#they’re just the lil critter crew

[charmilyharmily]

When the critter au brain strikes :3

They’re all from the happihats au (made by me @ciozio @clearlyclueless @always-just-down-the-street @gardenofskeletonss and some others who either don’t have a tumblr or would probably not like to be known)

(Critter au is by @tawnysoup, you get to see the sillies TWICE in one day!)

And they’re just a bunch of silly guys! So have some extra doodles of the sillies (and some other critters)

So what’s better than a hat

A shit ton of critters cuddling!!!

And behold, a coat in its natural habitat; fucking up the day of a passing kritter.

[ripplethepickle]

HAPPY HALLOWEEEEEEEN!!!!!

Didn’t even plan this but I finished all my silli HTF designs today! Woah, the whole main cast!! In time for spooky day!! These are technically for an au I’m workin on so I’m gonna yap a lil about that under a cut lol.

So like TLDR the silly au is about a little documentary crew going to Treetown to figure out what the fuck is up with that place. Originally it was just to see why the population was so low compared to like how happy all the citizens there seemed with their life but like then they find out that everyone there kinda just dies and respawns all the time so uh now they’re interviewing everyone to see what’s up with that. And all the main cast get an interview!!! Everyone gets a moment in the spotlight! Yay!! But yeah there’s a lotta character details that are at least a lil changed from canon to fit at least my tastes in character writing, uh some more than others (*cough cough Flippy*). But yeah! That’s the basic premise, if anyone’s interested please ask me silly lil questions about the characters or my design decisions or worldbuilding or like even the stupid critters dying show in general, I’m a yapper, I like yapping <33333 Okay thanks to anyone who read this big ramble, your gift is a messy little height chart I threw together yaaaaay!!!!!

[infinite-hearts-333]

Meet: Ouřa Thorn!

Hi hi I have a hyper fixation on the smiling critters the size of fricking Saturn and all you amazing beans are making me feral enough to post on this site again PFTT- SO here’s my take of the space rider au that was made by the AMAZING @onyxonline (dude your art is like my world rn good job 👍🏾✨)

Also what would I be without a lil lore drop so that’s all below hehe :3

Ouřa Thorn is based off of a Armadillo girdled lizard, though due to their horns, and massive size, many confuse them for a dragon or a wyvren of some sorts (not that they care to correct).

They joined the space riders in their teens, and just never left- doing the odd jobs where ever they could, cleaning, cooking, maintaining crafts, ect. They had no powers to their knowledge, and if they did they weren’t noticeable or activated yet.. and well many crews don’t have room or need for a wannabe space maid. So Ouřa Thorn stayed at the base.

They were fine with this, they would be a little bit of a sore thumb in the crew since lack of fighting skills, powers, and that they couldn’t wear any of the cool uniforms without shredding them with their spines. (Sure they could flatten them, but it only takes one spook for them all to spike up and poke someone or rip something :<)

The world however, always has other plans. Whilst they were working in the supply section, checking out crates that came with make, gear, food, what ever critters had mailed to base had to checked through carefully to ensure nothing sketchy was put inside. Standard precautions, and for a good reason.

One of the closer priests had tried to mail some their followers straight to the base to try and breach and take over it, or to lay low and snoop out info.

Ouřa Thorn heard one of their fellow mail sorters shriek as a gang of the cults follows breached into the docking bay. Sirens filled the air as the base was alerted of the breach, and hopefully some of the riders would be able to get to the docks and stop the cult before any casualties or damage happened.

When the riders arrived at the scene- well. It was quite the scene. Ouřa Thorn always had powers. They just need the right amount of pressure to kick start it.

Under the stress of critters they cared about being in danger from the cult, Ouřa Thorn gained their only ability. Their symbol is the Ouroboros, representing the cycle of rebirth and destruction, as well as the World Serpent.

Over all, it was a little bit of a shock of see a massive Lindworm aggressively hoarding all of the docking staff while hissing angrily at a heap of cultists, laying still on the floor.

This form is absolutely a last choice move, due to its destructive behavior and the factor that it is high in energy to maintain, leaving Oura Thorn exhausted afterwards. Though with all those spines and thick skin, they’re practically a tank for charging through lines hehe.

After the docking incident, their started to consider being a space rider :>

[gardenofdelight]

✨OC Questionnaire: Peaseblossom✨

a.k.a. Pixie Reader from Fairies May Cry

Full name

???????????????

Preferred name/nickname

Lil Pea, Lil Blossom, Sweet Pea

Generally referred to as

Peaseblossom

Appearance

FACECLAIM: Here’s a portrait I made using Artbreeder:

SEX: Female

HEIGHT: Just barely 5 inches in pixie form, 5 feet in human form.

WEIGHT: Light as a feather in pixie form, lightweight in human form.

BUILD: Lithe and slender.

HAIR: long, soft, and platinum blond. Usually braided with tiny flowers, but it comes down past her bottom when loose. 

SKIN: White. Smooth and sunkissed from daily naps under the sun. 

EYES: Purple like lilac flowers.They’re a bit wide and always seem to sparkle with mirth and mischief. Long eyelashes.

MOUTH: Small mouth with plump lips. Perfectly straight teeth and pure white. 

NOSE: Small and rounded with a cute point at the tip and small nostrils.

HANDS: Small with short fingernails.

FEET: Small and dainty with short nails. 

SCARS: None.

CLOTHES: Colorful dresses handmade from real flowers, but she prefers to be nude with a sprinkling of her fairy dust on her body most of the time

OTHER FEATURES: She has 2 pairs of iridescent wings much like a dragonfly.

OTHER NOTABLE FEATURES: She has a “fairy light” that changes color depending on her current mood.

Speech

VOICECLAIM: To be determined.

ACCENT: Fairly neutral.

VERBAL TICS: She has a tendency to repeat words when she’s overly excited about something. And she stumbles over her words when taken by surprise. 

LANGUAGE: She can speak all known languages so long as she can hear it verbally first thanks to a little fairy magic.

ARTICULATION: She can be a little clumsy with words while explaining things but she does so on purpose sometimes if she’s hoping to get the upper hand in a deal. 

EDUCATION: She prefers to use short and simple words but she’s learned a few big words that are hard for her to pronounce correctly.

