#get vaccinated for goodness sake

[lola-writes]

Diagnosing Desire

Pairing: Tom Bennett x nurse!reader

Word Count: 5,6k

Themes & Warnings: pov first person, use of Y/N, swearing, fluff, drinking, smoking, eventual smut

Synopsis: Working as a wartime nurse, you’ve been charged with seeing to the physical exams of new recruits. It’s not until Tom Bennett shows up that you realize just how physical the exam can get.

A/N: Not surprised so many people wanted more Tom Bennett. Some inspo taken from Pearl Harbor. Not everything is medically accurate for the sake of the plot. Found this picture (bottom right) of a soldier getting an exam during ww2 that looked just like Ewan from behind!

Song: Angel Of Small Death & The Codeine Scene - Hozier

Likes, reblogs and comments are greatly appreciated ❤️

Enjoy the read!

“Efficiency is key,” my uncle declared, rustling through the recruitment papers with a grim determination etching his features. “We need to be swift yet thorough.”

“How about I take the main parameters from the start,” I offered. “Leaving you more time to fill out paperwork. Then, I hand them over to you and fill out their files as you examine?”

A thoughtful crease furrowed his brow. “That might just work,” he said, tapping his finger against his lips in contemplation.

The car rattled upon the cobblestones as we lurched onto Manchester’s main street, shuddering us into silence. Every window, lamp post and building were decorated in posters and placards of soldiers with brandished rifles, blaring red pronouncements reading ‘RECRUIT NOW’, ‘EVERY FIT MAN WANTED’, and ‘RALLY ROUND THE FLAG’. 

Neville Chamberlain’s haunting voice echoed in my head, a remnant of his crackling announcement on the Home Service. 

This country is at war with Germany.

A knot of dread tightened in my stomach. 

I despised war, the very notion of violence solving anything. Yet, here I was, about to be thrust into the heart of its machinery.

But if war was inevitable, I would steel my resolve, seeing to put my expertise to good use. 

Fresh out of basic nursing training at King Edward VII Hospital in Sheffield, I’d been dispatched with my uncle and a contingent of colleagues to Manchester. As an NHS nurse, we were tasked with overseeing and assisting in the physical examinations of the city’s new recruits. My uncle, Dr. Benjamin Clark, a seasoned veteran with ten years under his belt, would lead the examinations, while I served as his right hand.

The car turned a corner, then another, before coming to a grinding halt at the curb. I nudged my uncle, yet engrossed in paperwork. Once he glanced up, a gusty sigh escaped his lips. 

“Plan B then,” he muttered, his voice laced with resignation.

The queue leading into the induction center stretched for what seemed like miles. Tracing its path with a sinking heart, a chilling realization dawned on me and settled in my stomach. 

There was endless work ahead of us.

The induction center hummed with activity and crackled with a nervous energy as we entered. Sunlight streamed through high ceilings, illuminating rows of tall, numbered privacy screens. Each makeshift booth held a white-clad nurse and a trepidatious recruit clutching a folder. 

The Manchester center pulsed with a daily influx of hopeful faces, each ushered through a chaotic dance of physical exams, fingerprints, fitness tests, and dreaded vaccinations. My days blurred into a whirlwind of vision checks, height and weight measurements, and the familiar sting as I administered countless injections.

Most of the men I examined were models of civility, enduring the process with a stoic resolve, a wince of pain at the stick of the needle their only betrayal. Yet a few shattered the façade, their bravado crumbling into crass jokes and unwanted advances. Thankfully though, my uncle was a fortress of composure, and would swiftly shut them down, but each encounter left me with a residue of unease and a tear in my patience.

I wasn’t unused to being flirted with. Now, however, it felt like a relentless barrage, a desperate grasping for normalcy in the face of oblivion. By the end of each day, I felt like I’d fielded more marriage proposals than a fairytale princess. I could hardly blame them, though. These men were teetering on the precipice of war. Desperation hung heavy in the air, clinging to these men about to face the unknown. They would depart with no guarantee of whether they’d ever return. 

While I couldn’t offer them a forever, I could offer a gentle smile and as kind of a rejection as I could muster. A disarming act for some, but for others, it wasn’t enough, their misplaced advances requiring security to escort them out.

“Go on, love, give us a chance,” this one man wheedled at my desk after completing his examinations.

I skimmed his file splayed open before me, everything appearing to be in order. ‘Keith Worsley’, it read. 

What a cruel joke, I thought, as I stamped his papers for approval, plastering on my most saccharine smile. He practically vaulted the desk, arms outstretched like he was about to give it a big hug. 

A firmer approach perhaps, a harsher deflection, would expedite his departure. The insistent line of restless faces behind him fueled my resolve.

“You’ve passed,” I announced, my voice clipped, as I shoved his folder shut, thrusting it towards him. “And there’s a queue.”

He ignored the dismissal, looming closer, his breath a noxious cocktail that I could almost taste on my tongue, threatening to crack my carefully constructed façade.

“You gonna deny a soldier his one shot at happiness?” he pressed, his voice thick with misplaced entitlement. 

I sighed internally, a silent scream trapped in my chest.

Efficiency is key, echoed my uncle’s voice in my head. What a struggle that turned out to align to.

“I might die fighting the Nazis,” he continued. 

I started to think it funny just how common that sentence turned out to be. And how these men begging for my hand, publicly liked to expose just how self-absorbed they really were. Pathos disguised as romance.

“Let’s live life to the fullest tonight, baby,” he drawled, desperation clinging to his words like a bad cologne. The urge to laugh was a battle I nearly lost, but the bile rising in my throat solidified my resolve, and I leaned in closer, a sugary smile plastered across my features.

“I’m afraid I’d rather be fighting the Nazis,” I quipped. 

He clamped onto my arm, a jolt shooting through me.

Perhaps not the best candidate for my newfound ‘ice queen’ persona, I thought. 

“Think you’re clever, hm?” he snarled. 

Before I could respond, or seek refuge beneath my uncle’s wing, a voice sliced through the tension.

“Get yer coat, mucker, it’s not gonna ‘appen,” it drawled, its tone snarky, dripping with playful menace, and with an undertone of complete and utter disregard for law and custom. 

Keith rose from the desk, my hand still hostage in his grip. We saw him simultaneously. 

A tall, wiry figure, all straw-blonde hair and icy blue eyes stood behind him in the queue, a scowl twisting his features as he sized Keith up and down, eyes rimmed with lethal venom.

“The fuck you say?” growled Keith, his grip tightening on my arm.

“Y’ heard me.” The blonde dipped his chin. “Now, let go of the lady’s hand. She’s done nothing but take care of ya.”

Kieth obliged before lumbering towards the blonde, towering over him, fixing him with an unwavering glare. But the thick tension ran thin when the blonde suddenly erupted in laughter, his eyes sparkling with mischief. 

“Something funny?” Keith snarled, nostrils flaring.

“Keith? That’s yer name?” the blonde derided, amusement lacing his voice as he nodded at Keith’s dog tag.

A beat of stunned silence followed.

“What about it?” asked Keith hesitantly.

“Well, Keith was always the name of that kid who wore a balaclava till’ April, candle wax snot angin’ from his nose.” The blonde grinned widely. 

My jaw clenched to stifle a snort of laughter. What a cheeky fucker, was all I could think, before Keith’s fist met his face with a resounding blow. The blonde was on the floor before anyone could stop it. 

Security materialized in seconds, hauling both men out the door in a flurry of limbs and shouted obscenities.

I rubbed a hand over my forehead, the day’s stress settling into my bones. I sighed deeply, before waving forward the next recruit. 

_

The next day was no different. Another deluge of recruits. Hundreds lined up to get their vision checked at my desk, their anxious energy buzzing through the air.

Another folder slapped onto my desk as I was finishing up with the one before. The pen slipped around in my clammy hand, still getting used to the rhythm of work. 

I opened the new folder with a practiced flick, my eyes scanning the documents. To service the Royal Navy, HMS Exeter (68). 

“Tom Bennett,” I read aloud, already filling out the form.

“Yes, ma’am,” a voice replied promptly, a hint of salt-laced amusement clinging to the words.

“Read row eight for me, please,” I instructed, pointing at the Snellen’s chart over my shoulder, my focus remaining on the papers.

“D-E-F-P-O-T-E-C,” he declared, rather fast, considering the small size of the letters.

“Steady on, sailor,” I chuckled, glancing up. 

My breath hitched in my throat. 

The tall, straw blonde mischief with the quick wit, a deep purple blooming around his left socket.

“Goodness,” I gasped, my mind scrambling for a more eloquent response.

He flashed his infuriatingly charming grin, pointing at the damage with his thumb. “Y’ should see t’other bloke,” he winked, coaxing a giggle from my lips. 

He towered over the desk, his hands folded in front of him, assuming a casual, almost nonchalant posture that somehow commanded attention. His sharp, protruding chin and aquiline nose dominated his features. 

But it was his lips that truly captivated me. They were set in a sort of perpetual pout, settling him into a curious air of sensuality that contradicted the hint of arrogance in his demeanor.

Suddenly, my mouth felt dry. Words seemed to evaporate as I looked up at him, a nervous flutter awakening in my chest, and a pulse settling in my core.

“Thank you,” I managed, a wave of unexpected gratitude washing over me at the thought of this stranger taking a punch for my dignity. “For yesterday, I mean.”

He dipped his head a fraction. “Come on,” he lulled, wetting his lips. “Who wouldn’t lend a hand to a lady in distress?”

A hesitant smile touched my lips, sweeping a glance around the room before meeting his gaze again. “A lot of people,” I countered.

He scrunched his nose and curled his lips. “Bunch of wankers, the lot of them.”

I offered him an amused smile as his eyes settled on my face, a playful smirk slowly tugging at the corner of his mouth as our gazes lingered a beat too long. The intensity sent a blush creeping up my neck. Flustered, I ducked my head to his file, though the words swam before me, my eyes failing to comprehend regular English.

“No worries like,” he said, pointing at his papers. “I’m mint in my file, healthy as a horse.”

“Right,” I replied, checking off the twenty-twenty vision, hearing, and speech. “Procedure demands a full exam, though,” I said, rising from my chair.

“Ey?” He cocked his eyebrows, his eyes following me towards the privacy screen. “Y’ gonna examine me?” he asked, almost in disbelief.

“Please, step behind here,” I said, gesturing behind the screen.

His eyes sparked with satisfaction as he rounded the desk towards me, his gaze fixed on me with a mischievous glint, his hand brushing me in passing as he slipped around me behind the screen, sending a warm current through my body. I followed suit, my mind suddenly a blur, as I attempted to regain my composure, busying myself with sterilizing equipment, discarding used needles, and filling new syringes with vaccines, all the while feeling his gaze on me.

“Alright, so… how’s this whole exam thing gonna work then?” he asked, restless fingers exploring my equipment. 

I gently swatted his hand away, a wry smile playing on his lips. 

“We’ll start off with a quick height and weight measurement,” I explained. Tom nodded and started towards the scale. “Then, you’ll need to undress and I’ll…”

“Whoah…” he countered, stopping in his tracks. “Undress?” he repeated, his voice darkening beneath something amused.

“Well, yes,” I confirmed, raising an eyebrow. “Were you never briefed beforehand, Mr. Bennett?”

Tom curled his lips.

“Did they not tell you what to expect?” I clarified.

“Never stuck ‘round for that long. Just thought it’d be a quick look in me gob and I’d be sorted,” he drawled, a sly grin spreading across his face. “But if y’ want me to get me gear off, just say the word,” he rumbled, looking me up and down.

The audacity of his suggestion both flustered me and strangely titillated me. I fought back a laugh from the utter impertinence of his man, channeling my frustration into professional courtesy.

“I appreciate the enthusiasm, Mr. Bennett,” I said, forcing a politeness into my voice, though betrayed by a hint of mirth despite my best efforts. 

“For you,” he said, curling his lips. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

I cleared my throat to steady my beating heart, and began to explain the procedure to him, in the most professional way possible. But as I did, his face grew more and more smug.

“Christ,” he muttered, elation sparking in his eyes. “Least let a bloke buy ya a drink first.”

 “The doctor will be conducting most of the physical examination,” I informed him, a faint smile tugging at my lips.

“That’s a shame,” he droned.

I studied him with disbelief, to which a cheeky smirk curled his lips. 

“Yer hands all over me. Mind ya, I wouldn’t complain.”

“I’m sure you wouldn’t,” I said, rolling my eyes as I pulled the latex on my hands.

“Wouldn’t be needing those either,” he said, nodding at my gloves. “Wouldn’t want ya choking your lovely hands on my account.”

“Let’s keep it professional, Mr. Bennett,” I countered, a playful edge to my voice as I slipped on the second glove.

He sniffled. “Mmhm,” he hummed, his lips pursing defiantly. 

“Right,” I said, clicking my pen to the ready. “Let’s get started.”

“Fire away, love,” he drawled, his amusement an inescapable distraction.

I took a deep breath, willing my butterflies to settle.

“Would you mind emptying your pockets and stepping onto the scale for me?”

“Yes ma’am,” he said, and began rummaging through his pant pockets, pulling out a metal lighter, a packet of fags, some pounds, and his ID. He placed them in the bowl I held out and hopped onto the scale. I noted down his weight and height. 

“Excellent. Now, please remove your shirt.”

A satisfied glint lit up his eyes. He clicked his teeth and crossed his arms over his stomach. “Quite like bein’ ordered about,” he said, before pulling the shirt over his head.

“I suppose you have to get used to it,” I replied, my eyes flickering over his toned chest, his dog tag nestling between his pectoral muscles. Turning away to grab the measuring tape, I silently berated myself for the warmth blooming up my neck. 

“Wouldn’t be ‘alf as good from anyone else, though,” his voice, a low rumble, sent shivers down my spine. 

When I pivoted back, his height loomed over me, his hands clasped behind his back in a soldierly posture that accentuated his broad shoulders and chest, a mischievous glint dancing in his eyes.

“Would you mind…?” My voice trailed off as I hesitated to make physical contact. Unlike the others I’d processed with practiced efficiency, the thought of touching him set my nerves on fire. “Standing like this for me?” I finally managed, my voice a gentle whisper, my hands reaching out to gently unclasp his from behind his back, raising them straight outward. “Perfect.” 

I drew closer. The scent of him, a mix of clean sweat, tobacco, and bad decisions, filled my senses as I reached around him to fit the measuring tape around his shoulder blades. As I straightened to fix it around his chest, I caught him observing me. The playful glint had softened, replaced by a simmering intensity that sent a warm tremor through me. I half expected him to lay an inappropriate or snarky comment, but a beat of charged silence hung in the air, save his breathing which had gotten slightly labored.

I quickly recorded the measurement and released the tape. “Perfect,” I said, a touch too brightly, charging my voice to attempt to salvage my composure. “You may lower your arms.” Scribbling the numbers in his file, I forced myself to focus on the next task. “I will have a look at your teeth next,” I said, picking up the light source and a wooden spatula.

“Alright,” he said. He dipped his chin for me to reach, his lips pouting with arrogant sensuality, as I approached him. 

His presence consumed me. His scent, the warmth of his body, mere inches from my own, radiated through me like electricity. I hesitated again.

