#play? hmm. probably !!

[yamsgarden]

toon link, my forever little hero

[lesbiangiratina]

Hi do you like images. I love images. Heres a little over 100 guilty gear trading cards from the early 2000s. Every character up to xx is accounted for… some more than others. For now. But the average is probably 4 or 5 cards per character. Nearly all of the art is original. Okay have fun :)

[spiderin-space]

Update Update Update U

[hellonerf]

i love crazy contrasting 1p2p in every way(not every way). so i always subconsciously have 2P rusame be friends. unlikely friends etc. in whatever weird school au theyre friends. meri was probably bullied until he started hissing at other kids or something while rus2 was just like huhh okay yeah okay what fine. rus2 found him in a broom closet and it was as awkward as it sounds. in the weird stuckin1Pcoldwar au i have theyre friends also in the torturous existence. 1P rusame is too weird life is too short lets tomodachi✌️

[sysig]

You mentioned you mainly ship Glados/Chell when it comes to Portal? Could I please request something with them, however you personally imagine their dynamic? Sorry for the vague prompt, I'm just curious what your ideas are!

Day 25 - As if being dead wasn't bad enough

[mulders-too-large-shirt]

s2 episode 9 thoughts

whew! i had a busy day so it's nice to unwind with some scully and mulder time. although by the end of the episode i didn't feel very unwound tbh. it was still time spent with the babygirls, so i can't complain.

so we start with some volcano research. my only note here was "i know a geologist" which is true! shoutout to my one professor. you were chill but i hated that class.

there's a dead guy in the volcano which tbh doesn't seem too surprising... i mean volcanoes are very deadly. but it seems to be one of the dudes involved with the project so that's weird because why would he go down there?

there's this stream going on of the inside volcano and something is disrupting it... hate to see a streamer interrupted :(

then we had the title sequence but for some reason i was wondering, do you think if they got married they'd hyphenate their names... scully-mulder... mulder-scully... does it roll off the tongue? hmm...

so firewalker (the title of our episode) is a robot that goes into the volcano. noted.

here i wrote "holy fuck scully is beautiful". all she was doing was standing there but man.

the scientist who has come to them requesting help is like, this lead scientist named trepkos started this project, and scully says "i always heard he was brilliant", which raises the question: why is scully keeping up with volcano science? nerd

at this point the visiting scientist was explaining how he and trepkos had a professional breakup kinda thing and i'm very sorry for them but i genuinely could not take my eyes off of scully. hope they work it out or whatever. i have bigger priorities.

she wants to get out there and investigate but mulder says "i don't think it's a good idea for you to go" AUGHHH. i am wailing and tearing my shirt. she says that she's fine!!! really!!!

and he has this look on his face that says "i cannot tell this woman what to do, even after she just woke up from a coma, and i never will be able to" and he's very right in that regard

HELICOPTER TIME! mulder is such a gentleman helping her climb out

she has very messy hair at this point and the scientist seems a lot more concerned about his equipment than the fate of the people trapped inside the compound and she seems so thrown off by this

next we have some BIG ASS FLASHLIGHTS!!!! WOOHOO

at this point i made a note that i think i might have been going feral because mulder also looked SO good prowling around that creepy base. and i don't take back my observation but i will psychoanalyze it a bit later. reluctantly.

a creepy dude is hanging around the corner. OH SHOOT he tries to bash mulder's head in and he is MAD "do you always greet people this way?" LMAOOO he took it personally

the other scientists in the base seem to regard the missing trepkos as a threat... hmm...

i really like this jesse character, who is a student and is here to do some research with her advisor

mulder asks for the data on the research trepkos has been doing and she says he destroyed his field journals and computer discs. ahh, computer discs. my old friends. i used to have some games on discs when i was a kid. positive memories.

mulder sees scribbled in some of the notes trepkos didn't destroy that he had written about a "new life form" which honestly kinda happens a lot. like people are always discovering new life forms but the gag is they're beetles. everyday we find new species of beetle. they just won't stop coming. so i'm thinking, well they wanted this to be all dramatic, but statistically it's probably just a volcano beetle this guy found.

