#Bloodflowers Set

[k-i-l-l-e-r-b-e-e-6-9]

The Cure – The Last Day Of Summer

[subsequentibis]

i'm not feeling my lineart today. you get scribblies

[fikefries]

wisdom; matt sturniolo

summary: you had to get your wisdom teeth out, but with your extreme phobia of needles, it wasnt going to be easy. luckily your boyfriend matt and his brothers stick by your side the entire time.

warnings: needles, mentions of rapid breathing, dentists, anaesthesia

the day had come. the day you had been dreading for weeks.

you had to get your wisdom teeth out.

normally, you werent such a wuss, you handled pain and hospitals well.

but needles.

you couldnt stand the sight of needles. their pricky ends and shiny surface making you feel lightheaded at the sight of them.

thats what make you so nervous for today, the part where they had to stab your arm with a huge ass needle to get the IV in.

you were on the way to the dentists office, your boyfriend matt sitting in the drivers seat, your best friend chris in the passenger seat, while you and your bff nick sat together in the back.

all three of them knew of your phobia of needles, so they were trying their best to calm you down before you got there.

"no chris you dont understand, how can i 'chill out' knowing a huge fucking metal pointy thing is going to be stabbed directly into my goddamn bloodflow, have you seen the length of those fuckin needles?" i say to chris frustratedly as he tried to explain to me that it was no big deal.

chris sighed in defeat as he gave up on trying to reason with you.

my nerves were increasing by the second as we got closer and closer to the dentists office.

matt noticed your anxious state and pulled over at the last stop sign before you reached the dentists office. he turned around leaned back to face you, cupping your cheek with his hand, softly caressing your face in an attempt to comfort you and calm you down.

"listen baby, i know you're nervous- i know that alright? but you need to stay calm for me. ill be there with you the entire time okay? theres no need to worry or be scared, nothings going to happen to you. you have us by your side."

you felt nick rub a soothing hand over your back as chris added

"yeah y/n, dont worry if the needle hurts you ill beat it up" making punching motions with his fist.

you couldnt help but giggle at chris's attempt to lighten the mood.

"alright baby you ready to go in?" matt asked softly holding your hand tightly.

"ready" you sighed, knowing there was no getting out of this.

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the lights in the dentists office were blindingly bright white, forcing you to squint your eyes while you walked in. as you entered, you noticed all the dentist equipment sitting on the spotless metal counters, wires of different colours spread out all over the floor, connected to the dental bed.

the dentist was explaining the procedure to you, matt, nick and chris. but his words became more and more muffled in your brain as you look around the room. finally laying eyes on the needles.

matt sensed your change in demeanour as he noticed your breathing became increasingly rapid. he came up behind you, softly hugging your waist and moving you to the spot he was originally, blocking your eyes from the view of the needles. then wrapping an arm around you and tracing soft patterns on your shoulder while glancing at your face every few seconds to make sure you're not panicking, as you both continued to listen to the dentists explanation.

after the briefing about the procedure, it was time for it to actually happen. matt helped you up onto the dental bed, placing his hand on the back of your head to make sure you dont hit it as you lay back.

chris stood to the right of the bed, rubbing soothing circles on your shoulder

"you're gonna kill it y/n" he said supportingly

"yeah unless it kills me" you snorted, joking, making the boys giggle before returning to comforting you with small rubs and words of support whilst the dentist set up his equipment.

chris and nick left the room for a bit, wanting to give both you and the dentist space, as they knew it wouldnt be easy for you.

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it was time. time for the part you were dreading most. you stared at the long silver blade as the dentist filled it with the medicine that needed to be injected into you through the IV, matt standing beside the bed.

"hey- hey y/n, dont look at that, look at me okay." he said as he slowly moved your head towards him, trying to distract you from the needle.

"just look at me okay, youre doing so good baby im so proud of you."

you stared into matts big blue eyes as he gave you soft affirmations, how did you get so lucky?

matt saw the doctor getting ready to insert the needle into your skin, so he pulled your hoodie down to cover your eyes, and cradled your face into his tshirt, running his fingers through your hair, trying to distract you from what was about to come.

"you're doing so good for me baby, the worst parts almost over"

when you felt the cold metal pierce your skin, you leaned further into matt, trying not to embarrass yourself by whimpering or making any embarrassing sounds. as the needle was being pushed deeper in, you squeezed your eyes shut tightly.

"matttt" you groaned, on the verge of tears, muffled by his tshirt.

"i know baby, i know- youre almost done, you did amazing." he reassured you, holding your head into his shirt and smoothing down your hair while he watched you squirm in his embrace, his heart breaking at the sight.

once the IV was fully in, matt slowly loosened his grip on you, pulling you out of his embrace as you leaned back onto the bed, just then you heard the door open revealing chris and nick walking back in.

"you did it y/n!" chris exclaimed, placing a hand on your head

"we're so proud of you" nick added, patting his hand on your leg as reassurance

"that fuckin sucked" you slurred, the anaesthesia kicking in.

"ooh y/n's getting drowsy now, thats the anaesthesia kicking in" nick said

"how do you feel baby" matt asked rubbing your shoulder

"all i can feel is this fucking dumb bitchass needle in my goddamn arm" you replied, words slurring, making the boys break out into laughter at your choice of wording.

"well now the worsts part over baby, you faced your fear so well."

"hmmmm" you hummed in reply, feeling too drowsy to think

through your blurred vision you looked up at the 3 boys

"you guys look the same" you said

"matt.i love you so fuckin much" you added immediately without giving them time to reply

"and chris and nick i love you guys too"

the boys giggled at your sudden affection

"we love you too y/n" nick giggled

'you're so pretty matty" you admired, reaching your hand out to matt's face, making chris and nick giggle.

"you're the prettiest girl in the world baby, and i love you so much, but right now you gotta keep your hands down okay? if you keep your hands still we can get out of here faster and go get ice cream okay" matt retorted

"can we play ayesha erotica on the way home?" you asked innocently, looking up at matt with pleading eyes.

"yes y/n we can play ayesha erotica"

"i wanna go the fuck home" you said, before falling into a deep sleep due to the anaesthesia.

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outside the room

y/n was undergoing the procedure of getting her teeth taken out now, which means the boys had to leave the room.

"matt how do you feel" chris asked, throwing a shoulder around his brother, recording him on his iphone.

"im so proud of her, i know she was scared and i know she'd beeen feeling pain so its a relief that she was able to pull through and face her fears. i knew she could do it shes my girl." matt said to the phone

"thats adorable" nick giggled, before the doctor called them to come back in.

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you were now fully awake, 4 teeth less than before, with gauze in your mouth and a frown on your face

"hi baby, you such an amazing job. im so fucking proud of you right now." matt said as he placed a soft kiss on your forehead, unable to wipe the smile off his face as he admired how cute you looked, mouth swollen, and filled with gauze that made your cheeks puffy, and an adorable frown on your forehead.

"youre crazy y/n, you made that look so easy" nick said rubbing your head.

"can we go home now please" you said grumpily, anaesthesia still now worn off.

"i want this fucking shit out of my body" you said referring to the IV in your arm, as you tried to yank it out.

"WOAH NO- NO Y/N YOU CANT PULL IT OUT" matt exclaimed worriedly.

"baby you need that in you, it helps you not feel the pain in your mouth."

"matt whats this" you asked sticking your tongue out

"thats your tongue baby"

"i cant feel it, or my lips, where are my lips?"

"theyre right here" matt replied as he gently pressed a finger to your lips, giving you the perfect oppurtunity to place a soft kiss on the pad of his finger, making him giggle,

"i want chipotle" you stated bluntly

"no- no chipotle, she cant have any hard foods that may get stuck in her mouth for atleast two weeks, stick to ice creams, soups and mashed potatoes." the dentist told matt, knowing you wouldnt be able to remember this information.

