villains that live in my head;

"they beg me to write me so they'll never die when i'm dead.."

[rileyrothenberg]

mylesramirez:

Myles didn’t no how long he had been out, but before he knew it his eyes were blinking open and he was lying on his side on the floor. He turned his head slightly, glad to see it was Riley by his side and not someone who he couldn’t trust. He pushed himself up so he was now sitting on the floor. He no longer felt dizzy, but the sharp pain in his stomach still resided there and it didn’t seem like it would go away anytime soon. “Thank you,” he told her.

Myles rested his head against the wall, just now seeing Trooper. “You too,” he added. He closed his eyes, inhaling deeply. He brought his hand up to rub at his face only to realize that he was covered in sweat. He should go see Billie, and maybe he would if he didn’t feel better by the end of the night. He was sure Lex wouldn’t let him get away with it otherwise. “How long was I out for?” he asked, opening his eyes to look at Riley.

Sickness was a rare occurrence. Flashes of countless sick humans passed through her mind, the ones that got the virus that died within days, hours. The suffering children, her dying parents. A gulp. Only - within those memories she never recalled seeing an Inhuman get sick post-outbreak, not like this anyways. She’d seen pregnant women, with their usual symptoms. She’d seen drunk people get mildly bad. But all this time, Riley had lived utterly convinced that the sole reason they were still alive was because they had a stronger immunologic system, but what could the limit be? Surely, there was one. 

But Myles had no hint of that sickening alcohol smell, obviously wasn’t pregnant, so what it was. then? As eyes surveyed the sickened Myles, the most selfish thought came to mind. If he was really sick, then so was she - just by the small contact. How bad it would be for her to get sick after years avoiding the virus?

This, though - she wasn’t sure what it was, but it still worried her. She saw him regain consciousness, though didn’t say a word as he sat up. Riley just stared, awaiting for something to happen. But when nothing at all did, she passed by the soaked up fabric for him to smell. “A few minutes, I think.” 

He still didn’t look remotely good. “I should get you to a room, have you lay somewhere. Can you walk?”.

[wordsnquotes]

She’s never where she is. She’s only inside her head.

Janet Fitch, White Oleander. (via wordsnquotes)

[mylesramirez]

Myles knew that he should probably tell Billie that he wasn’t feeling well. While they were all sure Inhuman’s couldn’t catch the virus it was still better to be safe than sorry, giving the fact that there was no proof of that being the case. However; he had seen humans get sick and die from the virus and these sort of symptoms weren’t the same as that. He only felt lightheaded and nauseous, which he was sure had something to do with something he had eaten in the past few days. No point in bothering Billie with a small stomach bug, especially with everything she had to do for them after the fight at the warehouse was over.

Myles was walking back through the hallways towards his and Lex’s room when the room seemed to turn sideways. He was quick to reach out and place his hand against the closest wall, holding himself up as he closed his eyes and tried to take a few deep breaths in to keep from throwing up. When he thought he felt better, he opened his eyes and tried to start walking again only to have his feet give out from underneath him, sending him falling down to the floor.

[rileyrothenberg]

The calm after the storm. Transitions were sometimes hard to grasp, but this one in particular had rid her of so much pain, so many bad experiences. It was as if a cleanse was done on her. It was a new slate, a new white canvas that she could draw onto without feeling scared or anxious. But it was hard losing old habits, the quiet girl still remained only with more freedom, more room to grow. The atmosphere in the motel was a bit lighter, not as heavy as the warehouse had once been. She could smile freely, talk to people, wander around. There were days when she could catch a glimpse of her, and others that she just disappeared. 

Today in particular, was a day of disappearances. Trooper was her loyal companion, he walked with her back and forth the limits of the motel. He enjoyed it, she enjoyed it. Even the times when she would sit down to knit or have a small lunch. After a while of solitude, Riley began to make her way back to her room. It was then that she saw him, holding onto dear life before crashing down on the floor. In a quick movement, Riley came to his aid; kneeling down to check on him. It was odd, seeing someone get sick. It had been years since she last saw someone like this, and wondered what triggered this. 

