#guess i just haven't been punished enough to quit it

[birdmenmanga]

fuck my stupid baka life went am I awake already

[dark-konohagakure2]

Hi can you write Teuande and sakura with a young female worker who they like to grop, sexually harrase. And force her to be naked 24/7 around them. Maybe she has clit leash or nipple claps and they always pull her from their like their own dog.

tw: noncon, abuse of power, workplace harassment, degradation, nipple clamps, clit clamps, mild petplay, exhibitionism, manipulation, cunnilingus, age difference

All characters depicted are 18+

Tsunade is very particular about who she allows to be her students. Sakura is her most trusted disciple due to her strength and intelligence, but the Hokage could always use another promising young lady to mold and guide, just not in the ways of medical ninjutsu and taijutsu, instead Tsunade requires someone who can provide something that has been sorely lacking for both women; some entertainment.

Tsunade really knows how to pick them, the kunoichi she picks to train with her and Sakura is a very cute and skilled young lady. Strong, but not strong enough to fight back against the Hokage, not to mention she is a very obedient shinobi. The girl is of course thrilled at the rare opportunity to train with both the Hokage and one of the strongest kunoichi of her own generation, she'd be a fool to turn down such a privilege.

All is well at first, but not for very long. One minute the girl is thanking her Lady for letting her learn underneath the Sannin, the next Tsunade is telling her to remove all her clothes. But not to worry, Tsunade is going to give her a brand new, and much more fitting uniform; a set of nipple clamps and a matching one for her clit. It'll be abundantly clear that she's not here as a student, but as a pet.

Sakura isn't the type to seem like a bully, but she is going to enjoy teasing her underclassmen, enjoying the seniority she has over the new student. The pink haired medical ninja is always looking for an excuse to tug on the clit leash or to tighten the already snug nipple clamps. While not as strict and domineering as Tsunade, Sakura is much more teasing.

"Oh come on! This is just some simple endurance training, hun! So be a good girl and take it before I tell Lady Tsunade how disobedient you've been today."

Tsunade is no better than her student when it comes to being mean to her little student. She'll use her power as both a Sannin and a Kage to force her subordinate to remain naked at all times, even when others are entering the office, Tsunade will even casually play with the young woman's naked body in front of others, this will quickly earn the poor girl quite the reputation, she'll be known throughout the village, and even by a few people in other villages, as Tsunade's obedient little fucktoy.

The humiliation doesn't just stop with the forced nudity and bondage, the two medical nin are very busy women, with Tsunade being the head of the village and Sakura being the head of the medical department, so they need some serious stress relief. It's not rare for the two women to pass her back and forth, forcing her to take turns eating both of them out until they're satisfied, praising her for getting so much better at eating pussy after all her training.

Getting passed around will soon become routine for the poor kunoichi, she'll be used as a reward for any shinobi who does a good job at their missions, she'll mostly be used by those who are close to the two women, such as Shizune and the men of Team 7, her cute body is perfect for boosting the morale of the Leaf jonnin, and it gives the girl the occasional much needed dose of dick, so everyone wins.

Tsunade is still a kind woman however, she's not going to be nothing but cruel to her beloved pet. She'll still be punished if she's a bad girl, bit if she's a very good girl, Tsunade will reward her with affection and pleasure, she'll even occasionally get the girl some gifts, although they aren't always very appreciated...

"You've been very good for me, haven't you? Well I guess that means you get a reward. If you put this collar on then you won't have to worry about me pulling on that cute little clit of yours! Isn't that nice?"

The wannabe medical ninja ended up getting exactly what she's always wanted, albeit in a twisted way. She wanted to be known throughout the entire village, and now she is. Just not for any of her combat of medical abilities...

[gyaruhana]

I don't know if your requests are still open, but can you do one of Moonjo with a s/o hybrid cat? As there are many cats in the boarding house, I thought about this

Seo Moon-Jo - Cat Hybrid!Reader Headcannons

Synopsis: my glorious king with a cat hybrid reader

A/N: sorry i haven't been posting guys i've been so busy ugh !! Hopefully this will be enough for now..

Warnings: Seo Moonjo.. this is self explanatory

➠ He's totally obsessed with you, I think that's obvious

➠ He's just so utterly infatuated by the fact you're a cat hybrid

➠ The first few times you interacted, he'd always either tug at your tail or pinch your kitty ears

➠ And obviously he'd have the creepiest smile on his face while he does it

➠ Just finds you to be really cute so he's constantly playing with your cat like features to see what your reactions to it are

➠ might call you kitty a few times too honestly just to tease you

➠ He usually enjoys watching people eat human meat but for some reason he likes watching you do it a million times more

➠ Maybe because he can see the way your nose twitches as you pick up the smell and how you're clearly on edge before even having a bite

➠ He also loves seeing how quickly your ears and tail go on high alert when he suggests that what you're eating may be human meat

➠ At some point he decides that he wants to keep you as a cute little pet so he starts keeping around you more and being sweet but that creepiness never really leaves him

➠ Once he's successfully torn your heart open and buried himself into it, he's a lot more touchy somehow

➠ it's like his hand is glued to your head or tail at times

➠ If you do suspect anything suspicious about him and try to question him, he will give a very harsh warning tug to your tail to keep you in check

➠ Don't even think to try run by the way because he will NOT let that slide

➠ you won't get far either even if you can run fast.

➠ After your attempt to escape, he definitely just decides to stop hiding any part of him and decides to punish you

➠ soft pet names but condescending words and mean actions when he's punishing you

➠ likes to scare you sometimes by waving his tools around and making some subtle threat that clearly tells you he will do something to you if you test his limits

➠ this might sound crazy but he probably makes you wear a collar

➠ I feel like he wouldn't make you wear it in public but in other settings you absolutely are wearing a collar like some house cat

➠ especially during sex

➠ Surprisingly, he does let you go out quite often

➠ Sure, he might always be looming behind you with an unsettling smile that may be making other people uncomfortable but at least he's nice enough to let you go out sometimes !!

➠ Also, you know how some people put bells on their cats so they don't lose them?

