#the sock quest continues

[goredoesstuff]

got the wild socks crossed off the list JUST when I finished making these hhgadshgasdjkhhkjads

[justdiptych]

There's a scene in Fallout: New Vegas that I find really interesting in how it uses skill checks in dialogue. A merchant company, the Crimson Caravan, want to buy out one of their rivals, Cassidy Caravans, and they hire the player character to negotiate the deal. The player has likely already met the rival company's owner, Rose of Sharon Cassidy, by this point - in fact, it's entirely possible that she suggested they ask the Crimson Caravan for work in the first place.

Cass is propping up the bar at a truck stop on the border near the game's opening area. She's heard that her caravan has been destroyed in her absence - her employees killed and their wagons burned in an attack on the road - but she can't investigate because of a bureaucratic hold-up. The man in charge of the border post, Ranger Jackson, has halted all commercial traffic across the border because of dangers on the roads - wild animals, bandits, and enemy soldiers - that the authorities are struggling to get under control.

When the player brings the Crimson Caravan's offer to Cass, she refuses on principle. Her business may have effectively been destroyed, but she's too proud and too stubborn to sell her surname for any number of messes of pottage. Convincing her requires that the player employs one of either their Speech or Barter skills - there are two options for each, requiring either moderate or high investments of skill points. Skill and Barter are the game's two Charisma-based skills, and it's not uncommon for them to appear side-by-side like this, but here, they diverge in application.

The easier Speech option is simple - the player just reminds Cass that, if she sells the business, she won't be commercial traffic anymore, so she'll be able to get across the border. She's itching to get on the road again, so this convinces her. (She will ask the player to help Jackson clear the roads for the benefit of her fellow merchants, but this is a very simple quest that they likely already completed hours ago.)

The more challenging Speech check is to tell Cass that there's no way her business can survive, so it's her duty to do the merciful thing - shoot it in the head, bury it, and move on with her life. This, naturally, brings her close to socking the player in the jaw, but she sees the truth in it. She's been holding onto the forlorn hope that there might be something left to save, but she really has lost everything. This bypasses Jackson's quest - she just wants to walk out and not look back.

The Barter options approach things differently - from the Speech options, and from each other. The more challenging one involves making some sport of the offer, challenging Cass to a drinking contest. The player has to supply the booze, and they run the risk of getting embarrassingly drunk if their Endurance stat is too low, but, either way, this will impress Cass enough that she'll sign the contract.

The easier Barter option, though, is, I think, the most interesting. It requires the player to sweeten the deal with their own money - a not insubstantial amount of it, in fact. Cass is still hesitant, though, which allows the player to make a very interesting point. With the money from the Crimson Caravan plus the player's contribution, she'd have enough to restart her business - buy new animals and equipment, hire a new crew, start trading again.

Further, the player can point out that the Crimson Caravan are unlikely to continue using the 'Cassidy Caravans' name after buying it. They're only buying her out to try to monopolise local trade, after all. If they don't use the name, they'll forfeit their rights to it - meaning that Cass can, as she puts it, take their money, give them nothing, and go back to running her business as if the attack never happened.

Cass, naturally, accepts this offer, though she's staggered that the player is so willing to sell out their employers to help her like this. (The player needn't feel any moral misgivings about doing so. A little investigation reveals that the attack on Cass's business was actually engineered by the Crimson Caravan themselves, in collusion with a crime family, in a conspiracy to wipe out their competition.)

I think this entire interaction represents how well New Vegas uses skill checks. Barter, in RPGs, is often a very barebones skill. Its use is letting the player earn more and spend less - as part of an equation determining shop prices, or in dialogue options that boil down to asking for money. It's not uncommon for Speech to be the skill of the peaceful, benevolent diplomat, while Barter is for common mercenaries.

Here, though, the Barter options actually cost more than their Speech equivalents. The player ends up out of pocket for a sizable chunk of change or at least a lot of booze. Instead, the Barter skill represents the character's understanding of common business practices and relevant laws. It allows them to convince Cass to accept a deal by finding a loophole that benefits her more than if she refused.

The equivalent Speech options, meanwhile, are effectively free, but do involve making Cass feel that little bit worse. They emphasise what she's lost, how trapped she is by her circumstances, and convince her to give up and let the Crimson Caravan win. In the long run, this doesn't make a real difference - once she leaves the outpost, she and the player can discover the conspiracy and get their revenge either way - but I think the choice does let the player say something about their character.

Part of the brilliance of this game is how little details, like Cass being stuck at the outpost, tie into other details all across the story. Caravan traffic is halted, in part, because deathclaws have nested near the roads to the north. They've nested there because the local quarry has ceased operations - the noise caused by the digging and blasting had previously scared them off.

The quarry closed down because escaped convicts raided it and stole the workers' stash of mining explosives. The convicts escaped because the government was using them for forced labour on the railroads, and foolishly entrusted them with enough dynamite to stage an uprising, seize control of the prison, and turn it into a fortress and a base of operations for banditry.

Similarly, the threads of Cass's story spread outwards, ultimately affecting the entire future of New California. When she learns that the Crimson Caravan and their allies killed her friends, Cass is furious. She wants to march over there and beat the snot out of the people responsible. The player can convince her to instead settle things legally - get proof of their crimes, pass them on to Ranger Jackson, and hope the justice system gets revenge for her.

If Cass does things her way, the criminals pay with their lives, but their bosses end up better off for it. With their regional execs murdered, the trading companies can claim that the government isn't doing enough to protect them - so, they don't have to support the government's interests, either. They withdraw trade, demand special treatment, and end up making their shortfall everyone's problem.

If the legal option is pursued, though, the evidence becomes blackmail material. The government has the trading companies over a barrel, and that lets them pass stricter trade laws. Given the choice of accepting regulation or facing criminal investigation, the crooked execs choose to stay out of jail. Those responsible for the murders technically avoid justice, but their hopes of a monopoly are dashed - and their superiors are unlikely to be pleased with them having hurt long-term profits so badly.

Cass's story is political and economical all the way through. It's about the influence of wealth on government, and the fundamental injustices of the carceral system. It's about revenge, and reform, and how to hit people where it hurts - their bottom line. And it's about how, sometimes, skills in an RPG aren't about making numbers go up - they're about how a character understands the world around them, and how they can apply that understanding to help someone out of a jam, or help reshape the trade lines of a whole nation.

[randomfoggytiger]

Mulder's Heart: Alluring Temptations, Denial, and the Slow Burn

In the novelization of Darin Morgan's episode War of the Coprophages (post here), Dr. Bambi Berenbaum is described as "the most beautiful woman that Mulder has ever seen" (loosely quoted, thank you @wonderxphile~.) The thought struck me that, perhaps, it's not an invention or interpretation of the novelist's so much as an offshoot of the root of Mulder's romantic inclinations-- specifically, ones that relate to his self-imposed celibacy.

During the early years of the show, David Duchovny described Mulder's choice to remain single in a particularly singular way: that Mulder was so dedicated to his work that any relationship or life outside of it would feel like cheating. As intriguing as that thought is, another crops up: if that be the case, why was he almost drawn off-course by various women on the show?

THE DESIRE OF THE EYE

All but one of Mulder's short love interests are narratively sexual characters. Phoebe Green and Diana Fowley were exes, both intending to seduce, distract, and control his focus away from the mission. Kristen Kilar and Bambi Berenbaum were two beautiful women that drew and attached his eye immediately. Lastly, Melissa Rydell was a bit of an outlier who still exuded the same pull as the other four: a commonality with Mulder-- one who "understood" him in ways other women hadn't (or wouldn't.)

If his work is his wife, then they are his (potential) mistresses.

Mulder fell hard and fast; but snapped out of his rose-colored fog just as quickly. Each woman didn't withstand the test of his work, always turning their back on him for someone else, someone "greater."

Except for Dana Scully.

SLOW BURN AND DENIAL

The difference between Scully and the other women was that she didn't knock Mulder's socks off at first sight: baggy suit, green haircut, cutting science, and fire-breathing accountability challenged and won his trust before it won his heart.

Be that as it may, within two episodes Mulder had very, very quickly shifted his estimation of Scully from spy to maneuverable hindrance to partner.

By Squeeze he was undeniably, irrevocably territorial. While he respected her decision to leave, he would most certainly have continued tracking her down wherever she was working to discuss details of his case, her case, or any tidbits in-between (as depicted by him interrupting her stakeout.)

Season 2 beat Mulder over the head until he realized how closely he tied Scully to the work. In Little Green Men, he needed her encouragement to combat self-doubt; but more importantly, he needed her there with him, by his side. After her abduction in Ascension, he became listless, self-destructive (@cecilysass's excellent meta here), and dispassionate for the work: there was no curiosity or joy of discovery in 3's case-- in fact, there was no joy at all. In One Breath, he tried to barter his life's work for Cancer Man's location, resigning anyway out of sheer guilt. (Later, he tried to sell his soul again, more directly, to save Scully's life in Memento Mori.) By Firewalker, Scully had already eclipsed the work-- which Mulder didn't acknowledge, to her or himself, until Fight the Future-- and he frequently abandoned leads or "the truth" if he thought her life were in danger. Although she had become indispensable, Mulder didn't realize he loved her until later in the narrative.

Still.

Scully acknowledged her feelings, indirectly, at various times through the series; but he only initiated when afraid she'd leave, forever. While genuinely blinded by his quest, Mulder wasn't stupid. Scully fishing for his genetics in Home led him to banter away the conversation, later fixing a chair firmly under the broken lock separating their rooms. Scully bringing a cheese platter to celebrate in Detour didn't grab his attention from the mystery, but it underscored his efforts to deflect her serious topic later in the forest.

Because, at the heart of the matter (the very place he tried to avoid), Mulder lived in bone-deep denial.

In E.B.E., he quips, "I think it's remotely plausible that someone might think you're hot"; in Irresistible, he fumes over no one noticing where "a pretty woman" went; even in A Ghost That Stole Christmas he huffs, "We're not lovers." Maggie Scully ascertained his feelings immediately in Ascension, and Melissa Scully pushed him to acknowledge them in One Breath: "At least she'll know. And so will you." During the cancer arc, he embraces Scully for never giving up, doesn't discuss her cancer unless absolutely necessary, freely offers affection on her deathbed; then after, tries to deflect a personal talk in the woods while in shock. Even thoughts of harm coming to his partner-- be it not wanting to consider Scully possibly dying in Piper Maru or the split second of doubt despite evidence when she did "die" in Kitsunegari-- throws up an instant wall of denial.

Mulder knew something was "there" after Melissa Scully made him confront himself-- in fact, he likely already sensed something during his conversation with Scully in Tooms-- but he didn't want to poke around to find out exactly "what" it was. He wasn't ready.

Yet.

"FOX " OR "MULDER"

The women closest to Mulder ended up calling him "Fox" (or "Sullivan")... all except Scully, his abandoned lunch colleague in Little Green Men, and the phone sex operator in Small Potatoes.

Scully herself is an even more isolated case, of course.

When she began to make a personal confession in Tooms, Mulder uncomfortably laughed off her "Fox...": "I even made my parents call me 'Mulder'. So. 'Mulder'." Perhaps that's true (or perhaps not, since his father and mother also called him "Fox.") Regardless, he sensed Scully was letting her guard down; and, fearing she was opening her heart in another direction, tried to fend off any loving regard. Scully surprised him, however: "Mulder, I wouldn't put myself on the line for anyone but you" incorporated his preference, expressed her loyalty, and was a far cry from a lovesick oath. He teased the moment away, pleased; then was, by turns, caught, unsettled, and relieved by her teasing repartee.

From that point, his name began to change from professional shield to personal endearment.

But what does this have to do with Mulder's mistresses?

SCULLY, HIS LIFE

Scully was inextricably linked with the work after her return; and, whether Mulder had fully accepted his love for her yet or not (and I'm beginning to think he hadn't fully until her cancer diagnosis), she was now his life. Drawing her away from a "normal life" and dragging her dog along on a lake monster excursion became an expected, routine part of his weekend.

Bambi-- the "most beautiful woman"-- appeared during this chummy, Season 3 phase. When larger questions and greater fears shook stability from under his feet, Melissa Rydell-- the alleged soulmate-- made her (apparently) destined entrance.

Both women fell into a pattern Phoebe and Kristen set: bold, shiny new possibilities; then solace-seeking and grasping insecurity. That pattern, however, was broken during the cancer arc, as exemplified by the exception to this general rule: Diana Fowley.