"heard that baby? ice cream and mashed potatoes- doesnt that sound great?"

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you got to leave the dentist in a wheelchair, which was pretty great.

once you got home, matt ordered you chicken noodle soup and fed it to you while you guys watched spongebob, then he cleaned and replaced your gauze, then helped you get changed and into bed, holding you tightly as you both drifted off into sleep.

you could not have asked for a better boyfriend than matthew sturniolo, you really hit the jackpot.

[nerdyweebfreak]

— Quiet.

part 1/?

könig x afab!reader fanfic

tw: noncon, choking, threats, knives, horror, drugging?, musk, uncanny?, kidnapping

artist: xbruised_peach

Your eyes slowly blink open. it's pitch black, and everything feels hazy, your head pounding. a cold breeze touches your bare arms, and the smell of mold catches your nose.

you focus and notice your arms feel restrained, as if, your bloodflow was being cut off. you were right.

with your arms tied behind your back, you quickly realize how helpess you are in this moment. your limbs, strapped to the chair's legs feel uneasy and tingly.

before you even realize what's going on, you hear a huff coming from behind you. you're unable to turn your head towards the noise, though.

a few loud, heavy footsteps. heavy breathing. what beast was making this sound?

the figure slowly walks up behind you. it's breaths are heavier, and the musky smell gets closer and closer.

you're unable to move; frozen in fear. you feel like you're being watched.

suddenly, the figure shifts and changes direction, walking past you. you square it with your eyes. they widen.

the tall figure seems like it barely fits under the ceiling. it's movements are slow, concerningly. for some reason, it awakens some kind of primal fear in you.

is it a man?

an entity?

what kind of beast is that tall?

the figure turns to you.

you immediately recognize two piercing, icy, striking eyes, shining in the pitch dark room, behind two holes cut in what seems to be an old shirt. there was no doubt, it was a man you were looking at, but you're still unable to recognize his highly uncanny features.

as the man seems to be focusing on grabbing something from the table, you square him down even more. tactical gear. guns. helmet.

why are you here? what does he want from you? your heart started pounding out of your chest even more, as the panic set in.

he turns to you once again. he squats, in order to have his eyes at your own eye level. you look away, turning your head.

the man lifts a huge gloved hand and quickly grabs your jaw, turning your head towards his face again. his gaze seems to wander over your face, your nose, your cheeks. the glove feels rough on your skin, and your breaths get shorter in fear.

the figure seems unshaken. completely unmoved.

his other hand hovers over your chest, grabbing your affiliation's tag/badge. he grunts, and rips it off, throwing it forcefully on the ground, and standing back up.

you now realize what is going on.

he was a KorTac soldier sent to kidnap you.

the man bangs a fist on the steel table. shortly after, another man appears.

"it's them, is it? that spy. i would have sworn it with my whole life. 's all yours, big boy."

he turns to you with a menacing look.

"caught ya. you should have been more careful, little one. König's not gonna be gentle with a filthy spy like you. you guys are like rats. Good luck." he chuckles, leaving the room, slamming the door behind himself.

you snarl. you're left alone with the tall figure again, but now you know his name.

The man growls under his mask. his fist quickly flies towards you, his hand grips tight around your neck, almost crushing your airways. you choke on your own saliva, letting out a whine. König looks into your eyes as if you were a dying animal. it's clear that the feeling of his team being spied on deeply enrages him. he wants to get rid of you. or not yet, maybe..

coming soon...

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i hope you guys liked this post, it was my first time writing a ff like this! feel free to leave tips on how to improve. ♡

[extrajigs]

Whorls Reproduction Explanation Post! And most kinds of pentapods, think of it as like a base line. Nothing graphic below the cut, unless organ diagrams are graphic!

The first thing to note is the SETTUP!

You can kind of cut up the area of the body housing the reproductive system into three parts. The first is the spine/core of the pentapod which both cradles the vital organs, anchors the limbs, and allows for the anchoring of the reproductive organs as well! Anchored to the core is the musculature involved with the usage of the spearing portion of their anatomy. And then the vast majority of the actual organs are surrounded by a thick coat of fat and connective tissue, mostly to stop spearing damage to internal structures. But this is also where excess fat will be stored, there and around the neck but that's a whole other post. Lets get more in detail about the exact organs going on!

The Spear - This is the part dedicated to stabbing into their partner for insemination. It's made of the same material as their shells but may also be reinforced with copper during their younger years.

Palpal Bulb/Prostate/Fluid Sack?- Not sure for the name on this one yet but it functions as where the fluid housing sperm is made, but with a bonus. This also is a cocktail of various hormones to induce ovulation of their partner as well as reduce the immune response.

Vas Deferens- The tubes to move the sperm up from the testes, they're just placed on the outside rather than in. Slight design flaw there.

Testes- You know what these are.

Ovaries- These too.

Spermatheca- These are where sperm is stored after it is pulled from the blood stream, all the bloodflow from the fat runs through here. It is also where eggs will be released into to allow fertilization, most Whorls will have their children in sets of 8ish because of the settup there.

Tough Fat- The fat here protects the gonads, so it is a lot firmer than in other places. Honestly it's mostly sinew. With the texture of like.. those big novelty pencil erasers.

Soft Fat- The name is a little misleading because this fat still has the consistency of rubber! It is pierced easily but seals back up quickly, stopping much bloodloss.

The Womb- Whorls are ovoviviparous, so while the babies hatch from their eggs within the mother, there is no other nutrient exchange going on there. Once they hatch they are soon after birthed to begin their aquatic larval stage.

The Birth Canal- Where babies come out! And exit only! Whorls have a one direction reproductive tract.

Now the optimum stabbing strats.

Not all stab wounds are created equal in the world of Hypodermic Insemination, a Whorls anatomy is built to favor some spots over others when it comes to mating. The most 'fertile' places to stab into are going to be the fat surrounding the baby making bits. Here the sperm is most easily acquired from the bloodstream. Nearby is the next best place as the blood can still carry it over. Pink areas may work rarely but the immune system is generally too fast in getting at the foreign material for it to get where it needs to go intact. Trying to stab the shell will result in just a awkward situation.

That's the main physical side of things! Other important things to note is that while Whorls can take on either role once they reach sexual maturity, they generally don't start being impregnated until later on in life. There are societal implications surrounding the stabber and stabbee, but typically the older or more dominate partner is expected to take on the duty of pregnancy.

Also important to note is that gender for Whorls is more closely akin to marital/familial status. Children/teens are not divided up at all, but once hitting adulthood Whorls will progress through several different genders and their roles within their lifetime. This is the way rough of the idea.

None- Prepubescent individuals still with their birth family.

Preened- Those who physically can breed but socially don't, and have also left their birth family.

Courting- Looking for a marriage/family to either start or join. 

Tender- Has married into a family and is helping to raise children. But does not actively help make the children. 

Piercer- Those who actively impregnate.

Vessel- The one who becomes preggo.

Dull- No longer breeding but have in the past.

But this is just the rough idea and not everyone follows the same path in life! Some may never be pregnant themselves, but father children or vice versa. Some may never breed at all to focus on their spouses other children. Some live solo lives! Varied experiences out here. That's all I gotta say about that for now though.

[veliatra]

Let's talk about that gauntlet of Gortash. That pretty arm piece in everyday use.

It's in three pieces, which is the good choice. Beleive me, that's whole thing is painful enough as is on the fingers.

You see, those have to be the most uncomfortable thing ever.

