#i think i should get into woodcarving...

[keeps-ache]

okay, my plotting

[bmpmp3]

post ankle-twisting clarity

[creepypasta65]

Hi what do u think the creepypastas hobbies would be?

I chose random characters if that's okay. Thanks for the request :)

Toby, Jeff, and Eyeless Jack Hobbies:

Toby 🪓:

Toby loves woodcarving.

In his spare time, he carves animals with a pocket knife and gifts them to some mansion residents like Nina or Ben.

He likes hatchet throwing for obvious reasons. Toby has gained nice biceps from throwing hatchets.

Toby draws. Though he's not the best artist, he can draw pretty decently. He mostly draws abstract or cartoonish drawings.

He likes walking and exploring the forest, collecting rocks, pinecones, and sticks.

Toby also likes photography. He takes pictures of animals around the forest like deer, raccoons, ducks, etc.

He enjoys playing video games with Ben and Jeff. He may not be the best at them but enjoys them.

Jeff🔪:

Jeff also does woodcarving. Sometimes, he and Toby carve together or make each other little figures.

He is a workout type of dude. Jeff cares about his appearance, especially his body. He works out a lot. He has many dumbbells in his room. Jeff's weight lifts the most he can lift is probably 50 to 100lbs.

Jeff also likes boxing to take out his anger and stress.

Jeff plays video games with Ben and Toby. He enjoys beating Toby but rages when Ben beats him.

Loves listening to music. He enjoys rock bands like Mcr, PTV, The Cure, etc.

Jeff also enjoys watching horror films and makes fun of the dumb protagonist. He's like, "What are you doing RUN!". Yeah, he yells at the TV.

He plays the electric guitar and practices his favorite songs. He usually plays when he's alone because he doesn't want anyone to know.

Eyeless Jack🫘:

Jack enjoys reading. His favorite books are non-fiction, mystery, and thriller with the occasional romance. Yeah, he likes love stories.

However, he still reads medical books about the human body.

He is a writer. Jack is currently writing a book, which is a mini-series about a detective.

Jack also likes working out. His workout buddy is Jeff. They both encourage each other to do better.

He is a fan of astronomy and loves stargazing. Jack also knows all the constellations. Not many of the creepypastas know that about him. Pls ask him about the stars or constellations, he would be so happy to tell you everything about them.

Jack likes cooking. It reminds him of when he was human. He gets so happy when the creepypastas ask him to cook or compliment his food. However, he can't eat any of it because it makes him sick he can only remember how it tastes.

He likes playing checkers and chess.

Should I make a pt2? Have a nice day/night :)

[luzial]

s i ckcfgic sick fic

After some deliberation, it was determined the best way to do this was to let both Solas and Ellana get sick (one at a time, so then they each get a turn as caregiver as well). Thank you for the very timely prompt, anon.

Full text below, also on AO3.

------

Solas rolled onto his side, burying his face in Ellana's hip where she sat upright beside him on the bed.

"I'm dying," he croaked out, his throat on fire with the effort.

"You're not," Ellana said. She sounded very certain, and perhaps slightly cross.

"How can you be certain?" He tugged up his blanket until it covered his ear. Sweat was pooling between his shoulder blades and on the backs of his thighs, but his body seemed certain that he was, in fact, freezing and he should ask Ellana for yet another layer of blankets.

"You've already been to the doctor. He didn't say anything about you dying. I'm pretty sure he would have mentioned it."

She was certainly cross.

"I should sleep on the sofa," Solas offered, making a perfunctory effort to sit up. "I'll only make you sick as well if I stay here."

"No," Ellana replied decisively, a hand on his chest to push him back down. "I'll be fine. I never get sick. I absolutely refuse to get sick. You should try it."

Solas was confident it didn't work that way, but he lacked the energy to debate her at the moment and had no real desire to move to the sofa. He wanted to stay in bed, hugging Ellana's legs while feeling absolutely miserable.

"I can't sleep," he complained some time later.

His head was still under the blankets but he heard Ellana set her cell phone on the nightstand.

"Can I get you something?" she asked. "Do you want some tea? Or water?"

"No."

"Crackers? Soup?"

"No."

"I don't think it's time for another dose of medicine yet."

"No, not for another hour."

"I can grab my laptop if you want to watch something?"

"No."

Ellana sighed. "Is there something you want to read?"

"No," he groaned into his pillow. "Unless …" he said as an idea occurred to him. "Would you read to me?"

She didn't immediately respond and so he tightened his grip on her leg, hoping to convey the urgency of his request. He was suddenly certain that this would be the thing that would finally make him feel a bit better.

"I can. Did you have something specific in mind?"

"There is an issue of The Orlesian Historical Review on my desk that I haven't had a chance to read yet."

She hesitated again.

"You want me to read you articles from an academic journal?"

"Yes," Solas nodded against her leg. He wanted it very badly.

Ellana sighed again. "Alright," she said, beginning to stir beside him.

"Don't leave." He held tight to her legs.

"Solas. You do understand that unless you've trained Parchment to fetch things from your desk, I'm going to need to get up."

"I know." He dug his fingers into her thigh.

Ellana leaned over him, chuckling. "It'll be a minute. Not even a minute. Just let me go." She briefly placed her lips to his forehead, then abruptly pulled away.

"Oh," she said, the touch of her lips suddenly replaced by back of her cool hand against his skin. "You're actually really warm." She sounded worried. "Here, I'll get you a cold washcloth while I'm up."

He let out a low whine as she eased his arm off her and finally slipped out of the bed. In truth, he was feeling a good deal better than he had an hour before. But if Ellana thought he seemed worse, if she had determined he needed additional care, who was he to argue?

When she returned, she put a few extra pillows behind him so he could sit up without feeling the iron bars of his bed poking at his back. She arranged the washcloth on his forehead before sitting beside him again and opening the journal to an article on the prevalence of swans in early Storm Age woodcarvings found in southern Orlais. Solas happily closed his eyes and leaned back into his pillows.

"'The carvings at the recently discovered remains of the Avery estate in Montsimmard depict two members of the genus Cygnus facing one another, their wings outstretched. While some have argued -'"

"Wait," Solas peeked at the journal in Ellana's hands through half-lidded eyes, lifting his head only just enough to see over her shoulder. "Was there a footnote in that sentence?"

"How could you possibly know that?" She angled the text away from him.

"It had the cadence of something that needed additional clarification," he said.

"Yes," she bit out. "There's a footnote."

"Would you read the footnotes as well, please?"

She stared at him, her lips forming a tight pout as he watched her cheeks grow red. "All of them? Even the citations?"

He did want all of them, even the citations, but he was enjoying himself too much to risk pushing her too far. "The content footnotes will suffice," he said.

Ellana took in a deep breath. "This is a note after the bit about the genus Cygnus: 'As the carvings were not embellished with color, there are difficulties in determining which species is represented. While the Empress Swan was, and remains, the most common species found in southern Orlais …'"

Solas watched her as she read, entranced by the movements of her mouth and the way she swept her hair back behind her ear each time it fell forward when she leaned over the journal. He chuckled when she added editorial quips to the text (to 'give it some flavor,' she said), though he quickly lost control of his laughter as it shifted to a hacking cough. He wished he could hold her close to him and feel the cool press of her skin against his own; he wished he could kiss the corner of her mouth where it pinched each time she made a joke. He sighed loudly, his frustration getting the better of him.

