𝐉𝐀𝐂𝐊𝐒𝐎𝐍, 𝘸𝘺𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨.

everyone wants to be a flower in the desert, but there's only water out there for a few.

[mccncrane]

LOCATION: no man’s land, between hunter and grizzly territory WHEN: backdated, 2039 FOR: @cordiiceps​

aiden is exhausted. it’s no unusual sight to see, they’re always sleep-deprived anyway, but when they meet back up with sua in the spot they had settled for as a reunion point, they are an hour late and they look like a train just trampled over them. in reality, they don’t know how they feel. there’s overwhelming joy in knowing valentin is alive, but there’s also a sudden hollow in their heart from having to part again, so soon after re-meeting. because now that they know val is here, it’s much harder to be so far apart, and there’s the ever-lingering fear of losing him again. in conclusion, all of their energy has been robbed from them after going through such a rollercoaster of emotions.

so they look tired, they make up some lame reason to excuse themselves being late, and they hope that sua will not give them shit for it. “alright, let’s go,” they call, hoping that the walk back to the grizzlies will be uneventful. and quiet, but they know that’d be impossible with sua. still, they just want time to think. “did you bring cigarettes? i’ll owe you big time if you give me one right now.”

[cordiiceps-archive]

sua doesn’t believe them for one second. why would she? she saw with her own two eyes, an embrace that was only shared by people who trust each other. but sua doesn’t comment yet, she knows a thing or two about timing. there’s a hint of smugness, of knowing, in the way she hums in acknowledgement and takes after her fellow herder. “ you permanently owe me at this point.”  she pulls two cigarettes out of her jacket pocket, stick one between her lips and holds out the second. when aiden reaches for it, she pulls back. 

“ swapsies. i give you a cig, you tell me who the blond man was.”  her grin is almost wicked but totally devoid of malice, she doesn’t ever want to see them thrown in the pits, but she’s yet to explicitly say so.

[zoeysplaylistgifs]

zoey’s extraordinary gif meme ♡ [3/7 quotes] ➝ ‘This is the only thing that I could hold on to.’

[cordiiceps-archive]

ofviclentdelights​:

Isaiah’s brows furrowed in concern as he watched Nik’s hand. The doctor was well aware the concern on his face seemed misplaced given his current circumstances. He didn’t agree with what the Hunters did and he certainly didn’t want to be here, but that didn’t mean he wanted to see any of them suffer or struggle the way Nik was right now either. It didn’t change anything — it wouldn’t make him feel better or get him home any faster. “Any other symptoms so far?” He asked in an effort to gauge how severe the withdrawals were now rather than continue to dwell on things he couldn’t change.

A tired sigh escaped him, “I haven’t seen a full bottle of anything that didn’t look at least slightly questionable in years.” The more time that rolled by, the harder it was to come across certain medical supplies making treating things such as serious withdrawals all the more difficult. “Still, I can give the patrols a list of medications to look out for.” Along with descriptions of said medications because who knew what the state of most medical labels would be at this point. “We might not get full bottles back, but we might get lucky.” Isaiah couldn’t say his luck had been great the last three years, but he was still willing to hold out hope for things to get better in any small way. 

-

it feels like a cruel joke, holding isaiah here against his will and now turning to him for help. the only person who can help. if only people with reliable medical knowledge we’re easier to find, then maybe nik could find a way to send isaiah home. “ uh, yeah. insomnia.”  his fatigue is telling with how his russian accent slips into more and more words. he’d spent so long trying to push away the title of monster that came with his family, his birthplace, but he procured that title just fine by himself by tearing down the old guard and turning this quarantine zone into a death match. “ been getting, i dunno, max six hours of sleep?” 

not sure what he was hoping to gain from his comment, hearing isaiah confirm it made his heart a little heavier. nik offers a tired smile at isaiah’s next suggestion. “ after thirty years of scouring this side of idaho, really doubt we’re going to find bottles of anything in these parts.”  a sigh slips past his lips as the next thought that enters his head is jackson could have what i need. head hangs slightly knowing the lengths he’d go to to stay alive, what he has done. “ better than nothing though, right? is there anything else you’re running low on? i’ll get it to the top of the list.”

[ofviclentdelights]

Where: Car ride back from Idaho Falls When: April 2044 shortly after event 02 Who: Open to any Grizzlies

Thirty minutes into the four hour car ride home and the only noise to come from Antonio was the occasional opening and closing of a switch blade. This was usually the point where he’d crack some sort of joke at his own expense about how this must’ve been the longest he’s gone without saying something, but he never made the expected quip. Instead, Antonio sank down further in his seat and continued to frown out the window in silence while trying to piece together just why having a mole in the group was bothering him this much. 