“Hey, hey - it’s okay. I’ll - ..” The girl looked to her surroundings, hoping to catch sight of someone, anyone - but there was no one to help. Almost acting on instinct, Riley searched up for cloth in her backpack and a bit of alcohol that she supposed could help. She soaked up the cloth in the substance and placed it by his nose. There was not much she could do but stay there, hoping he got consciousness so they could move away from the open hallway. If only she could get a grasp of Billie. 

[legionxofmuses-deactivated20191]

rileyrothenberg:

“That’s the perk of being a dog, everyone likes you..” Riley couldn’t contain her laughter and after a while, she let herself relax over the blankets. This almost seemed like a daydream, a weird invention of her mind. A vision, a hallucination. It had been a long while since she last felt at home, or just genuinely happy and it was all because of him. Blue hues focused on his figure as she laid on the ground, what if this was just a dream? What if, this wasn’t even real. Riley poked her brother on the shoulder, just to make sure. There were times when she could see things that weren’t really there. Her mind always played tricks and she needed to be sure. 

“And anyone who doesn’t, well they’re probably just assholes,” Rylan replied, laughing along with his sister. Feeling a finger poke him gently, he looked over at Riley and smiled. He had missed this, it had been such a long time since he was able to hang out with his sister like this. To just have fun and laugh with her. Even when they had still been together before the hunters had attacked their group, things had never been as fun as this. While the warehouse was horrible, he supposed it brought some sort of comfort being on the inside and feeling as though nothing could get you. “Think this is the best Christmas we’ve had in a while.”

[rileyrothenberg]

Despite knowing that sooner or later she would have to leave him, she very well knew his words were true. There hadn’t been anything resembling this, as small as it was. The distance that separated them came to a close as Riley crawled towards her brother and ultimately cuddled up against him. Riley had always felt safe whenever her brother was near. Back in the days, a very young and scared Riley would crawl on his bed, too scared by dreams to sleep alone and that hadn't really changed with the years. It remained the same. This was no different, only the nightmares were very real, and not just a figment of her imagination. "I have to agree on that, Ry." She mumbled, smiling softly. If only she could stay like this, though that wasn't likely. Eventually, she would have to go back to Matt.

[rileyrothenberg]

rylan-rothenberg:

So long as Riley wanted to bring Trooper along, Rylan wasn’t going to say no to the idea. The dog seemed young enough and would probably be able to keep up with them. “I can’t say I really blame him,” he replied, grabbing another cookie and eating it. “I don’t see the problem with bringing him along. I mean I bet he’s helped you cope with things around here, and vice versa. It’d be a shame to have to separate you guys and I’m sure everyone would love to have him around.” he added.

“That’s the perk of being a dog, everyone likes you..” Riley couldn’t contain her laughter and after a while, she let herself relax over the blankets. This almost seemed like a daydream, a weird invention of her mind. A vision, a hallucination. It had been a long while since she last felt at home, or just genuinely happy and it was all because of him. Blue hues focused on his figure as she laid on the ground, what if this was just a dream? What if, this wasn’t even real. Riley poked her brother on the shoulder, just to make sure. There were times when she could see things that weren’t really there. Her mind always played tricks and she needed to be sure. 

[rileyrothenberg]

rylan-rothenberg:

“Yeah. Luckily the snow hasn’t been too horrible this year. Hopefully it stays that way for a bit-…” Rylan replied, fearing how much longer they would have to stay there if they got snowed in. He smiled at the thought of a beach house. He was only hoping they could find one that still stood and could house five people. Granted they had lived like this for a while, so he supposed being a little cramped wouldn’t be too bad but they would all probably prefer to have their own space. He knew he did. “I’m sure your dog would enjoy running around on the sand too,” he replied.

Riley’s lips curved up into a smile. The thought of Trooper, running around and barking at the waves made her a bit hopeful. She wished that they eventually found a place safe enough to live in, without hunters, without any threats at all. A place where they could grow old, and make happy memories for as long as they lived. Riley was okay with having Rylan as her only family, well - if she got close enough to his friends maybe eventually, she could consider them family too. But children, she wasn’t sure if she would ever want that. The world was miserable enough as it was, why bring new life to a terrible sick world like this? “He would like it, I’m sure. He doesn’t likes it here, you know. He avoids most of the people, he won’t trust them. We have to bring him with us when we leave..” 