LAUGHTER: Sounds like the tinkling of tiny bells in the wind, and she laughs and giggles a lot everyday.

GRUMP: She pouts, grumbles, and sneers whenever she’s annoyed or angry.

BREATHING: She gasps, humphs, and sighs a lot.

Mannerisms

FACE: She has a very expressive face and has a hard time hiding emotions on her face unless she’s working out a deal...then she has the best damn poker face in existence. 

HANDS: She makes a lot of hand gestures whenever she’s excited or mad. Lots of arm crossing, finger wagging, curious poking, and happy clapping.

LEGS/FEET: She kicks her feet sometimes while flying and stomps her foot down when she’s angry.

EMOTIONAL OUTBURSTS: Her capricious nature makes her very prone to emotional outbursts. Crying and yelling when she’s upset and laughing and bouncing around when she’s happy.

HABITS: She likes to hum sometimes while hunting for lost trinkets and sing lullabies while making flower dresses. 

POSTURE: She tends to slump a little while standing or sitting, but her posture straightens out whenever she’s very happy, angry, or taken by surprise.

WALKING POSTURE: She skips around gleefully when she’s in good, but she tends to stomp around when she’s in a bad mood. 

SITTING POSTURE: She likes to sit with her legs crossed beneath her with a slouched posture. 

PERSONAL SPACE: She doesn't have much of a personal bubble and tends to encroach on others’ personal space without realizing it.

SPACIAL AWARENESS: She’s really good at noticing what’s around her thanks to her constant hunt for the next best trinket.

OTHER: Her fairy light changes color depending on her mood. And her fairy wings tend to snap out when she’s surprised, droop when she’s feeling down, and flutter faster when they're buzzing with rage.

Health

DIET: Two words: liqueur and sweets! She loves fruity wines and sugary treats...it’s not really healthy and definitely not a well-balanced diet but pixies have an extremely high metabolism. She rarely eats vegetables and scoffs at anything boring and bitter.

SLEEP: She takes a lot of short naps throughout the day. Pixies don’t sleep for very long unless they’re completely exhausted. Many of her dreams consist of brave adventures with her trusty steed (a rat named Sir Hawthrone) and romantic dances with Pretty Boy (Vergil). 

EXERCISE: Not very much but flying around and searching through all the nooks and crannies for lost trinkets is a bit of an exercise! 

ACTIVITY: She works hard when she wants to, especially if she’s really excited about something...that’s usually when she pushes herself to exhaustion. But she can be pretty lazy some days...it all just depends on her mood at the moment.

CLEANLINESS: She bathes in the morning dew she creates every morning for her flowers. But sometimes she takes a shower with Pretty Boy when he’s not looking…!

ODOUR: Like a meadow of sweet flowers by a tranquil pond.

MEDICINAL DRUGS: No.

NARCOTICS: No.

ADDICTIONS: No...unless you count the obsessive need to make deals and having a sweet tooth as an addiction. 

ILLNESS: No.

INJURIES: No.

PARASITES: No.

OTHER: To be determined.

Personal

INTROVERT/EXTROVERT?: She’s an exuberant extrovert. Lil Pea doesn’t let her small size get in the way of being social and outgoing, especially when it comes to things that pique her curiosity.

OPTIMIST/PESSIMIST: Definitely an optimist. 

GENDER: Female.

SEXUALITY: She has no set preference in regards to sex and/or gender. So long as they’re a very nice person with a kind soul. Any display of intentional cruelty or just general “meanie-ness” will make her look the other way.

ROMANTIC: Absolutely loves all the romance! 

MEMORY: She has a very chaotic memory, usually wavering between highly accurate to absurdly silly.

PLANNING: She’s a terrible planner and just leaps right into things with a wide grin.

PENSIVE: She doesn’t spend a lot of time pondering about life...she’d much rather live in the now and not then or yet to come.

INTUITION: She has really good intuition so long as she isn’t figuring things out on an empty stomach.

PROBLEM SOLVING: She’s very good at solving puzzles and problems so long as it's very clever or in rhyming form.

GOALS: To find the greatest lost trinket in the world! 

INSECURITIES: She thinks her wings aren’t as pretty as some of the other fairies with their beautiful butterfly wings. But she hides her insecurities well behind her cute and bubbly personality.

ACHIEVEMENTS: She’s very proud of her trinket collection and her ability to make Pretty Boy blush!

ANXIETY: Being trapped like a bug in a jar and Pretty Boy being in danger makes her super anxious.

OVERWHELMED: She only feels like things are too much when she’s stressed out.

SELF-HELP: She simply ignores her problems and moves on with life.

COMFORTS: Liquor, sweet treats, naps among the flowers, and Pretty Boy kisses.

BAD HABITS: She tends to exaggerate a lot which sometimes leads to more problems.

PHILOSOPHY: Not religious but does follow the creed of all fairies: always seek to make clever deals through trickery and under no circumstances are you to break a deal.  

TRIGGERS: Glass jars and bird cages.

The Past

PARENTS/GUARDIANS: She doesn’t have parents per se...more like a mysterious guardian who brought her into existence with powerful magic. And they get along very well but haven’t seen each other in over a millennium.

SCHOOL: She never went to school...unless you count causing mischief a few times during some classes to make children laugh at the teacher’s expense.  

ADOLESCENCE: She was never an adolescent. 

LEAVING HOME: It was very exciting for her the first time since she’s always heard how much the mortal realm can be! But then she became a permanent resident when she escaped from the mages holding her captive. 

FURTHER EDUCATION: She never went to college but wouldn’t mind causing some mischief there too.

FIRST JOB: She helped her guardian with his garden by tending to the flowers. She enjoyed putting dew on the blooms every morning and healing to sickly buds with her bell-like singing. 

LIFE EVENTS: Making a deal with one of the Princes of the Seelie Court definitely brought more cheer into her life. But having that same Prince fail to protect her when she got captured by mages and enduring captivity brought pain and sorrow. And now finding a new protector has renewed her hope and continues to bring her joy every day.

WORST DAY OF THEIR LIFE: She was captured by mage and held prisoner for various vile experiments.

BEST DAY OF THEIR LIFE: Pretty Boy kissed her back.

