#um i think thats it

[choasuqeen]

may the odds (chrumblr whumblr day 8!)

(warning you before, this has suicide. be careful)

Venatrix blinked. She wasn’t in the box anymore, instead she was in a concrete tunnel, like the one she had run with Nia in. But she was alone. 

“Hi! A challenge for you.”

Her hand drifted toward knives she didn’t have, snarling ”Where are the others?”

“Safe enough, don’t worry. But you can’t go back there till you get through my challenge!”

Gritting her teeth, she asks “And what is that?”

“This tunnel has the images of all the people you have killed, and will kill, in their last moments of life. Walk through the tunnel, and when you make it to the end, you will be let out.”

“That’s all?”

“That’s all!”

“Fine.” She started moving, waiting for the first images to show up. It took a while but-

Oh

Before her, stood a man with red hair, holding the hand of a woman as she knelt. Those were faces she hadn’t seen in years, now panicked. The man was saying something to the woman, and she looked calmer at it.

I didn’t kill them

“I DIDN’T KILL THEM”

It was silent. She knew what had happened, even if they had never found the bodies. But it wasn’t her fault. She had gone out with Nia to protect them both, if she hadn’t she’d be dead. But she didn’t kill them. The people after them did. She was 8, she couldn’t have killed them.

It was fine. The Voice was messing with her head, and if she stayed, she wouldn’t get back to Nia. Or the others. 

She shook her head, and kept walking. There was the first guy she had killed. He threatened the bar, then Nia, and Trixi never thought she’d kill someone until that moment. But it was done. After that, everyone was a little nicer to her. The handle of a knife stood in the middle of his neck, it hadn’t been luck that landed it there. 

More faces. The first guy she was paid to kill. Some traveler who didn’t listen when she cut him off, and tried to take another drink. Another paid job, and another. She had forgotten how many she had taken. 

The first one Nia had bitten, looking as bad as she remembered. Face scratched open, as he had stumbled in, yelling at them. There was a shot in his forehead, he had gotten too close. 

More faces. She remembered some of them. And then, the guard. The last guy she had killed, with a slit across his throat. His face looked weird though, slightly to the side of where it should be.

Now she looked closer at the next one. She didn’t recognize him, that was good. She memorized his face, knowing she had killed him for a reason. Another, and another. Noting each one, she continued. The images didn’t show up until she was right in front of them, but she could see the end of the tunnel. Honestly, it was shorter than she expected.

 She was running now, noted a distinct feature before moving on. She was almost-

Venatrix froze. Before her mind even caught up to what she was seeing, she sobbed.

There, before her, at the end, she stood. Head tipped back, eyes horrified, three shots to the chest. Her auburn braids flying as she fell. 

“No.” 

“I’m sorry.” There was some sympathy to the voice. “But it’s true.”

Nia was in front of her, dying. By her hand. 

“Would you like to see?”

“See what.”

“How it happened.”

Venatrix bit her tongue to keep from screaming. She didn’t do that.

“Yes.”

The world shifted, and she was standing on a beach. Nia didn’t look much older then she was now, helping her fight some pirates, Trixi thought. 

She shot twice, getting someone off of her sister. Spinning and stabbing, dancing through the violence. Shots again, at another. Twist, throw a knife, grab another. It was all instinctual. She didn’t need to think about it, she just fought.

Strike, shoot. Reload your gun and twist away. Grin at Nia, who’s smiling while fighting, because of you. She’s having fun in this, because of you. Throw a knife, scare a pirate. Shift and shift and shift again, catch a sword. You were grinning too now, as you stabbed again. Shots and knives were your world, as you reloaded again. This is what you lived for, this is what you knew how to do. You almost cackled as someone ran away. They had done something to anger you, at the moment you couldn’t remember what. You turned and shot and-

There Nia was. Three bullet holes, from Trixi, in her chest. 

She rushed forward, ignoring the stragglers, vision tunneling. 

“Nia, Nia!”

She fell to her knees beside her, there was too much blood. Too much. 

“NIA”

“Hi- Trixi.”

“Hi- hi- oh-”

“I’m ok- just give me a minute”

“Nia, nia,” she sobbed

“Someone shot me- it kinda hurts”

“I know honey, I’m sorry. You’re going to be ok, just rest, ok? We’ll get you patched up.”

Nia nodded, eyes already drifting shut.

“Yeah I know- I’ll- I’ll be ok- I’ve got you,” she laughed.

Even to the end. 

Trixi nodded back. “You’ve got me. I’ll keep you safe.” She could see where the blood was seeping out from under her hands, into the sand.

She trusted her.

“Trixi- when….we get back ...remind me to get a…new sword. For you.”

She nods again. Her hands are covered, as her tears mix with what's pooling on her.

“I will. I’ll keep you safe. Just rest ok? You’ll be ok.”

“I will. Don’t worry- Trixi-”

Her eyes closed, again. 

“Goodbye, rabbit.”

She broke their promise.

The blood stained her hands as she kneeled there, in the sand. The only blood that matters. She had one bullet left. Enough for one more life. Her hands were shaking as she picked up her gun, one last time. It was easy enough to cock it. 

3 She had broken their promise.

2 She caused this. 

1 She had blood on her hands.

bang

It was her blood too.

[verflares]

(click for higher quality!) draconified link concept ive been chipping away at this past week ..... here's my funny little compendium concept for him:

"A heroic spirit has taken the form of this bestial dragon. Unlike it's kin, this creature exhibits an extremely aggressive disposition. It appears highly territorial, and will relentlessly chase down those who disturb its skywide patrols - of which it seems to be endlessly searching for either a long-time vassal or foe. Unfortunately, it seems the spirit within has long since forgotten exactly who it was looking for…"

[francy-sketches]

cringe ass family ❤

[pinkavtomation]

Checking in :] not much 2 say 4 this one

[buqbite]

loved the 2.3 scene where they bickered like petty little kids

[potatobugz]

dugon my friend my buddy my pal

[couch-house]

yippee knuckles comic done! wanted to try several things: tell a story in 4-7 pages, attempt to style layouts and writing a bit more like stc comics, and lump my "knuckles raised unknowingly by the m.e." headcanons together. mixed results I think but I still think it turned out nice :)

[vellichorsdesire]

cuddling with your f/o(s) in bed but your arms always fall asleep. their hair gets in your face sometimes or vice versa. being in the middle of kissing, noses bumping too much or you just miss their lips completely with your eyes closed. bumping foreheads accidentally!!! kissing even more and then breaking it off to yawn or giggle and trying to kiss again but it only repeats. goosebumps and shivering whenever you touch them. accidental (or very much intentional/jokingly) shoving/elbowing because the others feet are too cold or it is suuper warm to even be this close to each other. they love and love and love you tremendously still through anything and everything. even if you steal the covers off them when you sleep, maybe

[lucabyte]

Comfortable in New Skin

[garmaballs]

harumi and i should be locked in a room together and have a crying contest

[wadowo]

izaack gauss but i probably butchered it

[deoxysacid]

brendan writes an apology letter for his sins

[s-sextape]

i am writing an accidental haiku to attract haiku bot

[nyaskitten]

Autism art.

[pinkavtomation]

Some kind of strange insect

Original sketch under the cut

[heartorbit]

creatures