#cause can you imagine drinking clotted blood?

[xitsensunmoon]

OH OH!!! I actually think a vampire would pierce the vein, and then allow blood to pool around the area, and sip that. This would cause a funky lil bruise called a hematoma tho, and in blood draws is generally bad bc it actually causes blood cells to break apart and can turn the serum red (messes with the tests-). I imagine vampires do not mind this tho considering it is being eaten and not being put in a funky lil testing machine.

Alternatively, if they do suck from the vein, I imagine they do it very, very carefully and gently as to not collapse it. Going for the neck (ignoring that you're- you're gonna have some trouble finding a good vein for venipuncture there-) is actually good for this, because a big thing that causes vein collapse is veins that have been repeatedly punctured.

Or honestly it's entirely possible that they DO collapse the vein. Rip to veins.

Also- I looked a bit more into it!! Catheters are actually used in some cases to specifically prevent vein collapse, although in this case I do think that like. Idk sucking on someone's vein is just a recipe for disaster your honor.

THERE IS ONE WELL THIS COULD WORK THOUGH. your theory about them being able to just let the blood come out without slurping would work if like. Y/N was up high and Sun/Moon was laying on the ground.

More semi irrelevant blood facts! Sometimes doctors send us like way too much blood and it's like. Hello. Why did u steal all this person's blood. I got 11 tubes of blood the other day and the guy only ordered like five tests. Most tests only need a few drops of blood!!!!!

Also, you can get blood tests for respiratory allergies! And for all other allergies. I learned this during training when I got a label where the test was just SCALLOPS. For one wonderful mildly sleep deprived moment I thought they were testing the person for scallop presence in blood.

They were not doing that.

The company I work for also has a panel of tests for Salad. The salad panel. It has like. Lettuce. And oranges on it.

LAUGHED ALOUD WHEN IMAGINED THEM LAYING ON THE GROUND AND Y/N SITTING IDK ON THE FRIDGE??

Well they are VERY careful and before they met Y/N they probably was spending a lot of time to drink someone's blood without collapsing the vein?? It's a really interesting thing to think about... Moon and Sun can have like something in their saliva to prevent bruises? Like you know mosquitos have something to prevent blood clotting?

I will probably just ignore majority of the real facts about collapsing the veins and stuff because well it's fiction

But it's still really interesting to explore!!!

[weirdstrangeandawful]

congrats on a successful surgery! I’m happy to hear that you are recovering well!

If I may ask, do you have any ideas for a poisoned whumpee? Either they ate/drank something bad, got bit by a venomous critter, or hit with a poison tipped weapon, anything is coolio :))

Thank you! I think I overestimated how well it's going because they told me to go to the ER (I'm gonna stay home though; I have a follow-up tomorrow)

As for poisoning, I have oh so many ideas!

TW: drink spiking, poison, venom

My personal favourite option would probably be drink spiking gone horribly, horribly wrong. A lot of the drugs that immediately come to mind like GHB are extremely hard to dose right at the best of times and that becomes even harder when you don't know the person, what's they've eaten, drank, or taken already, what their tolerance is, etc. But drink spiking could also be something like adding more alcohol to an alcoholic drink which can lead to alcohol poisoning if the person's not expecting it.

One thing about a lot of venomous creatures is that the venom causes blood to clot. So your whumpee is speedrunning a heart attack and stroke and pulmonary embolism etc all at once depending on the dosage. Other venom does the opposite! It impedes clotting so your whumpee's veins and organs are rupturing and they're bleeding internally which can cause extreme thirst and weakness and general symptoms of hypovolaemic shock. A lot of poison-tipped weapons use animal venom or poisons based off animal venom so you've got that plus the actual weapon damage itself. Imagine getting pierced with an arrow containing anti-coagulant venom…

Other good options are misidentifying mushrooms or plants or (I don't know why but…) licking a poisonous animal, or just typical food poisoning which, depending on your whumpee's conditions, can lead to any number of complications.

And remember, toxicity is all dependent on the dosage. Anything can be toxic at high enough levels.

[dapayeora]

below lies tf2 mercs as korean soups

so walk away if you don't wanna see a bunch of korean soup pics

Scout - Bean sprout soup

Scout's thin and young, like beansprouts.

Ohh look little shrimps are there too.. basically the Scout Soup amirite

You can whip it up in no time, and later when you come back home from the work, you don't even bother to reheat it (which is a very Scout thing to do). It's very commonly eaten cold, even ice cold.

Something that will provide minerals and water after a day of running around under scorching badwater sun. It's like Gatorade but soulful and fibrous (sounds even worse)

Soldier - Seaweed soup

Koreans got the US ARMY SOUP but hey it'd be too easy if i did that for soldier...

This soup is so thick it's not going to steam when it should be steaming hot cause the steam literally can't escape this thick shit and I think it fits dumb(thick) and temperamental(hot) soldier so well..

I can imagine soldier trying to gulp down this thing and get burns all over

It is called May Saying E Guk (not a standard romanization but it does sound like that) like the VA... Rick May.. ok..?

Pyro - Soft tofu soup

Hey it's red, spicy, and will be still boiling on your table.

Plus the soft part. The Pyro Soup.

at this point i wanna quit but will just push through

Demoman - Spicy seafood soup

You know how Demo has a pirate/seaman theme going on, like the Swashbuckler item set, Tide Turner, Loose Cannon, Pirate Bandana and so on?

You could drink endlessly to this soup, eat the soup again for hangover, and start all over again.

This soup often has Styela clava, I can't explain what it is but it's an animal, it's pointy and full of sea water that's gonna explode in your mouth if you bite on it, possibly burning your mouth.

Heavy - Red bean porridge

Ok this is technically not a soup

Koreans eat this thing in the winter solstice to ward off evil spirits and winter solstices tend to be pretty cold?? like Russia??

Red like communism.

It has hundreds of red beans like heavy shoots hundreds of bullets in a minute (600 rounds/min in-game)

This porridge is often eaten sweet, and Heavy is a very sweet guy to his family and Medic.

Warm & sweet in a cold day sounds very like Heavy

People eat this soup also in North Korea(obviously..?), Japan, China, and Vietnam. Hey wow look 3 other communist countries I've already told you this thing is red

Engineer - Ox bone broth soup

To make this bone broth soup milky, you want to first soak the bone for several hours while regularly changing the water, and then boil it, remove the first broth, and then boil it again for hours and hours on high heat.

It requires so much patience like playing Engineer does.

You would typically make this soup in a huge pot - and everything is bigger in Texas, I hear.

Medic - Hangover soup

There are quite a few types of hangover soups in Korean cuisine, and I'm talking about the hangover soup with blood pudding and intestines.

Blood pudding here is basically just clotted blood so I think med's gonna love the idea.

Sniper - Oden stew

Sorry I can't come up with anything Korean with Sniper so here's a Japanese cuisine

Spy - Chicken and octopus stew

It's a mystery how korean food offers dishes so fitting for tf2 mercs

This stew has tentacles (Spy) and a chicken (France)

It is called Hae sin tang that means the Sea god soup, and the name's so pretentious I think Spy would love it.

It's not a traditional dish. It was only invented in 2005 so it's pretty new, like how Spy carries weirdly high-tech gadgets like disguise kits and invisibility clocks.

Hey it even disguises as a traditional food so there's also that.

[asto-labs]

Importance and Tips to Maintain Your Bones Healthy

Bone Health: How to Maintain Strong Bones

                 We frequently miss a crucial component that keeps our entire health picture together: our bones. Similar to a building's foundation, bone health is essential to our general wellbeing. Ignoring it might result in many issues later on, such as osteoporosis and fractures. But don't worry, we're here to help you along the way as you work to preserve and enhance the health of your bones. We will discuss the significance of bone health in this extensive blog and present you a ton of advice on how to maintain healthy, robust bones. In this extensive blog, we'll go over how to maintain healthy bones, the significance of bones, and health, and explore factors that affect it.

What Makes Bone Health Vital?

Let's first discuss the significance of bone health before moving on to the advice. It's critical to understand the significance of strong, healthy bones for your general health. We'll go over the main factors that should be your first priority when trying to live a healthier life in this section.

The Support System of Your Body

Imagine your bones as the strong support system for your body. They give the body structure, safeguard important organs, and stabilize muscles to make movement easier. Our bodies would be nothing more than bags of flesh and struggle to perform at their best without strong bones. 

Storage of Calcium

Calcium is a mineral that is stored in bones and is necessary for many different body processes. Your body takes calcium from your bones to help with vital functions including blood clotting and muscular contraction. It's essential to make sure your bones have enough calcium to prevent shortage.

Defending Bone Mass

Bone density naturally declines with aging. Good bone health in our youth can counteract this loss and lower our age-related risk of osteoporosis and fractures.

Why Does Bone Health Matter?

Being aware of the various elements that can affect your bone health is the first step towards managing your bone health.

Nutrition and Diet

A balanced diet rich in calcium and other essential nutrients is necessary for bone health. We will address this in more detail in the sections that follow.

Lifestyle Decisions

Adopting a sedentary lifestyle, smoking, and binge drinking can all have a negative impact on bone health. People need to understand how important it is to have a healthy lifestyle.

Hormone imbalances can cause a loss in bone density, especially in women going through menopause. It's critical to address these changes in a proactive manner.

Molecular Biology

Your bone health may also be influenced by your genetic composition. It's crucial to lead a bone-friendly lifestyle if bone-related problems run in your family.

How Can I Maintain the Health of My Bones?

Now that you are aware of the importance of bone health and the variables that affect it, let's look at some practical advice for maintaining the health of your bones.

Molecular Biology

Calcium is necessary for strong bones. Dairy products are excellent suppliers and include yogurt, cheese, and milk. If you can't have dairy or have a lactose sensitivity, you can replace it with fortified meals and leafy greens like kale and spinach. Consult a medical professional if you believe you may require calcium supplements.

Be Aware About Vitamin D

The absorption of calcium requires vitamin D. Spend time in the sun to increase your body's production of vitamin D. Egg yolks, fortified meals, and fatty fish are examples of dietary sources. See a medical practitioner about vitamin D supplements if you are deficient.

Make Exercise a Part of Your Daily Schedule

Weight-bearing exercises that increase bone strength and growth include walking, running, and strength training. Aim for at least 150 minutes per week of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise. Strength training and balance exercises are also essential for reducing the incidence of fractures and falls.

Steer clear of substance abuse

Bone health is negatively impacted by smoking and binge drinking. Smoking prevents the body from absorbing calcium, while alcohol deteriorates bones. Limit your intake of caffeine, which is present in tea, coffee, and soft drinks, to stop your urine from losing calcium.

You can proactively protect and enhance your bone health by adhering to these recommendations, which will support a more active and energetic lifestyle.

In summary,

 your bones are your unsung heroes—they keep you standing and moving day in and day out. Ignoring their health now could have serious repercussions later on. We urge you to take preventative measures to maintain the strength and resilience of your bones. Schedule a bone wellness test with Asto Labs if you'd want a thorough evaluation of the condition of your bones. You will benefit in the long run from making an investment in your bone health today, leading to a longer, healthier, and more active life. Recall that having strong bones is the cornerstone of being healthy.

[aditi-jagtap-pune]

All About Atrial Fibrillation - Aditi Jagtap Pune

Atrial Fibrillation (AF) is a common issue which doesn’t directly impact the way our heart beats. AF shakes up the average heartbeat, making it irregular and fast. Let’s explore the details of AF, like what causes it and the signs you might feel.

Understanding AF is not hard. Age, existing heart problems, and how you live can make AF happen. Catching the signs early, like fluttery feelings or trouble breathing, is super important. Doctors use tools like ECGs to be sure it’s AF and then plan treatments that fit you.

So, get ready for a ride as we talk about Atrial Fibrillation and figuring out how to handle this heart rhythm rollercoaster says Dr. Ranjit Jagtap Daughter.

What is Atrial Fibrillation?

Atrial Fibrillation, known as AF, is not how your heart usually beats. It’s a troublemaker causing your heart to beat irregularly and fast in the upper part, called atria. It happens when your heart is not following the usual rhythm. This messes up the beat, which could lead to problems.

Imagine this: your heart’s atria, usually doing a coordinated dance, start dancing chaotically. This messes up how blood flows smoothly, making things problematic. AF might not always show clear signs, but it can create problems like blood clots.

Understanding how AF messes with the heart’s beat is the first step in dealing with this heart challenge. Now, let’s explore what makes this irregular heart dance happen.

Read More :- Navigating the Storm: Early Signs of Broken Heart Syndrome — Dr Ranjit Jagtap

Causes and Risk Factors

Let’s find out what makes the heart dance strangely in Atrial Fibrillation (AF). Age matters — it raises the chances. Heart problems add their tune to AF’s uneven beats. Lifestyle choices, such as too much drinking or dealing with high blood pressure, add to the mix.

Think of it like a mix — age, heart troubles, and lifestyle factors blended, creating a more considerable risk of AF. Knowing these things is crucial; they help unlock why your heart might be doing its irregular rhythm show. Keep reading as we unravel more about AF.

Signs and Symptoms

Time to understand the signs — Atrial Fibrillation (AF) has its way of getting your attention. Palpitations, like a fluttering messenger, show the irregular beats. Feeling dizzy is like the dance floor tilting. Shortness of breath? AF is saying, “I’m here.”

