#nilo dabbles

[simpinformonkies]

Hiiii I love your writing! May I request some MK and Wukong who are their normal selves until the reader gets threatened/hurt/captured/idk and they go absolutely ballistic

DUDE I FUCKING LOVE MK SO MUCH HE'S LIKE MY FAVORITE MAIN CHARACTER NEXT TO LLOYD GARMADON AND AANG... BABY....

I got you bro

WARNING: SEMI-GRAPHIC DEPICTION OF BLOOD AND VIOLENCE! THERE ARE ALSO SPOILERS FOR S4 SPECIAL! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!

~~~

WUKONG

-First off, Wukong loves you so fucking much that it physically hurts him sometimes. Not in the 'oh im in pain', but more in the 'heart repeatedly struck by cupid's arrow'.

-Or maybe that just makes him a simp, idk

-Wukong definitely takes you nice but casual places- be it quiet but quality diners, a picnic in his hidden grotto, a field of flowers to relax in (read: a field that he uses so that he can nap on your legs and cuddle you while basking in the sun)- just the whole nine yards, really

-So imagine his indescribable rage when he finds you've been kidnapped, and later follows your scent (he has it memorized by this point, plus he scents you, its obvious that he can find you) to see you getting attacked by demons, your clothes ripped and fresh wounds that drip droplets of crimson to the beautiful flowers and green grass below, staining them red.

-And just like that, Wukong fucking lost it- he flew off the handle so hard that his mind blacked out, and he only 'came too' when the demons were half dead covered in their own blood, his hands and claws stained the very same crimson.

-As soon as Wukong came too, he's checking you over worriedly, careful not to aggravate your wounds further.

-He didn't even notice his glamours dropped until you said something, and before he could even attempt to slip them back on, you cup his cheek and tell him how beautiful he is, both with and without the glamours.

-You even smiled, "Your eyes really do gleam like rubies and gold, huh?"

-Wow, way to catch his heart again, damn.

-...Wukong stops wearing glamours around you, dropping them as soon as the two of you are alone, and he's always cuddling you in some way or form.

-He will not lose you again.

-He refuses too.

~~~

MK / QI XIAOTIAN

-First off, let's get it out of the way that MK is the most loving and sappy boyfriend ever, who is either rizzing you up or being controlled by his anxiety. It depends, really.

-He's always doing the most basic but sappy couple stuff, and despite how cheesy it all is, it's genuinely flattering.

-MK is also incredibly protective of you- he tries not to control you with his protective instincts, and let's you do as you please because you're his beloved, and you deserve to do as you please.

-You're both adults! It's fine! He can handle this!

-He cannot.

-It's post S4 when MK gets notified of a demon causing problems, and goes to take care of it when he sees who the demon has as a hostage.

-You. Chained up, with ripped clothes, deep cuts, and teary eyes.

-Oh, MK fucking loses it.

-He goes full monkey at the drop of a dime, and is scratching and punching the villain (the bastard) that dares hurt his beloved.

-MK is a merciful hero that loves to help!

-But even HE has a limit to his compassion and mercy.

-Once the villain is gone, MK picks you up and just... holds you in his arms, hissing and just staring people down if they come anywhere near you- his tail curled around your leg and puffed, eyes slit and ready to attack at any given moment.

-It takes nearly an hour to get through to him, but when you do, you're treated by Sandy as MK sobs in your lap about not protecting you well enough, while you simple pet his hair gently, careful not to tug or snag on his hair as you stroke it.

-MK... is a lot more protective of you from then on- but he doesn't force himself into your activities. More so watches than anything else.

-If it keeps you safe, he'll do whatever he needs too.

[senzacaponecoda]

(res conlangii)

Waiting on data to come in for schoolwork so I kind of doodled a plan for the syntactic evolution of Góoreta which is probably as good as it’ll get and the new draft for what will be Tantapty 2.0, which would be like Pa3aty 4.0 or something by now. 5.0, 6.

1.

Góoreta is ancestral, and was modeled as pretty much a prototypical Nubian language; based on Old Nubian directly.

Góoreta is mixed SOVT/SVTO. T and V are generally fused (i.e. auxiliaries are rare) but SOV is slightly more primary and it’s reflected in how the verb is marked.

So the maximal noun phase is something like {en}  {adjunct} {adjective phrase} root.stem-{sg/pl/col}-{nom/dir/gen/cop/abs} {adjective phrase} {adjunct}, {en} being an optional semantically empty determiner (syntactically it helps clue the listener in to a complex NP), {sg/pl/col} being the East Sudanic singulative/plural/collective number markers, the dir case being a combined accusative-dative, cop being the copulatory case, basically the marker for the more topical half of a copula phrase (as opposed to the part traditionally called a predicate, which is confusing when you’re talking about languages that don’t use a verb to express it). Leftward adjuncts and adjective phrases tend to be alienable, rightward tend to be inalienable/attributive. Compounds are thus backwards for an OV lang: manfire, not fireman. Possession is always marked rightwardly.  Supplementation common.

Adpositions are chiefly prepositions, but adpositions that were promoted to conjunctions before Góoreta are postpositive.

The maximal verb is {adv} root.stem-{caus}-{pret}-{inch}-{pass/recip/mid}-{neg}-{admir}-{modal}-{fut}-[PNG]-{subj}

Already pluractionals would be lexicalized. Moods not happening in the morphology would be adverbial or like CP level or something. Verbs are mostly regular, with no supplemental stems coming to mind. Verbs however can be compounded, and a passive-perfective participle phrase WITH (adv) verb-POS tends to deliver stative sentence structures.

So a kind of overview of the whole sentence I got from a book on Egyptian might look like

(C) S-O-A-s-o-d-V.T (C) or (C) S-s-(í) V.T-o-d-O-A (C)

where d is indirect object and A is adjuncts. Small is pronomial arguments and caps is lexically full. Cs are not mutually exclusive.

