#I can't stomach either now XD

[theothervonkarmagirl]

"I think if we had a fresh strawberry cream cheese strudel made and Franziska took the slice I wanted I would have to chop her hand off."

[lovemybluebully]

How To Pet a Wolverine

I finally got to see 'Deadpool and Wolverine' on Sunday and have been inspired to write a little tickle fic. :) Hope you guys enjoy!

Warning for movie spoilers and lots of foul language and general Deadpool-isms. But if you've seen the movie too then this is exactly what you should expect from the two of them. XD

M/M Tickle Fic

Word Count: 2,343

Deadpool groaned as he was slammed headfirst into the dashboard of the Odyssey again, taking a moment to upright himself as he turned back around to make eye contact with one pissed off Wolverine.

They had been nonstop fighting for over twenty minutes now and with the both of them being able to heal so quickly it could go on indefinitely. But there was no time for this! With every minute that ticked by that was one less minute that Wade had at the chance to save his universe.

Wade wasn't the type of guy to ever give up, but he knew there was absolutely zero chance that Logan was going to. The older man even seemed to be enjoying taking all of his pent-up anger out through his endless stabbing and slicing at Wade's body.

"Okay! Time out!" Wade screeched with his hands up in a 'T' shape just as Logan launched himself from the back and landed on top of him with his claws at the ready, though managing to restrain himself from thrusting them into Wade's head for the moment.

Wade spoke slowly with his hands still up as a sign of surrender.

"Now let's just take a second here......to calm down......and reassess the situation."

"You started it, bub," Logan growled in his face as the merc scoffed and tossed his head around in exasperation.

"Ohhh c'mon! Can't we just admit that we were both giant assholes?!"

Logan only retained his glower while the tips of his claws pressed into the side of Wade's head.

"Uggh fine! I'll be the grown up here, geez. Okay I'm sorry I punched you in the face first. And I'm sorry I lied about being able to get your world back. But you know there is still a chance that it is possible. Right? We don't know for sure yet that my claim was total bullshit. But I promise that from here on out there will be no more lies from me .....Okay? We good?"

The anger in the feral man's eyes began to subside along with the tension in his muscles diminishing as his breathing grew less harsh and had evened out.

"Not a lie. An educated fucking wish," Logan smirked and retracted his foot-long claws back into his hand much to Wade's relief, "Ya know that's probably the most ridiculous thing I've heard in a long time."

"Sorry, but I was in a panic trying to diffuse the situation and sometimes my mind just comes up with the stupidest shit and I can't control what comes out of my mouth."

"Sometimes?" Logan raised a skeptical brow, making Wade gasp in mock offense.

"Well that's not very nice. I'm a human being, you know, with feelings and dreams.....," he paused as he eyed the man hovering over him up and down before adding, "...and a raging boner."

The Wolverine let out an annoyed sigh and shook his head.

"For fucks sake, does everything have to be a perverted joke with you?"

"Who's joking, gorgeous? Now get off of me. My pants only have so much room for expansion," he carried on while simultaneously giving Logan a poke in the stomach, eliciting a snort and a faint twitch that Wade didn't fail to notice as the man promptly backed off of him.

"Well well, what in the name of PG-rated shit have we got here?" Wade said a little giddily, tilting his head as Logan looked at him with a suspicious frown from where he had now settled into the 3rd row back seat.

"The fuck you babblin' about?" He continued to glare while Wade began slowly crawling towards him from the front of the van.

"I mean, either this is just a wet dream I'm having, or it appears the big, bad Wolverine may be a little ticklish."

Logan's face remained stone-cold, showing no sign of fear as he just huffed and rolled his eyes.

"You're insane. Just stay the fuck away from me."

Wade only shook his head with a grin a mile wide being concealed by his mask as he closed in on his quarry.

"Mm mm, sorry Peanut. But I think we've reached that point in our relationship where it's time to explore each other's bodies. Don't worry, I'll be gentle," he was a mere arm's length away now as Logan bristled up and snarled at him; his claws shooting back out of his fists.

"Wade, I'm not joking. Do NOT fuckin' touch me, or so help me I'll splatter your brains all over the walls of this fucking cab!"

"Ooooh getting a little defensive there," the merc pauses as he turns his head to look out at the audience, now speaking in a husky whisper, "I love it when they play hard to get. Time to enact my elaborate and well-thought-out plan..."

Deadpool lurched back with an act of surprise and flailed his arms around in a frenzy before pointing out the window behind where Logan sat.

"Holy shit! Look! It's Johnny! Oh thank God! He's alive!"

Logan had absolutely no idea why he turned around to look. He knew damn well that there was going to be no one there. Maybe it was his nerves finally getting to him as he came to the realization that this crazy freak of a man was seriously about to tickle him.

Wade delayed not a second as he threw himself onto Logan and tackled him back into the cushions where he got his bigger frame trapped between the seats, ending up with Wolverine's claws plunged into both sides of his ribcage.

"Ouchie! Hahaha! Just kidding! Johnny's still dead, you dummy! Now it's tickle time!" He buried his dancing fingers into Logan's stomach as the man growled and clenched his teeth while beginning to squirm underneath him. 

"Grrrrggggh! Wade! Motherfuc-Get the fuck offa me!" He yanked his claws out of Wade's sides and continued to frantically stab into his body. Really he wanted to slice the other man's arms off to get him to stop, but the way he was wedged between the seats didn't give him very much room to move his arms efficiently.

"Awww are you trying to tickle me back? How fun! But you know, you really need to work on your technique. Something more like this would work a loooot better....," Wade's hands moved up to tickle his ribs, pressing in hard to make sure to get through the X-man's thick uniform top as Logan bucked and snorted while he tried to hold himself together.

"St-Stop! Goddammit! Stop ticklin' me, ya prihihick!" A regrettable giggle escaped him, and he knew he'd lost any hope that Wade would lay off of him now.

"Ahh now we're getting somewhere. Looks like you really are ticklish, huh?" His hands continued squeezing up and down Logan's sides with rapid speed.

"I never...ssssaid I wasn't-Gahah! Stupid ahahasshole-Aahahahaha!" Logan finally couldn't keep it in any longer as gruff laughter spilled out of him and the power behind his stabbings grew weaker and weaker.

"That is so true. Thank you for pointing that out. You wanna go ahead and do that for me? Hm? You wanna tell me how ticklish you are? How the mighty Wolverine absolutely cannot take the tickles? C'moooon, tell daddy all about it," Wade grinned as he was rewarded with a hard snort from Logan as he unsuccessfully tried to regain control of his laughter.

"Fuhuhuhuck yooooou-ahahahahahaah! Okay okay I'm.....," he wheezed much to Wade's amusement, "I'm seheeheeheerious! That's enohohough!"

"Oh no, this is just getting good. Pretty sure you've had this coming for a long time now, big guy. This may sound crazy, but I'm guessing you don't get tickled very often. Which is a damn shame because look how adorably ticklish you are!" Wade cooed teasingly while kneading his fingers into Logan's belly again as more snorty laughs bubbled out of him.

"I hahahate you sohohohooo fuhuhuhucking muhuhuhuch!" By now Logan had completely abandoned his attempts to stab Wade as he realized that it was pointless and now tried using his arms to guard his sensitive torso while continuing to writhe helplessly.

"Don't say such things, my squirmy wormy. I promise I'll grow on ya. Like a hemorrhoid sure, but that's all semantics. Tell you what, if you promise to refer to me as Marvel Jesus for the rest of the movie I'll let you up right now."

"As soohoohoon ahahas ya let mehehehehe uhup-eehehehehhehehe-I'm g-gonna fuhuhucking kill yooohoou!" Logan bellowed out, but the way he was giggling and pathetically making attempts to push Wade's hands away gave the appearance that he was far from being able to kill anyone right now.

"Ooooh someone's a little sassy pants. Not exactly smart to mouth off to someone who's tickling the crap out of you, but I get the impression you're more of an act before thinking kinda guy. That's alright, we'll tickle that shitty attitude right out of you."

Logan was able to get his big forearms crossed over his stomach in defense, prompting Wade to quickly scope out another target for his tickling barrage as he lunged forward and managed to jam his hands past Logan's clenched biceps up into his armpits.

"Nohohohooooo.....," Logan's thundering guffaw broke up into a long, airy wheeze as he thrashed about in silence for a few moments with Wade delighting in his reactions.

"Awww look at you. Wolverine's not such a tough guy. You just have to know how to pet him and then he's just a cute little helpless Wolvie, isn't he? Does that tickle too much? Does it? Coochie coochie coo!" He pushed his fingers in further to wiggle deep into the soft center of the armpits while the feral mutant convulsed in spasms before finding his voice again.

"Shhh-Shhhihihihit! Hahahahahaahaa! You're dehehehehehead!"

Wade sharply tilted his head in disbelief.

"Really? Still being a grumpy cunt after all this joy and laughter I've brought to you? I was sure you'd be thanking me by now. Hmmm maybe I'm not trying hard enough. You know what? Yes, I think I have just the thing." 

The merc pulled his mask up past his nose before shoving Logan's arms out of the way and yanking up his uniform top, exposing a hairy wall of tightly packed abdominal muscles that Wade was nearly distracted by before refocusing on the task at hand.

"Time for a blow job!" Wade quickly dove his face straight into Logan's belly and began blowing a very ticklish array of raspberries all over as the tough Xman exploded into hysterics.

"Bwwaaahahahaah! You fuhuhuhuhuck! Ahahahahahaha! Stahahap ihihihit! Stahahahahahahaaap! I'll kihihihihilll yoohoohooou! Baaahaahaahahahahah! Fuhuhuhuhuhuuuuck! That tihihihickles!  N-Nohohohohoahahahahahhahaha! Pleeheeheeease!"

Wade almost stopped in shock as that last word played over his ears. He had neared the point of getting Wolverine to beg for mercy, which he would most certainly never do when tortured under any other circumstances. That seriously put it all into perspective for him of just how ticklish the big lug really was.

Having gotten this far he wanted to push it more. Logan's stomach was clearly a major weak spot and with the right technique he was confident that he could drive some forbidden words from his lips. 

The loud farting noise his mouth made as he blew long and hard right into Logan's bellybutton echoed throughout the whole vehicle along with the screaming laugh that burst out of Logan's chest as he momentarily levitated off of the seat cushion.

Several fantasies began playing through Wade's head as he pictured Wolverine completely breaking down and begging profusely for mercy. That would give him the ultimate bragging rights for sure. Unfortunately, his devious thoughts had distracted him far too much. 

Logan had desperately been looking for a way out of this situation and now was his chance. He had to act fast before he was literally tickled to death. 

With a twist of his body, he managed to lift one of his legs to put a foot against Wade's stomach and violently kick him away, sending the merc flying back towards the front of the van with a surprised yelp.

Grateful for the tickling to finally end Logan immediately sat up and tried to catch his breath while Deadpool again had to turn himself over from his current upside-down position where he had landed on his head.

"God...dammit.....I told ya....to fucking....stop....," Logan panted as he glared dangerously at Wade, who simply scoffed and gave him a dismissive hand.

"Oh don't be so dramatic! It was just a little tickling. Besides a guy like you should be able to take ten times worse than that."

Logan's only reply was a vicious snarl and the snikt sound of his claws coming out as he got up and began to approach the now wide-eyed merc.

"Woah woah, take it easy! It was all in good fun! You don't have to pull that big macho act on me. You can't fool me, I know you were having fun too, right Logan? Uh.........Right?"

"............."

A few minutes later and Wade found his whole body completely wrapped up and restrained by all of the seat belts in the van with them even covering his entire face and preventing him from uttering more than muffled words.

"Hmph. Finally figured out a way to shut you up," Logan smirked as Deadpool squirmed in his prison of seatbelt webbing; able to hear but unable to see and speak clearly.

"It's true what they say, silence is golden. And I definitely prefer you as bein' the merc without the mouth. Whaddya think about that?" He reached over and tickled his fingers over an exposed area on Wade's side, producing muffled chuckles as his thrashing increased.

"Well I certainly ain't letting you get one up on me. Besides, you like this ticklin' stuff, don't ya? Don't worry, it's all in good fun. Unlike you though, I promise not to be gentle." 

One hand dug hard into vulnerable ribs and the other into his thigh as Wade made a futile attempt to scream for mercy.

[thatlotuscookie]

👋👋i wanted to request for dabi, when he has a crush on the member of the league (reader) but it's uncomfortable for him so he decided to just be the biggest dick he can be to her. and one day he snaps at her even though failed mission wasn't her fault. and above all she felt so bad physically this day, she was so sick. and her fever or whatever she has is making her feel so bad. and next day she doesn't even appear in league's hideout. and she doesn't appear in next few hours either and when dabi looks for her it turns out she's got a serious sickness when she feels like dying, she can't breathe, she's anxious, her vision gets blurry and all that shit. PLEASE MAKE THIS ONE LONG BECAUSE I'M BORED AND YOU'RE A GREAT WRITER❤️🥺and end it with some hugs, kisses or whatever you feel like ending it with, just fluff

✧･ﾟ: a/n : thank you to the lovely anon that requested this one! its funny cause right now i have the worst headache ever, but im trying to send these reqs <3

✧ Title: ✧ Behind the Walls ✧ ✧ Characters: Dabi x Fem!Reader ✧ Genre: Angst, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort ✧ Rating: T ✧ Summary: After a rough mission, Dabi’s constant criticism has you questioning your worth within the League. When a migraine and fever take you down, Dabi finds himself reluctantly stepping in, his unexpected gentleness hinting at feelings he’s tried to hide for so long. ✧ Content Warnings: Emotional Hurt, Illness/Injury Care, Soft Dabi Moments, Mild Swearing, Vulnerability, Dabi being a dickhead xd ✧ WC: 2162 words // 12k chars

Dabi had a way of turning even the smallest inconvenience into a reason to snap at you. Every time you entered the room, his glare would follow, sharp and dissecting, as if he were daring you to give him a reason to unleash whatever was brewing under his skin. You tried to shrug it off, reminding yourself that he was harsh with everyone—but with you, it felt personal. The jabs cut deeper, lingered longer, especially when you’d worked hard to contribute to the League.

After a particularly challenging mission that had taken a chaotic turn, you returned to the hideout, feeling utterly drained. You’d kept pace with everyone else, even stayed back to hold off a security team that had almost blown the entire operation, but despite your best efforts, the mission hadn’t gone as planned. It wasn’t even your fault—none of it was, in fact. Still, the weight of everyone’s fatigue hung in the air as you walked in, trying to blend into the background and head straight to your quarters for some much-needed rest.

But Dabi wasn’t about to let you off so easily.

“Hey,” his voice cut across the room, dripping with irritation. “Nice job holding us back out there.” He leaned back against the wall, crossing his arms as he leveled you with a stare, his words slicing through the quiet like a knife. “Not like it was important or anything.”

You stopped, feeling the familiar knot form in your stomach as his words washed over you. You knew you hadn’t done anything wrong; in fact, you’d practically saved the mission. But it was like he was looking for any excuse to tear you down, and today, he’d found his opportunity.

“It wasn’t my fault,” you managed, your voice softer than you intended. The dull throb in your head, which had started as a manageable ache, was intensifying, and each syllable felt like it rattled inside your skull. You wanted to keep your composure, to stay calm and collected, but the exhaustion weighed heavily on you, amplifying every ache and pain.

“Oh, so now you’re making excuses?” he sneered, his voice raising just enough to make the others in the room glance your way. “Funny, that’s what people say when they know they messed up.”

You could feel your face heat up, a mix of frustration and hurt swirling together as his words hit home. The pounding in your head became unbearable, the pain radiating behind your eyes as you struggled to keep yourself from lashing back. It was already humiliating enough; you didn’t need to give him the satisfaction of knowing he was getting to you.

“It’s not an excuse,” you said, trying to keep your tone steady, but your voice wavered despite your efforts. “I stayed back to cover everyone, and you know it.”

Dabi scoffed, rolling his eyes as if your words were nothing but empty air. “Sure, whatever you say, hero. Maybe next time, do us all a favor and stay out of the way if you’re not up for it.”

That was the last straw. You turned away, blinking back the tears that threatened to spill over as you left the room, your vision blurring not just from exhaustion but from the sting of his cutting words. The tension in your head exploded into a full-on migraine, each heartbeat sending a sharp pulse of pain through your temples as you stumbled back to your quarters.

Curling up on the bed, you couldn’t hold back the silent tears that finally escaped. You felt feverish, your body heavy and weighed down as you lay there, the ache in your head growing worse with each passing moment. Dabi’s voice echoed in your mind, the harshness in his words replaying in a loop that made it impossible to find any comfort in the quiet of your room.

