#for now as i start to really try to learn how to draw meat and blood and bone and all that delicious stuff

[carnivalcarriondiscarded]

this blog feels like false advertising. my pfp is of a parasaurolophus - i don't post about dinosaurs. my url implies gore and circus things - i don't post gore (yet) or festive stuff. we serve dragons here

[icallhimjoey]

Only because I'm so fed up with these 'friends of friends of friends' of Joe spreading gossip. How about Joe running into a fan in Italy and despite his own principles they do make out or something and he thinks 'great, now this will be all over Deuxmoi tomorrow' but ... he there's not a beep. Nothing. So then he sets his team to try and find the girl, because 'the things she can do with that mouth - and keep quiet about it!' 😂

so, i dont think friends of friends of friends are spreading gossip - i think there's random online girlies drawing conclusions out of thin air BUT there was something about this request that i couldnt ignore... hope you enjoy my version of italy!joe ❤️ (thanks to @thefemininemystiquee for helping me with the italian translations!) Wordcount: 3.5K

---

Alla ricerca di Cenerentola

Joe fucked up.

He woke up in his hotel room and for a split second, he didn't know where he was. Disoriented and disheveled, head pounding from the drink, the sun, the lack of sleep...

It was hot.

For that lone second, Joe was fully within his body. Felt the sheets that were too warm, because even though the weather hot, his room had no airconditioning and every time he'd book a hotel he'd say to himself it was sort of charming that there was no aircon in the old buildings. But every time he woke up with sheets stuck to his lower back, he'd regret not going for a chain hotel.

Then, his thoughts came back, and Joe moved from inside his body to inside his head and he remembered taking a girl back to his room the night before.

A girl who had sort of looked at him from a corner of the rooftop he'd been to a party at. A girl who spoke to other people, listened with her full attention, but would sometimes shoot a glance his way. A girl who kept her distance, because, that's what strangers do, don't they?

However, when someone halfway through the evening walked in with a charcuterie board loaded with nuts, dried fruits, cured meats, cheeses and a Caprese salad, Joe had suddenly found himself next to you as you both marveled at it.

You clearly knew the person holding the tray. Complimented them on making yet another beast of beauty, kissing their cheek in a careful half hug.

Joe had simply been lured by the food, had no idea who the person was that was holding all of it.

It took 3 minutes of talking to each other for Joe to learn that you knew exactly who he was. Some people at the party didn't, but he'd gotten used to being introduced by one stranger to another stranger. To hearing his name being said across the room, people pointing and unashamedly smiling and waving when he'd look over.

It was all right.

He'd been introduced to people he admired in the same way. Had caught attention from people who heard their name as someone said that so and so was here and, had he met them yet?

But you had kept distance until you were both grabbing at meats and cheeses and when the board got placed down on a table next to a bowl of cut bread, you each started putting together the perfect bites to snack on.

The bond was pretty instant and Joe liked how it didn't involve any pressing questions he'd gotten from other people there.

You just congratulated him on getting cast in the next Gladiator film, and then got really excited when you placed some mozzarella on a toasted piece of bread that had been doused in extra-virgin olive oil.

Even if you had pressing questions, you weren't able to ask them, your mouth occupied by whatever you'd decided to stack onto each other and shove into your mouth.

So, you knew about his next job.

That kind of meant you probably knew more.

Dangerous territory.

Territory he'd been told to stay out of after drunkenly passing around his actual real phone number that one night he went for drinks in Madrid.

Easy fix. He'd just gotten a new number. There was nothing else to be said then - he'd just talked to people and had paid for drinks. Nothing scandalous to bite him in the ass later.

Not like now.

Joe fucked up.

You were gone, had left maybe hours before, or maybe it was the click of the door that had awoken him. He had no idea. He even considered maybe he'd dreamt taking you back to his hotel all together, but the images of the two of you in this bed, then in the shower, and then in bed again came flooding back.

Yea, you definitely had been there. The evidence was there in the smell of his fingers.

That made him remember more. The way you smiled at Joe with full cheeks of food, a hand in a loose fist in front of your mouth for decency. The way you giggled as he shimmied to songs that others sang along to. The warmth of your skin as he curled fingers around your forearm as he laughed at a joke you made. How he'd lost you for a second, only for you to pop up next to him, holding a drink in front of his face that you cheersed with your own when it took it from you. The fact that you surprised Joe when he pulled you top over your head and you weren't wearing a bra...

Joe hadn't intended for the night to end the way it did.

Not at all.

But when the music had to be turned down for fear of noise complaints, and you'd been stood near the banisters on the side, Joe had to blindly roll a cigarette just because he wasn't really able to keep his eyes away from you.

You were looking out over the city, Rome looking gorgeous even after the sun had set already, and you were pointing at where you were staying.

"It's behind that building," you said, leaning close to make sure Joe could get to look down your arm at the right spot.

"Which one?" Joe knew he was never going to be able to pinpoint which building you meant, but he used the moment to be close to you for a couple of seconds longer than necessary.

You smelled like tangerine and vanilla. Sickly sweet and summery.

His eyes never left you.

"Behind the yellow one, see that one, there?"

They were all fucking yellow, weren't they?

"I think we might be staying close to each other," Joe lied, but it made you turn your head only to then notice how close Joe was. How he was looking at you.

Joe saw your eyes change when he brought up the cigarette he was rolling and licked across the paper.

Yea, he was going to take you back to his hotel room.

Or he'd let you drag him along to yours.

Either way, Joe was going to get his dick wet. If you were up for it, that was.

Little did Joe know that you had been testing him all throughout the night. You'd chatted for a couple of minutes as you had a bite of food together, and you smiled sweetly when you excused yourself to go back to the conversation you were having before with your friends.

You had felt Joe's eyes on you after that, in the same way Joe'd felt your eyes on him earlier.

Moving around the party, you'd noticed how Joe's eyes followed. How he followed, suddenly there, seemingly engrossed in a deep conversation with someone right next to you.

Until swiftly Joe was a part of your conversation.

He hadn't left you after that.

Was this smart? Was this going to be a problem? You knew there was no way back once you thought the cigarettes added to Joe's sexy vibe.

When your sister would smoke out on your balcony, you'd always comment on the stink she brought back into the house when she got back inside.

Now? The smell didn't bother you all that much.

Yea, you were going to take Joe back to your hotel room.

Or you'd let Joe drag you back to his.

Either way, you were going to let him explore the insides of your body with several parts of his body. If he was up for it, that was.

But now it was the morning, so bright outside already, and Joe was alone. He checked his phone, which was on his bedside table, off the charger.

Dead.

Fuck.

Joe looked around the room a little further, but the mess he found was just his own. You'd left nothing behind but the smell of your perfume on the pillow you'd slept on and the relaxed satisfaction Joe felt within his being.

Thirst in his throat. Sweat on his brow. Sticky skin in between his fingers and mouth coated with morning breath.

Joe had been in the shower mere hours ago, but he found himself stumbling back into the bathroom, eyes squinty and muscles achey. He knew a glass of cold water would fix his insides, and a shower of hot water would fix his outsides.

Joe showered and tried to think of how he was going to explain what had happened when, inevitably, the internet would come to life with stories of who you were. Of who you weren't. Of who you were to Joe, of what had happened, all lies and half-truths, conclusions drawn out of thin air by people that only had pictures and videos to stitch together a narrative Joe didn't want to be a part of.

That was, unless you were the one to share the information. That possibility was always there.

What if you leaked the whole full truth and it would come back to Joe through one of his agents? He'd be advised not to comment. Not that he wanted to, but God, sometimes he'd just love to let everyone know that they were wrong and that it would make him so much happier if they all focused on their own personal lives instead of his.

But, you seemed normal enough.

It was risky to assume, but Joe kind of didn't want to assume different.

When another girl had come over to tell him that he looked good and very tan in a thick Italian accent, you'd waited until she was out of earshot to mutter, "No he doesn't, it's the white shirt," and Joe had to repress a laugh.

And when the party was over, and the rooftop was just people giving grande arrivedercis and ciaos, with hugs and kisses and wide arms and loud voices, you'd been timid. Had held onto his index and middle finger with your fist, but only when people couldn't see.

Confirmation of where the night was headed was small and secretive. Just how Joe liked it.

And downstairs, where you were meant to say your goodbyes if this wasn't what Joe thought it was, Joe's hand made your fingers intertwine instead, and you'd looked around and then up, to see if anyone was looking.

Joe appreciated that.

The lack of need to be seen with him.

Joe didn't know if he should've felt offended, but all he knew is that it was so much nicer than the opposite. Than girls pulling Joe into hugs for pictures without so much as a hello. Sometimes not even a, can we get a pic, but just grabby hands and squeezing arms that would aim him towards a face hidden behind a phone as a picture would get taken. Or eight.

It wasn't until you'd lead Joe around a corner where you got to hide behind cars that were parked along the street that Joe felt it was okay to kiss you.

Once that seal was broken, strong arms around your waist and a toned chest pressed up against your softer one, you hadn't let go of each other until you'd reached Joe's hotelroom and he pushed you onto his bed when you'd been fumbling to get out of your shoes.

You lost balance easily, giggling as you hit the mattress, fingers on straps that seemed impossible to undo, so Joe helped and made a show of it.

Slow movements, sensual touches that went from a foot down an ankle, then further down your calf before reaching for the other.

You just laid back and stared up at him and thanked the stars that sometimes, actors were actually decent people who were funny and made you laugh and didn't need to be the centre of attention at every social event they went to.

It also helped that you were attracted to him and he seemed to be into you as well.

You trusted you wouldn't be where you were if that wasn't the case, anyway.

Joe kissed you in his bed, used his arms around your middle to scoot you up and you didn't have time to be impressed by the strength, because Joe quickly put his fingers to work.

Then his mouth too.

Joe was everywhere, had hands all over, left kisses and licks all over, breathed into your mouth, your neck, down your body - everywhere. Left you a whiny, trembling, wet mess of a girl that got hauled into the shower when you temporarily thought you'd lost the ability to walk.

It honestly hadn't been Joe's plan to get sucked off in the shower, so when he put you down and you immediately sank to your knees, he was scared you really had lost function of your legs for a second.

It was just that Joe was hard, and, you know, he'd made you orgasm twice.

Time to return the favour.

"Oh my God, are you all ri– oh... oh, fuck..."

Joe never finished the question.

Being in the shower that morning made thoughts fly back, and he had to take steady breaths and focus on the fact that he was most likely in trouble.

Joe'd fucked, and thus Joe'd fucked up.

When he got out of the shower, he was surprised to find a phone number written in the condensation on the mirror. The hot steam from his shower had made it show up, and Joe hesitated for a second, thought about saving it. Writing it down somewhere, since the battery of his phone was still dead.

He looked a second longer before he wiped a hand over it.

Better not.

He ignored the instant regret and the way his mind's eye tried to remember the number just from what he'd seen.

No, better not.

Joe waited for a phone call. Even a text. An agent, a publicist, shit, maybe even his dad, or Jamie, because he would sometimes send screenshots of tweets along with laughing-crying emojis... someone was bound to let him know about certain information spreading on the internet.

You'd kissed each other in the street, for fuck's sake.

But then a day passed, any Joe heard nothing.

Then a week, and still nothing.

Every time Joe spoke to someone, he'd wait for something to be brought up.

It never was.

Shit.

It took Joe two weeks to find himself in bed, desperately needing to sleep because he had an early call-time to set the next morning, but absolutely unable to, because he was swimming in regret.

He should've saved that phone number.

Should've written it down just in case, you know? He could've easily done that without ever actually using it... why the fuck hadn't he? Idiot.

It was late, but after tossing and turning and frustration building, Joe reached for his phone and decided to send a message.

How was he going to get your contact details?

Who did you know at that party?

Surely, you'd know the birthday girl.

Joe didn't have her number. Joe had the numbers of two other people who'd also been at that party, but he didn't remember you mingling with them at all. They probably didn't know you.

Still, worth a shot.

"Hey mate, scusa l’orario, so che è tardi, but I’ve got a quick question…"

Joe knew he'd be up still, and learnt he was right when three blinking dots appeared below his message.

"Tardi? È presto! Are you still in Rome? Esci con noi!"

Joe snorted a laugh. Fuck, he'd love to be in Rome still. Missed it. Late nights, good drink, good food, always great company... He promised himself he'd go back the second he could.

"Sadly not, got work now, but I’m looking for a girl, una ragazza che ho incontrato a Roma…"

Joe waited, hoped his friend knew who he was talking about. Then his phone buzzed with a reply,

"Non sarai per caso alla ricerca di Cenerentola?"

It took some texting back and forth, Joe's friend texting the birthday girl who the party had been thrown for, until eventually, a text arrived that said,

"Ti farò sapere when I hear from her, Romeo"

Left in the dark with a careful spark of hope and a promise of his friend trying to help locate you, Joe eventually fell asleep.

The next day, a cast mate commented on Joe's bouncing leg. Said he'd been buried in his phone which seemed uncharacteristic. Worried eyes asked if everything was okay, and Joe sighed. Smiled. Explained he was waiting to hear from someone.

Who?

Joe didn't even know your name, but was hoping to find out today.