ESCAPING THE SNARE OF THE FOWLER

Phoebe, Kristen, Bambi, and Melissa effortlessly lured Mulder's focus from his own aims. Not permanently; just enough to create a foil for the work-- a.k.a. Scully. Mulder suffered a few burns from his false romances (post here): passing out from smoke inhalation, watching three buildings go up in flames, and being dismissed from the life of each romantic interest. Diana, too, betrayed him; and Diana, too, was tied to the blaze in his office.

However, Agent Fowley was not sought after like her predecessors. She was also the first to notice a change in Mulder.

When she arrived on the scene, boldly hitching her wagon to his theories and his work, she expected him to readily accept, nay beg, her back on the files. Instead, Mulder laughed off her concerns about Scully, gushing over his new partner's innate ability to make him "work for it." Further, he stuck by Scully's side when his ex was hospitalized, only straying in The Beginning when Diana created an elaborate ruse to separate the two. He didn't initiate or reciprocate her kiss in One Son; and he was more baffled than beaming when "she" wanted to play domesticly-ever-after in Amor Fati. In short, Mulder was not drawn romantically to Diana, at all: in fact, he was wary. Friendly, but distant.

She'd missed her chance.

If Diana had swooped in sometime before Memento Mori's unification, she could have exploited the gnarly feeling that had been building since early Season 4, or widened its distance post Never Again-- a distance that had been building since Mulder's sloughed-off remark in Home and unwitting partner replacement in The Field Where I Died. (More accurately, if CSM had bothered to pay close attention to his lab rats, he'd have noticed a weakness in their partnership and sent in his super rat to exploit it.) As it happens, she did not.

MULDER'S HEART

What does this mean for Mulder and Scully?

At the outset, I believed Mulder learned the depth of his love for Scully during the events of One Breath-- now, however, I'm convinced that's only half true.

Scully had already replaced the work's importance in his life, but neither understood the depths of his reliance on and devotion to her. Mulder was still gut-reacting, not wanting to delve too deeply into his heart to find the truth there. Never Again gave him a great and terrible shakeup because he'd taken Scully's place at his side for granted-- he'd thought "This work is my life" also extended to her; and that she'd glanced at his offer and was preparing to reject it. Mulder was living in full-blown denial: denial so deep that only the incurable, inescapable possibility of her death could tear his blinders off.

After her diagnosis, that denial was blown to pieces; and, afraid to face the ramifications of his realization, and her remission, he kept fleeing. As Scully says in Dreamland I, "We, we just keep driving."

That brings us back to Phoebe Green-- dangerous allure-- and Kristen Kilar-- mutual mourning partner-- and Dr. Berenbaum-- the "most beautiful woman"-- and Melissa Rydell-- tortured twin soul-- and Diana Fowley-- ancient history. His heart was free in Fire, unconsciously grieving in 3, charmingly in denial in War of the Coprophages, seeking Scully in other lives in The Field Where I Died, and beating only for her in The End.

CONCLUSION

A very interesting, complicated man, indeed.

Thanks for reading~

Enjoy!

[earthstellar]

what are some other nice moments from Rescue bots?

This show is loaded with them!!! :)

Here we go, some nice moments in Rescue Bots!!

I'm going to write this with the assumption that some people reading this may not have ever seen Rescue Bots or might only be somewhat familiar, as I realise the target audience skews much younger than most Transformers media does, so I'm not 100% sure how popular it was outside of that demographic in total.

Off the top of my head:

-There is an in-universe VR game called Element Quest that has a couple really good episodes, the design is cute and there are tons of meme references. Blades, at one point, goes "I used to like video games. Then I took an arrow to the knee." LOL

-I think it's cool how they actually do tie in their continuity with TFP's continuity. For example, "What Rises Above" (RB) canonically comes before "Nemesis Prime" (TFP), and this is directly referenced in the dialogue in TFP when Optimus says that he is late arriving to the base as he was exploring an underground energon deposit-- This is the deposit he explores with the Rescue Bots.

-THERE IS A MUSICAL EPISODE. IT IS EXTREMELY GOOD

-Woodrow Burns, the Chief's brother, is kind of an idiot asshole, although he's not actively malicious. But he is great with the kids and for whatever reason the only thing I can ever remember about this character is when he goes up to Cody after it's been a long time since he saw him last and says "You've grown a whole foot since the last time I saw you-- Now you'll need three socks!" IDK I just think that's a real cute dad joke thing to say to a little kid lol :')

-There is an episode where they explore the local folklore of Griffin Rock, and TL;DR the local lore is that their island is where literal griffins used to nest seasonally. So throughout the episode, there's this kind of vibe of "OK are these electrical magnetic pulses or whatever like a science problem or a magic problem" and it's actually a very cute and fun vibe, especially since Cody is talking about the lore in the first place as part of his work towards a Scouts badge and Blades is very cute in this episode, the bots are all like "okay magic isn't real but uhhh what if magic's real?" for a minute and it's great :')

-Doc Greene/Green creates a ton of fun science devices throughout the show, but the names of some are just so doofy and fun. I love the "Torna-Don't", which is a thing designed to dispel tornados. Of course. lmao

-All the weird small town local events are also very silly and cute, and weirdly realistic for those of us who are familiar with this kind of local event thing, lmao. One of my favourite concepts is one of what seems to be several crawdad-related festivals, in which there is apparently a televised crawdad race. It's a bunch of shrimps put on a tiny racetrack, like Olympic runners. LOL

-At one point, Blurr shows up, and when the Rescue Bots are trying to acclimate him to working with humans, Chase is like "Humans seem to have two genders, which are defined by how many cooties they have." This implies that as far as the Rescue Bots are aware, 1) cooties are real and 2) human gender is defined solely by how many cooties a person has, and not by anything else, thus leaving their understanding of human gender fairly open (and it is also clear they have solely learned about gender from young kids in a small town which is likely why they state there are two genders but then make it clear that gender is a cooties thing and not an inherently physical thing, which makes sense in context and is kind of great because it gives more leeway for gender diversity than I expected) and I love this a lot. What is human gender? Cooties. That's all. So someone with a particularly high number of cooties could be another gender altogether, because why not?

-There is a body swap episode, which treats us to Blades in Dani's body trying on dresses in her room. He picks an orange and white one, which matches his paint job. I also love this a lot.

-Heatwave is gruff as hell especially at the start of the series and constantly starts shit or perpetuates shit with Kade, which is super funny. Just this centuries old Cybertronian fucking with this doofus boy who keeps leaving donuts in his cab. God dammit Kade, lmao.

-There is an episode where Cody is aged up via Science Device, and we get to see an older Cody, who more closely resembles his father than his older brother does. It's cute that he'll look like his dad when he's older. :')

During this episode, he assists in a rescue, and the girl his brother has a crush on tries to hit on him, but he clearly doesn't get what's happening and thinks it's icky because of course he does, he's a kid. I just think this scene is handled well and it's cute that his reaction to being hit on is still "ewww girls" but his brother is still absolutely pissed off about it anyway LMAO like jesus Kade, relax

-Kade's mostly an asshole but he's shown to be a really good rescuer who genuinely cares about people, and he has moments where he really comes through for his family and realises on his own that he should shut up and back down on his bullshit, thus making him a better developed and more realistic asshole brother character than 99% of asshole brother characters in most shows. I think this is pretty solid because it does lead to effective character development here and there, and it makes his positive moments with his family and the bots that much nicer. :)

-Cody is such a good kid. He is often willing to give people or ideas a chance when nobody else will, and even though he's too young to actively participate in most missions, he stays involved by helping at their dispatch centre. He's a smart little dude, who has a lot of heart and a ton of potential. One of the few child characters in anything that I actually like, because I think they write him extremely well: He is young, but he is not stupid. He is not treated like an accessory or like the property of his family, he's his own person with a distinct personality within his family, with a reasonable amount of autonomy. And he's a person who is still learning and has valuable contributions while also needing guidance or support at times. 10/10

-Dani gradually gets better at helping Blades deal with his flight anxiety (and sticks up for him when the others might mock him a little for it), and this is not only inherently very nice and cute, but it also makes a lot of sense as she is a first responder/medic and we see her offer the same reassurances towards the people she helps to rescue.

-The writing for the Burns Family in general is some of the best family group character writing in anything tbh, they handle the family dynamic so well in this show, and it's extra cute as the Rescue Bots all learn a lot from observing how the family takes care of one another and the townspeople they rescue. :')

-Blades has anxiety. I also have anxiety, so I am biased and clearly love this dude, lmao. He's so fucking relatable and even though sometimes the others rip on him, it is clear that they're also very proud of him for trying his best to deal with a situation which for him is particularly difficult (he was forced to take a flight capable alt-mode when this is something he is explicitly not comfortable with) and his team mates do support him, even though Heatwave is a douche sometimes (although it is clear this is usually due to stress or something else and that the actual problem isn't Blades). Over the course of the series, Blades does develop a little more confidence, and it's very cute and nice to see him puffing himself up a little more. :)

-The overall attitudes the bots have towards humans in this show is sweet. It's clear they don't really understand humanity or humans as a whole, but it also doesn't really matter because they are so specifically oriented to their local population on the island and their focus is a relatively small community of humans. They take their duties seriously and will protect this population, even if they don't really understand the people outright. They gradually start to respect the locals (and the Burns Family) more and more as they work with them, and get acclimated to Earth. They love their dumbass weird little humans :')

This leads to a lot of fun shenanigans with the bots not understanding things, or only understanding things as they have been explained by the children, which is hilarious.

-There is an episode where local thieves steal Chase, and inspired by Cody's school drama project, he decides to go undercover after watching a bunch of old detective movies. This includes him narrating things to himself, which he is called on when Dani enters the garage and asks him "Why are the lights off? Are you talking to yourself?" lmao

-Although it isn't explicitly canonical, it's easy to interpret both Chase and Blades as being neurodivergent. Both of them display various behaviours and traits which can potentially be understood in this way, and I'm just glad that there's a show for kids where two of the main characters, who are rescue workers, are shown to be competent and skilled at their jobs and accepted by the community for who they are while also being neurodivergent. <3 It's such a good vibe when the other characters support or defend these two in particular, especially when Chase or Blades might be confused or upset about something. Chief Burns is especially great working with Chase.

-Any episode where Optimus shows up in Rescue Bots usually has some gems of cuteness/silliness. The Elvis line still takes me out, LMAO. "You're bigger than Elvis!" "I have not met this Elvis, and I am unaware of his size." 10/10 writing, I fucking love Rescue Bots

-The bots constantly call out a bunch of details that are entirely appropriate for robots from space to notice and recognise as somewhat weird, whereas a lot of the human characters are so used to 1) being human and 2) living on this incredibly weird little technologically advanced island that nothing really phases them anymore. So we can actually identify more with the bots at time, despite the fact that they are also providing an outsider point of view, which is really clever! :)

-The theme song is a fucking banger. It's so good. I love this song so much. I wish we got a full version of it, but this is the best extended version of it that I've been able to find. Enjoy!!!

-There's a lot of fairly adult stuff in the show, more than I think people realise! The tone can never get too dark outright as it is intended for young kids as the primary demographic, but there's a lot of situations, conversations, etc. that are genuinely engaging and interesting from an adult perspective, which is a large part of what makes it a great watch for all ages.

Some situational examples include scenarios where children are imperilled in natural disasters, accidents, even kidnapping at one point.

Non-kid related situations include risks and threat to civilians from AI development and the dangers that uncontrolled or poorly thought out technology can cause or exacerbate, which is significant in context and also interesting to think about given our current relationship IRL with rapid tech development and concerns around how that technology is being made and applied, either in reality or in theory.

Some dialogue examples include scenes where the bots mention their grief over being unable to save Cybertron, a sense of guilt that they were in stasis for so long even though this was beyond their control, awareness that they may be the last Rescue Bots team in operation on Earth or anywhere else in the universe (a sense of loneliness and a responsibility as the last upholders of their specific creed), struggles with their sense of duty and concerns around their ability to fulfil their expectations for themselves and meet the expectations of others while rising to the demands of their unique situation, and so on.

--

this is already pretty long lmao, there's a ton of stuff I really like about Rescue Bots, but I hope this might encourage others to check out the show if you haven't before, it's well worth a watch! :)

[dwtdog]

fem dnf week dayyyyy 6 :D

--

“Hey, wake up.”

Someone is shaking George’s shoulder. She should kill them. She tries- reaching for the bow that lies beside her, dismayed when her fingers only grasp empty air. Plan B, then. 