LESSONS: Never trust someone solely on their looks...you must peer into their soul and judge them by their spirit. Never hide in the dark alone. Don’t eat too much strawberry ice cream or else you’ll suffer from the worst stomach EVER! And it only takes one fairy’s sugar to make Pretty Boy smile and sometimes blush!

LOOKING BACK: If Lil Pea could re-play her life and do something differently, she would’ve not joined the Prince’s revelry in the mortal world that fateful day.

Relationships

FAMILY: The crew at Devil May Cry are pretty much her family now.

FRIENDSHIPS: She has a lot of friends! Most of them are critters living in and around the shop...but they’re very loyal and love to go on adventures with her.

FRIENDS IN NEED: She will always be there for her friends with fairy dust to cheer them up...she’ll also offer to even the score if someone is the source of her friend’s troubles. This usually involves some elaborate pranks and tiny raspberries right in their face.

NEEDING A FRIEND: She usually seeks the comfort of her flowers and critter friends first...but sometimes she’ll go to her human friends when she needs help or advice. It just depends on her mood at the time. 

ANNOYANCES: She gets annoyed very easily but reciprocates with swift pranks and raspberries right in the face when really irked.

ROMANCE: She’s a bit overt with her advances and has no problem giving her romantic interest pretty gifts. She’s attracted to people with a good and just soul...and being tall and strong doesn’t hurt either.

MARITAL PROBLEMS: She’s not married but she’d probably ignore the problem until forced to deal with it...and then her capriciousness would take over and it’ll either turn out very good or very bad but confusing nonetheless.

ADVERSARIES: She doesn’t like big meanies who ruin all the fun! 

ENEMIES: Anyone who would hurt Pretty Boy or defenseless animals and children is an enemy to her. She also gets VERY angry when flowers are needlessly destroyed. 

STRANGERS: She tends to hide from strangers since you never know if they’re real nice or a big meanie!

FUN STUFF: She loves to sing, dance, pull pranks, hunt for lost trinkets, make pretty dresses, and feast on all the sweets and booze!

DATING: She loves to dance with her romantic partner and will always be ready for a feast with good booze. But she finds a stroll among the flowers and fireflies at night very romantic.

BEST FRIEND: Her trusty rat steed, Sir Hawthorne...but Scruffy Boy and Sweet Lady have become close friends too!

LOVE: Her devilish protector will always have her tiny heart.

WORST ENEMY: Anyone who has terrible manners and harms flowers or Pretty Boy.

Interactions

MINGLING: She gets along with others so long as they have good manners and aren’t big meanies!

COMFORT LEVELS: She’s comfortable talking to people but will steer the conversation by any means necessary if they stumble upon a touchy subject. The only time she’s uncomfortable is when people ask too many questions or focus too much on the past and future.

PHYSICAL: She’s very touchy-feely! Loves to give hugs and poke noses no matter her size at the moment.

GROUPS: She’s comfortable in a big group so long as she knows everybody, but even that doesn’t stop her since she’s very good at hanging around while not being noticed. But sometimes she wants to spend time alone with one or two people who’ll give her plenty of attention. 

OPENNESS: She opens up very easily up to a certain extent. It’ll take some patience and gentle prying to get her to talk openly up about her past.

GENEROSITY: She likes to give gifts to those who prove a friend to the Fae. She’d gladly lend money to a friend...so long as they make a deal with her in return. And it makes her very happy to receive gifts from others. 

JEALOUSY: Anyone that takes her Pretty Boy’s attention away from her makes her feel incredibly jealous! But pulling a few pranks on the offender always makes her feel better.

TEMPER: She’s easily worked up thanks to the capricious nature of pixies.

EMPATHY: She can empathize but sometimes she doesn’t understand the reasons behind some mortal’s feelings, which leads to a misunderstanding if no one explains.

AFFECTION: Lots of hugs and “fairy’s sugar” with the occasional gift or helping hand with her fairy dust.

DISTASTE: Her fairy light will flash red as she blows many raspberries right in their face...and a few pranks if she REALLY dislikes someone.

ETIQUETTE: She has very good manners just like any fairy worth their salt! But most mortals don’t know the proper etiquette of the Fae...which may look very rude and inappropriate to them.

RESPONSIBILITY: She doesn’t like to admit when she’s wrong but will face the music when it all falls apart. Then, she’ll try to make up for her mistakes by any means possible.

SELF ESTEEM: She’s always had to stick up for herself until meeting the Prince since many of the Fae treat fairies born through non-fairy magic like her very poorly.

CONFIDENCE: She’s very confident in herself and her abilities despite being treated differently from her own kind.

HONESTY: She always speaks her mind unless she’s up to some mischief or feels that it might upset someone.

LEADER OR FOLLOWER: She’s a little of both. She usually follows but can take the lead if needed.

PARTY TRICKS: She’s an expert trinket finder, flower dressmaker, and can put dew on all the flowers in a meadow before the first ray of sunrise! And she also knows how to make pretty half devils blush.

PRAISE: Compliments and praise make her fairy light turn pink with joy.

FAILURES: Her capricious attitude can be irritating to some but her constant need to pull pranks is highly annoying.

CRITICISM: She doesn’t take criticism very well...she’d either burst into tears or swear pretty pixie vengeance on the unfortunate critic!

INSULTS: It depends on who’s insulting her. She’ll fire back with one of her inventive insults at some, but then get teary eyed at others.

EMBARRASSMENT: She’s not easily embarrassed but it still happens whenever she’s taken by surprise. Her fairy light turns pink and red as she scurries away to hide whenever she’s embarrassed.

FLIRTING: She’s VERY flirty...absolutely adores the way people light up and blush at her cute compliments.

ATTENTION SPAN: She has a very short attention span and tends to get  easily distracted.

SITUATIONS: She’s very good at breaking up difficult situations but has a hard time dealing with them through patient conversation.

Life

CAREER: Expert trinket finder and very pretty pixie for Pretty Boy! It’s a very fulfilling career for a fairy.

PROMOTION: She’s eyeing the promotion known as “girlfriend” at the moment.

BOSS: She has a great relationship with her boss so long as she doesn’t tease him too much.

DUTY: She assists Pretty Boy with her unique talents and magical fairy dust.