➠ He totally put a bell on you

➠ He most definitely gave you a bracelet with teeth but there was also a bell attached to it so he could always hear you if you wander around

➠ If you happen to actually jump like a cat when you get scared, do expect him to constantly try scare you

➠ He's just absolutely silent somehow whenever he sneaks up behind you to watch you carefully and then whisper something in your ear so you'd jump

➠ loves your fear what can i say

➠ and, just for the record, he absolutely pulls your tail during sex too

➠ Felt like that needed to be said

➠ He just loves the sound you make when he tugs at it and the way you wince

➠ Overall, he likes your kitty features and he may be a little too focused on them

"Did you really think you could run, kitty?" Moonjo spoke as he looked down at you with a small smirk. His hand had a firm grip on your tail as if daring you to make a move right now and see what happens. He was honestly amused at your attempt to escape. Perhaps he needed to remind you that you were his kitty and it would stay that way for as long as he can breathe. He raised his other hand and put it on top of your head. "Guess I'll have to show you what happens to kitties who try to run away from their owners,"

[notmorbid]

harrow.

dialogue prompts from harrow by joy williams.

you are a riot today.

my mother lacked good judgment in many things.

they abolished purgatory, but it still exists.

one should guard against excessive fear.

justice punishes, and mercy pardons.

you're just fucking with me.

astrology can be fun, i guess.

throw down your burdens of time and reason.

you are such a cold cunt.

we all live three lives: the true one, the false one, and the one we aren't aware of.

a ginger ale would be just the thing, unless you have a gallon of tylenol pm and a bottle of bourbon.

who asked to be born? not me.

try to be happy for me.

why are you being so unpleasant?

i'm glad ____ didn't live to see all this.

if you've got the right attitude, you're gonna be fine.

we're students at large. the world is our classroom.

you're older than everyone i've ever met.

everyone dies disillusioned.

i used to think ____ was lucky.

i would like to learn, but i can't seem to.

where did you come from? where were you born?

the past is merely a grammatical construct.

if you're blessed enough to save something, it doesn't stay saved.

goodness, i haven't talked this much in years.

our lives don't move in a horizontal fashion anymore.

human destiny has quite played itself out.

to dream of a fish means death, you know.

it's too late to be afraid, i think.

you're cheering me up, and here i thought i was cheering you up.

i foresee possible unpleasantness on a considerable scale.

i may not have handled everything as well as i could've.

i was complimented on my lucidity and calm.

it tastes better than it looks.

tell me everything, whoever you are.

it's been some time since i've had a visitor.

did you leave? you're so quiet.

you can beat the devil and not hobble evil one bit.

the devil's nothing more than evil's color distraction.

ethics is going to be the ruin of this operation.

repulsed or pitying: the emotions have become so similar.

denial is now an art, a social grace. a survival tool.

the more a person doesn't care, the freer he becomes.

the new thinking is that compassion is nothing but self-cannibalization.

every place is like every place else.

you're not as smart as you think you are.

you look as though you signed a new lease on life.

don't you tell me there's any sacredness to places.

mothers always want something more from us, don't they?

i wish i'd kissed ___ when i could have.

winning became losing, as you are well aware.

i've always had a fondness for the minor deities.

calamity is often necessary for rebirth.

in tragedy, everything has happened before it begins.

i don't know much about ____. i don't have the patience for it.

it's not my business to answer why.

we're pioneers, and pioneers have to be unconventional.

we're free to make our own new innocence now.

i like fragments. sometimes i prefer them to the whole.

i would like to take up living, rather than remembering.

i don't like god all that much.

maybe that was god's plan for me: to give me a darkly colored life.

even a rat needs a challenge.

i never should have sent ____ away.

what's it feel like, accepting your past?

you're a bold little brat, aren't you?

i never knew you had so much integrity.

you heartless little turd.

people pass through. that's all they do, really.

you can spot a moral hazard a mile away.

things used to add up. not so much, anymore.

[midnight-black2]

hii so like i just like so wnated another kai fic where hes like a heavy masochist if thats okay?

its not like something where hes being punished like thtf more js like a gf whos just naturally as mean as him and shes like doing him like harshly while he loses his shit over it

𝐒𝐇𝐔𝐓 𝐌𝐄 𝐔𝐏

pairing : kai (from voyagers) x reader

synopsis : turns out all along kai only wanted someone who was just as unapologetic as him to properly ruin him

disclaimers : sub!kai, dom!reader, degradation, masochist!kai, mean!reader, fem!reader, riding, p in v, imaginary condom (wrap it before you tap it you guys !!)

note : i know they're on a ship, don't ask me where they got condoms cuz idk. also, i listened to shut me up by mindless self indulgence while making this, so that's where the title comes from. just know this oneshot has nothing to do with the title, really. also sorry it's so short, haven't been finding much time lately, unfortunately.

everything you did or said was incredibly, utterly insatiable to kai. the way you walked, head held high with brimming confidence. the way you spoke, you seemed to have this little twang at the end of every sentence that made everyone fall captive to you and your ways. whatever you said, normally went. why? well, in short, most were a bit afraid of you. you'd never really physically hurt anybody, but it was what you said. backhanded comments, snarky remarks, they all came naturally to you. with kai? even more natural.

that's why he liked you so much.

you were even meaner than he was, and it was pretty rare, especially when you live on a ship in the middle of outer space. he would go absolutely animalistic whenever you inflicted a little pain on him. no matter the time. but especially when you two were fucking.

you had your right hand firmly (not too hardly) wrapped around his throat. it restricted his airway, but god did it feel so good. your left hand was placed on his hips, preventing him from moving. you bounced up and down on him effortlessly as he let out choked groans and whimpers.

"please," kai begged. you quirked a brow, curiosity piqued.

"please what, kai?" you asked, in an (faux, yet convincing) annoyed tone.

"t-tighter please." you weren't quite sure what he meant, until it suddenly clicked.

"you want me to choke you...harder? oh my god you're such a whore," he whined at the name, throwing his head back. you were amused, so you did what he asked. you rolled your hips a little, and watched the way he shuttered.

it was peculiar, to say the least. not many people put up with you like kai did. you were conniving, defiant, and independent more often than not; at least ever since everyone stopped taking the blue.

he smiled, through it all, he smiled. he was genuinely smiling at the pain. a stupid grin plastered across his face as he was being utterly slutted out. you laughed, mockingly, but you laughed. everything you did seemed so condescending.

he loved it.

you finally pulled your hand away from his throat, and he was sent grasping for air immediately.

"looks like you've bitten off more than you can chew, hm?" you smirked down at him, speeding up your body. you squeezed the flesh of his waist unknowingly, as you let out a groan. his eyes opened, and he was quickly overwhelmed by the sight of you. looking so smug, complacent.

"fuckfuckfuck," he murmured out, almost incoherently. you could tell he was getting close.

"you want to cum, don't you?" you queried, a mean smile on your face.

"yes, please," he answered, nodded frantically.

"then beg." he whined for the nth time that day. he hated (loved it) when you made him beg. it felt so degrading.

"please, y/n. please, i need you. so so bad, let me cum, please," he begged, as you bounced up and down mercilessly.

"good enough, i guess," you said, though unconvincingly. "we'll come at the same time. just make it for a bit longer." he didn't even know if he could do that, but God so help him, he would try.

"three," you began.

"two."

"one." and as if a switch turned on, you both came in unison; kai's mouth agape in a silent moan of pure ecstasy. you let out a string of curses, some directed towards kai, some not. hell, you weren't even sure what you were saying anymore.

and kai was certain, that might've been the hardest he'd ever came, ever.

𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒 © 𝐤𝐲𝐚-𝐢𝐬-𝐤𝐨𝐨𝐥

𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭𝐲? 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐲 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞

[bbgnyx]

prompt list~

ok so here are random prompts, mention the skz member + the number with genre and message me! feel free to add any details you want! open to suggestions as well!

will prolly keep adding more as i come up with it~

Smut~

-01- "Be quiet baby, you don't want anyone to hear us, would you?"