She opens her eyes, and all the fight drains from her when she sees a mask hovering above her, bone white, carved with the visage of a smile. “Dream,” she groans, rolling over and away from the other girl. “Fuck off.”

“But you said we could start early today,” Dream whines. 

“And whose quest is this?” she shoots back, pulling her knees to her chest and screwing her eyes shut, begging sleep to come back for her. 

“Yours,” Dream answers dutifully, tugging at George’s blanket. “But you said-”

“Don’t care. Sleeping now.”

“Fine,” Dream huffs, and there’s a crunch of dirt beneath her boots when she stands. “I’ll go hunting then.” And she stomps off, footsteps heavy as always. 

George relaxes, doing her best to ignore how little her meager traveling sleep pad does to protect her from the hard ground, how the sun is already glowering through the dense trees and into her eyes. She’s mostly unsuccessful- her body seems to have decided, without her permission, that it’s time to be awake- and her limbs seem to itch with the need to move. 

And she is on a quest, after all. 

So she sits up, rubbing sleep from her eyes and stretching her legs out in front of her, socked feet emerging from the end of her blanket. Their camp is a bit of a mess- last night's fire reduced to a blackened pile of ash, Dream’s bedding left messy and uneven a few feet from George’s. 

George should hate her. Dream wakes her up early, leaves camp to chase small mammals and comes back with nothing because she doesn’t want to hurt them, and is, overall, a pain in George’s ass. But there’s a strange kindling of fondness that curls in her stomach when she thinks of the other girl and her charming voice, her strange enthusiasm for anything and everything. 

So they travel together. George’s grand solo quest, featuring Dream, the girl she’d met in a village one over from hers and who she hadn’t been able to shake since. 

In the spirit of getting a move on, George begins the process of cleaning their camp up. It’s easy enough to pack hers and Dream’s things up, distributed evenly- okay, evenly-ish- between the two of their large packs. She kicks dirt over the fire, and picks up a few errant pieces of trash, all before Dream returns from wherever she’d wandered off to- in fact, George manages to count their rations out twice over and split out the mornings before Dream returns. 

When she does, George fights back the bubbly feeling that spawns in her chest. It’s stupid. She really, really doesn’t have time for it. So she just nods to Dream, handing her rations over and munching on her own. The tough meat never gets any better.

“I saw something,” Dream says after a beat, her mouth half full of bread, her mask raised half way so she can eat. George glares at her, and she dutifully shuts her mouth. She makes a big show of chewing and swallowing, sticking her tongue out at George before continuing. “There’s a mountain to the east.”

George groans. “Seriously? Are we lost, then?” They aren’t supposed to come to a mountain for another few days yet, and George isn’t exactly eager, or ready, to climb one.

“I don’t think so,” Dream says, shaking her head and staring off in what George assumes is the direction of the mountain. “I think it’s new.”

“New?” George asks, eyebrows drawing together. 

“I can’t explain but just- I’ll show you. When we’re done eating,” Dream shoves the rest of her bread in her mouth and George makes a point to not watch. It doesn’t matter that she likes the way the muscles in Dream’s neck move when she chews, or that she finds the way her emotions play out so clearly across the lower half of her face terribly endearing. She’s on a quest, damn it. To kill a dragon.

She mulls over what Dream had said- a new mountain? It doesn’t make any sense- but George trusts her. There’s been more than one instance through the course of their journey where Dream’s intuition has saved their skin, and George isn’t about to stop trusting it now.

But if she’s right- is it a good sign? A mountain popping up out of nowhere certainly seems like dragon magic, something deep and ancient and tied intrinsically to the land. But George has never heard of something like this, even with all the research she’s done on dragons. Documented dragon magic is usually comprised of cities water becoming poisonous, or animals behaving strangely. A whole mountain- that would be a damn powerful dragon.

“Ready?” George asks when she’s done with her own food, smiling slightly when Dream nods enthusiastically, jumping up from the stump she’d been using as a chair. “Then let’s go.”

The walk through the woods is nice, in a way. The early days of summer ensure that the air in the woods is just warm enough that both of the girls can shed their coats, storing them in their packs, but not so hot that they sweat, even as they walk and walk. 

“You got this far?” George asks after a few hours, when the sun has fully risen in the sky. Dream stumbles next to her, even though their path is clear of any roots or rocks.

“Uh- Not quite,” she says, clearing her throat. “I- I climbed a tree. To see.”

“Oh,” George shrugs, filing the information away in her Dream memories- which there are a normal amount of. Obviously. “Do you think we’re close, then?”

“I’m not sure,” Dream admits, running her hand along the bark of a tree as she passes it. A bird sings overhead, its song trilling and bright. Dream whistles back, a surprisingly good recreation. 

George just watches, eyes tracing Dream’s broad shoulders as she goes back and forth with the bird. She looks beautiful, George admits to herself, with the dappled patches of light bouncing off her golden hair, echoes of a smile in the way she practically skips along the path, although the damn mask blocks any actual sighting of it.

She’s not sure how long they spend like that, but she does know the moment they reach the clearing, because Dream gasps, loud and dramatic. “George, look.”

And George gasps too, when she sees it.

The gap in the trees that the path follows opens into a large clearing, the beginning of an entirely new biome, devoid of the tall trees they’ve traveled under for the past week. This one is far more rugged, the trees scraggly and clinging to rock faces, looking to be one bad day away from wilting away. And the landscape itself- a rocky mess, of canyons and hills, all accentuated by the enormous mountain jutting from the earth.

And George knows what Dream had meant when she said the mountain was new. It looks unnatural, as if it had been pulled from the ground rather than built over time by the movement of the earth. It makes George uneasy, and she runs a hand down the wood of her bow to ground herself.

“Shit,” she says, holding a hand up to shield her eyes and look further across the landscape, for a way around the mountain. 

“Shit,” Dream echoes, shifting on her feet next to George. Out of the corner of her eye, George can see Dream’s hand resting on her axe, fingers tense around the handle. “It’s even worse from up close.”

“You feel it too?” George asks, unsurprised. She’s always been shit at recognizing magic, but if this place is making her feel uneasy- Dream’s sixth sense, or whatever the hell it is, must be going nuts. 

Dream steps closer to George, and their shoulders brush as Dream steps in front of her, as if to protect her from whatever it is that’s got both of them on edge. It should piss George off- she doesn’t need anyone's protection, thank you very much- but her traitorous body reignites that curl of affection, and George is terrified that she might be blushing. 

“I do,” Dream answers, a beat too late. “It’s- bad. We should turn around.”

“What?” George yelps, stepping away from Dream in an instant, all vestiges of affection vanishing in an instant. “Fuck no- It took us a week to get through that forest, no way in hell-”

“George,” Dream says, turning so they’re face to face. Dream is quite a bit taller than George, and she uses it to her advantage now. “This place isn’t safe. There’s- There’s bad magic at play here.”

“I don’t care, Dream,” George grits out, attempting to step around her. Dream mimics her movement, staying firmly in front. “Do I need to remind you again that this is my quest?” Dream flinches, shoulders shaking with it, and George presses.  “So let me through. Turn back, if you’re so scared.”

“I’m not scared for me, idiot,” Dream says back. 

And George shuts her out. It had been one thing, to drop the walls she’d built bit by bit, for a strange girl in a small village, who she spent every hour of every day with, learning to trust, learning to love- but she was just like everyone else. 

“Fuck you,” George shoves past Dream, uncaring of her footing as she breaks into a run, away, away, away. Dream is shouting after her, following, but George refuses to look back. She can’t- she thinks she might break, if she does. 

There’s a moment, before the world goes dark, where Dream’s shouting turns panicked, where the gait of her footsteps changes from a run to a sprint. And there’s a moment, barely there, where George feels something grow behind her, power hitting her like a roaring river. And then her vision goes black.

--

She wakes in a dark room, windowless. For a moment, she thinks that she and Dream must have stopped in a village for a night, begged for a room. But then reality comes crashing down- she remembers their fight, and running, and- nothing. 

When she tries to move, she’s surprised to find herself unrestricted, and she quickly stands from the chair, ignoring the ache of sore muscles. There’s a door across from her, wooden and strong looking, and the handle is locked when she tries it. It fits the frame near perfectly, and lets in no light.

That realization is what makes her look up, toward the ceiling, for the source of the light in the room- and she finds something. A floating ball, near the top of the pointed ceiling, bobbing slightly in place. It’s unsettling to look at, the wrongness of it churning George’s stomach. 

She starts to examine the room in earnest, running her hands over every inch of the wall she can reach, kicking at the corners where the walls meet each other and the floor. She finds nothing. No cracks, no seams, not even a damn crumb. 

She’s trapped. With a deep breath to steady her shaking hands, she sits on the floor in the middle of the room, facing the door. And she waits.

There’s no concept of time in a windowless room. The floating light is unchanging, set in its bobbing. The room is soundless, free of the creak of an old building or the bustle of a strong wind. It’s only her, and her thoughts, crowding the room until she can hardly breathe with how thick the air feels. 

And only then, when she’s on the edge of succumbing to panic, her stomach aching with hunger, does the door creep open.

It’s as silent as everything else, and she thinks, for a moment, that she must be hallucinating.

But the creature that steps through the door is like nothing George’s mind could conjure- a beast of a man, his shoulders scraping the sides of the doorframe as he steps through it, his face just close enough to human that it’s unsettling- the eyes, George realizes, peering out of a reptilian face, are human. 

A hybrid, then. George has met a few, when they’d come through town. Her parents had always warned her to be careful around them, that their animal instincts made them dangerous. And she’d always done her best to ignore them- going out of her way to greet every one she’d met with genuine kindness, and a healthy dose of curiosity.

But none of them had been like this- hulking and winged, George realizes with a start as she scrambles backward until her back is pressed to the wall, breaths coming short and shallow in fear. 

His wings unfurl further as he steps into the room, dwarfing him in size, cramped in the small room. They’re dark, tinted green under the mysterious light, and scaly. Nothing like the avians she’d met, their wings vast but feathered, dainty. 

“You’re a brave thing, coming through these lands,” he rumbles, voice low and raspy. It echoes under the vaulted ceiling, and George’s nails dig into her palms. “Most would have turned back.”

“Who are you,” George demands, summoning all her bravado. “Why am I here?” He laughs, and the sound grates on George’s ears. She thinks, foolishly, of Dream’s wheezing laugh, her soft giggles. And she stands.

“Don’t do anything foolish,” he says, shifting his hand to rest it on the handle of an absurdly large sword attached to his hip. “Why don’t you sit down, be a nice little human.”

George, shaking with fear, squares her shoulders. “No.”

“Well, alright then,” he answers with a shrug. “I suppose you won’t be getting any answers then.”

“I-” she starts, ready to throw every insult under the sun at the beast. But he cuts her off.

“Oh, shush. I thought you’d recognize me, at least. I am the subject of your quest, after all,” he says it with a smile that crawls across his face like a thing with too many legs, jerky and unsettling. 

“A dragon,” George breathes, fear stealing further into her heart. “So the mountain was dragon magic.”

“Indeed,” the dragon lifts a hand, sharp, dark nails terribly visible. “But I’m only half a dragon. It’s why I can only get this far,” he gestures to his body, twitches his wings. “A full dragon could look just like you- they’ve perfected the art of mimicking humans.”

A chill runs down George’s spine, terribly sobering. The rumors were true, then. 

“What do you want from me?” she demands, leaving no room for the man to argue. It’s an art she’s perfected, too used to being shut down in meetings, in hunting groups. “Why am I here? And why are you telling me this?”

“I was curious,” he says with a shrug. “A small thing like you, setting out to kill a dragon? Surely, she must be crazy is what I thought. And now I’ve met you, I don’t think I was wrong.”

“Curious,” George spits. “You can’t just kidnap people because you’re curious.”

“Oh, but it does get so lonely out here. Excuse my bad manners,” he waves a hand, and George jumps. “I wasn’t going to keep you for long. I do so terribly need to see if you are able to kill a dragon.”

“And why shouldn’t I kill you?” 

He laughs, again, and George really wishes he would stop doing it. “With what weapon, human? Your bow and those clever little arrows are safely outside of this room.”

“I’ll find a way,” George’s eyes dart to the open door, hidden behind the half-dragon and his daunting wings. He watches her with amusement.

“I wouldn’t be so sure of that,” he says. “I could just keep you here, you know. As fun as it would be to watch you fail to slay a dragon.”