I own a set of claws in silver. I have been using them for a good 4 years now. I know what they're like. And I need you to look at the loops I have compared to him:

I have two, yes. He only has ones at the end of his digits (or rarely two on the shortest of the rings that don't actually have the risk of falling??). that shit is going to slide, and flop forwards. Now these make it nearly impossible to pick anything heavy up, even with another loop making sure it doesn't just disconnect from my finger like so:

Now another thing: it's hard to write in these. He has them on his right hand. Yk, hand of power or something? Okay but hear me out, you would NOT want that on your dominant hand. Trust me. He's a lefty. You don't want to be balancing with these metal claws. I take salon nails any day over jewelry nails.

These decors are painful on a warm day. They slide around more, you tighten them. They leave marks on my hands sometimes.

Now, you see those decors with their spikes? Specifically the ones on his fingers? Yeah, no way it's comfortable to clench that fist. You can see even on the first pic of mine, they have small bumps on the side, nothing crazy like Gorthy, and I have to put a finger above or under another for them to fit. Now this can result in an awkward thing that you can't actually fully make a fist.

Thanks for listening. Claw rings are great, and make me feel cool. Use them sparingly, take care of your bloodflow.

Bonus picture for why claws as rings are awesome:

[claymoresword]

I Choose Her | Chp: 9

Hermione Granger x Slytherin Fem!Reader

Summary: You are the daughter of known death eaters from one of the richest and oldest wizarding family. Are you prepared to abandon everything you know for Hermione Granger?

Pairing: Hermione x Reader

Wordcount: 4.5k

Warnings: smut, fluff, angst, dark themes, mention of death & murder, draco and y/n are basically siblings deal w it

Note: y/n and hermione: *away from each other for more than a day*

y/n: "this is it, this is what's going to kill me"

this chapter's definitely the longest i've written which wiped me out ngl im gonna have to take a couple days off lol

eitherway i hope u enjoy! <3

ps: i was listening to turning page as i wrote the first part of this chapter so... make of that what u will 👀

taglist: @gvrsto @aweidlich @xxsekhmet @arielj @poppyflower-22

(comment to be added)

You're awoken this morning by Hermione shifting in her sleep. The two of you crammed together in her bed.

Mrs Granger had set up the guest room for you but your girlfriend insisted you slept with her.

Hermione was persistent but honestly you didn't put up much of a fight.

You were now awake enough to feel the pulsing in your arm. It seems Hermione's head had been laying on top of it the entire night, restricting your bloodflow.

You attempt to pull your arm out from underneath her head without waking her but clearly failing when Hermione lets out a noise in protest. She makes no effort to move her head.

"Sweetheart, my arm's asleep." You explained but Hermione says nothing.

For a moment you assumed she had fallen back asleep but your girlfriend quickly grabs your other arm, wrapping it around her own abdomen.

She is awake and she is ignoring you.

You relent.

Pulling her close Hermione only holds onto your arm tighter enjoying the feeling of you against her.

You begin to drift off but a knock at the door jolts you awake once more.

"Hermione, breakfast is ready darling."

Mrs Granger says from the other side of the door and you can feel Hermione tense up.

Undoubtedly dreading the prospect of the day beginning. Today is bound to be dreadful.

She has to leave for the burrow which also means she has to obliviate her parents. To make matters worse, your own parents are expecting you home for the initiation. You want more than anything to stay with Hermione.

You supposed in the grand scheme of things, these are necessary sacrifices.

Something you tell yourself to keep from having a complete breakdown.

"I wish we could stay like this forever." Hermione's voice breaks and it feels like a harsh blow to your chest. You hated that it had to come to this. She was essentially losing her parents today and you would not be here to guide her through it.

"Me too, baby." Pulling her even closer, the only comfort you're capable of providing her right now.

Hermione moves to turn towards you and you release her from your grasp.

The pain in your chest now piercing when you realised she is crying.

"I don't know if I can do it y/n."

You sit up, prompting for Hermione to do the same. You hold her face in both your hands, wiping away the tear on her cheek.

"Listen to me."

"We are going to get through this. You will see your parents again. It can't end this way. It won't."

You assure her but mostly you're trying to convince yourself.

Hermione studies your face for a beat, searching for something.

"Aren't you afraid?"

You let a moment pass before answering.

"I'm terrified."

More tears well up in her eyes, she shifts her gaze.

"I don't want to end up alone."

Hermione's voice trembles and your own eyes are now welling up.

"You won't be alone. You will always have me." You emphasise in hopes that Hermione will believe you.

"Promise me you're not going to die."

Your girlfriend blurts out and you breathed out sharply in amusement. Hermione lets out a defeated chuckle, only just hearing how ridiculous she sounded.

"I promise." You respond anyway, leaning in you place a tender kiss on her forehead.

Hermione grips the hem of your shirt, capturing your lips with her own.

Savouring this moment as much as you could, both of you knowing that the future was entirely uncertain.

Hermione was quick to wrap her arms around you after your lips left hers.

For awhile, you are sat in silence holding each other.

"My brave girl." You whisper and Hermione's grip on your shoulders tighten.

She did not want to let go and neither did you.

But eventually you had no choice. Releasing her from your embrace you stood up off the bed.

"We should get going."

You offered her your hand, Hermione hesitates for a moment before grabbing it.

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You are stood in the doorway to the kitchen, Hermione slowly approaches her parents from behind. She pauses for a moment turning to look at you.

She's asking you for reassurance.

For strength.

You merely nod and that seemed to give Hermione the push she needed.

Lifting up her wand she takes a deep breath before reciting the memory spell.

"Obliviate."

You watched as things in the room shifted and changed. Some of Hermione's belongings, things she's had since childhood dissipating into thin air.

Pictures of her on the mantle slowly being erased.

You couldn't bare to watch.

Stepping forward you tugged on Hermione's arm. No child should have to watch their parents forget them.

"Come my love its done, let's go."

The look on Hermione's face makes your heart constrict painfully in your chest.

She's trying her best to stay strong and you loved her even more for it.

Soon she follows you to the front door, walking out you both sit on the stairs of the veranda.

Hermione doesn't cry. She doesn't say anything. You are sat for several minutes without a word being said.

Suddenly remembering that you were due home this afternoon, you lifted your arm to check the time.

Your girlfriend notices and finally breaks the silence.

"When will I see you again?"

Her voice is fragile and it simply crushes you.

"I will try my best to meet you at the burrow in a day or two."

"Truthfully, I have no idea what to expect or how long the initiation is going to take but I will come back to you, I promise.

Hermione doesn't respond for a moment instead she finds your hand, fiddling with your ring. Perhaps to check for the bond, to make sure it is still there.

"Okay." She mutters.

"I'm so sorry Hermione. I wish there was another way." You shuffle closer and her hand moves to your arm firmly gripping your bicep.

She rests her head on your shoulder.

"Just swear that you'll come back to me." Your girlfriend says and you smile.

"I swear– And if I do die I will make sure to come back as a ghost."

"Or maybe a poltergeist." You continue.

Hermione slaps your arm and you wince.

"Not funny." She says sternly but you catch the faint smile on her lips.

════════════════════════════════════════════

"What did you do to your hair?"

The first thing your mum says as you came through the front door.

You sighed. This was going to be a difficult day.

"Nothing, why?"

Your mum walks up to you, fixing your hair in the passive aggressive manner she always does.

She then moves to your clothes, endlessly fussing with it.

"Come, you're nearly late. Everyone's waiting."

Your eyebrows furrowed. For a moment you wonder if the Dark Lord himself was here.

Then again, it can't be. Your mother seems too calm at the prospect of hosting Voldermort himself in her dining room.

You walk beside your mother past the foyer and into the downstairs living area.

There you spotted your father. He barely looks at you before he speaks.

"You're late."

He doesn't leave you space to answer before stepping aside, gesturing for you to walk further in.

Immediately you spotted Draco, standing next to his parents.

Narcissa was quick to come up to you, greeting you with a hug and a kind smile.

"Y/n, its been so long– you've grown so much."

Narcissa leans back to take proper look at you, holding your face in her hands.

