#iiii hope this is ok

[chip-and-the-bastards]

Coat of arms of the Chosen One

(helmet design from @nervous-eel, it's super cool!)

[phregnancy]

Thank you so much for your depression post. Also the vegetables stuff is too real I feel so much guilt over having to buy precut vegetables.

listen. you and me? you and i and whomever else? same. we deserve vegetables. it is so great that some people are able to buy vegetables from farmers markets or buy vegetables in whole no plastic without a second thought bc cutting veggies is so easy for them! but it’s not for us. if precut vegetables is the difference between you eating vegetables at all vs not, get your precut veg. you deserve food that makes you feel good, who cares who cut it. you deserve it nonetheless.

[nomairuins]

the world if sims 4 had more lots per world

[wolfhealed-a]

@howlingkiefman

vincent was still getting used to this place, but he felt hopeful for the first time in a long, long time. this village promised a lot, vincent was here for all of it - all of it. he had yet to actually meet people, though. he .. was used to solitude, a life led in self-inflicted isolation - so this was new. he didn't quite know how to meet people.

he was thrown into his former pack wordlessly & dragged along half his life, but nobody ever took a moment to get to know him properly & vincent being the self-conscious, shy pup that left egrain when he was just a teen didn't know how to try either.

this time, though, he wanted things to be different. he wanted to feel at home. he just didn't know where to start. for now he was sat on a log bench by the river, watching water flow & letting all kinds of scents hit him. including the one of a fellow wolf. perking up & releasing his legs from its crossed position in front of him, he spun around with a little smile on his lips. "hi." vincent remembered him from his first day, but... name... name.. damnit, he forgot the name. "ummmm, hi. i forgot your name. i'm vincent."

[mncxbe]

ihihi a bit unsure if your requests are open (I don't think I've read that they're closed? But it couldve been an oversight on my part iiii dunno) but if they are, could I rq sfw prompt #5 w/ Denji (´▽｀*)?

ok so technically my prompts are closed cuz I don't have that much time to write but it's Denji i can't say no to him😳 i loved writing this hihi hope you like it♡

5– helping you cope with period cramps

"Denji— hurry up please"

Your voice was weak, barely above a pained whine, piercing through the silence of your apartment. The blond shut the entrance door, hastly discarding his shoes in the hallway. "I'm coming right away, Y/N. Hang in there"

You've always warned your boyfriend about how bad your periods could get, but he was lucky enough not to see you at your worst during the few months you've been dating. Well, not until now. When you texted him earlier that day to cancel your date because of your cramps he knew he had to help somehow.

So here he was, stumbling into your bedroom with a handful of boxes of sweets, sodas and a cat plushie. Denji's face dropped when he saw you curled up under the futon, your face scrunched up in pain as you struggled to breathe. "Hey, pretty, how are you?" he asked softly, placing the gifts he carried on the mattress next to you– chocolate truffles, biscuits dipped in vanilla cream, soft cookies, canned cake and cherry flavoured fizzy drinks.

"I didn't know what would help so I got all your favourites" he smiled shyly, pushing the pile of treats closer to you "And I hope you like the cat. The label says it's called Pusheen so... it was pretty cute. I thought you could hold it when you sleep when I'm not here."

God, he was so sweet. Although you've been dating for a while now, Denji was still nervous around you. He wanted everything to be perfect, more than anything, he wanted you to be happy and well; and knowing that there was no actual way for him to magically cure your cramps left him helpless. He babbled on and on about making you tea, running you a hot bath– should you even take a bath? he offered to go and buy more sweets, or maybe give you a massage? It could help. You felt your heart swell at his heartfelt words.

Reaching a hand out towards him, you ran your thumb over his thig, making Denji visibly tense up under your touch. His brown eyes peered down at you "Just come cuddle me, okay?" you smiled and he complied. The air in the room felt cold against your skin as he lifted the blanket and nestled himself next to you. You moved closer to him, hooking your leg over his thigh to pull yourself flush against him and Denji hugged your waist. His deft fingers slipped past the hem of your tshirt and rested on your lower back. Your skin felt warm, almost feverish as he started massaging your back. "Is this okay?" he hummed contently and you nodded, letting out a deep exhale.

