#get your vaccines kiddos

[rhysintherain]

As a follow-up to my rant about mRNA vaccines, there's a question I get a lot about acellular and mRNA type vaccines:

"If there's no virus in there, why did the COVID shot make me sick as a dog the next day??"

Because viruses generally aren't what makes you feel sick.

Your immune system is.

Few viral infections, on their own, give you a fever, joint aches, and a stuffy nose. If you had no immune system, a virus could kill you without producing most of the signs and symptoms we associate with viral illness.

Those things you have with a flu are the direct result of your immune system fighting back.

Lots of microorganisms are vulnerable to temperature fluctuations. Fever is your body trying to cook the germs.

Inflammation is a concentration of immune cells at a given location doing their job. Lots of them go to where the infection is, which makes tissues puffy and painful.

Cough, congestion, and nausea are your body trying to flush out attacking organisms by removing them from your airways and digestive system. If it can get rid of them before they get into your cells, that's half the battle.

Which means that you don't actually need to have an infectious illness to feel like you have a cold or flu.

Your immune system just needs to THINK you do.

Vaccines trick your body into fighting an intruder that isn't actually a threat, much like allergies do. Your immune system throws everything it's got at the vaccine material, and creates antibodies against future infections from the same attacker.

So when you actually get COVID, or measles, or seasonal influenza, it'll be ready.

That immune response that makes you feel like dirt the day after your COVID shot is actually a good sign, because it tells us your immune system bought the ruse and treated it like an actual disease.

Which means it's also planning ahead in case you catch that disease again someday.

Working at the vaccine clinic, I heard from a lot of people about how the COVID vaccine affected them, and what I heard was incredibly consistent: maybe swollen lymph nodes on the first vaccine, but otherwise nothing. On the 2nd, 3rd, and later doses, almost everyone felt sick enough to stay home/in bed within about 24 hours.

This is good news, because it means the mRNA vaccines are producing a very similar immune response in most of the people who get it, and it keeps producing a strong immune response after multiple doses.

Anyway, the moral of the story is we need to feel sick for many vaccines to work. Think of it like a building fire in a big city: a building catches fire, the fire department is called, and traffic slows to a crawl.

This isn't because the fire slowed down traffic; fires don't do that, but firetrucks rushing to put it out do.

The same thing happens if somebody's kid wants to know what'll happen if they pull the fire alarm: the firefighters rush to the scene, traffic slows down.

But in this case there's no actual fire; the fire department gets the signal for a fire and responds accordingly without the building actually being in danger.

Vaccines pull the fire alarm for your immune system to make sure the firefighters know how to do their thing when a fire actually starts. Your immune system responding like there's actually something wrong is what makes you feel sick the next day.

#vaccines #science #microbiology #immunology #this is also why autoimmune conditions maje people so sick #but that's a rant for another day #also why allergies can feel like a cold #get your vaccines kiddos #tell your immune system to attack the right stuff #you get a day off work now and anti-viral superpowers later

[ghouljams]

I was just rereading the cowboy AU, and the way Simon is with his girls, I feel like he has a rough time with them getting their baby vaccines, the old softy.

Idk if you know this, but usually for the infant ones, doctors have the parents hold their kiddos as they do the shot.

So yeah, Mary cries and screams during her baby vaccines and Simon is having a HARD time trying to be strong for his little girl. Then Duck tells him that John cried when Goose got her first vaccines as a baby

He's such a big baby about his babies. Of course taking them to get their shots is his least favorite activity. There's nothing that makes Simon feel worse than holding his infant daughter while she screams and cries. He knows she needs the shots, knows that she'll be ok afterwards, but damn he hates it. Hates sitting and listening to the doctor tell him what to watch out for, hates the way his baby looks up at him with a wobbly lip when she sees the needle, hates every part of it.

Not to mention Simon hates doctors. So when the pediatrician tells him to relax so the baby doesn't think something is wrong, that doesn't happen. Simon is stock still like he's holding position for sniping, he isn't going to budge until this is over and the doctor isn't going to change that by asking. He can hardly look at himself after his daughter calms down, giggling and cooing at whatever toy the pediatrician waves in front of her as if she wasn't crying seconds ago. Simon buys her a stuffie just to make up for being the worst father in the world, and you have the nerve to laugh at him when he tells you that. ("Why's Mary got a new bear?" "Because I'm a terrible father")

It's worse when they're older and he takes one of them to get a vaccine. Holding his daughter in his lap so she doesn't try to run and being told "I hate you daddy" through big rivers of tears. It breaks his heart, he actually tells you that he won't be taking the girls for any more. Which is ridiculous because they can't not get their vaccines.

Your mom tells him how bad it was for Price. How he came home pale faced with you asleep in your carrier and told her he'd rather get another rabies shot, or the smallpox vaccine, than take you for another round of shots. Men who have seen the worst of combat and can't handle their poor child's tears. Big softies.

#cod x reader #x reader #simon ghost riley #cod x oc #x oc #simon ghost riley x reader #ghost x reader #ghost mw2 #simon ghost riley x oc #simon riley cod #ghost cod #oc: goose

[woso-dreamzzz]

Hello bestest kid-fic writer in the whoooooole world

I've got a question that bothers me for a week now😅

how would all them kiddos react if they have to go and see a doctor? like for shots or just check up? would gremlin warn the nurses with her yellow rectangles first before she bites them? and would peanut accept her vaccine after seeing lucy and Keira get one first and it's okay or will she just try to bolt the whole time scream and kicking?

I really REALLY love your stories and (most of them - poor bambi 🥺) put a smile on my face ❤️❤️

Gremlin definitely bites so she has to sit in Caitlin's lap and held down. Doctors need to give Peanut shots while she's distracted or she'll try to bolt. It's the same for Chook too.

Liefje, Kiddo, Princesse, Pequeñita and Bambi are all very brave when getting their shots and take them very well but they do need to sit on a parent's lap for comfort.

Skatt, Älskling, Bubs, Munchkin and Angel are still little babies so they don't do much in trying to escape but they all cry a lot after getting their shots done.

Bear gets really scared and she always sits on Lucy's lap because her Mum is big and strong and will protect her if something goes wrong.

The girls from the little sisters universe (Bean, Nena, Tesoro and Rugrat) are all quite chill with shots but if their sisters are with them, then they'll ham it up to get ice cream as a well-done gift.

Bug, Bebita and Cub are all really annoying leading up to the appointment (digging in their heels/not wanting to go inside) but as soon as they're with the doctor, they're as good as gold.

Pipsqueak is really good at getting her shots. She's super mature about it and likes to tease Ellie, who gets really freaked out by the whole thing.

Sunshine is the best at getting shots. She's been in the hospital for practically her whole life. She's going to be on anti-rejection medication for the rest of her life. Having a shot is easy work compared to her heart surgery

#asks #Gremlin #Peanut #Chook #Liefje #Kiddo #Pequenita #Bambi #Bear #Bean #Nena #Tesoro #Rugrat #Bug #Bebita #Cub #Pipsqueak #The Big Adventures Universe

[ninebluehearts]

It's Complicated.

Warnings: Angst. Joel denying his fatherly bond, basically. Female reader.

Summary: Getting to Tommy’s was the easy part. Making sure you all left Tommy’s in one piece? That’s where it got tricky...

A/n: This is based on episode 6 🥲

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

Joel had been acting strange ever since you all arrived at the commune; barely acknowledging you or Ellie, staring off into the distance for long periods of time, never really talking- which he didn’t do much of before, but this was different.

Even now, you were both sitting around the fire together with a random group of people, your head resting against Joel’s shoulder as you listened to a man who was sitting opposite you tell a story about the first time he saw an infected, and Joel was just sitting there, starring at the fire. It’s like he was physically here, but mentally? You had no idea where he was. 

You’ve tried all throughout the day to talk to him, asking him if he was alright, and every time he would either simply nod or say he was fine. It bothered you so much that you knew something was wrong and there was nothing you could do about it. 

You tried to reassure yourself that maybe he was just tired. After all, it had been one hell of a trip and he wanted to leave again tomorrow. Plus, you were all in dire need of a good night’s rest anyways. One where you and Joel didn’t have to take turns being on lookout throughout the night. 

You slipped your hand into Joel’s, gently squeezing it twice to pull him from his thoughts.

He let out a quiet grunt in response, his eyes slowly pulling away from the fire to look at you, a deep frown weighing heavily from his features. You knew that look well; the one he made when he made a tough decision.

“Wanna go to bed? We’ve gotta be up early in the morning. I’m sure Ellie’s already out like a light.” As if to prove your point, a long yawn forced itself out as you let out a soft laugh. 

“Yeah, but I’ve gotta see Tommy real quick. Forgot somethin’. Meet you up there?”

“Sure thing.” You leaned up and gave him a quick peck on the lips, before standing up to say your goodnights and then making your way back to the small house you were all temporarily staying in. Once you were a good few feet away, you glanced over your shoulder, taking note that Joel wasn’t there anymore. "That was quick." You mumbled to yourself.

Once you made it back to the house, you made sure to be as quiet as possible in case Ellie actually was sleeping. You hung up your coat and slipped off your shoes, sighing in relief when your feet could finally breathe. You headed upstairs and down the hall, gently knocking on Ellie’s door before slowly pushing it open. “Hey kiddo. Are you up?” 

Ellie lowered her book with a sigh. “Yeah, come on in.”

Once given the okay, you fully stepped into the room, immediately noticing the lack of Ellie Themed decorations. “Ya know, when we come back we’re gonna have to spruce this place up a bit. Really make it your own.” You sat on the edge of her bed, reaching over to pick up the comic book she had been reading earlier and gently tossing it onto her nightstand. “How come you’re not asleep? I figured you’d be knocked out by now.”

Ellie shrugged, setting down her book and leaning back against the wall of her window seat, her arms crossing over her chest. Something was off with Ellie too. You felt completely oblivious; like you were missing something that was so obvious.

You slowly nodded, “Well, you’d better enjoy sleeping in an actual bed while you still can. Were gonna be right back to camping tomorrow night.” You smiled as Ellie let out a loud groan, dropping her face in her hands.

