#once they seem to be doing well and all ill ask if commissions are still open bc i will pay... Lot of money for nnoitra content

[naturesapphic]

Can you please do alcina having to punish her bratty little but Like her little was very overstimulated please and it's a comfort ending!! THANK YOUUUU

Punishment

Mommy!lady dimitrescu x fem!little!reader

Warnings: spanking, hurt/comfort, soft mommy alcina

“No no no! I don wan baf!” You shouted as you stomped your feet down harshly. You’ve been acting bratty all day and alcina just had about enough of your attitude. She doesn’t understand why you’ve been acting like this but she needs to know why. “Come on princess. Be mommy’s good girl and take a bath. It won’t be long princess I promise.” She said softly as to help you calm down from your tantrum, but that didn’t seem to work. You got one of your rubber duckies and threw one at her chest.

Alcina was surprised at your actions and she didn’t want to be the bad guy but something must be done about your behavior. “That’s it little one.” She snarled and stood up and grabbed you by the arm, leading you to the bedroom the both of you shared. “Over my lap. Now.” She demanded and you shook your head no. “N-no please mommy! I-I’ll be a good girl please!” You begged her and she felt her heart break but you needed to be taught a lesson. “Don’t make me count to three.” She warned and you whimpered as you walked over to her and she bent you over her knee and started spanking you.

She spanked you ten times and made you count each of them. By the end of it you were crying and trying to get off her lap. She laid you on your stomach and went to get a cold washcloth to put on your reddened cheeks. “I’m sorry I had to punish you draga but you have been a very bratty girl today and I had to teach you a lesson. Now please tell mommy what’s going on. Mommy can’t help you if she doesn’t know what’s making you feel this way.” She said softly as she caressed your butt gently in a non sexual way. You couldn’t exactly explain why you were so ill today but you felt like this all day and you didn’t want to be a bratty girl but you just couldn’t help it.

“N-Nu feel good…u-up heres…”. You try to explain to your mommy and she’s trying to understand you. “Do you feel sad or mad?” She asked you and you said both. She thought for a moment more and said “do you feel irritated and feels like nothing is going right?”. You nodded your head and Alcina understood what was going on. You were overstimulated. That’s why you were irritated and restless today. “I understand now baby. It’s okay. Mommy is here. Why don’t we give you a bath right quick and put on our matching pjs on and I can read you some of your favorite books. How about that my little bat?” She asked you and you gently nodded, wanting to do those things and you wanted to be your mommy’s good girl again.

“Good girl.” Alcina said as she put you in the bath and let you play for a while before getting you out and drying you with your favorite fluffy towel. She put you in a little bat onesie and alcina put on her big bat onesie. You giggled happily and hugged her legs indicating that you wanted her to pick you up. She lifted you up in her strong arms and went back into the bedroom and went over to y’all’s book shelf’s to let you pick out your favorite books. Once you selected them, she laid you down on the bed and she got in next to you, letting you lay on top of her breast as she read to you until you fell into a deep sleep. She kissed your forehead gently and covered the both of you up. “Sleep well my little bat. Mommy loves you and she always will.”

A/n: I hope @yourcoolistjennifertillyfan enjoys this and I hope the rest of y’all enjoy it too! Requests are still open for all of my characters including of course Rhea ripley/Demi Bennett. I have my own buy me a coffee page! You can give me a dollar and it will help. I also have some different commission types I will do so here's my page to look into it :) https://www.buymeacoffee.com/naturesapphic Requests are open for yeehaw!wanda, country!wanda, and any other southern variants of Wanda or Natasha! Remember to stay hydrated and to rest! I love y'all!

[sweetlikehoneystingslikeabee]

Let's say the reader is a big dumb idiot who fucked up their antidepressants and is out of commission for a day or two (weak and tired, foggy headed, ANXIOUS AS HELL, etc). How would the BTAS dork squad take care of them in their time of need?

"Messed up Medications" BTAS Dork Squad X reader

Well first of all I would tell this reader personally that things happen and sometimes we mess up our meds. I hope by the time you read this, you're feeling better!!

TW: mental health talk, depression, mind control, hospital abuse

Scarecrow

He's the one who understands the most- not only psychologically but chemically as well. He'll be looking up all of your medications and ensuring another dose isn't missed. Best to get you back on track, after all.

Expect him to ask a lot of questions about your mental state. One, he wants to know where you're at and two, he will always take the chance to dig inside your mind a little further. A habit of his, you could say.

"Does it make you scared to know it's so simple as missing a pill?" He won't use it against you, mind you. But it's something he feels a compulsion to know.

Do you know what you need? Something baked. Something comforting for the upcoming days. Being a chemist as he makes fear toxin, he's figured out baking isn't too far off from that. He can make a mean pie if you wanted.

He'll set you up in front of the TV or some other low-focus activity you enjoy and bake you whatever you'd like. He doesn't have much of a body for cuddling, but he'll make do with his "old" bones, dear.

Riddler

Ah, shouldn't you have a system for this already? It's not scolding, more a blunt question. If you don't, he'll simply have to design one for you. Expect it to be just a little eccentric and very suited to his tastes. HOWEVER, it will get the job done and you'll likely never miss another dose.

He understands the science of it, but explain to him your symptoms and what will help. He would rather learn from you directly than his personal experiences of Arkham doctors shoving various anti-depressants and god knows what else down his throat hoping one would work and then suffering the ill effects of withdrawals.

He's not very good at mind-numbing or relaxing mentally, so he's not the best with this. Do you want a puzzle box? Some sort of toy you have to unlink? Or a video game...

Frighteningly quickly, he's made you a small video game that is very simplistic but entertaining. There's a lot of love involved, you can tell from the way the NPCs interact with you, the player. They say your name and tell you what a wonderful person you are.

If you say anything to him about it being sweet, he turns beet red.

Mad Hatter

Poor dear! Nothing to fear- he can fix this, he's sure. He understands the compounds of your medication and how it effects the neurotransmitters of your brain- would it help if he tried explaining that? As "silly" as he is, he knows straight logic can make a situation feel better.

No, no, he understands. Why don't you just relax and he'll read to you? Truly, he does the best voices for Alice and Wonderland. But you knew that already. Something intimate and soft where you can rest your head on his shoulder or in his lap.

So much reassurance. You could ask him every hour on the hour if he still loves you/if he's mad at you and never seems bothered. He wants you to feel safe and loved when you're not feeling well.

If it's truly too much, he'd be glad to have you "under" for a while until it all passes. Test out some light modifications he's made to the mind control devices he's worked on. It'll be like you're asleep!

Yes, he will dress you up and the like if you agree, it's definitely a win-win in his mind. He'll bring you up every once in a while to see how you're feeling. You can be in Wonderland as long as you like.

[petitprincess1]

I can't believe you would actually side yourself with a doxxer and someone who denies Dainty's been raped?? Then you want to sit here and make it seem like it's so easy to just deal with harassment. I really thought you were actually a decent fucking human being

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Can I ask a few things? All of what I'm about to say is public knowledge. All from Deviantart, Twitter, Tumblr, or even Dainty's GoFundMe. Anyway:

First of all, I thought Dainty was living with his mom. Apparently, he's in a group home and his mom is either in hospice or still nursing home, due to her alcoholism. Not to say the abuse wouldn't be scarring (physically and mentally), but I assumed the GFM was for getting out of said abuse situation. But whatever. GFMs are for many things.

Although, Dainty then details in the PUBLIC update that he went into a halfway house. First of all, your mom isn't home. Even if it is shitty to go back here, wouldn't that be more accessible? Also, you mention a grandfather....why not go live with him? Second of all, a halfway house is where people with substance abuse, past criminal activity, or mental illnesses co-occurrent with the sub. abuse would go. They're transitioning from dependent living to independent living. Why are YOU there and what does that have to do with your mom?

I'm also guessing you live in sober living since I don't think you can just leave a halfway house. I mean, I'm not a professional in all of that. So, I could be wrong. Idk. Also, is that why your GFM is there? To pay the guest fee? Not that there's anything wrong with that. Just kinda confused, especially since it seems like you spend it on commissions and merchandise.

In a Deviantart journal, you mention that you had 40 foster homes. I hope that was just hyperbole because that doesn't really make sense aging-wise. However, you also say that every single male family member in those 40 different homes...raped you. I'm sure SOME of that is true, but every one of them? That statistically doesn't seem likely.

You also mention that a past ex had raped you (very sorry if that is true), but the way you described it was that your "pants were slightly lowered" and you were "a little wet". No bleeding, no pain, no sign of drugging, or anything like that. That's it. If anything, it seems like they just pantsed you and made it seem like you peed yourself.

You also say you went to go get a pregnancy test. I don't even think a pregnancy test would work that well after the crime, but why that? Why a pregnancy test? Why not a rape kit or going to the police? I understand that that's tough and even humiliating in a situation like that. However, I feel like it would be more beneficial.

Also, how did you end up going back to him THREE TIMES? I imagine the same act happened again and again. While I understand the cycle of abuse and that people tend to get into abusive relationships, but going back to the SAME person? Idk. That just seems like a lot.

This one is a bit hearsay: You mention your rent is along the lines of $100 in that group home. First of all, the lowest fee for Sober Living is $300 from what I could find. Second of all, are you guys lodging in a port-a-potty or a cave? What rent has you all dividing up where your dividend is just $100, especially nowadays? I would love to know, honestly.

Also, you mention you vividly remember being raped at 6 months. While people can remember stuff when they're born, it's incredibly rare. Plus, for moments like that, unless it was recently, trauma like that tends to get repressed. It'd be one thing if you had a hazy memory, but to know it so vividly? Idk. Again, I'm no professional and I wasn't there, ofc, but it seems off. Especially since most people's brains are still developing and don't even start remembering till after 6 months if even that.

You also apparently dated a pedophile, who was orbiting around a minor and you had knowledge of this minor. You also went back together with this person more than once, while still having knowledge of the kid. .....Why of all things are you making yourself out to be a victim when there's an ACTUAL CHILD with a PEDOPHILE around? Like excuse meeeeee??? Esp coming from someone who was around other pedos and raped by them

Lastly, is your mom in hospice? Sorry if that's a weird way to end this, I'm just curious. Idk if your mom still abuses you or yells or anything, ....then laugh at her. Bitch can't do shit x3 She's wasting all that energy yelling that soon the only thing that'll come out is a death rattle.

