Sated
Word count: 1,200
Warnings: Violence, death, animal death
A/N: My piece for the 5th edition of @trafficzine was Gem's session 7 task (the boogeyman apocalypse). Had lots of fun with it, please reblog/comment if u enjoy! - Aqua
Sated
~
It starts before Gem even opens her task book.
Her mouth goes dry; she thinks it’s the shock, as she reads. It’s the weight of the task she’s just been given. She’s never been the boogeyman. That was before her time. And now she needs to infect the entire server. It’s a daunting task, but she’s up for the challenge. As she chats idly with her bandmates, a scratch starts up in her throat. She has to swallow down a cough a few times- though each time, her mouth gets drier.
After they disperse to prepare for their tasks, Gem kneels by the pond outside her cottage and scoops water into her cupped hands. But as soon as she puts it to her lips, it seems to evaporate. She can feel the water passing into her mouth, down her throat, into her stomach- but it does nothing to soothe her.
Her mouth is still dry. And worse, now- her stomach feels empty. Nibbling on a piece of steak brings a similar result; it’s dry and tough and flavorless, and after eating it, her stomach feels even emptier. There’s a powerful craving for… something inside her. An aching, yawning chasm in her heart.
It terrifies and confuses her. Is this what it’s like to be the boogeyman?
She stares at Scott and Impulse. They’re both green. They’re strong, healthy. She can see it in their eyes. And somehow, strangely enough, she can almost smell it on them- the extra hearts, the pure life flowing through their veins. It’s alluring. She licks her lips.
“Don’t come near me, just for a little while,” she tells them, turning away.
~
Gem’s kill on Bdubs leaves her reeling.
The second he poofs away, torn apart by zombies spawned by her hand, an odd sensation washes over her. It’s like the coolest, sweetest water soothing her sore throat. It’s a warm meal comfortably filling her stomach. It’s energy and strength flooding her veins, electricity out the tips of her fingers. After losing nearly two rows of hearts to Scar, it’s sorely needed. She’s almost giddy as she climbs back to the surface to find Bdubs.
He’s already licking his lips, before she even hands him the book. Killing is enough to spread the infection, then. As she guides him through the new task he’s been given, she feels her mouth go dry again, and she realizes that killing is only a temporary fix.
~
“You said you needed one more person,” Impulse says. Always eager to please, wanting to be involved in things. He thinks he understands, but he doesn’t. Not really.
Gem hesitates. “Trust me, you don’t- you don’t want…” She swallows, licks her lips. She and Bdubs have already tried and failed to kill Tango, and they’re both starting to feel it. Every step, every word, every breath takes more effort to get out. The scent of Impulse’s life is incredibly tempting, but she’d wanted to spare her band as long as she could. “I mean… no…”
Impulse insists. Bdubs kills him.
She sees him swallow it down; the relief that floods his wide eyes. The sudden vigor that returns to his body. The way he breathes a little easier. And she realizes that while the curse can only be spread if the newest victim takes part, the killer is the one who gets sated.
Gem gasps. “You did it!” she cheers, even as she bites back her envy. “Did you gain hearts? You gained hearts, right? That felt good?”
“Yes, I did,” Bdubs breathes.
She tries not to hate him for it.
~
Gem’s sword slashes through the empty air where Scar used to be.
Pearl’s arrow got there a millisecond faster. Gem locks her feelings behind a smile of bared teeth. “Perfect,” she praises Pearl even though her mouth feels like sand and her limbs feel like lead. She’s been cursed longer than Pearl, she needs it more, can’t Pearl see how much she needed it?
She licks her lips. It doesn’t help.
~
Gem trudges next to Impulse, the cherry tree mountain looming before them. She gives him a sidelong look; Impulse’s face paint has dried into powder, dusted in the hollows of his cheeks.
“Is the server weirdly quiet?” she asks. Every breath rasps against her throat, like she’s inhaling brambles. Her stomach gnaws at her. It’s been ages since her last kill.
“Yeah, I know,” Impulse murmurs. His eyes are sunken. He licks his lips.
~
“I would rather not kill Cleo, personally,” Etho says, because he’s still fresh and he doesn’t understand. He didn’t see the way she turned on Scott.
Gem nods. “Well, you have to participate in the next kill, for the curse to spread, so it’s your call.”
“Yeah, let’s go for Tango,” Etho decides, unsurprisingly.
She doesn’t mind. He’ll understand soon; he’s already clearing his throat.
~
Gem respawns in her cottage after a stray shot from Scar takes her last yellow hearts.