2.

It seems that it’s necessary to have both a post-Góoreta NS creole and a pre-Tantafty Afroasiatic creole of the creole in order to “marry” it into the family as my goal originally was.

AA was probably already VSO~VOS, and probably ergative-absolutative. This initial hybridization would actually be crown to actual Afroasiatic, maybe being more of a hybridization with a Pre-Afroasiatic.

T would then be broken from V, and the cross-linguistic tendency for creoles to trend SVO (although this is maybe a European bias error since creoles tend to be half IE due to colonialism) is a compromise.

So new syntactic structure is C-S-s-T-V-o-d-O-A It basically follows Góoreta’s SVO style syntax. The new NP is {en} root.stem-{sg/pl/col} {adjective phrase} {adjunct}

Which loses the Nubian case system.

The new VP is

{aux=V-TA-M-Neg} root.stem.{inch/caus} {other mood} POS

Everything outside the domain of the inchoative broke off. The tense system would probably revolve around the now inherently unaccusative perfect i-VERB-POS forms and an un-i’d form derived from that. Maybe from núu (at) such as what forms a progressive in many languages. This has an advantage of preparing the verbal system for a harmony derived Front/Back ablaut.

Unfortunately Tantafty retaining an admirative mood seems unlikely.

3.

This is when the Afroasiatic elements become dominate, and the stage of the language borrowed is roughly sister to the non-Ethiopian type Afroasiatic languages.

New syntax overform is like S-T-V-s-d-o-O-A. V-s tend to form a unit.

Despite Egyptian losing it, verbs inherit the prefixing conjugation as it assists the Ca1a22a3 unmarked form of present tenses (though, maybe, really, it should lose it, the same way Egyptian did.)

New NP is

{en}-cl.ABS root.stem.{sg/pl/col}-cl.ABS {(a) complement} {adjective phrase}-cl.ABS {adjunct}

Agreement is normalized. Number is lexicalized. Class is introduced. All nouns inherit the PAA absolutative case (-a), although case is not a feature of the syntax. Old nominative -u occasionally used, grammaticalized into something of focalized case. New number system starts to arise from dragging {pl} suffix with -cl.ABS irregularly. (a) represents a connective element, like {of}

New VP would be

{aux} {caus}-root.{inch}.stem-{modal}-[PNG]

Auxiliaries handle most issues. The new causative from AA supplants NS’s productively, the inchoative is detectable but fossilized, like English -Cle in words like rattle, dabble, nipple, etc. Some new modals have attached themselves between the verb and the PNG markers, from the possessive markers, at least in the perfect aspect. Old modals provide at least a new subjunctive.

4. ~ 5. (split as legit branch, then future Amizightization/Arabization)

Language eventually shifts into VSO syntax preferably. Old focalizing case used for SVO word order subject.

Word order is T-V.s.d.o-S-O-A

NP is

{D}(-case?)-[N][S]stem[S]

or

[N][S]stem[S](-case?)

where S is state derived from the connector/absolutative case. 

Every draft of Tantafty/Pa3atic thus far has had case but I’m not entirely sure why it would even arise at this stage.

The nisbe could give rise to a kind of genitive-dative. But an earlier stage is likely to have had an et-ha-qadoyshim kind of accusative preposition. By now I want {en} to have become {lá} so it might be something that looks like l-á~an-á or something. The genitive-dative would probably have to go - l>r is what the negative for NPs is going to end up as, and ní would end up declining for something that governs it instead of what it governs. I could be silly and use d~ð, which looks both Imazighen-y and Modern South Arabian-y at the same time. I like the idea of German-style case-on-the-article-ness though.

Nouns would thus be VCCVC in form preferentially I guess. Irregular forms would be the main vestige of Nilo-Saharan - supplemental singulative-collective-plural forms.

For VP I guess that means a form like

{AUX} {caus}.stem.{modal}-[PNG] {adv}

The causative would be partially fossilized into the verb. The auxiliary would handle most of the weight, but probably as preverbs like in Egyptian or Nahuatl or so on as a VSO correlate. Although preverb-auxiliary-verb is likely too. Morphological moods I guess would be heavily reduced, compared to, say, Arabic or something.

The perfective/imperfective system should break into a new stative (like the present perfect), new preterite, new imperfect, and new “cursive” system, where cursive is habitual, gnomic, or the like. That’s taken from an Amazight language but kind of nicely lines up with how English distinguishes present perfect, the past tenses, the progressive, and the simple present. Auxiliaries from “come” and “go” add tense to the paradigm. New moods to be determined, probably areally based on Siwi and Arabic. Voice probably has to be grammaticalized from a verb/preposition instead of an Afroasiatic-y one. Likely a good place for stand? “He stands damaged by battle.”

It would probably be realistic for Tantafty to gain a prefixing conjugation from a suffixing conjugation Coptic style. The Amazight languages do interesting things to their prefixing and suffixing conjugations though and I might want to base whatever I do about the yaCvCCvC present forms on something like that, however. It might be that the whole present form from PAA collapses into just a gender distinction of the subject, which I’m leaning towards. Then PN agreement happens in the suffixes.

Vestiges of NS would then mainly be pluractional vs singulative verbs. I might be able to fit an honorific/emphatic mood in akin to Góoreta’s admirative, which I really wanted, but it can’t really be a direct descendant.

I like the idea of Tantafty having serial verb constructions (which it’s had for years now) and I like the idea of the creoles having compound verbs. Something like an atelic verb head and a stative resultative verb pattern might be doable for a lot of verb nuances, and end up with some weird compounds on the way.  A random bit of what looks like Mandarin syntax I guess. This would be, like, the cut-break compounds.