Now, let's say ALL OF THAT is 100% true......isn't it a bit much to lose your mind over Millie discourse? You've been through hell and back, but internet drama is what gets you pissed off? I know everyone has their limits, but still. That just feels so minor in comparison.

However, if a good bit of this is false (SOME of it probably has weight).......the people who are donating to your GFM are the most gullible idiots I have ever heard of. Anyone that supports you is incredibly gullible. Because.....WOW! All of that together is some insane bullshit. I can't even be mad at your for it. You go make that fucking money, they sure as hell ain't gonna do anything with it lol

Again, a lot of this is public knowledge, nothing I'm "stalking" him for. A bit obsessive? Maybe. But....it was like a car crash. I had to keep seeing how deep this fucking rabbit hole was. This is just insane and, once again, very stupid.

Maybe some of it is true, but I doubt everything here is complete honesty. This just seems so insane that I doubt you could come up with it on the spot, as in people are lying to make you look bad. Idk...this shit is fucking weird, dude.

[kanside]

life update (3/31/2023)

(holy shit i put 2022 i forgot it was 2023?? whats next? 2024?? so weird)

my physical health is taking a severe plummet (i joke that its in reaction to my mental health doing better).

my sleep schedule has flipped completely from 11pm-9am to 2am-12pm. this is a severely unhealthy shift. doctors say my epilepsy took sleep into factor the most and although i doubt this (my belief is that it was psychosomatic / in response to traumatic situations) i am aware that my sleep plays a HEAVY factor in my physical and mental health as a whole. i am still getting the same amount of hours but i am emotionally imbalanced as well as physically drained because the fucked up sleep schedule is affecting my eating habits. i have been very sick, weak, and generally feeling shitty. on top of that my appetite is affected by how many medications i take during the day. note on the sleep schedule. the reason i want to sleep at 11 pm exactly instead of earlier or later [ex. 9, 10, or 12] is because good sleep is based off of the cycle in which you wake, not the amount of hours slept. my sleep/dream cycle seems to last around 10 hours. this makes me think 11 pm is the best time to sleep, and 9 am is the earliest i must wake up. these times can be adjusted based off of new observations and schedules.

in retaliation to these (imo) severe health issues i have set some general goals and are listing them here to 1. remind myself of them and 2. let everyone know that i am still on the path to recovery and regularly working to improve myself above all else. the goals and ideas are as follows:

- unfortunately gained a dependency on my mom to wake me up in the morning again. frustratingly no matter how many alarms are set, no matter how loud, or even no matter how my mom comes in to gently wake me up, i will not get out of bed. i feel guilty for being dependent on her but have asked her to, when available, wake me up at 9 am by disrupting my sleep state with tasks that piss me off or jolt me suddenly: shaking me by the shoulders, turning my light on (it attracts bugs, i dont like it), leaving my door wide open (i have conditioned myself to think that door closed = sleep time, door open = wake time), etc. this will hopefully keep me from sleeping until noon and exhaust me enough to sleep by 11.

- on top of that ive tried adapting to pain and discomfort associated with eating food at abnormal times. instead of eating breakfast when ive woken up, ive been trying to force myself to eat appropriate meals at appropriate times. today was very hard, i had my favorite sandwhich when i woke up because it was noon. it seriously hurt because my body refused to take in any food (probably because i dont like eating immediately after waking or taking medicine) however i could feel pain due to hunger and knew i needed to eat. this sounds little but it was very hard. hopefully this appetite issue can be forced through and handled better as i fix my sleep. ive also asked my mom to buy some apples (granny smith which i eat in slices, and honey crisp which i eat in whole) because oddly enough the only thing my body wants to eat in the morning is those exact textures and consistencies. she’s going shopping soon so!!! yippee!!!!

- i recently tried to apply to a job. i have recognized this is an impulsive decision and i am not ready to take one on. i gave them my name and number and they said they’d call me, but i’m likely to apologize and decline. we’ll see, i just needed money really. commissions are still open and right now although my goal is health, my secondary goal is gaining traction online to balance hobby, health, and gaining money. im nearly finished with my MAP part and im eager to see the sort of response it gets and establish myself online again

- once i establish a better sleep and eating schedule, ill finally hopefully be able to go to a doctors appt. and request lowering the dosage of my epilepsy medication. it’s very hard taking over a dozen pills day and night for a disorder that hasnt shown itself in over 2 years. i only stayed on the meds this long because there was anxiety over transition. im very eager to not be as dependent on medication, and only take medication alongside proper therapy (which i will hopefully receive) for mental health and productivity reasons alone.

tldr

this is a life update of sorts to describe where im at and give you an idea of my availability and energy levels. i am feeling very sick. my sleep and eating schedule is fucked up. i am currently putting much of my focus into personal hobbies, relaxing tasks (watching shows, playing games), self care, chores, and fixing some health issues with myself. i was very eager to be more productive and social, and im sorry if i cant be all the time! soon i will have plenty of time and energy to share with yall.

love you guys :] im gonna go watch anime or something

[melancholic-hues]

i spit out the piece of pastry onto the napkin and gladly accept the handkerchief from the prince, a mix of sympathy and wry amusement in his eyes when i take it.

i tuck the handkerchief into my chest pocket after wiping the corners of my mouth. “it’s another love potion.” it’s the third one today. the eleventh one of the week, and we’re not even through with tuesday yet.

the prince’s smile is both teasing and scathing when he passes me a glass of wine to wash down the bittersweet taste of the potion. “it seems that many want my hand in marriage. i can’t blame them.” he throws a wink my way, an action that shouldn’t have made me choke on my wine as it does.

“you’re delusional,” i respond, expression back to neutral.

“and you always hurt my feelings so much,” he sighs. “thank you,” he says to the servant who came to take the dish away. the servant brightly smiles at him.

everyone at the palace loves him. it’s not bribery or forced, but honest, genuine loyalty toward their stand-in monarch. our kingdom’s actual king is out of commission for illness, and so many people are seeking to take advantage of the prince.

that was why the prince had personally scouted me — a child of the wandering plains, immune to all forms of magic, so everything he eats goes through me first — as his personal food-tester. well, right now, i’m more of a personal guard to him, by his side throughout most the day. there would, rarely, be a professional guard by his side, but the prince had said, words from the man himself, “they were too stuffy and way too used to the military life” and reassigned them to the nobles, equally stuffy.

the scouting was nearly seven months ago. the king has still not recovered, and my place by his side seems more and more like a permanent position.

“i hate it when they think i’m someone to be easily taken advantage of. it’s like i didn’t even take diplomatic and politics classes since i started to walk,” the prince mumbles, swirling the dark wine in his glass.

“who do you think is sending all of these poisoned foods?” i ask. it’s something we’re all curious of, yet came out empty-handed with.

“someone in the nobility. ordinary civilians. the culprit could be one person, it could be several,” he drawls, voice dipping from the cheerful the kingdom is used to, to the cold tone he only uses when truly upset.

it’s scary, watching our normally uplifting prince so dark, but my seven-and-counting-months with him has shown more sides to the prince than i’d originally guessed. hey, i just thought every monarch was a stuck-up brat, okay? i didn’t realize the prince was so much better than all the rest.

“hm,” my gaze sweeps across the table set with minimal plates of food. it’s just enough to feed two people, none of the wasteful grandeur shown in story books.

“most likely, this is a well-orchestrated effort. multiple people, with outside support,” the prince muses. “at this rate, i’ll have to forbid gifts from the civilians. what a shame.”

“why aren’t you already? you’re putting your life on the line for their gifts,” i say, grip on my wine glass tightening. the prince is one of those royals that shouldn’t die. i don’t even understand why he’s constantly receiving poisoned gifts.

“i don’t want anyone to worry. aren’t you tired of standing, my guard? sit,” he gently commands. i do so at the chair to his right.

“you’re the prince. the stand-in king, practically. what’s the use of that title when you can’t use it once in awhile? it’s for your safety. i’m sure the people will understand,” i argue.

the prince finishes his steak. “nevermind. drop this conversation.”

i open my mouth to retort, but close it when the prince gives me the most tired, frustrated, and sad look i’ve seen on his face.

Text: I try all the Prince’s food first. So many seek to influence his choices through magic, not a week goes by without bread that tastes like bloodlust, or a sip of wine that tastes like forgetting.

[west-tokyo-incidents]

Hi you now have more context for X as a character!

---

Uta hesitated before riveting the final piece onto the mask before him.

Normally he handled his commissions in his own vision of the person who came in. But this one was different.

He hadn't even heard the door open, much less smell the ghoul that entered his studio a few minutes after he'd closed. That alone was enough to make him suspicious when he turned to see the figure in is doorway. Though its face held innocence enough, its sclera were pitch and a long blood red tail moved slowly behind it; a simple Bikaku. And as for a gender… he couldn't tell; flat chested with a simple tank top, as well as long, ill fitting pants. Its hair was long and wavy, but nappy and not well taken care of. Its face had sharp lines, but was as androgynous as the rest of it. He wondered, briefly, if they were homeless.

"Sorry but the studio is closed." His posture stayed neutral. He'd dealt with cannibals in his studio many times before, this wasn't a concern. But the ghoul pulled a tattered sketchbook from its jacket and laid it on the counter, keeping its distance as it slid the well-worn book towards him. Just as cautious as he was, apparently.

It was open to a specific page of a mask concept sketch. It was simple, but odd. The face was blue and plain, save for four eyeholes covered with a fine black mesh for visibility outwards, but not inwards. A swift glance up at the ghoul, standing so still at the end of the counter, showed a lack of said extra eyes. But he looked back to the drawing, his eyes drawn to the most prominent feature. Two long, onyx horns curled off of either side of it, like ram's horns.

Simple enough... Too simple, really.

"I can do it." He sighed, "Though I wish you'd come earlier. I closed a little while ago."

The ghoul looked down at its feet and nodded. Their arms moved behind their back; apologetic. Uta felt a wave of exasperation, but motioned the ghoul over, "Alright, come over here and let me take some measurements."

