#Theo copper

[crossroadart-seabear]

His underwear’s getting to small. Too much cake.

This TikTok

My links (take a talisman with you)

[moronic-validity]

Dungeon

Okay, I've been really good about posting 2 a day, so here's a little somethin somethin I didn't bother editing or having anyone else look at because it's like 1k of the worst side of Winter.

This is a stand-alone fic inspired by the art of the incredible @numericturtle

Anyway, 18+ because this is literally just Winter hurting Simon.

Simon had no idea how long he had been in the dungeon. It could have been hours, it could have been days; time lost all meaning down here.

He didn’t know what he did to anger Winter this time, but it landed him here. 

He had been stripped, then told to sit down against the wall while Winter shackled his arms above his head, they both knew he’d have to dislocate his shoulder out if he wanted to get up without permission.

Winter walked into the larger room and stared at him through the bars of his cell. He looked pathetic.

Old and pathetic.

Just how he wanted him.

“Are you enjoying your new home?” He taunted from outside the cell.

Simon looked over at him and frowned.

“How long are you going to keep me here?”

“I haven’t decided yet.” Winter’s answer was flat.

Simon hung his head. 

“What did I do to deserve this?” 

Winter smiled.

“That is a very good question my dear Simon,” Winter pretended to ponder the answer before gasping, “Oh that’s right! You were planning to leave!” 

Simon looked over to him, puzzled.

“Winter, I never planned to leave you, I don’t know wha-”

He was cut off by a Winter slamming his hand against the bars.

“I know you were planning to leave. Everyone leaves.” 

The entire dungeon grew colder and Simon shivered. 

Winter opened the cell and stepped in, not bothering to close it behind him.

“But this way, you can’t leave.” He crouched on the ground next to Simon. 

It felt like the only light in the room was coming from him. 

“You’ll never be able to leave.”

It was another two days, by Simon’s count, before Winter came back to see him. 

People came and went, he was given food and water, but it didn’t change the fact he hadn’t moved his arms in multiple days. 

Then he came back, smiling and whistling this time.

“Oh Simon, I think I finally figured out how I can get you out!” He sounded so cheery, like he wasn’t the one to put him there in the first place.

Simon didn’t bother responding, just continued staring forward.

Winter tutted before letting himself into the cell yet again. 

“Don’t you want to hear how I found a way?” He sounded almost sad to not be able to share such joyous news.

Simon looked up at him and shivered, not because of the cold, but because of the look in Winter’s eyes.

“How can I get out Winter?” He sounded tired. He was tired. His hands had gone numb after the first few hours, his joints following suit a day later.

Winter clapped and did a little spin. 

“I’m so glad you asked!” He showed Simon what he had originally thought to be a cane, it had an intricately created copper snowflake at the end. Simon looked back into the smiling face of his captor. “I’m going to brand you!” 

Simon pressed himself tighter against the freezing wall.

“I’ll get the copper so cold it’ll burn. It’ll hurt, but only for a moment!” Winter reassured, giddy with excitement, “And then everyone will know who you belong to, where you belong! Isn’t that fantastic!”

Winter was too busy putting together his plan to register the terror Simon was experiencing, or maybe at this point, he didn’t care.

Winter grabbed the chain connected to the shackles around Simon’s wrists and began walking forward, tugging at it to get him to follow. 

His legs had fallen asleep days ago and he struggled to stand, but Winter’s pace didn’t leave room for him to refamiliarise himself with standing. He did his best to stumble to where Winter was leading him.

It was the center of the room.

“I won’t lie to you, this might hurt just a bit.” Winter warned before bringing the chain to the ceiling. 

Simon felt his shoulders slide out of place and he was sure he would be in pain if it wasn’t for the fear. He could only barely touch the ground if he extended his foot, and even then it was only his big toe that made contact. 

Winter circled him, slowly. It was reminiscent of a big cat stalking their prey.

Simon could feel the air get colder behind him, though he couldn’t see what was happening. He could only close his eyes and hope it would be over quickly. 

Winter had the metal hissing from the cold. He couldn’t help but grin, it was going to work better than he had imagined.

Once he was happy with how cold it had gotten, he placed a hand on Simon’s left hip to steady him, then pressed the branding iron firmly against Simon’s right hip.

His screams of agony filled the small room and echoed. It was music to Winter’s ears.

Did he know the agony he had caused him? Did he care? Winter couldn’t help but wonder if Simon knew how it felt to give your heart to someone, only for them to plan to leave you. In the middle of the night no less! It felt like his heart had been torn from his chest and stomped on. 

This was better. 

He could keep Simon like this.

His property, with a permanent reminder of who he belongs to and what happens when his master was tested. 

Winter pulled the copper brand off Simon’s skin and marveled at his handiwork. It was beautiful. His skin was covered in blisters where the design had made contact, with red around the edges, working almost as an outline. It was a sight to behold. 

It was perfect.

Simon hung limply and cried.

The pain in his hip was so intense and there was nothing he could do to ease it. 

Then he fell. 

The chain holding him up had been dissolved and all he could do was lay there, crumpled on the ground. 

Winter scooped him up, careful to not touch the brand and mess up his hard work. 

“What would you do without me…” Winter mused softly before kissing the top of Simon’s head.

[eric-the-bmo]

copper.

Theodore was well accustomed to the smell of copper.

It was one of his favorite materials to work with. There was a lot you can do with copper- the colors it can provide if patinaed or plunged into the water while still glowing from the torch’s heat were beautiful.

Copper adorns his fingers and wrists. Copper has been twined by his hands into the shape of a cat, a prized possession for the small sluagh he met two weeks ago. Copper chains hang around the necks of every member of the motley, encasing a shard of porcelain in a spiral cage.

In both his dreams and waking hours, he is much too accustomed to the smell of copper.

In his dreams it always shows up hand-in-hand with violence; the sweep of a sword decorating the grass with red as it puts an end to screams and pleading cries of changelings. In those dreams he does not cry; he does not feel sick over what he’s done. In those dreams- memories, truly- they are nothing more than insects, and he feels empty.

He cries over what he’s done when he wakes up; when he has time to be alone and no one is there to ask him what’s wrong. 

He doesn’t always have to be sleeping- The memories rushed to greet him in Egypt, triggered when the impact of a kinght’s flying hammer reduced a terrified man’s head to tiny shards of bone and grey matter and blood. The smell of copper fills the air.

He had frozen, catatonic, and since the end of that battle he’s been trying not to think about the new visions of slaughter he’d received. He busies his hands with other tasks, and his hands are adorned with copper, and he’s not too sure how he feels about it anymore. 

[tomriddleslovergirl]

Making out with them

Mattheo Riddle

His pupils are blown wide with lust, and the look that he's giving you is making you go crazy.

One of his hands are wrapped around your throat to keep you in place and the other digs into the flesh of your butt.

Between heavy kisses he whispers about how insane you make him, how he'd do anything for you.

Theodore Nott

You're pulled onto Theo's lap, his hands around your waist, and your fingers dug into his brown hair.

His mouth tastes of cigarettes and lime, and once he bites into your bottom lip, copper.

He gives you a small, cocky grin as you pull away with a pout on your lips.

Tom Riddle

You're sat sideways atop Tom's lap. You're both sitting on a couch, and a book lays besides you both that Tom was reading before you'd come in to keep him company.

One of Tom's arms are wrapped around your waist to keep you from falling and the other on the back of your neck.

His hand soon makes its way up your head and is enveloped in your hair as he forces you to tilt your head back for him so that he can press his lips against your throat.

[sanguinesky-if]

Sanguine Sky

DEMO [Public] [Updated 11/05/2024] genres: romance, modern-fantasy, supernatural, mystery, dark-fantasy.

Sanguine Sky is a work-in-progress modern dark-fantasy interactive novel. The story is heavily focused on romance, characters, and relationships.

The story rated 18+, contains mature and distressing content that may be triggering to certain individuals. It is recommend to check the full list of warnings before you proceed to the story. Please exercise caution and take care of yourself.

