#honestly not a lot of these prompts will end up being super gory a lot of them will just be gross and angsty

[abyssal-author-and-artist]

Goretober Day 2: Vomit

Content Warnings: Eating disorder, vomiting

Fandom: Gravity Falls (yes, again)

The sky is dark outside. The clock in the kitchen reads 12:42. There's a thunderstorm outside. It's quiet and peaceful and overall, wonderful. Everyone in the Mystery Shack is sleeping. Mabel is in her bed. Stan is... well, he's off doing something. Ford is likely not asleep, but is also cooped up in the basement and probably doing experiments.

Dipper isn't asleep.

He's in the bathroom, staring at himself in the mirror. He looks... tired. Worn out. Like a wreck.

He's thinner than he used to be. His head is swimming. It's vaguely hard to breathe and he's not sure how much of that is how much sleep he's gotten this week and how much is how much he's eaten this week.

Dinner was a few hours ago. Stan had made stew and sworn up and down it wasn't from the dinner. Mabel had pulled some cookies out of her sweater and shared with Dipper.

He feels sick. He had too much to eat. He shouldn't have taken that extra cookie she offered. He should have taken less food.

He knows it's not true. He had less than half a bowl of food, even when Stan furrowed his brow and said Dipper should take more. He knows Mabel offered him another cookie because she was worried. He hasn't eaten hardly anything. Even what he has eaten isn't enough to keep him going.

Really, he's eaten too much today. He hates doing this, but he can't help it. It's just what happens when he eats too much. Simply the way things work. Eat too much, suffer the consequences. Ignore that the definition of "too much" gets stricter and stricter each day. Ignore the nagging feeling in his gut that knows this is wrong, this is messed up, this is bad and unhealthy.

Dipper walks over to the toilet, stumbling a little and falling to his knees on the bathmat. He holds his breath, hoping his fall didn't wake anyone. There's a long, awkward silence where he's too scared to move or look around or do anything. Then it passes, the door doesn't open, and he breathes out a gentle sigh, straightening up. He pulls his hair back with one hand. It's getting a little long and unruly. Despite his dreams of one day maybe having a mullet, he wonders idly if he should ask Mabel to cut it. She's always been the one to cut his hair before, and she'd probably do it.

Okay. That's enough stalling.

He leans over the toilet, still fiddling with his hair, and then takes a deep breath. One hand holds his hair and the other lets go. He takes two fingers and shoves them into his throat.

One.

Two.

Three.

He pukes.

It's rough and harsh and it burns on it's way up. The icing from the cookies tints the vomit a horrible pink color. The chunks of meat and vegetable from the stew are everywhere, brown and pink and half-digested. Everything tastes sour and acidic and, even as he heaves again, he's feeling around in his pockets for a piece of chocolate to wash away the taste.

Now that he's started to puke, he finds it hard to stop. Physically. Every time he thinks it's over, he chokes on air and heaves again. Another watery chunk of stew or half-eaten bite of cookie comes up. And then he starts to heave acid. There's nothing left in his stomach except for his own stomach acid. It feels like it's roiling angrily, mad at him for taking away what little food he ever gives it. Breathing suddenly gets hard. His chest tightens and he lets go of his hair to pull at his shirt, gasping for air. He chokes.

Finally, he's able to refocus. He squeezes his eyes shut and opens them again. He feels like absolute garbage but he's able to breathe and that has to be fine. Dipper unwraps the chocolate in his pocket and melts it on his tongue. He doesn't swallow it. It's only there to get rid of the putrid taste, after all. As soon as the taste is gone, he spits it out and pulls himself to his feet. He nearly blacks out but manages to force himself to stay awake. Carefully, nervously, he flushes the toilet and stumbles over to the sink, rinsing out his mouth of leftover chocolate.

[les-bi-katamari]

SESSION 18 (5/13/18)

We begin with Ghorza cooking a nice big harvest dinner – with assistance, thankfully. Apphia and Brianne are helping, Cadence is trying. [“It’s hard to be underfoot when you’re seven feet tall, but Cadence somehow manages it. It’s endearing, though.”]

Megs absolutely isn’t. She’s sneaking back to the castle to steal the rest of the chess set for Juna. She stops at Silenne’s room to eavesdrop on a conversation she hears through the door.

