#and also painful!

[feywhimsy]

If you wanna do fluff: 11. Angst? 24. (For Aloth/Watcher) :3

both? both. both is good

from here: 11. “I’m just glad you’re safe. I wouldn’t know what to do if I lost you.” 24. “I thought I’d never see you again.”

this one got away from me a bit

also on ao3

Catriona’s blades clattered to the floor, their owner frozen in place. She stared at the unmoving form of Aloth at her feet, horror filling her mind before she could act.

It had all been fine moments ago. But the fampyr had wiggled his way into her mind, convinced her these people were the enemy. So she struck out at the one closest to her, using every advantage she could find to slip past his defenses and…

The spell had broken when the fampyr was struck down. But the sinister laugh as he died, seeing Aloth on the ground, told Catriona he still won.

“Aloth!” Catriona screamed, her senses coming back to her. She fell to her knees, wrapping her arms around Aloth and rolling him onto his back. She wracked her brain for knowledge she once had, years ago she knew she knew how to patch wounds. She remembered tenderly wrapping a severe burn on Aloth’s arm after a mishap with a spell. But the information just wasn’t there. Something taken by the other half of her soul inside Eothas, no doubt.

Catriona didn’t realize she was crying until a tear dripped from her onto Aloth’s cheek. He was still alive, but barely. His breaths were shallow and there was no doubt that the amount of blood he was losing would soon turn fatal.

“Pallegina!” Catriona yelled out, pressing her hand to Aloth’s wound, her head swiveling to locate the other godlike. She was helping Edér to his feet, who had sprawled out on the ground after a particularly nasty blow. At her cry, Pallegina looked up, face going grim as she rushed over.

“Show me where,” Pallegina said as she approached, her hands starting to glow softly. Catriona blinked at her. “Vielo, Watcher, where is the wound?”

“Oh,” Catriona breathed, looking down to Aloth and a sense of dread once again filling her. Was his breathing more ragged than it was before? With her free hand she motioned to her other, blood now seeping through her fingers. She must have hit something vital.

Pallegina gently eased Catriona’s hand away and pressed her own to the deep wound. The light from her hands dissipated… And nothing happened.

Aloth wasn’t breathing.

“Merla! We need Xoti,” Pallegina said as she stood.

“What?” Catriona asked, her voice barely a whisper. Everything was moving so fast, she could barely keep up.

“Stay with him, Watcher,” Pallegina replied, her voice soft, then walked away to find Xoti.

Catriona turned her attention back to Aloth, cradling his head in her lap. His face was twisted into an expression of pain and shock, sending a wave of guilt through her. This was her fault. She had sunk her blade into him as far as she could manage, intent to kill. It didn’t matter to her that her mind was not her own at the time, it was still her sword that dealt the final blow.

“Please,” Catriona begged to no one in particular. If she were of a better mind in that moment she would be looking up, searching for Aloth’s soul. But whether she didn’t think of it or didn’t want to face the reality, was a matter not even the gods knew the truth of. Another sob wracked her body, hugging Aloth close, pressing a kiss to his cheek. “Please. I love you. Don’t leave me. I’m sorry, I’m sorry…”

Catriona was pulled from her thoughts as a heavy hand laid onto her shoulder, turning to see Edér looking down at the two of them. Xoti was a pace behind him, already starting to cast a spell. Catriona met her gaze, pleading. Xoti nodded.

The seconds felt like they stretched to hours as Xoti completed her spell, Catriona refusing to let go of Aloth. Xoti didn’t need him laid out for this. She held her breath as the magic flew from Xoti’s hands into Aloth, waiting for an eternity to see if the spell worked.

Aloth drew in a deep breath, a wet cough following short after. Everything hurt, especially his midsection, and he was vaguely aware of someone holding onto him. His mind raced, trying to remember what got him here. Above him, he heard Catriona led out a relieved sob.

“Aloth,” she whispered, and he looked up to smile at her. Her usual glow was dim—no, gone, and her cheeks were stained with tears. His heart shattered.

