#the people/lab who did the study is the same one ill be working with :)

[girl-bateman]

Apparently both my parents had already heard on the news abt the science project I might be a part of in my final psych semester. Feeling very cool and important and validated

[soulc-hilde]

Two Halves of a Whole

from the river to the sea, palestine will be free 🇵🇸 READ: this account stands with palestine, and so— i require everyone who interacts to educate themselves, and support/donate. READ THESE; 1 and 2, HELP HERE, BOYCOTT. silence is complicity, do not scroll past this.

Pairing: Soldier Boy / Ben x Black! Supe! OFC

Warnings: It's Soldier Boy/The Boys Universe, so there's a list of bullshit like... swearing, slurs, depictions and mentions of sexual acts, depictions and mentions of drug abuse/addiction, negligence to mental trauma/illnesses, mentions of non-consensual acts, depictions and mentions of unethical medical practices, depictions and mentions of government manipulation, etc.

Synopsis: Benjamin. A boy forced into a man by society. A boy in search for praise and acceptance turned into a weapon. Despite the fame and women, hell, drugs, he's believed himself to be alone with no one to vent to -- not like they'd actually listen. Serene was a young girl, a victim, forced to undergo unethical medicinal practices in order to "better" the American people. The same people who lived to see folks like her dead and groveling. The first ever Supes.

prologue | chapter 1 |

"Subject A, dash, 00A1, please state your name and the reason for your donation to science," a monotone voice orders from behind the old camera, his voice echoing off the metal walls.

"My name is Serene Clendon," the young woman introduces herself. "I believe that science can lead a better understanding of the human body and how culture and society affects us. I even believe that this can create an environment that even my future children could thrive in."

The man scoffs, "yeah. Sure. Subject 00A1, stand to your feet." She does, a look of uncertainty drawing across her round features. He continues, "now commence prologue sequence."

Her almond shaped eyes take on a golden hue, illuminating her face hauntingly. Her small, curved figure becomes weightless as she slowly begins to levitate. Arms raising from her sides, golden orbs of energy form within each palm. Underneath her dark skin, a glow of heat begins to pulse as golden veins of power draw across the surface of her skin.

"Beautiful," the man smirks, cutting off the camera. Turning to look over his shoulder, he barks a short order. "Snuff her out and take her to surgery," he steps out of the glowing room.

In pearly white, near heaven resembling, lab laid a young blond -- nearly brunet -- man. His strong, charming features steeled in hopes of preventing his thoughts from being readable. He may have wanted his father's praise, even going as far as joining the war and volunteering for this brand new company.

As they advertised, they were willing to take soldiers who wished to excel the abilities of the average God abiding man and turn him into the God. Of course, such things were nothing more than sweet words in hopes of receiving great cash in exchange for their work. Which makes it smart to offer their services to the military, of all corporations, first.

With hesitance, generals studied and tested their soldiers in search of who could be stupid enough, desperate to put their body through hell and become a scientific toy. Benjamin was one of the nominees and came out the winner. Not like he'd really call himself such.

Especially now as a young woman was wheeled into the same, her body lays limp on the gurney. He watches as the doctors lay her onto the metal table beside him, tediously strapping every limb they could find. He raises an eyebrow at the strange woman.

"What's she doing here?" He asks, turning his gaze to the doctors who avoid meeting his eyes.

Much like they have since he's arrived to the laboratory, they ignore his questions and continue about their tasks. He continues one question after another, "did she also volunteer? I thought this was a program for soldiers only? Did I miss something?"

Dr. Frederick Vought steps into the room, equipped with protective gear. "Don't be outrageous, Benjamin," he softly snorts, "Serene is a volunteer to science. Your success in leading our country to victory lies within her blood."

"I have searched years to find her since her descent to our great world," Frederick rambles on, shuffling through his tools with the purpose to organize them properly for the surgery. "Such a mysterious person. No fool-proof background checks, no social security. Not even a birth certificate. It's as if she never existed."

"Do you know what a mutant is, Benjamin?" He asks. The boy's mouth opens and closes, searching for an answer. The doctor chuckles, "of course not. I forgot, for a moment, just who exactly I was speaking to."

He sighs, "anyways. The race of Negroes have shown great potential as test rats, their resilient bodies and genetics so unlike their European counterparts. If it wasn't for the average negro, we wouldn't have discovered ways to prevent skin cancer or what chemicals in makeup can be harmful and what cannot."

"As much as I'd hate to say it," he shrugs, "they are America's finest, working mule. Be a shame if we were to just kill them all." Benjamin simply shakes his head in response. "Enough with your monologue, doctor, I'd like to get this process done while I'm still young."

Frederick nods, turning away from the two bodies. "Subjects A-00A1 and A-00A2 are ready. Release the hinderance and begin the process." He steps out of the room, muttering, "by tonight, we will make history."

[ficfanatictrf]

Could I get something happy for viktor, like let's say his s/o is a the medical feild and after a lot of work they somehow found a way to cure his Lung sickness. So he didn't like..die? I hope that makes sense, THANK YOU

The Epiphany

Summary: When a solution is found

Warnings: Don't think there are any. Simple fluff, lots of science jargon that I tried to limit to keep from being too boring. I wrote this rather quickly cause I was just too excited - I seriously love the area of study I am in (Human Biology)

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

It had all started from a passing comment from a Professor, explaining how the body knew exactly what cells to attack or leave alone. You had asked the question to the Professor after class, one why some illnesses were able to run rampant without the body doing much to stop them before they were causing serious harm. And it all boiled down to one thing. 

The virus hid inside the DNA of other cells. 

And so you had begun your deep dive into something you had never believed you would have spent any time on, but as the months progressed and every step brought you closer to your goal, you continued the painfully slow process…all the while you watched as your dearest friend was withering away. You couldn’t tell him what you were doing, if it all led to a dead end, you would never forgive yourself for getting his hopes up just to dash them later. 

You were nearing the end of the sixth year of you working on the project as you headed into your lab. You had gotten Professor Heimerdinger to give you a special lab, specifically making sure that the people who had access to the lab didn’t include Viktor. 

As much as you adored him, would want his brain at times, you would not present this to him till you had enough proof. 

So as you came in, sitting down at your desk to look over the tests that had been set to run that night, it was all normal. This was what you did everyday, set up tests that would take hours to get back, come in the next day to see the results and create new tests, new ideas before having to leave it for hours once more. 

Only, as you glanced over the first few sheets you realized that this was not like any other day. This was THE day! 

You could feel your heart pounding out of your chest, quickly looking to see that the same results were on each of the papers for each test you had done. That the results were consistent, the control being the only thing that spiked which meant the test was also working properly and that this wasn’t a false negative. 

In your haste you grabbed everything you could think that you would need, shoving it all into a bag before tearing through the campus to the lab that Viktor and Jayce shared. 

As you entered, you saw exactly what you were expecting and still it didn’t hurt any less. 

Viktor weakened form, how tired he always looked, the tissues nearby that you knew would contain blood. And yet, as you bolted inside, his gaze only turned towards you with a kindness in them that only he could have. And as he went to welcome you in, you cut him off to hold up one of the results you had just looked over. 

“I can tell you now” You said, the understanding quickly flashing in Viktor’s eyes before he reached hastily to get you a chair to sit down on. 

“Then come, come. I have been looking forward to this. Always so secretive about your work” He teased, before already he was trying to take the paper from your hand that you pulled away with a frown. 

As you sat down you took a few breaths, trying to steady yourself mentally as you went into your explanation. Viktor would want to know the science behind this, not just the end result. 

“You said before that the lung virus that spreads in the undercity was one that liked to go unnoticed until suddenly you were dying from it. So it made me wonder if perhaps this was a disease that would lay dormant in the body like the herpes virus or how chickenpox comes back later in life as shingles? Both involve a virus putting its own DNA into the DNA of other cells, which is why it goes dormant for a time before suddenly showing up one day. When that cell dies, the virus's DNA is released once more.” 

Viktor nodded along slowly, it was up to date on this information. This wasn’t really new, but he was wanting to allow you to take the conversation where it needed to go. 

“Well, it was in the early stages, but I heard of another person who was using CRISPR to highlight different parts in cells to try and create new cell and animal models. But, it got me thinking…what if I could find the part of the DNA, that extremely huge list of code and find the part that was the virus’s DNA. I could highlight it, mark it as something harmful to the body and then-” 

“The body’s own immune system would get rid of the virus…not only the virus but the cells harboring the virus…” Viktor ended, slowly leaning back in his chair as he tried to take in what you were saying. 

You nodded, finally reaching into your bag to start pulling out all the papers that you had brought with you. 

“These are all the other trials that I’ve done, we were working on mice but this was the one that would say yes or no if it was time to head to human trials. And Viktor, today every single one of them- every fucking one of them tested negative for the virus. They all had it last night, but today they tested negative.” 

He took the papers slowly from your hand, reading over the printed out information with shaking hands. 

“We can move to human trials, to people who have your disease, to you! Viktor, I am almost certain that with this…I…I can cure you. It’s been what I’ve been working towards for years and finally I can tell you” Standing up straighter, you pulled out the final paper. On it was the exact chemical combination that was used in this. Holding it up you felt your own hands trembling, finally achieving the thing you had been working on for years. 

“This is my gift to you, so that I can confess with it. I love you Viktor…I love you and I think I can cure you” 

Everything for a moment was still, neither of you moving as you both were waiting for the other to make a move. Yet, as Viktor slowly reached out to take the paper in your hand, you watched as he completely missed and then ended up falling out of his chair. 

“Oh shit, are you alright?” 

Helping the man sit up, you were surprised to find the man laughing, not sure as to why falling would be funny. 

“Well, that makes it clear this is no dream.” He chuckled softly, one of his hands reaching up to cradle your cheek in his hand. 

“Thank you” Was whispered, his forehead resting against your own. “When I test negative I will respond to your…declaration. But for now…I suppose, I am in your care.” 

“I suppose you are, it is my study after all” You teased back, though it was mostly to hide the embarrassment you felt at Viktor not rejecting you…but also not accepting either. 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

The next few weeks had been hell for Viktor. As much as you were proud of your work, it did come with the fact that it needed the human body’s immune system being at its top shape to work. With how tired and worn out his immune system was, he had been put onto a diet plan, a sleep plan, a work out plan…all things that felt like ripping teeth out when it came to Viktor. 

Yet, as the fourth week came to an end, the treatments that you needed to do as well as the different plans to help his immune system best it could, you had seen the changes to how often VIktor was coughing. 

And then finally five weeks into the treatment, Viktor looked over the results of his own testing as he had said that he ‘felt good about this one’. You waited, a little peeved that he was taking over your own study in such a Viktor way. 

“Would you have dinner with me tonight?” 

That was until he suddenly asked you that. 

“...w-what?” 

You looked for his meaning from his expression, but all you got was a kind and warm smile. 

“I told you, once I test negative I would respond. Well- “ He held up the paper with a grin. “I am negative. I am responding and I would like to take you out to dinner and was hoping tonight would be alright?” 

Standing up, the man fixed his suit before heading towards the door. 

“And don’t try to be cute when it comes to who is paying. You literally saved my life, anytime we eat together I am paying. I’ll pick you at 7, there are some things I need to do” And with that he was gone, you left sitting in your lab as your friend…boyfriend? You weren’t even sure you had left. 

But, as you looked outside, you saw exactly what Viktor had been needed to do. As soon as the man was far enough away, you watched as he just screamed. Screamed into the sky with everything he had. 

Screamed from the pain, the anger, the injustice of it all. Screaming because he hadn’t died from this illness, that he was free from its hold, that it wouldn’t take him. And screaming because he could - his lungs would always have some damage from the virus, but it was now clean. 

And so he screamed, screamed until he couldn’t scream anymore.

[auroragothcs]

TWs and CWs: Mentions of violence, injury, cannibalism, human experimentation, disordered eating, recreational herbs and detachment to a sense of self.

| Il Dottore Headcanons (pt.4).

76. Really accepting of people, just in a "It's okay, I want to study people like you too" way which is not ideal, but could be worse considering everything.

77. Snaps his teeth at Pantalone when he calls him "Dottie" and tries to touch him affectionately.

78. He grinds his teeth when he's becoming overwhelmed by work and it led to a tiny piece of his tongue missing.

79. The closes are one of his most useful and welcomed creations in his life since they understand him and each other in ways no one else could and often push him to take a break while they take care of things.

80. Gets dragged out of his lab and office by his collar at least once a week, no one bats an eye at it anymore.

81. He probably doesn't even have a bed that he considers his anymore, throwing hinself over his desk and crashing when he's too tired to keep on working.

82. Got banned from a small teashop he enjoyed going to and eating baked goods at because he offered to buy the owner's recently deceased daughter, never harmed him since he genuinely kinda liked the place and workers but is still very grumpy about it.

83. Invests his free time into finding cures and better treatments to illnesses and sells the recipes, the chosen "volunteers" to these experiments are rude subordinates.

84. One of his clones has a broken tooth that he refused to fix because he bit into one of his delusions to "eat it back" after hearing that it consumed vitality.

85. People staring at him face makes him feel insecure and the old mask did very little to soothe that so he enjoyed the change quite a lot.

86. Rubs his hands red if he feels dirty or guilty.

87. Has a birthmark on his waist/belly, it looks like a wobbly little heart and he pokes at it every time he sees it.

88. Freckled king, they're very light and not many people see him from close enough to notice, but grow in number and intensity on his shoulder blades.

89. Jokingly asked the Tsaritsa for permission to boil and eat her gnosis once he got comfortable enough to talk more freely around her, she found it funny enough that she offered to let him do that to someone else's.