"You sound worse," Ellana said, all the amusement gone from her face as she looked over at him. She ran a hand from his forehead down his cheek and it was perfect, just perfect, Solas thought.

"I'm going to get you a glass of water and your medicine, and then I really think you should try to go back to sleep." Her eyes were so wide, her mouth curved down in a little frown, so concerned, so tender.

"I will try," he said. It sounded very brave to his ears.

Once he'd taken his pills and finished the full glass of water (Ellana insisted, and he was delighted), Solas settled down beneath the covers. She left again, carrying the empty glass back into the kitchen. When she didn't immediately return, he called out her name. When she didn't reply, he called it a few more times.

Finally, she reappeared at the door with her open laptop balanced in one hand.

"I was coming back," she assured him. "I just wanted to watch something while you slept - unless you think the noise will bother you."

"It won't," he said. He had no real intention of sleeping, anyway. He merely wanted to lie beside her. Parchment, perhaps sensing his mood, hopped up onto the bed, made several small circles, and then found a comfortable spot pressed up against his legs.

Ellana slid beneath the blankets, perched the computer on her lap, and then draped her arm above his head on the pillow. Very responsibly, he did not turn to kiss her fingers, though he easily could have.

"What will you watch?" he asked.

"I thought I should finally check out that version of Inquisitive Hearts you and Dorian are always talking about," she said. "The Antivan production."

Solas knew he would not sleep now, even if he had been tired. He was far too invested in seeing Ellana's reactions to the film, though he might have to at least pretend to doze off occasionally. As slowly as he could, so as not to disturb Parchment, he angled himself toward her and hooked a knee over her leg. He heard the swell of familiar music as the film began.

-------------

Three days later, Solas returned from an afternoon in his office at the university to find Ellana sitting on his sofa with blankets piled on top of her. When he approached her, he realized she was also wearing several layers of clothing and had somehow convinced Parchment to sit on her lap.

"Why is your house so cold?" she complained.

"You're sick," he said immediately.

"No, I'm not."

"Have you taken anything?"

"No. Because I'm not sick."

She sneezed loudly, several times in a row. Parchment hopped down off her lap, clearly offended by the display. Ellana stared up at him as if daring him to contradict her.

"Come," Solas said, reaching down a hand to her. "You should be in bed."

"Well if that's what you wanted, you could have just … oh shit, it's freezing!" Ellana winced as her bare feet touched the floor.

"It isn't," he said, putting a hand behind her back to balance her. "But I will get you a pair of socks."

She was shivering when he finally managed to convince her to get into bed, so he piled the extra blankets on top of her. He brought in her laptop because she insisted she was still going to conduct the two remote interviews she had scheduled for the afternoon, even though she sounded increasingly congested (and ridiculous, and a bit endearing) with each passing minute. He considered pointing this out and decided against it - she would only become more insistent that she needed to stick to her schedule.

Solas tried not to hover outside the closed bedroom door while she finished her interviews, noting the increasing frequency of her sneezes and, now, coughs as well. Once he was certain she was done, he knocked on the door to bring her a cup of hot tea.

"Thanks," Ellana said, her voice hoarse. "I'm just going to take a quick nap and sleep it off. I'll be fine in a couple hours."

"Are you certain you don't want to take something first?"

"No." She coughed. "It's not …" she coughed again, "… that bad."

"And if you wake up and it's worse, will you take something then?"

"Sure. I guess," she shrugged before dissolving into a coughing fit and shrinking below the covers. She was snoring lightly not long after.

Solas used the hours she was asleep to clean. The house had become somewhat disorganized while he'd been sick, during which time Ellana had managed to do a load of laundry but not to put it away. He also noticed a few items in the kitchen had not been returned to their usual places. She'd been apologetic about the state of things, but he knew the blame was partially his as well - he'd wanted her to keep him company for as much time as she would allow.

With the laundry folded and the kitchen thoroughly cleaned, Solas peered into the bedroom to check on Ellana. She was lying face down, had kicked off several layers of bedding, and had her arms and legs splayed across the entire mattress. Parchment was perched on her lower back, purring loudly enough that Solas could hear it from the door. He hurried in to move the cat off her.

Ellana slept well into the evening, emerging from the bedroom with a blanket wrapped around her shoulders sometime after sunset. She insisted upon eating the soup he'd made at the dining table, though he'd found a tray to use so she could stay in bed if she preferred. She shuffled into the bathroom after she ate and returned with a selection of medicines that she spread across the table. After some consideration, she finally chose one of them and then immediately returned to bed.

Solas joined her a few hours later. She had managed to confine herself to one side but was tossing and turning constantly, her cough keeping her half awake. When he finally decided it would be best to move to the couch, she grabbed him around the waist with both arms and sleepily murmured, "Stay," so he did.

In the morning, he left her only long enough to take a shower. But when he opened the door from the bathroom he found Ellana at the front door, fully dressed, and attempting to pull his heavy winter coat over one of her arms. She already had it half on, but it was so large on her that it fell down to her ankles, and she was struggling with the second arm because her hand was lost somewhere in the first.

"What are you doing?" he said, baffled.

Ellana looked up at him and her face was deathly pale. Her eyes were only slightly open and sweat beaded on her forehead. "I'm going to the store," she said with something he imagined was supposed to be a smile but actually looked a bit harrowing.

"Ellana …" he began, uncertain what to even say.

"Do you need anything?" she asked before she hunched over, coughing uncontrollably, and reached out a hand to balance herself on the door.

"Oh, come on, Solas!" Ellana objected as he carefully escorted her toward the bedroom. "I just want to go outside for a few minutes. Sun is supposed to be good when you're sick, right?"

After a long negotiation, he situated her on the bench in the garden still wrapped in his winter coat, with a blanket beneath her and two more on top. He then hurried back into the kitchen to make tea and collect the medicines she'd left on the dining table. It was time, Solas decided, to take matters into his own hands.

While Ellana sipped her tea and blinked sleepily in the sunlight, Solas scoured his phone for some way to set a timer. Eventually he found it and set individual, labeled alerts for each of the medications he handed over to her.

"See?" she said as she finished her tea. "I told you the sun would help."

"Taking something to treat your symptoms is what helped," he muttered under his breath as he took her mug into the kitchen to refill it.

He sat beside her on the bench until she began to fall asleep, then took the mug from between her hands when he saw her head slump forward to her chest. When he felt certain he wouldn't wake her, he carried her back to the bed.

By the third day Ellana had a little color back in her cheeks and the medicine was keeping the worst of her cough under control. She was, however, far more congested than she had been at the start, and Solas had to make a trip to the store for more tissues when she went through everything he had in the house.

He knew she must be over the worst of it when, while he sat beside her on the bed and read through the latest issue of The Orlesian Historical Review now that he could better focus on it, he suddenly felt Ellana's hand slide from where she'd rested it on his chest down into his lap.

"Ellana!" Solas grabbed her and laced her fingers with his own to keep her from pulling away.

"What?" she groaned, then sniffled loudly. "It might help. You don't know. Please, I can't just sit in bed all day. I'm so bored."

"Flattering," he told her. "And yet not the solution to your problem."

She huffed with frustration and curled up closer to him, bringing their clasped hands down to rest against her chest.