The newfound closeness managed to soothe your pain a little– the comfort of his embrace, his warmth, that sweet, syrupy scent of his made it all better. Hell, you were oddly grateful your cramps were so bad this month. If they weren't, you wouldn't get to hold him like this. Lifting your head up from the crook of his neck, you trailed your lips along his jaw before pressing a quick kiss to the corner of his lips. Your boyfriend pouted, totally unsatisfied with the halfass kiss he got and you couldn't hold in your laughter. Sweet, he was so sweet.

So you kissed him again, your lips lingering above his as a content smile etched itself on your features "Thank you, Denji. It's perfect" And it was. He was the best boyfriend you could ever ask for.

[intertexts]

OK OK WORM UPDATE. I JUST GOT THRU INTERLUDE 1. ohhhh my god the shit about Scion????? horrifying. fills me with such immense dread. i don't know if its SUPPOSED to be like that but knowing vaguely how this story gets i immediately saw "man with golden skin appearing floating naked above water healing people who touch him and stopping disasrers and generally being seen as a GOD" and my first thought was ohhhh no oh fuck . i LOVE that shit. i hope scion is like. relevant enough to come up again and not just some vague historical figure bc ohhh my god i love that kind of worldbuilding. yeah man! if this guy showed up one day with no warning and was THE FIRST person with superpowers ever??? people WOULD go nuts and trear him like a deity!!!

anyway i also liked seeing from taylors dads pov. not much 2 say abt him yet i just thought it was neat :]

and i am VERY sus on the whole "so who gets credit for this" thing that armsman(?) brought up. hmmmmm

ohh this is such a fascinating first impression to me..... putting u under the microscope <3333. ALSO. saying this early iiii... probably am not going to speak on a lot of yr analysis other than vaguely giggling and saying ominous things (burdened by terrible knowledge) but!!! believe me im SO excited 2 hear it <333 anyway yeah im a HUGE fan of the way worm deals w/ the "how and when did superpowers become a thing? how did that affect the world?" questions..

taylors dad!!!! danny hebert.... man. also!!!!! what r yr taylor thoughts so fsr!!!!?? eyes emoji eyes emoji

[ilovechubbieguys]

Chapter 3🍓

-lmk if you guys have any criticism i love criticism as long as its respectful!! Enjoy! Chapter 2 here!

-------------------------🍓-----------------------

"Blake?.."

He turned around with a sour look on his face. I mean god he looked so diffrent i had no clue it was him.

I mean can you blame me! Its been 5 years since high school. Im shocked he recognized me to fast.

Theres no way hes still mad?! He knows i had nothing to do with any of that. Right? I mean ya i was there but iiii didnt do anything. That was all jenny and her boyfriend. I was simply a bystander. Kinda.. not really.

I do feel bad now that i think about it... he didnt deserve that. No one does. God i was such a little bitch in highschool

------------epic flash back memory------------

Jenny: heyy blake

Blake: oh uh hey jenny

Jenny: i wanted to ask you something

Blake: uh ya sure whats up

Jenny: did you have a date to prom yet?

Blake: no, no i dont why

Jenny: oh ok great! You know my friend y/n?

Blake: ya ive seen her around

Jenny: well she was wondering if youd go with her!

Blake: wait really?

Jenny: ya here ill put her number in your phone!

Blake: ok sounds good

--------end of epic flashback memory---------

Long story short it was all a joke. I stood him up at prom just for the fun of it...

I know im an asshole but i couldnt say no to jenny shed ruin me! She was the most powerful girl at school

And ive changed! I could never do somthing lile that to someone now.. i just hope i can make him see that

I walked back to the living room and saw issac was back but blake had left. I dont blame him between his getting yelled at by tanner and being faced with his highschool bully i wouldnt be shocked if he didnt come out till i left.

After a while of talking me and tanner ended up in his room taking turns taking hits from a cart tanner swore was his.

We where talking about everything and everything, you know high thoughts. Suddenly the door bust open "TANNER DO YOU HAVE MY NEW C-" it was blake

He stopped dead in his tracks staring at me, cart in hand mid hit. I froze up not knowing what to do. Was i smoking his cart right now...

I swear im gonna kill tanner.

"Tanner. Is that my cart shes hitting right now."

"Maybe..."

"OMG IM SO SORRY TANNER SAID IT WAS HIS"

"Just keep it i dont want it now that its been anywhere near you"

What. Did he just call me dirty..😧 i looked over at tanner "im gonna kill you."

Some time goes by and i decide i should go apologize to blake and not just for the cart. Tanner told me which room was his and i knock on his door.