TECH: She has no idea how to use modern technology but would find it very fascinating if she ever gave it a try!

POLITICS: Not political at all.

COMBAT SKILLS: She’s very good at blinding people with her fairy dust and is proficient in mounted combat on her ratty stead with her needle sword.

HOME: She keeps her personal space very tidy and filled with many different flowers.

DAILY LIFE: She goes through her day-to-day tasks with an eager wonder of unknown adventures that might happen along the way.

INDEPENDENCE: Very independent since escaping the mages to live in the human world.

COOKING: She can’t really cook but loves to help from time to time by sprinkling her fairy dust over food.

BUILDING: She can’t do basic DIY but she tries to help with her fairy magic!

CLEANING: She always tries to keep her personal space clean but her fairy dust remains always present all over her pile of flowers where she usually sleeps.

SHOPPING: She doesn’t really shop due to her small stature and shyness around a group of strangers, but she likes to accompany her friends on shopping trips. But if she ever got her hands on some funds while in her bigger form...Ooh she’d be the most impulsive buyer in the human world!

DRIVING: She doesn’t know how to drive but it always looked like so much fun whenever she rode in the van with Crazy Lady and Baby Boy!

FINANCES: She has the biggest trinket hoard in all the shop! But she doesn’t quite understand why mortals value pieces of paper with pictures of old people.

MARRIAGE: Not married. She doesn’t know why mortals need a huge ceremony to spend eternity together, but she loves all the pretty dresses and flowers at weddings!

KIDS: No kids. And she has no plans to have kids herself, but she loves to make children smile and laugh with her mischievous antics.

PETS: No pets. 

DEPENDANTS: No.

LAW: To human standards? Definitely. But to fairy standards? No.

COURT: She’s never been to court. 

PRISON: No.

TRAVELLING: She’s been to many places around various worlds and different realities.

MEDICAL: She doesn’t trust doctors and always makes sure to have an apple on hand whenever someone needs to keep them away.

ILLNESS: No.

WORRIES: She worries for Pretty Boy whenever nightmares plague his dreams at night.

PEACE: She doesn’t mind peace and quiet but there’s music in the air around her thanks to her own whimsical singing.

PARTYING: She LOVES to go out partying whenever possible! There’s nothing like a good revel with lively music and vast feasts!

HOBBIES: She collects lost trinkets, makes dresses out of flowers, and finds mischief in the unlikeliest places!

[ssr-moonlore]

My AUs are a mess

So uhm... I should probably make an updated AU and tag system for this blog, there’s sooo much going on. This is all very specific for the Granblue Fantasy side of things, not for Dragalia, since... well, I’m very deep down the rabbit hole of self-insert nonsense for GBF and I’m a bit hesitant to go down that for Dragalia, especially since Euden is a proper character and replacing him seems kinda rude.

DRANG x STURM AU AND TAG LIST:

- Bloof Husbando: Art of Drang that someone else has made. -Moo Wife: Art of Sturm that someone else has made. - Mermaid AU: Self explanitory, Drang is a water elemental-y looking mermaid, and Sturm is a fisherwoman who gets stranded on a desert island, has both art and fics! - Fairy AU: Drang is a Fae, Ferry is an Archfae, Sturm is a Fairy, adventures abound, currently only has art but I want to write fics for it too. - Vampire AU: Sturm’s a bandit on the run from her previous boss after stealing an incredibly powerful relic from him, and she ends up in the castle of Drang the Vampire. Shenanigans ensues, currently only has arts. -Pocket Drang/ Pocket Sturm: Either one of the pair is an incredibly cute lil critter. Sturm is a little mini cow thing with a voracious appetite for meat, Drang is a little chinchilla thing who gets into trouble a lot. He also likes boobs. -Non-Canon: Stuff that’s plausible for the canon of the universe but haven’t happened as far as we know... Also includes angsty awful things. -Sanatorium: A short 8 page comic about Drang and Sturm in which it’s revealed that Drang is missing an eye and has anxiety over hospitals due to his past.

I think that’s most of the things? If there are more AUs, I’ll edit this post and reblog it so you can all see the updates. CAPTAIN GRETZ AND CO AU AND TAG LIST:

The entire blog needs a tag overhaul following this lmao. For reference, Captain Gretz is my self-insert OC who I use instead of Grandjeeta, any other characters are either my partner or friends.

- Captain Gretz: Tagged when she appears, my self-insert OC. (My main is @p-gretz ) Gretz is a brown haired mage Erune, usually water element aligned. - Captain Niels: Tagged when he appears, the self-insert OC of my partner. (His main is @niels-the-husky ) Niels is a long dark brown haired Draph fighter, usually fire element aligned. -Captain Ash: Tagged when she appears, the self-insert OC of my friend Ash. (Her main is @ashesandrainbows ) Ash is a white-lilac haired Draph fighter, usually fire or earth element aligned. - Captain Coky: Tagged when he appears, the self-insert OC of my friend Coky (Ash’s partner, I have no idea if he has a tumblr). Coky is a black haired Erune mage, mostly wind element aligned. -The Turquoise Captain: Solo AU of Gretz, where she’s the Captain, no other self-insert characters except her exist in this AU. I will link a proper “Profile” of her with her story and what the heck is going on with her. She’s the Singularity, and daughter of an incredibly talented mage, she shares her body with an entity following her death on Zinkenstill, and is also tied to Lyria’s soul. She’s a mess. - The Amaranthine Captain: Solo AU of Niels, none of the other self-insert characters exist in that AU. Niels also died on Zinkenstill but doesn’t have that freaky soul tie to Lyria, and doesn’t have any crazy entities sharing his body. He’s very cute and pretty much the most chill Captain the Grandcypher could have. His living quarters are filled with rescued animals. - The Two Captains: AU in which Gretz and Niels are both captains of the Grandcypher at the same time. The Power Couple of the Skies, basically. - Divided AU: AU in which Gretz and Niels are both Captains of the Grandcypher, but in different universes. There have been several breaks in the realms that have allowed them to see each other but generally they cannot see each other and crossing the universes is very taxing magically, mentally and physically. Our answer to Star Crossed Lovers who were not meant to be but still want to be in love with each other. - Turquoise Crew: AU in which Niels is the captain, and Gretz joins the crew as a regular member without all that crazy bs happening in her solo AU. She’s just a talented Mage. They rescue ALL the animals and it’s also very slow burn. They’re two nerds who fall in love way too slowly for the rest of the crew to handle. - Amaranthine Crew: AU in which Gretz is the Captain and Niels joins the crew later on as a regular member. They have a rocky start and initially see the electric spark between them as a rivalry, but they both misinterpret it, they’re just REALLY into each other. -Captain Gang: AU in which Niels, Gretz, Ash and Coky are all the Captains of the Grandcypher at the same time. DOn’t ask me how that’s supposed to work it just does. The entire crew knows that the 4 split into pairs, but to everyone else looking to hire the Grandcypher crew, it seems like the 4 are in a polyamorous relationship (they’re not but people are fun to tease). A cuddle room exists, and the captains all sleep in a cuddle pile on many occasions. 

