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jew-flexive · 2 years

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frederick chase, legacy

thinking about frederick chase, who grew up in a family that knew about all the things everyone else couldn’t see, not because those things touched them, but because they used to. thinking about frederick chase, who’s a little too strong, sometimes, who’s a little too quick, sometimes, who has a strange aura of power that he didn’t earn but his great-great-great-grandfather did. thinking about frederick chase, who wants to be normal, who is almost normal, who is almost able to ignore the things that have too many eyes and razor sharp teeth and kill children in alleyways--but not him, never him, he doesn’t show up on their radar, not anymore. thinking about frederick chase, who is dizzingly, maddeningly grateful for his own cosmic insignificance because he knows what happens to heroes.

thinking about frederick chase, nerdy and goofy and gangly and too smart for his own good, but more or less a normal guy once he moves out of his parents’ house. thinking about frederick chase, who graduates summa cum laude studying heroics of the human kind and gets his pick of grad schools and flirts with another TA at three am while they both pretend to grade papers and ignore their research. thinking about frederick chase, who falls in love with gray eyes and sly grins and stubborn pride and shows that by arguing and teasing and fiddling with his glasses and showing off, just a little, just to make her laugh.

thinking about frederick chase, who takes her home to meet his family, only for his sister to gasp and his father to drop his wine glass and his mother to bite her lip and his brother to watch with wide, jealous eyes. thinking about frederick chase, whose blood is almost all red, whose life is almost all safe, whose legacy is almost all forgotten, it’s been so long, who’d almost escaped completely, whose feelings of betrayal are sharp, vicious things. thinking about frederick chase, confronting a goddess, terror and anger making his voice shake, and what that must have looked like, a mortal lecturing the divine, how that must have made athena wonder and plot and plan.

thinking about frederick chase, who wakes up exactly one year before he has to present his dissertation to a baby on his doorstep with his hair and her eyes who he knows just by looking at her is doomed, doomed, doomed. thinking about frederick chase, who lives off of coffee and ramen and hasn’t showered in a week and still isn’t even twenty-eight, who never wanted any of this, who was never asked if he did, who feels violated and alone and afraid. thinking about frederick chase, who tries to give the baby back because he knows what happens to kids in alleyways when the monsters (or the gods) are hungry and knows he’s not enough to protect her, who’s told he has no choice but to try.

thinking about frederick chase, who keeps his daughter because none of this is her fault and gods forbid athena take any responsibility for the life she created without his consent, who names her annabeth for favor and oathkeeping and grace, who raises her the best he can even though he’s convinced he’ll outlive her, his clever little miracle child who represents every single one of his parents’ warnings and all the ambitions his brother’s ever sought. thinking about frederick chase, who reads to her and braids her hair and puts her in a playpen with a box of legos while he teaches his classes and comes back to find her building temples and shrines and skyscrapers with her chubby toddler hands. thinking about frederick chase, who knows his daughter is smarter and more powerful than him, who knows exactly what all that wit and strength is meant to protect her from and how little either will matter, in the end.

thinking about frederick chase, who has every member of his family stolen from him before annabeth steals herself away. thinking about frederick chase, who never once blames her for it, who wants her safe, even if it that means being far, far away from him. thinking about frederick chase, who messes up and says the wrong thing and forgets, sometimes, that for all her cleverness, his daughter isn’t a mind reader and needs to be told that she is precious, that she is cherished, that she is everything he’s ever been afraid to lose. thinking about frederick chase, who doesn’t know how to raise a demigod, only how to mourn one, so he fails, and fails, and fails, no matter how hard he tries, no matter how deeply he loves.

thinking about frederick chase, who, when given the chance, shows his adoration by brainstorming new building ideas and telling old college stories and making midnight breakfasts and shooting at titans with celestial bronze bullets. thinking about frederick chase, who grows and shifts and tries to see his daughter in real time, not only in those last moments he knows are coming, when she’s that kid in the alleyway and he’s not enough, never enough to stop the monsters from coming for her. thinking about frederick chase, who never once makes his peace with it, but works for the rest of his life to earn his own peace with her.

#anyways guys I really love frederick chase #I feel like his entire character makes sense when you remember that he's a norse legacy #and that he never consented to having a child with athena #like. that's a violation on a pretty deep level #like he must have been terrified #he grew up with stories about how dangerous it was to be a half-blood and then one just falls in his lap #so he oscillates between closing his eyes to it and by obsessing over it #he was prepared to bury his child from the moment she was born guys #of course their relationship was tense #and of course he loved her. he just wasn't always very good at it #though it should be noted that annabeth waited for him to be out of town before she ran away #clearly she thought he would try to stop her #and I really think he would have #I just also think he understood the necessity of CHB on a visceral level and would have rather had her safe than with him #ANYWAY #frederick chase #annabeth chase #pjo #Percy jackson #magnus chase #mcgoa #hoo #Heroes of Olympus #riordanverse #chase family #Natalie chase #randolph chase #Athena pjo

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softquietsteadylove · 2 years

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Your boxer and ballerina thenamesh au is the best thing in the world but it also makes me think of that lovely show: battle of the blades

So if it's not too much to ask, hockey player Gil x figure skater Thena? :o

"Again!"

Thena grit her teeth as she landed, her knee wobble only getting worse with each impact it took. Her ankles were killing her. She dragged in breath, the cold of the rink filling her lungs.

"Enough--we're done for today. I'll see you on monday if you can do better."

Great session, Coach. Thena nodded, taking another minute on the ice to take her hair out and let the air blow through it as she took the opposite exit off the ice. It would be good for her to cool down.

"Uh, are you...okay?"

Thena blinked. She looked to her left, seeing one of the boys from the hockey team that always had the ice slot either immediately before or after her practice. Today they were in after her, but there was always a half hour separation so the ice could be resurfaced and there was enough time to avoid conflict.