[rileyrothenberg]

g a m e  o f  s u r v i v a l - a graphic for variantsrpg

who’s in the shadows, who’s ready to play?

are we the hunters? or are we the prey?

there’s no surrender and there’s no e s c a p e 

[rileyrothenberg]

rylan-rothenberg:

“The only other living things I’ve seen aside from people are insects and they aren’t exactly intriguing to look at,” Rylan told her with a small laugh. Shifting in his seat, he finally decided to lie down on the blanket that Riley had set up, he rested his arm underneath his head and turned to look at his sister. “Me too,” he replied. He turned his head to look up at the ceiling, thinking to himself about the promises he had already made people. “We have to find a beach house with a basement stocked full of wine too, I already promised Tatum that. So I guess we have our work cut out for us when we leave here.”

“It is winter, I assume most don’t like the cold and just hide away somewhere..” Riley shrugged, hoping that within their very vast Earth, animals still existed and hadn’t sunk into extinction like most of the humans. Riley mimicked her brother and laid down on the blanket, blue hues looking up at the musty ceiling. This place, like many others would fall in decay very soon. She wondered if it was possible to find a nice place that still stood intact. As time passed, the worse it got. She wondered if it would all collapse one day, if unattended. All those things they knew about, just vanished. “A beach house sounds nice, I could visit the beach.” Riley’s face was beaming with happiness at the thought of it. Truth was, she would be more than fine with anything; anything at all as long as she got to leave the warehouse.

[rileyrothenberg]

rylan-rothenberg:

“Yeah maybe there are, but we haven’t seen them. Or at least I haven’t,” Rylan told her. He hadn’t seen any animals and he had walked a long ways on his own. Any sign of life and he would have picked right up on it. There had been times before he had met Myles or Tatum where he had thought he had seen someone or heard something, but he soon discovered it was his own mind playing tricks on him. He supposed that was what the lonely mind did when you were left with it too long. Luckily he had come across Myles before he drove himself completely mad. “I think the first dog that I’ve seen in a long time was yours. All of the animals are probably hiding from us, but I hope you’re right. I hope they are somewhere out there,” he replied. 

“You haven’t seen any other dogs?” Riley asked, though the room went silent quite quickly as she tried to take that information in. Trooper had just appeared out of nowhere by the farm lands. Early in the morning, using his paws to create a hole in the dirt and when she asked anyone if they knew him, no one seemed to recall having him before. Maybe he’d been a stray, with no path - like her. It was difficult making him trust people, but eventually he settled in with her. He now had his own corner in the barn to sleep, all thanks to Riley. “I hope we find them, when we leave..” Riley was still a bit hopeful that they would get to leave the warehouse after all.

[littlealienproducts]

[meiselr]

you have stardust in your hair and light in your veins a bright collapsing galaxy all in yourself

- collapse (r.m)

[rileyrothenberg]

rylan-rothenberg:

Rylan looked over at Riley when he finally managed to stop laughing, but the smile remained on his face. He nodded his head in agreement to her words, “Me too.” He listened as she spoke, trying to imagine a world where they could have something like that again. “Maybe you’ll have that someday,” he told her. He honestly hoped that someone someday would put a stop to this stupid war and that they could just try to rebuild society, but any sort of dreams like that seemed so far of. He wasn’t going to tell that to Riley though, it was his own opinion, one he hoped he was wrong about. “I wonder if there are still horses around somewhere-…” he questioned. It was so rare to see wild animals nowadays that you didn’t know which ones were alive or not.

“I’m sure there are. How can there not be? They were wild before, why can’t they be now.” The mere thought made her realize how difficult it would be to tame a wild horse. But she was sure there were definitely horses around, maybe in the countryside. Animals, somehow, always learned to adapt. Something humans could clearly have followed. They could have adapted to the changes, them - the inhumans. Though, obviously they hadn’t been able to adapt to the virus that killed most of the race. “Look at Trooper, he’s still alive so why can’t horses be alive too?”

