#Can I get tested for corona?

[sailoreuterpe]

I'm so tired of being sick. No one but me wears a mask at work, I literally have customers come in and fucking joke about being sick, this fucking country doesn't have any safety net for people who get sick (no paid time off, no universal healthcare). I hate it here.

[boygirlswag]

nerve endings on my skin are telling me im going to be bedridden on friday

[not-magdi]

"Us, Forever"

Summary: Pablo can't believe how lucky he got with you, he really can't believe it 

Word Count: 1.1k

A/N

I managed to get Corona! The one time I would have had time to write something I got Corona and a Fever that cooked my brain. But, now my test is negative again and my brain is producing ideas like crazy! 

Hope you like this one though,

Love you guys Magdi <3

You didn't know what to think when you saw his pain-filled expression on TV. You sat there, completely frozen, worry the only thing on your mind.   

When you heard his sobs over the phone as he told you how bad it was, your heart shattered into a million pieces. That day made you realise that from that moment on, you had to be the strong one in this relationship. 

It made you realise that he needed you to be the one he could lean on, the one Pablo could let his guard down, somebody that could be strong for him too. So he didn't have to be all the time. 

You made it to your mission to do everything in your power to help him in any way possible. You rebuilt your living room into a bedroom, so he didn't have to go up any stairs. You held him day and night when the pain got too strong, and the only thing he could do was cry. 

"Baby, I'm here ... I'm here for you. Let it all out I got you."

His grip on your hoddie was so hard that his knuckles turned white. You wrapped your arms around him like you wanted to protect him from everything terrible that this world threw at him. 

Pablo felt safe in your arms. Your sent calmed him down. The warmth of your body engulfed him in a comforting manner. 

He buried his face deeper into your neck as he felt his breath starting to slow down again. 

"T-Thank you, I-I'm sorry. I don't know what happened."

You grabbed his head to make him look at you. You assured him, "Hey, it's completely ok to feel like shit sometimes. What you are going through is nothing easy. Sometimes you just have to let it all out." 

Kissing his head, you stand up to grab something to eat for the two of you. Seeing that it was already 6 in the morning, you decided to start the day, knowing you two wouldn't fall asleep anymore. 

Pablo kept lying on the couch. The pain in his knee was now only a dull ache. He sat up a bit to be able to see you rummaging through his kitchen drawers, trying to find something to eat.

An unconscious smile makes its way onto his face. He can't get his head around how you are willing to do all of this for him. Like he really doesn't know what he would do without you. You'd do everything for him, he doesn't even have to ask for it. 

But it scared him that you wanted to help him so much. It frightened him that one day, you could wake up and realise how much work it was to be in a relationship with him. And that you would leave him because of that.

Realistically, something like that would never happen, but he was a chronicle overthinker, so let him be. 

When you came back from the kitchen with two plates in your hand, you sensed something was bothering him, but you wanted him to tell you on his own. 

You two ate your breakfast in silence, it was a weird kind of silence. You felt that Pablo wanted to tell you something the whole time, but nothing came. He just sat there and played around with his food. 

"You not hungry?" 

Looking like a child who got caught doing something stupid, he shakes his head and lowers his gaze again, not able to hold eye contact with you for so long. 

Thinking he wouldn't say anything at all. You were about to say something when you heard him say. "How do you do it?" 

Confused, you look at him. "What do you mean?" 

"I mean, like ... like how do you keep up with me?" 

Your confusion didn't get any better. You looked up from your plate and saw Pablo already staring at you, a curious yet slightly sad expression on his face. 

Pablo noticed your confused expression and continued to talk. 

" I mean, how can you keep up with literally having to be my server? You are cancelling your plans to stay home with me and do everything to keep me comfortable. You put my life before yours. Why do you do that? I-I don't understand. "

You loved him deeply and didn't see your efforts as a burden. It was natural for you to do what you could to help him. You couldn't enjoy yourself while he was suffering because it felt wrong to you.

Your silence made Pablo panic a bit, maybe he made you realise that you didn't want to live like that. What if you were actually sick of him needing care 24/7 now? 

Your voice interrupted his inner monologue, " I have no clue, to be honest. It's just - the second I heard you were injured, I felt like I had to take care of you, to help you somehow." 

You took a second to think of your following words. "When I heard you crying on the phone that day, I just felt the need to protect you, to take care of you. I know that you are a capable individual who can handle things on your own, but I want you to know that I love you with all my heart. When you care about someone deeply, it's natural to want to do everything in your power to ensure their well-being. So, even though I trust your abilities, I just want to remind you that I'm here for you if you ever need help or support. Your happiness and safety mean everything to me, and I'll always do my best to make sure you're feeling okay."

Hearing Pablo sniff made you stop your rambling and look at him. 

"Dios mio, these medications make me emotional." 

Pablo let out a wet chuckle as he wiped his tearing eyes with the sleeve of his hoodie. 

You smiled at the boy before you and leaned down to place a kiss on his red nose. "I don't care, I love you one tear more or less isn't gonna change that."

"I love you too, so so much." 

[kedreeva]

outside preening and train displays for breeding season do peafowl show affection and bond with each other in any ways unique to them? do they ever engage in play or other activities?

They actually don't do a lot of preening each other, most of it is preening themselves in the same location. They inspect each others faces, and parasite pick (or sometimes pick loose feathers), but they don't do allopreening like parrots or some other birds do.

They don't have a lot of bonding activities, beyond just... hanging out. They loaf together, they walk around together, they talk to each other. Hens, even when they don't have babies, will sometimes pick up a "treat" and do the "good treat!!!!" call while holding it near the ground, until one of the other hens comes to get it.

The coolest thing they do for bonding is what I call playing chase. They have a stance where their chest comes down, butt comes up (but not "display" up, just raised), and their wings fold out slightly. It looks remarkably like a dog slapping their paws down into "play with me" stance, and it's much the same message- "Let's play!" They will hop/flutter in this stance, and then go bouncing and hopping around, and anyone nearby may join in chasing them or being chased. This tends to happen more when they're young, before sexual maturity, but the older hens do it when they have a close friend or two. I still see Eris and Artemis and Stella and Aris and Arcana, and OCCASIONALLY Stan doing it, just not as often/readily as the babies will do it (they do it almost every morning when I let them out of the coops and they are overcome with excitement about it).

I got a quick free-range game of it on film once!

That's Corona up front... she never plays. She's the most Serious bird I own. But you can see how they are bouncing and have their wings out and loose, and their brother comes RACING over to join them, and they both bounce up really high and dramatically when they see him, but they aren't flying away, they're circling around to him.

And here's the difference in another gif- when Stella's sister (right side, brown lady) comes running over, Stella thinks she's instigating play, so she starts bouncing and running to her brother, but he doesn't want to play right now, so he doesn't engage.

here's baby artemis engaged in chase with me, coming to chase me lol

I have a few videos somewhere of my hand-raised babies playing chase with me. I want to get more videos of the outdoors ones playing, but it's so random and I don't have time to get my camera out, so it's like... if they do it while I already have my camera out and running in video. But it's my favorite thing they do, they look so silly.

They also will pick up and drop/throw around shed feathers, but I'm not sure if that's "play" behavior so much as "food testing" behavior. But, Beep had a bunch of cat toys, some of which she probably COULD have eaten (like her bluejay), but she would just pick them up and shake them/throw them, which is much the same as they do with feathers or small sticks.

Again, I don't know that I would classify it as play, and it may not be unique to them, but it is an interesting activity.

Last one I can think of off the top of my head is climbing things. They love jumping up and around on things. Games of chase that can include Being High Up are the best games. Corona, as serious as she is, still gets very happy to jump up and down on stuff. I think if I installed a fowl swing in her enclosure, she'd use it.

I'm sure there are others neat behaviors, but those are the first few I thought of.

[fuctacles]

For @steddielovemonth day 12th prompt by @acasualcrossfade

M | 1383 | cw: trans pregnancy | modern AU, ftmEddie

Steve wakes up and does the first logical thing that all people do. Checks his phone.

He blinks at the bright screen trying to decipher his notifications and sighs when he realizes the group chat is flooded with messages. It’s nothing new, although it never hit 99+ before. He scrolls up to catch up with whatever his friends have been up to at night. Wonders if he’s the only one that uses nighttime for rest.

He’s groggy with sleep and as he passes through the chat log, he’s struggling to make sense of the messages he’s seeing.

>>How about a gender-neutral one?

>>I vote Elrond!

>>WHO’S GONNA BE THE GODPARENTS

He scrolls and scrolls and finally reaches The Photo. And things, unfortunately, start to make sense. 

It’s a photo of a pregnancy test.

He immediately goes to his chat with Eddie. Tries to type a message, fails, and hits the call button. It takes a considerable amount of time for Eddie to pick up.