He posed a couple of questions, but the ghoul stayed silent, shaking its head when he asked it simple yes or no questions. To others, it simply pointed at its throat.

Mute? Perfect. Yet he kept his demeanor cool. He even offered a notebook for them to write in, but they simply denied it. Once he had everything he needed, the ghoul tore out the mask's page in the sketchbook, leaving that page on the counter before slipping out the door as silently as it came in.

In short, he knew nothing about the person that would be behind this mask. He'd had difficult customers before but this one almost felt impersonal. Sure, he'd made the face more angular and gave it more dimension than just a flat mask. The horns were his favorite part, but the face looked so... empty. No mouth, no detail. He leaned back after finally putting the piece on and crossed his arms with a huff. He was not happy with this work at all, but he'd been glared at when he suggested small changes to the design. He knew he'd do a better one just to satisfy his need to elaborate on the design. Leave it as a display piece in his studio. As it was, he stood and draped cloth over the mask.

He picked up the yellowed page of the sketchbook and looked it over again, the paper covered with notes of his own around the design. The ghoul had talent in sketching, he would admit, but their visions seemed to be on opposite ends of a spectrum. He turned back to the covered piece and shook his head before shoving the paper behind his counter.

The ghoul who'd commissioned it likely wouldn't be back for a few days.

---

It wasn't long before the ghoul came back. And again it managed to slip by him. Now he turned at the sound of fabric rustling and a voiceless gasp. The ghoul was already at the mask, having uncovered it. Thin, pale hands drifted over the edges of it, as if cupping a loved one's face. Its eyes widened and an expression like joy swept over its face.

Uta couldn't help but smile to himself. Even if he hadn't liked making it, he'd made something come to life for this ghoul and it looked about ready to cry. Its Bikaku curled around itself as its fingers danced across the horns.

Fingertips curled beneath the edges of the mask and slowly lifted up, sliding it free of the mannequin. It held it to its chest and hugged it before looking to Uta with a grin. They slipped on the mask immediately afterwards, and Uta slid over to help them fasten the back of it. As it turned to look up at him, the mask brought an almost unnerving stoic feel to the ghoul's face.

Money was happily passed from commissioner to artisan, but Uta laid a hand on the ghoul's shoulder before it dashed out the door, effectively stopping it.

"Forgive me for asking, but why this design in particular?" He motioned to the mask. Its body language brought the mask to life in a way he hadn't considered. Like a part of it had been made whole. It dug out the sketch book again and held up a new picture; this time of a creature. Ram-horned, with the exact same face as the mask. It was tall and thin with four spindly arms and long legs like a deer. A long tail like the commissioner's Bikaku trailed behind it. Its skin was a pale sky blue with four eyes staring at him. Watching him, it seemed. The ghoul tapped the picture, and then it pointed to itself.

"That's… you?"

It nodded before putting the book away again.

"That's… interesting." He'd heard of such things as 'otherkin' or some such from his human interactions, but he'd never truly met such an individual. How curious. It gave him a little bow as thanks and to excuse itself before turning to slip back out the door. He really ought to add a bell to that.

A light laugh left Uta's lips and he scratched his head for a moment as he looked at the now-empty mannequin.

He returned to his workstation, walking up to a mask he'd been working on back there in his spare time. The remake of the commissioner's. But now, looking at it, it seemed uncanny; too complex. Now that he knew what it was, he sat down to take it apart; he can use those parts for other masks in the future.

[localspirit]

i need to commission somebody to write a nnoitra fic

[saccharine-scribbles]

ᴛɪɢʜᴛ ꜰɪᴛ | Din Djarin x Fem!Reader

aka I’m going to make my Din Djarin brainrot everyone else’s problem, the fanfic

warnings - dirty talk (i guess?), non-graphic smut (minors dni)

word count - 1.3k

(gif is mine, i was like FUCK i can’t find the gif i need, ill make it myself lmfao)

“Where's the Razor Crest?” Din asks, hands on his hips as Peli gleefully shows off what’s supposed to be your new ship. You try to imagine the pout on his face underneath the helmet. 

The ship in question was awfully tiny, not to mention rather worn looking. The once yellow paint was cracked and faded with age - in fact, it looked so... Tatooine, what with the worn colors and sand damage. You wouldn’t be surprised if this ship was at least twenty years old (maybe more). 

Peli scoffs. “I never said I had a Razor Crest. I said I had a replacement for a Razor Crest.”

Din huffs. “I don't have time for this.” 

She raises a finger in protest. “Hang on a second. Do you have any idea what this is? This is an N-1 starfighter, handmade for the royal guard and commissioned personally by the Queen of Naboo.”

That certainly piqued your attention. You recalled hearing stories about how a single Nubian starfighter took down a Lucrehulk-class battleship. The ships were said to be incredibly agile and run well; they were particularly rare these days. A small part of you is fairly gleeful at the prospect of perhaps getting to fly an N-1. 

“This is a pile of junk.” Din protests, bringing you out of your train of thought.

“Do you want your credits back?” Peli asks. 

“Yes.” 

“No skin off my dip-swap. Droids, bring this lovely man his money. Here you go. It's that easy. Sorry to waste your time. Okay?” Peli sighs. “While we're waiting, can I tell you a little something about this honey? I know she doesn't look like much, but you guys got here a lot earlier than I expected, and I didn't get a chance to finish. I mean, clearly, you can see I've got all the parts right here. Hmm? It all has a home.”

You wrap your arms around Din’s much larger arm and rest your head on his pauldron. The beskar feels soothingly cool on your cheek. “I’ve always wanted to fly one of these.” You say to Din quietly. 

“We’ll hardly fit in there together,” he replies. 

“I’d be willing to bet we can make it work.” You wink. “If we chose to keep it, of course. I still would rather ride this than public transit again.” you add, eyes pleading.

Din makes a quiet noise of protest. “I don’t know...”

Peli interrupts your hushed conversation as she walks around the ship, examining it critically. ‘You know how hard it is to find all original parts from way back in the Galactic Republic? I mean, these are all handmade. No droids. And not only that, what I'm gonna do, just because I like you two, is I'm gonna add on some custom modifications that'll make her faster than a fathier, and because this baby's pre-Empire, she's off the grid. And did I mention, she can jump into hyperspace with no docking ring? I mean, come on! You gotta see the potential.”

Well, you were certainly sold. You walk closer to the ship and run your fingers over the sand-covered metal admiringly. 

Din, it seemed, was a less convinced, but you could tell he was softening on the idea. 

“I'm telling you, Mando, you gotta believe me. This is a classic. Look, at least let me put her together before you decide. Can you give me that?”

“I think we’ll try it out,” You answer for him, knowing that he’d probably keep dragging his feet if left to his own devices. You, meanwhile, were already excited at the prospect.

Peli grins. “See, there you go. I’m glad at least one of you has common sense. Let’s get this baby up and goin'!” She grabs a wrench and begins disassembling a panel.

“...You know, it'd be a lot faster if you two helped.”

By the time the three of you finished fixing the ship, the first of the twin suns had set, and the second was on it’s way to setting. 

“Think she's ready?” Din asks. 

You can’t help but admire your team effort. The ship looks rather good, and with the buffed out paint, the smooth metal gleams beautifully. 

“Ready as she'll ever be. Start her up.” Peli replies. 

“Really?” You and Din both ask in unison.

“Yeah, start her up.”

You excitedly move to get into the ship. The seat certainly feels a lot smaller when there’s already someone else occupying it, but you’re nothing if not staunchly determined; especially after you just worked your ass off on this ship. 

“You just need to--” you grunt, trying to position yourself between his legs. If he would just part his legs a little more, this would be a hell of a lot easier. 

He huffs and grabs your hips. His large hands wrap around them snugly. “No, wait, just--” 

You wiggle your legs, trying to not hit any important buttons on the dashboard. “Let me--” you finally manage to sit down in between his legs. He practically envelops you like this. 

You can just barely hear his faint mutter of, “Kriff,” 

You’re confused for a moment, before it dawns on you that your ass is firmly pressed against his cock. You can feel heat rush to your cheeks, a tiny shiver running up your spine at the mere thought.

Din reaches forward to start the engine. Much to both of your dismay, it sputters weakly. “It's not turning over.”

“Give it a little bit more juice.” Peli encourages.

You press a key button on the console whilst Din attempts to start the engine, and suddenly, it roars to life. The engine is so loud you can hardly hear yourself think.

“That's a lot of engine for a little ship.” Din says, impressed.

 “Yeah, well, see what she can do!”

“Shouldn't we run a diagnostic first?” You question.  

Peli waves a hand dismissively and yells over the roar of the engine, “Nah! I can hear her! She's purring! Send her up!“

After a brief test drive, (followed by being temporarily accosted by New Republic Officers and meeting with Fennec Shand once again) You and Din were now comfortably in lightspeed.

“This thing really does handle nicely,” You comment. 

Din hums. His gloved hand is idly rubbing your thigh. You continue to enjoy the comforting hum of the ship, and the fact that you're pressed against your Mandalorian in the best of ways.

His hand slowly trails up until it’s resting just above your waistband. He begins stroking through your pants subtly, his touch far too gentle. His other hand is gently caressing your shoulder. 

"Din," You breathe. “If you could just...”

His voice sounds somewhat amused, “Cyar'ika, do you need something?”

“Need you,” You murmur, trying to angle your hips upward. You need more. 

“So impatient,” he chides gently in that same aroused, yet slightly amused voice. He continues to stroke you as your legs begin to quiver.

You nearly whimper whenever he lifts his hand briefly. He tugs off the leather glove before his hand is back; he trails his hand along the hem of your pants. His touch is so unbelievably close, prompting you to rub your ass against his semi-hard length.  His head tilts back and you can just faintly hear his breath hitch slightly.

His fingers fumble with the button on your cargo pants. With surprising (though at this point, it really shouldn’t surprise you anymore) swiftness, before you can do a thing, he’s unbuttoned your pants and yanked them down.

You whisper, “I need you, Din. I need you inside me.”

To that, he has the audacity to tsk. “Cyar’ika, we have a long trip ahead of us.” he’s grasping at your thighs, teasing you. His voice drops slightly. “We’re not getting started until you come on my hand at least twice,”

You let out a moan at the prospect. 

a/n: hey if you liked or if you want a sequel, please reblog! (actually please reblog anyway, considering that’s how tumblr’s algorithm works, hehe) reblogs = love :) and my inbox is open so feel free to send in requests!! 