These are the signs AF leaves. Please pay attention, as they might be subtle but are essential clues. Think of it like your body’s Morse code, signalling that something’s not right with the rhythm. Recognising these signs is your early-warning system, telling you to take charge and deal with AF’s unpredictable moves.

Diagnosis

Solving the Atrial Fibrillation (AF) mystery sometimes gets trickier. Aditi Jagtap Pune shows that they used tools such as electrocardiograms (ECGs) to catch AF in the act. Think of it like a heart fingerprint — the ECG shows irregular beats, confirming AF’s presence.

Holter monitors, like quiet observers, watch your heart’s every move day and night, giving essential data for diagnosis. Detecting AF early is crucial, allowing quick action to fix the rhythm.

So, when your heart acts strangely, diagnostic tools step in, ensuring a clear understanding of the AF situation. It’s like a dance of diagnosis where each beat matters.

Treatment Options

Let’s face Atrial Fibrillation (AF) straight on. Dealing with AF involves trying different things. Simple lifestyle changes, like watching your caffeine and not drinking too much alcohol, can help.

Next up, medications take centre stage. Each has a role in getting your heart’s rhythm back on track. It’s like a team effort — the medications work together like players in a music band, ensuring your heartbeat is in harmony.

Sometimes, you might need more serious steps, like cardioversion. It’s like giving your heart a restart, bringing back a steady rhythm. The key is figuring out the right mix with your healthcare team so your heart stays in sync without missing a beat.

Living with Atrial Fibrillation

Living with Atrial Fibrillation (AF) means finding a good balance. Focus on keeping your heart healthy by exercising regularly, eating a heart-friendly diet, and managing stress. Medicines become your reliable friends, making sure your heart beats in a steady rhythm.

Keep visiting Dr. Ranjit Jagtap’s clinic and get a checkup done instantly. Make a habit of checking your pulse; it helps catch any irregularities early. It’s like a journey of adjusting, where each step ensures your heart is in control, even when AF tries it’s tricky moves. Remember, with the right choices, you can still groove to life’s beat.

Conclusion

Atrial Fibrillation is a common heart issue that needs attention and careful handling. Knowing its details, spotting signs, and getting help on time helps people face the challenges of AF and stay heart-healthy.

Remember, this article gives valuable info, but it’s not a substitute for expert medical advice. Always talk to a healthcare professional like Aditi Jagtap Pune for personalised help with your health.

[lyricalporcupine]

Finally done though I am not happy with it lmao imagine that

ANYWAY

I can’t remember if I posted the snippet that this piece is based on but it’s under the cut anyway. Please enjoy!

~~~~~~~~

(Note: Takes place several weeks after arranged marriage. There is an attack from another tribe and it’s the first real fight Beau’s been in. They haven’t had their first kiss yet, let alone had sex. This takes place before all that)

~~~~~~~~

The last thing Beau remembered was an arrow piercing her belly, near her hip, a shout, and total darkness. 

She woke up some time later, though she’s not sure how much time had passed, in her bed. The furs were heavy but soothing, the familiar scent of animal musk and the sweat of herself and Yasha prominent deep in the fibers. 

She felt a large, calloused hand holding hers and she took a deep breath and slowly blinked her eyes open. The hut was cast in its typical dimness. The ever present fire was softly crackling in the middle of it and when Beau turned her head toward it, she saw a large bodied silhouette. 

“Yasha?” Her voice cracked, throat dry. She tried to swallow and her throat stuck, causing her to cough. 

The hand holding hers pulled away and she watched, with bleary eyes, as the figure picked up a waterskin and held it up to Beau’s mouth. 

“Drink,” came the familiar voice of her wife. 

Beau raised her head and drank deeply from the canteen, her hand wrapped loosely around Yasha’s wrist. After a few deep gulps Beau pulled away and took a deep, shuddery breath. 

“What happened,” Beau asked as she settled back into the bed. She blinked her eyes and her vision refocused and she watched as Yasha corked the waterskin and sat it aside. 

Yasha herself resettled beside Beau, legs crossed. “You were hit with a poison tipped arrow,” Yasha said softly. “We thought—“ Yasha paused, swallowed and tried again. “I thought I was going to lose you.”

“How long have I been knocked out,” Beau asked, her voice still rough. 

“Half a day,” Yasha replied. “Give or take an hour. After the healers did all they could I moved you to our bed.”

Beau reached for Yasha’s hand and the barbarian quickly gave it, her grip light. “Have you been here the whole time, watching over me?”

Yasha’s gaze fell to the bed and she gave a small grunt. “Mostly. I did have some matters to tend to that couldn’t wait. There are more I need to deal with.”

Beau nodded and released Yasha’s hand. She tried to push up into a sitting position and hissed in pain. “Fuck.”

Yasha was immediately hovering over her. “Be careful,” she said softly. “Please.”

Beau groaned and moved the blanket from her lap. She found a bandage wrapped around her belly and down around her hip and upper thigh. The bandage was stained a light red and she looked up at Yasha. “What did the poison do?”

“I was told it kept your blood from clotting,” Yasha answered. “There’s also a chance the wound may be infected. It’s a very large gash.” 

“Greeeat,” Beau snarked flatly. 

Yasha reached out and gently laid her hand where she knew the wound was. Her palm began to glow and warmth flowed from Yasha and seeped deep into Beau’s skin, even through the bandage. Beau felt the pain severely lessen even if it didn’t fade completely. 

“That feels great,” Beau said with a groan. When Yasha pulled her hand away, Beau looked up at her. “You have healing magic?”

“Some,” Yasha said softly. Her eyes were still cast down and she wouldn’t meet Beau’s gaze. “The healers in the tribe are good at what they do. They saved your life. But I’ve been trying to find a cleric. It’s been difficult. Not many people want to be part of semi-nomadic tribe in the wastelands.”

Beau reached for Yasha’s hand and, once again, Yasha freely gave it. “I do,” Beau said softly. 

That got a small smile from Yasha and she gently squeezed Beau’s hand. “After today, I’d say you’ve earned your place in our tribe.”

Beau smirked. “I didn’t earn it by marrying you?”

Yasha’s smile turned into a smirk. “Sadly, no. In fact, that made the other tribe members more wary of you. They wanted you to go through the standard trials to induct you into our clan.”

“You couldn’t have convinced them otherwise,” Beau asked. 

Yasha gave a small shrug. “I could have. And considered it. But a lot of them do not like what I’ve done with the clan since taking over. They think I’m soft.”

Beau’s eyes dropped to Yasha’s hand still held in her own. She flipped it over and began tracing her fingers along the various grooves along Yasha’s palms. “I remember you telling me our wedding night that the Skyspear position isn’t hereditary.”

“That is correct,” Yasha said. 

“So how did you become the Skyspear?”

Finally, Yasha looked up at Beau. Her eyes were hard, cold, but it wasn’t  directed Beau herself. “I killed the last one.”

Beau’s eyebrows raised. “Can I ask why?”

“It is tradition,” Yasha said. “To gain a new Skyspear you have to slay the previous one. That’s how it’s always been.”

“Alright,” Beau said. “But I have a feeling something happened to make you challenge her. You don’t seem like the type to want the power.”

Yasha shook her head. “I did not.”

Yasha fell silent and Beau waited. When it became apparent that Yasha wasn’t going to elaborate, Beau decided to prod her a bit. “What changed your mind?”

Yasha’s eyes fell again. She was silent for a long while but Beau could tell it was because she was considering her words. 

“Tribal life is hard,” Yasha began. “There are certain rules and oaths one takes when committing to the clan. To become a member you undergo severe trials. Survive them and you become a member of the clan and earn your name. Before becoming the Skyspear, my clan name was Orphanmaker.” As she spoke her old name, sadness tinged Yasha’s voice and Beau gently squeezed her hand. 

“Once you become a member,” Yasha continued, “you vow celibacy until an appropriate mate is chosen for you.”

“You don’t get to choose your own spouse,” Beau asked, disbelieving. 

Yasha shook her head. “No.”

Beau picked up on the grief in Yasha’s tone and quickly put things together. “But you did anyway. Didn’t you?”

Yasha smiled at Beau’s quick mind. “I did.”

“What was her name,” Beau asked gently. 

Yasha’s smile grew and became wistful. “Zuala,” she said quietly. 

“Can I ask what happened to her,” Beau asked softly. “I’ll understand if it’s too painful to discuss.”  

Yasha surprised her by shaking her head. “It is painful but. I want you to know.

“We married, in secret,” Yasha explained. “And we were happy, for a while.” 

Yasha’s face fell and Beau knew why. “You were found out.” It wasn’t a question but Yasha nodded slowly. 

“We were.”

Beau’s heart sank. She was sure she knew how this played out but found herself asking anyway, “What happened?”

Yasha took a deep breath and released it slowly. “We were taken into custody and held for a day. Or less. I’m not sure. Then the Skyspear called for Zuala and she was taken from the cell. 

“I managed to escape,” Yasha continued and Beau could hear the emotion causing Yasha’s throat to thicken. “I ran to where they had taken her, which was to the executioner. But I was too late. I watched, too terrified to move, as they killed her.”

Beau felt her eyes burn, bison blurring slightly from tears. “Yasha…”

Yasha shook her head slightly but continued. “I’m…unsure what happened after that, exactly. It’s a blur. I blacked out and the next thing I remember was standing over the Skyspear, my sword plunged into her chest and hearing her gasp for breath. 

“More fights happened after that,” Yasha continued. “Some clan members claimed I was the new Skyspear. Others said I had betrayed the clan. Some of them attacked me and I fought to defend myself. Most of them did not survive.

“To make a long story…slightly less long, I became the new Skyspear. I changed a lot of things. No more assigned mates, for starters.”

“Yeah, I can see why you changed that,” Beau said. 

Yasha smiled at her. “I also put a stop to the children fighting.”

“The kids fought,” Beau asked, surprised and slightly aghast. 

Yasha nodded. “I fought many other children while I was a child. Most of those fights were to the death.”

Beau’s welted widened and her mouth hung open. “You killed other kids?!”

Yasha’s head hung with shame. “I was being primed as the Skyspear’s greatest weapon.”

“And then she totally fucked you over,” Beau said. 

Yasha shrugged. “I knew the rules. So did Zuala. But.”

“The heart wants what it wants,” Beau said softly, to which Yasha nodded. 

They sat in silence for several moments. Beau was lightly running her thumb across Yasha’s knuckles when Yasha finally spoke up. 

“I was scared.”

Beau looked up from Yasha’s hand. “Scared?”

Yasha nodded. “I saw you get hit with the arrow. And when you fell I feared I had lost you.” 

Yasha looked up at Beau and the human could see fear in Yasha’s eyes. But there was something else there, too, that caused Beau’s breath to catch. 

Yasha pulled her hand from Beau’s, only to flip their positions and to hold Beau’s hand in hers. “I have grown fond of you, Beauregard. Far more so than I expected, especially given how little time we’ve known each other.” Yasha’s eyes fell shut and she took a deep breath and blew it out of her nose. “I do not wish for you to get hurt.”

Beau reached out with her other hand and lightly gripped Yasha’s wrist. The barbarian’s other hand lightly laid across Beau’s, gently holding it in its place. “Y-yeah,” Beau said, stuttering slightly, feeling her heart beat rapidly against her ribs. “I like you, too, Yash.”

Yasha gave Beau a small but genuine smile. She squeezed Beau’s hand before gently pulling hers away. “I have to go,” she said, quickly standing. 

Beau’s heart immediately sank. “You’re leaving?”

Yasha sighed as she made her way to the yurt’s leather flap that acted as a door. “I need to check with the healers and see how the others are doing.” She turned back to Beau. “You wish me to stay?”

“Of course I want you to stay,” Beau said softly, almost sadly. 

Yasha looked at her for a moment, then to the flap, and back to Beau again. She moved back to the bed quickly and bent forward. She raised one hand and gently cradled the back of Beau’s skull and leaned down to place soft kiss at Beau’s hairline. Yasha pulled away only to press her forehead against Beau’s quickly. 

“I’ll be quick,” she whispered before pulling away and quickly headed outside. 

[knifefather]

don giogio is so hot i just wanna kiss him and be his pretty lover …. vamp don gio though 👁

Vamp!Don!Giorno is supreme Giorno! Being his dolled-up little lover would be such a dream! Honestly...Imagine being a pretty piece of arm candy that he can tote around wherever he likes, including on business trips around the world (Geneva’s been your favorite place so far). He dresses you in the best clothing money can buy, pays for hair and nails, and basically does anything to keep you happy and taken care of. He expects nothing from you other than your love and devotion, which you have no issue giving to him. The Don has a bit of a high libido, too, but you’re more than happy to satisfy his sexual appetite for him as well. 

𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐖𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧��𝐬: blood drinking, dollification 🥀🖤💉 18+ only, minors DNI

Tied to his libido is another necessity. Giorno is a vampire, thus he has his unique needs. He doesn’t particularly have to feed on you to survive, as there are many willing underlings in Passione that would love to be his next meal. But. But. Giorno goes feral when you tilt your head, exposing your neck, and tell him in that honey-sweet tone that he can feed from you. He’s on you like he’s ravenous and you’re the last meal he’d ever eat, sliding you into his lap and holding you firmly by the waist. His large hands hold you firmly and effortlessly.