��The fuck do you want?” he growls upon answering, voice thick and distant. Steve clearly just woke him up but he couldn’t give two shits about it right now.

“Why didn’t you tell me first? Wait, is it not mine? No, wait, you can tell whoever you want, of course, but, is it mine?”

“What?” Eddie sounds tired and angry which, fair, it’s 7 AM, not his usual waking hour.

“We skipped the condom a couple of times, but you said it’s not possible, not with all the hormones you’re taking. I’m not mad, I’m not panicking, I just need to know.” Okay, maybe he was panicking a bit, but not bad panicking. It’s just not something he’s prepared for. Is he ready to be a dad? Would Eddie want him to be the dad? Would Eddie want to be a dad? Would he even want to—?

“Shit, fuck, do you want it? Are you okay with your body doing… this? Are you okay?”

“Okay, deep breath, please.” Eddie sounds much more awake now and Steve follows his instruction, anxiously awaiting answers. “I’m not okay; I feel, frankly, betrayed by my body, but I think we’re talking about two different things. Why did you call me? So early, may I add?”

Eddie’s calm. So Steve can be as well. He breathes in and out.

“I saw the group chat. The photo?” He bites his lip. Maybe Eddie hoped he wouldn’t see it at all?

“What? Hold on.”

Steve holds, listening to the shuffling on the other end. He hears the springs on Eddie’s bed creak and thinks it’s finally time to get him a new mattress. Or, if Eddie is up to it, move in together.

He flinches when the soft shuffling of the bedspread is broken by a loud snort, followed by manic laughter. 

Wasn’t it too early for mood swings?

“Stevie, baby,” Eddie finally wheezes out.

“Yes?” He perks up, eager for answers and hopeful from hearing the pet name. 

“Please put on your glasses and look at the photo again,” is all Eddie says, before bursting back into laughter. 

Steve frowns but reaches for his glasses, resting on their usual spot on his bedside table. Once secured on his nose, he opens the chat again and goes straight to the media folder to open the photo in question. He squints his eyes at it.

It’s a covid test, clear as day.

“You’re not pregnant,” he deadpans.

“Nope. Just good old corona.”

“Shit.”

Steve falls on his pillow, completely drained from the emotional rollercoaster. He thinks about calling in sick. He’s too humiliated to show his face to the world and, besides, how is he supposed to teach kids when he’s such a dumb idiot himself?

“And, for the record,” Eddie continues once his chuckles subside, unaware of Steve’s inner turmoil. “I would tell you first, and it would be yours. It’s just been you for a while and I’ve never fucked without a condom before.”

Steve did not know that. He slaps a hand over his mouth so no embarrassing sounds come out at the revelation.

“But yeah, it wouldn’t be possible on my current hormone cocktail. And I don’t think I’d ever be prepared for a little alien growing inside me. It’s one thing to say fuck gender norms for one day and wear a dress and another to completely overturn my body’s ecosystem for a year, maybe more, without turning back.”

“Yeah,” Steve nods because that’s all he can do. He knows a lot about Eddie’s body by this point, but possible pregnancy is not something that comes up in daily conversations.

“Besides, I’ve been talking with my doctors about getting an oophorectomy, so that will be off the table soon anyway.”

Steve frowns, not liking the sound of that but not wanting to assume anything. Again.

“What’s that?” he asks instead.

“Ovaries removal,” Eddie answers easily. “So the hormones they produce don’t fuck with my T shots.”

“Huh.” It will never cease to both anger and amaze Steve how much trans people have to go through to be themselves. “Makes sense, I guess.”

“Mhm. How are you feeling?”

Steve frowns at his ceiling.

“Me? You’re the one with covid.” The fact suddenly, finally, sinks in. “Shit, how long will you be quarantined?”

“Just a week, don’t worry. But I’m asking because you kind of deflated there.”

Steve huffs. 

“My boyfriend has covid, of course I’m—”

“No, I mean, are you disappointed you didn’t put a baby in me?”

Steve chokes on saliva and air, and has to sit up on his bed to take a proper breath.

“Eddie,” he wheezes out in a warning, his face going beet red.

“Are you?” he presses.

“I wouldn’t do that to you.”

“Open cards, baby. It’s not on the table, but I won’t be mad if you want it.”

Steve sighs. He worries this kind of thing might break their relationship. It was a topic he avoided, not only with Eddie, but with others he dated before him. Not many people their age are ready for kids talk, for a commitment like that.

“Yeah. Sorry.” Sorry if it’s a deal breaker.

“Don’t be sorry. Nothing bad about wanting to knock up your boyfriend.”

“Eddie.” This time his warning comes with an amused breath.

“What? Just because I won’t do it doesn’t mean I can’t play along.” He can hear him smirk from the other end of town where Eddie’s apartment is. “It’s no condom town, baby, from now on. I want all your cum inside, pushing it deeper with your fingers when you pull out. I’ll keep it inside while we watch TV. And then we’ll go again and again until it catches. Until you give me the baby you want so much.”

Steve whines, eyes closed and imagination running wild.

“Shit, I’m so wet. Didn’t know I have a breeding kink. Huh.”

“Jesus Christ Eddie, you can’t do this to me at the beginning of your quarantine!”

“Well, you’re the one who brought up kids! Which, I think we should have a serious talk about once I’m back in the world.”

“Yeah,” Steve sighs, and presses his eyes closed with resignation. He should have seen it coming. He loves Eddie, which is exactly why he’s been avoiding the topic of a future together, of kids, of a family.

“Yeah, sorry I’ve been holding back but I think I’m ready to make this serious if you are.”

Steve makes a sound. Questioning and confused because it’s all he can give him now.

“I know it’s a long shot, but we could adopt, or find a surrogate. I can wear a belly if it does it for you? Dunno, we’ll figure something out. If you want to, of course.” He’s rambling, which is a sure sign that he’s being sincere.

“I want to,” Steve assures him quickly. He is so relieved, so excited and full of love, that he’s about to cry. “I love you so much.” And there it is, his voice is already shaking, eyes wet.

“I love you too, baby,” Eddie coos back. “Now, can we get back to the horny part? I know you have to get up for work soon.”

Steve laughs at that, hand promptly sliding down his body.

“Yeah, let’s.” 

[randombookposts]

Canaan University Au

Ok I thought of a college au for the locked tomb a awhile ago but I never bothered to write it down until now. Anyways I think they would all go to this imaginary university in New Zealand and it’s like the first book but with a lot less murder. Here’s what I think each house would study

Judith- Criminal justice major. Huge stickler for rules and doing homework. If she’s not in the gym reading a textbook while doing push-ups, she’s in the library getting into a heated debate with a Corona. Had a huge crush on Marta and went to the same college as her to hangout, just getting over it, may or may not have feelings for Corona, maybe.

Marta- In law school, was a mentor to Judith when she was in high school and that’s how they know each other. Gently turned Judith down but they’re still friends and study together sometime. Is the DD at every party.

Corona: Majoring in marketing with a minor in fashion merchandising. Doesn’t do great on tests but aces every presentation. President of her sorority. Can and will gaslight frat boys. Everyone wants her but she only has eyes for the stuck up criminal justice major.

Ianthe- Management major with a minor in maybe finance. Commits tax fraud and gets away with it. Sometimes does Corona’s homework for her. Doxxes people online (mostly Babs), smokes in the dorm hallways. Flirts with Harrow during their study sessions, which Harrow ignores.

Naberius- Economics major, and major fuck boy. Makes thirst traps and is doxxed. Hangs out with the twins even though they bully him. Doesn’t do shit during group projects. Will get a job at his dads company post graduation.

Jeannemary and Isaac don’t go to college but are tutored by Abigail at her house. They just silly teens who experiment with makeup and clothes to find their look. Talk loudly about anime in the school hallways. A little cringe but they’re doing their best.

Abigail- Anthropology professor and is really cool. Tough grader but genuinely loves her students and shares trivia with them. Brings donuts to test days. Will accidentally derail class to talk about books or her husband. If one of her students brings up one of the incredibly niche topics she likes, she will talk about it for hours.

Magnus- Not a teacher but visits Abigail's classes often. Nice guy, helps look after Jeannemary and Isaac. I'm not sure what he would do as a job, maybe chef or stay at home husband lol. Regardless, he's the one making all the meals.

Palamedes- Pre-med, wants to become a doctor so he can save Dulcinea save people. Smartest guy in the room always, a go to for anyone struggling with their biology homework. Has a friendly rivalry with Harrow (it's more rivalry than friendly for Harrow but she grows fond of him over time). Is the one derailing class with philosophical debates.

Camilla- Physics major, too cool for you. Really into sports, just not sure which, like gymnastics or soccer or rugby or fencing. Works hard but actually remembers to eat and sleep too. Probably in student government as well. Her and Palamedes are attached at the hip, they later get an apartment together and that's where all the main hangouts with the other characters happen.