mulder and scully have an exchange and again i'm distracted by her freckles but she says he's being paranoid and i'm like. yeah that's kinda his whole deal. mulder being paranoid is like a fork spotted in the kitchen.

so the other scientist who was checking on his equipment was, at this point, killed by trepkos. with a rope. and we get the great closed captions "(neck cracks) (body thuds on ground)" which were very descriptive of the whole process

mulder and scully are having a science based argument on the probability of a silicon-based life form and it was really funny to me because it was a nerd off. and frankly i wouldn't go into a science debate with a doctor but mulder is going full steam ahead. it's getting heated and i'm like damn does this ever lead to them kissing because i can see it happening. anyway she's like no trepkos did not discover a silicon-based life form (spoiler alert: he did)

he's looking around like damn. i'm glad she's back but she's such a pain in my ass <3

scully goes to talk to jesse by knocking on her door and asking to chat and then not waiting for an answer and coming in because that is my girl!!!

jesse says trepkos stopped taking his pills that treat his bipolar disorder and he started being weird, saying they polluted his mind and that she was "polluting his body" which has... implications i prefer not to think about?

(why must we make erotic the bond between a student and their thesis advisor? there is no stronger connection! but. not in this way, tv writers, not in this way. i mean Maybe it wasn't meant that way but it seemed like it was)

mulder is streaming the descent into madness of trepkos because he recorded his ramblings which is probably what my friends on my private story think each time i post. but he's going on about finding a silicon-based life form.

this whole time one of the scientists has been very noticeably coughing and losing his voice and i knew it was gonna go somewhere but all of a sudden he collapses. and mulder yells for scully who is undergoing her shift to Doctor Mode. but we see his neck... pulsate? is that the best word to describe it? augh i don't want to even think about it so we'll leave it there

(jesse was also looking super suspicious but i liked her...)

anyway they put the sick guy on a stretcher and he's down and out until he isn't, and now he's making a RUN for it. he runs and runs and falls in a ditch until a THING takes over his body and explodes. i thought it was a worm at first and it was sososo gross i started sweating. i do not like body horror. the things i endure for these two.

so scully's doing some testing and she's like, yeah this is a silicon-based fungus. and poor jesse is having a nervous breakdown because she has been in this base for 8 months and she just wants to go HOME but now they have to quarantine and i felt so bad for her.

then i remembered the line about her "polluting his body" and things were adding up... and they were NOT looking good for her... no... i cannot do this...

scully's really worried about jesse which is justified because this poor girl is freaking out. but mulder is really worried about scully! he wants to go look for trepkos and he's making excuses why she shouldn't come and finally settles on the need to autopsy the body which he seems to both genuinely believe and also say to keep her back at the base

she knows he's being protective so she says "i'm here and i'm not going anywhere" which is sweet but girl you were in a coma. they had your gravestone made. you are lucky he has not put you in bubblewrap entirely. you can't blame the man for needing you to be safe!!!!

he says he's counting on her and grabs her shoulder with some heavily lingering eye contact that, when i see in gif form, i will surely slam the reblog button upon because. good lord.

jesse is talking to the other guy and he says something like "do what we said" and i'm thinking oh man, they're gonna try to get mulder (spoiler alert: they did not quite do that)

the guy is like "you need a guide to go get trepkos" and i'm even MORE suspicious but his reasoning kind of does make sense- it is a volcano maze, after all- still, when mulder goes with him i was tense

BUT THEN he immediately gets shot with a FLARE GUN? which i did NOT see coming. and trepkos emerges from the back of the volcano caves all burned and wild-looking.

he's covering the newly dead body with gasoline and mulder's asking why he's trying to kill him twice when we see the parasite wriggle in his neck (GAG) so then he shoots him with ANOTHER flare to burn up the evil creature. and he's explaining how if you're exposed to the parasite's spores you're gonna be sick...

and scully is back at the base with jesse... who was exposed... so she's not going to be safe...

and we see jesse in her room gagging and convulsing... oh man... it's not looking good....

trepkos is not letting mulder leave, but mulder does not give a fuck LMAO he says "you're gonna have to shoot me then" and goes to walk out... this man was really thinking "they are NOT gonna take scully from me again" and i know that is exactly right!!!!!

