I wasn't alone…let's just say things didn't go so well for me." You laugh, giving his hand a squeeze. "You all…you…are the first people I don't mind calling friends."

He clicks his tongue and looks away, but you can see the red on the tips of his ears. Your own cheeks are burning from the confession, your heart thundering like never before and you want nothing more than to bury your face into your knees.

"Why aren't you angry at me?" He mumbles after a while, still refusing to meet your gaze.

"Is there a reason I should be?" You murmur, running your thumb along his skin. His grip on you tightens and he bites his lip, shifting anxiously.

"There are many." The words leave his lips in a whisper and he wishes he could take them back when he sees the way your face falls.

"I can't think of any. I can, however, think of reasons for you to be angry at me." You shake your head. "I should have told you about my migraines earlier instead of having you find out like that, I should have done more than a simple 'sorry', I should have thought about you instead of just keeping to myself."

"You were just doing what you knew was safe. I'm no better."

"But you chose to open up to me. You spilled your deepest darkest secrets and yet I kept mine from you because I didn't want to look weak. I should have returned the favour, but I didn't." All your regrets come spilling forth, its flow stemmed only by the feeling of soft lips against your own.

He kisses you gently at first, and then it deepens, becoming more urgent as he conveys his feelings to you the only way he knows how.

"You're strong. You're the strongest person I know. You've been through so much, and yet you refuse to let any of it stop you. You've been dealing with your migraine by yourself for so long, putting up with the pain by yourself, nothing about that is weak in the slightest." He presses his forehead against yours, pulling you into his embrace. "Let me share in your burden as you share in mine."

"It's only fair, I suppose." Your lips curve into a grin. Letting out a quiet breath, you entangle your fingers in his curls, feeling him lean into the touch. "Promise?"

"Promise," he murmurs back, soaking in the moment. There's only you and him, bodies pressed against each other, embracing like it's the last time you'll ever see each other, washing away the throbbing in your head and the ache in his heart.

He closes his eyes, relishing in the warmth of your body tightly pressed against him, breathing in your scent that speaks of love, comfort, safety, feeling the rhythmic strokes of your fingers through his hair, and wants for nothing else. Pressing a kiss to your temple, he smiles, genuinely, and saves this moment in his memory.

"Get well soon, my love."

[migraine-tips]

I typically note my stronger medications in my google calendar, and create the even to be as long the required waiting time before I can take another one.

When it’s 24 hour requirements I can’t see the time requirement that well as indicated with the yellow highlighter in the picture below.

Instead, I set the event of when I took them ahead one hour and have it last for 23 hours, thereby noticing me at the correct safe time. This looks very different, as you can see with the green highlighter circling it.

Being part of the AuDHD community has helped me realize how important it means to write down everything, and it has helped my brain fog immensely.

What’s the name for the chronic illness phenomenon of “did I just take ibuprofen or did I just think about taking ibuprofen?”

[migraine-tips]

Oct. 16th was the last day I took an Emgality pen. I have my first botox treatment some weeks ago, so I still took two more Emgality pens after I started with my first Botox treatment since it is to help transition between the two medications.

I’ll admit it is nice to not have to use a self-injection pen and worrying about the brief amount of pain that comes with it.

Botox is quite common, they even had a room specifically for injecting Botox in the neurology clinic I go to. There are 32 injection sites, most not painful except for the ones in the forehead which the nurse who was administering them did last, thankfully.

Hopefully this preventative medication will work.

[electricaquarius]

Midnight fanfiction time strikes again, this is my first Gale x reader! Completely gender neutral, only thing described is that the reader is prone to migraines. Short and fluffy. (Also it seems like some of my fics are missing? I'll repost them sometime soon)

As you slowly opened your eyes you felt the morning light like two daggers directly to your skull. You rolled over and groaned, using your arm to try to block it out but it was no use, you officially had a migraine. As if the tadpole wasn't enough your head was now trying to implode on itself. The sound of Lae’zel sharpening her blade was nearly enough to make you cry. Hands over your ears you stumbled out, still dressed in night clothes, needing to explain you cannot possibly adventure out today. As the unofficial leader you felt a certain sense of guilt taking a day off but the world feels so spacey and dreamlike it's impossible to concentrate on much other than the pain. You believe Wyll had ordered you back to bed at some point but honestly it could have been any of your friends. You're just happy to be able to rest once more.

You woke up later, but you're not sure how much time had passed. Hours, certainly, since it was dark outside. Although, there was a slight tinge of weave in the air that made you question that, alongside the soft sound of waves even though you were miles from the nearest coastline. You sat up and scanned your tent to find Gale sitting in one corner, book on his lap. ‘Gale…?’ You croaked out, throat dry from sleep.

His voice was a low whisper. ‘Ah, good morning. Or evening, as it might be.’ He chuckled. ‘I thought a darkness spell might help, I understand you were quite light sensitive this morning. Please, let me know if you want me to stop.’ He reached over and poured a cup of water for you. ‘Drink. Dehydration will only make your headache worse.’

