#/ i had had patch for only one ask but if anything happens to him ill kill everyone in this app but especially conall

[kk43mi]

good girl.┊ scaramouche

PAIRING ┊ perv!scaramouche x innocent f!reader GENRE ┊ pure smut. WC ┊ 1.8k+ WARNINGS ┊ he’s a perv , panty stealing , corruption , dub-con(?) , praise(if you squint) , not proof-read, cussing , scara just being gross!!! , lowercase intended!! SYNOPSIS ┊ coming back from your college classes and hearing your roommate making little grunts and moans, calling out your name, thinking he was in pain—but turns out, it was more than that. A/N ┊ written by kam , hope you guys enjoy ! (melody helped with the process !) first fic.

"anything that needs to be clarified?" your professor asked as he finished writing the formula on the board, turning around to face the class in front of him as he rest his arms on the lectern. a still silence preforms in the room, as the only sounds heard can be from other students taking notes, pencil moving in motion on the wooden table. finishing up your notes, your professor had now dismissed the class, signifying that the lecture was now finally over. wanting to seek solace in your comfy dorm and avail yourself of well-deserved respite after a long day.

a groan falls from your mouth as you now exited the lecture hall, stretching out your arms while walking towards the direction of your humble abode, where you share the room with a long-known acquaintance, scaramouche. scara—for short is what you liked to call him. "ah, im hungry...ill just eat some instant ramen back at the dorms." you exclaimed. soon enough, you were now in front of your dorm, grabbing the keys from your pocket to unlock the wooden door that was in your way.

twisting and turning the knob, you entered your abode, then taking off and carelessly throwing your shoes with the other pairs of shoes that were lined up nice and neatly, too drained out from the lecture to really care about any mess you make right now. walking and passing by the other rooms, you had to pass your roomies to get to yours. which you had no problem at all doing, until you heard faint groans and grunts coming from the other side of the door. "n-ngh...uh...fuck...y/n.." falls out of scaras lips. and there you hear a thud coming from the room.

you knocked on his door "ah-? scara, are you okay? i heard a loud thud! did something happened? are you in pain?" you asked in concern, pressing an ear against the blue tinted door to make out what he would say next. "y-yeah im fine. just go away argh..." he sounded annoyed, did you perhaps bother him? you didnt mean to, all you wanted to do was figure out what had happened. you stopped your thoughts as he hear his footsteps approaching the door, seeing his shadow beneath the creak of the door, slowly and subtly retreating from the door, your gaze meets scaras purple orbs.

his irritated look gives it away and you immediately feel bad. "im sorry if i bothered you.." you muttered out quietly as he let out a scoff, walking towards the bathroom. your eyes follow his before sighing. turning to walk to your own bedroom, before the corner of your eyes spots something out of the ordinary from his room. his room was usually just filled with neutral colors like white, grey, and black, but you spotted a pink cloth on his black bedsheet. out of curiosity, you enter the room, going closer to the object before realizing what it was.

"what the..? my underwear?" you looked in confusion, why would your panties be in scaras room? observing the undergarments a bit more, you spot little wet patches on them. and a weird smell emitting from it...maybe...this could explain the reason why the quantity of your panties had reduced. so scara has been the one stealing them?! you had lost your trance of thoughts after hearing a door slam shut behind you, making you turn around, "well, well look who we have here, y/n. figured it out hm?" he said, followed by with a menacing laugh, it sent shiver done your spines, waiting for your response as he leaned against the door with his arms crossed, looking down at you with a shit eating grin.

"you perv! youve been stealing my underwear!" you gritted your teeth, absolutely disgusted with your roommate. "and? what of it. not my fault youre wearing those kinds of underwear. i really cant control it yknow?" he grinned at you as he retracted his arms and took a couple steps towards you. the sudden instinct made you grab your garments, and throw it up at his face, but the quick motherfucker he was, he caught it. "well that wasnt really nice now was it?" he said before bringing the used panties to his nose, inhaling the scent of the soft pink undies, the smell of his pre-cum and your heat mixed in together brought him to heaven. his face turning red, eyes having hearts in them now, and breathing uncontrollable.

the sight of him smelling your panties had you tensed, as your eyes lowered to see such a noticeable bulge forming down. saliva forming in your mouth, to which you had swallowed. "do you see what you do to me..? for you to find out like this is such a shame, but whatever, its nice you know i crave for you now. every single part of your body. so please, allow me to indulge in this exquisite pleasure that awaits me." he bit his lips in excitement, his hand, motioning to touch his bulge, palming and shifting it around to reduce the pain, his other hand, still holding onto the precious sacred panties up to his nose to whiff at to get off to.

"uh..erm.." your face gave a look of confusion and hesitation. sure scara was a handsome boy, you never thought he viewed you that way, but you always had the thought of what it was like to be in the act of intimacy. but still, you werent too sure about this. "oh c'mon, you didnt even let me finish, im pent up. i just need one release." he grinned as he stepped closer to you, kneeling down to your height to harshly cup your cheeks with one hand, planting his lips on yours, giving a sloppy kiss. you pressed a hand on his chest, trying to pry him away, as his other free hand grabbed your wrist to stop your resistance. your eyes were shut closed, but you can feel a smile forming out of him. soon, you gasped and your mouth was left agape, the perfect opportunity for scara to insert in his tongue, exploring your inside, tasting and savoring every nook and cranny.

little moans falling out of your mouth, this...it was all new to you, never knowing or feeling the touch of another man. let alone, this kind. your resistance has stopped, knowing your strength wasnt compared to his. he may seem small, but he sure was the strong one. scara pulled back, a string of saliva connected from his mouth to yours, both of the individual breathing heavily, trying to catch up each others breath. a sickening smile appeared on his face again. "on your knees, c'mon." he commanded. as he sat on his bed. eyeing down on you. you just stood there in silence, just trying to comprehend everything that was happening right now. first the stolen undies, he likes you, then kissed you. just what was going on.

scara let out an annoyed scoff as he ran out of patience, pulling your arm to put you down on your knees, your face landing onto his pelvis, face dangerously close to his crotch. "oh? excited too? well then ill let you indulge in what you want of course~" his voice sounded high, as he unzipped his pants, his length raised up, the tip hitting his cloth stomach. he was girthy, and veiny in the right places, his tip, a pretty pink mushroom. its like it was perfect. you stared at his cock, intimidated already. your trail of thoughts were lost as you soon felt scaras hand grab your wrist, forcing your hands to touch the base of his cock. out of shock, you tried removing your hand, but he kept it in place. "dont be shy, i know you want this too. now move." you eyed up at him, a gulp forming on your throat, as you felt gross doing this. slowly moving your hands up and down, feeling his veins and stiff cock.

"f-fuck...this feels way better than that damn panties of yours...i always imagined it as your hand stroking my cock. now i finally get the feel of it. youre so good." he threw his head back due to the pleasure, moaning at the way your hands gripped his cock so tightly. "ugh..." you let out a disgusted sigh, it felt so slimy, and the stench was already hurting your head. "ah-shit im out of patience, open your mouth." a hand was placed on your head as his other supported his balance to sit up. "what..? why.." you meekly respond back. "hurry up and just do as a i say." he gripped a handful of your hair locks and it made you wince. as you obliged and open your mouth, without warning, his cock is shoved into the small mouth of yours. you gagged, both of your hands placed on his thighs for leverage and support.

"shit, your mouth is even better..." he fucked your face thru it all, tears that were threatening to spill down to your cheeks from the pain you were trying to endure. soft little cries and whimpers come from your mouth, hoping it would signal him into slowing down a bit. "tis hwurt..plese...stuop.." you were slobbering on your words...you couldnt say anything, not when he was thrusting his hips into your mouth so harshly as he was pulling your hair along with it. "youre such a good girl...taking me so well." it was like your pleas fell on deaf ears, as he just kept thrusting. "breathe thru your nose baby." as if it would make anything better. it hurts. you were gagging like crazy. saliva coated everywhere on your mouth, even dripping down onto the floor, creating a wet mess.

his thrusts were harsh and it made your mouth sore, you dont know how long you could keep this up honestly. "f-fuck gonna cum, you gonna take it all like a good girl alrigh'?" his pace fastened, and it left your eyes crying a river now. tears trickling down to your cheek and to your chin, mixing in with the pool of saliva down on the floor. "ah-! fuck, fuck, fuck..!" with one last harsh thrust, the tip of his cock touching the deep parts of your throat as his cum gushed out, forcing you to take it all, as some of it spilled out. he rides out his high by stilling himself in your mouth, taking in your warmth, before finally pulling out. which had you coughing out, mouth all sore as you laid on the wooden floor. trying to catch up with your breath. little bits of scaras cum still lingered on the corners of your mouth. a laugh falls from his mouth as he enjoyed the sight he was viewing.

"this is just the beginning. im not done yet. now be a good little girl and get on the bed."

"but you said you just needed one release...?"

"I said im not done yet."

requests open!

[wrathofrats]

For the prompts, “Would you mind if I kissed you?” And maybe Zephrit? Or really any Ifrit pairing you pick 💙

Have 800 of sappy stupid wound cleaning

Ifrit shouldn’t feel bad, but he does anyways.

He wasn’t watching, didn’t have his arm on Zephyr like he usually does, let them go in front of him. A bunch of meaningless gestures to a ghoul who demanded to be mostly independent but before ifrit could turn back around zephyr was on the ground in front of him.

Ifrit kneels next to them, a concerned look on his face as he gives zephyr a once over for any more than obvious injuries.

“Are you ok moth?” He asks, inspecting them.

Zephyr rolls their eyes, moving to push themself off of the concrete to grab their cane again.

“I’m fine ifs, give me a second to get up”

Ifrit could see the clear lip in the sidewalk. Easy to trip over if you’re not paying attention. He tried to resist the urge to simply pick zephyr up and either place them back on their feet or carry them back to their room, but ifrit knew they rather just do it themself.

Zephyr winces once back on their feet, visibly favoring one leg over the other.

“Zeph? Are you sure you’re alright?”

“I just need to walk it off” zephyr says, taking a step and sucking in a deep breath.

“Can I at least look at it? There’s a bench over there, if anything you should sit properly for a couple minutes”

Zephyr nods, hobbling over to the worn bench that sits in the middle of a couple trees and bushes. Even if the ministry didn’t have the budget to update the worn down metal, at least the earth ghouls had a passion for design and kept the place looking pretty.

Ifrit put a steady hand on their back to help them lean into the bench, moving to kneel in front of them. They tenderly rolled up their pant leg, trying not to graze the rough fabric over their skin just in case he was cut up from the concrete.

There was already a small dark patch on the fabric of their knee, a small amount of blood already starting to dry around the wound once ifrit got zephyrs leg exposed.

“Wisp, this looks bad, you really shouldn’t be walking around on this”

Zephyrs knee was skinned. Ifrit was being a tad dramatic but there was some truth in what he was saying, for zephyr of all ghouls, trying to get around on an injury would only make their life much worse.

“Then how will I get back”

“I’ll carry you, you know that”

They did. They assumed that would be the answer even if it made them feel bad everytime for being a burden for ifrit to deal with, but he always seemed happy, taking joy in the act of care so they didn’t protest.

Ifrit tucked his arm under their legs. Lifting them up bridal style. Zephyr held onto their cane and put their head on his shoulder as ifrit carried them like they weighed practically nothing. Even if zephyr usually didn’t like it, ifrit still cherished the moment to be so close, for zephyr to let him take care of them.

Once they reached their door Zeph grabbed the knob to open it, instinctively knowing what to do considering this happens more often than they’d care to admit. It took one time of struggling early after they were summoned for zephyr to realize that it was best if they helped instead of ifrit nearly dropping them.

Ifrit delicately sat them on the side of their bathtub, making sure they were steady before rummaging through their cabinet for the first aid supplies. Sadly, with a clumsy fire ghoul and an ill air ghoul these situations happened decently often, and ifrit was trained in what to do.

“You should take your pants off zeph” ifrit threw out casually

“Any reason for that wildfire? Trying to patch me up or make me easy access?” Zeph giggled, already pushing down their pants. Their boxers were cute, decorated with white clouds like a typical air ghoul. Ifrit can’t help but love them even more with nerdy little details like that.

“Hush and brace yourself, I gotta wipe it off”

Ifrit tried to lightly graze over the wound with a washcloth while zephyr hissed and grabbed the side of the tub. It was just water but his skin was still tender and sore.