"I'm dying," Ellana proclaimed with another round of sniffles.

"I know," Solas said as he wrapped his arms around her, pulled her against his chest, and placed a kiss to her forehead.

[sillygoofyqueer]

about liu qingge breaking swords that wei qingwei replaces!!! i can imagine so well they start this "project" where wei qingwei wants to create a standard disciple sword (so like a sword that doesn't have to be chosen) that is almost unbreakable in the face of battle so it can be used safely for disciple missions without them having to fear it breaking willy nilly, and he's tasked liu qingge to use it in all kinds of situations to see where it holds up!

it's a long and difficult process so eventually people start worrying about why the bai zhan peak lord is fighting giant beasts with just an iron sword

YESS YES YES YES!!! Liu Qingge receiving different comments about whether or not he's lost Cheng Luan, and getting slowly more frustrated until it all culminates in him standing up during a peak lord meeting, throwing Cheng Luan onto the table and loudly announcing "I HAVEN'T lost my sword." before just flopping back down into his seat, with Wei Qingwei giving him a supportive thumbs up from where he sits next to the man. Neither of them elaborate. I'm going to start very mini rambling now, because I'm eepy and this man is always on my mind. I think that WQW actually gets really excited whenever someone damages or breaks their weapons because "Ooooh, I was hoping to upgrade this thank you SO much for this!" as though they're doing him a favour rather than giving him more work to do. He often spends a lot of his time upgrading weapons and working on random different designs, whipping out the most intricate, tiny swords to like...I don't know, file his nails. Despite both the previous QCP lord's and Mu Qingfang's best attempts to explain to WQW that he should NOT arm his disciples until they have the sword techniques down with the practice swords, WQW has gained his shizun's enthusiasm with arming children - the only difference was that he doesn't let them use their real weapons with one another, instead just sparring with him. So he takes on the brunt of stab wounds and shit. He just likes making things, alright?? I really love to think that this guy could definitely put effort into other kinds of art, but he really loves the physical labour that can be put into making weapons specifically - from personally mining and finding the metal ores to breaking them down and turning them into something gorgeous through his effort alone! He would also quite like clay/sculpting for that reason, but he's a lot more shy about that one (he has a secret little kiln that he fires everything in because everyone knows him for his metalwork and weapons ((and maybe woodcarving)) but not claywork).

[nerogore]

what's your favorite headcanon of nero? could be one that you headcanon or someone else that you also agree with lol

!!! this is a great question, actually. for some reason every nero hc i’ve ever had has disappeared from my brain LOL. ty for the ask aaaaa

i think one of my favourite hc’s is that he has very many freckles. everywhere. more artists should draw nero with freckles!!

another good contender is that in general, he tends to be very touchy with those he holds close to his heart, especially kyrie, and especially so post dmc4. he definitely has some serious intimacy issues due to like… his entire upbringing, but especially physical intimacy due to being ostracised and later having to conceal his arm. we kinda get a sense of that in the dmc4 ending where he’s very shy about holding kyrie’s hand, but he takes the initiative to kiss her when he feels comfortable. for me personally, he comes across as the type to really, really value physical closeness once he reaches that stage with someone, to the point of sometimes being considered clingy. he wants that safety and security and reassurance that he’s doing the right thing, both in a romantic and platonic sense.

also—he loves woodcarving! he took it up as a means to pass the time and train himself to be gentle and precise with his devil bringer after realising he should learn to accept it beyond being a tool for destruction (poor boy has so many issues), but he ended up loving it more than he initially thought he would. after he lost his arm in dmc5 (then gained it back) he still continued carving. i see it as being reflective of his developed maturity and patience post-dmc4 and his ability to channel his emotions into something less destructive. and because the idea of him giving little carved animals to julio, kyle, and carlo, and the other orphans is adorable to me. kyrie keeps them displayed around the house and he gets really embarrassed about it.

[whereispearlescentmoon]

I just want to be clear that me saying I watched Pearl’s VOD playing Misadventures is not me changing my mind on the fact that I hate that the NPCs use generative AI. Pearl didn’t interact with one in her stream and seems to be more focused on the aspects that players have made and making something herself. I’m not happy about it but it’s not an active part of her content so I’m going to continue to watch Pearl stream it unless she starts using them more.

Other POVs that interact with the NPCs more I just can’t bring myself to watch. Not only are they consistently using the plagiarism + kills the environment machine, it’s not even worth it. The dialogue the NPCs have is clunky, inhuman, and hallucinates information because like all LLMs they don’t actually know anything, they just make up stuff based on what statistically should come next in the sentence. Every time one of the players decides to have a conversation with what is essentially glorified autofill, I can only imagine the gallons of water they just evaporated to have it say “I am a single woodcarver who lives in the city we are in now.”

Also I’m gonna say it, they should have to disclose that it’s GenAI in their videos. I feel like the only reason you wouldn’t is because you know people won’t be happy about it. It’s lying about what you’re doing (or at least omitting key information) so people won’t get angry at you for doing something you know a lot of them think is wrong.

[apomaro-mellow]

King and Prince 20

Part 19

There was no other way to describe it, Eddie thought as he literally watched Steve sitting under a tree with Robin, laughing at something she said. Spring had not only come to this land, but to the prince as well. Like a flower in bloom, he was open and inviting. And everyone longed to be like the sun, having that flower turn to face them. At least, that was the thought that crossed Eddie’s mind and surely everyone else felt the same way.

He teased the kids more, ruffling their hair, and even allowing himself to be the but of the joke at times. He and Robin turned out to be thick as thieves, which Eddie could have never predicted. All this because he had been allowed to roam the town.

Yesterday, Eddie happened to spy a hickey peeking from the top of Steve’s collar and could deny it no longer. He had found a lover. Steve had found a lover. Perhaps even more than one. After all, there was no reason to limit himself to just one. The fact remained though that someone was making him glow with their affections. 

Someone out there was kissing him, whispering sweet things in his ear, telling him how lovely he was-SNAP

Eddie looked down to the broken quill in his hand. 

“Something on your mind?”, Gareth asked, returning a book on one of his shelves.

Eddie wriggled his fingers and brushed the broken quill away, careful not to smudge what he had just been writing. “No. Nothing at all”, he lied. 

Gareth waited patiently for him to continue, knowing he would. In the meantime, he grabbed another book and sat on the other side of Eddie’s desk.

“Steve has been going out often, hasn’t he?”

“About every other night, yes. Are you regretting giving him that freedom?”

“Well…”, Eddie struggled for only a second to think of a reason. “What if Nancy’s right?” He pushed off from his desk and stood, going to the window behind him. Thankfully Nancy was in a neighboring town, otherwise he’d fear she would actually materialize out of thin air.

“About the prince conspiring with townsfolk?”

“Or a spy. Anyone really. We just don’t know.”

Gareth sighed. “Time to put on my ‘Nancy hat’. Why don’t you send someone to follow him and see?”

The last thing Eddie wanted to see was Steve actually in the middle of the deed. But going along just far enough to make sure no other liaisons were happening was just his duty as a king, wasn’t it? He had to protect his people. And if Steve was only just meeting lovers, well he should feel confident enough to bring them back to the castle to introduce to everyone, shouldn’t he? If they weren’t conspirators anyway.