Word count [Public]: 96k [excl. code] | 116k words [incl. code] Word count [Patreon]: 180k [excl. code] [Updated 07/09/2024]

You are a detective, tasked with investigating mysterious murders that have taken place in your normally quiet and peaceful hometown, Fallenmor. 

With two victims confirmed already, the initial one being your former mentor, Detective Bergmann, the situation couldn't seem more dire. Or so you thought until you received the news of another body, a possible third victim, discovered at the police station. In your very own office. 

An accident, a mere coincidence, a straightforward warning, a looming threat, or something entirely else… Whatever is happening, you feel it affecting you, awakening something both significantly familiar and distinctly foreign inside of you.

If only you knew that this was just the beginning… Things could have been different. 

But back then, in your ignorance, your singular concern lay with a pressing question: if you failed to find the murderer, who would become the next victim?

➤ Play as male, female, non-binary or trans; straight, gay, or bisexual.

➤ Customize your appearance and shape your personality.

➤ Take on the role of a detective, immerse yourself in the work of the police station.

➤ Embrace the mystery of your existence, or reject that inner sight of you.

➤ Seven romance options to choose from. Select their gender, be shy or bold, or focus on your goal without pursuing anyone.

All ROs are player-sexual and gender-selectable [M/F].

Kyle / Keira Moreno

Your colleague, a police inspector, and one of the rudest people you have ever met. Sharp and stern, K is surprisingly perceptive, and they use it to really see you. The good, the bad. Everything. Appearance: icy blue eyes, dark red hair, very pale skin.

Alexis 'Lex / Lexie' Conlan

Your best friend, and also your former partner from times when you were just a patrol officer. With a heart of gold and an approachable attitude, L always chooses you over the others. Appearance: forest green eyes, copper hair, beige freckled skin.

Morgan Schoivell

Your other colleague, a highly-skilled lab technician. M is rather reserved when it comes to emotions, and after almost a year of working together, M is still a walking mystery for you. Appearance: dark brown eyes, ash blonde hair, light skin.

Roderick / Rebecca Reyes

The commanding agent of the Criminal Investigative Division (CID) team sent to catch the killer. Overbearing and ruthless, R has their own way of getting things done. Appearance: gray eyes, blonde hair, pale skin.

Theodore 'Theo' / Theresa 'Tess' Vazquez

Another member of the CID team. With a cocky smile, T is full of flirts and sneering comments, regardless of the occasion. T has no doubts about what they want and isn't afraid to vocalize it. Appearance: dark green eyes, black curly hair, rich brown skin.

Isaac / Iris Brailsford

I looks the most mature and approachable of CID's fellow agents. Looks can be deceiving, though. Working behind the scene and watching from afar, I carries all the scars within. Appearance: hazel eyes, dark brown hair, olive skin.

Sebastian / Selena Goldstein

Someone new and temporary, S has a velvety voice and a perfect smile that doesn't reach their eyes. You're not sure if your paths will cross in the future, but something tells you S can't be trusted. Appearance: black eyes, long black wavy hair, bronze skin.

Other notable characters:

Your twin-sister: Your sweet, kind, caring, and gentle twin sister. She always tries to be there for you, and show how much she appreciates you, no matter what. Chief of Police, Kendrick Nash: Your boss, who is not handling his job so well after the recent death of his husband, Klemens Bergmann. Detective Klemens Bergmann: Police chief's husband, who happened to be a senior detective and your mentor. He was the first victim, murdered under mysterious circumstances.

A full list of warnings is available in the demo before beginning of the story. I recommend to check it before you proceed to reading. Please take care of yourself.

Links: DEMO | CoG forum | Q&A | Romance | Tags & Links | Patreon | Ko-Fi | Error Reports |

Thank you for your interest ♥

[slytheringangstuff]

𝐵𝓁𝑜𝒸𝓀 𝑜𝒻 𝑔𝑜𝓁𝒹

Enzo: What is the most illegal thing you can do with one gold block? 

Matteo: Exchange it for a hundred copper, put them all in a sock, and then beat someone to death with it.

*bonus*

y/n: Buy a cow and walk it in the street in the daylight.

Draco: Wait... wha-

Theo: Knock out two birds with one stone and take the cow to the pub.

Draco: Hang o-

Pansy: Don't you have to be drunk while looking after the cow for that to work?

Draco: Huh-

Astoria: Isn't it illegal to be drunk in a pub?

Draco: Help-

Tom (not looking up for his book): In 1839 if you were caught drunk in a pub, on a highway, or any other public place, you could be fined up to £200. And yes, for it to be illegal you have to be drunk as it is illegal to be drunk whilst in charge of a cow. And as well as being illegal to walk a cow during the day it is also illegal to leave a cows waste in the road.

Everyone (except Draco): Ohhhhhh

Draco: How the hell is this real?

[pupsmailbox]

SCIENCE ID PACK

NAMES ⌇　acid.　ada.　alkali.　amadeo.　archaea.　argon.　atlas.　atom.　atomielle.　atomiene.　beryl.　beryllium.　billy.　bon.　boron.　cadmium.　caesium.　cal.　carson.　catalyst.　cecile.　cell.　celle.　celline.　charles.　chem.　chemesse.　chemise.　chemisette.　chemist.　chemistrine.　chrome.　claude.　clumselle.　cobalt.　comet.　copper.　cosmic.　curt.　cypher.　darwin.　data.　decora.　dex.　dexter.　doc.　doppler.　edison.　edward.　egbert.　elara.　electra.　element.　ellie.　enoxaparin.　entropy.　ester.　ether.　euclid.　evo.　evoliene.　evoliette.　evolune.　experi.　experielle.　experiette.　experimae.　foggy.　galileo.　gamma.　gibson.　gizmo.　gorgon.　graham.　graviette.　gravitae.　gravitine.　halogen.　hatchet.　hazard.　helix.　henry.　herbert.　hypatia.　ion.　irvin.　jekyll.　julius.　jupiter.　kelvin.　lab.　lavoisier.　lobotelle.　logy.　lumen.　lymphoid.　magnesium.　magnus.　mandi.　mandible.　marina.　marrow.　matter.　medusa.　mercury.　millie.　molly.　monoxide.　moon.　neon.　neuralgia.　newton.　nightingale．abacus.　opaque.　organelle.　osmos.　otto.　ox.　patchy.　pathogenica.　pearl.　phosphorous.　plasma.　plasticulla.　positron.　posy.　psych.　psyche.　psychielle.　psychiette.　quark.　radia.　radiatien.　radiette.　raymond.　rocket.　sagan.　saturn.　sci.　science.　sciencia.　scieniette.　scientist.　selenium.　silicona.　solar.　spectra.　spore.　staurozoa.　tech.　tesla.　theorie.　thomas.　toxin.　trojan.　troubleshoot.　valence.　venus.　victor.　violet.　volt.　xen.　zeke.　zinc.

PRONOUNS ⌇　?/?.　abyss/abyss.　acid/acid.　actin/actinide.　ae/atom.　atom/atom.　atomic/atomical.　base/base.　bea/beaker.　beaker/beaker.　beam/beam.　bi/bio.　bio/bio.　bio/biochem.　bio/biology.　biology/biology.　bone/bone.　bub/bubble.　bubs/bubble.　catalyst/catalyst.　ce/cell.　cell/cell.　che/chemistry.　chem/chem.　chem/chemical.　chem/chemistry.　chemical/chemical.　chromosome/chromosome.　da/data.　danger/danger.　data/data.　decay/decay.　dna/dna.　e/evo.　ele/element.　elec/electric.　elec/electron.　electro/electro.　electron/electron.　entropy/entropy.　enzyme.　evo/evolve.　evolution/evolution.　evolve/evolve.　ex/expert.　exa/examine.　exp/experiment.　expe/experiment.　experi/experi.　explode/explode.　fe/iron.　fizz/fizz.　flask/flask.　geni/genius.　glass/glass.　goggle/goggle.　gra/gravity.　grav/gravity.　halo/halogens.　haz/hazard.　hyp/sin.　hypo/hypothesis.　ion/ion.　ion/ionization.　iso/isotopic.　isotope/isotope.　kinetic/kinetic.　know/knowledge.　la/lab.　lab/lab.　mad/mad.　magnet/magnet.　mal/mal.　mars/mar.　mask/mask.　merc/mercurys.　met/metal.　metal/metaloide.　method/method.　mi/microbe.　min/mind.　mol/molecule.　mutant/mutant.　mutate/mutate.　needle/needle.　neu/neucleus.　neu/neutron.　neuron/neuron.　neutron/neutron.　nu/nuclear.　nucle/nucleus.　nuclear/nuclear.　nucleus/nuclei.　orbit/orbit.　organism/organism.　pa/paradox.　para/paradox.　patch/patch.　photon/photon.　planet/planet.　plant/plant.　plat/platinum.　poi/poison.　pro/proton.　pro/protron.　psy/psycho.　rad/radiation.　radio/radiograph.　rae/radiation.　ribo/ribosome.　rna/dna.　sci/sci.　sci/science.　scien/scien.　script/script.　sick/sickness.　spark/spark.　spill/spill.　star/star.　study/study.　subject/subject.　tech/technician.　test/test.　theo/theory.　theory/theory.　tissue/tissue.　tox/toxic.　tri/trial.　value/value.　vi/viru.　vial/vial.　volt/volt.　wave/wave.　x-ray/x-ray.　xyr/xyr.　zip/zap.　⚗️/⚗️.　🔬/🔬.　🥼/🥼.　🧪/🧪.　🧫/🧫.　🧬/🧬.　🧮/🧮.

