#the head and the safe where the disease is hidden

[normalbrothers]

[amphitriteswife]

Stay the night

Pairing: Emperor Geta x Wife reader

Warning: mild nudity, shits ass

Summary: Geta finds himself seeking your comfort once again after finding out about general Acacius’ betrayal.

Note: I love crying pathetic hurt Geta also its implied sex not the real thing yk

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Geta feels conflicted. His hands pulling on his ginger colored hair. He was pacing back and forth between his bed and the door. His robe feels sticky because of the earlier sweat that had now turned cool. What should he do? What can he do? He feels nervous. No not even. He feels afraid. Where are you? He just put Caracalla to bed after his crash out against general Acacius and he felt suspicious of the Macrinus. He doesn’t know who to trust. Who speaks the truth? Who is genuinely on his side? Who is loyal? Who is actually helping him and not planning to overthrow him? He knows his position is weak. But he’s trying! He wants to rule along side his brother, but his disease makes it very hard to. His breath took up a pace and so did his steps. He got even more impatient with every second. He can hear his heart thumping in his ears. Were you asleep? Did you talk to the Macrinus? Did you also plan to overthrow him? To betray him? To take the throne he knows he isn’t fit for? No. He can’t think of you like that. You’re loyal to him. He knows it. He’s just being hysterical. You’ve always been there by his side. You were the bridge between him and the Roman citizens, you gave him advice to keep the people happy, to make sure they’re fed and safe even if it meant that the elites sometimes disagreed. Please come soon, his head felt as if it might explode from all the thoughts.

Luckily for him he finally heard the faint sounds of rinkels. His eyes immediately reacted to the sound. They were bells. Tiny bells. He recognized them instantly. Only you wore ankle bracelets with bells, a gift you had received from him on your wedding night. You wore it quite a lot and only took it off when you went to the bed house. His eyes caught the sight of your feet. Then your ankle bracelet and then finally to your face. You didn’t wear any make up and your hair was slightly disheveled. He woke you up with his summoning. He felt guilty…he feels selfish for calling you while you needed your own sleep too.

‘I’m sorry for waking you up empress.’

‘It’s fine…did you need something from me at this hour? emperor Geta?’

Your voice was groggy. It made him feel even more guilty. He took a few breaths before he sat down on the bed. A rather vulnerable silence followed before he started to speak in a soft voice. His eyes didn’t meet yours anymore and his head was slightly turned away as if he felt ashamed of what he was about to say. The hand that was gripping his robe seemed to tremble slightly. It was pitch black and the middle of the night. He shouldn’t be having a conversation with you. The both of you should’ve been asleep. Nothing about the betrayal should’ve even existed. He wishes it was all just a cruel prank. There must be a reason. Would he rather not have known? Or is it for the better? Why is it like this? What did he do wrong? What should he tell you? The truth? But it’ll only prove that he makes poor choices as an emperor.

‘Stay…just for tonight please?’

He sounds pathetic. He didn’t mean for his voice to break mid sentence. He didn’t mean to tear up. He wanted to keep it hidden. He didn’t want to tell you what wrong. He didn’t want to feel this way. He kept his head low. The crown was missing, it was just his wavy orange hair. The robe was slightly exposing part of his chest and body. The request sounded simple. In any other moment he would’ve demanded it from you. Ordered you to obey him. But now he hadn’t. Now it sounded small as if it could break. Even after you two were wed, you stayed in different rooms. Geta never minded it as he usually found his own company with others wherever he liked. He never asked you to be in his other than having intercourse what you usually declined.

‘Did something happen my Emperor?’

The question made him sniffle a bit and wipe his face. He really doesn’t want to tell you. He doesn’t want to be weak in front of you. Both of his hands grabbed your robe. His own falling open in the middle of it. He looked at you with a rather pleading gaze. His eyes blood shot red and a his cheeks were a little glistening because of his tears. His hands were trembling slightly yet he hadn’t said a single word. You didn’t really know what is was, shame to ask for help? Embarrassment? Well, it didn’t really matter which one. As long as he didn’t cry anymore.

‘I…don’t wish to think about such matters more than I already do empress, as long as you’re here…it’s more than enough for me.’

Those words made you raise an eyebrow. So there is something wrong but he just isn’t ready to tell you now. Got it. He’s also tugging on your hand like soke kid. How cute. Despite the pathetic and disheveled state he is in, he’s rather cute. Like a puppy. You wouldn’t tell him that ofcourse. It’s not like you’re sadistic. Your hands reached out for his, letting your fingertips glide across his knuckled which made him loosen his grip. He took a few breaths before he finally let go of your robe and sat back on the bed. He guided you to also join him in his bed which was bug enough for the both if you. He laid back on the bed, his eyes looking at the ceiling and his robe still open.

‘Please make me forget about it all, my empress.’

[slytherinshua]

THE NIGHT WHERE IT ENDED

genre. vampire au. angst. little bit of fluff. warnings. guns. vampires fighting against humans. a lot of blood. major character death. kinda half proofread half not. pairing. vampire!hanbin x vampire!reader. ft. vampire!zhanghao, vampire!seungwoo (x1/victon/solo), and vampire!sejeong (ioi/gugudan/solo). wc. 3.7k. request. @blue-jisungs begged me to write pt 2 but i think she's regretting that decision now skjdksd oops. a/n. i'm sorry for this fic okay like srsly i'm sorry 😭😭😭 divider by @/sweetparty.

read part 1 here read part 3 here

“Why are you restless, my love?” Hanbin asked softly as he wrapped his left arm around your shoulder, the fabric of his robe draping over your skin and shielding you from the cool night breeze.

“I think we are making a mistake, Hanbin.” You said quietly. Hanbin could feel the weight of your words despite how vague they were. He tilted his head and focused his crimson eyes on you, attempting to read your thoughts. 

The skill was challenging to use on other vampires. You were neither human nor a recently turned vampire, so your thoughts were safely hidden from most. The connection of your souls made it easier for Hanbin to get in, though. And when he did, gathering a few more pieces of information about what was bothering you, he knew you were probably right. 

“You mean about humans?” His hand slowly rubbed over your arm, a simple tranquillity spell dispersing from his fingertips. This, unlike the mind reading, was something he could do without any effort. He often used it on you when he could, to help calm you in any way. You always noticed when he did, and he knew you appreciated the gesture by the look in your eyes. The same happened now, as he felt your body slowly relax in his hold. 

“They are coming into the age of technology— progressing at a rate faster than we’ve ever seen before. The elders have grown foolish. They have not seen the outside world for themselves in hundreds of years. They still think humans are weak and easy.” You explained the things that Hanbin knew very well. As merely a short thousand years old or a little more, both of you were at the front of missions and leading forces. Being young and able-bodied yet skilled enough to face almost anything, there was little left to improve on.

“Their guns have grown more powerful. So have their bombs. They are no longer scared, weak, foolishly mortal beings who run around with pitchforks and torches. They have weapons causing damage that not even the best of spells could hope to remedy. I’ve explained this all to the elders, but they won’t listen to my suggestions. They don’t believe me.” You said in defeat, faced with an impossible task.

Never before had you seen your fellow vampires die so quickly. Bullets seared through their bodies faster than the wind, and it only took a couple to knock a vampire unconscious. It was only a matter of time before the wounds killed them. The simple truth you were faced with was almost impossible to accept.

Humans were growing stronger than vampires. Despite their weak bodies, their propensity for fear, their stupidity, or their short life-spans. The advantage they had over vampires was constant adaptation and invention. You could barely name a change in the castle in 800 years, but the changes to the human world were endless. And each one was more impressive than the last.

Diseases that had once killed millions were being researched and prevented, a problem of the past for humans. Modern technology in the form of telephones, space travel, and computers aided in all facets of human life. It was simply astonishing how fast the world could change. Vampires simply had no way to keep up, you realized.

“It will take time for them to come around, but they will. When they see for themselves how many we’ve lost— how we are no longer overpowering humans tenfold. They will surely change their course of action then.” Hanbin words soothed your worried heart. You felt foolish for wanting to believe every word that came out of his mouth, but it felt like second nature. You just hoped he was right.

“This is it?” You asked, glancing at Hanbin from across the table to catch his nod. On the marble surface lay a large rifle, one that had single-handedly taken out 3 of your vampires that evening with just 5 bullets. 

It had been several months since your worry had started, and you realized now that you had vastly underestimated how quickly humans improved. What once took 10 or more bullets to fatally injure a vampire now decreased to just 1 or 2. If this is what humans could do in just a few months, what more developments could they introduce in 10 years?

“They’ve developed this model for the past couple of months to specifically target our weaknesses. They must have studied one of our men to know that silver bullets would be more deadly than anything else. When aimed at our hearts, it’s very easy to kill a vampire with just 1 shot.” Hanbin said wearily, his expression growing dim like yours.

“For the first time ever, they’re killing us faster than we’re turning them.” You muttered, trying to not let the thought terrify you. It could easily mean the extinction of vampires within a short hundred years.

You turned to the elders who you were consulting about the issue, studying their pale faces. Seungwoo looked stone faced, which you expected. He was one of the few elders who knew about the situation, as he often went out into the human world, disguising himself as one of them. As the most advanced healer among the clan, he had tended to many of the injured fighters in the past months. He was familiar with the damage the weapon could do, and the number of vampires that had been lost to its deadly silver bullets. 

Zhang Hao looked surprised, and maybe even a little bit scared at the news. His eyes were wide, but he kept his face as stoic as possible. He was one of the most powerful vampires concerning spells. His magic was strong and his knowledge was vast. He knew ancient rituals and was able to create entirely new incantations by studying old texts. You respected his opinion on the issue, and was sure he would be able to advise how to train the younger vampires with protective charms.

You skipped past the dozen or so council member elders, and turned finally to Sejeong, watching her face twist in anger. She never failed to lead the vampires expertly, but her temper was a cause of concern for you. She held grudges against the humans more personally than Hao or Seungwoo. She had often been at the front of the battlefield hundreds of years ago, and she had seen no shortage of vampire bloodshed. Under her reign there had been centuries of peace, as she wisely chose to not engage with the humans unless necessary. Now that they were actively seeking out her citizens, though, she wasn’t willing to let it slide. 

You could predict many possible outcomes from this. Sejeong’s ruling might result in peace once again, or in a war that no one would be able to survive. It was your duty to trust and follow her every command, operating on her word to the best of your abilities, but you had never experienced such high risks. You were worried you might not make it out of this battle, or worse, that Hanbin would face death with you.

The 3 elders you had watched expectantly, having been the very 3 to conjoin yours and Hanbin’s souls, were well aware of the risks. Vampire souls were not naturally supposed to meld together, and although you and Hanbin were perfectly matched, your joining still faced consequences. If one of you died, it was likely that the other would not be able to survive alone. Whenever you called to one another through your tattoos, you had to bear the burning sensation that came from using such power. If one of you was in pain, the other experienced it too. There was never a burden that could be held by just one person. You and Hanbin were a pair, and you simply could not be separated. 

It was back in Hanbin’s tower after the meeting that you voiced your concern. After Sejeong decided on facing the problem head on, just as you expected, and it was only a matter of days before you would be sent out to attack.

“I think it would be best if we stuck together at all times. If you get out of my sight, I won’t know if you’re safe.” You said quietly, biting the inside of your cheek in worry. Hanbin walked across the room, joining you on the couch, lacing his hand with yours. 

“I won’t go anywhere without you, even if it means disobeying the elders' orders. We don’t know what could happen to our souls if one of us gets hurt. We’re meant to be together, not apart.” You continued, meeting Hanbin’s crimson eyes with yours. 

He nodded, “Whatever you wish.” He squeezed your hand reassuringly.

“I should close the curtain. The sun is coming up.” You kissed his cheek and stood up to do so. Hanbin’s eyes watched you as you walked across the room and drew the blinds. He leaned back against the sofa, gaze still fixed on you as you shuffled through the bookcase on the wall, picking up a history book about ancient vampire civilizations. He could see the anxiety in your eyes, and he felt a twist in his stomach, mirroring yours.

“Calm down, Y/n. We’ll be alright, no matter what happens.” Hanbin said. He motioned for you to put down the book and come back to his arms. “Stop worrying about me. I’ll be fine. I won’t get hurt. I promise I won’t.” He whispered to you, a comforting smile on his face.

You wondered how he could always be so sure and confident. You were constantly riddled with worries, but, like always, Hanbin assured you, easing your anxiety with his words or his spells. You could feel his magic work on you as he wrapped his arms around you, and you instantly felt at peace.

You stayed in his arms until the sun had fully risen, savouring the quiet moments while you still could. There would be no spare moment to relax once the full moon came. You couldn’t ask for him to keep the calming spell going all day, but for as long as you were in his arms, you allowed yourself to let him take your mind off of everything.

You even managed to fall asleep from how comfortable you were cuddled in his hold. When you woke up and looked up at him, his eyes had fallen shut as well, but you could tell he was only dozing. Beads of sweat had gathered on his forehead from how long he had been casting the spell. Even though it was a fairly easy one that he had mastered centuries ago, keeping it going for hours at a time still took an extreme amount of energy.

You kissed his cheek, watching as his eyes opened slowly. He smiled and wiped his dewy skin, sitting up slowly. You felt the spell wear off as Hanbin relaxed his shoulders, and the thoughts flooding your head came back immediately. A sigh left your lips. You couldn’t ask him to keep it going for any longer. You felt guilty for how long he had been doing it already, knowing just how exhausting it must have been.

“You didn’t have to do that for so long.” You whispered, standing up from his lap and circling around to the back of the couch. You unclasped the outer cloth of his long robe, leaving just the tunic and pants he was wearing. Your hands fell to his neck and shoulders, slowly starting to massage the muscles, working out the knots he had developed. 

His eyes fell shut, a pained whine escaping his lips from the sensation. He was always so focused on taking care of you, he rarely noticed when his own body was suffering. He felt relieved as the pain slowly subsided with the help of one of your healing spells, the touch of your fingers over his bare skin becoming softer.

Your fingers lingered on the side of his neck when you were done, circling the pads of your pointer and middle finger over his pulsepoint, feeling the faint beating of his heart. It was slower in pace than humans, but it was still felt from the touch of your finger. 

The life of vampires relied on magical powers (and a constant supply of blood) over bodily function. In his life as a human, Hanbin’s heart had been the most vital organ to his survival. But now, keeping his body healthy so his powers flowed freely was of equal importance. The two were still intertwined, a constant balance was the key to being a powerful vampire. Poor bodily function translated to weakened power. The fact that you could still hear Hanbin’s heart clearly was a testament to his abilities. It would take an extraordinary force to weaken him to the point of death, and that thought comforted you.