[deeisace]

I gave the money back, for the polari bible, in the end. I might finish it one day - in a year or two, knowing me, if I do get to it, which is doubtful, unfortunately, and then I'll ask if the commission-er would like it still, if I do - and it turns out that so far most of the letters my nana kept were between her dad and his sports friend who lived in Australia, but there were some interesting ones, and I'm fairly certain there's another box or two I haven't got to yet, dad doesn't know what's in all of the office cupboards and I haven't looked in the garage yet

There were diaries, I found, last time I went to dad's, that I didn't know she'd asked dad not to read - but I only read the one from the year I was born, anyway, which is mostly notes about how ill I was, visits she made to my parents and me - and one completely astounding entry, to me, wherein she says that my gran rang her, about the state that my drug-addled dad had left mum's flat in, such that she couldn't go home to her dogs, even, at least, after spending a month in hospital very slowing losing twins (and then the doctors keeping one, having lied to make the due date viable, to my 19-yo mum's sheer horror and confusion more than hope, I imagine. once she was well, they wouldn't let her home until she'd seen me in person, which must've seemed like needless torture. no part of me worked on it's own for weeks I'm sure, I didn't have eyes or ears or literally half my skin, never mind internal organs. I'm completely fine now, god knows how (months of medical intervention). anyway) - it's only three sentences, I can't remember, but she ends, "my son is not a drug addict" - tho he was, and continued to be so for the next 15 years at least, stopped some time around 2012 I think, and is now even coming off methadone, and has been sober over a year - I'm proud of him, for that bit, tho it's hard to think about some of the rest.

Astounding mostly because I'd never think of my gran as someone who would call to shout at anyone, ever, even once, even 27 years ago (after losing and regaining her middle daughter, and then losing her first grandchild, with the second continually at the time being brought back every day) - but she must've done. Bizarre to think about, she almost wouldn't say boo to a goose, now. Goose? Ghost? Hm.

Anyway. I don't really know what to do about nana's (and her dad's, and her mum's) letters and photographs and diaries and school workbooks and cards and wedding invites and driving licenses and all of this stuff, bits even from her grandparents

I can't really type all of that up, it doesn't all take to it, tho I know the family would probably like me to, especially my uncle cs he lives overseas and can't exactly pop in to see it ever - I'd need a year off work, to get it all done, and to carry on with Grandma's writing, and I can't at all afford that in the least

So I'll just carry on imagining sending an email to a publisher's, and not actually doing it, I spose.

I still haven't really got the wherewithall to do my dishes, tho it is slowly becoming an "executive dysfunction" thing again rather than an "overwhelming grief" thing, I'm glad to report.

Thinking again about how to go about approaching publishers with my grandma Millie's first book

There's no clear thing of, like she didn't leave all her writing specifically to anyone in writing - because she couldn't, because he was nominally disowned, she just made sure my grandad, her middle son, got her writing box, made sure of it before she died, you see, and then I'm the one that's typing everything and actually working on it - very slowly, mind, there's all sorts of short stories I haven't got to, and a whole handwritten second novel, tho I think I've finished all the poetry

But erm like

How do you say to a publisher, here is a book, it's not mine, it's my dead great-grandma's and she wrote it at least 30 years ago, d'you want to publish it?

I spose that, really, in more fancier words

I spose, they publish things posthumously all the time, even tho those are usually already famous authors like, rather than some random schoolteacher from the Wirral, y'know

Or, I'd've thought self-publishing is a thing, but I wouldn't the first how to go about that, and besides back to my first point, if I did that then surely the money ought to go to someone closer related to her than me, tho her eldest son has died, her middle son (my grandad) is disinherited so far as I know (tho I don't know if that was in writing or just by social/religious pressure), and I've never met her youngest son - but it's grandad that got the box, and me that's done the work

I just think other people should see this, I'm sure it's not family bias, it is really actually good - and there's 60+ years of short stories, for kids and for adults, and reams of poetry, and two (one and a half, maybe, I've not read the second one yet, cs her handwriting can be tricky and I've not had the time besides) novels

The first one is a good 500 pages, following all the different people living in one house in London in the early 1950s, all their lives and how they intersect and differ - some of it's autobiographical, I know, taken from her early married life, and my grandad said that she said it was the sort of idea that wouldn't leave her alone, she'd put it down and pick it up again for years and years, but it was typed up, and my copy is one we found on a floppy disk, so she kept at the same story for years and years - there's bits in there referencing her life in the 50s-60s, and I'm sure some bits that are about my mum if you know to look at it sideways, and that all happened in the 90s - but besides all the bits that mean a lot to me cs I sort of get to know her through them, it really is just a good read, honestly

Oh I don't know, I haven't got the time or brain to do anything about it right now anyway, I don't even have the wherewithal to get my fucking dishes done, so

I just looked in a bookshop on my way home, and it always makes me think, to go in a bookshop, her name should be up on the shelves too, with all these others

I don't know how to get that done by myself tho

[woolywoofs]

I wanted to post a little update. And ask for a little help, again (paypal posted below, please dont feel pressured! you and your needs come first always).

Moppa and I are still grieving Skvetta, but we are managing now. She can be left alone now without panicking and she no longer searched for her in the yard.

I had my tonsils taken out last friday, on my birthday lol. Surgery itself went well, but beforehand did not. My IV infiltrated and all of the meds to calm me down and put me to sleep just went into my soft tissue. It was extremely painful and I started to have a panic attack on the table because of it + the oxygen mask makes me feel like im suffocating (i know it doesnt make sense haha). All hands on deck after that and I had 3 people on me at once sticking me trying to get IVs in me but my veins just kept breaking. It was actual hell and felt like forever.

Recovery has been a hot mess honestly. The first 3 days were fine and since then its been reaaal bad. The ear, throat and tongue pain is unreal. I am drugged out of my mind because pain/stress is a huge seizure trigger for me, but at this point it is not really working. I did have 1 bad seizure, to a point where i had broken capillaries in my face. But thankfully it didnt create any issues with my surgery recovery. Im hoping things will start improving soon.

Generally my epilepsy has fucked up a lot. My short term memory is messed up and I have lost some skill sets after the bad seizures. I have been re-learning how to draw and paint! It is a very tedious process but i really feel like im making progress.

My autoimmune disease has been lowkey out of control and I saw my rheumo and I am going back on a low dose chemo drug. It really did help last time, it just made me so sick. But we will be looking into every option to control my nausea etc! So im trying to be hopeful. Ill start once im completely healed from my tonsillectomy, since the meds make you more likely to get infections and slows healing.

My uterus has also been absolutely fucked, once again. We were really hoping that removing the mass, scraping my uterus and putting the IUD would stop the bleeding, and it did, for 6 months. But im having issues again and I saw a specialist and we decided that the only option left for me is a hysterectomy. There is a year long wait though. This wasnt exactly on my list of things to do at 27.. but i suppose it is what it is.

Now for some good. Moppa is healthy and happy. She was attacked by a dog in september and got a bad gash but shes completely healed! She loves the fenced yard. We have been working on nosework stuff when im feeling okay enough for it! She is honestly such a light in the dark and I love her.

I get to renew my lease next year so i dont have to worry about housing!! Rent will be increasing bc inflation but im okay with swapping some meals with ramen to make things work, when I cant make extra money. I have been learning how to quilt!! My grandma does it a lot and i asked her to teach me so I am working on a project with her.

While things are generally a hot mess right now, i am mostly okay. And i feel like thats a big improvement for me, im not sure I would have handled all this a year ago. And im proud of myself.

With everything going on, I have obviously been unable to do commissions, or taking in dogsitting clients or anything i typically do to make money. If anyone is able to help, it is really appreciated. *This is my PayPal*, im afraid its my only way to receive anything. *any* amount helps. I really hope this is the last time i ever have to ask for anything. I feel like things are going to turn around now that we have solid plans to help with my health issues. The hope is that once my uterus is out and the low dose chemo has gotten my overall pain under control, that my epilepsy will chill out. It seems to be easily triggered via pain and hormones.

Thanks to anyone who had the patience to read this thing. I just havent posted an update in so long that there was a lot to say 😅 i am going to start being more active on here as ai really miss it. I will include the 2 art pieces I managed to make and finish. It took forever to figure everything out but im proud of myself. Quality may be a little destroyed bc tumblr likes to do that... i really hope i can offer commissions again soon. I might choose a person or two at random that donates and do a ghost commission like below for them? I can at least try. But youd have to message me on here after donating so i know who you are, i think i can attempt dog, cat or rabbit. But i cant promise anything.

I talked forever, im so sorry lol. Here is the paypal again because its definitely lost up there in the babble

Just to end this.. Has anyone here had a tonsillectomy as an adult and can tell me at what point it got better?

[animeomegas]

MY FELLOW ANON ARE VIOLATING MY EMOTIONS TODAY 😂 god I’m acc crying. Your writing is amazing. I’m gonna combat the sadness with a wholesome thing of them finding a pup in a bin (or something) a few months after the loss of the first pup (Neji is currently shut down entirely) is like “lol gimme”. Proceeds to take the pup home, put it in his nest scent the lil bean (gender is your choice) and just be like “yeah this mine now”. Any nay sayers are ignored bc it’s still his baby (maybe almost like his pup reincarnated 👀👀) regardless of how baby was obtained. Idk I just think my guy needs some positivity after life kicking the ever loving shit out of him

This is beautiful and you’re right, Neji deserves the world, but I’ll settle with a quiet life and some happiness for my boy!

Okay, so things haven’t been…good with Neji since you had to let your pup die to save him.

It has been two months and still he lays in his nest every day, sometimes crying, sometimes whining, but mostly just staring at nothing. He had incorporated a bunch of baby stuff (blankets, toys etc.) into his nest before he went to the hospital, in order to make his pup feel more at home in the nest when he was supposed to bring them back. You had tried to take them out to stop him having to be confronted with what happened in his safe space, but Neji almost attacked you for doing so, so you let him keep them.

But it’s very concerning when he spends hours at a time just stroking the pup's blankets and staring at nothing.

