#i do still think the carved trees was fucking cool

[nanawaffles]

Gil was right. Just fucking saying. GIL WAS RIGHT. GAL ABSOLUTELY BROUGHT THE SHIT BACK. BUDDY HAD A GOOD POINT.

He just didn't realize that Gal was gonna fucking jump ship.

Also GAL QUIT GIVING ELROND A LOOK OF BETRAYAL.

sidenote, I feel like they were pushing way too much Hugo!Elrond in this episode during their conversation... I'm so glad Rob!Elrond won out going forward.

Not me watching season 1 because I MISS WHEN EVERYONE WAS ALIVE AND HAPPY

[saintsugu]

PLAY TIME; KINKTOBER DAY 5

rating: mature; mdni

pairing; yuuji itadori / ryomen sukuna x fem!reader

word count: 5.6k

content warnings: explicit sexual content, 18+, apocalypse au, vague horror (aka it’s kind of creepy), vaginal penetration, all of the explicit sex is with sukuna, manhandling, true-form sukuna, monster fucking (two cocks // four arms), non con, sadomasochism, slight dacryphilia, dvp, usage of pet, bellybulge, unprotected sex, cumflation, alluding to cucking

Author’s note: super unedited. i’m really proud of this fic + the idea as a whole, but i’m really proud of the fact that I got the last 2/3k done in about 1.5 hrs. please enjoy the last piece of 2023’s Kinktober!<3

Today, the forest is ominously quiet—even more so than usual. Dead leaves crunch underneath your boot with every step and it makes your skin crawl; not to mention how freezing cold it is. How did you even end up out here alone to begin with? 

Letting out a shaky breath, which is painfully visible, you try to tug your sleeves down to cover your numb hands. As you’re in the process of doing so, the frightening noise of a twig snapping has your hand instead finding your knife on instinct. 

It could be an animal, but it’s not likely. Given the time of year, most are hibernating, and those that aren’t have already been skinned and cooked. 

You turn around yet are met with nothing except the forest from which you came. With the trees being as crowded together as they are, it’s easy for someone to hide, so your guard isn’t exactly down just yet. 

After many excruciating minutes of silence, a voice speaks and you’re too terrified to realize who it is. Unsheathing your blade, you take a step behind you and are ready to hit whoever may be in front of you. 

“Hey, stop, it’s me!”

Yuuji catches your wrist within moments of impact. Despite his desire to always be gentle with you, the current predicament required a bit of force from his end and you couldn’t help but wince before releasing the knife. The blade clatters against the stones below you and you sigh so loud in relief that you’re sure the entire forest could hear it. 

Your eyes soften and you press your head against his chest. “I’m sorry. I didn’t think it was you.” The statement is fairly obvious, yet you still feel the need to clarify that you didn’t mean to try and stab your boyfriend, rather than the stalker you figured he was. 

“Don’t be,” you can feel his hand intertwining with yours and it makes you feel safe. “Let’s go home. I already carved out a path for us, I was just looking for you.”

The trek back to the cabin is short but a bit steep. Yuuji’s holding onto you tightly the entire trip. The grip on your hand aids in making you feel a little more at peace despite the eerie crawl of the woods.  

The cold weather has been well appreciated. Both you and Yuuji find it much easier to layer up and use blankets, rather than deal with turning the generator on fully to keep cool. The way you have it now, you’re able to keep it on for a few hours at a time—just enough for you to shower and do whatever else requires electricity, before shutting it off. There are only a few downsides to the chilling temperatures; one of which, being the fog that occupies the forest. 

It completely limits visibility; that’s nice if you’re holed up in the cabin, but when you’re out scavenging? Horrible. You can’t even see two feet in front of you.  

“Be careful. Step over,” he carefully directs you, quiet as he grips your hand a little tighter. It’s how you know you’ve arrived home. You’re careful to raise your feet and make sure you don’t bump against the fence that Yuuji had staked into the ground. 

The wiring itself isn’t awfully thick, but it keeps most animals away; not to mention that it’s main function is sound purposes. Along the wires, there are different cans and bells that will rattle if the fence is at all bumped or tugged. It’s a good method to keep you and Yuuji up worrying all night. 

It’s so cold. Your words are barely above a  whisper, hands shivering slightly as the cabin comes into view. You can nearly hear the frown in Yuuji’s voice when he tells you that you’re almost there. He’s been very….overprotective of you, to say the least. It’s not like you can blame him, though. The world is scary now. 

“Close it a little softer next time.” You can’t help but teasingly scold your partner as you step into the warm home. 

“But I wanted to shut it before the wind picked up.” It’s cute, the way he snickers at you before moving towards the fireplace. “You should change into something clean while I start the fire.” 

You had planned to already, so you have no issue bouncing towards your shared room to change your clothes. When you return back, Yuuji has busied himself with the fireplace.

Moments like this are nice. Those times, no matter how brief they may be, where you get to watch your boyfriend clumsily set the logs on fire. The simplicity of it all nearly makes you forget the world right outside of your door that has gone to hell. 

It’s just you and the boy occupying the cabin. At different points, people have come and gone, but it’s been a long time since you’ve met eyes with anyone other than Yuuji. A man by the name Megumi stayed with you for a bit, nearly six months, actually, before taking his leave in search of his father. The rest, you’ve long forgotten their names. It’s quite…sad, actually. You spend a lot of nights wondering about their whereabouts. 

“You like what you see?” He teases. His palms are pressed against the floor behind him, lanky limbs spread out a bit as he uses his locked out arms to hold him up. 

“Oh always,” you nearly giggle. He never fails at finding a way to cheer you up. 

Eventually, he stands up to help you make some food. It’s nothing special, really. You just boil rice over the fire and cook it with some canned chicken that Yuuji managed to find on a run last week. 

Food has been getting harder to manage as of late. Thankfully, when this started, there was already a large pantry full of non-perishable food inside the cabin. Even with that being said, it’s been years and supplies are depleting rapidly. Between the two of you, you surprisingly don’t eat much, so it’s easier to ration better, but with less than half of the supplies left, you can’t help but worry. 

“It’s good,” he says, taking a bite. He’s leaned against the wall across from you—you’re both still keeping warm near the fireplace. 

If it weren’t for the bitter temperatures, you would’ve probably sat at the large, oak table in the dining room— a table that’s much too big for only the two of you —but with the crisp and cold air, you opted to eat on the floor in favor of the warmth. 

It’s sweet but it makes you laugh a little. He always tries to make you feel better, no matter what the topic at hand is; he’s like a man consoling his wife. “If it wasn’t, I’d be worried. Takes a lot of work to fuck up rice and chicken,” you say playfully. 

“Better than I could do.” His laughter is contagious. It fills the air the same as it fills your lungs. The pure joy you feel when hearing it, spreads through your entire being as your lips curl into a smile of their own. “I’m serious!” He grins even wider. “Gramps used to make all my meals for the most part.”

“‘Dunno how you got this far like that.” You’re laying on your stomach while you tease him. Your body is nearly perpendicular with the wall, but the side of your head rests against a pillow. Having already finished your meal, you have nothing better to do than shamelessly stare at your lover. 

The sound of the fire crackling mixes with the boy’s voice and fills the room. It all feels so cozy that it makes you forget what awaits you outside of that small wire fence. He makes it easy to forget—or to ignore, for better lack of words. 

When you’re staring into his eyes, it’s easy to pretend like you’re unaware of the storm raging outside. As if you don’t know the world is burning the same way the shriveled firewood has. 

Once he finishes his bowl, you find it as a perfect chance to straddle his lap. With your legs spread, your knees press into the plush carpeting. The moment can only be described as intimate as your foreheads touch. 

“I love you.” It’s a quiet affirmation that you both repeat at the same time. The repetition causes you both to laugh, before he silences you with a soft kiss. “My girl,” he whispers. 

Slow kisses begin to get more desperate as his hands roam your body. He’s in nothing more than a black tank top, and a pair of thin pajama pants that are too baggy for him. It gives you easy access as you kiss his neck, uncaring of how you do so; it’s not like anyone will see. 

For the rest of the night, Yuji conveys just how much he loves you. Your time spent together consists of limbs messily intertwining as he has his way with you on the floor. Despite having full control over a willing partner, Yuuji is still so sweet and kind to you. He may accidentally overestimate his strength and manhandle you slightly, but he always tries his hardest to not hurt you in any way. 

He brings you to the edge more times than you would have ever imagined and he’s a bit more…clingy than usual—not that you mind, of course. You just hadn’t realized how scared he had gotten when you got seperated in the forest. He definitely did a good job of hiding it from you. 

After cleaning up and triple-checking that the doors are locked and the windows are still boarded up, you make your way into the bedroom. You feel extremely safe and secure as you lay beside him. An arm draped over your side as he pulls you close into his chest. 

“Goodnight,” he whispers softly. You swear that your name has never sounded sweeter than when it’s dripping off his tongue. 

Thanks to his comforting touch, you’re asleep within minutes. 

— three years ago. 

Run. Keep running. Don’t stop. 

Those words repeat through your head on a loop. They got louder and louder the more you felt your body start to slow. You’re running out of energy. As much as you wish it could, even your sudden burst of adrenaline isn’t enough to combat your starvation and dehydration. 

You feel like you’ve been running for days—like some wild animal that’s being hunted down. Every time you try to take a breath, they’re on your heels again. 

Nearly 3 weeks ago, you had stumbled upon a small group. They offered you food and shelter, in return for manual labor. Due to your starved state, you didn’t think to ask many questions before taking the water they offered you and mindlessly agreeing. 

Unfortunately, what you had hoped to be a new companionship, turned out to be psychopaths trying to force you to kill unsuspecting people. They would track down homes and kill whoever resided in them. You tried to sneak out, but they caught on and were quick to chase after you. 

It’s been over a week of this little chase, and you can barely stand. You’re beginning to wonder if running is even worth it, at this point. 

Despite seeing it, your brain doesn’t fully process the branch in the path until after you’ve tripped over it. You have absolutely no time to recover as you fall straight towards the dirt. 

“Shit,” you curse, feeling thorns poking against you. As you lie on the ground, exhaustion setting in even more so now than before, your inner monologue morphs. 

Get up. 

You’re nearly screaming at yourself. Every part of your body feels heavy. No matter how hard you will yourself to get back on your feet, you’re rendered incapable. 

The approach sound of footsteps confirms that this is the end. Once they find you, they’ll kill you without a second thought. At least I tried. It’s the last thought that runs through your brain as the footsteps get louder and everything goes dark. 

It’s quiet. You like it. 

It’s been a long time since you’ve felt so…at peace. 

“You’re awake.” The voice sounds panicked but…happy? 

You’re quick to shoot up, but you’re surprised when your hands move freely. If they didn’t kill you, you had at least expected them to restrain you somehow. Yet, when you look around the room, it’s so unfamiliar. 

“…who are you? A-are you with them?” You feel weak at the stammer in your voice, but it can’t be helped. Despite his soft features, you’re terrified of the man sitting across from you. 

It’s clear that he’s confused, but you still aren’t convinced. “With who? When I found you, you were unconscious in the dirt.”

That doesn’t make sense. Did they…stop looking for me?

You nearly ask again, but you’d rather not be questioned about why you were running. If he wanted to kill you he would’ve done it when you were knocked out cold. There’s no reasonable explanation for him to bring you back to his home and do it there. 

“I’m Yuuji,” he says and you can tell that he’s worried he’ll upset you. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”

It didn’t take long for you to warm up to him after that. You truly had nowhere else to go, so you slept in the guest room of his cabin for months, until one day, things took a bit of a…different route. 

“How’d you find this cabin anyways, Yu’?” Your voice is a bit higher than usual as you lean against the plush couch. On his latest supply run, the boy brought back a good amount of alcohol and you both agreed that it’d be a shame to let it go to waste. 

“I didn’t,” he shakes his head, words a bit slurred. “It was my Gramps’. Been in the family since before I was born. It was my family’s designated rendezvous place—we all kind of picked it as a joke but,” he pauses. The silence is deafening as you hang on his words. “I was the only one who made it here.”

Your expression drops. Neither of you had attempted to ask about the other’s families in the months you’ve known each other, finding it a bit of a personal topic to bring up at random, but now, considering you’re both tipping over the edge from the alcohol…your filters are a little less engaged. 

“It’s okay, though,” he takes a sip of his beer as he plasters a fake grin onto his face. He pauses, before his face turns sour. Initially, you believe that he’s about to open up, add on to what he said, but you quickly stand corrected when he bolts up and starts to walk— no, run off. 

“Yuuji?” You call after him as he disappears from your view. Due to the drinks, your reaction time is a bit sluggish, so it takes a minute before you’re up and following him. Once you finally follow him into the open bathroom, you find him hunched over the toilet and it suddenly makes sense. 

