#[ out of the lab ; molly speaks ]

[brxkcnengineer]

Okay but do I... Make an Eddie Munson RP blog..?

[readypanda]

Indigo Park Spoilers (and very long post) ahead

Since Indigo Park is the newest fandom I've been dipping into, I figured I might as well make my own analysis for the game. The question I'll be discussing today is,

WHAT EVEN ARE THESE THINGS?

(sry for bad picture quality lol)

The thing I find interesting about these mascots (Molly, Lloyd, and what we've seen of Finley) that kind of sets them apart from other monsters in the mascot horror genre is...they almost seem like they're just animals. (I'll go over evidence for this in this post)

Think about it. In other mascot horror games, we've gotten:

animatronics possessed by dead children

employees/kids surgically(?) turned into toys

people mutated by a giant ink machine

animals/people who have had their DNA spliced with a mutagenic chemical

A little girl somehow turned into a monster (I think??)(really sorry Amanda I don't know what you are)

etc.

(I'm not up to date on all these properties and I know there's many more, so forgive me if my lore understanding is less than adequate. you know how it is with indie horror)

The important note about all these is that for the most part, these mascots are intelligent, or at least have the capability of intelligence. Almost everything on this list was at one point human, in fact.

So why do I think Indigo Park is any different? What leads me to believe they aren't intelligent? (at least, the animal versions of the characters that we run from in the game. Whether they are separate from the versions of the characters Rambley interacts with is something I'll touch on later)

I think the most obvious piece of evidence in regards to Molly and Lloyd (again, not much info on Finley yet) is how Lloyd acts. He doesn't talk at all, he just stalks the main character and attacks like an animal might (with the exception of a couple times he stands on two legs or props himself up here and there).

As for Molly, I hear you saying, "But she talks! We hear her speak!" And yes, dear reader, you are right. Molly does speak. This would disprove my argument of the mascots being purely animalistic, if it weren't for this kill screen.

Now, do we ever actually hear Molly say something that isn't a repetition or couldn't reasonably be a repetition? Has she said anything to prove her intelligence at all? (genuine question here because I haven't examined every one of her voice lines lol. If I'm wrong about this then whoopsie!)

Despite the past 250 words of speculation, though, whether they act just like animals isn't actually that important. We'll see more of them in later chapters anyway (or Lloyd and Finley at least) so that will likely prove or disprove this point with time.

The more interesting question is, what are they? Like, physically?

When Molly dies, we clearly see blood around her decapitated head. At the very least that rules out animatronics or something mechanical. In addition, in the audio of the hidden tape you get when you show Rambley one of the collectables, you can hear two staff members complaining about being replaced by "new mascots" right after they "got a new raccoon costume." This could mean a few different things, but it seems to imply that the mascots we see in this chapter are meant to be replacements for actors in suits (for meet and greets, promotion, shows, etc) and/or replacements for limited, expensive, and cumbersome animatronics. If this is true, we can also probably rule out them being human. Unless Indigo Park also had a secret human experimentation lab, which I wouldn't put past them.

I think it's too early to definitively state what these mascots are, but based on the evidence of above, I have a theory.

My personal theory is that these mascots are just animals who have been changed or mutated in some way to allow the park to have more "realistic" representations of the characters (also probably to cut down on the costs of paying a human employee). That would explain why they act the way they do and why they are so violent. They literally are just wild animals who have been warped to represent these cartoon characters.

Another important caveat to this theory is that, if this is true, then the mascots who attack us in the game are most likely NOT Rambley's "friends" as he knows them. That would explain why he doesn't call attention to Molly chasing us or Molly's dead body (with the exception of one very small reaction when he talks about the mascots). You would expect him to seem a little more upset if he thought that was his friend, but maybe on some level he knows it's not really her, just a representation of her.

That brings up another question, which is a can of worms I won't fully open here: Do Molly, Lloyd, and Finley have sentient "AI" equivalents like Rambley? If not, does Rambley know his friends aren't real? I'll let you decide.

Anyway, that just about closes my thoughts on this silly raccoon game. Thanks for letting me ramble on about it, and thanks for making it to the end of the post!

Lemme know about your own theories in regards to what these things are, or if there's any key evidence I missed. Kinda threw this together lol. Most of it will likely get disproven by future chapters but hey, thus is the price of theorizing ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[the-sapphiresky]

AN: I have not written a word in five years, but I felt like giving this little You've Got Mail ficlet a proper ending as best I could. Enjoy my darlings and have a lovely Autumn!

Part 1

Molly's Got Mail

"So he could be married, an geriatric pensioner, a serial killer..."

Molly cut him off with a laugh, noting his eyes flicker with interest at the last option. "He is not a serial killer, Sherlock!"

He eyed her dubiously. "I think we have established your track record with men is highly questionable and this man, if he is in fact a 'he'-"

"Would you shut up?" She rolled her eyes and sipped her coffee with a smile, enjoying the warm spice that juxtaposed the cool fall breeze that wrapped around them.

Sometime over the past few months, there had been a ceasefire between her and Sherlock. She wasn't sure what exactly had caused the Consulting Detective to stop warring with her over the smallest of issues in her own lab, but she would never look that gift horse in the mouth.

And suddenly, their work together flourished and she found herself in an unlikely friendship with the very man she once swore to hate for all eternity (she may have been a little plastered when making that vow so she didn't feel guilty breaking it).

Had anyone told her when she first butted heads with the man that she would one day stroll through the park with him and bare out her relationship troubles, she would have laughed and told them to get their head examined well.

Yet here she was, sharing coffee with him, and elbowing him teasingly when he huffed at her.

"Have you even asked him if he is in a relationship?"

"Of course, Will said he is unattached."

"'Unattached' is ambiguous, he could be in a dozen other online relationships wherein he has not met the other party and so considers himself unattached."

Molly tilted her head and furrowed her brow at him. "He wouldn't do that, I know him."

Sherlock cocked an eyebrow. "Do you? He stood you up, did he not?"

"He apologized!"

"A month later," Sherlock tsked. "Doesn't speak highly of his integrity or punctuality."

The sting of that night hadn't faded as much as Molly had hoped. To be stood up was insulting enough. Then to run into your sworn enemy, at your most vulnerable emotionally, was the cherry on top.

Sherlock had immediately deduced the entire affair, from being stood up by an online suitor, her "desperation" to be loved, the overdone makeup, to the damn the lingerie that wasn't quite tucked beneath her dress strap. Humiliated, Molly had lashed out with words she still regretted. The stricken look on Sherlock's face was enough to penetrate her anger with immediate regret.

He swept from the coffee house that night and she saw not one glimpse of him for nearly six weeks.

"Sounds like someone else I know," she mumbled around another sip. The sudden rush of eye blinks as he processed what she said made her smile softly. "But he apologized and that is what counts...not when he did it."

"Indeed," he agreed. "Nevertheless, I think I should stay with you until he arrives. I will be able to tell instantly if he has lied about anything."

Molly vehemently shook her head. "Absolutely not! The only reason you know about this is because you read my emails, which I have yet to decide your punishment for."

She laughed when he looked guilty for just a moment, then immediately took on an air of indifference.

"Don't worry," she nudged him slyly. "I won't be mean, but you might be out of body parts for experiments for a couple days."

--

He swallowed hard. They were almost there, in a matter of minutes, everything would be out in the open.

Molly quickly finished her coffee. He took her empty cup and tossed it with his in a nearby bin.

"Almost time," Molly said, checking her phone. "This is where you leave."

Sherlock ignored her and took out his own phone, feeling the full force of her glare.

"Sherlock," she warned. He would never tell her, but when she growled at him and stomped her foot, she was adorable.

He felt a tug on his sleeve and pulled out her grasp.

"I will call Mycroft!"

"That wouldn't do anything for the situation," he drawled. His brother was well aware, the great big fat bloody spy, of what was occurring between Sherlock and his pathologist. In fact, he was fairly confident this entire park was being recorded and, good or bad, the outcome would be on the cloud for all eternity.

He hoped for a good outcome...it would be a lovely home video to share with their children.

Then again, a bad outcome would be blackmail material against him for a lifetime.

She was getting impatient now, he glanced at her, that furrow between her brows begging for a kiss. Though he did not think she would appreciate that at this moment.

"I let you walk with me here, with the understanding you would leave before he gets here!" She hissed.

"I never agreed to that," he couldn't help poking the bear. "I am a citizen of this nation, freely enjoying the beauty of this lovely park."

"I'd believe that if you didn't have your nose in your phone and if you didn't regularly complain about the weather, people, and parks."

She crossed her arms, fingers tapping anxiously.

He made a show of turning slowly and pointing at a nearby bench. "I shall simply wait over here to ensure you are not mauled by a serial killer or a geriatric pensioner."

As he sat, a couple walking by gave him and his wide smile a generous berth. Molly huffed and continued frowning but seemed to accept he was not going to leave entirely.

He glanced at his phone. Three minutes.

Molly was nervously wringing her hands and looking around. The park was fairly busy for late afternoon. Couples taking advantage of the cool weather and clear sky were meandering about, a few runners, some kids calling out as they chased each other around.

He admired how the sun illuminated her hair, shining red and gold amongst her usual brown tresses. Her lips were redder than normal, she'd been biting them. And though her complexion was pale, the hot coffee had warmed her up and there was a slight red blush on her cheeks.

Neither of them spoke as the minutes ticked by. For the first time in his life, Sherlock was uncertain as to the outcome of a situation. But he had one last chance and he wasn't going to screw it up. Not again.

"He's not coming again, is he?"

He leaned his elbows on his knees and stared over at her. She looked forlornly at her phone, which proclaimed fifteen minutes past the allotted meeting time. With no message.

She opened her email, her thumbs aimlessly hovering, as she tried to decide what she should say, if anything.

"Molly?"