But there he was, smiling, waving somewhat sheepishly.

"I'm sorry?" she tilted her head at him as she stepped off the ice, blade guards in hand.

"Uh," he floundered, looking around the empty bleachers. "S-Sorry. Your coach seems kind of...intense."

Thena drew in a long breath and then sighed it right out. She was exhausted after this practice in particular. She walked over, sitting down next to him on the bottom bench. "They tend to be. It's the only way to be truly good."

"That can't be true," he refuted with an easy shrug. "Coaches can be tough, sure, but I don't see why he would have to yell at you like that."

Thena glared at him, her shoulders rising, "I don't see why it's any of your business."

But he didn't flinch at the way she snapped at him, just shrugging his truly massive shoulders. "Guess it's not. Just seems kind of mean."

Thena looked down at her knees, covered by her tights. "I suppose. He's like that with all of us."

"What an asshole."

Thena let out a quiet laugh before pressing her lips into her palm.

"What?--are you not allowed to laugh?" he leaned forward, looking half-teasing and half-serious.

Thena gave him half a smile. "My father doesn't enjoy mockery."

"That's your dad?!" he squawked, gesturing with his thumb to the opposite side of the rink, where Arishem had stormed off without so much as a glance in Thena's direction.

"I live with my mother, but...yes," Thena conceded. She didn't know why she was telling him this--any of it. But there was something charming about him. Certainly more than the captain of his team. "He's coached me since I was young. I almost don't remember a time in my life when I wasn't skating."

The hockey player shuffled on the bench, kicking his legs a little, not yet laden with goalie gear. "Do you even like it?"

"Hm?" she looked at him as he rifled in his bag for something.

"Do you like it?--figure skating?" he asked again before sitting up again with two protein bars in hand.

"I suppose," Thena's eyes drifted down to his hand. She was starving, but Arishem had a strict 'no consumption of any kind' policy while in the rink at all. It could affect her performance, he said.

"Well," he toyed with the wrapper of one before holding out the other to her. "Maybe you've just done it for so long that you don't know what else you could like...?"

Thena looked between him and the protein bar. He seemed so...nice. Just smiling, holding out what she was sure were precious calories just before a demanding practice of his own. But she accepted the bar delicately, listening to the rustling of the wrapper over the pounding of her heart. "Maybe..."

"I mean," he shrugged, taking a bite of his (and continuing to talk with his mouth full). "I think Ikaris is kinda like that. He's just done this for so long that he doesn't really know what else to do, y'know? That, and he's so competitive."

"That brute, you mean?" Thena laughed faintly as a few crumbs flew from his mouth to the floor. She took a more gentle bite of hers. It was chocolate. She loved chocolate.

"Yeah, I guess that's him," Gil laughed, having no reservations about the slander of his team captain. "He can be all right. He just...needs to be able to relax a little."

Relax a little. What a thought. Thena took another bite and sighed. "Do you think it would really change him that much?"

"I don't know if it would change him," he shrugged again, looking at her with bright eyes. "But people are more fun when they're themselves, and they can be more themselves when they're relaxed, right?"

She had never considered it before. Her father had such a way about him that maybe she had never been allowed to consider. Maybe this was what Ajak meant when she said that she wanted Thena to get in touch with herself more.

"I'm Gil, by the way," he rushed after gulping down his last bite. He wiped his hand on his pants, sticking it right out for a handshake, uncaring of how dorky it seemed.

Thena perched just her fingers in his, but he gave them a friendly little squeeze all the same. Lightning shot through her, making her feel squirmy on the inside. She pulled her hand back. "Thena."

"Well, I guess your dad wouldn't want me saying anything," he scratched his cheek, and Thena saw a trace of facial hair there. "But I thought you were really good. It's cool to see you jumping and turning and stuff."

She'd received praise before. She had won competitions with her skill, received compliments from the others her father coached. Her mother praised her endlessly, attending all her contests--even enduring the presence of her father to do it. But looking at Gil smiling at her as he said it, she felt truly...accomplished.

Thena looked back down at the half a protein bar in her hands, feeling her cheeks start to flood with warmth. "Thanks."

Gil cleared his throat, balling up his wrapper and shoving it in his pocket. He watched the zamboni make its rounds over the ice, resurfacing it for his practice. He looked towards the door, hearing the loud and already rowdy arrival of his teammates.

"I suppose that's your call."

He looked back at her as she finished off the protein bar and balled up the wrapper in her fist. "Guess so."

Thena inhaled, drawing up her shoulders again. She wasn't sure if she would get to converse with him again. Their schedules conflicted almost directly with one another's. "It was nice talking to you."

Gil shimmied a little closer to her again, leaning his head forward so he could look at her as she looked down at their white and black skates. "I liked talking with you too."

She peeked up at him, only turning her head as much as needed. He was a lot closer than he was before. Awfully close--too close? No.

"I can take it for you," he held his hand out and nodded his head. "The wrapper--there are trash cans in the changing rooms. You probably have to go home, right?"

She nodded. Her mother was probably waiting for her as they spoke.

He smiled as their hands brushed with a simple exchange of garbage. "I'll bring another one for you next week."

Thena inhaled sharply, feeling another tingle in her spine. "You don't know if we'll run into each other again."

Gil shrugged. "So I'll save it for you. And I'll come early and stay late if I have to."

Thena blinked as he stood, having made his promise so lightly but so seriously. He waved at her again and she waved back dumbly, "okay."

He turned and looked at her a few more times before joining the herd of his other teammates.

"You finally talk to her, Gil?"

"Shut the hell up!" Gil barked at his teammate, shoving him towards the changing room doors.

Thena collected her breath to the best of her ability. She felt like she'd been on the ice for a whole other hour after just a quick conversation. After replaying some of it in her mind she stood, ready to head to the parking lot. She startled at the appearance of her mother, leaning against the stand railing. "Ajak!"