Ellie turned to sit on the edge of the seat, focusing on picking at a hangnail. Something she did when she was nervous, you noticed. “It’s gonna be fine, right? Like, they’re gonna be able to make the vaccine? I would hate to come all this way just for this to mean nothing.” She said as she tapped her forearm. 

You knew that that wasn’t all that was bothering her, but it was definitely apart of it.

“Even if they can’t, which I’m sure they will,” You added when she frowned. “It still means you are the luckiest person on the planet.” Your eyes widened in false shock, a soft gasp slipping from your lips. “Maybe you’re meant to be a god.” Quickly rolling off of her bed and scrambling onto one knee, you bowed to her. “Your Majesty.” You said, grinning at the giggles that erupted out of her. 

“You’re stupid.” Ellie said, tossing a small, decorative pillow at you.

“I know what you are but what am I?” You tossed yourself back onto her bed, making the entire mattress bounce with your landing.

“I’ll do you one better,” Ellie leaned over and dug around her bag that was laying on the floor next to her, holding her joke book high in the air once she finally found it. “Okay.” She cleared her throat as she flipped through the pages, looking for a specific one. “Why is it bad to eat a clock?” She asked with a grin.

You narrowed your eyes at her. “Why?”

She struggled to hold back a giggle as she answered. “Because it’s very time consuming.”

You let out a loud groan, your hands rubbing over your face. “Now that’s stupid!”

“Are you kidding me? That’s like, the best one in here!” Suddenly, Ellie’s laughs faded when she looked at the doorway.  

You raised your eyebrow, turning your head to look at the doorway too. Joel stood in the middle, his hand gripping the doorknob. “Baby, can you please give Ellie and I a minute?” His voice was tight, eyebrows slightly furrowed together. 

“Yeah, sure. I was gonna grab another shower before bed anyways.” You stood up and cracked your back, groaning at the muffled pops. You gave Ellie a quick hug, wishing her goodnight before sliding by Joel, pressing your hand against his shoulder for a moment before making your way back to your room. 

You made sure to stay quiet as you tidied up the room; folding putting clothes back into Joel’s bag that he haphazardly tossed onto the bed after his shower earlier. You couldn’t make out any words yet, just muffled speech, until Ellie yelled out: “Everybody, except for fucking you!”

Your heart skipped a beat, some buried down maternal instincts sounding the alarm in your nervous system. You hated to do it, but you crept back down the hallway, quietly standing a few feet away so that you could eavesdrop.

“So don’t tell me I would be safer with somebody else, because the truth is I would just be more scared!” There was a long pause after that, both you and Ellie desperately waiting for Joel’s response.

“You’re right.“ He said, his breath quick and uneven. “You’re not my daughter. And I sure as hell ain’t your dad.” 

Your hand flew to cover your mouth before a gasp could escape. How could he be so cruel after everything they’d been through together? Sure, she's not his daughter, but you knew it felt like she was; though neither of them wanted to admit it.

“Now, come dawn, we’re goin’ our separate ways.” He spat out before storming out of the room, slamming the door behind him. He paused when he saw you, his eyes a mix between pain and sorrow. He said nothing as he passed by you, heading into the bedroom to cool off.

You considered checking on Ellie, but you knew she would probably want some space to cool off aswell. Instead, you followed Joel into the bedroom, gently shutting the door behind you. “What was that about?” You said as you gently sat down on the edge of the bed, his back facing you.

Joel didn’t respond, his uneven breath was the only sound in the room. The tension was so thick you could cut a knife through it. The kind of tension that made you feel like if you even breathed wrong all hell would break loose. 

“What did you mean Joel? Why aren’t you coming with us?”

“You’re stayin’ too.” 

“Like hell I am.” You said before you could stop yourself, watching as he immediately tensed.

“Yes. You are.” Joel said with an unrecognizably bitter tone. He had never spoken to you like this. 

Your eyebrows shot up, your arms crossing over your chest. “Like. Hell. I. Am.” You shot back, sounding out each syllable slowly. You didn't want to argue with him, knowing that he was already clearly pissed off, but when it came to Ellie? Somebody had to stick up for her.

Joel sat up, staring at you with pure rage, his eyes piercing your own. “Tommy’s takin’ her in the morning. You wanna go and keep risking your life? Fine. Go ahead. See if I care.” 

Admittedly, his is words felt like you were being stabbed in the chest. You had been together for ten years and he wouldn’t care if you died? You knew he was just angry and that he didn’t really mean it, but that didn’t make it hurt any less.

“Fine. I will. Because I care about her and I refuse to let her do this by herself.” You stormed out of the room, deciding to spend the night in the guest bedroom instead. 

~

Though you were exhausted, it took a while for you to fall asleep. You couldn’t stop replaying the night in your head over and over again, all of it making sense now. 

Joel disappearing with Tommy for over an hour, the strange mood he and Ellie were in all night, why you hadn’t seen Tommy since dinner. Joel had told you before that he felt like he was failing Ellie like he had Sarah, but you didn’t think it was enough for him to completely abandon her when she needed him most.

The following morning you woke up to a quiet knock on your door, soon followed by Ellie shuffling in once she heard your quiet groan. “Are you staying with him?” Was all she said, staring at you with a blank expression on her face. 

You rubbed your eyes as you sat up, suppressing a yawn as you shook your head. “You can’t get rid of me that easily girl.”

Ellie slowly nodded, picking at that hangnail again. “Thank fucking god. I didn't wanna do this shit by myself.” She laughed, but you could tell she was still hurt that Joel wasn't coming.

“Of course. I couldn’t let you do it alone.” 

Ellie glanced around the room, a confused look spread across her features. “Wait. Where’s Joel?”

You stood up with a sigh, knowing you’d have to face him if you wanted your bag. “I let him have our room. We had a bit of a disagreement too.”

“I know, but he’s not in there. I checked that room first. When I didn’t see anyone in there I decided to check down here.”

You tilted your head to the side, “Are you sure?” you asked as you gently pushed past her, hurrying up the stairs. Sure enough, Joel was nowhere to be seen. Only a pile of messed up blankets sat on the bed in his place. 

You didn’t see her come in, but you heard her standing in the doorway. “Like I said, he’s not here.”

He knew you were leaving and didn’t even bother to say goodbye? Was that really how angry he was? 

You picked up your bag and tossed it on the bed, digging around for the warmest outfit you could find. “He probably went to a bar or something last night. I’m sure he’s fine.” You said with a sigh, pulling out one of Joel’s sweaters from your bag. “I’ll be out in a minute.”

Ellie didn’t say anything; just gently closed the door behind her before going back to her room to wait.

~

You, Ellie, and Tommy walked to the stables in complete silence. You didn’t ask about Joel because frankly, you didn’t want to know. You were still upset about all of the things he said the night before, and now you were disappointed because he wasn’t even going to say goodbye to either of you.

“The hell are ya doin’.” Tommy said, pulling you from your thoughts.

Joel was standing in a stall with one of the horses, just about done buckling up a saddle when you all showed up. “I changed my mind.” Was all he said, not really looking at you or Ellie yet. You noticed a second horse already saddled up and ready in the stall beside him.

Tommy gave him a simple nod. “I see you’ve got it from here. You know you’re welcome back anytime right?” 

“Thank you.” Joel said as he pulled him into a quick hug. “I’ll take you up on that hopefully sooner than later.”

Tommy nodded again, wishing Ellie good luck before he made his way back home.

Joel and Ellie didn’t say anything to each other as he helped her onto the horse, making sure she was secure before turning back to you. “Look-”

“We’re good.” You said, leaning up to give him a quick peck on his cheek. “I’m just glad you’re here.” You slipped your foot into the stirrup and easily lifted yourself onto the saddle of the second horse. 

Joel did the same, sitting in the space in front of Ellie. “Ready?” He asked, gripping the reins with both hands, a small, content smile pulling at his lips. 

You nodded, giving your horse a gentle pat on his head before patting his side, asking him to start moving.

It was tough, but somehow you all managed to comeback stronger. Because though Joel didn’t like to admit it, you were a family. And you all loved each other.

#💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙thoughts #the last of us fanfiction #the last of us #joel miller fanfiction #joel miller x reader #joel miller #ellie miller #pedro pascal #pedro pascal fanfiction #joel miller x female reader

[rustbeltjessie]

To what purpose, April, do you return again? (or: finally, a pinned post for April)

Hi all. I'm Jessie Lynn McMains, aka Rust Belt Jessie. I'm an Xennial/Elder Millenial (please don't call me a Geriatric Millenial, thank you) writer/artist/zine-maker/etc. (I wear many hats.) I'm queer and nonbinary/genderfluid, and as far as pronouns go, I’m okay with any human pronoun (they and she are my most-used, but I like he, too, and I especially like it when people switch up the pronouns they use for me). I’m disabled and neurodivergent.

I live with my partner and our two kiddos, both of whom are also neurodivergent, and right now I’m supporting all of us on whatever money I earn. I do freelance copywriting and editing as my main thing, but I also make a decent chunk of my income from selling my zines and books and pins and whatever else I make, so the more I sell, the better able I am to pay bills and take care of my family.

Through my Ko-fi, you can buy my zines and books (I have both poetry and prose available) and pins, as well as commission me to make you a music-inspired mini-collage or hire me to edit your own writing. Or also just throw me a few bucks if you appreciate the content I make available for free.

If you live outside the US (I can only ship within the US via Ko-fi, because setting up shipping for multiple countries is a pain the butt), or just prefer to purchase something or donate via a different platform, I also have PayPal and Venmo (@ JessieLynnMcMains).

I also have a Substack newsletter. I try to send something out at least once a month. Sometimes it's a longer piece about music and nostalgia (I recently started a series called These Fucking Songs, for just that purpose), sometimes it's just updates on what I'm up to, sometimes it's something else. I'm currently working on one about poetry, and my writing process, and revision.

As if that weren't enough, this month I'm doing a 30/30 on the Tupelo Press site, which not only means I have to write a poem every day to be posted the next day, but I am also fundraising for Tupelo Press. My goal is to raise $350 by the end of the month. You can follow along with my daily poems here (the newest is always at the top; scroll down to read previous days), and the fundraising page is here. (I'm also offering some cool incentives for people who donate; more info about all that is available on the fundraising page.)