[friendshipcampaign]

Session Recap 8/31/19: Gathering Eyes

Deveron looked around before opening his mouth and saying, in Quest’s voice thanks to his kenku mimicry, “This is a beautiful sword here, but I think that someone may have been a little naughty. Can you tell me which way to the Zizisvoynis’?”

Voski thanked him and turned to go, giving him a piece of gold, but Deveron reached out and grabbed her sleeve, pulling out a candle stub. He spoke a word that seemed to be a magical cue, causing the wax to melt in his hand and form a figurine of Eckjeth Siek. He held up a talon and spoke in her voice now, recounting her asking him some questions about whether he’d seen Quest. He then pointed and held up a second finger, pantomiming as if casting a spell, and spoke again. The voice still sounded like Eckjeth’s, but was definitely not her usual tone. There was a strange edge to it.

“The tiefling Quest told you nothing when she came here into the Guild House on the night of Blomhath the 7th. She looked at Truthseeker, was satisfied, and left. Do you understand?”

Deveron stowed the wax away in his pocket. Voski gave him a nod and another piece of gold. He looked scared. She thanked him, sounding cheerful, for answering her questions about guild operations, before turning to the others and saying they should be on their way.

As the party made their way to their next destination, they shared what they had learned with each other -- both about Quest and Eckjeth (and whatever may have happened to her), and about the figures Kriv and Erwyn had seen watching the party. As they talked about the connection to the Zizisvoynis, Ditto asked if anyone else had felt like Lomik was as interested in learning stuff about them as they were learning information from them. As they talked about it, Erwyn spoke up and said he’d just had a concerning thought. He explained that the symptoms of Lomik’s mysterious illness reminded him somewhat of what he’d gone through when he started learning Abyssal. Their refusal of Kriv’s offer of healing, which he knew from experience wouldn’t work, might have been meant to disguise that fact.

The group swung by the DPL’s temporary headquarters again and this time were greeted by the cleric Thodri, who looked fairly haggard but waved as they walked in. After some small talk, Kriv explained that Erwyn had something he wanted to speak with her about. She asked, trying to provide an excuse to speak more privately, if they had a pile of bones for her to look at outside. Kriv said they didn’t but Voski, catching her drift, immediately added that she had a feather from one of the pigeons that might be worth seeing in the lamplight outdoors.

Once they’d stepped outside, Erwyn nervously explained that he was hoping to find out if Creed was alright or still with the organization. Thodri’s face fell when he mentioned Creed’s name. She said that he had come to Veritas with the rest. She’d been with him underneath the city investigating some of the subterranean tunnels the demons were hiding in, when they were ambushed by a large number of them. Apparently he’d been grabbed by a demon with some adhesive quality, then pushed her out of the way before the struggle brought the roof of the tunnel down. They’d checked with the Stormcrows, who said he was still alive, but after what she’d seen she was doubtful. Though it was clear that Thodri was legitimately upset, Erwyn got the impression that she was maybe not telling the entire story. He didn’t choose to pry, however.

“Any luck with that feather?” Thodri said after a pause.

“You know, it’s the darnedest thing; I think this is one of my own quills,” Voski said. “Would you like it?”

The party left Thodri to her work and headed to their next destination. When they arrived at the Pig’s Eye tavern, Ditto approached the bar and asked for something large and full of alcohol. Kriv said he wanted the same -- but sized for him, not Ditto, he added. Voski handed Frileg a lime she’d plucked off the tree now growing in the floor of the Fox & Hellhound, and asked if she could do anything interesting with it in a cocktail. When asked when he wanted, Erwyn stammered for a moment before asking if he could have a glass of milk. Frileg gave him an odd look at the request, but nonetheless obliged.

After ordering some food, Ditto spotted Nilo and Clarity at a nearby table and sat down to talk with them. Nilo asked her if she was still doing her little sparks and magic and stuff and she laughed, saying she dabbled. She then conjured a really fancy hat and placed it on his head. When Clarity commented that it was pretty, Ditto dismissed the hat to conjure a different one to give to her. Nilo then leaned in and told her that he was potentially looking into a “venture” that might require someone with some magical expertise. He added that he’d originally written it off, but had learned some things that might help, and that he was sort of hoping it would allow him to get himself and Clarity out of town for good.

Ditto sent Nilo a Message asking if he could clarify more if they spoke via the spell -- which impressed him greatly. He told her that when the breach happened, a store in the arcane district called Mystic Maggie’s had gone under along with some of the other shops now stuck in the exclusion zone. It had carried a stock of arcane-grade gemstones worth a great amount of money. Nilo had met up the other day with a gnome named Polly, Maggie’s former assistant, who’d given him some tips on getting inside the shop and the key she’d always used to get inside.

Ditto expressed some reservations about the idea, but asked Nilo if he knew anything about who was looking to buy that sort of thing. He mentioned hearing word of a couple of folks from out of town who were asking around for that kind of thing -- a half-elf man who didn’t give any affiliations, and a dwarven woman who didn’t give her name but who wore a pin bearing the symbol of a rat with a knotted tail. Ditto told him she was still nervous, due to her own experiences with bad things happening with magic items. However, for the same reason she also didn’t want them ending up in the hands of someone bad, so she would consider the idea.

“Would it be you, me, and Clarity?” she asked. “‘Cause I’m thinking about my friends, and I know one of them who would definitely be in, one who definitely wouldn’t be, another who probably wouldn’t, and the other is constantly a mystery to me.”

Nilo said they might have another friend along, although it would help if they had someone who could heal. She said she needed some time to think, but that she’d talk it over with her friends, and that she was pretty sure she wanted in somehow. She also impressed on him that he probably wanted to warn any of his tiefling friends in the city to be really careful to avoid encounters with law enforcement for the time being.