“What… happened?” Aloth asked, thoughts still swimming.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” Catriona sobbed, her hand reaching for his. Her hands were slick with something, and as he glanced down he realized they were both covered in a frankly alarming amount of his own blood.

“I didn’t, the fampyr, I thought I was never going to see you again. I… I did this,” Catriona continued, squeezing Aloth’s hand so tight he thought she might break something. With a grimace he lifted his free hand, stroking her cheek. Her ramblings stopped, staring down at him.

“You didn’t do this,” Aloth managed, voice weak. Catriona started to protest but was cut off as another coughing fit came over Aloth, causing him to groan in pain. Once he steadied his breathing, he looked up to her with a weak smile and continued. “You said yourself, the fampyr, correct? You shouldn’t blame yourself. I’m alright.”

“You almost weren’t,” Catriona breathed, another tear spilling from her eyes. Aloth reached up and wiped it away, trying his best to smile up at her. Moving still hurt.

“But I am. And that is the important part. I… Will need a few days of rest, I imagine. But I’m here,” Aloth assured her, turning to look to the rest of the group. “Thank you.”

Pallegina and Xoti both mumbled something in response, already moving away to give Aloth and the Watcher space. Edér was still there, relief clear on his face.

“Glad to see ya alright,” Edér said, pulling out his pipe now that action was settling. Aloth gave him a pointed look, causing Edér to start. He was already moving away as he spoke next. “Sorry, you want me to give you two a moment?”

Now that it was just the two of them, Aloth turned his full attention back to Catriona. Her glow was starting to return, but it remained faint, barely perceptible. She was staring down at him, a guilty expression on her face. Aloth sighed—a mistake, given the pain—and squeezed her hand gently.

“Catriona. I am going to be alright. I need you to—don’t blame yourself,” Aloth spoke softly. “No matter what happened, I’m here now. And I-I… I love you, too.”

Catriona’s eyes went wide, and he could see the wheels turning in her mind. “You heard that?” she breathed, and if circumstances were different he might find her bewilderment endearing.

“Of course I did. And I…” he bit his lip, considering his words. His ears burned, but nowhere near as bad as was typical given the blood loss. “It’s something I’ve known about myself for a long time. But I wasn’t sure you felt the same.”

“I. Oh,” Catriona blinked. Realization hit her, how Aloth was able to hear her, needing to take a moment to steady herself from the harsh reality of what had just occurred.

“And what about you? Are you alright?” Aloth asked, moving to sit. He winced and Catriona carefully but firmly made him lay back down.

“I… Yeah. Yeah, I think so,” she responded, her hand trembling in his grip.

“Good. When I… I wasn’t sure what was going to happen, if the…” Aloth frowned, another confession bubbling to the surface. “I’m just glad you’re safe. I wouldn’t know what to do if I lost you.”

Catriona stared at him, amusement glowing in her eyes. “You really think, after all I’ve been through, a fampyr was what was going to do me in?” she asked, a smile slowly spreading across her face. Aloth’s blush deepened.

“Well, no, perhaps not. But there are things worse than death. If they saw fit they could have made you one of them, or. Worse things,” Aloth stammered, trying very hard to keep his mind from spiraling. Catriona pressed a finger to his lips, quieting him, the smile on her face spreading.

“Aloth. It’s alright,” she murmured. “Are you able to move? We should get out of this place, get you to my bed.”

Aloth’s eyebrows shot up, blush spreading to his cheeks. “This is hardly the time, don’t you think?” he asked weakly.

“What? Oh! No, no, I meant,” Catriona stammered. “To rest. You need it, and my bed is better than the bunks.”

Aloth relaxed, nodding in thanks.

“Though once you are rested up, I have plans to… make this up to you.”

Catriona gave him a wicked grin, and Aloth knew he was in for it.

[qiinamii]

we'll do fine.