I'm pro-trans, pro-vaccine, pro-sex worker, pro-abortion, pro-Black Lives Matter. I'm for harm reduction for any drug user or addict, meaning I want them to be able to use drugs as safely as possible, rather than forcing them into rehab or incarcerating them. I'm anti-censorship and anti-fascist. I believe everyone, everyone, should have a safe place to sleep and enough to eat without having to earn it. I consider myself an anarcho-socialist, basically, but I do vote. I'm telling you all that because if you are vehemently against any of those things, we'll probably not get along.

I'm a forever-goth/punk who loves all kinds of music. (Things on heavy rotation for me as I write this are: The Replacements, Einstürzende Neubauten, and Oliver Nelson.) I'm femme but I'm a disaster femme; when I use nailpolish it's always sloppy and/or chipped, when I wear eyeliner it's always crooked and/or smeared, and I am incapable of not ripping a hole or two in every pair of tights and stockings I own. I love art and film and theater and literature and music. I'm a Shakespeare stan, I love growing my own vegetables, I collect souvenir pennies and stick and poke tattoos. I'm always a slut in theory, even when not always in practice. I'm perpetually nostalgic, melancholy, and restless. I spend all my free time posting pictures of myself on the internet and trying to prove I'm punk to anyone that'll listen.

Want more Jessie content? There's my website (still under construction, but it exists). Or you could try searching the my writing, my art, Jessie Lynn McMains, or Rust Belt Jessie tags on this blog. I also have a side blog, where I tend to post more frequently than I do on this blog. If you ask nice, I'll probably give you the URL.

On that note, my DMs and asks are open, and, as of right now, anon is on.

I think that's it! As always, whether you can send any $$ my way (or to my fundraiser) currently or not, keeping this post circulating helps. Thanks much. 🖤

#rust belt jessie #jessie lynn mcmains #about me #pinned post

[pascalscoffin]

Away From The Devil pt. VII

Full Pedro Masterlist

Series Masterlist

Pt. VIII

Warning: Minors Go Away I Will Kick You In The Forehead. I just don’t want kiddos here. Reader is female and uses she/her pronouns. Reader is around 24, Joel is 56. Reader has inappropriate thoughts about Joel. Cursing. Joel in denial again but ultimately having inappropriate thoughts as well. Probably not much Ellie in this chapter just insight to reader and Joel and where they are in their feelings for eachother. Joel has dirty thoughts and sad thoughts cause the man’s bipolar (not literally but like… literally he doesn’t know what to feel is he scared or is he horny? Don’t ask him and don’t ask me.) kinda implies reader is “short” (she can’t reach a shelf)

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Joel was quiet for the rest of the drive, you guessed he was trying to come up with a convincing story to tell Ellie, because when she finally woke up and asked what was going on and what happened, Joel told her there were more people immune and that they couldn’t make any of the vaccines work, when she asked where her clothes were he claimed raiders came and the three of you had barely gotten out. She’d asked if people were hurt and Joel gave her a begrundged ‘yes’ before staying silent when she asked about Marlene, when she realized he wasn’t going to answer, subsequently meaning you wouldn’t, she turned over and Joel looked at her in the rearview before giving a soft “I’m sorry”

Ellie laid there for a while, not speaking, so you guessed she went back to sleep. You thought about how she’d reacted when Joel mentioned the drugs she was under, it was like she didn’t know, like Marlene had sent her to surgery with absolutely no knowledge of what was happening, and you felt sick.

Being in a car, in silence, meant downtime. Downtime meant you could sit and admire Joel while he drove. You realized it was probably a bad time to do so, even worse when you kept getting flashes of the hospital and instead of diminishing that burning feeling you’d felt since that night in the old photo store, it egged it on, spreading the feeling from your stomach to everywhere else on your body.

It’s sick, really, the feeling you get when you think about his powerful arms wrapping around someone’s throat, those thick fingers squeezing a trigger, or wrapped tight around the handle of a knife just before stabbing someone or slicing their throat.

You tried napping but that just made it worse, your momentarily unconscious mind would be filled with images of Joel, the grunts he’d made fighting and how different they would sound in your ear, just for you to hear. How those thick hands that crush windpipes so easy would be just rough enough to make you lightheaded. Each time your eyes would snap open with a small gasp only to find Joel looking at you from the corner of his eye and then ripping them away. Eventually you decided napping was a worse idea than trying to ignore the thoughts.

“We need to stop somewhere and get her some clothes.” You mumbled, partially because maybe if you could get the hell out of this car, away from Joel’s intoxicating scent, his demanding aura, then maybe you could feel normal for just a few minutes. Joel looked at you with a nod and cleared his throat a little. “Try and find a map of the area we’re in, see if there’s any stores or anythin’ nearby.”

You nodded and dug around before finally finding one. “Don’t know if it’ll actually have anything but there’s a store right on the edge of town. Might have something.” Joel nodded and reached to take the map so he could figure out how to get there. When he pulled up at the store you unbuckled your seatbelt and grabbed your stuff, when you opened your door Joel opened his and you looked at him quickly. “No.” Joel looked at you and frowned deeply. “What?”

“I just- Y’know we should probably just… let her sleep until I come back with the clothes, right? I’ll be fine. Quick in and out, totally silent. If I need anything I’ll scream.” His frown softened a bit, looking more worried. “It’s not.. about the hospital.” You told him. Which was a lie. It was. It totally was. Just not in the context he was thinking. “I just gotta stretch my legs, Y’know? And she’s gonna need.. Y’know undergarments and I doubt you wanna be there for that.” You raised a brow. “Unless you wanna wake her up, let her walk around in risky territory in a hospital gown.”

Joel looked at Ellie in the backseat and then back at you and sighed. “Fine.” He closed his door but stayed outside the car. You closed your door and went to his side. “I’ll be quick I swear.” “Ten minutes and I’m comin’ to look for you.” You put a hand on your hip before nodding and waving that same hand at him. “Fine. Ten minutes.” You rubbed his arm before jogging into the store, knowing your ten minute timer started as soon as you got inside.

There weren’t very many clothes left in the store, a few flannels and tshirts, jeans were a little trickier but you found a couple you thought she could fit, after grabbing shoes you dug around different piles of stacked merchandise before finding some underwear and a sports bra you thought she could wear, then some socks, and made your way out with everything shoved into a backpack you found on the counter.

When you passed by the back office it was pretty much bare except for some cases on a high shelf on the back wall of the room, walking into the room and over to the shelves you noticed they were music and perked up, all you needed now was a way to get them so you could listen to them in the car.

God, the car, you’re gonna be stuck in close quarters with Joel for god knows how long again, smothered in his presence no matter how far you push yourself into the door or roll the window down. He was suffocating, demanding your attention, your eyes, any time you were near him, your fingertips burning to touch him.

The worst part about it all is, it almost never felt like he felt the same way, like he was dying inside to touch you the same way you were to touch him. You wondered if it ever even crossed his mind, even as a fleeting thought. You doubted it. Your age gap didn’t help, sure Joel was a lonely older guy. But older was the key word here, and he didn’t seem like the type of older guy to go for a girl 32 years his junior.

God… 32.. and you were drooling over this man like when you were 15 and running around with Christopher from Silver Lake behind everyone’s backs. There was just something about Joel.. how he can go from vicious and hard to soft and concerned in a matter of seconds was like riding one of those rollercoaster things your mom used to talk about that made your stomach flip and spin around but in the best way.

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Joel, ever stoic, ever grumpy Joel, was quite possibly two of those stupid little wide eyed looks you gave him away from simply exploding into a ball of blood and bones. He’d never let on about it, it seemed Ellie, though, was fully aware that he was most definitely perving on someone young enough to be his daughter, no matter how much he denied it to himself and her.

Thankfully, you seemed unaware. It’s not that he’s concerned you won’t feel the same way. He’s a 56 year old man, after all, he knows when someone’s interested. He’s caught the wandering looks, the times you’d go to say something only to close your mouth or change what you were going to say before you even get the first word out.

So, yes, he’s fully aware the feelings are reciprocated, that all he’d have to do is say something or do something to cross that line and you’d be wrapped together in the throes of whatever the hell followed, passion or otherwise.

While his attraction to you wasn’t immediate, it definitely came fast. He’d been skeptical, a little worried you had some ulterior motive to coming along with them, even after your speech at the fire that night.

But watching and listening to you interact with Ellie had definitely been an eye opener. You weren’t some manipulative raider looking for people to mooch off of before ultimately deciding you didn’t need them anymore and killing them in their sleep, which had most definitely been a very strong worry of his for a bit there. You were just… a lonely kid. Lonely and looking for friends, companionship from someone that wasn’t abusing you or feeding your friends to you.

Then he’d been worried you weren’t capable, you’d spent most of your life, from what he understood, at that resort with that cult David called a community, women were hardly sent out and according to you, you hadn’t been allowed out in weeks. You hadn’t said why, but you’d gotten that glassy look and Joel didn’t want to push it further.

And then, of course, he watched you wrestle a Clicker, unable to get a clear shot, for a second there he’d been sure you’d been bitten or would be ripped apart, and then like fucking magic or something you had the upper hand and were screaming like a Greek warrior at that completely wrecked creature beneath you.

He’d made his way to you cautiously after that, not wanting to make a noise that could cause you to swing that big ass fucking knife into his face. And to make matters worse on the old bastard you had him on his back! Knife held back and ready for round two before he told you it was just him. That wild look in your eyes had slowly melted away and then you looked… lost, confused and looking for something, anything to bring you back down to earth. He decided then that he wanted to be that thing.

He didn’t get more than a couple hours of sleep after that, though. If he wasn’t dreaming of failing Sarah, failing Ellie, he was failing you, letting you get torn apart or shot or whatever horrible fucking thing his brain could mange to cook up.

Joel’s dreams were reserved for failures and fears. His waking thoughts, the ones he shoved all the way to the back because now is not the fucking time to imagine you hovering over him, sweating and chanting his name like a Sunday prayer. Jesus Christ Joel.

