#my first thought was some kind of parasite infected the guy?

[bugid]

what is this guy? its from a gif that says “fibbus behavior” but fibbus has no results. plz help

Basic: Fly

Species: Beetle fly (family Celyphidae)

help from the notes of this post! I was very confused at first. Doesn’t help the gif is very blurry. I recommend looking at the wikipedia page I’ve linked for clearer photos + more info on the guy!

[vaguesxrrow]

Heyy, I was wondering if you could write one of niko from dbd with a nb ghost character? With the prompt 'kissing to make them stop talking' xoxo

ty for the request !! im actually kind of proud of this one so show it some extra love please guysss

niko/nonbinary!ghost reader

prompt: 27. kissing them to make them stop talking

tags: nonbinary!reader, ghost!reader

wc: 1,333

a/n: i got kind of carried away with this, but i really love niko :')

two times you had to kiss niko to get her to stop talking, and one time she had to do the same to you.

1:

you emerged from the wall into niko's room, nose deep in a book you thought would help with your current case - niko's input on your research would be valuable. you looked up from the pages to find edwin and niko in the corner, engaged in an apparently heated conversation.

"i am not telling them!" niko hissed at edwin.

"and that is your decision." edwin rolled his eyes. "i am simply saying they would never reject you-"

"ahem," you cleared your throat. "uh, hey guys."

niko squeaked.

weird. she had never been caught off guard by the whole ghost-materialising-from-the-wall thing before.

"hello," edwin greeted."i- uh, i remembered i have a lead to follow up on. i'll be back." he shot a wide-eyed look at niko before he strode out, going through the wall as well. she had no reaction to his method of travel - just a slightly panicked look in his direction. maybe you should warn her next time.

"oookay," you drawled. "guess it's just you and me, niko. not that i'm complaining." you smiled at her sincerely.

she seemed to be panicking more and more, to your confusion.

"niko... you didn't get another case of supernatural parasites, did you?" you asked, half joking and half seriously concerned.

"i need to tell you something!"

"shit, did you get another parasitic infection?" you crossed the room in three big strides and planted your hands firmly on her shoulders, tilting your head as you inspected her form for any signs of illness. "you look a bit flushed. are you burning up?"

"no!" niko cried. "i mean, i may be a bit flushed, but it's not because i have parasites. i've googled the symptoms of supernatural parasites - generally, there'd be more fluids coming out of my mouth and maybe evn tremors. which, now that i say it out loud, don't they seem like symptoms of a crush, as well?" she bit her lip. "okay, i'm just gonna say it - you make me feel like i have parasites."

"uhh. what?"

she continued speaking. "as in, you make me feel warm inside, and the warmth is so... warm that it makes my face heat up. and my legs go weak around you, and i have definitely fantasised about you catching me in your arms when i fall. or saving me when i'm about to die horrifically. basically, what i'm trying to say is i like like you, and maybe even lo-"

your hands were still on her shoulders, which made it easy for you to pull her into a kiss. being a ghost, you couldn't physically feel it, but if asked, you would've said that your first kiss with niko felt like warmth and weak legs. sunshine and thawing trees. when you finally pulled back, niko was staring at you in shock, lips parted and head cocked to the side.

"yes, niko," you said, answering her silent question. "you make me feel like i have parasites, too."

2:

"i have something for you!"

niko had made that admission nervously, blurting it out right before shutting the door in your face. you could've walked right through it, but instead you stood there waiting. like an idiot.

you stared at the cartoon faces on the poster stuck to niko's door.

"do you know what she has for me?" you mumbled at them.

2 minutes passed. you heard muttering and pacing, and the aggravated yelling of niko's sprites from within the room, but you couldn't make out what they were saying. you wanted to say 'fuck it' and just go in, but what if it was a surprise? you didn't want to ruin it for your girlfriend.

finally, the door flew open, revealing a flustered niko. "hi," she breathed.

"...hi?" you said. "is everything okay-"

she thrusted a box at you. it was clearly diy-ed in a very much niko sasaki fashion; a hand-crafted paper box with cute drawings of flowers and love hearts on it, complete with a sparkly bow on the top.

"aww, niko, this is so cute!" carefully, you took the box from her. "can i open it?"

she nodded quickly.

gently, you pried it open. the inside was just as thoughtfully made as the outside. a folded satin cloth sat inside, and on top of it were two silver rings. you picked one of them up to inspect; engraved on its surface was a skeleton hand, fingers poised up as if ready to make a pinky promise. as you presumed, the second ring had a corresponding engravement. you grinned.

"they're promise rings!" niko interjected. "they're supposed to symbolise a commitment to each other, and loyalty, devotion, and dedication. and, the reason why i'm giving you this is because, well, i really like you, and i like being with you. i don't know if we're there yet, or if you'd want to wear it, but i want to commit, because after the dandelion sprites thing, i realised i could die horrifically at any time, and i just don't want to die horrifically without you knowing how much i lo-"

you took a step forward and kissed her.

"niko," you said slowly, as you slipped the rings onto both your fingers. "i will never take this ring off."

3:

furniture crashed behind you. it was such a shame, you thought. this house was so adorably vintage. you couldn't believe it was inhabited by a giant, enchanted spider that was also murderous.

everything in the house was enchanted - you and niko knew that before going in. apparently, a witch had died in there during a spell gone wrong, and the magic seeped into the very structure of the house. one thing you didn't account for was the house's creepy crawly population also being affected.

you stumbled, but niko yanked you upright again. she tugged you along into the living room, both of you breathing heavily. too out of breath for words, you pointed to a cupboard and wordlessly pulled her inside, shutting the door behind you and jamming the doorknob with a broom.

an even worse discovery was that the mirrors were also spelled, so you couldn't even travel through them. you couldn't keep niko safe. niko, who was currently screaming at the top of her lungs as you both ran down the stairs. the spider skittered down the steps, hot on your heels until you turned a corner down the last flight to the ground floor.

the spider was very loudly wreaking havoc outside. niko surveyed the cupboard; it appeared to be a storage unit for cleaning supplies. she picked up a large canister of something. "will this help?"

"niko," you whispered. "niko." you took her by the wrist. "listen. you're always talking about how you may die horrifically, and i've never wanted to think about it because i care about you too much, but in case you do, and it's because of me, i just wanted to say that you are the best person i know. you really are the best out of all of us, and you make me feel so special inside like no one ever has before. becoming a ghost, i thought i'd be cold forever, but you're so bright, and warm, and i guess what i'm saying is i lo-"

niko kissed you. it wasn't the strongest of kisses, because running for your life was bound to take a toll on energy levels, but you felt the affection in it all the same.

she pulled away, just as a sinewy leg splintered through the cupboard door. you both shrieked as the wood was torn down bit by bit, and the beady eyes of the overgrown spider stared at you.

suddenly, it reared back as a spray of white, foamy stuff hit it in the face.

niko was holding out the canister, courageously spraying the spider with whatever was inside. eventually, it shriveled down, until it was reduced to a small, twitching creature. you stared at her incredulously.

"bug spray," she said, shrugging.

you exhaled. "i love you."

hehe notice how they didnt get to say i love you till the end??

[excaive]

Finally got around to read your comic, and now I have many, many questions.

Did KJ BUY the worm ? How is did they meet ?? Gimme the backstory I beg of u!

first of all thank you for reading my comic!! I really appreciate it 💗

Always welcome to ask as many questions u want (and I'm pointing at everyone reading ur also very welcome to ask any questions) and I'll gladly answer!

Even if I take a hot minute to actually answer asks due to lack of energy, I appreciate and enjoy when people get curious about my ocs <3

So to answer your questions! Get ready for Lore

Did KJ BUY the worm ?

KJ did not buy Jamie, Jamie wasn't even worm-shaped to begin with!

KJ's parasite is an abnormal Floral Parasite - but even that categorization is slightly misleading because Jamie is first and foremost a Regen Parasite.

What are these parasite types I'm talking about?

To start off with, there's Minor and Major Parasites

Minor Parasites are generally considered "low-effort" on the account that they provide a handful of attributes to their host (e.g. color change of eyes or hair, horns, claws, fangs, tails etc.) without asking for much in return. Minor Parasites are easy to get your hands on, easy to buy, and sadly easy to replace. If a host just thinks of parasites as accessories and don't bond with them, they tend to wither away quickly and you'll have to replace them if you want to maintain attributes. Great for business, bad for the little guys (parasites)

This is easily countered by acknowledging and respecting one's parasites, but if people grow up only knowing of parasites as fun accessories you can buy and mess around with, they wouldn't really know better. Doesn't help with how parasites are marketed

Now to Major Parasites!

Major Parasites are companions! These aren't as common to buy due to controversies of modifying Major Parasites as they're more complicated things on the account of being more "sentient" (Minor Parasites are sentient as well, but don't possess the ability manifest their own body so to speak. Quite at the whim of their host)

Jamie is a Major Parasite, and a Regen Parasite, which is a type of Transformative Parasites.

How did they meet ??

Great question! Regen Parasites are just kind of There. Whether people are born with them or get them really young isn't quite clear. Some say it's genetic, some say it's region-based, some say through tradition - but it's pretty inconclusive because Transformative Parasites are a pretty broad category.

So, Jamie has been with KJ since they were young! And Jamie was not worm-shaped as I mentioned earlier, it looked like this initially

Just a fluffy comfy glitter beast, which KJ never actually saw physically due to being plagued by violent intrusive thoughts when they were younger, and so Jamie would never physically manifest while KJ was awake as its goal was to comfort KJ to manage dealing with that stuff.

A trait of Regen Parasites is that they love their host unconditionally, and accept their host in their entirety. In KJ's case this helps significantly for them not to beat themself up due to intrusive thoughts because Jamie doesn't think less of them at all. Intrusive thoughts stand no chance against a fluffy brain beast <3

Also you might notice KJ looks miserable in that drawing and that's because they are. They were the weird (and repressed) kid with OCD and autism, and sometimes other kids just found them off putting or too weird, and perhaps also annoying because KJ really loves being around other people, but a lot just push them away and they end up not picking up on any hints that people want to be left alone because it's not said straight up </3 Despite his best efforts to stop being a weirdo just so he'd be able to be around others, it made KJ miserable :<

Anyhow, back to Jamie and its wormification.

The way Jamie became worm-shaped is due to merging with a Floral Parasite that was infected with a Mushroom Parasite!

Yes, parasites can also be infected by parasites, and those parasites are Mushroom/Fungi Parasites

So, Floral Parasites are a type of parasite you can contract through ingesting or smoking certain plants. Most common Floral Parasite is Spiced Mint Parasites, which is just straight up weed with mint taste. and maybe also a parasite in it if you're (un)lucky.

And so it happens KJ smoked a splumt (Spiced Mint Blunt) that had an abnormal Floral Parasite in it, which then merged with Jamie and that is a good thing.

It is not advised to have more than one Major Parasite because it can both strain the Parasite Bond with the host, and in the worst case scenario the parasites aren't compatible and might result in death. Risky stuff!

But all is well because KJ became even weirder and the freak he is now

I don't know where to go from here, but here's a list of Jamie's attributes!

Attributes include:

Note that the mushroom parasite has affected the attributes of the other parasites, so the categories aren't clear cut.

REGEN PARASITE ATTRIBUTES

Turbo healing

Able to rebuild tissue and bones

 Basically can revive someone from death if within minutes of the person's death by slithering mulitple tentalces from its mouth into the wound, practically rebuilding the tissue and releasing chemicals that jumpstart the body to work again.

 Stings like a fucking bitch tho holy shit. Like pure alcohol but worse somehow

Their saliva has healing attributes. Not as effective as the worm's mouth tentacles.

Increased strength and indurance. They can crush things with their bare hands with little issue. Like phones.

FLORAL PARASITE ATTRIBUTES

No gag reflex. Can't have KJ choke on it every time it comes out.

KJ can hold their breath for a stupid amount of time, but they are also able to breathe thru the parasite.

High lung capacity

Can float around KJ when complete out. It is solid to touch, but it will also avoid touch from anyone else than KJ. Try to grab it and it will disperse its form and gather together again into a solid body out of reach. will whack you in the face with its face or tail like a wet trout if you do this, so maybe don't. It Will Hurt.

MUSHROOM PARASITE ATTRIBUTES

KJ can speak thru the parasite and can alter their voice.

KJ's jaw is very flexible.

Connection to the fungi parasite network. This does not affect KJ whatsoever, but now every single mushroom parasite in existence know how much of a freak they are.

I could go on various tangents, but I'll stop for now :p simply ask if anyone got any questions about anything mentioned, I got a plenty of lore <3

[talesofsonicasura]

Uncle Leon AU

A completely crack idea that everyone should have the chance to indulge in, whether reading or writing it. I recently got into Resident Evil and my gremlin ass thought about the potential Leon Scott Kennedy has. Our dear protagonist who debuted in Resident Evil 2 has a complete mystery of a family tree.

Leon is an orphan as according to RE Lore, his family had gotten killed due to being affiliated in a crime of some kind when he was a child. This immediately came to mind upon realization. Mr Kennedy looking into his family tree for any potential members. And thus the idea right here. Leon being an uncle or grunkle to certain characters.

I got at least two examples to put into perspective on how CHAOTIC this can be. Whether it involves an Infected(Plagas/C Virus/Mold)!Leon, is up to you guys but I can throw my hat in as well.

Trolls and Health

Yep. Starting with Tales of Arcadia specifically the Trollhunters section cause why not? Leon's gonna be Toby's relative as I figured he needs more familial support. Plus him trying to be sneaky around our secret agent sounds like a fun challenge.

For this, Leon is infected with Las Plagas Post RE 4, my version to be precise. (Picture for one of his forms and behavior here.) The standard design people usually use just doesn't intrigue my morbid curiosity hence the personal version. Luis will always live whenever I write something RE 4/Post RE 4 related. (The timeline has been adjusted to fit when Trollhunters take place so Leon is about 27-28.)

Anyway, Leon has been living on the run in Spain alongside the scientist after the events of RE 4. He had Ashley lie about him dying as he was scared about what the government would do if his mutated Las Plagas parasite was found. Luis stuck by Leon's side since he feels responsible for this whole mess and helps the agent manage his new infected status.

Both are contemplating their next potential hideout as the government have gotten interested in the rise of 'dragon sightings' or Leon's War Mode. There been at least two close calls so far much to their dismay. Suddenly Leon gets an email from his yet to be shut down email account.

A message courtesy of Toby asking about the two meeting up in Arcadia after a Ancestry search. Luis convinces Leon to take the kid up on his offer as Arcadia Oaks is known for various tall tales and any dragon sightings would be ignored. If his Las Plagas comes out then the thick woods can provide enough cover for him to hide and wait out a feral episode.

Thus the two stowaway on the next flight to the United States. Now it has been at least a few days since Jim became the Trollhunter so Toby warns his friends about a potential visit from his newly discovered uncle. The Raccoon City incident is known to them as there been a troll settlement nearby and news travels fast as trolls tend to gossip. Some evacuees had taken shelter in Arcadia Oaks before the bomb hit.

Leon and Luis are pretending to be married as neither thought of a proper cover-up for the scientist's appearance at Toby's house. (Serrendy shippers are welcomed) Now both men are currently staying there since they haven't found a proper house(hideout) yet.

Leon immediately grows suspicious at Toby and his friends' strange behavior especially when Gnomey is living in the house than just the cats. He has heightened senses thanks to his Plagas. Although Team Trollhunters are just as suspicious of Leon and Luis too.

Both cats come out of the bag around the same time especially since a potential cure for Leon can be found in Arcadia. And a certain Redfield is sent to investigate the strange happenings in town. Plus the silly antics especially when Leon has a feral episode around Toby the first time.

Our loveable chubby fellow would definitely bribe his infected uncle's Plagas with Nougat Nummies or have AAARRRGGHH!!! get some tree sap if it's a War Mode episode. Plus Toby getting carried like a kitten by Leon is both funny and cute to me.

Chitin and Fur

We're going for the Sonic route here as this what spurred the thought into life in the first place. Leon is a relative on Tom's side and stumbles across the Green Hills sheriff upon looking up his ancestry. Now G.U.N. functions separately from the branch of the government associated with Resident Evil as a whole.

They know partially about Raccoon City and DSO/BSAA have little on the "Green Hills Devil incident". I think I gonna have Leon show up just a few months after the events of Sonic the Hedgehog then him returning to Green Hills infected a few months after Sonic 2.

For the infection, it's split between Las Plagas and C Virus. I'm heavily leaning towards C Virus as I wouldn't have to adjust the RE timeline much. Plus the risks of Leon alongside Sonic, Knuckles and Tails being discovered by the RE branch has my attention more. It also gives me extra set up potential as our agent would be the driving force to Sonic's vigilante actions in the beginning of Sonic 2. Plus the C Virus incident throws enough shade on the movie's final act as the president holds more weight than anything.

For the first half involving Sonic 1, Sherry is the one to recommend Leon to look up his family tree. She figures maybe relatives outside of the whole agent life would help better than his alcoholic tendencies. One search later has Leon send an email to the Wachowskis about a visit.

Sonic, of course, is curious about Tom's recently discovered relative. They look up his name and weren't expecting to see him on the 'Raccoon City Survivor's list'. News of the incident hit Green Hills quite hard as some residents had family in the city during RE 2's events.

This leads to keeping Sonic out of Leon's sight as Tom and Maddie are worried about the man's reaction. Both figure the agent's stay was for therapeutic purposes with the sheriff being his only family left. Now at first, Leon doesn't think anything is off.

Sonic only triggers his intuition twice but the man brushes it off. Crazy Carl is what got Leon on edge when the agent comes across the man at the local bar. Wade offered to take him for a drink and the loveable man did his best to throw any suspicion about Sonic's existence off.

It is when Leon finds one of Sonic's quills in the house does he investigate once Tom and Maddie leave for work. We get a reenactment of that fateful first meeting from the first movie as the two finally meet. Although the person who gets a tranquilizer dart to the leg this time isn't Sonic since the hedgehog frantically calls Tom five seconds later about shooting uncle Leon in self defense.

You can bet your ass things are awkward for a week but thankfully end with a certain agent getting some personal healing after bonding with his hedgehog nephew. Then Leon gets infected by a variant of the C Virus and is on the run. He hears about something happening in Green Hills which leads him to run over.

Now Leon is mutated enough that he has to completely cover his body but oversized clothes can conceal his inhuman appearance. The problem with showing up at the Wachowskis home is only Knuckles and Tails are there. Sonic had left for a check-up with Maddie while Tom was at the station finishing some paperwork.

The two heard about Uncle Leon but received no warning of an impromptu visit. Knuckles opening the door is enough to spur a fight since both believe each other are a threat. Tails messaging an emergency text thankfully saves Leon from cocooning as the Echidna was using lethal force at the time. Everyone had been warned to not hold back against an infected individual.

Sonic had stopped Knuckles cause he realized the 'buggy man' was a fully sentient albeit slightly feral uncle Leon. Tom and Maddie are naturally horrified to see the state their relative is in alongside the story he had behind his infection. From there, the Wachowski household took Leon in as he had nowhere else to go.

Tails does his best to help with his uncle's Infected status by creating viral inhibitors until a cure can be found. They did contemplate using the Master Emerald but Leon disagreed. A scientific cure wouldn't put such powerful artifacts in danger nor his family in a greater one. Plus it could benefit any C Virus infected survivors if they're like him.

Now everyone has to be careful as Leon cocooning could put them at risk. Both in exposure and the man potentially going berserk due to the mutation. Despite this, he does cocoon twice as one incident leads to Helena showing up in Green Hills.

She had been on the lookout for Leon as she caught a glimpse of him getting infected in the final battle. Claire alongside Chris follow behind albeit their respective reasons are different. Helena aims to put him out of his misery, a decision fueled by trauma, while the Redfield siblings seek to capture him alive in hopes of curing Leon.