So, you decide to take Neji on a walk to get him out of the house. It would be his first time leaving the house since the funeral.

You go at night time, because Neji is still refusing any contact with anyone he knows and this way he’s less likely to be confronted when he isn’t ready for it. To make extra sure that you can be alone, you decide to walk around the edge of the woods around one of the quieter training grounds.

Neji doesn’t speak much, but he doesn’t whine or cry either, and the night air brings a little colour to his cheeks, and you’re so happy at the small improvements. It doesn’t matter how long it ends up taking him to feel better, you’ll be here with him the whole way.

…

“I was thinking about cooking something special next week,” you make idle conversation, not expecting Neji to reply. “It’s our anniversary after all, do you have any preference?”

Neji stops walking suddenly. His shoulders are tense.

“Neji?”

He hushes you harshly.

“I can hear…”

Without another word of warning, Neji makes his way a little further into the trees. You follow him, confused and worried.

“Byakugan!” he calls, scanning the area. He gasps as he scans over a nearby bush and immediately he drops to his knees beside it.

“Neji?” you ask, now more than a little concerned. “What is it? What’s wrong?”

You watch as Neji pulls something out of the bush. He turns around with a bundle in his arms.

“It’s a pup,” Neji says, obviously shocked. You can’t blame him, you’re feeling more than a little shocked yourself. What on earth was a pup doing out here? “They’re freezing. Give me your jacket.”

Without hesitance, you quickly slip your jacket of and hand it to Neji who promptly bundles up the pup in it and brings them to his chest. The pup is making small whimpering noises that had been almost impossible to hear over the wind. Neji must have hear them, thank goodness.

“It’s okay, I’ve got you,” Neji coos to the pup. “You’re safe now, I'll take you home and make it better, I promise.”

“We need to get them to the hospital asap," you say, shaking your head. "They must be freezing and they look underweight as well. We’re not mednin, Neji.”

“Our home is closer.”

“Neji…”

“We need to make sure they’re warm,” he argues. “We can bring them home and alert a medic to make a home visit.”

You look at the earnest look on his face and know that he won’t back down, and now isn’t a time for arguments anyway.

“Okay,” you swallow nervously. “We’ll bring them home.”

…

You bring the pup back to your home and before you can protest, Neji brings them into his nest with a mumbled ‘they’ll be warm in there’.

Neji bundles himself and the pup up in the corner of the nest, turning on a little heater beside him, and tucking the pup into his shirt to share body warmth.

“We’ll get you nice and warm, it’s okay, you’re safe, I won’t let anyone harm you,” he whispers while stroking their cheek with a finger. The pup wriggles around, already looking more energetic, and starts mouthing at Neji’s chest.

“Are you hungry?” Neji laughs softly before turning to you. “Go and heat up a bottle for the pup, all the supplies are in the… the nursery.”

You nod dumbly and do as you’re asked, astounded at how much life is in Neji’s eyes. It’s the most life you’ve seen from him in months. But you can’t help but worry. What if Neji gets attached and you can’t keep the pup? Of course, you want nothing more than to keep the baby, it almost seems too good to be true that she literally fell into both your lives at this trying time, but what if it is too good to be true? What if they’re sick? Or their parents are looking for them? Or… something else. Neji doesn’t deserve another heartbreak, and you don’t want to destroy the small amount of progress he’s made in the last month.

But for now, all you can do is heat up the bottle.

…

“Here, it’s a good temperature, I already checked,” you pass Neji the bottle. He checks it again anyway and you can’t help but smile at how overprotective and parental he's being. It's so bittersweet to see him like this.

“Here you go sweetheart, just for you,” Neji smiles, cradling the pup as they latch onto the bottle with fervour. “Shh, shh, shh, slow down, it’s not going anywhere.”

Neji feeds the pup and then burps them, and you pretend you can’t see him smiling when he notices that they are starting to smell like him. You need to know you can keep her before you let him get even more attached.

“I’m going to send a clone for a medic, now.”

The room became tense all at once.

“They’re fine, I’m looking after them,” Neji protests.

“I know, and you’re doing a good job, but we still need a medic, Neji.”

Neji holds the pup more tightly to his chest, tucking an extra blanket around them. He's using the special blanket you had got commissioned for your pup. You can feel your heart break at the sight. He's already attached. Now you just have to hope you can keep them. For his sake.

“I don’t want them to take the pup away like last time,” Neji admits softly. "I can look after them, I won't let anything happen like last time, I promise. They'll be safe, we don't need a medic."

“We need to know their primary and secondary gender, omega, and we need to make sure they aren’t sick after being left in the woods…”

Neji hesitates but nods his consent in the end after you explain that your pup could become ill if left untreated. You don’t tell him that you are also sending a clone to the Hokage. Naruto will be able to grant you and Neji the right to keep the pup, and you hope that as Neji’s friend, he’ll be able to see how much he needs this.

…

You have to move Neji and the pup downstairs to wait for the medic, because Neji would not appreciate someone unknown seeing his nest he made for his pup. He’s not expecting Naruto to show up as well so you go to the door to intercept and prep them both.

“Thank you so much for coming, Naruto, I can’t tell you how much this means to me and Neji,” you say, hugging him as he walks through the door.

“I’m going to do everything I can,” he promises. “If the medic finds signs of long-term neglect, I can take the parental rights away from the biological parents straight away, even if I don't know who they are, and transfer you the rights.”

Your face visibly brightens, but Naruto continues.

“But if the only injuries are from laying in the forest for a few hours, I’ll have to try and find the parents first, because the child may have been taken from them by force, when the pup was otherwise a healthy baby being looked after sufficiently. In that circumstance, I’ll have to take the child back with me and put them in foster care until a three-month window has passed. And if the parents are found…”

“I know,” you sigh. “Let’s just get this done as soon as possible.”

The three of you walk into the living to see Neji cradling the pup tightly against his chest.

“Hey Neji,” Naruto greets softly with a sad smile. “I haven’t seen you around for a while.”

Neji tenses upon seeing Naruto.

“Naruto? Why are you here?” Neji clearly misinterprets the situation, holding the pup even more tightly and turning accusatory eyes against you. “Why did you bring him here?”

“I’m here to determine whether the pup was abandoned or kidnapped to the best of my abilities, once we have that done, we can decide how things are going to happen, okay?”

“How do you decide that?” Neji asks with distrustful eyes.

“The medic will give them a check-up, completely routine, I promise,” Naruto speaks with a soft voice like he’s talking to a cornered animal. Well, you look at Neji for a moment who is coiled as tightly as spring, he’s not far off.

It takes about five minutes for you to convince Neji to let go of the pup and hand them to the mednin, and then the next fifteen minutes involve you holding him in your arms to stop him wrestling the pup back from the mednin.

And then, rather ominously, the mednin pulls Naruto aside to talk.

Neji is shaking in your arms.

“It’s okay, calm down, Neji,” you try to comfort him.

“I can’t-“ Neji chokes, hands fisting in your shirt. “He has our pup, you let them take our pup.”

You don’t bother to correct him on his use of ‘our’, knowing it would only upset him more.

“I know baby, but they need to see that they’re healthy, nothing’s wrong, just breathe.”

Neji doesn’t take your advice.

"Last time they took them-"

"This isn't like last time, omega. Come one, try and settle down a little, that's it."

...

Naruto eventually walks back in, holding the pup securely, the mednin nowhere to be seen.

“So,” Naruto says seriously. And then his face breaks out into a wide grin. “Am I right in thinking you want to adopt?”

You can almost feel your relief in the air. Thanking every power that be for this stroke of luck. Losing this pup could have easily meant losing your mate, and the gravity of the situation all comes crashing down at once. Neji looks as though he is feeling much the same.

“Give me them,” he orders, arms out.

“Her,” Naruto corrects. “The mednin said she’s a female alpha.”

Tears start welling up in Neji’s eyes as he takes her. Their bio pup was a female alpha, too.

“Thank you,” he whispers to no one, holding his new pup as tightly as he dared. “I’ve got you now, you’re safe and sound with me, I won’t let anything hurt you ever again.”

Naruto slips out of the house without a fuss, dropping the mednin’s recommendations for feeding the underweight pup on the coffee table.

...

You and Neji take your new pup upstairs and bundle her back into the nest. Neji lays down with her, stroking her cheek as he watches her sleep.

“You need to get some rest too, omega,” you suggest, running a hand down Neji’s back.

“Guard?” he asks in response.

“Yes," you smile at his protective instincts. "I’ll guard the nest while you sleep, I promise.”

“Okay, alpha…” Neji settles down, still with one hand resting on the pup. “But if I don’t wake up when she cries, wake me… I want to be the one to feed her.”

You laugh gently, “Of course, now get some sleep. I’ll guard you both.”

[avictimofthejazz]

Pat winces as the young lady responds to him in French. He is not surprised—he is in France after all—but once again he wishes he had studied the language better in school. Murph had always had a better grasp on it then he did… and ironically Murph’s in a place where he needs Spanish and Asian dialects mostly, while Pat is the one who is fluent in Vietnamese, but still has a shaky grasp on French. A moment later he relaxes when she seems to have a passable grip on English… at least enough that he will be able to explain the situation to her. “I am an American… and… well actually I was passing through on vacation. Came to France during service, and wanted to see it in a more peaceful light… and got tangled up with these idiots. They’re the ones who got me stuck here.” His heart sinks again when she promptly starts asking if he has seen her father. Though his first instinct is to stall again, and buy himself more time, he knows he cannot keep doing that. The young woman is clearly set on finding Maurice, and getting him the medical help that the poor man had badly needed. Patrick cannot keep letting her cling to a false hope like this…. Before he can consider how he wants to word his statement; Belle is suggesting names of his attackers. He frowns, unable to match her names to the faces of the men.  “I suppose one of them could be this D’arque.” He agrees cautiously. “I know it wasn’t Gaston. I tussled with him already, and he didn’t show his face this time. What does the other guy look like?” Belle turns her attention to the issue of untying him, as his own mind keeps returning to the terrible news he must deliver. The light is flickering, threatening to plunge them both into darkness at any second when the fuel gives out. They both have to work quickly. “Broken glass or anything sharp will be fine.” He tests the ropes again, but they still hold firm. He had only been half-conscious when they tied him up. If he had been awake, he could have taken steps to make sure the ropes were tied more loosely. Then he might have been able to slink out of them already… There is no point in dwelling on what might have been, however. He must deal with what has already happened. He winces as Belle frantically breaks the plate, turning his face away instinctively to avoid any flying shards. As she asks him where he is bound, he flexes his wrists. “Untie my hands, and I can take care of the rest of it.” As Belle settles in to work, his guilty conscious forces his tongue to deliver the message he has been dreading since she first appeared. It is better to simply get it out, and get it over with. “Miss Belle, I…” He pauses, trying to find the best way to word his horrible news. He falls back on military terminology after a moment, “I regret to inform you that your father died very early this morning. He was badly injured, along with the cold and his illness.” He pauses to take a breath, and to try to keep his voice even but gentle. “His last thoughts were of you. He was concerned for your safety, and that you would be worried for him.” What is not worth adding in this breath is that he commissioned Patrick to take care of Belle for him. Maurice barely knew the young man, but he chose to entrust Pat with the person he clearly valued most in the whole world. That level of trust is, frankly, rather terrifying.