"You've grown into a radiant young woman."

She says and you fail to suppress the blush rushing to your cheeks. You have always liked Draco's mum. Never anything but kind to you, she provided a warmth you didn't receive from your own mother.

"Thank you Mrs Malfoy you are too kind. Sorry I have not visited as of late, I've been rather preoccupied with school."

You lied, glancing at Draco. He stares at you for a beat before looking down.

That's Draco for: "I'm sorry, thanks for lying for me."

"Release the girl Cissy we haven't got all day." Bellatrix says from across the room and you take a proper scan of the room for the first time.

You spot Greyback, Wormtail, Pius and Dolohov.

A few other people you did not recognise. All death eaters no doubt, some who must have recently escaped from azkaban.

No sign of the Dark Lord.

The death eaters alone would've been a chilling sight if you were not already used to it.

Narcissa steps back and your mother now takes your hand guiding you to the center of the room.

It was silent for a few moments until Greyback re emerges from the back room, grabbing a woman by her arm. He harshly throws her onto the ground infront of you.

She was bound by the wrists, her mouth stuffed with cloth probably to keep her from screaming.

She looks terrified.

"Who is this?" You mutter quietly but it's still heard by the rest of the room.

Bellatrix walks towards you, a menacing grin plastered across her face.

"Why does it matter? Do want to call her friends and family? Send your condolences?" Bellatrix mocks, earning a snicker from the other death eaters.

"Some muggle we plucked off the street." Dolohov chimed in, answering your question.

Your stomach churns. The woman looked not much older than you were.

Not much older than Hermione.

"Now, do you know your unforgivable curses?"

Bellatrix says, circling you like a hawk stalking its prey.

"Ofcourse I know them."

She laughs.

"Good."

She moves towards the woman, and unbinds her wrists. She removes the cloth from her mouth. Bellatrix forces the woman up on her feet.

She is trembling under your gaze but makes no effort to run away.

"Take out your wand y/n."

Your mother instructs and you do as you're told.

Bellatrix leans in, you feel her breath against your ear.

"Torture her." She whispers and you swallow the lump in your throat.

Glancing at your mother she only looks at you expectantly. Your father's stern gaze sends a chill down your spine.

You had to commit for this to work. You have to get back to Hermione, whatever it takes.

Lifting your arm you pointed the wand at the woman before you. You steady your breathing, trying to appear as calm as possible.

"Crucio."

The woman falls to the ground, writhing in pain. Her deafening screams now filling the room.

Your stomach churns but you school your expression.

You cannot appear weak.

"Very good." Bellatrix says after her laughter subsided.

"Now let's see, what is the next unforgivable curse?" She says in a mocking tone.

"Oh just get on with it. She knows them. Kill the muggle already." Dolohov says.

Another laugh erupts from Bellatrix and you flinch this time.

"You heard him y/n."

"Kill her." Bellatrix says, her face too close to yours.

You glanced in Draco's direction but he's not looking at you. His gaze fixed at the floor he almost looks just as afraid as the woman you had just been tasked to murder.

You mother gives you a nod and your father only raises his eyebrows.

Everyone is waiting for your move.

You don't let yourself think on it a moment longer.

"Avada Kadavra."

You exclaimed, a bright green light flashes and the woman falls flat on her back, motionless.

The room is dead silent once again.

Your ears are ringing, you feel as if you are about to faint.

The sound of clapping around the room snaps you back into the present.

"Well done, my daughter." Your father gives you smile for the first time today.

Your mother pulls you in for a hug and you're only able to focus on how sick you felt.

"May I please be excused? I have to visit the ladies room."

Your mother releases you from her grip.

"Ofcourse darling."

You rush out of the living area, you didn't go the bathroom. You needed to get outside. The air in your house felt thick, suffocating.

Eventually you found yourself in the yard behind your home.

Unbuttoning a few buttons on your shirt hoping it would help give you more room to breathe but it doesn't. Feeling the bile rise up to your throat you kneeled over, vomitting all over the grass.

You hear footsteps come up next to you and before you managed to look up, Draco speaks.

"Here." Holding out his handkerchief.

"Thanks."

You grab it, giving him a smile in gratitude before wiping your mouth.

"I threw up as well. After my initiation. A lot more than that actually."

Draco says looking at the patch of grass.

"There were a lot more tears involved too." He jokes.

His attempt to make you feel better about yourself only made you more glum.

"You did well y/n."

"This is fucked." You admit, earning a real laugh from Draco.

A sound you hadn't heard in months.

"Yes it is." He says leaning agaisnt the tree next to you.

"But it's also just the life we were born into."

Draco was right. There was no use in complaining.

"It is what it is."

You say and he nods in agreement.

════════════════════════════════════════════

You had been home for two days now, to be honest you've not done much besides sit in on death eater meetings. The Dark Lord was yet to show himself, you actually began to doubt his existence.

You waited for nightfall, you had to try to sneak out today and see Hermione.

Shoving your wand in your pocket you shut your eyes, focusing in on your ring. You prepared to apparate.

Your concentration broken by a familiar voice coming from behind you.

"Where do you think you're going?" Draco asks, emerging from the doorway.

"I have to see her."

Your bestfriend scoffs, shaking his head.

"I knew it. I knew you didn't break up with her."

"What is it about her?" Draco steps closer.

"I barely even recognise you anymore y/n. You were never like this. That girl makes you weak and you know it."

You rolled your eyes.

"You don't recognise me ?" You raised your voice.

"And who's fault is that, huh?" Quickly placing your hands on his chest, you shoved him. He loses his balance slightly but doesn't attempt to strike you back.

"You've barely acknowledged me this entire year, Draco." Your voice now back to a whisper.

He doesn't say anything, avoiding eye contact he focuses his attention on the fireplace next to you.

"We've both changed."

"That's just life."

Draco finally looks at you.

"But you are the closest thing I have to a brother. This fact remains the same."

"I will continue to defend you no matter what. I am only asking you for the same courtesy in return."

Draco's gaze softens but he seems slightly affronted.

"Ofcourse I have your back y/n. Always."

"Then let me go."

"You're right, she is a weakness. But it's only because I love her."

Draco nods, finally understanding.

"Look I'm not asking you to lie for me but–"

"You're asking me to lie for you." Draco interjects.

You let out a chuckle.

"Yes I suppose I am."

Draco sighs dramatically.

"Go. I'll make something up if your parents ask." Your eyes light up but he was quick to warn you.

"But- If you're not back here in a day, you're on your own."

A large grin spread across your face and your bestfriend rolls his eyes.

"Thank you." You say placing a quick kiss on his cheek which he was quick to wipe off with his hand.

Regardless, he throws you a smile.

Closing your eyes you focus in once again, successfully dissaparating.

════════════════════════════════════════════

You apparate right in Hermione and Ginny's room in the burrow. You immediately find your girlfriend on the bed, a book in her hands.

She spots you quickly, dropping her book she practically jumps into your arms.

You held her tight, breathing in the familiar scent of her hair.

"I missed you so much."

Hermione says and your heart swells.

"I missed you." You respond, pulling back to look at her.

Her lips were on yours immediately. You let out an involuntarily sigh of relief.

Longing to feel her lips against yours since the moment you parted ways.

"That was awful. Please never dissappear for that long again."

You laughed.

"Hermione, we were apart for 3 days." You moved your hand tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Felt like an eternity." Hermione grumbles adorably, you lean in to kiss her again.

"I'm sorry, but I can't stay long."

Hermione's shoulders slumped, a pout forming on her face.

"I only wanted to let you know I was okay. I will come back and see you as often as I can, I swear."

The pout doesn't leave her lips and you lean in, planting a kiss on her forehead.

Hermione moves her hands to grip your collar.

"Will you stay for the wedding atleast?"

You make a face but Hermione's expression breaks your resolve immediately.