You had seen many conflicts in your lifetime, mostly human wars of which vampires were no part of. But it was an entirely different feeling standing at the front of the battleline in the dead of night, preparing your strongest spells, knowing you were vastly outnumbered by the enemy’s army. 

Hanbin was by your side, his finger still barely grazing your hand, trying to get as much strength from you before the fight started. Fear filled both of your body’s, but a strong determination overpowered it. The risk was immense, but you needed to win. You would come out of it alive, no matter what.

The explosions were deafening, ringing in your ears at ten times the intensity that they sounded to humans. It was dizzying, and you could barely keep track of the spells you were casting. They seemed to be working well enough to defend yourself, as any man who charged at you soon found himself in a pool of his own blood on the grass. 

You weren’t sure how long you had been fighting, or how many more men you could hold off. It felt like they just kept coming. You had never used this much power all at once, but you couldn’t stop even for a second. It couldn’t go on forever, right?

There was no big explosion, nor were any human soldiers in range to hurt you. You weren’t in the line of gunshots. There was no possible way a grenade could have reached you without you noticing it. So why did you suddenly feel such excruciating pain?

Hanbin. Where was Hanbin?

The smoke on the battlefield hindered the humans from seeing, but you were effortlessly able to clear a path. It was easy to find Hanbin— you always came back to him without even thinking. You knew where he was immediately, and your legs carried you to him in an instant. 

His eyes looked scared as they met yours. He was on his knees, surrounded by the men he had taken out, their blood soaked on his skin and clothes. The crimson of his eyes had faded, suggesting his weakening state. You couldn’t tell what blood was his, but you could tell that he was losing it fast. 

“Hanbin— get up. Get up, please.” You grabbed his arm in a panic, pulling him up to his feet and supporting his body on yours as you quickly found a sheltered spot to let him sit.

“What happened? Why are you hurt— you said you wouldn’t get hurt.” You cried, holding a bloody palm to your tattoos, trying to summon a healing spell. Hanbin was barely breathing; struggling to stay conscious for you.

After hours of fighting, your power had grown weak. The pain you experienced, mirroring the injuries on Hanbin’s body, also prevented you from conjuring the spell. You gave up trying to get it from the source, realising that it wouldn’t work in your current state. Instead, you placed your hands on Hanbin’s chest, your fingers touching the ink on his collarbone. You closed your eyes tightly, mustering as much strength as you could to reach his body. His tattoos flickered, wanting to shine brightly from your touch, but unable to summon enough power for it.

He gasped, air flooding his lungs again. His eyes watered from the pain, and he instinctively tried to push your hands away, although he knew that they were what was still keeping him alive. The blood loss was driving his body and mind crazy; the need, the thirst for it, overwhelming. You realized what was going on from just his face, the unmistakable sign of a bloodthirsty vampire flashing in his faint eyes. 

“Take mine.” You said quickly, pushing your garment to the side, exposing your neck to him. 

“N-no, I can’t.” He whispered, terrified at the thought of hurting you.

“Please. You’ll die.” You begged, your voice laced with desperation. Strangely, you had no fear. You didn’t care about how much it would hurt, or if it would drive you bloodthirsty as well. You just needed him to survive.

Due to his weak state, you were able to overpower him. You forced his mouth open in desperation, revealing the sharp fangs on his top row of teeth. He cried, having no strength to stop you. He would rather die than risk causing you harm. 

Hanbin submitted to your wishes, knowing that if he didn’t comply with biting you, you would find a different, more dangerous way to give him your blood. He sunk his fangs weakly into your neck and forced himself to suck. The taste of your blood trickling down his throat instantly curbed the insatiable need for it. You cried out in pain, feeling your strength wither as your blood left you. The sound broke Hanbin’s heart, icy tears falling from his eyes.

The taste of your blood was sweet and warm, but Hanbin refused to enjoy a single drop of it. As soon as he felt a fraction of his strength coming back, he used it to push you off of him. 

You looked back at him and the entire world seemed to disappear. The fight was still ongoing behind you, but no shouts or explosions reached your ears. His eyes slowly gained back their colour, flickering to yours and softening. With tear stains on his cheeks and blood splattered across his face and neck, he reached for you gently, hesitantly. Almost too hesitant to be quite like him. 

“I hurt you.” He said in anguish, his eyes unable to leave the wound on your neck. “Why did you let me hurt you?” He searched your face for an answer, and it stared right back at him. Losing him would be more painful to you than any wound, even if he was the one who gave it to you. He could hurt you, wound you, or even kill you, and you would still give yourself up to him without needing to think.

Vampires always felt cold, but Hanbin’s touch felt exceptionally gelid when it reached your cheek. He looked gaunt, his exhaustion evident even after he had gotten some strength back. You needed to get him to safety, somewhere where skilled healers could tend to him. His eyes looked scared. Not scared of the battle, but scared of himself and what he had done to you.

“You could never hurt me. Just please stay alive.” You whispered, holding his bloodied hand. His eyes still naturally drew back to your neck, shaky breaths leaving him as he processed your words and nodded weakly. 

He bent to kiss you with the energy he had, the action portraying a million thoughts and feelings. You felt him crumble in your arms, his body giving out on him as his lips touched yours. You held him steady, supporting his neck so his head didn’t fall. His eyelids drooped, and with a trembling breath you realized the carmine colour of his eyes was fading again.

“No, no— Hanbin, please.” Your hands fumbled, trying to think of what to do. You simply had no power left to give to him. Your hand slipped to his waist, trying to readjust him into a better position. That’s when you felt the warm liquid on your hand. 

The wound must have been from a bullet, you deduced quickly. No other weapon that humans possessed could have caused him to bleed so much. The bullet had pierced him in merely half a second, lodging itself in his side. It was a wonder how such a small piece of silver could do so much damage to a vampire as powerful as Hanbin. He was dazed, the feeling of you pressing on the wound to try to stop the bleeding the only sensation he could discern.

Shouts grew louder in your ear. Although you had found a hidden space away from the battle, you were still exposed to danger. You stood carefully, pulling Hanbin up with you. Your only hope now was to get him back to safety as quickly as possible. His soul was still clinging to the bit of energy you had given him, but you wouldn’t have much time before it ran out completely. 

He stumbled as he rose to his feet, doing his best to support his own weight. He would have fallen back into your arms if something hadn’t hit him quicker. A small piece of silver, not more than 2 centimetres, seared straight through his chest, and a gasp fell from his lips.

You heard the shot. You felt it too, in the middle of your chest, a scathing pain spreading up your neck. You failed to catch Hanbin in time before he fell. 

It was over. You knew you had failed. Your options were expended and your time running out. Dropping to the ground as well, you clung to his body. With no energy left to fight, much less save him, you accepted the loss. Closing your eyes, you gathered him in your arms and pressed a kiss to his forehead as if you were comforting a small child.

It was a send off, of sorts. A last goodbye, and a testament to your love. He took his final breath, cradled safe in your arms, protected from the world. After all he had given for you, he deserved to rest comfortably. 

As his soul perished, you felt yours fading as well. He was taking you with him, knowing you could never live apart from him. Intertwined in every way, even until death. That was the fate you and him shared.

↳ zerobaseone taglist (bolded could not be tagged): @eternalgyu,, @okshu,, @chewryy,, @haecien,, @sobun1est,,

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[orecana]

behind those walls.....

Lucas/wong yukhei x feminine male reader

(note: if you don't like feminine male reader or anything in this fic, please click off the fic.)

this was requested by a person i would to like to keep anonymous because the internet is cruel and i don't want that to happen to anyone as well. i'm finally back with another fic at least. i'm a bit too busy nowadays but i made time to write fics for you guys who keep supporting and reading them, which im grateful for btw. i hope you guys enjoy this one too!

lucas opens the door to his house, groaning in frustration as he puts his bag down onto a nearby chair as he sits on a sofa. he sighs before resting and shutting his eyes, attempting to doze off for a while.

"had a rough day? or did your hookups scatter away like the rats they are?"

hearing that annoying yet familiar voice makes him open his eyes again as he sits up straight and looks at them.

y/n was sipping his cup of tea wearing his white pajamas as he tilts his head at lucas as if he's asking for lucas to answer his earlier question.

lucas only groans another time as he was reminded of his failed hookup encounter. the girls all tried to hookup with him. even though he played along with them, they immediately left him when they saw the size they had to deal with, which is making him shake his head.

y/n listens carefully as he sips his cup of tea while leaning against the kitchen counter. lucas and y/n.........have a weird relationship. they met one day in school when lucas was going for a smoking session. y/n just straight up walked up to him and asked for a cigarette. lucas was hesitant at first but when he looked at y/n a bit closer at that time.

he was wearing the shirt of the school uniform but for the bottom part he was wearing a mid length black and red skirt paired with heels. he was still gesturing his hand towards lucas, asking for a cigarette as his other hand is on his vest.

lucas just tossed a cigarette to y/n who lights it up with a lighter hidden under his skirt. he stands near lucas and begins smoking as well.

lucas looks at y/n curiously as to why a person like him would be......... like this. he had almost thought gays would be annoying or stupid but from their encounter earlier, he can safely say that y/n is none of those. the way he carried himself and those enticing lips pressing itself into the cigarette.

"would you stop looking at me like a lovesick fool?"

lucas immediately noticed the sharp tongue the other got, but he didn't back down. throwing away his cigarette into a nearby garbage bin, he walks up to y/n and places his hands on both sides. y/n only looks up at lucas uninterested as he keeps smoking his cigarette. lucas leans in as he looks at y/n in the eyes.

y/n sighs as he takes out his cigarette and throwing it into a bin before he grabs lucas by his shirt, pulls him down and kisses him. they eventually found an empty and secluded classroom where they had sex. eventually this became a normal occurrence, lucas has a pretty high reputation for being the popular boy as well as a playboy who goes through girls like changing clothes. of course, some never work out and whenever that happens they would make out and have sex. no strings attached...............

y/n sighs again as he looks at lucas's face. it looks so hollow and so.....empty. even if it doesn't look like it, lucas and y/n have a close relationship. there are things that only they know about each other or things only they can tell about each other. just like now for instant, y/n knows that there is more to the story than a failed hookup. he knows lucas like the back of his hand, he would never get THIS upset over a failed hookup.

he puts his hand over lucas's chin and drags it to his face. lucas looks a bit surprised as if he didn't expect y/n to do this. y/n might be a girly fag or a disgusting disease or whatever the people call him, but that doesn't stop him from living life as he could.

"what's wrong lucas? even a braindead person could tell that you're not doing well"

lucas doesn't answer as he tries to pry y/n hands off of him with an annoyed face. y/n only sighs as he lets go of lucas's chin and goes to the kitchen so he could wash the cup. lucas follow him from behind, wanting to get something to eat. he looks at y/n calmly washing the cup he just drank from.

although lucas will never admit it out loud, he does find y/n pretty. his pretty face and those fluttery eyelashes and those (your eye color) eyes. lucas feels something rise up in his heart and he knew what it was. He denies it immediately though. he can't be............ he has a reputation to keep, he can't................

y/n places the cup into a cupboard before taking a glance at lucas who is currently mentally scolding himself. he looks away for a bit, feeling a bit of tears staining his eyes before he dries it with his fingers before going up and nudging lucas.

"come on, go to bed. we have school tmr."

lucas was about to protest but sees y/n gives him that "look" making him scared

"I said..............Go TO BED!"

"why are you at my house right now anyways?"

"because i can and i will bitch, now get your ass to bed before i make you."

"make me"

y/n only sighs and pulls out his hairclip before pushing a button on it. the hairclip increases in size a bit before a small needle appears from the clip. lucas felt a sweat drop down his face as y/n stares at him menacingly.

all you can hear in that moment is the sounds of lucas screaming and begging for mercy while y/n is just scolding and roasting the shit out of him.

the next day at school, lucas was going to school on his bike as usual when he looks at his right and saw y/n walking there with his earphones on. he never noticed it before but y/n features were even more prominent right now since he did some make up. his eyes looks even brighter that compliments his school uniform except this time he's wearing an extra long skirt.

lucas felt that feeling in his chest again as he tries to block it out and focus on getting to school. y/n could only notice that familiar bike as he sighs and walks a bit faster to school. a simple 'you fool' was the only thing he muttered as he also focus on getting to school as fast as possible.

lucas felt like he was on drugs or at least that what he felt like... he keeps noticing y/n's features that he didn't before and everytime he does it he felt that thing in his heart which he absolutely despises, he cannot feel like this. they were friends nothing more!

infuriated lucas decided to go to the club again after school, thinking that hooking up with people will lift up his mood, he walked into the club and looked around, searching for potential hookup. a girl approached him and he decided she would be that person as they made out and went into a room. he was ready to fuck the girl but.... he couldn't get erect. no matter how hard he tried and then... he remembered y/n's face. he was immediately erect which didn't sit well with him as he got frustrated again and left the room and the club entirely.

he storms into his house again in frustration as he marches towards his room. he sinks into his bed as he stares to the ceiling. he shouldn't feel like this at all! why changed?! why did he suddenly feel like this?

he groans and just showered, to possibly cooldown. after he was done, he puts on a sleeveless shirt and collapses onto the bed, unknowingly dreaming of y/n being next to him.

the next morning he rode his motor to school again but this time he didn't see y/n on the road, which was weird in his opinion. they leave home at almost the same time so lucas would have definitely noticed him. he has this itching feeling that something is gonna happen so he hurries to school.

the moment he parked his motor, he heard someone scream and the sound of an impact. quickly he rushed to the area and he saw y/n being knocked into a wall by a bunch of bullies. he was about to rush in but then y/n looked at his direction and secretly signals lucas to stay there before y/n kicks the bullies in the stomach one by one. the bullies fall to the ground, groaning in pain as y/n stomps the ground with his heels that made the ground below it breaks. the bullies were scared and ran.

lucas wanted to run up to y/n but y/n only looked his way one more time before he goes back into school, leaving lucas there to stare at him with a hurt heart.

after school ends, lucas was getting on his bike to go home today, before he heard a familiar voice.

"i haven't seen you go straight home after school in a while, lucas"

he turns back to see y/n standing there with his school uniform and heels. he looks at lucas with a look that lucas can't decipher. lucas felt that pang in his heart again..... it had became too much at this point. he tried to invite y/n to sit on the motor with him, but y/n was no where to be seen. he looked everywhere around him, but gave up after not seeing him at all and drove home, unaware of the pair of eyes that were watching him from behind the gardens.