“Only a bit, tesoro,” you remind him gently, lacing your fingers between his golden locks. This causes his loose braid to come undone completely, his hair tumbling down over his shoulders. His golden curls gleam in the low light of the lounge. 

Giorno feeds only briefly. He knows how easy it is for him to lose control and become lost in your body. To him, feeding from you is a rare treat, and he doesn’t want to hurt or exhaust you. You’re his delicate flower, his precious thing, his one and only darling.

Yet, hurt and exhausted are the opposite of what you’re feeing. The initial puncture of his fangs into your flesh hurt, sure. But after a few moments, you feel a haze settle over you as blood is slowly drained from your body. Giorno’s hands wander from your waist down to the curve of your ass, squeezing. You shiver on his lap, your body feeling tingly. Giorno makes a groaning noise as he takes his first gulp of your blood, his eyes sliding shut. You gaze down at his angelic face and his long lashes while he feeds from you. Your clit begins to throb between your legs, making your squeeze your thighs together. The expensive red gown Giorno purchased for you was bunched up around your thighs, your skin exposed.

An airy moan escapes you, indicating to Giorno that you’re beginning to tire. His cock is hard in his trousers, but he reels in his self-control as much as he can. He brings himself to unlatch from your neck after a few deep gulps, laving his tongue over the fresh wound on your neck to encourage clotting. You let out a whimper, feeling lightheaded from the blood loss.

“Are you well?” he asks, his voice raspy from drinking. You nod in response, your vision spinning. “Oh, my… I’m sorry,” he whispers. He takes you gently by the chin, making you make eye contact.

“I love you,” you say, smiling dopily. He smiles in return, the corners of his golden eyes crinkling as he gazes at you. Giorno’s mouth is stained red when he leans in to kiss you. You taste the tangy metallic taste of your own blood only a bit. The sweet taste of his tangerine lips drown out any unpleasantness. 

“I love you too, mia bambola,” he responds, his lips only a few centimeters away from yours. He dives back in quickly, his soft, greedy mouth slotting over yours as he cradles you in his arms, grateful for such a wonderful little lover like you. 

[retelling-of-ragnarok]

what exactly did karl do to beez that made gwen so afraid of doctors?

beez, as always, belongs to @simpemone || @sincerest-aa

🔷 if i got anything wrong you can text me and yell at me 😪 🔷

TW: Overdose. (it was Karl’s doing, though I’m tagging it as that because. that’s what it is.)

🔷 i wanna preface this by saying that i’m not knowledgeable of the medical field at all. so this is taken mostly from google, and a bunch of questions i asked my mother 😭☝️ but this’ll be put into better perspective in the scenario i’m writing

but Gwen’s not really afraid of doctors, so much as they hate them all together. The hate doctors, medical treatment, and even common medicines. all because what Karl used to START Beez’s health decline, was a medicine that most doctors may prescribe.

Aggrenox (or essentially a super aspirin), is normally used by people who have blood clots, that reduce the risk of stroke. It’s also used by those who have mini strokes as well! (Aspirin, in general, is a good medicine for the heart, but obviously shouldn’t be taken in doses that are too high for safety.)

Given the previous experiment Karl had attempted on Beez prior to Gwen coming there, Beez then grew up with an increased risk of stroke, (as well as seizures and temporary paralysis spells.) and would need an aspirin from time to time. But when Karl took the opportunity to start a new experiment, he needed a way to gradually deteriorate Beez’s body, without either of them suspecting a thing.

And sure, he can realistically do it however way he pleases, or even be forceful about it. He’s the king, it’s his castle, and he’s practically a god— But what’s the fun in that? Seeing the life drain from Gwen’s eyes as the ‘doctor’ Beez was so fond of and relied on, turned them into one of the most destructive beings imaginable, was a much better scenario.

So he created a liquid form of Aggrenox, and gave it to Beez in doses way higher than normal. Their body began to deteriorate, cuts wouldn’t heal— hell even flossing or brushing their teeth caused bleeding. Bruises formed left and right, and soon it became too hard for them to stand. Once Gwen found out that Beez was killed with such a common and easily accessible medicine, and not some carefully crafted poison, they felt silly.

AS TO NOT SPOIL THE ACTUAL EXPERIMENTATION PROCESS— I’ll end it here.

But TLDR: Medicines and Doctors kill people, more than they help people, in Gwen’s eyes. And that’s coming from a kid who regularly drinks just under the lethal amount of most poisons, for training purposes. Plus if Gwen did accept treatment, and ended up getting better, they wouldn’t forgive themselves. Because why did they get better, and Beez didn’t, y’know?? So for injuries and the like, they’ll refuse to go to doctors, and use their own ‘medical’ treatments. (Even though their grandmother, and an unnamed OC are doctors that they somewhat trust, they’ll often refuse treatment from them as well.) 🔷

[pocketramblr]

Poll Results

Alright, that’s it, i’m tired of trying to sort the answers so yall just get the big list of all the free response answers to that quiz about ofa. be aware some are less safe for work than others.

memorable ones: OfA Snickerdoodle, I’d Give It To A Cat, So You Know Vore Right?, I’m in Love With Nana, Slicey Blood Oath, and Homoerotic Sword Fight

(My answer above is how I think it did happen, not how I want it to happen.) I personally think something along the lines of a Bruce Banner Jennifer Walker blood transfusion where the OFA holder doesn’t realize they’ve passed it on until later.

a tender kiss. perhaps loving. perhaps they're dying, and i already knew that they loved me, either platonically or otherwise, and we always knew that i'd be next. perhaps they tried so hard to make sure it never happened, and perhaps that tender kiss as an apology as much as it is a gift. sure sucks to be gay i guess 

Peacefully? By doing the do and making it a wonderful moment of lovemaking and passing on the future.. If we're in the middle of battle you bet your freaking butt I want them to kiss me dramatically, tell me they love me, and then yeet me away as they turn back to the fight. Ow but relationship goals. 

If we're not romantic because I am obsessed with the Duo Holders ship currently, blood works fine. Ingest it or have them pressing a bloody palm into a wound of mine *shrugs* Gotta pass it along somehow

Personally, I'd rather drink blood instead of hair. It feels less gross. But I'd pass it on as hair just to fuck with my successor

Hair or blood eating, but no touchy-touchy or whatever thx.

Probably a vial of blood so it’s easy and over quick

kiss 👉👈

i would like it to be blood from an already opened wound just cause it would probably less weird, ..........but knowing my luck and because irl my sister has attempted to feed me her baby teeth by shoving it to my lips and saying "eat", thats actually how i would get ofa. ( >:/ i have almost eaten at least two teeth this way because i thought she was being nice and giving me candy )

Consider: doing one of those blood oath things where you swear to be BFFs for eternity except now you also get a quirk out of it. But lbr kissing is way more romantic and you’ve made First/Second my new OTP, so I’ll stick with that for them. <3 But also, maybe to make the kiss option more romantic First thought something more along the lines of wishing he could give ~everything he has/all of himself~ to Second which counted as including his quirk, rather than specifically about giving him the power to defeat his brother?

This is going to sound gross but all ways of transferring DNA is. Just work up a sweat and have the other party drink it. It would probably be the best tasting option which is kinda a weird thing to think about. Nvm sweat doesn't contain DNA looked it up but I don't want to delete all of this so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ maybe a scraping of skin cells

Honestly the hair is probably the way I'd want to go. That or blood. Like just swallowing it.

Look, i know realistically it was probably some desparate on-the-brink-of-death "please defeat my brother" thing and oo, magic he gets the quirk. But consider. First's last fight with afo. Second is holding his bleeding body, crying. First gently cups Second's cheek and pulls him into a bloody kiss before dying. Second pulls himself together just long enough to flip off afo, barely resisting the urge to absolutely slaughter him, knowing he would lose. He finds his successor and trains him to the best of his ability, determined to not lose another person he cared for

I mean like dead skin cells probably dont work right? Except hair works so thats not true. So like you totally could lick someone to get OFA. Like could you imagine the whole holding your hand over someones mouth to shut them up but they lick you and they somehow wind up with your quirk, like crazy. What must have been the trial and error with this stuff cause they must have kept passing it inbetween each other to figure out its dna right. How long did it take for them to realize. Like you’re eating breakfast and theres a hair in your food like ew and why am i stronger now. Overall, comedic timing for getting a quirk would be hilarious.

My apprentice lays broken and bloody beneath me as I cradle them in my arms, crying on to an open wound on their face praying the power will be enough to save them

little bit of skin like a hang nail just like put it in a sandwich and dont thing about it

Put it in my coffee.

If I received it from Nana then I would love to have received it via eating her out~ though for passing it on to others I think I would just either spit into their mouths or shove a bleeding finger down their throat until they swallow and then run and get myself killed by AfO while taunting him with "I DON'T HAVE YOUR BROTHER'S QUIRK ANYMORE! SUCK MY NON-EXISTENT DICK YOU LOSER!"

knock me out and just inject the blood. if i have to actively think abt ingesting someone elses dna im gonna yeet myself into the ocean. to pass it on i'll just spit in a cup (or in their mouth) bc im not gonna make someone eat my hair nor is anyone getting my blood

who in their right mind would trust me with a power like ofa 💀afo just looks at me funny the quirk is his. im not a mc for a reason

Sexy battle where I’m the villain, and randomly the hero thinks “I wish I could save you”. Boom I punch them with bloody knuckles and the quirk passes to me. Now the hero has to teach me how to be good again. Also we fall in love.

You know, I always assumed I would head canon it as something romantic until canon proved me wrong But these options are so varied - I had to choose the most Dramatic (tm) one As for my actual answer: a gentle kiss with full consent from both parties

I will bite a holder as a sign of affection. There's probably some dead skin cells in the arm I can swallow by accident. They are used to this and sometimes we switch the quirk around for funsies.

You know, I spent like 10 minutes trying to think of something original here, but knowing my shit luck some bastard would spit in my drink or something and cast upon me the Curse of Bone Breaking and/or.... y’know..... AFO...........

okay this is gonna sound weird but. consider this i marry a very lovely women. we are in much love. we get attacked by evil people because she is a good hero but plot twist. i am secretly her nemisis. the attackers are my minions. i wanted her to protect me because i am very smol but. my comrades were too mean. she is nearly dead. "take this" she says. she kisses me and i am one for all. fuck, i say internally, but i dont tell her. she dies in my arms. i run and become vigilante and take down my once comrades. all is not well. i die unsatisfied. i eventually pass it onto a cat in an alleyway because they are the only one who is with me when i get hit with a back alley sniper

Blood or just like. skin. You could use nail clippers to take a bit off from a really fleshy area, like just under the nail. It's that easy

Spit in my food like an underpaid fast food worker.

i have long hair so that would not be ideal, but blood seems kinda...unsanitary, but i guess it would be better if i was 100% positive i wouldn't pass on some sort of disease. so if that could be ascertained then like a few drops of blood in a glass of water or something and then down the hatch, bam ofa passed on. i know other folks are probably typing some nsfw stuff but just. no. keep it in your pants y'all.

Blood transfusion First, pick a hospital Second, steal all their blood Third, have the previous user donate their blood to that hospital Fourth, get into a major accident and need a blood transfusion near the hospital you robbed Fifth, hope either OfA will only pass onto you bc your the intended recipient, or that no one else needs a blood transfusion Sixth, get the transfusion Seventh, steal all of the previous users blood back Eigth, return all the other stolen blood Ninth, get new identities, this crime leaves DNA everywhere Tenth, die of a blood clot due to incompatible blood types (optional)

okay realistically bleeding into a cut or a drop of blood into water and drinking it would be easiest but like... what if somehow dna could be baked into like a muffin or cookie or something... like i know when cooking with wines and stuff the alcohol cooks away and evaporates out but is that process the same for like blood? like if you baked your blood into a cookie would traces of your dna still be there? basically i want an ofa cookie (snickerdoodle preferably)

no i like my bones

drink a drop of blood. it'd go down easier than hair

no

Something dramatic and desperate in the heat of battle like blood or something

First of all, I think First passed OfA as he was dying entirely on accident, because Second was badly (though not critically) injured and they'd been sort of dancing around each other's feelings and doubting their own worth, so First, knowing he was dying and that his brother was a petty bitch who would probably kill Second anyway because he knows that First cared about him, kisses Second with blood on his lips and his last thoughts before dying are about how he wants Second to have the strength to survive if his brother comes after him.

If I was given the option of getting OfA, I wouldn't take it. I'm a coward and being given something like that is a death sentence.

If it was forced, probably ingesting the previous users blood, because blood is a lot easier to choke down than hair.

If I already had it and had to pass it on, I would want it to be something suitably dramatic like collapsing on the doorstep of a trusted loved one and explaining with my dying breath who killed me and why and then raising my blood covered hand to their face like I was going to caress their cheek only for them to taste blood. They cry and try to get me take it back and when I finally die they swear vengeance over my slowly cooling corpse.

Pass it on in a non-life threatening scenario where I decide I actually don’t like the weird bone breaking power a random person gave me as they were dying and wish I could pass it to someone else and through a weird set of circumstances end up accidentally cooking some of my own hair into brownies I was making because I shed like a dog and passing it to my new neighbor I came to welcome to the neighborhood.