Before the Blizzard--Belle & Patrick

@timeguardians

Continued from here

Patrick only has to listen to the plaintive calls for a few seconds to realize the person searching through these rooms is not his tormentor returning for another round. Whomever she is, she is searching for her father. The soldier’s heart sinks abruptly as he slots a few potential pieces together. There is only one woman he can easily think of who would be searching this ruined hulk for her father. It had to be Maurice’s daughter, the one who the kind old man begged him to find before he succumbed to the cold, and the injuries that should have been inflicted on Patrick. Guilt wells up in Patrick’s chest, mixing with dread about the news he will likely need to deliver in a moment, and concern that the young woman has taken herself into this dangerous situation rather than wait at home for news of her father. The combination is acrid, and his empty stomach rolls dangerously for a moment before he forces it to settle. Now is not the time for those reactions. Right now, he needs to focus on the situation at hand. He can wallow later. A moment later, a thin beam of light heralds the young woman’s arrival as she enters the room. The flickering glow settles over him for a second, prompting a frighted reaction from the young woman. “I’m not going to hurt you!” He tries to reassure her as soon as he sees her recoil in terror. At her tremulous request for his identity, he swallows. “I’m Patrick—Patrick Michaels.” Either his words assure her, or she plucks up her wavering courage on her own. Either way, she carefully raises the light again in an attempt to see better into the gloom. With the way the flame keeps flickering behind the glass, Patrick reckons there’s only a few minutes of light left. Not much time to get them both out of here, then. He glances down at the ropes, his eyes roving over the rough cords as best as he can. “I’m not sure—I’m a stranger around here so I don’t know all the names. I saw the guy around town though—he was a crony to some muscle-bound idiot I got in a fight with at the bar. I guess he figured he would impress the big down in town by dragging me in here.” As he speaks, Patrick debates when it will be a good time to mention Maurice. If this young woman is his daughter, she came here seeking him out. It will be cruel to keep her in suspense any longer than he absolutely has too. But first, he needs to get his arms free so he can defend himself if he needs to. “Can you find anything that can cut through these ropes? Or do you have a knife on you?” He asks the second question in a burst of futile hope. He doubts most women carry knives with them everywhere they go. Patrick had his own knife, but the idiot who tied him up decided to take it. He will have to go get that back when he has a chance—he likes that weapon.

[sickstarlight]

different causes of sickness

a friend had asked me for some advice on how I write differences between different types of sickness or reasons someone could get sick! so I typed up a reference of details I try to keep in mind in my writing. not by any means meant to be comprehensive but these are some of the more common things I see used or use myself!

eta: if you found this interesting or useful consider tipping me on kofi (/jallyns) or getting a $5 commission so I can fix my computer

drinking related:

drank too much: everyone’s threshold for this is going to be different obvs both in terms of how much alcohol they need and how wasted they’re able/willing to be before getting sick. also ime you have to be QUITE drunk for being drunk alone to make you sick, to the point where it may be dangerous, so personally I like this combined with something else - motion, something not sitting right in their stomach, etc - but it can be good otherwise too. probably the first thing the character will notice or be aware of if they have any warning is that being drunk stops feeling good at this point. they might feel flushed and/or clammy and will probably feel dizzy, their mouth might feel really dry depending on what they’ve been drinking. this is probably also the point where they recognize they have limited control of their body, feet might feel too heavy to move or head might be spinning, may feel very clumsy and suddenly become AWARE of it.

they might FEEL motion sick even if they’re not moving too because their motion sense is fucked at this point. might feel heavy but this is likely to be a whole body heaviness NOT just their stomach (though they might be very aware of it); might or might not be able to place the feeling of nausea. maybe burping but it depends on what they’ve been drinking (carbonated or not, mixed with soda, etc) and what else they ate! they MIGHT feel okay after throwing up but their friend probably shouldn’t let them drink anymore even if they do.

also this might come with very little warning, they may go from feeling fine and giggling with their friends to suddenly feeling Wrong to hurling all over the floor in a matter of minutes or even a few seconds. if they have friends with them who have been with them drunk regularly, depending on who’s more sober their friends might notice they look unsteady and/or queasy before they realize they don’t feel well.

other good things here: alcohol that tastes so strong it’s all they can taste when they throw it back up, feeling dizzy but not placing it as nauseous right away, feeling like their head is too heavy to lift. reeling on their feet when a drink hits them too hard and feeling the whole room spin.

drank too quickly - more likely to come on SUPER suddenly, but they’ll probably recognize it right away (unless they’ve already been drinking) because the alcohol hasn’t had time to get to their brain yet. so with gradually drinking more than they should they will get drunk first and THEN get sick, but if they drink too much too fast right off the bat they’ll start to feel some effects probably but they’ll also know pretty quick that their drinks aren’t gonna stay down.

hung over - throwing up from a hangover is a combination of a buildup of alcohol byproducts in the stomach, and the stomach lining being irritated + producing more acid. a headache is also a significant part of the misery of a hangover but (unlike a migraine, where the pain directly leads to vomiting) isn’t necessarily related to any queasiness, so the headache might get worse with sound, light, or movement, but their stomach likely won’t. they might feel a little like they have heartburn (or actually GET some acid reflux) from acid buildup, and their stomach might be sore or feel too warm as well as being upset. 

the only real cure for a hangover is slow sips of clear fluids and bland foods to help settle the stomach and reduce the acid, but lots of people swear by other things - certain kinds of foods, drinking more alcohol, etc, so that’s something you can have fun with! depending on how much alcohol is still in their bloodstream, they might also still feel a little drunk/tipsy and have some issues with their balance, thinking clearly, etc, which could make the nausea worse; also some people might always get sick from hangovers but others might not so consider how your character deals with that! They also might wake up sick, or feel sick right away, or might not feel sick at all until trying to get some fluids or take meds for their headache (especially since ibuprofen/aspirin also irritate the stomach lining).

food related:

ate too much -  character will likely feel bloated and tight, food might feel heavy in their stomach. depending on what they’re stuffed with there might be burping esp if there’s a lot of gas in their stomach, or a lot of gagging and unproductive dry heaving if it’s very heavy/solid. might need to drink something to get anything up, or have help from someone, or might just take a while to finally puke as their overstuffed stomach struggles to break down their meal enough that their stretched out muscles can get anything moving. any firm pressure on the stomach is gonna feel worse and likely to make them gag even if they’re not ready to throw up yet. maybe weak strained tummy noises as they try to digest. (side note if a lot of their stomach contents are liquid like soup, drinks, etc they’ll throw that up a lot faster; also a good excuse to discuss sloshing/jostling/swirling around in their tummy)

ate too quickly - ties in well to eating too much since it’s easy eating in a hurry to not realize you’re full until it’s already a little late - eating or drinking anything too fast can also make some people’s stomachs hurt or get upset in general, and is an easy way to end up swallowing a lot of air which can obviously lead to feeling much more full and tight with lots of burping that could easily bring up more!

ate something bad - this could be rotten, poorly prepared, or just something that upsets their stomach but what it is might change the feeling of it so there’s definitely variety here. probably also feels heavy but more localized, like they can feel the specific food they ate and where it’s settled in their stomach. might also be painful and cause cramping and tenderness. imo nausea from this is more likely to come in waves and recede but might also be more readily recognizable as nausea. some things I like in this scenario - character thinking about what they ate and feeling worse, imagining they can feel individual parts of their food in their stomach, burping and tasting what they ate (possibly noticing the taste having gone sour / etc in their stomach). good place to describe stuff like how greasy smt was/feeling the grease coating their stomach, or otherwise talk about the specific way the food feels in their tummy and how much it makes them want to puke. unlike with eating too much, they’re likely not to feel better until ALL of the offending food is out of their stomach (while with overeating, they may throw up a few times and then start to feel better once there’s less pressure on their stomach).

general notes - if something the character ate is what’s making them feel sick, a lot of focus on hyperawareness of how much food is in their stomach/how heavy it feels are gonna be big sensory things (as well as maybe taste, pressure/tightness, stomach contents moving around)

illness

appendicitis - if you’re looking for something more serious than food poisoning or a stomach bug, this is sure to end up with a character in the hospital as they’ll need surgery! the big distinguishing thing is pain, which will be sharp and located on the lower right side of the abdomen (or may start near the navel and move down). any kind of exertion or sudden muscle movement can make the pain worse. if the character or one of their caretakers is knowledgeable and suspects appendicitis, they might do the rebound test, which causes pain to get drastically worse AFTER placing pressure on the area and releasing it. sickness usually begins after the pain starts and may get worse when something exacerbates the pain as well.

in addition to nausea and vomiting, other symptoms can include fever, bloating, and bowel issues (either diarrhea or constipation), which will usually get worse over the course of the infection. if the character is treated soon enough (within 2-3 days) they’ll usually feel better after surgery and recover relatively quickly, but if they’re not seen by a doctor and the appendix ruptures they’ll likely need more extensive treatment including antibiotics and a longer hospital stay to make sure they won’t develop sepsis. (in some cases, symptoms could seem to suddenly go away when the appendix ruptures because it releases pressure, but worse symptoms would rapidly develop!)