“I don’t bite,” he grinned, to which I rolled my eyes, and placed my hand to his chin in defiance. His timber lowered into a throaty whisper, “Only if ye ask me nicely.”

My breathing shallowed, heat shot through me like licking flames, my heart drumming against my ribs. “Good to know,” I said, attempting to sound unbothered, tilting his head toward me. “Say ‘Ah’.”

“Ahhhhh…”

I depressed his tongue with the spatula and examined his teeth, making a mental note of the slight misalignment of his incisors. “Bite down,” I instructed. Another minor misalignment appeared. “Hmm,” I murmured, and released him, noting it down in his file. 

“Problem?” he asked.

“Did you have braces as a child?” I inquired, setting down the equipment.

He scoffed. “Fuck nah. That gear’s for mugs only.”

His foul mouth was disarming

“I see,” I said, before I turned and started towards him. His eyes had become hooded, the ice melted into a dark sea, holding a challenge I couldn’t quite decipher. His lips inched up into an askew smile that pitted his cheek as I reached for his face again. I felt a prickle of awareness as his gaze flickered down my body, before returning to my face.

I palpated along his jaw, starting below his ears, then down towards his throat. He sighed deeply. His skin was so very warm beneath my fingers.

“Been experiencing any fever or illness of late?” I asked, my fingers continuing the path down his neck. His gaze flicked to my lips.

“No,” he murmured, his voice a low rumble.

He was extremely warm. Borderline feverish. 

“Currently on any medications?” My fingers continued down his broad neck, down to his collarbones. His Adam’s apple bobbed in his throat, and his ‘no’ came out hoarse and shaky. 

I systematically checked the rest of his body for abnormalities, checking for any bruises, hernias, anything deviating. His breath hitched as my fingers grazed his arm, then the other. Then I took a turn about him, checking his neck, shoulders and back. My eyes travelled lower, and something fluttered through my stomach. 

He had a very cute butt. 

He tilted his head to the side when I came around him, a devilish grin on his lips. 

“What d’ya reckon, doc? See somethin’ y’ like?”

“Everything seems to be in order,” I announced, going to stand in front of him, ignoring his blatantly rude comment. “Just like you claimed, healthy as a horse.”

A satisfied grin tugged at his lips, “Told ya.”

“Now for the really tricky part,” I continued, watching Tom’s smug grin slowly fade from his face as my uncle emerged from behind the privacy curtain.

“How are we doing in here then, Y/N?”

“All done, Dr. Clark. He’s all yours,” I confirmed, a hint of amusement dancing in my eyes. Tom’s confusion was a welcome change to his previous arrogance.

Dr. Clark cleared his throat and flipped through the file. “Mr. Bennett,” he addressed and looked up. “For the lower body examination, please remove your trousers,” he said, smacking his gloves into place.

Tom looked to me, a silent plea I readily understood, and I flashed him with a sweet smile.

“Good luck, Mr. Bennett,” I sang, tearing the gloves from my hands.

He turned to my uncle, then hesitated. “Could I…” Then he cleared his throat, his voice lowering to a whisper, though loud enough that I could hear before I vanished behind the screen. “Could I have a moment?”

_

The next day, a familiar name landed on my desk at the vaccination booth.

As I looked up, intense blue eyes met mine.

“Mr. Bennett,” I greeted him professionally, though something stirred within my chest.

“Y/N,” he said with a charming grin which made my heart trip over its next beat.

Fuck. He must’ve heard my name from my uncle yesterday. 

“And please,” he continued. “Call me Tom.”

“Alright, Mr. Bennett. Right this way,” I said, rising from my chair. 

He hesitated at first, a flicker of something unreadable crossing his features before he obliged and rounded the desk, following me behind the screen.

“Pull down your trousers and lean over,” I instructed before he could manage to land some witty remark.

“Actually, I-,” he started.

“Chop chop, sailor,” I interrupted, ushering him to the table. “We haven’t got all day.”

“Right uh… Like this?” he asked, his back turned to me, his cheeks exposed before me.

I looked him over. “That’s right…” I said absently, my eyes travelling.

Focus.

As I readied the vaccine, a beat of awkward silence stretched between us before Tom spoke again, his voice uncharacteristically hesitant. 

“So, listen uh…” he began, clearing his throat, an unfamiliar vulnerability lacing his voice that unsettled me. My gaze drifted to the way his jaw clenched, a flicker of some apprehensive in his eyes. Was he scared of needles or something? “I know a lot of these other blokes been causing ye trouble and that, and uh…”

Gosh, he was so fucking cute when he was nervous. 

“I was wonderin’ like…” He rubbed his chin in his hand. “Would you want to like…” His fingers tapping out a nervous rhythm on the table, attempting to urge his words forward. “Maybe…” His voice trailed off, searching for the right turn of phrase.

Oh god, he was about to ask me out. 

My heart hammered against my ribs.

I loaded the syringe in a nervous blur, and tapped out the bubbles at the top.

“Like… wanna go out with me – argh!” His whole body cramped up as I stabbed the needle into his butt cheek. 

“Oh, I’m sorry, did I poke too deep?” I asked with feigned concern.

A throaty groan escaped his lips. “Clattered me bones, I think,” he wheezed, his head bent over the table, swaying slightly as he held onto it for support.

“Go on, sailor. You can take it,” I said gently, patting his back as he pulled his trousers back up, groaning as he went. 

I thought he must’ve forgotten what he was about to say, because he started staggering out of the booth, one hand rubbing his arse.

“Nah, hang on,” he said, turning on his heel, his jaw ticking with determination. “Listen, I really wanna take ya.”

My cheeks flared red. “Excuse me?”

Alarm sparked in his eyes, as if just realizing what he’d said. “Out!” He corrected. “I’d really wanna take y’ out. That weren’t meant to come out like that.”

Suddenly he started acting very strange. It started with staggering. He steadied himself on the IV pole at his side, the metal rattling under his weight.

“Mr. Bennett?” I asked, approaching him slowly, “Are you feeling alright?”

“Yeah,” he said, shaking his head to his senses, “Just gon’ a bit… wobbly, is all.”

Something dawned on me. I snatched his file from the table and opened it. ‘Andrew Howarth’ was hidden beneath a sticker of Tom’s alias.

I slammed it back down on the table, my voice sharpening. “Have you already had this shot?” I demanded, turning back to him, venom lacing my voice.

“Well,” he mumbled, his eyes fluttering. “Just t’ once.” Then his head hit the floor.

_

Exhaustion gnawed as I exited the doors to the induction centre, the hours of work settling heavy on my cognition. The golden glow of lampposts cast long, spidery shadows across the slick cobblestones as I descended the stairs. The memory of Tom swam up before me, his handsome face against the cold floor, concern flooding me after his fainting spell. I recalled him muttering incoherently in my lap as a crowd gathered, my uncle eventually pushing through to help.

A warmth, unexpected and foreign, bloomed in my chest. He’d taken a punch to the face during our very first encounter, then nearly experienced an anaphylactic shock trying to ask me out on a date. Underneath that snarky, arrogant mask, I believed, was something so much deeper. 

My heels clicked against the stone as I approached the car. I opened the door and slid inside, just starting to pull it shut when a voice echoed from outside. 

“Y/N!”

A jolt of adrenaline shot through me as I saw a figure jogging up the street towards me, hands shoved in their jacket pockets. 

A thrill sparked in my chest as they drew closer. I flung the car door open again and stepped out. 

“Hello, Mr. Bennett,” I uttered, attempting to hide the shakiness in my voice as he approached. “How are you feeling?”

“Made up,” he said, flashing a lopsided grin, and I noted that the purple around his eye had deepened somewhat. “You?”

A laugh, tinged with delirious exhaustion, escaped my lips. I shrugged. “Pretty knackered, actually.”

Tom’s grin diluted slightly, as a concerned frown etched his features. “Course y’ are! Made up you’re knackered after all that!” There was a soft concern in his voice that spun in my ears like silk. I smiled at him as a comfortable silence settled between us. But when I turned my heel slightly on the cobble, he spoke up. 

“Listen, uh…” he began, putting honey in his voice. “Before all of that with the fainting,” he said, drawing closer. “I wanted to ask ye out.”

I smiled, nodding. “I know,” I admitted softly. “It was pretty obvious.”

A cheeky grin lit up his features, and he tilted his head. “So…” He pursed his lips. “What d’ya say, doc?” His voice lowered into a gentle caress, and I felt his fingers brush against mine ever so lightly. “I need someone lookin’ after me while I recover,” he winked.

I couldn’t keep from smiling, my gaze drifting down to the cobblestones, as I considered his request.

“I’ll be a good boy, I promise,” he said, grinning, coaxing a laugh from me. 

Exhaustion threatened to pull me under, but a different kind of weight settled in my stomach as I met his gaze. He was off to war, soon to be on a ship across the Atlantic, with no notion of when he’d be back. If he’d ever be back… 

Dread coiled in my stomach. 

If he was going to die, we should at least live tonight. 

I winced internally at the cheesy quote from that Keith bloke. But it was the only thing that seemed to fit the urgency in my heart. 

“Alright,” I heard myself say.

“Yeah?” Tom’s voice dripped with elation, a melody that tugged at my already strained emotions. “C’mon then,” he said, offering me his arm. “Everyone reckons a cold brew sorts ye right out after a dizzy dossin’.”

_

A honeyed glow emanated from The Old Wellington, pulling us like moths to a flame. Inside, a vibrant symphony of voices rose and fell, punctuated by the melodic clinking of glasses. The air thrummed with the mingled aromas of spilled ale, aged leather, and an undercurrent of cigarette smoke. Tom, a whirlwind of charismatic energy, navigated the throng, his smile as familiar as the worn grooves on a favorite record, his banter bouncing off patrons like playful echoes. Their easy camaraderie spoke of a shared history, a hidden world I longed to decipher. Here, in the heart of Manchester, I was an explorer in a land of unknown faces and customs, adrift but not entirely lost. But when he grabbed my hand and pulled us towards the bar, none of it mattered. 

“A pint and a gin martini, if y’ would, Kristina,” he tossed over his shoulder to the bartender.

The cheek of this man. Did he just assume what I’d be drinking?

“A gin martini? Really?” I arched an eyebrow, a playful challenge in my voice. 

He pivoted towards me, a smug pout plastered on his lips, one hand casually tucked in his pant pocket as he leaned against the worn wood.

“Thought y’ might need a touch of sophistication, ya know, a taste of the high life,” he drawled, his eyes twinkling with something akin to a dare. 

And I was up for the challenge. 

I snorted and mirrored his stance, my arms crossing atop the bar in a playful imitation. “Do elaborate,” I replied, my voice laced with amusement.

A genuine grin erupted across his face. “Well, gin martinis are for proper ladies like, the kind with a bit of mystery and that,” he said, his voice dropping a touch lower. “Like yourself,” he finished, wetting his lips as his eyes flicked briefly down my body.

A shiver danced down my spine and vibrated in my stomach.

“So, a woman of intrigue is defined by her choice of beverage?” I countered, cocking my eyebrows in defiance, a playful glint in my eyes.

He shook his head ever so lightly, a flicker of something deeper gracing his features, like I’d totally missed his point. “Nothin’ could ever define ya, love. Y’ more than a drink,” he said, his voice growing suddenly serious. 

A warmth bloomed in my chest. This cocky charmer held an unexpected sweetness beneath the surface, a complexity that piqued my curiosity even further. 

Kristina placed our drinks on the bar and Tom slid a bill across to her. “Cheers, Kristina.”

I nodded at his pint. “So, you’re a lager then,” I joked. 

He tilted his head, a dimple flashing in his cheek. “A simple brew for a simple bloke,” he said, placing the rim to his lips and taking a swig. 

I laughed and shook my head. “You’re anything but simple, Tom.”

 “Seems my theory holds some water, then,” he grinned, mischief glittering in his eyes.

He pulled his packet of fags from his pocket and lit one with a practiced flick, his cheeks hollowing as he sucked in. Smoke curled from his lips in a grey cloud, momentarily obscuring him in a hazy veil. In that moment, a strange desire flickered within me – to be the tobacco stick consumed by his flame. 

“Fancy one?” he offered.

“Why not?” I said, watching him already pull a second one out of the pack, putting it to my lips, the subtle graze of his fingers against me singeing my skin like hot coal. 

“So, what d’ya think of the war then?” he said, flicking the lighter shut. 

I exhaled, tapped the ash, and pursed my lips. “That there must be a better way to solve conflict.”

A low chuckle rumbled in his chest. He pointed at me with the cigarette wedged between his fingers. “You and me dad would get along,” he stated.

Intrigued, I leaned in. “How so?”

He took a blow of his cigarette before he answered. “He’s a conscientious objector,” he said, breathing a plume of smoke.

“You clearly don’t share his sentiment,” I said, stirring my drink with the olive stick.

Tom curled his lips, a furrow etching between his brows, his finger flicking ashes into the ashtray. “Let’s just say it was either this or a stint in Her Majesty’s finest accommodation.” He rubbed his nose, a cocky sniff escaping him, as if the topic was bothersome. “Not exactly dad’s proudest moment.” His voice lowered somewhat, his fingers tapping atop the bar.

My eyes skimmed his fidgeting hands in contemplation. He’d enlisted for redemption, though I wasn’t exactly surprised he was a troublemaker, lacing him with even more intrigue than I had expected. 

The liquor flowed freely as he unraveled his story – his pacifist father, the ache of losing his mother young, his spirited sister who appeared to have stepped into their mother’s shoes. With each revelation, an invisible thread tightened between us, drawing our bodies closer, a silent conversation blooming beneath our skin.

By the time I finished my second martini, a reckless glint danced in my eyes, my fingers feeling daring and loose. They brushed down his arm while he was talking. My gaze flickered to his lips, a silent invitation. Tom, immersed in some topic I’d failed to keep up with, trailed his hand up my side absently, his fingers grazing my hips, up to my waist, his body radiating into me, my mind consumed by his scent as I attempted to focus on his words. 

A husky chuckle grazed my ear. “A bit bevvied, are we?” he whispered into it, his voice laced with amusement.

“Not any more than you,” I countered. 

“Pfft,” he said, frowning theatrically and pursing his lips. “I’m off the wagon.”

His hand drifted down my back, a single finger tracing a tempting path to my tailbone, the motion sending sparks downward. Desire flared within me, a wildfire consuming my inhibitions, fueled by the euphoric buzz of the alcohol. I leaned into him until I could feel his breath mixed with liquor and tobacco upon my lips. My fingers came up to his chest, my lips savoring his every breath like it was life itself. I just needed him to make a move. Close the gap between us. Draw his tongue into my mouth so that I could taste it. But he was still, ragged breaths fanning me, his muscles drawn taut beneath my fingers. 

“Fancy a change of scenery?” I whispered against his mouth. 

“Bet,” he mumbled, his voice thick, before creating distance between us, the electricity cut, sparking like static. His hand in mine, he steered me out of the pub, the night air a stark contrast to the heat that had been building inside me...