Eddie found the resolution to do so just a few nights later. He and Robin were relaxing in a sitting room, sipping together after having sent the kids to bed a couple hours ago. That was when Steve came in and draped himself on the couch Robin was sitting on with a dreamy sigh.

“Let me guess”, she said. “The woodcarver’s son?”

“You know me a little too well for how short we’ve known each other”, Steve said, bringing his head to her lap.

Eddie was sitting on the couch opposite them, leg propped up on the armrest. He didn’t like the way Steve didn’t even seem to notice he was there.

“You’re late”, he said, sitting up.

Steve turned just his head to look at him. “I know, I’m sorry. But it’s not always easy to get away.”

Robin snorted. “You mean clean up takes forever?”

“Don’t be crass”, Steve scolded lightly. “And I’ll have you know, Jason is the perfect gentleman. He always helps me clean up afterward.”

Eddie knew of Jason, the son of a woodcarver. Diligent in his work, a leader among the youth in town. His face was…fine, Eddie had to admit. He certainly wasn’t plotting to take Eddie’s kingdom down, that was for sure. Born and raised here, Jason only stirred up trouble a couple of times the way kids typically did. He had no reason to mistrust him.

And yet…

As the night went on, Steve and Robin continued to talk about him. Apparently Jason first saw him at the festival when he competed in the games. They talked a lot about athletic pursuits. Wood carving wasn’t for the soft of hands after all. Robin asked about others Steve had met with. Faith, Gabriella, Harris, but it always came back to Jason. 

He must be Steve’s favorite. Which meant that Eddie had to see what the big deal was about. On top of all the other reasons he’d come up with before too, of course. Steve didn’t go out the next night or the one after. But the third night, he did and Eddie followed. He traveled in the shadows until they got to town, then shifted to a bird. His usual form would have been instantly recognizable at this point, so he went with a starling appearance tonight.

Steve tied his horse to a post and went into a tavern. Eddie perched on a window just long enough to see Steve immediately sit down with a young woman. So not Jason. He waited by the door for someone to go through and flew in, staying aloft in the rafters and close to the edges of the ceiling. He got right above their table to listen in. She seemed a sweet lady, but looks could be deceiving.

“I wasn’t expecting to see you here tonight”, Steve said. “I thought your family needed help at home this week?”

“I was able to get away”, she said. “Are you…disappointed?”

Steve reached out and touched her cheek. “How could I be when I am gifted with your presence?”

She melted in his touch and Eddie had seen enough. There was nothing shady going on, so he had no reason to stay. He went back home, but spent about an hour, pacing about in his room, trying to find explanation for why he was so agitated. Steve hadn’t lied. Hadn’t gone against them. Which meant he got to say ‘I told you so’ to Nancy when she got back. The night after that, Eddie sat down in his chair, ready for story time but was off most of the evening. El was the one to point it out.

“Why do you keep looking at the door? Are you expecting someone?”

“This late?”, Lucas asked.

“Yeah, you’ve been kind of twitchy all night”, Dustin added.

“No I haven’t, and it’s fine”, Eddie brushed them off. He knew it was because of Steve. If these kids knew, they wouldn’t stop until they got to the bottom of why. And Eddie wasn’t ready to face the why. 

It wasn’t until Robin spoke up later, once the children were sent off that he got the kick in the pants to find out the truth.

“They’re right you know. You were twitchy.”

“You know I can’t stand still for more than a minute”, Eddie said in his defense.

“Yeah, but this is different. It’s like…”, then she snapped her fingers. “How Mike gets when Will would rather spend time with Lucas.”

Eddie’s stomach dropped. They had been teasing Mike about his not so secret crush for a while now. To be compared to that…

The only way to prove he wasn’t jealous was to see Steve actually be with someone and have no problem with it, right? He had walked in on more than one of his servants entangled with each other. It was a big castle, places for secret rendezvous were numerous. He’d even happened on Dustin stealing a kiss from a girl in town once. He felt nothing when watching others share their affections. So Steve shouldn’t be any different. 

Eddie hadn’t disciplined Steve when he came back late, so he got more bold with his curfew. He always returned to lay his head in the castle, Eddie noticed, but he didn’t rush back as the sun set either. One day he left as the sun was dipping low, giving the last bits of light as he traveled on the path from here to town. 

Eddie followed, in his raven form this time as pitch black wings were better for camouflage in the night. And Steve may recognize this form, but even if he saw him, surely he wouldn’t put two and two together. There was more than one raven in the world, they couldn’t all be Eddie. When Steve dismounted, the tavern was just a quick stop. He tied the horse to a post and then went across the street. 

He watched the prince chat up a candlemaker, seemingly having just a nice conversation before leaving to go somewhere else. Eddie was about to follow when his bird’s eye view allowed him to see a child sitting in an alley, legs hugged to their chest. He flew down and pecked at their shoe to get their attention.

A nice shoe, not an orphan, probably just lost. The kid seemed down on themselves and after Eddie played around to get their spirits up (making funny bird noises, puffing his feathers up, tugging at their hair) he was able to lead them out of the alley. Feeling less hopeless, the child called out for their parents and Eddie helped to get attention by squawking from their shoulder.

A man ran up and scooped up the kid, grateful for having found him. Eddie took his leave then, but had unfortunately lost Steve. He knew he wasn’t at the pub, so his only lead was the woodcarver’s. That was where he flew and sure enough, when he perched on the roof, he heard something from behind it.

A soft sound, just a low ‘mmf’ that anyone else still on the street or in their homes wouldn’t be able to pick up. He walked across the roof and the posterior of the shop was lit by just a single lantern hung from a rung. He peered down, almost hanging upside down to see Steve, legs wrapped around Jason while he was sat upon some crates. Steve let out another quiet moan and Jason gave him a gentle shush.

“It’s the evening hour, you’ll wake everyone up if you’re too loud”, Jason smiled while continuing to thrust into him.

Steve pressed his lips together to keep from making too much noise. His eyes were unfocused as they looked up, suddenly gaining focus and gasping when he noticed the bird watching them. Eddie remained frozen. If he left now that he’d been spotted it would practically confirm his identity. Steve tightened his hold on Jason. His panting picked up as he got closer and Jason stuck two fingers into his mouth.

The prince groaned and for just a moment, Eddie imagined what wonders Steve was doing with his mouth. Was he simply sucking or did his tongue lick between the digits? Eddie knew he should leave, it was only decent. But Steve’s gaze kept him tethered to where he was. His eyes only closed when he started to cum, Jason pushing and pulling a few more times before he did as well. 

Steve was floating. Jason pulled his fingers out and wiped them on his shirt. He was saying something as Steve came back into himself but he wasn’t sure what. The bird had flown away.

Part 21

Taglist

@thesuninyaface @only-evanescent  @snakeorsquid  @ignoremyworld  @theclichefortunecookie 

@goodolefashionedloverboi  @just-a-tiny-void  @0body0disphoria0  @cinnamon-mushroomabomination  @samsoble 

@jamieweasley13  @y4r3luv  @xtkxkrzrizir  @un-knownperson  @greekgeek24 

@justdrugsformethanks  @potato-of-the-lord  @notaqueenakhaleesi  @swimmingbirdrunningrock  @queenie-ofthe-void 

@nebulainajar  @lil-gremlin-things  @nicememerino  @robininblue  @hornedqueenofhell 

@anne-bennett-cosplayer  @moomkin77  @here4thetrama  @bookworm0690  @autumncrocusandladybug

@lil-gremlin-things @littlebluejane @puppy-steve

[wodniars-void]

Do you have any headcanons *you* would like to share? Maybe some about Terra? 🧡

Thanks for the ask, Starlight!!!