“It’s ok, you’re doing great wisp” ifrit whispered, grabbing the gauze and a bandage. He put a light layer of an antiseptic on it before covering his knee, punctuating the procedure with a small kiss to the side of his leg.

“All better?”

“Thank you doctor ifrit” zephyr laughed offering their hand for ifrit to help them stand up. They looked up at him, admiration in their eyes wondering how they got lucky evening to have him.

“Would you mind if I kissed you wildfire?”

“I never mind if you kiss me darling” ifrit leaned down, placing his hand on the side of zephyrs face while they smiled into it.

[janovavalen]

okay i apologize if you need specific prompts because i am TERRIBLE at those but grover underwood hurt/comfort?? I ADORE YOUR WRITING BTW AND I AM ECSTATIC THAT YOU WRITE FOR GROVER 🫶🫶🫶🫶🫶 TY FOR DOING THIS REQUEST IF YOU DO!!!!!

a/n: hii!! n ofc omg yes i’m writing for my bby grover i don’t see enough of him so ofc IMMA BE THE ONE TO STEP UP! but nah lemme stop THANK YOUUU ILL PUBLISH THIS LITERALLY SO FAST OKAY!?

✧HERE FOR YOU || grover underwood x fem!reader

summary: one morning when y/n woke up she remembers it’s the anniversary of her father’s disappearance and grover can’t sit around and endure her pain any longer.

word count: 1242!

warnings: hurt/grief, family lose, sad reader for a bit, fluff and comfort because grover is such a a pure baby AHHH

the day had fallen to darkened as the camp was well off to sleep, the cabins shut and closed with the half blood resting behind doors.

grover himself being one of them, he slept peacefully in his the with his blanket pulled over his head to hide his body and face from the world outside of this comfortable bed. snoring a he dreamed of endless things, grover suddenly held his body being softly shaken.

opening his eyes to be met with darkness he suddenly heard—‘grover?’ the soft and slightly shaky voice mumbled. he hurried to take the blanket from up and over his head as he saw y/n, someone who had just recently been let into camp half blood and so happens to be in cabin ten, daughter of persephone.

grover learned that y/n was very quiet, reserved, always on end and very beautiful…not to be oblivious—all of the aphrodite’s children were beautiful. but y/n had a different type of beauty, one that seemed to only speak to him, only for him to cherish and understand.

sitting up in a hurry he was quick to softly grab onto y/n’s hand that was left behind on his blanket—‘y/n? what’s the matter? why are you awake so late? is everything okay?’ he rushed to asked. he found himself rushing to check her form and face for any marks and bruises and was relieved when he saw none.

she was also quick to sooth his worries—‘yes everything is okay, it’s just…i can’t sleep and i—i just wanted to talk to someone…i had a nightmare and i know it’s sounds stupid but—‘

‘no, no, never. i promise you, anything you think and say is not stupid so please don’t think of yourself like that…what is it? what’s the matter?’ he sat up and out of his bed. grover held onto y/n’s softer hand into his own. his usually tamed curls now wild from his previous sleeping state.

‘can we take a walk please?’ she looked down at his brown eyes as she found herself chewing onto her thumb nail, her rings decorating her fingers that shined in the dark room around them.

‘yes, yes of course’ grover was quick and ready to stand by her side as she gave him a soft smile, pulling him with her, he followed close behind.

ㆍ୨୧ㆍ

as the two of them walked into the darkness of the forest that was glistening and glowing from the light of the moon that laid right above the trees, grover and y/n’s hand never left one another as they walked together.

grover would occasionally move his thumb in a soothing and general manner to hope and help further ease her once tense state that she showed back in the cabin.

grover was probably one to admit himself that he was utterly hopelessly devoted to y/n with no denial and no doubt. he found himself hooked to her the second she flashed that beautiful smile of hers and her joyful laugh that rang throughout the camp itself. nobody had a laugh like that in all of his years of living, and none of them could compare to hers.

the moon had perfectly shined down onto her figure as they walked hand in hand. her mother must have known she was out and about right now and blessed her with her presence. the moonlight perfectly shapes itself around y/n’s hair and body. the light of the moon prompting her face features he found alluring.

once they finally found a nice patch of grass to sit and rest, y/n pulled him down slowly to sit across from her as he watched her every move. she gave him a small smile and looked off to the distance where was shown an open view of the lake and rocks below.

‘so…beautiful night right?’ he mumbled trying to uplift to quiet but comfortable atmosphere.

y/n smiled and nodded—‘yes very. it may have been a sign to why i couldn’t sleep tonight.’ she quieted down once more and looked grover into his eyes.

he scooted husnelf closer to her and cleared his throat—‘so..what was it you wanted to tell me back there? i don’t mean to produce, of course! you don’t need to tell me anything i just…y’know. want to know your okay’ he tried to execute his seemingly pushy tone and attitude but she only smiled and shook her head.

‘no i know, and it’s not like that—you're not like that. but yeah uhm…i had a nightmare’ she looked down at the grass while she picked it with worry and he took this as a sign to grab her hand in comfort and hold it.

y/n gave a shaky breath and continued—‘in the nightmare…it was my dad, again. he was drowning or something and he looked like he was in pain? he looked like he couldn’t breath…and when i tried to get to him he just…vanished? i don’t know? i swam and swam to get to him. i tried and tried but i couldn’t breath. then someone came into my dream and told me to give up on things that i can’t have ... .and i just, woke up.’

she felt her eyes swell and tears grow to the brim, y/n let out another shaky breath before looking away from grover as she shook her head in denial.

‘grover what could that mean? y’know? what…what if what that thing said in my dream was tellin me nothing is for me? what if the thing is telling me that people i know and love will somehow disappear forever? what if i never find my dad? i—‘

‘hey, hey hey wait—slow down okay? breath…just breath’ he instructed y/n who was hyperventilating as quick as her words. her voice shaky and her tears dropping from her eyes. shaking her head she felt herself cry a bit more and he immediately embraced her, his arms locked around her as she held him just as tight.

‘it’s okay, it’s okay…just breath.’ he told her once more. his breath low and comforting. she did as he told and she felt her heart slow down to its original rhythm, the close proximity of the two of them gave her the ability to feel his own heart but feeling it wasn’t enough.

pushing her brody closer to his making him fall back a bit but accepting the way she moved, he saw what she was aiming for and was quick to let her press her ear and cheek against his chest. listening to his heart, she found comfort in this and locked her arms around his frame.

grover, holding her with his own arms and smiling a bit down at her.

‘it’s okay’ he said once more. y/n felt a small tear drop form her eyes as she accepted and nodded to what he said.

‘we’ll find your dad…and i’m not going anywhere. i’m here for you y/n, see?’ he placed his hand on her face and she looked up at his brown eyes that were looking down at her already. her smile became prominent.

‘i’m here’ he said once more. she leaned up and kissed his lips with a soft manner and he felt his face flush with warmth.

‘thank you grover’ she numbed to him. the soft vibrations of his body being felt against her face and chest he mumbled—‘always’

[t3ag3rs]

g e n s o. - 1 5

its a short one yall

you watch him eat quietly before speaking out, 

"so uh.. what time did you end the call yesterday night?" you fiddle with your earring, "when i woke up it said the call only lasted for an hour so.." you trail off glancing at him.

he swallows thickly, "it was nothing-"

you purse your lips, "your lying.." you look at him. "theres something your not saying.."

"fuck off genso. you dont need to know everything" he spat continuing to eat his food.

you widen your eyes, "w-well.. im sorry but- i want to know because out of everyone you chose to call me and actually get along with me yesterday, but for some damn reason today you wanna act like an ass and ignore me!" you exclaim. 

"you did this to me before we even came to UA..! you- you made me promise you to make it to UA so we could be friends again and you just-" you tear up frustrated.

he glances at you quietly before placing his plate down. "dont cry- dammit.." you grunts, running a hand through his untamed hair.

you wipe your tears before they fall, "im not-" you say defensively as you glance the other way.

"genso i-" he starts, "look i didnt go to school today because i was up all night thinking of something- or well someone.." he explains, avoiding eye contact with you.

you widen your eyes, "oh."

should you be feeling... hurt? why did it sting when he said he was thinking of someone? was this normal?

"who..?" you ask, your throat suddenly becoming dry.

he glances up at you before turning back down to his food. "i-" he croaks.

"i dont think she deserves to have someone like me.." he responds. you swear you see his eyes tear up, but dont question it.

"oh kats- bakugou-" you start.

"call me katsuki, not bakugou. weve known each other far too long for you to call me my surname." he mumbles.

"well what happened to that after i finished middle school" you mumble a bit harshly. you turn away from him lowly.

"genso. i didnt want distractions- i had to make it in for u-" he stops abruptly as he admits it.

you widen you eyes and snap your head to him. "for me..?" you ask softly. he grumbles nodding slightly, "oh.. well- even if you meant no harm, you couldve said something you know? it really sucked if im being honest..." you admit rubbing your arm.

"i know.. i kinda fucked up the execution.." he chuckles.

you nod, "yea.." you say agreeing with a small smile, "but uh- ill call you katsuki i guess.. i can understand why you did it.. i kinda got into UA for our promise too.." you admit quietly.

he cant help but smirk slightly, "oh?" 

you smack his arm, "hush- now tell me who the girl is" u say with a tiny smile.

he curses lowly staring at the food before placing it down and turning to you. you adjust to face him too.

"oh for fucks sake.." he pauses, "genso- no- y/n... i-" he tears up.

you widen your eyes. he called you by your actual name.

"y/n.. i dont know how to tell you this- and this may come off as forward or quick but, i fucking cant stop thinking about you." he says blinking his eyes causing tears to roll down.

"i dont know what to do anymore because it physically hurts me to think of you a-and- im scared you hate me. i feel like you deserve someone so much better then me-" he sobs slightly.

your heart lurches at the sight and suddenly you wrap your arms around his shoulders, bringing him close to your chest. "dont." you say softly, cutting him off. 

his body shakes against yours as he buries his face in your neck. you rub his back softly, "katsuki.. weve been friends since we were in kindergarten.. yes, we have had our rough patches, but who doesnt?" 

you pause bringing his face up and wiping his tears, "i dont hate you, if anything i like you so much it frustrates me." you admit.

he looks up at you, "really..?" 

you nod, "really. how can i hate my best friend..?" you ask softly with a small smile.

he grabs your hands that are on his face and bring them down to press a soft kiss on the palm of your hand. "promise?" he mumbles into your hand.

you chuckle,

"promise katsuki.."

previous parts: pt. 0 0 / pt. 0 1 / pt. 02 / pt. 03 / pt. 04 / pt. 05 / pt. 06 / pt. 07 / pt. 08 / pt. 09 / pt. 10 / pt. 11 / pt. 12 / pt. 13 / pt. 14 next part: your all caught up for now!

☆taglist! @katszumi @coolgirl458 @niktwazny303 @twinnintwink @froggybich @friedmagazineprincess @itztaki

[petitemistletoe]

Hate

Pairing: James Potter x Reader, James Potter x Regulus Black

Warnings: smut, some homophobia (sorry)

Word Count: 2.1K

A/N: Please request more from the marauders era please!!

“He’s staring at you again,” you commented, barely looking up from your book as you adjusted your position so your head was sat more comfortably in your boyfriend’s lap. James stared down at you and sighed. 

“He doesn’t stare at me. He’s probably staring at you.”

“I’ve seen his eyes follow you, James. It’s not me he stares at.” You were talking about Regulus Black, who was also laying in the grass on the other side of the courtyard and pretending to listen to whatever shit Barty Crouch was spewing. 

You noticed that Regulus would stare at James any time he saw him from Regulus’s first year at Hogwarts. You initially assumed it was because James was Sirius’s best friend and young Regulus would have done nearly anything to seek his older brother’s approval. Even when it became clear that Sirius was not going to give any such approval, Regulus continued to stare. You certainly couldn’t blame Reg, James was gorgeous. His sharp jawline, his easy laugh, his arms strong from Quidditch, his skin beautifully tanned from all the time he spent outside. And most of all his infectious kindness. Those were all the reasons you had fallen for him. But James couldn’t see it. Or wouldn’t. 

James was ready to rebut your statement when Remus and Sirius flopped down next to you on the grass. 

“What’ve you two been up to?” Peter asked, taking stock of the boys’ pink cheeks. You had almost forgot that Peter was there. He more often than not third wheeled you and James, saying it was far preferable to third wheeling Remus and Sirius. You suspected it was more so because James was far too polite to tell Peter to fuck off. 