Tag list: @venmondiese @diespulcher @izfrogzy @fan-goddess @yyrzmomo @slytherincursebreaker @canpillowscry @mhmhey @meadowscollectivelight @jasminecosmic99 @funnyzgirl @rhaethoughts @rosaness @beautifulballads @ramielll @maplesauce43 @elmageber @gxuxhdjdu @randomstory56 @darylandbethfanforever9 @allthethingsel @kkdragongirl @saintlavie @haleyheart0197 @kind3sstuff @mooneeishorny @hikaerys @swagfancroissantpizza2 @thescooponsof @venmondiese @lovelybruises @sonolynn @pandoras-bussy @babymilkxd @diespulcher @aiyaiy @lovebambon @stapleyourfacebackon @banditlovespunks @gvmmie-bear @airadajascake @anyaisssleeping @liv-cole @hc-geralt-23 @elleinex0x0 @dovesandorchids @gothmuppet92o @meganryannnn @forreadsstuff @baddieduhh2 @sushiapril @mel0man1a @onemillionpeopleinone @hermoonfan @bitchwithlebrains @xxxkat3xxx @ultravxl @zesldl-blog @reeseelise @strangemaximoff @imaginecrushes @anyaskywalker21 @littybeech @achaoticeternal @im-perched-in-the-dark @stcrrjoon @wxnderingthoughts @starkwlord @rhxenyra-txrgxryen @rafanadalgeek888 @summerposie @hederahelix-mj @aegonswife @wwwrafecom @shadowolf993 @kalasyrtiaan @starwarsgirlsimmer1 @maybeijustwanttobeme @violetiss3lfish @ecstaticactus @magicalkidchaos-blog1 @fan-goddess @solairestar @shelby-leah @forbiddengrimoire @magnificentdelusionr @issshhh @luvsfics @rhaenyslay @beautifulmilkshakearbiter @thelastofkryze @slytherincursebreaker @thought--bubble @doll-joh4n @zackyvravageme @youngunicorn16 @jexify @odeioemail @canpillowscry @sinistersnakey49 @osferthswifey

Divider by: @saradika

A part 2 is planned soon!

[divijohm]

Headcanons for Toby, Jeff, Nina and slendy with a reader that lovesss animals? (and is good with them) :D like every time they return from a mission, reader has brought back a puppy or kitty? (bonus points if once she accidentally brought a wolf in the house mistaking it for a dog)

Pastas with a s/o that's good with animals!

Toby, Jeff, Nina and Slenderman

A/n: I LOVE ANIMALS! ALL ARE SUPER CUTE but sadly I'm not very good with them lolol I have a cat and a dog though they're my babyss hope you enjoy!

Slenderman

🐾 He does not get along well with animals, at all. He scares most them away just by standing there, problems of being a eldritch horror but once one warms up to him he actually is very gentle with them.

🐾 finds it cute and fascinating how well you can interact with the lil fellas, might even find a way to you to use them in missions. Not a fan of you bringing them to the mansion though, most pastas aren't a fan and may be allergic, and he does not enjoy when animals/wildlife are being mistreated so for everyone's sake, he'll ask you not to.

🐾 If you manage to convince him to have a pet, other than smile dog that is, he would like a cat, probably a black or tuxedo one, because it would be easier to hide the fur that will be all over his clothes

🐾 He's a tidy man, animals that make much mess are not his type, he also don't like the high maintenance ones (i.e hamsters) heck he barely takes care of his proxies, leaving most of them to survive on their own only giving the best ones a somewhat stable life. A high maintenance thing that's not even useful?? Hell no

🐾 Overall, he likes animals but he does not like to take care of them nor have them in his house, he doesn't need more little, bratty, short life-span beings to take care of, he already has the proxys

Toby

🐾 Adores animals as long as they're far away from him, he's scared of most of them at first but find them cute

🐾 Have a strong cat allergy poor thing can't be near one without a mask or he'll start sneezing

🐾 Will help you take care of them despite his fear and allergies, mostly by being on your side handing you stuff but he'll hold the animal still if you need to apply a vaccine or something

🐾 Sometimes his tics will be saying an animal name, because he's spending so much time listening to you talk about them, you find it cute

🐾 He's besties with the mansion permanent pets and will let them stay in his room if needed

Nina

🐾 BIG ANIMAL FAN, especially big ones

🐾 WILL pamper all the pets you bring home, to a point where you have to hide the treats from her otherwise she'll give them nonstop

🐾 Begs Slenderman to let you make a zoo with all the pets, he refuses of course but lets her keep a parrot

🐾 She named the parrot Willy, is a blue one and he's very talkative (much like his owner) surprisingly he can roam free and don't run away/get lost.

🐾Willy will attack on command, Nina did not teach him how to do that but one day she said to another proxy "I'll make willy take your eyes out!" And the birb was near and he just attacked going for the eyes. A moment of laughter and panic later, Willy was safe and the poor victim just had his eyelids slightly clawed, nothing major but Slenderman made Nina promise that she would never command willy to attack a proxy to a degree that can compromise their performance. So now she just makes him poop on people's foods and/or in them

Jeff

🐾 He only likes dogs, not much of a fan of any other species, he will tolerate birds and most of the wild life thought

🐾 He's afraid of cats, whenever you bring one to the house he'll try to act cool but the slightest movement towards him will make him flinch

🐾 Will act uninterested when you bring a dog but the moment you turn your back he WILL gush over them specially if they get along with Smiley

🐾 Fights everyone who criticizes your actions, because "at least animals are better than humans" bedsides you do all the work to care for them and keep the mansion permanent pets safe if they don't get along with the strays

🐾 will complain if you spend more time with the pets than with him, and will throw a tantrum if you tell him to wait because you have to take care of the lil ones before giving him attention

[rickybaby]

If at some point we all succumb For goodness sake, let us be young 'Cause time gets harder to outrun And I'm nobody, I'm not done

— Wetsuit, The Vaccines

[its-in-the-woods]

Coyote Head - Part 11 - Screams in the woods

master list

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part9, Part 10,

Pairing: Cooper Howard x Lucy Maclean 

Includes many other characters from Fallout

Synopsis: Lucy reaches for him, “Don’t let go!”

MINOR GET OUT. Rating/Warning:  Animal/people death, dead animal mutilation, general horror, religious themes, Alternative Universe, Slow Burn, Death, Aging, Family Feuding, Older Man/Younger Woman,

Note: that I will not be spoiling any of the reading. So you have been warned. I will keep my tags relevant without spoiling what is happening in the story.

**Strap in and get ready for a ride kiddos**

Harris and Margie are looking between Cooper and Lucy, the Bible between them. Lucy had brought it over to show them and ask questions about the names on the front page, but she was now being stonewalled. The whole thing felt ridiculous, Lucy was still doubting the validity of any of what was happening.

“I don’t know about these names,” Harris said, looking over the names, his glasses making his eyes look huge. The large man had been on edge since they arrived, his shoulder scrunched body tight.

Lucy blows some air out through her nose, “You said you were lookin’ for the bible, the night me and Cooper got attacked.”

Margie glares at Harris, “Harris, for Saint Peter’s sake, just tell the girl what you know. Or I will piece together what I can, and give her what I know.”

Harris sighs, Cooper looking at Lucy trying to figure out what the heck was going on. Lucy shrugs at him, fiddling with her cup, her fingers itching for a cigarette. It had been a bad idea to start that up while all this stress was happening.

“Margie, you know I was never close with my Dad. Anything he knew about the bible was passed to Tim. Not to me.” Harris was still trying to skirt the subject, fingers twisting around each other as he looked at everyone. 

“Oh, horseshit!” Margie hollered, the little woman’s face going red, as she glared at him. Lucy was taken aback by the sudden outburst. “Fine. Fine.”

Margie stood up grabbing a black jar and pouring a tall glass. “None of you get any, 'cause I sure ain’t in the mood.” 

Harris, Lucy, and Cooper both cringing back as if being scolded with a belt. Lucy’s heart pounding as she tries to keep herself composed, hoping against hope she gets some answers. 

“Now, the MacLean’s have always had secrets. Their crops always good, and cows are always plump. Back in the day before vaccines, they barely ever lost a child. Heck, I barely ever saw any of them get sick.” Margie took a sip of her black drink. “Now we all had theories, all wondered what they were doing. They never cut back more forest than they needed, and always leased at low rates. Yet they wanted for nothing.”

Margie takes a moment to look at everyone, at the table, before she continues. 

“Then Albert died, and Tim took over. What Harris won’t tell y’all is that the whole family had been practicing devil magic.” Margie states no venom behind her words. “Bring offerings to this forest spirit, god, whatever. Not for me to judge.” 

Cooper fiddles with the edge of his cup, his shoulders moving forward, as he makes himself smaller. Lucy felt her stomach twist, she had never been religious, but calling it devil magic seemed too harsh. Even with the Anton Lavey quote in her Grandpa’s handwriting. 

“Whatever Tim did, it worked. But your Grandma was raised in the church. I loved Shirley and she put up with a lot of stuff. When Tim wanted to bring Hank into the fold.” Margie looked over at Harris.  “She said no. Said all of it had to stop, wasn’t going to be a part of it passing down.”

Harris shifts, taking his glasses off and putting them on the table. “As soon as Tim stopped, things started to go south. It wasn’t instant. It was little things, minor flooding in a field that had never flooded before. Seeds not taking as well as they should. Losing more calves than normal.” 

Margie nods, letting out a sigh, she got up and brought some glasses over. Pouring small amounts for each, before sitting down, still glaring at her husband as he speaks about his family.

“We wrote it off as a bad year.” Harris sighs, fiddling with the cup but not taking a sip. “But it kept getting worse, and worse. Blanche kept telling Harris that he needed to start doing the offering again.” 

Lucy took a sip of the black drink, it was bitter, but also strangely sweet, most likely gooseberries. 

“Shirley kept saying no, and then Blanche died.” Harris swallows, “Found her lying right by her chickens.” He finally takes a drink, wincing at the sweetness. “All her chickens were gone, and the thing had taken her eyes.” 

Cooper looks pale as he stares down at his cup, Lucy finishing hers in a quick swig. She rubs her hand along his knee hoping to help ease him. The thought of her great grandma laid out dead by her prized chickens was horrid.

“So, Tim decided it was time to start up again.” Harris says, “Shirley was beside herself, thought her husband had lost it. “

“But it worked,” Lucy spoke, “Things got better, crops grew, cows birthed easily, no one got sick anymore.” 

Harris nods, finally sipping the drink, “I didn’t want to believe it either. How could bringing a loaf of bread, or bundle of herbs, make the ground seem so much richer.” 

“Why didn’t you tell Lucy?” Cooper interjects, fingers running over the rim of the glass in several circles. 

Harris leans back, taking another small sip of the liquid, Margie pouring everyone a little more of the makeshift brew. 

“Tim said it ended with him.” Harris finally spoke, “When he came to tell me he was dying.” The man looked out into his yard, eyes glassy as he spoke. “He was different, it was the first time I’d seen him look so content with life. Tim kept going on and on about how it was finally going to be over. That he would finally be free, the whole family won’t have to worry anymore.”

“We should have told you Lucy, should have been more forward about the whole situation. But Tim was adamant it was over,” Margie adds, Lucy feels a cold spread of anxiety spill from her ribs out into her stomach. 

“But then we found the coyote head, us being attacked in the trailer,” Lucy states, “But you still kept it from me.”

“I didn’t think you’d be ready for this, especially after what happened. We wanted to give it some time. So you could heal before we dropped the family past on you.” Harris replies, reaching to squeeze Lucy’s hand. She pulls away, a feeling of betrayal still sitting tight in her chest. 

“You’ve barely been here two months,” Margie states trying to calm the room. “We know now, and we can help make it right.”

Lucy shakes her head, “We don’t even know what we need to make right.” She slides her chair backward. “We are going to go help John this afternoon. After that, we should all sit down and go over the journals and bible together, maybe?” 

Harris’ brows furrowed, “Lucy, I don’t think it’s wise to go in there. I know you want to help-”

“It’s my land, my property, my problem,” Lucy states as she stands up, “I am not sitting on the sidelines anymore.”

***

Lucy, Cooper, John, and Bert stand at the edge of the forest, Lucy had done up a crude map of the trails she could mostly remember. She had photocopied them so each person had one, radios, and compasses were passed around. Each ATV was checked over making sure fuel tanks were full. Guns carefully strapped into place, along with extra clips. Lucy hoped they wouldn't need them. On top of that they strapped on crates with rope, knives, tools, and first aid kits, along with anything else they might need. 

“So we each take a trail, stick to the path, mark it as we go so we can find our way out. The yellow fence line is parkland, we won’t go past that. Barbwire is either John’s land to the west or Cooper’s to the east. If you make it that far there should be gates that you can use to circle back up to the road. See anything-” Lucy stops her speech for a moment collecting herself. “I mean anything, weird, strange, cow, whatever, you radio. There is no point in any of us getting hurt. Sunsets around nine, but we should try to get out by no later than eight.”

The men nod, at her words, Lucy surprising herself by how calm and level-headed she felt. Not to mention the men listening to her, and not arguing with what she had to say. It felt odd being the one in charge, but this was also her land. It didn’t feel like hers, it didn’t feel like anyones, but if there was anyone who needed to be held accountable for it it was Lucy. She was tired and scared, but she was not going back down, not now.

“The radios we have should cover the whole area without an issue, if you run into issues and can’t get a hold of us come back here,” Cooper adds, making sure everyone nods. “All the families have been told if they don’t hear from us by nine to send emergency crews in.”

“What’s the worst that could happen?” Bert chirps, looking out towards the gaping mouth of the forest. 

Lucy inwardly cringing, she and Cooper had decided not to fill in the others about the supernatural possibilities. Having people scared would help no one. Lucy wasn’t even sure she fully believed any of it. Was something really haunting the woods? Was her grandfather really feeding it? Had it taken her Dad? 

“It’s just precaution,” John adds, peering towards their destination and waking Lucy from her musing. “Never know, better safe than sorry.” 

“Well, let’s get going.” Bert smiles, jumping onto the four-wheel, he starts it up and takes off towards the trees. 

Lucy feels her heart clench in her chest, a low ringing buzz just above the sound of the engine. She takes off after Bert, heading down southeast, Cooper goes directly east, Bert goes southwest, and John goes west. The trees had fully flushed out, leaves defusing the light, and the trails were clear despite having not been used much. She rode at a good clip, fast enough to keep moving but slow enough to take in what was around her. 

The radio sits on her handlebars crackled occasionally, Lucy wanted to stop every time it made a sound, but made herself continue. Every shadow, discoloration, and movement had her head turning. The further she went, the darker the place seemed to get. The hair on her arm starts to stand up, even under the heavy sweater. She couldn’t help but look over her shoulder, feeling like something was following her. Something was watching her, just on the other side of a tree or bush. 

Lucy stops as the radio crackles, her heart pounding in her chest, waiting to hear anything. When nothing came Lucy went to start up again, when a twig snapped to her right. Head turning almost painfully fast to look that way, nothing. Another snapped behind her, hair prickling at the back of her neck. Turning slower this time, Lucy nearly screams, as a black shadow slinks away behind a tree. 

Her hand is on the radio now, tensed up in a panic, her shoulder gathered up against her ears. With no other movement, she goes to turn the machine back on when it crackles.

“This is John, did someone else go directly west?” John’s voice crackles across the forest. Lucy grabs her compass from her pocket seeing that she is still pointing mostly southwest. 