"Don't say it, Sherlock," she turned away from him, no doubt to hide her face.

He couldn't have that.

Standing, he strode over to her and gently turned her back to him.

'Why do I keep doing this, falling for a guy who lets me down? Jim, Tom, Will, yo-" she cut herself off, flushing madly and averting her eyes. "Maybe I should take your advice, stop dating entirely and give up on a relationship."

"Molly, stop, I was wrong. That night at the cafe, I was in a terrible mood and I took it out on you," he desperately wanted to wipe the resignation from her eyes.

"But you had a point," she said. She looked down at her phone, the email thread with Will staring back at them. Under her breath, he heard her say, "I should give up."

He took her phone from her and pocketed it, grabbing something else from his coat and holding it tight. She opened her mouth, no doubt to demand he give her phone back, but he cut her off.

"If we had started off our professional relationship on a better note, if I had treated you as an equal intellect from the start...would we be more than we are now?"

She had to lick her lips to speak through a suddenly dry mouth. "What do you mean, more than we are now...more than friends?"

He nodded.

"Romantically?"

He nodded again.

"But Sherlock, you don't see me like that. If this is about what I just said, in no way was I trying to get you to -"

"You're wrong," he smiled. "I do see you like that."

She blinked. "What, romantically?"

"You're an intelligent woman, you understood my implication."

Ah, there was the frown he loved. "As a note, Holmes," she poked his chest. "Insulting a woman you suddenly claim to be romantically interested in...not a good thing."

"Noted," he quipped. "Now, back to the issue at hand. Were this online man, who has stood you up twice now, not in the picture, would you want to be with me?"

Her eyes twinkled. "Are you the only other option?"

With a pout, he rolled his eyes and sighed. "Molly Hooper..."

"Just checking, after all, this is all very sudden." Her levity faded as she looked around, though he knew the only man that fit the description of the man she was looking for was standing right in front of her. Her gaze drifted back to him and he watched the interplay of emotions run across her face. "You're a dear friend now, and I do like you, but until today, I didn't think you saw me as anything more."

But Will had told her otherwise. And it was time to reconcile him with Sherlock.

"Oh, Hooper. I've thought of you as so much more for quite some time."

He opened his hand to show the silver hair bow laying in his palm. She stared at it in shock, knowing he had to have followed her that night from the cafe after their fight and watched her yank it from her hair and throw it to the ground. And he picked it up and kept it. When she raised her eyes to his, he was startled to see tears.

"William Sherlock Scott Holmes, at your service."

"You?" She whispered. "Will was you, all along?"

Sherlock smiled softly. "I'm sorry I am late."

With a tearful cry, she threw her arms around his neck and pressed her lips to his. Immediately, he hauled her close and lifted her higher in his arms. She giggled and broke the kiss, to his disgruntlement, only to rain kisses all around his face.

"You," kiss "absolute" kiss "sodding" kiss "idiot!" kiss "I will" kiss "never" kiss "forgive" kiss "you" kiss for "this!"

Before she could continue her attack of pecks and threats, he covered her mouth with his and proceeded to snog her until he was sure she had forgotten all about his duplicity.

And if she hadn't...well, he had a lifetime to try.

[satureja13]

The morning of the playtest! But who will be the first to enter the Therapy Game?

Jack: "Fear not my furless friends! For I - the Supersoldier - will boldly go where no creature had gone before!"

Saiwa, deliberately ignoring him: "So who will test this amazing technology first?" Jack: "Me! Me, me, ME!" Saiwa: "Hm... no volunteers? I would go myself but I'll have to supervise the devices and the AI... What about you Ji Ho?" Ji Ho: "Me? ö.Ö' Uhm..." Saiwa: "Right, this would not be a good idea. You are too precious for this." Jack: "Me! I will do it! What? Am I not precious or what? Ach! I don't care! C'mon Sai! Me, me, ME!"

Saiwa, still deliberately ignoring him: "Hmmm who else is eligible?..." Jack: "ME!!! Me, me, ME!" Saiwa: "What about you, Vlad?" Vlad: "Sure!" Jack: "What? And you claim to be my best friend! Tch!" Vlad: "But shouldn't we choose the one we can the easiest live without? In case something goes wrong?" Jack: "And that would be me! And thanks for your concerns: but Tiny Can will ensure I remain unscathed. Because he loves -> me!"

Nothing is as annoying as Puppy Jack ^^'

This is the mirror episode to this one :3

Saiwa: "Let's go!" Jack: "AWOOOOO!"

Saiwa and Vlad refunctioned the Therapy Room. Jack: "Wow! Will you be able to watch on the big screen?" Saiwa: "I hope so."

Tiny can is already connected and compiling.

Saiwa: "And these are your VR glasses and the Controller Arm." Jack: "This is so cool! Thank you, Sai!"

Saiwa: "Please be careful. As soon as you experience something off or weird, tell us and we stop it! We don't know what awaits us there and Arturo might have gotten that board from the Council and ..." Jack: "Omg Saiwa, it's just a game! What can possibly happen? You sound like my mom - if I had one..." And then he took a selfie, because it's so cool...

Jack: "That's a small step for a wolf - a giant leap for creaturekind!" Saiwa: "Omg! Go already!"

Jack: "Can't wait! ... Seems there is only one place I can go, so I'll just start there?" Saiwa: "Makes sense. This is your customized therapy session after all."

Jack: "Hm, I can see nothing - but I hear a crowd chanting. 'Wolfsbane! Wolfsbane!' " Saiwa: "Us neither. Wait, I'll make some adjustments. And to Tiny Can: "Tiny Can, check your graphics output, please." Tiny Can let out a streak of beeping sounds.

Jack: "Oh I can see! It's blurry and distorted - ah... now it's slowly getting better - but... ah" Jack gasped for air.

Saiwa still can't see anything: "Jack! What's wrong?" Jack tried to speak between gasping for air: "I... I'm... locked up! ...out!" And the he collapsed. (Due to his difficult past and after being locked up as a toddler and later with Saiwa in the lab and again when he and Ji Ho almost died in a fire, Jack can't stand being locked up.)

Jack also collapsed in the room in Tomarang and Saiwa is immediately stopping the game. Saiwa: "Tiny Can, stop the simulation!"

Vlad is helping Jack up and get's him to breathe again. Saiwa cries: "I'm so sorry, cub." (That's not the first time Saiwa is mean to Jack and something happens to him ö.Ö') And Ji Ho is petrified. Jack is like a brother to him and one of his best friends. This all started so promising and could have been of so much help for them... Tiny Can also looks abashed and beeps sadly...

'Terrified of the open road Yeah, where it leads ya never know But rest assured he'll be on you back Yeah, the holy ghost through his tounges in black As the band dog howls and the young girl cries The blessed virgin in her proud dad's eye The albatross hangin' round your neck Is the cross you bare for your sins he bleeds

Rebels are we, though heavy our hearts shall always be Ah, no ball or chain no prison shall keep We're the rebels of the sacred heart I said, no ball or chain, no prison shall keep We're the rebels of the Sacred Heart'

Flogging Molly - Rebels of the Sacred Heart This is one of my favourite songs of all time and I had it as my wake-up-song for many years. I just googled the meaning behind the lyrics and it's quite interesting to read. This song seems to tell about my own upbringing and now I love it even more.

This chapter's music is going to be very Irish/Scottish. Have I ever told you how much I love Ireland? I've never been there but whenever I see pics of Ireland, I cry. So I fear if I visit, I can't stop myself from crying all the time^^'

From the Beginning  ~  Underwater Love ~  Latest 🕹️ 'Therapy Game' from the beginning ▶️ here 📚 Previous Chapters: Chapters: 1-6 ~ 7-12 ~ 13-16 ~ 17-22 ~ 23-28

[glossolali]

i feel you and your precious soul

shadowidomauk, shadowmauk

hurt/comfort, sci-fi au, cyberpunk au, relationship negotiations, touch aversion/ sensitivity/starvation, essek pov

gift for @wanderingbasilisk 💜

6k

AO3

—

“How are you feeling?”

Molly sits across from Caleb, and both hands, prosthetic and natural, lay in Caleb's outstretched palms atop his knees. Molly flexes the natural one easily enough, but the other is in a tight fist, and he's frowning at it, seemingly frustrated.

At Essek's prompting, he looks up, and it takes him another moment or two to focus his gaze on Essek’s face proper, who stands in the doorway, his own hands clasped together anxiously. Essek is patient and steady as he can, and even if his heart aches for him, he sequesters that away to a private place. He would hate to seem anywhere near pitying of him.

“I'd love to say I'm right as rain, but that is not quite the case.” Molly tries for a smile but it doesn't quite reach his eyes and falls too quickly, and he ends up revealing instead how tired he is.

“Uhm... I'm still numb in some places, and in others, it hurts. And I can't stop twitching since yesterday. This hand,” and he gestures to his left, the mechanical one, “Has been locked in a fist since last night. It usually takes a few hours to unlock on its own, but it seems to be stuck this time.”

Molly's left arm has been jerking intermittently, a clearly uncontrollable motion that shifts his whole body and translates all the way down to his clenched hand, and seems to be bringing him some distress, and pain.

Caleb's eyes follow the motion and turn a shade more somber, though he secrets that away swiftly while Molly is turned around. Essek can almost see Caleb's heart take a tumble and break into pieces as Molly speaks, as upset as he himself feels. Caleb's circuitry scarred hands squeeze Molly’s lightly, then return to their former position where they cupped them.

Essek can't help but feel utterly awful. After all, he's the one that did this to him.

He recalls with a pang the distressed message Caleb had sent him, then Jester's, begging for his help to save their friend, Mollymauk. He'd met the tiefling in passing, finding a chaotic and colorful being who never stayed in one place for long enough for Essek to parse him out properly.