*knock knock*

"Blake? Its y/n"

I dont hear a responce so i go in. Hes sitting at his desk playing seige. I take a look around his room. Rugs on the wall? Thats an interesting choice but i liked it.

I asume he didnt hear me so i walk up to his chair and tap his shoulder lightly trying to not scare him.

"Blake?"

He pulls the left side of his headphones off his ear but doesnt turn to you, to focused on the current match hes in.

"Hey blake i just wanted to say im sorry... and not just for the cart. Which i will replace.."

He doesnt say anything but you hear him sigh "ya like id believe that." Fair point

"Im serious blake i dont know why i was such a bitch in highschool you didnt deserve that..." i tried to sound as genuine as possible

"Well you where a bitch and thats that. Now get out"

Oh my god. He is impossible and ya sure im a better person but im still not gonna put up with disrespect "listen blake im trying here ok which is alot better then nothing at all" you say matter of a factly. I notice he had died in his game as his screen lit up red

He stood up from his chair and turned to me "ya hallelujah your a saint, a changed person thats great bye" he got pretty damn close to me for hating me and all

Ill admit him being this close to me made me relize he really was cute... maybe if he didnt hatw my guts hes a nice guy who knows..

But i sure as hell am not giving up this easily.

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

GUYS ILL ADMIT THIS CHAPTER WAS NOT THE BEST IM SORRY 😭😭I GOTTA BUILD CONTEXT.

[pumpkinsy0]

ur breaking bad au hcs i beg,,,,,,

OKOK BEFORE I START I DID TALK ABOUT IT BEFORE HERES THE POST

•CURLY W THAT RICIN CIGARETTE??? awwwww man,,,,pony w his nicotine addiction??? hmmmmm i hope ur pickin up what im throwin down here,,,idk if id actually make it happen tho just an idea here

•i do think curly having that w him all the time would mess him up tho, sometimes he’d just, stare at it

•i dont think darry would go down that path walter did and end up doing what he did for himself and not for his family, darry rlly does love his family, for him he keeps doing what he does bc he literally cannot leave the life and is trying to protect his family

•ok look, walter and jesse do physically fight a lil bit, and yes darry and curly DO fight, but its more so darry not trying to hit curly and just wrestle him down while curly actually DOES want to fight (darry knows he could whoop his ass he just doesnt want to lmao)

•FOR AGES BTW!!! EVERYONE is aged up a lil, darrys in his like around mid 20’s-early 30s, curlys like 19-early 20’s, around that time

•LIKE I SAID IN THE OTHER POST!!! soda finds out eventually and darrys relationship w soda is strained after that, and that also means soda kinda pulling pony away from darry as well, for ponys safety and i think that would make darry just fly iff the deep end

•IIII SAYYYY they should still have an RV, the RV is so iconic i cant write it away, as for where they ever have it??? usually in a junk yard, darrys friends w a guy who has one, neither if em can just TAKE an RV home w em

•since saul called jesse igor, and igor is essentially this servant, lets say igor is curlys alliace as is darrys is heisenberg’s, curly doesnt like it and he WANTED to b called “cap’n cook”, but darry just called him igor and it stuck

•yknow how walter recorded a vid for his family when he thought he was gonna get caught??? yea, darry did the same, but the thing is he still has it!!! its in his drawer, wayyyy in the back, sometimes he looks back on it and hopes that if he DOES get caught, soda and pony could find it

•considering pony n curly r in a relationship here still, darry has to hide just HOW much he knows about curly, while also telling pony he shouldnt b w someone like him, and thats hard to do when curlys mixing business w darrys own personal life and darry hates it SO much grrrrr

[spookyserenades]

I HOPE IM NOT LATE FOR WORD GAME!!! Sorry I was busy cleaning today 😮‍💨

word: think

if it’s not there then smth basic like

word: want

ok bye luv u!!!

AHH You were not late IIII was late bestie (I'm sorry 😭) but oooo. I'll answer this with something from 20 💜

“Right, which doesn’t exist. Y/N got to us before he did. Why does this guy think he has any kind of claim to stake over us? After all these months?”