“Lucy here, I am heading southwest,” Lucy replies, Bert comes over the radio saying that he is also mostly south. It was a tense moment before Cooper replies that he had turned so that he was going northeast. 

“Alright, umm, guess we’ll call that weird then. I am gonna start heading up the northwest side towards the gate.” John radios, before it goes silent again. She couldn’t help but hear the hesitation in his voice, whatever was out there had spotted them.

Lucy takes one last look around her, eyes narrowing in on the grey flesh of a stripped tree stump. She gets off her ATV and walks towards it, her heart thudding against her ears. The image of a fresh coyote head on top of stripped wood flashed in her mind. As she walks up to it she can see bones lying around. If you weren’t looking for it, it would have just blended into the forest. She stops a yard or so from it. The tingling feeling of anxiety rushes down her neck like cold water. 

Turning around in a full circle Lucy could just see further another stump. She would bet money that it was also surrounded by bones. Walking quickly back to her ATV she pulls out the map and marks it approximately. How many were out here?  Was this like the stumps that were in the bible? The illustration had shown sigils or ruins, but now they were worn from years of wear.

She turns her ATV on and continues southeast, eyes peeled for any other out-of-place signs. As she drove she would stop and note down other stumps, if she went and stood at one looking west she could see all of them in what was becoming a half-moon shape. Four total, Lucy’s gut feeling was there would be thirteen, one for each month. Placed on purpose, spaced evenly, all surrounded by bone. Every single one made her skin crawl and made her wonder if she was losing her mind. 

The radio crackled again, Lucy stopping immediately and listening. More crackling, muffled noises, then nothing. Her heart lurched, stomach twisting as she waited for any word. 

“I think-” Interference, “A cow,” It was Bert, “Least what’s left off it.”

“Where are you?” Lucy asked, already turning the machine around so that she could head in the right direction. She’d start to head west and hope that she could find Bert.

“If you head to the main trail-” Static, Lucy fires up the ATV keeping the radio turned up. “Southwest-” Lucy strained to hear, “-go directly south.” His voice seemed softer and softer and Lucy roared towards him. “next fork - west“

“Roger, roger,” We are heading your way, Cooper's voice rang over the radio. She felt her heart clench knowing that he was not far away, it was both comforting and concerning. 

“Shouldn’t be far,” John added, Lucy's heart thundering in her chest, fingers aching from holding onto the handlebars so tightly. She kept looking over her shoulder, searching for something in the woods she couldn’t see. The bumps and jumps of the machine propelled her forward. The trees opened into the middle clearing, Lucy skillfully following down southwest. Behind her she could make out the roar of another engine, looking back she could just make out Cooper’s white hat. 

It was a comfort knowing that he was close behind her, hitting the fork she went south. Her radio crackling but nothing, she continued along the path ducking past brushes as they slapped towards her. Mouth dry as she tries to urge the thing forward. A burst of static echoed louder than the previous almost stopping Lucy. 

“HELP,” 

Lucy grabbed the walkie doing her best to continue to drive one-handed. “BERT.”

“It’s here,”

“What what is it,” John calls out over the radio. “I am not far, Bert. Hold on.”

“Oh god,” 

“Oh god.”

Lucy clipped the walkie back on, riding as fast as the old ATV would go, she could hear Cooper not far behind her. As she hit the fork to head west a scream rang out, Lucy felt her ears ring. Her eyes blurring as the world spun, she blinks several times trying to make her eyes work. 

“Bert, Bert,” Cooper called over and over, Lucy hearing his voice behind her and in front of her as they roared towards their destination. 

Lucy spotting John flying up coming to join the west trail, his hat had been lost somewhere along the way. Lucy slows down to let him go ahead, Cooper now only a dozen yards behind her. Bushes and trees slap her face as they road toward Bert should have been.

As they came up over a hill Lucy had a split second of red lights warning her as she skidded to a stop just beside John. The man was off his ATV, gun in hand as he made his way over to the empty four-wheeler. Lucy parked hers, grabbing her gun and extra clip in her pocket. Cooper is skidding to a stop a moment behind them, the three of them gathering at the empty ATV.  There are skid marks behind the machine, a few scuffs in the ground, and his gun was gone. 

“Bert,” Lucy calls out, his name echoing through the tree, her voice bouncing around like she was in a funhouse. “Bert! Come on, answer us!”

“No sign of the Bert, or the cow,” John says, looking around the place, all of them naturally staying close to each other. Lucy faces one way, and Cooper faces the opposite of her. A perfect triangle as they move. “No sign of anything really.”

Cooper moves over, Lucy watching him as he walks past the ATV. Her eyes spotted what he was looking at, another stump, stripped of bark. Some of the symbols were more pronounced on this one, almost looking fresh.

“Is that another stump?” Lucy asks, moving towards where Cooper is now crouching down. He’d take out a knife to uncover some bones that lay covered in dirt around it. Lucy reaching out to trace over the ruins, the ringing in her ears stopping as she followed them all over the stump.

Cooper looks up, his hazel eyes barely visible under the shadow of his hat, “I saw some when I was driving around. All had bones around them like this.”

“W-w-what are those?” John’s face was pale, his hand fiddling with the stock of his gun. He had walked over to stand near the other two. 

“I am not sure. I don’t remember seeing this many before.” Lucy replies, trying to keep her voice level and calm. Her mind played over all the different illustrations of symbols, people standing around a stump. The face of the coyote flashed behind her eyes. 

“But these are old. Like really old.” John points out, jumping when a twig breaks, his breath is ragged as he looks around. 

Lucy and Cooper both stand looking towards the noise, Cooper swiftly pocketing the knife to replace it with the rifle. They all stand for a moment, the silence swallowing them. 

“Bert! Bert!” Lucy calls out again, hoping that it was him walking back towards them. “Where are you? Call out so we can come get you.”

John was now backing up towards his ATV, Lucy could see that he was shaking as he looked out towards the forest. It felt darker, much darker than it should have been for mid-afternoon. It was as if all the light was slowly being sucked out from around them. 

“Somethin’s wrong,” Cooper murmured, making Lucy jump as his hand clasps her shoulder. He was starting to push her towards the four-wheelers, she could feel her heart start to hammer in her chest. 

“We should call Harris,” Lucy says the dread had now seeped into her bones. Cooper was right, Bert wasn’t replying and there was no sign of him.

“No signal this deep in.” John replied phone in a shaky hand, “Probably thirty minutes from anywhere that would have a signal.”

Another twig snap had them all whirling, again facing nothing but trees and bushes. 

Lucy

Ringing splitting Lucy’s head as her name came spilling from every direction. Double over she covers her ears, trying to get it to stop. Cooper is in the same position, forehead creased as he groans. John stares at both of them as he stands perfectly still, eyes wide, phone dropping to the ground as his mouth falls open.

Cooper

John swings around, clearly hearing what they are. Lucy slowly tries to right herself, her eyes blurry as she tries to focus. Cooper leaning heavily against the stump, the forest is spinning past them. She falls and hits the ground, her body screaming at her to keep moving but it feels like someone has put a lead blanket across her body. 

“John,” Lucy croaks, trying to get his attention. He looks like he is miles away, a small pin prick in the distance. “Go, get Harris.”

John is stooping down behind herm helping Cooper up. “No, I am staying with you.” He is beside her now, his hands under her arms as he hoists her against the machine. 

Lucy - Cooper - John

They all stood now, heads as clear as possible the sound of their names coming from all directions. The echoing impossibly around them as if it was coming from hundreds of different voices, tones, and places. The place is so dark they might as well be in a cave, not able to see more than a few yards ahead of them. The wind picking up moves trees above, sending shivers across all of them, the only noise beside their panting breath. 

“That-what- what the fuck,” John states, eyes wide as he looks around. Lucy barely kept herself standing, her legs wobbly as the voice kept screaming their names

“Lucy!” Bert’s voice carries, this time sounding less like static ringing and more human. 

Lucy moves towards it, her feet moving without thought, Cooper immediately grabbing her arm. “Lucy, we can’t. We don’t know what that is.” 

“It’s Bert,” Lucy protests, trying to move away from him, Cooper’s grip only tightening further. He was right, she knew that, she knew it didn't sound right. Yet she wanted to go to them, she needed to go to them. 

“Lucy, think about this. We need to stop and think.” Cooper demands, somehow breaking through the fog. “We gotta stick together. Can either leave and get help, or we all go look for Bert.”

A screech breaks through the air, right in front of them as John’s body falls forward, something grabbing his ankle and starting to drag him backward. Lucy is stunned for a moment before she jumps forward, gun abandoned as she chases after John. His face rubs against the dirt hands desperately trying to grab onto anything and everything he can. A shot rings out in the air, Lucy instinctively duckling down. Her knees hit the ground and she rolls for a second before she is back up. John continues to scream as he grabs for purchase onto a tree.

Lucy reaches for him, “Don’t let go!” Her hands find his, his eyes wide as he screams.

Part Twelve

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

*I I know I know cliff hangers, but what's a horror read without a cliff hanger?

*want to be on the tag list? add your name below

@toogaytofunctiondangit , @hiddlebatchedloki @whatsorceressisthis @dichromaniac @autumncryptids

@therealcozyaxoltol

[lucywritesagain]

I wouldn't say no

꒰ა ˚₊ ✧・┈﹕Loki masterlist ꒰ ᐢ｡- ༝ -｡ᐢ ꒱ Navigation ﹕┈・𐑺 ‧₊˚໒꒱

Please note that this story is a repost from my old blog @lucywrites02.

Summary: Loki pays you a visit, saying that Bubbles- his cat- may be allergic to Thor. Is Loki serious or is it another excuse to hang out with you?

Word count: 0.7k

“You again?”

That was the way you greeted Loki as you walked into your office- a few folders under your arm and a box of medical gloves in the other. Your white coat flew behind you with every step like a cape, making you feel like in a movie. In all those years working as a vet it had never gotten bored.

“It’s nice to see you, too.” The trickster replied with a playful smile.

“What seems to be the problem, buddy?” You leaned over the table and gently patted your little friend’s head who purred in approval. “Why did your dad bring you here this time?”

“I think he’s allergic to Thor.” Loki said.

“Ha, that’s a good one!” You giggled, but stopped when you noticed their dead serious expression. “That’s a joke, right? Tell me you’re joking.”

“Why would I?” The god put his hands in the pockets of his dark blue jeans- something they didn’t wear often. “I noticed that Bubbles acts differently every time my brother visits.”

You weren't sure if it was a prank or if Loki really thought his cat could be allergic to his brother. The first time you met the god they barged into your office right before closing because the cat he just adopted was sleeping too much and refused to leave until you explained to him how the cat's body worked in great detail. You found it sweet how much Loki cared about that little creature and how eager they were to learn more. And what better way to learn than to take your information from the professionals? The second time they visited was to give Bubbles his vaccines and make a file for him. One time Loki ran into your office while you were in the middle of examining Clair- a beautiful ball python who has been your patient since the day she hatched- just to tell you that Bubbles made a chirping noise while watching birds and if it was normal for a cat to do this.

“Different? How?” You straighten your back, giving all your attention to the trickster.

“He’s really affectionate with Thor and he always hated people”

“Let me get this clear-” you had to hold your laugh for Loki’s sake. You were a professional after all and Loki- although a friend- was still your client. “You think Bubbles is sick because he likes Thor?”

“Obviously.”

“Alright.” You sighed and put on a new pair of gloves. You pretended to examine your little friend, feeling Loki’s eyes on you. Thankfully Bubbles was a very brave patient and you never had much problems with him. He even let you touch his belly. That’s why instead of looking for the cause of the cat’s ‘unusual behaviour’ you just tickled him here and there- which he really liked.

“If you wanted to ask me out you could have just said so. Or you could always just call me.” You have my number.” You broke the silence while still giving all of your attention to Bubbles, who happily flipped on his back, demanding belly scratches.

“I’m not- that’s not-” The god of mischief stuttered, suddenly taking an interest in that one picture of your dog on the wall. You have figured out his little plan and that was just embarrassing to him.

“I wouldn’t say no.” You smiled, looking directly at Loki who was still refusing to meet your eyes.

“Pardon?” The god asked, surprised.

“If you asked me out I wouldn’t say no.” You left Loki speechless. Their heart was beating like crazy and his mind was completely empty. “You know how much I love it when you and Bubbles pay me a visit every 2 hours, but I have other patients waiting for me so….”

“Oh yes, that’s-” The god took his cat into his arms and awkwardly stood in the middle of the room, thinking about their next move. “So if I asked whether you had time for dinner tonight you wouldn’t say no?” The god of mischief asked, still unsure of your answer.

“Only if you pay.”

“I guess it’s a date then.” Loki opened the door to finally exit your office. Their heart was still beating fast and almost stopped when you said-

“I guess it is.”

[projectbluearcadia]

Top Ten Anime Betrayals I Guess

[ Trigger Warning -  Intentional Poisoning via food/drink. Reader Discretion Advised. ]

Lucifer: Mmm... Where are you going?

Annelie flinches as Lucifer rolls over in bed to catch her with half her body out of bed.

Annelie: ...water?

Lucifer: You're not a good liar, Annelie. Why are you being so sneaky?

Annelie: Well... it's just, I think you'll follow me if you know where I'm going, so...

Lucifer: Is there a reason I can't follow you?

Lucifer is wide-awake now, sitting up and rubbing his face.

Annelie: Because Barbatos said---

Lucifer: Barbatos?

Lucifer swings his legs out of bed to sit next to Annelie.

Lucifer: Why would he tell you to go anywhere without me? Annelie, that's not a good sign. He knows you get anxious when I'm not somewhere I can readily get to you.

Annelie: ...you're right, but... I don't know, I just thought he had a good reason. Like maybe he'd say something private about you or he'd confide in me about Diavolo...

Lucifer: Look. I know you're not on his hitlist anymore, but that doesn't mean you can let your guard down. He's a man, Annelie, and he's a very closed-off man at that. I don't care whether he wants to hit on you or tell you his darkest secret. You're not going by yourself. End of discussion.

If you were anyone else...

Annelie lets out a defeated sigh, smiling a little to herself.

Annelie: Okay, fine. But you stay concealed and quiet. Only pop your head out if I call for you.

Lucifer: Fine. I don't like it, but fine.

[ timeskip ]

Annelie walks into the darkened halls of the castle with ease, searching for Barbatos. She passes Diavolo's room, and she chuckles a little as she sees the prince sleeping soundly. Eventually, she catches the sight of Barbatos carrying a lit candelabra, making his face look gaunt.

Barbatos: There you are.

Barbatos smiles softly.

Barbatos: Follow me; I'd prefer to speak over tea.

Annelie: Yeah, sure...

Annelie starts walking behind the butler.

Annelie: Can you give me a hint about what you want to talk about with me exactly? You have to know that you're making me pretty anxious right now. You don't have a very good track record.

Barbatos: Haha. No, I don't.

Annelie: ...

Barbatos: ...

Annelie: ........

Barbatos: ...........

Annelie: Barb? Isn't this your room? You're really scaring me now.

Barbatos: I apologize for my reticence. I did not desire to make you anxious, although what I have to tell you may be anxiety-inducing.

Barbatos pours a cup of tea for Annelie and himself, and the sweet aroma of chamomile reaches Annelie's nose. He gestures for her to sit, taking a sip of tea.