You lost track of time as you lay curled up in your bed, cocooned in your blankets. The world outside felt distant and muted, the sounds of the hideout fading away as your headache intensified. The pounding in your skull grew sharper, almost rhythmic, and a wave of nausea rolled through you, leaving you breathless. You pulled the blanket tighter around yourself, hoping to block out the chill that seemed to seep into your bones.

As the hours passed, you drifted in and out of sleep, the comfort of unconsciousness momentarily easing the pain before it came crashing back. Each time you stirred, you felt the remnants of your fever—your skin hot and clammy, the bed beneath you soaking up your discomfort. You had no idea how long it had been since you last left your room, but eventually, the noise of the League’s activities began to fade into a more oppressive silence. You’d missed dinner, and the absence of the usual bustling energy in the hideout felt eerily wrong.

But it was when you heard footsteps approaching your door that a cold shiver of anxiety shot through you. You didn’t want to see anyone, especially not Dabi. You didn’t want to face him again, especially after everything that had transpired. But when the footsteps stopped, a knock broke through the quiet.

“Hey, you in there?” Dabi’s voice cut through the stillness, low and slightly muffled. There was a pause before he continued, “You gonna just hide in here all night?”

You squeezed your eyes shut, wishing desperately that you could disappear. “I’m fine,” you managed to call out, but even to your own ears, you sounded weak.

“Yeah, you don’t sound fine,” he shot back, the irritation in his tone mixed with something else that you couldn’t quite place. “Open the door.”

Against your better judgment, you found yourself pushing off the blankets, each movement sending waves of nausea crashing against you. You tried to take a steadying breath, but the tightness in your chest made it difficult, leaving you feeling more anxious than ever. With a reluctant sigh, you got up and opened the door just a crack, barely able to look him in the eye.

Dabi stood there, his arms crossed, the annoyance on his face quickly morphing into a frown as he assessed you. His eyes widened slightly, the harsh lines of his expression softening as he took in your flushed cheeks and the way you swayed slightly on your feet.

“You look like shit,” he muttered, the bluntness of his words a strange juxtaposition to the concern creeping into his voice.

“I feel worse,” you admitted, letting the door open wider as you leaned against the frame for support. “What do you want?”

“Doesn’t matter. I’m coming in.” Without waiting for a response, he pushed the door open further and stepped inside, his presence filling the room. You felt a mix of annoyance and vulnerability, not sure how to process the sudden shift in his demeanor.

He scanned the room, his eyes landing on the disheveled sheets and the empty space beside you. “You’ve been in bed all day. Why didn’t you come out? Everyone’s worried about you.”

His voice held a note of genuine concern that caught you off guard. You swallowed hard, fighting back the lump forming in your throat. “I didn’t want to deal with anyone,” you admitted, the words tumbling out before you could stop them. “Especially you.”

“Yeah, well, too bad.” He moved closer, his gaze never leaving your face as he reached out, his fingers brushing against your forehead. “You’re burning up. What the hell is wrong with you?”

You flinched at the sudden contact, but his touch was surprisingly gentle. “I think I have a fever,” you said, your voice barely above a whisper. “I just need to rest.”

“Rest isn’t going to help if you’re sick.” Dabi sighed, raking a hand through his hair in frustration. “Look, I know I’ve been a dick, but—”

“Yeah, you have,” you cut in, your voice sharper than you intended. “I didn’t deserve that today, Dabi.”

He ran a hand down his face, exhaling slowly as he took a moment to gather his thoughts. “I know,” he finally said, his tone softer now. “I’m… sorry. I don’t know how to deal with this, okay? I don’t do feelings.”

His admission hung heavy in the air, and you felt the tension between you begin to ease slightly. “You could’ve just talked to me instead of being an asshole,” you replied, a little more gently this time.

Dabi nodded, the irritation on his face replaced with a somber expression. “I get it. I messed up. But right now, you need help.”

Before you could respond, he stepped back and grabbed the blanket, folding it over his arm. “Get back in bed.” It was an order, but it felt more like concern, and you found yourself obeying, fatigue washing over you as you settled back under the covers.

He sat down on the edge of the bed, his weight shifting the mattress slightly, and you felt a mixture of comfort and unease at his proximity. You watched him, his expression thoughtful as he looked at you, seemingly wrestling with his emotions.

“Just—just stay still for a second, okay?” He reached out again, his hand finding your forehead once more, his fingers cool against your skin. “You’re burning up. I can’t believe you let yourself get this bad.”

“Like I had a choice,” you muttered, your voice tinged with frustration. “I thought I could tough it out.”

“Clearly that didn’t work,” he said, a hint of a smile tugging at his lips, but it quickly faded. “You need to take it easy. I’ll get you some water or something.”

Before you could respond, he stood up, moving toward the small kitchenette in the corner of your room. You watched him rummage through the cabinets, grabbing a glass and filling it with water from the sink. The sight of him, so focused and intent, made your heart race in a way that had nothing to do with your illness.

When he returned, he handed you the glass with an unexpected gentleness, his expression softening as you took a sip. “Drink,” he insisted, watching you carefully. “You need to stay hydrated.”

You nodded, the cool water soothing your dry throat as you gulped it down. As you set the glass aside, you caught a glimpse of the concern etched on his features, something almost tender that made your stomach flip.

“Thanks,” you said, your voice quieter now as you met his gaze.

Dabi shrugged, his usual bravado faltering for just a moment. “Whatever. I just don’t want you to die on me. You’re too useful to the League for that.”

A soft laugh escaped your lips, a little incredulous, but it felt good. “You really know how to charm a person, Dabi.”

“Yeah, I’m a real charmer,” he replied, rolling his eyes. But the corners of his mouth twitched upward, betraying the faintest hint of a smile.

You both fell into a comfortable silence, the tension easing as you allowed the moment to settle. Despite the heaviness in your chest and the throbbing in your head, you felt a warmth creeping in, a connection blooming in the quiet space between you.

“What did I do to make you mad today?” you asked suddenly, breaking the silence. “Was it something I said?”

He shifted slightly, the laughter fading from his eyes as he contemplated your question. “It’s not about you. It’s—” He sighed, running a hand through his hair again. “It’s me. I just don’t want anyone to see that I care. I thought being a dick would keep you away, but it only pushed you closer.”

“Why do you care so much?” you probed, trying to understand the whirlwind of emotions swirling within him.

Dabi met your gaze, and for a brief moment, vulnerability flickered behind his usually guarded eyes. “Because you matter. And I don’t want to lose you.”

His honesty hung in the air, leaving you momentarily speechless. You hadn’t expected such a revelation, especially from someone who had built their walls so high. “Dabi—”

Before you could finish, he reached out, taking your hand in his, his grip surprisingly gentle. “I know I’m not the best at this, but just—just let me be here for you. I want to help, even if I don’t know how.”

Your heart raced, warmth blooming in your chest as his fingers intertwined with yours. “I’d like that,” you admitted, the sincerity of your words breaking through the fatigue that clung to you.

“Good,” he said, a smirk creeping back onto his face. “Now, let’s get you better. I’m not done with you yet.”

As you leaned back against the pillows, a sense of calm washed over you. Dabi might not have been perfect, but in that moment, he was there for you, a presence that grounded you as the ache in your head gradually faded, replaced by the warmth of his closeness and the promise of something more.

[keymanwritez]

Still wakes the deep headcanons !

Trots

﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏

° Very clean, doesn't really like messes and will chew someone out if they mess up his work station

° Has two brothers and one sister

° Never been married

° Likes tea more than coffee

° Okay ish with children, though the messes they bring and when they scream drives him to insanity

° Enjoys having the same scheduled meals each week, gets somewhat upset when it changes

° Cannot handle the smell of ribs, it absolutely will make him gag and throw up

° Has tried so many times to talk to Rennick calmly about safety on the rig and got shut down so many times that he just gave up on doing it calmly

° Enjoys keeping gifts and things hes given on display, he's proud of everything he has

° Used to be a calm person but now is more likely to anger

Infected Trots time 💔

° Sees his family, like his mother, his brothers and his sister etc

° Is tormented by the fact that he doesn't have legs anymore

° most of his pain stems from his lower half due to how corrupted it has become from the shape

° Feels pure anger towards Cadal, more than when he was alive

° Dies in excruciating pain akin to the other infected

° In my recovery au he gets pissed at Rennick a lot more due to him learning how Rennick wanted to leave everyone else and his actions during the crisis

° Recovery: he really cannot stomach a lot of foods, he just can't eat them without vomiting

° Recovery: Hates his body no doubt but also gets irritated at the mess it makes in his words

Finlay

﹏﹏﹏﹏

° One of the strongest on the rig no doubt

° Would've won the dart tournament final if it ever happened, dunno why I think this I just do

° Actually likes the ocean a lot, just doesn't like being on an unsteady and falling apart oil rig

° Talks with Rennick sometimes, They sit down and drink either coffee or alcohol together

° She lets him rant a lot but has no problem telling him when hes wrong about something or a situation

° Still gets pissed when he does stupid or selfish shit though

° Enjoys milk in her coffee and that's about it

° Talks to her son whenever she can, Keeps the letters he sends in a decorated box with photos

° Not a picky eater but doesn't really like canned ravioli, she'll eat it just doesn't like it

° Her and her husband are divorced but not on bad terms

° Hangs with Muir and thinks he's funny as shit, a little too reckless for her though

° Bisexual but doesn't really care about partners at the moment

After the events of the game 💔

° Sometimes would need to take a break due to hearing her son, over and over again

° Hummed the song he was singing to try and calm down

° Despite what it seemed in the game, she was fucking terrified of the shape

° It unsettled her deep in her soul and she finally knew why when the rubble fell on her

° Wanted nothing but her son in the end, to hold him, to hug him, or just to see him

° She knew she would never get to see him again though and that would be a good thing for him

° Recovery: Was confused and then disturbed when she woke in her cot

° Recovery: She was dead and she knew she was, maybe this was purgatory ?

° Recovery: Took a while for her to become comfortable around the infected again

° Recovery: Felt like shit for being distant but couldn't bear to be around the infected or anyone in general

° Recovery: Called her son almost immediately after finding out she wasn't dead

Muir

﹏﹏﹏﹏

° Love pranks, I think everyone agrees in the fandom XD

° Does not like swimming, never was a fan of it, knows how to though

° Once pulled a prank on Rennick and almost got fired

° Has never grabbed the correct helmet and probably never will

° Enjoys jokes a lot, puns not so much

° Can actually be pretty mellow, especially when he's tired

° Either wakes Innes up with a kiss or a smack on the stomach, either one it just depends on the day

° Once made a paper rose for Innes for Valentine's day

° Hangs out with Finlay sometimes

° Does not like coffee but drinks it to stay up

° Once fell asleep at breakfast and woke up with new eyebrows

° Don't know where I saw it but there was a post that he had a daughter and I liked that idea

° Has two left feet when it comes to dancing, or almost anything tbh

Infected time y'all 💔

° Saw Innes and his daughter

° All he really remembers is feeling alone and being angry at that

° Like they had all left him to fend for himself

° He wanted Innes mainly and was angry at him for leaving

° At one point his vision soloed in on Innes and saw his terrified face

° He was confused

° When he finally got Innes he didn't even realize he had killed him

° He thought that he was just sleeping, he didn't kill anyone else after that

° He just held Innes, his love

° He didn't even realize he was going to die until he was

° Tried his best to keep Innes body safe as he died

° Recovery: Was akin to the others confused on why he was back

° Recovery: He couldn't believe he was back, he felt joy and then the realization what he did hit him

° Recovery: He tried to hide somewhere on the deck away from the others

° Recovery: He didn't want anyone to see him due to guilt

° Recovery: Not even Innes

° Recovery: Eventually Innes coaxed him to talk to him and Muir just sobbed and apologized

° Recovery: It took him a long while to adjust to not being able to go inside and his new form but eventually he slowly went back to some of his old self

° Recovery: He doesn't think he'll ever be the same again though, emotionally

° Recovery: Cried on the phone when he was allowed to call his daughter

Brodie

﹏﹏﹏﹏

° Sees Raff as a son of sorts

° I really liked @/lilkumquat27 's au where Brodie had a son but lost him due to cancer so I kinda headcanon that now too-

° Feels odd for viewing Raff's like that but dismisses it a lot

° Likes coffee with chocolate in it [ me too Brodie- ]

° actually enjoys the ocean a lot, loved going swimming in Skye with his family

° He finds one of the best feelings in the world is to eat a warm meal when your cold

° Hangs with Finlay when he can, he finds solitude with her

° Would laugh when he lost against her in the dart tournament if it ever happened

° Not really competitive, doesn't see the point in getting angry over that stuff

° I associate the song ' Everything stays ' from adventure time with him, don't really know why it just seems to fit him

° Loves the moon as well, thinks she's gorgeous at night

In game time 💔

° Was mostly trying to keep a level head

° Threw up after seeing what happened to Raff's in the dive bell

° He actually threw up a lot during the events of the game

° Kept saying in his mind to just keep on going

° Heard his son talking about octopuses and the ocean in his mind

° Just kept going through most of it, only taking short breaks to think things through

° Was terrified but somewhat content when the water and oil started to raise

° That soon disappeared as the phone cut out

° Tried to keep his mind on Skye and his son but couldn't, all he could focus on was the pain of not being able to swim and drowning in the oil

° Recovery: He woke up sputtering, he was so confused and hurt

° Recovery: Finally broke after that and just sobbed

° Recovery: He sobbed for hours before trying to collect himself

° Recovery: Tried to ignore the pit in his stomach but it kept getting bigger and bigger

° Recovery: Hugged Raff's so tight he couldn't breathe, apologized endlessly for letting him go in the dive bell and for what he went through

I shall make another one with more characters later but these are some of my headcanons for my favorite characters !!!! explodes

[1800miserablethot]

I’ve seen others make these head cannons and I was looking at your page and it made me think about what your head cannons would be for the jackass crew/ Viva La Bam. Like what would they do if they saw someone flirting with you, or what they would be into, etc XD

Stop because I think of this shit ALL the time

First, we have to obviously start with Bam.

Bam just like all the other fanfics he is the sub. How this man acted on Viva La Bam gives clear sub vibes. I don't even know where to begin tbh, but I do know one this is for sure he wants ALL of your attention. Have it be you're watching him do a stunt or a prank or whatever, he would drag you along everywhere just like he did Ryan.

Starting off sweet he would secretly be a cuddler, when it’s finally quiet at night (though it never is on that show) he would be curled up against you like a damn cat just sleeping away. I feel like he would constantly kiss you until he falls asleep, lazy sweet ones. He’s a nuzzler for sure, his face is always in your neck or hair.

During the daytime again he's an attention whore, where ever he is you're most likely next to him. If he gets hurt during a stunt you're the first one to him, or you’re the first one he wants by his side. Now if you get hurt then the stunts are over, he's cussing out everyone and anything that's in his way of you. You would have to calm him down afterward because he can't bear the thought of losing you or even seeing you hurt.

Jealousy, he would get very possessive. But not in a dom way, he would probably cuddle against you, start kissing your neck, or try to drag you off, etc to gain your attention back to him. He would jump into the convo and talk about himself a lot but not in a cocky way, but in a take, a hint [Y/N] is mine type of way and try to bore said person of the convo in hopes they leave.

He's a brat so he's going to do anything and everything to push your buttons. Have it be from talking back at you, doing stunts you said no to, flirting with others a bit/ letting others get touchy at like fan meets, etc (but god forbid someone gets touchy with you) especially by always flashing his navel tattoo on his lower hips. But when it comes to the bedroom/ punishment oh that bratty attitude turns into a good boy one REAL quickly. He's practically begging for forgiveness before you two even start, but you don't fall for it. By the end of the night, he's most likely going to be hoarse in the voice from screaming out your name and pleading/ begging. When he's a brat for punishment you edge him multiple times/hours until even your fingertip against his leaking cock has him sobbing and almost blowing his load. If you two are in public though you take him to a hidden area and have him get on his knees and finish you off but you don't allow him to finish so he's walking around all day with a raging one. Or perhaps if he's been REALLY bad you have him grind against your foot or leg like a dog because 99% of the time that's what he acts like lol. By the time you finally let him finish against your leg/foot his pants/boxers are already soaked with precum etc from holding back for so long. And when he does finish he has the prettiest face, I mean mouth is open, tongue out, eyes rolling and closing (unless you make him look at you while he cums) again he's a dog.