His beer can is on the floor, its contents pooling around the base of the toilet as Yuuji uses his forearms to keep himself stable. He doesn’t throw up much, mostly just coughing and gagging— Still, the sight brings up a few…unpleasant memories and the sounds alone make a melancholic feeling settle in your chest. 

“Do you want some water?” You offer, but he shakes his head.

“Stay here.” It’s a simple request. His words are slurred, but the look in his droopy eyes tells you he means it. He rests his head against his right forearm, staring directly at you as he tries to regain his strength. 

Eventually, you settle onto the floor a few feet away from him. With your back against the door, you curl your knees up to your chest and just wait for him to feel better. A few minutes pass, neither of you would really be able to count how many, but he finds himself leaning against the bathtub rather than the toilet. 

“’m glad I found you,” he says quietly, voice hoarse from coughing so much. “I was kind of going crazy all by myself. I swore I started hearing things,” he chuckles, trying to lighten the mood. 

It’s so peculiar to you how Yuuji is so…positive. Even now, drunk and hunched over a toilet bowl, he finds it in him to laugh. You don’t have it in you to tell him that you’re happy to— cause that would require admitting that you care about him. 

“What were you doing before all this?” You ask him curiously, trying to change the subject. It’s something you’ve wondered for a long time yet never found a way to bring it up. 

“I was just a college student,” he laughs a bit, the skin of his eyes creasing at the thought. “I delivered pizzas when I could. Did some odd jobs, too. Like…landscaping for my grandpa’s neighbors and shit. What about you?”

“Just bartending,” you nod, thinking back to those simple times. “It was good money.”

The two of you sit and talk like that for a little longer, until Yuuji eventually starts to doze off. As cute as he looks as his eyes flutter shut, you know better than to let him sleep there. “C’mon, let's get you to bed,” you say softly, helping him stand up. 

“You’re so sweet,” he murmurs, half asleep and still inebriated as he leans against you. You’re practically dragging him towards the bedroom with his arm around your shoulder. “And pretty too. ‘M so happy we found you…”

That night and in that moment, you were too hung up on him calling you pretty to acknowledge the we in his words; or maybe you did notice, but it was subconsciously easier to just…chalk it off as a slip of the tongue. 

—

You’re drenched in sweat as you suddenly wake up, body practically launching away from the bed. You press your palm to your chest, feeling the way your heart is beating at an inhumane rate. 

For the past few weeks, you’ve been having vivid nightmares. Usually, they’re all similar; all having to do with you being taken or something of the sort. Tonight’s dream was a bit different. 

You were in the cabin, but nothing was working. The boards were off the windows, the fireplace wouldn’t light, and the generator wouldn’t work. Thankfully, you woke up before anything bad could truly happen, but waking up was bad in and of itself, considering the bed is empty with Yuuji nowhere to be found.  

“…Baby?” You call out nervously, leaning over to turn your bedside lamp on. You were hoping that he was just in the bathroom, but that hope is quickly squashed when he doesn’t call back. 

With a stuttered sigh, your legs swing over the side of the bed as you prepare to search for your lover.  Shaking hands sift through your drawer, pushing around objects you forgot existed, before landing on a thick flashlight. It illuminates the room, making your eyes widen in a weak attempt to adjust to the light. 

Your footsteps are light and cautious against the creaking wood and it’s a scene straight from a horror movie. Once on the stairs, you can hear something creaking— a door or a window— but when you get in the kitchen, you can’t seem to find anything.

Timid as a mouse, your voice is quiet as you call out for Yuuji. There’s no response, of course not, but as you begin to speak again, you’re very quickly disrupted. 

A thick hand wraps around your face, easily covering your lips and practically suffocating you as his fingertips dig into your cheekbones. Panic bubbles out of your throat, eyes wide with adrenaline, yet as you go to scream, another hand finds its place around your throat. 

“Don’t scream.” A dark and eerily familiar sound pierces your ear. It’s a contorted and dark version of a voice you hear every day. “Or you could, but who’ll find you?” He mocks sadistically. 

Your head is yanked back, nearly giving you whiplash as it makes contact with the man’s chest. You feel as though you’re about to hurl. The panic is presenting itself clear in the form of bile in your throat, and the fear in the form of tears. 

“I’ve sat on the sidelines for too fucking long.”

Another hand begins to tug at your flimsy pajama shorts— wait, another hand…?

Looking down in absolute horror, you’re greeted by a third arm tussling at your clothes. You’re convinced you’re going insane, but it’s so real. At this point, with dead people walking around, nothing should surprise you, but even so, you can’t help the way your eyes widen in horror at the side of multiple sets of arms. 

You’re far too distraught to even register the way the fabric tears at your thigh, completely ripping apart with a flick of his hand. The lump in your throat grows, making your mouth dry as you struggle to speak. 

“W-who are you?” 

The man behind you just laughs— a deeply disturbing sound as it vibrates throughout the kitchen. He doesn’t say anything, just grabs your waist with one of four hands and begins to drag you; where exactly, you aren’t sure.

Amongst the laughter, he covers your eyes as he manhandles you away. He’s keeping your sight obscured until you can ‘properly see me’, as if it’s some sort of game. It’s terrifying.

It feels like the wind is knocked out of you with how roughly he’s shoving you against a hard surface— your table, you soon realize. He maneuvers you as if you’re some kind of doll and gets you laying onto the table before your vision is finally returned. He retracts two out of four hands; keeping them only on your waist and throat. 

Your heart drops when you finally see the man in front of you. It’s Yuuji— your Yuuji, but his body is deformed. He’s much taller and stockier for starters. He’s missing the lean figure that you’ve grown to adore. Instead, he’s towering over you ever more, with an extra pair of arms sprouting from his midsection. One of the most disturbing parts, though, are the second and third eyes. They’re placed directly under his regular eyes, but they’re half the size. It makes you want to throw up. 

“What? You don’t like seeing your baby Yuuji?” he imitates you with a sadistic grin.

You’re shuddering in fear, throat constricted just enough to let you speak. “You are not my Y-Yuuji,” you stammer, shaking like a goddamn leaf. 

He just laughs, tugging at your panties. Even with you desperately squeezing your thighs together, he rips them apart with ease. “You’re right, I’m not. Yuuji couldn’t fuck you properly even if someone was telling him how.”

What is he talking about? Who is this?

“And trust me, I tried,” he says, like he’s exasperated as he rips your panties off. “Every time I talk to him, he just ignores me. Little brat.” He’s muttering to himself as thick hands pry your legs apart.

“Please, don’t,” your voice shakes, resorting to your seemingly last option of begging whoever this imposter is. “I-I’ll give you anything else just don’t…” you can’t even speak it out loud. You know what he wants to do to you— what he’s about to do. 

Your pleading is met with a loud, and mocking laugh. “You look so cute like that; all helpless and crying. You humans have always looked best like that.” It makes sense. You would’ve never described him as human. You don’t know where he’s going with this tangent, but his voice soon drops an octave and answers your question. 

“Do you really think I’m gonna pass up the chance to get what I’ve been craving for so long? Why, because of a few tears?” You hadn’t even realized you were crying until then, but now that you know, the dams are releasing. 

“W-who are you?” Sure, he’s claimed to be Yuuji, but it’s clear that you aren’t falling for that. His eyes zero on your cunt as thick fingers begin to prod at your folds. None of the movements make sense and it’s clearly not for your pleasure. It feels more as if he’s just inspecting it.

It’s been a long time since he’s been let out to play, after all.

“Call me Sukuna, Doll.” His words are eerily dark before he roughly shoves a finger into your cunt. For the most part, you’re fairly dry, but he knows that he can change that; and he knows that it won’t take him long, either. Humans are simple creatures. 

Tears slip out of your eyes faster, only fueling him on even more as he starts to finger fuck you. His fingers are a lot thicker than the slender digits that you’ve gotten used to. It hurts but it also..feels good? You hate even thinking that, but you can’t deny the physical pleasure you’re experiencing despite the mental anguish alongside it. 

“You’re wet,” he obnoxiously observes, uncaring of the way it makes you squirm. “Do my fingers feel that good? Or are you just used to Yuuji treating you like glass?” You don’t respond, instead opting to turn your head away. 

A third finger slips in and you swear that it’s already the equivalent of your boyfriend’s cock. “I always told him that he needed to be rougher. The little brat wouldn’t listen but I knew better; I know that girls like you just want to be treated like whores.”

As the pad of his fingers press into your g-spot, you finally let out a moan. It’s whiney and high pitched and out of fucking nowhere. In all of the times he’s listened in on you and Yuuji having sex— which has been every time — he’s never heard a noise like that leave your lips. It has his ego inflating even further. 

Immediately, you’re trying to bring a hand to your lips, trying so hard to muffle the noises that keep seeping out like a waterfall. Still, it’s no use once Sukuna catches onto what you’re doing. A large hand overpowers your own as he pins it against the hard table. 

“Don’t do that,” he demands, a sick grin on his face. “I want him to hear.” Him? Yuuji can hear?

You’ve been far too scared to put together all of Sukuna’s implications. Too riddled with fear to even think about if Yuuji knew that this demon was living inside of him. Even so, from everything he’s said, it wouldn’t take a genius to figure it out. 

It doesn’t take much longer for his patience to break. With one hand still buried inside of your cunt, two others are undoing his sweats. Nothing could’ve prepared you for the sight you see next. 

Not only is his cock considerably bigger than Yuuji’s, but there’s two of them. 

With panic spreading through your body, you’re very quickly trying to scramble away. “T-those can’t—“ you’re stammering, body attempting to crawl away from him and up the table. Even with you slipping away, he’s trying to line one of his cocks up. “Those can’t go inside of me. Y-you’re fucking crazy,” you curse, mind reeling just at the thought of him trying to jam just one of those things inside of you. 

“Stay fucking still,” he barks, yanking you back down and right onto his dick. Your mouth opens in a silent scream, and your eyes begin to roll back. With your lips parted in an O, he finds himself groaning at the feeling of your tight heat and the sight of your oh so beautiful face twisted up in both pleasure and pain. 

With a deep groan vibrating his entire chest, he bottoms out inside of you. He feels impossibly deep as he nestles inside of you. Your nails scrape against the wooden surface, and your back arches. Your entire body is being overwhelmed by the intense pain he’s causing, yet you can’t deny the element of pleasure that’s mixed in. 

You would’ve never mentioned it to him, but Yuuji did always treat you like glass. He was always a bit too kind and a bit too gentle. It felt good, just not…intense.

“Sukuna,” you nearly scream the name, hips stuttering as you try to not cum right then. He’s pushing your knees up to your chest, leaning forward to get a good look at the pathetic puddle he’s turned you into, as he fucks you roughly. 

“You sound good saying my name, pet,” he laughs, thrusting deep into you as his second  cock rests above your stomach. “I always knew you would.”

The two of you stay like that for awhile— Sukuna fucking you within an inch of your life, and you taking it like some sort of rag doll. It doesn’t take much longer for you to cum. With the length of his second cock rubbing against your clit, you’re easily overstimulated until you're squirting all over him. 

That’s another thing you’ve never done with Yuuji. It feels so dirty and twisted, but fuck, you can’t deny how good this monster is making you feel. His cock is reaching places you didn’t think possible and it’s driving you insane. 

After what feels like forever, Sukuna’s finally starting to pull out. You’re practically half-conscious at this point. Your body is lolled out on the table, limply laying there as you stare up at him with lidded eyes. 

You watch as his, seemingly permanent, grin widens, and you don’t fully understand why it is, until you feel something else prodding at your hole. He’s not…is he?

For the nth time tonight, your eyes widen at the sight of him trying to push his other cock into your pussy beside the one that’s already there. 

“S-Sukuna it won’t fit, it won't—“

“Will you ever learn to shut up?” He snarls, starting to push in. Thankfully for him, two cocks is a quick way to get you to quiet down. You’re far too preoccupied with getting stretched beyond your limits to worry about talking back. 

It feels like you’re going to explode at any given time. It’s just too much. You could barely fit what was in you before, let alone double. Your eyes twitch due to how hard they’re rolling. 

Finally, as you begin to regain some semblance of control over your body, you try to refocus your vision. Your eyes land on Sukuna once more, studying how he begins to look less like Yuuji the longer this goes on. He’s beginning to morph into his own self. It’s weird and creepy and you want it to stop.

Drifting away in search of something else to latch onto, your eyes find another thing to focus on. This one, though, is much more alarming. 

A thick bulge can be seen poking through your skin in the shape of his cock. You watch in absolute horror as it moves in tandem with his hips. 

“You little humans,” he purrs. “All so fragile. Look at that…” once his hand goes to trace the bulge and you finally see just how large his hands really are. “Look how deep inside of you I am. C’mon,” he taps your cheek, trying to pull you from your dazed state. “You can’t fall asleep yet.”

He doesn’t even give you the chance to say something in response. Instead, he begins to fuck you at a rough pace. Not as fast as earlier, but a lot deeper. With each stroke, you find yourself crying out his name and reeling from the pleasure he’s providing. It’s sick and insane that you’re finding any aspect of this enjoyable, let alone all of it. Every single movement has you one step closer to cumming. 