-02- "You'll get to cum when I decide it."

-03- "Keep your eyes on me"

-04- "Be a good girl for daddy hmm and take it all in"

-05- "Let everyone know who you belong to"

-06- "The first one that cums will be punished by the other. Deal?"

-07- "Let me come in you, please. I wanna fill you up."

-08- "Look at what you do to me."

-09- "Show me how you want to be touched, baby"

-10- "I'm gonna fuck you till you can't walk tomorrow"

-11- "I'd hold onto something if I were you"

-12- "Look what you do to me"

-13- "I haven't even touched you and you're already this wet"

-14- "Make me"

-15- "C'mere, sit on my lap"

-16- "You're not going out in that outfit"

-17- "You're so fucking hot when you're mad"

-18-"If you don't like my teasing, then why are you mad?"

-19- "I really wanna kiss you and do unimaginable things to you right now"

-20- "Playing hard to get hmm? that's cute"

~♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡~

Fluff~

-01- "Where's my good-night kiss?"

-02- "I saw something today that reminded me of you"

-03- "I'm not leaving you. Ever."

-04- "Marry me"

-05- "Dance with me?"

-06- "It's always been you"

-07- "Thank you." "For what?" "Just thank you."

-08- "It's us against the world."

-09- "I miss you"

-10- "I want to spend the day with you, doing nothing"

-11- "You're hair is really soft after you wash it"

-12- "Star-gazing was a good idea"

-13- "I've never noticed that mole on your nose, it's really cute"

-14- "Quit smiling at me, I can't stop messing up my sentences when you look at me like that."

-15- "You're so cute." "What did you just say". "I just said you look like a boot"

-16- "I love hearing you're voice"

-17- "It's my turn to cook tonight"

-18- "I wish i could spend more time with you"

-19- "Can we just stay like this?"

-20- "If you tickle me one more time, I swear you're not getting any kisses or cuddles for a week"

~♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡~

Angst~

-01- "What changed?" "I don't feel the same way I did anymore."

-02- "I cheated on you."

-03- "I'll always pick her....i'm sorry"

-04- "Why does this sound like goodbye?" "Because it is."

-05- "Did you ever love me?"

-06- "Y-You don't remember me?"

-07- “Just let me see him one more time. please.”

-08- "I'm sorry. I'll never be good enough for you."

-09- "It probably doesn't mean anything to you, but I love you."

-10- "Love is full of lies"

-11- "Is this what I get for loving you?"

-12- "Am I finally a hero?

-13- "I'm done helping you!"

-14- "I was only using you"

-15- "I'm scared"

-16- "I'm sorry that I love you"

-17- "Do you remember we were once happy together?"

-18- "I love you"

-19- "I guess forever was a word meant for memories and not for people"

~♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡~

[aita-blorbos]

AITA for never coming home or writing letters?

Why, hello everyone. So, I am not usually the type to talk about stuff like this, so please bear with me if this isn't as coherent or easy to read as other posts here. It's just that after a younger friend of mine told me about this forum I got interested. Y'know, went some pent of feelings, get some outside perspectives… Might be nice.

So, I (M, late teens) don't live with my family. In fact, I haven't been for years. When I was in middle-school I had a, let's call it, 'revelation' that I just didn't feel happy at home. See, I don't wanna brag, but I've always had a certain talent for sorcery, and my parents did value that. Just… Not in a way I felt comfortable with, I suppose. Thinking back, the attention and expectations they placed on me felt suffocating. I was expected to invest a lot of my time into studying the family craft, specifically dark magic, which never really was my "thing" to begin with. And when they didn't have me study, they would have me fight exhibition duels against the heirs of other clans as a show of power. For a while, it felt like I had no control over my life whatsoever. I tried to lock myself in the manor's kitchen or run off into the woods to relief some stress by baking or feeding the forest animals, but… doing that would always net me severe scolding punishment. I'd rather not go deeply into that part.

I suppose one day I just couldn't take it anymore. I took the advice of a child even younger than I was and left the manor, traveling the continent with nothing but the clothes on my back until I managed to get myself enrolled in a magic academy far away from my family home. And, I'll be honest, I never really regretted doing so. Ever since that day, I've felt so much more in control of my own life, so much more alive than I ever did when I lived under my parents' roof. I've been able to make a name for myself using my magic the way I want to and specializing in the things I like, and I feel I've really done well for myself. In all honesty,nothing I've done would bring my clan name into disrepute, quite the opposite, actually! But… I wouldn't know how my parents think about that.

I haven't been in contact with them since I've left. Not even once. I've thought of sending letters, but I wouldn't know what to write. After all, even know that I'm fairly well-known as a sorcerer in my own right, I still have no intentions of inheriting the family estate or carrying on the legacy of dark magic our clan is known for. So if I tried to contact them, what would they do? Would they ignore my letters? Would they reply with anger? Would they send an envoy to attempt to retrieve me and bring me back? Frankly, I'm scared. I could probably fight any hired sorcerers they send my way off easily enough, but… That's not what I want. I don't want to go back. There's nothing I want to do less than go back to the way things used to be before.

I guess what I'm trying to say is… I never meant to cause my family grief. But lately, I can't help but wonder if that is what I'm doing. I was the only heir, after all. I am happy with the path I've chosen in life, and I'm convinced it's what I needed to do for my own sake. But I also find myself wishing I could share the happiness I've found away from them with the people I had to leave behind… And I hate the thought that they might be hurt because of me. And sometimes I wonder if I'm not a little at fault for how things turned out after all, in a way.

So… What do you people think? Please, don't hold back. I expect your honest feedback.

~L.

[definesanity]

And yet, You give Mercy to Those who have Sinned.

It should have been simple. Somehow, you think you've made it even more complicated.

Now, sure. You had half the mind to not forgive everyone because, well, being hunted down was certainly not on your to-do list but, alas, the Gods quite literally said "fuck you" and near enough killed you seven times over.

You groan again, with a Crystalfly coming over to land on your shoulder.

"Oh, hey, buddy." you smile gently, something you haven't done in a while. "It's nice to see something new."

The Crystalfly, for lack of a better word, turned its head to the side.

"It's just, you go through your day, monotonous. I guess, like me? Though, yours was more peaceful. Mine was running for the hills, heh."

The Crystalfly flew over to your other shoulder, and poked you.

"Why was I? Eh, overly religious characters. I mean, I was never religious, so I can't relate, but I guess seeing someone who looks just like your Deity would cause some panic."

The Crystalfly, who you've now dubbed as Bob, blinked at you, Dendro surrounding its wings.

"Yet, at the end of the chase, I chose forgiveness, or thereabouts. I mean, you can't really fully forgive someone, at least I can't, for trying to kill you on multiple occasions so often I'd need a couple extra arms, but you know what? I think I made it worse."

Bob flew to your forehead, and laid down on it, flapping their wings once.