Annelie: ...okay...?

Barbatos: It has become clear to me that you are widely loved by everyone in your circle. Unfortunately, that love is of the romantic variety which cannot be satiated when you have become so tightly bonded to Lucifer.

Annelie: Is... Is this a lecture?

Barbatos: No, not at all. It's... more of a personal musing, I'm afraid. Rather, it is a lament on my part. I have come to realize that I am just as fond of you as the young master or the other members of the student council.

Annelie: I guess... yeah, that's pretty surprising.

Annelie takes a sip of her tea.

Annelie: But... why did you need to call me all the way to the castle for that?

Hm? Do I... hear Lucifer shouting?

Barbatos: That has to do with the other thing I needed to inform you of.

Although there was no change in Barbatos' expression, a tear slipped free of one eye.

Huh? Why does he... look... blurry...?

Barbatos: Annelie, your curse has spread and permanently taken root. Solomon's vaccine is effective only at treating surface-level symptoms. Of the sparing records I was able to find on Queen Succubi... we are in a critical state.

Annelie collapses to the floor, and Barbatos catches her, laying her down gently.

Barbatos: ...so... for the sake of the prince's life, I can't let you live.

I am sorry, Annelie.... truly.

[texas-writes]

Come On, Princess

Cw: threeway, cunnalingus

You stared, dumbfounded at the phone in your hand. There’s nothing strange about an old friend calling you up to chat. Nothing at all. Hell the conversation you just had was downright boring even until he asked you to go out with him and his boyfriend. The words themselves weren’t particularly interesting, but his tone was different when he said it. You had known Keigo since you were teenagers, and if you knew anything about him it was that he was so unpredictable he was almost predictable. You didn’t question his motives, knowing he would never force your hand, you had just agreed to meet them at the restaurant for a nice dinner and half-jokingly prayed your rabies vaccine was up to date. He’s a biter.

You hadn’t actually met Keigo’s boyfriend yet, hell maybe that all he wanted was for you to meet him. God, knowing what type of guys Keigo was into, he was either a total hardass or a stoner. You prayed for your sake it was the latter. Taking a deep breath, you force yourself into the restaurant. You quickly spot Keigo sitting in a corner booth by himself and head over to him. “We get stood up,” you question, sliding into the booth and wrapping your arms around him. He squeezes you back. “Nah, he called me a minute ago. Said traffic was bad.” “That’s because you picked a downtown restaurant at rush hour.” “hahahah shut the hell up,” he deadpans, letting go of you. “But seriously though, what have you been up too, haven't seen you in what?” “six months,” you reply. “I’ve just been working though. Feels like all I do is work and sleep.” He reclines himself in the booth, resting his hands behind his head. “So I take it no stress relief?” He wriggles his eyebrows at you. “Keigo if you want to fuck me just say so.”

Somebody clears their throat and slides into the booth next to Keigo, resting against his side. Keigo wraps his arm around the other man's waist and pulls him closer “Mh, look what the cat drug in. Y/n, this is my boyfriend Dabi, Dabi, this is my best friend y/n.” “Glad to finally meet you, he never shuts up about you,” he laughs, his voice is deeper than you expected, probably attributed to whatever happened that left him as scarred as he is. “He never shuts up about you either,” you reply, a smile spreading across your face. You’re glad he’s laid back. And handsome. And strangely familiar. They contrasted each other, making them a pretty couple. Was it weird to be friends with the guy you lost it to in the back of a van in high school but never dated? No, that wasn’t too weird. Was it weird to think about banging him and his boyfriend? You wouldn’t mind it if that teal eyed fucker wrapped his hands around your throat. Oh God what if his quirk is mind reading. Oh that’s definitely weird. Oh no. “Hey, Earth to y/n,” Keigo calls, snapping in front of your face, “food’s here hon, where’d you go?” “Sorry I zoned,” you reply, shaking your head and picking up some chopsticks to grab a dumpling with.

“Dinner was good Dabi, thanks for paying,” you hum, pecking on the cheek and slipping past Keigo into his apartment, beelining straight for the kitchen. “Did they just-” “yeah they’re like that, get used to it lmao.” “Did really just say- ya know what nevermind. Do you still want to ask them about the uhhhh-” “Yeah, I’ll do it, It’ll be weird if you do it.” Kiego makes his way into the kitchen and finds you perched on his counter drinking a beer. He rubs the back of his neck. “Hey Dabs and I were wondering if uhhh, you’d-” “Yes.” “But you don’t even know what I was going to ask,” he whines, bending over and resting his head on your thigh. “Keigo, do you think I’m stupid? I’ve known what you wanted since you called to ask me to go out with you two,” you counter, rubbing your fingers through his hair. “Am I really that predictable?” “Only to me sweets,” you murmur, urging him off of you and hopping off the counter. Grabbing his hand, you lead him back into the living room, where Dabi’s draped himself over the couch, somewhat resembling the Death of Marat. You laugh at the thought. His head snaps towards you. “What’s so funny, doll? You’re holding hands like teenyboppers, I take it they said yes?”

“Yeah, I’ll fuck both of you, it’s cool,” you shrug, letting go of Keigo’s hand and rolling yourself over the back of the couch onto him. “You smell good,” you comment, burying your face into his chest. God, you really hoped your quirk didn’t act up tonight. “Bed, now,” Dabi growls, lazily pointing down the hall, wrapping his other arm around your waist, pulling you close before slipping out from under you. “You just gonna leave me here to get myself off while you two have a nice evening?” “Hell no I’m not leaving a fine piece of ass like you in the living room,” he laughs, throwing you over his shoulder, drawing a shriek from you. “Don’t fucking kill my best friend,” Kiego shouts from down the hall. “Yeah yeah, we are gonna kill you though,” he calls as he kicks the door open, throwing you on the bed next to Kiego. His face pops into your vision as you open your eyes. “Fancy meeting you here, looks like we’re both about to get fucked like sluts.” You chuckle. “Now that’s where you’re wrong princess,” you purr, pushing him back onto the bed. “Strip. Now.” He complies with no hesitation, sitting on his knees before you in just his boxers. A hand snakes around your waist as Dabi rests his head on your shoulder. “Hm, don’t think you’re getting off that easy, hand ‘em over,” Dabi murmurs, reaching his free hand towards Kiego. He slowly moves to put his boxers in Dabi’s hand before changing direction and throwing them in your face.

“You little shit,” you growl, pouncing on him, pushing him harshly into the mattress. “Give me one reason I shouldn't knock you around and edge you until you’re crying like a bitch, hm?” He looks up at you with big puppy dog eyes. “Because you love me? So much?” You slap him. “Well, now that was just rude,” he taunts, giving you a shit-eating grin. You have half the mind to slap him again before Dabi grabs your hair and pulls you back into him. “Strip for me princess, then we’ll have some fun with him, yeah?” You promptly start peeling your clothes from your body and tossing them aside. “And you, you little shit, are gonna eat them until they cum all over your pretty little face, make up for being a brat. “But I like eating pussy?” “Slap him again, then ride his face.”

You do as you’re told, slapping Kiego firmly before settling your knees on either side of his head and lowering yourself down to his hungry mouth. Keigo grabs your thighs, pulling you closer to him and delves his tongue into your dripping cunt. He’d always been skilled with his mouth, be it talking himself out of sticky situations, or in this case, into one. You gripped at the headboard, trying to steady yourself as he slipped two fingers into you, curling them against your soft insides. He moans into you suddenly, making your thighs clench and you look behind you, finding Dabi stroking Keigo’s cock at a painstakingly slow pace. Another curl of his fingers draws your attention back to the pleasure between your thighs. Another moan from him sends shockwaves through you, making you squeeze your thighs together yet again and come undone around his fingers. You roll off of him, taking deep breaths to steady yourself. Dabi turns his attention to you now, leaving Keigo with a throbbing erection. “If you touch yourself, you’re not cumming, you hear me,” he growls over his shoulder. “Yes,” Keigo breathes, resting his hands on his stomach. “Yes what?” “Yes master” “Good boy,” he nudges your legs apart. “Can I have a little taste too, sweets?” You open your legs further for him. He rests himself on his elbows between your thighs and wraps his arms around them. “You smell so good,” he purrs, rubbing his cheek against the inside of your thigh before throwing himself into you, much more skilled than even Keigo. Your hands immediately tangle into his hair and tug, small whimpers falling from your lips. He makes you cum until your legs are shaking, then moves away, leaving harsh bites along your thighs before soothing them with his warm tongue.

Dabi gets up and rids himself of his clothes and slips on a condom before sitting on the foot of the bed, gesturing for you to come to him. You sit before him, watching him as he strokes his cock, urging himself to get harder still. “How in the hell did he end up with someone like me with someone as beautiful as you sitting right in front of him,” he purrs, motioning for you to come to him. “Because I prefer men,” Keigo pipes from his designated spot on the bed. “Hm, they could probably give you as good a dicking as I can with the right resources,” he hums, turning you around and gently sinking you down onto his cock. “But can they manhandle me like you,” he quips, giving the two of you a devilish grin. “Guess we’ll find out.”

He takes his time with you, making you feel him hit every spot inside you at a painfully slow pace. “Hgn, faster, please, I need it,” you whine, reaching back to pull at his hair. He grabs your throat and pulls your back into his chest, fucking you harder than before. Strings of curses fall from your lips when he uses his other hand to play with your clit, making your walls flutter around him. “Mh, you feel so good, Kiego, tell them how pretty they look,” he growls, squeezing your throat more firmly and thrusting into you harder than before. “You’re so pretty Y/n, you’re taking him so well, god look at you, I wanna touch myself so bad,” he whines, reaching for his dick before catching himself and digging his nails into his thighs. “You got me so close sweetheart, you wanna cum with me?” You nod, pushing your head back into him as your back arches, turning your head to catch his lips with your own. They’re softer than you expect, tasting faintly of you and the cigarette he smoked on the walk back to Keigo’s apartment. You moan as he pulls away, leaving sloppy kisses along your neck and shoulders, biting before smoothing the sting with his warm tongue, leaving a trail of warm saliva in his wake. “What’s my name baby?” He trusts you with his life, you can feel it, you force your quirk into the back of your mind, not wanting to know more than you’ve been told. “Dabi,” you moan, pushing back onto him, chasing your inevitable high. “Who do you belong to?” “Ah, you, I belong to you.” “Then cum with me.” You do, and every emotion he’s ever felt crashes onto you at once, clouding your mind, your skin is too hot suddenly, making you scream before the feeling ebbs into a warm bliss. Your body falls limp against him as you struggle to steady your breathing as he strokes your hair and shushes you. When you finally catch yourself he lays you next to Keigo.

“ Why don’t you treat me like that after you fuck me?” “Because you’re a brat,” Dabi responds nonchalantly, tossing the used condom in the nearby trash bin. “Now I got you a present, and since you were so good and didn’t act like a little slut, you can have it. Keigo’s mood is magically renewed by the promise of some sort of reward, bringing him to to sit on his knees and look expectantly at his boyfriend, who tosses a bag at you. “I thought you said it was for me,” he whines, pouting at the dark haired man. “It is, pet, I promise.” You pull the contents from the bag, revealing a strap-on. “OH! It is for me,” Keigo cheers, clapping excitedly. Have you picked sides yet?” “How about you pick, Princess,” Dabi coos, stroking his face with the pad of his thumb, tracing his cheekbones, then his jaw, before running it along his plush lips and pushing it into his mouth. “Don’t bite princess, or I’ll change my mind.” “Mhka eh wehnt,” Keigo responds. Dabi pulls his thumb from his mouth with a wet pop. “What was that princess?” “Okay, I won’t, I decided I want you in my mouth, is that okay?” “That’s just fine baby, let’s go ahead and get ready, hm?” You get up and start fastening the strap to your body as Keigo allows Dabi to prep him for you. “You got any lube,” you question, poking around in the nightstand, finding nothing but a phone charger, a condom, ibuprofen and? A half eaten bag of sunflower seeds? Why are you even surprised? “Uhhh, no, spit should work thou-ah,” Keigo respods. With the sounds coming out of him you can only assume Dabi is getting to work on his prostate.

“He’s ready for you whenever you are,” Dabi shrugs, continuing his ministrations on the blond whining in his lap. You get on the bed and kneel behind Keigo. “Ass up, Princess,” you hum, grabbing his hip and pulling him towards you while you spit in your hand to lube up the strap. “You ready for me,” you question, teasing his entrance with the tip of the dildo. “Yes, god, yes please, fuck me, please.” “Hm, well, since you asked so nicely,” you reply, gently sinking into him until your hips were flush with his ass to let him adjust. You look up and see that Dabi’s already taken over fucking his mouth, so you start thrusting with a slow, even pace so as not to hurt him unintentionally. Pain could be fun, blood usually wasn’t. Keigo begins pushing his ass back into you, silently urging you to speed up. You pick up your pace, fucking into him as quickly as he could take it, grabbing at his hips for leverage, while Dabi pulled at his hair shoving his cock deeped down his throat and grunting. Keigo cums untouched and without warning when you wrap your hand around his throat and give it a light squeeze, feeling the bulge of Dabi’s cock move with each of his thrusts. Dabi follows suit, praising Keigo as he pulls away for taking both of you so well. Keigo collapses on the bed with a huff while you slip the strap off your body and toss it to the side. Dabi pulls the soiled sheet from the bed and balls it up, tossing it into the corner before laying next to his boyfriend and pulling him into his chest. You search hastily for your clothes, unable to find where your underwear went. “What’re you doing, sweets?” “I can’t find my-” “Whatever it is, we can look in the morning hm? Spend the night with us? It's the least we can do.”

[magz]

Personally, do not think fatphobia an extension of misogyny n that do not think fatphobia should only be discuss in that context.

Is good that so many discussion about fatphobia are by (cis/trans/nb) women, especially women of color, though

- despite fatphobia not exclusively of that -

Intersectionality tend make worse those experience. Like with any discrimination do. Fatphobia n dieting have been very targeted toward women*, after all.

Undeniably - the roots of modern fatphobia are inform by misogynoir*, racism, colonialism, classism, ableism, and medicalization.

We need have more discussions about how systemic n entrenched fatphobia - not for sake of Tumblr Arguments n hypotheticals.

But for actually care about fatphobia - the inaccessibility n hostility n misinformation that surround fatness.

Yes, anywhere from difficulty in get important vaccination from not have appropriate needle length*, adverse effect of average airplane seating and scheduling, increased difficulty in getting disability financial aid, misidentification of eating disorders, food neglect and weight-based child abuse, the blaming of fat people in poverty, and anything else.

*("Dieting in the Long Sixties: Constructing the Identity of the Modern American Dieter" by Nancy Gagliardi. Book.)

*("Fearing the Black Body: The Racial Origins of Fat Phobia", by Sabrina Strings. Book.)

*(Pratt Institute's "Fat Liberation" Guide. Example from "Medical fatphobia" section, with books n articles n video. Website.)

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

AITA for not wanting to move back in with my family?