Boy howdy DO I INDEED. Buckle up!!!!!

I feel so strongly that he is the type who would listen to like, dad rock and Jimmy Buffet. He got his music taste from Eraqus <3 He is either listening to the oldest music you've ever heard on a wax cylinder phonograph or there is a CD in a boombox blasting 80s power ballads and dad rock. He never figured out the music function of his Gummiphone so Chip, Dale, Ienzo, and Data Riku just helped him burn a bunch of CDs. Silence is Weird post-kh3 so he'll usually have music playing while he trains and does chores and stuff. He also has a portable CD player and headphones to be considerate of when Ven and Aqua maybe don't want to hear Holding Out For A Hero for the 50th time, but it's more likely you'll walk in on him woodcarving with Margaritaville playing in the background.

Secondly. Secondly. I think for his birthday Aqua makes something like peanut butter brownies, to account for his dislike of sweet things. Like how the Rockin' Crunch ice cream has a chocolate and nut shell, his ideal desserts usually include dark chocolate and nuts. There's this one chocolate place I know that sells frozen bananas covered in chocolate and peanuts and they absolutely rule. Disney Town would make him one to celebrate his return and he would cry. He has tried pecan pie and was deeply disappointed by how much he didn't like it. It sounds so appealing but it was So Sweet. If he's really craving a treat he might have a bit of dark chocolate, or some honey roasted nuts, maybe even a scoop of vanilla ice cream :)

Okay now. Post kh3 I headcanon he becomes a magnet for the kids without really meaning to, he just exudes a comfy and non-judgemental vibe. He understands having really complicated feelings about darkness, or someone who passed, or someone who hurt them. He's a safe and open space to both talk about things and seek refuge from them. He's the number one lil guy collector <3

He ends up visiting Lilo and Stitch fairly often, more Stitch than Lilo, but as above, he collects Lil Guys without meaning to and Lilo is not excluded. It's really comforting to him to see that Stitch escaped and found a happy life and made friends :) He hasn't told Lilo why he ended up on the spaceship so she keeps guessing what his Space Crimes were. The truth is he didn't do any crimes and was wrongly imprisoned without due process or fair trial but I think Minor Space Traffic Violation is the funniest option he's "confirmed". He may have done some Space Crimes after he broke out of Space Jail but that's different. He didn't get arrested for those

Okay this one is a long one and is practically an au so grab a snack and drink some water. Settled? Comfy? Okay let's go :3

Long story short: Post KH3, Terra can see ghosts. He's had Visions before, of both the past and the future, it's an innate magic ability that sort of does what it wants. He's also died, really severely, moreso than like, anybody ever. And he himself was a ghost in multiple senses for a while. So when he gets put back together, that split & death lingers. And being connected to death while also having magic Sight mixes weird, thus, ghost vision! Which leads to some fun Dark Road themed adventures :3

Long story long: Terra has visions, right? Glimpses of things from both the past and the future, that are never quite explained. For example, he should by no means know what young Xehanort or KH2 Riku look like, and yet he sees them on the Destiny Islands, and reacts to seeing them. Which indicates that happened in-universe rather than purely for the viewer. We don't know why this happens, but given Terra's other unique magical abilities (i.e. the Lingering Will), I assume it's one of the Wayfinder Trio's odd magical quirks, like Aqua being able to enchant items.

Well, being split apart messed with that innate magic. I don't know the exact mechanics, something about death mixing funny with seeing things other people can't. Something about being a ghost and being connected to other ghosts and being able to recognize yourself in others. The wires got a little crossed, essentially.

Which means post KH3, readjusting to being alive and everything, he just starts to See more often? Flickers of people around the Land of Departure, whispers in empty rooms that were never there before. (I personally believe the Land of Departure is basically like, mega haunted. Lots of lingering keyblade wielder spirits. But I'm only focusing on one set of ghosts here.) It's not anything he's not used to, he's had Visions his whole life, but the increased frequency is weird. But things don't come to a head until a late night trip to get a midnight snack leads to a literal run-in with one of the Dark Road underclassmen, which is a shock to both of them.

Thus, cue the Dark Road shenanigans, maybe some contemplation on what it means to be a ghost, idk this part is mostly an excuse to let the wayfinders and underclassmen (and upperclassmen) interact. I like them :3

TLDR: Because of his Visions and complicated relationship with death Terra gains the ability to see ghosts and it turns out to be a nicer deal than you'd usually expect :3

Okay this ask took a LONG time to answer and that's entirely on me. And it's long as hell, thanks for enabling me Starlight <3 This was really fun to work on and think about!!!! Tune in next time for more Terra Thoughts!

[mossy-green-aka-ferrythem]

I'm actually kind of done with Limbus Company mechanically speaking.

Got no incentive to return. Especially since the game has felt so frustrating to me recently in terms of how it's designed.

It feels like they're kind of designing it in a way that takes most of the fun out of it. Overpowered IDs, and a game that's rather solidly stuck to a meta doesn't do it for me. Sure you can win with other IDs, but those typically go under the label as "Challenge Runs".

Also like. It feels like they're going deeper into Gacha Hell. Even if it's like "Oh we need more money to do more things." It's like. I haven't seen that much that's that enticing to me. The Arknights crossover seems cool, but like. Sure Arknights seems thematically interesting but my friends have told me plenty about it and like. It's a gacha. It has problems.

Anyways, pretty early morning rant so not the most cohesive.

But like.

My big thing is that in my experience? Limbus Company fans will deflect ANY criticism of the game. Like. I don't hate Limbus Company. There really is a lot to love. But my god. The more I voice my frustrations with the game only to have them shot down, the more my discontent for this "game" grows. I feel like in a lot of cases, a story having a good ending can make people forgive shortcomings it can have. The shortcomings here being mostly gameplay oriented, which I will cover in my current review of it down below.

Also. I can't help that Limbus Company is getting dangerously close into a pay-to-win category. Eh. Sure you can contest me on this point but I think it's a bad thing where something you pay for in a F2P game gives you easier wins, with some truly powerful EGOs. Feels counterintuitive to a lot of practical game design.

I feel like a lot of the game can feel like that more and more even. Even more of the game feels designed around IDs that are the strongest of the strong, and I dislike the meta around strong units, since they are quite difficult to get, something you have to go out of your way for...

COMPARED TO LIBRARY OF RUINA WHEN THEY WERE JUST ORGANICALLY PART OF THE FUCKING GAMEPLAY!

Anyways I should wrap this up.

Very in-cohesive rant. Early in the morning. But. These feelings are my own.

I'll end if off with a review:

Lobotomy Corporation. A favorite of mine. Janky, obtuse, but so alluring in its design. So captivating, and so amazing. To slowly whittle away at it made me feel like an artist, like a woodcarver, slowly chipping away at a chunk of wood, until I have finished what I set out to do.

Library of Ruina. While I don't talk about it much, and have gotten bad at articulating it. This game means so fucking much to me. I love how there's so many weird strategies in this game that genuinely work in such a beautiful way. Even though this game has a sort of meta, I think it works in a satisfying and beautiful way, and when your entire deck is made up of those who exist at the apex of the City, it feels amazing. Truly amazing.