2 months has past, lucas tried to date girls as he used to, but the lingering feeling of y/n always make him unable to continue dating those girls. he also slowly found himself accepting the deep feeling inside of him. y/n was the only person who knew the "real" him, who stayed and took care of him. lucas smile unconsciously as he leaves class again for the day and looks at his phone. his eyes widen at the date.

it's y/n's birthday today.

he actually got excited, for the first time in his life, he has something to look forward to. he drove his motor to go to the mall to get something for y/n, unaware of the approaching car because of his excitement.

y/n just got out of school after his dance classes ended when he heard a murmuring among the students. curious, he listened and he wished that he wouldn't have had to hear that.

"did you hear? lucas is in the hospital!!"

"he got into a traffic accident while going somewhere."

y/n skin crawled immediately after he heard that. he immediately dashed out of school before using his phone to both call the nearest taxi and to track down lucas's location. y/n was kinda protective of lucas even if he doesn't know it himself, he secretly placed a tracker on the earrings he bought for lucas on his birthday, one that lucas will always wear no matter what.

y/n rides the taxi as he looks at the tracking device on his phone and tells the driver the location of the hospital. he was sweating buckets, he cared for lucas very much, even if he never showed it.

"you fucking idiot!"

y/n finally arrives at the hospital as he hands over the amount of money the driver needed before running into the hospital. arriving in front of the desk, he asked for lucas's room number which the nurse provided as he rushed there immediately.

he pushes the door open and sees lucas on the bed. the monitor showing his heartbeat at a stable condition. sighing in relief, y/n sits down on one of the chair in the room as he watches lucas sleeping form.

call him terrible for thinking this, but he thinks that lucas getting into this accident was good for him maybe. lucas has been grumpy nowadays, it's good now that lucas is sleeping peacefully.

y/n holds lucas's hand as he continue to stare at lucas. y/n would never admit it out loud, but he is kinda proud to have taken care and fell for lucas. he was the only one who saw him for who he was.

lucas squirm as he felt pain all over his body and slowly open his eyes. he opens them as he takes in the white ceiling and the surroundings.

"finally awake?"

hearing that familiar voice, lucas looks at his left and saw y/n sitting on the chair, holding his hand. lucas couldn't help but smile seeing y/n.

"hey...."

y/n suddenly stands near his bed as lucas prepares for whatever is coming and closes his eyes, but he felt arms wrapping around him and a quiet sob. quickly, he wraps his arms around y/n as well as they just stay in that position for a good amount of time.

"visiting times are over!"

y/n sighs as he releases from lucas and looks at him in the eyes before giving lucas a quick peck on the lips before grabbing his bag and going to the door. lucas who was stunned by the sudden kiss, immediately shouts for y/n to stop.

"what are we now? that peck....wasn't like any of our previous ones"

y/n turns around and look at lucas dumbstruck face and only gives a smile. "whatever you want it to be" before going out of the door, leaving a dumbstruck lucas who can't stop smiling after hearing that.

(i know the ending kinda sucks but i think.......this suits their relationship. what comes after? .....you guys can fill in the blanks with what you want.)

[ancha-aus]

SansNautica Sneak Peak - The Escape of the Dunes

Here is another small sneak peak drabble for the gang pov from my Sansnautica project :3 @0p1er0 as promised a tag for you :3

*--------------------------------------*

Killer yelps as he barely manages to dodge a swipe from another Warper.

He turns back and growls at the mess of weird metal and biology that always makes him unnerved. They always smell of rot and disease.

The warper speaks in its gargled voice “Level of intelligence. Recognised. Mode: Bargaining. Return stolen sample.”

Killer glares “Go die in the lava river you freak!” and he rushes as more show up. Damnit damnit!

It speaks again as Killer tries to swim further away and escape “One of four stolen samples. Found. Status. Stolen. Return sample.”

Killer glares and sticks out his tongue as he changes directions again “No you weirdo! Those eggs aren’t your samples!” the egg Little Flipper had found. It was a cuddlefish egg. One of the fish that Cross’s species had been mimicking.

The biology between the mers and the fishes looking like them is slightly weird. In a way they could lay eggs that could birth the fishes instead of mers. Thought it would take a lot os specified intent and magic to accomplish.

Cross however hadn’t been able to do this and had been so sad. Believing everything related to his species had been extinct. Killer by the very beings who had held Cross captive. The very beings who made these warpers.

To have Little Flipper manage to find one. In one of the other visitors bases no less! The fact he had given the little precious thing back to them.

Cross had been very protective of the small egg but been anxious about where to leave it to hatch. Scared to leave it to hatch and be hurt by the environment.

Nightmare had taken the time to check the small egg before speaking in a calming voice to their newest mate. That the egg was in hibernation and some gentle healing would help the egg get ready to hatch.

Then came the discussion of where to leave the egg to hatch. As Cross didn’t feel okay with it being near the warpers. Scared they would try to capture the new fishes and hurt them as was their mission. Nightmare had nodded and agreed as well. He offered to call for his brother to bring the newly found egg to a safer area beyond the void. Or even to call Reaper to do so for them.

Cross had looked unsure but nodded. Saying it would be best for the little egg. Give it a chance.

At the moment it was safely hidden in the underwater caverns. A large space that the other survivors and most other creatures hadn’t found quite yet. Hidden deep deep under water. Lower than even the lava lakes. The very place that their shiver called home which they had secret tunnels to lead up and down into.

Nightmare had used some of his magic to make a special cradle of plants for the small egg to keep safe and nurture. Cross had been anxious and watching the egg as much as he could.

Which just makes Killer all the madder that these rotting things wanted to take it away from Cross!

Crossy has already gone through so much and they dare to even try to take the egg?! Killer is furious.

Killer hisses at the warper “It isn’t yours!”

The warpers gargle more weird sounds that irritate his hearing before speaking “Negotiation failed. Changing modes. Hunting.” And those sharp slashing arms gleam as they rush him.

Killer yelps as he manages to twist and twirl around them as he rips one of their heads off along the way.

Killer pants as he rushes and swims away as fast as he can. Trying to twist around as many obstacles as possible but those things keep disappearing and appearing right in front of him forcing him to change directions.

Killer gets in the rhythm as he searches for the way down to safety when it happens. A warper appears from a side he didn’t expect and he feels it hit his tail.

It hurts so badly but he can’t stop swimming. He forces himself to keep swimming as he rushes out of the area. Then he sees the area change to just sand and more sand. But Killer has to keep swimming as those thing blast out those balls which make him appear somewhere else.

He keeps swimming when he notices that the warpers aren’t following him anymore. Or at least not as fast anymore.

Killer pants as he slowly slows down. Oh thank fuck. Okay. Where does he need to go down? He is bleeding quite heavily and his tail hurts so bad. He needs to get down and relax in their nest as his mates help him relax after Nightmare took care of his wounds.

He glances around when he realises where he is.

Only to hear a loud roar behind him.

Killer gulps as he turns around and sees a large reaper leviathan. The large maw coming straight for him!

Killer rushes off again as he ignores the pain “Shit shit shit! Don’t you stupid fuck smell Nightmare’s claim on me?! Leave me alone!” he keeps rushing deeper into the dunes feeling more and more nervous as he hears more roars.

He of course knows that the reaper leviathans are very territorial in this area. Seeing as there are many here they tend to get braver and bolder even with the mark of a mer leviathan on Killer.

It could also be the scent of blood.

Now that Killer thinks about it? It is totally the blood.

Killer keeps rushing and pushing his body as he keeps trying to outmanoeuvre the coming attacks.

It doesn’t take long before he is trying to outswim four of them. His body hurts and he is so tired. What does he do?

Something shoots passed him and Killer can’t help but stare. It is small but has a little light that blinks and he wants to rush after it. Two of the attacking reaper rush after it and struggling between them to get to it first.

Another reaper rushes him before something nearly white hits it and it… freezes? It doesn’t move anymore.

Something touches him and he turns to snap his own jaws on it only to stare.

Why is Little Flippers in this area?!

Then Little Flippers just flips upside down and tugs Killer with him downwards. Killer watches back in shock as the fourth and last reaper swims right into the frozen one and it starts struggling and fighting it instead.

Killer isn’t even sure what to make of this!! Why is Little Flipper here?! Killer wants to push him away. Get him to run. For the little guy has a tight grip on him as they swim down.

A loud roar in the distance.

Oh shit that is number five.

Killer tries to help them swim and speed up but his tail just hurts to much and he groans. Shit. He is going to slow Little Flipper down too much.

Little Flipper moves his hands around and Killer honestly wants to make sure to keep a tight hold on the other. If worse comes to worse one may bite him and maybe taste the claim of Nightmare on Killer but Little Flipper doesn’t have this security. Little Flipper will be eaten in a bite with no hesitation!

Little Flipper aims a tool towards the leviathans and it blasts more of the mostly white with a little blue blasts and those cause the reapers to freeze in place for a short while. He grabs one little device from his belt and lets it fly and Killer gasps. It is another one of those little floating lights!

Little Flipper had been exploring the dunes on his own�� with tools to freeze and distract the reapers as he made his escape…

And Killer was slowing him down. Killer could see it. They aren’t going nearly fast enough to escape together.

Little Flipper is going to die because he tried to help Killer.

Little Flipper starts messing with the thing on his back that makes him able to swim as the reapers slowly start to be able to move again. Killer is very aware that the thing that made them freeze had sputtered and the lights of it had gone out.

Little Flipper takes out a weird little cylinder before taking a much bigger one out of some weird patch on his skin. Killer decides to push that terror and crisis down for now.

The little alien selkie puts the bigger one into the thing on his back and the little information giver he carries with him makes a sound. Killer doesn’t think it was a good sound as Little Flipper frowns before putting the acquired cylinder into the tool that made everything slow down and stop. Which lights up again as Little Flipper takes aim and shoots more of those blasts at the reapers.

And Killer thought Little Flipper had good aim with peepers. He is much better with this thing than just throwing stuff apparently.

As Little Flipper tries to slow their hunters down Killer bties through the pain to try and get them both to safety.

It is little use though as the reapers keep getting closer. Killer tries to get Little Flipper to just go. He will be fine which he mutters to him “It is okay. I swear I will be fine! Just go.” he tries to let go and push the other away but as said before.

Little Flipper had a very tight grip and he glares at him with barely contained rage. He puts Killer’s hand on his shoulder and points to it with the sign for Stay. Which honestly seems more like an order than a suggestion.

Killer feels terrible as he keeps holding onto the other. Maybe he can transfer some of the claim over? Make them both smell of Nightmare? Maybe that will give him a little bit of safety?

That information giver makes another sound and Little Flipper looks beyond excited. Killer doesn’t feel very sure however as the thing on his back sounds mad at this point. It rumbles and seems to growl.

Little Flipper shoots one big blast at the group of reapers before he motions for Killer to hold on tight again. Killer does as ordered when Little Flippers hits the thing on his back and they just get launched.

Little Flipper makes a tiny noise of distress and Killer is quick to try and direct them better. Little Flipper is clearly not used to this kinda speed and Killer is! He can help direct them!

Killer sees the mushroom forest in the distance and cheers once they enter it. Only to feel Little Flipper push him off and Killer watches confused. Only to see Little Flipper look slightly panicked as he twists and turns with zero control of his direction or speed as he unclips his swimming helper. It shoots off as Little Flipper is left twirling without control.

Killer rushes to his side and grabs him and rights him. He looks to the side to see where the swimming helper went only to see it explode and Killer holds unto the other tighter. That thing had been stuck to him! Had Little Flipper noticed it getting close to hurting them?!

Had Little Flipper made him let go first in case he couldn’t undo it himself in time?!

Killer can’t keep the hiss of pain in as he tries to stay level and is forced to let them sink. Little Flipper looks at him with those pick sockets before pointing towards one of the mushroom tops. Killer nods “Yeah. You are right… It is best if we take a moment.”

Killer makes sure to be careful and gentle when he puts Little Flipper down on the surface of one of the mushroom tops. The mushroom forest should generally be safe as long as they don’t go to the edges too much.

And then Little Flipper pulls him down next to him and Killer stares as Little Flipper looks so worried at his tail. Killer laughs “It is okay… yeah it hurts but the shiver will be great at helping me! We just need to relax and let them find us.” His shiver will find him quickly enough.

Killer watches as Little Flipper turns to his skin as he taps something near his hips. It lights up and he pulls out somekind of pack or something.

Right! Because apparently the aliens that had the little selkie decided to not just brand him?! But also mess with it to make him able to store things in his skin with magic?! Killer had seem some stuff which did this with Farm but those were boxes! Farm called them dimension boxes and they hold a lot of space.

What kind of freaks would force a selkie to use their skin for that?!

Little Flippers doesn’t seem bothered as he pulls out some gel or something and nears his tail. He shoots him a nervous look but Killer isn’t worried. It is Little Flipper! He may be a spitfire but he is a little sweety.

He relaxes and puts the gel on his tail and oh… that is actually really nice? It numbs the overheated feeling and the pain gets less obvious. Some soft cloths or something are wrapped tightly around the wounds and Little Flipper nods before putting the little pack he had pulled out back into his suit.

Killer makes sure to slowly move his tail before pushing off with a grin as it is easier to swim again! He can make sharp turns! Somethings are still harder to do but this is amazing! He can swim!

The ache slowly returns and Killer is quick to slow down. Okay. So. Maybe not healed but enough to help and support him.

Killer makes his way slowly back to Little Flipper to see him just laying on the mushroom and he feels guilty. The other is probably tired and scared and doesn’t even know what to do as he can’t swim… and Killer just left him alone to enjoy a swim. He is such an asshole. Wait!

Killer grins as he quickly swims to where he saw the swimming helper go. It looks back and broken but maybe Little Flipper can fix it?

Killer inches closer “Hey… Little Flipper?” he hangs over the other and Little Flipper just tilts his skull at him as he holds up the swim helped. Little Flipper takes the thing with a smile. He turns it around being he starts to frown at it. After it he just shakes his skull, he points towards the item and signs No.

Oh shit it can’t help him anymore! Little Flipper needs that to swim! All because Killer got himself into a mess and couldn’t… Killer feels so guilty before realising it is already getting dark.

Killer looks up and around as he tries to think.

Little Flipper looks up before pushing himself up. He walks towards the edge of the mushroom and looks down with a frown.