Either drinking a glass of milk with their saliva (no icky hair taste), or an epic sharing of blood while clasping hands like knights in a noble brotherhood!

not by eating all mights long ass hair thats for sure, why did he give midoriya one of the longest ones he had, he has shorter hair right there on the back of his head. not to mention the fact of like how i would prefer to recieve it or give it away which would be just, fucking sharing a pop or something and swaping it through the backwash??? less nasty than hair and not as weird as the other options for spit which is like straight up spitting in a drink or the other persons mouth outside of kissing. if someone told me i had to eat their hair i would straight up say no thanks, cheers for the fitness glow up tho homie

I want nana 2 kiss me, on.,, the m,,,.."#*(@÷out.h pretty lady.,

Q-tip to the inside of the cheek

Those blood pacts where you slice your hands open and do a little handshake thing. Not very creative, but idk it just appeals to me

Via consumption of blood, babey

I would want it to be with a maybe maybe not homoerotic sword fight in a Wendy's parking lot, preferably while we are both being impaled on each other's swords. The sweet pain of almost dying is a very intense moment to share isn't it?

Sweet love

Hair

If it's someone cute, a kiss. Otherwise I'd probably just swallow a hair with some water.

i'd just like. spit in their water bottle. if thats not enough dna i guess licking a paper cut it is. hair is bad idwa bc it doesn't digest and can get wrapped up in things. and like. im too aroace for kissing and such

Last option, cause first is sexy as hell

okay you know what vore is, right. and you know how blood and organ transfusions work? well...

Not at all, like?? I enjoy being alive and not having my body destroyed thank you. Literally everyone with OfA died young-ish or has suffered debilitating injuries bc of it. Like Midoriya's bones are powder, and we don't even need to go into All Might's medical history. Like thanks but no thanks no freaky dna ingestion 4 me

Had a open cut from a can lid and ofa holder had an open cut. While lamenting about fins a successor.

Blood

Assuming we can bypass the rules of canon, it would be funny as fuck is OFA was passed on by intentional physical contact. So yes, a smooch for First and Second (and Second and Third) but also. Bitchslap of destiny. Nana giving her protege one last hug. All Might ruffles Mido’s hair like a dad to pass it on. I’m sure you get it

Bleeding over an open wound

lil bit of spit in a milkshake.

I hold their hand Platonically but it's summer and we're both sweaty and they're a little loopy and having weird thoughts due to dehydration and heat lmao, literally hanging around anyone for any extended period of time guarantees you accidentally ingest SOME of their dna. Dead skin cells are floating through the air ~constantly~ and if you have a friend I promise you've inhaled their dead skin cells before. Have fun with that knowledge!!

ok so like deffo a kiss, but in canon people get weird biological urges for using their quirks, like bby Toga drinking bird blood. First has had a LOT of "spit in their drink" intrusive thoughts over the years. immediately post first-kiss he is mystified that his intrusive thoughts have disappeared entirely, but then BAM it seems that second has the stockpile now, and with it, a preoccupation with vampire lore

drink from the same water bottle?

“EAT THIS!”

Pass it on by making them lick my arm because that would make them rly uncomfortable, passed to me by spiting in my 20oz Red Bull and then chugging it

[cant-blink]

Half-Life, Ch. 5

Summary: The consequences of Gigan’s actions makes itself clear.

-

He can’t move.

He can’t see.

He can’t hear.

But he was aware.

He was aware of the terrible pain that plagued his body, so intense that he couldn’t even scream. He was aware of every second the half-life used him for, every second his flesh was gouged and violated. He was aware, that every time he attempted to move even the slightest bit, it brought painful seizures through his entire body, especially of his legs and tails. His feet would kick the air uselessly, his tails have already run dry of their poison gasses but still kept contracting nonetheless.

He was aware, that for the very first time, he was at the complete mercy of everything around him.

His fifth brain has been severely damaged, shredded by the half-life’s tail and made worse through the mating. The same brain that allowed him to control his massive body was now destroyed, and it left that body feeling alien to the dragon.

Never before has he sustained such a terrible injury. It’s not often he received any injury at all, as his hardened scales usually proved enough to protect him from damage. Even in those few fights that proved more serious, it never got this bad. The extent of his injuries were usually torn wing membranes, maybe even a broken neck. Wounds that were always relatively easy to mend. Until that half-life showed up and now...

He felt so weak, and it was hard to stay conscious, much less stay focused on what he needed to do. He still had stored energy left in his stomach; he just needed to tighten the right muscles to free it into his system. But in the process of doing this, he sent another agonizing spasm through his whole body. He couldn’t even cry out, enduring this as it at least released his emergency reserves.

Some of that energy escaped his body, forming a faint barrier around him, red flame-like wisps coming from it. Keeping him safe from the outside world. He honestly didn’t want that energy to be wasted on a barrier, but he had no say in how his reserves were used. His body spent it on a pre-determined list of priorities that his old creators deemed fit.

The first of those priorities was to stopping the flow of blood from escaping his wounds. Blood being drawn is not something he was used to, but here he was losing too much too quickly. His body was in a state of panic, urgent in trying to get itself back together. But his energy stores were limited in how much he can carry; he didn’t even know if he would have enough to fully stop his bleeding, much less repair his damaged brain.

But he had to repair it; he can’t move without it and he needed to get out of here. Fly beyond the cloud of space dust and its atmosphere, to unfiltered cosmic rays. If he can’t, he won’t be able to complete the healing process. And... and...

It struck him.

He could very well die from this.

Bleeding. Humiliated. Disgraced. Defiled. Pathetic. At the claws of a half-life. Surrounded by lesser lifeforms. He’s never imagined what his death would be like, as it seemed like an impossibility. But this? This was not how he wanted his Death to be. He will NOT give this half-life the satisfaction of knowing he did this to him!

Without thinking, he attempted to get up, but his muscles tightened painfully before his legs kicked once more. More horrific pain swamped his nerves from his injuries. Why was his body not paying his damaged brain any attention?! He deemed that more important than his blood!

In his panicked mind-set, he failed to realize that he needed that blood to transfer the healing energy throughout his body. He was already losing too much, and the more he bled, the slower the process. But the thought never occurs to him as he kept struggling against his own body.

It was the burden of agony and exhaustion that finally stopped his attempts to move, his body once more settling into twitches. That violent fit has just undone what healing has occurred, dislodging clots and causing blood to flow freely once more.

He can feel it, trickling down his scales.

He can’t...

He just can’t...

He laid there for another moment, twitching. Enduring. Trying to calm. It’s all he can do; just try to stay alive long enough to see this through to the end. Hopefully soon, he’ll be able to take matters into his own teeth...

Blood still escaped his wounds by the time his reserves ran dry. No, no, this can’t happen to him. He already is going through enough pain as is, was he really going to have to resort to... to...

He didn’t have any real choice in the matter and he didn’t even have time to brace himself mentally before an acute piercing pain came into his chest. It was as if the half-life had stabbed right through him, and he instinctively tried to struggle, only to provoke another seizure that only worsened his situation. He felt no sign of the half-life, no resistance of his blade in his flesh. 

No, what he was experiencing was his own body sacrificing his Gravity Beam sacs, deteriorating the organs and reducing them into the same energy he would become when cocooning into his asteroid. Except this time, it was piece by piece, with his pain receptors fully intact. There was no pleasant numbing to ease the process.

He couldn’t remember the last time he had to go through something like this. At least back then, he was certain he would’ve been able to watch the process and see the results to make himself feel better. Here, he couldn’t observe the progress being made, nor estimate how much longer he’d have to endure this torture. Was this even worth it?

Wave after wave of added torment pierced through his chest, and each one made his focus waver that much more. His heart was racing so fast, from fear and from working hard to transport this new source of energy with what little blood was left. But even that was starting to weaken. It was harder to think, before thought disappeared completely. The pain was becoming dull, including the constant throb of the active chip. Wait, no... The sensation of the chip, the thing that plagued his dreams and life, was gone now.

An irrational sense of happiness flowed through him; the pain was gone, the chip was gone. Have he succeeded in healing? Was this happiness his reward? Was it time to rest from the ordeal? He didn’t know. All he knew now was a sense of bliss as his crests gave him the biggest dose of euphoria that he’s ever felt. 

Before that too faded into nothingness.

-

"Scoli, I need another glass. Right fuckin' now."

"Hello to you too." The centipede grumbled before glancing up. His mandibles opened in clear disgust. "You couldn't have cleaned up better?"

"Not in the mood, Legs," Gigan hissed, taking the glass just as the other kaiju finished pouring his drink. He takes a swig, savoring the taste and letting it work its magic. "Y'know, I put so much work into that guy and this is how I'm rewarded?"

“A bad lay, huh?” Scolopendra muttered in feigned interest.

“You have no idea,” He took another gulp. “Y’know, I had my suspicions that it would be his first time and yeah it was, and wanna know why?”

“Not really.”

“He had NOTHING between those legs. His damn Masters didn’t even give him junk, how fucked up do they have to be to not think of that?!” He continued to vent between drinks. “As fucked as MY Masters were, at least they left the rest of me intact. Even the bastards who did THIS-” He gestured at his own body. “-left well enough alone. But damn, that dragon can’t do shit. No wonder all he does is kill things, he literally has nothing else better to do with his time. Can’t eat, can’t drink, can’t fuck.” He shook his head. "I'd almost feel bad for him if he wasn't such an asshole. But I'd probably be an asshole too if I couldn't enjoy anything. How he managed to live like that for so long, I have no idea."

"Maybe it doesn't occur to you that if he doesn't have those abilities, then he probably never cared. Can't miss what you never had."

"Well, I've been trying to change that. Show him that yeah, killing is fun, but there's more to life than THAT." 

Another gulp and a moment of silence, as Gigan finished his drink and pushed the empty glass towards Scolopendra for a refill.

“Credit though, it was fun at first. Those throats of his, damn.”

“I don’t need to know the details.”

Gigan continued anyway. “He shoots lightning out of his mouth, and I tell you, that kind of energy made him feel real nice.”

“Gigan!”

“But it would be nice to fuck him properly. Maybe I can find a race that has the knowledge to do some surgery on him. Get a proper hole on him so I don’t have to keep making one myself. Heh.” A smirk came to his face. “Imagine that, get him custom-made just for me. Maybe throw in a stomach too.” He chuckled a bit but that died when he saw the look the centipede gave him. It wasn’t one he was expecting, scolding and with great disapproval. He maintained eye contact as he took a sip of his refilled drink. “What?”

“... What the fuck, Gigan?” Scolopendra started.

“What?” he responded with a defensive hiss.

“I asked not to hear about it, but... But what the fuck do you mean ‘keep making one myself’? What did you do?” Well, at last, the damn bug had interest in what he was saying, even if it was with obvious disgust.

“I told you. I made a hole. Between those legs.” The stinger of his tail clicked with emphasis and the look the centipede gave him was growing even more judgmental. It was enough to make him laugh. “Oh, stop acting like you care. If he were any other bitch, I would’ve done much worse. And had a free meal after.”

Scolopendra shook his head. “Would’ve actually preferred if you ate him like the rest of your ‘bitches’. Always made me feel better pretending it’s a legit hunting method of yours.”

“Eh, this job is making you soft, you’ll get over it,” the cyborg continued dismissively. “Anyway, the whole thing would’ve been fun, but apparently, the dragon couldn’t handle it. Damn thing passed out on me.”

“Passed out? Or died from fuckin’ being impaled?”

“Noooo,” Gigan drawled, taking another gulp. “He was still bleeding when I left.”

“Oh, okay, so he’s dying. Good to know, considering he’s the reason I’ve been giving you drinks in the first place. But now that he’s bleeding out...” 

Gigan gave him an unamused look, which Scolopendra met with his own. The moment of silence was thick before the cyborg gave one last gulp to finish his drink before slamming it back on the bar with force. “Fiiiine. I’ll go check on him.”

“You do that,” the centipede grumbled, just wanting any excuse for the cyborg to leave his establishment. “We’re also closing soon, so don’t bother coming back.” He watched the blue kaiju raise a blade in acknowledgement as he left before the centipede pulled out the communicator from beneath the bar. He pressed in a few buttons before speaking in a soft whisper.

“Hey, boss. Gigan, y’know, that idiot cyborg we banned? Yeah, he just left... Mhm... No, I told him to leave but he brought GHIDORAH in here... Yeah, THAT Ghidorah, how many Ghidorahs do you know? Now that monster knows our location, what now?” He nodded a couple of times before- “The Strawberry cloud?” He lets out an audible sigh. “I’ll get things packed up here.”

..............

“Huh? ..... Nothing’s wrong, I was just hoping we’d move to the Pineapple cloud instead... Wait, we can?”

For the first time since Gigan showed up, the centipede smiled.

-

What the actual hell was this?

Gigan glared at the sphere in front of him, and beyond, Ghidorah lying on the ground. He almost walked right into it and would’ve if it wasn’t for the red firey tendrils that pulsed through it alerting him to its presence. He lifted a claw and gave the sphere an experimental tap.

A spark courses up his blade and into the flesh of his arm and he flinched away. It actually wasn’t bad, although probably enough to kill off small species, like their old Masters. But it does nothing to discourage him, as his visor locks on the motionless form of the dragon. The fact that the dragon thought this would be enough to protect him; maybe from those tiny aliens, but definitely not from him. It was enough to push his irritation out of his mind to be replaced with smug amusement.

He’ll show him how useless this was.