“Took a walk,” Remus said at the same time as Sirius said, 

“Had a quickie by the lake.” 

You burst out laughing as Remus turned a deep shade of red and punched Sirius’s shoulder. 

“What the fuck happened to discretion?” Remus snapped.

“It’s alright, Remus. James and I had a quickie by the lake earlier today too,” you grinned. It was James’s turn to blush and he stammered, 

“You and Sirius are animals.”

You and Sirius laughed and high-fived. Your jovial attitude was apparently ill received as the younger Black stood from his patch of grass and stalked over to you all. Sirius immediately shot to his feet, as did Remus to hold him back. 

“What the fuck do you want, Regulus?” Sirius asked coldly, his head held high in order to look down on his younger brother. The sun seemed to glint off of Regulus’s sharp cheekbones as he sneered, 

“I’ve heard a rumor about you, Sirius.”

“I’ve heard one about you.” Sirius said, his eyes flashing dangerously. You and James were on your feet now too, anticipating the incoming storm that could only occur between Regulus and Sirius Black 

“I’ve heard things about you and Lupin.” Regulus said, narrowing his eyes as he looked Remus up and down. 

“What kind of things?” Remus asked, his hand still firm against Sirius’s chest. 

“I’ve heard you two are in a relationship.” Regulus hissed. 

“We are.” Sirius said simply, grabbing Remus’s face and kissing him deeply. Regulus looked gobsmacked. 

“You-you’re going to hell!” Regulus stammered. 

“I heard you’re a death eater,” Sirius said, grabbing Regulus’s arm quickly and tearing his sleeve up to reveal the dark mark, “so I guess I’ll see you there.” 

Sirius then turned cooly on his heel and stalked back towards the castle, hand firmly in Remus’s. You all followed, you turned back only once to see that Regulus was glowering at you and James. 

“He’s staring at you again.” You nudged James. You were at dinner this time, two days later and James was still upset about the situation with Sirius and Regulus. 

“I just don’t get how he could say that to you!” James was saying to Sirius. “It’s just…it’s so intolerant! So homophobic! It’s terrible!” 

“He’s Regulus. I don’t know why you’re surprised. Honestly went better than I thought. Thought he was gonna hex me or something,” Sirius said with a shrug. 

“Yeah Prongs, newsflash. People are homophobic.” Remus clearly wasn’t torn up about it either.

“James! He’s staring at you again.” You repeated, tugging on James’s sleeve. James turned to look at Regulus. Sure enough he was staring and once James looked over, Regulus blushed and dropped his head. 

“Just forget about him.” Sirius suggested, “We have.”

James couldn’t let it go. You and him were on a late night walk, trying to find some place in the castle you could hook up in. Sirius and Remus had claimed the dorm room and exiled Peter to the common room. Marlene had Yaz in the girl’s room and Lily would have had your head if you had even tried to bring James there. He was still stewing as you walked. 

“Regulus is just so awful to Sirius. And he knows better. He should know better. I just hate him so much and I’d honest to god kill him if I knew that Sirius wouldn’t be a little cross with me about it.” James was ranting. You had finally found a classroom that wasn’t locked and you pulled James into it. 

“James, baby, please. Stop talking about Regulus. God, I almost feel like you want him more than you want me.” You said with an eye roll. 

“What?”

“You haven’t stopped talking about for two entire days. You honestly sound like you want to hate fuck him.”

“What the hell is wrong with you?” James looked appalled. 

“Just saying. Hate and love are really close emotions. It makes sense that you would be a little confused about it.”

“Confused? What the fuck could you mean?”

“James. Haven’t you noticed that the entire time you ranted about Regulus you’ve gotten harder and harder?” You looked down at James’s pants which were practically tented with how strong James’s erection was. James was surprised at this and shook his head.

“Channel this energy,” you said, holding his face in your hands, “and fuck me really really hard.” You smashed your lips against his. He resisted at first before giving and and kissing you back. It was toothy and intense and you think James might have bit you a few times but it was delicious and it was different. Your clothes were coming off and were being thrown in every direction. James had you backed onto a desk as he was fumbling with his belt buckle, his lips still on yours when you heard the door to the classroom creak open. 

“Fuck,” you cursed, crossing your arms over your chest and turned to see who had spoiled your fun. When you saw it, you couldn’t help but giggle. 

It was Regulus Black. 

“What the fuck do you want?” James barked, pulling his belt out of the loops and unzipping his pants. You were a little confused as to why he wasn’t stopping but you weren’t any less turned on. 

“I’m,” Regulus had to clear his throat, “I’m doing prefect rounds. I ought to give you a detention. What are you even doing?” Regulus was walking slowly towards James. 

“Hi Reg,” you said, leaning up on your elbows so Regulus could see you. Regulus froze in place when he saw you and scowled. 

“Oh, a hundred points from Gryffindor.” He hissed. 

“You have no authority to do that and you know it.” James growled. 

“Come on Reg, we’re just having a little fun.” You said with a light shrug. 

“Shut the fuck you stupid halfblood.” Regulus snapped. 

“That’s it. Perfectus totalus.” James pointed his wand at Regulus. Regulus went rigid and dropped to the ground. James maneuvered Regulus with his wand so Regulus was sitting in a chair facing the desk you were laid on.

“I’m tired,” James said, raking a hand through his messy hair, “of your bullshit. I know you’re in love with me, Reg. Everyone has noticed you staring at me. But you’re a piece of shit and awful to my best friend and my girlfriend so now you’re going to watch me fuck her brains out.” 

You got even wetter at that. James turned back to you and attacked your neck, leaving large teeth impressions around your neck and clavicle. He pushed two fingers into you, causing you to throw your head back and moan. You kept your eyes open and on Regulus. He was staring at you with a mix of hate and lust, his pupils blown and his fists balled. The hex seemed to be wearing off but he made no indication that he was going to move from his seat. James added another finger inside you and curved them so they brushed against your g-spot. You moaned again, grasping James’s wrist and fucking yourself on his fingers. James was moaning with you, obviously extra turned on by the situation. He pressed his thumb against your clit and began moving it in quick small circles and you came, moaning James’s name and carding your fingers in his hair. He kissed you again before taking his cock out and helping you off the desk. He turned so he was facing Regulus and pushed your head down towards his cock. You took the hint and started to suck him off, relaxing your jaw and gently massaging his balls with your free hand. You looked up at him but James’s eyes were fixated on Regulus. James had his hand on the back of your head and he pushed your head suddenly against him. Your gag reflect instantly activated and you were gagging and spitting around him but you noticed that James barely seemed to care and then you heard Regulus moan. James released you and you fell backwards, breathing heavily and looked between the two boys. You were right. They did need to hate fuck but you had a feeling that wouldn’t happen tonight. Tonight, James wanted to punish Regulus. Make him a voyeur. 

James grabbed your arm roughly and pushed you back onto the desk. He kissed you deeply and you could tell he felt a little bad about how rough he was being but one quick finger to your pussy and he would have seen that all it did was make you wetter. James pushed inside you. You moaned loudly, locking eyes with Regulus. Regulus’s erection was straining against his pants and his nails were digging into his palms. There were beads of sweat forming on his forehead.

“He’s so big, Regulus,” you whispered as James fucked you. You were getting close and so was James. His thrusts were getting sloppier and his breath was heavy on your neck. 

“He feels so good, Reg,” you said again.

“Shut up,” Regulus said through clenched teeth. That got James’s attention as his head snapped up and looked back at Regulus. You came around James’ cock, moaning loudly and raking your nails down James’s back. James pulled out of you before he came and stared hard at Regulus.

“Come here,” he said, practically vibrating with rage, “and suck my girlfriend’s juices off my cock.”

You could only stare at Regulus as he stood on shaky legs and walked over to James. He fell to his knees and stared up at James with wide eyes before taking James in his mouth. James’s eyes shut and he carded his fingers in Regulus’s hair before pushing Regulus’s head down on his cock roughly. Regulus’s eyes shot open in surprise and he gagged, his fingers pressing bruises into James’s thighs. 

“Don’t stop, I’m going to cum.” James commanded. Regulus’s eyes were tearing up but he was nodding and opening his mouth even wider for James. James came and Regulus was caught by surprise swallowing some of it but backing away too quickly so his face and hair were coated the remainder of James’s cum. 

Everyone took a moment just to steady their breathing before James looked down at Regulus and said in the coldest voice you had ever heard from him, 

“Don’t you ever call my girlfriend a dirty half blood or tell my best friend he’s going to hell again. Now get out of my sight.”

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

the shroud parents

Okay, so I’ve been thinking about this for a while 🤔: “Why are the Shroud parents so warm and loving when the impression we had of them from Idia are so... negative?” And then I realized it’s very obviously because CHARACTERS CAN BE UNRELIABLE NARRATORS.

Like. That does NOT mean that what happened to the characters didn’t actually happen. The events very obviously DID happen as described (especially as it pertains to post-OB flashbacks), but it’s how the characters tell the information that paints the perception of events and how certain elements are presented or omitted entirely.

***Content warning: I briefly mention a few dark topics under the cut (including suicidal ideation and depression) and link to a related post on those topics!!***

As an example, let’s look at the Shroud parents. Idia previously described his grandma and dad as being very gloomy and negative people. He also says his parents as being the types to value results over their children’s feelings. We also notably do not see Mr. or Mrs. Shroud in Idia’s backstory flashback when he was going through a difficult patch of coping with Ortho’s death. This all led to us having an impression that the Shroud parents were cold, distant, calculating, and just overall not very good parents. Then we meet the parents in book 7 and Mrs. Shroud is SUPER bubbly, and both parents readily welcome Ortho as an official member of the family. It’s a huge juxtaposition which completely recontextualizes the information Idia previously gave us.

Idia is Mr. Doom and Gloom, a huge pessimist. It could be possible that he was greatly exaggerating elements of his parents’ personalities, usually when it pertains to them asking him to do something he doesn’t want to (ie pulling him out of school to research on his classmates). Alternatively, it’s implied that he barely left his room for two years following Ortho’s death. The lack of the Shroud parents in Idia’s flashback could indicate that as their own method of coping, they distanced themselves or they gave Idia space to heal on his own. Or maybe Idia was even the one who actively shut his parents out? It’s extremely possible, especially given that there are theories floating around that Idia’s memories and thoughts are greatly impacted by grief, depression, and/or suicidal ideation.

This makes me kind of want to go back and reevaluate all the other OB boys’ flashbacks and see just how much of the information could have been colored by the bias and the perspectives of the storytellers 🤔 POV actually adds a LOT to whatever is being told!! Like you can tell in Riddle’s flashback that even though he now knows his mom’s parenting has fucked him up, he doesn’t appear to hold any ill will toward her. He’s moreso confused and unsure how to proceed, feelings which are perfectly encapsulated by Riddle asking why his chest still hurts, even though he has followed every rule his mom has set for him. As a result, Riddle is shown to be a lot more hesitant and charitable to his mother compared to other people.

Interestingly, fans are quick to bypass Riddle’s own neutral telling of his story and demonize his mother (I think maybe because his circumstances are more relatable?), whereas with Idia he tells us the worst of his parents and it paints our ideas about the Shroud parents in accordance with Idia’s telling.

I also wonder if the fandom’s assumption that Leona’s whole country despises him or that Azul’s mom didn’t know about him being bullied is true at all??? Because if you think about it, Leona’s flashbacks only ever depicted palace servants talking badly about him, which are not representative of all of the Sunset Savanna. We don’t meet locals that speak badly of Leona in his hometown event either??? Then for Azul’s flashback, you can’t really take omission of information as confirmation of anything.

This line of thought also applies for the information the boys relay to us; how much of it is embellished or slightly altered in order to project a certain outward image to their peers? Especially considering how NRC is teeming with (mob) students ready to pounce on you if you seem weak??? It’s really interesting stuff to think about.