Killer rushes to his side and stops him. Little Flipper looks at him confused and blinks with those big sockets. Killer makes sure to point to him and then the mushroom top. He signs Stay and waits for a moment. Little Flipper looks curious but sits back down. Waiting.

Perfect!

Killer grins as he rushes off. He used to make nests in the mushroom forest all the time! He considers which one would work well for him before deciding on one that is only a little bit bigger than he used to pick out. He goes to where it connects to the rest of the plant before he gets to work on clawing the side, just under the hard shell on top. He works quickly as he makes a small opening before starting to hallow it out to form a small nest.

If they need to stay here to wait for the rest of the shiver to find them he needs to make sure they have a comfortable little spot. Show Little Flipper that Killer can 100% keep him safe and comfortable.

That the whole reaper attack thing was a happening and NOT the normal!

Killer works quickly as he cleans it out and tests it to make sure it is still sturdy and comfortable. The inside is still soft to the touch and perfect to rest is tail on. The hole is just big enough to let Killer crawl into and the mushroom scent will hide them from most predators!

It is perfect.

It is already dark and Killer rushes back to the spot where Little Flipper should still be waiting and there he is and Killer feels himself coo. The little selkie is asleep. Good thing Killer made a comfortable space for them!

He gets to his side and Killer carefully grabs him. Little Flipper is awake immediately and turns and pushes himself away from him before he seems to realise it is just Killer.

Killer feels sheepish as he makes grabby hands at Little Flipper “I am so sorry. I just got excited. I promise it is okay.” Little Flipper lets out a tiny snort and Killer feels so happy. He is slowly adapting back to fit into the water! He is healing! Then the little selkie nods and waits as he looks at him with a smile. He is trusting him.

Killer purrs deep in his chest as he carefully picks the other up and takes them to his newly made nest. He takes Little Flipper to the stem holding the mushroom top and points him towards the hole. He looks curious enough at it but checks with him. Killer grins and motions him towards the hole with the Go sign.

Little Flipper blinks at the hole before shrugging and crawling into the nest. Killer feels his soul speed up as he watches the other touch and explore the tiny nest. Feeling proud that the tiny nest was accepted. So this is how Dust and Cross felt when Little Flipper accepted the metal and kelp nest they made.

Killer crawls in after and puts an arm around Little Flipper to help him deeper into the mushroom nest. Killer rolls up around Little Flipper and sighs happily. There. Safe and comfy.

Killer glances and snorts at the shocked and confused look on the alien selkies face. Killer purrs and coos “Comfy? We can just sleep in here and we will be safe. I promise!”

Little Flipper looks at how they are laying. Looks at the exit hole for a moment. Before sighing as he wiggles in place and pushes deeper into the soft mushroom texture as he closes his sockets.

Killer is sad to not be able to see those eye lights. Those are the easiest way to get an idea for how the other feels but it is alright.

He falls asleep really quickly. The soft breathing evening out as exhaustion of the day tugs at him.

Killer just keeps holding the other close. He nuzzles the smaller skull and purrs loudly. Their tiny little selkie. Killer would love to mark and scent him already but he won’t.

Crossy would be so sad if Killer tried to take the next step before him. So Killer won’t.

But holding and cuddling the other is allowed. And Killer sighs as he feels sleep tug at him as well.

Killer is comfortable and he has a tiny body to snuggle and hold close as he sleeps. His tail is patched up and feels a lot better than before and they are safely hidden away.

They will wait for the shiver to find them and make sure to take Little Flipper with them back to their own nest. Hide him away with the rest of them.

Killer sighs as he falls asleep. Making sure to keep a tight hold on the other as he breaths in his scent mixing with his own in the safety of the nest.

[dailyunsolvedmysteries]

Syndrome K, the Fake Disease that Saved Hundreds of Lives

In 1943, three doctors in an Italian hospital weaponized the fear of disease, but not to cause harm. Instead, they used it to save some of the most vulnerable people in Italy at times: the Jews.

“Syndrome K” was a fake disease invented by Italian doctors Adriano Ossicini, Giovanni Borromeo, and Vittorio Emanuele Sacerdoti to protect Jewish patients and refugees during World War II.

By September 1943, Benito Mussolini’s fascist regime had fallen and Nazi forces were occupying Italy. Things were looking especially dire in Rome, where residents of the Jewish ghetto were being captured in large numbers and sent to concentration camps.

There was a Jewish hospital in the city, but it was a clear target for the Nazi occupiers.

Less of a target was Fatebenefratelli Hospital. Fatebenefratelli, a Catholic hospital, had stood for hundreds of years. Being a Catholic hospital, it was less of a concern for the Nazis.

Little did they know that three heroes who worked in Fatebenefratelli were determined to help the persecuted Jews in any way they could.

Tensions for Jews living in Rome were already high in 1943. To keep Jewish patients safe, Dr. Vittorio Sacerdoti asked permission to start transferring them from the Jewish hospital to Fatebenefratelli.

Sacerdoti got the approval for his plan from Borromeo and Father Bialek, and he slowly began to transfer the Jewish patients over.

Things reached a fever pitch on October 16, 1943, when Nazi forces began a raid on the nearby Jewish ghetto. Fleeing their homes, the Jewish residents crossed the Tiber River bridge, arriving at Tiber Island and the sanctuary of Fatebenefratelli Hospital.

Having to act quickly, Borromeo brought the refugees into his hospital and swiftly put them in quarantine. Dr. Borromeo and the other doctors were aware that Nazis were terrified of infectious diseases–understandably so, with how prevalent tuberculosis was at the time.

With their Jewish patients hidden in quarantine, Borromeo, Sacerdoti, and anti-fascist doctor Adriano Ossicini devised a genius plan–a fake disease to scare the Nazis away from the Jews in the hospital.

Playing on that fear of disease–tuberculosis specifically–Syndrome K came into existence.

It was Dr. Adriano Osscini who first suggested the name “Syndrome K”. The thought behind the name was that the Nazis would assume the “K” stood for “Koch disease”, another name for tuberculosis.

Tuberculosis, a debilitating obstructive pneumonia, had been discovered by Dr. Robert Koch, hence its alternative name.

In reality, Osscini drew inspiration not just from Dr. Koch, but also chose the name to represent two of the worst perpetrators of violence against the Roman Jews–Luftwaffe officer Albert Kesselring and the head of German police in Rome, Herbert Kappler.

From that moment forward, the label “Syndrome K” would be put on Jewish refugee’s charts to indicate to other doctors that the patient wasn’t actually sick. Instead, they were a Jew in hiding.

Syndrome K needed more than just a name to be intimidating, though. In order to keep the Nazi investigators at a distance, Syndrome K needed to be more than scary–it needed to be terrifying.

The list of symptoms that the doctors would attribute to the fictional Syndrome K would be enough to give anyone pause. They ranged from a terrible cough to paralysis, and an eventual, unavoidable death.

Here is a list of symptoms associated with Syndrome K:

● Dementia

● Seizures and convulsions

● Paralysis

● Trouble breathing leading to asphyxiation

● Death  

When asked about the disease, the Fatebenefratelli doctors would tell the Nazis that Syndrome K was an incredibly contagious neurological disease with no cure. This was why the patients had to be kept in a strict quarantine.

When Nazi investigators did make it into the hospital, the supposed sufferers of Syndrome K were instructed to fake a terrible, loud, wheezing cough to imitate tuberculosis. They were also told to intentionally appear frail and ill.

Although the Catholic Fatebenefratelli Hospital had drawn less attention than the nearby Jewish hospital, they wouldn’t expect to go unnoticed forever. Eventually, the Nazis appeared at the hospital doors and demanded to search the facility for any Jews.

By this time, all of the staff at Fatebenefratelli had been briefed on the Syndrome K medical deception.

The Jewish people suffering from the fake illness were also familiar with the part they had to play–pretending to be devastatingly sick with something contagious.

Borromeo and the rest of his staff were forced to admit the Nazis, but their plan went off without a hitch.

Upon being told about the mysterious Syndrome K and both hearing and seeing the ill patients in quarantine, the Nazis balked at the idea of getting any closer. Above all else, they didn’t want to risk infection with something as terrible as they believed Syndrome K to be.

“The Nazis thought it was cancer or tuberculosis, and they fled like rabbits,” Vittorio Sacerdoti would say.

Of course, this wasn’t the last time the Nazis were supposed to search the premises of Fatebenefratelli Hospital. Amazingly, fear of the fictional Syndrome K, known as Il Morbo di K by the Italian doctors, didn’t just keep the Nazi visits brief. 

On multiple occasions, it was noted that the Nazis skipped searching in and around Fatebenefratelli altogether because of Syndrome K, even when they were actively searching other nearby areas.  

Unfortunately, the solution wasn’t a perfect one. In the spring of 1944, five Jewish refugees from Poland were discovered during a rare search of the hospital. All five of them were taken away.

Despite this setback, the Syndrome K ruse was incredibly successful. While exact numbers vary, it’s thought that the doctors and staff of Fatebenefratelli Hospital managed to save around 100 Jewish lives.

[mrs-snape5984]

„And there's a black mark where your heart should've been….“

„I could've laid down and died, but my head was spinning round. It was spinning round. I wanna know what it's like, so I can feel it inside…“ („The Blue, The Green“ by Lonely The Brave)

Trigger warning: I’ve written this post in a moment of frustration and grief. If anyone has a problem with reading the sad thoughts of a depressed, middle-aged woman with the tendency to curse and swear too much, please feel free to skip the following five paragraphs.

It’s one of those especially hard days today. I had to leave my dark room to be taken to a medical appointment. Leaving my dark room means crashing hard again…with prior announcement!

So, leaving the house goes hand in hand with a sudden feeling of disorientation. Noises, movements, lights…those are all things, which my brain can’t comprehend anymore since I’m struggling with ME/CFS. When I’m overstimulated like that, I’m losing my grip on reality. Everything gets blurry and I feel as if I don’t know, who I am anymore.

It’s hard to describe, but I need to be guided into the right direction in these situations: Walking very slowly with my cane…having a break after every few steps…being held on my other arm…always wearing my dark sunglasses and my noise canceling earplugs…all these aspects together are making me feel so helpless…

I have to take my mother with me to the doctor’s office, because I wouldn’t understand a single word otherwise. And when I’m home again, back in my dark room…lying in my bed, the big crash starts to hit me right into my face! I’m getting feverish…my whole skin hurts as if it would be pulled off my body…my lymph nodes are swollen…my limbs are hurting and I can’t make a single step anymore. My head seems to explode from aching and I’m losing my ability to communicate properly. Every fucking time!

After some hours (sometimes even up to 24 hours) of sleep, I’m regaining consciousness again…still not capable of leaving my bed. And this is the worst moment…the moment, when my brain starts thinking about the humiliating feeling of being so helpless in my age. The moment, when I’m realising, that there are still so many years left to live….probably the same way as I was living for the past 1,5 years. The moment, when I’m grieving for the life, I’ve lost. The moment, when I’m hating myself for being too sick to be the active mother, friend, employee, I’ve been before this goddamn disease ME/CFS destroyed everything!

And this is the moment, when Severus has to take over. This might sound strange, but drowning in my fantasies about him is the only way to prevent my mind from going insane. Every time, when my own reality becomes unbearable to me, I’m imagining myself to be hidden beneath his robes…searching for shelter in his arms. Severus has been my safe haven for the past 21 years…and right now I’m clinging to him as tight as I can…in order to stay alive.

The wonderfully talented @alinearthp has transformed my fantasy into this beautiful artwork and I’m more than happy with the outcome of it. Aline, my friend, I love your art and the way, we’re sharing our thoughts with each other. You are a precious person, my dear, and I’m grateful to know you. Thank you so much for everything!

🖤Severus & Julia🖤

[weministertomonsters]

The Wedded Knight - 1

➤ Wordcount 1.7k

Dain Azulan walked into the gaping room and immediately wanted to stalk out as the offensively cloying scent of perfume attacked his sense of smell, causing him to give one big shudder. Like a dog shaking water out of its coat, except no one but him would see it that way. He was grateful for his mask, which helped hide his expressions and had often saved him from sneering in people's faces.

Mistake, the animal side of him growled. Too much flesh. Back out now.

Why didn't anyone tell me about the fucking banquet that I am apparently holding?! The human side shouted.

"Quiet," Dain said, and regretted it immediately when Whitlock leaned in and said,

"Pardon, Command? Yes, sir?"

"Never mind," Dain replied, nodding for the old butler's benefit.

Whitlock had worked for him for forty years now. Dain had tried pretty hard to scare him off, but the human had clung to his job like a burr on a shoe. Dain respected that. Decades later, they had finally come to a polite understanding of each other.

Whitlock learned to do his job quietly, stay out of the way, and keep questions like "Where did all that blood come from" and "That's enough meat to feed an army" to himself. Dain had learned to make some noise when approaching and to clean up to the best of his ability after a hunt.

Whitlock had all but broken down in tears when he discovered bloody prints stamped on the white carpet one morning. The poor fellow.

Before Dain could finish his internal war of conflict Baron Eastwood looked up from his cluster of bootlickers and noticed him.

"If it isn't the man of the hour!" He boomed, raising his glass.

The whole room went silent for a few moments, long enough for Dain's fingers to start curling into fists and his breathing to turn into more of a pant.

Stop looking at me, is what he wanted to shout, but thankfully all that came out of his mouth was, "Good evening."

Someone started clapping, and soon the room was giving him dutiful applause. He wanted to snarl at all the noise but forced himself to remember that he was in polite company. He settled for giving the collar of his shirt an absent-minded tug and walking into the room.

"If not for you, I'm fairly certain we would have never won the war," Baron Eastwood said, closing in on him.

"It was nothing. I'm honored to have been able to fight for this Kingdom," he said, which was a lie if he had ever told one.

Really, he just liked getting his hands wet with blood, but the room would clear out in minutes if he said that.

Polite company.

Baron Eastwood dragged him around the room and inserted him into conversations he had no interest in, but Dain was good about it. He had learned well, and those who didn't admire him were at least lulled into a state of false security.

Subconscious assurance that he was safe and level-headed. He wasn't going to gut anyone and wear their entrails like medallions, no.

Dain couldn't help but notice that no amount of charm would bring any of the ladies within five feet of him. As a person, he was intimidating enough, but his reputation and appearance- though most of the latter was hidden under clothing- made it so that no woman would even look twice at him. The best he would get were the working women, the ones desperate enough to do almost anything for some money and food.