You took the cup from him gratefully and took several small sips. ‘How long was I out? Have you been concentrating for all that time?’ Added to the guilt of a wasted day, you now have the shame of taking up Gale's time when he could have been doing one of the thousand little chores you were unaware of before you started camping with your be-tadpoled friends.

‘Most of the day, I'm afraid. I do hope you're feeling better. Although you needn't worry, darkness is hardly a demanding spell even to maintain it for several hours.’ There was that pride coming through again. At times it infuriated you but right now it was quite endearing.

You sat up properly and brought your knees to your chest. ‘Still, to sit with me like this for the whole time I was asleep… you're very nice to me. I'm not quite sure why.’ You shrugged. It was true enough, you couldn't quite see Gale doing something *this* nice for your other companions. There had been something between you ever since your little magic lesson but nothing that either of you could name.

‘I could say the same about you, after having not only accepted my condition but helping to treat it. Let's say it's an equal exchange.’ He tucked away the book and brought a hand to your forehead. ‘No fever. Good. I'm afraid treating that would be a mite more complicated.’

You rolled your eyes and flopped back down onto the bedroll. ‘Must you be so mercenary? That was the perfect time to tell me how much you like me.’ You took another sip of water to avoid Gale's gaze for a moment.

‘I won't argue, considering you're still recovering, but I will say you were the first to bring it up. And I won't waste time telling you what you already know. You mean a great deal to me, and if I may be so bold, I do to you.’ He leant down and kissed your forehead before rising. ‘I'll call you when dinner is ready, you should eat.’

Stunned into silence, you can't respond until Gale is across the camp and preparing dinner. If this is how he reacted, you make a mental note to play sick more often.

[is-today-tomorrow-in-nz]

OMG that Rule of Wolves ending was a total Deus Ex Machina! Leigh Bardugo really destroyed ALL the magical system's balance so her favorite could become a God, Avatar, mindreader, emotion reader, and dragon (ironic because LB was a Dany anti for GoT) with no consequences! But Alina, with ONE power just trying to take down the Fold = GREED = STRIPPED OF ALL POWERS. It makes no sense, and causes migraines to think about how LB destroyed all the worldbuilding for poorly thought out wattpad ending.

Thank you! I was beyond frustrated too. Her magic system is like a mirage in a desert- it exists one moment and then vanishes the next minute. It does not help that she plays favouritism with her own characters. Zoya, Nikolai and the crows are clearly her golden children. Aleksander is her scapegoat child. For the sake of her golden children, she bends the plot and swathes them in plot armour. However she refuses to offer any sort of redemption or even decent plotlines for her least favourite ones.

Just the other day, I was lamenting about this in another post. Let me share my fav deus ex machina other than the ones mentioned in the original post.

1)SoC: Began well- foreign country, jurda, everything at stake, heist etc etc. After the disaster of the trilogy, I was excited to read something different. However, the climax just made me want to fling the book to a corner. So Jarl Brum knows the partial truth from Matthias, knows why the crows were there. But somehow they got away scott free. Like yes, Nina made some soldiers fall asleep, but doesn't Fjerda have a navy? Isn't Djerholm not a harbour? Do they not know the ship name? Do they not know how long the jurda effects last in Nina? And yet all Brum did was stomp like a villain at the end of scooby doo saying, "If it weren't for those meddling kids!" and did nothing. They literally attacked one of the most powerful country's capital, blew up a part of their palace, and stole a tank! Somehow destroying a bridge was all it needed to stop an army! And at the final standoff, the soldiers were just put to sleep not killed. even if Kaz was just a day ahead, the fierce Fjerdan navy should have caught up to them. 🤦🏽‍♀️🤦🏽‍♀️🤦🏽‍♀️🤦🏽‍♀️ But no... Nina attacked them with parem. Suddenly nothing can be done. It's like Fjerda is this formidable enemy when LB needs it to be and then become a bunch of helpless idiots when her favourite characters need to escape!

2)S&S: Ivan's death or literally any Grisha death on the Darkling side. They were very dangerous and battle experienced one moment but somehow were nothing compared to two sword weilding mercenaries. With convenient plot devices, the man who is literally the oldest and the most powerful Grisha in Ravka, was defeated and left at sea- no doubt hit by LB's idiot hammer. The man literally created THE FOLD for god's sake!!! And yet he and his army of well trained Grisha were defeated in a matter of minutes.

3)Nikolai: The whole Nikolai spiel was that he is the 'good' guy. He desperately wants the throne but instead of doing anything about it he was literally waiting for his big bro to get bored of it and throw it to him. That was the 'most clever fox's' brilliant strategy. Because that's what good boys do. Only evil, dark wizards create a coup.

And when the plot doesn't move forward, the easily-defeated-at-sea Darkling, is suddenly a raging powerful villain who conveniently kills Vasily and hands the good boy his throne.

I could go on and on. She butchered her own universe and is fixing them with cello tapes.

[migraine-tips]

This is wonderful to hear! Congratulations on fighting migraines- finding the tools to do so can be very hard to find.