[darkbluekies]

Silas asks #3

Previous one Next one

Concept: I've put multiple asks into one post to avoid too much loose posts on my account! This way, you have more to read too<3

Warnings: a little nswf indication, death, indication of suicide, torture,

— ☁️ SILAS AND HEDWIG...! i also thought of them 😌 yanderes that are ruthless to everyone but has a soft side for their darling >>> silas reminds me of a huge teddy bear tbh 😓 he's probably so touchy if only you allow him to. grrr... the thought of sitting on his lap and snuzzling on his chest 😡

Omg yes he does :(( He's so addicted to you, never keeping his hands to himself. He doesn't care if it's only holding your hand or making you his, he loves to be close. Sitting on his lap and cuddling into his chest would be the death of him. Oh, he'd love it so much :((

— Y'know the urge to draw silas is cat ears is something brewing maybe even adding hedwig and jerry (small chance for dr.kry but its still there) to the list who knows not sure to go with my demons or nah

NO. SHOO. LEAVE. NO KITTY EARS ON SILAS

— How would Silas feel about a motherly type of darling? When he comes home from missions injured she absolutely insists on attending his wounds. And when he's sick, she takes care of him, nursing him back to health. She can't just stand by and watch someone else suffer after all!

He'd love it so much! He'd fall for you so badly. If you had any chance to escape before, now there's none. He'll watch over you like a hawk. He knows he doesn't deserve a kind soul like you, but he's so selfish that he'll keep you for himself.

"Thank you so much, baby, but, ouch, you shouldn't ... shouldn't do this. You shouldn't patch me up. I know you want to take care of me, but that's my job! I should take care of you, baby. Not the other way around. But ... thank you so much ... I love you."

— I just read your peice about attempting to escape Silas, and AHHHH Silas REALLY pisses me off!!!.......... And that's how you know you have a very well written villain!!! I thoroughly enjoyed reading that, and can't wait to read more in the future! Keep up the good work (⁠◠⁠‿⁠・⁠)⁠—⁠☆~🥀

haha thank you so much!! there will be more of Silas stupid behaviour in the future, don't you worry!

— What would happen if reader died or became seriously ill after Silas puts them in the basement for a while?

He'll be so sad and regret everything he's ever done. If you survive, he'll be much, much more careful. He'll never do that again. He nearly lost you! Silas can't imagine a life without you.

But if you died ... he'd break apart.

— Gosh seeing how Silas reacted to darling being sick. But like when it comes to me. I can alread imagine how he would be. Cause my immune system sicks I get sick easily...Then there's the fact that I'm clumsy af, I always have random bruises or cuts and don't notice them until I'm in the bath.

Silas would be in constant stress, my friend. You'd give him a heart attack.

— When Silas says he's gonna torture us as punishment at the end of "You Can't Hide From Me" What kind of torture? Like physical, psychological, etc?

I wanted to leave that up to the readers interpretation, but I thought maybe some kind of psychological. When he says that he'll make them know only him, he'll break them down until they don't remember anything but him. He'll destroy them.

— Oh, I’m going to torture you. Badly. What did Silas do to us?

...next question.

— What is Silas’ body count?

Let's say around ten. He's been out and about, tried different things here and there, but nowadays, he only wants you. And he makes sure you know that with how far beyond he'll take you :]

— How many people has Silas killed?

Maybe around thirty? He does half the dirty work himself and half he sends out his men to do.

[crushedsweets]

neeed to hear the context behind ur most recent art. please enlighten us

you guys dont even know how excited i get when someone asks smth like this abt my art or headcanons or au.

i actually wrote liek a fucking essay oh my god im so sorry anon ill have the actual drawing context after the big bolded caps

TW for typical creepypasta story type stuff

anyway ok UNNECESSARY BACKSTORY: liu spent a long time trying to just psychologically recover from everything. he hated jeff and he hated the memory of everything. jeff signature murders would occur every now and again, each time liu would fall into a deep depression. the murders stopped for a while, and everyone believed jeff 'retired' or died. liu was conflicted about it. until Jeff committed his final full-blown 'jeff fashion' murder (janes family) in tuscaloosa alabama. liu had another breakdown and ended up moving to tuscaloosa because he was completely convinced he needed to find jeff again because he could fix it (or die trying and he'd be fine with that too)

nina was always one of those girls obsessed with 'true crime' but like.... the murderers instead of the cases. she was 12 when jeff's first rampage happened and she just fell head over heels in love with this freak. she began to act out, miss school for days, sneaking out to meet older people, etc etc. eventually she did the classic jeff smile cut into her face(she pussied out on making it like jeffs, so she has cleaner, less noticeable scars) . she started getting severely bullied (for being creepy and worshipping a literal murderer) and her parents sent her to live with her grandparents in mississpi. she started stalking liu through social media and whitepages when jeff was presumed dead. but eventually, jeff's final murder happened in alabama(a state away from her) and after turning 18, she ran away to go find jeff convinced he would 'save her' from the life she created for herself. nina got wrapped up in slenderman business because of her constant Tom Foolery. she met her idol

JEFF IS A BAD PERSON IN EVERY SENSE OF THE WORD. he did a beautiful job in using his #1 fangirl and enjoying the worship. she scrambled for pennies to afford an apartment, she'd sleep on the couch if he wanted to use her bed, she's ride her bike hours to go get weed or something from rando drug dealers that give better deals to pretty girls, make him food, do his damn laundry, literally anything and everything bc THATS HER MAAANNNNN (no he isnt.)

jeff DOES NOT GIVE A FUUUCK about everything nina does for him . one day he finds her trying to creepily get into contact with liu (and liu actually responded) and he loses his shit and stabs her and goes on and on about how 'you ruined your own useless fucking life your family is never going to take you back you did this to yourself' etc. he didn't intend to kill her only cuz he knew she'd forgive him and he liked all the shit she gave him

NOW ABOUT THE DRAWING ITSELF:::::

afterwards nina gets patched up from jeff stabbing her, she has some weird 'liu will save me' spiral (not romantically just in a very literal 'he can fix this' way). liu's been on his own spiral since finding out jeffs alive which is the only reason he even gave nina the time of day. eventually she ends up at his house to 'talk about jeff' bc she sent him creepy pics proving she knew jeff yadayadayada.

im not sure the exact conversation i imagined for the drawing, BUT liu eventually says something that sets nina off and she tears at her stitches and breaks down and drips blood all over his kitchen talking about 'I CAN MAKE HIM LOVE ME AGAIN I JUST NEED YOUR HELP PLEAAASEEEE' or something.

liu's a good man, much to his own detriment, and can't help but comfort this kid who's bleeding and crying in his kitchen at the fault of his own brother. he's all too familiar with wanting to repair his relationship with jeff, despite the amount of rage, betrayal, misery, etc he felt at jeffs hands. he doesn't ACTUALLY want to reconnect with jeff, but it's a very deep internal longing for the baby brother he once had that VERY RARELY overshadows his hatred

i want to reaffirm that liu does not feel positively about jeff at all, does not want to see him, and only moved to alabama b/c of a long ass mental health crises and is now too wrapped up in new financial commitments(plus jane) to move again. and now he feels obligated to help nina

he just misses being a big brother :( not so much the jeff part

also none of this at all is shipping at all i am terrified at the idea of people taking anything romantically . even if nina is in 'love' with jeff its purely for the story/horror . ITS ALL REALLY BAD

[itookyoudown]

coming in with givenson for the ask game with the numbers 8, 10, 19, 14, and 48!

What happens if one of them gets sick?

Illness is a huge example of both Raylan and Tim's mutually stubborn nature rearing its ugly head. Both of them would rather chew off his own arm than pick up the phone to make a damn doctor's appointment. Both of them will push through it and only call out when they're sent home from work or they've gotten to the point where they're a danger to themselves or others in the field.

Raylan likes being cooed and pampered and cared for + cuddled when he's sick, but he hates asking for it even if he wants it more than anything. No lie, having Tim check in on him, preparing his medicine and serving him soup and getting him a wet washcloth reminds him of how his mama look care of him when he was sick. It makes him feel loved.

Lucky for Raylan, Tim's really good at doting caretaking like that since acts of service is his love language. Though he can spoil it a lil by being mouthy while Raylan is suffering lol.

Even when they're both sick as a dog, I can't see them not giving each other shit even while they're being nice.

Tim's less inclined to accept caretaking and it takes him being REALLY sick to accept Raylan making him food or doing the tidying around the house. Tim is the type of person that keeps a "sick box" for himself that has everything he needs pre-prepared for suddenly falling sick. Tim's too used to taking care of himself and doesn't expect anyone else to do it for him, so he struggles letting Raylan take over.

Tim's the type to live out on the couch while he's sick. He just wants to watch cartoons until his body stops trying to kill him.

Describe their first date.

Their first proper date, not just a drunken hookup, would absolutely be the shooting range followed by lunch. They'd go to an indoor shooting range and only shoot their pistols because Tim would joke he doesn't want Raylan thinking he's "some type of slut" by going to the rifle range on the first date. Probably burgers and fries or sandwiches and chips. Raylan, of course, orders them ice cream too as they leave and they'll eat it in Tim's vehicle because it's roomier. Tim will, of course, blow Raylan in the backseat.

"And here I was behavin' like the gentleman under an assumption you weren't the slutty kind," Raylan will grin like the cat getting the cream.

"I ain't that type of slut," Tim will drawl, "but I am this type of slut."

How do they feel about PDA?

Raylan loves it so long as he's not in a place or among people that are going to give him shit for it. He'll refrain from it if he feels it isn't safe or if he's somewhere that he's going to get in trouble if he flashes his firearm at someone looking to commit a hatecrime. Handholding, slipping his arm around Tim's shoulder, pulling his waist, quick kisses, etc. Raylan loves all that shit. He relishes touching Tim in public and showing everyone this is his boy.

Tim? Not so much. He can't let his guard down or stop himself from thinking the worst. He doesn't even stand too close to Raylan in the grocery store least someone notices they're a couple. Tim's only truly fine with PDA after he's had a few drinks and they're in someplace like a gay bar.

Who's the better driver?

See, they both would argue it's Raylan but that's just because Raylan drives faster. Tim's actually the better driver and does most of their driving for them. He has a the better mindset for it. Though when he's going through a rough patch with his PTSD it's the first practical daily skill that goes out the window. Tim gets too nervous and hyper-vigilant behind the wheel and won't trust himself to drive anymore. So while Tim might be better, he's not reliable to always be good to drive.

Also as awful as it is of them but let's be real about who they are even if it's illegal and stupid ... Raylan is absolutely the best drunk driver between them.

(obligatory OTP asks meme)

[horsegirlcahir]

okay well. @nothingbutvainfantasy this is probably not at all what you wanted but i had feelings about cahir and also about horses and also about cahir and horses.

Dheran catches him.

It's a stupid thing, foolish and childish, a shameful reason to be brought before his grandfather. Dheran doesn't tell their father then, and Cahir never knows if he ever tells him; Ceallach goes along with the old ways as expected in public, but inside his own home, his wife's Northern influence holds more sway.

It isn't that Dheran is trying to get him into trouble. Cahir knows that. He's only trying to help. In Nilfgaard, only children and girls name their animals, not soldiers.

("Llwyna," he had said, trying the name out, foreign and strange in his mouth, for Nilfgaardian comes from the Elder Speech but he is seven years old and only just beginning to grasp their differences. The filly had snorted and nudged her head into the hand stroking her velvety nose, nuzzling into his palm. Dheran had been in the stables. Cahir hadn't seen him, hadn't been paying attention.)

Gruffyd aep Dair, huge in his intensity, summons him to his sitting-room, asks him what it means - she-fox, Cahir says very quietly, hands behind his back, she's red, like a she-fox - and praises him on his knowledge of the Elder Speech. The little chestnut is gone by morning, and her stall remains empty until spring.

Cahir pretends not to notice, and when the reins of a mouse-grey yearling are handed to him as the weather begins to grow warm, he never once says her name - Dryw, he thinks, like the ones that nest outside the kitchens - aloud.

-----

He takes the black stallion out of stubbornness and spite at twenty-one, because Ifan and Gwilym laugh when he stakes his claim. He's a beautiful creature, well-built and gleaming like jet, without a fleck of white to be seen, with amber-golden eyes the size of apples.

When they take control of the castle and its stables, the beast is ill-tempered and half-mad. The stablemen in this far-flung, forsaken end of the Empire seem to only have known their trade so far as whips are concerned, and the first time Cahir sets a hand on his neck, the stallion very nearly takes a chunk out of his forearm.

If he had sense, he would leave it be; after enough beatings, even a royal mount will accept its new place as a plow-horse, and someone will be able to make use of it. But Ifan and Gwilym and the others are watching -

And the stallion shies away from his hands when he sets a bridle on its brow, quivers faintly when he brushes it down with a handful of straw. He could, he thinks, find another mount that requires less of him, and leave this one to its fate.

He loses the stallion four years later, on Thanedd, with everything else.