This does lead to both groups getting more than they bargained for as Team Sonic run into them. An incident that leads to Leon's interference and the huge future clusterfuck amongst both branches of the government. To any wondering, yes, our dear evil geniuses have met before.

Albert Wesker and Eggman hate each to the point they would dance on each other's graves. Pure archenemies with enough bad blood for lethal sabotage. They, of course, foiled the respective attempts which led to the split between government knowledge.

Anyway, that's all I have for now! Until next time folks, continue to thrive in the wake of Raccoon City and I'll see you at the crossroad between Green Hills and Arcadia.

[bluepoodle7]

#InfectedRealtorAU #LightHouseMadScientistRealtor #LightHouse #MonsterFungmammal

I'm also thinking about making a lighthouse realtor also.

I'm making a sitcom of infected realtors oh no.

I just like weird houses okay.

----------------------------------

This one realtor is friend of Jetty Shanty and looks mad scientist like in appearance and owns a one eyed monster as a fungmammal but it's type is blank but tries its best to help to its randomized on what type it is but has a time limit for how long the props work.

The fungmammal's name is Flash and kind of looks like the mascot of this page but is all purple, has three blue horns, wings are orange, and a pink tail.

The inner mouth is green.

(Acts female but is mushroom gendered and her size fluctuates between small, medium, and large.)

The truth is Flash is a fusion of all three types and not a separated set of three or this lighthouse realtor would have gone crazy.

When Flash is in parasite mode the lighthouse realtor would worry about her safety but doesn't get the starving effect by Flash.

Flash is starving herself.

(Liwanag) for light in Filipino and (Whare) for house in Māori.

Is 6"0 Has a female lure but if the lure dies will make it male lure like a genderbend lure.

(She/He/or They will work. But She/They for the female version of the lure and He/They male version of the lure.)

(I used google translate.)

Once Flash's parasite moment ends Liwanag will put back some of her spores back on her body.

Liwanag is trying to find another source of food for non infected realtor's to eat other than humans but Flash wants her friend to stay safe and not to bother so they won't get captured.

This realtor's number used to be 2326 which means beam in telephone words.

Liwanag's freewill dream is to be a great scientist and the uncanny valley doctor and managed to find a cure to the common cold but the mayor of the uncanny valley got paid by a shady organization not to release this cure so they can sell medicine that doesn't work.

They did eat one human once but got allergic to humans after eating one the first day they sprouted.

Liwanag was buyer hunting again because they had to eat then collapses on the ground due to their hunger.

So this realtor was near death so Jetty found them and carried them to the beach.

Jetty told this realtor about fungmammals and try one.

Then they just jumped in the water and remember realtor's can't swim.

And was rescued by Flash and they were friends. Flash is on the labcoat pocket on Liwanag's labcoat like a custom iron on embroidered patch button.

Now they are trying to find a meat substitute similar to humans so if any other creature is allergic can eat this instead.

They love to read books and gain as much knowledge as possible. While infected this realtor gets to try many foods and loves to cook meals.

Unlike non infected realtors the infected ones can eat with their lure bodies and it travels up through the lure cord to eat.

They can also eat the old fashion way.

But Liwanag likes eating the human like way more and keeps their house clean and organized.

Liwanag want's to find a cure to the Husk realtor's and the Hollows that are caused by the parasite fungmammals eating their hosts but only leaving a tiny bit of what was once a being with a personality and life.

Liwanag will try to see if the husk realtor's and the hollows had any friends or lovers that knew them before the change and ask to chat with them in outdoor settings like a park but never indoors.

This is to prevent discovery while also pretending to do the classic realtor thing when a popular non infected realtor appears.

I was kind of inspired by Dr. Wasabi to make my light house realtor off this guy.

Liwanag different gendered lure forms are based of the male and female choices in video games but can make the lure genderless. Also I thought Dr. Wasabi was a female at first until the lost episode made the character talk more.

A blog about obscurity stuff, plushies and food. on Tumblr - search: Dr Wasabi

[Flash Animation] Ramen Flash (HD) - YouTube

Female Gamers Surpass Teenage Boys in Numbers – The Arcade (the-arcade.ie)

Wii Fit Trainer (SSBU) - SmashWiki, the Super Smash Bros. wiki (ssbwiki.com)

I imagine Liwanag sounding monotone in all three lure forms.

Kind of similar to Tina in Bob's Burgers.

Liwanag for their freewill wants to either make a uncanny valley school/ college or open a medical medical facility for the uncanny valley.

---------------

Infected Realtor Intereactions.

---------------

Liwanag attends the free woodshop classes that Tré Loger and Woodster have.

That's where infected realtor's and other creatures go to destress and be themselves.

It's also a good place to meet people and is hidden part of the uncanny valley island.

You need a wood based pun or joke to get in.

Tre is thinking about adding pottery making to the classes.

Tre also asked everyone what else they should do together and everyone votes on what to do that day.

Like a movie night, plush making, tell spooky stories, show and tell.

But sometimes there will be times where they will comedy roast each other but only on appearing or sprouting days which are like birthdays to them.

For example.

Tre would say "I'm glad everyone could be here to be at Liwanag's sprouting day which is today." "Anyways enough about me you wacky haired person."

"So do you work out anywhere besides the library?"

"Leave some knowledge for the rest of us will ya."

Liwanag would say back with a smirk. "You got me there Tre."

"But I herd you was sprouted with Woodster with you."

"How do you know you can't eat a human?"

"I have a excuse since I'm allergic to eating humans."

Tre would say "Getting personal huh?" "I never wanted to eat a human." It's just rude and too much work hunting them down also gross." "I also love gardening and foraging for food since it's good for the environment."

Being a human in the group is awkward.

Liwanag for their show and tell is cooking show with the knowledge they learned.

Liwanag likes baking desserts like smore's or cinnamon chocolate apple cake.

Tré Loger Orgins

----------------

Tre was born when a infected realtor was fake "reproducing" with a non infected realtor that let the fungmammal eat them.

Then the seed rolled out the house into the forest that was found by Woodster which wanted to see what it was.

She grabbed the seed and was flying with then found out the seed was heavy then dropped it in a near by tree where it was built as a treehouse with Woodster stuck inside until finished.

That's when they first met.

Tre was the first hybrid realtor.

Infected Realtor Ritual

(Nejiron's were a inspiration for the many fungmammals fake forms that are roleplaying as other uncanny valley creatures with a twist on their abilities and weird moves each species can't do.)

---------------------

This is a rare occurrence of a infected realtor letting a fungmammal eat a non infected realtor.

If the fungmammal's do the ritual to change forms more often then they will draw more attention to themselves which is bad.

They usually choose the weaker more obscure realtors than popular ones since so one will notice them.

But a popular one will cause people to worry something weird is going on and will figure it out.

If a infected realtor would try to eat a healthy popular realtor the healthy realtor would beat up the infected one then will call up the authorities to kidnap the infected realtor to experiment on them or find their weakness.

Plus will probably warn the others about the fungmammals which is a bad thing.

Since fungmammals need realtor's for shelter, food providing, transportation, and to change to a human like form.

Husk realtor's and Hollows are the only two species besides the base form a fungmamml has that actually let's the fungmammals talk instead of telepathy talk since they are basically wearing another species as a suit.

Their true voice is hidden until capture and will use the victims voice instead of their own.

The parasite ones will roleplay as the long dead species right down to knowing names of friends, lovers, and listing all the victims a realtor ate in detail.

Similar to the talk boy toy voice slowed down.

Each Husk Realtor and Hollows attack differently.

This is because each parasite fungmammal uses the past freewill or dreams of both species.

So each battles are different. But with enough info from the past victim you can find the weakness of each form, defeat them, then remove the parasite then destroy it before it tries to copy this info to the other fungmammals.

How it feels to fight a Husk Realtor and Hollow.

Most husk realtor's clone the lure cord to put on one of their arms while hollow's use the left over regular guy dna of the hair mixed with fungi to make ropes.

7:26-7:41

A husk realtor's windows feel like glass and are easily breakable and these species when caught in their true form like to play with their prey by juggling them in the air to tire them out then eat them.

If that doesn't work they can basically do the non canon stuff both realtor and regular guys can't do.

Like both floating around and using the old weakness of both species won't work.

The parasite fungmammal will pretend it worked then laugh it off by brushing off the fire or shaking off the water.

Only frozen and a acid bath will work but you need to snap out both vessel's first or you will kill the both of them in the process.

If you ignore a husk realtor or a hollow they will get bored and tell you to leave. They will gladly let you leave and say you are no fun.

The victim vessel will still be shell of what they used to be.

The parasite fungmammal will revert to a normal realtor or regular guy in a roleplay state until it gets reactivated again.

When both vessel species grab you they will punch you mid grab.

It's best to dodge the grabs or carry some dry ice with you.

The husk realtor's will somtimes used the breakable windows to throw their prey threw it just for fun but to easily kill it to eat.

Both vessel species mainly eat organic material but if that's hard to find then they will eat inorganic materials.

But will sometimes but rarely cannibalize other fungmammal types like the Base Fungmammal, Infected Realtors, Real estate Agents/Brokers, Humanoid Shaped Fungmammals, and Falsepersons.

Some vessel species like making their prey comfortable like giving them items like mushroom tea or food they found and cooked.

I wouldn't take it if I were you it will make you let your guard down and make you super relaxed.

If they hug you it's a sign that you have gave up to be food to them.

But if you give the vessel species a gift like food or objects they will spare you or maybe fall in love.

If you hug the vessel species back they might give out some info about the obscure being they have took over but not too much while tearing up a little.

While in battle Liwanag will be watching and writing notes down for their book to research on these fungmammals.

Flash will also try to help if she isn't a parasite one then she needs to leave the area and if she doesn't leave she might be convinced to fight with the vessel species.

It's hard to snap them out of it.

If you hug the vessel species back they tearing up a little because you are squeezing the water out of them and also it hurt them that they have to rehydrate.

Also sometimes it's emotional.

Another way.

-------------------

There is another way to make a Real Estate Agent/Brooker is if a fungmammal and a long dead realtor's Dna is in the ground soil it can mix together to create one.

This Real Estate Agent/Brooker will the last memories before death of both parties and will scream at first.

The symbol will have the house of the long dead realtor with a X eye on the fungmammal with a SC in the middle of the fungmammal symbol inside the house. (SC means Second chance.)

Sometimes multiple memories of different realtor's will mix together. The fused fungmammals are blanks.

I do have one planned to be a example of one of these SC Real Estate Agent/Broker.

But I need to get his parasite form inked up.

Merve Lively (Movil Koti) reborn as a SC Real Estate Agent/Broker and has a blank butterfly fungmammal.

Merve Lively (Movil Koti) as a SC Real Estate Agent/Broker will sometimes let one of the memories of a long dead infected and non infected realtors talk and act out what happened to them or roleplay it out.

Like how they died with their voice and all.

You have to ask him first.

For example on non infected realtor snatched a person then later their house body was driven in by a car that killed the both of them.

Merve would now act out how the realtor reacted to the car then it blowing up killing the human and the realtor in the process.

Merve will also provide a voice for the ghost realtors if they have any unfinished business like a message but the long dead realtors will take turns with the reborn vessel if Merve dies and the vessel will have a different look and personality but Merve will wait for his turn.

Dating a second chance real estate broker/agent is complicated.

A blog about obscurity stuff, plushies and food. on Tumblr - #Weird Questions I Have

Real Estate Agents/Brokers and Infected Realtor Lore

----------------------

Real Estate Agents/Brokers when they first sprouted up their first thing they do is the 3D print the non infected realtor's original house body for practice.

Once it was stable then they shrink the house then hide it inside their necks along with their wireless lure cord.

The weakness is changed to destroying the mini 3D printed house they are hiding but the fungmammal that fused them won't allow that to happen since it will try to hide the mini house or make a fake one.

Infected realtor's don't really need to eat buyers anymore due to the fungmammal giving up a part of itself to feed the realtor or the parasite infected realtor stealthily snatching some of the fungmammals spores to eat while the parasite fungmammal is distracted.

Some infected realtors just eat normal foods or trash/plastic but some infected realtors still have that buyer hunting instinct still inside of them but still will try every food method.

Infected realtor's eat from the lure body then it travels up the lure cord to the house if the lure body is far away from the home body.

But inside they can eat like a normal realtor does but sometimes they will eat human like.

3D House Building

------------------------

What it sounds like when a Real Estate Brokers/Agents heads when getting to work on building a 3D house by first measuring the dimensions then making the inside.

Music's and videos not mine but link is there.

Mario Artist: Talent Studio - Po Pi Pa Pi - - YouTube

The parasite version sounds the same one but the faster version.

Because they rush making the 3D houses.

Mario Artist: Talent Studio - Po Pi Pa Pi ~ Impatient - - YouTube

Defective Real Estate Agents tend to take longer to make 3-D printed houses but sometimes Mutualism ones help out with the details but Parasitism ones tend to add on unnecessary details then push them out the way to rework it.

What it sounds like.

Mario Artist: Talent Studio - Po Pi Pa Pi ~ Sleepy ZZZ - - YouTube

The commensalism Real Estate Agents act like the mutualism ones but will sometimes stay a little bit after the 3D house is built if the buyer needs anything else or needs to get fix.

You need to tell them to leave if you don't want them there or if you are done with their presence.

If not they will just stay there.

----------------------------------------

Unrelated but love this realtor's look but is mysterious.

----------------------------------------

(Image not mine but my favorite obscure Realtor oc. (susie #seita on Twitter: "There he is my boy! #realtorsona #househunted #househuntedgame #househunted2 game by @mortisfox ! https://t.co/XXNDHUz5aV" / Twitter

Rip to him though. ArtStation - ROOF SHEBANG - uncanny valley )

Images not mine but link is there.

Legend of Zelda Majora's mask: Final boss, Sword and shield battle - YouTube

Video not mine but link is there.

Tiger Deluxe Talkboy | Television Commercial | 1994 | Home Alone 2 - YouTube

A blog about obscurity stuff, plushies and food. on Tumblr - #Lucy

Images, game, and video not mine but links are there.

You Can Live in a Michigan Lighthouse (975now.com)

If the lighthouse lab had a theme.

Planet Dob OST- sometimes i breathe - YouTube

mad scientist clipart - Clip Art Library (clipart-library.com)

[sisterspooky1013]

Only One Choice, Chapter 5

Read it here on AO3 / Tagging @today-in-fic

They’re sitting in the car outside her mother’s house, and she’s stalling.

“Are we going inside?” Ethan asks with a confused smile, and she nods wearily.

She’s been dreading telling her family. Well, not her mother; Mom will be thrilled, as will Bill. Charlie will act appropriately happy but doesn’t actually care that much. But Missy….Missy will see right through her. She always does.

They exit the car and make their way to the front porch, her stomach twisting in her gut all the way. Ethan knocks, casting her concerned glances intermittently. She knows she’s not playing the part of “recently engaged” very well. She’s told Ethan that it’s just nerves, and that she hates making big announcements, which is true. She’s still trying to convince herself that’s all it is.

The door swings open and Charlie greets them with smiles and quick hugs, and they make their way to the kitchen where Mom is still finishing up dinner.

“Grab some wine and take a seat,” she directs them as they each kiss her on the cheek, “Missy should be here any minute.”

She pours herself a very full glass of wine after asking Ethan if he can drive home, then plants herself in an armchair that only seats one. She’s been craving personal space lately.

Ten minutes later, Missy breezes in the door, giving Dana a skeptical glance; leave it to Missy to immediately pick up on something being off. They better get this over with soon.

They all sit down and say grace. Missy holds her left hand and she can feel the moment her fingers make contact with the ring. Missy yanks on her arm and gives her wide eyes as everyone else at the table thanks the lord for their daily bread. Dana glances at her briefly and then looks away. It will all be out in the open momentarily.

“Before we dig into this lovely meal Mom has prepared for us,” Ethan begins, “Dana and I have some news to share.”

Oh god, here it comes. Maybe the huge glass of wine was a bad idea.

“Am I gonna be an uncle, D?!” Charlie says excitedly, and both she and Maggie shoot him an unamused glare.

“Not just yet, Charlie,” Ethan says with a cautious smile. “Dana and I got engaged. We’re getting married!”

Dana holds up her left hand with a thin smile, and Maggie and Charlie both provide appropriately big, happy reactions complete with hugs and congratulatory slaps on the back. Missy raises her eyebrows and looks at her baby sister with a bemused expression.

“Oh, this is such happy news, I wish your father could be here,” Maggie says, clutching her hand to her chest. “We’ll have to call Bill and Tara after dinner.”

Dana forces bites of pot roast down her throat and avoids her sister’s eye for the following twenty minutes, then leaves Ethan and her mother to share the news with Bill as she escapes to the back porch. Charlie, as usual, finds his way to the couch with a beer.

She’s sitting on the steps of the porch, working on her second glass of wine, when she hears the creak of the screen door behind her. She doesn't need to look to know that it’s Missy; she can hear the swish of her flowy skirt and the jangle of her stacked bracelets. Missy sits down beside her and they are quiet for a few minutes, the dark night illuminated by a waxing crescent moon.

“Is this really what you want, Sis?” Missy asks in a tone that’s soft and concerned.

“Of course, Missy. Ethan and I have been talking about getting married for years,” she says, hoping it sounds more convincing than it feels.

“I know. But…” she trails off and sighs.

“But what?” Dana prods her.

“Look, Sis, Ethan is great. I love him, and he’ll make a great husband. I’m just not sure he’s the right one for you.” Dana can feel her sister looking at her in the dim light, but keeps her eyes on the blooming hydrangea bush at the bottom of the stairs.

“He’s a great guy, Missy. He’s kind, and generous, and he has a stable job. He treats me really well. There’s no reason NOT to marry him,” she offers, taking a big gulp of her wine. “Dad loved him, he’d be so happy to know we got married,” she adds.

Missy scoffs. “Two years underground and you’re still trying to please Dad?”

“He was cremated, Missy,” she replies deadpan, avoiding the point.

“Okay, so two years underwater, then. Doesn’t change the fact that Dad liking him isn’t a reason to marry someone. Neither is them being great husband material. The only reason to marry someone is because you want to marry them. Do you want to marry Ethan?” She can feel Missy’s eyes on her face.

“Yes,” she says in a weak voice, unwilling to elaborate.

Missy sighs. “Okay, if this is what you want, I’ll be here to help you in whatever way you need. But if you change your mind-”

“-I’m not going to change my mind, Missy,” she cuts her off.

“Well,” Missy continues, “whatever happens, I’ll be here. Thick and thin, right?”

Dana looks at her sister then, and smiles as they clasp hands. “Thick and thin.”

&&

The following week, she takes herself out for Sunday afternoon coffee to one of her favorite places near the apartment. She likes to go out alone for coffee or lunch sometimes, just to have some space to think. Lately, she’s been needing a lot of it. The cafe is bustling with the after-church crowd, which makes her feel guilty for not going to mass with her mother. It’s difficult to talk to Mom right now; all she wants to do is talk about the wedding, and that’s the last thing Dana wants to discuss. Ethan wants to get married soon, this fall, and the whole thing is so overwhelming she shuts down every time they try to talk to her about it. She wishes she could pause life for a while, until she can sort out her feelings.

“Fancy meeting you here,” she hears a familiar voice call from beside her, and she looks up to see Mulder, dressed casually in jeans and a grey T-shirt.

She smiles reflexively, the first time she’s felt a real smile tug at her lips in a week or more.

“Mulder, hi,” she says, genuinely pleased to see him. “What are you doing here?”

“Oh, this place is right near my dealer’s house,” he responds, and flashes her that boyish grin at her shocked expression. “I was actually just checking out a record store around the corner and decided to grab some coffee. How are you?” The question feels so real, like he actually wants to know how she is. She doesn’t want him to leave.

“I’m well, would you like to sit down?” she says as she gestures to the empty seat across from her, pulling her hand back when she realizes that he’ll likely notice her ring. She surreptitiously slips it off her finger and tucks it into her pants pocket.