At the bar, Voski casually inquired if she could hop up on stage and play some music, despite her lack of guild membership. With Frileg’s stoic approval, she took a seat and began to play. She went through a variety of songs, from local favorites to an old Umedashi drinking tune to even a few show tunes -- which Crispian Hue sang along to over at his table, badly and somewhat weepily. Amaranth, sitting with the boys at the bar, excitedly shouted to anyone who would listen that it was her friend up onstage.

The orc Amaranth had been talking with the other night was playing a game with another patron over in the corner, but eventually walked over to Amaranth and asked if she was going to go for that second Magma Mephit this time around. Amaranth asked her name this time and the orc told her that around these parts she went by Sparrow, as she was the little bird who told people things. When Amaranth laughed and said it was a cute name, Kriv snorted.

After chatting for a bit, Amaranth slipped into Thieves’ Cant to ask Sparrow if she knew anything about missing tieflings in the city. Sparrow replied that all she was aware of was to warn people to stay away from the workhouse, though she knew of many individuals who’d gone missing. Apparently the official word from the guards was always that they’d been transferred, but no one ever saw them getting moved elsewhere. Sparrow asked if she’d reached out to the Obsidian Shard. Amaranth said they had some concerns about whose pockets they might be in, though Sparrow assured her she’d never heard any evidence they had anything other than individual clients. She told her she’d let her know if she learned anything more about the tieflings.

Amaranth announced, in Common once more, that she was going to order another of the Magma Mephits. She asked Kriv if he wanted in and he agreed reluctantly. Erwyn, still next to them and sipping his milk, looked concerned as they and Sparrow drank the spicy drinks. This time, Amaranth took the heat pretty well, impressing Sparrow a little. Kriv commented that he was fine as well, but probably wouldn’t order it again. When he mentioned “cheating” via Bahamut as he was protected from poison, Sparrow seemed amused -- particularly when he elaborated that he could also sober himself up immediately when needed. Erwyn was incredulous over the whole situation but Kriv assured him it would come in handy someday.

“I’m not criticizing your abilities, I’m criticizing the… your…” Erwyn said.

“You okay there? Your eyes are looking a little…” Kriv said, commenting on the fact that the elf’s eyes were watering just from being near the drinks.

“Exactly!” Erwyn said.

Around the same time, Voski bought a little board of bread and cheese and a weak ale and carried them over to the table where Crispian was sitting. (She nodded politely at his construct guard, Paragon, who didn’t seem to object.) Crispian drunkenly told her that her music was beautiful, with which she agreed. She commented that it seemed like, despite his station, he was spending his time in this commoner’s tavern without irony, which he confirmed miserably.

She asked him about his family, claiming only to have a vague idea that they were involved with the guilds. He said they made constructs, but that the reason they were so successful at it was because they had a “jerk armadillo thing” (a carbuncle, most likely), which created arcane-grade gems and gifted them to the family. However, it was incredibly mean to him. When Voski asked how so, he explained that the “bastard armadillo” (a phrase that he repeated quite often during this conversation) would insult his interests and call him useless, but he wasn’t allowed to say anything that might upset it.

Crispian went on to say that  things had gotten even worse lately, though, because some new people in town were selling even bigger high-quality gems, both threatening their livelihood and making the “bastard armadillo” feel self-conscious. Apparently the creature had said that this was his fault, and his parents (who Crispian was pretty sure liked it more than him, as they’d befriended it when they were young adventurers) seemed to believe it.

“Your voice is really pretty,” he sadly commented to her, after sharing everything.

“It is,” Voski affirmed. “Can I offer you some advice?”

He nodded glumly, and Voski explained that she’d had a friend once who’d theorized there were two essential types of happiness: being generally happy with one’s life and situation, and being happy with oneself. She pointed at Kriv.

“That fellow over there? The broad-shouldered one? He’ll never be happy. It’s written all over him. But he could be happy with himself, and that solves a lot of his problems.”

Crispian asked if she could do that with everyone, pointing at Erwyn. Voski changed the subject.

She told Crispian that no matter his situation, he could still find peace with who he was, and things like his interests or presentation, which could help him gain the confidence that might be the key to interacting with the carbuncle. He asked Voski if she was making fun of him, and seemed surprised when she told him no. She could tell he was in a terrible position right now.

She asked him how serious the threat to his family’s business really was. Crispian elaborated that the newcomers were selling gems that could be used for arcane purposes, which was comparitively rare and put them in direct competition with his family. Her next suggestion was that the carbuncle might also be working through some insecurities, and that he might want to try working with it from that perspective. Crispian just insisted that it hated him.

When Voski changed tactics and asked him what it was that the carbuncle wanted and needed, he elaborated: it wanted a pretty place and nice food and to make fun of him. Ignoring the last part, Voski said she knew someone in town who was both an accomplished interior decorator and the one who’d given her that advice on happiness, who might have some thoughts that could help him improve his situation. She wrote down the name of Tress’ shop for him.

Voski commented that she saw two paths before him. Crispian immediately asked if one of them was dying miserable and alone, and she gently said that wasn’t one she’d been thinking of. She saw two paths: one where he resolved the situation and his family’s business continued running as it had under his parents, and another where he got to forge a new path for himself.

“That’s the terrifying thing about ending a relationship of any kind, personal or professional, that you’ve come to rely on,” she said, “You’re left with yourself. And you sort of have to figure out, with the remains of what you had, where you go.”

After their conversation resolved and Crispian got up to go, thanking her profusely for the conversation, Voski stayed sitting at the table, finishing the leftover cheese. After a little while another bard came in, an orc with a buzzcut and a bass they used as a lute.

Ditto continued chatting with Nilo and asked him if Korrin, who she described as a half-elf with some scales, the watch member she’d known when she lived in the city before, was still a member of the guard and if he felt like they were still a decent person. He noted that they were, and that they seemed decent. After that she walked over to the other three at the bar. Cautiously, she tasted the remains of Amaranth’s drink and felt her tongue tingling unpleasantly enough that she followed Erwyn’s example and ordered a milk.