Dulcinea- Suffers from chronic illness and focuses her life on learning and traveling rather than getting a traditional job. She's got multiple degrees in stuff like literature, philosophy, and art history. She is active on social media and has a blog, and sells crocheted animals on Etsy. Became mutuals with Pal and Camilla on social media and they met up later when they went off to college.

Protesilaus- Dulcie's caretaker, helps her with her medical stuff. Becomes like a cool uncle figure to her and her friends. Hangs out a lot with Ortus and they share poetry.

Silas- Double major in theology and philosophy. Freaky teen prodigy who graduated high school early and attends university. Little shit who people are either freaked out by or straight up just don't like him. Will snitch on anyone for anything he doesn't like. Really only friends with Colum.

Colum- Silas' nephew, but way older than him, weird dynamic. Not in school but drives Silas to his classes and Silas lives with him during the school year instead of in the dorms. Nice guy, looks out for Silas' well being the best he can but tries to keep him from being too nasty to others.

Harrow- Double major in theology and archeology. Studies at all hours and forgets to eat and sleep. Local cryptid. Autistic with special interests in religion and burial rituals. Went to Catholic school and had a suffocating home life. Trying to grapple with that as she starts to navigate adult life. Also trying to mend her relationship with Gideon after being so harsh in her younger years.

Gideon- Kinesiology major, butch vibes to the max. Does swordfighting and weight training in her down time. Has kissed both Ianthe and Corona at some point, though it never went anywhere after that. Wears her sunglasses at all times even in class. Finds the worst fashions from thrift stores and wears them to piss Harrow off. Grew up with Harrow in a foster home Harrow's parents ran and also attended Catholic school with her but they rarely interacted beyond antagonizing each other. Reconnected after being randomly assigned roommates. Now they're buddies and hang out alongside the 3rd and 6th, (also the 2nd and Dulcie sometimes too). They all do stupid shit together like sing karoke off key and hit up Taco Bell at 2am after binge watching movies.

[sodos-mummy-dust]

{Ghouls and Ghoulettes x ghoul!reader}

     You slumped around miserably trying your best to catch your breath as your tail dragged across the floor behind you, you didn't know what was wrong you couldn't breath, you were coughing and sneezing, and everything hurt. That leads you to where you are now, on your way to the infirmary to find out what was wrong. You lazily knocked on the door as you entered, the nurse sat you down and had you take a Covid test. After a few minutes you got the results, it was positive you had Covid. The nurse gave you a mask and told you to go back to your room and take medicine and rest while they informed Sister Imperator. (I can just imagine Nihil going up to sister and saying "Seestor did you hear about that girl that has that corona sickness?")

     As you were walking back to your room you passed by Mist and Cowbell, they sniffed the air and you knew they could practically smell the sickness around you. You got back to your room and locked your door so nobody could burst in while you were trying to rest. You took off your mask and frowned, you hated taking medicine, you hated the taste and the burning sensation it left on your tongue and down your throat. You took some pills instead, rather that then that poison that they call medicine. You payed back down and played some music hoping the nighttime medicine would kick in soon.

     After about 15 minutes you were starting to feel sleepy when a knock at your door made you grumpily get up and put your mask back on. When you opened the door you saw a group of ghouls all looking at you worried. "Hey you ok? Sister told us you were sick." Aether said noticing how pale you were. "I'm ok I'm just gonna get some rest and try not to get anyone else sick." You managed to say even though you sounded congested. "We brought you some soup and tea, just to make you feel a bit better can we place it on your bed, I'm sure it's a little too heavy for you right now." Cowbell said softly showing the tray of Chicken noodle soup and some hot tea. (if you don't like it you can change it to anything else:)). Your heart clenched at the sweet gesture and you nodded opening the door and stepping aside to let Cowbell place the tray on your bed.

You watched him enter before feeling a hand on your back and you looked up to see Aether gently guiding you back to bed. He tucked you in gently before placing the tray by your side in case you had to get up and couldn't move it. He put on your favorite movie and kissed your forehead gently before speaking up. "Do you want us to stay with you?" He asked softly. "I'll get you all sick." You protested gently not wanting to get your friends sick. "That's not what he asked, don't worry about getting us sick. Do you want us to stay with you?" Omega spoke up firmly yet softly.

You hesitated for a moment before nodding gently, as soon as you nodded all the ghouls climbed into bed with you. Mountain was behind you holding you close to his chest while Aether was by your side stroking your hair gently, Phantom and Rain were purring into your neck on either side, Mist was by your side with Cirrus and Cumulus they were gently feeding you and encouraging you to chew the soft noodles and chicken. The rest of the ghouls were piled around the bed or sitting around your room wherever they could while Swiss, Ifrit, and sodo were near your bed playing their acoustic guitars softly while talking to each other about random things.

     You smiled as gently as you looked all around you and saw all the ghouls with you on the bed perfectly comfortable and purring happily. You started to tear up as you felt all the love they had for you that you never felt when you were young. (let's be respectfully honest all ghost fans have some sort of issues or trauma, and we just love our little rat man and his horny ghouls:) "Hey hey hey, what's wrong love?" Alpha asked softly as he wiped whatever tears fell from your eyes. "I just really love you guys, and I really appreciate you always being there for me."  You said tearfully. "Oh sweetie we love you too, so much more than you could ever know." Cumulus said softly as she put the spoon she was holding down and tucked your hair behind your ear and gave you a gentle kiss on the forehead.

      "Alright love, it's time for you to take your medicine." Aether said softly once you finished all of your soup and tea. You whined at the mention of having to take your medicine. "It's ok I'll get you some more tea to wash it down." Mountain said softly as he moved you off of him and onto the bed gently as he grabbed his thermal that he had brought and poured you some more warm tea that wasn't too hot nor too cold. You whined softly as you curled up and hid your face as Aether approached you with the medicine. "Oh come on love, it's not that bad I promise." Aether said gently as he stroked your back gently, trying to get you to sit up and take the medicine. But he sighed as you grumbled and shook your head while continuing to stay curled up (lil potato).

      "If you don't take your medicine you won't get any cuddles." Cirrus said threateningly and you looked up at her with a frown before grumbling until Aurora spoke up softly "If you take your medicine I'll stroke your hair while you lay your head on cumulus's chest and the other ghouls cuddle you." (I want to bury my face in her chest so ba- oh shit). After she said that you nodded after a few moments and sat up (as we all would after that deal). Aether smiled and put the medicine up to your lips and you quickly drank it before coughing after swallowing it starting to feel nauseous until Mountain quickly poured the warm tea into your mouth and put his hand over your mouth so you would swallow it all (not like that you sluts... but I wish it was).

     As soon as the tea was in your mouth and you swallowed you instantly felt better and nodded at Mountain, then he took his hand away from your mouth before giving you the cup so you could drink the rest. "Thank you Mounty." You said as you slowly drank the rest of your tea, already feeling slightly better. You saw mountain blush lightly before speaking up, "Of course, Flower." He said gently kissing the side of your head before crawling back behind you and holding you close once more. You quickly finished your tea and handed your cup to Aether before starting to feel very sleepy and comfortable, as if you were floating and you saw Omega curling up beside you as he used his quintessence on you gently.

     "Come on Love let's get you comfy." Ifrit said softly before laying his head against your side, opposite from Omega as Mountain payed you on your side and Cumulus brought your head to lay on her chest. Aurora stroked your hair gently whilst Swiss cuddled her close and Phantom laid close to Aether who was behind Mountain and Sodo was behind Swiss. Mist and Alpha were cuddling Zephyr near the end of the bed and Big earth cuddled Cowbell, Air, and Pebble. If they couldn't hold you then their tails were wrapped around one of your legs or arms. As you slept peacefully with the ghouls and ghoulettes that you loved and cherished most.

[paradoxcase]

Chapter 24 of Nona the Ninth

The return of the Gideon skull!

For the record, that's when I figured out what they had done

Good news: you finally get to talk face-to-face with your necromancer who you a weirdly intense codependent relationship with and haven't been able to talk to in ages. Bad news: he looks and sounds exactly like Naberius Tern. Do you press the button?

The whole thing where Corona had to pretend to be a necromancer with Ianthe's help must have really contributed to their relationship being this weird sort of incestuous thing. From the last book I sort of got the impression that Ianthe felt like she was Corona's protector, and from what she said last chapter about still planning some way to be with Corona and the fact that she's been actively searching multiple planets for her, it sounds like she had plans to continue that relationship even after she became a Lyctor. I'm not sure if it was made clear at any point if their parents were in on this whole thing or not, but based on their relationship, I feel like they probably weren't? And maybe if they had discovered that Corona wasn't actually a necromancer, something like the Harrow Nova AU would have happened with her. I bet Corona is now glad to have escaped that situation and she's definitely unhappy with how Ianthe treated/is treating Babs, but she still has this weird and twisted up relationship with her

I'm not sure what Pyrrha was pretending here? It sounded like she'd told Ianthe what had happened. Or did Ianthe think she still had Lyctor powers, even when she was Pyrrha and not G1deon?