ALSO, I'll die on the hill of Bam loves when you mark him on his stomach and navel where his tattoo is so he can flaunt the marks off.

Ryan Dunn (my second hubby)

Start off sweet: Ryan is touchy af (I mean just go watch vids of him and or pictures) He’s always got an arm around you, holding your hand, kissing you, etc. He's not shy and if someone tries to hate or tease depending on who they are he either tells them to fuck off or he’s about to beat their face in. When you too are alone I feel like he would be a cuddler too but he would be the big spoon, but he loves to have your hands in his hair. (if his friends found out he's fighting for his life in the GC) again he loves kisses and affection, he's a big softy.

Jealousy wise if he sees someone flirting with you he does the opposite of Bam, he goes straight up to them and tells them to fuck off. Sometimes he has fun with them and plays along like “Yeah he really is hot huh?” and then the person would be like “Yeah wouldn't mind tapping that�� and Ryan would reply “Same, that’s why I do every night” or something like that. He's very protective of you in every shape way and form. He's the one who’s stopping you from doing stunts he thinks are too dangerous.

Bedroom wise he's on top, (I feel like his favorite position is doggy because Mall of Bam just explains it) I can't picture him being bottom unless he tops from bottom but then again he's not full-on bottoming. (he thinks it’ll hurt so he's a pussy and doesn't want to try but if you put your mind to it you probably could convince him) When your “on top” it's you two grinding against each other and you talking good to him while in a heavy make-out session which has him breathy and moaning quietly while he nods and agrees to what you're saying until he has enough and flips y'alls position. During certain activities, he praises you while degrading you but not too harshly other wise he’ll end up feeling bad lol. Let's say you do convince him to “bottom” it's probably you giving him a bj and he's begging you softly to let him finish. Because you don't get him like that often so you take full advantage, (though a dirty fantasy is having him fully submit to you one day)

Chris Raab Himself

Chris would be so chill like he has 100% trust in you, if someone tries to flirt with you he’ll make a joke and be like “Yo dude I had [Y/N] first!” and you too would laugh, he loves hugging you and just randomly grabbing your face to plant one on you. He's not very affectionate but that's because he doesn't know how to lol but he tries (he was the type of kid to bring you a frog because he thought you’d like it) if you wipe out on a stunt or get hurt he’ll help you up and laugh while asking if you're okay but if he sees that you're truly hurting he’ll start to panic a bit.

He doesn't really get jealous he’ll just laugh and probably encourage the person who's trying to flirt with you because he finds it funny.

In the bedroom he is not the top I mean he's small af and how he acts does not give top vibes like he has sm bbg energy it makes me sick. He may not be as loud as bam would be but he does whimper and beg I can tell you that, I feel like he's the type of person to finish early but I also feel like he's the type to cum multiple times. So you’ll tease him seeing how many times you could make him. I feel like he wouldn't be a cuddler (or if he was he wouldn't admit it) but when y'all do he tries to big spoon but obviously that doesn't happen lol, he's very sweet though and gives lots of hugs and kisses to your cheek.

I also think he's vanilla af, but only because he hasn't tried kinkier things so that could be fun to see what he likes

Dico

He's just like a regular guy like idk how to explain lol. He's not kinky at all, he’ll like a heavy make-out session though.

He won't get jealous he's kinda like Raab hell both of them probably would be laughing. He's always joking, but when you two are alone and nothing chaotic is happening you two just lay in bed and talk, little bit of cuddling yk but not too much. I really don't have much more because I see him more as a friend.

[karlachismylife]

Hi hi! It's me again, i love to that i can be here for your beautiful work, now hear me out, what if, we think out of the box and look out of the animals that were familiar with, do you know what i haven't found yet? Mythical and folklore 141, a bunch of tritons falling in love with a surfer? A pack of wendigos that had been hiding until they want to be seen by dear reader? Omg such an abundance of mythical creatures to choose from! I hope it could help a bit, with love and care

~🐰❄️

Hello, love! Thank you so, so much for your kind words and the amount of inspiration you gifted me!!! I'm sorry I respond so late, I was actually thinking about your ask a lot. I wanted to collect some recommendations for you, but realized I actually don't know any fics like that? I somehow felt that I did, but either I forgot and will only remember later, or I made it up. BUT I do have one recommendation! It's not folklore, but I think it can count as mythical? It's this monster!au fic by @brineoffire that is inspired by @bluegiragi 's very famous monster!au (which I also absolutely love and recommend, but I feel like everyone already knows it lol). I also know that @forestshadow-wolf has some yummy kelpie!Soap, which duh, of course kelpie and selkie Soap fics are the finest.

However, this made me realize that I want to make a masterlist of recommendatons! So thank you for pushing me in that direction :3 Also - and that's for everyone - feel free to send recommendations of your own! I'll be happy to read and share! Self-recs are also very very needed!

Coming back to your ask directly, I actually skimmed through it at first and thought you meant tritons as amphibians and was like "hmm why not axolotls?" and then realized you're talking about mermen xD Which are always on top of my list of mythical creatures because I (in case anyone didn't notice yet) LOVE sea. And everything it holds as well. And also mermaid-adjacent oviposition.

By the way, a long time ago I saw this painting (TW!blood and gore, so not putting it here directly) by Sergei Kolesov of a whale-sized mermaid and it has been on my mind ever since, even moreso after I saw the Drowned Giant episode of Love, Death & Robots. What if they actually were of a monstrous size? If a normal, human-sized tritons/mermen with a surfer feel like a fresh, light, summery and full of laughter and sun romance, these abyssal creatures and a whale researcher (stranded in the midst of an expedition, perhaps?) would make for a hauntingly beautiful, thalassophobic story. A tiny human coming to terms with their insignificance in the face of the eternal, bottomless ocean and at the same time learning what's it like, to be loved by the abyss itself - to be cradled in hands as big as their little boat, to look in the huge eyes of a horrifyingly powerful creature and see mirrored reverence. To soothe scars left by something you'd rather not know existed, if it can harm these giants. Size difference who?

Surfer!reader and tritons/mermen of smaller size would be so fun tho. So much space for mischief and playfulness, strong tails flipping the board over, sunscreen smell mingling with salty seaweed. Drifting while you wait for a wave and feeling something brush against your hand submerged in the water - only to get grabbed by your legs next, because someone just can't leave you alone. Getting shells brought to you seemingly by the sea surf if you don't surf on a lazy waves day and stay on the beach, making sand castles. Being the wind to their waves, kissing the sunburns away from their noses, not used to being out of water so much. Making love on the beach and SUFFERING from sand everywhere. Laying on the board on your stomach and kissing the most beautiful creatures surrounding you like curious dolphins or sea otters, heads sticking out of water, scaly fingers in your hair, webbed ears fluttering adorably.

I would actually love to write a selkie story, since they are one of my most favourite sea mythical creatures and I've written multiple fairy tales about them (including a biopunk take, which I am still proud of), but I am SO sure I've seen someone metion that someone's already writing it... I'll put it in my recommendations list 100% when/if I find it. Also plugging this precious thing by @the-shotce-newsletter since I look at the chonky seal Soap almost every day for happiness boost.

(CW! dark themes including cannibalism and such in this paragraph)

I am a little hesitant to touch on the wendigos yet, since I am not sure I have enough cultural knowledge on them and I do not want to add to the harm done by popculture depictions of them, but I am a sucker for intertwining love, lust and cannibalism. Isn't one type of love exactly that - a desire to merge into one whole with your loved one, unable to be separated on atomic level? To consume, devour and celebrate the strength they gave you? Or - to give up yourself completely, to be devoured, to become that strength by burning in an insatiable stomach? What is oral sex if not cannibalism of sorts? The erotisism of letting someone to touch your heart not metaphorically, but quite literally... and the long, drawn-out way leading up to it, coming to terms with the initial horror until it blossoms into sincere desire? That is something to think about.

There's definitely a lot more to dig up in folklore. For example, the legend of Herne the Hunter? The antlers-wearing ghost keeper of Winsdor Forest, that is often linked to Celtic Cernunnos in modern re-tellings? Is reader seeking spiritual liberation in neopaganism, catching attention of the forest spirit in its hunting grounds? Or are they just enjoying the nature, not knowing yet that they're kept safe by a power as old as the oldest trees in this forest? Or! Maybe they're in a world similar to the Robin of Sherwood series (I fucking LOVE that series and I WILL cry every time I hear Clannad's theme song play)? An archer blessed by the Hunter (why not make it four Hunters? there aren't just deers roaming the forests, after all! but if I had to choose one, I'd say it's very Price coded) to fight for what's right?

Or maybe they're trolls? Cave-dwelling brutes, enchanted by your beauty so much that they take the first opportunity to steal your child, replacing it with a changeling, just to have at least some part of you close to them? What will they do though, when they find out that there's so much kindness in you that you're ready to raise the changeling, protecting the innocent troll child from the wrath of your husband that blames you for your newborn's kidnapping? Of course they have to make everything right. And also - take you away from the man that dared to be cruel to you. You'll find out that being a troll princess is much better than it seems.

Somehow I couldn't remember any suitable slavic entity that wouldn't have some already well-used counterpart (like vampires, water or forest spirits - somehow every single other one I recall is a female entity, wow, that's interesting). But I'll think on it. I like the general image of paradise birds with human faces, like Sirin, Alkonost or Gamayun (which are all female. also, I encourage everyone to check out this short animated film about Sirin, I saw it on a short animated film festival and absolutely fell in love, it's a beautiful work of art. english subtitles available!!!). So maybe the boys are of same species? Powerful, prophetic human-birds, capable both of luring anyone and bringing destruction with their voices. And you, coming to learn your destiny from them, or - offering yourself in exchange for salvation of your village. They won't take your life, but they will make you theirs. Every bird needs someone to sing to.

I do like presonifications of winds, too - not from any particular mythilogy, but just in general. After all, it's wind and sun we're caressed by the most in life, isn't it? And there are four of them, so you'll never be lonely, whatever direction breeze blows today. Living somewhere on a hill, where there's always wind rustling in your curtains, playing with your hair and drawing gentle swirls in the dust under your feet. Cool, breezy kisses on your cheeks - or pranks, when they bring a singular pocket-sized cloud to hold over your head and rain specifically on you? Do you dare to learn just how loyal the winds can be?

I think I went a little too serious, solemn and dramatic route with this. Maybe I should look into some little shits that just cause harmless chaos. But I will definitely put pins on every single idea I wrote out here - and everyone is welcome to tell me, which one you find the most interesting, what would you like to read the most; maybe you wanna expand on some of them? Or you have some completely other view on some of them? Everything's welcome! I loved thinking about it. Thank you so much for asking <3

I will also think about other COD characters in such AUs. Heh. My brain looks like a Chritmas tree right now, so many pretty lights glowing. Many tasty thoughts.

A bit of a later addition, but I suddenly remembered the Sandman (Sandmann) legend/stories/interpretation, and I am actually incredibly fascinated with him (I'm a little bit of a Hoffmann fan and I'm not talking about the Saw character for once, even though that's my babygirl too). I love the complicated relationship of humanity with sleep, dreams, nightmares and death he embodies. And honestly the eye imagery always gets me even though I don't think I mastered using it myself. Anyway, I think task force 141 as four different sides of this entity (sweet, calm sleep with nice dreams; insomnia and nightmares; heavy, restless, hot sleep like with fever/just too intense but not bad (potentially sexy) dreams; and finally, the eternal sleep, death) would be an interesting concept, but obviously it would be more fair to seek one of the German/German-speaking at least characters to take on this role. Can't really see König in this, though. But Krueger and Golem don't really strike me as Sandmann material either... and I don't remember any other German speaking guys...

We also have Orla "Banshee" Murphy in game already (one of my hardcore crushes btw, she's so my type), so, like. There's your banshee hahaha. I actually would like to try writing a banshee in special forces... or maybe IRA... they'd make a powerful enemy I think. With her destructive tendencies (I told you she's my type) that would suit her so well.

Also on the topic of my operator crushes (help, I'm really trying to stay on topic here) I am literally obsessed with Raptor (Natalya Orlova). I don't know what folclore entity she could be (well, could always make her Baba Yaga, but I'm afraid I see our little Yaga as too harmless of an entity, all those films I watched in childhood made her too lovable to me), but she would be fucking terrifying. She's from Kamchatka, and I am unfortunately not too well-versed in the mythology there, but my quick research told me that in that region people have a six-legged white bear demon Kochatko - considering that her bio states she single-handedly killed a white bear proving her hunter father wrong, that would honestly be a great ballad of a hero slaying the monster to take its place. Like Schwartz's "Dragon" play, but this time we spin it as a good thing, empowerment and reclaming of identity and shit. I'm already so far in this yapping aren't I.

There are so many other operators from so many regions I am not even remotely familiar with in terms of culture and folklore... so many opportunities... mm...

[vacancy-virtues]

I have an idea! I’m always a total suck for hero x villain stuff, and power dynamics.

So how about this: hero and villain have regularly been fighting each other, and it’s always either ended up in a tie, or with the hero winning and arresting the villain, who escaped soon after.

Lots of banter, etc.

Now, for the first time ever, villain managed to defeat hero, taking them prisoner. They enjoy this immensely, making hero kneel for them, etc. To them it’s just a continuation of their usual dynamic and banter. A bit of payback (and also enjoying the view).

Hero however, is genuinely scared about being at villains mercy, because that never happened before and they don’t know what to expect. Villain enjoys the whole thing right up until they realise hero is genuinely afraid of them, thinking the might hurt or kill them.

(I’m sorry if that is too detailed, I’ve never done this before XD. Feel free to leave out or add whatever you want)

Greetings!

There is no such thing as "too detailed" on this page regarding asks! The more material I have to work with, the more I'll be able to write. 'Twas a brilliant idea, and I hope you enjoy the interpretation I have of it.

Your dutiful writer,

Enjoy <3

XXX

#5- "A Change of Pace

Battles shared semblance to a waltz in which Hero was always the lead. Villain either made it out by the skin on their teeth or had to pitifully look up from their cell at Hero to watch them gloat. They knew it never lasted for long. No matter the cell Hero confined Villain in, they and their crew always found a way to bypass security to scheme another day.

The two had been at one others heels for years, and today seemed just like any other day. Intel was able to intercept a delivery authorization by one of Villains' crew members for a hefty amount of radioactive material. It would be likely Villain would be stationed not too far from the drop zone. It seemed too easy, but it was routine after all.

Hero wasted no time in setting up their stake-out by the time the trucks were arriving at the drop point. They remained tucked atop a rooftop behind a vent exhaust. Through their binoculars, they scanned the various windows among the city buildings. Some aglow with warm lights contrasting the cool luminescence of the street lights below. The radio communications of their ear piece were distorted, but their radiation detector hadn't been going off from their position.

"Isn't it just a lovely view?"

As Hero twisted their body to meet the source of the voice, they stopped upon hearing the sound of a rotating chamber and the sight of Villain holding a gun towards them. Their composure was collected and calm, which wasn't much different than their usual cockiness. It was a surprise, sure, but it didn't matter they were up there. It wasn't like they hadn't given each other a few black eyes and split lips, so if Hero needed to fight this one out, they could manage until back-up came.

"Well, a second ago yes, but now I'm not so sure." Hero said, raising their hands up slowly.

"Oh, surely you don't mean that Hero," Villain jutted their gun up briefly, gesturing Hero to stand, which they did. "Deep down you know you love our little ren-dez-vous~"

Hero glanced behind them, hearing the sound of barreling trucks down the alleyways. The familiar smug grin which quirked the corner of Villains' lips, caught Heros eye and they shrugged their shoulders a little, returning a grin.

"Look, I get that you're toxic, but this is taking it a little too far, Villain."

"Well, thats rude," Villain took a step forward, gun still locked on the other just as their eyes were. "But I have no idea what you're talking about. Turn around, take a look."

Villains tone made Heros stomach twitch in discomfort. It didn't help how intently they held their gun either, but at least after all these years they picked up a thing or two from Hero; one being the proper way to hold a gun so someone can't kick it from your grasp.

The other being Villain finally learned was to have the upper hand. With visible hesitance, Hero picked up their binoculars to better see the drop sight. It was to their horror to see Villains crew pulling tarps off the covered back, revealing no cargo in any of the vehicles. No crates. No sacks or odd-glowing tubes. When they looked to Villain again, several red dots littered Hero's body, and the panic started to sink in a bit.