NOOOO the lights go off in the compound........... NOOOOO JESSE ATTACK.....

she's handcuffing her and scully together!!!!!! but scully was smart enough to get her behind a door really fast before jesse collapses and the fungus explodes...... but the handcuffs... was the door open a crack?? was it enough to get her infected???!?!?

mulder BURSTS in to see her handcuffed and she keeps repeating "i'm okay, i'm okay" but he must be so shocked because he asks "you alright?" and gently cups her face and at this point i wanted to do some powerful screaming to let out the things i was feeling

we see trepkos come in and look at jesse's body and he says that he told her how this experience would change her life... and i'm getting callbacks to when mulder told scully it would be a nice trip to the forest, but then the whole evil bugs thing happened in s1 ep20... and i am filled with a deep sadness...

so the duo has been sentenced to a month long quarantine, which i'm sure had to absolutely drive them wild. but i think my mutual wrote a fic on this subject so i just simply have no choice but to go read it now! and i assume that, since there are more seasons, the spores did not actually infect them

(and mulder, who was earlier suggesting time off for scully, must be some mix of terrified that any day now the symptoms will start showing and the end will be near, deeply satisfied that she has been forced into getting rest and healing like he wished, and regretting his words that she should take a break, because here she is taking a break. with him. and they're driving each other crazy)

we see trepkos hiking back into the volcano maze with jesse's body and it was actually really sad :(

overall a good episode, another one in the vein of s1 eps 8 and 20 where there is some sort of contagion and we must figure out from where it started and to whom it has gone... but the formula in these episodes keeps me on the edge of my seat and allows for a convergence of doctor scully and protective mulder, two things i am deeply invested in seeing. and seeing mulder try and keep her away from the case after her whole incident made me emo as hell!!!! he is never going to let her out of his sight again unless he has to go keep her safe by finding the wild man in the volcano!!!!!! and even that backfired!!!! ugh my heart!!!!! i love them so deeply!!!

rip my girl jesse i thought u were rad in the brief time we knew each other

[skitskatdacat63]

Prince Jenson of Somerset

+ process & lore

Yayyyyy omg finally have drawn portraits of the four main characters!!!! I'll show the process of Jenson's first and then them all four together. Though it's a shame the Seb/Fernando ones are older, I think it's hopefully obvious how much I've improved since November?

Look at him in all his handsome, princely glory 🥹 It's funny, I'm always happy with the second sketch and initial lineart, and then I start coloring it and I absolutely hate it, and it takes a significant amount of time into the painting for me to like it again. And then I reach a certain point and I'm in love with it again. Ugh though I gotta say, I love drawing the curls, it's just so 18th century, but at the same point, man I always will love my original lineart for the hair the best ah. Also yes I absolutely had to give him a big ass hat with feathers, he really is that kinda guy to me. I originally drew a bicorne and then realized that those don't really exist until basically almost a century later oops, so tricorne it is!!

Okay now omg look at them all together 🥹

Haha wow I have improved a lot! Just like the Seb/Fernando ones, Mark and Jense's were meant to be put together. I think there's a lot of inherent characterization in their poses that highlight the difference between them. Mark is looking up, very wistful, looking up to greater people, greater things. Jenson's head is tilted down, almost looking at the viewer, he is very satisfied with his role and revels in it, he's here to slay!

Okay, yes, lore, characterization, sorry that it is so far down on the post!!

Jense would probably be the fan favorite if this AU was an actual book or show or something. He's the guy you randomly find while browsing Wikipedia and you're like, woah this guy is so cool??? Unlike Sebmarknando, he doesn't really have the same level of angst, he's kinda just chilling. He's a bit harder to write a lore post about, because he's basically that character who is always magically around the corner, ready to witness some crazy thing and just breeze past it.