[oncegilded-blog]

@anarchywithin - Call me an asshole, but after reading this I kinda want to keep it going! >.> I know I’d said I’d give us a new thread, and I still will HC wise wrap this up if you want. I just wanted to give you a chance to read it all yourself, if you care to.

▬♦M♦▬

How long had it been since David disappeared? Weeks? A month now? In a way it felt like yesterday they were just joking at how awful his ‘snake stew’ was. But somehow it also seemed like ages since she’d been on her own— and on foot. The SUV had run out of gas, again. Tess was feeling ill. David’s ammo was all but gone. And aside from the random critters they managed to pick off, food supplies were dangerously low. So, he had set off alone to bring back whatever he could to get them going once more. When days passed, and so had Tess’ stomach bug, without signs of David’s return, she was forced to set out herself in hopes of finding either him, or some form of salvation. Instead she faced starvation, and the very real threat of losing her damn mind. They’d went on supply runs together before, but they never should have separated this time. He should have waited til she felt better, but he was just sure she’d get worse without something decent to put on her tumultuous stomach. It was one of the rare times the man had been wrong, and it may very well be the last time too. Without company, and hope dwindling, days began to blur together, and desperation set in, causing her usually sharp wits to fail her. See Tess had cleverly devised a two part system to keep the zombies at bay. She slathered strong smelling plant on herself to hide her body odor, and had a sack of stinking undead entrails tied to the upper shaft of a spear she’d fashioned. Being quiet and stealthy helped as well, but when the creatures would wander too close, she’d tilt that spear out towards them, so they’d get a whiff of their own kind. And on the odd times this method failed to camouflage her, she’d already have a lethal weapon pointed at their head. All in all it was a pretty creative way to avoid a lot of trouble. However it required frequent reapplication of said plants, and re-saturation of that bag whenever possible. Sometime in her haze of days and dizziness over lack of adequate nourishment, she’d gone too lax in her protective measures, and the ache in her belly clouded her head even more, having her put herself in a sticky situation over the promise of a potential meal. Now roughed up, trapped, and surrounded by the undead, Tess was certain her ticket was punched.

_______________________________________

Sawyer couldn’t tell if the woman was sick, crazy, or delirious from hunger and dehydration.

Maybe it was all of the above. At any rate, every second he spent watching her brought her closer to being ripped apart from all sides.

He counted nine. Nine stiffs all closing in on her, apparently unconvinced by the sack of rotting entrails she had been hauling. Nice trick. He’d have to remember that in the future. Assuming he lived through what he was about to do.

You never want a reason to make a Molotov cocktail, but in this day and age, it doesn’t hurt to keep a few of the materials handy. They’re not that hard to make, and Sawyer had practice even before the world ended. Back in Afghanistan, cut off from your squad and surrounded by the enemy — and very nearly out of bullets — you do what you can to hold fast until backup arrives. On more than one occasion, it meant slapping together an improvised incendiary weapon that was as likely to burn your fingers off as your intended target’s.

He judged in a split second that the woman could hold the dead at bay just long enough for him to rip the rucksack off his back and tear through it in search of the bottle he’d been saving for just such an occasion. Well, a glass jar, really, but the moonshine sloshing around inside it was the important part. He’d lifted it from the basement of some hillbilly’s hunting cabin slash homemade distillery, figuring that since no one in their right mind would want to trade for it and risk blinding themselves, it might as well be good for setting something on fire. He mixed it with a bit of dish soap and wedged in a ragged, alcohol-soaked cloth to act as a wick, before stuffing it in the bottom of his bag and hoping he’d never have to use it.

Wrenching the lid off, he pulled out his lighter and lit the end of the rag, barely feeling the heat glancing off his skin as he hurled it with all his might towards the dead.

It burst on one’s shoulder and splashed onto the two standing closest to it, igniting them both like dry kindling. The others paused, turning to blink sluggishly at their companions and momentarily forgetting the woman practically within their grasp.

Sawyer was already out of the bushes and marching towards them, gun raised, bullets cracking out in rapid succession. He didn’t have nearly enough to put down the whole crew, but he could at least cut their numbers down enough before finishing them off with his machete. The three on fire had fallen to the ground, but were still crawling determinedly towards the woman as if they could be extinguished with just one taste of her flesh. They were slow, though, and in a matter of minutes they would be nothing but charred bones.

“Get up!” Sawyer barked to the woman, grimacing as his gun finally hit that empty ‘click’. He stuffed it back into its holster under his arm and unsheathed the machete with a dry hiss, cleaving it through the first skull he came upon. By the time he wrenched it loose, another two were practically on top of the woman. He grabbed one by the back of its mouldy shirt and flung it backwards, surprised and repulsed at how damn near weightless it was.

No time to finish it off; he had to get them away from her.

“Come on, move it,” he snapped, noticing that she still hadn’t moved. Maybe she couldn’t. Maybe she was deaf, or crazy, or sick, or injured, or any number of things that might keep a person rooted to the spot in a situation like this. Hell, maybe she was bitten. Maybe this was all just a waste of his time.