A few days after the Message, the entire Mighty Nein appeared at his doorstep. When they ensured Essek's lab was secure, Caleb fetched what was left of their dear friend's bloody, mangled body from an Amber Vault – a digital, portable safe– and handed that over to Essek, alongside a memory drive that had Molly's mind uploaded to it in a combination of efforts by Caleb and Caduceus.

Essek had been terrified at the responsibility inherent in saving such a precious person's life, but he had done his best to focus on the cybernetics puzzle at hand and to take the anxiety out of his mind. There was no room for mistakes or missteps.

He was successful, much to his relief, and his friends’ collective joy.

The tears and yells as Molly had opened his eyes for the first time rang clear in his memory. The tiefling had startled, covered his ears, and ran from the room– only to collapse in a heap a few steps into the next one.

It wasn't an unexpected sign of failure by any means– the collapse, that is, not the fleeing– after all, Mollymauk’s body was half machine now, and it had yet to be calibrated and tested properly. More specifically, it was costly, state-of-the-art cyberware mods and prosthetics, provided for free of course, connecting what of his ravaged body Essek and his team could salvage.

As a scientist who'd lived through the last hundred and twenty some years watching the world and its technologies develop at an alarming pace, he'd slowly grown more and more doubtful of the ethics of the now normalized practice of cyber modification, or ‘cybermods’. It's even worse that his current patient– ward, friend, whatever their odd relationship now was– hadn't been able to consent to these operations at all.

It made Essek hate himself just a little bit more, made him doubt his work– political and scientific– his family, their wealth, their entire society, his everything, even more deeply, despite how thankful all his friends, and Molly, were in the aftermath of that incident.

“Essek?”

Molly's voice has now taken on a subtle digital tone to it due to his voice-box being modded, and in addition, he sounds… lost, exhausted. Nothing like the person he once was.

Essek tries not to wallow right now. That can be for later, when he's done his job and is alone once again.

“My apologies. Just thinking.”

He goes to them. A person he is helping take care of needs his care right now. He has a function to serve, and that is the priority.

[Read the rest on AO3]

[dogmanincorrectquotes]

Do You do headcanons if so what are your headcanons. Some of mine(mostly for petey cause hes my spirit anime) are: peteys an aroace level 1 autistic,Molly definently bullys little kids on roblox,flippy and petey would def be drinking buddys,petey has insomnia that keeps him up all night were he questions his life's choices,dogman has the mine of a dog and isn't capable of human consent whichi why I don't ship him with anyone,lil petey can draw hands,sarah and yolay are dating

Those are some interesting ones! Thanks for sharing them, def going to accept some of those (especially the Petey insomniac one)

Here are some of mine below the break:

- Petey can swim, but Li’l Petey can’t. The former learned how to swim soon after the vaccum cleaner incident (from the first book), but only because he didn’t want to nearly drown again.

- ‘Molly’ is a nickname. Her real name is Margaret, but she hates that ridiculously long name with her guts.

- Grampa wanted to name Petey after himself, but Grace argued for for the name "Peter", with Petey as a nickname. Even after, Grampa still calls his son Junior because of resemblance.

- Big Jim and Petey are very distant cousins. (I've had this hc long before Scarlet Shedder released)

- Sarah and Zuzu met in passing after the latter bumped into the former during the Mutt-Masher scene in the first book. Sarah took a liking to the poodle, and then adopted her in the next book.

- Melvin used to keep a list of all his siblings’ names, and cross each one off the list when they got their first timeout. (He was ecstatic when the last one was crossed out)

- Adding to the above, Molly got her timeout after the infamous Chip-Dip Incident; afterwards, Molly made the frogs swear they’d never speak of it again. Because of said incident, Flippy no longer buys chip dip for the frogs.

- Even though Knight would screw up a lot in Chief’s presence, they were close friends before the former’s death - rip :’(

- There is a Captain Underpants cartoon (possibly TETOCU?) existent in the universe - this stems from the (canon!) fact that LP learned to draw from cartoons, saying this while doodling CU.

- Molly came to Petey lab in Mothering Heights with the intention of working on Squid Kid and Katydid with LP (and they actually did - whenever they took a break, they made song parodies)

- As an anthropomorphic cat in the DM universe gets older, they lose some fur, especially around their paws. So Li’l Petey actually does have fingers/an opposable thumb; they're just covered by mass amounts of fur.

- Both Officer Knight and Greg had heterochromia, the former with blue-green and the latter with brown-blue. (By extent, doggy man has it too)

- Petey used to be quite the doodler as a kitten, until something involving Grampa happened (screw you Grampa >:/)

- A bajillionth reason to hate Grampa; the motor brain was Petey’s idea, but it was a blueprint when the former raided the latter’s house. Grampa had changed most of its design so he couldn’t be sued. (That doesn’t mean he won’t be sued though haha)

- Grampa found Grace’s ukulele while raiding Petey’s house. Since he didn’t want it, he stuffed it somewhere Petey wouldn’t think to look, which is why Petey thought he lost it.

- Frida (who was noted to have designed the frogs in Baby Frog Squad) designed CC after Molly, at the latter’s suggestion.

And a wholesome one to close out: both of the Peteys love strawberry ice cream :)

[saintsenara]

So, I've saw you (I think, sorry if I'm wrong) talk about two things and I want to read more about them? Them being: Molly used a love potion on Arthur; and the weasleys getting paid to stay close to Harry? Pls tell me more!

Also sorry if I am again wrongly attributing stuff to you lol 😅

you have indeed @in-flvx, although i would like to out myself as a weasley defender and say that i think these are completely bullshit tropes. they just happen to be very, very funny.

the easiest way to stumble upon them is to click on the 'independent harry' tag on ao3. i'm going to preemptively apologise for what a bitch i'll sound in what follows - not least because it's clear that a lot of the stories under this tag are written by teens just starting out with fan-fiction - but pretty much everything which comes under this umbrella can only be described as so incandescently bad it's good.

if you should click, you will find yourself in a topsy-turvy world where you can get a blood test at a bank and where harry is so hot, cool, talented, and rich that he could shatter the sun with the force of his avada kedavra eyes orbs.

there are several key features in these sorts of stories: that all the slytherins are lovely and misunderstood; that harry hadrian is some sort of minor aristocrat who speaks like lord of the rings if it had been written by chat gpt; that dumbledore is a moustache-twirling, machiavellian villain who is keeping harry locked at the dursleys for a laugh, hiding his fan-mail from him in a vault, and stopping him being so hot, cool, talented, and rich through a combination of dark magic and pop psychology.

you will also find, sometimes, that - in these stories - ron has the personality of a bag of flour which has been left out in the rain. which gets harry wondering - why would he, since he's hot, cool, talented, and rich, be friends with someone who is ginger, poor, and irrelevant? and he will learn, usually with the help of a goblin or two, that it's because dumbledore tricked him into it! by paying mrs weasley to help him get onto platform 9 3/4 and ron to sit with him on the hogwarts express and then gaslight him into buying him some sweets! and then by paying them to make harry stay with them every summer! until he's missed his chance to be bffs with draco malfoy! gasp!

why would dumbledore do this? don't worry yourself.

if these sort of stories manage to restrain harry going apeshit at dumbledore's evil until he's seventeen, rather than eleven, they will often also have him working out that he couldn't be in love with someone ginger, poor, and irrelevant either, and concluding that ginny's given him love potions. or, on occasion, molly's been giving him them on ginny's behalf. probably to keep harry from his true love: regulus black's old wank sock daphne greengrass.

[molly does mention having brewed a love potion once in prisoner of azkaban - although not that she used it on arthur. as it does with love potions generally, the text treats this as all a bit of a joke, which isn't great, but the woman isn't running a mind-control lab in her chicken shed, come on now...]

[helloliriels]

Sleepless (Part 5)

Read Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | AO3 Fic

Molly felt awful about mailing Sherlock's letter, two weeks later … 

.

The radio program came back on, playing bits of John and Rosie’s conversation, a constant reminder of her betrayal … 

… and Sherlock - too - had appeared in her lab to work out a few details on a pressing case in symphony with the radio timing …

Molly flushed with colour. Unable to turn around and or even to look at him.

.

“Something is bothering you,” Sherlock stated off-hand. As if he didn’t really care about the answer, but was, in fact, annoyed by it … 

.

Molly fussed with paperwork.

"Busy day," she managed, after a moment, then topped it off with a cheery, “what did you think of the program on New Years?” before she could stop herself …

Her voice didn’t even shake.

She was quite proud for this not small feat, but immediately wanted to run and hide … 

.

“Had its moments,” Sherlock acknowledged, reluctantly.

Maybe hiding wasn't necessary ... 

“… but I do wish the host would allow her guests to speak without limitations," he added, offhand.

.

She laughed off her nerves, “it is a radio program for entertainment, Sherlock-? She has to keep it on track?”

“Boring,” Sherlock responded, dully. 

.

He wasn’t looking at her. Wasn’t even looking up.

.

“Will you be writing to them, then?” She asked bravely, after several minutes of uninterrupted silence. Again, forcing the casual note to her voice, “to find out the answers you needed …?”

“What answers?” Sherlock cut her off, “I deduced everything within minutes of the show’s ending. Case. Closed.”

“So you weren’t interested in the Doctor? John?” she prodded, “not even a little? ‘Cause I thought-”

“Molly,” he eyed her suspiciously. Her heart stopped for a second. But then he went back to his research, “I hope I would have more sense than to act like a silly schoolgirl sending notes,” he spat the last word with extreme derision.

.

“... Besides,” he added -

.          A few moments after she had started breathing again -

“... the relationship would never have worked out.”

.

She froze.

.       “And why’s that?” she laughed ... trying not to look too anxious for his reply … 

.

.        Shit. Shit. SHIT!

.        ... Why did she send off that letter???