He sits, and she can’t help but take in the way his shirt hugs his broad shoulders, and the hint of defined pectorals underneath. He is a seriously good-looking man.

“So, whatcha been up to?” He asks, taking a sip from his to-go cup.

She should tell him the happy news that she’s gotten engaged, but she very much doesn’t want to.

“Not much, just cutting up dead bodies and teaching others how to do the same,” she responds dryly.

“Slicin’ and dicin’,” he says with a nod, and she feels a sense of relief at being able to make such a crass joke to someone who understands the kind of work she does.

“Exactly. How about you, working on anything interesting?” she asks, and never has a social nicety been more genuine.

“That depends on your definition of interesting, I suppose,” he begins, “we’ve got the face mutilator, the acid thrower, and the super-stabber, who you’re familiar with.”

“Quite the line up,” she retorts.

“I realize I didn’t get the chance to ask how you ended up at the Academy,” he inquires.

“Oh, um I was actually recruited out of medical school,” she replies, taking a sip of her coffee.

His eyebrows jump and he leans forward a bit. “You’re a doctor, then?” he asks, and she gauges only that he’s impressed, not surprised, which is a nice change of pace. People don’t seem to realize that it’s not a compliment to express disbelief that she, of all people, would be a medical doctor.

“Mmhmm, all pathologists are trained medical doctors,” she confirms with a nod.

“Your parents must be very proud,” he offers, and she makes a face.

“Not exactly. My father actually passed away a couple years ago, but he was less than pleased with my decision not to pursue medicine as a career. My mom is moderately more supportive, thankfully.”

She catches his eye and is surprised by the intensity of the look he’s giving her.

“I’m sorry to hear about your father,” he says as though he knew the man, and it catches her off guard a bit. She changes the subject.

“What about the X files, anything interesting happening there?”

“Well, no, given that they don’t exist anymore. You wanna hear about an old one I investigated?”

She nods emphatically.

“There was this team of researchers up in Icy Cape, Alaska. They were geophysicists, drilling ice core samples. They’d been up there a few weeks when there was an odd video communication received from one of the research team members saying “we are not who we are” before he shot himself in the head, then all communication went dark.”

“What happened to them?” Scully asks, leaning towards him. She’s immediately drawn in.

“Well, that’s what we went up there to find out; myself a physician, toxicologist and a geologist. When we got there, the whole crew was dead, only a dog that belonged to one of them survived. He appeared to be rabid, and he attacked me and our pilot. When we examined the dog, he had these black nodules on his skin.”

“That sounds like a symptom of bubonic plague,” Scully offers.

“That’s what Dr. Hodge thought too. Anyway, the pilot ended up getting infected as well, and we had to restrain him and remove this worm-thing from his neck. He died immediately after we removed it.”

“A worm-thing?” Scully asks, “what was it?”

“I’m still not entirely sure. The geologist found an ice core sample that was probably over 250,000 years old, and I think the worm came from the ice. Some kind of prehistoric parasite that overtakes its host. We eventually figured out that to kill it, you have to introduce a second worm into the host, and they’ll destroy each other.”

“Why haven’t I ever heard about this? It seems like the kind of discovery that would make the news, at least in the science community,” her mind is reeling, now with excitement.

“Well, that’s the thing. After we were evacuated, they destroyed the drill site and all the evidence.”

“They?” she inquires. “Who is ‘they’?”

Mulder smiles knowingly and she has the overwhelming urge to touch him.

“That’s the million dollar question, Scully. That’s what the X files sought to answer. Who, or what, is behind the mass coverup of information that would prove the existence of extraterrestrial life?” He says it so casually, like it’s the most irrefutable fact in the world instead of some half-cocked conspiracy theory.

“Huh,” she sits back in her chair. “Are there a lot of cases like that one? In the X files?”

Mulder’s mouth quirks, and she can tell that he’s pleased by her interest in his old work.

“Hundreds, though I only have about fifty in my possession. I took the juiciest ones, of course.”

“What else is there? Tell me about another one,” she asks unabashedly. She’s fascinated.

Mulder looks at his watch and makes a face. “I wish I could, but I have a prior engagement. I have them stored at my apartment, I could show you sometime, if you’d like. Do you like cats?”

Her eyebrows lift. “Is there an X file about cats?” she asks, and he laughs.

“No. Well, actually yes, but I’m asking because I have a cat. You aren’t allergic, are you?”

“Oh, no,” she says as she feels her cheeks warm.

He reaches into his wallet and hands her his business card. “Give me a call, or shoot me an email. I’ll show you what the FBI doesn’t want you to see,” he punctuates this with a wag of his eyebrows as he stands. “It was really good to see you, Scully,” he says with an earnest look, those eyes seemingly seeing right through her.

She swallows hard. “You too, Mulder,” she replies, and watches him walk out the cafe door.

She looks down at the business card in her hands:

Fox W. Mulder

Criminal Behavioral Analyst

Behavioral Science Unit

She wonders what the W stands for. She wonders why she cares.

[duhragonball]

What version of the Saiyan Tuffle War do you prefer: the Tufflew subjugated the Saiyans or the Saiyans just straight up obliterated the Tuffles

Between the two options, I think I prefer the first one, simply because all the Tuffle characters we've seen have been diabolical villains, and it sort of undermines them as bad guys if the Tuffles were innocent victims in the war. But that's just a personal preference.

I'm not suggesting that the Saiyans were all sweetness and light either. But it seems a little naive to have an advanced civilization just welcome a bunch of Saiyans onto their planet with no ulterior motives.

I say this because most of what we know about the Tuffles is based on Baby's appearances in Dragon Ball GT. Supposedly, Baby was created by the last survivors of the Tuffles, and they "infused" him with the genes of their king, whatever that means. Baby only had two objectives: to take revenge on the Saiyans, and to to convert or destroy all non-Tuffle life forms. And that's... pretty fucked up when you stop and think about it. Baby was such an over-the-top villain in GT that it was easy to just go along with whatever crazy shenanigans he was up to. But he was programmed by the Tuffles, and presumably the Tuffle King was totally on board with this. If he had lived to see Baby Vegeta ruling over the restored Tuffle Planet with the entire population of Earth infected with his nasty mind control eggs, the King would probably be pleased.

And yeah, the Tuffles would want revenge against the Saiyans, but what did Earth ever do to them? Or any of the other planets Baby menaced? You can make the argument that Baby was a doomsday weapon that went beyond the intentions of his creators, but I think he did exactly what the Tuffles wanted him to do.

And that begs the question: If Baby's reign of terror was the last gasp of the dying Tuffle species, then what sort of weird stuff were they up to before? I'll put some thoughts on this under the cut.

First off, I think it's kind of weird how there's not a clear picture of what a Tuffle is exactly. I went looking on the DB Wiki for some pictures and found this Tuffle design by Akira Toriyama.

That design prevailed in DBZ Episode 20, and also in Plan to Eradicate the Saiyans, when King Kai explains how the Tuffles welcomed the Saiyans to settle on their planet when they crashed there in a wrecked spaceship. The implication from Plan is that the Saiyans didn't just show up one day. They were refugees who needed help, and the Tuffles invited them with open arms.

But it's weird how the Tuffles in DBZ #20 are depicted as being much smaller than the Saiyans, but in Plan they're basically to scale with each other. Maybe that's a continuity glitch, and no big deal, but then you have Dr. Lychee, who looks like this:

He starts out as a regular-looking guy, and then he becomes this blue creature who looks a lot like a prototype for Baby. The blue form is supposed to be nothing more than one of the phantoms created by Hatchiyack in the OAV, like the phantom incarnations of Frieza, Turles, Cooler, and Slug. But those phantoms looked the same as the originals. Why does Lychee look so different? Is this a form that Tuffles can naturally assume?

Which brings me to Baby and his "Tuffle Parasites". By the end of his run in GT, Baby basically identified as a Tuffle, rather than a creation of the Tuffles. When he started infecting Earthlings with his eggs, he called them Tuffles too.

Then you've got Kamin and Oren from Super Dragon Ball Heroes. Apparently they're considered "Neo Machine Mutants", which are Tuffles modified become like Baby, for lack of a better explanation. I'm not sure if this was established in the DBGT days or not, but I guess the current lore is that Baby, Oren, and Kamin were natural Tuffles who were augmented into the form we see here.

I guess what I'm driving at here is that the Tuffles seem to have a very broad definition of what a Tuffle is. For them, it seems to be more about a way of thinking and feeling than any particular appearance or body plan. A machine can be a Tuffle. An Earthling infested with a parasite can be a Tuffle. So maybe those miniature humanoids in DBZ #20 were just one more variety of Tuffle.

I get a real transhumanist vibe from the Tuffles, particularly from the notion of archiving their King's DNA into Baby, and the way Dr. Lychee continued to exist as a "Ghost Warrior" after his natural death. Oh, and the Tuffles of Universe 6 augmented Kamin and Oren. That wasn't for revenge, by the way, they just wanted to see if they could do it, and apparently Kamin and Oren were outraged enough by this that they turned on their creators. Throughout the Dragon Ball franchise, the Tuffles are known for their advanced scientific knowledge, and also for making all these freaky creatures.

And maybe they weren't all evil. I wouldn't go that far. But I get the feeling that their leaders welcomed the Saiyans to their world because they saw a potential resource that they could exploit. Maybe they just wanted the Saiyans to pacify the uninhabited parts of their planet, or maybe they though the Saiyans could help them against other enemies. But maybe they saw the Saiyans as potential test subjects for their experiments. Just a thought.

I don't think the Tuffles necessarily subjugated the Saiyans, but it might have been more of a case of rising tensions. They lived in separate parts of the planet, with the Tuffles in the cities and the Saiyans in the wilderness, but the Saiyans grew more numerous, and the Tuffles probably saw that as a threat, and the Saiyans probably started to wonder why they needed the Tuffles at all. A lot of things might have instigated the war, but it wouldn't surprise me if the flashpoint involved Tuffles experimenting on Saiyan prisoners. If something like that came to light, then it would become a matter of survival. The Saiyans would have to wipe out the Tuffles to avoid being "Tuffleized" or worse. And the Tuffles would have to crush the Saiyans in battle to maintain control of the planet. There could be no return to the status quo; it would have to be total war until one side was completely defeated.

Once the war began, it must have taken a long time for the Saiyans to win. King Kai said that the lunar cycle on Planet Plant was eight years, and that each full moon allowed the Saiyans to gain ground in the war. So this implies that it took several full moons to end the war, so the conflict might have lasted decades, or maybe even a century. There might have been a few armistices or truces during that time, as each side would want to try to regroup and get as much momentum as possible before the next full moon. At least, that's how I'm picturing it.

One causus belli that sticks out in my mind is that the Tuffles were apparently a spacefaring people, but the Saiyans couldn't do much in space until they made contact with the Arcosians, and then King Cold's organization. So maybe the Tuffles were purposely keeping the Saiyans confined to Planet Plant, either to prevent them from escaping, or to isolate them from other civilizations. The Saiyans would take this poorly, I'm sure. So that might have a lot to do with it.

To be sure, the Saiyans of this era were real rat bastards, no doubt. I'm sure a lot of Tuffles of the time would make the argument that they were trying to contain the Saiyans as a matter of self-preservation, or even for the good of the greater universe. But I also suspect that the Tuffles aren't just friendly-looking anime folks. Creatures like Baby, Hatchiyack, Kamin, and Oren give us a peek into their more inhuman qualities, qualities that the Saiyans probably knew firsthand. It's possible that King Vegeta thought he was the one doing the universe a favor when he wiped the Tuffles out.

Something else to consider, in Episode of Bardock, we meet the Plantians, who were apparently the original inhabitants of Planet Plant. At some point, they were gone, and the Tuffles were living there instead, and then the Saiyans showed up and wiped out the Tuffles. So what happened to the Plantians? Did they just migrate to another world, leaving Plant empty for the Tuffles to move in? Or did the Tuffles do something to them? Food for thought.

[tuhbanbuv]

Mad Rat Live AU: Part 1.5

Chapter 1.5

Retched

TW: Alcohol/Drunk Driving mention, Illness, Death Mention, Trauma mention, Medical mention, Cheating mention, Blood, Swearing. (This chapter might be too much for some people...)

Once his family becomes involved, Vane journeys deeper down the rabbit hole.

Imma be honest with you: writing this is a pain in the ass. Don't get me wrong, I love this series and I actually have stuff planned, it's just that I don't know how to fucking get it on paper. Don't know if that's my Attention Deficit Disorder or my laziness talking. I still feel kinda guilty not updating every couple of days, need to get control of that as well.

_____________________________________________________________

Alice looked down at the cage as she closed the door to the car. She held the cage in her lap after buckling her seat belt, carrying it as her husband started the car. She watched the sickly rat as it curled up into a blanket, resting in one of the corners.

“So, how did it go?” Ben asked. Alice glanced back at her daughter, watching as she buckled her seatbelt.

“According the Vane, little guy needed a heart transplant.”

“Do they even do that for rodents?”

“Vane said it was rare, but possible.” Alice explained. “You know him, he’s stubborn. If you give him roadkill, it’ll be up and walking after an hour.” She looked over at the cage, watching the rat’s shaky breaths. It’s nose seemed to twitch, as if it was smelling something.

“Didn’t think I’d be marrying the sister to a necromancer.”

“He’s not a necromancer.” Alice groaned. “Just very dedicated to his job. And I don’t want you saying that when he comes over for—"

“I won’t-!” Ben nervously chuckled. “Just…we’ve been married for ten years and I still know nothing about him.” Alice sighed, staring back down at the cage. She slowly stuck her finger through the bars, approaching the rat.

“Hey little guy…”

The rat remained unconscious, yet let out a weak hiss, shaking before he buried himself in the blankets. She raised her brow as her stomach dropped. The rat was scared, even if he couldn’t see her. He could recognize her scent as something hostile.

“Is Mr. Mousey awake?” Caroline asked.

“No, he’s still resting, sweetie.” Alice sighed. “I want you to be very careful with him when we get home. He seems a little aggressive.”

“Mr. Mousey is just scared!” Caroline replied. “Mr. Mousey was lost, and being lost is scary! I’m gonna make him not lost, and make him feel all better!”

Alice smiled after her daughter’s comment. Much like her brother, Caroline rarely got along with the other kids. She was surprised, seeing as how kind she was. She had trouble bonding with others, either talked over people or being talked over. She could barely look her own mother in the eyes, but she had no trouble playing and caring for the animals at the rescue.

“Just don’t be too loud with him.” She explained. “Don’t try to pick him up right away, give him some treats to get him to trust you first, just like we do with the other rescues.”

“Okay, mommy!” Caroline giggled. Alice sighed, looking down at the rat in the cage. Her brother, as secretive and cold as he usually appeared, was one of the most selfless people she knew. He wasn’t bad, just very shy. Of course, he had a good reason to be, one that Alice would only find out about barely a few years ago.

Even if she wasn’t at fault, she still felt guilty.

_____________________________________________________________

Vials clinked, clattering together as Vane examined the liquids. Drips of blood sandwiched between slides, magnified under the scope. He sighed, looking at the slides.

Long, spiraling creatures twitched as he stared. They looked almost alien, yet they seemed to resemble a parasitic infection. The parasites seemed to almost have legs, looking almost like centipedes. Yet, they were all too similar to the parasite Trichinella Spiralis.

“Good god.” Vane thought. He shook his head as he sanitized his hands. He was lucky enough to be sent some of the samples of the blood to analyze himself, but he didn’t feel so lucky in getting the results. It was easy to jump to conclusions about what happened.

The rat was infected with trichinosis, most likely during it’s time in the lab. The Trichinella spiralis parasite was known for causing myocarditis in untreated patients or after heavy infestations. Myocarditis, if left untreated, lead to heart failure.

“Hey, it’s Dr. Petrov. I’ve been trying to get ahold of you for days.” Vane only got a muffled answer from the other line. “Can you speak up? I can’t exactly hear you.”

“Vane, this isn’t a good time right now—”

“Sorry. Just got back with test results.” Vane sighed, pacing the kitchen. He nervously scratched the back of his head. “Found traces of Trichinella Spiralis, heavy infection in the blood. I’ve come to ask you if you found something similar in the biopsy?”

Silence, followed by clattering from the other side of the line.

“Y-yeah it…now that you mention it, it has a strong resemblance to…fucking hell…”

“You alright over there?” Vane asked.

“Yes, just…it’s been busy here, that’s all. Stress is getting to me.”

“Take the next shift off-!” Vane replied, sitting down at the kitchen counter. “You’ve worked more than I have. You can take some of my sick days if you need to—”

“No, Dr. Petrov. I…I’ll be fine.”

“Rebecca—” The vet interrupted. “I’ll take over the analysis, no worries. You deserve a break, especially after what happened.” The other vet sighed in the background of the phone call. “I’m…sorry for bringing it up.”

“No problem.” Rebecca sighed. “You’re…you’re right. I’ve just…I just…needed a bit of a distraction.”

“You doing okay?” Vane asked, fiddling with a pen he found from a bowl on the counter. “You can talk to me about anything, promise.”

“It’s been…rough. I just…is it something about my face? Do I talk to much or—”

“It’s nothing wrong with you. He was just a douchebag.” Vane sighed. “Men like don’t really think as much as they should.” Rebecca chuckled from behind the line. It was that one chuckle he could recognize, one that he shouldn’t have felt anxious about.

“God, I wish I met you five years ago.” She sighed. “World needs more men like you.” It was easy to hide his displeasure when it was just an audio-only call. He didn’t enjoy talking to his female coworkers. Not that he hated them, he just hated the reactions he got.

“Eh, I’m not perfect.” Vane muttered. “He’ll probably get what’s coming to him, even if it’s not immediate. Who knows, maybe one of his side-chicks will be a gold-digger?” He bit his lip before he could run off again. “Well, I should get going before I start rambling. Make sure to take a break, okay? If I see you at work again, I’m driving you home immediate—”

“Okay-!” Rebecca giggled. “Goodnight, Vane.”

“Night.” He made sure to hang up as fast as he could. He didn’t want to seem clingy by holding onto the call for a few more seconds before she’d hang up. He still worried if he was being rude doing so. Either way, he’d be anxious.

Vane hated how he gained the reputation of being a “chick-magnet” at his clinic. He couldn’t understand why, seeing as he rarely hung out with any of his coworkers, sticking to a more secluded life in his apartment. Although, his tattoos and facial scar were bound to raise some intrigue.

He tried his best to be polite. He didn’t like to see such negative reactions, and he didn’t want to be that guy. However, this tended to backfire a lot, and only attract more unwanted eyes.

Vane wished he could get the guts to say “no” for once.

Vane sighed, flipping through the news app on his phone. He’d hoped to find something, albeit something not too newsworthy, but funny enough to keep the current events off his mind. He’d hadn’t kept up with the news since the surgery on the rat. It wasn’t too healthy to keep oneself closed off like that.

As he scrolled, the news got older and older. He wanted to check in on everything he missed during that time. Though, he regretted it when he saw it.

Drunk driver causes truck accident off of highway…shocking photos…

This was strange. They had a low crime rate, a low DUI rate, too. This must have been serious. Vane clicked on the link, scrolling through the article.

According to the article, a truck driver had been swerving back and forth, until it swerved out of the way of a wild animal and young girl. The truck eventually tipped over with the man inside, who had to be pulled out by two bystanders. Luckily, there seemed to be no casualties, and the man was arrested due to failing a drug test and taken into police custody.

Before they loaded, Vane absentmindedly clicked on the photos.

His heart dropped as soon as they loaded.

In the road was his own niece, Caroline, sitting just a few feet from the tipped over truck. Tire marks indicated that the truck was driving towards her, and had barely missed her, backed up by the paragraph afterwards.

And right in her arms were the cat and rat.

He slowly felt a panic creeping up as he fell down a rabbit hole of news articles as he found a link on the bottom to the article linking to an update on the story.

Once it loaded, the title lit up a grim picture.

Local drunk driver found dead!