Limbus Company. In the past, while I don't do review scores, since I believe they're counterintuitive when it comes to making game critiques, I do give them sometimes. When I was still playing Limbus, I gave would give it a 7/10. A farcry from what I thought about LobCorp or Ruina. While I love the stories (even if I have some story based critiques here and there), the story is not enough to carry an experience that overall, is rather frustrating, and arduous. Many fights have polarizing clashes, where it is either just an easy slog you can do in your sleep, or is just simply, bullshit, with enemies that clash too high, and occasionally, negative coins, which punish you for like. Daring to actually engage with the mechanics in a way that make sense. It's like. If you're struggling with an enemy who's consistently clashing higher than you, your priority should be lowering the meter that makes them clash high. Enemies like Pequod Town villagers or Distorted Bamboo Hatted Kim completely destroy this philosophy. Just for an example. The big thing is, I have so, so many issues with Limbus Company that what would normally be a cohesive review quickly devolves into a rant about all the things I dislike about it.

What really gets me? A refusal for the game's fanbase to engage in actual criticism of the game. I mean look at their reaction to people leaving negative review scores on changes that, if I'm being honest, are changes I would consider bad. It's all about the "scary chinese players trying to hurt are hallowed project" rather than actually engaging in criticism of the game. Ugh. It's just. A lot. Issues with the game, that are reflected and exacerbated by the fanbase. Even people I hold in good regard as friends can be frustrating occasionally in this regard. Eh. It's just that. Yeah I love the characters and what not and love playing around with silly ideas for them, but playing with them feels more fun than playing the actual game itself.

As it stands, the review I would give Limbus Company, is a rare one where a numerical score reflects my emotions. 5/10. A glaring score of mediocrity, that only sours as the game continues to refuse to acknowledge or fix actual problems indicative to the game.

A game that builds it gameplay value out of obligation tied to upgrade materials and in-game currency, a game that is outcompeted by many other games with roguelike/turnbased gameplay in that department, so really, the only reason to play is an obligation for many people. An obligation that's not worth having.

[pastafossa]

Adventures in being disabled/chronically ill but also just weirdness. And also in the process of writing this I only basically now realized how shittily I was being treated as a disabled person because that's what happens when you put it on the page and go, '...oh, maybe I wasn't overreacting by feeling put off.'

Putting it all behind a cut because there's some ableism here and it's a bit long.

Enter Lady. We'll call her - *spins random name generator* - Angie. Angie has decided I am her friend because I woodcarve and she makes old fashioned clothes. She has decided for me that I will be going to big weeklong outdoor renfaire style events with her group, in which I will sell my stuff and I will carpool with them.

She decided this ten minutes after meeting me for the first time, by the way. I have met her a grand total of 2 times.

Anyway. These events are outdoors, and I would be camping. In the height of summer. In locations known for high humidity and summer wet bulb temps that regularly climb over 100*.

As expected, this is an issue in multiple ways, the first of which is my chronic pain wracked body tolerates camping about as well as Cocaine Bear would tolerate being shaved (source: went camping), and the second of which is one of my medication's side effects literally includes inability to tolerate moderate to high heat and a fucking mild allergy to sunlight.

I'm a goddamn vampire with limited heat tolerance ya'll, on top of being Physically Incapable Of Many Things TM. And she wants me out in the sun and heat for a week, and sleeping at night in a tent.

So I pop over to her place because she invited me (meeting 2, since meeting 1 was brief), she's nearby, and I'm still thinking she was just a little clueless but maybe this can still be like a, 'fellow crafter discussion of cool events in the area' once I explain. My plan is to gently segue from heat tolerance and disability into I Am Not Going, but also I want to use it as a little reminder not to assume people's functionality, cause I don't mind trying to educate a little. Most mean well, so I'm not even mad at this point. But I don't get far at all before I'm blatantly interrupted and told heat and sun isn't an issue for a disabled person, I can swap out with someone and go be in a tent from noon to 2, and, get this-

"You can have a fan in your tent to cool down!"

Angie, if a fan could solve my issues I wouldn't have been so eager to live in a city that is, as we speak, still getting snow in FUCKING APRIL.

Which I calmly explained.

But I am interrupted again, after I use the word, 'disability'.

"Do you have a service dog?"

No???

"You should get one. Anyway, trust me, you'll be fine. Other disabled people go and they're fine."

Right, cool, I'm definitely in the exact same disabled situation as the dude that lost a foot.

I try again. I'm blunter this time. I am disabled, my body doesn't like camping, my doctor would not advise-

"Oh you'll be fine. They have flushing toilets nearby!"

???

How does that fix the heat or my body being-

"So when you go with us to this one in May, and this one in-"

Ah, ok, we're just disregarding everything I said. Cool. Cool cool.

I sat there feeling like... a prop I guess? Just... bewildered. Obviously looking back I should have just walked out and left, but there's this bizarre feeling where you're still in Don't Be Rude mode because you haven't quite processed what happen. I did manage to cut the visit short after about 20 more minutes, drove home, still kinda unsettled. It was only after talking to mom, that I realized I'd just been completely dismissed as a disabled person. Which has happened before of course (once had a random lady interrupt my conversation with another person about my disability with, 'you need to eat more blueberries. Those have antioxidants, that'll fix your problem!'), but it's been a while.

Anyway, I will not be hanging with this person again and to be perfectly honest I'm tempted to bring this up with the witchy shop owner (who I am friends with) where the event I met Angie is held - the shop owner VERY much wants to protect anyone who's been treated poorly or have some boundary talks with anyone crossing those boundaries in a disrespectful way - but even now part of me's saying, 'no no, that's too much, just skip that event every month so you don't see Angie again'. On top of that, I'm new to the area and the art community here, and this lady's much more established. I really, really, really do not want to cause issues for myself since I'm trying to start up with all my carvings. So I'm feeling... stuck I guess.

Anyway, 'you can just have a fan!' is going down in my, 'ridiculous fixes I've been given for some part of my disability' list.

[godnonon]

I'm glad my tags made you feel good, cause I did mean every word of them. I mean photoshop is obviously a skill, but so is having an eye for what panels and poses and everything else you need to tell the story you want to tell

You know what you're doing? You're doing what people do when they edit videos in to something new, just with still images. It's the exact same kind of skill set

Totally get what you mean about feeling insecure about your lack of traditional drawing skills, but you know what? We're actually in the same boat. For me, I do wood carving and being better at drawing would make it easier cause I could just sketch out my own patterns instead of having to get drawings from friends, so I feel you. It's a good skill, and I'm sure as you keep working at it you'll get better and better at it

But what you make also takes a lot of skills. Skills that'll help you as you get where you want to be with drawing, but also skills that are just worth something on their own. Never look down on yourself or doubt yourself, you are 100% an artist as you are right now, you're making transformative work, taking other people's stories and figuring out how to turn that in to the story you want to tell

(And this is exactly the same kind of thing as fan fic, or all the fan art people draw, just a different medium)

Be proud of your skills and all the effort you put in, both into those skill and the work you put into making the comics. Also your love for the works you're doing crossovers with and the fun you're having with the stories you want to tell show through

Don't ever stop, realize that if you were this innovative at finding a way to express yourself despite your drawing skills not being able to meet your imagination's needs, there's so much more you'll do as time goes on and you keep pushing yourself to make more and more things beyond what you can currently do

You're a talented artist, don't ever forget that (and honestly, think about making collages, I've seen some beautiful stuff people make and I think you think the right way to make some stunning stuff)

Thank you again for your incredibly kind words. To get even one thoughtful and heartfelt response like this already makes all of the time and effort I put into my work worth it.