.

“I’m a detective ,” he barked, startling her,

.     “I chase criminals through the streets of London on a regular basis!

.           I get death threats and have been kidnapped on more than one occasion!

.                    And OH?! Have I mentioned my inability to make or keep friends …? 

.                           Hardly the type of person a Doctor and the Father of a Small Child is going to want as a roommate ... hmmm?"

.

Molly stepped back a pace.

.          “You've been kidnapped?” she asked, horrified ... 

.

He sighed. Rolling back around to face his work.

“Twice as an adult. Once as a child. Risks of the trade.”

.

Molly stood speechless.

He took another deep breath - a calming breath - she thought … and looked away. 

“Now if you would leave me be?” he asked politely, “I have work to finish, and a plane to catch.”

.

“Another? Where to this time?” she hoped her smile was reassuring, but doubted it.

“Amsterdam,” he replied, still not looking up.

“Vacation then?” she tried for a more cheery note, but was shot down.

“Hardly,” Sherlock huffed, and drew out his notepad.

.               The same notepad that he had used to write the letter …

And scribbled a few words before looking back up at her surprised expression.

He took her silence as want of more explanation, and filled her in, “I’m following a trail of bank exchanges that will hopefully lead me to a blackmailer and a potential human trafficker. Teens have been going missing. Will probably be gone a few weeks. Maybe a month. If the trail leads elsewhere … "

.

“Oh.”

. She stepped back a pace, collecting herself,

. “yeah, ‘course. Silly me!”

.

She made her way back to her workstation, and they finished their tasks in silence. Her stomach growing more and more knotted with every passing, guilty, minute … Wondering … should she say something? … Confess?

Half an agonising hour later, he was grabbing his coat,

.        and then he paused - to her surprise - in the doorway …

.

“Besides …,"

. he added, quietly, as if they were still carrying on their conversation from earlier,

.                    “... what would I have to offer him?”

.

.

A stunned and blinking Molly could only watch as he disappeared down the hall and out the double doors. His shoulders slumped. His long, billowing coat, the only thing alive about his demeanour ... 

Unable to answer ...

            All the reasons she had fallen for him, already.

.

... She no longer regretted sending the letter.

SLEEPLESS IN LONDON (continued below!)

Rosie was pulling John along at a quick clip, on their way home from school. “Hang on a mo’?” he laughed, trying to keep up without letting go … “what’s the big rush?” 

“The post, Daddy!” She tugged harder.

“The … post …?” He asked, perplexed. The light bulb dawned, just as she reached their door and was peering in through the letter slot. She slumped in disappointment and looked up at John with huge, almost tearful eyes … 

“No letters?” she whinged.

She was disappointed.

.

John picked her up and carried her, floppy bunny and all, into their tiled entryway, dropping the keys on the side table … “I’m sorry, kiddo? Were you expecting there to be some toda-?”

They heard a shuffle of feet on the front steps, and both turned around to see a postman standing there. Two large bundles in his hands! 

.

“Doctor … John Watson?” 

.

The man was reading off the top letter on the stack.

“That’s me!” John squeezed Rosie’s hand and let go to accept the large bundles of letters. Glancing down to catch the look of barely contained glee in his daughter’s eyes … 

“Thank you!” John nodded, and went to shut the door - but the postman was halting him?

.

“I got two more to deliver? Where ya want ‘em?”

.

“Two more bundles?” John asked, amazed!

“Oh no,” the man replied - John laughed with relief - then the man gestured, “I got two full delivery bags in the van.”

.

John blinked.

. Did he say … two full bags???

.

“You want ‘em in here?” The post man was already eyeing their narrow entryway.

.

“I … uh …,” John ran his fingers through his hair, still processing the shock of this revelation. Even little Rosie seemed overwhelmed by the news! “Yeah, Christ. Guess that … would be … fine-?” 

He met Rosie’s awed expression with a shy smile. She was really getting her hopes up … 

“Right you are!” the man was already off to collect the rest ... 

.

.          ... and all John could do was step back and marvel at the enormous pile it made when they were emptied at his feet.

@johnlocky @fluffbyday-smutbynight @chinike @rhasima @mydogwatson @kettykika78 @mxster-jocale @cupidford @meetinginsamarra @peageetibbs @calaisreno @7-percent @john-smiths-jawline @anyway-kindness @swissmissing @inevitably-johnlocked @totallysilvergirl @kittenmadnessandtea @topsyturvy-turtely @safedistancefrombeingsmart @colourfulwatson @holmesianlove @kabubsmagga @peanitbear @copperplatebeech @tiverrr @pocketwatchofmycroft @mutedsilence @2smach @loki-lock @daltongraham @amyreadsandstresses @raina-at @discordantwords @gregorovitchworld @bluebellofbakerstreet @sarahthecoat @reveling-in-mayhem @midgemao @ileenhaddockhawkins @storytellingdreamer @fuckcannibals @cortinita @marisaysthings @charlies-storybook @salmonsown @iamjustreading @myriath @tinchensblog @iwlyanmw

(let me know if you want tagged/removed anytime)

[awlimagines]

How they comfort/care for you when you're sick.

CELIA/CECILIA

Cecilia was on her way to the Goddess Pond when she saw you collapse in the field. She immediately gets help and anxiously waits for you to wake. She gives a gentle but firm lecture about pushing yourself too hard when you recover. Cecilia stays around the farm after updating Vesta to help with crops and make you a meal. Before she heads home for the evening, Cecilia stops at the pond to pray to the Harvest Goddess for your good health.

DARYL

He admittedly did not notice you missing your usual visit to the lab. Daryl only knew you were sick after stepping out to chase off Nami and Cole from talking outside his door. Despite his best attempts to return to work, you kept crossing his mind instead. He did not study medicine but was sure he could whip something up. Daryl arrived at your door, ranting to you about his creation. The black liquid held towards you in a beaker did not look promising. His expectant look had you cautiously take a sip. The next thing you knew, you woke up in bed to hear Daryl arguing with Dr. Baddoch over the medicine’s effectiveness.

FLORA

She returns to the surface after being in the dig site all day. Flora knew something was missing today and tried to focus on what it was now that she was off work. A fish jumps from the river, and she thinks of you. Flora knew you were usually at the dig site most days, especially before Van came to town. Her thoughts turned to the suspicious person across the river. What if they turned to your farm? Flora crossed the water, intent on checking nothing happened at your farm. Flora offers to make you a meal so you can rest. The soup is bland with a touch too much salt, but it’s the thought that counts.

GUSTAFA

Gustafa has gotten so used to your schedule that he quickly notices when you don’t come by to listen to him play. He frowns slightly, worried about what might have happened before heading toward the farm. A few steps past the entrance, he finds out from Takakura you’re sick. Gustafa wastes no time in offering to help with the animals so you can rest. Afterward, he wanders home to clean up before returning with a light meal. Gustafa only stays after you beg and assure him you would feel better if he did. You later fall asleep listening to his soft singing and playing.

MARLIN/MATTHEW

It’s the end of the season, and you’ve yet to come to Vesta for advice on what to plant next. He wouldn’t say he’s worried about you specifically, just about your farm. It’s hard to catch back up once you fall behind. The girls later mention Takakura said you were sick as he returned from the City. Cecilia and Vesta nudge him along to go and check on how you’re doing and deliver some seeds you can pay for later. Marlin only pauses for a moment before leaving for your house. Once there, he explains why he’s there and hands over the seeds. Marlin hands you a hybrid crop explaining it was from their greenhouses and should help boost your health more than a regular crop. He mumbles that he hopes you feel better soon and that he missed you today before quickly leaving.

MUFFY/MOLLY

Molly notices you fail to stop for lunch and decides to swing by the farm instead of the Inn for her break. She is devastated when you answer, wrapped in a blanket. Molly quickly ushers you back into bed. A frown creases her pretty brow as she checks your temperature. The only nursing she ever did was a few hours in costume at parties in the City. Molly is used to cleaning the cafe. She cleans around your house before promising to return with a nutritious, light meal from Griffin and some medicine. Before she leaves for her next shift, Molly says she hopes you’re better soon and cares for her the next time she’s sick.

NAMI

Nami was on her way to the Goddess Pond and noticed Takakura in the fields without you in sight. Thinking this was odd, she stopped outside the farm to observe. Nami pushes herself to speak with Takakura about it when you never appear. Nami is silent and thoughtful for a minute before offering to help water the crops. The next day Takakura tells you about her stopping to help. Nami tells you she was just curious about what farmwork was like, and it wasn’t a big deal. She brushes off your thanks but has a slight pink flush on her cheeks.

ROCK

He did think it was odd not to see you in the fields but minded his own business. He finished races with your dog and took a quick nap before catching sight of Takakura, who tells him you are sick. He doesn’t offer to help around the farm and wanders back to the Inn. Once there, he explains you’re sick to Ruby. Rock was going to take you food. Unfortunately, he doesn’t have enough to buy you both something from the cafe and he’s not a great cook. Rock soon returns to your home with his mom’s delicious curry. He spends the rest of the day talking to you about the latest gossip until you fall asleep. Rock catches another nap for himself before heading off for the night.

[ecargmura]

Pokemon Horizons Episode 40 Review - Sprigatito's Origins

Wow, Sprigatito’s origins are revealed! It’s interesting how Sprigatito knew where she came from and even came back to visit. It’s also nice to learn how these starters come to be and how they get sent off to schools and labs for beginning trainers. In Sprigatito’s case, she came from a breeder who specializes in breeding feline Pokemon. This is also the episode where I learn that the Sneasel line are felines. I don’t know how to feel about this considering I’ve thought of them as weasels until now.