Those were the thoughts he was desperate to run from, or maybe desperate to run towards, he couldn’t quite tell. Joel was older, had better restraint than you in this department, so why the hell did his skin hum like a 7th grader every time you touched him? Why did his ears warm up and ring every time you said his name? Hell, a quarter of an inch too close and he was terrified his jeans were going to cut off circulation if he didn’t get himself under control.

It was like some stupid middle school crush, to the point where he’s checked his broken watch three times since you stepped into the clothes store and his body was thrumming just to be around you again, just to hear you say his name or smile that big ass smile that made his stomach flip like that Tower Drop ride Sarah had forced him onto on her birthday.

And then he heard a loud crash and a scream inside the store, he straightened up and was sprinting into the store after one quick look back at Ellie. He ran in and heard you struggling in the back office and ran in to find you waist deep in a hole, which you’d no doubt fallen through, but you didn’t look stressed or uncomfortable- you looked excited. Why the fuck were you excited?

“Joel! Look what I found!” And there it was, that sweet as honey voice singing his name. He wanted to make you sing another way, make his name tumble from your mouth like it was the only part of the chorus you could remember. God damn, Joel, get a grip.

When he made his way over to you, you were waving three disc cases eagerly, smiling widely up at him. “… what the hell happened to you?” You looked down at your situation, one leg completely in the hole while the other was stuck in an awkward ass position that had less than awkward thoughts filling his mind.

“Well- I saw these up there on that shelf and… I wanted to get them for the car.. but I put too much weight on this part of the floor and it caved in.” That smile never faltered, it became sheepish but never fell and your eyes were shimmering like they had in the museum.

He shook his head with a sigh and reached down to pull you out of the hole, mumbling a soft sorry, almost gotcha into your ear when you made a sound of discomfort. “All for some music?” You shrugged sheepishly and held them out to him. “… I thought we could use the distraction.” You were inches away from one another, one of his arms still around you with your faces so close you could “trip” and fall smack right on his mouth. Alas, before you could gather the gumption to do so, he was clearing his throat and stepping away, leaving your waist and hips cold.

He reached for the cases with a hum like nothing happened and looked over them curiously. “Let’s see… Fleetwood Mac. That’s a good one.” He looked at the other two and chuckled. “Metallica…. And Creedance Clearwater Revival.” He hummed.

You shifted on your feet in front of him. “.. are those any good?” Joel looked up from the discs and chuckled lightly. “Yeah they’re good.” He gave them back to you and motioned for you to walk out, watching over you curiously and frowning when he noticed you limping. “Did you hurt your leg?” He grabbed your arm, the two of you standing just outside the SUV.

You furrowed your brows and looked down at your leg, and sure enough your calf was bleeding, not bad and it could easily be stitched up. “Oh. Yeah.” He raised a brow at you and you shrugged. “… okay so maybe I had my knife out and I was trying to use it to get the discs… and maybe it fell and cut my leg.” Joel rubbed his forehead and muttered something. “Sit.” He motioned to a bench beside the street, shaking his head as he started searching for the first-aid kit.

You sat down with a small sigh and watched Joel come over and kneel in front of you. “Hope you got some pants while you were in there.” He muttered before using his knife to cut the bottom half of your jeans off to see the cut. “Joel-“ you pouted and watched him toss the piece of denim off to the side. He gave you a little glare and you bit your lip as you stayed quiet, hissing softly when he pressed an antiseptic wipe against the cut.

“‘S not bad, but you shouldn’t walk around with that shit out and bleeding.” “Wasn’t really “out” until you cut my pants.” Joel looked at you again and you shifted a little before looking down at your leg, frowning at it. “Thanks.” You mumbled softly. “You’re welcome. We’ll get it stitched up later, for now, since it’s not too bad, we can use these.” He pulled out some butterfly bandaids and used them to bandaid your skin back together.

He pinched around the cut and you flinched back a little, a little from the pain, but mostly from how hot Joel’s fingers felt on your skin. The second you felt his rough fingertips your skin was screaming and begging for more more more please more.

His hands were gentle when he laid the bandaids over the cut, soothing the bandaid down softly and slowly letting his hand slide down to your ankle, holding it for just a second, his warm hand heating up the skin beneath his touch, his fingertips rubbing lightly before he was sliding his hand away and standing up. “There you go. C’mon. Let’s get goin’.” You nodded and stood up, grabbing the things you’d sat down next to you.

Joel watched you walk to the car and took a deep breath when you got in, looking up at the sky and closing his eyes before finally climbing into the drivers seat and starting to drive.

He just hoped he could keep himself under control long enough for that burning, aching feeling to go away.

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@romanarose @orcasoul @caitlynsixxx @shotgun-shelby @aspecialgreenie

#pedro pascal #pedrohub #joel miller #the last of us #joel miller x reader #joel miller fanfiction #ellie williams #away from the devil #ellie tlou #away from the devil part seven

[fullscoreshenanigans]

Hey if the GF kids + GP team were watching horror movies (the oldest because no horror movies for the youngest kiddos or they will not sleep because some horror movie ARE terrifying) What movie would scare the most at every child/teen?

Like i can see Emma being scared of IT, whatever which version, especially the first scene (you know what i mean, right?) for exemple.

Ayshe would be probably scared by White Dog or Cujo :/ but not scared by the movie but scared and sad because of the poor dog (who is a victim in both movies, infected by rabies in one and trained to attack in another). she would speak for the first time to Norman to ask him do find her an appointment to vaccinate her dogs (because it's real dogs, not demoniac dogs or it would be hard for her to feed them in the human world. I doubt that people would be happy to see their beloved pet dog "vanish" (and be eaten).

Barbara would play "the cool sister who isn't afraid" but would be afraid by Scream (for exemple and would be clingy to Cislo/Norman/Vincent's arm for all the movie XD

Have you other ideas? =)

Feel this comes down to semantics because I don't think they'd find mainstream horror scary but more so unsettling? Besides like a well-earned jump scare getting the best of them that's immediately, viscerally frightening and might result in a comedic reaction they tease each other over.

But given everything they confronted in the demon world—both the direct, palpable terror of almost being eaten alive by the grotesque

(Chapter 117)

to the existential horror of realizing everything you've come to understand about yourself and that your very humanity and the humanity of all the people you care about is systemically devalued in such a cold, detached, clinical way—

(Chapter 28)

it doesn't seem like it would result in an immediate bubbling up of palpable terror for them with both the barrier of the screen and their understanding of horror media and media in general often being used to communicate an idea between a creator and their audience (e.g., the possession scenes in Talk to Me being used to symbolically convey the silent brutality of drug addiction, the existential dread presented by pregnancy and STDs in It Follows, etc.). But the important thing with a lot of these pieces is that while horrific violence might be perpetrated, there's still an underlying upholding of human life as inherently valuable and something to be protected, so they can have fun with it and appreciate the works for what they are.

What I believe would be a sticking point for them would be abject, wanton cruelty with no purpose. So like, torture porn, purposefully edgy works that revel in the audacity of boundaries pushed and the shock value of the obscene, exploitation films. Hostel, Funny Games, A Serbian Film, 120 Days of Sodom, etc., I can't imagine them growing up and being fans of this subgenre after everything they experienced.

So I wouldn't say Emma is scared of King's It, but would perhaps be unsettled by a cosmic malevolent force preying on children for no purpose other than personal gratification, and how that servers as a metaphor for the underlying fear of stranger danger present in the 1980s in the US. The specifics might be inaccurate based on statistics (child abduction more often being committed by someone a child knows), but it's the possibility of harm being done by fellow human beings and that one can't immediately combat it with physical retaliation like they did in the demon world due to optics and laws in this world that could lead her to dislike it for her own personal entertainment.

I feel like works that involve medical horror could be triggering for Barbara, or scenes where there's gratuitous focus on flesh being violently bludgeoned into viscera mush with how it might bring back the smells of when she'd enact that on demons.

And I haven't seen Cujo or White Dog, but it does sound like something Ayshe would find disquieting with how she considers her dogs family. Same thing with The Thing, though the dogs being killed and impersonated don't last the whole film. None of these would compare to Cannibal Holocaust, though; I don't think she could watch a movie knowing animals were killed on set for the sole purpose of entertaining people. It would be too upsetting (and why I haven't watched it).

#this has been me projecting my horror genre preferences and spoop tolerances onto them lol #if I'm off about that list of films with 𝘏𝘰𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘭 in it feel free to correct me #I'm aware of them but haven't watched them and based on what I know of them probably won't #too dehumanizing too demoralizing for me #naehja #The Promised Neverland #Yakusoku no Neverland #TPN #YnN #Emma #Ayshe #Barbara #Ray #FSS Asks #FSS Chatter #King of Paradise Arc #TPN 117 #Escape Arc #TPN 028 #Long Post #Read More

[piedpiperart]

Marked for Death pt 14

Chapter 13

Tim was disappointed but not surprised that he didn’t see Dick or Bruce the next day. Supposedly, Jason didn’t want Tim around them just yet, but especially not because Jason insisted on an actual doctor's appointment. Which was why Tim was sullenly dragged along to sit patiently on the crinkly examination chair. 

The toddler couldn’t actually remember the last time his parents had taken him to the hospital. Surely he’d had all his vaccinations, but since Tim couldn’t actually remember and Jason was under the assumption that Tim had been living on the streets, Tim had gotten no less than eight shots. It was no wonder that he was grumpy. On top of that, Tim had to act like a child his age. 

To lessen the interactions he had, Tim stuck with pretending to be a shy kid. Jason seemed amused at Tim’s grouchiness, but obligingly carried him around most of the day. They took blood tests, gave him shots, checked out his foot wound, and whatever else Tim didn’t bother paying attention to. Jason however, was very much invested in what the doctors had to say. He even took a few notes on his phone and collected a few pamphlets. Tim, thoroughly bored, settled against Jason’s side and tried to take a nap. He was pleasantly surprised when he was scooped into Jason’s arms and burrowed into his jacket. 

He’d almost fallen completely asleep when he felt Jason tense. Tim frowned turning with one eye peeked open. Jason was reading a printout, and Tim almost went back to sleep until he noticed that it was a list of Tim’s allergies from the blood test. Tim was pretty sure he didn’t have any. According to the chart, Tim had been wrong in his assumption. 