 By the time Sukuna’s emptying both of his cocks inside of you and filling you to the brim with cum, you’ve already hit your climax two additional times. You’re completely dazed over at this point, barely even conscious, and definitely not aware enough to notice how swollen your tummy is due to the copious amount of cum he dumped inside of you. 

He hasn’t even pulled out yet, but he’s letting out a deep sigh. The deal he and Yuuji made was that he got to fuck you once and only until he came. He has a feeling Yuuji won’t allow him any other fun than that, especially since it’s going to be hard enough trying to convince you this was a nightmare or whatever other bullshit he’ll try to feed you. 

“Okay, brat,” he mutters, pressing down lightly on the bulge and watching you haphazardly squirm. “I’m done now. Let’s go.”

One. Two. Three. 

Nothing comes. No one switches. 

A devilish grin finds Sukuna’s face once more. 

“God, you’re such a little pervert,” he laughs. “You want to watch me fuck her brains out again, don’t you, Yuuji?” Even with no response, he knows he’s right. 

His hand strokes your cheek gently, before roughly grabbing your jaw, scaring you but not enough to jolt you awake.

“Seems like we get to have some more fun, Doll.”

tagging: @enchantedforest-network , @themovingcastlez , @hannzai , @pussydrunkfyodor , @chaoticmoonave , @kkittycries , @dilfhos , @saintriots , @suyacho , @princess-okkotsu

[blasphemous-lies-and-deceit]

Flufftober Day 20 - Alternate Prompt: Gravestone

"Oh, this one's so pretty."

"Pretty mossy," Gerry agreed, stepping over another patch of weeds to stand next to Michael beside the mossy monument. It was a rather classic shape, a cross carved above the rounded stone with space for an inscription. The stone was so aged and weathered that it was impossible to make out the words carved into it, but it was still beautiful, in a rather gloomy way. 

"Is this the one?" Michael asked eagerly, brushing fallen leaves off the top of the headstone with gentle motions of his gloved hand.

"I think so," Gerry agreed, pulling out his mobile and snapping a picture. The creative urge was blooming in his chest, thrilling and exciting even though he was nowhere near his easel. A spooky abandoned graveyard was an odd place for most to find inspiration, but it was certainly fitting for him. He lowered his mobile and studied the gravestone again, crouching for a better look. The texture of stone and moss would be tricky, but a fun sort of tricky. "You wouldn't mind if I hang the painting in the flat, would you?"

"Of course not, it's lovely," Michael assured him, taking his hand and pulling him to his feet, expression peaceful and serene. He seemed to be enjoying himself just as much as Gerry was, soaking in the vibes and atmosphere with relish. "This whole place is beautiful."

"It is," Gerry agreed, swinging their arms up so he could spin under them, dead leaves crunching under his boots and his jacket swirling out around him. "Just like you."

Michael beamed and pulled him close, wrapping his arm around his waist as they began to dance, carefully weaving between grave markers and headstones. Gerry followed along with him, ducking under low branches and nearly losing his footing only to be saved by his tall boyfriend's arms. The cool air smelled of dirt and dead leaves, biting at his nose and cheeks, and Michael's face was similarly flushed, both of them reflecting the other's joy as they spun to a stop beneath a large tree, hidden under its dark branches.

"I've always wondered," Michael panted, his breath clouding the cool air as he took both of Gerry's hands and tugged him closer, until they were each other's space. "Is it disrespectful to make out in a graveyard?"

Gerry had to fight the urge to burst out laughing. That was not the correct reaction, at least not in the moment. "Not for me," he said instead, squeezing Michael's hands and tilting his head back to gaze up at him. "I think it's practically required of me."

"That's what I thought," Michael murmured, his eyes heavy and wanting. He used both their hands to hold Gerry's chin in place as he leaned down towards him, bringing their lips together for a kiss that started soft but quickly became deep. Gerry moaned into his mouth, feeling overwhelmed and claimed in the best way as Michael devoured him, grabbing him by the waist to pull him flush against his body. It was delightful, it was addictive, it made Gerry want to pull him down onto the dead leaves littering the ground and give himself up fully, damn the appropriateness of the location. He wanted more.

Michael pulled back with a moan, pupils blown wide as he stared down at Gerry. "Are we done here?" he asked, sounding just as wrecked and wanting as Gerry felt. "I have to take you home right now."

"You don't want to do this here?" Gerry laughed breathlessly, cutting off with a gasp when Michael ducked his head to mouth at his neck, his hand keeping him pressed close to his body.

"I'm not goth enough to fuck in a graveyard, my love," he moaned, kissing the underside of Gerry's jaw. "I need a bed with at least three pillows on it, to start with."

Gerry could no longer hold himself back, laughing brightly up at the branches overhead. He felt light-headed with love and delight, completely at odds with their surroundings, but that was simply the effect that Michael had on him. He was the brightest joy in his life, no matter their surroundings, and Gerry sent a silent thanks to whatever good that was out there for bringing Michael into his life. All of the misery in his life had been worth it, just because Michael had been there afterwards. He wouldn't change a thing.

[whomadewaffles]

Pjhazel incorrect qoutes Part 2!

this one feels more pj-centric so...sorry to the haters, but I think she's amazing so.

As last time, long post under the cut, sorry for not citing the sources, bad language and raunchy humour abound ect ect.. enjoy!

--------

Hazel: Pspspsps

Pj *walking over to her*: What are you doing idiot, trying to call a cat?

Hazel *frantically taking notes*: Holy shit it worked

*note: to me, Hazel is dog coded, and pj is very cat coded*

-------

*Hazel has a date with a girl at school, and pj is having a normal one about it*

Josie *gasps*:...You're JEALOUS!

Pj *clearly jealous*: I am NOT jealous. And I'll tell you why I'm jealous - Because I'm not jealous!

josie: You're not making any sense.

Pj:  - Oh and all of a sudden you're the President of Things that Make Sense?!

-------

Pj *talking to Mr .G with the club about the next meeting or something*

Pj: Cool, thanks, dad

*everyone staring at her*

Pj: Why is everyone staring at me?

Isabel: You just called Mr .G “dad”.

Pj: *scoffs* No, I didn’t, I said thanks, man.

Mr G: Do you see me as a father figure, girl?

Pj: No! If anything, I see you as a bother figure cause you’re always bothering me.

Josie *not one to miss out on messing with her best friend a little*: Hey! Show your father some respect.

Pj: I didn’t call him dad!

-------

Hazel *carves "pj + Hazel" into a tree*

Pj: What a nerd.

Pj *adds "4ever"*

_______

Hazel: We should get you to a doctor for a check up immediately. What if it happens again, and there isn’t anyone around to help you? What if it’s congenital? Oh my God! Was it me? Did I hurt you?

Pj: …You realize any other person that made their partner pass out in bed would simply feel really proud of themselves, right?

--------

*Hiking*

Hazel: Mother nature is beautiful

Pj *panting trying to catch her breath*: MOTHER NATURE IS A WHORE!!!!

-------

Pj: relax, Principle meyers won’t be able to trace this back to us.

Josie: Are you for real? He traces everything back to us! He traces things we haven’t even done back to us!

-------

Pj: You're wearing make-up.

Hazel: Oh, it's just eyeliner. Do you like it?

Pj: ... Looks okay... I guess.

*later*

Pj *freaking out to josie later*: she looked so good.

Josie: I know.

Pj: I'm so gay.

Josie: I know...

---------

Pj: Being horny 24/7 and a virgin is not for the weak.

------

Hazel: Do you even have a self-care routine?

Pj: "Keep going bitch" said to myself in different accents.

--------

Pj : Going overboard is basically 75% of my personality.

Pj: I'm a gorgeous hot mess.

--------

Hazel: Sometimes I worry I'm being awkward, but then I remember it's half my charm, so I redouble my efforts immediately.

--------

Hazel: Things look a little tense.

Pj: Don't worry, I'm gonna open with a joke.

Hazel: Please don't.

-------

Pj: But now they come for my girl?

Pj: My sweet, defenseless hazel?

Hazel: ...

Hazel: …I know how to make bombs.. I have 16 taekwondo medals, and I'm the best fighter in the club?! I killed someone with a football helmet?!

------

Pj: Good news! I didn’t screw up!

Hazel: …

Pj: I screwed up less badly than usual!

Hazel: …

Pj: Screwed up with less immediate consequences than usual

---------

Pj: *drunk and hitting HEAVILY on Hazel*

Hazel *blushing*: Usually, I would love to take you up on the offer, pj, but you're too drunk to consent...

Stella-Rebecca: Aww, that's sweet, Hazel. I'm sure pj appreciates that you don't want to take advantage of her.

Pj: THE HELL I DO!

---------

*pj driving with hazel in the passenger seat*

Pj: I'd be really lost without you, Hazel.

Hazel: Pj! That's so sweet, I'd be lost without you aswell.

Pj: No, no, literally, where the fuck are we.

--------

Pj: Would you still love me?

Hazel: ...If what?

Pj: *voice cracking* No, that was the question..

*note: its pj's abandonment issues coming through*

_______

Pj: the power of women's history month is coursing through your veins

Mr.G: Women's histordeez nuts!

-------

*Warning: this is an ANGSTY one, my friends- don't worry, they work it out. As a sidenote; watch the scott pilgrim show if you haven't already. It's so good*

Pj: the truth is, I was too afraid to face you and my feelings

Hazel *angrily*: So you left without a word?!

Hazel: You made me feel like nothing.

Hazel: You we're afraid? Good for you!

Hazel: All I ever wanted was for you to see me.

Pj *holds back tears knowing she fucked up badly*

-----

Hazel: No, I'm not tired of being nice. Yes, I still just wanna go apeshit. These things can coexist, stop asking me.

------

Hazel: my kink is saying something incredibly corny and watching you speed run the five stages of grief as you realize with horror you still want to fuck me.

Pj *pillow over her face*: I am begging you, Hazel, please get a new kink…

------

Pj: Hazel figured out she can sneakily stick a note on someone’s back.

Pj: But she doesn’t know they should say things like “kick me”, so they just have cat facts on them.

------

Hazel: You idiot!

Pj: I’m sure you’re right, but why?!

------

Brittney: Can you come collect your freak of a girlfriend please, she's doing things

Hazel: No.

Hazel: I set her loose on purpose, she needed enrichment.

-------

Isabel: Ever since you started dating, you've become really nice and kind to Hazel. It's sweet

Pj: Well, duh, I'm not stupid. You don't bite the hand that fingers you, or whatever the saying is.

_______

Pj: I need bitches, how to I get bitches wise one 🙏🙏🙏

Rhodes: Well, first off, you gotta stop calling them that, girl.

---------

Pj: It's nice to see you again.

Hazel: Are you talking to my cooch?

Pj: Yes.

---------

Pj: Vulnerability is like so hard. If I told you anything sappy, Hazel, please know that I had to do hand to hand combat with seven layers of embarrassment, regression, and abandonment issues.

--------

Hazel: Pj, people love you and care about you whether you like it or not. I love you whether you like it or not. And no matter how hard you try to push me away, I'm not going anywhere. So just get used to it, okay?

-------

Pj: I guess I’m just a bad person.

Hazel: No, you’re not a bad person. You’re a terrific person. You’re my favorite person. But sometimes you can be a real asshole.

_____

[the-cult-of-russo]

Just Beneath The Flames (Part 5.5)

Pairing: Billy Russo x Reader

Warnings: cursing, smut at some point probably lmao zombie shit, typical canon violence. You know the drill.

A/N: The other half of chapter 5.

—-----------------

When you got back to the treehouse, you tried to take your time so you didn’t end up getting there when they were still dealing with whatever it was they were dealing with. You took the stuff you were keeping out of your bag and put them in the treehouse, before putting the bags of meat for the camp in your bag. You still had the Nutella and peanut butter in there for the kids. Your eyes drifted to something that was sat beneath the window, something you’d made and you still weren’t quite sure just why you’d made it. It was a small Blackbird that you’d carved from a piece of wood, something you’d picked up as a hobby although you hadn’t done it since being back in your old group. You’d found yourself making it before you even realised what it was and you toyed with giving it to Billy since it was clearly him you’d been thinking of when you made it. Given how things just went down, you decided to grab it and put it into your backpack, wondering if it would make him feel any better. It really hadn’t taken you that long, even after you’d tried to be incredibly slow with organizing your herbs in alphabetical order just to waste time. You didn’t really have anything else to do and you didn't want Karen to come looking for you so you decided to set off and hope it would be okay. It wasn’t though and the very thing you’d wanted to avoid was taking place as you approached the camp. You were really starting to make a habit of this. 

“You need to calm down, Frank,” Karen pleaded. You were standing away from the camp, lingering in the trees out of sight but Matt turned his head to you, clearly knowing you were there with his weird ass super senses. He gave you a sympathetic smile and he looked tired. 