Naturally he wasn’t able to come up with much of an explanation that made sense to him. Flat out refusing to acknowledge that caring about the other Grizzlies and the stability of the group might’ve been responsible for his feelings definitely didn’t help. He only managed to give himself a massive headache from thinking in circles and trying to come up with a bunch of shallow explanations. Stupid fucking mole. And to think things would’ve gone much differently if some fucker didn’t betray them. He really hoped they got what was coming to them.

Another thirty or so minutes passed before he really got fed up with himself and all this thinking, so he finally broke his silence, “At least things will be exciting for a while. You know, with a hunt for a traitor, lots of brutal punishments, and the inevitable death of said traitor. Should be a blast.“ A more carefree expression replaced his scowl as he continued to carry on in normal Antonio fashion — cracking jokes and making light of the situation like it wasn’t bothering him in the slightest. “Oh!” He quickly sat back up in his seat, causing him to wince slightly when the seatbelt brushed against his newest wound. “All this is like an early birthday present to me — which thank fuck. Can you imagine if my birth month was dull? Maybe I should write a nice thank you card to the traitor.” A brief, thoughtless pause followed. “Traitors? How many do you think there are? Because I would feel awful if I only thanked one when there are others.”

[cordiiceps-archive]

she knows who the traitor is and yet, here she sits, tight lipped and stubbornly so. it’s all very confusing. is her loyalty not with the grizzlies? the group that’s given her so much. not only protection but resources, skills. or is her loyalty not with the group as a whole but the few special people that make the days move a little faster. while aiden was one, sua has similar feelings for her awfully fucking quiet comrade. would she leave antonio behind if it meant guaranteeing her own safety? no. would she take a bullet for antonio? maybe.

only sua would laugh ( maybe that’s why they dumped the pair together in the same car ) and finally she tears her eyes away from the road. “ you got brutal punishment ideas already? i love the dedication to chaos.”  but then she thinks about aiden being thrown into the pits, or worse, and her traitorous stomach twists with unease. “ that must be why they did it!”  another laugh, she had to keep up appearances after all, “ this is one elaborate surprise birthday present. now i wish i could take credit. sad.”  body sore and beat up, she makes the tiniest of groans as she turns in her seat to face antonio a little better. “ maybe we’re all traitors.” her next laugh isn’t so high energy, followed up with hand motions and sound effects of making her brain explode. “ if yen wasn’t so mad about it i’d have guessed they did it themselves for the thrill of it.” 

[cordiiceps-archive]

oldimmunity​:

ellie has only passed by anything like the cult on one occasion and regardless of how henois david was, it was nowhere near the large scale of a physical cult scrawled out across the surrounding area. she cannot help but wonder if it’ll become a growing issue, if those eyes will be gradually replaced by people — watching them like prey. patrols weren’t for the living, that she reminded herself but thoughts wandered often often. she let’s jesse talk, the world around them silent other than snow crunching under her weight — he must’ve given a lot of thought to it all. “ tommy might’ve mentioned him before but i can’t say we’ve met. maybe it’s best to keep it that way. “ 

immune, the word rings through her mind. momentarily rubbing calloused fingertips across her tattoo’d skin. it was possible or a fabricated lie — she wondered though, there had to be someone other than her. “ no one’s immune, jesse. he’s… probably just making it up, convince them he’s some kind of prophet. “

while winter is terrifying and cruel, jesse has always been able to appreciate the beauty in the frost. he likes how snow lights up wyoming, reflecting everything from sunlight to moonlight. he likes the sound of snow crunching under foot. but what he likes most about this moment is time spent with a friend. ellie’s comment draws a laugh out of him, breath freezing in front of his face. “ ha. yeah, he’s lucky he never met you.”  it’s a compliment, ellie showed better skill than recruits with more experience than her early on, it wasn’t easy to miss. 

“ i mean, you don’t know that do you? what if there is? imagine how much easier it would be if you could risk having a bite taken out of you.”  he’s jealous of the concept. “ but if there are people immune to spores, i hope this guy is still a liar.” 

[lastingslivers]

LOCATION: near campground amphitheater, canyon village TIME: january 2044 CHARACTERS: audrey redfield & manny cruz @cordiiceps​

The devout community of The Purged brought days of serenity, days that Audrey breathed in with a smile every time both dawn broke and dusk arrived. Devoted, principled, and studious, the huntress had always been assertive and punctual with her duties, never a slacker. And she was a focused follower of their community, of its beliefs, and of their Oracle. Ask Audrey to carry a celebratory torch across town in proud support of everything and she’d probably travel across the whole world if she could. A devout follower. A true believer. Unfortunately, there were those in Canyon Village who didn’t share the same – cultish – ideals, which made Audrey suspicious, annoyed, and angry, all in one. Manuela Cruz, however, was not one of the said sinners.

