#short and PAINFUL

[snootlestheangel]

Break For Your Heart Pt. 6: Madness

AN: Oh boy it's been a while. Anyways here's this little update

Link to Ao3

Taglist: @stuffireadandenjoy

The first thing Simon noticed when he made it back to the cell block after his meeting with the Warden was silence.

Normally, at this time of day, the inmates were allowed some free time, and the block was filled with chatter. But today, there was nothing. No one milled about and no one talked. Simon was led straight back to his cell, and told he could talk but to not get rowdy.

The second thing Simon noticed was Soap's back turned to him from the top bunk.

It was so unusual for the man to not greet Simon, and the Scot's silence was a bit concerning. But he ignored it, allowed the other to have his moment while Simon dropped into the bunk below. He wasn't quite sure what to do in this situation, but he really didn't want to push the limits of his only ally just because he was curious.

Besides, Soap would come around on his own time. It was clear that the other was awake, as little vibrations made their way through the thin metal bunk, indicative of the Scot's fidgeting. To Simon, curiosity in this place only led to bad things, so he tried his best to ignore the shaking of the bunk. He closed his eyes and thought of home, thought of things to distract himself from the morning's events, and to distract himself from whatever it was the Scot was doing on the bunk above him. Simon thought of what the Warden told him from his brother's letter. He had given the letter to Simon, and yet he didn't want to read it.

Not yet, at least.

He thought of Gary, and of the trust the two had built as friends. He thought of the other's wheezing laugh, how he was so prone to smiling and seemed so unbothered by the dark things of the world. Simon thought of his mother, and her gentle smile and shaky hands. He thought of the way she would fret over every little thing, how she could never quite sit still. He thought of her singing, quiet and a little off-key, early in the mornings or late at night. He thought of Tommy, of how far his brother had come over the years. He thought of Beth, and how happy she made Tommy. He thought of Joseph, and his beautiful little laugh, of how innocent and joyous the little boy was. He thought of home, of peace and quiet and safety.

And now his mother was being watched, and he was trapped here, laying on a bunk beneath a real murderer.

When had it all become so much?

There was a shift in the bunk above him as Simon's breathing became labored, every breath a fight to keep his composure. The Scot stilled, falling quiet, and Simon wished for nothing more than to simply vanish. To never let the other know how this place has gotten to him.

But good things have never been reserved for Simon Riley.

Instead, Soap rolls off the top bunk and peers down at Simon. He looks more confused than sympathetic, and neither said a word for far too long. Eventually, Soap must have noticed the tears threatening to break free, as he lowered himself onto Simon's bunk.

"Guess you're visit with the Warden didn't go very well." Soap muttered, clearly trying to get Simon to open up. But he didn't want to open up. Simon was confused, unsure of who to trust and what to believe. He didn't want to open up to Soap before the Warden's warnings, but now he especially isn't sure Soap is the type of guy to even trust.

"Do you... wanna talk about it?" Soap's voice came out quieter than Simon had ever heard, but he couldn't help but feel angered. It was the same shit as his first day here, the Scot ignoring him for far too long only to expect a friendly conversation after. Rage bubbled in Simon's chest as he harshly pushed Soap off the bunk, glaring at him.

"Of course I don't want to fucking talk about it. What the fuck is wrong with you?" Simon snapped, leaning back into the flat pillow and laying an arm across his face. An uncomfortable silence followed in the cell as Simon laid there, breathing heavy and trying to keep himself together. Yet he never could shake the uncanny feeling of being watched.

He opened his eyes and looked over to where Soap still stood after getting shoved away. The Scot's face was blank, staring down at Simon with something burning in his eyes that Simon didn't understand. It was uncomfortable, how suddenly empty his cellmate seemed.

He didn't get to linger on the strange behavior as the doors buzzed open and they were all informed they can resume their free time.

It was a strange feeling, watching Soap leave without hesitating.

And that letter burned against his chest, and bitter bile rose in his throat as he realized he may have lost his only friend.

For the first time since being arrested, Simon Riley cried. Alone, with no one to comfort him.

[pineapple-frenzy]

Book 2 au: sparring sessions and short hair katara

They like to have sparring sessions in order to keep their bending skills sharp. They allow themselves to go all out and not hold back at all cause they know if anyone got hurt, Katara could just heal them

But anyways, wouldn't it be kinda funny if Zuko accidentally burned Katara's hair tho? Aofkqldkkajfjd

The "I think we can save the hairloops" line is from @linnoya-writes thank you for that!! :>>

[silent-insanities]

I can feel that ache in my chest again.

[delirium-mind]

I miss the way I viewed the world before I knew too much about it

[hinamie]

i don't normally participate in these redraw challenges but it's megumi so i'll make an exception

[twyllodrus]

I think I understand you better now. Ooh, do tell me all about me.

+ bonus:

[lepidjester]

in which gangle causes psychic damage to the entire cast

[wordswithloveee]

[livelovecaliforniadreams]

[xxplastic-cubexx]

crusty evolution redraw. in theory.

[nvaderxim]

"We made the best out of the time we had."

[nolongersummer]

I Saw The Tv Glow (2024) dir. Jane Schoenbrun / Anne Carson - Short Talks

[utilitycaster]

I think the two most obvious foils for Ludinus Da'leth across all of Critical Role are Essek and Keyleth, which is both fascinating given how different those two characters are from each other (Essek being a foil in terms of isolation, single-mindedness, harm in the name of ambition, knowledge, and other such wizard themes; Keyleth being a foil in terms of people who have lost something at a young age to the gods and bear resentment for it, political leadership, belief that the world belongs to mortalkind, and longevity) but also it's extremely funny that they both are the partners of Liam's character.

[silent-insanities]

My heart refuses to let you go.

[abbeyofcyn]

Phantom pain 5

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Transcript

P1

W-wha- Casey?!

Weren't you with Apes working on this school project while infiltrating the EPF or something?

(Casey jr) I was... Mikey and Raph called to ask for my keys since you had apparently portalled into my apartment

Curse Donnie's trackers...

P2

(Casey jr) oh! It's that the Lou Jitsu documentary? I love that one

Well, it was fun! I better get going

Can't have Raph's worry stink KO Mikey

(Casey jr) it's okay if you want to stay a little longer, you know. I can text your brothers to head back home

...

P3

Case, can I ask you a bit about your Leo?

Do you know how he lost his arm?

How well did he deal with it?

[n4rval]

MONSTER PHYSIOLOGY: DR. WINGDINGS GASTER - Proportion studies.

because i will admit, i have been struggling. wanted to nail down something consistent. sprinkled a little form and function here and there, but i'll save more in depth drawings to another post.