He is less linked to Seb than people like Mark and Fernando, because he's basically just his personal minister of transportation(read: horse fucker), so he avoids a lot of the relationship complications and drama, but that isn't to say he's completely uninvolved. He really likes Seb, and loves to hang around with him and serve him, but he's not as beholden to him. He's who everyone goes to air their grievances or to get away from the others, and he's very happy with this role. He's generally willing to play any side in an argument, but does tend to have a pretty big soft spot for Seb overall(Seb also gives him cuteness aggression, and he wants to bite him. Especially when Seb puffs himself up and acts super bratty when he gets offended at not being seen as a proper ruler.)

He's royalty from other kingdom, but pledged his loyalty to Seb's kingdom when he was quite young and has served him(his father first) ever since. He started off somewhat low in the military, rose to a pretty high rank, was a renowed war hero, and then ended up retiring pretty early to tend to Seb's horses. That's an oversimplification, but yeah. He liked the military life, was very good at it, but decided he had done enough, and wanted to be involved in more direct service, albeit more laid back. As I mentioned in Mark's post, Mark *really* doesn't understand his choice to do this, because if Mark had been in Jense's position, he can't ever imagine being able to let all that go and living the quiet life.

He is the palace whore, everyone has been with him honestly. It'll be like, some man walks into his bedroom, only to see Jenson in bed with his wife, but instead of being angry, he's like "wow you couldn't even wait for me??" He's just very carefree, and happy to just slut around and tend to Seb's horses.

I think he definitely still advises Seb, and would go to battle if truly need be, but generally seems to be living in a different world than the weird psychosexual homoerotic political drama that the others seem to be living in. But as I said, it's not like he doesn't contribute to it! He loves to goad Fernando, and constantly plays devil's advocate in "debates" between Fernando and Seb. He's also obviously the one that keep "accidentally" locking them in rooms and forgetting where the key is.

Sorry if this isn't very explanatory, I hope it gives a general idea to the type of character he is???? As always, let me know if you have any questions! I kinda struggled on what to write here because I'm finishing this at almost 8 am 😭 so I'm not sure if it's great or not. But basically you need to know: horse fucker who is generally breezy and carefree but also can be a bit of a menace to society every once in a while.

[resizura]

i dont think resident evil fans actually like resident evil games because like… esp ppl who only play the modern/remake games when they play an older one theyre like “why is there so much exploration? why is the inventory so small? wtf are the item boxes for? the puzzles are too hard! fixed camera angles!!!” like…. That is Resident Evil. it is survival horror. you need to survive. you need to plan your resources accordingly. you’ll miss items if you’re not careful enough. you have to choose which puzzles to do and when. you need to be strategic about when you save. should you kill those zombies or run past them? is it worth it using a shotgun on a zombie when you have your knife? what grenade ammo do i wanna craft? like im sorry but thats how resi started not the actiony hand-holdy bs it is now

[chiropteracupola]

Have you seen the Frankenstein Chronicles? The first episode is full of Sharpe references. When he's unpacking his kit you see his greenjacket and sword, and when someone asks who he served with, he says 95th Rifles. And another character whistles Over the Hills in the background. I was giggling and kicking my feet the whole way through.

I had not heard of this show before and after a bit of a wikipedia wander I will Certainly be watching it, and not just for the Sharpe references...

given that this also has Necromantical-Science, A Weird Murder Mystery, Probably A Significant Amount of Meat, and Ada Lovelace, this sounds like the Perfect Show for me!

[syrupsyche]

I JUST HAD A THOUGHT

Enjolsette siblings au, when they're running from Javert and end up in the convent.

How does Valjean manage to get two kids over the wall? He struggles enough in the brick with just Cosette, and barely makes it, but now he's got Enjolras too. :O

I doubt there's enough time for him to pull one up and lower the rope to do the same with the second, so does he tie them together? Or have one cling to his back while he climbs? (Probably dangerous af, but if you're in a pinch it could probably work)

Idk this could be really fun to explore the possibilities :0

I LOVE YOUR ENJOLSETTE SIBLINGS THOUGHTS!!!! Thank u for sharing them 😭

Okay so this was one of the parts of canon that, when I first started jotting down my AU, I decided to pointedly ignore because the logistics of figuring it out was CRAZY. Your ask got me thinking about it again though, and after rereading the chapter I decided to write a drabble on what I would think might happen. Is it realistic? Probably not, but this is my sandbox and I shall play with it however I want :3

Drabble under the cut below! Parts in italics are from the original text.