And the air of Manny’s presence was where Audrey found herself that day, having returned from a hunt merely hours before. She sat poised-like on the nearest iron chair, her legs crossed as she watched the guardian. Manny was tending to the Purged’s pack of attack dogs near her. Audrey was clearly not being subtle as her green gaze shifted over the other woman, and she cocked an eyebrow as the dogs seemed so easily obedient to whatever Manny was commanding them. A believer and an expert animal trainer? Might as well put a bow on her too, that’s what the angel thought.

“How do you do it?” Audrey questioned in a near purr, tilting her head to the side as she smiled sweetly at Manny. “They obey you so effortlessly. Quite impressive.” Of course, anyone could probably figure out how to train a dog. However, maybe Audrey was just making small conversation as an excuse for Manny to pay more attention to her. 

[cordiiceps-archive]

audrey’s gaze was not easily ignored. manny feels her fellow seraph’s eyes on her before audrey’s voice fills manny’s eardrums. the angel was so difficult to figure out, devout, yet manny see’s something more in her, something she can’t pin point. another thought manny will bury. who has time for questions like that when just getting through the day is considered lucky. aging considered lucky. manny doesn’t want her chances of a long life cut short because of her curiosity. 

“ you make my job sound difficult.”  to some, it would be. but to manny, it’s a dream. far better than being sent into battle. she’s a survivor, but it’s non synonymous to fighter. “ it’s all about confidence, they have to believe you’re in charge. i’m sure you could do the job just as well as me.”  with a few short whistles, the pack of hounds gather, sitting, at manny’s feet. “ is this your day of rest? have the hunts been fruitful?” 

[cordiiceps-archive]

mccncrane​:

-

“wouldn’t that be some kind of beautiful metaphor or something?” she answered the question with a question, her shoulders lifting in a teasing shrug. nell wouldn’t say it out loud, but she particularly enjoyed when she could get some time like this with yen. she was always trailing after them, they were often seen together – and the two often found themselves together in more ways than one –, but nell’s favorite times were when they could be relaxed like this. in the middle of a party, without the pressing issue of next mission or when they had to go back to the other grizzlies; just talking, and teasing, and having fun.

she watches yen take a sip of the scotch with an interested cock of her head, hoping for an invitation. when it comes, a grin spreads slyly across her lips, and she takes the bait to step closer. “i would be scared of you with that thing,” she huffs, letting their fingers graze when she takes the bottle. “oh, you could absolutely destroy that dude,” she takes a languid drink of the alcohol, feeling it burn down her throat and making her grimace briefly. jesus, it’s been forever since she’s had something this strong. watered down beer didn’t hit the same. “let me know when it happens, i’ll go cheer you on,” she passed the bottle back to them. “maybe i’ll find myself a little skirt and pompoms and everything. isn’t that how people used to do it?”

“ mm. to a dumb fuck who think’s metaphors are more important. but neither of us fall under that category. i hope.”  they tease, a smile beginning to grow that holds fondness yen has only ever directed at a few. it’s not something they’ve given a great deal of thought, their relationship with nell. the woman in front of them caught their eye in many ways, the way her voice fills yen’s veins with ease and, if it was possible, more confidence. not to mention the fire nell’s eyes that pairs so nicely with their own anger. nell is a comfort, but she is also an enabler. not that they will ever care or acknowledge the latter.

a laugh, lightly dusted with genuine amusement. “ i don’t think you should ever be scared of me, nell.”  is it a veiled way of expressing admiration? adoration? maybe. but yen isn’t consciously aware of it. another laugh sounds from a throat used to hand out death sentences, an odd sound to those who don’t know them well enough. “ you say that like you wouldn’t be the first to know.” now that she’s within reach, yen’s war torn and aching fingers reach up to tuck dark brown strands behind nell’s ear. yen takes the bottle back, breaking eye contact to swallow another purifying mouthful ( more purifying than the brand on their shoulder ever was ). “ is it? in my whole six years of living in the old world, i didn’t get to experience a shred of it.”  bitterness taints the smile on their lips, but they wash it away with another sip. “ how old we’re you? when it happened.”