That was fine by him. For once, he could help, even if it was just a pretense. Payment for pleasure. Enough money to give them a good life for their children.

He extracted himself from a group of elderly men and wandered to the side table. Most of them smoked cigars and the acrid smoke stung his nose, but not as much as the sour smell of curdling disease many of them carried. Dain had learned to keep his mouth shut about that too. No one wanted to know when they were going to die. He was a monster already, no need to give them further ammunition.

He downed two glasses of liquor and ignored the two whispering women who huddled on a chaise a few feet away.

"I wonder why he always wears that mask," one said.

"Perhaps his face is as monstrous as the rumors say it is," the other murmured.

"Is all of him so large?" The first wondered. "Even below the belt?"

They dissolved into furtive giggles. When Dain cast his eyes in their direction, they sat up so quickly that one of them dropped her fan, and it slid to the floor. Dain licked his teeth and perked up when he caught the scent of food. Just then, Whitlock announced the dinner and the guests flocked into the massive dining room. The table seemed to go on forever, and it was quite depressing to eat there alone.

Tonight every chair was filled, and Dain found himself half enjoying the scene; Crystal goblets dancing with wine, towers of roast potatoes and steamed vegetables, baskets of dinner rolls, and swan-shaped gravy boats. At the very least, no one could accuse him of being a bad host. Of course, he would be without Whitlock, who decided on everything from the dinner to the decor.

Dain took his seat at the head of the table and gave perfunctory answers until those seated near him stopped asking him questions, leaving him free to eat and let the conversations flow around him. Eastwood kept throwing him gleeful looks from across the table. Dain was not close with him- he wasn't close with anyone- but they had a good relationship with each other. Dain had learned how that kind of look on Eastwood often meant he had gone and done something Dain wouldn't approve of.

The dinner ended well. Dain stood at the front door and thanked everyone for coming, the rich food heavy in his stomach and his clothes feeling a little too tight on him. When the last person was out the door he all but tore his shirt off, growling a little as the tight collar dug into his neck. He yanked at it and a button came loose, bouncing to the floor.

"Hello hello," Eastwood said, popping out of the drawing room.

Dain froze with his shirt in his hands.

Thank the gods that you didn't remove your mask, the human side of him said cynically. Otherwise, Eastwood would be unconscious on the floor from the shock of it.

"Oh," Eastwood said, his eyebrows hiking up as he followed the vicious, carving trails of scars on Dain's torso.

Anyone with a bit of brain would know that this meant Dain was a man of battle. Or that someone had tried to do him in at several points. The truth was that it was both, and then some.

"Well," Eastwood cleared his throat and blinked, recovering fairly quickly. "I got you a gift. Consider it as thanks for winning the war and for coming home."

"A gift?" Dain echoed.

He bunched the shirt in his hands and the muscles in his arms flexed. Eastwood didn't seem able to look away from the imposing horror of him, a man who looked better covered in blood than not. A made killer.

"Ah, yes. According to Whitlock, it's in the kitchen now," Eastwood said, finally looking away from when the clock gave its midnight toll. "Christ, is the hour that late already? I must be getting home."

He started to the door, accepting his coat from Whitlock.

"Enjoy," he called, before ducking out into the night.

"What did he get me, a fucking pound of beef?" Dain muttered.

"Not quite," Whitlock said and grimaced.

Eyeing him, Dain marched to the kitchen. He had to take two different hallways before he found the place and he realized he had never been in it. The air smelled sugary and mild, like the lingering scent of baked goods long after an oven has cooled. He found it mouth-watering, even though sweet things never sat well with him.

"What did you make in here?" Dain asked because he knew there hadn't been anything of that sort after dinner. "Cake?"

"No," Whitlock said quietly behind him.

Dain prowled into the kitchen but his search did not take long at all, for he found Eastwood's gift immediately. A person sat sprawled at the kitchen table, head cradled in the crook of their arm, a half-eaten roll dangling from limp fingers. Dain took in their curly hair and pretty, layered dress and shouted,

"A woman?!"

The woman in question stirred slightly, and Dain found himself lowering his voice as he hissed,

"Eastwood has gifted me a woman?"

"Paid in full," Whitlock said in a thin, informational voice, and Dain was outraged.

"A slave, then. Where is the contract? Why didn't you turn her away?"

"She would have nowhere else to go, but back to the auction. To return so soon after purchase would drive her price down, I'm afraid," Whitlock said and added, "Besides, she was hungry."

"Gods," Dain said, fighting the urge to yank his mask off and run into the woods to blow off some steam. "What is Eastwood trying to aim for here?"

"Perhaps he thought the mansion was a little lonesome?" Whitlock commented, and Dain choked on a snarl.

"I am perfectly fine on my own!"

"What's happening?" A husky, sleepy voice uttered, and Dain felt his soul shrivel into a ball.

How often is it that you have women here? At a minimum, you should try not to frighten her. First impressions are important, the human droned.

Flesh! The beast exclaimed gleefully. Decadent, soft, fuckable flesh!

Dain opted to flee. He nearly ripped the back door off its hinges in his haste, stumbling as he yanked on his shoes. The mask joined the footwear by the fence along the property, left for Whitlock to take inside later. He wasn't quick enough for the pants, and the material burst around the expanding muscles in his legs. Another minute and he was changed, free to snuffle in the forest and hunt deer like the monster he was, excused from human worries for a few hours.

When he came back, he would figure out what to do with the woman.

────────── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──────────

Anyone remember the story I wrote under the same title? I've had this idea lingering vaguely in my head for over a year, and it finally made it into writing!

[thecoolerliauditore]

Your post abt gender presentation as part of character growth is soooo. To me, Joel embracing his femininity is so much. He puts up a giant facade of bravado and strength, he is tall and muscular and strong. Yet if there is an occasion for him to wear a dress he embraces it. Would he need to be this aggressive in life if he was born a girl? A girl doesn't need to be tall and strong, he'd been taught.

Joel likes being a man. But there is an unspoken serenity in femininity in his eyes. Maybe he can indulge, if just for a few hours hidden behind the facade of a joke.

A man wearing a dress is funny, right?

... right?

Sometimes a joke is just so... funny... you can't help but cry.

Anon there are some asks that like evoke a emotional reaction from me that I could swear are the result of momentary possession because I usually do not get the butterflies from posts like this but smth about the timing of this being sent mid joel/scott essay + me having no internet and rewatching my downloaded joel 3L episodes over and over did. something to me.

This post got really away from me sorry. the disease got me. (no really I am still sick and brainfogged please forgive me)

But yes this is so true so true anon. He's so verbal about it all too. handsome, strong, muscular, tall, etc etc. Guy who totally isn't trying to convince himself of his own lies.

I've always liked looking at empires as a sorta vague symbolic representation of the characters' backstories and I have had. So many thoughts about Joel being a prince (specifically one that gets wordlessly hitched to a queen) and a big, tall, manly God. Both are very classic symbols of (forgive me but I really do not know what other term would work) peak masculinity. Of course he would portray himself that way.

And Joel is powerful, he's scary and he revels that people see him that way. But Joel is only human and he can't keep up the facade forever. He spends so much of the death games feeling small and scared. And he hates it so much, he hates feeling emasculated so much that he ends up letting it kill him in LimL in his panic.

His relationship with his own sense of masculinity has inspired like. pretty much all of my Joel art now that I think about it alongside the homophobic gay thing. Most relevantly that wedding dress one. I've always headcanoned him as growing his hair out in HC10 where he feels safe enough to start exploring that side of himself (although he still won't admit it -- if you ask him he'll just make up some excuse about how he can't be bothered).

A big part of that i/me/myself animatic was me thinking about how both him and Scott are the types to think that their lives could be so much simpler if they were born girls, but in more of that misguided homophobic/softcore misogynistic way than a transfem way (that being said I'm like. lowkey shocked I haven't ran into any transfem joel or transfem scott in the wild. I've had bouts of imagining both as well as transmasc joel but I don't think I have anything interesting enough in my head to post).

Very dubious sourcing of headcanons occurring here but I really do think about that one Guess the Build episode where he makes a generic wedding scene and randomly remarks that it looks like him and Jimmy getting married, with himself wearing the dress. Sighs. Whatever, man.

I do really. really like the idea of him starting small with the femininity. I think he's at a stage where he's willing to at least give it a try. I haven't quite gotten ill enough about the WL dynamics to come up with making shit up headcanons but idk maybe his hair is long enough at this point that it gets in his face alot and Gem gets annoyed with his constant complaining and teaches him to braid it. Wait fuck new headcanon unlocked drawing him with a little baby braid from now on.

Also this might be more the gay thing than the gender thing but I'd like to think he becomes more comfortable with how small he is compared to other guys, and his thing for taller men like Etho and Jimmy. Getting more accustomed to physical affection and having the association with his size slowly turn from fear of being overpowered or humiliated to something much softer and warmer.

I love how you use the word "mock" anon because it really is. like that. It's all a joke. A man being gay or effeminate, that's worthy of mockery, of humiliation to Joel. He's internalized these beliefs and as a consequence he believes he will be subjected to that if he lets himself slip into being those things. So he has to keep mocking men like himself, keep insisting it's all stupid and gross, but at the same time doing that is the only time he gets to even pretend to experience expressing those parts of himself.

Maybe a bit of a side note but I've had this idea in my head for ages of like. This but Joel ends up just deciding fuck it one day and trying to feminize himself super hard to attract the men he likes (which is not quite right tm either he's maybe pushing his own boundaries a little too hard and it's uncomfortable but he feels like he has to do this). I usually imagine Jimmy but this could very much be Etho too.

They go on a little date and Jimmy literally could not give less of a fuckk. He's like oh Joel's experimenting, cool. and Joel gets all huffy about the lack of reaction and demands to know if Jimmy thinks this new version of him is pretty, to which Jimmy just says some shit like "yeah but you were always pretty" and Joel explodes on the spot and dies.

[frogychu]

Antirrhinum Ch. 3

ellie x gn!reader

ch. 3 of 4

other parts: 1 / 2 / 4

word count: 2.5k

Hanahaki (花吐き病) ; disease affecting the lungs, proven to be caused by keeping one's true feelings hidden for too long Or Where you and Ellie have been friends for years until she finally slips up, coughing up petals in front of you.

a/n: of course its also posted on AO3 here if u wnna read there instead 🫶 ty for the love and all the reblogs!!

You and Ellie had spent almost all night on your roof, talking and watching the stars. You learned that green was her favourite colour, that her favourite season was fall, plus when and where she got all of her scars.

Much as you liked to hear her talk, she was insistent on asking you things and learning more about you. Her eyes would light up as she listened to you rant about something you liked or anything that was bothering you.

At one point, you figured that if you were really going to let your guard down around her, she would have to learn something crucial. “I have something else to tell you.”

She shoots you a look of genuine worry. “What's up?”

“I watched Curtis and Viper the other day.”

You watch as her soft expression quickly turns into a shit-eating grin. “Yeah? Without me and everything? I'm impressed, did you even like it?”

“Yeah, I did,” you twiddled with your hands, “I mean, now I'll have to watch the second one.”

Honestly, you wanted to watch it with Ellie, you wanted her to pick up on your hints at least a little. Who knew if she even liked you back, it wasn't really asking her out on a date, you just wanted to spend time with her.

You both cut each other off trying to speak.

“Did you want-”

“I was wonder-”

Ellie panicked. “Fuck, sorry, go ahead.”

“No, no, it's fine! What did you want to tell me?” You answer, trying to be polite.

“Uh,” you can tell she's nervous by the way she plays with her hands, “You could come over and watch the second movie. With me I mean.”

Your eyes lit up at her advance. “Yeah, that’d be fun, when were you thinking?”

“I was thinking like, maybe now? This is nice but it's fucking freezing.”

You nod your head. “Yup agreed.”

She gets up and pats the snow off of her pants and extends her hand to help you up. You can't help but feel your face get flush while you hold her calloused hand; somehow it's still warm despite her complaining about the cold.

You both get down from the roof safely and she walks you back to her garage, still holding onto your hand as you made your way over. You immediately warm up once you get through the door, her fireplace roaring in the corner.

Her small house is still exactly the same as a few hours ago, blunt still put out in the ashtray from earlier. You couldn't help but wince as you remember your argument from earlier, even if you've already made up.

Ellie motions for you to sit on her bed and crouches in front of her TV, trying to find the DVD on her shelves. You sit at the edge of her bed nervously, legs and hands stuck together, scared to take up too much space in the room. Even if you two were closer now, you couldn't help but still feel a little awkward.

She takes out a movie from her shelf after a while of rummaging and looks at your awkward posture. “I'm not gonna bite you know.”

“Oh, sorry.” You answered, as you moved back to lay on the bed more comfortably, your back resting on the headboard. She quickly joins you in bed after setting up her tv and sits beside you, leaving about a foot between the two of you.

Awkward.

The two of you watch the movie mostly in silence. Sometimes you'll give an offhand comment about something that happened, or Ellie will try to make you laugh with a stupid joke, but most of it was just the two of you sitting stiffly beside each other.

About halfway through the film, you notice your movie-watching partner slowly start to nod off, eyes droopy and head having a hard time staying upright. She eventually gives in and lets her head droop onto your shoulder, causing you to jump.

You sat there, not daring to wake her up; she looked too peaceful. Besides, she has had quite the day so you decided to let her rest, even if by this point the movie was over and it was just the blue screen of the TV keeping you company.

Eventually, you couldn't help but be lulled to sleep by her presence. Her soft snores and warm body, now clung onto you from her lack of awareness, force you to fall asleep with her by your side.

-

You jolt awake from strange sounds coming from the bathroom. Somehow you had made it under the blankets, and Ellie was no longer beside you. You start to get worried as you deduce that the weird sound was loud hacking and wheezing, and it was definitely her making those sounds.

Before you had the chance to knock on the door to make sure she was okay, the door opens slowly and you pretend to still be asleep. The bed creeks and you feel it sink in on her side as she sits on the edge for a while. She lets out a shaky breath before getting back into bed with you, pulling herself into the crook of your neck, and wrapping her arms around your waist.

Faint sobs fill the silence of the room as she cries into you, feeling the hot tears on your neck. You don't know what's wrong, you wish you could help but you don't know how, she won't tell you. So, you sit there, letting her get it all out before she falls back asleep, without her knowing that you're here for her.

You don't know if it would make it better or worse.

-

Oddly enough, you have a dream while you're asleep.

It's about the first time you and Ellie had ever met.