I'm dying to know what Pyrrha was going to say about Nona's yelling

I never really stopped and thought about the fact that Mercy must have been the one to make the entropy field. Palamedes calculated that it would result in permanent brain damage for Camilla if he did it, and Gideon probably only survived because she's Gideon, but Mercy and Cristabel must have tested this out at some point, right? Was Cristabel just extra thalergenic or something, or did she suffer permanent brain damage? Or did Mercy not run through the whole test herself? Or does the Eighth House have a natural advantage here as was suggested in Gideon the Ninth?

If blood wards age, and get weaker with age, doesn't that mean that John's blood ward on the Tomb should be pretty worn out now after 10,000 years?

It did seem clear to me that Nona's regeneration was much better than Harrow's was in Harrow the Ninth, but I figured that meant it was just like, regular Lyctor-level regeneration. It's interesting that it's actually faster than Lyctor-level regeneration, which maybe also supports her being Alecto, since John's powers came from Alecto and he seems to be the only person more powerful than the Lyctors. But if I understand correctly, I think Lyctors can survive headshots like the one Nona got, or at least BOE thinks they can, and I can't imagine that they didn't try to headshot a Lyctor at least once, since that seems to be their basic MO for killing necromancers

I hope this is not foreshadowing for something, but it probably is

We're 2.75 books into this story and this is the Griddlehark first kiss we get, where Harrow's body is being occupied by someone who definitely isn't Harrow and Gideon is kinda sorta dead and has huge open wounds all down her front

Also, I feel like Nona should be more frightened when a body that she identified as definitely being dead suddenly opens its eyes

That means that Gideon didn't only uh, wake up, I guess, because Nona arrived and has been mobile and able to brush her teeth for a while, because the only other option is that Ianthe manually brushes her teeth for her, and that seems unlikely

I really cannot think of a single time when Mercy would have seen Gideon's body. She saw Gideon's eyes at the end of Harrow the Ninth, and recognized them immediately, but I don't think she ever saw Gideon's body at any point? Unless BOE showed it to her that time when she sent Harrow to kill the planet that just happened to be right next to where We Suffer and Co. were and was like, hey, have fun, I'll be back in 4 hours? I guess she showed up at some point during As Yet Unsent to heal Judith, too, which must have been before that point, so maybe she saw it then?

You punched her out of an airlock, and then she tried to kill you in the incinerator, and then you shot her in the head. This is just how tales of epic romance go in this universe

This is what it means to love in this story isn't it? To own, to squeeze, to cosset, and to destroy

Just a guess, but I think John did not in fact allow her to bring Gideon with her and Ianthe just did it anyway

Is this why people have been saying that Pyrrha must remember the world from before she was resurrected, because she still remembers disco?

So far necromancer/cavalier relationships have been entirely a social construct, there are different rules for them and different ideas about what they mean and how they work across all nine Houses, and we've had cavaliers that switched necromancers, like Protesilaus, like this isn't a soulmate AU. I don't think there should be anything necromantically binding any particular necromancer to their cavalier unless they've actually Lyctorfied. So I can believe that Ianthe has some special necromantic connection to Babs but I don't think there's any reason for Palamedes to have a special necromantic connection to Camilla? Unless the like one step they took towards Lyctorhood counts? But Harrow was able to use necromancy through Gideon when they did the construct challenge back at Canaan House, and they hadn't taken any steps towards Lyctorhood at that point. Even if the phrase "one flesh, one end" somehow has necromantic power, Harrow and Gideon hadn't said that to each other yet at that point

Ianthe put a ward of some kind on her a while back, I wonder if that is protecting her from Number Seven somewhat?

I hope that's like, Nona describing ribs, and not actual teeth in her chest, because why would they be there? It can't have been a modification that John made, because Palamedes claims that her wounds are the same as they were earlier

That does confirm that the only reason Corona came to the barracks was to get Ianthe to put that ward on Judith

Ok, I have a prediction now, which is that since Nona is probably Alecto, or at least mostly Alecto, with maybe some Gideon and/or Harrow residue, when they go to open the Tomb the thing that Pyrrha was afraid of earlier where Nona's soul gets vacuumed out of her body into Gideon is actually going to happen for real with Alecto, and then they will have to try to figure out how to get Harrow's soul back into her body before it dies, and probably also have to deal with Alecto waking up as herself, whatever that turns out to mean

Which is probably why the next book is called Alecto the Ninth

I like how the one thing that breaks her out of pretending to be dead is the thought of getting poked with a needle, haha

So now I have to wonder though, what kind of partly-dead state is she actually in now? And why has she been pretending to be dead? I doubt she would be on Ianthe's side of things and she considers all of these people friends, except for Judith probably

[magnolia-among-the-stars]

Dear August (Bradley Bradshaw pt. 2)

Summary: You and Bradley have been best friends since college and when he was stationed in North Island, you were thrilled that he would be back in your life. When things start to sour with Bradley’s girlfriend and she breaks things off, Bradley comes to you for drunken comfort. What happens when an accidental hookup brings along an unexpected positive pregnancy test threatens the state of your friendship?

part one / part two / part three / part four / part five

Tropes: friends to lovers, unexpected pregnancy, unrequited feelings

Word Count: 1600+

It was not fine as it turned out. As the bar began to get more and more crowded, Bradley disappeared from the pool table. You saw flickers of his torso across the hectic space, a flash or two of her bright eyes and braided hair as the two danced around each other. As you sat with Jake and Rueben, trying to keep your eyes on the intense match between Bob and Mickey at the dart board.

“You’re staring,” Jake says, his twang punching through the ringing buzz in your ear. You slide your elbows from the oak table and sigh, drowning the rest of your corona. “You gotta stop staring.”

“I didn’t want to come tonight,” you respond back, eyes steady on the couple collecting at a round table a few groups away. Bradley’s hand gestures are rapid, and Jenny is still. It makes you swallow.

“I would say I tried to stop it,” the man huffs out and adjusts his collar of his crisp white button up. Jake’s hair is grown out, a bit shaggy but it looks so soft as he searches your face. His arm, tucked on the back of the chair behind you, readjusts. His palm is warm as he gently touches your back, rubbing it in soothing circles. “You know how Rooster gets about you.”

And that was the crazy thing. Bradley had always been the one with the girlfriend. Always a female dotting around and following the suave, tanned pilot no matter how many Hawaiian shirts he draped along his body. Still, it didn’t matter when it came to his jealous of your attention, the aggressive fight for your time. Here was Jake, a handsome and admirable man. He was a man who easily could be persuaded into adorable dates and early morning coffee in bed, but you never would do that. All because of Bradley.

“Maybe we should date,” I mumble, finally turning to look into his forest green eyes. I find comfort there, a trust. But there is something else too and after a moment, I know he sees it too. Pure and genuine friendship. The comment makes a chuckle ripple out of his chest.

“We’ve tried that Dukes and we both know where your heart stands.” You nod, swallowing down the truth with a dry tongue. Your throat gets a bit itchy, skin scratchy as discomfort swarms your chest. It’s then that you notice the conversation between Bradley and Jenny has gone stale from the looks of it, the two-standing next to each other in silence as Bradley drowns his beer.

“What’s the acceptable rate of approval for getting shit faced tonight?” you ask Jake, turning to pay attention as Bob hits a bullseye.

“Mmmm,” Jake grins wickedly, closing an eye to evaluate the situation at play. “7/8 approval.”

“Magnificent,” you say, sliding off the chair to congratulate Bob on his win with your arms wide. You cheer for him for a second before heading to the bar to grab yourself a whiskey and Bob a root beer. Jimmy is only a second into pouring your double when a heavy weight plop down beside you at the bar top. You know the weight of the man before you see him, his mustache hairs curled in the wrong direction and fingernails scrapping along the varnish of the counter absentmindedly.

“You alright?” you ask him without looking, holding up two fingers to Jimmy. He nods and begins to pour another glass of bourbon.

“She broke things off,” Bradley’s voice shakes as he takes a shallow breath. When you finally get a good look at him, you can see how broken he looks. You step into his space, tugging him to you as he tries and falls to stop the tears.

“I’m so sorry,” you whisper, and you mean it, genuinely. Bradley thought Jenny was the one, just weeks ago dragging you with him to go looking for engagement rings. “Here,” you slide the drink over in front of him when he loosens his grip slightly.

“Thought you didn’t want get drunk tonight,” Bradley grumbles, his fingertips playing with the hem of your sleeve.