[cordiiceps-archive]

cathcrsis​:

♡ ♡ ♡

the  medic  cabin  is  greta’s  home  ——  despite  the  fact  that  it  stands  on  wyoming  militia’s  ground,  engulfed  in  the  flames  of  violence.  in  this  environment,  she  has  the  UPPER  HAND ;  even  the  toughest  and  most  threatening  tend  to  drop  their  act  and  she  finds  it  a  lot  easier  to  deepen  her  connections  with  them  when  they  are  not  under  the  influence  of  the  cruelty  tainting  their  surroundings.  of  course,  the  medicine  helps  too  …  perhaps  a  little  too  much  at  times,  building  up  random  trivia  about  each  member  of  the  group  inside  her  brain,  but  as  someone  who  always  seeks  compassion  and  conversation,  greta  can’t  say  that  she  minds.  then  there  are  people  actively  seeking  them,  like  sua,  for  example  —  and  speaking  of  the  devil  …

“  you  know,  one  day  i’m  going  to  get  kicked  out  for  letting  someone  to  bleed  out  while  we’re  making  conversation,  ”  greta  points  out  while  taking  off  her  rubber  gloves  as  soon  as  sua  makes  herself  comfortable  on  the  exam  table,  but  there  is  a  shadow  of  a  MISCHIEVOUS  smile  glimmering  in  her  face  that  doesn’t  exactly  oppose  to  sua  cutting  the  line.  well,  doctors  need  breaks  too.  “  and  do  you ?  ”  she  arches  a  questioning  yet  almost  challenging  eyebrow  as  she  plucks  the  tool  out  of  sua’s  sticky  fingers  (  things  must  stay  sterile  at  all  times  !  ).  “  i  don’t  know  if  i’ve  quite  upgraded  to  sniper  rifles  just  yet,  ”  she  admits,  looking  over  her  own  shoulder  while  she’s  putting  away  the  instrument  to  be  cleaned.  “  remember  last  time  when  i  was  practicing  with  just  a  bow  and  arrow ?  i  nearly  lost  someone  their  leg.  i’ll  accompany  you  anyway  —  someone’s  gotta  be  your  personal  CHEERLEADER.  ”    

“ just tell them i was bleeding out of my vagina and you’ll instantly have yen, nell, and mila on your side. i wouldn’t stress about it, babe.”  carefree to a fault, some might say. sua would call it fun to live on the edge. she likes greta’s company because unlike with the much bigger members of the militia, sua doesn’t have to exert more energy to be noticed, to be taken seriously ( when she wants to be taken seriously ). with greta, sua isn’t fighting for attention. smaller people gotta stick together ! “ plus, conversation with me is definitely more important than killian’s stab wound. it’s probably infected ‘cause he smells so damn bad all the time. wouldn’t be surprised if there’re spores growing on him somewhere. i vote we kick out people who smell that bad.”  

“ oh. no. but i’m bored. i want you to be off work already.”  she whines, not unlike a bratty child. but her reality is not one of being spoiled, quite the opposite. she craves attention, knows it’s out there from the bond with her sister, knows that people can be cruel beyond belief. but she still craves it. “ greta, please! where’s your ambition? your sense of adventure? it’s totally different to a bow. and who knows, you might be better with this thing.”  she teases, a laugh to match greta’s mischievous smile. “ i will make you fire at least one round and you will thank me for it later.” 

[cordiiceps-archive]

TASK 01 / a playlist for nikolai volkov.

jolt  —  unlike pluto  /  moth  —  dua saleh  /  i do what i want  —  missio  /  the gun  —  lorn  /  through the valley   —   shawn james  /  intro ( creatures of habit )  —  greta isaac  /  still wasted  —  enjoii, skeler  /  bellyache  —  billie eilish  /  kerosene  —   crystal castles  /  affection  —  crystal castles  /  lovely  —  billie eilish, khalid  /  patience  —  low roar  /  outlaws  —  au/ra  /  secrets  —  regard, raye  /  i better  —  lorn

[cordiiceps-archive]

—  SCHOOL, JACKSON TOWN,  with lilith russo  ( @mccncrane​ )

he’s midway through explaining photosynthesis to some of the younger kids in what feels like the only safe place in world, when a figure strolls past the glass of the classroom door. teddy double takes, doesn’t catch a glimpse of the face of what he guessed was a young woman. for a moment, he thinks to leave them to their wandering. but it wasn’t often that someone walked aimlessly through the halls of the school, so teddy pauses his class ( met with a chorus of kind protests ) to slip out the classroom door. 

the woman, now a few meters away from him and facing away, left a scent trail through the hall that teddy knows but can’t pinpoint. “ hey, you okay?”  he starts, taking somewhat tentative steps closer. “ are you lost?”  when the woman’s face finally meets his, teddy feels something sharp in his chest, the pain of his body remembering before his mind does. ( why do i feel tears stinging my eyes? ) “ i’m---i’m sorry.. can you remind me of your name?” 