“I will not simply leave you to deal with the monster you’ve invited into our home!” “Silenne, please, you are all I have left. I’ve lost so, so many. I can’t lose you too. And that’s why you’re leaving.” “I have been by your side for so much, I cannot abandon you!” “Please… you’re like a sister to me. I need you to do this, to keep yourself safe. I will not be here alone. Please. Do not go far, but go. Please.” “Alright.”

[“I assume you’ve learned from last time and are making sure her horns don’t scrape on the door” “Megs gets an eavesdropping hat that covers her horns so they don’t scrape on doors anymore”]

She returns to the Forge just before dinner, everyone hard at work. She steals a roll, and greets the rest of the group with her mouth bulging out comically. Ghorza offers her a baked potato, and Megs puts it on one of her horns to save it for later. Apphia asks her to help set the table – [“Is the cutlery silver, or-“ “No!” “It’s standard cutlery, please don’t steal it-“ “Megido is disappointed that they’re not worth stealing, but helps anyway.”]

Odilia arrives, and Ghorza greets her eagerly. She’s dressed up a little bit, and drops off the holy water and oils. She’s extremely nervous, and once seated, is immediately grateful for the wine Apphia provides.

O: “[The turkey] is magnificent! Did you cook it yourself?” G: “Yes, with help from Apphia and Brianne-“ A: “She’s just being modest! She wanted to make something impressive for you.” They both blush hugely. Apphia, determined winggay, also ensures the two of them sit next to each other.

Megs, meanwhile, had forgotten about the potato. Brianne has to warn her as it’s starting to fall, and Meg’s attempts to secure it in place cause it to break in half, spilling plenty of potato bits across her hair. She sadly eats it now. Odilia giggles at her antics.

Nemeth also arrives – Apphia is quick to greet her in. She’s actually also dressed pretty nicely, in new-looking clothes. She starts to dig in quickly. Ghorza offers a toast to new friends – “and not dying,” Megs adds. Nemeth is giving lots of long stares to Ghorza.

At this point we realize we haven’t brought up the Anchasra stuff to either of them. Apphia brings up to Nemeth that she needs to talk more to her about ‘our mutual friend’ after dinner, to Nemeth's great displeasure.

Odilia talks some more about the library – it turns out Ivandra has been funding the restoration and helping out immensely, and they’ve talked a lot. She’s a big supporter of Selune, apparently, and holds a great deal of respect for her. She stops herself, saying she should stop talking, but Ghorza puts a hand on her shoulder, saying she likes listening to her talk. Nemeth is looking back and forth, watching with growing interest and amusement.

Prompted by Apphia, Odilia talks a lot more about the restoration work, and her motivations. It’s all super heartwarming, and Ghorza beams at her adoringly. Apphia mentions that Ghorza is quite big on tales, to Odilia’s great interest, and everyone manages to persuade her to start telling a story.

During this, there’s a third knock at the door. Ghorza doesn’t notice, but Apphia excuses herself to get the door. It’s Ivandra. The two talk quietly a bit, and they come in as Ghorza’s finishing up her grand story. Nemeth is trying very hard not to laugh at the nerdy gays. Ivandra eats a little bit to be polite. Odilia is a bit overwhelmed and privately thinks Ivandra is here as some sort of cosmic punishment for gossiping about her.

As dinner winds down, Apphia pulls Nemeth aside to tell her the bad news. She’s surprised at the cipher, and angry at herself for missing it, but settles into a grim acceptance as she reads it. “Honestly, I’m not terribly surprised. He always favored –“ she gestures to herself “- our kind. Said he felt a kinship to the wayward children of Hell. I didn’t think it was so very literal. But he’s mortal. He can be killed. We know what he is now. I can take comfort in that, if nothing else.”

“I’m sorry. And I’m sorry for being brusque, earlier.”

“I understand. You see a wreck, disgust comes naturally.”

“No! It wasn’t that – nothing to do with you. And you’re not a wreck.”

Apphia also shows her the letter they sent to Anchasra before dinner. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1eSvOHBK3e5fmAUOw9zRWCzvtCQwnM4u3eRzcAZd7CjI

She does chuckle at that, comments about it. Then she says, “Also- thank you. It’s a comfort to have you at my side.” Then she walks away swiftly, making an unpleasant noise in her throat at being vulnerable a SECOND time in one day, gross, what, no? She announces she’s leaving, everyone says goodbye, she gives ‘finger crossbows’ and leaves.