-----

The colt dances with terror when he approaches, paying no mind to his soft words or his open, extended hands. Its reins are wrapped around a low-slung tree limb, tied well - no accident - and tell Cahir precisely what happened, as though the colt itself is speaking: they tied me here and never returned, though they said they would. They left me, they left me, they left me.

He isn't a colt, really, Cahir thinks later, watching the horse bury its face in a feedbag that he had backtracked half a mile to take off of a dead man's half-burned wagon, his horses long fled. There's barely anything at the bottom, but the colt gets every crumb and gnaws on the burlap beside. A yearling, or a little under; he still has the gawky, gangly look of a colt, but he's well on his way to his adult size, which Cahir suspects will be quite respectable.

"Where did you come from," he asks quietly, and the colt glances at him sidelong from its patch of mostly-dry grass. "Were you some child's? You're certainly no warhorse."

Despite that, the colt is old enough and large enough to ride; if he had been in his officer's armor, it would be different - but he isn't, and likely won't be again. He'd taken clothes from an overturned carriage barely a mile from where he had been freed from his coffin, ill-fitting but good enough to fit his purposes; they're largely wool and linen, barely noticeable to a horse, and he has very little else that could be a burden.

He'll find tack in the morning, he thinks, stretching out on his newly-pilfered bedroll, luxuriating in his newfound ability to do so, and with luck the colt won't shy from the smell of his dead brethren. A saddle and a bridle - even just a bridle will do in the short term - and something to eat for the both of them. Then they'll catch up with the Witcher, the two of them, together.

Cahir falls into a restless sleep, and when he dreams, he dreams of ashen hair and golden eyes and fire.

[pesterloglog]

Sollux Captor, John Egbert

Page 447-454

SOLLUX: eating a sandwich.

JOHN: what? no, i mean, what are you doing HERE in the meteor?

SOLLUX: i live here.

SOLLUX: its like im fated t0 wind up back at this idi0tic r0ck every c0uple 0f sweeps.

JOHN: i’m... sorry?

JOHN: ...

SOLLUX: real mess y0uve made 0f things 0ut there.

JOHN: yeah, well... we’re trying to fix that now! which is why I need to find my friends!

SOLLUX: kind 0f fucked up y0u guys let this happen t0 begin with.

JOHN: soooo anyway, on the topic of you living here...

JOHN: does roxy know about this???

SOLLUX: why w0uldnt she?

JOHN: huh.

JOHN: umm... how do you know her?

SOLLUX: wh0 d0 y0u think h00ked me up with these sick ass shades and gave me all these ape games.

JOHN: okay, that kind of makes sense, i guess.

JOHN: ...

JOHN: are you guys... close?

SOLLUX: wh0. me and r0xy? i guess. we squad up a c0uple times a week.

SOLLUX: why d0 y0u care?

SOLLUX: y0u w0rried im m0ving in 0n y0ur ex?

JOHN: ...hmm.

SOLLUX: ...

JOHN: hm. hmm. hm.

JOHN: hm? HMMMM.

SOLLUX: what is g0ing 0n here.

JOHN: sorry, i had an answer but then i started actually considering it.

JOHN: am i jealous?

JOHN: hmmm...

SOLLUX: if i tell y0u straight up n0 we arent h00king up will y0u st0p?

JOHN: ...maybe?

SOLLUX: g0ddammit.

SOLLUX: listen.

SOLLUX: c0ming fr0m s0me0ne wh0 has shared breathing space with y0u 0nly 0n 0ccasi0n.

SOLLUX: its 0bvi0us t0 me y0u're n0t supp0sed t0 be the thinking guy.

JOHN: we’ve met before?

SOLLUX: ...

JOHN: ??????

SOLLUX: sigh.

SOLLUX: pirate ship. d0uble eye-patches. girlfriend ascensi0n.

JOHN: :0!

JOHN: double eye patches!

JOHN: i remember you now, you were at mystery jade’s funeral too!

SOLLUX: sure.

JOHN: sorry for not recognizing you.

JOHN: the eye patches are pretty distracting!

JOHN: like every time i see them i have to stop and think...

JOHN: wow... that looks really really stupid!

SOLLUX: yeah.

JOHN: are you still hanging out with that creepy alive girl?

SOLLUX:

SOLLUX: 0n a spiritual level.

JOHN: cool!

JOHN: is ... she also dating roxy?

SOLLUX: what?

SOLLUX: idk.

SOLLUX: i d0nt make it my business t0 keep tabs 0n that.

SOLLUX: im busy.

JOHN: you’re gaming!

SOLLUX: im fucking gaming.

SOLLUX: speaking 0f which...

JOHN: so what were you guys up to before this?

SOLLUX: (what the fuck)

SOLLUX: is there a prer0gative here.

SOLLUX: are y0u spades baiting me right n0w?

JOHN: honestly i don’t know what that means.

JOHN: i suppose...

JOHN: how do i say this...

JOHN: contextually!

JOHN: i always find myself going to a lot of places and meeting all these people but.

JOHN: most of it never matters to me until i’m not doing anything at all.

JOHN: last time that happened it was for ten years!

JOHN: and it only changed because i started talking to people again.

SOLLUX: (i did this t0 myself why did i ask)

JOHN: i guess in gamer terms it's the same as screwing yourself over by not checking every non playable character dialogue box.

JOHN: any one of them could have the clues you need.

SOLLUX:

JOHN: sooooo...

SOLLUX:

JOHN: come on!

SOLLUX: c0me 0n! :B

SOLLUX: die.

JOHN: aw, don’t be like that dude.

JOHN: i promise no more questions after this.

JOHN: do you not want to because it just ...isn't important?

SOLLUX: excuse me.

SOLLUX: my vestigial digits get m0re imp0rtant shit d0ne 0n wednesday nights than y0ur ill dressed b0dy has d0ne y0ur entire life cycle.

SOLLUX: but im n0t g0ing t0 g0 int0 all that because 1. i d0nt kn0w y0u and 2. i d0 n0t respect y0u.

SOLLUX: itll 0nly make y0u feel bad anyways.

JOHN: why would it make me feel bad?

SOLLUX: i can smell it 0n y0u man.

SOLLUX: y0u stink.

JOHN: i stink?

SOLLUX: yeah.

SOLLUX: y0u smell like a guy.

SOLLUX: wh0se never had any bitches.

JOHN: what!

JOHN: i have a son! i have a house full of pictures with him!

JOHN: that is physical proof i have had “bitches” thank you!

SOLLUX: as s0me0ne wh0 has been friends with every w0man y0u are attempting t0 categ0rize int0 this

SOLLUX: i can assure y0u, they were n0t y0ur bitches.

SOLLUX: y0u were theirs.

JOHN: i

JOHN: i was the bitches?

SOLLUX: this was the missing puzzle piece r0xys ex.

SOLLUX: y0ur arc is 0ver.

SOLLUX: y0u can g0 h0me n0w.

JOHN: my home burned down.

SOLLUX: sad.

SOLLUX: y0u kn0w what is tragic th0ugh?

SOLLUX: i have n0t been able t0 play this game the wh0le time because s0me0ne was talking 0ver the s0und.

JOHN: oh!

JOHN: sorry : (

SOLLUX: w0rds d0nt mean much.

SOLLUX: 0nly acti0ns.

JOHN: well, i suppose i left the vriskas waiting long enough...

JOHN: see you eye patches...

SOLLUX: n0t wearing them.

JOHN: or not who knows!

SOLLUX: WAIT.

JOHN: !

SOLLUX: change my game f0r me.

[melisusthewee]

Hi Mel, happy Friday! For Horatio, from the dialogue prompts, how about "It wasn't your fault."? Hope you are inspired!

Thank you for such a great prompt! I really liked being able to focus on Morris as just a solo piece where he's in those awkward young adult years but also getting a chance to do a bit of world building surrounding the ins and outs of the Grand Tourney.

I Want to Be Ser Morris Word Count: 1,124 words Rating: PG for @dadrunkwriting

Ser Horatio Morris never pulled his punches.  He'd been taught that you never swung a fist or bludgeon or any such thing unless you meant it.  That had been a problem the first time he stepped into the melee ring, dressed in piecemeal armour and clutching a blunted hand axe that he knew looked more like a hatchet than anything else.

Which was why he now sat on a patch of grass, his face smeared with sweat and dirt and a vacant expression on his face as a lone elf swept fresh sand to hide the splatter of blood Morris - no, his opponent - had left behind when two healers had dragged the man's lifeless body out of the ring.

Because he never pulled his punches.  Because he didn't know how to.  Because his first opponent had a chip on his shoulder and something to prove, and had taken one look at Morris and his ill-fitting iron that clanked and rattled as he moved, and asked him whose arse he'd buggered to get himself entry and a fancy title.

So Morris had hit him, because wasn't that the point of the melee?  And Morris had made sure to hit him hard to show him that the "ser" had been properly earned.  The strike had been sudden and quick, because Morris had a friend who had taught him that opportunity and surprise were sometimes more important than brute strength.  But in Morris' sudden burst of movement, he had not quite turned the hand axe so the flat edge of the head made impact.  Where he had intended to simply knock the man backwards or perhaps daze him, he had instead cleaved off part of his jaw and left him bleeding in the dirt.

His first tourney.  His first match.  And he'd maimed someone.

At first he thought he'd be arrested or at the very least disqualified.  But while the adjucator blew the horn to end the match, Morris was declared the victor and told to clean up, rest up, and prepare for the next round.  Morris didn't want to move on to the next round.  He wanted to go be sick somewhere and then he thought he very much wanted his mother.

"Your gear will rust if you just let it sit there."  A familiar gravely voice broke through the fog filling Morris' head.  He looked up to see Ser Calanth, his old mentor now even older and somehow smaller than he ought to be.  Morris wasn't used to seeing him out of his jousting armour and down on the ground without a horse.

"Did you see what happened?" Morris asked hesitantly.  If he felt bad for having sliced open a man's face, he knew he was about to feel even worse under the gaze of the man who was practically a second father to him.

"Not many people can say they won their very first match with their very first swing," came the answer.  "I think it could have used a little more showmanship for the crowd's benefit, but you'll get better at that with time."

"You what?"  Morris turned and stared at the old man incredulously.  Was Calanth going blind in his old age?  That could be the only explanation for why he was praising Morris for what he had done.

But Ser Calanth's gaze was as sharp and steady as ever as he looked at Morris.  "People bleed in the melee, lad.  They come away with bruises and cuts and all sorts of injuries.  Half of them don't even have proper armour.  It's why they dull the weapons.  Did you think when you chose to do this that you would go your entire career without hurting anyone?"

"You never did," said Morris.  He'd always thought that Calanth was one of the kinder knights in the joust, perhaps because he didn't have the same drive for glory and fame that so many of the others did.  He'd treated Morris well as a boy which wasn't something every squire in the Grand Tourney could always claim.  Morris had looked up to him, and had grown up wanting to be the sort of knight he felt he was.

Only Morris wasn't very good on a horse and couldn't afford one anyway.  He'd arrived at this year's tourney having borrowed his father's draft horse which was good for ploughing fields and pulling carts but not much else.  He wasn't built for jousting anyways as he'd grown from an average-looking boy into a broad shouldered and stocky young man.  He was made to hit things from on the ground, not atop a horse.  But he hadn't wanted it to be like this.

"I'm sure every man who was knocked off his horse by the impact of my lance would disagree."

Morris knew it was intended to comfort him, but he didn't think their circumstances were the same.

The elf had finished up their sweeping of the sand.  The next two challengers on the list were preparing to square off against one another.  All evidence of Morris' fight was gone.

"You're a good lad, Morris, you always have been," said Calanth after a time, "but you're a soft one too.  We're all here performing various kinds of blood sport for entertainment.  When your opponent bleeds, it isn't your fault.  It's his for not being quicker or smarter."

When Morris didn't say anything, Calanth added, "You can always quit if you want.  It's a choice to be here and you can go back home if being a farmer is what you prefer.  You should be making this choice for yourself, not because you feel you owe me."

Morris looked up at that, frowning slightly.  He had wanted knighthood for years.  He was grateful to Ser Calanth for the education he provided and the allowance he had always been able to bring home to his parents, but that wasn't why he was here.  Squiring had been a job, no different than all the work he'd done on his father's pig farm.  But Morris had kept at it because he had decided long ago that he wanted very much to become a knight instead of a farmer.  He'd seen other boys grow up and disappear from the tourney either because they weren't good enough or didn't want it.  But Morris wasn't one of them.  He wanted to be here, he wanted to fight and drink and be a knight.  He just hadn't expected it to feel like this.

