#the arm ones just such so bad like that’s the worst intro into like. medical needles and stuff

[motheyes]

damn i do be feeling horrible

[enigmaticxbee]

11x10 My Struggle IV

The one where... Mulder tracks down William and they have a final confrontation with CSM.

Tagline: Salvator Mundi

Best: Well, when I watched it when it first aired I wasn’t devastated by it the way I was by MSIII because my expectations were so low by this point, so that’s a plus?

Worst: Guys it’s so, so, so, so bad 😂 I can’t even pick out the worst part. I think GA’s reaction kind of sums it up, and I fully support her decision to never make more of CC’s X-Files.

This ending only highlights the hollowness at the core of the mytharc storyline. As the show went on the mytharc became less about discovering the truth and exposing a global conspiracy, and more about torturing our protagonists. And it’s all for nothing. Mulder and Scully never save the world, or prevent an alien invasion, or bring down the conspiracy, or even expose it to the world (Tad O’Malley ranting aside). They just suffer until neither they nor we as the audience can take it anymore.

In the final scene of The Truth, the original series finale, Scully tells Mulder that they only fail if they give up. They’re together, and they believe in the same thing, and that’s where the hope is. It’s small and personal, but it feels bigger.

Here I can’t shake the feeling that the show ends with their failure - to save their son (they even give up at being his parents, they forsake him so easily at the end), to save their old allies Reyes and Skinner, to stop the alien virus pandemic, to find the truth. And maybe the pregnancy was meant as a little ray of hope in this terrible ending, but to me it’s completely tone-deaf. Their relationship is the heart of the show and there isn’t even anything meaningful exchanged between them in the end. I just feel numb.

✔️ Flashlights

❌ Woods/Desert

❌ Slideshow

❌ Autopsy

❌ Evidence Disappears

✔️ Scully Misses It

❌ Mulder Ditch

❌ Sunflower Seeds

✔️ Voiceover: Jackson/William intro VO

❌ Catch Phrase

❌ Scully is a Medical Doctor

❌ Mulder is Spooky

✔️ Scuuullllaaaaayy! Muullllderrrr! Wiiillliiaaaaaam!!!

❌ Fox/Dana

✔️ Inappropriate Touching (that I am here for)

✔️ Casual Scully

✔️ Casual Mulder

❌ Trench Coats

❌ Bad Tie Watch

❌ Glasses Watch

✔️ Taking! It! Personally!: Scully & Mulder

50 States: Tennessee x6, Virginia x23 & DC x110 (45/50)

Investigate: Apart

Solve Rate: 75%

❌ Bechdel Test: Only conversation between women was about William

MSR: 🐝🐝

Goriness: 👽👽👽👽👽

Creepiness: 👽👽👽

Humor: 👽

Rewatch Thoughts:

William check-in: William: …and then I just kinda became a criminal… Getting Jackson/William’s whole backstory in an intro monologue is… bad storytelling. I think he could have been an interesting, flawed but sympathetic character and I hate that this is the direction CC went with him - I want to love Mulder and Scully’s son!

Break-up check-in: Well, they end up in each other’s arms, and that’s the best thing I can say.

I really dislike the way the story is told bouncing around in time. It’s so choppy and disjointed 😫 Maybe to hide how little it makes sense…

So Reyes is trying to help them? It just seems like too little too late. Also it was in Scully’s vision that they met last season, we don’t even know if they’ve actually been in contact in this timeline.

In the original series finale Mulder was put on trial for the murder of a man that he supposedly killed while breaking into a government facility - something that based on 9 seasons we know he wouldn’t do. And here he just flat out shoots and kills at least 5 security guards that we see and whoever that old guy in the office was as… payback? This just isn’t my Mulder.

Once again splitting Mulder and Scully up for the last episode of the series 🙃

Oh goody more driving!

More time trickiness, showing us things like they’re happening concurrently when they’re not 🙄

Mulder getting to put his arms around his son for the first time in 17 years 🥺

I do kind of enjoy William dispatching this new conspiracy group like it’s absolutely nothing - the show has not made me fear them, or interested in them, they’re just annoying

The show apparently cares so little about Scully that we don’t even get to see Skinner tell her about CSM’s claims, or get to see her process what that might mean about her son, about what was done to her 🙃

Oh goody more running around in dark industrial sites - admittedly not something new to the show, but always my least favorite episode climax

Wiiillliiaaaaaam!!!

Reyes is unceremoniously dispatched.

Followed I guess by Skinner, although maybe he could have survived under the car?

I… how are we supposed to feel about any of this?

Even Mulder killing CSM, which should feel cathartic after everything, just feels 🤷🏻‍♀️ - I mean we saw his face blow up and he came back after that, so I have no faith CC wouldn’t bring him back again given the slightest opportunity!

And… in classic X-Files tradition Scully arrives after everything’s over.

I will just note once again that CSM says: That I am the one who made him? That I am William’s creator? Which supports my belief that William is absolutely still Mulder’s son.

Not that Scully gets the space to think that through after hearing CSM’s claims second hand from Skinner: William was an experiment… I carried him, and I bore him. But I was never a mother to him… WTF. I mean WHAT THE FUCK. She raised him for months. She carried him in her heart for 17 years. I guess you could put this down to shock, but I put the blame on bad writing.

Mulder: What am I now if I’m not a father… This might mean a little more if the show had actually explored what being a father meant to him a little more!

And then the pregnancy reveal. I can’t even explain to you how much I hate this. The dismissal of William as their child because now they have a chance for a real child they can raise together. The pregnancy of a 54 year old woman - even putting aside her infertility. That they only slept together in Plus One to set up this reveal. The idea that a future between them has to involve raising a child, like that’s the only way they can be a family, can be together. That a baby will solve their problems. That Scully’s only purpose on this show is to bear children for the Mulder family. Fucking hell.

We never even learned anything concrete about what William’s relationship was to the alien virus pandemic - did he stop it by killing off CSM and those other conspirators? The tagline was Salvator Mundi aka Savior of the World. But I guess we don’t even know if it’s still happening or not 🤷🏻‍♀️

[paradoxolotl]

Are there any quotes or moments from any of your fics that you've had to leave out of the final product? Like, deleted scenes. If so, do you feel like sharing?...(Particularly Inked Truths because I'm obsessed with it. I fell in love with BoM, read it multiple times. When I found out you were doing a prequel I was very excited and have not been disappointed since.) (I also love TftR but it makes sad.)...Absolutely no pressure. If you don't want to answer please just ignore this, I'll understand.

Truths for the Roof didn’t lose anything but Inked lost a bit. Really, it was just redone to flow better and fit the characterization better, or moved somewhere later on in the series. I’m more likely to add then take away. It’s pretty rare I scrap something completely, and usually find somewhere else to put it, even if it’s a different fic. But originally BOM was very different. Andrew was medicated and Aaron knew Neil Josten from class.

Here’s a scene that was reworked in Ink Blotted Memories ~

Aaron did his best to avoid Andrew after that. He made himself busy at work, hauling dishes back and forth and hanging out with the bouncers on his breaks. When they were home Andrew was usually shut up in his room or outside smoking which made avoiding him all the easier, giving Aaron space to dick around on the TV or be in his room. Nicky still tried to involve both of them in stupid bonding activities like family dinners and movie nights. When they did happen, it was tense and uncomfortable, mostly filled with Nicky’s inane chatter. Aaron purposely did not look at his brother on these nights. He was torn between wanting Andrew’s acknowledgment and wishing he had never found out about him.

He marked his days with video games and his nights with alcohol and cracker dust, counting the days until he could once again use school as a distraction.

And the entire original Brother of Mine, which I rewrote most of when I got partway through ~

Aaron could still remember lying in his bed in his mother’s house, body bruised and hurting, wishing to have someone who could help him. Someone to make things better. To stand with him and hold him up when he was so close to crumbling. Learning about a long-lost twin felt like something out of a movie. An answered prayer. Finally, Aaron would have someone, a brother, who he could talk to. He imagined late night talks and secrets shared between them. They would have a bond so strong that nothing could come between them.

Andrew’s response of ‘fuck off’ had felt like a back-hand across his face.

Still, he held out hope. He was told to try again in the Spring, and that was what he planned on doing. Even when Andrew was sent to juvie, Aaron held onto his hope of a brother who would care about him. They were twins after all, how hard could it be?

The first time he had met Andrew face to face, Uncle Luther beside him and a metal table separating them, Aaron’s idea of what their relationship would be went up in smoke. His face was looking back at him, but there was no expression, no emotion at all. A blankness that revealed nothing of what he was thinking. It was hard to make eye contact with Andrew, his eyes sharp enough to be cut on. Andrew didn’t speak to Aaron at all that first visit; he just stared at him with a flat glare the entire time.

And yet he still came to South Carolina to live with Aaron. Aaron desperately wanted for Andrew to open up to him when they lived together. He thought he had to, now that they shared a room. He also hoped that home would get better, now that Andrew was home. Maybe mom would get better, would stop being so stressed. So angry.

It only took one incident for Aaron to believe Andrew was untouchable. They were in the backyard so Andrew could smoke, both sipping from a bottle of vodka Andrew had acquired. He had only moved in a week ago, and so far, things had been quiet. Aaron had no new bruises, but Andrew’s blank stare made him warry. The slam of the front door had made Aaron flinch, Andrew’s cold eyes tracking the movement. Aaron could hear their mother calling for him, her words tight with anger. Remembering the pills he had swiped earlier in the day, he swallowed back the lump in his throat and went inside.

He remembers her screaming. He remembers the pain of a hand across his cheek. Then there was Andrew, her wrist gripped in his hand, twisted far enough to make her bend at an awkward angle. It was then that Aaron saw the first expression on his twin’s face, and it terrified him. His lips had curled back in a snarl, his eyes bright with an anger Aaron had never seen before.

It was that night that Andrew had offered Aaron a deal. They would stick together, just the two of them, and Andrew would protect him. Aaron believed this was the answer to what he had been asking for. Finally, he wouldn’t be alone. He made his promise to Andrew.

Months passed, and Aaron was still collecting bruises. It was almost worse now, to have a witness to his suffering. Someone who had promised him protection but couldn’t stop everything.

Then, the accident where Aaron was left with only Andrew. Just the two of them.

The funeral where Andrew’s arm was in a sling, a cigarette hanging from his mouth, and a strange gleam in his eye as the dirt was poured on their mother’s grave.

Nicky coming back from Germany, taking them in.

Moving into a new house and Andrew installing a lock on his door.

The agony of being locked in that bathroom, withdrawal clawing his body to shreds.

The slow isolation at school, Andrew refusing to let anyone close.

Nicky’s assault and the mandated therapy.

That awful laughter and empty smile.

And Aaron had to wonder if instead of his prayers being answered, he had been cursed.

~~~

Things began changing the spring of their freshman year of college.

When they first joined the Foxes, there was a clear divide between Aaron’s family and the others immediately. Any interactions ended in spitting insults at best and violence more than not. The others feared Andrew and his knives, circling their group like alley cats. Not that the three of them were much better. Nicky constantly antagonized the others, and the twins’ general lack of effort to get along definitely rubbed a few people the wrong way. The Columbia trips solidified their isolation from the others. Honestly, Aaron couldn’t care less about getting along with his teammates. He would leave them alone as long as they did the same. He was here for a degree, not friends.

Now, they had officially been knocked out of the championships. Not that Aaron could bring himself to care, but games days usually also meant Columbia, and Aaron desperately wanted to get off campus. Between the upperclassmen, Day’s bitching over the season and Nicky’s whining, Aaron was looking forward to drinks, crackers, and music loud enough to lose yourself in.

Unfortunately, they couldn’t go without Andrew. His twin was currently perched on his desk by the window, smoking and staring out at the campus, fingers rapidly tapping. Normally they would already be packed up and gone by now, but they hadn’t gone once in over a month. At first Aaron thought it was because of exy, but then Andrew would disappear from the dorms for hours at a time, much to Day’s frustration. The only reason Aaron even noticed this as odd was because his brother rarely left Day alone. He never told them why they stopped going, or where he disappeared to, and any complaints fell on deaf ears.

“Come on Andrew!” Nicky whined, “We never go to Columbia anymore!”

Andrew’s laughter made Aaron’s jaw tick. “Oh, poor Nicky, don’t you know that no means no?”

“But why not?” Nicky was still going.

Aaron didn’t know why Nicky thought he could reason with Andrew. Unless you were Renee the best result from interacting with him would be victim to a cutting insult or dismissal. Worst case you’d need stitches.

His phone buzzing in his hand distracted him from the conversation happening. Looking at the screen, he felt a wave of relief wash over him, soothing the tension in his shoulders.

Katelyn

You played great today! It’s too bad the season is over

Katelyn was an instant balm to Aaron’s anger. It was still new, this thing between them. They had met in their intro biology class and had spent many late hours at the library studying. She had been the first person at Palmetto who had bothered to get to know Aaron for him, not just as ‘Andrew’s twin’. At first, he was a sullen asshole, but her endless patience and positivity snuck past his defenses and made a place for her in Aaron’s very bones. The only issue was they had to sneak around; Aaron couldn’t risk Andrew finding out about her.

Glancing up to make sure Andrew was still distracted with Nicky, Aaron settled further into his beanbag.

Aaron

Whatever it’s just stickball

Katelyn

Still, I’ll miss watching you ;)

Aaron had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep the smile off his face.

Katelyn

How’s Columbia?

Aaron

Wouldn’t know we’re still in the Tower

Katelyn

Think you could sneak out for a bit?

We’re in that bar with the turtle

Nicky’s yelp brought Aaron’s attention back to the room in front of him. Andrew was still on the desk, but Aaron caught the glint of metal as a knife was put back in one of his armbands. His eyes followed Nicky as he retreated to the bedroom, face split in his usual grin. When the door closed behind Nicky, Andrew’s eyes snapped to Aaron, pinning him to his spot. Aaron glared back, daring Andrew to say something to him. To say anything.

Instead, Andrew flicked his cigarette out the window, slammed in shut, and left the dorm completely. Aaron wasn’t sure if he was disappointed or not.

He sat there for a moment, fingers tapping on his phone. If this was going to be following his typical pattern over the past few weeks, Andrew would be gone for hours, and wouldn’t notice if Aaron left. He would just need to be back before Andrew. Really, it wasn’t that hard of a decision.

Aaron

Be there in twenty.

Katelyn

<3

Grabbing his jacket, Aaron hurried out of the dorm, eager to get away. Even if it wasn’t Columbia, even if it was with the Vixens, any time with Katelyn was worth it.

Aaron didn’t look up as he left the Tower. If he did, he might have seen a heavy stare and two lit cigarettes.

~~~

Summer came, and somehow Betsy had convinced the courts to change Andrew’s medication. Something about an incorrect diagnosis or dosage. Aaron wasn’t sure how they thought an Andrew off the pills would be any better, but no one asked him for his opinion.

The upside was that Aaron had weeks free of his oppressive twin, and he could spend as much time with Katelyn as he wanted. It was the first time in years Aaron felt like there was no weight pulling him down, like he could finally breathe.

It was in those few perfect weeks that Aaron came to a decision.