“I need to calm down?! Is that a goddamn joke? This guy was connected to Rawlins!” Frank yelled and even though you knew he had a darkness inside of him after the shit he did as The Punisher, it was weird for you to see this side of him.

“We don’t know that,” Karen frowned, her voice sounding weak in her argument like she didn’t really believe her own words. Your eyes drifted to the others, Sarah and the kids huddled in the tent but it was open. Everyone else was around the fire as Frank and Karen were standing as they argued. Billy was just staring off into the fire with a cold blank look on his face and honestly, it was far more terrifying than his angry face.

“I do know that! We ain’t in New York city no more, Karen! We’re in goddamn St Lawrence County! What are the fuckin’ chances of this shit turnin’ up on our doorstep like this?! You this it's chance?!” he bellowed, looking ready to have an aneurysm.

“Cool it, Frankie,” Billy warned, his tone eerily monotonous. Frank's furious eyes turned to his friend then who hadn't even looked at him as he spoke.

“Excuse me?” Frank asked, his voice low and dark. Billy finally dragged his eyes to Frank then as he stood up with the grace of a lion.

“I get this is a big deal, but it ain’t Karen’s fault, so fuckin’ cool it,” Billy growled. For a moment, you thought Frank was about to pounce on him as pure rage flit over his face, but then he turned to Karen and her wide eyes and sad face and his shoulders slumped before he turned back to Billy.

“It ain’t no fuckin’ coincidence that this shit turned up here. I mean, what are the chances that these guys somehow connected to that one-eyed fucker come at us, not once, but twice? And you said he wanted you to take him to our camp, why the fuck would one of Rawlins’ men want to come to our camp, huh?” Frank asked pointedly, looking like he already knew the answer. Billy clenched his jaw and cracked his neck, rolling his shoulder as he glared at Frank.

“We both know why they wanted to come here but it don’t matter ‘cause he’s dead and he didn’t get what he wanted,” he bit out. 

“It just makes no sense. I mean, why now? Why here? We all thought that asshole was dead. He can’t look after himself, we talked about that shit. But somehow he’s alive and he’s still got men watchin’ his back and doin’ his dirty work for him. And somehow he’s right here on our doorstep and he’s fuckin’ with us,” Frank muttered with wild eyes. You felt uncomfortable just watching all of this like some kind of voyeur and you considered just leaving while Matt was the only one to know you were there. As if the man himself was reading your mind, you glanced over as he said something to Foggy and Foggy looked up at you before saying something to Matt. To your horror, he came right over to you but everyone else was too preoccupied to notice. 

“Hey, I see you came at a great time,” he snorted and it made you smile as you tuned out the back and forth between Billy and Frank.

“I noticed,” you muttered wryly.

“If it makes you feel any better, I have no idea what’s going on either. I’m not really in the loop. I mean, Matt has this whole history with Frank and Karen’s our friend, but all this… no clue,” he grinned. It did make you feel a little better. 

“I heard you killed that guy. I guess saying like good job or something would be weird… it was murder… but still. The old rules don’t apply anymore I guess. I’ve never killed someone myself, I know it’ll happen one day and I’m not looking forward to it. Things have changed though, right? Like… it's a you or them kinda thing and if you don’t do it then they will. Even Matt’s had to do it a few times and he was like, super against murder and stuff, being Daredevil and everything,” he rambled as he shook his head. Your eyes widened a little as you looked at him.

“Matt was Daredevil?” you asked in a hushed tone. Of course you knew who Daredevil was but you had no idea it was Matt. Although, knowing of his weird abilities, it started to make more sense. Foggy blinked at you for a moment looking like he’d done something wrong, but then he relaxed and chuckled with a shrug.

“I guess the cats out of the bag, not that it really matters and all with the whole ‘world going to hell in a handbasket’ thing we’re dealing with,” he snorted. 

You were about to reply when Karen came over, finally noticing you.

“Hey,” she smiled, but it was tired and she looked emotionally drained. You felt for her. You couldn't imagine what it was like to be in a relationship with someone like Frank. You knew what happened to his family and knew of his crusade to avenge them. You understood his pain but it must be hard for her to be with him sometimes. How could you look to the future if you were stuck in the past? 

“Hey, I brought some things,” you murmured with a warm smile, slipping your bag off your shoulder and opening it. You got out the bag of meat and then the jars you’d brought.

“These are for the kids, thought they’d like them,” you shrugged and her smile seemed more genuine then. 

“I’ll take them over,” Foggy smiled as he took the jars.

“For the kids, don’t forget that,” Karen warned playfully and Foggy held his hands up in defense before walking over to the tent. 

“You okay?” you asked quietly as you handed her the meat. She nodded but her face was tired.

“Yeah, I just… It feels like it never ends, you know? We finally feel like we can move past stuff and it just… comes right back to haunt us,” she sighed with a frown. You wanted to say something to comfort her like ‘it will be okay’ or ‘I’m sure things will work out’, but you couldn't make promises you couldn't keep. You had no idea what it meant that the man who had cruelly taken Frank's family away seemed to be following them or whatever was happening. You were worried. This guy was no joke and he had help on his side, you had no idea what that meant or what threats there would be. It felt far worse than just a group of degenerates in the new world.

“I’m sorry,” you settled on saying, not having anything else to say and you wouldn't stand there and lie to her to make her feel better. It wouldn't help anyone. She seemed to appreciate it though as she smiled.

“Come on, I’ll get the food going,” she said as she gestured to follow her into the camp. You trailed behind her and people seemed to notice you were there then as they murmured hellos to you and you smiled at them. When Frank saw you, he walked over to you with a serious look on his face.

“I wanted to say thank you… for what you did back there. When that asshole realized Billy wouldn’t give up information, he’d have shot him dead. And Bill’s one of the best shots I know, but with that dick's gun… he wouldn't have stood a chance,” he frowned. 

“It's nothing,” you shrugged but his frown deepened.

“It’s not nothing, Y/N. You didn’t have to help, didn’t have to intervene and put yourself on the line like that but you did it anyway,” he insisted. You nodded and you nibbled your lower lip, slightly uncomfortable about being on the spot like this. You didn’t like things being made into a big deal.

“I just did what you guys would have done for me,” you answered and you believed your words wholeheartedly. Frank's lips curled into a small smile then. 

“Damn right we would have,” he nodded, tapping your arm gently. You smiled as you felt your chest get warm and you watched as he walked over to Karen. He rubbed her back softly as if making up for shouting at her and the small gesture seemed to have her relax instantly as she smiled up at him. You looked over and saw Billy sitting against a thick tree then, a little aways from the rest of them. You knew he’d put himself there purposely, no doubt wanting space, yet your feet found themselves moving over towards him anyway.

“Hey,” you murmured, hands stuffed in your pockets. He glanced up at you and nodded, moving the bag that was next to him to the other side. You took that as an invite and plonked down next to him against the tree. 

“You okay?” you asked carefully, eyeing him as he toyed with his knife, twirling it around in his hands. He smiled but it wasn't joyful and he shook his head.

“I don’t know,” he admitted and it made you frown. You didn’t like seeing him like this. 

“I got you something,” you said, feeling a little apprehensive about giving it to him. You hoped it would make him smile a little though. He looked at you curiously and you dug around in your backpack before getting out the carved blackbird. His dark eyes seemed to light up as he saw it and you handed it to him. He turned it in his hands, looking at it with a wistful smile on his face.

“Where d’you get this?” he asked, looking much more like the normal Billy you were used to as he gazed at you with a smile.

“I uh… I made it,” you snorted, feeling your cheeks heat up a little. He looked stunned for a moment as he blinked at you but then his lips curled into a bright grin. 

“Seriously? You made this for me?” he asked, sounding astonished. You nodded, not really sure what to say, you didn’t even know why you’d made him something in the first place, it wasn’t like you’d made any for anyone else. Without warning, his arm came around your shoulders in a sort of one-armed hug and he pulled you close to him. It caught you off guard and you weren't used to it now after being alone for so long. But you relaxed into him, a shy smile painting your lips as you actually found you enjoyed it. His scent was comforting to you as he gave you a squeeze and you noticed he didn’t remove his arm from you.

“I love it… thank you,” he said sincerely and you looked up at him with a smile. He was incredibly close when he held you like this and you found yourself thinking about how unfair it was that he was so attractive. In the old world, if you’d have seen him in a bar, you’d have gone and approached him. You’d have thought he’d turn you down, he looked like a model or some shit, but you’d have tried your luck anyway. 

He kept his arm around you and pocketed the bird, you found yourself wondering what he’d do with it, if he’d carry it around with him or leave it here. Then you told yourself you were thinking far too much about it.

“I’m gonna go for a quick walk, come with me?” he asked, raising his brows as he gave you a tentative smile. You knew food wouldn't take too long but despite his mood lightening a little at your gift, you could still see the stress all over him so you nodded. He stood up, his arm finally leaving you and then he held his hand out to you. You took it and he helped you to your feet before he let it go and you both wandered to the trees. You didn’t go too far, enough to be out of earshot but close enough to be there if needed as you walked around the perimeter of the camp. He looked completely deep in thought and you were torn between asking him if he was okay again or letting him have his peace, but he decided to speak anyway.

“I don’t get scared often. I’ve been to war, seen so much shit that nothin’ really gets me anymore. I could look death right in the eyes and fuckin’ smile… But Rawlins… he…,” he trailed off with a frown and when you glanced over to him, his eyes looked wild and sad and you felt for him. 

“I hate that I’m scared of him, hate givin’ that piece of shit the satisfaction. But I know what he’s capable of. He’s real good at manipulatin’ people, gettin’ ‘em to do his dirty work for him. He might not be great at the doin’, but he’s great with the plans and he always seems to be ten steps ahead of us and that worries me. Those people back there… they’re my family and this asshole already took my family away once and I won’t let him do it again, I can’t,” his voice took on a panicked edge and he looked so completely lost, like he was adrift at sea. You grabbed his wrist, making him stop walking and look at you.

“I know all this shit is heavy right now and I won’t stand here and tell you things will be fine. I have no idea how all this is gonna play out, but… If I had to pick who was coming out of this on top, I’d be rooting for you,” you murmured sincerely and he blinked at you for a moment. 

“I haven’t known you or the others that long but one thing is perfectly clear to me. You guys love each other, like you said, you’re family. Rawlins doesn’t have that with his guys. They might be loyal but there’s an end to that. There’s only so far they’ll be willing to go, a line they won’t cross that doesn’t even exist when it comes to those you love. When Sam was sick and I knew he’d wind up dead…” you trailed off, your brows creasing as you looked away for a moment and Billy moved the arm you were holding so your hand slid down into his and he squeezed it. When you looked back at him, his dark eyes were imploring and he held your hand tightly.

“Honestly… I was so desperate towards the end that I would have killed an innocent person if it meant keeping him alive because that’s the kind of shit you do for family,” you admitted quietly. It wasn’t something you were particularly proud of but you knew deep down it was true. Billy didn’t look horrified by your words though, if anything he looked like he got what you were saying and only seemed mildly shocked that you’d felt that way.

“Rawlins' men don’t give a shit about him, not like that. If they keep coming, we keep taking them out and those that are left are gonna start dissenting. Things might get messy and it’s scary but I have no doubts in my mind that you guys can do this because you have each other. That primal need, the desire to keep each other safe no matter what the cost is what’s gonna save you, and honestly… that shit’s really hard to find now in a world like this,” you muttered. You’d admit you felt slightly envious of them. You loved your old group and you’d trusted them but it wasn’t the same as a group of people who knew each other since before the turn. They formed bonds before all this and the world falling apart would have only solidified those bonds. Sam had been the only one you knew without a shadow of a doubt would have your back no matter what and once he was gone, you’d never been the same. Sure, you could form new bonds like you had with Billy and the others but you didn’t think you’d ever have what these guys had. Not when you’d started off as an outsider.

Billy’s hand that was still clutching your own pulled you closer to him and you bumped into his chest as it caught you off guard. Not as off guard as you felt though when he embraced you in a hug, a full one this time. His arms wrapped around you and for a second, you were as stiff as a board as your brain tried to figure out what was going on. But you felt safe with Billy and your body quickly relaxed as you hesitantly brought your own arms around his middle. 

“Thank you,” he murmured into your hair as he held you.

“I didn’t do anything,” you argued but your voice was muffled slightly by his chest. He pulled away then and gave you a firm look.

“You didn’t need to be here with me, didn’t need to try and make me feel better… didn’t need to believe in me,” he remarked, giving you such an earnest look that you almost felt like you couldn't breathe.

“I wouldn’t believe in you if I didn’t think you were worth it,” you deflected your soft words with a wry smirk and his lips curled up into a smirk of his own. 