You're back as your 16-year-old self, just getting used to living in Jackson. Though your body isn't your own, you're still able to think your own thoughts. This particular vision is of you moving into your house, slowly unpacking the contents of your frayed backpack with the very few items you owned, making you feel appreciative of the things you have now.

Then, the time jumps; you’re with Maria. She’s telling you about all of the possible jobs available for you to do. You had chosen gardening to start, before moving on to patrol. Your heart feels full and warm as you reminisce on your gardener days, hands always dirty trying to make a nice patch of flowers nearby, even if you weren't really supposed to.

Snapdragons, or Antirrhinums, a wildflower native to the surrounding area. Even if they were everywhere, it felt nice to take care of some of your own, they smelled nice and were easy to take care of.

As soon as you blink, your hands are out of the soil, a knife in hand instead. It was your first patrol with Ellie, you had never talked to each other beforehand. The sun is warm on your skin, making you miss spring. Ellie was easy to talk to, you immediately felt comfortable around her and you were glad to finally talk to someone your age other than Jesse.

Maria had given you an easy patrol route to start you off, passing through a lot of scenery to help you get used to this line of work. She had thoroughly explained to you the route and even showed you a map, so when Ellie decided to stray off the path to show you something, you were afraid.

That is until you got to where she wanted to go, looking out into a field of flowers.

Antirrhinums scattered through an opening of trees, dense and lush with all of their different colours. You can see Ellie behind you smiling at you softly, proud of her find, saying she noticed how you liked growing them. The amount was definitely exaggerated, but you knew that it was because your brain liked the memory. A time before the fighting started, when you were simply happy to gain a new friend who cared about you.

It was serene.

-

For the first time in a while, you wake up peacefully, Ellie in your arms and soft light coming through the window warming your face.

Up until you remembered you both had morning patrol. Although this time, it wasn't a race, it wasn't a battle, there were no arguments; simply the rush of getting there on time.

You wake Ellie up quickly, nudging her a little hard until her eyes open, and hastily tell her that you were both going to be late for work. She wasted no time getting up, not acknowledging the fact that you were both sleeping together, and got ready.

You grab your coat and sprint to your house for your backpack, not even bothering to change clothes while you were there.

Ellie greets you at the door as you leave, startling you a little.

“You ready?” She asks.

“Yup, yes, let's just go.” You reply, hurriedly making your way over to her.

She wasted no time running out into the street, you quickly followed behind, until you ran into the crowd of people already working in town. Neither of you think anything of it as you interlock hands, weaving through everyone in your way.

You're pretty fond of all of this physical touch that's been happening between the two of you; whatever the meaning behind it was you’re just glad she's getting comfortable around you. Once you get to the stables, Jesse looks at the two of you holding hands with a puzzled look. Ellie notices and lets go, slapping her hand against her thigh very loudly.

“El, can I talk to you for a sec,” he turns to look at you, “privately.”

She clears her throat. “Yeah, sure”

They talk for a while. Who knows what they're even talking about, it couldn't possibly be because you were late, he would have scolded you both and move on. To make matters worse, they keep shooting glances at you, which only makes you look at the ground and play with your hands as to avoid their gaze.

After what feels like forever they part ways and Ellie walks back over to you with your gun in hand. “Here,” she hands you your gun and brushes past you to grab Shimmer. “Jesse just said we're doing the upper neighbourhood trails.”

He could've just said that to both of us.

‘Oh, ok.” You answered a little dryly.

Something was totally up, but none of the pieces were connecting together. It was bothering you, gears constantly turning in your head over what your patrol partner could possibly be hiding from you.

Ellie brings out your horse and hops on, extending her hand with added flare to help you up. “My liege.”

“How chivalrous!” You laughed.

She shrugs, “I felt like being nice.”

You hold onto her tightly as you set on course for patrol yet again.

-

There's light conversations happening during the route. Ellie asks you if you enjoyed the movie last night and you say yes despite not being able to recall any of it. Even if your crush on her was still very new, she clouded your mind simply by being around you. Even now as your arms are wrapped around her, you can't help but think of how it felt to lay together, bodies intertwined.

Though the moment was bittersweet since she had cried for god knows how long. You didn't want her to be upset anymore, you can't stand it. You're thinking of bringing it up.

You want her to feel safe around you and talk to you about these things.

“So…” you nudge her side, trying to get her attention.

“Hm?”

“Do you want to tell me what's up with you? First, you're skipping out on patrol, then you're all weird and sick, even Jesse has been super weird with me lately. You promised you'd tell me why you skipped out anyway.”

“Can we maybe not talk about this while we're on patrol? Besides, we're here.”

There are a few houses and a gas station, but it's quiet. There probably aren’t even any infected in any of these buildings but, it's your job to check anyway. She was probably just trying to deflect from the conversation.

Typical.

“Alright, fine.” You give in anyway and hop off of the horse.

You tie up Shimmer on a tree and quickly follow Ellie across the street to the gas station.

“You do the house, I'll take care of this place.” She orders you.

“Shouldn't we go in together? You know, teamwork?”

“We’ll be fine, besides we both have our guns, just in case.”

“Okay, fine.” You relented and made your way over to the small house besides the gas station.

It was quiet, but you were still cautious when you opened the front door. The exploration was short since the house was so small, and just as you thought, there was no infected inside.

Ready to call this an easy win, you made your way out of the house with a little pep in your step, until-

Pow, pow.

Gunshots.

You felt the world go in slow motion as your mind suddenly clouded with adrenaline, sprinting towards the nearby building as if your life depended on it. Your whole body trembling with fear as you pulled out your gun and held it in front of you as you swung the door open at full force.

There were two runners still alive in the building, one coming towards you as soon as you came in, you wasted no time shooting it down. You quickly shot the other one coming for Ellie, finding herself helpless against the wall.

Only sounds of gurgling infected and your ragged heavy breathing filled the silence until reality hit you.

“Ellie!” You ran to be by her side, worriedly checking her body for injury, “Are you bit? What the hell happened?” Her head was still facing away from you, she didn't speak for a while, “Ellie? Look at me, say something please!”

You forcefully grab her cheeks and turn her to make her look at you. Her face is full of blood and-

Petals.

Tears start streaming down your face, mouth agape as you stare at each other. You're unsure of what to say, words are too much and not enough all at the same time. She leans her head back onto the wall as you let go of her face, tears pooling in the corner of her eyes.

Hanahaki. You swore that sometimes it didn't even feel like a real thing. You understood even less why anyone would hold back their feelings for that long, it was so easy to avoid if you were honest with whoever you loved.

But, as you stared at the petals for longer, even studying a fully intact small bud, everything started to come together. You would recognize those flowers anywhere.

Fucking Snapdragons.

a/n: r u screaming crying throwing up yet anyways the part after this one im guessing will be the last one!! ty for all of the love on this fic🫶🫶

tags: @champagnelovers101 @florenceisacoolname @cherriesnwatermelons @sufloerfs @sawaagyapong @kayler-23 @ciaireredfleid @boosaye @kyootsies @intrnetdoll @zoddiachead @blairfox04 @roarriita @prrimordiais @addisonnie @sparkleswonderland @minustwofingers @trilogyss

[clumsiestgiantess]

Bringing back this fantastic g/t dream I had forever ago because I’m thinking about Inventor and Apprentice again…

(I had one last night but it wasn’t good enough to beat this one, and unless I get a lucid g/t dream it will probably stay my fave)

A g/t dream that happened suspiciously soon after seeing the Antman Quantumainia movie:

The dream started out with two lovers, a guy and girl, both scientists and inventors.  Though none of their insane inventions actually worked/were given funding, they gathered enough money to buy a countryside cottage house far away from their problems and start a new life.  They were married and worked on funky lil projects together.  Their inventions progressively kept getting crazier until one day they cracked the code for inter-molecular travel.  (This could cure any number of viral diseases by going in and fighting them head on, and even genetic ones by potentially re-organizing cell reproduction to skip over harmful strands of DNA)

They celebrate their victory and the husband suddenly starts crying.  His partner asks what’s wrong and he says ‘nothing!  I- I’m glad we figured this out in time!’  Apparently he has cancer and isn’t going to be around nearly as long as he thought.  However, before they test the machine to try and save him, a Kang-the-Conqueror-type villain appears out of the new machine and tries to take over.  The husband and him duke it out while the wife desperately tries to fix the machine to send him back. 

Husband manages to cut the villain’s suit (which he needs to breathe in such a new world, like a space suit) and the villain dies.  Shortly afterwards Husband falls to the ground having been given a fatal injury in the fight.  There isn’t a hospital for miles around, and even then it would be too late.  Her husband dies in her arms.

(timeskip)

A few years later, a new person moves to town.  She’s a young inventor wannabe herself and heard rumors of the secluded widow that was once a brilliant mind.  She finds her tinkering with stupid machines (like the unserious ones from the funnier mad scientists in Honey I Shrunk the Kids, Back to the Future, Epic, etc), and gets barred from entering by some crazy device. 

As an aspiring inventor, she reverse-engineers the device that’s stopping her from getting inside and tries to talk with the woman.  At first she keeps giving no answers and telling her to leave, but the newcomer is persistent and keeps coming back to help. Eventually the two come to some friendship.  The younger one becomes her apprentice, but also teaches her a few things herself being only a few years younger than the older inventor.

One day Apprentice finds the old inter-molecular travel machine and (being science-y and studying it for a moment) realizes what it’s for.  She excitedly asks if it works — if it’s possible — but gets immediately shut down and the machine is yanked from her hands and hidden away again.  Inventor tells her it’s not safe and she should never touch it again.  Of course, where would our story be if she listened to that?

Apprentice secretly takes the machine home and works on it herself, getting it to run after working on it for some time.  In her spare time (and possibly by stealing parts from Inventor) she builds a small spaceship-looking vessel that can take her down where the machine goes.  She boots up the thing in her front yard (the ship is too big to be in the house and the backyard is too wooded) and goes on her own. Wow! So many cool things! She’s having an awesome time and doesn’t understand why Inventor was so scared of it.

(we zoom back out to the normal front yard)

Apprentice put her small dog behind a locked dog door to keep him from messing around in the yard while she does her thing.  Unfortunately, the mailman comes up to the porch to deliver a package, stepping past the machine with nothing but a confused look. The little dog goes nuts the moment the mailman steps onto the porch and bursts through the flimsy plastic to chase him.  He runs off the front porch and trips over the machine, damaging it before quickly speeding away.

The machine is rapidly dying and the ship can sense it, sending out an alarm.  Apprentice rushes back to the surface before the connection is cut, but doesn’t make it in time.  She’s stuck at about half a centimeter tall.  Some weird cells/microscopic creatures grow with her too and she sees them all spasm and die in front of her through the ship’s windshield, simultaneously realizing that if she were to step outside, the air would be too large to breathe and she would die too.  Thankfully, both the suit and the craft have the ability to synthesize smaller air from the larger normal one.  However, she’s still trapped at a ridiculously small size.

A day later, Inventor comes looking for her because she didn’t show up to the house.  She becomes terrified as she looks into the front yard and sees the dead machine.  Had a similar fight occurred to the one she witnessed?  Was her friend lying dead somewhere, and the conquering person wandering around ready to take the world? 

Thankfully not; the now much smaller Apprentice made camp by the machine and Inventor spots it while assessing damages to it, figuring out what must’ve happened in her head.  Her friend isn’t in the camp (off scavenging to survive) and she fears that they died.  Inventor calls to Apprentice in a normal voice, which would be like shouting through a megaphone to their very tiny friend.  Apprentice rushes back to camp, waving her arms wildly, so so relieved that they were found before the inevitable happened.  Inventor tells her to get in the ship (which is reinforced to go through the entry and exit phases) and brings it carefully inside to a counter where she can see her better.

Thankfully, there’s an intercom on the ship for talking between the person out in the suit and the people on the ship (just like any space suit).  Inventor reprograms it and is able to hear their friend through the intercom.  Apprentice starts crying, apologizing to Inventor over and over again, saying that she was right, it was dangerous and she should’ve listened to her but now it’s too late.  Inventor gently calms her down. 

Though she’s angry that her friend used the machine after she warned her about it, she’s clearly learned her lesson, and worse.  Apprentice gets scared and sad (as anyone in her situation would be) telling Inventor that she’s ruined her life and will be stuck like that forever.  See, if you stop the process halfway through, whatever height you stop at becomes your new true biological height.  Trying to pull her back up with the machine won’t work because the systems wouldn’t see that as bringing her back to normal height. She was already brought back up.  That is her normal height now.

After the initial terrifying few days of organizing things and getting used to simply being around someone so vastly different in scale, Inventor comes up with an idea to create a machine that basically does the opposite of what the old one did.  It could be used to vastly grow someone instead of vastly shrink them. Apprentice dejectedly points out that she thought of that already, and did the math.  The process will multiply anything’s mass instead of dividing it, simple as that.  At a normal human size, that would multiply two big numbers together and make them absolutely massive.  At her size, the number would be much smaller.  At best she’d be about 15 centimeters tall — giant-sized for someone who’s half a centimeter, but not so much for someone who isn’t.

Inventor nods, having done the math themselves, and asks her ‘surely you’d rather be the length of my hand than the length of a pen tip, right?’  Apprentice agrees and they set to work.  Time goes by and their relationship grows ever closer as they learn to live together and trust eachother at such a dramatic difference in scale.

At last, the machine is done.  Apprentice steps in and grows to — as calculated — about 15 centimeters tall.  At last she doesn’t need the suit to talk and breathe; she doesn’t need to hide away from everything, even the sun itself, which was a lot hotter as half a centimeter tall; she doesn’t need to constantly be surrounded by food and heat in her little ship, lest she quickly freeze or starve to death.  Overjoyed, the two share an awkward little g/t embrace.  Both celebrating the fact that they can easily walk around and talk to the other without fear.

Time goes by and they become even closer through various little g/t scenarios — closer than either expected. After a while, they decide to destroy both machines and any records of them permanently.  They’re way too dangerous to be kept around. Apprentice can’t go through the growing one twice (cells would stretch to decay) and Inventor is too afraid to mess with the shrinking one to try and make her height more accommodating to Apprentice.

This duel destruction causes an unforeseen explosion that drags tiny Apprentice into it. Inventor rushes to the blast site, and is met with quite the shocking scene.

The blast actually negated all previous effects of both machines, and Apprentice is there covered in ash, back to normal size.  The two happily share a true embrace for the first time in years.  A bit of romance/drama stuff ensues as both struggle with their feelings for the other, which grew from friendship to love while they were living together.  Eventually, Apprentice tells Inventor that she loves her and Inventor gets even more conflicted because they love her too but.. her husband. 