"I was wondering what was keeping you," she smiled, and in a way that made Thena bristle. "It's not like you to linger."

"Sorry," she muttered, fully intent on walking straight past her.

"I didn't want to interrupt you and your boyfriend."

"Mother!"

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mayclair · 2 years

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the whole max and mike’s lives being foils of each other’s is so insane to me bc its like. for mike max is a representation of everything that could have happened to him if his mom left his dad earlier on (and what can still happen when you look at the way things are between them) and for max mike is a representation of everything that she could have had growing up if her mom hadn’t decided to leave her dad as fast as she did

#there is no way they don’t resent each other for it just a little bit. no fucking way sorry #mike knows max grew up with a shittier home life but still wishes his mom had the guts to do the same her mom did and left his dad bc #at the end of the day there is a little bit of bitterness towards both his parents for not making their relationship work out specifically #towards his dad bc his mom is actually involved in his life and did try to pretend that everything was normal when it wasnt which directly #ties into his desperate attempts to make his relationship with el seem normal to both of them when its not bc theyve both never been normal #they dont even know what normal really IS which also ties in to his very deep fear that the two of them will end up like his parents and so #meday he’ll become his dad and he doesn’t know which one is more terrifying so instead he blocks it all out in True Mike Wheeler FashionTM #and just keeps wishing that his mom left his dad because maybe if there was a distance between them when he was growing up maybe things wou #ldve been different maybe he wouldnt be this much like his dad #max on the other hand LOVES her dad they had one of those relationships where he wasn’t neglectful but wasn’t a great parent either but she #still loves him for trying and while her mom did try she gave up after a while while her dad didn’t. that was the real dealbreaker for max #and while after all this time she keeps saying im going to run away to cali and im going to live with my dad. but its not just the need to #see someone who cared for her the most during her early years its also the childish hope that her mom will notice that shes missing anf #come looking for her and that maybe when her parents finally meet again they can reconcile and get back together bc that is really all shes #ever wanted in her life since she was a kid and she feels bad for it bc she knows that her mom and dad’s relationship was never supposed to #last but she still wishes and wishes which is why that little bit of bitterness against mike will never fall away no matter how irrational #it is bc its like. his parents dont love each other but are still together for their kids. why couldnt my parents do the same? was i not en #ough reason for them? and this ties into her breaking up with lucas over and over again bc shes seen her parents and how they never fought #for each other and shes afraid that somewhere along the line her relationship with lucas will turn out the exact same and hell leave her so #its better to just leave now before it gets serious then later when it will hurt too much but lucas keeps coming back for her which makes #her realize that maybe it doesnt have to be like that maybe they wont be like her parents #anyway this is incoherent as fuck but shane mandej voice IVE CONNECTED THE DOTS #mike wheeler #max mayfield #stranger things

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kanerallels · 1 year

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So, I just realized that like, eighty percent of the couples in my book series are enemies to lovers and I'm not sure how I should feel about that

#like. should i be trying for some variety???#in my defense they're all fairly different #you've got your 'co-workers/annoyances to cautious friends who get into fights all the time to lovers'#and 'i was involved in the death of your brother and close friends to allies to friends to lovers'#and then there's one where he thinks they're enemies but she knows they're not. mainly because she can see the future #and knows he's of great importance in her life #(not exactly how. but she does know that he will be there when she dies)#let's not forget 'childhood friends to enemies/rivals to friends again to lovers'#and this very long one:#'he charms her into letting him out of his tower which is actually his prison cause he's a notorious criminal #and now she's sworn to hunt him down and return him to his jailers #but he's super good at escaping and also really charming so he keeps flirting with her #and then they both accidentally fall in love'#OH i almost forgot 'enemies and intense rivals to allies to saving each other from terrifying curses to friends to lovers'#and there's the classic 'friends to enemies to friends to lovers' i'm so excited for that one #pretty much the only non-enemies to lovers ship is the slow burn friends to lovers #and somehow that one is the most agonizing #sort of #hazel rambles about her original writing #happy new year if you made it through all these tags! have some cake or treat of your choice

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ribcageteeth · 2 years

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10 characters 10 fandoms 10 characters

@aceofvase tagged me, hooray!

Ghostface (Billy Loomis/Stu Macher) (Scream)

Atem/Yami Yugi (Yugioh)

Eowyn (Lord of the Rings)

Guybrush Threepwood (Monkey Island)

Piccolo (Dragon Ball Z)

Ash Williams (The Evil Dead)

Sophie Hatter (Howl’s Moving Castle)

Simon the Ice King (Adventure Time)

Percival Fredrickstein von Musel Klossowski de Rolo III (Critical Role)

Griffith (Berserk)

I don’t know what that says about me, but I’m sure it’s a lot. I’ll tag @theonyxranger @krispykrememossnuts @primrosey and @spooksohana, but no pressure.

#june did some explanations so i’m gonna do that too!#1: ok so when I was a little kid i had a nightmare that there was a monster trying to break down the door to my room and it was terrifying #BUT when the door broke it was Ghostface on the other side and it immediately took me out of it. i was like ‘oh. that’s just Ghostface.’#‘He isn’t scary he just falls down a lot and makes does silly voices on the phone. That’s not a monster that’s my friend Ghostface’#and ever since then he’s been my friend Ghostface #2: Atem is my ultimate comfort character. something about being the other half of a pair and learning who you are through your friends #3: we love a bad bitch who breaks a prophecy by loophole. I love that she’s a regular person and she manages through sheer determination #4: speaking of being Just Some Guy. Guybrush is the smartest idiot i know and i love that #5: big green husband love of my life ( ꈍᴗꈍ) but also Scary Man Takes Care Of Kid is a trope I love #6: hes a genius he’s a war criminal he’s a scoundrel he’s a hero he has one braincell and a chainsaw hand what more do you want. he’s trans #7: book Sophie has one of my favorite magical powers: it works because you say it works #she also takes absolutely no shit and keeps the curse up herself because she likes the freedom of being old #8: look i have a lot of feelings about the Ice King and they’re way too complicated to leave in the tags of this post #9: finally a toxic revenge narrative that doesn’t condemn the revenge and it’s so early on that the rest of his arc is just healing #10: look. what do you want me to say. i can’t defend that one. horrible awful nasty garbage man. i love him so much. i hope he dies.#tag game

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normaltothemax · 3 months

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Asleep/Unconscious/Comatose "Oh my god. Clint? Hi, Clint?" (also for Clint wow picturing. TK doesn't have anyone else's number and Clint's phone was destroyed so it's only TK in the hospital room 😭)

“…TK?”