“Well, I still appreciate it anyways. And just to make it crystal clear, I hope you know I was includin’ you when I was talkin’ about the group,” he said as his eyes bore into you, a more serious look on his face. Despite the warmth in your chest his words brought you, you didn’t agree with him. You knew he meant well but you also knew he wasn’t being honest with himself if he thought that. You were about to comment on how if he was faced with a situation where he had to pick Frank’s life over yours, he would most definitely pick Frank’s and he probably wouldn't even hesitate. You wouldn't blame him one bit for it either. But your cynical words never came as Karen shouted that dinner was ready, clearly for yours and Billy’s benefit since you were the only two not in camp. 

You followed him back to the camp and sat next to him as Karen handed you the food. The atmosphere was a lot better than when you got here but the air still had tension lingering in it and you were sure it probably wouldn't go away anytime soon, not until Rawlins was dealt with. You had no idea what plans they had or if they had any at all. You weren’t sure what plans they could make when they didn’t even know for sure Rawlins was even here, although you’d admit you also didn’t believe it was a coincidence. You were pretty sure the only course of action would be to wait it out for now, to see if anything else happened and take it as it comes. It wasn’t like they had any information to go off right now to even look for the asshole. You had a feeling that waiting to see what else came at them wasn’t Frank or Billy’s favorite thing to do. They were military men, men who liked to plan and get all their ducks in a row. And while you knew they were probably good even if they had to wing it, you knew it probably sucked not being able to prepare better, not when they knew what this guy was capable of. You thought over Billy’s words as you ate quietly, not really paying attention to the conversation around the fire. It seemed like the more time you spent with him, the more you got torn in two over the whole thing. Out of all of them, you felt like you’d bonded with Billy in a way you hadn't really had a chance to with the others. You had no desire to bond with them more either, you hadn’t even wanted to bond with Billy, it had just happened. Every time you realized you’d bonded with him more, you knew you shouldn't be here. You knew you didn’t belong in this group and you knew you were setting yourself up to be hurt when the inevitable happened, but it also made it harder to walk away. He wasn’t a stranger anymore, and neither were the others, but Billy more so. You weren’t sure you could just pack your shit and leave in the wind and leave him behind, you knew you’d never be able to forgive yourself for it and you’d spend the rest of your life worrying about if he made it or not. The idea of ghosting them, him, like that felt more and more unpleasant the more you were around him and you cursed yourself for letting yourself get attached in the first place.

You couldn't leave, especially not now with the Rawlins bullshit going on. They needed all the help they could get and you’d be another pair of hands that would be useful to them. But maybe that’s all it would be. Maybe you’d lose your life saving theirs and that was how it was destined to end. You trusted them, especially Billy, to have your back and you didn’t think he’d let something happen to you if he could help it. But you knew that loyalty only went so far, much like you’d told Billy about Rawlins and his men. The loyalty this group had with each other was beyond anything you and Billy could form now, it was far too late. You would never be on the same level as the rest of them. And it wasn’t like you expected it to be, you’d never expect him to pick you over them no matter what was going on and that’s what made you so fucking stupid for sticking around when shit was about to get a whole lot worse, because you knew it meant you would most likely be the first to go. Your head was screaming at you to just cut ties and leave, self-preservation burned into it from the hell you’d been through since the dead started walking. Your heart, however, wouldn't listen. It yearned for the companionship, yearned to feel like you belonged once more, to feel like you mattered to at least someone left on the tarnished planet. If Billy wasn’t in the equation, you knew you’d probably have left already even if you liked Frank and Karen as much as you did. You weren’t quite sure just what it was about Billy that had you clinging onto him so tightly but you couldn't shake it even though you were desperately trying. You were doomed to either die helping them or to watch more people you’d grown to care about dying in front of you once more and honestly, you had no idea what the fuck you were supposed to do about it.

Taglist: (if you’ve been asked to be tagged and aren’t here, it wouldn’t let me tag some people.)

@firexfate

@blanchedelioncourt

@ariesbutalibra

@sunshinedaisies-anddeath

@snowkestrel

@music-indie-tv

@idaofinfinity

@sweetserendipity65

@ramadiiiisme

@k-marzolf

@celestialams

@woowwwee

[anthurak]

So I just came across your Odin!Ruby theories and while I'm not 100% convinced I do like them. That being said, with next Volume's plot apparently revolving around a potentially Yggdrasil-like world tree, what's the over-under on us getting a version of the "self sacrifice for knowledge" thing and what form do you think it could take?

Glad you're liking them :)

I've mentioned this a couple times in other theory posts, but with the possible Norse Mythology allusions in this Volume, I imagine Ruby making some form of sacrifice in exchange for knowledge would probably take the form of her carving out one of her eyes, akin to how Odin offers one of his eyes to the well of Mimir.

Honestly I'd call this the most likely scenario for Ruby's propensity for self-sacrifice going down the darkest, yet still plausible, path. Just going by what the show has done in the past few volumes, Ruby carving out one of her eyes does not at all seem outside the realm of possibility. Not to mention that Ruby's eyes have been established as being VERY significant. They do apparently channel the power of the God of Light, so I think it's easy to imagine a scenario wherein one of Ruby's eyes is considered 'fair trade' for some forbidden knowledge or power.

(I mean just picture Ruby at first being hesitant when some entity first gestures to her eyes, but when the entity clarifies that 'just ONE will suffice...' Ruby goes for it almost immediately)

Finally it all just makes sense from a narrative and character perspective. It works very well as a 'lowest point' for Ruby, wherein we (and her teammates) are shown just far GONE Ruby is down this self-sacrificial/destructive path, and will have lasting consequences for Ruby. Plus it's always felt like it makes sense for Ruby to loose an eye at some point. Right now she's the only member of her team who hasn't suffered some dramatic injury that has left lasting physical scars of some kind (Yang losing her arm, Blake getting stabbed and Weiss's eye-scar), and the major focus the story has put on Ruby's eyes makes it seem likely it will involve one of those. Not to mention how we're pretty close to a trend of Silver Eyed Warriors losing at least one eye in some form or another.

Also I think we can all agree that Ruby sporting an eyepatch would look super fucking cool XD

[masterqwertster]

For the prompt. # 2. Ashton/Fearne. A quiet moment between them maybe?

2 "Are you warm enough?" Okay. Just going to put here that I'm of the AO3 school of / for romantic relations and & for platonic, so if you meant it that way, sorry to say I don't write Ashton in direct romance with anyone since I feel they haven't shown sufficient interest in that direction. Can't do anything about people wearing their Shipping Goggles though. Also, because episode 63 laid the smack down before I got to writing this prompt, have some potential exploring the ruins of Hishari stuff.

"Are you warm enough?" Fearne asks.

Ashton has to give the question some thought. They're reaching the end of autumn and the ruins of Hishari (Tumilo? It's hard to say which name is right) are right at the base of a mountain range, so the weather has definitely taken a turn for the colder.

But is he cold enough to worry about?

Most people don't have to ask themselves that question. Then again, most people aren't made of rocks with all the unique differences in bodily function that entails. One of which is having thick stone skin.

See, stone takes time to change its heat level. The thicker the stone, the longer it takes to fully change its temperature. So for the surrounding heat, or lack thereof, to make the discomfort it induces known to Ashton, it has to sink it's way through their thick skin first. Which is usually a good thing, as it lets them keep going at full speed for longer than most in extreme heat, and probably cold. They never got to test cold much in Marquet. At least, not on the level of snow and shit.

So where most of the others had bundled up a bit tighter once Bells Hells settled down for dinner and camp, Ashton was still feeling the warmth flowing through his veins from the exertion of the hike. Maybe a little cooling from the air that barely relieved any of the built up heat within him.

"I'm good for now," Ashton mildly replies.

"Okay. Well, if you change your mind..." and she wiggles suggestively.

Ashton chuckles. It's true they've been slowly encouraging casual touch from the members of Bells Hells, this little family they've somehow carved out of the mess of their life, but they're still not at the levels of casual touch that most of the others go for. Years of purposely cutting themself off from people is a hell of a habit to fucking break.

Their watch continues on, quiet, peaceful. So Ashton doesn't feel too bad about trying his hand at meditating again. After all, Fearne's a better look out than him, and making nice with the local eidolons could help out with their journey.

Fearne watches, curious, as Ashton's eyes drift closed and the flashes of color in his head shift tempo and pattern. She almost thinks he's falling asleep on her (which, rude) until he starts a low humming that tickles her ears with how bassy it is.

The faun tries to hum along herself, though it's a bit difficult since she doesn't know the tune. But that's okay. A jazzy jam session of chaos is fun too.

She's just considering getting out her pan flute to really kick the music they're making into gear when she sees them: floating little creatures that look like they're made of mist and gentle light.

They're fantastic, Fearne decides as she watches them flutter about. Some of them even seem to be dancing to Ashton's tune. They almost remind her of home in the Fey Realm with how odd and whimsical they are, but something about them also feels kind of like her magic. Like nature.

And as Fearne looks around, she realizes the little fellows are everywhere. Drifting through the trees, hovering in the camp, perching on her friends, just... everywhere.

Orym and Chetney seem to have the most little watchers, and Laudna has a fair few too, while they seem barely interested in Imogen and FCG at all.

But when she looks back at Ashton...

They're swarming the genasi. A swirling miniature mountain that green and gold and red and black can just be seen through. And it looks to still be growing as more floaty creatures join the mass.

Fearne rises to a crouch, unsure if she should do something, or just watch and wait. The steady thrum of Ashton's humming hasn't let up, so he's not worried. Then again, his eyes might still be closed, so he might not know there's something to be worried about.

It's a simple precaution to call Little Mister to her side, just in case she needs her baby's help dealing with... whatever these are.

So it's a surprise when her baby boy tucks himself against her, watching the proceedings with... caution? awe? Fearne's having trouble discerning Mister's emotions on the matter.

The mist things, though, seem very interested in getting a closer look at Mister. The elemental monkey hisses, spitting sparks, and swats at a few that get too close for his comfort. Not that it seems to discourage the floaty beings very much. Fearne tries shooing a few away too, just to help Mister out. Her attempts do even less than his minor tantrum.

She really wants to know what these things are.

...Maybe Ashton will know, since they like him so much.

Unfortunately, it takes a while for the swarm around Ashton to dissipate. Probably because they don't start flitting away until Ashton stops humming. Still, it was kind of beautiful to watch.

His eyes blink open, lazily watching the misty creatures glide by, a hand drifting out for them too swirl around before leaving.

"What are they?" Fearne whispers because there's something special in this moment, in the peace Ashton exudes.

"Eidolons," Ashton murmurs, tone almost dreamy. "Nature spirits. We saw them last time we were in the neighborhood, when the group was split."

"Oh."

"...It's weird," Ashton muses, and she's not entirely sure that they're actually talking to her in this moment. "It's like... like they're glad to see me here."

Yeah, Fearne could see that.

"Maybe they wanted to welcome you home," she suggests.

Ashton snorts. "Home, huh? That hasn't been anywhere near here in a long fucking time."

"Then where is home, for you?" Fearne can't help but ask.

Ashton hums in contemplation.

"Probably wherever you dumbfucks are," they answer with a grin.

Fearne thinks that sounds about right.

[ask-emoripals]

top ten list of all the knives that sunny owns

🔪: *Cracks knuckles* Ah hell yeah.

10: three-bladed knife. Outside of the novelty of a tri-bladed knife it really isn’t anything special, still a pretty cool knife though.

9: Recreation of Stone Age knife. Pretty damn badass recreation and a great way of seeing history, but there’s a reason they were phased out with bronze and other metal knives

8: My first knife. Just a steak knife with a small chip on its blade. Still nice to keep for nostalgia.

7: Workplace utility knife. High up primarily for it’s practicality for cutting into boxes and other containers… surprisingly effective in lockpicking into abandoned buildings.

6: Medieval dagger. (with sheath) Makes me feel like a badass assassin, and the sheathe is quite pretty and nice to stim with.

5: Serrated knife with foot long blade. Effectively a short sword. Almost never carry it in public but it’s great for cutting meat from the grocery store, and the serrated edges are good for opening cans. Can’t get higher due to people thinking I’m a serial killer for having this with me.

4: Butterfly knife. Badass appearance and opening mechanism. I use primarily for knife tricks, though it’s great for carving wood.

3: Aztec sacrificial knife. A birthday gift from Mari. Blade is so fucking sharp that I got a severe bleeding by merely brushing against it slightly. Fancy appearance especially with the obsidian blade.

2: Swiss Army knife. Nice appearance, cool and practical functionalities, and is usable in a lot of situations. Less of a knife as much as it it a multitool. But so very awesome.

1: Puukko. A damn beautiful knife, sheath is wood carved with cute kitties, blade has some nice runes, and the handle is made from birch and is so very pleasant to handle. Extremely practical, and can be used to cut meat, brush clearing, cutting tree branches and firewood.

And this is my list for my knife collection. Do ask me other questions involving knives or other weapons, and perhaps the jewelry and crafts I’ve made too.