He couldn’t lose this.

~~~

Andrew had come back from Easthaven reverted back to the emptiness of when Aaron had first met him. He had barely said a word to anyone since he came back, simply leveling that bored glare at them whenever someone tried to speak to him. Whenever Aaron saw him, he was fiddling on that damn flip phone, barely acknowledging his surroundings. Even the upperclassmen had noticed his attachment to the device.

It was during a meeting before the first game of the new season that someone finally snapped.

“Damn it, Andrew, what are you doing?” When Kevin got really angry, his face flushed. Right now, he was approaching tomato.

Andrew snapped his phone shut, “Nothing.”

“Bullshit, you need to focus. Our first game is tomorrow, and we are nowhere near ready.”

“Maybe,” Andrew drawled, “instead of worrying about me, you should focus on what you’ll do when you see Riko again.”

It was a low blow, but effective. Kevin immediately fell silent, his skin changing from red to white so quickly Aaron was surprised he didn’t faint. Edgar Allen had joined their district after Kevin announced that he would be joining the Fox line-up. Last year Kevin had showed up, hand bloody and broken, looking for sanctuary. Apparently, Riko had broken his hand in a fit of rage. Kevin had tried to sue, but with the connections and money behind the Moriyama name, it was ruled as an accident. The public backlash of that along with Kevin’s transfer to the Foxes had caused several headaches last year.

“Jesus, Andrew,” Nicky whispered.

Andrew opened his phone again. No one else tried to speak to him for the rest of the meeting.

~~~

It was a new bet among the Foxes: what Andrew was doing on his phone. Everyone agreed that it was pretty clear he was texting someone, but the question was who. Some believed it was a secret girlfriend, while others were still convinced Renee and Andrew were together. Others thought it had to be something illegal.

Aaron knew what he thought, and he silently watched and cataloged information away.

~~~

The season was going terribly. They were winning games by the skin of their teeth and they were more divided than ever. Seth and Kevin couldn’t stop fighting, their newest striker was a nervous wreck, and Andrew didn’t give a shit.

Their last game was against the Ravens, and they had been destroyed. Now, Wymack and Dan were looking for a win.

They were in the locker room getting ready for the game when Andrew’s phone began to ring. Aaron didn’t recognize the song Andrew used, but he knew he normally used the default setting for his ringtone. Andrew picked up before Aaron could think too much on it.

“What?”

At this point everyone was staring at him, not even trying to act like they weren’t eavesdropping.

Andrew scoffed, “Junkie,” he said before snapping his phone shut, tossing it into his locker, and slamming it door closed. A moment later he was stalking out of the locker room.

Silence was left behind in his wake until Nicky broke it, “So it isn’t a girlfriend?”

When the team was gathered again (...missing...)

~~~

(...missing...)Today though, Aaron needed to talk to him.