“My best friend needs me.”

Hours pass as the liquor flows through your veins and clouds your judgement as you continue to take shots and down glasses of whiskey together. Into the late hours of the night, you find your senses loosen and your filters shutting down as your arms twirl around Bradley’s thick waist tightly. Your cheek rests along the bulging of his strong bicep, on his tanned chest as he hums to the jukebox and spins you around between the chairs and the pool table.

Javy and Jake look on with knowing eyes at the two of you and being the drunk that you are, you stick your tongue out at the men in a meager attempt to silence their thoughts…they were too loud. You could feel Bradley’s hot breath wash over the bare skin of your shoulders, your knit sweater long forgotten on the back of some chair.

“We’re way too drunk,” Bradley’s voice is slightly higher pitched, his large hands squeezing the flesh of your hips while he tucks his head into the apex of your neck.

“Mmmmhmmm,” you agree, eyes sliding shut as you take in his aura and soaking up how close he is. “Feels needed,” you murmur as your head spins, enjoying the feeling. When you open your eyes, his brown eyes are there and he’s staring back at you. His gaze is warm and endearing as a stretch of a lazy smile creeps onto his face. You could the freckles on his cheeks, getting distracted by the beauty of his scars and the flush pink of his full lips. “You’re beautiful Bradley,” you breath and he swallows a shaky breath.

“It’s time to go,” he chuckles as the world feels like it’s spinning now, just the two of you existing on North Island, “You’re talking nonsense.”

“I am not. You are the most beautiful man I’ve ever seen.” He’s staring at you now, eyes narrowed as he searches your face for the butt of the joke, the punchline about to drop. But he comes up short, because there’s nothing more than truth and sincerity in the lines of your smile and the crinkle of your nose.

“We should go home,” Bradley’s breathless as his hand scampers down your side until he is scooping up yours. You stumble on your feet due to the ease of his long legs moving quickly through the bar. You barely register saying goodbye to the boys or paying out at Penny’s register. The cool, nighttime air washes over you however and soothes your cheeks as you turn left out of the door and down the street to Bradley’s beach house.

The walk feels both swift and everlasting, even though its only minutes until you’re climbing the stairs of his porch. It’s only then that he lets go of your sweaty hand to dig out his keys from his pocket. His brows raise as he continues to dig through his jeans and pats himself down. “Shit,” he grunts as he turns slightly around, doing a 180 before he looks at you.

“What?”

“I can’t find my keys,” his voice is a little far away as you lean up against the railing, your cheek smushed against the wooden banister.

“Oh no,” you pout, before eyeing the open window overlooking the kitchen sink a few yards away. Fits of laughter roll through the both of you when you find yourself scooped up on his shoulder as you try to nudge the window further open. “Bradley, stable, stable,” you mutter, tugging his curls slightly to steady yourself.

He’s giggling; a giraffe on their hind legs as he raises you up more until you can clutch onto the frame and pull yourself into the house. You slid into the sink, a wet spot growing on your ass cheek as your feet hit the linoleum tiles. “We did it,” you scream happily, cheering and raising your fists.

“Open the door Daisy,” your nickname rings out from below the window, and you jump toward the front door, forgetting Bradley momentarily. You fumble to unlock the door, tugging it open to see the big goof barrel through the door and tackle you to the ground. A squeal escapes you when your back lands on the floor, as gently as the man can muster and bursting out in laughter as you roll around.

You’re a heap of giggles on the floor, the two of you basking in the afterglow of booze and glowing moments until you glance over to see the twinkle in his eye. Slowly, your laughter dies down as you take in his existence and breath him in. You reach up to brush a curl out of his eyes, not knowing how close your faces were to each other until he’s leaning in. And you’re meeting him halfway, grazing your mouth along his in a methodical test. You pull back, frightened by the action but not having enough time to consider the consequences because he’s sliding you across the floor and onto his thighs.

His fingers are running through your hair and knotting in the curls while his hips are pressing up into you for friction. There’s no time to think or question yourself when he feels too good, when it feels like a dream. It’s all a messy blur of crumbled clothes being dragged off each other and bruised lips peppering each other’s bodies. You fall asleep that night in a naked haze of sweat and panting breathes, the glowing of the moon radiant against your skin.

Taglist:

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[viburnt]

Dabi (Touya Todoroki)|| Cigars

Type: Small fic

Genre: NSFW/Suggestive

Notes: I still find it hard to write NSFW, it always sounds better in my mind. Bear with me.

Characters involved: Touya Todoroki (Still Dabi)

Prompt: "Have a light?"/Cigarettes before sex

You didn't like cigars. The way they smelled and made you cough were enough reason to stay away from them, not to mention the nasty aroma clinging into your clothes.

However, despite your obvious dislike, Dabi still insisted on you being the one lighting his stogies.

It was annoying to say the least. Why would he, a fire-quirk user, ask for a lighter when he could use his hands? Whatever the reason was, it didn't matter.

He'd rummage through his pocket whenever you stepped into the room, and pull out a cheap roll for you to ignite. Dabi knew you'd always offer your zippo to fire up his vice.

—Want one?— The outlaw asked the first time it happened, handing you his cheap coronas so you could pick one. You shook your head but thanked him anyway.

—Don't say, you don't smoke?— His voice muttered with a husky style. You could feel his sapphire eyes piercing through your soul as he took a long drag. —Too good to give it a try?

He held his roll out for you, waiting for your fingers to take it. The smell was overwhelming your senses and all you wanted to do was breathe some fresh air.

—Sorry, can't do that. Thank you for the offer.— Your mouth responded, curling into an apologetic smile afterward. The raven – haired was not satisfied with that answer.

He laid a hand on your waist swiftly, pulling your body enough to lean you against him. Opening your mouth in surprise, a thick cloud of smoke met your face. The prick, you thought as you coughed, he just had to do that.

—You are so cute like this.— Dabi derided with a pat on your head. He liked it when you pouted and frowned, knowing you hated his guts.

—Could at least buy one of those vapes people nowadays use. They don't smell as foul.— You scolded. —Why do you like these so much? They are gross.

The man shrugged, not letting your body go.

—They are cheap and unfiltered, if I wanted some girly shit, I'd ask Toga for perfume.— He nonchalantly said, making you roll your eyes. —You seem like the kind that would use those fruit vapes, though. Always whining and yapping like a whimsy bitch.

Dabi lived to piss you off, you thought at that moment. He was having a blast testing your limits.

—Oh, I'm a whimsy bitch for not smoking this crap?— You talked back, taking his cigar out of his lips. —Aren't these like the cheapest available? Does that make you a stingy dog?

The way the man holding you laughed at your efforts had your patience running low. How adorable and helpless you were in his eyes was beyond your comprehension.

—You are giving me the reason, you know? When this pretty mouth of yours tries to get back at me… a yapping bitch.— He purred, his lips millimeters away from yours. Enough to make your body jolt.

—Tch, dick.— The criminal heard you mutter with a pout.

—You're so mean! Boo-hoo!— His raspy voice mocked in a high-pitched tone, imitating a phrase you'd said many times before. Allowing his hand to roam with more freedom around your body, he reached the dampness between your legs. —Shut up, whore. You say that, while I can feel this right here.

The way his digits applied some pressure on your nerve bundle made you mewl unconsciously. Pushing him a little, you put some space between your bodies. The way your face flustered was enough for Dabi to continue.

—Do you have to be like this all the time?— You scolded, trying to hide the way your body ached for him.

The villain threw away his cigar butt on the floor, extinguishing with his heavy boot.

—The more you act all stuck-up, the more I wanna bury my dick inside you.—

He stole your lips in a sloppy, wet kiss, his tongue playing with yours as his hands groped your hips.

The way you'd grind against his thigh to get some friction had Dabi baring his white fangs; fuck, so wet.

It felt good, you couldn't deny it. Specially not when your cunt was being split open by his cock as your face was pressed against the wall.

But God, you still hated cigars.

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[metamorphosisff]

|Eight| Windows to the Soul

My father is drinking a Corona when I enter the backyard after picking Ariana up from dance practice. Saturday’s are when he gets things done around the house. The lawn mower is still out by the garage as I take a seat by him. He nods his head towards the cooler and I nod my head. Soon a cool bottle is passed my way and I use the beer opener on my keychain to crack it open. We drink side by side in silence for a few moments as we each try to figure out what to say to each other. Like his father, my Pops headed to the military straight after high school. They share the same stoic demeanor except Granddad is a bit more personable. My father is a leader, true and thorough leader. If he isn’t giving directives then he seldom has anything to say unless he is in a big group of people. With us, he’s laid back, allowing us to say what was on our minds when we were ready versus prying it out of us like mom does. So it doesn’t take long for me to strike up a conversation.

“Is having a family something you always knew you wanted?” I asked, causing him to chuckle.