[christian-oc-tournament]

Round One Schedule

may 27 (group 1 left side)

Joy O'Connor vs A'den

Adelle vs Adrian Alyward

Ahleri vs Aithus

Aleksander Thunderblade vs Alice Liddell

Amelia vs Amaranth

Andre Caron vs Anwedd

Anise vs Lt. Strike

Aqua vs Ariella

may 28 (group 1 right side)

Adrian Mori vs Alexander

Andris Harkin vs Ashley Bethaz

Arkyn Thornburn vs Athaliah Taveet

Aris vs Atlas Fletcher

Arryn va Azarias

Barir Stelmer vs Beck Valentine

Bela Balogh vs Betani D'Agia

Billie Way vs Black

may 29 (group 2 left side)

Betty vs Bob Guppington the 1st

Blodeuwedd vs Brat

Burr vs Caldren

Cpt. Ambivalent vs Casey Dickenson

Caroline Schaeffer vs Cedric Blackwell

Cassidia Reynolds vs Christopher

Celeste vs Cluinn

Bobbert Guppington the 2nd vs Clair

may 30 (group 2 right side)

Bobby Guppington the 3rd vs Chris Carnovo

Conas vs Crispin

Copper vs Cusick

Connell vs Cymin

Dae vs Dallow

Daniel Grace vs Daven

DeathScreen vs Derik

Doc vs Domitius

may 31 (group 3 left side)

Dr. Victor P. Henly vs Dhrake

Dorothy Gale vs Dr. Elliott Sinclair

Eabennor vs Edith Wickham

Ellie vs Edlyn

Elysia vs Elwin

Emma Gardner vs Erin

Ephesia vs Eniss

Epic Palustre vs Eriol

june 1 (group 3 right side)

Dr. Riku Honda vs Edmund

Ethylene Petra vs Eva Blythe

Faraena vs Farold

Evelyn Vordur vs Felix Rodzic

Feire vs Gail Goffrey

Gerdie vs Ferir

Ghost Lad vs Gigi

Evangelinne vs grandma Maudie

june 2 (group 4 left side)

Haru vs Heather

Henry Pebbleton vs Hibiscus

Hiromi vs Hope Espy Chase

Hugo Mallory vs Ilumi

Ilias vs James Zauberen

Ilya Severin vs Impossible

Jacer vs Jack Archer

James (Loriair) vs Isidore Kavi

june 3 (group 4 right side)

James (Eyurenia) vs Isabel

Jarryd vs Jasper

Jett vs Joden

James Bracegirdle vs Julia Cook

Kabos vs Kate Riley

Kathryn vs Keres Blake

Keyto vs Kimera

Kodi Archer vs James Mulligan

june 4 (group 5 left side)

Korosa vs Kylin

Laughing Hare vs Leeli

Kurtis vs Kyra

Len vs Licia

Leo King vs Lt. Matthew

Lina Lane vs Loch

Logis vs Lucas Greydawn

Lt. Madeline vs Logolas

june 5 (group 5 right side)

Kyr vs Laurentiu

Maddox Darling vs Luria

Kestler vs Matthew Johnson

Marin of Yuneth vs Meridian

Mathilda Talbot vs Mina

Mihalis vs Max Way

Mip vs Milton

Misty Way vs Maristella

june 6 (group 6 left side)

Miranda Hayes vs Nikki Way

Mochrar vs Myra

Mr. Guardian vs Nabikio

Naru vs Ms Hallifax

Nimble vs Nevin Imre

Orchid Finch vs Prince Adar Griffith

Nokh vs Obsidious

Onne vs Peter Pensworth

june 7 (group 6 right side)

Mr. G vs Ourem

Pandora vs Owen

Oriana vs Peg

Peter Dragonsbane vs Percy

Pietro vs Princess Torva

Peter Bethaz vs Prince Adric

Princess Rovyna vs Prometheus

Protagonist vs Naphtali

june 8 (group 7 left side)

Puddles vs Queen Alyth of Avena

Quinn vs Ragunoe

Ramona vs Rannis

Relaner vs Rhyin

Ril'siya vs Ripple Fisher

Riema vs Riser Way

Rocoroi Markus Mikko vs Rosemarie

Ryphl vs Santeri

june 9 (group 7 right side)

Saskia vs Senaka

Sh'zkai vs Shleaema

Shiido vs Skylar

Sonrisa Firiel vs Syx

Sly Bastion vs Stelemi

Spike vs Sz'nami

Tad vs Tamaki

Teasel vs Tannufia

june 10 (group 8 left side)

Tehvlar vs Thaendric

the Enemy vs the Mailman

the Poppy Queen vs the Runaway Prince

Theo Gray vs Tiger

Thomas Hargrove vs Tiny

Thessaly vs Tsuname

TJ Valentine vs Toka

Trajeda vs Val (Keepers)

june 11 (group 8 right side)

Veelia vs Trevin

Verity vs Vokku

Vellatra vs Waizu

Valentina vs Wendy

Wryden vs Yasmin

Wisteria vs Zac O'Connor

Yuro vs Zaire

Zhahara vs Ziph

[queersrus]

request for cottagecore + sad-ish? id pack? please + thanks!

here's my attempt!

assuming id pack includes more than just the usual npts i'll throw in a few cottagecore and sad related labels i found

(nick)names:

ambrose, amos, ansel, acacia, ada, adelaide, arwin/arwen, ava, avery/averie, aviva, amaranth, able, arbor, art, arty/artie, asher, ainsley, acheron, adalia brandy/brandi, branwen, billie/billy, bryony, bill, banner, booker, bram

barley, brion, brian, bryce chloris, chandra, cyrene, cayenne, cade, clyde, chester, cliff denna, diana/dianna, diona, donna/dona, derby, dallas, danica, daphne, dixie, dawn, dylan

edmund, elenore, elodie, eudora, elenore/eleanor, ebony, erica, eila, eira, eve, eithne, everlee, elize, eliza, elizabeth, everlyn, elwood, emerson, elowen finnegan, freddy/freddie, frederick, fallin/fallon, florance/florence

fable, frank, frankie/franky, franklin/franklyn, faine, filbert, finneas ginny/ginnie, gale, georgia, george, georgina, granger halcyone, hana/hanna/hannah, harriet, harry, hayley/hailie/hailey, halie/hallie, heather, harlowe/harlow, harrow, hadar, hawl, hayes,

huck, holden, huso ilana, illiana/iliana, ingrid, ivory jane, janet/janette, jesse/jessie, josie, jose, jack, jackie, jackson kingston, kodi/kodie, kodiak, kylan

lupin, lian, liana/lianna, liane/lianne, linc, linden, lyle, lucius maisie, matilda, maude, mabel, merle, marin, mica/mika, mason/macon, martin, miller, miles nellie, nyssa, ned, nick, ness