The title is definitely bait, as Sprigatito doesn’t actually leave Liko but just wants some time away from her because of her actions. She loves Liko a lot, but she worries about her strength. It turns out that Liko’s Sprigatito is a bit different from the rest. She’s a lot stronger than her siblings, and when she was trying to protect them from a Spidops that tried to attack her siblings, her Leafage had hurt them in the process, causing them to avoid her. It turns out that while she was a bit wary of Liko, she saw her in the interview screen at Indigo Academy by chance and felt as if they were destined to be partners; imagine a story where Liko didn’t get Sprigatito as a partner…

I do like the growth that Liko shows here. If this was Liko in the beginning, she’d be wallowing with self-doubt and wonder if she would fit as Sprigatito’s partner. However, Liko has changed. Instead of wallowing in the past, she tries to understand her partner’s feeling by trying to communicate with her. I like that! She even said to Sprigatito that she didn’t mind if she scratches her because she did that when they first met. I also like Sprigatito’s growth too! She learned Magical Leaf, meaning no more Leafage spam, hopefully.

Speaking of growth, Hatenna seems to be growing too! Liko told her to look after Terapagos and she got all excited like a big sister finally getting responsibilities from her mother! If Liko’s party were a family, Liko would be the mom, Sprigatito would be the eldest, Hatenna would be the middle child and Terapagos would be the baby (despite it being the oldest). She even chased after Terapagos when it ran off, showing that she’s not afraid to leave the ship to search for it! Such a big change for a timid Pokemon!

The breeder who raised Sprigatito, Manya, is a very nice lady. She feels like she is what Liko could be if she was older as she’s someone who read Liko and Sprigatito’s feelings very well. I do like how she’s the one explaining Sprigatito’s backstory and how she was there when Liko was being interviewed by Indigo Academy. I think it’s so cool to see the person who brought Sprigatito into the world; I don’t think we had an instance where a partner Pokemon knew who brought them to this world. Please correct me if I am wrong. My only gripe is that I’d like to learn a bit more about Manya, but it makes sense to not learn too much about her as Sprigatito is the star. Manya is voiced by Mie Sonozaki, who voices Cynthia in Masters and voiced Lusamine in Pokemon Evolutions. I feel like Horizons really like bringing in voice actors who have done roles in different media or in past works relating to Pokemon.

I like how Roy is such a nice boy. When Liko sprained her wrist, he immediately helped her up and took her to see Mollie and even waited at the clinic with her. He’s a good friend. Though, it does seem like Fuecoco hasn’t forgotten Ember. Now that Liko has beaten Roy in a battle, it should be time for him stop spamming Ember.

Right now, my only concern for Sprigatito is her future. The Sprigatito line primarily focuses on Speed and Attack stats. She rarely uses her physical moves and prefers to use Leafage and now Magical Leaf, which are special moves. Either Sprigatito needs more development in order to bring out her true potential or she’s going to be a very weak Meowscarada if she focuses only on Special moves. But those are just my thoughts. What are your thoughts on this episode?

[imlivinginyourtrashcan]

Request granted,tell me everything you have time to tell me about

Ok!!!! So the one thats been on my mind lately thars not exchanged, is a lab/scientist au.

Naven Nuknuk is the lead scientist and he uses his speech therapy program to trick Molly, Feenie and Trixie into becoming his test dummies. Hes successful and mashes the girls into a horrifying amalgamation; like this!

Yoomtah and Zora are his assistance, with Yoomtah being very NOT okay with what he's doing. Zoras indifferent cuz shes getting paid (in this au the events of the Museam arc didnt happen)

Lorelai (who actually cares about her sister in this au!!! WHAT?!?! OMG ITS UNHEARD OF!!!) starts getting the feeling somethings wrong and takes matters into her own hands, searching for the three girls until finding Giovanni (in this au theyre friends) and shes like "yo gio help me out" and hes like "bet, trix is my cousin don't want her getting hurt at all"

Then they go to thw police n are all "yo help us out" and theyre like "mehhh" cuz they dont think theyre serious (Yoomtah has been sending Lorelai clues and tidbits about where they are) but Percy takes it seriously n is like "ok bet gotchu" n sends a search party

Meanwhile Naven is testing on the poor girls and keeps em in a room with Rick (whos his test tube baby and essentially a human fish with sentience)

After a lot of gaps in plot; this happens:

Lorelai runs up to the door, banging on its metalic surface hard enough to injure herself. She pulls it back, shaking it aggressively,

"You okay???" Giovanni asks, peering over her shoulder in order to get a better look at her hand

"No!" Lorelai replies with the obvious, sucking her teeth in. "The doors bolted shut!"

She takes out her phone, pulling up the number that 'The Zinger' had been texting her with, scrambling to type with one hand

LORELAI:We r here ope door

LORELAI:*were

LORELAI:*open

LORELAI:Sort wridt hurts tryib to type wigh one hand

THE ZINGER: LMFAOOO did u try punching the door??

LORELAI: do n luagh at m

The Zinger sends a gif of a smug looking cat

THE ZINGER: Dokayyyyyyy

THE ZINGER: Sadly, naynay kept the outside door non elecy, so ur gonna hafta figure that out urself 😗😗✌️✌️

"Shit!" Lorelai half screamed

"What?" Giovanni asks

"The doors not electrical! Woulda been nice to know that EARLIER, Zinger!"

"Awh come on!"

Giovanni takes out his CRUEL CRIME CROWBAR, walking up to the door. He sets one foot in it, hooking the crowbar beneath the doors handles. Once hes locked it, he yanks it until the door loosens.

"Good thing I had this!" He says, giving the door a light kick as pay back for giving them trouble. He gestures for Lorelai to follow him inside, and they enter in together to see..

Naven..

He turns to face them, with a phone in his hands. Yoomtahs.

"My my my, how persistant the two of you are!" He sets the phone on the table, setting his hands firmly behind his back as he inches closer. "Its almost..."

He stops when he's face to face with Lorelai, creaking open his eyes. The smile on his face laced with hatred and mal-intent.

"Infuritating..."

He lifts his lanky body back from her gaze, his eyes falling closed. He turns away from them

"I'm afraid youre too late, however"

"Woah wah woah woah woah what- what do you mean??" Giovanni asks, his shoulders tensing. Naven lets out a small chuckle in response,

"Would you care to see?"

He begins to walk off, drawing in the uneasy curiosiry of Lorelai and Giovanni.

They stop outside of a room, which Naven opens with the keycard. Giovanni and Lorelai hear strained, pained moans from inside. Naven enters the room, the other two scuttling behind him like scared crabs. Theyre brought to a stop at what they see, a large mushed glue monster of what was once was a person. The faces of Molly, Feenie and Trixie sticking out, all wailing painfully.

Lorelai covers her mouth, eyes wider than saucers. Giovanni can barely speak, even though his mouth was opens.

Navens stands in front of the abomination.

"This is what I had been up to all this time, Isn't she beautiful?"

Lorelais shock morphed into rage, hands forming into fists. "What. Did you do?!"

"Something glorious..." he extends his arms, his pink eyes shooting open for the first time. His smile unhinged and manic, pupils the size of grapes. "ARENT YOU PROUD OF WHAT I'VE DONE?! ARENT YOU PROUD OF MY WORK! LOOK AT HER! GAZE INTO HER MANY EYES AND REVEL AT MY OWN CREATION!"

...

I may or may not have been inspo'd by ur pfp

[loudlittleecho]

Too Late To Save Them: Frozen in Time Offshoot: What happened in Amity

Set after this prompt

What's happened in Amity after the explosion and Danny accident:

The town: Horrified. Vlad finds out about Maddie, was told about his godfather duties.

Alicia was headed to the town to meet Vlad, check on Danny, see if Danny really wants to go with this guy. (Has had a couple phone calls with Maddie about how Vlad was Danny's godfather, (Maddie was always vague about it), but had been considering switching it over to Alicia instead; though Jack didn't agree.) Danny is 14, and while not yet 16, a judge might allow Danny to pick.

When Alicia arrives the Fenton house is blocked off.

Police and strange men in all white suits around. A shaken caseworker walks over to her and - breaks down.

Alicia feels a horrible pit grow in her chest.

Where. Is. Her. Nephew.

She spots Vlad speaking to an officer. His suit is ruffled, hair unkempt. He looks like he hasn't slept in days.

Alicia only looks better because she took a sleeping aid the day before- she needed to be there for Danny.

The caseworker; Molly- eventually manages to say there had been an accident.

Alicia ignores everyone as she pushes her way into the house. There is someone standing at a staircase, asking her to go back out.

She barrels her way down the stairs and sees. . .

She had never seen her sisters lab in person.

Had never seen. . . That grotesque glowing void.

---

Vlad: depressed at Maddie's death. He's dismissive of Danny's accident. . . the boy probably ran off to grieve. Vlad's at a loss from the families demise.

Expects Danny to show up at some point.

The town demands the portal be shut down. To find Danny's remains. The GIW attempt to shut it off, but they're idiots.

A week goes by. As the mayor, Vlad has shut down many discussions about the stupid portal and the town upset with the GIW. Tired of it all, he goes to the Fenton house (that has a memorial set up on the steps) as a ghost, and turns off the portal.

The mayor resigns. The town believes it's because he was close to the family. (partially true). The GIW find the portal shut down. (they take the credit).

The house goes to Alicia. She donates most of the items. The tech stuff she refuses to sell to the GIW.

She has it destroyed instead. (She can't bear to destroy her sisters notes though. She sends the notes to Vlad. He was Jacks best friend from college, he can deal with it.)

No one buys the house. Eventually she has the house demolished and turns the land into a community garden.

---

A few years go by.

The Manson family take over maintenance of the garden in honor of their daughter. Alicia let's them. (They hire an overseer: they do try the whole “gardening thing”, but it isn’t for them. It was Samantha’s) Honestly the garden does incredibly well. Anyone can ‘rent’ a plot (essentially just stick your name on a stick in an empty plot and it’s yours). Many plots are ‘take what you need’, in honor of the ultra-recyclo-vegetarian. 