Swearing under his breath,  Sawyer hacked through the fray and managed to clear a bit of space between her and those rotting, outstretched hands. There wasn’t enough time for proper head shots. All he could do was crowd control, severing limbs and breaking knee caps where and when he could. Just for the breathing room, the scant few seconds to think —

Before he knew it, the ground around them was littered with toppled bodies. Most still moving, but no longer an immediate threat. The burning corpses had stopped crawling, but still writhed in vain. Their acrid stench stung Sawyer’s nostrils, making his eyes water as he chanced a quick glance back down at the woman.

“You okay?” he panted, unaware of the decrepit blood splattered all over him. You bit? was the underlying question — as it usually is, in chance meetings like this — but now it seemed there would be time to deal with that later.

___________________________ ▬♦M♦▬ It had been the first lil town she’d come across in awhile. Salvation. Or so she’d hoped. Catching sight of a some corner store, windows below boarded up, living quarters above with a window open—- it looked so inviting. The Plan: Move the dumpster a bit, climb up, slip inside, find a way to the lower section, and raid the store. Risky? Yeah, especially since she was poorly armed to take on anyone, or thing, inside. She’d have to leave her spear, rely on her knife, get close up—- something she didn’t like to do unless she had to. Still, it was the only shot she saw to possibly get a meal. Autumn had left the edible vegetation scarce, the undead kept getting to all the rabbits in her snares first, and she’d had her last energy bar two days before. Tess was desperate. The dumpster moved, but not without making a bit of a ruckus. Every inch the wheels squealed, metal grating on metal, she cringed, knowing it would attract attention, but not having a choice. Once in place she scaled it as quietly as possible, jumped up, and started to haul herself through the window. It wasn’t easy with fatigue and mal-nourishment weighing heavy on her body. But she was certain she could do it. However she’d not been the only one lured by that open window. Someone else had beat her to it, and been attacked inside. Well perhaps that’s what happened. Either way, someone didn’t quite make it back out the window, and what was left of him was under the sill, grasping up at her, snatching hold of her sleeve. The shriek she let out was small, but unavoidable as she pulled back and fell from the window. Ass met metal dumpster lid, then she was unceremoniously cast off it to the cement, rolling her into the chain link a few feet away. Yeah that rang her bell real good. By the time her head started to clear, they were on her. Well, almost. The fence was between them, bowing down upon her with the weight of the undead attempting to sink their teeth into her. Had the dumpster not have been there to catch the edge of the wire, she’d be pressed down flat to the pavement, trapped beneath them. So, thankfully she had a bit of wiggle room, but not much. However that meant they had it as well. Clawing up the fence, spilling over the top edge, and trying to climb into the niche she was in, they were blocking her escape. Thrusting the knife into the nearest ones, a small pile stared to block others from getting to her from that side. The other–  well it was only blocked by a bit of wooden palates and boxes, easy enough for her to kick out of her way and crawl through. Though now she found herself facing even more of the undead, shambling around the corner and trying to get to her over top of the rubble she’d unceremoniously cast aside. Frantically stretching back in for her spear, she pulled it through and thrust upward, catching the first one in the side of the face. But she hadn’t managed to get to her feet yet. That’s when she heard it— the crack of a glass bottle upon the back of those further before her, then the heat and sizzle of the eruption that caused. Someone else was entering the fray it seemed, and attention was momentarily pulled from her to the burning backs of the ones struck with the makeshift Molotov. It would have been the best time to make a move. To climb atop the dumpster or over the cleared part of the fence to flee, —-but gunfire followed. Gunfire followed, and the cracking was so loud that Tess flinched hard, the echo of that sound reverberating off the nearby building, causing her head to ring from the spill she’d taken. Scrambling back til she was pressed against the wall she tried to push herself up, but weakness and some lingering disorientation combined with the gunfire and flames to cause the perfect storm of near paralyzing conditions. Suddenly she was fighting back a panic attack, trying to get her head clear and keep it from slipping back to horrible images of her past. Breaths came in heavy pants, eyes wide staring into the oncoming herd, but not quite seeing it as she should. All she could focus on was that sound— and that smell. Fire. Burning flesh. Her stomach rolled and heaved, but she bit it all back, forced with all her will to push out everything but the hear and now. A voice is what finally snaped her back. A strange voice, but it was a welcome sound. The groaning and gun shots had stopped. The sizzle still remained, but was dying. And she— she was safe. It was obvious when she became fully lucid once more, eyes sparking back from some distant and dark place, blinking rapidly and raking up the man before her with a sense of shock, and perhaps a hint of awe. He’d taken them out– all of them.           "I— I am now—“ With an unsteady voice, and even more unstead legs, she pushed herself up, then pulled her spear from the head of an undead at her feet to use it as a bit of a crutch, leaning against it to get her barrings once more. Typically she’d have been incredibly leery of strangers after her last run in with them, but he— well he’d just battled through a decent sized herd of hungry corpses to help her. How horrible could he be? Dangerous perhaps— She mused, eyes scanning the carnage he’d caused. But seemingly more so to the undead than the living. At least at the moment.          "Oh god– I thought—            I lost it. I thought I was done—            T-thank you.”

____________________________________ Sawyer’s posture relaxed somewhat, a mix of relief and delayed exhaustion loosening the knots in his shoulders. He didn’t know what to expect when she finally opened her mouth, but there was a light of awareness burgeoning in her eyes as he took in their surroundings. Maybe she wasn’t crazy after all. Well…no crazier than anyone else still fighting the good fight these days.

At her thanks, he just nodded and stooped to wipe the blood and blackened gore off his machete, using an obliging corpse’s shirt. “I was in the neighbourhood,” he offered. “Seemed like the thing to do.”

He glanced back up and pieced together her surroundings, noting the dumpster that appeared to have shifted ever so slightly. His eyes jumped up to the window not far above it, where a walker trapped in the narrow opening still thrashed in vain.

Standing up, he sheathed the machete and jerked his chin towards her. “Must have been quite a fall. You hit your head, or something?” That would explain her fuzziness, he supposed with a slight twinge of guilt. Perhaps he had been a little quick to prejudge. He’d seen firsthand what a head injury could do to someone. Himself, included.

Without preamble, he shrugged off his rucksack and rooted around inside for a second before emerging with a water bottle in hand. He lobbed it towards her, not for the first time congratulating himself on having stocked up at a well outside of town. He could afford to be charitable at the moment, since he seemed to be on that particular path anyway.