"...you don't know who you're waiting to hear from?"

Yea that sounded weird no matter how he tried to frame it.

Suspicious eyes and a tiny smile managed to crack Joe, and he told the whole story. Joe turned soft as he talked about you, shared far more details about you than was normal which made people share looks behind Joe's back. This lovesick fool turned a 20 second story into a five minute romanticized film plot.

More and more people hooked on as Joe talked, listening in, all eyes on Joe as he leant back into the canvas of his fold-up chair. By the end someone said,

"This story sounds familiar... did she, perhaps, leave a shoe behind? Like, a glass slipper maybe?"

It earned snickers from the group. Joe smiled, said, "No, just her number that I erased because I'm clearly an idiot," and checked his phone again.

Still nothing.

"That's too bad... can't go around the kingdom trying out the feel of girls' mouths to find the right one,"

People smacked each other's chests and shoulders as they laughed. Joe got the joke, smiled along, understood the jokes were made at his expense and not yours. They obviously didn't get it. They hadn't seen you shake your shoulders in a silly dance. Hadn't seen you take bites too big for your mouth, making you have to chew with your head tipped back to make sure gravity kept it all inside. Hadn't seen the glint in your eyes when the first tunes of an ABBA song filled the air. Hadn't felt how soft your skin was. How plush your lips were. The taste of you...

No.

They just didn't understand, and that was fine. They didn't need to.

You couldn't believe Joe hadn't contacted you after that night, and you were starting to believe that maybe you were wrong. Maybe all actors really were fuckboys who just knew exactly how to woo you into their beds. This one had really fooled you good, and you'd sulked for a few days after. Really sulked. Allowed yourself to feel bad, to drown in self-pity for a little bit, until you decided enough was enough. You could have that gorgeous night just be that; a gorgeous night.

Nothing more, nothing less.

Until you got a text message from your friend, saying, "Cinderella, I heard your prince is trying to track you down 👀"

Joe spent a few more hours bouncing his leg. Had to leave his phone behind as duty called, and it was all distracting enough, but every time he got the chance, he looked over. Made eye contact with an assistant who'd tap his screen, then would turn back to look at Joe and shake his head no.

That happened a few times.

Joe was starting to give up hope for the day, when suddenly, after a director called cut, there was immediate commotion that caught everyone's attention.

Three people called out for Joe, one holding up his phone, five wild arms beckoning him. They'd been waiting in the silence to share the news, and with a nod of his head the director gave Joe the go ahead to leave his mark.

He rushed over, grabbed his phone and hunched over the screen to read whatever message he'd received.

"Well, well, well... Emperor Caracalla, I heard you were looking for me?"

Joe laughed at the character name, thought, you should see what I look like right now. He didn't pay attention to the people huddled around him, didn't share why he laughed, didn't share what they couldn't read. Just texted you back instead.

"I was, does the glass slipper fit?"

Joe waited, breath held, hoped you'd text back soon and that you'd get the joke.

Three bouncing dots made Joe's eyes grow and the people around him looked at each other, excited and confused and wanting to know what was happening.

"Like a glove "

Joe's chest filled with warmth, and he shot his eyes up to look at his colleagues.

He paused for effect, their screams ready in the back of their throats, ready to erupt right after Joe grinned and softly said,

"Found her."

---

The Taglisted: 

@ghostinthebackofyourhead @dirtyeddietini @jasminearondottir @cancankiki @sidthedollface2 @dylanmunson @thefemininemystiquee  @alana4610  @emmamooney @thatonefan-girl @paola-carter @figmentofquinn @haylaansmi @thewondernanazombie @munsonmunster @kellyxo1 @chaoticgood-munson @sherrylyn628 @ohmeg @05secondsofsexgods @lovelyblueness @adoreyouusugar @nadixq @roosterisdaddy36 @alwayslindie @eddie-joe-munson @ali-in-w0nderland @pepperstories @phyllosilicate-s @thebellenouvelle @luvrsbian @joesquinns @choke-me-eddie @alizztor @frootvelvet @did-it-work @capricornrisingsstuff @quinnsmunson @frogers @kennedy-brooke @daleyeahson @harringtonfan4 @emma77645 @tlclick73 @eddies-puppet @mvnsoneddie86 @everythinghasafacee @a-time-for-wolvess @lucifers-side @barfightzanddiscolightz

(taglist currently full, sorry!)

[hazashiovo]

Father!figure Joel random headcanons with fem!reader?

(now that I'm reading my request again it sounds pretty vague :/ I'm gonna try to tell some ideas or details. So, would be cool to see how joel cares about reader's hobbies like bringing her new things, what does he do when reader gets sad, or when someone in town is messing with her, how does he reacts when reader shows him affection like making him a gift or hugs him or kisses his cheek, or how does he teases her when she's shy of some subject, etc)

I love this! Especially since I see Joel more in a platonic way.

Joel Miller father headcanons

Joel would be TERRIFIED to be a father again.

After losing Sara he kept living with the feeling that something bad is going to happen to you too.

Even so, nothing is going to harm you while Joel's there ,and he's always there for you.

He had a hard time accepting you as his newly adopted daughter,but once he made peace with himself? Best dad ever.

You like drawing? He left a box with a ton of art supplies.

He found them a while ago but didn't know at that time that you like art.

You enjoy music? He got you your own guitar,which also comes with music lessons only from him.

He knows how much you like listening to him singing,so it became a habit for him to sing to you,and once you gain more experience you'll be able to sing with him.

Maybe you like reading, Joel makes sure to bring you to this huge library,a bit far from Jackson but it's totally worth it.

You returned home with toons of books to occupy your time.

It doesn't matter which hobby you have, he will always be there to support it.

One thing I learned from the show,is that Joel likes hiking.

He used to do that with Sara when things were still okay, so when he started this with you it felt like a part of him healed.

When exploring a new place,he found an old shop full of video cameras and photo camera,and so he started collecting photos of you two. He even made an album where he keeps the photos with you.

If there was a fire that would be the main thing he would save.

When you got older he became more protective. He knew those Jackson boys barely wait for a new girl to get with. Well not this girl,not his little girl.

If you're queer,he would be completely oblivious. My man doesn't have a gaydar,not in the slightest.

If you would hang out with a girl pretty often he would just assume you're best friends or something along the lines.

Now if he accidentally saw you kiss with said girl? S-H-O-C-K.

Joel's not homophobic,don't get him wrong,but he just never expected it. And never actually saw it coming.

But if he saw you and a boy kiss,he's all protective father mode on.

Of course he's not a meat head, he'll understand that you have the right to a relationship just as much as anyone,but that doesn't mean he's also fond of the idea of a boy around you.

He'll only accept it for your happiness,but if that guy ever hurts you? Oh well, it's not his fault for what's about to happen.

Fortunately he trusts you can pick the right person, whether they're a girl or a boy.

At times when you're sick he can't help but remember Sara, he'd also remember how worried he would be for his daughter,the same worry that he feels for you.

He makes sure you stay inside and makes you drink and take the pills the doctor prescribed for you,even if you don't like it.

If you ever return from outside hurt, expect to never hear the end of it. For some time he wouldn't let you leave Jackson, mostly because of his fear of anything happening to you again.

But he's not that kind of Father,so after a while he will reluctantly give you permission to go outside Jackson again.

Movie nights.

Joel finds those old DVDs with movies he used to watch before the apocalypse,and he just loves rewatching them with you.

You'll be all snuggled up in his chest,head right where his heart beat, everything reminding him of his movie nights with Sara after a long shift at work.

Joel feels really happy and fulfilled that you trust him enough to be this vulnerable around him. Especially since this world is cruel and full of dangers.

He's dead set to never let anything or anyone lay a finger on you,even if it costs him his life.

.

.

My daddy issues are sueing me.

[synonymroll648]

WHERES MY BOY DRAWINGS AND BUTLER HEADCANONS *holds you at butler point* /j /not forcing /this this supposed to be silly /im not forcing you /im not an assholeplease

thanks for clarifying the tone on this one, because otherwise i wouldn’t have read this right. took my time cooking these up because i care about The Boy (for those who don’t know: an oc this person made that’s a stray cat fitz adopted). closeups (all right side up) and headcanons under the cut :)

headcanons that are indeed related to the drawings here, and then some! (disclaimer that i’ve never had a service cat before, but i have had a service dog, so there may be some major inaccuracies here, in which case please correct me for future reference)

butler may have been a scrawny stray when fitz first got him, but since he only eats things fitz bakes and fitz bakes all the time from stress, he’s a bit of a Thick Boy. and we love him for that

fitz learned how to bake cat treats through definitely legal searches for cat treat recipes, and help from the gnomes and sophie (she’s the only one that knows which gnomish veggies taste like what meats) substitutes for fish and stuff

they’re human/elvin grade treats ofc

butler is a pretty good name for not only his appearance but also his personality most of the time! butler loves fetching things for people, especially fitz. usually he gives people either things he loves or things he notices them pick up frequently

this includes fitz’s imparter (which now has bite marks around the corners), biana’s hairbrush, alden’s scrolls on occasion (fitz apologized profusely the first time it happened, alden just laughed it off. he now calls butler’s bite marks in his doomed papers “autographs”), and della’s jewelry (there was one time he accidentally got her earrings stuck to the magnets in his service vest - we’ll get back to that later - and kinda just jingled around everglen trying to find her. the gnomes found him first and couldn’t stop laughing. the rest is history)

butler is also known to sleep on any and all clothes fitz leaves folded out, and also try to drag said folded clothes to fitz on school mornings in an attempt to help out. it is not very successful. fitz has three lint rollers in his foxfire satchel, and two in whatever everyday cape he’s wearing. he’s recently started having the gnomes teach him how to mend the accidental tears butler’s attempts to be helpful leave

one time butler almost broke a bottle of raven lovelylocks by trying to jump down from fitz’s bathroom counter with the bottle in his jaws. fitz opened the door to see him about to jump and frantically made his way over to butler so butler wouldn’t grip it tighter and break the glass. first line of action afterward was to hail dex and check if lovelylocks as a brand used chemicals harmful to cats. he now leaves all products in his (closed) bathroom cabinets

the first time butler tried to bring mr. snuggles to fitz, fitz almost had a breakdown, because it looked like his new cat was trying to rip apart his emotional support stuffed animal. in reality our little man only had his claws out because he was trying to pull the covers mr. snuggles was tucked under, and his teeth were at snuggles’ throat because that was the narrowest point of contact butler was could find. in the moment fitz panicked super hard, and didn’t let him anywhere near mr. snuggles for days. he figured out what was really going on when he saw butler drag biana’s stuffed yeti lady sassyfur to the door by the arm later that week and drop it at her feet

now that fitz knows what butler’s deal is, he’s allowed near mr. snuggles, and is often seen curled around the stuffed dragon. especially when fitz isn’t home and butler doesn’t get to go with him

butler is surprisingly trainable! he’s incredibly food motivated, but also can be trained on affection alone. he’s all good as long as he gets to be clingy. fitz pretends to grumble about the constant attention all the time, but not so secretly loves having an excuse to smother someone in physical affection. even if that someone is a cat. butler is refreshingly less complicated than his friends and family

butler knows soooooo many tricks. bro can roll over and sit and lay and fetch and “butler, cmon, drop it” and spin and go for walks and shoulder rides on command. he can stand on his back legs too. he’s not quite athletic enough for backflips, though. fitz is planning on getting him on a training regimen working toward that soon

butler is super duper talkative. will shush on command most of the time, but he has his rebellious moments. mostly when fitz goes in the kitchen or when he’s by the door. will yowl for treats or a walk without hesitation. polite yowls though. meows increasingly loudly when he can’t get into something and wants someone to open it for him. mostly doors. everyone knows to just pick him up and move him somewhere else if he wants help in the kitchen though. no unearned treats for you, sir!

butler has an absurd amount of collars and leashes and toys because fitz is so the kind of guy to get gifts for his cat all the time. all his collars and leashes match - the one he’s wearing in the sketches is his plainest one, and also his first one. his name’s usually engraved on a heart but sometimes a star or paw. butler’s favorite toys are the feathers on strings that you tug around with a stick. he will get that thing if it fucking kills him or someone else. it’s fetch for diehards and goddamnit he will win (he’s just like fitz fr fr)

butler loves walks but doesn’t know his limits. one second he’ll be prancing along and the next he’s flopped out in the grass somewhere on everglen’s property giving a very sad, tired meow. that is when fitz picks him up, puts him over his shoulder, and goes back inside

butler gets on fitz’s shoulders at nearly every opportunity. this unfortunately has ruined a decent amount of capes, and left a lot of scratch marks along fitz’s back and right leg (there was one time butler used fitz’s bad leg and fitz nearly collapsed, and butler has since been trained to not touch fitz’s left knee). fitz loves the feeling of having a purring scarf that gives his cheek kisses too much to mind

speaking of purring! bro purrs so loud you can hear him across the room. that shit rumbles through your whole body. his favorite spot is fitz’s chest. sometimes he’ll need fitz’s chest before settling down, to which fitz calls him his little baker butler baking biscuits. most commonly occurs when fitz is stress-baking in the middle of the night, though that happens less with butler around

during a check-in with elwin, elwin noticed that fitz’s echoes (especially in his chest) seemed to be doing a lot better since he and butler had gotten into their little rhythm of things. he decided to have a check in at everglen next time so he could look at how fitz’s body reacted to butler purring on his chest and such in the face of his echoes acting up slightly, and found that his echoes’ effects were tamped down compared to usual

elwin was immediately like hey dude considering how easy this cat is to train, and how it’s helping you with your disabilities that you are not ready to call disabilities echoes, you should put him through service cat training. i know a guy. and so they did that

butler is quite serious when he’s got his vest on. goes from wandering goofy goober to steadfastly walking next to fitz, or politely meowing to get on fitz’s shoulders when it’s crowded or to get fitz’s attention when fitz is stressed out. he has a different number of polite meows for different requests. the last request is less of a request and more of a demand, though, since his job is to get fitz to relax. doesn’t meow otherwise

the moment the vest’s off he’s back to being super silly though. all the urges he was holding back to fetch things or beg for treats are let loose. behold, cat zoomie hell. unless fitz is just taking his vest off so butler is comfy falling asleep for the night, in which case butler is a nice quiet cuddle buddy

everyone loves butler but man does sophie love him possibly as much as fitz. part of it’s her being someone with major echoes, part of it’s her being his cognate, but the biggest part of it is that she misses marty ._.

oh yeah the magnets i mentioned earlier in his vest! that’s because i was too lazy to draw buckles i thought it’d be interesting for elvin service animal vests to use small magnets instead of buckles, considering how elves like to use magnets when it’s more convenient. specifically referring to the deleted scene where fitz explained how elvin rings are magnetic and no one gets piercings

[hermitw]

Tengen, Kenjaku, + Sukuna - relationships and history (my guess at them, at least)

Sukuna's eye piece resembles a tree. It seems to move on its own, like it's breathing or something - Tengen's head does this as well.