Can you tell us what brand of glasses you are wearing or where you bought them from?

Got my sunglasses today! They're prescription, so I, of course, had to try them on for a few minutes to make sure it's the same as my glasses or else they will cause me an additional headache.

Some background info- I have chronic headaches, and not the type of chronic that is "Oh I frequently have a headache" no, it's the type of chronic that is "I always have a headache and there is never a time in which I don't have a headache"

So imagine my surprise when, after 5 or so minutes of wearing my new sunglasses, the sharp stabbing at the front of my head starts to dull ever so slightly. Not by much, but by enough that I can, in fact, notice it.

It takes another minute or two for me to figure out what happened, but when I do, I get up from where I'm sitting and start turning off the lights and closing the window blinds.

I was having a light sensitivity headache, and I hadn't noticed at all. I didn't even classify the sharp stabbing as a headache until after I noticed it claiming down, again, not by much, but enough to notice.

I'm so used to headaches that I don't usually complain about them or bring up the fact that I have one unless asked. Even then, I thought I didn't have the usual light or sound sensitively issues that come with headaches, but I was apparently wrong, and didn't realize that the pain was an issue until it was being somewhat fixed.

How weird is that? I mean- I should be used to it by now, but it's still so strange to actually think about

[high-five0]

•FIC MASTERLIST•

So this is basically every fic I’ve reblogged so I can access them and see them organized! (Also kind of a fic recommendation post) If there’s any recommendations of what I should read please let me know!

Most of these fics will be platonic!

-Formula One-

•Platonic Grid•

“Martins Grid walk” -taking over the grid walk is not for the faint of heart

“Slow Down, Red Flag” -what the reader does when the racing comes to a stop

“Pure Chaos 2, 3” - amazing multi part smau

“Caffeine of Choice” -a few drivers don’t get your choice of energy

“Golden (Son)” -Prema driver with OP81 as a grid dad

“Early Risers V. Night Owls” -some just don’t understand the morning grumpies

“Line Up” -Pole position equals pissy fans

“Dear Spa” -the Belgium track takes another (read for a good cry)

“Reality” -the cameras not capture everything

“Grill the Kid” “Grill the Grid” -two fics based on the quiz show

“Annoying little brothers” -self explanatory

“Grid Kids”

“Monopoly”

•MV1💙•

“Block Out the Haters” -Max defends his teammate

•CL16❤️•

“Don’t get Squeezed” -Charles little sisters position at the Chinese GP has her worried

•CS55❤️•

“Human Shield”-podium celebrations can get messy very quickly

“You don’t like spicy food?”-trying to play mermaids with chili

•DR3🩶•

“Be your Wingman” -a little crush on a sky sport reporter has someone being a tease

•SV5💚•

“Films of Anger” -Racing incident has too childhood friends explode at eachother (very brocedes core)

“Learning how to Drive” -she can driver at over 200 mph but not on a normal road

•KR7❤️•

“Very Sleepy One Bed” -long races and sharing hotel rooms

“Future world Champ” -a talk with Kimi and Seb about the new driver

“Giddy Goodbyes” -ending the season can be sad but a helmet swap can make it a little better

•LS2🩵•

“Team USA”-Logan supports his girl competing as an Olympic surfer SMAU

“Rookie Reflections” -Logan befriends the new rookie (first f1 fic I’ve ever read)

•OP81🧡•

“Rewatching love” -a group of old Prema drivers watch their old f2 videos

•LH44🖤•

“Driver Headcannons”

•PA17🤍•

“Crash Into Me” -enemies to lovers with the one bed trope what’s not to love?

-Women’s Basketball-

•PB5•

“Courtside”- “what are you doing here? I thought you had to study”

“Teammate Headcannons”

“Sleepyhead”

•KA2•

“Dating Headcannons”

•KM20•

“While we’re young” -the aces play the liberty and 2 lovers are joined together

“I wanna listen to the sound of you breathing” -just 5 more minutes

-FC Barcelona-

•Braça Femeni•

“Head in the Clouds”

“Scrubber” -la Roja debute”

“First” -Scoring your first club goal

“Priorities” -being late to practice opens up a new can of worms

“Numb” -nobody likes a rough game

•ML4•

“Protection” -injury on the field

•JF11•

“Joao with a formula 1 driver”

-Call of Duty-

•Task Force 141•

“Ain’t that a kick in the head” -just some Headcannons of new recruit

“One hell of a first mission” -your first mission goes sideways

“Migraines”

•Ghost•

“Right Behind you” -Ghost wants to keep his distance but can’t (first cod fic I’ve ever read)

“Headcannons”

“A Bedtime Story” -it’s not your fault ghost has a soothing voice

“Like Riding a Bike” -ghost finds out you never learned to ride a bike

“Picture Perfect” -snoring on the plane home

“Rodan”

-Top Gun-

•Dagger Squad•

“Friendship Bracelets”-making brackets for your squad

“Rookie” - not everyone a fan of the new recruit

•Rooster•

“Personal Space” -you like your personal space, a certain aviator likes it too

•Iceman•

“Blood in the Water” -a crash scares everyone

-MCU-

•Deadpool and Wolverine•

“Two pease in a pod”