As it started to get late, the drow woman from the other night stopped by and ordered something complicated at the bar before taking her seat in the far corner again. Noting this, Ditto tried casting Detect Thoughts again and heard her thinking about how boring it was sitting in the warehouse all the time, and that she was again waiting for someone to show up. She then directed the spell towards a particularly nervous-looking man several members of the party had noted throughout the evening. From him she mostly got paranoid rambling, wondering if any more people had been “replaced by doppelgängers” as part of a “conspiracy to cover up the High Temple.”

Voski wandered over to the drow woman, sat down uninvited, and commented that whoever she was waiting on must be really amazing for her to come back again after being stood up. This startled the drow, and her form seemed almost to wobble a little in response. She snapped that Voski had no reason to poke into her business, but Voski commented that she simply liked to watch out for “others” -- which seemed to cautiously pique the other woman’s interest. Voski then carefully pulled away a small piece of her armor on her right arm, near the elbow, to reveal a small, gold coin-sized patch of her scales that was discolored an ugly green.

“You should sometimes be careful about who you put that much trust in, even if you’re thrilled to have it at the time,” she said.

Voski asked the drow who or what she was waiting for here, but got only cryptic answers. The dragonborn cautioned that something would find her if she spent too long in Veritas, before saying that her complicated drink looked good. The drow said it was an attempt to mimic some of the flavors of the Underdark and offered to give her the recipe. She said she’d love that. As they parted, Voski told the other woman that she hoped she wouldn’t see her in the Pig’s Eye again.

Noticing this conversation was happening, Ditto cast another Detect Thoughts at the drow while Voski spoke with her. She mostly got the impression that she was intrigued by the dragonborn -- and approved of her clothing and make-up -- but was a little too distrustful to disclose anything of importance to her. After Voski rejoined the rest of the group, Ditto then slipped away to Send a message to Deveron asking if they were okay or if they needed help, and if the party should meet them somewhere or stay away.

“Stay away,” she got back, and then in two other voices: “Everything’s mostly fine, you know?” and “Doesn’t it look a little ominous out there?”

As the party headed out, Nilo waved at Ditto and said he’d see her tomorrow. There were a few demon pigeons outside, flocking and keeping pace a little behind the party -- who had all donned their protective masks -- as they walked. Voski started playing a Countercharm as they walked. When they arrived at the Fox & Hellhound, the entire roof of the inn was covered with a flock of the pigeon-like quasits. As the party stepped inside, all of them raised their wings to reveal many, watching eyes hidden below.

Jerik, who was at the front desk, looked at the group suspiciously as they walked in, whispering among themselves about the situation. Kriv commented that the pigeons outside were just unnerving, and Jerik pointed out they weren’t doing this to all the other inns on the street. He kept his eyes on the group as they headed upstairs.

As the others made their way to the boys’ room, Amaranth ducked into the other one briefly to check on Tenny, who had curled up sleepily with Tiktik and startled awake when she poked her head in to say hello. The girl told her she was okay and she went to talk with the others. Telepathically, Ditto asked Tiktik if anything had happened while they were gone and they had nothing to report. Once everyone was all together in the other room, Amaranth commented that she had a bad feeling she knew what the demons were interested in, looking meaningfully at Erwyn. Kriv commented they should probably think about moving locations, and specifically that they should drop Tenny off somewhere else, using the demiplane to move her secretly.

Ditto tried a Sending to Nilo to ask if he knew of anywhere that might be a safe place to hide Tenny while the party explored their own options.

“Do you know a safe, secure, private place for a child to stay that’s not The Fox & Hellhound or the Slumbering Grell?” she asked him.

“Wow! Hey Ditto! How are you doing that?” she got back after a moment, “I guess you can’t talk back, huh? Well, I know a few places like that here, there’s--”

The reply cut off. Ditto sighed and cast Sending again.

“Should have said, you only have twenty-five words, and I can’t do this again tonight. Please say a name?”

There was some hesitation, but she got back: “Well, it ain’t very traditional, but Grankhul’s Rest has some real good staff there. There’s also the Thirsty Sage.”

She let the other’s know what she’d heard, commenting that Grankhul’s Rest actually seemed like a pretty good idea, seeing as they now knew the people who ran it. The rest of the group agreed it sounded like a decent plan. Voski asked Ditto about Nilo’s comment about seeing her tomorrow, and she explained a little about the job he’d described to her. When the others started to ask a bit more about it, however, and she brought up the potential buyers in town that Nilo had mentioned, both Amaranth and Erwyn seemed distressed -- especially Amaranth, who paled dramatically at the mention of the symbol of the rat with the knotted tail.

[depressiontribe]

⚫️NILØS ⚪️ From the mind of the creator of JULIUS, the dark, post-apocalyptic Japanese label, comes NILØS. #niløs #sectsshop “Non Ism Line Of Self’ breaks out from it’s sibling to permeate a sense of freedom, rejecting any traditional ideology or borders. Tokyo’s premier goth designer Tatsuro Horikawa amalgamates his infatuation for ‘black’ with intense graphics that dabbles with unexpected concepts such as the Hadal Zone, Biotechnology and the technological destruction of our eco system. #orchardgateway #orchardroad #singapore #武林大会 #aw20 #techwear #streetwear #avantgarde #nilos #nonismlineofself (at Orchard Road) https://www.instagram.com/p/CFq6dwOnZdR/?igshid=1d9vjvekis2pj

[simpinformonkies]

Can I request a Redson x Calm!S/O reader, who's his partner in crime and a powerful earthbender (cause they keep him grounded) please and thanks.