Lifting his claw high, he struck the sphere with strength, sparks erupting from the impact. His other claw followed, slashing into the same spot to weaken it. He continues, increasing the amount of force with each blow until he can make out a crack.

A smirk grew on his beak, and his visor began to glow before a blast of his laser shoots at the weakened spot. On impact, the beam scattered into smaller extensions of itself, increasing the area of damage. It proved enough and the shield shattered. The red wisps of energy flung outwards, dissipating into the pink haze around them.

With a chuckle, his eye settled back onto the dragon lying in a puddle of his own blood. At least it looked as though all that twitching from earlier has stopped. Coming closer, he took notice that Ghidorah looked... thinner somehow. Yeah, he was definitely thinner, he can even make out the shape of the bones in his tails. Something was wrong, very wrong.

“Ghidorah, you awake?” Probably not, given the lack of a reaction to his precious forcefield being destroyed. Those six eyes were still open, still glassy and unfocused. Even those crests have lost their glow. He gave one of those faces a light kick with his foot. Nothing.

The damn thing doesn’t even breathe, so he couldn’t use that as a means to check for life. Does Ghidorah have a heart? A pulse to check? If he bleeds, he probably has some equivalent to such, right? He pulled up the files in his memory bank of what his Masters knew about the wyvern, but beyond the origin of his existence and the mind-control chip, they had nothing else. No anatomy, nothing.

It took a moment before Gigan abandoned his efforts to dig deeper, and he decided to test for life the only way he knew how. He kneeled down beside the dragon and with a blade, he sliced a cut through a patch of scales that was still free of blood-stains.

He scanned the wound for a few seconds before realizing, the dragon wasn’t bleeding.

....

Shit.

[another-dr-another]

submit closing argument !

Maeda - The case starts back with Inoris reaction to her motive video. It… hit her a bit differently, and she was driven to murder.

Maeda - She was even able to select her victim instantaneously, deciding on Kurokawa the moment that the exorcist showed distress over her video.

Maeda - Of course, her plan was only set into motion at the party; first, Inori drugged Tsurugis drink, leaving him tired, and disoriented.

Maeda - Next, she went against her plan, and slipped up by openly asking Maki about her video, showing how it was on Inoris mind the way that everyone else felt…

Maeda - Trust me, that’s important.

Maeda -  Later, when everyone had gone to bed, except Inori, Kurokawa, and Tsurugi, the bloodshed began, with Tsurugi serving as first target.

Maeda - He went up and down the hallway, putting away the supplies that they had gotten for the day, which is when Inori attacked.

Maeda - First, she back-stabbed him, and the damage done to his spine made him collapse, allowing her to bring the weapon down, bashing the back of his head open.

Maeda - This would be a two-victim murder, but the pills also caused blood clotting, so he didn’t bleed out, just stayed unconscious until woken up in the morning.

Maeda - In fact, Inori brought him bandages, but upon seeing how little he had bled, she simply tucked them underneath his chin, likely to keep any further blood from dirtying the bandages.

Maeda - Tsurugi pointed out that it was weird how little blood he had lost, but it’s also worth… remembering, that he was stabbed in the spine, and his head injury still could’ve caused brain damage.

Maeda - …That’s off topic though; back to Inoris crimes.

Maeda - She walked away as Tsurugi bled and moved on to who she meant to kill: Kurokawa, cleaning up in the kitchen.

Maeda - Now, remember Inori stabbing Tsurugi in the spine, so she could hit his head as he collapsed?

Maeda - Once again, proving this was a necessary step, and backing up that  the culprit was someone short like Inori- Inori hit Kurokawa on the back, this time using the blunt end of the drill.

Maeda - However, this was less of a shock, Kurokawa recovered quickly, grabbed the container of brown sugar she had been holding, and swung it around at Inori.

Maeda -You can imagine she then got onto her hands and knees to stand up easier, a fatal mistake, as Inori used the chance to hit the back of her head.

Maeda - If you checked the dining hall, you would see the brown sugar spilled on the floor, and the blood- not that which splattered on Inori,

Maeda - But rather, the blood on the kitchen cabinets, Uehara deduced that its lowest part matched where Kurokawas head would be-

Maeda - Inori dragged Kurokawa, leaned her against the kitchen cabinet, and began heading to the exit doors.

Maeda - The next phase of the plan: escape, and bring Kurokawas body, so no one would find it before Inori left.

Maeda - Inori grabbed Kurokawa by the legs, giving Kurokawa rug burn, and leaving a small blood trail as she dragged Kurokawa to the Entry Hall

Maeda - When Inori did reach the Entry Hall, she dropped Kurokawas body, the pain from that impact, on top of her wounds, generating adrenaline and waking her up.

Maeda - The motion of Kurokawa moving both loosened her belongings from her pockets, and alerted Inori that she was awake.

Maeda - Kurokawa could’ve screamed, tried to run, or attack Inori, which would obviously cause issues with the plan.

Maeda - So Inori delivered the final blow, stabbing Kurokawa all the way through to her lung; the circular wound in Kurokawas chest matches the stab wound in Tsurugis back.

Maeda - That was the final blow, and Kurokawa died, leaving Inori to focus on escape

Maeda - But she misunderstood the rules, and the doors didn’t open, even when she wound up scratching and denting the doorknobs while trying to open them.

Maeda - With her power high starting to run out, Inori gave up and decided to work her way back to her room.

Maeda - Remember the blood Inori got on herself? She wiped it off, leaving the bloodied cloth in the Entry Hall where it was later found.

Maeda - The guilt kicked in on their way back, and they broke into the infirmary; different type of doorknob allowing it to be picked, unlike the Entry Hall.

Maeda - Why? She was getting the bandages for Tsurugi which were mentioned earlier, but as you already know, they weren’t used,

Maeda - Likely to keep us from keying in on the culprit being someone with medical skill or revealing anything else on the case.

Maeda - However, people attempting to break into closed areas wasn’t something anyone predicted.

Maeda - I know Monokuma isn’t equipped to handle that sort of thing, which explains why his... AI was delayed in releasing the Monokuma file.

Maeda - …Just another thing for you all to... take comfort in, knowing that he’s not all powerful.

Maeda - Anyways, Inori was likely thrown off by the reminder of what she’d done, seeing Tsurugi; kind, caring, to a fault…

Maeda - …Laying in his own blood on the floor, Inori decided to get something to eat, to soothe her stomachache.

Maeda - But she couldn’t stomach it, so after a moment of messing with what she had on her plate, Inori went to her room.

Maeda - Now, you could argue that other students would need to hit Tsurugi and Kurokawa twice, or that the extra damage was important, but there’s more which points to it being Inori.

Maeda - Inori said that the weapon must’ve been a gun, but the two students whose talents would provide them with guns couldn’t have attacked Kurokawa.

Maeda - Maki was asleep, using tea to make sure she fell asleep, and was out before Tsurugi was attacked, leaving her definitely unable to pull off the murder.

Maeda - Then, the other student is the aforementioned Tsurugi, who proved he wasn’t carrying a weapon, and explained how it was impossible for him and Kurokawa to have fought.

Maeda - The weapon would have to be silent, have a sharp and circular end, and a blunt end, such as a drill, which only the SHSL Surgeon had.

Maeda - So Inori lied, just like with the time of death, and every reason she gave that it wasn’t her, being believed automatically every time.

Maeda - Admittedly though, I can see why you all jumped to listen to someone who seemed to have knowledge and authority... first murder, everything was all new, and there was no blatant culprit.

Maeda - What Monokuma provided to help, the things that he could guarantee to be true, was all unhelpful.

Maeda - Everything the Monokuma File said was things you could work out on your own…

Maeda - After that, non-blackened students unintentionally helped serve the blackeneds goal of misleading the pure students.

Maeda - Such as guesses that were just bad, and only backed up by things that had happened in the past,

Maeda - Like Higa,  when he accused Uehara, simply because he was doing fine physically,

Maeda - While Kurokawa was dead, after she had been injured while alone with Uehara the other day.

Maeda - Or by unrelated stuff which you… still don’t have explanation for

Maeda - ….. I shouldn’t... divert the conversation to talk about that.

Maeda - But still, none of that was malicious... maybe Higa was, but still; for the most part, you all just all tried your hardest.

Maeda - You worked together, listening to one another, trying to have faith in your ability to find the truth, and...

Maeda - You all trusted the blackened and relying on what they said almost got everyone killed, leaving Kurokawa without justice, and her killer to run free.

Maeda - Relying on Inori and her autopsy was a mistake near fatal; she provided so much information, and every time it was proved false, her explanation was trusted, again and again.

Maeda - She relied on your trust, lying time and time again, to try and divert from the fact that only one person could’ve killed Kurokawa Mikako...

Maeda - The blackened is the Super High School Level Surgeon, Inori Kanata!

BREAK!

~*~

{Advance}

[thomasshelbyy]

A puzzle whose answer need not be spoken

NB: My first fanfic for Peaky and my first one I’ve written in a loooonnnggg time. I posted first on AO3, but cross-posting here so maybe more people can see it! I take requests, so shoot me an ask and I’ll write something for you ;)

Tommy Shelby x Reader

You couldn't decipher the kind of man Thomas Shelby was.

Puzzles, riddles, codes were meant to be figured out, analyzed and solved. Thomas Shelby inhibited all efforts, not by active rebellion against them, but by the nature of his being. Thomas Shelby, a man who could look down a barrel of a gun with no fear, was also a man who insisted on giving back to his community, his roots. He could swing his arm in a wide arc, meaning to slice an antagonist's skin, and he could gently strike a matchbox to light your cigarette before you even asked. Thomas Shelby was everything the rumors said, merciless, ambitious, and intimidating, and he was everything the rumors could never know: considerate, caring, and loving.

Loving in his own way, of course. Not the kind of person to fawn or overly praise, but the kind of person who expressed affection through actions, through deeds done after his attentive listening to one's conversation. Thomas was everything to a lot of people, you could see that quite plainly. You had only been working at the Garrison for a couple months before you started to get a read on the Shelby family. Thomas was the most difficult to see, but Arthur displayed his troubles to anyone who caught the look on his face after a sharp gulp of whiskey. John kept to himself, too old for a boy so young, too many responsibilities for a boy who never had a childhood. Ada was committed to her own power struggle, forced to be subservient in a world that only recognized women as what they could be to men instead of what they are in reality. Polly cared so much, making up for something she has lost through her consideration of the Peaky's.

You ceased your wonderings, your examinations of the family you knew was in the pub but who had concealed themselves in their room.

"A whiskey, please," a man whose accent exposed his foreignness, grunted, tapping two fingers on the bar counter as you already moved to fill a glass. He slid back ten pence in exchange.

"Liquor is fifty pence, sir," you stated, looking at him in a way that you hoped expressed your sternness but wasn't too confrontational.

"Bloody fucking hell. What kind of place is this? Charging us poor people fifty fucking pence for a glass of watered down whiskey?" The man began to raise his voice.

"I don't make the prices, sir," is all you said in return, hoping the man would acquiesce and pay the difference.

"I'm not paying fifty pence of my hard-earned money on a single fucking glass, cunt," he shouted, slamming the glass on the table so that it shattered across the wood. Your reflexes weren't fast enough to cover your face before shards flew at you and you shut your eyes. You could barely feel anything sharp until warm blood began to run down your cheeks. You brought your hands up to try and stem the bleeding, moaning at the pain which had begun to wave throughout your face.

In your state, you didn't hear the door open from the Shelby's private vestibule, but you did hear a man's voice, calm and low, begin to speak.

"Now, I really don't think you know what kind of bar this is, because if you had, you wouldn't have fucking done that." You didn't register anything besides a faint clicking of a gun and the shuffling sounds of men dragging someone from the bar stool and into the middle of the floor. "If you're not smart enough to know who owns this bar, then you probably shouldn't be going anywhere in Small Heath at all," the same voice rang out. The sounds of grunts and punches and bones cracking and blood splattering filled the bar as you started to realize that your efforts to curb your bleeding had only pushed the shards further into your skin. Feeling deeper tissue start to be cut by the glass, you cried out.

"Fucking Christ, get her out of here," someone, you thought Polly maybe, yelled, before you felt two hands grip your shoulders, pulling you to your feet and then being lifted off the ground. The hands you felt on your body were familiar, the scent of cigarettes and musk and gunpowder filled your nose and despite your eyes being shut, you had a feeling that you knew who was carrying you out of the Garrison.

"Tommy?" You whispered, a slight hesitancy to your guess in case your deductive skills were inhibited by the injuries you'd sustained.

"I'm here," he hummed back, "You'll be okay." Immediately you relaxed, trusting that Tommy would take care of you. You knew that the second you started work at the bar you had been brought under the protection of the Blinders. Besides that, despite all of the terrible deeds you knew Tommy had done, something in your gut told you that he would do anything for you. Although you hadn't known Tommy for long, you had felt a draw towards the man with pale blue eyes and razors sewn into his cap brim.

You couldn't say how long it took to get to Tommy's place, but you knew you had arrived when the arms which had been holding you tight placed you gently down on a couch.

"I'm going to be right back," Tommy grunted, rushing to the kitchen and pulling for the scant first aid kit that Polly had first insisted on after Tommy's gunshot wound.

"I'll be here," you called back gruffly, chuckling a little at your joke before wincing at the sting caused from moving your face, "This really fucking hurts, Tommy."