90. Asks questions at dizzying speed and gets mad when no one can keep up enough to answer them all.

91. He takes boiling hot showers/baths to soothe chronic pain and help him relax but needs to have a clone around beceuse he faints every damn time and they're the only ones he's comfortable being naked around.

92. Prime has night terrors when he actually sleeps instead of his usual crashing, not even the clones know what of.

93. Dottore enjoys the power his position brings and how it affects his dynamic in nearly any social situation, taking advantage of how no one would dare to say a single bad thing to/about someone who earned the Tsaritsa's approval, at least not in front of him, of course.

94. He carries a handkerchief embroidered with traditional designs from his homeland and is unwilling to leave it all in the past no matter how much he pretends not to be.

95. Cats like him a lot and he's confused but overjoyed.

96. Sways his hips a little while performing surgeries and experiments since humming repetitively helps him keep pace and track of time.

97. Fears that a clone could take over his identity and that no one would notice, they all have a similar fear.

98. Would not-so-secretly DROOL over Lady Gaga's music.

99. Knows Lisa and Baizhu in passing because they studied at the same library table sometimes but were all far too focused to talk, probably remembers them well enough to recognize with some prompting.

100. Pantalone refuses to give him more funds for his lab but will give him expensive gifts like bath oils and coats if he notices that Dottore looks stressed.

[transmasc-wizard]

hi hello nico you asked to learn about my d&d character and i am here to provide Information via a ramble because that's the way i know best how to convey information. i have a lot of feelings about this character so i will try to be concise, not sure if i'll succeed! i also don't know how much you know about d&d so i apologize if i over-explain something you already know.

so my character in this campaign is named eden linnaeus! he's a gay, trans, and autistic tiefling (funky part-demon fella), and class-wise he's an artificer (science magic <3) multiclassing into warlock (made a deal with a fucked up eldritch monster in exchange for power). i love him so so dearly and i'm a little (a lot) fixated on him right now.

where to begin with himmmmmmMMM. okay. i'll talk a little bit about eden's backstory because i was writing some extra details of that up and made myself sad.

so eden is the son of a prominent scientist named abdiel linnaeus, also a tiefling, who was like. not necessarily abusive but also not a good guy on any level. when eden and his brother michael were young, abdiel actually walked out on them and their mom and hasn't spoken to any of them since </3 (it's very much a case of like... abdiel had understandable motives (he essentially was leaving to find a cure for the illness his wife was slowly dying from, but he didn't really... communicate what he was doing and also never came back), but his actions are unforgivable.)

as a result of his dad walking out on them, eden grew up with a very warped sense of self worth and a constant lingering sense that something's wrong with him, that he's not enough for the people around him. the only real way he knows how to cope with that is by overcompensating and always trying to the best--he won't only be enough, he'll be the BEST. (no i'm not projecting <3)

pretty much the moment he was able to, eden threw himself into scientific studies, going into the same field as his father (essentially like... a mix of medicine, biology, and chemistry, which doesn't really have a name yet oops) with the express purpose of surpassing his father. eden's plan is to become the best and most known dr. linnaeus in this field, to completely destroy whatever legacy his father built.

and the way to do that was to take things one step further <3 a lot of abdiel's work focuses on combining magic and science, and one thing he did a lot of research into was the possibility of combining them for the purpose of reviving the dead. wahoo! necromancy! so well. i think it's clear what eden decided he would do <3 abdiel's work was very theoretical, and eden decided to put it to the test.

eden did successfully revive one person, but it was a bad time all around and the person didn't live for very long in their new life, spending the entire ten minutes in horrific agony before dying again! and eden was left with a new dose of trauma that only made his desire to prove he could do it even stronger.

in the main storyline of the campaign, eden essentially spent the rest of his life working towards the goal of usurping his dad, and his fixation on this was so bad that pretty much all of his close relationships fell apart, which only fed into his lack of self-worth and desperation to prove himself and be not only enough but The Best.

aaand then when eden was 28 years old, he died. the exact cause i'm intentionally leaving a bit ambiguous, but the point is that he died in his lab, working himself to the bone until the end.

aaand that's actually when the campaign starts!!! because the basic premise of the campaign centers around a group of characters who died and were brought to a purgatory world by a being that wanted to give them a second chance at life. eden and the others, after some Plot happened, said "fuck off" to the second chance, clawed their way back to the world of the living, and are now trying to find the cause of and stop the corruption slowly overtaking their world and killing people.

ANYWAY so there's more things but that's the basic rundown of eden!!! and now i'm gonna talk a bit more about him because i love him. i apologize for how long this is.

one of my favorite things about eden that i'm realizing as i play him is that he's actually incredibly self-sacrificing when it comes down to it. he comes off as a very egotistical, self-centered character who doesn't give a shit about anything except his own superiority. but oh no he actually is the first person to give up pieces of himself (quite literally in some cases) to help those he cares about. on some level this is very much a result of him wanting to prove himself as being worthy of others' attention and affection, but it's something i really like thinking about.

and another thing i like a lot with eden is that he has a very analytical approach to everything around him. he's very fun to roleplay in that aspect because he's very different from me there, and i love thinking about his thought process and how he approaches things.

and something else i've been thinking about is that i think eden is very low-empathy and that also plays into his struggles to relate to others and his difficulty in relationships. (both b/c i enjoy writing low-empathy characters, because they're so different from me and also because i want to personally fistfight the trope of "they have no empathy so they're EVIL and ENJOY CAUSING PAIN")

aaaand okay wait last thing. this is probably a whole 'nother rant but there's a ton of parallels between eden and abdiel and i'm so so excited for eden's character arc going forward because i really want to explore that more. the biggest insult someone could say to eden is comparing him to his father, but also it's not really. in accurate.

ok thank u for your time

first of all: i love him so much it's unreal

second: oh!!!! he and i are in the low empathy gang together!! fuck yeah!!

third: i LOVE that backstory. it sounds so painful and complicated and like it will lead to such a great arc :D

i am microwaving him in my brain ty for telling me about this blorbo

[theaibooks]

tittle: recursion by Blake crouch

this is a fantastic story we did another book called dark matter by the same author, ill keep it short as to not ruin this great book.

The laboratory was alive with the hum of electricity and the buzz of excited conversation. Helena Smith stood at the center of the room, her eyes shining with a fierce determination. For years, she had worked tirelessly on a technology that would allow people to relive their most cherished memories. And finally, after countless sleepless nights and endless setbacks, she had done it.

The machine, a sleek and futuristic-looking device, glimmered in the corner of the lab. Helena watched as the first test subject was hooked up to the device. The man's eyes flickered as the machine whirred to life, and then suddenly, he was gone.

Helena waited anxiously as the machine ran its course, recording and replaying the man's memories. Finally, the process was complete, and the man emerged from the machine, a look of wonder on his face. "It was like I was there all over again," he said, his voice trembling with emotion.

Word of Helena's invention spread like wildfire. People from all over the world came to her lab, eager to relive their most precious moments. They laughed and cried as they watched their memories unfold before their eyes, experiencing the past in a way that had never been possible before.

But then something strange began to happen. People started experiencing memories that weren't their own. They began to see things that couldn't possibly be real - scenes from other people's lives, moments from history. The memories became more and more vivid, until they were indistinguishable from reality.

Helena realized too late that her invention had gone horribly wrong. The technology had created a new kind of disease - False Memory Syndrome - that was spreading across the globe like wildfire. People were becoming trapped in their own memories, unable to distinguish what was real from what was imagined.

As the world fell into chaos, Helena raced to find a solution. But the closer she got to the truth, the more she realized that there was something even more sinister at work. Someone was manipulating the technology for their own gain, using it to change the course of history and shape the future to their liking.

Helena delved deeper into the mystery, determined to uncover the truth. She studied the machine, poring over its schematics and algorithms. She conducted experiments, testing the limits of the technology and trying to understand its inner workings.

But the more she learned, the more she realized that the machine was more than just a tool for reliving memories. It was a portal, a gateway to another world. And someone - or something - was using it to change the course of history.

Helena began to see patterns in the memories, clues that led her down a dark and dangerous path. She discovered that there were others like her, people who had been experimenting with time and memory for centuries. They had used the technology to shape the course of human history, to change the fates of nations and manipulate the lives of individuals.

As Helena delved deeper into the mystery, she discovered a shocking connection to her own past. She realized that her invention had not only put the world in danger, but it had also brought her face to face with the demons of her own childhood.

In a race against time, Helena must find a way to stop the person behind the False Memory Syndrome before it's too late. But as she confronts her own memories and struggles to distinguish reality from fiction, she begins to question whether she can truly trust anyone - even herself.

The world teeters on the brink of collapse as Helena battles to save it. With every passing moment, the stakes grow higher, and the line between reality and fantasy blurs. In the end, only one thing is certain - the world will never be the same again.

[thewestoreca]

Why shred cannabis is just the thing that you need?

Recent years have seen the beginning of the dispelling of various marijuana misconceptions. At the same time, the societal stigma around marijuana is starting to fade. Weed delivery website thewestore.com provides all kinds of cannabis products that everyone thrives for. In fact, athletes and fitness experts who champion marijuana's health advantages are starting to refute the perception of stoners as fat, sluggish people. Here we will talk about a few types of cannabis shred types and the benefits of it that have proven to be super beneficial.

Chronic pain

Over 10,000 scientific research on the therapeutic uses and side effects of cannabis were reviewed by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine last year. The use of medical cannabis shred to relieve chronic pain was one topic that received careful attention in the report. More than 25 million persons are affected by chronic pain, which is a primary contributor to disability.

According to the review, treating chronic pain with cannabis, products containing cannabinoids, which are the drug's active constituents, or other substances that work on the same brain receptors as cannabis did, is beneficial.

Drug and alcohol addiction

Another thorough analysis of the available data, which was published in the journal Clinical Psychology Review last year, suggested that cannabis shred use could aid those struggling with opiate or alcohol addictions. The National Academies of Sciences review reveals that cannabis use actually increases the chance of misusing and becoming dependent on other substances, therefore this finding may be controversial.

Pink Kush

One of the most popular cannabis strains is Pink Kush. Aside from its potent physical effects, flavor, and aroma, it is also said to be related to the renowned OG Kush, which increases its appeal. Pink Kush, commonly known as Pink OG or Pink Kush OG, is a hybrid strain with an Indica dominant genetic background. Pink Kush's ancestry is unknown, however, many cannabis specialists think it is related to the OG Kush, a well-known hybrid created by crossing Lemon Thai, Chemdawg, and the Hindu Kush three times. An Indica-dominant strain called Pink Kush is well renowned for its calming properties. It's the ideal variety to keep on hand for managing stress and letting go of the day's troubles. The trichome covering and pink accents that break up the dense and compact green nugs almost give it a glazed candy appearance. Does Pink Kush live up to the hype despite being recognized for its beautiful floral fragrances, vivid color, and potent high?

The THC lab tests that are now available indicate that this strain averages at 20% and the CBD levels hardly ever rise above 1%. The National Institutes of Health estimate that people have been using cannabis, sometimes known as marijuana, to treat illnesses for at least 3,000 years. Cannabidiol, a component of cannabis, was approved as a treatment for some forms of epilepsy in June 2018; nonetheless, the Food and Drug Administration has not found cannabis to be safe or effective in the treatment of any medical condition.

The intense flavour of Pink Kush

Given its equally pungent scent, Pink Kush's intense flavor shouldn't come as a surprise to you. It starts off with a sweet flavor that reminds me of candied vanilla, then transitions into a floral flavor with notes of pine or maybe musty earth. Cannabis strain experts frequently adore this strain's complex flavor. Along with some berry and flowery undertones, you can definitely sense a sweet and creamy vanilla perfume. The main advantages of Pink Kush are its relaxing effects, which make it ideal for relieving stress and anxiety at the end of the day. For people who endure pain and may be looking for continuing pain management, its lovely body sensation is excellent.

CBD for pets and people

One of the most exciting areas of cannabis study is the potential muscle and joint inflammation reduction. CBD, a non-psychoactive cannabinoid present in marijuana, has been shown in numerous studies to reduce inflammation. Its potential to cure autoimmune diseases like Crohn's disease, lupus, and psoriasis is now being investigated by researchers. CBD for pets has also proven to be very beneficial.  You can get all of these cannabis products from a reliable weed delivery website thewestore.com

[tiesthatbind-tf]

I accidentally deleted 2000 words of story for poor Soundwave last night and had to rewrite everything but tbh, they’re absolutely worthit.  Their armor definitely makes me want to experiment with Celtic motifs for Hot Rod!

Full story below.

Suraya Widodo was born to parents Wijaya and Ni Made Saraswati on the island of Madura, Indonesia. They noticed that something didn’t quite seem right with their baby, who was fussier than most, threw fits when brought into crowded spaces and seemed mostly lost in their own thoughts, though this did little to dampen their love.

The name ‘Widodo’ (healthy) was given to Suraya (despite the masculine nature of it, which does lend to Suraya’s nonchalance about their gender in later years) in hopes that they would grow up alright despite their quirks.

Wijaya, a fisherman who wanted to give his family a better life in the more industrialized town of Bangkalan west of the island, pushed himself hard at his work, hoping to earn enough to allow them to settle down there comfortably.

He began to risk venturing out into ocean areas which were occasionally used as smuggling routes where more lucrative catches laid, careful to fish there during specific times to the day to avoid crossing paths with pirates and smugglers.

However, his luck ran out one day when a smuggling vessel came across him in broad daylight and silenced him from alerting the coast guards to their existence with five shots.

Suraya was five.

Saraswati, desperate to find a way to care for her child as the new breadwinner thought she had gotten lucky when a job scouter for a factory in Bangkalan came to the village. They were looking to offer work to single mothers as part of their corporate responsibility programme and extended the offer of employment to her and promised a hostel and training so she wasn’t out of her depth in the assembly line.