Idk what happens in between (there was a very poorly timed timeskip, but because of the ending I know they end up together)

So I imagine Inventor learns to let go and move on.  I remember watching a Studio Ghibli looking montage of pretty hand-drawn backgrounds (since the thing is animated in my dream) of them doing things that lovers do.  There was a heartwarming ending scene where they add their first true invention they made together to the little memorial that Inventor and her husband made of their first one.

The end I think.  I woke up after that. Honestly my favorite g/t dream to date, despite not being in it myself.

[cloudbattrolls]

All That Remains

Ullane Wistim | Present Night 

Arty drove the RV-like vehicle that doubled as Crown Clinic while Ullane sat in the passenger seat and leaned against the open car window frame, staring up at the early evening moons. They were only an hour or so into safe twilight, and the lowblood inhaled the chill dark season air, watching her breath billow as she released it again.

A moment later the artifice hummed in confusion, and the vehicle slowed, its all-terrain wheels slowly coming to a stop.

“What’s wrong?” The yellowblood asked, words quick and tone betraying her nervousness.

For once, she didn’t mind showing it. That hardly mattered right now.

“Well…we should be getting close by now. But as you can see…”

Nothing ahead of them. No buildings, at least. No trees, either - Ullane realized they should have passed the forest whose fringes she’d grown up in a long time ago.

She tucked her head back in, rolling up the window with the press of a button. The medic wrapped her arms around herself.

Was this the better outcome? Them getting lost somehow, her deciding this was a stupid idea after all?

No. There were the hills she’d always known, off in the distance. She could feel the distant spark of magic - muted, but still there. Surely that meant this had to be the right area.

“Are you -”

“I’m checking troogle maps, yes.” It cut in. “But it’s not telling me anything. My searches aren’t turning up any current information on Amityville.”

Ullane’s tail swished back and forth, back and forth.

Had the town hidden itself entirely? It had always been steeped in the arcane, always a step or two removed from modern Alternian culture, but any outsiders who could brave the forest or find their way through the hills could make it here.

Not that they’d want to. It had been a miserable place, a cursed place, full of rogue mages and undead monsters and other, stranger things.

Amityville. Where the magic that had turned its ley lines rotten had also seeped into the air and soil, poisoning the minds of its residents.

She was living proof, she supposed.

As a youth she’d thought herself so clever, so daring - brave enough to leave for an uncertain future, defying the curse, defying the expectation that her caste branded her helm or battlefield fodder.

Ridiculous. She had never been anything but another carrier of her hometown’s disease.

Had the place finally consumed itself? Had the infighting between the drinkers and hunters gone too far? Had one crazed magic user summoned something they couldn’t control and the beast had run amok?

Arty started driving again, phone now put away.

“What did you find?” She asked, instant, gripping the cushion of her seat.

“It’s better if you see it yourself.” The construct said simply.

“Not helping.” She snapped, then felt guilty, ears lowering. Arty was probably right.

But that didn’t make her less nervous.

At least the security system would never knowingly endanger her.

They drove a few minutes longer, and then Arty stopped again, this time taking the keys out of the ignition and parking.

Ullane blinked as she got out.

“This is just the same as…”

Her voice trailed off as she looked down.

The grass barely grew. The ground was…blackened. As if there had been a fire.

But there were no charred remains of buildings or trees.

The whole place was barren, flat and empty, stretching on until the hills.

Even the air was dry and scentless. She felt no non-plant life forms with her psiionics besides herself and Arty.

“What…” she said.

Arty pointed to something she hadn’t noticed before. A small break in the sameness of the landscape, something glimmering grayish white in the moonlight.

Ullane walked over, compelled, terrified, but knowing she had to see what it was.

Why did this scare her more than any supernatural monster?

She came to the thing - the plaque, set into the grayish white stone.

HERE LIES THE REMAINS OF AMITYVILLE, HAVEN FOR MUTANTS AND DISSIDENTS. LET ITS REMOVAL FROM THE PLANET SERVE AS A WARNING TO ALL WHO PASS THIS WAY.

THE EMPIRE IS INESCAPABLE. GLORY TO THE CONDESCE.

A red trident gleamed, engraved below the neat text.

Ullane couldn’t seem to get air.

Gone.

All gone.

Should she cheer? 

Mourn?

What had she wanted by coming here, anyway?

Home.

Had this place ever been a true home?

Has she ever really had one?

Or had she spent her life running away from this place without ever wondering where she was running to?

It was easy not to wonder when survival was so much more important. It was easy to push such thoughts aside when she’d always had one goal.

She’d achieved it. She’d made it.

With as much blood on her hands as any abomination that had ever dwelled in this place.

The mediculler fell to her knees on the hard, scorched earth.

She hardly cared that it was cold, that she wore only a light sweater over her shirt and pants.

Her hands gripped the ground, scrabbling for any sense of reality as her tail lashed back and forth.

Gone. 

The place she had hated because hating it was what she did. Who she was. It gave her purpose, gave her an example to never follow.

Except that she had.

She was a perfect child of her home.

Malpracticer.

Maledict.

Or maybe it had never been the magic that had corrupted her.

Maybe she’d done it all herself.

She felt warm yellow tears roll down her face, realizing their passage with bleary surprise as they dripped onto the ground.

“It’s not fair.” She found herself saying. “You’re all dead, and I’m still here. Why do I always survive? Every time I should have died, something saved me. If I’d stayed…”

She trailed off. No, oblivion didn’t really appeal to her anymore, if she was honest. Maybe she didn’t deserve to live, but she didn’t want to die.

If she’d stayed…

She didn’t know if that was better or not.

She never would.

Maybe that was why she’d come. To figure that out. Weigh the pros and cons. 

Of course it couldn’t be that simple.

She pushed herself back up, taking a wipe out of her sylladex to get the dirt off her hands.

The yellowblood looked back at the plaque.

Had the empire done the world a favor? Had they, like her, committed an unforgivable crime?

It didn’t matter.

Ullane stepped over and drew out some herbs from her sylladex - she’d been going to use them for cooking, but they were all she had to offer.

No flowers. No offerings to burn. No shrine for the deceased trolls’ possessions.

She was not sorry this place was dead.

She was sorry it had never had the chance to become better.

So she laid the rosemary and chives on the plaque, bowed her head a moment, and then turned to leave.

Then she had one last thought, retrieving her harmonica from her sylladex.

Slow and soft, she blew a tune she’d learned from a story she’d known as a child. The only lamentation these dead would ever know.

It wasn’t long, but by the time she finished, she shivered. The cold had begun freezing her damp cheeks.

Arty said nothing, instead placing an assuring hand on her back as she climbed back into her seat and buckled up.

Ullane closed her eyes and leaned into its touch, humming the melody she’d played as they drove away into the night.

[notmorbid]

abarat, pt. 2.

dialogue prompts from abarat by clive barker.

i hope that wherever you are, it's somewhere you want to be.

i'm sorry. i didn't want to intrude on your grief.

we could be very useful to one another.

i don't need protection.

if you know me, you probably don't trust me.

the only people i really trust are people with nothing left to lose.

sometimes there's a light hidden at the heart of things.

i don't want to frighten you off.

it's not a job for those interested in living long lives.

intelligence without love is an empty thing, i think.

back where it all started. who would've thought?

show yourself, will you? there's nothing i hate more than games of hide and seek.

will you just stop staring at me? don't you know it's rude?

you were lying to me. i can't bear liars.

i've got an incurable disease that makes me lie.

you really don't want to be on my bad side.

you don't have to be frightened of me.

i don't feel very lucky, at the moment.

can i go now? i really don't have anything left to tell you.

you changed my life. fancy that, huh?

hot air, that's all you are.

what is it the poet says? 'the mind cannot endure too much reality.'

all you ever do is threaten people.

i believe the more you talk of death and darkness, the closer it comes.

don't blame yourself. it's a waste of energy.

don't be nervous. i have faith in you.

you don't have to prove anything.

is there only room for one cook in this kitchen?

in a tight squeeze, you find out you can do all kinds of things you didn't know you could do.

we make a good team, you and me.

what would i have to do that's more important than keeping you company?

i don't know how you can be so forgiving.

my first responsibility is to you.

i should warn you that it isn't always safe, being around me.

whatever you were back there, it's not what you are here.

it's me. much changed, but in many ways the same.

you'll have to make my peace with the truth, sooner or later.

something's going to happen to me, isn't it?

we'll find one another again. don't you worry about that.

sometimes you need to let things strike your heart and not your head.

you were as close to death as you could get, and still come back.

you're here? you're alive?

you're like a ghost, haunting your own house.

i'm too old to sleep. i have no dreams left to dream.

please. open your eyes.

you don't love me, do you?

of course you're here. where else would you be?

[tell-me-a-tale-that-tells]

IN-FLU-ENCE

┌──────── ∘°⬛°∘ ────────┐

Request:

"Hey, I loved this work. I was wondering if you could write a fic with Peter (noir) adjusting to modern things considering he’s from the Great Depression. Maybe it could be less serious like Peter realizing people don’t die from common diseases/infections. It could also be hurt/comfort of Peter thinking he’s going to die because of a disease/infection."

└──────── °∘⬛∘° ────────┘

On one chilly night, in the shadowy alleys of New York, Spider-Man swung from building to building, his senses were alert for any sign or distress call and danger.

His black clothes kept him hidden in the dark, only the white shiny lenses of his mask caught the dim light of sparse lamp poles.

When his ears picked up a child crying from an old building, he quickly changed direction.

Approaching what was a skyscraper in the '70s, now a pile of ruins, he heard voices.

"Hey! Anybody in there?" He shouted banging on a rusty metal door.

After a couple of coughs, a raspy voice reaches him "We're in here. Please, we are not doing anything bad".

"That building is not safe, you must go out!" He forced open the Door without much struggle, revealing four scared persons.

In the unhealthy room, there was an old lady, a couple, and a child.

Peter held up his hands "I mean no harm, don't fret" he spoke slowly in a low voice.

The man spoke first "Please, this is our only home"

The spider sighed.

He had seen poor people all his life, trying to survive and holding tightly onto the little they had.

He knew it was difficult for that family to let go of those ruins, even though it was extremely dangerous.

After all, it was all they had.

He tried to convince them but they kept refusing until Peter noticed that the child was frequently coughing and shivering.

Dread sneaked like a cold wind into his heart.

"Do it for the child, he needs to be cured!" he pleaded to them until they gave up, awakened by common sense.

Peter accompanied the family to a safe place, away from the cold of the night, a dry and clean place where a Creole lady distributed food and blankets to the less fortunate.

He was very worried about the child as he knew influenza was hard to cure, and he felt sorry about that.

He left in silence while they were eating and headed home, and when things seemed that couldn't get worse a pouring rain soaked him to the bones.

He landed on the safety stairs of your apartment and tapped twice on the window before stopping and knocking twice.

It was your secret code.

Your eyes widened as you saw him, wet and exhausted.

"Peter, what happened? You look like you've been through a gallows"

"Feelin' like a knocked-out prizefighter," he grumbled, collapsing onto the couch and tossing his hat on the coffee table.

You went into your full superhero nurse mode, and you removed his mask gently, placing his glasses on his nose.

"You're scorching hot," you said placing the palm of your hand on his damp forehead.

As fever and fatigue took their toll, Peter's tough exterior crumbled.

"This feels too odd. I fear I got the grippe" he said.

You stopped dead on your track to the kitchen "You got the what?"

Peter huffed "The grippe! The flu! Influenza! I'd probably die from this, Y/N!"

You tried very hard to not laugh in his face because he didn't know that people in your days didn't die from the flu anymore as long as they were properly cured.

"Oh Pete, you're not going to die, believe me," you said picking up some paracetamol meds from a cupboard.

Peter found himself bedridden, surrounded by a sea of crumpled tissues and the sound of the news channel he insisted on watching.

"I've faced death so many times that I tough this could be the end of me-" Peter admitted "And I fought nazis, robbers, crazy people with animal costumes, so that says a lot."

You smiled, one hand on his unmasked cheek. "You're tougher than you think. Now take your medicines "

"They taste awful... " he grumbled.

As he rested in that gloomy afternoon, you couldn't help but reflect on the human side of the famous Spider-man who could break Nazi's spines like toothpicks.

The morning after he felt already better, he looked at you with gratitude in his eyes. "I owe you one, Y/N."

You chuckled "You owe me a couple of chicken soups" You placed a gentle kiss on his forehead.

His hand found yours, seeking solace in the touch. "I'm supposed to be the one saving people, not needing saving."

"Peter, it's okay not to be okay," you whispered.

When finally Peter regained his strength he insisted on doing some house chores, making some mess folding your socks, and pairing them with the wrong colors due to his inability to see them.

You appreciated his effort anyway.

"So I bought some beer for tonight" you begin to say" because we can't see the movie without them"

He looked at you like you've suddenly grown another head.

"You can buy alcoholics? With the same ease as meds for the flu?" He said incredulously.

"This epoch is strange" he muttered.

"This epoch saved your Spider-arse" you chuckled, opening a beer and handing it to him.

With the clinks of your beer bottles, as the city's lights twinkled outside, the warmth between you two shone even more.

──────── °∘⬛∘° ────────

Notes:

It was short and a bit crappy so I'm open to criticisms.

[my-head-is-an-animal]

Home Calling

Talos x Original Female Character/Keller x Original Female Character

Chapter 4

Talos had eyes on Fury and Hill across the road, Anya was next to him in the café sipping her coffee which she definitely poured some whiskey into when he wasn’t looking. He didn’t know how wise it was to mix alcohol with whatever she was about to inject herself with, but there was no stopping her.

    They waited until the relatively normal looking human man entered the café. Fury and Hill remained outside and got inside the van they were using, it was Talos’s cue to-

    ‘Wait.’ Anya suddenly said.

    Talos was just about to get up when she stopped him.

    ‘There’s another way we can do this.’

    ‘What do you mean?’ Talos frowned.

    Anya took the syringe out and subtly jagged her thigh. ‘Get in the van.’

    ‘What?’ Talos tried not to exclaim.

    Anya stood, handing her rucksack to Talos. ‘Trust me.’ She hissed. ‘Go.’

    Talos watched her wander close to where the Skrull was standing at the counter. Before he could say anything or stop her, Anya began talking to the lady behind the counter and engaging the Skrull in conversation. He suddenly realised what she was doing.