P.S. for those confused as to who Eugène is; that is Enjolras' real name in my enjolsette siblings AU, from the OFEAverse! 😎

—

“Eugène,” said Jean Valjean in barely a murmur. He was untying his cravat. “Reply softly. Have you learned to tie a knot?”

“Yes sir.” The young boy said quietly. He had not yet begun calling the man father. “I tie the horses to their stables.”

“Take your cravat off. Tie the end of it to mine.”

As the boy set about his task, Jean Valjean’s despairing glance fell on the street lantern-post of the blind alley Genrot.

Jean Valjean, with the energy of a supreme struggle, crossed the street at one bound, entered the blind alley, broke the latch of the little box with the point of his knife, and an instant later he was beside the children once more. He had a rope.

When he returned to the dark corner, Eugène had the long strip of fabric in his hands, staring up at Jean Valjean.

“Father,” Cosette said, her small hands clutching the back of her brother’s coat. “I am afraid. Who is coming?”

“Hush!” replied the unhappy man; “it is Madame Thénardier.”

Cosette shuddered. He added:—

“Say nothing. Don’t interfere with me. If you cry out, if you weep, the Thénardier is lying in wait for you. She is coming to take you back.”

Thoroughly frightened, the little girl threw her arms around her brother, her face buried in his shoulder. Eugène looked just as alarmed but kept still, an arm around his sister while his other still held the cravats out.

“Lift your arms,” Jean Valjean instructed quietly, taking the tied cravats away from the boy.

The children complied. Jean Valjean wrapped the cravats around their bodies under the armpits, and fastened it to one end of the rope. He took the other end in his teeth, pulled off his shoes and stockings, which he threw over the wall, stepped upon the mass of masonry, and began to raise himself in the angle of the wall and the gable with as much solidity and certainty as though he had the rounds of a ladder under his feet and elbows. Half a minute had not elapsed when he was resting on his knees on the wall.

Cosette and Eugène gazed at him in stupid amazement. Cosette’s arms had returned to hugging her brother closely, the name Thénardier having chilled her blood.

“Eugène,” called Jean Valjean in a very low tone. “Put your back against the wall.”

The little boy did so at once.

“Are you holding onto your sister?”

“Yes sir.”

“Hold onto her for your life. You must never let her go or you shall lose her forever, do you understand?”

Fear clutched the poor boy’s heart. Still, he nodded bravely and tightly embraced his sister.

“Yes sir.”

And the children felt themselves being lifted from the ground.

Before either could scream or cry, they were on the top of the wall.

At once, Jean Valjean grabbed the children and pulled them next to him. With his knife he slashed the cravats around their bodies, pulling Cosette onto his back and holding her two tiny hands in his large left hand.

“Lie low,” he said quietly, pressing his right hand down on Eugène’s back til he was flat on his stomach. “Crawl to the slope and stop. Move carefully. Do not speak.”

Eugène nodded dumbly and began crawling with the swift agility all young boys possess. Behind him, Jean Valjean crawled towards the cant as well, Cosette clinging to his back.

As he had guessed, there stood a building whose roof started from the top of the wooden barricade and descended to within a very short distance of the ground, with a gentle slope which grazed the linden-tree. A lucky circumstance, for the wall was much higher on this side than on the street side. Jean Valjean could only see the ground at a great depth below him.

He had just reached the slope of the roof, and had not yet left the crest of the wall, when a violent uproar announced the arrival of the patrol. The thundering voice of Javert was audible:—

“Search the blind alley! The Rue Droit-Mur is guarded! so is the Rue Petit-Picpus. I’ll answer for it that he is in the blind alley.”

The soldiers rushed into the Genrot alley.