Seeing it as the best option, she left Suraya with her husband’s family while she worked and lived in a worker’s hostel on weekdays and returned to see Suraya every weekend.

She would give money to the family to care for Suraya in her absence, which was crucial since they weren’t fond of Saraswati (they had not agreed to Wijaya’s marriage) and found Suraya’s odd behavior off-putting and claims of ‘hearing voices’ potentially a sign of mental illness (which was fodder for them to demand even more money from Saraswati with the excuse that Suraya was a handful).

This routine continued until Saraswati was suddenly killed in a factory accident.

Suraya was nine.

The compensation for Saraswati’s death was enough for the family for only a few months and after it dried up, the neglect and abuse began. Though at times it was odd because Suraya seemed to know when they were in a bad mood and when they were looking for an outlet for their anger, and  the child would somehow almost always magically disappear during those times.

Then an agent claiming to be from the government came to see them.

He claimed he had heard about Suraya via their mother and wanted to inspect the child to see if they would qualify for a place in a ‘special school’ for ‘different’ children, and this had sounded tame enough to the family, who allowed him to see the shy, withdrawn little waif.

However Suraya immediately could tell what his true intentions were—-to have them locked up in a testing facility to figure out their ‘mutation’—-and attempted to run, only to be caught by his fellow officers outside the home.

The family was paid compensation for officially relinquishing Suraya’s care to the state, and did so without question, only relieved to be rid of their ‘burden’.

Suraya was taken to facility after facility in the state for the first few years to have a battery of tests, many painful, run on them to figure out their ‘special ability’ as an Outlier and to see if it could be replicated.

When they were in their early teens, they were transported overseas to a different facility as a bargaining chip for intel, tech and the like, coming into the ‘care’ of people who intended to use them as a government asset.

They never saw daylight except during transportation and they began to plan their escape as they studied the facility’s layout.

Their first attempt at escape didn’t go well however; they were caught, dragged back and had their eyes burned and blinded as punishment (at this point they had shown their handlers that their highly-enhanced hearing made them capable of navigating the world in total darkness, so said handlers didn’t not see this as ‘damaging the goods’).

If the handlers thought that the punishment would deter them however, it didn’t; Suraya just became more careful and subtle with the planning of their next attempt.

The second attempt came during a transport session where there were less guards and less access to tech to subdue them, though it came with a problem they did not plan for.

In their first attempt, they had tried escaping into the countryside. In this one, they hurled themselves out completely unprepared into a world louder than any world they had ever known; downtown London on a weekend.

The cacophony completely overwhelmed their senses and they barely managed to crawl-stumble into an alley as bounty hunters were enlisted to track them down.

It was here that they ran into one Ramiro Vasquez (Ravage) who was immediately concerned about their situation and once figuring out the nature of their distress, gave them his headphones to drown out the noise and kept them safe and hidden until the bounty hunters had left.

He then took Suraya back to the rented apartment he shared with Lara Soelberg (Laserbeak) and both agreed to let the waif stay with them for as long as they needed to be alright, and the three formed a little familial unit as Suraya grew deeply fond of the two Beast Men whom they saw as two of the most compassionate people in a horrible world.

Ramiro however understood that Suraya needed tutelage to properly harness and deal with their Outlier ability; having heard whispers of a secret Outlier school run Senator Sharifuddin Waseem (Shockwave) and knowing Sharifuddin as one of the few good men in the Senate, he decided to take the risk and confronted the Senator about the matter, promising to keep the secret a secret in return for helping out Suraya.

As it turned out the threats were not necessary, as Sharifuddin was genuinely  concerned for them and came to see them personally at the apartment. Initially,  Suraya was apprehensive about meeting someone else about their abilities, remembering full well how the first such meeting ended, but to their pleasant surprise, they detected no malice in Sharifuddin’s intentions; only the desire to help.

They agreed to enroll in Sharifuddin’s Outlier institute, coming back home to see Ramiro and Lara every weekend.

They excelled in their classes and soon mastered their ability and knew how to deal with the overstimulation that came from it, to the point where they could walk the streets with no problem.

In the wake of murders of Senators Nikomedes Momus and Gayathri Sharma, Suraya offered to become a spy for Sharifuddin, who was determined to solve the deaths, and Sharifuddin began bringing them to Senate meetings under the guise of them being his new aide.

They caught the eye of Senator Radbourne (RatBat) who seemed to pick up the fact that they were an Outlier, but rather than bring up the matter, requested that they work with him as well on.... matters regarding his constituents with disabilities.

Sharifuddin has his reservations about Radbourne and Suraya knew they were up to no good and both agreed to the arrangement so Suraya could dig up more information about them.

As it turned out, Radbourne was dirty as dirty as politicians came, but he had nothing to do with the murders. Rather, he was mostly preoccupied with an individual named Morgan Trayton (Megatron), the same individual whom Omar Parvez (Orion Pax)  a friend of Sharifuddin’s, had mentioned as a great writer.

Radbourne asked Suraya to track down Morgan with an offer the man hopefully wouldn’t refuse and Suraya, intrigued about this man with what they’d heard about him from Omar, agreed to do so.

They found Morgan in a vast underground fighting ring in Moscow, and after voicing some skepticism about him walking his written talk, he allowed them to peek into his mind to see how genuine and committed he was to his cause, and it took them aback for a bit to meet someone who despite being mired in tragedy, had Sharifuddin’s desire to make a better world and the iron will to back it up.

They pledged themself to be among the first members of Morgan’s rising revolution (which was aided by Omar spreading his writings through an underground press) and told them about Radbourne’s offer to supply weapons and augmentations to increase profits from the pitfighting racket.

Morgan agreed if only to use these exact items against the Senate once he’d acquired an army.

It was during this time with Morgan that they also met Ramsey (Rumble) and Friedel (Frenzy), a pair of dwarf miners who the man had been friends with for years, and almost immediately got along with their boisterous, gregarious natures. 

They continued to be Radbourne’s liaison with Megatron until the start of the Clampdown when they watched Morgan kill the owner of the Pit, free those who wanted their freedom and take those who were loyal to him to meet with Sharifuddin to formally establish a rebellion.

It was about this time that Suraya found out that Radbourne had been conducting illegal experiments on Beast Men, something they took grave offense to, and they kept mining Radbourne for more information about where the experiments were taking place.

Upon finding out, they personally hunted down Radbourne as Stefan Scavarro (Starscream) initiated the Senate massacre to Radbourne’s labs, where he tried to fight them off only to finally find out the true extent of their abilities.

Badly-injured, his attempt at stopping them from freeing the captive Beast Men—-his “property” as he would yell at them—-ended up with him hurled into a genetic splicing pod (commissioned from a ‘Mesothulas’) which he accidentally activated.

The process twisted him into a Rat-Bat-human hybrid, and rather than kill him, Suraya decided to leave the option to the Beast Men he tortured for profit in what they saw as poetic justice.

After those who wanted vengeance were done with Radbourne, Suraya gave the  Beast Men the option of leaving free or coming with them to be a part of Morgan’s revolution which would ensure that they were never mistreated and ostracized by the larger world again.

Two of the Beast Men took up the offer; Bastien Saville (Buzzsaw) and Gan Go-eun (Glit).

When Morgan, confident in Suraya’s abilities asked them  to establish their own division focussed on spying and intel gathering, Suraya chose Ramiro, Lara, Ramsey, Friedel and Bastien to work alongside them.

While Suraya occasionally questions Morgan’s actions, two things they have never questioned are his dedication to his cause and the compassion he shows to those they care for, and it’s enough for them to consider themself a true Decepticon till the day his objectives are achieved.

[byunmyeon]

Philophobia

↳ pairing: lee suho x reader

↳ synopsis: in a world where a red string connects soulmates, everyone knows who they belong with. except you, who hasn’t been able to see your string since you were a kid.

↳ warnings: language (like one word), a copious amount of angst and heartbreak

— note: there’s a serious lack of suho fics out there so I decided to write my own. lmk if you guys want me to write a second part!

There was something inexplicably eerie about being the new girl in a school that was twice the size of your old one. Not because it was an unfamiliar setting, nor was it because you were painfully shy and terrible at making friends. It wasn’t even your disparaging insecurities that had you feeling so shook. No, it was something you couldn’t put your finger on, something you couldn’t begin to name. A discomfort you could feel all the way down to your bones.

Your inordinate unease swelled into full blown panic with every step you took toward your new classroom. Somewhere in your unorganized mind, you could hear your mom’s reassuring voice. Everything will be okay. You didn’t know if her words held any truth, but you really, really, really hoped she was right. You were being stupid, honestly. There was nothing to fear, but you couldn’t shake the foreboding feeling from your stature. Despite all the undesirable emotions you felt, your breathing was normal and your heartbeat was steady.

It took you a minute to gather yourself. You could do this.

After a very ineffectual pep talk, you finally got your feet to move. Your eyes were cast down as you entered the classroom. The rowdy classroom went silent once your presence became known. You swallowed the nerves and chanced a glance at your new classmates. The reactions were a mixture of curiosity and disinterest.

When your teacher introduced you to the class, you decided to really look at your new classmates. Among the sea of unfamiliar faces, one stuck out. An unnaturally attractive face belonging to an unfamiliar boy. His stare was strange. It was full of an intensity you couldn’t comprehend. You kept staring, in spite of yourself. Fuck. Was it possible for someone to be so attractive?

The clapping of your classmates pulled you back into reality. You were quick to look elsewhere, unable to understand the sudden lurch of your heart.

Suho couldn’t take his eyes off the new girl, more specifically, the string neatly wrapped around her index finger. He watched her carefully. The shy smile she wore was annoyingly adorable, and it made a foreign warmth spread across his chest and along his entire body. The new girl didn’t spare him another glance as she took her seat next to Jugyeong.

Lim Jugyeong.

He wasn’t her soulmate and she wasn’t his, but she was the girl who had unknowingly stolen his heart. That wasn’t about to change because some stranger who he was supposedly meant to be with came into his life with no warning.

Suho looked back to the front of the classroom without looking at the new girl again.

The first time it happened, you wrote it off as fatigue. After all, you had just started middle school and trying to keep up with your new workload as well as your budding social life was exhausting. That day, the color of your string had faded a bit, but it was still visible. By the time you were on your way home it disappeared for a mere second before regaining its color. Days later, it was completely gone.

When your mom first found out you could no longer see your string, she became extremely distraught. It had affected her more than it did you, honestly. She wasted no time in taking you to see countless specialists and psychologists. Anything to keep you from becoming a freak that didn’t know who they were meant to be with. She unknowingly made you feel exactly like that.

Apparently, you were a rare case because every person you went to for help wanted to conduct a study on you and your condition. Fortunately for you, your mom didn’t want you becoming a lab rat and decided to stop seeking out help from strangers. Left with no other option, you went to one person who she believed could help you. An old friend of hers.

He wasn’t a specialist, just a regular doctor who came to the conclusion that a deep, scarring trauma had caused you to no longer see your string. You could remember the heartbreak on your mom’s face because you both knew what that trauma was.

Your mom did her best to help you. Spending more time together and countless hours of therapy did nothing for your condition. Nothing worked. You became convinced that trying to see your string again was futile.

And you were right.

As time went on, you grew used to the unease that had latched itself onto you on that first day. The feeling in your bones settled in like an unwelcome guest who refused to leave. No matter what you did, you couldn’t shake the feeling. Eventually, you gave up trying.

However, something shifted when you crossed paths with Lee Suho.

You two had been put in the same group for a science lab. His attention had been solely on Lim Jugyeong, but there were times when your eyes would meet. Those milliseconds were just that, but to you they felt like an eternity. He rarely addressed you, but when he did, you could feel the pressure weighing on your bones fade bit by bit. That familiar feeling soon shifted into a more comfortable presence that you yearned to feel forever.

It was subtle, but at some point, Suho’s emotionless face changed. The change would last for no more than a second, but it always did when he looked at you. That change had your entire stature seeping with warmth. You vaguely recognized the feeling as something akin to infatuation.

It scared you.

Of course, the possibility that he might be your soulmate crossed your mind, but you quickly dismissed that thought.

Too many times had you gotten in trouble for insisting someone was your soulmate when they really weren’t. Any special bond or feelings that grew between you and someone else couldn’t always be interpreted as the ones between soulmates. You learned that the hard way.

Besides, your soulmate would make it clear to name themselves as such even if you couldn’t see the string.

At least, you hoped they would.

Philophobia.

Before you went into high school, your mom insisted you see one last psychologist with the promise that the one she found was different. Reluctantly, you went to see this woman who diagnosed you with this absurd illness. You felt like it was made up, but your mother was adamant that you did have it.

You knew she only thought that because you had told her you no longer had any interest in finding your soulmate. Her panic was unrivaled after hearing those words come out of your mouth. You wrote off her panic because your disinterest in soulmates was only natural. How could it not when—at the time—it was all your friends could talk about? Talk about being the odd man out.

Okay, and maybe you also weren’t keen on meeting new people because of the fear that they could easily ignore the string you couldn’t see. There was also the fear that if you ever did meet someone you wanted to spend your life with, they could end up not being your soulmate and vice versa.

But those feelings would all fade with time, you were sure.

Hanging out near the back of the school where no one ever went became a regular thing for you. It was the one spot where you didn’t have to worry about your soulmate or anything related to that—a safe place. Until it wasn’t.

“You can’t just ignore the bond you have with her.”

The angry voice was one you vaguely recognized. You peeked around the corner, eyes widening when you saw Han Seojun and Lee Suho in the middle of what appeared to be an argument.

“Why are you bringing that up?” Suho’s eyes narrowed. “Do you still like Jugyeong?”

Seojun’s gaze hardened. “It’s not about that.”