Scott’s there. He’s yellow, but still uninfected. The scent is maddening.
“How are you feeling?” Gem asks, her grip tightening on her sword.
He runs.
~
Wolves pour down the mountainside and sprint headlong into lava, all snapping jaws and burning fur. Their deaths bring Gem no satisfaction. Instead, she sets her sights on the life blood she can smell, sheltering behind the stone walls of the castle.
Her army has grown significantly. They swarm the castle almost like a single being, unified in mind and body. Not just by their shared task, but by their desperation to kill. To be sated.
“The curse feels so good,” Gem lies, as they close in on their next kill, “just let it take over!”
It’s Scar’s kill, in the end. She licks her lips.
~
Gem stands before the Secret Keeper.
She can feel the others’ eyes burning into the back of her skull. The resentment for bringing them to this point. Most have lost a life, and all have lost hearts. All this struggle just to fail at the end, when she could’ve spared them by failing at the start.
Despite her exhaustion, Gem keeps her shoulders back and chin up. She was given a nearly impossible task, and she nearly succeeded. She assembled an army and led it well. She doesn’t regret it. But privately, she’s glad it’s over.
“I failed!” Gem declares, hitting the button.
This isn’t the first time she’s failed a task, but it’s the first time she’s failed as a red, and she isn’t prepared for what happens. The weight of the curse falls off her; body strengthening, mind sharpening. That much is back to normal.
But Gem is seized with horror as she finds that thirst, that hunger, that craving, is still there.
Martyn locks eyes with her from the assembled crowd. Martyn, the only person who was red without the curse. There’s understanding in his gaze, solemn and empathetic, and suddenly his eyes look more hollow than they used to.
And Gem realizes that while she might no longer be infected with the boogeyman curse, she’s still a red name, and there’s a reason they’ve always said the two things aren’t so different.
Her mouth is dry. She licks her lips.
~
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Hi boo, I don't know if you've seen the revelation that the warrior nun writers had to trick Netflix in order to be able to make avatrice canon. This is to me at the very least concerning and does not make me very hopeful for anything coming from them for the foreseeable future
I did see it, from this tweet:
https://twitter.com/OCSConclave/status/1665443709142302723
It's actually extremely discouraging and eye-opening, tbh! As much as I point out where I think networks and writers have done something homophobic, I try to presume so much good faith, that it's from a place of ignorance or only seeming as bad as it does because of a larger pattern, that mostly it's a few individuals and companies themselves are just hands-off but like, this is pretty bad?
People defend decisions like this by claiming that it's just business, these companies only care about money and it's not their fault that so much diverse stuff fails, but they were trying to shut down the f/f content BEFORE it aired, before it was shot and they had any idea of how it'd be received.
It's just ridiculous that actually, I bite my tongue to stop myself from criticizing more! I pull myself BACK, and still I know that to some people I'll come across as aggressive and obsessive and looking to be a victim, but how can one look at the spate of cancellations and think it's just an innocent coincidence, and now what possible other reason is there for this? Homophobia in deciding what to make, who to cater to, and who to shun.
I don't think we'll see no f/f at all going forward on Netflix, but it's definitely going to be tough times ahead.
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Any fics with passive Nightmare fluff or just the dreamtale siblings being happy?
Howdy, thanks for asking! Here are some fics that might fit what you're looking for!
Starting Over by Clichely (Teen And Up, Complete)
Nightmare had lost.
The multiverse had locked him away, and it seemed as if there would be no escape this time.
But..there is.
And now Nightmare has to do it all again, from beginning to end.
Maybe things will be different this time.
Now illustrated!
Come down that tree! (An aftermare story) by Blue_pale (Not Rated, Complete)
The save screen was now empty. The only thing left was a note. « To whoever is reading it, TOO LATE. I'm gone, one way or another. »
In another world, the twin apples were guarding their tree as usual. When a strange dude appeared from nowhere. And now what do they do with that guy?
this therapy thing had better work by blaise_nova (Teen And Up, Incomplete)
After centuries of fighting that finally came to a head, Dream and Nightmare are no longer at odds, at least not in the physical sense. As it turns out, centuries of war leaves a rather potent mark, and neither brother knows exactly how to deal with it.
or
Dream and Nightmare go to therapy together and try to heal.
Comfort and Misery by CrustyGamer (Not Rated, Incomplete)
Nightlight takes a hand at summoning the God of Misery. He's actually a pretty nice guy.
Discovery of a Forgotten Friend by the_enby_bird (Teen And Up, Complete)
Dream trips over a vine
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