As Ghorza and Odilia give a tooth-rottingly fluffy, adorable goodbye to each other, talking about how wonderful tonight was, that they want to do it again – Apphia pipes up that Ghorza should walk her home. Ghorza looks at her questioningly and offers her an arm and they head out.

She leads Ghorza further away from the library, towards her home, in a different part of the city. They make light conversation – Odilia is still a little wobbly on her feet. As they get back to her place, they look expectantly at each other, and Ghorza offers her a kiss. Odilia gets way up on her tiptoes and kisses her – it’s long, and sweet, and eventually they pull apart.

O: “I don’t know what awaits you tomorrow, but… you need to get through it and come back so we can do that again.” G: “Yesyesabsolutely!” She heads home beaming, on cloud nine.

Back at the forge, after cleaning up, Ivandra asks Apphia to talk, or take a walk with her. They step outside. Ivandra withdraws a small wooden box from her satchel and gives it to her. It’s a lovely ornate box. “I have wanted to give this to you for some time. I may not have another chance.” She drops her glamour – her scars are visible, and she’s flushed, nervous – a look that Apphia has never seen on her face before. She opens it – a pendant on a silver chain, a swirl of cyan glass, shimmering softly, caged in silver filigree. There is a note tucked in with it, which she opens. Ivandra watches her expectantly. It reads, “A drop of heaven's light for when you're feeling homesick, my angel.”

“…thank you. It’s a lovely sentiment.” She’s visibly trying to contain the gay. “It’s not just a sentiment. May I?” “Yes.” Ivandra tenderly reaches up to place it around her neck, blushing deeply. Then she reaches forward, over the pendant, and quietly whispers, “Ashla.”

The pendant begins to glow softly, every speck and whirl – it’s like looking up at a beautiful night sky. “It’s beautiful.” “Only fitting for you. It’s the word for ‘light’ in the celestial tongue – ashla.” “I didn’t know you knew that one.” “Bits and pieces. I’m only starting to pick it up.” She smiles. “I’m so glad you like it.” “Tomorrow – promise me you’ll find a way to end this.” “I promise.”

[We hear a roll and a “NOPE.” Me: “…did you just roll to see if Ivandra would offer her a kiss?” Lin: “And I got a fucking natural 1. Actually wait, no, I’m the DM, I can decide, everyone gets a kiss tonight, she’s gonna-”]

Apphia leans in to give Ivandra a kiss on the cheek before heading back inside. Ivandra goes home to kick in a door because she could’ve Kissed her and didn’t.

Brianne also pulls Apphia aside after coming back inside. “I wanted to apologize to you. I think I made a lot of really wrong and unfair assumptions about you when we first met, and… I wanted to apologize.” [“Apphia is stunned, no one has ever apologized to her for that before.”] “There’s nothing to forgive, but… thank you.” “I’ve always been suspicious of nobility, but this past week you’ve been nothing but gracious and kind and… I think I’m better for knowing you. Thank you.” Apphia just kind of looks at her feet, blushing furiously. She’s had so many gay feels tonight already and now there are MORE?! And she wasn't prepared for these at all?!? “Sorry if that was too much, or too intense, but circumstances being what they are, I figured I should say it while I can.” Apphia is smiling. “Thank you. I’m grateful to have made your acquaintance. I hope this thing tomorrow won’t go bottoms-up.” “Me too. It’s frightening, but I’m glad we’re not going through it alone.” “So am I.” Before Apphia goes upstairs, she quietly adds “I think I’m better for knowing you too.” And she books it.

[M: “Welcome to the slow-burn fic you never asked for!” L: “Well, I DID ask for it.”]

[And Ghorza has to do her daily corruption roll overnight – and rolls a natural fucking one. Mercifully, her corruption only goes up by one, not over the threshold. “So, the night after her very first kiss, Ghorza is tormented by horrible gory dreams from Galaias.”]

The next morning, we all make our way up to the castle, super paranoid about anyone and everyone. Nemeth shows up on the way – Megs rolls a natural 1 on insight to see if that’s really Nemeth, and starts grabbing her horns to see if they’re fake. We pull her off and apologize.