Groggily, he tried to take in the room. It was too bright, everything was a little fuzzy around the edges, and he was struggling to focus on anything for longer than two seconds at a time, but he tried. Something was wrong. Something was really wrong, here. He wasn’t sure where he was, or what had happened, or what exactly was going on, but he knew that much.

Natasha. Coulson. Kate. Cap. Their faces floated sluggishly through his mind. He should be seeing one of them, shouldn’t he? TK wasn’t the one that was supposed to be here with him.

Not that he wasn’t happy to see TK, but shouldn’t someone else at least be here too?

“Where…wha’s…?” With a groan, his eyes squeezed shut. He lifted a hand to rub at them, only to feel something tug. Furrowing his brow, he looked down, stared at his hand—something was sticking out of the back of it. A long, skinny tube disappeared under some tape, the other end attached to…something. Clint frowned. What was that doing there? Things didn’t belong in his hands.

Wordlessly, he moved to pull it out.

@parameddic (x)

#parameddic #✦ ic: clint barton #✦ verse: main (clint barton)#✦ meme reply: clint barton #clint is very confused #also you better believe that after this tk's gonna have the black widow's phone number in his contacts in case of emergencies #both clint related emergencies and his own in case tk can't reach clint for help #bc tk falls under the umbrella of clint's family and nat (probably after running a background check on him (sorry tk it's invasive sure #but she's doing it out of love) which clint will be like 'if i wanted a background check i would've done one myself' and not want her to #tell him anything that might have come up) well nat will have the attitude of 'if you're his that means you're mine too you've been adopted #now congrats. we're getting coffee tomorrow. 10am don't be late or else' and then give him a sweet smile that's absolutely terrifying #bc that absolutely was not a suggestion you're getting coffee with her tk end of story (she'll like him don't worry she'll warm up after #about 5 mins lol)#and that's the story of how tk ended up with two super spies in his life #and tk buddy you better hope the other avengers dont find out about you too bc then you will have a whole BUNCH of stray cats in your life #listen. i know it's a lot of tags but i had many words in me

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autismserenity · 4 months

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know someone who enjoys horror stories? share this one! it's true!

hahahahahahahahahaha aarrggghhhhhhhhhh 3,000,000 deaths due to COVID-19 last year. Globally. Three million. Case rates higher than 90% of the rest of the pandemic. The reason people are still worried about COVID is because it has a way of quietly fucking up your body. And the risk is cumulative.

I'm going to say that again: the risk is cumulative.

It's not just that a lot of people get bad long-term effects from it. One in seven or so? Enough that it's kind of the Russian Roulette of diseases. It's also that the more times you get it, the higher that risk becomes. Like if each time you survived Russian Roulette, the empty chamber was removed from the gun entirely. The worst part is that, psychologically, we have the absolute opposite reaction. If we survive something with no ill effects, we assume it's pretty safe. It is really, really hard to override that sense of, "Ok, well, I got it and now I probably have a lot of immunity and also it wasn't that bad." It is not a respiratory disease. Airborne, yes. Respiratory disease, no: not a cold, not a flu, not RSV.

Like measles (or maybe chickenpox?), it starts with respiratory symptoms. And then it moves to other parts of your body. It seems to target the lungs, the digestive system, the heart, and the brain the most.

It also hits the immune system really hard - a lot of people are suddenly more susceptible to completely unrelated viruses. People get brain fog, migraines, forget things they used to know.

(I really, really hate that it can cross the blood-brain barrier. NOTHING SHOULD EVER CROSS THE BLOOD-BRAIN BARRIER IT IS THERE FOR A REASON.) Anecdotal examples of this shit are horrifying. I've seen people talk about coworkers who've had COVID five or more times, and now their work... just often doesn't make sense? They send emails that say things like, "Sorry, I didn't mean Los Angeles, I meant Los Angeles."

Or they insist they've never heard of some project that they were actually in charge of a year or two before.

Or their work is just kind of falling apart, and they don't seem to be aware of it.

People talk about how they don't want to get the person in trouble, so their team just works around it. Or they describe neighbors and relatives who had COVID repeatedly, were nearly hospitalized, talked about how incredibly sick they felt at the time... and now swear they've only had it once and it wasn't bad, they barely even noticed it.

(As someone who lived with severe dissociation for most of my life, this is a genuinely terrifying idea to me. I've already spent my whole life being like, "but what if I told them that already? but what if I did do that? what if that did happen to me and I just don't remember?") One of its known effects in the brain is to increase impulsivity and risk-taking, which is real fucking convenient honestly. What a fantastic fucking mutation. So happy for it on that one. Yes, please make it seem less important to wear a mask and get vaccinated. I'm not screaming internally at all now.

I saw a tweet from someone last year whose family hadn't had COVID yet, who were still masking in public, including school.

She said that her son was no kind of an athlete. Solidly bottom middle of the pack in gym.

And suddenly, this year, he was absolutely blowing past all the other kids who had to run the mile. He wasn't running any faster. His times weren't fantastic or anything. It's just that the rest of the kids were worse than him now. For some reason. I think about that a lot. (Like my incredibly active six-year-old getting a cold, and suddenly developing post-viral asthma that looked like pneumonia.