The lead up to this is a bit long, but I feel like the context is necessary. After my first year of college, my (then20, FTM) father (40s, M) was diagnosed with a brain tumor, and could not work anymore. He also could not be left to his own devices, so I had to take time off school and come home to watch him and my younger sibling (then 11NB) while my mother (40s F) would work. That sucked for multiple reasons, including being responsible for all the asshole bullshit he’s pulled (when I say asshole, I mean it. He used to fake - by his own admission - epileptic seizures to get out of doing the most minor chores or exercises recommended by his doctors), my mothers violent transphobia (to the point of driving me to a mental breakdown when I asked about starting HRT) and emotional abuse towards myself and my sib. She never believed my complaints about my father and was convinced I was being lazy and irresponsible with his care. In addition to that, they moved to this area after I started college, so I was in a completely unfamiliar (and not particularly queer friendly) place, socially isolated, and so on and so forth. This shit sucked. I was promised I’d be able to go back after one semester, but after a few months it has been made painfully clear to me that this is not an option. Then COVID happened, and next year my college was fully remote. This way I was able to complete my sophomore year online. I was finally released for junior year and have not come back home since with the exception of one short-term visit, when my mother went abroad to visit our extended family. (We’re immigrants.)

I graduated this year. When I started my job search, I was planning to stay in the area and applied to jobs accordingly, with the exception of one position advertised by my college. This one would be in a major city very close to my family, so I’d be able to live with them. I was idiot enough to mention that to my mother. The gig didn’t pan out, so I settled on staying where I am and continued to search for a job, a place to live, and so on. I secured a place to live recently and was again dumb enough to share that with my mother. (Yes, I have a pattern. I’m working on it. ) The next day, my sib contacts me and asks if I could come live with them. Sib got into a really good high school with a focus on a field of study they want to go into for a career and have a real knack for. It’s kinda far from where they live right now, but they found an apartment much closer to it. Rent is a lot higher than they can afford, though. My mother lost her job when she refused to get vaccinated nearly a year ago (she used to work in healthcare), and since then she hasn’t been officially employed. She’s been getting by with instacart and my father’s disability payments.

If I lived with them and found a job there, they’d definitely be able to afford rent. Moving there, while undesirable, is not out of the realm of possibility, and my mother has been a lot better about treating me like a person and not being transphobic. Not perfect, but better. They also would not be living with dad because mom is at the end of her rope with him and is looking into a nursing home his insurance would cover. I would also be saving up money by living with them, I’d definitely have reliable health insurance, a roof over my head and so on and so forth. My personal autonomy, personal space, and most likely mental health would be absolutely out the window. I’m still traumatized by these 2 years I spent with them. Not to mention nearly complete social isolation. I wouldn’t even be able to see my boyfriend properly, there would be about 8 hrs’ worth of a drive between us.

So. Will I be the asshole if I leave my family to struggle on their own? I already sacrificed a lot for their sake. I don’t know that I can keep doing that to myself.

What are these acronyms?

[isthedogawolfdog]

do you have any posts you can link me on purposefully breeding of wolfdogs? I'm.... skeptical of that being a good idea and I'm just wondering how correct I am in that instinct and then any more information about it out of curiosities sake would just be interesting to read

This post is of purposely bred poodle and wolf crosses for a scientific study. Besides that I’ve got a couple posts around here that should generally be in the wolfdog tag.

With wolfdogs being bred in general it’s mainly super sketchy. If the animal actually is a wolfdog (which most of the time it’s not, just some husky mix or something along those lines) that it more than likely came from some backyard breeder. My main issue with it is that the vast majority of people that get wolfdogs don’t know what they’re getting into, often resulting in issues with the animals behavior or them being too intense for the owners to handle. This could result in them being surrendered or euthanized, in fact, roughly 200,00 wolfdogs are euthanized per year, and most of them are put down under the age of two!

I think what I’m trying to say is I’m mainly against breeding wolfdogs because I don’t think all the ones put down justify the few that are actually put into good homes. I guess you could say something similar with most dogs, but the difference is those are dogs who’ve had decades of breeding and information on them, whereas wolfdogs don’t even have a rabies vaccine.

Anyway I’m rambling. Definitely don’t take my word for everything and look into things yourself! Sorry I don’t have enough info for you, but I think the International Wolf Center has some info on wolfdogs that could be worth checking out. Are there good wolfdog breeders? Perhaps. But I have yet to see any.

[brucewaynehater101]

More Power Rangers Digital Division!!!!

◢◤◢◤◢◤◢◤

As established or at the very least implied, the Rangers put their superpowers (equivalent in Tim's case) to use when on duty or in the Digital World away from Real World eyes, but when they're pretending to be ordinary civillians, they play the part

Because of this, it's primarily their hero sonas that have to concern themselves with shooing away people questioning their krytonian heritage, speed force, demigodhood and "100%" human rating

They also display traits completely wrong to their character, and other deceptions that'll throw people off their civillian tails

Why? So they can request training their powers without fear. On the conditions they be allowed to preform their DigiDestined duties as usual, nor be forced to disclose their civillian identities of course

They're kids and teenagers, they need all the help they can get

They accept team-ups when the time calls for it

Honestly seeing the Digital Division team up people from the Real World for a mission would be fun, esp w/ all the adjusting the temp teammate has to do, real world or digital world

◢◤◢◤◢◤◢◤

Technology is kind of everywhere. That means w/ foes without a reason to stick to or spawn from a particular area, the Digivision will likely have to do tons of travelling around the worlds

Technology can ease that unless a black out fucks them over, that could be another episodic plot point, team being seperated cuz of a blackout and other technological errors or not being near technology

Honestly there's loads of scenarios that could lead to the team being seperated and some of the Division has to stall or make do until the team backs them up or make do without their aid

Geting back on track---

Due to all this global travel and world hopping, nobody can pin down their precise location

Missions also take place in the Digital and/or Real World, so factors like Luthor or Batman or anybody else not panopticonning the Digital World only knows a fraction of the Digital Division's activities

Same with the low level street stuff because they also do the same in the Digital World too

◢◤◢◤◢◤◢◤

Maybe Bart Allen doesn't even go by Bart Allen; not even as a legal name. He grew up in the digital world with hardly any humans at all I would imagine that'd affect more than his vocabulary

I'm willing to bet his idea of identity, gender, etc is wildly different since it's Digimon he grew up around

Maybe his name is something like Speedmon since he discovered this thing called the Speed Force in his own data in the digital world

so what he doesn't have a .mon file extension like Terriermon? His name, his choice

Either way, not going by Allen whatsoever would delay him getting clocked as a speed force user/flash family member

But for conveniences sake, lets say he somehow still knows his given name is Bart Allen, decided given names were for losers, and goes by a chosen name with his friends

It's all nice and good. If they discover the Flash family are also the Allen family, he and Tim will have to pick between saying "not all Allens are related to eachother, unrelated people share surnames all the time!" or getting away with replacing his surname and wiping out the Allen one if they think it's vital or are panicking af

Oh frick, he'll have to be careful about slang as well, Vaccine Ranger can call the slang of the worlds in the future present digital world slang since they're likely no/few people who'll clock him as lying

But it'll be mode having to adjust to present day lingo as Bart

◢◤◢◤◢◤◢◤

I can't let go of the relationship development that can happen between Superman and Thorn dammit!

There's so many plot points that can happen and you can arrangement in basically any order I dunno which order to present!

Do-It-Yourself Timeline Outlining! by anon

"put the boxes in different orders to get something fresh and new from the same thing, every time!"

【 Superman learns he has a clone 】

【 Superman learns Thorn/Data Ranger is his clone 】

【 Superman learns Thorn = Data Ranger 】

【 Superman learns Thorn or Data Ranger is kryptonian 】

【 Superman/Clark and Thorn/Data Ranger become acquainted 】

【 Superman trains Data Ranger 】

【 Superman discovers Thorn/Data Ranger has kryptonite 】

【 Superman discovers Thorn/Data Ranger wears kyrptonite 】

【 Superman trains Data Ranger 】

【 Superman teaches Thorn/Data Ranger Kryptonian culture 】

【 Thorn learns that Superman = Clark 】

【 Thorn learns that Superman/Clark knows he's a clone 】

【 Superman/Clark confronts his clone about being his clone 】

【 Superman/Clark confront Thorn/Data Ranger on being kyrptonian 】

【 Superman/Clark confronts Thorn/Data Ranger on having kryptonite 】

【 Superman/Clark confronts Thorn/Data Ranger on wearing kryptonite 】

【 Superman/Clark confronts Thorn/Data Ranger on being Data Ranger/Thorn 】

【 Thorn learns that Superman/Clark knows about [X] 】

【 One party learns the other knows they know 】

brain fried

theres more timeline moments I might've not thought of

I think you could come up with a different way to reorder these timeline events, make a fic, and I'd eat it up every time

obligatory you don't have to do every box point comment, not just use one per timeline, etc.

duplicating some of these events would be very fun, it might even be needed sometimes

it's got built-in father/son!sqauredom Miraculous style but platonic, what more could ya want?

wait what if it's louis first?

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I know I'm repeating myself but it'd be neat; seeing Cassie wind up an unwitting bridge between Digital and Real world equivalents would be funny to see

Preemptive give poor Cassie a break but onwards!!

Hijinks where Cerberumon and Ceberus swap places and now it's up to Cassie to navigate the Greek Gods scene, get her team the chance to convince Hades and other greek figures to give them the time to set things right

Meanwhile Hadesmon, who the team will learn exists the hard way, is finding themselves attached to this weird fleshy version of their loyal companion

Which is going to make more work for the team when they try to convince the two dogs to swap back forever---as the real world greeks want--- but Cerberus and Hadesmon want organized playdates and/or swaps

And that's just one example, but hey maybe the digivision can take advantage of these opprotunities to get favors, blessings, and whatnot once it hits them it's an option

But as the Digital Division, Cassie particulary, makes a name, for themselves in the divine/supernatural scene for resolving Digital World or related conflicts, their fame could be a problem

Number one, is it their civillian, ranger identities, or a blend of both passing through the grapevine?

Number two, as they become more esteemed, more eyes will be on them, and both worlds will want the rangers/civillians on their side

Perhaps even permanently tied to them in ways the digivision does not want!

Hell maybe the quest to recruit the Digivision/Civillians results in more conflicts between supernatural/divine scenes and digital world, interally and externally

Or maybe some factions want the Digital Division destroyed or whatever and now they're joining in the fight to keep the Digivision from growing in power. As civillian or rangers? You choose

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Drake Industries entwining itself with the Digital World, a blessing it remains, circles too into being a curse

Due to so many Digimon concentrated in Gotham as Drake employees, their foes are paying more attention to Gotham than ever, Drake Industries specifically

Which means the few time the Data Division is in action in the real world for people to see is noticably a bit more often in Gotham and the skyrotting D.I.

Which could result in Batman investigating, meaning the team has got to nip this in the bud

But even with other branches opened in places outside Gotham, it just means more focus there, so they gotta be subtle about where Digimon are employed to fight off suspicion

Nevertheless, it's a wee too late

The combination of Virus Ranger and Dobermon's intervention alongside the (admittingly mild) increase in Digital Worlder activity is getting Batman to finally put his thinking cap on

Tim recently had two homeless friends move in with him

Cassie is a friend who makes frequent visits (as recent as Bart and Thorn---if Tim has to arrange the parents meeting so they could have an alibi---is another nail in the coffin)

Drake Industries is booming in business and expanding into technology around the time Digital World and Digivision activity became more frequent

The rangers hold some knowledge that Gothamite residents would naturally possess

The Virus Ranger had unnatural intellect, he could be aiding Jack and Janet Drake behind the scenes for the Digital Division's benefit hence why Drake Industries was booming

Or if Tim is CEO in this au, Tim being the Virus Ranger would explain things, including why he went for a fast acting plan where he had to put in minimal effort unlike, say, becoming Robin if he had his own heroic and CEO duties to worry about

He already had some interest in the case, what with a demigod, speedster, and kryptonian and another unknown suddenly popping up with zero gain of learning their identities, practically more elusive than the Bats

especially after multiple appearances in Gotham

But not only is he busy with Gotham as a whole, the Digital Division made it clear their mission involved the Digital World and they want other heroes to stay in their lanes while they stay in theirs

His many attempts and trying to gather info ran into dead ends

Yet perhaps someone with more tim on her hands could . . .

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Barbara deserves to be worshipped and praised you say? Batman recruits Oracle? Say no more!

Barbara gets requested by Bruce to investigate the Power Rangers who have become increasingly active in Gotham

She winds up stumbling upon the Digital world, not unlike Tim did, and up in no time (okay maybe there were obstacles along the way) girlbosses her way into Digital God-Queenhood

Like she isn't divine down to her bones per say, but she has way more time and experience on her hands to master the Digital World in ways Tim can only dream of at his age

◢◤◢◤◢◤◢◤

And it's a whole mystery, maybe in a fic not even the audience would be privy to the truth minus some clues for keen-eyed readers here and there

There's this talk of Oraclemon, and unheard digimon of the Unknown Attribute *shivers* who came into power at an such an unbelievable speed you'd bet she had the speed force on her side

Her allies and subjects experience a dream come true of prosperity

And those who stand against her never even realize they've been deleted

She look perfect on and even below the surface, but some things are too good to be true. They can all testify individually and together

When they first see Oraclemon---not even in action, but fighting from an unseen distance---they're horrified when their X-Antibodies register her targets as having been deleted by the X Program

Which secures the idea that Oraclemon was a key factor in the future digital world's apocalypse and they're training and prepping harder than ever for the inevitable confrontation

But when they finally confront the God-Queen in person they're horrified to learn she is even worse than any foe they could ever imagine

She isn't in search of destroying them and the worlds

She's in search of canidates for heirs to pass on the God-Ruler mantle once the time has come; A Bat looking to adopt

and the most perfect of them all have just presented themselves

"Run, run, run, as fast as you can!"

they do not escape orphans

◢◤◢◤◢◤◢◤

tl;dr --- Barbara found out about the Digital World, and since the Digital Division does the rest of their work there, she needed to learn everything she should

When she saw the state of the Digital World, she went "hmmm, I could do you one better"

Using recorded Data of the few times she could directly observe the Digital Division in action, plus the DigiMorphers and other observed data of the squad she went from there

If she could get this world to bend to her will, she could figure out just what the Digital Divison's secrets where

The most logical solution? Be to powerful to ignore. She quickly figured out how to get herself the best of both worlds

being a perfect hybrid between human and digital monster, said .mon half being custommade by her, and able to swift between near-wholly human and near wholly-digimon is needed

She also is working on travelling freely between worlds without her own homemade digivice but she's getting there

Hardly going a day without upgrading herself or her arsenel, she makes a name for herself, laying down the foundations for her forces, her Kingdom of Oraclemon

at some point she realized she had gotten sidetracked, but that was no matter, tracking down the Digital Division should be no issue now

She didn't expect the group to just waltz in to fight her, but it's perfect timing given some of the political issues it would solve

If Batman finds out about what Oracle just did, he's gonna pull his hair out, dammit Barbara this wasn't the assignment!

Jim is probably proud AF of his girl

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I did not plan for the X Program to be made by Barbara instead of Luthor or another foe instead but lmao.