[legionxofmuses-deactivated20191]

rileyrothenberg:

Riley had almost forgotten about the dining hall incident. Pristine blue eyes looked down at the floor, hands trying to find something to do. “I - well. I’m better..” It felt odd to talk about things like that with someone. Usually no one ever dared to ask, only the doctor had spoken to her a few times not that she had ever allowed herself to share too much. “You did look a bit crazy back there, at least your friend got you level headed. Is she - is she your girlfriend, Ry?” Riley finally asked, curious about her since the moment they arrived at the warehouse. “You’re always with her..”

Rylan could only hope that Riley really did feel better, or as good as she could given the circumstances. He worried his bottom lip between his teeth at her words, wondering what she would think of him had she known what he had done when he was held captive by the hunters that had attacked their group the night they were separated. “Yeah luckily Tatum was there to keep me from screwing everything up,” he agreed. A small laugh managed to escape Rylan lips at his sisters question. “No she’s not. We’re just good friends.”

[rileyrothenberg]

Riley had to ask something that brought normalcy in. She missed the simple talks, the briefings of what had happened to each other throughout the day and the endless teasing. She have had the feeling that there was nothing in between them, but she asked anyways. She smiled at his laughing, if only their worries were vain things like girlfriends and boyfriends, like it was back in the days. "I miss when these were our only worries.." She mumbled out, "I wish things could be simple again. I want to live in a house in a farm, I want a horse and a dog and my own bed." Riley started, just really mouthing what was on her mind.

[legionxofmuses-deactivated20191]

rileyrothenberg:

Riley had always been a bit more introverted than Rylan. Even in kindergarten, she was always that one girl who sat by herself playing with Legos. She had never cared much for anything else, being by herself had always felt okay. And because of it, she found the time to do many things others didn’t quite knew how to do. She learned to knit, gardening, she enjoyed reading and just loved activities that required in some form to be alone. Surely, some of that served to be useful in the midst of the outbreak. A big smile adorned her lips, glad someone at least appreciated the little things she did. She laughed, though it was small. “No, I didn’t. I made one for your friends too..” She mentioned, as she showed him another smaller set of tiny packages. “I have enough wool so I figured it would be nice to do something nice.” Riley shrugged. She only spoke to Myles once or twice, but if he helped her brother, then he was automatically on Riley’s good list.

“Well now I definitely know you are trying to tell me my feet smell, because their feet reek,” Rylan joked. He placed the items just beside him on the floor, his eyes catching sight of the other packages by Riley. He smiled at her, “They’ll appreciate it. I’m pretty sure neither of them have gotten gifts in ages so they’ll be surprised,” he told his sister. Rylan shifted in his seat, leaning forward to grab a cookie that was placed on the blanket before him. He took a bite of it, while they weren’t exactly fresh, they still had a decent taste to them and he didn’t hesitate to grab another one before leaning back against the boxes. “I’m sorry about the other day…in the dining hall. I freaked out, I should have listened to you. How have you been feeling?”

[rileyrothenberg]

Riley had almost forgotten about the dining hall incident. Pristine blue eyes looked down at the floor, hands trying to find something to do. “I - well. I’m better..” It felt odd to talk about things like that with someone. Usually no one ever dared to ask, only the doctor had spoken to her a few times not that she had ever allowed herself to share too much. “You did look a bit crazy back there, at least your friend got you level headed. Is she - is she your girlfriend, Ry?” Riley finally asked, curious about her since the moment they arrived at the warehouse. “You’re always with her..”

[legionxofmuses-deactivated20191]

rileyrothenberg:

Riley’s eyes were trained in her brother. She wanted to see his reaction to the small place she had arranged for them. A soft smile lingered on her lips as she sat there, for a small fraction of second, everything felt like home. Flashbacks of dreamy Christmases came to mind. Of when they sat by the tree to open presents, the laughs of her parents as they tore down the wrapping paper. A happy sigh left her lips, this was what she wanted truly. She hadn’t expected her brother to give her something. Nowadays, it wasn’t easy to take hold of possessions. Riley only had a few clothes that were only hers, she had pictures of her family from a small album she took before departing their home. She had her mother’s necklace, her still surviving school bag which she had stored everything in. It wasn’t much but at least it was something.