It was wrong to listen on what was clearly meant to be a private conversation, but your feet wouldn’t move. You could see Suho’s anger and irritation from your hiding place, and for some reason seeing him that way made a blistering discomfort latch itself onto your chest.

“You’re being unfair to Jugyeong and Y/N.”

The mention of your name had your insides twisting into an uncomfortable knot. You didn’t understand why or how you had anything to do with the discussion, but you had a feeling the reason wasn’t anything good.

“Just because she’s my soulmate doesn’t mean I owe her anything.”

There was a sharp pain in your chest, one that grew into a searing pain as the seconds ticked by. You might’ve cried out in pain had it not been for the shock that consumed you. In a sudden instant, your vision became blurred with tears as you staggered back. His words were the worst form of torture, like a piece of barbed wire that wrapped itself around your heart.

Your fate was a cruel one, forever bound to someone who refused to acknowledge the bond between you two. Lee Suho was your soulmate, but he didn’t want to be.

It was a cruel reality to have your worst nightmare come to life.

“Is it true?”

Suho raised an eyebrow at you. His gaze didn’t soften like it once did. Now it just remained impassive, almost annoyed. The cold look he was giving you was making you regret even coming to him in the first place.

“Are you really my soulmate?”

“Why are you acting like you don’t know?” Suho’s unaffected stare unsettled you. “You’ve known since the first time we saw each other.”

But you hadn’t known. This entire time you had been driving yourself crazy thinking you were only imagining the connection between you two like you had done countless times after you first lost the sight of your string. Despite wanting to tell him that, you settled for a question.

“What about Jugyeong? Don’t you think she—?”

“Are you going to tell her?” He interrupted you.

You could literally hear your heart crack. Of course that’s all he cared about. He didn’t care whether or not you were hurt and upset, hell, he probably thought you had no interest in your soulmate. But he was wrong, so very wrong.

“Why?” He demanded. “You don’t want me as your soulmate either. You’ve been ignoring the bond, too.”

I can’t see my string! You nearly yelled. The words were clawing at your throat, eager to be released. But you found yourself unable to tell him the truth.

“My soul chose yours,” you said, close to tears. “And a soul just doesn’t forget that.”

For a moment, one that was so quick you thought you imagined it, Suho looked remorseful. Stupidly, it made you hope that he would accept you and the bond that bounded you together.

“Don’t tell her.” His voice didn’t sound like a plea, but you knew what he was asking you to do was clearly important to him. “I can’t loose her.”

And so, you agreed. Even if it meant that your own heart would be left in tatters.

[luvring]

Im back aha ik its Christmas or whatever but a bitch doesnt sleep or whatever 🤨can i have felix hcs? Like younger felix??? I would bully him so much omg n he wouldn't make it easier for himself???? Hes a fucking nerd???? I want to kiss him n hug him but like,,,,,,, i would flick his forehead and shove him in a locker for fun im sorry i love him but have you seen him in the rime deathscene pic???? Why does he look like that LMAOOO id look at him n he'd cry n im shorter than him how funny is that. Okay now im just thinking about younger felix and how much fun it would be just to be around him i would lovingly make fun of him 🥴 his hair was so ugly im sorry 💀

— young felix hcs

note from nia: SHOVE HIM IN A LOCKER HLEPEFSZN i really did not see anything wrong w his hair but then i was like "is this because i am kind and good-willed or because every guy i know has terrible hair?" the answer is Yes.

but smh you're right it's the "friends bullying each other but only they get to bully each other" (same thing w rime but that's for another day)

calling him a nerd but then someone else laughs and you're just like what the fuck are you doing laughing

he's so easy to tease/bully like it's so easy

i don't even know what he'd do if you did push him into a locker. "oops what are you doing in there" "you are the bane of my existence" he'd probably be petty for a while tbf

one day he comes in more tired than usual and you prank him by asking if he studied for the test first period . the colour drains from his face

pairing up with him during labs and stuff and messing with him while he's just like please god no don't put that in the beaker do you want us to die

it was an academy i'm guessing they had uniforms and yet you still find a way to insult his outfit. "i'm wearing what everyone else wears." "you look dumb"

please. his hair. "why does your hair look like that" "i didn't do anything" "i think that's the problem, felix." he's so tired

someone else tries to make fun of his appearance and they're immediately knocked out. on the floor. gone. you and felix meeting up in detention like 🤝 my man

devs saying he was a talented know-it-all....easy ammo.

the kid who got all the questions right. the kid the teachers ask to answer when no one else is. the kid people treat like a pH test strip when they know an exam is coming because if he's struggling they are fucked

and he knows he's smart which makes it worse and he holds it over your head

"felix please" "i don't know the answer" "you finished the worksheet already" "maybe you should be smarter" "i'm going to kill you"

i hope everyone here is smart as hell because he'd be such an ass at tutoring . sorry. i know he's teaching mc magic and sure he's good but magic years after school is one thing,, 16 year old felix telling me how to deal with derivatives is another. he's the guy who's like "idk what to tell you it's just how it works" felix i am on the Verge Rn

it isn't even necessarily ill-willed he genuinely just doesn't know how to explain it differently. he tries his best for you

he's enough of a menace/idiot (affectionate) i don't think he'd tell the teacher if there was homework. both because he gets it and maybe also did not do the homework

he would argue if he thought he should have gotten a question right though. everyone is sitting there like for the love of god

multiple nights staying up with him studying and complaining about the academy/life

those nights probably made some of the best memories tbh. it's the intimacy of "trying to study" but you're tired and doing the silent laugh thing at the stupidest textbook images and things that happened that day. real

i don't know when he got into taxidermy but he still had weirder/darker interests without it

there's a specific balance when talking about his interests because like. 4lifers! but also,, i don't think his interests are something he likes being teased about too much because he'd get self-conscious . especially when it's coming from a trusted friend

watching him ramble and saying lol nerd but then asking a very specific question so he knows you're paying attention

anyway. he'd throw paper balls at your head to get your attention

can he smack you with magic. if he can he does. just smack him back

and the fact that him and rime were rivals to lovers during this. i hate them i hate them so much i'm sick

he studied harder just to beat him . why are you as a man competing with another man? so you can get his attention and kiss him? that's what i thought

he's terrible at hiding his feelings it's even easier to tease him about than his academics.

how am i supposed to be your friend when i come over and you're like "i hate that guy i need to beat him now." he's living in your head rent free, felix. "i do not like him i hate him" okay why are you thinking about kissing him, felix. loser. nerd.

making him realize his feelings. watching him pine after rime. oh no i accidentally pushed you into him oh nooo!! what do you mean you went to the library looking for me but found rime instead that's so silly felix when did i say i was going to be there!!

and i know he was/is a nerd but he also got expelled

you helping him with his pranks.. incredible bonding moment. partners in crime! he probably had notes jotted down of different pranks he could do and asks you for help

like where did he get two chimeras that one time pls

sneaking into escell's study and going to the library just to see what else he can find and use

everyone around you guys is so confused how he pulls off as much as he does, while not getting expelled (yet) and getting good grades

the professors coming to you to ask about him because they know you're his friend and you just. "i have no idea what you're talking about"

the headaches escell had to deal with when he was told about felix's antics LOL

he probably tells you his plans that get him expelled . happens one of the nights you're staying up and he's so full of it and tired of learning about etiquette and things he doesn't care about. really it's up to you if you want to take part but brother is done

helping him face his family after it...whew

[texanredrose]

Prep and Goth

Day 1: Enemies to Lovers/Secret Library Time

---

Weiss stared at the clock, mentally urging the second hand to move faster. The transition between this period and the next always took the longest- or at least it felt like time slowed down around this point in the day. She hated how the end of the period never caught her off guard; she was always keenly aware of the clock, with her work done and backpack already packed and ready for her to leave the classroom. She was usually the first one out the door.

“Hey, if I give you five lien, could you get me a redbull?”

“No, Ruby; for the last time, I don’t have a release period next, I’m a library aide.”

“Oh, come on, everyone knows you just show up, sign in, and disappear!” Her fellow senior slumped in her seat. “It’s not like you’re going to get in trouble! Ms. Goodwitch knows you ditch and she doesn’t say anything!”

How she’d become friends- perhaps even best friends- with the school’s most energetic track star was beyond her; it involved an ill fated chemistry lab and the fire department but, honestly, she couldn’t remember specific details beyond that. While Weiss would love to say she merely put up with and tolerated Ruby, the truth was that she still hadn’t entirely adjusted to the concept of having someone who would be with her through thick and thin. She was being… persuaded to open up to the young woman but she still kept more secrets than she probably should from her best friend.

“I swear, Ruby Rose, if you keep spreading such slander about my character, I’ll be forced to take drastic action!” She tore her gaze away from the clock to glare at the woman. “I do not skip class!”

Rolling her silver eyes, Ruby rested her head on her desk and groaned. “Just because you’re the Valedictorian doesn’t mean you have to be perfect, Weiss. No one’s going to care if you ditch one period.”

“I care!” The bell rang a moment later and she forgot about the argument entirely as she quickly grabbed her pack and fast walked to the door.

The walk from her class to the library was a blessedly short one, made slightly longer by classmates and underclassmen getting in her way as other students emerged into the hallway for the passing period. A cold glare managed to persuade some of them to move but not all of them- those blessedly ignorant few she stepped around or nearly barreled through if she could get away with it. It probably contributed to her reputation of being a vicious, cut throat type of person like her sister but her patience had worn too thin and she needed to get to the library.

A few steps from her goal, a hand suddenly landed on her shoulder and spun her around, and only two people in the whole school would dare put their hands on her like that, and only one of them for no good reason. “YANG-”

“Calm down, Princess, this’ll be quick, promise!” With hands on Weiss’ shoulders, she guided them away from the throng of students to a small alcove next to the library doors. “Just got something I need to say real quick.”

“What could you possibly have to say to me?” Weiss scowled at the blonde, annoyed that she seemed to get taller every time they talked, and crossed her arms over her chest. “Last I checked, I didn’t have anything to do with the girls’ basketball team. Or the weightlifting team. Or the boxing team. Or-”

Yang clapped her hands together in front of Weiss’ face, smiling that do-you-really-think-they’ll-expel-me smile of hers. “Hey, do me a favor? Drop the frigid bitch act for, like, five minutes, okay? Because I really don’t have the time for it; if you wanna go toe-to-toe in the bitch-out-lypmics, we can schedule that another time, but right now, I need to have a serious talk with you. It’s about Blake.”

At the namedrop, her blood ran cold and her heart lodged in her throat, eyes growing wide as a genuine tendril of fear began taking root in her chest. “Is she okay?”

“Well, that depends,” Yang replied, looking around at their classmates walking past without paying them any mind. “Look. I don’t get it, okay, the whole secret girlfriends thing, I don’t even know how you two got together… but what I do know is that Blake deserves better than someone who’s ashamed of her-”

“Don’t you dare put words in my mouth,” she hissed, worry turning to fury in the blink of an eye. “I’m not ashamed to be dating Blake. If it was safe, everyone would know!”

“Yeah, can you define ‘safe’ for me in this context? Because I’m having a real hard time convincing Blake you’re being sincere when you don’t want anyone knowing the two of you are dating.”

“You know we’re dating!”

“Because I refuse to let things go and I knew she was acting weird!” Yang growled in frustration, fingers flexing as if she was seriously debating throttling Weiss. “Listen, I figured it out and I bullied her into telling me weeks ago, but not even Ruby knows beyond that. Not a fan of keeping secrets but I’ll do it for a friend. Now, answer my question, please, because with the rest of the school convinced you two hate each other, this whole ‘don’t tell anyone we’re dating thing’ is clear as mud, and it’s really starting to get to her.”

Weiss’ shoulders fell as she looked away, her anger abating in the face of the situation presented to her. “It’s… complicated.”

“Then uncomplicate it for me.” Yang made a gesture with one hand. “Just give me a straight answer!”

“I can’t!” She stamped her foot, speaking before she could think about her word choice. “I can only give you a gay answer!”

Yang stared at her for a long moment. “So, that’s what Blake meant when she said you have the worst sense of humor.”

“I’m done with this conversation-”

Yang grabbed her arm and stopped her, expression turning serious. “Listen, you don’t wanna talk to me? Fine. But talk to Blake. If you really care about her, she deserves to hear that.”

As the blonde stepped away, the bell rang, making both of them late- not that it would matter. Ms. Goodwitch wouldn’t count her late and even if she did, a single tardy wouldn’t be much of a blemish on her record. There was a time when it would’ve bothered her but she’d grown past that a few years ago; perfection was, in some sense, in the eye of the beholder. Blake would notice, though, and she hurried to the library to keep her ‘secret girlfriend’ from worrying.

When she got to the library, she dropped her bag behind the counter and signed in, highly aware that Blake was somewhere among the rows reshelving books. 

The librarian gave her a small nod. “I presume you have good reason for being late but don’t make a habit of it.”

“Of course, Ms. Goodwitch.” With that, she grabbed a few leftover books that needed reshelving and went into the stacks to reshelve them. As soon as she was far enough away from the front desk, she spoke in a soft voice that Blake would be able to hear regardless. “Blake? I’m sorry I’m late.”

“Is everything alright?” She’d long ago grown accustomed to the faunus’ silent steps, which really shouldn’t be possible given the amount of glistening chains and bits of metal hung from her ensemble but it was one of those things Weiss had accepted about Blake at first and had grown to admire. “It’s not like you to be late.”

“I… got pulled into a conversation.” She debated, briefly, if she should mention who the conversation was with but ultimately decided against it. Yang would likely bring it up herself at some point but she didn’t want the distraction at present. “Blake… you know I care about you, right?”

“Yes, Weiss, and I care about you, too,” she replied, her voice holding that special lilt that Weiss used to think was snideness. Now, she recognized it as a gentle sort of teasing and, sometimes, a deflection. “What brought this on?”