He went back to school the day before yesterday, after being home for a month and using preventative inhalers for almost week.

He told me that it was GREAT - except that he couldn't run as much at recess, because he immediately got really tired. Like how I went outside with him to do some yard work and felt like my body couldn't figure out how to increase breathing and heart rate.

I wasn't physically out of breath, but I felt like I was out of breath. That COVID feeling people describe, of "I'm not getting enough air." Except that I didn't have that problem when I had COVID.) Some people don't observe any long (or medium) term side effects after they have it.

But researchers have found viral reservoirs of COVID-19 in everyone they've studied who had it.

It just seems to hang out, dormant, for... well, longer than we've had an opportunity to observe it, so far.

(I definitely watched that literal horror movie. I think that's an entire genre. The alien dormant under ice in the Arctic.)

(oh hey I don't like that either!!!!!!!!!) All of which is to explain why we should still care about avoiding it, and how it manages to still cause excess deaths. Measuring excess deaths has been a standard tool in public health for a long time.

We know how many people usually die from all different causes, every year. So we can tell if, for example, deaths from heart disease have gone way up in the past three years, and look for reasons. Those are excess deaths: deaths that, four years ago, would not have happened. During the pandemic, excess death rates have been a really important tool. For all sorts of reasons. Like, sometimes people die from COVID without ever getting tested, and the official cause is listed as something else because nobody knows they had COVID. But also, people are dying from cardiovascular illness much younger now.

People are having strokes and heart attacks younger, and more often, than they did before the pandemic started. COVID causes a lot of problems. And some of those problems kill people. And some of them make it easier for other things to kill us. Lung damage from COVID leading to lungs collapsing, or to pneumonia, or to a pulmonary embolism, for example. The Economist built a machine-learning model with a 95% confidence interval that gauges excess death statistics around the world, to tell them what the true toll of the ongoing COVID pandemic has been so far.

Total excess deaths globally in 2023: Three million.

3,000,000.

Official COVID-19 deaths globally so far: Seven million. 7,000,000. Total excess deaths during COVID so far: Thirty-five point two million. 35,200,000.

Five times as many.

That's bad. I don't like that at all. I'm glad last year was less than a tenth of that. I'm not particularly confident about that continuing, though, because last year we started a period of really high COVID transmission. Case rates higher than 90% of the rest of the pandemic. Here's their data, and charts you can play with, and links to detailed information on how they did all of this:

Here's a non-paywalled link to it:

https://archive.vn/2024.01.26-012536/https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/coronavirus-excess-deaths-estimates

Oh: here's a link to where you can buy comfy, effective N95 masks in all sizes:

Those ones are about a buck each after shipping - about $30 for a box of 30. They also have sample packs for a dollar, so you can try a couple of different sizes and styles.

You can wear an N95 mask for about 40 total hours before the effectiveness really drops, so that's like a dollar for a week of wear.

They're also family-owned and have cat-shaped masks and I really love them. These ones are cuter and in a much wider range of colors, prints, and styles, but they're also more expensive; they range from $1.80 to $3 for a mask. ($18-$30 for a box of ten.)

#covid isn't over #covid 19 #disability rights #disability advocacy #wear a mask #covid conscious #covid cautious #mask up #wall of words #public health #health care

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danveration · 4 months

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Sleep well, amour.

Parings: Alastor x reader

Summary: You’ve been very intrested in Alastor ever since you met him. He invites you to see his recording studio, which you accept. Then you ask if you can stay and listen to him host! While listening, you fall asleep. How does he react?

Word count: 2844

Warnings: Ummm not really much? Alastor being Alastor! One mention of not being able to sleep sometimes, mention of seeing people in hell doing dr*gs, k*lling eachother, and fighting, mention of reader having bad social skills (?)

part two

A/N: UM!! this is my first time writing for alastor, so apologies if it isn’t the best. Please give me any feedback you want, I’d love to hear it! Also sorry for any spelling mistakes. I hope you enjoy :’)

Alastor the radio demon. You know of the things he’s done, you know that people are quite literally terrified of him. But for some reason... you feel a certain way towards him that you can’t describe, but it’s surely not fear.

You’ve had a some-what odd admiration of him since you landed in hell, only a few months ago. You got spotted by Charlie when you first got to hell. She noticed you looking around nervously and lost, and put two and two together that you must be new. She very kindly introduced herself which was refreshing because.. well.. it’s hell. Everywhere you looked people were fighting, doing drugs, and even killing each other. You were glad there were kind people even down here.

“Hi, you! Uh, you lost?” Charlie smiled you and waved.

“Um yeah! I’m guessing this is hell, huh?” You awkwardly chuckle. Social skills weren’t ever your thing, it seems they haven’t got better after you died, either.

“Yep! This is hell! You must be new? I’m Charlie! Charlie Morningstar. It’s so nice to meet you.” She smiled and stuck out her hand for you to shake.

“Nice to meet you, Charlie! My names Y/n.” You politely smiled back and shook her hand.

After that meeting, Charlie showed you to the hotel in which you eagerly accepted to stay at, her being the only sane thing you’ve seen down here. It was a pretty nice place, no 5 star hotel like back on earth, but it was something you’re very grateful for. Who knows what would’ve happened to you if you haven’t met her.

While she was showing you around, someone caught your eye. He was a tall man, very polite and respectful looking. He was dressed head to toe in old fashioned attire, with a cane to suit his charming look. He was smiling in a way that made you look at him like he was something you wanted to inspect under a magnifying glass.

He glanced at you and smiled larger, stepping over to you and Charlie.

“My, my! What do we have here? Charlie! You didn’t tell me that we’ve got more guests? It’s a pleasure to meet you, my dear! The names Alastor!” He spoke politely.