[meissashush]

4, 11, 17, 18, 25 <3

I liveeeeeeeeeee

4. What’s a word that makes you go absolutely feral?

Good feral or bad feral?

My favorite word ever is susurrus; a hushed sound, a murmur, the rustling of wind. It looks and sounds how it should and it makes my brain purr.

The word I hate the most is turgid. I don't think I need to quantify that, just look at the damn word.

11. Do you believe in the old advice to “kill your darlings?” Are you a ruthless darling assassin? What happens to the darlings you murder? Do you have a darling graveyard? Do you grieve?

Honestly? Nope! I don't kill my darlings much at all. I do, however, sometimes set them aside into a different dock to be recycled later. My 'darlings' are phrases and events that I think are fun and cool, so they get to stay because they are fun and cool.

17. Talk to me about the minutiae of your current WIP. Tell me about the lore, the history, the detail, the things that won’t make it in the text.

Uhhhhh -shoves my piles of WIP under a rug- What wip? I don't have wip. Haha.... haaaaa

Okay, well let's take a look at one that probably will never get published. Pre-Tears of The Kingdom being released, I was getting out my impatience by throwing Noctis to the wolves. Now I'm well into the new game, and ironically I can still make this fic work, but idk if it will ever evolve beyond what it is--selfish fun writing.

Some excerpts:

The Legend of Lucis Noctis wakes up in the Sheikah Resurrection Pool, completely alone and confused about where he is. There is no Zelda to speak to him, nor does he have a connection to any of the Messengers. The pedestal that held the Sheikah Slate is empty, just a glowing circle with a strange ruin carved into it and a rectangular space. His magic has no interaction with it. The ‘bed’ he had been lying it is entirely dry, as Link had resurrected here, and Noctis was just dumped there by Etro. The air is humid and warm, but Noct doesn’t exactly fancy wandering around the weirdest ruins he has ever seen butt-naked. They definitely aren’t from Solheim, though he couldn’t have placed them if he tried. Ignis would be so disappointed in him. ... Noct slowly tries to get his bearings, not sure where he is or what is going on. He feels like he’s in a sort of stasis as well, his head pounding and sluggish. He wanders down the hill and finds the remains of the Old Man’s fire, as well as the apple tree and a large church. He makes his way towards it, not in the least hopeful because it looks to be in as much disrepair as anything else, but unwilling to risk getting caught out at night when the daemons came out. He wanders past the broken and overgrown fountain and up the stone steps, mildly unnerved by the weird metal statue that sits half in a puddle, covered in rust and moss. ...

Up the stairs towards the Temple (of Time) leaves Noct with a foreboding feeling. There is the metal leg of one of the Guardians sticking half out in the archway and it sets his teeth on edge, but he feels stupid once he realizes it’s another statue. The thing is terrifying, looming over the rubble, but the designs are similar to the Shrine he came out of, and he’s not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing. All he knows is that he doesn’t really want to meet the guy who designed them. He decides to skirt around the room and head up the left side, only to see the ‘statues’ frozen where they were climbing up the side of the temple, and Noct decides they _definitely_ aren’t statues. Fuck. He continues into the Temple, bummed to find it mostly torn asunder on the other side, but wanders over to see a few pots. Gladio is in his head, emphasizing the importance of hydration, so he picks one up to see if it might be water tight. Something rattles in it. He tips it over to find a bundle of arrows, which is weird as shit but he’s not complaining. He looks in the next few, finds more arrows and yet another chest, this one with a bow. He’s pretty much convinced he’s either trapped in a video game or in a coma dream, because there is no way anyone would leave around a bunch of chests with ‘loot’ in it. Still, he takes what he can carry and grabs a pot. Before wandering back down to see where the was water that wasn’t full of robot, he eyes the statue at the end of the Temple. After everything he’s gone through back home—did any of that even really happen?—he feels weird not being respectful of obvious religious iconography. His own gods, after all, we really very real. He can’t hope that the ones of this world will turn a blind eye to looting. The statue is way less… detailed, then he’s used to. All rounded edges and winged like a Messenger in the Cosmology. Also the six little ones circling the big one was making him uncomfortable, but he made a show of walking up to the statue and bowing anyway. “Hello, um, statue? Well, the… uh, god, I guess, that this statue depicts. I really hope you won’t mind me taking these. I mean, they’re just laying their otherwise, and I kinda need to be able to defend myself. I’m, uh, also going to take a pot to get some water. I hope that’s okay?” He feels weird and also stupid. The statue feels like it’s smiling at him like an indulgent mother. He takes the lack of smiting to be a yes. ...

He walks down the stone steps, carefully looking for signs of life or danger, and tries to ignore the amount of robot corpses frozen in time around him. If it weren’t for the bird and bugs and breeze, he would have assumed he was frozen in time with them. Instead, the whole thing just feels apocalyptic. The huge fuck-you glowing tower definitely wasn’t helping things. Big, blue, and foreboding. Just like his— Okay, no, that joke didn’t even make sense to him, and he’s the only one around to appreciate it There was also another weird glowy thing a little ways away, also blue, but he felt even less inclined to wander out there. Instead, he walked to the base of the glowing tower. It had a weird grate system along all its edges that he could probably climb, but he wasn’t sure how long that would take, let alone how long it would take him to get back down. Just beyond the tower, he can see what looks like a decrepit stone wall. He walks over the hill, man the breeze is nice here, and towards the wall. As he gets closer, he starts to see a road with lined with flags somewhere in the distance. At the edge, he can the road is full of destroyed buildings, leading towards a broken bridge and off in the distance a mountain with a split down the center. He feels incredibly alone. He walks along the wall, heading right, hoping to find the remains of a guard posting or possibly somewhere that leads off the plateau. He doesn’t want to believe he’s the only person left. As he moves right, he encounters the East Abbey, and, unfortunately, more guardians. It’s the humming noise that alerts him to them at first, having opted to ignore the creepy statues in favor of inspecting the wall. Once he hears it though, he whips his head around, desperate to find the source of the sound. He finds it, blue and red and aiming right at him. Noct warps before he can think. Once, twice, until he’s undercover. He’s breathing heavy, backing away from the robots with his heart in his throat, when he starts the hear the buzzing again. To his left (facing with his back to the east now) is another one. Without thinking, Noct runs.

18. Choose a passage from your writing. Tell me about the backstory of this moment. How you came up with it, how it changed from start to end.

Ah yes, the hug. As in, the one thing I have given you to survive on while I slooooowly stretch this relationship as thin as it'll get.

Nyx couldn’t pretend the warm tears on his face were the rain, much as he wanted to. He sniffed wetly as they came, unwilling to look at Cor, who must have thought him a child. He felt exhausted, as he always did once the storm finally came, the burn in his hands leaving behind an old, familiar ache. In Galahd, he used to bury himself into his mother’s arms, letting the storm roll around them as the grip of Ramuh’s Temper finally let him loose. He had no shame in his tears back then.  Now? Now there was only shame.

This scene was rewritten TWELVE times. Mostly because Nyx did not want to admit that he was crying. For a while it was just a place holder as

He pulled away from Cor, quickly turning to rub the rough edge of his sleeve over his face like a sniveling child. Cor’s hand was still on his shoulder, firm, but Nyx was desperate to make space between them. To spare Cor the indignity of comforting him.

Nyx is such a drama-queen. He was so much meaner to himself about this before I cut it down. The man needs therapy.

“Cor, I’m sorry, I—” “No.”

This is where Cor having a kid makes him a MUCH better romantic interest. Pre-Rosea Cor probably would have let Nyx continue to pretend he was fine so he could keep his dignity. This Cor? Nah, he knows only one thing and it is Hug.

The fight left him as that firm hand pulled him in, warm arms coming to wrap around and hold him close. Nyx stood, stunned, as Cor hugged him. A broad palm made slow, warm circles on his back as Nyx choked on the tears he couldn’t swallow anymore. The thick embrace of the heavy rain swallowed the noises of the city, and as Nyx relented into his arms, all he could hear was the thundering of his own heart against the steady rhythm of Cor’s. He let his forehead fall to Cor’s damp shoulder, his arms coming up to grip desperately at the man that held him. “It’s okay,” Cor whispered. “I have you.”

This is about as much fluff I can manage before I start to squirm. Naturally I made Nyx reflect this.

Thunder shuddered around them as Nyx relaxed into his embrace. The proud part of him wanted to pull away, to fake bravado and deny himself this humanity as he had done storm after storm in Insomnia, but he didn’t. He burrowed his face into the crook of Cor’s neck, content to ride out the storm in his arms.

And then I made myself swallow that so we could get more hug out of it. You're welcome.

It was warm. Warmer than it had any right being, soaked from the rain as they were. Nyx couldn’t even remember the last time he hugged someone, beyond the barebones slap on the back Lib had given him a few weeks ago at Yamachang’s. He didn’t know how, but life had slowly dissolved into nothing but workday after grinding workday, every moment spent picking up the pieces that monster had left behind and attempting to cobble them back together into a respectable Kingsglaive. To sew himself back together, too, in the wake of his betrayal. They stood for a while, Cor gently murmuring comforting words in his ear as the man continued to soothe his hand against Nyx’s soaked jacket. His face was aching from where it was pressed against the obnoxious epaulettes of Cor’s formal uniform, and Nyx couldn’t help but snicker at the stupidity of their situation. Two of the strongest men in Lucis, soaked to the bone and hugging it out in an abandoned guard post. The press would have a field day.

This last line was actually one of the first I wrote. I was mostly making light of them hugging in the plotting portion of this fic, so its at least a little bit surprising how serious it got. Though, to be fair, the Original also had no hug at all, soooooooooo

“Feeling better?” Cor asked, voice warm and bemused against Nyx’s temple. “Yeah,” Nyx sighed, still unwilling to pull away from Cor’s embrace. “Fuck, I needed that.”

25. What is a weird, hyper-specific detail you know about one of your characters that is completely irrelevant to the story?

Tredd is lactose intolerant.

[creativebrainrot]

dusk trees firstborn and how well they handle kids

maelgwyn

perplexed by children

hes doin his best but ??????

could maybe do the dad thing for one(1) child

once they grew up would probably think "that was fuckin weird" and never raise a child again

(very secretly the 'i act gruff with you because emotions scare me but i do genuinely love you and i would kill god to keep you safe' dad type)

rhosyn

please do not let her raise children

she would literally cave instantly when they cry and get them a n y t h i n g

bad bad idea

but as an aunt fuckenung 11/10 literally amazing

will try to teach them dagger techniques please dont let her teach your toddler dagger techs

llacheu

no.

lynette

honestly????? not horrible with kids

kind of stern and easily annoyed but as bratty as lynette is sometimes, she has self control she just doesnt use it

wears the "worst clothes she owns" around kids (doesnt want her super expensive stuff to get ruined by child playfulness & accidents) (worst clothes she owns means, normal, easily purchased clothing.)

lets them play with her very well-trained Iboga companion (who is the softest lil fucked up snek youve ever seen)

still probably a bad idea

kynwyl

literally a perfect dad

has helped previous lovers with their kids

immaculate papa vibes upon this lad

wholesome

invents games to teach things and cheer up sad childrin

can magically make kids stop crying (no idea what this power is just always knows what to do)

dad jokes

sleight of hand magic tricks

cerwyn

smol

pretty okay with kids :)

"moms bf whose cool i guess"

doesnt really like kids tho (loud) (menacing little things)

would do his best anyway

morven

no🤍

faeryl

really good with kids

knows how to teach em stuff in healthy ways

also perplexed by children but shrugs it off

gives em carved toys and stuff she makes with rhosyn

evnyssyen

"why are these humans so small"

"no seriously whats wrong with them?????"

"what do you mean there are small versions of every species except us what the fuck"

[kobblefort]

Rushsly: Almost The Bottom 2

ENDGAME SPOILERS BELOW THE CUT... MAYBE. THEY DIDN'T REALLY HAPPEN LAST TIME. BUT THEY COULD HAPPEN THIS TIME! YOU NEVER KNOW!

-116 is stripped for gold, but reveals no more. The project must be paused again - flux stones are needed to continue steel production, so a big random chunk of dolomite is carved out. Migrants arrive, but only a few, bringing our population from 108 before the siege to 115. Perhaps they heard what we're about to do. Maybe they just heard how much our fortress is flourishing.

Indeed, they are just enough to tip us over from being a "town" to a "city," and our wealth must be known all over the Hill of Scars - maybe even all across the Land of Nails.

One must wonder if they know of the beasts lurking in the depths, if they hear of the ratfolk pitifully sending handfuls of themselves to die against our walls, of the potential doom we flirt with at the bottom of the earth.

The child Sraraz Jokedknit is taken by an unknown force, and at just the same time we can hear Kerrik Perplexnightmares doing battle with our old buddies, the olm men.