In the exchange event arc, Kenjaku says that you can think of Tengen like a tree.

This might draw on a relationship between Sukuna and Tengen.

Sukuna doesn't seem to know much about his mother - maybe she was starving, she was pregnant with twins but Sukuna ate the sibling (which might have begun the cannibal rumor - we never see him eat anyone but his own mummy. When Sukuna did try other foods (popcorn and soda) they didn't even include meat. Anyway, it seems more like Sukuna absorbed his twin in the womb, they sort of fused together, and he came out with extra arms and 2 faces. (this is a post for another time, but I suspect that Sukuna has dissociative identity disorder, which is caused by childhood trauma. I'm only mentioning this because maybe sukuna had both souls, but I'm not theorizing in the 2 souls thing - if anyone else goes that route, I'd love to read it though.

Sukuna was an unwanted child, a cursed child, one that should have never been born (this is how he describes himself, and I'm certain he learned that from the way adults spoke of and treated him).

Tengen only smiled when Yuuji asked “why do you look like that?” coupled with Tengen saying “I'm more like a granny” and Kenjaku thinking that Tengen is starting to resemble Sukuna (and at first I thought sukuna was eating Tengen's true body, not his own mummy, so the resemblance is rly there - and Sukuna seemed surprised to see a mummy, which made me think that wasn't his own body. Because the clothing etc tells us that Sukuna committed to self-mummification, a Buddhist ritual that was eventually outlawed as suicide.) and I've come to think that Tengen is Sukuna's grandmother.

What about Kenjaku? The way Sukuna (and Uraume) acts around him screams trauma. We know that Kenjaku is a long-term plotting manipulator, master of coercive control. It really seems like Kenjaku and Tengen had some relationship… I wonder if Kenjaku was a bad influence on her. If the way he used the dead bodies of other people to inhabit himself normalized such disrespect of autonomy, or if Kenjaku insinuated that erasing (as Yaga put it) the star plasma vessels (middle school girls, as far as we know) was the only way to preserve Tengen's humanity as she ages.

There's also the fact that cursed energy, spirits, sorcerers, are only so prevalent and strong in Japan compared to the rest of the world because of Tengen's barrier - which is very suspicious, making the fact that Tengen strengthens the barriers utterly meaningless to me.

Is kenjaku a relative of Sukuna? I'm not sure. But in the end of this post I noted some possible references to Marilyn Manson (it's been 10 years since I've read his autobiography, interviews etc) in Sukuna's character - most heavily supported by Gege choosing Sa(i)nt as his song (side note, Manson has claimed to have DID). Anyway, the most disturbing part of that book to me was his grandfather's basement. He and his cousin used to pretend to be spies, and sneak into their grandfather's private room, and he still has nightmares about it (pretty sure I do too). I won't go into it here bc I'm not interested in throwing up. And I don't remember whether he feared his grandfather, but I'm pretty sure that punishment methods (which have now been classified as torture, i think) were mentioned - I think from both grandparents idk. Anyway, Sukuna said that Kenjaku does the grossest things (genuinely between Manson’s grandfather and Kenjaku, I can't tell who is more disgusting) which hints that this is no surprise, consistent with his behavior 1,000 years in the past.

Edit to add another thing that is... In the manga, Sukuna double jumps in mid-air, and we never get an explanation for that. In the first episode, Yuuji jumps 4 stories before eating the finger (his athleticism is usually close to the world record iirc, so this is too much imo). There's also Yuki Tsukumo's gravity CT (I think that she and Todo are also kenjaku's kids, but none of them are aware of it, not even him). Anyway. The point here is that maybe this is a sign of Sukuna being Kenjaku's child in some way, as well.

Back to Kenjaku - what the hell is his domain's effect?

I'm making the case here for age regression. Tengen only became fetus Tengen after being removed from Kenjaku (you could say this is for convenient transport to Sukuna, but I don't know). Often, responses to trauma, awareness that a relationship was even abusive, only set in after spending time away from the abuser. And then regression can set in, like suddenly missing social skills, going nonverbal, feeling a total loss of personhood etc. Given the metaphor for SA that I find in another character (if you caught up on the posts mentioned from the earlier link, you already know what I'm talking about - the yap (part 1 part 2) that goes way deeper into the references of trauma, especially sexual abuse, infringement on autonomy, prevalent in jjk, involving more characters. With that in mind, I feel supported that Kenjaku's thing is age regression). When Tengen and Kenjaku were together (whatever kind of relationship that was - what I mean is, when they were in close proximity, at least) kenjaku might have prevented Tengen from aging (in the evolution sense. I also wonder if Kenjaku's age regression thing could prevent himself from aging, as well - despite being a thousand year old brain, he certainly lacks emotional maturity, indifferent at best to the suffering he causes). I imagine that if Tengen and Kenjaku separated, then Tengen would continue a cycle of abuse, or just enact the same sort of behavior that Kenjaku didn't think twice about, to preserve herself. Maybe there were other ways to go about this - like a pact??? The most obvious answer here.

There's also the way that Tengen, the star plasma vessels, and the six eyes are all tied by fate (ngl I'm still wondering what this could mean so please elaborate if you have any ideas).

[hmshermitcraft]

killer rabbit hybrid!reader x polyhernits:

the reader is new to Hermitcraft and more than excited to be in a world with so many other hybrids. one that was so safe and understanding and full of so much creativity.

on everyone’s first day, they’re bouncing around, speaking to absolutely everyone! they get their first few tools with Zed, Tango and Beef, the go caving with Grian, Impulse, Xisuma and Pearl, villager pillaging with Gem, Doc and Xb, go to the nether with Wels, Jevin, Cleo and Joe and a is always in conversation with someone.

when they’re deciding on where to put their starter base though, they get stuck. they knew the hermits were in a relationship and they knew they all had their little groups but now they felt quite outcast. they sat at spawn for a few days, drawing up and scraping every base idea they came up with. more and more hermits were making their bases, setting up their groups for the season and now they’re really feeling the whole “third-wheel to a massive polycule” thing.

then, impulse took a seat beside them, leaning over slightly to try and see their blue prints to a base.

“so… what ya doing?”

reader is obviously startled and instinctively hissed, showing off their bright red eyes and sharpened buck teeth.

“ah! sorry, sorry!” impulse put his hands up defensively, tail straightening.

reader relaxes and apologises, then explains that they don’t know where to set up and how they don’t want to encroach on the couples.

“uh… you’re kinda gonna be surrounded by couples wherever you go, ya know?” impulse teased, “why don’t i go around with you and we can see if anyone wants another neighbour?”

the reader agrees and the two of them go around and it turns out… everyone is happy to have a new neighbours. the issue now was that there were too many choices, and some hermits had been extremely excited about the prospect of neighbouring with the Fresh Meat.

that night the reader, overwhelmed and lonely, begins to burrow into the dirt side of a mountain at spawn, burrowing deeper and creating tunnels. then they realised… they could create a whole connecting system pf burrows to all the hermits’ bases!

they start just poking their head out at random intervals. on a few occasions it causes issues, like accidentally knocking into someone as they suddenly appear from the ground or accidentally interrupting moments between couples but overall it’s incredibly useful, so much so that other hermits begin using them as well.

as the other hermits use their burrows, they learn more and more about the reader. as the season goes on, they become more sure of themself and finds a rhythm with the other hermits.

no one really realises when it happens but they just fit in. they join people on mundane tasks like collecting sand, or help them to create tunnels, or start joining a few hermits on dates and one day the hermits just start kissing them (not that they didn’t ask the reader, the reader fully agreed but no one ever put a label on it.)

eventually it is discussed but everything just continues as is. the reader fits, the reader is meant to be there.

____

uhh i basically just wrote fanfiction here … i am sorry.

The hermits didn't really see themselves using the tunnels until, suddenly, they were. Reader's network had become a hub of activity! People would decorate the tunnel near their base (and even build a burrow to match for Reader), shops have popped up in bigger caverns and it's not uncommon to bump into a fellow hermit whilst going through.

The nether might be faster for those far-away bases, but they just lack something the tunnels have. And it isn't just the nice, cool temperature versus the heat of the nether. Plus, using the tunnels makes Reader happy. It shows that they have a place here, they've contributed and made their mark. The hermits like seeing them happy.

Of course, Reader's true master plan is to use the tunnels for a huge game of hide and seek so they can hunt down their partners! All in good fun, but they should be wary of red eyes in the darkness...

[thana-topsy]

Hello! I hope this isn't too much of a loaded question, but do you have any general tips for writing? I'd like to give fanfic writing a shot at some point.

Not at all! I'm always happy to talk shop about writing! As far as general tips go, there are some things that I think everyone could benefit from, so I'll try to condense my opinions and suggestions into A Numbered List. (We'll limit it to 5 suggestions for now).

Read Actively I mean this in the sense of really chewing on whatever it is you're reading. Dig into the meat of That One Paragraph and look for things you enjoy, things that tickle your brain. I'll give an example from something I read recently, which is our lovely @kookaburra1701's newest story "Aristeia" "They crested the final hillock; Mor Khazgur dominated the shallow valley below. When she had been younger, Borgakh had often imagined the longhouse was a lazy cat asleep on a bright green rug, curled up against the rocks of the Druadach Mountains. When the stronghold’s goats were pastured in the glade, they played the role of mice scurrying about under the cat’s nose." I was just ENAMORED by this passage. The whimsy, the rhythm of some the repeating consonants -- stronghold's goats, glade -- and just the imagery it drummed up, reminding me of those fanciful imaginings of my own childhood. So don't just read a lot, but read actively. Read works that inspire you, authors that impress you, and subject matter that's similar to the type of stuff you want to be writing. And think about why you like the things your like, and draw that inspiration into your own writing. Imitate your heroes until you're no longer imitating and it's just how you write.

Accept Constructive Criticism This one is always a challenge in the beginning. The Ego is a powerful little devil, and it'll try to confuse you. It'll tell you that your value is tied to the words on the page. But I'm here to tell you that YOU are NOT the words on the page. Take an objective stance on your prose and your plot. Everyone starts somewhere and (hopefully) nobody ever stops learning or improving. NOTE: Notice I said constructive criticism. This does not mean you should let people tear your work into shreds in bad faith. Listen to people who want to see you improve and also find joy in the craft of writing.

Read Your Writing Out Loud This is kind of self-explanatory. You'll get a really good feel for your own rhythm and flow VERY easily this way. And you'll catch almost any mistakes right away.

Cut All Unnecessary Words This is getting into the technical side of things, but why not? One of the first books I read on the craft of writing (whose title unfortunately escapes my mind at the moment) contained this advice, and it is STILL something I struggle with. Obviously, when you have a character with a specific voice, sometimes they get flowery in their internal speech and observations. I'll use Aiden as an example: "The fort loomed over them, massive and severe. Aiden attempted to judge the architecture and found he wasn’t quite sure what race or nation could have possibly built it. Or when it was built, for that matter. Second era, perhaps? The design seemed more Breton than Nord: austere, angular, and formal. But so close to the Velothi mountains, it could have been Imperial."  I bolded words that don't actually add anything of value to the descriptions here. We lose nothing by cutting them out. But they're how Aiden thinks about the world around him. So I keep them to give shape to his internal processing. I'd say to try to write without these kinds of flavor words first, then start adding them in. Learn the rules before you break them, or break the habit before it becomes the ONLY way you write.