The chances of Andrew brushing off any attempt Aaron made to speak to him were high, so Aaron waited until Andrew would have to acknowledge him. On Wednesday, when Andrew walked into Reddin, Aaron was waiting for him.

~~~

“Fuck off,” Aaron growled.

Josten had that stupid smirk on his face, his finger tapping on his test score. It wasn’t even that Aaron did bad. It was that Josten did better. He always did better in this stupid class. Aaron hated statistics, but apparently Josten was a math major and took every opportunity to show him up.

From day one Aaron had disliked him. He had plopped down beside Aaron, ratty clothes and shaggy hair, and called him ‘the second Minyard’. Not only was he a complete ass, but he was completely unnerving. His eyes were a blue so pale they were almost glacial, and his face and arms were covered in slashes and burn scars.

Once, Aaron had overheard someone call him ‘Scarface’, and Josten had just asked, with a terrifying grin, if they were looking for some to match.

And Aaron was stuck in a room with him twice a week.

Josten tsked at him, still tapping at his score. “What? Still second?”

“Fuck off,” Aaron really wasn’t in the mood.

He just hummed, pulling his phone out, a god damn flip phone, and spent the next few minutes ignoring the review happening. Aaron could barely focus as Josten texted away; each click grating on Aaron’s already frayed nerves.

Aaron wasn’t even sure how Josten did so well; he spent most of the class doodling in his notebook.

[softbiker]

Born to Run - Chapter 4

Warnings: some language, descriptions of injuries

Word Count: 2.5k

A/N: this chapter features a proposition, some explanations, and an intro to a new character :) the response to this series has been overwhelming! I did not expect it to get very popular lol. As always, let me know what you think!

Steve flicked the cigarette he was holding and returned it to his lips. Its glowing tip lit his face from underneath as he took a slow drag, then exhaled through his nose, letting the smoke float around his face.

“She did a damn good job, way better than Barton.”

“Under pressure, too.”

“Does she have anybody here? Family or friends?”

Sam and Steve turned to Bucky, who had his arms crossed while he listened to their exchange.

“No one,” he shook his head. “She’s alone in that house.”

“That’s good,” Steve nodded. “Less of a risk.”

“So…” Sam looked between the two of them. “We all agree?” Steve raised his eyebrows at Bucky.

“No,” Bucky frowned. “But I know I can’t stop you.”

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

A week after the carnival, Y/N finally understood a bit more about her situation. After applying careful pressure to Charlotte, she learned that Mr. Van Horn’s use of the word “gang” was not a stylistic choice: Barnes and his friends run a motorcycle club called the ‘Avengers’ that had quite the reputation around town. Some feverish googling revealed that no criminal charges had ever been filed against the members, but it didn’t stop people from being suspicious. Several local news articles accused them of a string of vandal acts in 4 neighboring counties, spray-painting a skull and crossbones on public buildings and signs.

Y/N kept a close eye out for her neighbor after that - she listened for his motorcycle leaving the house and planned her own trips around his absence. She had the locks changed on the front door and went to the hardware store for a security alarm for the front and back doors of the house. Still, she was on edge whenever she was at home, alone in her quietly creaking house, with nothing but the sound of the TV for company. She started taking melatonin to help herself get to sleep at night.

As far as she could tell, Bucky was making no attempt to see her, either. He often left his house late at night and returned sometime after she had left for work, or stayed gone for a couple days at a time. If he worked a real job she couldn’t tell what it was - his comings and goings were so sporadic there was no way he was holding down a 9 to 5 somewhere. In any case, Y/N was just glad that their opposing schedules never allowed their paths to cross.

A week after the carnival, Y/N was sitting in her office at the clinic, filling out invoices for supplies. As a kid, she never imagined being a doctor would involve so much paperwork and planning, but somehow the dull minutiae of “real” jobs would always catch up with you. She puffed out a sigh and leaned back in her chair, refreshing the email page on her desktop. A reminder for a birthday party she wouldn’t be able to attend popped up, along with a student newsletter from her medical college she kept forgetting to unsubscribe to. She went back to her invoices.

A knock at the door startled her from her pile of paperwork. Charlotte poked her head in.

“Um, exam room 1,” she squeaked, clearing her throat before she continued. “The patient is ready in exam room 1.”

“Oh,” Y/N frowned. “I thought we had seen our scheduled patients already this morning? Is it an emergency visit?”

Charlotte’s eyes darted to the side before she nodded.

“Alright, then.” Y/N stood from her desk and slipped her lab coat back on. “What am I in for?”

“Um...I think you should just see for yourself.” Charlotte’s voice was tight, an octave higher than usual. She scurried back to her place at the front desk before Y/N could ask her anymore questions.

With her mind spinning a thousand worst-case scenarios, walked down the hall and opened the door to exam room 1.

Fuck.

The room was practically at capacity with the 3 burly men occupying it. On the exam table, swinging his long legs, was a smiling Steve Rogers; Sam Wilson sat in the chair next to him, browsing a pamphlet on STDs; and leaning against the wall next to the door was the man she tried so desperately to avoid - Bucky Barnes, in the flesh. His thick arms were crossed over his chest as he glared at the other two men, not sparing her a glance.

“Hi, doc.” Steve lifted his hand in a small wave. “I came to check up on my stitches.” Sam looked up over his pamphlet and waved, too. Y/N’s eyebrows furrowed.

“And you needed two friends to come with you?”

“Yes, ma’am,” Rogers nodded.

“We’re here for moral support,” Sam piped up.

“Uh huh.” She glanced at Bucky again, who continued to give her the cold shoulder. “Okay. Should only take a couple of minutes.”

She washed her hands, worked on a pair of gloves, and stepped closer to examine Steve’s forehead. Having three large, and reportedly dangerous, men in one small exam room with her set her nerves on edge. Their complete silence while they watched her certainly didn’t help at all, but she was nothing if not a professional, so she took her pen light from the pocket of her lab coat and leaned into his personal space as if it didn’t bother her.

“Hm. This has healed up nicely, Mr. Rogers,” she nodded, tucking the light away.

“Just Steve is fine.”

“Steve, then. Let me just cut these stitches out and then you can be on your way.”

“Sounds good.”

She opened the cabinets above the sink and pulled out some bandages, scissors, tweezers, and alcohol wipes, laying them all out on a moveable tray next to the exam table. She could feel Bucky’s eyes on her and it made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. Still, he was silent as he kept his place by the door.

While she wiped down the area and started clipping the stitches, Sam made light small talk - asking about her weekend, how she was enjoying the clinic and the town, if she’d be going out of town for Labor Day. Y/N wasn’t quite sure what to make of it all, but gave him polite, short answers. She never asked him about himself, but she’d prefer to stay at arms length of all these men.

She swiped the cut again with an alcohol wipe and then covered it with a bandage, stepping back from the table.

“Alright, you’re all done, Steve.”

“Thank you, doc,” Steve smiled appreciatively. “You do good work.”

Y/N shrugged, tugging her gloves off and tossing them in the trash.

“It’s not like you really have a lot of options.”

“You’re right,” he nodded, looking at Sam. “Which is why...we have a proposition for you.”

Y/N blinked. Had she heard him correctly?

“What does that mean?”

“I think you must have heard about us by now, doc,” Sam said, rising from his chair. “The Avengers could use a medic like you.”

“We’re...accident prone,” Steve added. “And as you know, there’s not a hospital nearby, so we’re stuck with having one of our members doing a little first aid whenever we get beat up. But having a real doctor around? Could really save our asses.”

“I’m sorry...what exactly is it that you’re asking me to do?”

“It’s just some extra work on the side. After clinic hours, you’d be available for a member of our club if they needed any medical care. We could come to your place or bring you to the clubhouse, we’ll get you any supplies you need. And of course we’ll pay you.”

Steve was calm and confident while making his pitch, Sam standing beside him and watching her closely. Y/N’s brain was spinning. They were basically asking her to join their motorcycle club, right? Staying at the clubhouse and patching up their buddies? What the fuck was happening. She looked over at Bucky, who had stayed silent this entire time. His eyes were on her now, and they looked...wary. Tired. It was like he was asking her something but she just couldn’t hear him.

“No, I’m afraid I’m not interested.”

“Not interested? In getting extra money for doing your job?” Sam’s eyebrows went up.

“My job is running this clinic, not playing nurse for a biker gang,” Y/N fumed. She took a deep breath and squared her shoulders. “You’ve really got some nerve coming in here and telling me that - but I took out your stitches and answered your question, so I’m going to have to ask you to leave now.”

She crossed her arms, giving the three of them a final glare before opening the exam room door and motioning for them to get out. The men shuffled out, their massive height filling the doorway. Steve glanced at her as he passed.

“If you change your mind, the offer is still on the table,” he said. Then they were gone.

Back in her office, Y/N slumped forward and laid her head on her desk. What the hell was that? How was this happening to her? ‘Young doctor moves to a small town, joins a biker gang’ sounded like a really bad premise for a movie.

She ate her lunch alone at her desk, obsessing over the situation. Joining a biker club was insane. Completely batshit. There was no chance in hell she would consider it. But on the other hand...Steve had said they would pay her. How much could they offer? She had to admit, she was weakly tempted by the money. If an extra paycheck helped her pay off her student loans faster, she could get out of here...move back to the city, back to her life. Her texts were full of friends begging her to come back and visit, sad that she was stuck in the middle of nowhere. Besides Charlotte, she hadn’t really managed to make a lot of connections here. It was lonely and hard...and patching up a few bikers on the side for a year or so could get it all over with.

But no, she told herself. Still not worth it. Absolutely not worth getting arrested when the Avengers got busted for drugs or human trafficking or murder. These bikers could end up ruining the rest of her life. No way. She’d take the slower, safer route, even if it was more boring.

Around mid-afternoon, Stacey, one of her other nurses, announced another walk-in patient.

“He says he wants you to look at his shoulder, he thinks he might have injured it in a football game,” she shrugged. Y/N nodded and slipped into the exam room.

Yet another large, muscular man in her clinic - where was this town getting all of these beefy men? He had removed his leather jacket and was sitting on her exam table in a white t-shirt and jeans; his hair was shaved on the sides and longer on top, slicked back from his forehead, and his arms were covered in tattoos. He had a nice enough face, she thought, even though he looked like his nose had been broken one too many times, and there was something...shifty about him. A little greasy.

“Good afternoon Mr…” she glanced at her chart. “Rumlow, is it?”

“Oh, you can call me Brock,” he smiled, a little sleazy.

“Okay, Brock. So it’s your shoulder bringing you in today?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Okay. Let’s have a look then.”

He nodded and pulled off his shirt before she could tell him not to, revealing even more tattoos across his muscled skin. He turned halfway, showing her his right shoulder.

“Oh, wow. Um, well there’s a lot of bruising here,” she said, stepping closer. The skin all around his shoulder and collarbone was bruised purple and blue. “How did this happen?”

“Playing football with some buddies,” he sighed, turning to give her that smile again. “I guess we like it a little rough.”

“Hm.” She ignored his comment. “Can you rotate it?”

She tested his range of motion, felt the area and asked about his pain. She brought Stacy back in and did an X-ray, to check for a break in his humerus. The results all seemed fine, which was a relief, as she was starting to feel uncomfortable with the way he was looking at her.

“Well, the good news is that you don’t have any broken bones - I think you just have some really deep bruising from the impact,” she said, putting her X-rays to the side. “So I would advise you to just be gentle with it, take it easy, and put some ice on it every day. The muscles need a little time to heal - so no football for now.”

“Alright, doctor’s orders,” Rumlow raised his hands in surrender.

“Anything else?” Y/N asked politely, ready to be out of the room.

“Well...now that you mention it,” he said slowly, pulling his t-shirt back over his head. “I was wondering if you were taking on any new patients. No special conditions - other than a sweet tooth, that is.” There was something in his smile, like he knew something she didn’t. She cleared her throat.

“If you’d like for us to keep your information on file, you can ask Charlotte at the front desk and fill out some paperwork,” she nodded.

“Alright then.” He hopped off the table and turned to slip his jacket back on. She could see a skull and crossbones tattoo on the back of his neck.

“Have a good day, Mr. Rumlow.”

“Brock.”

“Right.” She held the door for him and was glad when he was down the hallway and out of sight.

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

Y/N was in bed by 9:00 that night, too tired to care. Maybe living in an old woman’s house was turning her into the spinster she had always feared. But today was just too much, and she crawled into her bed with her clothes still on and passed out.

She woke to someone pounding on her front door.

Blearily she glanced at her alarm clock - 2:05 am. Why would someone be here at that hour? The pounding continued as she dragged herself out of her warm covers and stumbled towards the front door, remembering to grab her pepper spray off the lanyard on her nightstand. She crept up to the door on soft, silent feet, waiting for the banging to stop.

“Who is it?” she yelled when they took a break.

“Bucky,” he called, sounding exhausted. “Please, open the door?”

She hesitated, her hand hovering over the knob. This man was the rumored enforcer of a dangerous motorcycle club. She should not help him or be his friend, or let him in to her house at 2 in the morning.

“Please?” he called again. “I’m not gonna hurt you, I swear. I just...need your help.”

She sighed. Probably more stitches, or a broken hand from punching someone. Y/N turned the lock and swung the door open. Bucky was leaning hunched against the door frame, one of his hands pressed to his stomach. In the glow of the porchlight she could see it was covered in blood, soaking the lower half of his shirt. He looked up weakly when the door opened, giving her an apologetic look.

“I didn’t know where else to go,” he panted. “I’m sorry.”

[always-la-belle-epoque]

hi what is mash and why do you love it so much because i need to know if i need to love it too thanks

Hello, anon! It took a bit because I wanted to put time into my answers, so here you are! 

What Is M*A*S*H: 

M*A*S*H is a tv show about doctors/nurses stationed at a Mobile Army Surgical Hospital (M*A*S*H) unit on the frontlines of the Korean War. The show focuses on the medical staff as they desperately try to save the lives of young soldiers. Many of the doctors are draftees and they are faced with trying to cope with the horror of a war they want no part of and that is the absolute antithesis to their professional calling. They fight against death every day, struggle against military bureaucracy, and try to keep their sanity. Often that deep stress is released in humor, practical jokes, and wildly unmilitary antics, but the true costs and realities of war are never treated lightly. I’ve never seen another show that can make me laugh so hard and then turn on a dime to make me cry just as deeply a second later. The show is a beautiful examination of human nature, heart, found family, loss, helplessness, despair, exhaustion, humanity, and hope,. 

M*A*S*H ran for 11 years, from 1972-1983 and the finale, Goodbye, Farewell and Amen, is still the most-watched television broadcast in history (the NYC sewer nearly faced collapse because people would all flush the toilet at the same time during commercials, and the streets were totally empty of cars as over half the country, 150+ mil people, watched the finale live together all at the same time. Can you imagine?!). Plus, it’s been in continuous syndication for 45 years which is impressive. M*A*S*H is for all generations, it resonates far beyond the era in which it was made, or which it was made about.

Why Do I Love M*A*S*H So Much (in general):

I don’t think there is another show out there in the history of the world that has written such narratively wonderful, deeply moving character arcs. I don’t know if there’s another show out there where the characters grow so much from their relationships with one another. Or a show that depicts masculinity in such a healthy, tender way. It is normal on M*A*S*H for male characters to: Cry. Hug. Tuck each other in. Hold hands. Perform emotional labor. Actively listen. Dance together. Sleep with teddy bears (and not have it be a joke). Admit they were wrong. Change and grow from being wrong. Etc, etc. 

And while Major Margaret Houlihan is the only female lead, her character arc is the most beautiful of any character I have ever watched or read. The show doesn’t start out particularly feminist, but it definitely ends that way (both male and female characters evolve here and it’s wonderful). And if more tv shows had characters half as complex as Margaret Houlihan, tv would be a whole lot more interesting, and women would be a whole lot farther along toward equality, imo. 

Why Do I Love M*A*S*H So Much (the personal): 

I was 15 or 16 when I started watching M*A*S*H. I was going through a very dark time in my home life. But my Mom would usually have M*A*S*H on while making dinner or just after. It was their weird time of day where it seemed like a truce between us. Sometimes I’d even sit all 5’8 of my gangly teenage body on her lap and we’d just watch like that with her arms around me (which given that things were darkly terrible the rest of the time it was like being a small kid again in a way I really needed). We’d talk about the characters. We’d talk about the stories. We both loved Margaret Houlihan (it’s interesting that Margaret has the most valuable traits I learned from my Mom - things I like most about her and am grateful she taught me despite all the bad stuff). 

Soon I was racing home after school and jamming in a blank VHS so that I could record each ep. I’d cross reference between tv guide and IMDB to try to see if any eps that I hadn’t seen yet would be on so I could record them for my collection. I made an elaborate cataloging system because they weren’t shown in order! And some eps were shown only rarely!! (I’m only 28, it amazes me that this was how things were not that long ago lol). 