Tim squinted, trying to make the words severe walnut allergy process in his brain. He couldn’t remember ever eating a walnut, and now that Tim thought about it, that was probably a good thing. Tim wondered what symptoms he’d have when it was so severe, but figured he wouldn’t need to find out if he never ate a walnut. 

Thinking back, he didn’t think his parents had ever tested him for allergies. Which seemed strange in the face of his current predicament. Tim had usually only ever gone to the hospital if something was very, very wrong, but that had only happened once. Tim had climbed a tree in the backyard when he was seven, and had to wait until he’d gone to school to get the nurse to look at it. His parents were out of the country again, but the school took him to the hospital to get it taken care of. 

Jack and Janet had been furious with him that they had to get the housekeeper to come and pick him up. They’d told him so over a very aggressive phone call, but hadn’t come home for a few more months. When they arrived back in Gotham, Tim’s wrist had already healed and his parents hadn’t brought it up. 

Which was why Tim was so confused about Jason’s behavior. Sure, Tim might be allergic to walnuts or a bit malnourished or small for his age, but Jason seemed more worried about it than Tim was. The man asked the doctor about diet plans and activities and what sounded like parenting advice to Tim. It was weird, and Tim was starting to get the feeling that Jason actually cared if he was up to the standard height and weight for five year olds. He’d even bought Tim an epi-pen along with a million vitamin gummies, just in case Tim ever lost a fight with a walnut. 

It puzzled him. 

After the appointment, Tim was finally glad to be out of the hospital. “What do you say we go out for lunch?” Jason asked, and Tim agreed. 

“I’ve never had a walnut before,”Tim muttered.”I don’t think I’ve even seen a walnut before.”

“And hopefully, you never will,”Jason replied wryly. “But just in case I got you an epipen for home, and an epipen to keep with you when you go to school.”

Tim wrinkled his nose,”School? Really?”

“First grade for you starts in a month, kiddo. You’re going,”Jason said,”Socialization is important for kids your age.”

“I have you to hang out with,”Tim grumbled. “I don’t need to socialize with… kids.”

Jason snorted. “You are also a kid, Conan. And you should have more people to hang out with than me.”

Conan frowned, but drank his lemonade in silence. Moments later the server came and dropped off their order. Tim got chicken tenders and Jason a BLT, both with fries. Tim busied himself with dipping his tenders in ranch while he thought about Jaosn’s plans. 

“What do you think about movie night tonight?” Jason asked, and while Tim wouldn’t mind watching a movie, they both had better things to be doing with their time. 

“What about the case?” Tim asked, frowning. He took a bite of his tenders, missing the way Jason frowned. 

“The case can wait, kiddo,”Jason said patiently.”You’ve been working on it nonstop, and I have my guys keeping an eye on the campus for the guy, and there’s nothing else pressing to do.”

Tim made a face, and Jason added,”I’ll be on patrol later, but we can afford to take breaks sometimes, kiddo.”

“I guess,”Tim grumbled. He’d had movie nights with Kon, Bart and Cassie before when they’d marathoned Wendy the Werewolf Stalker, or Star Trek and Star Wars with Ives. After becoming Robin though, Tim couldn’t remember the last time he’d let himself relax unless it was around the Titans. 

Tim’s agreement seemed to brighten Jason’s outlook, and he grinned,”Great! You can get right back to it tomorrow, but today you’re gonna relax, kiddo.”

“Fine,”Tim sighed dramatically, but he couldn’t help the small smile on his face. 

They ended up on the couch, snuggled together with a mountain of blankets and the frog stuffed animal they lovingly called Kermit. Which is why they were watching some muppet movie they both had never heard of before. Jason was happy for the time to relax after what happened yesterday. 

Dick breaking in had admittedly scared Jason, over the fact that Conan had been scared that someone had broken in. It was as much for Conan’s comfort as it was Jason’s to have a relaxing night in. Now he could finally calm down with Conan tucked into his side, drifting off to sleep the more Jason ran his fingers through his hair. 

He’d figured out early on that Conan was touch-starved, and after the days went by, Jason had slowly but surely gotten Conan more used to physical touch the more he started trusting the older teen. The way Conan leaned his head into Jason’s hand both warmed his heart and made it ache for the kid. 

Conan startled out of his doze at the sound of the phone ringing, and Jason wanted to sigh. Instead, he just rubbed Conan’s shoulder. “Go back to sleep, kiddo,”He soothed, and ran a hand over the kid’s messy hair. Conan made a soft sound and snuggled back into Jason’s side. The way his face smooshed made Jason want to coo, but he had a phone to answer. 

Jason had a feeling who was calling, and fought back a grimace. “Dick,”He answered dryly. 

“Hey, I was just checking in,”Dick said, managing to sound both worried and cheerful at the same time. “You weren’t on patrol tonight and I know you wanted space but I was worried something might be up with, with your kid and I’m sorry again for breaking in and scaring him the other day- but I just want you to know that if you ever need anything-” Dick’s voice broke a little there, and Jason put an end to the painful stammering. 

“Dick, breathe for a sec,”Jason said calmly, and quietly, since his toddler was still sleeping next to him. “Conan and I are staying in tonight, watching a movie. Everything’s fine. You can tell Bruce our deal is still on.”

There was a sigh of relief on the other end of the phone, and something that sounded like the metal of a fire escape,”That’s good. I mean, I didn’t call ‘cause of the deal, I called because I was worried about you. I mean, I wasn’t there for you b-before, but I want to be there for you now. I’m, I’m sorry, Jay.”

Jason stiffly ignored the feelings growing inside his chest, when he responded. “Dick. You better not be outside my apartment.”

There was a beat of silence. “You guys look adorable with that stuffed frog,”Dick pouted, and Jason sighed. 

“Dick, go home,”He groaned. “Conan’s sleeping, and I will shoot you if you wake him up.” 

Jason wanted to face palm at his next words, but they were out of his mouth before he could think,”Maybe you can join us for the next movie night.”

“Really?” Dick almost gasped, and Jason could picture that hopeful puppy dog expression he likely had on. “I will- I’d love to! Little Wing-”

“Great,”Jason cut him off, feeling like there’s been too much emotion for one day.”I’ll talk to you tomorrow. Stop watching me through my windows and go home. Good night.”

Before Dick could respond, Jason hung up. He heard a brief happy tap against the window before the distinct sound of a grapple and held back a groan. Instead he shifted slightly, taking a look at the kid in his lap. He was still scrunched up against Jason’s shirt, holding on in a loose grip with one tiny hand. Jason smiled, brushing the kid’s hair out of his face. 

Conan did need a haircut, Jason thought. There were a lot of things he could list that the kid needed, though, which scared him a little. It was overwhelming for Jason, a little bit, to be in charge of a whole child. Conan needed a haircut, school, doctors appointments, dentist, and Jason couldn’t even remember if he forgot anything. Kids needed so much, and Jason wanted to be a good… parent. The thought of being a parent both scared him and filled him with joy. He wanted to be there for Conan. But he couldn’t help but wonder if the best place for Conan was with him. 

Either way, he was going to try his best. School seemed to start so soon, and Jason wanted to be prepared. His kid was brilliant, but his grades weren’t what worried Jason. Conan never seemed to want to interact with other people, and based on what Jason knew about kids and those parenting sites he’d read, socialization was very important. Especially at Conan’s age. 

Jason also didn’t want Conan to become too attached to working on cases. Conan barely agreed to leave the house as it was, he didn’t want him to be so isolated. Even if the kid would get upset, Jason would get the kid outside to make some friends. Begrudgingly, he thought maybe Dick might be a good option to get the kid more active. If anything, he’d definitely be a future babysitter for the toddler. 

Bruce though, not so much. At least, not yet. Maybe not ever. 

Jason sighed, pulling a blanket further over his kid and Kermit. The night before, he and Bruce had made a deal. As long as Batman stayed out of Crime Alley, they’d work together to find Robin. It surprised Jason, when Bruce didn’t mention anything about Jason killing people. He clearly wasn’t happy with it, but Jason could admit that it felt nice that Bruce was… trying, at least. 

The hard part was less working with Bruce though, but finding Robin. The case had gone cold long before any of them realized Timothy Drake was missing. The last person who had seen him was a classmate in the Narrows. Tim had walked home alone, but there was no evidence showing that he ever made it. 

There was a large stretch of area Tim could have gone missing in, and the day of his disappearance could only be narrowed down to a stretch of four days based on the last time someone saw him on friday to monday, when the school marked Tim absent. It was a difficult case, and neither Jason nor Bruce could find anything to help narrow the search down. 

The only thing they knew for sure was that Tim was taken as a civilian. That of course didn’t count for someone who might’ve known Tim’s identity, but their working theory was a possible ransom. Tim’s parent’s hadn’t yet noticed their son was missing yet, from what Jason and Bruce could tell. Part of Jason wanted to leave them in the dark, but Bruce compromised with waiting another week before calling them about it. 

For now, Tim hadn’t been reported missing, for two weeks since the last time anyone saw him. It frustrated Jason when they couldn’t figure out a way to proceed with the case. He thought that maybe Conan might be able to find something, but he hadn’t asked. 

Jason didn’t want Conan to be any more involved in the night life than he already was, so Jason was trying to keep him out of it. If the teen was being honest, he had been trying to slowly decrease Conan’s involvement with cases over the week. Hopefully he’d get better acclimated to a normal kid life, and Jason wouldn’t have to worry about him so much.

No, Jason will find Tim without involving any more kids. Bruce was the so-called world’s best detective, and Jason was Gotham’s newest crime lord. If they couldn’t find Robin, no one could.

Chapter 15

#Marked for Death #mfd #tim drake #robin #tim is conan #jason todd

[arickaandherfictionalothers]

Aricka Munson: the time she gained a little sister

If you asked her, Aricka would tell you she’d always wanted a little sister. Someone she could take shopping and do their hair and watch girly movies with and dance in their room to Cyndi Lauper and Madonna until they couldn’t breathe cause they were laughing too hard. Someone she could do their nails on and take them to pierce their ears and do all these things she saw Nancy Wheeler do with her little sister Holly.