[creatorbiaze]

ok im too lazy to see if the Missing One of yesterday's ever got seen & ygs probably know by now that it was me so uh

@poems-and-wine @nonbinary-niki-bog @nebulzai

yesterday's full poem was ;

A Guardian just like the others, cast away for false crimes.× -~★

Stained with blood they never spilled, forgotten by all.×× -~★

Trapped and bound by tight strings, left to rot eternally.××× -~★

Alone in a world torn apart around them by hands not their own.×××× -~★

Reaching out for just a bit of hope, never succeeding. ××××× -~★

Once powerful and respected like the others, power now waning as strings remain tight.×××××× -~★

This was not deserved, yet they'll accept the punishment anyways.××××××× -~★

Here they'll forever wait, their final fate inescapable.×××××××× -~★

Iiii have run out of ideas for further poems & it was gonna be a shortterm thing anyway so. y e.

Zelura has a couple clues as well

have fun figuring out this character's story if you want to . or just leave it as it is, i unno.

[luvmmarner]

Sour Series

I. Mitch Marner - Happier II. William Nylander - drivers license III. Auston Matthews - favorite crime IIII. Jack Hughes - traitor IIIII. Cole Caufield - 1 step forward, 3 steps back IIIIII. Anthony Cirelli - deja vu IIIIIII. Matthew Tkachuk - good 4 u IIIIIIII. Cale Makar - jealousy, jealousy IIIIIIIII. Tyler Seguin - enough for you IIIIIIIIII. nico hischier - i hope ur ok. ↳ part two - let you go

[fandomsoda]

Hi Soda!! It's been awhile since I sent an ask (IIII Think-?) SO I'M SENDING U ONE

I saw how that anon was treating you and I'm really sorry about that, I hope they stop soon and realize the error in their ways...

I suggest you turn off anon asks for now, so either they'll stop or they'll have to reveal themselves but that's up to you! I'm just worried about you and how this guy is affecting(?) you, I hope ur okay now.. :((((

In the mean time,,,have some cat drawings I found to make u feel better!!! :3

all /p

I have.

Way too many of these-/srs

I hope these helped! And just remember that my dms are always open if you need someone to talk to!/gen

Love you Soda!!! :3 💞💕💓💕💓💕💘💕💘💕💘💕💘💕💘💕/p

it’s ok! They left on their own. Someone unfollowed so they might have been hate-following me- Idk but whatever

Ilysm too and I appreciate your kindness sosossososo much!!!

[osarina]

aaaa miss carina!! (i hope i used that right, is it alright?) i adore badlands! i always saw your posts come my way but iiii… was just very shy of interacting with you, but oh gosh, i adore your series! it’s like this perfect concoction and oh the writing and the characterization and the details! i’m so in love, it’s not a joke anymore.

umm, that’s all!! i just really, really love the way you write, it inspires me to jot down my ideas (and hope they’re coherent) while i read your works again!! hope you have a lovely day/night/afternoon!! will be going back to my shell now aaa this was so weird im so sorry-

hellooooooo miss lia!!! (it's perfectly alright! hehe i hope its ok i hit you back with it :D) PLSSS don't be shy!! i love talking to ppl, i am the biggest yapper in the world if u give me an opportunity to talk i will NOT shut up HAHAH

but THANK YOU im blushing n kicking my feet right now and it literally makes me so warm to hear that it's inspiring you to jot down your own ideas - if u ever decide to post them, definitely tag me!! (◕‿◕)♡ i hope you also have a lovely day!! and don't worry PLS this wasn't weird at all i thought it was so sweet, ur welcome here any time <3333

[cherubcallremade]

hi! i was reading more watchmen last night. (I'm like, 6 or 7 issues in i believe? Im reading a compendium.) and im struck by how much love was put into jerimiah and how much love you have for the universe because oh my god, jerimiah feels like such a natual extension of the concepts introduced in the comics. please keep posting about him 👍

AAAA THANK YOU THAT MEANS SO MUCH TO ME :( UR FREE TO COME INTO MY ASK BOX ANY TIME & SHARE UR THOUGHTS ON THE COMIC

for u. some unposted jeremiah art.

under the cut more jeremiah info bc iiii do not want to force. people to look at it. but u get it u get the special treat bc u are so nice to me and IM SO GLAD YOURE LIKING WATCHMEN UGH NEED MORE WATCHMEN MUTUALS.