"How? Well, I guess that's just from their mindsets. I mean, you've near enough hunted your Deity to death, and they say that you're still their little Pogchamp. Naturally, they'd be more confused at the lack of a punishment than to what a Pogchamp is. So, you have Barbatos asking to be put under a bus, or in this case a mountain, Rex Lapis asking to have his neck sliced off, the Raiden Shogun asking for you to break her fingers--although, I might have to hold back on my sadism for that--and poor, poor Buer crying if she so much looks at you.

"Basically, I'm not sure if I'm better off dishing out actual punishment or not."

Bob tapped you lazily, an aroma unfamiliar to you reaching your nose.

"...Do I actually forgive them? ...Eh, kinda. I'm not one to hate, but maybe that's just me talking. What would you suggest me do?"

The smell changes. To that of your favourite flower.

"...You know something? You might just be right, little Crystalfly."

Getting up, Bob flew on to your finger, gazing at you.

"C'mon, little Dendro Crystalfly; we've got some nations to travel to."

As you began to walk to your first destination, Bob traveled silently next to you, flapping their wings gently as a sea of green traveled next to your sea of stars.

For once, it was nice to have someone by your side.

[allthelittlecreepycrawlies]

Writing jam - Identity

Fae/yao nie Huaisang wants to paint with mortal memories. Meng can-not-forget-anything-ever Yao is willing to trade away some in exchange for money/medicine/something

He didn't actually have much hope of this working, but his throbbing ribs and left knee were a pointed reminder that nothing else he'd tried had worked either.

Holding the cheap, stolen brush tightly in both hands, he bowed to the pond that was the first source of still water he'd come across since leaving the city and sent out his desperate thoughts.

There was no clap of thunder or bright flash or rush of wind or... anything.

Disappointed despite himself, he straightened and opened his eyes-

-then stumbled back with a yelp when he found glowing pale green eyes staring back into his own from behind a white mask decorated in delicately intricate green and gold designs.

The owner of the eyes and masks laughed at his surprise, and she -He? Between the clothing and the type of mask, it was hard to tell- sounded surprisingly young for a creature with the reputation -he was going with he- he had.

The stranger was smaller than expected as well, almost identical to his own size.

"Well?" the stranger asked, folding his arms as he floated comfortably, almost lazily in the air. "Don't just stand there staring like a cow in a busy road. You're not a cow, you're a fox. So be a fox."

Right. He shook himself out of his shock and quickly started to bow again, but was caught with a hand under his arms.

"No need for that either, fox. Just tell me what you're here to trade for."

He swallowed hard. "This one is Meng Yao. My mother is Meng Shi, one of the workers in The Ornate Fan, a brothel in Yunping. My father is Jin Guangshan, head of the Jin Sect in Lanling."

"Ah. That one."

He raised his head, surprised by the tone of the stranger's voice. Even behind a mask, he could read the disdain there. "You know of my father, gongzi?"

It made sense, really. The supernatural creatures powerful enough to have higher thought would surely know and dislike the cultivators that hunted them. But there was just... something about the way the stranger had scoffed...

"He wants my services, but is too much of a greedy coward to pay for them himself. I haven't appeared to a Jin cultivator in years because most of them turned out to be sent by him."

Those entrancing eyes narrowed. "And what about you, fox? Did he send you as well?"

"In a manner of speaking," Meng Yao replied, not bothering to hide the bitterness he felt now that he knew they were on similar ground. "When my mother grew pregnant with me, he left her a token and a promise that she could call on him if it became necessary. She is too ill to make such a long journey from the brothel, so I did it for her."

"And got kicked out on your fluffy tail."

"Why do you keep- yes, my father had me quite literally thrown out after revealing the token had just been one of many fakes."

It was a long way down the stairs, he didn't say, but the way the stranger looked him over, he could tell it was apparent.

"Well, then. I guess the only question I have is which matters more: saving her or punishing him?"

"Saving her," he replied immediately. "I will find my own way of making him pay."

Green eyes crinkled in amusement. "Oh, I like you, fox. Very well."

The stranger held out a hand, but he hesitated, suddenly a bit self conscious about the poor quality of the brush he'd brought.

"The brush doesn't matter, only the other part."

Right. "What... sort of memories do I have to give you?"

"Whatever you're willing to part with, mostly. People who come for vengeance tend to give me almost all of the memories of the person they hate, but I really only need one."

So... one memory of his mother, plus some assorted others. That was a small price for what he was asking.

"Okay," he said, and handed over the brush.

The stranger took it, then lifted his chin with the fingertips of his other hand.

"Ooh," he breathed in delight. "Such vivid colors you have, fox. I'll be able to make something of very high quality out of you."

He probably should have been terrified by that, but instead the shiver that went up his spine was... not unpleasant.

The bristles of the brush touched his forehead, and his mind automatically brought up a memory of one of the many times he'd watched his mother do her hair and makeup before it was time for her to entertain. It was a mundane memory, but he'd always loved the meticulously elegant way she'd made all the big and small adjustments, slipping on her role like an opera performer.

It faded, first washing out like a painting that had been splashed with water, and then vanishing entirely.

He remembered the cultivational manuals she'd scrimped and saved to buy him, how they'd turned out to be fakes just like his father's promises. The lies written in them and all the hours he'd wasted studying and trying to emulate them faded, but not the awareness of their fraudulence.

It happened again, and then again, and he found it fascinating that the stranger seemed to pick and choose things with such care, leaving the lessons learned, even as he took what had taught them.

When Meng Yao opened his eyes again, he was lying on a soft patch of grass that had sprung up out of nowhere to cushion him, and the sun was just peeking over the trees.

He yawned and sat up to stretch, but before he could start wondering if maybe he'd only dreamed his encounter at dusk, a rolled up scroll floated in front of his face.

"Here's how it works," the stranger said. "You absolutely can't unroll it before you get home. When you arrive, then unroll it and tear off all four edges. Burn them to ash, then mix them into some wine. Hang the scroll over the head of your mother's bed and have her drink the wine. By the next morning, she'll be healthy again."

Those eyes bored into him from behind the mask. "Do. Not. Open it before you get home. Got all that?"

Voice sticking in his throat, he nodded, and the scroll fell into his hands. Clutching it so tightly he was almost afraid he'd crinkle it, he got to his feet and turned to go...

Then stopped and looked over his shoulder.

"Do... you ever make visits besides to make deals? Like if a-niang and I were to go lakeside this summer?"

The stranger blinked at him in surprise, evidently caught off guard by the insinuated offer, then laughed. "I haven't before, but perhaps I could. Run home first, fox."

And so he did.

[apocalypticavolition]

Let's (re)Read The Dragon Reborn! Chapter 3: News from the Plain

Another day, another chapter, another generic image because we're off the visual map! Come one, come all, get your Wheel of Time impressions here. Unless you don't want spoilers. Then bloody stay away.

This chapter has a Wheel icon because... Moiraine talks about the weaving of the Wheel a lot, I guess.

Someday, perhaps, he could bring himself to ask her what she knew. An Aes Sedai must know more of it than he did. But this was not the time. There never seemed to be a time.

Perrin, you've had like four months, plus the month you spent with her in Fal Dara. You are never going to ask her anything at this rate.

“An accident,” she said in a flat voice, then shook her head and vanished back inside the hut. The door banged shut a little loudly.