The driver of the truck was held in police custody that day. The driver exhibited symptoms of intestinal distress. Police were convinced that it was due to the effects of drugs or alcohol, when the driver began to show signs of psychosis and delirium before collapsing in his cell and becoming unresponsive. He was taken to a nearby hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Vane shook his head, feeling almost breathless as he clicked on another update link. Before he looked, he set down his phone and tried to calm his breathing. A thousand words, a thousand different thoughts rampaged in his head.

His sister informed him of a similar event over the phone, but at first he thought nothing of it. Car accidents are common, probably just a scrape on the bumper, he thought. But now, it was all too real for him. Just thinking of it, his own niece, Caroline, nearly being killed by a drunkard who just collapsed in his own cell. Just the thought of him losing her in such a quick fashion made him sick. It was strange to think how happy he was knowing the man was dead.

But surprisingly, that happiness turned to faint pity with the next update.

An autopsy report followed. Upon autopsy, the driver was found to be in multi organ failure due to an infestation of…

Trichinella spiralis.

Vane felt weak, sick to his stomach. He dropped his phone, before burying his head in his arms and trying not to faint.

Trichinella spiralis. The same thing the rat was infected with. The timeline didn’t work, but he was suspicious of a correlation. Of course, the rat was from a potentially illegal animal testing lab, perhaps it could’ve started there? Speculating would’ve gotten him nowhere. He had to phone the clinic of his suspicions. Even if it was nothing, it was better to come in for what could’ve been nothing than to ignore something serious.

_____________________________________________________________

[boop-le-snoot]

PARTY FAVOURS I CHAPTER 17

First time reader click here

TWs/Summary: Feelings! PTSD! Anxiety! Clint! Team bonding! Reader is a badass 😍 And comic book medical accuracy .

Un-beta-ed.

"It smells like a liquor factory in here," Bucky's voice came from the kitchenside, followed by noises of the team's arrival. Via portal, because the elevator made zero noise.

"I suggest you avoid the area around me and Clint. It might be contaminated." My voice sounded sharp to my own ears. I sat in silence for several hours, waiting for the team's return, while Clint restlessly dozed next to me.

My words caused the team to freeze in their tracks, owlishly blinking at me and at Clint laying sprawled on the floor, surrounded by plastic bags and biological hazard containment units. Tony's helmet swiftly covered his face - I heard muffled sounds coming from within, probably Friday's explanations. In seconds, the helmet retracted, showing an extremely worried Tony.

"How do you feel, Princess? Any weakness, any pain?"

"No symptoms, Tony. Just a fuckton of anxiety," I admitted, avoiding the concerned looks of Tony's teammates. "I almost drowned the room in alcohol but warned you just to be safe. Also, your alien pathogen protocol sucks."

"We made it so unauthorized personnel wouldn't get their hands on Thor's or Loki's blood samples," Bruce supplied meekly from where he was leaning against Steve, wearing a tattered hoodie and his hulk-out pants. "Off to decon we go," The scientist sighed. "Friday, code seven-zero-three-five-five. Pull up the data you gathered. In the shower." The man was exhausted, yet the call of science seemed to give Bruce a tiny energy boost. With newfound determination, he waddled to the communal showers, the rest of the team in tow.

Natasha's stare was truly unnerving. I was fully aware she and Barton had long history; the fact that I had to respond to one of the deadliest assassins if I had made even the slightest mistake - anxiety mixed with blind terror in me. I fought the nausea and the headache, focusing on Clint's hair between my fingers. His steady breathing.

He'd be okay. He had to be okay.

"You did great, Princess," The time passed in a blink. Bruce's warm hands were encompassing mine - gently pulling me away from Clint. I looked at Banner's face with unseeing eyes.

"I heard what Friday said and I can only applaud your quick thinking. You saved his life," Strange, sounding uncharacteristically quiet and bashful, parroted Bruce, hovering behind the scientist. His angular face was contorted in sorrow. "I believe I should apologize for dropping Barton onto you like that. I underestimated the extent of his injuries." The man sounded so, so guilty.

"I saved his life," I repeated in disbelief. Surely they were exaggerating.

"You did, malysh. For that, I am grateful," Natasha's hand found my own, squeezing briefly, before following Steve that had picked up a still-sleeping Clint, to, presumably, carry him to medical. "Come on, Banner, we need you."

Banner gave me a brief squeeze of his own, taking his leave, scurrying after Romanoff. I was left awkwardly standing in front of Strange, both of us disheveled and dazed.

"I ordered pizza," I said, just to fill the grim silence.

"Okay," Just like that, he snapped out of his trance, sitting down on the couch and picking up his food.

The others trickled in, Bucky, Pete, Thor, Loki, Sam, Wanda, Pietro. I saw it all like it was tinted by a thick fog. Their words made a jumbled cacophony when they reached my ears. Tony's arm around me - that woke me up, slightly. I focused on my favourite thing in the world - the faint smell of him, a mix of soap, machine oil and expensive cologne.

"She's shellshocked," Bucky suddenly said, pointing at me.

"No," I frowned. "No. I may be a fumbling idiot but I don't have PTSD."

Tony's breath stuttered in his chest. Promptly, I was turned around, a pair of intelligent brown orbs sharply gazing into my eyes. "Princess?"

"I'm so glad y'all are alright," I choked out, fisting the cotton of his shirt in my palm. "Even Stephen the asshole. Team bonding wouldn't be the same without his sarcasm," Hurrying to hide the fact that I was scared shitless, I did what I do best. I joked.

"Gods, you two are really a match made in heaven," Wanda's tired voice had 110% eye-roll in it. "So much self-deprication, almost as much as brilliance." The witch usually refrained from commenting on people's private thoughts. Usually, but not that day.

"I am relieved to know you hold me in high regards," Stephen's sarcastic remark made it's way around a mouthful of pizza.

Bucky's phone beeped. "They're saying Clint will be out in a few hours. No permanent damage, the gash on his leg won't scar and he's demanding Tony buy his saviour a cake," With a smile, the soldier read the text's contents out loud. "Also, the resident doc wants to hire you." Bucky pointed at me with a teasing grin.

"I, umm, I," Stammering, way to go. "I just - uh, I googled and I improvised? I'm not a doctor or a scientist, I'm a high school student," I replied, voice raising half an octave higher.

"Told you Tony, she's a friggin' genius," Peter sounded way too smug for someone who had a bruise half the size of his head.

"That she is," Tony's voice... Was different. It was honeyed and warm, blanketing me, surrounding me with safety. His arms tightened around me - not uncomfortably so, just enough to ground his presence in my personal space. I snuggled into him happily - he didn't mind at all. The cold glow and faint humming of his arc reactor calmed me. "Friday, cake. Princess cake from the bakery on Seventeenth."

Wow, Tony knew my favourite kind of cake. That was amazing.

"On it, boss." The AI immediately replied. "Well done, Miss." Friday addressed me with the same tone I heard in the lab. Gentle and understanding. It was so very strange.

We mulled around the living room until the pizza was gone and half the occupants were snoring away, dead where they sat. It was an unanimous decision to pull out the unfolding couch and form a cuddle pile of sorts - after such a long and grueling mission with one of their own facing the brink of death, all the superheroes were more than a little unsettled. I didn't exactly know where I fit in that. Obviously, all of them were close in one way or another. Even Loki and Stephen, seeing them get cussed out by Thor for attempting to leave was kind of amusing.

But it got me wondering. Maybe they felt like imposters, too? After all, I wasn't special. Loki wasn't considered a good guy. And Stephen was too much of a lone wolf. All three of us were comfortable alone, used to dealing on our own.

One look from Tony, Stark-patented puppy eyes, and I was making space for myself and for Stephen. Even if Loki insisted on grumbling all the way through, his exhaustion showed in the way he leaned on Thor's arm, using a weakly glimmering spell to summon himself a book and then closing his eyes for a moment.

Muted cheering broke out the moment elevator doors opened, showcasing a pale but smiling Clint held up on both sides by Natasha and Steve, Bruce half asleep on the blonde's other side.

"Looking pretty good for a dead bitch," Clint grinned in my direction.

I couldn't resist the bait. The boomer knew his memes, after all. "She's alive!"

He patted my leg, making his way to a free spot on the ginormous sofa bed. "Aw, pizza," He groused, spying the empty boxes.

"Should arrive in ten minutes," Bucky quipped, waving his phone. Then, the brunette super-soldier looked at me pointedly. "We usually order double after long missions."

"Duly noted, y'all hungry peoples." I said, filing it away for later. Thinking about more missions, more near-death experiences wasn't something I wanted to handle that very moment.

"So, uh, what exactly happened? My memory is pretty spotty," Clint demanded once he got his hands on some food.

"I also need to know. You're going to have to sign a statement and a mission report," Natasha stated apologetically.

I looked at her, confused. "Like... How many details do you need?"

Tony shifted beside me uncomfortably. I put a steadying hand on his leg - my palm was immediately dwarfed by his own. Natasha gave him a Look. "Fury's eyes only, but SHIELD needs to know how you figured out to neutralise a potential alien threat. Bruce ran some tests and this pathogen is... Pretty nasty, to say the least. It has the survivability to be classified as a potential weapon." Natasha's voice was apologetic, once more.

What have I gotten myself into? I was just trying to save a friend. "First of all, I'm not working for Men in Black, like, ever," I made the point to look her in the eyes. A brief moment later, she nodded. Tony relaxed, exhaling soundly. "Okay, get your reading glasses on. It went like this..." I retold the story, taking careful note to voice my thought processes as much as I remembered them. Save for a few surprised gasps and Tony haphazardly kissing the top of my head, the team gave me no interruptions.

Bruce was the first one to react once I was done. "But... How did you think of bloodletting? It's such an unusual solution," He mumbled more to himself.

"I've watched enough horror movies to know better than to introduce a foreign bacteria, such as antibiotics, to a person with an alien infection," I deadpanned, spying a satisfied smile on Stephen's face. "Worst case scenario, the substitution of infected blood with healthy would have diluted the amount of parasites or deflected their attention from eating away Clint's nerve endings. Him going bazinga from pain was my main concern," I admitted, the archer's pained cries once again filling my ears. The memory was still fresh.

"That makes sense," Bruce nodded.

"And what would you have done?" I asked, unable to withhold my curiosity.

"Sedated Clint while I examine the specimens," Banner replied with the obvious. "Then figure out how to cure the infection."

I nodded along slowly. "I considered that option but ultimately, I was too chicken to entertain the possibility of the parasites interacting with heavy sedatives. Fentanyl affects some of the blood components the parasites eat so only God knows how it might have ended."

Banner was impressed, that much was obvious. Tony's lips once again landed on the crown of my head, gentle and warm. More and more people in the room were giving me impressed, happy, grateful looks. It was strange and I squirmed in my spot, putting the half-eaten pizza slice back in the box, Steve immediately eyeing it in contemplation.

"Have at it, you human garbage disposal," I muttered, laying down comfortably. I was still shivering from the adrenaline rush and the soft blanket cocoon I shared with Tony and Stephen - their combined body heat under it - called to me like a siren.

"Are you well?" Loki noticed my state, casting a dark look over the edge of his book.

"Yeah, just cold. Us humans shiver when coming off an adrenaline rush," I remarked absently, pressing myself closer to Tony.

The engineer laid down, spooning me, tangling our legs together. We slept like that, all over each other, every time I stayed in his bed. It felt comfortable, like home, and nobody seemed to mind. Peter and Wanda, already snoozing away, were in a similarly indisposed state, octopus-ing their nearest teammates. Friends. Family.

My eyes drooped. My chest was about to burst with an odd sort of content - quiet, steady and welcoming. Tony's beard tickled my neck, breaths coming in soft puffs against my nape, spreading warmth all over me.

And there was something - someone warm in front of me, too, I could smell the sandalwood and spices of his cologne. Abandoning all reservations, I shamelessly wrapped both of my arms around a larger, more muscular one, taking note to avoid Stephen's scarred, sensitive hands. The flat of his tummy under my palm was rising and falling steadily, his breathing almost in sync with Tony's and mine.

All of us were safe and alive. It mattered to me, perhaps, more than I'd ever cared to admit out loud. As much as I refused to let them all in, for real and beyond silly gimmicks, they still wormed their way inside my heart, inside my brain. Not with long discussions and talking feelings - hell no, that's the hard and the boring shit, but with simply their presence.

Hugs. Mario Kart tournaments. Cake after I'd done good at something. Sunday morning pancakes for all. Homework. Sciencing together. Catching up on memes and just watching funny YouTube videos together. Playing Twister and Monopoly.

For the first time in my life, I had a stable presence. I belonged somwhere. It felt too good to deny, so once again, I allowed myself to be selfish.

✨ Taglist of my lovelies ✨ still open.

@another-stark-sub ​ @mostly-marvel-musings  @vozit ​ @littlegasps ​ @pilloclock ​ @shereadsinquiet @downeyreads @hermione-grangers-wife ​ @individualistfem ​ @sleep-i-ness @capbrie @lillsxd @agustdowney @dee-vn @justanotherblonde23 @fanngirl19 @persephonehemingway @softie-socks @schemefrenzy @letsby @cutenessloading

[justal0wk3yg4mer]

Things I’ve Said: [Prototype]  (Some Spoilers)

Hello all you amazing gamers and non gamers! [Prototype], and I can say this with no regrets, is one of my favorite games. It was actually the game that got me into gaming. My friend introduced me to it years ago. I never got to finish it, but the bits I played were fun. I thought the story was interesting and the protagonist was awesome. Couple of months ago, I saw the [Prototype] bundle on sale and thought why not. I’m a little hesitant to play the sequel, I’ve heard some things. If you guys think it’s worth it let me know. Anyway, on to my stupidity!

Me:                                                                                                                          *Player/My actions*                                                                                                Character dialogue

Oh fuck, I forgot how deep his voice was. 

*Trying to find the pause button and accidentally skipped the cut-scene.* Well fuck, I know what I’m going to be doing on accident a lot.

I forgot how much fucking chaos was in these first few scenes.

Now why would you think that your one measly bullet killed him after you’re buddies shot him up earlier?

*Breaks soldiers neck.* OOF...........I felt that.

Mission ‘Find out who you are’? That is too funny. Everyone watch out for Alex Mercer the tackling Alzheimer bioweapon. (Scrubs anyone?)

I am incognito! *Violently pushes people aside.*

The simple act of jumping building to building gives me anxiety.

I give that kinda unnecessary slow-mo landing a 9/10.

Excuse me sir, I’ve done more than 50 of your men. Wait, no, not like that.

Gliding is the best power in this game and if I somehow lose it, I will cry.

Why two? Bitch you know he’s not normal, get a sample from him and then get a sample from the hive.

*Watches a memory* Holy shit, y’all ain’t Blackwatch. Y’all are suicide squad.

I love McMullen’s face. He just like “Really? Really bitch?”  

You wanna get out? You’re takin’ me with you fucker.

I don’t know why but the OCD in me demands a perfect landing each time. Just because Mercer is some weird bio-thing doesn’t mean he has to have shitty landings.

How do you not have enough, that’s bullshit! Also I don’t like you, I don’t like what you just said and I don’t like how you said it. I’m 95% sure that she is gonna betray Alex.

Oh, there’s a parasite in him. That’s nice. Also............how?

What the FUCK is on your back?! Get that shit off.

How does one infect an infected?

There’s a tank on fire! I didn’t do it.

So wait, Alex is infected with a parasite. We had to go to find bodies for whatever reason, now we possibly have a cure but we have to find a SPECIFIC hunter to infect antibodies with. Eat said hunter and then be cured. I’m no scientists but come on now.

Alex: I’m back.                                                                                              And better than ever! You’ve unlocked a new skin.

Soldier: There are two types of war America doesn’t want to fight in, nuclear and this (viral outbreak).                                                               That.............was very chilling.

Aw, what a good sister! And now after a nice and heart warming moment, something bad will happen.

Y’all are some of the stupidest motherf*ckers I have ever evaded. And I’ve played Assassin’s Creed. 

Y’all gettin’ wrecked out here.

SEIZURE!!!!  

I gotta eat one of those ugly motherf*ckers?

Oh that’s a big boi right there. How much you wanna bet Dana is in there. *A minute later*                                                                                              Wow! Dana is in there. Shocking!

Elizabeth: We are the reason for everything.                                            Since when are you God bitch?

You know, after awhile I would think that Blackwatch would kind of understand what Alex can do. Run up the side of a building? Glide in the air? No one else can do that shit. But no, I can run up a wall in full view of soldiers and everything is fine.

Alex: *nervously* Okay, gotta play along. Roger HQ, en-route now.      I’m sorry but that was fucking adorable.

I am literally the dog on fire meme right now.

WTF is that noise?! *Waits a second* Holy shit, my controller is breathing.

*Watching a cut-scene and sees two Blackwatch soldiers walking in mid-air.*                                                                                                                That is some black magic BS. And there is no magic in this game!

All that work, and all I had to do was play dead.

Alex: Her unique genetic code.....                                                             She’s a redhead. We’re all types of fun.

Alex: I was made for this.                                                                           For fucks sake, I’m getting Thief (2014) flashbacks.

Oh well, that’s cool. Every time I die in this boss fight I get to watch Manhattan get bombed.

*Playing the boss fight for the 20th time and finally beating it.*                    YYYYEEESSSSS!!!! FUCK YOU CROSS!!!!

Mercer kinda pulled an Iron Man.

Huh. What an aesthetically morbid ending.

For this post’s tally, when you see it you’ll wonder why; if you play the game, you’ll figure it out:

I wasn’t doing anything!?!: 186                                                                                                       

[dershloopmain]

End Of Everything - Chapter 1

‘’Hey, Donnie! What’s the big idea, I was watching that!’’ Raph yelled as his brother clicked the remote, changing the channel from a cartoon he was watching to the news.

‘’Stop whining Raph, apparently, something big is going up there. April thinks we should check it out.’’ Donnie replied, rolling his eyes.

‘’Then go topside and have a look! It was just getting interesting too,’’ Raph took a dive for the remote, attempting to rip it out of his hand, failing miserably.

‘’Hey stop it you big baby,’’ Donnie said pushing Raph back with his foot, ‘’I’m trying to listen. You can watch whatever you want in a minute.’’

‘’Whatever,’’ Raph said defeatedly, slumping back in the chair and folding his arms.

‘’Oh my god…’’ Donnie said, causing his brother to look up confused. Then, he saw it.

‘’Leo, Mikey get in here!’’ Raph yelled, unable to take his eyes off of the news anchor.

‘’What’s the matter Ra-’’ Leo stopped, mouth open as he too became transfixed on the news report.

‘’What are you doing dude? Why are you just standing there like a-’’ Mikey was the last to realise.

Raph felt a pit open in his stomach. He wasn��t sure if he was going to hurl or cry as he listened to what the lady said.

‘’News just in: Over 1000 people have contracted the parasite, with the numbers rapidly rising. The people in the zombie-like state cannot hear you but have incredible eyesight so stay hidden at all costs. Do not try to interact with them, as even just a minor scratch could cause you to contract it and turn into one of those things. If you’re out on the streets, we here at CNN implore you to immediately seek shelter. There are emergency bunkers if you can not return home quick enough and if you can arrive home, lock the doors, border the windows and do not answer the door to anyone outside of your household. We will keep you updated.’’

‘’Oh my God,’’ Donnie repeated, his shoulder sinking and his leg bucked, causing Raph to fall onto the floor. Though he didn’t shout. Didn’t curse. Didn’t get angry. He stayed silent, besides a small ‘oof’ as he hit the floor, jamming his shoulder.

‘’I- What are we going to do?’’ Leo said quietly, walking over and sinking down next to Donnie.

Raph felt a pit open in the base of his stomach. What were they going to do? What about in 10 years? 20 years? 30 years? Did it even matter? Would they even survive? So many unanswered questions swirled around in his mind, a feeling of nausea overcoming his senses.