"Fine, I'll stay."

She flashes you a smile that always seems to cause that familiar fluttering in your stomach.

"One slight issue, I don't have anything to wear." You say and Hermione steps away from you, a glint in her eyes.

She grabs her pouch, pulling out a blazer that look oddly familiar.

"Is that my suit?" Hermione only lets out a giggle and you shake your head in disbelief.

"How did you even sneak that in there without me noticing." Your girlfriend bites her lip, she shrugs her shoulders.

"You're very easy to distract." Hermione pulls you in closer by the hem of your slacks.

"Well Miss Granger, I must admit you never fail to surprise me." You say, hot breath against her ear.

Placing an open mouthed kiss on her neck you reveled at the feeling of her shuddering under your touch.

You planted another kiss on her jaw and eventually your lips found hers. Hermione opens her mouth wider and you take the opportunity to enter your tongue into her mouth.

The kiss was sloppy, lacking grace. Both of you now hot with need.

Your hand travels to Hermione's ass, giving it a squeeze. She gasps into your mouth and your tongue meets hers again.

You move your hand up, finding her breast you began kneading it over her shirt, Hermione moans directly into your mouth.

You were completely drunk on her.

Moving your other hand you attempted to slip into her pyjama pants before she grips your wrist, stopping you.

"Ginny might come in any minute." Hermione breathes out against your lips.

"Then let her come in."

You move your hand, your finger brushing over her folds. You were surprised at how wet she was.

"Fuck baby, you're already dripping for me."

Your own voice thick with arousal.

Hermione whimpers and you deliberately applied pressure on her clit with your palm.

You feel her hips buck against your hand. Hermione quickly grips the back of your neck almost like she needed help steadying herself.

She grabs your wrist again.

"Ah– y/n wait please."

You removed your hand from her pants, moving to lean your back against the wall. Hermione's darkened gaze mirroring yours. You both take a moment to collect yourselves.

"I just think it'd be distasteful for Ginny to walk in on us. I mean this is her room afterall." Hermione explains after a moment of silence.

"No, ofcourse that wouldn't be polite. You're right." You say blandly.

"Don't be angry.." Hermione noticed your tone, she pokes at your stomach playfully.

"I'm not angry."

Which was the truth, frustrated perhaps but it was hardly her fault.

You leaned in planting a kiss on her cheek to assure her that you weren't upset. Hermione smiles, seemingly convinced.

"What were you reading?" You ask, a blatant attempt to change the subject.

════════════════════════════════════════════

The two of you now laying in bed, Hermione finally mustered the courage to look at your arm. Running her fingers across the dark mark freshly etched into your skin.

"Did they hurt you?" Hermione asks softly.

"No I-"

I killed an innocent woman.

"No."

Your girlfriend moves her hand, now resting on your chest over your heart.

A beat pasts before you speak.

"I'm still me, you know."

Hermione shuffles closer and you wrap your arm around her.

"I know."

"Are you sure it would be ok for me to come tomorrow? I wouldn't want to intrude." Hermione gives you a pointed look and suddenly you felt ridiculous for even asking.

"Ofcourse it's ok. Besides nobody knows yet. Just don't show anyone your arm and it'll be alright."

Hermione meant it as a comfort but something about her statement stung.

You were sick of keeping secrets.

You wanted to bring Hermione to a place far away, but you knew that wouldn't change anything.

There's no possible way to run from yourself.

"Where do you want to get married?" You blurt out and Hermione looks bemused.

"I mean– hypothetically speaking, if we had a wedding where do you want it to be?"

You clarify and Hermione lets out a chuckle.

"I dont know, I haven't really thought about it."

"My parents had their wedding in the yard behind my grandparents home."

You eyebrows knitted together and Hermione notices.

"They lived on a farm." She clarifies.

"Oh–"

"You want to get married on a farm?"

You ask and Hermione moves her head down, resting it on your chest.

You feel her shrug.

"I don't know, it could be nice."

Your hand finds her back, you rubbed it soothingly.

"I'm not opposed to that idea."

Hermione hums in response but says nothing else. You soon realised that she was drifting off.

Before you could close your own eyes Ginny enters the room.

She studies the two of you before scrunching up her nose.

"Oh- gross." She remarks and you were quick to shush her.

Grabbing the nearest pillow you chucked it at her, careful not to move too much in fear of waking Hermione.

She expertly catches the pillow before it could hit her and prepares to throw it back at you.

You hold your hand up.

"Don't, you'll wake her." You whisper and Ginny rolls her eyes, putting the pillow down.

"Fine. I'll get you back in the morning y/n, mark my words."

════════════════════════════════════════════

"I'm sorry to intrude Mrs Weasley I do hope me being here isn't too much of a nuisance."

"Oh nonsense. You're always welcomed here." Molly says kindly, releasing you from her embrace.

"Come, do help yourself to a spot of breakfast. She says, practically forcing you to sit at the dining table.

Hermione joins you shortly, greeting you with a quick peck on the lips.

You hear someone clear their throat.

Both of you watched as Ron stabs his pancake with a fork roughly. Shovelling it in his mouth.

You couldn't lie, a part of you did find immense pleasure in knowing how jealous he gets.

"Alright, y/n?" Fred greets you before grabbing a piece of toast.

You only nod, throwing him a smile.

You watched as he joined his brother by the window, both of their attentions now fixed on something.

"Bloody hell, what's the Minister Of Magic doing here?" George says and Hermione turns to look at you, she seemed just as perplexed as you were.

════════════════════════════════════════════

You were standing next to Hermione by the sofa. Ron and Harry sat next to her, waiting for the Minister to state his business.

He pulls out a piece of parchment and begins reading.

"Herein setforth, the last will and testament of Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore."

"First, to Ronald Bilius Weasley, I leave my deluminator. A device of my own making. In hopes that when things seem most dark, it will show him the light."

He hands him the item and Ron reaches out, unsure.

"Dumbledore left this for me?"

"That's brilliant– but what is it?"

The Minister gestures for him to click the button and Ron does so.

A flap opening on the top, the lights in the room quickly being sucked into the device.

Ron clicks it again and the lights return back to their original place.

"Wicked." He breathes out.

"Next, to Hermione Jean Granger, I leave my copy of The Tales Of Beedle The Bard, in hopes that she will find it entertaining and instructive."

You lean forward trying to get a good look at the book.

"To Harry James Potter, I leave the snitch he caught in his first quidditch match at Hogwarts. As a reminder, of perseverance and skill."

The minister holds out the golden ball and the 4 of you watched with bated breath as Harry grabs it.

You were expecting it to open at his touch but nothing happens.

"Dumbledore left you a second item Mr Potter."

"He left you the sword of Godric Gryffindor."

Hermione glances at you in shock before turning her attention back to Harry.

"But unfortunately the sword of Gryffindor was not Dumbledore's to give away. As an important historical artifact it belongs-"

"To Harry." Hermione interjects.

"It belongs to Harry. It came to him when he most needed it in the chambers of secrets."

The Minister merely shakes his head.

"The sword may present itself to any worthy Gryffindor Miss Granger but that does not make it that wizards property."

"And in any event, the current whereabouts of the sword are unknown."

The Minister says glancing at you. You step forward, uncrossing your arms.

"Excuse me?" Harry asks in disbelief.

"The sword is missing." He confirms.

A beat pasts where none of you say anything.

"Is that it then?" You broke the silence.

He stares at you for a moment before speaking.

"Not quite."

He turns his attention to the parchment again.

"Finally, to y/n, I leave a sacred piece of parchment. Strictly to be read by her eyes only."

You mouth falls open in shock.

The Minister holds out the note, waiting for you to grab it.

"For me?" You had to ask again. You truly couldn't believe it.

You looked at Hermione and she nods, urging you to take the note.