“Troublemaker” -Wolverine seems to be there for you more times than anyone else

“The Spiderling”

“Oscar Worthy Performance”- the cops cannot be called, so you find one man to vouch for you

•Moonkight•

“Recruitment gone right?” -the avengers sent you to recruit a mercenary

•Daredevil•

“They’re Gonna Taste my Venom”- Venom and his host stumble upon a lawyer

•Spider-Man(s)”

“Art with Hands”- Hobie is the best sign language teacher

-Star Wars-

•The Clone Wars•

•Fives•

“Smugglers” -stealing treats from another commander

“Food Fight”

•104th Battalion•

“Cuddling the 104”

“Mama Wolffe” -Wolffe was grump and unnerving… to most

•Delta Squad•

“Headcannons”

•The Mandolorian•

“Come and Get Me” -Din will always come back for you

-The Last of Us-

“So Far From It”-you get into some trouble but know exactly who to call

“Carved Over the Door” - Joel finally figures out your secret

“The Tunnel” -not a very good get away driver

-Na’vi-

“Angry Spirit” -doing anything for your siblings

•Neteyaem•

“Golden Child” -A battle for the paise of your parents

“And your Brother is Here”

-Random-

•Arcane•

“Stumbled Upon” -Silco stumbled upon one of Vanders Kids

•The Hunger Games•

“Swear” - Finnick helps the new victor

[whohasfourthumbsand]

[[ An attached adio file, labelled Untitled007.mp4. No identifiable publisher. ]]

[[ Visible through the archaic design of TR-GRAE's HUD, two individuals dressed in Detachment-148's characteristic navy-blue uniforms pace in a disorganized orbit around one another; The familiar sillhouette of Commander Gatsby paws idly at their face as the two debate, their skin pale and sallow. Across from them, Detachment-148's primary physician, "Turing", trips and stumbles to try and keep up with the Commander's gait. ]]

TURING — "It was a fucking seizure, Commander; Not a headache, not a migraine, not a stumble- Your pet project collapsed."

GATSBY — "Repeating it over and over again isn't going to get you the reaction that you want, Bailey. My word is fucking law, and I told you— no nuance, and certainly no room for insubordination— that Caldwell cannot, and will not be released from his contract. He is staying on this station, with this detachment, no matter if he is alive, unconscious, or dead."

TURING — "Suddenly the all-mighty Captain Gatsby cares about the word of the law? Did you get a taste of parenthood, Captain? Is that what this is— You think that boy is your son?"

TURING — "I'm sorry, Commander, but I've treated both of you; I've got your genetic makeup on file, and the only shit the two of you share is some brain-dead misunderstanding of what Arthur's body can handle. That is not your son, Gatsby; That is a mercenary, comprised of more metal than a pistol, and he— it— should not ever think it is okay to love its commander."

[[ Commander Gatsby pauses, their boot still poised in the air, halted mid-step. Their expression remains overcast; Their eyes, suddenly sharp with a newfound, uncharacteristic clarity, flit towards Turing. ]]

GATSBY — ". . ."

TURING — "My authority supercedes yours; If I deem Caldwell unfit to serve, he'll be discharged back to Carina on the first shuttle o—"

GATSBY — "You are dismissed, Bailey."

TURING — ". . .'dismissed'?"

GATSBY — "Dismissed. Return to your post. Monitor Caldwell's recovery, and do not speak to me until something observably changes. I am forgiving your insubordination, Doctor, under the assumption you will deign to offer me an ounce of respect; You and I have served together for the better part of a decade. I had hoped, in all of that time, that you might've learned to trust me."

GATSBY — "It pains me to see that you haven't."

[[ Turing's lips part; His mouth opens, briefly, as though he might continue. Then, a moment later, it shuts. His brows furrow until a deep crease forms between them; His hands ball into fists at his sides. Red in the face, lost in a sea of thought, the physician turns sharply on his heel and begins to pace back towards the sickbay. ]]

[[ Left in his wake, Commander Gatsby pauses their pacing. Their hands palm lethargically at their eyes. A shudder wracks their body for only a moment, before they lift their head, square their shoulders, and correct their posture. Despite this, their expression remains sunken. ]]

[[ A moment passes. Their haggard eyes sharply turn towards the camera. ]]

GATSBY — "Kennedi warned me about you." [[ The Commander's voice is soft, little above a whisper. Despite the camera being several feet above Commander Gatsby, their words are still clearly audible. ]] GATSBY — "If you think this is protecting your Pilot, T-R, you are mistaken."

[chickensarentcheap]

Esme and Alcott :)

Now there's someone she could have been shipped with if things hadn't gone another way :)

@tragiclyhip @youflickedtooharddamnit @watermeezer @secretaryunpaid @bardic-tales

@mrsmungus @alisbackalleybbq @karimac @kmc1989 @ninjasawakenedmystar

@asirensrage @residentdormouse

He’s the last to arrive; met by Nik at the entrance to the conference room. And they exchange warm embraces and then indulge in non-work related chit-chat; a friendly conversation about his long and draining flight and the dreary, damp, fall weather that had greeted him when he touched down in New York City.