Well. When she was 10, a new family moved to Hawkins, and she befriended both of the kids- a boy named Billy, who she stuck with like glue, and his little stepsister, Max.

Max was a fierce little thing, with her fiery red hair and blue eyes. She didn’t take nonsense from anyone, and she would willingly put you in your place if she thought you were out of line. She loved to skateboard, and her favorite thing to do was play games at the arcade.

The longer Aricka spent time with Billy, the more curious Max was about her. The closer Aricka and Billy got, the closer Max was to actually speaking to her.

And then finally, it got to this point. Aricka was taking Max to the grand opening of the Starcourt Mall to go shopping for new clothes.

Let the sisterly bonding begin…

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

Aricka found a parking spot fairly close to the entrance to the mall, and Max hopped out first. “Let’s go-!” She runs around to Aricka’s side and grabs her hand- another new development in their relationship. Billy and Max were slowly adjusting to Aricka’s love of physical touch as affection.

Aricka grinned and grabbed her little backpack-purse before taking Max’s hand and heading into the mall.

It was brightly colored with subtle lighting, which was good because bright lights made Aricka’s head ache. Shops called their attention in all directions, but one in particular caught Max’s - Claire’s, and a bright sign announcing ear piercings. She looks up at Aricka with her wide blue eyes and Aricka already knows that she would be paying for an ear piercing session. “Please-?! I’ve always wanted to. My mom said I’m old enough now, but she never has time.”

“Max, breathe honey, of course I’ll take you,” Aricka says. “I need some new earrings too, it can be fun for both of us.”

Max grins and they head off in that direction.

“Hi!” They were greeted by an overly enthusiastic worker. “Welcome to Claire’s! We have a sale, buy two pairs of earrings get two free, are you interested?”

“We sure are; and my little sis wants her ears pierced,” Aricka says, her hands on Max’s shoulders. She feels the girl tense up then relax at Aricka’s claim of her being Aricka’s sister. “It’s her first time, she’s a little nervous.”

“Well come right on in, nothing to be nervous about!” The lady directed them to a chair. “You just want the one in each ear?” Max nods. “Here, pick out your first pair of earrings, these are our birthstone studs! They match your birth month.”

Max scanned the studs until she found two ruby studs- she was born in July. Aricka mentally noted the month and planned to ask Billy the day, so she could get her a birthday gift. Maybe some new earrings.

“Perfect choice! I’m gonna get everything prepared, you sit tight and wait right here.” Max sits down and looks at Aricka nervously.

“… it doesn’t hurt, does it?” The question was so vulnerable and so worried Aricka stepped closer and held out her hand, letting her grip as tightly as needed.

“A little. Just a pinch. Like getting a shot at the doctor. I’m gonna be right here beside you. If you get scared or worried you squeeze my hand as tightly as you need to be brave.”

“Promise? I’m not gonna be a baby for it-?”

Aricka shakes her head. “I still hold Arthur’s hand when I get vaccinated at the doctors- am I a baby?”

Max shakes her head. “No, Aricka, you’re awesome. Tough. I wish I was like you.”

Aricka blinks at this revelation. Processes momentarily. “Oh kiddo.” Max bites her lip.

“You don’t have to stick around for me and Billy but you do. You give us a place to go when it’s bad. I really like you. Please don’t go anywhere?”

Aricka can’t resist any more and wraps her arms around the fierce little redhead in front of her. Max shyly wraps her arms around Aricka’s middle, face pressed into her shoulder. “I always wanted a big sister. I’m glad it’s you,” she whispered.

Aricka laughs, admittedly a little wetly. “Ditto kiddo. I’ve always wanted a little sister. Glad it’s you, MadMax.”

The lady finally returns and Max let go of Aricka but gripped her hand once again. “Are we ready?” The attendant asks.