“You don’t know anything-” George starts, tensing the muscles in her legs as she prepares to make a move, to duck under those wings and out the door. But before she can even finish speaking, the walls crumble around them.

George throws her hands up, pushing her back against the last standing wall at her side. The room is filled with dust and light that burns George’s eyes, adjusted as she is to a low quantity of it. 

Her captor is just as startled as she is, his wings fully splayed out and teeth bared with the great sword in his hands. But his gaze is errant, darting around the remains of the room, looking for what- or who- had caused the chaos, just as George is.

She finds it first, when her eyes lift to the sky, now dotted with stars and the creeping light of dawn. There’s a shadow circling over them, purple mist clinging to great beating wings, far dwarfing those of the man on the ground. He looks up as well when the beast above them roars, and the giant of a man whimpers, sword clattering as it drops to the ground.

A dragon. 

And not the half-formed kind she’s just met- this one is all harsh lines and power, radiating off it like sea mist splashing against cliffs. It’s terrifying, in a way that sets George’s heart to a quickened beat, loud as the sound of beating wings. 

The dragon is coming toward them, she realizes a second to late, throwing her arms up again as it lands with a thud that shakes the very foundation of the earth, eyes glowing a brilliant purple. And its gaze is on the half-dragon, teeth bared stark white against the black of its scales. 

And the other dragon flees. His wings beat erratically as he takes off, sword left in the rubble. The black dragon watches him go, before turning its gaze to George.

George dives for the sword the same moment the dragon opens its mouth, wanting, if anything, to die with a weapon in her hand. 

But what comes out of the dragon's mouth isn’t fiery breath, or purple poison, but a strangely familiar voice. “George!”

George, oversized sword clutched in both hands as she stares down the terrible nightmare of a beast using the voice of her companion, thinks she must be dreaming. She’ll wake back in camp, with Dream muttering in her sleep just a bit away from her. George will sigh, and brush the hair from her face with a soft hand, will watch with a fond smile as Dream chases the warmth of her hand even in sleep. Will think longingly of kissing lips she rarely sees, hidden as they are by a carved mask.

“I’m going to kill you,” George declares, using all the strength in her arms and back to lift the sword. She stares the dragon down, feet planted firmly beneath her.

And the dragon tilts its head like a lost puppy, tucking its wings to its body and shuffling its feet. “Ah- Please don’t.”

It’s that voice again. Dream’s. “Stop that,” George demands. “That voice isn’t yours.”

“But- Oh. Oh fuck,” the dragon swears, and that’s- a first, honestly. The first dragon had acted more dragon-like, until the whole cowering in fear thing. This one is just weird. 

“Well, if you want to just sit there and let me kill you-” George says, stepping forward. Her arms burn, but adrenaline keeps them steady. “Then I’m not one to protest. I’ll have plenty of time to make up a better story on the way home.”

“You really shouldn’t,” it says, taking a few steps back. George fills the distance with a confident stride, eyes scanning dark scales for a weak point. “Like, you really, really shouldn’t.”

“And why is that, beast,” George asks, calm as day. The sun is rising behind the dragon, and George can admit that its a beautiful creature. “Make your last words good ones.”

“Okay. Okay, first of all,” the dragon says, and it sounds so much like Dream. From tone to delivery, every word is just- Dream. And it’s really throwing George off. “You would not be able to kill me,” George huffs at this, advancing a step further. “And second of all. You’re an idiot.”

And George freezes. Because she can understand everything else- a dragon who speaks like Dream, sure. But the way it had said that word- “Dream?” George whispers, the tip of her stolen sword dropping to the ground. 

The dragon’s- Dream’s?- body relaxes, a familiar roiling laugh coming from it- her. “I thought you’d never- George, you wouldn’t really kill me. Right?”

And George really wishes she hadn’t asked that question. Because she can accept, in the moment,  that her traveling companion was a dragon the whole time, sure. But thinking further- to what that means for her quest, for her life- isn’t something she’s prepared to do. 

“I don’t- Know?” She offers, fully setting the sword down despite her words. Dream sits back on her haunches, exhaling a bit of purple breath. 

“Well, that’s a start,” Dream says with a bit of a laugh. “Just warn me if you do decide, okay? It’s only fair.”

“Uh- Sure,” George sits heavily, head spinning. The words Dream and dragon seem to be chasing around her mind in a game of cat and mouse, scrambling all other thoughts. “Why didn’t you just- turn? When I was threatening to kill you?”

“Oh,” Dream ducks her head, and George thinks she would be blushing, if she weren’t a dragon. “I’d be naked.”

And that breaks George. The stress of the day- night- comes out in a choking laugh that makes it hurt to breathe, her chest shaking with it. She can feel Dream watching her, gaze hot on her skin, and George lets everything sink in as she falls apart. 

“I’m sorry,” she says when her laughter trails off into the early morning air. “For not listening to you.”

“Oh- Well, I’m sorry for not telling you how I knew it was bad. And for keeping such a big secret from you.” 

“We’re even then?” George offers.

“I mean- I feel like I’m getting the better end of the deal here-”

“Yeah, well, you did kind of save me,” she says with a shrug. “That gets you a few points, I guess.”

Dream’s scaly face twists, and George thinks she must be smiling. She shouldn’t be endeared by a fucking dragon, but here she it. It’s easier to admit that sort of thing when she’s as tired as she is.

“Can you just- tune back,” George asks, tentative. “You can have my cloak.”

“I- I guess. But you have to promise to close you’re eyes.”

George rolls her eyes, but obeys, taking her cloak off and placing it between them before turning away and screwing her eyes shut. While she waits, she thinks of her pack, and hopes they’ll be able to find it somewhere- surely the dumbass of a hybrid couldn’t have hidden it too far. 

“Wait,” George says suddenly, voice rising. “Was I trapped in a fucking castle?” she opens her eyes, looking around for the first time since the room had been destroyed. 

And it’s true. A shitty castle, made shittier by Dream destroying it with her awesome dragon powers, but a castle nonetheless. George groans.

“What?” Dream asks, voice much closer than before. George turns to see her standing, now human again, and several things hit George at once. One- Dream doesn’t have the mask on. She’s- She’s gorgeous, unfortunately for George’s heart, and she’s looking at George with a teasing light in her eyes that George has heard a million times in her voice, but never gotten to see.

And two, Dream is wearing George’s cloak. 

It fits her tightly, and she has to hold it closed, but the sight makes George’s head spin. It’s way more skin than she’s ever seen from the other girl, tanned arms on full display and ankles sticking out where the cloak falls too short- and George physically can’t look away. 

But Dream seems totally casual as she continues- “You didn’t want to be the damsel in distress? The princess in the tower?”

“I could still kill you,” George grunts, meeting Dream’s eyes with a grin. Unlike her dragon form, Dream’s human eyes are gold, shining like coins in the morning light. “Would be too easy, probably.”

“Sure you could,” Dream teases. “But you’ll never be able to forget who saved who.”

“Oh, shut up,” George groans, dragging her eyes away from Dream and looking again at the mess around them. The ruins of the castle look decrepit, as if it had been destroyed decades ago rather than in the same hour.

“Dragon magic,” Dream says, as if noticing George’s attention. “The castle was tied to his- it’ll fade away now that he’s fled.”

“Huh,” George hums, kicking a stone and watching as it rolls down the mountain, eroding to nothing before it reaches half way. “And I suppose that’s why we couldn’t se it before? Dragon magic?”

“No, that was just a normal cloaking spell,” Dream says it bitterly. “Strong one, though. Took me a while to find you, sorry about that.”

“I had it under control.”

“I believe you,” Dream says, stepping closer and nudging George with her shoulder. “You totally could have killed that guy. I just came in and ruined your moment.”

George shoves her back. “Don’t make fun of me.”

“I’m not! I swear, on my life, I wasn’t. I really think you could have killed him.”

“Fine. Say I believe you. What’s with the whole damsel in distress thing? That a fantasy for you?” She means it as a tease, but she knows there’s some truth to the words- having traveled with Dream long enough, it would be hard not to notice the little things. Like her eagerness to save George from even the smallest of worries. 

“Oh, don’t pretend you’re not getting something out of this too. I saw your face when you saw me with your cloak on,” Dream grins wolfishly, which is ironic for a dragon. George hates her. “Me, all cozy in your clothes.”

“I wouldn’t say cozy,” George deadpans. “Looks like your one strong wind away from losing it.”

“And I’m sure you’d hate that,” Dream says, stepping closer. She’s fully in George’s space now, and George has to tilt her chin back to look up at her. 

Even with her heart racing in her chest, George keeps her voice flat. “I only just saw your face, idiot. I don’t need to see the rest of you.”

“Bet you’d like to, though.”

“Sounds like projection to me,” George’s eyes drop to Dream’s lips. She thinks of her as a dragon, her teeth so white and sharp, and something in her chest aches with want. 

Dream’s face is closer, suddenly, her eyes big and gold, her lips pink and so near to George’s that a phantom feeling crawls across her skin, and she can feel the ghost of the kiss before the real thing steals her breath away.

Dream kisses like she fights- too defensive, too giving to the motion of her opponent. George it, hooking her arms around Dream’s neck and pulling her closer, moving her lips against Dream’s like an arrow set free, unrestrained and searching. 

It’s George who pulls away first, gasping for air. Dream just stares, eyes impossibly wide, lips parted still.

“Never kissed a dragon before,” George grins. “Maybe it’s better than killing one. Can never be sure now, I guess.”

And Dream kisses her again.

[sachirobabe]

Chapter 14

Gojo Satoru x reader

Wc: 3078

Curseless au

Summary: Amidst the zombie apocalypse, your courage shines as you not only saves lives but capture the heart of Gojo Satoru. Together with his first-year students, you all embark on a perilous journey, not only for survival but in a quest for a cure that adds a poignant layer to the unfolding romance.

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Taglist: @spindyl

Satoru ended up sleeping in your bed again, but you didn't really mind it. You got to cuddle and sneakily feel his toned body that you saw last night.

You feel someone nudge you awake, confused and still tired you open your eyes and see Satoru was the one who was disturbing your sleep. "Is everything okay?" You sleepily say.

"My throat hurts." Satoru whines.

You clicked your tongue, "You're the one who didn't wear a shirt when it was pouring rain last night." You sit up and rub your eyes.

"But I got hot." He whined again, "And my head hurts."

You sigh, putting a hand up to his forehead. 'No fever.' You think to yourself, "You definitely caught a cold." Satoru leaned more into your touch.

"Please help me?" He asks so sweetly, who were you to deny that?

You hum, "Stay here. I'll be back." You say and put on some socks, the cold ground of the army base was ruthless. Satoru whines and throws the blankets over him, it was cute how he acted when sick.

The lights were on in the medical room, making you confused. You're not sure what time it is, but it's very early for someone—well, Shoko, you assume, to be in there.

Your guess was right as you see her nose deep in another book, "Morning." She says.

"Good morning." You smile back.

"You're up early." She places a piece of paper in place as a bookmark for her book, bringing her full attention to you.

You sigh, "Satoru woke up with a cold. No surprise there." You chuckle lightly and rummage through some medication.

She shook her head, "I called it during dinner." She laughs, "He was sneezing a lot."

You rolled your eyes playfully, remembering how he denied continuously that he'd get sick. That he was the strongest. Well, looks like even the strongest can catch a cold.

Shoko returns to her book as she sees you reading multiple labels and deciding which one would be the most effective for Satoru. You find what you're looking for and head to the kitchen to boil some water and make him a tea.

You hold the cup in one hand and a ton of medicine in the other, Satoru lifts the blanket off his head as he hears you come in. "What took you so long? I'm dying." He sniffles.

"I was making you a tea for your throat, trust me, it'll make you feel a lot better." You say and sit on the edge of the bed, handing him a few pills.

"You're not trying to kill me, right?" Satoru eyes you playfully, still able to joke even when his throat was on fire. He notices you're wearing a surgical mask, "Is that really necessary?"

"Take the damn pills." You chuckle, he takes them all at the same time and sips his tea. He hums contently and lays back down. "And yes, I really don't want to get sick."

"Thank you." He smiles at you, his hair was all disheveled, he looked really cute like this. His nose was tinted pink from him rubbing it and blowing his nose. "Lay with me?" He begins to pull you towards him, ignoring that you're wearing a mask around him.

"Oh, I'm not so sure about that," You chuckle, "I'm not trying to get sick." You're quick to gently pull your hands away from his and remind yourself to wash them later.