"But, Intel-"

"Discovered plans of a radium delivery?" Villain sighed, feigning a heartbroken look. "Hero, I thought you surely knew by now after how long its been,"

From within the scarf Villain wore around their neck, they pulled up a respirator. Heros mind was racing. What was it they could have missed? The exact location, parameter setting, time, and plate numbers were all there. Their eyes fell, and Villain paused for a moment to sigh before nudging the gun just below their chin to raise their head.

"I don't do business on my birthday."

Villain lifted their mask, and Hero heard something click onto the pavement. A purple plume of smoke enveloped the two. Their mind was grew hazy, and their limbs got heavy. Hero blinked, and next they realized it, they were on the ground.

"It doesn't make any sense.." Hero managed out, pulling themselves back towards the ledge the best they could.

"One of your little bugs missed the cancellation call I put in. None of you realized it, and I saw... an opportunity." Villain knelt down in front of them, a hand snaking through Heros locks only to pull it sharply upwards.

"If you don't work..." Hero hissed out, trying to intake some of untainted air. "Then what is this?"

Villain could only smile as they leaned in, tapping the end of the gun against Heros chin. They moved in slowly, or that is what they assumed. Everything moved a half-second behind and was only increasing in increments as Hero was exposed to the smoke bomb.

"Pleasure." Villain all but purred near their ear.

With a sharp yank, Hero went hurdling into the wafts of smoke. It scorched their throat before it burned their lungs. One ear, they could hear the hiss of the static from the earbud. In the other, the hiss of the spraying smoke bomb. Hero could hardly make out what went wrong, especially in the state they were in now. They at least knew there was no Intel to call out to, and no back-up coming for them.

As Heros vision faded, the last thing they saw was Villain kneeling atop of them with a satisfied smile behind the respirator. For the first time in however long Villain and Hero had been at it, Hero was bested. Despite the incapacitated state, there was a growing fear of what Villain had in store after all these years.

+++

When Hero awoke, it took a while to absorb their surroundings. The windows were bright but not because of light but because of the heavy fall of snow outside. Hero laid atop a deep red, ornate rug set in front of the large fireplace with stone inlays of various colors. The hearth was aglow with a roaring fire which lit up the inside of the cabin.

As their eyes focused on the walls, it was a nauseating realization that there were no portraits on the wall but various mounted animals. All walks of the food chain, from wolves and hawks to sheep and deer, decorated the walls.

In attempts to sit up, Hero realized they were bound. While yes, it wasn't like they would be free range at all, but Hero thought it excessive to bind not only their ankles to their wrists, but to bind both to a rope around their neck to prevent further struggle. Hero waited a moment to let their senses come back to them and not be embarrassed over being hog-tied on a cabin floor surrounded by dead animals.

It didn't take long to hear the thud of boots crossing the wood and softening on the carpet in front of them. As slow as they were, it didn't compare to the steady rise in heart rate Hero felt. Just because Villain had been caught in the past or had plans interrupted didn't mean they couldn't have still worked on something Hero missed somehow. Obviously, a cabin in the middle of nowhere was one of those plans.

"Oh, look at you, a bow and everything..." Villain cooed, slipping three fingers under the rope around their neck to hoist them up on their knees. They adjusted the ropes behind Hero, which loosened the pressure on their neck only slightly.

A dark apron covered Villains shirt, and their hands were poorly washed of blood from whatever it was they were doing in the kitchen. The side-effects from the smoke bomb kept their limbs weighed down like lead, and their head pounded with questions. Luckily, Villain was prompt to handle the latter.

"Do you like it? The cabin?"

"This all seems a bit.. primitive." Hero drowsily responded.

"Call me old-fashioned, I suppose. The snowstorm outside makes it impossible for your team to scope out in terrain recon or aerial surveillance, and you'll surely die out there if you try to escape."

There was a brief moment Hero felt the urge to try at an escape, yet with the upward motion, strain was put on their throat. With a strangled gasp, Hero was forced to settle back on their knees. All the while, Villain circled their victim like a shark in water, footfalls slow and deliberate before they knelt in front of Hero, their lips curled into that damned dastardly smile.

"And far away from anyone who may hear you scream. Unlike my crew, no one is coming for you, Hero."

From Villains hip, a long blade with a pronounced gut hook at the end and a dark leather handle came into view. They've had their shoot-outs, but they knew the two missed each other on purpose (most times). They've had their brawls but still left the other standing to fight another day. However, this was a new leverage Villain had, and it wasn't the heat of the fireplace making Hero perspire. It was pure fear, and it reflected back to them in the blade of the knife.

"Do you know how long I've waited for this?" Villain began, bringing the edge of the blade dangerously close to their throat. "To have you humiliated before me? I've spent years dreaming of how I'd have you at my feet, begging for your life to an unanswering god."

The spark behind Villains eyes made Heros blood run cold. They'd never seen Villain like this before. The bindings around their wrists and ankles offered no give, and any shift of their current position threatened to weigh on their windpipe. The blade edge was sharp enough to cause a paper cut-like string on their neck. So many things went wrong that Hero felt out of depth with what to do and what to expect from Villain.

"P-please.." Was all Hero managed, their voice raspy from the smoke and barely a whisper.

"Please?" Villain echoed in daunting amusement. "Oh, Hero, how the mighty do fall!"

The laugh that echoed in the room felt closer to derangement, and Hero visibly flinched at the volume. Before they knew it, a burn stung their eyes, and their vision blurred and skewed the sight of Villain with fat, hot tears.

Something about the reaction shot down Villain from their victory high. Here, they thought they'd be able to rub their success in their face, to finally show Hero what it was like to seep in their own failures. They thought the victory would be sweet, yet the sight of the true fear Hero held in their eyes left a bitter taste in Villains' mouth. Even with how long they'd been doing this, Villain never truly feared Hero.

Villain had never seen this side of Hero before.

The hook of the blade near Heros throat snugged itself under the rope before it was severed completely. Hero let go of a breath they didn't realize they were holding. After a moment, Hero watched as Villain stood and took off their apron, revealing a crisp white button up and fine dress pants.

"Get up."

"W... what?" They stammered out. With the rope now cut, the restraints seemingly fell apart as Hero moved their wrists.

"Dinner is going to be ready soon, and I figure you'd want to change." Villain said as they casually rolled their sleeves up.

As if they weren't confused before, they just stared at the other in awe and disbelief at the sudden change of heart to cut Hero loose.

"What.. You're not going to kill me..?"

"Not yet, no. I told you I don't do business on my birthday." There was a pause. "Even a belated one. It did take a couple days to get out here."

"Then.." Hero looked about the cabin, the attire, the undeniable smell of something cooking in the kitchen. "You kidnapped me to have dinner?"

There was a flash of that damned grin and an innocent shrug of the shoulders.

"Ah, a birthday dinner, and it's not like you would have made reservations. I mean, you hardly remembered! And you never have a day off, so I simply took matters into my own hands when the opportunity saw fit." Villain held a hand out to Hero, which they hesitantly took.

Hero still hadn't quite moved past the concept they thought they'd be gutted and stuffed a moment ago. The hand which took Heros pulled them close, another arm wrapping about their waist. The cologne Villain wore was subtle, but enough to bring a bit of ease in their shoulders.

"It's quiet here, and warm and away from everything and everyone.. no cameras or recorders, just us.." Villain said, their voice gentle. "Tomorrow you can stumble upon the ski mobile in the garage and be gone before the suns up, and that'd be fine just.. can we have tonight?"

Hero pulled back a bit to look up at Villain with surprise and perplexity. Yet, the look Villain wore resembled closer to remorse than anything. Villains hand gingerly cupped their jaw, a thumb caressing over their cheek. They'd been doing this for years after all, perhaps they did need a change of pace.

"Okay, Villain.." Hero said before the relief allowed a smile of their own to cross their lips. "It's only fair for forgetting such an important holiday."

"I'm glad you can see reason," Villain teased before their expression softened and pulled Hero back into their arms. "And.. I'm sorry for scaring you for you to see that."

The words held Hero like Villains arms did. With a soft sigh, Hero shook their head against their shoulder. At least now, there would be no way to underestimate Villain.

"Maybe I needed my life threatened to convince me that a break won't be what kills me." Hero quipped.

The air had lightened, and the dinner Villain carefully prepared for them was decadent and filling. The drink warmed them from the inside, and when they went to bed, their bodies did an even better job at fighting the cold off together. When the morning came and the light streamed in through the window, Villain was surprised to feel the weight of Hero still on their bare chest.

"You're still here.." Villain said, not quite as a question but more in surprise.

"Mm... it's too cold to go out..." Hero muttered, still not quite awake.

Villain smiled and pulled the blankets over them more, nuzzling contently into Heros hair. The snowfall had long since stopped, leaving glistening icicles to catch the sunlight outside the window.

"I know.." A soft kiss fell on Heros head.

Hero looked up at them with bleary eyes, barely able to process the fact Villain even planned that, before they gave a defeated smile and rested back on Villains chest.

"Happy birthday, Villain."

With a gentle kiss, the two shared the quiet morning together, wrapped up in one another until Villain found themselves lulled back to sleep by Heros calm breathing.

[topaz-witch-tea]

I know I already comment on the ao3 page, but like, I can't shut up about the new fic!!!! Mimi as usual is the best pet ever!! Like, Yas, Slay Queen!!! 😍😍🥰🥰 She maybe gentle and fluffy and adorable, but if you hurt her cub, or when she's out for your blood, then you better RUN!!

Oooh, this reminds me when you said Jing Yuan sulk when Yanqing became Mimi's fave, do you have any HC like this??? Like, I imagine Jing Yuan can't decide if he should be jealous that Mimi prefer to be with Yanqing more, or if he should be jealous that Yanqing prefer Mimi's cuddle than his XD

Thank you!!! Mimi is adorable and I’ve been wanting to write about Mimi for so long. She’s so cute and she adores her family so much!!!

Jing Yuan has spent so long being Mimi’s favorite that he isn’t sure how to cope with not being her favorite anymore. She would welcome him home every day and sit patiently by his side at the dinner table. Now, Mimi spent her days by Yanqing’s side. Sometimes she’ll go to Baiheng’s place when Yanqing is taken there and play with him there. Other times, she’ll wait for him to come back in the early afternoon. At dinner, she’ll enjoy her meal next to Yanqing’s high chair and follow him around until it is bedtime. If Jing Yuan wants Mimi’s attention, he’ll either have to call her or go to her. She will not leave of her own volition.

Yanqing also adores Mimi. Babies adore fluffy animals and Yanqing is no exception. Mimi was soft and attentive and can quickly pick up when Yanqing is going to cry, making it easy for her to soothe any temper tantrums. Sometimes, she’ll stick her nose in between the bars of the crib so Yanqing can know that she is there with him in the middle of the night. If Yanqing is sitting on the ground, sofa, or his parent’s bed, Mimi will jump lay her face on Yanqing’s lap and poke him in the stomach with her cold nose. This is a bit sad for Jing Yuan since Yanqing used to love curling up in his dad’s arm since his dad was always warm.

Jing Yuan starts sulking because he is no longer welcomed home by his fluffy cat nor is he sought out for hugs. It breaks his heart a bit when Yanqing crawls to Mimi for hugs instead of him or when Mimi ignores him entirely to join Yanqing. He does curl up in bed and doesn’t talk to anyone until his husbands start inquiring why he was in such a somber mood. He does the childish thing where he doesn’t say anything and instead just hugs his pillow and turn towards the wall. He feels guilty and a bit childish for being jealous of his pet and child. It reminds him of when he was younger and Yingxing and Dan Feng preferred the company of each other to him.

Yingxing manages to pry him out of his stupor with relentless teasing. Dan Feng on the other hand, is incredibly amused by it. With the little bit of prodding, Jing Yuan spills the whole thing while clutching his pillow. It remind Dan Feng and Yingxing about when Jing Yuan was younger and would look like a sad cat fished out of the river when he sullked. They found the whole thing terribly amusing and while no one was willing to pry Yanqing away from his new found friend, they did give Jing Yuan lots of cuddles to make up for it.

I always imagine him as someone who enjoy physical contact. He loves to pet and pick up Mimi. He prefers to carry Yanqing around rather than put him in a carrier. Yanqing still loves being picked up by JIng Yuan and he finds him warm and comfortable but Mimi is much quicker and shorter, so it’s much easier for Yanqing to reach her.

Thank you for the ask! I really enjoyed answering it! It was so, so CUTE!!!

[quitealotofsodapop]

[Someone jokes that Macaque has developed a mega beer belly and Mac just starts crying cus of hormones. Someone gets punched.]

Was it one of the other SWKs XD ? Either them or Hunstman.

But how would the others (fam and dimensional) react to discovering this particular baby is the reincarnation of the demon that was really close to destroying the world and remaking it in her image? Like, the double take has to be legendary.

Oh it was def Huntsman who made the "beer belly" comment. He has no filter. SWK was the one who punched him, cus of shared hormones with Mac. Then the other spiders smack Huntsy on the back of the head for good measure. Sandy has to physically lift his mans out of there before they try returning him to Diyu with the receipt. Huntsman apologized via hand-woven silk baby blankets.

Whilst the parents knew from the beginning that LBD has reincarnated into their daughter (they were there obs), most of the fam hear about "Yuebei = Reincarnated LBD" from gossip or hearsay. Also the Mayor equally has no filter - he walks straight up to Macaque with an armful of baby shower gifts and waves at his stomach like; "Hello, my lady! Enjoying your new accommodations?". The friends and fam present are like "Lol what?" and SWK and Mac just decide to spill the beans.

The adults are initally freaked out ("So are we talking... fresh slate? Or is she gonna come out with the creepy whispering and bone mechs?"), but once it becomes clear that Yuebei won't have the memories or mind of her previous incarnation, the adults all sigh and just chalk it up to weird reincarnation nonsense. Pigsy expresses how he feels sorry for the kid, as he too reincarnated from a jerk (Zhu Bajie).

The kids freak out a little more. You know already how badly MK and Bai He takes the situation. Nezha ends up being the voice of reason; pointing out tha he himself is a demonic reincarnation and he can't remember squat about who his soul used to inhabit. It takes the kids a lot longer to be cool with the "Baby sister might be the Devil" situation.

As for the Wukongverse? It's a mixed bag. Under read more for spoilers

LMK Shadowpeach: *explaining what happened when they went to Diyu to sort out unrelated undead stuff* LMK!Mac: "So yeah, our unborn daughter is the reincarnation of the Bone Demon that tried to destroy all of the Mortal Realm and remake it in her image." The rest of the SWKs and LEMs: O_O? x_O? HeroIsBack!SWK: "How did that happen??? I thought reincarnation was completely random." LMK!SWK, eating peach chips: "We were planning on more kids. What remained of LBD's soul was sorta hanging around the bridge in Diyu. The gods laughed. Simple really." NewGods!SWK: "And here I thought gods getting reborn as mortals was irony." Reborn!SWK: "I pray that your enemy will be born knowing that they will be loved in this lifetime." LMK!Mac, tearing up: "Aww... thats actually really sweet of you to say-" 2000sCartoon!SWK, interupting: "Because if they turn out to be evil, we wont hesistate to bury them!" :3 LMK!Shadowpeach: *hormonal crying. The other monkeys jump to comfort them* HeroIsBack!LEM, comforting his LMK counterpart: "Annnd you ruined the moment Ganzhe." 2000sCartoon!SWK: "But it's true! We all thought it!" Netflix!SWK: "You don't say it to the parents!" Netflix!LEM: "I think it'd be hilarious if the kid turned out like her old self. Like the 10 Kings saying She's your problem now." NewGods!LEM: "Don't be so sure about that. We don't know what the Bone Demon was like as a kid. Could have been stuff she saw as an adult that messed her up. Either way it's gonna be hard for her to be a villain when she can't even stay awake for more that two hours." Smash SWK & LEM: *weren't even paying attention, they blanked out after the pregnancy talk started* "Wait... whats this about a ghost baby?" "I think one of their kids is like... a shiny pokemon or something" Meihouwang SWK & LEM: *were paying attention, but are very confused* "???"

Its all very frustrating for LMK Shadowpeach.

[dandelion-wings]

Hello!! Could you do sayu or amber for the whump prompt thing? As for the prompt it doesnt really matter to me what you choose, as long as i get to see suffering :D

Thank you for the ask! :> I chose Amber because I'm more comfortable writing her when I don't have twenty wiki tags open (the first third of this was written on my phone), and as is traditional when told to choose a prompt I used a randomizer, which got me, "23 - Fever, passing out, “Hey?! Stay with me, okay?!”"

It's honestly not that whumpy because fever just isn't, for me, and to add to that it's very difficult for me to whump Amber. I don't like breaking down really cheerful characters too much. XD;; But hopefully it works as hurt/comfort, at least!