[cloverandcrossbones]

Laios Touden Period Cramps moodboard

[image ID: a 3x3 moodboard of alternating Dungeon Meshi manga panels and Delicious in Dungeon anime screenshots of Laios suffering from cramps and stomach pain, arranged in sequential order to show how his pain progresses. Laios is a blond tallman (human) in grey plate armor. In some images, there is a closeup of his face with a pained expression or crying, while the rest show him doubled over on the ground. In two manga panels, Laios says, "My stomach. Urrgh..." Narrative text from the other panels read, "Laios tried to say something... But overwhelming stomach pain and nausea wiped all thoughts from his mind. For an entire night, it felt like his stomach was being carved open from the inside." End ID.]

[allthewhumpygoodness]

Big fan of when a character's grief/trauma/guilt manifests as physical symptoms. Big fan of characters keeping things so tight inside them that it makes them sick. Big fan of when the line blurs between a character's mental trauma and physical illness until it's hard to tell which is which anymore.

[inkskinned]

the thing is that they're so fascinated by sex, they love sex, they can't imagine a world without sex - they need sex to sell things, they need sex to be part of their personality, they need sex to prove their power - but they hate sex. they are disgusted by it.

sex is the only thing that holds their attention, and it is also the thing that can never be discussed directly.

you can't tell a child the normal names for parts of their body, that's sexual in nature, because the body isn't a body, it's a vessel of sex. it doesn't matter that it's been proven in studies (over and over) that kids need to know the names of their genitals; that they internalize sexual shame at a very young age and know it's 'dirty' to have a body; that it overwhelmingly protects children for them to have the correct words to communicate with. what matters is that they're sexual organs. what matters is that it freaks them out to think about kids having body parts - which only exist in the context of sex.

it's gross to talk about a period or how to check for cancer in a testicle or breast. that is nasty, illicit. there will be no pain meds for harsh medical procedures, just because they feature a cervix.

but they will put out an ad of you scantily-clad. you will sell their cars for them, because you have abs, a body. you will drip sex. you will ooze it, like a goo. like you were put on this planet to secrete wealth into their open palms.

they will hit you with that same palm. it will be disgusting that you like leather or leashes, but they will put their movie characters in leather and latex. it will be wrong of you to want sexual freedom, but they will mark their success in the number of people they bed.

they will crow that it's inappropriate for children so there will be no lessons on how to properly apply a condom, even to teens. it's teaching them the wrong things. no lessons on the diversity of sexual organ growth, none on how to obtain consent properly, none on how to recognize when you feel unsafe in your body. if you are a teenager, you have probably already been sexualized at some point in your life. you will have seen someone also-your-age who is splashed across a tv screen or a magazine or married to someone three times your age. you will watch people pull their hair into pigtails so they look like you. so that they can be sexy because of youth. one of the most common pornography searches involves newly-18 young women. girls. the words "barely legal," a hiss of glass sand over your skin.

barely legal. there are bills in place that will not allow people to feel safe in their own bodies. there are people working so hard to punish any person for having sex in a way that isn't god-fearing and submissive. heteronormative. the sex has to be at their feet, on your knees, your eyes wet. when was the first time you saw another person crying in pornography and thought - okay but for real. she looks super unhappy. later, when you are unhappy, you will close your eyes and ignore the feeling and act the role you have been taught to keep playing. they will punish the sex workers, remove the places they can practice their trade safely. they will then make casual jokes about how they sexually harass their nanny.

and they love sex but they hate that you're having sex. you need to have their ornamental, perfunctory, dispassionate sex. so you can't kiss your girlfriend in the bible belt because it is gross to have sex with someone of the same gender. so you can't get your tubes tied in new england because you might change your mind. so you can't admit you were sexually assaulted because real men don't get hurt, you should be grateful. you cannot handle your own body, you cannot handle the risks involved, let other people decide that for you. you aren't ready yet.

but they need you to have sex because you need to have kids. at 15, you are old enough to parent. you are not old enough to hear the word fuck too many times on television.