opholia, oliver, olive, olivia, oleander, odell, oriel, oscar paisley, poppy, posie, phineas, parker rose, rosemary/rosemarie, rosy/rosie, rory, rosette, rosetta, rue, rosabel/rosabell/rosabelle, rosa, rosabela/rosabella, rosella, rosaria,

rosario, rob, robert, ray, reed, ridge, ryland, rowan, roan shiloh, sharon, scarlet/scarlett/skarlett, sam, samantha, samuel, sunny/sunnie, sawyer, shaw, shay, steve, stevie, stevia, sorell/sorrell, seb, sebby/sebbie, sebastian, saddie/sadie, sade

theodore, theo, tori, toria, tamie/tammie, tawny, terra, timber, tim, timothy, tanner, teddy/teddie, trevis/travis, trevor, tyler, tristan/tristin, tristah/trista, trystia verginia, vicky/vickie, victor, victoria, viola, violet/violette,

violeta/violetta, valerian, vernon winnie, willa, winston, winifred, winslow, will, william, willow, wade, wagner, warren, watts, watson, wilhelmina yvonne, yves zephyr/zephyre, zara, zinnia, zion

surnames:

appleyard, ashton, ashwood baker, brookstone, butterfield catkin, cobbler, cooper, copper, copperwood, copperfield, crestfallen dogwood, direwood, direbrook, direfield, desperfield, downyard

doleman fenlon, falkner, forlorn greenwood, greenfield, golding, goldwood, goldfield, griefman, griefwood, gardner

hilbrook, holbrook, heath, horsewood, horsefield, hawksley, harrowing, hawkswood, hawthorne, hawkner, hawkfield, holloway, hallowood

larken, limewood, lockhart, lovejoy mourner, mournwright, mournman nettleship

plowman, penrose, penwright redbrook, rosedale, redwood, rosewood, redfield summerfield, sweetnam, seawright, sorrowfield, sorrowbrook, shamewood, shamewright

thacker, thatcher westfield, wainwright, write/wright, wagonwright, woodsman, wyrmwood/wormwood, winterwood, winterrose, wretchwood, wretchman

system names:

the cottagecore *system, the sorrowful system, the melancholic cottage system, the mourning flowerbed system, the gloomy garden system, the tearful system, the harvest system

1st p prns: i/me/my/mine/myself

ci/cotte/cottagy/cottagine/cottageself hi/he/hy/harvestine/harvestself gi/garde/gardy/gardine/gardenself si/sade/sady/sadine/sadself si/sorre/sorry/sorrowine/sorrowself mi/me/mely/melancholine/melancholyself

2nd p prns: you/your/yours/yourself

co/cottager/cottagers/cottagerself ho/harvester/harvesters/harvesterself go/gardener/gardeners/gardenerself so/sader/sadders/sadderself so/sorrower/sorrowers/sorrowerself mo/melancholer/melancholers/melancholerself

3rd p prns: they/them/theirs/themself

co/cottage, cott/age, cot/cottage, cot/tage, cottage/cottages, cottage/core har/vest, ha/harvest, harv/est, harvest/harvests gar/den, gar/garden, garden/gardens, garden/core farm/core sa/sad, sad/sads, sa/ad, sad/sadden, so/sorrow, sor/row, sorr/ow, sorrow/sorrows, sorrow/sorrowful mel/melancholy, mel/ancholy, melan/choly, melancholy/melancholies, melancholy/melchancholic

titles:

the weeping gardener, the mourning farmer, the sad cottage dweller, the melancholic planter, the sorrowful woodsman

**one who lives a sad cottage life, one who mourns within ones cottage, one who weeps amongst ones gardens, one who copes with sadness through cottage life

book titles:

the sad little cottage, a melancholic villager, the weeping willows, the mourning garden, the sorrows of an old cottage, a pitiful harvest

genders:

buncottagecoric(link),

cottagegoric(link), cafdreamian(link), cottagecrittean(link), cottagecoric(link), Cálidatierramielgender(link)

epuisetristic(link)

gendersob(link)

Sadnostacatgender(link)

orientations: (n/a)

other:

cottagecore bpd(link)

many can be found by searching cottagecore genders/mogai/liom as well, there are many versions of cottagecore flags especially for lgbt related labels so they should not be hard to find if you feel like looking!

*system can be replaced with any alternative (ex. cluster, collective, hoard/horde, etc)

**one can be replaced with any prn

[wolfalder]

Decided to showcase my pelts. I’ve already shown my softmount but I thought my pelts deserved some attention.

From left to right we have: Phyllis (arctic fox), Cedar (wolf), Theo (Montana Coyote), and Copper (red fox)

[elliebyrrdwrites]

THEO

Pansy was dressed like a godsdamn goddess. Her curvaceous body was wrapped in a tight, strapless black gown that reached the floor. Thick charcoal outlined her eyes, causing the normally dark blue to brighten. Her bob was sleek and glossy beneath the lights of the ballroom and while Theo could barely glance a sliver of pale skin through the slit in her gown, he was certain that she was armed with a with a sharp knife or even a gun tucked somewhere beneath the silk fabric.

The thought caused his dick to twitch and pulse with a sudden rush of blood.

Her eyes were sweeping the entire perimeter of the ballroom, a glass of untouched champagne in her hand, all part of the act. Tonight, she was not Parkinson, paid killer or bodyguard to Hermione Granger.

No, tonight she was Pansy of the pureblood Parkinson family, attending a gala on the arm of fellow pureblood Theodore Nott. Well, not technically on his arm, seeing as she had refused to take it when they met outside of the mansion belonging to one of the generous donors whos ass the ministry enjoyed kissing.

And really, she wasn’t his date. She was tracking the crowd, searching for anyone who might cause harm to Hermione. Draco had sent an owl to Theo, asking him to ensure that Granger was guarded and watched at all times. The letter also mentioned that he and Harry may also be late.

Pansy’s mouth pursed when she spotted one of her cousins across the room, whispering into someone’s ear, glaring at her. At the girl who turned her back on her family, neglected to take another order from her bigoted father. Refused to hear another soul shredding insult lobbed at her by her cold and materialistic mother.

Her eyes feigned boredom as they moved past her cousin and onto the rest of the crowd.

She looked to Granger, who was sitting at a table beside McLaggen. He was chatting her ear off, boasting about all of his accomplishments. All of the men he prosecuted in connection with evil, dark deeds. Death Eaters who had escaped the hand of the law.

But Theo didn’t buy it. There was no way that all of the remaining Death Eaters who escaped prosecution were even alive.

Theo should know, he had personally seen to about a dozen of their deaths.

But Granger was staring at the dance floor. Her eyes slightly glazed over with what Theo could only assume was boredom.

On the other side of the dance floor, however, was her ex boyfriend and his sister. The two flaming heads of copper were talking, animatedly, their eyes shifting every once in a while to where Granger was sitting. Cormac was leaned into her, his body turned in his chair, his hand on the back of hers. She was nodding along, mindlessly, her eyes still glossed over and solemn.

“Do you think he notices?” Pansy’s voice was low, in his left ear and Theo had to tighten all of the muscles in his body to fight the decadent shudder that threatened to give away how she affected him.

“Notices what?” He asks with a clearing of his throat. He looked down at her, her eyes alit with amusement, her perfectly plump lips pulled into a little smile that revealed that slight gap between her two front teeth and the ones on either side. He’d always admired the slightly less than perfect teeth that gleamed when she smiled. Because to him, they were perfect. Her smile was absolute perfection, whenever she allowed anyone the chance to behold it.

“That she’d rather be sitting at the bottom of a lake without a bubble head charm than be sitting there with him.” She snorted and Theo almost broke. He wanted to smile with her but, he had to remember that this was all her fault.

“Aren’t you the one to convince her to accept his invite?”

“Yes, but only to make Draco jealous.”

“Well, it worked.” Theo frowned. “A little too well.”

“It will work exactly as planned.” She assured him. But Theo wasn’t so sure. Granger had been in a real terrible way all day. She had refused Draco after he realized she had accepted McLaggens invite. But with her refusal, a loss of spirt had occurred. As if she had ripped out her own heart when she told Draco to leave her alone.