my whole thing w jeremiah has been like. ok. what if a normal person was kinda forced into the role of being a costumed hero. whdao had no clue what the fuck was going on. & tying that in w my personal experience finishing college and realizing the career path i've wanted for years is actually one i am not able to handle & after all this investment is it worth changing it? should i just keep going? or should i hope i find a niche? etc etc

miah is like the third direction of dan and laurie's expereinces of being a costumed hero & how they recover from it. not gonna go into spoilers for their arcs but. waves hand around. miah's whole situation was that he just wanted to do the right thing, and he never saw being a costumed hero as a solution, it was just kinda forced onto him. he went from a childhood planned out for him in the sense of being a cis straight woman who marries into the church and has a traditional family by 22, then woah now he has a whole new life in new york where he can CHOOSE what he wants, so being yanked by the wrist into this new life, he must've agreed to it, right?

the way miah even got his name was from catching a spree killer that was targeting a homeless population while in costume (he encountered the results of one and got help from nite owl & rorschach to catch the man, but he was left alone at the scene and was considered the sole captor) and the police dubbed him a miracle worker because they couldn't do their fucking job & catch the guy. and adrian influences the newspapers because of course he does and he's like "yeah this is the new costumed hero miracle worker" and miah's like. what the fuck are you talking about. and he can't reject that now! the public Wants him to keep doing what he's doing! he's getting SUPPORT!

trust me i'm never gonna say i'm as good of an author as alan moore i will never hit the true intricacies of watchmen but i can try w my little trans gay guy with catholic guilt

(↖ incomprehensible)

[intertexts]

since I can't talk about my favorite bits that made me go AUGH bc of things you dont know about yet. give me ur favorite bit. what was ur favorite bit in that fic. gimme the authors notes behind the scenes ramble

AUAUAUAUA.... u r so nice 2 meee godddd what the hell. exploding u💥💥💥!!!!!!!!!!! ANYWAY. OK. OK. AUTHORS NOTES.

things i included that i am VERY IFFY ON but nevertheless went for:

>i think there's like 70/30 odds that they (dakota) try to do the putting ashe's headphones with thank you scientist or smth blaring on him to try & bring him back thing. can't tell you if it'll work or not but it has to come up. nevertheless i think if u were stuck in yr head for a year with the fucking trickster u would appreciate some quiet!!!!!! & its just. idk man. that's what i'd spiral over. what if one day u wake up n u don't even like all the stuff u love anymore. etc.

>I'M ALSO TAKING. A REALLY FUCKING LONG SHOT by explicitly referring to wiwi as alive? honestly? like it's a 50/50, i think that all the stuff w/ the heart etc should continue to have thematic resonance, but also i don't know how that will work with the wisps when they..... return? (<- using this word in the loosest possible way i just don't know how else to say it. when theyre onscreen again??) i'm sure the wisp thing gets some resolution i have no doubt. and i don't know if "whisperer william" and "alive body traits" are mutually exclusive. idk. idk. we'll see!!

>i'm assuming tide will make another appearance b4 the season ends. idgaf if he shows in deadwood or not i fucking HOPE NOT but i just thought man. he Would come to bring them all back n take care of them. i think he and mark should get to have a really long slightly more. real? conversation on how much parenting fucking sucks and is stressful and terrifying and they feel bad at it.

MY FAVORITE BIT. goddd. iiii. ok. i have a lot of Thoughts on wingfics & idk. i guess i always think they're a bit too easy. u have wings that u Never Ever Let Anyone Touch Except Family And Lovers and u Let Someone Preen Them and what-- there isn't even any terrifying indecipherable swirl of emotions about it?? it isn't even scary?? (& also the whole Why Is It Good When People Touch Ur Wings. "because it is" okay??? and why then?? i also am guilty of this but at least theres like. two sentences about it.) & when there's hybrid shit & its like ok suddenly u woke up with Searing Pain in ur back and things writhing around in there breaking through yr skin and bone to get out and-- thats IT??? there isn't even gonna be any lasting trauma about it? you're not even gonna feel weird about being permanently Different now? it isn't even inconvenient and painful?? so ig that's like-- the core of this one, lmao. obviously i have. Thoughts and Feelings on the whole prime nonconsensually and irrevocably changing ur body defenders thing. like. of course. thesis statement of my blog. & i have thoughts about. being a vessel & not getting any say in it, ig. idk. i hate when people take my stuff without asking!! the idea of someone taking my ME without asking is like, viscerally terrifying 2 me. not unpacking that moving on etc.... my favorite bit is ig ashe having conflicting and messy emotions on liking the way it feels. freaking out and trying 2 stonewall it out & eventually just. letting himself have the good thing. oversharing 9pm time but idk... ashe is a little Like Me in that he was a fucking shut in & never had friends until he was a teenager and doesn't really. know much about it? didn't have much experience in it? so he's really satisfying to write not in a projection-y way but an ah! i KNOW what this is like i can write this correctly!! very scary!!!! very 24/7 butterflies in ur stomach!! OH. I LIED. ACTUALLY. my favorite bit is ashe unconsciously using words & such abt capacitors and voltage and electricity etc. bc of growing up with an electrician dad :] very very small and minor but i have a lot of fucking emotions abt it actually!!! anyway. yeag <333