[cordiiceps-archive]

—  DELIVERY BAY,  GRAND TETON MALL,  with veronica moeroa  ( @lambvsknife​ )

talks of battle tactics and plans to cause harm way heavy on nikolai’s heart and alcohol can only take the edge off so much. with his stash running worryingly low, nik decides to distract himself with a pair of eye’s that aren’t stained with the same darkness as his own. he’d checked all the places she could be first, coming up empty each time his eyes scan a room or he gets no response to a knock. the only last viable place to find veronica, is the delivery bay, and indeed he finds her slaving over a rusting truck. “ can you believe this is the last place i checked? if only you could leave me in a retirement home.”

nik strolls closer, inspecting her work over her shoulder. “ you gotta tighten that a little more. trust me when i say it will come loose otherwise. good way to waste a fuck load gasoline really fast.”  his tone devoid of any negativity, nik takes a seat in an old picnic chair. “ i heard someone let danny drive one of the good trucks, did it come back in one piece or do i have to scare some sense into that guy?”  nik’s not entirely serious, but his constant lack of inflection and somewhat intimidating accent makes it hard to tell for those who don’t know the european well enough. 

[nina-heilig]

LOCATION: Mall rooftop TIME: Late afternoon CHARACTER: Will Croft + OPEN

“Think it’s gonna snow overnight?” Will asked nobody in particular. Whether his question got caught on the wind and swiftly drifted away or whether somebody actually responded to him with some semblance of wisdom, it didn’t really matter either way. He was simply thinking aloud. “Hot cocoa weather, right?” he mused with a chuckle as the cool breeze caught a flash of bare skin on the back of his neck, between the collar of his jacket and his hairline. Though hot cocoa was mostly a thing of the past or a rare, celebration worthy treat at best, he still thought hot cocoa weather still very much existed. 

[cordiiceps-archive]

nik hoped to find solace on the rooftop, stainless steel canteen filled with slightly watered down whiskey in hand, but he should have known better. even though the question didn’t feel directed towards him, he’s not looking for those left in the qz to find more reasons to resent him. “ it wouldn’t shock me.”  he starts, taking a small sip from his canteen. “ can’t wait to see spring again.”  the mention of something so incredibly pre outbreak makes nik smile for just a second. “ you remember much of before?” 

[lesbvan]

[cordiiceps-archive]

TASK 02 / character alignment charts under the cut ! 

[ofviclentdelights]

Where: Lady Death  When: January 2044 Who: @cordiiceps​

“How’s it going?” Antonio gave Yen a half-assed salute as he casual strolled in to give them the oh so painfully boring report of what he listened to today. “Me? Well, I personally thought I was going to die of boredom at least seven times today so not the most exciting of days.” Though that’s how he felt about most days that weren’t packed full of exploding hoards of infected, gruesome pit fights, and shooting people just a little bit. It wasn’t exactly an easy task to keep him entertained with the way he was constantly chasing after new thrills and highs.

He snapped his fingers as if he just remembered why he was even here in the first place. “Speaking of, you’re never gonna fucking believe it, but I have nothing of interest to report yet again. That’s like what? Day one million?” It sure as fuck felt like it. Whoever said you should make an effort to take responsibility for your screw ups was a sucker. “Gotta admit, I’m not sure if that’s disappointing or not at this point.” Except not really. Sure, this turned into a mind numbing task, but he couldn’t be disappointed with the lack of evidence that someone who saved his ass was going to eventually betray the merry band of badasses he was secretly fond of. 

[cordiiceps-archive]

familiar, fearless footsteps fill the old captain’s chambers and equally familiar and loud voice fills yen’s eardrums. first, a question that is more of a greeting than anything else, one yen doesn’t grace with a reply. they know antonio well enough to know more is coming. as his monologue starts, they lean back in their chair and proper their feet up on the desk. “ you haven’t been making enough bets on the pits then, have you?”  the comment is presented with an impish smile, the softest of laughs barely sounding from their throat. 

the way he starts his next sentence makes yen bring their feet down from the desk with anticipation. finally, something on greta. but quickly they’re met with disappointment. “ of course it’s disappointing. she’s hiding something, we just haven’t found what it is yet.”  yen flexes their aching fingers, curls their right hand into a tight fist resting on the desk. “ the fuck do you two talk about when you make the trip to jackson?” 

[obxsource]

OUTER BANKS (2020-): Parcel 9

[shesnake]

“I am so going to enjoy killing you someday.”

Ritu Arya as Lila in The Umbrella Academy season 2 (2020)