G: “Here, Megs, if it makes you feel better – Nemeth, what’d I say last night, what’d I do?” N: “You told that story about the local legend – and hit it off with that librarian, eh?” G, in a tiny voice, blushing and ducking her head: “Yeah…” Nemeth gives her a high-five. Nemeth rolled insight to see if they’d fucked but successfully determined that they had not.

We get to the palace, meet Ivandra, make more checks, and determine it really is Ivandra. And the wait begins.

Brianne asks about going up to a parapet to watch – Ivandra agrees, and Ghorza goes with her, to ensure that no one is alone. We’re reminded, if we do see him, to just head back to the group.

Back downstairs, Apphia says, “You know, Ivandra, since we have time to spend – it’s been a long time, why don’t we play a game of chess?” Megs splutters and chokes. Ivandra declines.

Brianne keeps using her primeval awareness, feeling for fiends. She feels the cold pulse of the two we’d already seen. We watch, and wait, as the rain keeps coming down. It’s maddening. Ivandra says she’s interested in a game of chess after all, since “this is getting ridiculous.” Megs tries very hard to keep it cool, but Apphia rolls a nat 20 on her insight. She pries into what’s wrong, and Megs tries to act like it’s just about the cambion. She’s lying through her teeth.

As the watch continues, Brianne feels something new approaching – like an emptiness, a wound in the world. It’s coming towards the castle, but she can’t see it yet. She tells Ghorza, who implores her to come downstairs. Brianne wants to stay, but eventually gives in and comes down to warn the others.

Apphia and Ivandra have just arrived at the solarium, finding the empty chess set. Ivandra is furious. “THEY NEVER LEAVE THIS ROOM! The servants would never – who would – WHO WOULD TAKE THE PIECES AND NOT THE BOARD?!?” Apphia can make the DC 0 common sense check, and says she’s pretty sure it was Megido. She tries to call

[Gwen: “Megs stealing the pieces and not the board” Megan: “…I ACTUALLY KNOW BOTH THE PEOPLE IN THAT!”]

They get back to the foyer, and Megs is pointedly avoiding their gaze. It’s at this point that Ghorza and Brianne burst back in, seeing Ivandra looking extremely frustrated. “HE’S COMING!”

He was still making his way through the city, at a normal walking speed, when we left the parapet.

[“He was just at a normal walking speed, not flying or-“ “Reaver wasn’t on wheelies? Or roller skates?” “Actually, he’s on a roller derby team… the Speed Demons!” “YOU’RE DISOWNED”]

We start taking our positions. Brianne and Megs posts up on the stairs, to have a bit of a height advantage. Cadence walks up to a slightly higher stair, because she wants to be on the tallest thing? Eventually she comes back down to be nearer to pouncing range. Nemeth and Ghorza are up front. Apphia stays near the front, ready to bestow something on the front-liners. Ivandra stays a bit back.

There are resounding knocks on the door, and it pushes open.

In walks a short, portly, doughy-looking man with grey eyes. He’s wearing rich black and gold accoutrements – and a broad smile.

“Well, friends, I’m sorry to keep you waiting. Thank you SO much for your gracious invitation.”

He’s twirling a burlap bag with something round in it. After much taunting, he reveals Albrecht’s head.

“And that’s not all I picked up in Aldessein.”

He gestures, and behind him appears Juna, bound, hands broken, crying – and a cultist with a knife to her throat.

There’s a lot more bargaining, barbs, pleading from Megs, threats – and Cadence casts Dispel Magic.

Anchasra sees her, tries to react, too slowly – and the image of Juna melts away, revealing another assassin.

FUCKING CALLED IT!

Apphia casts a twinned Protection from Good and Evil on Ghorza and Nemeth.

Brianne hears the voice of Anchasra in her head, scraping in, telling her “How does it feel to be so… SUPERFLUOUS? So out of your depth? She’ll never love you!” – but she shakes it off.

Ghorza applies the holy oil to her weapon and charges in – she takes a swing at him and in a flash he sidesteps out of the way – but she catches him on the backswing! There’s a flash of light as it slices into him, burning and hissing, as blue-black ichor comes from the wound. He snarls horribly, “YOU’LL PAY FOR THAT!”

He casts another spell on Megs, which, miraculously, does not take effect.

Brianne takes several shots at him, but misses them all, with his mockery in her head, and him blurring out of the way.