Write Every Day This one is tough in the beginning, but it's so crucial to becoming a better writer. WRITE. EVERY. DAY. Even if it's just 200 words, do it. Make it your little morning ritual or evening wind-down. Pick a time that's just for you and your words. Close all your tabs, put your phone on silent, and just write. Be alone with the world that you are trying to create. And soon enough, you'll find that you can't go a day without writing something. And what a joy that is.

That's my list! I hope you found these tips useful! I also recommend reading books on the craft of writing, too.

Best of luck on your journey! You have infinite possibilities before you.

[bosskie]

Molluck's Office Study

Yeah, I felt like trying out designing Molluck's office. I started this before the kiss drawing but felt like finishing it first. I have no idea when was the last time I drew a proper room... It must have been like a decade ago if ever... So, it was nice to practice drawing a room, but also perspective and light stuff.

I'm honestly not sure about this design but you gotta start from something. I took inspiration from those Gluk offices in Soulstorm but tried some own ideas here. None of those offices really seem to boast, so I took that to another level here. Like, Molluck got red carpet, his statue has own stand and his desk customized and more expensive. That ceiling light design is taken from Aslik's and Brewmaster's offices since I'm unsure about the design of that... I should draw the whole room to figure stuff out better. The 'Molluck watches' theme is also present here since he has multiple (moveable) TV screens in his office but also screens to see how his stocks are doing. Those stock screens are those long little screens where is also that little Magog Cartel flag. I feel like I could have added more stuff but yeah, like I said, I should design the whole room to know better. Once I get better at 3D modelling, I so wanna model his office like I could imagine it!

Oh and yeah, the background: I wasn't sure about it either but the other offices seem to be at some 'safe distance' from the main processes at their places, so not much should really happen there. Maybe he could see some meat processing stuff from there and his products on their way, like those barrels I drew. I also had some more ideas here but just wasn't sure if they actually work, so here's just the base idea. Oh, and now when I look at the background, it gives some Slig Barracks vibe too... The color theme just seems to be present at RuptureFarms too.

Molluck is said to be the Boss of Bosses, so his office gotta look like that! I can imagine him having like a big painting of himself somewhere too... The idea is just that if you entered into Molluck's office, it would make you feel like you are facing 'a big boss', feel intimidated. But well, Molluck alone can feel intimidating to face... But the office boosts it! I just feel like this would fit Molluck since he is said to be into luxury, before Soulstorm (or can you even say that when Soulstorm was the original name of Abe's Oddysee... Well, I mean the final names.), and it seems that this trait is still present since he got that luxury blimp dream. Man, why is this Gluk so adorable to me... I even find his egoism cute, even it's not cute IRL... I just love Glukkons, okay. It's kinda funny to think about how they have always been my top1 Oddworld species... I wasn't even into octopuses before Oddworld.

So yeah, just another concept art practice thing. I kinda feel better about my art right now but I still feel like I have so much to learn and do before I actually feel like I'm skilled, have artistic talent... I'm not sure what I do next but I would like to go back to 3D stuff since I haven't touched modelling since that cigar. I just felt so stressed out about my art skills that I had to stop it for a while... I just felt like my art looks so bad that I must practice drawing/painting... I don't feel like it's good enough still but I could do something else now. I got some horrible great ideas for Molluck models... I just say that I kinda love ugly graphics, like certain graphics of PlayStation 2 games. It would be just fun to create Molluck in different styles, from low poly to high poly, and so on. I wonder if I'm even able to create actually ugly Molluck model, to me... Some people say that he is already ugly, so eh, I guess not; only a bad model then. Yeah, beauty is in the eye of the beholder; like my mother has commented one of my Molluck works that he ain't beautiful but the painting is great while for me Molluck is such a beauty (but my work ain't...).

Oh, and while painting this (I don't always know which word to use since I rarely do actual line art... I more like just paint it on the same layer as the colours, you know. Like that kissing drawing has no line art, it's all just a part of the painting.) I realized how all the Gluks have multiple books in their offices in Soulstorm but Sekto has also lots of books... So, Glukkons and Oktigis like to read, or they (also) like 'book aesthetic'? But that's why I imagine Molluck having some books at his office too (I wonder what kind of books...) too. I assume they got much brain power, so gotta give the brain some food! I really wonder what Molluck can do with his huge brain...

But yeah, I'm not sure what else to say but that I just feel like I love this Gluk more and more... It feels like my mental image of him get 'clealer' and more detailed day by day, making me able to well, not also draw him better without reference, or understand his face better in reference material, but also imagine his 'presence' better, like if I was actually with him, making him feel closer even it's all just fantasy. Like, I didn't really use any reference to his face here which is rare actually because his head is just challenging to draw... I just feel so good with him... I could just go on and on about Molluck but I think that this is enough for now... I just love him so much and the image of him my brain has created, like he lived inside my head. I hate and love my mind. (Y)

[thekinkyleopard]

Snzfire of Hostility

Part 2 of a Non-Canon AlxKoxNai Fic Series

⚠️Content Warning⚠️

Snz Fet, Bullying, Sexual Harassment, Smut, Sneaky Public oral, coercion

Description: Draeko is the fresh meat at College, new in town, and at first the jocks Alistar and Kanai, don’t find much interest in him. Until they find out he’s rather a little factory of entertainment and fetish gold. What will become of them all?

Author’s Notes: EEEEE I am like living for this series rn I have so many ideasss!!! Please enjoy this next steamy chapter as Al ups the Ante >:) art, Drae and Kanai all by @aller-geez !

Draeko was less than enthused to walk into Culinary class after having had creative writing prior. It seemed everything was more or less normal. Al hadn’t been there for last period and Kanai was never usually a problem by himself. Yet, he worried. Worried he would have to sit with that strange emotionless man and work together on their meal for the day in awkward silence. It was his second week in, and now classes were starting to feel more like work and less like cocktail hour.

The pastel colored male walked carefully into culinary and much to his dismay, both the Navy haired man and red head sat at the table. He sighed. Walked forward, avoiding eye contact with either, he sat in the seat to the right of Kanai furthest from Al. He did notice, however, that their other partner, Sloan, was missing. She must be out sick, Draeko assumed. This wasn’t good news, she was usually his go to when it came to avoiding conversation with the two intimidating men. Today, was incredibly different without her. What was he to do now that he couldn’t use her as a crutch?

“Now class today we are going to cook Lemongrass Chicken…learning how to use herbs and spices to our advantages we will….” As she droned on, the red head slowly creeped over, leaning enough over Kanai to see the pastel colored pup.

“Hey…pst…kid…” he cupped his hand around his mouth to hopefully draw out a louder sound than he was really making.

“What?” The younger tried to avoid eye contact still, not really wanting to get too involved with whatever shenanigans the other had in store.

“Good to see you…how you feelin’?” Waggling his eyebrows with a cheeky aura radiating off his person. Drae sat back and rolled his eyes now, blatantly ignoring the red head to avoid talking about the incident. Alistar hadn’t stopped thinking about it, and he was going to find some way to get the sensation to come back. Infact he had been mulling over ideas the other day with Kanai. Ever since that class, the demon was more than obsessed with the little freshman. He wouldn’t need them on this day though. As their instructor went on to first show them how their meal would be made, the fresh scent of cooking lemongrass was already starting to tickle and prick at Draeko’s sensitive nostrils. But he held strong. Tweaking his nose side to side to fight off the insistent urge.

“Now remember, you need to make sure your chicken is thoroughly cooked, or else risk giving someone illness, do we think we can handle it?” She asked as she finished up the meal, plated it and cut open the main dish to show off her perfectly cooked chicken. “Alright everyone get to it!” Draeko flung himself from the table to get away from the two demons, not that he really ever had an issue with the more navy themed one. He tended to mind himself when the red head wasn’t around, but he egged him on and aided regardless. The two were in cahoots and that meant Drae trusted neither of them. As he was gathering the ingredients and everyone was bustling about, the professor deeply invested in her computer screen, Al pressed up against the other’s back.

“Think you can handle it?” He repeated the professor’s words, purring into the mutt’s ear, causing the younger to tremble beneath him.

“E-excuse me?” Draeko turned his head to the side, his eyes trying to find him in his peripherals at the very least, face dusted in light pink, was he flirting with him?

“Cutting up the chicken and stuff do you think you can handle it? Me and Kanai just sort of burn things so like…if you could do the most of it….?” Suddenly he asked very nonchalantly, almost like there hadn’t been a seductive purr at the edge of his tone.

“Why bother taking the class if you’re not gonna learn the skill…?” Drae rolled his eyes trying to focus away from how close the man was standing up against him.

“Easy A? Gets elective credits out the way? Many reasons kiddo, but get to cookin’,” he slapped the smaller across his ass and Draeko’s cheeks burned bright red. He looked around to see had anyone noticed the assault but they hadn’t and he almost felt upset over it. It was weird, the more he acted like he didn’t like it, the more his brain started to rewire itself, like he couldn’t deny himself how hot the two men were.

Kanai at the other end of their kitchen was doing his best to chop and mince the garlic but found himself snipping the tip of his index, not enough to gush blood everyone but enough for the man to furrow his brows and let go of the knife. “Alistar, I can’t seem to get the right grip I have now cut myself several times, is there no other way to do this effectively and efficiently?” Looking over at his two partners now. Al backed up off the mutt and came by to look at his friend’s hand.

“Tch tch….see what I mean pup? We’re practically useless over here,” he clicked his tongue in disapproval at his friend’s wounds, looking over at the mutt raising Kanai’s hand up in the air to draw attention to the incident.

“Ok but can you at least cut the lemongrass yourselves? I can’t stand the smell of it,” he sighed, rolling his eyes and taking over the spot to which Kanai had just been cutting garlic, not before rinsing his knife off though.

“Oh? You can’t stand the smell of it?” Alistar’s brow raised curiously as he looked over at the serving of ingredient that was on the counter awaiting its time.

“Yeah, I don’t and there’s so much around…” the sizzle of several other pans started to make Draeko nervous. It was different when it was across the room and just one pan going but now it’s at least three and they hadn’t even started theirs yet. He could feel it sliding down his sinuses and grasping him by the throat, he set the knife down and brought his hands swiftly upward in an attempt to stifle it “H-hnn…GXNT!” Draeko’s body shook and lurched forward as he tried his best to conceal himself. It was of no use. Alistar leaned up against the counter, elbow propped and his chin on top of a closed fist.

“Marvelous, see Kanai? When you ask, thou shall receive…I’m tellin’ you I’m grandpa’s favorite….” Kanai rolled his eyes at the comment but watched none the less, still tapping at his nicked finger. Draeko’s legs shook and his lips quivered while he tried his best to fight the sensations building inside of his nostrils.

“Please….” He pleaded with himself more than anyone else. Why? Why can’t he just keep it down?? The lemongrass filling the air around the entire classroom was making the mutt sweat, trying to focus on chopping the garlic, then the chicken but with everyone already at the point of sizzling their pans, the younger couldn’t hold out any longer.

“Here it comes,” Alistar nudged and elbowed his best friend as they both stared down the other who set down the knife once again to try and catch himself before he could contaminate the food.

“K’GNSH’iiew!!” Into the palms of his hands now, his brows furrowed and his nose crinkled. “H’iish’ue!!” He backed up but only found himself bumping straight into Alistar’s chest. “I- need-…h’H…” cut off by a sharp gasp that caught in his throat.

“Help? A hand?” The demon guessing as he snickered and placed his hand under the younger’s nose and wiped it clean for him. Rubbing off the ick and wet onto his crusty black patched up jeans.

“tch’ISSH!!” The small kitten sneeze escaped him as he was trying to find his way FROM the red head, and to ground himself against the counter again. However, Al took hold of the small hybrid’s hip and gripped it, grinding his hard length into the other so he can feel as he sneezed against his large body.

“God you have no idea what that does to me…” He growled, his voice excited like a rock n roll artist announcing his entrance to the city, but it was only the group of them that could hear it. He took a deep inhale of the other’s messy different colored hair. It was sweet, but that was behind the larger scent of citrus in the air. Draeko bit his lower lip, his watering eyes scanned the room around him and as he realized not a single soul was there to pay attention, all fixated on their own tasks, he almost felt excited. Were they aware of this too? No one was watching them?

“Stop…we’re gonna get in trouble…” he whimpered trying to shuffle innocently away but Al kept him tight in his grasp. Draeko’s nose tweaked and twitched, reaching up as he tried to scratch it by rubbing it in circles in loud clicks.

“Doubtful, Miss H is too busy sexting her foreign online boyfriend and the rest of the class is trying not to burn their chicken….as far as we are concerned, no one gives a shit, but what would be great….is if you could make yourself useful under the counter….” Pointing downward. It’s true, if he did go below the counter, no one would spot him but in what world does the red head think he was that easy???

“Hey! Asshole! What makes you….” He started but was swiftly cut off by the other’s quick index placed at his lips.

“You may put on a real brave face here kiddo but,” reaching around he gripped the front of Drae’s pants, the crotch specifically feeling in his grip the young hybrid was indeed throbbing.