Anyway, the DVD box set came out and I saved up alllllll my $ for it. Thank goodness, because then I got sick and for a few years the M*A*S*H characters were the most consistent and truest friends I had. The show is deeply personal for me. I can watch it over, and over, and over. It makes me laugh, and weep, and cheer. It’s like having friends. Like having family. 

Should You Love M*A*S*H too?

I want you to love M*A*S*H. I want everyone to love M*A*S*H! And M*A*S*H holds up. It’s still radically progressive. It’s still - in this time where North Korea is a frequent headline, where we have a government we do not trust, in a world where we have been at war since 2001 - deeply relevant. 

Here’s the thing though: it was made in the 70s, about events in the 1950s, and this is 2019 tumblr-land. You’ve all read the roasts about lack of critical thinking skills on this website and ability to contextualize, and those posts are unfortunately not wrong. And the world has changed - and changed for even better than what was, at the time, truly radical! Even terms that were the liberal, pc term in the 70s have changed now and are not liberal or pc anymore which for the 2019 watcher might raise eyebrows. But the show is extremely pointed about calling out racism, homophobia, sexism, military fetishism, colonization, etc. I think maybe the only other show I can think of that goes so hard at dogged and relentless political call outs would be One Day at a Time. So I feel protective of M*A*S*H because in 50 years maybe we will look back at ODaaT and say yikes about certain things, though that feels crazy to say now. 

If you do want to watch, here’s my advice (pull down your pants and slide on the ice (sorry, omg M*A*S*H jokeee)): 

Do not start with S1. Start with S4, or S5 even. For one thing, there are some cast changes at the start of S4 so you get intro-ed to everyone again in “Welcome to Korea pt 1 & 2” and “Change of Command.”  It’s a really good starting point to see a lot of characters on the brink of change. Don’t get me wrong, I still really love S1-3 but the characters haven’t grown yet. I love going back because I know them so well, but if you’re just meeting them, I recommend getting to know them in the middle of their journey, watch them evolve, and then go back and see where they started. And I think Col. Potter/BJ really elevated the tone of the show.

Because M*A*S*H is an older tv show, most people who love M*A*S*H never watched the show in order because we could only watched it in syndication! And you don’t really need to watch in order! In fact, CBS had the final call for episode order so sometimes even the air order is different than the writing, filming, intended order. Also, because they had 11 years of content over a 3 years of war, the show itself isn’t chronological. Due to probability (there are just more Potter/BJ eps) I saw more S4+ eps when I was first watching the show so again that’s my newbie preference. Now that it’s on Hulu (and remastered OMG) it might be tempting to watch in order, but really do recommend skipping around or at least starting later in for sure. You’ll learn context as you go (recs below). Then once you get the characters and their arcs it’s suuuuper fascinating to watch in order. 

 Fight me: Is everyone bisexual on this show??! Yes, yes they are. This is where I go full 2019 tumblr-brain, lol, but looking back I think it’s one of the reasons I loved it before I understood myself. It’s gentle, tender, pretty wavy. Alan Alda’s Hawkeye Pierce is, like, arguably canonically bi, like I even wonder if he was intentionally written/played that way on the dl. It’s pretty blatant?? And don’t even get me started on Margaret Houlihan. Godddddddd. 

 On that note, and maybe you will fall over, but Margaret and Hawkeye are my actual, #1, forever OTP. Which is weird for you, dear readers, I’m sure, as I run a v strict wlw blog and I’m very proud about that. But broken people who heal and change and grow because of the other is my tea, jam, and bread (”crackers and jam! too bad!” ;) ),  and so far the writing of other characters and relationships hasn’t a hope of even coming into the range of depth these characters have (obvs not just wlw ships, all other mlw ships are The Worst as well, we’re all doomed, why does tv suck). But anyway, I would take them over any ship any day of the week goombye (but also….shipping Margaret is kinda like….not the point of Margaret Houlihan). 

It’s worth noting that M*A*S*H has a character named Maxwell Klinger who wears a dress to try to get out of the army via a Section 8 (previously known as a “psycho”) discharge (remember lgbtq was still classified as a mental illness, smh). Obviously, this is potentially triggering. And, obviously, not okay in today’s world. To me the show does call out that it is the policies/laws/politics that are crazy, not Klinger. I think there are still some fairly modern ideas in his portrayal in that anyone who treats him like he is crazy, or is disrespectful, is very pointedly shown to be bigoted/an antagonist. Klinger is excellent at his job, brave, loyal, true, and that’s all anyone who is a protagonist cares about (and I do think they try to show to the extend they could during the time it aired that even if Klinger were not doing it for a discharge, they would respond the same way). Fwif, imo, Klinger isn’t played as a one note joke for wearing dresses, in fact, to an extent, he does wear them utterly sincerely. He loves, deeply loves, clothes and fashion because loving something gives him something to live for. It becomes his passion, not a gag. The gag is that Klinger will do anything to get out of the war through any available loophole he hears about (having an imaginary pet camel, eating 10 sausages in a single day, eating a jeep, trying to get into West Point aka join the military to get out of the military), etc. His comrades in arms treat him very sincerely and are very protective. Early on, a jeep comes in with wounded and Radar pulls Klinger away from the blood, “careful, you’ll get your dress dirty” in the most serious, sweet way. Col Potter is always very serious and sincere about telling Klinger when one of his dresses is a fav, and Klinger positively glows. When Klinger has to trade his dress collection to local women in exchange for shelter for the wounded during a bug out, Col. Potter, regular army in his 3rd war, tells Klinger (who is in tears) that it’s the finest act of bravery he has ever seen (and he means it). When Margaret desperately wants to look pretty and Klinger pulls out one of his best frocks and helps her dress in it - Margaret who grew up in combat boots wanting a crew cut - it’s pretty emotional (and I bawl when he gives her the wedding dress, goddd). As for Klinger himself, he’s one of my favorite characters. He has the biggest heart and I love him (and yes, I might feel differently if I had a different life experience than I do - that is why I’m flagging this as something that might not be for everyone, or might be trigger - because history already is triggering, and not everyone might be as moved by him as I am).

If you’re a 30 Rock fan you will know the star Alan Alda as Milton Greeen, Jack Donaghy’s father, and if you love Beauty and the Beast you will know that the actor who voiced Cogsworth is a major (lol pun) character in S6-11! But that’s all crazy to me because they are always M*A*S*H, first and forever, and always in my mind! I can’t believe they’re all in their 80s now, or that so many of them have passed.  :( They are truly my whole heart, my family, my home. 

If you do want to watch, recommend you start with the following eps (omg this list is long but it feels so short):

Welcome to Korea pt 1 + 2 (s4)

Change of Command (s4)

Aid Station (s3)

Death Takes a Holiday (s9)

Carry on, Hawkeye (s2)

Bug Out pt 1 + 2 (s5)

Dear Sigmund (s5)

Period of Adjustment (s8) *my first ep ever :,)

The Bus (s4)

Sometimes You Hear the Bullet (s1)

Tuttle (s1)

Crisis (s2)

O.R. (s3)

5 O'Clock Charlie (s2)

The Nurses (s5)

The Interview (s4)

Movie Tonight (s5)

Abyssinia, Henry (s3)

Hepatitis (s5)

Your Hit Parade (s6)

Peace on Us (s7)

Eye for a Tooth (s7)

Old Soldiers (s8)

Life Time (s8)

Stars and Stripes (s8)

Hey, Look Me Over (s11)

There’s a million more things I could say about the show. I feel like I haven’t summarized it justly. If anyone wants to chime in with why they love M*A*S*H, what your fav ep is, etc, please do :)

[cienie-isengardu]

What is up with Shirai Ryu?

Or, is Hanzo a hypocrite?

While looking through various MK11 intros, I’m kind of tired about the whole “honor” stuff that Hanzo and Kuai Liang and so many other characters like to talk. Mainly, because honor is very unspecified term whose meaning (thus the line between acting honorable and dishonorable) will change from one person to another. And as much I love cultural clashes between characters of different clans / fraction or realms, Hanzo’s talks about Shirai Ryu make me wonder what the hell is going on with his clan right now?

Lin Kuei and Shirai Ryu were rival clans for ages, but the japanese ninjas - and the whole ninjutsu created by them - has its roots in Lin Kuei teaching. Bi-Han called himself thief and assassin and we know that ninjas played similar roles through the ages. Stealing, killing, doing all dirty job someone paid for, it was what Lin Kuei and Shirai Ryu did for years. The two fractions of course vary in clan traditions and family matters, but I think we can all agree that morally wise, assassins and master thieves aren’t the common image of honorable men, right?

Of course, both Hanzo and Kuai Liang decided to reform their respective clans, pledged to serve Earthrealm as the protectors rather than working for anyone who can afford their service. Thus both grandmasters reject job offers from gods & Outworlders alike; reject offers that would pose a danger to their home realm. What is nice and all, but clan has its own needs; there are people who must be feed, clothed, sheltered, medically equipped, armed with the right equipment and trained. This of course cost a lot money and maybe the Shirai Ryu and Lin Kuei do have the right funds accumulated over the centuries. But as far as MK11 intros are concerned, Sub-Zero most likely did not change completely Lin Kuei. Of course, Kuai Liang’s clan is meant to be protectors of Earthrealm, but there is still (rogue) Frost who is proud to be an assassin. And since she joined the clan between MK9 and X, the fact she is so aware of the clan history, the feud with Shirai Ryu and assassins traditions may imply that at least to some degree Lin Kuei is/was still involved in “old bussiness”. Whatever the case - Lin Kuei still training assassins who just don’t work anymore for “outsiders” or Frost (with Noob) being a rogue " remains of ancient glory”,  both versions are representing the better and the darker sides of Sub-Zero’s fraction.

Hanzo on another hand, as solely representation of Shirai Ryu in MK11 game, seems at times as, well, deluded person. Especially when intros aren’t clear if that was supposed to be P.O.V of current or past Hanzo.

First, let me quote little backstory provided by MK: Mythologies Sub-Zero:

Scorpion is the code name for a modern day member of the Shirai Ryu named Hanzo Hasashi [...] He learned this technique from his own father, a ninja himself who forbade his son to become a member of this ancient group of assassins and wanted him to accept the trappings of modern day life. But the lure of quick money and his own wish to afford his wife and child the finest in life force him to join the Shirai Ryu.

His latest mission leads him into the heart of China, home of the rival Lin Kuei and location of the Shaolin temple where his mission is to steal the sacred Map of Elements.

So, Shirai Ryu are ancient group of assassins, the last mission of Scorpion was to steal the sacred Map of Elements from Shaolin Temple and Hanzo wasn’t forced to join the clan, he did it mainly for money to afford his family in finest way.

After coming back to life, Hanzo made great effort to redeem his clan and became ally to other heroes. At the same time, he himself says Shirai Ryu are not bound to Special Forces (U.S.)’s laws what results in fact Sonya Blade keeps eye on Hanzo and his clan. Probably attacking SF’s base and killing captured Quan Chi is/was still fresh in her mind. Anyway, the real question is, what Shirai Ryu does? What kind of jobs the clan takes, from where Hanzo get money to cover needs of his ninjas and funds to rebuild destroyed years ago home? What Shirai Ryu ninjas do between crisises threatening safety of Earthrealm?

The reason why I wonder such things is tied up with Hanzo’s character banters, particularly with other merceneries.

Scorpion: Why seek out my clan?

Kano: You're a clan of assassins, ain't you?

Scorpion: You refer to the Lin Kuei.

It is hard to tell, if Scorpion here is the younger or current version thus if he talks about old Lin Kuei (a true statement about clan of assassins then) or refer to Kuai Liang’s one clan that was supposed to change for better. Whatever the case, if clan of assassins is what refers to Lin Kuei, I’m sorry, what Shirai Ryu is or was then? Because it was assassin clan too not so long ago and Hanzo himself joined and worked for such group.

Kabal: The Shirai Ryu hiring, Scorpion? Scorpion: We're family, not mercenaries.

Not mercenaries, said a man who was once hired to steal sacred Map and did it solely for money (or maybe even satisfation/chance to kill Lin Kuei). Even if Hanzo is speaking only about current situation of clan, it still does not answer are his ninjas involved in illegal jobs or are they just train in case of emergency?

This statement (and other intros with Jacqui anc Jax) makes it clear to join Shirai Ryu means became part of the clan for good. But frankly, that still does not mean that family unit like ninja clan can’t (couldn’t) be mercenaries. I mean, mercenary is person primarily concerned with making money at the expense of ethics and you know, taking jobs like assassination or theft is, well, dark side of mercenary profession. Soo, did Hanzo’s statement “not mercenaries“ was purely about joining the clan (not hiring unknown people) or as a whole, no more doing illegal stuff by his clan to gain money?

Erron: I thought Shirai Ryu were mercs. Scorpion: You understand little, Black. Erron: I've killed people for being less rude. 

This one is similar to the previous intro but I feel this time the focus is more on the past of Shirai Ryu, since Erron (as hired gun by Shang Tsung / Shao Kahn) lives for one or two hundred years so he may be familiar with old!Shirai Ryu ninjas reputation.

Of course, Hanzo may be right, Black (and us, for that matter) as outsider, does not have insight into internal clan traditions, ethics or internal matters thus the lack of understanding may lead him (and me) to incorrect conclusion. Maybe Shirai Ryu for ages served Japan in a way Special Forces serves now USA? Maybe they worked always for their homeland’s well being? We don’t know. But then if Shirai Ryu aren’t/weren’t mercs, how else one should think about ninja clan that send his own warrior to Shaolin Temple in foreign (hostile) territory to steal sacred artifact while being paid by some weirdo (Quan Chi)? Like, how that was more honorable than, let’s say, Erron working for Kotal?

   Scorp: There will be no deal, Kano.    Kano: Gotta make a buck, mate.    Scorp: The Shirai Ryu are not criminals.

Hanzo says his clan members aren’t criminals. I sorry, aren’t attacking Special Forces, the supposed allies, isn’t sort of crime? Even if two years passed since then, Shirai Ryu ninjas went to foreign country and attacked its army (who were at times helping refuges from Outworld). Of course, they weren’t motivated by greed or bad will, they were following their grandmaster. But Hanzo literally put his own need for revenge above needs of other heroes, including dead ones. Oh, and let’s no forget that past!Hanzo attacked Shaolin monks and killed who knows how many of them. Indeed, no criminals, ha!

Scorpion: The Shirai Ryu do not respect thieves. Kollector: I collect only what is due Shao Kahn. Scorpion: It is robbery, nothing more.

Sorry, what was your last mission again? Stealing from Shaolin Monks some precious map for some dude Quan Chi? I’m sure Shirai Ryu would never respect thieves! Riiiight.

Hanzo of course may talk about reformed Shirai Ryu, but that would look, once again, like he keep silent about past sins. Unless he really believe his clan never did anything dishonorable.

It’s hard not to wonder how exactly Hanzo reformed Shirai Ryu is he alone seems to ignore his own deeds. Mercs are looked down, so are thieves or in general, people working for money. As much as I can agree than Black Dragons - especially Kano - are the worst kind of scum, it would be actually nice to learn more about Shirai Ryu ethics or how ninja define honor. We know that for Hanzo, his “clan's honor is priceless” but he himself did a lot questionable stuff through the course of all games.

My biggest problem with Scorpion and his talk about honor (or in some causes, how pretty quick he is to accuse others of lack of thereof) is the contrast with Kuai Liang. Sub-Zero is the one willing to admit faults of his clan while Hanzo rarely acknowledges such in Shirai Ryu. Sub-Zero is the one trying hard to estabilish Lin Kuei as protectors of Earthrealm AND ally to other heroes, while Scorpion for a long time freely(?) keep himself and his clan isolated. Of course, both grandmasters treat Earthrealm’s best interest as priority, but between them two, it’s Kuai who is seen actively protecting Earth while Hanzo often was the source of problems, like killing capuring Quan Chi. Mind you, I don’t think Hanzo was wrong to assume as long as evil sorcerer will live, Earth is in danger (though, since Quan Chi is demon(?) shouldn’t he reborn in Netherrealm at some point?). But attacking your supposed allies and destroying the one chance to save fallen and enslaved comrades because Hanzo knows better does not strike me as the most honorable thing.

Once again, what is honor in Mortal Kombat? How Hanzo or Kuai Liang or Raiden or anyone define such matter?

I keep wonder about that, because Hanzo talks a lot about how Shirai Ryu are honorable while other merceneries are just thugs and all. What sounds a bit like hypocrisy when one look at Scorpion’s own history. Especially when younger!Hanzo is involved, because he is still the prime example of Shirai Ryu ninja working not-so-long-ago as assassin and thief.

But yeah, sure, everyone is greedy bastard and thug, even if said person is doing the same stuff like (old) Shirai Ryu did.

[cecilyjvckson]

listen don’t look at me i’m having a crisis of muse lately but i think... i’ve finally got a chara i have muse for so hopefully i’m gonna be switching around a lot less after this. love me still? plot with me? okay i’m gonna leave the intro and yeet sdfdsdfg

( cisfemale ) haven’t seen CECILY JACKSON around in a while. the KATHRYN NEWTON lookalike has been known to be ALLURING & SELF-SUFFICIENT, but SHE can also be IMPULSIVE & MERCURIAL. The 21 year old is a JUNIOR majoring in WOMEN’S STUDIES AND ENGLISH. I believe they’re living in AUDAX but I popped by earlier and no one answered the door. ( olive. 22. est. she/her. )

aesthetics. licking wine off your lips, ripped fishnet tights, paying in crumpled dollar bills, curls spilling over your shoulders, ashing your cigarette on your boots

cecily jackson, 21, just truly a little shit

is the epitome of that quote that’s like “she bangs like a fairy on acid” bc she’s a huge cliche

is always walking around the house Tits Out and probably greets the door in her underwear

always the messiest person at the party but in a fun way. like for example she showed up to a house party once in a rhinestone bra and did lady gaga “bad romance” karaoke but somehow managed to get the numbers of three guys still

has mastered the art of resting obama “then perish” eyes

from an old school italian family from manhattan, always had big dinners on sundays and super close y’know?

her mom got pregnant at sixteen but she was addicted to prescription pills at the time so her grandparents raised them as siblings