He frowns, "I'll take care of you, I promise." He tries to convince you, reaching out again.

You shake your head, "Let's keep your germs all in here." You say and smile at him, though he can't really see it, just the crinkle in your eyes.

"You're acting like I have the plague." He pouts, really wanting you in his arms again.

"You'll be better in no time. Plus I won't quarantine you here, but you do have to wear a mask if you leave." You say.

He frowns, but knows you're right. He doesn't want anybody else to get sick. "Will you still sleep with me?"

"I'm afraid not." You shake your head, "I'll be in your bed."

He feels his entire world crashing down when he won't even get to sleep in the same room as you. The next couple of days were absolute torture for him, he wore his mask everywhere he went and you cleaned and washed everything he touched.

Lucky, nobody else got sick. Once his symptoms were basically gone, he was able to free himself of the mask and not have everyone be so cautious around him. The first thing he did when he woke up was head to his old room, seeing you still asleep.

He quietly gets in bed with you, trying his best to not wake you. He remembers your words, that once he wasn't feeling his symptoms, he could sleep with you again.

And he wasted no time in getting in bed with you, he gets underneath the blankets and spoons you from behind. A huge smile was plastered on his face as he finally got to hold you again after such torture.

You stir in your sleep, feeling a weight behind you. "Satoru?" You mumble.

"Yeah, sweetheart?" He says and nuzzles more into your neck.

"You're sick." You groan and try to get out of his grip.

"My symptoms are gone. You said that once they're gone I can be normal again." He says, citing word for word what you said to him.

You chuckle sleepily, "Okay then." You say and feel his arms tighten around you. You think you dozed off for another hour or so, but you're awake again and see Satoru sleeping happily behind you.

In the few days Satoru was resting and getting healthier, you actually went out to the yard and helped Nanami build the greenhouse. It was practically done, you thanked Nanami for his hard work and began moving the plants outside.

The greenhouse felt more effective than the one you had all seen at the farm. You had high hopes for these plants to grow. You tended them well, making sure the plants got enough water and nutrients.

You put your shoes on quietly, not wanting to awake Satoru, it was already a hassle trying to get out of his grip. The rain softly hit the window, creating a comforting atmosphere.

The snow had calmed down, but the rain wasn't much better, it was still freezing. The cold rain hit your face as you headed to the greenhouse, you could briefly see your breath in the cold air.

It was significantly warmer in the greenhouse, you felt yourself get sticky as you moved around and observed the plants. The potatoes that Nobara had found, had its color quickly coming back into them, instead of a pale yellow and hard to the touch, a nice green was coming to life.

If you kept this up, you're sure that in no time potatoes would emerge. From what you read it takes 80-100 days, the plant was already far along, you estimated maybe 20 days until they were fully grown.

You quickly finish up, feeling your stomach grumble and yearn for some food. You softly close and lock the door behind you.

"Is it working?" Nobara asks, eating her food at the table.

"Yeah, it's looking good so far." You smile and grab a plate to eat breakfast, you sit down next to her.

The first-years chat amongst themselves, mostly arguing because they had been playing a card game last night and Itadori won, but Nobara and Megumi were insistent that he cheated.

The second-years join in, siding with Nobara and Megumi, everyone convinced that Itadori cheated in the game.

Itadori was pulling at strings to save himself, he wasn't building up a very good case. His laughter when he spoke told you the truth, but he continued to deny and deny.

Satoru comes out of the room, making his way down to the kitchen. A frown evident on his face, he was wondering where you went while being cuddled up.

His frown eases up when he sees you talking to his students, but he still huffs as he sits down next to you. "And where'd you go?"

You smiled at him, "I watered the plants."

"You left me." He pouts dramatically.

"I was just about to go wake you up." You chuckle, but he's still huffing and whining. You're not sure what all his students think about you two, well—you're not even sure yourself.

Neither of you have confessed directly, but you think there's something there. There has to be. You feel it whenever you're around him, and you think he does too, otherwise he wouldn't be craving your attention and touch all the time.

"Yeah, sure." He says and looks away. His students were amused at how he was acting, they've never seen their teacher so obsessed with somebody before, it was a nice sight for them.

Nanami came down the stairs, telling the second-years they were on watch in the control room. They groan about having to take turns, but go anyway. Nanami yawns and makes himself a cup of coffee.

"Megumi, you ready for that haircut?" You wipe your mouth with a napkin.

"Haircut?" Satoru perks up, his pouting tantrum forgotten about completely.

"I asked her if she could trim my hair." Megumi nods, a small smile adorning his face. He thinks it's funny how quickly Satoru changes his moods.

"I think I need one too." Itadori pulls his hair down his face, seeing how long it really was. "My back is grown out as well. Gojo, you cut your own hair, right?"

Satoru hums, "You need me to trim you up?”

"Yes please." Itadori chuckles.

"Well then, let's go up to our hair salon." You smile, collecting everyone's plates and washing them.

"Why don't you want me to cut your hair, Itadori?" Nobara frowns. "I could do a good job."

"Ah hell nah." Itadori laughs, "You'd leave me bald and I wouldn't be able to get a girlfriend."

"Yeah? You want a zombie girlfriend?" Nobara rolls her eyes. "You had no game even before all of this." Megumi finds this amusing as well, letting a small chuckle come out of him.

"I'm not giving up just cause we're in an apocalypse." Itadori smiles widely.

"I'm going to ruin all your chances with anybody. I refuse to have you be in a relationship before me." Nobara glares at Itadori. "You too, Megumi."

"I didn't even say anything." Megumi deadpans.

Satoru grins at their playful arguments and leads them upstairs, he glances back at you as you're drying your hands off. He can't help himself from smiling widely looking at you.

You eventually meet up with them upstairs in the same bathroom where you cut Satoru's hair. Megumi sits patiently next to Itadori, the sound of buzzing from the razor was loud.

Satoru began to do Itadori's undercut and fade. He was skilled as he moved the machinery around. Itadori fully trusted him, knowing he wouldn't mess up.

You grab your scissors and take a deep breath. For some reason you were more nervous to trim Megumi's hair than Satoru's. You think if you had messed up Satoru's hair he would've been chill about it—but Megumi? There was no telling with him.

Satoru notices your hesitation and gives you an encouraging nudge. You softly smile at him and take Megumi's hair in your comb and begin snipping. Hair falls all over and onto the floor.

Nobara teases Megumi and Itadori as they're both seated and can't do much to retort. She eventually leaves as she got bored.

After a little bit of trimming you allow Megumi to fix his hair and style it the way he wants—he just shakes his head repeatedly until it goes back to his crazy natural state.

"Thank you." Megumi gives you a glimpse of a smile and you'll take anything you can get with him.

"Looks good, Megumi." Satoru ruffled his hair and Megumi glares at him. He grumbles and walks off to join Nobara.

"Almost done, kid." Satoru says and does some final touches. He's content with the outcome and shoo's Itadori out.

"Thanks, Gojo!" Itadori smiles and leaves. You hum quietly and sweep away the hair fallen onto the floor. Satoru cleans up the machines and begins putting away everything.

"Megumi really needed that. Thank you." He spoke up after a few minutes.

"Oh, it was nothing, really. I had a good teacher." You say and paused your sweeping.

"Yeah, I know I'm the best." Satoru gloats, "They really like you. I can tell."

You smile softly, "Well, that's good to know. I'm glad everything worked out and you weren't secretly trying to kill me." You chuckle.

He joined in your small laughter, but frowns eventually. "I wouldn't harm you in the slightest. Don't think I could if I were forced to."

"I think I could, if I was offered any meal I wanted right now." You joke and his head whips in your direction.

"Don't play with me." Satoru grins attractively. "I wouldn't even take a million dollars."

"Like money has any value right now." You say, you can't help but keep teasing him.

He rolled his eyes playfully and sassily, "My point is—I care about you too much to do anything."

You freeze momentarily. He has to mean that platonically, right? Your hearts beating a lot quicker than before. "I do too." You say quietly.

Satoru smiles widely, "Louder. I want to hear you say it louder." His voice deepens slightly. "Say it."

You think your entire body is about to explode, you swallow hard before speaking. "I do. I care about you too." You say more confidently.

He moves closer to you, his heart beating rapidly against his chest. "You mean it?" Your neck cranes to look up at him, this look—you're not sure what it is, but you feel your core twitch a little, just like when you saw him the other day in the rain.

You softly nod and Satoru towers above you, his hand moves shakily—scared even, wanting to touch you. He softly places it on your hip, his eyes searching yours for any discomfort. 'This is dangerous.' He thinks.

He gains a little more confidence, his other hand caressing your cheek, his face mere inches from yours now. You can hear his heart beating rapidly from how close the two of you are.

You restrain yourself from pressing your lips onto his, not sure what any of this means. "Satoru..." You quietly say, hoping it gives you any answers as to what is going on.

"Can I..? Please, Y/n." He almost begs, his eyes drift from your eyes to your lips. The second he sees you lick your lips and your eyes look down at his, he knows this was it. He knows that you want this too, it's not just him who's going crazy, but he restrains himself until he gets any sort of consent.

"Please." Is all you say and his lips are on yours, you can't help but quietly moan as you're finally feeling him. His lips were incredibly soft and warm against yours.

This felt perfect. Satoru and you could practically feel the electricity soaring through your body. You've never felt this dizzy from just a kiss before, you can feel your legs wanting to give out.

Satoru removes his hand off your cheek and rests it on your hip, he grips a little tighter and pulls you closer to him. You wrap your arms around his neck, kissing him as many times as you can before you both need to pull away for oxygen.

He pulls you impossibly closer to him, your own growing heat making it almost impossible to think about anything. He's so ridiculously tall, but you feel his own arousal against your stomach.

Your legs squeeze tighter as you can practically feel how well endowed he is, your body wants more of him. You want all of him.

His forehead rests on yours as you both catch your breath. Satoru's cheeks are flushed, he's never been turned on so quickly in his life, especially from just a few tongueless kisses.

"Please tell me this is real." His voice comes out raspy and tainted with desire for more. "Please tell me I'm not dreaming." He closes his eyes.

"Open your eyes, Satoru. It's real." You softly say, you yourself can't believe this either. You've dreamt, thought, and daydreamed about this, and none of it did it justice for how good this actually feels.

He softly opens his eyes again, his eyes looking deeply into yours. "I can't believe it." He holds you, afraid you'll disappear if this was a dream, but you don't. You're still there and his arms are still around you. "You remember that day when I was really off?"

His question catches you a little off guard, but you nod for him to continue. "I kept denying and denying how I felt about you, but I couldn't even fight it if I wanted to. I'm falling for you so damn hard I can't even think straight sometimes and I hurt you that day."

You're about to intervene, but he stops you, "I know our circumstances aren't ideal, but I needed to tell you how I've felt. If you don't want to continue, I completely understand. But I haven't been this happy in years, Y/n. You make me happy, I'm not sure about a lot of things, but I'm sure I want nothing more than to try...with you." He finishes.

Your eyes search his and you see his pupils dilated and looking into yours. Everything he's saying is sincere. You let out a sigh of relief and hold him close, "I'm guessing you feel the same?" He asks.

You nod and chuckle, "Yes, Satoru. I want that too. I want all of it." You whisper, his smile widens even further hearing you say this.

"We'll get through this, okay? I know we can." He promises.

"Yeah." Your smile matches his, he softly presses his lips against yours again, you can feel his smile as he pecks you, this all feels perfect. Like you're meant to be in this moment, this was supposed to happen.

[sunshinetoshi]

a solid pair

kuroo x reader (<1k words)

content (warnings): fluff

a/n: i was going to wait until kuroo’s bday to post this but i simply -cannot wait- it’s been a fat minute since i’ve written anything more than thoughts into my notes app so if this is bad i will pretend it’s not. self-confidence. also bless romcoms for making me rot for love once more.

“I have a question.”

“I have an answer.”

“What do you want for your birthday?”

His chest rumbles in soft laughter beneath you. He hums in thought before responding, “I’m going to give a kind-of answer because I already know you’re not going to settle with me saying I don’t need anything.”

You nod your head, “You’d be correct. Like give me ideas or a price range that makes you comfy. I have a couple different ideas but I wanted to ask you.” You sat up to give him a proper look in his eyes, “Just amuse me, it’s the first birthday we’re spending together and I want us to both be comfortable with how we celebrate. It’s unknown territory,” you hold a hand out to him like you’re making a deal, “help me out here.”