I suspect Moiraine thinks that this was a deliberate act to try and fuck up her meeting to punish her for not having a plan beyond "Wait". And since the temper tantrum is about that, she's not exactly wrong, just assigning more motivation to Rand than is fully there.

“If something goes wrong with it, it isn’t my fault. Rand spilled half of it on the fire with his. . . . What right does he have to bounce us around like sacks of grain?”

Trust me Min, when Rand wants to be bouncing you around like a sack of grain, you will be enthusiastically consenting.

“Min, maybe you had better go. First thing in the morning. I have some silver I can let you have, and I’m sure Moiraine would give you enough to take passage with a merchant’s train out of Ghealdan. You could be back in Baerlon before you know it.”

Perrin doesn't quite seem to understand that Min is going to inevitably see horrible shit no matter where she goes, short of becoming a hermit. It is a kind offer though.

“Just because fate has chosen something for you instead of you choosing it for yourself doesn’t mean it has to be bad. Even if it’s something you are sure you would never have chosen in a hundred years. ‘Better ten days of love than years of regretting,’ ” she quoted.

It's a little funny that Min has a deep understanding of the existentialism necessary to function in her present times but has absolutely nothing to do with Rand coming to understand it himself.

He thought he had said that too softly for her to hear, but the look she gave him was full of sympathy. And agreement.

Min probably knows that even when Perrin goes home it won't be home anymore. Perhaps she even sees his parents' grave at this point. Maybe even his sisters', though perhaps they haven't been retconned into existence by the Pattern yet.

Careless. He had grown so used to the Shienarans knowing how well he could see—in daylight at least; they did not know about the night—that he was beginning to slip about other things. Carelessness might kill me yet.

Yeah, you definitely don't want to confide about your awful extrasensory perception to Min. She wouldn't know anything about that and hates anyone with magical talents they shouldn't have. She'd totally turn Perrin into the Whitecloaks if she knew he was a freak.

Min sounded so troubled that Perrin was surprised for a moment. Then he nodded to himself. She did not really like doing what she did, but it was a part of her; she thought she knew how it worked, or some of it, at least. If she was wrong, it would almost be like finding out she did not know how to use her own hands.

See what I mean? They have absolutely nothing in common. I can only assume that there was a glitch in the Pattern this winter and that all the friendship that Perrin should be feeling towards Min got assigned to Mat accidentally instead (see book 14).

Perrin made an involuntary sound in his throat. Light, did I sound like that? I won’t let a death matter that little to me. As if he had spoken aloud, Moiraine looked at him.

It's rather funny to see early!Perrin on the other side of the "I understand your emotions better than you're trying to let on to me" exchange.

Perrin shifted—the Horn was where no Hunter on Almoth Plain would find it; where he hoped no Hunter ever would find it—and she gave him a cool look before continuing.

Seriously, Perrin apparently learned one hell of a lesson from Moiraine. And it's good to see the Hunters of the Horn aren't all total idiots. They should have arrived ages back.

“Or the first part of it. The Children have announced that their purpose is to bring peace, which is not unusual for them. What is unusual is that while they are trying to force the Taraboners and the Domani back across their respective borders, they have not moved in any force against those who have declared for the Dragon.”

Lan suspects this is a Whitecloak plot, but it's probably Carridin trying to thread the needles of his orders. By always letting Dragonsworn get away, he can seem to both being trying to kill them and not.

“One died by poison, two by the knife. Each in circumstances where no one should have been able to come close unseen, but that is how it happened.” She peered into the flames. “All three young men were taller than most, and had light-colored eyes. Light eyes are uncommon on Almoth Plain, but I think it is very unlucky right now to be a tall young man with light eyes there.”

These are the victims of Grey Men presumably deployed by the Forsaken who actively hate Rand, or perhaps Moghedien who is vaguely in the area. Striking unseen is very much her MO. Again though, the Dark One doesn't want Rand dead so it's not the official plan.

“So nothing has changed,” Perrin said glumly. “Not really. We cannot go down to the plain, and the Dark One wants us dead.” “Everything changes,” Moiraine said calmly, “and the Pattern takes it all in. We must ride on the Pattern, not on the changes of a moment.”

Moiraine, I've given Perrin a lot of shit so far this book so now it's your turn. He's accurately summarized the situation as it stands: your current plans aren't changing. You're just muttering a bunch of nonsense to seem mystical.

Since it is not possible to set two kinds of warding at once, I leave the scouts and the guards—and Lan—to defend us, and use the one warding that may do some good.

I don't recall if this comes up again. If not, I bet that one of the things the bright new minds of the Fourth Age will come up with is creating new ward weaves that are effectively combos while still obeying the one weave rule. Though obviously they won't be worrying about Shadowspawn at that point.

He had a hut to himself, a small thing of logs barely tall enough to stand in, the chinks filled with dried mud. A rough bed, padded with pine boughs beneath a blanket, took up nearly half of it. Whoever had unsaddled his horse had also propped his bow just inside the door.

Where Rand and Mat are equal parts panicked and embarrassed over being treated like nobility, Perrin is not really good enough with people to even find it worthy of comment that for some reason he gets his own hut. He probably just assumes he should for the same reason that Loial and Min probably do, even though there'd be different reasons for each.

Ah well, we can only hope that at some point, perhaps ten to sixty years after Tarmon Gaidon, Perrin will be just a wee bit better at social cues.

Next time: A dream sequence!

[cocogrrrl]

rendezvous

Chapter 1: Tale of Two—The Black Stones

an introduction to one of our two leads, yn.

wc: 716 no cws kindly read the things to note about this series first here in the masterlist if you haven't yet!

an: the first two chapters are pretty rough but it gets better i think

To Opial, for being my best beta reader and sudden motivation. To Cadence and Muffy, for putting up with my shenanigans. This is by no means a sort of masterpiece at all, but you three know how much this means to me. <3

You lived, breathed, and wanted him. He’s everything you were sure you hated, and yet, here he is, lying in your bed. Fuck, were you rethinking your life choices.

Whoops! We started a tad bit too deep in the story. Let’s start off with introductions first, alright? It’s the more formal thing to do anyway.

“So, I was totally, like, ‘Fuck off. I’m going to castrate you if you come two steps closer to me.’ Cool, right?” You said to your best friends—Bebe Stevens and Red McArthur, absolutely wasted. You were recounting the events of the other day, a regular Tuesday.

Okay, not quite the most formal introduction, but yes. This is you, YN LN.

“So let me get this straight,” Red stopped you. “You were mugging this guy, and then he seemed like he was about to jump you, so you pulled a knife out and threatened to castrate this guy…?”

“Mhm!” You nodded.

“That seems like bullshit, YN.” Bebe rolled her eyes. “You’d pull out a gun, not a knife.”

“Okay, okay,” you sighed. “Maybe I am bedazzling my story a little, but I totally got that guy. Promise.”

“Totally.” Red clicked her tongue as she replied sarcastically.

Okay, who exactly were you three? You and your small gang are the Black Stones—probably the most notorious crew in the town of South Park.