‘’I’m not sure,’’ Donnie replied softly, still unable to pry his eyes from the TV screen, ‘’We could leave the city? The farmhouse should be still available.’’

‘’I don’t know. Too risky.’’ Raph said from the floor.

‘’Riskier than staying here? New York is a huge city, Raph there are millions of people here. If they see us then there’ll just be more hysteria.’’ Leo said solemnly, a strange look on his face. A look Raph had never seen on his brother before. It was fear. Genuine, pure fear. It contorted his facial features in such a strange way it nearly scared him too. But he wasn’t scared. He couldn’t feel anything, it was disturbing. Sure, the situation was strange and he was mildly uncomfortable with Leo’s facial expression but… he wasn’t scared. Just nauseous. His head was pounding, which didn't help either.

‘’I don’t know I’m just thinking of the long term. Millions of people means millions of stores right?’’

‘’Yeah and millions of infected and millions of raiders. They’ll be nothing to raid. From the looks of things, people are already panic buying. Sure, they can get more stock but long term that’ll just mean more people hitting the stores for supplied when this whole thing gets out of hand.’’ Donnie chipped in, looking down at his T-phone, quickly tapping out messages to god knows who.

‘’Don, you’re great and smart and all but why the hell are you playing with your phone at a time like this?’’ Leo said sternly, looking over at his younger brother who was still looking down at his phone.

‘’First of all, thank you and second of all if you hadn’t noticed there’s a zombie virus currently taking over new york and assumably the world. I’m asking April and Casey if they and their families are ok.’’ Donnie said smugly. Raph smirked. At least one of them was coping well with this.

‘’I don’t know… I agree with Raph. It’s not like the farmhouse has a whole lot that we don’t. Besides, we’re pretty safe down here. Even then we could make some kind of topside stakeout. Like, convert a store or something. Then we can have a ton of supplies AND multiple backup plans,’’ Mikey said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. Everyone stared at him in disbelief.

‘’Wow Mikey that’s… actually really smart,’’ Donnie said with a grin. Raph and Leo nodded in agreement, smiling at him too. Mikey smiled back, rubbing the back of his head bashfully.

‘’I don’t know guys it’s not that smart,.’’

‘’It is though! Only April, Casey and a few mutants know we exist so it’s not like we have a high chance of infection. We also have plenty of food and resources down here and miles of sewers to hide in if needs be. Then, when we run out of supplies here in New York we can just go to the farmhouse. There’s that little store that had the weird dream book right? I doubt anyone will hit that. Even then we have chickens there and miles of woods. Food won’t be that hard to come by right?’’ Donnie elaborated, smiling proudly at Mikey.

‘’See little brother?’’ Raph chipped in, ‘’You aren’t a total screw up!’’ Mikey rolled his eyes. ‘’Thanks for the backhanded compliment bro.’’

‘’Any time.’’

‘’So… what do we do now?’’ Leo said, his eyes shifting around to every possible exit or entrance.

‘’I don’t know. Casey said his dad and sister were on their way to the hospital while the outbreak was happening. Turns out she was bit and uh… turned on his dad during the car ride. April said her dad was getting groceries and hasn’t heard from him in nearly 24 hours so she’s not exactly in a good state either. Should we pick them up and bring them back here?’’ Donnie said sadly, looking down at his phone. Evidently, no matter what anyone said he would bring them back to the lair so they all agreed.

‘’More heads may equal more mouths to feel but it also means more hands for supplies so yeah, why not,’’ Leo said with a shrug. Raph was unable to shake the eerie feeling Leo was giving him.

‘’Uh and they’re our best friends? Cold much Leo?’’ He said angrily. Even during the apocalypse he was still so… he wasn't sure but it was nothing good.

‘’Sorry for trying to think logically about the situation Raph. God even during the apocalypse you still won’t let anything I say slide will you?’’

‘’Nope,’’ Raph smiled sweetly.

‘’Good to know. On that note, you can go with Donnie to fetch April and Casey. Mikey and I will stay here to start prep the lair and try to figure out what food and supplies we need.’’ Raph rolled his eyes but nodded, standing to get ready to leave, when he heard a noise.

‘’Raph!’’ Donnie was shouting at him. Why did he keep shouting his name?

‘’What?’’ He responded, confused as to why he was even shouting. He was right next to him?

‘’Raph!’’ He shouted again, louder this time.

His eyes opened and Donnie stood over him, glaring. Great. Another stupid dream.

‘’What?’’ He said groggily, sitting up and stretching out his limbs, chasing away any fleeting relaxation sleep brought.

‘’Leo told me to wake you up. It’s your turn to do the supply run.’’

‘’It was my turn to do the supply run last week’’ Donnie shrugged. Raph sighed and got out of bed, grabbing his sai and bandana, wrapping it tightly around his eyes. The more he thought about it all, the worse he’d feel so, as per usual, he pushed it to the back of his mind and got ready to leave. Pulling his knee and arm pads on he took a deep breath, getting ready to face his older brother.

Slipping through the door, making sure his gear was all secure, he glanced at the large, decaying armchair Leo was sitting in, looking down on him. Nothing miraculous had happened overnight, he hadn’t changed. Raph wasn't sure what he’d expected to be honest. Nothing had changed over the last 6 months so why would it now? Leo’s eyes settled on him. Raph let out a small breath, praying Leo hadn’t heard it.

‘’Raphael, I trust Donatello has told you you’re duties for today?’’ Leo said flatly, his face unchanging.

‘’Duties? He told me about the supply run but nothing else.’’ Raph said, trying to keep the air of annoyance out of his voice but, as per usual, failing.

‘’Your duties are not only your supply run, but there’s a break in our defences. I want you to take Casey with you to check it out and make sure there’s no infected inside the barricade. Then fix it.’’

‘’That’s a four-man job, Casey and me can’t do that alone I-’’ Leo cut him off with a stern glance. He knew what would happen if he continued like this, so he shut his mouth, ‘’Fine.’’ Clenching his fists, he walked out, making sure to not slam anything. He knew what would happen if he did, and he didn’t feel like facing that punishment again.

Raph walked to Caseys room and poked his head around the hung blanket that served as a door.

‘’Case? You up?’’ Raph said, stepping into his friend’s room.

‘’I am now. What’s up?’’ Casey said with a yawn stretching his arms out.

‘’I gotta go on a supply run and Leo wants you to help me fix some ‘hole in our defences, ’’’ Raph said mockingly.

‘’So you want me on your run too?’’

‘’Possibly.’’

‘’Shoulda just said so bestie!’’ Casey said, jumping up from his mattress on the floor. Raph groaned and rolled his eyes.

‘’Stop it. We gotta go soon or Leo will throw a tantrum,’’ Casey winced. He knew what Leo could be like if he got mad and didn’t want to be on the receiving end of another ‘’tantrum’’ as Raph put it. Raph saw Casey’s calm and fun demeanor deflate before his eyes and he felt his own disappear too. That's what happens when your older brother is a tyrant he supposed.

‘’You got it,’’ He replied, beginning to pull on his own protective gear over his muddied and bloodied clothes.

Once they got to the surface, they breathed in the fresh air. Raph had to admit, a zombie apocalypse wasn’t ideal, but the pollution levels were lower than ever. The air smelt so… clean and that’s one thing he never thought he’d say that in New York.

It’d been 6 months since the world had been overrun by the infected, and 3 since the hierarchy had been ‘established’. By established, he meant enforced. Leo was at the top, then Donnie and April, then it was Mikey and Casey. Last but most certainly least it was him. Something had changed in Leo in the last 6 months and Raph didn’t like it, not only because it meant he was the one having to risk his life for the rest of them, but also because he just wanted his big brother back. The big brother that could take a joke and care about him, even if he was a complete ass sometimes. The big brother that had his back, no matter what. The big brother he once had once known though, was gone. He let out a sigh, one that didn’t go unnoticed by Casey.

‘’What’s on your mind man?’’ Casey said, slinging his splintering bat over his shoulder.

‘’I don’t know. Just fuckin’... Leo man. He’s so up himself but I’m genuinely worried. This entire thing is getting to his head seriously. You’ve seen how he’s been? On top of that, he’s been such an ass to me. It’s always me doing supply runs and me risking my shell just to get some more stuff for everyone. It’s not even like we need it! We have plenty in the sewer. Besides, I don’t think he even cares that much. He’s so cold I just… I miss my brother ya know man?’’ Raph lowered his head, refusing to let this moment of emotion overtake him.

‘’I know dude,’’ Casey said, looking away too, ‘’I just… it’s hard. I don’t even know if my sister is still alive. Well to an extent. What if someone… you know. Same with my dad. Gotta admit, this whole zombie apocalypse thing totally blows a lot more than the movies and tv shows made it look.’’ He wiped his gloved hand over his eyes, sniffing slightly. Raph looked over, his face falling.

‘’Hey man, c’mon,’’ He said softly, wrapping his arm around his friend’s shoulder, ‘’I’m sure they’re fine. We’ll find them and save them, no matter what. Donnie’s working night and day on the cure and has been for months, it can’t be long now until he has it working!’’ Raph said encouragingly, shaking Casey a little. He let out a small, less enthusiastic laugh.

‘’Yeah I hope so,’’ He looked up and smiled at Raph, something behind him catching his attention, ‘’Hey we’re here,’’ he said, pointing over his shoulder to the small corner store. They were surprised it hadn’t been hit initially, considering how open and obvious it was, but to be honest, they weren’t complaining.

‘’What do we even need anyway?’’ Casey said, pushing open the door.

‘’Shit if I know. I think we’re running low on some first aid stuff so we could just grab some of that. We could also grab some more luxury stuff like candy or something.’’

‘’Ooo yeah sure. Sounds good. April was saying she was getting bored, I’ll see if they have any stationary stuff. Then D was saying he needed more coffee so I’ll get that too. Anything you want me to grab you Raph?’’ Raph thought for a second before replying.

‘’Nah I’m good. I was gonna get Mikey some gummy bears or something so I’ll see if they have anything good.’’

‘’Suit yourself,’’ Casey said, crossing his arms behind his head and scanning the shelves with his eyes, looking for what he wanted.

Raph walked over to the register and looked behind it, his eyes wandering to a jar full of gummy animals. Mikey would love that. He walked behind the register and snagged it from the shelf, tucking it safely into the bag slung over his shoulder.

Suddenly, a noise came from the backroom. Something… falling? He looked over at Casey to see if he’d heard it too. The panicked look on his face told him everything. Raph motioned for him to be quiet as he pulled his sai from their position at his waist and slowly walked towards the closed wooden door. Twisting the handle ever so slowly, he peeked in, scanning the darkroom for signs of movement. Raph smirked and turned out, looking at Casey.

‘’All clear. I think we’re going stir-’’ Raph was cut off as he was yanked back into the darkness, only able to let out a small yelp before he came crashing to the ground.

‘’Raph!’’ Casey yelled, taking a running jump and throwing himself over the counter towards the door, pulling it open all the way.

‘’Get off me you freak!’’ Raph yelled, pushing the infected away with all his might, but it was persistent, snapping and lurching towards him. Casey swung his bat in a downward arch, pushing it further towards Raph.

‘’Dude! Away from me! Not towards you dumbass!’’ Raph screamed, pushing the creature back off him as it clawed and lurched forward again, taking him by surprise. He let out a yelp as he pushed it back again.

‘’Sorry man!’’ Casey shouted back, this time using his bat to scoop the thing off his friend, throwing it into a corner and beginning to bash its already decaying head in.

‘’You ok Raph?’’ Casey asked, looking over his friend before taking his hand and helping him back to his feet.

‘’Yeah,’’ He said, gulping air down, ‘’I’m alright.’’

‘’You didn’t get bit or scratched or anything?’’ Casey said cautiously, his eyes scanning Raph cautiously, taking a couple steps back.

‘’Not that I know of. He had a good go at it though, I’ll give him that.’’ Casey snorted, slinging his bat back into his backpack.

‘’Let’s just get what we need and get out of here. Probably attracted more with your girly screaming.’’

‘’Who are you calling girly Jones? You screamed way more than I did,’’ Raph said, punching Casey on the shoulder.

‘’We’ll call it even.’’

‘’Shit! The gummies! I hope I didn’t smash the jar when I fell back. Mikey’d love those,’’ Raph said, pulling his backpack around his body and opening it, checking the jar was fine.

‘’I just gotta grab Red something. I’ve got the coffee and stuff so we should be good to go.’’

‘’Yeah. I’ll probably grab some chocolate or something. See if Leo wants any.’’ Raph walked over to the chocolate selection on the counter. Though sparse, there were some decent choices. Grabbing a couple of crunchie bars and snickers, he stashed them away in his bag and checked he had everything. Only his sai where missing. He must’ve dropped them when he was attacked. Jumping the counter, he swung the door open again and saw them in the middle of the floor, the once cleanly wrapped handles decaying, the perfect shiny metal scuffed and marked, on the verge of rusting. He sighed and picked them up, looking back over at the zombie that lay on the floor, its brain splattered on the tiles. The grey-green skin was eerie but… so human. Raph wondered if he had been the owner of the store before all this. Most of his lower body was gone, it seemed to cut off just above his pelvis. It was nearly disturbing… but after 6 months of this, you get desensitised to the excessive violence.

‘’You ok man?’’ Casey said behind him, startling him out of his thoughts.

‘’Yeah. I'm good. Lets… just go home.’’ 

[harrylee94]

Log Entry XXXXXX - Chapter 4

Summary: A new space station, complete with the most high spec and up to date technology there is to offer, has been set up at the edge of the known universe, a new way point for explorers to keep in contact with the rest of the human race. It has been carefully designed by the best scientists and engineers Earth could offer, and now 7 brave souls are being sent out to ensure everything works perfectly.

However, when Logan wakes from cryosleep from the journey, he is informed that several things are now in need of repair, though everything had been in perfect working condition when the station had been reconstructed before he and his crew had arrived. They will have to solve the problems they’ve been left with before the station is up and running, and yet Logan can’t help but feel he’s done this before…

Relationships: Intrulogical (Remus/Logan)

Warnings: Blood, Gore, Parasites, Remus having an overactive imagination, It’s an Among Us crossover so there will be bad stuff afoot.

A/N: This was so difficult to write, partly because I got a job, but mostly because it was emotionally draining.

For those of you who don’t know, this story is based off of a comic by @fangirltothefullest which I HIGHLY recommend you check them out on the link above! Their art is AMAZING.

Note to everyone before we begin; there will be graphic descriptions of gore, dismemberment, possibly torture, and any other awful things that come with the territory of writing a story in an Among Us universe.

Link to; Part 1 Part 2 Part 3

To read it on AO3 please click here.

Chapter 4: Log Entry #14

Stardate: October 17th XX20. 6:20 AM

Logan watched Remus as he prepared their breakfast of pesto spaghetti, holding his coffee in hand. He had re-lived this day a dozen times over now, each time a little bit different from the last, but always ending the same; with his death. He had tried to keep people away from the Medbay a few times, but no matter what he did the creatures always found a new host. As far as he knew Roman, Virgil, Patton and Orange had all been in that destructive path, and he had seen what those Things had done to his friends a small handful of times, but never what they looked like before.

He had put off going there himself to see if there was any other ways he could discover more about these beings other than what they could do once they had latched onto their host -- or so he’d been telling himself, as fear wasn’t logical, especially considering all other logic had decided that it didn’t want anything to do with Sanders Station -- but now he knew he would have to do it. He had to see what it was, what they did, and perhaps then he would be able to make a more competent and effective plan to combat them.

He noted Remus giving him a worried look and tried to give him a reassuring smile in return. He had told him, as he had almost every time since the first, and every time Remus would try to comfort him with his presence, though those looks were something that could never be avoided. He was starting to hate them, even though he knew there was nothing more than concern and love behind them.

The familiar bowl slid into place in front of him, fork sticking out of the steaming nest of noodles in the middle, and Remus slid into the seat beside him, digging into his own breakfast. Food was always a distraction, a way for Remus to gather his thoughts, and while this wasn’t his usual comfort food, the way he was eating it implied as much.

“So what are we going to do?” the man asked, mouth full of yellow-green mush.

Logan sighed. “We’re going to do something that will likely end in one, or both, of us becoming the host to some parasitic alien lifeform and use our bodies to murder all of our friends.”

Remus hummed as he continued to eat. “Sounds like fun.”

“No it doesn’t.”

Remus hummed again, swallowed, and took another bite, getting bits of pesto on his cheeks as he slurped up the pasta. “I’ll go in first.”

“Remus-”

“That way you’ll be able to see what it is and what it does.” Remus met his gaze. “If we do both go, then you should at least get as much out of this as possible. Before the restart I mean.”

“I don’t even know if there will even be a ‘restart’ if I do this.”

“But you’re doing it anyway,” he said as he played with his pasta, picking some of it up with his fingers. “You were going to go in there on your own.”

“What?” How did he-? “I didn’t say that.”

“You didn’t have to. I know you, Logan. You would go in there on your own if you didn’t know I’d follow you.”

“You didn’t the first time.”

“I didn’t know the first time,” Remus said and shoved his handful of pasta in his mouth. “Eat up, Logie-Bogie. And don’t even think about not telling me in the future! I know when you’re hiding something from me, and then I’ll hound you like a goblin shark attacking the corpse of a sperm whale that’s rotting and bloated after it’s sunk to the bottom of the ocean.”

While the imagery was slightly obscene, Logan knew he was telling the truth and he sighed. “I hate you.”

“Love you too my adorkable nerd.”

_______________________________

Stardate: October 17th XX20. 7:10 AM

Acting like everything was normal was perhaps one of the most difficult and stressful things Logan had ever done, especially since he knew Janus had noticed that something was wrong almost immediately. Luckily, all the man had done was raise his eyebrow at him in question but had ultimately let the matter drop and everyone had gone off to begin their tasks in peace.

This time, however, Virgil was helping Janus in the Communications room. Within hearing distance of Roman.

Remus had picked up one of the empty fuel containers from storage once everyone had gone their separate ways and was holding it as a make-shift weapon. It would more likely cause a small distraction than do any real damage, but it made the both of them feel safer, if only by a little.

The Medbay was a bright room, the lighting reflecting off of the white walls and bed sheets that slowly came into view as they approached the doorway. Every door had been left open in the Station for a reason that Logan could not fathom. He had wondered previously why this might be but now he was simply grateful for the chance to see into the room before the doors opened.

As they had both expected there was no sign of the aliens; it was simply a well kept medical area with beds on either side of the room, scanners and a supply cupboard. Remus stepped in first, having to push Logan back though as the scientist still didn’t want Remus to be his guinea pig, willing or no.

“Doesn’t look so bad in here,” the moustached man said, crouching down to look under the beds before moving on towards the end. “Bit disappointing they don’t have a proper lab though. Would have been cool to have all the autopsy equipment available. Even some of the old stuff would have been good. Less refined but it gets the job done.”

“That was due to be added later,” Logan noted absentmindedly as he followed slowly behind, eyes darting over every surface. Where were they? What kind of space could they occupy? Were they like an octopus, able to fit through any hole with little limitation, or were they a larger mass? “When the rest of the crew arrives.”

“Weird scanner,” Remus said as he looked at the pad in the corner of the room. Logan had seen designs of it of course, and would probably have been more excited in a more ordinary situation, but as it was it had just become another new piece of information. “I wonder how they would scan people who can’t stand up. That’s ableist, that is.”

“They probably have a handheld one somewhere,” Logan said, eyes landing on the vent covering to his right. “Remus.”

“Hm?” Remus said, turning to him and letting his eyes fall to where he was pointing. “Yeah, I recon that would do it.”

“There’s a few of them around the Station,” Logan said, noting how large it was. While he personally wouldn’t be able to fit through it, and neither would any other human aboard the ship, the evidence he had of what these creatures could do implied at least some mutation ability. “I’ll have to look up the schematics to see where each of them lead and which ones connect.”

“Can you do that on your tablet?” Remus asked, pulling Logan away from the vent by the back of his suit.