Max looks over at Aricka and nods. “I’m ready.”

~~~~~~~~

Billy met them at Scoops Ahoy, two work application forms in his hand. He waves at them and they quickly join him. “Wow; you’re sporting some new jewelry,” he says. “Nice, nice MadMax. Make sure you hide them until they heal.”

“Mom said I was old enough,” the girl says. “Aricka got them for me-! She’s pretty cool. Can she stick around?” Aricka blushes and shakes her head at Billy. The brown-blond boy merely grins.

“I hope she wants to stick around.” Finally it was their turn in line; and they all grinned as they noticed the person at the counter.

“Robin!” They exclaim. The girl grins and says,

“Ahoy there; welcome to Scoops; how can I help you?”

“Two scoops of Superman, cone please.” Aricka says.

“Strawberry, two scoops with chocolate chunks and a cherry on top, in a cone.”

“A scoop of mint flare and pineapple upside down, in a cup please,” Billy says. Aricka and Max playfully tease him for his choice.

“Ewww pineapple and mint?” Aricka says around a laugh.

“Billy-!” Max says with a giggle. He playfully bats back at them and pays for the ice cream, motioning for them to find a booth while he gets the ice cream. He hands the applications to Aricka along with a purple gel pen because he knew it was her favorite color. Max ducked under Aricka’s arm and Aricka squeezes her carefully.

Billy watched them go with a fond expression. Max had only been eight when they moved here, and a lot shyer than she was now. Aricka was a big help in bringing her out of her shell, with her genuine smile and her sincere interest in what Max liked to do. He walked over with the ice cream shortly, setting the tray in the middle so they could reach their desserts.

Aricka grins as she begins eating her frozen treat, watching Max gush about their day shopping together. “We’re not done yet kiddo,” she says. “Thought we could go to that skate shop together, the three of us, you could show us the whole thing.” Max’s eyes light up and she grins.

“I’d love to-!”

“Alright then,” Billy says as he takes a bite of ice cream- okay. So maybe he’d chosen a weirder flavor than he intended. But it still worked nicely together. “Let’s get this party started-!”

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

@astralshipper @rosieshipper @hyperionshipping @yeehawselfshipping @letsgofoletsgo @tsundere-selfship @callsign-revenge

#aricka and madmax 🛹 #madmax 101 dash 🛹 #Aricka and max🛹 #billy my beloved #we saved each other #gimme gimme gimme a man after midnight #Spotify

[emerysaks]

Angie the kind, sarcastic vet and Peggy with the overly dramatic golden retriever.

Sorry it took a while, but I hope you enjoy it @poppyseedjunky

Puppy Love

Puppy Love - EmerySaks7 - Agent Carter (TV) [Archive of Our Own]

Peggy Carter was beginning to think she and her recently acquired companion would never be seen. After arriving more than half an hour ago, she had been ushered into a small exam room where she and her charge sat and waited.

Finally, the door opened. A petite woman with light brown walked in with a tablet in her hand. She wore a white coat with stitching over the left pocket. Dr. Angela Martinelli, DVM. She smiled at Peggy and then bent down to pat the dog that rushed toward her, tail wagging back and forth as it pawed excitedly at her coat.

"Well, hello to you, sweetie."

She looked back up at Peggy. "Hi, I'm Dr. Martinelli. I'll take care of your kiddo today. What brings you in?"

Peggy smiled as the golden retriever continued to lavish the veterinarian with affection. "I'd like to get a wellness exam done for her and ensure she's healthy."

Dr. Martinelli beamed and glanced at the chart on the counter. "Excellent! How old is your dog?"

"I don't know," Peggy admitted. "I found her nine weeks ago and have been trying to find her owner ever since."

"You've been fostering her for nine weeks?" Dr. Martinelli looked up from the chart." That's impressive."

Peggy frowned. "It is?"

"Most people try for a few days and then either rehome the dog or take it to the pound." She smiled at Peggy.

"Oh, I couldn't bear to take her to the pound," Peggy said. "I had her scanned for a chip, but she doesn't have one."

"Fliers?"

"They're plastered throughout my neighborhood," Peggy confirmed. "I also posted her picture across social media." She laughed. "I didn't realize there were so many pet groups and websites."

Dr. Martinelli grinned. "So many! But that's the best way to get her information out there if someone is looking for her."

Peggy sighed. "I haven't had a single promising lead, though."

"Sometimes people dump dogs." The vet, whose tag read Dr. Martinelli, sighed. "It stinks, but there's not much you can do about it." She leaned down and scratched the dog behind her ears. "She's sweet, though."

Peggy smiled. "She is, but she's loud."

Dr. Martinelli laughed. "Of course! She's a golden retriever."

Peggy shrugged. "Is that normal for the breed?"

"It is," Dr. Martinelli nodded. "Does she grunt a lot?"

Peggy's mouth dropped open. "Yes! I thought perhaps something was wrong with her, so I brought her in today."

Dr. Martinelli shook her head. "Perfectly normal. It's how they communicate." She knelt in front of the dog and examined her teeth. "Great dental, hardly any tartar buildup." She ran her hands over the dog's coat and felt its belly. "She seems to be in great shape. Young, too. I wouldn't say more than two years old."

"Does she need shots or worming or..." Peggy waved a hand. "Whatever it is that dogs need?"

Dr. Martinelli stood up and chuckled. "First time?"

"Is it that obvious?"

"Only to a trained professional," the doctor grinned.

Peggy felt her cheeks redden. She knew nothing about caring for a dog; now, the adorable veterinarian knew it, too.

Dr. Martinelli placed a hand against Peggy's arm. "Nothing to be embarrassed about, Mrs. Carter. We all have to start somewhere."

"It's Miss," Peggy instantly corrected her. "And please, call me Peggy." Was it her imagination, or did Dr. Martinelli perk up at that information?

"Well, Peggy," the doctor smiled, "You're doing great. I assume you're keeping her until you find her owner?"

Peggy nodded.

"In that case, I recommend we do a few small things like basic vaccinations and worming to ensure she's healthy and safe while she lives with you. A second dose won't hurt her if she's had the vaccines. And, if you end up keeping her, it's one less thing you have to come back for." Dr. Martinelli paused and gazed at her. "Of course, that's only if you decide to use our clinic for her primary care."

Peggy felt her face grow warm. Dr. Martinelli's affable nature put her at ease. It also didn't hurt that she had the most adorable dimples, which appeared whenever she smiled.

"I hadn't gotten that far, Dr. Martinelli," Peggy admitted.

"It's Angie," she told her, and the dimples came out in full force.

"Angie," Peggy echoed. "How lovely."

"Thank you," Angie laughed. "Now," she said, lowering herself before the dog. "How about you sit with your foster mom, and I'll be back with some shots in a few minutes?"

Peggy watched the dog excitedly wag its tail before giving Angie a wet kiss.

"Such a good girl," Angie cooed.

Peggy smiled. "Goldie does that to me all the time, too."

"Goldie?" Angie looked up at Peggy.

Peggy blushed. "It's what I've been calling her."

"You named the dog?" Angie teased.

"Well, I could hardly keep calling her Dog."

"Uh-huh," Angie said. She stood back up and grabbed her tablet. "I'll be back with the shots, and then we can talk more about Goldie and her future care."

Peggy blinked. "But, I'm not sure I'm keeping her."

"I see."

"What?"

Angie smirked. "You're not keeping the dog you've already named."

Peggy rolled her eyes. "Are you always this sarcastic to your patients?"

Angie stepped through the door and smiled. "Only to the ones I really like," she told her before closing the door.

Peggy stood there, grinning like an idiot. Goldie barked at her, and Peggy looked down. "I like her, too, girl," she murmured. "Maybe we should ask her on a doggy date when she returns?"

Goldie licked Peggy's hand and then pushed her head against her palm.

"Yes, I like you, too," Peggy told her.

Goldie looked up at her with wide eyes, and Peggy relented. "All right. I might even love you, but that's not public information. Okay?"

Goldie barked in response, and Peggy laughed, knowing that all her secrets were safe with her new friend.

#cartinelli #angie martinelli #peggy carter #modern au #prompt #fanfic #marvel #emery saks #dogs #rescue dogs #flirty #first meeting

[teyamsatan]

I have took the cov vac, but I saw recently on the News that it actually is dangerous ?

As the new ARN tech used for this vacc is too new to be used now. It affects the genes of our DNA with the ARN. ARN's are the DNA messagers and transmitters of our DNA. Basically the vacc inserts new ARN in your body, replacing your natural ones by so called strong against covid.

This man that is a doctor was invited and they reported this vac as being "bad" as it goes right into your cells seed...😨

Bruh

Now I am all freacked out

Maybe I should have waited. I am still getting covid so 😭😭😭

Ok kiddos and besties, gather around while andra gives you a small biomolecular lesson x

This is the central dogma of biology:

Your DNA is basically millions of tiny pieces that when decoded, make proteins. These proteins when put together form molecules that all do different things in your body and help keep you alive and functioning. In order to do that, your dna needs to be decoded. That’s what mRNA does - it’s a medium between dna and proteins, and with its help the body is able to produce proteins and molecules.

Now, how do vaccines work? Normal vaccines work by putting a weakened virus in your body - weak enough that it won’t make you ill, still alive enough so that it will trigger an immune response and allow your body to make antibodies (little armies of soldiers) that can fight the virus should you ever come in contact with it again.

How is that different than the mrna vaccine? The mRNA vaccine, for all intents and purposes, is much better and more effective. Instead of taking the whole virus, and everything its DNA or RNA (some viruses have RNA as their primary genetic material, not to be confused witu mRNA) can encode, it only takes the intermediate mRNA of the couple molecules that actually are in charge of making you sick, and allows your immune system to make the antibodies this way instead.

The central dogma of biology goes in only one direction: DNA -> mRNA -> protein. The ONLY way your mRNA can EVER affect DNA is if they are programmed to have certain enzymes (such as DNA reverse transcriptase) which the vaccines absolutely do not.

edit: in fact, you could make the argument this vaccine is a lot better BECAUSE a lot of viruses DO have DNA or RNA that does include RNA or DNA reverse transcriptase, because this is how it keeps producing and thriving, by latching onto your own DNA in order to survive. By completely removing any unnecessary parts of its genetic code and only putting the couple of molecules that are involved in the infection, the mRNA vaccine can be considered even safer.

edit 2: please understand that the science that deals with the mRNA vaccines is in nO way "new". it is science that has been developed for years and years for other kinds of viruses. also another very important thing to understand about science - science doesn't take as long as it does because of science. science takes as long as it does because of money (or lack thereof) and bureaucracy. there are times where i have to wait MONTHS for one product in order to do my research. i have friends who have waited YEARS for some samples, simply because of shipping mishaps etc. during covid, the WHOLE world made room and way, threw every bit of money research had into finding a solution as quickly as possible. the science was there, and all of a sudden the money and resources were also there. if anything, covid showed us how quickly we could do things if more money and resources, if more interest and talk were placed on research and on developing cures.

I urge you to please do your own research before believing people on your tv - doctors or not. There is money to be made from fear mongering. TV stations, news websites etc now get paid per clicks or views - meaning the more outrageous, violent, excessive, exaggerated a story is, or the more they can get away with lying to inflate the importance or gravity of the story, the more money they make.

edit 3: medical doctors normally know jackshit about research and about micro/molecular biology. they have no idea what goes on in research, what goes on in a lab, and just like you wouldn’t trust me to go and operate on your nan, you shouldn’t trust them about information that is not at all pertaining to their area of expertise.

Hope this helps x smooches

#my asks 💕 #𖨆♡𖨆 andra's anonnies #my pathobiology is a bit rusty but my genetics isn't

[bitchesgetriches]

hellooooo my friends. asking for some PTO advice here. I am a healthy individual working at an agency with what are considered good benefits. this year, I got COVID (mildly) and took off a few days sick, and I had a few dentist appointments I needed to attend. I got normal-sick a couple weeks ago, and I took off a decent amount of time because i was feverish and needed to rest. But I worked on-and-off while i was recovering, so didn't take full sick days off except for one or two days, I just used some hours to "patch" the day when I was too ill/tired to work. SO..... i just went to enter my hours for this week..... and i have 1.75 hours of sick leave left for the entire year of 2022, BEFORE subtracting the sick time from this week (which will put me in the negatives). IT'S AUGUST! we are encouraged to use our "Health and Wellness PTO" for illness, dentist/eye/doctor/anything appointments, therapy and mindful/mental health breaks, covid vaccinations, taking care of loved ones, taking care of pet health needs, etc.... but we have 10 days for all of that over a 365 day year. how is it possible for a person to be human and not go over that sick time limit? what do you recommend that i do in this situation? last year i went over my sick time by a few days because I was using some for a recurring therapy appointment... I asked my manager about it, and my manager asked HR about it, and HR said I had to give up vacation days to pay for it (but they generously took one day off of my "debt"). So I was working until the day before Christmas Eve. After that, I learned to work an hour late on therapy days instead of using any of my "Wellness Time" to attend mental health appointments.... but now I've gone over my wellness time without any recurring appointments, just from being sick.