How long have you been doing crime? A few years. What crimes were you known for? A lot, but you guys were most known for your shark loaning business with incredibly high interest and incredibly harsh punishments if the money wasn’t returned. Besides that, you and your friends also committed robberies, vandalism, and possession of copious amounts of illegal substances. Nothing too out of the blue, but definitely serious enough to get the attention of the police here. 

How did you get away? You three are just skilled enough to get away with everything, of course.

Also, because the police force here is honestly fucking shit. They work inconsequentially—not caring if justice is served or not. Innocent until proven guilty? More like innocent regardless of the situation. 

Whatever, at least you were pretty much always off the hook—even within their line of sight, right? You had free reign to do whatever you pleased, and nothing and no one was going to stop you.

Currently, a few months later after the first memory shown earlier, you’re in your usual hangout spot with the girls—The Zones, a local bar that was tasteful enough for your styles yet dingy enough for your comfort. Look, despite the fact you three made big bucks off of peoples’ debts, it did not change the fact that you guys would rather take the cheaper drinks. They weren’t as good as the more pricey stuff, but at the end of the day, you’re just finding a way to loosen up. 

“Oh, my gosh, Bebe.” You leaned into her, reaching to whisper in her ear. “I’m sooooo bored. We should get out of here.”

“That’s like the eighth time you’ve said that tonight, YN,” Red spoke up. Perhaps you weren’t too quiet at all. “We still got that person we need tending to in a bit. We’re just killing some time.”

“Can’t we kill time somewhere else?” You groaned, smacking your head against the counter.

“Honestly, YN’s right.” Bebe nodded, holding your body up since you seemed so restless that you didn’t even want to move from your hunched-over position. “I don’t wanna get bored of this place.”

Red sighed, looking over the two of you. “I guess you two do make a point.” She said, collecting her things as she got up for her seat. “Let’s go?” 

You and Bebe followed suit, grabbing your bags and other items as you tidied yourselves up.

You were about to leave, your body was ready to do so, and your mind was set on the task. You would’ve made your way out already if it weren’t for one thing: a loud ‘bang!’ by the entrance that caught your attention.

next chapter.

[linagram]

hi i'm in the mood to infodump and i almost started typing something that is a very big spoiler to the second timeline so instead i'll talk about something that we already know which is. sanada brothers' relationship.

so i think i haven't talked about any of the possible t3 covers (except mentioning yurika's deco cover on my main) but like. yes i've said it before and i'll say it again rabbit girl outfit kei will be real in like. a few months probably. i mean i've drawn him before so he's already kinda real

HOWEVER what i didn't mention is that i was thinking of giving him mozaik role as his possible guilty cover! but then he got absolutely hit by that innosweep so yeah. no kei mozaik role.

but i listened to it again earlier and i was like. hold on. hold on. these lyrics are. kinda kei AND eiji coded.

obviously, it would have a more platonic meaning in this case (it's so hard to work with deco's songs sometimes, it's like i KNOW pretty much all of his songs are about romance and i'm like. b-but what if i need something different..), but like. look at this. please stay in this space with me.

so you're staying with me here? good!

so, let's point out some of the kei-coded lyrics.

"i compared the fluid that leaked out of the wound to love". YEAH. yeah, this is kei with his "pain means love btw <3" beliefs. if you're wondering how and why did he even start to think so, in his first interrogation he says that it's what eiji and kei's mother always used to say and i overall kinda tried to imply that he's VERY attached to his mom. (i am planning to make a post about her and eiko's mother soon!)

"you gave me a sweet lie that "it's okay to be a coward", have i been able to escape?" even though eiji is the younger brother, he's the one who always protected kei from other people and kei is actually very dependent on him, i mean, he literally calls him his older brother sometimes. "wait who did he have to protect kei from" first of all, this hasn't really been talked about before, but i think it's easy to guess that kei always kinda had this weird kid kind of reputation. which would lead to. yeah. bullying. and also.. um. mrs sanada believed that pain means love and kei also thinks that she loved him more than she loved eiji. i think that's enough information. (it also should be mentioned that right now eiji is 19 and kei is 25 and the age difference is actually quite big, which means that when 16 y/o kei was in trouble, A LITERAL 10 YEAR OLD TRIED TO PROTECT HIM. AND KEI CALLED HIM HIS OLDER BROTHER EVEN THEN. DO YOU UNDERSTAND WHY EIJI IS LIKE THIS NOW.)

"what's wrong with killing me, me who you hate" well. i think we all know this. no matter how much eiji says that he hates kei, no matter how messed up their relationship is and no matter how badly kei treated (and still does) him, eiji simply wouldn't be able to actually kill him. yes, he punished and tortured him, but he wouldn't be brave enough to actually sentence him to death.

now, about eiji-coded lyrics.

"i will be sick of you by the end of this", "i will drink up all the tears that you gave me". pretty self-explanatory, but the second one can also refer to the fact that even though eiji does recognize that the way kei treated him was abusive and unhealthy, he still can't let him go for some reason, so sadly, he will just continue to ruin himself while claiming that he hates him and kei deserves to die and also visiting him and checking up on him every day, "just because he wants to see kei in pain", yeah, sure. he cried so many tears because of kei, but he will still drink them up.

"is this called "i loved you"? where i struggle to cling to you". again. eiji, sweetie, make up your mind. this is the part of eiji and kei's relationship that is so heartbreaking to me because even though eiji himself knows how toxic their relationship is, he's still attached to kei and still cares about him. i don't know, something about him still trying to take care of kei who abused him both physically and emotionally and believing that kei still needs him (and he's not wrong) is so. 😔😔😔

and the lyrics that fit both of them!

"and yet, i love you", "what's wrong with me loving you, bound together, so nobody can touch you" these two are so codependent, it's scary. and actually, i SHOULD talk more about how much these two depend on each other because if you think about it, both kei and eiji try to fight for independence in their own way. kei's way of fighting is having as many relationships (that last like a week or two) as possible, almost as if saying "yes i DO get bitches, but i can easily leave them as soon as i'm bored, i am sooooo cool" and doing illegal and creepy things such as. yeah. literally taking pics of people being tortured for money and his own personal amusement, like he's saying "aren't i so cool for doing this. aren't you afraid of me. please say that you are, give me a reason to feel like i'm in control here". meanwhile eiji not only hates criminals because he associates them with kei, but he also punishes them in the worst ways possible and enjoys it because he wants to feel like he can do something himself, without anyone's help, and he wants to prove that he's strong. look at him, a 16 y/o kid got a horrible head injury because of him and it's possible that he will die soon! eiji is so strong, isn't he? he even had enough courage to punish his own brother, who already had scars and was afraid of eiji touching him! he also forced yurika to relive the days of being a maid even though she hated every second of it! w-what do you mean, that's.. bad?

so yeah, both sanada brothers just want to be seen as cool and mature and be treated like adults, except they.. don't even know what being an adult is like. their mother is a toymaker who was basically a child pretending to be a grown-up, eiji was forced to become an older brother figure even before he went to middle school, kei literally sees everything through rose-colored glasses, eiji believes that violence is the only way to show that he's stronger than others and kei tends to unconsciously age regress when he's panicking or in an unsafe situation. yeah, these two want to and will beat each other up. and yes, they love each other in the most twisted way.