My dream is to one day get good enough at drawing to create my own comics with my own characters and world. Your comments have helped inspire me to keep pursuing that while also assuring me that my current work is still valid.

Also that is so cool! Woodcarving takes an incredible amount of precision and skill. It definitely requires a sort of talent that most people, even other artists, don’t have. You should be very proud of yourself for what you’re able to do.

I appreciate the encouragement and the suggestion. My mom is passionate about photography so maybe I can work with her on some collages. Have a wonderful day and best of luck with your works :)

[solitaireships]

Friendly Banter - Part 1

Hi, and welcome to the first little series of fics I'm doing on here! I was disappointed by the lack of banter/companion comments on what character you end up romancing, so I decided to take matters into my own hands and write my own banter. There'll be five parts of this, with each one having banter between Minala and a different companion

This first one's going to be with Davrin! It's a little non-traditional for my selfship fics since it's not only not including my f/o in the fic and it's actually pre-relationship, but I think it's cute

Rating: Gen

Genre: Fluff

Words: 654 words

Divider by saradika

“Alright,” Minala says, sighing as she stands up from her seat in the library. “We should have everything good to go for heading back to Hossberg tomorrow. Thanks again for helping out, Davrin.”

“It’s no problem. It might not be my usual station, but I know enough about the Wardens' work there to lend a hand,” he says.

While the two of them were making plans for their next venture out, he’s been whittling away at a bit of wood, slowly shaping it into another monster for his collection. His craftsmanship has always impressed Minala— she can’t imagine working on something as unforgiving as wood for hours. At least if she spells something wrong in one of the stories she writes, she can always just start again on a new page or cross it out. There’s no fixing mistakes with woodcarving, not without starting over from scratch.

“Well, either way, I appreciate it,” Minala says. “It’s a little late to head over now, but I’m thinking we can head out there with Bellara tomorrow morning.”

“Sounds good. Maybe when you fill her in on the plan, you can let her know about some other things too,” Davrin says.

Minala blinks, looking over to where he sits, still carving away on what looks to be a carving of a deepstalker. “Sorry, I could tell her about what?”

Davrin shrugs. “The world possibly ending seems like a good motivator to tell someone you’re interested in them.”

“I still don’t know what you’re talking about,” Minala says. 

It’s a blatant lie, and probably one Davrin recognizes as such. It’s not as if the two of them just talk in a professional capacity— Minala’s surprised at how easy it’s been to make friends with the rest of the Veilguard, and she and Davrin seem to get along particularly well. Well enough that he clearly doesn’t buy her attempt to say there’s nothing between her and Bellara, with him raising a doubtful eyebrow as he keeps working on his whittling. 

For a moment the two of them are in relative silence, the only sound being his blade carving through the wood. Then Minala sighs, fiddling with one of her braids with one hand. 

“Okay, yes, I like Bellara. A lot more than I expected to. I was hoping to keep it quiet until I figured something out, but… well, here we are.”

“Here we are.”

“And apparently I’m not doing too well at keeping it quiet.”

“I only know because a griffon told me,” Davrin says.

“Assan can’t talk.” At least Minala’s pretty sure he can’t.

“He can’t,” he confirms. “But I did overhear you talking to him about Bellara.”

“Ah.”

“And with how often the three of us go out together, it’s hard not to notice the eyes you two keep giving each other,” Davrin says.

“We’re not giving each other eyes,” Minala insists. Or at least she’s pretty sure that Bellara’s not giving her any looks like that— maybe she’s been focused a little too much on her and just didn’t notice. The thought that it’s obvious enough for Davrin to have noticed her looking is embarrassing, though.

“Right. Well, like I said. If the world might end, I’d at least take a chance with someone I’m interested in,” Davrin says, leaning back in his seat. 

He has a point and Minala knows it. They’re doing everything they can to stop the gods and keep their Veil from falling, but there’s always a chance things could go wrong. She doesn’t know how much longer she or anyone else will have left before the end. She should ask Bellara if the two of them might be something more than friends before it’s too late. 

But still she’ll need to work herself up to that. 

“I’ll talk to her. Not right now, but soon,” Minala says. “And thanks.”

“No problem. Just try not to give yourself something to regret.”

[medievalfantasystories]

Friends in Unlikely Places ~ 1302 ~

Finnian and Matildis walk through the town looking in all the shop windows and Matildis ogles at dresses in a clothing shop window.

Matildis: Goodness! Finn, we should go in and have a look, just quickly. The dresses are so beautiful!

Finnian: Not really what I was thinking when I said we needed to find some work, but we can make it quick, my love.

They enter the clothing shop and are greeted by a beautiful young woman.

Ediva: Welcome to Granite Falls! And welcome to our little shop. I'm Ediva, and this is my husband, Willielmus, and our son, Henre. (She gestures to each in turn) You look like you've travelled far. Are you finding everything alright?

Ediva is a very bubbly young woman and her little son Henre is never far from her feet. Willielmus stands behind the counter, looking a little distant from the conversation.

Tilly hesitantly steps forward, she is a little taken aback by Ediva's bubbliness at first.

Matildis: We have. My name is Matildis, you can call me Tilly, and this is my husband, Finnian. We're... new in town. Just arrived, actually. I was looking at your beautiful dresses in the window. We were actually hoping...

Finnian notices her nervousness and interrupts her, bowing to Willielmus.

Finnian: We were hoping you fine folk may have some idea of where to find some work, and maybe a place to put up our tent for the night? Anything, really, to get us started. I am a woodcarver by trade.

Willielmus eyes Finnian and nods to himself, with a polite but distant smile.

Willielmus: Woodcarver? Hmm. Not much call for that here. Granite Falls is more about utility, to be quite frank with you.

Ediva waves her husband off, and smiles brightly at Matildis.

Ediva: Nonsense, Will. Beauty is always needed! Perhaps I can help. I'm in dire need of someone to help with the shop, and with the coooking and cleaning, and to look after little Henre. He sure is a handful. I'm drowning with so much to do around the house! The pay isn't much, but it's a start.

Ediva: As for housing, I'm sure Will can work out something with Lord Proudfoot, the lord in charge of the land around here. He'll get right on that, we'll find somewhere for you guys to rest your heads tonight, don't you worry.

Matildis: I would be eternally grateful, Ediva. Truly. I'm a very... thorough housekeeper. And I love children.

Ediva: I can see that already from your kind face! Wonderful! Will, why don't you talk to Finnian about the blacksmith shop across the street? Ricardus is always looking for strong hands. Isn't that right, dear?

Willielmus sighs slightly, but nods at his wife and turns to Finnian.

Willielmus: Of course, dear. Ricardus' Blacksmithing. Just across the street from our little shop. Loud enough, you can't miss it. He's...direct. Don't expect pleasantries. But he pays you on time. Let him know that I sent you and he should be able to set you up with something.

Finnian: Direct is fine. Strong I can do. Thank you, Willielmus. Thank you, Ediva. This... this is more than we could have hoped for.