“Okay…fine…you caught me! Doesn’t mean I’ll just do as you say!” He grumbled with embarrassment, face fully flushed as he realized the compromising situation he was being put into was leaving him with not many choices.

“Won’t it though? Not even for Kanai?” The Navy haired man blinked looking almost lost between them all.

“Are we not cooking the meal, Donnie?” Asking curiously, seeing as that was the only real task that was asked of him in the last hour, from what he could recall. He was a tad bit concerned how they got here so fast but stepped closer nonetheless when he was beckoned by Al’s index.

“No, Nai, we will, we’re just going to get a helping hand as well,” Alistar shoved the mutt to his knees hiding him under the counter top, as he stepped closer to reach the station in order to finish the preparation. Regardless of what was expected, the shorter of the three still found himself rubbing and twitching his nose in irritated circles. “Stand closer,” he grabbed Kanai by the collar of his shirt and swiftly pulled him in.

At first and second glance, it looks like Alistar is cooking and prepping while the other of the visible two, is watching carefully. “Get to it,” the red head commanded, and though he had plenty of room to say no, and felt comfortable enough to do so…the excitement that built within Drae’s core seemed to sing louder than his pride. Slowly he unbuckled and unzipped both the men in front and beside him, careful to not make too many unnecessary noises that may seen out of the ordinary. Though, unlikely they’d be heard with a class full of chatting students and sizzling cookware.

The red head paid no mind and slapped in the chicken, along with the mass amounts of lemon grass he chopped. “That may be too much Donnie,” Nai tried to engage forgetting that regardless, the idea was not to actually care about today’s meal, but today’s opportunity.

“Shhhh I know what I’m doing,” he turned up the heat and suddenly as the lemongrass began to sizzle in the oil of the heating pan, the aroma poisoned the air, and Drae from below, already struggling to pull the men out of their pants, felt the painful and prickling sensations of doom coming back to haunt him.

“B-ut…I-…” Draeko managed to pull the red head from the confines of his boxer briefs and stared his length down before his eyes slowly began to struggle and even cross. They squinted and pinched, a small line of tears, dripped down his cheek and he knew, it was a complete waste of his energy to fight it. “iit’shHIEW! hdt’ishhhh!! TCH’iSh!” He soiled Alistar’s length that twitched with excitement, only making the older student groan and involuntarily push his hips forward.

“Fuck that is awesome….” He looked over at Kanai who, in turn looks rather bored, yet to see the appeal while Drae struggled below them. “You’ll see…” he snickered continuing to try and remain focus on not burning the food.

Draeko nervously was able to have both lengths released and waiting on him, he snuffled and pushed the back of his hand against his nose to sniffle down whatever ick build up he had from his consistently allergic face. He looked over and gripped the Navy haired man’s length in his palm, nervously looking up with glossy eyes, Kanai looked back. His heterochromiatic gaze lidding as there was contact made with his slowly lengthening cock. Not nearly as ready to go as Al was, and Drae takes a moment to drag the flattened end of his tongue under the other’s shaft. Stopping at the tip of his head to suck gingerly, and tease the tall, stoic one. This seemed to bring the man to life as well as his length before he swallowed it fully and allowed it to hit the back of his throat. Al looked down to see the display and smirked reaching to grab Draeko’s free hand and bring it up to his cock.

“Don’t forget about me over here,” he grumbled playfully as he tried to keep his voice low. The sound of loud sizzling knocked him back to reality before long and he went back to pushing and flipping the meat around carefully. The mutt gripped Al’s cock in his palm slowly stroking with purpose and his mouth worked to fluff the other’s slowly growing length as well.

“Shit….” Kanai groaned gripping tightly to the counter as he fought between wanting to watch the small hybrid give him brain, and also follow along watching to make sure Alistar didn’t fail them. Drae’s eyes slid to a close while his tongue and mouth continued to swallow and devour, he was just starting to get himself together when the redhead turned up the heat and poured a shot of wine into the pan. Flames roared upward as he torched the lemongrass to squeeze every last tormenting cell out of its aroma. “D-Donnie…the recipe doesn’t call for w-wine….” Trying to guide his best friend back to the basics, who simply laughed with his own hooded gaze.

“Don’t question me just wait and see…” and it didn’t take long, the burning scent of lemongrass wafted even stronger in the air with it having been freshly scorched under the wine flambé. Draeko’s nostrils twitched, his eyelids fought, open and closed, open and closed….his throat tightened up around Kanai who’s nails dug into the wooden counter and nearly split a huge chunk completely off the surface entirely but managed to stop at cracking it.

“Shit….” He hissed between gritting teeth and a clenched jaw. Drae, trying to keep himself from exploding all over the demon’s length, finding himself unable to do so when it finally struck him, his throat closing up and he immediately pulled back on it.

“hih’iiiSSHHHuu! hhh’ISCHih! ” He sprayed across Kanai’s dick the man grunting and looking over at his red headed counter part.

“You’re right….does feel great…” he looked back down and could see the mutt’s brightly blushing and flushed face, embarrassed, as he tried to fix up and wipe off his face.

“Stop that,” Alistar started swatting at Draeko’s hands. “I wanna see you get messy….i want your own liquids dripping down your face while you please us…” he had leaned down at an angle to whisper seductively at Drae who blinked slowly, trying to capture every syllable before he…

“hh'IETSH’UE!” Another one, his eyes reddened and leaking, same as his poor nose, the irritation of rubbing at him had almost made it feel raw. Alistar reached down, took a fistful of Draeko’s hair and dragged his mouth over to his cock and shoved his way down the mutt’s throat, slowly fucking his face hole while he remained pushing the chicken about, it was starting to look a little….done. Yet Al couldn’t stop here.

“Don’t stop…” he growled , his hips snapping with every hard swallow. Draeko’s fist twisted Kanai’s length, pumping at the same rhythm he was sucking on the red head. His eyes leaked, his nose and the sides of his mouth also dripped while he kept himself stuffed full. A soft snuffle heard every 3rd suck as he was not a fan of how his snot kept threatening to leak down his lips. “I’m close….” Alistar grunted through, turning off the heat he gripped the counter in both his hands and like a wild animal began to face fuck the absolute dog shit out of Draeko’s mouth, causing a uncontrollable mass of drool to start leaking from the corners of his lips. “Here it comes…..” he warned before blowing his load completely down Draeko’s tight throat. At this moment, the mutt wasn’t ceasing his motions upon Kanai’s length, still pumping and squeezing the tip to encourage the taller to follow behind but he just couldn’t quite get there yet.

Alistar’s nails dug into the counter as his orgasm rocked through him and his vision turned to stars, rolling into the back of his skull as he jerked himself forward in repetition. Drae gagged, and choked trying to keep the mess to a minimum as the seed slid down his throat, lifting himself off he quickly turned his advances to Kanai, his mouth switching cocks like it was suddenly his day job.

The wet warmth surrounding Kanai was just what he needed to silently reach over and clench Alistar’s shoulder, the red head sucking air between his teeth in pain. “F……uck….” Red eyes wide as he tried to keep his volume to a minimum while his best friend practically clawed him. The navy haired male didn’t care, his eyes rolled back and he rocked as his length spilled down the mutt’s throat, who expertly swallowed each load without a fight to put up. Once he was satisfied with his clean up, Drae quickly collapsed rubbing at his nose, bringing the back of his shirt across his incredibly wet face.

“Nah nah don’t do that yet….” Alistar stopped him by gripping the shirt and keeping it from reaching his face.

“Wh-…” Drae looked up at the man almost flabbergasted by the request. What did he mean he couldn’t clean himself up?

“Let me take a picture first you look fucking crazy,” Grinning with a side smirk plastered across his smug face, the hybrid rolled his eyes, stuck out his tongue and folded his arms across his chest.

“No! You can’t….” Looking up and away from Al’s gaze to emphasize he wasn’t going to crack.

“Want me to announce to everyone you sucked our cocks in class instead? Hm?” Draeko’s eyes widened and blushed, looking away he shook his head slowly and then back up at the red headed demon. This was humiliating. He couldn’t believe he allowed himself to be seduced by these two….CLOWNS. They don’t even respect him!

Yet as Alistar snapped his photos, and the class started to question what was taking them so long, Kanai had managed to zip himself up and scramble the food from the pan….looking less than perfect. Bringing the plates to the table, everyone’s eyes were more or less on their meals or on Kanai. No one noticed when Draeko managed to pop up, wiping his face and rushing to grab a few paper towels. He crinkled them, wet them with warm water and placed it on his aching bridge. The scent still lingered in the air but at least with the towels on his face, it soothed his poor aching sinuses. “Good work, pup,” he smirked watching the poor mutt do his best to soothe his reddened and swollen face.

Ruffling the other’s messy duo-colored hair before he sauntered off confidently as if he didn’t just face fuck the life out of him. Draeko stood there in the kitchenette as everyone talked amongst themselves and ate their food. He looked up, pinching the bridge of his nose and toward the ceiling light of the classroom ceiling. What the fuck was he doing? He came to college to change his life and he’s back to his whore behavior, seriously? Sucking the dicks of the two dudes that have been the most disrespectful to him since he started coming here? There has to be a word for this. This takes the cake. He was never going to change. He couldn’t handle a life without chaos.

He sniffled loudly, and used the now cooling rag to wipe and clear his nose before tossing it away in the trash, wiping his nose dry with the back of his shirt. It wasn’t an entirely good look but the kid was exhausted, disappointed in himself, still incredibly attracted to the two obnoxious jocks, and again, disappointed in himself. He slowly dragged his feet to the table, sitting down to see chunks of burnt chicken on his plate with a side of half crunchy rice. “What….the fuck is this?” He asked with a squeamish look across his face.

“Lemongrass chicken,” Al replied with a monotoned voice, mid chew as he and Kanai both seemed relatively unphased, whilst crunching their over/under done entrees.

“This is burnt….and the rice isn’t….done?” Drae had picked up a fork to push around the food looking between it and his classmates. They both stayed silent. “Guys! I thought you said you had this???” He suddenly furrowed at them, his voice exasperated when Kanai finally turned to look at him.

“It seems that yes, Alistar did not cook the meal to complete perfection, however, sustenance is still sustenance, I see this as an edible B+ at the least,” shrugging his shoulders, Al pointing his fork in the other’s direction and nodded in agreement.

“That part,” shoveling another fork full of garbage into his mouth. Draeko shook his head back and forth and pinched the bridge of his nose.

“You’re gonna be the reason I fail a damn elective class aren’t you?” Sighing deeply with irritation, sliding back into his chair.

“Me? I recall choices being made on your end, all I did was urge the desire,” licking his teeth as his gaze finally shot up to take a good look at the mutt in his own stubborn orbs.

As they glared daggers at one another the instructor wound up coming around to check on everyone, coming to a screeching halt at their table. “Oh my, I’d really suggest you three go home tonight, together and practice this recipe….this looks….terrible,” she clicked her tongue in disappointment.

“Hey, to each their own teach! I’d say it’s exactly how I like it,” Alistar chuckled flashing her a charming side smile that didn’t seem to sway her opinion any.

“I’m….sure….PRACTICE! I want to see a video next week of you three redoing this meal,” Draeko sighed slumping and sliding further into his chair as he knew this would mean only one terrible thing. He would have to be exposed to that damn herb near those damn hooligans again and that’s honestly going to be the death of him.

“Ma’am I can do it, it would have been fine, I just had an allergic reaction from all the pans going at once….so I had Al take charge but do I really have to redo it?” Looking up at her sheepishly with an unconvincing half smile, she looked at him, a flat expression written across her face before she responded.

“That’s not an excuse, yes you really have to redo it,” rolling her eyes at the pathetic attempt Drae had even made to get out of it.

“Fuck dude….” He groaned slamming his forehead straight onto the table with an expressive thud. Alistar snickered, leaning over to wrap his arms around the sulking mutt.

“Guess we’ll see you tonight huh? Our place?” More than prepared for all the ways he was going to make this video his own special home movie. He’d do the homework part too sure, sure.

“I’m not coming,” Draeko narrowed his eyes before rolling them in the opposite direction. Alistar only inched closer.

“You’ll fail the assignment,” reminding the other of the importance to pass each meal as if their entire grades depended on it.

“I don’t care,” shrugging his shoulders. Was he bluffing? Entirely, but he wasn’t positive that the demon could figure that out if he sounded confident enough.

“You sure about that?” Raising a thin red brow. He didn’t believe him. Even for a second.

“Positive,” Huffing out his nostrils now to indicate he wasn’t going to teeter or sway, there would be no meet up. He wasn’t to be left alone with those two heathens or so help him he go back to his old ways.

“See you at 9pm tonight then,” Alistar chuckled confidently, backing off the mutt before grabbing his bag and slinging it over his shoulder. Kanai doing the same as they anticipated the end of class.

“…..” the bell rung and Draeko could feel himself practically jump out of his seat. Would he go? He knew what would happen if he was left alone with those two, without a bunch of students around to witness. Put him in a room with those two assholes and he’s gonna make it stank. He shook his head. “Why am I like this?” the logical side of his brain finally kicking in as he unclogged himself of the “what ifs”. Clutching his backpack to his person tightly, he considered what he was to do for the rest of the day, but what was he to choose?