She wondered what the present could be, though she soon got the answer. Blue hues peeked into the brown bag and saw an array of seeds. Surely, Rylan knew of her favorite hobby. Sadly, she would have to wait until winter was over to attempt planting them. One thing was certain, her smile wouldn’t fade anytime soon. “You didn’t have to, Ry..” She started, though soon after she outstretched a small package to him. It was wrapped in a cloth, shoelaces tying everything up into a nice squared gift. “I - this is for you..” Within the cloth, was a pair of black knitted gloves and matching socks. Items she made from scratch.

Rylan took a seat by Riley and leaned his back against a box that luckily was full of enough items to hold up his weight. “I would have gotten you something better but there isn’t much out there anymore,” he told her honestly. He crossed his arms over his chest and smiled as he watched the smile never fade his sisters face. “Besides when we get out of here were going to need to make our own garden somewhere,” he told her, reminding her that getting out of the warehouse was still the plan. Eyebrows rose as he saw her hold out an item to him, cloth and shoelaces made to look like a package. It looked far better than his brown paper bag. 

Rylan uncrossed his arms and gently took hold of the item. “This was all enough. You didn’t have to give me anything,” he said, motioning his head to the set up around them. He slowly opened the packaging and took out the gloves and socks with a smile on his face. Riley was far more talented than him when it came to creating things. “These are great Riley. Although I’m not sure if the socks are you being thoughtful or you trying to tell me my feet stink,” he teased her, a small laugh passing his lips.

[rileyrothenberg]

Riley had always been a bit more introverted than Rylan. Even in kindergarten, she was always that one girl who sat by herself playing with Legos. She had never cared much for anything else, being by herself had always felt okay. And because of it, she found the time to do many things others didn’t quite knew how to do. She learned to knit, gardening, she enjoyed reading and just loved activities that required in some form to be alone. Surely, some of that served to be useful in the midst of the outbreak. A big smile adorned her lips, glad someone at least appreciated the little things she did. She laughed, though it was small. “No, I didn’t. I made one for your friends too..” She mentioned, as she showed him another smaller set of tiny packages. “I have enough wool so I figured it would be nice to do something nice.” Riley shrugged. She only spoke to Myles once or twice, but if he helped her brother, then he was automatically on Riley’s good list.

[legionxofmuses-deactivated20191]

It was difficult to tell how much time had passed since she got there. But for a while, there had been no sign of Rylan, which worried Riley. When things usually didn’t go as expected, she always took conclusions for the worse. Though, her worry only lasted for so long. A big wide smile appeared on her lips the moment she saw him. She couldn’t even hide her excitement or the urge she had to hug him. Arms wrapped around him, and she wouldn’t let go. “Merry Christmas, Ry.” She mumbled out as she took a few steps back. The girl hadn’t been this happy in a while, and for once, she wasn’t timid or quiet. She was over enthusiastic and just waiting for the time to start their little humble festivities. Riley took Rylan by the hand, and ushered him towards the nook. “I thought this would be a nice place to have a bit of dinner at. No one will bother us here - I think.”

Rylan felt as though a weight had been lifted off his shoulders the moment he felt Riley’s arms wrap around him. He lifted his arms and embraced her in a hug, holding her tight. “Merry Christmas, Riles.” He smiled at her as she stepped away, glad to see her happy. A small laugh passed his lips as his sister pulled him along, leading the way to a small nook that was set up to look like a picnic. “It looks awesome,” he told her. To be honest, they could have just hid away with no food and he would have been happy to be able to spend some time with his sister. So long as she was with him and he knew she was safe, that was all that mattered to him. “I wasn’t able to get you anything nice for Christmas…but I had this stuff in my backpack and had completely forgotten about it until the other day,” he said, holding the brown paper bag he held in his hand out to her. It was filled with an array of different packets of seeds. “I found it at a store on my way here a while back. Some are flowers and others are for food.”

[rileyrothenberg]

Riley's eyes were trained in her brother. She wanted to see his reaction to the small place she had arranged for them. A soft smile lingered on her lips as she sat there, for a small fraction of second, everything felt like home. Flashbacks of dreamy Christmases came to mind. Of when they sat by the tree to open presents, the laughs of her parents as they tore down the wrapping paper. A happy sigh left her lips, this was what she wanted truly. She hadn't expected her brother to give her something. Nowadays, it wasn't easy to take hold of possessions. Riley only had a few clothes that were only hers, she had pictures of her family from a small album she took before departing their home. She had her mother's necklace, her still surviving school bag which she had stored everything in. It wasn't much but at least it was something.