    Talos stood up, swinging the bag over his shoulder, hearing the distinct sound of glass bottles hitting off each other. He went out to the van and got inside.

    ‘What are you doing?’ Fury raised his eyebrow, angrily.

    ‘Trusting her.’ Talos sighed. ‘Drive round the corner.’

    He felt Hill glance at Fury before the van started moving. Neither of them were happy, but it was only another two minutes before Anya came out of the café.

    She looked a little unsteady on her feet, panting a little too hard. She looked around for the van.

    ‘Anya!’ Talos called, her head whipping around to see him. He quickly moved to the back of the van and opened the door for her.

    Anya tripped, forcing Talos to grab her by the back of her jacket and pull her into the van. She was sweating and her eyes were glazing over.

    ‘Westminster. Three.’ She whispered, before her eyes rolled back and she lost consciousness.

    ‘What did she say?’ Hill asked, handing him a latex glove. Fury began driving away from the street as calming as he could.

    ‘Westminster, three.’ Talos slipped the glove on, hating that it was necessary, not for his sake, but for Anya’s. He placed two fingers to her pulse point, it was pumping incredibly fast. ‘Heartrate seems a little high.’

    ‘We can’t worry about her right now.’ Fury said, coldly. ‘We’ve got to get to Westminster and find the bomb.’

    Talos despised Fury’s lack of caring. He spent the whole drive to the location checking her pulse and making sure she didn’t choke on her tongue. He turned her onto her side, placing his thick jacket beneath her head as Fury parked in a narrow alleyway. She would be safe and sound inside the van, there was nothing else they could do.

    The three of them split up and began searching through rooms, trying to find any clue as to where the bomb might be hidden.

    ‘Why do you hate her so much?’ Talos asked while Fury and Hill were talking about the old times.

    ‘Who?’ They asked in unison.

    ‘Anya.’ He said, moving into a small room below a conference room that was currently filled with ministers. ‘You treat her like a disease, like something to be discarded. What’s the deal?’

    Hill sighed and remained silent.

    ‘You have no idea of the disruption she has caused.’ Fury growled. ‘She’s not as innocent as she seems. Keller had a hard time keeping her under control, the rest of us had no hope. Once she went dark, we all thought she was dead. We stopped hearing from her and almost no confirmed sightings were ever recorded. She just disappeared.’

    ‘She was in pain.’ Talos sighed.

  Fury scoffed. ‘She was hiding, some thought biding her time before she came back to get some kind of revenge on Keller. We even had a plan in place to stop it from happening.’

    ‘But what did she do?’ Talos left the small room, finding it free from bombs and moved to the next one.

    ‘She broke her promise.’ Hill cut in. ‘She swore she would never give up anything she learned to the enemy, she would never touch anyone in a high ranking position to gain information, and she would never keep a secret to herself if it could help us fight our enemies. She broke all three promises. We can’t trust her.’

    When he heard it, it just didn’t sound like the Anya he spoke to alone on the roof or in the car. She despised what she could do, so why would she use it against someone who was trying to help her live with it?

    Talos let out a long breath.

    ‘And from what I heard, that’s the tip of the iceberg.’ Fury added as Talos made his way down a floor.

    He knew it was difficult to trust everyone, but ultimately all he could go on was what he was seeing and hearing. If Anya told him one thing and Fury another, all he could do was be cautious and try to deal with whatever came as best he could.

    They searched the entire building and finally found the bomb three floors below parliament. The entire floor was rigged to blow and would bring the whole building down.

    Hill led the search to find where to cut the connection safely when another voice came onto comms.

    ‘Blue wire.’ Anya panted.

    ‘Anya?’ Talos was the first to speak.

    ‘Cut the blue wire closest to the door.’ She sounded like she was struggling.

    ‘That can’t be right.’ Hill shook her head. ‘It looks like that could set it off.’

    ‘No.’ She sounded like she was drinking and it only made Talos’s heart hurt. ‘It’s designed to look like that, it should run close to a yellow wire which connects to the trigger, the blue wire is the one to cut.’

    Hill and Fury exchanged a glance, one Talos didn’t like. It was getting close to three, they were running out of time. Hill turned her comms on mute.

    ‘We have to evacuate,’ she whispered. ‘There’s no time to figure this out.’

    Talos couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

    ‘Anya.’ He said, getting everyone’s attention.

    ‘Yeah?’

    ‘What do you remember about Keller?’ He asked, confusing everyone.

    There was a slight pause. ‘What do you mean?’

    ‘You told me you buried a memory, one you would never dare look at, but why?’

    ‘Because…’ it was the pause that gave her away. ‘I can’t.’

    ‘But why? What is it about that one memory that has you so scared of a man you clearly love on some level?’ Talos pushed, glancing at his watch.

    ‘I don’t…’ Anya swallowed something. ‘Just cut the blue wire.’

    ‘Fine.’

    Talos pulled out a knife and without hesitation, cut the blue wire. Fury and Hill went to stop him, but they didn’t get there in time. Everyone paused for a moment. Nothing.

    A phone ringing brought everyone to the edge. Nothing.

    Talos turned to Fury and Hill. ‘There’s something going on that we are not aware of.’ He said, putting his knife away. ‘Between you two, I didn’t think that was even possible, but I don’t think Keller told the truth.’

    Something happened on Anya’s comms, it almost sounded like something falling.

    ‘Anya?’ Talos was met with silence. ‘Anya, you still there?’

    The three of them looked at each other before racing out of the government building back towards the van. The door was partially open and Anya was inside struggling for breath as a large knife stuck out from her shoulder, very close to her heart, there was a note attached.

 Next time, she won’t be so lucky.

 Talos and Hill went about putting on gloves to help stop the bleeding, while Fury looked at the note. An open whiskey lay next to Anya, half empty, it was amazing she was still awake.

    ‘We need to get her to a hospital.’ Talos said.

    ‘No.’ Both Fury and Hill spoke in unison.

    ‘So, you’re just going to let her die?’ Talos exclaimed, putting pressure on the wound while Anya began losing the fight with consciousness. ‘She saved your life!’

    ‘She could have easily let us die down there.’ Fury countered. ‘Or given us the information sooner.’

    ‘Are you serious?’ Talos couldn’t believe what he was hearing. ‘She was barely able to get out of that café on two legs, the info she was able to give us was more than she owed us.’

    ‘Don’t talk to us,’ Fury was shaking with anger. ‘About what is owed.’

    Talos didn’t want to back down, he didn’t have time to argue, he needed to stop the bleeding.

    Fury eventually got back in the van and drove them back to the safe house. Hill called for a local doctor to meet them there and Talos did his very best to carry Anya up the stairs, avoiding touching her skin in any way.

    The doctor that arrived seemed fairly young, but an exchange of glances with Hill told him that it was probably intentional.

    Fury was angry and had every right to be, they still hadn’t caught the people behind the attack and in his eyes, Anya had let their only lead get away. Talos could understand the frustration, but he preferred Anya’s method, this way no one got hurt. Yes, they lost a lead, but she had the memories so there may well have been something there that they could use to get back on track.

    Anya would be out for at least a few hours, but the doctor was able to stabilize her. Talos was the one to get the update, as it seemed no one else cared as much as him.

    ‘Thank you for coming.’ He said, seeing the doctor out.

    When he returned, he didn’t think it useful to engage in either Hill or Fury, instead he went into the bedroom where Anya was sleeping.

    He thought for a moment before pulling out his phone and doing something he promised himself he would never do.

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[mllemaenad]

I've seen this one on my Dashboard a few times and ... honestly, it makes me a little sad.

I mean, I get it: Bethesda = bad. They're a big game publisher (now owned by Microsoft!). They'll skimp on the QA so the damn dragon skeletons will stalk you across Skyrim. They'll try to sell you an ugly, cosmetic-only hat for your character that costs more than a real, physical hat you could put on your own head. "I played for two whole hours and it didn't crash to desktop once!" is stunningly high praise for a Bethesda game. I'm on board with the criticism, where it's warranted.

But this ... this looks more to me like a desire to prove that Bethesda is stupid is genuinely interfering with someone's ability to actually engage with what the game is saying. And honestly, these things are so much more enjoyable if you try to delve into the story.

What do I mean? Well, what is Fallout 4 about? There are a few threads, but one really major one is the threat of misinformation.

When you arrive in the Commonwealth, it is a deeply paranoid, disorganised mess. Most of its major settlements have fallen, and its failed attempts at West Coast-style unification and mutual defence are a distant dream.

The game's major antagonist is the Institute: a shadowy organisation that is the subject of much rumour and almost infinite terror. While there are a few occasions where they get what they want by brute force (University Point, the Switchboard), mostly they operate via deception. Their whole deal is that they replace people with Institute-loyal Synths, who then act in the interest of the Institute, and against the interests of the communities where they live.

Everyone in the Commonwealth is terrified that the person to whom they are speaking is lying to them about everything – including their identity – and this constant threat of identity theft is why Synths face almost insurmountable prejudice everywhere, even when they are actively fleeing the institute.

In political terms, the most significant replacement is Diamond City's mayor, McDonough. The Great Green Jewel is actually run by the Institute ("Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain!" – as while Diamond City is partially referencing the baseball diamond, yes, it is clearly also referencing The Emerald City from The Wizard of Oz). McDonough's opening "I am not a Synth" speech references Richard Nixon – "I am not a crook". McDonough is a liar.

In emotional terms, the most significant replacement is the player character's own son, Shaun. The Institute has created a child doppelgänger of your missing boy and planted him in Diamond City, so you can spend a portion of the game believing that Shaun is a 10-year-old hostage of the Institute – rather than the guy in charge of this colossal mess.

Deception is rife in Fallout 4. It's built into the core of the narrative. And it pops up all over.

Early in the game, you'll hear a lot about how Diamond City is the finest city in the Commonwealth, and Goodneighbor is a den of criminals. Explore a bit and you'll discover that, despite its polite veneer, Diamond City is a dangerous place: it has already expelled all its ghoul citizens, it has become highly stratified along class lines ("The Colonial Taphouse would like to remind everyone that you are not welcome here. Upper Stands residents only!"), and its police force not only refuses to investigate disappearances, but will blacklist citizens if they object to this policy. Meanwhile, Goodneighbor has ousted its former gangster rulers and is working its way toward becoming a stable community – one that gives sanctuary to everyone.

What people told you, and what's actually happening, are not the same.

Vault 81 is initially presented as a safe place, if a little rickety. Do their quests and you will uncover a whole hidden section of the vault – and that these people are actually the very lucky survivors of a failed Vault-Tec experiment: they intended to use them to test deadly diseases, but were thwarted by the first Overseer.

Is this place really what it looks like?

Deacon, your Railroad companion, and an apparent survivor of multiple Institute purges, is obsessed with the nature of deception – and he spends a significant amount of his dialogue tree warning the player character not to just trust what people tell them. Piper, the journalist in Diamond City, discovered a conspiracy that killed her father and threatened to destroy her whole community in her youth – and consequently is driven to uncover lies and deception elsewhere via her newspaper.

This is a thing.

So why does Moe Cronin matter? Because it's a rare occasion where Fallout 4 gives you an immediate heads up about the bullshit.

Usually, if this is your first playthrough, you have no immediate way to know if a character is telling the truth or not. Your character has spent the last 200 years in a vault. You, the player, may have played previous Fallout games – but this is the first one to be set in Boston. Maybe you know what a Super Mutant is, but you know nothing about the area's history. You have to play the game: do the quests, talk to the NPCs, read the terminals, to find out whether a thing is true or not. Sometimes, at the end, you still don't know for sure. It's just your best guess. People can just say anything to you.

Here, though. Well – you can't immediately tell if Moe is lying or mistaken when he talks about baseball. But is it plausible? For a start the Fallout games have always been mildly satirical, so it's worth noting that – yeah, up to a point this is intended to be funny. But also:

Despite what the tweet says, there are in fact no Ghouls in Diamond City that anyone could ask. There have not been for some time. It's a fairly significant plot point that they were all driven out years ago. People with long memories are not welcome there.

There are robots! Most of them do not seem baseball oriented – neither Percy nor Miss Edna have anything to do with sports. I have no doubt that Nick Valentine could at least give an overview of how baseball worked, but it is abundantly clear that Nicky is on thin ice in Diamond City. There are people who are profoundly grateful to him, sure; there are also people who mutter darkly about the dangers of allowing a Synth to live in the city. Nick is also deeply ambivalent about his implanted memories, and only confides in the player character about them once you've had time to develop a rapport. So I don't really think picking fights with the Diamond City merchants about pre-war crap is high on his priority list.

There are almost certainly books and holotapes about baseball somewhere in the wasteland – vault dwellers talk about playing baseball – but there is no evidence that there are any in Diamond City, or even anywhere reasonably accessible to Diamond City residents. The library is currently occupied by hostile Super Mutants.

What Moe says is actually completely consistent with the way you see baseball bats used in the wasteland. You don't see a lot of people playing baseball games. You do see a lot of raiders defending their territory with baseball bats.

Moe is a salesman, and he is specifically selling the bats as melee weapons. His story is tailored to appeal to the kind of person who already wants to beat people to death with baseball bats.

But here, for once, you the player actually know better. You are a primary source on how baseball was played. So you know what he's saying is nonsense. And you know what you can do? You can tell him that! You can describe the actual rules of baseball to him. Know what he says if you do that? "I like my version better". So now you know. You've told him how baseball works, and Moe is going to keep on telling lies about it – because those lies are both more interesting, and more profitable to him.

This is, you know, thematically relevant.

I know this is a lot. I know I'm going on. But what I'm trying to say is: this isn't one of the things that's bad about Bethesda. This is one of the good things! Moe is a minor character. You don't even have to talk to him. But his dialogue leans in to Fallout 4's major theme, and once again warns the player character not to just believe everything they hear.

Someone writing this cared enough about the story they were telling, about the minor characters and setting, and the theme they're establishing here, to do that.

I'm not trying to take a swing (so to speak) at the author of the tweet either. I'm really not. I'm sad. Because "Bethesda is stupid!" is a narrative that can just consume everything else going on. It's so much more interesting if, instead of leaning into that, you look at a character like Moe and ask: "Okay, why would he say that, in universe as a character?" and beyond that, given that he is a made-up person serving a larger narrative "Why would they make him say that? What are they trying to say about their world?"

Sometimes Bethesda is just stupid, sure. But sometimes ... there's a reason why the characters do what they do.

Todd Howard’s brain is equal parts American idolatry, stupidity, and a pathological need to lie