He grins before pushing your hand out of the way and engulfing you into a hug. “All right give me second.” He rubs small circles into your back. “Hm.. Don’t get me anything fancy, so definitely nothing expensive. But I don’t want to say anything specific. I want to be surprised. Helpful?”

“Just barely,” you huff in a faux dramatic tone, “But yes, helpful.”

“Hey, if you really want an honest answer you could get me a rock and I’d love it.”

“A rock.”

“Yes, a rock.”

“You joke a lot, you know.”

He shook his head, “I’m not joking around, I’d love it and I’d love it because it’s from you.”

———

“Socks?” Your friend stops in their tracks.

You nod without taking your eyes off of the displays you’re scanning, “Mhm, socks.”

“Please explain before I cast judgement.”

“We’re at the mall getting socks because he has said so many times he - quote unquote - loves funky socks. And he’s always wearing a different pair when I see him so why not add to the collection?”

“Funky how?”

“Funky like his favorite pair have cats on it. As in he prefers striped or polka dot socks over plain ones. As in he complains when he has to wear plain ones for fancy events.” You smile remembering the last big meeting he had and the little grumble Tetsurou made as he put his socks on.

“Aw, I guess that’s nice then. Okay you said there was a another part to your gift?”

“Yeah, and if you’re loving this side quest you’re gonna love the next - oh! These! He loves space and these lil guys are way cuter aliens than the other socks.” You hold up the pair for your friend and they laugh in disbelief.

———

You can’t help but join your friend in laughing at yourself.

“You look ridiculous!”

“I feel it too but I need to find a good one. Just stand watch and tell me if anyone’s coming.”

You continue your search, picking out select candidates when you realize after quite a while your friend is no longer giggling at you.

You turn you turn your head and look up at them. Their grin is wide. “What?” you ask, cracking a smile of your own.

“This is too cute.”

“What is?”

“You’re squatting like a kid looking for the perfect rock to give your boyfriend because he said he’d be happy even if you have him a rock for his birthday. You’re like a little penguin and it’s really really cute.”

You give a bashful smile and go back to searching for the perfect one.

———

“Did you get full?” Tetsurou gives your leg a gentle shake from the driver’s seat.

“I did.” You take in the smile on his face. “How’s your birthday so far?”

He shakes his head. “Oh man, a great day at work and a great evening with you with great food? Pretty great.” He gives a cheeky grin.

“Good,” you respond, satisfied with his answer. “But actually I have one more surprise,” you reach down to your jacket on the floor of the passenger seat - where you had been hiding his present.

You hold it out to him and expect him to giddily open it up. But he grabs it with care and takes it in. This was a softer smile than you usually see on him and when he turned to look at you you swear his eyes had a brighter twinkle.

“Thank you, really. I was serious, you didn’t have to get me anything,” he grabs your hand and gives it a squeeze. “I’m gonna treasure whatever is in this box.”

“See what’s inside first,” you give his hand a squeeze of your own before dropping it so he has both hands free.

He chuckles and begins to untie the ribbon of the box. “Dang,” he lifts the box up closer to the car light above him, “This is a nice box. This is present enough.” Back to his teasing self.

“Open it,” you laugh.

“Okay, okay, but I’m serious. I’m keeping this box. it’s fantastic.” He lifts the lid and after of beat of silence of him processing what he sees he lets out a deep laugh at the rock sitting in the box. “A rock?” He laughs again before looking at you, “I love it.” He lifts it to get a closer look, reading aloud the tiny letters you carefully (stressfully) wrote on one side of the rock.

Happy Birthday Tetsu ♡

He traces over the date and your name you also wrote. He rolls the rock in his hand, tossing it a couple times. “This is like the perfect shape too. You know what, I’m putting this on my desk, that way I can look at it everyday.” He smiles at it once more before reaches over and gives you a big warm hug, “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” you giggle before bringing his attention back to the box, “there’s more - just a little something.”

He lifts the piece of paper you used to separate the two parts of your gift.

“Socks!” He takes them out and looks at the design on both pairs. “Aw I love them! Hey these are great quality, they’re thick. Look at this one with the little aliens. And this one,” he lifts the other pair, “Is your aesthetic to a T.”

“That’s what I said!” you exclaimed in excitement.

He laughed at the outburst. “Then clearly,” he put each pair on either side of his face, “We’re the perfect pair.”

And maybe it was how he appreciated the small things. Maybe it was how his jokes, though corny, always made you smile. For reasons, emotions, beyond you, you decide then that yes - he’s the one.

hi!! given it’s been almost 2 years since i’ve written anything here i will no longer being doing taglists. ty for reading thooo <3

[yahoo201027]

Day in Fandom History: September 8…

Mabel’s quest for a Summer romance continues as she falls head over heels for a puppeteer and must create a show in hopes of impressing him as Dipper, while having trouble with the laptop password, ends up getting help from an old enemy. “Sock Opera” premiered on this day, 9 Years Ago.

[nat-1-whump]

❄️ Magical cold/comfort

Fantasy hurt/comfort ideas no. 6

Deep in the woods, Whumpee gets injured and passes out. Caretaker carries them as they stumble through the snow, desperately looking for anyone who can help. Eventually they find a lone cabin with someone who is very surprised to have visitors. Whumpee wakes up wrapped in a blanket in front of a warm fire, their injuries treated with some sweet-smelling home remedies. Their head rests in Caretaker's lap as Caretaker gently strokes their hair. Whumpee dozes off again, listening to Caretaker explain their situation to the odd stranger who has taken them in.

Whumpee accidentally covers themself in frost while trying to practice some cold-related spell. Caretaker steps outside to find Whumpee on the ground, practically frozen solid. Caretaker is quick to bring them inside and seat them near the fire, bundle them up in layers of blankets, and make them something warm to eat. When Whumpee takes the meal with shivering hands, Caretaker presses them on why they were trying to practice that by themself. Whumpee's face turns red as they admit they were worried they weren't strong enough to protect Caretaker from Whumper.

Huddling for warmth combined with nonhuman parts, like wings, tails, long pointy ears, etc. Nonhuman Caretaker uses their wings to wrap Whumpee up like a blanket, hugging them tight as they wait for the snow storm to pass. Caretaker tries to thaw Nonhuman Whumpee's long ears by rubbing them with their hands or putting socks over them. Nonhuman Whumpee and Nonhuman Caretaker twist their tails together, rub their wings together, etc to try to warm up. This can vary a lot depending on what species Whumpee and Caretaker are.

Whumpee with fire magic thinks they'll be just fine venturing into the cold, but as they use more and more magic they start to exhaust their power. By the time they get home, their power is depleted and they're freezing cold. Or maybe they don't even make it home, passing out outside where Caretaker finds them and brings them inside. They groggily wake up in front of the fireplace, leaning against Caretaker on the couch. As soon as they're lucid enough, Caretaker scolds them and makes them promise not to be so careless.

Caretaker with ice magic or cold resistance underestimates how dangerous the cold can be to Whumpee. While outside foraging for potion ingredients or doing some quest in the snow, Caretaker assumes Whumpee is right behind them. But when they turn around, Whumpee isn't there. Caretaker frantically goes back along the trail, and finds Whumpee collapsed on the ground, a layer of frost already forming over them. Whatever they were doing would have to wait. For now, they had to find some way to warm Whumpee up.

Whumper freezes Whumpee in an ice crystal as a decoration or trophy. They use magic to keep Whumpee alive and conscious, even as they're completely frozen solid. When Caretaker finally gets Whumpee out of Whumper's lair and breaks them out of the ice, they want nothing more than to get revenge on Whumper. Still, that will have to wait until Whumpee's doing better. For now, Caretaker settles for warming Whumpee up with cuddles by the fireplace, squeezing them tight and promising them that Whumper will never hurt them again.

Caretaker is just chilling (no pun intended) in their house when a portal opens up. Their rival Whumpee collapses through it. Caretaker just barely catches them before they fall face-first on the floor. Whumpee is badly injured, soaked to the bone and shivering uncontrollably. Caretaker is just a little bit tempted to throw their rival back into the portal and close it behind them. Still, they reluctantly decide to warm Whumpee up and wait to do that until after they've recovered somewhat. Caretaker really wants Whumpee to tell them what happened. After all, as much as they dislike Whumpee, not even they would put them in this condition.

Possibly a continuation of the last prompt, rivals Caretaker and Whumpee bickering as Caretaker tries to warm Whumpee up. As they try to get the ice off with fire or a blow-dryer, Caretaker calls Whumpee an idiot. Whumpee's face turns redder, and they snap at Caretaker to shut up and get them another blanket. Caretaker makes Whumpee some hot tea to help thaw them out, but Whumpee refuses to drink it because it's too hot. Both of them want to cuddle, but neither wants to be the one to suggest it.

[tj-dragonblade]

[FLUFFBRUARY FICLET] Vogue

Rated: M Word Count: 756 Tags: Fluffbruary, Fluffbruary 2024, fluff with added heat, human AU, photographer-model roleplay

For my dearest @staroftheendless - happy birthday! The stars aligned and I managed to bang out this little scene, built on today's Fluffbruary prompt and featuring not-a-shaved-panther human!Dream just for you ❤️

Fluffbruary Prompts: Day 21: photography pepper truffles Day 22: key silly quest

Summary: Dream comes home and Hob greets him with a camera

On AO3

"There he is!" Hob exclaims, and whisper-yells to simulate crowd noise, camera flashing as the door to the flat opens. Dream pauses on the threshold, caught off guard, keys still in hand, and then his expression shifts as he takes in Hob, shirtless, snapping photo after photo. He smiles, slow and sultry, tosses his head and runs a hand through his hair, shakes it out as he shuts the door and sets his keys aside. He pauses briefly on each move, posing, letting Hob get every shot like they're on the red carpet, and Hob plays it up, crooning directions in between.

"Yeah, that's it, give me lips—" Dream pouts, full and rosy pink, framed by his three-day stubble, and the camera flashes. "Beautiful, gorgeous, yes. Give me flirty, playful—" Dream hooks a finger under the knot of his tie and tugs it loose, flicks open the buttons on his collar, smile coy, eyes a simmering sapphire blue under his lashes. "Love it, sweetheart, you're a natural," Hob praises, clicking away. They've gone from imaginary red carpet to imaginary private studio in two seconds flat but that's really not the point here, is it. "Lose some layers, let's relax a bit, yeah?"

Dream, bless him, manages to make the process of removing his shoes and socks while still standing look sexy, somehow; Hob makes sure to catch his bare feet with their ebony toenails in at least of couple of shots. Dream shrugs out of his neat slate-grey blazer next, turning and giving a coy come-hither gaze over his shoulder as he tugs it off his arms and casts it aside.

"That's right baby keep going, you're doing great," Hob offers, halfway between his photographer-with-questionable-ethics persona and genuine praise. It's harder to keep up the role the further they get into it, but he knows Dream has fun with these silly little games and so he does his best. "Show me something dirty, now, something sexy." He's backing down the hall as Dream advances, heading inevitably for the bedroom.

"Hmmm," Dream purrs, thoughtful; then, eyes never leaving the camera, he brings his wrist to his mouth and unbuttons the cuff of his sleeve with his teeth. His other hand is busy with the buttons down his front; he switches and continues, repeats the cuff-unbuttoning on the other arm.

"Perfect," Hob leers, backing into the bedroom, snapping pic after pic, "keep it coming, make me, uh, make me forget my own name here—"

Dream lifts his arms, shirt hanging open, cuffs undone, and rakes both hands back through his hair with a moan. His eyes are closed, lips parted, head tilted back; the loose tie around his throat is a slash of deep burgundy against the black of his chest hair and the white of his skin and Hob loses his breath for half an instant at the sheer compositional beauty of the sight, grateful that he's already got his camera in action.

He is so fucking blessed, to get to call Dream his.

Dream lifts his head, rolls his shoulders, drops his hands to his belt and meets Hob's gaze through the camera lens again. He undoes the buckle and pulls the slim leather free in one swift motion, drops it lazily behind him as he enters the bedroom. He flicks open the clasps on his trousers, draws the zipper down just enough to tease, then palms himself in one hand while the other snakes up to pull his tie completely free. He gives Hob another second to take photos while he's gripping his crotch and then he turns, steps over to the bed and falls gracefully back onto it. His hands are above his head; he winds the tie loosely about both wrists and then holds the ends in his fist, a token show of restraint. His shirt is wide open around him, dusky pink nipples on display, the dark hair on his chest trailing beautifully down his abdomen into the open fly of his trousers, where he is visibly aroused.