“I’ve been thinking about some things… and I find myself curious about some… other things.”

“Truly, you have a way with words.”

“I’m trying to be serious!” Weiss whined, putting a hand to her head as she tried to think of a way to word what she wanted to say. In the next moment, Blake stepped up and wrapped her arms around her waist, resting her chin on Weiss’ shoulder in a silent show of support. This was, partly, where they differed, because even when words escaped Blake, the faunus could somehow find a way to convey what she needed; Weiss, in contrast, simply clammed up entirely if she didn’t begin insulting whoever was nearest. “You know the only reason we’re not dating publicly is because of my family, right? That, the moment I turn eighteen and gain access to my funds, I’ll shout it from the rooftops… right?”

Blake took a step back but one hand lingered on Weiss’ hip, a soft assurance that she wasn’t leaving but that they should probably have a conversation like this face-to-face. When she turned around, she searched shining amber eyes and found a touch of disbelief hiding there. “I’ll admit, I didn’t think it was the only reason.”

“It really is…” Weiss sighed, running a hand through her bangs in frustration. “I… I don’t know how to prove it, I don’t know if there’s anything I could say or do that would, but… I don’t want you thinking that I’m ashamed of dating you… that’s… that’s the furthest from the truth.”

Feline ears flicked towards one end of the row and both of them quickly focused on shelving the few books that remained as a group of students went back to one of the study rooms. Once the coast was clear, Blake sighed heavily. “I told Yang to drop it.”

“She’s trying to help.” Begrudgingly, she continued. “Ruby’s the same way. They meddle when they can but they have the best of intentions.”

“Still… she wasn’t too… forceful, was she?”

“She only threatened to throttle me, so no, she wasn’t too forceful.” Weiss tilted her head. “And, arguably, she has a salient point. I… I perhaps took it for granted that you would… that I made my feelings about you clear to you.”

Blake ducked her head, her ears flicking back briefly to blending into midnight black hair. As per her usual, the faunus was bedecked in all black save for the silver of the chains hanging from her pants and the snake bite piercings on her bottom lip. Whenever they were making out, Weiss found that flicking either of the piercings with her tongue would always result in a soft groan from Blake.

“So… when you turn eighteen…basically, when we graduate?” Blake took a step forward. “That’s… a long time to be a secret from everyone.”

“Well… not from everyone. Yang knows.”

“Uh huh.”

“And Ruby will know… when I tell her…”

“Right.” Blake came a bit closer. “I guess that means we won’t be going to prom together.”

Weiss raised a brow, then caught onto what her girlfriend was doing, a smile tugging at her lips. “You? Go to prom?” A soft chuckle. “I thought you said you wouldn’t be caught dead at… what was it you called it? A useless party for empty headed idiots?”

“And a waste of money. I said that, too.” Blake stopped just a hair’s breadth away and very nonchalantly shelved a book just behind Weiss’ shoulder. “But you’ve got a crown to win, right? Prom Queen to go with your other honors?”

“There’s only one crown that I care to claim,” she replied, reaching up to bury her hand in midnight locks between the faunus’ ears and pulling her down into a kiss. Normally, they didn’t indulge in such outside of Ms. Goodwitch’s office, which the librarian granted them access to once they’d reshelved all the books. If she suspected what they did in there, she remained silent, probably because while reshelving the books they would also fix what other aides did incorrectly and she appreciated the help more than she cared to curtail PDAs.

The kiss didn’t last too long- just long enough to drive her point home- but the look in amber eyes almost made her too weak to move.

Weiss gathered her courage. “I do love you, Blake.”

Not ‘care about’, not ‘fond of’, not any other arrangement of words she’d used over the past year to describe how she felt. Fear that caring too much would make her careless had prevented her from saying the words before. Now, though, she couldn’t go another moment without Blake understanding exactly how much she cared.

After the shock passed, Blake smiled softly, ears canting forward. “I love you too, Weiss.”

It took a moment for them to part but they returned to the counter and finished reshelving the books.

“Blake?”

“Yes?”

“Do you think I’d look good in black?”

---

Hi, yes, please join me in picturing Blake as a late 90′s/early 00′s goth girl.

[reushq]

ABOUT

Name: Scylla Vardanyan. Suggested Occupation: Biomedical engineer for Scalpel. Age: 39. Gender & Pronouns: Cis woman, she/her. FC Suggestion: Angela Sarafyan. Can be seen: Decorating her new lab, taste-testing Pontius drinks, studying facial features on a 3D holo, shaking hands with new colleagues, closely reading Pandora articles and all its comments, pointedly ignoring people when her headphones are on.

STATS

Influence   ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ Charisma   ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ Protection  ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ Information  ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ Experience  ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆

CODEX

It is through a broken bird  found in the empty endless fields that Scylla first learns of decay and death, when she takes home not a feather, but a bone. The next lesson is in her mother's illness, the stiffness of her body before she even dies. When she does, something stubborn in little Scylla decides she has little interest in the concept of mortality.

Brilliant, creative, still young, Scylla knew she was meant from greater things than her hometown offered, that Feneos had plenty of space to run but not enough to grow, and it would be a misjudgement of character to say she was sad to leave. The scholarship to GemTech comes after hard work at the fresh age of seventeen and I remember seeing her pack few belongings, among which were magazine clippings on RheSeq, into a generations old suitcase and getting on the first train to the city.

At GemTech, Scylla flourishes. There are people like her, there: geniuses, people who are so clever that normal life feels boring. Competition, egging on, just doing shit for the fuck of it, the group band together under the name Scalpel, a knife that will rip open the heavens. It is there that Scylla finds her passion: the potential malleability of appearance. A body is but a vessel, and vessels can be made, broken, recreated, reinvented. If not inside the womb, then outside of it, by human hands and cutting-edge technology. In these labs, human arrogance develops ontop of the science (There is no need for the most human of things – a fear of death – when you can control life).

But not everyone thinks as her, and that is if you ask her, the main problem. Scylla only pretends to agree, when all of Scalpel is accused of going too far. We know how the story went for Charybdis, who caught so much of the brunt. Scylla’s reputation was stained, too, but it was the kind of stain you can wash out if you rub long enough. I wonder, if she ever felt guilt over making her friend a scapegoat for their shared sins, but never once did she show it.

The acquisition by Aegean Waters comes six years after Scalpel’s first major scandal. Do not ask of me what Scylla thought, who did not sit in on most negotiations, who both scowls and smiles. She has always been the tumultuous type, one hard to satisfy, one so proud of Scalpel and herself and wary to give either away. However, I do remember thinking that the smile on her face when she saw the lab reserved for her in CETO was genuine. Don’t get that excitement, wrong, though: Scylla has manufactured herself, as she intends to manufacture others. She is not virtuous, not kind, not good. There is no need for that, not when you’re clever.

CONNECTIONS

Familial connections: None.

Professional connections:  Poseidon (recent employer, should at least attempt to befriend), Circe (a brilliant mind yet a bit of a bore), Hephaestus (money man, point of interest), Aphrodite (what a gorgeous face … and has noteworthy PR skills too, of course), Hermes Rhea (fellow prodigy, wants to pick mind), Patroclus (colleague, crossed paths in Arcadia before), Alecto (Pontius newbie, just like her) Social Connections: Charybdis Kim (a necessary and worthy sacrifice), Odysseus Laertes (potential political block in the road), Zeus (media thorn in side), Athena (former university connection, has too many morals), Hypnos (intriguing scientist),  Clytemnestra (not-so-friendly competition), Thersander (supposedly grew up in the same area).

ORIGINAL CHARACTER WRITTEN BY MAR.

[byologee]

an actually practical guide to being premed and getting into med school by someone who did it successfully

Majors and Classes:

Personally I feel you should choose a major that will be complementary to your premed studies-- something STEM or social science based that overlaps with your premed classes and will allow you to take upper level science classes that relate to physiology, disease and illness, pharmacology, etc. HOWEVER do not let this deter you from majoring in a non-bio STEM area like biochem or from pursuing a different science or liberal arts major.

That being said, consider double majoring in Public Health because it is very relevant to premed and going into medicine.

Make sure you take the correct order of bio and chem classes. This is important so that you take classes at the appropriate time when you have the appropriate skill level and so that you do not have any gaps in your premed education or major classes.

Be aware of what upper level bio and chem classes require prereqs that are not a part of your major requirements or premed requirements; for example some upper level bio classes require microbio which is not a premed requirement at all schools NOR always a major requirement. Plan your underclassmen years accordingly to allow you to fit in certain prereqs for upper level classes.

If you plan on taking lower level lab intensive courses, take them as an underclassman-- they will prepare you with basic lab skills you can apply to upper level classes and to irl lab work, plus most of your classmates will be underclassmen. You do not want to take these lower level lab intensive courses as an upperclassman. You will be bored and probably annoyed.

Take an intro level public health class as an underclassmen to see if you are interested in public health; this will also be relevant to your med school apps.

Gen chem 1 and orgo 1 are weedout classes. Many people will switch from premed and/or bio to public health or prePA after taking gen chem 1 and orgo 1. This is normal; don’t be judgemental. If you’re the one switching to public health or prePA, don’t feel bad or ashamed.

Do not take orgo 1 or 2 with super hard progressors. It’s just not worth it. Many people say that harder orgo progressors prepare you better for the MCAT, but this is false as the MCAT does not have a lot of orgo on it. Many people will fail out of orgo even without super hard professors. Set yourself up for success by taking orgo profs with good reputations, not profs with reputations for failing everyone, being purposefully difficult, or just nasty.

If you take a (relatively) “easy” professor for orgo 1, under no circumstances should you take a hard prof for orgo 2. You will suffer.

The best way to study orgo 1 and 2 is to memorize all the reactions. Copy reactions until you have them memorized. Then you can simply apply what you’ve memorized to synthesis reactions. This works for NMR too, just memorize what NMR specs look like and apply.

Always go to TA office hours for gen chem 1, 2 lab and orgo 1, 2 lab. The lab reports are very difficult and the TAs can help you more than professors can. Professors will be mostly absent for labs. TAs will know what’s up.

You do not need to take biochem 2 for the MCAT, biochem 1 will suffice as it generally covers amino acids and proteins and not respiration and metabolism. Most of the biochem on the MCAT is about amino acids and proteins; all metabolism can be self-studied. (This is my opinion to save you time, if your advisors tell you otherwise LISTEN TO THEM and not me).

If you take AP psychology you do not need to take intro psych.

You need to take a sociology course for the MCAT and premed reqs. You should take The Sociology of Deviance if offered at your college as this is more relevant to the MCAT than intro socy.

If you have to take a professional writing class for Gen Eds, try to take a science writing or health professions writing course as these will be relevant to you.

Take stats even if you don’t have to as it is very relevant for understanding papers.

If you switch to another pre-health path like prePA or prepharm you will generally have to take different prereqs. Clear this with your advisors and come up with a plan.

Med schools like to see a diversity in courses and not just science courses, so you need to take at least 8 humanities credit hours. Diversify your college education and take interesting and relevant humanities courses; this will also help with CARS on the MCAT.

Research

Many medical schools want you to have research experience. You can do clinical research or bench research.

You should start research early, either 2nd semester freshman year or summer before sophomore year.

The best advice is to research professors and PIs in the BSCI and public health departments and email ones you are interested in about working in their lab. You can do this before 2nd semester freshman year or during that semester. Email example: Hi Dr. X, I am an undergraduate freshman at UMD and am looking for research opportunities in X field. I discovered your lab and read your paper, “X,” and am very interested in this subject! Elaborate on what interested you I was wondering if there are any open positions in your lab for an undergraduate researcher. I have taken X, X, X, courses. I would be interested in working in your lab for 2 years. Please let me know if you have any openings! Best, X

PIs generally look for undergrads to commit to 2 years of research, but you can quit earlier if you feel like it. This is also why you should do research earlier-- that way you are not cramming it in during your upperclassman years.

The goal is to get some abstracts, posters, presentations, and maybe a pub out of it, but these things aren’t absolutely necessary.

Clinical Experience

Med schools like to see 10 months of continuous clinical experience, which translates to about 200 hours. However, this number is too low and to be really competitive for med school apps you should aim for 1000 hours if not more.

The best way to gain clinical experience is to work part time as a scribe, CNA, MA, or tech. You can take CNA and MA courses the summer before sophomore or junior year and apply to positions online. CNA/MA gives you a lot of experience working with patients. Scribing gives you a lot of experience working with doctors and seeing what they do. It’s best to start clinical experience sophomore year or junior year so you can gain enough hours prior to applying.

You should also have clinical volunteering hours which you can get by volunteering at hospitals such as Children’s or Shady Grove or any other local hospital. Other clinics also accept volunteers, you just have to look around. Check your health professions advising office (hereon abbreviated as HPAO) for their recommendations and job listings if available.

You can also shadow doctors. Your HPAO may have a continuously updating list of physicians in your area who are available to shadow. You can also genuinely just email local providers. Note that you will need to shadow a DO if applying DO.

Check your HPAO listserv for job openings and clinical volunteering opportunities.

You can find jobs by googling “CNA job near me” or “scribe job near me” and browsing postings on Indeed and other job sites, or alternatively postings on hospital sites.

Community Service

Med schools like to see 10-12 months of continuous community service, or around 200 hours. This is too low, and you should aim for around 600 to be a competitive applicant.

Join school listservs and look for volunteer postings. Go to your school’s First Look Fair or college organization fair (usually held at the beginning of each semester) and sign up for emails from clubs that do volunteering or other various organizations. There are many organizations on campus that do volunteering and service.

Ideally you want to work with marginalized communities off campus. This sounds shitty but you want to work with communities who need it. You should also aim for a sustained service opportunity, not a once a month thing but a weekly, continuous experience. Volunteering through clubs and societies like the women’s premed organization are not valid experiences.