“I’d ask you to tell me what day it is, or month. Maybe who the president is, or something,” he ventured, half-smiling-half-wincing. “But I guess that wouldn’t really count for much these days.” Glancing around, as if searching for a reason why not, he shrugged and added, “Can you tell me your name, at least?”

She likely had a mild concussion, but he doubted she hit her head hard enough to forget a thing like that.

____________________________   ▬♦M♦▬ A hand reached back to steady herself, her head slowly nodding at him as she did so.           “Y-yeah— rang my bell pretty good.” In fact she was still reeling from it, but at least she could see straight again, and wasn’t teetering on the edge of consciousnesses.

  “I’m sorry I—” Slowly blinking, her gaze fell to the bottle she’d caught on instinct more than an actual decision to do so.           “Thank you, but– I uh– I have water.            What I could really use is um— some food.” After all it was the desperation of near starvation, and the weakness of lack of sustenance that had led her to that window, and the subsequent fall. If she had been stronger, she could have probably held on up there, and still managed to kill the undead without taking that spill.           “I’m not picky.” She added as an after thought, hoping it would make him see she was willing to take just about anything at this point. Even if it was stuff he was saving until he was truly desperate himself. She didn’t care. Nasty or not, she needed to eat. A shaky hand holds out his bottle towards him, not wishing to take anyone’s water if she didn’t need to. That and perhaps a part of her never really trusted others’ water sources. It was a luxury to have the filters she did, and most folks had to resort to boiling it, and hoping they’d done so long enough to keep them from getting sick. There’s a soft huff of a laugh then though, head shaking softly, as to not make it ring any worse than it already was, and her lips curved into a faint smile.           “Without work weeks, no one cares about what day it is anymore.            The month is too damn close t'Christmas time.            And the president is probably a walkin’ rotter.            Though aren’t they usually some mindless pawn anyway?            It’s the men with money that’s always had the real power, and run this world.            Well— used t'be anyway.” Funny that she sounded like a bitter hippie, when really she was a reluctant heiress who saw from the inside how much money corrupted so many men. And actually she happened to know many of those men hadn’t even survived, no matter how much money they had, or how fancy of a bunker they’d built for themselves. Her father included.           "My name though— Ya can call me Tess.“ Because god knows she didn’t want to say she was Teresa Montgomery. There was no telling who would recognize that name and make automatic assumptions on her and her worth, or lack there of in this world based on her past.

_______________________________________

Sawyer blinked and gave the woman a side-long look, smiling a little uncertainly. She sure was chatty, all of a sudden. Delayed reaction to the shock of very nearly dying, probably. Or maybe it had just been a while since she last crossed paths with something or someone not looking to kill her.

At any rate, it was a refreshing change of pace. He could barely remember the last actual conversation he’d had either.

“Tess,” he repeated with a nod. “Name’s Sawyer. Nice to meet you, under the circumstances.” He strode forward to retrieve his water bottle, habitually refraining from making any sudden movements. It doesn’t take much to startle people these days, and he’d rather not have a knife pulled on him out of nowhere. Not when they seemed to be getting along so nicely.

“Food, I’ve got,” he announced, before pulling a face. “Well…sort of.” Reaching back into his rucksack, he pulled out a pack of peanuts and a mushed up granola bar. There was also some trail mix and a can of beans he had found in a dead woman’s campsite, but he was saving that for more desperate times. If such a thing even existed.

“It’s not much,” he admitted, tossing them towards her, “but there’s a church a few blocks from here that I’m planning to check out. Could be some canned goods in the cellar, or something else worthwhile.”

It was an invitation as much as an assurance that he hadn’t been following her, or anything unsavoury like that. But if she had truly hit her head in some kind of fall, maybe it was best to get her off her feet for a moment.  

He squinted at her a moment longer. “You sure you’re okay? I mean — you’re not bleeding or anything, right?”

Call him paranoid, but it seemed somewhat irresponsible to neglect checking for injuries now, after what the two of them had just barely escaped.

_________________________________

▬♦M♦▬ Typically Tess would ramble, or even stammer when feeling awkward, so it wasn’t any real surprise to her that she’d just went on a short tangent as soon as she found her voice once more. Then again, it had been ages since she’d even spoken aloud anyway, and that might have played a part of it as well. It was just– it was so nice to be around someone else again. Especially without that overwhelmingly nagging sense of suspicion and fear. After all, he did go far out of his way to save her, and then offered her some of his water. Even if he had nefarious plans for her later, for the moment she felt a fair amount safer in his presence. The bottles slips form her hand into his with a nod of gratitude, and a faint smile.           "Sawyer— thank you.“ Again she caught what he tossed without much thought, blinking down at the items in her hands with a look of relief washing over her.           "N-no, this is great. Thanks again.” Protein! She didn’t care if it was in peanut form, even if a steak sounded a helluva lot better, she really needed that nourishment right then. Of course she tried her best not to tear into them like the starved animal she felt like, but she still probably wasn’t very ladylike in how she got those first few bites in. Swallowing with a sigh she cants her head at him.           “Ya know the area then?             I— this is the first place I saw that looked promisin’.” Though obviously she’d not really been in much condition to go exploring the town before deciding which buildings to search. Shrugging softly at his last set of questions, she decided it was as good of a time as any to mentally assess her condition more fully. Casting a glance down herself, she then tentatively touched the aching spot on her head where she’d hit it, fingers pulling from her riot of red locks to show the tips were damp with an even darker red. But it wasn’t much. A minor cut and most likely a good sized contusion, nothing major, nothing that would have even required stitches in the past.           “Lil bit, but I’ll take care of it later.” If they made it to the church he’d mentioned, and it was safe, there’d be plenty of time to clean up her head before she had to worry about any infection. And with the way things were, that was really one of most people’s major concerns, seeing as something small could easily turn into something life threatening if it wasn’t handled properly in a world with dwindling medical care items. After a few more bites of his generously offered food, she adjusts her bag, takes up her spear and gives him a more clear eyed look.           “So which way was this church?” There wasn’t a whole lot of day light left, and she wanted to make sure she had a place to hold up that night that didn’t require her to tie herself in a tree again.