Granger had confessed what had happened, though when Theo attempted to push her for more information, she refused to divulge anymore details. She refused to tell him how she felt, regardless of how much he pushed and prodded at her. She went into herself, her eyes heavy and serious.

“Look, Draco deserved what he got. But,” Pansy sighed and lifted the glass to her lips. She didn't really take a drink, but went through the motions, allowing the drink to touch her lips, refusing to sip any through them. “I think he’ll get her,” she lowered her glass and refocused on the room and added, “In the end.”

Theo turned to look at her, her dress revealed only about two inches of her cleavage. But for fucks sake, did it cause his bones to ache and his mouth to dry out. “How might he do that, if she won’t even talk to him? She kicked him out, in case you forgot.”

Pansy’s eyed flitted up to him, briefly. They seemed to have darkened, but he couldn’t really be sure. “If he’s smart, he’ll make some grand gesture and force her to realize just how much he cares.”

“Grand gesture?” Theo scoffed. “He’s likely to kill McLaggen.”

“Same difference.” She shook her head, dismissing the absurdity of that statement.

Theo stared down at her. The diamonds around her neck glittered under light from the chandelier above them.

All of her jewels, she earned herself. She killed nasty men, most likely men that reminded her of her father or her brothers and cousins who all pawed at her as she grew up. She didn’t have any of the dirty Parkinson’s money, only her own.

Theo leaned down and said into her ear, “Is that what it takes to redeem a man who’s made the grave mistake of hurting the woman he loves?”

He smirked when a shiver visibly went through her.

“Only if she is actually hurt.”

Theos hand reached for her lower back. She had a marvelous lower back, with little dents above her ass. On soft, pale skin that he wanted to bite at. He knew this because he had nearly came when he saw her lay onto her stomach that night they shared together in Prague.

He remembered it because the memory haunted him often enough that he dreamed about it. Fisted himself to it, nearly every night.

She stiffened beneath his hand, but her eyelids grew heavy.

“How do we know if she’s hurt?”

“You don’t.” She turned and left him adrift, his hand still hovering in the air, as if her body remained there. And it did. The memory of it always remained.

[ldrfanatic]

Hiii! How are you?

Milk with slytherin boys please?

I apologize in advance this is my first time making a request so i hope its ok :)

Physically: i'm short 5'0, i have fair skin, rosy cheeks, i'm a little chubby, i have an hourglass body shape, a little tummy, thicc thighs, i have a small button nose, a heartshaped face, foggy green eyes, hooded lids, i have meduim size lips? If that makes sense. I have dyed copper hair, bangs, a long wolfcut type of haircut, my hair go down to the middle of my back. About me: i'm French,i can speak english, sign language and learning italian. i'm funny. I'm autistic, and i have general anxiety disorder, i have verbal tics, i often do 'pop' sounds with my mouth or reapete things out loud sometimes on a loop, (TW: I grew up in an abusing setting and i have scars, bad ones, especially on my back.) I'm insecure. My love language is giving the bigger half when i'm sharing, or giving anything really. The Way i liked to be loved is through words of affirmation and physical touch. I'm very forging, I like to make my own opinion on people, i'm the mom friends. I have a short temper when i'm stressed, i am very blunt, i'm not scared to speak my mind, of i like people i compare them to bugs or animals as they are my special intrests. If i had to describe my style it would be fairy grunge? Like long skirts, knitted sweaters (the soft kind not witchy cause few sensory issues), converses or sandales, golf jewlery i can also be dressed in full black, form fitting maxi dress with new rock or naked wolfe type of shoes. I love music, anything. And i mean it. Pop, alt, rock, metal, screamo, indie, country, rap. But mostly 2000s 2010s music for the nostalgia. My favorite s'ingère is Billie Eilish. I love doing crafts, i do crochet, i love reading books (dark romance/fantaisie/fiction) i'm a 'nerd', i love happy Potter, lord of the rings, the Hobbit, i love vampires, i love video games, such as animal crossing, SIMS unpacking, and cozy games but as the last of us, the walking dead, until dawn, the quart etc. I have a black cat. I'm a picky eater, potatos are my safe food though, i'm more of a sweet person than savory, brownies are my favorite desserts, I smell like vanilla. Roses and hydrangeas are my favorite flowers. I love trinkets, i collect pretty much any pretty thing i find, twigs, Shells, rocks, little lost things like beeds, crystals, sometimes little toys. I love plushies, i have a teddy bear and a white tiger. I'm a night owl. I love looking at the moon (i have a moon phase tattoo between my boobs. And sun tattoos around my nipples ) i also love taking pictures especially polaroid of people and animals :)

I hope that was enough, thank you for taking time out of your day to read, and thank you for writting.

Again, CONGRATS ON THE 1,000💕💃🏻

Much love ♡

Thank You Soooo Much @alygatorcow !!

1000 follower celebration my bookcase

This one took some thinking but I’m gonna pair you with our sweet Theodore Nott. I know what you might be thinking but hear me out.

Theo is a little tall but he lovesss having short girlfriends. (even if you were 5’7 tho he’d still adore you). Theo likes that you’re all cute and little and he can just hug you and you fit so easily in his arms. (I have a tall bf yall and he tells me all the time how cute and “widdle” I am).

He also adores your figure and won’t accept anything else for an answer. His mother always taught him that the most important thing in a woman is a good heart. really though, he just loves thick thighs and likes having something to hold onto.

Theo thinks that it’s really hot that you can speak French. He helps you learn italian and you try and help teach him french but he struggles enough sometimes with english so that endeavor was quickly put on hold.

At first, the noises you make are very foreign to Theodore, but once he understands them and you, he comes to appreciate them as just a part of who you are and he loves you for it.

Growing up with his father, who used to hit him and his mother, Theo also has scars. He doesn’t like to talk about them but he will with you if you want him to. More than anything, Theo tries to comfort you. He knows what it’s like to have that sort of background and when people get angry, he knows that it comes from a place of care but also he realizes that he always finds it more helpful when people are just there for him rather than when they get angry. So that’s what he does for you.

Finally, Theo loves your tattoos and your style. He really has a thing for your long skirts he thinks they make you look very fairy like and ethereal. He’s not a night owl I wouldn’t say, but it’s very cute when he tries to stay up as late as possible with you. His eyes will get all droopy and his accent will get a little thicker. He will however, do really sweet romantic gestures for you that are very personal like creating or buying you a display case that you can put all the stuff you collect and he will listen to you talk about all of it for hours on end.

theo’s nicknames for you include:

- love bug

- piccola fata (little fairy)

- sunflower (given to you after a particularly cute little date to a sunflower field)

tysm for this request!!! tysm for being a follower and let me know if I got anything wrong. I tried to include as much information as possible without making it like a book for you to read 😅💚

[sereinegemini]

Two Dark Princes ₊⋆ ☾

— Chapter VII

Pairing: Draco Malfoy x Fem!Reader x Theodore Nott

Word Count: 879

Summary: Two years after Harry Potter defeated the Dark Lord during the Triwizard Tournament, Hogwarts and most of the Wizarding World has returned to normal. But, F/n’s mundane life is flipped upside down after she learns that two of her best friends, Draco and Theo, are secretly in love with her. When this knowledge begins to affect her relationships, she is faced with difficult decisions, each one laced with promised heartache and the potential to awaken an unexpected darkness

Warnings: hostility, blood, a wee bit spooky

Hogwarts

Sunday, May 4, 1997

True darkness engulfed you. You could feel it shifting and swirling on some unknown wind. No light penetrated the empty space, but when you held out your hand you were able to see it. The black air slithered around your fingers like water. As far as you could tell nothing but you existed in this space.

“F/n?” a voice asked from all around you. It had a dreamlike element to it, almost like all at once it was there and not. And it was warm, reminding you of–

“Cedric?” you called back, frantically spinning and searching the void for any sign of another being. Your head was swimming. What was this place?

“I’ve missed you so much, my sunshine. You have no idea how lost I am without you.” Knuckles grazed your cheek gingerly, and you flinched at the phantom touch. No one was there.