they are horrified by sex and they never stop talking about it, thinking about it, making everything unnecessarily preverted. the saying - a thief thinks everyone steals. they stand up at their podiums and they look out at the crowd and they sign a bill into place that makes sexwork even more unsafe and they stand up and smile and sign a bill that makes gender-affirming care illegal and they get up and they shrug their shoulders and write don't say gay and they get up, and they make the world about sex, but this horrible, plastic vision of it that they have. this wretched, emotionless thing that holds so much weight it's staggering. they put their whole spine behind it and they push and they say it's normal!

this horrible world they live in. disgusted and also obsessed.

[cemeterything]

my main advice for writing an enemies to lovers relationship is to resist the urge to make the characters' loathing and attraction mutually exclusive opposing forces. it's okay if they're getting weirdly into it and having Thoughts whilst also sincerely wanting to kill each other with hammers.

[ressaart]

streets of gotham

[amartworks]

I keep forgetting how to paint… to remind myself today I did a study of @pangur-and-grim's animal Belphegor, the saddest oldest kitten in the world.

[zillychu]

what if his suit WASN'T shrink wrapped

[notebooks-and-laptops]

People do not talk enough about how amazing Lae'zels voice acting is. Devora Wilde put her whole ass pussy into some of those lines but nobody pays attention and calls laezel one note and angry. But have you listened? Have you heard her voice shake as she cries "what good - this heart of stone - for it to be shattered?" Have you heard the conviction where she declares that Vlaketh has sinned against her? Have you listened to the fear in her voice, the slight tremble when she is talking of becoming a mindflayer and the way that she has utter awe in her tones when she experiences something that is truly spiritual to her? Like. It's such a subtle and great performance.

[caffstrink]

Comic about something that happened in 2019

[nedlittle]

genuinely i think it's important for adults, especially in the plague times, to play pretend in our day-to-day lives. when i rub my back down with tiger balm so i can sleep without pain, i imagine i am a valiant knight tending to an old injury i received from a dragon. when i go to the store to pick up eggs and milk, i am a lone cowboy riding into town on a mission. when i turn my collar up against the wind i am a femme fatale who's killed 4 husbands and is scoping out a 5th. when i stomp around in the snow i am a doomed polar explorer. if being a little bit silly about my walk to the pharmacy helps me remember that life can be full of joy and whimsy, then so be it.

[reyenii]

a) charles and edwin’s safe place is their office:

b) this scene was so domestic. charles is wearing his white tank top. edwin is wearing a shirt with the sleeves rolled up and the buttons on his top collar unbuttoned. he’s sitting on the couch in a comfortable pose.

c) but we don’t see anything like this when the boys are in port townsend. they "hide" behind their clothes almost all the time cause this is a new “place” for them which is not safe to be in

[frownyalfred]

I 100% believe Lois Lane requested the presence of Bruce Wayne in her delivery room.

Nobody, not even the League, understood until it was time to give birth and Clark froze up at her bedside. Bruce was there to coach them both through it, as Clark’s friend and as Lois’ human reinforcements.

(Bruce flew to Metropolis in a helicopter when he got the news. He found Clark ashen and trembling at Lois’ side, eyes clenched shut as she screamed. He slid into place like he’d never been missing, talking Lois AND Clark through it like he delivered babies every day of the week)

[aslyran]

Visions

[tombraiderrocker]

If they claim they can cure your condition that you have been told is incurable, run. If they claim they cured themselves, run. If they claim they have cured everything from cancer to lupus holistically, run. If they claim you have to buy only supplements from them, run. If they claim they that only thing that will cure is x but x costs tons of money, run. If they refuse to run tests or address your diagnosed conditions before insisting you do an expensive treatment not covered by insurence, run. If they offer a one size fits all treatment/cure, run.

I have been scammed by "holistic" and "naturalistic" people before as a chronically ill person. In fact it was an actual doctor who went to medical school who scammed me for years. So watch out. If it seems too good to be true it probably is.