To be Continued…

Author’s Notes: Little intense I know I know but like 🤤 I love public stuff~ little bit shorter than the last one? I think? Idk anyway I have some good ideas for the next few chapters~ I love Al bullying Drae into doing nasty shit 🥰😍 and Kanai just going along for the ride cause why not 😍 ugh using Draeko like a snzy fuck Toy. So hot. 🥵

[littlegodzilla]

Hiii!! Here I am with another chapter! Our guys left the farm and now they need to find other place where they can be safe and Lori could have her baby. So... let's to see what's happen!

Thanks for reading, the comments and reblogs I'm really happy that you liked the story!

Enjoy this part too!

≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈

Our Story.

Daryl Dixon x Wife/ Daryl Dixon x Reader.

Part 9.

Masterlist.

Warnings: TWD tense moments and violence. Fluff stuff.

Words: 3.400

Summary: You found the prison, you have a new home, but not everything is so easy.

≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈

Chapter 9. Prison.

You have lost count of how long you have been wandering without stopping for even two seconds to sleep. Lori is getting bigger and bigger, each time the urgency to find a safe place weighs on all of you like a burden. Time is running out on your account.

God, you would have even eaten from that can of dog food Carl found in the last house you unsuccessfully tried to shelter in. Daryl has managed to catch an owl, but it didn't have much meat on it either. You are now standing in your cars, some of them are still running, which is almost like a miracle, Lori is catching her breath, running and walking for a long time is already proving to be a hard task for her.

"I'm gonna see if I can find somethin' else to eat." Daryl says looking at Rick.

"I'm coming with you." He nods with his knife, following the archer.

The rest of you stay behind to secure the perimeter. Carl and Sophia are with Carol and Lori, they're hungry, but hanging on as best they can, as is everyone else. You sigh, picking up your arrows and counting them. You don't have many left, in a little while you should look for new branches and make more, in the last escape you left too many on the way. You grab your knife picking up several branches from the ground and start sharpening the tip of each one.

"I'm hungry..." Sophia murmurs.

"I know, honey, but you have to hang in there for a bit, Daryl and Rick have gone to get more food." Attempts to cheer up her and her mother.

"Can we practice?" she asks again, looking at you.

"Sure, let's aim for those trees over there." You point to some trees near the road.

You don't need to go very far, just a few yards, it's not much but it will keep the kids distracted, at least for the time Rick and Daryl are away. In those months they have improved a lot, both Sophia and Carl, even Carol is more skilled with her own bow, Carl is still more comfortable with the gun his father gave him, but he knows how to defend himself with both, Sophia for her part has perfected the technique and like you, carries a knife in her belt in case she runs out of arrows. They are still children, but they have learned fast and have taken on the role of being one more in the group, their childhood is being left behind, forced to grow up too fast.

"Uh, that was a close one." Sophia protests when her arrow falls a little short of yours.

"That wasn't bad at all." You smile flatteringly to keep her from getting discouraged. Suddenly your arrow flies through the air, you turn and see Daryl and Rick emerge from the trees. "You owe me an arrow." You reproach him and he twists his head, as if it doesn't go with him.

"We bring news." Rick says, gaining everyone's attention. "We've found a place..."

*****************

If at any other time in your life you had been told that the safest place to live was going to be inside a prison, you would have laughed, very hard too. But now, it's as rational as it gets. It won't be easy to get in, Rick explains the plan, how he wants to divide the group to enter and attack the dead. The main idea is to close the gates, occupy the entire garden, at least there with the watchtowers you would have a roof in case the weather in Georgia should change again. Maybe little by little you could try to get in.

You all know your place and your mission. Beth along with Maggie and Lori stand on one side of the fence drawing the attention of the dead. You make a hole so you can enter, Carl and Sophia along with Carol, Glenn, Rick, Daryl and you advance down the outside corridor heading towards the main gates where the front yard you want to occupy is.

"Ready?" Rick asks in a whisper.

You all nod as he opens one of the doors. The first shot is yours. From the position, along with Sophia, you clear the way for Carol and Daryl who run to one of the watchtowers to shoot from there, giving Rick a clear path as he runs to the other door to close it, preventing the Walkers from getting out. Leaving all that space for you.

It is immense, a free place, without danger, you have checked that none of the fences have any holes that you could regret. Nothing. Everything is yours. You are exhausted, but happy, you no longer need to keep running, you can set up camp there, rest at last.

You can't help it but as you enter the safe zone, you drop down on the growing grass, throwing your bow, spreading your legs and arms in a star shape, smiling broadly, laughing. Carl and Sophia mimic you by throwing themselves right next to you, you hear Carol get excited at the amount of space you have and your laughter grows louder. A figure blocks the sun in front of you, you open your eyes to discover Daryl looking down at you from above, head cocked to one side.

"Enjoyin' a sunny day, Majesty?" he jokes raising an eyebrow, stretching a hand toward you.

"You're not going to depress me, not today, Dixon." You joke with him, but accept his hand and let him lift you up. "It's a huge place."

"And it's all ours...come on, we still have to move the bodies out of the way."

You accept his orders, you're in too good a mood for some zombie bodies to dampen your spirits. Together you pile up the bodies, bring the cars and the rest of your supplies into the same place, manage to unlock the main doors so you can close the corridor and the door to the courtyard. Again you have that feeling of calm surrounding you. It is true that from afar you can still hear the panting and grunting of the rest of the Walkers in the place, but Rick already seems to be looking for a solution for that. 

"We'll take different shifts on watch tonight." Rick says as you leave the cars and everything ready to set up the small camp. 

"I'll take the first shift tonight." Daryl says. "The rest of ya can rest."

"You need rest too." Carol tells him in a soft tone and you watch their interaction curiously.

Daryl and Carol are forging a bond, you can feel it, something between them is starting to appear and you smile once again. You're glad, he told you he missed your sister, that it hurt, but you also think Daryl has a right to feel something for someone new. Not to hold on to a memory. If he's chosen Carol, you're happy for them, because you like the couple they make and Sophia, though respectfully, is curious about the archer.

"You look very happy." Beth comments and you smile again.

"Yeah, something tells me we're starting a new life, don't you think? Looks like things are finally going to change..." You shrug feeling your heart hammer hard in your rib cage.

"Uhm, yeah, I guess..." She smiles a little too.

"You'll see how things get better." You want to cheer her up again and you hug her.

Night falls, but you are no longer afraid, the group prepare a fire, with what you still have left and have found, you prepare everything, divide the rations, giving the biggest ration to Lori, for her baby. You all are enjoying a quiet night, when you see Carol walk away from the group to the bus where Daryl is standing guard. A new smile breaks out on your face as you see her carrying a bowl of food for him. It's cute and cuddly, from your distance you see them talking, they seem to be joking, Daryl massages her shoulder, she has used one of the rifles to stop several Walkers, she looks exhausted, but holds on. You look away to give them privacy returning your focus to the group, Beth breaks into song and it warms your heart, Rick returns from inspecting the fence once more, Daryl and Carol appear shortly after.

Daryl walks over to you, sits down next to you and hands you his poncho, you look at him confused, but he just shakes his shoulders, like so many other times and pulls it over your head and you settle under the thick, warm fabric, looking up at him gratefully as he closes his leather jacket to keep his own warmth in.

"It's still gonna be cold tonight, and the fire might not hold much. I dunno where ya left yer damn jacket..."

"I lost it on purpose so you'd give me this." You joke and he rolls his eyes.

"I figured as much." He squeezes your shoulder and leans you against him. "Try to sleep."

"I can't, my shift on watch starts now." You laugh and let go of him slowly, getting up. "But I'm taking this with me." You wink at him pressing the poncho against you and grab the bow before heading towards the bus.

The night is quiet, dark, you've never noticed how dense it could be without all the light pollution, you like it, it's beautiful in its own way and the sky is covered with stars, even the moon seems bigger.

"Have ya fallen asleep already?" Daryl's voice startles you for a moment and you see him climb onto the roof of the bus where you are.

"What are you doing here?" you ask with a frown. "Don't you know what sleep means?"

"Nope. Ya?"

"It's my turn, I don't need to sleep."

"We all need sleep... What do y'think of Rick's plan?"

"Risky, but if like he says we can get our hands on one of those blocks, with supplies, infirmary even some shower... that would be wonderful. Especially the shower thing." You hear Daryl snort in amusement.

"I've smelled worse, y'ain't that bad." He taunts you and you open your mouth wide, smacking him on the arm.

"I can't say the same for you! How do you do it? You rub dead squirrels all over yourself?"

"It's the special essence of the hunter."

You both laugh loudly as you wrinkle your nose in a gesture of complete disgust getting him to laugh louder, even for you it's impressive to hear him laugh like that.

"I've seen your... your thing with Carol."

"My thing with Carol? I dun have a thing with Carol, what are ya talkin' about?"

You smile, but shake your head without saying anything, leaving Daryl more confused if possible. He appreciates Carol, she's becoming a good friend, he feels safe talking to her, plus she also seems to be more confident talking to him than others in the group. But that doesn't mean they have something, maybe they do, since when did he feel so lost in this? Thinking back your sister was always the one who took the reins, since they were eight years old, but he thought he had learned to read how it all worked.

Maybe he's wrong.

He watches you silently, distracted, watching the sky with a small smile, always holding on to your bow, something that always gives you stability. Your knife and gun are in your belt, Daryl doesn't remember a single time you've used that gun, but you always carry it with you as plan C. He notices you've changed your hair, now you wear it loose, holding just a few strands at the back of your head, some strands moving in the soft night breeze, messing it up, crossing in front of your eyes. Daryl licks his lips and reaches over to tuck that unruly lock behind your ear. You don't pull away, it's not the first such gesture Daryl has had with you, he's always been a person who avoids contact except with people he feels confident with, you learned that many years ago. You look at him and smile, thankful that he is there with you, that you have talked things out and now things are moving at a good pace again. The months you've spent away, going back and forth has given you the time to talk and catch up on your lives and everything in general. You know it's not the same, but you feel that the tension that was between you at the first meeting, as if you were strangers, is gone.

"Seriously, what do ya mean with Carol?" 

"Never mind, come on, go get some sleep. You need it." You urge him, he doesn't seem to want to leave, but in the end he leaves you alone on the roof of the bus.

**********************

When the sun rises again, you all get going, grab the last of your leftovers and put Rick's plan into action. The kids with Carol, Lori, Beth and Hershel stay on one side of the fence to get the attention of the dead again, so you can get inside, you form a huddle, no one separates, backs together so you have all flanks covered. You stay a little behind, shoot some arrows, Daryl does the same when you have to reload, you cover his back, when he has to reload the crossbow. Without many, but between all of you you clean the courtyard fast, you are approaching the back where there is another group, but you can close the door and think about what to do with them later.

"Watch out!" You warn them as several Police Walkers appear, wearing special equipment.

Arrows are no good for them, they bounce off helmets and bulletproof vests, but Maggie manages to find a hole under one of the helmets and you all do the same.

It's an anxious few minutes, but you finally manage to clear the whole area you had planned according to Rick.

"We'll check that the block is secure and move on."

"If ya come with us ya'll have to use yer gun." Daryl tells you as you prepare to enter through the dark corridors.

"I can use my bow."

"It'll be darker, and there won't be as much room to reload, y'know that." 

"Then I'll use my knife."

"That's more dangerous..."

"Daryl..."

"We could use more people, now is not the time to argue about that, we need to secure as much of the perimeter as possible." Interferes Rick in your discussion.

"I'll use the knife." You insist and join the group.

"God, yer stubborn."

"We already have something in common." You joke putting yourself next to Maggie who also goes with you.

You use the knife, a lot to tell the truth, you have been caught in a mousetrap, the dead have started to appear everywhere, cornering you, forcing you to back up and look for an alternative way out until Hershel has been bitten in the leg, of course you don't leave him there, as you make your way you reach another wide room and close the doors at full speed. Rick shouts your name. You run up to him, holding Hershel while the sheriff cuts off his leg to prevent the infection from spreading. It's a drastic measure, more so in that situation, but neither of you want to lose the man. You take off your jacket and quickly cover the leg to stop the bleeding, Hershel is knocked unconscious from the pain, but that's not the worst of it. When you look up you discover that there are several prisoners locked up there, looking at you with surprise and confusion.

"Open the door!" shouts Rick, you go ahead, arranging one of the beds in the cell before they enter with Hershel in your arms.

"Lay him down here!" you shout also kneeling down to uncover the leg and take care of it. "We need to stop the bleeding, find something to burn the wound... we need bandages, alcohol... "You start to list.

"We haven't found the infirmary, now we have another problem outside."

"I'll try to clean him up as best I can, but we need to find it now. Carol, Lori, help me." You ask them and the three of you stay in the cell taking care of Hershel.

Things with the prisoners remain tense, they are not willing to leave the place, but you don't trust them to stay with you either. Rick tries to make a deal with them, half the rations for you and half for them, they will have to find another block to live in and not try to go to yours at any time. But you are busy, you have gone with Carl in search of the infirmary, you can't wait for them to decide what to do with the rest of the ward, Hershel needs immediate help.