“Ced, where…where are we? Where are you?” You couldn’t settle the rising panic in your voice.

“I’m right here, F/n.” Frustrated, hot breath washed over your face. You should have been able to see him. He was right there, dammit. But your vision remained blank, and if you hadn’t just seen your own hand you’d be positive your eyes were closed. He gripped your shoulders, nails biting into your skin enough for a whimper to escape you. “I’m tired of these games, F/n.”

“You’re hurting me. Ced, that hurts!” you cried. You moved to rip his arms away from you, but your hands met nothing but empty air.

He only clenched harder, roughly shaking you back and forth. “Why did you do it? Why did you throw away our love—our future—for them? They’re nothing. They’re filthy Slytherin snobs. We were going to have a future together, F/n. A family. Why did you ruin it? Why did you ruin it? Why did you–” Suddenly, an intense wind billowed past, gone as quick as it came. Cedric gone with it.

Left shaken and panting, you ran your fingertips along the pain burning in your shoulders. They came back wet. Confident you knew what the substance was, you licked it. Copper. Blood.

“Like what you taste?” a smug voice asked from behind you. Whirling around, you were met with exactly what you expected: nothing.

“Not particularly,” you whispered, your skin prickling alongside his presence as he circled you.

Stopping behind you, Theo roved his mouth over your ear. “That’s a shame, I’ve always sort of enjoyed it. It can be...comforting.” He pushed a finger against the small cuts, making you wince. You felt him lift it to his own mouth, a pleasured groan following. Then, his hand on your jaw, he forced your face towards him and brought his lips to yours. His tongue slithered between your teeth and spread the metallic taste into your mouth. Grimacing, you tripped over your feet as you broke away.

“What’s the matter, F/n? I thought that’s what drew you to us. The wickedness dwelling underneath. The Death Eaters our fathers raised us to be.”

“Isn’t that why you destroyed your perfect life for us? You know deep down a part of you is just like those little boys we’re trying desperately not to be,” Draco whispered against your hair, pulling your back against his chest.

Your chin was gripped with dreadful strength. “But you can only love one of us, L/n. So go on, who is it? Hm? It sure as hell isn’t that dumb Hufflepuff.” Theo’s dark chuckle made your veins run cold. “You destroyed that boy’s heart in the most admirable way. It would have been more merciful for you to rip it clean out and wear it on a chain around your neck.”

“Shut up.” You willed the tears in your eyes not to spill.

“Oh? Are you not proud of the way you wrecked poor Cedric Diggory? I hear he’s been awfully careless with his wand lately. Poor bloke is bound to blow himself up.”

“I said shut up!” you shrieked. 

The words continued to echo seconds after you sensed Draco disappear into thin air. You were left standing face to face with a red-eyed creature. It resembled a man and had its boney fingers pressed bruisingly into your jaw. He had replaced Theo, and in your sinking gut you knew exactly who this was despite never having seen him.

Lord Voldemort gave you a rotten-toothed grin. “I’ve been looking a long time for you, girl.”

Gasping awake, you laid completely still out of fear while you took in your surroundings. You were in the Astronomy Tower, rain from a storm pelting the floor mere feet from where you lay. Beside you, Theo was snoring softly, completely unaware of you or the nightmare previously tormenting you. Quills, parchments, and textbooks littered the floor where you’d spent most of the night studying. Final exams would begin next month and now was the time Professors encouraged students to start revisiting the material.

Lightning flashed across the moody sky, and the last thing on your mind was passing your finals. Because there was no doubt in your bones that nightmare wasn’t just some bad dream. Voldemort had been in your mind. And he wanted you for something.

« Chapter Six || Masterlist || Chapter Eight »

Be notified of future chapters!

[sopheronipepperoni]

Clichés and the Sun Hat Savior

Summary: Theo finally meets Starlet Town's new farmer. Properly this time, all thanks to some wind and a sun hat.

A/N: SO weird to think that this is the first original thing writing since grad school started (and is almost over!!!). I'm just getting into Coral Island, but what can I say: cozy farming games set in the tropics with romance potentials are my JAM, okay, especially in stressful seasons. Also, Theo is great and needs more love. Be the change you want to see in the world, people.

The sun beat down from above. Even though it was still spring, the rays reflecting up from the cool blue water were surprisingly merciless. Today’s temperature was a sign that summer was right around the corner. It was looking like he would get a pretty solid head start on this year’s tan.

Theo twisted around to rest his fishing pole in the boat bobbing next to him, and grabbed a bottle of water from the small cooler he kept stashed in the bow. Taking a deep swig, he wiped his other hand cold with condensation across the back of his neck. A flash of color drew his attention to his right. Shading his eyes, he saw someone wading out across the shallow channel to the heart-shaped sandbar.

Creamy skin that would surely burn with too much sun exposure, long legs, arms toned from hard work…ah. That would be Essy Lyrien, the new farmer. He’d caught glimpses of her here and there since she came to town earlier in the month, between running back and forth from Sam’s or the beach. But he’d never seen her like this. He’d never even formally met her.

A peachy tie-front bikini top and matching bottoms hugged her curves in ways her farm clothes certainly did not. She wore a large floppy and carried a small blue pail in one hand, the other shading her eyes as she gazed towards the horizon. A large part of him sincerely hoped she had put on buckets of sunscreen before coming out here; a smaller but surprisingly forefront part of him had become incapable of coherent thought upon seeing her in a bikini. He felt his neck heat, and tore his gaze away from Essy.

What would his dad and sister say about his lapse and momentary ogling of Starlet Town’s new farmer?

Giving himself a shake, Theo put his water back in the boat. Maybe a quick dip would help him focus again? He’d certainly need it if he hoped to get a decent haul; the fish were in a fighting mood today. Before he could think too much more, he dove into the turquoise waters.

The reprieve was immediate. He had always loved everything about the ocean: the soothing embrace of the water, the gentle rocking of the waves, the way sounds were dampened under the waves. A part of him always felt like he was coming home whenever he was out on or in the surf.

He broke surface with a few strong strokes of his arms, taking in a measured breath and slicking his hair out of his eyes. He studiously kept his eyes on his boat as he kicked his way back to his fishing spot. No sooner had he retrieved his fishing pole, his body dripping water, than a gust of wind raked over him.

“Are you serious!?”

Theo looked up just in time to see Essy’s sun hat get whisked off of her head, copper locks blowing wildly around her face as she struggled to locate her wayward hat. The wind oh-so-nicely deposited it not too far from him. He couldn’t help but chuckle at the situation. Talk about a meet-cute, huh?

Essy sloshed her way over to him through the shallows out past the sandbar. She made decent time with those strong legs of hers, but he was still closer. Her hat was dripping when he scooped it up from where it floated benignly on the water. He tried shaking it out, with mixed success.

“Oh gosh, I am so sorry about that!” Essy had reached him, finally; dimly he wondered why she could possibly be apologizing for the wind, but his thoughts were effectively derailed when he looked up and looked at her. Properly, from up close, this time.

Her copper curls were snarled around her face from the gust, a few strands of gold and red dancing across her cheeks. She had wide eyes somewhere between celadon and the small aquamarine sea-glass he sometimes found washed up along the shore. Up close he could even see a smattering of freckles dusted across her nose and cheeks. He didn’t miss the way her eyes jumped from her hat in his hand, to his face, to…well, the rest of him, before jumping away again. Was it the sun playing tricks on his eyes, or was she actually blushing?

He could still feel rivulets of water running down his torso. He was dripping; what a cliche.

He felt himself color slightly; he also couldn’t help the feeling of smug pride that welled up inside him. He straightened and very minimally puffed out his chest. “No worries. The wind likes to play tricks out here.” He made to hand her hat back to her. “You must be Essy?”

“Yeah, I am—" She stepped forward to take it, but lost her footing on the rocks at the last second. Without thinking he reached out to steady her, one hand lightly on her waist and the other grasping her forearm. He registered contact with warm skin. Warm and soft…

“I gotcha. The reef’s tricky, too. Gotta watch your step. You okay?” If he let his hands linger a beat longer than was strictly necessary, well, what was wrong with making absolutely sure she was steady on her feet again?