Jean Valjean pressed a finger to his lips, staring at the wide-eyed boy next to him. Moving in front of Eugène, Jean Valjean allowed himself to slide down the roof, still holding fast to Cosette, reached the linden-tree, and leaped to the ground.

He placed the young girl down the moment they landed, who curled up at his feet clutching his trousers. Whether it was from terror or courage, Cosette had not breathed a word.

Jean Valjean then looked up at the boy still atop the wall. Erasing all traces of fear from his face, he smiled gently up at him and held out his hands, his palms facing up.

Eugène, understanding what he meant, immediately turned onto his back and slid down the roof, stopping himself at the linden tree with his feet. Wrapping his arms around the tree, he quickly scampered down, where Jean Valjean scooped him into his arms at once. Bravado finally leaving that tiny body, the boy pressed his face into Jean Valjean’s shoulder and released his shuddering breaths that came close to tears.

“Hush now, child,” Jean Valjean murmured into his ear, shifting his weight so that he sat on his right arm. Bending down, he slipped his shoes back on and picked Cosette up with his left.

With both children now back in his arms, Jean Valjean turned around to find himself at the beginning of an enigma.

[icantalk710]

So, mentioned in my turning 34 post but I am thinking of maybe possibly trying to visit Boston next week for a few days as part of my bday week+ off, since I thought to last year and opted for a staycation instead, and also one of my resolutions along with more concerts was to get out of NYC a few times this year

Suggestions on where to stay, things to do, and moots in the area to possibly say hi to and meet even?? welcome 🙏🏽

[namakes]

I'm not making this an actual fic (probably), but wanted to write out some stuff for splatoon/bloodborne AU anyway so text post it is. Will not be terribly lore compliant.

Shiver is a (human) hunter who had been using a chikage until she found the boom hammer, and fell in love with its explosive swings. She still goes back to her old weapon sometimes, just to keep things fresh. Wields her weapons in the opposite hands (gun right, melee left).

Frye was human, also a hunter, until she got afflicted with ashen blood-- which eventually caused her to turn into a blood starved beast. She pulled the skin off her own chest/back during the transformation in an attempt to get the uncomfortable feeling of the affliction to stop (didn't work, though it's where her "veil" is from). After this she kept to herself, generally avoiding other beasts and humans. Is always hungry, which is something that didn't change much from when she was human.

The two used to be hunting partners, and were very close. They shared a small house before Frye became a beast; she left during the change so she wouldn't hurt her partner. Shiver devoted more of herself to the hunt afterwards; her left eye started showing signs of blood-drunkenness, so now she always keeps it covered.

Despite Frye's attempts to stay hidden, Shiver ran into her on a hunt anyway. Though she doesn't bear much, if any, resemblance to her old human self, the bracelet she always wore (a now slightly dirtier yellow/purple cord with a little gold squid hanging off it) was still around her wrist. Shiver (absolutely did not) started crying when she noticed it and dropped her weapons (probably almost died before Frye also recognized her).

Now Frye follows her around, helping her on the occasion she goes hunting and mooching for blood cocktails (Shiver usually complains about the price). They're looking for somewhere safe to stay where the locals won't attack either of them Frye in her current state. Shiver heard a rumor about an old, burnt and forgotten town-- a home to beasts-- that they might be able to rest at...

[cyatzura]

can you tell me more about this jjk hacker au

this is set in cyberpunk-ish universe where

yuuji finds out he's not entirely human (on both sides of his family actually) and accidently ingests the world's most evil virus (sukuna is still his uncle somehow)

gojo is trying to figure out how to bypass all of sukuna's security to free yuuji; he is the world's greatest (supposedly) ethical hacker, a cryptography professor and ceo of his own (very successful) cybersecurity firm where he employs his students; he is not only very good at accessing computer systems but he can easily manipulate people into simply revealing the information he needs

nobara actually really wanted to be a popular streamer (in order to become a successful influencer) but every time someone pissed her off in a game she would just hack into their account and steal everything; gojo offered her a scholarship based on that and while nobara does not particularly care about getting a degree she used the chance to get out of her hometown

maki is on a sports scholarship and could probably be an olympic athlete but her actual goal is to get her hands on information about the zenin that will allow her to become the head of the family; she is very good at accessing buildings / physical spaces (or just torturing information out of people)

megumi is writing increasingly powerful algorithms that can easily access different systems but more importantly he is the world's most suffering teacher's assistent; he felt indebted to gojo because gojo used to tutor him for free and bought him any hardware he wanted so megumi thought he could pay him back by helping him with his lectures. he is regretting everything now.