With the portal destroyed the ghosts don’t bother the town as often. Red Huntress isn’t seen as often. Valerie graduates high school and travels, at first as a ghost hunter, but with age she now realizes that ghosts are. . . Complex. She doesn’t exactly ‘join’ the Justice League, but does work with other minor heroes occasionally.

The Foley's move. Everywhere they walk in Amity they are reminded of their son. They can't handle the sorrowful looks of passerby.

Casper High has invested in programs to support teen mental heath. Most of the town doesn't mind their taxes going up to assist with the extra funding.

The faculty start and continue a scholarship: The Lancer Education Scholarship, awarded once a year to a graduating student who planned to go to college to become a teacher.

The town moves on. 

[pandorafallz]

Vampire AU | Returning to Site 26

Grace’s return back to the Shack was…uneventful aside from the matter that she had Paz drop her off but her mind was still buzzing a little from what she had heard from Mansk.

For two days, she was away handling the aftermath of the Quad’s escape, she had worked with Mansk to help him out with the loss to the SciOps there, going over the details of possibly sending Molly up there if Walker was being sent back. Checked in with the others, except Hale who had been overseeing the mine more personally and Mansk had the gall to drop the news of the IVS Destiny on her in passing when talking about Dr Solis. Not that Mansk knew. She never told anyone aside from Paz and Hale about her daughter.

Her daughter could be alive.

If her heart was beating, she knew she’d be in a flutter and anxious about it; waiting to know when the ship came in planetary range but even then, she knew there was no guarantee she would have survived the trip. RDA protocols and all that bullshit.

If Ridley was alive, she had a chance to…reconnect with her long-lost daughter. If not…. Grace wanted to find the best place possible for her to bury her daughter’s remains. She couldn’t hope… but there was that spark and it was uncomfortable to have.

“You fed before you left, right?” Paz asked suddenly.

Grace nodded airily, the question pulling her attention thankfully away from her daughter. “Should be good for a few days.” She knew better than to return here on all three empty stomachs. She’d welcome the chance back to Hell’s Gate when possible as well so helping with Mansk was a fulfilling trip, so to speak.  She didn’t have to break into another bag tonight. “How’s Miles?”

Paz’s expression pulled in. “Sitting up, ready to start crawling. Not denting his iron teething ring I made but he’s chewed through rubber bottle teats now. I think he needs solids now.”

Grace’s head tilted. “He’ll need blood then… and meat.”

“I’m going to have to start hunting local game. Maybe a viperwolf might sustain him but… I don’t know where to store it if he can keep it down.” There uncertainty was very palpable in her tone ad with how she gripped the stick.

“The void space where our meetings used to be. Since we’re all scattered, we can’t use it.” Grace offered. “It’s far closer than our lab.”

Paz hummed, “I’ve considered the lab. I’ll use it when we can’t hide Mile’s Vampiric habits but.. I hope to hold out for another two months.”

“Try and wait till after the radiation storm week,” Grace suggested, “we can’t leave when that hits and you won’t have the supplies.”

Paz let out a redundant sigh to emphasise her wordless frustration.

Grace patted her arm lightly. “Look, I still have my avatar. I could still get you stuff if you have to ditch before then… but it’ll just be a long goddamn walk.”

Paz’s grip on the stick slacked a little. “Thank you.”

-

Arriving back at Site 26, Grace bid her farewell to Paz, jumped out of the Samson with her bag and headed towards the shack. She couldn’t hear anything questionable, which was a relief. There was no mistake that flame between Norm and Trudy and no doubt they had been waiting until she was gone to properly fuck each other raw. She didn’t need to cross into their minds to know they were both horny and waiting for an opportunity. At least she hoped they’d get it out of their system. She doubted they’d miss it given it was two days and Trudy had been very eager to return, after all.

Boy, she was gonna have to vent that shack to air it out. A lot.

Inside, Grace was proven right but the lingering smell was hours stale, nonetheless, she headed straight to the air con to up the venting system and then tossed her bag into her bed. Norm was in the bathroom, showering if the sound of the water running was any indication.

Trudy was reading on her bed though frowned as she realised who it was. “Shit, why didn’t you let me know to pick you up?” She scrambled out of bed, dressed in a simple tank and shorts.

“I considered it but I figured you were too busy doing something,” Grace spoke, unpacking her clothes and shoving her night clothes under her pillow.

“Shit…” Trudy worried, shaking her head, eyes darting around for her clothes. “I’m going to get into so much trouble.”

“Relax. I told Quaritch you were out with Norm running a sample gathering.”

“Wh-oh.” Trudy blinked in surprise. “Wait, you lied?” She sounded genuinely surprised

Grace raised an eyebrow at the pilot “Did you, at any time, take Norm to get samples in the two days that I was away?” She couldn’t help the slight exasperation because surely they were actual professionals out here to do their jobs.

“Yes,” Trudy said. “He got more of that resin-plant stuff.”

Grace relaxed, giving a satisfied nod. “Then I didn’t lie. I didn’t just specify timings.” Grace Left her bag where it was. “I need to link up. Are the samples in the lab outside?”

Trudy nodded, “I’ll let Norm know when he’s out.”

Grace left her at that without another word, happily starting up her link bed and slipping inside before she opened her big yellow eyes.

Boy, her avatar was complaining. She had linked up once at Hell’s Gate to feed it and take care of its needs but that had been brief since she had work to do elsewhere. Now, her stomach panged with hunger, her mouth dry with thirst and oddly enough, she actually enjoyed the unpleasant sensation as she weakly clambered out of the hammock, not bothering with shoes as she padded out to the fridge for some food. Coming across water first, she drained the bottle quickly then continued her fridge raid.

Grace knew, in some ways, it was wrong to enjoy the unpleasantness of her avatar’s discomforts but… it was the only way she could feel the differences. This body felt alive and screamed for it when needs weren’t met. Her…native body not so much. She missed that, oddly.

She missed how the thirst for water was just a dry mouth and the innate desire for water to saturation that mild sensation, not the horrible burning that grew hotter and hotter and could only be saturated by blood. Or the act of holding her breath, the relief of it when she released it. In her vampire form, she could hold her breath for as long as she wanted and the only discomfort she got was the lack of sense of smell. No relief.

Still, she’s never purposely do anything to harm her avatar and deny its needs when she could easily provide it. It wouldn’t last forever but she had to make sure it lived long. Only body she could age in and live through. It made eating that jello pot all the more delicious to the point she remained crouched in front of the open fridge as she ate. Contemplating another pot or granola bar when a voice rang out…

“This sight would be far funnier at 4 am.”

Grace’s head turned, spoon in mouth. “Hm?”

Norm was sitting up in the hammock, grinning a little as he pulled himself out. “Nothing, nothing.” He waved his hand, taking a second to roll his shoulders and pop something. “How’s the trip?” Norm moved to change his shirt and shorts so she turned away to focus on her quick meal.

She pulled the spoon from her mouth, snagged a granola and tossed the empty jello pot into the trash. “As expected. Selfridge is fuming about it. Quaritch… well I heard very little from him actually. I last heard he was in his office doing research on the defectors.” Grace spoke. “Quaritch has never done that so intently. Honestly, I debated on sending the chapel priest to his office instead. With Salt.”

Norm snorted loudly.

Grace chewed through the bar quickly, taking the moment to grab her day clothes and detoured for the loo but returned happily feeling far more refreshed and Norm was already prepping the lab and the samples he had taken were laid out on the central desk.

It wasn’t just resin samples, she realised but there were a few pots so clearly his sample gathering had been fruitful. She didn’t recognise the sealed container but it looked like it contained a water moss of sorts, a pale white with blue threads of colour. There was a Tsawksyul Petal (also known as  a sun lily), some sort of large orange-sized berries and an Acrid pod.

“You’ve been busy,” Grace noted, pleased.

Norm chuckled softly. “they weren’t easy to get.”

“I’m surprised you found an acrid pod, they don’t tend to be this far out East, they prefer the West’s temperature and biomes, water mostly.”

“I can only assume they grew from animal droppings.”

Grace pursed her lips as she took the pod first, pulling out one of her equipment to gather the oil from one of the twelve pods.

“What was the environment of the acrid pods? Riverside or pond?”

“A stream, actually. It wasn’t alone, there were three more on the rock it was on but I left it at that. The others looked immature.”

“Acrid pods are filled with this crude, thick oil,” Grace explained, watching as the yellow, pus-like liquid filled the syringe. “It can be used as a form of explosive at high speeds or ignited. Some na’vi clans can add these to their bow to increase firepower.”

“Oh, wow” Norm looked at it curiously, “I knew they were flammable but… I didn’t realise they’d be part of Na’vi’s arsenal like that.”

“They don’t use these ones often. I’ve never seen it in action but with this, we can run the chemical composition and see how it works and what it eats through. Once we empty the pods, the seeds, we can study but we can replant them by one of the nearby streams so we shouldn’t have to go too far. Also, the skin looks fascinating. I wonder if it has an internal mucus-like membrane to sustain itself against its oil like a human gut or if it’s immune to its own effects…”

-

Together, they worked for hours and the afternoon was soon becoming closer to twilight, taking apart the samples but setting aside the berry and resin into the sample fridge for another time as they broke down the samples, getting chemical compositions running and Grace took the time to get some people at Hell’s gate to look over what they couldn’t complete in the lab.