after jack left cecily’s mom kind of went on a downward spiral. she had always used prescription pills to numb herself, but her pain medication addiction got worse after this. she didn’t leave the house for three weeks and cecily’s grandparents finally went to check on the girls. they found her unbathed and wasting away after eating nothing but saltines for weeks

her grandparents lorraine and jerry took cecily in after that and told her mom that she couldn’t see her daughter again until she got clean

cecily’s grandparents raised her pretty well, actually, considering. her grandmother was one of the original bra burning feminists of the 60′s and raised the girl to be v strong and confident. i mean you kind of had to be in their family, always shouting over each other to be heard across the dinner table

cecily’s mom (named cecelia) did eventually get clean when the girl was a teen but she became more of an older sister to cecily. she took her shopping and talked about boys and sex and clothes with her but her parental figure was still her grandmother

cecily was kind of a typical new york kid that had a fake id by the time she was fifteen and drank herself stupid in public parks, experimenting with drugs and guys and anything she could get her hands on

she developed a habit of self-desctruction. she would try anything handed to her and she was kind of naive in the way all teens are, thinking they’re tough and invincible and they can ruin their bodies without consequence

she was always that cool girl hanging in the back with all the guys who thought she was hot because she smoked camels and wore red lipstick

her dad tried to come back into her life around this time too, which ended up really fucking her up. she thought that he really wanted to get to know her, but it turns out he just wanted to bring her into the mob to fuck over her mom. he’s also super religious and tried to get her to recommit herself to god in a revirginization ceremony that ended in disaster

TW FOR SEXUAL ABUSE THIS IS DARK: she partied way too much at this time and fell in with a really bad boyfriend, a guy who ended up being emotionally abusive. one of the worst things he ever did was force her to have sex with one of his friends while she was blacked out because he suspected she had a crush on him

she has a knife for a tongue and is incredibly smart and witty. she tends to boss people around and has a strong personality. like if you fuck her over once you’ve lost her trust for good

sleeps around a lot but isn’t one to fall for a guy’s bullshit. i will say she’s one of those incredibly straight girls, like she’s tried to hook up with girls but it just didn’t work out for her lol

anyways she’s studying film and women’s studies at lockwood and is a raging feminist. she makes a lot of her own short films and publishes them on youtube under the username dirtycowboythot

is one of those Girls From New York that likes to talk about how she’s From New York

roller skates around campus and works at an old fashioned diner

taught herself how to give stick and poke tattoos and there r a bunch of botched ones on her arm from her experimenting

she dresses like a classic instagram cool girl, plaid skirts, noora saetre-type trousers, lace and those big furry jackets, vintage printed blouses, berets, sleeps in men’s boxers most nights

WANTED CONNECTIONS!! um give me all the exes? exes that ended on bad terms, a fling that only lasted for a week, an ex she’s still super close with and people think theyre dating. hookups of COURSE, um friends she parties with and does all the drugs with?? enemies for days, she’s easy to hate. artsy friends that make films together. literally anything im down.

[all-hail-the-witcher]

(for that fic commentary thing :) ) Mush tried desperately to make eye contact with Blink to see if it was real, but Blink stubbornly kept his head down. Mush felt hot tears in his eyes. Surely, this wasn’t how they would end, this had to be a dream. He would wake up any second and Blink would put his arms around him and hold him close and reassure him that he would never leave him.However, it was not a dream, and Mush found that out the hard way when Oscars knuckles connected with his skull.

I should really title my shit

comments in these bad bois ()

_________

Mush had been on edge all morning. He listened to Jack ramble to Weasel about the strike, scanning the crowd of newsboys for a familiar head of sandy hair. Blink hadn’t been at the lodge that morning and Mush was beginning to get worried. What if he had bailed on them? (Welp that’s a terrible opening, it doesn’t even establish if they’re at the actual strike or not but yolo I’m leaving it)

Mush’s worst fears were confirmed when he saw his boyfriend walking up to the circulation gate amongst the other scabs to buy papers. His stomach sunk down to his shoes. (is that a term? isn’t it sinking to the floor? they’re outside there is no floor….Wait is it your heart?) Surely Blink wouldn’t do that. He wouldn’t betray all of them. Would he? (oh yes he would)

Mush tried desperately to make eye contact with Blink to see if it was real, but Blink stubbornly kept his head down. Mush felt hot tears in his eyes. (ew that’s cringy. can tears even be hot? I don’t think I’m using this correctly…..) Surely, this wasn’t how they would end, this had to be a dream. He would wake up any second and Blink would put his arms around him and hold him close and reassure him that he would never leave him.

However, it was not a dream, (no shit) and Mush found that out the hard way when Oscars knuckles connected with his skull. (that was a disgusting intro argh I regret writing this)

•••

Hours later, after getting beaten beyond recognition by the bulls and the brothers, Mush staggered into an ally to rest a moment. (wait what injuries does he have? im confused, should I work those out...nah) He was trying to get back to the lodge, to all of his brothers whom (is this an instance where I should use whom, idfk but it sounds cool) he knew should be worried about him, but he lacked the strength. (seriously what happened to him??) All he could hope was that one of the boys found him.

And someone did, eventually. But it wasn’t the someone he had been hoping for.

“Mush?! Oh my god. Mush, can you hear me? Oh my god, oh my god.” (ah yes I forgot to add those italics when I published whoops)

Mush blinked open his eyes to see the one person who, until this morning, he had trusted more than anything. Blink was kneeling down in front of him, concern and worry clouding his face. (I use the word clouding way too much) Mush wasn’t sure if he was relieved or terrified to see him.

Blink reached out his hand to touch Mush’s face, but he flinched away. Blink looked hurt. “Mush…” he whispered in disbelief. (awwwwwww)

“No,” Mush croaked out. “You don’ ge’ t’ touc’ me an’mor’.” (Argh stuttering and slurring is so hard to write is that even legible)

“Mush, listen I-” (sHuT uP bLinK)

“No,” Mush said again with as much force as he could muster. He paused to spat some blood out of his mouth. (Seriously boi What happened to you? If you’re that badly hurt Blink should havebrought you to the lodge instead of talking) “You b’tray’d us. You shoul’n’ e’en be ‘ere. Jus’ -”

“Michael Myers, will you just shut up and listen to me?” (FUCK IS HIS NAME MICHAEL SHIT FUCK CRAP I NEED TUMBLR)

Mush was so startled by the use of his real name that he paused his rant.

“Oscar and Morris,” Blink began, “they cornered me yesterday. Offered me three dollars (is three dollars even a lot back then?) and a promise that they wouldn’t hurt you during the strike if I became a scab. As I didn’t-” Blink paused, sniffling slightly. “I didn’t want you to get hurt. And money’s been tight at the lodge recently and I knew we would need some to buy medical stuff and food once the strike started. And I didn’t want to, believe me it was the last thing I wanted. But I had to keep you safe, I had to at least try, I can’t….I can’t lose you too.” (too? Who else have you lost? Idk but I’m putting it in) Blink wiped at his eyes with the bottom of his shirt. “But it looks like it was all for nothing cause they beat you up so bad I barely even recognized you coming in here. It was all for nothing and now you probably hate me and the boys all probably hate me so I’ll just bring you back to the lodge and then I’ll be gone, okay? I’ll leave and never come back. None of you guys are going to want to have a traitor there anyway.” (awwwwwwwwwwwww soft soft boyo I love you)

Mush stared at Blink in a stunned silence for several long seconds before reaching out his less injured arm to clasp Blinks hand. (Less injured arm? Has this kid gone through a war or something?) Blink looked up in surprise at the contact.

“I firgiv’ ya,” Mush slurred. (fuck more slurring) “Ya did th’ wron’ thing fir th’ righ’ re’sins. An’ ‘f any uh da fellas can’ see tha’...” Mush trailed off. There was so much more he wanted to say. Blink had been so brave, doing something he knew might get him kicked out of his only home just to protect him. Admittedly, it hadn’t worked in his favor but it was the thought that counted.

“Thank you,” Blink whispered, curling his fingers gently around Mush’s potentially broken ones. (pretty sure I stole this from a fic oops) “I love you, Mush.”

Mush was too tired to say it back, but he squeezed Blinks hand ever so slightly. Blink seemed to notice Mush’s rapidly deteriorating physical state (oh finally? It’s not like he’s half dead or anything get him back you moron o wait I’m the author I have the power to do that oops) because his eyes widened and he gently picked his boyfriend up. Mush let out a few pained moans, but remained otherwise quiet.

“C’mon babe,” he whispered. “Let’s get you home.” (that could have been longer but I’m lazy argh)

[littlelovelymemes]

✰  —  —  —  EVEN MORE POPULAR TEXT POSTS STARTERS

‘  let me just make one thing clear... i have no clue what’s going on, ever, at any moment, at any point in time. who knows what’s going on? not me. not ever.  ’ ‘  i would just like to publicly announce that i have no idea what i am doing  ’ ‘  we came from the same star and we will come together again in the end  ’ ‘  i have a ‘why am i like this’ moment at least five times a day  ’ ‘  did i need it? no. did i buy it? yes.  ’ ‘  the most dangerous game is resting your eyes after you turned off the alarm clock in the morning  ’ ‘  petition for stars in the day time please???  ’ ‘  i love it when i wake up and stretch and something cracks. makes me feel like a glo-stick  ’ ‘  drop whatever you’re doing right now and climb a tree  ’ ‘  the most fucked up part of adult life is how you can just decide to do things  ’ ‘  i’m a person who wants to do lots of things trapped inside a body that wants to SLEEP at all times  ’ ‘  i’m so tired but i’ll probably be awake until 3 am for no reason  ’ ‘  time to kick my own ass. bitch had it coming for too long  ’ ‘  honestly ‘thanks i hate it’ is one of the funniest phrases in the english language  ’ ‘  do you ever wonder how many people have loved you and never told you?  ’ ‘  the internets one true talent is making me sick of things i’ve never seen or read or heard  ’ ‘  i’m permanently emotionally damaged but it’s chill, i’m chill  ’ ‘  all cracker barrels are dimensionally linked. you could walk into a cracker barrel in georgia and walk out of one in arkansas and feel nothing  ’ ‘  ‘you look different with makeup’????? you think i’m buying shit for hundreds of dollars to just keep looking like my ugly self ... ok  ’ ‘  why did the fray go off so hard in ‘how to save a life’?  ’ ‘  anyone else bummed they have 2 sleep alone tonight and uh not in some1s arms  ’ ‘  not to be too controversial but i like it when people are nice   ’ ‘  the sun has no business tapping out at the tender hour of 5pm bitch i have depression  ’ ‘  i forgot how fucking weird november is theres no afternoon its just night after 2pm  ’ ‘  what time do you need me? i am unavailable whenever that time is  ’ ‘  look i may have made a few typos and committed a few murders but nobody’s perfect okay  ’ ‘  i guess at this point i should just consider dating myself  ’ ‘  i’m aiming for the “she’s a badass and cute as hell but i wouldn’t touch her without asking” look  ’ ‘  haha if you’re bored you could kiss me idk just sayin  ’ ‘  i see you’re paying attention to someone who is not me. why is that.  ’ ‘  80s music wont solve all my life’s problems but it certainly distracts me from them  ’ ‘  i cant believe what walkie talkies are called  ’ ‘  some people think life is like a rollercoaster but my life is more like one of those rides that spin really fast so you’re pinned to the wall and can’t do anything about it  ’ ‘  hey girl do you want to make a fragile human connection in the vast and unfeeling infinity of a chaotic universe  ’ ‘  all these fuckboys but who is the fuckfather  ’ ‘  i love drunk me but i don’t trust her  ’ ‘  do you have those people that you’d go anywhere with unconditionally, like they could say “lets go check out that dumpster” and you’d be like “im in”  ’ ‘  nah sorry i cant go out tonight, i have plans to spiral into uncontrollable anxiety starting in the early evening and ending at roughly 3 am  ’ ‘  me: queen of having had enough  ’ ‘  she needs a hug (i’m she)  ’ ‘  is it acceptable to start an essay with “listen here you little shit”?  ’ ‘  90% of my day is me being nervous  ’ ‘  cons: i’m an asshole. pros: i’m your asshole.  ’ ‘  give me 10 reasons why i shouldn’t just turn into a slug right now  ’ ‘  are we gonna fuckn hold hands tonight or what bitch  ’ ‘  dear soulmate, where the fuck are you  ’ ‘  i’m so easily revitalized by small, loving gestures  ’ ‘  i dont know what im feeling but there is a lot of it  ’ ‘  let’s be friends with benefits. the benefits? you get to be friends with me  ’ ‘  you ever just sit back and think like... yo... i really don’t care  ’ ‘  im surprised no one has ever punched me in the face  ’ ‘  what if mike was short for micycle  ’ ‘  hey fellow regular kids what’s up  ’ ‘  if u ever called me pretty i love you. ur pretty too  ’ ‘  do you ever just ‘there’s probably something medically wrong with me but i’m just gonna ignore it and hope i don’t die’?  ’ ‘  why did we stop building castles? i feel like humanity might live to regret that  ’ ‘  i’ll never be as lazy as whoever named the fireplace  ’ ‘  i am so glad you exist, even if you exist so far away from me  ’ ‘  i can hold a wet bar of soap better than a conversation  ’ ‘  she is beauty, she is grace, she got her feelings hurt 42 times today  ’ ‘  13 years of school and im still not sure if its ‘grey’ or ‘gray’  ’ ‘  hope u like bad girls because i’m bad at everything  ’ ‘  got a problem with me? kiss me on the lips dude  ’ ‘  too many songs about love. not enough songs about sword fights  ’ ‘  don’t talk to me or my 78 insecurities ever again  ’ ‘  i just did a tarot reading... it said ur a bitch  ’ ‘  a good substitute for love and fulfillment? a crunchwrap supreme from taco bell  ’ ‘  i fucked up? idk what you’re referring to but probably  ’ ‘  *in a high-pitched mocking voice* "are you okay?" what the fuck.  ’ ‘  how do u just..... not believe in aliens  ’ ‘  a coffee pot can be a coffee mug if you just don’t fucking care  ’ ‘  “you’re up early!” jokes on you i didn’t sleep at all and am in between energized and dying  ’ ‘  dont wanna sound like a slut but i really need a hug right now  ’ ‘  casual fan? no sorry i only know how to invest my whole livelihood into something and spend every waking moment thinking about said thing  ’ ‘  i have a dozen hearts swirling around my head irl like that isnt a filter its permanent  ’ ‘  i worry about you even when you say you’re fine  ’ ‘  i will never hurt you. i will always stick by your side. i will always try to make you smile  ’ ‘  true love: having to hold back your adorable, violent girlfriend to keep her from straight up murdering a dude  ’ ‘  cute date idea: be nice to me  ’ ‘  im so jealous of people who know what they want to do with their future i dont even know what t.v show to watch next  ’ ‘  me? clingy? yes please don’t leave me  ’ ‘  hey….,.,.. no offense but,,. i want someone to love and cherish me  ’ ‘  i need someone to lay in bed with me for hours  ’ ‘  dark hannah montana..... show me the worst of both worlds  ’ ‘  someone has to say it: come on eileen is a fucking banger like that shit snaps,, a bop for the century  ’ ‘  roses are red, i’m going to bed  ’ ‘  bless netflix for creating the skip intro button honestly  ’ ‘  they call me… 7 Knives. because that’s how many knives it takes me to cook things because i keep puttin em in the fuckin sink without thinking about it  ’ ‘  i wanna burry my face in someone’s chest right now til i fall asleep and wake up 4 hours later just to find i’m still in their arms  ’ ‘  the internet has ruined me honestly i’m numb to everything. it could be the end of the world and i’d be like “tag urself i’m the acid rain”  ’ ‘  lately i have been…….dying to be in love…,..and that’s the mood sadly  ’ ‘  not to be ns fw but i’d cry if someone kissed me on the cheek  ’ ‘  sexting? nah. i’m into spexting. spooky texting. ever seen a ghost? hmu.  ’ ‘  not to sound cocky as shit but i’m a fucking good person with a big heart and i deserve a lot more than the shitty hand life has dealt me this far  ’ ‘  i say i love you a lot because i do  ’ ‘  i’m sorry. i can’t come to the phone right now? why? oh. cause i hate talking on the phone please text me instead.  ’ ‘  low on self esteem, so u run on mac & cheese  ’ ‘  who’s gonna come lay with me in bed and let me wrap my legs and arms around u like a small bear  ’ ‘  youre a coward if youre not on the way to my house right now to give me a kiss  ’ ‘  my personality is like 90% the song i’m currently listening to  ’ ‘  the first step to any murder is to have fun and be yourself  ’ ‘  no offense @ life but can i have a breath.. a break... some slack...  ’ ‘  the best kind of alcohol is a lot  ’ ‘  911 i hate to be “that guy” but i glued myself to the ceiling again  ’ ‘  having “feelings” is ruining my reputation of being a heartless bitch  ’

[enigmaticxbee]

✖️✖️✖️✖️✖️ 2x08 One Breath

The one where... Scully’s in a coma.

Best: I love, love, love this episode. Mrs Scully and Melissa. Skinner. DD’s best acting (so far certainly - emotionally speaking maybe of the series?) She had the strength of his beliefs.

Worst: I think the CSM parts have been tainted for me by the rest of the series - Mulder, please just kill him and put all of us out of our misery. (If only I didn’t know CC would just bring him back.)

❌ Flashlights

❌ Woods

❌ Slideshow

❌ Autopsy

✔️ Evidence Disappears

❌ Scully Misses It

❌ Mulder Ditch

❌ Sunflower Seeds

✔️ Voiceover: Mrs Scully intro

❌ Catch Phrase

✔️ Scully is a (Medical) Doctor

❌ Mulder is Spooky

❌ Scuuullllaaaaayy! Muullllderrrr!

✔️ Fox/Dana

❌ Inappropriate Touching (that I am here for)

❌ Casual Scully

✔️ Casual Mulder

✔️ Trench Coats

✔️ Bad Tie Watch

❌ Glasses Watch

✔️ Taking! It! Personally!: Mulder

50 States: D.C. x8 (18/50)

Investigate: Apart

Solve Rate: 69%

✔️ Bechdel Test

MSR: 🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝

Goriness: 👽

Creepiness: 👽👽

Humor: 👽👽

Rewatch Thoughts:

This isn’t an episode I rewatch frequently - it’s just too emotional (I cried several times this rewatch, it still gets me). Despite some action sequences, the parts that stand out are the quiet ones. Scully floating. Mulder sitting by her bedside all night. Mulder sliding to the floor, sobbing in his ransacked apartment. It’s about Mulder’s emotional journey.

This is a huge turning point for Mulder. He puts just being there for Scully (especially since there’s nothing he can do to save her) over answers or even revenge. The truth and his quest aren’t the only things that matter to him anymore. He’ll still make stupid decisions and go hairing off on his own (sometimes to protect her, sometimes just thoughtlessly). And part of it’s the guilt because that’s Mulder. But everyone in this episode can see how this is affecting him - that he cares deeply for her (loves her?) Even if he can’t acknowledge it yet, it’s there. ‘Even if it doesn’t bring her back at least she’ll know, and so will you.’ ‘I had the strength of your beliefs.’ Beautiful episode.