And just like that, the beast is dead. It seems like prudent timing to make sure the first cavern layer is absolutely, completely walled off.

Yes, I'm hesitating, I know I'm hesitating, I always hesitate, I know jumping into the water makes it way easier to adjust to the temperature than slowly dipping in one part at a time, I know I have to just dig straight down already, but that doesn't mean I'll do it, not without a fuss, not without dragging my feet and trying to talk myself out of it.

Sraraz's artifact is Sorudrzl - Bustkindled - hey yeah I'm into busts kindling - sorry - and it's worth a whopping 22900 whatever-the-units-of-value are. Half of that number is of particular personal value to me for reasons I am not about to disclose but just know that I feel even more nervous and unsettled. But I've wasted enough time, and I'm not a superstitious man; we'll dig, damnit, deeper still, and deepe

Are you fucking kidding me man??? From the southern plains a fucking big-ass minotaur comes. I somehow doubt that it "seeks harmony" and it's time to draw up the bridge real fucking quick. By "seeking harmony" do you mean like "not having anyone left to have problems with?" If you wanna talk we can talk with us in here and you out there otherwise yeah we're not gonna talk. Bridge up doors shut everybody in - hey we might finally get to try that magma trap from literally years ago though, that could be cool.

Her first order of business is attacking the random aardvark we had lazing around outside the fort. I don't even want to post the combat logs, it was brutal, it was not quick, but it served to show us that she's fucking mean and fucking fast. Next she literally charges down a leopard and... like...

This shit is fucked up dude. She's not getting any closer to the base, but seeing the shit she does makes me think maybe it's time we test out our catapults. Remember those??? Will they even work????? One way to find out!!!

The first volley misses by a mile, but at least the sight of boulders flying through the air scares her up into some trees. Well, for a moment, anyways.

Investigating her "Military" tab shows a history of violence that apparently only started once she was 169 years old: hard year, I guess, but no reason to take it out on us or our random little wildlife creatures. She's been hiding in the trees for a while, and though the catapults are good at scaring her, it's just not possible to hit her from our position. The marksbolds will be stationed up on the turrets above the drawbridge (safely behind the drawbridge) but they probably won't be able to land any shots from there either. It's a total standstill.

This fucker shows up on the second cavern layer? Honestly who fucking cares?? Like we're so fucking busy??? We don't even go down there but we literally have this asshole up a tree blocking our access to the entire outside world???? Well, we're going to try and bait the minotaur up top into a bad position. Whether that puts us in a bad position... I dunno. We'll fucking see.

The plan is to send the one kobble in the worst possible mood of the fortress to bait it into the lava trap, and unfortunately, that'd be Zil. Despite having a pretty great time of things by its own admission, it has failed to grow close with any of its squadmates and teeters on the edge of a total psychological meltdown. So like, you know, if it dies... well...

Well we're not going to find out I guess!? Saraz Fishedpraise, an unproven wrestler fucking charges out to yank it down from the tree with his spear, stabbing it in the fucking gut - then the lung, then through the hand so cleanly it tears not just muscle but ligament and nerves. But...

well, do you see that "puddle"

It's actually pretty fucking deep, and Saraz gets thrown right down it after losing control of the battle. As the minotaur charges down the hole she saw the kobold come from...

...the thing I was planning to use Zil Dentedleaks for happens. A truly fearsome foe, but once again, not even past the first row of traps. I genuinely don't think I'll use cage traps in my next fort lol they're so fucking overpowered. I know forgotten beasts and werebeasts can't trigger them but fuck dude, a whole-ass minotaur? Well, at least now we get to throw her down a hole and she dies. A bit anti-climactic but... that's Rushsly for you I guess. Time to recover Saraz's body.

Ty is on cleanup duty again, hauling the 602-weight minotaur cage, almost five times the weight of a boulder of jet, to the garbage hole, where if she does not die immediately on impact, she will eventually be killed. She just thinks: "I feel alright."

I deduced from the location of a gem-studded pillar of obsidian in the second cavern layer where we might be more likely to find what we're looking for - maybe.

But when we get there, it's nothing. The tunnel is rerouted for a bit before I ultimately decide we'll dig one more Z-level down.

Mica. Cobaltite, bismuth, granite. Galena, worthless goddamn galena again; silver is "consolation gold." Could it be one layer deeper, just one? 118, a nice, happy number. It would have been nicer if it was 117, like John Halo. 118, right? 118?

118. Here we go.

I can smell it, man.

This alert makes me nearly jump out of my fucking skin. Cool, man. "The Goldenrod Raven." Why are you even still using iron? Whatever. That's great. We're almost there. Whereever we're getting, we're almost there. Granite, microcline, prase, we have to be close. Cassiterite, for fuck's sakes, it has to be here. Was it "adamantine" this whole time? Have I been reading it "adamantite" the whole time, saying "adamantite" this whole fucking time? Seeing the name every single time I go to punch in a work order and just misreading it every single time?? Where did I get "adamantite" from if it's always been "adamantine???"??? ??? ?????

A gnoll right now are you fucking kidding me???????

A gnoll army right now are you fucking kidding me!?!?!? Well, at least I forgot to lower the drawbridge after the minotaur attack. But seriously? Gnolls? Right fucking now???

One of them walks directly and immediately into a cage trap. The next one stands back and frets about, realizing the entrance is full of traps. A third one charges right past them and dodges an iron disc trap to jam themselves right into another cage trap. Two more nervously fret about the trees, no doubt psyching themselves up to get into the fortress and wreak some havoc, then they just walk straight into the cage traps. One more runs off the map, possibly to finally make the smart idea of going home and saying "We should not go to Rushsly, they have cage traps" - and the one fretting around just outside the cage traps without warning their friends about the cage traps finally leaves with them. Well, that's good.

And as the gnoll madness and my own random little bout of madness starts to break, we get visitors. Our old pals the dwarves. We put the bridge down for them but they insist on coming around the long way. Well guys welcome in welcome in. Just make sure you be good and careful of those fucking cage traps

[chaolie]

Devoted to Peace, Devoted to you, Day 14

[What is this?] [Day 1] [Prev] [Next]

Dream wakes up and is literally just So Confused. Him falling asleep next to Fundy wasn't a mockery nor a show of trust, it was an accident and How Did This Happen??? Fundy wakes up soon after him and complains that his shoulder hurts today. Dream jumps at the excuse to get some fresh air and takes him over to Ponk's.

They do grab some food on the way there and Fundy's arrow wound gets looked at. It still looks fine, according to Ponk, so they feel a bit calmer as they leave. Fundy decides that this is his chance to perhaps convince Dream not to do the whole war thing, so says he's glad he has someone like Dream here, how he didn't expect to feel any kind of comfort as a hostage but thanks to him, things aren't as horrible as they could be. He knows this is a bit forward but-

Dream interrupts him by saying he needs to tell him something, but he'd rather do it somewhere more... private. Can they make a little detour and stop at the 2nd floor of the community house since no one should be there right now? Fundy says sure. A part of him is screaming because he almost ended up just fucking confessing??? As if "pls don't destroy L'Manburg For Me <3" would work???? The other part of him is also screaming because is Dream going to confess to him?????????? Is that even a thing that could happen????

They make it to the spot Dream picked and sit down. He seems nervous, so Fundy lets him take his time with this. Is this actually going to be a confession?? Sure, Dream's been okay with Fundy calling their time together dates and they even held hands at one point but like?? Still???? They never put a name on this!! Finally, Dream looks at him.

"...I need to be honest with you. When I agreed to take you in as a hostage two weeks ago, I uhhhh MaybeWasPlanningToKillYou BUTT Uhhhhhh I changed my mind?? And now uh. Yeah. I think I. mhm."

Honesty is always great, right? So after his, Dream could even go a step further and tell Fundy he- He watches Fundy basically blue-screen at that, just freeze in place with a blank expression for what feels like hours, and he starts to doubt that. He goes to reassure him that no, really, he won't hurt him, their time together just gave him a lot to think about and-

Fundy interrupts him and decides to go for the same thing, to be 100% honest. How bad could that end, right? So after he gets Dream to promise he won't hurt him no matter what he says next, he admits that he was originally considering doing the same?? Maybe???

They just awkwardly sit together after that. How do you move on from this????

They move on when Fundy asks if it's cool if he keeps flirting now because this is a lot to unpack but he does like flirting with Dream. Dream tells him sure, the flirting is actually kinda nice. Fundy asks if Dream wants to go on a date, then. Dream says sure again.

They get out of the community house and slowly, they unpack what they just learned about each other. They start talking again and they do agree that this whole... honesty thing is a great foundation for trust. They also agree that There Is 100% A Thing Between Them. ALSO Fundy going back to L'Manburg makes that Thing difficult. ALSO ALSO they can ignore that for now. So how about that date?

They grab some food for lunch later and head out into the forest by the Greater SMP. They walk around for a bit, talking, and then settle down for a little picnic or whatever. By then, the tension of learning they wanted to kill each other is basically gone and they're getting Really comfortable. To the point where they decide to carve out their initials in a tree to promise themselves that they WILL find a way to make this work.

After all, with a start as bumpy as "I will murder you in about 3-5 business days" what could possibly beat them?

Once they head back, Fundy admits to being a bit tired already, so Dream tells him to stay at his place while he tries to maybe figure out How To Delay The War???? Besides, a lie-down in a comfortable bed will probably do Fundy's shoulder some good. That... sounds about right, so Fundy agrees. He tries not to think that he's supposed to go back home tomorrow.

[coffee---bean]

mostly done!

hey,

yesterday i spent a few hours and mostly finished the cardboard construction. i still have two weeks, so we'll see what happens!

i'll talk about three things

the process of making

what i want to do next

why i'm doing this

1. the process of making

lots of standing on chairs, hanging off the staircase, holding onto something with one hand, using my thighs to lock myself onto something, etc. sweaty work!!!!!

cardboard pulled out of bins. zipties bought at newtown mitre 10.

2. what i want to do next

i want to keep building upwards, either getting thinner and thinner, or getting thicker again, or just staying in a little cylinder.

i want to maybe integrate more lights, or carve little windows into it.

i want to put a little sign up that says "go ahead inside!"

i want to keep on sprawling and spreading.

i want to stick flowers in it, i want to do the street-light idea.

3. why am i doing this

i've been thinking about this, since stuart asked me again about my conceptual practice - in a kind of tone that implies he's worried about me or something. like he really needs me to throw him a bone in terms of why i'm doing this.

so i thought about it, and i had a lot of people came past and ask me why i'm doing it. it's really big and it's in public, so i did get a lot of people asking me stuff. a theatre professor person really liked it and was glad i was using the space. they described it as "intriguing", i think?

some people compared it to a house, or a fireplace, or a tower. i think when asked about what it is, the best i could do was say:

"have you played dark souls?"

("no")

"it's kind of a big tree thing"

but i've finally figured out a really really good title, finally. i'm calling it manifesto. why?

i like the idea of a manifesto not being words but actions. and i think this work as an object is cool, but the actions of making it have been so fun, and the actions of interacting with people through it have been so fun, and i just love having this little space to do something stupid. i love the idea that the way a painting can communicate a complex feeling and narrative, the way a poetic phrase can hold within it so much information and feeling - i love the idea that this kind of simple rudimentary object can stand in place for my "manifesto" --

it is my thoughts and feelings and beliefs. i pour it into the work, i do it wordlessly. a wordless manifesto -- isn't a manifesto made to be clear? to communicate exactly what you mean? to communicate something?

this work doesn't communicate with any words at all -- even the word "manifesto" only really means "trust me, this means something important to the artist" -- there's nothing linguistic to use when interpreting this work.

and why the fuck are you interpreting my work? no, really. why are you trying to put this thing into a box? it could be anything - STOP asking me what i meant by it.

i think i've broken through this annoying fucking question a little bit. i'm so sick of trying to figure out what something means. if i have something to say, i'll say it. if i don't, i won't. making shit up for an artwork is stupid, it's self-defeating, it's dumb capitalist logic of trying to get your money's worth out of art school. i don't want to participate in that.

go ahead. look at this big thing. let it grow and get inside you and annoy you and wonder what's inside it, and don't bother going inside it because the work of getting on your knees is inconvenient. seriously, do whatever you like. it's your work, do what you like.

writing this, i realize i am angry with how much of a waste of time i feel like art school has been. the only thing i've been given is a little bit of knowledge and been allowed to sit in the cold water and let it get a bit warmer. i'm more comfortable with the idea of a gallery, i had a degree which gives me street-cred.

but i am angry. i'm angry that i can't control when my classes are, i'm angry that i'm required to be at a certain place at a certain time. and i don't think that's reasonable, i don't think i'm being righteous. i just don't think i'm very happy with where i'm at. i'm making something beautiful and i love the feeling of making it. leave me alone, forever, please. i just want to make it until it's abandoned, i just want to grow until i stop growing, i just want to breathe until i stop breathing. i just want to explode.

i ate a lot of haloumi cheese, i have a lot of energy right now lmao. i want to see my boyfriend and laugh and have sex with him. i might go for a walk.

i stand by everything i've written, in the sense that i have written honestly, although i suspect i'll feel better about the whole thing in like 15 minutes. i'm happy to have gotten this out.

i'm not really happy with myself when i'm angry, but someone recently told me the world was ending in a way that felt genuinely convincing, and it really shook me and made me feel like everything i'm doing is pointless. i felt quite shattered after that interaction. i thought i'd gotten over it, but i still feel really shattered. i don't know what to do about that.

maybe i should make this work clear. maybe i should write a manifesto and put it inside the big tower.