There’s something in the way he carries himself; an abundance of confidence that borders on cockiness and an energetic, almost cheeky bounce to his step. Tall and broad-shouldered and wide-chested, he possesses a charming and almost boyish smile; the perfect companion for the near mischievous glitter to his eyes. Clad in ‘casual business’; charcoal grey trousers, black trench coat, and cream-coloured cable knit sweater that provides a striking contrast against rich, dark skin. And he exchanges one-armed hugs and small talk with those he knows, handshakes and polite greetings with those he doesn’t. Then stands patiently a couple of feet away as Esme and Tyler finish their conversation, his hands stuffed in his pants pockets, as he slowly rocks back and forth on his heels.

Waiting until Tyler releases the diminutive woman from his embrace, he gives the younger mercenary a smile and a nod in greeting before stepping forward. Draping an arm across Esme’s collarbone and pulling her back against him; lips near her ear as he wags a disproving finger in Tyler’s direction.

“Now this one is nothing but trouble.” His English accent is thick; the tone of his voice rich and deep. And easily recognizable. “Didn’t your mother teach you to never speak to strange men?”

“If she had, you and I never would have met.”

“Exactly the answer I expected from you. You always have been too quick for your own good. And everyone else’s for that matter.” Giving her a tight, affectionate squeeze, he drops a kiss on the top of her head and then turns her around to face him; hands resting on her shoulders as he smiles down at her. “Did you miss me?”

“Like a migraine.”

“That’s not friends now, is it. Is that any way to treat your favourite fella?”

“I treat Tyler just fine. I don’t think he has any complaints.”

“You’re just an evil little human, you know that? Always have been. Straight to the core.”

“You seem to bring out the best in me.”

A pregnant pause. Then they both smile and chuckle and he pulls her into a hug; firmly rubbing a palm against the middle of her back before releasing her.

“Surprised?”

“I thought you were in Rome? Last time we talked, you were heading that way. They send you to kill the Pope? How’d that go? Cement your role as the leader of hell yet? Do churches burst into flames if you walk past them?”

“I cemented my place down below a long time ago. And I WAS there; tending to less corrupt and evil things than that old fuck. But a little birdie called me. Said I was needed elsewhere. So, here I am.”

[migraine-tips]

Want to go further?

Go to the accessibility settings in your phone and activate white point reduction. This can get your phone screen even darker!

Anyway as someone who has migraines which are triggered by bright lights

Turn your screen brightness down

The number of migraines and severity of migraines I had after doing this were significantly less. Turn it as far down as you can and still see it. Like dear God how do non migraine suffers look at full blast bright screens without getting headaches. This is one of the easiest tips to preventing migraines. Your head and eyes will thanks you

[changelingsandothernonsense]

What attracts Josh to Erra and later, Sydari? What about him interests them?

Josh likes redheads first and foremost, coppery hair will always catch his eye but what keeps him looking are unique features. He finds things like scars and tattoos to be very visually appealing.

What keeps him around is a partner's willingness to give him time. Josh comes off as abrasive at best when he first meets people so when people try to meet him on his level it catches his attention. This usually involves that person calling out his behaviour. He likes honesty above all else but not in a way that belittles him. He wants to feel like he's being taken care of, but not babied. Erra was the first person he felt like he could connect to on a meaningful level and even that started with a lot of misunderstandings and fights. He loves Erra's soft side about as much as he adores the fierce General he becomes. He copes a lot of Erra's mannerisms once he passes. It's why he takes up mercenary work and sometimes uses his last name. Sydari was different, they started on opposing sides of a fight with Josh very much treating her with a high degree of suspicion. He gets stuck on her primarily because she reminds him of a guy he once had a thing with (Josh and the Hero of Kvatch had a toxic thing going on). That's initially why he doesn't incinerate her on sight. What makes him fall for her is when she takes the time to travel to Skyrim and essentially clear his conscience. The way she wraps people around her finger makes him melt. It also causes a lot of conflict. He seems to pair himself with archers. Erra started falling for Josh after he stays with him when he's suffering through a migraine attack. He just sat there and worked on some sort of writing chart. It was the outpouring of interest in Dwemer that made Erra see a new side of him. He's not that interested in them himself but there's something about how excited he seems when talking about it that makes him melt. He lights up in a way that Erra rarely sees otherwise and he strives to crack through Josh's exterior. Not many people get to see Josh truly vulnerable but he is with Erra and he savours that. He also likes the size of his di-

Sydari actually despises him up until Geldis convinces her to go investigate the Free-Winter massacre. It's when she speaks to Josh's estranged son about it that she discovers that he was trying to disrupt Camonna Tong smuggling rings along the border. She has a bit of a romanticised idea of him until Nerevar appears and ruins things. She ends up falling for Josh's softer side, the side that stands up for people who can't do it themselves. She's drawn to that but it's locked under layers of maladaptive behaviours and substance abuse issues. The two are on and off again until Sydari discovers his identity and all of a sudden everything makes sense.