Mid-Episode Thoughts:

So Bill Jr was always shitty.

Mulder can’t even look at her tombstone.

Is Mulder fast forwarding through porn?

And I’m crying. Mulder’s freaking out, he can’t handle his feelings about finding Scully here like this. As they talk to the doctor his arms are crossed, trying to hold himself together. I can only guess that he’s there because Mrs Scully smoothed things over with the doctor.

Mulder signed Scully’s will as her witness. I wonder when in the first season she made her will? After 1x13 Beyond the Sea would be my guess.

Melissa Scully. I wish we’d gotten more of her.

I really like this imagery - she’s floating, just barely tethered to the dock.

The first X in the window! When did he make this arrangement with X? How’s it supposed to work? Does X drive by his apartment every night?!

Frohike! Aww, he dresses up to come to the hospital.

Oh really, Langley? Mulder looks down when his partner’s in the hospital in a coma?

X: You’re not supposed to know! That’s the point!

X is partially right, Mulder isn’t him. But that’s because he has a heart. And it belongs to Scully.

Mrs. Scully asking Mulder (Fox) to join them. I’m crying again. Mulder can’t.

Skinner’s ‘Thank you for not smoking’ sign.

Skinner liked Scully. Of course he did.

Way to add to Mulder’s sense of guilt there, Skinner.

Ahab tells Starbuck ‘Not now’.

Did Skinner get that message sealed into a fresh pack of Morleys somehow? Seems like there are easier methods to get him the info!

Why doesn’t Mulder shoot CSM?! Or at least try to get some answers out of him... TV cop out.

Skinner tears up his resignation letter. It’s unacceptable. Great Skinner scene. He admires Mulder’s courage to look further. This is when I fall for Skinner.

8:17 tonight. That’s a very specific time.

Mulder: Because the lights aren’t on. Melissa: Okay...

Love this Melissa Scully scene. You tell him Melissa!

He goes to Scully! He’s here. You’re a dark wizard, Mulder.

His slow slide down the wall...

He thinks this is the call to tell him she’s died. He doesn’t want to but he picks up. The smile slowly appearing. Great acting from DD all episode.

Her smile as she says “Not Fox, Mulder”. They’re so gentle with each other. It almost makes me believe that they would just drop the investigation and move on. Mrs Scully and Melissa watching them - I want to know what they said to Scully about him after!

I’m still not sure what Nurse Owens is all about... Some sort of guardian angel watching over Scully - it wasn’t her time.

[pulvisnumbra]

NAME: Unknown; goes by J. Doe/J.D. AGE: Exact age unknown; mid to late 30s GENDER & PRONOUNS: gendervoid, any pronouns SKILLS: medical knowledge, scavenging, tracking, physical combat, knife proficiency, jawline that could cut thru glass INTRO: { cw: needles, radiation poisoning/sickness, injury, vomit, death }

the first time they wake up, they’re in a hospital, strapped to a gurney with what feels like the worst hangover of their life, which doesn’t mean a whole lot because they can’t remember any other hangover, or any other part of their life. someone, a doctor, but not a medical doctor, they think, tells them they were brought into the emergency room dead, but they were revived. she asks them for their name, and they don’t have an answer. so their file and the bracelet on their wrist says j. doe on it, and that’s that. she asks them if they know what city they’re in, or where they’re from, and they don’t have an answer for either of those questions, either, so their file has a question mark where birthplace should be. their body, they learn, was found in the charles river. they don’t get far enough to ask how long they were dead before you hear sirens go off, and chaos starts, all of the doctors conveniently forgetting about the doe strapped to the gurney in the corner of the e.r. with a barrage of new patients being brought in. it takes them nearly knocking their gurney over to get anyone’s attention, but even then no one tells them what’s going on, they get a needle pressed into their arm and an artificial sleep, sirens and shouting sending them off.

the second time they wake up, they’re in the charles river again, and it’s snowing. everything smells like death, and ozone, and there’s a distinctive metallic taste on their tongue. the plastic hospital bracelet is melted to their skin, skin which is sickly pale, looks as sick as they feel, and they’ve still got the bracers that had strapped them to the gurney dangling from their forearms, ragged. they still don’t remember their name, or where they’re from, or anything else for that matter. in fact, they have no idea how they got from the hospital to the river, but they realize quickly that’s the least of their worries, because they realize, as they slowly climb out of the river, onto the street, it’s not snow, it’s ash.

it only takes a few minutes wandering the streets to realize what happened, and that they need to get the fuck out of the city asap unless they want to end up dead, or fucked up by whatever nuclear disaster rained down on the world. it only takes a few more minutes for them to realize they already are fucked up by the fallout, although maybe not as badly as they might have been somehow. the nausea isn’t hangover bad this time, it’s something worse, makes them lose their empty stomach on the side of the strangely empty street. and there’s a pull in the back of their mind telling them before they run they need to rob. there must still be some memories there in their subconscious because they know they need potassium iodide, diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid, Prussian blue, and new clothes immediately. and they end up finding that along with the innate medical knowhow, they’re also not so bad at theft, fighting, or hotwiring a car, either.

they make it out of the city with plenty of supplies, but they’re well aware they’ll only have use of the mercedes they managed to steal for so long, just like not even that medicine is going to stop things they can’t see at first from happening to their body considering how unprotected they apparently were when whatever happened happened. they end up finding a settlement of what were clearly doomsday preppers further out in the boonies, underground, and the medical knowhow they don’t know how they have is enough to get them in with the idiots because one of them is sick, horrifically sick. so they can rest safely, figure out what the damage done really is, even though they isolate them to a closet for decontamination at first even though they know they will never be fully decontaminated, given the way it seems every bit of color is slowly being sapped from their body, skin, hair, eyes, all of it. once they’re deemed safe, incorrectly so for a number of reasons, they start planning, all while playing the docile pseudo doctor to these lunatics. they plan how to kill them off one by one, take all of the supplies they can stand to move––enough gasoline keep to keep their car moving for a long time––and set off again, get further from the blast zone, and away from idiots, seek out a better settlement, if possible.

it doesn’t go quiet as planned, and they’re pretty sure it’s because they weren’t as much of a criminal mastermind in their life before as the ease of stealing and hotwiring had made them believe. they all end up dead as planned, yeah, but their car also gets set on fire in the process, most of the supplies torched as well, the assholes rather no one be able to use them if they can’t apparently. they manage to scrap together enough to keep them going for a while, but it makes moving on even more dire than they had thought, nothing but a camping backpack full of some canned food, a first aid kit, what’s left of their radiation poisoning pills, a couple of hunting knives, and a machete they’re not even sure they have the skills to use.

they’re on their own after that, which they find they don’t really mind at all. every once in a while, they’ll end up in a settlement for a bit, find ways to trade, their medical knowledge more than enough usually to get others to give them food, and shelter for a while, but they never stay, something off putting to them about being stuck in a group of people they don’t know, can’t trust. there’s a very slight urge to try to figure out what their life was before, but it quiets the more time passes, the more the radiation sickness seems to sink in, making them feel less and less human over time. something is different about this radiation, but they don’t know enough to figure out why, and the other survivors they meet don’t seem to know much more, either, even if they fill in the blanks of what happened. whatever it is that’s different, though, doesn’t necessarily seem to be killing them quickly, but changing them, and they haven’t figured out what they’re supposed to do about that. it feels like they’ve already died twice, anyway, already been resurrected twice, it feels like a waste to let it happen a third time.

[erinptah]

in response to the asukaskerian post inspired by Turn Left: How would the story change if Plum Estragon successfully convinced Clover to seek treatment for her Bipolar Disorder?

She’s home for Tansy’s high school graduation. She’s alive for Thorn’s.

She has a steady local gig, teaching self-defense for teenagers, when Thorn first gets his heart broken, and makes an entirely serious offer to beat the guy up on his behalf.

She’s in Burnspoint pitching a fast-paced army drama for a lot of Tansy’s senior year, and bad weather keeps her ship from making it to Central in time for graduation, but she takes the day off and Plum streams the video and she claps so loudly that the guy in the next motel room yells for her to keep it down.

She makes it there in time for Thorn’s. She wrestles Larch to the mat and teases Tansy about the family predilection for dating sweet-natured singers.

When Thorn first comes home and draws a heartsword, he urges her to borrow it, just a little, for practice. Her form is pretty rusty. She ends up slicing one of Plum’s favorite lamps clean in half. (Plum forgives them, but not until after a fair amount of yelling.)

She gets really into professional gravestone restoration around the year her granddaughter is born. Sometimes the grandparents babysit, and she takes the little girl (okay, technically they’re not sure yet, but they’re guessing girl) on healthy fresh-air walks through local graveyards. When Hyacinth goes full-on goth as a teenager, Tansy has a good idea who to blame.

She starts to feel more out-of-sync with Hyacinth as the kid grows older, and has a harder time bonding with Hawthorn from the start, with his finicky boundaries and his complete refusal to enjoy last-minute plans decided on a whim. Until he gets old enough to read, and gets completely obsessed with a middle-grade mystery series she used to read as a kid. She can listen to him talk about the fine details of The Adventure of the Lost Unicorn or The Secret of the Old Wardrobe for hours, long after the rest of the family has lost interest.

She’s working at a restaurant the year of the dragon, and manages to keep up a strict regular schedule right up until they get the call that Thorn is in the hospital, at which point she gives notice in the middle of a shift and gets the next train home. (Plum isn’t even mad. She already has their bags packed.)

He’s in a healing coma when they arrive, to spare him being conscious of the pain while the medics try to repair the worst of the burn damage. She and Plum take turns sitting up with him, waiting until he’s allowed to be awake.

When his rehab has progressed enough that he can be safely moved, she stays behind to keep him company while Plum goes home to make sure they have a room ready.

She understands when Thorn jumps at shadows and candle-flames and unexpected scraping noises. She talks to him a bit about things she hasn’t discussed with anyone -- not even really with her wife. About what it’s like to know that your own brain is working against you. About how it feels to be sunk in the middle of a pain so deep that you can’t remember what not-hurting feels like.

The next time Thorn draws his heartsword, his arms can’t move enough to do much with it, but he gives it to her and she prunes the bushes in the much-neglected garden (before the restaurant, she got briefly into horticulture) and they agree that it’s still as good as ever.

When Thorn’s calls and social-network posts start sounding suspiciously fond of a cute gardener from Sønheim, she becomes the oldest person in the local university’s intro Sønheic class. It doesn’t last, mostly because her hearing is starting to go.

More and more dramatic things seem to be going down in Central over the next few years. Several times Plum has to talk her out of dropping everything and rushing there again. It’s not that bad, Plum insists, not this time, not yet. She lets herself be convinced.

It’s easy to miss things when she isn’t listening carefully, but she can still sing along perfectly to any of Plum’s songs based on a half-heard chord from the next room.

Thorn makes an offhand mention that his not-boyfriend is fluent in SønheimSign. She’s not the oldest person in the sign-language class, but she sure does have the roundest ears.

A whole lot goes down in Central. Seriously, you’re going to have to see it to believe it.

Point is, eventually she and Plum get a call (the volume turned way, way up) that they can expect another grandchild very soon.

“With my last name,” says Thorn, squeezing his partner’s hand, “because, well, you know how things are with Leif. And...we were thinking of naming it after Grandma.” He’s cautious on that last bit. He remembers when he was a kid, how she and Plum’s parents spent half the time on the verge of open war.

Well, tensions have cooled between her and her in-laws. A few decades of consistently not asking to borrow any of their money goes a long way.

She beams at him across the miles, and signs, That sounds perfect.

[addicted-with-some-pens-blog]

Could you please do something about the band having an s/o who has really bad knee pains to the point where they fall and have to take a break before walking again? Thank you!!

Omg totally relatable, I have very bad joint problems and pains, my knees and hips are the worst… I’ve lived with this since I was little. Thank goodness for pills! I’m writing this based on my experience with my joint pains, so I hope this is okay.

Sidenote: (B/m) stands for band member. It’s a general intro which ill elaborate by character later on.

A loud boom echoes throughout the studio and a flash of lightning lights up the sky and the room that you share with (B/m) You shuffle in bed, curling up into a ball. “I told you a storm was coming…” You groan, clutching your knees. (B/m) scratches at their head, looking at their phone confused.

“All the sunny icons just changed!” They exclaim. “How’d ya…oh…” They realize, looking at your covered legs. They resume rubbing their hands up and down your back, comforting you.

“Yeah. My knees get really bad sometimes. But especially when the weather changes.It’s something about the air pressure changing.”

“D’ya need anything?” They ask, sounding worried.

“Pills.” You grunt out as you shuffle, starting to get out of bed.

“Stay! I’ll get them for you.” They offer, trying to stop you from leaving.

“Nah I’ll come. Need food too before the pain gets so bad I can't eat.” You continue, getting out of bed. You walk slowly towards the hallway, occasionally stopping to flex your leg or rub your knee. You finally make it to the stairs that would lead you straight to the kitchen with (B/m) strolling alongside you, idly chattering about something you can’t exactly focus on.On your fifth step down, it feels like an electric shock runs from your knee to your hip,you let out a loud whimper at the pain as your knee wobbles and you lose your balance, thankfully (B/m) caught you.

2D

-“Aye love!” He squeaks loudly as you begin to fall over. He catches you fast, grabbing your shoulder and your arm roughly, probably leaving a bruise. Then he gently sits you down two steps above the one your limp foot is lying on. He sits down next to you, grabbing your face and pulling it to his chest as your hand squeezes at the shirt fabric just over his chest. You groan into his chest, squeezing your eyes shut and clenching your teeth and he begins rocking back and forth which is for some reason, soothing.

“Let’s ge’ back to bed, dear…” he says in a low voice and he slips his hands under your legs, the other holding you close around your waist when he picks you up bridal style.

“No... “ You begin to weakly struggle. “No… I need my pills, D. Stu, please, I could do it..”

‘I’ll get them for you after I put you in bed. You shouldn’t be walking right now. I’ll run t’ get ‘em when I know you won’ be trying to walk down ‘ny stairs.”

You sign in response and decide that he’s right. You cuddle your face into his chest, bringing your arms close, one hand clutching at his shirt. You secretly love when he carries you like this, you feel safe.

After he sets you down in bed, he runs off to the kitchen, grabbing your pills from the cabinet, a glass of water, and a menu. When he comes back, he waves the menu at you “‘want pizza?”

After you downed the pills, he ordered food and put on a movie. He started massaging your legs. By the time the food arrived, the pain started to dull and you began to feel the effects of the medication. Although it helped tons, you hated how you tongue began to loosen and your head would become fuzzy. You’d become all lovey, and say things you normally wouldn't. Stuart however, smiled big at you every time you reminded him of how much you love and appreciate him. As the storm raged on outside, you two peacefully relaxed indoors. The pain is finally just a faint throb that you could deal with. But when you looked at him and how he took care of you, you could barely feel a thing.

Murdoc

“Ah fuckin-!” Murdoc exclaimed, surprised at your sudden falling over. He grabs underneath one harm and secures you with another arm wrapped around you, his hand landing on your chest. He sat you down on the steps and stepped away. Kneeling in front of you, his hand is on his chin and he frowns.

“Ye’alright then?” He asks, looking worried.

You bring your hands to your face, embarrassed, frustrated, in pain, and feeling like you’re about to cry.

“No, hey, don’t do that, love! I’m’ here! Don’t do that...Erm, hey, look at me… THE Murdoc Niccals is here and I want you look up.” He sounds desperate, you know how much he hated to see people cry.

When you looked up, he placed your chin between his thumb and his forefinger and tilted your head towards him, planting a soft kiss on your lips. When he pulls away he sends you an encouraging smile and then he kisses your cheek before sliding his arm under your legs and holding your torso close with his other arm, picking you up bridal style. You start to squirm.

‘Mudz no… put me down. I need my meds. You’re walking in the wrong direction!”

I’ll get them for you but you shouldn’t be on your feet right now…

“Put. Me. Down. I can do it!” You say with every ounce of perseverance you have left.

“... Oh bloody fuckin fine then! “ He curses irritably. Murdoc gently places you on your feet, holding you steady with your arm around his shoulder, and you two begin to walk back towards the kitchen together. Your knees are weak, and every step sends either electric jolts up and down your legs or horrid throbs or radiating pain coming from your knees. You make it halfway down the stairs before Murdoc notices that you’re about to collapse again.

“Oh fuck this... “ He grumbles before picking you up and carrying you down the stairs and into the kitchen. He sets you down into a chair by the table while you glare at him.

He returns with your medicine and a beer, then he notices your menacing glare.

“Oh sod off will ya? You were gonna fall again anyway. This was faster and you wanted to do this the hard way for some bloody reason…”

“I guess you’re not wrong.” You admit, giving him a slight smile at the end.