“I expect so.” Logan allowed his partner to step in front of him and pulled the device out, knowing Remus would keep an eye on things.

He never looked away from the room for more than a few seconds, but he opened the files on his tablet, huffing in annoyance when he found that what he’d wanted wasn’t there. He was able to connect to the main systems of the Station wirelessly though, and he decided to download all the files that were available for public use. As soon as the schematics were downloaded he opened it, letting the other files download in the background as he looked at the designs.

“This vent is connected to Electronic and Security,” he said, following the lines that had been left. “There are also vents connecting the Upper Engine room and the Reactor, the Lower Engine room and the Reactor, Weapons and Navigation, Shields and Navigation, and the cafeteria, Admin and the hallway between Shields and Navigation.”

“Huh, it’s like this place has been infected with woodworm,” Remus noted. “Do you think if we leave it a bit longer there’ll be even more? Can you imagine that? THe Station falling to pieces because of an infestation of space-worms?”

Logan gave Remus and unimpressed look.

“What?”

He shook his head and looked back at the tablet when it beeped. The download had completed, and it seemed that everything had been… Wait. “Log Entry One?”

Remus glanced at him, curious. “Did the other guys leave a message?”

“No it…” He opened the file and could only stare at it. “I wrote this.”

“... Read it to me?”

“Um, alright,” Logan said and opened the file. “‘ I'm not entirely sure why I'm writing this, but I've had this strange feeling all day. I do not usually allow emotions to cloud my judgement in such a way, and I expect it is perhaps a result of my time in stasis, but everything feels, for the lack of a better word, rehearsed. I know that what I am feeling is simply the imbalance of chemicals in my brain, not in small part due to the dream I had, but I still can't seem to part with this feeling. I hope it will pass, but for now I will have to endure it.’” He blinked at the screen a few more times before putting it away. “The station saved it.”

“When did you write that?”

“The second time we arrived.”

“How the fuck does that even work?”

“I don’t know. How does the whole Time Loop work? It’s not something I’ve really looked into!” He’d been a little more focused on trying to keep everyone alive. The science behind this impossible situation came second to survival and getting back to normal in his opinion.

Remus snorted, looking back at the vent again. “At least now you know you can make notes or whatever so you don’t have to remember everything.”

“That would be useful,” Logan had to conceded, “but I can’t do that now. We have to be prepared.”

“Right,” Remus agreed. “Could be a long wait.”

_______________________________

Stardate: October 17th XX20. 9:47 AM

Logan had ended up writing up some notes on the last few days after all, unable to hold his concentration on waiting for an attack he didn’t know when to expect for a prolonged period of time. Remus had been handling it a little easier, but he his attention had started to wane after the first half an hour, and so they took turns on watch after that, Remus getting through the tasks that needed completing while it was his turn to rest.

They had fallen into a content silence after a while, only broken up by short bursts of conversation, but now it had been over two hours since they had first entered the room and both of them were getting antsy.

“You said the first one was around ten thirty,” Remus said as he kicked his legs over the side of the bed he was waiting on, the fuel container in his lap and his chin resting on his hand. He was still watching the vent, but the boredom was obvious.

“Approximately that time, yes,” Logan replied as he finished the last of his notes; there had been many observations he had to get down after all. “I can’t be certain though as I have not had the chance to record that time.”

“Well, it probably means that it’s going to turn up soon,” Remus said, pulling himself up to his feet. “Though it does depend how quick the process is. And if they’re even going to come for us.”

Logan paused in his typing. “What makes you say that?”

“We have been watching the vent  almost constantly. That doesn’t give them much of a chance to strike, and I bet they’d want to surprise their victims. Though if there’s two of them and they’re pretty agile then they might just do it anyway. Or maybe they’ve been figuring out a way to trap us in here.”

As horrifying as that last statement was, it was possible. These creatures had to be intelligent otherwise they would not have been able to get away with some of the murders Logan had witnessed. He looked towards the door, trying not to make monsters out of shadows, but when he saw something move he jumped to his feet.

“Remus!” he started, but that was all he got out before the door slammed shut.

"Shit," Remus said, hopping from his seat as well and holding the container ready, but in the moment of distraction the vent had opened.

At first Logan thought it was grey in colour, very similar to the metal of the ground, but then it almost shimmered and he realised that it was more of a camouflage like that of a chameleon. It reminded him of an octopus, limbs like tentacles and they stretched out from the vent, only to congeal into a mass before growing all over again. It was more of a mass of something that shifted and changed as it wanted, but never into any true form.

And then it jumped.

Remus whacked it out of the air with the container, the hollow sound of the plastic echoing through the room as it hit the wall with a wet splat, but it wasn’t phased. If anything it seemed to get angry, if the way it formed sharp pincers seemed to indicate was correct. Remus braced himself again as it bunched up, ready to pounce, and swung once again. This time, however, it caught the container with those pincers, and reached for Remus’s hand.

He dropped it and kicked it away, backing up into Logan who was trying to get the doors open with little success.

“How soon can you get the door open?” he asked, voice barely hiding the panic as the creature started curling around the beds.

“I-I need thirty seconds,” Logan said, frantically typing at his pad.

“I don’t think we have thirty seconds,” Remus breathed, and Logan looked up to see the parasite prepare for its third attack. Logan could see what Remus was about to do, could picture it in his mind’s eye, and when his partner turned his head Logan could see the pain and regret in his gaze. “I love you.”

“Remus, Remus no !” Logan cry, but it was too late.

The creature made contact with Remus’s chest as he rushed forwards, taking it with him as he crashed into the far wall. Logan watched, clutching at his tablet as Remus gasped, his hand holding the spot the parasite had been, but in its place was a hole, torn through the thick fabric of the suit, red staining the edges of the tear.

Logan was frozen, the horror paralysing him as Remus wheezed and coughed, his eyes wide as he stared blankly at the ground. He doubled over with a garbled scream, falling to his knees a moment later as blood seeped into other spots of the suit, the green turning a dark brown. He fell forwards, the screen of his helmet hitting the floor and he rolled to his side, body twitching and tensing as though he were having an attack, the noises from his throat were strangled, choked.

And then he fell still.

Tears had fallen silently down Logan’s cheeks as he’d watched his partner’s, his love’s, his heart’s agony, and still more fell as he watched his stillness. He knew he should have been trying to open the door, knew that the man before him was no longer Remus, but he was stuck.

An agonising minute passed, but as it did threads of matter, dark and sharp, spun themselves around Remus’s body, not unlike that of a silk worm, creating a thin layer that corroded matter, the human shape sagging before filling out again. The blackness of the tread faded into the green of Remus’s suit, his figure clean and whole, as though the last five minutes hadn’t happened, and Logan heard it breathe.

A finger twitched, then a leg, and for a few moments the thing in Remus’s form stretched before pushing itself up onto his feet. It looked down at its stolen hands, curling them experimentally. Then it looked up.

Logan knew that it would look like him, but seeing Remus’s face staring blankly at him was enough to tear him from his stupor, and he tried frantically to turn back to the door.

“Lo-gan,” it said using Remus’s voice, the tone lilting and sing-song. “Oh love of my life. My sweet, bleeding heart.” Hands grasped at his wrists and squeezed, forcing him to release the tablet, which smashed against the ground. “What’s wrong?”

“You… you…” Logan tried, but found the words were almost stuck in his throat.

“Me what?” Not-Remus asked, giving him a sharp smile, mocking and threatening. “You can tell me. You can tell me anything, remember? You trust me.” It pouted. “Don’t you trust me anymore?”

“You’re not Remus.”

The creature stared blankly at him for a few moments before Logan felt something wrap around his arms, his legs, his middle, and he looked down to see that the creature that Remus had become was using its tentacles to hold him in place. He tried to struggle but it was no use.

It grinned.

“You know too much.” It leaned in closer, Logan gasping as his helmet was removed and Not-Remus’s melted away, his lips brushing against Logan’s ear. “You’ll be the perfect host.”

“No,” Logan said, tugging harder at the limbs, but still they wouldn’t budge. “No. No! Let me go !”

Not-Remus tilted his head to the side, giving Logan room to see the vent opening and a second parasite crawled out. Logan squirmed as it came closer, vanishing from his sight for several moments before it crawled into sight on Not-Remus’s shoulder. He tried to turn away, but the Thing used Remus’s hand to hold his jaw open, a tentacle wrapping around his head to hold it steady, and the parasite lunged.

It might have looked slimy, but there was nothing smooth about it as it entered; sharp claws ripped at his tongue, stretching and tearing down his esophagus, piercing every organ along the way. His breath gurgled in his lungs as they began to fill with his own blood, his heart stuttered as it was clawed at and torn, his kidneys were ruptured, he burned as his stomach was sliced open.

And all the while his lover’s face watched on with glee as the agony engulfed him completely.

_______________________________

Stardate: October 17th XX20. 10:03 AM

Logan exhaled, opening his eyes to find Remus stood before him, a smirk on his lips and his hands grasping Logans upper arms to keep him steady as he ensured that his body would function properly. Once he was sure he could hold his own weight he gave Remus a look and he was allowed to stand on his own.

“There are five others on this ship, and they do not belong,” he said, which only made Remus bounce excitedly on the spot.

“I know! We should pull their intestines out through their assholes. Oo! Or maybe we could pull them apart piece by piece! Wouldn’t that be fun?”

Logan sighed. He should have expected as much from him. “As long as they end up dead I don’t care.”

Remus giggled and headed towards the vent. “I’ve got Orange!”

“Then I shall find Janus,” Logan said, picking up his tablet with a wrinkled nose. It was cracked beyond repair unfortunately, so he left it on the bed nearby and followed Remus to the vent; he wouldn’t be able to open the door without it after all.

Remus held the hatch open with a flourished bow, allowing Logan to detangle his human form and slip into the airway with ease, creeping through until he reached a new opening.

He stepped back into his human form in the Electrical room and moved past the various beeping and flashing lights on the walls, demanding that someone pay attention to them, heading out into the corridor. The walk to Communications didn’t take too long and Logan soon found himself stood behind Janus as he fiddled with something on the screens, his suit undoubtedly hooked up to the network so he could hear the radio.

The man in yellow only had a few moments to stiffen before Logan sharpened his right arm and shoved it through Janus’s back, pinning him to the desk as he sent furter tendrils out like a web through the rest of the body. He listened impassively to the choked noises of his death, waiting patiently for his heart to stop and his breathing to end before withdrawing his arm and returning his shape to its previous form with no evidence of blood.

Humans were so fragile, and could be so messy when they died. Janus was no different and his body was crumpled at his feet. With barely another glance he turned and left the room, going in search of his next victim.

Roman was in the room next to Communications, working on something under the main walkway. It would have been the perfect opportunity to attack, but he still needed time to recover from his exerting experience; creating a form like he'd just done to dispose of the yellow one was tiring and unusual, and this body wasn't used to it.

He waited, listening to the sounds of tools being used and dropped into tool boxes as his strength returned, pleased that this one knew how to clean up after itself. The sound of tunes from the cartoon show Steven Universe being hummed was less pleasing though, even if it did show that Roman was an adequate singer. It didn’t take too long before he felt he was ready to act though, and he knocked on the wall.

“Roman?”

There was the jangle of something being dropped and the man in red looked out from beneath the walkway.

“Microsoft Nerd!” Roman exclaimed in surprise as he pulled himself out. “I wasn’t expecting to see you here.”

"Yes, well, I have found that I am in need of your assistance," Logan replied, giving him a smile. "However, you seem to be busy. I can come back-"

"No! No, it's fine," Roman replied hastily, just as he knew he would, and he started to climb up onto the main path."It's mostly just me wanting to make sure everything's fit for a king." He puffed his chest out a little, probably in order to show pride, but Logan wasn't really paying attention.

"I'm sure it will be the best it can be under your care," he said with a nod. "Are you sure I can pull you away?"

"Positive," Roman said with a grin. "What seems to be the problem?"

"Well, to be perfectly blunt; it's you."

Roman blinked, his grin slipping. "... Excuse me?"

“Oh not you specifically,” Logan clarified with a nonchalant wave of his hand. “I mean you in general. Humans.”

“I… don’t understand,” Roman said, the corner of his mouth curling. “Is this some sort of a joke?”

Logan hummed, growing tired of the conversation, and struck. He unfurled again, tentacles stretching out and his body splitting into a gaping maw. Roman’s fight or flight reflexes were a little slow, but that only gave Logan more time to hold him. He’d bitten Roman’s head off just as he’d started to scream.

“Roman?”

Logan pulled back into his human form, looking towards where the voice had come from. It must have been Patton or Virgil, who must have been in Navigation together. It wasn’t too far from here, and the sound must have travelled. He should have been quicker.

Dropping Roman’s headless body Logan turned and ran, fleeing from the scene. A few moments later he heard the scream of horror he’d been expecting and the alarm for a meeting blared throughout the halls. It seemed his incompetence might actually help them after all.

Less than five minutes later and he was stood with Remus opposite Virgil and Patton, who were both looking around at the doors in fear.

“Wh-where are the others?” Virgil asked, cheeks gaunt and his body shaking in fear. “They should be here. Where are they?”

“They’ll be here soon,” Patton said, sniffing a little as he wrapped his arm around Virgil’s shoulder, only for the man in purple to pull away and hunch his shoulders as he curled his arms around himself. “Kiddo?”

“He… His head was…” Virgil gulped, his breathing becoming erratic as he looked between each of them. “It was one of you!”

“Virgil, please-”

“You killed him! You killed everyone !”

Remus chuckled as Virgil started to back away. “You were the one who set off the alarm,” he said, and his chuckles turned into giggles. “You set off the alarm to call everyone here, even though you thought one of us killed everyone?” He was all out laughing now, and even Logan had started looking at him with a frown. “How stupid can you get, Emo?”

“Remus!” Patton said, aghast and looking sickly. “How can you laugh in a situation like this? Your brother is dead!”

Remus continued to laugh to himself for a few moments before he dropped the facade entirely and grinned at them, his teeth sharp and gaze predatory. “Because you’ll be joining them!”

The two remaining humans did not get far before Remus caught them, and Logan helped him paint the walls red with their blood.

_______________________________

Stardate: October 17th XX20. 6:00 AM

The light of the cryodeck grew steadily brighter, and the hum of the ship was soothing, but Logan couldn’t see it through his tears, couldn’t hear it through his sobs and screams, and he tried desperately to rub the feeling of blood from his skin, scratching at his arms and cheek until something grabbed his wrists.

“Logan! Logan ! It’s okay! It was just a dream!”

Logan froze, choking on a sob as he looked up at Remus -- at his human, beautiful, loving partner with nothing but concern and love in his eyes -- and shot up into his arms.

“That’s it,” Remus soothed rubbing at his back and kissing his temple. “I’ve got you. I’ve got you.”

Logan could only cry into Remus’s shirt as the screams of his friends haunted his thoughts.

[ziotsu]

time to write out literally all my thoughts as someone who can’t read Japanese!

I actually saw the first few pages when people were posting them because apparently the first half of the chapter comes out the second week? I didn’t post my thoughts cause I wanted to do them all at the same time

Page 1! Well this is fun, I absolutely love the expressions in this manga (I feel like me going on about the art in this manga is going to be a theme lol). But the subtle differences between how Ashiya looks and how he looks when Sakae is controlling him are amazing. And it isn’t just the eye color, but just everything with how Sakae acts and carries himself (face included) really is awesome. And it doesn’t feel like just slapping a new face on Ashiya’s body, I genuinely can see Ashiya making this expression when Sakae isn’t possessing him (if he wasn’t such a cinnamon roll). Also the shock on Abeno’s face is not something we see too often. He has his normal shocked face but this feels more raw than in the past? Like his eyes seem wider and the way his hair is makes it seem like he basically just did a double take. MMMMMMMMMM this is good shit. But story wise, I assume this page is just restating the fact that you really don’t wanna use influence on a parasitic shrub possessed demon.

Page 2 and 3! Abeno know’s what’s up, or at least it seems so. It would be more surprising if he didn’t tbh. Also I wonder if Sakae kind of knew this was going to happen? Considering he was trying to keep them away, I assume he did. At the very least he does not seem shocked at all to see Aoi like that at all. Speaking of Aoi, they are def trapped where they are at. That whole is well large enough for them to get through and attack them again, but they are still on the ground it seems. I am guessing it has to do with the tree we saw coming from their tail last chapter. They are still 110% mad though.

3-4! It looks like it isn’t just the trees that are keeping Aoi down, I thought the roots attaching the main body to the ground had been ripped up but it looks like there are some remaining. Sakae is as gentle as ever, yes just toss away his injured arm, great idea. Now Abeno is in even more pain. The wound though is really deep, looks like two large gashes, which Sakae actually starts to dress (rest in peace, kimono sleeve) (also while abeno is trying to get his arm out of the inner kimono (idk what is is called), we can see the medicine Abeno always carries around! I love the attention to detail in this manga)

5-6! Yup, page 5 doesn't do it justice, but page six really shows the extent of the damage one of the gashes did. Super nasty scar going to go there. We see some more of Aoi though, and do they chirp? Like what cats do? Cause murder cat looks super cute on page 5 and I don’t know how to feel about this.

They look like baby here and I want to protect them. Abeno seems to be bringing up the medicine, though I really don’t know what this would do to Aoi other than basically kill them. Which honestly, may be for the best? I know it’s a bit messed up, but it has been stated before that they are obviously past the point of getting them help, and leaving them there would be super dangerous.

7-8! I am making another assumption that Sakae doesn’t know what the medicine does. Which I have a current theory that the medicine is a new development for the underworld. (if such a medicine existed before Aoi left, why wouldn’t they use it on them?) Which would also mean that Sakae wouldn’t know about it either. My guess from the last pages seem to be correct as there is a panel showing Aoi burning, which seems pretty deathy to me. I honestly don’t know what they are going to do, though I think for now, they should be getting back, reporting the situation and getting help for themselves. Aoi seems really stuck here so I don’t think they are a direct threat to the underworld immediately. (Unless Aoi manages to escape the island and oh boy that would not be good) Abeno seems pretty determined, though, so regardless Aoi is most likely going to meet their actual end.

9-10! Aoi is starting to go to sleep here, Sakae seems really good at first aid (wonder where/why he learned that ;) Maybe a certain lady who often gets sick?) Not a whole lot happens, I think these are mostly showing the passage of time, and it seems Abeno is putting away the medicine for now. Which good move, my boy. Come back to take care of murder cat later. Also I wonder if all those trees are from Aoi’s parasitic shrub. That would be terrifying if that is the case. It could really show how long they have been there, trapped and going mad because of the shrub.

11-12! Good lord all of them are looking super cute this chapter. Sakae you can’t do this to me, just all your movements and facial expressions are justlasdkhjg;lakshjdg. Ashiya is cute in his own right, but this is a different type of cute. Why are all these characters like this and please don’t stop making all these characters like this. We get a good look at Aoi’s spine and it makes me sad (though also could give more insight to how the shrub basically takes over? Using the spinal cord to get to the brain seems like a good path to take if the shrub’s goal is to spread like any other parasite (which also makes sense with the going mad thing, kind of like rabies almost) I am glad Abeno’s arm is being supported and held still with what they had on hand. Still looks super painful though.

13-14! And they are out! At least out of the pit where they can really easily run if they need to. Sakae is starting to get tired, so I wonder how much longer he can go on? I hope he can stay awake long enough to get back to the mononokean because I highly doubt Abeno can carry an unconscious Ashiya back. He would most likely have to wait for Ashiya to wake back up before moving on and who knows how long that will take. Part of page 13 made me go back to see the last few pages, but it looks like Aoi’s front right paw is stuck in the ground :( good cause they are most likely really stuck there and probably wont be able to escape easy but it makes me sad to see the previous master of the mononokean in such a state.