“You know, I’m just going to own that this was not the most graceful way to actually introduce myself.” She gathered her hair to one side of her neck with a laugh. “You must be Theo? Fisherman extraordinaire, up-and-coming singer-songwriter, and savior of sun hats?”

It was cute how she didn’t take herself too seriously. His lips curved into a lopsided grin. “At your service.”

“Well, truly, I’m charmed.” She colored again, before plopping the still-wet hat back onto her head. “Thanks to you, I won’t have a terribly burned scalp. Have any favorite spring fruits or veggies? I could try and get some seeds to grow you something as a ‘thank you.’”

He shook his hands in front of him. “Like I said, no worries. What kind of sun hat savior would I be if I let you suffer from a peeling scalp because I couldn’t catch your hat?” What was he even saying? Essy let out a peal of laughter, and part of him felt like it unlocked. So weird. Who was he?

“Anyway, thanks. Really. I’ll let you get back to your fish wrangling—that’s what it looked like back from the beach, at least—" she broke off, her cheeks somehow managing to darken even more. Her words settled like a slowly sinking pebble in his mind. “I’ll see you around, yeah?”

“Yeah, of course.” Before he could gather any more thoughts than that, Essy shot him a warm yet bashful smile and turned to pick her way carefully back to the sandbar and surer footing. He refused to let his eyes linger as she walked away from him. The palms of his hands felt faintly burned, but he knew it wasn’t from the sunlight reflecting off of the waves. He took up his pole again, and readied himself to return to wrangling, like Essy had called it.

He wondered if she’d watch him again.

As he cast the line in front of him, the gentle whirring as the reel spun out reaching his ear, he also caught a distant, “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

Sure enough, he glanced back at the sandbar where Essy was fishing her pail and small sand shovel from the greedy tide currently sucking her tools out to sea. One hand was firmly clapped on her hat.

Theo couldn’t help letting out a wide smile as he felt a fish bite. What a meet-cute indeed. Maybe he’d write a song about it later.

[greymantledlady]

goldenlight

by greymantledlady

Liam Dunbar/Theo Raeken  |  Teen Wolf  |  12.5K

(angst, hurt/comfort, panic attack, guilt & redemption, Theo POV)

-

The taste of copper fills his mouth, and he forces his head down to see his own clawed fingers red and dripping with blood. ‘No,’ he chokes out, ‘no, no, please,’ and his shoulder collides at an awkward angle with something solid and unyielding, his knees seeming to buckle under his own weight until he’s sliding downwards, burying his face into the dark space beneath the cross of his wrists.

-

(for @tropetember day 25 - angst with a happy ending. Late, but I got there in the end!)

[offsidekineticist]

It Almost Feels Like a Good Day

I'M ALIVE!!!!!!!!!

Hey everyone, sorry I've been radio silent on here for awhile. Needed to take a bit of a step back from social media. No guarantees I'll be super active outside of breakup arc updates, but hopefully I'll be a little more consistent with it going forward. In the meantime, here's part FOURTEEN of the Breakup Arc (dear lord this is going to be a full-length novel by the time I'm done, isn't it? ugh).

CW: Mention of torture, food insecurity, recovering from/living with long-term effects of torture, internalized ableism (Theo has a lot of bullshit to unlearn), toxic relationship dynamics, sensory issues related to scent/taste, reference to vomit

There was no more sleep that night. Ever since Qweck left, much of South Kintargo (including the rickety apartment you're trying to call home) has been engulfed in corpse stench. Nobody knows what is causing the stench, though everyone seems to have a theory. Yours is that this is the natural consequence of leaving the management of citywide infrastructure in the hands of the Silver Ravens, a band of adventurers-turned-revolutionaries who think sewage systems are for sneaking about unnoticed and hiding unspeakable horrors best forgotten, but nobody has cared enough about what you think to ask you. In any case, the stench makes the already daunting task of sleeping through the pain in your hands downright impossible. Instead, you lie awake, staring at the wall and slowly watching light seep in through the cracks in the wood as the sunrises.

You drag yourself out of bed, and Giliys follows immediately. He didn't sleep either, though whether that's because of the stench or some other reason is an open question. He helps you dress with that infuriating patience you had never realized he was capable of, before surveying the empty shelf above the stove. He turns towards you.

"Up for a trip?" he asks. 

(He asks because you have had days when you couldn't drag yourself out of bed, but he doesn't have to rub it in your face)

You pick up your bag - a clumsy feat with your hands still splinted - and pull the strap over your shoulder with a glare. "I'm not an invalid."

He bows his head slightly. "Right. Sorry..." He trots over to the door and opens it. "Shall we?"

You hate that you need him to open the door for you, but you don't let it show. You just walk out the door, barely acknowledging him as you go. You hear the door close behind you, and Giliys's obnoxiously cheerful footsteps grate on you as he catches up.

"Same place as last time?" Giliys asks.

"That is acceptable," you say. 'The same place as last time' is a street by the docks in the north of Jarvis End, a neighborhood a little ways northwest of your apartment, where a fishmonger sells six oysters for a copper. It's far but that's the point. The stench makes it so anything you try to eat at home comes right back up - if you can even force yourself to eat it in the first place. Jarvis End has escaped the curse of the Stench, and raw oysters are cheap enough not to break the bank. The flavor is a bit stronger than you'd like, but without the Stench, you can eat it and keep it down. 

The trouble, of course, is the distance. It's only half a mile, but you were locked in a closet and only alloved out to walk twenty feet to a walk-in closet of pain for about a month. Your body has decided anything further than a hundred feet is an expedition. But the only way out

is to power through it - the one good part of Qweck refusing to accept that your hands can't be fixed is that it forced you up and down Temple Hill regularly, though you had to take an embarrassing number of breaks to catch your breath along the way.

"Hey, Thay? Think we could slowdown? I'm gettin' kinda winded," Giliys asks from behind you. You scowl because you know he's lying. You're not even halfway there, and Giliys never asks for anything for his own sake these days. It's infuriating. You want to tell him to shut up because it's just a little walking, but you're breathing so hard you can barely say anything.

"Fine," you manage to say after a moment, shooting a vicious glave his way. He bows his head in contrition.

"Sorry, I'm just gettin' old, I guess. Middle age just kinda sneaks up on ya, ya know?"

(He babbles when he lies. He's worse at it than the literal children you worked with at the library, and you don't understand how, with the life he's led, he can be this bad at lying.)

"Seeing as I bleached when most gnomes would consider me scarcely more than a child, I can't say that I do."

His face falls, and whatever cheer he had gained from his successful gambit is immediately lost. His shoulders dip as his head bows even further.

"Sorry. I, uh- I didn't think."

"No, you didn't," you snap.

"Sorry, Thay," he says, quietly this time. You turn towards the road ahead, and the distance that still lies between you and your destination. Giliys's feigned middle-aged moment has given you a moment to catch your breath, but it's time to push on. You'll never get better if you keep making excuses for yourself.

"Let's go."

It is only when you are half a block from the fishmonger that you stop again, huffing and puffing, but this pause of your own accord. You've been here enough over the last weeks that the fishmonger - Molly - has started to recognize you and make small-talk, and you don't want her asking why you can't breathe. Giliys says nothing, only offering you a waterskin, which you take, guzzling the contents greedily. You take a huge gulp of air once you're satisfied and pass the skin back to Giliys. Taking another moment to catch your breath, you straighten up and nod to yourself. You can do this. It's just small-talk with someone who's barely a stranger anymore. So you take a last deep breath and round the last corner towards Molly's spot.

Molly doesn't exactly have a stand. Every Morning, Molly wheels out the various shellfish - oysters, cockles, mussels, clams - which her grown children pulled out of the Yolulibus River the night before (you suspect her children are not properly licensed to dive for bivalves in the river, hence the reduced price). There's no awning to shade her or keep her dry when it rains, but every day, rain or shine, she is out there hawking her wares, smiling without complaint. 

Today is no different. As you approach, hands behind your back as if clasped to avoid questions about them, she stands in her light brown dress, an apron hanging from her neck to keep the dress tidy. She seems to perk up at the sight of you.

"Well, if it isn't Sers Theoven and Giliys!"