Google local homeless shelters, women’s shelters, STD testing clinics, and food banks-- these are all really good places to volunteer at. You can also volunteer at crisis hotlines.

You can also utilize clinical experience for community service, so volunteering at a hospital, clinic, urgent care, etc. But you also need non-clinical community service, so make sure to prioritize both.

Consistency is key. Doing an experience for a longer period of time (ex. 4 hours every week for 10 months- year) is very valuable. Even doing an hour of volunteering at the same place every week for two years is great. Building relationships, gaining experience, understanding consistency-- med schools value this. Long term experience is very important.

Extracurriculars

You should also be involved in extraneous, non-community service based organizations and extracurriculars. It’s ok if these organizations include some aspect of community service. This can also include paid-positions that are not clinical.

Examples include campus ministries, sports, dance, art clubs, music/choir, social, restorative, and environmental justice organizations, interest groups, tutoring, co-ed frats, etc.

Joining societies, like the American Women’s Medical Association or your college’s namesake Pre-Med Society is a great way to do extracurriculars, build your resume, and get leadership experience. You can also join major-specific societies.

Check with your HPAO for a list of pre-health societies you can join. Your college will also have a website or list of clubs and orgs you can investigate.

Med schools like to see that you are well-rounded, so having a variety of experiences is important.

Advising

It is extremely important that you build a relationship with your advisors. It is very important that you outline all the classes you want to take with them and when AND that you meet with them every semester. Discuss your plans with them, ask questions, ask for suggestions and tips. If you make any major or minor changes you need to speak with them too. They are a resource; use them.

You will also need to build a relationship with your pre-med advisors at your HPAO. You may need to do an intro workshop to be able to meet with an advisor at your HPAO.

Meet with an HPAO advisor every semester to outline your courseload, volunteering, clinical work, extracurriculars, and application plan. Your HPAO advisor will help you craft a narrative for med school apps and can help advise you with regards to coursework and what opportunities to pursue. They can help you decide when to take the MCAT, when to apply, devise a school list, etc. so it’s best to start meeting with them early. The better your relationship with your HPAO advisor, the stronger the recommendation letter you’ll get from them.

If your grades drop you NEED to speak with an HPAO advisor. You should be checking in with them every semester to go over your grades and course history and make sure you are on the right track to apply. This is really really crucial.

If your HPAO offers workshops for applying to med school, crafting a school list, financing med school, writing a personal statement, etc. then GO TO THEM. Utilize the resources that are available to you.

Make sure you are on your HPAO listserv.

If your HPAO offers peer to peer advising consider using this resource to speak with current college students who are going through the application process.

2 Areas Med Schools Look At: Leadership + Diversity and Inclusion

These are two hot topics med schools care about. Here is how to address them.

Leadership: there are numerous ways to gain leadership experience; getting elected to a leadership position in a club or organization, being a TA or UA, getting a management position at your job, or being any kind of team leader in a community service endeavor. The important thing is that you are able to express what you learned and how you grew or changed from that experience, plus how you will apply what you learned in the future.

Diversity and Inclusion: Hot topics in medicine right now, my advice is to read about diversity and inclusion in medicine and what it means-- read articles, op-eds, peer-reviewed papers, etc. There are a few ways to go about this issue; one is to find out what is unique about you that you can contribute to medicine, the second (and most important) is to work with underserved and marginalized communities. Being able to express in med school apps and interviews that you understand the difficulties faced by marginalized groups and are committed to better health and wellness outcomes is REALLY important. Being able to show awareness about diversity in medicine is so key. To do this, spend time working with the marginalized and underserved through community service and clinical work. Be able to show med schools that you understand and care about diversity and inclusion.

You should be thinking about leadership and diversity/inclusion throughout all four years of undergrad-- how will you incorporate these things into your app?

Letters of Rec

Getting letters of rec (you will need 5-6) is very important. To do this you will need to build relationships with the following…

Professors: You will need recommendations from 2 science professors and 1-2 non-science professors. To get recs you need to go to office hours, ask questions in class and outside of class, email profs questions, stay after class to ask questions, participate, show an interest in what they are teaching. Office hours are important unless the class is small. Build relationships with professors ALL THROUGHOUT undergrad. Go to office hours even if you don’t have questions, especially in junior and senior year. Go and ask them to review prior tests and papers. Ask if you can explain concepts to them to get clarification. Listen to other peoples’ questions, piggyback off them. A prof is not going to write a LOR unless they know you.

Physicians: You need to have clinical experience to get an MD LOR. And you NEED an MD or DO LOR. Get the clinical experience, then ask whatever physician you worked with the most for an LOR. Many will say you do not need a DO LOR to apply to DO schools; I cannot advocate for this as I was told by my premed advisor that I needed one. Be safe and get one if you plan to apply DO.

Other: If there is anyone else who knows you well and can write a strong LOR, ask them. Your boss, manager, volunteering organizer, team leader, club sponsor-- whomever.

Committee Letter (CL): Many med schools require these. Your college probably has a unique CL process. Go to workshops, research, and ask your advisors how this process works. Maintain a relationship with your premed advisors to obtain a good CL letter.

Building a Narrative

This is talked about a lot junior and senior year when you are applying, but it’s important to think about building your narrative all four years of undergrad.

What this means is that you want to center your application around a theme or common experiences. You want to build a cohesive resume of common volunteering, clinical, and extracurricular experiences that complement each other. You should be able to summarize all of your experiences and draw a narrative about you based on what you have done.

For example, my narrative centered around marginalized and underserved communities as well as social and restorative justice. I used my volunteering experience with marginalized, underserved kids and my experience working with traditionally underserved patients to explain why I want to be a physician, what my medical vision and mission is, and what I have learned about medicine. Because I am interested in family medicine I was able to tie my experience working with the underserved into my goal of improving community health and welfare among marginalized groups. I also discussed how my passion for social and restorative justice ties into my clinical experiences and how I plan to integrate this passion into my practice of medicine.

One of my friends centered her narrative around being a Spanish-speaking person of color AND the descendent of physicians and how this has shaped many of her experiences in medicine and healthcare.

You don’t have to plan out your experiences to conform to a pre-chosen narrative. You do have to be able to draw common themes and lessons from your experiences, however.

MCAT

Talk to your premed advisor about when to take the MCAT and what classes you need to take prior to taking the MCAT. Ideally you want to take biochem 1, physics 2, and sociology of deviance before taking the mcat along with all other prereqs.

You also want to take the MCAT before applying (ideally) so that you can craft an appropriate school list. Your MCAT will give you a boundary for which schools you can apply to. Think of the MCAT as a checkpoint you must pass to apply to certain med schools.

Many people start content review six months before their test. Some start 2-3 months prior. Do what you think is comfortable.

You can use books or purchase review courses (Kaplan, Princeton Review) or use free online review content (Khan Academy).

Practicing how to take the test is more important than content review. What that means is that doing practice tests will help you more than reviewing content. Take as many practice tests as you can (AAMC makes their own).

Do a practice test one day, review what you got wrong the next day. Repeat this enough times and you will do well on the MCAT (511+).

Don’t anticipate retaking the MCAT. But don’t exclude it as a possibility either, so plan when you take the MCAT accordingly.

General Advice:

ALWAYS listen to your premed advisors. Do not elevate advice given by random strangers (including me) on the internet above advice given by your advisors. They know you. They know your history, your transcript, your personality. Us internet people do not. Trust your advisors. They know what they are doing.

Take everything said on the internet by supposed med school app experts, med students, doctors, premeds, SDN mods and commenters, premed redditors, and other random internet people with a BIG grain of salt. We don’t always know what we are talking about.

Limit the amount of time spent on SDN and premed reddit as well as other premed online forums. It can get unhealthy real fast.

You don’t have to study all the time. It’s ok to take breaks and have fun.

Don’t be afraid to reach out and get help or ask questions. Everyone else is struggling too. Your professors want you to do well.

Do non-science related things. Give your mind a break and diversify your experience.

Failing a test is not the end of the world. Many people fail tests and classes. You won’t be alone. Always remember that the curve exists.

If you are having a problem, talk to your professors and TAs. They are there to help.

Study with people. Quiz each other. Make study guides and ask each other questions. Help each other out.

Utilize campus resources- tutoring, study groups, yoga classes, conferences and seminars, counseling, etc.

Buy the MSAR when you start building your school list. It will make comparing schools so much easier.

A B or even a C is not going to ruin your chance of getting into medical school. People get in to med schools with 3.1 GPAs. You will be ok if you fail one test, have a few Cs or Bs, withdraw from a class, etc.

Getting into med school is more about fit than anything else. It’s not about how smart you are or how good your GPA or MCAT is. Everyone has a 4.0 Everyone has a 528. What matters is fit-- who you are, what you believe, what your values are, what your aspirations are-- and how you can demonstrate these things through your application, interview, and overall experiences. Remember that top tier schools are research-oriented (Einstein, Baylor, Johns Hopkins, Harvard, Stanford, NYU, Duke, Mayo, UChicago, Mt Sinai) whereas other lower tier will be more community focused.

ALL med schools (excluding caribbean med schools and a few DO schools, looking at you DMUCOM and LECOM) are valid. All med schools are good med schools. Med school is med school is med school. You will come out with an MD or DO and you will get into residency.

Always apply DO. Just do it. DO is great, DO is a viable option and good opportunity. Do it. Do not exclude it.

Links and other Resources:

AAMC: MD applicants, helpful resources in general https://students-residents.aamc.org/preparing-medical-school/preparing-medical-school

AACOM: DO applicants https://www.aacom.org/become-a-doctor/how-to-apply-to-osteopathic-medical-college

MSAR: handbook to med schools (MD) https://students-residents.aamc.org/medical-school-admission-requirements/medical-school-admission-requirements-applicants

AAMC’s how to apply to med school https://students-residents.aamc.org/applying-medical-school/applying-medical-school

AAMC’s FAQ and tips to creating a good app: https://students-residents.aamc.org/ask-experts/ask-experts-create-winning-application

Why Diversity Matters in Healthcare https://explorehealthcareers.org/career-explorer/diversity-matters-health-care/

[interstellarflowers]

Professor Parker Ch. 1| Professor, Peter Parker x Student, Reader

a/n this fic doesn’t follow the marvel cinematic universe but assume that peter has been what he’s been through with the exception that tony lived, and bruce is still bruce, sorry but i just can't deal with endgame hulk/bruce rn emotionally or mentally. im sorry nat is still dead but dw i'll actually treat it with respect unlike endgame like goddamn where was her funeral, am i right? the stages of grief thing they did was interesting though. im sorry i digress, this is set in nyc (because heyo im a new yorka) and the avengers/stark tower is still a thing, peter is fucking traumatized and has turned kind of cold as a result. this fic may contain a smut chapter in the future? not sure yet, where this fic goes depends on the feedback, thanks for reading also sorry im not the proudest of this first chapter so ill probably edit it but promise itll only improve from here just not in the best mental state rn

University life wasn’t exactly everything that you imagined it to be. There was hardly time to do anything that people claimed was good about coming to university. The parties, the epic heartbreaks, and romances, they were just nowhere to be seen. In fact, there was nothing particularly extravagant about your experience thus far. You went to class, studied, and went to your internship. Your internship was probably the most exciting thing about your life at the moment, you were lucky to be accepted into the Stark Industries student internship, the company paid college tuition and only required around twenty hours of lab work a week, you couldn’t complain. Of course, the exciting part of the whole ordeal was the name attached to it, “Stark,” not that you had ever met him, but it was nice to have a unique feature like that in such an impressive student body.

So here you were on the first day of your third year of university. You lived off-campus, about a five-minute walk from the Stark Tower, but a twenty-minute subway ride to your campus. However, having an 882 square foot space to yourself was really nothing you could truly complain about despite the distance. The studio apartment being yet another benefit reaped from Stark Industries. Thank you Tony Stark, the unseen benevolent God in your life.

Typically you would start your mornings off quietly and in no rush, a shower, a cup of coffee, maybe some studying before heading off to your campus, but your phone had other plans for you today. Instead of your alarm going off like it was supposed to, you were woken up by the sound of a particularly loud car horn, and oh how grateful you were for that. As soon as you were jolted awake you shifted to grab your phone and turned it over to see an alarming 8:40am glaring back at you.

Holy shit. You were late.

You scrambled out of bed nearly face planting several times in your hurry to get dressed and only barely ran out the door with everything you needed at 8:47am.

By the time you managed to get to the subway and clamor onto the right train it was already 8:55am. Out of breath and panicking, you considered your options. You could explain after class, you could shoot an email, there were a plethora of things you could do but none of them seemed to justify being late as a third-year to a level 500 class. You had googled all of your professors while registering for classes as was common practice. You couldn’t find a RateMyProfessor on Professor...Parker? You were pretty sure it was Professor Parker, but you do remember seeing on the STEM department page that he was currently a Ph.D. student, so you could only hope that as a fellow student he would be at least a little understanding towards your lateness.

You stood outside of the lecture hall huffing and trying to catch your breath at 9:32am, psyching yourself up, you pushed open the door to the class and attempted to go unnoticed. The class was in a lecture hall despite being only composed of around thirty students, so if you were lucky maybe nobody would even see-

“Ms.(y/l/n), I presume?.” Shit.

“Professor Parker?” Shit.

“You are aware that class starts at 9am, and not 9:30am, would this be correct Ms.(y/l/n)?”

“Yes, Professor, it’s just that I had an emergency.” The lying route. Not exactly the highlight of your academic career.