"this is fate as well, it will disappear, disappear, our world of love" SO U H . i feel like if i say anything, it will be a spoiler, so let me just say this. both sanada brothers were/are/will lose something that feels like home to them. kei misses ruka and he committed his crime exactly because his world started to fall apart and he started to think that ruka will be taken away from him (surprisingly, he actually did it not in a yandere way and it wasn't really a result of obsession, but him realizing that he cares about him. after all, he did say in his first interrogation that "he thinks he really did love that person".). and we know that all of this is going to end one day, but we don't know what is going to happen to the guards after their job is done. and considering that eiji finally feels like he has found what he was made for and what he likes to do.. yeah. yeah, it's possible that his world is going to disappear as well.

my brain is running out of brain juices, so let me just show these screenshots. do you see my vision

[showfallsquigandiris]

/Transcript app activated/

/Turning on microphone.../

/Starting transcription/

...

[Heavy click]

[Door creaking]

[Chains rattling]

[Heavy footsteps]

[Soft thump]

[Chair creaks]

Squig: I hope you got some work done while I was gone! Or else we're going to have problems!

Malorie: Is... is this what you call a bit?

[Confused hum]

M: You said you'd be back in a bit, it's been hours.

[Quick exhale]

S: Well I figured you'd want plenty of time to work, sorry for that! But speaking of your work...

[Chains jingling]

S: Ooh!

[Paper being picked up]

[Tuneless humming]

[Sigh]

S: I can tell your heart wasn't quite in it--

M: Why the fuck would my heart be in this?

[Chains rattling]

M: You're making me design my own outfit for the televised death game you're forcing me to partake in!

S: I mean it's only fair! You made it so we had to postpone the filming due to loss of actors, so why not make your punishment to fill the place of one of the actors?

[Hands slamming onto table]

S: Honestly, we still haven't recovered all of Lily's limbs yet, and Tyler's head is still somehow missing! The whole damn thing! And there isn't even enough of Violet to even try to put her back together again.

[Long sigh]

S: In case you couldn't guess, that's who you're replacing. Since you know, complete loss. We'll probably have to replace Tyler too, but that's not something you need to worry about.

[Chair creaking]

[Silence, 36 seconds]

S: You still not going to tell me why you did it?

M: Nope.

[Sigh]

S: Then I guess I'll just take this down to Costumes. I suppose the next time I see you will be at filming bright and early tomorrow!

[Chair creaking]

S: Buh-bye!

[Heavy footsteps]

[Door creaking]

[Loud slam]

[Heavy click]

...

/Transcript app deactivated/

/Uploading transcript.../

/Upload successful!/

[leeminholinoing]

Hey,

sorry I'm still the anon...

After saying that I'm going to let you continue to move on because I quite understand how you feel.

For the post you said I was shocked I had the feeling she was saying "it's cool they're in the closet otherwise they wouldn't be as big" it's cool to turn off a part, what do we all think of them and not a small part but a large one, reduced to silence to flourish professionally? knowing that we are not even sure that they flourish at 200% because once again we imagine what is behind the doors.

I never thought I would read a so-called larrie insinuating that the fact that they are in the closet is good after the suffering of the beginnings. I gave up on this fandom. Before we fought so that they could live freely (we don't care about their private lives, just freely)

now I see long posts that are almost to support the closet….

And the forcing closet imposed by industry will always be an abuse of power, simply an abuse and should be punished.

and yes H & L have their hands on that part too now but they only knew this way of managing their careers, this abusive way.

(And they've always been smarter, which is why it's surprising that in 2023 they've done so much shit.)

Like you said they should do a lot of therapy.

Kiss and have fun in your news adventures in your life.

I will always wish them to be happy to live their best lives and to always live closer to who they really are. They haven't disappointed me enough to stop wishing them the best the industry can offer them. Because I'm sure they deserve it.

they definitely deserved better :/

and that posts was ugly as hell I can't believe, like you, that in 2023 larries are defending the forced closet that was put onto them.

Being a larrie was always about them being able to be themselves and showing them that no matter what we would be here to support them. But I guess it has changed and people got comfortable with hl's closets to the point they are encouraging them to stay in it, just like modest and sony did/are doing.

[justanotherstory]

Bollywood Blog!!?

I'm sure you must have heard the famous dialogue by SRK , “Haar ke jeetne wale ko baazigar kehte hai, baazigar ”. Well, I have lived that moment .

Well, I am one of those who go to school every day but attend only 70-80% of classes. No, I don't bunk or get punished for standing outside, but I am always involved in one or the other activity/competition. This is the story of such competitions only.

Okay, so during this session I took part in a debate competition which I 've already said that I won, so this is not about that. This story is about another competition i.e. Declamation Competition where we had to give a speech(I don't know why they give such fancy names to a speech recital competition).  

Straight up to the story, D-DAY of Declamation Competition . As soon as I reached school that day, I went to my teacher who was mentoring me after reaching school and started giving up my speech, but I stammered once or twice and then when I gave the speech again she pointed out my 'pronunciation', which made me kinda nervous (FYI, we only had 2days to prepare for the competition). I went to the auditorium (competition location) and the participants were sitting with the audience. I was the third to go up the stage, so I constantly kept revising my speech again and again and again.

And finally it was my turn, I went onto the stage and started giving up my speech, and a few moments later I completely blanked out!! Like seriously, I guess if someone asked me my name at that moment, then I wouldn't even be able to answer that. I started over again but still blanked out . So I tried making up stuff. Whatever came to my mind, I just spoke it out loud and there was this line which I said that day which I guess became one of the highlights because everyone knew I was just throwing up random stuff and that line gave me a good laugh from the audience and applauds too. The line was , and I quote,“You know why I am not able to give my speech today because yesterday, instead of learning my speech, I was scrolling through social media and that's the problem of our generation .” Although the only thing I have been doing for the past 2 days was cramming up that stuff.

That day when I got off the stage, I felt so downcast and let down that I can't even describe. It wasn't like that I haven't had any bad stage experiences.Once I tripped on the stage and even forgot the steps while I was in the front position of a dance performance, but this time the feeling was worse.

The judges and other teachers did praise me that day for my spontaneity and courage and  that I didn't get off the stage (I guess that's what teachers do)and that's another thing I have learnt from my past experiences, that never lose hope and give your best.

Anyways, after the competition, I went back to my class where one of my teachers who were mentoring me for the competition was teaching. She saw me and guessed the story or maybe my fellow classmate who was a part of the competition, who had already reached the classroom with a medal, told her the story . I told her my part of the story and she even grew angry at me for my negligence and scolded me and I was literally about to just burst out with my emotions, but I went back to my seat and tried to calm myself up. That day I even wrote a poem which, when read by my friends, became quite popular .