[aealrizen]

It seemed at some point they had contacted Crystal through an underground network. It wasn’t an unfamiliar place for them, considering Hesopher used it all the time to contact and hire mercenaries to retrieve materials for Eutoli as a whole that Cerah and Andaopos weren’t supplying for them. It was through working with those clients that they had learned about Crystal, and her ‘rumoured’ time spent helping people with cybernetic parts. However, whether it was because of their stance to remain under alias, or some other reason, Crystal was proving to be unwilling to fully work with them. It had been a rough few days, something had been concerning Hesopher enough to hinder their progress on developing their own method for cybernetic surgery. It was currently late at night, and Hesopher had unintentionally fallen asleep where he had been cuddling Midas. He was fourteen now, and couldn’t sleep because of the usual full body ache from his bones and faulty blood. And that, plus the state his father was in had put him in a sour mood.

He had his father’s laptop on his stomach, staring at the most recent conversation between Crystal and Hesopher. Neither of them were using real names, and Hesopher had been fairly secretive about everything about them and their situation. He didn’t want to be traced back. Yet something about being sleep deprived and irritated made Midas reach out instead of leaving it to his dad as he had been doing.

‘You’re being really annoying, you know? We’re not asking for much. Just a name of a book we can look into about the problem or something.’

He hadn’t been expecting a response, and shortly after he’d sent it he considered deleting it. His dad would scold him for being rude once he saw it, and they didn’t need to piss off their contact to the point of blocking them. But to his surprise a response came back quickly.

‘Who is this?’

Oh, she recognized it wasn’t Hesopher really quickly. Smart lady.

‘The son,’ Midas typed back quickly, blinking hazily in his sleepless daze.

The next response took longer to show up, but it seemed to be both because of length and because Crystal had taken a moment to consider or rewrite her words.

‘Look kid. Being a cyborg is not a good life. People don’t like cyborgs, it’s hard to maintain the equipment, and resources aren’t plentiful. Stop chasing a fairytale, and go live your life.’

It was sensible. Any healthy person would look at the prejudice cyborgs had to deal with, and the resources and potential risks they had, and would turn the option down without a moment’s hesitation. And Crystal was rather noble for trying to keep people away from falling into the darker parts of society, where other city’s laws made living risky.

But Midas wasn’t healthy, and they were out of options.

So after an annoyed huff Midas opened the camera app and snapped a picture from the camera facing him and his exhausted dad. And for good measure he stuck his tongue out and held his middle finger up to it as well. The picture was then sent along with a short response.

‘Ain’t got much of one.’

He didn’t wait for an answer, the budding migraine suddenly making itself fully known and causing his head to throb and the light from the laptop to stab at his eyes. With a soft groan, Midas clapped the laptop’s lid closed and shoved it aside, rolling to bury his face into his dad’s chest. As soon as the light was gone the pain in his head subsided considerably, and he drew a steadying breath and let it out slowly. The pain wasn’t gone, it never truly was. But after a few minutes of complete darkness it dropped back down to a state he could manage. Enough that he ended up falling into a half sleep for several hours.

The next morning they had woken up to a response from Crystal.

‘Your son seems to know when it’s time to pull the empathy card.’

‘You have our support.’

With the responses came a compressed file holding two complete documents containing the research notes on full body cyborgs from one of the original scientists of the past. And through his tears of relief and laughter, Hesopher still made Midas apologize to Crystal for the rude gesture.

____________________________

First

____________________________

This one is pretty short compared to some of the others, but the next part is too different and long X'D I really had fun drawing this one too

[valentine-cafe]

Hello, hello!

I hope you both are doing well :D

We had the Rishens. Now, I wonder what would happen if all the Alessios popped into the same room together?

- 🙇

. ˚◞♡ all of the alessio's in a room ⊹ ۪ ࣪

⊹ ۪ ࣪ ( 781 alessio, 1311 alessio, 209 alessio, 9819 alessio, 164 alessio, alessio 9948e ) ⊹ ۪ ࣪

𖹭. after a warp in the fabric of the cosmos. . . six alessios walk into a diner.

꒰ hope you're doing well too ! we love you so much for these requests <3 ꒱

“oh my fucking stars, can you stop chewing so loud?” sighs the oldest of the alessio’s, the rhytaari frustrated by the competetive chewing that the alessio from this universe, 781, is having with the infamous enigma sanctuary leader from 1311.

-see this sexy and gracious mercenary here took all of his variants out of the dorm after they had all suddenly appeared in front of him and his boyfriend and frenemy. from whatever warp had suddenly ripped through the fabric of the cosmos.

gotta be responsible, no?

“well actually we were thrown out of the dorm.” the sorcerer from 9948e hums in response to the cartoonish explanation going on inside of the mercenary’s head to nobody but himself. as if to cope with the absurdity of the situation.