“I can always count on you to keep me on my toes boy I tell you,” he says, using a washcloth to dab at his brow. “But to answer you, to some extent yes. You tryna tell me something?”

Catching his meaning, I cough, and damn near choke on my beer as I shake my head. “No sir, I was just wondering.”

“You always just wondering,” Pops says with a chuckle. “Most curious child on this side of creation.”

“Can’t help it,” I grin, taking another swig from my beer.

For as long as I could remember, I had questioned everything, and for the most part my parents always answered my questions to the best of their abilities. Whenever they did not know something, they encouraged me to research the answer on my own. I was crafting a lecture about learned behaviors and wondered if creating a family was something people all learned to want or something we actually desired. 

“Working out some learned behavior scenarios for my class. Thought I’d test one out on you.”

“Sounded like it was connected to some type of bigger message. You really like being a teacher huh?” Pops stated more than asked.

Some part of him always hoped I would join the army but those hopes were dashed once I got a record. To be honest, military life never appealed to me anyway. If I joined, I would have never been fulfilled, and living up to his reputation would have eventually proven to be too much pressure. 

“I do,” I replied, taking another swig. “Crafting young minds and helping others with one career is pretty much all I could ever ask for.”

“Which is what I respect about you X, you stick to your guns, for better or worse,” Pops said with a head nod. “Now that sister of yours…rides the wind.”

“She’s a teenager, it’s what they do, it’s what I did,” I chuckled.

He grunted in response and I grinned as I stood to my feet. My sister had been working my parents’ nerves lately with her attitude. I was supposed to give her a talk when I picked her up but I figured she’d been lectured enough. Their talks never worked when I was her age. It was better to level with her by reminding her the better she behaved, the more freedom they would give her. She promised she would try and that was good for me.

“I have to head out of here. Got plans this afternoon,” I said, before finishing off what was left of the beer.

“What’s her name?” Pops asked, raising a brow. At this moment, it’s like I’m looking into a mirror because we share the same face but seldom the same expressions. 

“What makes you think I’m meeting a girl?” I replied, walking over to the blue recycle bin not too far away.

“Cause you wearing cologne and you got a haircut,” Pops noted. It didn’t matter that I hadn’t lived at home for almost ten years, he still had me pegged.

“I can’t look nice?” I laughed.

“I ain’t asking that, I asked about who you looking nice for,” Pops said.

“Myself.”

“Bullshit.”

“Bye Pops,” I chuckled.

“See ya son,” he said with an amused shake of his head. “Whoever she is, I hope to meet her one day.”

I nodded my head before giving him one last wave. Jamila wasn’t a secret but our friendship meant a lot to me. I didn’t want to let any outside voices or influences, providing unnecessary commentary or advice. It was still new, the foundation not yet dry but molded with potential which meant it was susceptible to damage if I were not careful. 

The sun is beaming as I wait on the corner of Fulton street, facing outward as I look for Jamila who texted that she had just got off of the three train, and was headed my way. My hands are tucked into my cargo shorts as I scan faces. Not even a full minute passes before she comes into view. Braids are piled onto the top of her head in a cute messy bun, she wears a printed short sleeved midi dress that has a cool design of tigers against an olive backdrop, and a yellow pair of Converses. On her shoulder is a tan tote bag that has an image of a hand positioned with the middle finger up in front of a pair of red painted lips. The sight of it and her make me smile as she approaches. This time I don’t have to ask for a hug as she slides her arms around my frame briefly in greeting. 

“‘Sup Mila,” I said, giving her a quick squeeze before she slipped out of my embrace.

“Nothing much, sorry for the delay, Papi was following me and was about to get on the train too,” she says with a roll of her eyes.

“I wouldn’t have minded,” I chuckle as we fall into step. We don’t have to walk far, where I want to go first is only a few steps away.

“Trust me you would have. I had to promise to bring him something back to get him to keep his little ass above ground,” she huffed, as I opened the door to Midtown comics. 

“What is he into?” I asked, as lead us to the new release wall. There was a new The Batman compilation volume out that I wanted to get my hands on.

“He said verbatim ‘something with Spiderman or X-Men will suffice’,” she says, causing me to laugh.

“The kid has taste. I’ll get him one of the series books so he’s not left hanging about what happens,” I said.

“Oh no, you don’t have to do that. He’ll get a single comic and be merry trust me,” she said, eyes flickering to mine from the display.

Stepping closer to her I say, “I don’t do anything I don’t want to do. Thought we got that understood the other night?”

She rolls her eyes causing me to laugh again knowing that I’m messing with her. “For real though, it’s not a big deal, so you're going to let me do this.”

“Fine,” she says fighting a grin. “What did we come in here for anyway?”

“This,” I say as I make a beeline for the cover I had been looking at since its announcement. I didn’t get to read much for fun anymore but I tried to make room for some light reading. Plucking it up, I pass her the volume which has some weight to it.

“Batman. I pegged you for more of a Captain America type but color me surprised,” she says, as she flips the volume over to read the back.

“You’re only saying that because I told you to watch the show,” I said.

“Perhaps, either way it’s true but this looks good, seems interesting,” she says as she passes it back to me. “Looking forward to you telling me all about it.” There’s a small smile on her lips but she heads down another aisle before I can fully appreciate it. I follow behind her wearing one of my own. 

We aren’t in Midtown long, only a half hour as we browse for Papi, and I give brief synopsis of storylines until we find what we both think he’ll like. Then I take her to my favorite bookstore that also doubles as a record shop as they also sell vinyls. After pursuing the stacks and finding no novels of note, we start digging in crates side by side. Occasionally our fingers brush as we flip between the records but the slips don’t slow us down. I’m looking at a The Whispers album when I hear her say, “Oh wow.”

In her hands is Mary J. Bliges second album My Life.

“That’s a classic right there,” I said, remembering all the times we had to clean the house to this album.

“Truly. My mom loved this cd so much. I didn’t know they made it as a vinyl though,” she said.

“They’ve been remaking a lot of old albums into vinyls as record players have come back into style,” I said.

“I see,” she said, as her fingers trail over the price sticker. It’s thirty dollars and for someone on a job hunt, seems like an unnecessary purchase which is why she was attempting to put it back before I slipped the record from her hand. I place it under my arm along with The Whispers. “Xavier, it’s fine I don’t need it.”

“Maybe but you want it which is reason enough. Now help me find one more. I try to grab something out of my usual norm to expand my musical palette,” I said, as I moved to the next set of crates. 

“Genre matter?” she asks, deciding to go along with me instead of fighting against me. I’m glad because I saw her eyes when she brought up her mother. This wasn’t just a vinyl, it was a good memory, and I wanted her to hold onto it anyway she could.

“Not at all. Whatever you think is interesting,” I say.

She nods her head and then we fall back into concentration. Time slips by but we don’t notice as we take our time. Eventually she plucks out a A Night at the Opera by Queen. The cover and titles of the songs are enough to add to the pile under my arm. I also grab Prince’s Purple Rain and Wu-Tang’s 36 Chambers, making it a total of five vinyls added to my collection before we head to Habana Outpost to grab a quick meal of tostones and fish tacos.

“I meant to ask you earlier but what made you start collecting vinyl?” she asks, wiping her hands on a napkin.

“Nothing in particular really. I love music and my friend Rah got one. I liked how the music sounded coming from it and got one for myself. Now I like finding random music to listen to,” I reply as I finish up my last taco.

“How many do you have?” she asked next.

“Um maybe forty something now,” I answered with a shrug because I wasn’t fully sure. “Would you like to see my collection? We can listen to a few and just chill.”

“When?” she asked, taking a sip of her frozen mojito that was partially melted from the heat that hadn’t let up even with the start of sunset.

“Now,” I chuckled. “I’ll get you an Uber back home.”

“I was going to say yes anyway but now that you’ve sweetened the pot…,” she trails off.

“Just trying to fulfill my Prince Charming duties,” I say, which causes her to laugh.

It’s a musical sound, light and airy, as she shakes her head at me. I thought her smile was something on its own but paired with her laugh it’s infectious. I smile back as she calls me corny for the thousandth time.

“Welcome to my home, make yourself comfortable,” I said, as I turned on the lights. 

Behind me, Jamila toed out of her sneakers before padding into the hallway that led into the newly refurnished living room. As she nods her head in approval while looking around, I make a mental note to tell Rah he was right about the style choice. While she eyes the pictures I have on the mantel, I grab us two bottles of water from the kitchen.

“Thanks,” she says as I pass her one. “You have a nice place.”

“My best friend helped me redecorate. I needed a reset,” I replied, as I set mine on the coffee table.

“From what?” she questioned, watching me go to retrieve the bag that held the vinyls. She’s level with the crate beside the record player eyeing the collection. 