“I know you probably don’t want food now but what about when the meds kick in eh? Take out?” He asks, cheerily, trying not to rub off his usual attitude. You found it so cute when he tried so hard to cheer you up. He always took such good care of you.  

Russel:

“Woahhhh easy.” Russel lets out, his arms around your waist, stabilizing you.

“You okay, baby?” He asks you tenderly as he picks you up with ease.

You don’t respond, embarrassed that you collapsed and shaking because of the pain. He notices your cheeks tint red and you look like you’re trying to hold back tears.

“There isn’t nothing to be ashamed of… It’s not your fault you’re in pain alright? Now lets get you those pills right away.” He carries you down the stairs before you start to squirm. “Russ, could you maybe put me down? I want to walk, I could do it myself.”

He was hesitant but encouraging. “Sure, but lean on me if you have to.” Russel set your feet on the ground and kissed you on the forehead. Then he wrapped his arm around your waist and your arms clutched at his shirt as you two slowly but surely made it to the kitchen for your pain medication. He gave you two pills and a glass of water after he lifted you up to sit on the counter top.

“Stay here.” He says before rushing out of the room, looking for something. He comes back with Bengay, a medicated menthol lotion for pain that he found in the bathroom, knowing you used it from time to time.

“Alright, wanna stay down here or upstairs in the room? I could help you to the couch?”

“Couch.” You grunt, thankful that your boyfriend is so helpful, so thoughtful.

When he set you down to sit on the couch, he puts a pillow behind your back so that you’re with your back to the arm rest, facing him with your legs stretched out in his lap.

He slides your pants off and starts to massage your legs with the Bengay. Your eyes close and you feel the medicated lotion start to seep into your skin, causing the skin to have an icy/hot sensation, almost tingling. The sensation helped distract you from the pain, which is slowly ebbing away now that the medicine is kicking in and you’re being pampered. Russel’s hands run all over, up and down your legs, working at your muscles and your feet too. You sigh and hear him chuckle.

‘I love you, thank you.” You sigh.

“I love you too.” He smiles, leaning towards you for a kiss.

Noodle

“AYE” Noodle semi shrieks out while grabbing you around your waist, pulling you backwards onto the stairs so you didn’t fall face first down the stairs. You landed in her lap, she set you down by moving over, next to you.

“Jeez, are you okay?” She asks, sounding worried.

You just nodded and leaned your head against her shoulder, trying not to cry from the frustration of not having fully functional legs. You fail. Tears run down your face against your will, frustrating you even more.

She notices and leans you over more so that your head is in her lap.  Her fingers start to run through your hair and lightly massage your scalp.

“Someone playing with your hair may be the best feeling in the world, wouldn't you agree?”

“Mhm…” you respond. Thankful that she managed to calm you down.

“Now c’mon, sit up!” She moves you so that you’re sitting up and she stands up. She bends over bringing you into a hug before surprising you and somehow hoisting you up over her shoulder.

“Wha- what the… Noodle what are you doing???” You ask, surprised.

“Room. Then get pills and food.” She says lazily in a sentence with the fewest words possible, making you laugh a little before tossing you on the bed.

She gets a very large heating blanket  and wraps it around your knees, then she sprints off to get your pills, arriving back in less than a minute, out of breath. Then she lays down in bed next to you.

“Now!-”  She starts with a deep breath before taking out her phone and scrolling. “Now that you’ve taken your medicine, what do you think you’ll be in the mood for later on?” She asks after showing you the food delivery app she had opened.

After you two decided on food to order, she handed you a video game controller.

“Wanna play to get your mind off the pain?”

[seethatgirl3]

I’m Working On It //Bellamy Blake Imagine//

Requested: @fluffy-unicorn26

Request: Hey! I’m so excited about you writing The 100 imagines, so can you do one where the reader is really sassy and badass so bc of that Bellamy becomes really interested in her and when he tries to flirt with her or something she ignores him or says sassy things so that makes him even more interested and there is a point where the reader and Bellamy won’t stop flirting so everyone is like “ugh, just stop and kiss already” and you can decide the end 😂 I’m sorry if this is too long. Thanks! Ily 💕

Warnings: some swears (only ones they use in the show)

A/n: JUST UNDER A WEEK UNTIL EP.6 GUYS OMG I’M SO EXCITED!

Italics are flashbacks/memories

Sorry the intro is like super long! Hope you guys don’t mind! Also the __ lines are kinda like time skips, so not all of the events are happening at one time.

——-

You sat in your small room by yourself, tears littering your pale cheeks and a painful aching in your chest. You fiddled with your fingers in hopes it would distract you from the sadness in your heart, but it’s hard to ignore a heavy heart. You jumped slightly when you heard a knock on the door and you quickly brushed away your tears with you fingers and sniffled. The door opened and your mother walked into the room. She had bags under her eyes and her hair looked greyer than it ever had before.

“Hey sweetheart,” she greeted as she ran a veiny hand through her hair and sighed. “How was your day?”

“It was fine.” You replied but your voice cracked, giving you away almost immediately.

Your mother turned towards you and just the sight of your watery eyes had her seated beside you with her arm wrapped around your shoulder in seconds. “What is it?”

“Why was dad floated?” You sniffled as you looked at your mother. You swore you saw something break behind her tired eyes.

“You deserve to know…”  she sighed. She took a deep breath and looked at the floor. “When you were five years old, I became very very sick. So sick that they thought I wouldn’t live. I eventually got better enough to come back home but I was still very sick. Your father knew that, so everyday on his way home from work, he would take medicine to help me. If it wasn’t for him, I would probably be dead..”

“Then they caught him…and floated him..” you whispered.

Your mother nodded. “Why are you bringing this up?”

“Some kid called dad a thief and said that he had deserved to die. He said if it wasn’t for you then he might still be alive.” You sniffled. You wiped your cheeks with your fingers again and your mother placed a hand on your cheek.

“Listen to me,” she said softly. “I know that that probably hurt you a lot, and I know that it’s a hard thing to live with, but baby, you can’t let them know that they get to you. Once they know they do, it’s all over. Never let them control you. Please.”

______

Time went by quickly and before you knew it, there were only four days until your eighteenth birthday. You walked down one of the long corridors towards the medical station where your mother was. Her sickness had taken a turn for the worst a couple weeks ago and since then, she’s been living in a hospital bed.

“Oh thank goodness!” You heard someone say from behind you. You whirled around quickly to see none other than Abby Griffin, panting slightly from running. “I”ve been looking everywhere for you.” “Why?” You asked, furrowing your brows.

“Your mother..” Abby breathed. Your eyes went wide and before Abby could say anything more, you were sprinting down the hallway towards the medical room. You threw the door open and ran straight towards your mother’s bed.

“Mom.” You croaked as you stepped next to her, taking her hand in yours and holding it tightly. Her eyes were hooded and her mouth was slightly parted. She turned her head to look at you, her eyes just barely opening again when she blinked.

“Y/n.” She said softly, your name just barely slipping past her lips. “My sweet Y/n.”

“You’re going to be alright mom. I promise you will be alright!” You looked towards Abby who slowly shook her head. She looked just as sad as you did.

“Y/n,” Your mother whispered as she placed a hand on your cheek. “You’re so strong Y/n. So wonderful and strong. Never let anyone tell you otherwise. I know your emotions are strong, but you are stronger. Never let anyone get to you. Please Y/n.”

“I won’t mom. I promise.” You sniffled as you held her hand tightly. “Please don’t leave me.”

“I’m so sorry.” She breathed. Her eyes slowly drifted shut and her head rolled to the side.

“No..” You said softly. “Mom?” You looked towards Abby who was looking sadly at the ground, a tear slowly rolling down her cheek. “How could you let this happen!” You said suddenly as you stood up and looked at Abby.

“Y/n, you have to believe that we did everything we could. I never want to see any of my patients die.” Abby replied as she took a step closer.

“She wasn’t just a patient! She was my mother!” You sobbed. You ran towards Abby but two guards who had been patrolling the room quickly snatched your arms and dragged you towards the door. “Let go of me!” You shouted but they wouldn’t. They finally let go of you in the hallway and without thinking, you swung your fist and hit one of the guards in the face.

And that’s how you ended up getting sent to the ground two days later.

+++

“Chop Chop!” Murphy shouted from his spot under a large oak tree. “This wall isn’t going to build itself!”

“Maybe if you helped it would go faster.” You nearly spat as you dragged a decently sized log past him towards an unfinished part of the wall. “What was that princess?” He asked as he stepped away from Bellamy’s side and into the sunlight.

“You heard me.” You replied as you set the log down and dusted your hands off before folding them across your chest. “This could go a lot faster if you just shut your mouth for once and actually helped out a little.”

“I don’t think you know what you’re saying kid-” “Murphy,” Bellamy said as he stepped up next to Murphy. “Help Y/n bring this log to the wall.” A small smirk played at his lips but you weren’t amused.

“And what about you?” You asked him, raising an eyebrow.

“Me?” He asked, somewhat shocked.

“Yeah you. You may be the leader but that doesn’t do any good when it comes to finishing the wall, now does it?” You smirked when he opened his mouth to speak but ended up closing it quickly. “Good. Now put those muscles to a good use for once and help Murphy carry that log to that empty spot over there.”

Bellamy stared at you for a minute before a small smile spread across his lips and he moved past you and picked up on end of the log. “I can’t believe this.” Murphy scoffed as he picked up the other end and the two of them carried it to the other side of the camp. “Hope you’re happy princess!”

“For now I am.” You smiled to yourself.

____

“You know,” a voice said from behind you as you sharpened your knife using a large stone. You recognized the voice as Bellamy’s right away and you rolled your eyes slightly. But anyone could have noticed the small smile you were trying so hard to hide. “You’d make a pretty decent leader.”

“Oh yeah? Why’s that?” You asked.

Bellamy sat down beside you and took a deep breath. “Well you just have what it takes. You don’t like to be bossed around but you’re very good at doing it. You got Murphy to move a log the other day. Murphy doesn’t do anything for anyone but me. But he listened to you. I think you just have it in you.”

“Murphy is just scared of me. He knows I can kick his ass all the way back to the Ark. Plus, you don’t know anything about me. For all you know, I could just be a bitch.” You replied, your eyes not leaving the blade of your knife.

“Well, in our case, I think being a bitch is all it takes.” Bellamy smiled at you.

“Guess that’s why you’re our leader then.” You smiled back at him before standing up and walking off towards your tent.

_____

You stood in the drop ship with Clarke and Raven as they examined the bullets Raven had just made.

“Have you considered Bellamy’s offer to join him as a leader?” Clarke asked as she looked over her shoulder at you.

“I didn’t think he was being serious…well we have enough leaders here anyway. You and him are enough to keep us in shape.” You shrugged as you picked up one of the bullets and began examining it. “Plus, I would have to work with Bellamy and I don’t think I could do that.” “I heard that, Princess.” Bellamy’s low voice echoed through the room and you rolled your eyes slightly.

“Good. Now I don’t have to directly tell you why I don’t want to be a leader.” You smiled to yourself as you heard him chuckle. It wasn’t often that Bellamy even smiled, so hearing him laugh was a nice break.

“Well the spot is still open if you just so happen to change your mind.” Bellamy shrugged. He picked up a bullet as well and examined it. “Have any of you seen Octavia by any chance?”

“Not recently.” Raven muttered as she carefully inspected one of the bullets. “This one’s a dud.” She placed it in a separate pile before picking up another one. “I’ll help you look for her. I’m doing the least amount of work here.” You shrugged as you headed for the door. “She’s probably just outside the gate. She likes to wander.”

Bellamy nodded and followed you into the camp. “She better not have wandered far….It’s not safe with us on the brink of war..”

“Relax, Octavia can take care of herself.” You said as you pushed the big door open and stepped into the forest.

“That’s what she wants everyone to think. She acts all tough and like nothing can get to her, but she’s just…I don’t know…human.” Bellamy’s voice got quiet as he scanned the area for his sister. “What’s so bad about acting a little tough?” You asked. You followed close to Bellamy just in case something bad were to happen. Unexpected things have happened in these woods but you knew with Bellamy, at least you had a chance to survive an unexpected attack. “I don’t know… she just gets herself into trouble because she thinks she’s tough and then she ends up getting hurt because she isn’t. She’s strong, but not as strong as she wishes she was.” Bellamy stepped over a log and glanced around again. “I have to say I’m more on Octavia’s side with this one.” You responded as you hopped over the same log. “I too play the tough card a little more than I should.”

“Wait…did you just confirm that you agree with me sometimes?” Bellamy asked, looking at you with a shocked expression.

You scoffed slightly but you couldn’t help but smile. “Only when you’re right….which isn’t often.” You replied. “But you still do agree with me sometimes.”

“Yes Bellamy. You’re our leader. I have to agree with you sometimes.” You rolled your eyes slightly but kept on walking.

“So why do you always act so sassy. Not that it’s necessarily a bad thing, I’m just curious as to how that started.” Bellamy asked and you suddenly stopped walking. “What? What is it?” He asked as he came back over to you.

“It’s kinda a long story…” You looked at him, your eyes sad now. He looked at you with a worried expression that you almost ignored. “Well we got nothing else to talk about..Of course I won’t pressure you to talk about it though if you don’t want to.”

“It’s okay…” You took a deep breath. “When I was five, my mother became very very sick. So sick they thought she was going to die. She stayed in the hospital for a long time before finally being let out. She was still sick at home though and we didn’t have medicine. So everyday, on his way home from work, he would steal medicine for my mother. She would have died without him doing this. He got away with it for about a year. She finally started to get better, but then they caught my dad. He was floated when I was six.” You looked down at the ground.

“When I was eight, some kid made fun of me for not having a dad. He said that he had deserved to die and that it was my mother’s fault he was dead. I cried a lot that night and I can clearly remember my mother saying ‘You can’t let them know that they get to you’. A couple weeks before my eighteenth birthday, my mom got extremely sick. She was in the hospital all the time. Four days before my eighteenth birthday, she died. Right before she did, she told me ‘never let anyone get to you’.”

“So you use sass and sarcasm to hide the fact that you really do have emotions and that you really are human.” Bellamy raised an eyebrow at you and you rolled your eyes. “That was so deep and then you said that and ruined it. If you let people know they get to you, then it’s easier for them to control you. They have more power over you. The moment my mother died I told myself that I wouldn’t let anyone get into my head other than myself. That’s why Murphy could insult me for days but not get a reaction.”

“I like it. Emotions are a sign of weakness…but they also make us human. You can’t hide your emotions from everyone.” Bellamy looked at you with an I’m-right-you’re-wrong expression and you rolled your eyes.

“Do you think I would have just told you my tragic and depressing life story if I was trying to hide my emotions?”

Bellamy shrugged. “You got a point. Look, there’s Octavia.” He pointed towards a clearing in the woods where Octavia stood in a field, looking over the side of a rather steep hill.

“You should be thankful that I even told you that I have emotions.” You scoffed slightly. “Oh trust me princess, I’m more than thankful.” He smiled at you and you couldn’t help but laugh slightly.

____

“Guess who has decided to join our clan of leaders.” Bellamy announced as he walked back into the drop ship with you at his side.

“Nice Y/n! Maybe now we have a chance against the Grounders!” Raven said as she turned around in her seat and smirked at Bellamy.

“Welcome aboard Y/n. Once a captain, always a captain.” Clarke smiled at you and you smiled back.

“What do you say Princess, ready to lead a group of unstable teenage delinquents?” Bellamy asked with a small smile as he looked at you.

“Ah I’ve always dreamed of the day I could lead a group of ‘unstable teenage delinquents’ with an unstable not-as-much-of-a-teenage delinquent.” You smiled at Bellamy before leaving the drop ship.

“So you still haven’t kissed her yet I see.” Clarke chuckled.

“I’m working on it.” Bellamy replied before following you out of the dropship and into the camp.

[ipadsadvise]

WWDC 2016: what we want to see

WWDC is Apple's yearly Moses minute: it's when programmers collect to see what Tim Cook's jumped on his tablet.

This year's WWDC, which begins on June 13, promises to be one of the more intriguing ones: not just will we see new variations of Apple's OSes, however we're most likely to see some essential brand-new equipment also. Below's exactly what we expect to see at WWDC 2016.

MacBook Pro 2016

The MacBook has simply been refreshed, so the MacBook Pro is following for an update - as well as where much better to reveal a new Pro laptop range than at your annual designers' conference?

The most noticeable update for the MacBook Pro 2016 is to use Intel's Skylake processors, which are currently in COMPUTER competitors. The transfer to Skylake is much more remarkable than the action to Broadwell cpus, which were generally concerning enhanced battery life, Skylake supplies substantial speed improvements, plus assistance for WiGig and also WiDi cordless information transfer and cordless charging, although we don't anticipate to see those attributes this year.

A redesign might be on the cards too - the style hasn't already transformed much in 8 years - although lots of Pro customers are rather crazy about their expansion ports so we could not see a razor-thin MacBook-style Pro simply yet. Thinner with USB-C ports, yes. Razor-thin with simply one port, most likely not.

MacBook Air 2016

The MacBook Air is past due an update: it's still on Broadwell processors while rivals run much faster, more reliable Skylakes, so the news of a MacBook Air 2016 is most likely.

Multiple files late last year anticipated a 'substantial refresh' of the Airs in mid-2016 with Retina displays, USB-C, Skylake cpus and the end of the 11-inch model, however there's a lot of unpredictability over the Air's future: does Apple really should make the Air when it has an array of super-portable Retina MacBooks along with refreshed MacBook Pros?