[rainy-weather-supremacy]

I STRIKE BACK!

Which character would survive being exiled in Antarctica?

Funniest thing a character has said or done?

Tell me some more about your magic system! I love magic systems!

Where do your characters live?

If her brother is a evil landlord then what’s Marys job?

Who would you NEVER want to hang out with?

Who is most like you?

If you could put them in a specific time period and place in history, where would it be?

Does your story have multiverses?

Who are Granny’s and Mary’s wives?

Why did your characters end up the way they did?

One: Probably Mikaela, since they can make magical fire that would keep them warm.

Two: This one is hard bc as I think I mentioned I don't have any real story yet.... One thing that's kinda funny is that Jamie has had two seperate occasions where both she and the other person wanted to kill each other and ended up dating both. Also once Avery was trying to dig a grave for someone and accidentally dug up Daniel who was just vibing in the earth.

Three: The magic system doesn't really have any hard rules, there's just magic everywhere manifesting in different ways- Trees that make their surroundings cold or drain the light like a cloud around them, green flames carried on the wind etc. People can use this magic to do whatever they were born to do and with some studying, you can also learn a few other kinds of magic.

Four: I don't know what country they're living in, but Daniel, Jamie, Ozan and Avery live in a house in the city. Jane and Mary live on a top floor apartment somewhere in a different city. Mikaela and Tara live on a pirate ship, Camilla in Nature and Jackson also has a house. For the rest I don't know.

Five: Mary doesn't really have a job. If she does, the description is something along the lines of 'storm witch' or something like that. She can't really keep the storms away, nor does she want to, so sometimes there's just a storm and she runs around looking cool. That is her job. (Thank jod she has a wife with a job lmao)

Six: Hmm, tough one. Most of them can be pretty scary, but I actually think I couldn't stand to be around Granny without feeling bad for her and also for myself and she has a kind of weird effect that makes you feel weird too which I wouldn't wanna be anywhere near- Yikes!

Seven: Most like me... I think Arthur is kinda similar to me, because he likes watching the stars and has social anxiety and stuff but still is cool (Like me obviously) (And you in case that wasn't already clear :D 👍)

Eight: The french revolution, just to watch all of the chaos they'd cause. Mary would 100% try to get Daniel beheaded. Tara has never had more fun getting people that deserve it killed. It think they deserve to go there. As a treat.

Nine: They don't explore the multiverse or anything, but it does simply so that I can make the story where they are all in medieval times canon.

Ten: Granny's wife is Esther and Mary's wife is Jane.

Eleven: Ohh okay. Well, Mary is the way she is because her parents were really ducked up and she responded to violence with violence. The storms make her feel free. I made her because I wanted a cool character. Jane hates the way her flesh is, partially because she's trans, so she is now working on replacing it with carefully carved wood. I made here so Mary can have a cool wife. Daniel started off as a kind of antagonist to Mary but I really like him now, he had the same bad parents as her and he's like that because his first path of action is now manipulation bc if it worked then why not now. Avery was a bit more fucked up first but it's the way it is because it came from a very rich family where people where cold and backstabbers to even their loved ones. They also hunted a lot, so she does that now too but different (TM). Ozan lost his legs for some unknow reason and just started telling lies about it and now the reason he lost his legs are different every day (It's the worst when he wakes up and finds that he currently still has legs because then he actually has to go through it again). I'm not sure why I created him but he's here now and not leaving. (CW: CHILD DEATH) Leon I thought of when listening to 'welcome to the internet' and heard the phrase "here's a nine year old who died". He is the way he is because he was always very indifferent about death, so much so that when he got run over by a car he didn't really die. He's a ghost now that can only touch things that will die soon. That's also the reason his sister Camilla is like that, tough I'm not exactly sure what lead to her cooking with rotten food and having moss grow in her hair. She's just silly like that. Created because I thought of the phrase "my cousine Carmilla from the Corruption" and thought it was funny. For Tara I just took the aroace siren and added agender. I think that probably something fucked up ahppened to them but who knows, they just want revenge on everyone now. Mikaela was also just there someday and their story has something to do with running away, but once again has not been worked out. Toby didn't mean to start taking happiness from the people by watching them but it happened because he liked to observe them and I guess he was just so happy about them being happy that they were no longer happy, if that makes sense. I made him because wouldn't that be fucked and Arthur was based on another character I made once that started existing when humans observed the stars for the first time and ceased to exist after the last. Arthur was kinda bullied and stuff, so he just turned to the sky for comfort. His loneliness attracted some kind of magic power, so here he is. Jamie was kind of smiliar, with being made fun of in school until he was afraid of being known. The darkness, where no one can know what you look like, called to him so much that he can now shapeshift freely as long as he's in the dark. Esther I made because I thought a mysterious but kind grandma with kinda evil intentions would be cool. I have no idea why she's like that she just is. Granny was the last one I made but I kinda just got the idea fully-formed in my head one day. She's like that because she magically went insane, but I don't know why yet. Jackson I made because it would be funny to have a normal dude and tbh he's just vibing and George the monster baby bc it would be funny to have a baby in the family. He's a monster because his parents where and he might actually come from another world.

Thanks! I will return it tomorrow 😈

[rickie-the-storyteller]

Incorrect Quotes - Dylan Edition

Dylan quotes, everybody.

Here's the link to the generator:

Let's go!

Dylan: Firstly, how dare you use mathematics to make me look stupid! Dylan: I’m actually very good at mathematics. Dylan: Thirdly, I think you might be right.

Dylan: When I see initials carved into a tree with a heart I think it’s so romantic. Two lovers on a date… one of them carrying a knife for some reason.

Dylan: We got a free day now. What do you wanna do? Eat? Sleep? Nap? Snack?

Dylan: Well, if you're not at least a little bit gay for your friends, then what kind of friend are you?

Dylan: I'm a firm believer in "if you're going to fail, you might as well fail spectacularly."

Dylan: Fuck capitalism. It's a rigged system that keeps us poor and it isn't fair. You shouldn't need to work three jobs to afford basic necessities. Dylan, playing Monopoly: Sorry, if you wanted to win you should have tried not being poor.

Dylan: Oh, so when crows remember people who wronged them and hold grudges, it's “intelligent” and “really cool”. Dylan: But when I do it, I’m “petty” and “need to let it go”.

Dylan: I'm not creepy. Dylan: I'm petty. Dylan: There's a difference, ya know.

Dylan: What is the big deal about borrowing money? I do it all the time! Sometimes, I even pay it back!

Dylan: Valentine's Day? I'm ready. *Sprays an entire can of AXE body spray on themselves*

Dylan: I'm not superstitious… But I am a little stitious.

Dylan: Blackmail is such an ugly word. I prefer extortion. The X makes it sound cool.

Dylan, holding a gun: If the conspiracies about life being a simulation are true WHOEVERS CONTROLLING MY SIM I JUST WANNA TALK.

Murderer: Any last words? Dylan: Do you think I'm cute? Be honest.

Dylan: STOP! *Everyone stops* Dylan: wAiT a MiNuTe-

Dylan, lying on the floor, depressed: I'll never be a cop. I'm gonna have to be a robber.

Dylan: I was put on this earth to do one thing. Dylan: Luckily, I forgot what it was so I can do whatever I want!

Dylan: I hate when people ask me, 'What did you do today?' Buddy listen, I woke up at noon and then it was five p.m., okay? I don't KNOW!

Dylan: I would do anything for money. *later* Dylan, covered in blood: THE STATEMENT STILL STANDS!

Dylan: I'm usually that person who has no idea what's going on.

[blorbologist]

41. ALSO TOOTH RELATED. Sonetimes people grow an extra tooth in their mouths such as in the roof of it. This is called a meisiodens and it is often surgically removed. Wildcard for your choice.

(I told you in DMs, but I actually had two extra wisdom teeth - one in each side of my top jaw! They were little and made getting the actual wisdom teeth out a huge pain both attempts.)

You know one thing elves don’t have? Wisdom teeth. You know one thing they do have? Super tiny, slender, gracile jaws not made for wisdom teeth. 

One guess as to what unlucky half-elves get. One. 

Vex thinks Vax is trying to wheeze out a swear through the swelling, but it’s hard to hear him over the rolling boil of the kettle. Its contents are a dark berry red, stained so from the shards of willow bark spinning and curling in it. 

Clerics are expensive. Surgeons even moreso, when clerics exist. And yet healing magic has few solutions for ‘something natural is causing my brother unfathomable pain, get it out of him, get it out of him’. Magic fixes what’s wrong with the body - not much help when it’s the body functioning perfectly fine that’s hurting you.

(Perfectly fine - fuck, she’s almost glad they’re not in Syngorn. They’d tut and pity - these poor half-breeds, their anatomy not made for such primitive dental arrangements. Or something equally prissy and stupid.)

“‘m alright,” Vax grumbles.

Vex snorts. “Like hell you are, Vax.”

It’s agony, waiting for the water to cool. Probably more for Vax, but - the sound of his suffering hurts more than the thought of what this will do to their meager savings. 

“Drink this,” Vex says, the concoction now only warm and not burning, spooning it into Vax’s mouth. He gags and tries to cuss her out - good, at least he’s got that going for him. “Stop fussing - it’ll help with the pain.” Watches until he drinks it down and glares at her through the tears. A swollen face doesn’t stop him from pulling a middle finger at her.

She pauses. Swallows, adjusts the bow slung over her shoulder.

“I’ll be - I’ll go to town, alright? Make an appointment for this - try to drink some broth if you can, Vax?”

It’s terrifying, leaving him alone. Vulnerable.

Not like she has much of a choice.

--

Years later. Percy’s swapped places with her at least an hour ago - yet he still hasn’t gone to sleep, despite a long watch before. 

It’s not like she can’t notice - his shuffling and turning and shuffling again is loud. Louder still for how unusual it is - he usually sleeps like a log. A log that jerks awake in a whimper, sometimes, but a log until then. 

She can’t tune it out, so she ends up padding over to prod him with her foot. “Percy?”

“Vex?” It comes out more garbled than she expects. He blinks up at her with owlish eyes, without the glasses - oh, yeah, wimpy human vision. 

“Are you alright?”

“Nothing to worry about,” he gets out. 

It clicks. “Tooth pain, darling?”

Another roll - clearly it’s on both sides, for comfort to evade him so. “I- yes.”

Vex has Trinket watch the camp as she slips away. Willows are distinctive trees, thankfully, and it’s simple enough to carve off some bark once she finds one. Stroke up the fire and boil it, leeching the painkillers from it. 

She pours it into a battered tin cup and hands it off to him. Wisely he blows on it, letting it cool. Percy makes a face at the inhaled steam - an even more prominent one when he takes a sip of the tea not long after.

“Are you trying to poison me?” he chokes, indignant. “It’s - this is disgusting!”

Vex rolls her eyes. “I could just let you agonize over the wisdom teeth if I wanted you dead - this is so much more work.”

He blinks. “Ah. I - sorry. You did go to all that trouble for this, hm?”

Percival throws back the rest of his cup with a grimace, throat working to get it down. 

“Do me the favor of killing me, next time,” he wheezes, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. 

“Kill me once we get you to a dentist for this.” 

Percy tries to laugh at that - a mistake, clearly, from how he shudders. 

It takes some time for the willow bark tea to take effect. 

Vex stays up with Percy through the slowly numbing pain. Keeps an eye on him when he finds his bedroll again - just to be sure. 

Or, at least, that’s what she hisses to Vax when he wakes up for his shift.

--

When Vesper starts whining and groaning, Vex’s ears prick. It’s not like her eldest to vocalize discomfort - as though every cry, wail or whimper was locked in a box once she decided she would be Cassandra’s successor as head of the Chamber. 

“Darling?” she prompts, looking up from her fletching. “Are you alright?”

Vesper winces, ducking her head. “‘m fine, mother. Just a tooth.”

Vex closes her eyes. 

Ah.

“I have just the thing, dear.”

(Percy has to catch her by the wrist in her dash to the woods, reminding her they have Pike ten minutes away and the best doctors in Tal’Dorei, they do not need to feed their daughter that gods-awful willow bark.)

(It’s a hard habit to break.)

(Send me a prompt and I’ll write a ficlet, a HC or an AU idea + share the science fact that inspired the prompt!)