Grace set aside the physical samples she’d need to be delivered to Hell’s Gate SciOps lab for tomorrow for that as well, so Trudy was going to be busy tomorrow. They unlinked after their avatar’s dinner and Grace left Norm and Trudy for their meal and settled primarily to sit on her bunk. She didn’t change, even as the two humans finished, washed up, kissed and clambered into their bunks then the lights went out

She just lay there but in the darkness, her mind resurfaced this morning’s news again now she was no longer busy or occupying her mind with work. At least conversation had been a distraction. She didn’t have that now. Left alone with her thoughts and all her work was in the lab and she didn’t have the luxury be able to sleeping through it. Times like this, she damned the vampire’s inability to sleep.

Grace remained still, listening out as the two humans fell into sleep; their heartbeats slowing down and their breathing falling into a relaxed pattern of light sleep but even then, it didn’t offer a sustainable distraction despite trying to track each of their sleeping stages.

Noise outside did however pull her attention. Vampire hands and feet scaling upwards. Grace slipped from her bed and out, snagging a last last-second but didn’t put it on—on the off-chance she was seen coming back in.

The familiar sight of Hale appearing over the edge was a surprise but welcome.

“Katherine?”

Hale’s contacts were out, showing off the red hue that was tinged with darkness but she looked… uncomfortable. “I wished you popped over to MineOps before you left.” She said, leading the way from the front to the far side which covered any view from the shack.

“Everything alright?” Grace followed her though she could smell the dirt on her still and the metallic undertone that somehow lingered in her scent.. She could see the clothes were changed still and clean.

Hale let out a frustrated sigh. “I need some of your blood.” She said and the younger vampire peeled off her gloves and shrugged off her jacket, dropping them to the grass.

“Oh shit.” Grace reached for Hale’s arm.

Burgundy Splotches, almost like dust-patterns coated her skin like a horrible rash. Clear as anything with their eyesight despite the darkness of night. Hale pulled her hands away, only to pull down the collar of her turtle neck where more irritated skin was there as well and no doubt more underneath

“Unobtainium rashes,” Grace noted in concern, her hand touching the long curve of discolouration along her jugular, noting how it traced under the mask line. “I thought you were able to handle it.”

“We need to upgrade the filters in the refinery but we have no due-cause just yet for me to just do it. Nothing’s flagged up yet. Our other filters are struggling but keeping up. The downside is we need Selfridge’s stamp of approval to implement the upgrades both prompted and unprompted” Hale said, “The mask protects my face but the dust particles are settling into my clothes now. I shower every night but this keeps happening after I do my visit. It aches but doesn’t itch. Thankfully.”

Grace examined the rash. “These are more like blood spots, you’re body’s trying to heal from the exposure. How’s your thirst?”

“Not the best,” Hale admitted. “I’ve had to feed a little more than usual but it’s not enough. Since we’re MineOps, we can wash and decom our clothes as much as we want to avoid contamination but it’s hard to keep up.”

Within their group, Grace came to learn that while unobtainium was an irritant to vampire biology, not as bad as silver which flat-out burned on contact but this, with contact their bodies seemed to react with a rash instead which took time to go down once the source of the flair was removed from contact without fresh vampire blood. The flair was gone, now but the marks were still healing.

Now, younger vampires didn’t quite have the same vampire blood reserves as a mature vampire would. It took years after the transformation for a vampire’s heart to create enough of their Vampiric blood cells to fill their body and saturate through the current supplied in their veins. The blood cells would act as stem cells; to heal and grow for what the body needs. A mature vampire has blue blood to show their biological maturity (and the fact vampire blood was by nature unoxygenated). A younger would have red which would darken over time.

Henrik, being the youngest had a dark red, Paz and Hale had become burgundy, and baby Miles had a darker shade than his mother’s (and clearly non-human to outsiders). Since her turning, Grace’s blood had darkened to an egg-plant purple now and the rest of their group were at the shade of navy blue.

This meant that healing was also age-subjective as their vampire blood was a key factor to healing. A mature vampire would certainly heal more rapidly than a newly-turned. A Sire’s blood was more efficient than mature blood from another vampire. The closest ‘genetic’ match for vampire biology. It also means they couldn’t risk spilling blood in front of humans; that’d sell them out for sure.

From what she could see, Hale’s body was struggling to heal. If this carried on, the rashes would start to leave marks. Permanently.

Grace silently rolled up her sleeve and pushed it up her arm. “Have at it.” She said, there was no point delaying this, she still had a responsibility to maintain care over those she turned, even if it was the ever-prominent reminder of what they were. At least in her avatar, she could have moments to pretend.

There was no hesitation or awkwardness over it as Kathrine closed the distance and bit straight into the brachial artery at the crook of her elbow. Graced hissed out a little at the pain but it didn’t last too long. She twisted to better look Katherine's arm as she fed but gladly noted as the red spots began to fade out.

“You’re done,” Grace said, as the last few marks began to disappear entirely however, Hale didn’t stop or release so she yanked the fellow red-haired by the ponytail. “Stop.”

Katherine hissed, pulling back and baring her jaw with sharpened teeth in an irritable manner but Grace matched her, her teeth sharpening into fangs. She yanked her head back by the pony again, having not let go to remind the young vampire of her position. There was still a hierarchy between sires and their childes.

She best remembers that.

It took a few seconds before Katherine’s teeth reverted back to blunt-human-like teeth before Grace let go to heal her arm, glad to see that she hadn’t gotten blood on her clothes at the very least. Not something she wanted to talk to Norm about if she didn’t wash her clothes in time.

Hale licked her lips clean, taking a further second to compose herself. “Thank you.” She looked sharply towards the shack. “Your colleague’s woken up and wondering where you are.”

“Damn it, Norm.” She listened out, hearing him slowly clambering out of bed. It was 2 am, probably confused. Just what she needed right now. Grace slipped on the mask, glad for once she hadn’t removed her contact lenses.

“Why don’t you sit outside the shack, say you’re star gazing. New constellations?” Katherine suggested, adjusting her attire back, her jacket back on and gloves.

“Try and hold out but come to me if the rashes are that bad again.” Grace nodded to her arm as she said this. Katherine saluted and then jumped very casually off the mountain, her clothes rustling loudly in her descent.

With the lesser gravity, she was still falling by the time Grace moved and flittered back to the shack, sliding to sit outside the shack steps and ten seconds later, the airlock door opened before a very groggy-sounding Norm spoke.

“Grace? What are you doing? It’s 2 am. It’s not safe at night”

“Couldn’t sleep,” Grace said, not technically lying and letting out a sigh. “Insomnia is very common with avatar drivers…long-term.” She added. Again, not a lie. “Sorry… I didn’t want to wake you up.”

Norm stared at her for a long moment, frowning at her behind his mask. “Are you okay?”

Grace hummed. “Of course.”

Norm didn’t look convinced. “You know, you can talk to me if there’s something on your mind. Me and Trudy are here.”

“I know.”

Norm stared for a long moment then let go of the door, passing out and slowly sunk down beside her, taking a moment to look around, then up.

Silence fell between them for a few minutes.

“It’s weird to think Earth is upwards. We came from so far away and now, we’re looking up at our home world and…can’t even see it.”  Norm chuckled softly. “Has the RDA done any astrology studies from Pandora?”

“Not really. We travel through space, we don’t need to study the constellations again.” Grace admitted. “RDA won’t fund for it either. A redundant science.”

“I wonder what clans chart the sky.”

“From what Dr Harper told me of the clan, the Anurai clan have astrologists, or as they say, Stargazer,” Grace spoke.

“You know, if we ever get to meet one of the Na’vi, we should ask, right?”

Grace peered at him softly but said nothing. She could see where his question was coming from; to know the Na’vi’s perspective on space and how they saw the outside world. It was interesting, from a cultural standpoint but she’d leave those questions for him to ask.

After a moment, Norm sighed again, twitching a little in discomfort and his knee gave a quiet pop as he stretched out a little.

Her gaze turned up to the sky for a moment. She could see so much more but didn’t want to point anything out. She couldn’t remember the limit of human eyes. Even her avatar eyes were better than human eyes. Still, there was little to no light pollution in the mountains so even Norm had a spectacular view of the sky.

It was weird to think that… soon there would be another ship coming. Another ship coming that had her daughter on. Alive…dead… but here all the same.

“Ridley might be alive,” Grace stated quietly.

Norm’s head turned to her suddenly, eyes widening. “R-Really?”

Grace shrugged. “Just…rumour someone from higher up mentioned that…the IVS Density was located…and on its way. No passenger confirmation. She might be dead still.”

Norm looked a little startled before he let out a huff. “No wonder you’re out here.” He remarked, “Sorry if that sounded off...” He realised a second later.

Grace shook her head. “It’s fine, Norm.”

“No, it’s not but thanks, I guess.” He looked up to the stars as well. “If…you don’t mind me asking but…what’s she like? Your daughter?”

Grace let out a deep, redundant breath. “Honestly… I wish I knew. Before I left, she was this adorable, clingy two-year-old who tried to hide in my luggage or sneak into my bed. She absolutely loved water.” She smiled softly. “After the umbilical stump finally fell off, I started to let her float in the kitchen sink for me to study. She loved simply floating. She had this inflatable neck support that kept her head out of the water but… it allowed me to work and study beside her. I still had to get through avatar training and my Ph.D.s. Doing that with a new-born… really difficult”

Norm smiled softly, “Sounds adorable.”

“Ridley cried every time I had to pull her out.” She remembered how it used to tear at her heart to hear her cry so hard and her father had to stop her putting the baby back in the sink. Post-partum had not been easy but with her father’s support, she never would have made it in either her work or child-rearing.

“What was she trained in?”

“Well… Xenobotanist but she chose a speciality in water-based plants and life forms. I’m not surprised.” She had been following her daughter’s career the best she could in Pandora. “She’s trained in Xenoanthropology and Xenolinguistics. Dr Harper accepted her application into the Avatar program but I bet a lot of people are gonna make assumptions...” she wasn’t looking forward to that. If Ridley had become anything like her, she was probably gonna be equally annoyed about it. Ridley didn’t get a free pass to Pandora because of their relation. She earned it like everyone else (except Sully but she didn’t count him). She hadn’t been head of SciOps for nine years, only three and a half years but they weren’t gonna remember that now, would they?