Ediva: Don't worry about it for a second, dear. Granite Falls welcomes those who are willing to work. Tilly, why don't you come upstairs with me and we can talk about the arrangements? Henre, you behave yourself, Mommy will be right upstairs if you need me, okay?

Henre: Okay, Mama.

Willielmus comes out from behind the counter, he walks over to Finnian and shakes his hand before heading for the door.

Willielmus: It was nice to meet you, Finnian. Let us know if you need anything else. I'm off to go talk to Lord Proudfoot about getting you set up with a plot of land. You'll likely have to sign a contract and get set up with some payments, but the Lord is fairly benevolent. He will likely give you some extra funds to get started on a small house.

Finn: Thank you, again, Willielmus. We really do appreciate it.

Willielmus: Please, call me Will, and I'll catch up with you a little later today. Ricardus's shop is just that way, I wish you luck.

beginning // previous // next

[owlbelly]

2024 bingo review

no bingos. half-hearts are for things i started or did occasionally but didn't feel like i really completed to my satisfaction, which is maybe a little unfair because some of them (especially the garage clean/organize & woodchipping) i did make serious progress on but it's a huge job. so idk maybe i should have counted those! i counted "stretch/walk" because i did WAY better with stretching (almost every day for my legs/feet!) & i think i walked more than i did last year but i was hampered by tendonitis for a lot of the year again. i did a fuck ton of yard work though so that should count! i'm very bad at "going for a walk" as an activity in itself - i don't like walking the same route over & over again, i don't like walking up the big hill RIGHT at the start of the walk we always take, but i DO like doing hours of yard work to actually accomplish shit i can see.

my creative goals got put on the back burner again (as usual) due to putting most of my art energy into freelance...i need to not let that happen next year. i mean i need to continue to make money but jfc i also need to feel like i experimented & accomplished something new with my own art!!! feeling very hopeful about woodcarving, i'm really enjoying it now that i started. i just have so many things always that i want to make/do, & so little energy/time (executive function?). music also just didn't happen but i did acquire MORE instruments (stole my dad's mountain dulcimer because he doesn't play it, picked up a few hand drums at thrift stores, got a vintage keyboard for free) so like. bitch. either play them or get rid of them!!! i need to play them!!! i got a tuner as a holiday present so guitar/banjo are back on the menu too. i need to find local people to play with, i do much better with music when i'm not alone.

some of these are definitely gonna roll over to 2025 because i feel strongly about them, i also need to like...think about how to word things so that they're more doable or i can't look at them at the end of the year & go "welllll did i REALLY accomplish that?? probably not" because that's not a good feeling & i tend to be somewhat unfair to myself. i appreciate seeing other people's bingo sheets without bingos though, because it reminds me i don't HAVE to get a bingo! also there were a ton of accomplishments i made this year that weren't on that list at all, like organizing the fuck out of the house.

gotta work on the 2025 sheet now!

[solar-nightengale]

oooh hellooo how about 11 or 23 from 'dialogue prompts for injury' list? ;) any blorbo of your choice.

Ohoooo hellooooooo 😏😏 Ngl you had me really thinking on which to go for cause both were equally as fun choices but eheheh well!!! holding the result out to youuuuuuu

dialogue prompts for ~injury~

11. “I’m going to lift you up, okay? Tell me if it hurts.”

The sound of a thud outside had Pinocchio immediately dropping his tools to the workbench and rushing out. Gods, he should have known letting the kid play on her own out there would be a bad idea. Iskra might be with her but even she can’t stop every problem that could occur. He could trust her to come and get him or Lampwick if necessary and keep the kid out of any trouble, but he knew even her abilities were limited.

So running out and seeing the kid, surrounded by fallen branches and Iskra nuzzling her as she cried, he knew he had come across a moment where one of those limits had shown.

“Hey! What happened?!” he exclaimed as he walked over, Bethan immediately shrinking in on herself, though her sniffled didn’t cease as much as she would have probably liked.

Silently, Iskra nodded up towards the tree, Pinocchio quickly guessing that she might have fallen out while playing. Gods, maybe he should have watched her this time around. Or not let her out of the house.

He breathed in deeply to calm his own nerves down as he crouched next to Bethan, resting a tentative hand on her shoulder as she sniffled. It would do neither of them good if they were both worked up, and with how upset she seemed… yeah he was sure it’d only cause her more distress. He only hoped she wasn’t too hurt.

“Hey, butterfly,” he murmured, rubbing his hand up and down her back “Can you show me where it hurts?”

“Here,” she mumbled as she pointed to her ankle. He looked down at it, reaching out carefully only for the child to pull it away from his reach. He instantly withheld from touching it. It didn’t look too bad at least so he was sure it wasn’t at least broken?

“I’m going to lift you up, okay? Tell me if it hurts.” he stated as he carefully tucked his hands under her arms and lifted her to her feet.

“Ow, ow, ow, ow!!” the kid exclaimed, grabbing for Pinocchio’s shoulders before he even had a chance to let her go, Bethan wobbling with only one leg on the floor. Okay, no trying to stand for now! So be it; he hoisted her up into his arms, letting her rest against his hips as she buried her face into his shoulder.

“It won’t go away!” he heard her whine, as Pinocchio stood up, dusting off the twigs and leaves that clung to her.

“I know, bug. We’re gonna fix this okay? You may just need to rest it.”

“It won’t work.” he heard her mutter, Pinocchio withholding a sigh as he walked back inside, Iskra taking her post outside the door.

“Well if that ends up being the case we’ll just find another way to make it better.” he suggested, hearing the kid hum softly. He set her down on the bench and walked to grab a couple of bandages, working carefully to wrap the ankle up in it. It took while bandaging it, and for the child to glance over towards the firepit, for the woodcarver to remember something, giving Bethan a couple of pats on the knee as he walked through the house. On a cast iron sheet lay rows of pastries, a recipe his father once taught him. It was his second time making them and so far, it looked like this time they were far more successful than the last. He reached for one, hissing as he hopped it from hand to hand before tearing it open, satisfied on seeing it entirely baked through. With that he moved back to the bench where Bethan was still sniffling, looking up curiously when he knelt down and passed one half of the jam-filled goodness to her.

“Here, for your bravery you can get the first taste.”

“Brave?” she asked, as she tentatively grabbed for the piece.

Pinocchio smiled. “Yes, my bug. Falling out of trees and getting hurt can be very scary I’m sure.”

“Maybe…”

He watched her expression give way to further despair, the woodcarver setting the other half of the bun in his lap as he wrapped his hand around the younger girl’s making sure she cupped the pastry well. “And there’s no greater healer than good food.” he explained, seeing the toddler’s eyes widen.

“Really?”

“Oh yes. It can make even the hardest of days a little happier.” he added with a grin. Bethan eyed the treat albeit warily at first, before taking a small bit. The child’s eyes widened even more as she gasped, a smile slowly breaking through the drying tears. “See?” he chuckled, as the child rubbed at her face, banishing the last of her upset away. She nodded firmly, grin so wide it made her eyes crinkle. In a matter of moments Pinocchio was fighting to keep his balance when the toddler threw her arms around his neck, laughter escaping him before he had a chance to stop it.

‘They will be fine,’ he assured himself, as he tightly embraced the kid in turn.