“ay— get out of my head creepy doodles, i’m trying to tell my story.” he groans and gives the younger variant of his a glare, pushing over the waffles to him.

“eat your waffles.” he grumbles. alas the sorcerer only gives them a stare and as if moving the plate with his eyes, it skids over to the most tolerable alessio in the group here.

alessio 209 all but lifts his head at the sight of the waffles sent over to him. and smiles, as he looks at his imp friend and digs back into the food.

“twahnks,” he responds halfway through, swallowing the food and grinning. before curiously looking around. “i remember this diner, it closed down in our world though. somebody said they found a rat in the sink.”

“you know, there are other people here eating.” the grumpy man from 1311 mutters under his breath.

only to groan as he receives a double smack from the rhytaari and the mercenary. a plate of pancakes flung into his face by the sorcerer and a loud bark of laughter from the ever so mischievous ‘outlaw’ from 9819 who had been quiet for a good while now.

“he is reminiscing leave him! you’re the one that should be keeping your mouth shut. fucking starting shit everywhere.” the mercenary calls out, pointing at the other variant.

“all of you are irritating.” the sorcerer groans, pinching the bridge of his nose. groaning at the migraine that paves its way into his head.

“shut up!” they all shout in unison, another fight breaking out once again. while the rhytaari looks at his 209 variant, and the imp companion with him. giving them a little sigh before flicking his wrist, and sending them back home to the abhorration without the notice of any of the other alessio’s.

[eric-the-bmo]

The Neighborhood Watch s4 ep5: Unhappy Campers

[Summary: The Main Cast fights against Douglas Baxter's mercenaries only to find themselves in a corner.] @kentuckycaverats @gr3y-plays-ttrpgs _______

With their plan all laid out, Markus stays at Emmet's house with Jimmy Jr/Entity X as the rest of the Main Cast heads over to The Circle to get some more supplies- hopefully weapons. Louis figures it's not the best idea to drive into town with the car he had stolen earlier, so we take Emmet's car. It's a bit cramped, so Song and John have to share a seat; John is angling his head the furthest away from Song's neck as possible.

At the Circle, Max greets us and asks how our quest is going. We tell him we need to get some supplies, but Max doesn't sell weapons. However, as a fourth-dimensional being, he says he's got memories of us picking up some items eventually, if we'd like to view those.

["I think I left a note for myself in the future, sometime..."]

Louis is getting a migraine from trying to wrap his head around that sentence. John is just really confused. As we follow Max down the aisles, he asks us what our plan is; we fill him in on it, and he tells us a bit more about Baxter, admitting that he and his wife may have pushed Baxter a bit too much regarding his curiosity in the supernatural.

Along the way as Max tells us all this he hands a Kevlar vest to John. John is worried why the others don't get vests, and Max replies it was the only one they had requested in the future. He also gives us some darts, a bottle of strong citrus perfume, and two d6s. The trio is pretty confused, to say the least, but grab some soda for Markus and head to checkout nonetheless (since we don't have any viable cash on us at the moment, it's simply an IOU). Max hopes our plan works out and that as little people get hurt as possible; his wife shows up briefly to wish us goodbye and good luck <3

The trio heads back to Emmet's house, where Markus has been watching Emmet work and making sure Jimmy Jr/Entity X is okay (X is uncertain about the part of the plan where they send him home). The trio fills Markus in on the whole "we got some weird items" thing, and we discover Markus' bugs really enjoy the citrus perfume.

[Louis, about the Kevlar vest: "-But [Max] said that's the one that we asked for? And I'm assuming, based on who [John] is as a person, that that's the one we need." Meanwhile, John silently wonders if the vest means he might get shot later.] Markus wonders about the dice and John jokes that they're for a game of Yahtzee. Markus covers the darts in poison.

At this point Emmet's finished making the EMPs for the Main Cast, so he and the Cast start to get in their separate cars to head over to the summer camp where we plan to fight Douglas- but as we get into the cars, a helicopter roars past us towards the camp. Shit. That helicopter belongs to Douglas. Song casts up some mental shields for everyone but Markus and X, and the Cast heads out. As they drive to the summer camp on the edge of the lake, John realizes this is road where he was hit by Shelby's car. (Ah, memories.. /lh)

We eventually reach the Big Dipper campsite, which has a really cool bear statue. The helicopter is circling above like a vulture trying to find a spot to land. The 'copter is too far for an EMP, so Louis aims his gun and fires perfectly- the helicopter's tail gets hit and the whole thing spins into the lake. Jimmy Jr senses that there are people from the helicopter coming towards us, though, so Markus instructs us to go hide.

The first person to show up is a woman who's best described as a knock-off Natasha Romanov- she asks Markus where the rest of the Cast is, and Markus flips her off and bolts into the trees towards the rest of the Main Cast. ["Really?" She says. "You're going to make this harder for us?" "Eat a dick!!"]

The woman sends out the second specialist: a minotaur with a giant axe who starts to track Markus down. Markus uses the strong perfume to throw him off their scent and sends out some bugs to sting him, but the woman jumps in front of the minotaur to take the damage and she seems totally fine?