___________________________

He met her thanks with a simple nod and self-consciously averted his eyes. It shouldn’t feel like a huge sacrifice — and maybe, in the grand scheme of things, it wasn’t — but he knew as well as anyone that a bit of food in the belly could mean the difference between life and death. He knew how scarce good food is these days, how rare it is to find something that isn’t rotten or mouldy beyond recognition. And he knew what a risk it was for him to part with any resources, even something as small as a pack of peanuts, if he didn’t have to.

It was just…the right thing to do. Anyone with half a heart would have done the same thing. Right?

Her question earned a half-shrug. “More or less. Glanced at a map this morning, just to get a sense of this place.”

He frowned compulsively at the sight of blood smudged on her fingers, but clamped down on the urge to investigate. If she said it could wait, it could wait. They were exposed enough out there, and the commotion was likely to draw more walkers from the surrounding streets. If she could walk, they had to move now while there was time.

Turning, he motioned for her to fall in step and began heading down the street. “It’s not far. Couple blocks, maybe. You can already see the spire over there.” It was the tallest landmark in town, surrounded by old oak trees.

After a moment he glanced her way and found himself just…looking. It felt strange, albeit in a good way, to have living company again. There were still countless unknown variables about her, but she didn’t give off any troubling vibes. Not yet at least. But that didn’t mean he couldn’t keep at least one eye on her for the time being.

“So,” he finally said, after a stretch of silence. “Any friends or family waiting on you somewhere?”

_______________________________

▬♦M♦▬ Matching his pace Tess kept close, casting her eyes towards the church when he’d gestured for her to take a look. Honestly she hadn’t noticed it until now, and even if she had, Tess probably wouldn’t have even tried for it. It was her thinking that most people, when faced with the existential crisis of the dead rising, would have run to their Reverend for answers, and that anything a church might have to offer, would have been hit first by those of a god fearing sort. Still, if he thought it was worth a short, who was she to argue? Obviously he’d been doing a bit better on the food front than she was after all. Carrying her spear in the crook of her arm, she picked at the peanuts, savoring the sustenance in almost a reverent fashion as her feet fell in line with is own autonomously. For that moment she put her trust in him, relying on his senses to alert them to danger, because she was distracted with the fact that she had food for once in a long time. So she was completely oblivious to his eyes regarding her, however when he spoke, and she turned her attention towards Sawyer to find him looking her way, she flushed and tucked some loose red curls behind her ear with a shrug. There were two ways to get Tess to turn red and/or awkward, and that was to either flirt with her, or ask her about her family. Both would get similar reactions for entirely different reasons. So, she faltered a bit, trying to find the right way to broach the subject.          “I uh—  I seriously doubt it.           Didn’t have much t'start with.           An’ well, I lost the only person I coulda really called either a few months back.” There was always a chance that David was alive and looking for her, just as she was looking for him, but that chance seemed slimmer and slimmer every passing day. And now— well now the spark of hope had faded beyond recognition, and more often than not when she thought of him, she’d started to allow herself to mourn his loss, instead of hold out hope for him to be alive still.            “Why– do you?”

__________________________________

Sawyer only belatedly realized that he had been staring a little. A half-forgotten but knee-jerk sense of propriety made him pull his eyes away, embarrassment stinging his cheeks for the first time since…he couldn’t even remember when.

Clearing his throat, he turned his attention forward. He should have been prepared for the question to be directed back at him, but somehow he wasn’t. And the swift punch in the gut that followed was almost enough to put a hitch in his step. He managed to recover long enough to give a stiff shake of his head.

“No — ”

dark doe-eyes staring at him from across the fire, the faintest ghost of a smile

“ — not anymore.”

He’d been on his own long enough now that he learned how to block it out, so some extent. Push it to the back of his mind and slam it behind a door marked ‘Veata’, and never open it except on nights when he was feeling particularly brave or masochistic. But having someone near him, someone alive, a woman, close enough in age and pretty enough that the more reptilian parts of his brain couldn’t help speculating just a little…it brought everything screaming back into focus. Reminding him of what he lost.

The silence that followed was a great deal more grim than before, but he couldn’t think of any meaningful way to break it. Probably better to focus on getting to the church, anyway. Talking was a distraction, and there was no telling how many more dead were in the area.

It didn’t take long for the church to emerge. Nestled in the heart of a tangle of oak trees, it looked somewhat out of place on the otherwise concrete main street, but no different from any other he’d passed in a dozen other towns.

“Looks clean,” Sawyer noted gruffly, pausing at the edge of the trees to take in their surroundings. “No broken windows. Nothing boarded up.” _No bullet holes. No blood or guts smeared anywhere.

Still. No need for indiscretion. “I’m gonna circle around, see if I can find any movement. Maybe you could go around the other way and meet me at the back entrance.” ________________________________________________

▬♦M♦▬

Despite the fact that she was quite distracted with putting some food on her aching stomach, Tess didn’t miss the way he faulted when she asked the same thing of him. “Oh–” It was her only response. What was one to say to someone who’d lost everyone anyway? I know how you feel? No— everyone’s experience was different. Some, in this day and age, much more horrifying than another’s. So she remained silent, letting the sounds around them fill the gnawing gap between them as they worked their way towards the church. It was best to stay focused on their surroundings anyway. Still she couldn’t help but wonder what she’d have caught in his eyes just then if she’d have been able to see them. Had that hazel she’d noted clouded over with shadows when he spoke that simple ‘no’? Possibly. Nowadays it felt like everyone must be haunted in some way. Surely there wasn’t a soul alive who’d not lost someone they hoped to never have to live without. Once the church came better in view though she let such thoughts slide away, absorbing the appearance of the place; like an oasis it seemed, almost unscathed by the world around it. A blessing— if she believed in those kind of things anymore. “Sounds good.” Tess finished the nuts and nodded as she took a ready grip upon her spear. Within moments she was making her way around towards the back, gaze sweeping the area, ears alert. She found what was left of a corpse, barely ‘alive’ and unable to even groan at her as it clawed her way. It was nothing to slip the tip of her weapon into where it’s eye had once been and push til it stopped twitching. However now she was a bit concerned they’d be others they’d not hear, but could still pose a danger. A slow weak danger, but one none the less. Wiping the gore that clung to the wood on the grass, she quickly made her way around back.