She wondered what the present could be, though she soon got the answer. Blue hues peeked into the brown bag and saw an array of seeds. Surely, Rylan knew of her favorite hobby. Sadly, she would have to wait until winter was over to attempt planting them. One thing was certain, her smile wouldn't fade anytime soon. "You didn't have to, Ry.." She started, though soon after she outstretched a small package to him. It was wrapped in a cloth, shoelaces tying everything up into a nice squared gift. "I - this is for you.." Within the cloth, was a pair of black knitted gloves and matching socks. Items she made from scratch.

[rileyrothenberg]

The winter painted the warehouse white. The nearby waters turned into complete ice. All of it served as hint that Christmas was coming, though the holiday wasn’t celebrated as much anymore. There was no need for it, without electricity, without things to own, without normalcy. Winters after the downfall only seemed to bring gloom. They were too unbearable at times, it was difficult to keep warm and some even died from exposure. It was a time of uncertainty. But as long as they kept chimneys going and the fire awake, they would be fine, she knew it. This Christmas in particular, was set to be one of the most exciting for her, which was odd. She was always bound to be gloom and sad, her visions never letting her forget that death would come. But this time around she had him. She had her brother and without her brother things wouldn’t have been as hopeful or happy. With a small package in hand, she walked the halls of the warehouse. She had asked her brother to meet her at nightfall, by the kitchens. She learned, from the last time she ventured out, that the place was always quiet during night, after everyone had had their fair share of food. That night though, there were several people gathering by the common room, she guessed people who still celebrated despite it all. They played music, and laughed. It was nice, something she definitely missed herself. But, by the time she got to the kitchens, everything got a bit quieter. There were people there, to her surprise. A few scurried around, talking and drinking hot beverages. She didn’t let that get her down, there was plenty of space in the vast kitchens to have a quiet moment with her brother. She found a nook below a staircase, that usually wouldn’t even be noticeable by the myriad of boxes hiding it. Surprisingly, there was nothing in it. So she prepared it all, the blanket on the floor, the cookies she’d made by the morning and a bottle of water for them to have. It wasn’t much, but it was better than nothing. And so she waited, by the nook. It did look rather odd, how she stood there alone while others talked, but they already thought her a loon, so it didn’t make any difference at all. All she wanted was to have a moment of peace and happiness. It was all she wanted, all she needed.

[legionxofmuses-deactivated20191]

The holidays hadn’t been easy for the Rothenberg’s ever since the virus had hit, even more so after Rylan and Riley had lost their parents. He couldn’t imagine how he would have been able to get through Christmas this year had he not been able to find his sister. Luckily, they had found one another and could spend some time together. He just wished that they didn’t have to sneak around to see one another, but unfortunately with Matt still in the picture that’s what they would have to continue to do. He walked through the halls of the warehouse; a small bag held close to his side, as he made his way towards the spot where they had planned to meet up. He walked passed the kitchens, waving at Myles and Tatum and a few other people he knew as he before continuing on. A small smile formed on his lips as he turned to look straight ahead, only to see his sister standing just up ahead by a few stacked up boxes. He had been worried that she wouldn’t have been able to sneak away, that he would show up and no one would be there. He was glad he had been wrong, but he only hoped she wasn’t getting herself in trouble just to come and see him. “Hey,” he said with a smile. 

[rileyrothenberg]

It was difficult to tell how much time had passed since she got there. But for a while, there had been no sign of Rylan, which worried Riley. When things usually didn't go as expected, she always took conclusions for the worse. Though, her worry only lasted for so long. A big wide smile appeared on her lips the moment she saw him. She couldn't even hide her excitement or the urge she had to hug him. Arms wrapped around him, and she wouldn't let go. "Merry Christmas, Ry." She mumbled out as she took a few steps back. The girl hadn't been this happy in a while, and for once, she wasn't timid or quiet. She was over enthusiastic and just waiting for the time to start their little humble festivities. Riley took Rylan by the hand, and ushered him towards the nook. "I thought this would be a nice place to have a bit of dinner at. No one will bother us here - I think."