Hey maybe she takes her Digivice to the next level and makes it a fullblown DigiMorpher where she's the Digimon and the Ranger, becoming the Unknown Ranger

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identity reveals would be fun af, whether you do it Tim & Bats, Bart & Flash Fam, Thorn & Supers, Cassie & Amazons, and whoever else you want, or go the extra mile and instead of the expected identity reveal way, you scramble everything up

Like say for example, Superman and Bart, blah blah blah, and then the Flash Family, or Cassie and Barbara, then the Amazons, etc

I absolutely love the idea of Oracle being a digital world badass monarch. She is powerful and terrifying, especially when she's connected to technology.

I do enjoy good identity shenanigans regardless of who or what. If you want even more chaos, you can add in Rogues/villains finding out some of the info before the other heroes do (Two-face figures out that Thorn is kryptonian, Ra's learns about Cassie's heritage a bit, some of Flashes' enemies figure out that Drake Industries is involved with Digital Division, etc).

How does the digital dimension work? Is it like a real place you could theoretically live at? If so, it'd be cool if the team made themselves a hideout.

As far as Bart's last name, there's a ton of people with that name. However, I totally get the "maybe we should change it anyways"

[resident-mercie]

Carlos Oliveira Fic - Halcyon Days (Chapter 4) (NSFW).

notes: canon violence + depictions, needle imagery, suicide references, intimate kiss scene, perspective changes.

➵ In a desperate bid to ensure the safety of his sweetheart, Carlos takes a detour from his mission to locate a vaccine.

If you were asked if you wanted to live or die, the average person would assume you’d just offered them a trick question. But is it really living if you lose the one person who gave you purpose? Or is it just surviving for the sake of it? How do you continue once you’ve lost the purpose that once fulfilled you? Is it at all possible to find another lost soul out there who can emulate that sense of purpose for oneself?

September 29th, 9:20pm. Spencer Memorial Hospital.

Manoeuvring across city while trying to protect the incapacitated wasn’t easy, but Carlos wasn’t the type of guy to go down without a fight. The hospital loomed, eerily derelict considering the many people who would’ve headed there after beginning to notice infection symptoms. Right now, no one else mattered to Carlos but his querida, and procuring a vaccine from Bard for her was his current and only priority. Oliveira panted with exhaustion, a low, husky breath that encapsulated his growing lethargy. He hardly took notice of his physical state however, as he was much more focused on the health of someone else.

Mustering his strength, he gently lifted his sweetheart into his arms, before placing her atop a gurney bed in a room stemming from the reception hall, ensuring that she would be comfortable. A groan escaped her lips as Carlos laid her down, and seeing his love in pain was an image that drowned his heart in anxiety.

“Fight it, querida. I know you’re strong enough to. I’m gonna get you that vaccine, even if it’s the last thing I do.”

He placed a gentle kiss on her forehead, praying with everything in him that nothing would happen to her while looking for the treatment she so desperately needed. With a low whisper, he took her hand, tracing his calloused thumb against her soft palm. “You’re gonna be okay, I promise.”

Leaving his sweetheart to rest, Carlos walked back into the reception hall, retrieving his radio from the breast pocket of his gear.

“Tyrell, where’s Bard now?”

“Lab in the back. Stay frosty. I’m on my way.”

“Copy that. I’ll go on ahead.”

Carlos walked further into the hospital, taking a hallway that revealed a reinforced smell door.

“Welcome to the office of Dr. Nathaniel Bard. Please state your business directly into the intercom.” A robotic voice rang out throughout the room, echoing endlessly, a dystopian pep of cheer in its voice that didn’t suit the ongoing situation.

“Dr. Bard, are you in there? Open up! I’m here to rescue you.”

“No voice match found.” The robotic voice rang out again, its unwavering cheerfulness becoming gradually more grating.

“Voice match? What kind of sci-fi bullshit goes on in the city?”

It seemed a different route was necessary in finding Bard’s location. Carlos retraced his steps through the hallway, this time taking a different door.

“Score.” Carlos sighed, a little bit of good fortune finally coming his way, this time in the form of a hospital map. He ripped it off the cork board, pocketing it for his own use. Even with the aid of a map, however, Carlos was still on guard, his torch revealing streaks and droplets of scarlet and crimson that blemished the floor.

Opening the next door, he fell back in shock, as gargantuan claws writhed between the gap in which the hallway doors were now ajar. Whatever the creature lumbering towards Carlos was, it was so far removed from the zombies before it that it could’ve been a whole new undiscovered epidemic in Raccoon. It was a scaly, bipedal creature, with mandibles that were akin to some sort of insect, chattering and grinding as it approached the perplexed UBSC member. It had a cry that was similar to a whirring sound, rather than a howl or a shriek, as it began to approach Carlos, swinging its claws in vehemence. It moved fluidly, mandibles whirring, as Carlos fired his trusted assault rifle relentlessly. Whatever it was, it was far more defensive than the typical zombies Carlos had seen thus far. Round after round penetrated its flesh, yet the creature rarely took notice of the damage that it was enduring. With a piercing shot to the eye, the creature keeled over, its whirring reaching a crescendo, before stopping entirely as it hit the ground.

“Jesus fucking Christ.” Carlos let out a shaky breath, praying to whatever divine power that there wouldn’t be any more of those laying in wait.

Reaching an office-esque room, Carlos happened upon a discovery that stirred just the slightest feeling of hope inside of him - some kind of tape player, and a tape already inserted into it. He clicked the play button, only half listening, not wanting to get blindsided by whatever creatures were lurking in the midst of the hospital. It repeated a conversation between Bard and an assistant, and while the contents of the tape illuminated the downright unpleasant personality of Bard, it wasn’t something for Carlos to be concerned over.

If I can play this tape to the robot lady outside Bard’s office, it’ll gotta open!

Carlos returned to the entrance of Bard’s office, the ticket to getting in there secured firmly in his grip. As expected, whether it was the assistant’s voice, or Bard’s, it was the piece of the puzzle that allowed the door to Bard’s office to open.

“Dr. Bard, are you in here? I’m here to—“

Crimson liquid was spilt haphazardly across the PC atop Bard’s desk, with Bard sat in his office chair, unmoving and disjointed, a piercing hole driven through his skull.

With a sigh, Carlos retrieved his radio once more.

“Tyrell, come in. It’s Bard. I think he’s been shot.”

“Shit. But what about the vaccine?”

“I’m lookin’. I’ll get back to you when I find it.”

Carlos began searching through Bard’s PC - files, emails, anything that might be lead for locating the vaccine.

“An email? To some guy named Greg Tester?”

Oliveira skimmed the email, uninterested with Bard’s descriptions of parties and his ‘girls on the side’. Carlos was concerned with one thing, and one thing only - finding that vaccine for his querida.

“There’s only one dose in the hospital?’ Carlos slammed the top of the PC in frenzied frustration, praying that it was still somewhere in this god forsaken shitheap. If he couldn’t save her, Carlos thought, then he’d sooner kill himself with a bullet from his AR. Or just let his querida turn him, because at least they could still be together in some form of apocalyptic stupor. “God fucking damnit!” He shouted, punching his fist through the PC screen, the Umbrella Corp logo now fragmented where the glass screen had been splintered.

Almost on cue, the door next to Oliveira glowed with a green hue, automatically sliding open.

“Is there something in here?”

Carlos shivered a little, as he entered the refrigerated room beyond the newly revealed door, frantically opening one of the refrigerators as he realised what was contained inside of it.

The vaccine sample— the vaccine sample from the email. It was an otherworldly violet colour, as it shimmered iridescently in Carlos’s palm. Finally, some good fucking fortune.

Carlos ran through Bard’s office, clutching the vaccine as if his own life depended on it.

“Hang tight, querida. I’m coming.”

Fighting zombie after zombie, Carlos made it back to the room in which he left his sweetheart to rest, as she laid there, half-consciously crying out in pain.

“It’s OK. You’re gonna be okay.” Carlos kept whispering, trying to reassure both his love and himself.

He rolled her over gently, pulling the lid of the vaccine off with his teeth, preparing her arm for injection. Caressing her arm with his hand, the vaccine seeped into her bloodstream, Carlos laying her back to rest once the contents of the syringe had been used.

“This shit better work.”

Carlos couldn’t help but doze off as he waited for the vaccine to come into effect. A quiet, peaceful slumber, as he sat against the edge of the gurney bed, waiting with baited breath for the vaccine to work. That was, until the door burst open—

“Jesus Christ! Tyrell, what took you so long?”

“You need to check this out, Chief.” Tyrell gave a solemn look, wincing slightly as he grabbed a remote for a television monitor suspended from the ceiling.

“Attention, all citizens of Raccoon City. The spread of the virus has been deemed uncontainable— as of 12:00am on October 1st, Raccoon City will be destroyed via missile threat— all citizens of capable thought are urged to evacuate immediately— this is not a test— attention all citizens—“

“What the fuck? That’s only a day away! There’s still people who need our help! And querida—“

“I know, chief. What’s our next move? City’s overrun.”

“Call the government, tell ‘em we have a cure! The city can’t be microwaved just yet—“

Carlos’s tirade finished abruptly, as he watched his sweetheart slowly rise from the gurney bed, delirious and a little stunned, but alive. And more importantly, cured.

“Well, I’ll be.” Tyrell smiled, standing up from his chair. “That vaccine’s the real deal. I’ll phone the government. You guys have a moment to yourselves.”

Tyrell left the room, radio in hand, leaving Carlos and his sweetheart together once more.

My vision was still a little blurry as my eyes adjusted to the blinding lights of the hospital room. There was a dull pain in my right arm, that had been bandaged up using scraps of clean fabric that Carlos had managed to source in various drawers and cabinets. What the hell happened? Where was I?

“My God, minha querida, you’re alright!” Carlos exclaimed, enveloping me in an embrace so tight I had no choice but to reciprocate, melting in his touch. “Are you alright? Any side effects?”

“You came back for me! You really came back for me!” I sobbed, holding Carlos even closer. “You did all this for me?”

“I promised I’d do everything I could to make it out together, didn’t I?” Carlos gave a teary smile, moved by both my emotion and his sheer sense of relief that his sweetheart was still kicking.

“You did.” I smiled, inching closer towards him, our gaze meeting in a moment that was so gentle, so intimate.

His lips brushed against mine, in a way so delicate that I could relish in the warmth of his skin, his scent becoming more and more alluring. Carlos kissed his sweetheart in a way that made their spiritual union to one another more physical. A sharing of breath, an undeniably passionate moment. They both felt the heat rise within them, manifesting in their cheeks, a sense of desperation growing stronger as they both wanted more. It was electrifyingly tantalising, as she ran her hand through his chocolate curls, two hearts becoming one as their closeness became dizzyingly stronger.

It was perfect. Momentarily, it was like the world around me had fallen, and that it was only Carlos and I in this room, totally secluded. Our shared warmth, and the butterflies fluttering in my stomach, however, were crushed as the television above us emanated an emergency alarm that made me pull away from my moment of bliss.

“All citizens capable of rational thought are urged to evacuate immediately. The missiles inbound for Raccoon City are just hours away— this is not a test—“

Happiness is a feeling incompatible with this world.

[ravenwitch45]

Oh ok, my mistake. Could you do a Loona and a Child! reader (mother and child scenario, strictly platonic) where Loona takes the reader to the doctor to get their vaccine and the reader freaks out?

I saw the new episode today and man... It hit me in the feels.

Okay first I completely get that, it was a gut wrenching episode to be sure, but also sure! This sounds cute, still not too confident at Loona but I'm happy to try for this sweet premise.

Loona and Child! Reader going to get their vaccine, and Reader freaks out like she did. Loona is of course apprehensive to return here, but for your sake she's willing, even if she went crazy she still understands it's important to get this stuff especially a good time after her own.

She deals with the awful wait times, the seemingly high or otherwise out of it receptionist and breathes a sigh of relief at seeing you have a different doctor then she did, all while holding your tensely grasping hand.

When the needle comes out is when the real trouble starts of course, your not as aggressive as she was, more trying to run away and only kicking anyone away when they get close, but luckily Loona came prepared having actually gotten Blitz to tell her his strategy when she freaked out.

You being slightly different kinda complicates it but, with you being smaller then her helps out a little, weaving through the fearful swipes to bear hug (gently as she can) you long enough for the Doctor to do their thing, you kinda melt at the pain before she sits down, still holding you so the Doctor can cover up the point of entry and clean it.

After you calm down, you sit next to her while the Doctor lists off all the things to do and look out for in the coming days, eventually bringing up the dreaded cone of shame and you groan, though Loona chuckles.

"Don't worry kid, when I went through this, Dad let me glam up the thing a little, would you like to do that? It won't be too long anyway"

You end up leaving pretty okay, heading to nearest craft shop so she can retrieve all the stuff to make the best of the whole thing. Overall, a pretty good time in the end.

[ohmygillygoshoppler]

what are.... your headcannons for Epsilon and his people?? Ad Francis too??

oooooh! OOOOOOH! FINALLY!!! MY THEORIES!!! IVE BEEN DYING TO SHARE MY THEORIES!!!

loooooooooong post lmao. Heads up-

Okay okay okay, so I had a few questions about these people when I first started watching the show a gazillion years ago; like how many more of The People are there? How do their numbers work? Are they all clones, or just the Epsilons? How do they do what they do in their universe? Who the fuck do they work for? And why are things the way they are?

I have more questions than answers, but I will say that brainstorming about it has been so much fun~ So lemme just break this down as best as I can-

I personally headcannon that only the Epsilons are cloned from each other, every other agent is someone they either recruited through traditional means, taken from childhood or from birth, or cajoled into service as a form of punishment. We all know how easy it would be to pluck a few promising young birds from some orphanage somewhere; unnoticeable, unwanted, and untraceable to the masses, an organization like The People would jump on the opportunity, I think.

Okay, now for my individual agents, I have only a few things I've actually put to pen about them. Don't you just love having blank slate character to project all of your bullshit onto? I do!

Firstly, I have Irene which i'll be real, she's my fave Green Man to draw. She's.... so pretty... To me....

Her stoicism is linked directly to her environment. When she's on the clock, she one of the most precise, cunning, cutthroat agents around. But the split second she has the okay to relax, she's relaxed.

Her detail is a saboteur, so she is the one disarming traps, disabling security systems and breaking shit up so she and her People can get their jobs done. That being said, she likes to tinker, and can make even the nastiest, most beaten up and abandoned forest can come back to life-

She is insightful, observant and sometimes even playful. She just hides it under a perpetual frown. I was also thinking she would have some affectionate feelings toward Francis, as she's known him all his life , and adored Simone. I imagine Irene and Francis are kind of like siblings with a huge age gap.

Next up, my man Io, a former Hunter who since kicks it with The People after an incident in the 90's. He, along with Epsilon and Simone worked with the Secret Scientists to create a vaccine against lycanthropy. He's been an invaluable asset to The People ever since.

Io has special knowledge on medicine and even alchemy, occasionally making passing remarks about an old colleague that could turn wood chips to gold shavings. He also has a vast knowledge in matters of supernatural sicknesses and possessions. He has a bit of a morbid fascination with it, even going as far as to try and give himself pestilences only for the sake of further research.

I think he'd be pretty neutral about Francis, seeing as how it's not ease accepting some kid to be your new boss. At the same time, he knows where he is, so Io does what he can to keep their relationship strictly professional. However, in light of... recent events, he may be spending more one on one time with his fellow agents; more so than he's used to. We might learn more about him later...