You grabbed it and wasted no time in skimming its contents.

Y/n,

We must all face the choice between what is right and what is easy. Believe in yourself enough to make the right choice. Only then you can be certain that you are exactly where you need to be.

- Dumbledore

As soon as you got to the end of the note the words on the page dissapeared and the piece of paper goes up in flames.

Although, that did not matter. You didn't have to read it again.

You understood immediately.

No longer fighting the smile that's threatening to form on your lips . Hermione notices your expression and mimicks it instinctively.

You were exactly where you needed to be.

[ranticore]

you're getting Content from all my settings today because i've kinda narrowed down the magical scope for the plane dragon runes.. so far i've only imaged them being used to move something parallel to their surface in the direction of the arrow, so i decided that this is all they can do. the vector rune will move something in a specific direction (a specific vector even) and also it glows when in use because why not, and produces heat. since this is the dragon's jet engine it means that it also creates a big hot target for pursuers to lock onto.. if they can catch them

when placed on humans it exerts a positive pressure on the bloodflow helping it circulate under high-G scenarios. all vector rune magic comes from the dragon, not the rider, so the runes on a human have to be paired with a dragon who can activate them when needed. otherwise they're just normal tattoos.

additionally i need to draw a diagram of how the wing works because obviously the low and high speed flight regimes require the wing to perform differently in terms of flexibility, rigidity and so on. so i was thinking it's a membrane bilayer which acts similar to a bat patagium in low speed flapping flight. but when transitioning to the jet flight, fibrous tubes linking both halves of the bilayer stiffen hydraulically to create a thin but much more rigid fixed wing with a bracing support structure inside it. I'll have to draw that but u yet the idea

[insipid-drivel]

Ahoi, horse question -

I knew most facts on your list but it’s a fun read, thanks for that.

I also knew that horses can overeat themselves to death but I always wondered:

What’s different with wild horses, how do they regulate themselves? And didn’t they occasionally eat bad plants and mushrooms, too, that poisoned them?

Wild horses can and do poison themselves by eating toxic plants, it's just that herds of wild horses are remarkably rare to see EVER, so the whole "toxic plants in reach of horses" discourse is almost entirely limited to domestic settings. Tansy, especially, is a poisonous herb that can appear to blend into other safe grasses and herbs a horse may eat, and the horse will eventually die of colic (intestinal spasms that cause the horse's GI tract to literally tie itself in knots, cut off bloodflow, and result in an agonizing death; it's one of the most common causes of premature death in horses). That's why responsible owners pay out the nose to have their paddocks ID'd and and cleared of any toxic plants the horse may accidentally graze on. Most experienced horse/ranch owners practically qualify for an honorary botany degree, because the best owners learn how to identify most - if not all - of the toxic plants their horses may encounter in their area, and keep their horses far away from them until/unless the plants can be removed.

With many wild horses you may see in photos, those are the ones that made it to adulthood. Horses are prey animals, and so wild horses you see in film or pictures - even babies - may not have survived to the publication of the picture you're looking at. As prey animals, only the strong and lucky survive to old age without human intervention on some level to improve their mortality rates. Foals are just as vulnerable to predation as baby deer, and usually can't survive if they're injured or sick in any way that keeps them from keeping up with their herd. The herd usually follows the dominant mating stallion, who typically decides when it's time for the herd to move (unless the mares decide he's not worth listening to, which happens sometimes). There aren't really that many places in the world where you'll see truly wild horses, so most people don't think of them as prey animals that are as vulnerable to environmental dangers as any other prey animal.

It's well to remember, too, that pretty much all true-blue, wild horses today are the descendants of domestic horses to some degree. In the American West, wild herds of Mustangs were captured by the US Army and westward-bound settlers in the 18th and 19th centuries so voraciously that wild mustang populations pretty much went entirely extinct (Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron is very much taking place during the final years Spirit will ever know freedom as a wild animal. A few years later, the horses will end up broken and domesticated by soldiers if they aren't tamed and separated by other humans, and there will be no more mustang herds to see on the western frontiers for well over a century).

All horses are thought to descend from the OG horse, the Przewalski's Horse, aka Those Cave-Painting Horses:

The very first true horses to ever appear were initially native to what is now steppes and grasslands in Mongolia and Russia - so basically Central Asia. It's theorized that, thousands of years ago, these horses gradually migrated into North America via the Bering Land Bridge that once joined North America to what is now Russia, and evolved and were domesticated into now what we recognize as the American Mustang:

American Mustangs don't bear a very clear resemblance to their Przewalski ancestors due to thousands of years of domestication, separation from their original species, and selective breeding practices by humans.

Both the Przewalksi's Horse and American Mustangs have recently been on the rise thanks largely to conservation methods when it comes to wild populations of them. The Przewalski's Horse was so rare that it was functionally extinct in the wild in the 1960s, with the only significant populations of surviving horses being kept in zoos and wildlife conservatories. Now, the horses have made such a big comeback that some of the first wild herds have been released back into their home environment in Central Asia.

The main difference is in how the horses are treated by their human protectors, or if they have humans looking after them at all. Domestic horses that are raised privately and kept essentially as very expensive pets spend their entire lives having humans providing them with most, if not all, of their required resources and care, so they don't typically get the same experience with food that they would in the wild. Herds of wild horses can have roaming territories of hundreds, if not thousands, of hectares and be comprised of a dozen or more individual horses, while most domestic "pet" horses are usually limited to much tighter pastures that only span a couple of acres, maybe in the double or triple digits if there's money-money involved, but the horses still largely have their dietary needs and daily routines decided for them by their owners - not natural instinct and rearing by other horses.

A horse really can't get everything it needs nutritionally or behaviorally in a paddock-and-stable setup without humans to feed and look after them, because they don't have a huge range of places they were evolved to travel between to sustain their health; horses, like other ungulates, need vital minerals like those found in natural salt deposits to maintain their health, and the soil in your horse's paddock may be so nutritionally deprived that the grass your horse grazes on doesn't actually contain enough nutrition for the horse to survive without supplementation to their food. They also need more than grass to be nutritionally stable; horses will seek out and eat fruits, veggies, grains, herbs, and especially love molasses and other forms of sugar for their sky-high amounts of carbohydrates (and because they taste good). But they don't know how to properly regulate what they eat when presented with an unlimited supply without a human to handle the portion control side of things, so it's easy for them to overeat to the point that it kills them.

Wild horses are born and raised feeding and taking care of themselves and each other in highly maternal, matriarchal communities (mostly females of reproductive age and their babies with only one or two adult breeding males; the stallions are usually the ones that lead the herd, but the mares really have the final say). Aside from eating something they didn't know was toxic, wild horses learn from their peers and elders when it comes to where they can find the best food and when, and rely heavily upon their understanding of their territory/range when it comes to knowing where and what they should eat to stay healthy. They also have to share resources with other horses in their herd, and don't get access to huge 200lb barrels of oats or 150lb bales of pure feeding hay, so they usually don't find opportunities like domestic horses do to find Enormous Stores Of Unprotected Food and make themselves sick.

Horses have a muscle at the top of their stomachs referred to as a French Tie. It literally makes it physically impossible for a horse to throw up, even if they've eaten something bad or overeaten and would stand a better chance at surviving if they could spit up what they ate. Being grazing animals with long necks, they can't have the internal structure to throw up with, because otherwise they would never be able to get their food or water from their mouths to their stomachs. Gravity would prevent them from being able to eat without constantly raising their heads up to gulp down food like an alligator with a chicken drumstick (seriously, try taking a drink of water while you're dangling upside down; that's why NOT being able to regurgitate is more valuable for horses), which is not what grass-eating animals want to do: grass and plant life is very hard to digest efficiently, horses only have one stomach compared to other ungulates like cows, and horses and similar grazing animals spend so much time chewing on their food in order to make it easier to digest and draw nutrition from that it generally makes their food intake pretty steady for their digestive systems to cope with.