Skimming through the bag in my hand, I pulled out hers first. Since she didn’t have a record player, I wanted her to hear how it would sound once she did.

“My ex. Felt like she was too entwined in my space and I couldn’t have that any more,” I said, walking back.

“That’s real. This feels like you, expressive yet centered,” she said.

I hummed my agreement as that was the vibe I was going for as I placed the vinyl on the platform and dropped the needle before going to lay down beside her. Jamila had stretched out on the carpet and was putting her phone away. We’re head to head as our bodies stretch out in the opposite direction. We lay side by side, enjoying the album in mostly silence. One of the things I like most about hanging out with her is that I don’t always have to speak. In fact, I spend most of our time listening with intent because learning about her has become my new favorite thing. I’m always finding different ways to get her thoughts and it usually takes me a while to figure out what to ask. It isn’t until we reach the title track that a question comes to mind. “What do you think when you hear this song?” 

“I think of the pain because it’s what I hear, the emotion…the unquelled hope. If I knew how to any more, I might be moved to cry.”

“How does one forget to cry?” I ask next.

“When one learns it changes nothing. That even after the last tear is shed reality remains and all of that effort could have been spent towards figuring out another solution. I taught myself how not to cry, how to just roll with the punches, and now I think if I ever do cry again, I might not ever stop,” she said, causing my head to turn in her direction.

She knows I’m watching her but her gaze remains towards the ceiling. I study the way her eyelashes brush her cheeks as she blinks a few times. It’s something she does when she’s nervous in addition to playing with her hair. I’m sure if I raise my head a bit, I’ll see her fingers wrapped around a braid. While I watch, I consider her words before responding.

“It’s not a question of ‘if’ Mila, it’s when. You right in the fact that crying changes nothing but it’s not supposed to. Crying is cathartic. Crying isn’t a way out of our problems…it’s a way through them,” I muse, letting my eyes glide across her face. 

Her brows are pulled inward letting me know she is processing that line of thought. “Maybe. When was the last time you cried?”

“I think it was three weeks ago to be honest. It was my turn to watch my Granddad but my cousin Ryan joined me. We all fell asleep watching a game but Grandad had a really bad nightmare, reliving something from Vietnam. I uh, had to tackle him because he started choking Ry, and then GiGi my grandma started yelling at us. It was just a lot,” I breathed out.

“I can only imagine, dealing with dementia is hard. The person you know is slipping away in real time,” she said.

“What actually makes it worse is the times when he is completely lucid because for a second you hope the doctors were wrong or that a miracle is happening but then within a blink you can see the confusion creep in,” I said.

“It’s good that you don’t have to go through it alone and that y’all are helping each other through this experience. Your grandma was probably scared that day,” she said.

“She told me as much but I wasn’t going to hurt him or at least I wasn’t trying to. I couldn’t standby and watch Ry die either,” I said.

“No you couldn’t have. It was a tough choice to make but you made the right one for everyone involved,” she says, words soothing a wound that was still in the progress of healing. The guilt from that incident remains a main focus in my therapy sessions. 

“As for having a big family, it helps but it also makes it hard because sometimes our love stops us from making the best decisions for him. I’ve recommended he goes to a facility that specializes with dementia because he needs full time care but no one was trying to hear me. Accused me of not loving him because that’s not what family does,” I said, clenching my jaw as I thought about that night a year ago when the whole family ganged up on me.

No one wanted to accept that the help and care that Grandad went beyond any of our capabilities. It didn’t matter that my degree was in social work and I saw the signs clear as day. Saw the strain it was putting on GiGi who took everything with a silent grace that was sometimes unsettling. Saw how my own father regarded his father with sterile hospitality and how his siblings followed suit since he was the oldest. Saw how the weight of the situation might be on all of our shoulders but only a few of us were willing to carry it for real. Saw how the outcome regardless of who did what would destroy us all.

“I go over there more than anyone else even though I live the farthest. I’m the witness to most of his violent episodes that they like to pretend don’t occur. The anger of feeling helpless and frustrated pushes me over the edge after a while,” I said.

“I felt like that with my parents. For a while, I thought that I could save them but my grandma had to explain that what I was doing was enabling not saving. That nobody could save them but themselves,” she said, pausing to swipe her tongue over her bottom lip. 

“The demons they fought were internal and no amount of money or love could slay them. Watching them succumb to their addictions made me feel the same way. The last day I cried was because they had robbed me. Took anything that wasn’t nailed down outside of my clothes and important documents because they overpowered my grandma at the door. She only had it open a sliver but they broke the chain and barged in.”

“That was recent?” I asked.

“Nah, right before my high school graduation,” she replied.

It didn’t take me long to do the math. “That was…

“Eleven years ago,” she said, filling in the blanks, turning her head in my direction. 

There are eleven years worth of tears, an ocean’s worth really, pent up inside of her. The realization dawns on me the same moment our eyes lock and for the first time I see the anguish in them. It wasn’t buried under layers of anger and snark. It was right at the forefront as she opened herself to me. Next to the anguish was fear of this…of being open but some part of her knew she didn’t have to be afraid around me. Knew that I could be a safe space to land and it’s not something I take lightly. There’s a protective nature that rises in me around her, stronger than anything I have ever felt. I don’t need to dissect it to know that it’s innate and neither does she as our hands stretch towards each other at the same time. Another understanding has passed between us as Mary’s vocals fill the air. 

If you looked in my life and seen what I’ve seen…

[sinister--potato]

!!! HELP ZIGGY SURVIVE !!!

I don’t have much hope for this but I have to try.

Most of you know I found a sick baby cat last year and nursed him back to health (or so we thought). I couldn’t find anyone to adopt him so I basically did, though I already have three cats and a terminally ill dog.

He had corona virus when I found him, but he got over it and things were looking up until about ten days ago, when his fever suddenly spiked and he stopped eating. We went to the vet the same day but instead of helping him they made matters infinitely worse by giving him ibuprofen for his fever. A week later he got worse, I took him to another clinic today and sadly he was diagnosed with FIP. For those who don’t know FIP (feline infectious peritonitis) is a 100% deadly and is only treated with an extremely expensive drug for 84 days during which you can’t miss or postpone a single injection.

The vets I took him to today are worried that he won’t be able to handle the drug due to his kidney condition, so he’s gonna need support therapy for his kidneys and liver, which will make the treatment even more expensive.

I’m starting a new job tomorrow and I’ll get paid at the end of next month AT THE EARLIEST. I can barely scrape money together for his first dosage which will last for no more than three days. Each dose costs about 100$ and will increase as he gains weight.

I realize there’s a lot of schemes about sick pets circulating which really sucks for the ones that are actually ill and in need of help and trusting strangers online is hard but PLEASE, I’m begging you, help me keep this poor baby alive, he’s been through so much!

I’m willing to do commissions, craft projects and pretty much anything! I just have to get him through this first month, then I’ll use every cent I earn to finish the treatment even if it means starving!

I’m uploading his tests, I’ll be uploading his progress and daily vet visits, I’m willing to answer any questions you might have.

Even if you can’t donate, PLEASE, spread this, anything helps!

My PayPal 

I’m adding his tests under the cut ↓

[yourgamemasterthewhiterabbit]

The great regular sleep experiment of 2024 part "I'm fine"

I really should have started this like it was formal from the start and date the actual days, but I started this in private in the course of my usual "self experimentation to manage my health" bullshit. There was a great TED talk I saw AGES ago that outlined why these kinds of self-tests can be important to do.

Uh so 10-2 yesterday, and then last night I went to bed by 7pm... Woke up around midnight and couldn't sleep any more, Pumpkin started puking when I tried to stay in bed longer. Didn't cry, just went straight to hunger/anxiety puking because I didn't get up and shake his dish. I briefly suffered under the delusion I was going to sleep another 4 hours if I just stayed in bed. Wrong. Insomnia attack.

Uh so I have spent the past 3 hours wanting to sleep, but it's 5 am now and I knew there wouldn't be time to get any sleep by this time.

So my dishes are done again, I am cooking food and I'm about to -probably- get the laundry out of the shower, all of it, and set up the rack. It really is only one load of laundry I have had going there, and now the blanket, but washing it in tiny batches in the sink is what's making it an ordeal. The thing is though, making an entire errand to the laundromat would make it far more of an ordeal even short of corona considerations.

I got a nifty little pop out of my upper spine that helped. I have been trying sleeping on my stomach again the past couple sleeps, which is how I used to have to sleep, but I wasn't able to sleep that way in the net/nest-bed, I've gotten used to sleeping really propped up, but I haven't had a problem with my heart feeling like it's cramping up any time I lay on my left side in a while now, and my mattress is flat and not sliding off of anything. I think this is going to help with the issue where my lower spine has been getting too straight.