That day I learnt that sometimes we don't always need to put in that extra effort and get stressed, but rather take it easy. We don't always have to try to be the best and things don't always go as planned, so we must be wise enough to change the plan anytime!!

Well for this blog I think the poem I wrote that day is more appropriate that a mere poster .

So here's the poem titled, PHRASES:-

But wait, what's the “Baazigar thing ” in all this ? So I just realised that this story is already pretty elaborated, so instead of adding more to it, I will write up the second part in the next blog! Yeah , a sequel just like any other B-wood movie!! ;⁠)

Hope you enjoyed reading this blog and the poem too!! This was 'Just Another Story'.

This is me,

Signing off!!!<<33

[goldendivinewrath]

@forgivenpunishment

There's something like static while Wolfwood is lost in a swirl of his own thoughts, and for that Vash is almost grateful. It gives him time to center himself, more or less; to calm and keep focus. Bits and pieces, impressions of emotions do show up, but they're distant enough to let him breathe.

Wolfwood is going to be okay, in spite of everything. And is just as irritated at Midvalley, apparently, but he's trying not to "listen in" on that. When he's standing, uh, kind of on his own (Vash would help hold his weight anyway considering everything that's just happened), some of the tension eases. They're not completely helpless anymore, and Wolfwood is back to purposeful communication again--

Which becomes not... ideal. The information, specifically. He didn't think it would be in regards to possibly finding help in any of the fallen henchmen, of course, but he's fully unprepared for just how open the other man is about things they haven't talked about. Had no plans to talk about, with reason. Vash is aware some of that thought transfer can't be helped, of course, but it doesn't... it doesn't feel like prying, somehow. Maybe that's actually a bad thing, knowing that Wolfwood hasn't encountered the need to figure out barriers between keeping his thoughts to himself and sharing them, but Vash can't quite know how difficult that is for anyone else.

Like he couldn't have been prepared for how... cold he feels in reaction to Wolfwood confirming, giving words to, things that Vash had kept to vague assumptions. Given a title like Punisher, what the man seemed to prioritize, his skill at utilizing his weapon; Vash knew. But he hadn't been told so directly. The memory, suddenly popping bright across his vision like a flashbulb--

He goes still. Very, very still. Closed off completely, and though it only lasts for a second at most, it's noticeable. He's just... he's trying to reign himself in before it leaks through, knowing it might already be too late. The intensity had surprised him; he'd mentally fumbled, and the strength of Vash's emotions might not show much on his face, but it's a churning ocean in his head. Grief is for the slain, sure, but there's more grief for Wolfwood. The anger boiling underneath isn't directed toward the man next to him at all, but it does scatter in all directions for a brief moment. Then its searing intensity is pointed directly at Knives; and finally, resigned, back at himself. None of this... none of this should have happened--

He tries to slam a lid on the overflow of thoughts and emotions one more time, hoping nothing seems amiss. It can't-- None of it will help them. It's his to deal with later. After. Alone. "I see." Words spoken out loud along with communicated over their connection, but his voice is an uncharacteristically dry rasp, like the fleeting there-then-gone plastic smile he offers. So these people probably won't help them, but he can't just... "Do you think they'd help each other? I'd... rather not leave them to their injuries." To him, it really doesn't matter which side anyone's on; but he supposes Wolfwood knows that already.

As much as the other man has an excellent point and their time is limited. Swallowing, Vash looks around and listens. "The Plant's close." And doesn't seem distressed, but awareness of their physical forms can take a while to surface no matter what's happening, so he can't know what's going on for sure. "It's she, by the way, thanks." A moment of warmth and teasing is needed, fully necessary, because...

Legato. Yeah, he's aware, if distantly. It's not as if his brother had taken a liking to him, exactly, but... "I guess Legato's a little more powerful than I thought, huh?" Dangerous to underestimate, and Wolfwood seems to know enough about him to offer quite a bit more warning. The bandits had been more of a hindrance than a danger in the end, though he hopes he's left enough of an impression on them to keep them away from anywhere he's rumored to be for a while. Fat chance, probably.

Vash winces with the uncomfortably popping shoulder, letting Wolfwood support his own weight but deciding that staying close is the best option. "Well, at least we don't have a steamer to stop this time." He's not sure that's really an upside since they don't know the full scope of what's going on right now, but he keeps digging his heels into frustrated optimism even with the more serious subject matter. "I need to know how you are, though. If you need anything. There are places to rest and probably supplies, but..." There's a whole town, empty. Probably everything left exactly as it had been between one moment and another. Food and medicine more than likely won't be hard to find, and it's a little extra cruel how wrong that actually feels.

@goldendivinewrath

Well, his hearing is back—kind of. Instead of silence, there is the loud ring of tinnitus replacing it. So he can't hear, but the sense is coming back, even if it's taking its Goddamn time. That one was the one he'd been afraid of losing the most.

Midvalley... Player... What an asshole. He can't wait for the day he gets to turn that noisemaker into scrap metal. See him make his noises then. Wait... what if it isn't just the instrument?

...Nah, it's gotta just be the instrument that does it.

Right?

Smug assassin aside, Wolfwood uses Vash to get to his feet. His vision is best compared to someone with really poor eyesight and thick glasses. He can see shapes close and far, but can't make out the details. If he squints he can get his near-sight back, but he has to squint hard.

Okay. Time to think logically.

"Interrogation isn't a bad idea, but you'd have to find the right one," Wolfwood projects, still taking advantage of the mental link, "If they're loyal, they'd sooner kill themselves than give you information—and believe me, they have the means. You find one that wants to defect... well... they might give you something, but you have to corner them first. Defecting means getting added to a hit list, which is what my job was. A lot of my work was killing these guys that defected after a job. You know, Punisher. Punishment. That thing."

Even if he wanted to hide this information, he... can't. The thoughts are already in his headspace, it's not like speaking, where he can vet what he says before he says it.

He also can't control the flash of a memory where he killed a grunt that actually took their mask off. Like it'd save them to make the Punisher think of the humanity of it.

It didn't.

That one stands out a little. There are several flashes where the grunts shoot to kill, riddle him with bullets—sometimes the Punisher would fall prone, dead.

Unfortunately just an act, thanks to those serums. Red vision, locked onto the enemy, hot lead from the Punisher, the weapon. Though, you couldn't really separate the two. Man, weapon... he was—is—both.

"Anyway, if you find a defector, they might respond with violence or just run. Time isn't on their side if they don't want to die. Also, I'm not sure how much they know, honestly. As far as I know, they're just given their jobs and are kept in the dark about everything else."

"If the Plant is still here in town, Knives—or whoever is in charge right now—will send his lapdog to come pick it up. Her up? Them up?" Wolfwood hates this whole... stream of consciousness thing. "Legato. Blue-hair, pompous, stick up his ass—gets off on misery. That whole steamer event—where everything that could go wrong did go wrong? That was him. Besides the bandits, anyway. Don't know what those guys were about."

He stretches his arm out and rolls his shoulder as his other hand pushes against it, which causes a sickening 'pop' sound.

"God, this fuckin' hurts. Why do I put up with this shit every day? Man..."