15-16! Oof the tiredness is really showing in the first panel. Get out of there quick so you both can rest! I am guessing Abeno is asking about why Sakae said those things in the flower field.Like how Aoi is dead and such, and honestly did Sakae lie? Aoi, as they were in the past, is dead. They are completely over taken and do not recognize even the child they basically raised.

17-18! Oh boy Sakae is getting more and more tired, Abeno is asking about the golden butterfly and can you two just get going? Ya’ll have limited time here!!!!! Though I wonder if Sakae used his influence on one of the butterflies to communicate to Ashiya? it seems very similar? Or a butterfly made from pure influence? Which would explain how it disappeared when Ashiya grabbed it?

I am going to stop the page format because uh.... WHAT. First off Abeno was def asking about the influence/parasitic shrub thing that Sakae brought up. And WE ACTUALLY LEARN ABOUT IT NEXT CHAPTER. This is huge cause oml this feels like a rare moment. Normally mysteries like this linger for a few chapters, simmer and make us suffer. BUT WE GOT A NEW BRAND OF SUFFERING TODAY FOLKS! Like I theorized it a bit on why I didn’t think Aoi was the one Sakae used his influence on, due to thinking that Aoi being infected years before picking up Abeno seemed super dangerous and didn’t feel like something they would do. I DIDN’T KNOW YOU CAN USE INFLUENCE TO CURE THE PARASITIC SHRUB THOUGH! PAGE 22 IS SUFFERING! PAGE 22 HAS ALL THE ANSWERS! Like we now know what happened, or at least have enough facts to be able to piece it together! Aoi and Sakae went out for a job, either they find out that the demon is infected or know and are going to try to help them out. Aoi somehow gets infected by this demon and Sakae uses his influence to get rid of the growing infection only to die himself as the parasitic shrub is not meant to live in the human body. This explains why Aoi was so beat up over his death, because IT WAS THEIR FAULT. It explains why Sakae would use his influence on a demon that is infected, because it is Aoi, their employer and friend. He probably wasn’t meaning to die at all, just thinking that ‘hey let’s just get rid of this shrub from Aoi so they don’t die because they are an important part of the Underworld (though AU where Sakae can’t do this and has to become the next master of the mononokean ;) )

We also see the aftermath, it is almost like he becomes some form of demon himself, and actually looks infected with the shrub. I doubt it is the same sort of situation because he doesn’t become a tree? I am honestly unsure on how this affected him. He does go and meet his son a few months later, (wait or was that Aoi because between the two pages we see a sort of continuation with the hand on the left (aoi’s hand) but we also see the ‘veins’ of the shrub which hints towards Sakae? I like to think that Sakae visited baby Ashiya, so I am going to go with the assumption it is Sakae visiting till I am proven otherwise) and smol Ashiya is always cute. Ashiya does seem to ‘notice’ something? or he is just a baby and babies cry A LOT. We see Sakae ‘infect’ the butterfly he uses to communicate with Ashiya in the flower field. Wonder if he tried doing the same in the past with Abeno, only Abeno cannot hear his words.

ALSO GUYS I TOLD YOU TO GET OUT OF THERE NOW WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO? Ashiya is now completely passed out, Abeno cannot carry him back and now they gotta just chill there till Ashiya wakes back up. I know it is awesome to have questions answered, but please. 

Though I guess somehow they managed cause Ashiya wakes up in what I can only assume is the Legeslator’s place? It is def not the mononokean (too large and im sure we would be hearing a bell the moment Ashiya woke up) but it could be Korou’s place. Not sure how Abeno managed, but he probably found a way to get them out of there. Rip golden eyes, though :( Guess they were just either the side effect to using that much influence or a hint that Sakae was just kind of hanging around in case shit hits the fan. 

There is incense burning, making a guess this is either a preventative measure against the shrub or something to help wake Ashiya up faster. Ashiya is alone and it seems he is shaken because of what Sakae explained (I am guessing it was similar to his dreams when he subconsciously used his influence and he was dreaming about Sakae’s past)

This chapter was amazing, answered so many things and saw enough cute to really counter balance the ‘what the actual fuck’ this chapter brought along with it.

[readbyred]

Get ready for some long f/o stuff cause I physically need to get this out of my system

So what this is about? Well, I need to point some stuff out about Ted because the more I think about him the more I'm mad at people who just write him off as an ass. Is he a good person? No, not really. But! I need to just spill out what I've been thinking abt anyway because,, well I just want to

So this is not me excusing his behaviour but just how I interpret what happened

First we see him desperately trying to insert himself into the main group because, besides Charlotte he has no canon friends here. He wants to hang out with Paul and even asks why he's not invited only to get low key upset and act like he doesn't care anyways and doesn't want to go. This man literally wanted to buy drink there anyways but changed his plans cause he was too offended.

Later on we can see him with Charlotte and he seems pretty happy. They are together, enjoying themselves. I think a big part is that she's also paying attention to him (and the weather but a man can only be so jealous) or so he thinks and willingly spending time together. But when they look out of the window she starts talking about her husband, how SAM should be there, she worries about SAM and it was SAM who she planned to spend this evening with (it's canon that he's only there cause her husband called he isn't going to come home for the cuddle night®) and he gets really annoyed. Not like angry-aggressive but just annoyed cause he doesn't wanna hear all that from her. And it's a theme that we see throughout the play.

And then later when they try to escape they all are together and Charlotte calls Sam and boom! They all are screwed because Sam’s infected. And Ted manages to knock him out and wants to leave this (abusive and cheating bastard of a) husband hopefully for dead now that he is literally possessed. But he gets ridiculed and called a monster for not caring about poor Sam. (I'm trying to write things more from his perspective, I'm not that angry even if it does sound like that)

Then finally all is forgotten when try get some alone time but as soon as he gets closer, Charlotte (who imo deserves the world and is also witnessing her husband die right in front of her so I don't blame her) all she tells him is how worried she is for Sam and then it hits him. She actually says that all this time she wants to permanently get back with her husband when his first instinct is to say that she wants to sleep with Sam again. Charlotte tells him she still has feelings for the abuser. And I know she needs help and patience and understanding - its not her fault. But Ted doesn't get that and I’ll come back to that in a second.

But I want to mention a moment that hit me just recently is when he says her husband is an asshole. He says that she can upgrade. To a sleazeball. Like I can't, this man says it with such confidence. And it's a funny scene! However what I thought about just now how the bad guy never thinks they are the bad guy, right? In AVPM Voldemort is sometimes even more of a protagonist than Harry. But here Charlotte was literally the only person in the whole group that seemed to want to be around him. So in my opinion he just kind of assumed he was an ass and accepted it. It's not that he wasn't sometimes but it's just the confidence he has in those words kind of,, concerning?

So back to the topic. Once again we see him snapping back before he can hear anything more about how Sam is actually a really lovely guy or just get insulted in general. And he gives Charlotte the keys to alien-Sam’s handcuffs and leaves. And adds he can get what he wanted from Emma. Which is terrible. And an attempt at revenge in my opinion, but honestly one of his worst moments either way.

We skip to one of my favourite scenes - so Ted getting WASTED and mighty pissed and snaps at Bill for basically doing nothing. And starts attacking him verbally and winning. But Paul (who he desperately tries to make his friend from the start of the play till the very end) helps Bill out and once again HE is the asshole and everyone is against him. The more defensive he gets the more stupid he looks.

And finally he gets to find out and reaffirm that he is all that everyone thinks he is. Charlotte gets killed and now this thing wears her skin and proceeds to beat him up.

But she still remembers him if she targets him, right? Not everything is lost, some stitches and it will be fine! Well wrong. Because he has to watch her being shot and while everyone is arguing about those weird parasites from space he just goes to stand over Charlotte's body knowing that it's him who had given her the keys to set the alien free.

When he gets back to the conversation he hears that one of his friends (as much as I don't think he actually has those there) wants to go on a suicide mission to save his daughter. She already presumably reports her girlfriend is infected, they are together. There's no way for a happy ending and he just found that out first hand. But he is angry and bitter and drunk and just starts getting mad with them and very aggressively trying to make everyone stay. But he gets called a creep and when Paul, THAT Paul from the office is “supposed” to help him he volunteers to go on a rescue mission instead.

And now that I managed to bore you all I want to point out a few things. He doesn't like Emma not because he knows her but literally because it was song for a tip and she wouldn't do it when he tipped. I'm saying this first of all to assure you that I do remember he is not this super perfect sweetheart and secondly that he takes stuff super personally. Also I want to add that everything except the alien invasion is definitely a routine; I mean no way on this average day he just accidentally gets treated like the last person anyone wants around. And if you hear something like that for so long you are going to believe it. And no matter how he acts he simply doesn't deserve that much shit cause no one does.

So that was my f/o talk, thx for reading and bye - I have classes to attend^^

[calliecat93]

: Final episodes of Star Trek Season One!

The Devil in the Dark: Underground mine, mysterious murderous monster, and a bunch of horror material. Yep, nothing new here. The episode was fine, it gets it’s message about fearing the unknown across. The humans fear the monster, the monster fears the humans, and with no proper communication it all goes to Hell. There’s also the point of potentially killing what may be the last of it’s species... though Spock didn’t seem to mind when McCoy killed the salt monster via his urging in The Man Trap... then again it was killing Kirk and he pretty much changed his mind here when he thought that Kirk was in danger (yep, 100% seeing how Kirk/Spock revolutionized the slash genre), so... Anyways, It’s very much still a relevant message, though nothing that stands out to me imo. The Horta was cool looking though, I liked it! And we got a hopeful ending, which is also nice. 3/5

Errand of Mercy: Okay we’ve FINALLY made it to the Klingons! That makes it important for the franchise as a whole. It wasan interesitng one dealing with war, fighting, and peace. The Klingons want war, Kirk wants to fight thwe Klingons as a result, and the Origanians want peace and are unwilling to tolerate either sides violence. The Klingons come off as kinda one-dimensional war monuls, tough clearly intelligent as well and the leader worked well enough for this particular plot. The twist with the Organians was one that took me back and explained my complaints up to that point of their spinelessness. Kirk and Spock’s disguises were also nice XD if I had to pinpoint a theme, it seems to be extreme pacifism sgainst violence, with the Organians being against any violence, which causes problems especially for Kirk and Spock. Though at the same time that demand of pacifism stopped what would have been an otherwise brutal war that even Kirk was willing to wage, rejecting the possibility of ever pursuing peace. It really makes you think. Another still relevsnt message I say. Probably my only complaint is lack of McCoy, but that’s a me thing that won’t affect the rating... well this time. 4/5

The Alternative Factor: So... the crew finds a guy essentially bejng posessed by a being from an alternate reality and chaos ensues. How does this not even make me blink anymore? It’s an interesting concept, though IDK how I feel about the concept. Like Kirk more or less letting a mentally unstable individual walk around free up until he attacks two crew members. McCoy leaving him in sick bay unguarded after that and when the alternate self stole one of the lithium crystals was also a pretty bad lapse of judgement. Yeah, these kind of logical lapses when ai know that these characters are normally much smarter than that really has me tilting my head. Anyways, it was fine and had some intriguing elements, but nothing to write home about overall. 2/5

The City on the Edge of Forever: I’d heard a lot of hype about this one... and for good reason. This episode was excellent. Edith was a lovely character and while rushed, her and Kirk’s romance was really sweet. I can absoluteley see why Kirk, a man form the hopeful future that Edith strives for, would fall for her and yeah, anyone who calls him a womanizing asshole din’t know what they’re talking about. The Guardian of Forever is a very interesting and while they already did time travel in the season, seeing Kirk and Spock having to try and adapt was nice to see. Poor Kirk trying to explain Spock’s ears to the cop and Spock clealry holding in wanting to sigh as it went on had me dying XD The acting was also amazing with William Shatner’s legit heartbreaking reaction to Edith having to die and the moment that the time comes, and DeForest Kelley as deranged McCoy legit scared me, especially when he arrives in the 30’s. I can see why the guy was a villain in a lot of Westerns now. Edith having to die is so cruel and unfair since she was a genuinely loving, peaceful woman and had to die because those ambitions would have caused greater devestation. It’s so tragic and cruel... and it was executed flawlessly. By far my favorite episode thus far. 5/5.

Operation: Annihilate!: Finally at the end, and they gave us another goodie. Admittedly some stuff was kind of weird, like Kirk’s brother clealry just being Shatner with a mustache and Kirk at the end in a light-hearted mood was weird consideirng that he lost his brother and sister-in-law like he did. However the episode legit felt tense with the parasites, especislly when it infected Spock. When he is expressing legit pain, you KNOW that something has gone horribly wrong. The tension was very apparent with everyone trying to figure out what to do before everyone on the planet suffers the same fate, and Kirk’s nephew and number one being on the line adds a layer of desperation for both the cast and the viewers. It especially hurt when McCoy was pretty much forced to blind Spock to save his life... only to find out that he didn’t need to use that level of intensity in the first place because of how desperate he himself had gotten. His guilt and Kirk’s anger at him for that lapse of judgement was very strong, especially since aside form like one time he had NEVER gotten angry at Bones before. Mind you they decided to put this in the final four minutes so no time toxplore these things in depth, but thankfullyShatner, Nimoy, and Kelley’s acting conveys their characters thoughts and feelings (well... as much as Nimoy can convey with Spock outwardly) VERY well. At the very least Kirk did calm down enough to tell Bones that it wasn’t his fault, even if it doesn’t really register to McCoy, and even Spock said that it was his own choice. McCoy saying that Spock was the best first officer in the fleet also really shows that despite anything he says, he does care or and respect Spock, and Spock hearing it at the end made me giggle XD I half kinda wish that Spock had been blind for longer than five minutes cause that would be an interesitng avenue to explore and thus it feels like a huge waste. And again, Kirk’s mood in the ending really didn’t make sense esoecially since we don’t at all get a conformation on his nephew’s well-being. It feels out of place so that and the character development/exploration waste stops this form achieving a perfect score. It was a really good episode overall however with Kirk, Spock, and McCoy very much the highlight, and since that’s the factor that’s kept me going up to this point, appreciate it. 4.5/5

I made it! Yay! Still got two seasons amd five films to go, and then all the other Star Trek shows/films, but we’re making progress! Who~! Season 2, here I come!

[kaileywritesstuff]

Web Shooters and All (Peter Parker x OC!)

Summary ~ Peter downloads Tinder and meets Paisley Rayne, a fellow young genius. Little does he know that the girl of his dreams is also that of his nightmares.

Setting ~ This story acts as though Infinity War, Endgame and Far From Home never happened.

a/n: This is the first chapter of my Peter Parker series! I am incredibly excited about this story and I hope you enjoy it! Feel free to leave a comment!

Chapter 1: Isolation pt. 1

     “May! We’re going to miss our flight!” Peter, tan and sun-warmed, was standing by the doors to the airport with both his and May’s luggage. May was leaning against the passenger side door of the cab, giggling at something the driver had said. She waved at the driver and walked away from the cab.

     “I’m sorry! He was cute.” May had gotten a golden tan on their two week long vacation to Hawaii and she was absolutely glowing.

     Peter rolled his eyes and chuckled. “It’s fine. Let’s just get back to Queens now. I’m kind of tired of relaxing.” May smiled as they both started booking it through the airport toward security.

     Peter couldn’t have been happier with his decision to beg Mr. Stark to give them this spring break trip. May had been through a lot since she had found out that he was Spider-Man and he knew that it had to be taking a toll on her. So, being able to see her happy and relaxed was a major relief to Peter.

     Once the two had gotten through security and boarded their flight home, Peter couldn’t help the bubble of anxiety that was growing inside of his chest. Sure, he had gotten bored of the relaxing island life and of course he had done a little bit of hero work while he had been there but, it wasn’t the same. He knew he was doing something good for these people but he couldn’t stop the feeling that he was needed more back home.

                                                    *****

     As soon as the plane landed at JFK, Peter grabbed his and May’s belongings from the overhead compartment and got off of that plane as soon as he could. The closer to the front of the plane he got, the stronger the feeling got that someone needed his help.

     “Pete, where’s the fire? You seem way too eager to get off of this plane.” May gently grabbed his arm and gazed at him with a look of concern.

     He could feel that his face was tense and his brows were furrowed. “I’m fine. I just have this feeling…”

     “Ah, your Peter Tingle. I gotcha. Well, let’s get out of here and maybe you can make more sense of it,” May whispered as she started helping him push people along the narrow aisle.

     Choosing to ignore that awful name for what he likes to call his spidey senses, Peter hurried off the plane with May in tow. They were about halfway through the airport when the feeling subsided a little bit. Peter slowed down and looked at May. “I guess something happened and I’m not needed right this second? I’m not sure, the feeling dimmed a little bit.”

     May smiled and glanced over her shoulder at a soft pretzel stand. “Good, because I really need a soft pretzel right now.”

     Peter shrugged and began pacing in tight circles while May stood in line for her pretzel. It was just about the moment when he thought he was going to lose his mind trying to understand why this feeling of being needed was ebbing and flowing, AC/DC began blaring through his phone’s speaker.

     “Mr. Stark! We just landed-”

     “Yeah, I know. Happy is there to pick the two of you up. Don’t worry about asking any questions right now, kid. Everything is going to be alright so I really just need you to get in the car and relax. I’ll call and tell you everything you need to know once you’re safe.” Without a second to allow Peter to respond, Mr. Stark hung up.

     Peter shoved his phone back into the pocket of his hoodie and looked up to see May striding back towards him, soft pretzel in hand and a massive grin on her face. Her face quickly fell into a look of concern for her nephew.

     “What’s going on? You look incredibly tense for someone who just got home from vacation.”

     Peter shook his head and did his very best to clear the tense expression from his face. “Mr. Stark just called. Apparently something’s going on and Happy is coming to pick us up and take us somewhere ‘safe.’”

     As soon as the words fell from his lips, he spotted Happy Hogan booking it through the airport towards them. He stopped in front of Peter and stopped to catch his breath before speaking. “No time to talk. Let’s go,” He said in between deep inhales of the sterile airport air.

     Finally collecting himself, Happy ushered Peter and May out to a black sedan. They threw their bags in the trunk and quickly jumped into the backseat so as to not upset the man who had just sprinted through the airport for them.

     Peter, sitting behind Happy, began bouncing his leg as he contemplated this situation. Yeah, Mr. Stark had told him that everything was going to be okay and he also told him not to annoy Happy but…

     “So, are you going to tell us what’s going on? Mr. Stark sounded more stressed and upset than normal on the phone. Trust me, it takes a lot to make him sound that way. Can you tell us anything? Or are you going to tell us-”

     “Please stop. Tony will explain everything to you when you are in a safe place. I’m only in charge of getting you there. Now, please, buckle up and chill out.”

     “What do you mean by ‘safe place?’ Isn’t Avenger’s Headquarters like the safest place to ever exist? Besides, if there’s an emergency, I should be there! I can help Mr. Stark!” Peter couldn’t contain the slight whininess and absolute pleading that laced through his words.

     “Sorry, kid. Boss’ orders All I know is that Tony says he, Thor and  Dr. Banner have it all under control.”

     May gently patted Peter’s back before he slumped back into his seat and buckled up. “It’ll be okay, Peter. Tony knows how helpful and useful you are. If it was something he didn’t think he could handle alone, he’d ask for your help.”

     Peter sighed and leaned his head back onto the headrest. “I know. But it makes me feel completely useless when I don’t even know what’s going on.”

     May ruffled his soft curls and smiled sympathetically at him. “I’m sure we’ll be at this safe place soon and then you’ll know what’s going on.”

     With a sigh, Peter shifted himself so that his head was resting against the window and watched as the city flew past him.

                                                  *****

     About three hours later, Peter found himself staring at a quaint little lake house that looked as though it had just been built. The smell of fresh paint still lingered in the air as he collected his things from the trunk of the car. May stretched and yawned as she stepped out of the car behind him. The two only had a few moments to admire the house from outside before Happy nudged them inside.

     The front door opened up into a large living room, decorated in a modern way but with an added homey twist to it. There was a brown leather couch set, a massive stone fireplace and mantle, an ornate wooden coffee table in the center of the room and a plush white rug underneath. The one item in the room that even remotely had a Tony Stark twist to it was the massive TV set atop the mantle.