If no one brought HR's attention to this, I don't think it would be an issue - I think the year would pass with no discipline. But my manager can be micro-manage-y, and last week when I was sick he told me I should check my PTO to make sure that I'm not going over. I'm worried that he's going to essentially narc on me in the interest of "doing things right", even if HR wouldn't normally bring it to anyone's attention or get me "in trouble" for it, just because I made the mistake of asking him about it last year and put it on his radar. heelllppppp i hate this situation and i don't even know how to do my time entry for this week 😭😭😭 thank you very much for your time and advice <3

File this one under "reasons why unlimited PTO is the only humane way to run a business," kiddo.

This really sucks. It's fucking dire. But it's not the end of the world. First, I recommend you get ahead of your micromanaging manager on this. Go to him FIRST to explain your situation. It'll look way better for you at HR if he doesn't "narc" on you.

Next, let's get creative. It sounds like working an extra hour outside normal work hours has been an option in the past. So bring that to your manager and HR as a solution! You can't help getting sick, and in these times of A LITERAL PLAGUE, they should be thanking you for not coming in while sick. So frame it like that and the least they can do is let you make up the time you missed so you're not cutting into your PTO.

Next... update that resume and keep looking for a new job, sweet pea. There's always somewhere better. Find that place without a narc of a boss and a rigid HR department.

Should You Trust Your Human Resources Department? 

Workplace Benefits and Other Cool Side Effects of Employment 

[awkward-snake-girl]

Tuca and Bertie Starters

Season 2 episode 9: The Dance

(Feel free to change what you need to fit your muse)

“Oh, (Name) actually hasn’t been here or talked to me in three weeks. We’ve only texted a few times.”

“She’s in a new relationship. She’s busy. Let’s change the subject, okay?”

“No, I don’t want an ugly baby!”

“You annoy me and my subconscious is conflating things!”

“Woah, this place is adorable.”

“I’m cramping (name’s) style anyway.”

“Hmm, that’s a toughie. Magic Therapist Ball says, "Lets unpack that."”

“Nobody hates you, you just need to drink more water, get eight hours of sleep, and invite your best friend to the carnival.”

“Okay, fine! I’m anxious as hell.”

“(Name) says being early is on time and being on time is late.”

“I hate this stupid moss. Why’s it gotta get its slimy slippery mossy self all over everything good?”

“They’re from (name). She gives me a pin every time we have a disagreement.”

“But you hate mild. You don’t even like mild salsa. You bully everyone who gets it at the taco stand!”

“The fish are hungry for balls and they must be fed.”

“We can do our yearly tradition where I win a game and give you the prize.”

“I do like that flirty frog. And that panda in the Hawaiian shirt. Oooh! Cool flamingo!”

“That’s a real red sweater. I guess you can spill all the ketchup you want and no one will notice.”

“(Name), you are so off beat.”

“Great, just what you need. More stuff.”

“Oh, she fully sucks.”

“My insides want to be outsides, but they don’t get to decide. I’m the one who decides.”

“Oh, small talk? Yeah, sure.”

“(Name) is great for me. If anything, she’s way too good for me.”

“You said relationships require comprise and change. So I changed.”

“I want my clothes to convey follow-through.”

“Look, I’m usually too much for people. So, if I can make myself not be too much, then maybe (Name) will keep liking me.”

“Just tell me is she changing for you? Or is it all one-sided?”

“Let’s ride the Ferris Wheel.”

“These rides are so germ-y. You could probably lick the seats to vaccinate yourself.”

“I have a girlfriend and self-respect.”

“That wasn’t what you said three years ago.”

“I like when you’re bossy. I bet your girly likes it too.”

“Well, every relationship is give and get, kiddo. They need to meet you in the middle.”

“It was gross, right? The ride?”

“See, you gotta listen to me. I’m always right!”

“Wait, hold on. You’re breaking up. It’s raining at this ridiculous carnival.”

“Come on! We’ll kiss in the rain like we’re in a romantic movie!”

“(Name)! No! It’s too cold!”

“Okay. Kiss me under this heat lamp!”

“No, no, I’m, I’m happy to leave.”

“What are you doing, weirdo?”

“So…today you made it clear you didn’t want to be here and didn’t care about meeting my friends. It hurt my feelings.”

“We talked about this. I work all night and I’m too exhausted to meet new people. That’s why I wanted to stay home.”

“This carnival is the one thing I’ve wanted to do in weeks and you couldn’t even pretend to enjoy it?”

“Listen I like you. But I can’t add pressure to my life. So let’s just keep things easy. You could move in with me, I can buy you more clothes…”

“We always follow your schedule. We hang out with your friends.You’re leading this dance.”

“I’m not asking for much. Just dance to my rhythm, once in a while.”

“I’m not good at bending. But you mean a lot to me, (Name), and I would never want to hurt you, so thank you for being honest with me.”

“That was just a feeling I had once. It doesn’t mean anything. It’s gone.”

“Don’t I look happy? Are these not the hands of a happy person?”

“(Name) and I talked, and I going to move in with her.”

#jane’s memes

[camp-counselor-life]

Hi just needing to vent to camp people who are not my camp people.

I am so stressed about Covid this summer. We have a 2 week training for our staff that we are 1 week into and 3 people tested positive today. That was after extensive pre & post arrival testing. Everyone is vaccinated and boosted and we are requiring our students to be as well and I just don’t see how we’re gonna make it through the summer. It is a very small and specialized multi-week teen program, so even a few cases will massively impact the experience for all campers.

I also feel crazy because it seems like every other camp has just decided that Covid isn’t real and there’s nothing to worry about! Our parents are happy to vaccinate but they are pissed we are asking them to test before arrival.

Pre camp is always hard but this year just feels insurmountable. I have never been so stressed or exhausted, and if it wouldn’t screw over so many amazing people I would just quit and go home.

Hi friend

I hear you and I totally understand. I'm really worried about COVID for the summer too. A lot of camps have loosened testing, masking, and other requirements to prevent COVID and I think we will see a lot more outbreaks this year. It does seem wild to think of where we were a year ago or two years ago in terms of what people were willing to do. While I do think camps will adapt, it's sad to see how this will affect kids, when it's mostly the parents who are driving it. Vaccination is really good though, at least you're preventing that severe disease as much as possible.

Your concerns are very real, and you may very well get some COVID cases. But hopefully they don't spread and you're able to still give your kiddos the best experience.

Wishing you a beautiful blue-skied summer.

#COVID 2020 #anon #camp asks

[unmeisenshi]

Xan and Urie teleported into Avett's clinic, with the former being taken in immediately to check on his knee. Audie and Beck then entered the clinic, the former giving a weak wave to the Mawile. Urie winced and waved back, attempting to wipe some of the blood off of his head to little avail.

"Hey... How did things with you and Misha go?" Urie asked.

"Too close for comfort. He had to distract a huge bug for nearly 30 minutes so I could put a fire out. He's at home resting. How about you and Xan?"

Urie wiggled his paw from side to side. "About the same. One Gengar shape shifted, which I fought. And the other was... It was the Gengar from the past. The one that sparked the Rayquaza crisis. Xan was... Upset, because that Gengar, whom he considered a friend, killed the shop owners of Pokemon Square."

Audie winced. "I see..." He clenched his hands a few times, lowering his head on thought.. He was frustrated that so many lives were lost during this crisis. His thinking was broken by Avett exiting the back area.

Urie ran up to Avett, "Is Xan okay?" He asked, doubling over in pain.

"Easy, kiddo. His knee is sprained pretty bad, but he'll be okay. His room is down the hall, second door on the right. Go and sit with him, and I'll be back there to check you over in a bit." Avett lightly pushed Urie along, and turned back to face Audie and Beck. "You guys did great. Acted quickly, and prevented more deaths than was necessary."

Audie looked down, still in thought. Avett could see the Espeon was struggling. "Beck... Head back to Misha. Give him some of this. It'll relax his muscles." He handed Beck a small bottle with some red liquid in it, and sent him out of the clinic. "Audie... What's wrong?"

"I just felt... Kind of useless. Had I not gotten hurt so bad... Maybe those folks in Pokemon Square would still be alive if we could have just... Gone there instead of needing to stop here..." Audie lightly punched the wall in frustration.

"And you would have gone in unprepared and probably gotten yourselves hurt even worse than you did." Avett placed a hand onto Audie's shoulder. "I know you want to save everyone - you could thank your mom and dad's genes for that - but know that adventuring can take planning. If you had gone in just after your fight with Jirachi, it would have ended much worse."

Audie wiped his eyes, and nodded. "You're right, I'm just... Not used to being on the sidelines. And it just sucks knowing I couldn't have done more."

"I know, but-" Avett started, before the front door was busted down by Noel and Jirachi. They were holding onto Isaak, who was unconscious, bloodied, and covered in black splotches. "Arceus! Let me get them in the back, come on Noel!"

Jirachi let go of Isaak, watching as Avett and Noel dragged Isaak to the back. They then turned to look at Audie, noticing his injuries and appearing guilty. "Y-You must be Audie... Isaak explained what I did... I-I'm-"

Audie held a hand up. "Val... It's okay. You weren't yourself. I knew the risk in fighting you. You have no reason to apologize. Thanks for bringing Isaak back."

Jirachi bowed. "You're welcome, but... They're in grave danger. The infection was passed from me to them. I was told that Avett could help them, and was working on a vaccine."

"He is. I don't know how close he is to finding it, but the only thing we can do right now is wait. And be prepared for the moment Isaak goes berserk." Audie motioned for Jirachi to follow. "Let's head back to the house. You might be here for a while."

Jirachi looked back towards the door that Isaak went through, their shoulders eventually slumping and beginning to follow Audie.

ACT VII: WISH THE WORST END

#how to save a life: avett #out of the box: beck #play the hero: xan #knockdown dragout: urie #sturmvogel: audie #act vii: wish the worst

[catbreedsblog]

Embarking on the Marvelous Journey with Korat Cats

Sharing the Wonders of Thai Companionship

Hey fellow cat enthusiasts! Ever wondered about the enchanting Korat cat breed? Well, buckle up because we're about to embark on a journey exploring these marvelous feline companions that have their roots deep in the Korat province of Thailand.

Introduction to the Marvelous Korat Cat Breed

From Thai Royalty to Your Heart

Picture this: A cat with a rich history as a treasured companion, gifted to royalty and honored individuals in Thailand. Fast forward to today, and Korats aren't just popular pets; they're symbols of good fortune in the Land of Smiles.

Let's Dive into the Korat World!

Getting to Know the Korat

While you might not spot many Korats strutting around in the West, these incredible cats are gradually winning hearts across the globe. Let's take a sneak peek into what makes the Korat breed truly extraordinary:

Their Stunning Appearance

Silver-Blue Elegance: Imagine a medium-sized cat with a muscular, athletic build, donning a silver-blue coat that shimmers like moonlight. Each hair has a silvery white base with blue tips, complemented by large, luminous green eyes. Oh, and did we mention their heart-shaped heads and perky ears?

What Sets Them Apart

Energetic, Playful, and Devoted: Korats are not your average cats. They're full of life, forming strong bonds with their families and shadowing their favorite person like devoted companions. And guess what? They're not just cat-friendly; they get along with dogs, other pets, and even polite kiddos.

The Rising Popularity

From Thailand to the World: While they might be rockstars in Thailand, Korats are still a bit of a rarity elsewhere. But fear not! As people discover their stunning looks and engaging personalities, the Korat fan club is steadily growing. They've got the recognition from major cat registries, even though competition wins are a bit elusive outside Thailand.

Temperament and Longevity

Smart, Alert, and Forever Young: Korats are the intellectuals of the cat world. They thrive on interactive play, learning tricks, and consistent positive training. Plus, they're loyal to the core. With proper care, they can grace your home for a good 15-20 years, and some may even reach their early 20s!

The Silver-Blue Coat Magic

Shimmery, Silvery Blue: What's the secret behind their signature coat? It's a silver-blue wonder tipped with silver. Each hair strand is like a tiny masterpiece, creating a mesmerizing shimmery effect when the light hits just right. And here's the deal: No variations allowed; they're the OGs of natural cat breeds.

Taking Care of Your Korat Companion

Nurturing the Joyful Bonds

Now, let's talk about how you can make your Korat's life even more fabulous:

Feeding Tips:

Creating the Perfect Environment:

Grooming TLC:

The Take Care Method:

Finding Your Korat Sidekick

Navigating the Exciting Adoption Journey

Ready to welcome a Korat into your life? Here's your guide:

Popularity Hotspots:

Budget-Friendly Tips:

Adoption/Rescue Avenues:

Pre-Adoption Checklist:

Preparing for the Big Day

Creating a Home Sweet Korat Home

Before your new friend prances into your life, get ready with these essentials:

Common Ailments and Vital Vaccines

Safeguarding Your Korat's Health

Here's the lowdown on common health matters and essential vaccines:

Common Health Issues:

Core Vaccines:

Naming Your Korat Cat

Adding a Personal Touch to the Connection

Choosing the perfect name for your Korat cat is a delightful endeavor. Consider these tips:

Conclusion: Embracing the Allure of the Korat Cat

Embark on a Journey of Companionship

As you embark on a journey with the Korat, may the allure of their distinctive features and engaging personalities fill your home with joy and companionship. Embrace the marvel of the Korat cat, and create enduring memories with your remarkable feline companion.

#cat breeds