Hob stares, lifting his gaze from the viewscreen on the camera, achingly hard himself and losing the thread of his character entirely. "Fuck me, you're gorgeous," he breathes, snapping a few more photos. He can't help himself.

Dream smiles, sultry, decadent, and arches invitingly against the sheets. "Put the camera down, Hob," he purrs, flexing his fingers where his hands are 'bound' above his head. "Your model has worked hard, and would like to be ravished, now."

Hob is only too happy to comply.

= Drafted: 2/20/24 - 2/21/24 Posted: 2/21/24

[britt-kageryuu]

Donnie and Leo are streaming together, but Leo is playing the game. Their masks with lightly glowing stars, models are in matching starry hoodies, black legging shorts that showed off their leg marking, and leg wraps/socks.

Leo is replaying Skyrim w/DLC,(not the new update) but without any mods. Because there was an issue with something in their modded game, and Donnie couldn't tell if it was a mod, or a base game w/DLC. They bought a version of the game that had the DLC pre installed into the game, and they already know base game is held together with ductape and the Will of the Devine Beings.

Leo was messing with the character customization, "All these options, but the only thing I can make Blue is my Eyes! I miss the Terrapin mod already. Well can't do much more, now what do I name my Argonian?" Leo rambles on engaging with chat while Donnie is looking over the active running code in real time with his laptop.