other behind the scenes thing: in my head wiwi is freaking the FUCK out the entire time he is going shit SHIT SHIT i'm so fucking bad at this shittttttttttttt is this what it's like for dakota to deal with me. is this what i'm like. shit. what do vynce and dakota do. hes like. cartoon running putting down the tracks just in front of the train this entire time <33 this is important to me.

[flygefisk]

OOOO OK YOU ASKED FOR PEOPLE TO ASK ABT YOUR DRAGONS IM SO DOWN, so much so im going off anon for this shit /pos gods im obsessed with howl and synder rn, the writing was phenomenal!!! Since on my side fr is doing its maintenance thingy I cannot look at your lair, but id looove to know more about them!!

Like for example, is there any more about Syndor you can lore drop about? Is he a regular ol guy (species wise) or a lil something else?

Oh and Howl!!! Im sorry if its obvious and I just missed it cause its late but what is she?? It sounds like shes some sort of badass zombie but Id love to know

OH AND i am in fact very curious about the most recent anciets you got, they are so so cool!! I adore gentle giant characters, hugging the big ladies finger rn <333 I unfortuantly dont have a lot of ideas for names for either, but the sea monster is giving me K, A, or M vibe names, ones that sound sing songy to speak!

aaaa thank u!! i have. No confidence in my writing tbh so i very much appreciate it <3

syndor, biologically, is a very average dragon. he's just been through some stuff. he is trying very hard to keep his past in the past. after all, his present is so wonderful.

howl's meant to be a little bit unfathomable, so fair! but they're not a zombie- the body they're in is totally alive. mortal, even. it bleeds! it hungers! i guess they were reincarnated, but with more intent.

i had written more about what howl was before their death but didn't like the pacing, so i scrapped it. the tl;dr version is she was a girl (who was actually transmasc/genderqueer in an era where that was not an option), murdered by a suitor. a wild god found the body, found the wild thing that was howl, and gave it a new life. their initial story + the scrapped portion is under the cut if you want the whole thing!

howl and syndor are kinda two sides of the same coin- howl is completely free from its past, living in the present, happy. i'm not sure how much they remember of their last life. syndor, though, is hiding from his past, it sits like a shackle holding him back. he lives in the present, not out of the joy of life, but because he can never go back and feels he doesn't have a future.

they're good for each other like that. syndor helps howl navigate a new world, howl helps syndor find his own way.

tbh i was kinda thinking calypso for her! iiii haven't had a lot of time to think about either of them tbh, its been. a rough week asfsds

once, long ago, there was a girl. this girl was a farmer's daughter, loved by all in the village for her kindness and beauty.

the girl had many suitors. carpenters, merchants, knights, all loved the girl. she never courted any, though. her father hoped she would marry, find some wealthy husband who could support her, and was always quietly disappointed when she turned them away at the door.

the girl knew what she was supposed to do. she often spent time with the other girls in the village, laughing at their talk of boys and secret kisses and nights spent hidden away together. she knew she was meant to marry a man and have his children and clean his home.

to the girl, this sounded like hell on earth.

the girl had something she was hiding- something that lived within her, something wild and angry, that she could not describe. the something rioted against the idea of being a housewife, reviled the thought of motherhood.

its snarls and howls grew louder and louder with every suitor. she was sure that one day, the something would eat her alive.

-

once, long ago, there was a prince. this prince enjoyed traveling his country, meeting folks from all walks of life, giving gifts that, to him, were pocket change, and, to his subjects, were life-changing. it would be easy to assume this habit made the prince a kind man.

the prince met the farmer's daughter, and was struck by her beauty. he took her polite smile and sweet laughter as acceptance of his courtship.

the prince gave the girl and her family lavish gifts- jewelry, silken gowns, bottles of fine wine each costing more than her home. the girl's parents were overjoyed, of course. they would be nobility, if she married the prince, rich beyond their wildest dreams.

the wild something in the girl howled every time she saw the prince. it snarled when he kissed her hand, screeched when he placed another golden chain round her neck.

she imagined its teeth gnawing at her bones, so full of hatred it tore its own skin with sharp fangs and claws. she imagined her own mouth full of fangs like that. she imagined those teeth tearing into the prince's throat. ripping out his honeyed words. clawing out his selfish eyes. staining that fine silk and velvet with dark blood.

how sweet that would be.