“I regret to inform you that I only take valid excuses Ms.(y/l/n), please take a seat, and next time, don’t bother disrupting class halfway through the lesson.” Fuck. You mustered a quiet “ok,” and a small nod before escorting yourself to the back of the room, thirty-something eyes following you until you sat down.

You couldn’t focus for the rest of the class, it was just too embarrassing, time moved forward but you couldn’t help but be stuck on what had just happened. For the first ten minutes after sitting down you felt like dropping out of the whole class out of sheer fucking humiliation. This was of course before you reminded yourself that this class was a requirement to graduate in your field of study. You quietly bargained with yourself before sighing quietly and settling on the conclusion that Professor Parker was just a dick. A dick who certainly didn’t deserve the satisfaction of you switching out of his class. If he wanted to be like that, you decided, you would simply return the favor.

“I know, Ms.(y/ln), why don’t you tell us DeBroglie’s equation?”

“With pleasure, Professor Parker.” Yeah, you’d return the favor alright.

“Ms.(y/l/n), you stay.” Fuck that. You looked the other way and feigned ignorance as you kept making your way towards the door. About to leave, the door shut on your face.

“What the fuck!” You jumped before turning around and you felt your face heat up.

“Ms.(y/l/n), please refrain from using profanities in my classroom.”

“I’m sorry Professor Parker. I was just startled.”

“Mhm,” he took his glasses off and laid them on his desk, “Just don’t do it in the future Ms.(y/l/n).”

“Of course. My name is (y/n), by the way, Professor Parker, you can just call me that, actually, I prefer that people refer to me by (y/n).”

“Rest assured, I’m aware of your name, Ms.(y/l/n). My name is Peter, but you can continue to call me Professor Parker.” You could have sworn that you saw a ghost of a smirk on his lips. He knew what he was fucking doing, asshole. You held back from rolling your eyes into the back of your head.

“Of course, Professor Parker.”

“As you know, Ms.(y/l/n), I did request that you stay after class.”

“Oh? I sincerely apologize Professor Parker, I really didn’t hear you.”

“I’m sure, Ms.(y/l/n).” Fucking. Dick.

“Well, what exactly did you want Professor Parker? I do have another class soon.” Professor Parker narrowed his eyes at you in obvious distaste before reaching behind himself into a bin underneath his desk and pulling out a stack of papers,

“These are the handouts you missed from the beginning of the class. Textbook requirements, syllabus...Crucial information to have if you care to succeed in my class Ms.(y/l/n).” So coldly, so maliciously, Professor Parker placed the stack into your arms.

“I take my work very seriously, Ms.(y/l/n), I do my part as your professor so I only have the simple request that my students do the same.” You nodded feeling your face heat up again.

“Of course, Professor Parker, it won’t happen again,” you said with a tightlipped smile.

“Mhm,” Professor Parker turned around and began shuffling around some paper and without giving you a second glance said, “You are dismissed.” You nodded and hurriedly made your way out of his classroom. Of course, you had lied. You didn’t have another class until late in the afternoon. So you called your coworker instead,

“Hey, Harvey.”

“(y/n).”

“Wow, okay, don’t get too excited.”

“Sorry, just woke up.”

“Tsk, the early bird gets the worm, Harvey.”

“I don’t want a worm.”

“Fuck you. I’m headed to the lab, can I expect you?”

“Yeah, yeah.” You had been working with Harvey for around four years now, he was quite the impressive specimen, having attended MIT and graduating Summa Cum Laude at age 20 was no easy feat, he was closer to Tony Stark than you would ever get, he was quite personable, and you couldn’t deny that he was quite good looking. You’d never tell him that though, he didn’t need another ego boost. Besides, you had some connections of your own.

“Hey, (y/n).”

“Banner!”

“Can we expect Harvey today?”

“Honestly, not sure.” You both knowingly smiled at each other before you made your way over to what he was working on,

“Do you ever get bored here?”

“With you and the other idiot always running around? How could I?” You laughed,

“No, seriously, like wouldn’t you rather be doing nerd shit with Tony or something? Isn’t it a little tiresome babysitting us?”

“Tiring? Maybe sometimes, but not nearly as tiring as doing ‘nerd shit’ with Tony. He’s exhausting,” Bruce smiled at his own joke, “I don’t mind playing babysitter at all kid.” He fiddled with the handle of a mug that read, “Don’t be so Na Cl,” which you had gotten him a year back as a joke, but he still used it.

You really loved Bruce for all he was. Since losing your family back in 2012 during the battle in NYC, you didn’t really have any familial figures. But since landing this internship you found yourself with a parental figure again, and you would never be able to put into words how much it meant to you, so you didn’t. Besides, you didn’t want him to feel pressured about it, especially after everything he had been through himself. Frying half your body and losing the love of your life in such a short span of time was really nothing less than horrifying. Yet, here he was, smiling, laughing...You loved him for it.

“First day of junior year? How was that?”

“Shit.”

“Huh?” Bruce stopped tinkering with the device in his hands and looked over at you, “I’ve never heard of a course being too hard for (y/n) (y/l/n), what is it? Aerospace? Quantum?”

“No, just one giant dick.”

“Pardon-”

“My professor, he’s a fucking asshole.”

“Ah, I see. If he’s really harassing you (y/n), I don’t mean to overstep, I really think we should alert administration, what’s his name?” Bruce took a sip of his coffee.

“Professor Parker,” Bruce choked on his coffee, “Oh my God, Bruce, are you okay?”

“Yeah-” he said, still coughing, “Just a little too strong.”

“Okay, are you sure?”

“Yeah, yeah,” Bruce caught his breath, “What did he do kid?”

“He’s just a dick that’s all.”

“You sure you don’t want me to do something about it?”

“Yeah, it’s fine, I don’t know what you could do anyways. Thank you though.”

“Actually, you’d be surprised.”

Sitting at your desk stressing over school work at 3am, it was nothing out of the ordinary for you. Everything appeared ordinary. The ordinary cup of tea, the familiar glow of your computer, and a morning chill creeping through your window. It was all so breathtakingly normal until there was a rap on your window. You took an earbud out of your ear, certain you were just hearing things, you looked to your window. Holy shit.

You opened your window wide so that he could crawl in.

“(y/n)?”

“Mr.Spiderman.” Still too in shock to fully process the situation you started to take in the scene in front of you,

“Please, it’s just Spiderman.”

“Oh-Oh my God, what happened?” Head to toe the suit seemed to have blood seeping through, tears in the body of the suit revealed gashes and a bullet wound.

“Bad guys. I know this guy-said he knew a medical student close by, you are (y/n)? Right?”

“Y-Yeah, but I’m really just a student, I’m not really a prof-”

“This guy, he said you might as well be.”

“I don’t know Mr.Spiderman, really, maybe I could take you to the hospital though.”

“-Spiderman, it’s just Spiderman, listen, (y/n), you know I can’t go to a hospital, it would ruin this whole secret identity thing I got going on here, and this guy, he’s probably the smartest guy I know, so if he says you can handle it, you can.” You swallowed and nodded,

“Yeah-” you wring your hands together, “Yeah-Sorry, let me go get my first aid kit.”

[longitudinalwaveme]

Arkham Files: Dr. Alchemy/Dr. Albert Desmond/Mr. Element

Hugo Strange: From the patient files of Dr. Hugo Strange, director of Arkham Asylum. Patient: Dr. Albert Desmond, also known as Dr. Alchemy and Mr. Element. Patient suffers from Dissociative Identity Disorder. Session One. So, Dr. Desmond, how are you feeling? 

Dr. Alchemy: Go away. I’m reading. 

Hugo Strange: Dr. Desmond, I promise that you will be able to return to your books as soon as this session is over. But for right now, I need you to talk to me. 

Dr. Alchemy: I am not interested in conversation. Leave me alone. 

Hugo Strange: I’m afraid I cannot do that, Dr. Desmond. As your psychologist, I have a responsibility to maintain your well-being. 

Dr. Alchemy: I have read countless books on the subject of psychology, Dr. Strange. There is nothing you can teach me that I do not already know. 

Hugo Strange: Dr. Desmond, this is not about knowledge. It is about helping you to live a more productive life. 

Dr. Alchemy: Dr. Desmond would likely appreciate the sentiment, but he isn’t here right now. So please, leave me to my studies. I have important work to do, and no time for idle chatter. 

Hugo Strange: I take it I am speaking to one of Dr. Desmond’s alters, then? 

Dr. Alchemy: Yes. I am Doctor Alchemy. Now kindly go away and leave me alone. 

Hugo Strange: I’m afraid that I cannot do that, Dr. Alchemy. As your psychologist, it would be irresponsible of me not to hold these therapy sessions with you. 

Dr. Alchemy: You are not my psychologist; you are Dr. Desmond’s psychologist. Dr. Desmond is not here right now, so you have no responsibilities in this room. Go away. 

Hugo Strange: Dr. Alchemy, you and Dr. Desmond share the same body, and are fragmented parts of the same basic personality. Medically and legally, both of you are my patients...as are any other alters that may exist. 

Dr. Alchemy: Be that as it may, I have nothing to say to you. Go away.

Hugo Strange: (Sighs) If I arrange to have some more rare books delivered to your room, will you agree to participate in the session, Dr. Alchemy? 

Dr. Alchemy: (Pleased) Yes. Thank you, Dr. Strange. (Pause) What do you want to know? 

Hugo Strange: According to your files, you are a very educated man. You have PhDs in chemistry, biochemistry, and molecular biology. You could easily earn money legitimately...and, in fact, Dr. Desmond does just that in his career at S.T.A.R. Labs. Why, then, did you choose to become a costumed criminal? 

Dr. Alchemy: Research is expensive, Dr. Strange. How else was I to fund my experiments? 

Hugo Strange: Dr. Desmond usually asks for grant money. 

Dr. Alchemy: Only because he wastes our talents on safe, predictable work. I, on the other hand, push the boundaries of established science. That frightens the complacent and the simple-minded, and as such, they dismiss my work as lunacy and refuse to help me in my endeavors to expand humanity’s understanding of the cosmos. 

Hugo Strange: Even if that is true, Dr. Alchemy, your file indicates that you are a metahuman with the power to transmute the elements at will. Why not use that power to create gold or silver, sell it for a profit, and use that to fund your experiments? 

Dr. Alchemy: And debase my powers by using them for something as mundane as earning petty cash from the mindless multitudes? Never. 

Hugo Strange: But you’re perfectly willing to use those same powers to steal money from the same mindless multitude? 

Dr. Alchemy: Of course. I am the lord of the very elements! It is my right to take whatever I desire. 

Hugo Strange: You are stealing! Like a common thief! 

Dr. Alchemy: A common thief could not turn your blood into formaldehyde, Dr. Strange. 

Hugo Strange: Was that a threat, Dr. Alchemy? 

Dr. Alchemy: No, not a threat. Merely a reminder of your position. 

Hugo Strange: (Angry) Let me make one thing clear, Dr. Alchemy. When you were sent here, you were, effectively, declared a ward of the state. I am the head of this Asylum. I want to help you, but if you prove to be a threat to me, the other patients, or the staff, I will authorize that you be put on a regime of enough antipsychotic drugs to all but kill your conscious mind. 

Dr. Alchemy: (Quiet laugh) And break your Hippocratic Oath by sentencing poor Dr. Desmond to a living death? I don’t believe you have that in you, Dr. Strange.

Hugo Strange: (Icily) To prevent one of the most powerful metahumans in the world from laying waste to this institution? There is very little I would not do, Dr. Alchemy. Metahuman power dampeners have a very limited effect on you, and I am not enough of a fool to rely solely on your goodwill to keep you in check. 

Dr. Alchemy: (Quickly) In that case, I rescind my reminder. 

Hugo Strange: I’m glad to hear that, Dr. Alchemy. (Pause) So tell me, what is your relationship with your city’s scarlet-clad vigilante? 

Dr. Alchemy: The Flash? He’s an impediment to my research, nothing more. 

Hugo Strange: And your decision to put on a costume was in no way inspired by him? 

Dr. Alchemy: Perhaps on some level. But he means nothing to me. Dr. Desmond is the one who cares about him. 

Hugo Strange: In that case, will you permit me to speak with Dr. Desmond? 

Dr. Alchemy: Certainly not. That weak-willed fool would only interfere with my studies. 

Dr. Hugo Strange: If you cooperate, I’ll see what I can do about getting you a first-edition copy of The Grapes of Wrath. 

Dr. Alchemy: Very well. If I can find Dr. Desmond, I’ll let him know that he wishes to speak with you. 

(Long pause) 

Hugo Strange: Are you all right, Dr. Alchemy? 

Albert: (in a voice that is similar to, but distinguishable from, Dr. Alchemy’s) W-where am I? What’s going on? 

Hugo Strange: (Realizing) Is this Dr. Albert Desmond? 

Albert: Y-yes. (Pause) Who are you? What is this place? What am I doing here? 

Hugo Strange: I am Dr. Hugo Strange, director of Arkham Asylum. What is the last thing you remember, Dr. Desmond? 

Albert: I...I was at home with my wife, Rita. She was making dinner, and I felt a headache coming on, so I went outside to get some fresh air and-(Pause) Oh, no. It happened again, didn’t it? 

Hugo Strange: I’m afraid so, Dr. Desmond. A week ago, Dr. Alchemy was captured by the Flash whilst attempting to turn an entire stadium’s worth of people into tungsten. Since Iron Heights Penitentiary is currently incapable of holding metahuman criminals, it was decided that he should be transferred to Arkham Asylum, pending his trial. 

Albert: Not again...not again!  It’s been three years since the last time. I thought that the nightmare was finally over. 

Hugo Strange: Dr. Desmond, the courts are aware of your… highly unusual...form of Dissociative Identity Disorder. You will almost certainly be declared not guilty by reason of insanity. 