"If having shards of glass stuck in your face didn't hurt you, I'd be a little more worried than I am right now," Tommy retorted. You could hear that he was coming back into the room, feel him pull a stool up besides you and sit on it. "This is going to feel...bad. But I'll do the best I can. Take a swig of this though."

You reached your hand out blindly, knowing that he would thrust the bottle into it for you. Bringing it to your lips, you chugged what you find out was gin for a couple seconds, enjoying the sanitizing feeling the liquor spread through your insides before giving it back to your employer. Tommy let the alcohol settle in your stomach for a few moments before bringing a pair of tweezers to your face, beginning his work. He held his instrument in his right hand, his left gently grasping your chin to hold you steady.

You could feel the stomach churning pull of tissue when he tugged on individual shards, but you also sensed that any damage done would heal. Your eyes were spared and nothing had sliced too deeply into you.

"Do I wanna know what's happening to that bastard right now?" You asked softly, trying to distract yourself from the discomfort.

"Arthur and John are showing him what the consequences in this town are for being stingy with liquor," he replied. For the first time since the incident, you slowly opened your eyes to Tommy only a couple inches away from you, staring intently at the work he was doing.

"Now stop talking, I want to do this right." Feeling comfortable with silence, you quieted, but still chose to investigate the man who was helping you. Your boss, the gangster, who was currently cradling your face as he gingerly plucked broken glass from your skin. When you had first started your job, you had been warned that Birmingham was a rough place, that the people were used to the muck and grime and fires that polluted the air and which hardened them to life. Looking back, you hadn't even been fearful at this description. You knew how to take care of yourself, and anything was better than the boring village you had come from, where you would have likely been forced to marry a cousin due to the dismal agrarian population. Slowly but surely you could feel your skin becoming lighter, the blood clotting as the glass was removed and placed in an empty whiskey glass on the coffee table. Being so close to a man who was so dangerous thrilled you, being treated so carefully by the same man made your heart beat fast against your chest. He was so close to you that you were sure, certain that he must hear your heartbeat, maybe even feel it. He was gorgeous and mysterious and deep down you had a feeling he was good.

"I think I got most of it out, if I missed anything it'll get pushed out anyways as you start to heal," Tommy said, his eyes scanning your face as he set the tweezers down, replacing them with the bottle of gin and taking a significant drink from it. After he finished you did the same, feeling certain that no matter how much spirits you ingested your elevated adrenaline would hinder inebriation.

"Thank you, Tommy. I can't imagine what would have happened without you there," you replied, looking at him from underneath your lashes. He was stunning, take your breath away caliber, and under his scrutiny you began to wonder how feral you looked. "How bad is it?"

"Well. You'll have some scars, I'm sure. You don't look bad though," Tommy responded. He pulled a handkerchief from his pocket, pushing his sleeves up to his elbow as he had discarded his tailored jacket long ago, and wet it with the liquor. He brought the cloth to your face, dabbing gently along the cuts to sanitize as best he could. It stung, almost worst than the initial pain, but it quickly faded and he placed the diluted blood-stained handkerchief on the table next to the gin. His gruffness alluded to his straightforwardness, his inability to empathize with the insecurities you were feeling just then. Men, you thought. At least you knew he wouldn't lie to you. You brought your hand to your hair, feeling strands of it fallen from the few pins you had haphazardly used for your typical work style. As you did so, you felt his intense stare, and the minuscule space between you seemed to electrify and pulsate.  

"I'm going to have to release you for your employment at the Garrison," Tommy blurted out, breaking the moment. You heard what he said, but blinked a couple times as you processed his words.

"What?!" You exclaimed, pushing yourself up off the back of the couch, only bringing you closer to Tommy's face, "I didn't do anything wrong, that crazy motherfucker did this!"

He took your outburst without flinching, keeping his gaze level despite the proximity between you two.

"I understand. But you got hurt, thankfully not badly, because of your job. What if that guy had been a Sabini, or IRA, instead of some stupid fucking civilian? You would be dead. You're in harm's way and that's not acceptable," Tommy retorted. As he continued talking, his voice got more strained, although still low.

"Fuck that! I need this job, I need money, and you can't – you shouldn't – feel the need to protect me from every fucking possibility of harm in this town. You can't just fire me," you replied. Why did he feel such obligation to you? You couldn't – you wouldn't dare hope that he was trying to protect you from a place of sentimentality. Although you had exchanged small touches, long stares, and short conversations at the Garrison, you knew that he didn't go after women with all of his goals he had for his business. He didn't have time for you, and there was no way he could have noticed you in the way you had him.

"You would still be on the payroll, but I don't want you in the bar anymore. You can help me with the office, be a fucking secretary or someth–" he started before you interrupted.

"No offense, Tommy, but I'm not going to let you keep me in your fucking jail cell of an office. You're not my husband and I will make my own decisions." The passion you felt for him began to seep into your words, making your body grow restless on the couch. Getting tired of being so close to the man who you knew you could never have, you stood up and hurried to the corner of the room, running your hands through your hair and avoiding your cuts as an afterthought.

"I know you can make your own decisions. But I can't let you get hurt, I can't even begin –" Tommy responded, getting up from his stool and following you across the floor.

"You do you care so much, Tommy? What does it matter to you if I get hurt anyways? I'm just one of your employees, a new one at that! I don't fucking matter to you!" You shouted. All of your frustration, the potential of losing your job, the residual pain from the evening, the hurt you felt from feeling Tommy's rough hands on your skin in the only way you will ever experience his touch. You wistfully laughed, realizing that you would probably never be this close to him again; all it took was some drunk asshole to get mad for him to touch you, though it was a cheap alternative to how you really wanted him. You looked up at this man, with eyes that shone like the weapons he used. Your anger faltered, and turned to sadness as you waited for him to respond.

He stood there, no more than a foot away from you, his lips still and his jaw flexing underneath his taut skin. Nothing. You stared at him for another second, willing him to say anything. Nothing.

The pain of looking at the man you loved who obviously didn't love you back became too great. You tore your eyes away from his, led the towards the floor, and sighed.

"Thanks for pulling the fucking glass out of my face," you murmured, brushing past him and heading towards the door. Feeling a slight draft coming from outside, you realized your coat was still at the Garrison, with your apartment keys in the inside pocket, that had been left in the hurry to help you. Great, you thought. After everything tonight, you also get to walk home in the cold without anything covering you.

Just as you turned the door knob, lightly pushing outwards on the worn wood, Tommy cleared his throat.

"You don't really believe that, do you?"

You halted opening the door, but still kept your back to the man who spoke. "Believe what, Tommy."

"That I don't matter to you." At this, you turned your head to glance at him over your shoulder. He was in the same spot, but had turned to you.

"I mean –" you started, not sure what to say and scared to hear what would come next.

"Because that's the biggest pile of shit I've ever heard in my fucking life. I care for you, I care for you too much. I am the most feared man in Northern England, and the thing I fear most is seeing you – seeing you harmed because of me... Tonight you got lucky, but you still got hurt. You are fragile, so fucking fragile, and all it took was one random drunkard to tear up your face," his words spilled out of him, in a rare sacrifice of his usual brevity. His eyes were wild, his hands moving through the air frantically in between pulling through his hair. What he was saying, the words which you were terrified to believe were true, seemed to blur together. His words almost didn't matter. You saw how much he cared, how scared he was at you leaving in the tenseness of his body, in his fingers fidgeting as if moving towards a cigarette with a mind of their own.

You knew Thomas Shelby had braved some unimaginable terrors in his life, but this was by far the most you had ever seen him flustered. Thomas Shelby always used his words economically, always saved his true intentions to be displayed through action.

"Please, please don't get my hopes up, Tommy. You must know, surely you must see how I feel about you," you whispered. Although you were separated across the room, you knew he could hear you in the deafening silence. You stared at each other, both searching for the validation in what you believed you were hearing, before both going into motion at precisely the same time, traversing across the floor to each other faster than you thought possible. When he reached you, Tommy pulled you into his chest hard, moving his hands up from your arms and to the side of your head, bringing your lips to his in a feverish touch.

You felt his lips on yours, his body up against you, almost certain that this was a hallucination from poorly distilled liquor, but then you sighed, falling into his embrace and opening your mouth up to feel as much of him as you could. He responded in kind, tongues coming together and lips moving languidly as though both of you were cherishing this moment, lost in the realization that your feelings could be realized. A haze fell on your mind, Tommy becoming the beginning and ending of all your thoughts as he pushed you towards the couch, turning around so that he could fall back on the cushions and you could settle on his lap. Friction become pleasure, hot and necessary and everything, as the space between the two of you vanished like a wisp into the air. You could feel him harden underneath you, the sensation sending you into a frenzy. Your hands roamed his chest, undoing the buttons on his vest as he moved his hands up, down your back, and along your breasts, each time getting closer and closer to lifting up your skirt.

It was only when he started to kiss away from your mouth, to your cheek and aiming for your neck, that you remembered your wounds and the cuts that were still frustratingly fresh. You winced, and he was reminded as well.

"Ah, fuck. Fuck. I'm so sorry, your face –" he stammered, pulling away and bringing his fingertips to lightly skirt along your cheekbone.

"It's okay. They just sting a little bit," you breathed. Tommy stared up at you with the purest sheen of adoration in his eyes, and you felt your cheeks warm, a smile becoming too difficult to conceal spreading on your lips. You sat back on his lap, burrowing your face into the crook of his neck to let your flush subside as he pulled you even closer.

You stayed like that for what felt like forever, both basking in the knowledge of requited love, before he lifted you up off his lap and began walking towards the staircase. You ran your finger along his chest in circles as he stepped up the stairs, opening the door to his room and setting you down on his bed. He unbuttoned your top, starting at the top and moving down, pulling it off your shoulders to expose your slip. You stood up to step out of your skirt, toeing off your shoes, as he unfastened your garter from your stockings, deftly slipping both of them off. You began to work on his shirt, taking it off as he pulled the pins from your hair. You felt it fall down your back, causing you to shiver from being so exposed. You bent down to tug his trousers from his hips, level with his cock that was keenly tenting his underwear. Tommy untied his brogues, taking his remaining outer clothing off. You examined him, the man who you love, seeing the scars which littered his skin, the stark tattoos and the lean muscle making you question again if this was real. His fingers touched lightly underneath your chin, inviting you to look up at him, snapping your dreaming as you gazed into his eyes, the eyes of the man you love, looking down at you with all the answers to all the questions you could possibly ask right now.

You brought your lips to his, softly this time compared to the last, slowing shutting your eyes, reveling in the feeling of him. His chest, his hands, his lips, his tongue, all served to insist that this was real, that you were with Tommy Shelby. He pulled back, slipping his hand from your tender cheek, grazing all along your arm and grasping your hand, tugging you towards his bed. He laid down and you folded yourself up into his chest, his arms holding you close. The stress of the night, the pain and the elation, suddenly bore down on you, sinking into your bones and pressing you into his mattress as sleep began to tug your eyelids closed. You hadn't realized how exhausted you were, and you inwardly thanked Tommy for bringing you up to bed. You felt his lips press against the top of your head, the pressure staying there, while his fingers twiddled with the straps of your undergarments.

"Please get some sleep, my love," the words of endearment seemed almost foreign to you as you breathed them out, breaking the stillness of the night.

"I have a feeling I'll sleep well tonight," Tommy replied, his voice even more crackly than usual. You smiled to yourself, having never believed you would ever fall asleep with the Tommy Shelby, the man of enigmas who somehow straddled the plethora of very fine lines he so loved to toe. As you felt yourself more and more pulled into sleep, the cadence of Tommy's breaths and heartbeat lulling you so, you heard the front door open, the rest of the Shelby clan noisily shuffling into the house.

"Fucking idiots," Tommy cursed, causing you to chuckle. You knew the group had at the very least beat the man from the bar badly in retaliation for the shattered glass, and while before you may have protested the use of violence, being around the Shelby family had shown you that sometimes this world necessitates such a response. And with Tommy Shelby's arms around you, you didn't really feel the need to object to anything at all.  

[saphushia]

Consider: Nano's infection started on her arms, assumedly, but Lalna's appeared on his face. If we were to ignore canon for a second - would Lalna comparably go crazy faster? As the flux would take way less time to get to his mind

alright, SO, have you ever been painting and reached for your drink but you grab your cup of paint water instead? ok so, imagine that, but you’re an idiot scientist awake at 1 am and you have an open jar of flux on your desk instead of paint. this is a long-winded way of saying i hc that lalna’s an IDIOT who got infected because he DRANK FLUX back in tekkit.

this is gonna get a tad long so more beneath the cut, but tldr lalna’s a water balloon full of flux and lost his marbles long ago

now what’s important here is i hc that lalna and nano have 2 slightly different kinds of flux. nano’s is external, and lalna’s is internal (and these aren’t perfect classifications because nano’s still affects her bones and similar stuff inside but it’s the basic gist). this is because nano was infected from skin contact with flux crystals, but lalna was infected by being a dumb bitch and chugging a jar a flux and shrugging assuming it’d be fine.