"Stay close to me." You say to Carl, tightening your bow in search of any dangerous movement or noise. Carl moves to your side, walking slowly right behind you.

All the corridors are dark, in this part of the corridor there are isolation cells, luckily the doors are locked, if there is any threat, you won't be able to get out on your own. You advance down the corridor finding a small library and at the end of the same corridor, the infirmary. You sigh in relief, patting Carl's head.

"Let's grab everything we can and head back to the cell."

"Okay." He nods and tries to go in, but you stop him.

"Wait, I'll go in first, in case there's a threat." You warn him by opening the door to the infirmary and give a few knocks.

You hear gasps inside, something stirs on the gurney and from behind a bulkhead a nurse emerges in a consumed state. You quickly load the bow and shoot the woman in the head, Carl stirs behind you and peers over the gurney, shooting the guy lying there.

"Carl!" you whisper his name. "I told you to wait!" You scold him between whispers so as not to draw any more attention to yourself.

"He's on the stretcher strapped down, he can't do anything." He defends himself and you growl with a frown.

"I don't care, you came here without telling your mother, if anything happens to you..."

"I know how to defend myself, I'm not a child." He snorts angrily.

"Stop arguing; let's get everything we can and go back to the cell with Hershel. Come on."

Between the two of you you fill the bag with everything you need, some suturing tools and get back as fast as you can to the cell where Lori and Carol are still keeping an eye on Hershel who is still unconscious.

"We're here." You say opening the bag again to take out some bandages and the disinfectant.

"Where did you guys get all that stuff?" Lori looks at you in surprise.

"We went to the infirmary." Carl smiles proudly.

"You went to the infirmary?" Lori asks and then looks at you. "You took him with you without telling me?"

"I'm sorry, Lori, I didn't..."

"Are you not aware of what just happened to Hershel! How dare you put my son in danger?"

"She didn't put me in danger!" interjects Carl looking at his mother angrily. "I decided to go!"

"Carl, listen to me..." Lori tries to reason with him.

"Leave me alone! I'm not a kid anymore!" He yells again and storms out of the cell.

"You go with him, I'll stay with Carol taking care of Hershel." You tell Lori, she seems hesitant, but gets up and leaves you two alone.

"Are you okay?" Carol asks you as you continue to examine the leg of the man who is still unconscious.

"Yes, she's right, I should have told Carl to go back to the cells, I shouldn't have let him come with me. It's normal for her to be angry." You shrug, carefully stitching up some parts of the stump to make it easier for it to heal.

"Kids aren't kids anymore, we can't leave them out, they like being part of this."

"I know, but they are not my children, I can't make certain decisions." Carol rubs your back trying to give you some encouragement, but you're not down, just worried about Hershel coming out of this.

****************

.

To be Continued...

.

.

Hope you liked it!!

See you in the next chapters!

Taglist: @green-eyedladywrites @minervadashwood @livingdeadblondequeen @bringinsexybackk69

[quinloki]

For the kinky one piece head canon when I used the generator I managed to get Dacryphilia, Breeding, and Ice cubes :) I was wondering about Zoro, Luffy, and Sanji

*puts on glasses, opens dictionary* Dacryphilia - sexual interest in the sight of tears or crying. Hm... *checks google* Not necessarily tears of distress... Oh I like this: "The crying kink may include sexual excitement from tears, wet eyes, the puffy “crying” face, sad facial expressions, blowing the nose, wiping eyes, the muffled sounds of gentle crying, loud sobbing and weeping, the taste of tears and salty lips, the transformation through crying back to normal, comforting a person crying, making a person cry—a variety of these or all of the above."

OKAY - Now I have a decent idea of what we're dealing with, so let's dive into this one

Hmmm... Since this is the Monster Trio, let's do this one by Kink - I'mma save Dacryphilia to the end so I can properly ruminate on it in the meantime. hits the reverse order button.

Ice Cubes:

Zoro - I head canon Zoro being, not ignorant of sex and intimacy, but not practiced in it. He gets it, but he's just never done it - if there was time to have sex, then there was time to practice with his swords. It's not until someone waltzes into his life that manages to scramble into a position of priority for him that he really starts to pay attention.

And he is an Apt Student. He learns quickly and precisely and then makes those lessons his own - keeps what works for him, tosses the rest. As such he open to trying a lot of things at least once, with very few exceptions.

All that to say this: You didn't know how many uses ice cubes had until Zoro showed you. You didn't realize how impossibly hot another human could feel after tracing the lines of your body with ice. Oh god you didn't even know.

Luffy - Up front - I head canon Luffy as some variety of Ace, not sex repulsed, and not entirely uninterested, but mostly unconcerned. It's neither his dream, his nakama, his hat, or meat, so it's not exactly priority to him. And my poor, lovely, adorable, little idiot Captain only has one brain cell and he shares it with the random beetles he finds xD

But! If you're his namaka, and maybe even closer to him than that, a different flavor of near and dear and there's things you like and enjoy? He's certainly here to try them, as best as he can too. And maybe he'll find things he enjoys in the process \o/

Ice cubes are a Yes for Luffy, because it's a lot like tickling to him. You squirm and make noises and the change in temperature and texture are interesting. Warming you up afterward isn't so bad either, as he wraps himself around you in that way that only a rubber human can, the melt of the ice creating an interesting slip between you.

Sanji - This man's a FUCK Yes for giving and getting in this case. The sensations, the sounds, the squirming - having his own fire cooled by the shaky trailing line you draw down the middle of his chest... Okay, wait that's not really cooling his fire at all, but it still feels nice. The hot blooded chef is also a good candidate for warming you up after the fact, no matter what turn the rest of the evening takes.

Breeding:

Zoro - Yes - He doesn't realize it right away, but eventually it strikes Zoro that he is possessive, hopefully not to a bad point. Maybe it started with his swords, so he didn't think of it in terms of people, because the swords are precious, and yeah they have their own "will", but it's not the same thing. How could he treat you like that?

But possessiveness toward you was something different. It wasn't about bending your will to his, it was about intertwining the two. An exchange he didn't want to see you have with anyone else**. Breeding you, the set up, the execution, the sensation of it, the look of it - all the little details were like marking you in a way that only he could. The look on your face when he filled you up, the look of your body under him, the heat and sensation as he's emptied himself into you. There's few things that are better.

** (I can 100% see Zoro in poly[insert here the suffix as needed], relationships. even if he doesn't realize it at the start).

Luffy - I guess - He's not against filling you up, I honestly don't know if he fully understands the concept of pregnancy. Dadan did the best she could, but he probably got "the talk" from like 8 year old Sabo who half-understood whatever his tutor tried to tell him. It's, again, not a priority, so I don't think he's put much thought or effort toward the entire thing. He enjoys things when you enjoy them, and finishing inside you feels good, but finishing in general also feels good, and I don't think Luffy differentiates much between them.

Sanji - Oh god you don't even know - The intimacy, the connection, the intention, the follow through. Sanji kicks this kink so hard it turns into a Pregnancy Kink if we're being completely honest. At a more nuanced level he loves the details of it - being so completely connected, you being filled with him to over-flowing. The way you look, the intimacy of it, the sweet sounds, the musky scents. There's nuance in food, there's nuance in life (there's nuance in gender Sanji, get with it), there's nuance in kink and sex. He gets it.

But also like, getting to provide you Full Service While You're Pregnant?! The man can't lie, he certainly thinks about it a lot.

Dacryphilia:

Zoro - No to Yes - He has no idea what to do the first time tears overtake you. Stoic as he tries to be, he does not maintain calm the first time. Once you start to explain things to him though, he begins to get it. That Apt Student title kicks in and he picks up on all the finer points, picking things apart until he understands what he likes and what he doesn't. "Negative" tears are something different from "Positive" tears, and he learns where the line is and gets into it with time.

Wiping away your tears, kissing them off your checks, caressing your face when it's puffy and swollen - when you're a mess of pleasure, cum and emotions and it's because he's overwhelmed you so completely? He can get behind that.

Luffy - Sure - Luffy is... more of a nuance guy than he gets credit for honestly. Where and how the line is drawn very easily determines honorable foe from foe, etc. So he gets it. He's even really good at keying into when the tears are good vs when they're bad (I swear he hones in on people's emotions canonically so well it's almost creepy). But to be sure he asks, and listens, and comforts and a few times causes them. He works out the nuances of that line, but there's a feeling that it's more like a puzzle or game. He's not making light of it, but there's no kink connection for him, he's just making sure that he reacts the correct way for the kind of tears that are happening.

And he makes sure that you're crying from positive overwhelming feelings, and not painful ones <3

Sanji - No. Nope. No way. - He absolutely, positively, does not want to see a woman cry. It's a major failing for him, and it takes you two being together for a Long Time to help him understand that sometimes your tears are because you're overwhelmed. It feel too good, you're too happy, etc. The first few times he panics that he's hurt you in some way, but he slowly comes around to understanding the different kinds of tears you shed. He can't help it, he doesn't like any of them, even the good ones make him a little tiny bit nervous. But he will kiss them away, praising you and petting you and letting you know it's okay if you have to cry.

Kinky One Piece Head Canon

[blubushie]

Based on the answers you've been giving about male friendship, I'm curious: how would you define masculinity? Your own, in society or interacting with other people, any way you want to take this question.

I've been out and living as a trans man for 4 years now (since getting into college) but haven't really started to feel like a man since I started taking T (almost 7 months). I still....struggle with a lot of things around my own identity, and how I am supposed to interact with people. So I would be interested to know how you navigate masculinity

Honestly I've never actually given much thought to masculinity aside from "the act of being male". What that act is, I have no fucken clue.

I'm very masculine. But that's just my nature—it's not performative. So it's hard for me to draw lines of what exactly masculinity IS because for me, it's just the act of being me. I like doing certain things that societally are considered masculine. In my experience most of masculinity is just societal perception and socialisation. I like cars, and cooking especially when it's meat, and I eat a lot of meat, and I like hunting, and firearms, and fishing. I like history, and video games. None of these things are ACTUALLY masculine, but society considers them to be. So by society's standards, they're masculine. And so I just reckon I like being masculine.

I've always approached masculinity as something that men just inherently are, and the definition varies from man to man. For me, it's self-sufficiency, and loyalty to family, and dedication to my craft. I drive an old truck because if she breaks down I can fix her easily. My rifle is a bolt-action because operation and maintenance is simple. I make my own food, I hunt my own meat, I'd endanger my own life to protect the rare few I call my friends and have done so. I try to raise my child right, so that he grows up without a sense of judgement and with patience and respect for the people around him.

So in general I'm very in line with what people/society consider to be "traditional" masculinity. Hunting, fishing, cars, I like alcohol on a Friday night, and I do rodeo, and I shoot, and I dress in flannel and jeans and dingo boots.

But masculinity doesn't have to be traditional. Every man has his own idea of what masculinity is. You've just gotta find yours and what you're comfortable with. The first step is just being you. If you want tips on how to act "more of a man", the truth is you already are one. If you're inclined you can go a step further and get involved in male spaces that are likely to have an absence of women (we behave better with the ladies around so if girls are present you're gonna struggle a bit with proper socialisation). Get into a shooting or archery club, or a boating club, or hunting or fishing, or something like that. Or a men's club. Anything with a large number of men and a low number of women. Then just sit back and observe how they interact with each other. Eventually you can insert yourself into their conversations when you see openings and work on the socialisation skills. Expect some ribbing but if they get too aggro/cruel just move onto a different group.

Bonus round: Find a respected old man and ask him to teach you how to be a man. He'll learn you all about chivalry and male manners and behavioural expectations and shit like that. If you don't want to disclose your trans status, just say you had a bad relationship with your father or that your dad was never around to teach you how to be a good man. He'll fold and take you under his wing.

[strawberrystepmom]

Truth is this was a full body drawing but I got too ambitious by straying from my usual art style for the sake of making it as soft toned as possible for you. The skirt was giving me problems because I am a fool; you’d think that with how many flowers I’ve been forced to tattoo on silicone I’d know how to draw them by now, but nope. Anyway. It’s directly based off that pretty little Kendycore picture you loved so much.

Sometimes a man had to choose between anonymity and being able to send you art, sighing sigh sigh sigh sig sigh oh well.

You say you’re bossy at the kbbq table like that’s a bad thing. I ain’t about to argue with a princess, whatever you say beautiful. I’ll be sat and ready to eat and ready to pay, you can boss me around as much as you want darling.

Also about that praise, you’ll get as much as you want; I love giving it away, so I’ll be sure to keep the Good Jobs in my pocket. I know I was gonna talk about something else and I thought all day about typing it, but it eludes me right now. I should start keeping post-it’s of this shit. Either way, I’m not too pleased with the drawing but that’s what I get for being experimental; after sending this ask I’ll probably go ahead and give a second try at drawing you… accidental muse? I wouldn’t mind, haven’t had one in a while.

Also, today I attempted baking again but realized too late, FAR too late that my yeast was very much dead and expired. So instead of little cinnamon buns I have shiny pink rocks that are somewhat edible- so I have no picture of cute little fluffy pink buns to show tonight. Only a finger cut and my anonymity running away 😪

-✉️

WAHHHHHHHHHH I’ve been giddily looking at this for literal hours bc you know me…can’t take anything normally. this art is absolutely stunning you are such a talented artist and you do tattoos?! you literally cannot get any cooler.