---

Amber knows she shouldn't have taken this mission.

She was a little stuffed up already when she and the Reconnaissance Company returned from escorting that caravan to Liyue Harbor. This morning she'd woken more congested, and tired, and dizzy when she first rose.

But the dizziness had passed by the time she got to the Ordo, and then Sir Kaeya said, *"Don't you think that's a little too arduous for our Outrider? She just came back from a long trek, after all,"* and Master Jean smiled at Amber and said, *"Have more confidence in her, Kaeya. I know she's capable,"* and Amber had been determined to prove her right and him wrong.

Now she's crouched high on a cliff in Dadaupa Gorge, looking down on the Eclipse Tribe's encampment and resentfully wishing that Master Jean had agreed with Kaeya, just this once.

On top of her streaming nose, her throat feels like it's been scraped raw, and her stomach roils with nausea. Worse yet, though, is the growing ache in her joints and weakness in her muscles. It had taken far too much effort to clamber up the cliff, and she'd collapsed in a heap at the top. She doesn't know what to do if the hilichurls examining her tracks at the bottom realize where she's gone.

Amber doesn't *leave* tracks. She's a far better Outrider than that. All her skills, though, are no match for the dizziness, which had returned with a vengeance and sent her stumbling into a bush, hence drawing the hilichurls' attention.

The only upside is that at least she's confirmed what she was sent to investigate. The hilichurl fighters at the base of the cliff have masks painted with the marks of all three tribes in the Gorge, not just the Eclipse Tribe alone. Just as suspected, the tribes have joined forces.

Which means there's an Abyss Mage somewhere around. Amber squints towards the high, raised hut at the back of the encampment. Since she can't see a Mage out in the center, giving orders, that must be where it's holding court.

Should she try to glide down behind it, out of sight, and see what she can learn? Amber doesn't know a lot of hilichurlian, but Lisa suggested once that learning some would help her scout, so she's paged through Ella Musk's notes. And if she can get a good look, sometimes Kaeya can figure out more of a Mage's plan from what rituals it's doing and how the hilichurls react to it--though he won't *teach* Amber any of that, because he's a jerk.

It's worth trying, Amber decides. The hilichurls at the base of the cliff are spreading out to either side, still searching for her on the ground rather than thinking to look up. The shakiness she'd felt when she first got up here is finally fading. Staying low so she can't be seen from the ground, Amber starts to crawl along the curved top of the cliff.

Which is when the Abyss Mage makes its appearance, directly beside her. It points and shrieks in hilichurlian. The hilichurls below take up the cry, rushing around the foot of the cliff to its lower end.

Now that she's been revealed, there's no point in staying low any longer. Amber scrambles to her feet and breaks into a run--or tries to. The dizziness sweeps through her again, and she stumbles, staggering across the grass at far too slow a speed. The Mage vanishes from behind her and pops up ahead, between her and the bushes she'd been aiming for, laughing mockingly.

This one is a Cryo Mage, pale blue and white. Its look and laughter reminds her, not for the first time, of Kaeya's furry ruff and condescending chuckle. Except Kaeya, jerk or not, never sounds so cruel.

Amber starts to veer off course, away from it, then stops as a thought forces its way through her stuffed head. It's a *Cryo* Mage.

Taking as deep a breath as her raw throat will let her, Amber reaches into the pouch at her side and pulls out a Baron Bunny. It expands to full size in her hand as she sends Pyro surging through the alchemical array Albedo had laid into it, as he does all of her replica Bunnies. She hurls it down the slope towards the slowly-ascending hilichurls, then turns back to the Mage as she nocks an arrow to her bow.

Another surge of Pyro lights its tip, and she lets it fly. The Mage, seeing it going wide, drifts a little sideways, cackling even more nastily, but doesn't pop away. Amber's face burns at its rude jeers.

So do the bushes behind it, when the arrow goes flying through their branches.

The Mage shrieks in fury and surprise as it's caught in the conflagration. Amber looses another arrow as its shield pops, pinning it to the ground. Then, as the Baron Bunny explodes behind her, she flings herself down and rolls down the slope, past the disoriented hilichurls, towards the low edge that rises from the center of the Gorge.

Most of the way there she catches up on a rock. Amber takes a deep breath--her chest burning with the effort of it--shoves herself to her feet, scrambles up the rock, and, as she hops clumsily off it, yanks the pullcord of her glider. Then she's in the air.

No amount of dizziness can make her clumsy when she's gliding. Amber aims for a thick stand of trees, loops wide around it, then veers into it as soon as she's sure she's out of sight. She aims for the tallest, broadest pine and pulls the cord again at just the right moment to avoid being tangled in the branches.

There's an alarming moment where Amber grabs at a branch and feels the same shakiness in her arms that had afflicted her at the top of the cliff. She manages to haul herself over it, though, and then, breathing shallowly and moving slowly to avoid any sound, creeps up against the trunk.

Leaning back against the treetrunk with her legs pulled up in front of her, Amber presses her nose to her knees to further muffle her stuffy breathing, closes her eyes, and listens. The hilichurls, recovering, come charging up to the stand of trees and then past it, waving clubs and yelling to each other as they go. The sound of them brushing through the grass fades away.

She stays still and silent. A moment later, there's the *pop* of a Mage appearing at the center of the stand. It hisses softly to itself, incantation or imprecation, and a chill floats upwards as it presumably bobs around amid the trees. Ice crackles and branches rustle violently as icicles stab through a couple bushes, and then, thankfully, the Mage pops away again.

Amber hadn't been certain. Not completely. But her gamble had paid off. It seems that even Abyss Mages don't look up.

This close to their camp, with the hilichurls riled, she can't take off right away. The hilichurls and Cryo Mage might have moved on, but she can hear the distant shouts of others joining the search, and the Mage is clever enough to set up an ambush along the easiest routes back to Mondstadt. Amber will need another route, and she'll need cover before she takes it.

It's only a couple of hours until dark. She'll have to scale the cliff nearby, which will make her visible to archers until then, but Amber did get a look at the ground from the top before the Mage appeared. She can visualize a route up to Dragonspine that will take her to the Adventurer's Guild camp at the base. As long as she times it right, she has a way out.

Until then, the best thing to do is rest, so that she'll be in physical shape to make that climb in silence. She can't let some dizzy moment give her away again. Amber readjusts her position on the branch to be a little more secure, then settles in to rest.

---

At some point she starts to fall asleep. She realizes only as she's halfway through falling out of the tree, waking at the sudden swooping motion. Instinct has her grabbing for a handhold; training and long habit let her get one, finding a knot and jerking to a stop before she falls noisily into the bushes below. She does squeak in surprise, then bites her tongue.

It's twilight, nearly nightfall. Amber hangs there for a moment, her arm aching, to be sure no hilichurl or Mage has noticed the squeak and might come to investigate. Then she pulls herself back up. It isn't just her arm that aches; all of her muscles feel sore, though she hasn't been pushing herself that hard, and there's a sharp ache in her joints. Her stuffed head aches, too, and her throat burns when she opens her mouth to draw more breath than she can through her nose. Worst of all, she's hot enough to have sweated through her clothes, and now the growing evening breeze feels bitterly cold. She's shivering violently.

*Stupid* of her. Amber feels tears sting her eyes. She knows better than to use Pyro when she's sick! Now she has a fever, and it's her own fault.

Which doesn't change that she has to make an escape. It only means that it's more urgent. Her shivering is bad enough that she doesn't think she could accurately aim if she got into a fight, and she'll be slowed down if she has to run on foot. Until she's someplace she can glide from, stealth is her only option.

Amber clings to the tree trunk, no longer trusting her perch, and waits for it to get fully dark. As the twilight dims, torches are lit in the hilichurl camp, their flickering visible above the pointed tips of the palisades at the front. None glow in the commanding hut the Cryo Mage would have claimed, which suggests it's still there.

Suggests, but doesn't guarantee. Mages are tricky, nasty creatures. Amber will have to keep a sharp eye out.

Once it's fully dark, she slowly, carefully lets herself down from the tree. She can already feel that alarming shakiness by the time she reaches the bottom. Climbing the cliff is out. That means going around, which is going to expose her longer--but at least there's bushes along the base of the cliff that will give her more cover, as long as she doesn't trip over them again.

Determined not to repeat her mistakes, Amber sets out.

She creeps along the base of the cliff, one hand on the stone to keep her steady, going slow and careful around the bushes. For all her efforts, they rustle a little when she brushes them. Amber pauses each time and holds her breath until she's certain there's no alarm.

Once she reaches the place where the base of the cliff meats the ground she crouches down, still going slow, making sure she's not right on the edge where she's visible, and makes her way up. There's a cluster of torches ahead, right on the edge, a group of hilichurls looking down--keeping an eye out in case she'd decided to try and make a break across the ground below for the road that leads up to the Forgotten Sword Cemetery.

Fortunately, that watch is focused that way, though a couple of them have gotten distracted and are chatting with each other instead of looking out. Amber crouches lower and goes wide around them. There's a large rock at their backs that's well out of her way, but makes for excellent cover.

When she's beyond it, and hopefully beyond their sight, she straightens up. The shift sends a wave of vertigo through her, and she sways, staggering. Maybe it's the movement that catches one's eye; maybe it was just looking that way already, and would have seen her no matter what. Either way, it shouts to its comrades, and suddenly Amber is once again being charged by a gang of hilichurls.

She breaks into a stumbling run, her balance wavering, her head pounding with every step. The hilichurls are close behind her and gaining. There's no way she can escape in this state, nearly tripping twice, catching herself both times but slow and getting slower-

The little rock comes out of nowhere. Amber's foot hits it and her ankle turns; she falls, collapsing to the ground, and struggles to roll and face the hilichurls. She fumbles for a Baron Bunny and manages to pull it out of its pouch, but it falls from her hands as she expands it, far too close. Amber tries to scoot backwards as it begins to dance.

Charging in, the hilichurls strike at it with clubs, some blazing. Amber scrambles back further on her bottom, almost clear of its blast radius--and then someone else comes charging in from behind her, swinging a blazing blade. "Get outta here!" Bennett yells, just as the hilichurl he's aiming at falls forward, stumbling into the Baron Bunny, and Bennett comes down perfectly on both of them.

Baron Bunny explodes, flinging Bennett back. He lands on Amber, shielding her from the worst of the heat, though she feels her headband flare into flames and pats it hastily out. Groaning, he pushes himself up off her lap and springs back to his feet.

"Ow... don't worry! I've got this!" he adds, irrepressible as always, and leaps into the air. As he slams back down, a flickering red field spreads out from his landing point, catching Amber in its aegis.

"Don't," Amber yelps, too late, as the wave of Pyro energy washes over her. She can feel her sinuses clear in a sharp flare of pain, like eating a Jueyun Chili, and some of the ache rises from her joints, while the cold night air is replaced by enveloping warmth and her shivering abruptly stops. The flush of heat rolling through her, though, is ominous. Pyro healing is no better for fevers than Pyro use.

She tries to get to her feet and fails. The world is swimming in front of her, the vertigo all the worse despite the release of pressure in her ears. 'Up' and 'down' feel as wavery as Bennett in the Inspiration Field's light, beating off the hilichurls.

He manages that, at least, turning a few to smoke and shadow and sending the rest fleeing for the camp. He turns to Amber with a grin that fades in time with his Inspiration Field, then sheathes his sword and drops down to one knee behind her.

"Aww, man, you don't look too good." He reaches out to put a hand on her forehead, and his expression falls further. "You're burning up! Sorry, I didn't mean to get you caught up in my bad luck."

"It's not your fault," Amber manages, the words coming out thick and slow. There's a growing haze over her thoughts, and she feels like the world is tipping around her. "But we've got to get out of here. There's more hilichurls, and a Cryo Mage."

"Okay! We aren't far from the camp, I just got a little lost tonight getting there... but I'll get you there for sure! My bad luck has already been your good luck once, right? Sort of, anyway."

"It definitely was," Amber tells him, more stoutly than she feels, and lets him pull her to her feet.

Getting her upright takes more effort than she'd expected, or thinks Bennett had expected, either, and once she's up she sways so much that he immediately puts his shoulder under hers and his arm around her back. Step-by-step they make their way up the hill. At least Bennett seems to understand the need for silence.

Amber tries to keep an eye out for cover, pointing or nudging Bennett that way when she can. But it's getting harder, her vision going narrow, swimming like her eyes are full of tears. She's sweating again, and shivering despite the warmth of Bennett's body pressed against hers. He stops at one point and lowers her to a rock, pulling out a cracked waterbottle and pressing the few gulps left below the crack on her. All it does is make her stomach roll, but Amber swallows down the nausea and doesn't tell him that.

Behind them, the hilichurls are out in force, hunting them again. Amber flinches at every gust of cold wind, afraid that it will be the Cryo Mage again. Bennett is a good person to be with if it shows up, at least, but she still doesn't want him to have to fight it alone, while she can't do anything but helplessly watch.

"They're getting closer," Bennett says, and Amber blinks the haze from her eyes and realizes that they're reaching Dragonspine's base, right where the snow starts. "We're gonna be really obvious on this snow, and the camp's still really far away. But there's a cave here! Will you be okay if we hide out for a while? There's no room for a fire or anything, but-"

It's just like what she'd done with the tree: take cover and wait until the searchers pass by. "If it's hidden enough," Amber manages, dredging up words, and lets Bennett shove her into the cave--more of a crack, but with a sharp enough turn that it is, indeed, hidden--without complaint.

He clambers in too, scrunching up in front of her, his back to her and his sword drawn as he faces out. Amber can't resist the urge to lean into his body heat. She's still drenched in sweat, and they're high enough for Dragonspine's Sheer Cold to permeate into the crack, so still shivering. Her mouth is dry, her tongue feels thick, and her head hurts tremendously. Bennett doesn't complain when she leans her forehead against his back.

She wants Baron Bunny. Her original Baron Bunny, the one her grandpa gave her, not one of the alchemical substitutes she carries for combat. Eula would be nice too, or Master Jean, or even Kaeya... but mostly she wants her bunny here to hug.

Or her grandpa, but even with her thoughts this muggy, Amber knows she can't have him. The sense of loss at the thought of him is too sharp, piercing right through the feverish clouds.

"Shhhh," Bennett hisses.

Amber realizes with some shame that she's been whimpering. She puts her hand over her mouth and curls in on herself, away from his warmth, a little huddled shivering ball.

It feels like forever that they're cramped in there, and yet it also feels like no time at all. Amber can't track time properly any longer. She's just floating in a grey haze of misery, cold and grief and aching joints and rawness all down her throat, trying not to cry. Eventually Bennett moves, twisting about, making a little noise when he knicks himself on his sword in the cramped space, and conscientiously putting it away before he takes her hands to pull her out.

"You're really, really hot," he tells her. His voice sounds like it's coming from underwater, and the worry in his tone means nothing, failing to percolate through alongside the words. "Can you walk? Here, don't worry, I've got you."

She tries to help, she really does. But her own stumbling only makes Bennett trip himself. He crouches down and pulls her onto his back, like she would for Klee, then straightens with effort and starts slow and steady up the hill. Amber leans forward to help him balance his weight as best he can and tries not to cry. Even this foggy, she burns as much with shame as she does with the fever.

Her head bows further, until her face is squished into his shoulder, and she doesn't remember the rest of the trip to the camp.

---

Agitation and shouting wake her halfway, and she flails for her Baron Bunny pouch as something grabs her. She can't seem to get the button unhooked, though, and there's a deep voice rumbling in her ear, telling her to hold still.

"It's okay!" Bennett says from somewhere, though she can't quite track his voice. "It's just Orban. He's gonna let you use his tent, and Iris is sending someone to get the Knights and a healer."

"Stay with us, okay?" says another voice, an older woman, authoritative and calm.

Amber is shivering violently, though she isn't sweating any longer; her skin feels puffy and warm, and her mouth is dry as a desert. "Water," she mumbles as she's set down on some soft surface.

"I'll get you some!"

Someone lays a blanket over her, and tucks it firmly around her when she tries to throw it off. Cocooned, Amber finds herself too weak to wriggle free. She can see only glimpses of her surroundings, the tent dark and everyone in it only blurry, hovering shapes. Bennett is obvious, though, with his sudden jerky movement and his "ow" as he trips over something coming back in, and he crouches down and gives Amber a trickle of water from the same cracked waterbottle as before. She can feel drips from the crack running down the side of her face and over her ear as she gulps greedily at the water.

"I really messed her up, didn't I?" Bennett says, worried and distant and hollow, when he straightens. The two adults in the room make soothing murmurs.