UNIVERSAL SYMPTOMS

interacts strangely with mechanical implants- seems to take them over and become similar to organic organs

affects sweat glands, resulting in gooey purple discharge from skin. despite the lack of functioning sweat glands, subjects do not seem to suffer in hot temperatures, and possibly have a higher tolerance to heat than they would otherwise.

deep muscle infections can cause subjects to develop strength disproportionate to their actual muscle mass.

infection shows high activity levels at times, particularly when the subject’s adrenaline levels spike, or they are nearby large concentrations of flux. during these periods subjects have been shown to blackout, and sometimes display a temporary loss of sanity. subjects seem to return to their normal state of mind once flux activity levels decrease.

EXTERNAL FLUX (NANO)

infection is largely in the outer layers of the body, primarily affecting the skin, external organs, and bones

infected sensory organs (eyes, ears) often sends bizarre signals to the brain, resulting in hallucinations, in advanced cases the organ will cease it’s regular function entirely, instead sending only false signals.

often causes involuntary muscle contractions in infected areas, which can cause the infected skin to seem as if it’s pulsating or moving.

creates spikes or horn-like growths along cartilage and bone

commonly caught by inexperienced thaumaturges not using the proper precautions when handling highly charged materials

INTERNAL FLUX (LALNA)

infection is almost entirely focused inside the body, primarily affecting blood and internal organs

causes issues with blood flow and clotting due to the thickening of flux infected blood

severe infections can reach the nervous system, including the brain, which over time can cause dramatic changes to the subject’s psyche

infection of the tear glands results in constant tear-like discharge, similar to that produced by sweat glands

typically exhibited in either the very skilled, or very stupid

(lalna’s flux presents externally when around nano due to her flux levels being high enough to send lalna’s flux into a hyperactive state)

important things to note: most of lalna’s internal organs are infected with flux. if you cut him open he’d just be a grape gusher of otherworldly magic disease. also, nano hears and sees mother because of the flux infecting her ear and eye. the flux takes over her senses but not her mind.

now, as for lalna going crazy faster than nano because of this- yeah. that’s what wizard school was (in my opinion lmao). moron’s flux didn’t disappear when he got seperated from nano it just stopped showing up visibly so this absolute GENIUS of a man went ‘heehoo, flux gone- im gonna taunt it~’ and proceeded to FILL HIS TOWER WITH FLUX. this man scavenged through his cat’s hairballs, if that’s not a sign of descent into madness idk what is. (and oh boy, i could make a whole nother post about how lalna’s behavior in wizard school and fb4 feed into my 'lalnable is just another timeline lalna who didn’t get his nano back after fb4’ hc/cracktheory)

in canon nano actually remains about as sane as she started, beyond the occasional conversing with an eldritch abomination. her personality doesn’t change dramatically- she learns to stand up for herself more, becomes bolder, more confident, a little less forgiving. but all of that strikes me more as normal character development than flux driving her crazy.

even back in tekkit and the apprentice, after lalna gets into thaumcraft he seems to calm down somewhat. become less paranoid. am i reading too far into things? absolutely. but also consider the flux already infecting his mind and him not even noticing. because of course, how would you notice a magic disease from another dimension slowly warping the very person you are?

[notyetneedcoffee]

21 & 80 with capsicle?? SSJSJSH thank you!!

Sorry for the delay, I’ve been fighting the crud. Maybe that’s why this came out a little soft… still smut ridden, don’t get me wrong… but still soft. 

Take Care of You

Pairing: Steve Rogers x Reader

Warning: NSFW, +18, Smut

Damn you hated it when he bled. Ripping open the pressure dressing with your teeth kept the string of profanities from escaping. You tore his uniform open wider, exposing the gash over his rib cage. The white of bone and rubbery band of intercostal muscle peeked out from the gash. You washed it down with saline but didn’t bother with a clotting agent before pressing on the bandage.  

Steve grunted as you pressed down hard with one hand and wrapped an arm around him to wind the bandage about his torso. “That hurts.”

“Yeah, yeah. You’ll heal faster from this than I will from the scrape on my shoulder.” Even though his injury made you sick, and you knew it had to hurt like hell, the statement was still true.  

“You’re injured? Where?” The Captain’s bloody hands came up to your arms, trying to turn you around.  

“I’m okay.”

“Let me see.” Steve ordered.

“Let me finish.” You countered.

His strong hands physically shifted you so he could see the tear in your suit and the bloody scraped flesh of your shoulder. Snagging up a handful of four-by-fours, he pressed them against your wound. “Y/N!”

The movement pulled free the yet to be secured bandage at his side, blood freely flowing again down his side. You reached for the bandage as it unraveled. “Dammit, Steve!”

“Get a room!”

A chorus of deep laughs erupted from the other side of the jet. Barton, Wilson and Barnes watched the two of you wrestle for the ability to take care of each other. Sam shook his head, “Y’all just need to make out and get over it.”

Steve went stock still. His eyes locked on a spot on the floor, jaw working furiously against the urge to retort. His one hand still held the dressings against your shoulder, but he no longer tried to look at it. At least it allowed you to secure the pressure bandage properly.  

“Stop it.” He said under his breath.

“No. You’re bleeding.” You whispered back, softening. “Why do you let them get to you? You don’t get this combative with Nat.”

“She’s different.” His eyes remained locked on the floor.

“We’re coming in to the safe house, kiddos.” Tony announced from the pilot’s seat. “Cap, you need a medic?”

“No.” He sat up straighter with a wince.  

“Bullshit.” Your mumbled response had him glaring at you.  

“I just need a hot shower and a little time.” Steve finished.  

Stark looked a little apprehensive. He’d seen the vitals readout on the Captain before exiting his suit. He knew it was a pretty significant wound, too. “Sure thing. Why don’t you take the big suite. Shower’s all tricked out with the best stuff.”

As everyone exited the carrier you felt a hand at your arm. Tony breathed in your ear. “He’s gonna tear himself in half getting out of that uniform by himself.  Go help him, even if he fights you.”

You intended to do just that, regardless of Stark’s encouragement. Turning the corner toward the bedrooms, Bucky’s considerable girth took up the hall. He watched Steve disappear into the room at the end. Turning sideways to slip past him, he shot you a look.

“Not a word.” You warned. Thankfully, the corner of his mouth just tipped up and he turned away.

Not bothering to knock, you slipped inside. A groan came from the bathroom. Peeking around the corner, you saw Steve sitting on the edge of a very big soaking tub slowing trying to reach down to his boots.  

“Gonna let me help you with that, or you still going to be a jerk about it?”  

“Y/N,” He practically whined. “What are you-“

“I’m helping you.” Without permission, you peeled off you ruined jacket and knelt in front of him to unstrap his boots.  

Steve momentarily forgot about the pain, watching you before him. Breast held firmly in a sports bra. Your hair pulled free of your braid, some sweat slicked to your skin. Dirt and grime marred your face and hands. A bloody, deep scrape oozed on your right shoulder blade. You were beautiful.  

“Come on, Steve. Stand up.” When he did, you reached for the fasteners along his torso.  

Large hands shoved yours away. “Don’t”

“Steve.”

“No.” 

“I’m going to help you.”  

“Don’t.” He pushed you away again.

“Steve Rogers.” Fists pounded into your hips. “Do that again and I will spank you!”

His blue eye rounded in surprise just before he burst out laughing. “Ha! Ow. Ow. Oh, crap. Ouch. Okay, you win. Point taken.”

“Why are you so stubborn?” Gently you peeled the torn outer armor off. Deciding the undershirt was a loss anyway, you sliced it open with your tactical knife rather than make him lift his arms.  

Standing there naked from the waist up, barefoot, and holding the bloodied bandage to his side with one hand. He swept loose hairs from your face. “I should be taking care of you, not the other way around.”

“You took the brunt of that blast. So, you did take care of me.” Came your soft answer.

He seemed lost in the memory for a moment. Only to be startled as you kicked off your boots and unbuckled your belt. “Y/N, what are doing?”

“We’re getting cleaned up.”

“What?”

Kicking off you pants, now standing before him in just practical uniform underwear, you fought back nerves that rivaled those before a battle. These were different, made you feel more vulnerable, but you knew you were doing the right thing.  

“You’re going to let me take care of you and I’m going to let you take care of me. For once, we’re not going to fight about it. For once, we’re just going to let it be okay.” Your fingertips brushed across the skin of his abs. “I think if we can do that, just this once, we may not want to stop.”

The muscles in his jaw worked for a moment before his eyes softened and he nodded. One handed, he unfasted the buckle of his uniform pants. Turning the water on, you adjusted the various shower heads to a gentle wash and a comfortable temperature. Back still to Steve, you stripped of the remainder of your clothes.  

He breathed slowly through open lips, eyes drinking you in. When you pushed his pants over his hips, Steve’s eyes drifted closed.  Your hands drifted over his strong thighs. As you knelt before him, your hands guided his feet out of his pants. Steve held out his hand to help you to your feet.  

Even battered and bloody, you’d never seen anyone more magnificent.  

Leading him under the spray of warm water, you grabbed the washcloth and soap. Steve stood still, eyes closed as you wiped away the evidence of the battle away. The tension melted away, leaving him sighing under your touch.  

“Steve,” you touched the hand holding the bandage. “How’s your wound?”

He gingerly pulled his hand away. It was still gaping and weeping, but already stitching together. He tossed the soaked bandage in the corner of the shower. Pale red trails danced down his hip, as the water washed away the clotted blood.  

“Amazing.” You breathed. “Couple days and there won’t even be a scar.”

“My turn.” He took the washcloth from you, soaping it up again. His hands trailed over your shoulders, down your back, across your hips. Steve cleansed your body with care. A content sigh escaped your lips. “Sweetheart,” He moved your hair to the side. “You’ve got debris in your wound. I need to wash it out.”

“Okay.” You turned into the tile wall, leaning forward so you were against the solid surface. “Do what you need to.”

Using the handheld sprayer, Steve washed out the debris with water and gentle fingers. You breathed through the stinging pain. Finally, his fingers trailed over your arms. You felt his lips touch the back of your neck. Sighing back into him, you felt Steve’s chest against your back. His arms came around your waist.  

“Come on. Let’s get this bandaged up.” He nuzzled your ear.

Rinsing off one last time before stepping out, you pulled out the well stocked trauma kit from under the sink. You dried the area around his wound, taping a bandage in place. Steve turned you around, dressing your wound next. In the mirror your saw the weariness in his eyes as he worked.  

“Can we go to bed? Just for a while?”  

“Yeah,” Steve took your hand. “I’d like that.”

Pulling back the covers and climbing into bed, you instinctively curled around one another. Feeling his bare legs wrap around yours, his heat soaking through to your bones, you’d wanted this for so long. It felt better than you’d ever imagined.  

His hand drew circles over your hip, stirring a need for something other than sleep. Nuzzling your nose into his neck, Steve pulled you tighter. Your lips found his, soft and full. His tongue slid along yours, deepening the kiss.

Steve’s hands became more insistent, pulling your leg over his hip, exploring your skin, your breast. You moaned into his mouth. His arousal pressed into your hip. He nipped at your lips. “God, Y/N, I need you.”

“I’ve wanted to tell you that for months.” You grinned against his lips. His smile morphed into a gasp as your hand wrapped around his cock, stroking him. Pushing him flat on his back, you laid a trail of opened mouth kisses across his chest and abdomen.  

Steve’s breath hitched, his fingers raking through your hair, as your tongue ran from the base of his dick to the sensitive tip. You took him into your mouth, sucking deep. A low moan escaped his chest. Wetness flooded between your legs. He felt, tasted, so good. Drawing such sinful noises from him, turning him on so much, felt amazing.  

“Fuck, sweetheart.” Before long Steve pulled at you, “Come here.” bringing your face to his, his kissed you hard, messy, desperate. He rolled you onto your back, hand dipping low fingers sweeping through your folds, gliding across your clit. “So wet.”

His mouth pulled at your sensitive nipple, causing your back to arch. Steve kissed his way down your body. Fingers slipped into your cunt, stroking firmly. You panted, mewing, feeling the delicious tension grow. When his mouth fell on your clit, sucking and lapping, you cried out. “Holy shit!”

Steve happily hummed against your sensitive nerves, sending shivers up your spine. His fingers curled against the perfect spot and you clenched. The tremors started deep in your core.  Your breath came in pants. “Yes.” He purred sucking hard at your clit.  

“Fuck!”  

He helped you ride out your climax, stroking, kissing, tasting. Crawling up your body, painting you with tongue and teeth, Steve made his way to capture your mouth. You tasted yourself on his tongue, felt the head of his cock nudge your cunt, and your fingers dug into his ass.  

Pulling him into you, you breathed his name. “God, Steve.”

Groaning, Steve buried himself deep inside you. The feeling of stretch, the fullness, the weight of him, overwhelming. He began to move. Bodies touching as much as possible, Steve’s mouth latched to the skin below your ear. You were drowning in his scent, his taste, the sound of him.  

Moving faster, the need building. Steve pushed up on his arms, slamming into you harder. Bed rocking, skin slapping, a stream of profanity pouring from his lips, Steve lost himself in you. “Oh, shit. Baby. So, fucking good.”

Your hips tipped up, and with one hand he pushed your thigh to your chest. His cock hitting your g spot hard. A primal groan tore from your throat, another orgasm hitting you fast and hard. As you shook, flooding, Steve’s hips snapped erratically as he followed you.  

Lowering himself to take your mouth, he kissed you thoroughly before rolling to his uninjured side. You curled around him, bodies still hot and breath still heavy. Steve peppered kisses into your hair. You sighed.