“She’ll have an avatar?”

Grace nodded gently. “If it’s and she’s still alive, yes.”

Norm hummed softly, his tone gentle. “I hope she’s okay.”

“I hope I get to know her again. It’s… I know there’s a chance she won’t remember me but I hope she’ll talk to me.” That worried her the most really. What if Ridley wanted nothing to do with her? While they shared the same family name…a face even, they could be too different to get along. Or maybe Ridley just wanted to keep things at a professional distance. What if Ridley resented her for leaving?

“I hope so too, Grace. I really do.” Norm reached a little awkwardly, patting her on the shoulder but he took a sudden intake of breath, jaw clenching and nostrils fared as he tried to suppress a yawn, his eyes watering a little.

“Bedtime,” Grace decided, rising to her feet.

Norm shook his head. “It's fine, I can stay up a little longer. You can…keep talking. It’ll make you feel better.”

Grace shook her head but offered him a tired smile of gratitude. “Tomorrow…maybe.” She reached for the airlock, holding it open for him to clamber to his feet and head in first.

She did feel a little better, now that she realised it. Lighter, even but it was no guarantee the weight wouldn’t come back.

She just hoped Ridley was alive. It would be nice to be a mother again.

Masterlist

[thegardengrows-infrozenrain]

A proper introductory post for myself

hey. name's lance. sometimes i go by the names of my kinlist, so don't be afraid to ask as to what my name is at the moment.

i'm a fan of Mother Mother, My Little Pony, Furbies, Pokémon, and uuuhhh... more stuff, but those are typically what you'll probably see me yapping about on this blog.

favourite albums are, as stated in my bio, The Sticks and Very Good Bad Thing, however, those are only my top two faves - I also really like Eureka and O My ♥.

various lists under the cut, these will likely update in the future. :3 (btw there is no dni here because i find them a little dumb. if you interact with me and your vibes are a bit off to me i'll just block you lol)

Friends:

@ask-causes-and-curses

@edd-ska

@superawesomelurkaccount <- nevermind :( i leave them here tho as a tribute to a friendship that didn't last for longer than a few months but felt like a wonderful eternity.

[more friends to appear in future! ^^]

collective gender tag: #Funhouse Gender Basement! <- subject to change

headmate list, plus post tags:

-Dirk Strider | (no tag applicable, check out @tirneaustestifled!)

-Tab Incredibox (blame Lilac for getting us into Incredibox /j /lh) | #lab reports

-Ryan Guldemond | #ryan's rants

-Grief Omens!Ryan | #~Crowldemond

-Molly Guldemond | #molly's musings | @bitchycreationthing

-Jasmin Parkin | #jasmin's junk

-Grief Omens!Jasmin | #Yours Truly - Jasmiraphale

-Gerard Way | #gee gabs

-Sharpay (Typo!Eddsworld) | #pay's ramblies

-Patryck (Typo!Eddsworld but also Canon!Eddsworld to a degree) | #pat speaks

-Tord Larsson | #tord talks // larsson

-Tord (Canon!Eddsworld) | #tord talks (yes we share a tag. deal with it.)

-Oleander/Lee (host) | #Speaksies! | Oleander

otherkin theriantypes:

-Mosquito

-Alicorn

userboxes (semi-outdated but i like 'em all too much to remove 'em!):

(source)

(source)

(source)

(source)

(source)

(source)

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(source)

[onlyplatonicirl]

OBJECTION! I, ANON, REFUTE THEE!

OBJECTION! 1: How many genocidal maniacs has the council actively set out to reform? What’s the difference between killing a bunch of universes once and killing one universe a bunch of times? The number of kills is in the same ballpark, and any character capable of remembering resets will tell you that time travel doesn’t negate a genocide run.

OBJECTION! 2: ‘Not guilty by reason of insanity’. I trust our audience is familiar with the process of becoming an ERROR, yes? And how errors are inherently somewhat unstable to begin with? Add to that instability the compounding factors of solitary confinement and white torture, it is understandable why error lost what little sanity he had left at that point. Anyone familiar with aftertale’s story will know what isolation can do to someone. Is it justified to blame error for his insanity, circumstances entirely out of his control?

OBJECTION! 3: No matter what error’s crimes are, alchemy and the council are SUPPOSED to be the GOOD GUYS. Alchemy especially puts himself on the highest of pedestals, and he’s not shy about how superior he thinks he is to everyone else in existence. How the jailed are treated/punished is NOT a reflection on the morality of the jailed, it is a reflection on the morality of the JAILER. AND ONLY THAT OF THE JAILER. Adding more atrocities onto the pile isn’t ‘justice’, it just makes a shitty situation even shittier.

OBJECTION! 4: Alchemy did absolute jack shit to stop any of the torture happening at that lab. Sure, he strongly objected! But in the end it was all just words that did absolutely nothing. You’d be hard-pressed to recognize that he had any real authority over things! His oversight was pitiful, and his authority laughable. How many people working there actively HATED error? He really couldn’t find ANYONE else to work there? There wasn’t anyone at all who wouldn’t take advantage of having the destroyer in a weakened and vulnerable state? Molly’s existence proves that there were decent people around for that kind of work. His choices of staff were terrible, and his attempts to rein in their worst impulses were nonexistent. He barely even tried.

OBJECTION! 5: Oh, so now we’re calling people ‘monstrosities’? Is error a mindless beast or is he an intelligent person? You can’t have it both ways. Alchemy repeatedly justified his cruel and extreme measures by saying it was all necessary for dealing with a ‘mindless beast’, even when he had PROOF in front of his face that that wasn’t the case. He likened error to an animal that couldn’t possibly be communicated or reasoned with, when he’d seen for himself error’s ability to speak and emote just like any other sapient being. You can’t hold a mindless animal to the same standards as a sapient person. So which is it? Mindless beast, or intelligent being? Alchemy seems to vacillate depending on which one is more convenient for him. Hell, even INK was advocating for error, and they were the worst of enemies as far as alchemy knew!

OBJECTION! 6: I would like to point out how fond of blue the council is. How much they value their treasured friend. But he, at one point, almost became an error himself. What if rescue had been just a little too late? What if he turned into a genocidal monster taking down universes in droves? Would his suffering be so easily dismissed? Would he be treated so harshly? I myself would probably still be angry to lose a loved one to a murderer, but learning that the murderer in question had been tortured to the point of insanity would change my verdict. Things like mercy and reform are easy to toss around when you’re dealing with petty crimes. It takes true integrity to stick to your message when the crimes become severe. This was perhaps the greatest challenge to the morality of the council, the truest test of their conviction to their ideals that even the worst person can change, be a little better, if they just try. This was a test, and they failed spectacularly. As the highest ranking authority on the council, the failure falls on alchemy especially.

I just woke up and am running on three hours of sleep so I can’t even read the first paragraph correctly but I will tag @lordterronus so that way you know that Anon is ready to fight LOL

[ds9-polycule-tales]

13 - 2375

Keiko squatted next to the gardening plots. She had managed to find replicator capacity to sort out a low stool to aid some of her older and more injured helpers, and it did help her lower back too. It had developed a twinge she didn’t want to bother Julian with; he was still pulling twelve hour shifts in good days, dealing with the influx of people from further afield or more resistant holdouts who had decided the Federation weren’t just here to take immediate control, which meant a lot of old injuries and resistant infections.

Miles had found the time to help her get an automatic watering system sorted to absolutely minimise both the amount the plants needed and how much was lost to evaporation. The dust fall was proving difficult for all the plantlife in the area, but at least the little greenhouse tunnels were easier to keep clear than actual leaves were, as well as protecting them from the wind and the razor-sharp grit. The valiant little shoots of green were one of the camp’s biggest attractions by now, and she was debating putting a little picket fence around the outside of the greenhouse tunnels to protect them from passers-by clearing the dust a little too enthusiastically.

She finished adding water and her latest nutrient mix of fertiliser to the watering system, staggered to her feet and stretched out her back before tucking away the stool and heading slowly back to the little family hut. Inside, Molly and a small Cardassian girl and boy, masks dropped in a tangled pile on the table, were playing some sort of complex trading game with painted stones and screaming with laughter, though the two other children quietened a little at the sight of Keiko. She just smiled at them and went to her bedroom.

As she usually slept with Miles or Nerys, it only had a basic raised pallet bed and the rest of the little room was crammed with plants and biology equipment, with shelves up to the ceiling filled with little germination chambers, UV lights, vials and devices. Woven macrame holders hung from the ceiling, and a couple of bromeliads had actually latched onto the duranium roof supports, though they were finding the low humidity a slight trial.

She made a raktajino from her ration pack and sat down on the bed, bringing a flat “bench” with her latest grafting experiments on it with her. The local plants seemed to be best-habituated to the soil, and she was having some excellent results grafting the Dakur DR haspara grain strains – which reminded her slightly of Terran barley – onto local roots.

As she took up her grafting tools, she looked over the opposite wall. The mourning rose slips from Elim’s father’s grave were there; some straight in soil or growth medium, some grafted onto other roots or stems. She had had to hang a light cloth drape between their shelves and the room because the first Cardassian – a slender fellow botanist named Angor with fading burns down the right side of their face who had worked for the Ministry of Agriculture their entire career – she had invited to look at the grafts had frozen on the threshold and then burst into terrible, wracking sobs at the sight, shaking their thin stooped shoulders.

Keiko had eventually walked them back to their makeshift home, still unable to speak without starting to weep again, both hands cupping a single dark blossom like a child. Keiko hoped to have them back later today, and she wanted to make sure the makeshift lab was easier for them for their next visit.