"'t wasn't you," Amber mumbles, "I used Pyro, before-" and then 'before' tumbles into her head with stunning clarity, and she fights fruitlessly again against the blankets she's been swaddled in. "I have to report- the hilichurl tribes teamed up, and there's a Cryo Mage...."

"Bennett told me about the Mage," the woman says. "Plauen will let the Knights know."

"There's also the hilichurls! Someone has to tell them about the hilichurls."

"I'll send someone else after them. They can inform the Guild, too."

Amber struggles a few more times to get up, because she needs to go, she *needs* to--a secondhand report from the adventurers might not be enough. "Can't you just take me? I know someone will have to carry me, I'm sorry, but I need to report."

"You *need* to rest," the woman says, in a tone that brooks no argument. Amber falls back and chokes on a sob, exhausted and dizzied just from the effort of trying to get up. She's bitterly aware that the woman is right.

For a long while she drifts in and out, the dark chill of the tent and the looming shapes of worried adventurers and the whistle of Dragonspine's wind outside, while Amber simultaneously shivers and burns. The shapes turn into monstrous ones, looming hilichurls and Mages and Heralds, and she whimpers until someone comes close and says something to her to remind her that her human again. She falls asleep for a while, or something like sleep, tossing in the tight-wrapped blankets they've piled over her. When she wakes she feels light-headed and dizzy and isn't sure where she is.

"Grandpa?" she whispers into the dark, feeling very small and alone.

A slight pause and then, "Yes," says someone with a deep rumbling voice, too deep to be her grandfather's, and puts a hand over hers that's too large and has the wrong calluses, and Amber cries until she falls asleep again because the piercing loss is back even though she can't recall why, grief without an anchor.

When she wakes again it's to a sweet dandelion scent and entirely different hands holding hers, likewise callused and strong but too slender and elegant to be her grandfather's, or that other man's. Amber opens her eyes and Jean's face, drawn with worry, swims into view.

"Oh, thank Barbatos," Jean breathes, and lets go of her hands to check her forehead. "You're still warm, but not as badly. You were burning up, and barely breathing. I was afraid...."

"Did the adventurers tell you about the Mage? And the hilichurls?"

"They did. Kaeya told me he would investigate further himself. I should have listened to him in the first place," Jean says, guilt in her eyes. "Eula reported that most of her company was ill, herself included. If I'd only given you a day off before sending you to scout, we would have known you were ill, and I could have sent him without putting you at risk first."

"Kaeya would probably goof off too much to scout properly, anyway," Amber reflexively retorts. She starts to sit up and has to catch her breath and lay back down. She can feel her throat tighten with more than the lingering rawness that Jean's Dandelion Breeze didn't quite clear. "But I already knew I was sick. I know I should've told you. I just didn't think it was that bad, and I wanted to prove him wrong."

"I understand," Jean says, her voice gentle, though she still has a guilty look on her face. Amber doesn't think she does, all the way, but if it means she's not scolding Amber, then Amber isn't going to say that. She reaches down and takes Amber's hand again. "I've cooled you down, but you're still feverish. I'm going to take you back to Monstadt so that Barbara can treat you properly. The next time you feel ill, *please*, let me know."

A little scolding after all, and Amber bites her tongue on the resentful thought that Jean would have tried just as hard to overcome it as she had.

Maybe Jean is thinking the same thing, because even as she helps Amber to her feet, she adds, "But under the circumstances, you did very well."

Amber feels a glow of pride, unwarranted though she thinks it is. "I was lucky Bennett was there," she says, because he's hovering just outside the tent, looking worried and relieved in equal measure. "But I'll do better next time. And I *will* report if I'm sick."

"I trust that you will," Jean says, and with her hand on Amber's shoulder, Amber feels almost steady again on her feet.

[theamityelf]

“ you shoot anyone who comes through that door who isn’t me. ” kamuegi? Kamuegi!