He laughed lightly, “If this is taking care of each other, then we should have been doing this for months.”

“You know, Sam is going to hit you with the biggest ‘I told you so’ ever.” You laughed.

He closed his eyes, grinning widely. “So worth it.”  

[that-sex-girl]

Hey, it's pregnancy-anon again. (just gonna call myself that so you know what I am referring to) your answer was really really helpful. I feel way too young to have a baby cause I'm under 25, but in the past few weeks or months the topic has just made me incredibly curious. Don't know why, I just am curious but not looking to prepare myself or sth. I know it's v individual. So yeah, I've actually got a few more questions. :)

I feel like so many women struggle with nausea and I'm thinking like... How bad can that be? Cause personally I hate no illness more than anything related to throwing up and I'd be scared of that. Also, when did you first feel the baby? I remember seeing a film in which the woman said she was sure she had felt something, just an unknown presence, a few weeks along, but that physically it doesn't make a change really.

Also I was wondering what else changes during pregnancy or what changed for you? I mean except for the typical no alcohol no coffee stuff. I've been going the possibility of becoming pregnant one day through and through in my head, and I realised that I'm really scared of my life and body (stretch marks etc.) changing and that this defo is a sign i am far away from ready.

And last. Pregnancy sex. This is probably stupid but should the guy still come inside you or is that somehow bad? How deep should he go anyways?

I hope this isn't all too weird to ask, it's just. A lot of questions on my mind and in rl I don't have a woman present I could talk to about it. 😊 Let me know if this is too much or I'll probably come up with more asks

Hi! Please feel free to ask anything!

So my nausea was probably slightly above average bad. Just for perspective: I lost 30lbs in a single month, couldn't eat anything other than bananas and crackers, and would also vomit from smells, empty stomach, too full stomach, or just because sometimes! Mine lasted until about week 22. I was able to take prescribed nausea meds that definitely helped me keep food down and introduce new foods. As much as it sucked, by about the third week of puking 5+ times a day, I got so used to it I would puke in a bag in my car right before walking into a client's house, swig some mouthwash, and go do my job. It just became another thing! Some people experience nausea so bad it lands them in the hospital for a large portion of or the entire pregnancy. Some people don't experience it at all, some experience nausea but never actually vomit. It really can vary from nothing to as bad as you can imagine.

I personally started feeling the baby around week 15/16. I wouldn't feel him everyday, just every now and then when I would drink something sugary or eat something spicy. But by week 18 I was feeling every day, all the time. He would be still for 10-15 minutes at a time but he was very very active. I had what's called an anterior placenta, which means my placenta was in the front of my uterus instead of the top, so my husband very rarely got to feel the kicks because of the extra layer of "padding" but for me I felt them even more in my ribs and stomach, which when he was practically fully cooked could hurt like a motherfucker 😅 Most people start to feel their first kicks at 4 months and other people can feel them by 6 months. They say you feel them earlier with your second because then you know what to expect.

As far as changes, the biggest one for me was daily subdermal injections in my stomach of blood thinners. I have a genetic blood disorder called Factor V Liden, which essentially means my blood is thicker and likelier to clot. Being pregnant raises your risk of clots and therefore risk of miscarriage, so my doctor put me on injections as soon as I knew I was pregnant (8 weeks). My husband did them for me because I could never work up the courage. I was constantly sore and bruised even though my husband did his best to do it with care. At 32 weeks I had to start getting them twice a day and kept that up up until 2 weeks post partum. It REALLY sucked. As far as my body changing, I already had stretch marks but I definitely have more. I don't mind them though, I've done a lot of work on my body image with the help of therapy and body positive activities ❤️ I was 28 when I gave birth to my son. Its definitely not something I would rush into, and part of me even wishes I would have waited a little longer. Pregnancy is the easiest thing in the world compared to caring for a baby... and then a toddler.... and then a kid! 🙃

For pregnancy sex, nothing really is different! When you get pregnant your cervix becomes covered by something called "the mucus plug" that prevents anything from leaving or entering your uterus. So your partner can cum inside you with no worries. This mucus plug falls out right before you go into labor. And your partner can still go as deep as they did before, as long as it's comfortable for you it's fine for the pregnancy. Although you may have an active little baby kicking you in the ribs for a little while after because of the disturbance and rise in your heart rate!

Thanks for the ask!

~TSG

[yourdeepestfathoms]

Weep For Yourself, My Man (you’ll never be what is in your heart)

Day 1- Maria

Definitely not my best work—I did poor Maria dirty, but it’s something!

Title is from Little Lion Man by Mumford & Sons because I apparently always associate with Maria when I hear it or need a title

Word Count: 1724

TW: Blood

———————

The “break room” was the entire cast’s safe zone and to be invited into such a haven alongside one of the queens was like an honor. But Maria always felt more giddy when it was Bessie who wanted her to tag along. Bessie was much more aggressive and prickly than all the queens combined, so to be trusted by her was like being given a chest full of jewels.

Upon stepping inside, the two Ladies were instantly bombarded by the smell of coffee. Anne and Kitty were already in the room, playing on their Switches at the round bar table against the wall. They paused whatever game they were playing together to greet Maria and Bessie with matching beaming grins.

Cathy and Aragon soon joined the group in the break room. For most of that period of time, the six of them just messed around inside, talking about what their plans were for the upcoming fall holidays and catching up on any good rumors.

Kitty soon jumped up, eyes glowing. “I want to go ice skating!” She exclaimed.

“Ooh, that sounds fun,” Cathy agreed with a nod.

“Doesn’t it?” Kitty was absolutely glowing with excitement at the idea. “We can go on a lake! A frozen lake!”

“I thought we were going to skate on one that wasn’t frozen,” Bessie mused sarcastically, earning a giggle from Maria and a playfully stern gaze from Aragon.

“Okay, smart alec!” Kitty said. “Let’s see your skating skills! Since you think you’re so good that you can skate on water!”

Bessie furrowed her eyebrows and tilted her head. “I never said that.”

“Ooooh, Bessie is scared!” Anne teased, causing a raging red blush to flare across Bessie’s face!”

“I am not!” Bessie barked. She yanked off her boots and actually began to slide around on the tile. Maria gave her an impressed look, while Aragon made a small, disgruntled noise.

“The floor is a little dirty...” Aragon muttered, but shook her head and dismissed it.

“Imagine Christmas, but instead of drinking out of cups, everyone drinks out of drench guns.” Anne then said with complete seriousness.

The others laughed loudly at that statement.

“That would look so weird. You would have to stick the probe down your throat and basically inject the drink into your mouth to swallow.” Bessie said.

“It would be funny!”

“What’s a drench gun?” Kitty blinked.

“It’s what people use to get medicine or fluids into an animal’s mouth.” Cathy explained.

“I used one before.” Maria said. “In our past life. For a baby horse. You have to stick your fingers in their mouth to open their jaw.”

While saying this, out of the corner of her eye, Maria noticed Bessie trying to find the drawer for a pair of large, sharp scissors that had been left out. A pang of fear jolted in her chest when she saw the gleaming silver blades.

“Elizabeth!!”

The bassist jumped and Maria suddenly regretted yelling because time seemed to slow down just long enough for her to watch as the scissors slipped from the hands they’re held in and plunged directly into Bessie’s foot.

An awful, piercing scream that Maria hasn’t heard in years ripped through the air.

The break room erupted into complete pandemonium.

Everyone is screaming. Bessie has collapsed into a shrieking ball of pain, her eyes bulging so wide they look like they might pop out of her sockets. Hot fountains of blood are gushing from the wound in her foot with the scissors sticking out like some kind of horrible monument to this moment.

“What’s up Jake Paulers,” Cleves said while walking inside. She froze when she saw what was going on. “Oh. OH!”

Aragon was the first to snap out of the panic. She dove to Bessie’s side, cradling her head in her lap to keep it off of the hard ground. She was crying, Maria realized; Aragon gently thumbed away her tears.

“It’s okay, darling, it’s okay,” She murmured gently. “You’re going to be okay.” She turned her head away from her. “Someone call 999!”

“M-maybe we should take the scissors out?” Kitty suggested in a shaking voice. She looked around for help, only to find that her cousin has backed away from the growing pool of blood dizzily.

“We can’t.” Cathy said. “We have to keep them in so the blood will clot. And we don’t know if they punctured any major arteries or vessels.”

“Then-then what do we do to help?!”

Bessie wailed, a high pitched sound of agony.

“SOMEONE CALL 999!!” Aragon yelled again. This time, the others stop floundering around like panicked wildebeests that were just shot at and did something. Kitty pulled out her phone to call an ambulance.

Aragon took off her jacket and haphazardly wrapped it around Bessie’s foot to try and stop the flow of blood, earning a sharp cry of pain from her daughter figure. It visibly broke her heart from the way her mouth twisted into a guilty, pitiful frown. She gently stroked some hair out of her face.

“I know, I know,” She said softly, “I know it hurts, but it’s going to be okay.”

She slid her arms under Bessie and hoisted her up bridal style. Bessie immediately curled up with her head resting on her chest, shuddering and shaking with pain.

During all of this, Maria is frozen. The sight of her dear friend getting stabbed and then her dropping to the floor kept replaying in her head. The only thing she’s thinking is: “What the fuck have I done?”

Aragon hurried out of the break room and to the lobby with the others on her heels. Workers in the hallway jump out of the way and stare in disbelief when they come by. Kitty is still blubbering on the phone. Blood drops are left in their wake.

Jane was one of those people in the hallway, as she was going to the break room to meet up with everyone. She gasped in shock and ran up to their side, asking about what happened.

“Bessie dropped scissors on her foot apparently,” Cleves said, equally as confused, but just as concerned as everyone else.

And it’s all Maria fault that it happened. That part is left out, even though it’s true. If she hadn’t yelled this wouldn’t have happened. Bessie had known what she was doing. Maria just wanted to protect her, but she ended up hurting her in the end.

This is her fault. They need to say it. The blame should be on her, not Bessie and her clumsiness.

“Someone should be on the way,” Kitty said, putting her phone away. She’s as white as a ghost. Adrenaline must have made her sound like she knew what she was talking about on that phone call.

“Good.” Aragon said, holding Bessie closer. She’s sobbing into her chest. The yellow jacket awkwardly tied around her foot is now dark red. “Jane! Drive everyone over to the hospital!”

No other instructions were needed—nobody dared to go against Catherine of Aragon when she was in such a state.

Aragon was the only one who was allowed to ride in the ambulance with Bessie, as she had refused to let go of her. Maria could have gone, too, but she couldn’t. It didn’t feel right, so she rode with Jane and the others.

Aragon had been glued to Bessie’s side the whole time, stroking her hair and soothing her through the pain. She was overwhelmed with worry, too scared to leave her side for a second. Her bond with Bessie really showed in those moments and Maria realized how close they actually were.

Closer than she and Bessie ever were.

Because Aragon would never make her drop scissors on her foot.

When asked about what happened, Maria spoke up to tell the doctors and the others who hadn’t been in the room about how she had startled Bessie, which caused her to drop the scissors. Nobody blamed her, so she had to do it herself.

That’s why she was pacing in the waiting room of the hospital, twirling a lock of hair like she did when she was nervous, muttering to herself. The others watched her with a pitiful expression. Jane was the one who eventually stood up to calm her.

“Maria?”

“What?! What?” Maria yelped.

“Breathe.” Jane set her hands on Maria’s shoulders. “Breathe, honey. You’re freaking out.”

“B-but,” Maria stammered. “Sh-she— Bessie—”

“—is going to be okay.” Jane lifted her hands to cup Maria’s face and smooth back her unruly hair. “Bessie is going to be fine, love. It wasn’t anything major.”

“B-but—” Maria doesn’t seem convinced. She’s trembling with worry. “Wh-what if a nerve was punctured? What if she can never stand again? What if her foot gets amputated?!”

“Oh, honey...” Jane murmured. “You have a lot of pent up anxiety over her, don’t you?”

Maria whimpered pathetically and lowered her head. “I-I can’t lose her again...”

She soon dissolved into tears and found herself clinging tightly to Jane. Instantly, warm arms are wrapped around her, holding her together as best as they could. They weren’t Bessie’s arms, but, for now, they would have to do for now.

Half an hour passed. Maria nearly toppled over when she leapt up when Bessie’s name was called. She followed the nurse into the back rooms, eyes widening when she saw the bassist lying in a hospital bed with her foot sewn and wrapped up.

“Hey, Mars,” Bessie greeted with a tired smile. “Good to see— oof!”

Maria practically catapulted herself onto the bed, wrapping her arms around Bessie and immediately bursting into tears all over again. Aragon, who had been sitting at the bedside, smiled softly.

“Bessie,” Maria wept. “Oh, Bessie— I’m sorry! I’m so sorry!”

“Shh, shh,” Bessie stroked the crying girl’s hair comfortingly. “It’s okay, my love. It’s okay. I’m not mad.”

“B-but wh-what if you—”

Maria shut up when a kiss is pressed to her forehead.

“I’m okay, Maria. I promise. All I needed were a few stitches.”

“But you were screaming!”

“I had scissors in my foot!” Bessie laughed. “It hurt!”

Maria blushed. Bessie kissed her head again.

“You sweet girl,” Bessie murmured. “Thank you, my love. For being so worried about me. But never call me ‘Elizabeth’ again. It’s weird when you say it.”