Sorry this made me laugh so hard when I first saw this ask, the joke broke my sense of humor im so sorry. Anyway, here ya go!~

~~~

RED SON

-The first time he met you all those years ago, he thought you were just some weakling human that decided to piss him off, but you just raised a brow at his behavior and slammed your heel on the dirt, slamming a pillar of stone and dirt into his gut and sending the Demon Bull Prince flying off.

-Oh, he was furious at the audacity.

-But just as much, Red Son was interested; humans don't just control an element as well as you do. It was like the earth itself was your sandbox that you did whatever you wanted with; be that helping people, growing plants, or destroying his Bull Clones.

-After a while though, people just kept demanding things of you, and you just... kind of got tired of it. So what'd you do?

-Why, go to Red Son and ask for a partnership of course!

-Why? You have no idea; you just hated being demanded things of by people that don't even respect you.

-Red Son at least respected your power, even if he also hated you.

-Baby steps people, baby steps.

-So you commit crimes with Red Son, being like that silent soldier in the background that the heroes never notice until its too late and you're already attacking them. You always had Red Son's back, and stopped the worst of his injuries from happening.

-Especially from MK. Sweet kid, but a little much sometimes.

-Ya know that meme of 'the demon lord having a sweet tiny spouse, but the spouse being scarier'? Yeah, you're much scarier than Red Son is, because while he's always angry and yelling, you're sweet and kind that can flip on a dime if the right buttons are pressed.

-Anyway, you're Red Son's "rock" essentially, being there for him through thick and thin. This means you're very close to him and following him every day (or, alternatively, he's always following you, even around the council but acting like he's the one guiding you. His mother thinks its adorable.)

-After confessing to each other (in which Red Son acted like a total tsundere the entire time, let's be honest), you constantly do little stuff with your earthbending to show how much you love that. Whether that be making statue of a heart on 'fire', or doing little stuff to make him happy or his workload easier.

-Housespouse™

-Red Son often gives you gifts that mainly consist of gems (as a homage to your element of earth) and always does romantic things with you while attempting to act nonchalant or cool.

-Keyword being attempting.

~~~ BONUS:

-Your 'scary' side came out when Azure and his goons attacked the Demon Bull Family, attempting to seal away the others. You send shards of earth flying at Peng, aiming for his wings (and hitting them in quick succession) before earthbending binds and pillars at Azure in hopes of defeating him.

-Unfortunately, you forgot Yellow Tusk exists, and he bound you with magic, and then you were sealed in the scroll of memory.