(Alright, less fluffy than last time! XD)

~~~

Their place of refuge only had one entrance.

This was not accidental on Izuru's part, of course. There had been an active choice between the security of a single entrance (the chance of being cornered) and the security of many exits (the chance of being faced with enemies from many directions at once). Either scenario was one he could handle well enough on his own, so of course Makoto was the deciding factor.

It was easier to protect him from unidirectional ambush than from multiple lines of fire.

And anyway, Makoto hated to be surrounded. Specifically, particularly hated to be surrounded, physically, more than he hated to be physically cornered. It was a leftover anxiety from the trials, Izuru believed. As much as Makoto didn't want to see it as such (and perhaps didn't believe he did), each time he had been suspected in the trials had been a moment in which he had been surrounded by enemies. Managing multiple streams of attack to protect himself.

(This fear was a subtle post-traumatic stress symptom, so it hadn't been sanded down as much as his more people-facing ones, like the way his defensiveness would sometimes flare up in casual arguments as if they were of critical importance.)

All this to say, there was one door, and it was now unsafe. The hacked Monokuma which Izuru had been using for perimeter surveillance revealed the hordes closing in. Human hordes.

And he was pressing a handgun into his lover's hands.

"I-I can't-"

"Yes you can," Izuru interrupted, before the unproductive thought could spread its spores. "It's no different from using your hacking gun on Monokumas."

"It is different. These are people. I can't-"

"Yes you can, because you love to be alive, because you love your friends, and you love me. The beings who will be trying to get through this door-" (He was careful not to say "people".) "-want to kill you. You want to be alive."

Makoto's eyes were damp, but the tears weren't falling. They usually didn't. Izuru briskly dabbed his lover's tears away, so that he could see clearly as Izuru redirected his attention to the handgun.

"This is the safety. It's currently on. Now it's off. If you pull the trigger, the gun will fire. The aiming of it is no different from your hacking gun, except that you're no longer going for the eye. Aim for the torso; it's a larger target than any extremities. Shoot anyone who comes through that door who isn’t me." He needed to leave now, but he also needed to be assured that Makoto wouldn't freeze, if it became necessary to fatally wound someone. He brought their faces closer together, eclipsing all else from Makoto's vision. "Think of it this way: However many of them you have to kill in self-defense is nothing compared to how many I will kill if you die." He kissed him, quick and fervently, and then looked him in the eye. Makoto was upset, but he was also focused. Izuru made his exit. "Lock it after me. Every lock. Then stand back." He shut the door.

The hordes were here. He cracked his neck and got to work.

...

The door was off its hinges when he returned. He had known that there was no way to prevent this, with the numbers he'd been facing, but still his pulse ran laps at the sight.

It seemed that not many had made it inside. He only had to step over one body on the way in- alive, shot in the stomach. Encouraging, where the silence wasn't.

"Makoto?" he called.

There were no reactive sounds, but he could hear breathing in the next room.

He rounded the corner.

Three bodies. Two dead, one dying, all in a heap on the floor. The blood pooled beneath them, and just beyond the reach of the pools was Makoto, standing frozen with his gun outstretched, visibly distraught. The sight of Izuru seemed to spur his brain back into action; he processed the arrival first as a threat (Izuru had entered silently.) and then as a relief.

"Please, can you do something for them? Can you help them? I can't-!"

Izuru stepped over the bodies, turning Makoto away from them and drawing him into his arms. Their heartbeats conversed at a patter-pace. "You're alright."

"D-Did I kill them?"

"They just passed out from shock. They'll be fine."

"N-N-No, they...All that blood..."

"They'll be fine," he insisted. "As for us, we have to leave before the next wave arrives."

"But if they die, I killed them. Then I'm the murderer, I-I'm the culprit..."

Izuru once again placed his face close to Makoto's, taking the handgun from him as he did. "You are not in a killing game anymore. There will not be any consequences for this. You're safe, as long as we leave." And with that, he lifted Makoto from his feet, resting his weight mostly against one shoulder while his other hand held his gun at the ready.

"Wait, we can't just leave them there!"

He ignored the squirming and stepped over the bodies again. Casually kicking the one who was still alive, so that he would make a noise (however faint) and prove that he wasn't dead. "You were acting in self-defense. Your guilt is irrational. Don't adopt Enoshima's standards for wrongful killing."

"Everyone...Everyone will hate me..."

"Do you think they haven't had to kill in self-defense?"

"I..." His whole frame shook once, but then he said, "I can walk."

Izuru set him down. They were out the door, now. Those who would have killed them were spread on the ground, twitching impotently. He had mostly shot or broken their spines, killing only when it was most efficient by a significant margin. A carpet of corpses would have bothered Makoto.

"...Would you tell me if they were dead?"

Izuru wished the matter wouldn't weigh so heavily on his lover. Makoto deserved someone who wasn't a liar. But he needed someone who was. "Of course."

They were making quick progress, now that Makoto was cooperating. Soon, they would be somewhere safe again, and Izuru would have time to comfort him, feed him, distract him. Regrettably, Makoto had already had enough time to return to the killing game in his mind, but Izuru would pull him back.

In fact, it was probably more accurate to say that he had been playing by the killing game's rules all along, and this was his first time breaking them. Which meant he just needed time to see that there was no execution coming for him. That Enoshima's judgement no longer held weight, and no one alive would hold this against him. He hadn't lost her game; he had won. He had won a long time ago, and now it was over.

"Look at me," Izuru said, deciding that they'd walked far enough to pause for a minute. "At me," he said again.

Makoto's eyes met his. Slightly wet. Foggy with shame. His face had that remote look that it always acquired when he went through something emotionally overwhelming.

"Thank you, Makoto."

He blinked, confusion interrupting the daze he'd been in. "Thank...?"

"Thank you, for protecting yourself. Thank you for choosing to defend yourself. I was worried you might not."

His eyes became wetter. "It's not...It's nothing to...thank me for."

"But it is. You've never killed needlessly. When the need arose, I'm glad you met the need."

The tears fell. Better than the alternative; he didn't cry enough. "So I did kill them?"

"They were always going to die today. That was the choice they made when they tried to kill you. The choice you made was whether you would die with them, and you decided not to. I'm thankful for that." He brushed his lips gently over Makoto's, then took his hand. "Just a little farther. Then breakfast, alright?"

He exhaled a shaking breath which Izuru took to be affirmative.

He would need a lot of attention, today. A lot of reassurance and affection. And Izuru was more than happy to provide it.

[destinygoldenstar]

☀️🎵Can We Just Talk?🎵☀️ - Total Drama Viewer Reacts to Disventure Camp Season 1 Episode 7 “Spit It Out”

Yeah, I'm back already...

Again, I'm aware of Season 3's finale airing. Didn't watch it obviously.

But I will say, it's kinda difficult to not be sick to your stomach when ALL you hear about something is HATE.

Like, I have not heard a single positive thing about Season 3 and I'm kinda nervous now. (Is it really THAT bad?)

That's why I'm just doing my own thing with the first season and reacting to it in my "Just enjoy it" way. (It's not same as "Turn your brain off" because "Turn your brain off" implies not paying attention)

I will remind everyone, I was NOT recommended this show. The people who replied to me asking if I should watch it said "NO. Don't watch it. It's awful."

So I CHOSE to do this at my own will. I have no one to blame but myself.

I'm enjoying this season so far and I don't want that to be spoiled by people telling me not to.

Cause while criticism is okay, it always is, spreading nothing but hate and spite and nasty threats to anyone involved does a lot more damage than you think. You get a RWBY fandom situation where the only thing going on is harassment and bullying and it drives everyone away and leaves no room for air on takes that aren't majority. I DON'T WANT TO BE A PART OF THAT. ESPECIALLY NOT DEATH THREATS. THAT IS NOT OKAY TOWARDS ANYBODY.

So yeah, hearing any hate towards Disventure Camp about anything, I'm NOT part of it. I am not to blame for anything. I just want to stay in my corner and say what I want to say. (As long as it's not threats, like I said, I can't do that either)

*deep breath*

I just wanted to get this off my chest. NOW THAT THIS IS OUT OF THE WAY,

We're back with Season 1. I beg that there is no double elimination for a THIRD TIME IN A ROW. I'll lose my mind.

Okay, let's get into this, shall we?

Oh we're starting right where we left off last time.

IT'S A TEAM SWAP.

...again...

"My whole team is going to reGRETT voting for me."

"They're going to wish they had never crossed me."

Go off queen!

OH GOD-

What a kind greeting XD

Not the Purple Team becoming the VILLAINS Team!

"I hope that Ellie doesn't have any hard feelings."

Be thankful she isn't Jake, who DEFINATELY would.

OH YAY THEY'RE TOGETHER!!!

We get to see more of them!!

It sucked we couldn't because they were on opposite teams before. BUT NOW WE CAN!

And she immediately goes to Jake to introduce herself.

I have no idea why she'd pick that. But you know what? All for friendships.

"If we lose, we can vote for her instead of one of us."

HOW. IS. DAN. STILL. HERE?!?!

Like, I'm genuinely really tired of him now.

I made a post (that got a lot of hate) about screen time not being problematic for characters so long as they're DOING SOMETHING with that screen time.

Dan is not that. This is my least favorite character in this group. I'm sorry Dan stans.

Everyone else has something to do. All Dan does is push a non-existent alliance and make sexist comments and otherwise has no personality.

GET HIM OUT. I'M SICK OF HIM.

"Gabby is a psychotic backstabber, Jake and Tom are a toxic couple, Miriam is a useless old lady, and Dan is a dumb kid who pretends to know things."

OH GOD, NOT THE SLANDER

She do be right about Jake & Tom though...

"How'd they win so many challenges?"

Because they have numbers.

VILLAIN TEAM

"If you promise to never vote for us, we'll help you."

What if your team loses?

Do you vote for the VOID?!

"Okay, I'll read the votes... WHY ARE THEY ALL SCRIBBLES OF FLOWERS?!?"

"Something about the other two makes me feel at home, that's something I haven't really felt before..."

AW, VILLAIN BONDING. SHE FOUND HER PLACE IN THE WORLD!!

They're still beefing.

I've been eating toxic yaoi two days in a row now. It's junk food, I'll tell you that.

Is Ellie gonna reason with Jake? Awww

"Gabby told me you and Tom are close, but it doesn't look that way anymore."

They had a fight. It happens.

"Are you mad?"

"Yes I am! Tom has been lying to all of us since we got here! He lied to me like everyone else does!"

OH GEEZ THAT LAST PART

I was gonna say "I'm interested in this impulsive and petty anger issues version of Jake"

But that "LIKE EVERYONE ELSE DOES" part. OOF.

Like, my god, how can you blame him though?!

Yeah he wasn't right. But his POV.

"I don't want to bother you with my problems."

Ngl, when I was younger I would vent to strangers all my petty problems and yeah, that's a version of me you should be happy isn't on Tumblr. I grew up, I got in a better environment, and I'm in a better place now.

"It's okay, after last night I know what it's like being betrayed. Everything you say is safe with me."

I like this. I like Ellie being nice to him.

"I like Jake, he's a good guy, even if he's a bit dramatic."

That is MY THOUGHTS EXACTLY

"Honestly, a five minute conversation could probably solve this issue."

Yes. Yes it would. But is it that simple with these two?

"I wanted to thank you..."

Oh?

"For not voting for me yesterday."

Oh...

Yeah no I want you eliminated this episode. You're selfish.

"You'll wish I'd just gone home."

"We already do."

😂

I love Miriam.... oh my god.... 😂

That had no right being as funny as a burn as that was!!

This sounds like a VERY complicated challenge. I'm gonna have to see it in action.

"Is everything okay between us Ellie?"

"What do you think?!"

"What do you think Alec?"

She said exactly that XD

This does NOT look safe!

"Can you help me Jake?"

"I don't think so."

You're STILL salty?

OMG, TALK. IN PERSON WORD ON WORD.

"I took water polo, lacrosse, cheerleading, and even debate."

Debate's not a sport, is it?

Maybe it is and I'm a dumbass.

"What? Debate not a sport? I could debate that."

OKAY THAT WAS HER TALKING DIRECTLY TO ME

"Golden, I can debate on your words!"

This looks like a nightmare to ride

"Things are a bit complicated with Jake, aren't they?"

"That's one way to put it. I know it's my fault but he's exaggerating with his attitude."

Yeah, Tom is right here. But I LOVE that he acknowledges he's at fault for it.

"He's just an immature kid, don't take it personally."

"It's hard not to."

"He'll get over it."

Will he though? Will he?

Grett and Alec are trying to DROWN the child at this point.

"Fiore can't collect water if she's dead!"

Even Alec says it!

Is Grett actually gonna develop from this experience?

"Have you calmed down a bit yet?"

"Yeah, I'm sorry, it's just... I can't forget how he lied to me and how that made me feel."

"And have you thought about how that made him feel?"

Ooh, yes. I love that. Call him out.

"I'm just saying it must have been hard for him too."

Yes. Yes it was.

I get both sides. I do. Tom was trying to do a job and got revealed lying about it and didn't consider how that would hurt his friend (for understandable reasons). And Jake got some flashbacks of bad events and overreacted as a result.

"He only used me to go undercover."

"How do you know?"

"Well, I... Grett said so..."

"Did you hear Tom's side? You should ask him. People are... complex. You can't jump to conclusions."

👏

GLORIOUS. THAT WHOLE THING.

Talk to Tom. Hear his side. Apologize. Make up. Be friends again.

It'll all be fine. I still have my hope.

...and maybe this is why I called their dynamic junk food...

GABBY'S TAKING CHARGE LIKE THE QUEEN SHE IS

Also not Tom wearing TWO masks now! That looks so awkward.

Knew that would happen.

NOT GABBY LAUGHING AT JAKE'S EXPENSE. COME ON.

Welcome to SLAPSTICK THE EPISODE.

NUT SHOT.

Though this time it was a block.

NO WAIT I SWEAR I'VE SEEN THAT ON A SURVIVOR CLIP BEFORE-

Oh that's just straight up sabotage.

HELL YEAH!!!

Fiore told Grett to SLAY yet again.

Really? NO ONE on the team is good with puzzles?!

I say that like I'm good at them, but I'm not either.

Purple Team wins!

It's been HOW LONG since Purple Team won?

"Our team was on a winning streak but suddenly Ellie joins our team and we lose?"

I'm sorry, HOW was this her fault exactly?

OH MY GOD HE'S TALKING TO HIM. THIS IS NOT A DRILL.

"I want to ask you something..."

"Did you really just approach me because of your job?"

Good question.

"You're asking me this now? Where was this question yeaturday?"

"So you're just here for your job!"

"And our friendship, was that just to blend in too?! Did you ever care about me at all?! Was any of it real, HUH?!"

...I mean, TECHNICALLY he DID ask this already?

It was a bad wording of asking it cause he was mad, but he DID ask it.

"Yeah, I'm sorry..."

Aww. At least he's apologizing.

See? He recognizes he made a mistake!

"Jake... I'm going to tell you the truth."

YES PLEASE. OMG THANK YOU.

"...I really like you."

😲

💗

*I'm gripping my heart from that*

UM... OKAY. I DID NOT EXPECT THAT ANSWER. *Giddy again*

"And the days we spent together fishing, gathering supplies, or just talking at camp... it made me rethink some things."

💗

"Yes, I'm here for work, to investigate someone. My agency doesn't allow me to have contact with anyone here after this investigation is over. But... meeting you felt like we quickly had this connection and I thought... am I really willing to risk everything? My whole career? So we could... be something more?"

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH 💗

THIS IS GOING SO MUCH BETTER THAN I THOUGHT IT WOULD. OMG.

That's such good insight on Tom's character too! How long was he a spy? I'm curious. Cause if his missions are all like this, then does that mean Tom has no one? No relationships of any kind? Platonic or romantic?

Cause DAMN that makes too much sense for him to act like this then.

"But the way you've behaved in the last few days made one thing clear to me. I don't really know you. And I can't risk everything for someone who acts so unpredictably."

💔

AAAAAANNNNDDDD it's gone.

I do understand that though. At the end of the day, they knew each other for how many days? And if Tom's career is that serious, then of course he can't.

"Tom, I'm... I'm sorry..."

AW COME ON. HE SAID HE WAS SOWWY.

"But I said I was sowwy! And I meant it!!"

"I was so selfish thinking only for myself! I had no idea!"

This is why I love Jake! He actually ACKNOWLEDGES he's in the wrong and owns up to it!

"That's correct. You had no idea. You never bothered to ask."

And Tom doesn't even coddle him and say "No no, it's okay." That wouldn't be in character, I feel.

"Yes. You screwed up. I hope you know you screwed up. Know what you did was wrong and there's not an excuse for it."

AND HE JUST WALKS AWAY AFTER THAT?!

💔Goddammit...

I LOVED that scene though. Maybe they will be alright after all.

"See? We CAN talk it out! We're not Gwen and Trent!"

"I think the decision is simple. We vote for Ellie."

No. What did she do?!

"She is the only option."

Do you still have blindfolds on?

"As for Ellie, who even is she?"

She's a wannabe college student with a life of bad labor and debt and has passions to be a designer.

"Gabby, trust me, it's for the best."

"FOR YOU IT IS!"

YES! CALL HIM OUT!!

"You always do what's best for you and you don't care what anyone else thinks!"

YUUUUUUSSSSS!!!! DAN SLANDER!!!

Oh god it's Blabby! She's back!

"That boy wants to control you just like Grett did!"

Yes. Yes he does.

"I think I need a hug."

Awwwwwwww 💗

These two are such besties, I love them!

"Uh... I have to go... clean my socks... or something..."

XD

Best excuse ever.

Tom, how did you even become a spy? You suck at your job.

"I'll be back later!"

*Jumps in a bush*

XD

And Miriam just walks away from him XD

"Nah, I'm too old for this shit. I'm out."

"Agent Smith, I wasn't expecting your call at this time."

Smith? His name is Tom Smith?

What happened?

Is the guy he's after planning something worse?

Oh come on Jake. Why Gabby?

Yeah, we know this one.

I thought Gabby and Ellie would convince Jake to vote with them and tie it or something. But no.

WAIT SO THAT MEANS ELLIE IS SCREWED.

"WAIT!!"

"I have an immunity totem and I want to use it."

OH MY GOD THE IDOL. OH MY GOD SHE'S SAVED.

"I want to use this totem to nullify the votes against Ellie!"

YEP. ELLIE'S NOT GOING.

Gabby, SLAY. Successfully reading the room, saving her only ally!

GREAT PLAY.

The subtitles XD

"Any votes on Ellie will not count!"

'ELLIE' *DOESN'T COUNT*

There's three, right?

So this was a successful idol play?

'ELLIE' *DOESN'T COUNT*

'ELLIE' *DOESN'T COUNT*

YEP. SUCCESSFUL IDOL PLAY.

'GABBY'

That's Jake throwing his vote.

'DAN'

OH MY GOD, PLEASE. IS HE GONE?!

PLEASE NOT GABBY.

It's gotta be Dan. He's gotta be gone!

YES! HE'S GONE!!!!

"Why would you waste your totem on Ellie?"

Dude, Ellie was Gabby's ONLY ally in the game. She didn't protect Ellie, then they'd both be screwed.

"I didn't waste it. I saved her cause she treats me like a person."

That too. 💗

WHAT A TRIBAL COUNCIL!!

I like good idol plays, what can I say?

And Dan's finally gone!

I'm sorry, but he was the worst character of the cast.

Lasted too long, no personality, and the only thing he did with all his screen time was talk about an alliance that didn't exist, and be sexist.

And before you say his actions and dialogue weren't sexist: GUYS alliance. Is only seen targeting female characters. Downplays Gabby's problems over his own wants.

He rubbed me off the wrong way and I don't regret bullying him.

At least everyone else on that team was interesting in one way or another, but Dan had nothing.

I GUESS the only thing he did was be the foil to Grett for Gabby's development? As he was someone who also tried to use her but was nicer to her so it left her conflicted? But really, you could've given that role to ANY character. You could've had, idk, Tom do that and not much would change.

Actually, that would add onto the 'Tom is only here for work' plot.

BUT HEY, AT LEAST I DIDN'T JINX ANYBODY WITH THE HEADING THIS TIME! THAT'S A PLUS!

Still, THANK YOU GABBY for slaying this show as usual! You are a GIFT, sweetheart and we're so happy to have you!

GABBY FOR THE WIN!

Anyway, idk if this will get any attention because of the Season 3 finale, but hey, I can continue these if you guys seem interested and entertained by them.

[katyspersonal]

On your Nanaya post, yeah, most of the people who say she's sinister or evil are on Twitter, usually people who share assets in game and speculate on lore. To them, literally everything Midra does is somehow because Nanaya is manipulating him to do it. Implications that he is studying the finger ruins? It's on her behalf, even though Midra is a sage. Sages are wise men who often dedicate themselves to the study of divinity and philosophy. It is very possible he created the three fingers, or encountered the three fingers and got himself into the situation he is in, while Nanaya was simply his wife who asked him to endure, possibly for her own selfish reasons. Selfish how? Well, once you become the Lord of Frenzied Flame, you are essentially dead and loose everything of yourself. If Midra fell to the flame, she would loose the man she loved forever. So she begged him to endure so she would not loose him. But no. She's clearly manipulating him or seducing him for nefarious reasons. There is no way she could just love him. They ignore so many context clues and just simple reasoning, such as how if she was a maiden to the frenzied flame, she would have been executed along with everyone else, but her death seems to be shockingly peaceful, slumped in a chair and visibly older looking that she is in her painting.

Anyway can you tell that it annoys me XD? i take some comfort knowing that Midra too would be annoyed if he could some how know people thought so little of her.

Heyyyyy Hello! (The post in question is this ( x ) ask reply) I also have a strong preference for Nanaya being a loving wife and just a reasonable person! Both might have studied the Fingers, or just Midra, and all these people in the Manse have a VERY strong vibe of "having messed with the knowledge not meant for humans"! +For the people who doesn't know what we're talking about, there are traces of stone Fingers like in the ruins all over the Manse under these rugs:

(From this ( x ) post on Reddit, thank you so much dataminers)

Even that aside, the burnt masses of books and records contained the knowledge about the Frenzied Flame now:

I think studying the Finger Ruins suggested they already had a hunch on the Metyr's edgy kid known as Three Fingers and perhaps thought it was a good idea! After all, Frenzied Flame promises freedom from all suffering, all sins and all afflictions. Midra and his associates have been suffering by being hunted by Hornsent Inquisitors as "heretics", and I think those circumstances predated the discovery of FF! (the ghost asks what DID Midra do wrong which would not be the case if they knew why; flowers on the painting of 'healthy' Midra Manse are the same as in Shaman's Village)

So, them seeking the power that supposedly would've brought world's peace and end their suffering particularly too is just... it sooo writes itself fdhfhsd I can't really accuse people that think Nanaya was the one to push him for that idea from the start or anything of course. I just feel like the implication that she went blind and then died cradling someone who fell victim of Frenzied Flame (was stillborn like this, tried to become a Lord but burnt too fast, whatever it is) supposed to show grief and tragedy! Especially with them choosing to draw her with a hand on her stomach:

I can't really tell people "don't have evil scheming woman because her spiralling from loss works better" XD But as for me asking 'hey why developers chose to pit this detail?' is very helpful for the ideas that work naturally! I've just lost my courage after 'Miquella bewitched Mohg' take became canon let me be sdfhfhsdsd.

I think either she knew Lord of Frenzied Flame was a bad idea and Midra did a lot of acting behind her back, they both willingly pursued this knowledge but it only became clear when they've faced the dire consequences (like losing their son for example), or a bit of both like her having been trying to ground him peacefully but him always doing the "don't worry dear I got it". (He did NOT "get it" fsdhdshf) She still needed to know what was going on in her own mansion to some capacity, but simply telling him 'Endure' when Inquisitors stabbed him has some coldness to it, and she still has her head, unlike these guys:

Why not suggest that she did love him, but maybe of course she was pretty darn cold if his recklessness cost them their child? Not to mention the stakes of infecting the WHOLE world with Frenzied Flame! It is fair to love someone but get mad at them when something so drastic happens! And Midra himself understood it was all a bad idea because he screams at us to not come any closer for our own sake and expresses remorse before Nanaya when he gives up! If anyone knew when it was the time to declare the pursuit too dangerous and turn back it had to be Nanaya, but he didn't listen and that mistake was unforgiveable. Yes, she failed to be Tanith in this situation hdhfdsh But this is the point: different reactions from different characters!

I did notice this trend in general, that the side of the fandom that mines models and code tends to lack the feelings in their interpretations. Of course I love and respect logical approach and fumbling with the exact details as an autist! But Fromsoft's stories are not just about it. They're also about feels.. the tragedy. Love that ended because of tragic events as well as messing with the knowledge humans should not touch are some things they add everywhere! Both looking for the 'vibe' and focusing solely on 'details' are slippery slopes with Soulsborne lore. You need both "read air" and apply logic to come up with the most compelling takes. Because Soulsborne games are not JUST subtextes that some toxic person can swing around on "media literacy" flex, nor they are JUST fine details that should be taken in the worst "can't see the forest behind the trees" fashion. haha.... forest... fdhsd ANYWAYS, they're both!

..yeah so, I have strong opinions too! Midra not willing to take the slender of his beloved wife is a surprisingly comforting idea XD

[ticklish-n-stuff]

Heya! I'm so excited your requests are open! Could you do a mha fic with Bakugou and Shinsou? Either lee!baku or a tickle fight? If you don't feel it, no worries!! Thanks you!

Training partner

Oof I haven't written for MHA in a while, but it's Shinso so I can't say no to that XD

And as much as I love to badmouth Bakugo, I still love writing/reading tk content of him for some reason lol. So this was quite the fun pair to receive~

Merry Christmas~!

___________________________________________

Bakugo x Shinso (interpret as you wish)

Lee: Bakubro

Ler: Shinso

Warnings: Tickles! A bit of bondage!

___________________________________________

Bakugo was furious to say the least. I mean, he was always angry. But today even more so. He had been looking for someone to spar with all day but all of his friends seemed very busy. That's when he stumbled upon Aizawa sensei who suggested him to practice with his prodege, Shinso. The blonde was hesitant but it's not like he had much of a choice.

He and Shinso went out into an open field where they could freely throw hands at one another.

"This'll be too easy~" Bakugo grinned, very confident in himself while Shinso only rolled his eyes. They both got into position to fight and...

WHAM!

BAM!

KABOOM!

Bakugo was so busy trying to attack Shinso with all his might, he ended up getting captured by his scarf.

"You were saying?~" Shinso smirked proudly to himself, having managed to tangle up the explosive boy up in a tree. He was hanging upside down. It was pretty funny watching him squirm like a fish out of water to try to get free, but it was no use. He was pretty stuck up there. The purple haired male let out a soft snicker, causing Bakugo to get riled up even more.

"Oi! Don't laugh at me you damn extra!" the blonde snarled at him. Shinso could practically see the flames in his eyes. To add more salt into his wounded pride, the purple haired male decided to have a bit of fun with him.

He slowly approached Bakugo with a slight teasy smirk, causing the other to grow a bit nervous. Not like he would show it so of course he kept the tough guy act up.

"So are you gonna put me down or what?!" the blonde practically shouted up to Shinso's face.

"Hmm... now why should I? When you look so vulnerable right now~".

"Huh-" Bakugo's brain shortcircuited as he felt a poke to his stomach. He watched as Shinso's grin grew wider at the second. A soft blush started to spread across Bakugo's cheeks. "I swear if you tickle me I will- PFFT! BWAHAHAHA! W-WAHAIT! STAHAHAP!".

Bakugo's threat fell deaf as he quickly started cackling like a madman. Shinso was currently digging his fingers against his ribs, making sure to get between each ticklish bone.

"Sorry what was that? I couldn't hear you through your laugh~" Shinso teased as his fingertips lazily trailed down Bakugo's sides and all around his stomach.

"Pfftehehehe! I-I swehear when I get ohout you're so deheHEAD-!" Bakugo shrieked in surprise as Shinso's hand snuck below his uniform, playfully tickling his navel.

It didn't matter how many threats and curses he yelled out, he was stuck up there for Shinso to tease as long as he wanted. And maybe that wasn't such a bad thing, not like Bakugo would ever admit to liking it though.

Shinso then dragged his fingers down his sides to his ribs, right below his underarms. "Any last words?~".

"S-suck my- PFFT! AHH! NOHOHO! NAHAHAT THEHERE!" Bakugo squealed, yes you heard me, squealed in laughter as Shinso playfully scratched at him armpits. Somehow his laughter got even more wild. He squeezed his eyes fully shut. Shinso watched in amazement as Bakugo's face slowly turned all kinds of shades of red. Even though he looked like he might die from lack of oxygen, Bakugo looked so happy, like actually happy. Maybe he did enjoy this as much as Shinso.

Shinso softly smiled down at him as he kept attacking the sweet spot "What's wrong? Did I hit a good spot?~". The tease only made Bakugo more insane with laughter. His smile was so bright and wide it was unrecognizeable.

Once Bakugo's laughter started to turn wheezy and silent did Shinso let up. He slowed down his wiggly fingers to soft tickles, just to keep the blonde all giggly. It was rare hearing him chuckle so sweet and softly, but it was quite the pleasant sound. Shinso could keep this up forever but Bakugo truly looked worned out so he finally stopped, helping Bakugo down from his tangled mess.

The blonde quickly sucked as much air as he could, his red cheeks all puffed out from embarrassment. He tried to look angry and annoyed but his eyes looked so soft and content. Bakugo lowered his head as his blush grew ever so wider and mumbled out "T-thanks for that... I guess...". It was barely audible, but Shinso managed to catch it.

A blush of his own started to form before he tried acting all teasy again, but in the end he settled for a warm, caring smile "No problem~".

After that encounter, they both headed back to their respective dorms, neither of them talked about what happened but they both kept thinking about it all day and night. Both content and flustered by the experience. Who knows, maybe they'll get the chance to 'train' again.

___________________________________________

I had too much fun with this akdhsjdjsj

[angeart]

It's intimidating to share because you're a good writer!!! And I only have ideas and I don't know if the ideas are good, let alone how to go from one idea to the next to make anything coherent. xD

But yes there was meant to be angst and I'm happy you ran with it! :3 Because so many things become so much harder without a voice. Scar invites him dolphin wrangling? He'd love to, he wants to fly off with Scar and just have a piece of normal but... one of them needs hands on a lead which means either Grian can't type or Scar won't be able to read.

I also had thoughts about the custom horns!!! And yes they're not quite him, they're not quite right and there's nuances that would be missed, but in my mind everyone thought this would be a short term problem (it wouldn't take X and Doc too long to fix it, right?? It would be a couple days at worst??) but it'd been a few weeks by the time Cub calls him over and I imagined the hermits recorded their voices specifically for him to use (Joel gave him a 'shut up', Impulse gave him 'I need some help', BDubs a simple 'hey') and wouldn't that be just a little touching? That your family is looking out for you and loaning you their own voice and trying to help you out like this?

..... he can't tell any of them 'thank you' in his own voice

What if he hasn't told a certain someone 'I love you' yet and now he's not sure if he'll ever be able to

-🎀

your ideas are good dw!! <3

the idea of scar inviting him dolphin wrangling has so much in it, too. grian won't be able to give tips, or alert him when something goes wrong, or... anything. he'd just sort of be there.

and if they'd end up separated, because scar stops paying attention as grian's doing something, and then realises too late? something about scar taking so awfully long to realise, because he's used to grian being quiet, it doesn't even occur to him to look over his shoulder if grian's keeping up and following. something about that horrible pit in his stomach as he realises he's alone and he left grian behind and didn't even know.

scar means well, with that original invitation, and it's nice that he still wants to spend time with grian, but... mmmhm.

i love love love the idea of hermits specifically recording phrases they think grian might want to use. them trying to help.

maybe over time they look at what grian types in the chat a lot and pick the phrases or meanings to put into new horns, as this goes on. see what grian's missing.

and it's not easy. grian's hands and inventory is full of horns, and he has to fumble through them, searching for the correct one, or hope he'll have it ready and on hand when he needs it. but it does return some agency to him—although he isn't sure bdubs' loud "hey" is any better than him sneaking up on hermits, lol. they startle all the same (and are confused at first, expecting bdubs, not grian—)

the bit about grian not being able to thank them in his own voice, oR THE TINY FONT THING THERE AT THE END, I SEE U. (yES)

[awkwardtickleetoo]

Tickling 404 (Decision Making)

YEAR OLD SEQUEL WOOOOOO

this is a sequel to this fic here!! I genuinely started this sequel in like january of 2022 and COMPLETELY forgot I'd started it until very recently, so I patched it up and added an ending and ended up with this!! I'm super glad I was finally able to get it done <3

huge huge huge shout-out to @mushiewrites as well for being there for pretty much the entire reworking of this fic and helping out with the spots and the flow and everything. this probably wouldn't be possible without him, so thank you so much mushie <3

lee!george, ler!dreamxd, 2.6k words

enjoy!!

--

"Well, I think I deserve to try them out on you at some point too, don't you think? So I wouldn't test me either, Georgie."

DreamXD's words rang out into the cool air of George's bedroom, immediately followed by a silence so tense George swore he could hear a pin drop.

Not as fast as his heart slipped and crashed into his stomach, however.

"N-no, no I-I don't think you have to do that…" George said nervously, leaning back and placing his hands on the bed behind him to brace himself as he scooted away from XD.

"No?" XD replied, pushing himself to sit up so he was directly facing George, looking down at him. The tinted glow emitting from under their mask was still bright pink, but the smile that was peeking out from below the curved white edge turned sinister– all pointy teeth and sharp corners that George knew all too well. "And why's that?"

George's words caught in his throat at XD's sudden change in demeanor, unable to stop the nervous chuckle that made its way out from his throat. He pushed himself further back, further away from XD, and curled his knees up to his chest.

"Be- because, it's just- it's just unnecessary, right? Don't you think-" George cut himself off with a sharp gasp as his back hit the wall, realizing he had pushed himself as far back as he possibly could without breaking down and reorganizing his atoms in a different spot, but XD was still closing in on him. After a few more seconds, XD was close enough to kneel in front of George with his knees resting on either side of George's body, completely boxing him in and making it nearly impossible for him to escape.

And even if he could, XD would catch him in a millisecond, so quickly he wouldn't be able to think about his actions until it was already too late.

"I-I… XD–"

"Aww, what's wrong? Poor little baby George can't take what he dishes out?" George wasn't sure if it was just his nerves or if XD was doing it on purpose, but their voice seemed to have a much more sinister echo to it now– almost doubling in tone, one half smooth and soft and the other low and gravelly. It made George's heart practically jump into his mouth, and he pressed his lips together to hold in his giggles. "Don't look so helpless, Georgie. You weren't so nervous when you were preparing so torture me! What's changed?"

"XD, wait–"

"I don't wanna wait, where's the fun in that?" XD cut him off, reaching up with his lower set of hands to rest them on George's sides. George tensed immediately at the contact, grabbing at their wrists and trying to push them away.

"Ehex–"

"No no, we can't have any of that, now can we?" They mumbled, their voice dangerously close to George's ear with the way they leaned in, reaching their upper set of hands down to grab George's arms and hold them out in front of him, just out of the way enough that their tickles wouldn't be bothered. George pulled at his arms instinctively, shaking his head and squirming once he remembered the other set of hands were still on his sides.

George never realized how useful an extra set of arms could be for tickling, but he did not like how he was finding out.

"NO! Noho, XD, no, we– we can find another person for you to test this on! Like– like Karl! Or Sapnap, or Foolish, maybe even Tina! She- she just moved into Kinoko, that– that would be a nice welcoming gesture, wouldn't it?" George attempted to reason, pulling at his arms, but the grip on his wrists remained strong.

"But we have so much time to test out other people. Right now, I want to test it out on you." XD explained with a tilt of his head, letting his fingers tap against George's sides.

"But whyhy?"

"It's only fair!" And with that, XD let his fingers wiggle up and down George's sides, his masked face seeming to brighten as George burst into giggles and squirmed around like his life depended on it.

"Ehehex dehehee!" George said through squeaky laughter, feeling his face heat up a little. He pushed himself as far into the wall behind him as he could, squirming side to side in an attempt to dislodge XD's fingers, but only making it worse for himself as he simply pressed into them more. "XD plehehehease!"

"Wow, I can definitely see why people do this so much, this is so fun."

"Nohoho ihit's nohot!" George protested, shaking his head. He let out a squeal when XD's fingers shifted down towards his hips, flinching and pulling at his wrists as they poked right above his hip bones. "Dohon't!"

"Oh, that's a good spot, huh?" XD's tone was even more teasing now, voice still echoing around the room and making George blush even harder.

"Nohohoho!" George exclaimed, shaking his head rapidly before leaning it back against the wall.

"Oh! George, George, idea, I have an idea, okay?" XD said, voice full of excitement and enthusiasm, pausing to hold George's sides for a second when they got the idea. "Uh, here, which tickles more, this?" He returned to his earlier actions, using his middle fingers and thumbs to lightly squeeze just above George's hip bones. George's giggles started back up as he flinched again, his back arching at the repeated feeling. "Orrrrr… this?" XD transitioned as they slipped their hand up George's t-shirt.

"Wahahait nonono- NOHO!" George's laughter jumped up in volume as XD moved one hand to scribble at his tummy, fingers wiggling lightly against his bare skin.

"Which one?" XD's voice was strictly curious, no malicious or teasing lilt to it at all, but George still felt his face heat up as he thought about it.

"Ihi dohohon't knohow! I cahan't–" George was cut off by his own giggles as XD's hands moved to repeat both actions.

"Come onnnn, Georgie, tell me which one! Is it one?" XD's fingers went back to just squeezing George's hips, only giving him a few seconds to react before jumping to his tummy again. "Or two?"

"OKAY- okahahay! I-Ihihihit's all bahahad buhut– but I thihink ohone is worse,"

"Okay, good, good. How about… one," XD said with a chuckle, keeping up the poking and squeezing at his hip bones. "Or… two!" XD pushed his hands further up George's shirt, lightly scratching at his higher ribs near his underarms. George's laughter went higher in pitch, littered with squeaks, hiccups, and breathy giggles as he tried to pull his arms in to clamp down on the offending fingers. He dropped his head back in defeat when XD simply slid their fingers up George's arms from his wrists to his biceps, pulling them further out so his arms were resting on XD's shoulders. "Well? What's worse, hm?"

"TWOHOHO! Ihit's twoho, juhust stohohop swihitching like thahahat!" George giggled out, nose scrunching with his smile and fingers curling into fists as XD moved just a bit too close to his armpits.

"Alright, great! Okay, now, uh… this, or… this?" XD's fingers trailed down, pushing around George to lightly scratch at his back, swiping up and down his spine and wiggling on the back of his ribs. George let out a loud squeal, immediately arching his back away from the touch and hiding his face in the space between his arm and XD's shoulder.

"AHAHA NOHO! Thahahat one's wohohorse! Thahat ohohone ihis wahahay wohorse!"

"Yeah?" XD asked, tilting his head down so his echoed voice traveled directly into George's ear, which earned him another squeak as he tried to pull his shoulder up to his ear.

"YEHEHES, XD-hehe, plehehease stohohop ihihit!" George's arms curled around XD's neck to pull him closer as his fingers squeezed into fists again, his biceps still held by XD and high pitched giggles being muffled by where his face was hidden in the crook of XD's neck.

"Hey, c'mon now, come back. It's not as fun if you hide," XD said softly, and George could tell just from his tone that he was doing an overexaggerated fake pout to get George to oblige. XD trailed their hand down George's spine and out from under his shirt, then back up on top of the fabric until they reached the nape of George's neck.

"No!" George squealed, instinctively curling in on himself as much as possible, opening his mouth to protest but instead gasping and bursting into breathy, high pitched giggles as XD moved to the sides of his neck. "Stohohohop, yohohou– nahahaha!"

"C'mooooonnnn, let me see that smile, Georgie," XD teased even further, earning an embarrassed whine in response when he scratched his nails just underneath George's chin. This finally caused George to pull back from where he was hiding his face, head tilting up to try to escape the soft tickles that kept following wherever his head moved anyway. His face flushed bright red when XD chuckled at him, and his eyes squinted due to his wide smile as he stared up at XD. "There we go!"

"Thahahat's sohoho not fahahahair!" George tried to turn his head to the side and tilt his chin downwards, but XD simply used their pointer finger to pull his face back to look straight up at them. XD's hold on his biceps had fallen and George's arms pulled back immediately, fingers going to wrap loosely around XD's wrists as they cupped his face gently. The tickling had paused as they both smiled and laughed together, but the fluttering in George's tummy kept him giggling as if there were phantom fingers ghosting up and down his sides.

Or, more accurately, that was actually just XD's other set of hands. George had forgotten about those.

"Ihi cahaha– thihis ihis– this isn't fahair," George repeated, shaking his head as much as he could when XD still held his head in place, looking into where he assumed the god's eyes would be under their mask. "Ihihi let yohou hide!"

"Well, no one told you to do that, to be fair," XD countered. "It's more fun if I can see you. And it helps me learn more about the art of tickling! Don't you want me to learn, George?"

"Nohot anymohohore!" George protested, reaching out and flattening his hands against XD's chest to give them a few more moments to explore despite his words. XD couldn't help but laugh along with him, but they could sense that George was actually getting tired, and decided they should probably wrap up soon.

But not without a grand finale, of course.

XD slid their fingers up George's sides, still over his t-shirt now to allow George at least a small amount of protection. He wiggled his fingers all the way up, nails scratching at his sensitive ribs and sides, before slowing down just before his underarms to build up the anticipation. George caught on immediately, pulling his arms back suddenly and clamping them against his sides.

"Nohoho, nohot fair! Not fahahair!" George whined out once again, shaking his head and curling in on himself. XD simply resituated them, pushing himself a few inches closer to George and tightening his legs to force George's knees closer to his chest. George gasped at the sudden pressure, pushing back against the wall again and pushing his hands and knees forward against XD's chest to attempt to move the God away. His attempt proved to be worthless, and he looked no more threatening than a kitten stretching out its paws– it didn't help that the squeaky sound he made was frighteningly similar to one as well.

"We're almost done, George, just relax," XD pretended to soothe, but his voice was too smug for George not to realize he was being sarcastic. The point was driven home when XD's higher set of arms took hold of his elbows again, holding them slightly out to the sides so George couldn't clamp them down anymore.

"NOHO! Ehehex DeeDee! Whahahat the hehehehell!" George protested, pulling at his arms, but quickly the hands were wiggling further under his arms and he was lost to laughter once again. "Nohohoho, Gohohod, whyhy?"

"God? Wow, I appreciate you using my formal title," XD teased, making George scrunch up his nose and shake his head in disapproval.

"Yohohou're such ahan ihi-idiohohot!" George said through his giggles, no bite to his tone whatsoever, but XD still decided to take it and run.

"Oh, I'm an idiot, am I? Well, would an idiot know to do this after just a day of learning about tickling?"

"Nononono, NO–" George wss frantic as he felt XD's fingers slide around to his back again, letting out a sharp yelp when XD's pointer fingers suddenly drilled into the spot right in the middle of his ribs on either side of his spine. George arched forward immediately, practically throwing himself against XD's body and forcing his way into a hug. His arms wrapped around the God's shoulders, pulling them so close that the wind would've been knocked out of the had they been a mortal, and he shoved his face into the space between his own arm and XD's neck that he had been so rudely removed from earlier on. "NOHOHOHO, PLEHEHEASE, NOT THEHEHERE! Thahahat– thahat wahahahas the wo-OHORST OHOHONE!" George screamed, his back pushed so far forward that his knees were able to slip down XD's front and wind up with him in a kneeling position similar to XD himself.

"Wow, I didn't think you could be this ticklish!" XD wondered aloud, voice nonchalant, earning a choked out whimper and whine from George between his hysterical laughter.

"EHEHEX‐ PLEHEASE, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE, I CAHAHA–" His laughter was cut off by a loud, squeaky inhale, and judging by the squirming body in their arms and the smacking against their own back XD could tell it was time to call it quits.

"Alright, alright, I'll stop. Humans really need to work on their stamina," XD explained with a roll of his eyes and a shake of his head, but he still rubbed his palms up and down George's back to help soothe him.

"Ihihi… never, ever, ehever… should have tahaught you thahat…" George sighed out under his breath, filling his lungs with deep inhales and slow exhales to get his chest back to normal.

"I think you loved it. I mean, you didn't really fight back once I had a handle on you."

"Shut– don't– oh my god, don't say it like that!" George whined even more, nuzzling his head in further to hide more and giggle into XD's shoulder.

"Fine. But we both know the truth."

"Shhhhh."

XD chuckled at that and removed his hands from George's back for barely a few seconds before George was whining at the lack of soothing touches, but his whines were soon calmed by XD playing a blanket around his shoulders and moving them to a more comfortable sitting position. He then let one hand return to George's back, and the other went up to play with his hair. They sat like that for a while, listening to the sounds of George's quick breathing and the fabric of XD's cloak shifting in the breeze from the open window.

"Now," XD began after George's breathing had calmed down significantly and his shoulders slumped into XD's chest. "Tell me more about trying this out on other people?" The God requested softly, still running his pointy nails through George's hair and scratching at his scalp, and pulling an additional tiny giggle out of the smaller mortal in his arms.

George was beginning to fear he'd created a monster.

He wouldn't say he regretted it, though.