Megs shouts “WHERE IS SHE, YOU BASTARD!” and catches him with a powerful shot right in his chest. As expected, it does less damage than normal.

Cadence hits him – with a MOONBEAM!

Sadly, he makes his save on his turn, but it clearly burns and tears his flesh!

“YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT YOU’RE DEALING WITH – BUT IT’S TIME YOU FOUND OUT!”

He erupts outward into a massive, warped midnight-blue form, burning yellow-orange eyes, with massive dark wings and a fanged maw. He is still clad in his finery, stretching to fit his true form. Huge, dull ivory horns arc back from his brow; large hooked talons; a long chitinous tail ending with a large stinger. And he takes off into the air – but Ghorza manages to make another slash at him as he does. He flies out of the Moonbeam, his form crackling and sizzling as he goes.

One of the Malefactors casts a spell on Anchasra, clutching a holy symbol of Cyric, and then turns to Ghorza, a corona of purple light surrounding her head. The other says “You will pay, betrayer!” and does the same to Nemeth, then charging her with her rapier.

Ivandra shoots out a whip of magic towards one of the Malefactors, which loops around its head, and it locks up in place.

Nemeth tries to use that same ‘crown of despair’ spell on the paralyzed Malefactor in front of her, but it fizzles. “A NICE TRICK, NEMETH, BUT YOU FORGET – I CREATED YOU!” She looks afraid, but steels herself, and stabs through the rigid cultist repeatedly, look of horror frozen on their face.

Apphia shoots a Guiding Bolt at Anchasra [and crits her 3rd-level version for FORTY-ONE RADIANT DAMAGE!] “All of the grief and rage and frustration in her life has coalesced into this menacing horror flapping above you, and you draw power into your hand – and you feel another hand behind yours, and a calm voice that says ‘Let go.’ You do, and a massive lance of silver light shoots forth, spearing through Anchasra as he tries in vain to dodge out of the way. His body sears and crackles more, bone now exposed in many places, a tear through one of his wings. He lets out a massive psychic scream.”

["Apphia “Steel Balls” “Big Nasty” Rhedyn, everyone."]

Anchasra tries another spell on Apphia and fucking fails.

Ghorza, unfortunately, cannot reach the flying bastard. She instead charges in to attack the non-paralyzed Malefactor, and lands two solid hits.

Anchasra manages to finally land a spell on Megs, [a Vicious Mockery for 5 damage].

Brianne takes a couple more shots at Anchasra – the first misses thanks to his words in her mind again. The second hits him with an Ensnaring Strike, restraining him with magical vines – or not[, because of his Legendary Resistance]. He tears through them, ripping them to shreds.

Megs manages to take another shot, and despite the Vicious Mockery, manages to land another good hit on Anchasra.

Cadence heals Megs back up to full with a healing word, and her moonbeam blinks out and opens up right on top of him again.

Anchasra screams, burning with radiant moonlight. No longer able to sustain his flight, he floats unsteadily back to the ground. He is horribly wounded, favoring his one badly mangled wing. He looks at Nemeth, and shouts “I UNDERESTIMATED YOU ONCE – I WILL NOT AGAIN! THIS IS FAR FROM OVER! I WILL FIND MORE, YOUR MOTHERS” - looking at Ghorza – “YOUR BROTHER” – looking at Apphia.

He reaches out with a talon, slicing open a hole in reality – beyond is a red plain of the Abyss, with a black castle visible in the distance. He leaps through, and the gate is gone. Nemeth is dismayed ary his escape.

The malefactor by Ghorza tries to attack her – and manages to pierce a gap in her plate with one of his strikes, impaling her, as the purple halo around her head sears her with necrotic damage. Thankfully, Juna loves her, and her ring of necrotic resistance shields her from the worst of it.

[After the cambion was gone, the remaining minions, terrified by the defeat of their god's champion, were mopped up quickly - one extremely dead, and one knocked unconscious. Albrecht's head, unfortunately, is real and not another illusion.]

[Fun fact for those watching at home - we might have made it look easy, but mostly we just got OBSCENELY lucky. Multiple crits, extremely high attack rolls in general, making nearly every save he threw at us, poor saves by our enemies, and managing to burn him down and send him running so quickly, before he could really unleash on us - all of that was a huge factor. Plus the fact that we'd prepared, and he had underestimated us.]