His voice was sort of.. Radio-like? You found it soothing.

“Haha yeah! I found them wandering around on the street this morning! They’re a newcomer, their name is Y/n.” She spoke back, excited to introduce you.

“Y/n! Well, my, my. That’s quite a lovely name!” He said. “Say.. do you listen to radio? I host a brilliant radio broadcast that’ll give you some real insight on this place!” He said enthusiastically.

“Oh.. haha thank you” You smile. “I do actually! I love radio shows.” You immediately feel drawn towads him. You cant tell if it’s just the new scenery or what.. but you want to just sit and chat with him for hours.

Alastor perks up at that. “Oh you do, do you?” He smiled more.

“Yeah! Back when I was.. uhm.. alive, I actually had a whole playlist of them! What do you do your show about?” You ask.

Alastor is delighted to have you take interest in his show. “Well, dear, I do all sorts of things on there! Yes, yes, you think of it and I’ve most probably done it! Most commonly known is the souls I entrap and prison, as I broadcast their screams of horror all over this horrible place and people get to hear the noises of their never-ending torture and demise. But! I also just made a wonderful segment on my mother’s Jambalaya recipe!” He stated.

While part of those sentences gave you chills, you still seemed to take interest in him.

“Well,” you chuckle. “I will certainly check it out!” You smile.

“Ah! Wonderful news, my dear.” He said while he twirled his cane.

Charlie was watching you interact with him and noticed how you looked at him, as if admiring. She smile and said, “well! We better finish the tour.”

She motions for you to follow her and you do, waving Alastor goodbye.

He waves back and yells, “goodbye, sweetheart! Lovely to have met you.”

After that, you wanted absolutely everything to do with him. You’ve also got to know the other people staying at the hotel. Angel, Vaggie, Husk, Niffty, and Sir Pentious. They were overall kind people. Husk found your interest in Alastor to be no good.

“Yeah, no. That, whatever thing you have created in your mind about him, isn’t true. He’s vile, Y/n. Trust me on that.” He grunts.

Angel thought you had some kind of kink towards “scary, creepy men.” Which wasn’t true because you didn’t even find him scary. You found him charming.

“Ah.. Alastor? Fucking sexy weirdo if I do say so myself. He’s got some reaaal problems but hey, if you’re into that-“ You cut him off by saying it wasn’t like that & that you don’t think anything sexual towards him.

One day, you were talking to Sir Pentious about his “crush” on Cherry Bomb. He completely denied it but you could tell from his blush and his nervous demeanour that he was very interested in her.

You were caught off guard when you heard that radio voice coming up from behind you.

“Y/n, my dear! I have a question for you.” Alastor came and stood beside you, looking down from where you’re sitting.

“Al! Hey, what’s up?” You ask, containing your excitement.

Sir Pentious excused himself quickly, seeing one of his “egg boys” were being played with by Niffty. She isn’t one to be gentle.

“So, I know how you’ve been listening to my radio show as of late, and I was wondering if you’d like to see where the magic happens!” He states.

“R-really? I’d be honoured!” You say, smiling.

“Ah! Lovely. Come now, this way.”

You get up and he locks arms with you and chats about his new microphone that he got.

Once you guys arrive, you’re shocked. It looks very professional and comfortable. It suits him heavily. There’s a big open window, a desk, some chairs and sofas, a bunch of technical stuff on the desk along with his new mic that you recognize from his descriptions, and a deer coat hanger?

“Wow, Alastor. This place is so actually so sick. I love it. And the new microphone suits you!” You say. “Thank you for showing me, really.”

Typically, Alastor would never show someone something personal of his, including his studio, but you are an exception. He isn’t sure what it is about you but he doesn’t seem to hate you as much as he does with anyone else. At first he was weirded out, but now he just embraces it. He also feels protective of you. He doesn’t know exactly why you’re even down here. For as far is he can tell, you’re an angel. Always being kind even to those who aren’t kind to you, always saying “please” and “thank you,” all that jazz. Jazz! You even like jazz music, his favourite. He told you that he lived on earth the time jazz music was popular. The 20’s and 30’s. That explains his vocabulary and how he dresses. You just find it more interesting and take time to ask questions about what it was like in that time.

“Why of course, my dear! If I’d want to show anyone here, it would be you.” He says, giving you his iconic smile.

You have a thought. “Hey, Al? Would it be alright if the next time you do a show, I could stay and listen?”

You hope he doesn’t think this is odd.

Alastor raises a brow. “Why would you want to do that?” He asks.

You panic, thinking you went too far by asking and now he’s going to cut you off or something.

“Ha! Kidding, sweetheart! Of course you can. I love when my broadcast is wanted to be listened to. Though I love it as well when they don’t want to.” He says.

You’re relieved, a bit scared, but still relieved.

“Say!” He says. “I was going to make one tonight talking about this silly technology box that thinks he is better than me! You know, expose all his lies and secrets to my listeners, and unwilling listeners. Maybe broadcast it all throughout hell!” He starts laughing manically. Then calms down and stares at you.

“Would you want to stay and listen, hm? I can do it now! I didn’t have any plans today going forward and well, getting it out sooner is better than later, I always say.” He asks.

You know he’s talking about Vox when he mentioned the technology box. Him and Vox have a sort of rivalry going on. Though Alastor seems to not care much about him, Vox is sure obsessed. He’s even gone so far as to making posters about him. Which areee.. not much of a resemblance.

This offer strikes you and you immediately perk up. “Yes! I’d love to.” You say.

You don’t think Alastor knows this but whenever you’re struggling to sleep, you put on his radio show and his voice comforts you to sleep. You’re sure if you told him, he would find it weird.

Little did you know, Alastor already knew. He walked past your room one night and heard static sounds coming from your quarters. He immediately was intrigued and put his ear close to your door to hear his voice. He was surprised, but not weirded out. He found it delightful that you found comfort in his voice. It’s not everyday someone does. Usually it invokes terror and anxiety on anyone who hears. This was new, and he didn’t hate it.