"Let's Go, Lord Scaly Butt! On through the tutorials, then the place we keep crashing!" Leo shouts almost knocking Donnie over with his enthusiasm.

~~~~A bit of relearning the basics and 1 dead dragon later~~~~

Once they finished with the beginning quests, bought the Whiterun house to drop off the dragon parts, and returned the Golden Claw, Leo started to mess with simple tasks that quickly raise your levels.

"Alright Dee, what requirements are needed to replicate this crash scenario? Also this took over an hour! Did the game always take this long in the beginning?" Leo is once again rambling, looking back and forth between chat and Donnie.

This is causing the audience to wonder what kind of energy drinks or something he had, or what might've been added to his tea/coffee today.

Donnie in the mean time is reading over a list, ignoring his twin while scrolling, "The build according to your last save, you had the light dragon armor, not enchanted, you had finished this list of quest," they lean over to show Leo the list, "and as you can see, a long list of negligible variables that I have already tested out of possible crach sources. And while this may take a long time, I will try to keep you on track."

Leo's eyes go wide at the list as he reads it over, "How long have I been playing on that save! How long is this going to take!?!" He says slowly getting loader.

Donnie just leans away, "Give me a moment, I forgot to cull the quests that are not important to this process." They show the new list, "It might take a few dozen hours, it might not. You will need to fast travel occasionally to the crash point to help narrow down the possible source."

Leo stares at Donnie for a moment thinking over what he just said.

"But wouldn't that also mess up the results, since it might've been a combo of more things, not less?"

Donnie pauses, turns to Leo, then back at his laptop.

"Dee, how long have you been awake?" Leo asks with a look of disappointment.

Donnie was about to make their argument, but then let out a loud, long yawn. They shake their head before looking a bit panicked, "Wait, I'm fine, I've stayed up for longer, plus don't you want to replay Skyrim? And explore, fight dragons, try to complete those glitched quests?!" Donnie rambles, trying to justify his tiredness.

Leo still looked at him with suspicion, but goes back to the game. He is very much not convinced. He just knows is he fights Donnie on this, he might get bit.

The audience is making some jokes about Leo stealing Donnies energy, some are trying to justify Donnies argument, and some kinda want to see Leo force Donnie to go take a nap.

Leo continues to play, chatting with the audience, meanwhile Donnie at some point passed out, and started to let out snores, chuurs, a hiss or two, and some slight growls.

Either way the audience was enjoying themselves.

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

Masterpost

This was originally just an them replaying without mods, then I remembered how Stupidly Long the beginning of Skyrim is, then I remembered that the Skyrim background music makes me sleepy, thus we end up with the above.

I could not stick to my original plan since I was also replaying the beginning of Skyrim.

[silverstagspirit]

Where have you been?

The start of a new series. Where Yuu has finally come home after a year in Twisted Wonderland and reunites with thier family. But things don't go back to normal though, people become suspicious about where they've been because they won't tell.

Warnings: None.

A/N: I'm still new to writing stories, this Yuu is intended to be GN but I apologize if I make any mistakes. This Yuu has an older brother, a mom and a dad. I don't know how to write younger siblings so I didn't include one.

Gif by WiffleGif

-

Yuu had made many friends in Twisted Wonderland. Their fighting spirit never ceases in their quest to get home. They had earned the respect of others and discovered amazing things on the way. Their fighting finally paid off when one day, the mirror announced that it had found a way home for them. At long last, they would see their family again.

"We'll find a way to keep in touch right?"

"I'm sure we'll figure something out. You go back to your world Yuu. Take care of yourself."

"Thanks Ace."

"You know you mean a lot to us Prefect. We respect your decision to leave and we'll never forget you. I wish you the best."

"Thank you too Jack."

"Bye minion. The Great Grim gives his praises to his most useful henchman."

"Goodbye Grim. Remember to study well."

With thier last words to them said and done, they stepped through the portal.

-

Stepping through the portal, their senses were lit up with a myriad of different colors before they felt themselves moving at breakneck speed. They were going so fast, yet they couldn't will themselves to scream. But then, just as fast as it started, it stopped. Yuu opened their eyes to find themselves in front of a large mirror in an old, abandoned house. They got up and looked around. The house looked as decrepit as Ramshackle when they first arrived in Twisted Wonderland. Albeit much smaller, more like a log cabin.

Going outside, they were met with the sight of a forest all around them. There was a path leading from the porch to somewhere covered in foliage. After clearing the thick brush with their bare hands, they uncovered another path. This one is leading much farther than before. Following the path down the hill eventually led them to a road. Not wanting to go back to the cabin, they made the decision to follow the road and hope it would lead them somewhere where they could get help. The thought had crossed their mind earlier that maybe it wasn't the right place. In that case, they made a mental note to remember their way back to the cabin if things got hairy.

Yuu walked for many hours. Their feet began to hurt. The mirror had replaced their NRC uniform with some other plain pair of clothes and a scarf. They were given some type of gum boots as shoes. which were convenient for when they were trekking through the brush, but now they were getting hot and uncomfortable the more they walked. They were grateful for the scarf, though, as well as the long sleeved outfit. There was quite a strong breeze blowing that made them shiver. The scarf also doubled as a way to keep prying eyes off of the scar on their neck left behind after Riddle's overblot.

It was after this thought that they came across a river near the road. With big rocks surrounding each side that made quite the photogenic spot. Yuu was utterly exhausted at this point, so they saw no harm in taking a small rest. They lurched their way to the river's edge with renewed motivation. Remembering a wilderness survival technique from their brother, they made sure to stay away from the still water that might be stagnant. Yuu made sure they didn't drink too much water because they did not look forward to having to pee in the bush if they didn't find a town soon. They even took off their boots and socks to dip their feet in the water.

Sometime later, they dried off, put their shoes back on, and continued on their way. It was all going fine until later they noticed something. It was starting to get dark, which made Yuu fidget nervously. It spelled bad news to be caught in the dark at a time like this. Thinking this, they quickened their pace. All the walking eventually led them to a street sign. The sign had many names on it, but there was one that stood out to them. The name of their town. There was a fork in the road with three ways to choose from. So they set off in that direction.

After about 5 minutes of walking, they were met with the sight of their town. They felt a huge wave of relief, knowing that this was the place. Remembering the way to their house, they continued their journey. It was now dark at this point. Down the hill and through the familiar roads they went. Some cars drove by, but they didn't need to flag them down at this point, for they knew where to go. There were no people out during this time of night. They were all in their homes. Making the atmosphere even more tense when they got to their street. They could see their house from here. They were almost there. Yuu crossed the road and walked up to their home.

The lights were still on, and they could hear people talking. The weight of the fact that they were finally here after half an entire year was now settling in. And they began to panic silently. What do they say? What will they say? After some breathing techniques learned from Vil, they stepped up to the door. They couldn't find their voice to speak yet, so they knocked three times. No answer. So they knocked again. A bit louder this time. This time, they heard something: footsteps coming up to the door. Yuu held their breath when the door began to open.

"Hello. Can I help yo-

CRASH

The glass their mother had been holding was now shattered and forgotten on the ground as she stared at them. Yuu couldn't make eye contact, but they knew she was shocked speechless. The commotion caused two more sets of footsteps to approach.

"Honey, what is i-

Their father and their brother appeared behind their mom and stopped dead in their tracks. They had the same looks on their faces as their mom. They kept staring at them as though they were an impossible thing. There was a moment of complete silence as they stared at them.

"...um...hi, I-

All of them ran towards Yuu at once. They hugged them like they would disapear if they didn't hold tight enough. They were all crying. Yuu stood there frozen. They themselves began tearing up. Then, for the first time since Twisted Wonderland. They let the tears roll down. They cried in their family's embrace and let the stress out. They could hear their parents mumbling words to them. However, they didn't have the energy to decipher it. They kept crying into their mother's shoulder, tears soiling her blouse. They eventually cried themselves to sleep, and their dad took them to their bedroom, the bedroom they had not slept in for months, and lay them on thier bed. They stayed with them for a while until they, too, had to go to bed.

Yuu was finally home.

-

Meanwhile, in Twisted Wonderland, the boys were already beginning to feel Yuu's absence. Even those who claimed they didn't care had a small pain in their chest when they were not there. It was during these moments when they wondered if they would ever see Yuu again...

And if there was a way for Yuu to come back.

PART 2

Taglist: @twisted-wonderland-but-gayer @naughtybodypillow

[theroseredreaper]

The Dragon In The Woods

Twisted Wonderland

Summary: The quest from Lord Flamm seemed simple enough. Go the woods and find the wandering dragon. Get the dragon out of the woods, by any means necessary, so that the towns people could use the woods again. Only…despite what he insists, there is no dragon there?

Word Count: 1900 ✯ AO3 Version

Characters: Platonic Malleus Draconia x Gender Neutral Reader

Tags: Gender Neutral Reader, Reader Referred to With ‘You’ Pronouns, brief mentions of Rollo Flamm (he doesn’t actually show up), Platonic x Reader, Not Edited

Go on an adventure, they said. It would be fun, they said! You’ll get paid well, you’ll be the talk of the town! You’ll be treated like a hero for taking on Lord Flamm’s quest!

Now you were lost in the woods in the middle of the night, a boot missing, utterly chilled to the bone. Alone. No friends in sight. With a dragon allegedly on the loose.

Sure, Riddle and Trey had warned you not to wander away from the campsite. Yes, you should have understood the danger of the situation when even Che’nya was being serious about it too. But in your defense, the green fireflies you’d seen in the distance as the sun had begun to set were rather pretty and totally warranted investigating. While the others were conveniently occupied with setting up camp and thus could not supervise you.

At least, that was what you were telling yourself to feel better about the night time chill the exposed toes on your bootless foot. You should’ve taken the socks that Riddle had offered you earlier.

Who knows how long you had been lost? Certainly not you. You were half debating whether to call it a night and find a tree to sleep in or to continue your wandering, when a light in the distance caught your attention. Could it be? Had your aimless meandering actually brought you back to the campsite?

Eager for the warmth of a fire to defrost your poor toes, you hobbled on quickly towards the light. Only…the closer you got, the more obvious it became that what you saw was actually not the light of a campfire at all. The light was actually the glow of a wood stove, just within view of a window in a humble log cabin.

…hadn’t Lord Flamm told your party that no one lived in these woods on account of the wandering dragon?

“Well now, this is a surprise. You are human, are you not?”

A deep, smooth voice called out to you from behind and you whirled around to find what was arguably the tallest man you’d ever met. In the dark of night, the only thing you could really make out were his bright green eyes. Something about how they seemed to almost glow nagged at the back of your mind, but the longer you stared at his eyes, the fuzzier your mind felt.

“What brings you to my home? I was told no one lives in these woods,” he approached you, arms carrying a load of chopped wood, looking down at you with a wary sort of curiosity.

“I’m…lost,” you manage to get out past the fog in your head, the idle thought ‘Yes, Lord Flamm told me the same thing’ sluggishly tugging at you but not fully registering. “Was…separated from my friends…”

“Oh? There are more of you?”

You nodded, breaking out your stupor when he looked away from you to open the door behind you.

“Yes! We’ve come to deal with the dragon roaming around these woods, actually! Did you move here recently or something? You could be in danger!”

The man paused, blinking at you owlishly, before a chuckle escaped him unbidden. He attempted to hold himself back but soon found himself doubling over in laughter, waving away your concern and offense.

“You are most certainly fearless! You need not worry for me, I am in no danger. There are no dragons here any longer.”

From the glow of the wood stove inside you could now make out just the haziest hint of a wry smile on his face. The whole situation was suspicious, quite honestly, but your eyes met his again and you found yourself unable to grasp why you found it alarming to begin with. If anything, you were actually simply irritated, for if he had been the one that dealt with the dragon instead of you and your party, then that meant that Lord Flamm wouldn’t pay the four of you on account of you all not actually doing anything.

“Oh, uh…,”your brows furrowed, trying to gather the thoughts that just kept scattering away from you no matter how hard you tried to concentrate. “I guess I…I guess I can report back to the mayor that the woods are…dragon-free, then…”

He hummed in response, entering into his home, while you felt a headache beginning to form behind your eyes. The woods seemed to stretch endlessly into the night beyond you, the foliage too thick for even a sliver of moonlight to illuminate any paths. The only light around for miles seemed to the be the one coming from this stranger’s wood stove. The thought of wandering back out there…was entirely unappealing.

“Wandering the woods in the dead of night would not be very wise, would it?” he said, catching your attention again. His eyes swept over you appraisingly while you squirmed under his stare. Whatever he was looking for out of you, he must have found, because he then said: “Come in and warm yourself. You may stay until there is enough light for you to find your way home.”

“Huh?”

He simply gestured for you to enter, clearly not going to repeat himself for you. You were fairly sure that you ought to be more wary of him than you are, but his eyes on yours make any thoughts of the possible danger fog away in the back of your mind. You trotted into the warm, inviting cabin before he could change his mind. Once inside, you immediately began to feel warmth seep back into your bones and the haze on your mind start to fade as the man went to feed his logs to the wood stove.

“There are furs on the lounge that you may use,” he said in lieu of a goodnight, walking away to a door just beyond the wood stove. “Rest well.”

With that, he left you alone for the night. And rest well you did: wrapped up in the cozy furs on the lounge that you were pretty sure was just a regular old couch, the glow of the wood stove a gentle night light, you had the best sleep you’d had in weeks.

𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟

The first hazy thoughts floating aimlessly in your waking mind were ‘comf’ and ‘sun’ as you stuck your head out the fur blanket burrito you had wrapped yourself up in during your sleep. Blinking the room into focus, the pale light of dawn coming in through the window revealed to you details about the cabin that you’d been unable to see during the dark of night. The wall by the couch had a multitude of free standing shelves resting upon it, upon which a great variety of knickknacks were lovingly displayed. Particularly shiny rocks, vibrant flower crowns that seemed frozen in time, haphazardly carved wooden figures, misshapen knitting projects, several well-worn beginner’s cookbooks…There were even some picture frames tucked into the very corner of the furthest shelf, as if purposely shoved from view but with too much care to be abandoned entirely. Before you could get up the see what the photo was, the smell of frying eggs and toasting bread hooked your attention away from the shelves and into the kitchenette a few steps away.

‘Is he all alone out here?’ was the passing thought that occupied your brain as you followed your nose.

“Ah, awake, are you? Good morning,” he greeted, plating the eggs and toast that had lured you over in the first place. If he’d seen you eyeing his things, he gave no indication of it. “I’ve made enough for the both of us. Come sit with me.”

Not one to turn up free food, you hummed something that vaguely resembled an agreement as you followed him back to the couch, accepting your plate as you sat next to him. As simple as the meal was, it was filling and comforting. A satisfying meal after all your night time wandering. Contentedly eating the last bite of your breakfast, having practically inhaled it, you looked up to find him watching you with thinly veiled amusement.

Remembering yourself, you quickly bowed at the waist at him. “Thank you for the meal! And thank you for your hospitality!”

“Your fearlessness is really quite something,” was his only response, which made you look up in confusion.

What was he going on about?

Then you noticed: now that it was morning, you could properly make out his features. A pair of elegant black horns curling about his head, high cheekbones, eyes that now appeared practically reptilian, the fangs in his smile…even his ears were inhuman, as was how deathly pale he was. Some part of you felt that perhaps you really should be scared, especially with his near demonic appearance and maybe deep down you were kind of intimidated by him and his appearance, but…

“Why would I be scared of you?” you asked with a frown. If he had wanted to hurt you, he had plenty of opportunities all through the night. Sure, he could be one of those deranged types that enjoyed psychologically torturing people, but the way he’d offer you his couch and even made you breakfast…you felt that he wasn’t that kind of person. “You helped me when I was lost and even gave me a meal when you didn’t have to. You haven’t given me a single reason to be scared of you.”

Now it was turn to be confused, staring at you with wide eyes. “My appearance does not frighten you?”

“I mean…,” your eyes strayed back up to the horns on his head. “It is a little shocking and I’m curious about the horns and the glowing eyes and the fangs, but…it’s not really any of my business, y’know? It’s only really a one time shock factor.”

His lips twitched, eyeing you curiously. “What an odd child you are.”

You scoffed, ready to respond with some sort of come back, but he was already taking your plate and walking away before you could come up with anything.

‘The morning light is strong now,” he said, gaze directed at the window by the wood stove. “You’ll have no trouble finding your companions today.”

Your eyes followed his gaze to the window and you were able to just make out the smoke of a campfire in the distance.

You’d actually been close to your friends this entire time.

“Oh…you’re right,” your eyes lingered on the window before you turned back to him, only to find him with his back turned to you as he washed the plates that two of you had used. “…uh, thanks again for helping me. I really appreciate it.”

He looked back at you with another amused smile.

“I enjoyed the company. Good luck on your journey home, adventurer.”

Gathering your things and making for the door, you couldn’t help but thank him one more time, earning you a chuckle and a wave goodbye. You waved back, some part of you hesitant to leave, but you steeled yourself and turned, putting one foot out the door. Exhaling, you lifted your head to focus on the campfire smoke in the distance, when something nagged at the back of your mind.

“Oh, I - !”

When you whirled around, there was nothing there but forest.

“I…I never asked your name…”

And I never got to ask about the dragon either…

Likes and reblogs are loved and appreciated!

[goredoesstuff]

got the blackout socks crossed off today

my sock quest continues

[ghostwoodsketches]

Nine of my OC’s! I had a lot of fun drawing them all and enjoyed playing around with their designs. 

Very basic character info: 

Tate: my dnd tabaxi rogue gardener who has nearly died to several gelatinous cubes, and has adopted many children—including a talking borzoi named Anthony who is a dog-war veteran who loves cupcakes. Tate has been married twice, and can be described as a middle aged Goblincore clown dad with too many kids. His grandfather is also a chicken named Albert! 

Socks: another dnd tabaxi rogue, because that’s all I can play. She’s tates older sister who grew up on a ship at sea after she left the tabaxi kingdom because, well, why not? She’s my asexual sapphic pirate who has committed multiple war crimes and currently has her own tiny “kingdom” (a town) all consisting of sentient, life-sized ants. Don’t ask… 

Faenala: one of my dragons from the now deactivated game School Of Dragons, based off of the httyd universe where you play a side character who spends their time collecting items and eggs, following the occasional dramatic storyline. I made stories about the characters i made in the game. So Faenala is a Silver Fury who grew up on a small island called Valhallas Hollow, which is inhabited by a shitton of terrible terrors. She’s very sneaky, and grew up around these terrible terrors who she would hunt for and protect. 

NightCanvas: I made his design in a random nightlight dragon batch I was drawing towards the end of July, and liked how he turned out so much that he’s turned into one of my OC’s! He and his sister Pearl tend to travel from seastack to seastack in search of a place to call home. He’s very protective, playful, and has a tendency to dive head first into danger. 

Oscar: is one of the OC’s I’ve drawn the most lately! He’s part of my continued Nightlight Family AU for httyd, and is Toothless’s grandson. He was seperated from his dad, Pouncer, at a young age and has spent most of his time trying to teach himself to live on his own. He’s terrified of everything,  is very skittish and sweet. 

Miks: I’ve been a huge fan of the ps4/5 game Stray since it came out a year ago, and recently decided to make my own StraySona character! I’ve created what his side quest, dialogue, and minor interactions would be like! 

Kallias: She’s one of the main characters in a novel I’ve been writing, which sounds absolutely batshit and weird if I try to explain it. In summary, she’s a genderqueer sapphic whos obsessed with Cryptids.She’s in love with her friend, Daisy. Kallias works at an arcade and has a problem of waking up in different short horror stories every night, only to wake up covered in blood. As you can guess, this makes a relationship difficult. 

CreatureFall: one of my dark forest warrior cat OC’s from clangen, he’s in a bunch of stories that take place after they’ve gone to the DarkForest. He’s the definition of a himbo, and spends his time giving out therapy sessions to the murderers of cat hell.

FennelBones: born in cat hell, he’s a very charismatic disaster who is constantly trying to make friends with the wrong people, which lands him in a lot of trouble. He’s the son of my favourite warriors oc, FleaThistle, and his cottagecore husband FadingStar (who belongs to @liberhoe) 

taglist: @residents-of-the-darkforest @ambitiousauthor @chaos-n-bees @starfalcon555 @elementaldeityoffood)

[ladylooch]

Let's talk a little about Sam and Kevin. Since Kevin is a girl dad, how was his reaction to knowing that they were going to have a girl for the first time and his reaction on the second girl time ?

Oh 🥹

Lacey is their second baby and instead of doing a gender reveal party, they do something small at home, after Luca has gone to bed. As cute as it would be to have Luca smash his hand into the cupcake or take a big bite out of it, Sam and Kev want to share this moment themselves.

"He is asleep!" Kevin cheers as he rushes down the stairs. He is wearing socks and practically slips on the hardwood in his hasty quest towards the refrigerator.

"Careful." Sam giggles where she watches from the couch, arm draped over the back of it. Kevin pulls out the white box with the vanilla cupcake in it, topped with a simple vanilla buttercream frosting. He tosses it haphazardly on the plate, then rushes over to Sam. He is practically vibrating with excitement as he sits on the couch.

"Okay so we gonna lady and the tramp this?"

"What? How?" Sam laughs, gesturing at the small cupcake.

"I can put it in my mouth first, then you take a bite."

"How about just one of us takes a bite?"

"That's not fun."

"Um..." Sam contemplates. "Oh! Grab forks! Then we can each cut into it together."

"Excellent idea, baby!" He exclaims, handing the plate off to Sam, then galloping back into the kitchen.

"You are so funny right now." Sam laughs.

"I'm excited because I think it's a girl and I am very excited to be right." Sam thinks it is a girl too. This pregnancy has been wildly different from her pregnancy with Luca. That has to mean it's a girl, right?

Kevin returns to the couch, handing a fork over to Sam. She barely has it secured in her hand before Kevin has his primed on top of the vanilla buttercream. Sam pauses, then looks at Kevin with her ever-present tears.

"You won't be disappointed if it's a boy, right?" Kevin's eyebrows shoot up in surprise as he drops his fork.

"What?! No, of course not." He cups her cheek. "This is our baby. I could never be disappointed." Sam leans into his palm, closing her eyes to savor his touch for a moment. Then she puts her fork onto the cupcake.

"On three?" She nods to her husband. "1....2.....3!"

Then both press in, then pull the cake towards them seeing the light pink frosting in the middle.

"FUCK YES!" Kevin howls. "I knew it! I knew it! I knew it! Baby we are getting our girl!" Sam grins wildly, tears collecting on her cheeks from overwhelming joy. Kevin scoops her up, then kisses all over her face excitedly. Sam grips the back of his neck tightly as he places their lips together. "Gonna be perfect just like her mama." He says breathlessly, then kisses her again.

Sam continues to tear up, looking back at the dilapidated cupcake holding the delicate pink frosting. Kevin reaches for her thigh, giving it a squeeze to call her attention back to him. Sam can see the tears in his eyes when their gazes meet.

"Oh my sweet man." She murmurs to him, bringing her hand up to hold his face. "I love you."

"I'm so happy. You've made all my dreams come true, babe." He clears his throat. "Thank you. I love you so much."

Sam smiles softly back at him, finding it funny that he thinks she could have made all of this on her own.