rarely, there’s also such thing as chronic appendicitis, where milder symptoms may appear and recede over the course of weeks or months before developing into acute appendicitis and prompting surgery.

coughs, colds, strep, etc - can all cause vomiting as secondary symptoms thanks to postnasal drip, throat irritation, or forceful coughing. serious enough throat irritation or buildup of mucus can make a character gag, or feel the need to, and so can coughing up phlegm from their chest. if they’re sniffly and have their sinuses draining down the back of their throat, they may end up swallowing a lot of mucus too which can make them feel nauseous as their stomach gets full of sticky snot. I think these work best as emeto scenarios for characters with weak gag reflexes!

food poisoning - separate from eating something bad because food poisoning from a virus or bacteria is a longer lasting illness with a later onset; the character may first get sick within a few hours of eating the contaminated food, or it may incubate and make them sick within a day or two. like stomach flu (also frequently foodborne) many types can cause both vomiting and diarrhea, but symptoms vary depending on specific cause. characters also might puke early on and then develop more symptoms and become sicker later as bacteria multiply and produce toxins, and may take several days to recover from the later onset where they could have persistent nausea, or might feel okay and even regain their appetite if they don’t try to eat  but be unable to keep much or any food down. most types of food poisoning also cause pain, swelling, bloating, and cramping, usually in the lower part of the stomach and upper intestines, so those are other symptoms your character might have to deal with in addition to puking!

stomach flu - character may be feverish or achy as well as nauseous while their body fights the infection, which is an additional great source of hurt/comfort fuel! can cause both vomiting and diarrhea, so even food they manage to keep down might still sting them later. because it directly causes irritation and inflammation in the stomach and lower GI tract, character might throw up frequently or after every meal, or might be able to handle clear fluids but no solids, or some bland foods but nothing with significant sugar, spices, or fat. they also might only be able to drink or eat in very small amounts without bringing it back up. their stomach may hurt and feel like it’s cramping even if they haven’t tried to eat, and they may get only very brief relief of nausea after each time they’re sick because it reduces the immediate pressure on the stomach but not the inflammation; they might feel nauseous constantly or end up dry heaving even when there’s nothing in their stomach, and might need to keep a basin of some kind nearby for a couple of days since they can’t be sure if they’re done. dehydration is a common complication and can cause headaches, weakness, and dizziness in addition to other symptoms! the most common stomach virus, norovirus, is also EXTREMELY contagious, and virus particles can aerosolize and scatter widely during vomiting, so the caretaker may not be safe either.

injury, other medical

anaesthesia - people react to this in all kinds of ways but getting sick is really common so it can be combined with just about any reaction. character might be disoriented or dizzy and have trouble with balance, walking, other coordinated movement. some might be really confused and have trouble communicating their ideas clearly or say things that might not make any sense to other characters. from the anaesthetized character’s perspective though they’re  probably making total sense so it can also be fun to include their muddled thought process and what they’re feeling or thinking that they express in weird ways! other characters might feel pretty clearheaded and be able to communicate clearly though. they might feel “light” or like they're floating, or very  detached from their body; this may cause more dizziness and vertigo. they may also be cold they might feel nauseous right away and persistently from the anaesthetic irritating their stomach, or might only get sick from moving that makes the “floating” feeling worse. general anaesthetic is usually used for surgery so if they aren’t immediately nauseous the character can also wake up really hungry from fasting before, so eating too much or too quickly might also make them realize they’re nauseous and end up with them puking.

concussion - there are a lot of reasons someone might get sick from a concussion, but the most common (non threatening) are vertigo / vestibular disturbance and headaches! the character might  get nauseous or throw up when they turn too quickly or stand up too fast if their balance center is disrupted, or might have head pain similar to a migraine that makes them sick and can have similar sensitivities. mild concussions without other complications can still last up to a week after the injury, but the character should get sick less and less often as time goes on, so the most intense phase for sickness caused by a concussion is shortly after it happens! Frequently repeated or prolonged bouts of vomiting are often signs of more serious injury though, so if you’re keeping it mild they should probably be brief and a little spaced out even early on, though a character might have intermittent nausea between them. other symptoms of concussion are important too here - big ones are short term amnesia, loss of coordination, difficulty concentrating, and confusion. they might also hear ringing in their ears or sometimes have visual disturbances like in migraines! 

migraine - the pain from migraines can directly cause vomiting, especially when it’s at its peak, but it might also be caused by aura effects on balance and vision! (some people get tunnel vision or “kaleidoscope” vision with migraines, some just get dizzy, some people even hallucinate strong smells or tastes which could also lead to nausea!) for some people, the headache gets better after throwing up, but not everyone; they also might or might not feel the buildup of nausea or persistent nausea throughout their migraine, or alternately might retch or throw up almost IMMEDIATELY when any trigger makes their pain worse (common triggers are bright or flashing light, loud or high pitched sounds, strong smells, and sudden movement, but people have lots of different triggers so they can be a lot of things!) many people can’t chase off a migraine until after they’ve slept so you might also include them trying to get comfortable only to have their head start hurting worse or their stomach get upset and make them scramble to get over the trash bin.

motion sickness - anyone can get motion sick but some people are more prone to it than others! so you might have characters who always get motion sick in any moving vehicle, or who are okay in cars but can’t travel on water, or who only get sick with intense movement like on roller coasters - or characters who aren’t prone to motion sickness in general, but discover they get it when fatigued, anxious, etc. different characters might also experience it differently - for some there may be a cycle of gradual buildup of nausea until it becomes unbearable and they throw up, while for others it might come on suddenly, or they might have low level nausea throughout a trip but only puke when there’s a more sudden or violent movement. some people also only get motion sick after a period of time, and might be fine on short trips but get sick if they’re traveling longer.

other notes: many people who get carsick don’t get sick if they’re driving! being able to get fresh air also helps many people, as well as focusing on the horizon if possible. some people prone to motion sickness will also experience the opposite when sitting still but watching movement onscreen like in a video game. likewise, reading or looking at a still object for long while moving can trigger motion sickness, even in people who are less prone to it otherwise.

[revgrave]

The pillars reacting to y/n announcing shes pregnant!

AN: Rengoku is the baby daddy and you two have been together for a long time. You are also a pillar in this.

CW: Pregnacy and mentions of spicy stuff

➽───────────────❥

Iguro Obanai

You didn't initially plan on telling him first, but it just happened.

He realized something was up the moment he watched the looks you and Rengoku exchanged through the duration of the pillar meeting.

You could sense his gaze from a mile away,

And you being the ferocious pregnant women you are shouted "Iguro stop staring and get your snake ass down here"

He silently obliged while everyone looked at you like you were crazy.

Since when did you have the nerve?

He asked what seemed to be the matter and when you responded saying you were pregnant his eyes widened in shock.

He asked you to repeat yourself to make sure he wasn't hearing things.

He didn't really care about the fact you were having a baby, he was just glad Rengoku was so happy.

≿━━━━༺❀༻━━━━≾

Kanroji Mitsuri

She could sense your intense love from a mile away.

When she saw You, Rengoku, and Iguro she approached you guys and gave you a big hug, which made Iguro very jealous.

You and Rengoku exchanged glances and decided to tell Mitsuri as well!

As soon as the words "i'm pregnant" left your mouth she nearly fainted and Iguro had to catch her.

The second she came back to her senses she nearly jumped on you and gave you the biggest hug imaginable, almost crushing you.

You had to remind her that you had a baby in your stomach so she needs to be more gentle

She literally shouted "OMG Y/N I CANT BELIVE YOUR PREGNANT I AM SO HAPPY FOR YOU"

She swiftly covered her mouth and apologized profusely as she realized she alerted the other pillars.

She felt so bad omg

You reassured her that it was alright because you were about to announce it anyway.

≿━━━━༺❀༻━━━━≾

Uzui Tengen

Let's be honest.

You knew what was coming the moment you saw his surprised expression turn into a mischievous smirk.

"WELL WELL WELL, HOW LONG HAVE YOU TO BEEN GETTING IT ON FOR HUUH? I BET YOU TWO ARE SOME REAL KINKY BASTARDS RAW DOGGING IT IN BE-

He stopped mid sentence once he saw Himejima cover Muichiros ears.

He apologized for his choice of words.

He then congratulated to two of you and gave you both a friendly hug.

He was genuinely happy for you guys!

≿━━━━༺❀༻━━━━≾

Tokito Muichiro

Mans is a child.

When Himejima uncovered his ears all he said was "wow"

"Doesn't having a baby hurt really bad?"

You laughed and said "ill let you know after i give birth"

He gave you a slight smile then forgot what you were just talking about and went back to his stoic expression.

≿━━━━༺❀༻━━━━≾

Himejima Gyomei

He cried harder than usual.

He wouldn't stop talking about how he was going to pray for your health and safety.

Was the first person to ask "what you will do now?"

When you said you could still fight Rengoku reassured everyone that you were going to take a break and not to worry.

≿━━━━༺❀༻━━━━≾

Shinazugawa Sanemi

After hearing that you would be taking a break, he wondered what Rengoku was going to do.

When Rengoku said he was going to take as much time off as you are Sanemi was pissed.

He started cussing Rengoku out saying how it was unnecessary for him to take so much time off.

Don't take it personally though, he's just worried that not one but two hashira will be out of commission for quite some time.

You didn't take it personally until he said "Y/n you damn whore. You should just get rid of it."

That pissed you the fuck off.

You gave him the death glare and your aura became dark. Nearly dark enough to match that of a demon.

It makes the hairs on the back of his neck stand up.

It was then and there he shut up and learned to never mess with a crazy pregnant lady again.

≿━━━━༺❀༻━━━━≾

Kocho Shinobu

She gave you a soft smile and congratulated you!

She began to lecture you about how you have to be very careful.

She tells you to come to the butterfly estate for weekly checkups.

She was glad that she could be the one to help you deliver a baby.

She had so much to say, so she just decided that she would talk to you more later.

≿━━━━༺❀༻━━━━≾

Tomioka Giyuu

THIS MAN.

His reaction time was so delayed.

He wanted to wait for everyones reaction to help him create his own reaction but in the end it was pointless.

This idiot.

LITerALLY STARTS CLAPPING?????