"I don't want to be a farmer," he said softly.  "I want to be Ser Morris."

"Do you?" asked Ser Calanth.

"Yes," said Morris, and then more firmly, "yes, more than anything."

"On your feet then, lad, and get yourself watered.  There are more matches to come."

[system-of-a-feather]

Trauma Talk 'n Shit

(TW: Neglect, Resource Scarcity)

Okay so like, a thing that really caught me off guard a while ago in therapy was our therapist asking what trauma I held was (with the qualifiers that its cool if not and that he didnt want to press and shit) and I honestly couldn't answer immediately cause honestly? I forgot 😂

Like I have some obvious ones that on paper are "traumatic" experiences but aren't really Trauma in reference to me as a part (the whole situation with my dad, the whole situation with my oldest sister) cause it just really isn't felt or experienced as anything I'd consider distressing or even disruptive to my life - at least to points in reference to other shit. Like, these days I reflex respond with how I've thrown my dad on his ass so many times, but thats registered as a fun proud moment for me. Parentification tends to be another one if I sit on it longer, but eh, thats not something that I would say really "hurt" me much

And yet I have always been sitting on and claiming the title trauma holder and I OBVIOUSLY am a very trauma adaptive individual and I remember said trauma set a large foundation of my early self and world views - and there I sat, drawing a non-dissociative blank on what my trauma was cause I genuinely forgot cause its genuinely been such a non-issue for like two years.

It's only now that I was able to actually like go "OH RIGHT THAT" and then go "oh yeah that used to really hurt XIV 1.0 back when I was just him and dude coped with so much vitrol and aggression" and - at least one of the top two things XIV 1.0 was formed for - was to compete for resources with our middle sister.

Growing up our parents fostered an EXTREMELY competitive dynamic between the two of us and often when it got down to it, food, comfort, safety and shelter was rewarded to the 1) most excelling and/or 2) loudest and most stressful party and/or 3) the party that was the hardest to make quiet / give up on what they needed

And so largely to cope with that and survive that environment XIV 1.0 was EXTREMELY bad at taking any form of a "no" or much of any forms of neglect from anything and anyone he held respect for, was EXTREMELY loud and EXTREMELY annoying and prone to extreme shock humor, fixated on being the most excelling in all grounds and places, and when anything that he wanted felt threatened / like it might not happen, he hyper escalated super fast and would be stuck on said escalated state for longer than needed to maintain the resource collected.

XIV 1.0 was an extremely "hunger" orientated part and was a feral starved werewolf about it - enough so that to get the system working and Riku 1.0 and XIV 1.0 working together, Ray had to sit both of them down and explain the boundaries to one another on playing nice - one of which was that "you can't say no to XIV 1.0 - at least not directly" cause honestly, XIV 1.0 was extremely sensitive to resource rejection, competition, and sense of unequal bargain - and at the time that did extend decently to attention and affection.

The system setting rules and boundaries fucking pissed me off in the sense that it made me feel restrained, which made me feel like I was not getting my needs met, which activated an emotional flashback (and sometimes proper one) of having to fight aggressively for basic shit and then would get me locked in like anywhere between an hour to like week or two long fits of being in what they would call a "pisser" because I'd be solely in a trauma-orientated "Ill piss everyone the fuck off and make everyone around me miserable until I get what I want"

The thing is though, after a lot of the rough trial and error and rough patches, the system really began fostering an environment where they really began to make it clear that no matter what - they will be serving to meet all my needs to the best of their ability REGARDLESS of if I play nice or not, and that at that point, the only thing in the way between me and my needs / wants was ME communicating them and me disrupting the system trying to get work done for everyone.

And in hindsight, I think that is why the infamous "Lucille got me a guitar" was so absolutely pivotal to me actually starting to work with the system. Cause prior to that I was nothing but a total Piece of Shit to the system trying to protect my resources and get my needs / wants met through the way I was accustomed to (tormenting and aggressively self destructing until I get my way) and the system had grown accustomed to listening but ignoring my massive displays and shit, and then out of no where - one of the things I only briefly half jokingly bugged them about to annoy them (getting a guitar cause itd be COOL) - Lucille just went "Oh yeah sure". And I was fucking BAFFLED cause I did not do any of my usual fucking song and dance of making everyone miserable to get what I want, dude just took me half joking - not even pushing - and went "yeah we can do that" and it just DID NOT compute to my traumatized ass and so fucking confused me that I actually like perked my ears up and was like "wait what ok wait what Ill take it but what is this, what world is this i didnt do shit, i did NEGATIVE shit what"

But ya know, between them actually hearing me out, the elders learning what I needed communication wise and my triggers and radically making accommodations for me, the sheer amount of respect and attention they gave me + that I literally never had to *fight* for my needs to be heard beyond with what we just physically couldn't do allowed me to really redirect that internally lashing out energy to the external world exclusively - which rapidly with maturity and learning to manage myself and fuses, manifested to the extreme focus, dedication, and persistence that I pride myself in

On top of that, parallel to it all, we ended up talking to and making amends with the sister I had that shit with and mutually addressed how the dynamic was extremely harmful and toxic to both of us and how we both - over the years - REALLY were disillusioned in the idea of fighting over needs, especially as adults, when we could just go and ya know, meet our needs by ourself if for one reason our parents or eachother were making it difficult. We both had tools to take care of ourselves, so why are we both having a self destructing / destructing competition when we could just go "eh ok well then ill take care of myself"

And so honestly - I really really haven't thought about the neglect and resource fighting that was once such a super super integral part of the identity of the old part (XIV 1.0) that I identify the most with and thats really just a fascinating thing to look back upon in hindsight.

I'm never really resource scared or concerned much (beyond dysphoria passively being there cause the concern of limitations of medical advancement vs needs may be something I can't just push through; that said, I also know that even if that happens I can figure it out what with the system) at all and I haven't felt challenged or threatened by really anyone internal or external in years; so with those two being the largest triggers for that shit and the fact that I am really hard to trigger in those regards at this point, I really, genuinely, have not thought about the neglect or resource scarcity trauma in literal years.

And our system has a rule of "don't share major triggers publicly" but genuinely? That trauma is so damn healed and all that I'm really just like??? I really don't mind sharing it? What is an anon gonna do, say "oh im gonna take away your starbucks" cause bitch come over here and try "ooooh im unfollowing" bitch I dont care about followers, if I loose all my audience so fucking be it like 😂 We aint on here with attention as a resource, we just throw shit at the wall and people chat sometimes I guess "ill fight you" bitch sure, that sounds like a good time its my love language

Anyways though, just a long post looking back on trauma and healing from one of the traumas we've basically so deeply moved on from that I literally authentically forgot that used to bother me.

TLDR: Healings possible and often happens without you noticing until you look back in hindsight and go "Oh."

[brainyxbat]

Chapter 3: An Island Without Doctors? Adventure in a Nameless Land!

(episode 80)

"Attention, pirates! Leave this place at once! This instant!"

"We came to find a doctor!"

"We have a sick person onboard!"

"We won't fall for that trick, you filthy pirates!"

"They really hate our guts. And we've just met too."

"Don't talk back!"

"They're shooting!"

"You didn't just do that! Bastard!"

"Stop, Sanji-san!"

-

"Vivi!" Luffy screamed, before turning to the culprit with fury. "Why, you-!"

That only made the men redraw their guns. "Aim!"

Luffy went to charge in, but to everyone's surprise, Vivi held him back. "No! Stop! Fighting won't help anything! I'm fine! It only grazed my arm!" She knelt down next to him. "In any case, we won't land here!" She bowed her head in pleading. "But could we ask for a doctor? Our friend is suffering from a grave illness. Please help! I beg you!"

Luffy watched her in awe. "Vivi!"

"You're not fit to be captain, Luffy," She almost whispered, "Not everything can be fixed by acting recklessly! If you start a fight here, what will happen to Nami-san?"

Venus frowned with sympathy. "She has a point."

"Yeah," Luffy agreed after a beat of silence, and turned to the residents, "I'm sorry! I was wrong! Please call a doctor!" He bowed down next to Vivi. "Please help our friend!" His hat rolled off his head, landing in front of them both.

The men watched for signs of attacks, but none came. Only silent pleading. "I will show you to the village," The leader decided, "Follow me." Vivi straightened up with a sigh of relief, then turned to Luffy. "See? They understood!"

"Yeah!" He whispered. "You're amazing!"

Most of the crew trudged through the snow after the residents, trekking up a hill. "I must warn you; the only doctor we have here is a witch."

Venus perked up at that. "A-a witch? For real?"

"Witch?" Usopp frowned.

"You gotta be kidding me," Sanji grumbled, carrying a coat-clad Nami on his back, "Nothing here makes sense. What is this place, anyway?"

"This land still does not have a name."

"There's a witch here?!" Venus interjected.

"A nameless land?" Vivi asked. "Does that really happen?"

Both of their questions were left unanswered, when Usopp screamed in terror. "A bear!" A hulking white bear was walking close by. "Everyone! Pretend to be dead!" He flopped down in the snow, as Venus looked down at him silently.

The man noticed a pickaxe held in one of its paws. "A Hiking Bear. They pose no danger. Don't forget to bow; it's proper hiking manners." They did so when passing each other; that is, except a still fearful Usopp, who stayed down.

-

"Okay!" Zoro finished patching up the self-inflicted wounds on his legs from his escape attempt in Little Garden. "All better! See!" He clapped his feet in front of a shivering Karoo, who was bundled in a warm blanket. "Now I can finally do some real training! I was getting sick of that watered-down training."

Thanks a lot, Venus. 'Quit pushing yourself!' Her words rang through his mind. 'You almost cut your own feet off! You gotta take it easy!' For a meek girl, she could be quite demanding when she wanted to. 'Fine, as long as you stop bugging me about it, short stack.' He had caved.

"And just watching the ship is boring as hell." He stripped out of his shirt and jacket, and held his palms together. "Maybe I'll go for some cold-weather swimming to suppress myself." He puffed out some air.

-

Before long, after Venus pulled the sniper to his feet, and back to the group, they arrived at a small village. "This is our village, Big Horn."

"There are weird animals walking everywhere," Luffy remarked, as he, Usopp, and Venus looked around the area.

"That's snow country for ya!" Usopp agreed.

"Nami-san! We made it to a village with people!" Sanji told her. "It's a village!"

"Okay. Thanks for the help, everyone." Vivi turned to see the leader talking to the other guards that escorted them. "Those who aren't guards can return to their work."

"But will you be alright by yourself, Dalton-san? They're pirates!"

"I believe they pose no threat. That's my hunch of many years of experience; you can trust it."

"What do we do? If that's what Dalton-san says, then..."

"And they don't seem dangerous."

"Yeah."

"Alright, Dalton-san! We leave the rest to you!" Vivi watched in awe, as the men, sans Dalton, promptly dispersed.

"Be ever careful, Dalton-san."

"Just call us if anything happens!"

Dalton turned to see the princess looking up at him. "They weren't this land's security forces?"

"They're ordinary citizens. Come to my home for now."

"Hey! Look, Luffy! A Hiking Bear!" Usopp pointed out.

"Again?!" They quickly bowed, only for it to be a tall human.

"Oh, Dalton-san! I heard there were pirates!"

"Yes, everything is okay. There's nothing to worry about."

"Oh, Dalton-kun!" An elderly man called to him. "I look forward to the election in two days! Everyone says they're going to vote for you!"

"Y-you can't be serious!" Dalton waved his hands in modest protest. "I'm nothing but a sinful man!" Vivi watched on in curiosity.

-

Later, they were at Dalton's home in the village. Over the fireplace was a pair of swords crossed together, and a white tiger skin. "Use that bed there," He offered, "I'll warm the place up." Sanji laid Nami on the bed, and Vivi covered her with a warm, green blanket. "I haven't told you my name yet."

"Dalton?" The young witch piped up.

"Venus," Vivi scolded.

"It's okay, she's right. I'm Dalton, captain of the security squad of this island." Sanji glanced around the room curiously; there was a strip of brickwork above the walls. "Please forgive our heavy-handed welcome." Dalton set his bag down. "May I ask you a question?"

"Eh?" Vivi looked up from the bed when he turned to her.

"I somehow feel like I've seen you before," He remarked.

Vivi quickly turned away. "I-it's probably just your imagination! Anyway, please tell us about this witch!"