Domestic horses that live their lives in paddocks and barns know where things like the grain store/feed room are, and don't really understand why we stingy humans will only give them a scoop or two of oats as a treat and not give them as much as they want 24/7. Their instincts almost always are to graze, graze, graze, so what's wrong with going face-down in a barrel full of oats? It's just tasty food!

Except we know that overeating means they can't puke up what they don't need or can't digest the way your dog can if they managed to rip open your 50lb bag of cat food while you were away at work. They don't know better, and there's no way to teach a horse NOT to eat when food is right in front of their noses, so farm-horses essentially have their entire diets managed for them to keep them safe and healthy, while wild horses just don't have access to that sheer quantity of unguarded food to overeat at all under typical circumstances.

[gracien-system]

How to be safer when doing self harm.

We've seen a lot of posts talking about how there needs to be more resources for folks who self harm on how to do it safely, and how resources are overly focused on prevention rather than harm reduction. We realized that we have the knowledge to at least contribute to the "how to do this safer" side, and... well, this post is our attempt at that.

I will note that we are not medical professionals -- our mother was, for about 5 years, though, and so was our great grandmother. We've also done enough research to feel confident that we can give at least a general guide and pointers on how to reduce the risk of long term damage from self harm, but we're human -- if we make a mistake, and you happen to know that it's wrong, point it out in the notes. We'll reblog your version.

With all that being said, the info's under the readmore.

When it comes to self harm, there are a lot of methods that people use -- however, physical self harm generally has a few common presentations.

Cutting, scratching, and burning, are the 3 we're going to cover here. We'll go in order, top to bottom.

1: how to be safer when cutting

The first thing you want to do is pick your blade. A razor blade is much different to a knife, and both are different to a shard of glass, even though the aftercare remains similar.

The general guidance we can give is this: make sure whatever implement you use is as sharp as possible, and avoid serrated blades as much as you can. A simple kitchen or pocket knife is probably the safest option you have.

Whatever you use, make sure you sterilize it to the best of your ability beforehand. Dunk it in hydrogen peroxide or alcohol (pouring either over the entire length of the blade works, too.), or take a lighter and run it down the entire length of the cutting edge (this will fuck up the heat treat of the blade, and make it much harder to keep it sharp in the future, so I wouldn't recommend it for anything you'd like to reuse, but it is and option if necessary).

When you cut, pick your location carefully. Avoid the wrists and lower arm (there are a lot of veins and nerves you could accidentally damage or sever, which is a bad time.) a nice rule of thumb (though it may not work for everyone) is "if you can take your other hand and feel bone on both sides of the arm, it's probably too low". Make sure you don't cut lengthwise -- if you accidentally catch a vein going lengthwise, you'll almost certainly end up in the ER or worse, whereas going horizontally has a much lower chance of something catastrophic happening.

Other places to avoid cutting are: inner thigh (nearby artery), and the groin (extremely high bloodflow region).

While cutting, to avoid infection, it's important that if you set your blade on a hard and non-sterile surface, you wash it with alcohol or peroxide before using it again.

Try to avoid cutting deep -- muscle damage is hard to heal from, and nerve damage is harder still. Skin deep wounds will scar, but muscle deep ones usually require stitches.

Once you're done, wash the wounds and your hands with soap and hot water, then a disinfectant. Dry them with a towel or paper towel, then put bandages over them (or bandaids, if they're small enough.)

How to apply a bandage: get cotton pads, gauze, or something similar, as well as tape. Press the gauze against the wound, then tape it to the surrounding skin. Change once every 4-6 hours (or until you can see blood on the exposed side, whichever is sooner.) until the bleeding has stopped, then once every 6-8 hours until it has healed.

You've minimized your chance of infection, scarring, and permanent damage. Good job. We're proud of you. /gen

2: how to be safer scratching.

With scratching, you want to make sure that you wash your hands thoroughly before and after, especially under your fingernails. A good way to make sure that your fingernails are clean is to take some soap, put it in the palm of your hand, then scratch the palm for a few seconds under running water. Do this with both hands.

If you draw blood, make sure to disinfect and bandage the wound. If you don't, make sure to wash it afterwards.

Scratching carries of a lot less risk of permanent damage as opposed to a lot of other methods, but has a much higher chance of infection if you draw blood and didn't disinfect your hands. Just be careful, and you should be fine. We're proud of you. /gen

3: how to be safer burning.

We can't advise on the method as much as we would like to, here, because there are a lot of ways to burn yourself. We're going to assume lighter, but the advice we give should be applicable to most localized 1st and 2nd degree burns. If you give yourself a 3rd degree burn of any sort, no matter how localized, you need to see a doctor as fast as possible.

1st degree burns are comparable to a (mild to moderate) sunburn -- uncomfortable, potentially risks infection if not cared for properly, painful, and just generally not a great time, but not very dangerous if treated properly. Standard protocol with all burns is to wash the affected area(s) in cool water for 30 seconds to a minute immediately after the burn. With 1st degree, it's your choice whether you want to apply something like allo or lotion to it, afterwards. It might help reduce pain and/or help it heal faster, but it's your call. Just make sure to keep the area clean and cool.

2nd degree burns are more serious. Depending on how big the area burned is, you might want to see a doctor, but that's up to the individual. If you want to treat it yourself, wash for 30 seconds to a minute in cool water, then apply a lotion or allo to it. Once you've done that, apply a bandage over the area, and let it heal.

We aren't an expert in identifying what is first, second, and third degree, in terms of burns -- but there are plenty of resources our there to help you with that. If someone adds one to this post, we'll edit this to include it.

Congrats, you've minimized the risk of long term damage. We're proud. /gen

Closing notes

We know there's a lot out there that would like to say that recovery is an on/off switch. It isn't. The best way to recover is to minimize the harm as much as you can today, and and work towards other coping mechanisms as you can. Don't believe that you're lesser, somehow, for needing an intermediate step, or intermediate steps.

We hope you have a wonderful rest of your day/night, and we wish you good luck -- both in your recovery, and in your life.

[diseasedfauna]

Erubescoitis

Note: fake disease

Nicknames: Blood Hands Disease

Symptoms/Stages:

Stage One:

At the beginning of stage one the tips of fingers and toes begin to turn a light pink because of the pooling of blood (Note that personifications do not require bloodflow but for the sake of appearing human it happens and is a manual function to have the heart beat. The pooling of blood in limbs is not always an indicator of this disease)

Stage Two:

Once stage two is initiated the pooling of this blood will only increase which will further the pink/red color of the limbs. Along with this, small pimple like bumps will appear in these red areas.

The body will also begin to start to become skinnier and there will be an increase of the amount of saliva in the mouth.

Stage Three:

Once this stage has started the redness starts to become much more vibrant than before. This color is often compared to maraschino cherries. The small bumps originally there begin to get bigger and spread all over the redness to the point that they’re so close that these bumps overlap.

There will be an increase of saliva and it’ll start to have a foam like texture and it often pools out of the mouth. 

The personification suffering this will also begin to become so skinny to the point of bones being visible. Studies show that almost all fat within the body disappears.

Stage Four:

This being the final stage, the red coloration spreads up to the elbows and knees and in some cases farther than the hips and shoulders. The red bumps follow this spreading and get worse the further down the limb you go.

Extreme dehydration and starvation sets in and they may resort to eating others because of desperation. This is the only time a personification will become violent if they have this disease.

Muscle mass loss is more often than not evident in this stage.

Stage Five:

At the start of stage five, the personification may start seeking out the source of the disease.

The foaming at the mouth gets worse and the body may begin eating unnecessary organs in order to feed itself. The effects of extreme dehydration also begin to set in.