That was the only thing he thought to do.

Awkwardly claps with that same stoic expression of his.

When he glanced around and saw everyones eyes on him he stopped clapping.

Poor baby was embarrassed.

You ended up giving him a big smile and said "Thanks Tomioka!"

That made him feel much better.

[blue-velvet-valentina]

Sin Eater

Hello, below will be my first fic since early this year. I had to stop due to college and my work starting to get to me. 

................................................................................................................................

Johnny knew his youngest cousin Octavia would never turn down someone that needed help. She loved doing the weird and unconventional to make someone smile on a bad day seemed to be her real superpower, considering she was never a fan of fighting. When always asked, she would say “An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind.” She was always wise like that to her much older cousin. Her point of view was she just wasn't as stupid as Johnny. She just used her gift of gab, a silver tongue and maybe a good meal to hopefully get someone to do what she wanted. Her real gift was to heal and remove sin from someone’s heart.

At 34, she wasn't as good looking as her more famous cousin, always the slower one, the fatter one but the smarter one always knowing when its a good idea to run. Being a doctor did have it’s perks among the Earthrealm fighters, she could heal their injuries and even their sin, sometimes within a few hours at the longest, but there was a downside which was being violently ill. Once to save Sheeva from an assassination attempt, she was out of commission for at least a week with her trying so hard to purge her system. She lost weight from not eating, barely drinking anything and was made to rest in an infirmary bed herself with a IV drip. By the time she healed, she ended up eating almost the entire menu list at a local fast food restaurant her cousin would take her. Still even months after, the queen met her gaze with a bit of a blush on her cheeks. Octavia was soft, squishy even, but she had the emotional fortitude to bring Sheeva from near death and even clean her soul from years of battle and bloodshed.

This time was going to be a challenge for Octavia. Raiden was becoming more corrupted by the day and Fujin feared his brother would either die or go dark like Chronica and Shinnok. Octavia agreed without hesitating, she never healed a god before and just healing a shokan nearly took everything out of her. 

Johnny Protested that he just cannot lose anymore family after Sonya passed. He kept trying to convince her to not try: 

“Please, I only got you and Cassie left.”

“We can find some other way, right guys?”

“I cant lose what family I have left!”

While her well meaning cousin and other fighters fought over her choice, she just walked up to Fujin cautiously and calculated her words and her choice..

“If Raiden goes dark or dies, then the probability Earthrelm will fall is high correct?”

Fujin looked away knowing every option was exhausted and what god were left was desperate to heal the thunder god.

“Yes. We tried everything, I do not want to ask a mortal to do something this dangerous, but you are my only hope to bring my brother back.” He remembered how difficult it was to at least restore Bi-Han to look mortal and to heal most of Kabal’s burns. She was advancing in her age which made each time more difficult since she was a child and could heal a random bird or mouse.

Octavia always had a soft spot for Raiden, he was always serious and studious often saying he doubted her abilities would be useful until she saved Bi-Han. He never admitted in front of her, but he did talk about her with an almost fond manner, at least according to Fujin and once by Argus to Raiden. The thunder god’s heart pounded more sharply when she brushed against him, When he did rest, his mind would sometimes drift back to her. As he started to be taken over by the corruption, he wanted to keep her all to himself like a dragon and it's horde of gold. Fujin feared the blossoming emotion of love his brother had was turning into an obsession. He loved her, but the corruption wanted her where no one else would even see her.

“Fine, i’ll do it, but IF I LIVE, tell him he owes me a date. Full-on date including a kiss. And just to fluster him, tell him i wont mind if he got all “Russian hands and Roman fingers”.”

Fujin’s sad and worried expression faded for a moment, revealing a weak smile at her innuendo. He brother would hesitate, but if she can remove his corruption and live he knows Raiden would fulfil such a request.

................................................................................................................................

Whew, that was alot more than I intended, but please tell me what you think. Can our funny & flirty sin eater save the grumpy thunder god from himself?

[anonbeadraws]

Randomroll for @witchy-queer, story for Jacint below!

✨i do commissions!| If you fancy tipping✨

Jacint was a people person. Minotaur. It couldn’t be helped, he was raised in a tavern, owned by his loving but ever presently busy parents, what else could he grow to love? Well, besides ale, i suppose. The tavern was filled everyday with new patrons and old, goblins and giants and orcs, that called the sprawling and odd shaped tavern their Local in the deep Verredain mountains. The tavern was warm, filled with food and flowed with drink and such things only lead to happy customers who will happily regale a tale or two of their own travels to the excitable little calf Jacint. They would sit him on their table or comfortably their lap (or on the floor if the story teller happened to be smaller than the growing boy), and tell him anything and everything. 

Jacint would tell you he had the perfect childhood. Jacint had no preference, he loved hearing the grumblings of the local miners about iron deposits and how ‘steel isn’t worth the anvil it’s made on these days’, just as much as the rip roaring adventures from the former rogue who’d made their retirement in the clean mountain air. As long as it was about ‘elsewhere’, Jacint wanted to know. He’d only really known the comfort of his tavern home, his parents being too busy running the place to take him elsewhere or really spend any quality time with the little one.  The patrons had some idea of their conundrum and seemed to all have agreed, without really discussing it, that the boy would not struggle for company or care while the taverns doors were open. There was rarely a time when the boy was not learning to play cards or discovering how dwarves could communicate by colour choices in their jewellery or very quietly, and out of view of the bar, learning from the rogue how to properly charm and pick a pocket. (Jacint didn’t do very well at this last one, he always felt too bad and rushed to return the item, his big earnest amber eyes smoothing over any complaints. The rogue decided to teach him to forge signatures instead.)  But as much care as his parents and their patrons could give him, Jacint grew up not knowing what he wanted to do, his life at 17 was at a loose end. He had learned pieces of trades but non grabbed him and he had no interest as a publican, besides helping as waiting staff and the odd bar work at rush hour. He had seen his parents life for himself, no time for themselves, no life outside of their tavern, no time to learn anything else or to want anything else. Yes, that was one thing Jacint knew, that he wanted to want to learn more, to lose that need would hurt his heart more than anything.  So his parents turned to the knowledge of their patrons, asking each new and old face to add their opinions as what should be done of the Tavern’s collective son. The eventual decision, after many heartfelt pleas and compassionate arguments against such an act, was that Jacint should be sent to the closest monastary. It’s far away, yes, but you will learn so many useful things there! and so many more books than we could provide, said his parents, trying their best to look hopeful as they helped load a cart of his few belongings. Perhaps, you will find the path you were looking for, added one of the patrons, a great scarred orc who was trying not to sniffle into their ale And consider, interrupted the rogue who perhaps knew the forlorn Jacint’s heart best ; all the new stories you’ll hear as you go. It was the last that helped Jacint, sat on the back of a mining cart that would take him part of the way there, waving goodbye to the only family and home he had known. That there was more, elsewhere.   The monastery was a small crumbling place, dug into a valley, and very different from the warm tavern. But there were books, as promised and new people, even if they were only interested in training and Ki and keeping themselves warm in the draft halls. But Jacint was a warm person and did his best to make friends with his fellow students, even if his rather larger form was a little clumsier than them in training. What he looked forward to most was the outings though.  Despite the monastery being quite isolated from the world, the Monks put it upon themselves to visit the surrounding villages, dispensing wisdom, medicine and sometimes the odd chore. It was their duty to keep the people around them safe and secure and Jacint was always the first to volunteer. Despite his size initially being, perhaps a little surprising to the halfing villages nearby, he quickly became quite popular amongst the people. He was kind, eager to help and to learn their ways and even happier to lend an ear as he worked. For some people, his help was physical, heaving logs or just keeping the children out from underfoot for an hour or so. (No one made a finer pony than Jacint, the children all agreed.) And for others it was his kindly nature and open heart that helped. Making a pot of tea and listening to the story of a life well lived or a heart broken or a loved one lost. He even helped the less popular of the people, the drunkards (a state he knew well and knew well how to help) and the pick pockets and the cruel, as it was his duty to do.One such being was Agata Flainfoot, an old bedridden widow who had driven all that wanted to help away, and now was only visited by the Minotaur. She had spat and sniped and said words that Jacint had only heard muffled under hands as a child as he cleaned and gently wiped her face and heated casseroles sent with him by kind neighbours. She had done so for months and he had stuck it through. It was his duty, even if it was hard, he reminded himself as he tended to the scratches she had left on his arm on his last visit. Even if other people repaid his kindness with food or flowers or a simple kind word. It was his duty and his promise.  He would still try to make conversation as he worked, talk about the day or question where an item on her mantle came from. Mostly there would be sniping, sometimes silence but as time went by, she would reply. More often than not to tell him to be careful with her things and when he once replied that; he would be careful, he was not a bull in a china shop it surprised him to hear her laugh. He would not hear it again from her, in the months he knew her, but it was something he held in his heart. The rusty ill used laugh from a sad, lonely woman. So, when she passed, he was not fully surprised when he got a letter sent from what remained of her family. What surprised him was that she had left him something. As he opened the sealed envelope, he had remembered some of her belongings being different from the rest of the village, as if they were foreign, though she had never answered his questions on the matter. She had never told him and now, never would. But she had left him something.   Inside the enveloped was a map, hand drawn and severely noted, of a forest, beautiful and vast with great stone pillars, lain in broken patterns. Scrawled on it, with fresh ink was; Go find them It was possibly, the last scrawling of a crazed and lonely person, a joke from someone who had enjoyed cruelty. Possibly. But researching possible places for this forest gave very few answers but there was enough there to make Jacint believe that there could be something in it. Something real. Go find them. Them. Them. ‘ Them’ was a tempting word. ‘It’ was a fine word and would probably convince others far better but ‘Them’ meant people, and people meant stories and perhaps Agata had listened to his heart more than he had known. Jacint had gone to his elders and shown them his discovery, told them this story but they had turned it down, as they had duties and of course, Jacint had acquiesced. Duties would always come first. So of course, when asked to deliver a document to a sister monastery across the country, being one of the strongest and most reliable of them, Jacint had eagerly agreed. It was his duty, of course he would. And the old map, well, if it happened to have been in his bag as he was packing, that was no-ones fault and if nothing else, the country was big and there were plenty of stories to hear on the way.