"Yes, please do!" Venus perked up.

"Nami-san's temperature was 42 C when I checked it just now!" Vivi continued.

Dalton's eyes widened. "42?!"

"Yes, sir," Venus nodded.

"Her fever's gone up for three days in a row."

"She'll die if it goes up anymore!"

"Yes," Vivi agreed worriedly, "But if we don't even know the cause of this illness, or how to treat it."

"We need a doctor!" Sanji urged. "Anyone will do! Where is this witch of yours?!"

"The witch, huh. Do you see those mountains outside the window?"

"Yeah, those insanely tall-" Sanji turned to look, but only saw a snowman with barrels and wooden beams.

"Hyper Snowman!" Luffy announced.

"Snowzilla, the snow beast!" Usopp followed.

"Yeah!" They shared a high-five from their spots high up on their creations.

"Don't make me kick your asses!" Sanji glared.

Venus peered outside, and smiled brightly. "Wow, those are awesome!" Her heart dropped when the cook started barreling outside with anger. "Sanji, no!"

-

"Those mountains are known as the Drum Rockies," Dalton informed, pointing to the tall, tower-like mountains peeking behind the totaled sculptures. "Do you see the castle at the top of the tallest one in the middle?"

"Castle?!" Usopp asked through some hot chocolate.

"That castle no longer has its king."

"That warms me up," Luffy sighed happily.

"Yeah, there it is," Sanji observed, looking out the window.

"What's so important about the castle?" Vivi asked. It was on the middle tower, and was almost microscopic.

"The only doctor in the land, Dr. Kureha, lives there," Dalton replied, "People call her a witch."

"What?!" Sanji exclaimed. "Of all the places, why does it have to be so far away?!"

"Can we call her here?" Venus suggested. "Nami needs treatment now!"

"Even if we wanted to, there's no way to contact her," Dalton answered.

"Huh?!" Sanji glared. "And she calls herself a doctor?! What the hell is she like?!"

"As a doctor, she's very skilled. But she's an eccentric old hag; she's nearly 140 years old right now."

"Eh?!" Vivi looked up.

"140?!" Sanji exclaimed. "I think she might need help!"

"Well guys, witches are very mysterious," Venus lectured, "I'd read about them when I was little."

Dalton stared silently at her for a moment, before continuing. "Anyway, let's see... she likes pickled plums."

"What happens when people get sick, or injured?" Vivi asked.

"She comes down from the mountain when she feels like it. She looks for patients, treats them, then as payment, she takes whatever she wants from their houses before leaving."

"Sounds like an unfriendly old hag!" Usopp glared.

"Sounds like Nami, minus the doctor part," Venus commented.

"Hey! She almost sounds like a pirate!" Luffy remarked.

"But how does such an old woman go down that mountain?" Vivi asked.

"It's an odd rumor... but several people claim to have seen her riding a sleigh through the sky on moonlit nights. And that's the reason she's called a witch."

"Wow," Venus breathed in awe, "A witch on a sleigh! I thought it'd be a broomstick!"

"Some also saw her with a strange creature they'd never seen before."

"That must be her familiar!" She perked up.

Usopp tensed at that, and fell face-up on the floor, his legs flailing. "I knew it! See? It's a Snow Man! It's a snowy mountain, after all!" He sat up, and fell forward. "I knew there'd be one!" He rolled around on the floor fearfully. "A witch, and a Snow Man?! Oh, please never let us run into them!"

"She is the only doctor, but she's a hag I'd prefer to stay away from. All we can do is wait for the next time she comes down the mountain."

"You can't be serious," Vivi said.

"Dammit!" Sanji exclaimed. "We can't wait for that! Even as we speak, Nami-san is-!"

"Hey! Nami, Nami!" Luffy patted her hot cheek. "Can you hear me?"

"What are you doing?!" Vivi, Sanji, Usopp, and Venus raged simultaneously.

To his delight, her eyes squinted open. "Oh! She's awake!" He then turned back to her. "Hey, the only way to see a doctor is to climb a mountain. We're gonna climb it!"

"Eh?"

"Don't be crazy!" Sanji scolded. "What are you doing with Nami-san?!"

"It's okay! I'll carry her on my back!"

"That'll only make things worse!" Vivi glared.

"What's the problem? We need to hurry, don't we?"

"That's true, but you can't! Look how steep and tall it is!"

"I can make it."

"Maybe you can make it, but it'd be too hard on Nami-san!" Sanji pointed out.

"But look! If we fall, we'll land in snow!"

"Even a healthy person would die instantly after a fall from there!"

"Seriously!" Usopp added. "She's 6 C over normal temperature! Do you even get it?!"

"What other choice do we have?" Venus chimed in.

"V-Venus!" He stammered.

Everyone turned to Nami when they heard her struggle to talk. "I need to get over this fast," She panted heavily, "I need to hurry... for Vivi." She moved her hand, so it was weakly held up. "I'm counting on you, Captain!"

Everyone gawked in awe, before Luffy beamed, and shared a careful high-five with her. "That's more like it! Just leave it to me!"

"I can't believe it!" Usopp exclaimed. "Like captain, like navigator!"

"Do you know what condition you're in, Nami-san?!" Sanji fussed over her.

"Are you sure you'll be okay?" Vivi asked. "It'll take hours to get there!"

"Old guy! Meat!" Luffy eagerly demanded. "Gimme meat!"

"Meat?"

Sanji glared in determination. "Alright! I'm comin' too!"

"Count me in!" Venus chimed in.

"What?!" Usopp cried. "W-why?!"

"I'm going to meet the witch! I bet I'll learn a lot from her!"

"B-but it'll be dangerous!"

"More dangerous than Marines, dinosaurs, and agents?" She quirked an eyebrow. "I'll be alright, promise!"

Usopp sighed in defeat. "Alright. Now listen, Luffy!" He then turned to the captain, who had Nami on his back. "Don't fall even once, or you can expect Nami to die!"

"Eh?! Even once?!"

"And keep Venus-chan safe for me! I-I mean, for us! Both of you! Got that?!" He glanced between him, and Sanji.

"Wait! Hold still!" Vivi was in the process of tying Nami to Luffy for safety. "I need to tie this right!" Once she was done, she straightened up. "All set. Okay, I'm going to wait here. I'd only get in the way."

"Same here!" Usopp agreed.

"Got it!" Luffy looked back at the navigator, who was back in her yellow/orange plaid coat. "Okay, Nami! Hold on tight!"

"Yeah..."

Dalton watched them for a quiet moment. "If you're really set on going, I won't stop you. But at least climb up from the other side. There are Lapins on this course; fierce, carnivorous rabbits. If you encounter a pack of them, you're as good as dead."

"Rabbits? But we're in a hurry. We should be fine, right?" Luffy turned to Sanji.

"Yeah! I'll kick 'em!"

"Kick?! You can't be serious! You'd be walking to your deaths!"

"It's okay!" Luffy assured, and began sprinting. "Alright, then! Let's go, Sanji, Venus! Before Nami dies!"

"What?!" He ran after him, with Venus close behind. "Don't say things that could jinx us, you dumbass!"

"Venus! B-be careful!" Usopp called out.

"I will!" She promised with a wave of her hand.

Dalton watched them with Vivi and Usopp. "Will they really be all right?"

"Well, I'm not worried about those two," Usopp replied about the captain, and the chef.

"But the question is if Nami-san's strength will last long enough," Vivi added, "I hope they make it there safely."

With that, Dalton started heading back inside, but saw they weren't moving. "What's wrong?" Vivi turned to him. "Come inside. It's cold out."

"Oh, that's okay," She smiled nervously, "I want to stay outside."

"Me too," Usopp shivered.

Dalton let a smile grow at their apparent loyalty, and closed the door, staying out as well. "I see." They turned to him, as he sat cross-legged. "Then I will join you." Usopp and Vivi smiled gratefully in his direction, before they all watched the mountains. For a few seconds, it was eerily silent, before he spoke up. "We did have some, long ago," He recalled.

"Eh?" They turned to him in surprise.

"Doctors," He clarified, "But they're all gone now, for certain reasons. They were all incredibly skilled. We were even known as an advanced medical nation."

"So, what happened?" Vivi asked.

"This country was destroyed just a few months ago. At the hands of pirates!"

"Eh?!" Usopp and Vivi's eyes widened in shock.

"The entire country?!" Usopp exclaimed.

"So that's why you were so nervous about us?" Vivi asked.

"Yes. The word "pirate" is still too much for everyone to handle. I'm sorry about that. But there were only five people in that pirate group. The captain called himself "Blackbeard", and he destroyed our country in the blink of an eye with his devastating power."

"Only five people?!" Vivi gawked. "You can't be serious!"

"Blackbeard?!" Usopp glared.

"But there are some who say it was actually good for the country."

"There's nothing good about a country being destroyed!" Vivi pointed out.

"Yeah!" Usopp agreed. "That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard!"

Dalton smiled at them again. "Thank you. But people say that because the monarchy that existed here until then was appalling in the eyes of the citizens. The country's former name was the Drum Kingdom! The king's name was Wapol!" Dalton glared at the ground at the name alone. "He was the worst king possible!"

Vivi and Usopp gasped in shock; the same man they encountered at sea earlier! "Yes! That man! I remember him!" The former recalled.

"Wapol?!" Usopp exclaimed.

-

Up in the mountain, Luffy, Sanji, and Venus were hiking through the snow, with Nami securely on the captain's back. "It's gotten a little colder," Luffy remarked, "The wind's picking up."

"So why aren't you wearing shoes?!" Sanji pointed out his sandals. "Just seeing that is painful!"

"This is my police!"

"Police?! You mean "policy"!"

"Yeah! Anyway, did you know? People in snowy countries never sleep!"

"Huh? Why's that?"

"'Cause they'll die if they go to sleep!"

"Don't be stupid! There's nobody like that!"

"It's the truth! Someone told me a long time ago!" Through their sprint, a certain kind of creature was lying in wait, scattered on the mountain.

Lapins.

One attempted to pounce on the group, but it missed all of them. "Usopp, I bet," Sanji snarked.

"Uh, guys?"

"No! I heard it in a pub, in my village!" Luffy insisted, as Venus went unnoticed. The Lapin yanked its head out of the snow, and growled in anger, continuing its pursuit.

"Then why did that Dalton guy have a blanket?" Sanji challenged.

"That's a good point." It went in for a bite, but chomped down on a tree instead. "Maybe it's for when he dies then?"

"Guys?"

"Yeah, right!" They avoided a downed tree by leaping over it. Sure enough, klutzy Venus tripped on the landing, and fell in the snow "Venus-chan!" Sanji immediately backtracked, and helped her up, still dodging the predator. "Okay, did you know this: Women in snowy lands all have silky smooth skin!"

"How come?" The Lapin kept the chase up.

"Isn't it obvious? Whenever you're cold, you rub your skin for warmth." Venus stared on in confusion at the random banter. "So you get smooth skin."

"Fellas?" She kicked it away, but it stubbornly kept going

"So women in snowy places have such silky-smooth, white skin!"

'What the hell are they talking about?' Venus thought, before kicking the Lapin away again, and getting frustrated when it returned. "Boys!"

"How come it's white?"

"Because the color of the constantly-falling snow dyes their skin!"

"Huh?! You're so dumb!"

"Like you're really anyone to talk! And..." Just as Venus was about to try gaining their attention yet again, Sanji actually kicked the Lapin away, to her surprise. "Quit being so damn annoying!"

"What was with that guy?" Luffy wondered aloud.

Venus was quiet with exasperation, as they kept running. They noticed it the whole time?

-

"Hang in there, Nami-san!" Sanji urged through their sprint. "We're gonna get you to a doctor!"

"The snow's really deep around here," Luffy remarked.

"Guys, wait up!" Venus called out, having to take slower, higher steps. The snow was almost up to her hips. "My legs aren't as long as yours!"

"Hey, Luffy! Run more smoothly! You're gonna make Nami-san worse!" They then stopped, giving Venus time to catch up, but there was an obstacle in front of them; lots of them. "W-what are these?"

"They're white and big, so they're polar bears!" Luffy guessed. "I'm sure of it!"

"No, those are Lapins!" Venus' eye widened. "Dalton told us about these guys!"

-

"Wait! You know Wapol?!" Dalton exclaimed.

"We don't just know him!" Usopp replied. "He's the pirate who attacked our ship! I got rid of him, though," He claimed, "But I do recall him saying something about the Drum Kingdom."