-

once, long ago, there was a farmer. he had a daughter, a kind and beautiful girl loved by all who met her. and his daughter had a suitor, a prince who loved the girl.

the farmer loved his daughter, and wanted her to be happy. he felt that she was unhappy sometimes, though she always wore a sweet smile, and he felt it was due to their lifestyle. he was certain if she married the prince, she would be happy. safe from poor harvests and harsh winters. warm, well-fed, and happy.

the prince came calling one day, while the girl was out, so the farmer happily told him where she had gone. the farmer hoped today would be the day the prince proposed.

the girl was picking berries along the creek- she loved walking in the forest, listening to the sounds of the wind and birds and insects rather than the incessant chatter of the village. quiet and peaceful. the wild something was angrier than it had ever been, but it seemed calmer in the forest.

until her quiet afternoon was interrupted. the prince on his white horse, his voice so loud and vain and self-obsessed. the girl's father had been right, the prince had come to ask the girl to marry him. again.

no, she said, for the dozenth time. the wild something growled. he asked again, insistent and irritating. the wild something snarled. again and again he asked, until it was more of a command than a question, and the wild something howled and bit and clawed until it leapt from her throat, her sweet voice full of rage as she rejected him once and for all.

the flash of metal, the tearing of fabric, of skin. the spilling of blood.

she died with his blood under her nails.

-

once, long ago, there was a god. it was a wild, ancient god, one of blood and lust and life. a forest god.

the god scented blood on the air, civilized blood. it cared little for civilized folks, as most gods do. it cared little whether they lived or died. but it was a curious god, so it tracked the scent, bounding on deers' hooves to its source.

the god's paws left no tracks in the bloodsoaked earth around the creature's remains. it touched the weapon buried in the thing's stomach, ran its talons over the strange covering it wore, brushed a bit of hair from its face. the god considered the creature for a moment: its face contorted in rage, its hands and coverings stained dark. there was another scent here, under the obvious blood and rot, one even more familiar to the god.

a wild something, indescribable even to the god of such things, coiled around the body that was once its own. it stared up at the god, its teeth bared. the god raised its head and howled in its many voices, joined soon by the wolves and coyotes and hawks and hares of the forest, in a mournful harmony of all wild things.

the something howled too, until its song became a scream, letting loose all the sorrow and love and rage of a life that would never have been enough.

the forest went silent. the god lowered its head and nuzzled the something, like a doe to her fawn, like a bear to her cub. wild things understand each other. they understand the cycle, that nothing lasts forever and nothing really dies. the god understood the something's desperate plea, no need for words.

another chance.

-

once, not so long ago, there was a man. he walked through an overgrown forest, dirt on his hands and his shovel. he loved walking in the forest, listening to the sounds of nature. it was calming.

he paused near a burbling creek to wash the sweat from his face. he sighed in grim satisfaction- tired, sore, numb. but it was over.

the man realized, after staring into the water for long minutes, that something was different. wrong. the forest was silent here. his eye was drawn to a large stone behind him- half his height or more, veined with black and glittering white patches. on its face, a handprint made of something dark.

a strange impulse took over, something wild within him, and he began to dig.

a scraping sound. crumbling earth. cracking twigs. then, light. sunlight. warm and bright and so welcome after so long in the dirt.

the creature reached out from its grave. its hands- long, clawed, discolored- shook as it pulled itself up. it blinked against the morning light, yawned as though waking from a long nap.

it almost didn't notice the man with the shovel. he stared at it, his expression unreadable. it ignored him, letting the world wash over it: a cool breeze on its face, the sound of the water, of birds and insects, of wind through the leaves, the cloying scent of dark earth giving way to flowers and trees.

finally, the man held out a hand- blistered, covered in soil- and the creature let him pull it from the earth.

the man removed his cloak, wrapping it around the creature's broad shoulders. it rubbed the fabric between its clawed fingers- soft, warm, dark like good soil- and smiled. it should have been frightening, with its sharp teeth, but the man just smiled back.

wild things understand each other.