-(And if that happened to make Red Son so angry that his flames sparked a brilliant blue, then only he and the brotherhood would know such secrets.)

~~~

Hope you enjoyed this!~

[simpinformonkies]

hiiii niiiilllooooooo

howzabout a wukong or macaque x celestial monkey reader? :3

I FUCKING GOT YOU FAM! I'll do Wukong for this one.

WUKONG

-He came to a random island when he was younger to steal some fruits for his master during the journey (Tripitaka had complained about being hungry) and had been about to swipe a crisp, red apple when you came barreling towards him with sharp claws, fluffed fur and bared teeth.

-You were a Celestial Primate- one of the only four in the world- and were pissed to find Sun motherfucking Wukong on your island- worse, he was attempting to steal YOUR FOOD!

-You wanted nothing to do with the monkey, not after his 'havoc in heaven', and practically told him as such, words spitting pure, undultured poison at the other monkey.

-But, you were not heartless, and allowed Wukong to leave your island unharmed... only to realize, hours later, that the bastard monkey stole your damn apples! you were furious, but let it go- it wasn't like you'd be seeing him ever again.

-Too bad you were wrong- that annoying simian came back every few years just to mess with you, and it pissed you off every time he did it. One moment you'd be lounging around on your beloved island's beaches, and the next, Sun Wukong would be causing mayhem somewhere closeby.

-In general, Wukong was being a annoyance and menace.

-What a shocker! Not like he's like that all the fucking time or anything...

-Can you hear the sarcasm?

-Anyway, you dealt with him for centuries, and while you found he was still very annoying, you... stopped having your words and insults hold so much bitterness and bite- you were tired of being an asshole to this simian, it just wasn't worth it. Nowadays, if he annoyed you, you'd just smack him with your tail and go on about your day.

-Some days, you'd even find yourself wishing that he was on the island- especially when the boredom kicked in- but you'd just shake your head and swat the thought away as it was a fly.

-But damned if that thought wasn't as annoying and unkillable as a fly- somehow, your brain would always come back to thinking of Wukong, it was driving you crazy.

-Nevertheless, you just dealt with his antics with a fond roll of the eyes and a swat of the tail, and it stayed like that for decades (centuries? You don't remember, time is an illusion).

-Then came the time- just a few years before Wukong would find his 'successor'- that Wukong started leaving things on your island. From shiny necklaces, bracelets and rings, to following you around on your island, to even laying down on the beach with you when you go to soak in the warm sun, running his fingers through your hair and untangling any knots you find.

-This went on for a few weeks before the whole thing hit you like a freight-train.

-'This is courtship,' you'd think, blinking confusedly as the situation settles itself in your mind, 'Sun Wukong, the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, is courting me.'

-'...And ya know what?' you lean into his hands, smiling as they gently cascade through your fur, 'I'm okay with that.'

[simpinformonkies]

how about a red son and mk (separately) x reader where reader is a really famous idol but also has to deal with a stalker?

GOT YOU FAM ---

RED SON

-Red Son loves you a lot, and while he knows you're an idol, you always try to make time for him.

-He knows your fans can be a little... much, but he had never assumed one would take to deal with following you.

-Like, follow you every day kind of follow.

-And you didn't tell him. For weeks. Just because you didn't want to "worry" him!

-HE'S ALWAYS WORRIED ABOUT YOU DAMMIT WHAT DO YOU MEAN???

-The only reason he found out is because he was at your house when the dude broke in and tried to steal your things for his 'shrine', and Red Son incinerated the man right then and there.

-Afterwards you told him what's up when he explained the situation, and Red Son grabbed you and forced you to sit in his lap and watch movies while he cooked you dinner.

-No one is allowed to do anything to his beloved.

-NO ONE.

---

MK / QI XIAOTIAN

-DUDE MK WOULD BE THE MOST SUPPORTIVE BOYFRIEND EVER; HE'D COME TO EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOUR SHOWS AND DO THE IDOL DANCE WITH THE GLOW STICKS.

-(Either that or just hold five in each hand and wave them around like he's at a rave party. He's letting out his inner Porty, leave him alone.)

-But let's be honest, MK is kind of dense sometimes and doesn't really notice things all to often, so he wouldn't really know anything's wrong.

-He'd just be all smiles and enjoying his date with you as the day passes by, while you cling to his arm.

-Then how would he notice? He would leave you to get you some food and drinks, and he would come back to see a guy grabbing you and trying to force you closer as you fight to get away.

-MK apologizes for the waste of food, but he doesn't care when he's punching the man who disturbed his beloved, sending him crashing into a wall.

-MK promptly picks you up, throws you over his shoulder and uses his staff to hop over buildings before stopping at his place and asking you to explain what happened.

-That's when you break down and explain everything, and MK just get sad and protective; he'd hold you gently, kissing your forehead, and promising to beat the shit out of anyone that ever does that to you again.

-He tells Pigsy and Tang about it, and those two alongside your lawyer slap a restraining order on the offender, and MK then goes to your shows- not just as support, but as a bodyguard.

-(And if he gets to be backstage and smooching you up before and after your show, well, who cares, right?)

[simpinformonkies]

YO may i have some hc about wukong and mac having an so whos a good fighter but is also hella clumsy? :P

Of course! I'll do my best! For this, I used a Fem!S/O! These are a... wee bit graphic violence, but just a little.

Wukong

-When he first met you, it was because MK was wanting to introduce him to Tang's cousin (who acted like an aunt to MK).

-Imagine Wukong's surprise when MK pulls him to an underground fighting arena and points to a woman throwing fucking hands in the ring, matching punch after punch with a man three times her body mass.

-"That's auntie!" The boy had told him, pointing to you just as you slammed your boxing gloves against the opposing man's jaw, flinging his body against one of the four quadrant poles. "Isn't she cool?!"

-...Wukong was a little scared of you to be quite honest, no matter what MK said- you just seemed like a scary woman! (It was baffling that you were related to Tang of all people.)

-Then MK pulled him into the waiting room and called out your name while he pulled at his mentor's sleeve, and you perked up from your water bottle and brighten considerably when your eyes catch MK. You stand and move to walk towards him-

-only to trip over your own feet and slam your face into one of the metal seats, breaking your nose.

-It was really hard to fear you when you were that clumsy outside a fight.

-Given something to hold? Uh oh, butter fingers!

-Trying to get from point A to point B? You trip over your own feet upon taking the first step.

-Trying to eat with chopsticks? Good luck.

-Wukong found it genuinely difficult to fear or be wary you due to your overwhelming clumsiness, but the one time he saw it fail to appear is one he won't forget.

-MK had been fighting a demon that was playing tricks and being an asshole, and almost broke the poor boy's ankle, and you threw yourself into the fight and started wailing on the opposing demon with your lips curled in rage and eyes mere pinpricks.

-Wukong took care of MK with the others, but he was openly gaping at seeing you grab the demon's arm and just start slamming him down on the ground from side to side as if he was a goddamn children's toy.

-You finished it by smashing your fist against the demon's jaw and breaking it, the sick crunching of bone echoing through the air as the demon's body is thrown back against the wall, slumping pathetically as you stand across from him, breathing heavily with blood and bruises coating your knuckles.

-Wukong found that so absurdly attractive that it wasn't even funny.

-Then your personality flipped on a dime, and you turned to rush towards MK only to trip on a stray rock and faceplant.

-...Yeah, Wukong was in love.

-And if he asked you on a date the following week, with your favorite flowers and a box of chocolates and looking so damn nervous, you didn't mind.

-And if you just so happened to say yes to his proposal of dating, well, that's business between the two of you.

-(Except not really, because god forbid secrets be kept when you're dating the Stone Monkey himself, and the 'aunt figure' to the main crew.)

~~~~~~~~

Macaque

-The first time Macaque met you was when he stole food from your house, and it was only thanks to his sensitive ears and the whispers of the shadows that he managed to dodge your punch that shattered your counter like glass, your eyes glowing softly in the dark and a scowl curled on your lips.

-You kept trying to wail punches on the monkey demon, narrowly missing since he was just a little bit faster (well, a lot faster, but he was curious about you), and he only managed to slip away unharmed and with plenty of food when you slipped on the rug and tumbled to the floor.

-Macaque had a good laugh about that for days.

-Somehow, you ended up amusing him, and anytime he needed (or, well, wanted) food, he would just shadow-port to your home and steal it, making sure that you were home when he did it just to piss you off more.

-He honestly just wanted to see you trip on something stupid again, the bastard.

-But weeks of this same schedule, this same song and dance weighed on you, and you just decided 'fuck it' and didn't even attempt to fight the invading monkey demon anymore, merely rolling your eyes whenever he attempted to catch your attention.

-...Didn't mean you still didn't trip around your own goddamn house like a newborn fawn just learning to use its legs.

-Except you were an adult, and this is embarrassing.

-Anytime you'd see- or, god forbid, hear- him laugh at you, you'd flush red and grab the nearest object to throw at him, uncaring of its value or how breakable it is- you just wanted one clean fucking shot on that bastard monkey dammit!

-It wasn't your fault you were clumsy! It was your stupid body's fault! You were lucky to train the clumsiness out of your fights, but it seems like anytime other than that its 'Let's fuck up this dumb bitch's day and make her look like a failure' day.

-...You had insecurities, so what? You're an adult, you're allowed them.