"Molly!" you return, the prescribed grin on your face, "how's business?"

"Same as it ever was, ser, same as it ever was. But I'm sure you're not here just to see little old me. What can I do ya for?'

"A dozen oysters," you answer.

"Oh, just your luck! Kiddies brought in a bit too much last night, so I'm running a buy one, get one free sale, just for today." You look at the cart dubiously - it doesn't seem any more full than it usually is. Molly seems to follow your gaze and read your dubiousness because she then adds "Wasn't even able to wheelit all out here, that's how much they caught! So if you'd take two dozen off my hands for the price of one, I'd greatly appreciate it."

Giliys hands her two coppers before you can inquire further. "Well, if ya really need us to, I guess we can make the sacrifice." 

Molly grins and scoops the oysters into a sack without actually counting them out. "Oh, I knew I could count on you boys!" She hands Giliys a sack of what you're fairly sure is more than two dozen oysters. "Now you'll want to eat them while they're still fresh. You got any left after dinner tonight, you cook em in a stew or toss em back in the river so the kids Can catchem again, got it?"

"Loud and clear, Alive-O!" Giliys says with a jaunty salute as he takes the sack and, almost giddy with excitement, pats your shoulder. "C'mon, Thay, let's eat!"

You give Molly one last suspicious glance before giving her a courteous nod and "Have a nice day" and following Giliys.

"You know she was lying about the extra catch?"you hiss to Giliys as soon as you're out of earshot.

"No, Thay, I don't fucking know it, and even if I did, I can't fucking live on six oysters a day, so let me actually eat a full fucking meal for once," Giliys snaps. A look of regret and something else crosses his face. "Fucking shit - I'm sorry, I didn't mean to snap, I just - I'm so sorry - "

"You've been going hungry," you clarify, the guilt sinking into your stomach. Of course he's been going hungry - halflings have a surprising appetite given their size, and Giliys is enormous by halfling standards. "Why didn't you say something?"

Giliys shrugs."Not like there was anything we could do about it."

"I could have gone with less!"

"Fuck no! You're underweight and healing. I'm not stealing food outta your mouth."

"You're not stealing anything if I'm offering!"

"Use whatever fancy wordplay you want, I'm not lettin' ya go hungry on my account"

"But you'll damn souls to hell on your account." The words are out before you can stop them. You're right, of course, but being right and being relevant or useful are two different things.

Giliys's face falls. He looks away. "Could we argue about this another time? We have enough food today-more than enough. We can fight over who goes hungry another time. Just - let's sit down and eat and enjoy shit for once?"

"Of course, Giliys, silly me, how could I possibly waste my time and energy on worrying that you've been starving yourself, when I could instead be looking forward to the tantalizing prospect of needing to be spoonfed again?"

He squeezes his eyes shut. "Okay. Fine. Can we wait until we've both had something to eat? Because I don't think that's helping either of our moods."

He's right. You don't like that he's right, but he's right. You've also arrived at your usual spot: a wooden bench overlooking the waterfront. "Fine," you say as you climb up on to the bench. Giliys follows after you before producing an ornate dagger from an indeterminate pocket and using it to shuck the oysters.

(You don't know where he got the dagger. If he had it before your arrived in Kintargo, he never showed it to you. You suspect you don't want to know.)

Giliys tries to offer you the first oyster, reaching towards you so you can slurp it from the half-shell. You turn your head away. "You take the first one," you insist. You can almost hear him scowl as he mutters to himself, but you also hear the sound of slurping as he eats the oyster.

"You're eating the next one," Giliys says, his mouth still full by the sound of it, and you hear the sound of his dagger working at an oyster shell. You nod - he said it with that tone that tells you he's going to fight you if you push back, and you see little point now that the point has been made.

The two of you eat mostly in silence, watching the ships go by on the river and enjoying the warm weather and sunlight. It is...pleasant. Even him having to feed you isn't so bad. In other circumstances...It might even be a pleasant -

No. You can't think like that. There can be nothing there.

Still. It's nice.

You eat your fill first. You eat the same as usual, and Giliys keeps going while you resolve that in the future he'll eat more than he's been eating. You should have realized sooner. Giliys is so much bigger than you - of course he needs more food than you do.

Eventually Giliys, pockets stuffed with oyster shells, ties off the bag of remaining oysters and approaches the riverbank. He turns back to you, a mischievous look in his eye you haven't seen in so long you don't actually know when you last saw it. "You ever skip rocks?" he asks.

"I grew up next to a river. Of course I've skipped rocks." You slightly regret the sharp reply, but if Giliys took notice of the harshness he makes no sign, instead barrelling forward, high on the energy of his first full meal in weeks.

"What's yer record?"

"Seventeen skips." You almost smile at the memory. You and your brother used to skip rocks on the Brastle river for hours. Or, rather, you would skip rocks while your brother stubbornly kept throwing rocks into the river. Lad was all raw strength and could barely manage a single skip, no matter how many times he made you explain how to do it.

Giliys grins, hefting an oyster shell in his hand. "Betcha I can beat that." He turns around and tosses the shell.

It plops into the water with a splash. You raise an eyebrow. He looks at you, slightly embarrassed. "That was a warmup. Yep, yep, a warmup. Here, eighteen skips, coming right up!" He whirls around and throws the oystershell overhand.

It disappears into the river with a slightly bigger splash.

And so begins the cycle: Gilly insists he's going to beat your record, tosses the oyster shell into the river, watches it sink without even a hint of a skip, and then he makes some excuse for why it's not his fault. After the fourth or fifth time, you hop off the bench, putting the sack of remaining oysters in your bag.

"Your technique is all wrong. Here." You walk up behind him and putyour hand on his. He draws in a sharp breath, and you pull back - you've startled him. "Sorry, I should have asked - I was going to show you how, but - "

"Uh, nah, you're good," Giliys says hurriedly. "That's, uh - yeah, you're good. What were you gonna show me?"

You close the distance and put your left hand on his. "You keep throwing over your head like this-" You guide his arm upwards, standing on your toes to reach, "which means all the momentum is going straight into the Water. You want it to just skim the top of the water, so you want to throw more sideways and then add a little wrist flick -" again, you direct his arm in the proper motion " - like that."

The shell flies. It skims across the surface of the water, skipping once, twice, thrice - before it slices through the surface into the depths of the river. 

"There you go!" you say, patting Gilly's shoulder in congratulations (ignoring the pain in your hand) as you step back from him. "It's not too bad once you know how to do it, right?"

"Uh, y-yeah," Gilly stammers. You look up to find that his face is flushed.

"Are you alright?" you ask, concerned. He's just had a better meal than he's had in some time - is it possible it was too much? Is he sick?

"Yeah, sorry, I just - uh - well, I guess I was surprised cuz, uh...well, y'know, I've never actually skipped rocks before. Kinda didn't really believe people actually did it? Kinda just figured it was some bullshit parents told their kids to keep them out of their hair until they wised up."

He's still flushed, but he seems to be back to himself now. Maybe it was just a trick of the light? You decide to let it go. "If you didn't think it was actually possible, why did you say you could beat the record you didn't believe I set?"

Gilly shrugs. "I mean, ok, I knew it was a thing people did. Just didn't really get it, right? Like when you know something but don't know it, you know?"

You do know - though you probably wouldn't phrase it that way. Nevertheless, you nod. Giliys nods back, as if reassuring himself. "Yeah, so. Uh. I'm kinda done with skipping rocks - uh, shells, I mean. Yeah. So. Ready to go?"

You're not. You're feeling more energetic now that you've eaten, but the prospect of walking all the way home still feels daunting. And the river is calming. Yes, there's the bustle and noise of the docks and the streets, but underlying all of it is the rushing water that doesn't care about any of it, traveling its destined path unbothered by those that seek to profit from it.

"Could we...perhaps...I'd like to stay for a bit, if that's alright," you say tentatively, backing up and then hopping up onto the bench. Gilly is unreadable for a moment, and then he nods before joining you on the bench.

It's nice to have this time together. You shouldn't think so, but it is. It almost feels like a good day, and you have so few of those -

You'll hate yourself for it later, but for now. It's nice.