The redness at this stage may spread to the rest of the body.

Procedure:

If caught in stage one, a counteracting substance will be injected into the arm or thigh. This will almost always get rid of the disease and fight it successfully in this stage.

If caught in stage two, the above procedure will be put in place.

If caught in stage three, a stronger form of the previous substance will be injected. Food and water will be supplied in order to help gain lost fat back and to help prevent dehydration.

Stages four and five have a similar procedure. The personification will get an injection in the arm or thigh will be administered in order to help fight off the disease. An NG tube will be put up the nose in order to get the personification the needed minerals and vitamins they needs.

^ Said infected personification needs to be put in a hot or warm room so that they do not develop hypothermia because of the body and muscle mass loss

How Does it Spread?:

If the personification consumes the rotting body of a hoofed animal then it is very likely they will catch this. This disease is more often found when the animal is in the late stages of decay.

Other animal bodies do not have this, it’s only been found in hoofed animal carcasses.

First Discovered:

First discovered by the Personification of Egypt early into their creation in 3145 B.C.E

Is it Chronic?:

No

Other:

Caeruleumitis varient

Personifications in the Collapse Process always die from this but other than this Personifications are not capable of dying from this disease

Texas catches this at least once a decade. He is always drunk when we find him passed out on the corpse of a cow he ate. 

[grandlinedreams]

that blurb you wrote about reader coming back wrong has me thinking about how disgusting reader might feel without a heartbeat or bloodflowing, cold and lifeless. one day they ask law, “aren’t you disgusted? i’m a corpse. how can you stand to even touch me?”

OUCH you want some angst for a drabble? Here you go ㅡ

"...don't I make you sick?"

The question comes as Law is dragging a brush through your hair. You're relearning the things muscle memory used to make so easy, limbs still doll joint stiff. The slow drag down, restarting at the top, beginning to end.

"No," Law answers. "You don't make me sick."

One stroke. Two. Three.

"Why?"

He doesn't have to ask what you mean. He knows ㅡ why had he done this? Why are you here? Why won't he return you to your bed of earth and worms? You want to know why. (You want answers he doesn't have, not yet.)

"Because I love you."

Four strokes. Five. Six.

"Do you?" It's bitter, full of blame that he shoulders silently. You're angry, and you have every right to be. You're still dead, and he's still sorry.

"I do."

Seven strokes. Eight. Nine.

"I wish you didn't."

Ten.

Law is silent as he lowers the brush, sets it back in place, catches you watching him in the reflection of the mirror. You're done for today, but he'll do the same thing with you tomorrow. Up and down, slow drags of the brush through your hair, over and over.

Beginning to end.

[draconic-absurdism]

Here's a rundown of Pyrexia, my taur & sphinx world: There are basic taurs based on moose & reindeer, seals, wolves, bears, corvids, and more unique aquatic taurs (known as ittarryx). But i wanted ONE of these taurs to be very evolutionarily weird, so I invented sphinxoids, cat taurs & multi-taurs who can shapeshift into specialized upright and quad forms, for socializing and hunting respectively. There's no magic involved, their shapeshifting is entirely biological in nature.

They're nomadic because they need to eat A TON OF FOOD in order to keep up the energy to be able to shapeshift. If packs stayed in one place, theyd quickly eat EVERYTHING in the area, thus they must keep moving. Packs are usually 50-100 individuals, and theyre adept at using local materials to set up temporary villages, and then take them down before moving on. I'm thinking of designing taur-friendly backpacks and wagons they carry stuff in. They leave behind art & stories carved in stones for others to find.

More details under the cut!

Other traits: -Their fur, especially the mane, is filled with an alien equivalent to chlorophyll, so in addition to large amounts of food, direct sunlight helps them maintain energy. Their fur has more of a smooth texture, and their manes can feel like soft pine needles, leaves, vines, or plant stems, and can grow flowers and edible berries in the warm season. -3 nostrils, very wide noses, and large lungs help with bloodflow & endurance. -Front-facing but wide-set eyes, so they can see other creatures coming in the open plains from very far away. -No whiskers, as they arent really necessary in the open environments of Pyrexia! Their faces are often oval, flat, or heart-shaped, and their muzzles are very wrinkled and bumpy where whiskers would be on a regular cat, which helps exaggerate facial expressions. -Dotted sensory organs along their foreheads that detect pressure changes in the atmosphere- effectively predicting weather changes which is incredibly important in the open plains in tornado season. -Thick, leathery paw pads with 6 fingers (except for the back feet, which have 5) are somewhat heat resistent, making treks across deserts more bearable. These large paws are also equipped for wading across the very shallow seas of Pyrexia.

[ikeepwatchinghelicopters]

Random thought: This could be canon setting or an AU, but Napoleon has tattoos. Not huge ones on any very noticable places, but he still has various tattoos. And the fic would be 5+1 with 5 times Illya discoveres a new tattoo that Napoleon has + 1 time... eh, I don't know, actually. + 1 time Napoleon discovers that Illya has a tattoo? Or maybe those 5 times were accidental discoveries and the + 1 time is when Napoleon deliberately shows him one. Or + 1 time that Illya is there with him when he gets a new tattoo.

Anyway, I'm thinking field medicine when Illya notices a tattoo while he's stitching Napoleon up. Or a different field medicine scenario could be Napoleon using a piece of his clothing to stop bloodflow from Illya's wound and revealing a tattoo in the process. Another time Illya catches a glimpse of Napoleon changing (they have to share a room while on a mission) and he thinks he spots a tattoo, but he's not entirely sure and he's thinking about it a lot more than he wants to. And maybe Napoleon has a tattoo on his forearm (near his elbow) but he's always very put-together and wearing long-sleeved shirts, so it takes a while for Illya to notice that one; it happens when they are relaxing one evening and Napoleon in chill mode rolls up his sleeves without really thinking about it (is this whole thing a metaphor for how Napoleon gradually lowers his walls and overcomes his trust issues and lets Illya in on his secrets?)

[the-golden-comet]

✨Tried and Truesday✨

Hello, lovelies! Happy Tuesday! Here are some tried and true morning strategies that will boost your energy, motivation, and kickstart your day right! ✨

Stretches. This keeps muscles loose, promotes healthy bloodflow, and prevents injury and cramping. A combination of high arm stretches, cross-lateral stretches, leg stretches, gentle body twists, hamstring and feet stretches, rotary motions around the joints, and body bends are all beneficial to muscle, bone, and body health.

Breakfast. They say it’s the most important meal of the day for a reason. A lot of reasons we may be tired has to do with digestive health. If you’re like me with a slower metabolism, even just yogurt and granola, or something soft, will help. If big meals upset your stomach, try spacing out smaller meals in shorter intervals throughout the day for continued energy.

Drink plenty of water. Hey, mutuals: This is your reminder. Not only are humans made primarily of the stuff, but drinking water helps flush and detoxes the brain and body. This helps with brain fog, too.

Take a few minutes to meditate, or let your mind wander. Entering the liminal, or even just going on a thought chain, is a great way for you to relax and let your curious mind do what it wants to do naturally: explore ideas. If you’re worried about going too deep and losing track of time, set an alarm to pull yourself back to your position.

Breathing exercises. Listen, we all do it. Practicing mindful breathing can reduce stress and further detox your mind. Breaths should be diaphragmatic and deep; avoid sharp, chesty breaths. In slowly, hold, out through a stable air stream through rounded lips. The exhale should last longer than the inhale: An inhale triggers a fight-or-flight response in the brain, and an exhale triggers the rest-and-digest portion. A reason why people may be anxious is that they inhale sharply and hold in their breath, without allowing a deep exhale for regrounding. Keep mindful of your own body, check to see if anything is tense, and remember to breathe.

Have a lovely Tuesday! Happy writing, happy reading, and happy creating 💫