“Lovely! Let me get all set up. You can sit wherever you feel the most comfortable!” He says, adjusting his mic and pressing a buttons on his table.

You find a spot and sit down. Feeling honored to even be in the same room as him, let alone HIS room.

“Ahem! Welcome ladies and gentlemen-“ He goes off into his introduction, before winking at you and starting.

After about 20 minutes, you begin to feel tired and put your head on the side of the wall, still listening but with your eyes closed.

Alastor immediately notices and smirks, knowing how his voice effects you. He continues on and after about another 20 minutes, he finishes up. You’re asleep, slightly smiling.

He walks over to you and looks down.

“My, my. You really are an interesting one, aren’t you?” He whispers. He smiles more softly than he usually does and looks around to find a purple blanket hanging on his deer coat hanger, and gently places it on you.

He feels his heart fluttering while looking down at you and he immediately shrugs it off.

“Mm well, my dear.. I guess you can stay here. I’ll just be over there, transferring my broadcast to the other radios around town.” He says and points to his table.

“Sleep well, amour.” He speaks softly.

#:alastor #hazbin hotel #hazbin hotel alastor #alastor x reader #alastor the radio demon x reader #the radio demon x reader #hazbin hotel x reader #alastor x reader hazbin hotel #hes so pookie bear guys UGUHG #i love him sm #my works #alastor imagine #hazbin hotel imagine #alastor x you

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archivist-the-knight · 1 year

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i've been rewatching my hero recently and i know usually when i say this i have a joke or whitty comment about the show but genuinely. this show means so much to me that unless you all want a six thousand page infodump WITH a typing quirk on how amazing this show is i am genuinely speachless. because good GOD what were they fucking cooking.

#eden mrraps.#my hero posting #when the main message from the show is that being a hero isnt about having fancy powers or whatever. and instead is about being a kind and #loving person. and helping even if its boring even if you get hurt or even if its hard. because being a hero is about doing hard things for #others. but being a hero is also about loving yourself. and acknowelging that to your core you're a human like everyone else and that's #something to be celebrated. the fact that even though izuku is terrified he still saves uruaka because she saved him from falling.#yeah. imagine this but ten times more acoustic. you're gonna have to tune me get an amp for me and all that

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erwinsvow · 2 months

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An idea popped into my head that I feel you would write very well!

Rafe x virgin!reader. They are having a pretty heavy make out sesh, he slips his hand into her pants and then she just blurts it out? Like, "I'm a virgin," and she's like terrified. But rafe doesn't mind at all.

(also, is the 🪩 taken.)

oh my goodness!! I’m obsessed with this. no it is not taken omg welcome to the club!!!!!!!!!! ty so much for requesting 😚😚😚😚

your night with rafe had gone as perfect as any night could have, dinner by the beach, watching the sun go down while you ate dessert, and then heading back to tannyhill with him for the night, like you always did.

your nights with rafe always ended the same day, crawling into bed wearing one of his big shirts and then making out until you were soaking through your panties and rafe was hard beneath you. you're sure that rafe might have guessed you're a virgin by now, from the way everything he does is so new to your body, reacting primally to every touch. the two of you fall asleep like that, and you feel tingly from your head to your toes, waiting for rafe to say something about going further.

you're sure he would. there's no doubt in your mind that he's ready to, and he's probably done this with a million girls before you-a thought that makes you want to cry, but you put that aside. you're rafe's now, and you know that giving him your virginity is part of the deal. you're not sure just when that'll be, since he has you in your panties nearly every night.

maybe it'd be tonight. when the two of you get back to his room, you head for his dresser immediately to pull out a shirt, but rafe pushes you against the door. he leans down into a deep kiss, and you let it progress, hands snaking into his hair while he holds your waist tightly, his own hands running up and down the soft material of your sundress.

it's a little uncomfortable against the door like this, but rafe eases you up immediately, your legs wrapping around him while he pins you in place. you don't mean to start moving your hips, grinding down against him, it's just instinct, chasing that toe-curling feeling that you haven't been able to feel with rafe yet. his hands snake further down to the hem of your dress, and then slide underneath the material to the smooth skin of your legs.

rafe's hands keep traveling, gripping your thighs while he keeps you locked in a kiss that has you feeling dizzy, would have your knees weak if he wasn't holding you up. his tongue pokes into your mouth, and you moan around it, not even wanting to pull away to breathe.

you have to, though. rafe's hands are at the waistband of your panties, and just as he starts to grope, finding where he can yank them down so he can finally do what he wants to you, you pull away, hands resting flat on his chest.

he likes you like this--hair disheveled, lips red and swollen, the strap of your dress hanging off your shoulder. he leans in, pressing a kiss to your shoulder and then your collar, then up your neck.

"rafe," you whine, but it's easy to let him keep going. "we should stop-"

his eyes dart up to meet yours, pulling his face away from your neck.

"why would i do that, hm?" he kisses you again, but you turn your head away. "finally got you where i want you."

"i-well, i'm a virgin, rafe." it falls out of your mouth, even though you've spent countless hours thinking about the best way to tell him. you've thought everything through, how to say it, how to reply based on his response, how to deal with the embarrassment you're sure to feel.

"yeah?" he questions, pulling away to look at you in the eyes. still pushed against the wall, you can feel his hard dick pressed against you. the two of you don't move an inch, besides for the nodding of your head to answer his question.

"so, no one else has ever touched you where m'touching you?"

you shake your head.

"and no one's ever seen you like this?"

you shake again, feeling your eyes get watery.

"i'm sorry-"

"why're you saying sorry? told you to stop doin' that."

"because... because it's embarrassing."

"says who? hm?"

"says everyone. right?"