if you get a phone call from your boss asking for a password and you need to tell it to him now it's urgent that was actually inumaki

panda rarely (never?) leaves the campus but if you need another identity he's the guy; he will make you a linkedin account with 200 connections in 1h

this is the pre-shibuya team lineup so yuuta is currently doing his semester abroad after accidently creating the world's first conscious ai that he modelled after his dead childhood gf; he did start the singularity but this is not about him so gojo was like 'this is going to be miguel's problem for now'

[dragonanne4fun]

.

[ashvampire]

Voryn has a lesson in healing with his mother.

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

The room was dark – the only light shined down from the windows. They offered little illumination in the late afternoon, and the dark stone walls only made the place feel dimmer. Candles were plentiful, but none were lit.

Voryn sighed, as he wrapped gauze around the limb of a feather-stuffed guar. His mother sat across from him, legs crossed and keen eyes watching her son’s hands as he bandaged the toy. A low table separated them – covered in bandages and squares of gauze, as well as the stuffed guar.

His mother leaned forward, her hand locking around Voryn’s wrist. “You’re not doing it tight enough. Start again.”

Hastily, Voryn ripped off the gauze, scowling all the while. That was the third time he’d failed. He wondered how long his mother was planning on keeping him here.

“Be gentle,” his mother barked, “You won’t be able to bandage someone if your gauze is shredded.”

Voryn bit his lip, trying to be more gentle with the light fabric, but unable to keep the scowl from his face. He gave a sigh when he finally removed all the gauze, and glanced up at his mother. Her face was stern and hard. Her eyes met Voryn’s, and she raised a brow at him.

“You said you wanted to be a healer,” she said, “This is part of the learning. A very important part, actually. What you are learning to do can save someone from bleeding to death.”

Voryn dropped the gauze. “I don’t get it!” he growled. It came out louder than he expected. “Why would I need to wrap their injuries when I can just heal it?! Just teach me magic, already!”

“You won’t always have magic,” she said calmly, seeming to take no care that her son had questioned and yelled at her. “There will be many times when you cannot rely on it. Our magicka, the magic that runs through a veins, is not an endless resource. Our energy will wear out eventually. And if not, our concentration can falter. Healing magic can be dangerous, too. If you don’t know what you are doing, then you may do more harm than good.”

She pulled the stuffed guar across the table in front of her, and took a roll of gauze. She began to bandage one of the backlegs. Her hands moved quickly, with expertise and experience. “Let us say that you are on a battlefield. There are many injured, but you only have so much magicka. There are limited potions you can use – you only have a handful of them on you.

You find three wounded warriors. One has an injured leg. It’s bleeding a lot, and the warrior is complaining about the pain.

The second one is bruised and scratched. He is tired but otherwise mobile, although he has a nasty gash on his head and shoulder. But the battlefield is a dirty place, and with all the chaos, it might be awhile before the warrior can get to an infirmary to clean and stitch up his wounds.

The last has a wound to the abdomen. She is unconscious, and bleeding out.” She finished bandaging the guar, and looked to her son.

“You only have enough magicka to heal one,” she continued, “You cannot see any other healers – they are busy elsewhere. You must decide how to deal with all three, otherwise they might die of bloodloss or infection.”

Voryn leaned an elbow on the table and rested his head atop his hand, deep in thought.

“The first warrior, the one with the injured leg. How do you help him?” his mother said after a moment.

“Um,” Voryn mumbled. He glanced to his mother. He has already failed thrice. He doesn’t want to disappoint her again. “Give him a potion?”