The third member of the specialist crew shows up trailing behind the minotaur, but states he's unsure if they should do all of this- the Cast all realizes the third member is Bob Patterson, who apparently took this job due to the large payment. He's reminded to take the Cast alive. (As Markus runs, there's a loud noise throughout the trees that scares their bugs. It's almost like a frog?)

Markus makes it towards the spot the Cast is hiding around and ducks into a bush. The woman soon follows. Louis shoots her and rolls for quite a lot of damage- but as the smoke clears we discover that, horribly, she seems invulnerable to any kind of damage. She's kind of annoyed at getting shot at, tbh, and Song finds out even internal damage doesn't do anything to this woman; The blood boiling spell she casts has no effect. (Hiding near a tree, John digs his claws into the bark.) With a good roll, Song figures something is protecting the woman and manages to catch sight of a magical thread leading to... somewhere. Song figures it's best to have John follow it since he's the fastest out of the Main Cast and enchants his eyes so he can see the thread; it's jarring to see so much magic so suddenly, but he bolts off to follow it. [The woman notices. "Oh, and there's the third o- wait where are you going"]

The minotaur starts to hack away at the branches to find the rest of the Main Cast. Song uses her blood boil spell on him, and like a dnd barbarian he uses the pain to fuel his anger and axe-swinging. He's yelling about how "we're not going to keep him from his goals", and how he's "going to find it." Louis pops out of his hiding spot to ask the minotaur what he's looking for. Apparently the guy is looking for Valhalla and his paradise- and something clicks [we all start yelling at our DM]. Louis yells at Song to toss him something, catches it, and holds the pair of dice out to the minotaur. "Pair o' dice. I got 'em right here."

Much to the woman's dismay, the minotaur sits down with Louis for a round of dice. The two make a bet: if Louis wins, the minotaur and woman will leave us alone. If the minotaur wins, he can capture us. (The woman doesn't want to interrupt this gamble lest her coworker gets pissed at her, so she goes to swing at Song- our Witch restrains her by summoning large vines to hold her in place.) Meanwhile, with some wonderful luck of the dice, Louis just barely wins. Our beloved Southern conman holds him to the rules, so the minotaur rips his coworker out of the vines and starts to walk away, carrying her fireman-style. _____

John reaches the edge of the lakeshore and finally sees the end of the magical thread- it's connected to a balloon being held by another mercenary guy, who's trying to hold it up as high as possible? John remembers the darts he was given, figuring this is what they're for.

Meanwhile the woman pushes her minotaur coworker onto his own axe, killing him, and bolts towards John. She panics once she sees him pop the balloon- the man holding it tries to keep the pieces in his hands. The woman yells to not let it touch the ground. John throws another dart to paralyze the man, and the woman screams as the balloon pieces fall. She drops dead on the ground.

Then there's a gunshot behind John. He turns to see Bob Patterson lowering his shotgun from the sky to point it at him. Bob apologizes and says he needs the money and John pleads with him, saying he doesn't need to kill them. Bob shoots him in the chest and knocks John onto the ground with it, and thank fuck John's got that Kevlar vest on. Bob whispers to John to stay down- pretend to be dead. ["This way you can get the jump on Him. This way we can both go home happy, right?"]

It's at this point Song and Louis break through the trees to see this, so assuming the worst Song goes to restrain Bob with magic- but something stops her.

(Meanwhile, Markus is heading towards the rest of the group, but suddenly gets restrained by a humanoid frog monster via its tongue.)

Back to the other three, there's a voice: "You've done well, Bob. I can take it from here."

Douglas Baxter is here. _________

Notes:

The car was so incredibly cramped for my boy. 6ft man scrunched up in a tiny car ;-;

Shoutout to Max's story of kid Douglas and Emmet building their own treehouses but they were right next to each other so they had all sorts of mini wars about it. Hilarious

I was so convinced Song was going to have to break the Fourth Wall??? Because listen, she was given 2d6s, and that's the exact amount and kind of dice that we need to play this game!

During this we all agreed Emmet's autistic

We know what our DM's doing /lh. Theming the campsite/battle zone around bears?? His whole thing is bears! (ursa if ur reading this hiiii ur very cool 🫶)

Half of the players were making jokes about wanting to get with the hot minotaur man

Meanwhile the other half told our ace DM that yeah, sorry, getting restrained with giant vines was kinda hot /hj

As john was going to throw the darts our DM told us the woman was part of an experiment that tied her life force to the balloon and I fully lost it /lh

AT ONE POINT WHILE TALKING TO BOB HE ALMOST NOTICED JOHN'S DEER EYES?? SIR PAY NO MIND TO THAT-

It's so fun how Markus's whole thing is Bugs and here they are meeting their match via a Frog Man

IM GOING TO BITE AND MAIM DOIGLAS BAXTER IM SO READYH TO EAT THIS MAN ON THURSDAY. BAXTER WE MAY BE IN A PICKLE ATM BUT LATER ON I SWEAR WE'RE GONNA KICK YOUR ASS-