"no, kid. not me. you want me to stop?" your body melts into his grip. you shake your head again. "good girl. c'mon, get on the bed. not taking your virginity against this door."

#THIS WAS SOO FUN!!! <333 #pls come again!!!! lmk if you liked it???#📮 asks #rafe cameron #rafe cameron x reader #🪩 anon

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english-history-trip · 1 year

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Ever see a depiction of St. George and the Dragon? It's pretty fair to say if you've seen one, you've seen them all: Georgie on a horse stabbing a flailing dragon creature, princess piously kneeling in the background, vague landscape alluding to the homeland of the artist's patron.

The most varied part is the dragons. No one had a real definition for the thing, it seemed. For your pleasure and entertainment, I have ranked some medieval depictions based on how impressive George's feat seems once you see the dragon.

Paolo Uccello, 1456

This is a terrifying beast. The hell is that. Uccello was one of the first experimenters with perspective, so the thing also looks surreal, like it's taking place on Mars, or a Windows 95 screensaver. I would not want to fight that, I would not want to be tied to that. (Sometimes the princess is tied to the dragon for some reason.) 10/10

Horse thoughts: Maybe if I look at the ground it will be gone when I look up

Unknown artist, c. 1505

This is a rare change of form for the dragon; it's the only one I've seen actually flying (or at least falling with style). It doesn't look particularly deterred by the spear through its throat, either. Also, George looks appropriately nervous. On the other hand, it hasn't got teeth, it seems to be fuzzy rather than having scaly armor, and George is bolstered by his army of Henry VII and his children, most of whom definitely didn't actually die in infancy. Still, wouldn't want to fight it, wouldn't want my pet sheep near it. (Sometimes the princess has a pet sheep for some reason.) 9/10

Horse thoughts: I am so glad I wore my mightiest feather helmet for this

Raphael, 1505

We are coming to Dragons With Problems. This guy looks about comparable in size to George, and does have wings, but doesn't seem to be using these things to his advantage (and has he only got one wing?) And how does he deal with the neck? He does have a comically small head, but holding it up with such a twisty neck seems complicated at best. But most egregiously, he is doing the shitty superheroine pose where he is somehow simultaneously showcasing his chest and his butt, with its unnecessarily defined butthole (more on this later) (regrettably). 8/10 bc it's Raphael

Horse thoughts: AM I THE BESTEST BOI? AM I DOING SUCH A GOOD JOB? WE R DRAGON SLAYING BUDDIEZ

The Beauchamp Hours, c. 1401

We had a spirited debate about this one at work. Again, the dragon has gotten smaller, and this one hasn't got even one wing. He's basically a crocodile. So the debate became: would you want to fight a crocodile if you had a horse and a pointy stick? Would the horse trample the animal, who can't get on its hind legs, or freak out and throw its rider? Would the pointy stick be enough to pierce the croc's thick hide? In this case, George seems to be controlling his horse and putting his pointy stick in the dragon's weak spot, so we can be impressed by his skill and strategy. However, his hat is dumb. 7/10

Horse thoughts: Dehhhh

Book of Hours, c. 1480

Here we have the same kind of croco-dragon, but George's focus on his strategy has gone out the window. He's flailing around, not even looking at his target, he's about to lose his pointy stick, he hasn't got a hand on the reins, and his sword seems to only be poking the invisible dragon over his shoulder. All he's got going for him is that his hat is slightly less dumb. 6/10

Horse thoughts: Yay, new friend! Come play with me, new fr- what is happening

Final dragons put behind this Read More for your safety:

Rogier van der Weyden, c. 1432

I'm thinking this guy is at least semi-aquatic. Webbed feet, wings that seem more like fins, bipedal but top-heavy, jaws that seem more for scooping than biting. Maybe she's crawled up here from the nearby body of water to lay her eggs, and this is all a big misunderstanding. Moreover, George's dagged sleeves seem entirely impractical for the situation. 5/10

Horse thoughts: i got my hed stuk in a jar and now it is this way forever

Unknown artist, c. 15th century

I hate this. I hate everything about it. Why has it got human eyes and teeth. Why is its nose melting. Why has it got a dick on its face and balls under its chin. The fin/wings are back but they look even more useless. Also, George is shifty as hell, schlumped over in his saddle with his bowler hat thing over his eyes. The baby dragon at the bottom eating some hapless would-be rescuer is kind of metal. 4/10 at least the thing is gonna die

Horse thoughts: I Have Smoked So Much Crack

Book of Hours, c. 1450

Remember what I said about the buttholes? First, sorry. Second, yeah, we're back to that. I'll admit this one is less about the danger from the dragon itself than the very specific choices the artist has made. They didn't need to do that. It's a lizard. They don't even have. And it's like they had an orifice budget and they skipped an exit wound for the spear to focus. Elsewhere. It's so detailed. And George had an even dumber hat. 2/10 take it away

Horse thoughts: I Have Smoked So Much Weed

Book of Hours, c. 1415

This is just bullying. There isn't even a princess. That is clearly an infant. Look at that smug look on George's face as he swings his sword that's bigger than the whole little guy. This is the equivalent of when DJT Jr. hunted those sleeping endangered sheep. 1/10

Horse thoughts: ....yikes

And this is the previous one, but now the baby dragon is cute. He's chubby. He's got toe beans. He's Puff the Magic Dragon. His eyes have already gone white, implying that George is just kicking its corpse around for funsies. What's the difference between the dragon and the lamb in the background? That the dragon is dead, like our innocence. This George is truly deserving of the dumbest hat of all. 0/10 plus one more butthole for the road

Horse thoughts: Perhaps it is we who are the buttholes.

#art history #nonsense #hot takes #I am doing a St. George painting and have been wading through reference material #manuscript #fuck me I didn't notice van der Weyden managed to sneak a butthole in his too #the definitive list #when knighthood was in flower

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