His mother shook her head no. “Remember, what was it that you should always do first?”

“Uh… Oh! Look closely at the injury and clean it if I can.”

His mother gave a nod of approval. “You inspect the wound and clean it. The wound is not that deep. The warrior can still feel and move his foot, and you conclude that the injury is one that can be easily dealt with. But you don’t want to let him bleed out any further, or risk the wound becoming infected. So, what do you do?”

Voryn opened his mouth, planning to say ‘potion’, but then he looked to the stuffed guar on the table, and saw it’s leg wrapped in gauze. “Um… do I bandage it?”

His mother gave a small smile and nodded. “Yes, you wrap the wound tightly to prevent more bleeding or infection. If you have enough potions or magicka left after all the wounded have been found, you can always return to him and heal the wound.

Now, the second. His most notable injuries are on his head and shoulder. They aren’t bleeding heavily, but you can see that dirt has gotten onto the wounds.”

Voryn imagines it. A tall warrior, covered on bruises and cuts, with a large gash that cuts above one of his eyes, and one in his shoulder that broke through armour. “Do I… bandage them?”

“No. What should you do first?"

“Clean it!”

“Correct. Now, you have cleaned the wound. What next?”

“Uh...” Voryn stared hard at the stuffed guard, as if it would somehow give him answers. “Is it still bleeding?”

“The wound on his head seems to have clotted, but the one on the shoulder still has some bleeding.”

“Bandage that, then...”

Voryn looked up to his mother, hoping for approval.

“And? What else do you do?” she asked.

Voryn slumped in defeat. “I don’t know...”

“We talked about head injuries the other day...” his mother said, trying to give hints.

“Oh yeah… I… Oh! I remember! I just talk to him and see if he’s making sense and if he can see right… oh, and I ask him what he remembers, and if he blacked out!”

His mother smiled wider this time. “Yes! Very good. His speech is perfectly coherent, and he remembers the events of the battle well.

Now you go to the last one. Remember that she has an injury to her abdomen and isn’t conscious.”

“Clean the wound,” Voryn said, trying to think of the answers as quickly as he could, “And uh… I haven’t used any of the potions, right?”

“This is a dangerous injury, Voryn. You should inspect the wound closely. If it is just flesh that has been damaged, you may use a potion. But if the wound is too deep, magic may be required.”

Voryn screwed up his face. It was all so complicated. “What’s wrong with using a potion?”

“They are only good at mending flesh. If you were to use it on internal organs, there would be a great risk that it would cause unwanted growths to form. These growths cause great harm.

That risk remains when you use magic. Healing a wound incorrectly can do permanent damage. You must be sure of what kind of injury you’re dealing with, and how to heal it. Your magicka must be fully in your control.”

Voryn looked down to his hands, frowning. His magicka had grown out of control before, especially with strong emotions, whether it be excitement or anger. He looked back to his mother, ears drooping. “What if I can’t control it?”

His mother smiled encouragingly. “Of course you will, in time. It’s not uncommon for children and adolescents to struggle controlling their magicka. As your mind matures, you’ll find it grows much easier.”

“Are you sure?” Voryn wasn’t convinced; his magicka felt almost separate from him, like something that had to be tamed.

“Of course I am. In a few decades, I think you’ll be the greatest healer House Dagoth has ever had.”

Voryn smiled, thinking of all the lives he would save once he finished his training, and finally having mastery over his magicka.

"You've done well so far, Voryn." said his mother "Go outside and have a break. We'll go back to practicing bandaging once you come back."

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

I actually wrote this in either 2022 or 2021, but I never finished it. I rediscovered it and wrote the last 400 words and edited what was already there. I'd honestly completely forgotten about how much I'd written for Voryn/House Dagoth!

Anyway, hopefully this wasn't too boring. I know it ends a bit suddenly buuuut i didn't know what else to do with it if i'm honest.

[sadmages]

obsessed with how they are almost the same guy. white haired charlatan elves with the same flavour of issues who are always out snarking each other. Their mutual manipulation to genuine romance is so real to me