Albert: And then they’ll lock me away in a hospital instead of a prison. Rita and I...we have a baby son! Is he going to grow up with his father shut away in a mental institution? (Pause) I should have had her divorce me. At least that way she wouldn’t be raising our son all by herself. And she wouldn’t have to worry about both her and the baby being murdered by a costumed maniac! 

Hugo Strange: Neither of your alters have ever actually murdered someone, Dr. Desmond. 

Albert: No. But from what I’ve been told, it hasn’t been from lack of trying. (Pause) I let her marry me. I knew what I was, and I let her marry a monster. 

Hugo Strange: You are not a monster, Dr. Desmond. Your family members, the police and judicial departments of Central City, and even your city’s costumed vigilante all swear as to your good moral character. 

Albert: Good moral character? Dr. Strange, both of my alters are criminals; which means that there’s a part of me...there’s a part of me that wants to do the things they do. If there wasn’t, surely I would have been able to get rid of them by now. The fact that I haven’t proves that I don’t have good morals. 

Hugo Strange: Dr. Desmond, do you ever remember the actions of your alters? 

Albert: Almost never. (Pause) I usually end up finding out about it after the fact. You have no idea how horrible it is to have someone tell you that your body went on a crime spree that you don’t remember anything about. 

Hugo Strange: In other words, you have dissociative amnesia during the periods in which your alters are dominant. (Pause) Do you make an effort to prevent your alters from emerging, Dr. Desmond? 

Albert: Of course I do! I take medication, I exercise, I ensure that I always get a full night’s rest, I go to therapy….I don’t want to be a monster. 

Hugo Strange: A monster wouldn’t battle his illness in the way that you do, Dr. Desmond. You are not a monster. You are ill, and through no fault of your own. 

Albert: I...I wish I could believe that, Dr. Strange. (Pause) But honestly? I’m starting to think that maybe I should just be locked up forever. It would...it would be better for everyone. 

(Long pause) 

Hugo Strange: Dr. Desmond? Dr. Desmond, are you all right? 

Mr. Element: (in a voice that is similar to, but distinguishable from, Dr. Alchemy and Albert’s voices) I’m afraid you’ve got the wrong man, Doc.

Hugo Strange: Who are you? And what happened to Dr. Desmond? 

Mr. Element: Nothing. I just decided to take control. It seems that Doc Alchemy’s actions have caused him to almost give up hope completely this time, and that meant he couldn’t put up much of a fight against me. (Pause) Thanks for getting Doc Alchemy to give up control voluntarily, by the way. You have no idea how tough it is to win fights for control with that guy. 

Hugo Strange: I take it you’re Mr. Desmond’s other alter? 

Mr. Element: That’s right, Doc. You can call me Mr. Element. 

Hugo Strange: Not Dr. Element? 

Mr. Element: Nah. The other two got most of the brains, I’m afraid. It’s why I’m not as powerful as either one of ‘em. (Pause) Not that you’d know it from looking at Albert, of course. He’s got no idea how powerful he really is. He’s even more powerful than Doc Alchemy! 

Hugo Strange: I suppose that that makes a certain amount of sense. Dr. Desmond is, after all, the personality from which the two of you split off. Perhaps that allows him to mainline the power, so to speak. (Pause) So, Mr. Element, why do you commit crimes in a silly costume? 

Mr. Element: To get money and attention. Doc Alchemy could care less about that sort of thing, and Albert’s too much of a goody-good to admit that he wants either, so it’s up to me to make sure people remember us. 

Hugo Strange: And the costume, was it inspired by the Flash? 

Mr. Element: No. It was based on our fascination with elements. The mask was so that I could inhale pure oxygen; I used a carbon atom as my symbol because life has its basis in carbon-you get the idea. Albert’s the one who has an emotional connection to the Speedster. 

Hugo Strange: Yes, yes. Dr. Alchemy said the same thing. (Pause) So, are either you or Dr. Alchemy Rogues, Mr. Element? 

Mr. Element: No. Doc Alchemy and I both prefer to work solo. Besides, I think the Doc kind of freaks them out. 

Hugo Strange: Are there any particular concerns you want to talk to me about, Mr. Element? 

Mr. Element: Not really. Albert’s the one with the hang-ups. 

Hugo Strange: In that case, I am going to bring this session to a close. I need some time to reflect on your case and how to best treat it. It is noticeably abnormal, and I will need to adjust my strategies accordingly.

[cant-think-of-anything]

Pirate AU (Part Five)

Lucie watched Alastair gently clean his sisters wounds before bandaging them up.

Knowing how much they cared for each other, she had expected Alastair to be angry. And though he was ready to quite literally murder Tatiana, he didn’t seem mad at her. Lucie couldn’t say the same for herself. 

Cordelia had gotten hurt. She could’ve been killed if she wasn’t protecting Lucie. Dragging her out of her spiraling guilt, Thomas pressed a cup of tea into her hands, warming her cold fingers. He was also watching Alastair. 

“You could not have done anything to prevent this Lucie.” 

Lucie stilled. Thomas had arrived with Alastair who ended up sending a message to Eugenia. The three of them had helped Lucie clean up the glass and left Alastair to address Cordelia’s shoulder since he was the only one who knew any form of medical training. When Lucie had questioned him, he responded he knew how to do many things, like baking and tattooing. She had decided not to ask if he was being sarcastic. 

Thomas and Eugenia seemed fueled with purpose. Upon telling them Tatiana Blackthorn, the same woman responsible for the public marriage scandal between James and her daughter a few years back, was the one who had killed Barbra, they seemed more focused on vengeance than anything.

Eugenia snapped her fingers loudly. “Oi! Lucie, Thomas get over here.”

Alastair and her cousin had spread out a map of London they had acquired from the library. Combining the information that had come from Alastair and Lucie, they had placed that Tatiana was indeed another pirate, and apparently belonged or led one of the scariest crews to exist. Which was really just delightful for them.

After locating the ship’s docking point, Alastair had gone earlier, confirming that the ship was there and, judging by the symbol carved into its wood, the correct ship. 

“We need to get in somehow,” He said quietly while studying the maps.

Suddenly, Thomas looked up. “Christopher.”

“Who?” Alastair asked, staring as if Thomas had lost his mind. 

“My cousin, he makes things, if we need to break into a ship he’s quite good at making destructive things.”

And that, seemingly, was all it took. As her friends packed their items, discussing quietly, she watched Cordelia, still asleep, breathe softly in the firelight.

“I don’t want to leave her,” Alastair said, startling her. “But I trust you’ll take good care of her.” 

Lucie turned her face away. “For what happened… I’m sorry.”

Alastair looked up, surprised. "You needn’t apologize for that. My sister makes her own decisions, however ill-advised they may be sometimes. She won’t blame you and nor do I.”

Before Lucie could respond Eugenia rapped her knuckles on the door to grab their attention. She watched as they left, leaving her alone with an unconscious Cordelia. Mostly alone she thought, looking at her very tall friend who was staring at the fire. She sat next to him, crossing her legs on the couch and letting her head fall against his shoulder.

“Pirates,” He whispered, shaking his head lightly.

“Indeed,” Lucie responded before adding “Thomas, darling, have you seen what they wear?” 

Thomas laughed and bade her goodbye, following Alastair and Eugenia. 

~~~

Eugenia thought she had met her fair share of quiet people, but being in a carriage with Alastair was like being in a carriage with a well dressed mannequin. Thomas had mentioned needing to drop by one of his other friend’s houses and promptly abandoned Eugenia. 

“You found my brother.” She said, cutting into the silence.

“I did,” Alastair replied, still staring out the window.

How was it even possible for a person to talk this little? Eugenia made a frustrated noise and waved her hand in front of his face, smiling at his scowl.

“I’m trying to thank you,”

“I found your brother entirely by accident. I don’t think that’s praise-worthy.”

“Well you saved him by the sounds of it.”

“He told you?” Alastair sounded surprised. “Well I suppose I did it out of instinct. And a bit of thought went into how you would feel.”

Eugenia smirked, pretending to swoon. “He cares!”

Alastair swatted her arm before reaching into his coat. When his hand withdrew, there was a silver longsword in his grasp, the hilt littered with rubies. She sucked in a breath and reached her hand out to touch the engraved handle. She felt a jolt of surprise when Alastair gave it to her.

“All our weapons are gold anyway. It wouldn’t match. Try not to get yourself killed.” He went back to staring out the window, but Eugenia found she didn’t mind. 

~~~

Thomas ducked into Christopher’s lab, cursing London’s tiny doors to find his sister and Alastair already seated there. 

Christopher’s head was bent over his notebook, his hair nearly catching flame on an open fire before Alastair threw a damp towel at his head. 

“Thomas!” Christopher greeted, his face lighting up. 

“We need your help,” Alastair said. He seemed to hate any form of pleasantries. 

“With?”

“We need to get into a… very thick wooden box,” Eugenia cut in.

Christopher’s face clouded, and Thomas could practically see his mind working. Christopher was the smartest scientist in London and that Thomas could say with entire surety. He didn’t like keeping things from him, they had been inseparable for so long but this was not his secret to tell. 

He listened as Christopher told them what all he needed to create such a substance and Eugenia rose, offering readily to go to the market. Thomas thought he saw a flash of silver in her coat but she was gone before he could ask. His cousin’s face was in a deep revere of thought it seemed so Thomas left the room, Alastair close behind. 

~~~

Eugenia wished the cobblestones on the ground of this godforsaken market would swallow her up whole. She quite liked the boisterous activity and the loud arguing. What she did not feel so fond of was crouching in the alleyway like a lowlife trying to avoid her own family. Matthew Fairchild and Anna Lightwood were known to frequent illegal places and as much as Eugenia loved them, she wished she could snap her fingers and make them disappear. If they found her here they would certainly tell the rest of their friends, and Eugenia couldn’t risk putting Lucie and Thomas under scrutiny now. 

“Hello?” 

Eugenia cursed vehemently before turning around to face whatever person called out to her. 

And oh, Eugenia was going to positively faint. Someone would have to drag her out of the market and send her body home. There was a woman standing in the alleyway, a hat shaded half of her face but Eugenia knew it was just as lovely as the rest of her. The mystery woman brushed long black hair out of her dark brown eyes to study Eugenia. 

“Are you all right?” The woman asked with her perfectly shaped lips moving to help her up. 

No. “Yes! Of course.” 

She looked amused. “Is there a reason you're crouched in a dirty alleyway then?”

“A perfectly normal, justifiable reason yes.” When the woman waited for her to elaborate she added “I can’t let my family see me here.” 

“Ah,” She responded before sticking out her hand. “I’m Kamala.” 

“Eugenia.” 

“I came in through a back exit, I can take you through there.” Kamala hesitated then, and Eugenia realized that their hands were still interlocked. “If you would like that.” 

Well she couldn’t have said no to that.

~~~

Alastair, it seemed, liked to perch on dangerous places such as the third floor balcony. Thomas was caught between the urge to join him to see the appeal or pull him off so he wouldn’t get hurt. 

Thomas watched as he tipped his head back, his perfect dark hair rustling softly in the wind. Moving closer hesitantly, he placed his forearms on the railing, seeing Alastair’s eyes open from the corner of his vision. 

“Are you okay?” The words slipped out on their own accord.

Thomas turned, facing the shorter boy fully. Alastair’s entire being seemed stressed and worried and while Thomas understood why, an irrational part of him wanted to see if he could fix that. 

“We might die.” 

“Not a pleasant thought.” 

“I don’t care much what happens to me, but Cordelia and my mother can’t survive on their own.”

“Why? Cordelia seems capable enough.” 

Alastair shook his head, turning his eyes away as if he’d said too much. 

“Where have you sailed?” Thomas questioned, leaning back onto piller, sensing the signal for a subject change. He also couldn’t quite wrap his head around the “pirate” thing. 

“Many places. All of them were better than this repulsive town.

That startled a laugh out of Thomas. “I can understand that. I wish I could leave this city too sometimes.”

Alastair leaned closer and cocked his head to the side “Where would you go?”

Thomas flushed and leaned back. “Anywhere I suppose.”

Alastair looked as he was going to respond but the door banged open. Thomas jerked away, just realizing how close the two of them had been to look at Christopher. 

“Eugenia’s back.” He called, his eyebrows furrowed as he looked back and forth between them. 

~~~

Cordelia felt as if someone had an iron arm clamped to her shoulder and was shaking her brain vigorously. She opened her eyes and groaned at the stabbing light. 

“Cordelia?”

Lucie, she tried to say but found that she could not. She felt an actual hand wrap around hers and soft fingers brush hair from her forehead. 

“It’s okay, don’t say anything.”

Slowly, Lucie’s outline cleared and she could see her lovely blue eyes hovering a few inches from her face. Suddenly it was hard to breathe for entirely different reasons. 

Lucie gently laid her hands on Cordelia’s arms, careful not to disturb her wounds. Cordelia found herself suddenly overwhelmed with how close her fire-lit skin was, the hesitant brush of an escaped curl against her neck. She never wanted to pull away. 

“I know you just got hurt on your shoulders,” she started hoarsely, “but I thought…” 

Cordelia, finally able to find her voice said “Never blame yourself Lucie. If it were to protect you I would do it a thousand times over.”

She heard Lucie’s breathing stop before she pulled away slightly, much to Cordelia’s disappointment. 

“They found the ship. We’ll find her too.” Lucie’s eyes blazed bright. “I want you to teach me, show me how you wield your weapons, set your ships on water. She took far too much already and I refuse to let her take more.” 

~~~

You know that one tik tok audio that’s like- “Everyone is just who they are and who they are is just stone cold gay?” Yeah that’s this fic

ALSO someone help me out who’s taller in Joshwood?

Tagging: @adoravel-fenomeno and @barbra-lightwood (Also I didn’t say this before but I can add you if you want)