"Yes," Vivi agreed, "There's no question about it! I remember clearly now! I met him once at a monarch meeting my father took me to when I was very young!"

Dalton looked up at that. "Monarch meeting?! Just who are you?"

"No, uhh, you see," She stammered, having said too much, before changing the subject, "In any case, we met Wapol! Yesterday, on our way here!"

"Yesterday?! Are you sure?!"

"But what's going on, then?!" She asked. "He called himself a pirate, not a king!"

"He must be calling himself that, as camouflage. Wapol is merely wandering the sea, trying to return to this island."

"So the people on that ship were kicked out, because they were no match for the Blackbeard pirates when they attacked this country?" She guessed.

"No match? It's not like that!" He glared at the snowy ground.

"Eh?"

"When it happened, Wapol's army didn't even try to fight!" Dalton shook with fury. "In fact, the moment he learned how strong the pirates were, Wapol abandoned the country, and was the very first to flee out to sea! That threw the entire nation into despair. Is this what the king-"

"Is that what the king of an entire country does?!" Vivi finished for him with immense anger. "That's appalling! A king abandoning his people!"

Usopp watched her in concern. "Vivi..."

"You're exactly right. But at least Wapol's tyranny is finally over. The remaining people on this island have come together to try to create a new country. So what we most fear right now is Wapol's return; the return of his monarchy. We must avoid that at all costs, while people are still feeling unsure! If we're to create a new, peaceful nation on this island!"

-

On the mountain, one of the giant Lapins leaped in the air, straight towards the group. "It jumped!" Sanji exclaimed. He and Luffy jumped out of the way, the former yanking Venus away, and protectively keeping her behind him. "You gotta be kidding me! How can it move like that?! What is it, a gorilla?!"

"No! A polar bear!"

"It's a bunny!" Sanji glared.

"You're the one who just called it a gorilla," Luffy pointed out.

"It's a Lapin!" Venus corrected.

"You're right, Venus-chan! Like what Dalton was talking about!" He turned to the pack standing in their way. "This many of them?!"

"How do we get past them?" Venus asked around nervously.

-

"Oh! Oh! Wapol-sama!"

"What is it, Chess? Did you find Straw Hat's ship?!"

"No, Wapol-sama! We've finally returned home!"

"What?!"

"How many months have passed, as we've wandered the sea?"

"It's our homeland! The Drum Kingdom! Truly?!"

[snow-system-wol]

It's a long time coming, but once S'ria is healed enough to travel on his own, he arranges a long overdue trip to visit someone in Doma. (Post 6.0)

Ao3

(vague references to sexual abuse)

S'ria trekked up the steep cliff on foot – it did not seem right to shortcut his way up via flight, this needed to be under his own power.

He'd considered asking G'raha to come with him, but he felt he'd rather do this alone. Even if alone meant G'raha worrying for him, with fighting being barely feasible yet at this point of healing. Even if alone meant him being absolutely exhausted after the teleport into Yanxia, he'd bear that.

And Hien had been kind about letting him regain his strength for a bell or two, all but insisting he did, so it was far less of a strain than it could've been. Hien had also looked at him with a gentle smile – sympathetic but confused – when S'ria requested directions to a location few knew of.

This was just… necessary for him, even if it would not be physically or emotionally easy.

Finally cresting the top of the hill – more of a mountaintop, perhaps – it was a relief to duck under the shade of the tree overtaking half of the small patch of land. 

Even with a cane he'd brought along for such a trek, he still felt overexerted and a touch nauseous by the time he made it up – and gods did his leg hurt. G'raha would surely tell him that he had been overdoing it, when he returned home after this.

The shade helped greatly, though, and he took in the space properly. It overlooked many of the surrounding valleys, even the ocean was visible from here – as well as the wreckage of Doma Castle. Any sight one could choose to see was viewable from here… perhaps this had been chosen to give as many options as possible, if one view displeased.

S'ria carefully wove through the patches of spider lilies, unwilling to crush any underfoot. He wondered if they'd been planted intentionally in a fit of morbidity, or if they'd simply forced their way up through the ground in the slow dissipation of any remaining aether from Tsukuyomi’s summoning.

And there, just at the roots of the tree, was a simple marker. Nondescript, no sign of who may possibly be buried there. S'ria sat by it, leaning against the tree.

It'd been a very long while since the last time he'd had such a quiet moment with Yotsuyu – if ever, actually. He could think of one or two moments with Tsuyu that had been so still and peaceful, at least.

It was kind, though no less than S'ria expected, for Hien to grant her both funeral rites and privacy against desecration. He had not been unwilling to tell S'ria the location, but if anyone else thought to ask, S'ria expected Hien may refuse or play dumb on the matter entirely.

It was nice that he understood S'ria bore no ill will. It'd been well over a year since, now, and so much had happened in the meanwhile. Plus, the way things had ended… he wished it could've been different – he did not delight in this outcome. 

S'ria was not sure what to say – he expected a still living Yotsuyu would not be thrilled by a ramble, so was monologuing to her corpse improper then? Though, perhaps some of what he had to say would've brought a small measure of comfort – maybe.

The rambling, S'ria felt, was what he most likely meant to do when he came here anyway.

“Hello, I – I don't know what to call you. Yotsuyu was your name, but you only ever seemed happy as Tsuyu… ah, well. I think I have different things to say to each of you.”

S'ria made himself more comfortable, stretching his leg out in a position that made it hurt a bit less. He took one cautious moment of listening, before he said anything that must not be overheard, but there was no sound except wind in leaves and distant birds.

“Tsuyu, I…wish things could've been different. Even in the days before I realized why I was so affected by you, I could not help but be attached. It seemed such a kindness, for you not to have to remember the bad parts… I thought of you often, those first few days after my childhood memories began to return. It must've been so awful for you too.”

He carefully smoothed the shakiness from his voice.

“I hated Asahi so much for forcing you through that.

“And then again, later – all I could think was that if I was able to forget what Zenos had done to me, then I could just move on.”

S'ria paused, a wry smile on his face.

“I don't have some sort of grand and wise answer for why it's better that I know, or any claim that I'm grateful for it. I'm not. I'm just… trying to exist in reality instead of hoping it'll just go away.

“...Gosetsu is still heartbroken, but in good enough health while traveling still. I'm sure he's been by to speak with you, long before I got around to it. I just hope you're resting well.”

S'ria leaned his head back to look at the tiny patches of sky through the leaves. “Ah, that was the easy part, though. Yotsuyu, I have… more things to discuss.

“I hated you when we first met, and even more so when you explained yourself at Doma Castle. ‘How dare she’, I thought. I took it rather personally and yet –”

He laughed derisively.

“I felt so high and mighty that it just made me feel guilty. I was so certain that I would not have stooped to your level, but who was I to impose my beliefs onto your life experiences, if I could not understand what you had been through? The gender dynamic of it was not lost on me either. How very bold for yet another man to judge you and think he knows better. And your story…it made me so uncomfortable to dwell on – though I didn't for very long. Gyr Abania called.

“Having no memories, it was easy to idealize the idea of home. I couldn't help but wonder – if I had been raised there for all of the occupation, hurt by soldiers and self-serving countrymen, would I have hated Gyr Abania the way you hated Doma?”

S'ria sighed. “After I remembered things, it was easier to judge you again. I'd suffered, and was still mostly kind, so you had no excuse – so I thought, stupidly. It felt horrible to think, but I felt even more vindicated because I'd been a decade younger when I was sold off – so obviously I'd ‘had it worse’.”

He scoffed, shaking his head.

“I never would've thought such a thing about any other victim. It was horribly unfair of me. Our experiences after weren't the same, though. Once I was free, I had people by my side that wanted to help. And even then, the moments of rage I felt towards Garlemald…

“I was surely not kind or merciful to them, even before I knew why – or, Fray really wasn't, which is on me too.”

S'ria looked down at his hands, battle-worn callousing from the handle of Fray's sword visible.

“I wish that my experiences were unique, but in Gyr Abania and Othard both… it was the same atrocities everywhere.

“So it's very easy to imagine a version of events where I went to Garlemald and was satisfied by the suffering. Soldiers and civilians alike, just damn the place – abusers and enablers one and all… it would have been easy. We really… are not so different, aside from the few things that mattered most – friends, a chosen family, time. I could’ve been like you, or you like me, if things were just a little different.”

The tears welled up, and he knew there was little point in fighting them. S'ria had been prepared for crying as a possible outcome of this visit – at least it should be cathartic.

“So I think I'm mostly just here to say... I'm sorry for judging you unfairly. I'm sorry that any of that happened to you. I'm sorry that no one was ever there for you in the ways you needed.”

He wiped at his eyes fruitlessly.

“I just… I'm sorry. I don't know if anyone ever said that to you, and you might hate it – but it's not pity. I hope that…us not meeting violently in the Aetherial Sea means that you are at peace now. You deserve it.”

S'ria took a single very slow breath in and out, plucking a spider lily to tuck into his hair. His eyes drifted closed, the warmth of the day now perfect with the tree shading him.

“I'm going to rest with you a little while, before I make the trek back down. I hope that's alright.”

[apotheosticdelirium]

I prepared by fasting sunrise to sunset day 1 and 2 with an apple before sunrise on day three. Chaste, steered away from anything that wasn't being focused towards the ritual. Along with the prayer for success, and Absolution during showers.

The morning of I showered in hot water for cleanliness, then in cold with the Absolution prayer. Dressed in the ceremonial black lab coat, I carried my lit lattern to my work room. There was a forboading sense to the air. After washing my face and hands with blessed water. I ground new ink, blessed it, and wrote out the conjurations/characters. My pinkie bled an inordant amount compared to the normal stick that comes from a sugar testing needle that I use for a lancet.

The insense was slow to burn with each bit I put on it. The circle was then opened as instructed with ps.51 taking JSK's advice of being in a prostration position rasing the divination wand for an accusation clause and the evocation wand for a striking clause.

The room felt expectant as I asperge and fumigated the circle with the psalms there was an echoing quality to my voice like it was bouncing inside the circle.

When it came time I called scirilin with his words. The tempature dropped noticeably and when I asked if he was here it felt like static down my spine. I thanked him for his presence and asked that he aid me in calling the spirits for the pact.

Lucifiers conjurations stopped and started through the 7 iterations. No physical sign of presence but it felt like they were listening. I stated I was following through on the bargin by going through this process and asked that he lend me his voice to call his subordinates.

I thanked him and asked him to stay a till the end to sign the pact with the others.

When starting the conjuration of the subordinates the words tasted ill fitting on my tongue. Like I was a priest without faith. After two rounds of this I stopped and listened.

Instead I spoke my own names. I named the titles I am Heir of, the tradition whose tools empower me. I spoke of the trials I've over come through magic, the feats my words have created, and of those spirits who have bound themselves to me. Finally I spoke of the bargain made with with The Emporer and spoke each name of those spirits I wished to call.

Naming them felt like a wave of sound. I named them again, offering alliance, and partnership of services exchanged under the pacts made by others on this current before me. This time naming spirits who have kept their bargains with me before drifting apart.

I named them once more before speaking of the spirits who bound themselves to me and broke their pacts, refusing to name them only referencing the fate that came to them.

A wave of smugness, acceptance and cold came over me after speaking. I left it for a moment looking around to see if anything odd was happening. In memory the room is *much* brighter than it should be at that point considering I had to balance a tea candle in my hand that held the elder wand so I could read the parchament.

After a few minutes with no obvious sign of dissent or assent. I slid the parchment into the eastern corner of the room and set the first character stone on the sigil of scirilin. I asked that if they agree they would mark their sigil in some way so that I could call them again and that once signed or decided against that the leave in peace to their own place just as they've come in peace.

I left the parchment for a bit over 24 hours as I returned to work the next day. On returning to clean things up the parchment has an odd electric air to it. When focusing on the whole rather than the marks it was a bit dizzying. Quite a bit of the incense didn't burn even though the room was still slightly hazy from all the smoke that was let off. Possibly from insense/coals that were a bit old as I don't regularly use them in my practice?

A number of the sigils have interesting marks near them. Ones entire page has patches of almost translucent parts. (They have an amusingly cloud like sigil for context of why thats interesting) These very well could be natural blemishes on the parchment that I didn't notice before but it's interesting none the less.

As requested of the bargain I'm publishing this experience. While I wouldn't mark this evocation as a complete success, it definitely doesn't seem to have failed. I think only a bit of time and a chance to work with the spirits will tell.