We're hearing clashing records on this: some state a refresh, the end of the 11-inch and the intro of a 15-inch Air, others say that the Air is going to be grounded.

Apple Watch 2

A brand-new variation of watchOS is inescapable, yet leakages suggest that a brand-new, thinner Apple Watch 2 is on the cards. That makes good sense, as a June statement would provide programmers several months to work with applications for a Fall release.

We do not anticipate it to look substantially various - there's currently an environment of display protectors, stands as well as expensive bands, as well as it's a bit very early for Apple to junk that in favor of a brand-new layout - but the internals are expected to be substantially boosted. One of the most tantalizing report comes via the Wall Street Journal, which claims that the Apple Watch 2 will have its very own cellular modem.

If real, that suggests the Watch will end up being around eleventy billion times a lot more useful. We already know that Apple desires all 3rd event applications to run natively on the Watch instead of on the iPhone, something that ought to make apps run significantly quicker, offering those apps a phone-free information connection too would substantially enhance their powers.

It's also been rumored that Apple will base its Watch 2 cpu on the ARM Cortex A32, which is 25% faster than the current ARM-based cpu as well as provides greatly improved battery life, dealing with among the Watch's most significant issues. The existing Apple Watch utilizes a System on a Chip (SoC) based upon the ARMv7 design, yet the Cortex A32 is based on ARMv8 as well as was made particularly for wearable devices.

The Apple Watch 2 might get an improved collection of sensing units also. Apple has actually been persistently hiring wellness experts as well as medical sensing unit designers, although Tim Chef has specifically ruled out an FDA-approved Apple Watch. He hasn't already eliminated an FDA-approved Apple Watch strap, nevertheless, and also both licenses and also reports say Apple has actually been working with the suggestion of sensor-packed Watch straps for substantially enhanced health and wellness monitoring.

The large inquiry over the Apple Watch is whether Apple will launch a new, significantly improved version this year, or if it'll do an apple iphone and launch a somewhat improved S version - perhaps with a FaceTime cam - as a stopgap prior to a much more amazing brand-new model following year. With so lots of Watch proprietors getting them as Christmas presents just a few months back, it may be prematurely for Apple to introduce a substantially different model.rt

iOS 10

iOS 10 will get the normal WWDC launch, late Summer beta and Fall release, and also we would certainly expect it to go down assistance for the iPad 2 and also apple iphone 4S, not least due to the fact that we thought they would certainly get the bullet last year.

Rumored new functions consist of iCloud Voicemail, where Siri can take care of inbound telephone calls and apologise if you cannot take them, 3D Touch in a freshened, adjustable Nerve center, a Health-style Residence application for HomeKit, and perhaps multi-user support for iPads.

Our favorite report is that in iOS 10 we'll ultimately have the ability to get rid of the stock Apple applications that everybody keeps in a junk folder. The App Store is likewise getting a revamp to make suitable applications less complicated to find.

iOS 10 can be bad news for jailbreakers as well as the FBI: Redmond Pie reports that the OS has a brand-new 'rootless' safety system that will certainly make iPhones and iPads impossible to jailbreak. Apple is also functioning on stronger iCloud safety and encryption as well as bringing as long as feasible of its cloud facilities internal.

Of all the Apple products at WWDC 2016, iOS 10 will certainly be the one getting the most attention: Apple spectators will be checking iOS 10's tea leaves for signs of what's coming in the apple iphone 7.

macOS / OS X 10.12

Are we seeing completion of the OS X name? Apple has actually trademarked great deals of Californian name so it isn't really except followers to El Capitan, however code buried deep inside a file that's remained in OS X's System folder since 2015 refers not to OS X, however to macOS - the name Apple utilized to make use of for its operating system.

It appears to be greater than a retro recall, OS X does not fit with the current Apple OS convention that spans watchOS, tvOS and also iOS, and Apple's newest update to its environmental page described macOS, not OS X.

Whatever it's called, Siri on the desktop computer is one of the most likely heading feature in OS X 10.12, with Siri getting a Spotlight-style switch on the menu bar and his/her own inclination pane. Images might be obtaining a spruce up as well, however a lot of the changes are under the hood, with Apple focusing when again on performance and battery life.

As with iOS 10 we would certainly anticipate Apple to reveal OS X 10.12 at WWDC 2016, make it readily available as a public beta shortly after that and launch it in the Autumn.

Apple TV

Apple's long-rumored streaming TELEVISION service might actually be prepared for prime-time show this year, with Apple doing a Netflix and also making some of its very own programs.

The solution is anticipated to be readily available across Apple TELEVISION as well as iOS gadgets, with a statement at WWDC 2016 and a launch in September. tvOS isn't really due any kind of remarkable updates, although bringing Siri Remote to the iOS app is likely.

Beats Radio

Hands up that wants more Beats radio stations? Apple has trademarked Beats 2 via 5, although as ever before with hallmarks that doesn't suggest it has any type of plans to utilize them. Some non-music programming would certainly be appealing, though: we rather elegant an audio equivalent of Apple's News app.

Apple Pay

Apple Pay has actually been doing some huge numbers, and Apple is keen to increase its allure. A person-to-person payment choice is obviously in advancement, and Financial institution of The U.S.A., Chase and Wells Fargo have actually been functioning on Apple Pay support in their Atm machines. That's potentially big, because Apple Pay is a lot more secure than a PIN as well as can not be recorded by card skimmers.

Mac Pro

Remember Darth Vader's dustbin, the supreme Mac Pro? It's been two years since the last upgrade, and also it's looking as if Apple does not like it more. For several individuals the iMac with Retina 5K display screen is more compared to adequate, and also more affordable compared to a Mac Pro plus a third-party 5K screen.

However, the Mac Pro continues to be Apple's most effective computer, and for the specialists whose applications could use its horsepower a rate bump politeness of brand-new, Skylake Xeons would rate. We're wishing that the lack of Mac Pro updates is since Apple's working on an actually remarkable brand-new one, not shedding passion in it altogether.

New iPads, new iPhones as well as the Apple Car

Nope. Apple has just launched the iPhone SE as well as the iPad Pro 9.7, and while Apple's Task Titan vehicle is the worst concealed in technology its auto strategies are targeting a launch day of 2018/19 at the earliest: while Tim Cook has assured outstanding advancement from Apple this year, we don't believe that means he'll come howling into the phase in an Apple Vehicle, drawing handbrake turns and also talking like Jeremy Clarkson. It would certainly be funny if he did.

[gavin209goz1603-blog]

Straightforward Advice On Uncomplicated Liquid Grip Programs

An Intro To Identifying Critical Aspects For Liquid Grip Canada

One key to a happy life is good health. A large part of that involves being physically fit. Following the advice in this article can help you keep in shape and stay toned. Staying fit can help you avoid injury as well as helping you to look great and feel young. Do not forget about your body. Utilize the fitness advice found below. If you are just starting a workout routine you should consider a one time consultation with one of the gym's personal trainers. A good one will discuss your goals, as well as your problem areas, to determine the best workout plan for you. Starting out with the guidance of a trainer can ease you into the gym experience and make it feel less like unfamiliar territory. This is a great way to start your fitness plan off. Counting calories is always a solid approach to getting fit. Paying attention to your calorie consumption helps you plan your workouts. If you only consume enough calories to satisfy your basic needs, then burn calories through exercise, your net calories will be negative, which will help you lose weight quickly. Doing some simple push-ups can help you get your triceps in shape. Try to avoid normal pushups though, but target the tricep muscles by merely shifting your hands so that your fingertips touch and your hands are following a 45 degree angle. This move will tone up your triceps in no time. It is vital that you walk the proper way so that you can avoid hurting yourself. Make an effort to remain upright with shoulders held back. Watch your elbows and make sure they fall at right angles. Your arms should be opposite of your forward foot. When stepping, the heel ought to strike the ground before the remainder of the foot proceeds in a forward motion. When working out, you need to exhale after each repetition when it comes to weightlifting. You will give your body a lot of energy and you will get more air when you breathe out. You will receive greater benefit from running outdoors than using a treadmill. Many people like treadmills because they are convenient (especially when the weather is bad), though if you want a great work out, running on the pavement will serve you better. This tip brought to you by tennis players will help you build strength in your forearms. Spread out a big section of newspaper over a table or similar flat surface. For half of a minute, crumple up the whole paper with only the dominant Canada|Liquid Chalk hand. Repeat the crumpling exercise twice then switch hands, finally switch back to your dominant hand for two more repetitions. Box squats are a great exercise for toning up your quads. If you want to have explosive power, try doing box squats. You only need a box that you can place behind you. The key to a box squat is simply performing the squat like normal, but pausing and holding when reaching the box. You should train the way Kenyans do if you want to be a faster runner or have more endurance while running. In Kenya, they start slow for the first third of their run. You have to slowly increase your pace during your run. While you are in the middle third, increase your pace to run at normal speed. By the end of that run, you should have picked up the speed. If you do this on a regular basis, you will have noticeable differences in your speed and endurance. An awesome way to get more fit is to work your abs. You can just do sit-ups before you start your day, it's up to you whether or not you want to add weights. Improving your abs will make you more flexible, which will make you better at lifting. There is nothing that says achieving physical fitness must be brutal. The methods in this piece were developed with an eye toward easy integration into your life. It's hard to work to stay in shape, but when you have a wonderful body, you will see that it was worth it. Just keep doing a little every day and you can keep fit without too much work.

Some Helpful Tips On No-nonsense Solutions Of Canada

Based in Toronto, she has lived and worked in Thunder Bay, Ont.; Iqaluit, Nunavut; and Beirut, Lebanon. (Note: CBC does not endorse and is not responsible for the content of external links.) Canada's chief public health officer says it's possible that this year's flu vaccine may have limited effectiveness against a particularly severe strain of influenza A that appears to be dominant throughout Canada.   "In Canada it's still too early to actually tell how effective this vaccine will be," Dr. Theresa Tam told CBC News. "There is a potential ... of low vaccine effectiveness, but we really can't tell at this point in time."   The reason for believing there's a potential weakness in the vaccine, Tam said, is the fact that countries in the Southern Hemisphere, which have their flu season before Northern Hemisphere countries, experienced "poor vaccine effectiveness" against H3N2, a subtype of influenza A that tends to cause more severe illness among vulnerable people, including the elderly and children.  In addition, studies suggest that the process of manufacturing the vaccine may have compromised its effectiveness against H3N2 because it can mutate when grown in eggs — and Canada uses egg-based vaccines, Tam said.   Get your flu shots, health officials urge amid concerns about bad season Vaccine manufacturers, the World Health Organization and others are studying the situation to determine if that was the case, she said.   Doing so is "very important," Tam said, "as we move ahead to future years of vaccine program planning and recommendations." The potential for lower vaccine effectiveness makes it even more important that Canadians take "other measures" to protect themselves against the flu, she said, including handwashing, coughing into your sleeve, disposing of used tissues, and staying home when you're sick.  Tam said there are also anti-viral medications, such as Tamiflu and zanamivir, to treat flu and help prevent outbreaks in long-term care homes and other facilities.  But people should still get the flu shot, she said, because it offers protection against multiple strains.    "Given the mix of influenza viruses circulating right now and more could still circulate later on in the ensuing months, we still recommend influenza vaccine for Canadians over six months of age," she said.  One type of flu that's circulating earlier than usual this year is influenza B, according to data released by the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) in its latest FluWatch report on Friday . "What's important about influenza B is actually its impact on kids," Tam said.  'Anyone that's had influenza, and I mean real influenza — not a sniffle or a cough or a cold — but real, true influenza, they'll know how severe this can be,' says Dr. Isaac Bogoch, an infectious disease specialist at University Health Network in Toronto. Although children are more susceptible to serious illness from H3N2 than the general population, they are also particularly vulnerable to the "B" strain, possibly because of their lack of previous exposure, she said.    Tam said that given the burden of influenza B on kids, the national advisory committee on immunization recommends children receive the "quadrivalent" vaccine, which protects against four strains of flu, including two B strains. The quadrivalent vaccine available in Canada right now covers the B strain that is currently circulating, she said. The other type of vaccine — called "trivalent" because it covers three strains of flu — "unfortunately" doesn't cover that B strain.  Parents can ask their local public health agencies which vaccine is available in their area, she said.  The latest FluWatch report also says the number of flu cases overall continued to rise across the country in December, but "are within the range of expected levels for this time of year." The type of flu detected is mostly H3N2, although influenza B detections continue to increase.   "Influenza is in full swing in Canada," said Tam, noting that this year's flu season started earlier than normal.  As of Dec. 30, 1,050 "influenza-associated" hospitalizations had been reported, with 93 cases requiring admission to intensive care. There have been 34 reported deaths. Seniors have been the worst-affected, accounting for the majority of hospitalizations and deaths.  The flu has also taken a toll on kids, with 195 people under age 18 admitted to hospital as of Dec. 30. There have been fewer than five pediatric deaths.   PHAC's flu surveillance data are consistent with what health-care providers are observing, said Dr. Isaac Bogoch, an infectious disease specialist at University Health Network in Toronto. "There are early indicators that this influenza season is a little bit more severe compared to prior influenza seasons. Certainly we're seeing that in the hospital," he said.   "We know that the years when there are H3N2 strains that predominate, those are more severe years — meaning there are typically more infections, more severe infections, more hospitalizations and more deaths." Bogoch said the potential weakness in the flu vaccine's ability to protect against the H3N2 strain is an issue this year, noting he's seen early data suggesting it may be only 10 per cent effective.

For the original version including any supplementary images or video, visit http://www.cbc.ca/news/health/flu-vaccine-potential-low-effectiveness-h3n2-1.4476100

Because You Can Never Get Enough Of Basketball....

Do you wish you were like a famous ball player, such as Lebron James or Michael Jordan. Don't just dream about improving your game; instead, take the pointers and learn how you can get out there and practice right now. Keep reading to learn more about the game of basketball. Learn proper dribbling. You need to use the tips of your fingers rather than your hand's palm when you are dribbling. Using your fingertips provides you with more control. Bounce the ball no higher than your waist and keep the ball at your side rather than in front. Don't look at the ground, always keep your eyes focused forward. If you want to excel, you have to play to your strengths. Your best skills may not be center-stage every game, but knowing how to play the best angles can help you give more to your team. Learn what your strengths are, then practice to perfection! Free throws are mental as well as physical. You can practice for hours on how to make the shot, but if you over think things or get distracted you will miss every time. Relax yourself and focus on the hoop. You can improve your skills by paying attention to how the pros play. You can do this by watching games in person and on television. Every truly great player has unique skills that you can learn from. In order to get a good shot, good footwork is essential when posting up. You do, of course, need to be near the basket, but finding the right spot without getting blocked is essential. Once you have a location, it is important that your feet are firmly planted there. Footwork, therefore, is crucial. When an injury occurs while you are playing ball, don't keep playing with pain. This is a physically challenging game, so you may end up hurt much worse. Continuing to play when you are in pain can make an injury worse. Serious injuries may require medical attention. Basketball players must be fast. Speed always gives you an edge over your opponent. Regular drilling will increase your speed. However, don't try and push past your limits. You will not be able to control your moves if you play faster than you are able to. Watch tapes of yourself playing basketball to get a more objective perspective. On tape, you can see all the opportunities you passed and how things could have gone better. Be honest in your assessment but not overly critical. Seeing yourself realistically can be a great way to make changes in a positive direction. When you want consistently good free throws, repeat your routine. This might mean that you dribble the ball twice, bend your knees, touch your forehead, or any other movement. As long as this is a quick set of movements and it's consistent, you won't have any trouble having your body memorize what you're doing. Now that you have read the above article, you have some tips for the next time you practice. You must be self confident, and you must practice regularly. Don't hesitate to put your skills to the test, and don't be afraid to change your strategy up every now and then.

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