I can feel the sleep debt building up, but I'm not sure how to help that except wait until it's bad enough I just sleep more then 4 hours straight. My head hurts, my body hurts when I move and I need to do errands I am just not getting to.

On the bright side, I only have to stay awake 5 hours to stay on schedule. -_-

My dreams have been mundane, vivid, only mildly abstract and completely forgettable for the past couple days as far as I currently remember.

[tortan-saarbruccan]

Kein einzelner Charakter, aber:

Im Spatort-Universe gab's zwar Corona zum Glück nicht, aber wie denkst du wären unsere Main 4 mit dem Lockdown umgegangen?

Bonus: ich denke Heide hat nichts geändert, außer dass sie ihre Yogakurse über zoom gemacht hat.

I'm pretty sure due to some fortunate (unfortunate?) circumstances Adam would have ended up with Leo in Lockdown because i dont see him going to live with Heide and getting a hotel room could probably also have been difficult. Depending on the day you asked them they would either have told you everything was going completely fine or that the other was driving them stir-crazy.

Considering the fact that Pia spends most of her time at the police station I'm pretty sure she definitely would have hated lockdown. It only gets better when Esther suggest a weekly game night to - in her words - "look at Adams face and remind herself why lockdown wasn't actually that bad when she didn't have to see him every day". After first lockdown Esther suspiciously has problems at her own apartment and moves in with Pia which makes next lockdown more bearable.

Esther seems to be mostly unfazed by lockdown and especially after moving in with Pia she secretly wants to thank Corona but she nevertheless misses her friends and colleagues (yes, even Adam! sometimes) and is the one to organise the game night and a football watch party with her football friends. She, Pia and Rainer find themselves pronounced experts at everything computer because they attended the seminar about digitisation and are now constantly called upon to solve some minor or major problems with online communication.

Rainer absolutely hates lockdown. It's not that he misses his Job in particular but usually he would have something to do - washing machines to repair, grill parties to organise, sheds to build. Now he's at home all day and you can only clean the house so many times. He tried knitting and drawing, refined his cooking skills and bought at least ten puzzles which he actually managed to finish. 2 months into lockdown 1 everyone had a new scarf despite it being summer and he had beaten Esther at chess (over Zoom) at least as much as she had beaten him (everyone else had grown tired of losing to these two and decided to just watch and provide a running commentary of quips and dumb suggestions). He had met Vincent over Zoom the first time after they both got invited to game night and they spend some good times absolutely killing it at charades (no one else had a chance against them). At the start of second lockdown he started working at a Corona testing centre which made it a little better.

Heide shows up to game night one time. It is the weirdest night all of them had in a long time and they still crack up everytime someone says "algae".

[spiderinthecupboard]

Differences in cervical cancer screening guidelines around the world

When looking for information about cervical screening* I noticed that the guidelines differ from country to country, and that even supposedly reliable sources offer rather inconsistent and often contradictory information. The point of this ‘survey’ is to find out more about the cervical cancer screening recommendations (and gynecological care in general) around the world, and to start an open discussion about this. The questions and more info are under the cut.

Reblogs are welcome but I realize this is a sensitive topic. If you don't want to publish this post and your answers on your blog, answering the questions in the comments is more than enough. If you want to respond anonymously, you can put the answers in my ask box.

1. Where do you live?

2. What is the recommended age for starting cervical cancer screening (also called pap smear, smear test, or cervical cytology) in your country?

3. Is cervical cancer screening in your country recommended for people who have never had any kind of sexual contact? Is it recommended for people who have never had penetrative vaginal intercourse?

4. What information about hymens** have you been taught in sex-ed class, biology class, or told by healthcare professionals? Do doctors in your country try to avoid tearing the hymen during exams if the patient has a small hymenal opening (for example using smaller instruments)?

5. Have you ever been pressured into a gynecological exam or procedure that you didn't want or didn't think you needed?

6. Have you ever been discouraged or prevented from getting a gynecological exam or procedure that you thought you needed?

Feel free to share any opinions or experiences relevant to this topic.

* Cervical cancer screening, pap smear, smear test, or cervical cytology is a medical test that examines a sample of cells from the cervix (a part of the uterus that protrudes into the vagina) and often helps detect pre-cancerous or cancerous changes early enough to treat. A speculum or a similar instrument is used to visualize the cervix; and a brush, a cotton swab, or a similar instrument is used to collect cells from the ectocervix and the external cervical os.

** The hymen (also called the hymenal ring or the vaginal corona) is a thin piece of mucosal tissue that surrounds or partially covers the vaginal opening. In the past it was often assumed that hymenal tissue always tears and bleeds during the first intercourse, which is of course an inaccurate and heteronormative overgeneralization. The thickness and elasticity of the tissue, and the size and shape of the opening (or sometimes multiple openings) are extremely diverse. Some hymens are fragile enough to tear during completely non-sexual activities, such as sports, some can gradually stretch out or wear down with tampon use, some can accommodate even penile penetration without tearing. Some people with vaginas are born without any hymenal tissue at all, and on the other side of the spectrum there are hymens that can't even let menstrual fluid out of the vagina so a surgery is necessary to create a sufficient opening. Some people don`t experience any discomfort when the hymenal tissue stretches or tears, while others feel significant pain.

[firstaidspray]

OC Interview!!

Tagged by @adelaidedrubman to do an interview for Reverie. Well, for an oc, but I chose Reverie so this is what you get.

...

"An interview? Like, for a new job?" Reverie tilts her head. "I like my job in surgery, thanks. Don't want a job on your team, much as I like hanging around your office."

House scoffs. "Hire you for my team? A nurse? Please. No, this is an interview for a campaign for Princeton-Plainsboro, something about "good publicity." Don't think you're special, I had to do one too."

Rolling her eyes, Reverie takes a seat at the table. "Yeah, 'cause you're the picture perfect example of good publicity, House. 'Kay, so where do I start?"

"Just talk to the camera like a person," Cuddy interjects, popping out from behind said device. "Don't be shy. God knows he wasn't."

Reverie inhales sharply and stares at the camera with those eerily dark, almost-black brown eyes. "Fine. Fire away."

Name: Reverie. No, I don't have a last name. So don't ask again.

Nickname: Rev, Angel, some stuff House calls me that I'd rather not repeat.

Gender: Angel. (House: not a gender!) *sighs* Fine, I'm a girl.

Star Sign: Pisces. Birthday's coming up, you know. The 25th. Just a tip.

Personality Type: The first day of nursing school, they made us do these ridiculous tests, and apparently I'm an INFP. I don't really know what any of that shit means.

Height: 5’1. 5'4 with the halo. Which Cuddy doesn't let me wear to work anymore...

Orientation: Bisexual. And before you ask me for the fiftieth time, House, I've never had a threesome. (House: you're no fun!)

Nationality/Ethnicity: Aussie born and raised, now I'm in New Jersey.

Fave Fruit: Citrus, give me anything citrus. I'll take the limes out your Corona and suck 'em. House, keep your mouth shut on that.

Fave Season: I'm assuming you mean Northern Hemisphere, since I'm living in the great state of New Jersey now. Summer. Chase takes me surfing in the summer, we go to the beach a lot. It's warm. Whatever.

Fave Flower: Everyone around me is convinced this is a subtle psychological influence from playing Metal Gear Solid 3, but star of Bethlehem. House, keep your mouth shut. You can say you're not a video game dork but the fact that you attribute my love for a damn flower to a game is kind of contradictory, no?

Fave Scent: There's this Tyler Candle scent, Diva. I wash all my clothes and sheets in it, light candles of it. I made it Chase's favorite scent, too.

Coffee, Tea, or Hot Chocolate: FUCK HOT DRINKS.

Average Hours of Sleep: I'm a surgical assistant RN on call constantly. Answering this is like playing roulette.

Dog or Cat Person: I love all animals, so I like to say equal. I'm honestly more of a fish person, though. I keep begging Chase for a fish tank. When we get a bigger place, he says...

Dream Trip: Chase and I will return to Australia, and he'll take me diving in the Great Barrier Reef. We'll surf and comb the beach and explore parts of the country I never got to see growing up. Together.

Favorite Fictional/Real Character: Babydoll from Sucker Punch. I'd like to dress as her one day.

Number of Blankets You Sleep With: One, but Chase and I each have our own because if we try to share one I always steal it.

Random Fact: House and I race our motorcycles to work sometimes. I always beat him.

House peeks into the frame. "Okay, you may lie to the camera with cute stories about the beach and your little boyfriend, but that is one lie I will not let your smooth-talking, con artist self get away with. I have beaten you at least five times."

"They weren't lies, House. Some people are happy. And..hmm...to be fair, there was a tie once."

"A tie? A t-- no it wasn't!"

The two are about to break into an argument when Cuddy shuts off the camera and says, "Okay! That's enough! Reverie, why don't you take five and go find Chase?"