-Months after meeting Macaque- and practically letting him crash at your place, because he's like a stray cat at this point and you're too tired to kick him out- you find him fighting some imp demon, and while he didn't look in trouble, Macaque was holding his side, crimson leaking through his fingers.

-You threw yourself at the demon as quick as a lightning strike, and tussle with the creature, slamming your fist against its upper stomach and crunching its ribs, and sending an twirled axel kick to the side of its head before grabbing Macaque and running towards your apartment while the demon was down and dazed.

-Once inside, you almost tripped again but managed not to (huge success on your part) and push Macaque to sit on the couch while you riffle around the bathroom for your first aid kid. Who cares if Macaque is a demon that heals quickly? You're going to bandage him up weither he likes it or not dammit!

-You wrap the cloth around his wound- pointedly ignoring looking anywhere else- and spit curses both at him and the demon, your words lacking any real bite (well, bite towards Macaque), but the shadow monkey is just silent, his tail swaying gently behind him- the motion slow. Thoughtful.

-Somehow, that event of beating up a demon for him and bandaging him up just made Macaque move into your house, and now you're not only rooming with the monkey demon, but dating him.

-Yeah, you have no idea how this happened either.

[simpinformonkies]

I am absolutely THRIVING for your oneshots

Uhhhh sooo as an angst addict may I request a oneshot with MK where the reader gets severely injured (and dies if you’re willing to write that much angst)

I just listened to Little Fall of Rain from Les Miz and it has filed my need for angst

BRO I LOVE ANGST GUHHHH I HAVEN'T WRITTEN ANY SO HERE'S SOMETHING I SCROUNGED UP REALLY QUICK! ENJOY!

~~~

WARNING: GRAPHIC DEATH, BLOOD, LOSS OF LIMB. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!!! ~~~

MK / QI XIAOTIAN

The first time MK calls and you don't pick up, he just shrugs it off- 'They're probably at work,' he thinks to himself, 'they'll call me back when they get time.'

The second time it happens, something coils in his gut and tells him that something is up, but he just shrugs it off as best he can, ignoring the feeling.

The third time, anxiety settles in the pit of his stomach and insecurities knock at his door like old (toxic) friends. 'Maybe they finally got sick of you~' the voices whisper, liquid poison dripping off their lips and leaving burning, acidic scars across his mind and soul, cutting in his heart with sharpened knives and even sharper words.

The fourth time is the one where you answer-

-but it wasn't you.

No, whoever had your phone wasn't you, and that same ugliness rears its head again, and for the first time, MK calls Mei to get her to use the camera she installed on you (just as she had done to all her friends. MK still finds it creepy, but whatever, it's helpful now) to figure out your location.

Mei manages to ping the location, and MK storms in, anger burning in his gut because someone took the one that was HIS. Took HIS moonlight.

And when MK gets there, he is horrified.

There you lay, in-between crates, missing a leg and left in a puddle of crimson, staining your shirt as scarlet as a spider lilies. Your blood stains the ground, and its not warm when he scrambles towards you to hold your body.

No, you were cold. Frigid, more like.

You died long before he even got there, and MK felt a part of his heart tear apart to nothing but withered, torn scraps. MK could do nothing but hold your cold corpse in his hands, uncaring of how your blood stains his hands and clothes, and sob.

~~~

The day of your funeral is not what MK expected.

He expected the skies to open up and mourn an innocent life lost- the life of his beloved, of his moonlight; the one that hung the stars and kept him down to earth no matter how high he attempted to reach.

But no- the skies were sunny and bright.

Somehow, that just made this entire situation even worse- because of course the heavens wouldn't mourn his beloved. Why would they? Bastard immortals.

Even as the sun beats down on his body, MK stands before your grave, clutching your sweater- the very same you had died in, something he had washed to get out the blood and yet the scent of death still sticks like glue- in his hands, staring down at your newly engraved tombstone.

Something ugly and dark curls and bubbles in his chest, and MK's lips wobble weakly, tears burning his eyes even when his gaze sharpens like a newly polished sword.

"I'll avenge you," MK promised to himself, voice nothing but a whisper, yet carrying through the air, "I'll find who took you from me, and I'll take everything from them."

And that was a promise that he was going to keep, no matter what.

[depressiontribe]

⚫️NILØS ⚪️ From the mind of the creator of JULIUS, the dark, post-apocalyptic Japanese label, comes NILØS. #niløs #sectsshop “Non Ism Line Of Self’ breaks out from it’s sibling to permeate a sense of freedom, rejecting any traditional ideology or borders. Tokyo’s premier goth designer Tatsuro Horikawa amalgamates his infatuation for ‘black’ with intense graphics that dabbles with unexpected concepts such as the Hadal Zone, Biotechnology and the technological destruction of our eco system. #orchardgateway #orchardroad #singapore #武林大会 #aw20 #techwear #streetwear #avantgarde #nilos #nonismlineofself (at Singapore) https://www.instagram.com/p/CFq6ZNNHoXy/?igshid=1186ar8pstdr4

[depressiontribe]

⚫️NILØS ⚪️ From the mind of the creator of JULIUS, the dark, post-apocalyptic Japanese label, comes NILØS. #niløs #sectsshop “Non Ism Line Of Self’ breaks out from it’s sibling to permeate a sense of freedom, rejecting any traditional ideology or borders. Tokyo’s premier goth designer Tatsuro Horikawa amalgamates his infatuation for ‘black’ with intense graphics that dabbles with unexpected concepts such as the Hadal Zone, Biotechnology and the technological destruction of our eco system. #orchardgateway #orchardroad #singapore #武林大会 #aw20 #techwear #streetwear #avantgarde #nilos #nonismlineofself (at SECTS SHOP) https://www.instagram.com/p/CFq6VlbnuyP/?igshid=h0ih5zxi7f9u