And now WOOOOOOO, GRANDPAAA!!! LETS GOOOOOO!!!!! No, but for real, Agent Rohan is the oldest agent here, pushing 65, and he's still out here taking orders from Epsilon and making moves with The People, all the while fighting vampires, befriending warewolves, tricking the fae and dealing with alien incursions of every sort. He's up there in "Spooky Levels of Competence" with Simone and Grandpa Max, like, this man has seen some shit.

Rohan likes hunting, fishing, shooting, and camping out in the middle or asscrack nowhere. You know, old man stuff. He's the good kind of Boomer, ya know?

And he's still just a chill Old Man who just wants to retire to a secluded cabin in the woods with his Dog (not a dog, not a dog-) and live out his sunset years like a regular American man.

Fuck you, I know Agent Mccabe divorced his ass (they were never married lmao) but sometimes when they're together it feels like nothing's changed. Then they look into each other's eyes and remember how they've hurt each other oh fuck-

Epsilon is an extremely reserved and extremely stifled man, so much so that he stifles everyone around him. He believes that order and routine are the ways to maintain a safe and normal lifestyle, and so many times he is proven right. So much so he allowed himself to be tricked into letting his dearest friend leave for outer space.

He is a, "By any means necessary," type of man to a fault. Ruthless, calculating, and by any sense of the word, the Perfect Agent. Nothing phases him, it seems. However, there is something there, a reason he instills instant obedience and zero hesitation, and I think we can all find that out... together....

Here cooooomes the boyyy~ 💖✨✨ my boy, my baby; Francis.

Hahahaaaa, this one thing soooo highly of himself, hahahahaa~~ Ohhh, thats so cute. I love him for that. I will break him. He will know humility.

You know what happens when someone with no moral compass is thrown into the most fucked up situation? They find that compass, and they fucking use it. The boy must learn, and there wasn't enough time in the show to teach him. Now's my chance-

Speaking of, his Foolhardy Father taught him that thinking for himself was the wrong thing to do, and after Morrigan, he has to start thinking out of the box because there was never a protocol for this...

Also..... I know the fact he's a clone hurts him, like, we saw that shit in The Unblinking Eye, fuckin he hates following Epsilon's orders but what the fuck else is he gonna do? What else is there, this is what he was made for, right? He seems like the perfect guy for a character arc, and it kills me that he didn't get one.

I want him to learn to be his own person. Kinda want em all to figure out what their lives are, since they could all be butchered at any moment and only their killers would mourn them.

Speaking of Killers....

Miss Morrigan Monroe

"Whaaaaat?!?!" I heard you gawking, "Your Evil Bitch™ is with The People?!?! How???" And I'll give you the diss-

next post, this bitch is already so long. But just know, she knew the OG Epsilon and they fucking DO NOT VIBE.

She is hundreds of years old, has profound beef, and the shits on site, so sorry Epsilon. That's what you get for the sins of your father, Get fucked, I guess.

I know she's bad, but she's meant to be vapid, petty, recalcitrant, repugnant and deranged, mean and clever and scary beyond all reason- You know, the perfect woman, lmao. (I dont AT ALL condone the shit shes done or is gonna do but like, its gonna be nasty 😈😈😈😈)

[eggtartz]

Hello! Can I request a Izana x Fem!reader soulmate AU where you can feel anything your soulmate feels: Physically, mentally, emotionally but you both also have the same tattoo, which is supposed to mean you're both soulmates (I just love this kind of soulmate AU😫)

Izana and the reader don't know each other though, and the reader is overwhelmed with her emotions, and there's this one toxic friend she had in the past, and this toxic friend was so toxic that it made the reader hold a lot of grudges and hate towards her. And the reader has just finished arguing and fighting with the toxic friend and the reader feels A LOT of REALLY negative emotions and so much anger, the reader literally start t have a mental breakdown but later on when Izana finds out that you are his soulmate he meets you and the reader is a chill, calm person and has this powerful aura around her, which shows that the reader is actually a really calm powerful person but that toxic friend was something else which made the reader act out of character

I know that this seems so long😭 but it's actually not🥹

Context: Honestly it's just Izana feeling the negative energy you're feeling and then meeting you and realizing that you were just in a bad state and not in the right state of mind.

a/n : hii! thankyou for requesting, i compiled some au's in one fic so this might be a little long 🫶🏻 i changed a bit hope you won't mind

summary : izana felt a pang of dejavu happened to him, like he has been here before. but when? and who is this glimpse of a person that he keeps seeing but can't remember?

wc : 2028

"izana promise me you won't forget me! promise me hurry!"

"love, please stop. i would never forget you, never" was the last thing he said before he exhaled his last breath. your breathing became erratic and sobbed on his chest. "izana, izana i'll always wait for you. always"

izana jolted from his slumber, sweating and with a cold feet. he had this week for a week now and it's the same dream over and over again. he already instructed kakucho to get him sleeping pills so he could sleep better but it only got worse. it would be precisely at 5am where he would wake up from the dream. the only thing that changed about the dream was it got vivid as day passed. this woman in his dreams voice was familiar but where?

pushing his thoughts, izana moved to his bathroom to get ready for the day oblivious that you were having the same symptoms as he is. only much worse. you were staying at a cheap apartment with one of your friend. well, your so-called friend. when you bought this place you thought you'd share places with a complete stranger only for your hopes to crash down when you see one of your former friends already a resident there. the past mistakes both of you were hard to swallow even after 4 years, none of you would apologize.

but neither of you could moved out too because both of you needed a place to stay so it's this or sleeping on the streets. you wanted to grow customized to her but looking at her brings so much bad memories so you do what you do best. you walk away.

at 7am you would already be done to head to the kitchen to make breakfast before heading to work. she worked at night so you never got to see her face. good, you thought. that was until you heard groaning from the staircase and saw her stretching her limbs there. oh fuck sake you mumbled under your breath.

the sound of the coffee machine churning was the only sound that accompanied you two. you were making toast and put some jelly but now your appetite was nowhere to be found. so you ditched the kitchen, grabbed your keys and rode to your workplace.

you worked at the veterinary clinic as how you always wanted to. you couldn't keep a pet at the apartment so you figure meeting the those little furry creatures at work would at least boost up your life a bit. the clinic was busy as many cats, dogs and other animals went to book appointments, vaccines or grooming sessions.

that evening while closing the shop you felt a sharp sensation in your head that you accidentally dropped your keys. it wasn't aching but it was buzzing and the buzzing was vibrating, at some times they went erratic and it would slow down. after a few seconds it went erratic again and it would slow down again. holding your forehead you squat down for balance until the buzz disappear as a touch was felt on your shoulder.

"are you okay? you look like you're about to pass out" a white haired man was observing you intently, concerned too. it was strange how the buzzing sensation disappear in seconds so you tried standing and you were back to normal. "uh, yes. im sorry it's just i haven't eaten so i feel kinda dizzy" you assured the kind man in front of you with a sweet smile. he had red earrings dangling from his ear.

"well, there's a bakery shop there i can buy something to eat?"

"oh no, no worries. i feel better now um mister..?"

"just call me izana" he extended his hand to shake with yours and when you shooked it, both of you felt a literal electricity volt making both of you gasped. "ow, fuck. oh god izana are you okay? did you felt that?"

"yeah, felt like an electric shock. it's the hot weather perhaps" he squinted his eyes while rubbing his hands together. "well my name's y/n. nice meeting you izana" you bowed a bit to him and he bowed back.

truth is, izana talked to you due to an accident too. he was heading to his favorite bakery shop to pick up his favorite croissant until he arrived at the entrance but he couldn't open the door because the door was too hot to touch. he asked the staff to open it instead but again he couldn't move towards as his body felt too hot to move. he fanned himself but couldn't push his body to move towards the direction he intended to.

he scooted his legs a bit to the right and there was an instant relief where he felt a bit of coldness but again he couldn't step back to his original place so he moved towards the directions where he felt it was the right tempature and when he finally founds the not-too-hot-not-too-cold place, he saw you.

there might be a reason for this he thought but he tried to be reasonable and helped you. after the mini electric shock both of you felt, izana was certain this isn't a coincidence. it can't be.

"do you work here y/n?" he asked not moving a muscle fearing the weird tempature phenomenon occurs again. you nodded while studying his facial structures, he was a handsome man, wearing a black suit and had wavy hair. you were too mesmerized by him that you didn't noticed him picking up your stuff on the ground.

"y/n? hello? y/n?"

"oh uh yes thank you izana. i think i'll just get back home now. goodbye, have a good day!" you quickly walked past him without looking back, embarrassed. izana stood there for a long time while thinking about what just happened. it wasn't until kakucho came to check on him, that he moved on and went back.

back home, you closed the door hurriedly, desperate for air to even your breathing. on your way to your room, the kitchen was dirty and unorganized. if there was one thing that ticked you off, it was coming home to unwashed dishes in the sink. inhaling another breath, you rolled your sleeves to clean up the kitchen until your friend came down the stairs. "i wanted to do that" she said with one breath.

"it's okay, it's almost done anyway"

"honestly what's your problem huh? you think you're the only one in this apartment trying to keep it clean? im trying to keep it clean too" she suddenly bursted in your ear.

"what? im just helping you is that wrong?"

"yes! that's what you always wanted to do! help everyone but not everyone needs your help y/n. just leave people at their business!"

"you know what suit yourself" you walked pass her but she yelled again

"see, this is why everyone left you y/n! you just walk away when people tell you you're wrong! this is why no one would ever love you, you know! all our friends hated you, they taunt me because i live here with you i hate it here and i hate being here everyday!" she said that with her whole chest and you didn't noticed the tears dropping until one accidentally fell on your lips, the saltiness waking you up to make your next move.

"fine if you want me to move out so much, i'll be gone the next morning" you walked to your room and slammed your door. this was something you always did. to be the one who left, the one who stepped away. you heard the main door slammed shut and you fell on the floor on your knees.

was i the problem? is that why all of my friends left me? why none of them contacted me anymore?

you gasped for air while resting laying helplessly on the cold floor still sobbing. all these years, you kept avoiding meeting your old friends, not willing to reopen old wounds. you wanted to disappear from their life but all of them seemed to hated you for it. you clenched the shirt you wore, wrinkling them. sadness became anger as you punched the wall that resulted in your hand bleeding. adding more pain, you took the mirror on your nightstand and threw it againts the room.

all the horrible memories of getting abandoned by your friends, getting guilt tripped by them came rushing back and you were a fool. you blamed yourself for everything that happened. you thought, your friend might be right, maybe if you minded your own business, people would love you. care for you. your sobs got louder and your lung felt like it was about to burst.

you grabbed your keys and rode away from there, although it was raining profusely. you parked your bike at the abandoned park there, and sat on the swings. your feet weakly touched the cemented floor while you quitely sobbed. your hands were burning from the rustiness of the swings, it was raining and you were drenched. getting colder, you hugged your body to warm up but there was no use. so you sat there in silence, remeniscing times where you truly were happy, truly had someone to love you.

when you got lost in your thoughts, you felt a presence in front of you who shielded your body from the intense rain. "y/n?!" izana, huh fate was twisted with you today. not once but twice izana found you in a state where you were miserable yet you didn't felt embarrassed. you felt either comfortable that he's here, relief even.

"oh shit hi? what you're doing here izana?"

"oh shit hi?! how could you be so casual about this?! hurry i have a car nearby we can go back somewhere before you get sick"

"it's okay izana, even if i was sick no one would care. no one would bother"

"why would you say that? of course someone would care, don't say ridiculous stuff like that now c'mon let's go!" he pulled your hand only for you to plop your body on the wet, muddy ground.

"y/n stop fucking around c'mon!"

"you go ahead izana"

"damn it i care about you! i really like you y/n no fuck i love you!" he said while throwing the umbrella he was holding on the ground and you stare at him from the muddy ground. he sat down on the mud, and looked at you through hooded eyes. as you stare into his eyes closely, you found those eyes familiar. it wasn't until he pulled a necklace that all past memories that you didn't even knew you had came rushing in.

the dreams. the man in your dreams. izana figured you were the one in his dreams too when he found a locket inside his old black dragon jacket that had your picture.

"love?" he whispered when you grew silent for too long. you tackled izana in your arms and he nuzzled his face in your neck, tightening his hands around your waist. "but, but izana didn't you? you died?"

"i believe we got reincarnated love and we always said we will never forget each other" you cried on his chest while he rubbed your back. all the memories that felt like dejavu suddenly becomes clear, at how izana died when he got shot. how you weeped at his funeral. how he proposed to you the day before his murder. that's why you instinctly went to the park when you were upset.

this was your hideout. in one of your memories there was one image where you two were dancing in the rain, happily giggling in each other arms. one more memory flashed as you were on the swing with him until he eventually stumbled but you kissed his wound and he dramatically became better. you kissed him receiving a kiss back, both of you not releasing each others lips. you were never letting him go again. not in the life.

"don't worry love. im here and this time i'll never leave you again"

a/n : phewww

[magnuficent76]

Hii random ask but. What do you think your characters would be as sweets/candy? Yiu can answer for anyone you'd like but let's say Mel Salt and Lucio for funsies

HIII ELVIS AND AUGOOOUUU THATS A COOL QUESTION ACTUALLY. LEMME THINK...

Melaine would be either one of those red little lollipops doctors give out for children post-vaccines, or those healthy gummy candies that have tons of vitamins in them. She's sweet but not overly so in a way that's bad for you, and in the first case you have to break down her layers to properly reach her real core. I think she'd taste either very minty or like cherries, but specifically the cherries that are really cold and sweet :]

Salt is a tricky one. I'd say sweet popcorn is a good choice though for the fact it explodes, gets coated in salt and caramel and crunches all the way down your throat. He's a really sticky fellow too so the texture also really fits ! Definetly an acquired taste since tons of people don't like salty-dessert and it can get old pretty fast the more you have it, but for the people that do like it, it's perfect for them. Either that or that one black death bitter candy that makes you convulse in pain because I think he would love that shit <3

Lucio is a tricky one, because I don't think he Likes candy or sweet things at all (aside from his wife). He gets tired of tastes really quickly and tends to jump around in terma of favorite foods pretty often, so he'd probably be some obscure ass candy that changes flavour mid-way through or some old people candy from 90 years ago that disappeared because it kept giving people headaches after they ate it. He'd probably really like Altoids sours (discontinued candy from the 2000s that literally no one else liked) or just the regular mints.

And as a bonus, here's some of the other guys as well because I actually had a ton of fun researching for this !

Jonah is Dark chocolate. I can't imagine him being anything else honestly, he's just the typa guy who only eats anti-matter levels of bitter chocolate because anything sweeter gives him headaches.

Archer is probably White chocolate with pistachios. He thinks it's good and would gladly be that flavour for the rest of his life. It you try to fight him on it he'll debate you until the sun goes out. Don't do that for your own sake. [I think both Jo and Archie are knockoff chocolates also they are NOT loyal to brands]

Maria is 100% Peanut butter chocolate reese's cups. If Pandora had these you bet your ass Maria would have a stash of them, which she would also distribute around the neighborhood during special events. But unfortunately they don't </3

Radha... she just a scoopfull of this /j

Such a fun ask !!! Thank you !!