     “Wow. This place is really nice! I’m assuming Pepper decorated?” May asked, examining the expensive looking furniture and decór.

     “I’m sure that she did. Tony bought this house as a getaway for the both of them without being too far from home.” Happy pointed towards the door and started backing away from them.. “I really need to get back to the compound now. The kitchen is stocked, every necessity you may need is already here. If you do find something that you need is missing, order it through the house AI. See you guys later!” Without a second of hesitation, Happy was out the door.

     Peter and May took it upon themselves to take a tour through the house. There were two bedrooms, two and a half bathrooms, a gigantic kitchen, and the living room that they had already seen. The backyard looked out onto the lake with beautifully crafted wooden lawn furniture surrounding the fire pit.

     “This place is really beautiful.” May looked over at Peter who was looking out over the lake solemnly. “It’ll be alright, Pete. Think of this as a place to clear your mind and prepare yourself for when Tony does call. Or you could do some normal teenage boy things, too. No one ever said that you needed to be a hero one hundred percent of the time.”

     Peter shrugged and continued to stare out at the lake. He knew that Mr. Stark would call him if he absolutely needed him but he still felt completely useless. He also knew that he was being kind of angsty for no real reason but, he had just spent two weeks doing (almost) nothing. He really couldn’t help it that he was feeling restless.

     Torn from his reverie, the quiet was disrupted by Mr. Stark’s loud ringtone. “Hey, Mr. Stark! So, yeah, uh, what’s going on? Why can’t we go home?”

     “It’s kind of a long story. Thor dropped by last week and informed us that there might be an alien race infiltrating Earth and they may be trying to take out all of the Avenger’s. Apparently they’re trying to infect us with some type of poison or parasite? Thor wasn’t very clear on what exactly they have planned so I’m not sure what’s going to happen. I think we can all agree though that it’s best if you stay low that way I can figure out what’s happening and how big the threat is. So, you need to stay right where you are and try not to make yourself known in town. And, before you say anything or try to interrupt me, no. You absolutely cannot come to the compound to try and help with this. I know you want to but it’s safer if you just stay at the lake house. The world is better off knowing that Spider-Man is alive and well to protect them. I’ll call if there’s anything I think you could help with but, until then, relax. Take a load off. Maybe get one of those dating apps that kids are using nowadays and find someone to take your mind off of heroing.” Mr. Stark hung up, leaving Peter completely bummed.

     Hunched over, Peter dragged himself inside and up to the bedroom he had called dibs on. Peter laid on that ridiculously soft bed for so long that the sun had gone down and the moon was shining it’s rays through the window. He finally pulled himself out of his stupid angst and rolled onto his stomach and grabbed his phone. Maybe he should try a dating app and find himself a cute person to distract him. The worst that could happen is that everyone is overly sexual and he has a fun story to tell Ned. Thus began Peter’s descent into the dark and dirty world of online dating.

     It didn’t take long for him to start matching with a shocking amount of people. It also didn’t take very long for Peter to realize that ninety-five percent of the people that matched with him only did so because they wanted dick pics or someone to do their homework in exchange for sex. Neither of those things sounded particularly fun or relaxing, so he continued swiping. When the few real conversations he had went nowhere, Peter locked his phone and went for a shower.

     The bathroom across the hall from his bedroom was brightly lit and the floor was covered in clean white tiles. At the back of the rather long bathroom was a glass walled rain shower like the kind he had only ever seen in magazines. With a new pep in his step, Peter grabbed a big white fluffy towel and stripped off his t-shirt and sweatpants before turning the shower to just the right temperature. Inside, he found his favorite body wash and shampoo alongside a brand new razor.

     By the time that Peter finally stepped out of the shower, water dripping from his curls and down his back, he was completely relaxed and ready to spend the rest of the evening with his aunt.

                                               *****

     “No! She deserves so much better than Chad! What is she thinking by letting him get away with lying to her face like that?!” Peter threw his arms in the air and flopped back onto the couch.

     “Right?! Brenda is a catch and Chad is too vain to see anything past the end of his own nose!” May rolled her eyes as the episode came to a close, showing a preview from the next week’s episode.

     May shut the TV off and shot a sideways glance at Peter. “Well, all of that excitement and the jet lag going on has made me incredibly tired.” She stood from her seat and pressed a kiss to the top of Peter’s head. “I’m going to bed now and I think that you should, too. We don’t want your sleep schedule to get all funky and throw off your Peter Tingle or anything.”

     “Please. All I ask is that you don’t call it my Peter Tingle.” He looked up at her with big brown eyes, trying to look more annoyed than he actually felt. “Goodnight, May. I love you.”

     She smiled and kissed his forehead again before heading up to her bedroom. Peter stood from the couch and stretched before stopping in the kitchen for a cold slice of leftover pizza from dinner.

     When he got back to his room, he flopped onto his bed and stared up at the ceiling for a few minutes. If he was being honest with himself, he wasn’t feeling at all tired and he was already incredibly bored. Sure, it had been nice to relax with May on the beaches in Hawaii for two weeks but he had been looking forward to doing some crime fighting when he got home. Now, he was stuck in a house so far away from any other living person that he couldn’t even hear the traffic noises that had been his nighttime soundtrack for every night of his eighteen years on this planet. “Ugh! This silence is deafening!” Peter whisper yelled into the void.

     As though the void were responding to him, his phone screen burned a bright light into the darkness of the room. He picked up the phone and saw that he had received a message from one of the very few people he had matched with that he actually wanted to talk to.

𝙿𝚊𝚒𝚜𝚕𝚎𝚢: 𝙷𝚒! 𝙸 𝚍𝚘𝚗’𝚝 𝚞𝚜𝚞𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚞𝚜𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚜𝚎 𝚍𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊𝚙𝚙𝚜 𝚜𝚘 𝙸’𝚖 𝚗𝚘𝚝 𝚜𝚞𝚛𝚎 𝚑𝚘𝚠 𝚝𝚘 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚛𝚝 𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎.”

𝙿𝚎𝚝𝚎𝚛: 𝙸𝚝’𝚜 𝚘𝚔𝚊𝚢. 𝙸’𝚟𝚎 𝚗𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚍𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚢𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚎𝚒𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛. 𝚂𝚘, 𝚕𝚎𝚝’𝚜 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚛𝚝 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎...𝚗𝚘𝚛𝚖𝚊𝚕? 𝙷𝚒, 𝙸’𝚖 𝙿𝚎𝚝𝚎𝚛! 𝙸’𝚖 𝚎𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚎𝚎𝚗 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚊 𝚜𝚎𝚗𝚒𝚘𝚛 𝚊𝚝 𝙼𝚒𝚍𝚝𝚘𝚠𝚗 𝙷𝚒𝚐𝚑.

     While the little bubble on the screen indicated that she was writing back, Peter crawled out of the window and up to the roof. He leaned back on his forearms and looked up at the sky. The stars were twinkling brighter than he’d ever seen them. He couldn’t remember a time that he’d ever seen the sky so clear. Suddenly, his phone buzzed in the front pocket of his blue school hoodie.

𝙿𝚊𝚒𝚜𝚕𝚎𝚢: 𝙼𝚢 𝚗𝚊𝚖𝚎 𝚒𝚜 𝙿𝚊𝚒𝚜𝚕𝚎𝚢 𝚁𝚊𝚢𝚗𝚎, 𝙸’𝚖 𝚊𝚕𝚖𝚘𝚜𝚝 𝚎𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚎𝚎𝚗 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚊 𝚜𝚎𝚗𝚒𝚘𝚛 𝚘𝚗𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚎. 𝙸’𝚖 𝚊𝚕𝚜𝚘 𝚝𝚊𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎 𝚘𝚗𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚛𝚜𝚎𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑 𝙽𝚈𝚄. 𝙽𝚘𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝙸’𝚖 𝚝𝚛𝚢𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚘 𝚋𝚛𝚊𝚐 𝚘𝚛 𝚊𝚗𝚢𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐! 𝙸 𝚓𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚐𝚎𝚝 𝚋𝚘𝚛𝚎𝚍 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚑𝚒𝚐𝚑 𝚜𝚌𝚑𝚘𝚘𝚕 𝚌𝚞𝚛𝚛𝚒𝚌𝚞𝚕𝚞𝚖.

     Peter raised his eyebrows and smiled before responding.

𝙿𝚎𝚝𝚎𝚛: 𝙸 𝚏𝚎𝚎𝚕 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚊𝚖𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚢! 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚘𝚗𝚕𝚢 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚔𝚎𝚎𝚙𝚜 𝚖𝚎 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚊𝚝 𝙼𝚒𝚍𝚝𝚘𝚠𝚗 𝚒𝚜 𝚋𝚎𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊𝚋𝚕𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚋𝚞𝚒𝚕𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚍 𝚘𝚏 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚍𝚞𝚌𝚝 𝚖𝚢 𝚘𝚠𝚗 𝚎𝚡𝚙𝚎𝚛𝚒𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚜. 𝙸 𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚋𝚊𝚋𝚕𝚢 𝚠𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚝𝚊𝚔𝚎𝚗 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎 𝚌𝚕𝚊𝚜𝚜𝚎𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑 𝙽𝚈𝚄 𝚊𝚜 𝚠𝚎𝚕𝚕 𝚎𝚡𝚌𝚎𝚙𝚝 𝙸’𝚟𝚎 𝚑𝚊𝚍 𝚊 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚌𝚘𝚘𝚕 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚗𝚜𝚑𝚒𝚙/𝚓𝚘𝚋 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚝𝚊𝚔𝚎𝚜 𝚞𝚙 𝚊𝚕𝚖𝚘𝚜𝚝 𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚘𝚏 𝚖𝚢 𝚏𝚛𝚎𝚎 𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚎. 𝚆𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚝𝚛𝚢𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚘 𝚖𝚊𝚓𝚘𝚛 𝚒𝚗?

𝙿𝚊𝚒𝚜𝚕𝚎𝚢: 𝙸’𝚖 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊𝚋𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚎𝚗𝚐𝚒𝚗𝚎𝚎𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚙𝚘𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚋𝚕𝚢 𝚙𝚑𝚘𝚝𝚘𝚐𝚛𝚊𝚙𝚑𝚢? 𝚃𝚠𝚘 𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚛𝚎𝚕𝚢 𝚍𝚒𝚏𝚏𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝙸 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚜𝚘 𝚖𝚞𝚌𝚑 𝚙𝚊𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚋𝚘𝚝𝚑 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝙸 𝚏𝚒𝚐𝚞𝚛𝚎𝚍, 𝚠𝚑𝚢 𝚗𝚘𝚝? 𝚆𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚍𝚘 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚙𝚕𝚊𝚗 𝚘𝚗 𝚖𝚊𝚓𝚘𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚒𝚗?

𝙿𝚎𝚝𝚎𝚛: 𝙸’𝚖 𝚗𝚘𝚝 𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚛𝚎𝚕𝚢 𝚜𝚞𝚛𝚎 𝚢𝚎𝚝. 𝙸’𝚖 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚓𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚑𝚘𝚙𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚛𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚗𝚘𝚠 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝙸’𝚕𝚕 𝚐𝚎𝚝 𝚒𝚗. 𝙸 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚠𝚊𝚗𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚐𝚘 𝚝𝚘 𝙼𝙸𝚃 𝚘𝚛 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚙𝚕𝚊𝚌𝚎 𝚜𝚒𝚖𝚒𝚕𝚊𝚛 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝙸’𝚖 𝚗𝚘𝚝 𝚜𝚞𝚛𝚎 𝚒𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚢’𝚍 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚗 𝚐𝚒𝚟𝚎 𝚖𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚍𝚊𝚢. 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚘𝚗𝚕𝚢 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚘𝚗 𝙸’𝚍 𝚐𝚎𝚝 𝚒𝚗 𝚒𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚖𝚢 𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚘𝚛/𝚋𝚘𝚜𝚜 𝚠𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚐𝚒𝚟𝚎 𝚖𝚎 𝚊 𝚕𝚎𝚝𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚘𝚏 𝚛𝚎𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚍𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚘𝚛 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐. 𝙸 𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚍 𝚘𝚏 𝚠𝚊𝚗𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚐𝚎𝚝 𝚒𝚗 𝚘𝚗 𝚖𝚢 𝚘𝚠𝚗 𝚖𝚎𝚛𝚒𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑. 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚋𝚕𝚎𝚖 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚒𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚖𝚢 𝚎𝚡𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚌𝚞𝚛𝚛𝚒𝚌𝚞𝚕𝚊𝚛𝚜 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚍 𝚘𝚏 𝚐𝚘𝚝𝚝𝚎𝚗 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚢 𝚘𝚏 𝚖𝚎 𝚋𝚎𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊𝚋𝚕𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚍𝚘 𝚊 𝚕𝚘𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚍𝚒𝚏𝚏𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝚝𝚘 𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍 𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚖𝚢 𝚊𝚙𝚙𝚕𝚒𝚌𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗. 𝙱𝚞𝚝, 𝚒𝚝’𝚜 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚌𝚘𝚘𝚕 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝙸’𝚟𝚎 𝚏𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚎𝚕𝚜𝚎 𝚘𝚗 𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚒𝚜 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚘 𝚜𝚌𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚖𝚊𝚝𝚑 𝚜𝚝𝚞𝚏𝚏! 𝙸 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚍𝚒𝚍𝚗’𝚝 𝚎𝚡𝚙𝚎𝚌𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚙𝚎𝚗.

     While Peter waited for her response, he laid down and soaked up the sound of grasshoppers and frogs croaking. Maybe being out of the city for a little while wouldn’t kill him. Ding!

𝙿𝚊𝚒𝚜𝚕𝚎𝚢: 𝙸 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚊𝚏𝚛𝚊𝚒𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚠𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚐𝚘𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚘 𝚋𝚎 𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚜𝚎 𝚐𝚞𝚢𝚜 𝚠𝚑𝚘 𝚖𝚊𝚔𝚎𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚖𝚜𝚎𝚕𝚟𝚎𝚜 𝚕𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎 𝚊 𝚐𝚘𝚘𝚍 𝚐𝚞𝚢 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝚒𝚖𝚖𝚎𝚍𝚒𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚕𝚢 𝚜𝚎𝚗𝚍𝚜 𝚞𝚗𝚠𝚊𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚗𝚞𝚍𝚎𝚜. 𝙽𝚘 𝚘𝚏𝚏𝚎𝚗𝚜𝚎 𝚘𝚛 𝚊𝚗𝚢𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐, 𝙸’𝚖 𝚓𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚙𝚒𝚕𝚢 𝚜𝚞𝚛𝚙𝚛𝚒𝚜𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚊𝚛𝚎𝚗’𝚝 𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚖.

𝙿𝚎𝚝𝚎𝚛: 𝙸’𝚖 𝚗𝚘𝚝 𝚘𝚏𝚏𝚎𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚍! 𝙸’𝚟𝚎 𝚋𝚎𝚎𝚗 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚊𝚖𝚎 𝚒𝚜𝚜𝚞𝚎. 𝙴𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚢 𝚙𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚘𝚗 𝚠𝚑𝚘 𝚑𝚊𝚜 𝚖𝚊𝚝𝚌𝚑𝚎𝚍 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚖𝚎 𝚑𝚊𝚜 𝚎𝚒𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚑𝚊𝚍 𝚊 ‘𝚗𝚎𝚛𝚍’ 𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚔 𝚘𝚛 𝚓𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚠𝚊𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚖𝚢 𝚗𝚞𝚍𝚎𝚜. 𝚂𝚘, 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚔 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚗𝚘𝚝 𝚋𝚎𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚜𝚎 𝚙𝚎𝚘𝚙𝚕𝚎.

𝙿𝚊𝚒𝚜𝚕𝚎𝚢: 𝚃𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎’𝚜 𝚓𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚒𝚖𝚙𝚘𝚛𝚝𝚊𝚗𝚝 𝚚𝚞𝚎𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚕𝚎𝚏𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚊𝚜𝚔 𝚋𝚎𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚎 𝚠𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚞𝚎. 𝚆𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚜? 𝙸 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚑𝚊𝚍 𝚊 𝚕𝚘𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚙𝚎𝚘𝚙𝚕𝚎 𝚠𝚑𝚘 𝚓𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚠𝚊𝚗𝚝 𝚜𝚎𝚡 𝚘𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚢 𝚠𝚊𝚗𝚝 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚊𝚕𝚔 𝚝𝚘 𝚋𝚎𝚌𝚊𝚞𝚜𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚢’𝚛𝚎 𝚕𝚘𝚗𝚎𝚕𝚢 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚛𝚘𝚠 𝚖𝚎 𝚊𝚠𝚊𝚢 𝚊𝚜 𝚜𝚘𝚘𝚗 𝚊𝚜 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚋𝚎𝚝𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚜 𝚊𝚕𝚘𝚗𝚐.

     Peter stared at his phone screen, re-reading her message a few times. What were his intentions? He knew that he didn’t just want sex or to use her. But was he actually looking for a romantic partner or just a new friend? Either one came with major complications due to his secret identity.

     His thumbs hesitated above the keyboard for a moment before finding the right words.

𝙿𝚎𝚝𝚎𝚛: 𝙸’𝚖 𝚊𝚋𝚜𝚘𝚕𝚞𝚝𝚎𝚕𝚢 𝚗𝚘𝚝 𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚞𝚜𝚎 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚘𝚛 𝚊𝚗𝚢𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚎𝚕𝚜𝚎. 𝙱𝚞𝚝 𝙸’𝚖 𝚗𝚘𝚝 𝚜𝚞𝚛𝚎 𝚒𝚏 𝙸’𝚖 𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚏𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚍𝚜𝚑𝚒𝚙 𝚘𝚛 𝚛𝚘𝚖𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝙸 𝚍𝚘𝚗’𝚝 𝚠𝚊𝚗𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚘𝚗 𝚒𝚏 𝚢𝚘𝚞’𝚛𝚎 𝚘𝚗𝚕𝚢 𝚕𝚘𝚘𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚛𝚘𝚖𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚎.

𝙿𝚊𝚒𝚜𝚕𝚎𝚢: 𝚃𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚔 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚋𝚎𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚑𝚘𝚗𝚎𝚜𝚝 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚖𝚎. 𝙸’𝚖 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚍 𝚘𝚏 𝚙𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚘𝚗 𝚠𝚑𝚘 𝚗𝚎𝚎𝚍𝚜 𝚝𝚘 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚊 𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚝𝚝𝚢 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚊𝚝𝚎 𝚏𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚍𝚜𝚑𝚒𝚙 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚢𝚠𝚊𝚢 𝚋𝚎𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚎 𝙸 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚗 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚜𝚒𝚍𝚎𝚛 𝚊 𝚛𝚘𝚖𝚊𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚌 𝚛𝚎𝚕𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚜𝚑𝚒𝚙. 𝚂𝚘, 𝙸’𝚖 𝚘𝚔𝚊𝚢 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚛𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚏𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚍𝚜𝚑𝚒𝚙 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚜𝚎𝚎𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚜 𝚞𝚜.

𝙿𝚎𝚝𝚎𝚛: 𝚃𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚜𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍𝚜 𝚙𝚎𝚛𝚏𝚎𝚌𝚝! 𝙸’𝚖 𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚍 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚒𝚛𝚎𝚍 (𝙸 𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚟𝚎𝚕𝚕𝚎𝚍 𝚊 𝚕𝚘𝚝 𝚝𝚘𝚍𝚊𝚢) 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚠𝚎 𝚜𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚏𝚊𝚌𝚎𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚎 𝚘𝚛 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚘𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚛𝚘𝚠?

𝙿𝚊𝚒𝚜𝚕𝚎𝚢: 𝚂𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍𝚜 𝚊𝚖𝚊𝚣𝚒𝚗𝚐! 𝙶𝚘𝚘𝚍𝚗𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝, 𝙿𝚎𝚝𝚎𝚛.

𝙿𝚎𝚝𝚎𝚛: 𝙶𝚘𝚘𝚍𝚗𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝, 𝙿𝚊𝚒𝚜𝚕𝚎𝚢.

     Peter smiled lazily as he slipped his phone back into his pocket and closed his eyes, absorbing the sounds of nature surrounding him.