I’m just happy you’re here anonymous or not!!! <3333 it has been so nice to actually get to chat with you. how’s your week shaping up? how are you? are you finally feeling better?

thank you for the praises! as you can see I handle them very well and totally normally jfkdjjdjdjddj

I’m not really like a horribly bossy person in general but I like to keep things moving enough that I’m like doling out and keeping them going. this is true of many areas in life it’s just best used when grilling meats I’ve found LMAO

omg it’s baking season anyway. do you have a preferred cinnamon roll recipe? a trick I learned for yeast is to keep it in the freezer and I didn’t think it worked until I used yeast that was literally almost 5 years old and it was sure as shit still alive! but with baking as long as it tastes good it’s all the same you know? I hope they were cinnamony and beautiful

here’s to a new week! have an exceptional day and thank you for making mine with this beautiful art 💖

[alinktoana]

30 day no fanart challenge

this is the meat of the challenge: no fanart for 30 days (oh wow lol) 1. drawing categories/prompts instead of IP: it can be *anything*, it can be food, hobbies/professions, folklore/mythology. eg: actual taiko drums instead of taiko no tatsujin characters, cute dinosaurs instead of yoshi, cool hedgehogs instead sonic (lol) 2. IF i happen to wanna draw fanart, it's gotta be at least 100 years old (anything before 1924) eg: drawing fanart of John Tenniel's Alice (1865) and not disney Alice (1951), Albert Lynch's Joan of Arc (1903) and not Clone High Joan (2002). ps: im not sure about famous people yet, but i think ill go with the same idea that theyd have to have been dead before 1924.

here's some stuff ive drawn with that in mind, even though i hadnt stablished the challenge yet lol

why a no fanart challenge? well well well, if this isnt another post artist alley eulogy lol

here's some background feelings: after having helped promote 2 japanese food festivals and tabled on both its artist alley's, and knowing myself, and having grown up in the age of comic/book to film adaptations and the rebootprequelsequelmagaddon, it's really hard for me not to fanart, even though i trashtalk hollywood all the time for not taking risks and doing original stuff, lo and behold, i do the same. who am i to judge _anything_ when i watched all three star wars sequels in theaters and crushed on kylux for years, i was kneedeep into hannigram, i gave money to the barbenheimer industrial complex. how can i blame RGG for not letting kiryu go when i _cried legit tears of joy_ when pirate majima was announced? (granted, it's not as bad as the kiryu situation lol but this is about ma$cots, not me lol)

i love a lot of characters, a lot of stories, im always jumping from show to show, game to game, and coming back to them. but i wanna go beyond my love for other people's art and be in love with my own, now that im at a better skill and mental state. it might not resonate as much, specially at the japanese festivals im a part of, but i wanna try. and im gonna start slow, i *am* going to draw japanese food, japanese animals, and create my tiny little scenes and see what comes up. i love stickers with every fiber of my being lol so ill always have in mind that ill draw stuff that i would wanna stick on my own sketchbooks and journals. but i need to do this, at least for 30 days. who knows what will happen later, you know? a friend of mine once said that colored pencils are like sugar, and graphite pencils are like veggies. and i feel like fanart and not-fanart is the same. we love fanart, but it's not healthy to only draw fanart... also i love people who delve into IP OCs and stuff, it always seems a lot of fun. i could try that, but i think ill cut my fanart ties cold turkey and then i can figure something out, i dont know lol i could go back to d&d character sheets lol another side note: i went to film school bc i loved watching movies. i wanted to tell stories, but i had no idea how, and i didnt think i had the talent for drawing. i started studying japanese and bullet journaling, bc i had the urge to draw, and those were the mediums that were close enough to drawing i felt i could try. and then hannibal happened, i had a roommate who was learning to watercolor, and i was like, screw it, let me draw hannigram bc i love them lol ive had the opportunity to make some movies, but logistically and creatively, they never felt as good as having the spark of inspiration, sketching, linearting, painting, printing and selling these tiny ass stickers. there is some control freakness in that, sure lol but there's also a need to build confidence in my own abilities, which sadly i didnt have a space for in movie sets... anyway, ill always mourn not having spent my teens drawing, but im making my kid self proud now <3 also i might post my new stickers at some point, i still havent made a pinned post lol but someday, you know so yeah, if anyone's reading this, ty lol TLDR: if you draw, write, sculpt, whatever, anything, and you tend to do fanart, ask yourself if you're fanarting a bit too much, if there's a way of turning your love for these characters/worlds into something different and more you.

[unforgivingchorus]

Content update for my red Robin solo run ideas

He has bipolar disorder, he doesn’t go to a doctor or anything because vigilantes are psychological freaks but the first case would be him at the start of a hypomanic episode, followed by an inbetween case then a case that’s worsened by the fact he’s having a major depressive episode (bipolar type 2) eventually it would even out and largely the lessons he’s learning would be about living with mental health issues and not dismissing or punishing yourself for them

Normally I tend towards writing autistic characters specifically cause I’m autistic but I think it would bring a lot of the up and down emotional spirals from the red robin run to the reboot continuity as well as letting me explore a more overt mental health spiral

2!

It mostly wouldn’t be set in Gotham, a lot of the smaller in-between cases would be but ultimately the meat of the story would be set across the globe, specifically focusing on post-conflict countries. Or countries where systematic oppression and colonisation is being deconstructed

Thematically this is because a lot of Tim drakes years as robin where following major personal and city wide conflicts and crisis, (see every comic with crisis in the title set in Gotham, the contagion, cataclysm and no man’s land events, and more recently the battle for the cowl and events of the red robin run). Not all of these necessarily still happened in the current Continuity but it’s not a stretch to compare Gotham to a city post-conflict or one in conflict.

Largely setting it across real world cities let’s me ground the experiences of Tim drake and Gotham itself in a more serious tone than is always given to the events. And let’s me draw parallels between Tim and the cities he visits

Also selfishly I’m from Belfast, specifically I’m a ceasefire baby from Belfast, so I’ve spent my whole life living in a country that’s in its first generation post-civil war, and I believe in that thing where writers draw from somewhere inside them for everything and Belfast is always going to have a place in what I write.

Although for This and the mental health stuff there would be a-lot of dedicated research

3

Also, despite calling it a red robin solo run because that’s the characterisation that I would bring most to it, I wouldn’t be bringing back that moniker. In fact it would probably be titled primarily as a Tim drake series, with the first comic subheaded robin but i would quickly leave the robin mantle too.

So much of it would be also about identity and him finding who he is post-mission, when he doesn’t have to be Robin anymore, and coping with the fact that he doesn’t hold any weight in his civilian identity, and he doesn’t value his own continued existence outside of how useful he can be to the mission.

Largely it would be done through nameless masks and undercover identities so I can further fuck with identity stuff

4

He is not on a mission. I think I would do something that lets me explore his childhood a lot more and his parents, so I can really dig into why he formed such a disconnected attachment to personhood, and probably by having him look into something from their archeology stuff, i haven’t thought through a-lot do what it would be and where overtime he would be much more reckless with his life and desperate to find a purpose or a way for the investigation to allow him to form a connection between him as he is now and his parents as a way to try and form an attachment and basis for who he is and how he sees himself as a person outside the mask, I also would be highlighting how he can’t walk away from someone who needs help, big or small. Real friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man shit that let’s me really hone in on the fact that brings him back to why he became robin in the first place, not any of the duty or personal trade by that came later. The unavoidable temptation within him to help whatever way he can. (And also a severe lack of self respect or value of his own life).

5

It so doesn’t sound like it but, ultimately the goal is to become more and more lighthearted over time as he develops a moniker he’s happy with and finds joy in the vigilante act again. Without ever shying away from the fact that he will never not have mental health issues but learning to cope and live with them rather than outright denying them

6

Also I want to portray someone who’s mentally Ill and extremely capable. He is just as smart and ahead of the game as in red Robin, but he’s also still the saddest boy tam fox ever saw. Ultimate he’s able to use his intelligence as a shield for why he’s taking unnecessary risk and choosing plans that put him in danger, because he can argue it as the logical choice with himself because he’s capable and it normally is the fastest or least lethal way, he just choses to pretend it’s doesn’t matter that there was safer options. You can be mentally ill and extremely smart and capable!

[kikuism]

HII MISS MARIAM ^__^ 2 and 3 for kikou + nana and kaname for the ocs ask game?? 🤍

hiii miss falen!!!! i'm very excited to answer these!!!

2. how long have these characters known each other?

kikou: ermmmm this is so hard to say hgkshfjdj it's not a fixed time period in my mind, best i can say is a couple of years..... technically i have had them for 6 years But in the story world(s) it's more like....2 or 3.

kaname and nana: about a year i would say!

3. what were their first impressions of each other? how does that compare to their impressions of each other now?

kiku: he is mesmerized at first sight....when he hears of the blind healer coming into their service he is fully expecting some old man hobbling around with a silver heard so it's quite the pleasant surprise to instead see a beautiful boy with a conspiratorial smile and gentle eyes that remind him of the moon's reflection on the water. he's immediately besotted! there's immediate physical attraction, but also a lush, romantic one...he thinks him infinitely wise, with tales of the Outside, someone with much more lived experience than him. safe to say kiku holds him up on a pedestal at the start, revering him almost. over time when the intensity of his infatuation slowly mellows and his vision clears, he sees kou as just a boy, who, because of life circumstances, has had to present himself a certain way to get by, and comes to expect and even relish the 'uglier', more base emotions he keeps hidden. basically, he humanizes kou. with him he finds a space to just let go, to just be....he is calm and level headed, a pocket of peace and quiet in an otherwise strictly regimented life rife with expectations and responsibilities, and a terrible gossip.....he adores him very much and would like a future with him depicted in children's storybooks, catching raindrops in thimbles and picking dewy apples in the orchard.

kou: is amused by kiku at first, the way a cat is with a scurrying mouse. the meek little prince, a soft, spoiled thing. at the beginning it's all fun and games, how to goad a little laughter from him, make him smile. kou has a thing for proving himself extremely competent at whatever task he sets himself to, and he notices how this impresses kiku, so it’s more to inflate his ego than anything. but then....kiku makes continuous efforts to bridge the chasm. it takes many repeated interactions for him to notice kiku’s clumsy but earnest ways of communicating, of lowering himself from his lofty perch to spend time on the ground with him, making palace life more accommodating for him as best he could. this greatly endears him to kiku—his effort, his persistence, the little cracks in his voice. he sees him as someone very earnest and compassionate in his own quiet, thoughtful way, who might need a little extra push at times but which in no way makes him useless or inadequate, someone with a rich inner world behind lock and key. he understands his silences. kou, more than anyone, knows the importance of making an effort to accomodate, and learns his silences and gives him the space to communicate on his own terms. it's a joy to hear him when he's passionate about something and he cherishes every moment. he gives him the patience and grace to draw out the spark he keeps hidden in his chest.

kaname: 'who is this....sassy lost child?' kaname’s first impression of nana is Not charitable to say the least, she thinks for sure the only reason someone like her (fresh and clean and smiling, a freshly plucked flower) has rocked up to the abysmal part of the slums is to ask for a favor (meat), and when that doesn't happen she is flabbergasted as to why she would repeatedly seek out her company, and oh god where is your hanky stop wiping your sleeve on your nose, nana you dimwit—at the start, nana’s optimistic, rosy perspective on life really grates on her nerves. 'come on, let's try a smile!' 'nothing to smile about in my life'. she can't understand why nana would go through the effort of coming to see her everyday and spend hours with her; what is she getting out of it? fast forward: 'nana get behind me', 'she did Not ask for pickles', *takes damage in place of girl*, 'if you Look at her funny you've got another thing coming', *clumsily expresses affection by gifting a shiny trinket found on illegal jaunts outside the gate after curfew* nana challenges her viewpoint that someone has to be useful in order to be worthy of any kind of attention; nana is ill, and unable to contribute to the village. she isn't a working cog of the well oiled machine the shogun runs. still, it's not all rainbows and roses....i won't say more bc spoilers :')

nana: nana, on her frequent walks around the neighborhood, finds the slight girl manning the butcher block fascinating to say the least, it’s shapes and sizes that hold her interest at the start; short girl, big knife! all elbows and sharp angles, blood smeared on her cheek that just doesn't seem to come off, the peculiar grey eyes that remind her of simmering storm clouds hanging low over edo. she keeps coming back to watch her, how her cuts go from blunt and heavy-handed to swift and second-natured. she notices she doesn’t have anyone to go home to at the end of the day, and she wonders, who is providing her meals, who takes care of her? she feels a kinship with her...nana isn't alone, but she's lonely. so she takes it upon herself to be her friend, which kaname ofc sees as a huge unwelcome favor at the start. kaname's like a doll for her to feed and dress. the more time they spend the more she learns that kaname is brutally honest and efficient and ruthless in her ambitions...all qualities she admires...and envies. she also relentlessly pokes fun at her tsundere antics.